Kazan Away – Forget It

/ Alan / 4 Comments

I’m pathetic at cards. I pick up the rules easily enough but then it’s pretty much all a blur. So few numbers and colours, frankly it’s not that complex, but if you waited for me to work out what to do, you’d be there all night. And people round the table, staring…Whatever the opposite of a poker face is, I’ve got it. A fishface? Derren Brown could read me in a second, then use his spare time learning how to spell his name properly. Bluff and I’d be quivering like an electrocuted jellyfish. Might as well hang a neon sign round my neck with my hand showing.

But even I know there’s a variant of poker where you have the opportunity to keep the cards that you believe to be the strongest and discard the rest in the hope of replacing them with better ones later on. Luckily for Spurs, Harry’s obviously better at poker than I am. Kazan away was his throwaway. Defeat still leaves us in a strong position as the chips hit the table and the brave hold their nerve.

This stage of the Europa league is all about getting out of the group with the minimum of effort. Playing a weakened team is not a sign of a lack of priority for this competition – on the contrary, we should be aiming to win it. It’s about doing just enough to get through without wrecking the rest of the long season to come. I detest writing about football in this manner. As anyone who’s read this blog before knows, or indeed has read my report of the QPR match, football is something far more entertaining, profound and beautiful, whichever team you support. However, that’s the way it is. Not Harry’s fault: point the finger at UEFA’s wretched money-grabbing blazered accountants who understand balance sheets but not the power and glory of the sport, thus creating tournaments with matches that have no meaning and where failure in the Champions League is rewarded with a place in the final stages of another cup.

Redknapp has to play the game and he’s done so superbly. Not only was this our first defeat, he’s successfully bloodied young men like Carroll and Livermore, kept Gomes and Cudicini on their toes and generally made the whole squad feel involved. Yesterday we had the added bonus of Pienaar and Gallas playing their way back to fitness.

When Harry announced at the start of the season that he was going to play the kids in Europe, I thought he meant men like Townsend and Livermore, Kane too, who are young but have played in the Championship and I still suspect Redknapp didn’t wish to go as deep as Fredericks. However, we’ve managed just fine.

As soon as the draw was announced, this was the discard. A long trip into the unknown versus the team with the best pedigree in the group was never a priority. Win the home games and pick up a couple of away points, that’s it.

At this stage, he always wanted to be right where we are, our destiny in our own hands. This may sound like limited ambitions but not only are they totally realistic, they are not easy to achieve as Villa and Manchester City have found out to their cost over the last couple of seasons. I would play a full team at home against PAOK, a Wednesday game sandwiched by Saturday fixtures against West Brom and Bolton, to make certain of 3 points, then see what needs to be done in Ireland.

Last night we put in a reasonable effort but did not deserve to win. Having said that, it’s a shame the goal came in the manner in which it did, a fine free-kick but needlessly conceded by Bassong, who had one of his concentration lapses again.

Carroll and Livermore impressed me again. Not perfect by any means but they both have an exemplary attitude and appetite even when things don’t always go the right way. They take responsibility, which can’t be said for players like Pav, who could have done more. Cudicini is a veteran but has same enthusiasm even after all these years. He was the pick, several fine saves to keep us in the game. Otherwise, we should have kept possession much better but that’s the problem with a scratch team in Europe.

We ended the game with a side so young, it’s a good job they’re aren’t being sponsored for Movember, they wouldn’t earn a penny. As I’ve said before, this isn’t a reserve team. Our best ‘age group’ youngsters are on on loan so we’re on the brink of qualification with our 10th choice midfielders. Given this stupidly structured competition, Harry’s played his hand to perfection.

 

I know you’ve had sleepless nights worrying about the Gazza competition. To put you out of your misery, when he signed for Spurs, Irving Scholar threw in a house for his parents, a BMW for his dad, a sunbed for his sister and fishing gear for the great man himself. Allegedly the sunbed and fishing rod came from Scholar’s own pocket.

Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations to Dave Spurr, who won. That appears to be his real surname – impressive.

The Joy of Three

/ Alan / 14 Comments

As the first half drew to a close, like kids again Spurs knocked the ball around just for the sheer pleasure of playing the game. The pressures of the Premier League were forgotten such was our dominance, replaced by infectious exuberance and a freedom and delight in being able to do anything that can be done with a football.

Rangers were as disoriented as a drunk leaving the pub at closing time, focussing everything on keeping going yet unable to exert any control over their fate as they topple and teeter towards the gutter. They had been stretched this way and that as Spurs pulled out all the skills in their repertoire. First to every loose ball, strong in the tackle. Short passes threaded a path through the defence, finding space where there was none. Sucked in, defenders then saw the ball sprayed effortlessly from side to side. Wherever you looked, there was a Tottenham man on the end. Adebayor sneaking into channels, Benny pinging it far and wide, Bale thundering down the left then popping up in the box, Van der Vaart and and Luka exchanging one twos (and threes and fours) at the edge of the box. No respite – Rangers’ underpowered attack couldn’t hold the ball at all and back it came.

Hardly surprising they struggled: this was pure football and breath-taking to watch. The skills on the ball, the pace and the movement combined – we fans looked on in awe and shared the players’ joy.

The only disappointment was that we should have scored more. We could have been two up in the first few minutes and despite our good play missed a fair few opportunities, even allowing for Kenny’s excellence in goal. Adebayor especially was out of touch with several weak finishes having accomplished all the hard work of getting in the right place and controlling the ball to perfection. Still, it was brilliant, crazy stuff with shots flying in, last-ditch tackles, desperate saves and near misses.

Bale, powerful and unable to be contained even by his now regulation double marking, sent a series of crosses lasering across the box before thumping home the first goal. Lennon set him up, a quiet game in terms of attacking but two assists as he came off his wing. Football at its simple best – a decent move then up the pace as the ball nears the box, two simple quick touches, Bale’s explosive finish.

Rafa was glorious now, working tremendously hard to get on the ball in between QPR’s back four and their midfield. He was far too good for them, and linked deliciously with, well, everyone. His goal was well-taken but made by his ball control, for the second time in the game he pulled down a colleague’s shot, King this time, Luka earlier, as easily as if the mascot had rolled the ball towards him in the warm-up. A fabulous 45 minutes, he’s leaner and hungry. As Harry remarked this week, I too feel for Defoe who has upped his game this season but Rafa has risen to the challenge. Shows the value of competition to play in a good team. Good player but where does he fit? Argument over.

Adebayor’s movement makes this all possible. Not at the top of his form, he nevertheless makes the space either to receive a pass or for others to move around him. Luka appreciates it and makes the most of it. Although others eclipsed him yesterday, interesting to see Barton single him out for praise on twitter last night. Those closest to him know his value. Alongside Scott Parker they ran the midfield. Parker in the first half was prompting a and probing, or tidying up like a hyperactive womble. Shorter passes mostly, busy and businesslike. Next time when you check out our highlights and goal attempts, see how often he’s at the edge of the camera shot, hanging around having done his work and letting others have the limelight.

As the half ended, the boys were having fun. Flicky and kicky, all clever stuff but less effective than simple passing and hard work. Totally on top but they didn’t look hard enough at the scoreboard. Only two goals to show for it, concede and we’d be wobbling. Whilst I’d like to think that this blog is read avidly throughout the game, it’s frankly unlikely that opposition managers drop by to pick up a few tips about Spurs. If they did, I’d tell them that the best way to take us on is to attack. But hey, who’s interested in the ramblings of a fan, what do we know?

QPR discovered this too late. 4-3-3 with Barton where he belongs in centre mid and Bothroyd a focal point immediately put us on the back foot and by the time we recovered our composure, sure enough we had conceded and were wobbling like a Weeble on speed. Full credit to our opponents for picking themselves up, and it could have all fallen apart for us if their finishing had been anywhere near as sharp as their fans were vocal.

Another silly goal from a set-piece. Bothroyd on the keeper and left unmarked when he simply moved three yards. Last season we gave away fewer goals from set pieces than any other Premier League side but now it’s back to the bad old days.

The best goal of the game clinched it, a precise interchange at the edge of the box before Bale ripped a blast first time. Top class set-up with a thrilling finish, wonderful goal. But who’s this loitering as it went in. Scott Parker I do believe, enjoying the moment with quiet satisfaction. He’d done his work, which won’t turn up on any stat sheet but it was as much his goal as Bale’s. Where others had been frantically trying too hard and giving the ball away, he picked it up and kept hold until the right moment presented itself. Simple, effective and match-winning, it summed up his second half where he was the master of the Lane. Passing, tackling, once, twice, three times because he does not give up. As we were pressured, without needing telling he tucked into the back four to help out, then moved it on to start another attack. He left to a deserved standing ovation from all sides of the Lane.

Another terrific game,  potential realised, superb entertainment. Churlish to mention that in the last two matches, against better teams with better finishers we would have been punished for missed chances and slack defending. League title? Do me a favour. Contenders for cups and top four? It’s all I ask, to be in with decent shout. But we are the form team and others are scared of us right now, so let’s enjoy the moment. 5th in the league, is that 19 points from a possible 21? Need to check but no need to research how good it makes me feel. In the first half we were blessed, simply blessed.

Still time to win a copy of Gazza’s new book ‘Glorious’ – just scroll down, marvel at the insight and profundity of my review, then answer the question at the end. Good luck!

Glorious – Gazza In His Own Words. Read the Review, Win the Book!!

/ Alan / Leave a comment

Last summer I heard rumours that Paul Gascoigne was dead. Unlike the rest of the rubbish that circulates the ether, sadly this had the ring of truth. He had been looking more pale and drawn than ever and the stories more bizarre, if that were possible.

Gazza stopped being daft as a brush years ago but the nation kept on laughing. One of the finest footballers of his generation, he’d become a figure of ridicule, easy meat and easy laughs from comedians getting fat on the proceeds of panel shows. In football, mental health problems are taboo. He’d sunk so low that he was denied even his illness. On the contrary, his suffering was exploited by reporters after a story and chairman offering him work.

Mercifully, he’s survived. It’s impossible to know if the empathy from Spurs fans played the tiniest part in keeping him going, but I can’t ever recall such a wave of goodwill towards an ex-Spur. He’s hidden away in Bournemouth, out of rehab but still being supported well, slow progress but steady.

The book is a lavishly illustrated conversation with Paul about his entire career, just turn on the recorder and out streams an engaging, flowing account of his life from the man himself. After a while, close your eyes and you can imagine him in the room, chatting over a cup of tea. This plus the hundreds of colour photos make it a pleasant, welcoming read that tells you about the man’s football career without stretching the reader too far.

The therapy that has played a part of Gascoigne’s rehabilitation enables to him to reflect on what’s gone wrong in an honest, self-aware manner without becoming maudlin or self-indulgent, as is the fate of many other celebrities who have been through the same process.There’s no evaluation, either from an outside voice or from Gascoigne, and nothing about his mental health or his career, if you can call it that, since retirement. This is purely and simply about football. The reader is left to provide the context and whilst many familiar episodes are covered, like the dentist’s chair, escaping the boredom of international tournaments and high jinks at Rangers, there is a refreshing lack of spin or image. This isn’t Gazza – daft as brush, Gazza – the alcoholic or even Gazza – the idiot. It’s just Gazza. He acknowledges in a matter of fact way that he should not have done certain things but what comes over is the total lack of malice in anything that he did. He never had an agenda, a grudge or sought to exact revenge. Most of the time he got into trouble because just the opposite, he never had a plan or thought anything through, but you sense this is why, despite all the things he has got up to, no one in football seems to have a bad word to say about him.

In fact, he comes over as boyish, getting into the same scrapes as a man as he did as a lad. His mind wandering onto other things, football mostly when he should have been studying, losing Kevin’s Keegan’s boot as an apprentice then forgetting his own boots before a crucial game in Euro ‘96. Same response – he can’t tell anyone so it’s a farcical attempt to cover it up, in the case of England playing the entire first half in Sheringham’s spare boots, which were the wrong size.

He confirms what Spurs fans already know, that he played the best football of his career whilst at White Hart Lane. So it’s a little disappointing that the space given over to Spurs is much less than that devoted to England or Rangers. I guess the publishers understand the market. Also, many anecdotes will have a familiar ring for anyone who has read Hunter Davies’ excellent book on Gazza.

The section on Spurs focuses on his remarkable contribution to the 1991 cup run. At the time it seemed to me that he single-handedly inspired the team to Wembley. In reality, the famous victories in the semi-final against Arsenal and the final were founded upon excellent teamwork, and Gascoigne praises the unsung Paul Stewart in particular for “covering the space for me” as Gazza was knackered, either because he was playing in pain through injury or because he prepares for a vital cup-tie by playing 15 sets of squash with John Moncur the night before as he can’t sleep. But the inspiration and glory are rightfully his. A hat-trick against Oxford, a scintillating winner away to Portsmouth, another versus Notts County, all tricky ties, plus the free-kick that will ensure his legendary status for as long as anyone talks about Tottenham Hotspur. Typically he doesn’t dwell on it – cue anecdotes involving nurses, hospitals and testicles – but the effort he made to play through injuries and then to sweat blood to get fit after surgery is nothing short of heroic. He did that for the good of playing football. He did that for us.

In any walk of life, the very greatest tread a fine line between the bold and the reckless. To be original and different, the individual has to think and do something that is fresh and new. What is to our heroes an act of bravery, to us mere mortals seems like the height of foolishness. Gascoigne treads that fine line throughout his career and this book helps you walk with him. The character traits that made him infuriating and a magnet for trouble are the very same that enabled him also to attempt the most outrageous feats on the pitch, and because he was so, so wonderful, he succeeded where most would fail.

Gazza’s an entertaining companion and this is a engaging read in time for the Christmas market. It’s not a confessional, but if there is a message from a fallen hero to the young players of today, it’s not about the dangers of the booze, the sycophants or the lack of support of family and friends, it’s that players should love and cherish the game. If that’s Gazza’s legacy, then this book is a success, for it is above all else about a man who just wants to play football. Rather than the grey, bewildered figure of fun blinking uncomprehending in the spotlight, running on empty, please remember him as he should be remembered, the breath-taking talent of the one of greatest Tottenham players there has ever been.

A couple of my other pieces on Gazza here, about his career, and here, about mental health, Chris Evans and Danny Baker

Glorious – My World, Football and Me by Paul Gascoigne   Published by  Simon and Schuster

WIN A COPY

My copy actually, read once, one careful owner, and the biryani stains will come out with a bit of soap and water.

To win answer this question:

To persuade Gazza to sign for Spurs and not Fergie, Irving Scholar sealed the deal with a few extra items that don’t normally feature in transfer negotiations. Name any of them.

If you need a nudge in the right direction, one item Gazza would be delighted to receive these days and would put to good use in his leisure time (and before you start, he’s off the booze)

E-mail your answer to: alan@tottenhamonmymind.com

Closing date: Tuesday 1st November, 8pm, all correct entries into a hat, first one out wins

And while you’re here, 1 family, 3 generations of Spurs fans are taking part on Saturday in a Family Hike in aid of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering.

You can sponsor us here: Just Giving – Family Hike for BAAF

Just a quid would be great.

Just Like The Old Days. Except We Won

/ Alan / 8 Comments

Spurs away and just like the old days. An inferior side produces their best because we let them play. Shaky at the back, vulnerable to the simplest long ball. Can’t keep hold of the ball or close down our opponents. One difference, mind – we won.

The familiar 4-4-2 created plenty of opportunities early on. We used the width this formation offers to good effect, trying to pull Blackburn’s central defence out of position through a combination of searing runs from deep and beautiful long passes sweeping across the field. Adebayor was under orders to pull out wide too, although given the space on offer I would have preferred him to remain more central, but every time the ball came into their box there was no shortage of willing recipients.

This counterattacking at pace took the breath away at times. My kind of football, and although Manu had a quiet game, movement of this nature would have been impossible with Crouch leading the line. It culminated in a fine opening goal. Walker picked up the ball near halfway, kept going, and going, and going…then a neat ball, even though he was moving at a rate of knots he had the presence of mind to not only pick out his man but also to use the ball with delicacy and precision. Rafa stroked it home, a top class piece of football all round. We should have had more to show for our dominance in this period of the game.

I thought Blackburn were supposed to be rubbish and their manager out of his depth. No one told their players. Most managers in the country would envy their application and energy and they forced their way back into the game as the first half wore on. No wonder Spurs have looking at Hoilett. he impressed me last season and with some coaching on his final ball is a genuine prospect.

Credit to them therefore but old faults reappeared in our play that worsened as the match went on and made the last half hour a nail-biting stomach churning 30 minutes of anguish, on my sofa at least. Like I said, just like the old days.

Lennon’s selection was in part down to the problems experienced last week when we failed to handle Newcastle’s width because the full-backs were left exposed. He did some decent chasing back but not enough and was hesitant coming forward. Also, the whole midfield four at times did not work back hard enough, Bale being particularly guilty, and there were big gaps between our back and middle fours. Too much space, not enough pressing. The marking for the equaliser was crazy – from a set piece we were outnumbered in our own box – and throughout the second half the crosses rained in without us making any appreciable effort to stem the flow.

Once the ball got into our box, there was trouble. Too much room between the defenders and too heavy a reliance on Blackburn’s ability to provide a wayward final ball. Set pieces were a nightmare as Kaboul and Bassong struggled. When we won the ball, too frequently we gave it away again. Unlike us this season – this is an aspect of our play that has improved massively.

I feared we would concede. Sure, I wanted the three points but there was something daft going on in my head about not wanting to tarnish the memory of Rafa’s two goals, as we did when JD scored a blinder at Wolves but we drew. His second was a sumptuous thing of understated beauty, an effortless arc inside the post, struck first time at pace. VDV had a fine game. My criticism at the break was that he should have dropped back more to help out the midfield. However, what do I know? I’m not a great one for stats but in the first half he ran further than every other Spurs player. So much for those who say he’s unfit and lazy. Done properly, that free role takes a lot of effort but it paid off yesterday. A class act.

On the balance of play and chances, Blackburn earned at least a point. However, they suffered the fate familiar to many teams at the bottom of the Premier League – they weren’t sharp enough in front of goal and wasted what came their way. I admire Redknapp for wanting to keep the the team’s shape but I was crying out for Sandro or Livermore long before the end. Boy is he stubborn. In the end, the last ten or fifteen minutes were our best defensively and Blackburn’s effort petered away feebly.

Walker had another fine game. he’s majestic coming forward and as I noted in my description of the goal, he has considerable presence of mind in addition to his power. Defensively his positioning needs work but he has the pace to get out of trouble, with time to spare to come across the box and help out his team-mates, as he did on several  occasions. Who scouted him at age 18 or 19? Give that man the freedom of the borough.

Neither Parker nor Modric imposed themselves on the game, without playing badly. Bale was great going forward but poor defensively. He must work on this.

And we won. Win when not at your best, that’s the measure of a good side. You’ve heard that one before, but certainly there is a resilience about Spurs that has come from our European exploits last season. Also, today notwithstanding, we keep possession better and Freidel provides steadiness at the back. Maybe he can’t get up into the top corners any more but he marshals his defenders and cuts out the errors. Most importantly, away from home we are scoring more readily than last year, which gives us something to protect and makes it much more of a challenge to beat us.

Some anxiety and fear, but this is Spurs. The magnificence of those two goals will be the memory marker for this game, and 5 wins in 6, 5th in the league, I’m really not complaining. In fact, couldn’t be happier.

Coming up: stay tuned for a review of Gazza’s new book and a chance to win a copy. Oooh.