We didn't beat Stevenage
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 8:14AM What a wonderful afternoon of cup action on Sunday. Fluid sexy movement, push and run football from the visitors and gallant efforts from the lower tier hosts who battled bravely to defend their pride against the hot-shots from North London. It was a majestic occasion.
That's basically how I hoped this match report would start in an ideal post-game world, however what we got instead was abject hoofing, fragmented selection and quite possibly Tottenham's most below par performance of the season. Seriously, 0-0? You sure? Credit to Stevenage, but that was poor. This wasn't Spurs, it was bizarro Spurs trying to out-crap the previous cup game away day at Watford. It's like we're trying to be the anti-cup side this season and do as little as possible as we muddle through each round just to prove how nonchalantly we can be and still win in the end. Although the win is on ice until the replay. Compounding matters further was the ITV coverage that included in-game interviews. Pleasantly surprised they hadn't booked in Haye and Chisora to make an appearance to spice things up a little.
I could have written up a match report citing said hoofing of the ball and the general lack of botheredness and focus along with our initial formation (and the eventual shift to 442) and questioned why we took such an apparent risk in not playing a strong cohesive side. Be thankful I'm not going to make you re-live the match in blog format.
We've since been told one or two of our players are 'injured' and not match fit. Hence the selection. But in all honesty, the team we did field should have been more than capable of dismantling the hosts. If we want this FA Cup (Bolton at home once Stevenage are dispatched in the reply) we need to start treating the competition like it matters. But then what do I know. I'm a fan with an internet connection and Harry Redknapp is the one being touted as the next boss of England. Damage limitation on a dodgy pitch away from home, job done is probably the reasoning (excuse). Second half was better than the first, if only for the apparent discovery of shape the team managed to embrace.
The only positive I can draw from this experience is the fact that you can still count on one hand (a finger or two) how many below par performances we've had this season. And still not lost (I'm ignoring the pre-Parker defeats, they don't form part of our new history).
If (I'd state when but I've already cited dispatched, and trying to avoid a karma jinx) we get past Stevenage and play a stronger side at home to Bolton...we'll be in with a chance of making the semi-final.
Might as well book that open bus for the parade.
Hold up, you mean if we beat Stevenage then Bolton we have to play a semi-final? Can't we skip that altogether? No?
Oh well. The dream is already practically over then.
Reader Comments (27)
Back on Wednesday for pre-NLD fun and games.
It's all Harry boy's fault innit!? He's angling to get the sack!!
Just goes to show what life could look like without Modric and Ade, shudder...
I told my wife I would count how many times Dawson hoofed it over midfield. It was about 5 after 4 minutes so I stopped counting. Call me OptaNo.
Didn't expect an easy game to be honest. Of course we're a superior team but it's easy to come down to another teams level in a game like this. Stevenage were decent though. They've had their day out. They'll have a horrid time at the Lane.
everybody together now... SPURS ARE ON THEIR WAY TO WEMBLEY!
Just boosting the coffers with more TV games.
All payment above board.
Can we get the new man in a few months earlier?
It's about time we won this old cup again.
3-5-2 didn't really work, unless by work meant we didn't concede. Bale in the middle also didn't work, unless by work meant we didn't concede.
Having said that, a tough game against a team of battlers and spoilers playing the game of their lives on a sub-standard tight pitch... mind you, you should've seen the pitch I played on on Sat, there were so many bobbles it looked flat, oh and as for grass... eh, what grass! Pissing down with rain, caked in mud from head to toe, serious tackles flying in, you know the proper 10 foot lunging slide tackles... and just the 1 yellow, now that's champagne football! Daws would've loved it!
Relieved at the final whistle if i'm honest... but we're still in it!
That was the most shambolic display of the season, I thought Watford in the last round was the worst, but that one takes the cake.
How many times did Dawson hoof the ball to the opposition in the first half, i counted 5, apart from that everyone except Danny Rose were pure shite in the first 45mins. It got marginally better for the first 10 mins in the 2nd half, and that was it. So many negatives to take from the game. You can say all you want about the pitch about the wind about our enforced changes, this was Stevenage from the 3rd tier in English football. The players that were out there under performed so much it was embarrassing... this is the FA cup for fuck's sake... There you go rant over, lets hope Modders and Ade will be fit for the weekend COYS !!
old fashioned game like the old days.....it was great pool players who it seems found it awkward in the mud and cut up pitch old style.remember graham roberts,alfie conn etc?.......all we had to do was get the ball in the box as much as possible so it fell to scramble a goal or shoot from the edge of box ......note.. no tall centre forward...crouch/pavs game?...we didnt lose .....just
Let's also be honest - the offside decision was a bit of a joke. Parker couldn't get out of the way and the ball was practically over the line when it hit him. Technically offside I suppose, but then every defender man-handling a forward at a corner should technically be a penalty.........
As for everything else - utter shite. Dawson single-handedly took us into George Graham-esque long ball football. Why do we have to lower the quality of football because of our opponents??
On the plus side, the replay is after the United game, whereas I thought it was between the NLD and game against United.
Not a great performance, but we did battle decently. Lots of premiership teams have been made to look like idiots by lower teams, especially when playing away from home. For Stevenage, this was the Champions league final, and a chance to appear before a nice big WW audience. We definitely miss Modric, and his abscence not having someone like Huddlestone hurts too - as he can conduct the play too. But we did not lose, and hopefully we are keeping some great performance in the bag for Arsenal and Man Utd.
Seems to me we need a smooth pitch in order to be able to outplay teams. Bobbly pitch means high balls, long balls, all rather unattractive and we don't seem to play that way particularly well. The replay at home should see an improvement just on that basis alone. People who drive around in Ferraris can't necessarily handle tractors all that well, it would seem.
hardly surprising that - you knew what would happen just by looking at the teamsheet
without modric, van de vart, ledley and ade playing beside them, rose, livermore, kranjkar and even walker and defoe probably wouldnt look too out of place in a second division team anyway
not that im complaining mind, you can't have a team full of superstars, you need workhorse types too - just dont expect the workhorses to win too many matches without the superstars.
Dawson's long passes were Hoddlesque, it's not his fault that no one gambled and got on the end of any of them.
I'll assume the last comment is sarcasm. Why the hell doesn't someone tell him not to do the hoofing, it's fxxing pointless, and any apologists, don't use the pitch as an excuse that's pathetic. 3-5-2 - players clearly no idea how to play that way, Walker got forward less than he does when playing 4-4-2. He's struggling right now, not the finished article.
I thought the Stevange chants of "if Defoe plays for England so do I" were a little harsh. I've not heard that one since Dixon played for the gooners.
Let's give some credit to Stevenage, they were in the main well organised and made us look poor by pressing and fighting for lost causes.
However on the up side, still in it, a replay to come, and the chance of more game time for the likes of rose, livermore and krancjar. As the season wears on, those minutes on the pitch getting to match fitness may well assist. And kudos for the loan signing of Nelsen. More assured than bassong and may yet do a job for 6 months. Fair play to the board for that one.
Or at least that is what the optimistic side of my brain is saying. the other side is simply saying 'we got lucky', not sure even a replay will benefit us even if it does mean a more flowing game.
Have some of that ,Dawson needs to go back to basics. with passing the ball. And why oh why does G Bale keep running to
rightside ? When Lennon & Krans are playing leaving leftside defender exposed
We were terrified of the pitch, did you not see those crocodiles? And we showed them too much respect.
We shoiuld have trained on Hackney Marshes in preparation.
Then we decided not to out-football them possibly because we were a little short of footballers.
Didn't work.
These are the games the FA cup is all about. Newcastle found that out last season.
They are my local team and no pushovers, regularly getting called out for being the Wimbledon of the league, so I think Harry just wanted to keep a clean sheet with the three big defenders and hope our attacking quality would be enough to nick a goal or two. Which was almost the case.
The pitch is at the minimum width, mainly because I don't think it could get much wider, that ground really hasn't changed that much since I watched non league there in the 80s.
Wasn't to be, but I'm sure the replay will be a very different match when we can play football with some width and start zipping the ball around.
And koume2 - Defoe, Niko and Walker are all full internationals, to compare them to Second division players is laughable and highlights the knee jerk that surrounds these types of games. Were you being serious? Niko is probably one of the best technical players we have.
Swings and roundabouts. We play tippy tappy and fair so we get caught out sometimes in the rough and tumble games. I am sure if we played like a 'big club' and dived all over the place surrounding the ref demanding cards etc we would do better sometimes. But where is the fun in that. We will win the replay playing our way. That is how I want us to win the cup. Football is about glory.
Spooky, you promised to be back on Wednesday, today is Thursday and i'm still re-reading you artical. Anyone would think you had a job and a family. Heads will roll.
You been on the sherbert's Paul? It's the day after Pancake Day!! Historically a Tuesday......
I'm back.
I was wishing it was the weekend, but even I know it's only "Hump" day today.......
stuff it cant wait for that spooky bloke - spurs 3 - them 0.......early goal destroys their confidence - two nil at half time and ole !! all during the second 45..........(am actually petrified its gonna go pear shaped but am telling myself to man up and be confident)......
Ahhh poo. This week is going slowly. I blame perry groves. I won't read this blog again during lent as punishment.