It's about the shirt

Just remember people. Its about the shirt. What will be will be.

Can't deny Redknapp of the England job. Would make more sense for him to take it at the end of the season. Harry made a point of citing the support he's had from the club during the court case. I hope that counts for something but its hardly the end of days either way. I guess my gut instinct is there's no immediate need for him to replace Capello. It's dependent on how England approach Tottenham. One thing is for certain, I do not believe for a second that Levy has not planned a contingency or two for this scenario. Probably earlier than most expected (the summer being the prudent window for movement) but he'll have our backs covered. Managers, they come and go. We should be grateful that after a decade of mistakes we found swagger and consistency with one that was quite unexpected.

Like I said, it's really in the hands of the FA now. If they request to speak to Harry and want to offer him the job and want him to start it now then we get to see that contingency play out. I will love to see how they deal with the pay-out. If the offer is for the summer, then I'm hoping the distraction does not unbalance the manager and players - even though the sensory overload of news and opinions has already flooded all areas of the press (who adore him and will be relentless in their pursuit).

This is the job he wants more than anything. He simply won't say not to it. If asked.

Best to remember we're not a one-season wonder. We've been on the up for a few seasons now. We're in fantastic shape and the next man in will have one of the best sides in the country to manage.

I'm getting ahead of myself. All that's happened for the minute is Capello has gone. Until the next chess move, we wait. Many seem to have brushed aside the possibility that the FA might look elsewhere.

Newcastle on Saturday. That matters more than anything else at the moment.

COYS.

12-0, triffic

Twitching with happiness. Thoughts and prayers for Lukey Moore, West Ham and Arsenal fans and the HMRC (along with the £8M spent on the investigation to find out if Harry was guilty of evading 30k in tax. Irony and obsession).

Nice touch from the gaffer (during post-court interview) citing the support from the home crowd at the Wigan game.

Obviously, we can concern ourselves with Harry's replacement if leaves for the England job in the summer...when that eventually arrives at the end of the season. In the mean time, back to the football.

Onwards.

Plan B, not pretty, but it works

Liverpool 0 Tottenham 0

All things considered, a good point at Anfield.

Tottenham’s Plan A is one of majesty, pace and devastation when applied with pomp and confidence. A full strength Spurs side is arguably the best footballing side in the country, and by virtue of the quality we possess it means we can compete with anyone. Sometimes, it falters a little, we make hard work of it which can result in a bit of a grind to churn out the three points. Every team has its off day, but truly aspiring teams with tough mental strength and spine can still win when playing below par. We still prefer the occasions when the swagger is wonderful and the opposition mesmerised. But you can’t always be at full strength.When we’re not, we’ve got Plan B.

It’s not really a Plan B though, is it? It’s more of a damage limitation exercise. Actually, that’s unfair. Scrap that. It’s more of an emergency restructure. It’s usually something we witness when we lack width (either one or both of our flankers). But Plan B is good for the soul, if not beauty to behold when watching it unfold on the pitch. When you’re not at your most effective and can’t attain full pelt, you dig deep. Its more slow brooding and stop-start. Depending on the opposing side, this can be a test of fortitude and concentration.

I’ve written about our squad depth a number of times this season. The fact we are so finely tuned that a key player missing here or there weakens us with far greater impact because of how much we rely so heavily on our system. I said in the preview for the Liverpool game that this is a testing period, every game is now massive in terms of retaining momentum. Every point vital as we aim to consolidate third or better.

If we trip and fall, I have no qualms about our ability to stand up, dust off and continue the march.

We didn’t trip and fall at Anfield on Monday night. We got pushed about a little by a side that likes to impact games with their physicality. In response we simply defended resolutely. We displayed grit and courage and even though the game as a spectacle was poor (boring at times - edit: need to elborate on this, what I'm refering to is the expectancy of say how we performed away to City in the second half in comparison to soaking in pressure at Anfield) we played with professionalism and gained an important point in doing so – momentum intact.

Several players unavailable (Lennon, Defoe, Sandro, Kaboul, van der Vaart) which meant others deputising with the usual team responsibilities. The bench consisted of the following outfield players: Nelson, Khumalo, Rose, Luongo, Lancaster, Saha. Illustrating again how strong our first team is but how we lack the same ‘replacement’ quality when they are missing and have to make do with youth and oldies.

Luka in the Rafa role, an example of the deputising, pushing more forward offensively rather than staring in his more natural deeper position. We shaped up in a 433 with Livermore, Parker and Modric in the centre and Bale/Niko behind Adebayor. Bale is obviously going to be contained on the left with no concern for the right with Lennon missing – which is why Bale once more ventured into the middle (to help out our lone striker). It’s not perfect, but there was no criminal negligence in terms of lack of discipline.

Slow starts for one or two others (Livermore’s positioning was tricky to work out early on), but the midfield trio worked their socks off across the 90 minutes. Parker outstanding in the second half making up for one or two mistakes in the first. Modric again imperious in terms of pass production and close control and perhaps understated by some who seek more dynamic creativity from him. Can’t be expected in every game. The way he retains and recycles possession should never be scoffed at. Sometimes we simply need to match and attempt to better our opponents to make sure we don’t lose the midfield. Its also apparent how important van der Vaart is, dropping deep and linking play.

Dawson another stand out player at the back, no coincidence with King by his side. Friedel alert when called into the game to shot-stop. But alas, the match lacked end to end clear cut chances. Adebayor mostly isolated up front and when in possession not able to keep it or use it’s efficiently. Walker also struggled a little to get past Johnson but got himself involved in terms of defending.

There was no disputing a solid first half of football. Liverpool don’t lose at home (don’t win many either) and although I was confident of a win pre-match – changing my mind after the injury news – I was more than content with how the game was playing out. We were not being bullied or struggling under pressure. There was no pressure. No mistakes either. Containment with the added bonus of perhaps a cheeky counter-attacking winner. The key here was to get Bale into the game or for Bale to get himself into the game more and for us to support Adebayor and for him to hold the ball up.

No Harry Redknapp at the game. Insert joke about the Anfield Cat being Harry’s next bank account. Nothing Kevin Bond couldn't handle (team talk, not the cat). We looked to continue the consistency in the second half. Which came to life when Bale was fouled and got up and pushed Agger, then got a yellow card for it.

By fouled I meant dived. Have not a clue what was going through his head. Only part of his game I disapprove of, it’s not clever and it’s not Tottenham. We don’t cheat and we don’t dive. Well, unless you’re Bale. He’s done that twice and got booked twice for simulation this season. I know there are some stats that show Bale v Ronaldo and how Bale has scored more and assisted more at this point in his career than Ronaldo has. But please Gareth, don’t try to own the play-acting stat too. Lucky not to get a red. Perhaps frustration was getting the better of him. Another learning curve to navigate.

However (there’s always a however). Being critical of the player, it doesn’t sit well with me. I want him to develop and to continue to progress and improve to truly world class stature. But I don’t want to spend my time bemoaning the kid whilst he wears the Lilywhite. Remember when he was a left-back that couldn’t win a game? He’s come a long way, he’s picked up a few bad habits. We’ll have them ironed out of him in time. He didn't quite manage to fulfil my half-time wish to get into the game more. He's not always going to have the space. He'll learn how to manipulate it from one game to the next, from one class of opposition to the next. Neo couldn't leap from a building or stop a bullet in the early days. So let's hope Redknapp does a good Morpheus impersonation.

For now, enjoy while you can. And be patient.

Bale could have won it for us late on (86^th min). A rare fluff in a one on one. Carroll equally wasteful for them, so no complaints. And Suarez more so (87^th min) with a free header.

Saha made his début, a like for like replacement for Adebayor, isolated and difficult for him to get into the game. Parker shot blocking a Gerrard effort and was also assaulted twice by Suarez. Niko – we are quick to be critical of him when he doesn’t perform, so best to give him credit for his work, especially his defensive shift.

That’s twice I’ve mentioned the returning hero (Suarez) in what Sky Sports were building up to be a fairytale return for the lad. A standing ovation no less from the home support and salivation from the commentators. What a guy. No fairytale ending though. He'll have to make do with the banners.

In the end, goal-less. We passed our test. Emphasis more so on defending than attacking. King always glues the back four together and everyone played their part. Collectively, as a unit – they all played a part in making sure we took that point.

Liverpool, in form, could not break us down or get any clear stranglehold on the game. It’s frustrating in some ways that we could not play what we are accustomed to seeing. Liverpool are Stoke but less effective. Plenty of dirtiness, little class. On and off the pitch. Skrtel on Bale. An occasion where Gareth is well within his rights to stay down. Off the pitch, can I mention Suarez once final time and the embarrassing siege mentality of Dalglish? An ugly football team, an ugly club. Happy to see them sat in the pot along with one or two other sides that can’t quite get the better of us these days.

Football cycles. You live through them. You deny it's happening to you, whilst others embrace the change. Soon enough, all you have is a turn of your head whilst you look back and remember the past. Then there are those busy with looking forward, making the future theirs. We are still living through it. Nothing has yet to be set in stone.

Proud as ever to be Spurs. Hope we get the core (first team starters) of the missing players back for Newcastle. That’s going to be a massive three points. Like every other game.

COYS

Love the shirt.

This is Tottenham

Upcoming:

Liverpool.
Newcastle.
Arsenal.
Utd.

Followed by:

Everton.
Stoke.
Chelsea.

A magnificent seven games in what will be a defining seven weeks of football. This is not quite the run-in but it qualifies as the business end of the season (the business end being every game until we cement Champions League). We might have to dig deep, get lucky but the emphasis as ever has to be on retaining momentum. Suggestions the court case is affecting the teams focus. Opinion that we are so finely tuned that a key player missing here or there weakens us with far greater impact because of how much we rely on a very specific style of play. It’s a testing period, every game massive. Every point vital. If we trip and fall, I have no qualms about our ability to stand up, dust off and continue the march.

I’m buzzing. This pressure and at times anxiety is what football at the top is all about. There’s an edge to it because of what’s at stake. But I’m still managing to maintain some dignity and haven’t quite begun to feast on my nails. You know you’re doing something right when you go into every game echoing its importance.

Defeat isn’t something I’m entertaining in any of the above matches although the odds suggest it’s probable. But considering we’ve yet to truly disappoint in defeat this season (excluding the opening two games) I’m confident that the team can fight and perform well. It resonates, the belief. We’re going to need to be exceptional across the next four games and if we are then we might no longer feel the need to look behind (if you’re that way inclined - some prefer to still look upwards).

If you work out the points ratio to games and the fact that everybody is still prone to slipping up, we only have to continue our form (points accumulation) to retain our position. I’d rather not though. I’d rather play like we need to make up a ten point gap. I’d rather we continue to chase the impossible dream, if only to hold onto a standard that will practically guarantee a top three finish. Can’t settle with what we have, we need to always be better than our last game.

Forgetting all future fixtures, the only one that matters at the moment is Liverpool away. Two morale boosting wins against the two Manchester clubs (one over two legs) but their home form is still erratic. Traditionally a tough place to visit, much like last season when we travelled north and faced a resurgent home side to then return home with all three points. Mental strength in abundance these days and we’ll need it on Monday evening. They won’t have forgotten the spanking we dished out at the Lane. The indignity (for them) more so in the fact we could have scored double the goals we got had we not ease off and slowed the pace down to simply possession play. They’re going to want to put that right. As you would expect.

I’m not going to dwell on the past too much. It’s easy to remember their dominant cycle during the 70s and 80s and more recently their consistency in finishing top four and winning cup competitions. There’s no doubting their pedigree. But they’re in transition. They’re going to cite the past to aid in fuelling their motion forward to reclaim those past glories; it counts for very little until they’ve actually achieved it. Much like the position we’re in. For both clubs it’s wise to remember that football owes us nothing. Liverpool are still in transition. We’re several steps ahead of them. The onus is on us to prove that. Both clubs have to fulfil their immediate ambitions. For us, it’s finishing as high as possible in the league and to qualify for the CL. For them?  Consistency to lay claim towards challenging for a top place finish again.

A win for us would be demoralising for a fair few clubs inside that top seven. It really is a strong position to be in. One we are still becoming accustomed to. Several steps ahead but still on that learning curve and still earning that experience. You look at how Utd came back against Chelsea. This being a Utd side that might lack the depth of quality of previous revisions but still retain that sense of all-consuming belief, that never-say-die attitude that only Champions can possesses. We’re in there, we continue to compete, contend. We’ve got to really want it and show that desire in games like this.

As for Liverpool, their style. I can never shake off the feeling that they are quite workman like, nothing overly fancy but still well drilled with a caveat to being susceptible to lethargic performances. Their form is much like the form of older Spurs teams. Bit all over the place. Dare I say they are similar to us when we began to rebuild (for the umpteenth time), trying hard to find a cohesive pattern. Things can change quickly, so it’s best we do our utmost to widen that gap further.

Do they have players that can hurt us? For sure. I still worry about defending set-pieces (that’s if Downing manages to get a cross in successfully). A certain returning player from a lengthy ban might be making a comeback appearance. So all eyes (and lip-reading) on him. Do we have players that can hurt them? Let me think about that one. Yeah, one or two. You do get the impression that Dalglish’s men will try to take us on, bring the game to us and attack. Which should suit us fine (hoping we’ve learnt lessons re: Stoke and Swansea away). An open game means if we keep it controlled and composed at the back then we’ll have plenty of opportunity to go forward with intent.

How do we win? We win by owning the midfield. Might be an idea to play Sandro and Parker, match their work rate ethic (which  is far more one dimensional than ours) and get Modric on the ball as often as possible. Width key (as ever). Bale should do his best to stretch them to the left and only look to cut inside if the passage of play invites him to do so. Structure and discipline essential. I do hope for once Adebayor does more than bring others into play. Needs to start scoring again. Would be perfect timing if he rediscovered his touch in front of goal and went on a little run of games. Would accept arrogant, bullish displays of ruthlessness. Alternatively, Saha might have to do. Defoe (along with Lennon) not available (if you refer to official team news updates). That’s hardly been his trademark for a while. Would prance around like a character out of Glee if he was to rediscover that instinct one chance one goal state of mind. Hoping we are careful with where we give away free-kicks. They have players who can do damage by way of a dead ball.

As ever, Tottenham need to keep it Tottenham in terms of approach. We are hardly the most tactically astute side and that tends to benefit us when we go out and look to retain possession and attack/counter-attack. We play the Tottenham way, we swashbuckle but with a spine and strength that isn’t too dissimilar to Liverpool sides of yesteryear.

If we play like the second half at Eastlands or in fact if we match our almost destructive nature from the White Hart Lane 4-0, then when thinking of Anfield, you’ll most like to reply...'This is three points'. Couldn’t care less for comparisons of silverware and history. Very few clubs can come out looking better than Liverpool in terms of titles and cups. All I care about is the present and living in it. With any luck, enjoying it too.

COYS.

Love the shirt.

Spurs 3 Wigan 1 Transfer Window 0

So we got what we wanted in the end.

I’m talking about the three points rather than the transfer market. More on that later. Firstly Wigan and it’s great to be able to look back at my preview of the game and bask in the fact that Spurs delivered with both professionalism and focus to brush the bottom club aside comfortable. Dominated possession, had a plenty of chances. Okay, so there were moments in the second half where we displayed questionable defending, going through the motions without much intent, but all things considered the result was never in doubt. Even if we switched off a little in the second forty five.

Wigan didn’t park the bus although they attempted to defend deep with emphasis on their back-line, waiting and building a sponge wall of protection to soak up the pressure. The opening goal the perfect illustration of them attempting to do so with every man behind the ball. But alas, Xavi found Messi with an absolute gem of a pass, so perfect it split an atom on its way through. Lio expected, wanted the pass and took it with confidence for the 1-0. A thing of beauty.

Second goal was also tasty. Fortunate how the ball came to be with Luka but his turn and shot was decisive and clinical. The third was majestic. Bale again into his favourite corner giving the keeper no chance. This was routine stuff, never really shifting out of third gear. Although I prefer not to concern myself with results elsewhere, results elsewhere proved to be kind to us. 13 points off 6th spot and 11 points away from 5th. Happy days. How to improve? Perhaps next time shift out of third gear and into first and torment and destroy.

A few highlights. Bale (the beast), could have, should have had a hat-trick. Loved some of his mazy runs. Modric was sexual. Harry getting love from the crowd. Lancaster on for his début. Kaboul enjoying the evening. Some downers include Rafa and Walker going off injured and Benny (very fortunate) not to be red-carded. Norty.

Now the supposedly tricky fixtures begin. Most of the games, IMO, are winnable. That’s if we line up with our strongest side. Which links this post-match musing into the transfer market review and the distortion the January window brings leaving many of us confused and bewildered when perhaps it’s not necessary to feel this way. But then maybe confusion is the only reaction to it.

The problem with Tottenham is that we are very finely tuned. We’re a top side when we field our very best line up. Such is the quality of the first team that if we lose a key player or two the entire shape of the side is affected, sometimes with ill-effect. Meaning we have to readjust our style and some fluidity is lost as a consequence. We don’t quite have like-for-like players when looking to replace. Lesser teams, they can chop and change and appear to be more comfortable in doing so without a massively detrimental knock-on to the way they approach every game. If we lose Bale and Lennon, we have no pace and no width. If Adebayor is out, then our movement up front and the way we attack has to change to work. We don’t have convincing depth in squad. It’s looked that way but only on paper and not when applied practically.

I’ve been an advocator for consolidation. Remember 2006? We didn’t make any major changes in the Jan window and that might have been costly. Okay, so losing points in the final minutes of games cost us, but still...we could have strengthened. Make an outlay, speculate to accumulate. Take a risk but one that shortens the odds substantially meaning the risk equates to ‘guaranteeing’ the target (say top four). Nothing is guaranteed, but if you make powerful changes to personnel then positives should shine through with very few negatives interfering. So, my thinking was that looking at the squad...at our team...and taking into account that an injury or two would seriously impede us then the logical thing would be to sign quality long term players rather than spend less on short term solutions. We did neither in this window. Why?

I guess we never learn. Take away the opportunistic signing (a van der Vaart) we are left with the mundane but required exercise of balancing the books. We have unhappy players, players that aren’t even fringe or backup as they are hardly called upon. Now this might be an irritant of lack of squad rotation or the fact that they are simply not required at all. The other factor is, the players in question want to play first team football on a regular basis. Hence the unhappiness. Hence the necessity to move them on (unless your name is dos Santos).

So we have:

Pav – He’s never quite fitted in. Supremely lazy and at times lacking any on-field intelligence, he stuttered too often and could never quite claim a first team place. Not his fault. We should never have signed him in the first place. If it was ever going to work he would have had to be first choice from the start. He wasn’t. At times he displayed technical brilliance. A scorer of great goals. In 2010 (when we finished 4^th) he scored important goals for us. But he’s always been distant, always a misfit. Always apologetic. Please don’t disagree and suggest we were not expecting him to move on. It’s taken how many windows for this to finally happen? £11M isn’t too bad either.

Bassong – Another player simply not fancied. A shame because he wasn’t that bad at all when he first arrived here. Confidence and lack of game time can knock you. He’s also too far down the pecking order so it makes sense to shift him on so he can get some game time in.

Pienaar – I did my best to give him the benefit of the doubt. He’s a fairly non-descript type of player. Can deputise in a couple of positions but isn’t truly a direct replacement for anyone we have. It’s now easy for me to question the ethics behind signing him in the first place when again he was not used often enough (injuries aside). If you’re going to play the squad game, then you have to look at resting/protecting players effectively and allowing the likes of Pienaar game time. Harry doesn’t tinker unless injuries force him too. This signing has proven to be a redundant one.

Corluka – Walker (from what I know at the time of writing) is fine. But if he gets injured – we have no genuine right-back cover as our ‘kids’ are out on loan. Now if it was me, I’d keep Charlie. Even if there was the potential of him playing only twice between now and the end of the season. The player though, he probably would not find that acceptable. Which is why he’s been loaned out.

Have we weakened the squad? Yes, but we’ve not weakened the first team and all the players that have left in this window are neither key or overly called upon to wear the shirt. These are players that had to move on.

The fundamental problem with January is that this is not the month where you traditionally sign super-star players (keep ignoring the opportunistic signings). End of season, the summer...that’s when players/agents/clubs begin to play ball because it’s easier to sell and buy and build your squad for the next season. This is where it gets distorted and contradictory. We don’t know and can only guess what Levy is planning for. Whether it has something to do with Harry and the court case/England job and waiting for the summer to finance big money deals, it’s tricky to work out without being a fly on the wall.

Now you could cite the fact we bid around £20M (or so) for Remy and had it rejected and that its proof that we:

a)     Have the money to spend and the inclination to do so

b)     We are thinking long term regardless of potential managerial upheaval

c)     We are aware of the type of quality we need and we are looking to bring it in

Now c) might require a caveat that outlines we have very specific targets we wish to splash the money on and will not sign lesser targets (for less money, say £6M-£10M) as a stop-gap/panic buys simply for the sake of consolidation. Money is tight, the NDP is on the horizon. It looks like we have it to spend but we’re not going to repeat mistakes of old.

It’s frustrating when you consider we haven’t actually bought a striker out-right for a while. In the summer, Defoe is the only player we’ll have (unless Adebayor is signed permanently). So there’s no doubt we need a massive signing in that department, regardless of Ade remaining here beyond the summer. Could we do with that signing now? Yes, we could have done with him before the window closed. Because we’re 3^rd and because mathematically, 1^st is still not beyond us (humour me). We also cannot afford to drop out of the top four. I don’t believe we will, and I guess that’s the crux of it. Levy and Harry believe this to be the case also because faith is being placed in the risk that consolidation of our position is not imperative. We were not expected to be in this position at the start of the season and have done so off the back of signing a 40 year old keeper and the much maligned (and now loved) Scott Parker.

We should still be aiming higher for sure. Strengthening our current stature. But there you go. We tried. And cheaper less quality driven alternatives do not appear to be options when looking to splash the cash.

Krasic, according to reports, was more than an option. We wanted him on loan. Juventus agreed to it. The player didn’t, preferring a more permanent role. He would have covered off the flank, another one of those consolidation question marks. Players in the Prem that we considered viable alternatives might have been too pricey to follow through on. How many times have we been burnt in the past? Too many.

So, all I have left is the fact that we must be aiming high. It’s frustrating. It’s a harsh reality. But if clubs won’t let the players leave then you’re going to be hitting that brick wall over and over again. In the summer just past, I was told a story about Gervinho, the Arsenal striker. We were interested. He didn’t fancy us. That turned out rather well. I think the lesson to be learnt is we have to be decisive and certain. Unequivocally. I think the club know the players we want and won’t look elsewhere and we’ll have to go back in for them again. What we have to hope for is that we have enough about us (and luck) to see the season through to be in a position to attract. And when we do attract we attract the very best.

Saha and Ryan Nelsen are nothing more than replacements for back-ups. They are not there to strengthen the first team but rather make sure we have cover if cover is called upon. Saha is on a short term contract. He can hold the ball up, protect it and fit into the style of football we play presumably as an impact sub at best. Nelsen is a curious one. Free-agent, nothing more than an experienced footballer that fits into the role Bassong had on the sidelines. Samba might have been the first choice target but if Blackburn wish to hold onto their player and price him out of a move, well, we of all clubs can’t complain about that stance. Also Caulker will be with us next season. We can’t over spend for the sake of the short term. One thing of note here worth mentioning. All this ridicules the signing of Khumalo.

I know. Its underwhelming because the window distorts expectancy and everyone feels disappointed when a big signing isn’t made. Again, I’m going to refer back to consolidation. We haven’t achieved this. It’s the way it’s played out. The players will need to dig deep and we’ll have to cope with injuries. I felt underwhelmed during the summer and the start of the season, but this run and our form has proven that faith in both manager and chairman has to be respected. Benefit of the doubt. I can’t spend time wasting it on complaining when the team need me to support them. Regrets, they only come into play after the fact if we’ve failed. Something I do not wish to entertain.

Simply put. If we claim Champions League, then this summer there will be no margin for error or indecisiveness. We’ll need top drawer, dare I say, world class signings. Not for consolidation but for stepping up to the next level and to be able to retain the new founded stature.

Until then, the window is shut. No draft, and the temperature is about to rise.

We are Tottenham. We're third, five points off the top of the table. Believe.

Daring is achieving. Love the shirt.