I'd say Bouncing back is the order of the day. Wound licking over and a good old fashioned away win, please. And City may well oblige us in the task. Petrov and Richards are out and Dunne faces the old 'late fitness test'.
Tottenham travel minus Kaboul, plus Gilberto. Presumably King will be reserved for Chelsea. Or Easter morning, or Christmas Day. Who knows.
I'd field...
Cerny
Hutton Dawson Woodgate Gilberto
Zokora
Lennon Malbranque O'Hara
Berbatov Keane
As you can see, my bitter and twisted campaign against Chimbonda continues a pace. Benched. England's number Four? Benched. Jenas, benched. In their stead are players the Midweek Psychics amongst you grandly denounced as chickens and softies.
City have had a much better time of things than Spurs Premiership wise, but my Indian Spirit Guide Dave tells me that this afternoon will be a goalfest. Tottenham a winnin' by at least two or three goals. And I think Steed is due one.
35 comments:
Dont' be so harsh on Chimbylicious! OK, his penalty was abysmal, he looked like he didn't care, he flirts with clubs like Lucas Neill in a miniskirt, but come on...
Hutton's better though. Surely a place on the bench beckons for Pekhart?
I agree with most of that especially O'Hara, I really like the look of him, but maybe we should be giving Taarabt a start instead of Lennon. And surely Huddlestone deserves his place the boy hardly put a foot wrong on Wednesday.
As for poor old Robbo I am afraid he just has not got it up top. Most of the slagging off has been aimed at Chimbo and JJ but by diving early for every penalty Robbo really made it easy for them. The simple truth is that if we had swapped keepers before the game or even just for the penalties we would have gone through.
Oh, and Zokora was absolutely shocking vs PSV - Hudd in for him.
we alsways seem to get a result at Citeh so i'm going to predict a 3-1 win for Spurs today.. however now that i've predicted that, Citeh will surely romp home to a 5-0 win!!
Robbo will be in goal
whether you like him or not there's no real reason to drop Chimsy...although i prefer Hutton so maybe Chimsy will line out on the left..
King and Woody in the centre in an ideal world...probably Daws and Woody..
emmm..let me see... ya i would love to see the Nut-Meg Kid get a run out but midfield will be probably.. Lennon, JJ, Zokora/Big Tom, Steed
my midfield would be
Lennon..Big Tom..Steed..O'Hara
and obviously the two boys up front..
and if i see Bent warming up today i'm going to cry..
looking forward to seeing the lads line out in yellow today...
COYS
BIOYC
Looking forward to today's match. Maybe we'll be more relaxed, control play, and take our chances well. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself.
No doubt Ericsson will go with his score 1 then defend for the rest of the game policy.
If the boys are on form, we should win this, especially if as you say HH, they are missing some players.
I think Chimbwonga can now be cast aside to the bench, he is going to leave anyway.
Will be interesting who Ramos plays for the rest of the season, but I would like to see Taraabt more, to see if he can make the grade or not.
Think we'll see this:
Hutton - Woodgate - Dawson - Gilberto
Malbranque - Zokora - Jenas - O'Hara
Keane - Berbs
well my team prediction was right... perhaps that bodes well for the afternoon..
Robbo
Hutton, Daws, Woody, Chimsy
Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Steed
Berb, Rob
COYS!!
ah bollix we're not wearing yellow..
Is Ricky Villa playing? ;-)
coys
Dodgy Decisions...
We were robbed.
Our substitutions seemed
odd though...
What can you say about a midfield that is less creative than the defence? What can you say when Chimbo was the best Spurs player - at least 1st half?
What can you say when Woodgate, solid at the back, hoofs it over Jenas and Zokora, knowing it's the only method of delivering a ball to the forwards?
What can you say of a goalkeeper who stands and watches? What does that say of his reactions? Oh, it was a world-class strike! It would have beaten any goalie!
What can you say about forwards who want to walk the ball into the net? Yeah, fine, so Keane's goal was well taken. Big deal. He's paid to well take opportunities. Alll that flicky-dicky, touchy-tappy b*llshit? Just hit the f*cking ball, will ya? And Lennon - what the eff was he doing buzzing around like some ineffectual fly without a sting?
On the strength of TODAY'S performance, Zokora and Jenas have no place in this squad. No place. At least Malbranque scores points for effort, and for stealing the ball off the opposition, if nothing else. And I mean nothing else.
To lose to this b*llshit, ordinary team is shameful. Unbelievable. We are, at best, two thirds of a team. The third missing is plumb in the middle. Oh, and don't forget the back. A few Sammy the Seal moments, one or two good stops, but that 2nd goal.... Yeah, why not just don't even bother to make a gesture at jumping. At least it gives the appearance of it being an unavoidable goal, rather than poor keeping.
And what's with Keane throwing a strop after being substituted? Didn't know he carried a handbag, but, hey, you learn something every day.
Whatever Ramos is plotting, it better be good next season.
Apologies to all for emotional rant.
9.37 Anon
congratulations Robbie you're now at the same level as Chimbonda was after the CC Final..
he SHOULD now be in line for the same amount of abuse as Chimsy has been getting.. i'll bet he won't get it though.
well i'll start the ball rolling.. F*CK you Robbie you were supposed to be captain today and you act like that.. yes you were playing well and yes you got a good goal but to react like that is not acceptable..
i remember Raul (as Spain's captain) being substituted in Euro 04 and he simply jogged off, shook his manager's hand and accepted it.
anyway enough of that..
will someone PLLLEEEEAAASSSEE tell me what Zokora is for?? and let me just say right now a big massive F*CK OFF to anyone who says that he breaks up the play very well.. or he has bundles of energy.. i have bundles of energy and i could make a few tackles here and there but i'm not a Premier League footballer..
Jenas today was equally as frustrating.. he wasn't terrible..just slightly better than bad.. everytime he passed the ball backwards he turned around to gesticulate to the forwards..what a cop out..
Chimbonda confounded his critics today with a MOTM performance..
my next paragraph will include what Bent brings to a game:
*inserts blank paragraph*
Lennon has gone so far back it's unreal.. he's playing himself out of Ramos' plans for next season..
Big Tom needs to make up his mind whether or not he wants to be a top class player or just a fringe player.. at the moment he's the latter..
Any more of these performances from the team and Berb WILL be leaving in the Summer.. look at his face after..pure frustration with the utter incompetance surrounding him..
the linesmen screwed us with 2 awful decisions so really the score should have been 2-1 to Spurs but that's no excuse for a capitulation like that..
the good news is that this result doesn't matter at all.. so roll on next week i guess..
*curses Spurs under breath*
Anon 9.37
well said... my rant above is of similar emotional stature..
Bim
Roll on the summer cull, that's what I say.
If any player gives a f*ck where he'll be playing next season he better buck up. He's on display in the Premiershop.
To be fair to Bent, it's not his fault he was valued at silly-money. I think he needs to take a leaf out of Defoe's book at the moment and be selfish. Shoot the f*cking ball rather than pass it. I still don't think he's much cop, though.
Maybe the departure of Berba will be the making of the team. When Berba gets the ball everyone but Keane deserts him, assuming he'll do everything on his own. Without the luxury of him, others will have to think for themselves.
I could punch Jenas and Zokora right now.
9.37 Anon
I'm with Keano, he never stops trying always looks like he wants to win and who else puts in as much effort as him ? Bloody right he should be pissed off when he sees Bent the dummy replacing him !
Certainly agree with 9.37 and Bim regarding Jenas and Zokora they are so ineffectual and why does Jenas continue to take corners and free kicks when he cocks up so many ?
I expect their lover, dannyboy will be able to explain how they love their mums and are misunderstood !
That was a piss poor performance, the only players even worthy of a mention are Keane, Hutton, Woodgate and wait for it, Chimbonda. The rest were shockingly poor, fucking embarrassing.
Roll on the cull.
Robbo, try attempting a save once in a while, ok? FFS
onedavemackay
don't be such a prick. comments like that are disrespectful to the name you choose to use. twat.
didn't get to see the game today as working, yawn; anyone got an honest unemotional take on the match? cheers.
coys
The only positive to draw from this game is that Ramos will see the chaff at his disposal and sift it from the wheat.
I belive he has the discrimination and the courage. I just hope he has the courage.
The pi**er is that, if I remember correctly, the immortal invitation 'Bring it on, you cunts' was introduced just before we beat Sh*tty in the Carling competition. Talk about coming full circle and capitulating.
Ramos anticipated the PSV game would be a barometer. A barometer is what he got. This game was a barometer too far.
I'm no meteorologist, but I forecast storms.
How's that for unemotional?
9.37 Anon
Bang on 9.37anon; we've 2/3 of a quality team and the ordinary 1/3 is the entire midfield. If Wendy is assessing the squad for next season, I don't fancy their chances, good work ethic or not.
I'd keep O'hara and Taarabt to see if they come up to scratch over the next year or so, and maybe Jenas and Thud for squad but as for the rest....
"Malbranque is due one"?
Malbranque can DO one I'd say. I'm sick of seeing four utility players right across the middle. Get some bloody class in there for crying out loud. Lennon's final ball is seriously crap; he's had 2 seasons to sort it out. Jenas should be banned from taking corners; oh look, he's kicked it to the first defender again!
MotM for me was undoubtedly everyones favourite - Chimbonda. He put a simple, effective ball through to Keane in the box for our goal after good work down the left, and made two King-like last ditch blocks in the box. Had a great first half. Hutton probably ran him closest.
Keane should obviously be kicked out of the club for his petulance.
I know that there's a fairly decent case for their goal being just off side and our disallowed one being on side but that doesn't distract me from the gaping chasm in quality I see between our midfield, and the rest of the team. With nothing but pride to play for from here on in, my mind is already on the summer.
Happy hunting.
I mean I hope Ramos has the freedom. Dear me! I really AM emotional. Almost oestrogenic (sorry, ladies).
9.37 Anon
(Where's the chocolate?)
What a pile a w*nk that was. Post match analysis spot on by earlier posts. New midfield required PDQ. Took andy 'I like licking arsene's arse' gray 78mins to mention zokora in a positive vein. Add the cost of jenas & zokora up - £16m of total shite. n
Neither of them can pass, cross, tackle, head the ball or shoot. one good game per season is not good enough.
Get rid of these wankers and maybe we will compete with the so called big 4. play like that against chelshit and we will get a tanking.
2/3rds of a team is ok, being the defence and attack. are people then saying the defence is now sorted?
imo next season, a 1st choice defence will be hutton, bale, woodgate and a.n.other - dawson, king, kaboul, someone new?
totally agree we need 2 proper wide men - lennon is being shown up for what he is and steed really is a central midfielder. rose to come through? I reckon Ramos already has a shopping list; get down to the shops Wendy mate !!!
mmmm thoughts?
Re: 9.37anon
I'll send you an oester egg.
Can I just take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for that terrible pun.
I know we're all having lots of fun jumping on our players backs, and pointing out all their faults. But can I just remind everyone that most of them played 3 game in 7 days, inc 120 mins on Wednesday. We were shattered, and it was clear for all to see, lots of sloppy passing and half hearted runs. I'm not saying that we should accept these type of performances, I'm merely suggesting that we don't start demanding a new starting XI.
chimbs had another good game, must be playing for a transfer ?
Here's an impartial take on the game as requested. Now I will stand up and be counted amongst the many who have called Chimbonda every name under the sun - here regularly on this blog too. I even said in an email to my Dad yesterday I would be glad if the petulant selfish (insert mass insults) never wore a Spurs shirt again. But on with the impartial take.
Keane scored. It was a well taken goal. It came from a great move, Steed finding Chimbonda, who timed his thru ball to Keane immaculately - left foot strike - boom 1-0 Spurs.
Defensively, we were trying hard, Woody, Daws and Chimbonda especially displaying some real effort. Dawson threw his body in the way of strikes, twice in the space of 10 seconds(50-50 whether a ref would award a pen on the first block but the ball absolutely touched his hand so arguably we got away with it there) and then chesting the ball away when it was definitely headed goalbound - England's No 4 stranded as per. We were lucky to head into half time 1 nil up IMHO.
Apart from Steed's pass to Pascal, the midfield in general was abysmal. I lost count of the number of times we gave the ball away. And it should not just be the midfield that gets a lambasting here either. Berbatov was failing too, he gave away possession, he seemed downright afraid to shoot at times, instead taking those extra touches, then trying to nick a ball into someone, and when blocked, doing the now familiar jump up, head tilted back, can't be arsed to do much else except glare at everyone else around himself like it was all their fault. They (the midfield) may not have been helping but take some responsibility FFS! Or perhaps the occasional shot out of nothing... like you used to.
Jenas and Zokora between them failed to do much going forward, they would win the ball at times only to hand it back to Citeh with wild misplaced balls. One in particular from Zokora was an incredible back pass from inside the Citeh half, all that was missing was his sky blue shirt, such was the accuracy with which he found their man...
Lennon quite rightly was subbed at the half IMO, despite threatening and going forward at times with his pace, the final ball failed to materialise on numerous occasions. He seems to have lost the ability to cross, and wouldn't take on the final man as much as he used to before. He also declined to put Berba through on one occasion and took a wild shot himself (predictably well wide).
Keane, apart from his goal, too showed a tendency to p1ss around too much or stray offside with alarming regularity which was matched by his finger wagging as if to say "No linesman, you got it wrong again..." - but the fact was the linesman was right every time. More alarming was, despite showing admirable traits in congratulating the (Spurs) MOTM Chimbonda for his contribution to Spurs' goal, was his act of petulance upon being subbed shortly after Citeh had equalised (Ireland clearly offside when he turned the ball home incidentally). Which certainly IS NOT leading by example, IS disrespectful to the Manager's decision and disrespectful to his replacement Bent.
The only thing I could say in his defence is perhaps the "untouchable one" Berbatov should have been the player making way, because he was pretty much anonymous. However I fully expect Ramos to take a dim view and punish Keane with a simalar fine to the one handed out to Chimbonda for throwing the Captain's armband, and for throwing his tracksuit top or whatever it was when he went to the bench. Despite the changes made, Citeh went and scored again, and no shock to see it was from a corner. You could argue Dawson could have done a bit better. What you can't argue with is once again we witnessed the goalkeeper rooted to his line, instead of coming out to deal with the ball. Sure, it was a poweverful header... blah blah. Get Cerny back in, buy a new keeper in the summer, sell Robbo.
Alan Hutton did not have a particularly good game. Andy Gray mentioned the fact his wife gave birth this week, but "that hasn't seemed to have affected him". He was IMO the worst defender on the pitch today, and soon after Mr Gray made the comment Hutton's play appeared to deteriorate, making more mistakes and getting caught with the ball, or out of position. If the "baby factor" in golf is anything to go by though, he'll be at the top of his game in 6 months' time.
Huddlestone (brought on for Lennon) at least did what Berbatov failed to do, which was shoot, and shoot on target.
To all the Bent haters: Why? He is a proven goalscorer, who probably cost more than he should have. Is that his fault? His goal (had it stood) would have at least given us the draw. Unfortunately we appeared to be on the receiving end of another arguably bad decision this time from the other linesman. I say arguably, because our "talisman" Mr Tiltheadback was in an offside position when O'Hara's free kick was taken. True, he was not actually in front of goal, and he was not interfering with play. The decision was made simply because of his position. Had he been in line with the last Citeh defender, the goal stands, and we likely get the draw.
I will sum up by stating the following:
Chimbonda was a bright light in a dull overall performance. Keane should be apologising. If Ghaly throwing his shirt is disrespectful and worthy of fining, if Chimbonda's Carling act of petulance was worthy of criticism and a fine then so too Keane's behaviour, espcially as our acting Captain. The tracksuit top has a cockerel on it too, doesn't it? I don't think we deserved to win, or lose in reality. Sadly we lost, and I do think there are more questions to be answered after this performance. And I could well go so far as to suggest if Chimbonda wants to stay, and he continues to show commitment, and performs like he did today then so be it. Would have liked three points though. It's about time we gave Taarabt a start, and a further cushion from the drop zone would likely introduce that scenario sooner rather than later.
Ramos is inscrutable, and I wouldn't want to suggest what motivates him when he approaches a game such as this.
Did he take Keane off to test his character? If so, Keane failed the test? Or passed, depending on what the test was.
Or was it to test the character of the players who depend on Keane and his 'leadership'? If so, their character was found wanting.
Did Ramos field Bent to prove that he's still capable of running around a football pitch? Likewise Robbo - to prove he can still (sort of) keep goal?
After all, if you want to sell something you need to advertise it.
Or did he do what he did simply to win? Or all these things and more?
For me, the most disappointing thing was the way defenders and forwards were forced to communicate with each other from opposite ends of the pitch, rather than through the medium of the midfield.
In the highlights of the Scum game against Boro I watched Hleb thread a brilliant pass through to Fabregas. No one saw it coming - it came at a right-angle. Every time a Spurs midfielder gets the ball I wait in forlorn hope for something as artful and inspirational. Fact is, it won't come with this lot. Furthermore, if the board is impatient to achieve Champions League status they'll have no right to be impatient wiith Ramos for not being able to bring the existing motley crew up to scratch. He could coach some of them till they retire and there still wouldn't be a significant improvement.
But give him leave to dismantle this mongrel squad built in I know not who's image and let him build one in his own.
Only then will there be a chance of seeing passes executed, not f*cking horizontally, but at right-angles.
9.37 Anon
el
Don't apologise - the pun was good!
9.37 Anon
anon 8.16pm
monster post. excellent. thank you.
8.16 Anon
Yes, I'm concerned, too, that the same sniper that targets Drogba is now sharp-shooting at our Berba.
Sad but true. And transparent, if he doesn't know it.
9.37 Anon
dannyboy:
Anon 8.16 here. No, thank you for reading it! I got a bit carried away... something about being a Spurs fan stirs the emotions. I probably should start blogging myself ;-). Harry needn't worry though (not that there could be competition to this place :-)). For starters I'd pick a different subject matter... though I might throw in the odd Spurs comment, and would certainly recommend this blogspot!
Disgusted, disappointed with Keane, though. Never thought I'd see the day.
Good stuff 8.16 Cheers!
dannyboy. calm down dear it's only a blog
I didn't call YOU a prick or a twat so how exactly was I disrespectful ?
I thought I was having a light hearted dig at your support for Zokora and Jenas ?
EL. Liked the pun don't be so hard on yourself
onedavemackay
I've always said Zokora is a headless chicken; never rated him, never will. You know my thoughts on Jenas. Referring to me as 'their lover'; childish churlish comments mate. So there! Light hearted? maybe; cheap shot? Definitely. Dave Mackay was a legend, you cheapen his name. If I was Dave Mackay, I should nut ya!!!
coys
Can I just take this opportunity to apologise for apologizing for that superb pun.
Prediction: Chelski will sh*t on us from a great hight.
Go on the Spurs!
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