May 05 2013
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Uncategorized

Headline = Bale… Again

Bale

There is something strangely satisfying about watching your team play poorly yet escape with all three points. It’s the same euphoric feeling that you got as a kid stealing sweets, or as an adult stealing someones wife. You shouldn’t get away with it but by god it’s good when you do. After playing Southampton it felt precisely like this because we ‘robbed em’ plain and simple, they had the better game-plan, executed it better, were more of a threat offensively and looked more robust defensively. Sir Alex said that Pochettino’s Southampton side were the best team to play at Old Trafford this season and they weren’t far off it at White Hart Lane. Fact is though that we won the game thanks to yet another individual effort from Mr 3rd best in the world as everyone seems intent on catagorising him as. The team were not good enough on Saturday, even Bale (apart from the goal) was quiet. This poor performance however has allowed us as a collective fan base to experience something, this is what it feels like as an Arsenal fan… It’s an empty old existance.

The reason behind the performance may have something to do with the nerves that have permiated the club and the fans in recent weeks, Chelsea haven’t fallen away like many had hoped and Arsenal are somehow keeping their run going. This means our future is in our own hands and we can’t allow for one slip up, naturally in this situation the nerves set in pre match as this was in every sense of the word a must-win game what with Chelsea coming up in the week. The team did not cope well with the added expectaion and could not settle into a rhythm, granted this was in part due to Southampton’s far superior movement around the pitch but for the entire first half they were in control of the game and looked comfortable.

Changes were made to the team both forced and unforced with Dembele, Dempsey and Lennon being replaced, this did little to effect the game until the 80th minuite. It was as though everyone in White Hart Lane simultaniously looked up at the clock and said to themselves time to stop fucking about. The team pushed forward and the winning goal began to look more likely, going to Chelsea on Wednesday would always be hard but to do so on the back of anything less than a win would be the end of our season. Bale certainly knew this and there was an aire of inevitablility about it when he picked the ball up on the right up against his so called protege Shaw, (Levy should be dusting the cheque book off for him this summer) cut in and fired home his 20th in the league this season.

After picking up all the awards this season if he drags us into the Champions League he will write himself into Spurs folklore, the first player to score 20 in the league for nearly 20 years and if/when he does depart us it will be for the kind of money that could really help build a new stadium…

Up next is Chelsea on Wednesday, we are not expected to win which is only a good thing at this point and may allow for some of the players to relax and play their game more. If we loose then it is out of our hands and we then rely on other teams, our run in includes two teams that play on Monday night so hopefully after that game at least one of the two is safe from relegation. Arsenal’s run in includes two teams that look as though they will be battling for survival in Wigan and Newcastle so their final games are anything but guaranteed points. Chelsea meanwhile have a Europa League final to contend with as well as the in-form Villa and Everton on the final day of the season, again these are difficult games to call so regardless of the result midweek this battle for Champions League football will go down to the wire.

Games like Chelsea on Wednesday are the ones that you can judge characters by, you can judge the managers decisions and the players actions. You can judge the season by it, this game is Tottenham’s most important in a long time, the stakes are so high for both clubs. These are the kind of games you love football for, when the fixture list throws you one that has real importance for both teams, one in which you can leave all rational, reason and sense at the turnstiles and be immersed for two hours.

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Apr 22 2013
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Match Report, Premier League

It’s all in the Subs

Defoe vs City

And with three substitutions AVB effectively saved the season.

Of course credit has to go to those three substitutes for changing the game in the manner in which they did. Huddlestone brought a calmness to the team, a composure that was lacking in the opening hour, while Parker is very good at what he does the more creative choice, Huddlstone shone in the middle of a midfield three that looked more mobile, clinical and compact than City’s in the final half hour.

Holtby came on and did what he does best, move the ball around. He plays with the enthusiasm of a 12 year old, always wanting the ball, making space and finding time to link play. Like Huddlestone he managed to rack up an assist after entering the fray and will have done his chances of starting the next game no harm at all.

The third and final season-saving substitution was Jermain Defoe. Having not scored in the league this year and with Adebayor beginning to cement his place this was a huge chance for Defoe who was returning from injury. He took his chance with what was the epitome of a Jermain Defoe goal, an early strike that beat the keeper at his far post. Defoe has forged a career doing just that and is not done yet. The shot was excellent, which is more than can be said for Kompany’s defending, shepherding him inside is suicide… He had been dealing with Adebayor for an hour though so perhaps he got confused, shepherding Ade inside is essentially as good as putting the ball out for a throw in.

These three substitutions, the formation change that happened to accommodate the subs and Bale gaining some confidence from his assist all contributed to the turn-around and ultimate victory. There was something quite satisfying about beating City, not because of their millions but because last season we lost away to them after a great fun of form. That effectively ended our push to challenge for the title (as if there was one) and set the course for the remainder of the season. This time around it was a bit different, while a loss would have ended our European aspirations a win only helped our claim for the right to play in the Champions League, to be the best you have to beat the best and that is exactly what we have done against both City and United this year. Another highlight for AVB’s CV should Madrid cast their eyes over him in the Summer.

I said a while back that it would likely be Chelsea we would again be fighting with for a top four finish, this hasn’t changed as Woolwich still seem to be scraping 1-0′s at bottom of the league clubs, keeping them in contention. Our next game is away at Wigan, an attractive team that, if they do get relegated, will be my pick to win the Championship next year, as it is they shouldn’t be where they are for the football they play and this will be no walk-over, to make things worse they really are struggling for survival.

Meanwhile Chelsea now embark on a very busy patch for them that will see their squad tested, the fact that we are not in the Europa League any more might not be such a big issue now i think about it…

 

 

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Apr 12 2013
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Europa League, Match Report

There’s always next year…

I was looking forward to a trip to Amsterdam as well…

It’s hard to argue though, that over the two legs Basel weren’t the best team. They were organised, compact, quick and clinical throughout both ties. While many felt that we were gifted the easiest route to the semi-finals, any fans of the Swiss Super league would have to have disagreed. The Swiss youth system is making waves around European football and many are predicting they will become a real force in International football in the next decade. (think Belgium five years ago). Despite loosing their two star players last summer, Shaqiri and Xhaka to the Bundesliga Basel managed to again strengthen with signings such as Sauro and Mohamed Salah, the latter of which introduced himself to the European stage at Tottenham’s expense.

AVB spoke post-match about how he was proud of his players, how they had showed England you can compete on both Thursdays and Sundays. He did not bemoan them for faltering against Swiss opposition, nor did he look to excuses in injuries, because to be quite honest Spurs were lucky to even make it to penalties.

It wasn’t a case of playing poorly over two legs, it was a case of being outplayed by a team with a plan and who executed it professionally, after the first leg Villas-Boas said that they had played the best team to visit White Hart Lane this season. When you consider who has played at the ground in the past 7 months that is incredibly high praise. The movement, variety and effectiveness of Basel’s front three was what won them the tie, a perfect mix between pace, power and technique will see the Swiss champions go far both domestically and in Europe.

For Tottenham the loss has a very slim silver lining, the focus is now on the league.

Six games to go and it is very tight for Champions League places, the run in could be worse with four of the final games all against mid-lower (predicting) league teams, there is a very interesting fixture in the middle of the run-in though against Chelsea that could decide both clubs fate next season.

I have a suspicion that Chelsea’s league form will begin to slip in the coming months, they have difficult fixtures against some good teams as well as a derby with Fulham. The F.A cup and Europa League should prove distractions and they too will have to travel to Switzerland in two weeks time. Thinking of Chelsea not getting in the top four two years running is extremely decadent and i’m sure AVB would like to indulge in this come the end of the season.

The other contender for those two spots has, bar a visit from United, a relatively easy run-in. They have been extremely lucky this season to still be where they are, we have seen that team scrape more victories this season than ever before yet they still sit with a chance and can jump to third by winning their game in hand. As much as i hate to say it i think they will be playing in Europe’s elite competition come next season.

Nine days now before the visit of Manchester City. A few months ago we were talking about overtaking them in second place, now a victory will most likely only be enough to regain that fourth spot for a little. The rest (thank you Chelsea) should help the squad and allow some players time to heal up, Kabul for one has earmarked the City game as his return.

Finally the guy that threw the Banana at Bale in the derby game has been fined. His solicitor said he had attended “dozens” of matches before… Typical Arsenal.

 

 

 

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Mar 20 2013
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AVB, Premier League

Keep The Faith

AVB Sword

Faith in football is fleeting, it works in transient stages. Pre-Liverpool the majority of the Spurs faithful were confident, excited to see what the rest of the season had in store. They were assured by AVB’s comments regarding the teams fitness levels competing in the Europe League. Three defeats in a week and the belief is dwindling, excuses have been presented and rebuffed by the manager, unwilling to bemoan the European competition this is one AVB clearly feels would cement his reputation if he were to lift it with two different clubs.

And so the debate begins, a single slip up against Fulham (Liverpool was not a game we were expected to win) and AVB is ‘in a state of denial’ as one article put it. Reminds me of Villas-Boas early days in charge and the then pro-Arry brigade, only this time the debate is if we should even compete seriously in Europe like every major club or sack it off like the infinitely wise Redknapp did.

It would seem that for the next two weeks this is the narrative, top four or Europa League. Of course this is the narrative constructed for us fans and by no means will it permeate through to the club. If we are led to believe it is one or the other and that we cannot compete for both then we are more likely to alter our expectations of the team. When AVB does not rest players for the seemingly lesser Europa League, fans reaction will be that of outrage, themselves choosing top four over cup glory as if it will have any bearing under this AVB reign.

The manager has a clear vision, one that does not account for quaint stories or records but one that is focused on trophies, progression and attractive football. He is aware of the demands that can be placed upon a professional footballer and is not afraid to work the players. This should be welcomed by fans, for 70k a week they should be able to play for 180 mins shouldn’t they? Simply put AVB will not alter his methods for the few that will demand it, he believes professional footballers can be asked to play twice a week to their highest capabilities and I for one have faith in that.

There is a fortnight now to prepare for the final part of the season, in December when we were shipping late goals AVB countered it in training and the results are history, he now has a similar opportunity to put the time in with what players are left at the club and will no doubt use some of the down-time to prepare tactically for upcoming teams, there is one other factor that has been largely forgotten that could play a part in the closing stage of the season.

I am of course talking about Younes Kaboul, who should have regained a good deal of his fitness in two weeks and will no doubt be looking at making an impact in the remaining eight games, arguably our best defender, Kaboul’s presence has been missed this season. If you were to say last year we would be fourth in March with no King, Kaboul, Modric or VDV I’m sure most would have taken it.

At this stage, as I said earlier, there are some loosing faith. They have been psychologically battered for years though so who can blame them. As a club we are close to achieving our goals, but at the same time there is still a long way to go and normally in this situation we start to falter. In steps AVB and his no-nonsense, non-superstitious approach to the game, he will not pay credence to the ‘close but not quite’ history this club has in modern football, instead he will ensure level heads and confidence prevails.

We will compete in the Champions League next year, our squad will be stronger, Bale will stay, Sandro will be fit again, and we may even have some (new) fond memories of Amsterdam. Keep the faith.

 

 

 

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Mar 15 2013
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Europa League, Match Report

That’s Just The Tottenham Way

San Siro

That wasn’t fun.

To put it plainly AVB got his tactics wrong on the night. Everyone could see what he attempted to do by playing two strikers in a fixture like that, but it clearly didn’t work. Instead of the comfortable tie that should come naturally with a 3-0 advantage we were subjected to 120+ minutes of classic make it hard for ourselves Tottenham, at least it brought back some memories.

I don’t want to linger on this result for long, certain players are more culpable than others but by a large that was a poor team performance when assessing the task at hand. The manager will have learned a lot from last night and hopefully we’ll be reminiscing fondly on the trip to the San Siro from Amsterdam in May.

We are through and that’s what matters, the game was again marred by racist chanting. Something that has quite shockingly become very familiar for Spurs players this season. I’ll go ahead and presumptuously write that Eufa are going to do sod all about it as per usual, if they continue to not seriously deal with the issue then expect this kind of thing to keep happening. All we can hope for is that we don’t draw any more Italian clubs… Or Russian… Or Turkish for that matter.

The draw for the next round has been made and it looks like Basel, regular readers will be aware of my time spent reporting on the Swiss Super League this season as it’s been my only excuse for some late articles. I have watched Basel several times this season at St. Jakob-Park and while they are far from the team that beat Manchester United last season (Shaqiri leaving for Bayern being the main difference) they are still very useful and do pose more of a threat than the Spurs community will give them credit for. More on Basel closer to the time though.

We welcome Martin Jol and his Fulham side to the lane Sunday, while a few players have just been through 120 minutes of match time there are still plenty that will line up Sunday fresh as a daisy, Bale, Lloris and Dawson to name a few. Fulham are a strange side, under Jol they are the epitome of mid table, a gamblers dream they tend to win when they should and loose when they should, when its tough to call they tend to draw. That being said Fulham are 11/2 so hopes are high.

This is the part I’m supposed to talk about Berbatov, say things about his grace and technique. It’s not happening today, I’m still feeling the effects of the 4-1 so the last thing any of us need is to speculate over old Dimitar coming back to dent our Champions League aspirations. Instead I will just remind everyone that we won the corresponding fixture 3-0 in December.

Bale is back, as is Lloris, both strikers are fit and Dempsey could return to the squad. While Fulham have few injuries they have the worst record in London derby’s this season while Spurs have the best, on top of this we have won the past 6 fixtures in the league.

Bale inspired win written all over it.

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Mar 12 2013
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Match Report, Premier League

Liverpool vs Spurs – Nothing Lasts Forever

Untitled

Watching Spurs on Sunday made me all kinds of nostalgic, and not in a good way. In a, this is the Spurs i remember, self sabotaging, mistake laden, could be but not quite’s.  Now that may seem harsh, 3rd in the league, quarter-final in Europe probably on the cards etc, and it is, but the fact is i grew up watching Spurs never quite get ‘there’ when they were so close. While I do believe we will compete in the Champions League next season and am a huge proponent of the modern possession/pressing game at Spurs, there was something familiar about watching a run of games like that come to such an end. Four individual mistakes cost us two goals and with that our unbeaten record.

AVB has no time for superstition or narrative, and nor should he, Sunday for him was simply a case of several individual errors compounded by playing against a good Premiership side. Kyle Walker was bemoaned at the start of the season for making decisions such as the one to play the ball back to Lloris, since our good run of form he has improved and looked to have cut out these lapses in concentration, hopefully this was a reminder to him that he needs to stay focused for 90 full minutes and not play balls so carelessly. If it was a contest between the two England right backs he certainly came out the weaker.

Lloris can not be blamed for the goal to the extent Walker can, he was quick off his line to even get a touch, as it turned out the touch was straight into Downing’s path. That made the game 2-2, a result i’m sure 99% of supporters from both teams would have taken, until Defoe, who really is in a poor bit of form, decided to put Suarez through on goal at which point BAE thought a lunge in the box on one of the most elusive players to have ever played in this country would be wise. The result was a Gerrard goal and a 3-2 loss.

I guess the players were due one poor result, what makes it all the worse though is that Spurs were the better team, Bale with two assists and Vertonghen with two good goals should have been enough to see Liverpool’s top four dreams crushed, instead they have eyes for Arsenal…

Come the end of the season, if we are in the top four, Liverpool are 5th, and Arsenal behind them with not even Europe League football on the horizon then i will look back on this game and smile for we have in that defeat made Arsenal’s task quite a bit harder, now they have a real in form team coming off the back of their biggest win of the season hunting them down in 5th. The other two Europa League spots will go to Swansea and either Millwall, Blackburn or Wigan leaving only one available for a league finish, this will be fifth, so not only is there a ‘race’ for the top four but a lesser race for 5th taking place now.

I don’t want to linger on this defeat for long, Inter on Thursday with no Bale but a 3 goal lead, there should be a few changes to the team but not wholesale.

Don’t be too down, you didn’t think it would last forever did you?

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Mar 09 2013
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Premier League, Preview

Liverpool vs Spurs Match Preview and Team Sheet – Premier League 10/3/13 16.00pm

Liv v Tot

Reflecting on the past two weeks has revealed two of the best weeks i can recall as a Spurs fan. Victories over West Ham, Arsenal and Inter Milan in the manner in which they happened are good enough, but on the back of an incredible run of form, with Bale at the forefront of world football, sat in 3rd place in the league and a European quarter-final spot all but guaranteed. Let me tell you, it doesn’t get much better than this.

This could easily become a Levy/AVB ‘love in’ piece but there is a game Sunday and the season’s not over yet. Against Liverpool there is an opportunity to put yet more pressure on our rivals, while on the other hand eliminating one of our hardest remaining fixtures on a weekend where others can’t close the gap. There are a lot of supporters more nervous about this fixture than any of the last half-dozen, and with good reason.

Their only competition left is the Premiership, they have eyes for Everton and can overtake them with a win Sunday, and to top it off they have a player that is in almost as good form as Bale in Luis Suarez. Come the end of the season that will inevitably be the debate, which one gets player of the year. In recent weeks Bale has scored 10 in his last 8 while Suarez sits on 21 for the season and 8 in 2013, one more than the Welshman. Liverpool have destroyed the last two teams that played them in the league, 4-0 at Wigan last week and 5-0 when Swansea visited Anfield, sandwiched between these two was a 3-1 win over Zenit so confidence will be high and preparation time plenty.

Inter were impotent on Thursday, a side clearly more focused on Champions League qualification than Europa League success as is becoming more and more common in modern football, while this idea was intrinsically British once upon a time it’s managed to permeate throughout the European football leagues. Gone are the days of cups and trophies bringing glory to the club and it’s area, now just keeping up with the powerhouses is enough, ensuring a nice flow of money incoming is of more importance than say Europe’s 2nd elite competition. AVB is a refreshing voice in England, continually dismissing the media’s lack of respect for the competition. While it may not be the Champions League where the big money is, the treatment of this title over the past decade by both managers and the media has been disgraceful, the insistence of a ‘top four’ elite group, ulterior motives and managers watching their own backs have all aided in damaging the tournaments public image in the UK.

A win on Sunday will put us five points ahead of Chelsea, 10 ahead of Arsenal and only two behind City. In terms of personnel we may well be without Aaron Lennon for the trip after injuring his hamstring in midweek, along with Lennon out are Dempsey and Huddlestone who should both be fit for next weeks visit to the San Siro. Kabul is still a little way off full fitness and is expected to be given another few weeks. For Liverpool they welcome back Sturridge and Skrtel who both missed games with thigh and knee injuries respectively.

Life is good as a Spurs fan right now, look around, soak it all in, because this kind of success does not come with the nations adulation for long.

Oh and if you want a laugh…Watch this. I love the Internet.

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Mar 05 2013
3 Comments
Conversation, Premier League

Wenger Out Bruv…

Bale vs Arsenal

Spurs Fan: 25 years of supporting Tottenham and I can’t think of a game i was more emotionally involved in.

Arsenal Fan: WENGER OUT

Spurs Fan: That’s a bit hasty, look what he did for your club.

Arsenal Fan: WENGER OUT

Spurs Fan: Send him down the road then, i’m sure AVB could use a number 3.

Arsenal Fan: WENGER OUT

Spurs Fan: You’re getting a bit childish now.

Arsenal Fan: I’m only 17 bruv.

Spurs Fan: That explains it, you’re not old enough to appreciate what he’s done for Arsenal.

Arsenal Fan: Shut up, supported Woolwich Arsenal my whole life.

Spurs Fan: Why support them though when a real club is so close?

Arsenal Fan: I like guns fam.

Spurs Fan: Guns…?

Arsenal Fan: Yeah blud, badge got a gun on it.

Spurs Fan: So you first supported the club because of their branding?

Arsenal Fan: And what? All my bredrin the same.

Spurs Fan: It explains a lot.

Arsenal Fan: You gunna get sliced open being clever.

Spurs Fan: Vermaelen wasn’t being clever when he got sliced open

Arsenal Fan: That was Wengers fault.

Spurs Fan: How?

Arsenal Fan: Not lettin Steve Bould sort the defence.

Spurs Fan: Media horse shit to me, why would he bring Bould in, not listen to his suggestions and get panned every week for it?

Arsenal Fan: Cos he’s shit init.

Spurs Fan: So who would you replace Wenger with?

Arsenal Fan: Anyone.

Spurs Fan: Harry?

Arsenal Fan: Yeah blud he the best English manager, he an Arsenal fan n all, I see it on telly.

Spurs Fan: PAH! Harry is an incompetent crook, speak to any Portsmouth,Southampton or Spurs fan.

Arsenal Fan: Get a disease speaking Spurs fans.

Spurs Fan: Disease? Your club is a disease, your fans are a disease, they line up Saturday afternoons with those preppy fucking scarves, piss and moan until they’re winning, lambaste the manager while not singing a word and all the while the club have free reign over their bank accounts. They optimise all that’s wrong with modern football.

Arsenal Fan: You’re dizzy bruv.

Spurs Fan: 2-1?

Arsenal Fan: WENGER OUT

 

 

 

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Mar 02 2013
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Premier League, Preview

Spurs vs Arsenal Match Preview and Team Sheet – Premier League 3/3/13 16.00pm

Spurs v Arsenal

There is usually very little enjoyment to be had watching a north London derby, wave after wave of emotion relentlessly crashing over you for 90 unforgiving minutes that’s commonly followed by a week of quiet reflection. For years we were the underdogs, playing second fiddle to the countries most ‘attractive’ team, playing ‘beautiful’ football, winning trophies, breaking league records and all we could do was wait.

The waiting is over, writing has been on the walls for years now, we are taking their place at the big boy table and will inevitably finish above them sooner or later. Last season under a tactically inept manager we nearly did it, and we would have done but for the England job. This season years of work are culminating in one of our best campaigns in modern history while Arsenal fans are calling for Wenger’s head and praying for a Champions League spot.

Sundays game has been spoken of with eager anticipation by Spurs fans, 14 games with only one loss is impressive form while Arsenal have had cup upsets and financial disagreement in 2013. Everyone says form means nothing in derby games… Well it certainly means something, it affects how you prepare for the game, how the players approach their tasks, how confidently the team line up and ultimately it affects the managers selection, the great run we are on (Congrats Bale and AVB on P/M of the month) is nothing if not an advantage on Sunday.

This fixture is intrinsically tangled in the narrative of both clubs, it comes at a pivotal moment for both teams with more than just three points at stake, it feels as though a part of both clubs future will hang in the balance when the teams take to the field Sunday. This is why the pressure does not lie with us, we have stood in their shadow for too long, we are too big to fit in it now and they know it. Arsenal need to be better than us, to finish above us, to finish in the top four every year, they define themselves against it and it just so happens this time out we have a chance to change it all. We have a chance to change the direction of their club as well as ours, we know what their fans are like… Will they be there singing and cheering next season in the Europa League? Will the support be there when they are fighting for a top 6 finish rather than top 4? I highly doubt it.

For Spurs the narrative is rather different, we loose and we still have a point in hand, it’s not ideal but, we would still be in the top 4 with a decent looking run in. The pressure lies more directly at our neighbours door, they loose and it becomes a different task for them, a different narrative, one that echo’s our struggle of recent years. If you buy into the sequential nature of modern football then you can see this game is all about Arsenal, and that is nothing but good news for us.

I said at the start there was little enjoyment to be had watching this fixture, if Gareth Bale does what we know he can do it may well be a very enjoyable experience for all in Lillywhite. It doesn’t matter where he starts, no part of their defence is strong enough for him, Wenger said they will not accommodate for Bale, he is not nearly that stupid despite what their fans think.

AVB faces quite the selection headache this weekend with all but a few in contention for a start, the first position he must decide on is left-back, BAE is a fine player and one of the best in Europe in his position, though Vertonghen usually starts here when combatting a physical threat such as West ham. The second spot is the central defensive pairing, Dawson continually impresses and i expect him to be accompanied by either Caulker or Vertonghen. The third and final big selection decision Villas-Boas must face is who to accompany Bale and Lennon behind the striker? Bale may start through the middle or from the left with either Dempsey, Holtby or Sigurdsson next to him, many fans are calling out for Sigurdsson to be given a chance after recent impressive appearances.

Not for a long time have i entered derby weekend with so much hope, confidence is high, momentum with us, the team are working hard for the manager and clearly like him, Bale. Arsenal as a club are deflated, their fans and manager no longer have the symbiotic relationship they once did and the pressure/narrative lies firmly with them.

In 90 minutes we can take control of our own future as well as Arsenal’s, propelling us forward towards third place, the Champions League and a very bright future while resigning them to a year outside the top four, more harmful speculation surrounding the manager, the famous boo boys will expand in size and what a shame it would be if they really did have an army building budget to spend but not Champions League to offer.

Only one thing left to do…

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Feb 26 2013
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Bale, Match Report, Premier League

West Ham vs Spurs – We Are NOT a One Man Tea…Oh

BPF Bale

When Joe Cole swivelled and poked the ball past the wrong footed Lloris to put West Ham in front an eerily familiar feeling began to sink in. It was similar to that felt after the 3-2 defeat suffered away at Manchester City last January. On that day our hopes of a title challenge extinguished and with that so did our form, the rest is history and now we sit in third, overtaking Chelsea after 27 games, the same amount of games that was given to AVB before Abramovich sent him packing, it’s like he planned it.

Much like last seasons defeat to City, if we were to have lost last night it would have been very tough to recover from, a loss then against Arsenal would have likely put is in fifth, with no momentum and a shattered morale, instead there is talk of catching City in second and stretching the gap the other way to seven points.

There were three players last night that made the difference for Spurs not just Bale, if Jääskeläinen hadn’t of been in such spectacular form then it would have been made much easier, as it was he was up there with Bale for man of the match and it was going to be something special to win the game. Lloris wasn’t even nearly the best keeper on the pitch but yet again he made a huge impact when called upon both rushing out from his line and saving numerous shots, he is so vital when playing a high line that he literally allows the team to play better football knowing that he is behind the defence.

The second player that should be highlighted is Sigurdsson who came on for Holtby and showed a desire to work for the team, create chances and put his mark on the game. While many may not agree he is a player with just as much potential as Hotlby and should be given a start at some point in the next few games if Bale is to be played through the middle. While his goal was hardly spectacular it was his shot earlier on that bobbled up off the post into Adebayors path where he managed to get the entire Spurs universe to collectively ask when Defoe will be fit.

The third player to be singled out for praise is the man i’ve run out of superlatives for. He is directly effecting the results of every game we play in now, this is why you see bias reporting claiming Spurs to be a one-man-team, they’ve never followed a team with a player as evolved as Bale. Simply put if we didn’t have him we wouldn’t be 9th like SSN aludes to, we may not be third but we wouldnt be too far behind. Bale is managing to put his stamp on every game, a stamp that is the same size as Messi or Ronaldo’s, a stamp that the world notices. There was a free kick at the end of the first half, half-way through the balls trajectory you could hear the start of the West Ham jeers, he had kicked the ball too high, impossible for it to dip under the post with that little distance. The ball did not dip under the bar, it wasn’t on target and the West Ham fans were spared any blushed, is dipped an unbelieveable amount though and had Jääskeläinen worried, Bale himself was surprised at what he had done as was evident from his facial expression. While it may be insignificant in the grand scheme of the game the Welshman shocked himself with the amount of dip he made possible, i cant think of another time that has been done to such an extent, this is yet more evidence of him progressing not just his own ability but the sport in much the same way Messi/Ronaldo/Ibrahimovic do.

My favourite moment of the season happened after Bale’s last minuite strike, the embrace between himself and the manager was very revealing. The entire team went strait to the duo and celebrated like the goal had come in a cup final, the team knew the magnitude of the game last night, in some ways it was more important than the Arsenal game, it directly affected how we now approach it and has given the team a safety net and yet more confidence. AVB is clearly very well liked at Spurs by just about everyone now (Harry hangers on are even converting now) and the teams embrace is beautifully juxtaposed with the scenes at Chelsea this time last season.

We all know what’s up next, and i for one am salivating at the thought of what Bale could do to that Arsenal defence. Wenger must be having a lot of sleepless nights.

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