Small team beats big team
Saturday, September 25, 2010 at 10:53PM That was over at the Emirates. At Upton Park, a very average side without a win in the EPL beat a supposedly good side on paper that were in fact abjectly shit for the best part of 90 minutes, apart from a few long shot efforts from midfield.
No desire. No functionality with the line-up. No enforcement of a defensive nature. It was wrong. Unbalanced and without that vital ingredient of sustained effort. Momentum? What momentum? It's all slip slip slipping way at the moment.
Yet you'd still think we'd have enough about us to win it regardless of the rested/injured players and slight tinkering, considering the side West Ham lined-up with. No excuses, right? Alas, no. Not this seasons Spurs. Full of excuses. Seems that playing players in their not so best positions is suddenly a recipe for mediocrity. But that is almost an after thought for the lack of certified positive attitude.
Two issues. Firstly, there is no apparent plan or reaction to the tempo set by the opposition. No willingness to say, spend the next ten minutes nullifying the threat being posed or taking the sting out of the ball. Getting our hands dirty, playing ugly. In fact, if you take a further step back you could perhaps ask why we did not swagger into East London and just take the game to them. Believing we would win, wanting to win, and applying pressure until their fragile little legs snapped. This was the side rock-bottom before 3pm. But no. It was the complete opposite out on the pitch.
Well done to West Ham. They showed desire. They just pushed forward and that was enough, whilst we responded with cameo-shots. We kept Green on his toes, but Carlo was equally at hand to save us from conceding a second. A number of times. The first and only goal, a header, laughable defending. And that was job done for the home side.
So, what's the crux?
Can we seriously not perform if we shuffle players around? I'm beginning to get tired of this excuse. We have last season to compare our players to, and they are falling short at the moment. This is starting to reek of mental strength; lack of. Our old friend.
My thoughts:
Cudicini - Kept us in it. Although there was no point (or points) at the end, what with yet another no-show for our offensive tally of goals.
Huddlestone and Jenas - Did not work. I remember there was a time when this partnership clicked. Today, it was pish. Hudd was anonymous. Jenas tried, for all his heart can give, but was easily beaten in the centre by Parker and co. Lose it there and you'll be second best all afternoon. Sandro and Palacios, using the magic of hindsight would have been better options for one or the other. Even with Wilson's lack of form, he would have at the very least given us some bite (be it erratic). Sandro, having been baptised in that abomination of a NLD the other day, would not have found today any more daunting. Also - Hudd and the captaincy = doesn't work. I wish it would but it's failed twice now.
Corluka, Hutton, Bassong - Charlie, out of position. Yet played reasonably well. Bassong was okay. Hutton, I thought, was actually fairly decent. As a unit? Can I trademark the word dis-jointed? I guess they looked a lot worse (with Bale included in there) because of the allowance permitted by our midfield for the aforementioned to be placed under constant pressure.
Bale - No BAE, so Gareth is imprisoned at left-back. This is akin to taking a WMD and burying it in the desert. Do you know it's even there? It just doesn't work. He is a left-winger and a beast of an attacking player. Can we please stop dicking him about. No BAE, so I guess, hands tied. I just wanted to vent, in preparation for future games.
Modric - Welcome back. Cracking effort on goal. Tried to invent, the majority of our players did their best to prevent (my puns are as bad as Spurs were, I'm doing it to retain an air of consistency). A positive: Moddle + vdV works. In the long run, this will prove to be a God send. If we can get someone upfront scoring.
van dar Vaart - Is probably beginning to scratch his head, Hoddle style, at why nothing is working around him. Works hard, looks to create. Was superb in the early stages, faded a little, I guess due to the knock he got and the fact there is so much he can do if the side is losing the battle to retain possession. It all gets lopsided and we can't expect him to run the show if everyone else is skipping.
Lennon - Not used that often. And pretty average when he did have the ball at his feet. Got a cross in, created the odd chance. But he's still not the spark we know him to be. The irony here is that when he went off, we had no width. Crazy. When Spurs play narrow, with no Azza, we don't seem to be able to work the ball forwards as well. But we don't appear to have options for additional width on the bench. Go on, dare you to come up with a quick-fix solution to this one.
Crouch - Didn't work. Will probably score a brace in the Champions League this coming week. We have a problem. We need someone up front who can make things happen with movement, clever runs, coming deep but not so deep to allow the midfield to push into the box. Someone with pace. Bobby Smith with a touch of the Jimmy Greaves. Or the moon on a stick in a Lilywhite shirt. If 451 is the future, the most vital position is the front man. I'd say, play two up front for the league for the time being. Until the Jan window opens.
On his own (Crouchie), today, it was a struggle. Not for the want of trying, but there was no link with him and the middle five. Isolation the name of this unfortunate game. Six games now, and only one goal from an actual bona fide forward.
Subs - Had hardly any time to make an impact. Although Gio was a mighty dollop of why bother. Seems lost at Spurs, at home with Mexico. Not sure Harry really understands how to use him.
West Ham - Not exactly Barca but they probably thought they were today. Will struggle in and around the below point of mid-table*. But they showed us how to play like a team. I think that just about sums up how bad we were. Parker was very decent, focused. As was Noble. But then they had direction and intent in their boots, unlike our centre pairing. Hammers were first to everything. Us, second best by miles. Statue no doubt being built outside the Boleyn this late evening. But they proved an important point (three of them). You can be down on your luck, average, whatever - but if you stick in the shift, you can win the day. Good luck to that attitude. Shame for them they only get to play us once in East London. We really did gift-wrap them a win, finally a win, over us and Redknapp.
*JR Hartley
Redknappology - Harry is confusing matters. The way we lined-up didn't work because there was no genuine spin to it. What was meant to be the style of play? Where was the contingency plan to dig us out of sticky moments?
Then there's the lack of motivation. Which is the crux. Harry's good at getting the best out of players. But struggling this season to inspire some of our some what damaged Prem stars. Harry is best when Harry is dealing with backs against the wall. He joined us, 2pts8games, rebuilt confidence and we pushed on. He then took the next challenge and got us playing with absolute conviction and belief. And we took 4th.
We were always on the chase. Always with a target ahead of us.
It's now altogether a new type of pressure and the players, having achieved that impossible dream, well...I'd hate to think they are resting on their laurels. Is there no apparent target in their mind set?
He needs to re-tune them back into Fight FM. Wipe it all clean, last season. We have done nothing, achieved nothing, until we finish in the top 4 again. That ought to be the thinking at the club. The message from the gaffer to every squad player.
Conclusion
I'm glad West Ham beat us. Obviously, I'm not, but here we are. Why am I glad (in the context of the aftermath?) Because you can't sink any lower than this. Well, apart from Wigan at home.
If this isn't a wake up call with regards to EPL form, and if we dare not react positively to it once and for all next time out, then we deserve nothing more than nothing. This is not a crisis, but we may as well pretend it is. There appears to be no fire, no chests pumped out desire as a cohesive unit from top to bottom. A complete lack of willingness, conviction.
We are twitching.
If we line-up against FC Twente with Moddle, vdV and Bale on the left-wing and King at the back and win stupendously well, then once more we will ask the same questions? Are we not up for league games? Are the players thinking too much about Europe? Or do we simply struggle because of one or two changes in personnel? Can't believe the latter. We are not that sodding delicate. Or perhaps? Nah.
Goes back to the points made above about motivation and desire. And managerial guidance. Last season, they all had something they wanted more than anything, and even with injuries and shuffles, we just got on with it. And got it. We didn't over-achieve. We didn't punch above our weight. The players proved to themselves they had it in them. Too busy puffing on those Cubans at the moment to work out that all we did was take a step forwards. Not a leap.
Time for us to show that hunger again.
The current version is not the same Tottenham who bullied and brushed oppositions aside away from home during the 2010 season. We can't keep looking to the next game to kick-start it and find ourselves looking forwards for the next opportunity again every bleeding week.
I do appreciate the injury problems and the fact the players do need to adjust to playing high pressured high profile games and it's Harry's job to make sure they don't lose focus for any game. But hey, like I said. We've been here before. And although our back four was patched up, we can't keep on making mistakes in midfield.
It's not quite the point of no return. So, still no knee-jerk from me. I'll continue to support both manager and players. But they need to set the alarm. Snooze button disabled. And get out of bed.
Perhaps, we need to go back to basics again for the league games. Take every game, one at a time, rather than looking ahead, deep in thought on the next one. The players, their heads, not 100% in it. Not even close to 60% today. Just play 442, or 433. Direct on the ground sweeping football with at least one DM in the middle. Keep 451 for the group stages.
It's okay for me, the fan, to review and change my mind. I can do that as often as I want. I called for consistency a week or two back, that we need to stick to a formation, but with each passing game, I've proved myself a touch naive. Because it seems the players are not up for it at the moment. So no matter the formation, it wont make a difference. Unless, you know, creature comforts and such. Take it back to the way it was before to rebuild that confidence.
So time for some consistency from the only ones who can make the difference.
Wakey wakey Spurs.
As for you lot. Your solutions please. On a postcard. To Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Rd, Tottenham, London, N17. Via this blog. If you want therapy of the discussional type. Knock yourself out.
Ta.
Reader Comments (117)
Anyone else a little concerned? What have been our good results in the league so far? A lucky win at Stoke, a battling win at home to Wolves (granted, an improvement from last season)? I swear my nerves are more shot with every passing season and I am now some kind of moribund bag of pessimism just praying for some consistency.
I'd just like to add that I am *so* glad that I'm in before someone can blurt out the perfunctory "FIRST!!!111one"
Back end of last season, when we beat Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City, we had a centre midfield of Hudd and Modric. And it worked. Perfectly.
As far as I can recall Jenas and Hudd have never worked that well together.
Honestly believe we are too focused on CL and seem to think nothing else matters.
Too much quality in the side. We'll overcome this blip. It's just that, a blip. Harry will dig himself out of this one.
Quality write up Spooky.
if harry doesnt wake up andr realise that its the league that matters and finishing in the top four AGAIN then we willbe in serious trouble. it seems to me like heisnt that bothered about the league. if that is his attitude then he can go for all i care. this is not acceptable
4-5-1 is the future. But only when we sign a forward who can comfortably play in that position. I'd go back to 4-4-2.
Home to Aston Villa.
Must win.
Totally agree ref the striker comment.
I know he's 29 and Sevilla were asking a lot of money but I wish we'd seriously followed up Fabiano.
Focal point needed up front.
With Defoe out, we are struggling and will continue to struggle. Do we seriously have no other targets out there other than the usual suspects the tabloids report on? What happened to our scouting system ? Or did we rely on Comolli that much to feedback on players?
King, Kaboul, Dawson, Ekotto, Gallas. Defoe, Gomes, Woodgate all out injured. 8 players. No wonder we can't keep clean sheets at the moment. No settled defence, chopping and changing players due to injuries is causing us problems. Last season we had a settled partnership at the back.
Also no goals coming from the forwards is a real problem, we miss JD big time.
If you look at the saves Green made we should of got a point especially with Thud's miss.
Remember my prediction....out of europe at the group stage and only 7th in the league!!! We didn't kick on and buy enoguh quality to get to the next level...I mean..I understand Levy...he is a tight bastard and a shit chairman...builds a stadium as a reaction to arsenal!!! Loser..anyway...he wants all the other teams to get worse and go bankrupt...then when there is one team left in the country....even with Jenas...we might get runners up spot in the league!!!!
Ironssssssssssssssssss we deserved that today thanks beigel boys good game enjoyed it
I wish we had a striker who could score for fun, knows where the net is, works the channels, gets in behind, works hard, is quick, can finish with feet and head, and is proven in a 4-5-1 formation.......
Oh wait!!
Darren Bent can do all of that!
But in a cracking piece of business, we sold the 20+ goals a season of Bent, and exchanged it for the 8 goals a season of Crouch.... Kudos Redknapp!
West Ham win a game. It's like the wheel just got re-invented.
As a west ham fan, do you not think this is bit of an over reaction?! as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a decdent side/ squad. Ok today, you weren't at the races, but i dont think you have too many problems!! Other than harry, who is a c.......
Jim. Hi.
It's not about today. Well it is. But the games prior to this, in the league, they've progressively got worse in certain areas. And heads are down. But yeah, like I said, its not the end of the world. Just, it's all a bit infuriating and frustrating.
We'll live.
well Jim the hammer ...
Funny you should say that. I am a fan/believer in Harry but I'm starting to really wonder if the yids who have been banging on about Harry's limitations to take us to the next step might not have a bit of a point.
God bless him for what he's done for us, turning the dire Ramos situation around and getting us to where we are and while I certainly do not advocate getting rid of him right now or even the next year necessarily, I am starting to wonder if he has the tactical brain to take us to the next level.
And congrats on the win Jim, you guys deserved it today.
No, you can't trademark disjointed.
You can't hyphenate it either.
I spell like JJ plays football.
Bite me.
well said spooky
How do you spell empty? Hold on, think I've got it.
What a poor performance. Sort out Wilson, or play Sandro. No steel in midfield yesterday. Parker ran rings around us.
you will notice i am not using any punctuation grammar nazi
my flow is just like my boy younes kaboul at whl
This 4-5-1 isn’t working. We’re playing it to fit VdV in. No one is bigger than the team. If pav and keane are not good enough to fill defoe’s boots then they shouldn’t be at the club. Sort it out arry.
I cringed away at moments during the game.
This game must be taken in its context.
We have our first CL game at home on Wed. This means we need to keep one eye on that game. With that in mind, that's probably why we played the team we did.
HOWEVER,
1. CC may have kept us in the game, but he is still not good enough. No command of the goalmouth. No clean sheet. Always looks lost at corners. Is there really no other option?
2. I agree that it seems bizarre to play players out of position. No real benefit.
3. Jenas a regular? Really? Bambi in headlights. I will cut off his hands if he flashes his plams again. Why not try Sandro? Can Hudd work with him?
4. The injuries to Dawson, Woodgate and Kaboul have cost us plenty.
5. Some are not playing enough. GDS and Kranjcar spring to mind. It means that when you need to throw them into the mix, they have no in depth understanding with the rest of the team. You can see the benefit of and extended run for Bassong and Kaboul. By the same reason, Jenas and Bentley, should play less.
6. Kranjcar was good last season, he saved some games for us, he won some games for us and never failed to score crucial or important goals. What has changed?
7. We had enough chances to score. Keane needed to play in the CC Oh, he did....
8. At lease Arsenal lost. To West Brom. At home. And were 3-0 down at one stage.
9. Momentum can be a bad thing. Losing badly to L' Arse might have started a trend, which if not arrested quickly will spread. We need to win big against Twente. In other words, we cannot separate CL / FA games from PL games. We must win one game at a time. Wake-up call should have been the Wigan game. I sure hope will be be no more wake up calls.
Stoney
I think it's clear that 'Arry tried to offload Keane and Pav but no one would take them.
Ouch is also pretty useless in EPL though I expect to score a lot of goals in CL
nycyid/ spooky....fair enough, i suppose if it's not just off the back of todays result.....the one thing i would say, adn a few of my totts supporting mates have said the same, you do seem to run out of ideas sometimes and resort to the 'punt it at the big bloke;s head' style.
For what its worth, i thought Van Der Vaart looked a player.
We've been due a win against you lot, and very enjoyable it was!!!
what a load of rubbish. why cant you just admit that west ham deserved the win and made you look bad. As to say we will struggle , again what a load of rubbish too as only 6 games in and only 4 points off you so called world beater if you listen to your deluded fans! both teams will finish in top ten this year , with spurs finishing higher
Because I know, we know, we are 10 times better than what we were yesterday. Christ, I said you deserved it. What do you want? A gold star? Lap it up, enjoy it, I'm sure you will. But this wasn't exactly us getting our arses handed to us on a plate was it? We were limp. Easy to beat. So me posting about how we got outplayed and outfought and it was completely down to the opposing side, well, that ain't gonna get us far in terms of understanding why Spurs were so disjointed™.
Got to delve a bit deeper than that.
'The current version is not the same Tottenham who bullied and brushed oppositions aside away from home during the 2010 season'.
I must of missed of those games.
We have lost to two teams this season and both of them were bottom of the pile when we played them and you lot are talking as if it's acceptable. It's not acceptable, it's a fu**ing disgrace. I cannot understand how we have so many coaches and, yet in all, we cannot motivate a team to 'be up for it' every game. None of the fu**ers that played there today played on tuesday night in the CC and Joe Jordan, Clive Allen and Kevin Bond can't have them hyped up to give the Hammers a game. It's a fu**ing downright disgrace. Where was Gallas today, rested for CL. Where was King, rested for CL. Where was pav, rested for CL. I dont believe that Gomes is still injured he's being rested for CL as well. This fu**ing CL is a fu**ing distraction that Harry cannot handle and I'm pi**ed off that he's underestimating teams in the EPL because he thinks they are beatable with a weakened team.
Harry wake up and smell the fu**ing coffee.
Sorry thats the way I feel right now.
That's harsh TMWNN. Last season we knew how to handle ourselves on the away travels. Perhaps Spooks is too generous with the bullying but we brushed plenty of sides. I can think of a few storming away performances. This year we are being dominated.
Get rid of harry and get moyes in, why we never brought a striker like suarez in i dnt know, its thick
Why were we losing so much breath and efforts to lure Scot Parker in, when we have shitload of midfielders? Why we didn’t pursue Carlton Cole instead? At least he is able to hold the fucking ball, and can score too. The saddest thing is when this club misses Greedy Cunt Defoe so much, like he’s some sort of Messiah that will solve all our problems. No, he won’t. For some reason HR has a stuck brainfart about Keane and can’t let it go. Where are our youngsters? I wish Twente would roll us over on Wed. so we can get back to what actually counts.
Really? The writer couldn't have been less connected to the game today. Lennon didnt show. Modric repeatedly having to come deep because of a West Ham bank of four that refused to budge. That was the difference between the teams; organisation and guile. The away team simply didn't have it.
i have skim read the above. Re. Swagger & quick fix: it is just ridiculous not playing bale at left midfield. That should have been first name down. We are crippled at the back but should have had enough quality,so that it didn't matter if we..
Reason we lost?
EASY............no man on back post for the corner/s - why the feck not??
normally it's BAE but he wasn't playing so does that mean we dont find a replacement (modric) to do the same job?
surely they didn't forget!!??
as soon as they scored they could shut up shop and we could go into panic mode.
v angry!!
fucking wifi connection to phone
cudicini
Hutton,Charlie,Hudd,Bassong (lb)
Palacios
Bentley,Modric,VdV,Bale left ffs
Crouch
go 442 if chasing.crouch/pav,keane
Lennon on later (prove yourself again sunshine). B4 i get slaughtered for the back 4 selection,let me mention,we did ok with hudd at the back last season against shit opposition & i am assuming BAE is unfit..
as a hammer and i not taking piss here but i think spurs mistake today was not playing palacious in with huddlestone
parker (who was awesome as usua)l, noble and boa-morte may not be able to lay like van der vaart, lennon and modric
however what they can and did do is win every tackle which at the same time meant your ball pllayers didn't get time on the ball
also if i was a Spurs fan, first i'd kill myself lol, and second, one up front needs to go. Crouch won lots of headers but as he was isolated there was no one to pick up the bits and pieces
I think this season will probably underscore 2 things - that (a) Harry's a good man manager and can do a decent job with a first XI but is out of his depth coping with both the EPL and UCL and (b) the club also does not have the ambition necessary to do well on both fronts. On the latter point, I understand Levy when he says that we can't spend on the premise of UCL football every season but this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. After last season's stirring 4th place exploits, I expect us to return to normal programming this season and the middle of the pack. I can deal with this, but what'll be really sad is seeing the likes of Modric and Bale playing in something other than a lily-white shirt.
you'll be in around the top lot again, we're not as bad as people been making out
last week we've had Stoke away, Sunderland away and you lot at home. Not many teams willtake 2 wins and a draw from that
however is only a matter of time before city's money makes them join arse, United and Chelski as the champs league sides
what you say re Harry very much echoes how we used to think bout him but for you on higher level
he'd get us top 6, top 8 or whatever but would never go past it which he shouldhave been able to do with the players we had at time
Btw, spooks, enjoyed the headline :-D Bet our friendly Hammers visitors were all revved up and ready to tear you to pieces, before reading the first sentence.
You lot must be forgetting the major thing that has not blessed as this year that did last year! A bit of luck! Bar the Stoke game we ain't had the rub of the green! We could have easily lost away to west ham last year but for carlton cole playing in Defoe, we could have drawn with stoke last year but for a siddibe missing a sitter, Blackburn away mcarthy missed there guilt edge chances! Then we scored on the stroke with a dubious goal, villa away, Dawson handball for be goal, so yes we deserved 4th but things went are way, this year man city game ball just wouldn't go in, today of the bar and away last year would have hit the bar and in, football is a game of skill and luck, things will turn are way, we just need to sell keane and pav and buy a top class striker get o hara Dawson and Defoe fit and i believe we will be top 4!! COYS
Cb, I got roundly criticized on another forum for saying I wasn't shocked that West Ham won. Disappointed for sure, as we have the quality players necessary to do the job, but the way we'd been playing recently didn't fill me with a whole lot of confidence. I agree that City are a lock for 4th and it will have been a very successful season for us if we manage the Europa League next season.
maybe not this year, and don;t get me wrong i hate saying it, but you lot cn prob compete with em again this year
but every window they gonna spend stupid money
sooner later they'll join arse, united and chelski as top 4 and everyone else fighting for the scraps
football shite nowadays, essentially everyone just supportin their owners cheque books
but i'm an old bastard lol
christ look at the tarquin chunley-warner brigade from the west end
i remb when they used to get about 10,000 fans each game, you lot and arse was always biggest london clubs, but then we was bigger than them
and they not "built" anythin to chnage it, just hardings them romans money
to me is not much achievment if they won things, they bloddy well should do when spending that amount
I find it strange that no one has attempted to match the energy level Van der Vaart has shown, or even the interest.
I'm also curious to know what is wrong with Kranjcar, and why 'Arry won't play him. He as an option is much better than Jenas and would allow Modric to play centrally. He could've come on for Lennon too on the right.
Sandro AND Wilson made the bench and neither were used. Our midfield was very anemic, Parker and Noble ran the show. Where was Bentley?
I'm sorry but Corluka should never play in the middle, he is really slow and can't tackle. Surely we have someone else? Why couldn't Caulker play, or why was he sent out on loan when we have such inadequate cover?
It was another improved showing from Hutton, just a shame the others didn't appear interested until it was too late.
I'm also trying to figure out with all the passing we do in the middle why is the end product a aimless cross to Crouch? What the f@#k is he going to do? The whole aspect of 4-5-1 or a variant is to move the ball into space, not do all the hard work and then take a massive dump with the final product. That was VERY frustrating to watch.
Look, I'm sure others would agree that we don't expect Spurs to win every match, but we do expect a proper showing from all that step out on the pitch in the jersey. Today was unacceptable. If we want to play Champions League football again next season then we better improve wholeheartedly. Today, and so far this season we look laboured in everything we do. Our wins having been convincing and in our losses we look down-right bad.
I want to see Sandro if it means Huddlestone AND Jenas are dropped in favour then I won't complain.
Against Aston Villa I wouldn't mind seeing:
Cudicini, Hutton, Gallas, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Sandro, Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart, Pavlyuchenko.