Premiership, you're 'aving a larf...
Friday, September 17, 2010 at 1:00PM Must-win games, that tag, it gets bandied around quite a bit. Every game should be must-win. Especially in the Premier League. What with Champions League football being a real possibility if we once more dig deep enough to find the desire and belief to (re)claim it.
You might argue, the fact we are in it (CL), makes it the priority to the players. What's the point of qualifying for Europe's elite competition if you're not going to give it a right proper go? And I agree. Be fearless, enjoy the moment. It's deserved. For both players and fans.
We should aim to do our very best. But not at the expense of failing to challenge for the same privilege next season. Mental strength Spurs. We need more of it.
And this is the crux of the issue at hand. The goal has to be to aim for the next impossible level. As far away as challenging for the title is for us, much like challenging for 4th once was, we have to look at doing it regardless. Let me rephrase that. We should be looking to improve on what we achieved last season, which would make that a further step forwards, in the right direction. Nowhere near a title challenge, but it's in that direction. Over there, over the hills and then some.
This has been discussed many times before, but it's worth re-visiting. For me, it's about intent. Do we simply want an adventure not knowing when we might be next using our backpack or do we want to buy ourselves a plot of land on the continent and guarantee our ticket every year?
The players, for all their hard work last season, have to forget about the 'Race for Fourth' 2010 edition. Stop living off that single achievement (as majestic as it was in terms of proving so many doubters wrong) and re-tune their ambition to 2011 with a massive dollop of desire and renewed focus. Simply aiming for that next level will allow us to once more compete for 4th spot (based on the intensity we displayed last time out) - and that's as much as we can do in our immediate future.
Don't give our competition (City, Liverpool perhaps) the chance to believe in themselves more thanks to any display of disbelief from us.
Complacency? Loss of hunger domestically? We'll suffer for it. If we lost out on 4th, if that happened even if we gave it our all, then fair enough. We might be in for a few seasons of sharing it with one or two others. But not being in the fight full stop, and surrendering it? Well, that would be inexcusable.
We were meant to thrash Wigan. We didn't. That came off the back of beating Young Boys 4-0. And now after that corker of a game in Germany, we're back to the bread and butter once more. King has already cited 'no excuses'. There's no need for any of my usual war cry speeches and screams for swaggering swashbuckling football.
White Hart Lane. Three points. Make it convincing. I don't want to be listening to Harry post-match, sound-biting 'two wins from eight games'.
Show us your balls please Tottenham. I want them slapping around in the face of the toothless Wolves.
COYFS. Audere est Facere, old skool.
Listen to Spurs VS Wolves this Saturday 18th September only on Absolute Radio extra - on DAB Digital Radio, 1215AM and online in the UK from 1.30pm.
For more info go to www.absoluteradio.co.uk.
Reader Comments (58)
Great article as ever, and very true. We have to stand up and be counted this season, we've already dropped, you could say, 7 points in theory and we're only 4 games in. Come on Spurs get at them, score early and keep pushing them back. We deserve some retribution for last season.
COYMFS
1st
I'm nervous as hell. This is new territory for Spurs and I hope we don't take our time getting suited to it. We need to be on top of our game.
" two points from eith games ".
Massive game tomorrow and it's also up to the fans to get behind the team even if we start slowly (aka vs Wigan). Back em! YIDS
ooops, my bad. "eight"
Back to the beers me thinks...
Bollocks - Lawro has us down to win 2-0 - kiss of death.
COYS - payback time to the Wolves
Hey Spooks another great piece...... I really do look forward to your blogs Gr8 stuff.
I just want to say that what we witnessed in Germany last week for the first 41 mins was absolutely awesome, it was almost a faultless performance until A&E@s total miss hit and what happened afterwards occurred.
VDV a legend after two games, and JJ well i gota say that was the best i have seen from u in a spurs shirt, u definately derserve to start against the Wolves. COYS !!! 3 points Sat please 1-0 will do
No VDV from the sounds of it. Modric is back and he looked sublime in the last outing before his injury. Really hoping he turns it on. If JJ plays would like to see him instructed to get forward plenty. Can see him scoring tomorrow if he does. It's that time of game where he'll excel.
I have to say i have a sinking feeling about this one. We dominated Werder Bremen and didn't put them to the sword. Cudicini is simply not commanding or convincing enough and I think Mick McCarthy won't have missed that. They will be solid and hard to break down. With VDV and possibly Modric I think Keane will have to play and play well to unlock a rigid defence. That being said they will have to have a great day to keep us out. Bale is unplayable and Lennon's form will ignite at some point. Lets hope we get a n early goal and take it to them throughout.
3/4 nil with forwards on the scoresheet would get us right back on track.
COYS
Last season's 70 points from 38 is our target. That's slightly over 1.8 points per game, which means that we are 2-3 points off so far. A win on Saturday would put us at 1.6 points per game. Basically we need back to back wins soon to put us back on track. Ignore the opponents - as all teams lost to minnows last season. Just don't give 3 points to those chasing 4th. However the biggest indicator of how well you are doing is to compare to rivals who are all no more than 1 point away.
I know some of you are thinking, let's just win, no matter what, 1-0, ugly, lucky, just win. But I have to say, nothing less than 2-0, 3-0 for me. More the better. No disrespect to Wolves. This is about us getting things on the go. Have to say I'm confident we'll get the right RESULT and the right PERFORMANCE.
Both have equal value with regards to importance.
Nice one ,,,,AUDERE EST FACERE says it all...and we have to keep on daring in order to win!!!
Well said Spooky-
We need to be much more clinical and to be brutal, to be much less naive- at times in the second half against Weder Bremen we looked like a team out of its depth, almost as if they believed they didn't deserve to be there.
We certainly deserve to be there- on merit, and we need to move forward, be much more consistent and most of all compete at all levels.
This will be our most difficult year ever, challenging on all levels, and with injuries to key players, the task would almost seem impossible- but you have got to believe.
Shit yourselves if its still 0-0 at around the 60 minute mark.
3-0 Spurs.
Someone said McCarthy would have noticed CC's lack of command or confidence. That says it all. If he does not boss his area, then how will the defenders know whos in charge or what to do when K Doyle is charging into the box or defending a corner or a cross into the box.
I mean, how many games must we lose or goals we must concede before we become desperate enough to give Pletikosa a chance?
For all the good work, creative attacking talent that we have, we only need one or two CC bungling specials to flush away any advantage we have.
CC either improves, or we use someone else. Simple as. Its so painfully obvious that I've become numb from the longsufferingness.
"Show us your balls please Tottenham. I want them slapping around in the face"
Uh...closet case much, there Spooks? Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind, but there's some serious closetedl homoeroticism going on there.
Aside from your weird obsession with other mens' balls, the sentiment...don't sacrifice EPL performance for CL, go have fun in the CL but focus on getting back there and continuing to build with sights on a title challenge down the line...is right-on, if obvious and non-controversial.
Expect more from you Spooky, raise your game. More detail and technical, less pop psychology pap. COYS!
I dip in and out of style, substance, detail all the time. Based around time mostly. Honestly though, I write my best stuff off the cuff rather than pre-planned. If those pesky guest bloggers would get their shit together, I wouldn't need to write up filler in between the good stuff.
Prioritise Spooky.
The blog.
Medication.
The baby.
Will do dad. Cheers.
No VdV or Moddle = 0-0 or 0-1, I'm afraid.
Luka out for certain?
While in Bremen I learnt two german words 'kleine pimmel', which means small penis.
This was a result of paying a visit to a german prostitute while I was there.
And she had a very small penis.
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@ Lemonade Money - Nicht ursprünglich. Bore off
Nor as fussed about the result tomorrow compared to tuesday in the CC and next week in the CL.
We will probably give most of the big names a day off too so I expect it to be dull and finish honors even.
Then we can gear up for the big games against ar5ena1 and twente. They are games to look forward to.
Suspect the CC game with the scum will feature squad/ youth players from both sides.
COYMFS!!! NO UNDERACHIEVING TOMORROW 3PTS LETS NOT LET THE DOUBTERS LAUGH AT OUR INCONSISTANCY ANYMORE
Third league game of the season so can't imagine it will be the third without goals. Expect Modric to play a part. And can see us scoring three. Might go as far as saying we could be in for another dvd.
442 I reckon today. If Keane plays, he scores. How's that for a prediction?
Keane & Crouch up top with kaboul rb and JJ rw. Lennon on bench bale LW vdV fit.
I'm going for 3-0 to us obviously with bale crouch and vdV scoring (despite CC in goal)
Hope Doyler has a stinker. Billy and Led to snuff him out. Our right side has pace today.
COYMFS
BIOYC
oh ffs
Looks like one of these all too regular "one of those days". Wake the fuck up you impotent counts.
the sooner we get knocked out of the CL the better....hopefully we wont be in a relegation fight by then!
gallas number 13 ledley number 26
is that someone's way of saying that ledley is twice the player of billy!
Spooky if it finishes like this there will be a savage amount of knee jerking going on.
But will it be a knee jerk?
phew.
Thanks pav
The late, late show, but is that us back up where we should be?
Phewy.
thought hutton played well.
Thank fuck for that...................Well done Mr Hutton, you were the difference in that 2nd half. We still look uttlerly knackered in the last 30mins though - what is wrong with us, too many games??
Great to see us keep plugging away and not giving up and brilliant to hear the wolves fans singing to us that we are a disgrace to the premier league!!! HA HA - some of your own medicine.
3 more points away to the spammers and we are back on track (be nice to knock the scumbags out of the cup in between also)
Whats that, are we sitting 4th in the league right now?
YID YID YID YID YID YID YID YID
never a dull moment with spurs!!!!
love it!!!!!!
"If Keane plays, he scores. How's that for a prediction?"
Not so good, but hindsight 20/20 and all that. Spooky, were you cupping Hutton's balls before the match to make him score?
We should have xanax or valium as a shirt sponsor, surely we all need some with the way these matches are going. 3 is 3, we'll take em.
Keane almost scored. The git. Had he. I'd be re-posting that quote and snorting coke off hookers tits and stuff.
Thank you Darren Bent!
Loved watching Whinger's expression when the goal went in.
WTF was jeans on today, tackled by an invisible man and then rolled a delightful ball through for bale! He has taken this marmite thing too far...
On a different note we got our spurs shirts in today...just can't have one til the 24th!
See, this is the kind of thing that worries me...City go to Wigan and win. After the Wolves debacles last year, we know that we MUST get the "easy" points. Frustrating.
Exactly. We'd be flying if we steamrolled the clubs we are meant to be steamrolling.
If all clubs said the same thing...
I just wish spooky or any of the bloggers would initiate a page for we fans can share our expressions after every game, weather to moan, bitch or rejoice. They don’t have to write anything except a title “Spurs vs whoever”. Two days are gone after our win and this website is not even fucking noticing it.
Does anyone know if there is any other site that Spurs fans are sharing their opinions at? Anyone? Please? Pretty please?