Is he going to have a crack?
Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 10:22PM Perhaps someone can shed some light on a rather dark corner of the world of THFC. I'm referring to dead ball situations, something the players have taken literally judging by the lack of quality we possess when attempting to execute a free kick or corner. I can't even call it a decline because I'm struggling to remember the last time we could confidently line up an indirect free kick from one game to the next and consistently hit the target (or show intelligence in attempting to do so). Do we have any specialists in the squad? Do we have players that are technically good with the ball? Yes and yes. Except on both accounts there is never any showing where it matters. In real life. Rather than in their imagination where we appear to have a host of players deeming themselves capable.
More worrying is that the very simple set pieces (corners) are usually wasted, short or otherwise. This has been the case for a number of seasons. Bale was fairly useful once upon a time. With free kicks. The corner issue remains perplexing considering those aforementioned technical players we have (I didn't mention them by name, but just look through our midfield and then try to tell me they can't float a ball in with pace or direction from any other open play scenario). I seem to remember Carrick struggling with corners whilst at Spurs then leaving for Utd and returning to claim two assists from corners. Do we have a institutionalised problem here?
The most telling aspect of this embarrassment is when you witness a huddle of Lilywhite shirts around the ball that's been placed just outside the box. Four, five, six players sometimes. It's fairly evident that there is no designated taker or any particular tactic or specially crafted dummy to be had. More of a 'it's my turn' philosophy as they hit and hope. Dare I say a culture of comfort? Carrick would.
Statistically we've probably scored the least amount of goals from set pieces. Now this doesn't necessary matter that much if we're doing it where it matters most (from open play) however, if we managed to drill ourselves into making some of our corners and free kicks count we might have more to show for it and thus ease pressure in games where that second/third killer goal is not forthcoming.
People claiming to be In the Know with Spurs could spend their time acquiring information on our training sessions rather than the next big summer transfer because I'd dearly love to know what we actually do on the pitch and on the chalkboard during our preparations.
Reader Comments (23)
if i may i'd like to go off topic and say how embarssed i was at the stevenage game last wednesday.I have'nt been to a home game for many years and was amazed at how quiet the home fans were.The away fans sung you're support is f@#king shit and as far as i was concerned they were right.
Spot on comments. Set pieces have been awful all season. I can't remember the last time Spurs looked like scoring from a free kick or corner. Defensively Spurs have also conceded some bad goals from set pieces lately, for example against Man U last week. Definetly room for improvement all round.
sorry nothing to do with yr blog,but just had to say it
direct / indirect freekicks and corners are virtually guaranteed to result in no goals
Delighted you've pointed this out. Every team we play looks waaaay more dangerous from set pieces than us. I don't even get excited when we win one, cos you already know the outcome. Kaboul over the bar, usually. What a shambles.
Remember these quotes from Van Der Vaart, cuppla years back?
"There are no long and boring speeches about tactics, like I was used to at Real Madrid.
"There is a clipboard in our dressing room but Harry doesn't write anything on it!
"It's very relaxed. The gaffer gives us the line-up 20 minutes before we go out to do our warm-up.
"And the only words he speaks to me are 'You play left or right, work hard, have fun and show the fans your best'.
"Then the defenders get an instruction about who to mark at corners and free-kicks — and that's it."
He also said training in general was equally low-key.
"It's not that we do nothing — but it's close to that.
"For instance, last weekend Gareth Bale scored a header against Blackburn from my corner.
"But we didn't train one minute on it, it was pure luck. Good kicking, good heading, nothing more."
It's beyond embarrassing at this point its a running joke with my mates as in "Why don't we just kick it directly into touch, save us the trouble" It's like our games vs ManU, just give them 3 points and get it over with. I don't know what the problem is but its been going on for at least 4 seasons and it is killing us. In my opinion this is the #1 footballing problem that needs to be addressed, how many goals are we losing every year? I'd love to see our average from dead balls vs the Premier League average...
It's shocking how bad we are from set pieces. I expect absolutely nothing when we get a corner or a free kick these days. New ball design does make free kicks even more of a specialisation, but why are we so ad at taking corners? The answer to that might lie in the question: why are we so bad at defending them?
And whilst on the subject of free-kicks, our defending them isn't great either.. Rooney's goal most recent example.
As i mentioned in earlier post, Bale should be allowed to take the direct kicks.. Arry should appoint a taker or two and ensure his captain does away with the huddle of shirts ... talking of captaincy, Scott would make a fine England captain, and i dare say without any disrespect to Ledley, a fine Spurs captain too... he is a regular, in Arry's words commands alot of respect in the dressing-room, and is always in the thick of the action.
Totally agree with the blog. With the apparent technical competence of our midfielders, I cannot understand our inability to whip in a decent corner which surpasses the first man or deliver a telling free-kick which makes the keeper earn his corn.
As much as I love Modric, why does he persist in taking our corners when he struggles to lift the ball above waist-height? The little magician is good at many things but corners are not one of them.
Why does Kaboul seem to thnk he can blast the ball into the top corner from 30 yrds? Maybe those who have seen him in training can shed some light.
My view is our best deadball specialists are VDV & Niko, however even they flatter to deceive. More work is needed on the training pitch methinks...
How many times do we get kaboul just to smash it as hard as he can? I know when I see him standing there yesterday it would end up in row Z talk about no plan B. has he ever scored one from a free kick not to my knowledge.
Good point made. I have to say that it makes sense for us to only give wingers or fullbacks the chance to take set pieces. The more that they practice, I assume the more that they will improve in open play and thus allowing us to find a different route to picking up points. Bale used to the new up ans coming Beckham type free kick man, I'm sure in the future he will do that but under a different coach.
Brazilyid - I think Kaboul ONCE scored a scorcher of a free-kick for Portsmouth.
I've been to see Fulham a few times this season and, I must say, their free-kicks are inventive and vastly more effective (They scored a beauty in Europe I recall). I mean, come on! We're being outdone by bloody Fulham!
Pavlyuchenko has been the sole scorer of a direct free-kick this season. And he's now wearing an Ushanka..
This team is loosing its way. Harry has lost his way. He's damaged goods and is taking the piss since his 'much heralded' court case. It's been all about Harry. Will he go to Jail or not. Will he go to England or not.
He's head coach in the premier league with a team worth a couple of hundred million pounds and all we hear is will he go to fucking jail or will he manage england. Then he oversees the loss of 3 games on the trot with a 'mish mash' team formation and comes on telly 'all agroed up' saying in his best english grammer, 'we battered 'em'. This man is past his 'sell by date' at Tottenham. He cannot coach on corners, either offensively or defensively, at set-pieces offensively or defensively. Play players in their best positions. Make impact substitutions and apperantly doesn't even coach the players.
Having said all that, I think we will start a winning run again immediately and consolidate third place in preparation for next season and the arrival of David Moyes.
I just have this feeling that all Harry and his merry band do in practice is nothing more than tell the boys to run around and kick about. More than ever, I hold the belief that Harry is a very good man manager and nothing more.
Cookie bun- has summed it up to a tee .
( Not bragging ) but i have recently moved abroad and for the first time in my life ( 35/ 30 as a spurs goer ) seen just how
shallow the set-up is ..being at home in london ( always being surrounded in the media bubble and never being allowed to think or see outside the sweaty little box that is: sky bbc the sun metro u name it,( then the banter with mates and the omni -presence that is football) it is clear to see just how simple and basic the sport is ..its a ball being kicked round by a bunch of fellas who have a certain knack - quicker at sprinting than your average brick layer or office bod and with pretty good physical conditioning and an ability to run around driblle blah blah ( my misses was right after all, well sort of ) Now the manager of these able bodied individuals - in our case it is a circus act..i have never known a more frenzied detached over inflated pretence than the house if cards that is this Rednap clown. when u do the following: look at winners medals - look at etiquette - leadership skills- merit- accountability - conduct- respect in the game at any level beyond beginners, unless you were born in a barn, it is plain to see that harry is a country mile away from those that meet any of the afore mentioned criteria.. now that his lucky charms have run out , he is like a deer in the head lights...but is , due to his nature, the only manager to take: the fans - silly excuses- agents and throw them under the bus. Fpr the fans to chant what they did and for the last 4 weeks to go the way they have since watford, only a blind loyal fool would make justification for what is ' the shit coming our in the wash ' hes cheap and i couldnt agree more , he is spent at spurs..you take a way his sound bite management - his mates in the media and my beautiful spurs and he is nothing an old man who diges his taxes and whores himself out to anyone like the try hard that he is
hate rant 0 but im sick of hearing him being lauded as the man about the spurs gaff! Phuc* right off with that , we will be here long after he mugs us and th e england mob off
COYS
Ummmmmmm. Harry Redknapp. What goes around comes around.
Still, it's only ENTERTAINMENT after all's said and done.
Kaboul should not be allowed to take them. Every time I see him step up for a free kick outside the box, I begin a foul mouthed tirade. Infuriating f@cks. Our beloved team doesn't make it easy not to seem bi-polar. After praising the football they have been playing until recently has me like an emotional rollercoaster. Hitting lows all now. And I'm close to cussing Redknap myself, suppose this wouldn't be the worst time as the old bastard is on his way out. Still, respect for how far he got us and all that, would have thought it would be easier to consolidate once in this position but ah, what do I know? Just a fickle fan.
There should always be a player wide of the far post (edge of the box) to collect an overhit corner, or a deflected or headed clear ball from a defender. From that position they are coming AT the ball, not chasing it to the sideline, and have an opportunity for a shot on goal -fundamental stuff you learn when 12 years old? We overhit at lease 2 of the 8 we had at Everton. It works - ask Benny (v. barcodes)
I've got bored of commenting on our set-pieces.
Every time we get a corner we may as well just hand the ball to the opposition 'keeper and let him take a goal-kick.
I think one of the problem at free-kicks is that we don't seem to have a physical prescence at the moment.
You'd expect to have 2 CBs pushing their way around and bossing the penalty area as a ball is crossed in. Instead we have a namby-pamby approach to it.
As for Kaboul hitting them, I don't see the point in those type of free-kicks. By the time Luka or Bale has knocked the ball sideways to him the 10 yard gap to the wall is down to 5.
Bale was a brilliant free-kick taker at Southampton..... What's happened since???
Rafa???? I guess he needs to be on the pitch though....
It is a subject I have been harping on about to those who would listen. Jenas was great at blasting a ball over the bar from a free kick. I just dont know why they cant 'practise' a few set pieces that even remotely different. Surely widely respected coaches (such as ours!!) could come up with just a little variation, if only to make the keeper and defenders think a little. Usually now when we get a free kick or a corner, I go out to put the kettle on. For the record i remember Bassong scoring with a header from a corner against Liverpool on his debut?? was it last season?? ...and Bale scored from a flick with foot at the near post this season against...I think....Villa. Free kicks??....nah my memory has let me down.
This is a dark corner indeed in the world of THFC, perhaps an elephant in the room if you are Jermain Defoe. I agree with Redknapp's philosophy in a way that 11 men go out and do what they are good at but we do need something extra at times and deciding who takes free kicks and corners should really be sorted out at the start of the season, whoever does it will only get better with time but for Christ sakes how hard is it to deliver a football into a fairly precise area? Even Bentley can 'skip' it (Can he skip it? Yes he can) just let one of the most creative players either Bale or Mordic or VDV master kicking a ball to one particular player.
I seem to remember Aaron going short a while ago with whoever took, normally Modders and that was ok...? I think our last productive free kicks were engineered by Anderton and finished front post by Sheringham? Those crazy days.
On that note I will lay down and reminisce of Nethercott and Scott at the back. May I not forget the awesome powers of Dean Austin and fellow Southender Justin Edinburgh. God bless them all.
Couldn't agree more. We have been making the same comment all season - when Spurs get a corner, I just groan...
I've just had one of those eureka moments.... Tactics (or lack of them). It's all part of a wily plan to confuse and ENTERTAIN!!!!!
COYS.