Can we not play Inter at home every week?
Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 11:58AM Morning.
Sorry for the lack of a serious match preview. I'm balls deep into Football Manager 2011 at the minute. The other half and the baby are away, so home alone which means plenty of walking around in boxer shorts eating yesterdays left over kebab for breakfast and catching up on HBO's latest masterpiece, Boardwalk Empire. Committed, that's me.
To be honest, I'm still having flashbacks to last Tuesday's epic. As much as I'm looking forward to this afternoon, I'm around 15% worried that we'll suffer a hangover. No neat and tidy slick incomparable passing from Bolton ala Inter. It's altogether a different task at hand. We don't get much up there so getting three points today would be a near perfect follow-on from our European adventures. So it's about bettering the opposition in one department more than them and making sure the points have Lilywhite ribbons at full time. Bettering them, but battering them would be so much sweeter.
Comfortable, emphatic 3-0 win the perfect tonic. A bruising 1-0 scrape, just as worthy.
No vdV or Lennon. Potential for a bit of tinkering from Harry. Will Bale be rested? 451? Questions. The one I'm asking myself is surely we'll get a result, what with Liverpool winning there? Yes? Okay, let's not go there.
The defining point for me is that today, it's not the type of game we can afford to lose or drop two points at. Not with the way things are beginning to shape top end. Can't be devaluing it or thinking back to the last game. Move forwards Tottenham please.
So, enjoy the game. I promise my match report will be far more astute and professional.
Will be curating tweets from my own feed and other Spurs fans during the game, they'll appear below (if it doesn't auto-refresh, then do so manually).
Alternatively:
Reader Comments (47)
We are up against it we can miss many players but without Huddlestone we are sunk just look at the stats without him they are bad reading just learned he his on the bench he must still be carrying his knock from before the Iinter game God bless our team and may we win 3-0 or more
I'm thinking we might lose this one.
Anyone got a link to the bolton match?
We could win this game if we could be bothered.
still looking Dan?
All so fucking predictable.
You watch a match like this and think - how are we going to qualify for Europe again (I'm not even talking UCL here) and why the fuck would Bale and Modric want to stick around?
Stream of the game?
I'd rather be watching the stream of piss as I stand over the toilet basin. Oh hold on, I am! Sky Sports, they'll broadcast anything these days.
You lot are falling down the table at a rate of knots, we're coming to reclaim our rightful place!
Oh dear Bolton are 3-0 up, triffic is what I say!
Well, sort of confirms any doubts that we are, indeed, a one-hit wonder. I think we might do well in the UCL this season but we'll end up 10th-15th in the league. It'll be interesting to see who the club tries to bring in to replace Bale and Modric next summer.
LOL, I love how Liverpool fans have fallen so low, they're trolling Spurs blogs.
Minutes silence.
Brook and others should be here soon.
F*UCK OFF ALL YOU C*UNTS ONLY COMING ON HERE WHEN WE LOSE
DIDNT HEAR SHIT FROM YOU ON WEDNESDAY DID WE?
and on sky news its a 4-2 defeat for spurs
not a 4-2 win for bolton
****'s
Here's the match report
1. Lineup - Strange
2. We were shit
3. Bolton were less shit
4. They score 3
5. We threaten to come back and score 2
6. They score again
7. We dont score any more.
8. We lose 4-2
9. Bolton win 4-2
10. 'Arry looks confused
11. Cant be arsed talking about ref.
(point 10. can be inserted anywhere you bloody well want)
Thank you Hutton and Pav for making us look less horrible than we really were.
We were lucky it wasn't 6 or 7-0 today.
Woeful.
Well, sort of confirms any doubts that we are, indeed, a one-hit wonder. I think we might do well in the UCL this season but we'll end up 10th-15th in the league. It'll be interesting to see who the club tries to bring in to replace Bale and Modric next summer.....................
Oh my God mate.......... What anti depressants are you on...whatever they are, they need changing!!!
It's not a nice feeling losing, but get a grip ffs
what the f*ck just happened ? that was one of the worst games since Harry came to the rescue
Typical can't be arsed performance.
Bolton wanted it, they worked for it, they deserved it.
Our lot played for about 10 minutes.
I know we have players out but we had some of them missing against Inter as well and there was no comparison between our performances and effort in those 2 matches.
Pav scored a great goal but spent the rest of the game passing to players in white shirts.
Hudd needs a kick up the arse, he was lucky not to get red carded today and against Twente.
The players have the ability it's the attitude and mental strength that stinks.
LETS HOPE WE AVOID LlIVERPOOL IF WE GET THROUGH TO THE NEXT ROUND OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
hi Spooky
the spuds-o-meter needs updating
Just want to echo Wisky Tom and urge everyone to get a teeny tiny grip on themselves. Any neutral would say that was a fabulous game. Bolton played very well. In case you hadn't been keeping up with events, they are no longer the hoofers they were under Allerdyce.
True, Spurs didn't really turn up until the last twenty minutes, interestingly, right after Bentley came on. Could put it down to CL hangover--to be fair, I had a hard time focusing on this match at first, still caught up in Tuesday's glory. Could put it down to a re-configured and strangely defensive lineup.
But after the Bentley sub ( not that I'm necessarily assuming causality there), two of the prettiest goals you'll ever see in your life. Primo entertainment. 'Cause that's what Spurs do. And that was frankly a much better performance than we usually see when we visit our northern bogey team.
So am I happy that we dropped 3 points and move still further down the table? No. But I'm not ready to knee-jerk the entire squad out the door either.
Thank goodness you're ok Brook...thought you were dead when we didn't hear from you on tuesday evening......or wednesday evening.Anyway, your lot wont have a champions league hangover will they?
Pathetic, yet another game lost, 4 goals to Bolton !!!
Will we ever get a cleen sheet
Enjoy the CL, that is not going to happen again!!
Clueless Harry - Totally clueless.....more disappointing as we have only played ONE top team so far !!!
PATHETIC !
Brook, you have no idea how much of a cunt you make yourself look with each passing week.
Please, don't go changing.
lol @spooky
From the Guardian's match report: "Spurs' record of having never won a Premier League game at the Reebok Stadium goes on "
Is that accurate? Have we never won against Bolton at home?
CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH CROUCH.
QUESTION: who is the weakest link in our team?
It's just that I've had enough really. I've waited so long to be where we are and we keep reverting to what we have always done. The formation was weird, but I was glad to see niko get a start. No surprise he was a little flat having not played in a very long time. You could just see it from the beginning. No pressure on the ball, not really even running. Then they score and we decide to play a little bit. Then the half and more of the same. We deserve all the criticism we get. We were shit and played like we had an excuse. It's just real old.
No Defoe, Dawson, King, VDV, Lennon because of injury. Is that really the time to rest Huddlestone as well? I know you need to rotate the squad but do we need to play 4 reserve team players? Krancjar as 2nd striker? Got so many things wrong on the open and so many things looked off after 30 minutes that you know we'd struggle on the day.
Well at least we have a game to put it all right.
In one week we have seen everything good about the current team and tactics and everything bad.
Someone please explain to BAE that he is playing in a competitive match not a training match.
FFS
Tomtraubert has hit the nail on the head. Bolton were less shit than we were.
There was not triumph of tactics or technical abilty we were just wank. The two goals that we scored just papered over the cracks of one of the worst performances I have watched since I stopped playing.
I am not fickle, as it great we beat inter but we have to call it like we saw it SHIT
I'm having a 'media black out day' today.......which I'm planning on extending till Tuesday.........quite though......I swear I can hear my hair growing!
It takes time for the team to learn to play against a top European side in mid week and then play against a typical physical and probably well rested English side. The top sides do it week in, week out, year in, year out, and they do not complain of fatigue. And HR needs to learn how to manage his players and get them motivated and charged up after the fervour of playing against the Milans, Madrids etc, and back to the bread and butter stuff.
We need to consistent qualify for the Champions League before the players can have a 'Big Club' mentality.
I think we will see a lot of such scenarios this season. We can finish in the Top 4 again, if we manage the 'distraction' of the Champions League.
Can I point out just how much of a cunt Brook is? He posts after a Spurs win and before Arsenal play.
Odds on him appearing this afternoon?
Hi Brook you stupid c*nt!!!!
Shame WBA can't do us a favour.
Arse's pratfall is instructive. This CL thing ain't easy. United were rubbish yesterday too.
I do agree that we were dreadful but we had some key injuries, our back is still in disarray and we need to strengthen our squad.
My only hope is that Levy realizes he's gonna have to spend money to make money and sustain our CL bid.
Completely agree. I blamed Harry initially, still do a little, but in the grand scheme of things we appear to be struggling because of those missing players and the urgent need for that Jan window to open.
Issue we have is we are closer to the bottom than to the top, in terms of points. Which basically means we need to wake the fuck up in the Prem.
Probably end up winning the CL and it won't matter any ways.
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What?
@Spooky: Winning the CL? Haven't we won it already??
Now that you mention it...I'll check the club shop for the DVD tomorrow.
Our poor strike force, borne of ignoring the obvious in the summer, continues to be the weak link in the team.
Every player we pick and every tactic we choose has to be guided by the knowledge that not one of our strikers can deliver from the excellent service midfield provides.
Tired of papering over the cracks - we needed a striker in the summer but were caught napping and now we are suffering the consequences. pah!
Love the site and this is my first post - this whole 'After the Lord Mayor's Show' thing is not just a Champions League thing, who can forget our monumental win at Man City, then bizarre loss at Burnley.. I know it's not exactly the same, oh hang on, can you remember the score in that one??!
This is not the end of the world, we never win at Bolton and we have a lot to come back with, Defoe, Dawson, King, Lennon and VdV are coming back, the squad's right but we still need more fire power.
At the start of the season we all knew we needed rid of Keane and we just don't look that dangerous at the top end, that's compounded with the fact we've kept just 1 clean sheet in the prem. Perhaps we just miss Defoe but that's one area where we just don't have someone with the energy and ruthlessness to fill that gap.
Other than that let's bathe a little more in that Inter DVD, no doubt soundtracked with 'Simply the Best', (the Bolton one was a bit too 'Private Dancer' for my liking) and hope that we resemble something more respectable against Sunderland.
Disappointing as things seem to be, there are several positives to take from this game, and some deep analysis to consider.
1. The team is learning to fight back from a losing position. The consensus from observers, neutrals and even the commentators is that we are made of sterner stuff than previously. We are expected to make a fight out of the game. This is a positive step.
2. Towards the end, if we had put one more in, instead of the Petrov breakaway, or if Davies had been correctly ruled offside, then arguably we might have achieved a different result. The margin of victory was not as wide as suggested by the scoreline. The point is that it was within reach, and not unattainable.
3. We might want to consider approaching teams / games scientifically. Play to our strengths, but if the opponents are stronger, or more up for it than we are, then exploit their weaknesses. For example, If teams idouble up on Bale, then it creates more room for the other areas.
I mentioned before:-
Chelski attack more down their left.
L'Arse dont take kindly to being harassed.
Vidic and Rio cannot handle speed demons running at / through thembut crosses are a piece of cake.
Simply compile a dossier on the relative strengths and weaknesses of each team. How best to attack them and how to thwart them. But of course you need to spot the trends / habits.
4. Speaking of our strengths, I was glad to see Niko get a game. The only grouse is why he is not allowed to play more often. I think he can do a job with VdV. There will be rustiness which can only be cured by more games. Not thrown into games only when there is an injury.
5. I dont understand why we are again the Saturday lunchtime kickoff after a European game.
6. The next game is Sunderland at home midweek. It would be preferred to obtain all 3 points. Look at the Tyne-Wear derby for their weaknesses and also the Stoke game for their strengths.
7. We are really missing Corluka, Dawson, King, Defoe, Woodgate, Huddlestone (when out). Gallas is not turning out to be the stop-gap we need. What again is wrong with Bassong? Kaboul can play RB but is need at CD. Hutton I am not totally sure, and BAE is infuriatingly inconsistent. Keane needs more game time. Perhaps an impact player? Coming in the last 20 minutes to try to turn things around more often. You will note that I have named almost the entire first choice back-line out of action long term. That's the major difference in our results so far.
The future is still white, but we need to get points.
@ Focussed from singapore
Good points
1. Agreed
2. Yep if we scored and they didnt it would have been a different result !! (jesting) It was always open for a counter and it was an excellent ball from Cahill and a neat little header from the thug Davies. Cant really complain about that one.
3. Spot on - is this not what Harry and Co. should be doing anyway. If they are not then WHY THE FUCK NOT 'Arry?
4. There's obviously something wrong with Niko. I reckon he's gone in Jan tbh. Something happened there. He's never going to be first choice and only played because Lennon and vdV were injured. If vdV was fit he'd have played RW. Actually given 'arry's fondnessf for playing people out of position I'm surprised he didn't play JJ there!
5. This was arranged a long time ago. Something about SKY wanting to knock out soundbites about our poor record there etc. Not concerned about it though because we played on Tuesday...if it was Wed/Sat lunch I'd be more annoyed.
6. 3pts a must now in every home game till the end of season. Turn the bloody place into a fortress. Also goes back to point 3.
7. Forget about the injuries. It's like lamenting "I could have banged the hottest chick in school if I'd been better looking...had a proper 6 pack...etc etc!!!" Gallas and Kaboul were proper good on Tuesday. Developing an understanding. Bassong needs experience beside him i.e. King. For Lennon's sake Corluka needs to be at RB....when hutton sorts out the defensive aspect of being a RB then it will work at the moment though he's gets in Lennon's way. On sat he had Niko (rusty) in front of him and in an attacking sense was good. Great goal. I'd actually rather see Kaboul at RB but need a fully fit set of CB's first.
BAE is frustrating but also the first name on the teamsheet (except gomes) I actually kinda like him.
Keane. Just no. He's done. Off in Jan. Bad influence, unprofessional. Moaney old git.
Think we'll be ok though. Striker x 2 and CB in Jan. Out goes Keane and Pav.
Will be a tight fit for 4th but I'd take a rollercoaster like last season if it was on offer!
We'll be fine, 5 first teamers missing, take 5 out of any of the top teams and they will struggle. I couldn't muster much enthusiam for the game after Tuesday, Bolton away at mid day on the Saturday was just about the worst fixture that could of been thrown up. We've never been able to handle Davies up there, gawd knows why we can't suss him out.
The most frustrating thing is that the other teams are losing stupid games too ie Man City and Arse, so we could of easily been top 3 by now. We just need to string a few wins together starting Tuesday.
Dawson, Defoe back soon then we will really get going in the league. Pav to start on Tuesday, watching Crouch makes me feel ill (in the prem).
Posted this earlier but feel it has more relevance as the start of the game draws near
Crouch supporters seriously need a reality check; the bloke is complete shite. Put any average striker in out team when our midfield is on top and they will most likely manage at least one league goal. This idea that he is superior to pavlyuchenko is stupid aswell when you consider that while Crouch has scored 5 Champs League goals; Pav has 4! despite playing no part in either of the group away games. He is not the exceptional striker we need to challenge on top the league but for christ sake he is better than Crouch. Redknapps bias towards certain players will ruin what could have been some upcoming glory years for us.
Anyone who needs proof of Redknapps cuntery should only look at his criticism of Pavs performance after the game after he claimed 'that he scored, but did nothing else'; that might be a fair comment on fair glance but when you consider that he has never criticised Defoe or Crouch despite some utterly shit performances (Crouch at West Ham anyone?) then you realise what a cunt redknapp is to certain players.
Cant help wonder what could have been if GDS had been given a chance this season; top class yet ? no; better than Keane? Most definitely