| What about the
Worthington Cup Final then ? For the neutral it must have
been the longest ninety odd minutes of their life. For
those involved, it was a long old half-hour until the end
of the match and even the minute or so left after Nielsen
scored the winner seemed like a lot longer. But in true George Graham style, the performance wasn't really
important, but the result was all that mattered. With
only ten men, Tottenham enjoyed their best spell of the
game and Leicester seemed content to play out the
regulation ninety and look forward to extra-time.
However, the Spurs players decided to throw themselves
forward to claim the game inside the remaining time. A
final fling by Iversen which saw him outpace Walsh, a
hand flung out at the ball by Keller and a diving Allan
Nielsen writes his name in Tottenham history as the man
who scored the goal that got Tottenham back in Europe.
Now, whether he will still be around to see that European
campaign begin is questionable. With the Cup not yet put
into the trophy cabinet, the speculation starts about who
will stay and who will go. Sensibly, the club has
broached the matter of contract extensions with Campbell
and Ginola. Among those who could follow Calderwood out
of White Hart Lane are Fox, Armstrong, Ferdinand, Scales,
Tramezzani, Saib, Dominguez, Wilson and Sinton. Graham
sees this win as a vital step (albeit much earlier than
he thought it might happen) in attracting class players
to fill out the squad to sustain a concerted effort for
the Championship. That is his long term aim, along with
success in Europe, which is why the European place is so
important. The mere fact that we will be playing European
matches next season can be used to sell to transfer
targets in the summer. Of
course, many names have already been linked with the club
for George to spend the money on. I'm sure that the
scouts, Pleat and GG himself will have produced a list of
likely players who would fit into the positions which
they see as problematical. The main priority is a proven
goalscorer. The three main forwards at the club have
failed to produce twenty or thirty goals a season, which
at least one must do if there is to be a decent assault
on the League title. All three have spurned many a chance
this season, with Iversen being the only one that Graham
seems set to persist with. Ferdinand appears never to
have recovered his form at Newcastle and Armstrong misses
too many more than he scores. GG will be seeking a
poacher to get those important tap-ins, which seem to
pass us by. The other area where Spurs are lacking is a
creative midfielder. Anderton has been performing well,
but the sort of player with the eye for a defence
splitting pass or a spectacular shot is the sort we
should be seeking. Like Le Tissier, but when he was good.
There will also most likely be a dominating central
defender to play alongside Sol and a left-back to provide
cover in that area. More than that players will be
introduced to strengthen the depth of the squad and allow
GG to chop and change as each game demands. This will be
especially important in Europe.
While there are still a few games
to play out to finish this season, the hard work that is
being put in on the training ground appears to be paying
off. It has worked for Graham whereas it didn't for
Gross. What that tells you, you can make your own mind
up. It is probably the starting point of the plan that
Graham has for making Tottenham a force in English
football again. But let's not get carried away. While it
is nice to have won something after eight long years, the
momentum must be maintained and only when we are
regularly challenging for top honours can it truly be
said that "Tottenham are back!" However, let's
hope that it will not be too far away.
MY
EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART
LANE
MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE CUPS AT WHITE HART
LANE
AND THE SPURS GO MARCHING ON !!!
BRUCE CASTLE
|
