As We Stand Still, Our Rivals Rush Past

/ Alan / 30 Comments

Frankly we got away with it: it could easily have been 8 on both sides of the north London divide. By the time Spurs found a little of the good stuff, City had made and missed three good chances. More opportunities came their way as the game progressed and they eagerly sliced through our toiling, bewildered defence.

Two games in and for many it’s doom and gloom. Reported scenes of Spurs fans leaving the Lane on their knees flagellating their naked backs may have been exaggerated. Others detect a whiff of conspiracy: Harry wanted us to lose this one to remind Levy that he needs to buy and buy big. Or to get Levy to sack him.

Back to reality. Yesterday we saw the same old Spurs, bright coming forward but no punch in the box and fatally neglectful of their defensive duties. What is particularly chastening is that whilst we are standing still, our rivals for the top four have moved on, and on this evidence have left us far behind, chewing their dust as they power off into the sunset.

Sandro Posing For Photos in the Paxton Before The Game

Whilst his choices were limited due to injury, especially in centre midfield, Redknapp’s selection and tactics were naive in the extreme. City swamped our fragile midfield from the outset, something that was apparent from the teamsheets let alone what happened once the whistle blew. Modric wasn’t fit and Krancjar has proved on three occasions this season that he is unwilling and unable to come back and cover.

With Lennon and Bale staying forward, presumably following instructions, our back four were exposed from the outset to City’s attractive blend of pace and movement. Goals were inevitable; the only surprise was how long it took them to score. It’s a familiar and numbing refrain on this blog – I love the attacking play but you have to have a foundation upon which to build, and in the Premier League that means a midfield defensive platform. Lennon and Bale are not best suited to coming back – sorry but they have to. Niko doesn’t fancy it – I don’t fancy conceding 8 goals in two games, however good the opposition.

City played with two men up front (thought they were supposed to be boring) and two holding midfielders. It can be done. Gareth Barry is not the player he was a few season ago, yet with minimum effort he protected the back four and stayed constantly on the move, just being around when he was needed and allowing others to get forward. Early in the game City attacked with four against four in our box. We cleared and went up their end. We had four up but faced 6 or 7 in their area, with Toure and Barry slotting into the gaps between back four defenders, whereas we allowed their men free rein.

Dzeko’s ease of movement was equally both instructive and indicative of how far behind our strikers are. Again he took up all the right positions without apparently breaking sweat. Our centre halves  have had better games but there’s little you can do against a combination of a sweet cross to a striker easing from behind the defender to just in front at the right moment. Contrast Crouch ambling to the far post or Defoe shooting repeatedly from outside the box. The way to deal with that is to stop those crosses coming in the first place, whereas we happily waved them through.

Midway through the first half I wondered if we had got away with it. City missed their chances and we attacked brightly, at pace. Despite his lack of fitness and, according to Harry, motivation, the team is comfortable around Modric and he made things tick. Benny’s passing from deep was incisive, Rafa busy and Crouch kept play moving with by being available and moving it on quickly.

Chances would be few and far between, and we missed them, Bale skying from close range then producing a gem of a cross that Crouch at full stretch couldn’t quite keep under control. No blame – it was a difficult header. Otherwise, Bale was asked to do a hell of a lot – attack wide and cut in diagonally, cover back and get forward with late runs into the box. Not unexpectedly, he didn’t quite manage to do any of them well. On the other side, Lennon was anonymous. When he did make a run, each time he hesitated fatally at the moment to cross and the chance was blocked.

City took their chances well but we allowed them to create far too easily. For a team with little width they made two against one on the flanks several times. We stood still for the second, played statues for the third, then Benny missed a tackle he should have won. In between, Daws did everything right one on one against Aguero, getting goalside and narrowing the angle, but the Spaniard is a master and made a tricky chance look easy. We should ever leave him one on one in the first place.

Well beaten by two of the best teams in the league, our season starts in a fortnight. I suspect we’ll be playing catch up until Christmas at least. Without reading too much into the season so far, it’s a harsh and unwelcome reminder of how far we are behind our rivals. We bid large for Richards, Aguero, Dzeko, Young at United. They spurned our advances: what we could be with them in our side. As it is, looks like we’re falling back on experience. Parker and Bellamy are good players but after yesterday, it feels like they are left-overs. It’s like we’re two weeks into pre-season, not the season itself.

Harry has a lot of work to do in the international break. He would do well to focus on building his team rather than complain about how much the media bang on about Luka, then proceed to bang on about Luka. Redknapp seems to be an irony-free zone: he just didn’t get it.  It’s a sign of his desperation but in fact he’s in charge of the team and there’s plenty to do there without venting his feelings publicly.

Finally, a true story if you are in need of a little perspective. Yesterday, while I’m chuntering away on the North Circular about matters described above, my wife is trundling in her wheelchair past a neighbour’s house. She hears cries from the first floor. ‘It’s coming, that’s the head, it’s here.’ She calls up and the woman needs some help. The ambulance and midwife have been called but like our full backs are late to arrive. She manages to get in and assists the birth of a premature but healthy baby boy, on the bathroom floor. A happy ending to this sorry tale after all.

The Pav Parallax Is Killing Football

/ Alan / 6 Comments

It’s not the indecent amounts of cash swilling around the game, or that we’re all now at Sky’s beck and call. Not obscene ticket prices, not even the player’s loyalty to the one thing that truly matters, their bank account. No, I’ve discovered what’s crucifying football – 5-0 victories. Absolutely fatal. The modern curse. Join me comrades on TOMM’s grand crusade to rid our great game of the evil within. Ban them from all football! NOW!

I’m certain that I could never be bored watching Spurs play football. That would be going too far. Suffice to say this may well have been the closest I’ve ever come. The disjointed nature of our play plus Hearts’ inability to score even if they played for another week gave the evening the feel of a testimonial, although it’s a puzzle who benefited. The stars were indisputably the Hearts fans, determined to have a good time. They sung for the whole time, loud and long, and I sincerely hope for their sakes that their chairman isn’t as bonkers as he appears to be and gives them a decent team for the season to come.

Regular readers and I have an unspoken bond. Although I like to think the 40 plus years I’ve been a Spurs fan brings a certain perspective to my observations, if I ever begin a sentence with the phrase, ‘In my day’, feel free to shoot me. All I’d say, though, is that we’ve taken big leads back to the Lane before in European competition and, well, made them bigger. Keflavik we added 9 to a five goal first leg lead, off the top of my head.

Times have changed. Organisation and fitness levels go a long way to even out the disparities. Also, whilst it’s ‘good to see the kids’ the boys on show were just that, boys, and we shouldn’t either expect too much or read anything significant into their performances last night. A team is just that, a team, and this lot had never played together before. On the field, Livermore played the old hand, encouraging those around him, and Corluka did likewise for Fredericks, consigned to a wide role and looking increasingly forlorn and detached as the evening passed him by. He’s quick mind, faster even than Lennon over 5 yards.

Carroll had the best debut, even though he looked like his mum had bought him a kit the next size up so he could  get another season’s wear out of it. Never mind, he’ll grow into it. I liked the way he wanted to be involved, probably risking the ire of the coaches by coming inside to search for the ball. Lovely pass for the Kane penalty chance.

Kane on the other hand has been eating girders since he could take solids, washed down with iron filings in his bottle. He’s quick as well as powerful with an eye for the half chance and good movement and control. Not his fault he experienced the same problems as his elders, the lack of good chances. The two he had, he moved onto them with purpose and poise. Never mind the miss – he had to wait a while, too long to think – he had the gumption to take it, on his debut, and that’s what’s important in the long term.

They chased back when the ball was lost and want to play the game the right way, all of them. Remember these are one level removed from the group who are next in line, young men like Caulker and Mason who are learning their trade in the league.

As the game wore on, it became dominated by the Pavyluchenko Parallax, an occasional but potentially dire phenomenon that at its worst can, like last night, empty a ground in a few short moments. Normally strikers get a sighter, then find their range. Pav is the opposite – a sizzling early left footer followed by shooting increasingly wayward, to the point where fans took evasive action when he moved onto the ball, not just those behind the goals but in the wings of the East and West. A final effort signalled a deafening banging of upturned seats as the ground emptied, or perhaps fans feared for their safety. For both he and Hudd, best said that they were playing their way back to fitness and leave it at that.

I welcome the arrival of Adebayor. More about him in the next couple of days, but provided he is motivated, he’s just the alert, powerful and mobile striker we crave. Strong in the air, Lennon and Bale at last have a target vaguely interested in what they have to offer, while Rafa and Luka will look to his movement. If Luka stays. No more about that. Wait until the deadline passes, we might have a respite of at least ten minutes before they start going on about January.

It’s good to be back at the Lane once more, easing gently into the new season. A warm welcome for those of us who got there early: pie and a drink, £5, pie and lager £6.50, bottle of water £2. The east stand bagels have shrunk in inverse proportion to their increased price. At what point does a smoked salmon bagel become just a bagel? They came close last night, whilst in front of me Janice’s seat, £900 or so for the season, encrusted in bird’s dollop. Baked on, by the look of it. They really don’t care, do they.

Half time from Tottenham’s own Smashie (or is he Nicey?) was for once worth a glance. Tom White, John’s brother, returned to the Lane for the first time since he played for Spurs in his brother’s testimonial in 1965 or ‘66. He looked genuinely touched, a reminder that football means something. Surely he is the subject of the all-time football trivia question: which player has spent the shortest time at a club? To comply with the regulations and play for Spurs in that game, he signed for us for the duration of the match and then Hearts signed him back when it was over.

Finally, a touching moment or two in the company of greatness. Frail and grey, unable to say even a couple of words, Dave Mackay walked out uncertainly but when he stood on the pitch where he and he alone once ruled, he stood  upright and proud as the ground rose. Age cannot diminish his achievements. The legs were unwilling but the glory days will never leave him, not when fans stand to honour the memory of a true master. Forever mighty.

Same Old

/ Alan / 14 Comments

New season, same old story. Good possession and passing wasted because there’s nothing going on up front. Unprotected defenders stretched out of shape, eventually reaching breaking point.  Free-kick routines that would be laughed off the pitch at an under 10s tournament. After coming back into the match before and just after half-time, by the end it’s relief that it wasn’t more.

Previews on the game focussed on the inexperience of the two sides in key areas. The game was won and lost because United exploited our weakness, centre midfield, whereas we put little pressure on their new back five.

Talking of previews, my pre-season effort implored Redknapp and his players to adopt a formation that gave the back four additional protection. Every other team in the Premier league does so. If it means a more cautious approach, so be it, especially away from home. It shouldn’t matter – we have the perfect players for a counter-attacking game.

So forgive me if regular readers have heard this before. I’m a fan of Bale, Lennon and Kranjcar in their different ways but their indolent approach to defending was inexcusable. Strolling back when United got past them high up the pitch, they left Livermore to do his best. Walker and then Corluka in the second half were more often than not left one on one with Young or Nani, two of the best wide men in the business, or else were outnumbered two against one as Evra raced past. Both did well, considering, Charlie turned this way and that but made four or five tackles to block Young. It was noticeable that our best period came in the second quarter when someone had obviously had a word. They worked back and we looked better prospects, the solidity at the back offering a platform for our best passage of play.

Up front, well, the preview said we need a striker or two. Revolutionary insight, huh. You know it. Defoe demonstrated why. Kind of him, not that any further evidence was required after last season. Maybe Harry put him up to it as another dig in Levy’s ribs to spend spend spend. I can’t think of another explanation as to why he was so lame. Even then, there was a might-have-been, unlucky with a volley against the post that could have given hope out of the blue.

I’m not too down on myself or the team. I can’t say I’m disappointed because I had low xpectations beforehand. We’ve learned nothing new – the only problem is the same old same old – but I’m happy to give them time and new players to sort that. It’s the first game of the season away to the best team in the land with our 6th and 7th choice central midfielders. At least we’ve got it out of the way.

Positives too. I realised Friedel was likely to be first choice not on pre-season displays but when Paddypower made him odds on to have more first team appearances than Gomes by the end of the season. Straight away there’s an air of assurance and command of the box, plus several excellent low saves that kept us in the game. I don’t know how Gomes communicated with his back four, or perhaps the question is whether he communicated in ways other than fear-laden grimaces, but the super new Sky effects mikes picked up Friedel’s stream of encouragement and authoritative instructions.

The back four did better than I expected. Kaboul had an especially good game. Every defender looks unsure at times against United and given how exposed he and Dawson were, I’ll give them the benefit. Daws might have come for the cross as Welbeck came in for the first but overall credit to United, there’s a limit to what a defender can do if a forward comes between two centre backs at pace and the cross is that good. Some goals are just good goals, this was one of those, although we gave the ball away needlessly further up the field in the build-up. The second was an example of what I’ve been saying about defending as a unit, centre half unprotected has to come out, they switch the ball one way then another, so quickly. Brilliant move. The third, Daws might have put in a better challenge there, on his heels as Rooney came in.

Rafa looks fit and eager, lasted 90 minutes and as the game progressed can be excused for all the long shots as he had nothing ahead of him. Livermore is a fine prospect with impressively quick feet, good control and enough poise to hold onto the ball when required, at Old Trafford, on his debut. Before he tired, his application was an example to more experienced team-mates around him.

United remain the benchmark in the Premier League and we could learn a thing or two from them. Much of what they do is comparatively simple. Our movement and passing was good when we could get on the ball. However, in advanced areas sometimes the easy ball is best. Cleverly had options, slipped it easily out wide for the ball before the cross that provided the goal. Time and again we held on to it in those situations, Defoe, Bale and Lennon jiggling around, waiting to be closed down.

Let’s leave it and move on. No time to bemoan our tough start. City on Sunday, let’s get on with it.

Hale and Hearty!! Tottenham. Hale. Hearts. Oh Never Mind…

/ Alan / 8 Comments

The pleasure of seeing Spurs play football. White shirts, navy blue shorts, a proper game. That’s all I ask. Not so much the victory, not even its emphatic nature, but just to know that our season is under way and a sense of how we are and what’s to come.

Monday’s cloud of Great Depression, created by an unhealthy combination of high quality mystery drama and an increasing sense of personal anxiety, has blown away. Yesterday’s concern about the media antics of our manager and the conflict at boardroom level won’t disappear so easily but last night we saw that Redknapp has been working hard with his players and prepared them impeccably. A potential disaster became a triumph. An early goal settled the nerves – of the fans I mean, the players seemed utterly focussed – leaving us to relish some breathtaking passing interplay and cracking goals.

Hearts fans must have been disappointed with their team. I don’t watch nearly enough Scottish football to make any sort of judgement on the quality of their league but they must have played  better than this in the recent past. I suspect they understandably haven’t settled under yet another new manager, and their fans deserve credit for their warmth towards both teams at the end.

Opponents don’t have to be on top form to deny us the room to play; we’ve seen that often enough in the last few years. Hearts packed the area 30 or 40 yards out and pressed hard, yet we passed our way around them as if they weren’t there. No big centre forward meant we had to keep it on the ground. Considering this was our first competitive match of the season, the movement and surefooted interchange was outstanding. Van der Vaart moved freely between midfield and their box yet we never looked short up front because there was plenty of support for Defoe. Bale and Lennon provided width without becoming detached and although Hearts lacked any penetration both worked hard defensively when required.

Kranjcar kept things moving in midfield, Benny did the same from the left while Walker’s pace and strength (he’s filled out a bit in the last two years!) kept the Scots busy. All the talk is about his attacking prowess but on two occasions he showed how valuable his speed will be in defensive situations, dashing back to rob attackers plus the timing of the challenge under pressure when he got there. Livermore impressed in the first half especially with a thoughtful, disciplined performance. He’d been well coached in his role; he stayed back when he needed to, always made himself available for a pass and timed his few runs forward perfectly, notably for his sumptuous goal. What a first touch and then quick feet for the shot.

Defoe consistently took up decent positions and let’s hope he’s learned something in the close season. For his goal he found space between the two centre halves and didn’t stray offside. It’s asking a lot to overcome the biggest problem of his entire career.  When they came on, Hudd and Townsend were on the pace and passing well. Lennon’s superb breakaway goal came when Hearts were down but they still had three men back when that move began. Townsend’s pass and Lennon’s run took them out of the equation.

We can enjoy last night without getting carried away. The serious business begins on Monday night, when defensive uncertainty similar to that shown at the start of the second half will be ruthlessly exposed. However, we can only play who we play, and last night they could not have done any more. Above all, the team were purposeful and focussed, organised and highly motivated. Whatever is going on behind the scenes has not affected the team in the slightest. That desire, teamwork and camaraderie, the genuine delight in the moves that led to the goals, that’s why the clouds have gone and sunlight streams.