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The Jenas Effect.....

alfiespurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2006
4,058
374
I really hope he is back for the trip of the BARCODES ! I do like Jenas, he is pacey and apart from some of his wayward passes, he is a good player ! All is forgiven, come back Jenas !
 

18Klinsmann

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2005
1,254
494
I agree that Jenas will make a difference, but he is not the long-term solution. I'm reposting this from the other day, as it's relevance is clear in response to your article.


We only really need one player. But a very specific player who will bring this team together, get the most out of teammates, switch our away form around and, most importantly, Captain the Club.

Ledley is captain by default. As Mr. Spurs, he was the natural choice. But he is not, by my eye, an inspirational, driving captain and he does not control our midfield. And there lies the problem.

The player we need is an attacking-minded CM with the voice that makes everyone listen and follow. In his team, you don't drift into right midfield when positioned on the left; you don't rely on a half-time team talk to gee-up the team; and we, as supporters, don't get 'the feeling' that we all get (you know the one) synonomous with games like these.

You can bring in all the quality you like, the voice of this team will not grow any louder. And subsequently, our undoubted quality will never be fully effective and our win ratio on days like these will not improve. Players like Jenas, Tainio, Zokora are just not stepping up to the plate. There is no Boss. Players like Reo-Coker will not solve this problem. Someone in the mould of Gerrard preferably, otherwise a Lampard. (Jenas should be our Lampard, but he hasn't shown me anything to convince me that he is willing to step up yet.)

We NEED this guy, it is massively important. And aside from glaring left-sided deficiencies, this should be our absolute priority. English, French, we shouldn't be fussy, although he must be an excellent communicater. But he must be brought in. Money/wages no object; he will be the most important player in our team.

...Until we address this issue, unobserved by many, I fear we won't fulfil our brimming potential, both individually, and as the great team on paper we are all waiting to come to fruition.

Good point. Edgar Davids was that player last season, and his immediate effect was clear to everyone. His partnership with Carrick made us a real force, even away from home, and we sorely miss his form from the first half of last season. The loss of Carrick along with Edgar's demise has brought about the inconsistency and lack of bite in midfield.
I am still dreaming of one last good pack of games from the old pitbull, but sadly it seems that we are indeed going to have to look elsewhere for this character you describe.
The problem is, of course, that these players are few and far between - especially the available ones that don't care about Championships and Champions League.
 

chrizzah

Banned
Jul 14, 2005
104
0
Have thought this ever since the end of last season where we had no jenas for like the last 5-7 games(?) the bloke is class and well under-rated. Cant wait to see him in action again :)
 

mog123

SC Supporter
Jun 3, 2005
94
4
The Jenas debate rolls on.......

I would personally be very glad to see him back and playing. As mentioned earlier, in out biggest and ultimately worst game of the season he showed true character after coming on. For me that speaks volumes.
 

dickyid

Well-Known Member
Dec 18, 2004
1,449
142
Agree with Chimbo! here; we tend to get overrun in midfield without him, especially on the break. Hoping when he's back, his pace will mean we can keep shape a bit more defensively. Think I've said this before anyway...
 

lukespurs7

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2006
4,833
4,259
Yea good post, agree with most of it.

Jenas is perhaps NOW being over-rated lol don't expect miracles when he comes back however he should be better than anything else we have. He's a good player and scores some vital goals also has a good set-piece on him.

The main point is that we lack his attacking runs and just presence on some attacks. Lennon,Malbranque,Jenas and Ghaly are arguably the only players we have who are capeable of creating and attacking well from midfield, Whilst Lennon and Jenas were out we had Ghaly and Malbranque which was just about ok, but we still lacked that 3rd attacking option in midfield. Now Lennon is back him and Malbranque contain just about enough creativity and natural attacking play to make up for Jenas's absence HOWEVER put Jenas with 2 from Lennon,Malbranque AND Ghaly along with a defensive CM and we'll have our best midfield, enough creativity and attacking ability to finally start scoring some serious goals and more importantly keep the ball down the opponents end hence less pressure on the defence and mabye some clean sheets like last season.

As they say attack can be the best form of defence.
 

YiddoJames

Active Member
Aug 9, 2005
682
137
Definitely agree about Jenas. I was making the same point to a friend today. He's improved since he joined and does a lot of off the ball work that probably goes unnoticed. His pace is essential to the midfield and partnering him with Huddlestone could be our best central pairing. We have looked shockingly slow in some recent matches when Lennon has also been out. The point I disagree on is Lee YP. He is a constant worry! He very nearly cost us a crucial goal at Cardiff and consistently makes mistakes. His crossing is appalling and too often he is targeted by the opposition as the weak point defensively. At times he shows tenacity and looks a decent defender but more frequently he looks like a liability! Looking forward to the return of JJ and Lennon in forthcoming games. We'll need their pace against Arsenal in the carling cup semi that's for sure!
 

elDiablo

SC Supporter
Feb 2, 2005
4,579
2,950
The Jenas debate rolls on.......

I would personally be very glad to see him back and playing. As mentioned earlier, in out biggest and ultimately worst game of the season he showed true character after coming on. For me that speaks volumes.

did he get man of the match from that game for just 45 mins?

Someone correct me, but surely he has had very little time to "gel" with players like malbranque, and even berbatov to an extent (due to injuries). I think the same way that defoe benefits from a striker who can create as well s score so will jenas. Jenas likes to advance and looks for litttle flicks and when he gets back we will see this.

i take the original articles point in that, sometimes lee does look like a lost sheep, and there is no one down in that channel to bail him out. In the end he just pumps the ball in and its usually disappointing and we lose possesion. Lee would benefit from a player (like davids) with the tactical awareness to cover.
 

topcat2007

New Member
Jan 9, 2007
1
0
Totally agree with Lion King

What many do not appreciate is that it is Jenas' sheer athleticism that gives us the room to play against many teams. He is by far our most mobile midfielder and always finds room to receive a pass, something that Tainio has failed to do in the last few matches, putting more pressure on the holding midfielder. And his great engine gives us the ability to stretch a game in the second half. How many times have you seen JJ striding freshly up the field with the ball in the 85th minute while the opposing team are beginning to wilt.

Yeah the lad misses the odd chance but he's an honest player, a hard worker and we're better with him than without. He could form a great partnership with THudd.

So get off his back people!

COYS
 

lyndonh

New Member
Dec 6, 2006
90
0
Been reading spurscommunity for a couple of years now and this is my first post. It has been interesting reading everyone's comments about Jenas, look he is still a young player who Will improve but some of you so called spurs fans need to get off his back, i think last season he has proved his quality and industry for Spurs and also contributed 7/8 goals, how many did Carrick score? He is easily one of our best midfielders and we do miss him, even towards the end of last season when he was out the team were not the same without him. For all those who moan and cry about him not being able to pass a ball 6yards in front of him need to watch some of our curent midfielders passing ability of late including the legend in the making THud, who sometimes makes stray passes. At the mo i would swap JJ for Zokora, Ghaly, Murphy and Tainio who for me have been huge let downs this season. If i was picking a midfield from a full squad then JJ would be in everytime he always gives 100%, scores goals and never stops running, apart from Malbranque, JJ's goal tally for last season beats all the midfielders named above combined goal tally for this whole season need i say more....
 

YidGraham

Member
Jan 28, 2005
227
2
I'd certainly play him in my first choice midfield.

I think he's still our biggest goal threat from midfield. With him, Lennon and Malbranque in midfield it gives us 3 players who should all be getting around 6-10 goals per season.

Jenas also has fantastic pace and runs all day. He got 7 goals last season from 40 games which is a very good return from a midfielder.

He can be frustrating sometimes with his negative passing and composure but he has the technique, pace and energy to be a great midfielder and i think him and Hudd would be a great partnership.
 

gloryglory

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2004
1,537
302
Is Jenas missed? Yes - and it's interesting to see how much more appreciated he seems to be on here since he's been out. The grass is always greener.

Has he been the most important absentee? No. King and Lennon are more central to our cause because their contributions cannot be replicated at all.

Our defence has looked shambolic at times without King, and Jenas wouldn't have made much of a difference to that. He's just as prone to Headless Chicken Syndrome as the next man.

Our attack has lacked threat at times without Lennon, because there's little pace and we're not direct enough. Would Jenas have made a difference? Maybe a bit, but he won't scare defences and he doesn't often help us get the ball into dangerous positions.

It's a shame that his absence has coincided with poor form from both Tainio and Zokora, both of whom are clearly capable of better than they're currently showing. Zokora needs time to settle in the Premiership, while Tainio seems to be off the pace defensively. We do lack a goal threat from midfield, and JJ is the best answer we've got (though he misses far too many).

It'll be good to have him back. But just as many here have been far too quick to write him off in the past, let's not get too carried away about his ability to save our season. He's not the saviour.

That's Lennon.
 

justfookinhitit

Jedi Master
Aug 4, 2006
1,206
0
In the next 6 months it is highly likely Murphy, Davids and TT will leave the club. I liked TT when he was a livewire in the midfield, closing opponents down all the time etc etc but a run of injuries has meant he hasn't stepped up a level from last year. Him being out, along with JJ's injury, has given Hudd the chance to cement his place in the isde and I believe he is here to stay. Murphy has never done it for me and I'd let him go while we have the chance to recoup a couple of million from him.

We do need a midfield general. Don't necessarily agree it needs to be an attack-minded player but it certainly does need to be one that has the tactical nous and the physical presence to boss the game. The only player I can think of in the current squad that I could see fulfilling that role is the Hudd but he still has much development to do to get there. I believe he will reach that level, and when he does we will be a force to be reckoned with, but it will not be an overnight transformation.
 

meesterlee

New Member
Jan 10, 2007
2
0
Hmmmm....

I'm sorry but I can't see what all the fuss is about Jenas. Surely to be a good midfielder you need to have an ability to be creative, have good distribution, to be able to tackle, to be able to read the game and adjust the tempo accordingly, as well as get on the score sheet occassionally. At the very least you have to have a blend of these....

With Jenas he appears to have little of any of these skills, his passing is poor, when it is accurate it invariably holds up play and often loses the momentum of the attack, I can't recall him supplying a killer pass. He is unable to tackle, and doesn't appear to be able to read the game effectively.

He does strike the very occassional good freekick, and often gets himself into decent scoring positions, however his finishing lets him down and he often misses sitters.

While he was playing for Newcastle, I couldn't see why he was getting in the England squad every time, and since he's come to us there is even less evidence in my mind and I can't see how he has progressed. The question you have to look at is whether he is ever likely to be an England regular first teamer, and surely the answer is no. Ergo if he is not good enough for a poor England side, how can he make the grade at the mighty Tottenham Hotspur? If we are looking to be Champions League material, we have to ditch those that don't make the grade, or at least acknowledge their position as squad players. My feeling with Jenas is that he thinks himself as an automatic starter, in wich case ship him off to a team that can accomodate him in this position....West Ham etc...

Huddleston is our future, and although young and currently appearing to struggle with the intensity of games, is of so much higher standard. As long as we don't overplay him, future sides can be built around him.....
 

gloryglory

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2004
1,537
302
I agree. In the long term, Huddlestone and Zokora are potential worldbeaters. Jenas is not.

But in the short term, he would be good to have around.
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,354
2,413
Lee I feel gets a lot of unfair criticism on here and is infact fairly solid as a full-back. Sure he makes mistakes but few other than ledley seem capable of recovering as quickly from them. I give you stalteri as a contrast. He when beaten stays beaten.

Lee is improving his delivery of crosses and now gets height and pace. All he needs to learn now is to wrap his foot around the ball and he will be providing good service.

The other interesting thing about him is that he has steadly learned to go at the other full back and does get past him with his little step over trick. If he fails he then looks for a simple ball to maintain pressure but the key is he has held possession well into the half of the opposition which gives the defence and mifield time to get their shape further up the park.

Agree with you fully on that and I cant understand why people keep saying we should get rid.
ooops, apart from his cockup that couls have cost us against Wigan. How amazingly stuupid was that!
 

Eyebrowman

New Member
Jul 29, 2004
43
0
Jenas is a good option at the moment and when i fit i believe he should play.
However, Zokora has far more of potential upside, imo. This is an Ivorian player who has come from the French Ligue with alot of hype and a big money tag, and is expected to settle in and produce miracles right away.
Anyone else come to mind?
Now I'm hoping that Zokora doesn't turn into a cheating piece of scuzz like Drogba, and I also hope he doesn't take the better part of two years to come good ( though I always rated the job Drogba did for his team even when he wasnt scoring - not many forwards are physical enough to tie up both centre halves) but i think that Zokora will prove to be a world class player in the middle of the pitch.
 

PaulWalsh'sHair

New Member
Dec 18, 2006
7
0
was this article written by Jermaine Jenas' dad?

He is way overrated and has an annoying penchant for long glamour passes that always go to the opposition
 

kungfugrip

Well-Known Member
Apr 8, 2005
1,613
1,523
I am not a huge Jenas fan, but it will be good to have him back. Stamina, speed and a goal threat are qualities that spring to mind. Zokora is a very good player and just needs a bit of time to truly find his feet. Murphy looked woeful against Cardiff - slow, clumpy and looked like he was in the closing stages of a marathon during the entire match. I know he's capable of unlocking defences and over the last year I've been hoping he would get a proper run in the team, but, it's plain to see he's not the answer...not for this Tottenham team anyway. We need pace, power, and the skill to go past men in our midfield. Tainio is another who I always want to do well but rarely does he put in a very good display. Often his contribution is ok, but we now need players to be putting in awesome performances on a consistent basis to take us up a level. TT I'm afaid won't be able to do that.
 
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