Kandi1977
Garth Crooks
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I liked Erik Lamela before it was cool
- Thread starter SuprSi
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I mean, I get that Lamela hasn't been great this year, but for the life of me, I don't understand why he gets so much abuse from Spurs fans. Every time I see him, he's flying around the pitch, trying to get on the ball, and always looking for a forward pass. He's been sloppy on the ball at times, and he can run around like a headless chicken, but I'd so much rather have that than some of the ineffectual hiders that we have on this team. I think the same can be said of Townsend to some extent too. To me, Lamela's a better, more productive player, but I really appreciate Townsend's endeavor and desire. They're both limited players at this point in their career, but they're both triers and considering where we are at the moment, they should really be getting more support.
For me, it's players like Adebayor, Dembele, Capoue, Chiriches, Paulinho (who I really thought would be a hit), Kaboul, and Vertonghen that **** me off. Experienced senior pros who consistently do not take responsibility on the pitch. Guys who are consistently passengers and make careless metal errors. I can accept poor touches, missed passes, and giving the ball away when you are trying something in the attacking third. It's laziness, selling out teammates, careless mental mistakes (especially for senior pros), and timidness that does my head in. Give me players like Mason, Bentaleb, Kane, Lamela, Dier, Rose, Stambouli, Eriksen (he's been off form but he's really, really young) and Davies, and I'll be a happy Spurs fan no matter where we finish.
For me, it's players like Adebayor, Dembele, Capoue, Chiriches, Paulinho (who I really thought would be a hit), Kaboul, and Vertonghen that **** me off. Experienced senior pros who consistently do not take responsibility on the pitch. Guys who are consistently passengers and make careless metal errors. I can accept poor touches, missed passes, and giving the ball away when you are trying something in the attacking third. It's laziness, selling out teammates, careless mental mistakes (especially for senior pros), and timidness that does my head in. Give me players like Mason, Bentaleb, Kane, Lamela, Dier, Rose, Stambouli, Eriksen (he's been off form but he's really, really young) and Davies, and I'll be a happy Spurs fan no matter where we finish.
Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
Because of his transfer fee. You won't find Ben Davies who is just a year younger than Lamela getting any abuse.
But he cost 30m and isn't the bestest player in the world so needs to shoulder all the blame!
Armchair Expert
Vedran Corluka
To be fair, you would expect a 30 million attacker to have scored a goal in the league by now. To this point Lamela has been a complete flop there are just no two ways about it.
He remains the great white hope however. There is nothing else to get excited about in our squad, so we are all placing so much hope on the lad as if he fails to fulfill his heralded potential then we have no prospects or players in our side that have the potential to get into a top 4 team (besides Hugo).
If we had spent 3.5 million on him, he would just be another Holtby floating around the squad heading towards the exit door. He'S been rubbish. Its just his price tag that has people still hoping and waiting for him to produce, nothing we have seen on the pitch.
'Bestest player in the world' - actually I think frustrations come when he takes 28 touches to many and another promising situation breaks down.
Armchair Expert
Vedran Corluka
Stats. Hmmm. Like the stat a regular starting attacker is yet to score in the league despite it being November in his second season?
The 30 million thing goes two ways - (maybe) he would get less criticism if he didn't have the price tag - but he certainly wouldn't be receiving so much playing time and high praise for meager contributions if he hadn't. Like I say if he was an academy player based so far on what he's shown in a Spurs shirt he'd be out on loan to Bristol City, not getting lots of opportunities in the first team.
And also its not because he isn't the bestest player in the world that he's attracting criticism, its because his performances have been underwhelming, he takes too many touches, and spends at least 85% of every game he plays on the periphery of the match.
Baleforce
Arthur Rowe
also that give the ball away stat is a little disingenuous when you compare him to strikers
he obviously doesn't give the ball away "all the time", but he certainly seems to waste possession in dangerous areas quite a bit, not sure there is a stat that tracks "failure to spot the pass", if there was him and dembele would right up there
he obviously doesn't give the ball away "all the time", but he certainly seems to waste possession in dangerous areas quite a bit, not sure there is a stat that tracks "failure to spot the pass", if there was him and dembele would right up there
Finney Is Back
Luka Modric
The difference being that the players you mentioned are centre forwards....
I am also dismayed at how many times Lamela loses possession.... and with our non existent holding midfield us losing the ball in the middle third of the pitch is always going to cause us problems.
Lamela reminds me of Dumitrescu in that he only seems to be able to beat a player on his left, looks like our opponents have cottoned on to this nice and early, rendering Lamela completely ineffective. At the moment Lamela doesn't deserve a place in the team. The problem is that there aren't really any other options that do.
The only solution that I can think of is to move Lamela into the central attacking midfield number 10 type role. Doing this though would mean not being able to play Chadli as we couldn't have Lamela as number 10 also have a player like Chadli who refuses to do any defensive work.
We really do have an appallingly balanced team at the moment which really makes me worry about the manager.
he has been directly involved in more goals than anyone bar our top scorer in the league iirc and only behind Kane if you include cup competitions - there's no way that can be dressed up as a meagre contribution - the question for me is why is he getting more flack than those who contribute less? I don't ageee he plays on the periphery of games - yesterday he was one of the only players trying to make something happen and that's what i see in most games tbh - it isn't coming off for him though atm i agree but considering the above there's many more players who deserve to be crticised before Lamela
mudshark
Chris Armstrong
...and he always seems to do it for the same reason, running into congested areas because he wants to try and beat players with stepovers and things, instead of releasing it.
Right. I guess it was less about the particular players I named, and more about players who like to take people on. Dribblers. For example, Alexis Sanchez and Eden Hazard only give the way about 80% as many times per game as Lamela, which isn't significant in my view. I was more trying to say that this stat is overvalued because players who want to take people on are ALWAYS going to give the ball away more.
I take everyone's point about the transfer fee, but I think it's unfair to blame Lamela for that. He didn't negotiate the deal. He didn't convince Baldini to sign him. His only crime was being really ****ing good for Roma at a young age and getting poached by a team with more $.
No matter how you slice it, he's been one of our more promising, productive forward players this season, and he deserves to get minutes in the team. I really don't understand which other three attackers deserve to get in the team ahead of him on form. Until someone does, he would be in my team for every match.
Agreed.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
Sorry but WALOB. Screw these stupid stats that everyone seems hooked on like the junkie on the corner. Nicholson never had any stats - he just watched a player and knew if he had it or not!!
FFS - just look at the bloody player. Look at Aguero or Costa; if you tell me Lamela has done anything all season that justifies him tying the laces of these two, then you need your eyes examined, mate.
Lamela - has been a flop; no ifs or buts. Please do not try to sugar this basic fact.
SlotBadger
John Piercy
Maltest Falcon has spoken. Glad this has been cleared up. Next...
So far, he has flopped. It's utter nonsense when people try to ignore the price of his transfer. He is our record signing at £30m. If he was just a boy from the academy, or a cheap journeyman who we got in, then his output would be alright. But what he has given us, in league games so far, hasn't been good enough for a £30m player.
However, he is young and has shown glimpses of talent. And since we have so much money invested in him, we may as well give him some time and see if it works out.
Finney Is Back
Luka Modric
If he were a boy from the academy or a cheap journeyman then I have no doubt at all that many of those defending him on here would be saying he will never be good enough for us and he shouldn't be in the squad. The same goes for Soldado as well (even more so in his case I think)
Rorschach
Sonny Walters
I see him as being on an upward curve from last year actually 
Early days to be writing him off isn't it? He's had some good moments including that wonderful rabona goal which will live long in the memory. He looks to me to be over complicating things in an effort to impress the coach, fans, justify his price, whatever. Once he settles into his natural game then he'll put in some more consistent performances. And as the chief says, the team around him is hardly showing him up.
Early days to be writing him off isn't it? He's had some good moments including that wonderful rabona goal which will live long in the memory. He looks to me to be over complicating things in an effort to impress the coach, fans, justify his price, whatever. Once he settles into his natural game then he'll put in some more consistent performances. And as the chief says, the team around him is hardly showing him up.