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The End Is Nigh

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So here we go. Hold tight on the upper deck.

Hands up who can name two or more players from the Swansea side that we played yesterday? Three or more? Four or mo… oh look if you still have your hand up you’re either on a wind up or your on the playing staff at The Liberty.

So am I saying that they wanted it more? Am I saying that we screwed up? No, I’m making the point to that we need to focus on what we actually saw there and not dumb down our analysis to just whether we were were pants or not.

Swansea were excellent. They defended convincingly in number and to be frank their attempts on goal frequently had us looking like we were up against a marauding European outfit. Ball on the floor, wave upon wave of attacking football.

So beyond marveling at the discovery of the finest team the world has ever seen, where did we go wrong?

Well, we didn’t have much possession. And without the ball we only appeared to have Sandro who stood half a chance of winning it back. PNB is beginning to look pooped and what looked like a twisted knee might just be great opportunity to rest him up for a game or two.

On that whole ‘winning the ball back’ business, Bale and Modric do a good impression of two people waiting for their butler go fetch it for them. Modric tracks back, but it’s rare to see either putting their shoe in.

The substitution of van der Vaart revealed we had nothing creative enough left on the pitch to threaten them with. The removal of PNB revealed we will be horribly vulnerable without him. Any sparks that might have flown from us were extinguished there and then.

Livermore and Walker? Walker I’ll persevere with as there is only Charlie to replace him and he’s better than that. But when is young Kyle going to get some proper  instruction from one of our illustrious coaches?

Livermore can go back to the reserves and pay off his outstanding dues. After some promising performances I’ve come to the conclusion he’s a pretender. Not a con man, rather he’s mastered looking the part but he’s a long way off from being the required standard. Swagger, sadly little substance. 

I see in a few places Friedel getting some stick. THFC want to make that Arry quote, ‘People want goalies that don’t make mistakes – and they don’t exist’  made into a bumper sticker and include as the crappy ‘free’ gift with next season’s membership pack.

For those genuinely seething of course there is I suppose always  the option of having a butchers at the league table and taking a deep breath.

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106 comments

  • Harry Hotspur says:

    The Yachtsman has some sage words (c/f)

    I was called away just before our goal was scored, and did not see the second half (on Fox). Which makes me more of a bystander than a spectator.

    Still, here is my take on the game and the PL.

    (1) If Manure can lose at home to the once bottom club, and Cheatski go down at home as well, our drawing away to a good club with a superior home record is no disgrace.

    (2) To crucify Friedel for his error, one of a number made by his team mates, is unfair. Swansea deserved that goal. They played consistently well, consistently to a high standard.

    (3) It’s a good thing that the Manures and Cheatskis and other so called “top clubs” can be beaten or held to a draw, because it’s a sign that the quality of play in the PL is improving at clubs all the way down the table, i.e. we are moving away from a La Liga template of just a few clubs consistently dominating to a more open, a more interesting set up with more and more clubs challenging.

    Wouldn’t that be something, to have a dozen or so teams in the thick of the fight in March. Wouldn’t it strike a chord to have the Tsars and the Sheikhs, the Yanks and the Indians, and our own Brit. owners, competing on the same level.

    I’m getting carried away. Someone used this word a while ago, so I’ll use it again. It is chimerical, perhaps, to imagine such a development.

    Yet I welcome it.

    • nipper says:

      Good one, I agree. Swansea played nice on-the-floor football and deserved their point. Spurs looked tired, and probably were…the Xmas/N.Year fixture list is daft, but still overall a good festive season for the Lillywhites…..

  • bankokspur says:

    We where so flat footed and lethargic, players running each other or just standing still. That was the worst team performance this season.

  • abe says:

    Lets the give the players a break. A high tension game against Chelsea, and then 2 away games, both with longish travel distances. It does perhaps show we do need more strength, but hey we did not lose – and I watched Swansea to the same thing to man utd.

  • Laity says:

    To crucify Friedel for a single error is indeed harsh.. but its not just a single error.. I’m not denying that we’ve looked better defensively this season, but I’m not just gonna put it all down to him.. Gomes, to me, is a far better ‘keeper.. yes, he makes some inexcusable mistakes, but he also saves 9 out of 10 shots that no other ‘keeper in the world would make.. United suffered yesterday because DeGea was terrible coming for the ball at corners.. when was the last time you saw Brad move off his line for a ball being knocked in from a set-play? He just doesn’t do it! Nor does he feel he should challenge for 50/50 balls.. as we saw so blatantly with Swansea’s goal.. I really think his inadequacies have been masked by the generally good performances of the outfield players this season..

    • melcyid says:

      hear hear. Fried eels is ok but got lucky as our defence has improved. If Gomes had let in 8 goals in the first 2 games we never would have heard the end of it.Ive never seen so many impossible world class saves from 1 goalkeeper so consistently.I watched Big Pat for years and he was fantastic but not always,Gomes for me is unbelievable, dont you remember it was him that kept us out the uefa cup when we pummeled PSV.stick with the octopus he could serve us for years. I would hate to see him go in this window.

      • Laity says:

        I know its only speculation, and could never be guaranteed.. but I genuinely believe that had Gomes been in goal for those first two games then we’d have only conceded 3 at most instead of 8.. the commentators and fans all said that Brad was blameless for the majority because the shots were placed where he stood no chance.. personally, I think he was stood in the exact place to give himself no chance.. its much easier to hit a stationary target.. n its much easier to aim around one too..

        • essexian76 says:

          It’s taken over three months for this issue to raise it’s head,because Friedel made an error! How many errors would Gomes have made in the same period? in fact how many did he make in the final 3 months of last season? and would we be in 3rd place? not a chance!

        • toddspur says:

          joking…………….right? :whistle:

        • Hartley says:

          And Gomes fills the whole defence with confidence too….. :shifty: FFS

        • essexian76 says:

          I think we need a new keeper full stop. We should be looking at a young/ish keeper now, not when the crap and the fan become one!

      • SpurredoninDublin says:

        Agree with you Melcyid. Apart from his proneness to the odd blooper, Gomes is a fantastic keeper. Both Cudicini and Brad will be gone soon, if Gomes goes first, we are likely to spend years with Neil Sullivan clones.

        Getting rid of Gomes is short sighted.

        • SpurredoninDublin says:

          Just to clarify, I am not saying replace Brad. I am saying don’t let Gomes go because we will need him when Brad goes.

  • BartSpur says:

    I can’t believe that Harry won’t make changes. Rodgers made 6 changes for Swansea. Spurs were a tired lot & why wouldn’t they be. With all the games they’ve played without any rest. If Swansea can bring in 6 fresh players why can’t we?
    What’s the use of having a “Great Squad” if you don’t use them? It’s easy to say we didn’t play well, but how much better would we have been with a few fresh legs?

    • Jos says:

      I agree totally . It’s Harry’s fault . Defoe , Krancjar , even Townsend could have played & we would still have too much quality for Swansea . Instead we have a exhausted looking midfield that don’t defend nor attack well last night

    • toddspur says:

      those harping on about Rodgers having the courage to make 6 changes need to understand that;

      1. Caulker couldnt play (he belongs to us remember)
      2. Gary Monk was returning from injury and replaced him.
      3. Rangel was carrying a knock so didnt start
      4. Augustein and Gower rotate regularly
      5. Neil Taylor returned from a knee injury (their first choice LB)

      So by doing my homework you could actually say he only changed one or two positions and forgive me for also pointing out that up until he made substitutions they were 1-0 down.

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