After every visit I make to this site I am encouraged at some point to voice an opinion; I have now decided it is time to voice that opinion on the subject of leadership.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o></o
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An ancient Chinese proverb states, "An army of a thousand is easy to find, but, ah, how difficult to find a general." How bereft of a general we have been since the loss of Ledley, our leader? His loss has cast a long shadow over the team that has not won a league game since Boxing Day. <o
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Our performance against Newcastle optimised the lack of leadership and character, which has come to typify our side as of late. The lack of a recognised leader, a stalwart who will rally the troops in times of hardship is plain for all to see. The absence of Ledley King has meant the absence of confidence, of calmness and assurity, which is made even more infuriating by the fact that the team as a whole is a very talented team. <o
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Former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Nurture your mind with great thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes heroes." Where are our heroes? Where are our champions who instil belief and inspire courage? <o
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In the game against Newcastle, the overwhelming feeling that I had was that even at 2-1 the players didn't encourage a belief that they were going to see off our injury plagued opponents and win the game. In fact our opponents seemed to have been galvanised by their plight and in true 'Balboa-esque' fashion managed to pull off a dogged victory, which highlighted all our problems. Contrast this to the performance of Man Utd gave in their 3-1 victory over, and it tells quite a different story. <o
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All throughout the match the players demonstrated a hunger and purpose to obtain the victory; the fact that they scored as early as the fourth minute, and the persistent nature of their third goal were a testament as to why they are the best in the country. Great performances from Rooney, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Neville etc have been exemplary of their success as a whole. All led by example on the field with a demonstration of desire and purpose which breeds a confidence and positive mindset that is tantamount to success and achievement. <o
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The Spurs team's indifferent season is not due to a lack of ability or skill, it is because there is not the enterprising attitude or character which is integral to any championship winning side. Every Spurs fan would be in full agreement that the pool of talent available to Jol has been increased greatly; the purchases of Berbatov, Zokora, Malbranque, Chimbonda and the emergence of Huddlestone have made us a better team compared to last year. <o
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However none of these players appear as if they were bought with the intention of becoming leaders on a field. In previous seasons Spurs had at least bought one player who had a reputation, which garnered respect i.e. Davids and Naybet. Both are experienced campaigners who have played at the highest level at both club and country; their experience and character attributes are priceless on the field. The absence of such attributes has left an indelible mark on both our physical style and psychological mindset. <o
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The form and ability of a number of players has also hindered the club's progress. Players such as Lee Young Pyo and Tainio have not developed sufficiently enough to justify their inclusion in the squad let alone the first-team. Neither seem to be able to influence games or inspire a confidence the way a Gary Neville or Gilberto seem to. Dawson has also been somewhat disappointing in the absence of King's leadership. <o
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Where once I had envisioned a partnership of 'Pallister-Bruce' comparisons, i feel that Dawson is more of a sidekick to King rather than defensive partner. Considering that Dawson is a very good defender and had been club captain at Nottm Forest, I simply expected him to step up to proverbial plate and take up the mantle of defensive martial. To be fair, the problems in our defence should not be left squarely on the shoulders of Dawson, but the whole back four in general; none of our back four seem to express a perception of character or leadership, there doesn't appear to be one player who is prepared to accept any kind of responsibility. <o
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The injuries to a number of key personnel for long periods of the season has not helped our cause, but this should not serve as an excuse for the highly paid professionals on the pitch to perform badly. Put simply there are a certain contingent of players in key positions who have rested on the laurels of last years success and simply have not delivered; for their failure to continue to develop, these players should pay the price for their woeful performances.<o
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My preferred solution to our defensive problem would be to bring in another experienced campaigner into the back four who not only has the required leadership qualities, but will also compete for a place with the other central defenders. My choice would be Roberto Ayala.<o
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Ayala is an outstanding competitor who has played at the highest level for both club and country, and despite his age demonstrated at the 2006 World Cup that he can still perform at the biggest stages by being picked as a member of the World Cup All-Star Team. Ayala represents all the qualities that are absent from our team: he is leader and a winner having captained the Valencia team to two Primera Liga titles and a UEFA cup. His ability and character in the field would prove invaluable to a back four bereft of a leader without Ledley King. Ayala's current situation at the Mestalla offers an opportunity to bring him to pastures new, and grace pitch where fellow countrymen Ardiles and Villa had left such an indelible mark. <o
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At the risk of being a labelled a 'pessimist' (or worse?) I do sincerely believe that the Spurs will indeed turn this situation around and provide a positive end to the season. We are still competing on four fronts and I thoroughly believe that we have every chance of winning the UEFA cup and League Cup, though the return of the King could scarcely come soon enough<o
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The Transfer Rumours and SC ITK forums are now open :-)
'Leader' is spelled L-E-A-D-E-R, not L-E-D-L-E-Y
Discussion in 'Spurscommunity Front Page News' started by greywizard2020, Jan 21, 2007.
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by greywizard2020, Jan 21, 2007 at 8:24 PM
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Discussion in 'Spurscommunity Front Page News' started by greywizard2020, Jan 21, 2007.
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