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I thought it safer
(as I am sooo superstitious, but as Spurs have been riding their luck, I
thought I might as well, hope on board !!) not to write while we were anywhere near
the top place in the division, so now I can look back at a couple of
months action in the Premier League.
It was a surprising
start, as the team were not firing on all cylinders and we won some
games with a bit of good fortune. It helped that Kasey Keller has
been on the top of his game too to deny most things that got through the
defence. However, the injuries were bound to hit sooner or later
and it proved to be sooner. The importance of picking up early
points has always been necessary in establishing a sound base to launch
from, but for once that has happened for Tottenham. The old habits
resurfaced in the Boro match though and the lack of work showed that the
team still need a kick up the backside every now and then to remind them
that all the best teams put in a lot of effort as well as skilful play.
The addition of Keane
to the squad is a good one. Some poker style bluffing probably got him
at a reduced price, but then £7 million is about the going rate
nowadays for a decent striker. Hopefully, Robbie will be happy to get a
regular start at the club and show what he is fully capable of.
I am not convinced
that Hoddle's recent comments about the fans being right to boo at the
Boro match were well founded. While it was not the
whole crowd who did this, it was not really the thing your manager
should be encouraging the crowd to do, is it ?? The recent events
at West Ham are probably preying on his mind, where the Chairman said
the crowd should get off the players back. While it is not the
best way to get the best from players, there are fans who pay a lot of
money for their seats and feel they should be able to complain if they
feel so inclined. However, it is better to do these things after
the match, a we surely want the players to do their best while the
game is on.
The Rebrov situation
blunders on without him even seeing the light of day (or floodlight) in
the reserves these days. Rumours are starting to gather pace that
he might join Spartak Moscow when the January transfer window opens ...
hopefully with us getting the much sought after Sychev in return.
If that happens, then his signing and departure might not be in
vain. It is obvious that Keane needs a partner to play alongside
him who is a goal poacher. Robbie has adopted the role of
score-cum-provider and that means that the 25 goal a season man is still
required. Don't know much about Sychev, but he looked a good
finisher in the World Cup.
The other bonus at
the moment is that players are returning to the side after suffering
injuries and this could help boost the flagging troops who have battled
through so far. Freund has shown his worth in midfield, after
being over-run in that area by Boro. His defensive nous helps out
without being spectacular, but he does a very good job that few others
in the squad can. Carr, Poyet, Etherington, Perry and Gardner
should hopefully be fit by the time the Bolton game comes around, while
Anderton, Clemence, Sullivan and Ziege will be fit come the end of
November, leaving only Ledley King and Alton Thelwell out longer term.
It shows that, as
last, we might have a squad to deal with the interminable injuries the
club appears to continually suffer. Not top quality in every
position, but players who are mostly good enough to do a job where
required. Bringing in those better players will be the next step
in the master plan ... a task that will be a lot easier if we can secure
European football.
We are playing in
fits and starts at the moment, but hopefully the passing game can get
back on track soon to show that we can play like that and
win. There will be matches where we get torn apart, as it wouldn't
be Tottenham if we didn't. Seriously, we are not at a stage where
we can dominate matches for long periods to make three points a
formality. There are still battles to be won and the signs are
that we are getting there.
There are a few
tricky matches coming up between now and Christmas, which will test how
far we have come. The narrow loss against, the admittedly out of
form, Man U, showed we are getting there too, but consistency over the
length of the season will see us in the top half and hopefully in the
top six come May. It is that consistency that Hoddle must instill.
Keep the faith.
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
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