- Sep 20, 2005
- 9,955
- 2,498
One of the several faults cited by Martin Jol’s detractors is his inability to get the team to close out a game successfully from a leading position. This came up again after the Fulham game, when from 2-0 and 3-1 up, we finished level at 3-3.
Here we go again they said, just like against Arsenal and Chelsea in the Cups last season, and Sunderland and West Ham in the league the season before that. So this got me thinking: are we really that bad and do the facts and stats bear out this accusation? Let’s take a look at the outcomes of some of the 99 games we’ve played over the last two seasons.
The 2006/07 Season
Last season we all remember those grim Cup games, where draws were snatched from the jaws of victory and we lost out after the second game.
To those games you can add the trips to Reading and Sheffield United, where we led in both games and lost. And if you take a strict view, we led Sevilla 1-0 at their place and lost 2-1.
Closed Out Games
So much for the bad news. But what of the other side? I can count 16 results where from 1-0 we went on to win the game by the odd goal or actually push on and score the second. For the stat fans amongst you, these are those games:
Slavia Prague (A UC) 1-0, Portsmouth (H PL) 2-1, Besiktas (A UC) 2-0 West Ham (H PL) 1-0, Bayer Leverkusen (A UC) 1-0, Boro (H PL) 2-1, Man City (A PL) 2-1, Southend (H CC) 1-0, Aston Villa (H PL) 2-1, Everton (A PL) 2-1, Braga (A UC) 3-2, Braga (H UC) 3-2, Reading (H PL) 1-0, Boro (A PL) 3-2, Charlton (A PL) 2-0 and Man City (H PL) 2-1.
So looking at the 10 league games alone, that represents 30 points won where had we been pegged back we would only have got 10 points.
Comeback Games
But wait – there’s more. There were 9 games where we were a goal down and came back to get something from the game. Seven of those were league games, and so we got 11 points from those matches when it looked like we’d get none.
The comeback games were Chelsea (H PL) 2-1, Fulham (A PL) 1-1, Arsenal (H PL) 2-2, Portsmouth (A PL) 1-1, Brugge (H UC) 3-1, West Ham (A PL) 4-3, Sevilla (H UC) 2-2, Wigan (A PL) 3-3 and Blackburn (H PL) 1-1.
The 2005/06 Season
Looking at the 2005/06 season, I would say we ‘threw away’ both Cup games, against Grimsby and Leicester. At 0-0 and 2-0 up, we should have closed those out to win or get a replay at least. At home to West Ham and The Goons we led 1-0, only to be pegged back late in both games. And the away games at Sunderland and The Goons again saw us let a 1-0 lead slip. So in the league, we ended up with 4 points when there could have been 12.
Closed Out Games
But there were 13 games where we won by the odd goal or got the second. These were Birmingham (H PL) 2-0, Everton (H PL) 2-0, Fulham (H PL) 1-0, Man City (A PL) 2-0, Portsmouth (A PL) 2-0, Newcastle (H PL) 2-0, Birmingham (A PL) 2-0, Everton (A PL) 1-0, Bolton (H PL) 1-0, Sunderland (H PL) 3-2, Wigan (A PL) 2-1, Blackburn (H PL) 3-2 and Man City (H PL) 2-1.
So looking at those league games, we ended up with 39 points, when lost leads could have reduced this to only 13.
Comeback games
Again, there were four games where we came back from a goal down to get something from the game, against Aston Villa (A PL) 1-1, Boro (A PL) 3-3, Charlton (A PL) 3-2 and WBA (H PL) 2-1. So a useful 8 points from that lot, when we could have had none.
Closing Out Games – Can We Do It?
So while the results confirm that we do lose leads and points, we also keep them and win them back. So why is there this perception that we can never close out a game successfully, when the stats support the view that on many occasions we do?
I have a couple of theories. Firstly, there’s human nature. We often look on the bad side of things and those memories tend to stick longer than the good ones. Maybe you can double that factor for Spurs fans.
Secondly, when you look at the games cited as examples of ‘close-out failures’ in the past couple of seasons, you see games like Chelsea and Arsenal. Especially Arsenal. So of course people will remember that we threw away points or a Cup semi final to them more than comebacks against the likes of Fulham, Wigan and Blackburn. In fact most fans may only remember the big comeback games, like Chelsea and West Ham last season.
Looking at the comeback games alone in the past two seasons, we got 19 points from losing positions, compared to the 4 from a possible 18 points in games we didn’t close out. And that’s before you add in the whopping 69 points from games we did close out.
Granted the games chosen for each category are open to challenge, but I doubt anyone could rearrange them to support the view that failure to close out games is a prominent or persistent habit. Sure it would be great if it never happened, but we don’t play at that level yet.
So there's certainly something to work on for the future, but let's not get carried away about the number of times we've lost a lead - and balance the times we have with those where we have held on or come back to win the day.
Here we go again they said, just like against Arsenal and Chelsea in the Cups last season, and Sunderland and West Ham in the league the season before that. So this got me thinking: are we really that bad and do the facts and stats bear out this accusation? Let’s take a look at the outcomes of some of the 99 games we’ve played over the last two seasons.
The 2006/07 Season
Last season we all remember those grim Cup games, where draws were snatched from the jaws of victory and we lost out after the second game.
To those games you can add the trips to Reading and Sheffield United, where we led in both games and lost. And if you take a strict view, we led Sevilla 1-0 at their place and lost 2-1.
Closed Out Games
So much for the bad news. But what of the other side? I can count 16 results where from 1-0 we went on to win the game by the odd goal or actually push on and score the second. For the stat fans amongst you, these are those games:
Slavia Prague (A UC) 1-0, Portsmouth (H PL) 2-1, Besiktas (A UC) 2-0 West Ham (H PL) 1-0, Bayer Leverkusen (A UC) 1-0, Boro (H PL) 2-1, Man City (A PL) 2-1, Southend (H CC) 1-0, Aston Villa (H PL) 2-1, Everton (A PL) 2-1, Braga (A UC) 3-2, Braga (H UC) 3-2, Reading (H PL) 1-0, Boro (A PL) 3-2, Charlton (A PL) 2-0 and Man City (H PL) 2-1.
So looking at the 10 league games alone, that represents 30 points won where had we been pegged back we would only have got 10 points.
Comeback Games
But wait – there’s more. There were 9 games where we were a goal down and came back to get something from the game. Seven of those were league games, and so we got 11 points from those matches when it looked like we’d get none.
The comeback games were Chelsea (H PL) 2-1, Fulham (A PL) 1-1, Arsenal (H PL) 2-2, Portsmouth (A PL) 1-1, Brugge (H UC) 3-1, West Ham (A PL) 4-3, Sevilla (H UC) 2-2, Wigan (A PL) 3-3 and Blackburn (H PL) 1-1.
The 2005/06 Season
Looking at the 2005/06 season, I would say we ‘threw away’ both Cup games, against Grimsby and Leicester. At 0-0 and 2-0 up, we should have closed those out to win or get a replay at least. At home to West Ham and The Goons we led 1-0, only to be pegged back late in both games. And the away games at Sunderland and The Goons again saw us let a 1-0 lead slip. So in the league, we ended up with 4 points when there could have been 12.
Closed Out Games
But there were 13 games where we won by the odd goal or got the second. These were Birmingham (H PL) 2-0, Everton (H PL) 2-0, Fulham (H PL) 1-0, Man City (A PL) 2-0, Portsmouth (A PL) 2-0, Newcastle (H PL) 2-0, Birmingham (A PL) 2-0, Everton (A PL) 1-0, Bolton (H PL) 1-0, Sunderland (H PL) 3-2, Wigan (A PL) 2-1, Blackburn (H PL) 3-2 and Man City (H PL) 2-1.
So looking at those league games, we ended up with 39 points, when lost leads could have reduced this to only 13.
Comeback games
Again, there were four games where we came back from a goal down to get something from the game, against Aston Villa (A PL) 1-1, Boro (A PL) 3-3, Charlton (A PL) 3-2 and WBA (H PL) 2-1. So a useful 8 points from that lot, when we could have had none.
Closing Out Games – Can We Do It?
So while the results confirm that we do lose leads and points, we also keep them and win them back. So why is there this perception that we can never close out a game successfully, when the stats support the view that on many occasions we do?
I have a couple of theories. Firstly, there’s human nature. We often look on the bad side of things and those memories tend to stick longer than the good ones. Maybe you can double that factor for Spurs fans.
Secondly, when you look at the games cited as examples of ‘close-out failures’ in the past couple of seasons, you see games like Chelsea and Arsenal. Especially Arsenal. So of course people will remember that we threw away points or a Cup semi final to them more than comebacks against the likes of Fulham, Wigan and Blackburn. In fact most fans may only remember the big comeback games, like Chelsea and West Ham last season.
Looking at the comeback games alone in the past two seasons, we got 19 points from losing positions, compared to the 4 from a possible 18 points in games we didn’t close out. And that’s before you add in the whopping 69 points from games we did close out.
Granted the games chosen for each category are open to challenge, but I doubt anyone could rearrange them to support the view that failure to close out games is a prominent or persistent habit. Sure it would be great if it never happened, but we don’t play at that level yet.
So there's certainly something to work on for the future, but let's not get carried away about the number of times we've lost a lead - and balance the times we have with those where we have held on or come back to win the day.