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With the season coming to the
crunch time for Tottenham, it has been one of contrasts.
It seems that the side have
returned to their former reputation of being a cup side, while the
league form has stuttered. Martin Jol has said that the team have
won more games than last season, but we have also lost more. The
performances have been inconsistent which is perhaps understandable when
we will have played 61 games by the end of the season. Most of the
players are probably unaccustomed to playing twice a week (especially
after last season with an all time low of 40 games) and therefore
tiredness and injuries pile up. One of which has hit Tottenham
hard, with Ledley King missing from Boxing Day until the start of April.
The team have had some trouble
scoring goals and keeping them out at the other end. This sees us
going into the game against Charlton with a zero goal difference with 52
scored and the same number conceded. The defensive side of the
game has to be tightened up to ensure that the club moves forward.
While Berbatov and Keane both have 21 goals at the moment, a lot have
come in the cup competitions, so the conversion rate of the chances we
make must be increased. Berbatov is exempt from criticism in this
area, as he has made a definite impact in his first season and when you
consider how many players fail to do so (Henry and Drogba spring to
mind). Others need to look at their ratio of chances to goals and
the supply to the front two has dried up at times during the season.
This is partially due to the tiredness of Aaron Lennon, who looks to
have played too many games this season. It has been difficult for
Jol to drop him, as our only wide man available, with this being
something that needs to be addressed in the summer. Had we kept
Wayne Routledge, it would have been possible to mix and match the two
throughout the season to get both through the campaign.
Of the other midfielders, Didier
Zokora has come good as the season has gone on. His surging runs
from midfield commit teams and this creates space for others ... which
is just as well, as he appears to be the new Steffen Freund when it
comes to shooting !! Jermain Jenas splits Spurs fans down the
middle. I am surrounded by people at the Lane who constantly abuse
him and cannot see why he is on the pitch. Unfortunately, they had
all gone by the time he got the equaliser against the Gooners.
Perhaps they do not see what he does off the ball. Perhaps they do
not see the runs he makes ... like the one at Wigan to win the penalty
from the edge of his own box and into theirs. Perhaps they don't
see the tracking back he does. Perhaps they only see the
free-kicks he strikes over the bar or the passes he puts astray.
Yes, he does that, but when other players in the team do the same, there
is rarely the same level of derision. I think we missed him when
he was out injured and while Teemu Tainio is a whole-hearted player who
gets stuck in and Steed Malbranque can move forward with a flicked pass
and cross, neither has the engine that Jenas possesses. Ghaly is
an enigma. He can turn in performances like he did away at Chelsea
in the FA Cup or he cannot turn up at all. He needs to gain the
consistency that makes him a better player.
With Paul Robinson seemingly
carrying a hangover from his England blooper in Croatia into the season,
he bounced back well towards the end of this campaign with some very
good saves, which kept Spurs in the points (saving from McCulloch and
Viduka in the Wigan and Boro games spring to mind). He ahs had his
nervy moments, but every keeper will have them from time to time, but he
has knuckled down and returned to form. He has a long future ahead
of him and I would prefer it to be at Tottenham than elsewhere.
And he is the first keeper to score in a meaningful match (at the right
end) since Pat Jennings. With a shot like that from 98 yards,
imagine what he would be like from close range !!
The defence has starred Michael
Dawson, who has been a pillar of strength. It was an inspired
signing when others were not willing to take chance on him, but he gets
better and better. Pascal Chimbonda has had a good first season,
but in the latter stages appears to have lost a little pace, while
Young-Pyo Lee is now being missed on the left of the defence, which I
never thought I would say, as we are having to play players out of
position to cover him. I still think that this position needs to
be strengthened in the summer transfer window though. With
Davenport gone and Gardner injured, it saw Ricardo Rocha come in and he
has done well in settling in quickly. A couple of slips apart and
the tough game he had against Heskey, he has stuck to his task and won
headers against bigger men. He also reads the game well.
The big worry for Tottenham is the
injury to Ledley which doesn't seem to clear up fully. Hopefully,
he is over it now, but the constant links with Curtis Davies keep
resurfacing. With only younger players in reserve, perhaps another
central defender will come into the squad.
Off the pitch, the club enters
it's 125th year, with a range of products (and that is what they are) to
be launched to make you part with your hard earned cash. A new kit
will preview next week and it will probably echo one of the early kits
to tug at the loyalty of the fans in parting with another £40+.
That will be on top of the new away kit, probably.
If you feel left out you can
always shell out £7.99 for a limited edition casino ship with a player's
name number and picture on it. Only 30 chips to complete the whole
set !! That works out about one third of a season ticket.
but don't gamble your money away buying casino chips, you can buy the
latest affiliated goods that Tottenham Hotspur are endorsing.
Insurance, car suppliers, water, financial services ... you name it
Tottenham have got it ... and you can probably pay with your own
Tottenham Hotspur credit card if you like (they will even give you a
free cap (with last year's crest on) to entice you to sign up. How
long will it be before the club go down the route of the Premier League
and have an official chewing gum ?? With season ticket prices
being raised once more, which is out of line with almost every other
Premiership club in the country, they still want you to put more money
into the club.
Having paid Category A prices for
all the UEFA Cup games this season and the other cup games when a top
club has been drawn out against us, it is not surprising that the UEFA
Cup quarter final against Sevilla at White Hart Lane saw empty seats
around the stadium. This was something I thought was for the
likes of Chelsea with their glory hunting fans or Middlesbrough with
their little following who seemed to shun success. I did not think
European nights at the Lane would still have tickets available.
There comes a point when fans will
say enough is enough. The prices are high now, when Spurs have
failed to put a trophy on the sideboard for eight years. What will
happen if we actually won something or ... heaven forbid ... qualify for
the Champions League ?? A number of fans I speak to have said that
they have not been able to afford to attend every home game this season,
despite having a season ticket. And some more have said that they
will not be able to afford the price of that season ticket next season.
Tottenham do not care about that. Their interest is in taking
money for the seat ... not who pays that money. But they should
always be aware of history telling them that money is not the be all and
end all. Look at Leeds United. Dropping down to League One,
having gone into administration to give them a chance to re-align some
of their debts. They were in the Champions League semi-final not
too many years ago, so remember that the fall from grace can be swift.
Despite the money we have had to
pay out, I must say most fans have been great this season. The
atmosphere at White Hart Lane has seen a return to the electric nights
of European football and the crowd have been right behind the team in
most games this season in the league and other cups. Where the
club will end up playing is an on-going question which not many people
know the answer to. A rise to 50,000 capacity might be enough for
the time being, as there are questions about selling out, especially if
prices are hiked once more. Whether it will be at the Lane or the
new Olympic Stadium come 2012 ... who knows ?
Looking back, it has been a season
of highs and lows. From being roasted by Manchester United 0-4 at
home (they are the best team in the league this season by some distance)
to burying the hoodoo of the Chelsea losses. From the high of
being 2-0 up against Arsenal in the League Cup semi to being 0-2 down to
Sevilla inside nine minutes in the UEFA Cup quarter final. From
being 3-1 up against Chelsea at the Bridge to being pegged back to 3-3
in the same game. These moments show where we need to move to.
To be able to live with the Manchester United's of this world. To
be able to hold onto leads ... be it against Arsenal, Chelsea, Sevilla
or Sheffield United or Newcastle. To be able to contest matches on
an even footing. I don't expect this to come overnight nor do I
comprehend why Martin Jol to have to go through periods of the season
with fans questioning his ability to take Tottenham forward. Yes,
he has failings, but where were we three seasons ago ?? Jol might
not be the man to take us right to the top, but there is a long way to
go before we get there and he is shrewd enough and tough enough, with
the knowledge of what needs to be done, to do that part of the job at
least.
So, some things to ponder on and
some things to take forward as positives ... which always seems to be
the way with Tottenham. But you know whatever happens, we will
always ...
Keep the faith.
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
AND THE SPURS GO MARCHING ON.
BRUCE
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