Glory is football
Friday, April 13, 2012 at 8:04PM Top four or silverware? It's a question that always gets asked and once upon a time the latter would have always won the majority vote without a seconds thought because nobody chronicles a top four finish in their history unless they've finished first. But modern football scoffs at such romantic notions that cup finals mean more than a place in the Champions League. I've got to be honest, in terms of sustaining growth and being able to build towards a title challenge many (along with Levy/ENIC) would favour qualification to Europe's elite competition because the fiscal out weighs the white and blue ribbons on a piece of silver. Even though the former will never make great reading in the next version of the Opus.
Lifting a cup is a moment. Perhaps these moments are not as magical as they once were and can not stand the test of time like Ricky Villa has managed to do. But then that's always going to be in the eye of the beholder. The Carling Cup isn't the League Cup but you'd hardly disputed Woodgate's ball-to-head winner.
Going back to Ricky Villa, think about how iconic that moment still is. Along with say Gascoigne's free-kick in the semi-final. Even the '87 Cup final was a majestic occasion, be it a disappointing one. But even though time has changed how we perceive this competition, it still shouldn't be scoffed at. Even though technically speaking when I've prioritised CL over cup silverware I've done just that.
We (football fans) have changed so much that we actually try to validate why finishing 4th or 3rd matters more. Sad really. I've fallen victim to it. I'd still argue about the importance of CL but this close to a final, how can I possible not contradict myself? Those moments; they should be far more important than a league placement. The moments are what make football so great.
I still want CL.
An easier way to deal with this is to just admit that the question isn't relevant. As a supporter you want your side to win every game. That isn't possible. You'll never turn the chance of silverware down but equally understand the importance of being able to compete for the very same silverware (which today means being a top four side). During the Sky Sports dominated Top Four era, nobody (hardly) got a look in, so far apart was the quality and power of the teams qualifying for CL every season. That ilk of superiority might not repeat itself again but thanks to the short term loyalty and stop-gap/stepping stone philosophy of footballers, its sometimes impossible to avoid transition and rebuilding.
Perhaps it's easier to just live for the moments without the crushing pressures of what modern football has defined as the acceptable normality for 'success'.
We spent a long time wondering around aimlessly but we now have stability to aim for consistency and to compete season in and season out. We shouldn't lose sight of that but we should also not be so dismissive of the bread and butter building blocks that made football so special in the first place.
It's a shame we've lost focus in the league. We could have had CL wrapped up by now. Instead we're having to struggle through trying to find the misplaced momentum (it's not behind the sofa). Whether its lack of mental strength, rotation or mismanagement, there should be no need for team talks and inspirational speeches before facing Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
Sure, we've faltered a few times in the past at this stage. It's been way too long since we last graced a final (for this particular cup). It's this simple: Play with heart, desire and spirit. Wonderfully clichéd but these are the traits that set players and teams apart when the quality is level pegging. There's room for pride and belief in there as well. Although I'm not naive enough to think these traits are not fuelled by the individuals themselves as part of a well drilled and managed collective. Best players in their best positions, best formation and patience and astuteness with tactics.
Football really does look easy on paper. Form on the pitch is where it counts. We don't have much of that at the moment. My hope is we treat the semi-final like a cup final, like any cup game should be treated.
I can not be disparaging against a team that gives it everything. I want them to play the game like I would play it if I was blessed to wear the shirt I love.
Heart on sleeve, Tottenham. And when you're done with this there are five equally important ones in the league.
COYS
Reader Comments (91)
Top four or silverware? Looks like you scumbags won't be getting either this season.
Mind the gap.
Tottenham Hotspurs lack mental strength
Love all these comments.....regardless of results I wouldn't dream of going on other club sites to gloat.....yes I'm gutted...but the shock is I am still spurs and always will be....and if we somehow got 3rd (yes doubtfully I know).....I won't be on arseblog or the kgb xi site...I will be enjoying my club through the highs and lows.....(I use enjoying cos the lows make the highs the uppers they are). So don't bite.....support this club of ours and when it next goes right it will feel so sweet.....coys....5 games to draw some respect from what doesn't feel great now but has been a good season.........
Hey, the gooners have a point. They got to the Carling Cup final last season and won it.
Also, they've qualified for the CL 15 years on the trot and have thus won MORE European trophies than Spurs.
Glory !!111
Wasn't expecting anything today other than a well-played entertaining match of football. Yet somehow Spurs managed to make this both painful and humiliating.
Well done, Chelsea. Despite your dodgy second "goal" you were great.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle have all showed courage and self-belief in the challenging end of the season whereas Spurs have shown nothing of the sort. Out of the teams jockeying for CL we have shown that we deserve it the least. Of course that could change but currently we look like a team that doesn't even deserve EL.
Harry Redknapp: "Tottenham is a club that have won TWO trophies since 1991 and they were BOTH Carling Cups so it's about time Tottenham won another trophy."
Read and weep Spooky. Read and weep.
For the Chelski on our blog, take care..... Role on Wednesday night!!!!!!!!
I think Woolwich fans need to appreciate that they can't throw history around and be selective about what particular year/season they wish to use to support their arguments. Also, if you think Spurs fans are lovers of Harry's soundbites you've not been paying much attention.
And finally, in conclusion gooners, you've gone from a club that actually won trophies to a club that now celebrates when Spurs lose games. Just accept this. You'll feel so much better for it. It's actually quite fun down here. Go on, let's hold hands and shit...
x
Top four or silverware? Looks like you scumbags won't be getting either this season.
Mind the gap.
Apr 15, 2012 at 9:19 PM | ShahiGooner
Make sure you let us know when you parade your 'Finishing above Spurs' trophy you muggy cunt.
what on earth is going on here??
classless morons, did you play a game today? no.
fuck off to your own blogs
spooky, i think its time to start blocking these f*ckwits, ive had enough of reading their crap
I can't say I can blame Gooners for coming on here and laughing at us.
I would too if I were a Gooner.
After that I'd shoot myself cause I was a Gooner.
Make sure you let us know when you parade your 'Finishing above Spurs' trophy you muggy cunt.
Apr 15, 2012 at 9:40 PM | Tom
It's not about finishing above you scum, i'm not surprised about that because I knew it was coming. It's just the fact you lot bragged and mocked us because of our shocking start and league position. Now we have the right to brag and mock at how shit you're doing.
I agree with ShahiGooner, if you cannot take it, don't dish it out. Spurs were shite today and have been since the Italian got sacked by England. Harry's been leaking like a fourteen year old in a brothel since that day. Silly Cunt. I for one await his dispatch from my club with fervour.
Come on everyone, its just banter.
For a start, does anyone truly expect an Arsenal fan NOT to be happy about Spurs losing? They give it some, we give it back, its what makes the fucking world go round. Granted, there are flaws and stupidity shared by both sets of fans and its also testament to our progression over past 5 seasons (and their balancing act on banana skin) that we are here right now having a larf.
To be honest, I'm far more concerned about losing to a club with no genuine history and thick cunt racist supporters.
Just to elaborate on my previous comment: If I were a Gooner I WOULD actually come on this blog and laugh at us when we lose. Because that is exactly the sort of thing cunts do.
Thanks to all of you Gooners here for reinforcing the simple logic behind this.
Honestly speaking, Spurs need to act now. Even though I'm a gooner and thoroughly enjoy every obstacle that the Yids may encounter it's still a shame to see teams struggle, especially since we Gooners know how it feels. We went through a rough patch as well but we managed to pick ourselves up. I'm not too sure what would rectify your situation but the truth is your chairman is the one to blame here, not 'arry. If the manager doesn't perform he should be sacked. The pressure at this level is immense and despite the fact that its the players on the pitch who are playing someone must be held accountable. Redcrapp should've been sacked in January following Capello's resignation because I'm pretty sure that everybody at Spurs knew that he'll take the England job.
And to the yiddos who keep bitching about the 2nd goal, yes Chelsea were handed some momentum which they duly used BUT so were you guys when you beat us 5-2. The penalty was a blatant dive and yet we managed to raise up and get a decent result. Where was that spirit today? The defence was poor and your midfield lacked creativity, partly due to succesful tactics targeting Modric. Accept defeat and move on!
COYG
You've got to take the stick after today. The recent complete collapse, literally overnight, after running away so brilliantly with 3rd for so long. You've got to take stick for that. I expect nothing less than pure fucking S T I C K.
THIS IS TOTTENHAM 2012
I know it's just banter, obviously out of football we're not even relevant in each other's lives, but when it comes to football we have to hate each other, it's the rules. :P
Well said Spooky, hope you lose to the racist pricks. :P
Spooky, I don't give a fuck about who we lost to. I'm more concerned with how we lost.
All I ask of Spurs this season is to respect the shirt and play some decent football. I didn't expect to win today or really care all that much and actually approached the match with a zenlike calm.
What I wasn't prepared for was the shocking and humiliating way we capitulated.
I'm slightly worried by how numb this result has left me. It's not the result itself but rather the absence of any feeling whatsoever. Man City hurt, Arsenal was agony, Man Utd irritated, Everton stung, Stoke/Chelsea/Sunderland infuriated, Norwich humiliated and the cup semi just...sort of...well...I'm not sure I've got any disappointment (or verbs) left to give to Spurs this season. After 21 years as a spurs fan i'm used to being a laughing stock and regularly hurt by something dear to my heart but, fuck me, we're really out doing ourselves this year
Good point NYC, I was very blase about this one, not at all stressed, prepared to accept defeat, but of course I became more and more stressed and angry and hurt, as the game went on.
I was much more worked up for the Norwich game. It's natural selection kicking in. Top 4 is more important.
That's one thing, the performance today was another. We looked alright y'know, until 1-0. Its more than just Redknapps failings, its a flaw in the whole character of the club really, we are psychologically fragile, I mean, you've got to admit it's terrifying supporting Spurs because we all know that humiliation is never too far away in some shape or other. It goes hand in hand with the whole glory glory thing. Its an accepted part of the long term relationship. TIL DEATH DO US PART.
I'm done in. Another semi facup defeat. This time to a club with pitiful support. I'm spent with this, man city away apart when is it ever our day. I'm fucked with this, been going since 87 and now have a son it's expensive and it's like you get kicked in the ballls.
If Levy had any brains he'd sack Redknapp and hire Rodgers from Swansea, but he's a stupid Yid so I doubt it.
My apologies for turning into Tony Blair in my last post. Its been a very long night.
The fundamental issue at hand is the moment FC 'lost' his job as England manager, Redknapp should have come straight out and stated "I'm not interested in anything other than Spurs. Don't ask me about it" and drawn a line under it. Instead he whored himself like he always does. Focus is lost. Such a small, silly thing. Court case probably rattled him a fair bit too. It's been discussed before, we all know this. Probably masks other issues at play relating to decisiveness with selections.
I am now totally convinced that Redknapp makes his game plan before a ball has been kicked and won't change it regardless of what's actually happening on the pitch - this is evident from the pre-planned "roaming" of Bale and subs that mystify like watching Dynamo on LSD. Our manager is totally clueless when it comes to actually seeing where things are going wrong. This was most obviously shown in the Norwich game. Reality is the team has been good enough to win a lot of matches DESPITE Redknapp, but when we come up against the big teams we get found out. The players must look to their manager and wonder if he gives a flying fuck. If only the FA had gone straight for him when Capello left, I can only think Joe Jordan etc couldn't have done any worse than 6 points from 24. It would also have given clear space and time to go for a manager in the summer. Anyway, seriously hoping the players can be turned around for QPR on Saturday, but my gut feeling says we will get rolled over by yet another team that wants it more than we do.
Oh quash the Rodgers speculation will ya, any proper footie fan knows that Rodgers at Swansea is merely enjoying the foundation which Martinez created at Swansea. He's no miracle worker ffs.
Levy's a very shrewd man. We're falling short but we're so much nearer than we've ever been to the very highest level in 20 years. He needs to make sure we don't start moving backwards, starting with a 4th place finish by the skin of our teeth. If we can do that we'll have another stressful load of seasons of hanging in there until the regular place and accompanying mentality and stadium and squad are cemented.
NOW THERE'S SOME POSITIVE SHIT
We've gotta hope we can now do what we did after the last time we we're dumped out in the semis in equally laughable circumstances (then due to the quality of the opposition rather than the manner) i.e. push on and secure 4th. Frankly i doubt we will
Ah didn't know Martinez was at Swansea before moving to Wigan, well then yes I see where Swansea got their football from.
Martinez is another manager who deserves a better club than the one he's with right now. Just the fact he's still in the PL with Wigan is enough. Doubt Redknapp could keep them up.
This is very similar to what the Goons have every year, the blinding start followed by the swift collapse and fight for a CL spot. They always do get the CL spot, although they traditionally have that humiliation period around about now, maybe a bit earlier. We're competing with them for the least humiliating collapse and this year they pulled the wool by switching all their humiliations to the first half of the season, the rotters.
ShahiGooner please allow us to wallow in our misery in peace and fucking quiet. If you want to go somewhere, head off to the Cheatski blogs and have a go at them for the sizeable "very small minority" who spoiled the minute silence. I'm sure you lot would have observed it impeccably, so those bunch of glory hunters and their racist captain should be the common enemy today.
Redknapp has lost ALL credibility. I'd say he was delighted the ref blundered to take the spotlight of the mental state of this team, that has literally fallen apart since Capello was sacked by England.
A scouse friend of mine pointed out that one of the reasons Liverpool are so wank this season is because even if they do finish 7th it'll still be the highest that most of their new players have ever finished so it's actually about the right position, it's their natural state. One stat trotted out today was that terry and drogba have more medals than all our team and i think this might be a similar situation in that our lack of players experienced at winning trophies and grinding out results means that we're not naturally suitable for this top four battle or semis like this one. Essentially I'm trying to say that skilled as our current team is they dont have the chops
i see redcrapp is all over the media bemoans the second goal, why dont he mention the 4 others that we let past the goalie??? he is delighted, because it takes all atention away from him, and he sure knows to distance himself from this. this game was another embarresment..... maybe all now can see just how bad gallas and king is togheter. given our back 4, and the state it is in, about all are injuried. i fear the rest of this season.if we get 2 draw, and loose 3. just how many points have we taken since new year??
Dip in form makes it hard for Harry to quip while he's ahead.
It's possible that the career of Harry Redknapp is about to take a surprising turn. Redknapp has always given the impression that he is so in control of his environment that nothing too extreme could happen. He is too self-aware, too contained and too eager to keep his eye on the main chance for his life to be viewed in poetic or tragic terms. By protecting himself from disaster, he has insulated himself from triumph too.
Redknapp, the great American sportswriter Brian Phillips wrote, "does not have a soul, but he has a sort of dead-eyed Cockney sparkle that's served him as a pretty adequate replacement".
By Dion Fanning
Irish Independent. Sunday April 15 2012
Interesting article.......
And here's another, this one from a master....
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.
Samuel Beckett
For me it's time for Redknapp to step down THIS MORNING...... He's not got the skills to bring our morale back up for the game at QPR on Saturday. It said last week that I didn't see us winning another game this season, and I stand by that opinion - so long as Harry's in charge.
He knows he's gone in the summer, regardless of whether or not he gets an offer from the FA. Levy won't stand for this kind of downfall and will bring someone in this summer to take over. However, I think Benitez could ensure top 4 finish if we bring him in this week.
As for the game yesterday - the 2nd goal killed our spirit. At 1-0 you have plenty of time to get back into the game. At 2-0, thanks to incompetent officiating you're battling against 2 things, time and spirit. Yes, we got one back, but then the gaps open up and we simply got picked off. I don't think Chelsea bossed the game, or that they were value for the 5 goals - only Arsenal & Chelsea fans will think that. Let's not forget that Terry cleared one of the line and Rafa hit the woodwork, both before Drogba scored.
This summer sees us needing major investment on the pitch.
We need 2 new centre-backs, a left midfielder to replace Bale when he departs, 2 CMs to replace VdV and Modric departures, a new GK and a new striker.
My money's on Bale, Modric & VdV leaving and no quality replacing them.
What our team clearly lack at the moment is......Backbone. The dictionary definition for this word is...........
'willpower, courage etc.' And so if our players recent dip in league form is attributed to the fact that they were
saving themselves for the semis and cup glory, what possible reason can we give for this more than poor result?
I am really trying to take a positive from this, but like Spurs, am failing miserably. I predict the FA will drop their
interest in H and go for Roy, who lets be honest, has more grace and that is a rare commodity these days. So from
the euphoria of winning the court case and being courted by the public/media, H could yet end up in the Championship
himself, as he predicted that would have been Spurs fate had he not been appointed. What goes around etc.........
Well Gentlemen, that was a bit of a pasting yesterday, it happens. Hands up I am a Gooner from a Spurs supporting family. Not heard a word from any of them since yesterday morning. But you have had worse days, Ive been at the lane when we won the first leg of the double, 50.000 locked out that night they say and your team never stopped fighting. Thats what you need now, I have heard a hundred times you have the easiest run in, so get out there and support your team 4th place is there for the taking, We will give you a hand on Saturday and take 3 points of Chelski. Spurs fourth and in the Cl means banter for next season. A new manager, a new season, a promise of a new ground. Much to look forward to it seems, So take your medicine in good part, you were dishing it out wholesale when you were 13 points in front. Football is a cruel master, but like my family you will get over it.
St Tots day is inevitable, but make it as late as you can and you will be back in the CL, that has to be better than an old tin pot. Arry for England God elp us.
That's funny. For some reason it's just gone like a library again.