AVB Appreciation Thread

[Gil]

First Spurs win at Old Trafford for 23 years ffs.

[Onyx]

[The Messiah]

[Amar]

I appreciate

[BeautifulGame]

And that too withouut brave heart scotty

[CBarca]

THE GRIT AND STEEL

[Casciavit]

[urbaNRoots]

[VendettaRed07]

And an American scores the game winner

[Bellabong]

[McAgger]

What's this Grit and Steel thing about? I think I've missed something here

[RED]

a ****!! what was that celebration at the end for?

kudos to him tho' for being able to do what no manager in 10 years for spurs couldn't do.

[CBarca]

That celebration at the end was pure GOAT btw, the passion AVB has is inspiring.

True stud.

[Rebelles.REUS.rex]

[nh01]

[donttreadonred]

Let me make this clear from the offing. It’s far too early in both managers’ stints to make a determination on managerial success vs. situational fortune. However, I’m going to through this out there.

I have been quite impressed with Di Matteo so far this season. He has continued Chelsea’s good run of league results from last season, successfully managed and incorporated the high-profile signings of the summer, and handled the large number and size of egos in that dressing room. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t at all convinced by his tactics and approach last season, despite the success he enjoyed. However, every event so far this season would seem to suggest that the success of Chelsea late-season push was down to more than just the quality and drive of aging greats like Drogba, Lampard, Terry, etc.

On the other hand, AVB has yet to truly convince me at Spurs. Granted, it is still early, and I am not one to judge a manager who is in the process of changing a system after only a few games. However, the early season has not been excellent (barring yesterday’s result against Utd). It’s not as if he took over a losing team, or a team of players past their prime, either. He took over a team that was arguably a title-contender before their late season collapse saw them drop to 4th and miss out on the Champions League due to Chelsea’s success. The team only lost a few crucial player in Modric and VDV (I’m not counting Ledley King, as his age and knee issues significantly limited him), and they brought in several high-profile signings that are capable of slotting right in to the first-team in Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson, Adebayor (permanently), Lloris, and Vertonghen.

With this in mind, their early season draws to West Brom and Norwich, combined with their loss to Newcastle and two slender wins against QPR and Reading, do not inspire a great deal of confidence. It’s not until yesterday’s result against Utd that you see anything particularly positive from the season so far. (Bear in mind, I haven’t watched the Utd fixture yet, so I can’t comment on how either side performed.) It could be argued that AVB has benefitted from a somewhat weak fixture list in the early days of the season.

Even after the debacle of last season’s stint with Chelsea, if after the season someone had asked me who the better manager was between Di Matteo and Villas Boas, I would have said Villas Boas. He didn’t work at Chelsea, but it could be argued that was down to extenuating circumstances. Now, however, my conviction to that opinion is wavering. I’m no longer certain that AVB is the better manager. Granted, Di Matteo has been better funded in the transfer market, but it’s not as if Spurs weren’t active and didn’t spend. Once again, it’s too soon to offer a referendum on either managers’ stint with their current club. However, I do believe it’s a relevant point of discussion as to which is really the better manager.

[Rev]

AVB makes me hate less on Spurs, but only by the smallest of margins.
Reminds me of Conte, never afraid to show his emotions on the pitch.

Still, he's no Wenger.

[Onyx]

Wenger celebration.

[S]

[CBarca]

Keeps going above the team that sacked him

[Onyx]

AVB to lead Spurs to the EPL.

[Firenze]

Spurs to nick second?

Would be incredible. Hope AVB does it. Tough run of fixtures though.

[LeBéninois]

Meanwhile Chelsea is looking for a new manager

[Swanhends]

AVB

[Gil]

Although I've always mantained we never should have sacked him, please stop acting like he wasn't criminally underrated by practically everyone on this forum last year you clowns.

Especially after last years CL win.

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