Spurs Documentary: All or nothing

tomaldinho1

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Remember that Pogba diagonal ball to Marcus late in the second half? Yeah, Mourinho basically told his players to make sure they weren’t caught out by the exact thing at half-time, and Sanchez wasn’t as a result. Pretty impressive tbf to him. That’s a prime example of a manager winning points for his team.
I don't get why people assume Sanchez would have been incapable of marking Rashford without Mourinho. It's the same pass Pogba (and now Bruno) always tries & the point was Sanchez was actually caught out by it but is just so fast that he recovered. Rashford should be getting a shot away given how much time/space he has when he receives the ball anyway. This is the reason I stopped watched the Spurs doc, the promotional nature of every episode is so unsubtle that unless you are completely new to the PL it just gets very old very quickly. It would be a much more fascinating doc if we were to see the losses in more detail, not just quickly reference them, to see what Mou got wrong and what the players tried but failed to do but any glimpse into that world is so fleeting and heavily edited it's worthless.
 

GlastonSpur

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Like I said before this wasn't for any die hard Spurs fans its for the world market and to raise the profile of the club. £10M with another season possible its a good money spinner.
Series 2 working title: "All or Everything: Bale is Back!"
 

RashyForPM

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I don't get why people assume Sanchez would have been incapable of marking Rashford without Mourinho. It's the same pass Pogba (and now Bruno) always tries & the point was Sanchez was actually caught out by it but is just so fast that he recovered. Rashford should be getting a shot away given how much time/space he has when he receives the ball anyway. This is the reason I stopped watched the Spurs doc, the promotional nature of every episode is so unsubtle that unless you are completely new to the PL it just gets very old very quickly. It would be a much more fascinating doc if we were to see the losses in more detail, not just quickly reference them, to see what Mou got wrong and what the players tried but failed to do but any glimpse into that world is so fleeting and heavily edited it's worthless.
Plain and simple, Sanchez is awful. We say Maguire and Lindelof are unreactive and stuff, but this guy takes the cake. I’m certain Rashford scores without Mourinho’s words.
 

tomaldinho1

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Plain and simple, Sanchez is awful. We say Maguire and Lindelof are unreactive and stuff, but this guy takes the cake. I’m certain Rashford scores without Mourinho’s words.
Watch the clip - he's not covering Rashford. The pass comes over and he reacts to the pass, there's no pre-emption from him, he's just absolutely rapid to make up the ground coupled with Rashford having an overreliance on his right foot and therefore the touch isn't great. Really is football basics and a ball Pogba/Bruno always look for when we win possession in dangerous areas.
 

1966

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You've seen a fraction of him, while knowing he was being filmed. I wouldn't form any opinions on anyone based on that.
Agree. Levy clearly knows he's unpopular with the fans. He's the wily, conniving type who'd be very careful to have veto power over the documentary footage, ensuring that it presents at least a sanitised, airbrushed image of him, if not the whole club.

From the start, he'll have known what an opportunity this was to get the fans on side by appearing amiable and whinging about how difficult it is to execute transfers. I'd be surprised if that didn't factor into his thinking when signing on the dotted line -- at least a little.

I recently watched the whole series back-to-back and I don't believe that any significant tactical or personal information was revealed. Why the hell would they share anything that provides a competitive advantage when it was evidently possible to fill up many hours without it? There was nothing substantial in the series that didn't simply confirm the existing speculation of informed punters who are well-versed on the topics of e.g. Spurs, Jose, Kane.

But then I wasn't naive enough to expect that there would be anything serious. When footballers' conversations with their managers are never typically recorded, "unprecedented access" is easy to provide without recourse to sharing trade secrets. Anything close to serious or potentially useful will have been ferociously cut at the editing stage, while leaving a documentary that, crucially, still feels like you're seeing and hearing stuff you could never normally experience. Add one or two scraps per episode of superficial information that hasn't yet leaked into the gutter press and you've got something that most people will keep watching regardless.
 
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LilyWhiteSpur

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Agree. Levy clearly knows he's unpopular with the fans. He's the wily, conniving type who'd be very careful to have veto power over the documentary footage, ensuring that it presents at least a sanitised, airbrushed image of him, if not the whole club.

From the start, he'll have known what an opportunity this was to get the fans on side by appearing amiable and whinging about how difficult it is to execute transfers. I'd be surprised if that didn't factor into his thinking when signing on the dotted line -- at least a little.

I recently watched the whole series back-to-back and I don't believe that any significant tactical or personal information was revealed. Why the hell would they share anything that provides a competitive advantage when it was evidently possible to fill up many hours without it? There was nothing substantial in the series that didn't simply confirm the existing speculation of informed punters who are well-versed on the topics of e.g. Spurs, Jose, Kane.

But then I wasn't naive enough to expect that there would be anything serious. When footballers' conversations with their managers are never typically recorded, "unprecedented access" is easy to provide without recourse to sharing trade secrets. Anything close to serious or potentially useful will have been ferociously cut at the editing stage, while leaving a documentary that, crucially, still feels like you're seeing and hearing stuff you could never normally experience. Add one or two scraps per episode of superficial information that hasn't yet leaked into the gutter press and you've got something that most people will keep watching regardless.
He is?
 
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Agree. Levy clearly knows he's unpopular with the fans. He's the wily, conniving type who'd be very careful to have veto power over the documentary footage, ensuring that it presents at least a sanitised, airbrushed image of him, if not the whole club.

From the start, he'll have known what an opportunity this was to get the fans on side by appearing amiable and whinging about how difficult it is to execute transfers. I'd be surprised if that didn't factor into his thinking when signing on the dotted line -- at least a little.

I recently watched the whole series back-to-back and I don't believe that any significant tactical or personal information was revealed. Why the hell would they share anything that provides a competitive advantage when it was evidently possible to fill up many hours without it? There was nothing substantial in the series that didn't simply confirm the existing speculation of informed punters who are well-versed on the topics of e.g. Spurs, Jose, Kane.

But then I wasn't naive enough to expect that there would be anything serious. When footballers' conversations with their managers are never typically recorded, "unprecedented access" is easy to provide without recourse to sharing trade secrets. Anything close to serious or potentially useful will have been ferociously cut at the editing stage, while leaving a documentary that, crucially, still feels like you're seeing and hearing stuff you could never normally experience. Add one or two scraps per episode of superficial information that hasn't yet leaked into the gutter press and you've got something that most people will keep watching regardless.
I’m not quite sure what you expect though. Clearly we aren’t going to see anything that would harm spurs from either a publicity or playing/ tactics perspective. That’s expected.

I think I’ve watched 4 episodes, and it’s interesting, and a good watch.

There are lots of them about now. Sunderland, City, Leeds. I watched about 2 episodes of the Sunderland one, and should revisit that.

Could be interesting if some of these docs were revisited in 20 years when none of the players or staff are around, and perhaps a more honest version could be shown.

Ultimately it is far more like The Only Way Is Essex, than an undercover cover documentary. We know this.
 

cjj

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What's the deal with Eric Lamela, he was highly rated at Roma and bought for a handsome fee at the time. At 28 should be at the peak of his powers, yet never seem to play consistently. Thoughts, @InLevyITrust @balaks

Btw where is @GlastonSpur and there used to be another fairly active Spurs fan pre lockdown?
Lamela was, and was something of a flair player. There's a bit of a weirdness around him over his time with us.

He signed, then when Sherwood took over he had a 'mysterious' back injury for about 8 months or something. I remember at the time people speculating that it was a ploy to keep Sherwood away from the star player, or that Sherwood didn't rate him.

The next problem (which will be dismissed by many) is that Pochettino had two main impacts on him:
1) He just isn't really the type of manager to cultivate 'flair' players. First and foremost, every attacker has to be a defender. You have to press, jostle, tackle, track back etc. Lamela seems like he was a really good student and hard worker and was happy to change his game, but it seems like he 'lost' a lot of his flair and attacking abilities that made him so exciting at Roma. People complain about how Kane tracks back too much and that's the same influence there - you just wouldn't have had an Ibra or Bale in that era of spurs.
2) All of the above, coupled with double training, has seriously affected the robustness and longevity of a lot of the players. Lamela was a bit fragile as it was, but he seemed to be getting constantly crocked due to the demands of both training and the role on the pitch. He also had a strange period where he disappeared from a long time, with no real explanation, and people gossiped as to whether it was more 'Berahino' than 'Andy Carroll'. At one point a couple of seasons ago he was complaining of a persistent hip issue but it seemed like he was being made out like a hyperchrondriac/munchousens type player. Eventually it seems they found an issue because he had a big operation (there's a meme of him in a hospital bed that's done the rounds outside of football circles) on his hip or leg, and it took him a while to come back from it.
You think back to Ledley King and how Harry was fine with him not training in order to keep his knees healthy enough to make a matchday - that's an entire club legend that would have never existed under that regime.

He's underrated and is a very useful player. You know when you're 2-1 down and they do a sub? He's the exact player you want coming on as he's an utter b******. Other fans wouldn't like him, but he's great for your own team and he will come straight on and is 100% Argentine footballer - he'll do everything to try and win the game.

As I mentioned at the beginning, he's no longer the 'flair' player that he was as a prodigy. He's developed into a different type of footballer and picked up some injuries that have affected his game. He's still an excellent squad player though, as he has a tenacity and passion that is often missing from others. I imagine he was primed for the chopping block under Mourinho, but I fully expect that he's now fully appreciated by him.
 

Suedesi

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Lamela was, and was something of a flair player. There's a bit of a weirdness around him over his time with us.

He signed, then when Sherwood took over he had a 'mysterious' back injury for about 8 months or something. I remember at the time people speculating that it was a ploy to keep Sherwood away from the star player, or that Sherwood didn't rate him.

The next problem (which will be dismissed by many) is that Pochettino had two main impacts on him:
1) He just isn't really the type of manager to cultivate 'flair' players. First and foremost, every attacker has to be a defender. You have to press, jostle, tackle, track back etc. Lamela seems like he was a really good student and hard worker and was happy to change his game, but it seems like he 'lost' a lot of his flair and attacking abilities that made him so exciting at Roma. People complain about how Kane tracks back too much and that's the same influence there - you just wouldn't have had an Ibra or Bale in that era of spurs.
2) All of the above, coupled with double training, has seriously affected the robustness and longevity of a lot of the players. Lamela was a bit fragile as it was, but he seemed to be getting constantly crocked due to the demands of both training and the role on the pitch. He also had a strange period where he disappeared from a long time, with no real explanation, and people gossiped as to whether it was more 'Berahino' than 'Andy Carroll'. At one point a couple of seasons ago he was complaining of a persistent hip issue but it seemed like he was being made out like a hyperchrondriac/munchousens type player. Eventually it seems they found an issue because he had a big operation (there's a meme of him in a hospital bed that's done the rounds outside of football circles) on his hip or leg, and it took him a while to come back from it.
You think back to Ledley King and how Harry was fine with him not training in order to keep his knees healthy enough to make a matchday - that's an entire club legend that would have never existed under that regime.

He's underrated and is a very useful player. You know when you're 2-1 down and they do a sub? He's the exact player you want coming on as he's an utter b******. Other fans wouldn't like him, but he's great for your own team and he will come straight on and is 100% Argentine footballer - he'll do everything to try and win the game.

As I mentioned at the beginning, he's no longer the 'flair' player that he was as a prodigy. He's developed into a different type of footballer and picked up some injuries that have affected his game. He's still an excellent squad player though, as he has a tenacity and passion that is often missing from others. I imagine he was primed for the chopping block under Mourinho, but I fully expect that he's now fully appreciated by him.
Thanks for the detailed response
 

No Idea For Nickname

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I am very happy to inform you that Dele Alli spend lockdown trying to find the meaning of life. And somehow he managed to do it!
He, very proudly informed everyone after they came back, that he learned how to make beans. In the microwave!
So proud of the boy. Big step forward in his life. And a huge step for mankind.
 

1966

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I'm on both. He is unpopular with some fans, but certainly not all on anywhere near it.
I'm an active member on both too. I guess we just see things differently because I'd say that a strong majority are at least skeptical and distrustful of Levy, to the extent that they would very happily jump ship if someone with even slightly more money came along and offered to buy the club.

I'm largely indifferent on the matter, not actually being a Spurs supporter, so I'd like to think that I'm less prone to cognitive errors (e.g. confirmation bias) around this subject than someone whose username literally extols the virtue of Levy. But I'm also willing to admit that I could be wrong.

I wouldn't agree that a majority are fans of Levy regardless though.
 

1966

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I am very happy to inform you that Dele Alli spend lockdown trying to find the meaning of life. And somehow he managed to do it!
He, very proudly informed everyone after they came back, that he learned how to make beans. In the microwave!
So proud of the boy. Big step forward in his life. And a huge step for mankind.
Kek
 

GlastonSpur

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I'm on both. He is unpopular with some fans, but certainly not all on anywhere near it.
Indeed, he has many supporters amongst Spurs fans. Why?

The new stadium and surrounding complex. The new world-class training centre. His innovative approach to raising new sources of revenue - including those arising from the stadium design features and facilities, the NFL deal, the Amazon documentary ... and now the Amazon-Spurs online store.

All this is considerably raising the global profile of Spurs, which in turn feeds into some of the reasons why Bale was happy to come back to Spurs, why Reguillon was happy to come with him, and why an acclaimed manager like Mourinho was happy to come to Spurs.

And I think Levy has further plans and schemes in the pipeline, some not yet announced.

Some may disagree, but all in all I think Spurs fans are lucky to have one of the most cutting edge and astute club chairs in world football.
 

balaks

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On Levy - I have a love/hate relationship with the guy. We went through two transfer windows without signing a single player right at the moment we were close to making that step up into the big time - that was unforgivable. Having said that, the stadium is incredible and he is clearly backing Jose big time with transfers so I'm a lot happier with him at the moment. There is no doubt he is a master at getting really good deals for Spurs with clever use of loans and fee structures.
 

Irrational.

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Is it me or can any of Spurs' English captains (Kane, Winks) not string a sentence together without effing and jeffing?

Lloris is so much more eloquent, and English isn't even his first language.
 

Redplane

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Is it me or can any of Spurs' English captains (Kane, Winks) not string a sentence together without effing and jeffing?

Lloris is so much more eloquent, and English isn't even his first language.
Other than being able to say "feckin come on Lads, lets fecking win this, yeah? " - what more do you expect from them? They re not scientists. :cool: :D
 

Irrational.

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Other than being able to say "feckin come on Lads, lets fecking win this, yeah? " - what more do you expect from them? They re not scientists. :cool: :D
Good point. Don't know why I was expecting some kind of Jon Snow style speech before a battle to rouse the troops. :lol:
 

GlastonSpur

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No, he just disappears there whenever Spurs lose and they went on quite the losing run at the tail end of last season :lol:
Actually I began my extended break a long time before the end of last season.

As for the "losing run at the tail end of last season". Here's the actual results:

Mon​
Jul​
6​
PremierEvertonHomeWon1-0
Thu​
Jul​
9​
PremierBournemouthAwayDrew0-0
Sun​
Jul​
12​
PremierArsenalHomeWon2-1
Wed​
Jul​
15​
PremierNewcastle UnitedAwayWon3-1
Sun​
Jul​
19​
PremierLeicester CityHomeWon3-0
Sun​
Jul​
26​
PremierCrystal PalaceAwayDrew1-1

I note that results since Mourinho took over, if extended across the full season, would have seen Spurs finish in the top four ... which means that you can't see the wood for the trees.
 

RedCoffee

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Why is Daniel Levy discussing moves with players like Rose. Do his agent not do that?
 

Dancfc

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I still can't get my head around Jose branding them a bunch of nice guys, i know he was sacked by this point but he must have seen or atleast heard about battle of The Bridge right?

That's probably worse than his claiming of all Drogba's Chelsea goals coming under him.
 

ThierryHenry14

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I finished the all the episodes last week and it is a very good watch. The stadium and the training center are stunning. Levy invested in the infrastructures and also in the team at the same time last 2 summers, unlike Arsenal needed to sell players to fund the stadium back then. I don't understand what you can complain about Levy as an owner.
 

GlastonSpur

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I finished the all the episodes last week and it is a very good watch. The stadium and the training center are stunning. Levy invested in the infrastructures and also in the team at the same time last 2 summers, unlike Arsenal needed to sell players to fund the stadium back then. I don't understand what you can complain about Levy as an owner.
Agreed. Those folk who've accused Levy of being 'tight-fisted' over transfer funds forget that he had a very good reason for this, namely a £1 billion investment in infrastructure to help fund. So much for being miserly with money, this sum far exceeds what any other club has invested in its very long-term future.

Every new signing that comes to Spurs is blown away by just how amazing the facilities are ... and word gets around amongst players at other clubs. It's far from being the decisive factor in players choosing to sign for Spurs, but it certainly helps to give them the feeling that Spurs are a club aiming for elite status.

Covid-19 has temporarily (I hope) put a dampener on money flowing in from the new stadium, but once the stadium complex starts firing on all cylinders it's going to secure a very healthy financial future for the club for decades to come. And then we'll see a lot more spare money for transfers and wages.