Tag Archives: liverpool - Page 2

Can a club like Spurs accommodate four top strikers?

Posted by on July 29, 2009 5 comments

With the arrival of Peter Crouch, Tottenham now have four top strikers at what should be the peak of their football careers. In this day and age, Premiership clubs need to have a depth of talent in all areas of their squads but this means some players are likely to miss out. If all our strikers can keep themselves fit for the majority of the season, how will Harry keep them happy?

The likely pairing for the start of the season will be Defoe and Crouch as far as I’m concerned. If they can hit the ground running, it’s hard to see Pavlyuchenko starting many games. Robbie Keane will force his way in as he’s done in the past I’m sure, but Pavlyuchenko will be the one who is the bit part player. His return last term wasn’t bad overall with 14 goals in 32 appearances but his actual play was very inconsistent. With a sustained run in the team that could change but I just can’t see him being given the chance. I’m more than happy with a player of his ability as back up but I’m just surprised he would be willing to settle for that role.

Robbie Keane strikes me as a man that is too confident in his own ability to worry much about the arrival of Crouch. Having said that, after his patchy performances since his return from the failed spell at Liverpool, coupled with the fact he’s never managed to play well with Defoe, some negatives thoughts must be in his mind.

We aren’t in Europe this season and the length of time you spend in domestic cup competitions is somewhat of a lottery, therefore we only have a guaranteed 40 games. While competition for places is a good thing I don’t think a side that isn’t playing European football can a squad of players like ours content. That being said, it may bode well for our league position and I’m hopeful of a decent run in the League Cup and with some luck where the draw is concerned, the FA Cup also.

Maybe Harry’s man management and tactical skills can prove me wrong and he will get all four of our forwards playing and scoring. What do you think?

Do you care about Robbie Keane?

Posted by on June 26, 2009 40 comments

The rumours have been rife for the last couple of weeks but in recent days, more substantial stories have appeared claiming Robbie Keane will once again be leaving Tottenham before the season gets underway. Opinion seems to be very divided over whether this is a good or a bad thing as far as the future of the club is concerned.

Although Robbie’s performances have been lees than spectacular since his return, I feel his presence in the side ensured we weren’t involved in a relegation battle. It’s easy to say now that we would have been in no danger of relegation having finished within touching distance of Europe, but without Keane in there pointing and shouting, who’s to say how close Spurs would have been to the drop?

It’s been suggested that Sunderland is Keane’s likely destination. I don’t really understand why he would want to move there rather than stay and see what happens in what will be exciting times for Tottenham next season. Has he fallen out with Harry? Is the club not being run to his liking since his break in Merseyside? Does he regret coming back to the Lane and feel the step down is too much? If the latter is the case it would not explain why a move to the Stadium of Light is a good idea.

I don’t want to knock Robbie Keane without knowing the facts but I would expect a little more respect and consideration after the majority of the fans at Spurs welcomed him back with open arms when things didn’t work out for him under Rafa Benitez at Liverpool. He spent his best years with us and prior to arriving at Tottenham, he struggled to find a club to settle at long term.

I’m hoping all this speculation is just that and Robbie will be a key part of Harry Redknapp’s plans come next season but I do get the feeling there is no smoke without fire and the fire seems to be getting stronger.

Give Keane a chance

Posted by on May 26, 2009 18 comments

Robbie Keane might have been struggling for form since arriving back from Liverpool but I’m confident he’ll be back to his best next season. He didn’t play much football whilst there and coming straight back into the Spurs side playing every week has probably been more difficult for him to adjust to than we all thought it would.

Some sections of the press and fans seem to be getting on his back a bit and quite frankly I find that alarming. Even if his football hasn’t been quite up to scratch since his return, what he has given us in bite and determination has more than made up for that. No pointy shouty bloke in the early part of the season was largely to blame for our lack of points.

No matter what he says publicly, I’m sure the Liverpool experience will have knocked his confidence a bit. His demeanour on the pitch might not show it but there are probably niggling doubts in the back of his mind as to whether he did the right thing coming back. The appeal was safety and familiarity but it was never going to be a simple process going backwards.

The goal at Ainfield on Sunday will have laid some demons to rest for the Irishman and I’m confident that with a pre season under his belt, he’ll be back fresh and better than ever. The likelihood is that Harry will bring in another top class striker and I think Keane thrives on competition for places as he proved when keeping Defoe out the side in his previous tenure with us. He played some of his best football during that period and can do so again come August.

Liverpool

Posted by on May 23, 2009 2 comments

Probably the biggest game of this season as far as the board are concerned with the money that will be generated next but is it a match that is as crucial to Harry Redknapp? He has been quoted in the press as saying the Europa League could be a distraction and he’d prefer to concentrate on our league position next season.

I have no doubt Redknapp will be doing his upmost to get a result at Anfield but I also don’t think he’d be disappointed to come away without a victory. It probably won’t matter in any case if Fulham can continue their fine form.

Steven Gerrard has been talking up this game as if they should put on a right show for his fans and him only being two goals off Anelka and Ronaldo means he’ll certainly be wanting to get on the score sheet.

Personally, I’d be very happy to see us sneak in the Europa League. The new format gives the competition a bit more prestige and I think it’s important for a club like us to be consistently playing European football even if it is at the lesser level.

Everything points to a Liverpool victory however. It’s six years since Liverpool ended a top-flight season with defeat and Spurs have lost three of their last four last day away league fixtures. We have also only won once at Anfield in the Premier League.

Tomorrow should be another interesting close to the season anyway, especially where the bottom of the table is concerned. Now we have all the transfer rumours to look forward to and as Spurs fans, that is probably our busiest part of the year!

Fulham are almost there…but not quite

Posted by on May 9, 2009 12 comments

I know today’s results weren’t ideal, but I think I would have settled for a point at Everton before the game. The real disappointment was the fact Villa’s woeful form continued as did Fulham’s excellent form at home. All credit to them, Fulham probably deserve a place in the Europa League next season but football tends not to work like that. A lot of neutrals would argue Spurs don’t deserve it, but I couldn’t care less!

West Ham are one nil down at home to Liverpool as I write, still have to go to Everton and their last game is at Upton Park against Middlesbrough. If Boro can still stay up at that point, it’s going to be a real tough match for the Hammers.

It might be a slim chance, but there is still a chance for Spurs to steal 7th spot. I’m confident of a win against Man City then anything can happen at Liverpool with their title challenge over.

Fulham may be in the driving seat this afternoon, but it’s not over yet…

Liverpool sides are the obstacle

Posted by on May 5, 2009 7 comments

When I suggested Tottenham had an outside chance of securing European football next season through our league position, I was laughed at and only had Glenn Hoddle for support. With three games to go, we only one point away from a spot in next season’s Europa League.

I’d expect us to beat Man City at home in two weeks time but either side of that match are games at both the Premiership teams from Merseyside.

First up are Everton. David Moyes has again worked wonders with little resources this season and they have an FA Cup final to look forward to. Their recent results suggest they are still very much focused on the league but we can only hope that game begins to play on some of the minds of the first team. It will be a tough match but Everton have lost 5 at home this season and I think it’s a game we can win but a draw is probably the most likely result.

As far as Liverpool are concerned, Spurs seem to be their bogey side in recent times. We ended their unbeaten record in the Premier League and then took apart a weakened side in the Carling Cup. They are yet to taste defeat at Anfield in the league this season but maybe Tottenham can continue the trend of recent games against them and inflict their first home defeat. Realistically though, I think a draw is again the best we can hope for.

Five points from the final 3 games might not be enough and I think we will need to win one of the away fixtures assuming we beat Man City that is.

It’s time to beat Man Utd

Posted by on April 24, 2009 10 comments

Fergie & Harry

Fergie & Harry

I, like many other Spurs fans, am sick of our woeful record against Manchester United. I’ve lost count of the amount of times we have outplayed them and still got beat. The two games that stick in my throat the most are probably the same as the rest of you. Firstly when we were 3-0 up at half time at the Lane only to capitulate in the 2nd half, then the win that never was at Old Trafford under Martin Jol when Pedro Mendes scored only for the goal not to be given under orders of Sir Alex!

This season has been more of the same really. At home earlier this season we were probably the better side over 90 minutes, with the match ending 0-0. The FA Cup match at Old Trafford was bit of a farce. Spurs had a large amount of the play but just it just didn’t look like we wanted to win. Nothing much to be said about the Carling Cup Final. We held them for the full 120 minutes of open play and created enough clear cut chances to have won the game.

Saturday’s game is a realistic chance for Tottenham to erase the pain that Utd have heaped on us for the last few years and really throw a spanner into the works where their title challenge is concerned. They currently sit three points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand but a win for Spurs would make the title race a lot more interesting during the last few games of the season. It would also dramatically boost our chances of competing in the Europa League next season.

Tottenham’s form in recent games is top draw and we are 3rd in the form table over the last 6 games, just in front of Man Utd. Admittedly, not many teams go to Old Trafford and win, Liverpool are the only side to have done so this season, but the way we are playing, we can be confident of giving a good account. The Utd players might be thinking the hard work is over after getting 3pts in midweek against Portsmouth and the visit of an in form Spurs side is the last thing they need at this stage of their season. They have had a number of tough matches in quick succession and I feel like this is a great time to play them. We go their fresh, in form and with a new confidence that seems to increase game on game.

I’ve got an image of myself enjoying a cold bottle of Becks while replaying a Defoe wonder goal in my head Saturday evening, safe in the knowledge we have notched up another 3pts. I hope I’m right!