- Benoit Assou-Eketto in... The Tottenham Identity
Wolves at home. Bottom of the barrel Wolverhampton wandering into White Hart Lane for a placid Saturday afternoon affair. It was our light at the end of the tunnel. After shellacking Wigan, Spurs faced a tough two-week spell, with away dates at Aston Villa and Everton. Both being traditionally unkind hosts, I believe the more optimistic supporter would’ve taken three points from the two.
I was hoping for that, and maybe a fourth. And so with a half hour to go at Goodison, my four-point dream seemed a virtual certainty. Of course, there was one big problem.
This is Tottenham.
No need to go through the rest in any detail. Saha, then Cahill. Then Timmay.
In the end, it was two points from two crunch, away matches. Not great, but fine, let’s get healthy on Wolves! That has been the trademark of this Tottenham season: some struggles against the big three clubs, but professional beatdowns of the bottom dwellers. After all, that’s what serious clubs do. However things turn out against the European powers, they take care of business, at home at least, with the Stokes and Wolves of the world.
That week-to-week commitment has always– at least as far back I can remember– been Spurs’ achilles’ heel. Flashes of brilliance under that glistening White Hart Lane sun… then hopeless, hapless stretches, just enough to poke a sly but sharp pin in whatever bit of hope might be bubbling up.
This weekend’s result only confirms, and this a familiar refrain from yours truly– the Jet fan, the Met fan– that the smart money is again on Wait Til Next Year, as if next year will be any different. Why, how is it possible that a team can go through so many players, so many different names and faces, yet maintain the same collective in-game personality? It’s a question that runs through all sports.
The answer is simple. It’s about Culture. Like any organization, institution, even a country, culture is ultimately what dominates our fate. (There’s a reason, more than money or a manager, that United are so good every year. The older players, born and bred in Red, make it clear to the newbies, “There’s a way we play here, and if you can’t cut it, you’ll be dodging boots during your halftime cuppa.” A cycle is born, and with it, mental toughness that becomes a staple.)
Where is that uniformed leadership at Tottenham? Is it with Robbie Keane, the guy who snuck out the back door to chase his “boyhood dream” last summer? Is it with our ever-crocked central defenders? You won’t find it in the midfield, where despite the remarkable talent– the talent that is currently driving this season’s altogether excellent form– there isn’t much in the form of traditional Western European leadership. Translation: there is no one whose words will drown out all the others in the room. There is no, and how I hate this word, talismanic figure to lift the team when nothing else working.
Luckily, what Tottenham lacks in metal, they make up for in cash-on-hand. Money in sports is like money in life. Having it doesn’t guarantee happiness and success. But not having it– Hey Liverpool!– guarantees lots of problems. The club needs to make three to four significant moves in the January window… and they can.
The first need: another Tiger Woods-esque thumper who goes from box to box to box. Wilson Palacios cannot be the club’s lone hard man. And really, as fantastically talented as he is in the tackle, and even in his first few touches on the ball, he’s not entirely consistent. Hell, no one who plays that style is. It’s draining. He needs help, or at least someone to share the weight. Enter the young Brazilian, Sandro. Yea, no one’s ever really seen him play (if you have, please share!), but from all accounts he’s exactly what the central midfield is missing.
Adding strength in the middle of the park opens up more options for the manager. Since Luka Modric’s nominal return from injury the press has smiled on the idea of keeping Niko Kranjcar on the left and letting the Pixie prance about the central spaces. But as our esteemed president might say, this is a false choice. Modric is not a center midfield player in the Premier League. He is small and there are simply too many legs flying around. The team is best served when Modric plays on the left and drifts inside. If Niko is to play, it must be in a more central role, with the assignment of covering the flank when Modric makes his move. Of course, to do this and keep an entire team in balance might mean switching to a 4-5-1. Decisions, decisions. I trust the manager to get it right (unless of course, he doesn’t. Great being a fan, eh?)
The other additions are more obvious and won’t disrupt the equlibrium or cause the manager much of a headache (though, admittedly, it’s the type of headache lots of clubs wouldn’t mind having themselves.) Along with the midfield strongman, the club needs help on the backline. Nothing new there, how about a healthy central defender and some depth to his left– potentially someone with less of a flair for Artestian theatrics? Also, in the spirit of this Hanukkah, a capable back up keeper, please. No need to spend a lot for competition for Gomes, just someone who can handle a start or four.
Slightly more complicated is the striker situation. Top quality clubs, dare I say Champions League contenders, need four strikers. Three for regular rotation, one that can be trusted to come off the bench and provide a spark. A player that is, to be clear, the precise opposite of Roman “Mister Lazarescu” Pavlyuchenko. Pavs needs to go. I don’t expect management to advertise his availability or their intention to spend, that’d be bad business, but it needs to happen.
But what this team might need most is more grit and energy off the bench. The fourth striker, who could become the third at any time given the Keane Condundrum (another time…), needs to be cut from the Benayoun cloth. Someone scrappy, someone with a bit of talent, and most importantly, someone who wants to be in North London.
When Arsenal entered the halftime break down 0-1 yesterday, they were looking as hapless and afraid of goal as ever. The manager entered the room and promptly gave a swift kick in the schtump. His most memorable line, by all accounts, was that given their performance, this lot did not deserve to wear the (posh, BLUE) Arsenal shirt. Pride in the shirt. The shirt as symbol for a certain kind of performance, attention to detail and tenacity. What, pray tell, does the Tottenham shirt mean to Spurs players and the manager? I’d say the results over the next few weeks will do a lot to answer that question.
Who are they going to buy with the 30mil United give them for Modric? Keane again after he moves to Celtic?
Look, TLL, I appreciate that you’re trying to compete with LFC for the Misery spotlight, but it just ain’t working. You’re still above us.
Needs more Peter Crouch bashing, because Crouch is pants.
(flashback to a month ago)
I thought Spurs were set with a deep squad, no personnel deficiencies, no glaring needs.
No that’s Arsenal you’re thinking of. Injuries are part of the game, not a litigation matter.
@James T who said that? Find evidence.
@phil No! I will not blame Peter Crouch. This is older, bigger than him. He’s a nice player. People expect too much.
“The Likely Lad says: Spurs are set with a deep squad, no personnel deficiencies, no glaring needs.”
Smoking gun!
FFS Likely pick a new club if you dont like drama. The Prem season is 39 games. We are in 5th Place and things are a lot better than last year. The Uniteds, Chelseas and Arsenals will drop a lot of pts this year. The Prem is much more competetive from top to bottom and we have no right to expect the “lesser” teams to roll over at WHL. Trust in Harry, things will be ok
Damn, caught!
Let the record show that I a) paid a considerable compliment to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. Made me SICK, but it was true, timely. Also, despite one small did, I (b) said two nice things about Liverpool. The bit about Benayoun and the use of “Talismanic,” which we all know, if we listen to English broadcasters is just shorthand for Steven Gerrard.
When a forward commits 4 fouls in under 40 minutes of play and gags on an umarked header, I find it hard to believe I’m expecting too much by exepcting him not to be a clumsy ass and hit sitters. It’s laughable that so many Spurs fans are eager to jump all over Robbie Keane for his poor play while ignoring the shittastic pereformances tossed out by the bundle of wrong-footed, possession-gifting oafishness that is Peter Crouch. It is no coincidence that Spurs best football this season was played with Peter Crouch keeping Bentley company over where each of them belongs.
@Defoe/Yiddo Define “the drama.” If drama is blowing a golden opportunity by losing at home to Wolves, then yes, I hate “the drama.” I think the whole thing is the drama, and I, like all of us here, embrace it… fall into it, even… fall in and can’t ever get back out
That said, TLL, I think the switch to the 4-5-1 might be just what the doctor ordered.
@phil hah… lotta short fellas out there if we go 4-5-1. How’re you going to feel when, down 0-1 in the 69th minute, Beanpole McHeaderwide straps up and comes to the touchline…?
So did Harry officially cancel Christmas now?
Given Crouch’s stultifying perfomance as a sub vs. Wolves, I’d be pretty unhappy to see him ever again. I don’t think we can go 4-5-1 if we don’t bring in another big CM, and given that ‘Arry has to sell to buy, I’m not sure that’s happening in January
If he hasn’t, Ryan, he should. And that picture of Bob Bradley makes my soul cringe.
the same reason some people gravitate towards abusive, depressing relationships is the same reason our tribe gravitates towards mediocre-at-best teams…
we secretly like the pain
I’ve seen Sandro play on FM, in fact I have him in my PSV team. He’s class.
And while I’d like to think that FM reflects real life, there’s a danger of Sandro becoming our very own Lucas, perhaps? Someone who has trouble adapting to “the English game” (right, right, whatever that means) and belongs more in a Continental league.
I think the 451 might be a good idea. Kranjcar, Modric and Lennon can supply enough goals/crosses for Defoe to operate alone. Jenas/Huds and Palacios behind. While he probably isn’t consistent enough to operate as a lone striker all the time, Defoe has the right attributes (I think) to be a good poacher. Plus, Spurs seem to play a more effective game when Crouch isn’t in the team. Too many long balls up to the tall guy who can’t head when he is in the game.
But, it still hasn’t answered the problem. We need some leadership. I think there’s room in the defense to add another top quality player, but it needs to be someone with leadership ability, and those are obviously hard to come by.
Also, what about a move for Ruuuud?
@steve im with you mostly, but stil concerned about that 4-5-1. seems very hit or miss. not sure anyone in midfield has the necessary aggression to make a run into the box when necessary, as that formation would demand.
with you on leadership.
ruud? why not. think it’d be a great final act.
I don’t think there’s going to be cash for Ruud in the window. I think LEvy’s going to tighten the purse strings.
Hmm. Well. There are a couple of things I don’t buy.
(1) I don’t buy the idea that Arsenal turned their game around because “the shirt” means anything to them, or that we need players to buy into Cock-on-Ball. Perhaps for the Captain “the shirt” does mean something, and perhaps for someone like Gerrard (or, say, Ledley)–i.e., the club-lifers. But let’s not kid ourselves (even though, as fans, that seems to be our specialty). These are professional athletes. We care infinitely more about “the shirt” than they do, and always will. Because they will go from team to team, they will seek new opportunities for themselves, and ultimately they will retire and have more than half of their lives still to live. Our commitment as fans is more permanent. We don’t retire. No, Arsene ripping his team a new one with the line that they’re not fit to wear the shirt is Arsene telling his players that they’re not fit to play for the team, which is just another way of saying that they’re not fit to play at all, which is just another way of saying they’re not fit to do their jobs. That they’re not professionals, or not worthy of being professionals. If there are any teams that are built around commitment to “the shirt,” they are going to be rare, and there’s going to be something else going on with them. The Celtics and Rangers of the world, the Barcas. They’re social, political, and cultural institutions. Very few football clubs will ever be that. And may it always be so, frankly. It means that our society is still functioning in some relatively stable manner, that we don’t seek to express our cultural, social, linguistic and political identities by sporting-club proxy. Sports are important, and we love them. But something else is afoot when they become that important.
(2) I don’t buy that the midfield is the problem. From what I’ve seen, our strikers are the problem. You talk about needing a fourth striker. We need a second striker. Pavs absolutely must go, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t. There’s no sense in keeping him. Harry won’t play him, and he’s desperate to get out. Keane is all over the place. And Crouchy is a nice guy, the gentle giant, but he’s just not that good. To me, this is by far the biggest need. Unload the present crop of deadweights, bring in a serious force to partner with Defoe. In the past couple of woeful performances, yes, at times we conceded goals. Bale is not a good backup FB, so yes, we need cover there. Yes, strengthening the center of our defense would be good. But the really glaring problem has been the utter (and I do mean utter) lack of cutting edge. Everything seems to die in the final third. As good as he is, Defoe can’t carry the team by himself. We need another real threat in the box. That’s what’s going to create the defensive dilemmas for our midfield to exploit, which they are certainly capable of doing. To me, the most frustrating thing of all has been to see our midfield doing some nice work on the ball, only to see it all sort of lose the plot as it advances up the pitch.
@phil Bob Bradley? Is he still showing up for you? I changed back to Tevez 2 weeks ago.
I’m still getting Bradley, in all of his “I haven’t eaten a gram of fiber since 1978″ glory
i think spurs are going to be okay. they will make it to europe this year just not in the CL. You can’t make it in the CL if you drop points at home to wolves.
speaking of FM though, I played with Tottenham on the demo for 2010, and i started in a 4-5-1 with Crouch up top. he played brilliantly. something like 15 goals by christmas, but the rest of the team sucked. we hemorrhaged goals, and crouch was the only one that could score. i even picked up some tougher CM’s to pair with Palacios, but it didn’t really help. I switched to a 4-4-2 and that helped with the goal scoring.
keane sucked too. lennan was crazy good though and i picked up a 19 year old icelandic Centerback to help when king got hurt which happened pretty quick.
maybe you guys should get that guy. he was crazy good. i forgot his name though.
Umlaut should use that picture of BAE for the backpasses so it’s on the front page three times. Sweet infinity shot!
@Anonsters I was trying to be half-realistic. Would I like a primetime no.1a or no.2 striker, with Crouch relegated to No.4 and brought on at specially appointed times, sure! But shit ain’t happening. Everything mentioned above is doable. and levy says the same thing before every window. sell to buy. its good business. should he say ‘hey we’re gonna shell loads of cash!’ i think they’ll take a net loss this winter– if it could mean Europe money, itd be well worth the investment. As for the Arse shirt, I was making a point. there’s no pride in this club. very few homegrown or young and contributing.
still, i trust in harry and remain hopeful that fourth will be in sight when it gets down to it.
Yes, I got that you were making a point about the shirt.
My point was that your point was wrong.
And about the transfer market, you’re proposing bringing in 4 player. I’m saying that by filling 1 very major flaw we can put ourselves right where we need to be. I don’t see that as unrealistic.
And I’m mixing my metaphors terribly tonight. Filling 1 flaw. Blah. Mea culpa.
Anonsters, I think it’s possible to run a club that bases itself around some modicum of loyalty. I believe, for example, and I’d like to think it’s not just homerism, that Aston Villa, as the team currently stands, is built around “the shirt.” But that also has a lot to do with the type of manager Martin O’Neill is, and the types of players he pursues in the transfer market. I think Everton is also built around “the shirt.” And that’s the type of manager Moyes is. Spurs, meanwhile, are run by ‘Arry, who as brilliant of a tactician and wheeler-dealer as he is, doesn’t really do “loyalty.” Sure, he’s gotten a few players that have followed him now to two stops (and will get another if rumors are to be believed and Calamity comes to London), but somehow I think that has more to do with pay packets than a feeling of unity with Harry Redknapp. But that’s just my thought. I could be, and probably am, totally wrong on this.
@Anonsters and my point to your counterpoint is that your counterpoint misses the point. Rightly or not, those Arsenal players feel that it’s a privilege to wear that stupid shirt. It is the shirt of Thierry Henry, Bergkamp, and Vieira. Players who were great and displayed loyalty, in action and words, to the team (no matter how they eventually left.) Tottenham has no such recent history. The players do not feel they are being entrusted to carry on a winning tradition. It’s just a good team that’s trying to get better. Nothing wrong with that. I’m just worried there;s nothing being built here; a good club right now, but what happens when Harry leaves? And, alas, this lack of foundation hurts them in the tough times…
Don’t worry, you fellows will likely tear us apart on Wednesday, de Jong is out with the swine flu.
And, Lad, unfortunately I think that’s also endemic of how Levy ran things before Redknapp arrived. There was little loyalty paid to the managers, so of course, why should the players heed the manager? I do think that Spurs would be in a similar to position than now, for example, if Jol were given the chance to see his job through.
And I think y’all are vastly over-romanticizing what the relationship is between professional athletes and their employers.
Nonetheless, what you have all said is not that the players are playing for “the shirt,” but that they’re playing for the manager. That is an entirely different story. Will Villa still be a RA-RA-SHISH-BOOM-BA “for the shirt” team when O’Neill is gone? Everton after Moyes? Maybe they’ll find managers who are like those two. Maybe not. Who’s to say? The other instance noted was Man U, only LL just set aside the possibility that it’s Fergie who is really driving that ship, when that is precisely what my answer would have been. Yes, Harry sucks at that aspect of the game. But remember, as Keith mentioned, Martin Jol was all about him some younger players and trying to create a development environment. Now we have a mercenary manager. And if we make it into the top 4, no one will care. Harry will be adored by all.
But you see, this thread is shifting to a discussion of the managers. There’s a reason for that.
And it ain’t their shirts.