One step forward, plenty of giant leaps

back.

Well I wasn’t really gonna post much about that game, what was their really to say that the 0-5 scoreline didn’t already then Daniel Levy pulled the Alan Sugar card and AVB is gone.

Andres Villas-Boas had the best winning percentage of any Spurs manager since the beginning of the 20th century – not counting Arthur Turner’s record during the war – managed them to their highest points total in the premier League last year, had his best players sold and had to integrate seven new signings with no experience of English football.

No it wasn’t working, it hadn’t been good stuff to watch most of the time, five nil and six nil thrashings aren’t fun but even with all that his team was going into the quarter final of the League Cup midweek, are in the draw for the knockout stages of the Europa League and a whole six points off the Liverpool side that are apparently title challengers.

Yes AVB made mistakes – Kyle Naughton is the obvious one – and didn’t know his best starting XI but injuries haven’t helped in that regard.

The back four that took the field on Sunday against Liverpool is testament to that. With Capoue and Naughton joining Walker and Dawson. Naughton was AVB’s fault. Kept picking him for some unknown reason, yes Fryers is inexperienced but the experience of playing Naughton, especially at left-back, can counter that. Capoue was all that was left to fill a centre-back slot.

While those that were flinching at the thought and then vision of Suarez versus Dawson and then were vocal about ending the players stint at the club are probably the same lot that were crying when AVB was going to offload the player to QPR. Get rid of Dawson last year and you probably still have Caulker this. Now for his faults Caulker still had a future, while Dawson is the past.

With that defence losing Sandro early to injury didn’t help. Playing the Brazilian was a gamble as he needed as fitness test before hand and obviously form the way he played in the half hour he was on the pitch he didn’t really pass that test. You couldn’t see him playing if Capoue hadn’t had to play in defence.

So whoever takes over is going have to do with the majority of the defenders along with Sandro injured and a banned Paulinho.

Funny again those that scream about AVB chopping and changing the side were also the ones banging on about ‘Arry picking the same side. Damned if he did… He’s got no plan B, but when he changes things they complain. Those that scream out for Townsend to be included conveniently forget that the winger has one goal and one assist in the league. They blame Soldado for not scoring while glossing over the fact that the likes of Townsend weren’t supplying the striker with any sort of service. Cutting inside and banging in shots off target wasn’t helping things.

But then was that what he was instructed to do? I don’t know. Admittedly on Sunday I’d have played Townsend on the left, and no not because I’m in like what seems a large number who thinks Chadli is a waste of space.

The type that claim playing Defoe would have made a difference against Liverpool.

Again AVB didn’t help himself with the players he did pick. Somehow leaving Holtby on the bench when for most of the season he’s been the only real consistent creative threat from the middle of the park. A middle that was neither creative nor defensive against Liverpool.

It was a woeful performance. Yes losing 6-0 away to Citeh was bad but that was Aguero, Toure, Navas and Negredo this was Henderson, Allen, Sterling and Flanagan.

But from the off they knew to target Naughton and with the player receiving no help from anywhere else from the very start things didn’t look that promising. Every time a Spurs player had the ball there was two red shirts around him and inevitably he lost possession. There was absolutely no cohesion or fight.

Liverpool players just waltzed past those in white and Lloris was left to fight them off on his own. Having to make two brilliant saves before Henderson scored the second. Henderson scoring. You know you’ve hit rock bottom when Henderson scores.

You do wonder what could have happened if the ref had allowed Soldado’s goal to stand which he should. The striker ran in a straight path the ‘keeper runs in front of him to block him off and gets a nudge. No foul. 1-2, Spurs with a but of confidence, who knows.

The red card for Paulinho’s foot into Suarez’s chest finished off any real hope. Quite frankly it was the only decent thing the Brazilian did all afternoon. Miraculously the Liverpool striker survived this. Foreigners didn’t bring diving to this country as some would have you believe. What they did bring though was the dying scream when they go down. You know the scream that makes it sound as if the challenge is fatal. It was one of two people who brought it to these shores Bergkamp or that well known hard man Patrick Vieira – big girl’s blouse.

When Flanagan made it 3 it was a question of how many. Surprisingly ending up with 5 being their best record at White Hart Lane. Would have thought some of Bob Paisley’s teams would have might have got that over the years.

Never mind the score it was the performance or lack of it. AVB’s fault? Again who knows. Last year David Brent was a laughing stock at Liverpool but was given time but you just feel no matter the money spent in the summer that Levy would fire AVB as soon as he could, was Levy wishing he’d take the PSG job?

But sacked him for who? Who is there out there right now to take the job? Everybody half decent is in a job, club or international, or in the case of one I’d like to see about to take an international job. Guus Hiddink. Other names just make you shake you head and wince at the thought.

Oh god and the ‘Arry lovers are out in force saying he’d having us winning the league with that squad. Except of course it wouldn’t be that squad, he’d have had Charlie Adam, Stuart Downing, Scotty Parker and a few defenders from Sunderland in there and then blown a 10 point lead.

Surely if you fire someone just before the mass of games you get over the festive period you have to have a plan on who is coming in and get them in soon. Spurs are only 6 points off second, it’s not like they’re in the relegation places but have a disastrous end of the year and the league is a write-off.

I wanted AVB for the job the day he was sacked by Chelsea thought he could do it at Spurs, didn’t think he was helping himself and getting numerous things wrong but didn’t want him sacked wanted him to succeed.

But this is Spurs…

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