How to lose points and ailenate fourth spot
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 12:22PM Bolton 4 Spurs 2
My initial gut reaction to Saturdays could not be arsed performance in the majesty of the cathedral of football (the Reebok Stadium) was simply this: Harry Redknapp…why?
I appreciate that we shall never defeat the conspiracy (oh look another early Saturday kick-off straight after a Champions League game) but that was no excuse to just shrug at the prospect of perhaps claiming something tangible up at Bolton, were historically we get as much action as Cliff Richard. So no shocker, cometh the final whistle. No celebrations either, just footballing celibacy. Our players displaying the type of effort you'd expect from a walk on a beach mid summer holiday.
Should my knees begin to jerk ever so slightly? Or should I continue to whistle a gleeful tune and dance nervously holding up a sign that reads 'The End is not Nigh, So Stop Fretting'. Am I ignoring the evidence of domestic degradation of consistent form and backbone? Do I rely too much on the varied weaknesses that are displayed by opposing (rival) sides with each passing week as a reason to remain optimistic? Do we - as a supporting collective - add more weight to our results than when we look across at other teams where perhaps we rationalise and exaggerate and gloss over the importance of their results in comparison? Is our squad depth not at depthy as it would suggest? Regardless of the dizzying questions, there are only two that matter at this still early juncture of the season.
What's broken and how do we fix it?
Or perhaps it's better worded as; how have we broken it and why isn't it getting fixed?
Perhaps things are not quite broken, they're just not in full working order.
We are erratic. The side is hardly ever settled in terms of juggling between league and Europe. Injuries confirm that as sublime as our first team can be, when we lose certain key players we lack cohesiveness and this has a knock-on effect with other commonly required footballing essentials (intensity, desire, focus etc). But even with a storming first team (on paper) we've disappointed in the league still. 451 works in Europe. Doesn't quite sex up at home.
Parts of the team - when the team is not at full strength (or as full strength as selection can allow) are at times found out and thus has a detrimental effect on the rest of the side. Our defence guilty as charged. Against Bolton (who were not that good) we gifted them goals (regardless of the first being offside) because we managed to be even worse than them.
I said my initial gut reaction was to blame the gaffer, and I still do, but the players have quite a bit to answer for in terms of ye olde mental strength. But then it all goes back to the erratic selection which births lack of rhythm and style from one game to the next. We play our best football and best players in Europe. It's time we shared the wealth with the mundane task of finishing fourth. Before that ship sails and we're left drowning in shark infested waters. Or something equally grim.
So what went wrong at the Reebok? Easy peasy:
- 451 when there is no van der Vaart to accommodate. So why bother with 451?
- Crouch up top on his own. Why didn't Pav start? We are struggling with goals from our strikers in the league, so you do the math - two is better than one. There is no dynamic movement when pushing forwards and although Crouch and Pav is less Batman and Robin and more Rodney and Del Boy, it's the better and more obvious option to go with the two of them. Pav - for the record - has notched seven goals in all comps this season. That's from six starts and nine substitutions. His league record overall is rubbish (53 apps, 13 goals). So can we just tell him it's a cup game (21 apps, 18 goals) every time we play?'
- No flow and support structure in key areas (i.e. Hutton and Niko hardly a passable execution of 'how to support a team-mate')
- Sandro and Wilson in the starting line-up? Really? One newbie finding his feet and one oldie who has managed to lose his.
- Huddlestone on the bench. Stamps his authority on the game when he eventually comes on. Fails to wrap his boots around a decent pass.
- Kranjcar given a start which he does nothing with. Bentley on the other hand displays 'glimpses' of decency which is a little bit like saying, 'Look ma, he's star-jumping AND winking at the same time'.
- Wait to go three down before showing urgency.
- Complete lack of character, which is either the last dying remnants of the culture of comfort that almost destroyed this club or something isn't quite working in terms of prioritising the importance of climbing the table.
- Play badly to make opponents look good and yet almost get back into it late on. Botheredness, the Spurs way.
- Keep dropping/losing points when it's even more obvious that this season is going to be less of a challenge to finish 4th than last season IF…IF IF IF…we attain the same standard of football we played at last season.
- No insight or astute pre-game analysis or tactical master planning of the opposing side. It's all very 'I'll select eleven players and hope they gel for ninety minutes'.
- Lack of in-game insight/astuteness and tactical re-shaping of the opposing side. It's okay to be reactive. That's 'reactive' to the game and opposition BEFORE we go three down.
Not frigging rocket science is it? And yet the same mistake(s) are made every few weeks.
We are up for the European adventure, and not so up for concentrating on league form. There might be a subconscious shared thought in the club that has everyone thinking we might not get a chance in the CL again for another two or three years so let's enjoy it and let's make our mark. Daniel Levy appreciates this as he's well aware that long term planning is vital and he won't go loopy for the sake of the short term. But considering how obvious our problems are, speculating in early 2011 would make the double challenge of home and away far more achievable than it stands at the minute.
The short term win can make the long term far more comfortable and we can stop looking around and concerning ourselves with the form of others and leave them to concern themselves with our form.
So panic? Don't bother. Not yet. Honestly, we still have some sand left in the hour glass.
We are not playing well but we are in there in terms of points and position. Sure, we are closer to the bottom than the top and the next three games are vital because if we win our home games (Sunderland/Rovers) and get something off the scum then we'll have gone from weeds to blossoming Lily's. If we don't then panic. PANIC PANIC PAAAAAANIC.
There is a point in the season where we (I) can't keep saying - we are still within touching distance. We have to move on and get in amongst the top five and pull away with them and then deal with the fight it will take to remain there and aim for 4th rather than 5th. I think we are at that point now. If we miss it, then we're going to get dragged down further with loss of focus and belief and distraction in the shape of the CL. And the point becomes one of no return.
I don't particularly want to share CL football with the likes of City or Liverpool (yes, Liverpool because they're back baby, they're back!!! Did you not see the game on Sunday?). We might find we don't have a choice and that every other season we challenge and reclaim entry to the elite competition because of the openness of the Prem. On the other hand, we lose out this season and the Prem goes all monopoly again - and it's back to mediocrity as our players get plucked. The latter is less likely, but I'd rather not entertain that risk.
I lost count of the amount of times we got written off during the 2010 journey. I've said it many times this term - we might appear to be going sideways but we are not far off at all from getting this fixed. Just a couple of variables to be added to the formula. Just need to stand tall and proud before the money shot. Our CL hangover record is actually better than Arsenals. Not that it makes it acceptable to lose to Bolton and it's frustrating that we never get anything there - but with two home games and then the scum away (before CL and Liverpool) - this is when we discover if this fantastical learning curve - for the manager as well as players - has sunk in and we are better for it.
Get to Jan even with the same type of difference we have at the moment between us and say 3rd spot - and then it's over to the chairman and the transfer window to consolidate the work and progress achieved last season and eradicate this blip we are experiencing in the Prem. I don't need to tell you what we need. If we get what we need then we'll gonna get a whole heap of what we want.
I'll end with some positives from the game.
Ridiculously great technique and finish for the goal from Roman. Superb effort from Hutton also. That's it.
Also, can I point out that Gareth Bale didn't make his debut at the San Siro. And this fallacy of him being non-existent in the league is exactly that. Although my point would be more poignant if made on another day, rather than after a quiet performance and defeat.
Conclusion?
Last time I'm going to say this now. We are not playing well, we dissect every loss because of the standards we have set ourselves and we are showing frailties that are probably not half as bad as some other clubs have in comparison but probably more susceptible to repair. We've got it in us. It's time to prove it.
That's it.
Reader Comments (63)
'Arry out. Really? He was just talking about short memories and there you go. Some very short memories indeed.
The blame game. Always horrible to play as everyone inevitably gets it - whatever the situation.
The players need to step up and fight for eachother. There needs to be asemblance of understanding. There has to be composure, coupled with an urgency to win. There has to be a never say die attitude. There has to be a we do all we can to win mentality.
There has to be belief. I'm right there until we're officially screwed.
Things we shd now know (contd):
7) Pav is probably the closest thing to a Solskjaer that we have. Stop hating on him.
8) Bale is not a machine, he gets tired too.
9) Playing our squad players once in a blue moon will see us lose these very good players very quickly.(Niko, Bentley, dos Santos). Harry consider yourself warned...
'Jenas is vastly underrated'
This is the best gauge as to how poor we actually are in the league - delusion at its very worst.
We have 4 or 5 players who on their day, when played in the right position, can beat almost any team by just being on the pitch together and relying on their natural talent to outplay the other side.
This is very much the extent of Redknapp's tactical acumen. Is Redknapp putting 14 balls (each with a players' number on) in a bag, pulling out the first 11 and putting them into some kind of order and leaving the other 3 as subs?
Our defence goes from half decent to the ridiculous; our midfield goes from strong to piss weak and our attack is so pitiful, it's now embarrassing to watch.
We all knew it was a massive mistake not strengthening in the summer; some more so than others, but this 'there was no-one out there any better' is utter turd.
If our scouting network couldn't find better players than the hapless quartet we have now, then something is seriously wrong. A 'super star' striker may not have been available, granted, but when players like Nolan, Cahill, Elmander, Carrol, Davis and Dempsy have all individually scored more goals than our forwards combined after 11 games, then someone needs to be accountable for what is quite possibly one of the worst forward line ups in our history. And don't expect Defoe to shoot us up to 4th either. Defoe will probably come back, score a handful, then, as Defoe does, go missing or pick up another injury for the rest of the season.
We still lack a real captain in the team who will roll up his sleeves and give our, and their, players what for; we need to stop dicking around with King and Woodgate and start behaving like a professional club; we need to off load the shower of shit we have up front to the first bidder and bring in a couple of players who can direct a football into the net more times than none in 11 games; and most of all (knee jerk accusers turn away now) we need to find a manager who has more in his locker than a pat on the back. At the very least, bring in some one to help him who has at least a kernel of knowledge when it comes to tactics.
Agree with point of view of Nochman, Ozzie and bonse.
If there is no VdV, then Kranky should have taken his place. He can compliment Modders in midfield better than anyone as he successfully does it for Croatia. Instead, with no match fitness he got his first start this year in this away game as a winger(?). Nevertheless, many have chosen him to be the piñata for the Bolton debacle.
Do Tottenham not have a reserve team at all? It must be hard for the 2nd string to come in from no playing time at all, as we are always told that players need "match fitness". Whilst it's clear that a reserve game is a completely different animal to the Premiership surely the jump from training to a full blooded competitive game is quite a leap!
'then someone needs to be accountable for what is quite possibly one of the worst forward line ups in our history'
yes i hark back to the days of Docherty / 36 yr old Sheringham / Booth / Iversen.
those were the days..
I could almost stomach the idea of giving up my rational thought as a supporter and baring my torso in sub-zero temperatures with 'THFC' tattooed across my nipples if we had a Geordie Messiah right now. 'And-eh, And-eh, we've got And-eh CARR-OLL!'. Oh god, how did it come to this?
"Or we just embrace the harsh reality that it's not going to be this straight forward and we're going to have take hits"
We also have to "embrace the harsh reality" that we are NOT Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Juventus Turin et al. You only have to stand in front of their stadiums to realise that.
As for the red part of Manchester, the blue part of London and the thieving part of Liverpool. COYSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's all part of the learning curve spooky.
"learning curve"...... and I should know. I've been a Yid for 50 years plus
with no vdv, we go back to 442, like we used to play, when we used to score goals, when we used to beat teams in the league. Why do we need to find someone to fill vdv role, when he only really plays that role to find somewhere on the team sheet for him? We play 442 don't we? Pav plus 1 other up front, doesn't matter if its Crouch or Keane as they wont score anyway. But at least they'll keep a defender busy.
Moddle and Huddle in the Middle should be too classy for Clattermole and the toothpaste boys. No need for hoofers like Wilson at home until we're closing out a victory. We are Tottenham, SUPER Tottingham, AT HOME FFS.
No Lennon, Bentley plays right side, that's what he does, that's why we paid all that wonga for him.
If we can't beat Blunderland at home in reaction to that woeful effort at Bolton, we need a serious kick up the jacksy Spurs.
COYS!
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
1. (Quite) a few years ago, when Santini was our coach, we started our season (2004-2005?) not losing games, not conceding but not really winning. We became difficult to score against. We had in the middle of defence King and a very experienced but ageing Moroccan (forgive me cant remember his name).
We didnt really light up the division but we were very difficult to score against. Such was Santini's tactics.
Then everything went crazy and we ended up with Martin Jol.
Point is, there was a plan. Wasnt a great plan but it meant that (at least) we did not lose the first four or five games?
2. Given the situation we now find ourselves methinks a change of mindset is in order.
Perhaps the cavalier approach does not work away from home. "First do not concede" should be our motto away from home. Keep it tight, keep your focus on the man on the ball. Stop him.
At home, we should play to win. Maybe not batter them, but play intelligently.
3. All the chopping and changing of the midfield does not help. TomTraubert made a good and valid point about Kranjcar which I totally disagree. HR must play the fringe players (Dos Santos, Kranjcar, Sandro) on a regular or at least a semi-regular basis.
3.1 Why cant GDS assume the role of VDV behind the front man, which he does so well for Mexico? Simple, because he doesnt play there at all.
3.2 Why cant Kranjcar play the same role of Modric? Becos he's on the right wing! I remember what he did against City at WHL or at Stoke.
4. Using the same logic,
4.1 Why cant Hutton practice and learn and develop an understanding with Lennon and or Gallas?
4.2 Why cant Kaboul practice and learn and develop an understanding with BAE?
4.3 Why cant Crouch practice and learn to play with GDS or Modric or Kranjcar the same way he plays with VDV?
4.4 Why cant Kaboul learn to work with Gallas to develop teamwork and understanding to contain either strikers' knock-downs, or speed demons?
4.5 When Huddlestone is out, why cant Sandro learn his style, and work together with Gallas / Kaboul / Modric to keep a neat triangle / square in the middle?
5. If you can notice what is the problem, and work on the solution, then I do not see why we then cannot improve. Harken back to point 2 - focus on the matter at hand and play intelligently. Dont just bomb forward aimlessly like Jenas or Hutton.
6. I do not rate Jenas, Bentley, or Gallas. However we are stuck with Gallas. We should shift out Jenas and Bentley to bring in an experienced Moroccan (Circa 2011) and or a canny striker (from France? Turkey? Norwegian? youth player from Madrid?) Someone not on the radar.
7. All is not lost. But as my name suggests, we need to get back our focus. Nothing less than 3 points tonight against Sunderland will suffice.
Anybody got 5 minutes, a scanner and an unmarked copy of last Tuesday night's Inter match? If so would you make me a JPG image of the front cover and let me have it at czyrko[at]btinternet.com
I'll be happy to reimburse the price of pint to cover your time and expenses via Paypal or a cheque.
Cheers and, for gawd's sake, COYS!!