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

[Stevo985]

Agree with The_Rev (as usual)

Seriously, surely their performance is assessed against something? They must have someone who has to renew their contract with the BBC or whatever who decides that they are good enough to justify a new one. Whoever that is needs sacking too.

Usually I fast forward the analysis and just watch the matches if I'm not watching it live as it's pure bollocks.

If the pundits in the studio were, say, Jonathan Wilson, Michael Cox and Rafa Honigstein, I'd probably fast forward the matches just to watch the analysis.

[bickster]

Its typical lowest common denominator stuff, the idea that former players and managers make ideal pundits and analysts is of course a nonsense. As Stevo says I'd much rather have the likes of Jonathan Wilson on. Even journo's like Patrick Barclay would be far more interesting than hackney, thick cliche ridden twunts that get a free meal ticket because of who they used to be.

[Stevo985]

I don't even mind them having a former player as a pundit. It CAN provide some insight as to what it's like to be in the situation of a footballer. But that should be the only thing they're there for.

So have someone who knows what they're on about tactically. And your ex pro can be there to give input on what it's like from a footballer's point of view.

That would be great. But that tactical analysis just doesn't exist on anythign except MNF with Gary Neville. So the ex pros provide us with it, and it's largely garbage.

[BOF]

I guess the BBC just got lucky when they hired Garth Crooks.

[Stevo985]

Garth "4-2-3-1-2" Crooks

[Jimzk5]

have spurs fans had the "you only want him out cus he was at chelsea" yet, its the shite we got levelled at us last year

[Voinjama]

No because Chelsea and Spurs are not major rivals. If AVB was ex Arsenal then maybe it would of been said.

I say give AVB a chance, Spurs will probably be 5th come May which is not a bad season.

[CI]

I quite like the MOTD panel, Lineker, Hanson, Lawro, Shearer all generally call it fairly.

& I like the different comic book approach to MOTD2 it's a good blend.

[Dr_Pangloss]

MOTD is an awful program, thank god for my Tivo box.

Lineker I'm convinced is made out of wood. Shearer is rarely insightful and Lawro is a babbling brook of bullshit. Hansen to be fair is good at what he does.

I also think the BBC commentators are a load of crap. They used to have greats like a prime Motty (he has now lost it), Barry Davies and Tony Gubba. The ones they have now are just shit.

Ideally, people like James Richardson or Mark Boulton would be presenting MOTD, they are quality at what they do.

[maqroll]

No because Chelsea and Spurs are not major rivals. If AVB was ex Arsenal then maybe it would of been said.

I say give AVB a chance, Spurs will probably be 5th come May which is not a bad season.

The only way the finish 5th is if AVB is out by January. Players do not respect him, the new keeper they brought in is already trying to undermine him...supporters are already on his back...it's a total train wreck 3 games in...

[Voinjama]

The players do not respect him> Defoe today has just come out and said he is a great man manager and has enjoyed working under him which is why he signed the contract. But of course you could argue Defoe is bound to say that, because he wants to get in the team.

I think people are over reacting, if you actually look at Spurs results against the same 3 teams last year it yielded 2 points, so the situation is the same.

[CI]

AVB is a dead man walking (again) already

I actually thought he was wrong done by at Chelsea but since he left & what they achieved and now what he's doing at WHL I have serious doubts about him as a PL manager

[PieFacE]

AVB will be fine. It will just take a season to adapt. Spurs will go through a transition and be better for it in the long run. I hate the modern day football fan who wants everything now, with no long term vision.

[Jimzk5]

r.e. the criticisms of motd, the problem with in depth analysis is the length of time the programme is on for, over a normal saturday theres 7 games, with 10 minutes of highlights and 5 minutes discussion of each, so 2 an a half minutes discussion per team, doesnt really give them a lot of time to go into the specifics of mistakes made, tactics etc, GNEV on sky has an hour to cherry pick the football and talk about it. lineker is alrite as a presenter, your never going to get a jeff stelling or kammy on the bbc, or even a souness who can be controversial, the bbc is all about being impartial and straight laced.

[MMFy]

Mark Lawrenson is a guffawing fucktard. I don't think I've ever heard him say anything sensible. The word removed is always looking for puns when he is commentating instead of providing insightful knowledge of the match. He is an utter waste of space.

[dudevillaisnice]

agree on Lawrenson he sounds like man who really can't be bothered with life/football anymore.

[VillaChris]

Wasnt Juande Ramos' problem that he thought it was a good idea to not bother learning to speak English?

The transfer policy was a mess while he was there aswell.

We haven't been great replacing key players but remember Spurs sold Defoe, Berbatov and Keane all within 6 months and replaced them with Pavlychenko, Dos Santos and Frazier Campbell.

Plus Bentley flopped big time at 15m. He's still there isn't he? That's one play even Levy can't shift.

[VillaChris]

Mark Lawrenson is a guffawing fucktard. I don't think I've ever heard him say anything sensible. The word removed is always looking for puns when he is commentating instead of providing insightful knowledge of the match. He is an utter waste of space.

Agree a million per cent.

On Pundits, anyone hear heard of Stuart Robson? Ex Arsenal player and does a lot of co-commentary on foreign games on ESPN and also is on Talksport a fair bit (bear with me....)

Knows tactics inside out and isn't shy of debating the strengths and certainly weaknesses of english players (Walcott is a personal favourite).

Would be fantastic to have someone like him on MOTD but would never get on with the old boys brigade.

[The_Rev]

No because Chelsea and Spurs are not major rivals. If AVB was ex Arsenal then maybe it would of been said.

I say give AVB a chance, Spurs will probably be 5th come May which is not a bad season.

The only way the finish 5th is if AVB is out by January. Players do not respect him, the new keeper they brought in is already trying to undermine him...supporters are already on his back...it's a total train wreck 3 games in...

I'm not so sure the story about Lloris is true at all. He didnt play against Norwich at the weekend because he was ineligible and then Brad puts in a MOTM performance so Villas Boas is asked the inevitable question, Spurs have just bought in the France international goalkeeper (and captain) for a lot of money but how can you drop Brad after he played like that?

What else can AVB say? Lloris has to earn his place in the team. He on a four year contract and the current first choice goalkeeper is 41 years of age. I'm pretty sure he wont be on the bench for long even if Friedel keeps his place in the team next time Spurs play.

The only quote from France on the entire matter came from Didier Deschamps and were in French which leaves the possibility that anything can be lost in translation for the sake of a good story. I dont speak French, but I found this elsewhere on the internet:

(sauce)

In French:

Avez-vous entendu les déclarations d'André Villas-Boas au sujet d'Hugo Lloris, transféré de Lyon à Tottenham le 31 août ? Qu'en pensez-vous et cela vous inquiète-t-il ?

Oui, j'ai entendu ses déclarations. Après, si je les commente, ça va faire un écho de l'autre côté de la Manche. En tant que sélectionneur et par rapport à Hugo, c'est vrai que ces déclarations m'ont surpris. Maintenant, Hugo n'a pas joué ce week-end et il est concentré sur ces deux matches-là. Après, j'espère que ça se passera normalement pour lui.

Une place de n°2 en club lui ferait-il perdre sa place de n°1 en sélection ?

Ce n'est pas le cas aujourd'hui. Je ne peux pas répondre. Je ne vais pas me créer un problème que je n'ai pas aujourd'hui. Et j'espère ne pas en avoir demain. Mais, si... Ça méritera réflexion. J'ai peut-être d'autres problèmes à régler actuellement mais Hugo ou moi-même, je ne veux pas qu'on se mette dans cette configuration-là. Et même s'il n'a pas apprécié ces déclarations, vous connaissez tous la valeur d'Hugo. Après ces deux matches, il découvrira une nouvelle situation, un nouveau club et un environnement différent. Je ne sais pas ce qu'il va se passer mais je souhaite que tout se passe bien pour lui.

English translation: (which is basically a smoothed out version of what Google translate shows)

Have you heard André Villas-Boas's remarks about Hugo Lloris, who moved from Lyon to Tottenham on 31 August? What are your thoughts and does this worry you?

Yes, I have heard his remarks. If I pass comment on them, it will echo on the other side of the Channel. As a [national] selector and with regard to Hugo, it's true that these remarks surprised me. Right now, Hugo didn't play at the weekend and he is focused on these two games [France vs Finland & Belarus]. After that, I hope that things will go smoothly for him.

Would being a number two for his club cause him to lose his place as the number one for the national side?

That isn't the situation today. I can't give you an answer. I'm not going to create a problem for myself that I don't have today. And I hope not to have one tomorrow. But, if... It would merit consideration. I might have some other problems to sort out at the moment but, Hugo and me, I don't want us to get involved in that situation. And even though he didn't appreciate these comments, you all know Hugo's value. After these two games, he'll find himself in a new situation, a new club, and a different environment. I don't know what will happen but I hope that everything will go well for him.

So is there any story here? Probably not. The one thing I take from it all is that large sections of our media like to portray footballers and managers as two dimensional cartoon characters in order to get 'angles' for easily digestible stories from a public who wont take the time to check the facts.

AVB is being portrayed as a trouble maker who cant help himself because of his time at Chelsea and because he spent much of last season upsetting people in the media by being rude to them during interviews.

Part of me thinks stories like this are just those guys getting a little bit of payback.

Plus Bentley flopped big time at 15m. He's still there isn't he? That's one play even Levy can't shift.

Six year contract which expires a week or two before his 30th birthday, so he is at Spurs until the end of the 2013/14 season. If he sees his contract out and the reports of him being on £50k a week are true then the deal would have cost Spurs almost £35m in transfer fee and wages. From a business point of view he is the worst signing in the clubs entire history (unless he decides to be brilliant for the next two years, obviously)

[kurtsimonw]

Who the hell gives out 6 year contract!? Disaster from the off.