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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 COLUMNISTS

 

 

 

 

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.

There are sections on the history of the club and the ground, plus the story of the kit and the badge in some chapters graced with the brilliant illustrations of Bob Bond, who used to draw the famous Roy of the Rovers comic strip (younger readers, ask your dad!) Bob's illustrations are used throughout the book, together with some great photographs and a cutaway view of White Hart Lane. 

As well as all the key facts about Spurs, there are some original articles about the club and its fans, and what makes Spurs special. So you'll find a chapter on how Spurs and the music business have always been close companions, an examination of the character of the Spurs crowd over the years and the story of why the 1961 League and Cup Double was so significant. There's also a hall of fame section, and detailed accounts and diagrams of some of the great goals and tactics from Tottenham history – and more recent times too!

The book is, as you would imagine, a Pocket-sized hardback with retro styling, and illustrations and photographs in colour as well as black and white. It's also got an introduction by the legendary Ricky Villa, whose mazy dribble and strike at Wembley in 1981 is, of course, featured in the Great Goals section.

I hope everyone who buys it enjoys it as much as they tell me they've enjoyed my previous books, and that it adds to the good feelings currently surrounding Spurs.

The Pocket Book of Spurs

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

An all-round good day last Sunday against Liverpool was lifted further by the fact that I was present at the birth of a classic terrace song – hence the decision to dust off the hoary old fanzine headline on this article. Credit should go to the legend who is Bruce Lee – the one who has sat beside me for donkey's years rather than the cult kung fu meister – for the original idea, although I will immodestly claim credit for filling in words to make it complete.

Of course, it's all very sad that I'm still making up football chants at my age, but it's all part of the fun. To the tune of the old Carpenters hit Sing a song…
"Sing,
Sing Bassong,
Keeps it simple,
And lasts the whole game long,
Newcastle were just not good enough,
To keep him very long.
So sing,
Sing Bassong."

I've already banged on about it in a euphoric haze on the FTL board, something which in turn threw up a couple more classics. Which is the point of this post, rather than just a massive ego-trip. There was a time when Spurs fans could hold our own in the inventive, witty chant department. But in recent years it's all become very predictable, very nasty, or both. And we're letting ourselves down, especially when Man United and Liverpool fans claim bragging rights with their reportoire – which to be honest does feature some great stuff.

So, in the hope that one, or all, of these new classics catches on, I thought I'd share with a wider audience. Add to the Bassong ditty a great chant for Benoit Assou-Ekotto (not an easy name to work into a chant) inspired by the Pussycat Dolls - "Dont you wish your left-back was BAE"; and an inspired effort for our Russian striker "Supercalifragilisticromanpavlyuchenko" and you've got the start of something uplifting and fun.

You can't say I didn't try.

PS On the subject of classics, the good people at Philosophy Football – brainchild of longtime Spurs fan Mark Perryman – have rereleased their classic Jimmy Greaves T-shirt. It's well-worth a purchase – no horrible yellow lines or fake sick on the neck – but in the interests of transparency both I should declare that getting this plug up may just get a freebie

 

"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

greavestshirt.jpg 

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. 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Please note the words on this page are the opinion of the topspurs columnist and are just that, opinions, not facts and are nothing to do with Tottenham Hotspur Football club PLC. Just a supporter having his say nothing more nothing less. Any commentary on betting is meant for discussion purposes only and does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation.