Sevilla revisited

Ok let’s just have a quick round up of the latest events with Spurs. Everyone is still smarting from the unjust penalty decision and subsequent thrashing of the crowd at Sevilla and on Thursday we will see our game of the season take place at White Hart Lane as we seek to advance to the semi finals and face most likely Osasuna. On Saturday with more than half our first choice players rested or injured we put in a brave performance against Chelsea but eventually fell to a bit of a freak goal from Carvalho that Rocha and Robinson should both have done better with.

Forward to this week and as the tension builds for Martin Jol’s men the fans are feeling it too. The outcome of the first leg was catastrophic. The game hinged on the appalling penalty decision which gifted Sevilla a way back into a match they were losing in both score and performance and despite calls for the referee to be suspended the events became overshadowed by what followed, with police randomly laying into the traveling support.



I am yet to read one account that suggests tension and trouble existed between the rival sets of fans, which makes the Spanish ‘police’ even more culpable. The fear and anger exuding from the Spurs support led to there being a break from the singing and cheering which would doubtless have had a knock-on effect for the players, who were already reeling from the dubious equaliser

Focusing on the upcoming return leg the news for Spurs is mixed. Team news suggests that Ledley King and Danny Murphy return to the squad but in a huge blow Bruce is out for the rest of the season leaving us no recognised left back for the match. The news about King is to be taken with a pinch of salt. He is our talisman and leader and certainly one of the finest players in our squad but he has been absent from the side for four months now and it is hard to imagine he is match fit. Hopefully we will see Chimbonda (or Shimbomba if you are David Pleat) return to his best position at right back where he can get forward and threaten the Seville defence. The left side could fall into the lap of Stalteri who will have to have a top game with opposing full back Alves regarded as the best attacking full back in the world.



Up front I expect to see the return of Keane and Berbatov who have linked up superbly in Europe and whose lack of speed is no issue with the slower pace of play. Lennon will be looking for a return to form having been quiet lately regardless of which position he is played. I feel that there is a case for him on both sides, on the left he can pin Alves back with his pace, reducing the threat going forward and on the right we can see him at his best, maximising his ability to dribble and cross with his right foot. Zokora and Jenas are a given in the centre of midfield and it is no coincidence that Spurs return to form began when Jenas returned from injury. The left side is more of a quandary. Tainio operated there in Spain and I would be tempted to go with him again in order to stifle Sevilla on that side and look for Spurs to attack via other avenues. It remains to be seen whether Steed can operate with enough discipline for this match but with Spurs a goal behind there is still a significant case for his inclusion.

After the events of the first leg I can see there being a rip-roaring atmosphere at White Hart Lane, the fans felt cheated and angry both on and off the pitch and I think the club as a whole will be determined to come back from the troubles of Seville and progress, keeping our season alive. I have faith in Jol and the boys but it is quite honestly the biggest match so far this season and a true test of character.


IN JOL WE TRUST!!

The season so far....

With the International break upon us I have decided that now would be a good time to reflect on the progress of our players so far this season. The team has done well, make no bones about it reaching domestic semi and quarter finals and the quarter finals of the UEFA cup (possibly further) while still battling for 6th position in the league but not every player at the club could say they have had a good season. Here is my analysis of how their performance has been to this point:

Paul Robinson – has not been convincing this season and I no longer believe he is definitely a good enough keeper for a top 4 side, rarely does anything exceptional but he is good enough for us for now. Will definitely be at the Lane next year however I can see a young keeper being brought in to eventually replace him (perhaps Alnwick already has).

Pascal Chimbonda – there were those who didn’t feel he was worth the seemingly inflated fee we paid for Pascal at the start of the season but he has definitely proven his doubters wrong with very consistent and very dynamic performances at right back and even centre back. Good defensively, good getting forwards, dangerous set pieces and crosses better than Lennon. A quality purchase.

Young-Pyo Lee – was left out at the start of the season after a proposed move to Champions League side Roma fell through (they must have seen something we weren’t) but since Lennon has played on the left and afforded him some cover Lee has excelled looking every inch a Premiership left back. He is not as good as Chimbonda and he doesn’t have a left foot but he loves to get forward and with a real left-sider in front of him could prove a notable asset. Rumours still circulate that he will be off to Italy in the summer

Michael Dawson – has the heart of a lion at centre back however I feel he is perhaps not the smartest and distribution amounts to punting 40 yard diagonals. He is a brilliant asset when playing alongside King and I think he will grow and grow in years to come, he still has a bit to learn in order to boss the defence though. Will be a Spurs player for a few years yet.

Ledley King – Our most reliable player and an indispensable asset, we have missed him this season. Despite patches of very good form we have consistently shipped goals and King’s calm but solid influence could have made the difference. Will be like signing a new international quality centre back if and when he is playing regularly again.




Aaron Lennon – Coming on leaps and bounds, he burst on the scene last year and has continued his development to become one of our biggest attacking threats and a leading winger in the Premiership. Sometimes the plaudits afforded him are generous, he is far from the finished article lacking strength, consistency in his crossing and the ability to threateningly strike at goal but still makes things happen and his education will continue next season.

Jermaine Jenas – Has spent spells on the sidelines through injury this year and when he has we have missed his athleticism in the middle of the park. Can be frustrating by slowing down attacks and perhaps does not hold top 4 quality but at the moment he is doing a good enough job and it would take a quality player to keep him out of the side consistently.

Didier Zokora – was looking like something of a fall guy for our poor form around January as the midfield ceased to function when in fact it was his partner there that was causing the problems. Zokora has pace, tenacity and discipline and has proven a very worthy addition for us. Next season I hope to see more of his driving runs and more end product from them but cannot complain about his ability as an anchorman.

Steed Malbranque – It took such a long time for the stud to make his debut that people had already started to write him off. I insisted all along that this was a mistake and patience proved to be a virtue with Malbranque offering us some scintillating performances at times. He can lack discipline on the left side of midfield which has often exposed the left back and led to us leaking goals on that side but his true position is behind the strikers and we may see more of him there next year.

Dimitar Berbatov – my buy of the year, for any club in the Premiership. Berbatov has oozed class this season, his goalscoring return has been very good and his all round game even better. We have not had a striker of this calibre since Jurgen Klinsmann and it will be difficult for us to keep him beyond next season unless we can push on for Champions League football.

Robbie Keane – at one stage he looked to be on his way out of the club but once match fit he showed his quality and has contributed some very important goals. Unsure of his qualities as captain but he must be retained.

Subs –

Jermain Defoe – Has had a decent season and his scoring tally has improved but ultimately he is a bit greedy and doesn’t always seem to give 100%. In fact sometimes I think he barely breaks a sweat. His predatory instincts remain intact but he is not really progressing as I would have expected. Should be retained, for now.

Hossam Ahmed Mido – Harshly treated by the Spurs fans, has hardly been match fit all season due to injury and long spells on the bench. He will almost certainly make way at the end of the season and a replacement will be brought in, but has undoubted quality as shown in the first half of last season, needs to play week in week out to remain fit though.

Hossam Ghaly – A sturdy midfielder that likes to get stuck in, Ghaly is very much in the Premiership mould and has been useful in some fixtures this year. I am not convinced he is of the highest quality though and he does not ever take control of a match. Could be a useful squad member next year but will probably not be around White Hart Lane for many more seasons.

Tom Huddlestone – Was likened to Beckenbauer by Martin Jol earlier in the season but was found out when Spurs came up against higher placed teams with more challenging midfield line-ups. His mobility is a real problem and for a huge guy he just doesn’t get stuck in enough. Saying that he has talent and his progress over the next few years will be interesting to watch.

Ricardo Rocha – Experienced Portuguese international has quickly looked comfortable despite early slip against the Arse. Will probably be a good squad member for a few years but cannot see him becoming first choice too soon as the club will always favour younger players.




Benoit Assou-Ekotto – started off looking the business at left back but lost his way somewhat. I think he has potential but needs more help from left midfield if we are to see the best of him when he plays. Could stay, could move on. I wouldn’t be too upset either way.

Anthony Gardner – Fills me with little confidence. He is not as bad as people make out and would prove a good signing for another Premiership club struggling for a centre back (get your cheque book out Newcastle) but I firmly expect to see the back of him this year.

Teemu Tainio – Sold if uninspiring midfielder. The fact his re-introduction into the side signaled a turn-around is more an indictment on the lack of fight our midfield was showing with Lennon, Malbranque and Huddlestone in the side together. Still a useful player when up against a strong midfield but somehow doesn’t seem worthy of the first team on a regular basis.

England Folly

Let us stray off the subject slightly and talk about England. Enough is currently being written about the performance on Saturday where a sum total of 2 points from a possible 9 was finished off with a bore draw against Israel.

The result was not the thing that really grated for English fans, the performance mattered as much if not more. With a good performance comes hope, with a good result comes points. We got neither.

Ultimately the buck has to stop with the manager of the team. He constantly waxes lyrical about the quality of the squad, about his confidence in the players, about how we aren’t in any trouble. If that is the case then it is down to him to utilise the assets in the England squad and get satisfactory results.

The game itself was something of a phenomenon. With 70% of the ball England were unable to break down an inferior side in order to create even one clear scoring opportunity. The chance of the game for the English team fell to Frank Lampard, who duly squandered it.

Drastic action needs to be taken if the qualification campaign is to turn around and Phillips Neville’s comments that England are traditionally crap at the start of qualifying campaigns did little to lift the mood. You’re always crap? Then aspire to be f**ing better!

For a team that included Lennon, Gerrard, Lampard, Johnson and Rooney to not score goals is quite incredible until you look at the fact that the two players of those five that looked most lively were Lennon and Johnson, playing for their place in the side. Equally which England player has looked the best in recent times? Hargreaves. Why? He is playing for his place in the side.

I heard a pundit this weekend saying they felt the under 21s side would have beaten Israel’s full team if given the chance. I have no doubt they could have for our first XI has been so massively underachieving that it would be hard for quality players to perform to a level much lower.

I think the time for McClaren to earn his money is upon us, he has had his grace period and he was never going to get much of one seeing as he was part of the previous failed regime, so now he should be pushed to get immediate results before we find it impossible to qualify for the Euros. Big names need to be dropped and a few noses must be put out of joint. The games we have to play are not hard ones, in fact the players involved beat better sides week in week out in the domestic game so it must come down to organisation and attitude, both of which McClaren is ultimately responsible for.

Defeat is not an option

Before the first game with Chelsea I for one held little hope of Spurs progressing. We were playing away at the Champions, they were desperately seeking silverware to keep their manager in a job and in fairness we had a very poor record against them in recent times.

I wasn't able to watch the match myself as I was in Italy with my other half (a Chelsea season ticket holder no less!) and so had to rely on the heart-breaking news being fed to me via text message.

My outlook for the tie has changed completely since then. The so near yet so far outcome in the first match has made me believe, given everyone a taste of the glory and ultimately made defeat in tonight's game unthinkable. Matches against Chelsea are second only to Arsenal in terms of intensity and atmosphere and the game at White Hart Lane will be a blinder in those respects, there will be a huge amount of talent on the pitch for both sides and no little desire either. I think the fans could make the difference in this one.



Tottenham's season is shaping up to be a good one. We reached the semi-final of the League cup only to go out to a team we should have beaten and finished in the first leg. A poor run followed but the management have turned things around and shown us some brilliant attacking football while reaching the quarter finals of the two larger cups and being only 2 points shy of Bolton in fifth! If someboy had told me we would be facing that after the capitualtion against Newcastle I might have laughed. I said at the start of the season qualifying for European football again is a priority and we look set to do so. Even if the unthinkable should happen and we lose to the favourites in both cup competitions then we will have done well and will have witnessed key cup matches with Arsenal, Chelsea and Sevilla and White Hart Lane......massive progress on last year.

My team for tonight:

Robinson

Chimbonda----Rocha----Dawson----Lee

Malbranque----Jenas----Zokora----Lennon

Keane----Berbatov

Mourinho Wades In On Spurs

Jose Mourinho has given his verdict on tonight's Braga test - that Spurs are not a great side and by being organised Braga will get the result against us.

While it seems the red tops have probably latched onto this story and cleverly used the quotes from Mourinho in the way they do it will surely stiffen Tottenham's resolve ahead of both the UEFA cup match in Braga and Sunday's trip to the Bridge in the FA cup.

Mounrinho is best friends with the current Braga boss Eladio Parames and has even suggested he might try and find his way into White Hart Lane for the return leg in a weeks time!!

Spurs face their toughest European match so far against the conquerors of fallen Italian giants Parma without skipper Ledley King, striker Mido and midfielder Jermaine Jenas due to injury. Portuguese defender Ricardo Rocha is cup tied for UEFA competitions after playing for Benfica this season.

Spurs have been very much at their best in Europe this season and the recent glut of high scoring wins away from home will have buoyed their confidence. Personally I would back them to get a result and the away goal against a side whose manager has only been in place for 3 matches and is already their third of the season!

COYS!!

Spurs Still Pursuing Transfer Policy

Despite the signings of the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Didier Zokora and Ricardo Rocha Spurs are still pursuing their policy of recruiting the best young talent they can locate across the globe.

After the debut of the exciting prospect Adel Taraabt on Sunday the latest youngster to be linked is Henri Saviet, a pacy 16 year old who plays wide on the right with a fee in the region of £2m being mooted for a player who is not yet old enough to sign professional terms!!

I think it is essential that Spurs continue with this aggressive recruiting policy in the young age groups in order to provide us with strength in depth long term and ultimately reduce our overall transfer outlay as quality players will come through the development sides as well as from the transfer market.

Beckham injury good news for Lennon

The news that David Beckham faces 4 weeks out with knee injury may bring a secret smile to the lips of our in-form wideman Aaron Lennon. The continuous Beckham PR campaign looked set to win him a recall to the squad for England's next fixtures but after his latest setback this will not be possible and may lead to the youthful Lennon getting a start for the three lions.



Lennon appears to have been somewhat harshly treated by England. He was injured for early matches in Steve McClaren's tenure and the public by and large have forgotten the impact he had in an England shirt during his cameo appearences in the summer. After ripping West Ham a new arsehole yesterday Lennon might still have found the media giant that is the former England captain might have kept him out on reputation more than form but hopefully now we will get the chance to see what Lennon is capable of on the international stage, bringing with him a rare commodity in the England side, searing pace.

Shawn Wright-Phillips has deputised several times in his absence but has been largely unconvincing

Lasagne Is A Dish Best Served Cold

OK hands up, who stopped watching the match when we went 2-0 down? Certainly the guy next to me left and wouldn't have seen one of the most exhilarating comebacks in recent memory for Spurs.

Cast your minds back to May 7th 2006 when we had a viral outbreak which may or may not (I am being VERY diplomatic here) caused us to under-perform against West Ham at Upton Park. Cue West Ham supporters and even players like Spurs reject Paul Konchesky gloating over a victory that decided the league positions of two other clubs. The boot is now very very firmly on the other foot.

At the start of the season I begrudgingly felt that West Ham would be a serious threat to us in the race for a top six finish, their squad was strong and youthful, had a Premiership season under it's belt and was at the last minute strengthened by the signings of two world beaters, Tevez and Mascherano. How wrong that proved to be. By all accounts those very signings upset the boys club, their places no longer guaranteed and team spirit suffered heavily. Add to that a captain who hears another team is sniffing around and promptly gives up playing for the team that made him and things get worse. A change in management, a shedload spent in January and all the way along I believed West Ham would make it out.



I have no doubts that yesterday sealed their fate, not only will us beating them home and away be something to cherish during their relegation but the manner of the defeat yesterday will have truly crushed their spirit. We were never ahead in the game, albeit we conceded at times when we were the better side, yet I always believed we would get something out of it, such is the transformation in our recent form and confidence.

The goals from Tainio and Berbatov were sublime, Defoe had more belief in himself than I did to step up in the face of the boo boys and take the penalty and as for Stalteri getting forward to start and finish off a move, I never thought I would see the day. The West Ham of last season finally turned up for a match, but it was a case of too little too late.

So while the Irons tumble into the Championship yet again, we are left to contemplate our league season and the potential for getting into UEFA again. We stand one point from 6th position, guaranteed Europe, and 5 points below 5th place although with Bolton in freefall at the moment it may just be that they are catchable.

Thanks to Martin Jol these small glories are coming more regularly as a Spurs fan, he has instilled a resilience in the side which was missing mid-season and he has to take great for that.

I, meanwhile, will be off to the Marriott in West India Quay to help myself to some of that sweet-tasting buffet.