So will West Ham just fade and die? Spurs V West Ham Review

A convincing 2-0 win was only spoiled by the lack of goals required to set out how convincing it really was. Once again we battered a team visiting White Hart Lane but until 80 minutes had only one goal to show for it and our opponents were having their best period of play.

It took a goal of genuine quality from Jermain Defoe to settle the result having worked cross field to find a shooting chance which Green allowed to canon off his shoulder back to Defoe to return it with a thunderbolt shot into the net.

I like the West Ham derby because there is a lot of banter between the two sets of fans throughout the season and also because it is often winnable. Our record of late has been exemplary but when you hear the away fans spark up their one song each year with about 10 minutes to kick off it can all get a bit nervy. In these games nothing goes with form and it is up to the side wanting to win the most to take the advantage. Today it was Spurs and after Parker and Illunga limped off West Ham, already decimated by injury, had an incredible uphill battle.

To see them coming back into the game in the middle of the second half begged the question why did we not do better with some of the chances first half to put the game to sleep? Our first goal on 11 minutes saw a fabulous break down the right flank in which Defoe and Lennon linked up beautifully to allow the winger to sprint away into space and play a difficult low cross to the near post for Crouch. The ball was half cleared but only to Modric who bounced it into the turf and back across Green into his net.

After that we had a lot of possession and after another swift Lennon break Illunga decided the dressing room was a safer place and Spectre was forced onto the field. Palacios was having a decent game and is starting to look back to his best. In another break he worked space for himself on the right and carried the ball to the danger area before crossing  for Crouch whose effort was cleared by Tomkins.

Huddlestone had a couple of decent efforts on goal and Defoe went close from a free kick from some distance late on in the first half. Once again the half time whistle provided a welcome break for the opposition and the opportunity to regroup whereas Harry must have been left wondering “how is this game not safe?”

After the break it was more of the same. West Ham defending for their lives and Spurs missing the final pass or having it blocked as Upson did from a Palacios pile driver. Huddlestone was then in on goal and his short hit the base of the post. Ominous signs as West Ham must play better at some point in the game?

Lennon is then scythed down – not for the first time in the game – and after the resulting action Corluka heads onto the roof of the nest when with more precision he could have beaten Green and scored. There were a number of handball shouts at this point and Corluka ends up booked having not got one for hacking down Diamanti.

It was now getting a bit fractious and the referee was called to flash a few cards to regain control. Some of his decision making was strange today. His decisions for goal kicks and corners particularly unusual – it is normal for a goal kick if the attacking team kicks it off and corner if the defending side does. Mr Foy needs to remind himself of that tonight.

West Ham were using the unruly play to claw themselves back into the game and it looked like they might pressurise us. On a couple of occasions they did so but their shooting was a little wayward though Gomes was called into action and handled his duties well. As space opened up Stanislas came on for West Ham and was immediately allowed to run far too far with the ball but thankfully he chose to stay outside the box before crossing.

It was then down to Defoe to settle the game and take the sting out of West Ham’s fight back and our priority to record another clean sheet – our fourth on the trot and make it 442 minutes since we conceded a goal plus whatever stoppages the officials have added.

 The comfortable win we asked for and for West Ham a worrying period to come as injury and a lack of money put additional pressure on their already precarious place in the table. I hope they stay up but it may prove difficult on this showing.

Tottenham Vs West Ham United Preview

One game one point into the holiday programme and we welcome West Ham United to the Lane. Our current record against them is second to none they are without a win since the infamous end of season game in 2006 when most of our squad were suffering from overnight sickness. Unfortunately records like that eventually get broken so we’ll have to be at our best to make sure that this does not happen tomorrow.

Defoe was rested at Craven Cottage and I felt that to be a sensible decision. I think he will return for this game and it may be Crouch who drops to the bench to allow him back into the side. I also fancy Ledley to come in and replace Bassong who took a kick to the head that knocked him out cold at Fulham. This is the game we need him to play if we are choosing between this and Peterborough in the FA Cup.

Will Tommy come back in or will Jenas continue in central midfield? As it is a home game I fancy Tommy to get the start so that we benefit from his passing rather than tackling. And what of Luka? Is he ready for a first start since returning from his leg break? I think it will be tomorrow with Niko dropping to the bench.

For West Ham injury is the order of the day with Mark Noble joining Carlton Cole amongst others in the treatment room. They arrive fresh from victory over Portsmouth but always ready to give up a lead this season we should fancy our chances for a home win.

Biggest question is whether we can continue our run of clean sheets at the back? I’m hopeful that we can of Daws and Ledley link up like they did when they first partnered each other and if Gomes continues his form from Craven Cottage it will take something special to beat him.

Team: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, Modric, Keane, Defoe

Prediction: 3-0 as long as we keep our attention at the back right from the off.

My Tottenham Hotspur team of the Decade

Its been a difficult choice and lots of deliberations have taken place and I guarantee there will be arguments over selections and style but here we go.

The Noughties have once again provided a period of massive change for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. As a consequence the club has used a lot of players in the search for a settled side that can compete at the highest level. One of my bug bears is the way that Spurs introduce the sides both on the tannoy and in the programme. I suggest that for the next decade we adopt the playing positions against squad number for tannoy announcements and positional for the programme – as they do at Old Trafford which certainly helps identify where certain opponents play. So adopting my method here we go:

 In Goal number 1 Heurehlo Gomes

First saw him play against us for PSV and was astonished by his throw outs to the half way line. He made saves in that game and the return which prevented us winning the tie and I was delighted when he was signed. After a period of acclimatisation I think he has got to grips with most areas of his game though he can still leak penalties when he rushes out. Once again his performance at Fulham earned us a point where his mare the year before cost us the game.

In defence number 20 Michael Dawson

When Daws joined as part of the Andy Reid deal he was the lesser known player of the two. But having played a few games alongside Ledley he looked far better suited to the Premier League than his tubby Irish counterpart. Michael has always been good in the air and a decent tackler though in previous seasons his distribution was often over ambitious and a present to a ball boy. 

After the early promise Ledley’s continuous absences made him leader of the line and like Sol Campbell before him it proved too much and lacking trust in some partners he over committed and lost confidence after the concession of goals. As Harry Redknapp joined the club one wondered whether Daws had a future at the Club but as in all fairy tales Michael’s form has returned and he looks a better player then ever and the world Cup remains a possibility.

Number 39 Jonathan Woodgate

A class act – though an injury prone one – his signing from Boro for £8M was a cause for concern. Another sick note? Yet until this season Woody has had a decent run in the side and looked particularly solid at the back. Add to this his winning goal in the Carling Cup final against Chelsea and how can we not add him to the team?

I fancy that if he gets fit that he and Daws will be our first line pairing.

Number 26 Ledley King

Has ended the decade a crock, only able to play one game a week, not able to train and likely to pull up at any moment with some strain or another. Yet the team always responds to his inclusion and play with a greater confidence with the quiet man amongst them.

Ledley could not miss this side but I think it’s the memories of his greater seasons rather than his current position that warrant his inclusion. At his best he is awesome and he transferred this to the National side and with different knees could have a good number of caps in his locker.

In Midfield number 7 Aaron Lennon

Spreading the ball wide is important in my team and during the Noughties the player causing havoc down the right has been Aaron Lennon. Having been signed for £1M from Leeds United and then grabbing his chance in the team his electric pace was enough to traumatise defenders and win him a place in the world Cup squad four years ago. Granted his crossing at the time was not the greatest but his pace enough to win free kicks and possession.

Defences wised up he was double teamed all the time and often forced to play on the left to get some time on the ball and it was then that the crossing needed to be spot on. In patches it was but often he frustrated his own team and supporters more than the opposition. Cue the David Bentley purchase and we all felt we knew what would happen. But Aaron proved us wrong, stepped up his game and became the player we remembered once more with improved delivery and a useful understanding with Charlie Corluka.

This season he has added some robust tackling and cover play to his locker plus a couple of early season goals. He’ll play in South Africa.

Number 23 Michael Carrick    

A £3M signing from West Ham he was the man that Santini did not want. He had to wait until Charlton and Martin Jol to get his start and with us losing he came on picked the ball up on the half way line beat a number of players and nearly scored. It perked us up and we came back to narrowly lose my memory tells me. After that he was an ever present in the side and helped us grow as a team to be that whisker away from a Champions League spot at Upton Park. He more than any Spurs player looked washed out that day and with it went our chance.

Sold to Manchester United for a whopping fee he left a hole in midfield that I did not expect to be as large as it was for I felt he was a little too cautious playing squarer passes when something more ambitious was called for. In my side he’ll play the deeper role so I won’t be criticising him!

Number 14 Luka Modric

The unfortunate leg break has cost Luka this half of the season when he had started the season so well but his all round play since joining the club have won me over sufficiently to warrant him a place in my side. His goal to beat Chelsea capped a memorable performance and the way he has developed his game to make it a success in the Premier League in his first season showed the sort of character we had signed.

Number 12 Wilson Palacios

Anyone who saw his debut on 8 February 2009 would have him in this team. The boy was on fire winning tackles like we’d never seen since Graham Roberts was in a Spurs shirt and it was a joy to watch. His presence along with that of Robbie Keane was enough to transform the side and get us out of the relegation zone and up the table.

Since then he has learned the fate of his brother and I feel that this inevitably weighs heavy on his shoulders and he started this campaign a little under the weather. But in recent weeks his performances on the ball have been improving and hopefully his beast form for the second half of the season.

Number 14 David Ginola

Why did we sell him? A shocking decision that even he maybe never came to terms with for his performances at Villa weren’t all that. David only saw half a season in the Noughties but for me its enough to put him into the side for his contribution to the club during his 3 year tenure. You only have to see the reaction he receives when he comes to a game at the Lane to know that we respect the legend that is David Ginola.

Up front Number 9 Dimitar Berbatov

Ginola and Berba in the same side – now that would be awesome or immense as the younger generation seem to be saying these days. Have we ever seen a centre forward bring down a ball in such a manner? Good in the air, quick of thought and at times inspirational on the ball Berba was as good as we’ve seen up front and could have become a true Spurs legend but instead flew the nest for United gold. And for him it’s been hard to find as he discovered what Carrick also found they want you badly until they’ve got you and it all changes from that point.

Laziness is often pointed at Berba, but often with the near genius it is hard to understand what the others are doing and why so slowly? His looks of disgust at players like Jenas when they’d missed the killer pass to him spoke volumes and he was probably using us as a stepping stone to greater things. But if Harry signed him back next window would we accept him? I think we would because he would improve the side and maybe get us into that top four.

Number 10 Robbie Keane

I expect this might be an unpopular choice with many based upon current form but let’s look back into history and remember the side that Keane joined. Going nowhere, lacking fire power and maybe a little commitment up front – here was a team for Keane to prove his worth after failing to nail down a regular starting position at Inter Milan and Leeds United. And nail it he did helping us to win a number of games single handedly that I remember. A hat trick against Everton and the 4-3 over Portsmouth  come instantly to mind.

For most of him time at the club he and Defoe have competed for a place. I agree that Defoe is more instinctive in front of goal and the Keane can miss chances but Robbie’s partnerships with others – in my opinion – have been better than Jermains and for that reason he gets a place in the side!

And to the Bench:

My keeper is Radik Cerny who I thought did well when he got the chance and if his kick had been better might have displaced Robinson for longer periods.

Defoe and Sheringham are also easy picks. JD for his sharpshooting and Teddy for the options he provided either as an out and out striker or link man.

Because I’ve gone 3-5-2 I need some full backs to counter the threat of injury to a defender so Stephen Carr and Christian Ziege get the nod and as replacements in midfield I’ve chosen Gus Poyet and Steed Malbranque purely because I liked what they offered during their time at White Hat Lane.

So there it is. If I’ve left anyone out just send me a comment to let me know or alternatively let me know your side as a comment. Yes its likely we’ll concede a goal or two but it’ll be a joy to watch going forward and after all that is Tottenham Hotspur! Whilst the Noughties have not been our most impressive decade we leave them once more starting to believe that a new dawn awaits us. Let’s hope this time it comes to something!

Gomes proves “a point” – Fulham vs Spurs Review

I missed the start of the game having immersed myself in Tottenham Hotspur: A Nostalgic Look at 100 Years of the Club but got a feed on YES in time to see Dempsey rattle the bar with a free kick. The book is part of a series entitled “When Football was Football” and the match confirmed this on a couple of occasions. Firstly Kranjcar was called for a foul when trying to hit a shot inside the box on a dropping ball. The Fulham defender got there first only to get hit by Niko’s boot. Purely accidental, no one hurt so why a free kick?

Then in the second half another 50/50 ball produces a free kick when allowing play to continue was the better option. These days the slightest contact causes the referee to blow his whistle. Is football no longer a contact sport?

The game finished goalless and provided a valuable point for us to add to our tally. It was really as a result of a faultless performance – in the part of the game I saw – by Heurehlo Gomes including a number of blinding saves and one excellent double effort by Schwarzer from firstly Crouch and then Jenas to prevent us nicking the points.

Fulham looked the better side and more likely to score though we had our fair share of possession throughout. I did not see the Crouch effort that was disallowed but Fulham looked comfortable at the back winning nearly all the second ball from Crouch’s knockdowns. Dawson and Bassong were struggling with Zamora who has made himself into a much stronger and effective player since his short spell at White Hart Lane and had Gomes not been in fine form we would have conceded.

Fulham are no longer the clueless side who we thrashed 5-1 on boxing day a couple of seasons ago. Roy Hodgson has built a capable group of players and their performances last season and so far this allowed their supporters to taunt us with an “only one team in Europe” in Europe chant. This result will do no damage to Harry’s own quest to achieve a European spot. Expecting a midfield struggle Keane and Jenas came into the side for Defoe and Huddlestone and this proved to be the right decision. Robbie is more willing to drop deep in support of the midfield and JJ may be better in the tackle.

Modric came on for a quiet Kranjcar, Defoe replaced Keane and King had a few seconds at the end after Bassong was knocked out by a Fulham boot. I fancy they will all keep their spots for the visit of West Ham on Monday.

Fulham Vs Tottenham Preview

Having seen us demolish Fulham 5-1 at The Lane a couple of years ago Boxing Day’s game will not be as easy; in fact it will be a real challenge as Roy Hodgson has done a brilliant job in making Fulham a tough team to beat. And as we’d expect there are plenty of ex players in their line up to embarrass us: the now free scoring Bobby Zamora, Danny Murphy once more a starter against an averae of 8 minutes a game for us, Stephen Kelly, Super Simon Davies who was good till Hoddle coached him and The Konch a loanee who failed to shine.

We have good Christmas cheer. Ledley and Luka are available and we understand that after his private jet flight to Dublin Woody is nearing fitness. After back to back wins and both clean sheets we should fancy our chances for at least a draw. I’m thinking that this would be a good result having seen Fulham’s achievements this season. But if we play well we can win this game.

I fancy that the same team will start unless Ledley comes in for Bassong and the brilliance of the benches may well be the deciding factor. With Luka standing by Niko and Tommy will feel the need to play well and i hope that Wilson wins his share of tackles to tie up the midfield and continue where he left of against Manchester City.

We need a decent result with the visit of West Ham a couple of days later so I’m going for us to score 2 and hope they only get 1.

There’s only one Michael Dawson

I was on my way to Paul McCartney’s Good Evening London show at the O2 and picked up an Evening Standard on the Central Line. The back page screamed out “Dawson to Sunderland” suggesting that our Michael was concerned about becoming the fourth defender once more once Ledley and Woody return to fitness. £8M was the proposed fee.

Now those of you who read this blog will appreciate how this might put me off my audience participation in Hey Jude whilst I puzzled if there could be any merit in the story. How could this be so? Dawson has been one of our best players this season and since Harry’s arrival has got back to and then surpassed his original form when he formed a solid central pairing with Ledley King for Martin Jol. 

At the season’s start I could see Michael’s head being turned by the offer of first team football elsewhere if he could not find a place in the side. The necessary signing of Bassong added to this threat and I fancied that Bassong might clock up most appearances in our central defence this season. But all that has changed in my opinion. Daw’s form has leapfrogged him to the front of the central defences que and seen him pinch the captains armband for a number of games. And in this role he is good, offering support and advice to others during games on top of our obligatory huddle whilst not trying to ref the match at the same time.

So to hear Harry laughing off any chance of Daws leaving and following it up with the obvious England squad suggestion based upon current form cleared up what anyone who goes to the games knows: he cannot be allowed to leave! We always look to what players cannot do rather than what they can. People suggest Daws can be turned too easily but fail to acknowledge how bloody marvellous he is in the air. People have suggested his passing is too ambitious and at one time that was a fair comment but they also failed to accept that often he was forced to hit a hopeful ball having been left it with nothing on at all.

To me Michael Dawson is a Tottenham Hotspur player. He’s the Steve Perryman/Garry Mabbutt character of the current side all heart and 150% effort. On top of that he is generous with his time always willing to sign autographs and be photographed with as he leaves the stadium or arrives at Spurs Lodge.

I’m hopeful that Michael continues in this vein of form for the remainder of the season and gets the chance to be in the squad for South Africa. I fancy that Ledley will struggle to stay fit and once Woody returns, if he can stay fit, Michael and he will form the major partnership. The fact that Bassong has not been selected for the African Cup of Nations will benefit Spurs in early January by offering us continuity if it is needed. But I fancy on current form that Michael will be the mainstay.

Blackburn Rovers Vs Spurs mini review

A family meal saw me travel to the West Midlands rather than see Spurs on a dodgy feed for our game at Ewood Park. After a tough start to get off the estate we had a pleasant journey on the A12, M25 and M1. We passed the deer at Brentwood and saw them in a similar position to that of the Wigan game. A good omen I fancied and so it turned out with a pleasing 2-0 victory with Peter Crouch scoring both goals.

I’ve only seen the limited footage on MoTD which was understandably relegated with both United and Liverpool losing convincingly and Arsenal knocking in a few at home. Plus we were at Blackburn which from its unfortunate camera gantry looks the emptiest ground in the Premier League. They missed chances and we did not was the conclusion I drew. Frankly the first goal was laughable – but not if you support Blackburn. Tommy’s shot nearly hit the corner flag only for Niko to chase it down and put in a decent cross which Crouch appeared to stand tall to head in off the bar leaving Robinson rooted to the spot.

The second was much better. Substitutes Keane and Jenas combined to set up Crouch who beat Robbo comfortably to seal the win. Lennon also hit the bar – unfortunately it was ours from a free kick after Daws had slid through a Blackburn attacker.

And so the players return to Spurs Lodge for Harry’s pre trial inquest over the Christmas party. Having thought about it I think Harry was set up when he was asked about the party days after it had happened. I wonder if the players will ask Harry for help with their tax returns in return for suspended sentences? So how should Harry deal with it?

After two clean sheets and some excellent performances from Dawson and decent ones from Gomes we need the squad’s confidence to carry through to Fulham and West Ham to avoid defeat in these games.  Fines and retribution may not be the order of the day. We don’t need a Liverpool situation on our hands but whatever Harry decides to do he has the experience of management needed to deal with it.

Two wins takes us into the Christmas holidays in fine form let’s hope that we finish it in similar fashion.

Come on You Spurs!

Blackburn Rovers Vs Tottenham Preview

After the magic of Wednesday and the revelation of the Christmas Party comes a trip to Blackburn and a physical tussle with Big Sam’s men. Preparing for the rocket that Harry has promised for after the game I am sure that the team will want to put on a good performance in an effort to seek leniency from the Manager.

So can we achieve it? I doubt that the winning side will be changed so once again Luka, Keane and Jenas will sit on the bench waiting for an opportunity. I hope to see Wilson push on from his Wednesday night performance at a ground where he was sent off last year – quite unjustly for the second yellow. His performance will be instrumental in setting up a winning performance ably supported by Michael Dawson who I hope retains the captain’s armband.

One feature of his performance on Wednesday was his offering of advice to others during the game from close quarters on specific points rather than a general “come on”. That’s the sort of captaincy we’ve missed for a long time and I welcome it back to the field. I’m also looking for Niko Kranjcar to weave some more magic on the left as he makes his £2 million fee look more laughable by the week.

It also puts pressure onto Tom Huddlestone who must be starting to look over his shoulder with Luka getting closer to match fitness, though to be fair I would not make the change quite yet until after a solid substitute performance from the Croat. 

Hopefully Peter Crouch’s touch will return and I hope he is asked to contribute on the ground in counter attack play because he can be much better at this than we think. We are best when we play on the ground and when Defoe is brought into play at away games he can be extremely dynamic. Let’s hope the link up play works as it did Wednesday rather than last Saturday.

And so to Lennon. Will he get space? Will he be double teamed. No and Yes will the answers Sam has planned so can he shake the shackles? Hopefully Charlie can bring him onto the action quicker than he did against Wolves so that Aaron can devastate them with his pace. I fancy him to score by cutting inside and beating Robbo all ends up.

Prediction: Looking for 2-0 but its on the road and we may not be able to keep them out. We have to hope that the line follows the Dawson lead.

Spurs Christmas Party antics

Oh You pretty things

Don’t you know you’re driving

the Tottenham supporters insane

Let me make it plain

You’re gonna get done by the Harry Superior!

(and you deserve it!)

Spurs Vs Manchester City Review – Blue Moon? No Pure Heaven!

3 Nil looks an easy win and it was a fine performance but at 80 minutes with City giving it a bit of a go 2 nil did not look so comfortable with our record for clean sheets!

And had City been awarded a penalty – that we couldn’t see in Block 53 – or Adebayor take the clear cut chance the fell his way it could have been really nervy. They didn’t and instead we capitalised from a short Lennon corner that allowed Kranjcar a skipping run into the box before beating Shay Given on his near post to crystallise a fabulous victory.

The first 20 minutes were the most testing. City mirrored United’s tactic of dropping their front men deep in an effort to unsettle our marking and outmanoeuvre the midfield. Tevez looked most impressive of the three City starters but once Lennon got going and at Sylvinho we got ourselves into the game and after Kranjcar’s opener we got our confidence and took the game to City.

When Defoe pounced on a Crouch header early in the second half we should have felt nearly home and dry but Everton came back to mind and Man City are no slouches. Barry looked good, De Jong reasonably effective until a yellow card tamed him and Ireland simmered but our boys were as good if not better. Palacios ended up putting in his best shift since I don’t know when, Tommy was effective in getting the ball into space Lennon and Kranjcar at times unplayable, ably supported by Assou-Ekotto, Dawson and even Defoe who ran the line really effectively.

Peter Crouch took some stick from many Paxton Roaders yet conspired to set up two goals and made a number of important clearances from corners. Sometimes it’s better to watch on SKY. If you do you only see the ball and don’t hear some of the nonsense. Granted Crouchy did waste possession by blasting the ball wildly into the Paxton Road End rather than get the ball under control but his view was that it wasted valuable time when we were two up and 80 odd minutes played.

Our view was that it could have been a goal scoring chance and opportunity to kill the game dead because we’ve been here before. Losing tempers was maybe an extreme reaction but it does show that we want to see beautiful play throughout.

We still gave the ball away a bit naively in the first half but once the game opened up with us leading two nil our confidence rose and we played some really good stuff against a strong opponent. Down the left the link up play was excellent. Benoit, verbally abused on Saturday got a standing ovation from the area from where his abuser appeared when he was led away injured at the end.

Lennon too showed how difficult he is to play when the opportunity to play presents itself.

Dawson was a lion at the back and must surely push himself into either Upson or Lescott’s England squad place.

This presents an excellent problem for Harry. Where do I put Modric? It has to be in the middle and in Tommy’s place in my opinion but that may not be his view.

The weekend game at Blackburn is now crucial to keep our challenge on track having done far better than I had hoped for in my preview. I’m delighted with this win. Overall we deserved it and a clean sheet was the icing on the cake for a memorable night.

The programme even had a write up on Alan Gilzean and Steve Archibald – I wonder where that news came from?