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…
How were we expecting relegation. Yes what was it two points from eight games repeated at least 100 times that season. BUt the season before we won the league cup, the season before 5th, the season before 5th, the season before 7th. So where we are is where we at least expect to be in view of the transfer fees we have paid. Let us not over inflate Redknapps acheivements, they only look great when compared to the post league cup Ramos era which was mediocre.
I said on this site a week os so ago that we could put our Italian and Spanish phrasebooks away and start looking for cheap digs in Estonia, Lativa, Turkey etc…as the Europey League beckons. Looks like my usual hopeless optimism has got the better of me again…I think the term to apply for next years journeys is “staycation”. Liverpool are the form team at the moment ….
Harry doesn’t have a plan – I’m sure Levy would back him if he had one, but as usual the market trader in Harry doesn’t allow him to see past the next second rate ‘bargain’. Charlie Adam my arse!
1991 ? Mug i’m in the hummell kit, clive and 49 goals, diamond lights graham brickwall roberts perryman, hughton those were the days my friend we thought they would never end..hoddle off to monaco, pleat trousers down ..madness blow up dolls in the dug out….not sure where i’m going with this other than why the fork cannot we beat wolves and west brom when we tear apart AC Milan there my friends is the answer we play in a super league
hummel was the don mate, my dad was trying to squeeze me into a spall forfar athletic kit at the time, ask no questions tell no lies! we do play in arguably the best league in the world, well theres no argument but i can’t help feel its dwindling to another lets get gio back and play him in the europa league season next year when city spend more money, we’re not out of it yet i’ll never give up hope but if we don’t make cl this and certainly next how do we get back to what has to be one of the best seasons we’ve had in decades, we need some winners on the pitch, we can’t seem to put away the smaller teams and no i’m not suggesting neville but we need to break the wage structure, not massively, but someone who knows how to win to keep us up there i’d take drogba, i’d even take berbs back but i don’t particularly like either i don’t know klose?klinsmann any german, god i am getin desperate, we need 1/2 genius signings and we’ll still be up there but who?
A good article Harry and yes these issues have had me thinking too-regarding Harry Redscnapps.
I was aching to see the mind games during the lead up to the Real Madrid match and which manager would “out smart” tactically and psychologically.
It was NO surprise to see the usual 4-5-1 at the kick off; I don’t blame Harry for this because it is his best team and (I suppose) posed our best chance. Problem was Mouriniho knew it to. (We went on to play 4-4-2 in our next game and I thought we looked a lot better, could we have done this against Madrid…at least Mouriniho would not have expected it, or had thought about its counter tactic for long enough.
If you rely on “one” soul striker up front he cannot, I mean cannot get sent off. It is elementary you STAY on YOUR FEET, just ask Ray Wilkins, did Harry and the coaching team place enough emphasis on this obvious weakness and “ENSURE” Crouchie was aware and not to under pain of death lunge in and get cards..
I’m pretty sure Real Madrid were and targeted him, their players even “winking” acknowledging it was discussed and planned.
Game set and match, we were obvious and predicable, our weakness was easily exposed.
Plan “B” then…Damage limitation, he sends on Defoe? Harry said in his aftermatch interview he thought the “Little fella may get a chance and bag one in” The real result of putting on Defoe was to ensure less possession of the ball and we conceded, effectively finishing us in one night!
Harry has done a great job and I thank him dearly and would never want him to leave, but has Harry taken us to the horizon of his experience and ability, I would say yes, but is Tottenham as a club at the moment likely to do better with anyone else, I would say NO.
We are doing nicely as we are thanks!!
too true, ‘arry has made a rod for his own back by doing so well last season and in this season’s champions league
how exactly is he going to improve on that with virtually the same players?
A little bird told me ‘arry was expecting a top class forward & centre half in the transfer window, maybe if they had materialised we wouldn’t be having this debate
Do any of you think HR is distracted by the upcomming court case and the England job?
Saturday we looked like a team in dissaray and what about these extra coaches like Sherwood and Ferdinand. Is HR running a football club or a coaching school?
I just think there is too many distractions and not enough focus on the team and where we are going.