Challenge Spurs™ 2011: Thou Shalt Not Lose
Friday, February 4, 2011 at 10:09PM Challenge Spurs. It's back. In pog form. Well actually, it's just back in its standard blog format as it last appeared in full Technicolor during 2008 when the challenge concerned itself with the fixtures that stood before Redknapp and the two points eight games tag line.
A slightly more positive spin this time round, although equally as nerve-racking as past missions with the possibility of gut wrenching disappointment, the unwanted reward for failure.
Success however will open the gate to further glory. The next five games will define what the final eight will mean in our battle to remain Champions League for the 2012 season.
Five games, three away from the Lane sandwiched between two home games. Bolton up first on Saturday. Then Sunderland, Blackpool and Wolves before West Ham visit us in N17 to complete the challenge. What makes these five games special is that we play Meelan twice, home and away, in amongst the league games. Strength in mind, body and soul absolutely imperative as we face five Cup finals and two World Cups.
One game at a time.
At no point can we lose focus. At no point can we allow ourselves to look back with regret.
After the West Ham game, we'll be looking ahead, staring straight at the final eight Prem games - the run-in - either buoyant and inspired or dejected and backs firmly nailed to wall.
So what's required for (excluding Champions League) the five games? What basic winning mentality criteria, regardless of personnel on pitch, do we need to possess to rape and pillage our way through the opposition with brutal ruthlessness?
Team cohesiveness.
Leadership.
Work ethic.
Craft and creativeness.
Clinicality.
Tactical astuteness.
Fighting spirit.
What happens on other battlefields is of no concern to us. Our only concern should be the obstacles that stand in our way. Such things as complacency and fear.
None of the above will matter if we play like utter dogsh*t and still win all the games. But to win with intent and purpose, to make a statement that will thunder it's way across to those other battlefields sending a defiant message that we stand tall (some taller than others) with no white flag of surrender in sight? Who needs reinforcements? Not us.
Eleven commanders on the field, no worship of false Gods and one simple commandment to live and die by. Thou shalt not lose.
Onwards to the Promised Land.
Reader Comments (66)
(H) Bolton W 2-1
(A) Sunderland D 2-2
(A) Blackpool W 3-1
(A) Wolves W 2-0
(H) West Ham W 4-0
4 wins, 1 draw, 13 points.
All winnable which means we are bound to fudge about two or three of them.
Sunderland away is the game that has me concerned as we like to switch off up there.
If we took maximum points from these five games we'd be laughing. Just can't see it.
(H) Bolton W
(A) Sunderland D
(A) Blackpool D
(A) Wolves D
(H) West Ham W
9 points for me.
And you shall know us by the trail of the relegated.
On paper it's hardly a challenge. Midtable to relegation fodder and yet you just know it will be a roller-coaster ride. We'll win all of them except for Sunderland away. Score draw.
Last years results
(H) Bolton W 1-0
(A) Sunderland L 1-3
(A) Blackpool
(A) Wolves L 0-1
(H) West Ham W 2-0
If we lose the east london derby I'll blame Robbie Keane
Have to improve on those results. I'd go with a draw tomorrow, draw at Sunderland and then three wins.
Spot on. COME ON YOU SPURS, Start with Bolton. One win at a time. No less.
We'll probably end up with some rather uninspiring results, like 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat. It would be nice if we could rediscover some of that early season form, but much depends on when we can get Bale and Modders back.
Players have to pull together. Can't hide behind excuses. Yes we have key players out but that didn't stop us last season and it should not stop us this time round. Need to lift the remaining gloom from deadline day what with all the hype at Chelsea and Liverpool. Attention on them, pressure on them. Same with City. Happily and quietly like to see us get the points and let the pundits chit chat about the so called contenders whilst we go to work on fucking them all off again. COYS.
Harry on skysports this morn bemoaning the lack of quality strikers available during the window but he wasn't really bothered cos "we've got Crouchy" ! And he was serious. Suarez 1 game, 1 goal. Crouchino 2 goals, 23 games. Hmmmm.... lets hope the Harry is right and Crouch has turned a corner and starts banging em in. I know a manager has to support his players but he hardly offers Pav the same confidence. Strange...I really cant figure 'Arry out. Anyway enough moaning, time to step up as you say...COYS!!!!!
If we get max points chances are we'll finish 3rd or higher.Keane can't play against us right? Defoe also hopefully will score some,its about time
Three away games and the AC Milan encounters says enough to me that we're going to drop points. Players will have their minds on other things I guaranteed it, CL hangovers too. We should use the momentum, we've done well in post- CL games but what with so many players missing, I don't know.
Could not agree more.
These five games plus the double header with Milan have to be approached one game at a time.
1. Recent past wont count for much. I hate to be a doom mongerer but
a. Bolton and Sunderland are a different proposition from last year and West Ham have been "revitalised" by the recent signing.
b. Wolves away are never easy; and
c. Blackpool ... well you cannot be sure.
2. However if we approach these games with a single-minded focus to win each game as it comes....
a. home games are never a given but we must beat West Ham and Bolton in our usual cavalier style although you will expect them to close the door shut and try to catch us on the break..
b. Wolves and Sunderland need to be won "ugly" a la the approach to Blackburn.
c. Blackpool are good at corners, and other stuff at home or so I'm given to understand so it may simply be a matter of us scoring more than them.
With that in mind, the personnel for each game must be carefully selected, which comes to my bugbear for the entire season, I think echoed by some. We need to rotate. Some of our key players get worn out and need a rest. So others can come in to help out. But the replacements should be match fit. So Kranjcar Sandro and others must get some regular game time.
Enjoy the game!
I better go stock up on my antacids.
I've watched Blackpool play a handful of times including both of their defeats of Liverpool. They were all quite enjoyable matches. I'm hugely relieved we've been able to put off playing them till this late in the season since they seem to be fading a bit now. But I wouldn't assume either of those matches are going to be easy.
Ditto for several of the other matches: Bolton beat us this year and looked good doing it. Wolves did the double over us last year and have been brutally unlucky not to have picked up some draws against "big" side. Sunderland--does the table lie? They're sniffing at our heels so deserve some respect. Finally, West Ham, lost to them as well this year.
I think we should be able to beat each of these teams on any given day but we're going to have to play smart as well as work hard.
Love it.
Season saved!
YEeeeeeeeeeaH!!!
1 game down, 3 points on the score card.
No complaints! Well done, Niko!
Never liked Jenas,but he actualy played very good today. Always liked Defoe,but after his recent performances he simply has to be put on the bench
Well done Spurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No complaints??, Well done Spurs?? What the hell f### were you all watching!!
That was the worst rubbish i have ever seen, garbage and we were lucky. If Redknapp insists on playing his lover Crouch, they will both collectively sink this club. We have forgotten how to score playing football!!
How i hate Crouch, he cant head, he cant jump, he is too slow with the ball because he is so bloody tall, he is good for nothing and i would not mind if he kept his crap to him self but he dictates the way the team play, wake up for Gods sake!!! . I have been saying this all along and will continue to do so.
As for the rest of them, what can i say, we are simply not good enough!!
We will be very lucky to hang on to 5th. I hope im wrong!!!
idiot. we were missing modric, bale, hudd, kaboul not to mention king and woody. we have ground out two fine wins after losing 4-0. get a grip, do u expect 9-1 every week. if we get mod and bale fit soon our run in will be very exciting, we dont have the pressure that those above us have.
look at the effing table it does not lie.
Three points are three points.
Next.
I thought Crouch was good today. Don't normally think so but he made some great runs, had some great chances and made some good passes etc. I am certainly very critical of the guy but thought he was decent today. So what the hell f**** were you watching, Negative Nancy :)
Would fancy us to win all those PL ganes, were it not for the CL games which I suspect will reduce our focus.
We cannot afford any more injuries.
Hopefully VDV will not be out too long.
Walker called up for England. Our RB for next season ?
Could easily play 3-5-2.
Walker is going to turn out to be a tasty player, hopefully for us and I would think next season. So bye bye Hutton or Charlie.
Good performance today in that we just plugged away. We're suffering with the players missing and looking at other results was vital to pick up all points.
With the CL games, rotation is a must.
So do you put out your best team for a top 4 or for the CL?
Whats more important??
Wolves seem to beat all the big teams at home.
We should be alright then.
Hotspurs - one feeds the other. They are both equally as important.
I know we were missing players, we have been all season and still played better. Ive been watching spurs for 45 years so i think im entitled to pass my own opinion on the game without you calling people an idiot or a nancy!!
We have nothing up front and the love affair with Crouch is damaging us. I can assure you Pav will not stay beyond June 2011 if he does not get a run in the team, so we are left with Crouch and Defoe! Levy will not pay the transfer fee or the wages of the 5 other teams!
I know Redknaap is losing patience big time with both but cant bring himeself to drop either of them for Pav!
I get uptight because i know how crucial this season is in many ways, what with the stadium, wage caps, transfer limits, pressure to get into the CL again next season and so on.
Whats at stake?? losing our best players in the sumnmer and us having to start all over again. You saw and have seen what we are like when our two best players are out!!
We needed to buy a quality forward and we did not!! I hope we dont pay a big price for this!!
Author of comment, what would you take today, top 4 or progress in the CL?
I think its top 4 without a doubt - this is what will feed the club, continued top 4 position, continued revenue, attracting top players, top sponsership and so on.
How many times did some of you give up last season? Calm down. Nobody is setting the league on fire so why is it when Spurs play poorly it's a far bigger crime than say Arsenal capitulating or Utd getting what they finally deserve?
My two players to pick out today are: Lennon who has slowly but steadily built back up to the type of form that he was showing for us before and Pienaar who looks a real player - should have scored today but at the end he was on his knees the amount of running he'd done.
Honourable mentions to Nico and (I hate to say it) Jenas. Neither are world beaters, both make mistakes but they did their jobs today.
But the one player I'd like to single out for not doing his job is Defoe. Look, Crouch is not Torres (now that's a headline!) but at least he does a "job" and his flick downs and back-to-goal play are alright. Defoe did nothing today - exactly what he's done for us in over a year - and he hasn't been injured the whole time HR.
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst...
Every game I hope Defoe is going to put in a good performance but prepare myself for more blind alleys, misplaced passes and off-target shots from distance.
PLY -
It's ingrained. 20, 30, sometimes 40+ years of up-down, up-down emotions take their toll on every Yid.
Your calming, reasoned words will be appreciated but unfortunately mostly ignored.
PLY, Daveray,
Im afraid so, its taking its toll , just seen the highlights and ive calmed down. Bring on Sunderland!!
VDV scores a penalty and one of those encroaching was Defoe. Defoe scores a goal, but is offside. Quel surprise.
I wasn't unhappy when he was sold to Portsmouth. The lay-off by Pav to Kranky was good as were his runs, but HR never misses an opportunity to make a dig at him. He says fuck all about Defoe and gives him umpteen run-outs, but if Pav starts a game he has to produce or else. I think HR has been great, but I do wonder sometimes about the way he treats players.
Bolton job done
Sunderland D
Wolves L
Blackpool w
W/ham W
10pts I think and hopefully Defoe will get a few if he starts firing then were be rolling!!
Ah I like the smell of raw optimism in the morning.
So 1 down and 4 to go.
I've been beating Kranjcar's drum this season so I will say no more than well done. The rest of the team, I see that Corluka has improved with more game time.
We won, so we must have done something right.
Having said that,
1) Wilson and Defoe didnt play well.
2) Jenas and Palacios could not handle the central midfield of Bolton, at home.
3) Pienaar contributed nothing of worth. Plenty of running into the box with no end result, the blocked shot near the end notwithstanding.
4) Surely this confirms we need to rotate more.
If Modric or VdV are injured, play Kranjcar instead, but not Jenas.
Play Corluka more often. (Why did we send Walker on loan and keep Hutton?)
Play Pav more often.
Why are we giving Pienaar so much game time? He hasnt earned this yet.
Why arent we giving Khumalo or Sandro the chance to get used to the EPL and show their skillz?
Cant Hutton play at Right Wing?
Why not give a chance to the best of our youth players? I mean whats the point of complaining we are down to bare bones if we dont use our youth. If you are good enough, you are old enough. I emphasise, only the top maybe 5 or so of our youth.
Anyway, game on. Roll on Sunderland. Gritty ugly away win.
Hotspurs, I was joking. Please forgive me. For clarification, I wasn't calling you a "Nancy" in the English sense, but a "Negative Nancy" which is simply a dumb yank expression anyone who is being overly pessimistic. I was joking because I am definitely a Negative Nancy when it comes to Spurs and share much of your concern with our squad.
However I did see a lot of positives from the results today and midweek, and like I said am coming around to the opinion that Defoe is more of a problem than Crouch. When Defoe doesn't score he provides nothing whereas Crouch at least distributes the ball pretty well and actually defends a lot better than he often gets credit for. Like you and a lot of yids, I would love to see Pav play more though.
Pav had a critical run of goalscoring in 4-5 matches last year right around the time Defoe went silent and we need that badly right now.
I do think it's possible that Defoe really could get back to the "scoring goals for fun" mentality and that might be all we need to get to 4th. He is showing signs of that I think. He's due some goals.
I agree with what DaveRay said about Lennon. It's almost as though the absence of Bale has made him step up a bit more. Niko knew he had to prove something. Pav did the job that was required of him. HR just needs to rotate the squad a bit more and reward those who have performed. Charlie, who can terrify me with his lack of pace, was decent today for example.
I am proud of the lads for grinding out these last two results. That's exactly the kind of thing we need to get fourth ... and win CL, of course :)
COYS!!!!!!!!!
Focused, I like your question about Bale at right wing. Hmm ... that could work methinks.
Oops, meant to say Hutton. Reveals my wishful thinking ...
But I do think it's an interesting question
Harry the Twitching Twat didn’t show any emotion at Nico’s winning thunderbolt. He hated it because it exposed his wrongly and undeservingly given preferential treatment to Pienaar over Nico. He would equally hate if Pav knocked one in, and not his butt-boy Defoe. If that was not enough for twat to be embarrassed about, there was yet another spit in his twitching face by selection of Kyle Walker to England team; the same player that could not buy a game at twitchyland and was on the suggestion of this cunt loaned out. Fuck you Harry. Get you sense in order or fuck off!
Harry the Twitching Twat didn’t show any emotion at Nico’s winning thunderbolt. He hated it because it exposed his wrongly and undeservingly given preferential treatment to Pienaar over Nico. He would equally hate if Pav knocked one in, and not his butt-boy Defoe. If that was not enough for twat to be embarrassed about, there was yet another spit in his twitching face by selection of Kyle Walker to England team; the same player that could not buy a game at twitchyland and was on the suggestion of this cunt loaned out. Fuck you Harry. Get you sense in order or fuck off!
Hotspur, know where you're coming from, there were at least three other matches played today that were easier on the eyes than ours, but to echo NYCyid, I'm trying to look for the positives i.e. be grateful for every point we manage to scrape.
I'm on record as saying we should have thanked Harry nicely for doing the specialist job we hired him for (getting us out if the relegation zone) and gone with some one who had not spent virtually all of his very long career knocking around in the lower half of the table and who would be better suited to our quite talented not mention expensive squad. I've maintained that we got where we are despite rather than because of him.
But at the beginning of this season I resigned myself that I would have to wait till he took the England job or got sent to jail. So I don't post about it much anymore, aside from the odd sniping comment here and there. It is infuriating sometimes, when you think about the potential we have in the side and then you see what turns up where on the pitch and when he is finally forced to play a non-favorite, they do great and he looks like he's been sucking on lemons. Is there a Spur loanee out there who hasn't scored or turned in a man of the match performance since the window closed?
There's a lot of stuff to be upset about this season so when something good or at least not bad happens, we tend to get a little euphoric--mood swings on a bungee cord, that us.
Redknapp got lucky again yesterday. We're in 5th now but it's where we finish at the end of the season which counts. His luck won't last forever and it's about time, with the players we've got, we started putting teams to the sword rather than just scraping through most games.
With a manager that wasn't so stubborn, who would drop shit players like Deofe and Crouch, and one who had a game plan other than lump it to the beanpole, this team could go far. Roll on the England number or prison. Preferably the latter so I won't have to hear his bullshit on a daily basis.