Good morning sports fans.
I feel I’m owed about 27 goals from these occasionally shiftless chancers and shall be having one of those more than 2.5 goal bets. This is probably about 5/2 and in event of it coming in I can then begrudge having to shell out so much to see a return and in the event of it not happening it will inspire unchecked anger.
There isn’t too much to say in advance of a fixture that we ought to win handsomely for so many reasons. J**** was in The Evening Standard with a piece to me that smacked of blow softening.
He reveals that we’ve not done well against rubbish clubs, that if you are involved in the Europa Cup you play on Thursdays and Sundays and that we haven’t won at Anfield since 1993. He’s like a crappiest Magic 8 Ball ever. But then at this stage in the proceedings the rehearsed speeches explaining failure are written, simply being fine tuned, eh?
So armed with this gems how will our intrepid contestants fare in this week’s Crystal Maze? Blackpool having nothing to lose. Nothing. There may be talk of abandoned fairy tales, there may be comparisons made with ‘wounded beasts’. I want a win and a convincing one. Blackpool are rubbish and that’s not our problem.
Part of me wishes I wasn’t backing a goal-fest, but was in on the big scam. A crack at the old ‘irregular betting’ one with Holloway taking all 3 points at 10/1. The one where the ‘Seasiders’ throw their buts and spades up in the air at full time. The one were we swerve the Europa and we concentrate on winning a domestic pot and 4th spot next time around.
BIOYBC!
As ever Finn talks sense.
Some of you lot need a reality check.
Whatever Arry has done anywhere else no-one can dispute his contribution to Spurs. He might have achieved more but the fact is he has done better that any manager since TV and our football has often been a joy to watch. And if any of you think Daniel Levy is so stupid he would let any manager interfere with the financial structure of the club you really are not paying attention.
That does not mean Arry and Danny don’t make mistakes. I don’t know whose fault it is we don’t have at least one decent and consistent striker but it has to lay somewhere between the two of them.
Tactically Arry is not the full shilling. Yet again we started with a 4-4-2 formation and Raffa supposedly playing on the right and Azza on the bench. We were pretty hopeless.
Then he brings on Azza we switch to 4-5-1 and Lennon almost immediately annihilates their left flank and creates a chance which Raffa knows he should have put away. Then it’s chance after chance till Bale is on the receiving end of Charlie Adam’s hospital style thuggery (he should be banned – there are no excuses for that). Then Crouch comes on and we are back to 4-4-2 and the old “hoof it to the tall guy ” style of Victorian football.
I do hope with what I have just said, I’m wrong. I do hope we a chairman and manager that can work together and sort out whatever the problem is.
We have so much promise, but we have fallen well short in the league, everyone can see that.
I’m not privvy to inside info at the club, I just go on what I see, hear, read, joy, frustation and guesswork.
Sorry I forgot to mention Danny Rose. He was very impressive and looks far more useful than Pienaar
Yesterdays game reminded me of the Ramos era.
Poor play all round. No fight. Poor decision making. Indicipline ala Lennons yellow card. This current run reminds me of the games after we won the carling cup.
Always supported Redknapp, but have my doubts now. Sometimes these runs become the status quo. The body lanquage from players and coaching staff does not bode well.
Wouldnt surprise me to see one of Bale or Modric sold, HR having a public spat with Levy then resigning.
Would i be bothered ? Not right now. Thanks for everything Harry. Dont let the door hit you on the way out.
Undoubtedly we should have signed someone at Christmas, we knew that we needed someone who could toe poke or bounce in off their knees the chances we have been creating. I think that Harry?Danny thought that at least one of the forwards would come good, probably not an unrtealistic assessment. That would be backed up by VdV, Bale, Lennon etc, picking up another 10 – 15 goals between them. A good eough fixture run to get into contention for 4th again. But the plan backfired.
We have created chance after chance, swamped teams’ penalty areas, dominated possession, but have not scored goals and those guys who did before Chistmas are starting to hang their heads with the frustration of creating so much but walking away with so little.
The style we play with puts so many players in and around the opposition box that they cannot operate they way they did last year. The difference? VdV. However he may have changed the way we play but I think its for the better and it has exposed the limitations of our forwards not created them as such. Nonetheless we have a class pen, stylish script but no nibs to fit it.
We need to find not just a class forward, but one who thrives on popping them in for 6 yards and preferably a back up. If we can come up with such a person the ship will right itself, VdV and Bale and Lennon will start to score again as the pressure on them reduces and we have Thudd, Modric and now Sandro all looking for the loose at 20 yards.
The difference between success and failure this year has been the lack of just one player, that’s all. Players have gone to Citeh and the Chavs as Harry has said for big money (wages), money that we’ve not been prepared to spend, now we’ve seen the cost of that, over to Daniel.
My feeling is that we will need to show the sort of ambition that will encourage our top 5-6 players to stay the course, but we are well capable of that.
A striker like Darren Bent maybe?
I dont know a striker that would like darren bent
In all seriousness, the introduction of VdV, whilst looking inspired to begin with, has shown itself to be bad for team morale, bad for the team ethic, and bad strategically (except maybe for the potential to sell him for twice the price be bought him for). Potential balance sheet gain rom a summer sale? £8 million? Champions League Qualification net gain? A whole lot more.
If VdV is in, two, three(inc. Keane) strikers missed out. Or, if two strikers played, a capable wing threat (Lennon), missed out.
VdV’s “quality” seems to demand his automatic inclusion. When he plays out wide, it’s not typically positive for us, with gaps on the flanks. He’s more suited to being an upfront player who doesn’t have to do much tackling/tracking back. Positioned on the wing he’s supposed to track back. And I mean, do more than trip someone up every now and then when we’ve been dispossessed. Tactically he’s caused more problems than solutions, so I absolutely cannot support any assertion that he has improved us.
VdV is a luxury. He has not improved us to any amazing degree.
Instead of having two firing strikers out of three, or four (all getting more regular outings), we’ve had none. Instead of having a confident Lennon, we have a Lennon who knows if Harry picks two upfront, VdV has his place. Think that won’t affect his confidence? Instead of giving Krancjar his regular opportunities to make an impact, he has little chance to, even when he does and effects a positive outcome – he doesn’t get another chance.
As I say, VdV is a luxury, an individual. Sometimes sublime, but I don’t think we need him to move forward – didn’t need him to begin with.
Our strikers may not be great, but I do believe they would have been greater than the sum of their individual parts with regular football – had VdV not showed up.
applause
Tony Pullis :whistle: