Bolton v Spurs Preview. Nothing to Fear Except Fear Itself

October 2, 2009October 2, 2009 / Alan / 3 Comments

Tottenham Hotspur approach the away match against Bolton this Saturday knowing that we have an appalling record at the Reebok. However, let history count for nothing, at least in this instance, and ensure that we return with a victory.

Since they returned to the top division, Bolton have performed with a brusque physicality that in truth we have seldom coped with. Hard running plus brute force have been our undoing and we have been incapable of mounting a serious challenge. One abiding memory from the Allardyce era was thinking that Bolton have an extra one or two players on the pitch, a function partly of their dominance but also, tellingly, of our inability to resist.

Bolton regularly exposed perhaps the single biggest problem with our team over the last decade. No matter the personnel or managerial changes, we lacked spirit and caved in under pressure. Soft. Weak. Spineless. Leaderless.

This blog has threatened regular readers with massive over-use of the word ‘resilience’ this season and makes not the slightest apology for raising it once more. We need it because we haven’t got it, and without it, we won’t get anywhere. Now is the time to make real inroads into the problem by defeating one of our bogey sides, at least away from home. We have the form and certainly the players, so all that is left is the mental attitude to focus on the job at hand for 95 minutes, deal with the pressure and the inevitable periods when the home side will be on top, and push on to a win.

Lack of confidence in our own ability is the main, perhaps only, impediment to success. We have played some gorgeous football recently and are well set up to make that talent count. Even without Defoe, chances will come and surely there is little to fear in the post-Allardyce Bolton. Davies remains a difficult opponent and will both unsettle our central defenders and drift over to the left where Megson will believe he can out-muscle Benny and drift in from wide positions. Dawson may play alongside Bassong to deal with this threat, well though Hud performed last week. Fuller can come from deep and Cohen is scoring from midfield. However, the protection offered by their physical approach has dissipated and JJ and WP will able to compete in what promises to be a crowded midfield. We will strike swift and sure on the break, but may end up playing like a home team for long periods because Bolton will go for a defensive formation with 5 in midfield. They are down the bottom for a reason and even the home fans have little time for their manager. Remember the stick he received from the Bolton fans when they came to the Lane last year.

Last season’s match at the Reebok was notable for the debut of Wilson Palacios, the Man Who Saved Us All. Otherwise, it was all depressingly familiar. By January, the new-manager bounce of Harry’s arrival had well and truly worn off. A desultory first half performance looked to have been turned around as two goals from Darren Bent put us level. With four minutes left, we gave away first the ball and then, from the resultant corner, a soft headed goal. Those were the days, when at dead ball situations we may as well have stood to the side of pitch and noshed a burger, for all the good our defenders were.

Much has changed for the better since then but we still suffer from those two faults, namely giving the ball away too frequently and conceding unnecessary free kicks and corners, as I said in my report of last week’s Burnley game. Cut this out and we are well on the way. Our Saviour must stay on his feet and not dive in, or soon we will worship no longer.

I understand that Spurs have sold 4000 tickets for the game, testament once more to the phenomenal support for our club and passion aroused by even the merest glimpse of good football. It’s the same for Arsenal away, where the loyalty points total is way above that required for the corresponding fixture last season.

Spurs v Burnley. Five Goals. Again.

September 27, 2009 / Alan / 5 Comments

Flowing football from Tottenham Hotspur took Spurs to fourth place in the Premier League and provided great entertainment for the large crowd basking in the unexpected autumn sunshine.

Moving with style and purpose from the off, Spurs threatened to overwhelm Burnley in the first half. Once we figured out that their back four were playing a high line, the offsides stopped and we slotted the ball into the gaps in between and behind their lumbering defenders. Some of our moves were pure beauty, graceful passes, long and short, finding a succession of willing runners. Although it mattered little to the final outcome, I was furious with Defoe for missing that straightforward left footer with the target at his mercy, because that gorgeous move deserved a goal to be endlessly drooled over on MOTD and Sky.

Jermaine Jenas was at the heart of everything for the entire game. He drove us forward, always available then equally well attuned to the whereabouts of team mates. Short or long, yesterday afternoon it was all the same to him as our strikers fed hungrily upon a series of perfectly weighted passes. Even a performance as superb as this will not silence his doubters, however. No player provokes such extreme reactions on the blogs and messageboards, and in a sense this game epitomises the problem rather than settling the argument. If he is capable of playing this well, why doesn’t he do so every week? It’s the frustration born of this inconsistency that riles fans so, even those like me who like to see his name on the teamsheet. However well he does, he appears to have the stamina and talent to be better, it’s as if he’s inexplicably holding something back.

Our Star Man in Philosophical Pose. 'Why don't I always play this well?'

In my preview of the match, I stated that I like Burnley and that’s not altered after yesterday. It’s not just because of the generosity of their defence. They had an attacking outlook, always seeking to get men forward, although this admirable attitude is their undoing. Welcome to the Premier League, no wonder they are regularly slaughtered away from home. Open attacking football – whoever heard of such a thing? The very idea! I was surprised at how few fans had made the trip. It may not get any better than this, my northern friends, so enjoy it while you can.

The other thing I learned about Burney is that they are not very good. Other teams would certainly have made more of the gaps in our defensive formation. This is Spurs, so there is always a ‘but’ somewhere, so here it is. Winning 5-0 should not hide the fact that three old problems have returned, in evidence not only yesterday but over the last few games. First, we are giving the ball away far too often. Yesterday our opponents quickly learned that with a little patience, we would present them with possession soon enough. Palacios was particularly culpable and together with rash challenges and another needless booking, his form continues to be below the standard of last season .

Second, we do not close down at the edge of our own box. Remember a few seasons ago when we were the patsies on every Goal of the Month as long shots flew into the net. That was because we gave them time to line up the delivery and it’s fast becoming the norm right now. We must cut these problems out now.

Lastly, we let teams back into a match that previously we have controlled. We started the second half poorly, although one factor was down to a tactical change from our opponents, whose back four played deeper thus preventing the runs behind them and making JD and Keane play more with their backs to the goal. In the end we scored five, could have easily had eight or nine, but if Blake’s clever response to Cudicini’s dozing at that free kick at 2-0 had gone in instead of hitting the post, we would have been rocked back on our heels.

I remain fascinated with Harry’s team selections. Next month marks the anniversary of his first year at Spurs but he’s still trying to figure out what his players are capable of, both as individuals and in terms of the best blend. Dropping a guy who has scored a hat-trick in midweek was a brave decision (I was certain Crouch would start) but fully vindicated as Keane and Defoe were far too much for Burnley to handle. Not so long ago, the accepted wisdom dictated that they could not play together effectively. I think Harry has put that one to bed, thank you very much.

Neither did I believe for a moment that Huddlestone would play centre half, but he was our other star performer. At Derby he began in that position and it looks like he may have a future there. Another player who creates controversy amongst Spurs fans, to me his main fault is not slowness of foot but of mind. He does not anticipate well, certainly if the old adage that the first yard is in the head is true, then it has not yet occurred to him. Yet yesterday he was particularly strong coming out of the back four line to snuff out danger. Dare we hope this could be a pointer for things to come? A centre half with his ability to pass the ball so well from deep is good for both defence and attack. The test will be very different against better strikers, of course, but perhaps he will find things easier with the play predominantly ahead of him, facing one way.

I felt Gomes was sure to play; his fragile confidence must have been undermined by Cudicini’s selection. Carlo has done well enough over the last few games, especially getting down low and quickly as a shot stopper. However, every game there is an inexcusable mistake. Nothing was going on when he gave the ball to Blake at that free kick and it could have altered the course of the match.

Doubts aside, leaving the ground with a 5-0 victory feels wonderful. Our third was an excellent move, long ball from JJ, Lennon quick and sure, great first time finish from Keane, and from then on there was so much to enjoy. Must mention Kranjcar’s first half crossfield pass to Lennon, not so much inch-perfect as millimetre perfect. Great fun, and that’s five goals on four occasions, it’s not the end of September yet.

Spurs v Burnley Preview

September 26, 2009September 26, 2009 / Alan / 1 Comment

In the middle of the icy January of 1984, beleaguered Everton manager Howard Kendall took his struggling Everton team to Oxford for a League Cup tie. Heavily criticised for a lack of success and for wasting precious cash on a series of underperforming stars, defeat meant his job was on the line. Unfashionable Oxford, who had already beaten three Division One teams, led until late in the game when Adrian Heath, one those summer buys, equalised at the death.

Everton went on to the final, narrowly losing to Liverpool, then Kendall took them an FA Cup victory, two Leagues titles and the European Cup Winners Cup. It may sound fanciful to attribute similar significance to Pavyluchenko’s extra time goal away to Burnley last January, but the parallels are striking. Whilst Redknapp was not as vulnerable as Kendall, before that goal went in he looked ashen and shell-shocked, bereft of ideas as a three goal lead evaporated. More to the point, another insipid, naïve performance demonstrated this expensive team’s utter unpreparedness for the relegation battle ahead.

That goal could be seen as the turning point and the modern Burnley as more than a footnote when it comes to writing the history of Tottenham Hotspur in the early 21st century, although our task of climbing to the top of the pile will be harder than that of Everton back in the eighties. From then on, Harry was able to convey successfully his ideas to the players and also understood better their capabilities to battle.

Burnley will also appear as another footnote, this time as our defeated opponents in the 1962 Cup Final. That was before my time, but I was brought up with Burnley as a top division team, a small club with a reputation for playing good football and finding their own talent. In the early 70s players like the cultured midfielder Martin Dobson, Frank Casper, the terrific Welsh winger Leighton James and of course Ralph Coates all caught the eye. Ralph never seemed to be quite as dangerous for us as he was with his first club, a good servant but a case of better as a big fish in a smaller pond.

This modern Burnley is all about hard work, determination and organisation. Their manager Owen Coyle has done an impressive job on scant resources. I like them and wish them well, after today that is, although I might feel different if they had beaten us last January. Watching them on MOTD is like going back in time to an age when football was competitive but somehow more wholesome. Turf Moor is a traditional ground (some might say old-fashioned and pokey but stay with me, nostalgia is turned to ‘on’ and read this with a rose-tinted glow). They still have painted hoardings advertising the local garage and travel agents. I’m sure the sales of minibuses rocket locally with every TV game. Minibus sales?

Although the League Cup is often seen as a chance for the second string to have a run-out, Wednesday’s team selection provided a clear signal that Gomes is our first choice keeper. The centre midfield is once more key, not because of the selection – I expect the pairing of Jenas and Palacios to continue – but because they have to securely protect our defence. Whoever plays there (if fit the back four will be Corluka, Dawson, Bassong and Assou Ekotto), the centre halves will be an unfamiliar combination and, with Corluka and Dawson, the defence is not the quickest. Moreover, we are likely to be doing most of the attacking so must guard against the temptation of being drawn too far forward as a unit. There must always be cover, so this is an opportunity for Wilson to return to his disciplined, controlled form of last season.

Crouch and Defoe must start but Harry will want Keane’s attacking abilities as we use both these and width from Lennon to get round and through Burnley’s well-organised ranks. BAE must get forward too and thoughts of Bale’s crossing could mean we see him at some point today. We must be patient and not panic if we do not score early. There will be periods in the game where Burnley frustrate us, so stick to football and not be tempted into a constant succession of long balls aimed at Crouch. Burnley will score, so Spurs to win a match with several goals.

Spurs v Chelsea. Harry Didn’t Help This Time

September 21, 2009September 21, 2009 / Alan / 4 Comments

By the end, the game had become painful viewing, with Chelsea stampeding through our injury-ravaged central defence and insolently swatting our feeble attempts to score. However, such thoughts should not totally obliterate the might-have-beens. Earlier we had severely troubled their much vaunted defence, the best centre half in the league had departed and of course the penalty that was not to be.

Have you noticed that Andy Gray, for all his smug self-satisfied pontificating about refereeing decisions, never gives an opinion without seeing at least two replays? I called it a penalty first time and so it was. It was a crucial moment, as much for the timing as for the prospect of a goal, because frankly we did not look like scoring any other way. Our team does not yet have the inner strength and resilience to lift itself from the doldrums against the quality teams by sheer force. Rather, we need something external, like a penalty or a bit of luck, or maybe a spurt of individual brilliance. Resilience: a word that earlier this season I threatened to return to repeatedly. It’s key and we don’t have enough of it yet. Today, we found no way back.

Harry has to shoulder much of the blame for this one. In my preview I wondered if he may have something up his sleeve to cover the left side problem. When I heard the team, I thought Jenas would be told to do a job there, but it never occurred to me that Palacios was to take on that role. He failed to stop Bosingwa’s runs and left the centre exposed. He’s been the foundation of our teamwork since January, so there was little value in changing the very thing that has made us successful.

Also, it’s all very well Lennon having a roving role – Jol did something similar a couple of years ago away to Chelsea and we went two up before they cottoned on to the tactic. We lost 3-2. However, yesterday sustained width would have stretched our opponents and kept Cole occupied, limiting the freedom to attack that won the game.

In the centre, JJ did well enough but the game passed Hud by. It was all just a bit to quick for him after the first twenty minutes. Keane moved well but penalty apart he had one of his un-coordinated days on the ball. And King, great player though he is, how long can we carry the risk of another breakdown during the match.

In contrast, Chelsea move purposefully as a unit and are just so much more comfortable with each other. For them, walking onto the pitch feels like pulling on a thick jumper from the back of the drawer, well-worn and cosy, whereas we are itching from new wool straight out the packet. Ancelotti has experience at the highest level of world football and the Italian league is harsh and brutal. The way things are going, if the Scudetto is like swimming with piranhas, the Premier League is the dentist’s fishtank in Finding Nemo. Here’s an exclusive Ancelotti team talk: ‘OK, line up like you have over the last couple of years, Ash and Jose move up a bit.’ Top of the league.

Having played United and Chelsea in successive weeks, one glaring difference between them and us is the pace at which the game is played. More about this later in the week, when I have more time to write. In the meantime, I did not want to go the game but to those who did, we heard you loud and clear on TV, terrific support and huge kudos to each and every one of you.