It has been somewhat of a week to forget for Tottenham Hotspur. Here is a collection of my thoughts regarding everything Spurs from this week…
The performance.
Funnily enough, I thought we started the game extremely well on Saturday. We out-played Chelsea in the first half, and dominated possession. Everybody played well in the first period, and Nabil Bentaleb could perhaps have given us the lead in the game. All of a sudden, Vertonghen slips, the officials hand Chelsea a penalty and the the game is away from us as Eden Hazard slotted home to make it 2-0. After that, to use Tim’s phrase, we capitulated. Sandro slipped in the area and gifted Chelsea another, and Kyle Walker gave Hugo what can only be described as a ‘hospital pass’ and Chelsea made it 4-0. I can’t remember if those last two goals are in the correct order, I am trying to blank them out of my mind as soon as possible. A horrible game. In conclusion, I’d say we started the game well, but individual errors ultimately cost us. The flood-gates opened after the penalty, and our collapse was as worrying as it was embarrassing. A terrible display on the whole.
Sherwood’s interview.
Unlike quite a few people, I actually agreed with Tim Sherwood’s comments after the thrashing. He was speaking a lot of sense. Nobody looked like they wanted to be out on the field after the second goal went in. Tim spoke about us lacking ‘leaders’ on the field, and I couldn’t agree more. Going back a few seasons, you could expect to see players like Robbie Keane, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Dimitar Berbatov (to an extent) and Michael Dawson leading by example in a Spurs jersey. They were vocal, passionate and gave their all for the team. These days, captain Michael Dawson is the only player who really ever looks motivated for the big games, and it is his passion alone which is keeping him in the starting team. Senior players like Aaron Lennon and Emmanuel Adebayor were nowhere to be seen on Saturday evening, almost as if they didn’t want the ball to be given to them when the going got tough. Sandro, another player who one might expect to rile the rest of players, lacked composure and seemed more interested in lunging into challenges and trying to get Chelsea players carded than getting Spurs back into the football match. It pains me to be this critical of players at the club I love, but I am only speaking my mind.
Is this lack of motivation down to Sherwood’s man management skills? Do the players know their boss won’t be around for much longer so aren’t putting the effort in? Maybe. However, you can’t attach much blame to Mr. Sherwood for this defeat. Individual errors cost us dearly.
The ‘Y-word’ developments.
Thankfully, it is not all bad news around N17 this week. On Friday, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust announced that the three Tottenham Fans charged with a ‘racially aggravated public order offence’ for singing ‘Yid Army’ at a Spurs game, have been cleared of all charges without having to go to court. I really was chuffed to hear this bit of news; it really is a victory for common sense. I am reluctant to turn this short piece into an essay on the pros and cons of the ‘Y word’ being sung by Tottenham fans, so I will leave my comments on the issue here. I hope no more Tottenham fans are arrested for singing the ‘Y word’.
On another note, it pained me to here about the tragic passing of Darren Alexander, who was the joint chairman of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust, on Friday. He always did his best for the football club, and I hope he will be remembered at White Hart Lane in an upcoming home match.
Ian Broomfield
Odd one, this. Various media outlets are reporting that Daniel Levy has brought back former scout Ian Broomfield, who looked set to join Arsenal’s scouting team under Steve Rowley. The Daily Express even go as far to say that Broomfield had been allocated a seat for Arsenal’s midweek game at the Allianz Arena, but Levy’s personal intervention caused Broomfield to return to Spurs, rather than recommend children for Arsene Wenger to buy for £1m at The Emirates.
This appointment surely throws Technical Director Franco Baldini’s role into question, as the Italian is supposed to have a major say in transfer dealings. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mr. Baldini is shown the door in the summer, and if this Ian Broomfield story is indeed true, I can only imagine Franco will be fired sooner rather than later.
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