Challenge Spurs, ended
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 7:51PM That went well. The fixtures were meant to act as a buffer in the way of accumulation of points before the actual run-in and the massive London Derby games and City at Eastlands. Two wins from five games, eight points gained, seven points wasted. But in the midst of it all, a Champions League quarter-final place and the return of Gareth Bale along with one or two others crawling their way to full match fitness.
Talking of which, nice touch with the contract revision + one year extension. That should add an extra £15M to any potential transfer this summer.
Just saying.
It's now end-game territory and if we couldn't afford to drop points at home on Saturday, then we most definitely cannot afford to drop points in our remaining home games. Backs to wall, it's time for some of that Tottenhamesque nail biting intensity and tenacity that saw us through the mire at the back end of last season ending with a celebration on the pitch at Eastlands that irked Barry Glendenning (which is always a good thing).
Wigan, away
Stoke, home
Arsenal, home
West Brom, home
Chelsea, away
Blackpool, home
Liverpool, away
Birmingham, home
+ City, away (once it's rearranged)
Five home games. Some tricky away from the Lane. It's almost like it's 2010 all over again. The three successive N17 games imperative to our march. The triple threat of Chelsea, Liverpool and City the key ones on our travels.
I should be nervous. I'm not. I'm more than up for this and will look towards our players to equal and better my belief that we can do this again. Shame about the mishaps and hiccups. But if you want to waste time with what ifs, don't forget to include all the what ifs the other clubs around us would want to bring to the theoretical Premier table that would have five teams sitting and sharing the top slot.
One of these days we're going to get it spot on and our complaints will centre on why our full backs don't score enough goals and BAE's afro whilst we sit comfortable in a CL position season in season out. Zany.
COYS.
Spurs v West Ham match report here.
Reader Comments (24)
All down to Citeh, again.
Good, they look crap.
This sure has.been a funny season, it's not just us that have dropped points, all the teams above us have.
I also don't feel nervous about the run in, the way we plyed on Sat was amazing the only thing we did not do was score (where's that porn star) on another day that Robert Green save from bale's free kick would have hit the underside of the bar and gone in, a definate contender for save of the season. The big games are just around the corner Arse, Chelski. Pool & Citeh, I love the way we are playing so many positives, sandro modders Bale Lennon, Gallas Dawson.... We will win our big games, keep the faith COYS !!
We will lose these players if we do not finish 4th. What's Rednap doing playing Defoe as lone striker against the Spammers. Be real, with HR's tactical nouse, it looks very unlikely.
If Defoe has scored one of his countless chances we'll be talking about the faith he has in JD and his man management. However, would still not disguise the fact we should have started with Pav + Defoe up top.
Hudd back in 2 weeks, just hope we can come through the International matches unscathed.
In view of our strikers inability to score, perhaps we could play 4 defenders and 6 midfielders.
It's all very bizarre, I'm very chipper about getting results against the big teams we've got left but in true Spurs style more worried about the gimmes we supposedly have at home. Its been quite an odd but enjoyable season but I can really see it going down to the wire. If Man City pip us to the post with their style it will be a travesty.
At last, a bit of positivety. We can all see the League table. How does it help to see so much negative talk all the time? Even at the lane i'm surounded by the same old negative Spurs fans. And the boo's at the end of the West Ham game were absolutely disgusting. Get behind the team not on top of them.
The wheels are quickly coming of this season. There will be no repeat of last season. We're all going to die.
In brazil at the moment - a bit tough to catch the games here, but i followed the text on saturday. All i can say is...tazi for defoe! The man's a muppet, all talk about the manager having no confidence in him....its cause he's shite. IF he's not scoring goals, he's doing nothing for us. As for Harry "my missus could manage better than him" Reddknapp, well perhaps if he spent less time mouthing off to the press and more time working on some basic tactics....no great loss if he moves onto the England job - out with harry and levy, bring back BMJ!
VdV is a cracking player, of course, but sometimes I do still yearn for the ol' 4-4-2.
0-0 But what a game !!! Cant help but feel the Hammers may have done for us regards 4th spot again BUT lets look at it as a practice run for the away leg against Real COYS
Ahhh. You guys. Why so negative? Don't you realize that we are gaining on City? Even with that draw we have just gained another point on city? On current form we are better than city - despite us getting just 2 points from a possible 9... Ignore the opponents: 2 of our last 3 were away - yet we have one of the best away records in the premiership. The West Ham game is always a tough one because it is a Derby, and West Ham were lucky, but also defended excellently. Our own performance was excellent, and if we keep that up, we will pick up that extra 2 points we need (plus win the game in hand) over City. Our own injury problems are easing, and City's problems are mounting....Kolo Toure's slimming pill, Balotelli cannot put on a bib, Tevez wants to go home....to Brazil (despite being Argentinian), Barry and Milner have forgotten how to be good, Dzeko is now getting "donkey taunts" from Match of the Day when they initially praised him on his debut,. Yes our job would have been easier with 3 points instead of 1, but it wasn't easy last season either.....and last season we weren't playing Inter Milan, AC Milan and Real Madrid!
Worst case scenario: Stoke win the Cup and join Birmingham in the Europa Lge. Liverpool bt us at Anfield to clinch 5th place - and last remaining spot. We don't win the Champs Lge. Next season = Don't even ask
Best case scenario: None of the above. Next season = Bring it on
Just reading this morning's offerings I see that Harry is moaning about the lack of depth in our squad - I wish he and Defoe and whoever else just comes out with these ridiculous soundbites - would shut the fuck up!
We have so many players we have had to loan out OHara, Bentley, Walker, Keane and Gio (all of whom are probable starters at their other clubs), plus we have loads of players with extensive first team experience who can hardly get any playing time (Krank, Bassong), etc etc.
We have a ridiculous amount of international central defenders FFS - Gallas, Woody, King, Dawson, Bassong, Khumalo, Kaboul - potential cover in Corluka and Hudd - le Arse and Chelsea have nowhere near that many - even Manu can only manage Vidic, Ferdy, Evans and Smalling before falling back on non-specialists such as Oshea, Brown and Carrick.
Its going to be nip and tuck.
Unfortunately for us, many of City's opponents will have nothing to play for, not even a european place.
Everton are safe.
Stoke are safe.
Liverpool are safe.
Sunderland are safe
Bolton (last game of the season) are safe and will probably have an FA Cup final to save themselves for.
Blackburn, WHU will desperately need the points. As will Spurs.
We on the other hand play Chelsea chasing the title, Asrenal; chasing the title and its a NLD anyway, Wigan, Brum, Blackpool, WBA all trying to stay up. City wanting to make top 4, leaving only Stoke (h) with nothing much to play for, maybe saving themselves for the FA Cup semi the following weekend.
We also have the small matter of Real Madrid and maybe then Barcelona in amongst all that.
If we do this it will be an amazing acheivement. I am certainly not writing us off. I see City as a team that look tired and not particularly togetehr as a unit......tevez has an eye on the exit door. We may look back a see these recent droped points vs WHU & Wolves as critical, but any team can pinpoint 'key' dropped points, particualrly this season where there have been some right strange results!
Gr8 comments Tony could not agree more
Devonshirespur, looking at those respective run-ins, I now feel even more pessimistic than usual. Hopefully we can finish 6th and avoid playing Thurdays and Sundays.
Relax everybody, I've had a look at the BBC Predictor and we win the league.
haha
Devonshirespur - tevez has an eye on the exit door.
I'm worried this will be Harry next year - imagine what that will do to all of our players.
Unfortunate we drop points... we were definitely the better team.
The strikers really need to pull it together for the final run, otherwise we won't have a chance.
How can we fans expect the team to have backbone when so much of the support clearly doesn't? We're rounding the bend and heading into the final furlong of the season and we are still in with a chance of a Top 4 finish. We're also enjoying a thrilling European adventure. So man up! (As that Chelksi player with the ridiculous haircut might say)
With this moderate success (actually let's not call it that, let's call it progression). With this moderate progression, the way some of our fans are reacting makes you wonder how we'll be supported if we did happen to win the title or finish top 4 every single season - when things go wrong.
imo everything will hinge on wether we can hit the form of earlier in the season
tbh i dont think we have played well since inter at home,
main problem is scoring goals. if it wasnt for the two late krancar goals
we would be out of the fourth spot race.
bale , vdv, defoe, pav have been average/injured lately
we dont really pose much of a goal threat.
we really cant expect to win anything, can we ?