Spurs v Hull. Next Time, We Take Charge.

January 17, 2010January 17, 2010 / Alan / 18 Comments

Not for the first time this season, Spurs toiled against a team with less talent but exemplary organisation. Hull deserve credit for their energy and application and none whatsoever for starting their time-wasting tactics in the first quarter of the match, but in the end despite all our travails we made and missed four gilt-edged chances, and with them the opportunity to bank valuable points in pursuit of fourth place.

Hull came with a plan to restrict and stifle our flowing football, and we fell right into their clutches by allowing them to dictate the tempo in the first half. We had precisely the midfield to combat their pressing game but chose instead to waste possession and play the long ball far too often. Searching for scraps, Modric and Kranjcar came inside and were enveloped in the Hull defensive blanket. Without Lennon there was no escape in width.

The time-wasting and staying down at the slightest knock is enormously frustrating (Bolton did this a few years ago when of course Brown was their assistant manager) but we have to be big enough and strong enough to rise above it. Instead, we failed to just hold the ball and shift it around and were sucked in. By the middle of the second half, Hunt had succeeded in winding up Hud to the point where he kicked the Hull player in the back. Hunt protested but in reality he was delighted – he had Hud exactly where he wanted him.

The long pass to Keane and Defoe, who were running centrally between their central defenders, looked like team orders, but our opponents learned from the away fixture earlier this season and played deeper, therefore there was little space between back four and keeper for the ball to be played into. Their cause was greatly assisted by Huddlestone’s poor performance. Time and again he went for the long ball, ignoring simpler but more effective alternatives. Everyone has a bad one from time to time, but this was a match where as the playmaker he should have taken on the responsibility of directing operations. He did indeed set the tone for the team, but being caught in possession and over-ambitious passing ripe for interception was not what we had in mind.

As the first half wore on, and time went very slowly yesterday, we gradually dragged ourselves into the match but Keane and then Defoe missed the chances. We expected more in the second half but it was only the introduction of Jenas to up the pace and to drive on from midfield that finally kick-started our game. Crouch won everything and we looked more dangerous, but for the most part the final ball in the box eluded us or heroic blocking from the massed Hull ranks prevented better opportunities.

Myhill had a fine match. My usual Saturday night routine is to look forward to MOTD and then fall fast asleep after the second match, so although I missed our highlights I’m assuming that Lineker’s trail of the ‘best goalkeeping performance for years’ referred to him. I feel duty bound to point out, however, that we placed the ball close to him on several occasions when we should have done much better. Keane was fatally hesitant when those rebounds fell to him, one in each half. For the first, Myhill did superbly to get up and back into position, his best save, but Keane had a lot of the goal to aim at, as did Crouch for his late header.

Keane’s form is highly concerning. Once again he was ineffective and approached his chances in the manner of a man who knows he is way out of sorts. At the moment we cannot rely on him in any way.

Bale was our best player. He showed total application, understood what he was supposed to do and defended well enough, although he was not seriously tested. Still, he will benefit from games like this. Modric and Kranjcar, two of my favourite players, disappointed, being absent for long periods. In the second half they and we fell into the trap of pushing ten or fifteen yards too far forward. Playing against teams with a blanket defence, one or two forwards have to drop back to start each move, to begin the pass and movement style, and they are experienced enough to know this, rather than hang around up front waiting for the ball in areas where defenders can more easily handle them. Dropping back also tempts their marker to follow them, thereby creating a fraction of space. I would have brought on Rose for Hud, with Modric in the middle, to give us the option of width and pace plus more craft in the centre.

Daws made a couple of fine tackles towards the end, one of which I would hail as magnificent if it weren’t for the fact that it was necessitated by defensive hesitation.

The question hanging over the Lane at full-time was, ‘why can’t we beat the teams at the bottom?’. The reason is that Wolves, Stoke and now Hull come with limited horizons. I don’t blame them: it’s just a fact. They can get ten or eleven behind the ball because winning is not the primary aim. Teams with greater ambitions will have a more open style because they will be attacking for at least some periods of the match.

To be a top team, we have to dictate to them, not the other way around. It’s not easy playing through and around defensive teams but we have to find a way. This was out biggest failing against Hull. Two points lost.

Spurs v Peterborough Preview

January 2, 2010 / Alan / 6 Comments

It’s 2010, time for an all-out assault on a place in the Champions League. This blog has deliberately refrained from any CL talk: I’m thoroughly enjoying our season but whatever a top four team looks like, somehow we’re not quite there. If pressed (go on, press me then, oh all right…), it’s that resilience and strength in adversity which is missing from our play. In the words of that great seer Billy Ocean, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And rough, but we don’t. Always.

Except that we are there. In fourth. There it is, in the table. Defensive frailties? Four clean sheets in a row. There’s one place available and we have as good a chance as any of our rivals to make it ours, so hang the doubts, put the pedal to the metal and it’s flat out until May. We are going to have some great games, ladies and gentlemen.

I only hope my nerves can stand the strain. It’s bad enough at the moment because I want us to win so badly anyway, but when something as potentially life-changing as Champions League football (or should that be CL income?) is on the agenda, then I will likely dissolve into a frenzied froth of anxiety for the next few months. I trust the stewards in Block 28 have had first aid training. I’ll ask the club to move those stretcher bearers to the East Stand. They are quicker off the mark than vultures on the Serengeti plains. My recent medical examination showed I am sound in body but then again the doctors have never had to see a body withstand the forces exerted on flesh and blood when Spurs are defending a one-nil lead.

Peterborough should provide some light relief. Dear sweet little Peterborough, or to give them their official title, Cup Minnows. Bottom of the Championship, number of away wins this season – nought.

No. No no no no no. The FA Cup is a worthy competition and we should go all out to succeed in it. Also, you can’t turn that winning mentality on and off at will – it is either there or it is not, so a strong team and 100% effort sends the right message to the players, never mind anyone else.

Banish complacency and all thoughts of playing a second team. We should field the strongest possible eleven. BAE and Lennon are injured but otherwise I don’t see why anyone should be rested, unless they have a little niggle that would respond to a weekend in front of Sky Sports. The one exception is Palacios. To be consistent, I’ve been suggesting that he could do with a break but Harry’s policy of allowing him to find his form by playing through a bad patch seems to have worked, judging by his excellent display against West Ham. And as this blog predicted, Benny’s injury requires treatment and rest just as the African Cup of Nations comes into view. Coincidence is a funny thing…

Ledley will not start, so Daws and Bassong in front of Gomes, a midfield of Kranjcar, JJ, Hud and Modric with Defoe up front alongside Crouch, although Keane may get the nod. There is a huge opportunity for Gareth Bale, a highly talented footballer who needs to learn the art of defending, as do many young defenders. This is hardly surprising, yet Bale has been subject to a great deal of criticism on the boards, something that is undeserved for a player with so little first team experience – he’s started fewer than 40 games in his years with us.

It’s tough for youngsters at Spurs. Consider the case of Charlie Lee, now a popular member of the Peterborough squad but formerly captain of Spurs reserves. I saw him play a couple of times, the outstanding performer in the match with a good tackle and pass and a great attitude. Watching the reserves you can spot talent but never quite gauge if that will be good enough for the first team. Maybe Lee lacked a couple of inches for centre half or the weight of pass for centre midfield, so he moves on and will play well today…but there wasn’t much in it.

The right back selection and the bench may offer some clues as to our transfer policy because if anyone is on the move, their value will diminish if they are cup tied. It’s unlikely therefore that Hutton will appear and a loan back to Sheffield has been mentioned for Naughton, although I look forward to seeing him play.

Talking of transfers, the icy blast of rumours, lies and misdirection is already blowing through the open window. Wrap up warm to protect yourself from several inches of guff. Harry says he’s not in the market for players. This is a lie. It’s fine, I don’t mind him lying because that’s a good place to open negotiations, just don’t take much notice of what he says.

We have money for the right player. The only major gap to plug is the lack of a decent second goalkeeper but this will not prevent Harry from improving the squad if he feels he can. If a top quality all round centre midfielder is available, one who can defend, pass, score and run all day, then by all means buy him. It’s just us and rest of the footballing world that is searching for the same mythical qualities. Sandro seems odds on to join us and I understand this is his position but he’s young and we should not expect too much too soon.

Decent players are seldom on the market in January so the demand may push up the price for Pavlyuchenko, Hutton and Bentley, all of whom will depart. We will lose money but maybe not as much as some suggest. Several English clubs are desperate for quality and Levy will make them pay for it.

Our most pressing problem in this and subsequent windows is not the search for new blood but keeping our quality players. We’ve done everything possible to keep them. The policy of buying players for whom Spurs is a step up is paying off as many of them take a step closer to maturity. Woodgate, Keane and Crouch have played in the CL – anyone else? Gomes? The rest will be motivated to use that as a target.

Others owe some gratitude to the club for the progress they have made, like Lennon, whilst Crouch and Defoe clearly feel understood and content with HR.

So I don’t see what else we could do to keep them. If ManU, Chelsea or even Man City (think of the salary) come in with a determined offer, it’s nigh on impossible for the player to resist. Fergie has his beady eye on Luka, I can sense it.

Spurs v West Ham. A Fine Win.

December 29, 2009 / Alan / 11 Comments

Forget the scoreline showing a late second goal securing a relatively narrow victory, this was a match that Spurs dominated from start to finish. A series of fluent passing movements created a steady flow of goalscoring opportunities, whilst at the back our defence were largely untroubled by the poorest team we have faced so far this season.

Modric’s return presented an additional tool with which to dismantle West Ham’s 4-5-1 formation and we passed our way round their midfield to repeatedly expose the heart of their defence. Lennon proceeded to torment his full back who eventually limped off, fitness and confidence broken by the onslaught. His breathtaking burst to set up the first, hurtling at full tilt onto Defoe’s throughball, was one the finest moments of the season. The only danger is that we become too easily accustomed to such shimmering brilliance. I continue to marvel with slack jawed expectancy at wing play of the highest quality, a lost art consigned so I thought to another age and time. Modric was there to convert the cross and he joyfully celebrated in front of the Park Lane.

West Ham are a team of bit-part players searching in vain for a main character. Franco and Diamante are willing and neat, Collison highly promising and Stanilas’ pace can threaten but crippled by injuries they have failed to grasp the plot. If Zola (a man I admire as both player and manager) truly believed his post match comment on 5 Live that his team had the better of the second half then the pressure is sadly getting to him. To see Parker’s disconsolate figure disappearing down the tunnel as the celebrations for Modric’s goal subsided was an additional bonus. One up and their best player departed.

The opportunities continued to present themselves. We retained possession well for once, Huddlestone took up good positons and the little maestro drifted in from the left to remain involved. Assou Ekotto and Corluka, who had a good game, shrewdly using the angles with simple, effective passing throughout, supported well as they were under little pressure.

JD Celebrates His Goal With The Fans. pic Dylan Martinez/Reuters

We allowed the tempo to drop and so West Ham could at least dampen our attacking efforts. They set up their midfield to encourage us to move down the left in an attempt to cut off the supply to Lennon. Every so often we suddenly upped the pace around their box and chances would arise. Here is Modric’s great skill, holding the ball, passing it on and then a swift dart or first time ball. We combined well as a team today, one twos and neat triangles with support for the man in possession.

Gomes was seldom troubled, a fine late save from our opponents only real chance being his most notable contribution to a game where he was well protected by his defence. Dawson was again the pick, alert, muscular and decisive alongside Ledley’s reassuring presence. In front of them, Palacios had his best game for a long while, anticipating well and strong in the tackle. With all our attacking excellence, this was perhaps the most quietly pleasing outcome of the game. He has not only been off form, he has also been suffering visibly. This performance will do much for him and for the team.

I am wary of the cruise control on my car. Far from relaxing me as intended, I dislike the feeling of not being in total control and anyway slight adjustments are always required. Allowing the pace of our game to drop meant a false sense of security and could have been costly as we should have been two or three goals to the good by half time. West Ham went to 4-4-2 in the second half but fared little better. As the game wore on, our battle was increasingly against the tension that simmered around the Lane as we protected a single goal lead. A deflection or a breakaway, we’ve seen it so many times before as our superiority has been wasted, so relief all round as Defoe joyfully smashed in the second.

JD had a relatively quiet game but of course scored one and contributed to the other. This is often the way for a top class striker – does little but what he does do is potentially decisive. He’s not a patient man by nature; as the game wore on he was desperate to ram the insults down the throats of the Hammers fans and so resorted to the blasting the ball from further out, but when his moment arrived he kept his head. Also, he did not get himself so wound up that he was in any danger of dismissal as he was against Portsmouth.

Crouch had another of his frustrating days that I fear we are going to have get used to for as long as he plays for us. Seeing plenty of the ball he did not make good use of it and missed chances that would have eased any pressure, playing across the near post ball in the first half being the worst error. He might have been sacrificed for Keane but as the game went into the final quarter he offers the out-ball to ease pressure on the defence. Kranjcar might have come on earlier and his arrival invigorated a jaded midfield. He’s been excellent and was unlucky to be left out, but we are fortunate to be able to bring on someone of his ability. Harry presumably did not want to disrupt the team unnecessarily so Modric stayed on for five or minutes longer than his tiring legs demanded.

Towards the end, Lennon was working back and berated Corluka for not getting tighter to the dangerous Stanilas. Nothing untoward came of this, but that’s not the point. At the start of this season he would not have dared to address his more experienced team mate in this way. Not only that, he was right, showing how his tactical acumen is developing all the time.

So that’s four points and a good Christmas. And four clean sheets in a row, the first such sequence for eight or nine years. By not converting our superiority into goals we made harder work of this victory than was necessary but as soon as JD’s rocket went in, it was clear this was more about my nerves than the performance.

The photo is from the Guardian. I’ve credited it but I’ll take it down if necessary. I’ve used it because it is a great image.

Fulham v Spurs. One is Better Than None.

December 27, 2009 / Alan / 4 Comments

Spurs left Craven Cottage with a point, which many fans would have settled for before the match began. But football at the highest level is not about settling for half measures. It’s about making the possible reality, and yesterday it was certainly possible for Spurs to play a whole lot better.

For much of the game we held our own but lacked the sense of urgency and purpose that could have translated possession into supremacy, and in turn into more chances. We were never able to dictate the shape or tempo of the match despite having our fair share of the ball. Much of this was down to Fulham, who are well-organised and hard-working. It’s hard enough to break them down but this became nigh on impossible because we gave the ball away so frequently. This old failing of ours is wasteful of so much of our better play and is hampering our efforts to become a top four team.

Our back four were solid for the most part, with a few aberrations from Assou Ekotto, but Gomes was the star of the show. His Stretch Armstrong impression plucked the ball from all four corners of the goal, a fine all round display. Gomes looks more relaxed and confident, a far cry from this match last year where he was so edgy and out of touch that he provoked pity rather than anger. He made the most absurd error, getting his body behind a simple ball but somehow contriving to allow it to roll into the net.

Ironic then that this morning David James is openly declaring his desire to come to Spurs, adding to the usual guff about being flattered at the interest of a big club that it will help his World Cup chances. Sitting on the bench won’t help, so if there is any truth in this rumour, and James is usually careful in the way he expresses himself, he thinks that he will be first choice. Whether number one or not, James’ arrival would totally unsettle Gomes and undo all of the good work that he has accomplished this season with his coach Tony Parks. I don’t want him.

In my preview I was disparaging towards Bobby Zamora so naturally he had a fine game. Clever with his back to the goal, his link up play with team mates was conspicuously superior than the manner in which Crouch, a better player, linked with our forwards. Fulham stay closer in possession to their centre forward, buzzing around him and providing different options and angles. Crouch on the other hand was often detached from his colleagues. Keane did not help, another poor game, full of effort with no end product.

The old adage that success comes if you win at home and draw away is not so true in these days of three points for a win and teams with cutting counter-attacking strategies, but this remains a decent point, made better if we win against West Ham. Other teams have targeted Fulham as an away win and come away with nothing. Also, that’s three clean sheets in a row for the first time in four seasons, I believe. That must represent some sort of progress.