oh for sure its a breath of fresh air for yes its been 3/4 hard seasons - without Kane they would have been in relo spots now and then.

TBH Ange got a blessed draw considering their thin squad - first 4 games United only big club, 6 games ahead 2 are bigger hitters as you've mentioned, Gooners (A) and LFC (H) the rest mid to low packers.
As long as injuries don't prevail and keeps to form going into Nov they should be well placed but I'm excited to revist this post.

I think loaning out Sanchez is ballsy as fuck. Anges most recent squad had Sanchez and Phillips (18) as first choice back-ups ahead of Dier. That means Phillips is essentially next up for seniors as a sub, injury cover or whatever. That's brave. I gotta say I was thinking what CB free agents are floating around? 

I'm not sure. I think there comes a point of "if not now, when?"

There has to come a point where Spurs fully turn over a new leaf and build depth in the squad with a conveyor belt of academy and youth players. There will come a point where Romero probably gets snapped up by a bigger club than Spurs such as Real or Bayern and they will be expecting someone like Phillips to step up. 

I also feel that Ange & the new DoF coming in will probably already be working on potential targets in January. 

Oh yeah I agree. Strike when you can. It will open up opportunities down the road. You'll see what your youthful players are capable of. Still very brave!  

It is not a loan, it is a permanent move for Sanchez. Ndombelle is a loan.

I see frozen out Dier has had a frank conversation with Levy been reported overnight.
From LFC perspective hope your on the pitch for you've been a regular liability more than anything obviously AP thinks the same.

Frank conversation? Tottenham told Dier that he could leave and he said he wanted to stay. He had interest from several clubs. It's a little late for the frank conversation you'd think. It looks like he'll be sitting out for 4 months and imagine looking for a new home in January. 

just posted what came through overnight, likely that frank discussion happenned weeks ago and only came out so Quicky moot BUT one thing is for sure now prior to the summer, AP will be forced to use him at times due to circumstances that will come :)

I understand that Ange has addressed the academy and told them he will be watching and looking to give some of them opportunities.

Maybe he's already identified a couple worth trying?

My post was aimed at the news not you personally, sorry if it came across that way. It looks like Phillips is first in. It'll be interesting to see if Dier is in the squad over Dorrington. That'll be telling. 

Been a while since I’ve been on these boards.  But when I used to come there were a lot of Ange haters who thought he couldn’t cut it in Europe.

He’s now set records for Celtic and second in the premier league with a shitty Tottenham squad.

Are the critics still around or did they go into hiding?


On another note - I’m a die hard Arsenal fan. So I feel super conflicted with Ange going to Spurs. For the first time in my life I actually want Spurs to do well. As long as they don’t beat Arsenal. Sounds dirty to say that.

https://www.premierleague.com/news/3660245

Vote for the first Aussie EPL manager of the month :)

I personally don't think he deserves it despite the positive start. 

Moyes or Klopp for me. 

Moyes because he's had some harder fixtures than Ange and they've come out on top. 

Klopp for masterminding that win over Newcastle with 10 men. 

hey bud welcome back.
Swings and roundabouts as you know, I was annoyed by his stubborn play formation mindset late with the Roos for we didn't have the personel capable full stop yet he persisted and how he walked that late wasn't cool as Kloppy would say.

I get your feelings coming from a Gooner perspective lol, makes for a huge game coming up soon and then followed against my LFC.
I'm the same wish him very well BUT no way against LFC we got to take em down haha sorry AP.

Agree - that 10man 60 odd mins away LFC win was a bottler ! Chelsea away draw, another red card Bournemouth win.
I think Klopp will get it :)
Moyes has done very well (losing Rice) but you know who has impressed also imo having lost a couple of key players is Seagulls DeZerbi.
Towled the Toons, only blemish lost to Moyes.

Yep, IF the award is purely based on a managers performance over the month, then Klopp has overcome more adversity than the other candidates. 

What are your thoughts on Leggo Man Arteta? He's going to have to get something out of this season I think otherwise he's toast. 

C'mon amigo ..... just vote for the Aussie :)  The German's and the Brits dont need any further plaudits... lol

DeZerbi is a great call mate, Brighton are certainly up to something this year... How great was the young lad's hattie?

It took about a season and a half for other A-League teams to work out how to counter Ange's tactics when he was with Brisbane. Interesting to see how the EPL clubs react and in what time-frame.

Was it Garry Neville and Roy Keane who said recently they don't understand it?

I’d be surprised if Pep and Klopp haven’t worked it out already 

I really hope Ange has a go at signing Irankunda when he turns 18... I hope the Bayern move doesn't happen he will just dwindle in bundesliga 2/3 like singh and italiano.

Needs to be nurtured by a Manager who actually gives a shit.

What makes you say that?

I really don't know what there is to "work out". Football isn't an equation or a riddle to be solved. 

It's a dynamic game with loads of random variables. 

Brisbane Ange is also a very different proposition to Tottenham Ange. Far more lived experience as a manager. 

No offence but the FA Cup he won is colloquially known around football circles as the Covid Cup.

I don't think he has as much credit in the bank as you think.

Klopp won the UCL in his second season at Liverpool (runners-up in Europa League in his first season), and won the premier league in his 4th season. Now THAT's what you call managerial performance that buys you time. 

I honestly think that IF Arteta doesn't win either the EPL or UCL this season then he's finished. He's just not at the level Gunners want to be at.

I'd prefer for Ange to keep being underestimated until at least December :)

Wish I had a buck for everybody that claimed that Angeball has been "worked out".

What is there to actually work out?  It isn't subterfuge or magic.  It's high speed ball progression through possession and positioning.  That only works consistently when there is no let up on the opponent.  They wear down.  Lose the ball, then win it back high up the field by cutting off passing lanes and pressuring the ball carrier. Stress the ball carrier always.  Make them turn it over by a poor pass or a long clearance. If anything, it's the defence that is the "secret" not the attack.

Over 90 minutes the chances created cause enough errors in the opponent that they concede.  Against every team across a season that adds up.

There is nothing to work out.  It's football as it should be played.

100%. 

I think the tactical hipsters on YouTube have caused this narrative that football is a game to "solve", like it's a crossword or a Sudoku. 

People who think football is like that have obviously never played the game at a serious enough level. 

Apparently it is so magical that Ten Hag couldn’t work it out by watching 2 seasons of Celtic matches but others will work it out by watching a few Tottenham games. 

There's nothing unique about it.  Burnley play the same way and in fact did it better early in the game. In the end they couldn't sustain it and Son was clinical but Burnley showed they had "worked it out".

Press the midfielders specifically Bissouma and they have no way out.  Tottenham's back 5 looked like juniors learning to play out for the first time.

TBF his system has not bedded in yet and neither Richarlson on Kulusevski are right for it. 

Will be fascinating to see how he manages around the press when the big guns do it to him.

Again I don't understand this inference on a system needing to be "unique". 

This isn't Music or Art. It's Sport. The aim is to win. You don't get prizes for being innovative. 

Ange sets his team up to score as many goals as possible. Why? Because football is a simple game. Outscore the opponent and win.