The Prodigal Son
Friday, March 5, 2010 at 11:33AM by guest blogger Chrisman.
Football came easy for you, didn’t it? Ever since you went on loan to Bournemouth, you’ve been scoring goals. Good quality goals. And you’ve been making it look pretty easy. Since you were 18 years old, you’ve had the technical ability to control and strike the ball that 95% of professionals would kill for.
So I suppose it’s not really any sort of surprise that you completely take those skills for granted. I suppose it’s not surprising that, given your immense level of natural ability, you steadfastly refuse to listen to any type of coaching or advice. I suppose it’s even less surprising that you don’t listen to coaching, since the man who initially blew so much smoke up your ass and told you how brilliant you were is the man who has paradoxically been trying to ‘coach’ you for most of your career.
What you don’t have, Jermain, is the desire to make yourself better than the sum of your skills. Ian Wright, an abhorrent man though he is, had that desire. So did Lineker. It’s scary to think of what those 2 players could have achieved if they had Defoe’s talent (ok it’s not scary – they’re Klinsmann or Batistuta). Defoe, however, has neither the desire nor strength of character to achieve his full potential. He wants to do everything on his own terms, without having to really sweat, really grind it out, really put his body and mind on the line. His general attitude to adversity is extremely poor, and he seems like one of the players you would least want on your side when things aren’t going well.
It’s another example of Harry Redknapp’s in-fighting with himself. He told Jermain to play his natural game. Play to his strengths. Sit on the last shoulder. Wait for the scraps to fall for him. Score goals. Because that’s the most important thing for a striker. Scoring. As long as you are scoring, what more can someone ask…..right? Wrong. I’ve heard Harry say it a few times over the last few weeks….Jermain needs to add more to his game. He needs to work more, link up with the midfield and his strike partner more. Do more running. Use more movement between defence and midfield. Do you think Harry was saying this to Jermain when they were at Pompey, or even West Ham? No, because back then, scoring goals was enough.
But with the move up in teams comes the move up in expectations. Jermain has been here before, and for whatever reason (certainly not lack of talent) he couldn’t cut it. Actually the reason was pretty obvious – Berbatov thought Defoe was a footballing simpleton, and made it very clear that he wasn’t going to waste his time going through strike partnership 101 with him. I’m fairly certain we are approaching some sort of groundhog day with Pav taking the Berba role. Defoe might not be learning, but old Harry will not be as ignorant. Not now he has seen with his own eyes what we all saw 3 years ago.
It’s probably come as much of a shock to Harry as to anyone else that despite scoring 25 odd goals, something is clearly missing from Defoe’s game. I think it’s been a massive mind-mangler for Harry - he spent nearly £40 million on strikers, and the most talented all round player we have in that department is apparently the one who was already there. And also the one that Harry rated the least. Harry may well be stubborn and old fashioned, but he is also smart, and has a wonderful instinct for self preservation. This means that he tends to correct his errors sooner rather than later, and I give him immense credit for swallowing his pride on this and no small amount of other issues in the last year or so. It’s like everything he knew and learnt in his last 20 or so years of management has to be thrown out of the window. Flushed down the toilet. And the really sad thing is that along with those footballing ‘truths’ that Harry has to discard, there are players too. Poor Defoe (and maybe Crouchie) will soon be bogflushed like so much bumwad. This brings me on to…
…if anyone ever needed an example of how scoring goals is not the be all and end all for a striker, look no further than Ruud Van Nistelrooy. Arguably the best all round finisher you are ever likely to see, but Ferguson knew Man Utd weren’t going to win the league again with him in the team. Ferguson was able to make the brutal decision to jettison the club’s top scorer. Almost literally, he had to send the old horse to the glue factory. You can almost hear him now, neighing ‘but boss, I’ve scored 20-plus league goals in ever season, I’ve scored shedloads in the Champs League…what more can I do?’ Ferguson won’t answer, because he knows ol’ Boxer won’t understand. He doesn’t understand the complexities of the issue. He’s not programmed to think, or to understand. Just score.
Jermain is a player who can be a joy to watch. But more often than not he’s sullen, petulant, lazy and selfish. He is the classic spoilt child, told by his mentor that he is wonderful and beyond reproach. It’s going to be quite a shock to the system to see lanky misfits A and B usurp him in the pecking order for Spurs and England. Can he comprehend what is happening? Does he have the mental strength to do something about it? History suggests that the answer to both questions is no. And to be perfectly honest, I doubt very much whether Defoe cares. It’s going to be his way, or not at all.
Reader Comments (62)
i think thats a bit harsh, but i can see where youre coming from. to my mind, hes come on leaps and bounds this season, probably spurred on by the world cup and no european football and what could bascially be his only chance for international glory. He has been especially lethal in fits and bursts this term, but while we all wait for fireworks our previous momentum has dripped away. Thats where I agree with the mental strength issue - he cant captain the side, cant grab it by the scruff, cant elevate the team. except on his own ' give it to me and ill stick it in the net ' terms. which is great, but inconsistent.
seeing pav stick in such simple goals lately warms the cockels. bale flying down the wing is genuinely exciting. but i think the side lacks a genuine bona fide general. wilson one day will be that man ; we cant look to defoe for that.
I think we all know deep down he has deficiencies that irritate, but outside the top 4 - who's the best option to have? Does drive me loopy seeing him get caught offside so often. Can't be that difficult to LEARN THE RULES.
I think this is massively over harsh on Defoe
His hold up play at the start of the year was awesome. He's not in great form right now, but he's a quality player
And to call him lazy is rubbish, he works pretty hard. What he needs to learn is how to stay onside FFS!!
...and I suppose you would say of Robbie that he does too much for the team but does not score enough. In fact I bet you could level some criticism at every player you have ever seen....in fact we probably all could, so whats your point?
Nice début son, nice début.
well written Chrisman, but jermain is jermain. he's a yiddo. he has his faults. what we ned to worry about right now is who will play in he middle of the park? Modric with bale off to the left and Benoit back at Left Back? It might work, but we will be lacking a physical presence to help wilson when we need one against the likes of Zamora.
COYS
..oh hang on a minute I get your point, JD's not perfect...Genious!
Chrisman - you obviously don't like JD much. I don't agree with you but I agree with some of the points you make. Does that make sense? Ollie hit the nail on the head. The offside issue is something that Defoe has never been able to sort out. I'm not inclined to believe that half the time he moves too fast for the linesman to spot he's actually on onside. I think that part of his game is lazy.
Also I'd say mental strength is not great. Compare his penalty taking to someone like Lampard, and the gulf is monstrous.
Don't agree with the concluding thoughts of the article, at all, but very well written. Controversial really. Defoe has plenty of imperfections, infuriating some of them are but playing to his strengths he'll bag goals. Which he does. Can't say we have many alternative options at the moment.
JD has a hamstring problem. Not sure how serious.
Pav and Crouch it is then.
Very Very harsh on Defoe
He needs to work on his offisdes but saying that, if you had told me in August that he would be sitting on 22 goals at this point I wouldnt have cared about his all round play on little bit.
Lets hope the next one you write is better
CHRISMAN OUT!
The article makes plenty of valid points and if we ever plan to improve and step up a further level we'll need someone better, more rounded and more accomplished than Defoe, who quite frankly will struggle in the CL. It's a good article, probably masked because of JDs goals this season.
I have identified many of the falings in JDs game that you have - I have also heard him, in a recent interview, saying that he needs to improve his movement and link-up play. Is that just parroting things 'Arry has said to him, or has he really taken it on board? In the summer he worked really hard on his upper body strength, so he is obviously prepared to work at his game, and, if this was due to something said, then he can take criticism and work on it. He is still young enough to improve. So, I would have to conclude that it is fair enough to ask the questions you have - a bit harsh to condemn him to failure before he has a chance to improve.
I can only guess you were struggling for a topic so you plumped for slagging off one of our better players (presumably because Redknapp likes him). In respect of the offside, yes he does get caught way too often, but he plays on the shoulder of the last defender in order to gain a yard advantage - that's his game.
As for for the RVN analogy, Man Utd had a team of world class stars to choose from, we don't.
There are very few players in the world that tick all the boxes and that people will universally celebrate; Defoe scores goals, that's his thing. He isn't a hold up player or a link between the front line and midfield, deal with it.
It's like the Darren Bent question - what does he do? Bent does very little. Or does he?
Spooks, you agree with the article?
I knew this would be a negative post as soon as I read the name of the author. I think this is very harsh on defoe, he is one of the best we have got and granted he may not be a striker that can cut it at the very highest level, but that isn't where we are. He is as good it gets for a club like ours trying to push into the "elite", unless we unearth a gem like in berbatov. He is dedicated to our cause and I would say is unlikely to leave unless we sell him on, or no longer need him.
I just want to see you be a bit more positive chrisman. Just coming out and slating personnel at the club will never go down well and like Sean said, it does look like he tries to work on his game going on the effort he put in over the summer and what he has said since.
very harsh. has defoe been banging your sister or something?!?!
we've all criticised defoe in the past but on balance who better could we have in that role?
there's maybe 2 or 3 better strikers in the Prem & there's no way they'd come to spurs.
the perfect player is one in a million.
get a grip!
To each their own I suppose. Me I have quite enjoyed seeing JD hitting the net so many times this season, much as I am enjoying Pav's rich vein of current form. Doubt if Roman would have been getting all this praise a couple of months ago though. Form seems to come and go, but to be fair to JD, he has consistently scored goals for a few years now. Not bad for a one trick pony.
Scoring goals may not be the be all and end all for a striker (how else do we explain Heskey), but it doesn't hurt. I don't remember Greaves doing much else either, though it was a different era then.
jesus christ. If Defoe scores 25-30 goals every season for us - i dont give a toss. If we can line him up alongside another stricker who scores a further 20 or so (hmmmmmmm Pav perhaps) then what do we have? Rewind a couple of seasons to berbs & keane. Job done.
I do get what you are saying despite my comments here, i just think you are being very harsh on him.
I understand elements of it to be true. But that's besides the point. It's his opinion. I've never said that anyone should agree with everything posted here and would die in my sleep if I (we) churned out nothing but positivity. I'll tell you this much too - it's quite easy to tag this article as being a bit over the top and unfair, but if you guys go to WHL you'll know that there are plenty of opinions that are diverse from one fan to the next. Even if you stand there shaking your head in disagreement, the person will swear blindly they are right and you are wrong.
You'll get something different from each guest blogger and between the four of us enough mixture to keep the discussion going. Controversial first article yes, well written yes, harsh?
Yes.
Really good article, thoroughly enjoyed the read- don't neccesarily agree with all that is said, but very well written my friend!
What I do agree with is that Defoe will never surpass his current ability- no doubt he is everything you say he is, lazy, selfish...and does things his way or not at all. He has always been that. He still appears to not know the offside rule for example- Keane tried to explain it to him by pointing and shouting at a printed example but Defoe just wouldn't listen.
What I don't agree with is that this is an issue, or at least not one needed looking at now.
Thing is, when you ship out a striker that scores 25 goals a season, you have to look at where those goals will come from next time round. Manchester United brought (who had plenty of goals in them elsewhere than RVN whilst he was in the team are able to bring in Rooney, Ronaldo etc. we can't bring in this talent and certainly we don't seem to be able to harvest it. So what now?
When we are ready to take a step up to the next level (which we are not), then we can start tackling the issues that come with it. Unfortunately, Defoe is not the only one who will have to go. Jenas and dare I say it big Tom will be surefire casualties.
Before you slate me on Hudd, he was advised to 'put himself about more' to which he responded 'thats not my game'.
Precisely.
just realised i moved second paragraph to end and forgot to delete where i copied from...woops.
EDIT: Fixed it (spooky)
Additional:
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Something Spooky said, remember a month or two back when we couldn't score for toffee, I can remember plenty of people holding their heads in their hands slating Defoe. 20 + goals or not, I think Defoe is half the player he could be. Surely there is nothing wrong in wanting more from a player who has the ability to be better? How the fuck are we meant to push for honours if we accept 70%?
Welcome Chrisman. Hoping your next article is pro-Spurs.
Keep up the good work lads. And Spooky, keep those motivational posters coming.
Definately not the player he could be..........can't see him scoring against Manu or Chelski. Great against the cannon fodder though.
This article is spot on. Truth hurts.
YiddoYiddo where's my £20?
to be honest the article shows the feeling of so many of us he's lazy lacks leadership and commitment , but he scores goals now compare him to rooney , ronney is a leader has character and belief in his ablity he is not selfish but reads the game so well , you can argue that jermaine is still learning and is eager to prove himeself in a world cup year , but hes very gifted and i hope he plays all the time as he loves the club and the club love him , he is a menace and feeds off the big guy but maybe pav and crouch is a good partner ship and resteing him will have an effect like it did have on pav , it can only make him stronger , kind regards spurs fans and i hope we play the lovely football we played against everton and overwhelm fulham who are a bunch of tottenham rejects moulded togther to have some effect in the europa and epl, but hodson is a tactition he will try to stop sir lucka.m and also youthful bale ,
do you see an attack coming from wilson no he is a holding midfielder so obviously the man kranj will be the obvious man to cause problems for fulham , come the lillywhites come back woody , huddelstone , ledley ,jenas,lennon, and now maybe defoe whise you guys a speedy recovery , 1 love
On the money, but he's scoring goals so it's not a concern. Can't see us ever getting rid of him tbh not until he hits 30/31 years of age.
I don't think this is harsh of Defoe. His pluses and minuses are there for all to see. The main thing is that after so many years, and so many clubs he is still just promise. This is the first season where he is finally getting a decent number of goals in a season. If he gets at least 18 league goals this season then he FINALLY becomes a proven goalscorer, and it is long overdue. To the guy who said that as long as Defoe gets 20+ goals who cares? Well Steve Bruce cares - Darren Bent will probably get around 20 goals this season - and they are still in relegation trouble. It is not everything.
Well written piece, Chrisman.
Defoe just needs to work on the consistency of his game, IMO. Will he ever learn to stay onside? Doubt it. It's part of what makes him a tactical threat at all times. I must admit though that his finishing has improved significantly in comparison to previous seasons. He seems to still be a work-in-progress, although he isn't getting any younger. Hoping he proves us all wrong this month and through the rest of the season.
COYS!
The thing I like about Spurs fans is that we don't have that flock of sheep mentality that seems so common with northern clubs we all disagree with players, often arguements break out in the stands, once I remember a fight breaking out because Kanoute had gone down like a big girl and someone shouted at him to stop being a fanny and get up. Jermaine does have some faults and they need to pointed out to him, I would never call him a natural goal scorers in the same vein as Linker or Clive Allen, but I would prefer himj in the team, he is a pain to play against. I cannot disagree with some of the points made but Defoe can link with other players, we have seen it before.
'he may not be a striker that can cut it at the very highest level, but that isn't where we are. He is as good it gets for a club like ours trying to push into the "elite", unless we unearth a gem like in berbatov. ' Agree with this. In fact I would say, sad but true, that a team like Spurs needs players of this calibre. If we get a player who is distinctly at the top level its always going to end up another Berbatov, Carrick or Campbell. Everton, Villa etc have exactly the same problem. A the moment, due to injury, youth or simply hitting a ceiling we have four or five players at this not quite elite level. Its a catch 22. You want Defoe, Lennon, Bale, Modric and company to improve but know if they do that a summer of transfer sagas awaits.
I agree with much of this article but then I recall times when we didn't have him, or Jol/Ramos had benched him, when the game was screaming for less tippy tappy build up play and someone to just get hold of the ball on the edge of the box and leather it at goal. This, for me, is Defoe's main strength. He's not really a goal poacher as that implies he just feeds of rebounds and tap ins. Defoe is the guy who you play the ball to anywhere in the box and he will either shape to shoot or take it past the last defender and bang it at goal. Infuriatingly selfish as he may be, it's nice to ahve someone who's got the cojones to 'just twat it.' from time to time.
However, I do think that some defences have worked him out. They sit on him and man mark him, giving him absolutely no space to turn and he's too small to muscle his way through, no matter how much strength work he's done. This is where a little bit of improvement in the skill/movement department might come in handy. Go wide occassionally, or if you're being man marked then drop off and hopefully drag the man with you, leaving space for others to get into.
In short, I'm happy with defoe.
But for christ's sake GET ONSIDE!
Is there such a thing as the perfect footballer? Should we expect it?
Rooney, Torres, Defoe, Bent, Tevez, Drogba. Place those 6 in order of who would be first on your team sheet, and if he showed all the will, effort and determination in the world could Defoe be number 1 on the majority, I don't think so. Tevez number 1 for anybody? Probably not, yet he has all those attributes Defoe is said to be lacking.
As most people know Defoe can't stay onside. But he can score goals from 25 yards out with comparative ease. He won't outjump a defender like Terry, but he will outpace him.
And he won't score against Man Utd or Chelsea? Scored a cracking goal against Man U this season but maybe that doesn't count.
Defoe is great at certain things and good/poor at others. I don't see Harry playing him left midfield like certain other forwards we had as he is not as flexible in his play, however in JD's defence I would say he has improved as a footballer throughout his career and what more can you ask for?
Chrisman - next up Gomes and why he is useless?
Your comment is very much on point. A great striker will create as well as score goals and this is where Defoe falls down. How mant times do you see him play a successful one-two around the penalty area? In stead he pushes the bal to his right to get off a shot. This makes him predictable and one -dimensional and easy for world class defenders to cover. Defoe will succeed against lower quality but struggle against the very best. His scoring record against the top teams is much weaker than against those lower down
The interesting question is whether he will change and I think the answer is no!
Chrisman - next up Gomes and why he is useless?
You mean he's not?
Well written, well argued. What more do you want from a column? It raises questions and doubts and addresses them. Some of it is a little tough but straight talking and a point of view, attitude if you like, is vital for an opinion piece.
A lot of supporters would agree with most of this. His game could be improved by just a shade less 'focus' on goalscoring to his and, more importantly, Tottenham's benefit.
Because of this failing and his inability to remain onside will mean that he will continue to be a good player, perhaps a very good player, and vital to us at the moment but if we make the step up he will quickly be upgraded.
Pavlyuchenko is a much better all round player and he has the goalscoring touch at the moment. It would be ironic if he and Crouch relegated Defoe to third choice which miught happen if Derfoe is not fit for Saturday.
Chiefy - You want your £20.00 now, before the end of the season? Sure, where do I send it? Might need my lawyer to check the small print first however, I'm sure Big P had till the end of the season to match Pav's tally, not just till you decided you needed some beer money.
Thanks for all the comments. Just to clarify - I don't think Defoe is crap. I'm aware that he is a very skilled and talented goalscorer. My main point is that if we ever expect to move onto the next level as a team, the team needs to improve. Even if you asked Ancellotti, Ferguson etc they would all say their team needs to improve and players need to keep learning and developing their game. Jermain Defoe is not immune from this simply because he has scord 25 goals this season. Every player needs to improve, and as our 'number 1' striker, Deofe needs to develop his game just as much as anyone.
I've singled him out because he is one of the most naturally talented players we have. Imagine if, in 5 years time, Huddlestone was still the same player he was a year ago. However good that was, I think we could all be entitled to expect a bit of an improvement from him. I find it very frustrating when playerrs cruise through their careers relying just on natural talent, when conversely you see similarly talented players work their arse off like every game is the last one they'll ever play in - Tevez, Rooney. The difference Between Tevez/Rooney and Deofe isn't one of talent, it's one of attitude. Tevez and Rooney want to be the absolute best, and will quite frankly be pretty unhappy if they are not. Defoe is pretty happy the way things are. Which is why the long-term porgnosis for him isn't a move to one of the 'top 4', it's a move back down the PL heirarchy.
And 2 more things - this is not an anti-Spurs article. It might be considered to be anti Redknapp or anti Deofe, but please do not accuse me of being anti Spurs (for the record, I'm pro Redknapp, I just like laughing at him). Secondly, this perceived massive improvement in Deofe's hold up play is a total myth. Ok, he might be slightly better, but he's still not very good at it.
oh and yiddoyiddo - my one hope for this article was for you to disagree with it. I knew if that happened then I must be saying something right ;-)
What a load of old wank - not just the sentiment but the prose too.
Come on Spooky, don't taint your good work with this shite!
Be gentle mate. It's hard this blogging lark mainly because of the fragmented opinions of ye faithful Spurs supporters. If you don't like his next one, I'll cut his left testicle off. For the moment that's my offer. Take it or leave it.
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Order yours now!"
Nice touch spooky..... draw the poison.
And Chrisman. You're a braver man than me Gunga Din!
Let's put things in perspective. If you go back 5-8 months I was called all manner of horrid things when people browsing in failed to grasp the satirical nature of some of my articles.
If the author of the piece believes in what he writes then that's fine by me, even if I don't agree/disagree.
Chrisman - I just like disagreing with everyone. I was hoping your article about Defoe was going to concentrate on his lethal finishing, unerring eye for goal and his God given scoring prowess (on and off the pitch) so as I could argue that he's lazy, doesn't understand the offside rule, can't head, doesn't listen to the coaching staff, wears a silly earing, shags far too many fit birds, played for West Ham, is too selfish, can't take penalties, etc, etc, etc..............................
damn and I'd just finished my blog on why Aaron Lennon is massively over-rated. Back to the drawing board......