Spurs in turmoil
Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 10:00PM Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3
Someone, please hold me.
I swear, hand on heart, before the game kicked off, in the build up to it I was not in the slightest bit nervous. I guess because it’s Old Trafford and the memories of the past twenty-three years have turned the occasion into a foregone conclusion. We know the script, we’ve read through it dozens of times before. It's a seasonal tradition. At full time I was a complete mess of a man. Why? Because of that oh so common anomaly that can sometimes crop up when we play them. On those rare occasions, perhaps two or three times in amongst the twenty-six games without a win in their back yard, there is sometimes an inclining of hope. That moment when you almost believe because you think the players believe.
On those rare occasions we’ve had that cruelly and sometimes brutally and many times comically snatched away from us, without remorse. It’s in these moments of hope where you suddenly care so much more. Not that you never care about what transpires for Spurs but you care more so because the very thought of losing is soul destroying because you believe you've got a grasp on victory. Hope is the unequivocal reason. Hope, hope takes you, grabs you by the throat and drags you to the very brink of hell, pulling you down, making you experience all you witness in slow motion. You suffer every second, it becomes unbearable. This is what it feels like to be a supporter of any club. For us it’s pretty much the standard.
We have had to endure being out classed, losing to dubious referring decisions and a variety of capitulations that were birthed from the fact that for all the desire to believe, there was nothing to truly back it up when it mattered most. Why was that? Probably because we allowed that negativity to become synonymous with playing them. 'United, they’re bound to beat us', and they do, every time. Thinking it is enough to constitute believing it. A single shred of doubt is enough. In my match preview I said that for all the years and games played, in many ways, none of it should be of any relevance to the present day and the game to be played next. Why should it be? Fact is, bad luck and decisions aside, we have never been good enough to beat United at Old Trafford. Tactically and mentally. On this occasion we got it right and to make certain of the three points, a footballing God up in the heavens decided that there would be no thunderous rain to drown us in. They looked away for once.
This is a new Tottenham Hotspur, in its infancy in terms of maturity of system and tactics but eager, hungry and willing to impress. It’s still early days. There’s still plenty to improve on, but you can take a performance and a result like this and you use it as evidence of squad harmony. It feeds into boosting morale, confidence. Also, it adds to the justification of the faith placed in the coach and in being patient. The great fallacy about football is that if one person says something another believes this to be true simply because it’s been said. One person says 'pressure' therefore another believes there must be pressure. What pressure? Who cares? The word is sometimes nothing more than a commercial commodity to make money from the hyperbole it generates. Villas-Boas isn't under pressure, he's just probably irritated. His emotional celebrations are a release. No doubt the frustrations and experience at Chelsea still need to be worked out of his system along with one or two other bug bites that need to be scratched.
The game itself was fascinating because it illustrated just how juxtaposed when comparing one half to the next.
The first half was exceptional. 1-0 up in no time at all. Half man half amazing Jan Vertonghen bursting into the box to score. It was easy, too easy. Too earlier? Was hope planning to drag me down kicking and screaming within the opening couple of minutes? We continued in good form. Bossing the game. More pace, more power and some beastly performances in midfield and on the break. Sandro starting a move with a brilliant tackle on van Persie, playing the ball out to Dembele who released Bale for the second. 2-0 at the break. The most telling aspect of our play was the intensity of our movement, always looking to hurt United. Composed and effective passing. Confidence in abundance. Which is where that ominous whisper makes its appearance, that voice in your head, pulling you back from being overcome with excitement and bravado. Hope.
“We’ve been here before”, it whispers, "...You know what happens next, don't you?"
Would have been naive to expect United to come out second half and not attempt to claim some type of stranglehold on the game. We were deeper, sitting back too much and not defending the flanks but then we never got hold of the ball enough to dictate tempo. One stat I saw shared on Twitter was that we only completed around 35 passes in the second half, such was United’s dominant pursuit with making a breakthrough. You expect them to make that breakthrough too. Regardless of our past history with them, it’s United, they’re famous for it. It’s what they do.
From being in control with splendid work ethic and intelligent movement in the first half, we chased down shadows and surrendered that intensity to the hosts in the second. We got teased and slapped around by hope once more, as she loves to do. That anomaly, that rarity. Once more into the heart of darkness we stared.
Perhaps there is a solution to being pegged back like that. Something VB noted for future reference. The ball, when sent forward, was instantly lost and United pressed on over and over again. We failed to take the sting out the game, we failed to slow it down. This resulted in a variety of emotions and cursing and praying. But we did not collapse or give in or lose focus and concentration. Yes, the wood work saved us a couple of times. Yes, there was a decision in there that might have, could have gone United’s way. Yes, they missed a couple of chances that they could so easily have buried. But these are the very same incidents that all clubs suffer but sometimes succeed with, week in week out. Just because we’re the benefactors of luck this time, doesn’t demean it. Justice for Pedro, right?
That second half was more to do with Manchester United waking up than it was to do with our tactics. Much like United's first half performance was influenced by our dominance. Tactics aside, the players had to dig deeper than ever to find that resolve and that belief, which is usually nothing more than an empty shell at Old Trafford but this time was fleshed out the size of Godzilla fighting off an army of attacks.
At 2-0, after the second forty-five kicked off, I made a dash to the toilet. Butterflies in my gut had morphed into piranhas. I returned and stared with sheer amazement that the score was now 3-1. I had time to blink and it was then 3-2. No no no, not this I cried out. The game, in the space of 140 seconds had gone clinically mental. For all of that structure of the first forty-five, the game had opened up massively. As games do. Tactically, the game had relaxed. Loosened up. You can argue the way things panned out initially is how we had planned. We set out to attack and pressure and hassle United and it worked. The second half was probably going to be the same from us but perhaps with looking to turn defence into attack, on the counter. Yet it become a game where United were always in the ascendancy and we became reactive to everything they threw at us. We lost the remote behind the sofa and had to endure forty-five minutes of a tv show we didn't want to watch. Aside from luck, it’s here that mental strength can come in quite handy.
Tottenham believed. And for once it was not false or deluded or misplaced. For once it wasn't an empty shell.
For all those years, I’ll be damned if I wasn’t ecstatic about this. United might not be the team of previous seasons but this is more about the team we can become rather than the state of the teams we play. They still have the experience. We still have to earn it. This win goes some way to setting the foundations for future victories.
Friedel – Did his job. Held onto the ball when it was imperative to do so. Safe hands.
Walker – He still hasn’t got a grip on positioning which means we’ll be punished for it, inviting pressure on. More discipline required.
Gallas – Experienced. Proving a fair few wrong. Looked suspect earlier this season, almost felt last year was his last run out and yet he’s managed to retain some influence and composure at the back for us. With no Ledley there, it’s perhaps fortunate we kept Gallas.
Caulker – Didn’t panic, but he’s hardly a Premier League fledgling. Gallas by his side helps.
Vertonghen – Did I see a Superman celebration? Keep this form up and he’ll easily be our Player of the Season. Brilliant in defending as he is bringing the ball out. Risky with the shirt pull, but his run in the early minutes was deserving of the goal he got. Not too shabby at left-back.
Sandro – This might well be the season we see him mature. Beastly as ever, and much like Bruce Banner, in control of the monster within. A vital element to the way the side sets up. Holding midfield, defensive midfielder, brick wall. Call his role what you want, he doesn’t just defend. By virtue of winning the ball he can spark an attack with a simple ball. That tackle on Robin van Persie.
Dembele – Another powerful performance but struggled a little with his passing in the second half.
Dempsey – Scored. Still finding his groove, still has to work on his awareness and movement with new team mates. He'll score a few by attacking the penalty area.
Bale – Much more like it. Scores and assists.
Lennon – I’d like to see Villas-Boas to work on how he can use his runs more effectively. Honestly, at full pelt, running at defences, he can be unplayable. Doesn’t happen enough, but he’s started this season in superb form. 14 key passes so far this season.
Defoe – Worked hard. Will always struggle a little with holding up the ball when were up against it (something we desperately needed in the second half) but can’t fault his performance and link up play when we attacked. Was involved in two goals. He’s a much better footballer under VB. His run left Ferdinand and Evans in no mans land for Bale's goal and he held the ball up wonderfully well in the build up to Dempsey's.
Sig, Huddlestone and Dawson – all helped out when coming on. It was hardly the easiest of games at the time of arrival. Chris Hoy will be able to tweet without any repercussions concerning mistaken identity. Sir Alex will still be complaining, as officially 'Fergie Time' isn't due to finish until Monday morning.
As for our coach? Top marks. Let the haters keep on hating, let there be a siege mentality if necessary, but everything outside of Tottenham that only exists to criticise is hardly of any true relevance any more. Most of it is borderline fantasy mixed with unintentional parody. Such is the lack of substance. Club in crisis. Villas-Boas wins the three games he had to win to save his job < insert canned laughter here >.
We won the game because of the first half. United were only as good as they were in the second because of the performance we put in. The spirit and survival instincts displayed our character isn’t one dimensional like past teams that flattered to deceive. We can be bullish and we can be bullied, but we can still come out on top. It’s just one game, but its testament to the work being done at Spurs. A fantastic result for a club in turmoil, where players hate training and dislike their coach by refusing to play for him and then mockingly hug him after the final whistle.
The game left me both physically and mentally exhausted by the end of it. But utterly joyful at the same time. Only our fifth away win in eighty games against the old traditional top four. Another hoodoo gone. But more importantly, twenty-three years aside, justification in support of our coach.
So onwards to the next test and the next step. Where no doubt hope awaits once more to suffocate our beating hearts.
Reader Comments (72)
@cheshuntboy: bet you were just sharpening the knife and now you have to resort to trawling ManU websites to cover yourself. Spare us the pseudointellectual excuses. Your name is better spelt without the "hesh". Now, as they say in Portuguese, bebe merda!
HEY' do you write poetry? If not, think about it. Brilliant summation.
The likes of Spooky and Harry Hotspur constantly accuse the media of having an anti-AVB agenda, but wild and uncritical praise when it isn't due isn't the anwer, at least for those few of us who value the truth.
Oct 1, 2012 at 10:38 AM | Cheshuntboy
What? I'm hardly skipping in the stars? I'm made up for us beating them. I'm made up that all those people that slagged off AVB and slagged off me just because I dared to show patient and faith have disappeared into the woodwork. In my review, I show balance. I've already cited our manager has made mistakes that new coaching and tactical changes will take time to bed in. How is this deluded? As for pointing out the media agenda, come on...it hardly takes me or Harry Hotspur to point it out. Every Spurs fan on any given forum is saying the same thing.
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory.
I've just re-read C****untboy's remark about valuing the truth: purleez, do you just say this stuff to yourself in the mirror and think it sounds great? That was a rhetorical question, C****untboy.You're just a poor man's Adrian Durham!
Fantastic. We have to stick by him and in couple of years we will see the true result.
Keep writing.
I am from Durban, South Africa. Been a Spurs supporter since Danny Blanchflower came to our shores in 1963. First game I have watched in full on my PC, what a blast, best attacking game since ever. First time here, Spooky are you real, tears streaming down my eyes. Disliked Engish football and failures in International competitions. Kick and chase style. Thanks for bring back the the skill and glory. What a watch
Last time I checked, I wasn't in the woodwork, Spooky, and I'm not an AVB 'hater', as I said in my previous post. So far this season, we've had one convincing win (at Reading, obviously) and two where we could very easily have lost (QPR and United), plus two draws where we were hanging-on for a point at the final whistle. To me, that doesn't add up to a great start, given the quality of the opposition, and reacting to the win at Old Trafford as if it was the best result in a generation just demeans us as a club - we're Spurs, not Accrington for heavens sake!
@Tiny
That's how it all starts mate, trust me, go to the shed - grab a hammer and smash the pc to fcuk. Shave off your eyebrows, kick off your shoes and hand yourself in to your nearest asylum.
The woodwork comment was a generalisation to some people who seem to be vocal when it suits them but don't return to share positives because they perceive this to be some form of weakness, as it will undermine their argument.
I think everyone is over analysing again and expecting the full package to be on show from day one and how dare it not be because based on what we've done recently we should be smashing teams to fuck. Football is not as easy as Harry Redknapp seems to believe it is. One season of change is good enough for me if it means five seasons of sustained challenges and silverware. I'll step away now because I can feel we're about to go over old ground. Again.
I have to admit, I no longer groan and curse at seeing Defoe and Gallas in the starting eleven. Whether it's them or Andre who has done it, they have all proved a lot of us wrong and I've got the stones to give them credit for it. The reinstatement of those two players in the first team lead many people to argue that the team had gone backwards, that we had had a poor transfer window, that Levy had not forked out the necessary dollar. In all honesty, I am still of that opinion despite the recent results. But I am willing to give credit where it's due, and if Andre can continue to prove us wrong until the end of the season, then I will be skipping to the stars.
Ohoy Wisky Tommy !
Gangnam Style indeed.....
COYS!!!
And there was me thinking that we were all UNITED in the aftermath of that sweet victory. Some people will
always find something to complain about-me, I am still on a natural high after burying that stat. Almost felt like a cup final win-
ok, over exaggeration, but you all know where I am coming from. Actually, I thought I was on my own in not being able to
listen/watch the closing stages of a big Spurs game, but judging from other comments, it appears such behaviour goes
with supporting THFC. I just ask that the players carry that belief into the next game and the one after that etc.
My final word on this: we've all been to games where the opposition have been played off the park; shots hitting the bar, the post, open goals inexplicably missed, and then we lose to a breakaway goal five minutes from time. And is the game reported as daylight robbery? No, it was backs to the wall defending, grit, determination, you name it, anything but the sheer bloody fluke which it was. Well, the United who played on Saturday were a shadow of the sides which have seen us off so easily for so many years, but they almost turned the game around, only lenient refereeing and dreadful finishing saving us from yet another capitulation against them, as 'Bob' pointed-out earlier. Yes, we won - great, fantastic, but don't try to kid yourself that we thrashed United - we played one good half and then hung-on, as we so often end up doing, and we're far from the finished article yet.
NHS Direct state that there are 3 catogories of hangover. Category 1 - Weak. Category 2 - Mild. Category 3 - Please God, if I survive this shit I'll never drink again! I seem to have stumbled into the latter. Dreamt last night I was falling through clouds. Woke up being hit repeatedly about the head with a pillow. She thought I'd wet the bed. Thankfully, forensics ruled out urine. I had no idea I had that much water in me? I fully expected to look in the mirror on the way to the shower and see a twisted grotesque version of Benjamin Button. Got caughlt on DML last night - she walked into her makeshift darkend observation ward to wipe my fevered brow, only to be confronted by my gray-pasty-face, Illuminated by the iPad. I hope Tiny didn't actually.... no course he didn't.
Cheshuntboy - I know exactly where you're coming from mate - Cheshunt! Other than that brother I'm lost. Maybe it's the grog, I don't know! I don't want any arguments - not today, but. We played amazing in the 2nd half. Reading between the lines -yids as far as Canada cut engines and went into radio silence. The truth is, we beat them in the 2nd half. Physically and tactically. We also scored a quintessential Spurs goal, unlike Bales blatant Owen tribute goal and Vertonghen's ' get the fuck out of my way I've a message from the King' goal.
I went to Old Trafford with an axe (metaphorical speaking for God sake) to grind. I expected keystone cops, I got the Sweeny.
Gangnam Style form here on in.
TTID WWRNLN.
Spooky, concentrate your efforts on those of us who like to enjoy the positives about Spurs. Spend a little less time with those who are still unhappy. Give them time, they'll come around. As you have said, Patience is the word. COYS
@ Gingham Tom - Proud of you and the entire yid army - you were magnificent on Saturday, cheers mate enjoy the remainder of your rehab.
@The Boy Who Took The `Hesh` Out of Cheshunt..............
We did a better job of the first half than they did of the second.
Ok they hit the post with a free kick, missed their best chance and flicked the bar with a misdirected header.
The picture you paint of them spurning clear chances left, right and centre just is not accurate.
Yes we all got frustrated with giving the ball away so much, but their onslaught was anticipated and the second half performance of our defenders was fairly controlled. Deep, never too deep. Held the line. Kept them in front of us for the main part.
But regardless of all that, if you can`t join us in our unconditional elation of the past 3 days, it beggars the question......why do you follow Spurs?
'we did a better job of the first half than they did of the second'........sums it up perfectly. For once the players came out of
the traps from the offset and they could not catch us. Nowone has said that we thrashed them and I do not buy it that Man U
played badly. In fact I heard several united fans on saturday radio phone ins, saying that Spurs deserved their win. That is
the truth.
im still waiting for them to score!! just cant take it in! amazing performance as man u pressured like ive not seen in ages, how did we weather that last 20 mins? with something different to what we have had in the past i hope.. buzzing!!!
A great read, I am horny for this season now! COYS
Amen Spooky. I was listening to BBC London in Texas with my missus and daughter understanding the importance of victory but not sharing in the agony and the disbelief. At 62 minutes, there was a lead that wouldn't be surrendered. But 28 minutes plus Fergietime was in the way. When it came, it sparked emails to England and Ireland. A family divided by lilywhite and red had a different group in delight. COYS. In AVB we believe!
Incredible stuff! Just watched it again. God damn we were brilliant in the first half!
Well done AVB and the boys. Vertonghen, you are a god!
COYS!!!!!!!