Spurs: We Will Score One More Than You

October 22, 2009 / Alan / 2 Comments

Sitting pretty in third without playing consistently well, the accepted view is that Spurs have developed the precious asset of being able to play below our ability and win, or at least not lose. Our last two games perfectly illustrate this. The emotional cocktail at the final whistle was a double shot of pleasure mixed with a dash of relief. Four points, yet we could have easily come away with none. Make that – last season, we would definitely have come away with none.

Play badly and win. Win ugly. Hard to beat. These are the off the shelf clichés that the lazy TV pundits habitually trot out to fill time but my question is, how do we know? Have Tottenham changed their ways or, dare I say it, have we been lucky? How can we tell?

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m enjoying this as much as any of you. We’re doing just fine, thank you. I’ve been banging on about our defensive frailties in, I hope, a constructive manner, and because I care. I want us to do better but right now we’re making good progress. I said top six at the start of the season, not top four and I’m certainly not a whinging Spur.

Maybe it’s me. Just sit back and enjoy it. But I have an inquisitive, questioning nature. I don’t necessarily accept things, things that matter I mean, at face value. And this everlasting passion matters more to me than anything except my family. So I dig a little deeper. I’m only reflecting on my own perceptions here because I’ve agreed with the received wisdom. Although people often brand me a cynic, I prefer to believe that I know what is truly meaningful. Passion is no ordinary word.

Let’s examine the evidence. In the last two games we have withstood sustained late pressure. Last season we surely would have caved in, the best example being the Blackburn game when, protecting a one-nil lead, Palacios was sent off, albeit harshly and we conceded twice. On Saturday we held out for 30 minutes with ten men. We also resisted well against Liverpool at the start of the season. Against Birmingham we picked ourselves up for Lennon to score the winner at the death in a match where arguably Birmingham deserved a point.

Or – against Birmingham we failed to convert our superiority into goals, let them back into the game, conceded a stupid goal through weak defending and won only because Carr fell over. Bolton had us on the ropes and we couldn’t cope with crosses. Pompey? Couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo, and that’s being harsh on banjos. Lucky lucky Tottenham.

Same events but different interpretations, many of which have been aired in the comments on this blog. There’s truth in both. One thing that strikes me is that we don’t look like other teams that ‘win ugly’. Off the top of my head, the old Liverpool team of the 80s or, dare I say it, the Arse in the ‘one-nil’ days, differed in the crucial aspect of limiting the chances that the opponents had to score. Playing them, it felt like you could hardly get near their goal, let alone score. Both these teams had great players but they were supremely well organised, set up to protect the goal at all costs.

Whatever you say about our Spurs, that description doesn’t fit. We defend better than we used to but we simply cannot shut up shop once we are ahead. Our asset is that we look more likely to score, therefore we are in a position where we have a lead to defend more often – we’ve scored in every game this season bar one. Also, we can add to that lead, scoring twice or more in all but two matches. Moreover we counter attack superbly at times, not only able therefore to score again but also teams cannot throw all of their resources into attack for fear of the gaps being exploited. We defended poorly at times against Pompey and Bolton but in both games we missed chances to score even more.

So the new model Spurs is different from the old, and that is a welcome and permanent development. It’s based less on improved defending, although as I say we are better, and more on goalscoring prowess. We make so many more chances than I can recall for years now, and we do so consistently. We lack the bloody-minded resilience of other teams that are typically called ‘hard to beat’ and ‘win ugly’, well, this team may be many things but ugly is not one of them.

I’m happy with where we are and my expectations are grounded, but here’s a thought to finish with. If we could develop that mental and physical resilience, how good might we be? Exciting, isn’t it.

Pompey v Spurs. Wouldn’t Have Happened Last Season

October 18, 2009October 18, 2009 / Alan / 19 Comments

Three points, some nice attacking football, a good game to watch and third in the table. Put it like that, not a bad Saturday afternoon, but in truth, we got away with it. Emotions at the finish were a mixture of pleasure and relief. Saved by a couple of comedy misses.

Like the Bolton game, our midfield did not shield the back four sufficiently and as a result it was too simple too often for Portsmouth to pierce the heart of our defence. The back four were stretched too easily in both matches. We have to sort this out if we are to remain so high in the league and it could have been different if Pompey had decided in the window to purchase strikers who could actually score from three yards. However, once ahead we looked composed and comfortable for extended periods, despite the efforts of hard working opponents, and we always look capable of creating chances. Down to ten men, we showed the organisation and resilience that will serve us well in the future. Wilson’s value, even off form as he is, was demonstrated in his positional play. Hud and JJ tend to drift back and then find a position, whereas when we lose the ball, Wilson assesses the situation quickly and dashes back straight into a gap.

Defoe was utterly stupid to get himself sent off. Doesn’t he realise Spurs will now lose our place in the top three of the Fair Play League? Where is his sense of responsibility? The Fair Play League is ridiculous – in the categories ‘Respect Towards Referee’ and ‘Behaviour of Officials’ Manchester United are among the highest points scorers – but JD gave Portsmouth the initiative at a crucial point in the match and it also sent a message ringing loud and clear around the Premier League that he can be wound up. He’s banned for three games and we need him. Watching as I was on a stream, he didn’t appear to be getting overwhelming stick from players or the crowd (I’d be interested to hear from people who were there), apart from Brown who was nipping at ankles and offering opponents the benefit of his footballing wisdom throughout, just like he did for us, bless him. Even if he were, surely he doesn’t care that much about Portsmouth. It can’t be any worse that what he hears at West Ham. However, playing on his mind was the court appearance of the person accused of killing his brother. Maybe his resolve was weakened.

Corluka and Lennon worked well together for the most part. Defensive protection on the flanks is about combination play, with the wide midfielder dropping back to cover his full back. Any opponent has to therefore get round the midfielder and then still has to face the defender. Lennon will never be a formidable defensive force but his increasing willingness to filter back helps out enormously, whilst his developing stamina ensures he can still be a counter attacking force deep into the game to relieve pressure on a weary defence, just as he did yesterday. Coming forward, Corluka constantly slipped him in, mostly with little sliders inside the desperate full back Ben Haim.

Harry saw that weakness and made certain it was exploited throughout the game. I suspect he felt the whole back four were cumbersome, hence his decision to partner Defoe with Keane as against Burnley, which surprised at kick off but yielded five goals. However, the game passed Keano by for the most part and Crouch was the right man to have on the pitch after the sending off.

Gomes was fantastic; the saves from the deflected free kick and the volley in the second half were outstanding. Also, he was solid enough on the crosses, with his punches gaining decent distance. Performances like these for a player where confidence is clearly an issue can be a turning point. He’s ready to become one of the top keepers in the League. In fact, we defended set pieces well for the most part, so another plus point there.

Another fine game from King. For someone who is so injured, his leap for the goal was remarkable and although he never appears to be sprinting, he is seldom outpaced. It is one of the great injustices of the contemporary game that King is not lauded as one of the finest centre halves of the modern era. Not only is he one of the best I have ever seen at Spurs, right up there alongside England and Gough, by now he should have had 60 or 70 England caps. All this fuss about Rio, Rio should be a reserve if Ledley were not injured. In this world of hyperbole and bombast, Ledley doesn’t fit in, hence the lack of media attention.Thank goodness – he just gets on with his job quietly, with dedication, a one club man so no transfer scandals, unassuming, determined, brilliant. A master – I love the man.

Nice of Harry to take that call for Kevin Bond. Judging by Bond’s expression, it was his wife ringing to say that the builder hadn’t arrived and could he stop at the garage for a pint of milk on the way home. See, they are just like the rest of us really….

There were mixed views about Bolton, as in the comments on my piece. A point won or more evidence of our lack of strength and inability to protect the defence? Four points from these two away games when in recent years we would have come away with none, so I’m not complaining too much. Yesterday our determination in defence when a man short showed resilience and for extended passages we held possession, another big problem for us in the past. Probably both perceptions have merit. We have made huge strides under Harry, and really, lest this blog gives the wrong impression, I’m delighted. Progress is tangible and creativity, leading to chances, is not a problem any longer. In other senses we remain a work in progress, with the defensive midfield standing between us and the Great Leap Forward.

Great Big Nothing

October 14, 2009October 14, 2009 / Alan / Leave a comment

Don’t waste your valuable time reading this. Really, there’s no punchline, not even a half baked joke or modestly amusing article. Feel free to let me know how much time you’ve wasted. You’ll never get it back, you know.

The news at Spurs is: nothing. England? Well, all power to them and good luck to Crouch and Lennon tonight but as I said in my piece on September 8^th, I can’t get into a lather about the international team, See, things are so slow, all I can reference is my blog. Rio? He’s not fit, that’s it.

Given that over the last few years the default position at the club has been somewhere between turmoil and crisis, you’d think that a bit of peace and quiet would suit, But this not so much an international break, more coitus interruptus with the same feelings of frustration and unfulfilled desire. We are playing some decent football and despite a few reservations there’s more success to come. I look forward to each and every match with the optimism of the irrevocably besotted, but right now there’s a thrilling sense of extra anticipation at each game, greater than I can recall for a long time now. Thrills aplenty await and I’m desperate to find out what happens, as well as being part of it. It’s times like this when all the time and money seems worth it. All on hold. Nothing to see here, move along now

There’s no opportunity for Harry to work on the defensive pairings and other teamwork that could help us retain our lofty league position. He’s on good form, as this quote from the Mail re the break shows: “’Unbelievable, innit?’ said ‘Arry with a shake of the head. ‘I’m going to play them one against one, two hours a day, until they’re f**ked!’ Time to clear the tumbleweed blowing across the Chigwell pitches.

Talking of central defenders, there’s more time for Woody and King to get fit, and it’s good news that Woody is at last training again, but it would be a huge mistake to rush him back. Daws must be itching for a game and I’d like to see him play on Saturday.

Ooh, hang on, something happened there! I could carry on by shoehorning references in to our players in the internationals. Looks like we don’t have to worry about summer injuries for our Croatian lads, eh? No, it’s no good. To the very few of you who bothered to reach the end, I salute you. Now go and find something more interesting to do. Me, I’m off for a bit of thumb-twiddling. You don’t want to be as bored as I am, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Spurs Bring Us Together in Good Times and Bad

October 9, 2009February 9, 2010 / Alan / 6 Comments

A version of this piece first appeared in My Eyes Have Seen The Glory

Chris Parker, loving husband, doting father, loyal friend, died this time last year. A few weeks before his sudden passing, family and close friends gathered in a secluded pub garden to celebrate the christening of his first child. Under a fierce sun, we basked in the warmth of his naïve delight in the virtues of fatherhood and friendship, a good natured young man marvelling at the discovery of family life as if he were an Elizabethan explorer returning from the New World with tales of strange creatures, heroic deeds and untold riches.

We never really got to know each other – he’s related on my wife’s side of the family – but it’s peculiar how much you find out about someone only when they’ve died. Shortly before the funeral, I discovered that Chris was a lifelong Spurs fan. So is his father, and many of his mates. Our snatched conversations had never progressed beyond bland pleasantries and for some inexplicable reason we’d never mentioned football, decidedly odd as I can recall who people support long after I have forgotten their names.

The funeral of a young person bears excruciating poignancy. We mourn with desperate intensity both the tragic loss of life and the passing of hopes and dreams, ours as much as theirs, unfulfilled and laid to rest. Emotions veer crazily between a surreal this-can’t-be happening quality and the cold reality in the centre of this Catholic church, a six foot wooden box.

It’s a struggle to engage as the ceremony floats around me like the incense swirling in the breeze. I want to demonstrate respect and sympathy but I’m an outsider here, a non-believer, so I stick to respectful silence. It works. I know, I’ve practiced hard lately, more practice than I can stand.

The congregation cling to the priest’s consoling words but I find no solace in the notion that somehow this is part of the plan for a better universe, only anger and frustration at a life cut short. Absentmindedly I turn to the final page of the Order of Service. Suddenly the organ strikes up a familiar tune. I join in ‘Glory, Glory Hallelujah’ with all my heart, my singing lusty and utterly tuneless. The shameless substitution of ‘Spurs’ for all references in the chorus to the Lord seals my eternal damnation.

I look around. I’m not the only one. Inhibitions shatter, grown men proud and strong break down. Chris’s spirit is amongst us. We begin to grieve, openly and fully, for the first time. It does us all good.

Afterwards we make introductions with unabashed candour. Men aren’t good at sharing feelings but in football we find a means of expression. This maddening, frustrating and wonderful club brought us closer just at the moment when we needed it most. The game creates and sustains lasting relationships. Together in our allegiance and our grief, we could communicate with people who were no longer strangers.

The drink flowed, Chris would have approved. We chatted, laughed and shed a tear. Chris, I wish we had talked more, but now rest in peace. Football is a healer.