It's good to be Spurs
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 1:02PM Open bus parade ticker-tape not yet ordered. Check.
“Title winners 2012” tattoo appointment on hold. Check
Scott Parker porn under the bed. Check.
Right hand not in the vicinity of groinal area whilst watching back MotD highlights. Check.
Feet firmly on ground. Check.
Ready to blog. Check.
The two spankings dished out against us in the opening two games appear to be so far-fetched and detached from our current performances that it almost feels like they happened in a season not belonging to 2011/12. So much of the summertime concern and despair was probably thanks to the ever-evolving psyche of the modern Spurs football supporter. Expectations are such that a return to anything resembling mediocre would be akin to having your heart ripped out from your chest and spending the rest of your days walking around like a zombie from The Walking Dead. Lifeless and a shadow of your former self, feeding off scraps and rodents. I spent the best part of the 90s and a season or two of the early 00s as a zombie. We all did. But even after the opening two defeats there was no genuine knee-jerk that would surmount to darker days.
The level of expectation did have us question the transfer window activity and we mumbled about the necessary improvements and what impact the players we signed could have. Most of the mumbles centred on not signing a centre-back and perhaps not being successful in signing another forward. It all formed part of the preparation we subconsciously go through to strengthen our resolve just in case it all goes pear-shaped. If you believe it’s going to go wrong it’s a emotive defence mechanism to then talk it up and admit it before it happens so that you give the impression to others that it doesn't hurt as much when it does happen. Far easier to be negative then it is to be positive. Easier still to be negative from a position of negativity, preferring to not even entertain the potential for positivity.
Ye of little faith.
But that’s us, that’s how we’re built. Consistentency is hardly a trait we’ve been synonymous with in the past 15 or so years, so three or so seasons of it won’t mean we’ll sprout wings and fly. But if you expect me (us) not to be floating around after the post-Manc ‘start’ we’ve had then I apologise. Although I am anchored to the ground momentarily for this article, I remain very bouncy and floaty. Football is about moments. This particular one is three years of age give or take a few months here and there and it includs its own little progressional transitions. The good type.
Those two defeats against the Mancs might not have been so probable had we began both games with something resembling a centre-pairing in midfield. We'll get our chance to put things right in the returns.
19 points. 7 games. Now that’s a t-shirt.
Any criticisms or discussions about a lack of coherent balance relating to say the right-wing issue with covering Lennon (with Bale sometimes stuck out there), Gareth’s form, the lack of organisation at the back when Ledley isn’t playing, conceding goals early in the second half, van der Vaart’s roaming, lack of telling cutting edge that could potentially lead to bossing a game (for example, had we made it 3-1 at Newcastle)...the way we react to a single game and then proceed to analyse it usually sees us doing so in isolation. Take one game, critique tactics and individual displays...base all conclusions on that one game as the definitive answer. Then when citing prior games, only pick out examples you wish to use to further cement your own personal agenda.
That's pretty much football from the stands. It's the same game you watch yet it's completely different to the one seen by the bloke standing next to you. Opinions, perspectives. We're all built differently, we all see things differently.
So rather than revisit a particular game, if you take a step back and look from the outside in and take note of our progress, you’d be hard pressed to find much wrong. It didn't look quite right at the back end of last season. Squad has been improved since and still needs improving. A reboot here and there due to a freeze helps things along nicely. Can't say I fear a blue screen of death flashing before me anytime soon.
Those criticisms and discussions we do find might be problematic on paper and on the field of play but their nature can be positive. Adebayor not scoring? Look at his work-rate. He's paid to score, but how many times did we slate Bent for doing the opposite to what Ade is doing at precisely this moment? King not always fit to play so are we disturbing cohesiveness at the back by including him when he is? Why shouldn’t we play him when he is fit because we may as well get the very most out of him. His ilk might not be something we're blessed with for another generation. Every game he performs in should be celebrated.
Modric currently less influential than he is capable of being. Guess what...we’re not a one man team, we’re not consumed by the necessity to lay all hope on a single player and Luka still gets the job done (quietly at times) when others make more colourful contributions. Talking of which, van der Vaart might sometimes lack the longevity of a lung bursting 90 minutes but he’s hardly a luxury some accused him of being earlier this season and last. He’s pivotal along with the rest of the assembled avengers in Lilywhite. Take that 90s, choke on our girth! But don’t go anywhere near Scotty Parkers girth. I call shotgun.
Every problem we have is a problem I would love to have as a football supporter because each one alludes to us becoming a better unit of players. Each one will further cement our belief and our development. It’s a good time to be a Spurs fan because of the wealth of talent we possess. It's exciting. People can try to shout us down for having not actually achieved anything for a while, but then exactly what are we meant to do other than continue to build and push forwards?
Champions League was deemed an impossibility not that long ago. We got laughed at for showing (misplaced) ambition each passing season. Then we made it. Football continues to be in a state of flux. We refuse to look back. Who cares if those that stood, pointed and giggled remain anchored there.
We're a very good side. One that needs to keep growing, keep grafting. The very top sides still have the edge because they have the experience. Some more so than others. Compete and you have a chance to earn the experience that will further elevate you to higher ground. We have a winning mentality with individuals that hunger for success. No culture of comfort here.
Sure, I don’t dispute there will be moments when we lapse or trip over. We almost (self-inflicted) did so against QPR on Sunday. But the character in our team is to brush it off and get the job done. That’s nothing new. We’ve had that for a fair few seasons now, so much so, that when we do lapse or fall over you can count the occasions on one hand.
We still have plenty of work to do (is there a time when we don't?) but form and facts will show you we have an impressive home record and we are no push-overs on our travels. We have players in our squad that other ‘top sides’ would gladly wish to have in theirs. We have match-winners all of the pitch. We also have spirit and only one or two demons left to exercise. The past is the past, it can’t be touched, it can’t be changed. All that's left is to make the future our own.
An echo of glory will do me just fine.
COYS.
Love the shirt.
Reader Comments (35)
Yes, we are a very good side.
When could we last genuinely say that with certainty as opposed to just trying to kid ourselves ?
Great article Spooks, although I'm next in line for Parkers girth...the guy has been outstanding winning motm nearly every game he's played!!
The next run of 6/7 games against supposedly weaker oppostition will show what we really have. those are the games that you have to get a lot of points from.
I was born in 1984 so watched my football growing up in the 90's. I know my history but never really thought supporting Spurs could be this good! I inherited my team like most and at times that felt like a curse but these days I almost feel guilty wearing the shirt; like this level of being proud feels alien to me or something. I hope we never lose that inbuilt pessimistic defence as it might stop us becoming arrogant SOB's like the scum down the road.
Great article Spooky.
I almost wept
COYS!
been on a roll since Jol came in 7 years ago, had a hiccup during Ramos (but even then won a cup). i've never had it anywhere near this good in my 24 years at the Lane. Can't believe some of the passing up top on Sunday and the way Parker bossed midfield, it was beautiful. Good run up to Xmas, we could be in second place by then and it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. Lovin' it.
Maybe the first two games were lost anyway but it does make you wonder how many points we'd have in we didn't leave transfers until the last bleeding minute.
The current position has to do with Levy's longer term vision, patience and financial backing. His appointment of Arneson laid the foundations. Comolli took this forward with buying potential and Redknapp has now nutured and shaped talented individuals into a very good team showing the level of self belief I'm not seen for 25 years.
This is what we should be talking about - football is joy, football is beautiful, football is ours. First half Sunday was sublime. Cherish every moment.
And reading fine work like this keeps it live and fresh.
Al
Yes, it is a good time to be a Spurs fan. And having been a supporter for 30 years, good times were definitely due. With the squad at our disposal, we shouldn't be afraid of setting the bar high. I, for one, will be bitterly disappointed if we haven't crossed the 40 point barrier by the end of the year.
THFC are a rollercoaster.
Remember back to last season, late Feb, we had already dispatched Inter Milan in winning our CL group, made history with an epic comeback at Arsenal, AC Milan beaten in their own back yard, sat 5th in the league and winning our game in hand at Blackpool would project us to 3rd place.
That game (loss) at Blackpool began a run of 10 games, W1 L3 D7....10 pts from 10 games, barely relegation form.
Our great start to the season, ignoring the Manchester blip, needs to be kept in perspective. The highs need to be accepted with little fanfair and the lows dealt with wtih similar level-headedness. This is self preservation. Right now I am happy, always optimistic, but calm because with THFC we can always grab defeat from ther jaws of victory when you least expect it (we nearly did so vs QPR).
There is so much time to go and this great run only serves to boost everyone's expectations....it is going to be an almighty struggle to end top 4. 6 into 4 does not go and LFC and Arsenal want it as much as we do.
Hold on tight, this ride will only get faster and more scarey!
is it me or is the Ballon d'Or nominations list exactly the same year on year?
wenger is nominated for what exactly? loosing the carling cup final to relegated birmingham and barely making it into the champions league with a team which used to compete regularly for the title??
surely on that basis harry should have got a mention for his achievements with us
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15533998.stm
i think chels are the wobblers at the moment, v interesting to see if AVB can steady them. personally i think he's out of his depth with an over the hill bunch of very nearly has-beans who are focusing more on the CL than PL. am confident we can do them in a few weeks time. Don't rate the scousers much.
Good start to the season but lets not get too excited. We will come unstuck against better team if we keep coming out after half time like we did against QPR. In fact how many times have we played well this season?
Manc games - pretty awful in both
Wigan - very good 1st half, poor and lucky to hold on 2nd half
Newcastle - pretty poor for the entire 90 minutes
Arsenal - Again, never really got going!
Blackburn - not great!
Plus we are already out of the carling cup, has Maurinho said, 5 games and you get a trip to Wembley!
Words as good to read as we are to watch at the moment. Fine work, Spooky.
AVB was lucky really that they had such an easy start to their season...Norwich, Swansea, WBA, badly out of for Sunderland and Bolton. Their onloy tough games have been Stoke away, Utd and Arsenal at the Bridge but even they should expect more than 1 point from those 3.
Now the pressure is on it will be interesting to see how his team react to him....in the past when things have gone pair shaped (Big Phil) it has effectively been the senior players calling the shots and forcing him out. If they react badly to AVB accusing them of "breaking promises" then things could go down hill for the rookie-ginger. They have Liverpool, Newcastle, City and Spurs in their next 7 games, so by Christmas we'll know whether Captain AVB can steer the Good (?!) SHip Chelsea through high seas or whether another mutiny will occur. Won't be helped if first mate Terry is made to walk the plank for alledged indiscretions!
Cheer up Ossie! If you cannot be happy now, when will you ever.
We don't need the CC this season. We have the Europa testing our resources, FA Cup still to come and we're well and truly in the race for top 3 right now.
We're THE form team in the league, Ledley is back, we have 5 more points from the same games last season (7 if you equate QPR to WHU), we have scored 8 more goals already, we're winning when playing badly and not dropping points to the poor teams (Wigan, QPR/WHU, Wolves).
Not sure where you expect us to improve....United haven't won the league numerous times by playing pretty football every week. At worst they are effective at best unplayable. I think we are falling into this category!
Very good article Spooky and I, like many of us, share your optimism. Things are definitely moving in the right direction and indeed we have plenty of reasons to be feeling very happy right now. I like the camaraderie in the side at the moment and there appears to be a strong workmanlike team ethic which in recent years had not been visible. I understand that we are a work in progress and there is still room for improvement, but this is what makes me feel even more excited. We have the nucleus of a great team and the question I'm alluring to is, how far can this current squad actually go? Early days yet I know but the signs look very promising. Yep, it's great being a Spurs fan, I concur implicity. COYS!!!!!
*typo* meant to say 'implicitly*. Sorry guys!
Harry says he doesn't intend to sign any players in January. Expect at least two then.
Great stuff as always Spooky. You have a knack for capturing how a lot of us feel with insight, and you do it in style: amusing, inspiring, sometimes moving. Keep up the good work. Yours is a Danny Blanchflower of blogs!
Sobering thoughts from Devonshire above. I had forgotten how badly we caved in last season following the Blackpool defeat.
I believe the squad was really feeling the pace with Champions League games though, and ran out of steam.
Let's hope we see the difference as a result of playing our promising youngsters in the Europa, and keep up this fantastic momentum for a lot longer.
AVB - gone by March.
Great post.
Harry seems to have a goal each season—just one, mind—and he seems to do pretty well with it.
2008-2009: Arrest the Ramos slide and get us safe. Mission Accomplished, but picking up another League Cup would have been nice.
2009-2010: Top Four push. Mission Accomplished, but getting to the FA Cup final would have been nice.
2010-2011: Turn the Champion’s League on its ear. Mission Accomplished, but maintaining league form to be in the damned thing again would have been nice.
2011-2012: We have already opted out of the League Cup and Harry clearly doesn’t care about the Europa, and he has talked up the need to get back to the CL. That seems to be the target, and Harry seems to do OK when he has the single goal to achieve.
The shame is spooky, that you and so many others cannot bring yourself to heap praise on the architect of where we now are.
Is it just a fit of churlishness or another glaring oversight?
If Levy has any sense, he'll break the bank to keep Harry.
Harry's mate, you just opened pandoras box my friend. It is incredible but you will still find people who will swear blind that all this would be happening whoever the manager was, and indeed some who will say that, infact, things would actually be going better if someone else was in charge.
Lets play devils (halfwits) advocate here: How dare you suggest that a manager getting successive top 5 finishes, quarter final of champs league, playing the best football we've seen in a generation, despite taking over the team when it was bottom of the league, is anything under than a coincidence?
Harry's mate. Give me a chance. Harry article in the works.
for all the suffering and moaning, i hear from us spurs fans, we finally have our ballanced team we craved for so long! and with depth also. our first team is amazing, with rose, lennon, corluka, dawson, kranciar not playing also for what ever reasons. we really do have amazing options. this is the strongest run of games i can remember for a long time.
i did'nt get alot of value for my season ticket in the jason dozell days, but now its almost sureal to see a team like that week in week out!
thankyou mr levy and harry, you were both amazing throughout hard times, we are really going places now and i cant see levy selling our best players this time and ruining it all, he is too wise now!
i am double happy at the moment, long may it last. coys
So Harry's undergoing a medical procedure today that will prevent him from attending the Rubin game tomorrow.
Being kept very hush hush as to what the procedure is for, but hopefully it's nothing serious.
Oh and just to add my thoughts on the article/season so far.......
One of the many things we can look at with positivity is that we function entirely as a team and are no longer reliant on a good performance from an in individual player. Previously we've relied on Modric having a good game or Bale or VDV. Now, if one comes up short, the other 10 work even harder. We're a unit and that may well give us an edge in the chase for 3rd/4th.
Also, we have quality in depth, with pretty much every position covered with decent back-up.
When you look at Chelsea & Arsenal, that's something that they are now starting to lack. If the Goons lose RVP (as inevitibly they will at some point), they have no-one who can score those goals. If Adebayor gets injured Defoe will come in or at worst Pav. If we lose VDV through injury, Modric will move forward or Defoe will come in. For Parker we have Sandro or Hudd. For Bale/Lennon we have Kranjcar & Rose..... I could go on.
The next month to 6 weeks will dictate the rest of our season. We now play teams that we SHOULD beat, but being Spurs I will be pessimistic before each away game at least! We should pick up a minimum of 12 points from the next 6 games, which would be consistent with the 2 points per game average we need to maintain.
I look forward to seeing what happens over the coming 2 months and then into the transfer window, where I still don't believe a word Harry says. We'll be getting a new striker in and Pav will go.......
I find it funny that the media and now fans are telling Levy he has to keep Harry at all costs, when Harry himself has said no Englishman could turn the England managers job down.
He has made it clear to all that he wants a job that is going to be available in a few months. A job that would be the pinnacle of his career and give him a chance to manage an England team at a World Cup held in Brazil. That's fantasy football right there.
Why would Harry sign a new contract now if he thought that would damage his chances of getting the England managers job?
The present situation is best for all involved, if Harry is not Englands number 1 choice does anyone really think Levy wouldn't offer him a new contract next summer.
And do people think Spurs can offer Harry more than the FA would offer him?
Great article as always spooky
The thing that sets us apart in my opinion is the stability of our team compared to our rivals over the last 2 seasons. Every week its just about the same team (outside CB where we take whoever is fit) playing in the same system that the players know back to front.
The boys just seem to know where their teammates are going to be in both attack and defense. While competition for places is great and its even more fun to debate sandro/parker and RVD/Defoe I think that the advantages are apparent on the field, that fluidity that was evident on the weekend only comes from game time together and I think that is what ultimately will lead us to continue to excel and harry deserves full credit for it.
While the Manchesters, arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea chop and change so much that many of their players don't seem to have the same understanding and team spirt as us, and while they have the class and individual talent to dominate the smaller teams they seem disjointed against well organised or other top 6 teams i.e Manc v Manu and Cheskia v Arsenal where the defending and much of the general play was awful or just plain unorganized while our record against the top teams continues to get better every season, its the small teams where we seem bored and often try to do to much that is our archillies heel which is why the next few games I think will be so important .
@Harry's Mate and Paul f:
Ramos was a blip. Compare the squad available to Jol and his 150 played/67 victories to Harry's squad and his 145 played/70 victories. Harry is doing ok (and we're playing more attractive football than under Jol), but I wouldn't go so far as to paint him as a Messiah.