It's time the cockerel sharpened its spur
Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 9:14PM Everton 1 Tottenham 0
If the Woolwich game was a choke and the Utd game a clinical mugging, Saturday evenings defeat at Goodison Park was...a disappointment. Three successive defeats, a taste we've not acquired since the hedonistic days of Juande Ramos. I'm not about to knee-jerk. Not yet. Even if the three defeats are the result of our form degrading since the new year. That gap of points we had? That's proved to be a safety net. A buffer. Once its gone there is no margin for error. Fall and it won't be pretty. Unless we end up falling on top of others who aspire to get ahead of us.
The science is simple. Stoke in our next league match where we truly find out whether our balls are the size of grape-fruits or nothing more than shrivelled grapes. If the slide persists it will fuel the belief in others whilst distinguishing our own. An exceptional season turns to disaster. From humble beginnings ("we'll do well to battle hard for 4th") to giddy heights ("we're contending at the top") this was all our own doing. Much like the unravelling is our undoing at this present moment.
For the sake of positivity (I'll hazard a guess this is one commodity that is currently lost in in the depths of our thoughts consumed by its arch nemesis) we are still masters of our own destiny. We have not been punching above our weight. Other rival clubs have not suddenly reclaimed past form. We haven't had a blip all season long whereas others have had several. We've had all of ours in three successive league games. That gap was an illusion of circumstance.
The panic button is present in the same room that we stand in but our finger is not hovering above it even though we are staring directly at it. It's crossed our mind to run across to it and thump it with anger. That's the easy way out. We all know, Tottenham never takes the easy way. It's always, unequivocally the hard way. We're apologetic at the moment. From manager to players, there is no mental strength and assured focus. No responsibility. There has to be more than hollow excuses about it being one of those days. Sure, one of those days one week but three times in succession?
It wouldn't be entertaining if we navigated our most crucial period of the season with skilled professionalism, digging deep to retain some reminisce of momentum. Using the same pragmatism that our rivals are proclaiming, from inconsistent under achievement to tenacious spirit, there is nothing to suggest we can't turn this around. The same way its been turned around by those that have spent the season chasing and falling. We've spent the majority of the season looking forwards not back. As perplexing as it all is at the moment, this is not a self-fulfilling prophecy tinged with expected failure. It's not a throwback to that side we once knew, lacking spine, bones brittle like crisps. What we are is dangerously close to reflecting that persona. The difference is we all know what we are capable of when we fire on all cylinders. That's our real persona. Even if its not one that is seasoned in close season pressure chasing a top spot (whereas both Woolwich and Chelsea have experience in doing so). It's still one capable of achievement.
Confidence can be drained out of you but it can also be won back. Just takes one game. How can I as a supporter give up on that one game when that game has yet to be played? That game has to be the next one (Stoke) by virtue of losing this one (Everton) and the one before. After that, if we're in the same predicament, I'll start walking slowly towards the panic button expecting the inevitable self-destruct.
We are out of form. Individually and as a collective. Tactically a mess. The irony? The game looked like a 0-0. Could have so easily been a 0-0. Could have also seen us win it (based on 2nd half). Moyes men, unattractive and defensive. Spurs misfiring all of the pitch. A mistake leading to the goal that would give the points to the hosts. Could have been, wasn't, was 1-0 to them.
How? Why?
"How to lose games and influence people to start calling you limited now that we're not winning" by Harry Redknapp.
- Don't play the best formation based on the players available
- Don't start players in their strongest positions, including your two best players
- Stick Bale on the right (lose the chance for genuine width and dynamism)
- Stick Modric on the left (lose creativity and guile)
- Start a striker based on recent form, but add him to the line-up to accompany your other striker instead of dropping him to have just the one up front. Probably because deep down you know that having Defoe up front on his own will be detrimental to that particular system, but you start him anyway
- 442 doesn't work so persist with it
- This in turn will leave the midfield outfought due to being pressed/out numbered by the oppositions midfield with lack of drop-back by forwards to support
It was a bit like that island out of Lost. Strange happenings all the time with no explanation and you never quite work out what's going on. If you took a step back from it all, as bad (in comparison to good) as we appear to be playing - it's still not catastrophic. No big explosion. We just need a slice of time travel and a chorus of a grand old team to put this right.
The goal was a gift (more so than a mistake), Kaboul completely falling asleep after leaving his position to then lapse again and allowing Osman to square the ball to Jelavic to score. We continued to struggle with retaining the ball, our passing lacked fluidity. No inspiration, no perspiration. No mojo. No luck.
Why does the simple ethos of playing your best players in their best positions and not accommodating anyone who doesn't fit in not cry out for the attention it deserves?
Modric was heavily marked and unproductive out on the left. A position that is not unlike imprisonment. Bale equally ineffectual until he shifted across to the left for the last 10 minutes. Our set pieces personified our performance. Erratic and without intelligence and direction.
If we were not so limp up front we could have still carved something out of the game. In the second half, we almost did.
No immediate changes to the side but the tempo was more driven and there was urgency. Nothing special and most definitely deflated in comparison to our more bullish performances from our sparklingly back catalogue before the implosion (although arguably we have actually degraded away from home over a longer period of time if you wish to recategorise certain below par wins away from home from 'dogged' to fit into our current demoralised state of mind).
Saha replaced Adebayor. For all of the time Defoe spent in offside positions he was far more alert and more likely to craft a chance than his team mate although he remains completely selfish and suffers from lack of spacial awareness when it comes to understanding his team mates and their movement. Our set pieces continued to degrade further (so many levels of bad are conquered here). Chances presented themselves but were dismissed with disguised disdain like a heavily knitted cardigan given to you by granny at Christmas.
The flanks remained broken. If Karl Marx played for us, he'd be stuck out on the right. The gaffer would probably tell us nobody would expect him to be there, he'd say its "a bit left field" to do that and that's why it might work but it's not really left field, is it? It's right. But not actually the right thing to do because he's left.
Confused?
Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur tactics 101.
Was Bale on the right because of what Everton had achieved against us and more specifically him, nullifying Gareth forcing him onto the right to escape their attention in a prior encounter? Why not simply play to our strengths than concern ourselves with what Everton might be able to do? Square pegs, round holes.
I've mentioned that the second half was far superior to the first half showing. It was. Everton continued to be reactive to us pushing forward, the home crowd no doubt saving their voice for the derby rather than waste it on the cockneys. Bale dived (because it's what he has to do from time to time - I'll blog about this separately but some of you really have to start supporting the player and stop constantly hating on him). Saha hit the woodwork. Another (genuine) highlight of the second half was the introduction of van der Vaart. Even though at times I couldn't quite work out where he was meant to be playing. Still, next time you (some of you, not all of you) complain about the luxury of the Dutchman, try changing your straitjacket to something a little tighter. Extra padding to your cell might also help you out with the banging of head on wall. In our blatant hour of need, we need our talisman out there because someone has to take the responsibility to drag us up from the floor.
Did we 'batter them' in that half? Yeah, sort of. Like I said earlier, we could have carved something out. Alas, there was no structure or style to our endeavours. Throwing everything at the Everton goal with no patient build up or plan. Don't pretend you didn't see it playing out like this when the line-up was announced. We appear to be accepting defeat rather than utterly despising it. It's all very much fragmented.
So what now?
Another cup game punctures the fixture list before we face Stoke. Two successive home games before we go to Chelsea which will allow players and supporters to unite as one again. Two games which need to be used as a catalyst. As a club we need to embrace the challenge ahead without the anxiety we've displayed in recent games and to do that we have to be at full strength. One hymn sheet, countless choruses of Glory.
If we believed the hype when we played and won games consistently then we can so easily believe the hype that tells us we've bottled it. That's the danger. This is where we need to grow a pair. At some point soon there wont be enough games left on the calender for us to rally the troops and spit out battle cries with myself thumping the keyboard manically demanding swashbuckle. Winning ways need to be reclaimed. I'd say any which way possible but I know this side is capable of winning with swagger. Whilst said swagger is MIA, any which way possible is a good place to start.
As bad as things seem at the moment, it will only take a couple of results to change everyone's perspective again. Next two are pivotal. The ones that follow might be a blessing.
So grape-fruit or grape? Get a grip of it Spurs. That includes you Harry. That includes every single one of you wearing the shirt. Every single one of you singing for the shirt. Do or die or dare. Shouldn't that be inspiration enough?
Stand up, be brave.
It's time the cockerel sharpened its spur.
Reader Comments (23)
Kaboul must score some great goals in training - has he ever hit the target from one of his 'power' free kicks?
good read and sums it all up well - please please everyone be positive - i dont want to get home from work tommorow - log onto here and read 50+ comments titled piss off harry.....lets share our thoughts but positively..
hoping for 3pts from stoke and then chelsea is massive ! -
we are spurs - we did not draw with doncaster yesterday and its all ours for the taking....3rd and fa cup please
"Moyes men, unattractive"....surely not. I think you've forgotten they played Handsome Phil at right back!
The whole England thing has completely derailed our season. The players are clearly distracted....8 points from 24 since the start of the court case and Capello was sacked. Rotten luck for Spurs
after a win whether it's 442 or 451, 4411 etc that's the only way to win, if we lose or draw suddenly that formation will never work must use another. forwards scoring great one forward not scoring suddenly we need defoe or saha in. I bet if we played saha and defoe together and they didn't score after 2 games suddenly we'd want adebayor in - football is fickle. win or lose however Modric is an outstanding in the middle of the pitch and is totally wasted elsewhere on the park, i.m.h.o. no matter what formation we play he should be in the middle of the pitch, if we want two holding midfielders then we have to sacrifice a striker.
p.s. still confident of a top 4 spot
A young boy goes to social services and tells them he has nowhere to live. “What about your parents?” asks the social worker. “No, they beat me,” says the boy. “What about your grandparents?” says the social worker. “No, they beat me even harder!” says the boy. “Well … where do you want to stay then?” replies the social worker. “Tottenham,” says the boy. “They don’t beat anyon
Cuducini, Walker, Kaboul, King/Gallas, BAE, Bale, Sandro, Parker, Modric, Lennon, Adebayor, Please Harry.
Bench Vdv, Saha, Defoe, Livermore, Kranjcar, Nelsen,Friedel.
HHXX
Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur!
Another good read DML.
It was a highly frustrating day on Saturday.
I should build some kind of soundproof padded cell for this sort of thing.
I'm hoping that now Spurs have beaten what was a very hungry Stevenage team in the Cup, we can defeat Bolton and march on to the final and then the winners' podium, but I will remain silent about it until such a position is reached, if at all.
Everton read our every move by sweeping the ball away from the wingers and like Swansea against Man City, deserved their victory. A home game against Stoke is another one of those must-MUST-win games unlike the usual must-win games we've been having every week ;)
COYS!
Spot on spooky agree with every word as soon as I saw the line up and the players positions I thought were in trouble!
Agree with you Spooky. My main concern in all of this is what Harry comes up with after the games, saying that we were excellent against United and that he can't believe we lost on Saturday. If the manager cannot see how flat and inept these past few performances have been, I can't see us getting out of this slump. Against Stoke we'll need to work hard and dig deep, but if the manager is not having a go at the players and is just telling them that they are unlucky, how will we play any different?
As for Modric, I have not seen much criticism of him. Yes, he is played out of position and that hinders his game massively, but he could still be doing a lot better for someone of his class. These are the players who need to lift us, not play like they have a chip on their shoulder because they are not in the right position. If he keeps playing like he is he will never get into the Chelsea team...
If my calculations are correct, since the city game we have picked up 7 points from 7 games... we'll be lucky to make it to the Europa League if we continue like this. The only way out is for Harry to wake up, get the players working hard again and in the right positions. It's in his hands in my opinion-- the quality is there.
Wiv 'Arry bein' a Cockney 'n all, do you fink va boys what play fer im unnerstand a blinkin' werd ee's sayin' when ee as a rant at alf time? Could it be vat simple?!
Well written, with insights that make sense.
Though Kaboul's defending was suspect I actually think Everton's goal was a beauty.
Perhaps Everton seemed unattractive but they did seem to want it more than our players who really couldn't be arsed until the last 25 mins or so. Funny because we obsess over losing our top players if we don't get CL whereas Everton don't seem to have that fear at all because they don't have money to spend on anyone, lose their best players to poaching clubs like ours but still press on and frustrate us and other top teams year in, year out. I like HR but he and Moyes aren't even in the same class of manager.
I have made a vow not to watch any of our games that are on TV for the rest of the season.
Apparently we had 24 shots on Saturday - I'm sure someone doubled the count because, for me personally, grass-cutters from 20 yards don't count.
Just as embarrassing was Harry's post match interview for the BBC. He claims we were mugged again and that we played them off the park. We didn't play well until the last 7/8 mins when it became desperate and Bale actually went to the left.
Tactically it was a disaster!
We have no natural right-midfielder when Lennon is out, so why not switch to 5-3-2 or 3-5-2 and have Walker & Bale/BAE as wing-backs???
Why, when a goal behind and 10 mins to go did we bring Livermore on and leave Kranjcar on the bench? What was Livermore going to do to unlock the Everton defence??
One last question - if Capello hadn't quit, would be still be challenging at the top?
Oh and add to the irony that you just know if Pienaar had played he probably would have brilliant.
Perfect analysis as always. For me:
1. Drop Adebayor. He was phenominal against Newcastle but 1 game in 15 is not good enough to warrant a starting place. The man never shoots!
2. As stated, Bale must stay on the left, modders in the middle. We were devastating at the beginning of the season with him on one side and another winger on the right (even better when Lennon came back). Why change a winning formula?
3. Drop Ledley. Ledders, we love you, but you looked awful against both the filth and the mancs. Sorry mate.
4. For gods sake please practice corners and freekicks! Absolutely shocking.
The goons are unbearable enough. Imagine what it would be like if we finished 5th....
Can't hit the Modric/Bale rules hard enough. And for me, this is what keeps Harry apart from the best managers. Seems as though the top managers generally keep their best players in their best positions; in this case Modric in the middle and Bale on the left; Modric as distributor and Bale as the target. With Bale wandering from the right and Luka getting marked out of the game on the left, there is no linkage, no flow and sadly, no goals. As was said, let Everton worry about making adjustments to Spurs strengths - don't make their adjustments for them, Harry. If you need extra coverage in midfield, then drop Defoe for Sandro and slot the Brazilian right behind Parker and Modric. Seems fairly obvious that Modric and Bale underperform when played out of position - why gift the opposition an advantage like that from the start? Why...
Just a brief aside, I don't thnk there was much Kaboul could've done with Osman, short of fouling him. Watch it again. Parker and Sandro both begin to close down the same man, but don't. They're both right of centre, and both a long way in front of the centre backs they're supposed to shield. Parker turns his backing the man with the ball, reducing his chances of intercepting a simple 12 yard pass into the channel. Kaboul comes for it (wrong foots himself, loses balance, tries to recover, tries not to foul), Ledley comes for it (why's Ledley coming for it? god knows he'll never make it). Jelavic is unmarked, in space. Parker and King are closest, but Ledley's still lumbering right and Scott's obviously more attack-minded these days. Sandro's further off Jelavic, and doesn't get close. Benny's miles away, but somehow gets closest. Jelavic puts his foot through it and makes us look useless.
Of all players, Parker was most culpable. Indeed, for most of the match he was our best player in possession, all forward-thrust and diagonal killer balls, but defending he was useless - out of position, not interested in closing down or marking. A remote control bollard would've been just as effective for large chunks of the first half. I thought this fella was signed to be a battler, a terrier, a ball winner? I've not seen the stats, but I doubt he won the ball much in the first half. Can't help feeling he's been seduced by the attacking football nonsense, and has forgotten he's supposed to be responsible for much of the dirty work. Or perhaps that's Harry's idiosyncratic coaching again? Who knows. At any rate, Kaboul had a pretty awful match, but I felt the stick he got from the ESPN boys for the goal was entirely unfair. If he hadn't gone to Osman, you'd have two Everton players strolling into our box with the ball, and the world would've called for Kaboul to be humanely destroyed. Once he goes to him he loses balance (it happens) and then his options are either to make a clumsy tackle which almost certainly gets a foul and a card, or keep goalside of Osman and just get in his way. He does the right thing but no one picks up Jelavic and he's promptly lambasted as a buffoon. Not on, say I. It's a team sport, and the whole team was found wanting.
Fuck!! Fuck!! Fuck!!
We've lost three on the bounce and they've won five in a row, yet we're still 3rd.
Let them celebrate each win like it's a cup final. It's cute.
Yes, but I don't know when we are going to get a point. We've got Stoke at home next and will be lucky to get a point as they will out-muscle us. They are away at Everton and I can only pray that the Toffees do them over. However, they will score where we failed. I'm just so annoyed!! The last effing minute of five effing minutes.
It simplifies everything now. I'll take that.