Three gripes
Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 12:00PM Trying to rationalise yesterdays result.
We created (apparently) 18 chances including hitting the woodwork. Although the chances were never always clear cut and usually long range efforts, there's an undisputed argument that for the best part of the game we dominated in terms of possession and intent to go forward and score. Sunderland defended, we attacked. Okay so our version of attack is not quite the swashbuckling variant we have been accustomed too in recent seasons. Our movement up top is not the best. We tried to win the game and probably would have won it if Gallas and Kaboul did not brain fart in synchronicity to allow the equaliser from their first effort.
There are two gripes here. Three gripes. Probably more, but I'll go with the three for now.
Gripe #1 - Forwards, lack of. I know this is turning into a weekly excuse but there is a deficiency in our league games that is making the performance appear worse than it actually is. It's all about scoring goals, obviously, and if you don't you're not going to be winning many games. Even when we play just above average football we still endeavour to craft and create. But the issue remains because we don't have a robust tenacious forward in the side, it's akin to Zorro being asked to sword fight with a haddock in his hand. However, as witnessed at Bolton, we can score goals. It's the one dimensional application that places us under pressure and the longer the game goes on the more it plays on our minds.
Gripe #2 - Urgency, lack of. For around 70 minutes we asked all the questions. But it felt like we stood there speaking in a monotone drool slowly working through a power-point presentation made up of bland and boring graphs and stats. Where was the intentionally placed photo of a woman in a bikini in amongst the slides to brighten up the presentation? It's all a bit one gear, same speed with little variation. See end of gripe #1. Now perhaps I'm being a little harsh here because I know there are several of you (I've checked) that believe it was a 'frustrating result but not a frustrating performance'. I appreciate what you're trying to say here, but it is a frustrating performance because the players need to work just that little bit harder and we need to go beyond just 'asking questions' and just ram it down their throats a bit like Steve Jobs jumping around on stage during a key-note speech screaming 'IT'S MAGIC, IT'S MAGIC, IT'S MAGIC!'.
Okay, go on then, you've forced me into it. Here's another analogy. We're like an iphone 4. We look fantastic out the box but if we struggle to fulfil the most important function, then we're practically rendered useless. We need a new antenna (see gripe #1 again) because trying to hold ourselves up in an awkward manner is simply not working. Unless we're in Europe. Where reception is pretty good.
Last season we churned out results. Whether it was with or without key players. Our midfield in the past might have resulted in a migraine or two, so the irony of having a midfield now but nothing up top hurts. But even so, it's not like we're not creating chances. There simply has to be more urgency in our play. Get into the box, hassle, do or die even if its unwarranted in terms of it being a club like Sunderland (rather than a NLD). Works for United in the tenth minute of injury time. We need to make it work for us. Because with that attitude, if we did have a working forward, we'd be laughing proudly.
Gripe #3 - The basics. This is something that leaves me scratching my head. And it might be something that isn't looked at in terms of major reconstruction internally but there's enough to make me hope Harry does takes a look. It's the simple stuff. Like set pieces. The way we defend them is obviously something we all know is an issue. But I'll concentrate on the way we attack them, or should I say not attack them. Countless corners - no end product. Not suggesting we score from everyone but Christ, come on Spurs, make at least one of them count. We still don't appear to make the most of direct/in-direct free-kicks either. And in terms of desire the players have to understand that just going through the motions even if those motions are decent (in terms of passages of play) it's not always going to be enough to defeat the opposing side. Players have to adapt in game and add some ooh into the oomph. If Bale is being doubled up and there's no Lennon on the other side, swap it around for ten minutes. Force Sunderland into changing their shape. Reshuffle damn it.
Felt yesterday evening was a routine display where we just did the same thing over and over again. Enough to win it, excluding the mistake that meant we didn't. When we did score our goal it was from the first decent cross from Bale and vdV once more alert to the nod down from Crouch. There is more to us than this. Even with missing players and that need for a new forward. We are not this one dimensional. And let's be frank here, a man holding a fish might not be as cutting as a man holding a sword, but you can still smack someone in the face with it.
Reader Comments (64)
Spurs 16 points - Liverpool 16 points
that would fine 20 years ago
What we missed last night was decent defenders going up for the corners. With all those corners, Ledley, Dawson or Bassong would have put at least one of them in.
Harry made one substitution (please tell me it was forced by injury by the way); last 15 minutes it was obvious bentley had lost it, so had modric and hudd never had it. Why not make a sub? Fresh legs and all that. Jenas would at least have run at them a bit instead of predictable sideways passes from hudd yet again. Kranjcar would have injected some urgency too. Harry complains of injuries but doesnt use the squad he's got. Please Harry, when it goes wrongt - CHANGE IT!
Who the fuck do some of you think you are telling me and thousands others that care, really care that we aren't 'proper fans' if we express our disappointment, anger and frustration when our club, I repeat OUR CLUB are let down by the abject performances witnessed for most of this league season.
Bollocks - we are playing shit in the league that's is it - end of and anyone that hides behind the 'I'm a real fan' cos I won't criticise a massively under performing squad and arse of a manger really doesn't understand the game.
Its a about passion, its about tribalism and its about opinions. Take your sanitised shit and go watch american sports where the corporate sponsors dictate opinion
I've grown accustomed to not being able to score. It's just something we don't do. But for heaven's sake, can we at least put some quality crosses from the corner flag into the box??? Bentley, Bale and VDV and still nothing??
"Bollocks - we are playing shit in the league that's is it - end of and anyone that hides behind the 'I'm a real fan' cos I won't criticise a massively under performing squad and arse of a manger really doesn't understand the game.
Its a about passion, its about tribalism and its about opinions. Take your sanitised shit and go watch american sports where the corporate sponsors dictate opinion"
benjy, couldn't have expressed it better myself.... nailed on son !!
You never boo your own team - however bad they are. Look at Liverpool if you want an example. By all means remain silent as they troop off but booing is bad form. We didn't play badly anyway we just lack a player or two with a bit of fire in the belly. Desperately need Dawson back because the defence is abject. All the back 4 are subject to laspses in concentration which have cost us.
"Its a about passion, its about tribalism and its about opinions. Take your sanitised shit and go watch american sports where the corporate sponsors dictate opinion".
Nov 10, 2010 at 11:07 PM | benjy
COMMENT OF THE YEAR!
Look
Pav played well, got injured and was replaced by Crouch as there was nothing else to put on. Unfortunately we did the usual 'hoof it up to the bug guy' -ish. Not harry's fault Pav got injured.
Bentley played well imo. Him and hutton on the right work well actually. Bentley cant beat a man but is skillful enough to take possession of the ball and allow Hutton to support him.
Best right side option in Lennon/Charlie
Gallas/Kaboul - is this the 4th time straight they played together. They played very well against Inter and on tuesday were comfortable until what happened happened.
Bale - knackered/double teamed/massive bullseye on his back. Ok if lennon was on the right and not DB then he'd have had a bit more space. Harry's mistake here was not bringing bale back to LB and putting Niko at LW. (if this does happen in future it's not going to spark a goal fest as Niko is off the pace and only 3/4 games is gonna bring the sharpness back)
Someones comment about Sandro having to try harder to develop and understanding with the back four is out of order. He's played 4? times totalling 3? matches. Jesus christ he's not going to get on their wavelength that quick especially as he's probably had 3 different combos behind him in that time.
This lineup
Gomes
Charlie - King/Gallas/Bassong - Dawson - BAE
Lennon - Thud - Modric - Bale
vdV
Defoe
Will be available soon and can be changed if things arent working as hoped
Gomes
Charlie - King/Gallas/Bassong - Dawson - Bale
Lennon - Thud - Modric - vdV/Niko
Defoe - Pav
(and that's making 2 subs in game)
(no i'm not playing FM2011 either)
This should get us through to January nicely
Here i'd like us to
1. Buy Michael Turner
2. Buy some bloody good striker
3. Sell Keane.....Crouch?.....
4. Take GDS out of mothballs
5. Bring someone like Obika into the firsy team
6. Someone upstairs at WHL to decide to REINSTATE THE RESERVE TEAM
Lets leave the booing till then. If we go 5 games with this lineup not winning then something is very wrong behind the scenes.
Its a blip (extended one maybe) but we'll get over it. City will blow their load after xmas and liverpool's revival wont be as sustained as people suggest.
a lot of knee jerking going on here.
Thisis how i see it.
Bolton - yes we were shit but lacked Jenas, Lennon, Huddlestone, Defoe, King, VDV and Dawson. That will always be hard to deal with and Bolton are a decent team now, combining physical graft with more style these days.
Sunderland - We were not at our best but totally deserved to win the game having created everything until the mistake that lead to their goal. 1 mistake in 90 minutes cost us. If one of them had just put his laces through it, it woudl have been 1-0, a professional performance, desreved winners, a good sign that we win when not at out best. Sure the defending for that 1 second was awful, but overall the display was solid
United - decent performance vs 12 men. Again 1 defensive switch off cost us 1 goal, otherthan that very solid at the back. The other was just a joke, but we matched United for long periods, until we went 2-0 which killed it.
Everton - Another game totally dominated. undeserved free kick for EFC lead to a wonder free kick goal. EFC offered nothing, our defence coped with Cahill at al, ankother game we should and could have one.
These are all relatively minor things that have undone us:
1. one off defensive errors
2. creating chances, not able to finish them
3. injuries to key player & poor form of replacements
I admit the Bolton game was bad, but look who we missed for that game - Hud, JJ, VDV, Lennon, King, Dawson, Defoe, Keane. we were barely able to put out XI plus subs. Injured Hudd & JJ had to sit on the bench because GDS was the only other option to make up the 18.
With very very small changes in luck (Bentley penalty, Everton wonder free kick) we would have won 2 games instead of draws. With some more luck, we may have got something at OT and maybe if davies off isde goal was ruled out, that may have turned out different too.
These problems do not highlight a bigger problem. Our big problem is injures and a squad stretched to its limit at a time when the games are coming thick and fast.
Spot on, Ned. Some people reacting like little girls. Can only assume they are newer spurs fans without a deeper sense of our history and more importantly, of the stories, those moments through the years that remind you of why you support this team. We're not playing well but with the CL, this is most exciting season in many many years so try to enjoy it. Que sera sera.
LOL devonshire spurs
you actually watch those games? as for missing jenas...... nuff said
we are performing very poorly in the league; with the players at our disposal i thought this year could finally be the year we win at old trafford; what we got was a bad performance overshadowed by that goal!
against Everton we rarely threatened and against bolton we were terrible. some people need to wake up and smell the coffee. Redknapp doesnt do tactics and it will cost us dearly; we are as close to the bottom three as we are the top four atm and without vdv and bales individual brilliance we would be much closer to the former.
Redknapp was lucky with spurs; never again will a manager inherit a team with the calibre of players we have and in the position we were in. Some decent man management and the maturing of key players bale, modric and dawson, gomes etc have got use where we wanted to be. I fear for us beyond next season if we dont qualify for the champions league; the vultures will be circling and while the blind followers will revel in the memories of nights like last tuesday the rest of us will wonder what could have been.
Imagine how unbearable some of us will be if we won the title? And that's not even taking into consideration the amount of glory hunters that will latch onto the club.