i didn't care too much about the game but ultimately i think this win will give the lads a big shot in confidence, something we really needed. i was disappointed with vert's actions and with townsend too, he should have sticked to track and field...
modern players simulate, and I see no reason to exclude vertonghen from that. however - is it just me? - it looked to me like he took that directly in the temple. I know it wasn't the most vicious headbutt ever, but it wouldn't have to be if you weren't expecting it and took it in the right spot. I'm not verts' biggest fan, and i'll gladly accept that he may have been simulating ... but it seems at least possible that taking what was clearly a headbutt to that particular part of cranium could extract a fairly drastic response, no? staggeringly stupid red card, in any event. thanks for that, by the way.
I re-watched the headbutt over and over again. In slo-mo it looks like almost nothing, in real-time it's a clear headbutt. Both times Super Jan hesitates and then goes down. I don't think there's any punishment short of red for a headbutt. Zolzulya didn't get value for money for it, but the video didn't lie.
I think most of the commentary about Jan's reaction. It was embellishment, but not simulation. Intentional head-to-head contact is heavily sanctioned in football. I've seen guys have head-to-head stare downs where one of the guys pushed forward a bit before drawing his head back. Automatic red card.
sorry - i hate to see players do the "oh my god i've been shot" movement whoever they play for. can't remember being embarresed by a spurs player before in that regard, but that was terrible.
So, how the hell can Sherwood not play Eriksen EVERY SINGLE GAME from now on? It's ridiculous. Sandro looked very rusty but got into it later, still he needs time to get back into swing of things. And damn I feel bad for Soldado. The man works so hard and plays so well but he just doesn't have a shred of luck lately. ERIKSEN MOTM i liked what the commentator said, he didn't embellish he was just making the ref notice that he was head butted. Even a slight head butt is a red card.
i said it before but wanna quote your posts. The foul was a red and Verts didn't make it bigger than it was, he was just making it clear to the ref that he was head butted. Wish there was an easier, more noble way perhaps, but that's what it takes these days. The team was dirty and it was coming. Pretty lucky Sandro didn't get carded, thats for sure
Looking at the teams left, we should be 3rd or 4th favs now. In order, Juventus(stadium will used for the finals), Napoli then Benfica/Spurs. Like to see us going with our strongest lineups for the reminder of the competition. And resting players doesn't guarantee we will do well in the league, proven by Aston Villa a few seasons ago when they rested players to fight for 4th and in the end got nothing to show for.
I really like Eriksen, he's a quality player that we could (should?) build a future team around. But he's not entirely consistent and he goes missing sometimes. Whether that's something we just have to live with, or whether that'll change with maturity- he's very young after all- remains to be seen. I, too, wish Sherwood would play him more, but I see why sometimes he might not wish to.
Far from the first elbow thrown in the game by either side. They were taking shots at each other from the opening whistle. He was lucky, but so were others that went unseen.
The Dnipro player probably thought it wouldn't be seen because he was blocked from the view of the CR. But, I guess he forgot about the 5th officials at the goal lines who had clear view. I think his shocked reaction was that he was caught.
I quit watching after the Dnipro goal, but I didn't delete it from my DVR because...I believe. Yeah, that's the ticket - I BELIEVE!! Fun morning viewing. Ericksen should be playing more. Adebayor - are we getting our money's worth this year? I think so. Anyone hating on Verts for faking, or whatever - have somebody head butt you like that and see if it hurts. Get back to us with your results! And Sandro - great to see him back, but what happened to his head? LOL
So why has no one yet addressed the main concern of the evening- Sandro's new beard decoration and the problems it will inevitably cause the next time he vomits on the pitch? He'll need to improve his projectile-vomiting game or it's going to be pretty ugly.
he'll be banned for a few after trying to attack Vertonghen after. so we don't have Vert next match tho :s w/o kaboul and chiriches still injured who the hell do we have?
capoue was used back there earlier in the season spurs backline - different batch of players same injury problem