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5th
February 2010 – Better the devil you know
I grew up on Crooks and Archibald and was lucky enough to witness Klinsmann and Sheringham at their best. I’d put Berbatov and Keane as the third of the top three Spurs striking duos I’ve seen in the flesh, and Keane’s departure to Celtic has made me pause for thought. And not just because of the, frankly, rather tiresome gubbins about Keane going to his boyhood club. The other boyhood club to the one he went to last time he left Spurs. I know it’s perfectly possible that he could’ve supported two teams. My oldest son has Spurs and, as an assertion of independence from this particular Barca admirer, Real Madriod posters on his wall. It was not uncommon for kids in Ireland to support either Rangers or Celtic, and then an English team. So it’s quite possible Keane did support both the Hoops and the Reds. But surely players now realise all this cuts no ice? Especially at Tottenham, where the scars of the Campbell affair are still on show. Much was made, both times Keane departed, of the fact that he was going to a club he supported. The club seemed to be keen to stress this in case the fans kicked up a stink. But what could we do? And in the end, what did we care? Don’t get me wrong, I liked Keane. A lot. I liked his goals, of course. There’s been more than one occasion my little group has left the ground saying “where would we be without Keane’s goals?”. But I also saw that he could bring some guile, some creativity to the game when he dropped off the main man. His goalscoring record speaks for itself, the contribution he has made is clear. I simply don’t understand why he attracted so much criticism in his later days. True, when he came back from Merseyside he was never quite the same. It was an ill-advised move, bad football and bad business. I know the balance sheet of sales and return is positive, but what about the bigger picture of what we lost? But that’s all water under the bridge now. Keane’s gone again, and to be honest fans don’t realy expect a player to stick around for very long these days. Keane was here longer than most, as it turns out. We still like players, but we’re not that surprised when the doors revolve and the faces change. There are no Steve Perrymans any more. So the club doesn’t really need to sweeten the pill with tales of unstoppable moves to clubs which tug at the heartstrings. But it’s worth thinking about the benefits of a player move, over and above the newly-patented tactic of selling them to Portsmouth for a while to park the wages and then buying them back when the market is more favourable. All of which brings me back to Keane’s one-time strike partner and Andy Garcia lookalike, Mr Dimitar Berbatov. Berba, if you remember, caused a bit of a fuss when he thought Tottenham were “denying him his dream” of a move to Manchester United. And what a dream it has turned out to be. A bench-warmer at Old Trafford, rumoured to be on the way out in Fergie’s summer sales, I wonder if Berbatov is regretting his decision to leave. Sure, he’s got the money, the famous shirt, and he’s played in some Champions League games. He’s also got some winner’s medals. But he’s not really been central to any success United have had, and the one-time member of the Premiership team of the season is finding himself lucky to get a game with the other reserves in the League Cup. For a professional, and Berbatov is a professional despite the impression he gave when threatening to strike while we were still paying his wages, the profile and the cash are no substitute for the recognition of your talent. No one, of course, can say what would’ve happened had Berbatov stayed. But this supremely talented player was well on the way to achieving God status before his hissy fit. Another season at Spurs could’ve seen him a pivotal figure in taking us back to the top – and that really is the stuff that legends are made of. It’s all supposition, of course, but the scenario I’ve just outlined is not that far-fetched. I hope the lesson is not lost on, let’s just take some names at random, Lennon, Defoe, Modric or Kranjcar. It’s more than possible the so-called ‘big’ clubs will come calling, especially if Spurs don’t break into the Champions League places again this season. (A season, by the way, in which we have a better chance of winning the title than we have had for many a long year. Just a little grenade for the purposes of debate, there). But before any of our star players think about moving “for success”, they might want to remember the fate of poor old Dimitar and wonder whether they might be better off creating that success, rather than jumping on the back of it. It’s just a thought.
Read all of Martin’s work at his blog: http://martincloake.wordpress.com/ |
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TOPSPURS
Competition: Win a copy of the Pocket Book of Spurs by Martin Cloake
To win a copy of the pocket book
of Spurs by Martin Cloake, just answer the following question: The question will be:
"Which football club inspired Tottenham Hotspur to adopt the famous white
shirt?" Send your answers to: nicolaberti@topspurs.com (clue: Spurs have played them
this season) Closing date: 16th
October (so get em in early!) The
Pocket Book of Spurs by Martin Cloake
The Pocket Book of Spurs is
my latest book, again produced with the excellent Vision Sports Publishing,
and I make no apologies for making a naked plug the subject of my column.
It's a move on from the highly successful Spurs Miscellany series, but still
contains stacks of facts and trivia to keep every Spurs fan happy.
Martin Cloake’s new book, The Pocket Book of Spurs (VSP, £7.99) is out on 5th October, and can be ordered for the publisher’s website with a £2 discount. 11th September 2009 -
Levelling the playing field for the visit of Man U As Saturday's big, televised
clash with Manchester United looms, it may be useful for the match officials
– and indeed anyone else who will be watching – to read the following list of
11 matches from the last seven seasons when Spurs have played the Reds. 6 March 2002 at Old Trafford Spurs are 1-0 down but still
competing when Tarrico tackles Scholes outside the box. Scholes takes a few
steps more into the box before he goes down. Referee Mike Riley incorrectly
awards a penalty and then sends Tarrico off even though he was not the last
man and it was not a penalty. Even United's players look surprised. Spurs
lose 4-0. 21 September 2002 at Old
Trafford A masterclass in one-sided refereeing
includes the following highlights; an elbow on Robbie Keane resulting in a
Man U free kick; Rio Ferdinand handling in the area, stopping in
acknowledgement of his guilt and then realisng he'd got away with it; Fabian
Barthez getting away with a two-footed studs-up challenge on Keane; David
Beckham escaping punishment for a clear foul on Matthew Etherington;
Ferdinand clearly kicking the ball off for a corner which is given as a goal
kick. Spurs lose 1-0. 25 September 2004 at White Hart
Lane Dubious penalty given against
Erik Edman for a challenge on John O'Shea gives United the points. Referee
Mike Walton, who spends part of the interval in the United dressing room,
also fails to give a corner after Jermain Defoe's shot deflects off a
defender, and gives a free-kick against Jamie Redknapp after Robbie Keane is
scythed down. Spurs lose 1-0. 4 January 2005 at Old Trafford Spurs match a good United side,
and win the game when Pedro Mendes lobs Roy Carroll from the halfway line in
the dying minutes. Despite the ball going at least one full yard over the
line and Carroll clearly scooping the ball back from inside the gal, referee
Mark Clattenberg claims to be the only person watching the game who didn't
see it and does not give the goal. It is one of the most astonishing blunders
ever. Also in this game, Robbie Keane puts the ball out from an attacking
position because a team mate is down, and United fail to play the ball back
on the restart, and Gabriel Heinze's elbow on Keane goes unpunished. Spurs draw
0-0. 22 October 2005 at Old Trafford Edgar Davids is carded by
referee Uriah Rennie minutes after being thanked by the official for not
making a fuss over a similar challenge on him by Alan Smith. Michael Dawson
concedes a free kick for a challenge on Wayne Rooney even though he is seen
to have made minimal contact at best. United score from the kick. YP Lee goes
down in United's box later in the game under a similar challenge. No penalty
is given. Spurs draw 1-1. 9 September 2006 at Old Trafford Ryan Giggs's header bounces just
over the line. It's not as far over as the Mendes goal, but this time all the
officials have a very clear view. Spurs lose 1-0. 4 February 2007 at White Hart
Lane A poor performance from Spurs it
has to be admitted, but the first goal comes as a result of a penalty award
for a highly dubious fall by Cristiano Ronaldo in the final minutes of the
first half. Later on Rio Ferdinand clips Dimitar Berbatov in the box, but
that man Clattenberg's eyes are playing up again. Spurs lose 4-0. 26 August 2007 at Old Trafford Howard Webb fails to give two
clear penalties to Spurs, one when Nemanja Vidic brings Dimitar Berbatov down
in the box, the other after Wes Brown deliberately handled Berbatov's
goal-bound shot away for a corner. Spurs lose 1-0. 27 January 2008 at Old Trafford In an FA Cup tie, the referee
manages to spot Michael Dawson handling the ball in a similar manner to Wes
Brown just months before. The penalty puts United 2-1 up, and Spurs lose 3-1. 2 February 2008 at White Hart
Lane United salvage a point after
Carlos Tevez scores four minutes after full-time. Spurs draw 1-1. 25 April 2009 at Old Trafford Spurs dominate the first half,
racing to a 2-0 lead, then display a disturbing lack of spine after conceding
yet another dubious penalty. There's no excuse for the collapse, but the
penalty changed the game and you wonder how much the catalogue of dubious
decisions in these games plays on the team's minds. In addition to the
incorrect penalty decision, referee Howard Webb chhoses to "have
words" with United players for committing almost identical offences as
the Spurs players he books. Spurs lose 5-2. That list must surely test even
the most impartial observer. It's a litany of inconsistency and error. It is,
of course, easy to dismiss this as sour grapes. But when coincidences happen
so often, it is hard not to stop and think about how coincidental they are. I
should make clear that I am not making any suggestion of systematic and
planned cheating. But I am saying that the hard facts indicate that United
seem to have got more than their fair share of decisions in these
games. I watched last season's league
game at Old Trafford in my local with fans of various clubs and, at half
time, at least three said to me "They'll get an early penalty in the
second half and it'll change the game". It's now that obvious, and lo
and behold what everyone suspected came to pass. As I say above, that was no
excuse for the team's spineless collapse, but you wonder how the cumulative
effect of all these dubious decisions plays on the team's minds. I'm hoping 'Arry puts some
comments out to leave the officials in no doubt what is expected of them.
It's a trick Fergie himself, along with other 'top' managers employ, and
while I've expressed my dislike of the practice in the past, I'm afraid I'm
no longer prepared to see my team get mugged off. It's gone on long enough.
After that September 2002 game, Jim had this to say. "Every
decision in the match went for Man U. What is the enjoyment in that? Where is
the Sport? Where is the achievement in beating a side knowing that crucial
decisions have been blatantly called wrongly – every time to favour
United." Again, easy to dismiss as the
sour ranting of a disillusioned fan - a dismissal that would be ignorant. Because we can all see when
Spurs haven't been good enough, when we've displayed an unacceptable lack of
fight or ability or effort, when we've simply been too hopeless to even
compete with some very good United sides. And we'd acknowledge, in the
grudging manner of the fan who nevertheless knows their football, that
Manchester United have, on balance, had better sides than us for some time
now. But we also know that their record against us is not simply down to
their ability; as the list above shows, it's easy to be on top when the
cookie bounces for you. Beating them on the some of the occasions when we
look to have been diddled would've made a big difference, to them and to us. On Saturday a very good Spurs side, playing good football and full of confidence, will be up against a Manchester United side which has yet to show it's as good as some of the teams of the past in a game that will command a huge TV audience and generate the kind of atmosphere White Hart Lane can still serve up. Let's hope the game is played on a level field. 20th
August 2009 - Chants would be a fine thing "Scoring goals was something I was born to do." Jimmy Greaves An advocate of the natural born scorer thesis Greavsie merged
theory and practice at White Hart Lane. In later life extended his philosophy
of genetically deternined football by expounding on the inadequacies of
Scottish goalkeeping. T-shirt available from www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=203
13th August 2009 – Season Preview Compared to many teams, there are plenty of plus points for Spurs as we enter a new season. We have a manager who appears to be in charge of the football team, whose targets seem to be based on football reasons rather than potential sell-on value, and who seems to have the board’s backing. And we have a squad of decent players who should be able to challenge for honours, and who showed in patches last season they could play proper football the Spurs way. But we’ve all said that before. How we do this season will depend on how the following questions are answered. Will we show some long-overdue character on the pitch? Will Redknapp and the board fall out? Will Redknapp feel able to try to win every competition he enters? All that’s without the questions on the playing side, and without perhaps the biggest question of all – will our bungling board come up with yet another way to mess things up even if we do start looking good? Much will depend on players stepping up. I still feel nervous any time the ball is near Gomes, but he did improve at the end of last season and we have to hope he becomes the reliable last line of defence we need. We’ve got six players capable of playing centre back, with any two from Woodgate, Dawson, Bassong and – assuming the saga continues, King being equal to most sides outside last season’s top 4. In Benoit and Corluka we have a couple of fine first-choice full backs, and a stockpile of right backs to draw on. Palacios should be the second name on the teamsheet, behind Lennon – last season’s star performer. With Modric also finding his feet, that’s a decent middle three. Keane is key – if he regains the form he had when he left us he should be able to link play and give us options to go with a 3-1-2 up front or a flat 4. I’m glad Redknapp is looking at a midfield role for Robbie, and with Jenas, the much-underrated Huddlestone and – who knows – even Bentley there’s plenty with which to explore options. Modric and Lennon can both play wide or through the middle, which gives some exciting options. Up front, I think Crouch will surprise a few people, and with Defoe he forms a partnership proven to work in this league. I’d expect more from Pavlyuchenko now he’s had some rest, too. Many clubs would love to have those players, but we’ve seen promise before. There’s no reason we can’t do as well as anyone, but Spurs being Spurs it would be foolish to put money on anything other than a top-of-mid-table finish. I’m still looking forward to some decent football though, and for all the pessimism around, I’ve always got the memory of the hopelessly dark days of Graham and Sugar to fall back on.
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Please note the words on this page are the opinion of the topspurs columnist and
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