Weekend round-up

Morning.

It's a Monday tradition to run through the 'news' items of the past few days but as we were blessed with International break weekend there's little point in dissecting any of the alleged transfer stories covered by the tabloids. As per usual, there is nothing worthwhile to report on. Once again, we were subjected to another Huntelaar rejection. Diego Capel is a target (yes, we've been here before). And Sandro also got a mention with him apparently interested in a move to N17. It's like I'm quantum leaping into the same moment in time over and over again with no means of escape. Oh boy.

Elsewhere, the doom and gloom relating to Carlo Cudicni's accident and subsequent injuries have proven (it would seem) to be exaggerated. What a shocker. If it wasn't bad enough he broke his wrists and shattered his pelvis, the papers went to town over contract clauses and retirement. Moddle's comeback has hit a 'snag' according to the NOTW. I've not read the NOTW for almost a year so not sure what this snag is. And tbh, considering he's been out for an age, another 2 weeks or so is no major bugbear. We don't want the lickle man rushed back.

Exciting stuff. Talking of which...

Did you manage to catch the England v Brazil game? I spent it multi-tasking rather than glued to my seat. Proved to be the waste of time many predicted it would be. I know that come WC I'll be as patriotic as the next man, but I'm slowly becoming a little disillusioned with the whole set-up. Not too bad on Saturday in that the usual detestable suspects (Terry, Lampard, Rio etc) were all missing but their replacements were not exactly eye-catching. Just damp and wet much like our miserable weekend of rain.

There were some relevant footnotes for Spurs fans, if you managed to stay awake long enough to notice. Rejoice.

John Bostock scored a debut brace for League One's Brentford against Millwall. Wasn't that long ago John was turning out for Crystal Palace in the Championship. The cynical amongst you might cite he has gone backwards since leaving. Arguably, any player moving up a tier and training with internationals and within facilities that eclipse anything he's ever had available to him, would unquestionable NOT be a step backwards. John was out injured during the summer and going out on loan (be it a division lower than where he came from) does not mean his development is being stagnated. He needs competitive football. And he'll get it at Brentford thanks to our non-entry into this years reserve league.

However, the club has a duty to the lad and the fans to introduce him to first team football in the next year or so. Otherwise the questions will be asked again about our youth signings and the way they are (mis)managed. John is still a kid, but either he's more than decent and if he is then it would be nice to see him given a go. However, I tend to question the validity of sending out so many of our youngsters on loan, basically because it sometimes feels more like shop-window than evolution. Or admittance that they are not half as good as we wish them to be (I think in John's case, he's very good - but still relatively young and there's no need to rush his progress into the starting eleven).

Talking of which…Danny Rose scored the only goal for the England U21's at Wembley against Portugal. This is a lad 'promoted' from the U19's into the U21 squad and one we should be keeping an eye on in the next couple of seasons. Recently recalled from loan so perhaps we may see him figure earlier than expected. Or perhaps not. Personally, I cant comment because I've not seen enough of him. Some say he's a prospect. Pace and skill, bags of potential. Other suggest he is erratic and shows no signs of making it to a decent Prem standard. Terribly over-rated apparently, which is a tag used more often than not when we see yet another young hopeful disappear from our radars forever.

The last 'next big thing' we had (other than Tommy's gut) was Terry Dixon. Remember the hype? Remember the injuries? He's now at West Ham having practically retired when he was released by Spurs.

Finally, Wilson Palacios. Apparently considered quitting after the murder of his brother earlier this year. Although he has his brother in mind at all times and says he uses his memory as an inspiration, it's quite obviously no coincidence that his form has dipped a few levels this season. Wilson is a rare breed, a complete gentleman. Honest, modest and respectful. Hopefully he'll re-discover his form soon.

@DBTheTruth The beachball would have scored

Irony and football. It's majestic at times, more so when your team is the one blessed with it's touch.

Darren Bent

Most were concerned and playfully joked about how he would return to haunt us. You could see it happening. Bent, sways past King to thrash the ball past a despairing Gomes as he sprints towards the Sunderland fans, Blackberry in hand, tweeting 'Sandra would never have scored that one'. Except football sometimes doesn't go according to the obvious script. It prefers instead to take care of the ones that are meant to be the bad guys. Us. Almost like poetry, Gomes saved a flaky penalty from Darren. I'm still undecided about the first penalty appeal in the first half, but the one that was given in the second was the type that no blame could be pinned on the ref for giving it. He doesn't have the luxury of action-replays. Bent allowed gravity to pull him down before Gomes went for the ball. It was a con. And such is life. That not only did Benty do a naughty thing but that he then proceeded to shag it all up. That's why we sold you indeed.

Sunderland

I thought were superb. And if there was any evidence that Tottenham's transfer policy is at times an embarrassment, look no further then Steed Malbranque. Class act that gives it 100%. I still can not fathom why we sold him. Andy Reid, who I can live without, was also impressive (lovely shot that had the woodwork saving us). Without sounding condescending, I don't think Sunderland can improve much more. They're a tidy outfit who will do well enough. What the game illustrated was that we can't afford to grind out results all the time - which is something we've done for a number of games since beating Hull 5-1 away. More on that in a second. First, Steve Bruce. Shut up with your complaining. All this 'Gomes would not have saved the penalty if he had been red-carded' ranting is just plain silly had Bent not forgotten to put on his anti-gravity boots. Fact is, penalty aside, they failed to get one past our enigma between the sticks. We on the other hand, as poor as we were, did. Twice.

4-3-3

Scrap it Harry. It simple doesn't work. And with Wilson Palacios still struggling with form, we can't keep on restricting ourselves in this manner because you persist in playing Robbie Keane. Four in midfield, two upfront. Let's get the basic foundation right for the 90 minutes ahead of us and changed it if we happen to be chasing a goal late on. We got over-run on Saturday. The change to a more traditional 442 and a late surge of confident play, saved us IMO.

Robbie Keane

Rumour going around is that he earned himself a cool £1M for Spurs not getting relegated (allegedly). If true, it's not his fault the club offered him the contract they did. If not, then it's further proof that people continue to be critical of him since his return by always bringing up his contract at every given moment. He's got a clause has Robbie. He can't be dropped if fit. You have to wonder whether we are missing something in his performance if he is selected based on form. In the past, I've stood up for him. He does get important goals and he does do a lot of work for the team that us common folk might not appreciate. But I'm hard pressed for examples at the moment.

Grinding our results

Someone over at a Spurs message board discussed how we are 'grinding out results' and that we are reliant on a flash of brilliance of a slice of good luck and that this is not the basis of a Top 4 challenge. I can't disagree in that we lack options when Modric and Lennon do not start and that Harry makes curious decisions at times with formation. There's no doubting that our bench is not as strong as we would have the likes of Keane make us believe. And if we continue to grind out the points our luck will eventually run out of steam. But then Modric is almost back. And this will galvanise the players and the fans. What Harry has to do is make sure we have not just cover (was Niko not meant for that?) but also the courage to play the best team for the occasion, even if it means sacrificing the unsacrificable. What's the point of Bentley exactly? Don't answer that.

Special Mentions

Special mentions to Hudd, Woody and Jenas - who along with Gomes all looked decent and held us together when it mattered. Tommy's goal was a corker, layed off wonderfully well by the returning Defoe who was a little on the quiet side - although Gordon would beg to differ. Corluka remains his sleep self. And General Wilson is more army cadet at the moment. Which is a massive concern considering the season is due to get tasty in the coming months when the top 4 or 5 start to pull away from the chasing pack. Harry needs to turn on the man-management charm and fix this problem. Quickly.

Ledley King

Not been offered a contract yet. You wonder if there's a reason behind that. I think that it's easy to start banging on about the decline of the great man because he has been rusty in the last few games he's played, but let's remember - top players who do not have dodgy knees lose form now and again. King is obviously suffering at the moment. Might be his knee is finally bringing him down, or he's just not on top of his game - not so much because of the injury but simply just because. For some of our fans to start doubting him is just the type of typical knee-jerking that grates me (sorry about the pun there, purely coincidently).

Still, we do need to start thinking about a long term plan. King, Woodgate...we need to know who will come in as replacements. If King's form continues to go south then perhaps it's time for me to re-evaluate my opinion on the subject. A changing back four can't be helping matters with regards to consistency.

Gomes

Won us all three points. Outstanding. Just outstanding. I love him. He can cock up once every 5 games if it means he plays like that for the rest (although I'd prefer if he didn't cock up at all).

The Media

Stoke survive an onslaught and nick all three points and are called magnificent. I don't expect us to be tagged with such superlatives, but let's look at the facts. We played poorly. We scored twice. We won. If that type of thing happens once it's luck - but if it happens more often then its a sign of a decent team. It's when it happens all the time that we can start to scratch our heads.

I'd say that sitting in 4th spot after 12 games on 22 points is pretty damn good considering. Harry has had us on the up since he joined. We've stuttered a few games recently but rather than just cave in and free-fall, we've dug in again. I guess I'm happy for everyone to continue to down play our chances and write us off. Now if only our players would stop talking us up off the pitch and start doing their talking on it - we might climb out of the small ditch we've found ourselves in and start running up that hill again.

The Games Ahead

We need to find that intent and purpose about our game again. We have to thanks to the fixture list. Wigan at home should not be a game taken for granted. Three points is imperative there but more so is a good performance. Because we then go into games against Villa (A), Man Utd (A) (CC) and Everton (A). Then we're back at home again entertaining Wolves and then Man City. Blackburn and Fulham away is then followed by West Ham at home. Some tricky games in there. We need to reclaim that early season buzz and see ourselves through to the new year still hanging around in the upper regions of the table.

Hate to place all the responsibility on the little shoulders of Modric, but it looks like he remains the key for us to reclaim that rampant balance we lost when he broke his bone.

Keep on grinding out the results when necessary, but I prefer to have a firm grip on our own destiny by being the ones asking all the questions.

Sir David Attenborough at White Hart Lane

Here, in the midst of the north London plains, we find ourselves fortunate to witness one of natures true wonders. The rare sighting of a Pavlyuchenko. A Russian breed that is not often seen out in the wild so far away from its homeland. It's apologetic and worried face is akin to what a polar bear in the Sahara would look like. It is in search for respite. But much like our Polar Bear, it does not appear to be comfortable in its surroundings.

It appears to move gracefully as it looks for prey. However, he's not accustomed to the ways of this land and will soon struggle to feed his ever-lasting hunger. For the Pavlyunchenko flatters to device. Unlike the rampant Defoe, the 'Pav' struggles when he's expected to thrive. When going in for the strike he suffers from one of natures more embarrassing dispositions. Stage fright. There he goes, a certainty you think, but no. Yet another opportunity goes missing. If it continues to find itself in good positions, only to lose its chance, it will prove to be a long and cold winter for this sorry beast.

He needs to be able to pin down an attack and ravage it with acute confidence as it feasts on the glory of the kill. This would send out a message to others around him. I'm here and I'm staying. But at the moment, he's hardly noticed. This, some would say, is a perfect illustration of an animal that is lost in a jungle far away from its home. Feeling sorry for its self, it will waste away if its unable to claim a victim rather than be one. There are alternatives for the Pav. It can attempt to journey back east and look for a new home where there are less prying eyes.

For now it looks on with envy as the sometimes cumbersome giant, the Huddlestone, uses its power and strength in battle. The Hudd eats well. It never misses a meal. But then the Hudd is one of natures more fortunate souls as it roams the plains alongside the Palacios panther. The Palacios, second only to the King of the Jungle who is currently out of sight resting, is a formidable creature that fears nothing. It's tenacity unparalleled, it seeks to fight it's enemies and never fails in stopping any over-confident animal that dares to run past. We are truly in honour of its presence, and with no Lennon gazelle to dazzle us with its pace, watch the Palacios and its some what conflicted mix of beauty and menace as it protects its domain.

Sir David, up close and personal with Jermaine Jenas

And over here. We have something equally rare for altogether different reasons. The David Bentley. Look at this curious creature as it flexes its wings, but notice that there is no traditional strutting and posing. No show-boating display of its plumage. Unlike the city Bentley that can be found desperately seeking attention on roof tops and in skips, or dancing when it knows someone is watching, this business-like Bentley out in the playing fields, is focused and eager. It has a point to prove as it moves with intent. Wanting to show the other jungle animals that its more than just a hair cut.

Watch carefully how it moves. There is nothing superfluous about this creature. Every movement has purpose and reason. It wants to find a home and intends not to waste time showing off. It aids his brethren as they attack in packs, seeking to fulfil their appetites as the chimps up in the trees look on and applaud and clap at the spectacle before them. It's a majestic sight to be hold. Soon, the Bentley and the herd it belongs to will move onto quiet nearby wastelands where they aim to attack a group of nomadic disease carrying creatures and send them back to the marshlands in the south.

Moving on, this animal here is looking for its forgotten mate for it feels lost and desolate without his former partner. Unable to settle, it struggles to find form which means its directional sense is confused. It's still attempting to recovery from a migration north which was meant to last for many seasons, but returned only with a single full winter passing. Watch how it searches for something to eat. It's irritable and angry, growling at others of his ilk as it blames them for his lack of stealth and bite. But look, a gift befalls it. However rather than finishing the kill for himself, he allows the pack to move in as they all attempt to feast. But alas, it manages to strike a deadly blow and claims an undignified meal. It's a hollow victory. Watch how it walks away, embarrassed yet thankful. But it doesn't care. The Keane is able to roam these lands like a Lion in the Serengeti. Untouchable, even though the other animals know its not the true king. The Keane shakes its arms uncontrollably once again. It has been a long time since it staked claim to devastating acclaim. But unlike the past, there is no Berbatov grazing here in N17.

I'm declaring war on Honduras

I'm shaking my fist oh so vigorously in their direction. Those pesky Central Americans.

Wilson Palacios has been ordered to remain in his home nation 'to party' after Honduras qualification to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1982. The country's ruling militia junta have ordered the players to attend a celebration in the capital. Wilson doesn't even drink. The poor lad. There's nothing worse being stuck at a party with a load of drunks, listening to their fables in the kitchen while you try to keep up with their slurs. But who is he to ignore the Presidents wish and delay his flight back by 24 hours?

So off to Pompey we go without our midfield enforcer. We probably would have had a jet-lagged version had he arrived back when originally expected anyway. Instead we need to look towards a possible Huddlestone/Jenas centre pairing with King back in defence, possibly with Woody back there too.

Not all is lost.

However if Kevin Prince-Boateng does manage to run rings around us, then expect a miltary coup closer to home. There is no excuse losing a midfield tussle to Portsmouth - with all due respect to them. And although I can't really do that much to Honduras themselves (other than possibly sending them a damning e-mail) I will take out my frustrations in other ways.

I know where Chirpy drinks his morning cup of coffee. I will have no qualms in kicking the git in the shins. Hard. What has this got to do with Wilson and his delayed return to Spurs? Nothing. But it will make me feel a whole heap better.

Palacios is Plan 'A'....and 'B'

Spurs fans. Hard to please. Apparently one or two of you have been a little critical about Wilson Palacios of late. Ignoring jet-lag and the fact we've also been without Luka Modric, our dip in form has apparently been aided by our midfield enforcers lack of bite and lacklustre passing. So say the fabled football message boards.

Ok, he's not at the level he was at the start of the season and when he first signed for us. But let's not get too carried away with the negatives. Without him - we will struggle. A 70% Wilson is better than having no Wilson. Let's not forget how easily we've got bullied by lesser teams in the past. He is imperative and probably the most definitive signing we've made with regards to our intent to progress in the right direction. Unlike Zokora he has actual purpose. Zoko, for all his heart and athleticism, had no clear direction - other than running very fast in a very straight line (which I personally loved to bits). But for all his charm his touch and passing was non-existent and he failed to stamp any type of authority over that space between the back-line and the midfield. Wilson does. He is concrete compared to Zokora's feathers.

Our Prem record with him in the team reads as follows:

P19 W12 L3 D4 PTS39 (this might not be spot on by the way...read comments)

His impact is undeniable, no? Although credit obviously to the gaffer for team selection and motivation.

Expect him to be around the 70% mark again this weekend against Pompey thanks to International duty. After that, with Modric two weeks away from a possible return, and the distinct possibility that we'll be signing another DM in Jan, things will even out to a more comfortable level which will allow us to rest Palacios more often.

We have a Plan B when Modric isn't fit.

We don't quite have one when Wilson is unavailable. For the moment, he's the masterplan. Plan A and Plan B. Thankfully buying Cotton wool between now and January is not restricted by the footballing authorities.

Wishlist...top 6 please

Having reviewed the fact that between blogging, managing fantasy football teams, forum work, an anniversary, a birthday, losing my premium channel on my digital TV thanks to an admin cock-up by my provider and of course the weekend of football ahead - I'm going to have to downsize the Wish-List for the 2009/2010 season. Rather than individual articles, I've included all the remaining topics in one blog post. Lazy, I know. Already looked at Jenas and the hope of an FA Cup run.

Fortress Lane: Relentless and Ruthless

If we go one-nil up I don't want to see us sit back and let the opposition pile it on. I'm sure that's what they would aspire to do and in the past, we've had to watch our lot go on the back foot as we lose the initiative sometimes resulting with textbook consequences (oh look they've equalised). Get hold of the ball and control the tempo. Possession possession possession. When we attack (especially at home) we can be quite irresistible. Sexy swaggering soccer. What happens straight after going one up should be more of the same. Go for the jugular. Kill 'em off. Be relentless and ruthless. Make them fear us. Boss the park. Don't give them time to think. We had problems last year with scoring more than a goal and won plenty with lowly score lines. So more emphasis on the forwards to 'finish' off the chances created for them and we might find ourselves in a far more comfortable position cometh the final 10 minutes of game. We don’t have the excuse of being soft in midfield anymore. And we have talent up front and genius on one side of the field and irresistible pace on the other. We have the weapons. So pull the trigger. 

The next Lilywhite prodigy?

John Bostock. He's not been sent out on loan and hopefully he won't. With 7 subs on the bench he needs to be there every so often and nurtured into first team football. He's meant to be good. Very good. Ok, so with them lot down the road blooding Jack Wilshire, you might ask 'our kids can't be that great if they can't get anywhere near the first team'? Wilshire (tragically) does look at complete ease on the ball. Whether he develops or stagnates (Cesc anyone?) is something only time will reveal but it's all relative. He’s good now and good enough to play. But not every week.

Bostock is also not ready for full on first team football. Like I said, on the bench every so often will do. Considering the amount of young kids we've mis-managed and over-rated (Caskey, Jackson, Marney, Yeates) it's best to be patient. Unfazed. Confident. Decent shot on him, obvious skills on the ball and off it. But it's about making sure he is both mentally and physically up to the job. He handled himself well in the Championship so he’s deserving of something in the Prem. It's fine having young 'wonder kids' cameo here and there, showcasing their touch and flair in early rounds of the Carling Cup, but it’s altogether a different thing in the league. I do think he has something more than the boy Delph who Villa plucked from Leeds (who rejected our advancements).

Will be interesting to see the effectiveness he has on a game if given a chance, in comparison to Tom Huddlestone.

However, Bostock is still listed as a second year academy player on the OS squad list. Livermore (currently at Derby on loan) does have a number. So maybe he’s going out on loan or remaining with the academy lads.

Perhaps I’m over-rating the kid. 

Defoe the Prolific

Ok, so he scored a very decent goal against Holland. Didn't attempt to hit it first time, waited and hit it beautifully in off the post. Did he mis-control the ball initially? Who cares?JD looks fit, sharp and confident. So expect Harry to stick him on the bench come this Sunday. In all fairness, I'd be surprised if that happened. I know the obvious argument is that Keane is better starting than he is coming on and that JD makes more of an impact as a sub. Things do change. Crouch is back alongside him. Keane is off form. And there’s Pav who looks equally sharp and all smiles. But out of all the options we have, Defoe is the one who is likely to be our main catalyst up front. He has his faults. Struggles with offside. Blows hot and cold across a season. But with the World Cup not too far off I reckon we might see something special from the lad this season. 20+ league goals? I'll take the bet.

Away form

Can we have some please? No more of the soft touch that has become a tradition. If it wasn't for our decent home form we would have been in a lot of trouble down at the bottom across various seasons in the past decade. We've struggle badly at times, especially against teams we are expected to beat. Which might be the problem. That casual approach, and expectation from players who think turning up will be enough for us to take the points home. Harry has instilled some spirit so I hope we don’t get bullied and pushed around or show signs of nerves that haunted us at Rovers and Old Trafford towards the back end of last year. I have faith in our home form. Get it right away, and we’ll be just fine.

5-0 wins please

I miss the goal carnivals. Too many games last year ended 1-0 or 2-0 when they should have ended with two or three goals more in our favour, but instead we stood nervously as the opposing team remained in a perpetual state of still being in the game. We are strong at home and simply need to consolidate this. We’ve always managed to turn it on. I guess I’m just being greedy.

Top 6 challenge (no bottom half of the table antics)

You can’t read too much into Villa’s home defeat and Everton’s comical attempt at team work in the thrashing the scum dished out to them. But it proves that teams outside of the top 4 are still susceptible to fragility. The concern is our defence and the fact that Woody and Dawson are out injured, and King can only play one game per week. This leaves Bassong having to adapt to possibly two different players in the heart of our defence. Not ideal, but if we continue in the same vein that saw us climb the table last term, we should be in a comfortable position by the time Woodgate is back. The target is simply – do not lose touch with 5^th spot. No point in re-visiting this until the 10^th game of the season. But my guess is – this ‘year’ will be much like the last with everyone outside the top 4 beating each other. Which means – find form and you can take a massive advantage over the rest. Proven by Everton and Villa last time out.

Nobody is talking about us finishing 4^th or even competing for that position. But we are expected to compete for 6^th. So there is pressure, but far more understated. I guess if Liverpool do get the better of us on Sunday, there’s no reason to be despondent unless we roll over for them. It’s the way we apply ourselves that will count more than anything. And the way we do so with each passing game. Last year we got worse after every weekend. Stand up, be tall and be proud. Show us your balls Tottenham. Not literally (that would be obscene).

It’s about time we had a season where we competed.

Huddlestone – Will ‘it’ happen?

How do we plan to play him? Quarterback position? Impact sub? He’s young and maybe we’ve been harsh on him but the fact of the matter is the kid is not the most mobile of players. So his progression and deployment will be down to Harry to figure out. There is no doubting that when we play well, he picks out players beautifully well. But when we are under the cosh, it’s a different story. He can definitely offer us something. How often remains to be seen.

Love-in for Wilson and Luka

The two key players. Lose either or both and we are shagged. Luka is the talisman, the magician dinking and tricking his way across the pitch. Wilson is the guv. The boss. The general. He’s the man who does the dirty work in the centre of the pitch and allows our more creative players to push forward knowing he’s back there waiting, ready to break bones. So what if we do lose either one? Wilson is likely to be suspended at some point in the season. O’Hara can do a job, not in any way one to the standard of Palacios. Boateng is more of a creative outlet. So are we still looking at Sissoko or Scott Brown of Celtic? I hope it’s not the latter. I don’t think there’s any doubting we need another CM. One that could slot into the middle when our Honduran masterclass is up in the stands. Or possibly even play alongside him when we need to have a brick wall across the middle of the park.

There is no replacement for Luka. Unless we sign Ashley Young and have the option of slotting him on the left and Moddle in the middle with Wilson. Next few weeks will be telling.

We can’t go into the season with any readymade excuses. Our prep has been good. We’ve bought players in that we need. We’ve had a quiet pre-season with no over the top expectations. Even our players who have mentioned the top 4 have been ignored and forgiven for talking up our chances.

Let City and the rest carry the hype and expectations on their shoulders.

Jenas - he's got bags of potential

Wishlist for the 2009/2010 Season

Inspired by this here article located over at the All Action No Plot towers, I've decided to churn out a wish-list for the season ahead. Topics I'll be covering (in no particular order) include:

The Magic of the FA Cup
The next Lilywhite prodigy
Jenas - he's got bags of potential
Fortress Lane
Defoe the Prolific
5-0 wins please
Relentless and Ruthless
Top 6 challenge (no bottom half of the table antics)
Huddlestone - The Immovable Object
Love-in for Wilson and Luka

Will try and blog the majority of them between now and Sunday.

And first up, it's JJ.

Jenas - he's got bags of potential

There's only one Jermaine Jenas,
Only one Jermaine Jenas,
He's got bags of potential,
But he's rarely influential,
JJ's so bloody inconsequential.

He's the player who splits Spurs fans in two like a mad man with a leather face and a rusty chainsaw going to work on a screaming kid who had the audacity to wonder into an eerie isolated farm house. What does Jermaine Jenas do exactly? It’s the infamous question we are ask ourselves every season. And we're never quite sure how to answer it. You'll have heard all the following sound-bites before, from me or from the person who sits next to you at the Lane or perhaps you've said them yourself:

• He's a good player who works hard that's why managers rate him so highly
• We just don't notice the work he does
• He has no confidence
• If he had confidence he'd be a great player
• He scores important goals
• He can't tackle and gets by-passed in central midfield
• He doesn't do box-to-box running often enough
• On form he destroys teams
• On form he destroys the little teams
• Doesn't dominate against the big teams
• Goes missing too often
• He doesn't go missing, he just does the work for the team you don't instantly appreciate
• He's an aplogetic mess of a player

And so on.

The simple fact is that Jenas isn't an arrogant piece of work who believes himself to be better than everyone else. A shame really, because if he was he'd be twice the player he is. He has a decent engine and has proven he does posses the decision making and composure and footballing brain but his roller-coaster confidence results in draining inconsistency. His decision making and composure deteriorate to non-existent levels and suddenly we have a player who looks lost and isolated almost trying to hide in the shadows of other players to protect himself from the moans and groans and the bad bad men in the stands saying bad bad words.

It's almost a catch 22. You get the feeling that a boo here and a hiss does have a detrimental effect on JJ. He starts a game buzzing, nicks a goal, the crowd love him and he loves it and suddenly he's all over the pitch like a man possessed, with intent and purpose. If he struggles to get into a game, the crowd turn on him and it becomes eternal (well, for the 90 minutes).

But if he's more inconsistent than consistent, does that mean he's nothing more than an average player who now and again manages to excel?

The fact is, JJ won't ever defeat his confidence demons. At least not based on what we've seen since his days at Newcastle. And with whispers that he might not be starting that often this season (I don't actually believe this) he might ask for a transfer if by January he's warming the bench. But it's doubtful. He will play. It's whether he takes full advantage of all the protection and tidy-up work our Honduran panther does in the middle of the park that will prove his worth. To us and to him as an individual. Because there's a full season ahead with a geninue midfield enforcer bossing the area between the defence and midfield, so to not take advantage of this new founded freedom would be criminal. We got a preview of this in parts last season, and JJ looked good. Not fantastic but a glimpse of something here and there.

Then again, I'd look good alongside Palacios. Knowing you have a monster smashing the opposition to pieces should give you the confidence to pull your pants down and play naked, as free and pure as the day you were born. Instead you'll more likely to find Jenas shielding himself with a blanket, clutching onto his teddy bear and whispering gently for help.

It's true. Alan Partridge ghost-writes my analogies.

There is no doubting it. This is the season he has to shine. If he doesn't, and he frustrates and infuriates then it will also prove to be his last in a Lilywhite shirt. A footballer cannot survive on 'he'll be a great player if he finds that little bit more confidence'. It's like saying Joey Barton would be an excellent addition to our squad if he wasn't a mental case. He is and will never change. It's in him. It's part of his genetic footballing make-up. It's tragic that JJ doesn't have that self-confidence the likes of Lampard and Gerrard ooze.

Can he flourish and grow in stature by being consistent and forceful? Strong mentally as well as physically? Never bullied, always biting? If you're 21 or 22 years of age it's understandable if you've yet to find a balance and tempo to your game. But at JJ's age? Perhaps what we see is the only thing we will ever get.

There are not too many Lampard's and Gerrard's about and what we have in Jenas might be the best on offer outside the Top 4, at least from an 'English' perspective. He's a likeable bloke so I hope rather than split us down the middle he unites us like a newly married couple stuck together after a mishap concerning lube and superglue.

I wish he would step it up a level and never look back.

The Wishlist will continue soonish...

Making excuses for JJ and Hudd

Tom Huddlestone is looking fit. Tight physique, strong powerful legs. It's enough to make my inner-Brüno smash his way through the closet door and reaching for his kugelsack. Ooh.

But alas, we said the same thing last season when Tommy was snapped with the lads, enjoying a swim and lark out in the sea during some frolicsome pre-season antics. It's a fallacy that he's fat. He's a big lad with a round face. He's had moments when he's over-done the mayo and ketchup and piled on some extra pounds.

But when he's in this type of shape (the slim type), there is no arguing he looks the part. Shame looking part isn't enough. And who am I kidding? He might not be fat in the way some of our fans in the Park Lane are, but he's far too big to be able to turn his vision and technique into something consistent and decimating.

Hudd's main problem is agility. He's not mobile enough. His stamina is questionable. He lacks any real acceleration. You know the drill. It's the same textbook excuses that get repeated with each passing year. Against weaker sides he excels, but doesn't do it often enough against the bigger sides (although there was one afternoon against Chelsea where he put in a superb shift). There is something about Tom that doesn't allow us to easily part with him. His passing is exceptional. He has a cracking shot on him. Whether he is a victim of his own build (too big to be a central midfield with any real clout) or whether hard work in the gym and on the training ground can aid him to be more involved in the tussles (rather than get passed by) continue to remain unanswered. With Zoko gone and Spurs needing to sign another CM (for backup at the very least), I can see us holding onto Hudd for another season - but when does one make a decision that the answers we are looking for will never be forthcoming?

In this day and age, CM's are far more versatile and adaptable. They can do a bit of everything. As discussed several times before - he isn't good enough for us to build the team around him and compensate for his deficiencies. But if you're planning to build a team around someone - they should not have deficiencies. Having him sit in the middle of the park with Palacios protecting him wouldn't work - because one player should not have to do the work of two. Modric might well play alongside Wilson in the middle, and even though he's a lickle man, he can handle himself just fine. You have to be qualities that are more than just promises.

Talking of playing well against lesser opposition. Jermaine Jenas is still with us. 26 years of age now. And we'll still waiting for him to defeat his demons. You know. The ones that gag and handcuff his confidence to the bed. The difference between being a decent player and an exceptional player is all in the mind. The great JJ divide is that everyone within the game rate him highly, and the fans in the stands don't. But we persevere. We persist. He's Zokorish in the sense that he's a great athlete. But having a great engine means nothing if you fail to make the trip from one stop to the next. The ride becomes redundant. A wasted journey.

Are we too loyally? Too emotionally attached? Should we be a little more brutal with decision making? In both JJ and Hudd, we have two players that promise so much but fail to deliver consistently enough to warrant a true first team place (although JJ has for a long time cemented his role in the side, much to the confusion of many).

Ironically, when JJ doesn't play - we appear to miss his presence. He must do something then? Something understated to the virgin eyes of the average fan, but imperative to the experienced manager barking orders from his technical box. Yet as much as I want to see what several managers (at national and international level) see, I fail each time. Jenas doesn't have a bit if everything, he just desperately has a go at everything. He tries to defend and he attempts to get involved in a creative manner, but running around the pitch endlessly doesn't equate to a defensive midfielder or an attacking one. He's way too apologetic with his dithering and his much maligned confidence has held him back since the days he swam around in the goldfish bowl. We cling onto hope because now and again he does something special and we see that as some form of preview for what he might be able to achieve every given Saturday.

And with Modric and Palacios now part of the furniture, players of the ilk of Jenas and Tommy suddenly look far more reminiscent of luxury players that need to be accommodated rather than players who can adapt, take the game by the scruff of the neck and lead by example. Players that are for the best part, average most of the time and exceptional on occasion. This has been easily illustrated as fact when you watch the likes of Wilson and Luka play.

Maybe our continued mistake is waiting for the question to be answered, when what we should be doing is replacing the question with a brand new one. The type that comes with a brand new signing.

Wilson Palacios is a legend

DML Awards

With a couple of months to go before pre-season kicks off, I thought it best to spread the season review and 'awards' across several blog articles. Keep things short and snappy (for a change).

So first up the first batch of player awards.

Best Summer Signing

Lickle Luka Modric. The impish looking lad that was written off before he even kicked a ball in the EPL. Not strong enough cited old man Wenger from the depths of his swamp. He'd be blown away like a crisp packet in a storm if you cared to believe some of the punditry dished out early season. And there were moments when we almost believed it to be true as we held our heads in our hands watching Spurs slump from one game to the next. Luka, looking lost and struggling. And then in came saviour Harry and with each passing game the Croatian began to find his feet and dink about with confidence. All thanks to a little bit of balance and team structure. From the left, cutting in with purpose, there was plenty of crafting and clever balls and the odd goal too. There is absolutely no doubting this blokes ability and he has conducted play from midfield with freedom and much glee giving us a spark that most thought had gone with Berbatov's departure to United. He took time to settle, as expected, and has proven he has a touch of the world class about him. Lovely player, proper Tottenham sort, who will no doubt improve further next season and grab a few more goals. Luka Moddle indeed.


Worst Player

Difficult one this. Should the accolade be awarded to someone who has played few games based on the fact they are woeful or someone who has been selected time and time again regardless of the fact they are woeful? Or perhaps it should be given to the player who played several games whilst being woeful and then hardly figured after that. Such was the woefulness.

Step forward, Mr David Bentley. Personal problems have been cited along with the pressures of a massive transfer fee as the main excuses for his non-existent form. Others would suggest being played out on the left-hand side destroyed him. So what exactly happened to Beckham MkII? Where did it all go wrong?

Much like most of the side in those opening eight games, there was no cohesion or belief. But where others clawed their way back up from mediocrity, Bentley was left behind with his head buried in the sand. He was devoid of all the basics. Simple passes and crosses were an impossible tasks for the lad. Everything had to be Hollywood and came off looking a ITV. That Goal against Arsenal could have been and should have been the opportunity to reclaim some of the hype, but alas, it wasn’t to be. He got worse with each game. The worst of them, a depressingly bad display against Burnley in the home leg of the semi-final.

For the money spent on a player that was not a necessity in the first place who then found himself pushed out of the right side to make way for a blistering Aaron Lennon, you feel his dream move turning into a nightmare was possibly the reason his fragile ego collapsed with no apparent sign of recovery. It's looking highly likely that Bentley will be sold on - for a loss - in the summer, allowing Harry to sign another right-back (probably).

It's been shambloic.


Best Comeback Player

According to Alan Hansen, Gomes was the worst Premier League goal keeper he had ever seen. This coming from a man who played in a side with Bruce Grobelaar in goal. There is no doubting the fact that our Brazilian lank was the very definition of calamity during the period of time that we took backwards steps away from the upper regions of the table. He likes punching the ball. And he likes running out, jumping, and claiming it. In a winning side that defends well, you can do this sort of clean-up work with that extra buzz of confidence instilled by the fact that all is well and you're protected. When the team is crap and you make a mistake or two then the mistakes keep on rolling, especially when you start thinking too much instead of reacting instinctively.

It gets even worse when you try even harder to do your job - all eyes on you, the slightest normal run of the mill error suddenly becomes yet another joke piece of goalkeeping. The media are relentless with the jokes and comedy commentary. But rather apologetically implode like Paul Robinson did, Gomes knowing and believing he is a player of quality, dug deep. And even when the media ignored his improvement and concentrated on any little thing ('oh look he came for the ball and didn't quite make contact no other keeper ever does that') he continued to work hard until it was impossible for anyone to ignore his assured confidence and superb smart saves. With several clean sheets and a big smile, Gomes has been outstanding for us.

His spirit should be commended.


Best Winter Signing

When Wilson Palacios was signed, various sound bites did the rounds.

"£14M? It's madness!"
"He looked great at Wigan because he's a good player in an average team"

The usual 'OMG what have we gone and done?' reactions followed thanks to the countless inflated transfer fees spent on players not worth even a quarter of the price.

Yet it wasn't long before Wilson marshalled the midfield like a general. He displayed qualities that we had only ever seen in those rare blink and you'll miss 'em moments. But now we were being spoilt by the bite and tenacity on show. With all the money that has been at our disposal over the years and the incriminating evidence in the way of weak performances proving our backbone was softer than a teddy bear sleeping on a sea of feathers, why had it taken so long to sign a player of his ilk? Palacios has brought composure and discipline allowing others to blossom offensively while he bosses the park, crunching tackle here and block there and clever professional foul over there. Staggering that we have failed to fill this gap time and time again. It was a risk to spend the money that we did on The Panther, but then having spent an abundance on players in the past the risk was only ever going to be more egg on an already egg covered face.

Palacios has been undoubtedly one of the signings of the season. You wonder how the likes of Arsenal, desperate for a defensive/holding midfielder, didn't smart their way to his signature. Spurs finally have a tough hard working warrior who constantly puts himself about for the team. Selfless and proud. A proper player that has given us an air of authenticity in the way of fight and that we can now handle ourselves against teams that would usually brush us aside. Bring in another player with this type of winning mentality and slot him by the side of Wilson and our midfield might just explode with challenging class.

Next up - Player of the Year, Goal of the Season and more.

Wilson Palacios

In amongst all the bad publicity (King) and laughter (Arsenal) I just want to take a moment to say that my thoughts are with Wilson Palacios and his family.

When he found out in the early hours of the morning about the discovery of his brother he waited in the hotel lobby with his case packed for six hours until 7am because he didn't want to wake up Harry Redknapp. For someone to be thinking of others in such circumstances is amazing, selfless and dignified to the point that you almost can't believe it.

The club have confirmed he's on compassionate leave so we won't see him again until he returns for pre-season training.

He's been a fantastic signing for us, and can't wait to see him boss the midfield once more.

Puts all that other crap into perspective, doesn't it?

3-5-2 + one sub = 0-0

Everton 0 Spurs 0

Wasn’t a great game, was it? Started well, dropped off the pace, Everton had the better of a dour second half. Happy with the point in the end. All pales into insignificance with Wilson Palacios absence from the squad due to devastating family reasons.

I don’t particularly feel the necessity to analyse the performance in microscopic detail or read too much into Harry’s tactics and lack of early substitution(s). We have a side that has been in fairly decent nick recently. We are far from being a soft touch (excluding the issues experienced at Ewood and OT), and lacking keys players at Goodison we played well enough to come away with a point.

Ok, Harry doesn’t always seem to react to how a game is or might develop. Sometimes you need to think ahead and change formations/player positions. It’s a weakness, more so because we don’t have the quality in depth to dominate games on the strength of the starting line-up. But even the strongest sides sometimes need aid from their manager to change things, and mix it up a little.

But complaints aside, what else do we expect when lining up in a 3-5-2 formation? We did get a point out of it. Even if we didn’t appear to ‘go for the win’ which is something we tend to do often at Goodison Park and with Fulham trouncing Villa, we should have been more on the offensive, especially in the second half. Which is where the ‘why didn’t Harry change it?’ question crops up.

But then this was against a side who have been top 6 for most of the season, with three of our top players missing. In the pouring rain. In a game that was far from great.

Sorry, I just can’t be that critical. Regardless of all the Lets Finish 7th fanfare. It was a crap match, with several players under-performing. Not that much any manager can do when the standard of the game is lacking quality.

Our forward line is not sparkling. JD is back from injury and is doing just fine (shame the season ends in two games) but is not at his sharpish best. Keane isn’t his usual self and hasn’t been for a while but isn’t half as bad as he looks. People tend to dwell on the hands in the air moaning than some of the more gritty work he does. But a forward should be forward more often than not rather than playing from midfield. Can I tell my deeper than Linda Lovelace joke again?

As for Pav forever struggling to start a game and Bent out injured – it’s not a perfect unit. We haven’t done badly recently, so once everyone is in tip-top shape and competing things will improve tenfold. More on this in a second or two.

Our midfield had no panther or greased lightning. Luka had a quiet afternoon. Sure, a substitution would have possibly given us something different (obviously) far earlier than when Roman came on in the 81^st minute as Everton were controlling the game and looked the more likely to score. But it’s all well and good to sit here in hindsight and suggest that, I don’t know, bringing on Bentley or the youngster Rose or maybe even Campbell might have made a significant difference. I equally might have backfired. People need to relax on the knee-jerk that Harry doesn’t make tactical changes when required to help change the course of the game.

Had we shifted back to a 4-4-2 and made two changes there is no guarantee it would have made a difference. Same goes had we started the game with 4-4-2. I’m not disputing Harry has to be more pro-active, but this is just a single 90 minutes. Had, for example, Defoe scored we’d be revealing in Redknapp’s genius. I know he's been guilty before, but again, it's something I prefer to place aside until the start of next season, post-transfer window.

If we want to step up, there are fundamentals that need fixing.

The midfield.

The balance has to be redefined a little. Spoke about this in the Conundrum series. It’s either going to be a left-winger with Modric moving to central midfield or we buy a more dominating box to box player to replace the inconsistent Jenas.

Far too much running before walking. We have some good players at Tottenham. We have one or two who are great. We need to consolidate and improve on some key positions. This is nothing new. Been here before plenty of times. We should have bought the right type of players last summer, and failed to do so which resulted with the departure of Ramos. Harry has the perfect opportunity to spend wisely as there is no need to overhaul the squad.

We need botox. Not plastic surgery.

Great to see Bale back and playing well today. Huddlestone struggled. Hutton needs the fresh start a new season will bring. Hope to have Aaron, Benoit and Wilson back for the City game.

We are 8^th. Above West Ham. Which should keep the people that worry about that sort of stuff content.

Spurs v Toon: Revenge! Now we’re cooking!

So here we go. Newcastle at home. Palacios back in central midfield with his bossing boots on. Roman (hopefully) replacing Darren Bent up front where Robbie Keane will have to improve on his previous performance when going in search of goals (rather than dropping deeper than a submarine with a gaping hole in its underbelly). Jenas (if fit) and Woodgate are up against their former club. And Jermain Defoe, possibly on the bench. King will start, obviously.

Loads of pre-match hype, the usual worrying omens are winking out from the tabloid papers. It's a must win for Shearer.

Newcastle welcome back Mark Viduka, and if Obafemi Martins plays then I might bite my nails until we are several goals up. They always beat us at St James Park. It’s almost like that scene in the Fortress of Solitude when Superman slots in a crystal and loses his powers. Yes, we're more Clark Kent than a Kal-El at the best of times, but the point being we seem to lose all ability and allow ourselves to be bullied and beaten, all the time, up in the North East. And in recent years, it’s been no better down in N17. They must be packing Kryptonite in their boots.

Last season’s 4-1 defeat was even more ridiculous than usual thanks to the fact that they scored all 4 efforts that were aimed at the target. It was a mugging, but a well deserved one. Make your own luck, score a wonder goal...it all counts. It was still completely unexpected, much like tomorrow might be. At the minute, you’d put your money on Spurs winning. And on form, it’s a worthy bet. Our home record has been pretty great, with few goals conceded. But if there's a game Newcastle need to win, this is it.

Sunderland won today. Newcastle are 4 points from safety. Win at the Lane, and then their home match against Pompey suddenly becomes a Cup semi-final. Three points there and they could possibly afford a defeat at Anfield before the final against Boro (at home again). Then it’s Fulham (yes, it's also at St. James Park) where they may well consolidate their Premier League status...if they pick up the three points.

It’s actually more promising than most would think, but no margin for error is left. It's do or die for them.

The flip side to all this is they've been gash for ages now. Their defence is not great, and their midfield is non-existent. Which is why their defence looks even worse than it is. If they really want it, REALLY want it, they have to conjure up something magical and inspirational. Sound familiar? Wasn’t long ago that our form was worrying all of us whilst those Facebook Relegation Party invites were clogging up my inbox. We were lost, desperate and disillusioned. Bit like the aftermath of getting slapped around by a bullying trucker.

But we remembered what pride and self-respect was.

We always had the quality. It was only a matter of brushing off the pathetic self-pitying to help regain it. The confidence and belief returned. We turned it around. We switched it. We did it to them. I mean the lights were on out here while we were safe in there.

Do Newcastle have what it takes to pull themselves away? Can they trick their way out of certain death?

Even if they do ‘turn up’, there's the little question of Tottenham Hotspur. We owe them. And the team owes the home fans.

Palacios will give us an abundance of grit, tempo and urgency in the middle of the park. The panther prowling, snarling against what is a fragile Toon quartet at the best of times should allow us to dominate, and if we do, then the freedom given to General Mod and the blistering pace of Lennon (who is due a more then decent game) should be more than enough for us to walk on water.

But it’s football. It’s funny. You never quite know.

I guess the problem for us is – goals. We don’t concede many, but we are not full of them offensively either. Something has to give. And Newcastle have that desperation about them where they have to go for it. It will either come off for them, or they will fall humiliatingly into the cold depths of the Championship.

Enjoy the game. Hopefully there's a glut of celebrations only from the men in Lilywhite on Sunday afternoon, with the public left asking:

''They’ve killed Newcastle! What are we gonna do now?'