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6th February 2006
– Keep faith with Jol It is a sad day for Spurs when a stalwart (surely fickle moany b*stard – ed) such as Jim Duggan, writes the way he has after the debacle against Manure. To be so down in the dumps that he wants another manager to get the chop? I feel his pain I have supported them for over 50years for Gods’ sake, so apart from a few ups I have lived almost permanently with the downs. It is not just the losing that hurts it is the way we lose, we don’t seem to have any bottle, any real passion. Is this what our football is coming to by bringing in mercenaries and playing kids? Oh I cry out for a Dave Mackay, or Graham Roberts character, who would have hurt the likes of Ronaldo by putting him into the advertising boards early in the game. Scholes got away with it and then twice more after all? How and why he was not booked is beyond belief. Like what he did or not by running halfway across the pitch to have a go at Lee, Rooney showed for all his money, his youth and his scouse background that the nasty ugly bastard is also passionate. Irrespective of the amount of money put into our club, we are NOT a top four side, and the way things are going will never be. Logically I cannot see it. Those that occupy those lofty positions have large grounds and large amounts of money, bigger than the rest in the Premier league. They will be competing in the champion’s league year in year out, maybe only three of them if Platini get’s his own way, so it will become even more difficult to break into this exclusive club. WE get carried away every year in the hope that our team will come good, but I cannot remember the last time we won four league games on the trot, and it is that sort of run that changes a side’s total perspective on the league position. It also changes the mind set of the players and how they perform, winning gives confidence. The management of the side becomes easier, the performances get better. WE have a young side, that is not an excuse it is a fact. Comparing last Sunday’s side against our opponents, and they have experience in many departments, with experience comes guile, confidence and the ability to do things that younger players have not learned. Poor Tom Huddlestone and I mean poor; he is not the answer to the loss of Carrick. He is not quick enough for a start both of foot and brain. Yes he can hit a good pass, but when those passes continuously do NOT find a team mate, waiting for the good one becomes the unexpected. We have been crying out for a good left back now for years. Atouba, Edman, Lee, Ekottou all been tried and all found wanting. The signing of Zakora was not meant as a replacement for Carrick so we have been told. So who was going to replace him? As a side we rarely surprise, maybe at home against Chelski this year? But the last one I recall was against |
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There has been one constant in the stream of managers that
we have had Gross, Graham, Hoddle, Pleat, Santini and now Jol and that is
Hughton. Maybe this is not just a coincidence, a good right hand man seems to
go with the top job these days, maybe this is where we should be looking, Mourinho has his Clarke, Fergie the Spanish geezer and
before him McClaren, Benitez has brought his man
with him from We are a side with young players, with new players into the team this year. It takes a continental at least a season to get used to the Premier league it’s pace and action. In other leagues overseas, this type of football is occasional; here it is every week no matter where in the league your opponents are. The money pumped in by Sky makes it too attractive not to get relegated, and many teams that do get relegated know before a ball is kicked in anger that they will be a candidate come May for going down, but even that happening now comes with a significant balloon payment. Jim, I know how you are feeling, that sick depressing
feeling after seeing our beloved team beaten again, knowing that perhaps we
don’t want is an away game at We have had bad run since Boxing Day, we need some luck. We don’t get much and a turn in fortunes and we can come good again. I have to believe this! Otherwise I will be backing Jim Duggan. |
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Columnist
Profile – Colin Ashby Coming Soon |
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16th August 2005 - Once more onto the breach dear friends………………………… IT doesn’t really seem that long ago I was going through
the excitement agonies and then disappointment of last season. If someone had
told me at the start of that campaign we would finish fifth in the league and
qualify for It was a strange season in many ways, getting knocked out of the cups in the opening rounds by lower league opposition hurt, but at the back of my mind I felt that the team Jol had assembled was a good one, I was not worried. We had at last got a quality goalkeeper, we definitely had a good centre back, and in Defoe I believed we had a goal scorer. The spine, the middle whatever you wanted to call it looked good. Get in quality to play in the other positions, and we should challenge. Carrick was already there and the additions of Jenas, David and Lennon, with Routledge and Dawson, a team to challenge. History now shows that it did not quite happen. Defoe did not have a good season for one reason or another, and we did not frighten the opposition enough in the final third of the park. The defence was fairly solid but prone to silly errors and showed lack of concentration causing late goals and lost points. Points that would and could have put fourth place within our grasp and even greater glories. That is history now. I am convinced that in football it is important to defend as a team as well as attack as a team. If a forward has the ball in the opposition’s area and has it under control, he is defending as well as attacking. When Robbo launches a big kick up field out of defence to Defoe who cannot get to the ball, is beaten by a taller defender, or fails to bring it under control and loses it, The opposition are immediately back onto the offensive, and the pressure goes onto the defenders. So we start this new campaign. In spite of the fact that we still do not have the demanded left wide forward, or another right back, and we have sold Carrick. I believe we are in a stronger position going into this new season than last. Good signings have been made and players who began to flourish last year will want to continue. The spine is there but for Defoe now read Berbatov, yet we still have little JD. Defoe is a confidence player, who believes that he can
score goals as he proved in his first season with us. After all the close
season rumours about him going and the
disappointment of not playing in the World Cup, he knows he has a lot to
prove to his critics. Being picked to play Robinson – We still have the King, arguably one of the best centre
backs in the country, and alongside him the emerging Dawson. He has come on
leaps and bounds since joining from The signing of Ekottu has been a welcome surprise, he seems to have settled in very quickly and adapted to his new team mates, and as such could make the left back position his, thus enabling Lee to switch to the right. I am not one of those who knock Stalteri, he is strong and direct but did make the occasional mistake that caused us problems, but that may be a bit unfair as others did also. Tianio is a player who could fill the left midfield position. He has quick feet and covers the ground, is not frightened to tackle and has good stamina. Sadly he appears to be injury prone, I don’t think he has gone more than two or three games without being sidelined, but in the absence of a new signing my inclination would be to play him in this role, as cover there is Davids and Ziegler. Zokora looks to be a real quality player, and I just hope he adapts quickly into the league –its pace and competitiveness, because with Carrick gone he has to start the campaign really focussed. Alongside him will be Jenas, does drift in and out of the game a bit, but again the loss of Carrick should give him an opportunity to shine through. He is very quick and can score good goals, total effort and concentration will make him a great player for us. As back up for these we have Huddlestone, Ghaly, Murphy, Reid and then young O’Hara. Much has been written about the opportunities for THUDD this season; this could be his chance to make the step up, and similarly the opposite about Murphy and more about Reid. Reid has been a disappointment, long injuries have prevented him ever showing whether he is capable of making the grade, and there are continuous questions about his weight and fitness. I for one do not think he is overweight, the regimes of Premier league clubs do NOT allow this. But he is not a fast and tricky left sided player, more central and we have plenty of those. Out on the right – young Aaron Lennon. Last season’s surprise package, his fast low to ground running at the opposition defence gained him his reputation and earned him a couple of sub games in the World Cup, something he would not have dreamed of this time last year. Opposition defenders will now be looking and paying closer attention to him, defence coaches will be looking for weaknesses to stop him, as he is a danger man. This season will be difficult for him, but it is all about learning and progressing. Once he can deliver the final killer pass or cross, and score a few more he will become a legend at the Lane. I have already mentioned Defoe and would like to see him
alongside Berbatov. Berby will quickly endear
himself to the fans, he has class, a good first touch and a natural eye for
goal, totally different to Mido last season, who was like a wooden club
compared to Berby’s rapier. Then there is
Robbie, giving him the armband for Even though there may be additions before the window closes, this team from this squad will cause concern among the rest of the Premier league. Those in the know recognise this already. When teams have their pre-match discussions and tactics team talks they will be fully aware that they will have hard game on their hands. They will be playing one of the top teams in the country; a team that will compete for one of the top four places in the Premier league, will do well in the UEFA cup campaign, and have good runs in both the Carling and FA cups. This year season 2006/7 is the year that Tottenham will at last emerge from the darkness of underachievement. Cry God for Martin, Tottenham and St George.
May 8th 2006 - Sabotage or coincidence asks Colin Ashby There will be many words written about Sunday’s events, and maybe after the dust has settled we will all have had time to reflect on “Sick Sunday” The “knobbling” theory will rumble on and on, and I for one will support this. Not because it is my team but it is the fact that 10 TEN players went down with it, surely this is too much of a coincidence just to pass off as “unfortunate”. The thought of actually finding a scapegoat for this, will create many problems, and I am sure that the FA and everyone else outside of Spurs will want to see it quickly swept under the carpet and forgotten. If by chance that “someone” actually administered or caused the illness. Who is to blame? Is it the actual perpetrator, or do you start going into a more in depth analysis of why? To be determined enough to get at your opponents team, means fanaticism. A fanatic who has be driven to take what is an unprecedented and dangerous act. The start of this lies at the top - the Arse hierarchy, one David Dein who sees himself as king maker. This is the man who tried to get Scolari, instead of maybe the FA approaching Wenger. Then you have the hysterical and ranting behaviour on the touchline and in the media post match of Mr Wenger himself. This coverage of these two could be the driving point for any fanatic, who is prepared to make and take a decision to protect his team. The Arse do NOT want Spurs into the top 4 that is a fact. They accepted Chelski, they couldn’t do much about it with Abramovich’s millions. They have tried to do the dirty on them on a number of occasions, but have been outsmarted. Liverpool have always been there or there about, and last years’ blip that saw Everton in the top four did not worry them too much, as many inside football knew that it was a “one –off” and anyway Liverpool got through to the CL by convenient one off rule change. If and when Spurs break into the top 4 it will NOT be a one off, when we arrive there will be a top 5. There is NOW and they particularly Arse, Dein and Wenger will do their utmost to keep us out of the CL especially if it is at their expense. Finally a word about the media. The press have tried to make a joke of the whole issue, with puns and innuendos. The fact that it is Spurs they feel they can get away with it. Just imagine the fuss if was Manure Chelski or the Arse On Sunday the four monkeys sitting to the left of Jeff Stelling all said the game should go ahead, they had NO knowledge of what had happened, who was sick or how bad. I would like to ask them all a hypothetical question. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED TO THE ARSE ON WEDNESDAY WEEK IN Feb 2006 - Don’t Panic- Not YetLast season the surprise team was Everton, quietly scraping 1-0 results, while Chelski, Manure and the Arse did what everyone predicted. The team that did not perform was Liddypool, hence leaving the door open for Everton. At the beginning of the season the pundits all predicted these teams to be competing for the top four, and suggested Everton as possible relegation contenders. This season the same top four are predicted and the relegation candidates are perm three from Wigan, Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth and West Brom. The rest of the teams would make up the numbers.
The fact that we are up there with a shout is because of the unexpected demise of the Arse. It has opened the door for other teams and while we are in the driving seat, at the moment we should not be surprised if that old Tottenham doesn’t come back to haunt us. It’s the team that manages to lose when expected to win, when the win would take us into a key position. It’s the team that loses when playing a lower team and everyone expects an easy win.
This season we have lost points in the final minutes and two important cup games for maybe lack of concentration, lack of experience? Who knows, but we do have a habit of not getting to grips and killing teams off the way the top teams do. Yes I know Chelski lost to Boro at the weekend, Arse struggled at home to Bolton and Liverpool scraped a 1-0 against Wigan, but I am trying to remember the last time we won a game against a team when everyone was predicting us to lose. Why haven’t we thrashed a lower team by 6 goals?
One thing for sure is we can dominate games now, a good young side improving with every game, but like many I want success NOW. The promise of Champion’s league in the future is all very well, but we are sniffing at the door. City, Wigan, Bolton and West Ham will also be fancying their chances at this moment maybe not top 4 but certainly a UEFA cup place, and that is putting a great deal of pressure on us the fans.
Spurs only playing 40 games this season, whereas Liddypool have already played that many, that’s not a bonus for us in spite of what some people say, it means that our season compared to others is a bit of stop and start, losing to teams like Grimsby and Leicester in the first rounds of the cups, is not ideal for morale or maintaining a winning habit. We have a good squad for what we are doing and what we are achieving, to go to the next stage we have to improve the quality in certain areas, Jol, Commoli and Levy must already be aware of this.
The next few weeks we have a tough programme of matches, but apart from Birmingham and maybe West Brom, none are against teams that are desperate to stay in the premiership, but a lot are against teams who are in with a European place so we cannot afford any more slip ups and conceding goals in the last minute. Having said that the other sides have a similar programme to us, so to get fourth or into Europe is well and truly in the hands of Jol and the players.
No more speculation about players coming or going for this season, Mido will not be going away again, Murphy will be an ideal sub. And with the steady back four and goalkeeper we have the basis of players that can and could do it. The down side are the state of some of the pitches we have to contend with. Ours is still very good and plays well. Chelski away will be like playing on a park pitch, which will make life even more difficult, but at least Boro have shown that Czech and Terry are human and can get beat . I am not too sure about some of the other pitches , but with 6 home and 6 away games to come we should be able to muster another 20 points. I hope this will be enough.
With the squad he has Jol can now be more considered in his team selection. I am sure Tianio played last week against Charlton not fully fit, and while Davids probably felt Ok yesterday another week or so to repair the hairline fracture would have been preferable. I would like to see Lennon being beefed up a bit in the close season, without having an adverse effect on his speed and dribbling ability. We know he is fast but he is not the fastest and he can get easily shoved off the ball, he should also train and improve his final ball and be able to get a shot in. When he can do this on a regular basis he will be given the ball more often as others will have more encouragement to use him.
I can see a midfield of Murphy a fit Davids, Carrick and Jenas for most of the remaining games, fitness and injuries permitting, and Mido with Defoe. At home and on our pitch we will be a match for any team, with Keane and Lennon coming on as subs. The back four virtually picks itself.
It was interesting to read in one paper that Ledley is refusing a £40k contract and holding out for more. On the one hand I can’t say I blame him for not wanting the wages that Terry, Ferdinand and the like are getting, but on the other that sort of wage spiral will put us into financial difficulty if all other up and coming players know that we may give into that type of demand.
9th January 2006 - The bubble has not burst
I have just read that during the second World War , the Germans made the fuel tanks for their aeroplanes out of leather and rubber, so when they were hit by flak and punctured, instead of leaking and burning, the fuel would expand the rubber and seal the hole. The analogy is this - our balloon got well and truly punctured on Sunday night, but I do believe that Jol has enough in the tank to seal that leak, so that it will not burst.
I have read many posts questioning his team selection, questioning the ability of certain players, and I have to admit that I have been a contributor, criticising both Raziak and Kelly, considering their performances in the cup, and I am still inclined to err on the harsh side.
But…. And it is a but… We have a young side, one that is learning and gaining experience all the time. Kelly will relive his misdemeanours on Sunday, the weak headed pass back to Robinson, losing his man at the far post that led to their goal, and his woeful effort to finish in front of goal with just the goalkeeper to beat. All of those situations will help make him a better player I am sure, but with his desire to leave will we get the benefit? Gardner and Dawson will have learnt, how to deal with a big experienced hard front man. I hope the team will begin to appreciate the skills and running ability of young Lennon more, he has been quite a revelation since his arrival, fast tricky and gets a good cross in.. Carrick and Jenas, will know that we should have been in the hat for the next round, and after today’s draw they should be hurting. But they are all young enough to make amends next year.
Jol in his infinite wisdom believes that the squad he took with him on Sunday was good enough. Apart from Mido and Lee not being available it was almost the same side that overwhelmed City. Kelly has played at left back before, and Brown excelled on Wednesday, so if we had capitalised on the chances created against Leicester we would and should have been home and dry, and apart from the odd muttering we would have been happy. Even Raziak would have not, well maybe he would have , yes he bloody well would have got the slating !!! He was poor, totally out of his depth, just the sort of player who will become a star at the next World Cup- remember Baros?
I said I thought Jol had enough in the tank, but I am really puzzled as to why when Mido is not available he feels he has to play Raziak in his place. It has been said and written that Defoe and Keane do not play together, but I am at a bit of a loss here. They are professional footballers, paid very well for a living that demands about 50 games a year, some more, some less. They train and practice for this and have to attend sessions to improve skills and fitness. Why then after a serious number of weeks and training sessions, the coaches have not worked on these two so that they can play in the same line up. Surely it is a matter of coaching the back four and the goalkeeper to not lump the ball high in the air? And making sure the two front men learn how the other ticks, gets to know his strengths and weaknesses and integrates that knowledge into their all round performance? I am sure full backs are given time on the training ground to get crosses in, quick fire first time touch passing is practised on match days, so to have these two in the same side should not be a no-no when the alternative is Raziak and one of them.
I would like to see us make a couple of signings before the window closes, but if we get someone from overseas, how long will it be before they can adapt, and will their inclusion in the side disrupt what we already have? Europeans normally take at least half a season to adapt, - Davids is the exception!!!! Personally I want damage limitation while Mido is away, it may not be for long if Egypt get knocked out early, as he has settled and considering his deal ends in May- there is no guarantee yet he will get the job permanently-he has worked hard and been such a good addition to the squad he is one of the first names on the sheet, when fit or not suspended.
Yes there is plenty in reserve, we got over complacent Sunday evening, and paid the penalty. I am confident that this is a blip. It’s painful, I was looking forward to a nice little cup run, and had set my heart on us being the first to win at the new Wembley. Take nothing away from that but if we are to do anything of importance this year it is to be in the top 6 of this league, and the dream of number 4 is still there. But this is Tottenham, the team that almost gets there, and then when it matters something goes wrong. We have had two major knock backs so far Grimsby and Leicester, and from the first we went on a nice little run. So I am hoping the next one starts on Saturday.
27th December 2005 – Boxing day delights
Set off at 9.30am to get to the ground in time for a cuppa. The M25 was a car park from Staines onwards so I took the M40 into town and went round the North Circular. Arrived at just after 12 and parked in a new car park, recently opened. Only £7 and the car is supervised, better than the streets where I have had a window broken and the boot keyed in the past. Rob the attendant – he is a gooner- and his mates, ask what do you think today? Why don’t I feel confident? We are playing a team near the bottom of the table, they have a bad away record, but there is little niggle at the back of my mind. We lose these games, remember the past few years? I talk on the phone to my son and he is more confident, he says, we are more resilient these days, we are no longer a soft touch.
I arrive get my cuppa, and hear the teams called out. Defoe on the bench, Lennon starting. Bruce has given his side a real shake up after their four one defeat by Man City. It looks quite solid on paper, with two very big and strong central defenders. The niggle is there again. This is a must win game for them – they need the points badly, and to start this 4 game sequence off positively.
The game kicks off and almost immediately young Lennon breaks free from an Upson mistake. Unfortunately for the lad, the defenders recover and his shot is hurried and easily saved. Soon after Robinson ( England’s Number One) makes a dramatic one handed save, looks like it is from our own Ledley! There is not much in the game, we cannot get going because they are working hard. There midfield has the edge. Lennon is being muscled out of the games by old hand Lazarides, still quite fast and he is getting forward down their left flank to support Gray, giving Stalteri little opportunity to go forward. Lee the other back gets forward a number of times but his choice of final ball leaves a lot to be desired. Mido is up against two big strong guys, Robbie drifts here and there. We do create some opportunities, the best being a King shot following a corner that their goalie got in the way of. So when the whistle goes for half time, I breathe a sigh of relief that we have not conceded anything.
The second half starts and they almost score immediately, the fact they don’t is down to England’s number one. Finally a change is made Defoe for Lennon. Then King gets injured, can’t continue. First tackle by Pamarot is a booking. Keane gets the ball on the edge of their area, turns and falls, I am a way away from the incident it looks fairly innocuous, but Dowd gives the penalty. Robbie grabs the ball, didn’t he miss the last one he took? Wrong foots the goalkeeper and we are one up. Soon after to be replaced by Brown. All substitutes used and Heskey flattens Dawson, not surprised, he has been throwing himself at our defenders all afternoon. Izzet goes down in our area and Dowd whistles, he does not point to the spot so you know he is going to give a yellow, and as it is the second he is off. Izzet complains but when he got is first yellow of the afternoon it was after his THIRD FOUL tackle, the first one warranted a booking, and he should have had little to complain about.
Surely now we are going to score a few more and improve our goal difference. They have brought on Dunn – a good player in my opinion and Pandiani. Desperate for one goal, other teams have done it with a player short, we need that second goal. The clock is ticking down and then a challenge from Davids just outside our area, gets him another booking, and them a free kick. Surely not West Ham all over again. Dunn takes the shot hits the wall and from the ensuing play Jenas wins the ball and breaks clear, feeding Defoe on the right just into their half. Defoe has got the legs and Jenas continues his run with another white shirt supporting, it is our three against their two. Jenas is waving his arms frantically to get Defoe’s attention, the crowd are yelling, Peter sitting next to me is yelling “ Cross the ball, stupid” . Two blue shirts are closing in on Defoe he is being forced a bit wide for my liking and then the thunderbolt. Taylor waves his arm as the ball flashes past him into the net. Cheers and hugs all round, that is us in the stand. The final couple of minutes we could have scored again, but no matter. The whistle goes for full time, and I go back to my car. The lads are still there looking after it, I know it is cheaper to park in the streets around Pretoria and Commercial road, but it is looked after. They will be there on New Years Eve and so will I, wouldn’t miss it for the world.
We are fourth in the table, we are not yet playing as well as we could and should, but we are a new team, a young team. A good squad has been assembled. We have a good coach/manager. There appears to be tremendous team spirit. The crowds are there, virtual full house every week, fantastic away support. I love this feeling, I enjoy looking at the table, wondering where we will be at the end of the season. Now comes a month of speculation and conjecture about who is coming,who us going, the web sites will be alive with rumours.
Come on 2006, Come on you Spurs!
5th December 2005 – Should be an easy one today shouldn’t it?
Should be an easy one today shouldn’t it? That was the question a young parking attendant asked me when I parked up. I have found a new parking place, on a small industrial estate not far from the hospital, it costs a tenner but at least it is guarded and I am not going to return and find a window smashed or the paintwork keyed. The young man is friendly and polite, but I think he is a gooner. I replied “I am not so sure, this is a game we should win, but it is also a potential banana skin.” I got into the ground, got myself a drink and a pie and met the lovely young South African girl (Sorry don’t know her name) and her Mum who was over from SA and was watching the mighty Spurs for the first time. She – the daughter is a real fan- and really enjoys her footie. We discussed the game and what we thought, me once again not being over optimistic. I can’t say why I felt that way, I think it is from too many times having great expectations but coming home disappointed.
I reminded myself about the West Ham game and how gutted I was driving home, I felt we had lost and it was only after an hour or so of driving that I finally accepted that we had got a point.
The game started and after ten minutes or so Peter, my friend said “What’s the matter with you? you are very quiet” He meant why I hadn’t had a go at the linesman or ref, as I have been known to. There was no need, we were playing well moving the ball about, people were finding space, and I thought we looked very confident. Only a matter of time before we scored, I thought. Jenas was getting a bit of stick from someone behind me, he had lost the ball after being mugged, maybe a team mate should have warned him, but the team were looking good.
Then against the run of play they scored, a good free kick got to admit, but the banana skin thoughts came back. We did not panic and continued to move and pass well, and finally got the equaliser we had been threatening, so at half time I felt a little more at ease.
Second half missed the start as normal with people finally getting back to their seats. Funny this, these are the same people who arrive late for the kick off, and leave before the final whistle, this really pisses of the South African girl, me too!
The second half was the same, plenty of possession, plenty of attacks, but not finishing them off. Then we scraped a goal, and I thought relax we are on our way, bring on Defoe, and he will get a hat trick and a cosy victory with additions to the goals for column. But missed a penalty, and the banana skin thought was back again, until Carrick did his bit. When I watched later on Sky Plus, I could not see how he managed to get the ball between all of those legs and into the goal, but no matter we won and went fourth.
We are now a side that does not give up we don’t get pushed over easily, there is a steel and resilience about the way we play. I would like to see Lee improve his final cross, but the back four give confidence. The diamond with Tainio, Carrick Jenas and Davids works. I like Teemu he puts in a lot of effort; someone has reckoned him to a Michael Brown with more skill. Carrick and Davids are the drive for the team and Jenas I am convinced will become a legend. Mido works hard, you wouldn’t think he was a loan player- remember Dalmat? Keane or Defoe? I prefer the latter. Keane’s first touch often lets him down and his choice of final ball is wrong. Defoe needs to be played to give him confidence, he is a confidence type player, and needs that to make him better. Give him a start against Pompey and watch him go.
As I was
queuing up to get out of the stand, a guy younger than me said “Not good
for my ticker” patting his chest. No it probably was not good for the
ticker, but nevertheless we all went home happy for winning, happier for
30th
October 2005 - A yob is arrested for an attack at
No it was not Sol Campbell for the elbow that opened up Tianio; it was someone who had given him some verbal when he left the pitch at full time. What a strange world we live in, we go to watch and support our team, we are asked by the club and players alike to get behind the team, raise the roof give them support. When some poor unfortunate takes this a step further and starts to berate the opposition, and in particular the one member of the opposition who, whatever he does, manages to wind us the fans up. He gets arrested. No I am not condoning this type of action and having said that totally abhor the idiot who threw the conker at Lehmann. However as far as the verbal issue is concerned Campbell must know and understand that whenever he plays at WHL in a red shirt he will get verbal, he deserves it, end of story. He betrayed us and that is unforgivable. Then when before the game starts he goes into exaggerated hugs with his team and high fives, to gee them up because it is a local derby- something the foreigners in the team don’t fully comprehend, and when he wins the toss chooses our end to defend to rattle us. Does he think all of this goes unnoticed?
On the subject of the so called first choice central defender for England under SGE, what a poor display he had yesterday? His defensive abilities which are his strength were not very good, and his passing was woeful, having said that he has never been a good passer of the ball, even when he played for us. Notice the majority of times he will play the short safe pass to a colleague. Then notice his failed long passes, world class? Never. Ledley King gave him a lesson on how a good central defender should play. His tackle on Reyes in the first half in the penalty area was sublime. Even Dawson is better than Campbell, and they way he has come on leaps and bounds in this his first season is a joy to watch.
I went to the game hoping for a win, taking the draw. Yet I was disappointed when I left. We should have won, especially after the first half performance. We ran them ragged! If we could take the second half against Manure and the first yesterday, we would have a perfect match. Brilliant and exciting with seven English players forming the nub of the side, and what is more they are all young and can only get better. Young Lennon was quite easily brushed aside by Lunjberg yesterday but he will learn from this experience and will be a better player for it. Carrick ran the show for the first 45 minutes, showing to SGE that he is a must for England at the world cup, and he should certainly be given his chance in the next friendly. Jenas is settling in well and if that drive had gone in we would be cheering as loudly for him when the team names are mentioned as Robbie and the other Jermaine. Tianio I have liked since he first put on the shirt, some of his tackles were very timely and he was a good replacement for Davids. I think we ran out of steam towards the end of the game, particularly Mido who gave his all for the cause, and Defoe is gradually becoming a team player and is looking better for it. There is a team that is going to get punished for his recent goal drought, mark my words- West Ham at home maybe?
The ref was strange one yesterday. Booked Defoe for what? Did any one see? Booked Dawson when Lehmann ran into his back and fell over when he was exiting the Arse penalty area. Not very long after Dawson was scythed down by Toure, he looked hurt yet Toure got away with a talking to. What is the word I am looking for? Inconsistent.
I am sure that when the team get together this week and reflect on both games against two sides that are expected to be fighting Chelski for the title, they will take comfort from the fact of what could and should have been. The confidence running through the team must be very high, and in addition there are players coming back from injury. The first choice eleven now seems to have been decided, with Davids obviously being included, and the substitutes can vary from home to away depending on the opposition. Maybe when fully fit, Routledge will be first choice instead of Lennon, if he is then he will have to be very good to take this young man’s place. Lennon if he plays a full season will be young player of the year, I am sure. Maybe Jol will play one of them for a half and then bring on the other. The opposition left back will have a nightmare, just as he is getting tired on comes another fast tricky winger!!!
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