And So It Begins

/ Alan / 35 Comments

Chelsea and Manchester United will engage in an auction for the services of Luka Modric. Not ITK, just obvious, and something I’ve mentioned a couple of times since the season finished. He’s one of the top midfielders in Europe and certainly the best outside the top four, with the possible exception of Gerrard who is welded to his club.

Chelsea’s bid of £22m has been greeted in the Spurs community with howls of

Say It Ain't So, Mo. Dric.

derision, an insult to the player and the club. However, it’s merely an opening gambit in what promises to be a protracted negotiation throughout a long tedious window. They know they will have to pay more, a lot more to not only attract him away from the Lane, where he seems happy enough, but also to outbid rivals. City have come into the equation according to some papers and our CL run was an advert for our best men seen and absorbed across Europe.

The bid signals Chelsea’s intentions to Spurs and to the player but it’s main purpose is to flush other bidders out into the open, which is the main reason why Chelsea leaked it to the media last night. It’s no reflection on us: we’d do exactly the same if it suited us. Harry is hardly a stranger to the media and just because he says it in that ‘football man uncle H know something good when I see it’ tone doesn’t make it any different.

Neither have Chelsea undervalued him. They expect to pay up to double if he signs.  The talk in the Spurs forums about their arrogance at offering such a low figure has meaning only if we are going to sell. He’s worth £40m at least in today’s market but to me he’s worth nothing  because something that’s not for sale has no price.

Nothing has changed with this bid. Levy is the key, not United or Chelsea, Fergie or Abramovich. Media statements from player or club mean little either until the window closes. It’s up to Levy to resist temptation, same as it was last week and the one before. Luka Modric is worth everything and nothing at the same time. Don’t sell under any circumstances.

Lest you believe I’m being unfeasibly charitable towards a club I’ve disliked since my childhood in west London, my I’ve disliked since my childhood in west London derision is reserved for fans of Chelsea and United for that matter who are debating whether or not Modric is good enough for them. If you want hubris and real arrogance, read some of their earnest discussions. My advice, in the spirit of comradeship amongst my fellow fans, is to get down on your knees and pray, beg that your club is worthy of such a maestro in your creaking midfields.

Much of this is based not on the evidence of their eyes but on numbers. Look at the stats, they say, only a few goals and fewer assists. Not up to scratch. What really violates me as they spout this bilge is the concept of football reduced to a series of numbers on a page. I despise this trend in the modern game. No recognition of guile, beauty and power that makes our game the greatest of them all, qualities that Modric epitomises.  Presumably those that query Luka’s credentials clutch clipboards to their breasts ticking off the stats on their puss-splattered pages as their acne rears up.

Numbers tell only some of the story. How do they measure Luka as he picks up the ball from deep, passes, moves, picks it up, pauses for a fraction then on it goes, and him with it? Put a figure on the relieved expressions of team-mates, under intense pressure who look up and find him waiting, wanting the ball. Evaluate if you will the space he creates for others as defenders cluster around him or as he moves to the ball leaving gaps elsewhere. Quantify the emotion as he lifts those around him with a precious combination of skill, perception and sheer dogged bloody-minded effort. Run the tape round his legs and torso or from head to toe: will that tell how far he runs, how hard he tackles or how easily he picks himself up after a physical challenge and just gets on with it? The notion that he is frail is preposterous.

Use these figures to dismiss in a second other footballers who weren’t so hot in front of goal. Ossie Ardiles, for example. Useless to all intents and purposes, yet who could turn a game not with a 25 yard thunderbolt but by running the midfield so that he controlled the pace and shape of the entire game. You want power? Right there, as 21 others played to his tune. Ardiles, a man who could not bear for the ball to be still, couldn’t hit a dead ball (apart from at Man U) but just wanted to play.

Stats? You want one? Work out who started the moves, the man who passed the ball to the guy who made the assist. Better still, wait a year and give him a couple of strikers on the same wavelength, who don’t throw down the picnic blanket and set up camp on the far post or who idle in the safety of the 18 yard line, but who feed off those little balls tucked into channels.

Football is an exhilarating, stunningly beautiful spectacle in the hands and feet of the best. Never lose the sense of mystery as Modric spreads the play 35 yards, threads a pass through when there is no room or sways away from desperate defenders with a single shrug and shimmy. If you think differently, heathens and philistines, oblivious to the sign of true brilliance, frankly, what’s the point? Maybe just spend some time and watch Luka Modric, really watch what he does rather than count. It makes the game a thing of great beauty and wonder, precisely what contemporary football needs. Let’s hope for Spurs’ sake that when you watch, he’s wearing white.

No ITK. That’s a Done Deal

/ Alan / 14 Comments

Unlike many of you, I look forward to a couple of months without football. The summer is for rest and recuperation, time to reflect on what has gone before and anticipate the season to come. It’s welcome respite from the self-inflicted psychological damage of being a Spurs fan.

As the seasons ebb and flow, football takes its place in the natural order, a dormant period of regeneration only to return bright and vibrant in August. Cricket takes over. There’s pleasure and beauty to be had from the sport itself, with its genteel nuances and balance between bat and ball, but these days I enjoy it all the more because it’s a break from the all-consuming partisanship of the winter game. When the time comes to be completely engaged once more, it heightens the enjoyment. Standing back temporarily offers perspective on the truly important things in life.

Such simple pleasures are blighted by the curse of the close season, ITK. We all want to know what’s going on in the club and speculate about our future but this is no excuse for wallowing in the bilge of rumour and lies that now characterise our close season. The only thing I hate more is myself for reading it.

Despite pretences to the contrary, football is no different from any other aspect of life. We all like to know something that others don’t; the gossip at work, a tip on the horses, a special offer at B&Q. Maybe the last one is just a fleeting insight into the murky penance I pay for spending so much time on Spurs. However much we kid ourselves that we are part of this thing, make no mistake, we’re on the outside looking in. We have little real idea of what goes on day to day or what our heroes are truly like. In the know, part of the in-crowd. Information conveys status, and what’s the point of a secret unless you tell someone?

Like I said, laws of nature, in this case demand and supply. And there’s no supply shortage to feed this apparently insatiable demand. from large scale commercial websites, including the established media of course, to the messageboard peddlers of info with their cryptic clues and secret identities. Anyone would think they made most of it up.

We’re all caught up in this. However much I try, eventually I succumb but truly, I don’t read half of it. Unlike most messageboard members, I can’t comment on the merits of one target or another as I don’t profess a detailed knowledge of every player in Europe and South America,  although this might be due to the fact that I’m still playing Championship Manager 01-02 rather than FM2011 and To Madiera still hasn’t signed for Spurs in real life. When you’re watching La Liga and Serie A, I’m doing time at the diy.

I confess: last week I resorted to Wikipedia for my info, but even then I haven’t quite got the hang of it. I looked up Leandro only to emerge none the wiser as several Brazilian footballers with that name. Some have been tipping Damaio, but it’s only just occurred to me that according to Wikipedia, they are one and the same player.

Only once have I plumbed the depths that ITK can drive a man to and scouted a player via Youtube. Having touched bottom, I’ve since bounced back up because funnily enough, they all look good on Youtube, assuming that we’re not going to sign the keeper who celebrated the penalty save at the precise moment the rest of the crowd were watching the ball spin back into the net or the guy who blazed over an open goal from two yards. Wait, we did, his name was Acimovic. Mind you, I know of a dozen Premier League players who were signed last summer by managers who had seen them only on a DVD. That’s on reliable authority, of course.

ITK is a bit of knockabout fun that passes the time. What I find harder to grasp is the way so many fans take it as deadly serious. In our postmodern society we all understand how the media works, consuming its product enthusiastically knowing that much of it is fluff and puff as news morphs into entertainment. We don’t believe everything we read, a scepticism that’s entirely healthy. Except apparently when it comes to ITK. The time and energy spent on earnest discussions not just of individual signings but the meaning for the club based on rumours lacking any corroboration from posters using false identities, yet the future of the club is in their hands, if you are to accept the premise of the endless repetitive discussions on twitter and the messageboards.

Don’t shoot the messenger. Well, I’m a non-violent man (some people use the term ‘coward’ but I find that hurtful to be frank) but I’m tempted. Lots of websites write pieces in order to increase their hits. if they carry ads, more hits mean more revenue. Same for the papers. This may be news to many people out there, but they don’t have a crack team of dedicated journalists scouring Europe 24 hours a day, spending careers cultivating relationships with the sole purpose of being first to unveil the identity of Spurs new 6th choice centre half. That Romanian based site that has something different from the rest – they’ve made it up.

Yet loads of people out there lap it up as gospel. I wonder how they spend their lives.  I can only presume that in real life, when approached by a total stranger telling them that Nat West are giving away free money, just pop in and say, ‘I’m only passing it on in good faith, they respond, “Right, I’ll straight round just as soon as I’ve texted all my mates and tweeted”. Even as I write, having emailed their bank details to Nigeria they are on tenterhooks expecting the funds to appear in their account.

This summer’s classic ITK has been Joe Cole’s supposed transfer from Liverpool. This ‘news’ swept across the boards, picked up a further head of steam on twitter and was backed up the following day in the papers. It had the ring of truth – going nowhere up north, the prodigal falls into the ever-open arms of his good ol’ uncle who is known to like a bargain.

In turn this provoked sustained and scathing criticism of Redknapp and Levy because it indicated that far from going for gold we were buying up over the hill cast-offs, a policy that would send the club into the gutter precisely at the moment we should be looking up at the stars. Harry has history, of course, and our only signing thus far is Friedel, a 40 year old keeper looking to grab a signing on fee from someone in order to pay for his bankrupt US soccer school. HR just can’t resist.

Even if Cole arrives, it’s evidence of nothing in particular. Friedel was opportunism: we moved quickly to secure, free, an experienced keeper who will offer cover and stability during a long season and either gee up Gomes or provide competition for his replacement. What’s not to like? It dealt with a particular issue in a specific position. In other positions, most notably up front, we are clearly seeking younger models, men on the way up to provide spark and pace.

Redknapp faces a genuine dilemma. Because of our salary structure and absence from the Champions League we probably can’t get top class established players at their peak. However on the other hand we need men who can perform if not straight away then at least after a short period of settling in, rather than waiting 3 or 4 years to reach maturity as we have done with some of our current first team. Also we need men who can handle the pressures of big matches twice a week, every week, and the only way to develop that resilience is to have been there. A mixture of experience and newcomers seems about right to me and a perfectly sound and realistic strategy.

There is one other crashingly obvious point – the window is open for another two and a half months. Agony for ITK watchers but let’s not jump to conclusions. I know Harry has form but he has no incentive to fall back into bad habits. This is Spurs, not West ham or Portsmouth, This is his last shot at the big time with a club. No one knows that better than he – he’s never had a squad this good before so why waste a chance of glory that he clearly craves by bringing in a succession of has-beens. Also, the desperation of our tragic last minute January efforts to buy any/all La Liga strikers demonstrates at least that Levy has got the message – he has to invest and brinkmanship is indulgent luxury.

As with all good mysteries, the Joe Cole story has a twist in the tale. Sifting through the dross, the egos, the attention-seekers and inadequates, a couple of people have provided decent info in the past, one of whom came up with the specifics of a fee and date for a medical in respect of Cole. The rumour mill began there but a few days later he revealed in a moment of honesty rare in the ITK community that in his words, ‘I’ve been played’. Liverpool had fed him the info in order to generate some heat around the transfer because they, Liverpool want to get rid of him and in fact so far there are no serious takers. If fans don’t understand how ITK works, then it’s clear the clubs do. That and other misinformation, fuelled by agents as well as clubs, mean the ITK season has only just begun.

 

Footnote: in less than half a day, this article has become the most read ever in TOMM’s history. By a street. I’m genuinely delighted that people have dropped by and enjoyed it. The high numbers could be a belated recognition of my genius or in an act of supreme irony, the fact that the term ‘ITK’ is used in the title so the link’s been clicked. I think we know the answer.

Tottenham Hotspur That Was The Season That Was. The Future

/ Alan / 19 Comments

The final piece of four wrapping up the season, delayed by a few mishaps but here finally

So let’s pull this all together. I’ve looked back at the players, the team and the manager. It’s been a positive season with unforgettably cracking football and the blazing thrill of the Champions League tainted by the frustration of what might have been. The goal is to keep the positives, learn from our mistakes and put them right next year. Get it right and the prospects take the breath away. This is the best squad we’ve had for twenty or thirty years. Well placed financially, without the riches of the the top four but unencumbered by debt, the potential is staggering.

This summer is a watershed period for the club. Lurking in the background are the imperatives of history – Spurs’ saga of unfulfilled expectations and the unerring capacity to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Chairman Daniel Levy and manager Harry Redknapp have momentous decisions ahead of them that could cement the foundations of a top class team for years to come or signal a slide back to midtable mediocrity. It’s that big a deal:. the season ahead of us isn’t just about rebuilding, certainly not another transitional season. This is a once in a generation opportunity that we must seize with both hands.

The most significant decision in the transfer market is not the purchase of a new striker, despite our desperate need for goals. It’s keeping four top class footballers: the divine Luka Modric, one of the finest midfielders I’ve seen at Spurs, Gareth Bale, Rafa van der Vaart and Sandro. Europe may have given us glory: it was also one long advert for the brilliance of these players.

There’s no irresponsible ITK in these pages but this summer there will be an auction between Chelsea and Manchester Untied for Modric. Accounts vary: some say he’ll stay, others that he wants to go. The reality is both are true: I believe he is happy here but every player in the world would consider CL football at double the salary, which is what both clubs would give him. And that’s not including the rest of Europe.

Some say Bale is at his peak and think what we could do with the inflated fee. Madness: no reason at all to dispose of talent like his whose career has only just begun. VDV is not so much in demand but again there’s quick profit to be had with a sale. Sandro is the dark horse that few are mentioning. However, his best games have been against Milan, therefore in full view of Europe’s top clubs, he’s young and to my mind has got the lot. The star of the new era of Brazilian football will be in demand.

As ever Levy is the key. How he deals with that auction and whether he bites will determine the future of the club. £30 or £40m could revitalise our buying power but I would not sell any of them under any circumstances, for this quartet are the bedrock of our future. They are here now, they know each other’s game, they know the club. Build on this continuity, not destroy it. Sadly, I give some credence to the rumours that Modric and Bale have been touted around. I sincerely, desperately hope I’m wrong. Both are so wonderful they make the game a thing of beauty and awe.

The money for new players has to come from elsewhere and not necessarily by reckless firesales. We have to take the hit on Keane, Hutton and Bentley but I would not sell players like Kranjcar, Jenas, Palacios and Bassong, back-up men currently, without ensuring we have replacements in the bag. If they left, I wish them well but won’t lose any sleep. What this does mean is that Levy must decide soon about our own Big Four. Wait until deadline day and we could be left with nothing.

Next, Redknapp has to decide how we are going to play then buy players who fit the bill. As Modric blossomed and VDV arrived unexpectedly, HR’s oh so English big man-little man combo looked old-fashioned. We have to get two pacy, alert strikers who can both score and bring others into the match, not necessarily bag a hatful of goals, the assists total is almost as significant. They may not play together often. This season people have said Rafa doesn’t fit in but I would play around his skills, so that’s a free role off a single striker with another attacking midfielder to cover for him. Kranjcar would be ideal despite my misgivings about his efforts but looks like he’s on his way. Lennon may not have the luxury of being both a winger and a regular starter. However, variety and variation are essentials in what could be a season of over 60 matches in very different situations. Whoever, we must score more from midfield.

Another centre half is likely, preferably one with a bit of pace. Kaboul could well make a breakthrough into top class. Friedel is a decent signing. Free, solid, capable, he’ll either give Gomes a gee-up or compete with a replacement as well as providing cover. Again I’d be in no rush to sell Gomes: we must avoid the mistakes of L’arse and ensure that if we buy, it’s a genuine upgrade.

Whoever we buy, they must have two qualities: the ability to keep possession and the bloody-minded focus on being a winner as epitomised by Willy Gallas. This is what we’ve learned during our travails in Europe and at the top of the league.

Finally, let’s not forget the overall plan that got us here. Several years ago more out of necessity than design, we started to identify, buy and nurture talent for the future. It’s not been smooth by any means and many have fallen by the wayside but here we are with Bale, Modric, Hud, BAE, Lennon and now Rose. We must think now about the next crop. it takes time and no little agony as we watch their growing pains but it’s worth it.

So it could be a momentous window as make our plans, but ironically not in the way I envisage because two crucial matters totally beyond our control could scupper the whole voyage. Redknapp’s tax case could at best leave him tainted, at worst a criminal, while if Capello keeps this up, England could come calling sooner rather than later. Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to it already.

Tottenham On My Mind will be here during the summer as and when. Many thanks to everyone who has visited the blog this past season, especially those of you who have taken the time and trouble to make the comments section so vibrant. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate your comments

Tottenham Hotspur That Was The Season That Was. The Manager

/ Alan / 21 Comments

Harry Redknapp has met me. Years ago my neighbour at the time organised a testimonial for one of the Charlton players against West Ham and my wife’s family are rabid Hammers, so there we were in the director’s box at the Valley. Before kick-off Peter waves to me and beckons me down to the front. I’m happy to thank him but he says, “Where are the rest of you? Come and meet Harry. Harry!” he shouts, “Someone I want you to meet.” Harry strolls over, is as pleasant as can be as we exchange a few words and the photo, once pride of place in my wife’s daughter’s living room, is now shoved behind a cupboard in their loft but I’m there, hanging back and forcing a smile.

Peter Varney and I used to work for Lewisham Council – he was something in building – and we got to know each other better during the 5 week strike over, well, I forget now but it was important. Lovely bloke and a good neighbour. He used to cut the thick hedge that divided our front gardens and it was only when he moved that I realised it was on my side of the line but he never mentioned it. A lifelong and long-suffering Charlton fan, he did a bit for the supporters club and for charity. We’d be chatting over the fence and his wife would call out, “Pete, phone. Again!!!”

“Coming. Who is it”.”

“Kevin Keegan”

“Tell Kev to hang on a minute, I’m busy.”

Although he was too modest to speak about it, he must have been good because one day it was announced that Pete was the new CEO at Charlton. From humble beginnings on the picket line, he was in the boardroom and moved away. I, um, downsized.

I never took to Harry. I wanted to, for him to be the football man with a heart of gold who brought success to clubs in the right way. Fact is, my image of him has been tainted from the start as my wife’s family chronicled his dodgy wheeler-dealing that left him in pocket (allegedly) and successive clubs in a ruinous state financially. I refused to succumb to his assiduously cultivated persona of all-round good ol’ Uncle Harry. It was none of my business, until a couple of years ago anyway, but I don’t like being manipulated. Despite his generosity towards me, perhaps I was the first of those ungrateful Spurs fans he’s told to go elsewhere.

Never mind the man. My club comes first, last and always: there’s only one question, what has he done for Tottenham Hotspur? I’m genuinely and sincerely grateful for the progress we have made since Redknapp became manager. It’s not just about the league position, although I’m convinced those advertising boards that form the post-match interview backdrop flash subliminal messages saying “2 points after 8 games”, lest we forget. For me it’s also about the pleasure of watching wonderful footballers in (almost) white shirts playing scintillating flowing football. No trophies but everlasting memories. All Spurs fans are disappointed that we failed to qualify for next season’s competition but let’s just pause and say it out loud: “In 2011 Tottenham Hotspur reached the quarter finals of the Champions League.” Enjoy the sensation. One of the problems of the modern game is that we never stop to savour the feeling, it’s all about what happens next. Relish it, taste it, roll it round your tongue and chew it over, because these moments don’t come around that often. Then think back to February or March last year and tell me you believed that was possible. Be honest.

Yet our undoubted achievements this season have been tinged with regret. It’s realistic rather than greedy to say we could have done so much more. Our woeful lack of firepower up front has been the main problem – the strikers  have been downright dreadful for much of the time. Coupled with regular disappearing acts from our defenders and keeper (where the hell did they go?), we failed to dispatch teams we should have beaten. Had just a few draws become wins then we would have overtaken Arsenal and secured 4th place.

Redknapp has to take some of the blame for this, yet he appears unwilling or unable to do so. Win and he basks in the glory. Lose and it’s down to the players. Harry has infamously been dismissive of the value of tactics in the past. He doesn’t really mean this of course, the very last thing he can be accused of is naivety, but he likes us to think he sends the players out to, well, just play. However, he has to take some greater responsibility for our performances, good and bad

The regular selection of Crouch encouraged the use of the long ball. Earlier in the season it went straight down the pitch, often too early, varied as time went on by the player pulling away to the far post, hence the long looping ball. When Pav played, we did the self-same thing. Whilst this brought some rewards, too often it negated the advantage gained from our skilful, clever midfield. Luka and Rafa don’t want to see the ball flying over their heads. Defenders have a fair idea of where the ball will go, therefore it’s easier to handle. Too frequently our strikers were ahead of the ball, stationary and waiting for the ball at the edge of the box. Problem is, the defenders are waiting too.

Also, and as a lover of attacking style it pains me grievously to say this, we were often too open to succeed in the Premier League. Although we developed greater resilience and an ability to hang on to possession, we lost it more easily than we should have on too many occasions and the midfield did not work hard enough to tuck in and protect a lead. It’s not about outright defence, rather, it’s about adapting to the conditions on the pitch. That’s the way it is in this league. This is tactics. This is the responsibility of the manager.

Redknapp’s great strength is that he is good with players. He takes their skills, fits them into position and asks them to do what they are good at. Find a group of players whose skills dovetail and you have a fine team. That’s why players always say they like playing for him, because he plays to their strengths. Nothing wrong with that and his loyalty to some men by giving them a run in the side has meant Bale, Dawson, Assou Ekotto and latterly Sandro have developed their full potential.

He’s more shaky when there’s a gap. He doesn’t adjust or enable the whole side to be as flexible and mobile as the best teams. For example, if Bale was out or he felt compelled to squeeze Van Der Vaart into the side we struggled because we did not have another man to step in to play the same role. Square pegs in round holes. Modric shifted to the left, unaccountably taking our finest player from his best position or Rafa wandering aimlessly  from the right. Also, if he has it in for you, it’s less Uncle Harry and more evil stepfather. Bent was never played in the right way, back to goal too often when he likes it in front of him, then ridiculed and off elsewhere. What we could have done with half the goals he’s scored since he left.

Redknapp is immune from criticism and has taken umbrage recently against Spurs fans who have dared to go where the media refuse to and question his tactics, selection and status. I first commented on this a few weeks ago after the West Brom game. In an age where the media unstintingly dissect their subjects like a pathologist dragging out the innards of a corpse then examining the entrails under a microscope, his protection is a truly remarkable achievement. I can’t recall any sustained critique of his era at Tottenham from a professional pundit. Any suggestion of negativity is met with snorts of derision, not even considered but immediately and forcefully ruled out of bounds. No other manager is shielded in this way, not even Alex Ferguson. Nothing sticks.

Harry would do well to remember that we the fans were here when he came and will be here long after he’s dumped us for the England job. He can’t control us the way he looks after the media. He’s done a good job for us but should also look back to his appointment and be grateful because his record as a manager didn’t merit the role. I’m sure he’s as frustrated as we are at some of the problems, so why can’t he acknowledge that and share the pain and joy we’ve felt over the past 9 months.

Redknapp must carry on as manager. Consistency is key and the process of team building should continue. Above all, he must hang on to Modric, Van der Vaart, Sandro and Bale. Sell his grandmother and his precious Sandra if he has to, just the build the team around these gems that he did not unearth but has polished almost to perfection.

This man of the football world is still learning, even in his early sixties. He’s never been in this position before. He’s had little experience in Europe, let alone the Champions League, or at the top end of the table. Neither has he previously worked with players this good nor been in a position to buy the highest quality footballers. No more bargains or cheap but useful veterans for the short-term. Never mind the team, he has to step up in quality too, like managers with 15 or 20 years less experience in the game. I have the niggling feeling that he’s an old dog who can’t learn any new tricks and shed the underdog mid-table mentality. I desperately want him to prove me wrong.

Pouring over his individual comments has little value but over time you get a broad sense of what he’s up to. At the moment he’s gone on the defensive, talking down our ambitions and dropping hints to Levy that we need the money to buy quality this summer. It’s familiar territory, as is the rubbishing of the fans. Most of us do not have over-inflated expectations. Within our frustrations we realise both the potential of the club and the work still to be done. To fulfil that potential, Redknapp has to move out of his comfort zone in terms of the players we buy, the way we play and the manner in which he relates to the fans. He has to work hard this summer. I for one look forward to August.