il Potenziale
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 12:45PM by guest-blogger Fox Mulder
According to the Sunday Mirror yesterday, one Jermaine Jenas has begun taking Italian lessons to prepare for a move to Inter Milan in the Summer. The papers really don't want to let this one lie and for anyone who has witnessed the man himself this season it is nothing short of baffling.
Look at the two parties - Inter Milan are one of the most decorated teams in Italian football and have won Serie A the last three seasons on the spin. Jermaine Jenas has a Carling Cup medal and won the Soccer AM crossbar challenge.
Reading this story again I considered several options:
1. This whole story is one of those big media 'in-jokes' perpetuated by cheeky Arsenal and Chelsea supporting journalists. The scoundrels.
2. It's true and Jose Mourinho is such a genius he can see something in the player that a good majority of Spurs fans can not.
3. It's true and Jose Mourinho's malevolent ego has become so powerful that it has seized control of his conscious mind and is seeking to destroy him.
4. The story is completely made up - just putting it out there guys...
The man they call JJ has polarised more opinions at White Hart Lane than I've had false dawns and I don't intend to defend or attack him here. Sometimes he's great and sometimes he's awful, a couple of screamers against Arsenal prolonging the fading hope that there is a world class player in that slim, chiselled frame just bursting to get out. In fact, much like a few of our players (Hudd, Pav, Crouch) you can even be found arguing with yourself on a game by game and sometimes minute by minute basis. "He's got a good engine, but he's too soft. He can beat players in the midfield, but he's a confidence player. He's good at set pieces. he's shit at set pieces. This game needs Jenas. For God's sake sub him off." He's like Yin and Yang, it is in his essence to be simultaenously both shite and brilliant, caught in a delicate and timeless footballing paradox. By the time I've finished the 10 minute, post-match walk to my car I'm practically a quivering, schitzophrenic wreck.
But let's say he packed his designer luggage and headed for Milan. How would our boy fair in a city that is known for fashion, food and football? What impact would he have on fans who have seen their midfield strings pulled by some of the true greats of the game?
The last English midfielder that wore the nerazzuri shirt was Paul Ince, and he is till fondly remembered in Inter folklore. After a slow start, his tough tackling, whole hearted displays coupled with a good range of passing a vicious shot were a revelation at the San Siro. His sheer enthusiasm and toughness made him exactly what the Inter fans expected when they signed an English midfield general.
So far not so good then for JJ.
But of course there already is an English midfielder playing in Milan. One who is known more for his creativity than his brutality. He's not got the legs anymore but he can put a set piece where it's meant to be. And Italians bloody love a set piece. Mr Beckham is a world star playing for Inter's fiercest rivals. Jenas would be only the 2nd Englishman currently playing in Italy, in the same city and the same stadium no less. Comparisons would instantly be drawn and I'm struggling to remember many goals scored from an expertly delivered Jenas dead ball.
2-0 to the doubters then.
However, the Italian league is less physical, more tactical and players get a lot more time on the ball. Compared to many opponents in Serie A, Jenas would probably look like he has the work rate of Wayne Rooney. He's also actually pretty bright. Word from the Lodge is that he's one of, if not THE most intellectual of our current flock. Any time there is an education initiative he's front of the queue. That's not saying much though as he's probably the only one that can even spell queue, or his name for that matter.
I for one think more English players should get out there and play abroad. We have the so-called best league in the world but foreign clubs rarely try to buy our English players. He is still young enough to develop his game to perhaps even make a decent shout for England at Euro 2012. He could be an absolute revelation and having Mourinho there would be a massive advantage for him.
He may finally find fans that really love him. He may even get his first ever proper chant - less hilarious things rhyme with Jenas in Italian than they do in English.
Love or loathe him, I'd say it's pretty universally accepted that Jermaine is not going to push on a level at Spurs, and we won't up our level with him in the team.
If he does move then I wish him the best of luck. He may not have set our world alight but he's played under about 50 managers, never moaned to the press to force a transfer and yes, he did score some blinders against the goons.
Europeans love to give their players little nicknames. In Italy Jenas would be il potenziale - the potential. If he joins Inter this Summer I'd love to see him finally realise it.
Reader Comments (54)
Superb read. Italian football is different, better? Not sure but its played at a slower tempo so would this mean Jenas is a better player in a league that is a step down from the EPL or simply that his ability is better suited to their game? And if he was a success abroad would that mean we missed a trick with him or simply validation that he can't compete in the crunching super-fast Premier league?
This rumour has persisted for an age. I call 'prank journalism'. Jose rated Jenas 2 years back and said he included him in his fantasy football side. The press have never been able to let go on slow news days.
£8M. Bite their hands off.
I am one of the few JJ defenders left but even i think the time has come to move on ... Italy ? Forget about it , they masacre players with low confidence there. Italian football is very hard on the mind and the confidence. They love their mean defenders and mind games more then they love a wonderfull strike at goal.
He really comes over as a rather intelligent , modest and pretty down to earth guy
But that are not the qualities you need in the modern game ... you need to be thick , over confident and have the absolute security about the fact that the greenwich meridian runs right through your asshole ....
let him go
He'd be crucified in the San Siro. I believe that with the slower tempo, Huddlestone's the one who would make a real impact on the continent (insert weight joke here). Jenas would just have more time to choose the wrong option.
He needs a move. I've always been someone who tries to defend Jenas but even I can't this season. I don't know if he's gone stale or what but a move might help him no end.
He clearly has some ability Jose is supposed to rate him and Capello picked him regularlary to start with. Those 2 seem to have seen something and they're not bad judges.
I hope the rumors are true and he gets a move and makes the most of it.
I also agree with the article I think England would be a far better team if more of our players played abroad.
Sheer genius Spooks.
I was one of the rare Jenas defenders right up until he put in that TERRIBLE, DESPICABLE, HIDEOUS performance in against Leeds at WHL in the FA Cup. He wasn't just non-existant he actually played like he wanted Leeds to turn us over. He was awful. After that game he turned in a few more poor performances and ever since I've felt it was time for him to go.
I have long harboured the dream that Jenas can finally become the player that we all wish and feel he has the ability to become but it has become apparent this season that he feels his time at Tottenham is well and truly up and that his days are numbered.
I think Spurs loaned the wrong Central Midfielder to Portsmouth.
Taking all the above into consideration I will STILL wish JJ all the best if he joins Inter Milan and I like Spooky hope he goes on to prove his doubters wrong whilst in the nerazzuri shirt. He may have underperformed but he's never stropped or caused trouble and you always get the impression he's trying his hardest, even when he's shit.
Let's hope if he is leaving in the summer that he can help us push for 4th spot and an FA Cup win in the time he has left with us and leave us on a high. I've never had anything personal against the bloke, he's just never pushed on in his abilities.
Arivederci & good luck JJ.
Good article Fox, I actually think Jenus could do a job in the Italian league. He would have much more time on the ball, which is where he cocks up in England. Plus he has pace, something Italian defenders/CMs lack. If this is true, I have a lot confidence in Mourinho, he knows his shite when it comes to football. So I'd bet he'd be a success.
The problem for JJ is..........this is all journalistic bollocks! lol
Lord have mercy on us if he's considered the Mensa candidate at The Lodge!
Can expect to see him locking horns with Clark Carlisle for the winners chair on Countdown then?
As for coming over as rather intelligent, he's more Buckwheat than Bohr.
Huddlestone would be the don out in Italy. I think Jenas would start riots, personally.
"Jenas would just have more time to choose the wrong option"
Hahahaha
And so true.
It ias been one of Harry's best decisions has been to look beyond JJ for a first choice CM.
Very odd that Ramos/Comolli did not see any need to upgrade the Jenas/Zokora pairing and all hail Harry for giving us something to build on in the middle of the side rather than getting overrun.
Sometimes Spooky, the seriousness of your journalism makes me think you are DL in disguise.
But then again.....naaaaaaah!!
Shit , just read it again and of course, it wasn't spooks after all, so there's the reason.
Thank God, it was almost like a parallel universe moment then.
Jenas was at one point practically undroppable. It's taken almost 6 years for someone to work it out.
Has there been any comments about whether his recent form was partially due to carrying the injury he's just had surgery for? I kinda like the guy, frustrating though he is to watch, and would like to think when he's back he'll have more impact.
Maybe I'm just deluding myself now Hud's out for a while and Pal is nearing suspension time.
dude brillant stuff.. i mean laugh out loud funny.
your article made me think a little, yes they are paid loads of money, yeah they mouth off to the press, yeah they spend more time in a tatoo parlour than the training pitch but bottom line they are human and i would love to think players like jj are trying their best problem is maybe they're not good enough.
wish we could play the scum every week, something about them inspires jj.
COYS
a good read mate, well done
Guess he'll join Sunderland or Brum next season and will look decent in an average team or maybe even send him to Fulham for their centre half Haangland or what ever his name is
Loan him to Celtic
Spooks, with the contribs of FM and Chrisman you're rapidly turning this into the best blog on the web (well, along with Nigeness). Yes, JJ to Inter, please, and I wish him all the best.
The Jenas situation reminds me of the Ramos situation, in that, one always believed that some magic would happen, if only one waited patiently for long enough. It dIdn't with Ramos and sadly,and I mean that, it isn't with JJ, despite moments of real class which he doesn't seem to be able to sustain and I'd love to be proved wrong.
thanks for the comments guys. More to come soon.
this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship....
Big Tom in Pasta-land? the spiritual home of Pizza. Holy maccarone, they´d call him il Grande Calzone after only a few months, he´d love it there though ;)
In regards to JJ,
Inter´s got the dough though, we´d probably get a hefty bundle for him so why the heck not. The lad deserves a fresh start and we deserve less migraines. If the deal pops up, we should seal it and look elsewhere, young Bostock need some White Hart Lane, its not in his veins yet and he could be sparkling in a year or so.
Or perhaps we could bring a big bag of cash to Brazil and finally get the Sandro-kid.
Mike - And there's still one more guest blogger set to debut.
Exciting times.
I believe JJ had the ability but lacked the confidence and mental toughness.
Would be interesting to see if Jose can release his potential or if its all downhill from here.
Doubt JJ has much of a future with us now.
Would have preferred it if we sent him to Pompey and kept O'Hara.
Wigan 1 - 0 Liverpool :)
I think Jenas to Inter would be horrible. I don't see him settling in early at all, given the high expectations that the Nerazurri fans have. A smaller club in Italy would suit him well. Maybe go to Lazio and link up with Hamsik and Lavezzi.
spurs going thru in fa cup would work against them , they have medicore set of players who would b unable to deal with both 4th spot and cup chase and if in this season spurs dont finish in top 4 they will surely not gonna do it in other 10 yrs as all villas, city and everton and offcourse liverpool r stronger and better, but it would b not such a big disaster afterall they r spurs who always been a medicore club with no prestige and for a club who make dvds for just a win in a mickey mouse cup finishinhg in top half would b a great achievement.
Spooks, cancel the blog, PABLO FROM ARGENTINA has spoken.
this Jenas to Milan rumour has got to be the absolute worst one ever. Even worse than the Defoe/Bellamy swap. Pablo's my good china guys, don't be too harsh on 'im. Don't speaky the lingo too well. You know how it is.
Hey gooner Jake, the Latin translation of your name isn't Pablo. And taking a trip doesn't mean you can claim to be 'from' there. So what you mean Pablo From Argentina is gooner Jake from Shitsville.
Pablo go to chile and die mother fucker,and fuck arsenal too while I'm at it you twat
...
Shame on you gooner from brazil, I can smell your mama's cunt here in LA but don't worry all gooner mother's smell the same
Yawn.
Another fooking gossip. Aren’t you guys tired of this BS? I can understand Sun doing it, but I can’t get it why would a Spurs fan pick up and wrestle this garbage.
Jenas could become a long line of Spurs Failings Jenas in a Midfield containig hudds and Lennon could shine ,but alongside palacios no way . There is one place i think he could have done a good job for us at right back or left like other players have filled in Ohara Duff to name a few .He has a good engine but somtimes play with it shut off and playing at the back you cant hide away and need to be switched on all the time .We have gone from a srtrong sqaud to a weak one and if Harry does not give some of our youngsters a chance to shine then we will be waker next yera aswell .The reason for this is no top player will sit and wait is chance and the only way is by blooding players just look at Smalling he has earned Fulham 12 millon we could save us Millons with Townsend Bostock Parret Caulker Mason Dosantos Taarabt Rose Livermore Smith if they dont get a chance we wont no.
Let him go for free for .....sake!
I remember being at Old Trafford a few seasons ago and the boy blunder scoring a great set piece equaliser for us. I was in with the mancs so kept fairly quiet, but enjoyed our lot singing 'sixty thousand muppets'. What about sticking him on the right in front of Charlie? Oh no what am I saying. Bye bye JJ, but hats off to him for never moaning to the press scumbags. COYS!
Respect for the man , never whining always busy showing other players what it means to be a pro ...
He does not posess the mindset to conquer but he is always trying to please the people. Am i right if JJ is the player we all would love to see succeed ... ?
I remember a poster indicating that he met JJ in the nightlife a few times and that the lad was never wasted or even drinking.
In the modern game with all the primadonna's and high profile stars going berserk a man like JJ isn't supposed to succeed. Such a shame because he has the technique and pace to make it happen.
Oh please tell us it is Davspurs Spooky. Pleeeeease
I managed to illicit a coherent response from davspurs! I Officially consider my debut a success ;)
The only lame part about that is the fact that you had to point it out yourself :p
Jenas expertly delivered dead balls:
Man U away a few seasons back, great free kick into the top corner.
Bendtners own goal at the lane in the 5-1.
Woodgate's header in the Carling Cup Final.
Funny- all huge goals. Even when he pulls out the goods he goes missing.
A fine read, Mulder.
But is it a coincidence that Fox Mulder's nickname in X-Files is Spooky?
Jenas is an average player at best, one that on occasion excels beyond his comfort zone and on pure adrenaline performs to a level he could never wish to compete at, consistently over a season.
Is he a good athlete? Does he possess a good engine? Sure he does. So do most footballers. Otherwise they would struggle to be professionals. Without a brain and the control mechanisms required (composure, decision making and spirit) you are left with someone who runs around without intent or true meaning because he can't quite grasp what it is he's meant to do with the alleged talent he was born with.
It seems that JJ lovers like to quote times and dates and incidents when Jenas performed well. The fact they do this more or less confirms the player dips in and out of form as often as a goldfish's memory gets reset. A good, strong footballer would retain some sort of form that is more or less unquestionable for both his manager (re: selection) and fans.
He neither has the backbone or the right type of temperament. If he was more like Lampard or Gerrard in attitude, then perhaps, but that's a little like saying if Raziak was a bit more like Van Basten we'd have signed the best player ever. Lampard and Gerrard are (at their best) completely self-important c*nts who believe themselves to be fantastic players. Jenas doesn't even think he's half decent. He has no self-belief. At all. Nothing.
I've used this analogy plenty of times, it changes a little every time, but in a nutshell:
If Dave Mackay was locked out of his own home, he'd take a step back and then shoulder barge the door till it's decimated then walk in. Jenas would softly knock at the window, not too loudly in case he woke up his sleeping pet cat, and then whimper his way to the local park, find a bench, and sleep there till the morning so he could call a locksmith the next day.
Jenas is vastly over-rated by the people who continually stand up for him. He's stood at the door of fulfilment for a good 5 years now, and he has yet to walk through it. He doesn't have the balls to do so. Good honest chap, no doubting, but too bloody nice and too bloody scared.
He is the perpetual enigma of disappointment, the poster-boy of what ifs.
Yes, he played rather well alongside Palacios. So f*cking what? All that tells me is that Wilson was immense during that spell and good olde JJ didn't have to do much because his confidence elevated thanks to the hard work of our Honduran panther. Stick him in there on his own, give him responsibility and he'd shat his pants faster than you can drop an Opus and break your foot.
"He may even get his first ever proper chant - less hilarious things rhyme with Jenas in Italian than they do in English."
Fucking Genius!!
Jenas is, has always been, and always will be, shit. He was shit before we signed him, and will be shit after we sell him. How it has taken usually intelligent, reasoned human beings about 8 years to work this out is beyond me. His only good period of form for Spurs was with Carrick and Davids covering for him (ie doing the real midfield work rather than flitting about like some startled greyhound). But alas, because he runs about lots (and lots) most people were unable to see his total toiletness (ha thats a good nickname for him - his royal toiletness). Probably a nice lad, but who gives a fuck? He ain't going out for a pint with us is he?
His whole career has been full of totally unjustified hype because hes young, fast, and scored that belter v man u about 10 years ago. He has never been anywhere near a viable option as a CM - he doesnt have the intelligence to create, and doesnt have the heart or commitment to destroy. A nothing player.
Hello Foxy - also, JJ will never, ever go to Inter, unless it's just before Mourinho leaves as an 'in joke' for the next Manager to laugh at. It's propaganda from his agent to fool people into still believing he's actually good. Remarkably, it's worked. The amount of people who will respond to the 'Jenas is shit' argument with the defence 'well if he's shit, how come Mourinho wants to sign him?' is shocking. The Jenas to Inter transfer story ranks alongside the 'Harewood to Spurs' story in terms of credibility. Fox, don't give this kind of bollox your time, it just gives added impetus to the Jenas Express at a time when it seemed (thankfully) to have run out of steam.
Decent player; zero balls. Only turned it on when up against big teams, couldnt be bothered against the lesser teams.
He is a player that sums up Spurs perfectly. Talent is there, can turn on brilliant displays, lets us down far too much