I’m not alone in always having loved the eclectic mix of contributors to this blog. I am after all merely the the first bloke to daub its walls. The best stuff for me has always lay beneath the line.
The last result of the fearless Tottinghams reheated a few chestnuts that if real, the vendor really ought have binned ’em long before then.
SpurredoninDublin raised some very, very good points in some of his recent comments and this is an exercise in debate rather than attempt to brainwash those unconvinced. And so a not inconsiderable ‘thank you’ for this evening’s sermon.
So has Arry run his course? Can you, yes you my highly distinguished reader actually separate the manager’s failings from the player’s with a cigarette paper?
What I’ve done is C&P a few extracts, added my own thoughts to form a conversation of sorts that some of you might like to add to. No wrongs or rights, just talking…
SpurredoninDublin: Defoe is beginning to make Keane look good, and Pav after three years, has still never been given a run in the team. The January window didn’t produce any improvements, which when you look at the prices that were being paid, was hardly surprising. Look at the England Squad. When players like Nolan can get a game, then you know how poor the quality of strikers are in general.
HH : Do we then sack everyone and ship in at least 2 superstars? Because we simply cannot/will not pay the wages.
SpurredoninDublin: If you then look at our resource base, 12th largest ground in the 4 divisions, and there are approximately 100 teams in Europe that have bigger grounds than ours. Two of the clubs above us at present have “money no object sugar daddies”, and we have the smallest ground of the top seven in the league based on today’s table.
HH: One issue then appears to be we have bought cheap and therefore need to buy twice…
SpurredoninDublin: The injuries to the defenders (and an adequate explanation for Gomes), six different CB’s, three different RB’s and the only one that has remained more or less injury free, tears his hamstring in the game following the best performance by a LB that we have seen in years.
The injuries to the defenders (and an adequate explanation for Gomes), six different CB’s, three different RB’s and the only one that has remained more or less injury free, tears his hamstring in the game following the best performance by a LB that we have seen in years.
HH: I firmly believe that there is not a good goal keeper anywhere in the world stood behind a conveyor belt of defenders.
SpurredoninDublin:The manager: It’s amazing how many of us claim to know his mind. Unfortunately I lack that talent so all I will say, was that when he took over, most of us were expecting relegation. If you had told us when he took over, that we were going to 8th 4th and then 5th or 6th, we would have asked who your dealer was, because that is some powerful sh*t you must be consuming.
HH: I think the stat’s speak for themselves, but many of our fans speak for their expectations.
SpurredoninDublin:I am not happy with where we are at the moment, but on paper we are middleweights fighting super-heavies in terms of resources. Since the star of the PL, only one team smaller than us has won the PL, and they had a sugar daddy.
So this week, the villain was HR, a few days ago, it was Gomes, and before that Crouch. Next week it will probably be someone else. A few weeks ago, it was DL for not buying anyone, unless of course you are on the HR haters, in which case it was HR’s fault for not telling DL who to buy.
HH: ‘Everybody Or At Least Somebody Out!’ Syndrome.
SpurredoninDublin:There is nothing wrong with having high expectations, but these should be tempered with a reality check which says that on paper, we might occasionally win a cup, and every couple of years qualify for the EL, and maybe make the last eight now and again. Anything other than that should not be expected as a right.
In most previous years, the “Sky 4? had more or less guaranteed their places in the CL by Mid-March, but the last couple of seasons, we have competed all the way.
So there’s the start point. From what I hope two pretty decent perspectives.
Talk to me…
i do get confused by the anger of a lot of the spurs fans on this and many other sites,i still think 4th spot is a possibility and if we get it we will be punching above our weight for the reasons highlighted by SpurredoninDublin,i might be seen as a happy moron,but thats ok
how about in the alternative – that we’ve been punching below our weight for so long?
we’ve very little chance of 4th now, too many draws and poor goal difference
spot on mate,u’ve hit the nail!!! Our club has been punching BELOW our weight for so long now that our supporters dont expect too much the majority seem to b happy with a top half finish n the odd cup run every 10 years! I mean the sight of the team being APPLAUDED off after losing the two legs to a DECENT but not GREAT Madrid 5-0 made me cringe!!!
HH, i can’t agree with you on gomes
when his head ain’t right he’s a joke but when he’s on his game he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.
solution – get his head right again, tony parkes worked miracles with him before – is he still coaching him?
I think the problem is Harry because he’s the captain of the ship. Now, I’m going to write something that people will knock me now but at the end of NEXT season, they will realize it’s the truth. Harry is not ambitious, we will finish 6th or worse next season also. He has already admitted to it. He say MAn U, Man C, Chelsea, Arsenal & Liverpool will be challenging next year. He says he doesn’t understand why people expect us to finish in the top 4. NO MANAGER IN THE LEAGUE SAYS THAT. Harry is great but, he’s not ambitious. And, it filters down to the players. They think it’s not a terrible thing to lose or draw to West Brom, Wigan, West Ham, Wolves and Blackpool. daws even echoed Harry’s sentiments and called WBA’s equalizer a “wonder goal”.
You’re right regarding him saying that ManU, ManC, Chelski, Bindippers and Scum will all challenge for top four. You are wrong about Harry not being ambitious. He was talking up our title hopes this year until long after it had the ring of potential truth. And he’s said time and again (most recently within the last week or so) that he believes that Spurs have a title in them within the next few years.
Redknapp’s shortcomings are many, but lack of ambition is not one of them.
What a complete load of cobblers. You are not Harry’s best mate and have no idea what he thinks or feels so don’t try and tell us, especially as you want to try and portray a wild guess as the truth.
Every club has dropped points their supporters feel they shouldn’t have, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool all of them.
We have the best manager we have had for years and you want to knock him and change again. Utter stupidity. You will never be satisfied unless we have a “sugar daddy” spending millions, but under the new Fair Play Rules, that is not allowed so be grateful for what you have got, encourage and support instead of being so negative.
It’s going to be an issue when Cappello leaves and Harry takes the England job, which is one very good reason Levy is/was reluctant to open the purse strings last window. The problem will be who comes in and what will he given in terms of money or orders to sell?. The one good thing Harry’s introduced is an English backbone throughout the side and within the staff, but what other English managers are out there to fill the void?
I look at our players and the depth of our squad and wonder how we can take 1 point off West Ham, 2 off West Brom, 1 off Wigan and how we are only one of only 2 teams to have lost to Blackpool in 2011.
I am at a loss to explain these results and do not know whether to blame the players, the manager or both.
I do think some of HR decisions re our line-up and formation have been strange, but I cannot see anyone better out there who would be willing to replace him.
I think the really frustrating thing is that this has been a weak PL and we have missed a chance to be at the very top.
But that sentiment could be echoed by supporters of Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City.
Man U will win the league because they have managed to drop fewer points to crap teams than the rest of us rather than through them being outstanding.
amen
I’ll get my coat
its been nicked
Leave off, this isn’t perfect but it it isn’t Upton Park either!
One trend i noticed in regards to playing smaller teams is we always seem to get them just as they have hit a run of form.
So many times this season have i looked at the upcoming fixture against a so called smaller club and thought “they just beat/drew with (one of the better teams) and this could prove to be a tough game” or “The (insert lesser team here) manager has had a hard and unfair time, his team will play thier socks off”
Bolton, West Brom, West Ham, Wigan and Wolves all had various reasons outside of our control (Grant V’s the Board, Mcarthy V’s the rules Di’Matto V’s Boardom then Wroy V’s The World and Bolton long and rich run of form) to step up their game and try for all their worth to get something, anything from the game.
It’s also worth remembering that this has been one of the closest season ever with just 8 points between 5th and 18th at Christmas with everyone nicking or dropping points against everyone else (Except Man utd).