Wigan: How a must-win became a draw

Too Similar to Everton

A side worthy of Champions League contention should make the most of an early goal. The old adage that a team is at their most vulnerable having just scored has reared its ugly head the last three times we’ve found ourselves ahead. We may be showing character and a never say-die attitude expensively absent from performances last season, yet recently when scoring first, we have quickly given away sloppy goals. This occurred both against Everton and Basle where instead of building upon an early lead with sensible possession as to frustrate opponents, we find ourselves at square one shortly after, another clean sheet escaping us. Having been the subject of sucker-punches, we have struggled to re-assert dominance in these games and have been picked off easily.

As fun as late equalisers are, there should be no need to rescue games in the dying embers. AVB made an effort to improve focus in the latter stages of games and needs to do the same for the period immediately after scoring.  Despite our dearth of traditional striking options, we have been scoring enough goals to win matches, but do not defend well enough to do so. AVB’s game is one of attrition, something which worked so well against City, but like the Everton game, in order to get regular 3 points in the manner the Gooners do, we tend to simply leave ourselves with too much to do.

Corners

With a manager famed for attention to detail at the helm and surrounded by an entourage of Portuguese coaches some of whom I do not know the name of (plus Steffen), one would think we that our side would be prepared for the eventuality of defending corners in our football matches. Apparently not. At such a crucial stage in the season, we have conceded 5 goals from corners in the last 6 games, and it would have been 6 in 6 were it not for Hugo’s heroics from a Tevez header.

Our schoolboy-esque inability to defend corners is all the more galling when witnessing our own tame attempts at the other end. This is something that disappointingly has not improved one iota since Harry’s reign (except Caulker 3x attempts vs the Hammers). All we need is someone on the back-post when we face one, and someone on the opposition ‘keeper when we take one. This recent record is appalling, and needs to be arrested immediately. Failure to concentrate at corners cost us the Europa League and could yet put pay to another top 4 quest.

Marquee Signing

Kyle Naughton

In the DW ‘marquee’ (a rare treat of an in-stadium function room with Sky, pies and pints), I let out a pre-match groan when official team news filtered through. Again, AVB had decided to part with BAE in spite of a strong second half showing against Man City, thus consigning us to the shaky back-four showings that are all too prevalent when the lesser Kyle is in the side at LB. His naïve positional sense was shockingly exposed in ITV coverage of the Basle 2nd leg, and he has been at the heart of some shocking defensive performances this season in games at Leeds and Inter. He is ok on the ball but his lack of awareness is not something he can compensate with searing pace like Walker, and it also seems to blight him when in his rightful RB position. BAE has never been reliable away from home but his inclusion does not constitute an experiment in the same way Naughton’s does. At Wigan, again it did not pay off – he was caught out leading to the corner in the first half and was beaten far too easily before McManaman rifled in Wigan’s second goal. BAE’s introduction in order to pose more threat going forward paid dividends but was a waste of a substitution – he should have started.

Yes, even more so over the Summer?

Bale

It is an all too familiar sense as a Spurs fan to have a glorious ‘season defining win’ such as Sunday’s, only to be followed up with crushing realities associated with a subsequent performance like that on show against Wigan. I found something strange about Bale’s contribution in both games. Where it looked like Gareth was suffering from tentativeness during his return from a nasty looking injury, he suddenly blew away Kompany & Co when it mattered.  There was no such instance in Lancashire. Why was this? Bale seemed to be fine darting behind City’s defence to dink over Hart but with an extra week of recovery under his belt, failed to, and hardly attempted to beat any man at Wigan. As the game wore in, this appeared to be down to lack of effort more than anything. My old man offered a cynical explanation – Bale has been advised by his representatives not to risk getting another dangerous injury whereby he could jeopardise a big money summer transfer.  I guess we shall see in the remaining games and any subsequent transfer activity as to whether his theory has any prescience. It’s a depressing thought.

Movement

Otherwise, there was lots of effort, but too much mediocrity on show. I’m not convinced Parker would even get into the Wigan side, and I’m mystified why he ended up in so many advanced positions – anyone but him. We all know that if Scott finds himself in the opponent’s penalty area, he still treats it as the centre circle, attempting to hold the ball until he has done at least one pivot. Similarly, Holtby and Dempsey provided huff and puff but little end product – the cry for the width and pace provided by Lennon should have been answered at least ten minutes earlier. The Spurs fans cut frustrated figures looking over at a ready Azza, whilst the ball stubbornly stayed in play. Like at WHL, Kone, was impressive, running Dawson particularly ragged. It looked like Daws and Kyle lost their heads towards the end – one of Waker’s many 2nd half fouls was one in which he was actually given the free-kick that lead to the equaliser. We’ve never relied on Martin Atkinson for accuracy.

Dembele’s loss was a huge blow.  Huddlestone’s passing was great but we were over-reliant on him pinging it about in place of clever movement and incisive passing in the final third. Defoe must have made the same direct run off the shoulder of his defenders a hundred times, pointing and expecting Hudd to pick him out with an impossible delivery each time.  Jermain found himself in good positions at times, especially in the 1^st half, yet seemed to lack half a yard to pull away from defenders. On strikers, Adebayor’s omission was telling. AVB was obviously desperate to drop him as soon as the available squad personnel permitted. And quite rightfully so.

Thank you Wigan

Away from the draw that could nevertheless have easily ended up as a win or defeat, it must be said that there are few places, if any, in the Premier League with a friendlier set of staff and fans than those at Wigan. This has struck me on numerous trips to the JJB/DW, especially during a trip to the player’s lounge. The predictable bad press Wigan get due to their small status and turnout belies the fact that they truly relish their status among the traditional greats of football and they go out of their way to make the away day experience – more than ever an exercise in exploitation – as memorable and comfortable as possible. The pre-match and half time Tamla Motown hits certainly help.

On our way to the turnstiles, we were compelled to commend the atmosphere at Wigan to the ‘Marquee’ front of house Mick McCarthy lookalike who revelled in friendly chit-chat with us outsiders. Having earlier observed Orwell’s heavy-going study ‘the Road to Wigan Pier’ and a crime novel leaning out my jacket pocket, he asked ‘you’re not expecting the match be that boring are you?’. Whilst complimenting the treatment of supporters to our new Northern FOH pal, we were interrupted by another fan thanking for him the loan of a mobile two years earlier when he had ticket trouble. MM remembered. It still remains an undervalued concept by authorities in this country that if football supporters are treated with respect, they will behave.

And of course, in return for Wigan being so welcoming, we have obliged in providing them with 4 points this season. It could have been 6.

@dan2fc

Keep the Faith – What came first the Tottenham or the misery?

Following our latest set back I’ve been compelled to awaken from my recent blog-writing slumber and write some general musings on our current situation. After much thought and varying emotions it’s probably the right time.

Arsenal hurt…alot…had it not been my girlfriend’s birthday I’m pretty sure a pathetic, alcohol induced crying spree would still be going on. Man U, as frustrating though it was, it was also as predictable as a 7 minute period of stoppage time when Man U are trailing one-nil at Old Trafford. A disallowed goal, periods of dominance but an inability to score and clinical United finishing are all hallmarks of Spurs v Man U games in recent years.

But it is the Everton game that has us worried the most. It’s unclear whether complacency has set in or whether that Man City game just knocked us for 6. This can be said for both Harry and the players. We have simply not been the same since tactically or mentally. Barring the Newcastle match, we have lacked  fluidity, creativeness and most of all passion, all crucial hallmarks of our game pre-slump.

Now this is not an early ‘Sack Harry’/’Let England Have Him’ call to arms as we have already heard on 5 live, which is by the way a blight on football. Instead I’d argue that it’s a ‘Come on boys do you not remember those nights at the San Siro?’/’Do you really want to go to Rubin Kazan on a Thursday night?’ I suggested on Saturday night that someone should show the players a highlights package of last seasons Champions League but thinking about it I think Harry and the coaching staff need to sit in too. Lets be honest, the tactics have been all wrong, a complete miss mash with no structure. Unless we play a simple 4-4-2 with wide players (in their proper positions might I add i.e. Bale hasn’t got a right foot and is devastating on the left so play him on the bloody left) we are completely impotent; the Wolves back four has more structure than our midfield at the moment. There is nothing wrong with experimenting, of course there isn’t but the experiment of Bale on the right and playing 3 ‘fluid’ central midfielders has been tried and tested and subsequently failed for about 2 months now. And lets not even mention Harry’s terrible substitutions which have been our worst kept secret for some time now.

We are no longer talking about the title; we are now talking about whether we will even keep 3rd place which, up until a few weeks ago had looked a certainty. Indeed, my head is telling me to Keep the Faith, move that finger away from the panic button, we’ve got ‘arry. However, my heart and it’s mid/late 90’s Tottenham core pressed it when van Persie scored Arsenal’s second. Now the finger has turned into a whole fist which has broken the dashboard as well as the button.

Keep the Faith I keep telling myself. We’ve got Redknapp, Levy and the best Tottenham team you’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. We are no longer in the days where you pray for Chris Armstrong to get into double figures (accepting all competitions, including friendlies). No, we have Bale, Modric, Walker, van der Vaart, Super Scotty Parker and Ledley on half a leg. Yes, we still have Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Gomes (apparently) but we still are very, very good, certainly good enough for a Champions League place if not better. Yet, I’m a Tottenham fan, and a 90’s one at that. We are seemingly born with an unrivalled brand of pessimism, the kind where we start drawing up a pre-season Plan Z for Klinsmann to come back if we get into really serious trouble. The kind of pessimism which stems from sitting in the end where I saw all 8 goals in THAT 5-3 loss to Man U, a match that will require counselling sometime in the future.

One of our friends constantly asks how we as Tottenham fans can be so depressed about supporting a team who are 3rd in the league and I am always unable to answer, purely for the reason there isn’t a logical explanation, results based explanation. Maybe we are just unhappy people who have a similar gloomy outlook on our footballing life. Maybe I have just surrounded myself which fellow pessimists, surely all clubs have them? However, I don’t think this is the case; I have rarely met a truly happy Tottenham fan and I think I perversely like that. Nick Hornby (a gooner but everyone has their faults) once wrote ‘what came first, the music or the misery?’ I ask myself a similar thing on a regular basis, what came first, the Tottenham or the misery? I have a feeling they are completely one and the same.

Emmanuel Adebayor, Goal Difference of -1

“Adebayor, Adebayor, this is the best team he’s ever played for”

As we go into unprecedented territory of potentially sealing our own ‘title deciding’ fate against Emmanuel Adebayor’s ‘parent club’ and extortionate pay-packet contributers in the month of January, it seems fitting to conduct a mid-term assessment of the man who continues to divide opinion. So often our tormenter, as yet, he has not shaken off his CV to be fully embraced by the White Hart Lane faithful. His rarely heard (now adapted) chant acknowledges this.  Witnessing him in our colours, its still difficult not to suffer flashbacks from the two goals at the Bernabeu and him volleying home a third (on top of 7 other goals against us for the Gooners) at White Hart Lane in our last home defeat to London opposition. However, he needs to do more than reverse his negative goal tally against us to deserve the undroppable status he has achieved in a great team many strikers would relish turning out for. Use the weekend off to take heed Emmanuel;

Impose Yourself
A less languid Adebayor would see the games which we dominate but edge by one or two goals turn into a long awaited mauling that only Liverpool have been on the end of. A City fan told me shortly after signing Adebayor, that he only tries in his first five games. While this may be an exaggeration, he has indeed scored on his debut for Arsenal, City and us, looking brighter in earlier games. Of course, he has not scored in his last five starts and as has been said before, promising moves regularly break down at his feet. Adebayor is too reliant on the creative players to provide the goals for him. His skill at winning the ball in the air is questionable, he has not scored a header for us which would come in handy to up our desperate goals from corners ratio. An instance of the ‘shirking responsibility dummy’ reminiscent of a Robbie Keane at his prime (his actual prime McGleish) against Wolves was a worrying sight. He must better utilise the physical presence he has, to keep Defoe out the side.

Give us the Power
He needs to shoot more. I cannot recall one shot against Wolves, the type of game, like West Brom, that called out for a moment of magic from our centre forward. How many times can we say Adebayor has produced this? He is prone to offer very little in games. We may have witnessed exquisite assists against Arsenal and Norwich but he should have also been on the scoresheet in both these matches. For a man not known for his subtlety, he is certainly guilty, when shooting, to go for the delicate approach. Had he perhaps gone for power against Chelsea, Terry would have been unable to clear his low shot off the line and we would have beaten ’em. We barely need reminding of the value of a goal out of nothing provided by a good old fashioned thunderous strike with Defoe on our books, which on top of pretty flicks and step-overs, ought to be expected of our big man up front.

Stay Onside
I could not have been more delighted to see the back of Peter Crouch. The calibre of our side had outgrown the necessity for such a footballing oddity. No more unnecessary free-kicks conceded by the man up top! This, sadly, has been replaced by the offsides given against Adebayor. God forbid Pav, Jermain and Ade should all be on at the same time. The three legitimate Emmanuel goals that have been unfairly ruled out is symptomatic of the number of offsides he accumulates just as much it is down to poor officiating. Most commonly, he is caught offside in a static positions. When his movement is a problem for opposition, its more a drift out to the wing, to create space for the more clinical finishers à la the third against QPR, than a well timed dart behind the defence. Whether it stands at 9 goals or 12, focus on movement would significantly increase goal and points tally. He seeks to look clever on the ball while his movement is scatterbrained at best.

Keep Spirits Up
I do not know the man but I perceive him to be as mad as a hatter. So far, this has been good for team spirit. Gareth Bale in particular seems to enjoy Adebayor choosing the dressing room tunes and accompanying dance routines. In this, Bale’s goal celebrations provide evidence that supreme-athletes do not necessarily have rhythm and so is not an adequate dance partner for Ade. Nevertheless, all is forgiven as it is usually Bale that has scored the goal. Adebayor has admirably brushed off disgusting chants by both Spurs fans and Arsenal fans, and unsurprisingly plays with a new found joy since the shocking and tragic event he found himself in the middle of in Angola. Like Benoit Assou-Ekotto, his eccentricities are to be celebrated. On the pitch, Ali Al-Habsi has squirted him in the eye with water upon request, he has swung on the crossbar in front of the Paxton Road end before a corner and did a comical pirouette coming off the pitch against Everton having done nothing. In the dressing room, he must be a right lark. With more of the these moments but more importantly more goals to look forward to, he has the power to banish collective memories of scoring for the wrong side. No shrinking violet, he has been a fundamental presence during the purple patch that is now culminating in a great season. We’ll see how much we miss him on Sunday.

Our routine collection of all 3 points at Eastlands has been consigned to the past. Seemingly so has battling it out there for fourth place. Times have changed for the better at both clubs and of course Adebayor is a far more adept forward than many we’ve seen down the Lane. However, this team deserves a more gifted frontman. The jury’s out on Adebayor. The same will soon be said, albeit less figuratively, of ‘Arry.