Throwing it all away

[boyyanno]

Have to admit I've left today pretty peed off. We played fantastically, but Dyche needs to take responsibility for losing this one. He's made quite a few bizarre changes from the bench before, and it's clear it's a weakness of his.


The running of Gray clearly stretched the Tottenham backline today, we brought Vokes on for the point. As soon as you start playing for 1 you lose your chance of 3 and make the probability of 0 much higher. After how well we actually played it was as bizarre as it could have got. Gray didn't have a particularly good game, but his running was the only real outlet we had.

Then you can say, bringing a big man on up top, playing with two target men and leaving your two best set piece takers (Defour and Brady) on the bench is equally bizarre. Instead of using the players on the bench to compliment each other, he waited till we conceded before introducing a sub to try and change the game. My point is you can't just swap Vokes for Gray and expect to make an impact by playing exactly the same way with exactly the same people. It doesn't work, Sam has totally different attributes to Gray.

I know we played Tottenham and they are a great side, but he made a mess of this one today. Let's hope it doesn't come down to the odd point at the end of the year.

[Vegas Claret]

agree 100%

[KRBFC]

we played fantastically? I disagree, did LLoris make a save? we were sloppy in midfield and defensively all over the place.

[cockneyclaret]

And Hull are not too far behind

[boyyanno]

I think we played well in the first half, we looked capable of breaking them down but as you say didn't really have any chances. Maybe fantastically was a slight exaggeration, but if the second half had been like the first and we came away with a point I'd have been a very happy Claret, Tottenham are where they are for a reason.

[Giftonsnoidea]

You need someone big up front if all you do is punt aimless balls up there, that seems our plan a,b,c,and d.

We didn't play too badly in first half but had zero threat up front because Gray cannot control the ball to get into a shooting chance.


When we have deviated from 4-4-2 we have played well at home, seems all that is forgotten now, wonder who was responsible for that progressive change as we have been stuck in 4-4-2 aimless Dyche ball tactics for what seems like forever these last few games...

[3putt]

OP absolutely right. Even if we didn't play fantastically we certainly played very well against a top side and more than held our own until that stupid substitution.

Dyche at fault for this one.

[Blackrod]

Agree with OP except we did not play fantastically. Very negative from Dyche and was predictable game over stuff at 1 - nil. We wouldn't have scored if we had played all night. Toothless up front and Dyche's tactics, subs and timing of were all wrong. We got what we deserved nothing. The form and lack of goal threat is a concern.

[kentonclaret]

All of the recent newspaper articles on Sean Dyche over the last few weeks and none of them have highlighted his tactical naivety and shocking use of the substitutes bench evident to so many posters on this message board.

Perhaps those articles will swiftly follow if we do indeed end up being relegated.

40/1 with Paddy Power a couple of weeks ago for the drop now just 11/1.

Let's just hope that a degree of complacency has not crept in.

[joey13]

Stopped reading after , we played fantastically.

[CombatClaret]

When I saw the team Spurs put out I was quite optimistic. Several key players missing, two early substitutions denied them any late game flexibility.

Was quite happy at HT, both teams restricted to half chances. Could easily see at point which would be very respectable vs the team in 2nd.

The second half though was a disaster. If the Gray substitution was not forced Dyche has a lot to answer for.
Very negative and niave. Should have been throwing fresh and creative players at them to keep Spurs away from us rather than sitting back and waiting for their quality players to unlock us without fear of reprisal.

[boyyanno]

Joey13, more fool you then. If you did read you'd see I've responded later and said fantastically may have been an over exaggeration, but I was talking about the first half in which I thought we competed well and set up the second half for what could have turned into 1 point or 3 (which I'm very happy with against Tottenham even with our home record). What happened in the second half was a direct result of Dyches substitutes if you ask me. The first half was very similar to a lot of home games we have gone on to win, in which we've all described as fantastic preformances. It takes fantastic preformances to get anything the way we are playing tactically.