How to lose points and ailenate fourth spot

Bolton 4 Spurs 2

My initial gut reaction to Saturdays could not be arsed performance in the majesty of the cathedral of football (the Reebok Stadium) was simply this: Harry Redknapp…why?

I appreciate that we shall never defeat the conspiracy (oh look another early Saturday kick-off straight after a Champions League game) but that was no excuse to just shrug at the prospect of perhaps claiming something tangible up at Bolton, were historically we get as much action as Cliff Richard. So no shocker, cometh the final whistle. No celebrations either, just footballing celibacy. Our players displaying the type of effort you'd expect from a walk on a beach mid summer holiday.

Should my knees begin to jerk ever so slightly? Or should I continue to whistle a gleeful tune and dance nervously holding up a sign that reads 'The End is not Nigh, So Stop Fretting'. Am I  ignoring the evidence of domestic degradation of consistent form and backbone? Do I rely too much on the varied weaknesses that are displayed by opposing (rival) sides with each passing week as a reason to remain optimistic? Do we - as a supporting collective - add more weight to our results than when we look across at other teams where perhaps we rationalise and exaggerate and gloss over the importance of their results in comparison? Is our squad depth not at depthy as it would suggest? Regardless of the dizzying questions, there are only two that matter at this still early juncture of the season.

What's broken and how do we fix it?

Or perhaps it's better worded as; how have we broken it and why isn't it getting fixed?

Perhaps things are not quite broken, they're just not in full working order.

We are erratic. The side is hardly ever settled in terms of juggling between league and Europe. Injuries confirm that as sublime as our first team can be, when we lose certain key players we lack cohesiveness and this has a knock-on effect with other commonly required footballing essentials (intensity, desire, focus etc). But even with a storming first team (on paper) we've disappointed in the league still. 451 works in Europe. Doesn't quite sex up at home.

Parts of the team - when the team is not at full strength (or as full strength as selection can allow) are at  times found out and thus has a detrimental effect on the rest of the side. Our defence guilty as charged. Against Bolton (who were not that good) we gifted them goals (regardless of the first being offside) because we managed to be even worse than them.

I said my initial gut reaction was to blame the gaffer, and I still do, but the players have quite a bit to answer for in terms of ye olde mental strength. But then it all goes back to the erratic selection which births lack of rhythm and style from one game to the next. We play our best football and best players in Europe. It's time we shared the wealth with the mundane task of finishing fourth. Before that ship sails and we're left drowning in shark infested waters. Or something equally grim.

So what went wrong at the Reebok? Easy peasy:

- 451 when there is no van der Vaart to accommodate. So why bother with 451?
- Crouch up top on his own. Why didn't Pav start? We are struggling with goals from our strikers in the league, so you do the math - two is better than one. There is no dynamic movement when pushing forwards and although Crouch and Pav is less Batman and Robin and more Rodney and Del Boy, it's the better and more obvious option to go with the two of them. Pav - for the record - has notched seven goals in all comps this season. That's from six starts and nine substitutions. His league record overall is rubbish (53 apps, 13 goals). So can we just tell him it's a cup game (21 apps, 18 goals) every time we play?'
- No flow and support structure in key areas (i.e. Hutton and Niko hardly a passable execution of 'how to support a team-mate')
- Sandro and Wilson in the starting line-up? Really? One newbie finding his feet and one oldie who has managed to lose his.
- Huddlestone on the bench. Stamps his authority on the game when he eventually comes on. Fails to wrap his boots around a decent pass.
- Kranjcar given a start which he does nothing with. Bentley on the other hand displays 'glimpses' of decency which is a little bit like saying, 'Look ma, he's star-jumping AND winking at the same time'.
- Wait to go three down before showing urgency.
- Complete lack of character, which is either the last dying remnants of the culture of comfort that almost destroyed this club or something isn't quite working in terms of prioritising the importance of climbing the table.
- Play badly to make opponents look good and yet almost  get back into it late on. Botheredness, the Spurs way.
- Keep dropping/losing points when it's even more obvious that this season is going to be less of a challenge to finish 4th than last season IF…IF IF IF…we attain the same standard of football we played at last season.
- No insight or astute pre-game analysis or tactical master planning of the opposing side. It's all very 'I'll select eleven players and hope they gel for ninety minutes'.
- Lack of in-game insight/astuteness and tactical re-shaping of the opposing side. It's okay to be reactive. That's 'reactive' to the game and opposition BEFORE we go three down.

Not frigging rocket science is it? And yet the same mistake(s) are made every few weeks.

We are up for the European adventure, and not so up for concentrating on league form. There might be a subconscious shared thought in the club that has everyone thinking we might not get a chance in the CL again for another two or three years so let's enjoy it and let's make our mark. Daniel Levy appreciates this as he's well aware that long term planning is vital and he won't go loopy for the sake of the short term. But considering how obvious our problems are, speculating in early 2011 would make the double challenge of home and away far more achievable than it stands at the minute.

The short term win can make the long term far more comfortable and we can stop looking around and concerning ourselves with the form of others and leave them to concern themselves with our form.

So panic? Don't bother. Not yet. Honestly, we still have some sand left in the hour glass.

We are not playing well but we are in there in terms of points and position. Sure, we are closer to the bottom than the top and the next three games are vital because if we win our home games (Sunderland/Rovers) and get something off the scum then we'll have gone from weeds to blossoming Lily's. If we don't then panic. PANIC PANIC PAAAAAANIC.

There is a point in the season where we (I) can't keep saying - we are still within touching distance. We have to move on and get in amongst the top five and pull away with them and then deal with the fight it will take to remain there and aim for 4th rather than 5th. I think we are at that point now. If we miss it, then we're going to get dragged down further with loss of focus and belief and distraction in the shape of the CL. And the point becomes one of no return.

I don't particularly want to share CL football with the likes of City or Liverpool (yes, Liverpool because they're back baby, they're back!!! Did you not see the game on Sunday?). We might find we don't have a choice and that every other season we challenge and reclaim entry to the elite competition because of the openness of the Prem. On the other hand,  we lose out this season and the Prem goes all monopoly again - and it's back to mediocrity as our players get plucked. The latter is less likely, but I'd rather not entertain that risk.

I lost count of the amount of times we got written off during the 2010 journey. I've said it many times this term - we might appear to be going sideways but we are not far off at all from getting this fixed. Just a couple of variables to be added to the formula. Just need to stand tall and proud before the money shot. Our CL hangover record is actually better than Arsenals. Not that it makes it acceptable to lose to Bolton and it's frustrating that we never get anything there - but with two home games and then the scum away (before CL and Liverpool) - this is when we discover if this fantastical learning curve - for the manager as well as players - has sunk in and we are better for it.

Get to Jan even with the same type of difference we have at the moment between us and say 3rd spot - and then it's over to the chairman and the transfer window to consolidate the work and progress achieved last season and eradicate this blip we are experiencing in the Prem. I don't need to tell you what we need. If we get what we need then we'll gonna get a whole heap of what we want.

I'll end with some positives from the game.

Ridiculously great technique and finish for the goal from Roman. Superb effort from Hutton also. That's it.

Also, can I point out that Gareth Bale didn't make his debut at the San Siro. And this fallacy of him being non-existent in the league is exactly that. Although my point would be more poignant if made on another day, rather than after a quiet performance and defeat.

Conclusion?

Last time I'm going to say this now. We are not playing well, we dissect every loss because of the standards we have set ourselves and we are showing frailties that are probably not half as bad as some other clubs have in comparison but probably more susceptible to repair. We've got it in us. It's time to prove it.

That's it.

Tottenham Hotvaart

Spurs 2 Villa 1

At this rate I'm going to soon run out of superlatives for Rafael van der Vaart. Perhaps someone can spike his pre-match drink with horse tranquilliser so he can spend at least one weekend sitting by the corner flag with the only dribbling coming out of his mouth, rather than covering every blade of grass in that look at me I'm so frigging great way we're becoming accustomed too. Would give me a welcomed break from having to draft up love letter after love letter, the attention seeking show-off. If he isn't hogging the headlines he's hugging the grannies.

This never-ending tenacity he possesses to constantly impress and make things happen. Love sigh. He's got that special mix of technical ability, vision, urgency and the belief and desire to make the difference.

There are plenty of footballers who give it the one hundred per cent, week in week out. But if you take someone with genuine (world) class and that someone goes above and beyond what many would expect as the passable norm, well, it's enough to make you go all weak at the knees. It would be easy for him to play like a luxury player because that's what Tottenham are use to seeing or at least have been in the past. You have to admire the impact he wishes to bestow us in every game.

I don't really care at this precise moment in time about why he cost so little and whether Levy has one eye on future profit or possibly the gift of first refusal for Madrid on one of our players. I don't really care about the potentiality of failing to reclaim fourth and the expected but uninvited guest who would sniff around White Hart Lane with that unmistakable fat red nose. I don't care if he's doing a Berbatov. I don't care if the player himself simply took the chance because it was better than spending his time sitting on a bench in Madrid. If you are of this pessimistic ilk, what brilliant irony would it be if vdV dragged us into a fourth place finish? The fact is, the future hasn't happened yet, we're laying its foundations in the present.

He's ours. He plays in Lilywhite. And he makes that difference. Spurs now have their very own Gerrard/Lampard/Fabregas/do Utd have one at the minute? Rooney I guess. We have ourselves a game-changer. We have a catalyst.

The hacks might want us to believe he's a ticking time-bomb, what with their tiny brains struggling to comprehend why he's even playing for us (Sunday Supplement on Sky Sports strikes again) because it's just not right there has to be something amiss for him to be playing in our colours. Because if he's that good, he shouldn't be. Because what right do we have? Yeah, well, whatever. He's a time-bomb, the type that will blow up in their patronising miserable faces.

It should take another 3-6 games, but this team will have to start gearing up towards that higher level, that better standard that we need to be playing at if we're going to start to pull away which is what we need to do. I think the word 'hope' / 'hopefully' needs to be added to the above.

He sets the precedence for what a proper performance should be. It's the type of all action, plenty of plot that will have some questioning this paradox. And as Harry has stated, he needs to work out how best to work the mechanics of the side with vdV in it. On the right. On the right but free to roam into the middle. In the middle. Just behind the the front man. It's a headache, but not the type you can complain about.

However, the reality is, we are still not bossing games, we are still making it tricky for ourselves. Still having to dig deep and pull the win out of the grasp of two points lost or worse. But gaffer and team are doing what needs to be done to try and come through this patch with damage limitation mode switched on, what with our injuries and that tactical evolution that's keeping everyone on their toes.

In terms of CB's, its unnerving. Hudd having to deputise at the back against Villa. He didn't do too badly considering the risk of playing him there. Uncomfortable but got better as the game progressed. It's not exactly an upheaval of Biblical proportions, but we're adapting and learning from week to week in terms of what is best for us to attempt to gain some of that stability in play and momentum. It does have to settle soon. And in addition Harry is having to also manage the various sub-plots including the form of Lennon and Palacios.

We've also go Hutton, re-born. Still needs to be tweaked defensively and offensively in terms of positioning and when to go marauding. And if vdV is going to continue to drift away from the right, we need to help out Alan on that flank.

Bale can never be imprisoned at left-back again. He put in a hard working shift. Didn't take centre-stage for once. What with Villa sticking 15 players on him at any given time.

Jenas, well, he still splits opinion, but if someone was to ask you what he does exactly, you'd be harsh to ignore that he's doing just fine, fulfilling the role in midfield that has allowed for a more (potentially) dynamic middle four/five. There were glitches against the Villa (not so much his fault, but what with no Hudd in midfield there was no clean-up sweep up for when JJ went forwards and the play broke down) and people are bound to latch onto the obvious frailties but compared to Wilson, he's proving far less of a risk to start with. It's not perfect. But the boy is getting forward with a sense of directional awareness and industry that has me not gleeful (let's not go overboard) but definitely pleased.

Modric struggled with his possession on Saturday, which is a rarity. He's on the same wave length as Rafa, but he's not Luka at full pelt at the moment. An off day. So the midfield was not the most balanced (hence the potentially dynamic middle four/five comment), but we got going in the second half far more efficiently than the first thanks to Harry changing it.

So, what of the game?

It was yet another dramatic end to end entertainment piece, presented at the Lane, in full Tecnicolor. Because we don't do boring black and white.

Not a great first half of football, although it ended well with vdV getting the first of his brace, heading the ball in thanks to Crouch nodding it across the goal. Heskey mugging Bassong to set up Villa's goal, bundles in by Albrighton who didn't look decent. All a bit too easy.

We were not coping with the battle against Villa's midfielders which saw the second half switch of Azza on for Pav to give us that extra man centrally and vdV pushing up behind Crouch (even though that's where he drifted to from the right hand side during the first half). Lennon, improved performance off the bench. Probably would have scored had he not been hacked down. Well done Harry for the quick and much needed shift of formation.

So, in that second forty-five we played far better, more controlled football. Villa, still wasteful at times, and far less effective with Heskey off (on the 35 minute mark) which meant more emphasis and concentration on attack than defence for us.

Crouch and his knock-downs worked a treat. Might not always score, but he gets the assists. Pav played a part in the first goal but otherwise, just doesn't do enough for me (white Darren Bent). Appeared to play with a touch more conviction that usual, but that's not saying much. Sacrificed, so it's unfair to be too critical as he attacked the penalty area and run the flanks prior to going off at HT. So on another day, he probably would have been in the right place at the right time at some point.

vdV's second was representative of that extra oomph we now have. His movement into the box, into that position, not once did he not look like someone who wasn't going to score. He practically willed the ball to his feet, the deft touch and dummy and blistering finish processed at lighting speed in his brain but executed in a split second for all to see. It was an Ali shuffle, knock-out punch. Have some of that.

We battled. We came from behind. We had six defenders unavailable. Two players in the side that at the start of the season were on everyone's list to be sold, given away, stuck in a cardboard box and thrown in the river. But the siege mentality of vdV was nothing short of absolute inspiration. We got lucky at times, but I guess it's not really luck. We have van der Vaart. Villa had Carew. You can only ever be as good as the players you've got.

The rest of our players need to match Rafa. Because at some point that higher level needs to be attained. On days like this you can be thankful for that much maligned squad depth. We're going to need everyone in the up and coming weeks to be completely focused. Daunting fixture list, will only be so if we lack faith.

As for the love letters. I guess I don't really mind writing them. Could be a lot worse, I could have been blowing kisses to Joe Cole or Scott Parker.

Shudder.

Small team beats big team

That was over at the Emirates. At Upton Park, a very average side without a win in the EPL beat a supposedly good side on paper that were in fact abjectly shit for the best part of 90 minutes, apart from a few long shot efforts from midfield.

No desire. No functionality with the line-up. No enforcement of a defensive nature. It was wrong. Unbalanced and without that vital ingredient of sustained effort. Momentum? What momentum? It's all slip slip slipping way at the moment.

Yet you'd still think we'd have enough about us to win it regardless of the rested/injured players and slight tinkering, considering the side West Ham lined-up with. No excuses, right? Alas, no. Not this seasons Spurs. Full of excuses. Seems that playing players in their not so best positions is suddenly a recipe for mediocrity. But that is almost an after thought for the lack of certified positive attitude.

Two issues. Firstly, there is no apparent plan or reaction to the tempo set by the opposition. No willingness to say, spend the next ten minutes nullifying the threat being posed or taking the sting out of the ball. Getting our hands dirty, playing ugly. In fact, if you take a further step back you could perhaps ask why we did not swagger into East London and just take the game to them. Believing we would win, wanting to win, and applying pressure until their fragile little legs snapped. This was the side rock-bottom before 3pm. But no. It was the complete opposite out on the pitch.

Well done to West Ham. They showed desire. They just pushed forward and that was enough, whilst we responded with cameo-shots. We kept Green on his toes, but Carlo was equally at hand to save us from conceding a second. A number of times. The first and only goal, a header, laughable defending. And that was job done for the home side.

So, what's the crux?

Can we seriously not perform if we shuffle players around? I'm beginning to get tired of this excuse. We have last season to compare our players to, and they are falling short at the moment. This is starting to reek of mental strength; lack of. Our old friend.

My thoughts:

Cudicini - Kept us in it. Although there was no point (or points) at the end, what with yet another no-show for our offensive tally of goals.

Huddlestone and Jenas -  Did not work. I remember there was a time when this partnership clicked. Today, it was pish. Hudd was anonymous. Jenas tried, for all his heart can give, but was easily beaten in the centre by Parker and co. Lose it there and you'll be second best all afternoon. Sandro and Palacios, using the magic of hindsight would have been better options for one or the other. Even with Wilson's lack of form, he would have at the very least given us some bite (be it erratic). Sandro, having been baptised in that abomination of a NLD the other day, would not have found today any more daunting. Also - Hudd and the captaincy = doesn't work. I wish it would but it's failed twice now.

Corluka, Hutton, Bassong - Charlie, out of position. Yet played reasonably well. Bassong was okay. Hutton, I thought, was actually fairly decent. As a unit? Can I trademark the word dis-jointed? I guess they looked a lot worse (with Bale included in there) because of the allowance permitted by our midfield for the aforementioned to be placed under constant pressure.

Bale - No BAE, so Gareth is imprisoned at left-back. This is akin to taking a WMD and burying it in the desert. Do you know it's even there? It just doesn't work. He is a left-winger and a beast of an attacking player. Can we please stop dicking him about. No BAE, so I guess, hands tied. I just wanted to vent, in preparation for future games.

Modric - Welcome back. Cracking effort on goal. Tried to invent, the majority of our players did their best to prevent (my puns are as bad as Spurs were, I'm doing it to retain an air of consistency). A positive: Moddle + vdV works. In the long run, this will prove to be a God send. If we can get someone upfront scoring.

van dar Vaart - Is probably beginning to scratch his head, Hoddle style, at why nothing is working around him. Works hard, looks to create. Was superb in the early stages, faded a little, I guess due to the knock he got and the fact there is so much he can do if the side is losing the battle to retain possession. It all gets lopsided and we can't expect him to run the show if everyone else is skipping.

Lennon - Not used that often. And pretty average when he did have the ball at his feet. Got a cross in, created the odd chance. But he's still not the spark we know him to be. The irony here is that when he went off, we had no width. Crazy. When Spurs play narrow, with no Azza, we don't seem to be able to work the ball forwards as well. But we don't appear to have options for additional width on the bench. Go on, dare you to come up with a quick-fix solution to this one.

Crouch - Didn't work. Will probably score a brace in the Champions League this coming week. We have a problem. We need someone up front who can make things happen with movement, clever runs, coming deep but not so deep to allow the midfield to push into the box. Someone with pace. Bobby Smith with a touch of the Jimmy Greaves. Or the moon on a stick in a Lilywhite shirt. If 451 is the future, the most vital position is the front man. I'd say, play two up front for the league for the time being. Until the Jan window opens.

On his own (Crouchie), today, it was a struggle. Not for the want of trying, but there was no link with him and the middle five. Isolation the name of this unfortunate game. Six games now, and only one goal from an actual bona fide forward.

Subs - Had hardly any time to make an impact. Although Gio was a mighty dollop of why bother. Seems lost at Spurs, at home with Mexico. Not sure Harry really understands how to use him.

 

Attitude. What?

West Ham - Not exactly Barca but they probably thought they were today. Will struggle in and around the below point of mid-table*. But they showed us how to play like a team. I think that just about sums up how bad we were. Parker was very decent, focused. As was Noble. But then they had direction and intent in their boots, unlike our centre pairing. Hammers were first to everything. Us, second best by miles. Statue no doubt being built outside the Boleyn this late evening. But they proved an important point (three of them). You can be down on your luck, average, whatever - but if you stick in the shift, you can win the day. Good luck to that attitude. Shame for them they only get to play us once in East London. We really did gift-wrap them a win, finally a win, over us and Redknapp.

*JR Hartley

Redknappology - Harry is confusing matters. The way we lined-up didn't work because there was no genuine spin to it. What was meant to be the style of play? Where was the contingency plan to dig us out of sticky moments?

Then there's the lack of motivation. Which is the crux. Harry's good at getting the best out of players. But struggling this season to inspire some of our some what damaged Prem stars. Harry is best when Harry is dealing with backs against the wall. He joined us, 2pts8games, rebuilt confidence and we pushed on. He then took the next challenge and got us playing with absolute conviction and belief. And we took 4th.

We were always on the chase. Always with a target ahead of us.

It's now altogether a new type of pressure and the players, having achieved that impossible dream, well...I'd hate to think they are resting on their laurels. Is there no apparent target in their mind set?

He needs to re-tune them back into Fight FM. Wipe it all clean, last season. We have done nothing, achieved nothing, until we finish in the top 4 again. That ought to be the thinking at the club. The message from the gaffer to every squad player.

Conclusion

I'm glad West Ham beat us. Obviously, I'm not, but here we are. Why am I glad (in the context of the aftermath?) Because you can't sink any lower than this. Well, apart from Wigan at home.

If this isn't a wake up call with regards to EPL form, and if we dare not react positively to it once and for all next time out, then we deserve nothing more than nothing. This is not a crisis, but we may as well pretend it is. There appears to be no fire, no chests pumped out desire as a cohesive unit from top to bottom. A complete lack of willingness, conviction.

We are twitching.

If we line-up against FC Twente with Moddle, vdV and Bale on the left-wing and King at the back and win stupendously well, then once more we will ask the same questions? Are we not up for league games? Are the players thinking too much about Europe? Or do we simply struggle because of one or two changes in personnel? Can't believe the latter. We are not that sodding delicate. Or perhaps? Nah.

Goes back to the points made above about motivation and desire. And managerial guidance. Last season, they all had something they wanted more than anything, and even with injuries and shuffles, we just got on with it. And got it. We didn't over-achieve. We didn't punch above our weight. The players proved to themselves they had it in them. Too busy puffing on those Cubans at the moment to work out that all we did was take a step forwards. Not a leap.

Time for us to show that hunger again.

The current version is not the same Tottenham who bullied and brushed oppositions aside away from home during the 2010 season. We can't keep looking to the next game to kick-start it and find ourselves looking forwards for the next opportunity again every bleeding week.

I do appreciate the injury problems and the fact the players do need to adjust to playing high pressured high profile games and it's Harry's job to make sure they don't lose focus for any game. But hey, like I said. We've been here before. And although our back four was patched up, we can't keep on making mistakes in midfield.

It's not quite the point of no return. So, still no knee-jerk from me. I'll continue to support both manager and players. But they need to set the alarm. Snooze button disabled. And get out of bed.

Perhaps, we need to go back to basics again for the league games. Take every game, one at a time, rather than looking ahead, deep in thought on the next one. The players, their heads, not 100% in it. Not even close to 60% today. Just play 442, or 433. Direct on the ground sweeping football with at least one DM in the middle. Keep 451 for the group stages.

It's okay for me, the fan, to review and change my mind. I can do that as often as I want. I called for consistency a week or two back, that we need to stick to a formation, but with each passing game, I've proved myself a touch naive. Because it seems the players are not up for it at the moment. So no matter the formation, it wont make a difference. Unless, you know, creature comforts and such. Take it back to the way it was before to rebuild that confidence.

So time for some consistency from the only ones who can make the difference.

Wakey wakey Spurs.

As for you lot. Your solutions please. On a postcard. To Bill Nicholson Way, 748 High Rd, Tottenham, London, N17. Via this blog. If you want therapy of the discussional type. Knock yourself out.

Ta.

To dare is to turn up avoiding any lasagne pre-match

We've discussed plenty of times how we have been Jekyll and Hyde so far this season. Because of our stop/start play, we've yet to really stamp down an authoritative swagger on a match from start to finish, convincingly and emphatically.

City Home Draw 0-0 - Breathless first half, stagnating second half.
Young Boys Away Loss 3-2 - Keystone cops first half, dug deep second half.
Stoke Away Win 2-1 - Beastly first half, holding onto dear life second half.
Young Boys Home Win 4-0 - Probably the most comfortable 90 minutes of the season.
Wigan Home Loss 1-0 - Hangoverish. Got worse in the second half until disappearing completely
WBA Away Draw 1-1 - Mish mash.
Werder Away Draw 2-2 - Best 44 minutes you could ask for. Lacklustre defending, but not a terrible second half all things considering.
Wolves Home Win 3-1 - Laboured a little what with finishing, but had all the chances, and in the end, endeavoured to finally make the break-through. Not a win to be dismissed in terms of once more digging deep.
Scum Home Loss 4-1 - Second/third string that hardly performed and yet could have won. In the aftermath, it's quite cute how hard them lot are trying to justify the significance of the win as something tangible. The fact that it wasn't our first team should therefore have no negative impact on the mentality of the side that plays on Saturday.

Looking at the EPL games only, that's DWLDW. It's a case of C+ when we were hoping for more of a B, B+. But to be completely fair, had we won the Wigan home game, I'm not sure many would be that concerned, probably preferring to cite how we are not playing brilliantly but still picking up the points - a sign of a dogged side that churns out the results. Instead, we find we are lingering on a few worrying aspects of the performances. For example, our lack of grip on the second half of games. The struggle to be clinical in front of goal. The form of some of our players (Corluka, Palacios, Lennon), the loss of Modric (be it for a few games) and also the signing of Rafael van der Vaart.

Now the latter is not actually a worrying aspect at all. It's inspired. Levy bagged an extra dimension in Rafa for Harry, which will allow for decisive depth which IMO spoils us. We could, for example, rest Luka and play Rafa. Or play them both. Or have at least one available if the other is injured. Thus no reason to be down-hearted if we are missing one of them but including both in the starting line-up should be nothing less than majestic. Of course, there are tactical responsibilities to be understood in terms of what to do if the opposition attempt to flood the midfield or nullify one or both of our lefties.

Both are quite similar in terms of being able to play out on the flank and through the middle. Modric, a crafter of creation, dinking in and around the box with sublime touches and passes. Rafael, a technician of tricks, offensive-minded and equally superb in play-making, with the added bonus of knowing where the back of the net is.

Both (regardless of the obvious difference in physical stature) know how to handle themselves on the pitch. Modric can get stuck in. vdV is also not afraid. For anyone who had reservations about his work-rate, re-watch the first half v Werder Bremen and how superbly he covered the pitch, closed down opposition players and took responsibility with wanting the ball. He was equally important in the Wolves win. A touch of leadership about him in terms of how he's always looking to push the team forwards.

So nothing worrying about the inclusion of vdV in our squad. Of course, Harry has to be certain of  the mechanics of the team and how they can work best. Fluid functioning 451 success isn't going to happen over-night. 15 games in, if it's still fragmented and we are not progressing too well, then sit yourself in the corner and do that back and forwards slow movement, staring blankly into space, foaming at mouth thing you do when you know a transitional season is on the cards.

Amsterdam yids

So is all the lingering doubt really worth it? The scratching of heads? It's not exactly Everton all this. Or Liverpool. Not that we should ever want to be using other clubs problems as a gauge of how well we are doing in comparison. We can see what's not quite right, and it's all fixable. Look up, not down brothers.

Talking of looking down. It's vital we win on Saturday. The main reason being, it's two wins from five, and this would make it three wins in six. It will be a testament of our guile and determination. Had we not lost Modric at WBA, the game might have turned out differently. My point being, it's time for some convincing football, across 90 minutes, away from home. There is no room for the team, the players out on the pitch, to knee-jerk if say a player goes off injured. We've seen that happen this season, so time for Harry and players to excel and look towards that B, B+.

It's swagger time. Screw B. I want A+ with distinction.

West Ham, no matter how abjectly shit they are, which they are most of the time, always turn up for this fixture. Well, I say always turn up, they still had around 1,500 tickets available for the game earlier in the week. I guess some are holding out for a seat in the Olympic Stadium.

Their players rarely fail not to play with fire in their belly at Upton Park. No matter their form in prior games. And what with their woeful start to the season, they've apparently half turned a corner with their point away to Stoke and the cup win at Sunderland. A win for them would be deemed an important kick-starting turning point. Historically, for all their plucky efforts, it hardly ever goes their way. Unless of course we get poisoned.

I've got to be honest. Anything less than three points will be massively disappointing.

We are better than them on paper, on form, in Football Manager 2010, better than them even when we are abjectly shit. Losing this will hurt just as much as losing to Wigan because it's completely avoidable and unnecessary. Losing to Wigan is probably worse because that was a home match, but you get what I mean.

We always take points off them. And we never take it for granted, so no change in attitude is required. Our players are just as aware of how high tempo these games can get and that there is - like all London derby matches - the matter of pride. Be it far less important than Arsenal and Chelsea. It can turn out to be tenacious and ferocious and their players via the vocal power of home support, can elevate themselves onto a higher level playing field and blah blah blah.

I don't care. Ruin them thank you very much. Take those lingering worrying aspects we've kept in our possession since the opening day, stick 'em in a box, and throw it into the canal.

Things I want to see:

Bale marauding through the West Ham defence like a hot samurai sword through butter. Although to be fair, you could blunt a knife or just replace it with a feather, you'd still manage to get through their defence. Very accommodating, knees up and such.
Start Hutton. Bench Corluka.
Our midfield dominating the midfield. Scott Parker does a sterling job, but if we can't go to Upton Park and strangle the life out of them, then shame oh shame.
Crouch looping header of a despairing Rob Green.
If a DM is to be used at some point. Use Sandro, not Wilson.
I'd drop Lennon, but I'm struggling to work out if that would be more so detrimental to the side even with his current form being very average, because the alternative(s) are not great. Lennon, at least manages to assist. He might actually re-discover something so, in conclusion. Play Lennon.
No. More. Fitness. Issues.
Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack.

So something sexy like this will do me just fine:

Gomes
Hutton King Bassong BAE
Lennon Huddlestone Modric Bale
vdV
Crouch

COYS.