points game.
Spurs finally got their league season on track with a 2-0 victory away at Wolves but a dire game shouldn’t give much hope because it could signal the shape of things to come.
Wolves had a good start to the season, their best for knocking on 30 years, and we’ve struggled at Molineaux, so with our start it looked like a tough away fixture. And while Wolves had a number of chances and a bit of possession they faded in teh last 30 minutes and looked a bit lacking to punish Spurs. But then Spurs looked a bit lacking themselves.
Again some real doubts about ‘Arry and his tactics. More later.
Much of the attention on Saturday afternoon was focused on the debutants turning out in Lilywhite – Scott Parker and Ade Adebayor. The latter first, it’s got nothing to do with him being an ex-goonscum, it’s the fact that he seems to coast after an initial bright spell. Scores on his first few outings then disappears. I know it’s only a year deal so we don’t have to worry about him impressing over the first part and then being on the books for four more years after a big transfer fee. That didn’t work at Citeh or the Woolwich scum.
So he didn’t have the greatest debuts of all time, looked a little ring rusty but didn’t particularly have much decent service to feed off – I love BAE at leftback but do wish he’d lay off the long balls a bit – though one of the very few chances he had he took it well. One game, one goal, decent start but will it, as stated above, lead to laurel resting?
As said he have many decent chances because of those servicing him. ‘Arry’s tactical master-plan number 1: Play Bale on the right. It worked against Montenegro and some think it did against England. It didn’t work here. Slowed attacks up as he panicked about using his right before coming in on his left. ‘Arry’s hand was forced by those missing but Niko looks more and more like an impact substitute than a starter, perfect to bring on with 20 minutes to go in a game like this. So would Gio dos Santos. But no he gets a few seconds and unless he’s used in Europe and the cups, which is likely, it’ll probably be all ‘Arry will give him.
Wasn’t the the only one slowing things up, nah for that there was the other debutant in the middle. Parker. Did everything expected of him. Expected by both those that rated him and his performance and those that don’t and didn’t.
Give you three guesses which field I’m in.
While others seemed happy, others even overjoyed with him – ‘Arry one of the major cheerleaders in that latter camp – he broke everything up and got us ticking. If the former part of that is true why were Wolves having so much possession and creating so much down the middle? One long range O’Hara shot right down the middle of the park and where is Scotty? Over on the right marking Kaboul by the looks of things.
Thank god Leldley was back, OK he wasn’t at his most outstanding but a 50% Ledley is still better than 110% of most defenders out there. Of course this first outing for a while came on the day ‘Arry was spouting off about dumping Mr. Tottenham. And when Ledley was bypassed our best buy
of the season Friedel yet again showed that he may have conceded 8 goals in the league but he’s been invaluable. Again more on that later*.
And as for Parker making the team tick. Yes you could say that but it’s ticking like a knackered clock. Slow, slow and slower. Funny reading one newspaper match report its stated that Tottenham’s patient short game buffed up their passing statistics a treat, but for a team with such pace, their build-up was far, far too slow.
and then followed this up with this Parker, meanwhile, provided exactly the kind of bite that Tottenham need in midfield
a few sentences later.
Parker’s whole game was summarised by the first statement. But he’s a favourite of ‘Arry, chum to all the media, and is the player the writers somehow voted Player of the Season last year so what should we expect?
Lot’s of ity-bity nothing passes, stats padding passes, mostly backwards, I think the toe-poke assist for the opening goal was his first forward pass that found a Spurs player intentionally – and as I Tweeted at the time As Dave Narey can attest one toe poke does not a great game make
(video right). Lots of dithering on the ball, leading to loss of possession, lots of that running in ever decreasing circles and numerous stupid tackles that never won the ball but just gave away free kicks.
It was all exactly what I’d anticipated.
‘Arry’s reaction was pretty much what I’d figure ‘Arry’s reaction would be and it leads to the feeling that ‘Arry inherited a talented squad of underachievers and did the business with them. But now has gone some way to build a team in ‘Arry’s image. Done ‘is best but for the chairman it would be further down the road, Joe Cole, Beckham, Neville etc.
Three points away from home, both strikers scoring – from inside the box – and a clean sheet should lead to better feelings than this.
But I have the feeling that ‘Arry’s proclamations after last season were getting us in the right frame of mind for what’s to come and this is it. Dull, slow, ponderous games leading to mid-table mediocrity that’ll have us pining back to the good old days of that great
2010/11 season.
* So Gomes wants away in January according to ‘Arry. Now the biggest surprise about this is that ‘Arry knows about it because of late his knowledge of what’s going on at the club has been very limited. Sandro signing a new contract extension came as a big shock, though I don’t know if it was a pleasant surprise even if he’s taking about the big Brazilian and Parker playing together in the middle. He wouldn’t go 4-2-3-1 would he?
No surprise that Gomes wants away, looked like he started the season as number one but that didn’t last long and Friedel has played all the league games so far and when Cudicini was the only ‘keeper on the bench on Saturday it looked done and dusted. Thing is as much as I’d grown to like the Octopus you can’t really argue with playing Friedel so far.