Wigan 0 Spurs 3: From Russia with a smile
Monday, February 22, 2010 at 12:01PM It was no majestic execution of total football so don't expect a club dvd release of our 3-0 away day win in the marsh lands of Wigan. However, don't be dismissing the performance completley out of hand. Take some pride from the professional taking of three points, even if it took a couple of cameos to conslidate the victory.
That Harry sure knows how to make subsititions, hey?
Okay, so for long periods of the match there wasn't too much going on and even the goal scored by Defoe to stick us 1-0 up was blatantly offside, even if the build up play (Niko and Bale involved) was deserving of a more pure finish. Many thanks to the assistant referee and his reluctance to lift his flag for that piece of good fortune. If he had eyes we'd be all busy slating JD for getting a light year ahead of the last defender before the ball was crossed.
What we got out of this incident was the lead in a game we were comfortable in, which was great because we weren't exactly having many shots on goal. I'm not about to drum up the olde 'cutting edge and lack of' discussion because the pitch was a travesty. It's hard enough for us to create chances on a decent one so no shocker we muddled through this. We mixed it up a little, tried to pass it around and had Crouch as the option if we required a long punt forwards with accompanying knock-down 3 feet away from the feet of Defoe.
Game for me changed when Modric came on.
At the start of the afternoon I found myself nodding in agreement that the lickle Croatian was on the bench. Wasn't just about the state of the pitch either. He's been a little off-key so allowing him to come on and make an impact if need be suited me just fine. Because you could see early on it was going to be one of those games we'd have to bide our time with.
Ref was inconsistent, Defoe lucky (not just with the goal but with one or two tackles and a card - thankfully just yellow). It was fragmented and untidy. King leaving the pitch just after 50 minutes was no shocker. Surprised he was risked in this game considering (no offence) that Wigan are not exactly going to pose the type of threat Everton will this weekend. We could have easily gone missing, but thanks to Wigan's reluctance to play long balls it was a game where both sides tried - as much as possible - to play football. And as for the physicality, Wilson handled it along with the rest of our players. There was no pushing powder-puff Tottenham off the ball in this game (Wigan simply not strong enough to do so).
We had the best of it in the first half, went a bit quiet and then in came Modric (for Niko) and we looked good for a second goal. Because we all know we can't rest unless we get a second.
Crouch should have scored. He didn't. Failed to lift it over the keeper. Modric unlucky with his shot coming off the post and into Kirkland's hands. When Pav entered the field of play I had a gut feeling he would get onto the score-sheet.
Scoring twice was a bit lovely considering how he's not even meant to be in a Spurs shirt. Took his first goal with ease (Modric at the heart of it, threading the ball through to him after a determined run) and then his second (from a free-kick) coming after a save from his initial header, casually slotted in through a tight gap, again with ease and a smile.
It was almost like Roman was mucking about in the playground with his mates during lunch break. Compare his efforts to the over zealous efforts witnessed in recent games. Pav was cool and calm, a refreshing alternative that we've almost forgotten about devoid of any misplaced urgency or lack of confidence. I like this Pav, much more than the one that moans in the papers, but then you can understand why he moans when he's never played. Harry, bless him, scratching the back of his neck and shifting uncomfortably couldn't quite muster up a heartily pat on the back for the Russian. You'd have noticed his comment post-match was underlined with the suggestion that Pav is a good player when he can be bothered. Yes, Harry gave him a chance because he trained well (for once). Unlike all those other times when he didn't.
"He's fantastic, trffic, quality player, top class, blah blah"
Yes, yes, if you believed any of that he'd have played a ton more games than he has. If Pav is not training well then it's probably because he's a tad disillusioned. Stick him up front against Bolton and let's see if he can do the business again. Leave the favouritism alone for once. Suck it up and just give us what we want.
Yeah, I know, I've written off Pav plenty of times in the past. Let's face it, his first season was a mess and he'd not had a chance since. Most Spurs fans would agree, so call me a soppy romantic but my heart melted for the lad when he celebrated and more so when seeing the united front all his team-mates put up for him during and after the game. He's well liked. Which is a great achievement for someone who can't speak English.
So in the end we didn't suffer the usual indignity of a last minute equaliser thanks to the magic of Modic who glided around the mud pitch like a skater on ice and Roman's clinical finishing.
We dug deep, got lucky with an offside, still pretty much dominated the game and did our goal difference a world of good along with pushing ourselves up from 7th into 4th. Again.
Happy days.
Reader Comments (66)
Harry is full of shit.
Pav is full of goals.
harry - accept the fact that you were completely wrong about pav. swallow your pride, and get on that fucking learning curve mate. Your 'mate' crouchie is shit, and the guy you clearly hate and despise is really quite good. Sort it out.Put aside your own personal vendettas and show a little bit of flexibility. And its your own fault you look so stupid.
Well done to the fans who made the trip up there too. It was almost as though they were ordering Redknapp to play Pav. Not the first time the fans have probably influenced a sub; remember that fella Ghastly?
Let the loonies run the Asylum.
I have to say I'm proud of our boys this morning. I watched the game via a dodgy stream which kept stopping and starting which was very annoying, but ultimately I got to see most of the game (I refuse to pay for sky its a rip off, especially the sky player packages). I thought we dug deep yesterday, it was never going to be a game of attractive football, due to the woeful pitch! Seriously that shouldn't be allowed at this level! But if we can show some of the fight we showed yesterday in away games for the rest of the season I'll be a very happy man. I pleased for Pav too, who may not have gone about things in the right way this season, but he took his chance with both hands which is what he needed to do. I don't think harry was taking a dig at him in his post-match interviews, I think he was simply highlighting to the player that if you earn the right to play a part in games, you will get an opportunity. I think the whole issue between pav and redknapp was simply down to miscommunication. As its been noted recently, pav doesn't speak much english, which means harry's message may not have got across that he just needs to get his head down and work. Its not like they can talk through their problems like he can with other players (who all seem very happy, even when they aren't playing). I think the agent will have been stirring things as his probable "translator", as they do to get a fee for finding a new club. Therefore I believe that redknapp has handled this matter in the proper way. If anything, its made pav more determined to prove his worth when he is on the pitch. Redknapp may have a personal issue with pav now, simply because of what pav has said about him in the press. But its clearly not affecting his professionalism when it comes to team selection. As harry said last week, if pav hadn't have got injured after he score against Leeds, he would have started the following game. Enough on the pav saga now, hopefully he will be given a well deserved start against Bolton, if not Everton.
Lennon will hopefully be back in contention by Everton the latest, providing there are no further set backs. Which is great for the team, if not a little harsh on Bentley, who has been great for us in his absence. Here is another example of what a player should do when they aren't playing, he got his head down, kept quiet and waited for his chance, then grabbed it with both hands. I think the situation may have been different however, had he not supported spurs, but nonetheless he has done himself proud since getting his chance. What happens to him after lennon returns is anyones guess? a place in the center maybe? It'd certainly be interesting to see how he'd do.
Most importantly we took advantage of the dropped points by city and pool, which will no doubt be vital come end of the season. I said 4th was unlikely and it still is, but I'll maintain that while its mathematically possible I will live in hope!
Roll on Bolton.....
COYS!
first season was a mess? sorry, but thats a dumb comment. Most foreign players take at least 6 months to adapt, and pav had a pretty solid season considering he had played right through euro 08 and was playing in a team falling apart. If you had written off pav, then i have to say....why?? So harry banged on about hopw he didnt train well. Hmmm.....so what about King? Harry, dont you fucking realise that there are no points awarded for performances on the training pitch?? ?So you thought because he trained badly, then he would play badly? Well you were fucking wrong werent you!!! Hes a good player when he can be bothered?? HES A GOOD PLAYER WHEN YOU FUCKING BOTHER TO PICK HIM!!!
bentley was told to get lost and pav was out ..media blah blah etc ......from a few fans iearlier on as well
....... they were wrong
we need the whole squad pulling together for the run in.......
super pav!
Wot problem the Lanquid Lank hasnt got, speed, power, ariel power or class, flick ons ounly asset ! Pav must be given more games, my wife speaks RUSSIAN, do You want her Harry ? Again F. Llorente C/F Ath. Bilbao is a must for next season, watch him Thurs Europa Cup Everton was no problem at Goodison park, Bentley or Bale to take penalties. The Costa Blanca Spurs
Well done the spurs - i actually thought in that second half we passed the ball better than we had done for many games - great considering we were playing on a bog!
Lets see how brave Harry is now, he knows the fans will turn on him if he does not give Pav a decent go of it in the next 2 games at least, come on Harry, 2 homes games with the fans behind him - Crouch has not scored for 7 games (i think), so some time on the bench for him i feel.
Anyone else think the Hudd had a great game? I did, he tackled very well - even running at pace at times. Well done.
I am very much looking forward to not seeing the ball hoofed upto Crouch over the next couple of games.
COYS.
I really loved the way the whole squad gathered around Pav after scoring, he must be a nice lad to have around and not the whining little prick he is made out to be.
Harry does not rate him and has personal issues with the Russian , but as spooky said ... put it aside Arry , we finally saw what he can do and that is score ... The man is a natural goalscorer but unlike Bent he knows how to play in our system.
I really do want him to succeed at Spurs and i agree that Bentley deserves credit for the way he fought back after a long dry spell on the bench. Considering he only trains and never played any real games his form is pretty amazing , but he is no Lennon. A
Oh yeah and the llorente guy from Bilbao is really strong , saw him on thursdag against Anderlecht and the boy can play
Costa Cockney , did you see the 16 yr old Belgian Lukaku on thursday against Bilbao ?
First season 'was' a mess. We signed a tired player, let him live in a hotel, he failed to learn English, he never looked the part and made no progress and showed little sign of a player with the touch of £14M. Modric struggled, dug deep, and settle in half way through it.
I'm not blaming Pav but if you look back on that first season - whether it's conditioning to life over here or not - he did little to inspire confidence in me that he would be successful. Even now, its unlikely because Harry doesn't want to play the player, although knowing Harry, if Pav hits his stride and knocks 'em in - he'll no doubt claim it was thanks to his man management and grudgingly play him as a first team starter.
Anyone else getting a little annoyed with Dawson and his blind hoofing of the ball up the pitch everytime he gets near the boy. Don't see much point in us playing little triangles then rolling it back to him to smash it anywhere Crouch isn't standing! Other than that, was happy with the performance. Same old boys were average again, bentley, thudd, defoe. Think Pav should show defoe and crouch how to not kick the ball staright at the keeper everytime they go through! 4th is realistic and is where I expect us to finish this year, we have a great squad which hopefully will be used to its full potential for the rest of the season. Wont be holding my brathe thougth!
"Took his first goal with ease ..." So glad you said that. This lad always sticks it in without too much fuss. But (I humbly implore) with the toughest part of the season coming up for us, can we lay off having a go at our players and manager? Its all hands to the pump now and I believe we supporters have to get behind our players and coach. Whatever we think of them, they are going to be with us till the end of the season. We have a tough run-in and infighting is not something we can afford.
Dawson has gone daft again in recent games. Needs to play alongside ONE player and one player only rather than being shuffled like an mp3 on an ipod.
I would love to see an article titled:
What is it about Harry Redknapp that makes him so hard to like?
Because right now it seems that absolutely anything he does, even if we win, gets massively criticized by our fans. Its doing my fucking nut in. I love to find out why people really don't like this guy. As I can't understand some comments and blogs posted over recent weeks, given that we know very little about what happens inside spurs. And don't tell me the papers give us an insight because they are all full of shit and anyone who says otherwise is a mug.
SheffSpur...... ever heard of body language? Just watch Harry Redknapp during a game.... You'll not need commentary. Sorry Shannon, I couldn't help myself..... no more negative shit from me.... promise.
COYS
atlast,finaly.All season it was Crouch and Pav with Defoe coming on after 60 min.offside man and need 6 chances to may score 1 agains some one have chance for 15 min 2 chances 2 goals.welll,well,well.Simply enough of what Harry likes bit more of whats right for the club and us.Welcome back Pav.Arry wont be able to mute any more.Keep scoring and he will have no choice
I feel you, SheffSpur. I like Harry for his common sense and the fact that he doesn't spout loads of BS, like a past manager I could mention. We're in fourth and we've had a poorish run lately, but hopefully we've now turned a corner.
YEAH!!!! FUCK OFF REDCRAPP with you personal sh!t and start thinking about Spurs you shitebag!!! Play Pav and he scores, yet Crouch runs around like a fart in a thunderstorm most of the fakkin time!! If you fuk up Pavs career at Spurs, then you should be going out the door with him! and take the fakkin Choo boy with ya!
Dawson has proved the old adage that form is temporary, class is permanent.
And spooky - "he never looked the part and made no progress and showed little sign of a player with the touch of £14M" - This is simply your opinion. Its not fact. I, and a lot of other spurs fans, saw plenty in his performances last season to suggest that with some proper support and time to bed in, he would be a very good PL striker. And we were watching the same player. He managed to score about 15 goals last season, in a struggling team, despite being ignored for the last few months. Is that really the stats/ first season performance of a player who 'never looked the part, made no progress and showed littel sign of having a 14m touch'? No, it aint is it.
The problem is, some people, harry included, will make judgements on a player apparently without actually paying attention to what they do on the pitch. Some players will still be lauded despite regularly playing poorly and making errors, whereas other players will be pilloried for making tiny errors, or (more regularly) for what they are NOT doing, ignoring the mainly mpositive work they have been doing. The reason harry hasnt played Pav has absolutely nothing to do with his 'poor' performaces last season. It has everything to do with the fact that harry doesnt like the way he walks around, or styles his hair, or wears his scarfs. It's a personal vendetta that has no actual basis in reality. Its only in harrys (and your) mind that this has any bearing on his actual perfomance on the pitch. Same with huddlestone. Guy consistently plays well, you dont like the way he runs/looks, so therefore he is playing badly. Same with Dawson. Guy is shit, but everyone loves how he runs around and grimaces, so therefore hes good. I can understand the average know nothing fan thinking this, but its very worrying when harry exhibits the same stupid lowest common denominator populist garbage thinking.
Love u really
Why do we hate Harry? well:
- he works for the sun ( a poor choice and frankly a distraction from doing his proper job, no excuse here frankly)
- is a perceived 'wide boy' dodgy dealer (and no smoke without fire, or in this instance court appearances even if the rule of law states innocent until proven guilty)
- tactically is clueless (when we lose, of course when we win it's more about luck / the players themelves)
- he like's Crouch too much (despite other managers conceding that his mere presence causes defences problems)
- is a poor man manager for criticising individuals (but it's OK for the fans to point out how rubbish some of our players are)
- and yet is also slated for showing loyalty to some (thereby giving evidence that he 'has beef' with some players and only ever lays his favourites)
- give's too many interviews with a bucket load of soundbites (as opposed to sending out Gus Poyet becasue you don't speak the language)
- Oh and he twitches a bit (even if this is down to a car crash in which three other people died)
- BUT, most of all though, his son and daughter in law (Jamie and Louise) did those god awful adverts for Thomas Cook and the Wii!
Harry Forever / Out* (*delete as applicable based on weekly update)
tonyblue: Its not like his expression changes at all throughout games anyway? So I'd love to know how you can read his body language. Even so I think he is perfectly within his rights to be pissed with someone who continually moans about him in the press. At least he kept to his word and played him.
Shannon: At least I'm not alone! =)
Chrisman, do you take te training sessions these days. You sound like an ITK to me. ;)
I must be a fool because I agree with Spooky that Pav hasn't looked like a £14 mil player since joining, in the same way Bentley hasn't come close to looking like a £15 mil player.
Still I can accept that I am wrong, so my thanks for pointing it out to all of us.
Yours Sincerely, 'an average fan'.
Tricky - love it.
It is never black and white in these matters , as a fan you can support your team and current manager but still ask questions when it comes to certain decisions.
I for one rate him for some things and loathe him for others ...
Three massive games coming up in short order and a very worrying story about Lennon in the Evening Standard today, if we can believe that rag.
Redknapp can do do no right in some people's eyes, so how is it that players like Bentley, Bale and now Pav are coming good and we're in 4th? My suggestion is that idiots like Rum and Coke fuck off and support the lot down the road.
And please, please Mikey D, with all due respect, will you stop lumping the ball indiscriminately down the pitch?
Otherwise, it's all good. COYS!
'What is it about Harry Redknapp that makes him so hard to like?'
Ask Billy Bonds that question SheffSpur.
'I like Harry for his common sense and the fact that he doesn't spout loads of BS..'
Had to have a good laugh at that one, Shannon.
Glad to see a positive post about him :) Just wanted to point out is that "krasivaya" above is the feminine form :D I assume you're not talking about Roman's wife? Most likely, "krasivo" is what you wanted to say ;)
Glad to help you out, TMWNN
SheffSpur.... you missed my point..... there is NO bloody body langauge emanating from the man to read!!
Still, thats just my point of view, and as someone a lot smarter than us both said "a different point of view is simply the view from where you are not".
So that's enough on management skills as far as I'm concerned. As so many have said "lets get behind the team".
P.S.Even if HE gifts us the Holy Grail of 4th. plus the FA cup my personal opinion wont change... Okay
Glad to see a positive post about him :) Just wanted to point out is that "krasivaya" above is the feminine form :D I assume you're not talking about Roman's wife? Most likely, "krasivo" is what you wanted to say ;)
Feb 22, 2010 at 1:25 PM | Serpent
I'm declaring my man love for Roman.
Dawson made some telling tackles and blocks on a horrible pitch... and you can't blame him for hoofing the ball up to Crouch every time. Basically if he gets the ball it's because our midfield has failed to play the ball out of our half - blame them.
Theres one difference between Pav and Lofty. Pavs actually good! Crouch is just not a tottenham player. We have never played long ball! Spurs are a passing side and always will be.
And spooky - "he never looked the part and made no progress and showed little sign of a player with the touch of £14M" - This is simply your opinion. Its not fact. I, and a lot of other spurs fans, saw plenty in his performances last season to suggest that with some proper support and time to bed in, he would be a very good PL striker. And we were watching the same player. He managed to score about 15 goals last season, in a struggling team, despite being ignored for the last few months. Is that really the stats/ first season performance of a player who 'never looked the part, made no progress and showed littel sign of having a 14m touch'? No, it aint is it.
--
He was apologetic and lost for the most part of it. Yes, he notched up some goals but he never looked like fitting in. It just felt like the right signing at the wrong time, therefore the wrong signing. I agree, the manager hasn't helped at all. I like the bloke, he's all smiles, but on occasions he was given a start he struggled. Knee-jerk from me? Possibly? But having placed aside the first season (tired, culture issues) he didn't grab his chance and was soon cast aside. With what appears to be no pressure this season and plenty of rest he answers the questions asked of him when he plays a cameo. So yeah, he deserves a chance in the side now so we can find out how complete he is up against varying standards of opposition.
Firstly, I was very happy with the result and performance.
Secondly, amazed by some of the comments on here today and just wanted to share my thoughts on a couple of points...
1) Dawson is there to defend so if he has to smack it long becuase there are no options presented from midfield then so be it - he is there to make sure we don't concde and a clean sheet yesterday is vindication that he did his job.
2) HR subs were well times and for a purpose yesterday. He has taken us from a pile of crap to having a real chance of CL football - his not perfect but lets give him a bit of credit.
3) Pav was very good for 20 minutes yesterday but I saw plenty of games last season where he was very, very average. I remain to be convinced and he will surely get a couple of games now and then we can make our minds up. I hope his annoying tendancies of not holding the ball up and going missing for 30 minutes at a time do not come back to haunt everyone who is jump on the bandwagon today.
Roman is the Russian version of Darren Bent.
Steady Jep, he's not that bad.
Anyone impressed with Wilson yesterday? Thought he handled the conditions quite well.
The legendary Martin Chivers was pretty poor in his first season at Spurs. So much so that Billy Nick ordered him to watch Geoff Hurst. The difference being that lesson learnt Nick put a figurative arm around his shoulders and he became the most feared striker around.
Harry should expend some T.L.C on Pav. He's sheer class and unlike Crouch seems to understand that you can't score against Premiership goalies by shooting straight at them. Jimmy Greaves would pass the ball into the net and Pav does the same. Even if he is sulky and moody (which I take leave to doubt) the other players clearly like him and so do we.
12-1 - must be a record?!
Look, we might release a DVD but a record? ;o) Levy aint that greedy is he?.........
I'm still at a loss as to where these 'chances' were that pav 'didn't grab' this season. As far as I have seen, both times he has been on the pitch, he has grabbed his chance and more. As I've said, and has been proved on countless occasions, it takes players about 6-12 months to properly adapt to the PL. So Pav really would have been scheduled to come good at the start of the season. And how many games did he get? None. Zero. I really fail to see how this is a product of anything but utterly dick-headed management on Harry's behalf.
I woould like to point you in the direction of a few other players who, for want of a better word, were shit in their first 6-12 months in the PL - Pires, Drogba, Ronaldo, Adebayor.....they all turned out pretty decent, didn't they? The point is, if you judged any of these palyers on their first season in the PL, they would have been labelled flops. And you would have been completely wrong, and guilty of making foolishly premature verdicts. Now, if you had waited till the end of the 2nd season, then of course you would see a helluva lot more reasons to be cheerful. But, would you have waitied that long? For a player to come good and adapt in his 2nd season, you actually have to play them!! How the fuck was Pav supposed to show what he had learned and how he had improved if he werent given ay friggin games!! And please dont say 'on the training pitch', because as we've seen, what happens in training has very little relation to what happens in a match, otherwise Crouch would be brilliant and Pav would be crap. But apparently, and mind-fuckingly for Harry, the opposite appears to be true.
Writing a player off after his first year, in a year when a vast majority of the players in the team played crap, is just plain stupid.
And another thing, which no one else has pointed out....its almost beyond irony that Harry criticises Pav for his percieved 'bad attitude' and apparent lack of drive and desire, and how he looks/acts like he doesn't care most of the time. Harry, it's a good job we don't judge you by these same standards or you would most certainly be out of a job and branded a waste of space. It's a good job most sensible people don't judge on such pedantic and superficial levels as you do. This is a lesson that Harry is going to have to learn very quickly. He is dealing with a totally different type of animal to what he is used to. He has to basically unlearn 30 odd years of how to deal with players. When it comes to managing a 'big club' he is a complete novice. In fact, worse than a novice because he has years of bad habits to unlearn. Its really my only gripe at his management skilss - its more important to Harry that he is right, rather than winning. You get the impression that it would really annoy him if Pav turned out to be a massive success and won loads of games for us. Take a leaf out of Fegie's book. Nothing is more important to him than winning.
You get the impression that it would really annoy him if Pav turned out to be a massive success and won loads of games for us. Take a leaf out of Fegie's book. Nothing is more important to him than winning.
I am 100 % with Chrisman about the last paragraph , and yeah that is really confusing :-)
Showing the odd decent touch doesn't justify anything in the way of promise - the type of promise £14M costs. Or should cost. Berbatov took time to adapt and get use to the pace, and when he did ...wow. Pav for me had no oomph and if you read back to blogs made here I did my best to stand up for him forever quoting 'tired/russian season/euro champs' etc as excuses to get him through his bedding period, but for me...it was a bedding period that left a damp spot, nothing more.
I saw enough of him to just shrug and feel disappointed. He had one or two very smart games for us, but he just seemed too fragile. Yes, there were moments which were Sheringhamesque, laying the ball off, attacking the box. But I just couldn't see him making the desired impact.
Its a joke he hasn't been used more often this season because we've had plenty of games where the Defoe/Crouch partnership has struggled and Keane being Keane - Harry should have played him earlier. Don't think he'll here cometh the summer, unless Pav plays and scores the goals to take us into the CL. Then Harry will have changed his tune (if not busy picking up soap in the showers).
where outsiders for the top 4, 12-1, even though were in 4th and villa are shit (10-3), don't think we'll do it but i can guarantee we'll finish above villa
Pav playing is like a new signing, could just be the difference between 7th and 4th.
Him and Luka look to be on the same wavelength.
COYS
"if not busy picking up soap in the showers"...... Tasty!
spooky you been there, done it? Or what?
Wait for the DVD.
"I like Harry for his common sense and the fact that he doesn't spout loads of BS."
LOL - Surely a wind-up?
As much as I support our manager, that one made me chuckle too.