Merry Momentum
Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 7:04PM Spurs 2 Newcastle 0
The year 2010. It just never stops giving, even in its final days we still have something to smile about and focus ahead into the next year, the one which ends in a one. Well two ones actually. We just keep on getting spoilt.
In recent blogs I’ve cited momentum, the need for it. And Spurs are delivering it like Santa on speed. All our wishes coming true.
Can’t play with two wingers they said. Yes we can when we shape up with vdV in the hole, with one up front and two in midfield, one doing the defensive work the other crafting. Lennon, out of form, is now in form. And having two avenues of intent down either flank is giving us the type of options that allows us to ask the questions to the opposition, whilst they struggle to find a definitive answer.
All this talk of 442, 451, 4231, 4411 etc and who’d have thought just having nine outfield players would result in controlled possession football with devastating counter attacks. Not that I fancy too many more red cards from here on, but once more we show character and belief, roll up our sleeves, then roll down our socks as we swagger the game out to the tune of three points humming sweet music in our ears.
Tottenham and their massive pair of grapefruit's between their legs.
Momentum.
Prem D 1-1 Sunderland
Prem W 4-2 Blackburn
Prem W 3-2 Arsenal
CL W 3-0 Werder Bremen
Prem W 2-1 Liverpool
Prem D 1-1 Birmingham
CL D 3-3 Twente
Prem D 1-1 Chelsea
Prem W 2-1 Aston Villa
Prem W 2-0 Newcastle
Sure, our goal difference is nowhere near as strong as the other teams up top around us. And there is no questioning the very same teams are considered by pundits and most fans as being more favourable in challenging for top spot and the top four placements. But that’s fine. Much like last season, I’m happy with the underdog tag. Even though we do get talked up by many, nobody would scoff if we failed on account of how we’ve accounted for ourselves. We entertain. We never say die. We have treasures scattered across the pitch in defence, midfield and up fron...erm...in the hole.
We’re a unit, one that plays for each other and in complete unity with the fans and the Tottenham philosophy, with added extra features like grit. With each passing month, and in the past year, I guess it’s time to stop being surprised at how we’ve evolved and simply look ahead at how quickly and effectively we can better ourselves further.
More on this conundrum in the next blog.
As for the highlights of the 2-0 win against Newcastle.
Tiote/Kaboul
I don’t want to bang on about the ref but I’m left confused (once more) with regards to the logistics of when and how exactly a ref decides on yellow cards and warnings (second and third chances) when at any other point (or any other player) the ref would have waved a card rather than letting it be – something he privileged Tiote with. Which left him on the field of play to allow Kaboul to sensually rub his head against the forehead of Tiote.
Yes, it was a red card. It was the most stupid of red cards. Hardly the occasion for such a sacrifice. Good thing to come out of this, if there is such a thing as losing yet another centre-back, is that Bassong will get his chance. And deservedly so as he’s impressed in them minutes he’s graced us with as our backup.
Team re-shape
Harry on the money again. The team duly shaped itself to continue to contain any Newcastle thread by playing good possession football after the red card, and earlier on, at half-time subbing Wilson (yellow card) for the energetic Jenas. Our other much maligned defender (Peter Crouch) also called upon as per usual to aid late on. Much like the Villa game, we just didn’t think about crumbling. Never even considered the consequences of nine outfield players out than it meaning we would have to work twice as hard. The team – they know the importance of a win.
Modric
Just too damn good for words. But I’ll try anyway. van der Vaart might get all the headlines but the little Croatian is the true heartbeat of the side. The lightweight boy with the haircut the 1980’s are asking back is bullying oppositions with ample ease. Since his return from injury, take note how slowly and subtly he’s regained form – and see just how imperative and dominant he is, deep lying and dictating. Check the chalkboards if you don’t believe it (which I doubt you don’t) – his passing completion is simply fantastic. In defence and offensive. This is on the back of this season rather than just this one game. If you’re thinking I’m being overly giddy.
In the hole
Pav unlucky not to score. But arguably still doesn’t give us the type of movement you’d want to see in a player that plays just up ahead of vdV. Both were relatively quiet, but the one up top and the one man behind him (call it two up front if you want or one forward and one attacking midfielder) – no matter, this is the way to go. Wasn’t too fruitful in the way of clear cut chances against the Toon but I once more refer you to the forward conundrum. Again, more later on this.
Carroll
Was more or less comfortably dealt with by Dawson and Kaboul. I’m still not seeing the appeal of him running out in Lilywhite. A battering ram with a decent touch – is that really the answer?
BAE
Another plaudit please for our left-back.
The Flanks
Okay, so Bale had more work in defence than he did marauding forward but he took his goal brilliantly. You need that. Match-winners. Lennon has been outstanding and continues to show the right type of appetite. It’s like signing a new player when someone comes back in from the cold and warms the place up with their smile and shaved eyebrows.
Newcastle
Dirty and annoying.
Clean Sheet
Rub your eyes, it’s true. They came close but it was the type of game where keepers hardly had shots upon shots to save. Couple of efforts late on, could have crept in. Didn’t. Nicely done.
This festive season, this Christmas fixture list. One more game to go, again at the Lane. Another three points would start 2011 in the style we’ve finished it in. Big grin, looking up, snowing points.
COYS.
Spooky recommends...All-conquering Englishman spurs his way across Europe
Capital Punishment by Kris Mole - Ebook available here
extract:
Having blagged his way into a Barcelona FC press conference...
"My fantasy interview was cut short by someone entering the room talking on a mobile phone. I turned to see who it was and couldn’t believe my eyes. Xavi, all 5’7” of him (he’s a littl’un) was standing beside me having a chat to someone, probably his girlfriend, telling her he would be home for dinner soon and could she make sure there were a few San Miguels in the fridge. He glanced at me with a look that said,
“Who the **** are you?” and I nodded a greeting his way. He then looked down at the cockerel on my chest and sighed the kind of sigh that I knew meant, “If only they would put in a bid for me. I would love to play for Spurs one day.”
He finished his conversation and left me alone once again."
Reader Comments (25)
I wouldn't mind Carroll, if only because he seems to score the odd goal and our strikers don't.
Better options than Carroll. Has to be. Please someone?
Xavi wanting to play for us one day? What with all the fun VdV's outspokenly having these days, and the quality of total football and entertainment we've showing, it makes you wonder perhaps if some players for big teams aren't secretly coveting the spirit and fun our lot are showing.
Everyone wants to be a footballer, because fundamentally its a great game when you play it well.
"warms the place up with their smile and shaved eyebrows"
Made my chuckle that one.
The thing that pisses off all the people who hate on Spurs is the fact we are not only doing well we are doing so playing some tasty football and have several players they (the haters) would happily have in their own team.
Happy days.
Spooky in a snood. You pounce.
Agree with you on Modric. Much like the other 35,000 Spurs fans at the Lane the other day. Class act.
I think we should not underestimate the role of Palacios in the mentioned ten matches in a row withuot a loss.
I wonder wether we should have done better with Huddle; i think not!
For the month to come: sell Keane, O,Hara, Giovani, Bentley or Krancjar, woodgate for all together around 30 million and buy for that money Carroll and a good back-up for leftback-position.
Wilson is returning to form but there are elements of his play that I doubt will ever improve. But as long as we don't expect him to be a decent passer of the ball, just an astute one (i.e. pass it to someone who can pass it).
Hudd however gives us a completely different dimension - the prob is, we then lose the DM qualities of Palacios.
Ooh, headache.
That's ok Spooky we can just sign Xavi.
In all seriousness it has been a fantastic 2010 for Spurs. Even when Ramos was there I thought we had the makings of a top 4 team just lacked the belief. Up step Harry with the arm round the shoulder the quite word in the ear or the even louder shout in the media and bang we start believing. Think every player can hold there head up high well done lads and lets keep pushing. And thanks to you Spooky for keeping the debates going through out the year. COYS.
Here, here. As long as we keep performing the way we have over the last ten games or so then the only people who are gonna cock up the teams progress will be the players themselves.
I have been thinking about the Striker problem a lot lately, and can't help thinking what might have been if Berba had stayed. Then I started thinking about Strikers in a similar mould to him, i.e great first touch, can hold the ball up, excellent finisher, can bring others into play. There is only one person who I can think of that comes close; Freddie Kanoute.
Think about the pro's and cons.
Pros
1) He knows the Prem
2) He knows Harry
3) He knows Spurs
4) Could also play next to Defoe if vdv was injured/suspended
5) He's gone away to Seville and developed himself into a much better player than when he left
6) His transfer fee isn't goin to be astromonical due to his age
Cons
1) He's gettin on a bit now so may only be a solution for the rest of his season and next year
2) No sell on value for Levy
3) Seville may still be reluctant to deal with us over the Ramos saga, however hopefully the transfer of Zokora to them will have patched things up a bit with them.
I think think in the short-term, i.e. the next season and a half, Kanoute would be the ieal solution to our Striker issue. He would definately improve our 1st XI in my opinion (which is what you should be aiming to do with most signings), and give us the push needed to turn us into regular top four inhabitants.
Realistically, we aren't gonna get much better than this during the January window, as the truly stellar strikers may still view us as a bit of a flash in the pan. We are gonna have to finish in the top four again this year, which will be more difficult, and get to the quaters or semis of the CL to really be taken seriouslyl therefore this superstar signing we want is gonna have to wait 'til the summer.
"For the month to come: sell Keane, O,Hara, Giovani, Bentley or Krancjar, woodgate for all together around 30 million and buy for that money Carroll and a good back-up for leftback-position."
Agree to buy Carrol, but disagree to decimate our bench in the process. If Modders, Bale, Lennon or VdV get injured, and there is a great possibility they will be considering the “protection” they were given by the refs, we’ll end up with no adequate replacements if we sell those players (except Keane), and competition for the positions. There is plenty of CL money earned to outright buy Carrol and Scott Parker.
Why Carrol? 1. He’s young, gutsy, physical, talented and proven quality in EPL, and 2. He’s English, and if there’s a choice, Harry would rather have him than any other untested foreign player.
Likewise, he’d rather have Parker than Pinata or Pinar or whatever his name is. I bet that under Harry both of them will become force in the Three Lion shirts, and I suppose you all know how he feels about it.
Is this really the team we love showing consistence blimey I'll start believing in f@£king Santa claus next!! One note of caution fulham are hurting after crap results and a 4-0 whooping v man c and personally dont rate bassong not great with positioning whens Gallas back?but fingers crossed we can whoop them some more! COYS!!!!
We love you Wigan we do Oh Wigan we love you..!! Ho Ho Ho......
....and the other scum escaped :(
"Our other much maligned defender (Peter Crouch)..."
Classic
Firstly, let me get this one out of the way. Congratulations to the English folk for retaining the Ashes. Whilst as an Australian, it is a similar feeling to losing to Wigan at home (LOL), all of us will concede that we were completely out played and the result is a true reflection of this.
Secondly, its great seeing our boys get consisent results and playing attractive football as a unit. Our midfield + Bale must be the envy of every team in Europe. Still hoping we can get that striker of extra class in the window. Not really convinced about Carroll..I know is strong, young and scores consisently...but think we need someone a bit more experienced.
Thanks for all the above comments and the article Spooky, it's great reading compared with Vital.
I just know that Harry already knows the to players he is singing in january. That glint in his wee eye, and that attractive little twitch when asked if thought he might get the players he wants. Oh Aye and, It's all Mr Levy's doing. I don't think we need anyone to win the Title or maybe the double, but Mr Levy is forcing my hand to buy a great striker in january, so I'll have to obey. Harry, you little rascal. What are you up to. !!!!!
@spooky: Isn't it possible that the return of Lennon (and his form) has opened things for us in the middle (Modders fantastic form) by stretching teams that little bit in defending against Bale & Lennnon?
@spooky: As for Carroll, physical & pacey and he's got a decent touch. Yes, that is exactly what we need. That he is 21yrs old, probably won't command 100k a week in wages [probably <50k] and is English is a nice touch. Also, he is available for European games ASAP. Is he worth 20m? Maybe someday, but not yet. Is he worth 12m, yes. Is he worth 15m to us? If we feel he can get us another 5-7pts this year, YES! Do I think he goes anywhere in Jan? No way.
@beetleblues & @dutchspur.. On January transfer window...if we can get rid of Keane & Bentley, we have to shift the wages but we will be selling them both on in a loss. Krancjar (4m?) makes sense to get rid of in a sense we probably turn a profit on him and it balances the books nicely. I think O'Hara makes the most sense to keep on. He's on a long contract, he's on moderate wages and he's coming off a long layoff that probably hurts his value. He is also versatile. Can play on left or middle of midfield (some say LB but I was unconvinced although nice to have in a pinch). Maybe Dos Santos goes out on loan instead of a sale but I think a midfield of: Modric, Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios, Lennon, Bale, Sandro, O'Hara is plenty, especially since VdV can slide in there as well.
Firstly, the answer to 'good god,if only Moddle could shoot...'-if he could, he'd already be at Barcelona or Madrid or somewhere similar. Moddle with a powerful shot means the perfect player. He can put the ball on a postage stamp, he plays like he's got wing mirrors attached to the sides of his head, he harries and chases like a small, whirling terrier and he can keep possession like a demon. If he could shoot as well, he'd be the fulcrum of Barcelona's attack, and we'd be stuck with the poor man's Moddle, Xavi. ;)
Secondly, @cookiebun, that's a bit harsh on Vital, no? It's only a fan's forum, mate, and the quality of writing differs vastly depending on the submissions put up. Not like Spook's cosy little dig, where he alone can exercise his brilliant yet ever-so-slightly demented writing style.;)
Thirdly, I assume most of you are already aware of this, but Moddle with a Moustache looks almost eerily at home in 1983 or something along those lines.;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TpJGGqcCmw
Used to laugh when Harry maintained that having 6 centre-halves was only just enough. Now see the wisdom of his thoughts as Messrs King, Dawson, Kaboul, Bassong, Gallas and Woodgate have developed their own rota system for getting injured/sent-off.
Still not entirely convinced about Hutton's defensive abilities - but as we don't defend much and he's great going forward, guess he's a fixture ? Midfield ? Don't touch. Balance is perfect and choices abundant. Jenas developing into super-sub. But still unhappy with strikers. Even allowing for Defoe's prolonged absence, any side's leading scorers just shouldn't be two midfield players. Sorry and all that, but while Pav's worth his squad place, Crouch just doesn't do it for me.
I did wonder how Kaboul was gonna juggle playing football and leading the dance troupe "Diversity"... at least he'll still get some action on New Years Day, albeit on the dance floor for Sky1.
Spooks i don't want to doubt you but Huddlestone was before he started carrying a bad ankle doing a fine job with Mods both in attack an scoring defence and please don't get sucked in with this five man and one striker it worked with a six foot seven striker knocking down balls to Van. Chelsea and other teams have learned two are better than one and let me remind you its our defence who have let us down and our strikers have suffered from Green suddenly playing like he is World Class also Wigan's second string goal keeper .You all need to judge our Team in Europe not in the shock Premiership trust me the shocks are not because teams are morel You need to wake up for fuck sake DJ Campbell is even scoring and Luke Varney Elamander is great Drugbas full of Malaria Bollocks Liverpool are stuck in second gear in three months the whole premiership will be level on points and we will all be in relegation trouble This wont stop while Bernstien ex City chairman is now in charge of The FA and referee appointments we have had two bad ones already we can buy Messi it wont stop the Shocks Blackpool have the best away record in the premiership with the lowest budget and that should tell you spending is not the the Answer ?
Dirty and annoying? How far up your arse are you, couple of seasons in Europe and we grace you with our presence, all bow to the spuds. Been there done it, won nowt, and still support our team to the tune of 50,000. Try winning frig all since 1969 and see how many come to the lane. Remember 7-1?
@dutchspur
Dont agree with taking a machete to the squad in Jan....we saw how brilliantly Bale and Bentley did last Jan when called upon....it would create a feeling of unease among all those who are left....Keane out is a given I think and Woodgate on loan to see if his injury nightmare is behind him is a great idea...if he survives a half season in the Championship he'd be a monster to have in the squad next season. O'hara maybe i'd sell him but i'd definately keep Gio and Krankie (god forbid bale gets injured - i'm not sold on moving Luka to LW hence Krankie) Not sure whats up with Gio...he gets no game time but is still at the club.....what does harry know we dont?
Carroll would be a better option than Crouch....but not at a reported £20m
If harry is willing to let Keane go then it tells me that something is done and dusted...either he'll promote Gio to 4th choice..or someone is coming in. Some rumours that Adebayor is a done deal...not sure how I feel about that...it would probably slowly destroy the dressing room.