As I walked out of White Hart Lane the temptation to walk over to the Ladbroke’s booth and place a bet that the end of the world is close nearly overcame me. If I hadn’t of spent my last £3.50 on a lukewarm sausage roll, I would have done. Surely 35,000 downcast people trudging down […]
Spurs v Fulham: The Beginning or The End?
As I walked out of White Hart Lane the temptation to walk over to the Ladbroke’s booth and place a bet that the end of the world is close nearly overcame me. If I hadn’t of spent my last £3.50 on a lukewarm sausage roll, I would have done. Surely 35,000 downcast people trudging down the High Road was enough negative energy to send an asteroid hurtling towards us?
A defeat for Spurs is nothing new, even one that involves Fulham at home, but it was the manner of it. Last Sunday when we slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Anfield it was a self induced blip, in Milan it was apparently complacency that cost us, these however were the warning signs of what was about to come, the question is, why didn’t we heed them?
Since we beat Arsenal and supposedly reclaimed North London something has happened to Spurs. We managed to carry on our good form in to the Inter home tie, but since then there have been mere flashes of the form that took us to potential Premier League runners up. What is the cause of this arrogance? Over confidence? Or has our bubble burst?
Personally I feel the problem we currently face is an imbalance in our squad. This has been an issue that has been waiting to catch us all season.
At the start of this campaign Spurs endured a mediocre start. An away loss to relegation candidates Newcastle and then consecutive home draws. Andre Villas-Boas was attempting to squeeze Spurs into his system, a system that didn’t fit with the players available to him.
We lacked a creative centre midfielder and a striker to play the solo role, so eventually he abandoned this and adopted a slightly redefined 4-4-2. The change worked and even after suffering back to back PL defeats, we still remain above Arsenal, but for how much longer?
Injuries, a lack of form and a certain player evolving from a wide-man to a central attacker means that 4-4-2 no longer fits; we need to adjust again and quickly.
A four man midfield of Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Scott Parker, Mousa Dembele and Glyfi Sigurðsson, is never Champions League class, we needed to do something different. Spurs were trying to play a game on Sunday that they were ill-equipped for. The midfield quartet had no width, pace or skill, the key elements needed to make 4-4-2 work.
I am not AVB, a tactical genius or a manager in the making, but I do know when something doesn’t fit. Spurs on Sunday looked like a 45 year old mother of three trying to squeeze into a boob-tube and mini skirt. It wasn’t pretty or attractive and quite frankly it left me feeling rather nauseous.
Tottenham needs to get key individuals fit and others back in form, or change to a style that suits the players we have available. For the first time in many years, the international break is very welcome distraction.
[linequote]I am not AVB, a tactical genius or a manager in the making, but I do know when something doesn’t fit.[/linequote]
For the vast majority at White Hart Lane the one glimmer of hope from Sunday’s defeat was the performance of Tom Carroll. The youngster was bright, eager and most importantly, he demonstrated that key skill of being able to pass to his team-mates, something terminally lacking from Parker’s repertoire.
Although I admire Parker’s work ethic and his ability to tackle people with his face, I have never been his biggest fan. Some people seem to gloss over the fact that he rejected us twice for the money; even choosing West Ham over Spurs, but deep down it’s his limitations that really bug me. He is a relic, totally out of place in modern football and a team with aspirations of more than just surviving.
In the late 90’s I was able to put Steffen Freund’s footballing deficiencies aside to love him. He wasn’t close to being the best footballer on the planet but I worshipped his 90 minutes of giving everything for the shirt. Those however were very different days at the Lane. The football was bad, the squad mediocre and our dreams nothing more than wet ones.
For modern day Tottenham though we need more than just a combative cheerleader in centre midfield. We are within touching distance of truly reclaiming North London, not just being able to sing it. In that crucial area we need a player able to step up to the level and style of play that AVB and the team needs. With no Sandro to turn to AVB must try an alternative, personally even Jake Livermore offers more dynamism to the team than Parker.
Regardless though of who wears the shirt in our last eight fixtures, we must remain behind the team. We support Spurs, if we wanted an easy life we wouldn’t be Lillywhites.
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.
16 Comments
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18/03/2013 @ 8:23 pm
The current first team has too many average players in it like Sigurdsson, Livermore and Dempsey. Compared to previous Spurs greats like Hoddle, Hazard, Ginola, Gascoigne, Ardiles, these players are well under par for the team. I don’t even rate Dembele as an effective player because he creates very little. He defends and holds on to the ball very well but Spurs would be better off selling him.
Tom Carroll was a different class to all the other players on Sunday. What a talent Spurs have. A midfield of Carroll, Pritchard, Holtby would be amazing to watch. Hopefully Spurs would have sold all the recent bad buys, by then.
18/03/2013 @ 8:40 pm
The blabbering out your ass is making me think your a scum fan! Siggy is not an average player, both he and livermore are young so leave it out. You comparing them to spurs great’s is pretty pathetic when they’ve hardly played for us! Your complaints about Dembele(most talented player after bale at the club) are nothing short of retarded! Tom Carroll should be starting ahead of parker at home, when we need to focusing on keeping the ball rather then needing to get it back! BIG BIG question mark over AVB, with prob the worst team selection i’ve ever seen from a spurs manager, he needs to redeem himself!
18/03/2013 @ 8:55 pm
Just because you disagree with someone who talks sense doesn’t mean you should insult him by accusing him of supporting a different team. That is ridiculous. I agree that Sigurddson and Livermore are not good enough for Spurs and never will be. Sigurdsson is a one trick pony (take the ball to the left of the defender and try to shoot into the right corner of the goal). He was a terrible buy for Spurs. Livermore is a championship player at best. He cannot do anything well. It is also a good point about Dembele who doesn’t score or create enough.
18/03/2013 @ 9:59 pm
What i find ridiculous is when supposed ‘fans’ start digging at at players like siggy who is only 23. who has only been at the club for a couple of months, has not started many games and mostly played out of position, always playing with selfish strikers. He has very good technique, shot, strength, balance, crosses and dead ball situations – all important qualities for playing in the hole. Livermore has less ability but patience is needed with young players and TIME will tell if they are worth the shirt. Why not channel your anger at Defoe who has not scored in 2013?Or Parker who prob the worst passer of the ball i’ve seen wearing our colours? Both experienced and should be sold. Dembele is only playing poor because he has parker next to him, fickle fans like you were not bitching when dembele was the best central partnership in the league/europe with sandro a few months ago!
18/03/2013 @ 11:57 pm
Dembele and Sandro had a much better chemistry than Dembele and Parker but they still didn’t create enough chances for the strikers.
Sigurdsson is not a youngster. He has quite a bit of experience. He has been given many chances for Spurs and has proved inconsistent. He just doesn’t fit with the team. Better to sell him back to Swansea like Spurs did with selling Pienaar back to Everton. Livermore is just not good enough for Spurs. There are far better youngsters at the club like Pritchard, Cebellos and Carroll who should be given the chance.
19/03/2013 @ 12:03 am
Look who is being fickle now. You are slating Parker and Defoe whereas I bet you were praising Defoe when he was knocking in the goals and Parker when he was Spurs player of the year last season. At least these two players have contributed to Spurs. Sigurdsson and Livermore have contributed very little, in comparison.
18/03/2013 @ 8:42 pm
The lack of 1 or 2 first class strikers have cost Spurs for the last 4 seasons. Simply put, we don’t score more goals than our opponents. Even when we do win it’s only by 1 goal.
The players not mentioned who are not good enough and will not take us anywhere are Ade and Defoe.
18/03/2013 @ 8:51 pm
Cometh the Spring – cometh the crash. I think we all knew it was coming, we just thought it would come sooner and so we began to think that maybe we would be OK. A bit like when you’re in a small room in the company of somebody with a streaming cold. You know that you’re likely to come down with it in a couple of days but five days go by and just when you think you’re safe!!!
I really thought that this season as we began to pile up the points, we’d make it – we had a new manager who was getting it right, new training staff to ensure the players would sustain their fitness levels through the campaign and new blood in the team.
Alas it looks like the same old Spurs – Europa Cup football next season – minus Gareth Bale and so we start all over again battling to try to get on a level playing field with the top dogs.
It’s easy to blame people but our failure to sign a world class striker is to my mind the main problem. If we had a 20 plus goal a season striker we’d be out of sight by now. Instead we’ve had to play without any strikers at all (Defoe has never been a consistent striker – how many goals has he scored since Christmas? and the gentleman from Togo has been a complete waste of space- with him on the pitch it’s like playing with ten men.). Compare our so called “hitmen” with the players on show at our main competitors – enough said.
18/03/2013 @ 9:16 pm
It is true that Spurs need two new strikers but there has also been a lack of creativity from midfield. Sandro, Parker, Livermore and Dembele create very little. The sooner Tom Carroll and Holtby get an opportunity to play, the more chances the strikers will get to score.
18/03/2013 @ 9:12 pm
The problem with Spurs is that there are too many individuals rather than team players. Bale, Defoe, Dembele and Sigurdsson are not team players, so when they are off form it doesn’t work.
Holtby is used to playing with team players. He has great quick passing ability but the only player at Spurs on his wavelength is Tom Carroll. Unfortunately the two of them haven’t been picked together, so we cannot see how effective the team would be.
18/03/2013 @ 9:48 pm
Everybody now – Jazz Hands in the air….
“Oh When the Spuuuuuuuuurs
Go Sliding dooooown
Oh When The Spuuuuurs gooooo sli-ding down
We’re Gunner beeeeeeee back in the Champions Leeeeeeague
Oh When the Spuuuuurs go sliding dooooooown…”
He who laughs last, laughs loudest Spuddies.
And we laughed so much last season, but this years laughter will be the loudest and funniest ever!
Your BEST ever season is still not better than our WORST ever!!!!
St Totteringhams Day is coming in April – You are all invited! Xxx
18/03/2013 @ 10:59 pm
We just got beat by a man who was our Manager a man who Vertonghan said done more to make him a player than any Manager. When he seen Spurs team sheet he must have pissed is pants laughing five defenders no Lennon Defoe Huddlestone all player he noes in fact he wanted Hudds he said when he was at Spurs he was the best passer of a ball he had seen and that speaks volumes in my book . I mo some of our fans say hes to slow but this is one of life’s mystery’s because i have heard he is not the slowest at the club its M Dawson and Hudds is one of quickest when he strides out . The problem with Hudds he needs to get tough like Fellani or take the same shit that keeps him gaunt looking and his team mates i will enlighten you about that later. No Hudds is one of the few Carrol and Holtby Pritchard at the club who can beat this pressing cuased by some teams dabbling in a legal once banned substance and a substance banned lets call it by its nickname T20. This my fellow fans is why our season is going down the pan and Arsenals Chelsea Everton Liverpool is on the up . I no your going to say Liverpool got beat but Southampton are also on the juice this is all the go in my area and there scorer is a scouser and Liverpool fan. So what we need is quick passing quick goals and we will get this with Carrol Huddlestone for Parker Livermore playing a part or all the game in the last 8. The lad Carrol is good but Huddlestone has more range power and at 6ft 3 size to help at corners Parker doesn’t this can only happen if his ankle is fully fixed.
18/03/2013 @ 11:21 pm
I think people really need to calm down a little, we have hit a bad patch of form it happens to everybody. I seem to remember all the Arse fans jumping on the Wenger out bandwagon only a few weeks ago. It was very clear that the side was physically and mentally exhausted from playing a very demanding 2 hours solid football in Italy less than 3 days before. We havnt got this far with awful players, its just the mentality that needs to change when it comes towards the end of the season. Let the lads regroup during the international break hope no bloody more of them get injured whilst away with their countries and support them against Swansea! We’re still 4th and have a European quarter final to look forward to! We never do things the easy way and that’s why I love being a Spurs fan, would rather the emotion and excitement we have instead of waiting to get knocked out of the all the cups so we can just about claim 4th only to do nothing with it the next season time and time again. And as for the Gooner on this page do you literally have nothing better to do than stalk Spurs fan websites? Grow up pal. COYS!
20/03/2013 @ 5:24 pm
Good call son, we need to stick together, the players are shattered and we just need that bit of belief… when Aaron is out we look very one sided and when Bale is out, banned or player up top, we look especially blunted. We are not used to playing that way, we need to push Mousa forward to play in the hole.. he can beat a man and hit a shot as we all know… no point him sitting in front of the back 4 and then passing to Parker to go forward… we miss The Beast !! keep the faith boys.. Europa Champions and Champions league next season too… COYS !!
19/03/2013 @ 12:45 am
Defoe it was said, by numerous managers, wasn’t suited to playing with the following; Darren Bent, Mido, Keane, Adebayor, Berbatov or Pav. What the fuc&* does that tell you?! Only Crouch for about ten out of fifty games made him contribute anything meaningful to the team.
He flatters to deceive year in year out. One on ones. Shots wide. Shots down the keepers throat.
Awareness of others.Ability to bring others in to the game. Dribbling. Movement off the ball outside the box..?? Watching Suarez puts this in to stark contrast. you name it , he does it.. yet, still struggle to knock the little character, as he is a spurs Bernardos like son. (that said is miles better than that hopeless dope adebayor)
dembele – Holtby-Bale-Lennon-Verts -Sandr0-Lloris are in my opinion the only cultured, qualityfirst team members at the club.( Carol looks promising) Even Caulker has lost that edge he showed at the beginning of the season. (Lost his way big time).
In AvB we trust. onwards and upwards. GETYFS
21/03/2013 @ 11:16 am
The key is just not to panic, we had an unlucky result against Liverpool, played inter without some of our star players, in a less than up for it manner, against a side with players that were desperate to get home without getting their windows smashed by angry fans as they were on a really bad run. We have a good amount of time to rest, have pulled a couple of players out of the england squad, hopefully for this reason, and we can push on from here. Besides arsenal will drop points sooner or later.