Norwich at the Lane, the afternoon after the night before
Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 10:59AM The season starts here. There's nowhere else for it to hide now. Second home game of the season against beatable opposition (we've heard that before this season and last) and we need a win to compete a triple (to go alongside the loss and draw). Not that I'm counting points. Had we held on last weekend we'd still have posed the odd question about the side's overall performance and the strange substitutions - which illustrated the gaps that the transfer window filled in. Well, almost filled in. We have no João Moutinho. Not that he would have been signed in time for Norwich at the Lane. But clearly, based on the lack of obvious midfield creativity, we lack that spark. So no pressure Mousa Dembélé. Hope those shoulders are nice and strong. Welcome to the world famous home of the Spurs. We promise to smile, chant your name and get behind the team.
Chris Hughton is back with a Norwich team that were deserving of the win here last season. The same result today and those smiles and chants will take on a more sinister feel. If we play as well as we did against WBA in the first hour and take our chances, we'll be dancing a merry jig in the stands and on the touchline. Have to be ruthless in front of goal. That's it. There's no requirement for any major reshuffle tactically to the way we set out last week. The issues became apparent the longer the game went on allowing WBA to push forward more and trouble us with the physicality of Lukaku, who battered us every time he came forward. We have to be the ones that do the bullying and the punishing. Options will improve further when Clint Dempsey is available, but for now Dembélé and his dynamism and hopefully a fitter Adebayor will have to provide the punch and Bale and Lennon in improving supporting roles.
To tie all this in with Daniel Levy and the transfer window, utterly bored of this 'early points will cost us Champions League' argument which seems to bask in hindsight that some seem to enjoy citing. Dropping six points last season in the opening two games was unavoidable in some ways thanks to two yet to be signed players and Redknapp's selection with the way the midfield lined-up. The points that truly cost us came after the fact, later in the season, when form had been hit and defeat pulled us back down to earth with failure to recover. These very early games can be sacrificed to transition with the real tests coming when pressure to retain success on the pitch is prominent to all concerned. Still flexing those muscles.
Still, flexing or no flexing, points (in a bundle of three) on the board and a good solid performance will go a long way in settling things down and sending us on our way in the right direction. Outside pressures, we have no control of. But pressures from within can do far more long term damage. Three points and no booing.
The season starts here.
Reader Comments (23)
The difference between last season and this is that last season the opening two games we lost probably would have been lost anyway, whenever they were played, particularly at ManU. This season we lost winnable games. If we did lose today the media will be all over AVB, and pointing out Harry lost the same fixture last season won't help.
What frustrates me is the number of fans who demand instant success and those who seem to want AVB to fail in order to say i told you so. Spurs boards read like LIverpool's at times. How was there booing 2nd game of the season after dominating WB for most of the match? DVD's of the nineties should be compulsory watching for some, as they apparently weren't there.
Agree with post above ,but one thing is we were unlucky against Newcastle but worried what happened against west Brom in the second half was a worry and no Kaboul doesnt help .Happy about new contract for Lennon though ,we will win , also lucky for us other teams have slipped up aswell over the season we should be looking at Arsenal to slip up and they have.
I don't share your opinion that early games or any games at all for that matter can be sacrificed if you think 4th is something we should strive for this season. Yeah it's a boring argument but so is the way he-who-cannot-be-criticized conducts these transfer window. Norwich aren't looking very good so I imagine we'll take our points today. But I am concerned about the affect these changes will have on establish some sort of solidity. I hope I'm wrong but I have to imagine the sudden loss of VdV--who seemed like a real leader on and off the pitch--will have it's effect on morale. Modders on the other hand was long gone so I don't see that being a downside.
Of course maybe all the players knew he was going and it won't affect em at all. I hope that's the case.
In the end we do have solid fresh blood--even if they aren't a match to what we lost. I expect the Dem-Dem's to be gritty, and fun to watch. We do lose flair but make up for it in guts.
The difference between this season and last season is that 'Arry won a court case and turned into a clueless statue on the touchline and a liar off. Unless AVB is a sneaky tax fraud and gets offered the Portugal job, we shouldn't have THAT problem again!
"We have no João Moutinho."
Humble pie back into the freezer and the overcoat is drawn across my shoulders as we get down to business. Agree totally with the whole thrust of this article, time to dig in and support the team and manager. Will be happy to give us an establishment period, be patient, understand the need to consolidate, look towards a rosy future and carry on eating lotus.
AVB, you have the first fifteen minutes to show us what you've got after that if we are not 8-0 up against Norwich we reserve the right to boo.
Iain + nycyid - yes. agree completely. DML - sorry, but no.
The transfer window was a dog's breakfast purely down to Dan Levy's love of the deal - irrespective of the crap reputation THFC are now building in Europe as impossible to deal with. How's that going to stand us in good stead in Jan ? Next summer ? Moutinho could and should be a Tottenham player today. It's been glaringly obvious Modric was going; equally obvious he'd command a premium fee. So go out and buy Moutinho in June; give him a pre-season with the team; and then balance the books when - not if - Modric goes.
And don't get me started on the fact we have just two out-and-out strikers. Oh. OK then. Whatever happened to "Kane will be our 3rd striker ?" If Dempsey's the answer - what's the question ? Are we going to start playing 4-6-0 if Ade and Defoe are injured ?
Yes, we've now got an interesting and talented squad, albeit midfield-heavy. Can't wait to see how AVB's going to use everyone.
Once again, I hope for the best, but fear the worst.
Friedel; Walker, Vertonghen. Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Sandro, Livermore, Lennon, Bale, Sigurdsson; Defoe.
Subs: Cudicini, Naughton, Caulker, Huddlestone, Dembele, Townsend, Adebayor.
From what I've seen of Siggy over the summer and these three games, he has a HORRIBLE FIRST TOUCH for a #10 player. Just missed a great chance from Lennon on the left side with a clumsy touch worse than Ade on a bad day.
Lets just hope this game improves, we are looking meh...
Why did Dembele not start? I thought he was our economic answer to the creative centre midfield question. I still like him for it.
I hate to say it but this match has been pretty boring so far.
Ade has to start the 2nd half. Given the AVB will leave us shattered with 20mins to go we need to be 2 up. At this stage we have played like a plate of spaghetti plate without bolonegse sause. All starch no sweet meaty stuff.
This game is a game with "incredible human dimensions." One of them is Moussa Dembele! Incredible goal!!
Hate to sound negative, but somehow you just knew it-another needlessly conceded late goal. When will we learn to close the game down.
It was broken.. apparently.
So we fixed it.
Let us party like it 'twas 2008.
Daniel Levy. You are a genius.
In all fairness, we were lucky to get a point today. I think any alien who touched down on WHL would have concluded that Norwich were the better side.
We mugged em! This might be one of the only times when I'm actually going to look forward to the international break.
Well done Daniel you fucking tight arsed penny pinching egotistical prick.
What else are you going to ruin?
You sacked the best manager you had, you dismantled and sold the most successful squad you ever had and replaced them with average mid table players, you fucked up another transfer window with your shitty negotiating and buying
You are an utter liability and a prick
LEVY OUT!!
Can someone please tell Gareth Bale to stay on the fucking left.
I may be wrong, and hope I am, but too many of these players dont seem able (or want to) play the way AVB wants them to. We stunk the place out today. Its only 3 games in, but I am worried. Can someone make me feel better and explain how things are going to improve?
Oh, and can someone please tell Bale to STAY ON THE FUCKING LEFT.
Apologies for this rant but it seems that the stubborn fool has not learnt how to win.
After going 1-nil up, you need to close things down by going for a second. Instead we think its enough and close shop.
If we were attacking then they couldnt attack, FFS its Norwich at home, who got whipped 5-0 by Fulham, and yet we make them look like champions. I hate to tempt fate but 2 points from 8 games anyone? I am THAT pissed off.
After all that money spent, and VDV and others gone, AVB has been a massive disappointment. I hope its not his ego thats the stumbling block, but pure bad luck......
Spooky, I've been reading DML for a few years now and tend to agree with you on most things. Your summary and stance on the transfer window, however, I find remarkable. We are a much poorer team now than we were twelve months ago. Nobody expects us to spend money like Chelsea or City, but I think it's reasonable to expect us to spend money that is available to us. We've net underspent by £50million the past two season. Compare that to the previous four summers and it becomes difficult to understand.
Failing to sign a striker in January arguably cost us CL football (along with a load of other things, sure, but it certainly contributed) last season, and now we've done it again. The theory went that Levy knew he was going to be getting a new manager so didn't want to give Harry all his money. He's now got his new manager and not given him a war chest.
It is obvious that the players hate AVB already.His system does not work. He is an idiot that fails to grasp elements such as morale, ethos and indiv talent.
How much more of this will we have to endure.
We looked like shite in the first half and barely looked average in the second. VdV, King, Modric, Parker, Dawson all not in the team and Friedel soon to be leaving. We were 1pt off 3rd last year and we've changed 6/11 XI players (granted 2 to injury/retirement, 1 to transfer saga, but the other 3 changes, not necessary.
The summer transfer period should have been easy. Resign Redknapp to an additional year. Reluctantly sell Modric but leave time for replacement to bed. Bring in Vertoghen to replace King. Make Adebayor perm. Bring in a player to replace Modric. Bring in a striker to provide depth up front. Bring in a player to provide depth on the wing. Wasn't rocket science. So what did we do? Pretty much everything wrong.
Vertoghen is struggling with the physicality of the league but if Dawson wasn't marginalized we'd survive fine. The guts of the team have been ripped out [Parker, Dawson, VdV, Modric were pretty much the heartbeat of this team last year] and the side is completely rudderless. We should have lost the game by several goals, maybe 3-1. Could have lost the West Brom game as well. The one player that performed today was Freidel and the 12mio we spent on Lloris makes him surplus to requirements.
The transfer business we've done is shambolic. We've got one striker who capable of leading the line in Adebayor. Defoe is an impact sub and Dempsey will need to play off someone.
I lay this completely at Levy's feet. He's taken the club as far as he can. He simply doesn't know how to get us to the next level. This is not an attack on AVB. We need to be patient and let the team bed but there was no reason to change managers. Now the team must rebuild. We were 2-3 players away from challenging. Now, we're years away again.
I'm sure we'll find our form. We finish a solid top 6. It's a massive fall from the level we were at. Our signings make very little sense. Very similar to the logic used during the Ramos reign. Dempsey? Decent player, better than VdV, no. Didn't we buy Siggurdson? Aren't they similar? Lloris, world class. No doubt... but couldn't have we spent 12mio on something that was a bit more of a need? Where's the 3rd striker? Where's the depth on the wing?
Normally, I look at Spurs squad and there is some sense to it. This one? It's shambolic. We have glaring holes in the side yet on the last day of the transfer window we sell a world class player in VdV to buy 2 players we really don't need. I'm at a loss.
I love the club, but we're not going to do anything this year. And I expect Bale to be gone next summer. I don't blame him. Love the shirt.
Hmmmm, unfortunately as the game unfolded it all seemed to lead to a very familiar and predictable outcome. Am I the only one who feels that? If not then the problem remains, a riddle I have never been able to adequately answer; why is it an average football fan like myself can see problems which appear to be glaringly obvious but football professionals and club owners appear wholly blind to?
I have one answer. Having been at Cambridge myself and seeing face on some of the utter pricks that "grace" the halls it is my opinion that the idea of intellectual superiority of the average Oxbridge graduate is nothing more than a mythology. The only people who actually believe that bullshit are the people who graduate from Oxbridge, everyone else knows that for every smart person walking away with an honours degree after having kissed the sword, a hundred wankers are spewed out into our society to take control of government, whitehall, the professions and, in some sad cases, football clubs.