Archive for the ‘match review’ Category

Blame yourselves before blaming the team

September 22, 2010

Last night’s match was a disgrace! Not the least due to Harry’s team selection and our players’ fear of pushing the line forward, but by the fans.

Let’s cover each point.

Harry’s selection

Playing 3 defensive midfielders just didn’t make any sense. Naturally, we would end up sitting back and trying to defend. FULL STOP. What about attack? We all know Spurs are a more influential side when bombarding opponents on the attack. Why sit back and do nothing about it?

I did think that since we were playing so many defencive-minded players, we would at least contest every ball Arsenal touched. Not the case unfortunately.

Instead, we sat back and let a bunch of children – very talented ones mind you – dictate the pace and outcome of the match.

Horrible. Dispicable. Gag.

Fear

I don’t know if you could see it, but I honestly felt our players were afraid last night. Maybe it was the Arse fans corner, which was way louder than the rest of our support until Robbie Keane finally scored for us. More on that later.

Sandro was working his heart out last night. I still can’t believe he’s in his early 20s. He is a monster and hopefully will prove to be a brilliant signing in the near future. Sooner than later please.

Palacios had  a few brilliant tackles but that was it. What I cannot understand for the life of me was why Niko Kranjcar did not start the match! We needed attacking creativity but had none. Pav at some points was screaming and yelling at the other players begging for them to push the line forward. What can I say but he was left doing his best impersonation of “pointy-shouty-bloke”.

The fear. The fear ladies and gentlemen. I could see it. Our boys were worried about Arsenal’s deadly counter-attack. So many defenders and we couldn’t even break them? It goes to prove that we defend better as a team when we attack the living daylights out of our opponents. Please feel free to disagree with me in the comments section if I am dead wrong.

Sublime support

What a strange and eerie evening? Arsenal’s away support were lively and made sure that our players knew it. We were rarely singing until Robbie finally scored. What’s that all about?

The last two matches at the Lane have been the same. Wolves’ fans were loud and obnoxious, energizing their team to score the first. Same with Arsenal. Where are the thunderous lilywhite supporters when we most needed them? Heading for the exits, leaving myself and many other supporters cheering the team on regardless of the score. How sad? You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Honestly.

Booing is another issue. Some supporters don’t realize how much of an impact cheering players on can instantly change their form. Booing won’t solve anything. Cheering can and will, especially in this case, we would have shoved a bondage gag in the mouths of those annoying Arse fans.

Instead, when things didn’t go our way, many decided it was time to leave early and beat the traffic. So we gave up. Our players gave up. What does that do for team morale? What does that do for our younger players who played the full 120 minutes? What does that say about our support? Especially in front of those goons.

I went to bed bitter and woke up in worse shape. Not because of the loss. But because for once, I have realized that our support isn’t what it used to be. Could the top 4 and Champions League qualification cause us to lose our drive?

I want it to be what it used to be. Even if we have to finish 5th every season. The passionate support and belief is why I started supporting Spurs to begin with.

Disappointing stuff to deal with on a Wednesday.

No COYS for you!

Watch as they drop like flies

September 12, 2010

Captain Daws: OUT.

Fire Boots Defoe: OUT.

Hot Rod Moddy Modric: OUT.

The latter played his part in yesterday”s match by scoring a goal off a loose ball in the box. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t celebrate for long as the Gods of Irony struck once again. It seems that anyone associated with netting goals at Tottenham will fall to injury.

So a point from West Brom on their ground is “whatevers” in my mind. Disappointing. Anti-climactic. Poo poo! I’m not worried as much about dropping points (yet) but I am more concerned with the fact that we have players dropping like flies. Maybe we should follow Liverpool and look to hire a more seasoned pro for our sports physio department.

Our first Champions League group fixture – away to Werder Bremen – is right around the corner. Who will be healthy? Who will be match fit? Who will play? So many questions on my mind which Harry will need answers for come Tuesday night. No more draws please. Let’s get a win under our belts.

Short and sweet. I’m out. COYS!

Ouch… that hurt!

August 29, 2010

So Wigan have somewhat redeemed themselves at the Lane and Roberto Martinez saves his job for another day or so. They were definitely not the pushovers most people thought they would be. God that Champions League hangover is nasty.

Their stand-in keeper, Ali Al-Habsi, was excellent and managed a “Joe Hart-esque” showing in front of our support. Could the goal-scoring issue rise again this season? We’ve had to depend on Bale (and his nose) quite a bit thus far.

So, no 9-1 score for the fans. Tottenham tend to fade like that. Worst of all, against a side that has conceded 10 goals in total. Maybe the international break is needed after all…

Goosebumps

August 27, 2010

When the players walked out onto the pitch, all I felt were goosebumps accompanied by the occasional shiver. What a brilliant night it was going to be! I could feel it. White flags graced with our cockerel waving in unison, almost communist in display.

Rain and a slippery pitch were in order for what would turn out to be our return to “glory, glory nights” at the Lane. Spurs were in control from the start and really never looked back. Peter Crouch nabbed a hat-trick using his head, physically and literally, and Defoe had a controversial “handball” which led to a goal (it didn’t matter, Spurs were going to win regardless). Bale put on another blistering display and had a hand (or foot) in every goal scored. Breathtaking stuff!

So our club is no longer part of the “underachievers” ranks. We’ve weathered the storm and molested Young Boys on our path to placing the Tottenham Hotspur name between the elite teams of Europe. How about that?

Making history will be no easy feat though. Barcelona and the Arse have walked away with the easier group fixtures, while we’ll have to face none other than the European champions, Inter Milan (who also completed the treble last season taking home the league, cup and Champions League titles), Dutch champions FC Twente, and German powerhouse Werder Bremen. Wow! This is one rude welcoming party!

Congratulations to the squad and Harry Redknapp on this achievement. Nobody can doubt Tottenham’s desire to play amongst the elite. Nobody can doubt Harry’s ability to bring out the best in our squad. Right man for the right job at the right time.

Goosebumps again.

Mid-week babbling… Swiss boys coming over to play

August 24, 2010

3 points away to Stoke is definitely money in the bank. A volatile Brittania Stadium is not the place Spurs would choose for a fixture considering the number of key players missing. We were finally able to deploy the 4-5-1 formation, 4-3-3 in attack, and I must say, we weren’t crappy at it either.

The red flag Harry needs to address is our tendency to drop off in the dying minutes of a match. There is a direct relationship between fatigue and decision-making on the pitch at Tottenham, something that truly worries me.

Gomes was shaky for the better part of the match, however, he did manage an epic save when he denied Tuncay’s deflected kick. Other than that, his performance was reminiscent of his earlier days at Tottenham.

History: please do not repeat yourself.

All in all, 3 points secured and we were able to pull it off with so many key players missing.

Wednesday will see the Young Boys come to Tottenham. All that is needed to save face in the top flight of European football is one goal and a clean sheet. I expect nothing less than 2 goals from our squad to be perfectly honest. We’re back at the Lane playing on our beloved grass pitch so there will be no excuses tolerated this time around. We are fortunate to have made a comeback of sorts, and now we need that resilient character to move forward.

Young Boys obviously have the capability of disgracing strong opponents at their respective home fields. Turkish side, Fenerbahce, found out the hard way and I don’t intend on the children from Switzerland having that success story twice at our expense. Eat them alive at the Lane you Spurs!

One last point: I appreciate Billy-boy Gallas’ “Spurs can win the Premier League” comments, but easy there with brown-nosing the fans. I for one, along with my hemorrhoids, can’t handle it.

COYS!

Man of the match: Redknapp

August 18, 2010

Young Boys weren’t the little pimple-faced children I thought they would be. Turns out, they command their home field quite well. How well? A 3-1 lead at the half. That’s how Young Boys do apparently. So why didn’t anyone tell our boys? They were headless chickens, running with no where to go, lost and not coming to terms with the astro-turf.

Scoring their first at the 4-minute mark, you could tell that Young Boys were muscling their way in. They were all over the ball and our players balls. Dirty dancing in Switzerland. The second came at the 13th and the third at the 29th minute mark. What? Nobody told me this was remotely possible. I could do without these surprises when watching Spurs.

So three goals down with our full backs on the wrong side of everything. Mr. Redknapp was having none of it. BAE was somewhat poor, yellow-carded at the 4-minute mark (same time they scored their 1st), and ‘Arry wanted him off. Huddlestone was brought in and Bale shifted to left-back. Next thing you know, Bassong scores a brilliant header off of a corner at the 42nd minute. At this point, I didn’t know whether to celebrate or remain praying. Okay, I celebrated. Hard! It was the perfect time for a goal.

The match official whistled to end the half, prompting me to sit back down to try and calm my nerves. A cup of tea was summoned, delivered and eliminated in a few swigs.

The second half was a different match altogether. Spurs began controlling the match with the pass, managing to hold the ball for longer periods and minimizing the counter attack. Huddlestone was brilliant in his control of the midfield. Modric was later subbed and Niko Kranjcar was called for duty. And this is where Spurs began to operate at their very best: the touch & go passing game, controlled build-up and attack. Young Boys managed to have a few good looks at goal; some sloppy defending by Spurs and horrible back-passes (Palacios) to our keeper could have ended our hopes, but luckily nothing was to come of their attempts.

In the 83rd, Roman Pavyluchenko pulled one out of the hat and nailed a cracker of a goal in a tight top-right corner strike. It was a narrow opening, symbolic of the chances we had on the evening. Super Pav, Super Pav, Super Pav. Roman frustrates me then amazes me at times. He holds the ball well, but his attempts at goal are sometimes lazy in nature. Then the Russian comes up with a goal like this and you begin to love him all over again. What to do with this boy?

Harry Redknapp probably tore into the players at the half. Most importantly, he made them realize that we weren’t playing football this evening. It was monkey-in-the-middle. His tactics and substitutions were spot on and it shows that this isn’t the Redknapp of last year. He knows this squad inside out. Every move he makes will have a different outcome, and this my friends is why we should be thankful that our squad hasn’t changed drastically overnight. Continuity could have possibly saved us tonight. Let’s hope it does the same against Stoke on Saturday.

3-2 in Switzerland. I’ll take that scoreline back to the Lane. COYS!

Man Pity and off to mess with some Young Boys

August 17, 2010

Anti-climactic or brilliant? City were dominated, no question about it. But who were the real winners of the debut match of the season? Tottenham with a delicious display of football, or City securing a point from a very tough away fixture?

True, we may have not secured three points, but our display was enough to scare other teams straight. Vicious attacking football in the first half saw Tottenham dictate the game, keeping City on the back foot. Joe Hart should be offered oral pleasures from all his teammates after such a performance.

I honestly can say that once we missed so many opportunities, I could not see Spurs scoring on the day. It’s just something I have become used to unfortunately. Can you blame me? I don’t think our lack of scoring will be necessarily haunting us like last year. Joe Hart was simply brilliant, blocking some guaranteed goals and saving face for the Man City owners. Poor Shay Given.

It’s still a long grueling season with Champions League on our plates and Europa on theirs. Regardless of how many points were awarded, I was quite proud of the squad.

And tomorrow history is made. Tottenham face off against Swiss-side Young Boys in an away fixture which will be tough. The fact that the players will have to adjust to the turf is already a bit of a gamble, inclusive of potential injuries due to the synthetic grass material. What will come of it? I don’t know, but I do know that I am more confident than ever after watching how we kicked off the season.

Come on you Spurs! Put this match to rest and let’s host an away fixture at the Lane where we strut our own “young boys” on the pitch.

Quite the confident bastard, aren’t I?

Gloat, gloat, gloat your boat…

May 6, 2010

A tale of two coaches searching for victory. A tale of two squads under the floodlights dreaming of the much coveted 4th spot. One team would leave singing and dancing under the aura of glory, and what do you know: that team would be Tottenham Hotspur. Finally in the Champions League. No lasagna to stand in our way. What a way to end the season!

I must say that it has been a long road. Grueling and bumpy at times; glorious and buttery smooth during others. Harry Redknapp can officially claim that he has influenced one of the most unlikely outcomes of the season. Tottenham Hotspur has claimed 4th, in a season when qualifying for Europa was the aim. Did we underestimate our potential?

No. That is definitely not the case. The start of the season saw the boys score consecutive victories over the likes of Liverpool who were clear favorites for the title. Our start to the season sent out a clear message: we will not be harassed or bullied. This wasn’t the Tottenham of the previous season, desperately looking for solid ground while dealing with a severe case of vertigo. This was a new (predominantly fielding the same squad) Tottenham having finally established a solid foundation. A team with a clear vision and strategy of how it wants to move forward. To be honest, that is all I could have asked for going into the season.

But I was in for a surprise. Everyone was in for a surprise.

There really isn’t anything else for me to say. I just want to gloat. I want to relax. I want to bask in sweet success. And I’m sure you all want to do the same.

The Chelsea domination post

April 18, 2010

The Chelsea domination post. I wanted to write it last night. Instead, one image summed up my zany thoughts for the evening.

After last night’s superior performance, who can dare claim that Spurs are not 4th place contenders? Tottenham have thrown the league into crazed shambles. The throne is up for grabs with Chelsea and United now left to fight for their lives. On top of that, Wenger has admitted that it will be extremely difficult for the Arse to have a shot at claiming the championship. All thanks to our beloved Spurs.

Harry and his staff are to be applauded for this past week’s achievements. The unit was so tight last night that any attempt by Chelsea at goal was met with a lilywhite body. All of my qualms with Modric playing in the midfield next to Hudd or Palacios are quickly fading. He seems to be gaining confidence in this role, whether it be defence or offence… to the point that I feel terrible for ever doubting him in the first place.

Gomes once again put in a stellar shift. RELIABLE. ROCK SOLID. Two very similar goals were conceded in as many matches, but they were due to pure flakiness on our part. The successive scores of 2-1 do not realistically depict the spanking Spurs awarded their opponents. S&M bondage style.

So many players and endless moments from last night to praise. Chelsea were left to ponder “what could have been”, leaving the Lane with their captain red-carded and their egos deflated. What more could any supporter ask for?

United worry me since we have to play them next week when they are clearly challenging for the title, but I’m not being negative here. Expecting to take full points from our Arse and Chelsea fixtures was a long shot to begin with. But we did it with such pizzaz, oozing confidence and class. United will be a different fight altogether. We need the rest but I’m left wondering if our intensity levels will drop off. Who knows anymore!

For such a dazzling day at the office, this post is extremely short. There isn’t much for me to say other than the whole squad was brilliant last night. Even Crouch. We’re back in 4th and the fat lady is singing in full harmony.

COYS!

I love you too Bale, Bale, Bale!

April 17, 2010

Too exhausted to post anything tonight! The picture says it all my friends. Chelsea domination post to follow up soon…

COYS!!!!!!


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