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New Years Resolve Not a New Striker

3 min read
by The Fighting Cock
It’s getting closer; it’s so close that grown men have been spotted unable to sit still. Its not Christmas though, New Year or even the thought of that special gift from the girlfriend that you’ve been promised all year, it’s the January Transfer window. As Tottenham fans, this time of year is extra special for […]

It’s getting closer; it’s so close that grown men have been spotted unable to sit still. Its not Christmas though, New Year or even the thought of that special gift from the girlfriend that you’ve been promised all year, it’s the January Transfer window.

As Tottenham fans, this time of year is extra special for us. It’s where despite under-performing some years, or flying high in others, we always find ourselves knee deep in speculation.

After a few years under the helm of the Churchill twitching dog, now we are led to believe we have a manager with a plan. Andre Villas-Boas has been in charge over 6 months and this window should mark our progression and his position under Daniel Levy.

If we pull a double swoop for two former internationals with a combined age of 70 plus, we can open our arms to yet another spring of despair, but I think we may be surprised. Perhaps even pleasantly so.

The issues with our squad are plain to see. We lack a creative maestro, we lack cover out wide and upfront we are a JD injury and a two footed lunge away from adopting Spain’s false number 9 tactic.

Therefore who do we sign?

Shall we find out if Demba Ba really does have a £7.5 million release clause and a dodgy knee?

Or should we turn our attentions to Spain and test Sevilla’s finances with a swoop for Alvaro Negredo?

How about a speculative bid for Willian? Or a move for the Porto star Atsu? (bless you.)

Personally I would steer clear of all these, what we need in 2013, isn’t fresh blood, but a New Years resolution to not crumble, falter or throw away points.

For too many years we have allowed the speculation, the hope and the incessant Twitter refreshing to govern how our season ends. Let’s not look to what we could have, but what we’ve got.

[linequote]What we need in 2013, isn’t fresh blood, but a New Years resolution to not crumble, falter or throw away points.[/linequote]

We are within touching distance of a mutinous Chelsea, above officially the worst Arsenal team in a decade and equal with an Everton team spearheaded by a player who is desperate to squeeze his afro into any club willing to double his wages.

The management must concentrate on what they have and not allow the team, so susceptible to having their concentration interrupted by any Red Top headline, lose focus. We remember fondly our one outing in the Champions League, but had we focused post Christmas dinner in at least 4 of the last 8 years we would be CL veterans by now.

Younes Kaboul

The January window is good for those hoping to gain site traffic, sell papers and make a nice signing on fee. But realistically how effective is a January transfer?

Scroll through the pages and pages of top signings in January and ponder how many were a success? How many were good value?

Luis Suarez apart, I struggle to name another. Yes there are the emergency loan deals, the panic buys that heroically save a team from the drop, but how many have powered a team to the title or a top four place?

[linequote]The best thing that AVB can be given this window is the backing of the fans, the resolve of the team and a couple of slices of luck.[/linequote]

In Italy the giving of gifts in January is called Befana, which relates to The Epiphany, the arrival of the Three Kings. In 2013 we will have our January gifts wrapped, tied with a lilywhite bow and ready to go. We are set to welcome back Younes Kaboul, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Scott Parker.

These three internationals have been key players for Tottenham over the last few years. Their return will allow us to field our first choice back four and add the steel that we seem to miss in the last 10 minutes of nearly every game.

The best thing that AVB can be given this window is the backing of the fans, the resolve of the team and a couple of slices of luck. As we have shown in spells this season and over the past few, we are good enough for the top four, perhaps even more. But before we waste any time compiling a wish list and coveting what others have, let’s look at what we have.

Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Mousa Dembèlè, Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris and Sandro, if these aren’t already top four players then chuck a bridle on me, strap me to a sleigh and call me Dasher. We need a New Year resolve, not a new £25 million asset.

All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.

15 Comments

  1. Try
    17/12/2012 @ 7:30 pm

    Could do with a strik tho

  2. Kev
    17/12/2012 @ 8:11 pm

    But a striker would be nice too…….

  3. DannyMackay
    17/12/2012 @ 8:30 pm

    Completely agree with this article. Stability and unity is more important than a shiny new signing.

  4. Drew
    17/12/2012 @ 9:26 pm

    A striker is not a bad proposition and maybe a moutinho to go along with it, especially if we have to say goodbye to Bale by way of a £56-£60m Real Madrid deal, we may need to groom someone who can play center attacking midfield real well, So Moutinho or Willian or both wouldn’t be half bad for starters unless we start looking seriously to promote Soulimane Coulibaly to teh ‘A’ squad.

  5. Hoggg At Spurs Mad
    17/12/2012 @ 9:27 pm

    Unity is needed yes, players back from injury a massive boost, but no signings needed? Has Levy paid you to write this?

    You say yourself that we are crying for a creative midfielder and that we are not far away from disaster striking up front, but yet we don’t need to sign anyone?

    It seems you have quickly forgotten the past where Levy needed to sign a quality player in Jan to boost the team an give them that push and extra bit of competition to make sure that the expected finish is meet.

    I think a striker for the future is what we should invest in. Some young talent, not necessarily an international name. So we kin of agree there. The paramount thing is to have that creative midfielder that we are crying out for. It then creates competition, boosts the morale with a big name signing and has everyone working hard together as one. If it puts someone’s nose out of joint they are not the players we want as they are the quitters.

    I can understand your point but it will end up a failure if we do not sign the creative midfielder and some cover. Defoe it seems has 1 good game to 2 bad at the moment and Adebayor is running everywhere and then can’t get into the box when needed, but if either (or worse both) get injured then we really are in the worst position possible.

    Look forward to some comments here.

    • Drew
      17/12/2012 @ 9:39 pm

      Excellent point Hoggg. The writer made some solid points especially about the unity of thd squad, but lest he has forgotten, Adebayor has never been 100% fit this season and now has an ankle and hamstring bother, so he will limp into the Stoke match struggling. Defoe isn’t a lone out an out striker, but AVB is getting the most out of him at the moment. He thrives better in a 4-4-2 system. He looks fairly lost in most of our games but he gets the goal based on pace and elusivenes, so teh few times he’s let loose in the penalty area, he has made good on many of them. He’s gonna be worn down after the long hawl, and while he’s nimble, he just isn’t big enough to tale lone striker punishment over an entire season. I could be wrong, and I hope I am because he’s a very good striker, but it doesn’t hurt to get a real goal-hawk and a mastermind midfielder in. The competition will keep teh boys on their toes.

  6. Drew
    17/12/2012 @ 9:29 pm

    …one more thing. The reason I believe we can either promote Coulibaly or sign two attacking minded players (one in a central attacking midfield role) is that we are one or two very key injuries away from total collapse. I would much prefer we had solid insurance players so we have a deep squad and can be very good in all competitions rather than run our starting XI into the ground.

  7. @PhillyHotspur
    17/12/2012 @ 9:59 pm

    Defoe…………As clinical as it gets but awfully terrible holding up the ball or setting up his team-mates

    Adebayor………..As good as it gets holding the ball up, but bagging goals ? Technically-challenged on that front…

    Spurs need the hybrid of these two who is complete striker if they want to get serious around consistent CL Footy.

    Just look at the impact that RVP has had at the OT –> I believe their Goals per Game is 2nd in Europe only to Barca.

    • Drew
      17/12/2012 @ 10:32 pm

      Lionel Messi is a machine from terminator 5 Judgment Soccer – LOL.

      Seriously now, you make brilliant points here. Unfortunately, this hybrid may cost Spurs between £28 and £45m. I happen to think Soulimane Coulibaly has this potential and there may be other underappreciated lesser paid players around Europe and South America that can fit this bill. In this instant, tehre may be a gap between potential and real talent aka teh WOW! Factor. The latter may be what we need to be searching for if we want to do better than challenging for 4th spot all the time.

  8. Hotspurrd
    17/12/2012 @ 11:10 pm

    I think we need to sign this so called hybrid striker (Llorente?) and we deffo need creativity. We have to get rid of Huddlestone because he is nowhere near as good as he used to be. He has been loyal, but his lack of agility and stamina is stopping us from pressing up the pitch (unlike Sandro and Dembele). As soon as he came on against Everton I knew we were gonna drop points. And finally a creative player. If anyone has read anything on Christian Eriksen they will know this kid is something special. IF we can get him (IF).

  9. MIKE
    18/12/2012 @ 12:28 am

    Lloris
    Walker Kaboul Vertongan Assou-Ekotto
    Sandro
    Lennon Dembèlè Bale
    Adebayor
    Defoe

    This is our best team, with our best player in their bet positions.
    We have a fast, powerful and physical team. We have the 3rd highest stike rate
    in the premiership. Defoe and Adebayor are not perfect, but far away hill are only look greener.
    That back 4 can play a high line. The key is for the midfield 4 to harry and hastle like a midfield 5.

    So where is the problem.
    We haven’t got a midfield schemer, both Defoe and Adebayor need one badly

  10. len
    18/12/2012 @ 1:27 am

    Ain’t even bothered reading the article because I know what it says before I need to read it… its the Daniel levy fan club preparing early because they know that levy won’t spend big money on any player and know that to get any player in January that could improve us he would have to spend 20 mil on one player which won’t happen just like the complete lie of a bid for moutinho last deadline day which was put out there to make mugs like the levy fan club believe he tried but we was unlucky due to a contract clause (as if avb wouldn’t of known about such a clause after managing him at porto)

  11. wise
    18/12/2012 @ 7:53 am

    We need motinho, Willian. Lorente and a defender like samba, the Ajax lad should also be bought now, we are a team destined for champions league greatness , we might as well begin planning ahead, all these player will bring general overall additions to the team , not to talk of the impression they will bring in the youth team , now is the time spurs can’t go wrong. Coys!

    • james
      18/12/2012 @ 9:16 am

      and will you be paying with mastercard or visa sir? cos theres no way in hell wth the stadium running along he’s paying all that money for 4 20mil+ players

  12. IKnowAlanGilzean
    19/12/2012 @ 11:10 am

    I’m not expecting too much from the window. There’s precious little value to be had and like last time, with Saha (who I did think would do more) and Nelsen, you’re as wise to stick as twist unless there a big injury problems or gaping hole in the squad or indeed a major player who can take you on a level. Our injury probelms have cleared up almost, while and Moutinho and Willian are still in the CL and likely on the radar of richer clubs than Spurs. We do need a forward as we are one injury from real problems there, but he needs to be atr least as good as Defoe or Adebayor. Who is out there that we can realistically get? Genuine question, as I’m likely not as au fait with euro/world wide players as most.

    I hope we get a forward, otherwise we can carry on unless the likes of a Moutinho or Eriksson come, which I doubt.

    We’ll be fine whatever I think. We are growing and at a fast rate of knots.

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