Knee-jerk

Spurs 1 City 5

Absolute rubbish. All of them a disgrace to the shirt for basically allowing City to tip tap the ball around White Hart Lane like we'd agree to submit to them before the start like a slick choreographed wrestling match between a contender for the belt and a jobber.

You want proof that Harry Redknapp's tenure has entered the fatal end game? Here it is. Look up at the score again. We've been poor for 15+ games now in the league. Harry struggled to manage the squad last season, never quite working out a consistent game plan domestically with fitting the epically over-rated Rafa van der Vaart into the side and thus causing unmitigated damage in the forward positions resulting with a lack of cutting edge.

But that's just part of the problem. Levy and ENIC quite obviously self-absorbed by the NDP and Olympic Stadium because they need to make sure they don't miss their roadmap objectives in terms of building a new stadium for the club so that they can then look to sell it and make all the shareholders gleeful. Leaving the footballing issues to the next set of mugs to buy in.

We have shown no decisive nature in the transfer window since it opened. If...and it's a big if we actually bid for the players we were heavily linked with in the past window or two then surely the chairman and manager would be wise to the fact that they would need to discuss realistic targets BEFORE the current window opened up.

Target. Bid. Sign.

Instead of constant dithering and inquires and conflicting messages being sent out leading to scatter-gun desperation on the last day.

Crouch to Stoke apparently. But there he is starting against City. Two questions. Why? He's set to be sold. Second question. Why? He's simply not good enough to lead the front-line. It's obvious Levy wants shot of him because Harry more or less stated this in his post-match interview, blaming our form on our lack of direction in the window and the fact Peter is heavily linked with a move away. Another suggestion made being the classic 'we need to sell before we sign'. It's groundhog day with zombies stuck in a room with no doors with nothing to eat except for each other.

Manager and chairman are not bestest friends. Which means either Levy can't control Harry or Harry believes he has lost all control and simply wants to make sure his position has been made unattainable because of the chairman so that he has ample blame to fire at when he leaves/gets the sack.

Utter mess.

Losing isn't that big of a shock, is it? Defeats against two teams managed better than us on and off the pitch. No shocker. The true shock is the fact that we qualified for the CL and then failed to consolidate, Levy preferring to fall back onto one of his own soundbites about how qualifying for the elite competition every season is not possible due to the nature of modern football. Great fighting talk there. More or less set the foundations for us to get dicked today two years ago.

Our best player has been a forty year old in goal and he's still managed to concede a whole heap of beautys and uglys. Sums it up. To dare is to do, so we do nothing.

Dawson, Kaboul - not good enough. The latter is a better midfielder than he is a defender. Bale hasn't been decent for nine months. With any luck he'll give birth to a bouncing baby Bale. More chance of it looking dangerous than Gareth has at the moment. Niko only good enough for mid to lower table opposition. Rafa is more trouble than he's worth. Injury prone and creates imbalance to the side when playing and sulks like a b*tch. He's the Dutch Robbie Keane without the cartwheel. Lennon, too comfortable and without competition. Defoe showed glimpses when he came on, I'll give him that.  Probably his lot for the season now. Peaked.

As for Modric, get rid of him now. If only so that we can be left with £40M in our pockets and no time to spend it, just to rub further salt into our wounds. Considering what happened with Berbatov, did our esteemed chairman not have the foresight that this would play out to yet another gut-wrenching conclusion?

But alas our chairman doesn't want to sell him and by the very nature of our reluctance to compete and sign players we are more or less stating with transparency we are a selling club because why the heck would Modric want to stay when we're signing third rate players? At some point, we wont be able to hold onto someone who does not want to wear the shirt. Not selling him to prove a point to everyone that we cant be bullied is detrimental to the club when it causes so much aggravation.

But we've hold onto him long enough to now have a player that will spend the months leading up to Christmas crying his eyes out about how unfair his six year contract is before being sold for £22M in January.

How to fix all this mess before we get ourselves into a relegation battle?

Levy - sack Redknapp or at the very least start looking for a replacement. He'll be fine. He's more interested in brokering a deal for little Luka Modric to Chelsea than he is with sorting out our first eleven so perhaps he can spend the rest of the season as a football agent. Sell Bale while you're at it before his valuation plummets so low that we'll be paying Nottingham Forest to take him on loan.

But it's too late for any of that. We are truly shafted.

We have missed the boat because we have the blessing of ENIC that owns the club that possesses no balls to push this us forward with the same aggression and fortitude others are doing. What statement do we make signing damaged youth players and an ex-gooner striker on loan and from the looks of it an over-rated work-horse from a relegated club? Could have been worse, hey Harry? We could have signed that waste of space Suarez.

Pathetic.

Nine points adrift of the top already. Didn't show up for Everton. Went home early against Man Utd. Fell asleep against City. Don't expect us to get more than a point at Wolves and Liverpool of old are back so I make that zero points from four games.

Stick that on a t-shirt.

Played 2. Won 0. Drawn 0. Lost 2. GF 1. GA. 8 GD -7. Position: 20th. Bottom of the table and going down with the Arsenal.

There used to be a football club here.

Negative

Spurs 1 City 5

Two games, zero points, seven goals against. We are simply not good enough to compete for the top four this season because Levy will not spend big and from the looks of it is hardly seeing eye-to-eye with Harry Redknapp if you take note of Harry's constant whining to the media and anyone else who will listen. Moaning and complaining about everything and never taking responsibility.

We were shocking. Midfield was weak, Bale disappointing and Crouch completely redundant. van der Vaart's inclusion forces Redknapp to play the one man upfront and yet still manages to select the wrong man. Was he making a point playing Crouch there what with Stoke interested in the player? Was he hoping Peter would pick up a knock or score a brace - just to prove a point? Arrogance from the manager, especially with his weak centre-midfield pairing. Another point being made there? Levy holding back on Parker? Sort it out the pair of you, ffs.

Post-match Harry complained about it being the worst pre-season ever and that we've been distracted by the Modric transfer saga. Hey Harry, guess what...along with Sky Sports you're the one that's keeps that saga running, constantly talking up scenarios about what ifs and Luka's mindset and Chelsea. Every time you open your mouth, its another headline birthed and yet more unnecessary coverage of this protracted transfer. It's the worst pre-season ever. After two defeats. No trouble or complaints before. Just post 5-1 spanking. Nice work Harry, insightful.

Does Levy not talk to Redknapp? Does he not outline company policy and ask for his manager to echo the chairman's stance? Why are there so many contradictions? Why the constant commentary and soundbiting? Why the blame game?

If there are problems with transfer targets because we are aiming too high or do not have the money or simply because Levy does not want to spend big (for whatever reason) then there is clearly a relationship break-down if Redknapp continues to use the lack of activity as a reason for the troubles we've had on the pitch. Even though I question the fact that the set of players are the same set that gained us CL qualification. Lost your mojo Harry? Been found out? Everyone bored of you?

Saying that Modric came to him two hours before kick-off to state he did not want to play is completely leftfield of what we were told the other day that the player had cleared things up with the Levy and was available. What possible good will it do if the player remains at the club past the transfer window closing? Redknapp leaves you wondering if Levy is actually considering selling the player or wanted the player sold much earlier. Its the perfect advert for miscommunication.

Modric plays, he gets subbed...we have ourselves a scapegoat. It's all Luka's fault. If the players head is still not right, then wait until AFTER the window shuts, then stick him in the team. Or was this simply about him making sure he gets to go off on International break with his country?

Luka did not exactly look disinterested. He looked frustrated at times, which is usually someone playing with professionalism and pride. But no, the 5-1 is basically down to the fact that our really decent squad of players are suddenly playing like ketmaine induced rabbits because we've not brought in a crate of nice fresh carrots. Sure, we are missing players. But come on, at the very least show some tactical nous. Inspire the team. Same goes for the ones pulling on the shirt. Where is the love for the shirt?

Scott Parker can't sign quick enough. Hate myself for saying that. Joey Barton would have got us a grip today also. No leadership and a distinct lack of belief with the additional bonus (ha!) of a manager more interested in deflecting attention away from his misgivings and tagging our on field hiccups with off field story arcs.

If we don't sign a few more players to sort out the current issues we have then we're in trouble of finishing 5th or 6th. But that might be the position that equates to our standard. The standard being one that has been crafted out of mismanagement by chairman and manager.

The chairman, too stubborn to act quickly, accepting the consequences more easily and the paying punters. The manager far too interested in his own agenda and brand name to really care about 'them' Tottenham.

Best we accept ourselves to be good enough for Europa League and nothing more. Less chance of being dissatisfied then.

Positive

Spurs 1 City 5

Okay, so some perspective. We lined up with no defensive midfielders and started with Peter Crouch upfront and then found ourselves out numbered in the middle and final third quicker than you can say 'tactics'. Once again, there was an element of the disjointed and perhaps even a touch of the stubborn (what with Crouch supposedly on his way to Stoke City yet in the starting line-up - perhaps a message from gaffer to chairman forming yet another twist in their alleged damaged relationship).

Placing aside in-house disagreements, we lined up not only with a team not shaped to contain City but a team that lacked the belief they could do that and anything more. But that's not to say it was a chaotic calamity filled 90 minutes of football. At 2-0, it flattered City some what. After that, they deserved to ruin our afternoon at will and with ease. We let them with no reply of our own. Once more, apologetic.

There is no excuse for losing 5-1 at home. But it was the most passive 5-1 defeat you're likely to witness. City simply picked us off with clinical football. Confident in themselves, each other and their formation and confident in front of goal. Even though they were not completely fluid (expected considering their new players - makes it even more bitter a pill to swallow for us).

They were enjoying their day and their football. How ironic considering at the start of last season it was them containing us whilst we swashbuckled down the flanks and through the middle, with only Hart stopping us from running away with it.

City have grown with the aid of several million pounds and no wage cap. We've stagnated if you take a look at the back end of last season and how we stopped performing. But preparation for this one has hardly been great considering we appear reluctant to compete at the top end of the transfer market. Perhaps because fiscally, we can't. Ambitious targets beyond our reach. Still, you would have hoped for decisive action by chairman and manager. Instead we have suggestions they don't quite see eye to eye and once more, transfers will need to take place in the final couple of days or so.

The visitors have found their groove. We've lost ours.

Again, injuries don't help but if we look weak in key areas pre-match then you'd want admittance from Redknapp that perhaps we need to be shrewd, cunning in our formation and our strategy. Not the Tottenham way. Not what I previewed yesterday. But it looked to me like the manager believed we could perhaps play them and match them pound for pound when the reality was they were far too polished whilst we simply did not work as a unit and had various degradations of form from individuals.

Modric played. But his productivity hardly outstanding because the players around him were distinctively average. But he played okay. Not sure why he was subbed. Didn't make a difference either way in the end. Player not looking at the manager or applauding the fans when walking off the field of play. Disgruntled.

The goals (most of them) we conceded were not defended well at all. Embarrassing stuff, lack of any apparent focus. We had chances, but how many times do we have to sigh in despondence when said chances are not taken? It was City playing with intent and us presenting them with the red carpet. Never red, indeed. Red with anger today.

Nasri, Aguero and Silva. Stick them in our team then watch how different the result would have been. Hard knock life. We still have quality in abundance. We need to shake off the rust from last season's disappointing finish and reclaim that grit and spine we had so famously in 2010. Think back, we had injuries then too. Perhaps not so many issues with central midfield as we do now.

We've played two games and lost two. Arguably against the two strongest sides in the country. Our problems have been illustrated in quite a humiliating manner with regards to the scoreline for all to analyse and discuss. It's obvious what we need in terms of signings. We've got us a striker. We need DM cover. We could do with a centre-back. We could still do with a right-sided forward to compete with Lennon and give us options when playing two up front.

Adebayor will bring us that much needed cutting edge. Rafa will have a far better forward to play off if Harry continues with the current formation. Only takes one moment, once slice of luck or inspiration to completely change the course of season and set us on our way.

Criss? The fact we are even discussing avoidance of a 'crisis' after two games...well, its over the top. It hurts, but we might have to admit that the likes of Utd and City are in a far more comfortable place than us. We've lost direction, perhaps because of the Modric saga and the in-house disagreements (assumptions). We have to show unity once more.

More importantly, we need the players and the manager to get a grip and to remind themselves they are capable of much much more. We got it very wrong today and were duly and deservedly spanked for it. If Harry is keen on self-preservation of his brand name, then he has work to do. Levy has to support him in doing so. And Harry has to respect the chairman at all times.

Losing to a good team is one thing. Losing to a good team and making them look great is another. Losing badly to a good team that don't even manage to shift into a more aggressive gear is simply shambolic.

Not a good day at all. But with both Manc games out of our system, we can just look forward now. Redknapp, the players - they have a lot to answer for and a lot to give back to the club in the next couple of games to avoid any dramatic twists that might well cause us to unravel further and crisis isn't the only 'c' word quoted by the fans.

This Modric stuff is beyond ridiculous now and Redknapp constantly citing him as the root of all evil when in the past he's actually called him a model professional is almost touching comedy, the ilk that few will laugh at.

Onwards with pride Tottenham. I want to hear the cockerel crow.

We'll improve. I still believe we'll compete for the top four. Arsenal are having their own problems and Liverpool still have to prove their longevity and how they react to loss of form.

Not defending our teams performance today (it was poor), just trying to anchor myself to something to avoid drowning in depression.

Luka necessary for eclipsing the blue moon

I'm comfortably numb at the minute. After the Spurs v Man City game concludes the season will have started proper. Two games against Hearts and a dicking at Old Trafford hasn't warranted much in the way of botheredness thus far, from me. Probably because the transfer window continues to consume all of us whilst we crawl towards its closure.

This evening (Saturday when I wrote this piece), Palacios and Crouch have signed for Stoke (Wilson photographed with Stoke fan, confirming that along with Peter they are new arrivals to the club - sort of pre-official announcement ITK). That's going out, coming in - Scott Parker is meant to be done and dusted in that the player really wants to join and West Ham have agreed to sell, so its all down to the nitty gritty of contract agreements. Bellamy also re-linked. Hopefully we've heard the last of Joe Cole.

Deadline transfer day closure can not come quick enough even if it was a teenage boy losing his virginity to a MILF.

Other players who have been perpetually linked with escapes from their White Hart hell (Hutton, Bentley, dos Santos et al) will probably hopefully move before September waves hello. We'll be tighter for it, squad wise and fiscally. Not a clue about Diarra. Not a clue about Leandro. Although the latter is no stranger to a Tottenham link considering he plays for a club we have a relationship with (appreciative nod for Sandro). Internacional unlikely to let him go now, not for cheap, mainly because he recently signed a new contract (insurance) and the fact he's on form. Perhaps we have first refusal for a later point in the calendar?

If Crouch does go, you would think perhaps someone has to be lined up to retain our cover up top. Wouldn't be a shocker if we didn't replace him. Step up Harry Kane?

So comfortably numb I am. Ignoring Hearts altogether, as mentioned post-United defeat, it would have been better had the Everton game been played. Forces outside of football influencing matters beyond our control and placing it all into perspective, its something we all expected to happen. But it has obviously affected us. Didn't think we looked sharp or at the top of our fitness at Old Trafford. Even though we did showboat with confidence in Edinburgh.

It's almost got a feeling about it that our season actually begins at the Lane against City.

On Sunday afternoon, I'll be hugely disappointed if we don't see a repeat of the effort we stuck into City last season at the Lane - minus a Hart supershow. Things have changed a touch since that game. For one, City have so much depth its embarrassing. If a player like Adebayor is surplus to requirements it means they hardly lack options. It irks me that Adam Johnson has to make appearances off the bench. Its irks me even more that they can have Tevez coming off that same bench.

Harry might underplay it all (I'll ignore his 'we can win the title' comment and just hold back with his 'we can't compete with City' one) but he knows the soundbites are just for the benefit of the media and tv.  Spurs might not have that depth in riches but we're hardly left begging in the streets.

We've been a team, a unit, for a good solid two years. City are still finding their groove. We do, however need to rediscover ours.

Amazingly, Luka Modric...the much maligned and to be fair deservedly so much maligned deep-lying playmaker needs to dig deep and prove his worth to the shirt. Do not underestimate his value to the side. It might appear we are fragmented or 'in crisis' from the outside looking in - but every player seems to echo unity on the training pitch and dressing room. No one has a problem with Luka. No one but the fans in the stands. So best to simply support the team and ignore individual mishaps that have tormented us off the pitch.

It's what you do on it Luka that will define you.

At the time of writing, yet more rumours of an imminent £40M Chelsea bid off the back of Levy's supposed 'forget about it' call to Chelsea HQ. Levy runs game, look at the OS/NDP saga. But his words in the case of Luka Modric contain no ambiguity. Unless we're meant to read between the invisible lines and side with his strategy to engineer and invite a £40M bid by making it seem like nothing but a massive offer would turn our heads to the direction Luka has been facing all summer long.

If that is the case, then the ethos of not selling our top players collapses. Hence why I continue to side with the argument  that the chairman wants to retain the player. £50M or equalivant of? Then my head might turn for the first time.

If he's sold in this window, placing aside the plaudits for what a great chairman we have for earning us £40M we probably wont spend...we may as well broker a deal for Bale now for next summer.

Back to the game...

We've got to put on a show. Again, to be philosophical about it all, if we are out-played or beaten because they simply have more match-winners or they deserve it...so be it. I'll accept most outcomes (of the fair variety) as long as we turn up. But then I know, if we turn up we've got a good chance to turn them over.

I dislike City, the embarrassment that is the Poznan, their mannerisms (Cook) and the whole ethos of the club as it stands presently. It's hardly unlikely for such a project to fail. A false eleven that will find the back of the net with the shouts for offside ignored. Nothing would give me more pleasure (currently) to beat them. Would also shut up certain mainstream media outlets who have already decided who will compete and finish in the top four and elevate us back into positivity.

There is no doubting we are the ones not expected to be slotting the three points into our back pocket at the final whistle.

Early season marker needs to be placed down. With all the obsessive transfer speculation causing bi-polar off the pitch, we need to be crowing as one for what's being played on it.

Love the shirt.

Related articles:

It's not actually a bad thing being a Spurs fan (my guest blog on Cartilage Free Captain)

Modern Football. It's not that great...discuss

Spurs v Man City preview (via thfc1882.com)

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Modern football. It's not that great. Discuss.

It's all very cheery this. An email conversation between myself and a Manchester United fan. Make sure there are no razor blades in reaching distance. Bitterness, it consumes as all. Damn you green-eyed monster, stop feasting on my rotting flesh!

Utd fan: thanks to your boys for doing the usual put up a fight until we score then roll over routine that you’ve near perfected at OT!!

You NEED a striker!

spooky: Limp performance wasn't it. Adebayor to be announced soon.

Utd fan: Happy with Adebayor? He represents pretty much everything I hate about football, well, he did when he went to City. Guess he realises it’s not just about money, it’s actually good to play once in a while!

spooky: Will do as a loan deal, imo. He'll want to impress to bag yet another move next season. So it might benefit us - because we simply have to finish top 4 (well, that would be the clubs ambition in terms of keeping players etc).

City repulse me.

Utd fan: Indeed. I know that squad depth is important these days but the situation at City realistically is that the English players, that once showed so much promise, are going to disappear. Johnson (both of them, though the other is farmed out on load now at least), Barry, Milner, SWP. They will be the ones to fall down the pecking order, obviously not the new signings. Not that I actually rate any of them, except maybe A Johnson, but these are all players who have worn the England shirt and probably won’t wear it for that much longer.

They will win this year, or next at the latest and then what? Buy more players? At least Abramovich saw some sense and realised that spunking money isn’t actually that fun, especially when your team still can’t win the CL and play boring unattractive possession football. Worrying thing is that City’s Sheiks are way way way more rich then Abramovich and only the Financial Fair Play rules can slow them down (note, not stop them!).

I’m expecting a City dominated league for the next few years to be honest, maybe even a decade of dominance. I’m somewhat apathetic to the whole situation though. I should be fearing it, but it’s the way football is going. Rich owners have bought Malaga and PSG this year too. More will follow next year and even more the year after. Players will get even less loyal, TV deals will get even more lucrative so that players wages can keep going up despite the Financial Fair Play rules – which are too little too late in my opinion. At the same time we have a crooked, corrupt, clueless, out of touch maniac at the head of football who is obviously against technology in football as he can probably only just manage a text message on his mobile phone!

I’ve said for a while that football is heading in to a black hole, bursting at the seams and will implode soon. I just hope the splatters of real football left are enough to regain something meaningful!

spooky: Regarding what you cited about English/British players - completely agree, they will be marginalised and they will equally cost a bomb to sign. I personally don't get how City fans can (with a straight face) be proud of any progress or achievements.

Players are signing for them for the money and because of the quality of players being signed, the advantage is - they will win silverware. It's win win for them. Take the money away and there is no 'project'. There's no genuine build up to success.

Look at Utd as the perfect example of how it should work.

Chelsea were just as bad. They had build up, mind. They were progressing, but to make that final step they bought in Jose and spent untold millions.

Utd fan: I’ve said it before that you’re one of only a few people I can have a ‘real’ discussion about football with. My United mates are too biased and too success driven to see the bigger picture and my City mates, well, they are mostly exactly as you say, not at all shamed by the way in which they are going to end up winning – beat United at all costs seems to be their only mantra. I do understand to it to a degree, but that empty, slightly hollow feeling that they’ll have when they see <insert captain> lift the Prem trophy can never be filled be their ruthless approach to winning at any cost.

The Ageuro signing almost went by unnoticed – can you imagine that being the case 3, even 2 years ago? We’ve already come to expect it as normal, which is almost as scary as them winning the title!

We are a good example but I’m not going to deny that we had a helping hand (float on the stock exchange, aggressive business marketing thus sucking the soul out of the club, and we were one of the forerunners of corporate hospitality – all things I despise about football). Though whilst we did break a few transfer records along the way (something my City fans love to point out) we maintained a rigid wage structure with a sensible ceiling. This actually prevented us from signing lots of players through the years (if rumours are to be believed anyway, it’s the reason why Kluivert and Batistuta didn’t sign). City don’t have that in place. Their wage bill is bigger then most smaller countries GDP I reckon!

It’s only 2 games old (1 in your case) and already I am starting to feel sorry for Arsenal (urgh!!) and have handed City the title in my head (double urgh!).

If you can keep Modric and sort his head out and get in Adebayor and Diarra (obvious a replacement for the disappointing Palacios) I reckon you can easily squeeze Arsenal out of that 4th spot and you might be able to challenge Chelsea. I saw enough in your performance at OT to warrant that. You played some lovely pass and move football and found lots of space (though our defence is probably the youngest you’ll ever face!) but just lacked that cutting edge. Think RvdV needs a certain type of player to play off. Not sure that player is necessarily Adebayor, but he is certainly better then Crouch or Defoe, and Pavlyuchenko is way too inconsistent.

Your defence looked unbeatable for the most part at OT, some great interceptions/interventions particularly in the first half! On a side note, are Fulham now your second team?

spooky: I'm actually doing my best to detach myself from the entire mess and just fall back in love, without complications, with football at its purest level. Just supporting Spurs, loving the shirt, loving the players that want to pull on the shirt. Singing, getting drunk and applauding and joyfully celebrating moments of vibrant brilliance. And any success that is attached to that, I obviously welcome as another slice of history to be placed proudly in amongst our rich tapestry of tradition.

The reality is, I still find myself thinking that Top 4 is essential because otherwise we might find ourselves stuck in this perpetual game of catch-up, selling players who want to move to CL teams, buying new ones, then going through the same thing again. We spent so long dreaming of competition for top four and the CL that now we've achieved it, going a step back would be gut wrenching. Such is the way modern football works, CL is has devalued cup wins. Even though, if we are all brutally honest, winning a trophy (domestically) in terms of a cup might not be the same as it was in the 80s and before but it still retains a certain undeniable quality. You can't ever take a way a Wembley win. Its there, black and white, in history and its silverware. Even if its not respected as it once was. Finishing 4th is hardly what dreams are made of.

But finishing 4th consistently is the only way to ever become equipped for a title push.

Wish things were far more simple. Don't think football will implode either. Not yet. Only way is for the likes of Spurs and even Arsenal to push out the likes of City and Chelsea.

Its a little like asking Norman Wisdom to inform Godzilla he can't be knocking down any buildings.

Utd fan: I promised myself I would do that last season but the babies really put a stop to it but I’m going to try again this season I reckon.

You are right, there is still much to enjoy, much to love about football and this implosion won’t happen for a while (too many people making too much money at the moment). I intend to get to more pubs to watch matches this season and the occasional outing to OT when the chance arises!

spooky: Onwards.

I blame Howard Webb

Okay, so this is going to be depressing.

There was a point in the game when I actually thought to myself we were competing really well and there was little difference between us and Utd other than perhaps just that little bit more zing in their play. Opening ten minutes, we kept possession well (just not as slick with the passing and movement as we can be) but United found their players with more intent in going forward and as the game progressed we retained that the same level of composure but didn't improve where it mattered. Meaning, when United stepped it up, they created and when they create then tend to score. Which they did. 1-0 would have been okay. 2-0 hurt. 3-0 was just taking the p*ss. We were hardly outclassed in the game in terms of start to finish, just outclassed when it mattered.

That despondent shrug we do so well. It made a flipping cameo. Which is hardly of surprise considering the location.

Whilst United are decisive up top, we dithered far too many times. Fairly limp, illustrating the necessity to announce and play our new forward (Adebayor) because any new forward will completely change the dynamics of how we play our football when charging forward. I know that is such a cliché to drop in a match review but I think we've been stale for too long upfront and players like JD will find themselves galvanised by having to compete for their place rather than settle into it when selected.

But just so that I'm not buried by some of you, I'm only stating what we all knew for practically the whole of last season. My 'bring in the new blood' war cry is just a continuation of that rather than singling out Defoe and using him as a scapegoat.

Our wingers still need to produce the goods in terms of finding the forward(s) but again, I wouldn't go mental on nit-picking the lack of productivity. It's just one game, 90 minutes, and the side was just not good enough in the end to contain and punish United.

Defoe, (I'm not picking on him here, honestly I'm not, just an observation on his performance) was unintelligent when in possession in and around the box. Just too eager to either lash the ball (not very well) or hold onto it for too long. Unlucky with the woodwork though.

The midfield worked hard. Impressed with Livermore simply because he did not appear to be overhauled although he was nothing more than a bog standard no fireworks Jenas, tidying up in midfield and fulfilling Harry's instructions. He grafted, unspectacular but it warms me to see a yoof player in Lilywhite and working his socks off. Niko is no Luka. And regardless of the reasons for his (Modric) absence it was telling. The team simply doesn't function in the same way.

We played football without any genuine impetuous and in the end all it took was for United to change gear. Sure, we had moments of attacking purpose but tbh I'd rather lose to a Howard Webb assist than lose this way. Midfield was simply not strong enough or industrious enough and certainly not capable of dictating tempo and pace. No fault of the players selected. You almost wish we were nearer full strength because < insert scenario that would have played out to our advantage in a parallel universe >.

Substitutions confused me, but then something was needed. Just felt the midfield was weaker for it. Fact of the matter is, there was no authority in the middle and no apparent influence. Harry citing characters in his post-match interview and the need for them. Diarra a character? What's that? Did someone just say Barton?

So, there we were living with United quite well. Used the space pretty well too when running into it but not quite using it as we should have when looking to play a final killer ball. Conceded one then came the dizzy spell then it was over.

I don't know, first game of the season at a notoriously impossible away venue where we get nothing season in season out. Should we really analyse this to bits or just wait for us to lose to City first?

Joking. Expect a more accomplished performance at the Lane. We'll probably dick 'em.

Some other footnotes:

Brad in goal, not sure I understand this. It's almost like saying 'we don't trust Gomes'. He played well though, no denying that. I guess Harry prefers him. For the moment, there is no doubting the selection.  Defending for the goals conceded, not exactly oozing confidence and awareness. But then I guess that's why they scored. No grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, collectively. You got that impression when United pushed forward (the scruffing of necks).

So convincing win for the home side, not so convinced of the need to knee-jerk. We have to fashion a working midfield in time for the next league game. The Lane has to be rocking when City come to town.

All in all, disappointing night but hardly end of days. Was actually confident pre-match and for a hefty chunk of the game you'd not have disagreed with me. But alas, it's out of our system. We never pick up points at Old Trafford. This hoodoo is not for breaking. Not yet. United, nothing special or amazing and you can see how they could get beaten by sterner opposition. Just that, there is very little stern opposition about these days so Fergie will be more than content his side will compete once more.

Anyways, someone let me know when it's safe to hit the forums again. Twitter is already a massive mess this late evening.

Honestly, hand on heart, no drugs, still think a top 4 challenge is well within our ability. Just call me a  loon. We'll make those signings and we'll push on. Certain of it. Just a downer it ended 3 nothing in the end.

This weeks podcast should be a joy to record.

-

The Fighting Cock is a brand new THFC podcast. You can stream it or download it here on DML (make sure you have a Quicktime plug-in installed).

Love the Shirt.

Flav, tehTrunk, Spooky, Ricky, Chicago Dan.

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Tinpots

The Prem, the Champions League and the FA and Milk Cups

Someone recently pointed out to me we should be aiming higher. Higher than 4^th spot. 3rd or even 2nd. No mention of a cup.

I understand the sentiments.

Modern football at the top tier is no longer about domestic trophies of the cup variety. They are simply deemed nice to haves. A day out. It’s prestige lost, drowned out by all the unnecessary music, fireworks and pomp. I remember growing up, swelling with pride when citing  the amount of FA Cups, League Cups and European trophies we had won. Okay, not as many in total as Liverpool or United (at the time we did lead the way in FA Cups) but those finals, they meant something. A badge of honour. Days of glory.

We now live in a footballing society that is geared towards the Champions League and that without entry to this elite competition we cannot progress to the next level and we cannot attract the right calibre of players to do so. Winning a cup remains a bonus, one that is still usually picked up by the very top sides, other than the occasional anomaly.

So, what to do? Only one tangible option. Don’t look back.

We’ve only been in the CL the one time. We’ve only very recently become contenders for the ‘competition for 4^th spot’ after the degradation of the monopoly that made it practically impossible for anyone other than Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea to finish in any of those fabled positions. The reason we (and the media) even refer to it as ‘the battle for 4^th spot’ is because even though the monopoly is no more, the teams above us still possesses that extra bit of quality and experience which means on paper it’s still not looking like the seasoned regulars are about to be knocked off their perch.

But much like it was never viable to knock one of them out of the CL places completely (and now it is) the same thing can quite easily happen for 3^rd spot. And so on. As witnessed this season and last. The Prem continues to remain in a state of subtle flux.

If you consistently finish top four and partake in CL football then you’ll grow into a side strong enough to mount a title challenge every season. In other words, you push for top spot (even if it’s out of reach by five to ten points) and regardless of the outcome you’ll find yourself to be good enough to never fall further than fourth. Which equates to the ilk of stability that will turn you all powerful and evil (you'll shudder, part of your soul will die, but you’ll have been corrupted by then and won't notice).

It’s going to be difficult for all involved if we along with one or two others sustain our progression in the right direction. Six teams into four positions doesn’t work. I don’t believe we’re on the verge of a new monopoly either. Just some fancy musical chairs as we all dance to the tune of ambition. It might be something we have to settle for, a time-share with perhaps only the same two teams guaranteed CL football and the rest fighting for the remaining two slots. There’s no way of knowing how it will all play out across the next five years.

All we can do is aim to improve.

I know that’s wishy washy, but unless you have a spare flux capacitor it’s hardly feasible to point out the team(s) that will experience a devastating end of cycle life run, and drop several places. The Sky Sports era of the 90s and early turn of this century has cemented certain clubs at the top who can survive just fine without being at the peak of their powers.

So yes, all we can do is improve and aim to better ourselves first before looking to better the team just above us.

Aiming for 4^th spot is that initial step required to understand what represents the minimum requirement. It's not a failure to finish in 5th spot. It just doesn't amount to the same thing as finishing above 5th. As we all know after the heroics of the 2010 season.

Discussing this so matter of fact is still sometimes surreal considering how we (and others) laughed off any claim we’d compete for CL football five years ago. It’s taken a long time and the reality is that we no longer day dream, we endeavour to push on and the disappointment when we miss out hurts. But once more, don’t look back.

The ugly truth is that a transitional season is always a season away. Managerial appointments and players personal targets are short term which means, with the best endeavours, we can be disrupted in a blink of an eye. To sustain and build further on the foundations you simply have to be involved in europe’s elite competition as it feeds you the power and the money to bully the rest domestically.

It’s sad, compared to the competitiveness of the 80s and the lust for domestic cups we all had back then. But it’s just how the mechanics of the game are oiled these days, fuelled by money.

At the most fundamental level, I want Tottenham to always embrace their traditions. Swagger and swashbuckle. But now that we have a spine and a taste for something bigger and bolder, we can hardly look back and return to the darkness having caught some colour out in the sun. I’m not asking for a decade of dominance. Just another beautifully scripted slice of history that can sit proudly alongside all the defining moments that have blessed us across so many decades. It’s what any fan desires of their team. It’s what the players representing the fans and the club should desire too.

We all know what’s at stake if we don’t finish in the top four next season. This summer alone is going to be dramatic and tiresome with rumours of potential bids for our key players and frustration as we await to see who we might sign. Stripping away all the intricate details of how best we line-up and tactical conundrums, we’re left simply with this: Audere est facere.

And in pragmatic terms?

We have to aim towards being competitive in every match we perform in. Momentum breeding a winning mentality and a hatred for losing. We are lacking a cutting edge. We can’t stand around wasting time wondering if the others around us will fix their own issues or drop further in form or improve. It’s always going to be in our hands. There are no complaints if you are the best you can possibly be yet fail to achieve your dream. Echo’s of glory, right?

At this given moment in time, there is very little in it. A few more home wins and...well, what hasn’t happened hasn’t for a reason. Those intricate details that need looking at are key to avoid a repeat. The learning curve won’t be so forgiving next time round. Others might be better placed thanks to their stable foundations and experience, but there are cracks in the wall. But once more, it matters not if we don't build something as durable over time that we can one day look back at with pride whilst the rest crumble.

As for the CL itself, it’s made for us. Our nature to attack and the knock-out element of the latter rounds. Shame we lacked a similar ethic domestically, leaving both cup competitions early were low ebbs in a season mostly made up of giddy highs. Distracted was the excuse, but it’s hardly a valid one. City have won the FA Cup and finished 3^rd along with playing a fair few games in the Europa League. Perhaps débutantes (in the CL) are simply not strong enough in terms of experience to handle the pressures unlike the seasoned pros. City might falter in the league next season. We don’t know and who cares about something we can’t control?

Fact is we didn't appear to have the time or inclination to bother with the FA Cup and Carling Cup.

I’m not dismissing silverware with this modern footballing culture marginalising it. With all my rhetoric about the importance of the league, it’s still something tangible (Carling Cup might not mean much in relative terms, but try to deny it didn’t when we beat Arsenal in the semi then Chelsea in the final). If it’s good enough for the ex-monopoly to win cups and play CL every season then it has to be good enough for us. That shouldn’t be the reason behind wanting to. We need to recapture some of that old fashion spirit and look to add to our honours tally because that's what history remembers.

Football is still about the moments. Having such a moment is better than having none at all. I can't be alone in wanting us to reclaim our mantle as cup kings. Younger fans hardly remember the tag.

Perhaps the art of balancing our progress and maturity and focusing on the league equates to an altogether different type of transitional season(s) as we continue to grow. Perhaps for now, sacrifices need to be made.

Either way, don’t look back, look forward. But you'll be forgiven if you do happen to reach out to the past to inspire you. Ricky Villa dancing through on goal will live longer in memory than finishing fourth. You'll be happy to replace that memory with one of Modric dinking through midfield as we write a new chapter.

We have to be more astute on and off the pitch with our focus and squad rotation. The Europa League is not ideal in set-up and the winner of the competition  should really be awarded CL qualification rather than the whole thing appeasing the teams that get knocked out of the CL early. But we should still look to progress in it as far as possible. Same with the domestic cups.

The league, the Prem, much like it is for Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and now City...will always be the priority. Times have changed for us. So, if we’re truly hungry, its bread and butter on the menu with a cup of whatever you fancy to clench our thirst.

In our defence

Midfield majesty

Forward failure

Not Tonight Sandra, I've Got A Headache

guestblog by chrisman

Sandra Redknapp is going to have a lot of time to catch up on her knitting over the next few
nights, because her husband Harry has a case of what's commonly known as 'selection headache'. Usually he's a sexual tyrant, but recent events have given him a bit of a 'narky miff' and left him unable to 'smash it' with any real conviction.

Now that we've all calmed down and had a chance to think about Tuesday's Triple Epic-Burger, a few things are becoming clear. One fact, lost in the ethereal San Siro mist, was that it was our first away win in this season's Champions League. Actually, it was only our second away win in the competition, ever (the other being over Feyenoord in 1962-63).

More importantly, the win was based on the defensive stability that served us so well in reaching the Promised Land in the first place. These may not seem like things that would normally give you a headache, but when Harry starts thinking about why we were suddenly so solid, he might come to some troubling conclusions.

So what was different from the away days of Bremen, Enschede and Milan last year? The obvious answer is that the Gallas-Dawson axis is now in full effect. But that doesn't explain the often-frantic defending and lack of shape and discipline against Sunderland, Blackburn and Everton (to name a few). Nor does it explain it's absence in Milan on Tuesday.

Sure, the players raised their performance levels for the big one, but if there is one thing you can't really accuse Spurs of these days, it's lack of effort in the 'smaller' games. The commitment is there. But the stability of last year is not. King has been a big miss, but we have a good replacement in Gallas. Huddlestone's absence has been more keenly felt, simply because no one has been able to adequately fill his shoes. Until now.

Sandro, please step forward. You are the man to pick up the gauntlet laid down by Big T's vastly-underestimated defensive displays. People tend to throw around, in a willy-nilly manner, all kinds of comments about Tom's defensive abilities, or lack of them. 'He's slow, lumbering, lazy, a big girl's blouse'. Well willy this nilly - he's a bloody good defender.

We sometimes forget that he started life as a centre half. He has an ingrained defensive nous that other midfielders will never have. He instinctively knows where the centre-half wants him to be. He knows how and where an attack is going to develop. He knows when to tackle and when to jockey. And as well as Wilson and JJ have played at times this season, neither of them will ever have any of these abilities. Physically, they have it all. Technically, they are excellent. Mentally, they lack that extra couple of percent of discipline, concentration and decisiveness that separates very good players from great ones.

JJ and Wilson are both at their best when they are running, and using their fantastic pace and athleticism. But when your main role should be as a shield to the back 4, it's often best to restrict your movement to a few square yards. To really work effectively as a unit with your 2 centre-backs, you have to be close to them and move with them. JJ and Wilson are too erratic and spasmodic with their positioning and movement. Both could potentially work well in a 2 or 3 man midfield, but with someone to sweep up behind them and allow them to maraud around the pitch.

Sandro on the other hand is at his happiest about 5 yards in front of the centre-backs, ready to make a challenge outside or clearance inside the box. When people talk about the Makelele role, they usually associate it with passing and starting attacks. What they often underestimate is the selfless and disciplined nature of the role. Rarely should you pass the halfway line (an attitude people criticize Big T for having). Even the full backs can get forward more. Sandro loves doing that grimy, filthy defensive work.

Against AC Milan, with Sandro match-fit, bedded-in and playing well, we comfortably repelled their attacks. Ok, there were a couple of headers, but we followed the tried and tested template of last season - sit back, let the defenders defend, and hit them on the break. Apart from the 2 headers, Gomes was untroubled. We kept them at arms length on the edge of the box. Calm, controlled, clinical. The compact triangle of CBs and DM could not be penetrated by the trio of Ibra, Robinho and Pato.

So where from here? The easy answer is 'straight ahead', with a simple tweak of swapping Palacios for Modric. But will Harry be willing to effectively have Sandro do a double-leapfrog over Wilson and JJ? Or will he be a bit sly, and with a nod to pragmatism 'rest' van der Vaart and go with JJ or Wilson in the middle with Modric, and Sandro behind?

In reality, if we're only playing 1 up top, van der Vaart needs to be in the team - if fit. That leaves 1 space in the midfield alongside Modric and van der Vaart, and considering  you want the magical pair to have as much freedom as possible, it makes sense to play a disciplined, selfless player with them. That player is Sandro. There are, however, other options....

One idea I'm sure Harry has toyed with is playing van der Vaart in a wider role. Van der Vaart excels most when he has space and time, and he doesn't always find that when playing in the congested central area with big bruising PL players. So moving him to a wider starting position may give him more room to pick up the ball and use that murderous left foot. He played wide right in some games earlier in the season and it worked. It could easily work again.

Another positive for this formation is that Lennon is apparently pretty comfortable switching flanks and cutting inside with his dribbling. So you get 2 great creators out wide, and 3 solid men in the middle (Sandro, Modric, JJ/Wilson). Essentially all you are doing is swapping Pienaar for JJ or Wilson, and in doing so are giving yourselves more speed and power in the middle to give your match-winners more freedom to win matches.

Despite all of this, I'm sure it's also going to be hard for Harry to resist the temptation to re-unite Crouch and Defoe up front. Blackpool will obviously come forward and leave us lots of space. Defoe could bag a couple and get his confidence back in time for the run-in. But will loading the strikers and leaving the midfield relatively bare (Lennon-Sandro-Modric-VDV) play right into Blackpool's hands?

The pragmatist in Harry surely will not allow him to be so gung-ho, and that means dropping one of the seemingly undroppable trio of Modric, Lennon and van der Vaart. All logic therefore points towards a 5-man midfield, but then again Harry's feelings for the Defoe-Crouch partnership have always been about more than mere logic. It's just something he feels comfortable with. But on recent performances, both from the team and Defoe individually, it seems the days of the 4-4-2 may be numbered, especially away from home. And since the next 2 games are indeed away from home, Harry is going to have to make some tough, emotional choices.

Sandro, Palacios, Jenas, Modric, Pienaar, Kranjcar, Lennon, VDV (edit: not so fit). That's 8 fit and on-form midfielders. Good luck Harry, and Sandra...call me.

Fourteen from Six

Evening. Almost morning. And I'm still part-time blogging until the New Year due to other commitments. Mostly rum. And The Ashes. Thought I'd share this. Form guide for the Prem.

In a nutshell:

We are second in the table. 14 points from the last six games. 12 points from the last six home games and 10 from the last six away games. In contrast, Chelsea are nineteenth in the table with just 3 points from their last six. Also delightfully ironic is this:

Newcastle

Aston Villa

Chelsea

Fulham

That's the bottom four. Almost feel gutted we didn't take our chances in that first half against the blue scum. However, would be a perfect end to 2010 and start to 2011 if we pick up six more points in our next two fixtures.

We don't lose often at the Lane but we draw far too many. Let's keep it simple. Win. Win <- next two N17 games. That should iron out the inconsistent home patch quirk. All eyes on the battering ram in black and white tomorrow. All eyes on van der Vaart in Lilywhite.

And Modric. And Bale. And Lennon. And Palacios. Go on then, and Dawson, and Kaboul and...

COYS.

Peace.

It's not about winning the title

This is what happens when you drink too much rum.

What do Spurs need to push for the title? I guess more of the same from the rest of the top tier of the Prem: Inconsistency. Because this year the best team might not finish in top spot. Rather the team that takes the initiative and goes on a run once or twice or thrice could well pull away and apply the pressure on those chasing. So rather than discuss the validity of whether Spurs could or what they would need to challenge for 1st place – I’d rather tag it with ‘what Spurs need to be consistent’.

The definition of consistent for us is: Remain hard to beat at home but win more games, beat the ‘small’ clubs away and continue to build on winning away to a Top 4 (traditional top 4) club.

So in terms of plays required: A world class forward. Think Drogbaesque in style, intent and end product. Another midfielder – believe it or not, I think mainly because of our injury problems if we can bring in a quality stop-gap player we’ll be ridiculous in strength of depth once all players are back. That’s it. Along with having the same back four play ahead of Gomes. The other ingredient is belief which comes with winning games and jumping over hurdles and swaggering past obstacles. Which we are doing with some pomp this season.

Like I said. You don’t have to be the best team to win the league this season. Not going on the games played thus far in the EPL. And you don’t even have to refer to it as a ‘title push’. Just aim for the momentum that would result in upwards progression. We can only effect everything within THFC. Everything outside is beyond our control.

Read the full article covering off all the pretenders and challengers over at False10.com.

The future is bright, the future is Lilywhite

I don’t care much for all this talk about how the quality of the Premier League has degraded. Mainly because it’s an excuse for those that struggle with the usual suspects not dominating to deflect attention away from the teams that have grafted for better days. You could argue that the way the Prem lined-up in the past decade or so - as high as the quality was from the 'Top 4' the rest were leagues behind. So for the gap to be closing doesn't necessarily mean that we are all worse off for it. The quality is now spread across like butter over many slices of toast, rather than sitting in a closed tub in the fridge.

The fabled monopoly has cracked and spilled over the marble floor and the rest of us are tap dancing gleefully in it, splashing away without a care in the world. It's not butter in this analogy, rather champagne that's lost its fizz. If it did turn out to be butter, we'd all be falling on our backsides.

So tap-dancing is what we dare to do. And why not? This monumental gap that existed for an age continues to be bridged and it’s no longer anything to be scoffed at when asking if shifts in power are ahead of us. Ahead of us they are, hopefully somewhere in the distance towards the horizon. And the sun is unlikely to go down if you keep reaching for that destination.

But that doesn’t mean we – or anyone else for that matter – should take it for granted on the basis that the likes of Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are lesser sides than they were X amount of years back. For one, they still possess the quality and the experience. They might well still have some buttery taste about them. However, there’s always a cycle, a transition – and we are deep in it at the moment. Here's hoping there is no last tango.

Some of the aforementioned clubs will quite possibly recover and reclaim dominance or a share of it. Others might find themselves in far more modest surroundings. It’s opened up no matter how you care to perceive the quality of the Prem from top to bottom. It's evident that if you show desire and push and run with the ball forwards and onwards…you can stake a claim for it. 'It' being a share (rather than dominance).

Aim high because if you don’t someone else will. This is about self-preservation.

I’m hardly going to apologise for any indignities that other rival clubs are suffering. It’s not my fault, for example, if certain clubs have slowly and subtly over a period of time inherited traits that were once associated with say us. Lack of backbone. Delusions of grandeur. Weaknesses in key areas.

Mortality is a hard pill to swallow. Be careful you don't choke on it.

There is no doubting that Tottenham are in the midst of a transitional season. Actually, scrap season and replace it with chapter. Hopefully one with a splendid ending and ample room for a sequel or two. Unlike the transitions we have had to endure in the past resulting from managerial upheavals, this one is of mind, body and soul. You can’t genuinely progress with intent if you don’t experience and grow as individuals and as a team. No ‘i’ in team, but there’s one in unit. You find resolve and redemption from the harsh reality of failure staring you back in the face, be it across many games or just the one. You dig deep. You believe. You make it happen.  And whilst you do, you retain a sense of tradition and identity that does not betrayal the club, its history and the supporters. Swagger, swashbuckle and Spurs.

We don’t just play football. We tug at the heart strings of our fan base, plucking a grand orchestral tune that can roller-coaster between beautiful chimes of delight to dark drums of despair. And somewhere in there we kick the ball around. A lot.

Is it an exaggeration that on our day we can beat anyone? Yes. But there would be absolutely no denying that we can produce performances that not only leave us and neutrals enthralled they beg the question – when and how can we do that week in week out? Why do we show guile when coming back into games from a losing position rather than starting them with a cutting edge and making our lives so much more comfortable from the offset?

The answer might be found somewhere near that horizon we’re moving towards. The real answer is probably because it's Spurs and we don't do ordinary.

We’ve had growth of players and acquisitions which have added a touch of the world class about us. We have a side we can actually compare to others that have for so long played on a completely different level. We’ve eradicated many frustrations that have held us back. But it’s not perfect and reminders to the past still dwell on our minds, sometimes with dizzying effect. It's nothing to worry about unless it once more consumes us. But there are far more positives than negatives.

This season has not been consistent. It’s been erratic. But by no means a step backwards or sideways. With thanks to the supporting case of degradation from those around us. Nobody is quite gripping the neck of the Prem and strangling the life out of the rest.

We are contenders for sure. For what exactly depends on one thing and one thing only. Ignore the rest. Forget about their agendas or issues, their form and their results. Whether they fall or fly it’s no consequence because the only fate we control is our own. We'll be contenders for whatever our points tally adds up to. Don't aim for 4th, 3rd etc - just (it's worthy of a repeat) aim high.

We’re going to get stronger. With or without a clipboard. With our without tactics. This renewed spirit has seen us shatter records and overcome obstacles that have left us broken for so long. The Chelsea hoodoo. The Top 4 impossible mission. And now, home (last season) and away – damaging victories over the enemy. Mental strength stands proud and unnerved. Add to it our scintillating Champions League campaign and the fact that sitting six points off the top after fourteen games is – for some – disappointing, tells you that expectations are high. And why should they be anything different?

We're not competing against history. We are not competing against what the standard of the top tier of the Premier League should be like as opposed to what it is at the moment (a confused herd of inconsistency).

We have a squad, not depleted to the bare bones but missing key players. But we endeavour to cope. With many things. The loss of consistent fluidity because of those missing players and the experimentation from 442 to 451 to 442. Hangovers after our European games. It's a learning curve for us; the princes of pretence percolating with pomp. And with the current landscape of English football being what it is, we’re not doing too badly with said curve. We're adapting. Progressing.

Patience is not an excuse to mask over repeated errors. More consistency will breed much needed momentum which will lead to success. A decade of devolution behind us, we are but just two seasons into an evolution. So be patient. We’ve got the best squad players we’ve had in years (decade or two?). If you really want to look around and watch other squad’s age or implode or fragment, if it makes you more comfortable – go ahead. If you want to be wasting your time.

I’ll be watching Tottenham. Swashbuckling to maturity, strengthening our backbone without ever weakening our traditions and heritage.

That sun, in the horizon. Ain't going down any time soon.

COYS, get a move on

Hello. My name is Spooky and I am not a knee-jerker.

However, I am concerned.

Not 'last season was a fluke, we're going to finish 7th this year, all our players are sh*t, especially the sh*t ones, Harry doesn't have a clue' concerned. Just a little bit concerned. In fact, not that much, not really,  mainly because if one lesson was learnt last season it was - believe, at all times, just believe.

I have complete faith in both our management and our squad.

Starting slowly, well, it's a common trait for several teams. It's just that, what with us losing a player a game (even when we - THFC - are not actually playing), you start to scratch your head about the lack of settlement with consistency, flow of play and tactics. It's all out of sorts and disjointed at the moment. And yes, I do prefer this ilk of crisis to ones of previous seasons when we would lose all the time (although technically back then it wasn't a crisis it was just standard form).

We usually lose at the Hawthorns, but just because we didn't doesn't make it acceptable that we failed to win. Perhaps if Modric hadn't have gone off. But still, not a one man team, are we? The point is, we conquered one level last term, we have plenty more to conquer this time round if we wish to stick around in 4th. Early days, but my money is on this season being practically identical to last in terms of how many clubs have their eyes on that 4th spot and how many can genuinely challenge for it.

If we wish to continue on forwards, we can't keep stuttering. Fact is, we have a chance to build on last time out, and possibly even make it a more comfortable experience (my heart, my poor weak heart, will surely give way if we have to do the same as 2010).

So, 1-1 away.

It's by no means disastrous, is it? The injuries however are not good, obviously, because after last season I would have hoped we had some luck and thus been able to select from a full strength squad for league and CL. But that's fantasy. Everyone always has an injury or two to deal with. Gutting two of ours came by the way of International duty, and a third thanks to plenty of kicks to Modric that saw him go off (thankfully no fracture, travelling to Germany with CL squad). He was triffic for us on Saturday.

We do have depth. But tinkering and mixing it up is having adversed effects, mainly because Harry can't settle on what is best and isn't helped by our run of bad luck with crocked players. It also has a fair bit to do with the first leg of the CL qualifier that saw us crashing back down to earth. And the fact we got a certain Dutchman on the cheap. No complaints there, but Harry has to fit him in quickly (perhaps fit in others around him quickly).

My concern is that we are making it difficult for ourselves, struggling to ignite and spark our season with some of that ye olde Tottingham magic. It's there. Just no bunny rabbit out of the hat. But please, do not head to the bathroom with a toaster. It's not quite David Copperfield, but then it's not exactly Tommy Copper either. Had Bale scored on Saturday, we'd be saying, good old Spurs, winning away without playing well, that's the sign of a proper side that is.

Why am I even entertaining the negatives and knee-jerks? Because I know a couple of you need the therapy. And I probably need some too.

Brilliant first half v City at the Lane. Couldn't quite find the net. The aforementioned Young Boys spanking away and recovery along with brushing past them in the return leg. Sandwiched in-between the Young Boys (what?) was a gritty ugly 2-1 away win at Stoke. Then we had the Wigan home defeat, which was just one of those days that we tend to have under Harry. A blip. Which we experienced last season, but still found the guile to correct and make up for them as the season flew past.

It's been erratic. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anything below amazing would be, considering the way we ended last season. But such is expectancy. We know what this team can do, so we are right to feel aggrieved that they are currently not producing the goods with swagger and swashbuckle. But no need to head-butt the panic button.

So, the WBA game. Decent first half, up until the mess (from our perspective) of an equaliser which saw Gallas ghosted and the rest of our defence do little as they watched the ball bundled over, cancelling out the Modric opener. We kept the ball well, carved out a few moves. Lost the impetus when Modric went off. Don't agree he's injury prone. Do agree he gets kicked a lot. Leave him along, ffs. He's only little! Ref, where's the protection?! vdV put in a good shift I thought, all things considering, debut away. 4-5-1, not quite working, mainly because Pav seemed lost up there on his own. He was playing right?

More stuff I noticed/thought about post-match:

CC in goal saved us in the second half. Some quite desperate/wonderful saves to keep us holding onto the point. But I'd rather have the Brazilian mentalist Gomes back between the sticks.

Defending wasn't Kingesque. Struggled with set-pieces. Gallas? Off the pace. Mugged for the goal, but then we played like mugs in our attempt to defend it.

Lennon is struggling with his form. Perhaps we need a fit Bentley to give Azza a psychological kick up the head. I don't buy all this 'he's been found out' BS. It's a lull, not been bright since his return from injury. He'll get there.

WBA were dirty (ooh small team bullied us, so unfair), and thought Webb was lenient/blind on a few occasions, and yes, Modric did seem to be kicked an awful lot. Have I mentioned that yet already?

Pav offered not a lot. The fact he started and Keane didn't says all you need to know about what Harry thinks about Robbie. If Robbie comes good, no doubt we'll get the same sound-bites we heard when Bentley re-discovered his form (although that didn't quite work out long term any ways).

Wilson Palacios needs to be given extended time off to sort out his head. I don't agree that we over-rated him based on his early performances and that those decent games masked all his average games. Some of us are saying this. The thing, with his brother, clearly screwed him up (would screw anyone up) and he has not been the same since. He has lost his composure. Not that he was a beautiful studs on ball type of player before, but he was Gandalfesque with his 'You shall not pass' ethic in centre midfield, biting ankles and such. He is the definition of 'all over the shop' currently. Fast-track Sandro please.

vdV showed plenty of class and has quite obviously settled in quickly with the squad and did not look out of sorts at all. Good range of passing, vision and technical abilities. No shocker there. Not too bright on pace, but then we knew that. Don't agree with the suggestion that he has no work rate or physical presence (I need to stop reading message boards). He was all over the pitch. But do agree that if we don't get our forward conundrum sorted out, we won't be using him to full effect. Can't wait for a WHL showing. Bit more freedom to sex it up, and hopefully over the next few weeks he'll blossom with the mechanics of the EPL.

Tactics. The formation died when Modric went off. Huddlestone disappeared and lacked any control over the midfield. I'm still content he was given the captaincy over Gallas. Didn't work, but still content. Moddle is vital. But let's have some reminiscent of structure please when we have to change it because of a departure.

I just don't like Bale at left-back, even though I knew he'd start there. I'm sure Harry, I know Harry is astute enough to see what did and didn't work. And what with all these injuries, bare bones and tings, we might find ourselves having to take advantage of the misfortune and settling down with the key players we have available in key positions, without tinkering. That's if we manage to avoid any further losses. We'll muddle through, but will prefer to Moddle through.

So where does the spark come from?

Plenty of candidates. Just hope it happens mid-week then at home to Wolves. Because, may God have mercy on Glory Glory and all the other Spurs message boards and blogs if we don't win at the Lane next weekend. Perhaps the slow start is simply nerves what with the CL just up ahead for us. If we are getting distracted by Europe, then we might as well call time on our EPL top 4 challenge right now.

Focus, Spurs, focus. Momentum. Build it up. Then turn it on.

Concerned? Nah. Just impatient.  COYS.