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.

Harry v the Taxman – Battle of the Titans

October 7, 2009 / Alan / 2 Comments

Following Friday’s headspinning crisis (what crisis?), the news that Harry Redknapp is being investigated for tax avoidance rather than fraud came as welcome relief for many Spurs fans. However, there’s more than enough to suggest that a world of murky dealings and undisclosed payments are about to be exposed. If not a criminal act, then it’s more than enough to cast a shadow.

This blog’s views on the non-crisis are here in last Friday’s blog piece http://wp.me/pzmOo-3L I certainly have not got it in for Harry: his rescue act has been a virtuoso performance. However, it’s the club I care most about and there’s no doubt that there will be unwanted attention on Harry and the Lane in the weeks and months to come, although his media friends will protect him and us from the worst tabloid excesses.

Whatever took place, and we will probably never know the full story, happened well away from Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are not culpable, thank goodness. It would be interesting to know if the topic came up when he was offered the job, though. Wonder what he told Levy, and how Levy checked that out. The appointment all happened very quickly, so did Levy just take him at his word? If so, that’s a risk.

Redknapp vehemently denies any wrongdoing. He states that the sum in question is money due to him as part of his contract at Portsmouth, where he took a cut of the income from outgoing transfers, and he has paid his taxes. This comes after extensive investigations into underhand payments in football, provoked by the Panorama programme that pointed an accusing finger at several high profile figures in the game and then further pursued by the police and Operation Quest, the F.A.’s own inquiry. No prosecutions have as yet resulted. Many feel the whole thing has been a damp squib, with these bodies unable to penetrate the twin walls of silence and conspiracy that protect those in the game. However, it’s emerged that action is on hold until the tax investigations have been completed.

One idea that comes to mind is: they can’t get him on fraud so they’ll have a damn good go at tax. Normally in these circumstances, I understand that the Revenue negotiate a cash settlement with the individual and then, provided that that individual has divulged all his income, the matter is closed. However, I fear that Redknapp may be used as a scapegoat and therefore this option will not be left open for him. Under this line of reasoning, the powers that be will use him as an example because they want to send out a warning to the game at large and they do not want all their investigative efforts to go unrewarded. Let’s hope I’m being overly pessimistic, because any proven wrongdoing and Levy will have no alternative but dismissal. Otherwise, the club will hold off on action until the case is resolved.

Leaving aside what it means for Spurs, it sheds further light on the shady world of football contracts and transfers. If a manager gets cash for selling his own players, one inescapable implication is that at the very least if a bid comes in, his own interests (i.e. the possibility of cash) might conflict with those of the club for whom he works. Would his decision on who to sell be influenced by the size of his cut?

Incentive bonuses are part and parcel of modern business, but this particular arrangement has no place in football. I work in social care for a charity, a world as far away from the business of Premier League football as could be. Colleagues who work for some private companies are on performance related pay. In my world, this means increasing the number of children who are placed with carers. The more children, the more money they get.

They could do this by working hard to get more good carers. Or they could drop standards, have anyone as a carer and still place the child. They get more money, their company gets more money, but it does not necessarily mean that they provide a better service to children.

It’s the same thing in football – the manager gets more, maybe the club gets money but in the long run it does not necessarily mean that the team does better. Harry may or may not have done this in the past; certainly in the highly unlikely event of any West Ham fan reading this, they would at this point chuckle at some of the players he bought and sold who frankly did not have a major impact on the club’s fortunes…

If any manager has a provision such as this in their contract, I as a fan would be concerned about even the possibility that standards would be compromised. The good thing for Spurs is that I’m convinced Levy would not countenance such a clause. I’ve been extremely critical of him in the past over the lack of direction at the club but he’s having a good season. His probity and business acumen leaves us in a strong financial position and also protects us against this sort of dodgy dealing. In the transfer market, he successfully used all our market advantages to lever a couple of good deals. We had cash, Portsmouth needed cash and quickly, so we get first Crouch and then Kranjcar at decent prices. With the Kyles, we had cash plus players Sheffield United might want to loan, and crucially our main rivals in that deal, Everton, had neither. Finally, I’ve written several pieces praising his involvement with the wider community and with disadvantaged groups.

Redknapp himself believes he can sort it out this week, and the sums involved are small, given that by his own admission he’s paid the Revenue £10m over the years, so a settlement is likely, unless there are more skeletons in the cupboard. It’s nothing to do with Spurs, but no off the field troubles should get in the way of our progress on the pitch.

Bolton v Spurs. Who Cares? We Should Do.

October 4, 2009 / Alan / 14 Comments

The last time Tottenham Hotspur away to Bolton meant anything very much was in the mid 70s when two pulsating battles helped decide the promotion places from the old Second Division.

It’s not that I have something against them. Rather, they are just – there. Not a big club, small club, homely club, friendly club, mouthy club, upstart club, arrogant club. Just there. However, yesterday’s match offered a significant benchmark of our progress as a team and I’m sorry to say that we failed the test.

In my preview I suggested that we should no longer be afraid of the physical, muscular teams. Yet we were consistently vulnerable, especially in the box. I laughed out loud at Bolton’s tactical ploy towards the end of the game, when they replaced small players with very big players. And it was effective.

Credit where it is due. Our opponents played some good football and in the end it was Spurs who were offering long balls, scoring from one and another from a set piece. We did little to ameliorate faults evident in our play this season, such as not closing down effectively in midfield and conceding needless free kicks. Above all, our ball retention was appalling and Bolton took full advantage. I also take absolutely no pleasure in the fulfilment of my predictions that Gardner was a danger and that Davies would peel off to BAE on the far post.

These problems must be sorted out as a matter of supreme priority if we are to maintain our status as a top six team, with aspirations to move higher. They are basic to Premier League success, and if we have to adopt a slightly less attacking attitude, then so be it. Keep the ball and play people who can do so. Without resorting to stereotypes, this is more familiar to foreign players, so Kranjcar, BAE and WP can be a good influence in this key aspect of our game.

I would add Corluka to that list but he is not quite on his game. One of my favourite players, I see calm and measured ease where others have clamoured for more pace. He’s strong, intelligent and shrewd. Last season he was seldom outmanoeuvred, never dispossessed and held the ball superbly. This more than made up for his slowness, although even this was exaggerated. There were few occasions where he was flatly outpaced in situations where other defenders around the league would not have struggled. Even against Drogba for Chelsea’s second, he looked lost but actually reached the ball first with his toe. This year, he’s not playing badly but has lost that air of superiority. He seems to be more hurried and whereas I used to rely on him, he now gives the ball away continually.

Overall it was a disjointed, edgy performance but we can take some pleasure in the fact that we came back from a goal down on two occasions and created several more chances. Lest I forget, we came back with a point. In other years, we would have been beaten. However, I remain disappointed and look to Harry and the many, many coaches to work hard in training to rectify the faults that are restricting our development.