How very Tottenhaming of us
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:07PM I was in a restaurant in the middle of nowhere (might as well have been on the edge of the universe), with absolutely no type of mobile phone signal at all. 3G, Edge, cellular data of any type - Zilch. No texting, calling, no nothing. Couldn't possibly ask anyone else on the table (98% women) if I could borrow their non-o2 network phones just to er...check the...er...weather, as my cover as devoted partner to Mrs Spooky would have be blown (her birthday today). I gave up in the end, deciding the anticipation of tonight's result would drive me to much excitement when I browse into the BBC's footie page on arrival back home.
Ooh the disappointment. Akin to dressing up in a tuxedo for the prom only to find out at the end of the night that your sexy prom queen date has a penis tucked away Buffalo Bill style.
3-2 away night defeat to a supposedly mediocre (based on current domestic form I was told) side. I've not actually read the Beebs report - or any report, or browsed to any forum or spoken to a soul. The headline was all I had time for. Nervous Spurs, right? FFS. Not this shit again.
I'll hazard a guess and then you lot can write up your opinions below in the comments section for me to read over my morning bowl of cereal, as I have a crying baby daughter that is apparently far far far far more important than some tin-pot qualifying game (not my words, the missus).
So, my guesses:
1) We failed to turn up, getting all trembley in the knees by the significance of the occasion, failing to simply embrace and take hold of our own destiny, and instead preferring to hide in the corner, wetting ourselves. Young boys in Lilywhite.
2) Keystone Cops. Any episode.
3) Textbook Spurs, getting all the haters hating, do it the hard way because its the only way we know. Will end up stuffing them back in a glory glory night at the Lane.
I have a feeling it's an element of all of the above? I don't know, you tell me. And all this after looking every bit the CL team against Man City.
RIP, the dream is over, razor blades etc etc
What's that you say? Two away goals? Hmm...
Reader Comments (118)
Just for the record, I had someone email me a while back and say that I shouldn't have guest bloggers because it deters away from my own personal philosophy and that guest bloggers should actually have the exact same type of philosophy I have. Well, no actually. Having incarnations of me would actually be a redundant exercise. Having people who are different to me in both style and opinion is more fitting with this place. IMO of course.
People always have the option to browse away - but lets be honest, I can pick out 10 Spurs fans off any forum or from the ground itself and they will also swear blindly to their own personal opinion. Who is right and who is wrong? Well, that's the crux of it.
The trouble with opinions Spooky is everyone has one.
Fortunately for me...my opinion is always the right one ;)
Yes, every one has an opinion, and that isn't a justifiable reason to give them a soap box, but I didn't choose lightly and Chrisman along with the other two have done a fine job - okay, so controversial at times but then that's also dependent on personal perspective.
Opinion is always divided but it's how you present the opinion that really determines whether it's controversial.
I will conceed that Dawson often needs an experianced (and preferably quick) partner with him, but to denounce him as being piss poor on the basis, it's a opinion you've held for years therefore the next bad game he has you are justified in you opinion, is definitely more of a controversial statement as the author is just backing opinion with more opinion...
IMO Dawson is a very good defender yet he needs support. But don't they all...name a defender than can play defence on his own?
Canada Yid - yeah, cos he was brilliant at CM last night wasn't he?
Jonny B - just backing opinion with more opinion? Well I am basing this opinion on evidence I've seen, like his performances. It's not just something I've plucked out of thin air. And when it's so staggeringly obvious, like last night, I think it's pretty reasonable to mention it. So you think he's great. And if he plays a blinder on Saturday, would you not use that to back up your opinion?
A 'very good defender' doesn't need someone very good playing alongside them to organise a tight defence. Being a 'very good defender' is more than slide tackles and diving headers. Look at how John Terry was exposed in the WC when he was seperated from King/Rio/Carvalho
Chris, look at the goals again from last night on YouTube. You can't deny that in the positions that Dawson was in when 2 out of 3 goals were scored are areas that he would normally slide into but instead he looked flat footed and scared. He might have dived in 10 mins from the end but by then he would have felt more comfortable on the surface than he did at the beginning when the goals were scored. He was, by all accounts, terrible last night but in my opinion it really is a one off and he is great in those situations under regular conditions. Saying that he's been terrible for four years, after he got player of the season last season, just indicates to me how wrong you are. But hey, like we say, everyone has their opinions so apologies if I was a bit harsh.
I personally think we need more cover for CB than any other position, with last night being a prime example.
My neighbour put her head over the fence and asked me to tone down the language in the first 30 minutes after her little girl was playing in the garden and went inside to ask her what a cunt was. Still we recovered a bit of composure and Pav scored a very good goal. The team Harry put out was very odd given how well we played at the weekend.
'he looked flat-footed and scared' -that's how a defender looks when they are positionally unsure. It might seem like I'm going overboard on this, but hopefully someone can back me up - when you are playing at a good level (not necessarily professional) you can be the best and most athletic tackler in the world, but if you are not in the right place you will look absolutely clueless. like you're wandering around half drunk. It's so difficult to notice when it's done well.
With King he know's what's what. Ledders will be constantly talking to him, and Dawson will know to base his position on where King is, and he wil look a lot better. More 'sure-footed and confident'. Once you know you're in the right position, then you can get on with the actual defending. If you don't have that positional nous, you can't actually do your defending.
With the first 2 goals, he couldn't slide in, because he wasn't in the right position in relation to his man. That's because he had been sucked in to the ball. He was attempting to bale out Bassong and deal with his man, when in fact if he had just stayed on his own man properly he could have averted the danger. You can apportion blame to Bassong for this also, but the fact is that Dawson is the more senior player, and he should know that what he is doing is basic bad defending.
Off the top of my head, he did the same thing V Burnley last game of the season. Ball comes across, King is ready to deal with it, but for some reason Dawson tears over to King's man, ball goes over his head, and where Dawson should be there is a free striker with an easy chance. King just gives him a look like 'what the fuck are you doing?' Same thing happened twice last night. It's just a fractional, momentary lapse, a rush of blood, but you will get punished time and time again at the top level for it.
As for him being player of the year...yes, fans voted him as the player of the year, but this is more their favourite player, rather than the best player. I know most fans have a thing for him cos they want to ruffle his hair etc and cos he seems so nice and genuine. To be honest, he has often played crap but people are blind to it, or are prepared to very easily excuse it. Compare this to the stick Charlie gets, despite being a far more solid defender. Dawson is a fan favourite and that will not change, and this fact means most fans rate his performances as being far better than they actually are. For example, you can't seriously tell me he was consistently, over the course of the season, better that Hudd, King, Gomes last year? I'm obviously prepared to agree to disagree, but when he plays poorly don't expect me to not comment.
Spooky has me on here so in these dark hours, everyone can be galvanised and united in their revulsion at me. Like Bin Laden or something
Look at this negative bastard... "in these dark hours"...makes you think we're doing badly, what with that finishing 4th malarky...one bad game on unfamiliar soil, so to speak. Its a blip nothing more, not the end of the world as chrisman would have you believe...
I nearly cried and rowed with the Missus, god I love tottenham! It just wouldn't be fun without the drama!!
Come on guys go easy on chrisman.
Daws has his faults but im confident as he develops he will iron them out much like tommy gun.
BTW the sun gave pav a 7 out of 10 and star man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
in these dark hours? apart from being a tongue in cheek comment.....nah not really. I actually thought apart fron the defending we were ok. As I said on prev post, if it wasnt for the bad defending we wouldnt have lost. The problem is that saying that Dawson is sometimes quite shit is akin to the world actually ending.
Well thank you Chrisman for being a martyr and allowing yourself to become a target for our vitriol...we are indebted to you.
I'm just kidding, there are plenty of know-nothings out there I could target if I honestly felt like randomly lamblasting someone just to releave the pent up anger and aggression I'm currently feeling 'in these dark hours'.
Actual fact is, I'm much more pragmatic than that and therefore don't see this as being a particularly dark time. I just generally take exception to you stating how Dawson is so poor because he had a few dodgy moments in his career. To cite Terry as a comparable is just plain silly, Terry is at the top, has won plenty of silverware and is a mainstay in the England cockup...er, setup. Dawson and Terry do play a similar stlye and both have been found out when lacking the right defensive partner, so who is the poorer defender, the man who can't do everything on his own or the defensive partner who doesn't complement him? Given the right player alongside him, Dawson would be at the heart of a very solid defence.
To chrisman. I'll back you up as my post on page 4 does.
I like Les though. Ok he's not the worst defender in the prem. As I said he actually plays better when king is beside him which you have explained quite nicely.
Everyone else.
As I already said we are all entitled to our opinions but nobody on here has the right to slag off or personally insult anyone else because of those opinions.
Let's not turn this into a bloody farce. It's a bit childish. Oooh I don't agree with him so I'll call him a sad bastard or something because he didn't worship at the altar of dawson because he's god.
Ffs
The problem is, JonnyB, that King is not going to be there to make that 'solid defense' every week. Its no surprise that last season, the first season in 3 years when Carvalho was fit for the whole time, Chelsea win the prem. We can't rely on King to be there all the time to sort Dawson out. Yeah Dawse can handle the PL minnows, but if we get in the CL the big games will come thick and fast, and Dawson is either going to have to improve quickly, or get show up regularly, cos King can't play 2 games a week (can he?). Players like Carvalho, King etc would make anyone look good playing alongside them. The real test is when Dawson has to play withour King, and be the 'King' to Bassong's Dawson (if you get me). If Bassong is still making the same mistakes in 3 years time don't worry, I'll slag him off too.
I don't have a personal vendetta against him, and credit where it's due i praised him for his vast improvement in the last 2-3 months of last season. But it was back to the bad old days last night. It's like with Defoe - i seriously wonder if he can make the step up from good PL performer to genuine top level player.
LOL at Wrensta regarding the language!!
What disturbed me most was my 4 year old son's behaviour....
Firstly, I must state that both he and his 6 year old sister are Junior club members this season (though still awaiting their freebies).
On Saturday we sat to watch the game against City and, just to annoy me, he turned and said "I think I want the blue team to win".......
This was followed last night by "I want the yellow team to win" and then, after their 2nd goal went in, he said there would be 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on up to 10!
Needless to say, I promptly beat him, gagged him and sent him to bed..... :-)