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 SPURS BLOG Danny Mackay |
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“11th Street Bar: Liverpool in New York” - Read More |
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SPURS BLOG Danny Mackay |
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“11th Street Bar: Liverpool in New York” - Read More |
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Spurs fans would like to have been celebrating the signing of a quality left winger this week. Instead we should celebrate the restored dignity of our club. A week ago it seemed Martin Jol was finally set to get his hands on a left winger after two years at Tottenham without one. In the end it was sadly not to be. But the reasons are a mark of success not failure. Chelsea are in the privileged position of being able to afford any losses on their wage bill and transfers. As such their players are generally paid extremely high wages, and their fees are inflated. Spurs, like most clubs, are not. If we sign players for more than we can afford, be it in fees or wages, that’s another player or five who we can’t sign or keep. It is not so long ago that Spurs offered far too high fees and wages to any apparent saviour. We bought in the likes of Dean Richards, Rebrov, and Postiga, desperate to believe that each was the world class player we needed to restore our footballing fortunes. They failed to do so largely because money should have been spent on less expensive, and in many cases better but less headline grabbing players. Indeed, only when we started paying small fees and wages to better players did we finally turn things around. Those signings were basically a desperate scramble for a big signing that would allow us to feel like the top side we once were. We would let players hold us to ransom, and beg stars like Rivaldo to give us the feel good factor of pretending we were still at the top of the tree. But of course when the summer ended, the season’s results made clear we were kidding ourselves. Then something changed. Five years ago we would have needed the sense of shallow vindication that such a well known star as Duff could bring us. Remember how good it felt to sign Rebrov, despite the desperate need for five midfielders and five defenders. Now, with results improved, a squad with real class, and a management system that makes good decisions, we apparently walked away from Duff when the price rocketed. When Duff’s Mr 15% realised a pay cut for his client meant a pay cut for him, panic stations were manned. Word was put out that his client needed rescuing from the champions, and the wage cut was halted. Indeed reports suggest his new employers will pay Duff twice the £50k per week Spurs offered, and more even than Chelsea paid him. Despite this, our changing fortunes mean our once desperate fans did not grow angry with managers and owners when the deal started to slip. Indeed chat room after chat room is now full of Spurs fans discussing other left wingers and their possible prices. Such a praiseworthy reaction made it easier for Daniel Levy to stand his ground. He made clear our offer was not going to rise, and we would not be held to ransom. In short, he decided Duff was a left winger – not that he was our one and only shot at glory this season. Make no mistake, Duff would have been an excellent signing - for the right price. But no player is a good signing at the wrong price, and certainly not at the cost of our newly reclaimed dignity. So well played Daniel Levy, Spurs fans are still proud. |  Send this page to a friend |
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In 1990 Spurs, the joint record winners of the FA Cup, started the season quoted at around 33-1 to win football’s oldest trophy. Anyone placing that bet must have been pretty happy come May. This season the odds are just 16-1. While everyone continues to focus on possible signings and which Italian sides we may or may not play in the Wafer Cup, the bookies have focused on what they can see before them. Our odds for winning the league fall a long way short of the normal four, who most fans and pundits alike are backing to never ever under any circumstances ever fail to be the top four again. But this isn’t an article about winning money. Instead consider what the odds say about us. A commonly cited 50-1 for the title somewhat marks Tottenham Hotspur out as being in a league of our own. We are of course given no hope of winning the Premiership, but the nearest challengers behind us are being offered at around 100-1. So, in the league we are deemed by those who never lose, to be the best of the rest by quite a long way. Not good enough to do it, but not bad enough to write off with the sort of odds given to last season’s European qualifiers Blackburn or Newcastle. Meanwhile, 16-1 for an FA Cup triumph and 11-1 for the League Cup are prices quoted by different bookies. But while specifics change, variations from one shop to another are small. And all have us fifth on their list for both cups. Refer back to 1991, and I’m sure many fans will remember quite well that we were considered among the clutch of clubs most capable of going all the way. Of course recent successes for Coventry and Wimbledon had set a different tone to modern list of repetitive victors, but the odds still make us contenders. So while we are far from favourites to bring home a nice big piece of shiny metal this summer, the bookies, who stake billions on knowing their business, seem to regard Spurs well. I’ll take that over a Sky pundit’s ‘I’m not convinced by Martin Jol yet’ any day. | Send this page to a friend |
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Paul Robinson kept another clean sheet, Lennon showed he is a valuable sub, and Carrick was man of the match. All in all the win over Ecuador was a good day for Spurs fans and a better one for England, thanks to forced changes that boosted our chances. At one point last week everyone started to write off England again after top scorer Owen was injured during defeat to Sweden. Not that England lost, and not that Owen was any kind of loss to the first team. After a two year period in which he played little football, and a six month period with no match time at all, he is struggling badly for pace and strength. As a massive fan of Michael Owen, (I have spent years criticizing anyone who periodically claims ‘he’s been sussed’ or ‘he’s passed it’) it pains me to write this. It seems that Owen’s injury was a blessing. With only two strikers left, Sven will probably not risk putting both on the pitch at the same time too often. So one injury to an out of form star has forced the manager to change the formation and include Carrick in the midfield. Robinson made one good save, but also miss-read a corner. Lennon made good tackles, beat defenders, and used the ball sensibly, but was only on the pitch for five minutes at the end. Carrick meanwhile was imperious throughout and was excellent in every way. Ecuador created nothing through the middle of the park, with Carrick able to cut out several hopeful passes and runs. He won several headers from high balls into our half, and he passed the ball with class, invention and vision. Carrick is not a match winner. He scores very few goals, his set pieces don’t match Beckham’s, and he will never play with the blood and thunder of John Terry. But he will do something else, and this matters to Spurs as well. He will help other players, not just the stars, play better. In the past England, much like Spurs, have relied too heavily on the best players in the side and ignored the rest. These stars, like Gazza and Rooney, are then expected to do what only Maradona has ever done. Choose to win the tournament single handedly. When Rooney was injured a few weeks before kick off this wrongheaded mentality triggered a search for a new Rooney. That was instead of a reassessment of how to better use the players that were available. Owen Hargreaves and Ashley Cole, neither counting as England’s best player, were excellent today. They both pushed up knowing they were protected at the back, and they both held and used the ball well. The central defence was barely troubled, despite an uncharacteristic worrying Terry header. Meanwhile Rooney grew into his role at the front as players like Lampard, Gerrard and super-sub Lennon pushed up and overlapped him. It will take time for the attacking players to adjust. But with more time and space on the ball, England could see a number of less noticed players come to the fore as this tournament progresses. Thanks to a tactical accident forced on a manager who England could now have a serious chance of glory. And while he isn't the star, Carrick could prove a vital catalyst. | Send this page to a friend |
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