Saturday 23 June 2012

Set Your Sights High, Mr Levy

Fellow blogger Ben McAleer wrote a great piece this week about the new manager, whoever he may be, needing a great deal of patience (read it here).

I couldn't agree more. We as football fans are fickle at the best of times and being thrown into such a state of uncertainty following Harry's departure this will only be amplified greatly.

Even those of us that were happy to see Redknapp leave Spurs will admit to having had our doubts over it truly was the best move for the Club. From a personal point of view, the longer we remain without a manager, the more I wonder what  chairman Daniel Levy has planned for us.

I am convinced however, despite moments of weakness, that we'll be better off in the long run without Harry. That phrase; long term, leads me back to Ben's article. Whoever comes in and takes over, whether it be in total control or under the stewardship of a Director of Football, will have a long term strategy that will hopefully see Tottenham compete at the top during their tenure.

But this could come at a price. I'm not expecting, unlike some of you, that we will drop out of contention at the top of the league and return to our glory days of mid table obscurity, but we could finish outside of the Champions League places for at least one season as the new man attempts to stamp his authority on the team and implement his tactical approach on the team.

We can't see this as failure though, we must see this as part of the plan, building for the future. Calling for patience is all well and good, but a lot of fans are prone to knee-jerk reactions. But if the development is clear to see, I would like to think our supporters will back the manager and not jump on every little mistake and call for his head if there is a poor run of results. I can't imagine seeing as poor a run as we did from February onwards this season again any time soon.

There seems to be three main candidates for the post. David Moyes and Laurent Blanc could be in line for the job, but are unlikely to want to work under a D.O.F. and would want total control of the team and recruitment. This goes against Levy's apparent desire to return to the continental model and employ someone to oversee the transfer side of the Club. Which leads me to believe that ex-Chelsea and Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas is favourite.

Some media outlets, particularly in Europe, are leading us to believe that a deal is already in place, but won't become official until July 1st due to an agreement with Chelsea as part of his dismissal in March.

The talk of our players not being keen on AVB's return to London makes me laugh. Luka Modric being one of the names mentioned, is it not ironic that he was desperate to work with him a year ago, but not now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Chelsea weren't that far behind us when Mr Abramovich sacked him. With, in my opinion, a vastly inferior squad being carried by a few headline names.

His record at Porto was fantastic and with the backing of our board, the players and a good working relationship with a Director of Football, if we have one, he could transform us into a fantastic, competitive side.

I've heard arguments for Moyes and Blanc, neither which inspire me with much optimism or excitement. Blanc has a good record in France, and with his international side. Personally, I think he will remain in his current role, a win tonight against Spain would add backing to his cause though.

Moyes is a talented manager. He's worked wonders at Everton on a limited budget and kept them competitive in an unforgiving league. To me, he's the safe choice. Which leads me back to the quote that inspired this blog.

Bill Nicholson only ever wanted this Club to succeed. To be willing to gamble and reap the awards. Moyes isn't a gamble. We'll probably stay around our current position. I don't think he'll take us to another level.

AVB has the talent, tactical nous and most of all the desire to succeed that could push us on to that next level. His 'failure' at Chelsea means he has a point to prove, he didn't become a bad manager over night.

So, Mr Levy and the board, set your sights high, gamble, and bring in a man to build a legacy at our great Club.

To dare is to do.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Grave Digger

There's an idea for Harry Redknapp now he has left Tottenham Hotspur. Grave digger. He'd be perfect for it. He's dug one already; his own.

This isn't an anti-Redknapp piece, not at all. I'm incredibly grateful to Harry for the job he's done at Spurs. He came in (2 points from 8 games, remember?), stabilised a team going the wrong way, and pulled us back up the league.

I don't think any of the fans or the board expected us to move on so quickly in 2009/10. 4th place saw us qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the modern era. Harry brought us some memorable nights in that competition. 3-4 at the San Siro versus Inter. Beating them 3-1 at the Lane. And of course winning 1-0 at the San Siro against AC Milan.

We also consistently competed with those big four clubs that we had struggled against for so long. We've recorded wins against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, home and away, as well as Chelsea at home. Manchester United remains the only scalp we were unable to take.

But in 10/11 we faced the same problems as this season, though this season we were able to find different excuses. The team's form fell away in March. Our Champions League exploits may have taken their toll on the squad, but you have to question why it happened the next season too, at almost exactly the same time. It couldn't be coincidence, could it? Unlikely.

Watching the problem arise in 11/12 again, Redknapp was powerless, seemingly, to prevent the slump and seemed devoid of ideas.

I suggested Harry could work as a grave digger for a few reasons. Most importantly, he let the England saga roll on for so long. As fans, I think we would have appreciated some honesty early on. He could have come out and said, 'Yes, I'd like the job, but I won't be discussing it again until after the Fulham game and I won't be meeting with anyone.' Brilliant, let's finish the season, then worry about it.

That didn't happen though, and it disrupted our season badly. He's told us he didn't agree that it did, but he was told by those around him it did.

Harry also failed to make the fans feel part of it. Everyone on the social networking sites has said the same thing; with Harry, it was always them, never us. That's how he talked about the fans, or sometimes worse, the team. The Club, and the fans, stuck by him through his tax evasion trail. He was inundated with messages of support and thanked us following his trial's completion. But that was seemingly forgotten very swiftly, as he started to bat his eyelashes at England.

His short term planning also didn't help his cause. He always seemed to be preparing to only be here until the end of the season. Ryan Nelsen and Louis Saha, our January signings, failed to inspire the majority of fans, especially given the names we had been linked with.

If Harry wanted to stay at the Club as much as he said he did recently, he should have felt that way even when there was a chance of managing England. He won an FA Cup with Portsmouth, but he made his name at Spurs. His comments just made us feel like second choice. And no man is bigger than the Club. If he didn't want to commit while there was the possibility of a better offer, then he shouldn't be at the Club.

A new manager will hopefully be given a long term contract and be given financial backing, as well as some patience from the supporters. Alan Pardew was given a surprising five year contract at Newcastle United and given substantial backing from Mike Ashley. The player and mentality he has brought to the club has changed their fortunes massively.

Should it be Moyes, Andre Villas-Boas or Martinez, let's get behind them, back them, and support the club, not just the manager.

It's Martinez for me. This article goes a long way to making a decision for me. He, like Brendan Rodgers, could go on to become one of the best managers in the world, let's just hope he can achieve it at Tottenham.

Saturday 9 June 2012

Could do Better

We've gone from having three proven Premier League and international strikers to being left with just one; Jermain Defoe.

Defoe is a bit of an enigma, he's in the top 10 all time goal scorers for Spurs, yet many supporters don't seem to rate him, or write him off when he gets caught offside for what seems like the thirtieth time in a match.

I've seen plenty of our fans say we could do better than 'JD' and that he should be improved upon, but one thing none of us can deny, is his love for Tottenham Hotspur. It's refreshing to see a player take the Club to heart in the way he has, much like Michael Dawson has.

Lets look at the stats; he scored 11 Premier League goals this season from 25 appearances, not a bad record. Even better when you consider he only started 11 games and came off the bench on 14 occasions. 3 goals in the FA Cup and a further 3 in the Europa League gives him an impressive 17 goals in all competitions from 22 starts and 18 substitute appearances.

Overall for Spurs, Defoe has scored 118 goals in 298 appearances, yet we still tend to question him at every given opportunity. The main problems most have with Defoe is his undeniable greed. We saw Gareth Bale berating him after he chose to shoot, and miss, rather than play the simple ball to the Welshman for what was a much easier chance. Defoe just shrugged. He's spoken many time of his relationship with ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright and how the most important thing he taught Jermain was to always hit the target, something he seems to take to fair on occasions and just shoots for the sake of it. But then, you don't score if you don't shoot right?

Defoe, as our only senior striker, is sure to stay next season, especially given the tragic death of his father this week, he's bound to be keen to stay close to home and not risk uprooting his family and moving away.

But where do we go from here? Harry Kane and Cameron Lancaster both made first team debuts this season; Kane impressing in Europe and then on loan at Millwall, while Lancaster made a solitary appearance as a sub' against Wigan. Lancaster is sure to be sent out on loan next season to gain first team experience and it remains to be seen if he is seen as part of the future of the Club, or was it simply needs must at the time.

Kane scored an impressive 9 goals in 27 appearances after joining Millwall in January and caught the eye of many Spurs fans with his impressive finishing and work rate he was reported to be showing in the Championship. Kane's future is uncertain, he could end up back in the Championship on loan, or ideally for Spurs, at a lower end of the table PL club next season.

He could, of course, stay with Spurs for the first part of the season and be heavily involved in our Europa League campaign again if Harry chooses to use the competition as a way to blend our youngsters in with the first team again. I'd like to see him get some game time again, probably in the Championship as he doesn't look quite ready for the Premier League and it would be a shame to watch him sit on someones bench all season.

Adebayor has told the twitter-verse his representatives are in discussions with Spurs, so a deal will hopefully happen. I was very impressed with Adebayor after he joined on loan from Man. City. I'd watched him for years score goals against us and wasn't sure he would be accepted at Spurs, but after watching him chase down every Villa defender during our 2-0 win at White Hart Lane in November I knew he would be just fine.

His finishing leaves something to be desired, but a record of 17 goals in 33 appearances in the league begs to differ. But he's not just a goalscorer, add to his 17 goals, 11 assists, and you've got the perfect front man to play as a lone striker. But not all Spurs fans are as accepting. His indifference in front of goal, as well as a tendency to go missing from games saw some supporters label him, like Defoe, as not good enough, 'could do better'.

Better? I struggled to find anyone, within our alledged price range, that would be a marked improvement on these two. Not to mention the allegedly released Louis Saha, who most fans never took to, but I saw as a player who wouldn't need to play every week, but could still come off the bench and score a goal out of nothing, see Bolton at WHL in the FA Cup. He almost had a touch of the Berbatov's about him, but most fans were quick to write him off.

Loic Remy has been touted, along with most other strikers in Europe that have batted their eyelashes at the Premier League. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is most fans choice, but I believe his wages to be beyond our limit; he earns a reported £90K per week at Schalke. His scoring record, however, is superb; 248 in 377 appearances. If Levy is going to show ambition this summer, he's a signing that would mark a real statement of intent, but paying those sorts of wages could have a negative effect on the Club overall, with current players looking for parity with their own contracts.

Steven Fletcher, of Wolves, has been mentioned too, and while he might not excite fans in the same way Huntelaar might, he's a proven Premier League striker that has managed double figures in the PL in consecutive season despite playing in a struggling side. Who knows what he could achieve in a strong, positive team. Like Saha, he's unlikely to be first choice, which he may be happy with, but probably won't kick us on to the next level.

Dimtar Berbatov is likely to leave Man. United this summer, and personally, I would love him back at the Lane. He was a breath of fresh air at Spurs and formed a fantastic partnership with Robbie Keane during his time here. Wages again could be a stumbling block, along with many fans contempt for the Bulgarian after he forced a move to United in the summer of '09.

Demba Ba is a favourite of mine as I've said before, I'd like him at Spurs. His Newcastle and Senegal team mate Papiss Cisse is an excellent striker too, but we seem to have missed out there and he seems keen to stay at The Magpies.

Llorente has been linked with us again, seems to happen every few months now. A strong European Championship could add to his fee so we may miss out there too, if he even is a target that is.

I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised by a relatively unknown striker during the Euros that we'll hopefully try and get, but I wouldn't put my money on it.

Lets just hope we don't start September with Fraizer Campbell on loan and another returning striker none of us wanted. Rasiak?