Where has Benny been all pre-season? The maverick has been so important to Tottenham in recent years that it comes somewhat as a shock that he now appears surplus to requirements at the Lane.
Andre Villas-Boas has favoured Danny Rose for much of the pre-season festivities and it would appear to be a switch that could well be maintained for the season itself. In footballing terms this may not be such a surprise, Benny is a defensive liability and clearly doesn’t cut it long term for the club, whereas Rose, who still suffers from the same brain-dead inadequacies, still has the potential to grow into a quality wing back.
Is this move prudent? You can count the number of world-class wingbacks on one hand and the question is whether Spurs can find a suitable improvement. The Coentrao deal has been widely sensationalised by fans, quick to forget how defensively inept the Portuguese defender actually is. I cannot help but think Assou-Ekotto still had something to offer Spurs, but it appears his time is nearly up for us.
What Benny says often should be taken with a pinch of salt, however his tweets during the Espanyol game appeared definitive:
Benny’s footballing abilities may soon be forgotten, but his reputation as a cult hero will live long in the memory. An honest maverick in a footballing world of hypocrisy, he was a breath of fresh air worth cherishing.
I doubt we will ever see someone quite like Benny again at Spurs, and for that reason I will be sad to see him leave.
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COYS
First off, I really like Bennie –
But, two things come to mind from last season that had me thinking that Bennie would leave.
First, Remember the first comments from the team about AVB? They pretty much all said that he runs the practices completely differently than Harry. Specifically, AVB believes in have the squad keeping match fit. My impression of Bennie is that he stays in good shape, but, he doesn’t want to eat and sleep soccer. – as an aside, I think that is why VDV left, and why Ade has had a tough time at the club.
Second, remember back around December, Bennie blurted a tweet about hating the coach? I felt at that point the hand writing was on the wall.