Spurs without Lennon is like The Beatles without Lennon; the balance is all wrong, they’re not the same, and they’re nowhere near as good. For years the light-footed winger has been twisting and turning his way past right backs and centre backs alike, his speed and low centre of gravity makes him an ideal man […]
Spurs without Lennon is like The Beatles without Lennon
Spurs without Lennon is like The Beatles without Lennon; the balance is all wrong, they’re not the same, and they’re nowhere near as good.
For years the light-footed winger has been twisting and turning his way past right backs and centre backs alike, his speed and low centre of gravity makes him an ideal man on the right. Lennon has now been at Tottenham since 2005. His winner against Chelsea in 06 and his incredible performance against United in the cup final in 2009, which many dubbed ‘The Aaron Lennon final’ has soon made him a fan’s favourite. Luckily for us that seems to be as far as it goes; Lennon, despite being a permanent fixture in the Tottenham line-up seems to be over looked by other premiership teams and any clubs in Europe.
Perhaps Lennon’s height is the reason for him (pardon the pun) being overlooked, perhaps it’s his reputation for having a poor final ball, (currently on a 50% success ratio) perhaps it’s because he has constantly been left out of the international squad.
For many years now I have looked at the announced team sheet and been horrified to see his name missing. It puts us off balance, we have Bale on the left, (although more so now in the centre) and the two of them chopping and changing puts defenders off kilter; one minute they could be defending a galloping horse-like powerhouse, knocking the ball past and charging after it, next thing they are being dazed and confused by poetry-in-motion.
Lennon’s stats alone, yet not great, are still impressive; he is currently on 27 goals for Spurs after 306 appearances, yet he is improving with 8 assists and 4 goals already this season.
However, my point is more to do with the team’s overall performance when Lennon isn’t playing; our poor run of form starting with a 4-1 loss at Inter Milan followed by defeats to Liverpool and Fulham all had one thing in common; they were all missing Aaron Lennon.
[linequote]Our poor run of form starting with a 4-1 loss at Inter Milan all had one thing in common; they were all missing Aaron Lennon.[/linequote]
Our two wingers, Lennon and Bale, both compliment and combine perfectly, but if I were to be honest, I would much rather see that Bale had been left out rather than Lennon. This may sound ludicrous to many with Bale’s current form, but we can work without Bale, that team are not dependent on the Welshman, yet reliant at times and they do seem to pull together when he is missing. Yet the opposition seem unaware of our secret weapon, our firework on the right dazzling the Lane in a lilywhite sparkle as he’s let loose down the wing.
I can’t help but think, Bale would be a tragic and huge loss to the club, I don’t think a single fan, player or coaching staff would want him to go, and to be honest I don’t believe he’ll go anywhere anytime soon, but if he does, I will take solace that ‘All you need is L…ennon’.
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6 Comments
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02/04/2013 @ 8:50 pm
Completely agree, very well put. It is a blessing in disguise that Lennon doesn’t get the recognition he clearly deserves. The fact that Milner and Cleverly are picked over him in the national squad is revealing enough. I really find it hard to believe that Lennon is a weaker option. I actually find it absurd.
But, it only serves to shield Aaron from being poached. I like to think he would politely decline any approach.
02/04/2013 @ 9:08 pm
I have long waited to someone to put all this into words.
I absolutely agree with everything that has been said.
I am a great Bale fan, but Lennon has been vital for Spurs & he doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves, but as has been said, perhaps that’s a good blessing in disguise.
02/04/2013 @ 9:37 pm
Lennon is great spurs need him but bale is world class with both of them in the pitch we can beat anyone hope they dont get injured again up the spurs
03/04/2013 @ 2:22 am
I totally love Lennon and is so underated. I get more excited when Lennon gets the ball than Bale even though Bale has produced the goods. When they both play I am a happy man but I just love watching Lennon when he is on fire and believes in himself. I think this is one of his best seasons at Spurs. Yes Bale has taken all the plaudits and who could argue with this, but Lennon is a very clever player and his first touch is immaculate! I just wished he believed in himself more.
03/04/2013 @ 7:21 am
The change in Lennon this season is down to AVB. I always felt under Redknapp that Lennon never thought he was fully appreciated and if things weren’t going well he would get a twinge in his hammy and go off. This season Lennon’s defensive play as been exceptional due to the fact that Walker has needed baling (ignore the pun) a few times. What does frustrate me with Lennon is when he cuts inside he won’t shoot with his left foot and always looks to pass when he could have a crack. Law of averages that one must go in now and again. Long live the Lennon.
03/04/2013 @ 8:38 pm
Agreed, all of the above carry weight including the article, and can I just say hats off for putting it together and giving our little lightning bolt some recognition that he deserves..
He has always had a great first touch in my opinion, his second and final third touches (not often he needs more) can be a *hold your breath* moment as yes, he has lacked sometimes either in his confidence or self-belief.. maybe.. Redsnhapps didn’t really help him with that, it seems that AVB has found a way to keep him focused on not only his self-belief but his overall match awareness and that I feel is why he is having (barring injury) a more than decent season..
One thing remains, I remember a two/three seasons back after a lot of media talk about his final ball, that he really turned it up and was playing some pearlers, more regularly than normal and it seemed he had turned a corner, I know he can do it, he needs to believe he can do and he will have the complete game for a natural spurs winger..
Point of note, my 8 year boy appreciates him that much he struggled to choose between bale and Lennon for his shirt, he opted LENALE…
coys