Tag Archives: strikers

Things feel a bit stale

Posted by on March 22, 2011 8 comments

For a couple of months now, it seems thing have gone a bit, for want of a better word, stale. Blackpool and Fulham aside, results have still been good overall but we just seem to lack both killer instinct in front of goal as well as a bit of spark. I can’t quite put my finger on it because everyone is playing well still and we are creating chances but something is lacking.

Van Der Vaart has certainly gone off the boil in recent weeks and he was the one giving us that energy boost and that bit of world class magic. He still doesn’t look fully fit to me and that’s likely why he’s hauled off quite so often. I can’t knock Modric and his play in midfield has been exceptional but his goal return this season is poor. That’s not to say he’s doing anything wrong, if the strikers were hitting the back of the net it wouldn’t be a problem.

I’ve been saying this for a long while, even before the season got underway and I still think we need a world class out and out goal scorer. The problem is, there aren’t many of them around. I’m not sure whether it’s because the way the game is played has changed slightly in the last five or ten years or just the quality of strikers has dropped, but you don’t seem to get your twenty five, thirty goal a season men like you used to. I think Defoe isn’t far off world class on his day and is a top Premiership striker but his inconsistency is becoming an issue. Although Pavlyuchenko is a bit of an enigma, I’d be tempted to give him a little run in the side. Not that I think he’s on Defoe’s level, but just to offer us something different and freshen it up a bit.

It could be that I’m taking too much of a short term view and things will suddenly spark into life again in the next few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising anyone and this season has already proved way beyond anything I could imagine, it’s just a little frustrating dropping points that we are more than capable of picking up. This is especially when a top four finish is so crucial to the continued progress and development of Tottenham, and it seems as though the 4th spot is very much there for the taking.

Maybe the Champions League furore has taken the edge off our league form slightly but if that is the case, what the players need to realise is that they won’t be playing in it next season unless they start picking up some points. Even Liverpool aren’t out of the Top 4 battle after their recent good form. I feel like Wigan is a must win game for us now, the problem is I’m not sure it’s a game we will win with a trip to Madrid on everyone’s mind just a few days later…

Poor Pavlyuchenko and Well Done West Ham

Posted by on August 26, 2009 68 comments

He certainly appears to be the 4th choice striker as far as Harry Redknapp is concerned and now Roman Pavlychenko has decided 4th place isn’t good enough and he wants to leave Tottenham because of his lack of first team chances.

‘No footballer likes being on the bench game after game,’ said the 27-year-old.

‘I could lose my place in the Russian squad for the 2010 World Cup.

‘I’m ready now to listen to offers from other clubs. But I can’t say anything concrete right now.’

I’m not surprised by the fact he wants to move on but I am a little surprised at the timing of his decision. Surely it would have made more sense to try and get a move before the season started and not after just three games and on the eve of a Carling Cup tie he is likely to start against Doncaster.

Pavlyuchenko must have realised he would be spending a significant amount of time on the bench this season, especially after the arrival of Peter Crouch, but he has a chance to impress tonight and put some pressure on the manager. If he didn’t start tonight, then I would have understood a decision of this nature after the game but to come out publicly beforehand makes little sense to me. He would have been far better off waiting until January. It only needs one of our other strikers to pick up an injury, and things could change completely for the Russian.

In other news, West Ham fans have likely ruined our chances of hosting a World Cup in the near future. Some of their comments on my post from Monday speak for themselves but their actions last night were a disgrace. Hopefully they get the punishment they deserve but I can’t think of a punishment severe enough for taking away the 2018 World Cup.

Well done West Ham, I hope you are proud of yourselves.

Do Spurs need this Ruud boy?

Posted by on June 8, 2009 13 comments

There is no question about it, Ruud van Nistelrooy has been one of the best strikers in the world over the last decade. On the form he showed at PSV, Man Utd and even Real Madrid, he’d be a superb acquisition for Tottenham. The problem is that he’s fast approaching 33 years old and hasn’t played any football for a good nine months following a serious knee injury.

Ruud has had more than his fair share of injuries over the years. This is the 2nd time his knee has kept him out for a considerable period of time, the first being when his move to Manchester Utd was delayed for almost a year. He was also out for a large portion of Utd’s 2004-05 campaign.

There may only be a nominal transfer fee involved but Van Nistelrooy’s wages will still be considerable, rumoured to be around £70,000 a week. I know Harry’s a gambler but I’m not sure it’s a bet I’d want to place.

At best, we will get one or two decent seasons out of him. At worst, Spurs will be chucking £70k a week down the drain for a player that is very likely coming to the Lane for his final payday and will spend most of his time watching games from the stands.

The form Ruud Van Nistlerooy showed for Madrid until his injury was still good and he doesn’t become a bad player just because he’s been out a few months but I’m very concerned about the knee injury, especially at his age. It’s the 2nd time it’s gone and an injury of that magnitude is sure to have taken something away from his game.

Even six months ago, I doubt Spurs had entered Ruud or his agent’s head but now our spending power and their lack of offers from any high profile CL clubs means it’s a match made in heaven, or possibly hell, I can’t decide.