Spurs go fourth.
Spurs shifted up the table to fourth spot after a fairly drab 1-0 victory over Fulham. Jermaine Defoe scored the only goal of the game after seven minutes. A long punt up field by Ledley King saw the ball sail over the Fulham back four for Defoe to run on to and slot it past Warner. He looked delighted and relieved and maybe does care after all. In fact maybe he had read The Shelf and thought he better pull his socks up. Well, you never know.
However the performance was drab and neither side looked like they would score again bar a Mido effort which was well saved. Fulham had pleanty of possession but the final ball was poor while we sat back and allowed them to come at us. A better team would have beaten us yesterday.
Pedro Mendes was recalled and showed what a good player he is but knows he will be dropped for Jol favourite Carrick when he returns. Jenes was next to him and makes me look like a good player. In other words he was more useless than a chocolate oven. Mis-controlled balls and poor passing was the name of the game last night. How long before he starts to justify his price tag? It was also obvious to see why midfiled players don't score at Tottenham Hotspur. An attack by Andy Reid saw him reach a good crossing position. It wasn't a lightening, breakway counter attack - the build up was quite slow. Who was in the box for the cross? Mido and, er, thats it. How many midfiled players (i.e. Jenes, attacking midfielder) were running into the box? Er, none. How many midfiled players were watching thinking I can't be arsed to run into the box - Er, Jermaine Jenes. SORT IT OUT!
Davids is wasted on the left as well but Lennon looked very good again.
Good result, but if we keep pumping out these types of performances then we won't be anywhere near Europe at the end of the season.
It's about time we turned up.
COYS!
posted by Paxton Road at 6:04 PM
14 Comments:
A win is a win. Simple as that. Please consider that these players are still learning each other's games and it will take time to gel on match-days.
I certainly believe JJ will go on and justify his price tag. Only 22 years old and an established member of the England set-up...I seriously doubt you (despite apparently being a better player) can match that.
Sure, we weren't great last night - maybe not that good either! But before the game I would have taken three points under whatever circumstances.
6:57 PM, September 27, 2005
At least we won last night which as always is great to see. Lennon could be the star of the season and once routledge is back in action we'll have two great wingers to help the cause. Keep the european dream alive....I could do with a holiday!
7:16 PM, September 27, 2005
Well apparently that's the mark of a great team when you win without playing well.
I'm not suggesting we are a great team by any stretch but you know a while back we would have drawn this game, or worse.
Once the midfield bed down and get to know each others games I think we'll be well placed to finish in the European spots.
The other thing of course is that no-one else who may be challenging us come the end of the season for Europe are playing well at all, so I think if we plod on then we may all be surprised.
7:31 PM, September 27, 2005
As someone who was glad to see the back of Kanoute I am disappointed to see that he has not been replaced. The 7M spent on Jenas was a waste and would have been beter spent on a quality striker. I agree Davids is never a left winger and Defoe does,nt look the part at the moment. We need a midfield player that can run past the front two if we are going to play 4-4-2 but I think we have the squad to play 3-5-3 as follows (when fit)
Robinson
Dawson
King
Naybet
Salteri
Lee
Davids
Carrick
Keane
Defoe
Mido
Subs
Cerny
Lennon
Mendes
Barnard
Gardner
7:44 PM, September 27, 2005
It was a delight to watch Mendes back in action, spraying accurate passes across the width of the field, and I cannot understand, let alone approve, why Jol should put him aside in favour of Brown and Davis.
Jol's honeymoon period is over and hw will soon come under closer scrutiny. I find his favouritism unacceptable and certain decisions of his quite inexplicaable. Why, for instance, was Kanoute sold without first making sure that a replacement was definitely available. What footballing abnility did Jol see in Andy Reid? Who sanctioned his addition to the squad? These and other questions are likely to be asked in the course of time because, in spite of the heavy investment in the squad, our standard of play is very unconvincing and I cannot see us achieving a European spot.
8:13 PM, September 27, 2005
3-5-2, has glen hoddle invaded the forum?
8:21 PM, September 27, 2005
What are you 8.13, an auditor? Those players do have merit and like most other transfers come as potential rather than a finished article. These things take time.
8:24 PM, September 27, 2005
The victory yesterday evening was not convincing by any means, but Spurs fans must be patient when you take two things into consideration.
1) The forced changes that keep occurring within our team this season due to injuries and the mido suspension.
2) There are so many new faces in the team/squad, it takes time to gel, and needs consistency for that to occur.
It is so important for new players unfamiliar with each others playing stle to play regularly together.
In my opinion the most important pairings for the future in Jol's eyes are King & Dawson (both been injured pre-season & during), Carrick & Jenas (injured and just joined respectively) and Defoe/Keane & Mido (Out of form & suspended). If these players can be gelled together, it will form an excellent backbone to the team, and when you then it England's number 1, Stalteri, Yong (if Jol works on his crossing, how good will he be!, Reid, Lennon and Routledge and all the rest of the squad players, these will hopefully be exciting times for Tottenham fans with the depth of young talent Jol is assembling.
Considering all of this the team are well placed after a dificult opening 6 fixtures. We just need to keep defending well, get our strikers and attacking midfielders scoring and i am sure we can continue this decent start to the season. For us to be in contention, we must make the fixtures after the Man Utd game really count, as this is where we historically nose dive.
One thing i would like to say on a personal note, STOP molly coddling Defoe. Other than score his goal it was a fairly dismal performance again from a player who's instincts are great, but in the main does not know where to run and how the basics of football work in a positional sense. He could learn a thing or two from Robbie Keane on that front! Davids central or not at all for me. Gardner will always be an average defender as he has no composure and cannot head a ball to another spurs player.
Keep it up Jol, we are on the right track to creating a team with long standing quality rather than short term success at last for the first time since Keith Burkinshaw in my opinion!
Long suffering Spurs fan
9:03 PM, September 27, 2005
Come on the spurs!!! A sub standard performance yesterday that i personally feel highlights our need for a worldclass left winger.. Jol signalled the intent of bringing one in with a £10 million pound offer for Downing, but that was never going to happen. Does anyone have any ideas who could come in and do that job.. there are obvious big names such as Sniejder and Montolivo.... but these would be far too expensive.. i would like to know what everyone else thinks about that though.
I do believe that previous comments about our team needing time to gel are valid, it was inevitable. But even that excuse cannot excuse, what sky sports described as, a 'woeful' performance from Jenas. Its obvious to see that he has got all the talent, but isn't impressing. Too much lack luster Newcastle spirit left in him that needs to be beaten out.
I feel sorry fot Tony Gardner, just when he was discovering form he is knocked out. I hope Dawson is fit for the Charlton game, Naybet is decent cover, but a dawson, King partnership would be ideal. What does everyone reckon about Staltieri, solid, but is he fast enough for a full back.. i honestly think Kelly was good for us last season when he played?
+ PLEASE DONT LEAVE KEANO, WE LOVE YOU!!!
9:27 PM, September 27, 2005
I think that whoever it was that suggested we play 3-5-3 is a tactical genius.
That said, Stalteri and Lee (with Steo as backup) do seem to have the potential to play wing back if we need to, and/or some kind of central-ish midfield 3 seems to make sense. I'll be interested to see how long Jenas can command a first XI place... he has potential, and patience is a virtue, but it's annoying when he's not playing well and we have so many great central midfielders rotting in the reserves and/or the left wing!
Would anyone like to see us in a 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 type arrangement? I'm sure we're not far off it with Davids sitting inside and Lennon pushing on with the front 2...
Oh, and can you please quit all the "other than score the winning goal, what did Defoe do?" rubbish? you make yourself look an aris.
Cheers ears.
11:04 PM, September 27, 2005
Too frightened of loosing imo Europe is a big ask this year and grinding out wins when they're not playing well could be the difference. Hope Charlton don't put the skids under us down in the valley.
1:11 AM, September 28, 2005
as someone already said a win is a win no matter what its alla bout points anyway this is still a new team hard and all as it is to belive it but it is. we are doing fine. lets not question ourselves leave that to other people who are just waiting for it to go pear shaped on us ( as it usually does though it pains me to say it )basically if you look at the team its full of quality that cant be questioned and anyone who says we dont have quality doesnt know much about football. also fulham are not a bad team they have some good players and they usually gives us a hard time so all in all we won lets move on bring on charlton cause there just a small team in london and they need pegged down a notch or two. just a side note mendes should start the next game best player on the pitch against nilham
1:23 PM, September 28, 2005
The reason why we have trouble scoring goals is because andy reid came into the team, and they took out out Zeigler. Other than 5-1 against villa we have struggled to score goals.
Now another problem is created by selling kanoute he didnt score much but he created a lot.
2:14 PM, September 28, 2005
in the fulham match defoe was dropping deep and trying to pass the ball but he can't pass,he should get the ball run,dribble,shoot thats it.when keane came on all the little passes and flicks went to were they were suppose to.so i say get keane back in the side and bench defoe.keane will score as many as defoe,he got 17 last season and defoe got 21 and j.d played more games as keane was benched all the time.keep mendez in the team(class)just leave jenas out,never wanted him to come and now i seen him well i think everyone thinks the same(rubbish no work rate).
8:10 PM, September 28, 2005
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