Premier League Spurs - Arry's gone but we still dislike them...

[joey55]

I think my statment stands up, as it just poitns out that perhaps the gap in quality is bigger thanthe table suggests. And if this is the case, then it's understandbale why Spurs fan would have trouble selecting many Villa players.

Regarding your injuries, I could say the same about Spurs less important players, but i'm really talking about your key players. The Milners, Young's, Dunne's and Freidal's. Liverpool for example have had lots on injures, but the one that has surely made the real difference is Torres. He's only played 1600 mins and if he played more like 2400, I'm fairly sure they'd be the team in 4th right now. It seems from reading the forum that Milner is seen as your best player currently, how do you think you've have managed had he missed half of your games?

[joey55]

I'd love to see the reaction if a Spurs fan posted in this thread claiming Actim stats as some sort of decent way to judge players.

[The_Lions_Roar]

I'd love to see the reaction if a Spurs fan posted in this thread claiming Actim stats as some sort of decent way to judge players.

Surely stats are the only way to decide it, as people have different opinions, stats prove what is right.

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Oh boo hoo it doesn't shine a light up Spuds arse so you don't like it, shocker.

Find me a more impartial way and i'll take your vitriol seriously.

[myb]

Joey, what part of BOFs post did you not understand? We have had to remodel pretty much our whole back line because of injuries and seem to be competing quite nicely, thanks.

It's another typical Spurs arguement! picking and choosing to suit!

[BOF]

With Dunne out we would have Collins & Cuéllar in the centre with Davies as backup and Luke on the right. We'd be without a leader but we would be OK. With Ashley out, Milner might revert to right wing with Downing left and a centre mid would come into the side. Either that or Albrighton would come in as a like for like replacement. As for Friedel, a lot of fans actually want to see Guzan get more game time so I also don't think Friedel being out would be a total disaster. And it will sound strange but while Milner is our best player he is not our most important one. Reason being, we can accommodate him being missing. I think what you're trying to ask is - what about the player we can't do without. The one we can't do without is actually Gabby because there is no like-for-like player for him. He is key to our counter-attacking style. If he was out (and he has been recently) then we go to pot (as recent results have proven). I can't imagine where we'd be if we were without Gabby for any length of time. We end up with 2 mutton heads up front who don't work well together.

Now if you're trying to imagine a hypothetical situation where all of them are out at the same time then I think that's a rather fanciful and pointless discussion. No team has had their 4 best players out all at the same time for any length of time this season. Maybe at different times; and been affected accordingly; but not all together.

[joey55]

Joey, what part of BOFs post did you not understand? We have had to remodel pretty much our whole back line because of injuries and seem to be competing quite nicely, thanks.

It's another typical Spurs arguement! picking and choosing to suit!

No it isn't a typical Spurs fan argument. It's my personal argument and i'm sure many Spurs fans wouldn't agree with it. This whole anti Spurs thing is getting a bit silly, as it prevetns any decent debate. I think i've made some decent poitns that I thought might be of interest to Villa fans, but not for the first time in this thread, so many of you take it as an attack on Villa. Discussing the quality of your squad or lack of quality, doesn't always need to be taken as an attack. I only come her to discuss football from the perspective of a different group of fans. I'm sure you've had less changes in your back 4 than us over the course of the season, but that wasn't the poitn. i was asking where you'd think you'd be ahd you suffered injuries to your best players, as we have. You may see it as picking and choosing, but I think it's a perfectly decent question and something I'd be interested in if I was a Villa fan. Could your squad have coped as well with injuries as ours?

[BOF]

Could your squad have coped as well with injuries as ours?

Ours is a smaller squad so the simplistic answer is that no we couldn't. The reality of course is that if we were getting injuries then we would have strengthened in January - but we didn't need to. So, each club operates in the best way it can for it's own prospects. And the league table remains the only objective and non-partisan way of accurately assessing each team's strengths - even taking into account the differing strengths of team we've faced to date. But that'll be somewhat levelled up in April

[TheTransferWindow]

We've had a lot of injuries. Downing and Young's seasons didn't start until November-ish Davies has been out since the start of the season. Collins missed a month. Our top 3 strikers are carrying injuries of varying degrees. NRC has been out for a long time. Those injuries plus MON's unwillingness to play some of the depth he bought has meant many of our key players are tired and/or playing with injuries.

[kurtsimonw]

Going by the Official Stats the team would like like this.

-----------------------Friedel--------------------------

Corluka--------Cuellar------------Dunne---------Ekotto

Lennon---------Milner----------Petrov!!---------Young

------------------Gabby------------Defoe------------

Surpised to see Petrov there, but then Modric has been dead for most of the season.

Be interesting to see what the Spurs fans think of this. Seeing as they've used stats to backup why Gomes is better than Friedel, surely the official Premier League stats hold more validity and are therefore more reliable. Somehow I think they'll dismiss it.

Anyways, Joey, you seem to be ignoring the fact that we have had alot of injuries. We had to play an academy player at CB against Fulham, I don't think you've been forced to do such a thing to your starting XI have you?

Like TWI said, L.Young, Downing, NRC have all missed an awful lot of playing time, while players like Carew and Milnerhave been playing with injuries, not at 100%.

But like you said yourself, you don't seem to watch much football besides Spurs, so you wouldn't really know. Admittedly I only see your games on Football First, unless they're live, but that's still a decent amount of Spurs that I see and I feel I have a decent enough opinion of your players based on this.

[kurtsimonw]

Oh, and my team between the 2 sides.

(Based on this seasons performances)

Friedel

Corluka

Dawson

Dunne

Warnock

Kranjcar

Milner

Palacios

Young

Agbonlahor

Defoe

===============================================

I've taken Friedel in goal based on the fact I would feel more comfortable with him in goal, far more consistant and commands his area alot better than Gomes.

Dunne and Dawson have both been the standout CBs for either team in my view. Corluka is a better RB than Cuellar and has played well this season over more games than L.Young. I'm sure the Spurs fans will go on about how Bale should be in over Warnock, but despite Warnocks dip of form lately he's been superb for the whole season. Bale has probably only even played a dozen league games this season.

Milner is the best attacking player either team has and I'd say Palacios has been the better holding player. I know Kranjcar isn't really a wide player, but Downing/Lennon haven't played that much and Niko has been one of the signings of the season (despite how dodgey I'm sure it was). A.Young on the left wing, no doubt about that.

I do think Defoe is very much a "hit it as hard as I can and hope" type player, which is why often see him miss 1-on-1s, because he doesn't know how to finish properly. But it's working for him, he scores goals, and you can't deby that. Crouch, Pavlyuchenko and Carew are beat out by Gabby because he has played well for most the season, the others seem very hot and cold.

[joey55]

Going by the Official Stats the team would like like this.

-----------------------Friedel--------------------------

Corluka--------Cuellar------------Dunne---------Ekotto

Lennon---------Milner----------Petrov!!---------Young

------------------Gabby------------Defoe------------

Surpised to see Petrov there, but then Modric has been dead for most of the season.

Be interesting to see what the Spurs fans think of this. Seeing as they've used stats to backup why Gomes is better than Friedel, surely the official Premier League stats hold more validity and are therefore more reliable. Somehow I think they'll dismiss it.

Anyways, Joey, you seem to be ignoring the fact that we have had alot of injuries. We had to play an academy player at CB against Fulham, I don't think you've been forced to do such a thing to your starting XI have you?

Like TWI said, L.Young, Downing, NRC have all missed an awful lot of playing time, while players like Carew and Milnerhave been playing with injuries, not at 100%.

But like you said yourself, you don't seem to watch much football besides Spurs, so you wouldn't really know. Admittedly I only see your games on Football First, unless they're live, but that's still a decent amount of Spurs that I see and I feel I have a decent enough opinion of your players based on this.

I'm not ignoring the fact you've had a lot of injuries. I'm simply making the point you've been lucky with injuries to your best players. The trouble is because i'm a Spurs fan it seems that this is seen as some attack on Villa and thus you have to counter with some sort of argument. The point about the academy kid playing at CB, is kind of what i was getting at. If you'd had the injuries to the key players that we have had, how do you thin you'd have handled that and would it not have had an effect on your current league placing?

Also I said I'd only seen Milner play CM for 90 mins a few times. I too watch MOTD and Football First etc, so still see plenty of football, but don't consider this enough to suggest i'd be as aware as Villa fans about their own players, who they see play every week.

[sir_gary_cahill]

warnock ahead of bale kurt???

[Oaks]

Oh, and my team between the 2 sides.

(Based on this seasons performances)

Friedel

Corluka

Dawson

Dunne

Warnock

Kranjcar

Milner

Palacios

Young

Agbonlahor

Defoe

I think that what i would go for too. It would be a very good team as well.

[kurtsimonw]

warnock ahead of bale kurt???

Yes.

I can only recall a few league games that Warnock has missed this season and apart from the last few games where he's been poor by his standards, he's been a brilliant signing. Bale has undoubtedly been fantastic for Spurs in the last few months, but that's the point, he's only started 11 league games.

For me to put Bale over Warnock over playing a few good games would be ridiculous. I'm sure Spurs fans can see where my arguement is coming.

Had Bale been in this type of form all season then I'd have give him the LB position, but that's not the case and Warnocks consistancy in playing well over the season is why I've gone with him.

[PompeyVillan]

warnock ahead of bale kurt???

Of course, Bale's best form has been as a winger recently. As a fullback, he has a lot to learn.

[Oaks]

Oh, and my team between the 2 sides.

(Based on this seasons performances)

Friedel

Corluka

Dawson

Dunne

Warnock

Kranjcar

Milner

Palacios

Young

Agbonlahor

Defoe

I think that what i would go for too. It would be a very good team as well.

Although thinking about it Lennon instead of Kranjcar.

[Brumstopdogs]

Interesting which club has more players in the premier league team of ths season at present

http://www.premierleague.com/page/TeamOfTheSeason/0,,12306,00.html

Maybe a couple of Spurs boys made the B team!

[kurtsimonw]

Oh, and my team between the 2 sides.

(Based on this seasons performances)

Friedel

Corluka

Dawson

Dunne

Warnock

Kranjcar

Milner

Palacios

Young

Agbonlahor

Defoe

I think that what i would go for too. It would be a very good team as well.

Although thinking about it Lennon instead of Kranjcar.

Yeah, that was the toughest choice in the team. I went with Kranjcar because he's played more this season and really had been superb since he joined.

[joey55]

Interesting which club has more players in the premier league team of ths season at present

http://www.premierleague.com/page/TeamOfTheSeason/0,,12306,00.html

Maybe a couple of Spurs boys made the B team!

Do you not understand that Actim use a cumulative points system? It's already been pointed out that your best players have missed comparitively few games, compared with those of other clubs. Hence the fact Gabby is ahead of Torres. None of the current team of the season players have played under 2200 mins. But aside from that, the Actim Index is hardly a good way of judging players and as i said earlier i can't imagine the reaction would have been very positive if a Spurs fan had used it to demonstarte our players superiority.