Running the gauntlet
Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 12:07AM Unbeaten in 17 league and cup games at White Hot Lane. No Gomes or Moddle, hopefully the same team that played midweek with perhaps a Gallas debut for one of the changes (along with obviously CC in-between the sticks). JD - is he isn't he is he...having an op? I'd say get it done and dusted, three week lay-off - then he's got the rest of the (long) season to get on with finding the back of the net. Rather than risk any aggravation with his apparently not so important to have an op now injury. He's in the squad so I guess no decision has been made yet.
Honestly, even if Wigan parked the bus, we have enough about us to bulldoze through it. I'm not suggesting a repeat 9-1 performance. Having been spanked twice already this season I think Wigan will have just a little bit more about them, but then, it's all about the confidence, isn't it? If we come out all Spurs v Man City, then I expect a DVD sequel to be manufactured seconds after the final whistle and available in the Spurs Shop first thing Tuesday morning. If Wigan go with the physicality and try to stop start the game, we might require patience, and that might suit them more than it suits us if last seasons home defeat lessons are not fresh in our minds as unavoidable conclusions.
We'd have to be frustrated by them massively and like I said, I can't see it happening. Plucky fight from the visitors, 4-0 to us. Suicide watch if we somehow manage to lose.
I like this from the OS:
Roberto Martinez's men have kicked-off the campaign with 4-0 and 6-0 home losses against Blackpool and Chelsea respectively and return to the site of a 9-1 hammering last season.
But Gareth felt stepping back out at the Lane might just inspire the Latics. "They will be looking for revenge but we'll be ready for that and be prepared for it," he said.
"We know we can't underestimate Wigan. They've had a difficult start and had the result here last season but we'll be fully focused on doing our jobs and hopefully getting the win."
This inspires confidence. Unleash the beast. With an additional Hudd master-class. And I'll smile a mile wide into the bank holiday weekend.
Random time: Our next few games (excluding the Carling Cup) seems to be all about the 'W's.
Wigan. WBA. Werder Bremen. Wolves. West Ham. Five w's, five wins, yeah? Here's hoping.
Elsewhere, journalists take Avram Grants words, add a twist, and suggest Parker could well leave West Ham, so obviously this means he's joining us. Hopefully not. Fabiano is apparently too expensive. And that's just about it. And Ashley Young is again linked.
I'm still certain of two new arrivals to add to the Sandro signing. It's going to go down to the wire again. Because it's how we roll.
Reader Comments (41)
1-0 Spurs.
Ha! It's got 1-0 written all over it.
it is indeed "how we roll" spooky......never have I felt more confident of 3 points than tomorrow.....not sure how portentious that is either way, gone are the days of me sweating the jinx in my predictions though, may even go dahn the bookies and invest some monies......god I sound like a chavski scummer cross. quiet, professional job'll do for me, 3 points a must, the swagger a bonus. as for the w's I agree, a Perfect opportunity to build a great platform from which to move on into the season......I'm hoping "it's how we roll" these days :$
4-0 to Spurs'
I hate, really hate to say this but beware -pride comes before a fall.
Considering the defeats at the Lane last season came about against sides we should never have lost too in (to quote spooky himself) an apologetic manner, I'd be shocked if we fucked this one up. We'll win comfortable, 2-0 or 3-0.
1-0
We SHOULD win this by at least 2 clear goals but I am going for 2 -1. Wigan will claim improvement and 3 points is 3 points for the spurs. What goes up must come down and chels and l'arse will lose games away from home against stoke and the like - games that we have already proved we can win.
I'm not worried about tomorrow, but I was livid at Palacious on Wednesday with his stupid passes and generally unsure of himself. He needs a confidence booster as he's struggling. We need to pass the ball more accurately and stop having to defend bad passes. Dawson is another one who's passing is just shite and needs to be improved. There are a few weak links in this team at the moment and Harry either has to rest them and bring in confident replacements or get the likes of Palacious, Dawson and Pav firing on all four cylinders again as their loss of confidence will lose games for us eventually.
cant see any reason for doubt..apart from CC coming in and spooking dawson and bassong.
This is the type of banana skin the Spurs of tradition would see and still step on. Just hoping that this new UCL version continues to show us that they're made of sterner stuff.
you "heard" it here first. 5-1 Spurs.
Hey are we Spurs supporters or what?, predict at your peril, I've learnt that much over the years! Wigan 5-1, I'm useless at this prediction game.
Anyone else think DeFoe is acting like a little kid with toothache that suddenly disappears when he arrives at the dentist?
2 surgeons say he needs an operation...get it done JD and have the rest of the season to show what you can do.
Don't worry about England, concentrate on repaying Spurs big time.
And with all the groin injuries we seem to collect every season isn't it about time Harry looked at the medical team and training routines to stamp this out?
COYS!!! No mental let down after the great Wednesday victory. We have to keep powering on.
I'm wondering if anyone will be rested after midweek. Surely fatigue could be a factor, esp for Bale, Hudd, Crouch and Lennon. Is today a day for Gio, Pav or Niko maybe? Or will harry rinse out the big players knowing they have the intl break to recover. We've seen the big teams over the years use their squad power to win these potential banana skins after big CL games... is it time to get the rotation involved? I cant help but feel at least one of the above 3 replacements should come in, purely for freshness. I say Pav and JD up top, Gio or Niko to come in for Azza or Gazza. Prefferrably Gio.
Standard 2-0, Pav and Niko
I don't ever get caught up in what should or should not happen. This is football after all. What is important is we win today and get the points. To do this we must be purely focused on todays game. Come on lads!
Potential banana-skin City. Strongest team out possible today please Harry, and like another poster said if we are 2 up with 10 to go give some youngans a run out. Got to keep this confidence momentum going. Treat every game like a final. Let's ave it.
COYFS.
Not great this, 0-0 at half-time and not playing anywhere near to the level we expect. Disappointing, if it doesnt' improve I can see Wigan nicking a goal. Get it sorted Harry.
Disappointing we are making so much hard work of this. Players not looking comfortable on the ball today.
Step it up Spurs. Need some magic from somewhere.
i retire.
Fucking hell Spurs, wake up.
PATHETIC
And here was I thinking that we'd go unbeaten all season....
At least it's happened nice and early. Get it out of our system now.
Good tactics from Martinez, CL hangover from us. Not good, but we are in uncharted waters now so I suppose we have to expect there to be a learning curve.
More concerned about renewed chatter that we are back in for Scott Parker and Ashley Young. Not the kind of signings I was expecting once we qualified for the group stages...
Get it out of our system? This IS us, and I think we can expect many more afternoons of pure frustration and anger. Harry still cannot figure how to break down teams that park the bus and you just know that the longer teams can hold out, the near certainty for them to Nick a goal as we can be counted on to fumble in defense at some point. Absolute fucking shambles today. Feel sorry for the poor mugs who had to pay to endure this. Champions League my fucking are.
Didn't think they parked the bus.
To be fair, they started off well but ended up with 10 men behind the ball, especially for much of the 2nd half until the 2-3 chances leading to their goal. Problem was, we were pretty much toothless despite having had so much of the ball. There was no sense of urgency and off the ball movement was really poor
If you keep doing things the same way you get the same results. If you have the same players doing the same thing the same way then you get the same results.
4-4-2 just doesn't work anymore against modern teams whether they are attacking or defending. Say what you like about Young Boys but they were technically superior to us, they just didn't have the quality of player to deal with the neaderthal threat of the good old long ball played 18' in the air.
Wigan outplayed us pure and simple. They did not park the bus, they just played intelligent football and with the exception of one DeFoe shot we never looked like scoring. If Huddlestone is going to play so far back then make him CB. He rarely presses the opposition, rarely shoots, rarely attacks and the only difference between him and Dawson is that he can hoof the ball to both sides of the pitch.
No creativity, no class, no hope without re-inforcements and a someone with tactical nous to coach the team.
It's one game people. One game.
And why is it that it is Bl**ding obvious to us fans but somehow the professionals (and of course the spreadsheet analysts) just can't see it.
Player for player Wigan are supposed to be inferior to us, but you would never know it on today's performance.
Much as I like Harry, his statement a few weeks ago that "tactics don't win matches players do" may yet be his and our epitaph on another wasted opportunity to move the club forward.
Jep, it isn't 1 game, it's a continuation of Wolves, Hull and Stoke from last season.
Someone pointed out that we have West Brom, Wolves and West Ham coming up should all be easy points....wanna bet?
That someone must obviously not have been following Spurs for very long. There is no such thing as easy points for Spurs. Harry was complimentary toward Roberto Martinez and how apt he was - Roberto owned him today, big time.
Disgraceful, they did exactly what a professional team doesnt, clearly underestimated the opposition, to the point that they assumed they could breeze through without breaking a sweat. Wigan were twice as hungry, worked twice as hard and even seemed the better creative force.
This is what is going to hold Tottenham back if not changed, the mindset that because they are better they will win. We see Chelsea play little teams and no matter how much they ''park the bus'' the Chelsea players will work harder, make more runs and ultimately win the game, by 6, 2, or 1 goal makes no difference, its all 3 points.
Palacios really isnt looking good at the moment, a rare bad game from Hudd, Moddle was sorely missed as someone to work an angle rather than cunting the ball at Bale or Crouch. Thought Defoe looked like the only one working for long parts of the game really and Kranjcar improved things when he came on.
I do agree that yes it is one game in the respect that its only three points but it is a very common pattern that really must be broken.
COYS
We paid the price for playing without left back after BAE was pulled out. Bale is not only liability there, but also the team loses his attacking abilities, because after all, he is a human and not a machine and cannot run at the same pace twice a week. Martinez knew it and directed his squad to attack the weak left side in second half. Bale was nowhere near Rodalega for a goal, and for few of dangerous crosses from the left that Wigan somehow managed to waste.
Defoe showed once again how a player’s greed can be deadly to a team. He’s never out there for the team; all he cares is about him. But I can’t put all the blame to him because of the fucking ref. He allowed Wigan players to get off with a murder in the game where football never had a chance to be played.
The whole team played at slow motion pace and too soft. Palacios is a shade of a player he used to be. Daws’ confidence is in toilet, and Hudds simply ran out of steam too early. I can’t even remember who was supposed to play in the middle. Lennon was a waste of space, and Niko looked like he played 90 min earlier today. I predicted the change (Niko for Lennon) but was also hoping for two more (Jenas or Livermore for Hudds and Kino for Defoe).
Well, nothing anyone can do about it now but hoping that Harry will sort this problem out. Firmer decision has to be made regarding who will play left back. Switching players too often in the middle of game doesn’t do a thing to bust players’ confidence. If BAE needs to be replaced do it with someone else from the bench, so that out attacking treat remain intact and not being decimated or eliminated.
Nayim
Were you thinking about some other team when you thought "we" would go unbeaten all season??? :)
Here we go again. Spurstastic result today I'm afraid to say.
Didn't see the whole match as I was streaming it and it was a dodgy connection but good god, it looks like we just let down in a major way.
Was bad enough that we were most likely going to end up with a 0-0 grinder but holy moses how did we let down so bad in the back? Wigan had at least three fantastic opportunities to score in the span of about 10 mins and from what I could see actually deserved to win the game.
We were outclassed by a crap team at home.
Ah well. Best to move on. Not sure there are any other positives to draw other than the fact that this day will soon be over and a new one will take its place.
COYS!!!
As mentioned before, it sure was Spurstatic: get a fantastic result immediately followed by a devastating let down. We will bounce back next match.
Someone please check on Spooky as he is on suicide watch.
Spooks, the rafters are starting to creak, mate.
Jesus fucking christ. To the earnest fellow who said we'll get it out of our system now, how long have you been following Spurs, exactly? The day your optimism drains away and all you are left with is a creepy sinking feeling at the sight of an eager new opposing goalkeeper, a smarting defence and a 'home banker' banner fluttering hopefully in the north London breeze is the day you are a true Spurs supporter, son.
Redknapp out!