derry

One that knows how to get the players onside and provides a new start putting square pegs in square holes and playing a way that suits the players at his disposal. Unlike Puel who insists the players play his way.

That's why teams that have struggled, bring in a common sense manager and the players are suddenly performing like potential champions. It often gets a lot worse before it get's better a la Swansea.

Happy New Year to you Norm.

I knew Norm years ago and as far as I'm concerned if he says something I believe him 100%. How could they be happy forced to play the dross they are playing. Saints are the only team I've seen playing 4-5-1 attacking with one in the box and five further back.

I've just seen Puel on BT. I've just realised what he is doing as I haven't bothered listening to his interviews of late, he is just repeating the same phrases time after time. Adding a long word here and there that often makes no sense in a football context.

The crowd certainly let rip at the end.

Well that ****ing worked didn't it with the breaks we allowed for the goals, VVD's sending off. He is talking rubbish. On quite a few occasions we were outnumbered at the back. We have to get about five players from attack and midfield into the box and wide players getting to the bye line. So after his recent comments about goals from every player we are down to one in the box and everybody else defending. If that's what he is espousing he's a clown.

Back to the football. Disorganised, disjointed and a team with no natural shape because of the square pegs in round holes selections. Did we really need to change three of the back four? Our pathetic attack suffers from Tadic on the right and Boufal on the left having to come back onto their natural foot although Boufal's left is a lot better than Tadic's swinger right foot. It needs them swopped over. Martina wouldn't be half so bad if he just stayed in our half but once over the halfway line his passing and vision is poor again stopping and turning backwards. Davis has been more lively of late but lacks bite. Hojbjerg has gone backwards and his confidence has disappeared. Romeu put in a good shift but can't do it all. Yoshida dropped us in it far too often today and needs to put his foot through the ball on occasions. VVD looked as frustrated as he was at the end on Wednesday. McQueen worked hard and deserved more support. The substitutions started well Rodriguez for Hojbjerg, I thought at last we are giving it a blast, then Sims even better then along comes JWP at right back, boy did that work. But no, instead of double teaming Long and Rodriguez, Long gets shuffled out to the left side Boufal strolls into the middle and Rodriguez is on his own. The players are better than they are being allowed to be, unless the manager starts to put the players where they play their best football we are looking at plenty more of the same. Long on Solent tonight said they weren't doing much wrong but then tried to make the excuse that they were still coming to terms with the way the manager wanted to play. FFS we've played 28 competitive games, if the players feel that they are still coming to terms with the instructions half way through the season something is dangerously wrong. The manager had no need to change the way we play and patently the players aren't comfortable playing his way. Something has got to change. The easiest thing would be the manager play the way that suits the players. It never works picking a system then shoehorning the players into it. Compensation is an issue so I can't see Puel going anywhere however something has to give and the worse the performances the worse the results will be.

It's got nothing to do with racism. It's more to do with them not bothering to pick up and letting others do the running. Boufal worse than Redmond but both only seem to come alive when they have the ball. On Wednesday we were being over run and until Redmond was sent off neither put in a defensive shift.

Whatever Pochetinno said, he still played a back four, two holding midfield players and four attackers with Lambert pulling the strings and Rodriguez coming in off the left which suited them. Very much like Spurs last night. The framework suited the players ours didn't. I agree Boufal and Redmond don't link with the striker plus the midfielders don't run the channels. Redmond and Boufal play their own way and I can't see that changing.

I expect he's fed up being used as the focal point of every dodgy back pass having to then belt the ball up field and his confidence after the Crystal Palace mistake is rock bottom. If he is going to have to boot it long the player passing back might as well save him the bother and the risk and hit it over the centre backs. Boy did VVD looked hacked off last night.

These players were all familiar and comfortable with 4-2-3-1 for which most of the players were brought in to play. Most Premier teams played a version demonstrated by Spurs last night comfortably playing possession football. Puel came in ditched the familiar system and replaced it with the diamond which didn't work, now flirting with a 4-3-3 and only one striker also not working. The best managers at any level play a system that suits the strengths and weaknesses of the available players thereby getting more out of the team. When Puel came there was a lot of moaning about the negative football, give ten matches was a response, then give it to Christmas, Saturday is halfway, I still think we are playing poorly and getting points because of the defence not because of the football. I don't like the way we play, Redmond undroppable, only one striker and apart from the odd game sideways and backwards to a keeper that obviously doesn't want it.

After ten days off against the best team in the next three games we could have picked the best team available to be better able to battle it out. I mentioned that not only didn't the diamond work the 4-3-3 isn't working and the team completely lost it's shape plus the substitutions changed nothing just like for like with an eye on rotation. Hojbjerg and Romeu holding with Long up front and a middle three including Rodriguez and McQueen would have given us more bite. Right from the start of the season rather than systems to suit the players it's system first and fit the square pegs into the round holes no matter what, after picking Redmond.

Last night the manager messed up big time. His rotation obsession with three games coming up provided a compromise team against the best team in the series. Spurs are a possession based pressing team with plenty of pace and good attacking players. Last night they made twice the passes yet made the same number of tackles. We made over 300 passes with a poor 69% completion just over 200, Spurs over 600 with over 80% completion yet they made the same number of tackles and there is our problem nowhere near enough ball winners. Puel picked four players that have no idea how to tackle and win the ball, Redmond, Boufale, JWP who had a mare and Davis. that left Spurs able to push up as our team collapsed shapelessly into our defensive third. Instead of those four tearing into the Spurs DMs and defenders they just idly backed off and surrendered the game. Spurs kept their 4-2-3-1 throughout but we lost our shape after the first fifteen minutes were unable to retain the ball and struggled. The diamond didn't work, now the 4-3-3 isn't working because of the compromise rotation teams. The substitutions looked more like more rotation than a genuine effort to save the game. Rodriguez should have been joined by Long for Boufal, JWP off for Hojbjerg, and IMO give VVD the freedom to attack by bringing on Yoshida alongside Fonte for Davis. It might not have worked but changing like for like changed nothing except fresh legs. We've just had ten days off so they can't be tired, the organisation and shape was poor. VVD looked absolutely fed up at the end as did Bertrand. Getting a start like that then trying to defend in depth was daft as it only looked a matter of time before Spurs equalised. We got away with it against Liverpool but it was painful to watch and against the ten men of Stoke we looked pathetic. We have become a toothless shell with nothing players like Redmond and Boufale falling woefully short of causing a threat against better teams. The £27+m we spent on them looks as good as the £25m we spent on Ramirez and Osvaldo. At least Puel won't be able to pick Redmond next up but he still won't play two strikers.

For God's sake, if we are going to spend the sort of money that will be needed to buy Schneiderlin plus the knock on effect of his wages at least spend it on a twenty goal a season striker or a ten goal a season midfielder even another VVD type if we can find one. Something we need or could well need. Either way I'm sceptical we'll buy anybody unless it is an underwhelming loan. I'd take Ben Arfa on loan over Schneiderlin every day of the week. Schneiderlin on loan with part of his wages paid by MU is another kettle of fish altogether.

Yes, at 90 mins. No ET I believe.

Ditch the black kit and use the red and white.

I was only suggesting the three of them play. I agree with Long up the centre. I do think that the Davis coming off the bench with fresh legs and mind is a better option. Today he had a big influence and was far more positive than he has been in a long time. I would prefer Hojbjerg starting and I think the jury is still out on the second centre back. I think Fonte still has plenty to offer although Yoshida is definitely improving with regular play.

I remember him, RIP Barry

Not a chance, now we need him to score. Redmond is very pretty to watch but I'd prefer Long and Rodriguez and Boufal, it would be too much to hope to have Tadic on as well as the other three.

Three outstanding pieces of football. Bertrand putting Smith on his backside, going outside and finishing into the far corner, Run from Davis, back heel from Boufal, lovely dink from Davis over Boruc and a great run from Rodriguez into the goalmouth, Turn and control of the volley by Rodriguez into the top corner was absolute class. That's more like it at last we got runners into the box.

Good player, in my opinion he should get more game time.

The problem with our defenders and midfielders passing the ball around backwards and sideways the whole of the opposition have loads of time to get goal side and consolidate their defence denying our forwards any where to go more often or not catching the unwary offside. The slow tempo is killing us, Everton for some reason was good and that sort of tempo is required. With the tempo comes the sharper ball movement and earlier pass into the channels/runners.

I'm not advocating lumping it up front just cutting out a lot of the sideways possession and playing the ball out quickly to the forward players. As many times as the full backs go forward they play it back to the centre backs or exchange passes with the midfielders then more than likely back to the keeper or centre backs.

Only Long and Rodriguez could possibly score a few goals. Everybody else is a once in a few months occasion. Play them together and try to build on the mutual support. Ditch Redmond as a striker and use Boufal as the most likely of the rest to score plus possibly Sims. To do that though Puel has to switch to 4-2-3-1.