'Run around a lot and kick it in the net' - that doesn't seem to work anymore
Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 11:59AM It's manifested itself once again. The Tottenham disease. Pivotal moment in the season, and there it is, laughing in our face as our season falls apart faster than someone with leprosy. What a shambolic mess of a performance that was. Okay, so that doesn't happen often. We've had a decent season - more than decent in fact. We've played well and looked the part for most of it - however, that doesn't mean we can shrug and ignore the fact that as a team - with functioning parts - we've degraded over the past couple of months. Spark, cohesion lost in the midst of battle. To lose 6 points to Wolves is a statement. One of depression I'm afraid. We've got it wrong again. How did we become so one dimensional? We're not even digging deep and claiming scrappy/lucky points.
This isn't a knee jerk by the way. I've been confident and positive all season. Well for most of it. But games like this can't be marked off as one-offs. If we're going to be toothless we may as well just hope we finish outside of the Europa League qualifying position so that we can give it a right old go at 4th next season. Ah, 'next season'…music to my ears.
So what exactly went wrong?
Team selection for starters. Why chop and change? I understand we have a squad and we should be able to do so and perhaps Harry trusted his players to be professional but considering how we've struggled in recent games to put away chances, I don't think this was the game to shuffle. Palacios, Modric and Corluka all on the bench. Rested for the FA Cup game? Worth it?
Kaboul slotted into right-back. And what we witnessed was perhaps one of the most shocking displays from any Spurs player since, well since the last time Kaboul was here. Allow me to be insightful with some analytical thoughts on his performance.
He was fucking shit.
We've gone from having an abundance of right-backs, to one quality right-back who gets benched for a centre-back who IS NOT A SODDING RIGHT BACK.
And then, there's JJ. Monstrously poor. More lost than Jack Shepherd.
Can we not, for once, play the best team possible and not play players for the sake of it? If this was genuinely the best side Harry could muster up then shame on all the players for having less application than a ZX80. The fact he subbed Jenas in the second half more or less clears that one up. Give it up, he's just not very good so don't start him in the first place. It's detrimental to progression.
Dawson and Bassong struggled a little, no doubt the sight of Kaboul was too much for them to handle.
Niko was disappointing. Almost liked he peaked for 3/4 games and then run out of steam. He seems to lack the composure of earlier games. Okay, so he was dropped - but come on, is it too much to ask to have players who can retain a decent standard of form when involved in squad rotation? Harry needs to earn his wage here and get Niko's head sorted out. Quickly.
Gudjohnsen was okay. Nothing more but then again our forward play was abysmal. When we created chances early on, we failed to build on it in a commanding manner. Again. No bullish determined forcefulness.
Then we Just sort of watched them cross (Kaboul was putting the kettle on at the time) and score and then they proceeded to sit back and defend. Which is nothing to complain about from their perspective. They are Wolves, they're meant to be relegation fodder and might Spurs managed to simply make the art of scoring a goal look impossible. This was proper failing to break out of a paper bag football. If we are head and shoulders better than them quality wise, we didn't show it.
Wolves have managed just 9 goals (10 including last night) all season long at home. We managed 9 for a single dvd. Baby Jesus is weeping.
Second half was so tragic that I turned it off with 20 minutes left and decided that I'd rather be confused and left scratching my head watching Kate run around in two different realities in the third episode of Lost (season 6). Thought the ep was 'filler' IMO. One or two subtle moments and clues but nothing ground-breakingly 'ooh'. Considering it's the final season I hope we don't get more episodes of this ilk. Sawyer crying? I mean seriously, wtf?
So once more, another 'must win game' and we flop spectacularly. It wasn't because the opposition outplayed us or tactically out-smarted us. We choked. Bottled it.
12 games left now. And I'm stripping away any hope of 4th and just hope the team give it 100% from here on in because they owe it to us and themselves to try and claw back some respectability. When we look back on this season - if it turns out the way its looking at the moment - it's not so much one game (this game) that has ended hopes but more a collection of performances, mainly the ones were points were dropped at home and from winning positions away. And the crux has been our inability to kill teams off and more telling, to actually break teams down.
The Wolves game last night was neither of these. It was an old unwanted sickness we thought we'd seen the last of. Just a gutless pathetic 90 minutes. We probably won't play this bad again this season, but the fact we did - at this point in the season - it's just so typical and tbh, tiresome.
I still think were not far off from getting it right. The problem is, the standard will probably improve next season which means even though we might improve - it might not be enough.
What a crap midweek. Harry ballsed it up. Roll on FA Cup weekend.
P.S. I'm still loving Bale and Bentley.
Reader Comments (65)
Could Harry have tax on his mind rather than football?
"JJ more lost than Jack Shephard" - Quote of the season Spooky.
Spooky - you're absolutely right, we were dire last night and Jenas and Kaboul made it look like Autumn 2008 all over again, 8 games, 2 points and all.
But we can't play the 1st XI all the time - tiredness, injuries and motivation/psychology won't allow. Having to play that extra game in the FA Cup up at Leeds had a knock-on effect, which we saw last night in the slowness (and of course in the terrible performance of Jenas and Kaboul, and below-par efforts from Bassong and Daws).
We lack pace with Lennon missing. We're too easy to defend against with Crouch and Defoe up front, unless you're Eric Edman.
Bale looks great, working hard, good pace, creativity. But Bentley? The guy is trying but he's not got the pace nor the targets he needs to look good.
FA Cup and then "next year" it is.
Well, it least it gave the 'Insert Name of Current Manager out' brigade an excuse to up the ante...
Where would our forums be without those sensible stalwarts of the THFC circus kneejerking and calling for the appointment of Hiddink or Mourinho? Imagine their faces when 'Arry does go and our next manager is unveiled as Mark Hughes.
Comments about Jenas and Kaboul make me think you weren't at the game, once a whipping boy always a whipping boy eh. Poor performance but Hudd, Bentley, Gudjohnsen and Defoe had worse performances than those two but don't let facts get it the way of a good bandwagon "whip" eh
New Dictonary entry
Doing a Spurs ~ noun ~ (NONACTION)
/ˈduː.ɪŋ/ n / a / spɜːrs/
Not turning up at an important event
See also: shocking
He was supposed to be in court today but he did a Spurs.
How much did we invest in our push for a top four finish?
The net spending in January and the summer combined was almost nothing.
Maybe we can get a Europa League place on that budget - but a top four placing demands a lot more than "sell before you buy" imo.
Spooky, you make a valid point. We've been played well for the majority of the season, we've just not stepped it up and in recent games, we've gone soft. It's going to cost us. Harry has done a sterling job but he has to remain loyal to the team rather than to individuals. Jury is not just out on Kaboul, its on holiday on Mars. I saw nothing at Pompey to make me believe he had improved. Jenas is now a parody of himself.
Jack Shepherd, haha.
Kaboul = Hugo
Hot Spurs - I have to disagree, the quote of the season was
"Allow me to be insightful with some analytical thoughts on his performance.
He was fucking shit."
We are very predictable in everything we do - even if what we do is sometimes good. We seem to lack the ability to mix it up through the middle of the park - there is no attacking mid-fielder running through playing one-two's or providing a threat. when we are in the opponents half the ball either gets crossed from left or right or if a central-midfielder has it they'll dither around until trying a long-shot from about 30 miles out.
Solution? Get someone in midfield running into box to play one-two's with forwards (I thought Modric would do this, but he seems to have gone off the boil). And get a forward who can pass quickly with his feet to incoming midfielder (Pav? It certainly isn't Defoe or Crouch and from what little we saw last night it isn't Gudjohnsen).
Oh, and please win the Cup and the home matches against the Arse and Chelski.
re Kranjcar 'Almost liked he peaked for 3/4 games and then run out of steam'. Almost? No, that's exactly what happened. he won't reach that level again in his whole spurs career. He is a fair weather player.
I'd also disagree with 'Dawson and Bassong struggled a little'. Bassong was decent, solid, Dawson was a liability. So I guess if you average it out they both equate to 'struggled a little'. Gudjonsen was 'ok' too, if by ok you mean rubbish. I know he's not fit and it's his first game, but call a spade a spade.
Also with regards to 'Lost' - it's basically an experiment by TV execs to see how gulliable people are. THEY ARE MAKING IT UP AS THEY GO ALONG!!!
So in short I disagree with everything you said. Still a good read though. Btw, not sure if anyone looks at Football 365, but on the letters section today Harry gets quite a slagging. What did he say post match? I couldn't bear to listen to it.
If it's not just a bad day at the office, then what (who) needs to change? A leader on the pitch who isn't afraid to stick it to the prima donnas when they blatantly aren't up for it would be my top of the priorities list.
yep, that was toilet, Tottenham. Toilet.
When I heard the team changes I knew we'd struggle unless we got an early goal. It was patently bleedin' obvious that they'd hustle and harry us all over the pitch, so why play Jenas when you just know he's going to go missing from the off. Sgt Wilson has to start and arguably, in the absence of any other scrappers, you need an O'Hara in this situation. Why did they let him go back to Pompey exactly at the time when we need more depth in the squad. And why, oh why play Kaboul at right back? If we're going to play stick him in the midfield where he can kick a few people.
Tried to watch game on tinterweb last night with a rubbish connection, shouting at the kids to get off club penguin, facebook and whatever else they were watching. Screen spluttered into life as it logged onto a dodgy stream, first image was the back of Jenas's shirt. First thought was, this does not look good as the picture faded. Hit refresh several times and as once again the screen spluttered into life the first thing I noticed was the score, 1 - 0, the cat now has an imprint of a size 9 trainer on her backside. Didn't attempt to reconnect as I had a fair idea of what was about to come. Wolves would now sit back and soak it up as we struggled to hit a barn door with banjo.. I really thought we would be much much better. It was wolves FFS wolves. Nuff said.
Flat Track Bullies FC.
Ok i've said this before and something tells me it won't be the last time I say this but.....
It wouldn't be spurs if they didn't make it hard for themselves.
The important thing to remember is that we are improving (if you look at the big picture), last night there were many players out on that pitch who, quick frankly, shouldn't be with us next season and others who wouldn't normally get a game if other injuries hadn't forced 'Arry's hand.
By not being with us I am referring to Jenus in particular. And those who wouldn't get in the team I mean, dawson, bassong, kaboul & Niko. (Bentley also but he wasn't woeful last night). I would love it if we did finish 4th, but I didn't expect us to be in the thick of it now when the season began. I'm sure at the beginning of the season if any spurs fan was offered the amount of points we have now, at this stage, they would have bitten the proverbial arm off. I believe harry is learning a lot from this season (being his first full season) and this summer is the really important one. Its the summer where he & levy have the time to get rid of the dead wood and bring in the big signings that we need. It was never going to happen in January, no-one really did any major deals.
So in conclusion, yes, last night we were crap, long may it not continue. But the future still looks bright and this will still be a decent season, whether we get 4th or not.
Dont worry lads, I am sure we will win the FA Cup this year.................chin up - COYS.
Roll on Valentines day.
What annoys me the most is the failure of the players to evolve; and by that I mean it in the basest 'Charles Darwin' version evolution. Any animal with a brain stem learns that when something doesn't work, say for example, a long pass, then you try something new. Those that find a way are the ones that survive and prosper. All the rest just die out.
I have nothing against Peter Crouch. I actually think that he is quite a talented player with the ball at his feet, and although he doesn't posses great strength or pace, he is a decent finisher. What frustrates me is the way the rest of the team feel they have to play when Crouch is on the field. The long punts up the middle remind me of Wimbledon in the 90's. Surely after the first couple of attempts b Dawson (who's told him he can pas a ball?)
It is as if the entire team posses the memory span of a goldfish. Punt up the pitch, headed back by the defender and the second ball picked up by the opposition. One minute later, the same, then the same, then the same. It reminds me of the days when all Robbo did was try and kick the ball further than hi last attempt.
We have gone from playing some of the best football in the league to the type of football that the 'relegation' teams love to play against. We are not going to beat Boton or Wigan because they are set up to stand up to that type of football.
All the opposing defenders have to do is sit deep and leave Crouch to try is flick-on (even when unmolested by a defender he can't get them o target). All they have to do is mark Defoe out of the game. He'll do most of their job for them because nine times out of ten he's offside. Then there is noone else to challenge for the ball because they are all 30 yards behind play thanks to Dawson's bosh.
I hate it, and I dread watching Spurs lately because I know I am going to watch someone who gets paid ove £1m a year kick a ball 50 yards in the vague direction of a team mate. I'll then have to go to work on Monday and work several times harder for just 1/50th of what they earn and listen to those who suport Wolves (a couple of apprentices) or Blues (my Boss amongst others) go on about how predictable Spurs are and how the look forward to those games. (Yes, I'm a Midlands Yid).
Sometimes I envy the people who have no interest in football. Life must be so simple fo them
The most poignant word in that whole well written article was 'tiresome'. It really is getting tiresome watching this team under-perform/under-achieve/look like a bunch of t*ts. It's like England under McClaren; slowly draining away my enthusiasm. I really hope Harry Redknap has the balls to sort this out... FAST
Players not evolving. Bingo.
We can lay blame on Harry, but some of our players will never make the grade. We've got enough to improve and remain on an improved level, but it's all theoretical until we sign the missing pieces.
Where Harry and Levy hav also missed a tick is that sooner or later Lennon and Modric are going to wake up and realise that they can be playing for a club that is regularly in the CL. If Lennon has a good World Cup, how are we going to convince him to stay? We might not even get into the Europa Leaue at this rate with the fom that Everton and Blues are showing. We'll be lucky to hang on for ninth if we don't start scoring goals.
Pav is the closest thing to Berbatov that we have, and yet ou top four challenge has been undermined by what is obviously a personal vendetta by Redknapp.
Bale, Modric, Lennon, Palacios. We'll lose the lot at some point.
I will be extremely disgruntled if we loose any of them this summer, as it shows we are not serious about improving.
This issue of player mentality always crops up. It's been cropping up since the late 80's. You know what THFC needs? A revolutionary. Don't hate on me, but we need a Wenger type of manager, someone with a clear distinct vision. When we tried it before, we got Gross.
Yes, we are 1/2/3 players away from being able to sustain a stronger challenge, and even though we've lost 6 pts to Wolves, we are not that far away from Arsenal in 3rd. The difference is minimal in some ways and a gulf in others. It's just frustrating how we manage to just fuck it up. We are masters at it.
Lennon, Modric and Palacious have all signed contracts until 2014. Bale is 2012.
They need to be told now, very publicly that they are not going anywhere. Then, barring get-out clauses, we have them to build around. If they are sold it will be the boards fault.
If we don't make CL by 2014 with this platform then we might as well all give up hope.
Spooky, did you manage to get to the ground this morning for the planned demo?
Its amazing how close we still are to 4th despite being pants for so long. Surely we are due another purple patch soon? When's Lennon back? Lose to Bolton @ the weekend and that could be the season shagged.
"Could Harry have tax on his mind rather than football? "
bloody hope not
"The case is adjourned until 14 April."
that's 4 days after either our Arse game or a cup semi-final!!
I'm really, really angry. With the team? No. With 'Arry? No. With what has been written here? No.I'm bloody angry with myself. After 40+ years of going to the Lane I have allowed myself to get so involved in the belief that this was our season. After so many false dawns I really should have known better. I am embarrassed about the conversations I have had at work and down the pub recently about CL and stuff. What a pratt !!!
Ian, you should have known better!
I want that 90 minutes of my life back. Shocking shocking shocking. And yes we are playing shit and yet still within touching distance of fourth. Crazy times. Can't wait to see the line up for Sunday.
cue Jenas saying now that he's playing regularly he can look forward to going to South Africa. They all seem to be more interested in the media than in winning football matches. really frustrating. I'd actually bet on them to beat Bolton on Sat as they'll put in a huge effort to make up for last night. The thing they don't seem to realise is that there is a huge effort required EVERY time you play if you are to become successful over a season. The players don't want it enough, or have enough character. Simple as that.
Come on people. Did you honestly expect any different? It's like those traditional away day loses at WBA. Some things will nevver change.
Why did Redknapp comes out int he press talking about how we're better than Arsenal and gonna finish above them again?? We did this when we played them a few months back and we looked like mugs, now we lose to f'in lose to wolves, they beat liverpool and we look like mugs AGAIN.
I think we've been great this season but I HATE that we seem intent of telling the world we're really good through the media rather than just being really good. We do it every preseason, 4th this, 4th that blah blah... stronger squad than L'arse, gonna finish 3rd above em, lose to Wolves, egg on face.
JUST SHUT UP AND WIN THE GAME.
Just like there are teams out there that play anti-football, we are a footballing side that qualify as an anti-team. There really doesn't appear to be any semblance of teamwork, or putting in one for "the team". No, instead, everyone gets out there on the pitch and either puts in a great individual performance, or does exactly what the boss tells them to do, or both, but without any real team spirit. Everyone turns up to put in a week's work for a year's pay, and that's it. Full stop. We need that leader character so many interlocutor's state we lack, we need that team spirit that we had in the 60's 70's 80's even 90's, it's just not there.
A footballing side can have good players, very good players even, that put in 100% (minus interest) and even get lucky in a few interchanges with other players during a game, but without the gel that team spirit provides all that's team's fans will get are inconsistent performances. Because you can't get lucky all the time.
Things have been poor this year, there's no doubting that, but let's not dismiss the players or the coaching staff just yet. There is time for things to change again. I can honestly see this going down to the final 3/4 games.
its not all doom and gloom, we've been pish for weeks and somehow are still up there fighting for 4th. HR needs a good look at himself, I'd love to see Pav get a consistent chance, lets face it Defoe is shite unless its all laid on a plate for him.
I still think its all in the head, do they really want it or are they happy in their comfort zones, as "almost but not quite's"?
There's been a lot of negative comment about the team selection, but In Harry's defence, Jenas and Hudd did a good job against a combative Leeds last week so I can see why he paired them again. And many fans are conveniently forgetting that 24 hours ago they were clamoring for Niko and Gudjohsen to get a run out.
Of course, it went horribly wrong. Jenas was appalling and Hudd anonymous, Niko and Gudjohnsen were both poor.
The real puzzle is Kaboul at right back. I don't understand that at all - and he and Jenas were directly responsible for the goal we conceded.
What we see time and again is opposing players who are far more limited than our lot out-performing us. It's therefore even more puzzling that O'Hara was moved out on loan. Ok, he may not have the natural talent of the rest of our midfield but he never put in less than a hugely committed effort for the cause.
Still, in Harry we must continue to trust... (until I'm appointed manager that is, when I'll be playing a 4-5-1 with Niko left, Modric central behind either a hopefully steadily improving Gudjohnsen or a newly committed Pav - with Crouch and Defoe as impact subs)
I think the Wolves game was our first woeful game of the entire season, in terms of ineptness. One game but its how we got here that's the concern. We've just not had any flow (swagger?) for over a month. Maybe the players will wake up after this. Thumping win at Bolton will have to do for starters.
Some of these players r going throught their 4th manager at Spurs. Is it really Harry tactics/selection as it was Ramos, Jols, Santini b4. I think like Ramos mentioned that some of these players are just too thick to follow tactics.
Ben Linus on the wing
Spooky, cheers for ruining Lost for me! A "Spoiler Alert" would be appreciated in future.
This is what gets me.... HOW THE FUCK can a Crystal Palace defender who hasn't scored in over 50 games get a perfect hat-trick against Wolves yet our strike force fail miserably to claim a shot that's even on target? HOW? How does that happen?
The whole performance has left me totally deflated. It pains me to say it but I have seriously questioned 'Arrys tactics over the last two games, what the hell has he been thinking? Has this court case business got to him?
Only way we're gonna finish 4th is if the teams around us choke, like us, now.
This is why I love this blog, the Purgatory header welcomes me every time I visit and I can't help but agree.
Talking of tax matters, it looked like the whole bloody lot of them took a bung to pay off some debt or other.
You could forgive Harry’s telling lies and talking nonsense if we’re actually playing well – but at the moment, the wheels are falling off and he’s getting shown up. The transfer policy has been ridiculous (Left-footed Kaboul at right-back?)
It’s not ‘one bad game’: since December we have looked clueless and nicked the odd goal, but there is no pattern to our attacking play whatsoever. It goes: Dawson, long diagonal ball, Crouch header. That’s it. Every time he says “We play lovely football - I love watching us play” you know he’s lying as usual – it’s become even more long-ball now than the days of Paul Robinson's long punts under Martin Jol.
One main problem seems to me that Harry is completely wedded to a 4-4-2 formation – when our squad doesn’t have the right people in it for this set-up.
4-4-2 needs two dynamic central midfielders and two, balanced wingers. We have one winger (injured) and one central midfielder who can play the position (Palacios). This creates constant problems, which is why he keeps chopping and changing.
Our formation should be designed around the best players: Modric (world-class) and Krancjar. These two need to play centrally behind one or two strikers (like Croatia did with Eduardo). Then build a midfield shape that allows that to happen.
Either a diamond with Luka at the tip, or a 4-3-3. Something needs to change, as a 4-4-2 just doesn’t work at the moment. Our play is too square, and we’re just hoping for percentage long balls and crosses into the box. It’s like watching England. It's horrible.
Playing Modric out of position on the left-wing is a joke. If we slip down to 7th or 8th, I think he’ll be off in the summer.
Slaven Bilic, anyone? The new Mourinho but with flair?
dc - good points, but Kranjcar is not, I repeat not, our 2nd best player.
i completely agree...
With only 18 episodes scheduled for its last season, I had hoped there wouldn't be any more of the 'filler' episodes on Lost.
p.s Kaboul what a joke
ok yeah team selection was terribly wrong, But christ spurs players earn your ridiculous fucking wages. Every single player even the ones on the bench and gio in god damn turkey should be fucking embarrassed. seriously
sorry for the language still pissed off.
i blame harry. his problem to fix. so fix it 'arry
if it not then im good with selling half the team
better bench than the arse my left one keane. fuck off
Do you remember Harry saying he used to go and see Le ARSE with his dad, and then put his hand over his mouth and sniggered like a child telling porkies, and then saying they used to watch other London clubs. Did he ever say he went to see spurs as I dont recall him saying, maybe he is a secret Goon not wanting us to be ahead of them, I mean look at how he played against them ,playing keano out of position ??
Took me 24 hours to recover enough to start talking.Can understand Harry not being top class manager but he's got 4 or 5 assistants sitting next to him.Are they allowed to voice an opinion? I wish Jordan would flatten Jenas and Thudd to the fucking floor, and beleive me he can take them both on at the same time.Kaboul also is a retard , look at the cunt
We are Spurs. Not much changes in the Premier League and we continue to flatter to deceive. The fact Liverpool are fourth after their season to date speaks volumes.
And can anybody explain in what situation Jenas can replace Palacios in the midfield? Why let O'Hara go?
If Harry was asked this question I strongly believe he would use the Chewbacca defense.
In defence of poor old Tommy H - rememmber, Wolves played 1 up front. 5 in midfield. 3 in centre midfield. So if the big man seemed a bit 'overrun', show some sympathy, because its basicaly 3 against none in there. And whereas wolves wingers (Jarvis) are quite hard working players, we have Bentley and the frankly floppy and wimpish Kranjcar. And shirkers Gudjonsen and Defoe up top. So basically, Huddy T is fighting a lone defensive battle against 4/5 other players.