Blindfolds and dizziness
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 10:30PM Been sat here thinking (dangerous I know) about my immediate post-game reaction to the Everton defeat and the manner in which it resulted with our third successive defeat. I always seek positivity and balance post-match and consider other variables like form/psychology/fixtures/circumstance in an attempt to find solace and peace. Perception can usually cloud emotion and distort judgement. Something in isolation or something that goes against the grain can be deemed definitive even though completely contradictory a few weeks earlier. Negatives are always all consuming over positives when you're sat knee deep in the negatives.
Soon enough I was posting and tweeting composed and calm words to aid my brethren in their hour of need. That was before I took fingers to keyboard to elegantly type the post-mortem. My immediate post-game reaction watching the internet stream of the game was one of disgruntled frustration and angering of the blood that had me spitting out countless expletives and punching the air with venom all towards the players who trudged off disheartened with the 1-0.
I wasn't enraged by our calamitous gutless performance. Because it was neither calamitous or gutless. I was not holding my head in my hands trying to figure out where the Tottenham side that has both swaggered and bullishly dispatched so many this season to find themselves in third place had disappeared to. Because I could still see them with my own eyes. The crux is they don't appear to see it themselves, blindfolded, along with a manager who has (using his own free will) turned around in a circle over and over again and is now so dizzy he can't quite work out where to look and what to focus on.
The fact that even with players out of position and ineffectual compared to their more natural habitat in our more seasoned and successful line-up, we still pushed forwards and attempted to get something out of the game. What I was enraged with was the manner in which we endeavoured. The application and execution was a bloody mess. It was like the 300 Spartans unleashing hell with no shape or cohesive pattern to their attacking formation. 300 Spartans blindfolded and holding their spears back to front.
11 Spurs losing their way.
"It's over there. Those sticks, get the ball between them"
"How?"
"Er...I don't know, how about we just run in that general direction and if you see a team-mate pass the ball to them"
"Then what?"
"I don't know. Kick it?"
"Kick it straight?"
"Sure"
"What if I'm not facing the goal?"
"You'll need to reposition yourself"
"Okay, sounds a bit difficult"
"Does doesn't it. Okay, let's just run really fast in that direction and see what happens"
England distractions, tinkering with formations...even though Spurs are built in such a way that we can not hit full pelt if we have no width, there is still the question of desire and guile. Two emotive components that we have lacked for years until rediscovered under Redknapp. Two components that can sometimes guide you through a rocky period. We've had one or two of them already but you tend to forget because that desire and guile saw us through them with minimum impact. Having a pocket of games where it deserts us completely is actually quite normal for any side. Although the timing does suck a little with this one. We are a team out of form and lacking leadership. We might not have the experience others do in these pressured games but that's no excuse. We have been here before and as stated in earlier blogs, we are far more equipped for it this time round.
I was still very much angered because nobody appeared able to step on the ball, anchor in the frustration and remind players that patient intelligent build up play with some tempo will get the job done. In the Everton game, with our main conductor being pushed out to the left hand side, our galvaniser on the bench and our main attacking force lost on the right, composing ourselves seemed an impossibility. Blindfolds and dizziness nullifying us.
All three defeats, each in isolation have been stupid. As a collective, painful and avoidable in some instances. But all part of a continuation and a personification of doubt and the result of us inviting a smidgen of complacency to the party, who has proceeded to relieve himself in the flower pot.
It's now all about pride. We could finish 3rd and they could finish 4th or vice versa, both clubs claiming CL football out of it. Still a testament that both sides are not quite good enough for a title push. One attempting to hang onto the past another vying to claim a slice of the future.
Two successive home matches await. White Hart Lane. A cup game followed by a league game that will play out like a cup game. If we win these two games then the three before will take the shape of an apologetic blip, a crisis of confidence and moral and much like other teams that have navigated their way out of troubled waters we might soon find ourselves back on that surf board on the crest of a wave.
There's a reason I love football so much. Music, women, my baby daughter aside - it's the only thing in life that truly makes me feel alive. This is my Tottenham and I'll be damned to have it any other way.
Reader Comments (23)
Top stuff Sir Spooky hope old Harry reads this but i doubt it.
What i can't and i watched it on tv having took it for a month because we are on was why Harry played the team he did.He feared Everton.A month ago he would have played Luka and Parker in the middle with Van on the right and two up front .He played a team more like what Manchini would have played last year.Harry is all over the place (some would say always was) but like we always say put players in there proper position and let them play.Play to your strenght was what Jack Charlton did when he managed the R o Ireland and it worked well for him.Harry i fear now is a man afraid to fail and that scares me.He is trying to see the season out to take the England job and does not want to much going wrong between now and then to make sure he gets it.Let's just keep her steady as she goes till the end of the season.He seems like a man who can't wait to move on.To say after the Arseanil game he knew they would win when they scored the second is madness.Tonight Liverpool or rather Gerrard thumped Everton 3-0 which just goes to show how bad the Everton result was.Harry needs to say sorry to the Spurs fans over the England job affair and then get stuck in to make sure we finish third at the end of the season but i fear he is just sitting waiting knowing he has done enough and wants to make sure we try and finish the season without another heavy defeat while not worrying were we finish in the league.
Now is the time for playing the best players in the best formation.
It's for the tried and the tested. And for the maIn men - the big game players. Van Der Vaart inspiring with his creativity and passion. We'llve not seen the vdv ade combo for a long time now. The artistry. Lennon if fit bombing down the right. Ekotto effortlessly feeding bale down the LEFT. Adebayor pulling defenders left and right leaving the pockets of space for the cavalry to exploit. Parker in general mode patrolling to defensive third. Modric feeding the front four in. Back to the slick football which got us where we're are. Third!
Thats right we're third lets fight to stay there we're more than good enough. Coys
Arsenal's worst team in years is better than our best team ever, that says it all really. How do we get beat 5-2, 3-1 and 1-0 in a row and expect to be going for the title? We're actually hanging on hope here, hoping that Arsenal and Chelsea haven't found their form. Harry should take that England job, so we can hire a decent fucking manager. Twitchy cunt. I'm on the wrong side of 40 but out of all the managers we've ever had, he's the worst in terms of respect to us. How many times has he ever apologized for a shambolic performance? Atleast Arsenal can refund the fans after getting thrashed 8-2, we can't even get a sorry out of the manager. We need to buy a new centerback, King is crap, a new striker because Adebayor and Saha are a joke, fuck, even give Defoe a run out for a few games.
So for the Bolton game i thought we could play Defoe in goals to stop him being offside with Ade at right back because he is a "big lad" with Luka and Aaron at the heart of the defence to deal with boltons big guys and Van Der Vaart at left back because he can't track back so just start him there.In the midfield lets have big brad as a playmaker because he is old with Bale on the right side because thats his best side and Walker on the let side because thats his best side and Dos Santos to be the hard man in there because its hard to see him ever getting another game.Up front it has to be King and Rose as i like a big and a little guy and Ledley has been looking like he could get a goal of late .So there you have it the perfeck team for Saturday evening folks.Treffic.
Please someone get Harry to read this post...He might just realise how pissed off we all are with his gross stupidity ...OH FUCK forgot "I carn't ardly read guvnor:"
When I read an article like this, spooky, it reminds me of why I keep coming on here. Thanks.
Cannot understand Levy sitting back seeing his CL dream and the (absolutely necessary) finance this brings with it, taking into account his programme for the new stadium. He surely cannot sit back and allow a (head not right) Manager to affect his carefully laid plans to the point where it's almost unredeemable. This situation needs to resolve itself over the next three games or a multi million project is in perilous danger of becoming derailed. We can look at this as a 'let-down' in terms of bragging rights, but Daniel Levy has a half a billion project riding on it and, quite frankly, if I were in his position I would want the England fiasco decided one way or the other, before I would allow this 'self confessed numerically illiterate' conductor to plod along, making infantile errors and coming out with statements like 'Man U game' HOW DID WE LOOSE THAT; 'Everton game' WE BATTERED 'EM'. What the fuck is going on here. Spooky you say in quite a positive tone ''''If we win these two games then the three before will take the shape of an apologetic blip, a crisis of confidence and moral and much like other teams that have navigated their way out of troubled waters we might soon find ourselves back on that surf board on the crest of a wave'''' What you dont say is if we loose the game against Stoke and then face Chelsea away still in the shape we are in now we could be down into 5th place staring at the Europa league and with our confidence in tatters. That's why I cannot understand Levy allowing the England situation to drag it's heels. The letter that went to the Managers to 'ShutTFU' about the England job came way too late and when Harry's brains were already scrambled. The situation needs clarifying prior to Saturdays game with Bolton, otherwise this f-----g Harry circus will just continue and grow.
Spot on as usual Spooky. The Everton loss was inexcusable - we battered them relentlessly but aimlessly for 60mins. But let's get some perspective, if we wern't going to challenge for the title (as most people thought) then losing at home to the mancs and away to the arse were probably the games which most likely would stop us. Let's just hope we get our shape back in time for the Chelsea game and that we don't spend 90 mins battering Stoke only to come away with nothing.
Methinks YidArmyJim should f off to Vital Spurs or someplace where they like that kind of chat.
Good read and agree with Timo. I'm sure HR is here to stay for the remaining 10 + cup matches. I don't think he will change his chit chat style but i hope those around him will keep him focused on the games ahead. The players need to lift themselves and not hide behind what might or might not happen in the future, when wearing the shirt i expect the players to show 100% commitment and pride to us, the supporters.
YidArmyJim is clearly a gooner in disguise
Lost by 3, lost by 2, lost by 1. By my reckoning, we're due a draw in the next match, then a one goal victory, then a 2 goal victory etc. By the time of the Fulham game, we should be beating them by 10.
And by the way, I couldn't give a f#ck about what old Twitchy says in the press. I'll judge him on how we are doing on the field. 3 defeats in a row isn't the best but we're 3rd and (generally) playing great football. A long time since that could be said. I don't get all this "harry out" bollocks. He can call me a gormles c#nt all he wants if we are challenging at the top for once.
that 10pt gap was needed because we had arsenal, utd and chelsea to play and we could afford to lose to all three and keep ahead
unfortunately, the everton game has now totally f*cked things up because we will not beat chelsea away and in the form we are in, we will struggle with stoke
its very hard to stay positive in times like this, ive already conceded third place to all arse fans in a bid to shut them up
what c*nts they really are (and i never use that word!)
when we were racing ahead of them i rarely gave them any grief compared to the sh*t storm im currently suffering from these w*nkers in my office (and i'm their boss!!)
all their form has done is make them all totally fanatical and they now have such confidence that i wouldn't bet against them in any of their upcoming fixtures
i hate this feeling, if we don't finish in the top four i fear the club will be ripped apart in the summer and we'll be back to square one
Please Harry, look back to the early part of the season and see the reasons we were winning games, Luka & Scott in the middle of the park, one creating one destroying, Bale and Lennon out WIDE pulling defences all over the place, Rafa playing off Ade, not picking up the ball infront of our defence.
No we've got Luka out left coming into the middle, Bale playing all over the place but mostly through the middle no width and easy to defend against.
To invoke a tired old cliche you make your luck. The Arse have been lucky and we haven't. Why is that? Maybe it's just karmic balance and will even out soon but positivity and genuine belief from the players seems to be that little extra bit that we're lacking right now. Harry has always been touted for his man management skills and now is the time form him to deliver on that. He needs to turn this thing around. Despite my personal predisposition to negativity (I am a Spurs supporter after all), I actually think he can do it and that we can hold on to 3rd. COYMFS!!!!!!
I do love the fact that Arsenal are clearly obsessed with us now. Sczezney, Walnut, their fans clearly measuring their success against us and seemingly nothing else. That in itself is victory if you ask me and will make for a very sweet victory if we can top them in the league.
Why didn't we get O'Neill when we got the chance?
Harry talking up the England job again. This plus Arsenal's resurgence and Chelsea's big CL win means 5th place for us.
Some of these comments - Harry's getting it wrong blah blah
Remind me of comments I have heard in all the time he has been here
He is buying wrong, he is playing wrong, his tactics are wrong, Spurs will fail fail fail
Sorry to introduce facts here but in fact Spurs have done better than ever and done it wilth style
So please excuse me if I don't take the comments on board
Seems to me that have proven to be the smart thing to do and THFC have thought the same or he would not be our manager
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A great article on Bale by the Guardian...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/mar/16/gareth-bale-tottenham-champions-league
Pls oh pls someone, any one, pls shut Harrys big fat mouth, just for once!!!