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Highlights: The One Trick Pony Edition

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Good afternoon.

Good being comparative of course to the unmitigated migraine that was not only this morning but indeed also the bulk of yesterday. Imagine being trapped in a confined space with Ainsley Harriot for an indeterminate length of time. That’s my joy trying to apply reason to why this blog won’t work like what it oughtta.

So a win against a bunch of Premier League bottom feeders. Just as well. I don’t know if I could have coped with another backlash quite so soon. The terrain of the online football junkie is littered with characters from a 1970’s sicom. “Everybody out!”

Well brothers and sisters the boy done good. And that is my thought for the day. All good evangelists have one I am told.

Van der Vaart is a one trick pony. You field him and he plays to win. He plays to score. The man is a delight. Sometimes the old legs are weaker than the heart, but by Jiggins his heart was forged to not just to fight but flourish in the face of his foe.

The tactical talents of Mr Redschnapps have been called into question and maybe it’s an over simplistic solution to this is for VdV and Modders to be played in their favoured positions and build all else around them.

I warmly recall lengthy chats with an old pal of mine, Dave [a security guard] and I [a man permanently on his way somewhere else] in the cultural experience that is the Stillorgan Shopping Centre .

Dave is one the best. A Manchester United fan, bless him, but one blessed with a phenominal footballing knowledge and more vitally a  understanding of football. Frequently we’d chew the fat over one game or another. The memory that makes me smile as I type is he and I almost taking it in turns to routinely deliver the punchline, ‘its a simple game – for example – you and I  understand it, perfectly.’

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133 comments

  • nick the greek says:

    Great stuff, we would have lost this game a year ago :winke:

  • Billy Fiore says:

    Don’t you think VDV owes it to Harry to get fully fit?

    • Harry Hotspur says:

      I think Arry owes VdV a starting slot, goals win games not master plans.
      I’d have VdV wheeled on for 20 minutes. Score and then be helicoptered off than watch our ‘other options’ try awfully hard to no good bleedin’ purpose for 90 mins.

      Let’s go Dutch :angel:

  • Gilzeanwasgod says:

    Numero Uno!
    Simple indeed H: VDV or Defoe not both as I have been preaching here for some weeks now. If I were a PL defender (could have been – cruelly overlooked at under-11 level) I know which one I would rather face…

  • nicktheyid says:

    would have thought friedel would have had the decency to at least move towards the ball as it flew 18 inches to hisleft hand side ! good old robbo dived across the goal after the ball was in the net.

    • Astromesmo says:

      He was saving getting his kit dirty for when he tipped over the point-blank header from Samba.

    • Alspur says:

      If that was 18 inches, I’m John Holmes…

    • LosLorenzo says:

      The insinuation being that you’d rather have Robbo back!?!?

      Also, it was about 2,5 m.

    • Nicktheyid says:

      How ironic that so many are defending a 40 year old keeper who is past his prime. If Gomes had Ledley in front of him for 4 games on the spin he’d be no 1 and no I wouldn’t want robbo back but wasn’t the yank on motd 2 the other week saying he’d try to stop everything that he could?

      • Astromesmo says:

        wasn’t the yank on motd 2 the other week saying he’d try to stop everything that he could?

        The clue is in the quote – It’s like Catchphrase with TV’s own Roy Walker. The quote wasn’t “I’ll throw myself at everything, even if I know I have no chance to get it from having 20+ years experience as a top flight goalkeeper… Just so that I can keep Nicktheyid happy”.

        I take your point on Gomes. I do genuinely feel sorry for him but he’s not been the one with King in front of him and probably never will be. However, last time I saw, the transfer of Gomes to Tottenham wasn’t dependant on King playing. At least I don’t think it would have formed part of his contract. Gomes has to be able to play behind whoever is there and he was found a little wanting at times in that department last season.

        I still think he’s the long term solution to our goalkeeping position but he has to just get on with winning his place back. The performance against the Russians the other day was a start & over a potentially 60 game season, he’ll get plenty of chances.

        In the meantime, Friedel is the man with the gloves, so how about getting behind him.

      • LosLorenzo says:

        Where’s the irony? I think maybe you need to look that one up, pal.

        Yes, Brad “Geriatric” Friedel is old. Yes, Gomes is potentially a great keeper. I have defended the Brazilian on many occasions, and wasn’t criticising him now.

        Nobody would have stopped that shot, unless they were wildly out of position and happened to be standing so that Formica’s shot hit them in the face. Brad was stading where he was supposed to be.

      • UnkleKev says:

        How old was Dino Zoff when he captained Italy to World Cup glory in 1982? How old was Peter Shilton when he won his record-breaking 125th cap for England?

        I don’t care if Friedel is 40 or 400, I’ve seen nothing so far this season to suggest that he is anything other than a top-class shot stopper.

  • dancingbarber says:

    I have said before that VDV is the best goalscorer in the league. Both of his goals were ‘one touch’ affairs Defoe would have needed two touches and probably have lost the chances.

    It was nice of him also to give some credit to the defence for the victory. I have a deal of sympathy for Bassong who plays his best knowing that Harry would rather play anyone rather than him. Must do wonders for his confidence.

    As Harry says ’16 points from the last 6 games’ can’t be bad. In fact it’s almost ‘triffic!

    Wonder when Ade will score again ?

    • devonshirespur says:

      Less of the Defoe knocking.

      He has performed well for us this season and has 3 goals in 6 games.

      VDV and Defoe have different qualities and both need to be utilised through the campaign.

      As for Ade, he held the ball up to set walker free down the right for goal 1. he also won back the ball and played in Ekotto for goal 2.

      Look beyond the goal/assists stats. Ade played his part despite not scoring/assisting.

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