What Rotation?

though I agree that we havent seem much rotation, is that due to AVB being hamstrung by injuries to so many key players? BAE, Kaboul, Parker, Adebayor and latterly Dembele, Sandro and Livermore have surely restricted his options of swapping things around whilst also retaining a very similar level of quality

i think walker may not be injured and is doing this to find time to re-invent himself. i noticed when he walked off at city game he was glancing over to see what reception he was getting from his fans. He seems tense and may need a break. i mean i can only assume dont hold me to it.

we may not agree with a few of his main selections such as Friedel or Gallas, but in both of those cases we have rotated, but we have been so restricted in almost every other area. in reality we only have six defenders fit and recently have only had two senior CMs and one striker for much of the season. the slow starts for both Sig and Dempsey havent helped either

I lost interest when you compare a computer game to the real thing! Come on! Get real mate, you cannot replicate the real thing on FIFA 13!!!

*even

yeah if your gonna compare a video game to real life at least compare football manager!!! Fifa's manager mode is the biggest load of ***** I've ever seen!

Yeah, injuries have pretty much halted any rotation policy, maybe the youngsters should be integrated a bit more, but can AVB take that risk? I can only imagine the folly of abuse AVB would get if we lost playing youngsters when a regular first teamer was available.

jimmy- yid, good post mate :-)

Brilliant, for everyone thinking i'm illiterate and think FIFA is the real thing, please, re read the article, as everyone else understood it and also understood that I did not compare it to a video game, I used a video game to demonstrate my point....90% of people answered the question (not accusation) that I posed. Please, feel free to comment on the article if you have the ability to read it properly.... I agree on the injury front, however I dont feel its just there, what of Adebayor and Defoe? That may be a decision in a band of its own at the minute but it's still something of much discussion lately and there doesn't seem to be as much of a 'policy' as we might have expected...

Hot_Spur, Carroll was one of the best players on the pitch against Maribor, Townsend has looked threatening every time he comes on the pitch and Falque had a great game against Norwich. Thats how it works, players take steps to the next level when they perform well at the level they are on. Each one of those players have proved to be a decent rotation option with the potential to become a first team player. of course theres a vast difference between youth and senior level, but where do you think every player came from!?!?! if we didn't take a chance on any youth players then no players would be developed at all. I'm not suggesting they should have been dropped straight in against city, but eased in slowly, to see how they operate in the prem. Think about it, if young tom carroll become the new modric without a penny being spent on a modric replacement how good would that be, he certainly played well enough against Maribor! and if Lennon and Bale knew they were being pushed for their places by top youngsters in Falque and Townsend, as well as having them as quality back up that would 1. make the team play better and 2. make our squad larger and stronger. As for the even younger players, they beat the barcelona youth team 4-1 away from home and our U21's are top of the league. Yes theres a difference in class obviously but these are some of the best young players in europe, whereas our first team aint playing well, take a chance, I guarantee you Coulibaly and Pritchard will be future stars.

wiltshire - Your last two words says it all, "FUTURE STARS", yes Carroll looked ok against Maribor, but that's the point, it was only Maribor. As I said, cup games against weak teams they could be given some time. Falque is not really a youngster in the real sense, he is 22 and yes he did look good against Norwith but again they are a bottom half team. As for "stepping up", yes of course every player came from the under 18's, 19's 21's etc but you don't jump them from the 21's straight into the PL. You send them on loan to a Championship side and bring them through the levels slowly. Putting them from the 21's straight into the PL is a huge risk of destroying their confidence and ruining them. You don't "take a chance" as you put it, with their confidence and therefore their future. Carroll MAY be the next Modric, don't bank on it, very few achieve Modric's capabilities but even if he does he's a very long way from that right now, you don't take the attitude of "he will be the next Modric lets chuck him in the first team".

lmfao, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't!

Groundhog day........

Its funny how things change. A few weeks ago everyone was saying we needed to play strong teams in the Europa League and try and win it. Suggestions we might end up playing too many games were derided. Now we are struggling. Yes we have a bad situation with regard to injuries, but injuries happen every season, you have to allow for that. When people look at the squad they need to break it down by position. In some we are strong (DM with Parker, Sandro and Livermore for instance). In others we are very weak, the worst case being the complete lack of cover for Dembele. This means one or two injuries can have an entirely disproportionate effect on the team if they happen to be in positions with no cover. AVB can't rebalance the squad in one transfer window, nor can young players be brought through overnight. The only thing he can do is prioritise games the way Harry used to. Of course as soon as he does that he will be criticised for not trying to win every game.

ravaged by injury we have still fielded more different players than any other team in the PL this season

Well at least no one can pin THIS on AVB. LOL http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/9676913/Spurs-investigator-charged-with-fraud-following-snooping-claims-from-West-Ham-board-in-Olympic-Stadium-battle.html

LizardSpur That was happening last season as well so has nothing to do with AVB's techniques on the pitch.

chrishove123 That is one way to look at it. If anything, AVB probably is the most disgruntled of them all, not having gotten any of his players and having lost two of his most creative ones. We all remember how Chelsea had been wooing Modric last season, as AVB knew he would be perfect. Now that AVB's here, Modric is gone and for whatever reason so is VDV. AVB wanted Willian, Fernandinho, and Moutinho, two of who had expressed the desire to come to Spurs, but nothing materialized. Even Lloris, you look at the situation and you have Friedel who can easily play as #1 for one more year and suddenly Lloris comes in at the end of the window. What club these days rotates keepers? At least in ManU's case, De Gea was the #1 and Lindergaard #2, but circumstances pushed them into rotation. But at Spurs, come the final day of the window we suddenly had 2 top keepers, which I don't think AVB would have planned. It would have made sense to at least try and move Friedel on but with the deal happening so late, there was nothing really to do was there. Hardly an ideal situation for AVB, though who would say no to a top keeper like Lloris? It's Brad staying that is the problem. Also we all remember how he tried to move on Hudd and Dawson, yet Hudd has been starting consecutive games and Dawson also takes part, though occasionally. So is it really AVB's fault for the club's situation? I hardly think it would be fair to cast even half of the blame on him just yet. I personally believe, based on a few interviews and pieces I've read on him, that he is actually quite understanding of the English game but NEEDS his types of players in order to execute his tactics. Without them, AVB will be as lost as the worst of them. He does not come off as the type to bring out the best with what you have, unless what you have can play his system. Our current players cannot play his system 100%, so there is no way we can judge him or the club at the current moment. If it were up to me (i.e. if I were Levy..) I would have cleared out as many of the deadwood as possible and give him players who fit his system. They don't have to cost 30 m pounds but at least stay away from the Dempsey's! Good player in his own right but not for Spurs, and surely not for AVB! Good grief it's no wonder the club is in shambles. But if Levy's statements in the summer are anything to go by, AVB will be backed in future windows. Well, I hope so, for everyone's sake! Now time for bed..

@wiltshirespur - "In Tom Carroll, Andros Townsend and Iago Falque we have 3 top quality youngsters" i want some of whatever you're on... Andros was shocking against Maribor, just about every club he has gone to on loan (Birmingham, Leeds, Millwall) he has failed.

As others have pointed out, the article doesnt take into account the options AVB currently has available to him. Rotate with what! We've only had 1 proper striker most of the season, have only 2 good wingers and a depleted central midfield due to injuries. Might need to bring Jenas back if it gets any worse.

Guyver HA HA HA HA. that's so funny because in his case it's probably true.

Get real. Rotation only works when you have quality in depth that only the trophy buying richboys can afford. Having said that our squad was/is more than good enough to have qualified early in the EL had AVB got the performances right. He didn't and has now had to play the same players in a downward spiral of energy and confidence. If they dig in and get a result at the Emirates things might change but otherwise we're fu(ked for this season. Pessimistic? Negative? Unsupportive? Or realistic and pragmatic.? I just can't help feeling that AVB has tried to fit players to his system rather than fitting a system to the strength of the players.

we're missing a number 10 - I think modric leaving has been eased greatly by the dembele signing, but rafa's departure has left us wanting...sig and dempsey are great players, I just hope their slow starts haven't ruined their spurs careers.