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)
SPOOKY......your live comment and post match report put more smile to my face than your team's result did. bad day for both red and white north londoners.
can't gloat in your face now. can i do it when u lose to Twente in CL?
harry has been our downfall so far this season, wrong unbalanced teams, wrong tactics, wrong substitutions..i honestly think he is losing the plot. The league is our priorty NOT the champions league which we wont win anyway so play our strongest team and we would of been fine today. 4-4-2 hutton, king, bassong, bale - krancjer, hudd, palacios, modric - vdv, pav probably was our best team available today. Or same back line with lennon, hudd, modric, krancjer and the same two upfront.
Agree with much of what's been said, yesterday was an accident waiting to happen.
Why no Krancar - maybe with Jenas, Modirc & V de V we already have too many attacking midfielders... but why not bring him on instead of Dos Santos who made no impact...
Not for the first time this season we've been tactically naive away from home - we need more fight in midfield so if Palcios is off form then Sandro needs bringing on pdq.
Also, we don't do 4 5 1 well & if this was the aim we should have kept Barren Dent. 'Arry relies too much on Crouch who needs someone to play off him ( with Defoe injured this means Pav ).
Lennon also need some working on - put away the cigars methinks as his pace is not what it was.
This and other poor results also raises questions about our transfer policy - why no top notch striker and why no Scott Parker?
The team with the bad tactics (or, if you want, with the easy to anticipate and without automatisms tactics) of the soft and slow paced players lost again!
I watch Spurs for about 50 years. Our team is the champion of the “softies”. So many “softies” in our team all these years! Players with good or excellent technique but mentally and physically weak. Without strong personality, a winner's character/determination to win every single battle and game and poor physical qualities (strength, speed, stamina).
TO ALL TECHNICAL STAFF, THE MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION BOARD AND THE PRESIDENT OF TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS:
PLEASE, when you buy a player be sure that he has at least an average, and if possible higher than this, INTELLIGENCE and he is PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY strong. Please never buy a player who doesn't fulfil these three criteria. That's all you have to pay attention.
Intelligence, a winner's character/strong personality, physical strength are the primary and essential qualities that must has any player you buy.
Don't forget also that the more players with a winner's character a team has the most games it wins.
CB - in hindsight, you are probably right, although Wilson has not been anywhere near his destroying best.
As for WH, not sure how you lot would cope with a few injuries.
IOANX - mentioned something similar in the Carling Cup post-match write up with regards to style of play and players. The scum have a philosophy they follow from the academy team through to the reserves and the first team, so they can chop and change as they like. To be fair, few teams work like that, although with Man Utd, you could argue they like to include players who refuse to work hard.
Because I have the memory-span of a goldfish, I can't remember if - in our opening UEFA Cup rampage post-lasagnagate - we had a 'midweek XI' and a 'Sat XI'. I suspect maybe not ? Because I;m old, I do remember the EC campaign of 61 when getting to somewhere like Gornik required a three day trip on the back of a camel and they were lucky to get back by 2.55 on Sat afternoon. Didn;t seem to be a big deal then. You played your best side all the time.
Much as I like to be proved right, the failure to buy a goal machine in the summer is coming back to haunt. No Jermain = No goals. Overall form this season - aside from the first half v City - has been less than awesome and is a prime example of 'great squad/average team' syndrome at the mo.
I;ve got no doubt that it'll all gel at some point. I just hope that point comes before we're scanning the KO stages of the Europa Lge; been knocked out the Cup home to Plymouth; and are just above Liverpool in 10 place.
when watching the carling cup midweek I commented to my mate, that if I was hudd, I would be shitting myself. Sandro looked great, fast, physical, can pass and did not stop running. I would be more than happy to see sandro in the team based on that performance alongside modric, oh but wait. Arry has given him the captains armand now!
I am not blaming hudd though, we are just not clicking yet. Lets keep the faith, we have another 32 games left to play in the league. I reckon we are missing a certain Mr Dawson more than anyone would have thought.
chins up fellas, we will get going shortly.
COYS.
I'm a West Ham fan and obviously delighted with yesterdays performance, but listen, you had an off day, we had a good day. These things happen. If you want to brighten up, just keep watching the rerun on match of the day and it will show you that Spurs controlled the game with West Ham having about 5 shots on goal. In fact, we had 22 attempts and we dominated, good old MOTD. Anyway, you will still finish up there somewhere, so write it off and admit the best team won
The best team on the day did win.
You can afford one or two players in your team who don't work hard or they are physically not that strong if of course these players offer a high level of technique or they are highly efficient. But most of your players must be physically and mentally strong. It is let's say a little secret that know all the people who have analysed the game of football using science and observation. When you talk about “winning a game” and not only “playing a game” then the golden rule is : the more players with a winner's character a team has the more games it wins. It seems to me that all these years Spurs are buying and using players who like to play the game but they don't care very much to win it. Players who don't become “SICK” when they are loosing a personal battle, lose a clear chance or a penalty, they fail to prevent an opponent to score or to overcome them, when their team loses. Players who want to be better than anybody else on the field if possible. These are the characteristics of a player with a winner's character. Of course we must know that the general percentage of such persons in any society is very low. In American universities they say that it is 4-7% of the population. So it is not easy to find them. But if you know this and you follow a consistent policy of recruiting as many as possible such kind of players, then one day you'll reap the rewards of your efforts. All those who have watch yesterday the game of MC against Chelsea they could see the passion, the desire and the determination to win of almost all the players involved. All big teams have been built having as basis a number of players with strong personality and a winner's character. This is what we are missing at Spurs last fifty years. So the secret is that you must find players who do anything they can, using their intelligence and physical strength, to win all their personal battles for themselves first helping subsequently their team to win.
IOANX
I think Bale definitely has that quality. Maybe Dawson. Defoe when he is on form but his drive is perhaps more egocentric so it's a bit different. Others? Not sure.
FIGHT FM 106.1
TURN IT UP AND RIP THE KNOB OFF
disgracceful
Maybe Rafael does too.
Views from yesterday
Charlie- crap RB let alone CB
bale- Unconvicing LB stunning LW
jenas- just not good enough
Cuducini- done ok but we need gomes back
Hutton- should get a run in the side
kranks- give him a game
keane-just so we can play 442 EPL
NHS- so the fuckers can play with some heart
Shepard Neame- so the shits can play with some bottle
Redknapp has been found out. He can only play one way and if that doesn't work he has no plan B, just hoof it up to the freak. He also doesn't help that the lazy c*nt refuses to stand up and do his job during the ninety minutes. Is anyone else concerned about the amount oif muscle strains our players are getting, especially so early in the season? Poor training or matchday warm ups maybe? Redknapp seems only interested in CL because he knows he'll never get another chance. With a bit of luck he, crouch and the rest of his clowns will be out by the end of the season. We should be writing CL off this season, now that we're in the group stages. The main objective should be that we qualify again next season, but at this rate we'll be lucky to finish in the top eight. I love my football, maybe too much at times ,but everytime I see rent-o-gob in our colours giving an interview another little bit of that love dies.
The formation wasn't the problem, it's the positions he picks. For example, Huddlestone was sh*te most of the the game and West Ham were limited to very few chances anyway so Corluka's lack of pace wasn't the problem. Clearly Palacios should have been playing (even off form, he would have matched Parker). Bale is WASTED at left-back (Bassong can play Left back or even Naughton at a stretch), West Ham must have been laughing when they saw the team-sheet. Crouch (and Keane) again useless, Pav needs a long stretch up front. I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing...
Cudicini
Hutton Corluka Huddlestone Bassong
Palacios
Bentley Van der Vaart Modric Bale
Pavlyuchenko
Bench: Pletikosa, Naughton, Jenas, Kranjcar, Lennon, Dos Santos, Crouch (yes, I've dropped Keane, he is completely useless !)
Sir G
"so write it off and admit the best team won"
Sorry to be a pedantic old fart but it's the "better" team if there's only two of them!
Enjoy the Championship next season.
Right, Redknapp is pissing me off and his after match comments didn't do much to make me feel any better about him either.
(a) “It’s disappointing in the end but full credit to them, West Ham, it’s good to see them get a win, they needed a win, but we’re disappointed we didn’t get the three points as well,”
(b)“It was an exciting game for the neutrals I’m sure today. It was end to end stuff, it was like a basketball game: we attacked, they attacked, we attacked, they attacked.”
First and foremost, I know knappy has his roots with west ham, great. But the sodding cunt seemed to be a little bit too delighted for our rivals' win.
And which fuckin' neutrals would have found this match that exciting?! Was he actually watching the same game?! The team looked like dry crusty shite on the field, being run over by those hams. At times I thought our players forgot which way to run or pass the ball.
Knapp needs to wake up and get things figured out.
Tired of this fuckery, next game hopefully better.
spook you have said it as it is .........first of all well done to west ham ....
so whats the remedy for the squad?
a serious football bonding session.......is required as follows
1,Mohican Haircuts for all
2,Cars impounded for 3 days when a game is lost ,spurs pushbike provided as standard issue
3,Wags mobile phones are banned on matchday
4,Bonding games ..beach football.....rio style ,basketballl,rugby, piantball and chess....... consider?
5,golden shot top in game corner of goal area with prize 5.000 squid to a charity those with the most at end of season get spurs seasonal golden boot and bonus
6,never put players in mentally confusing wrong positions Harry ........Bale is WMD
7,confidence strategy for low points of season..a trip to artclass to draw model with a cello between her legs
and finally ......
8,bootcamp and marching 8 am in mornings with joe jordan in your face.....whilst chewing a wrigleys!
bring it on
P.S.
Happy to see them get a win at our expense?! Really Knap?!
- I'm fickle yes, I'm also finished for now.
That Avram Grant must have said his prayers right last Saturday. Since then the Hammers have been a different team completely. Voodoo magic if you ask me. As for us, as soon as Dawson went down playing for England, we lost our steel. He's the one true leader in our team and when he comes back he should get the armband for sure.
COYSFFS
Agree that Jernas and Hudd didn't work last year and won't work this.
Best patch was Modric and Hudd.
I think the problem is that Harry is trying to accommodate Modric AND VdV at the same time and so sacrifices a striker. However, we don't have a striker who can do it and our midfielders seldom get into the box to make up for the missing striker. So we have no real scoring threat.
I disagree with Harry that Green stopped us from winning. Hammers played much better than us and our possession was pretty ineffective.
honestly though why are any of you surprised?? We were always going to struggle this year with the champions league/premier league balancing act. We only did well last year beasue of the absence of european football, now most spurs fans expect us to do the same plus qualify from the champ lge group.
Its totally unrealistic. Top 6 would represent an excellent season for us and is the only realistic expectation we can have. Top 4 this year? forget it. And that is before we got our injuries, we need dawson & defoe back but im not going to moan about these losses, last year we over achieved and they got 4th which i never thought we would ever get. This season we need to regroup, enjoy the champ lge adventure and seriously go for it again next year. Trouble is, you lot seem to think we should achieve so much more and you couldnt be more wrong.
Imagine where we would be if Harry had prioritised the league? Probably at least 4 points better off and in 2nd spot. We had an easy start to this season and didn't capitalise. Let's not give up hope now my fellow yids. It's all still there for the taking.
I'm just not buying the midweek champions league distraction as an excuse. This may be our first season in the CL but it's not the first time we've played in Europe. We played in the UEFA Cup in 2006/07 and still managed to equal our 5th place finish of the preceding season. And to date, we haven't been up against a side that is inherently superior to the competition we faced in the UEFA. Plus, by every measure, save perhaps with strikers, we have a better, deeper squad than we did in 2006. So the notion that this is a natural development given our progress is bullshit.
Our current form is down to Redknapp. I got hammered on this board last season for saying we should thank him nicely for doing the job he was hired to do--get us out of relegation zone--and move on to a manager who would be capable of moving us on, rather than effectively promoting Redknapp to a job he was not qualified to do i.e. manage a champions league side.
The more optomistic posts, including Spooky's, are hoping that Redknapp will move up the learning curve...soon. Dream on. He is what he is. He's not some promising or developing manager. He's approaching the end of his career and he's not going to change. He's not interested in changing and, frankly, he doesn't even seem too interested in Spurs at the moment. I said before, the man's got his eye on the main chance, and for a while that was us, a chance for him to go out on a high managing a top four side, but now clearly it's the England job.
I agree that we should have strenthened more and sorted out the forward situation in the summer. But having dropped the director of football position, you damn well better have a manager that Levy trusts to spend his money. And that's not Harry. Would you buy a used footballer from this man?
Big Fish - Scary thought, isn't it?
I think that just about sums it up zeigemonster,
All this 'believe' bullshit is just that. We got lucky last year, we're seeing that now.
Now it'll be a long drawn out process of the inevitable - Redknapp getting the boot.
You sound like the same type of fan who kept saying all of last season we wouldn't finish top 4. Look at the rest of the league. It's not exactly shitting it material is it?
Ziege, I'm keeping the faith. For a little longer. Last season I know of a few fellow yids who didn't think Harry astute enough to battle and take fourth spot. Perhaps that was his limit right there. Perhaps he punched above his weight and got lucky. Or maybe he just knew how to motivate and get the team working to a standard good enough to claim that fourth spot as Lilywhite.
If someone was available in the summer, and Levy had the balls, and had he changed the manager. Well, that will always be a risk for a number of reasons. I can think of just one man who could have come in and nothing, in terms of players getting unsettled, would have happened. But that man, well, it's fantasy.
In terms of changing it, I know Jol long lost the politics battle and the Berbatov saga didn't help, but Ramos in many ways was a disaster (again, the flip side here is that are players are fucking pussies). Still, it took someone like Harry to save the day. And I know sentiments should not play a part in football if you are really hungry for true success, but Levy has stuck with him, and for now. So am I.
Don't think I haven't noticed Harry's very subtle disinterested body language in recent weeks. Perhaps something has changed within the FA, because I can't for the life of me see how they would ever opt to appoint him - all things considering.
Ziegemonster & TWMNN - why is it that some fans can't distingush between fair/constructive criticism to pressing the panic button & throwing the mother of wobblies?? This was evident back in our little blip back in January and February - I for one remained confident that we would finsih 4th. OK agreed this season acheiving 4th and progressing in the Champions league is going to be a tougher nut to crack but to suggest that last season we 'got lucky' suggests you didn't see any of the matches...
As ' Arry woud say 'we all make mistakes' and I think our transfer policy is open to question but to suggest that ' Arry is only fit to get us out of the bottom 3' demonstrated the most moronic neandertalism when you made said claim last season before we acheived 4th ( in style I might add!!!) & even more so now having got into Europe. Surely this success was enough to knock some sense into the most neandertal ( do I mean fickle?) of brains...
Yes, we're all pissed off at losing to the Spammers who were the better team on the day and we may take some more knocks but as results this weekend have shown, we're not the only top team to have stumbled against supposedly lesser opponents...I expect us to end up,in the European places even with our injuries and limitations to current squad...but then again I must be dreaming!!!
Six games and the fickle amongst us have began their work. We'll get exactly what we deserve in the end.
I think it's quite possible that Harry's disinterestedness has to do with the fact that Levy won't spend more.
He had some comment a few weeks ago in the midst of the transfer window about "well it depends on how far you want to go doesn't it?" hinting not so subtly that we weren't going to spend what it would take to go to the next level.
Obviously it takes a bit more than spending more and I am starting to see HR's limitations but I do think he really genuinely cares about Spurs and has ambitions to at least end the twilight years of his career on a high note.
And, fact of the matter is that we are yids and therefore believe we are entitled to the best of the best but who exactly do we have in the wings who is better than Harry? Honestly I don't know how to answer that question myself but I imagine if a top manager approached Levy he would seriously consider it. My educated guess is Harry is as good as we can possibly get right now.
Agreed RE Harrys interviews - He's so relaxed and laid back about us playing shit, seen it a few times from him. Don't know what's said behind closed doors to the boys but some fire and passion from him would be nice, you never know it might start to rub off on the players as at the moment they just arnt hungry enough.
I know people have been criticising about playing players out of position but fuck me, the amount of training these boys do they should be able to play all over the poxy pitch. The coaching staff need to get a grip and harry needs to fire these boys up like every game is their last. We've been embaressed hard so far and I know we are still early days but come on you bunch of overpaid sluts, to dare is to do!!!!!!!
Bellamy in Jan.
What's "neandertal" (sic) thinking is that when things go right, it's always and only down to the manager, but when things go wrong, it's all the players' fault. Far too many folks, possibly from fear of thinking about the alternative, which I agree is not pretty, have drunk the 'Arry kool-aid and totally believe this nonsense. Part of our "luck" last year were injuries during the Jan.-Feb. slump that forced Harry to start players he did not rate including the now-what -would-we-do-without-him Bale. As well as others who did dig deep and were part of our finishing fourth.
We have a slightly improved squad from last season, when everyone was agog at our "strength in depth." So what kind of brilliant man management results in these unconvincing and frankly ghastly to watch performances? Maybe it's because I am not English that I just do not understand what people see in Redknapp, who, as a person, is a pretty nasty piece of work. And as a football manager, what, exactly, has he achieved besides winning the FA Cup with a financially doped team? And taking an expensively assembled Spurs squad that had recently finished fifth twice to fourth place when Liverpool imploded?
I'm a Jol loyalist so believed from when the rumours first hit the papers that the Ramos switch was a mistake. But I certainly didn't foresee the depths of that disaster. As a result though, I think we've become like generals fighting the last war instead of the current one. Dropping "young" manager Jol for "proven" manager Ramos was a mistake. Does that mean we never change managers again? Our aim is consistent top four and CL, yet our approaching retirement manager has spent his career in the lower half of the prem and the lower divisions. "Relegation specialist" and "competing in Europe" are opposite ends of the footballing spectrum.
I looked it up: the first season we finished 5th, we were out of the cups early so could focus purely the league, similar to no Europe for us last season. But the next year we played in the Carling Cup till January 31 and the FA Cup till mid March and in Europe until mid April and we were still able to maintain our league standing of 5th. If Martin Jol could do it with a smaller and frankly less talented side, what's Harry's excuse?
Great post zeig!
This seasons performances are a shadow of last seasons and the only differences I can see this season are injuries, rotation of team ( some caused by injuries) and CL.
The thing is we had injuries to key players last year, with Defoe, Lennon and Modric missing chunks of it and Woodgate missing the whole season.
Also, we kept the whole squad from last season and added to it in the Summer so we should be stronger.
I cannot see any other reason for these poor performances other than having both eyes on the CL and we have missed a real chance with what should have been an easy start to the season fixture wise.
Even allowing for the fact we were without first choice GK, 2 CB, a LB and a striker yesterday, you look at our squad and that of WH and still wonder how we can lose a game like that.
Only other possibility is HR has lost the dressing room and we are witnessing what we saw with Ramos and Jol, a group of players getting rid of a manager.
NYCYid, not to be snide, but Harry spent what it took to get Portsmouth to the FA Cup. And bankruptcy less than a year later. My one solace is that Levy is too financially cute to let Harry get his hands on the checkbook.
David, put that way, it's kind of scary. I don't think Jol lost the dressing room until it was obvious he was a "dead manager walking" after the photos of the Ramos meeting and "dizzying offer" quotes came out in the papers, but still that's a disturbing trend.
Zeige, on reflection, I think you are right re Jol.
Towards the end of his reign I recall a match at Newcastle where Berbatov was a sub, was told to warm up by Jol and is alleged to have refused. The story was that Jol said "I am the manager " and Berb replied "not for much longer".
The story could be total bollocks but in gerneral I think the bulk of the team played for him pretty much to the end.
Going further back, I am pretty sure George Graham and even Hoddle could not get their teams to play for them in the end and they got the boot as a result.
Makes you appreciate how SAF has kept his club/ players at the top level for so long.
Agree with you re Levy preventing HR from taking us to the bankruptcy court, it will never happen.
As someone suggested earlier on here, maybe HR is sulking because he could not spend as much as he wanted in the window.
Cannot believe he will get the England job with the charges hanging over him.
David, yes, I remember one of Hoddles's last matches at the very end of the season, ironically against South Hampton, when the players basically went on on sit down strike.
Re the England job, well, Harry appears to think he's in with a chance. That's a nicely paid gig, so he could pay her majesty's government a fat settlement and hey, presto, no more charges.
Zeigemonster and David
Don't get me wrong. I agree with youse about Levy restraining Redknapp from his default setting of spending a team into the ground.
I was just suggesting that's why he's probably seemed a bit detached.
Just a theory of course.
Whenever Spurs present us with a result like this I do find strange solace in perusing other clubs' supporters blogs.
On the subject of our discussion about HR, You should hear what people have been saying about Hodgson and Moyes recently.
NYCYID...Hello mate. I have seen a few blogs where some of our supporters have said we should go for Moyes or Martin O'Neill. It makes me wonder whether they have seen the style of football their teams play and how long we would put up with it.
I think Moyes and Hodgson are excellent at making the most of what they have but would not be surprised if Hodgson comes a cropper now he is at a bigger club. Fulham were a hard working side and punched above their weight to get to the Europa final but would you want to watch that style of football every week ?
And I fully recognise that this season, our team have served up some real dross!
So if HR goes (and I am not too bothered either way) who would replace him ? Certainly none of his current assistants.
Mr Klinnsmann maybe ? I cannot think of too many candidates.
So you've turned on Harry already, Spook? When you've said we need stability? Turning on a manager who achieves something the lovable chubby bloke almoster Martin Jol could'nt do. That's just fickle and typical of Spurs supporters thinking like we're a footballing master. It's why other supporters hate us, but who gives a fuck about that. The problem is that we're impatient beyond our station. Booing the team after a half hour drawing against Stoke like we're Barcelona. Putting undue pressure on the team when we should be trying to HELP THEM.
Anyway, well done Spook. You're the voice of the not-so-best of Spurs supporters... Impatient, fickle and deluded.
Not sure where you picked that up from considering I'm backing him and the players. If its my little longer comment, that was a dig.
I'm well aware of our general lack of stability/consistency at the club - but the reality is, Harry will move on/leave in the next 2 years, no matter what. Hopefully, for once, a manager leaves the club allowing for easy transition for the next guy to come in - in other words, no 2 points 8 games scenario. Always rumoured that was Levy's thinking. Get the club into a healthy challenging state on the pitch using Harrys back to basics. No reason why we are not on track for that.
The argument some are placing their allegiance with concerns the fact they did not rate him in the first place or perhaps believe he has been fortunate with his success, therefore, masking the fact he has not got what it takes.
Irony that after years of hiring and firing managers, we strike lucky by appointing a manager who is lucky and get 4th spot. Anyone recommend any other lucky managers out there we could perhaps pluck for a future appointment?
Well, Villa did what is expected of them to do, which is what we should have done - show the quality and win at weaker teams' grounds.
COYS!!!!
I am so disappointed in you 'fans'! Spooky, since I found your blog, I've stuck to it because I can see you really love the team and spend time analysing things at the club. But in this case, come on, guys....
First, Corluka had a good game at CB, how can anybody fault this guy? He saved us countless times from Hutton's halfhearted defending yesterday.
Second, Spooky, with all the respect in the world to you: in a 4-5-1, the front man's position is NOT the vital one, it's always the wings, LW and RW. The forward can be okay(scoring only a few goals) and if those wingers are on, the team will probably win many games. Even if they don't win, they will dominate games 99 times out of 98. Please just watch games of teams that play 433/451 to check and we can discuss. Of course, if the striker is a beast then that's a bonus and the team will just steamroll others.
But if you can have Ronaldo(BRA) up front if you want - whenever the wings suck , the team will be very poor. This is why starting Lennon who is in poor form is asking for trouble. To be honest, I cannot even say who our LW was yesterday - so absent was the attack from that side. Modric and VDV prefer to come inside and pass around.
Third, I cannot believe that some of you (david) are asking for Hudd to be dropped! What????! That really pains me. And you keep critcizing Jenas. He is good, if he wasn't, all these managers would not have kept him at the club. Do you think you all know better than coaches at the club? Even Mourinho wanted him!
IF YOU DONT REMEMBER, LET ME REMIND YOU -
HARRY LIFTED US OUT OF THE BOTTOM FIVE WHEN HE CAME IN - HE DID IT BY PLAYING A 4-5-1 WITH JENAS AND HUDDLESTONE IN THE MIDDLE AND BENT/PAV UP FRONT! (tried a 442 with Bent/Pav + Frazier Campbell but it wasn't working in the league)
THIS IS HOW WE PLAYED LEAGUE GAMES, STARTED GETTING WINS AND BEAT ARSENAL 4-4 (YES I SAID IT, IT FELT LIKE A WIN!!)
UNTIL THE JAN TRANSFER WINDOW WHEN WE GOT DEFOE AND COULD THEN PLAY TWO UP FRONT - WE ALSO GOT PALACIOS (who used to be an absolute beast!) SO WE COULD FULLY SWITCH TO A 4-4-2. ADD CROUCH IN THERE AND WE HAD DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS.
Sorry to use the CAPS but you guys are killing me! Saying Harry's at his limit! This guy just got us into the Champs league!
I will say something about Harry though - you guys can believe or not. He purposely allowed WH to win this because his friend Avram would definitely have lost his job, WH he had lost this derby. It would have been the last straw for Avram in these times of fickle chairpeople and fickle fans!
1)Starting Lennon right now
2)Staring Hutton
3)Playing Bale at LB and more importantly - not pushing him up to LW after our poor first half!
These three things prove to me that Harry purposely made it easy for WH to win, a very smart way to throw a game...Still I back him as the best manager for us because he has already improved us and taken us further than any other manager in recent history!
COYS!!!! Dont start calling for heads now, stick with the team!!!!!