Welcome, Harry, to the real world of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. I expect you thought you´d cracked it after our second squad thrashed Liverpool´s second squad 4-2 in the Carling Cup. Bent has been on fire and then both our support strikers scored two, three in 7 minutes to overwhelm Liverpool. Of course we conceded a couple from corners but hey four goals is plenty for most games.
Against Fulham a strong team at home this season and not one of our bankers like Arsenal, Chelsea and Man. City (and now Liverpool of course) I bet you thought we would walk it, with Ledley, Jenas, Woodgate and Modric returning to the team how could we not.
But the thing is Harry we don´t do bread and butter. Its a bit like Gomes really. Give him a Bullard screamer arrowing its way into the top corner and he will fly like a bird and tip it one-handed over the bar. As he did against us for PSV in the UEFA cup, last minute against Keane as I remember. Give him a Davies flat shot come cross which takes a minute deflection off Woodgate and he spills it into the net.
So Gomes so very Tottenham. Give them top four opposition, a selection of petit fours if you will, or semi finals, an almond croissant, or finals, a selection of profiteroles and eclairs, and they will rise like ticket prices to the occasion. Give them a run of the mill match against a solid but basically ordinary team, but with a sprinkling of ex-Spurs to give them added motivation and the result is a forgone conclusion. Wigan, Stoke, Hull, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, all from Hovis country ,and we play like my cat. We inspect the fare on offer, sniff a little and sit waiting for something more delectable to turn up.
Yes, yes Gomes gifted them the opener and yes Modric our brightest spark went off with a groin strain at half time but, apart from our late goal which was a thing of beauty, and very well taken by Campbell, and which made the rest of the performance even more puzzling , we offered little. Huddlestone had one of his more contemplative games and was rightly substituted; Bale and Zokora were enthusiastic but ineffective; Jenas tried and made the goal with a good run from halfway; Woodgate and Ledley apart from a rush of blood when he tried to set up Zamora with a back header were sound enough.
But truthfully Fulham were dominant in defence, bossed the midfield and Zamora and Johnson gave us problems all the afternoon. How many of the Fulham team would get into the Spurs squad? Well four of them were ex-Spurs to start with. On the performance I suppose you would have to say most of them, but really would we sign any?
We would have gratefully accepted our current position when Harry arrived and the new manager bounce was bound to wear off soon, but who would have thought it would be at Fulham after our performances against Liverpool , Arsenal and Man.City. Well most Spurs fans would probably and now Harry can join the real Tottenham.
Truthfully this is really how we like it. Bread and butter is such stodgy fare, it fills you up but really doesn't satisfy all those secret urges and longings. Cakes are so much more romantic, they have so much more style and panache. Think chocolate almond torte and you are closing in on the qualities of Tottenham. Bread sustains over the long term, you know like a grinding 38 game league programme but its the excitement of special occasions and major games that gets our creative juices flowing. We don´t do bread and butter, haven't for years. Let them eat cake Harry, let them eat cake.
Against Fulham a strong team at home this season and not one of our bankers like Arsenal, Chelsea and Man. City (and now Liverpool of course) I bet you thought we would walk it, with Ledley, Jenas, Woodgate and Modric returning to the team how could we not.
But the thing is Harry we don´t do bread and butter. Its a bit like Gomes really. Give him a Bullard screamer arrowing its way into the top corner and he will fly like a bird and tip it one-handed over the bar. As he did against us for PSV in the UEFA cup, last minute against Keane as I remember. Give him a Davies flat shot come cross which takes a minute deflection off Woodgate and he spills it into the net.
So Gomes so very Tottenham. Give them top four opposition, a selection of petit fours if you will, or semi finals, an almond croissant, or finals, a selection of profiteroles and eclairs, and they will rise like ticket prices to the occasion. Give them a run of the mill match against a solid but basically ordinary team, but with a sprinkling of ex-Spurs to give them added motivation and the result is a forgone conclusion. Wigan, Stoke, Hull, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, all from Hovis country ,and we play like my cat. We inspect the fare on offer, sniff a little and sit waiting for something more delectable to turn up.
Yes, yes Gomes gifted them the opener and yes Modric our brightest spark went off with a groin strain at half time but, apart from our late goal which was a thing of beauty, and very well taken by Campbell, and which made the rest of the performance even more puzzling , we offered little. Huddlestone had one of his more contemplative games and was rightly substituted; Bale and Zokora were enthusiastic but ineffective; Jenas tried and made the goal with a good run from halfway; Woodgate and Ledley apart from a rush of blood when he tried to set up Zamora with a back header were sound enough.
But truthfully Fulham were dominant in defence, bossed the midfield and Zamora and Johnson gave us problems all the afternoon. How many of the Fulham team would get into the Spurs squad? Well four of them were ex-Spurs to start with. On the performance I suppose you would have to say most of them, but really would we sign any?
We would have gratefully accepted our current position when Harry arrived and the new manager bounce was bound to wear off soon, but who would have thought it would be at Fulham after our performances against Liverpool , Arsenal and Man.City. Well most Spurs fans would probably and now Harry can join the real Tottenham.
Truthfully this is really how we like it. Bread and butter is such stodgy fare, it fills you up but really doesn't satisfy all those secret urges and longings. Cakes are so much more romantic, they have so much more style and panache. Think chocolate almond torte and you are closing in on the qualities of Tottenham. Bread sustains over the long term, you know like a grinding 38 game league programme but its the excitement of special occasions and major games that gets our creative juices flowing. We don´t do bread and butter, haven't for years. Let them eat cake Harry, let them eat cake.
