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An excellent week

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Two points off 'The Zone' again and a proverbial six pointer against Middlesbrough on Wednesday. How will Spurs react to the Carling Cup loss on Sunday? Last year we won it and switched off: this year we lost it and if we repeat last year's run in we will be in the Championship.

Now everyone from Alan Hanson to my mum knows it can't happen but we all know actually that it could. Not because we are not good enough, because we are; not because we don't have the players to win matches, because we clearly do; but because we don't regard ordinary, everyday matches in obscure places north of Watford or against obscure teams from north of Watford at The Lane, worthy of our high flown opinion of ourselves.

But lets take the positives. This has been an excellent week for the club. Some will scoff and say 'yeah right' a win against a team that's in free-fall after a impressive start; a miserable two legged fixture which we could have won if we had taken it seriously; a loss in a vital fixture for our European future that we didn't ultimately have the bottle to win.

I hear you, but can clearly discern the green shoots of recovery at Tottenham. Can you clutch at seedlings? Hull was an improvement in the sense that we competed up North. and though Hull were worth a point they didn't get it. We infected them with the 'last 10 minute virus' and won the game.

The Uefa was a disappointment but we went down to two late goals and Harry's strategy nearly came off. At home the second eleven played extremely well and with a little more composure and experience in front of goal in the first half could have been well placed to win it. This against an experienced, tough and skilful Champions' League team.

At Wembley we lost on a technicality. We actually drew the game and extra time in a team display of graft and no little skill against the leading club side in the world. No-one except Pavlyuchenko let themselves down and there were performances throughout the side to put in the bank, or perhaps under the mattress in the present circumstances, to bring out later.

All the often maligned players turned up: Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Gomes and even Bale. There was a vintage display by Ledley and an outstanding one by Dawson to wipe out his disappointment of last year. Modric and Lennon were our outstanding players and Bent ran himself ragged and even managed two shots on target. There was much to admire all over the pitch and after the first 20 minutes we matched them in every department. They didn't have their strongest team out but neither did we.

But for me the week was a pointer on the road to recovery. Now I understand that you are only as good as your next game but the realisation that this awful season is almost over should concentrate their minds for the final push.

We started the final countdown with the run of the ball at Hull and though Liverpool were surprised by Middlesbrough on Saturday I think that we will take a renewed determination into the match . Fortunately its at home and the goodwill from the supporters generated by the performance at Wembley should feed into the players' psyches for the match.

Team selection could be a problem if Woodgate is still unfit and Ledley not able to make it. Dawson and Lennon could be doubtful. But as we proved against Shakhtar there are plenty of bright second stringers eager to step up and that's not including Palacios, Keane, Chimbonda and Huddlestone whose qualities are not in doubt.

So if you think that the club are in disarray because Harry has disrespected our European tradition, or that the team bottled it on Sunday then this could be the beginning of something bleak. However having been borderline despondent for most of the season I'm getting that feeling that the bad times are behind us and looking forward to next season. But as a Spurs fan and supporter I would say that wouldn't I?

The details you may disagree with but its the underlying feeling that I'm trying to get at. For some reason, and it may not be rational, I think that the performance on Sunday could be, and should be the turning point. Now 'Spurs fan' and 'rational shouldn't really be in the same sentence. If we were rational we'd all be doing something else on a Saturday, something that gave us peace of mind, or made us money. But I am getting optimistic stirrings from the performances and attitudes this week.

I'm not accepting second best and belittling our great tradition and past, a subject on which I can bore for England and do regularly on SC threads. This season has been a disaster even if we stay up, and we need to salvage something from it, if not in terms of results, then in terms of team outlook and belief. This could be more important in the long run.

Just the little matter of avoiding the drop and playing out the season in style now. If we can keep hold of Lennon and Modric and stick with the manager for a year or two we might just have the basis for something good at White Hart Lane. And it all started this week.
 

roosh

aka tottenham_til_i_die
Sep 21, 2006
4,627
573
great article. captures my my sentiments anyway.
 

ChRiStOpHe

It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake
Dec 14, 2004
12,813
331
Really nice article, fella. Well written, and a bit of optimism after the heartache of yesterday is never a bad thing.
 

Coyboy

The Double of 1961 is still The Double
Dec 3, 2004
15,506
5,032
Really good. It is unashamedly positive and enthusiastic. Isn't that why we follow football and support Spurs in hope? There will be a lot of people scoffing at the 'maybe next year mentality' but what good does that do? Were people scoffing at Wembley yesterday when we positively and courageously tried to beat United. What I like about the article is the underlying hope and determination for continuity this summer (that's what I inferred anyway). Assuming we stay up, and I always have to add that caveat, who is to say next season we cannot do well in the league?

Enjoyable read, thanks.
 

miles_64

If Carlsberg did Members
Sep 10, 2004
1,697
1,069
Top read. It should be the turning point but somehow I doubt it!

You mention Man Utd as the best club side in the world and I suddenly thought - how cool would it be to watch them v Spain for the title of best side in the world? ('very' is the answer)
 

Geez

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
Admin
Oct 1, 2003
14,283
7,231
Cockerel eyed optimist :roll:


Actually it will be interesting to see how we play against Boro

Survival is now the priority :shifty:
 

gibb

New Member
Dec 6, 2006
225
0
Very good article my friend, a good read & i like your positivity.

This game on wed against boro is absolutely massive for us, that lge table scared me when it came up on MOTD 2 last night, i dread to imagine our lge position if we hadn't have won our last lge outing at hull.

A win against boro & we can all relax, at least until sat when we travel to scotland to play sunderland, where the geordie people live.

COYLilywhites....
 
Sep 18, 2005
876
2
Yep enjoyed reading that, nice and positive, which is the only way to look at this week, despite losing twice. I feel exactly the same way.
 

grazinho1

New Member
Jun 14, 2005
149
0
Yep enjoyed reading that, nice and positive, which is the only way to look at this week, despite losing twice. I feel exactly the same way.
Excuse me but last weeks results are as follows; won one , drawn two,lost none.The tie against Shaktar was lost in the Ukraine and manchester United could not beat us after two hours of trying!!!!!!Penalty shoot outs only resolve the tie due to lack of time for a replay.I for one see only one outcome on Wednesday night and that is a resounding home win. 3-1 would be a good guess!!!!!!!!
 
Sep 18, 2005
876
2
Excuse me but last weeks results are as follows; won one , drawn two,lost none.The tie against Shaktar was lost in the Ukraine and manchester United could not beat us after two hours of trying!!!!!!Penalty shoot outs only resolve the tie due to lack of time for a replay.I for one see only one outcome on Wednesday night and that is a resounding home win. 3-1 would be a good guess!!!!!!!!

Excuse me.... you are right !!....well in a way..... and I can't even edit the thing without anyone noticing. LOL

Personally I saw them as losses as the final result when adding it all up (2 legs and a penalty shoot out) was a loss.

BUT as I said quite clearly said in my post, I too feel good about the way we have played and I feel positive about the team. ;-)
 

macspurs

Member
Aug 6, 2005
316
7
Yep, this season has been a farce. For the love of God let us just have some stability! I would have loved us to beat Manure, but the fact that it came down to pens says alot. That is just a lottery, and could have just as easily gone our way. They have the win, but we have a victory! The fact that it comes with no Euro slot is an arse, but hey!
These next 2 games are really make or break aren't they? Please God we win them. If we do, then I think that out troubles are over. Lose them, and we are in do do.
Nothing new to say I'm afraid. Just COYS !!!!!
 

guate

Well-Known Member
May 12, 2005
3,270
1,486
JimmyG2........well said. I tend to believe that your expressing what most of us feel at the moment because if we keep hearkening on about the negatives we might just as well go and support Yeovil Town or some bleak mud pitch up north.
Quite frankly, when have Spurs been different over the last 40 odd years ? The only difference now is that thanks to internet and SC we're able to express our views to one another whereas in the past it was either the wife or dog that had to put up with our constant whining about what a load of old shite Spurs have been.
We will beat Middlesborough and we will NOT go down and yes, we'll suffer a few losses along the way but we're the mighty Spurs for Christ's sake and until we get some stability into our club, at all levels, we'll continue on this heart stopping roller coaster..........and don't we just love it.......the moaning I mean.

QUE VIVA LOS SPURS.
 

AlexBenjamin

Member
May 21, 2005
462
69
My sentiments exactly.

I was at the Lane for the 2nd leg last week, and I'll be there on Wednesday. Really looking forward to giving the lads plenty of praise after Sunday.

And seeing Palacios rip their midfield to shreds.


I have a good feeling about this game.
 

GDG

Old China Hand
Staff
Aug 25, 2004
23,903
27
Your good feeling proved accurate - what a result, away from home. Spank SUnderland next up and we're well on the way to mid-table mediocrity again.
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
Yes well I did warn you all that things were looking up. Make that an excellent fortnight!
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
the good run continues - 8 points from our last 4 games :) safety edges ever nearer and Harry's selection policy is massively vindicated
 

JoeT

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2005
3,813
935
I wouldn't say "Harry's selection policy is massively vindicated" D_C......in fact his selections at Sunderland - Chimbonda at L.B. and Bent up front for example - almost cost us the game. Maybe he was making judgements on which players were tired after so many recent games.....I don't know. I will give him credit for his substitution changes though. But now we will have to get down to some sort of settled team, not only for the run in, but to really develop some player combinations from which to build on for the future.
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
I wouldn't say "Harry's selection policy is massively vindicated" D_C......in fact his selections at Sunderland - Chimbonda at L.B. and Bent up front for example - almost cost us the game. Maybe he was making judgements on which players were tired after so many recent games.....I don't know. I will give him credit for his substitution changes though. But now we will have to get down to some sort of settled team, not only for the run in, but to really develop some player combinations from which to build on for the future.

hi Joe - by all mean we can argue about individual choices, what I meant, but perhaps didn't make clear, is that Harry correctly prioritised the lge and so kept our key players fresh for those games

the points tally shows it worked admirably and the performances were pretty good too and all credit to Harry (and the players) for us coming through a potentially killer schedule further away from danger, rather than nearer as it could have been
 
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