whitestreak
SC Supporter
- Dec 8, 2006
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12th February 2013 - Never Look Back
It’s been a few months since I last put fingers to keyboard for the cause, so with the season’s home straight ahead I thought it was time for one of my typically over optimistic columns; as usual this is more for my personal therapy than in any way useful to you dear reader.
Now there is an old saying about “never looking back unless you are planning to go that way” and to me that in many respects sums up our beautiful old club, us, its gnarled, finger biting supporters and a view shared across large parts of the media. Already we can hear the familiar noises (many of which have been there all season) about how Spurs won’t make 4th, they are a one man team, Arsenal come good this time of every season, Liverpool are looking strong now; you all know the routine. The trouble is history makes us start believing all of this and suddenly being Tottenham we get nervous, you can feel it in the stands (home games in particular) and it transmits to the players and we end up with that self fulfilled prophesy of under achievement, an affliction that has certainly been with us for a large part of my forty plus years tumultuous affair with the lilywhites.
Well the thing that we all need to remember given our current history is that all of that is bollocks. Yes, as I wrote when Redknapp left, we did under achieve last season, but only because when we went to Man City it looked more difficult to come 4th than it did win the league. Nonetheless we came 4th and but for the curse of the god of anti football would have enjoyed our second crack at the Champions League. With 4th-5th-4th finishes in the past three seasons and another season spent predominantly in 4th place why should we think anything other of ourselves than as worthy being there? More importantly why after nearly four seasons of proving we can achieve it are we settling for it being our goal? I think it’s time we stopped looking over our shoulders and studying the league table below us to calculate the gap between us, Arsenal , Everton and Liverpool (whilst also trying predict all of the results in the various games involving those clubs until May) and started looking to other way (and obviously predicting those results) . We are a point behind Chelsea and five behind City with games against both to come and given that this season the EPL is pretty average, they are who we should be aiming for and by doing so suddenly we might have more belief in what is potentially achievable.
Granted we have one or two issues (Sandro’s knee, Defoe’s ankle, Walker’s marking, AVB’s choice of left back, Adebayor’s attitude/finishing/travel agent) but then again which club doesn’t? Our defence has been largely excellent over the past few months, Parker has been a solid replacement for the Beast, Holtby has looked a promising purchase and our lack of creativity from the middle of the park has been masked by consistently great performances from Bale and a close second Lennon. We have taken four points off United, beaten Liverpool, were outplaying Arsenal until that nugget got sent off and had the last ten minute curse at Goodison and the Etihad. Fine margins but also pretty solid form.
If we can keep grinding out results until one or both of the front two get back in nick, then a strong finish to the season could be a distinct possibility and even 2nd or 3rd place and a trip to Amsterdam for the Europa could be ours.
Come on let’s give it a try; it’s got to be worth Looking Forward hasn’t it?
COYS
Woodo
It’s been a few months since I last put fingers to keyboard for the cause, so with the season’s home straight ahead I thought it was time for one of my typically over optimistic columns; as usual this is more for my personal therapy than in any way useful to you dear reader.
Now there is an old saying about “never looking back unless you are planning to go that way” and to me that in many respects sums up our beautiful old club, us, its gnarled, finger biting supporters and a view shared across large parts of the media. Already we can hear the familiar noises (many of which have been there all season) about how Spurs won’t make 4th, they are a one man team, Arsenal come good this time of every season, Liverpool are looking strong now; you all know the routine. The trouble is history makes us start believing all of this and suddenly being Tottenham we get nervous, you can feel it in the stands (home games in particular) and it transmits to the players and we end up with that self fulfilled prophesy of under achievement, an affliction that has certainly been with us for a large part of my forty plus years tumultuous affair with the lilywhites.
Well the thing that we all need to remember given our current history is that all of that is bollocks. Yes, as I wrote when Redknapp left, we did under achieve last season, but only because when we went to Man City it looked more difficult to come 4th than it did win the league. Nonetheless we came 4th and but for the curse of the god of anti football would have enjoyed our second crack at the Champions League. With 4th-5th-4th finishes in the past three seasons and another season spent predominantly in 4th place why should we think anything other of ourselves than as worthy being there? More importantly why after nearly four seasons of proving we can achieve it are we settling for it being our goal? I think it’s time we stopped looking over our shoulders and studying the league table below us to calculate the gap between us, Arsenal , Everton and Liverpool (whilst also trying predict all of the results in the various games involving those clubs until May) and started looking to other way (and obviously predicting those results) . We are a point behind Chelsea and five behind City with games against both to come and given that this season the EPL is pretty average, they are who we should be aiming for and by doing so suddenly we might have more belief in what is potentially achievable.
Granted we have one or two issues (Sandro’s knee, Defoe’s ankle, Walker’s marking, AVB’s choice of left back, Adebayor’s attitude/finishing/travel agent) but then again which club doesn’t? Our defence has been largely excellent over the past few months, Parker has been a solid replacement for the Beast, Holtby has looked a promising purchase and our lack of creativity from the middle of the park has been masked by consistently great performances from Bale and a close second Lennon. We have taken four points off United, beaten Liverpool, were outplaying Arsenal until that nugget got sent off and had the last ten minute curse at Goodison and the Etihad. Fine margins but also pretty solid form.
If we can keep grinding out results until one or both of the front two get back in nick, then a strong finish to the season could be a distinct possibility and even 2nd or 3rd place and a trip to Amsterdam for the Europa could be ours.
Come on let’s give it a try; it’s got to be worth Looking Forward hasn’t it?
COYS
Woodo
