Making ultimatums to Daniel Levy, touting yourself around anywhere, everywhere behind Levy’s back, making no secret he’d have jumped ship if the F.A. had even looked at him – did he turn down a contract extension when Fabio resigned from England? – slagging off the fans.

It might have worked, contrary to what ‘Arry said hanging out his car window, for Levy to keep him on. Pissing away that lead, losing third spot and therefore Champions League football next season after Cheatski’s final victory and losing so miserably to said scumbag outfit in the Cup semi, made sure it didn’t.

Yes Levy wanted rid, many of us did. But don’t blow the end of that season in the way ‘Arry managed and you can see it not happening.

As I said a few posts back during his stint on the BBC for the Euros whenever the boy Lineker mentioned the club old ‘Arry’s face sagged even more than you’d imagine is possible. He knew it was over. He just knew Levy was going to play hardball, would he walk or will he have to be pushed. Te death of Levy’s mother played a part in the timing but I do feel that Levy waited until the Cheatski job had been given to Di Matteo before saying enough’s enough, he was fed up dealing with a two faced, two timing, tart.

His media chums are of course up in arms, where will they get reddy quotes, from someone hanging out a car window outside training grounds now? Of course they won’t be honest about why things soured and hypocrite that is jovial genial ‘Arry.

Even when he contradicts himself to them. Back at the end of March when everyone was using the England job as excuse for the club’s poor run, ‘Arry was stating…

Absolute nonsense, that is the biggest load of nonsense I’ve ever heard in my life.
The players don’t care whether I’m the manager next year.

The players wouldn’t lose any sleep over that. That’s football. Footballers are footballers. They play the game, they come in every day and train, somebody else walks in here tomorrow, the king is dead long live the king.
They don’t worry ‘Harry’s going to England’ or ‘he’s going to go somewhere else’. They don’t think about that, I don’t think about it. ‘Arry Redknapp

Yet when it comes to his contract negotiations a few days ago he’s saying…

If they don’t extend it and I go into my last year, it’s not an easy one when players know you’ve only got a year left.
It’s not a case of me looking for security. What it’s about is players knowing you’ve only got one year left on your contract and knowing that it doesn’t work, basically. I think it’s a situation of ‘well, he might not be here next year’. ‘Arry Redknapp

He’s hanging out the car window today saying the fans are great, little over a year ago they, we, were all idiots.

This time last season ‘Arry was contradicting the club and chairman over the sale of Modric, ‘Arry wanted the money to spend on the likes of Anton Ferdinand and Phil Neville, Levy wanted to keep our best midfielder. This time he’s saying the club would be finished if it sold it’s best players. Oh, he brought Bale through and made him a wanted player. Well no. He was ready to dump Bale off for a few quid to Forest up until Assou-Ekotto picked up an injury and his hand was forced. Then when finding Bale was the best left winger about he was happy to let the Welshman wander all over the place, which bizarrely coincided with the loss of team form.

Look at another situation where his hand was forced, Sandro. ‘Arry never played him, didn’t seem to want him until he had nothing left and the Brazilian was his only choice in the Champions League. He performed brilliantly, looking like the quality player he is. But then straight away he was sidelined as ‘Arry brought in Parker and again Sandro didn’t get a look in until injuries took over, where Sandro put in performances far better than anything Parker had done. But that’s ‘Arry, happy to waste and then possibly lose the talents of a young, foreign, player for a far inferior English one.

His one real success on the player front at Spurs, buying and bringing through, is Kaboul. But then in a recent French interview the player stated that at his former French club he was trained unlike at his current one. Yes he got something out of Adebayor but I feel he’s just playing for a contract and things’ll be different.

And OK the arm round the shoulder trick did work for Assou-Ekotto but surely something more than that and just facking run around a bit are required.

He did the job required when hired, I was quite happy for his appointment, got the side out of the relegation mire Levy’s latest brainstorm had got them into – though of course Juande walked away having won a trophy, unlike ‘Arry’s final and two semi-final losses which brought no silverware. Then he was in charge through two 4th places and a fifth. But then he’s had the best group of players at the club since the 80s. Martin Jol got close to Levy’s holy grail of top four with an inferior group.

And while Martin left with tears in the eyes and his name ringing around The Lane, ‘Arry leaves with a range from meh to good riddance. Yes some are saying it’s the wrong thing to do but it’s done, time to move on, ‘Arry wasn’t Spurs, we were just a stepping stone for him. Will he find as good a job, there wasn’t many big teams after him before, what chance many will look at him now.

And who does Levy have an eye on for the job? Moyes, Martinez, Capello, Benitez, Deschamps, AVB, Bilic?

Shame the plug wasn’t pulled last year, Ancelotti would have been ideal, of the above why would anyone want Pugwash (Benitez), or Capello. Moyes and Martinez, it’s a bit underwhelming. The latter tries to get his team to play nice football and who knows what he can do with better players. The former, more pragmatic, but again is that due to what he’s had to play with. Also he did sign Phil Neville but again he’s somewhat restricted cash wise.

AVB will have the media after him as they were at Cheatski, like Gross at Spurs they wouldn’t want him to succeed and would be undermining him from the off. Again he would have a better group of players to work with and wouldn’t have the added hassle of the owner wanting him do phase out the old guard while playing good football and still winning.

Had a sneaky feeling for Bilic, before he took the job in Russia, figured would help keep Modric on board. I wonder about Jürgen, would he leave the easy confines of the US or even his former number two with Germany, now number one Joachim Löw.

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In less than half a minute Spurs might have rescued the season last night at Bolton, for their first away win at the Reebok stadium.

‘Arry rightly went with the same side who beat the previous piece of relegation fodder at the weekend – funny no talk of tiredness and rotation when winning – and as at the weekend Spurs bossed it. Bossed it with no final product as per damn usual.

Chances were there and again spurned as so often this season, last season… every season. Funny how Bale gets praised for a cross that goes right across the face of goal – the one time he chose to actually go down the left and get to the byline in the first half – yet when Lennon does exactly the same thing on the right he gets abused for his final ball. Final ball that would have been killer if someone had bothered to actually bust a gut to get into the area.

It took just over half an hour as Sandro – the Chinese pronunciation of which fits all know stereotypes you can think of – stormed into the box after another missed opportunity, he was having another blinder, maybe the passing was off but the tackling and blocking was there again outshining he who thankfully wasn’t involved. Well he might have handled, Bolton weren’t happy at the corner given. They were less happy as van der Vaart chipped the corner to Modric, who chested it down and then increased his league goal tally for the season by 33%, with a hell of a strike that just curled away from the despairing dive of the Bolton ‘keeper.

But as per usual they didn’t capitalise on this and went in at half time with just the single goal lead. The second half played out as per usual, there was an early chance for van der Vaart to play Adebayor clean through on goal but the pass was careless and sloppy. The for all the Dutchman’s sublime play there was quite a number of really casually slack passes in easy situations, while his strike partner was competing with Danny Rose for the worst first touch, that’s when not running into cul-de-sacs.

The usual post break 10 minute slack off period was back for Spurs as Bolton pushed and the visitors rested on their laurels. Culminating on Ngog’s backheel onto Reo-Coker, rushing all on his lonesome into the box to fire past Friedel. Reo-Coker, I mean for god sake his signing was the turning point in me figuring Coyle was a half decent manager. How can you let a bum like Reo-Coker score against you.

At that point and for the following ten minutes it only looked like Bolton scoring a second. Spurs were all over the place and the hosts were right up for it as Kevin Davies elbows were flying everywhere, that’s when he wasn’t falling over to try and win free-kicks.

Then in a classic counter Bale was actually on the left – he did spend a bit more time there in the second half – doing what he does best and should be doing nearly all the time. Hareing past a defender and getting a cross into the box for the oncoming van der Vaart to side foot the ball into the far corner. Luckily Adebayor got out of the road of the shot, he does seem to be in the road of a lot of attempts. It was 25 seconds from the kick off to the game now really being over as a gorgeous ball from Modric – he does seem to be enjoying life sans-Parker – into the path of Lennon, who yet again skinned his defender and put the perfect ball across the six yard line for Adebayor to pretty much tap in.

Took a little longer for the game to be really over, 7 minutes, as something actually came of Bale in the middle – it does work when the opposition are going all out and all over the place – nice one-two with van der Vaart and ball through to Adebayor who had a bit to do, rounding the ‘keeper and then desperately getting the ball onto his right foot.

Takes Adebayor’s tally from 31 league games to 15 goals, now he’s had number wrongly disallowed as well, could have been a twenty goal league campaign and he’s worked for the team, worked better than pretty much all expected, but his he worth the punt. Citeh will want a bit for him after this campaign and selling him to a sort of competitor. He’ll want a fair whack in wages. If his first touch wasn’t so often really crap that his second is a tackle, if he didn’t get in the way of other’s shots and if he didn’t weakly give up the ball running into cul-de-sacs then you’d have to splash the cash. But it is and he does…

Any road up, back into fourth, one point behind the scum – could have done without conceding and maybe getting another to overhaul their goal difference – and two games to come…

Bolton Wanderers 1 – 4 Tottenham Hotspur

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OK so the formation was different but there was something oh so familiar about the way Spurs played against Swansea at the weekend.

So that formation, ‘Arry kept the 4-2-3-1 not going back to 4-4-1 with Lennon now available. Good in a way shows he doesn’t go straight back when another way is actually working and easing Lennon back in is preferable than the standard routine of rushing him back so he re-injures himself.

Parker alongside Sandro. ‘Arry not the only one saying Livermore was unlucky to miss out, well you know who I’d have him in for. But surprisingly in a first half where Swansea had over half of the possession he actually didn’t suck as much s usual. Then it was his level, at home to a promoted side who aren’t physical and who were slow in the build up. Lot of nice passing for passing’s sake to real forward drive a lot of the time.

That with the extra cover and the whole Spurs side doing a job in closing Swansea down when they had the ball made Parker’s job far, far easier. Though he still managed to be right next to the player getting off the odd attempt from Swansea without stopping it. And of course butchering ever forward move he got involved in.

Oh and look there’s a big Welsh kid playing on the left. How unusual. Well to be fair he’s been seen more and more there lately and surprise, surprise when he starts there and plays most of the game there it works better than on the right or down the middle. Even when in this case the opposition triple up on him. He just either ran past them or through them.

And work it did 20 minutes in when a beautiful ball by Modric inside the fullback the onrushing Bale, finally free of orange shirts, his cross didn’t reach Adebayor but the stretched clearance went straight to van der Vaart who expertly placed it coolly past his fellow Dutchman in the Swansea goal.

They may have had more of the ball but it was Spurs who looked the more threatening and of course as before should have increased that lead. But this is the Spurs of old so they went in at the break just the one up.

And what does that mean? Of course the post half-time 15 minute drop off, where they drop off the pressure, get sloppy and concede an equaliser. When it came it was no surprise. Sigurdsson had already shown his intentions having one cracking shot, excellently saved by Friedel. It wasn’t long before he beat the American ‘keeper.

In a way it was exactly what Spurs required, it gave them that kick up the arse antidote to half-time. From then they really began to boss things. Bale was in his pomp just steaming through or past the orange wall of defenders at will. Then the big red bus came along, you know the one that always comes straight after the one you’ve been waiting an age for. A goal from a corner! Second in as many games! What’s going off out there? Well something has been happening with the corners, they have been better of late. Did that stat about how many have been taken without a goal get through to the players and or coaches? Have they even maybe been actually practising them?

It was simple in the end, especially as Swansea might be the Swans but do suffer a bit from Duck’s Disease, as Adebayor rose above the defender and just met the perfect corner. We were also getting some sign of life from ‘Arry as he celebrated.

A couple of minutes earlier Lennon had been introduced and as previously when Spurs were flying he hardly had a touch of the ball but when he did it counted. Receiving a clearance just outside the Swansea box he was facing his own half and I thought the way he shaped up he would pass it back but thankfully he didn’t. Turning and scampering past his defender he put in the perfect cross, stands it up on the back post, for the lurking Adebayor to rise again to nod it home, as Vorm seemed lost.

There could have been a blot on the day but luckily Assou-Ekotto’s two footed lunge on Routledge didn’t make contact with the player. Though it has to be said Benny was still lucky as some refs would have given a straight red contact or not. It was a poor attempt at a tackle by him.

First win in the league since the second week of February, six games, back on track with a good win and a good performance. ‘Arry wants 5 more wins from the remaining 8 league games, looking at what’s left we want more.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 1 Swansea City

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We’re the famous Tottenham Hotspur and we’re off to Wembley.

Doesn’t quite feel right when it’s only the Cup semi-final but it’s still Wembley. Though there is that recent inept record in semis – five in a row.

In what seemed a very subdued atmosphere at The Lane, Spurs ended the romantics idea of what should have been with a controlled display against Bolton which really had only two faults. Being far from clinical before the first score and then being slack when it should have been all over. Oh and maybe in one more area.

‘Arry got the line up and the formation, 4-2-3-1, pretty much spot on. All those crying out that we have to play 2 up front at home, that one up is negative, should have been finally silenced with a performance that lacked no positivity just an end product.

Of course things were helped by a Bolton side that bar the odd moment offered very little going forward and didn’t really look like they wanted to be there. But there was a fluidity we have seen from the home side since the Newcastle game. It could at times have been a little quicker, bit more zip, less touches. But when they were pinging it about, one touch and triangles it felt like we’d got the team we had back.

The only black spot was as we’ve seen so many times over the years the opposition ‘keeper having the game of his life. Much like international cricketers who all seem to have their highest score or best bowling figures against England, ‘keepers all seem to have had their best game against Spurs especially at the Lane. Facing an onslaught they makes saves left, right and centre. It was Adam Bogdan turn here.

Admittedly he was helped by some weak or poor finishing. But the chances were being created by the bundle with one striker. The other black spot was yet again Parker. While Livermore was yet again shining, in defence and either passing or going forward, Parker was butchering every piece of forward momentum he got involved in. Yet again this was evidence that the two man base should be Livermore and Sandro.

The fluidity saw Bale on the right and in the centre where he’s come in for some stick, rightly so in many games of late. But with more confidence and doing enough work out left, his roaming worked. Hell even corners were working better. Van der Vaart may have been getting abuse from the commentators for taking them all but he was beating the first defender, he was getting the ball into dangerous areas and at pace.

Everything was just met by the big glove of a ginger Hungarian.

All the way to the 74th minute when that run of how many scoreless corners was broken by the head of Ryan Nelsen. Relief. Three minutes earlier ‘Arry had actually made a sensible substitution bringing on Defoe for Parker and not Livermore as a number had been calling for. Six minutes after that introduction Bolton actually got in Spurs box but when the ball broke for Walker he hammered a clearance to Adebayor on the halfway line, nice touch onto Defoe who played a brilliant through ball to the onrushing Bale, who put it on his left and curled it around Bogdan. Great piece of counter attacking.

We did see all of Defoe apart from one major point. There was the quick turn and shot, there was the hitting the side netting, there was the selfishness in going for goal when others were better placed. But there wasn’t an offside. Strange.

Of course people immediately started saying game over. Two goal lead, game over? No, never. This is Spurs. And so it came to pass they clocked off and dropped back and did their best to let Bolton back into it. Luckily it wasn’t until just before the 90th minute when Davies got one back, ah but with 4 minutes of injury time it could have been more than a consolation.

But nearly 4 minutes into that time added on Saha, who had come on for the tireless Adebayor, took a pass at the edge of the Bolton box from Modric, who had been running things throughout, turn and made space for himself to fire home Spurs’s deserved third and really seal the deal. In the end it was a scoreline that flattered Bolton who just seemed to have other things on their mind.

So of to Wembley for Chelski in the semi.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 1 Bolton Wanderers

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With all the conjecture about who should replace ‘Arry if he takes the England job one name seems to divide opinion. The Special One.

Some see the positives of a winning coach, with a winning mentality that he instils into his players and the trophies that come with it. Others focus on what else comes with it. The ego. The siege mentality and the money spent. But another negative in many’s mind is the negative football, this thing that Roman binned him from Chelsea because he wanted more flair, fantasy football or indeed the Tottenham way. They don’t want pragmatism at The Lane.

Did that change on Saturday morning? There seemed a lot of admiration for the way Spurs went about the game at Chelski. Happiness that things were tight and not gung-ho. Happiness at the way Jose would have probably gone about such an away game, especially after the recent run of form.

It couldn’t be much tighter or indeed un-Tottenham like in that first half. A 4-2-3-1, turning more 4-5-1 with very little space between the deep defence and the midfield, made for very little going forward from Spurs, especially not at any great pace. Where once they would zip forward with one touch here they were taking three, four, five and then looking back. Indeed one breakaway was very noticeable for the lack of Bale when it all came to nothing in the opposition penalty area.

Passing back and plenty of bodies in there to cover individuals inadequacies. ‘Arry, Joe and Kevin constantly screaming at Sandro to sit and smother Lampard. Was it all designed for Parker?

Well that and to make sure there wasn’t the shipping of goals seen in recent times against the Top 4 competition. It worked though there was some hairy moments in that first half, mainly from long balls. Hoofs right down the middle, cutting out that centre. Gallas was looking like a guy who had only six and a bit league games this season and the last of them being nearly three months back. Rusty.

Keep it tight and maybe nick something seemed the mantra of the day and it nearly came to pass in the dying seconds of the first half when van der Vaart or Adebayor should have put one of the chances away in a goal mouth scramble. At this point you just had that sneaky feeling that it was gonna be nicked by them in the way that happens so often for Spurs.

Second half had more life about it, still wasn’t the spark you’d really want. Gallas grew into his role and was snuffing out the danger coming his way while showing the sort of on field leadership you’d think should be coming from the one with the armband.

Modric was getting more into the game, Bale was in the game, Adebayor was fighting better in the game – first half his touch was hopeless, could trap a bag of sand territory, resulting in the ball being given away and no forward momentum – he was still surrounded by numbers blue shirted players but wasn’t giving the ball straight back. Still all taking far too many touches when it was screaming for one touch, give and goes, triangles.

As it went on though that feeling started to really take hold. It had the look of heartbreak all over it. A good performance, chances created that should have been taken – Adebayor clean round the ‘keeper and his weak shot blocked well before the line – and they’re going to undeservedly nick it right at the end.

They still hit the woodwork but the more dangerous stuff was from Spurs, they were enjoying most of the possession and it was almost paying off. Even set pieces were not that far off working. Gallas’ header over, when he should have done better, from a free-kick, Cech saving down low from Bale’s attempt. Corners with dangerous whip and pace, resulting in Bale’s header off the bar. Heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak. It wouldn’t go away.

In the end it did. As the ref blew for a surprising nil-niller. And the feeling started to grow that they should have won it. Worst Chelsea side faced in many a year, bossed the game with possession and attempts but it’s another season gone by without a win at their ground.

But people still happy. Happy to grind out a no score draw against a team like that, name wise not actual current player wise. Isn’t it the way Jose would have played it?

Chelsea 0 – Tottenham Hotspur

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On the basis of two goals against a 3rd division side and a late consolation when the game was well and truly over the screams were ringing out by the fanboys for Defoe to start against Everton.

Again we saw why the player always ends up as third or fourth choice striker. And in the process his inclusion, alomng with the absence of Lennon, meant ‘Arry went all out to completely bugger up Spurs’ formation and make the outcome pretty predictable from the moment the team sheet dropped.

With two strikers and two holding players in a 4-4-2 it meant that our best players were playing out of position. What got us in the top three would keep us in the top. But no ‘Arry would prefer to have Modric on the left and Bale on the right and nothing in the middle. You can’t play two holders if one of them is Parker, who offers nothing going forward and slows everything up. Now if it had been Sandro and Livermore, the latter who of course bossed Everton in the reverse fixture not that long ago, it may have been different. But with those two there either Modric had to be central or van der Vaart had to play to give that link between the central pair and the striker. Who shouldn’t have been Defoe.

‘Arry nearly got it right as things ended up after his substitutions, though Sandro would have still been on instead of Defoe in the ideal situation – shudder to think what the first half would have been like without Sandro, at times it seemed him against Everton own his own – but by then it was headless chickens stuff and nobody had a clue. Much like the game against the goon scum.

This clueless stuff though according to ‘Arry was Spurs ba’erin’ ‘em.

Well no. This was Everton basically doing bugger all be cause they’d got their lead – 22 minutes into the first half when Kaboul sold himself and Osman easily found Jelavic all on his lonesome, Ledley was missing and that player who is supposed to shield the back four was no where to be seen – unsurprisingly not standing right next to the goal scorer. Far too easy.

So Everton drop back and defend it and unlike Spurs in such a position it’s something they are good at. It’s as boring as hell but the natives seem happy when it works. What with the talk of Moyes taking over from ‘Arry would they be at The Lane? I think not. All those complaints about Jose and the pragmatic manner in which his teams can play, it still brings titles, where Moyes brings league survival with even less flair.

I think the natives would be quite restless pretty quickly.

So Bale he plays where he wants, he plays where he wants, its Gareth Bale, he plays where he wants. How’s that working out for you? Crosses with the outside of the left finding blue shirted players every time. Triffic. The few moments he’s actually been seen on the left recently have produced dangerous crosses. The roaming around centre and right has produced bugger all. It’s an OK move to mix things up during a game, start on the left, play the majority of the game there but every so often have a change, that’s when it’s actually worked. Not the other way round. Did ‘Arry tell him to stay on the right because Everton doubled up and negated him previously? Play our way don’t let them dictate. That’s why the fans were chanting Gareth Bale, he plays on the left in this game. We can all see it, why can’t ‘Arry?

And with it is the extra debilitating effect of Modric, our most creative central presence being stuck on the left. Which hasn’t worked since the little Croat came to the club. Added to the fact it wastes Modric’s talent it also leads to less forward output from Benny. He doesn’t get as forward as with Bale there because he knows he’s kinda on his own defence wise so there’s more caution. Remember the good old days of Walker and Benny being more like wingers than fullbacks, a kind of 2-4-1-3 formation.

So yes chances were there in the second half, a number of attempts, but not many on target, Howard didn’t have to do that much in their goal. It was a battering has ‘Arry ranted about. He does seem to be returning to whinging grump we saw at the end of last season. And you wonder about the England job because he can’t handle any sort of criticism or what he perceives as criticism. Too thin skinned for the top job.

It’s been six games since he was found not guilty and Fabio quit creating this situation and after that initial ‘Arry effect kicked in against Newcastle it’s been three, bad, consecutive defeats in the league – first time they’ve lost three league games in a row under ‘Arry – and two piss poor performances against a 3rd division side. In fact it’s been going on before that, the Newcastle game can in a way been seen as a blip on a bad run. In the eight league games since last facing Everton they’ve taken 8 points.

At the moment it feels like Spurs are looking like the Woolwich Wanderers did last season after their loss in the League Cup final, when they just imploded. A couple of weeks ago the gap could have been 13 points and rising, tonight it could be one point…

Everton 1 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur

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A ref in charge of his first ManUre game since being on the end of a verbal assault in the media by Alex Ferguson which saw the manager on the end of an five match F.A. ban, what are the chances he’d want back into Fergie’s good books.

I Tweeted the day before he’d dick Spurs to appease Fergie. Low and behold.

Needing a boost after two poor outings things started badly as Bale recovered from a physical injury only to be ruled out through illness and with van der Vaart still not fully fit it meant ‘Arry going 4-4-2 with that tactical genius move of Modric on the left. Thankfully Lennon was back in the starting line-up so at least some width.

The 4-4-2 didn’t work to begin with as Rooney and Welbeck both found space between the central pairing of Livermore and Sandro and the back two, Kaboul & King, crating a couple of chances for ManUre. But after that initial few dodgy minutes it started to click and for the rest of the half Spurs bossed the game as the pair showed that Parker was definitely not missed. Livermore wasn’t quite up to his Everton game standard but maybe this was a better opposition in Carrick and Scholes that he completely overshadowed.

But with the possession and the bossing there was just no real cutting edge and Modric was being wasted in his non-central role.

So just pas the half hour and Atkinson makes the boss happy. Lennon cuts in from the left, he was the main attacking danger in white all afternoon, and Saha’s shot is blocked on the line by Adebayor. The balls in the back of the net but of course the whistle has gone. Now unlike last time when Parker blocked Saha’s shot on the line against Stevenage Adebayor wasn’t offside but when the ball hit him it hit his arm after bouncing off his chest. Handball.

You know if a player scored the winner in the game with the very last kick of the ball and took his shirt off in celebration the ref would stand there shrug his shoulders and while showing a yellow card will say letter of the law, I have to do it. Yet the letter of the law says handballs are given if the act is deliberate. This wasn’t. And you also know if the player doing it was in red and defending that goal a penalty wouldn’t have been given.

How many goals has Adebayor had incorrectly chalked off this season through inept, or otherwise, officiating? How many points has that cost Spurs. It certainly isn’t going to even itself out.

So after being so dominant having a good gal disallowed it was no surprise that ManUre went ahead just before the break. As Walker got it all wrong marking Rooney at a corner leaving him free to nod in the opener.

Second half pretty much carried on as the first had gone. And there was the usual situation of a opposition player being booked early and not being targeted to get him sent off. This time Jones who was looking shaky and really should have been tested more. In fact they were all looking shaky in red. Rattled was the word I used at the time and they were. This half was for the season, reverse it here or you just feel things are gonna peter out.

But as with the first 45, no cutting edge. A series of set pieces wasted with floated deliveries, bar one Assou-Ekotto free-kick that was close. De Gea making a good save from Livermore’s deflected shot but nothing looked like really penetrating.

So again no surprise that just on the hour they knocked off again as ManUre took a throw, Modric caught napping marking Nani whose cross eventually found Young for him to hit a sweet finish. It was pretty much game over from there, still had the ball but with even less conviction behind it. Though they had a number up the field when the ball found it’s way to Young, less than 10 minutes later, for him to have a pretty much free shot on goal. It was another cracker for the England winger. That was it.

Defoe came on and got a consolation which led to his fanboys screaming that he should have been on sooner. But he wouldn’t have made any difference, scoring a late consolation is meaningless and no indication of what might have been. And we all know from his previous outings those goals come at a cost. Offsides and bugger all help to the team. Saha at least does some work, though Adebayor’s first touch is stinking the place up again, a world away from the Newcastle game.

As is the manager. That game he was full of life jumping about these last couple of the games he’s just sat there looking bored, twitching away, as he did after the Champions League exit last year when he started having a go at the fans. His mind elsewhere? Thinking about how he can play Scholes on the left for England?

Whatever it is it doesn’t look good. Need to give Stevenage a thrashing in the Cup replay midweek just to give the place a lift after two bad defeats. Two defeats that have seen what could have been a 16 point gap whittles down to just 4.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 3 Manchester United

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It was all there last night as Spurs beat Wigan 3-1 at The Lane.

The swagger, the pace, the goals, Benny’s barnet, the post half-time cruising, two up slack drop off ten minutes. Oh and the strange last minute deadline day deals.

While Spurs did start properly, pace and intent, Wigan had some good initial moves where they played the type of stuff Spurs should do more of – triangles, push and run. Could have taken the lead when a cross deflected off Assou-Ekotto was just missed by Wigan’s di Santo.

Spurs then got their true swagger on but there was an element of could it be one of those games. Earlier Kaboul had risen to meet a corner which was saved by Al Habsi, later he had another attempt cleared off the line. Now Spurs’ set pieces, corners and free kicks around the box, are usually crap that lead to nothing, here we had two that led to attempst on target and nowt to show. Ominous?

Kranjcar had come in for the injured Lennon and was doing his best to impress, can’t believe some would prefer to have seen him offloaded and Pienaar kept. He was getting involved with a lot, through not exactly sticking to his wide position. Adebayor also in the early stages looked more into it than he has for a few games, except of course where it really mattered, scoring.

So we had to wait half an hour for the opener. A quick break, slowed just as quickly into a bit of keep-ball, just outside the Wigan area on the left, when Modric spotted a run into the box from Bale on the right. It was a glorious ball to find the winger who in turn took it down and finished it off brilliantly. Had thought of changing my fantasy football captain earlier in the day, rather glad I didn’t.

Wigan by now had gone into their shell. Benny was getting the freedom of the left side of the park. His cross eventually found it’s target, after a bit of pinball, Modric brought it down, turned and bang into the bottom left hand corner of the net for two nil after 34 minutes. Game over?

In the five minutes between the goals the other major event of the first half happened when van der Vaart dropped to his arse, ripped out his shin pad then hobbled off with yet another injury. Calf this time, rather than hamstring.

So two up, cruising, opposition haven’t a clue. All set up for that classic post half-time drop off and it duly came. Interrupted by the odd Spurs breakout, Wigan were certainly up for it now, as Spurs became error prone. You’d think things would have changed after twenty minutes when receiving the ball on the left edge of the 18 yard line Bale shimmied into the box and banged in his second into the bottom right corner of the net.

But it didn’t kill off the visitors, as they created more and more openings for themselves. Things could have got a lot worse when after losing the ball Benny went over the top with a challenge on di Santo. It was a nasty one that a competent ref would have probably shown a straight red for. Still have to wait and see if that’s the end of it. If not could cause problems as Walker also went off injured and that would leave the fullback positions looking a bit light coming into a tough run of fixtures.

Shortly after Wigan ruined the fantasy clean sheet stats. Some slack marking and the lollygagging Parker – doing nowt as per usual in these situations – is late to the party and deflects the shot over Friedel’s outstretched arm and in. Consolation?

As it turned out yes as the lead was held onto despite some decent Wigan chances. Best part of that latter few minutes of the game was seeing Cameron Lancaster make his début – he could make that number 53 shirt his own. Had a slight sniff of a chances as well, as Bale was going for his hat-trick, with yet another marauding run and shot.

Now with Citeh and Chelsea dropping points it’s closer to the top and further away from the also-rans.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 1 Wigan Athletic

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So the transfer window deadline.

Well a strange one. Yes happy that Pienaar is on his way away back to Everton. It strengthens Spurs while weakening Everton. But Saha, yes we desperately need a striker but Saha. OK not a disastrous fourth choice if fit, big if, but he just doesn’t score that much or is that just being at Everton who don’t score that much? It just has the look of desperation bargain bucket shopping.

Well someone had to come in if Pavlyuchenko does head back to Mother Russia. What is it about Russians and those from what used to be Russia in the Premier League. Pav, Arshavin, Bilyaletdinov, Shevchenko, Rebrov. Why have they all not really lived up to the billing here? There’s got to be one that’s worked? Kanchelskis is the only one that springs to mind.

42 goals in 114 appearances is not bad from Pav when you consider many of the games he started on the bench – his goals per minute rate was far better than the main front line strikers at the club. Though he did look pretty uninterested a lot of the time and particularly lazy at others, you wonder what he would have been like with a manager he got on with. If ‘Arry could have put his arm around Pav’s shoulder and was capable of actually ‘aving a word – other than just fuckin’ run around a bit – would we have got the striker that looked so good at the Euros before he joined us?

Ryan Nelson. Ah yes an injury prone player, just what the doctor ordered. Cover required but it’s another odd one, though won’t cost a fee. But it’s fullback where things are light, especially if Walker is injured after Corluka has gone to Germany. Now I find it painful to watch Charlie run and yes at times he linked up well with Lennon and looked good but far too often he is exposed by his lack of pace. He has no back up when making errors and contrary to some’s opinion he does make mistakes, a number of them.

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But after watching Spurs beat Watford in the Cup last night I just can’t be arsed to think of one. Well if they couldn’t be bothered why should I?

So the expected weakened side didn’t quite appear on the team sheet – though it seemed so on the pitch – I wondered if there had been a change of priorities after the defeat to Citeh. No more title chasing, just consolidate the top four, or better top 3 spot – just he says – and now go for some silverware and as this is the only one left.

Either that of ‘Arry couldn’t spell the names of those that would have been fielded in a weakened side.

It made for a more uncomfortable night, as at least with a second string out there you could consolidate yourself with some abuse of Pienaar, while wondering what does he do and why did we buy him? The thing is most of the talented kids you want to get a run out in such games are now out on loan to Championship sides.

So Modric was stuck out in his own little no man’s land the left, van der Vaart swamped in the middle, Parker doing his usual bit – those passing straight back from the player you’ve got the ball from are really fucking useless at the best of times they’re even worse when the initial passer is picking himself off the floor. Adebayor and Defoe were absent though according to the teamsheet they were there. It was only until both were substituted late on it became obvious. Adebayor departed with a about fucking time look on his face that summed up his night. Defoe was his usual anonymous person without the usual knocking a goal in to get his fanboys screaming he has to start. Adebayor’s downward spiral just keeps going, no he did get any decent service, but the work wasn’t there as it was in the first few months at the club and for the last few games he just doesn’t seem to be able to control the ball at all.

Van der Vaart getting the usual abuse about dropping deep, doing what he wants, going where he wants and doing too much. Well he had to do something the rest weren’t. Spurs just kept gifting Watford the ball. Modric’s passing was abysmal when compared to his high standards. Apparently he was ill and bizarrely ‘Arry only received this news – that Modric had been ill for the last few days – from the doctor after picking the side. Surely Bond, Jordan or Allen knew this as well. Did ‘Arry not talk to them beforehand? Did they not mention anything? Does any of them want a job captaining a cruise ship?

So van der Vaart pops up with a 25 yarder that the Watford ‘keeper should have done better with, even though it dipped, just before the break.

Second half was just as dismal as Watford built up their chances stats which ended with 25 shots to 6, which is normal for a Spurs game that’s one nil but it’s usual for Spurs to be having the shots not the other way round. In one short space Cudicini and Watford’s inability to score were the only things to save this being the big upset of the Cup.

Undeserved on balance of play yes on taking chances then no. Apparently a win is a win. Spurs used to have trouble getting going in early Saturday kick-offs, you can now add Friday night ones as well. And it’s off to the next round…

Watford – Tottenham Hotspur

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But apparently losing at home to Blackburn is what you have to do. Spurs beat Everton and the media go into build them up mode, a draw against Wolves and they immediately switch to “Spurs have blown it”.

Yet over the Chrimbo period Spurs are the only ones of the runners and riders not to lose a game, especially not a home game against Blackburn Rovers. But anyway less of the shite spouted by the likes of Alan Hansen.

So anyway other than it wasn’t a loss it wasn’t a good draw. A poor performance, which garnered a point. Typical ‘Arry to start things off by changing a winning formula. He’ll make the perfect England manager, as with all those that have gone before he’ll pick the team based on who they are not how they performed. So Parker was in and Livermore out.

We got a typical Parker performance, this claptrap about him having an off day doesn’t wash. The usual whingers going on about van der Vaart dropping deep. Well someone had to because that supposed conduit between the back defence and the attacking players was absent. Huge gap in front of Kaboul and Dawson, where was Parker? Not doing his job, skipping around somewhere else. With one of the few chances Wolves had with a shot from Frimpong, why was the player allowed all the freedom of the park when Parker was just milling about at the edge of the box? He made a cursory attempt to get close but skipped away. The when he ends up as the furthest forward he just hasn’t a clue and good openings are just given away with stupid back-heels and the like. Livermore looking forward and not just passing the ball straight back to the player he received it from would have just worked better here.

Added to that we’ve got the new favourite from ‘Arry. Not that long a go it was switching the wingers, a plan that didn’t work repeatedly until a couple of games it came up trumps with goals from Lennon on the left. Now after shifting Bale inside and up front against Norwich – where it eventually worked – it’s become his new favourite. Only problem being it hasn’t worked and it just congests the central area. While out wide Assou-Ekotto has vast acres of the pitch to himself, just screaming for Bale’s presence.

On the other side Walker was in the same situation, some better crossing from him was called for. But as against Everton the old push and run (© Tottenham Hotspur) triangle was worked once, it created a chance but was never tried again. With the likes of Bale, Lennon, Benny & Walker with their pace it should be done repeatedly. To the bye-line and get the ball over. Especially with a central midfield packed out by a blocking opposition.

Then we’re left with ‘Arry’s substitutions. There were many that could have come off for Defoe, well before the striker’s 74th minute introduction. Bale and his wild, inept, shooting high over the bar was a leading candidate. But maybe it should have been a like for like substitution. Adebayor was having yet another dog of a game, some absolutely awful touches of the ball. It’s seems so long now I almost can’t remember the last time he actually had control of the ball. A time when it wasn’t just bouncing of some part of his shin. Anyway with his poor performance, that also cost Spurs the victory along with some more inept officiating, where he needlessly turned in Bale’s goal bound shot and was, incorrectly, flagged offside. He wasn’t offside but he just didn’t need to give the linesman the chance to flag him. What with this and the Stoke game you start to think that officials don’t look to see if he is offside they just expect it.

Anyway with that poor performance and the fact next up it’s Citeh and he won’t be able to play against his parent club, surely Defoe should have been given a longer run out with next week’s fixture in mind. Not that I’m saying Defoe is the answer, a lot of people seem to have forgotten the amount of chances he misses when screaming for his inclusion at the expense of others.

So the game in general, as with the aforementioned Adebayor goal more inept officiating at the forefront as Wolves were given a corner when it was a goal kick. Inept defending by Spurs ensued. Again complaints about Friedel not coming out and leaving it to the defenders. So he comes out, misses the ball because he’s blocked by Kaboul and Dawson, isn’t there to make the save that Wolves scored the rebound from.

Then the rest of the game is classic Wolves, clodhopping fouls and time wasting, though to give them credit they started that straight from the kick-off and didn’t wait until they’d scored. It did lead to one funny moment as the Wolves ‘keeper and defender slightly bumped each other and fell down to waste time the ref did allow the trainers on to apply a bit of magic spray which miraculously brought the pair back to life, though neither left the pitch as is supposed to happen after being treated on the pitch. The ref decided as there was no foul and this was just a classic piece of time wasting he’d give a drop ball and quite rightly Spurs contested it. Just a shame it never came to anything, McCarthy would have gone ballistic and it could have been pointed out they were hoisted by their own petard.

Modric scored a good ‘un, well that’s his second for the season and as the rest of his attempts during the game showed that’s our lot for the season from him.

So it’s points dropped which just brings into focus the importance of the next game so much more…

Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

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