sports

Monday Meanderings – Should Have Brought the Deckchair

/ Alan / 7 Comments

A routine win. Routine and lovely and ordinary and superb and standard and welcome and oh-so-average and brilliant.

Routine. Let it roll around around the tongue. Roooo-tine. Roo-teeeeeeene. Savour the word, luxuriate in each syllable, rejoice in the concept, because nothing is ever routine at Spurs so this was such a relief. Enjoy every moment because the rest of this fantastic season is a white knuckle ride into the unknown. We won a game we were supposed to win, in the end at a canter. We didn’t play well, but well enough. It’s not usually as straightforward as this, but nothing went wrong, no mishaps or calamities, plenty in reserve. I’ll never get used to this sort of thing at Spurs.

We had a go a few times. Gomes saved well close in, once in each half, a tangle of long arms and legs and the ball bounced to safety. Excellent work, he gets down so quickly for a man able to touch the crossbar with his armpit. And Pompey helped. When you’re down, you’re down. Last man standing as the vultures with the stretcher had their best afternoon of the season. As ever, I was plutzing whenever they had possession, at least until the last few minutes. Maybe the air disturbance caused by three pigeons taking off at the Park Lane at the just the wrong moment could subtly alter the ball’s trajectory as it flies towards Gomes…

I’ll always be like this, it’s too late to do anything about it. There was, however, real potential when Portsmouth went 4-3-3 and it is as well that Huddlestone, diligently dropping back, was more alert to the danger than the crowd. The huge cheer that went up when Birmingham equalised (I assume, as apparently I was the only one looking at the ball not the screen) could have choked in the throats of a good many spectators as it coincided precisely with one of Portsmouth’s rare forays into the box. Nothing came of it but it’s not as if I want to spend £40 to watch Soccer Saturday. The Pompey fans’ quip about ‘is there a fire drill?’ greeted a deafening rumble of seats thwacking back in unison. It was funny and I wish them well for their loyalty and continued enthusiasm under impossible duress. From April 12th onwards. Until then, keep those injuries coming.

Spurs went through the motions but the spark was missing. Hud and Luka were quiet for the most part, Hud’s perfectly timed left footer aside, but the big boned one’s value is in more than just the spectacular. He works with energy and growing intelligence, particularly in the way he makes himself available for team-mates. Nice touch in the first half. Lumbering forward to join an attack, as he ran he turned and told Luka to stay back. Only one forward at a time, the right decision and more importantly he took charge of that moment.

Perhaps not the game to judge too harshly, but Bentley’s second half performance illustrated one of the faults in his game. If he does not release it fairly quickly, he tends to take it too far, right into the clutches of the opposing defenders. He doesn’t have the pace to beat them and usually not the skills either. What he does so well is whip the ball, but to do so you don’t have to beat your defender. Rather, you can push it a yard ahead and away from your man, he can’t reach it but you can wrap your foot around and curl it in. That needs to be drummed into him. Maybe he’s better in games with more edge and pace. Also, he did not link well with Walker, although that can be excused as this was presumably their first outing together. My first look at Walker in a Spurs shirt. He had a promising debut, holds himself in a well-balanced manner so he can move well and shift balance if he has to turn or move in for the tackle, tackles firmly and is decisive. Sometimes that meant that he made the wrong decision but overall I’d rather see a young man have faith in his own ability that hesitate for fear of making a mistake. His run to set up the second goal was a fine piece of play, showing also his awareness of first the space and then of better-placed team-mates as he pulled it back.

Our Saviour was another on cruise control when he came on but Superboy has only two settings, off and maximum. That move he’s working on, where he brings down a pass and leaves the ball a yard or two in front so he can run onto it. that’s real skill because some of those crossfield passes from Hud and Daws are fairly fizzing in towards him. He was absolutely terrific again, thrilling on the ball.

As relaxing an afternoon as it ever will be at the Lane and now close your eyes and dream of the glory ahead. Whatever happens at Sunderland, week beginning April 11th is the stuff of magic and mystery. It’s why we go through the rubbish and the pain, for moments like these.

But for now, Spurs stopped playing towards the end and so this column will just

Still time to enter the competition to win a copy of the book everyone wants to read, ‘Spurs Cult Heroes’. Answer 3 questions about cult heroes that might have been… see ‘Recent Posts’ opposite or scroll down a bit.

Spurs v Fulham. Can’t Sleep, But There’s Plenty To Dream About

/ Alan / 15 Comments

No column planned for today, not time…but have to write. Something has to be said about our team, our infuriating magnificent frustrating spellbinding team. Something must be said.

Battle of the English managers. Honours even, one half each. My goodness, they know this game. The difference in the first half – movement. Fulham pass and move, short passes mostly, nothing ambitious, get it, keep it, allow men to move forward in support. With five in midfield and mobile, there’s an advantage in beginning the movements from a deeper position because you can see the space in front of you, and the Fulham players moved unerringly into the gaps.We are still, expectant, strikers looking on from the area’s edge.

Kranjcar coming inside, good idea, overload them in and around the box. But he’s not effective and leaves a gap out wide behind him. Konchesky and Davies into that gap, help each other out. No worries, Sgt Wilson is patrolling, he cuts them off. But if he moves right, then there’s no one in the middle, so that’s where Fulham moves end up. So clever.

Benny has one of his vague games where the effort is there but the concentration absent. Not so much away with the fairies but under the headphones. Bale’s not sure where to be, Luka should come back more quickly, and it’s the old failing of Spurs leaving too much room in front of the back four. Bassong is drawn out because there’s no one to protect him, not really his fault but he’s late, betwixt and between, Fulham not closed down and there’s a gap….Zamora sees it, a fraction later, a perfect interval, a plain simple perfect pass is inserted into that gap and beautifully taken. All that work for a single moment. Worth it.

Yes, Crouch is playing well with the long ball, staying near his team mates and finding them well. That’s what he needs, don’t drift too far away, keep it simple. Not his fault, but the long ball is not our game. Pass it and move. Only one side doing that, so frustrating, maddening. We can do better, we know better, nothing learned over the season, nothing, all thrown out of the window…

Two eager young men dance enthusiastically on the touchline. Optimism and anticipation mask the knowledge that neither is famed for their ability to seize the day. Modric told in yesterday’s Times of Harry’s fearsome half-time team talks. The paint must be blistering on the walls. The act of a brave man, substitutes this early, carrying injuries and callow youth on the bench. Or desperate.

First touch, first touch you cocky little sod, you cocky little loveable sod, believe your own hype for a while, I’ll let you. Charlie offside, Fulham fans, the ones watching on TV at any rate, must be bitter. Bentley right, Modric left, Hud passes, Wilson covers. Suddenly there’s balance and shape, comfort in this warm familiarity. Gudjohnson is right at home, welcome and step right in, it’s nice here, you’re one of us. Shrewd, canny, pass and move, look for those little chinks in the massed ranks, get behind them, they can’t see you until it’s too late. Crouchie’s working, one of us, part of the team. That’s the way.

Bale, rampaging from deep, he slots into the role like a veteran but with the enthusiasm of a puppy. Coming from there, he can’t be picked up so easily, two men on him now, one, Duff, can’t get forward any more, out of the equation so their attack is blunted and the ball doesn’t get in our half for 30 minutes. Another young full back, Kelly, shows that he did not fulfil his early promise also as an attacking defender, nervous, broken, booked then substituted.

An injury threatens to disrupt the momentum, and the shape. Pav on, where is everyone supposed to be, no defenders…sod it, attack, it’s what we do. Daws looked nervous but if the ball stays in their half, he’s OK. Pav, not fit, runs around like a pit pony released from the depths. You weren’t really that hurt on the weekend, were you? Far post volley, ridiculous from there, from nowhere. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Beautiful slaughter. Fulham picked apart. Eidur completes a breathtaking team move. The TV shows only the coup de grace, obscuring the best and most fulfilling elements, of how this goal was created from way back.

There could have been more but lest we forget, Fulham are back in it, makeshift defence, tired legs, not fully fit many of them, we’ve played our hand. One goal, perhaps that Duff shot a yard to the left, Fulham may not realise but we’ve crumbled before. But Gomes sound, finely timed interventions from Daws and Seb, and so to Wembley.

Got to give it to you, Harry, and Hud in the middle, unspectacular but you did all that was asked of you, pass it and move, the others worked around you. Running out of defenders but leave that one for another day. For now, enjoy. City lost, Wembley, and a game of two halves. Enjoy the morning after a special night. If you ever wonder why we do it, pay the money and take the grief, that’s why.

WIN a Copy of Spurs Cult Heroes!

/ Alan / 2 Comments

Win a copy of ‘Spurs Cult Heroes’ by Michael Lacquiere, known to the likes of you and I as the author of the fab blog All Action No Plot.

The stories of 20 fans’ icons, the book is often remarkable and always entertaining. I hope there’s not too much about fake boobs, though.

My first ever freebie as a blogger and I am giving you, dear reader, the chance to win it. Not that I haven’t been offered items, oh no, but selflessly I’ve turned them all down, keeping TOMM advert-free and as pure and innocent as a new born babe, with a bottom to match.

In order to send this to you in pristine condition, I’ve not been able to review it, although I might peek inside after buying a pair of those white gloves that David Dimbleby uses to handle medieval manuscripts or ancient maps with the land of the dog-headed men, now known as Chatham.  If it is half as good as the blog, then it will be the best read of the year.

To win a copy, answer these questions. Replies to tottenhamonmymind@gmx.co.uk, closing date next Wednesday March 31st at 8pm. First one out the hat wins. I’ve always wanted to pick a name out of a hat, you know.

The Hat. Just think, your name could be in it this time next week...

Spurs have been blessed with many cult heroes, but can you identify three more that you so nearly adored but in the end they never quite made it. We were seriously after these players but the deals fell through.

  1. A bona fide stone cold hero for country and club, in the mid 60s he could not wait to join Spurs and get away from the London team with which he will forever be associated. But his board said ‘no’ and punished him by keeping his wages down.
  2. This saintly hero was rumoured to be on his way for a couple of years and even the bloke behind me confirmed the deal. His style was perfect for Spurs but then his fiancée said she didn’t want to come to London, so he stayed a one club man on the south coast. All I can is, I hope she was worth it.
  3. This man achieved iconic status in the 70s but for one of our bitter rivals. Medicals completed, he was on the point of joining us when one of the cult heroes featured in the book pinched him at the last moment. See how it all fits together?

Monday Meanderings. And Meditation on a Fine Weekend.

/ Alan / 4 Comments

I won’t lie to you. Because of a family bash, I missed Saturday’s match and I’ve not tried to confabulate an in-depth, incisive match report on the basis of MOTD and Football First. All right then, you forced it out of me, even then I dozed off for a moment or two.

Not my side of the family, mind. Good people and a fine time was had by all, but 3pm on a Saturday, the very idea. My kids know better, let me tell you. I’m so proud…

But Monday is a fine time to lean back, suck a thoughtful tooth, look the world in the eye and say, ‘Hallo world, I’m doing very nicely,  thank you.’ Not a classic but there’s a great deal of satisfaction to be found in the way we refused to give ground as the throws were launched and the tackles flew in. They thought Luka would go under, that his mind was as frail as his body looks, but how wrong could anyone be? They put him down, he picked himself up. Riding a tackle is a skill in itself and Modric is a master. That took some determination; it’s not that long since his leg was broken but he never flinched. Bale too; he’s growing up before our very eyes.

The sound of twanging hamstrings is the soundtrack to our lives. As Pav went off, that completed my Crocks XI, as featured in my last post. Not quite the same feeling as completing the Spurs page in a Pannini sticker album, mind you.

Gudjohnson was given his chance and he took it with two memorable moments that stand out even in this season of fine football. Shoulder to shoulder with the defender, a man previously known for his guile did not waver and then smashed the ball home. Net bulging, no messing, so good. Then the step over, the pressure brought a moment of total poise and in a blur Kranjcar followed up. He too smashed. Or lashed. A fine goal superbly taken. His ability to come off his wing and enter the box could be crucial as we reach the season’s climax.

Although Eidur has been off the pace (and judging by the timber he’s carrying on the carbohydrates), he’s gradually found his fitness and finally some match sharpness. The speed is not what it was but the brain is still fine-tuned to what’s going on around him. He’s a clever player who can both score and bring others into the game, and his leave for the second was a simply stunning example of this talent.

A few scary moments at the back, and without wishing to puncture this blissful contentment, some yawning gaps appeared once or twice and Gomes’ looked like he thought he had been transported back in time to last year’s debacle. I’d prefer not to rely on the opposition missing chances, but then again they should get some better players.

BAE is an excellent full back but loses it at times, for no apparent reason. It flashed through his mind that he would be beaten in the air, and so pushed in a moment of panic. Perhaps not so crazy: all-in wrestling was apparently permissible in the box in the Chelsea-Inter game, as was pushing Gareth Bale.

He should take lessons from Corluka, who is superb at nudging his man without conceding a foul. But wait – the only reason he’s likely to take Charlie to one side is in a dark alley to punch his lights out. Over to Harry this morning:

Redknapp said: ‘Charlie (Corluka) was upset that he didn’t come back and do his job. Benoit is a strange boy. He’s a bit highly strung and hardly speaks English. If you say something to him he’s hard work. He hasn’t improved his English in the couple of years he’s been here.’

Asked why the player had walked off on his own, Redknapp replied: ‘He didn’t know the result! He probably thought we’d drawn.

‘He’ll turn up Wednesday and play great, but he won’t know we’re playing Fulham until someone tells him. That’s how he is. He’s unreal. He walks off and he’s thinking about the music he’s going to play when he puts his headphones on.’

Potentially a manager’s nightmare but Redknapp has handled him well. It’s an interesting point: in this world of badge-kissing and the clamour for commitment, Benny goes his own way and is he any less of a player because of that? He clearly worries about his work (and I use that term advisedly because ‘work’ is what it is to him) because he can be unsettled, as he was on Saturday and, say, against Everton when he fell apart. I cannot conceive that level of concentration and application without some form of motivation. Maybe being in his own world protects him from the stresses and strains of professional football at this level.

Tony Pulis’ whinging does him a disservice. He was right about the second booking but not in revealing what is a blatant attempt to influence who referees Stoke’s matches. I’m talking about his letter requesting that Dean not officiate for his team. He would do well to remember that many refs would not have dared give a penalty for a push in the area, and indeed he turned down our appeals for a similar offence on Bale, and that his teams give officials a hard time with their physical approach. Pulis has won considerable respect for the way in which Stoke have quickly become an established force in the league, on merit. They are brisk and tough but play decent football and do not rely solely on the long ball or those throws. He’ll lose that kudos if he turns into another Wenger or Benitez.

Talking of whinging, hark at me. TOMM is nothing if not constructive, Harry, but all this talk of how we’ve been hit by injuries and loans. Loans are not a force of nature that we are powerless to prevent. They are the result of hard-nosed decisions around money and player potential made by human beings. In fact, by you, Harry, so I’d keep quiet about it if I were you.

At the end of the window I protested at the loans of Hutton and Keane in particular. They may never have turned out again this  season but they would be there if needed, as well as offering alternative tactical options. In the second half of the most important season for donkey’s years, there was simply no need to move them on.

But Spurs move in mysterious ways. Maybe Harry’s comments are not so strange if they were in fact directed at Levy, who may have put on some pressure in order to save a few bob.

For me, at the do, the moment of victory had a peculiar feel to it. We were wandering around the host’s newly refurbished terraced house in Archway, admiring the oh-so-tasteful features whilst curling an inward lip at the sheer fortune that it cost. The last thing I want is a TV over the bath but when no one was looking I had to turn it on. I hate myself, I felt dirty.

Reaching, eventually, the top landing, I took a deep breath and turned on the mobile for the scores. A win! I punched the air, and glanced up over the rooftops, dishes and aerials of north London, only to see the Emirates, bathed in light in readiness for their evening kick off. Look out behind you, we’re coming for you…

Winning at Stoke, 10 man Stoke if it comes to it, may not be so big a deal normally. To me, however, it feels as if a threshold has been crossed. We are fourth on merit and the door is wide open to that CL place, or Wembley come to that. It will be a tough path to travel, I’m under no illusions, but without these three points it would have seemed empty and futile. I am just so excited about the rest of the season.

Finally, Tottenham On My Mind has been asked to guest blog on the site of a new fantasy football game, Football 3s, that can be found here: http://football.picklive.com/

It’s fantasy football in real time, as the game is being played and you can play along as you watch. Touted as the next big thing, they are featuring Spurs Fulham on Wednesday.

And later in the week, a TOMM competition – win a copy of Spurs Cult Heroes, courtesy of All Action No Plot. I’m looking after you, eh, now come on, eh?