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I don't like to get too carried away about Spurs.
Too many false dawns over the years and all that. But that wonderful 9-1 win
is more than just a freak result. It must be a sign that this Tottenham side
is more than just a flash in the pan. History tells us that average sides
just don't score 9 goals in a game. And this was a side missing arguably its
three best players in Modric, King and Keane. Or maybe Lennon and Defoe are
our best players. Either way, it's a lovely to not be too sure for a change. I've been trying to gauge where this side is at and
it's becoming clearer after a bit of a blip that we are actually in the top
four on merit, not just a quirk of the fixture list and a lucky run of form.
Of course, we saw in what happened against United, Chelsea and Arsenal that
there is still some distance to go but we also saw enough in those games to
show that we can compete with those sides, though not yet for 90 minutes. This result in itself isn't going to make our
season. But if what the players lacked was the self-belief, surely they can
start to believe now, realise how good we could be, and lose the fear of
losing which seems to haunt us in the big games. And this side is only going to get better. I don't
want to jump the gun after what happened to Berbatov and Keane, but it's
difficult to see any of the senior players wanting to leave the club anytime
soon. You never know, of course. Fergie might decide he wants Lennon to
replace Ronaldo. But the vibe at the club is that the players are very happy
and excited to be a part of where the club is going. And we're reaching the
point now where any new signing is going to need to be in the £15m-£20m
bracket just to get on the bench. You've got to give the credit to Harry. His signings
have worked, his selections have worked and his tactics have worked. His
ability just to get Defoe and Keane playing together sets him apart from his
predecessors. And what I really like about him is the impression that he's
not hamstrung by dogma. He picks players on performance and gets a reaction.
Kranjcar being a prime example. He was poor against Stoke and was dropped. He
tried Bentley against Arsenal and he was poor and was dropped. He tried Keane
in midfield against Sunderland and we looked much better when Kranjcar came
on. So he dropped Keane and restored Kranjcar against Wigan and he was
outstanding. Even Bentley produced a reaction. It's a sign that his
man-management is working and testament to the level of competition and
strength in depth of the squad that we are in a position to drop players who
are not performing to their best. In that context, even some of our worse signings
might not be the disasters we perceive. If having Bentley around has turned
Lennon into the player he is, maybe it wasn't £15m so badly spent. And the
benching of Super Pav says more about the form of those in front him than
that he has done much wrong. How he's going to fit Modric, Keane, Lennon,
Kranjcar, Defoe and Crouch into the same team is going to create some
dilemmas for him but he's done a fine job of juggling his squad so far so
there's no reason to doubt his ability to pull it off. Add a second Palacios
to the squad and there really is no position without genuine top class
competition. It's time now for the club, the fans and the players
to stop downplaying expectations and embrace the ambition to get into the
Champions League and, dare I say it, fight for the title. There's no reason
why they shouldn't. Chelsea are a cut above the rest but after that there's
really not a lot between any of the best squads and the stats are starting to
back that up. We should see the trips to Villa Park and Goodison as
opportunities to make a statement of intent. We can even go to Old Trafford
with expectation. We don't have to win. We just have to let the opposition
know, whoever they are, that they're in a game. Imagine if we could become the team that no one wants
to play. |
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4th October 2009 – A point gained After spanking Preston and Burnley, I was looking forward to the Bolton game. But by the time I'd found a stream showing the game on the interweb, Spurs were already a goal down and I realised I'd forgotten that we never win at the Reebok. For half an hour they then battered us as they always do with that horribly physical and aerial style that hasn't changed with the transition from Allardyce to Megson. And why is it always so windy up there? That said, they did mix it up with some high tempo one-touch football as well and generally gave us a real hiding all over the pitch. I'd also forgotten that Kevin Davies always scores against us. At one stage they were just chipping it up to him, so high that he can just elbow his way into position before the ball lands, and we didn't seem to be able to handle it. I was surprised Harry went for Huddlestone over Dawson for that job, though perhaps Dawson isn't fully match fit yet. I was also surprised he went for Crouch over Defoe, though Defoe's hand injury might have made that decision for him. He said he went for Keane and Defoe against Burnley because he thought their defenders would be capable of dealing with long balls but that speed and movement would cause them problems. I thought the same would apply to Bolton. Harry was probably right though. It's not really possible to "play football" against Bolton. We were lucky to ride out the storm and beat them at their own game with a long ball to Crouch and Kranjcar took the knock down with aplomb. He looks a good player. Neat and tidy with a touch of class and big enough to be useful at set plays, though I'm not yet convinced about his work rate when we don't have the ball. I'm not sure how much playing time he'll get when Modric comes back. Bolton must have been seething to go in level at half time after dominating so much of the half. In the second half we were much improved and it was terrific match that could have gone either way. Bolton's second goal which capped a fantastic move looked like a hammer blow as we'd looked increasingly in the ascendency. You do have to ask what Assou-Ekotto was doing losing Davies at the far post. But what really impressed was the way we fought back after that, showing a steely resolution not to be beaten. Crouch somehow missed a sitter after the ball bizarrely ricocheted off the keeper and off the crossbar. He must have been highly relieved when Corluka headed in a corner moments later. The game ebbed and flowed after that and we could have won it but Crouch fluffed his lines with one touch too many in front of goal. At one point I was thinking that I wouldn't take the draw if it were offered but when we looked uncomfortable after another Bolton attack I decided I would take the draw after all. And so it turned out. Megson seemed gutted with the result, which I suppose is understandable having led twice, but really it was a fair result on the balance of play and just reward for the character we showed in fighting back. And the match stats back that up. Though I'm disappointed that we're still not good enough to go to Bolton and win, it's definitely a sign of progress that we did not capitulate after the early goal. There was a time when 1-0 would have soon become 2-0. And we've shown we can get a result away from home when we're not at our best. Centre-half remains a problem. I don't think Huddlestone is the answer. He's just not an instinctive defender. At one point he allowed a long ball to bounce and suddenly found himself running towards his own goal in a battle with Davies. Dawson or Woodgate would have put their head through it. If King and Woodgate remain long term casualties, we may have get a new first-choice centre half. Gary Cahill has been mentioned though if we were interested we should have signed him in the summer before he signed a new contract without a get-out clause. Cudicini makes me nervous as well. He didn't do too well on the opening goal, parrying the shot straight into the six yard box. And he's struggles a bit in a crowded area. I'd like to see Gomes given another crack, though his start to the season was inauspicious. I think in the scheme of things a point at Bolton is a point gained rather than two points dropped and they'll finish comfortably mid-table. Portsmouth is a different matter entirely and despite picking up their first win, we really need to go to Fratton Park and win if we are going to achieve anything this season. They have a threadbare squad which hasn't been paid, we've taken three of their best players, they might be going into administration next month, and they've had nearly as bad a start as we did last season. Three points from eight games, Harry. Speaking of Harry, the News of the World are running a story that he's still under investigation regarding the stuff he was arrested for when he was at Portsmouth, which might explain why he became odds on to leave Spurs earlier in the week. I read a similar rumour on the interweb last week. I'm sure he'll be fine. Harry can talk the hind legs off a donkey. No jury could ever convict him of anything. 24th September 2009 – Reality Check I've been struggling to think of anything to say
this season because it's much easier to be a critic during the hard times,
and it had all been going perfectly. In fact, there's a danger of looking
like an idiot if you get too excited about four straight wins. But now that
the wheels, while not having totally fallen off, have certainly come a bit
loose, it's an opportunity to assess where we are at. Man United and Chelsea was always going to be a big
test and we'll never know what might have been had Modric been fit, but I
think United taught us a footballing lesson. Fair play to them because
they're not that much better than us on paper but they had the self-belief
and will to win that we lacked. It was nice to lose to them for once without
the officials having to cheat. The performance at Chelsea was much better and the
scoreline flattered the opposition but both games showed that
psychologically, we're just still not there yet. With a 100% record and a
first minute goal you'd have thought United were there for the taking, but
the players reverted to type. We've seen it all before. And can you imagine
them responding in similar fashion if they went a goal down at Old Trafford
in the first minute? Heads would drop. The challenge for Harry is somehow to
get that winning mentality into the squad that separates the good from the
great. At Chelsea we looked the better side, but the longer
the goal didn't come, you just new disaster was around the corner. To be
fair, losing both centre halves didn't help. We, as fans, can't change the
mentality of the players but it seems obvious that they share our lack of
confidence born out of years of bitter experience. Perhaps it will just take
time for the players to make the mental adjustment through consistent
performances until they realise that the result is not written in the stars. There's plenty to be optimistic about. Harry has got
a strong squad together and understands that we could do with another central
midfielder to complete the jigsaw. We've scored 5 goals away from home three
times and can go into any game with a realistic prospect of getting a result
and the prospect of seeing some exciting football. We look a certainty to
finish in the top seven, though that would be mildly disappointing. But with
Man City and Villa stringing wins together as well, the top six is going to
be very competitive this season. I hope we can stay in the mix for as long as
possible and with Burney, Bolton, Portsmouth and Stoke coming up we should
still be by the time of Arsenal game. Even if all we do is put away the
lesser teams, we'd still be looking at a haul of around seventy points. Obviously we miss Modric who knits the play together
and is irreplaceable, though getting Kranjcar in for a pittance looks a smart
piece of business. Injuries at centre half are a problem but if the deputies
at the club are as good as they ought to be, we ought to be able to cope.
That said, Corluka frightens me at times. The strikers are a problem, albeit
the sort of problem a manager wants to have. Harry clearly hasn't worked out
what to do about the Keane-Defoe-Crouch conundrum. Playing Keane on left
midfield against United looked like a mistake. Sure, he can do a job there,
but if he's not as good a midfielder as the other midfielders at the club,
what's the point other than to keep him happy? It will be interesting to see who plays against
Burnley, with Crouch having scored a hat trick. He might think he can play
4-3-3 and get away with it, and well he might. But sooner or later he's going
to have to make a tough decision and leave Keane or Defoe on the bench if he
thinks we need Crouch playing. It's a shame Pavlyuchenko wasn't fit for the Preston
game because it's difficult to see how he's going to get any time on the pitch
barring an injury crisis. Speaking of which, I was really surprised that game
wasn't televised. Instead Sky decided to go for a predictable home win for
ManYoo's reserves against Wolves. If the criteria for selecting matches is
which club has the most fans, then why not just show ManYoo every week? 13th July 2009 – Season Preview It’s that delusional time of year when we can get overly optimistic about what the season may bring. I wasn’t very excited until, strangely, we signed Peter Crouch. There’s not much between Bent and Crouch on paper, and Bent is the better goal-scorer. But for some reason I just think our permutations up front just now look far more potent. I suppose I just don’t fancy Bent playing with anyone. The pre-season form seems good, though we’ve been there before, but really, the only position that concerns me is a partner for Palacios in the middle. Jenas, Huddlestone, O’Hara… None of it quite hits the spot for me, especially away from home. But generally, we should see improvement from Modric and Super Pav, Bassong should provide enough options at the back, Gomes should be more consistent, and who knows, maybe even Hutton will turn out to be alright. There’s still a bit of time left for Harry to pull another rabbit out of his hat. He recently emphatically ruled out a move for Ashley Young, so there might be something going on there. I’ve done a bit of stat hunting and, by my quick calculations, I think we averaged 2 points in 3 from the end of January’s transfer window. That would put us right up in the top four. 31st July 2009 – Too many twits The Leader of the Opposition recently found himself in hot water for commenting that “Too many twits might make a twat”. It’s unlikely that he had our very own Darren “Benty” Bent in mind but it seems Benty used his Twitter account (db10thetruth) to say: "Why can't anything be simple? It's so frustrating hanging round doing jack s**t. Seriously getting p***ed off now. Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest. Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go Stoke NO. Do I wanna go Sunderland YES. So stop f*****g around, Levy." And according to The Sun, a spokesperson for his sponsor Umbro confirmed the account was genuine. All very amusing. I don’t think we should object to our chairman trying to get the best price for Bent. His goalscoring record still stacks up and if Sunderland rejected our £20m offer for Kenwyne Jones in January, then they can’t really argue that Bent is worth substantially much less. That said, despite his goals, it’s been obvious that his all-round game just isn’t up to the task, his finishing is erratic and he doesn’t create his own chances in the way, say, Jermain Defoe can. Peter Crouch may be a bit of a figure of fun, but he does offer something different and he’s a good dancer. Intriguingly, Harry says he is still interested in Huntelaar, despite landing Crouchy. That must mean one of Keane or Super Pav being surplus to requirements. We’re just not good enough at the moment to keep five frontline strikers happy. While it has always seemed Harry isn’t a huge fan of Super Pav, he would be the much harder to sell, unless reported interest from Stuttgart, Roma and Besiktas is real. Meanwhile, it’s difficult to see Keane accepting a regular role as a substitute and rumours of Keane to Villa have surfaced. Also on Harry’s menu is a combative central midfielder after he admitted an interest in Vieira (I’ll leave others to debate the merits of that one). Veloso and Cattermole are the latest names in the hat. We do need to get someone in that position either to partner or cover Palacios following the sale of Zokora, especially if Huddlestone is needed as an emergency centre-half. In that regard, Hull’s Michael Turner, whom I’ve never heard of, has also been mentioned. Modric seems earmarked for left midfield and Downing’s move to Villa suggests the long-sought-after left winger is off the agenda, though there’s quite a few big names at Real surplus to requirements and Harry might yet pull of a surprise signing to get the pulse racing. The big mystery is what is to happen to David Bentley who apparently suffered a dead leg against Bournemouth and didn’t travel to China. New signing Kyle Naughton impressed on right midfield against West Ham and it’s difficult to see Bentley getting another serious look in.
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and are just that, opinions, not facts and are nothing to do with Tottenham
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