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Alan Hutton: The Truth, Maybe.

February 25th, 2011 Posted in Articles
Feb, 25 2011
22 Comments »

The big story in recent weeks has been the disappearance of Alan Hutton, and when I say big, I mean someone brings it up every now and again. The trouble with the Scottish right back is he’s not good enough for us fans to worry when he’s not playing. However, he’s not bad enough to warrant not playing when we’ve got no other right backs available for selection which happened against Blackpool.

This morning goal.com have written an “exclusive” on Hutton’s recent omissions from the team. It may not be an exclusive as I would understand the word because everyone had already heard the rumours. As normal they only quote a source they have but it pretty much marries up with the rumours. After the humiliating exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Fulham, it’s reported that Redknapp made a bee-line for Hutton and placed a large proportion of the blame on him in front of his team-mates. Hutton objected to this and what followed must’ve been one of the hardest to understand arguments in the English speaking world.

Lots of things happen in the heat of the moment in every changing room across the country, whether it’s the premier league or a Sunday afternoon hungover kick-about but reportedly and allegedly (covering my back) it was so bad Redknapp felt he needed to speak to Hutton again the following day in his office. Unfortunately this wasn’t a chance for both parties to apologise and move on, it was to give him another dressing down presumably this time because not only was our 4-0 defeat entirely the right backs fault but because he dared to question the logic in that.

I should briefly state here that all of this could be utter rubbish, but the likelihood is it’s spot on. As the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire. Unless someone’s just having a fag of course. Or a BBQ. Or there’s one of those natural hot springs about. Anyway, normally there’s no smoke without fire and seeing as these rumours started to surface within the Spurs fraternity a few days after the Fulham game there’s a good chance they’re correct. Add to that fact the club haven’t said anything about him being injured and there must be another reason for his disappearance.

If this is true I have a couple of problems with it. The first being why is it not ok to disagree with the manager when he’s putting an abnormal amount of the blame for a 4-0 defeat on one player? Forget it’s football for one minute. If my company lost an order for example and I was one link in the chain that led to that I wouldn’t be pleased to be the only one taking the blame, let alone a large amount of the blame and in front of my work colleagues. I would say something in retaliation too. Just how much Hutton said is something we don’t know. If he retorted with comments about Michael Dawson’s shocking two moments that led to us being 2-0 down or Redknapp’s terrible tactics for the game then I guess a further dressing down could be called for, but if he simply stated he shouldn’t be singled out for blame what’s the problem with that?

Everyone makes mistakes. I make plenty in work and on this blog as I switch between the two every time my boss walks past my PC monitor and when I do I’ll hold my hands up but if I got blamed for something I didn’t do as an adult I would feel I had the right to say so and would expect a degree of respect from my boss whether he agreed with me or not and I shouldn’t have to worry about losing my job if I did.

The second issue I have and the one we as fans should be more concerned about is because of this argument, injury to Corluka and only having two natural right backs at the club we’re now playing with Gallas in that position. That not only makes us weaker on the right of defence but as seen on Tuesday, weaker centrally too. Maybe what was said and possibly done in the aftermath of the Fulham game was so bad it’s just impossible for Hutton to be in the side any more. As I said if he attacked more than the manager and started rounding on his team-mates then I guess this could be the case but there are no rumours of this happening. It seems he’s just fallen out with the manager, who is now putting his ego ahead of the success of the team which shouldn’t be allowed.

There are plenty of managers who would drop a player for talking back to them and I have no problem with that. I doubt Bill Nic would’ve tolerated it but then I also know he wouldn’t have let his team be weakened significantly because of it. As I’ve briefly said on this subject before, cutting your nose off to spite your face isn’t the way to go.

If, and we don’t know exactly, things have been said that mean there’s no way to rectify things then I’m on Redknapp’s side. However, if all Hutton did was argue his position that the defeat wasn’t his fault in what I’m sure would’ve been an aggressive manner then at least while Corluka is injured bygones must be allowed to be bygones. Once we have a natural right back available for selection again by all means leave Hutton to rot in the reserves (which we don’t have) and sell him in the summer after all he’s just a little bit crap anyway and it’ll be the perfect opportunity for Kyle Walker to compete for the position.

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Broken Mug Brings Hoodoo on Spurs

February 23rd, 2011 Posted in Match Reports, Premier League
Feb, 23 2011
4 Comments »

We football fans are a funny bunch. Most of us have our little idiosyncrasies and superstitions when it comes to our favourite teams and what we believe will help them win. Some of us have our lucky pants or can only sit in a certain position while a game’s on TV. There are those who go out of their way to do the same thing for every game even if that means disrupting their normal life. If the team wins it’s because we did everything right, if they lose, it’s because someone else didn’t put their right sock on before their left.

As a kid I used to line all my replica shirts around my bedroom whether I was going to the game or not. At the time I must’ve had about 10 and I had the box room so it wasn’t the easiest of superstitions to execute. I’ve stopped doing that now but have been known to lay a few flags in strategic positions before truly big games, but the one thing I do every match day is drink from my lucky mug. Yesterday morning was no different but when I got home from work and washed the mug up I dropped it and the handle came off. From that moment I knew Blackpool were going to beat us and we’d once again miss our opportunity to put pressure on those around us.

Quite how much bad luck it would give us I didn’t know but three clearances off the line, 26 shots with only 3 on target and losing 3-1 is just about as much as any team can take in 90 minutes. So I apologise now to all Spurs fans around the world. The reason we lost was down to my clumsy fingers and a slippery mug. Or was it?

The one thing I hated above feeling sick in the pit of my stomach at losing was the patronising stance the press have taken towards Blackpool. This is a team that were 2-0 up against United but managed to lose the game. We all know what that feels like, but it showed what they were about. So far this season they’ve had some great results and while a top 4 side should be beating them they’re not in the same league as Derby were when they were in the top flight. Ok, so even their biggest fans would’ve walked away from the game wondering just how they managed to get anything from the game let alone win it but they deserve more credit than they’ve been given.

As for Spurs, it was just another game to add to a lengthening list that shows how badly we need a striker who enjoys scoring. As soon as we beat City last season there were some of us screaming out for a striker to lead the team. It seems so odd to think we’ve had the likes of Lineker, Sheringham, Klinsmann, Keane and Berbatov over the years who have scored goals for fun in pretty poor sides and after waiting 25 years for a team that looks like it could challenge for honours we’ve got a bunch of strikers being outscored by Brett Ormerod.

However, while the blame for losing the game can be put firmly at the feet of the strikers for missing golden chance after golden chance, we were also shocking in defence. As the image on the right shows we created plenty of chances, having 26 shots at the Blackpool goal compared to their 10. Unfortunately of those 10, they managed to get 4 on target and 3 of them went in. Compare that to our 3 on target with the solitary deflected shot in the last minute of the game going in and it’s clear to see the result was a combination of them finishing their chances as much as it was us missing ours. Our defence looked lackadaisical at best and drunk at worst. The lack of a proper right back due to injury and Alan Hutton apparently not being available for selection is a disgrace. If the rumours are true, and I can only presume they are because the club haven’t said he’s injured then the Scotsman has let the club down for the final time, but at what point is his exclusion from the team cutting your nose off to spite your face?

There are plenty of arguments on which striker should be playing with the Pav lovers arguing JD has been given enough chances and the Defoe lovers saying he just needs a fluky goal to get him going again. The bottom line is when people are screaming for Peter Crouch to start against Blackpool you know there’s a problem. No disrespect to Crouch meant but you know what I mean. Both Defoe and Pav had 5 shots each last night, with Pav getting 3 on target and JD a big fat zero. Defoe’s all round game was shocking too. He had a 100% pass completion rate but making only 17 passes in 90 minutes (1 pass every 5 minutes) shows he was rarely available to receive the ball which could back up fans opinions on his laziness. For the record Pav attempted 44 passes and was successful with 36. I’m never one to sit on the fence and I won’t now. As far as the team goes I think and always have done that Crouch is the best with regards to link up play but obviously his goal scoring just isn’t good enough. Defoe has the potential to score 20+ goals a season in the league but doesn’t have the composure to become a great and the best thing about Pav is his song. Other than that he’s just not good enough. All in all, it brings us full circle back to asking why we didn’t buy that striker in either of the last two windows? Wages too high? Remove King, Woodgate and Keane from the wage bill and you free up £200k per week. Instead we concentrated on trying to sign playings like Bellamy and Parker.

Anyway, we’re still sitting in 4th and while we didn’t take advantage of the chance we had we’re far from out of it because of one result. The next few games are massive for us and Chelsea. If results go our way we could still find ourselves 6 points in front of them by the time we play City. Losing has put added pressure on the remaining games but it’s not the end of the world. To finish off I thought I’d post some of my favourite updates from the spurs crowd on twitter from last nights game. It wouldn’t be Spurs if we didn’t have a chance to moan and groan now would it?

  • OK Spurs, confiscated belts & shoelaces will be retainable before the Wolves game. Keep the faith – COYS
  • Oh well easing into 3rd wouldn’t be the tottenham way.
  • Dare I say we missed Crouch :)
  • Omerod looks like a zombie peter crouch. And Vaughn looks like sloth.
  • Rushes over to sky+ to stop recording footy first.
  • WALOB!!!
  • Great night for Chelsea, dreadful night for humanity.
  • All big teams obviously lose now & again, but none humiliate themselves with our regularity.
  • Pav deserved that goal! Defoe is sooooo lazy! Disappointing – just not our night!
  • That’s typical. Pav…Granted not great tonight but was at least putting effort in first half. He’s just a bit shit…a lot of the time.
  • What a grotesque hideous ordeal of a football match. F*cking nightmare. I feel ill. Made worse by the awful Pav getting on scoresheet.
  • Spurs: the ultimate footballing prick teasers.
  • 4-3, we’re gonna win 4-3, we’re gonna.. *full time whistle goes*
  • cue knee jerk over the top season is over 4th place gone over reactions from fickle tweeters.
  • I’m so pissed off I could kick a water bottle!!!
  • Back to being a frustrated spurs fan!!
  • Can still hear the Spurs fans singing. Absolutely fantastic.
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Why Spurs MUST Beat Blackpool

February 22nd, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Feb, 22 2011
4 Comments »

The big games just keep rolling in and tonight’s is no different. Our rearranged fixture at Blackpool could see us propel ourselves into the top 3 and pile the pressure on Manchester City and especially Chelsea who would find themselves 5 points behind us with a game in hand which I believe is against United so it’s no gimme. As this match was original scheduled for December I’ve already written a match preview once so if you want to read that and see the thoughts of a Blackpool fan follow this link. I doubt very much has changed since then anyway.

The major omission for us is van der Vaart and Bale is still out injured but as Modric is back it shouldn’t make too much difference to our formation and quite possibly it could mean the team is better equipped to beat Blackpool. For starters we’ll play 4-4-2 which has worked brilliantly in the last few league games and without vdV it’ll mean Lennon can stay in his favoured right sided position. Whether it’s Pienaar or Niko on the left is anyone’s guess and I would expect Redknapp to plump for the Croatian but personally, like the Milan match I’d like to see Pienaar start.

The one thing Blackpool do really well is get people forward and especially into wide areas, playing the majority of their forward passes into the wide channels which means our full backs will be kept busy. The more cover they can have the better and Pienaar will offer Ekotto that if he pushes forward. As for the other side, the continued disappearance of Alan Hutton has baffled everyone on the internet. Did he allegedly get into a fight after the Fulham game? Has he slept with Sandro Redknapp or Louise? Is he just drunk and fuelled up on the white stuff in some bar in west London? Who knows, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be making an appearance which leaves us with Gallas at right back. That seems to be the preferred replacement and I can only hope Redknapp doesn’t decide to play Palacios there as he has done in the past.

The other option is a back three but as I’ve said Blackpool do get people forward and like to play it wide so I don’t think that would be very productive. Whether it’s Palacios or Sandro that gets the nod to play alongside Luka they’ll play a big part in the outcome of the match. Charlie Adam wouldn’t have played in the original match so if our luck is the same as it appears to have been in the past, expect him to make a massive impression. While they’re not a one man team by any means if we can keep Adam quiet we’re half way to winning.

Now, onto why it’s such an important game to win. We’re 12 games away from what could be a momentous season climax. Finishing in the top 4 this season would be bigger than last. The adventure we’ve been on in this season Champions League has been fun but in both transfer windows we’ve struggled to attract the type of player that could take us to the next level, whether that’s because of finances, players not being sure whether it was a fluke or as I suspect a little bit of both if we could do it again this season, I would expect to see a massive summer for the club and one that could see us competing for the title next season. Can you imagine doing that with a 36k stadium in a run down area of north London? Incredible. ;)

Having looked at our remaining fixtures as well as City’s and Chelsea’s it’s clear to see that unless one of those teams have a major downturn in form it’s going to go right down to the wire and final positions could even be decided by goal difference. While not having to go through the qualification stages for the champions league again would be nice I’m sure we’d all settle for finishing 4th on goal difference. With it being so close we can’t afford to drop points in any game and no disrespect to Blackpool, who have not only entertained but have played football the right way, we need to be beating the teams in the lower half of the table. In our next 4 games we play 4 of the bottom 5 teams in the league. At this stage of the season that can sometimes be a disadvantage but it’s up to us to make sure it isn’t. As we showed at the beginning of the season we have a tendency to believe we’ll win and then failing miserably. If we had managed to beat Wolves, Wigan and West Ham instead of only gaining 3 points we’d be joint second right now.

Before we’re due to play City for example on 16th April, Chelsea have got to play United and City. As crazy as this might sound if we could get 10 points from those four games against the leagues struggling teams and both Manchester teams beat Chelsea we could find ourselves 9 points in front of 5th position having played one game extra. With only 8 games remaining the pressure on a Chelsea side who have never been in the position of struggling to get Champions League football before could be too much. It would also allow us the misfortune of losing a few games, including the game at Stamford Bridge.

I’m always either a little optimistic or pessimistic when trying to gauge how many points we or other teams would end up with. By guessing the results I had us finishing on 71 points, two points behind City in 3rd and one point ahead of Chelsea in 5th. That wasn’t using the pray to God method of us winning the next 4 games and Chelsea winning only one of their next three though.

To make it fairer and possibly give us a better idea of how it could finish I thought I’d look at points per game for each side. So far this season we’ve averaged 1.81 per game, as have City with Chelsea on 1.73. However, with 7 of their remaining games to be played at Stamford Bridge I decided to use the points per game from home and away games and make my conclusions from there. Strangely enough, at least I thought so, Spurs have the better away record with 1.62ppg away from White Hart Lane. Chelsea have got the best home record with 2.17ppg compared to our 2 ppg.

So if you use the points per game so far this season figure to work out how many points each team will end up with it’s probably a more reliable result:

  • Man City – 69 points
  • Spurs – 69 points
  • Chelsea – 67 points

That’s too close to call in my opinion. The odd win here, own goal there or refereeing decision going against you could spell the end of the top 4 dream for another season. What we’ve got to be aware of though is football isn’t played on paper. It’s not played on stats, averages and points per game. The majority of the time it’s played in the head. This spurs team has nothing to lose. There’s no pressure on them, or shouldn’t be. Only a few games ago we looked dead and buried and now we could find ourselves in the driving seat come Wednesday morning.

Manchester City and Chelsea, no matter what they may say about wanting the FA Cup or Champions League, if either of them finish outside of the top 4 this season it’ll mean major upheaval and disappointment. Personally I believe it’s between us and Chelsea and if United and City can do us a favour by taking 9 points off last season’s double winners we could be looking at dream land once again, but to do so we MUST beat Blackpool. A Top 4 side would do exactly that.

COYS

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How We Beat AC Milan

February 16th, 2011 Posted in Champions League, Match Reports
Feb, 16 2011
5 Comments »

How did we beat AC Milan? Being a modest, shy, retiring type I don’t want to answer that question with read yesterdays match preview How To Beat AC Milan because that would make me sound like a know-it-all and I hate those people, mainly because they always disagree with me, and they’re always wrong. ;)

So instead I’ll let some images from last night’s game do the talking. Yesterday morning I thought we’d lose by a couple of goals. I didn’t believe Redknapp’s pre-match talk about attacking especially if Modric wasn’t fit to start. However, as kick off approached my nervousness abated and my sense of impending doom changed to quiet optimism. So much so I even went as far as tweeting my unusual positive stance on the outcome.

It doesn’t happen often as those of you that read this corner of the internet will testify but as in my match preview I genuinely believed if we set up correctly and played well we could get something from the game. The main tactic we had to employ was keeping it tight centrally but playing with width when we had the ball. Not an easy thing to do as could be seen with 10-15 minutes to go and players starting to wilt, most just playing on adrenaline, especially after Crouch’s winning goal went in.

You can see how narrow Milan played last night by the images below and likewise how perfectly Redknapp set the team up to counter that. Look at the extra space we had on the flanks while they crowded the middle of the pitch, playing right into our hands with Palacios and Sandro sitting and waiting. Both their jobs were executed to perfection, closing down, tackling, intercepting and then playing the simple ball sideways to the wings. It was this play that meant we dominated the first half.

It also shows how often we played the ball to Ekotto, concentrating our possession down the left hand side with Pienaar and van der Vaart. The game was crying out for the ball to be given to Lennon early so he had grass to run into which is exactly what happened for the goal. Better late than never. With regards to Milan we did an excellent job of keeping the ball away from their forwards by closing down the midfield and making them pass the ball backwards to the defence. As you can see from the position of Antonini and Abate, Milan get all their width from their full backs which is exactly why Redknapp gave Pienaar the nod instead of Niko. It was harsh on Kranjcar and while he did fine when he came on it was clear to see his defensive abilities aren’t a patch on the South Africans.

The above images show perfectly how the team closed Milan down and pushed them backwards. By staying tight we didn’t offer the Milan defenders many options which resulted in a lot of sideways passing along the back four. This meant we could get back into two banks of four with vdV & Crouch slotting into midfield at times to offer support. Again, the tight marking and closing down of the opposition is shown with their backwards passing. A lot of it from the flanks as the partnerships of Lennon/Corluka and Pienaar/Ekotto worked well together to make sure they gave away nothing.

It was this tireless work that led to Milan getting impatient and at times impetuous. I don’t watch a lot of Italian football mainly because of the time and space allowed to each team makes it’s a boring style of football to watch.

You could see from their reactions that they weren’t used to being closed down and as tightly marked as they were last night and we went about it intelligently. I had a bet on Spurs winning, 11+ corners and 45+ card index. Unfortunately for me there were only 3 yellow cards and none of them were spurs players. This with Palacios and Sandro in our team, both of whom played superbly. I read a tweet last night wondering if Wilson had travelled to the San Siro by Delorean because it was the Sgt Wilson of 2 years ago, not the one we’ve been used to of late. They were both careful and jostled for the ball for the majority of the time when they were in and around their own area but once they got too far to shoot from a free kick they let the Milan players know they were there. Again a sign we were pushing Milan back at every opportunity.

This season we’ve all bemoaned the fact we need a quality striker and while in the premier league that’s definitely true, in the Champions League we’ve already got one in Peter Crouch. Whether it’s how defenders try to play against him or he just improves for games like last night I’m not sure but he was superb. He won everything in the air, held it up well and linked play with the midfield as well as anyone could wish for. By the end of the game he looked like he was dead on his feet but still managed to keep up with Lennon so he had the simple task of slotting home the winner. As you can see from the images below we restricted Milan to long range shots and when they did manage to shoot in the box they were either blocked by defenders putting their bodies in the way or saved by the excellent Gomes. One save in particular was one of the best saves I’ve ever seen. We on the other hand at least managed to test the keeper. They may not have been spectacular saves like Gomas had to pull off but they were on target all the same and one of the two off target shots was a sublime chip by vdV that had the keeper beat but just went wide.

Overall everything went spectacularly well. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better performance from a Spurs side. It’s a shame some of the gloss has been taken off the victory by events surrounding Gattuso who showed himself to be exactly what he is, in the words of Graeme Souness, “a dog of a player”, which is why I’m not going to highlight his actions too much. The referee had a very good game in my opinion but missed his antics as well as the two footed leg breaker by Flamini. They’re only human though and I’ll settle for him getting those wrong but getting Ibrahimovic’s last minute disallowed goal right.

If you read this blog, the site forum or follow me on twitter you may have noticed in the past I can be critical of Redknapp’s tactics or lack of but I’m always happy to give credit where it’s due. For someone who not so long ago said he didn’t believe tactics made much of a difference at the highest level he’s certainly proved himself wrong. Last night he got everything spot on. The Modric injury was actually a blessing in disguise because the partnership of Palacios and Sandro was perfect for how we needed to play in the San Siro. When it comes to the home game it’ll be slightly different but we still need to box clever. The inclusion of Pienaar was a great move too. I’d suggested it might be the better option because of his defensive abilities but didn’t believe he’d do it and wouldn’t have had a problem had Niko started. Everything went to plan and he must get credit for that as well as the players.

It’s only half time and we can’t get carried away. Enjoy it of course but realise if we don’t go through now last night will soon be forgotten. Well, maybe not forgotten but tainted. This team, squad and management are learning all the time. Top four and champions league? Bring it on.

COYS

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How To Beat AC Milan

February 15th, 2011 Posted in Champions League, Match Previews
Feb, 15 2011
4 Comments »

Football’s such an easy game on paper. All you’re doing is comparing two teams and deciding how one team can take advantage of another’s weaknesses. In the match preview for the Sunderland game I stated we needed to play very narrow and encourage Steve Bruce’s side to attack down the flanks due to that not being their favoured approach. It’s exactly what we did and with a little bit of luck it paid off. Tonight’s game is the complete opposite.

Champions League is back on the agenda and the next few weeks could define our season one way or the other. When the draw for this stage of the competition was being made I was dreading being paired with AC Milan. They were the one team I didn’t fancy our chances against, especially after they witnessed what we did to their local rivals in the group stages and my thoughts on the difficult task ahead haven’t changed. With the exception of Barcelona and Real Madrid, who we couldn’t have drawn at this stage, I don’t think there’s a team better equipped to win the competition. That being said, every team has a chance in any match, no matter what the circumstances. So here’s how we do it.

Missing Personnel

Both teams have major players out for this game, and while Milan are missing Pirlo, Ambrosini, van Bommel and ex Spur Boateng (can’t believe he’s playing for AC Milan now) I don’t really care about their team. It’s all about the Spurs side in my opinion as it is in any game because on our day we can beat any team. The obvious omission is Gareth Bale who could’ve been key to the result and how we played as a team but there’s also the probability that Modric won’t play. With Jenas being suspended, the need for the little Croatian is more than ever. If he plays then great, but if he doesn’t we look like we’d start with Palacios and Sandro which might not be a bad thing. If both perform to their abilities it could favour us in the away leg.

Pace and Width

This is where not having Bale is a major problem. AC Milan have an average age of 68 years old and don’t like pace which Bale has in abundance. As does Lennon so a lot will depend on how he performs on the night. If we get the ball to him he could find himself with a lot of space to run into especially if Antonini is caught in advanced positions as he often likes to do. Milan’s width is created by their full backs so quick, incisive counter attacks down the wings could be the best way for us to grab what could be a very important away goal.

I’m sure Niko will start on the left but I worry about his lack of pace and defensively I’d prefer to have Pienaar out there to help Ekotto if needed. I would expect Benny to come under serious attack from Milan in the guise of Ibrahimovic who likes to drift out to that side of the pitch and will fancy his chances in an aerial battle. For this reason alone I’d start with Pienaar who has a little more discipline and more pace which should enable him to support attacks more often. He’s also more likely to hug the touchline and not drift inside as Niko will do. However, if Niko starts there’s no real problem because at the moment if there’s a goalscorer in the team it’s him.

It’ll be interesting to see who starts up front. It looks like van der Vaart will play so I would presume we’ll go with Crouch up front which in Europe so far this season has served us well. I can’t help but wonder though if Defoe might be the better option. As crazy as that sounds given his current form and inability to hold the ball up as I’ve said already our best chance of getting something from tonight is pace. Raw, unadulterated pace, and that’s the one thing JD’s got plenty of. Crouch is probably the better option though simply based on Europe’s best defenders struggling to deal with him in recent years.

With regards to attacking the team picks itself. Lennon, Niko, vdV and Crouch will undoubtedly start. As I’ve said you could replace Niko and Crouch with Pienaar and Defoe but they’re more likely to make an impact from the bench. Defensively it’s a little bit trickier. The back 4 are shoe-ins, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson and Ekotto with the bumbling yet sometimes superb Gomes behind them. With Ibrahimovic playing as a lone striker it’ll be down to one of the midfielders to pick up Robinho or Pato who like to drop deep and link with the midfield, much as vdV does for us. If Modric plays this will be done by Palacios and if we’ve ever wanted a good game from Sgt Wilson it’s tonight. If Modric doesn’t play we would obviously lose his creative abilities but we should be a lot tougher to breakdown centrally with Sandro joining Palacios.

Their passing skills might not be up to much but as I’ve said, we need to keep the ball and play it wide whenever possible. They shouldn’t need to look up and search for 30 yard passes if Lennon and Niko are available for the short ball. Modric would probably play the same ball the majority of the time anyway.

By nature we’re a counter attacking side. There’s no reason why we can’t play our normal game and come away from the San Siro with our heads held high once again. Expect Milan to have plenty of the ball especially centrally but any width they have will have to be provided by the full backs and that’s when we should be ready to take advantage. Win possession, quick supply to the flanks and look to cross for three-metre-Peter to add the finishing touches. Obviously we’ll have to play well but there’s no need to think if we do play well we won’t get at least a draw, even if Modric doesn’t play. Cut out the silly mistakes, start brightly and cause them trouble. Remember, while we may not be the favourites we haven’t been for much of the last year in anything and that hasn’t stopped us finishing in the top 4, scoring plenty of goals in the group stages and finishing top of our group which is more than AC Milan managed to do.

This spurs side is made of sterner stuff than yesteryear and it could be the age old Harry ploy of “go out there, kick it about and play your natural game” is exactly what we’ve got to do.

COYS

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Champions League is Ours if we Want It

February 14th, 2011 Posted in Match Reports, Premier League
Feb, 14 2011
2 Comments »

On the 20th March 2010 we beat Stoke away 2-1 and as I’ve said on this blog before that was the moment last season when I genuinely believed we had a chance of what until then had seemed such as impossible task, finishing in the top 4. This season has followed a familiar path to last. In August I thought we’d finish in 6th place behind last season’s top 3, big spending Man City and a resurgent Liverpool. All of which are still possible but as the final whistle went on Saturday night in Sunderland I got the feeling I had at Stoke.

As strange as it sounds, to play as poorly as we did in the first half but remain on level terms at the break and then dominate and control the game in the second half as we did showed we’ve still got whatever it was we had last season. If it was good enough last year, why not this?

Sunderland are a good team. Make no mistake had we lost, it wouldn’t have been a shock. Not only had we not won up there in almost a decade but Sunderland were looking to cement their position in the top 7 and Europa League football. It’s a sign of how far we’ve come that I don’t know any Spurs fans that want to play Thursday nights. It wasn’t that long ago we were celebrating qualification for Europes secondary and disappointingly rubbish competition through the league. Apart from a decision to leave the field of play and poor organisation from those left we would’ve won this game a lot more comfortably while not playing very well.

The first half was shocking. No other words for it. You’ve got to expect a drop in quality when the team is missing midfielders of the quality of Bale, van der Vaart, Huddlestone, Lennon and the most important Modric. To put it another way, you could argue the Spurs side were missing £100m worth of footballing talent and that’s if Man City didn’t get involved in the transfers. With a midfield of Pienaar, Sandro, Jenas and Niko we lacked pace of any kind and with the exception of JJ who had played well for the previous two games it was a midfield lacking in form, confidence or experience. If you add a shockingly out of form Defoe and bench ridden Pav up front, the team was carrying 5 players who it could be argued were only playing due to lack of other options.

The initial stages didn’t look too bad as we kept the ball well and pushed Sunderland back, but then the Gallas moment happened. Many would argue it was entirely down to him, as Chris Waddle and ESPN did, but I’d like to look at other variables that led to Gyan’s goal. Of course it’s a disgrace Gallas had to leave the field for a change of football boots. Why players feel the need to change their boots after they’ve been warming up in them I don’t know but it does happen and he’s not the only player I’ve seen doing it. That’s just the small problem here though, the bigger problem is the same problem we’ve had for over 20 years. No leader. We all love Michael Dawson but he has to take as much blame for their goal as Gallas in my opinion. As captain and Gallas’s partner he knows what’s going on. As soon as he left the field Sandro should’ve been told to drop back to cover and had that happened there wouldn’t have been a problem. Jenas has also got years of experience and should’ve noticed what was going on. I’d like to know if Huddlestone had been playing if he would’ve naturally covered or done nothing as it appeared everyone else did. Once Dawson, remember the captain and central defensive partner of Gallas, had apparently done nothing to make sure he was covered we were in trouble. Corluka ended up in no man’s land because he wasn’t sure whether to close the cross down or help Dawson knowing he had two men and Dawson did the same, giving Gyan far too much time and space to control, turn and shoot.

If Gallas doesn’t leave the field, the goal probably doesn’t happen but once he does it’s important we find out why no-one covered. It’s easy to tell players to NEVER leave the field of play when the ball’s active but it’s harder to find a leader. A natural one would’ve reacted to Gallas’s absence and unfortunately, captain or not, this showed to me our awesome Dawson is no leader. As little as I rate John Terry that goal wouldn’t have happened with him in the team, nor would it with Vidic or Ferdinand.

So that’s their goal and as I’ve said I think it was a combination of Gallas and Dawson but so was our equaliser. A fantastic downward header from Dawson which nutmegged Craig Gordon thanks to Gallas running in front of the keeper and distracting him. Having spent the previous 40 minutes being beaten to the ball, out passed, and tactically out-thought with Richardson and Muntari both sitting in areas we weren’t comfortable covering and therefore getting a lot of time and space on the ball, we somehow went in level and what that goal must’ve done to the confidence of both teams was immeasurable.

The second half was the coming of age of Sandro. Until now he’d been played in the odd game, picked up a booking and looked fairly out of place but for the final 45 minutes on Saturday he was my man of the match. Not only was he everywhere including making the run and cross that eventually led to Niko’s fantastic volleyed winner but he tackled and controlled the game with the maturity of a Roy Keane like player. His passing might not have been the best and had he been Palacios there would’ve been a lot of moans and groans but the improvement in the second half showed just why we paid the money we did. It was the first time in a Spurs shirt we saw the potential we’ve all heard so much about. I think it helped he was playing alongside an in form Jenas who while he wasn’t as obviously good as he has been recently he did what he had to do, again keeping possession.

Were we excellent? No. Did our starting XI strike fear into Sunderland? No. Would you like to start with that team every week? No. There were so many things wrong with the performance in the first half but equally as many right in the second. There was little or no flair apart from 4-5 passing movements and Niko’s goal but we won. I said last week that all that matters at this stage in the season is winning. It doesn’t matter who scores the goals. If we play every game from here on in with two strikers as ineffective and useless as Defoe and Pav were on Saturday but win all of those games who’ll remember next August when we’re playing Champions League football again?

This is going to be as close as it was last season and maybe more so with three teams involved, but the strange thing is of the three teams we’re the one’s with the experience and lack of pressure. If we want that 4th or 3rd place finish it’s up to us to get it. For the first time this season we’ve played 4-4-2 in three consecutive games in the league and coincidently we’ve won all 3. Fingers crossed when all the players return we stick with a winning formation, even if that means someone has to sit out. I’m sure you remember where you were that night in Manchester last season, imagine how sweet it would be if we achieve it again come May? It’s now in our hands and without a new stadium, terrible strikers, injuries to all our best players, a dodgy keeper, poor transfer activity and with a manager not far from being tried for tax evasion we’re about to mount our challenge to truly f*ck up a very rich man’s summer holiday.

COYS

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No More North-East Misery Please

February 11th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Feb, 11 2011
3 Comments »

It’s been a manic day so far. First I wrote a fantastic piece on Jermaine Jenas, then West Ham won the preferred bidder status for the Olympic Stadium (or did we lose it?) and now Harry Redknapp’s appeal against tax evasion charges has been turned down and he’ll face trial later this year. Isn’t this what being a Spurs fan is all about?

If we keep our fingers crossed for long enough we might be able to concentrate on matters on the pitch a little bit more now which is a saving grace if I ever heard one. Whether you were anti-Stratford, pro-Stratford or had a leg dangling from either side of the fence you must be as tired of the whole episode as I am. So, onto a trip to Wearside and a chance to not only move into the top 4 again but also win our 1000 point in premier league history.

There aren’t many guarantees in football but here are a few I’d put money on tomorrow:

  • It won’t be an easy game to win for either side
  • Sunderland will probably take the lead but Spurs will claw it back
  • There won’t be many goals

Some sweeping statements there I hear you cry, but it’s never an easy game when we visit the Stadium of Light. The last time we won there I was a fresh faced 22 year old without a care in the world. Now I’m married!! ;) I remember that win strangely enough because if I remember rightly Sunderland had a chance to go top of the league but for the second season on the trot we managed to beat them in their own backyard. How things have changed since then though, with 2 draws and 3 defeats in our last 5 visits.

According to the BBC, Sunderland have dropped 17 points from winning positions this season and we’ve won 17 points from losing positions. So as I said, expect an early Sunderland goal only for us to grab a late equaliser. That’s if there are any goals at all. Sunderland have struggled to score this season and with the departure of Darren Bent they lost their top scorer, but Gyan has looked dangerous of late although he’s still a little hit and miss. Much like our very own Pavlyuchenko, on his day he could destroy us. We on the other hand have our two leading scorers, Bale and van der Vaart on the sidelines, so quite where our goals are going to come from I’m not sure. Time for someone else to step up. Defoe?

The one way I believe you can stop Sunderland is to stop them playing through the middle. A great way to stop Chelsea playing is to stop their attacks down the flanks and make them do something they prefer not to, attack through the middle. We’re very much the same as I’m sure you’ve seen from visiting teams at White Hart Lane. Sunderland are different in the fact that they like to attack centrally so if we pack the central areas and make them play it wide we should stand a better chance of winning.

The one draw back to that is we would also lack width which is one of our string points but without the likes of Bale and vdV that might not be the case. There’s really only Lennon now who can offer pace and likes to stay wide where possible so I’d play a 4-1-3-2 formation like this:

Gomes

Corluka     Dawson     Gallas     Ekotto

Palacios

Lennon     Jenas     Pienaar

Defoe     Crouch

You could interchange Pav in there for Defoe or Crouch if you would prefer but you get the idea. Much like against Bolton if we had possession it would be up to Corluka and Ekotto to offer width when necessary but Lennon and Pienaar would also drift that way. The benefit is clear to see though, if we can win the midfield battle we give ourselves a much better chance of keeping possession and winning the game. It would also free up Palacios to keep an eye on Richardson who has been told in recent games to push forward when possible to support Gyan. This tactic has resulted in a few goals but all have come centrally which is why we need to tighten this area up.

I would expect an easy formation though of 4-4-2 with Lennon moving back to his preferred right side and Pienaar coming in for the injured vdV. Both formations are very similar and with the players we’ve got we should have the flexibility to switch between varying styles of 4-4-2 throughout the game. We often end up playing 4-3-3 with vdV in the team, even away from home.

Whatever we do it’ll be on at a stupid time of day thanks to TV coverage so those making the trip I hope you haven’t lost too much money on cancelled train tickets etc with the short notice they gave. With regards to the importance of the game, I’ve got an opinion I think many will disagree with. To me, it’s more important than the AC Milan tie. There I said it. Financially of course it’s not but if we can keep our 2 game winning streak going for as long as possible before we enter the final month of the season we could find ourselves guaranteed Champions League football again next year and that’s gotta be worth more than one more glory, glory night. Hasn’t it?

COYS

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Are Jenas & Palacios the new THud & Luka?

February 11th, 2011 Posted in Articles
Feb, 11 2011
4 Comments »

Are you tired of the Stratford / NDP discussions? It’ll all soon be over, or at least that’s what we think. Whatever the decision, legal battles will ensue with what I can only presume will be the clubs money and a fairly substantial amount too I would guess. God forbid we spend that £500k+ (guess) on a really good strikers wages! Anyway, if you feel like I do, that a season of enjoyment and celebration has been overshadowed by handbag swinging, fighting, screaming and biting then take 10 minutes out of your day to read something football related.

Ladies, Gentleman and ESPN subscription holders, I give you Jermaine Jenas. The other day I briefly mentioned a piece I was going to write that would conclusively prove that our injury prone, frustratingly inconsistent JJ is actually the best midfielder in the world. Having spent a decent amount of time sifting through statistics and some footage I’ve come to the conclusion that’s impossible to prove. However, I did want to take a look at something I’ve always wondered with regards to JJ. I’m sure I’m not alone in this but I’ve always felt he plays better with Palacios than he does Huddlestone or Modric. We all have our favoured partnerships and while a Palacios / JJ one doesn’t fill me with pride and confidence I’d rather that than a Modric / JJ one.

So, stats galore coming up and hopefully you’ll find it interesting. At least more interesting than where we may or may not play football in 5 years time. For the purposes of this I looked at only league games from the beginning of the 2008/09 season and only if a player had managed 45 minutes or more in each game. Due largely to injuries and the form of other players JJ didn’t play too many games last season, 6 in total that meet the criteria I’m looking at. The previous season and this have seen him play a lot more so I think I’ve got enough to make a valid conclusion. Well maybe not a valid one, but a conclusion all the same.

JJ with Palacios

I’ll start with my favoured partnership. Of the partnerships I’m looking at it’s been the most commonly used, having played together 14 times from the 44 games I’m looking at. Of those 14 games the team has won 8 times which is a win percentage of 57%. As suspected JJ is the creative force in this partnership making an average of 51 passes a game and scoring a goal every 4.67 games. However, maybe surprisingly his attempted tackling and success rate isn’t any lower than when he’s in a partnership where he’d be considered the more defensive minded player.

JJ with Huddlestone

The most accurate comparison to the Palacios partnership must be JJ’s appearances with THud purely because they’ve played together 13 times. Their win percentage isn’t much less than above, currently standing at 53%. The main difference is JJ’s passing as he attempts 12% fewer passes while playing with Tommy. Maybe not surprising as Huddlestone would be considered the playmaker of the two and I’d hazard a guess this is down to team-mates looking to Tommy, whereas with Palacios they’d understandably look to JJ. The lesser of two evils? His tackles per game are the same as with Wilson but having only scored 1 goal in those 13 games compared to the 3 with WP could it be he doesn’t attack quite as much?

JJ with Modric

My least favourite of the potential partnerships. I absolutely hate this teaming and the reasons why can be seen in this season’s game at Goodison Park. I always feel neither player is sure whether they’re meant to attack or defend and as a result both tend to get lost and as a team we get overrun. The stats support this a little. Having only played 9 games together in the 2½ seasons I’ve looked at it could be argued the sample is too small but a win percentage of only 44% or a total of 13 points from a possible 27 shows even at an early stage that this partnership would need a lot of work to flourish. JJ’s passes per game stands between Palacios’s and Huddlestone’s which should be expected. In the Palacios and Huddlestone partnerships it’s clear who the main playmaker is but with JJ and Modric playing team-mates are more likely to share who they pass too. This on paper is a good thing but it could also lead to a confusion in roles as I’ve already mentioned.

There are a number of games with Didier Zokora and Jamie O’Hara but I haven’t looked at these too closely because of the limited figures.

Top 4

I thought it’s possible these figures are slanted depending on what teams the partnerships have played against. If for example, every time JJ and Modric have played together they’ve been pitted against United at Old Trafford that’s going to have an effect.

The partnership of JJ and Palacios has encountered the Sky 4 (United, Arsenal, Chelsea & Liverpool) 3 times from their 14 games, whereas Huddlestone has met them once and Modric twice. That’s approximately 21% of the time Palacios and JJ play together they’re facing one of the better teams in the country. Modric’s is about the same but the Huddlestone partnership has only had to encounter a top4 side 7% of the time. The only comparison that is against the JJ/WP partnership would be the 3 top 4 games they’ve played have been at White Hart Lane whereas the other two have faced them away. We all know what our away record to that lot is like.

Home or Away?

Obviously this brings up the question of where the games were played. A partnership would have a distinct advantage if it played all their games at home. Looking at the games this isn’t the case though. All have played approximately 45% of their games at home and have similar win % at White Hart Lane. However, when we look at the win percentage away from home there’s quite a large difference.

  • JJ and Palacios – 37.5%
  • JJ and Huddlestone – 28.5%
  • JJ and Modric – 11%

Conclusion

If any conclusion can be made from a fairly small sample of games it’s that I was right ;) . The reason I prefer JJ to play with Palacios is because he plays better and the team get better results. That’s not to say the JJ and Palacios partnership should be our first choice, far from it but if JJ plays there’s only one partner for him. One of the reasons he’s so infuriating is because of his inconsistency but maybe that’s because of who he’s playing with? He should be able to play with quality like Tommy and Luka but clearly he prefers Sgt Wilson. At the moment we’re onto a winner as strange as that sounds because both THud and Moddle are injured but when the Croatian returns we can only hope it’s not JJ who partners him in central midfield.

As a side note and going back to JJ/WP not being our preferred partnership, they don’t come close to our first choice. Huddlestone and Modric formed an understanding last season that was one of the main reason’s we got into the champions league and we’ve missed it badly this time around. Of the 17 games they played 45 minutes or more together last season they won 12 (70.5%), drew 3 and only lost 2 (against United and the last day of the season against Burnley). That’s 39 points from a possible 51, 2.3 points per game or if you prefer, title challenging form. JJ and Palacios will fill in well while you’re away but hurry back guys, we miss you.

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Stratford and the Future

February 9th, 2011 Posted in Articles, New Stadium
Feb, 09 2011
3 Comments »

It’s been a manic, surprising and very entertaining few days in my life, so much so I’ve not been able to write about my beloved Spurs or mention 4-4-2 once. I did of course manage to watch the Bolton game but there’s very little point in me going into that now, especially as that’s been superseded by more bickering and handbag waving between Levy and Brady. We’ve even seen the spin machine crank into action with the beautiful picture of The Olympic Stadium draped in cockerel. Quite how we’re meant to believe the sky is ever that colour in England is beyond me. We’re not all that gullible are we?

Anyway, things haven’t settled down yet this week so I don’t have the time (or inclination) to write more about Stratford or anything else for that matter. I hear there’s an England game on tonight but that doesn’t interest me either. I’ll be back soon with a 1000 word piece on why Jermaine Jenas is actually the best central midfielder in the world. Really, he is!!!

Until then, I’ve come across something I’d like to share. We all read the same blogs and websites each day so it’s nice to read something new from time to time. The subject matter might not have changed but opinions are different with many starting to feel maybe a move to Stratford, while not preferred, might be beneficial. Read on, reader: A Spurs Blog by Charlie Parrish

COYS

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Victory Is All That Matters

February 4th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Feb, 04 2011
9 Comments »

“We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing; but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead. We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad.”

~ Winston Churchill (1945)

It’s been a slightly frantic, stressful and relieving week all rolled into one. With the embarrassing and frustrating transfer window closing, then the news of Luka Modric’s injury many Spurs fans were downbeat and not looking forward to the Blackburn game. However, the re-introduction of the 4-4-2 formation, a battling 1-0 victory over an improving Blackburn side and comments about looking forward to tomorrow’s game against Bolton have been all the rage.

I’ve finally managed to use my wild card in the Premier League fantasy football game and now it’s done I feel I can sympathise with Redknapp and Levy a little more. It’s not easy getting the right players into your team when you’ve got a limited bankroll and as much as we’d both like to buy more strikers there’s only room for so many. I’m not sure if that’s a game imitating life or the other way round.

So after the much needed win on Wednesday night we’re back on the top 4 trail and we should have the sweet smell of revenge on our minds. Back in November we were spanked 4-2 and that scoreline didn’t tell the whole story. A 4-0 victory for the trotters would’ve resembled the match a lot better. Both teams have had a dip in form of late but managed to win in midweek, Bolton’s thanks to a last minute winner from on loan Daniel Sturridge, a player we could’ve looked at loaning too? Our victory was down to playing 4-4-2 and having a little bit of luck but at this stage in the season it’s all about the 3 points.

With that in mind I can honestly say I don’t care how we play tomorrow. Normally I like to be entertained and as a Spurs fan I wouldn’t except long term boring football but sometimes you just need to fight yourself out of a rut and make no mistake that’s what we’re in. One victory doesn’t mean all is rosy in the Tottenham garden but it should result in shoots of recovery showing. Stick to what we did well against Blackburn, add to that home advantage and we should be golden. There are rumours Bale could return (although unlikely) which could be spectacular if played correctly. Imagine a midfield of Lennon, vdV, Palacios/Jenas, Bale. vdV could slip into Modric’s role while he’s injured very nicely, especially at white hart lane. If he’s not back then so be it, play the same team as Wednesday with the exception of Dawson returning from his suspension.

It must be 4-4-2 and after their performance on Wednesday I have no problem keeping the same midfield although I’d still like to see Lennon back on the right and vdV on the left. What we can’t do is revert back to type and play 4-4-1-1. All these formations we’ve played that have seemed alien to the players have been to try and fit vdV into his favoured position behind a striker. Wednesday showed he has no problem playing out wide, or at least starting out wide and joining play making it a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2 when we’ve got the ball. Being a home game we should be able to get our midfield closer to the strikers too than we did on Wednesday so we could really hem them in, which is what we’ll need to do to stop Kevin Davies from scoring.

I suggested last summer that we signed him. Not only because I thought he’d be good for the team but also because it’s probably the only way we could guarantee him not scoring against us. He’s a pesky little so and so, throwing his elbows around, holding up the ball and bringing midfielders into the game but when you think of that type of striker there aren’t many better in the premier league. Without playing against us his goals to games ratio would be even worse than it already is but as he showed in the game at the Reebok for some reason we struggle to deal with him and when he’s on form he’s nearly impossible to stop.

That being said I think we may have turned a little corner. We haven’t got round it completely and we’re still on the apex of the bend if you like but with our home record being what it is, following on from a good win midweek I think we’ll continue to put the pressure on those above us. The next few weeks we’ve got a real chance of doing just that too. Chelsea and City have both got to play United and with Chelsea playing a resurgent Liverpool side on Sunday we could find ourselves level on points with them again if we can win.

I’ll reiterate my point about winning. That’s what it’s all about. Nothing more, nothing less. Last season we needed to beat Bolton at home and managed it thanks to a THud missile into the top corner which led to the meeting in Manchester. This season is no different. We didn’t play particularly well then and we don’t need to now, just get those 3 points. No excuses. Who cares if the referee’s Mark Clattenburg, he owes us one after the Old Trafford fiasco anyway. Bolton will come out firing, hoping to catch us cold. Owen Coyle (a possible future Spurs boss perhaps?) will be telling his players if they can get the first goal the fans will become restless and the players nervous but that shouldn’t be the case. In fact, the pressure’s off the team really now. No-one expects us to get into the top 4 again this season so we should be playing with freedom and conviction.

Like Wednesday, it’s easy. Pick the right team, play the right formation and play to win. If we do that the 3 points will be ours. If we mess around again Bolton have the players to hurt us where it counts.

My Prediction: Spurs 2 – 0 Bolton Defoe to bag a brace.

COYS

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