Not for the faint hearted. It's the NLD...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 3:01PM It's not lost on me. The irony. That we can have a season full of hope and genuine progression, not of the deluded kind, but the type where other fans concede (and thus confirm) that we have made some decent strides forward. And yet two successive defeats could result with the gold at the end of the rainbow lost for yet another season in a downpour of angst and pain. Eternally, it would seem, out of our reach.
Some have knee-jerked already. Harry out. Yes, we do have fickle fans who seem to sing with the rest of us and then riot the moment things don't go our way. And yes, it's frustrating to see the same tired excuses suddenly cameo to ruin what was a perfectly good Cup run. But these things do happen. And to suggest they always happen to us is the type of victimisation that a fan of any other club, even the ones that win things regularly, mumble about every now and again. The world and the Gods of fate always stand in the way, as its usually the only comfort we can take when, I don't know, people slip in the mud or a perfectly good goal gets disallowed. How else do you get your head around it? Oh right, of course. Blame the manager.
Depending on your perspective, the season will either end in tears or be one that we can look back proudly on - and that's even if we fail to finish 4th. But then that depends on whether you think/believe Harry saved us and has got us moving forwards or whether he took advantage and acted out his saviour role but will struggle (is struggling) to take us to the next level.
How bad were we under Ramos? Two points, eight games bad. Bad enough to go down? Probably not. All it needed was some back to basics that he (HR) provided. He got us on the up, when most thought he'd fail. So can we really truly be critical of him considering how the opposite of patience (what we usually dish out on and off the pitch) has hardly ever helped? Yes, he's an interim manager (IMO) who will pass us over to the next big thing when the time comes, but his work is far from over. Stability is the key. Otherwise there is nothing to be handed over, apart from another fine mess.
Perhaps with the money spent and the players we had - at the start of this season - challenging for 4th had to be a given. It's turned out to be a given through-out thanks to the hard work and graft by all concerned. It's quite obviously never been a banker. But then that was never going to be the case. We've made ourselves CL contenders, with the aid of the ever decreasing power of some of the Top 4 sides (Liverpool anyone?). Some fans will say that 4th this season was never the objective and that we have over-achieved and based on last seasons antics, we should be happy with our lot. I see that as nothing more as a ready made excuse to appease people who can't handle the pressure.
It's all part and parcel of supporting a team. You're going to have ups and downs, and in this era of the monopolised Sky Sports 4, you take what you can when you can and try to make the most of it. And in the midst of it all, you make sure that the club and team grows and matures and progress is had. We've dropped points that would have been useful at this juncture of the season. But we lost them because we're not quite good enough, in some quarters. Beating sides who defend deep and with numbers and breaking them down has proved to be a bugbear. We'll learn from it. There is tinkering to be had with the midfield and the attack and sustained long term plans for the central defence conundrum (i.e. King's future). We'll learn from it and push onwards because there is no other choice.
Okay, so it's gutting there is no additional Wembley day out. Move on. It's done and dusted.
Chelsea on Saturday. Utd the following weekend. Yes, we have injuries. Yes, arguably we might not have players mentally strong enough to pick themselves up from the Pompey loss, and if that's the case then all that's left to do is renew our season tickets and look forward to a summer where City will spend half a billion and we request donations to the Tottenham Foundation when the poorer side of Manchester come knocking. We'll be in the thick of it again, no doubt. Regardless of how much other clubs look to improve, we'll improve ourselves. Which makes the Premier League even more open and entertaining.
But before all that, there's the matter of the NLD to be resolved. Two sides, depleted, both not at the level they wish to be and both having their own personal and differing issues with defence and attack selections. It's open. Its massively open. More so than you think. Yes, it can turn into a one-sided affair, if either the whites or reds take the initiative and turn the tempo to a pulsating level early on. We've seen that happen plenty of times before. Or perhaps one team might dominate, and the other nick a point at the death. Or perhaps, tired legs will play a fatal part in the result. One thing is for certain, there is far more of a 'underdog' feeling about this based on the fact that we've not had that much time to rest and the fact we've been dumped out the Cup. But alas, excuses, excuses. I don't care for these minor details. The game is completely unpredictable. And I'd be damned if I was going to sulk pre-match about it.
It's the North London derby. A match solely based on matters of a footballing nature. No politics or religion. Just football. Two neighbours forever hurling abuse over the garden fence. Would not want it any other way. Well, apart from perhaps building an extension that casts a shadow over their back yard. Knock-down ginger doesn't quite cut it anymore.
Form guide? 23 games. Same amount that Gareth….sshh. Don't say it out loud.
The players, they should be fired up regardless. As fired up as the fans. No one can argue that we've not had our moments in these games in the past, but having moments is not always enough to guarantee the three points and the all important bragging rights. One of the inherited legacy problems Harry has is the fact that unlike other sides (City, Everton etc) we never manage to get one over our rivals. We always turn it into a struggle. That's how we roll. Perhaps its because of the hype, self-perpetuated by stupid players and the media that we are somehow on par when we're not. Dig deep, play the role of underdog. Show no respect. Because on the day the belief can be that in the 90 minutes - we can better them, and surely that's all that's required? That's how we should roll. We did exactly that in the 5-1 semi but went to pieces earlier this season over in their patch.
But fuck me if you think I'm going to dig a grave six foot deep and dive into it with a copy of The Opus and a lock of hair from Daniel Levy (use your imagination).
Yes, it's going to be a bitch. Gotta love the fixture list computer giving us these three games towards the end of the season (insert David Dein conspiracy theory here). It happens. No reason to complain. Two London derbies and a trip to Old Trafford. I'll take that gladly thank you very much. In amongst it with the potential to rattle the odd cage or two.
So yes. We've got injuries. And yes, City are ahead in the race for 4th. And yes, most gooners I know have gone from saying they'd be happy with a point to now telling us they will win with ease. All because we lost to Portsmouth. Enough of the sound-bites.
It's a North London derby. Selection headaches, positions, aspirations. All irrelevant for the occasion at hand.
It should be nothing more or less than the most important 90 minutes of any season. Blood, thunder, drive and spirit. And tenfold passion. How else can you possibly match the noise in the ground? If that can't elevate you then nothing can. And yes, bite me, I'm a football romantic, but to me these games should be defined by guile and tenacity of the players out on the pitch. And not because XXX is out injured watching from the sidelines.
To dare is to f*cking do, so just f*cking get on with it and do it.
COYS.
Reader Comments (90)
St Arse Day. The Day Arsenals season ends.
Quick word to you Anti- Harry knee jerkers...go fuck yourselves, you're not worthy of being fans. COYS!
i share your sentiment, ryman
What a game!! What a night!!! 3 points off the scum, 2 new names on this seasons scoresheet, Gomes a hero, right up citehs arse, FA cup forgotten and the boys are flying. Bring on the Cheatski!
For all its ups and downs I am fucking loving this season. Don't care where we end up.. just more games like these please
COYS
In hindsight, could've been slightly better phrased, however the message still stands!
I F*CKING LOVE SPURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YID ARMY! YID ARMY!!!!!
As Delia Smith once said when pissed as a fart " COME ON GOONS, LETS BE AVING YOU"
im so happy i could hug sol campbell!
no wait, i dont mean that but you get my point. :-D
True enough David, though I would never wander into one of their poxy blogs for fear it would sully my beautiful yiddo mind.
I ain't holding my breath for dear Brook and the other scum to show up now. They're probably too busy getting the rope, as well as the pictures of Arsene out so they can get ready for that final wank into oblivion ....
A big thank you to the Arsebuckets who bothered to come on here, act all cocky and start trolling. Karma's a real bitch, eh?
DVD sure to be out in a week's time :P
You are probably right, nycyid, I guess we will just have to wait a little longer for their sparkling wit and repartee.
Currently watching the match again on football first.
Will be at the club shop tomorrow, buying the DVD.
Was it just me, or did Hudd finally look like the finished article tonight ?
Still just a boy in a mans body (no wenger jokes please) but appears to be progressing and is still only 22-23 ?
My big takeaway is to never doubt Spurs. Not this year. They have surprised me too much this year to ever predict anything.
While I would LOVE for us to get fourth this win really makes my season!
You are right about karma, docomospur! I think you mentioned that to one of those scums a few days ago.
Brook in 3 2 1.....
"To dare is to f*cking do, so just f*cking get on with it and do it"
I applaud you Spooky. We've silenced the gloating twats. It's so quiet, it's so quiet, it's so quiet over there....
God that was good. Nerve wracking, but so goooood. And to use a burnt out Arsenal refrain, we did it with our kids, what with Rose and Bale both scoring. At least that's what those homeless cnuts would say. Wankers.
And I'll be damned if it doesn't give me a full blown hard on for next season. I'm not jumping ahead and thinking or meaning 4th and CL, I just mean in general. The league and whtever fucking cups we're in. I look at that side and in my mind I add in Woodie and Lennon and Niko and Palacios and then Sandro. Plus I expect we'll make a signing or two...and well...if we can stay fit...well..if Rose continues and Jake the Peg does too...welll.
It's all just COYMFS. I feel confident, and for once it's without the niggling doubt. Fuck that we'll have played thrice in seven, bring on fucking Cheatskum.
fantastic result, after all these years....finally and what a time to do it. Our players were brilliant, bale was a beast, ekotto was brilliant, kabol done a great job, king...well king is the KING. Dawson, if anyone says he is not a YID just check him out at the final whistle.....Dawson was a legend tonight, I love him. Pav I thought done a great job. Gomes was out of this world. Well done Rose, an amazing goal, and if defoe can pass like that 2nd goal, why the Fuck does he not pass more often.
Now then, unfortunately I was not at WHL tonight, something to do with having emptied my piggy bank for the semi final. So I watched sky. How the Fuck can andy gray be allowed to comment on national tv, its a total disgrace the fat prick.
Andy gray.....EAT MY GOAL you tottenham hating knob end.
Bring on the chelski next, round 2.......ding ding.
Beautiful, beautiful tottenham. COYS.
I'm utterly spent.
Oh, and people expecting Arsenal fans to re-surface in here and other blogs/forums. Don't be silly chaps. They will wait until its safe, you know, if say we lose on Saturday or fail to finish 4th. That's when they're reappear. It's how they do things. The miserable mongs.
COYS.
Awesome
A beer for every year since we last won in the league.
Good night.
Against the scum
Beautiful. Did a anyone catch the goon on Talk Sport straight after the game? Track it down fella's, he's in tears. He is so upset and he's taking it all out on Stan Collymore-'you hate Arsenal-just admit it!' boooo hooooo
Classic CLASSIC evening.
COYS.
Well, that was a bit of alright. Seriously thought about bottling this, just recording it and watching it after work, rather than using half a vac day to get to the pub. But part of being a Spurs fan is sometimes having to take the beating, like spending close to a thousand bucks to go to London (in February) only to watch us lose to Manchester 0-4. While not as economically expensive, watching us lose in the company of plastic American Arsenal fans would be horrifically damaging to the psyche.
So thank you, Danny Rose. Thank you for reminding us all what to dare is to do means. Thank you, Ledley King, you inexplicable non-training freak of footballing genius. Thank you, truly madly deeply Dawson and Gomes, you daft brilliant bastard. That hug at the end made me well up. Thank you, Defoe, for actually passing the ball for once. Thank you, Gareth, you energizer bunny, you. Thank you Benoit, for putting it on the line. Thank you, Thud, Kaboul, Bentley, Modric, Eidur, Pavs and Crouch. Thank you all, for just being Spurs. The lows can be devastating, but nothing can beat the highs!
Thank you Mr Redknapp
Well done to the lads and thanks to Harry for tonight result too.
Anyone having a pop at him has got to be a gooner IMO.
Dear Mr Levy, thank you too
10 years is still 10 years.
U spurs must be happy Van P didnt start.
Good goal from the youngster though
I'd actually prefer it [ if RvP started] because then you gooner cnts wouldn't be spouting those shite excuses. Glory glory Tottenham hotspurs and spurs go marching on!!!
Go fuck your self - Loser!!
After Sunday's debacle, I became disillusioned. I hated football and considered divorcing Spurs as my team. I couldn't bare to take anymore humiliation from a team I adore passionately.
All through last night I kept thinking of the NLD and what will happen. As much as I tried to get it off my mind the more engaged my mind was on what will happen. I kept dreaming of what will happen in the match. I wanted to get the match and Spurs out of my mind badly but it was a losing battle. When I couldn't take it anymore I finally decided to get out of bed, get a shower and head off to work, hoping that will clear my mind once the sprinkler starts to drench my body with warm water.
Again, my mind kept going back to the NLD and what will happen. Suddenly it hit me. I don't hate Spurs and football. Basketball and Miami Heat will not and can not replace my love for Spurs. My love for Spurs is unconditional no amount of disappointments can stop me from loving Spurs.
At that moment, my love for Spurs got reawaken. I was like what the hell, it wasn't like Pompey played us out of the park. We dominated the match and we should have won. No reason to feel April will be a losing streak month for us. We can actually take on the Scums and win.
With my clothes already laid out, I decided to change it up and don my Blue 07/08 jersey. I didn't care if I was going to be the laughing stock of the world cos as far as I am concerned, I am a YID for life and nothing can change that. Our motto is To Do is to Dare. We haven't beaten the Scums in the league for 10 years so nothing says history can't be rewritten.
Texted all my gone friends that I am back out of solitude, and ready to do battle. Told them they are going down. As expected the replies I got back were mocking messages and reminder of RvP being back from injury. Did that shake my confidence??? Hell Nah. I had a feeling today was going to be our day and by Holy jove, Danny Rose and monkey face ex-jinx, Bale, did me so proud. Gareth, I am sorry for calling for you jinx all that time when you were struggling to find your first win in the league. Please don't leave us at the end of the season when old scout face starts talking you up.
Thanks Spooky for keeping the faith and the excellent words of fighting battle cry you posted. Don't be surprised if 'Arry took the article, invited an actor to read it in a dramatic fashion to the team prior to the start of the match, and ended up pumping the boys to play out of this world.
If we don't end up taking 4th, this victory has more than made up for it. I am so past the painful semi-final loss, and I am looking forward to us thumping the next Scums of London on Saturday.
Fair play to you for at least showing up Mr Arsenal. Too bad your team didn't :)
I live in Cleveland in the US. All of our sports teams are cursed or have been bad...and it matches up to Spurs history pretty well (not knocking the club at all). Beating Arsenal, for me at least, is like winning a championship in Cleveland. Fucking awesome game, and probably the highest feeling I've ever had. Words can't really even describe how great how this season has turned out.
COYS!
I was at another football game yesterday, my home club plays in the league play offs for the title (we have a strange league system in Belgium) but tracked the livestream on my blackberry
When Bale scored i jumped up and cheered , while shouting eat that you fokkin scum ... needless to say i got about a 1000 strange looks from the other fans in the stands (the game i was supposed to watch was utter shite) untill someone from the other side of the stands stood up and yelled at me ... YID ARMY :) Turns out there are two more Belgian Yids in the Kaa Ghent stands doing as i did , watching the game on their phone (and paying lots of money for it) ...
I fokkin love this totally screwed up club , they always flatter to deceive but when you least expect it the love you thought was lost on them is thrown back at you in a mayor way.
COYS !!! and then some ... YID ARMY ... Bragging Rights are ours at last.
My head hurts, bursting with pride and a hangover.
I didn't dare believe it was actually going to happen until the final whistle. Did a lap of the pub, as caution was thrown hither and thither.
It's not the be all nor end all of things, but today the pain feels good.
Funny thing is that I had all but given up any hope. I expected the horrible goons to rub in Sundays result. I could'nt believe what Barca...sorry, Spurs were doing to the goons. Modric was IMMENSE! Sometimes I understand wher his world class tag comes from. I LOVE him so much right now. Bale, King, Rose, A&E, even Kaboul, that was a great days work guys. I'm so so proud.
Note to Harry Redknapp: Thanks a lot for deciding a win for us long suffering Spurs fans is worth more than another attempt at securing the beanpoles World Cup berth. Without Crouch, as you must have realised yesterday, we are capable of anything. Thanks again. I'm delighted with Rose's selection. Try that again sometime, with Livermore, Bostock, and Giovanni (if still possible). Cheers.
Spurs are that chick in your office. You know that chick, she's hot bit she's a moody bitch and you just never know. A smile or a wave in the morning or she might totally ignore you. Well last night was the office Christmas party. And she was there of course. Got off to a flyer. 10 minutes in and a nice dose of nipple slip at the punch bowl. Again 46 minutes in she's picking up a dropped purse and did I really see that? Is she wearing? Is she not wearing? Fuck I don't know what isaw but I know I need a drink. So I get a bit pissed and conveniently forget everything for the next almost hour and then holy shit! Were in the photocopier room, and what I thought I saw earlier I know (she wasn't) and that slipped nipple is in my mouth and it 2-1 and she swallows and the arsenal can all fuck off.
Oi! Don't steal my name. Even though I've lost my voice.
Airports are closed because of a dangerous ash cloud.
London Fire Brigade do not think it is connected to the aspirations of Arsene Wenger, which coincidentally went up in smoke last night.
"Getting broken into by burglars (cost of fixing door £200).
Replacing your fiancee's stolen jewellery (cost of £5,000).
Then sharing a Papa John's Pizza (cost of £20) with two coppers at your own home, one who is a Goon, the other a Spurs Fan, whilst watching Arsen'l getting fucking battered...(Priceless).
For everything else there's Mastercard."
COYFS !!!!
P.S Where's that "Mr Arsenal" cunt giving all that mouth from the other day on this forum ?!?!? Bet he's crying his eyes out right now !!!! What a cunt !!!
An amazing performance from every player.
No offside goals, dodgy penalty decisions, fluky deflections.Arsenal just got played to perfection. Walcott , ha, ha ha, ha, Bendter, ha, , Sol, haaaaaar, RVP world class you maybe but so is our goal keeper hardy ha ha. Sky and ur Sun reading telly clappers hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahah.
Bring on the Cheatski. We'll do em