Heroes and Villains - Part II
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 9:00AM Continuing a casual look at the players achievements in 2009 and what we'd like to see in 2010.
Crouch - Hero (but not like Bruce Wayne, bit more like Rodney from Only Fools and Horses dressed as Robin)
I like Crouchie. He's a decent down to earth bloke with his head in the clouds. He's not a dreamer, just very tall. He knows his limitations and strengths and makes it work, as a foil, even if people shrug about his lack of goals. If Defoe is banging them in by virtue of playing up front with Peter, then it's the partnership that works and matters more than who is sticking them away - as long as someone is. Still, would be nice if he bagged a few more for himself. But we sort of knew this would be the case prior to him signing. But I'm not going to complain about something that makes me happy. And he does. He's not been out of his skin unbelievable, but he's done a good job and can play up front with whomever. He's a good option to have in there, although you do wonder if we didn't would Pav have stepped up and settled into life in the Prem? You know, Pav being a £14M investment that wasn't fit to start in his first season and doesn't appear to be an option in his second.
Fact is, we have a variation of types as far as our forwards are concerned. And having someone who has tight foot control and causes panic in opposition areas is a good thing. The rest of our team have to remember to play to feet rather than hoof it up to him. Also, I live in the hope that one day a ref will work out that just because someone is tall, doesn't mean that every time he jumps up for the ball with an opposition player it’s an automatic free kick against him.
Do more in 2010: Over-head kicks. Have we had one yet?
Do less of in 2010: Hoofing the ball up to him. Everyone knows, robots can't jump.
Defoe - Hero
Cracking player. Has matured thanks to that loan spell at Pompey and he's in the form of his life. This guy has a love affair with Spurs. It's his spiritual home. He's a goal-scorer. He's hungry for it and he has a point to prove and in World Cup year he is not only in complete control of his destiny, he's in the front seat driving at speed towards South Africa. Essex police, catch him if you can.
Offside? Offside I hear you cry? Jermain Defoe is never offside, he's so fast he creates an illusion that he's moved before the ball has and the assistant referee reacts to it by raising his flag. Whether JD lashes them or flicks them past, his form has validated Harry and the decision to let Darren Bent go. We need one goal scorer and we need him to be able to play a part in a footballing side, rather than just run onto balls over the top.
We've been waiting for a while to see JD step up a level. And he's finally done that. 20 goals would be a good target.
Do more in 2010: Remain focused. Don't take it for granted.
Do less of in 2010: Lay off the c-list celeb WAGS.
Kranjcar - Hero. Sexy Hero
Not that long ago we had a player at Spurs. He was top drawer. Had that shirt tucked out socks rolled down swagger about him. Tottenhamesque in every way. Flair, magic on the ball and an understated arrogance. An almost likeable arrogance. None of that third-rate stuff you get from the Arsenal players who posture like the universe was a stage created for their fronting. No. This is altogether a different type of arrogance. A 'hey, look, I just did something amazing and I hope you liked it, because I liked doing it, and it was done for you' arrogance. Ginola.
And then we found ourselves with Berbatov. A would-be-king who renounced the throne in spectacular fashion to became a court jester in a far away land (harsh, but fair).
Niko could be the next in-line. Some scoffed when he signed, concerned he was too inconsistent and lacked fight. Okay, so defensively he won't offer too much - but neither did Ginola or Berbatov. In a team where we will always look towards Modric for that little piece of magic, we have someone else who can take responsibility. Another unlocker of doors. The wonderful thing for me here is that when he was signed he wasn't fully fit. And as he worked towards regaining match fitness he played his part with cameos, with many impatient. Harry guided him into team affairs with care and attention. And he's slotted in near perfectly. This is what we like at the Lane. A player with class, oozing with every touch. And if continues to play and score we might just have a goal-scoring outlet from midfield.
Do more in 2010: Swagger, creation and craft. And more goals.
Do less of in 2010: Sit on the bench.
Huddlestone - Incredible Hero
Love him or hate him, Harry has done what most of us have wanted. He's stuck Hudd in the midfield and practically started him for every match. We've always banged on about whether Tommy is cut out for a central midfield job. He's not mobile enough, he's easily bullied, he's too slow. And yet there he stands. And whether we like it or not (some people take it personally) he isn't doing too bad of a job. I find myself swaying between opinions. Much like Jenas, he promises a lot. But then it's easy to forget that Tom has only just turned 23. He's a kid. Feels like he's been around for an age. So, for someone so young, arguably he is doing more than just fine. Note the improvements to his defensive game. I've seen it, with my own eyes, Carrickesque nicking of the ball off players. He gets given the ball (often from the likes of Dawson) and as a deep lying midfield turns defence into attack with a forward pass, spread 30 or so yards to feet.
Okay, he can sometimes get lost in the middle. But development wise, there is no better place for him than starting against Wilson. If this kid is going to make it, best he does playing in Lilywhite and best he does so playing week in and week out. We are 4th. At the half way stage. And he's a first team player. I guess the reality of it is this: Huddlestone works.
He's got a triffic shot on him, so a bit of target practice and we might just have another goal-scoring midfielder on our hands.
On the flip side, as mentioned, he gets lost in the middle. If the game doesn't suit his style. If he has no time on the ball. This is actually a problem, because if the opposition are in his face up-tempo then he is practically rendered redundant. Hence the reason why there is both love and hate for the boy.
So, when the game suits him - he's brilliant. When it doesn’t, its best not spoken about. From incredible hero to incredible zero.
Do more in 2010: Score. Brilliant volley skillz. Needs to hit target more often. And has to show signs of adapting.
Do less of in 2010: Mayo and ketchup.
Pavlychenko, Bassong, Corluka, King, Assou-Ekotto, Woodgate, Bale, Lennon, Keane, Modric, Giovani, Hutton and Dawson to follow...
Read the concluding part here.
Reader Comments (28)
I can't wait for the Keane one. Hero or Villain? It's all so exciting. Good work as always Spooks.
Ha ha Perter Crouch like Rodney from Only Fools and Horses dressed as Robin lol Spooky i nearly spat out me cornflakes how true you are though so many Spurs fans don't like him yeah he is gangly and yeah he looses the ball but the work rate he puts in as well as being a decent partner for Defoe lets face it Robbie cant get the ball to him so someone like Crouchy can looks like a new born Giraffe tbh but Rodney better suits lol keep em coming Spooky
I've not been impressed with Crouch. No different to Bent or Pav. Scores every now and again, but I dont think he has much influence in games.
Spot on as usual. However, no word from Carrie Fisher yet. Guess she is busy doing the washing !
Love chouchie, as you say not head in the clouds. KNows the score, and desperately wants to be accepted for what he is.
Our proof? (just to remind everyone who had forgotten about this one) when interviewed and asked 'what would you be if you weren't a premiership footballer?' answer from crouchie 'A virgin'.
I also agree with your assessment of Nico, have seen more than most of him in recent years (proximity to the south coast since moving being one reason, free tickets being another!) and whilst most call him a luxury player, I have seen him do things that we haven't seen since, well you hit the nail on hte head with that one. £2.5 million,why pay that, because he's worth it! and then some.
Don't rate Hudd though, he's poo!
Maybe the fans should sing the theme tune to only fools and horses next time crouchie scores lol
The truth, I think what crouch is, is fit for purpose. he may not be our first option most of the time, but there's no denying that on those harsh northern wasteland away days against the 'cloggers' sometimes you need to sit back and have a target man who can hold up play. Blackburn brace a case in point, we may not like it, but if it yeilds points then he's fine by me.
Crouch, for me, is far better than bent, who is a poorer version of defoe but a bit taller and is purely a confidence player rather than a classy or deadly player. And I would suggest that pav is more a keano fox in the box type player rather than a comparative for crouch in a like for like scenario.
I love Niko Kranjcar.
He could very easily turn out to be our best signing in years. His work rate, his passes, his vision... this man is a genius. I worry though that when Azza comes back, and presuming Luka stays fit, Harry will choose Niko as the unluky one out of those 3 to be sat on the bench. We must find a way to accomodate all three.
Drop Palacios/Huddlestone and play Niko in the middle? I'm putting it out there....
Krunchies a good hard working player and he gives us options. You cant deny he doesn't cause the odd headache for opposing teams.
We have a wealth of creativeness at the club. Good times.
Another load of old cack Spooks! ; ).
Don't introduce JD to 'Carrie Fisher' whatever you do!!
To Huddlestone or not to Huddlestone, that is the question.
Crouch is just plain average. Play Niko, Modric and Lennon in front of Palacios and, until he's replaced by someone less dozy, Huddlestone. Keep Jenas off the grass.
I'm so glad you gave Hudd the "hero" title. I think he is doing exceptionally well, and as you mentioned, at the tender age of 23. He is growing. Fast. I am more confident when he's on the pitch for some reason, simply because if an opposition attack is foiled, Hudd will most probably be the catalyst for the counter... distributing the ball with laser precision. Throw in Palacios, Kranjcar, Lennon, and Modric into the mix and uh... I think I just soiled myself.
Who says we don't have a midfield? COYS!
Lets put a myth to bed hear all good and great teams all have one thing in common players with something different to offer even Wenger has realized that robotic passers win only admirers and can be stifled by other energized sides. We have Crouch a 6ft7 lucky bag you never now what will come next perfect header or crunched hunch backed flop of a header over head kick run and shot chest it down and set Defoe up to score , headers back to opposition in total a nightmare to work out for defenders and goalkeepers. Gomes a skitzo cured one save world class another world chump an octopus out of his depth one crisis after another then one of our Heroes comes along and gives him confident s in is natural ability and the rest has bean so far world class. Moderic a wizard who likes the ball when others don't in tight corners and then wizadry gets him free to create magic .Kranjcar the wizards owl weaving in and around defenders like Ginola in 3rd gear better looking and the same finishing .Defoe pocket sized rocket and goal machine and wag machine would score 40 goals if he settled down with children and a wiflet. Lennon so fast he he forgot his finish till Harry showed him how to use is turbo and now is turbo has a parachute at the end to slow him down and finish in style Huddlestone 6ft3 honey monster shy looking a monster tee shot and a good short game great long putter but still working on dropping in the hole a raw ballasteros in the making theres is more to come hopefully with Spurs and in the world cup . That my Fellow Spurs fans is the ingredients of a top team in the making all they need is the mental Believe of winners and to keep the vultures away before we mature to greater things. ALL the best For the New Year SPOOKS and My FELLOW Spurs and Team.COYS
I'd be more than happy to see huddlestone dropped to accommodate modders or kranj in the middle of the park. Huddlestone is the most overated thing since asbestos.
Good to see Hudd getting some plaudits - long overdue. There are are 3 things that passing midfielders need - execution, selection, and timing. It's hard enough to find one who can execute all types of pass - long/short, right foot/left foot, easy/difficult. But it's even harder to find one that can do all that + select the RIGHT pass to make, and release it at the right moment. Hudd plays with his head up & knows EXACTLY what what to do with the balll, even before he receives it. [contrast JJ on a bad day, who's usually halfway down a cul de sac before he the verb 'pass' crosses his mind].
I could wish for stronger tackling and blocking [isn't that why we signed Wilson?], but if you've got a player that can do all that , then you keep him and you use him. If we aspire no further than scraping another Europa Cup place, then we can do wthout him - lesser talents will get us there. But if we're seriously going for Top 4 then we can't do without him - you need his guile & passing range to unlock the best defences.
'But if we're seriously going for Top 4 then we can't do without him - you need his guile & passing range to unlock the best defences.'
I'd use the opposite argument, i.e. If we're going for top four, we need better.
There has been a real lack of creativity in midfield for some time, but with Modric, Kranjcar and Lennon in the side, that is no longer case. Every effort should be made to ensure that those three are in the same starting 11. Palacios has to play as he's the only player with a proper pair of bollocks outside the defence. In a 4-4-2 that leaves no room for Huddlestone. In a 4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1 he could fit, but I still think we need better.
I'm not a Huddlestone 'hater' (I'm a Jenas 'hater') and I really do hope that he can prove me wrong and quickly develop the side of his game which is lacking, but we're still missing the vital and elusive component that every great side needs - a true leader in the centre of the park who will pick the players up when down and drive the team on. Dawson is possibly the only player that could be classed as a leader in the current side, although I hear the bloke that looks like Robbie Keane gets all leader-like in the dressing room (he certainly doesn't on the pitch).
just as a boring stat attack;
Hudd's had more minutes on the pitch so far this season than any other sqaud player, has made more passes (and more successful passes) than any other player. I second only to Palacious in tackles made and successful tackles (and not by much of a margin and at a higher percentage of success). Is second to Nico in chances created. Not so much over-rated by a few but probably under-rated by the vast majority (blinkers well and truely on, I know).
Yes, I know statistics aren't the be all nor end all of the matter, but in summary he can tackle, pass, shoot, score and open up a defence like a cheap whore's kebab? any some fans want to replace him with whom exactly? Jenas, perhaps?
Did I mention that we are 4th currently as well? In the league. That is the actual premier league not the fizzy pop one currently occupying the barcodes (/deck-chairs), and no I don't think we will end up there, but at least we've given ourselves a good chance this season round.
Some people, hey! They just want the moon on a stick.
nb. good work ollie, that should entice our little leia back from the dark side.
Sorry, that should have read '..he's the only player, outside the defence, who has a proper pair of bollocks.' Opposed to his bollocks actually hanging over the defence. They're big, but not that big.
Tricky , i would write a letter to the Hudd offering your service as his personal assistant/publicist
You have succeeded in making me a believer over the last few months , not even the Hudd himself coudld have done that by giving us world class performances.
As for the 'grow a pair' issue, I see players in the league today with nuts so big they carry them round in wheelbarrows. However, if I were to generalise, they tend to ply their trade up north and lack the guile or discipline that a mid-fielder requires when in a team that plays a passing game on the deck.
I going to make one comparative on this issue, and one that leaves me cold and with no joy. Fabregash from our estwhile vagabond neighbours, not the most tenacious, not a great tackler, in fact a bit of a chav wannabe pussy to all intents and purposes.
But he is one of the most coveted midfielders in europe and will still trip over a blade of grass rather than get 'stuck in', and despite he fact that I despises his weasely little face with ever fibre of my being and want to repeatedly punch that smug look off of it, I recognise what he brings to his own team; precise, penetrative passes into opposition terrritory that creates chances.
Let's be honest, Palacious is our 'go-to' man to break up defences. Hudd is the closest we've come to replacing carrick, it is the speed of decision making and the execution of the pass that turns defence to attack makes full use of our most potent weapons, Lennon, Modders, Defoe, Krancjar and to a lesser extent Crouch, have all benefitted from Hudds vision of what they are doing, where they are moving to and where they want the ball.
OK, so he doesn't score as many as Lampard, but he makes more tackles and passes. But he has got a contractat WHL that runs until 2013, by which time he'll be 26 and in his prime, so I'd get used to having him around for a while yet.
Now where do I sign up as Hudds PR agent? I should probably warn him that I'm very expensive.
Tricky, I hope you're not questioning the need for at least one pair of bollocks? ;-)
I think we agree, Huddlestone is the best option at the moment to play alongside Palacios. Although Redknapp hasn't yet tried Modric there with Niko on the left. An option that I feel would either curtail Modric from doing damage further forward or give Palacios too much work, especially against teams who play a five in midfield. Could work against more adventurous or weak sides though.
As for Fabagash, you're right, but ask any fan of The scum (don't get too close) and they'll tell you they're crying out for a Palacios. Those two would've make one hell of a pairing in midfield.
TMWNN, always a need for one pair, even if in the current climate they are reverting back to that of a 6 year old boy! And I am probably not alone in coming from a family big enough to have representatives from both sides of the north london divide, so have learnt well that the best thing to do with the black (or in this case red) sheep is pen them off and send them for de-licing. And so I am aware that they have never replaced Viera with any real DM (although some quarters are raving about Song as their DM this season, but we all know that secretly they would rather have someone more like the Sergant Wilson).
What I would say looking back from our 'departure lounge' is that Hudd is only player I've seen bring the balance since carrick departed. And when he left it had more of an impact on us than either 'squirrel nutkin' or the 'pointy shouty bloke's departure.
What used to frustrate me wih Zokora was that when he broke up play, he'd then run 15 yards with the ball and either a) lose possession, of b) make a five yard pass to jenas who would then run around for a bit. Now, don't get me wrong I loved Zokora's spirit, and he certainly wasn't afraid to get stuck in. But if he made the 20 yard pass each time to jenas who then shipped it quickly out to the wing then we could have made batter use of lennon.
But what Palacious does now, in breaking up and making the pass straight away to Hudd, or indeed Hudd breaking up play ahead of him and making the pass straight away, is far superior if we are to play attractive football, mainly on the deck and stops inviting pressure onto our back line.
To me the partnering of Hudd and Palacious is part of the reason for the resurgence of lennon as an attacking force, and mordic early on as a creative force. There is no coincidence that it's the most balanced I've seen in over a decade. And before that my memories are a bit more spartan (mostly self inflicted mind you).
With Modd coming back I actually see an arguement in some games (mostlyat home) for playing krancjar, hudd, palacious, lennon and then have Modd just behind Defoe. OK a little short on the crosses, but most defences would not be able to handle the movement, pace, passing and striking that the cpombination could afford us.
As for Wilson being 'off form', the fact the the goons wish they had someone that good, even when he'd poor by his own standards, should speak volumes about he scarcity of such player. The next nearest I can see in the EPL today are Mascherano (who is still a mercinary and not a 'team player' to my mind) and Essien (who has been immense for the chavs when available).
Other than that there is not one player in the EPL I would want to replace our Sergant with, I just wish the doubters would back off and just support him for what he is, the consumate professional. Doesn't drink, allegedly trains hard and is commited and loyal (even in the face of personal tragedy).
wow, that was longer than I meant it to be!
..but a good read.
Can't really argue with any of that.
Damn!
great read spooky!