Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Earning their Spurs?


It was brought to my attention that I was the only blogger out here in the world of wide webs that hadn't yet posted about something that happened at the weekend. No, it wasn't Lee Bowyer's goal or Liverpool's first goal scorer sounding more like a Pokemon than a defender. Of course it was Wigan's woeful defending. What? I'm not missing the point am I? Wigan lost 9-1! There's no need to mention their opponents. OK! Fine I'll swallow my pride. Spurs won 9-1 and weren't they fantastic.

The moment Harry's boys beat Liverpool on the first weekend of the season I knew something was going to happen with the boys from the lane this season. At one point Spurs were riding very high in the table, and they went into the game against Manchester United on September 12th unbeaten. It led me to tell a friend, a Tottenham fan, that I'd blog about his side's excellence if they managed to beat my own beloved Manchester United. It didn't happen, despite Jermaine Defoe's extremely early goal.

And so Harry's men went on to lose to Chelsea before dropping points to Stoke and Bolton. There was wins against Preston, Burnley and Pompey in between but they were now hardly setting the world alight.

Fortunately for them the other contenders for forth place, as long as something seriously wrong doesn't happen to Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal, have been dropping points.

Aston Villa for example, lying in 5th place after their closest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, could only draw at the weekend, have themselves dropped too many points recently. Draws against Burnley, Everton, Sunderland and Wolves have come since their win over Chelsea. They are always a force to be reckoned with in any game but simply they do not have the consistency or depth to challenge for 4th spot and once again 5th will be the best they can do.

Meanwhile, down at the City of Manchester Stadium, the great pretenders are doing just that, pretending! After beating Arsenal and coming within a whisker of an away draw to hated rivals United, City have done nothing, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Actually that is unfair, City have set about trying to set a new Premiership record of games drawn in a row. Nothing wrong with drawing with Villa and Liverpool away but in drawing with Fulham and Burnley at home, especially when they were ahead, they have shown huge defensive frailty despite spending 24 million on Joleon Lescott and Nigel de Jong being one of the most impressive players in the Premiership currently.

Outside those two and Spurs and Liverpool are the dark horses. Sunderland are riding on the crest of a wave. Darren Bent is on supreme form and has scored against all the 'Big Four' in the last 3 months but neither him nor his manager will have any real design on a top four finish and that's because it's just short of impossible. Everton have always been the side we most expected to break the top 4, and most recent to do so, but now find themselves way down the table. Of course if anyone will get them back up the ladder it is David Moyes but top 4 is just too far away.

Back to the weekend though. Spurs destroyed Wigan 9-1, and being honest Wigan were lucky to get 1, Thierry Henry's handball was so obvious, sorry it's just the first name that comes to mind when I mention handball. Jermain Defoe was outstanding, any regular readers will already know my love for the ex West Ham striker and how much I want him to be an England starter. Aaron Lennon continues to prove why he should be THE right winger in the England squad, whilst his rival Shaun Wright-Phillips seems hell bent on getting himself out of the squad. It is Tottenham's attacking verve that is so eye catching at the moment and as any Arsenal fan will tell you, attack is often the best form of defence. And yet Spurs defence is still in question. A fit Ledley King is almost unbeatable, but a fit Ledley King is almost as rare as a rich student. Spurs though are richer in squad depth than some of their 4th place rivals and with a player as talented as Luka Modric yet to come back, Harry may not need to spend too much of Daniel Levy's money to keep his assault on the 'Big Four' going.

And now to the paragraph I've most looked forward to. If only some of the world's professional football pundits read my column- because right now I'd like to point out to them all who they tipped for Premiership glory this season, especially Alan Hansen and Phil McNulty. Yes ladies and gents it was of course Liverpool. Yes back in August everyone tipped Liverpool to win the league, how could they not, getting better every season under Rafa Benitez and United without Ronaldo, no one could see past Liverpool. Now, at five to eleven on November 24th, Liverpool find themselves in seventh place, 5 points behind 4th place Spurs. Liverpool have been good on so few occasions this season I can only really think of wins at home against Stoke and United. With Gerrard and Torres in and out of the side, due to several injuries, Liverpool have often been without their main men to dig them out of a hole, as in Lyon a few weeks ago. Injuries have also hit several other squad players and the most talked about man not to start a Premierleague match this season, Albert Aquilani, will have to be world class as soon as he does start a game if they are to improve. The match against City on Saturday only put the Red's frailties into a greater light, they still can't defend set pieces- when Craig Bellamy eventually got one past the first man Adebayour scored. And they still don't have enough match winners, with Gerrard marked out the game by de Jong there was no one to step up.

And yet tonight something that most of us would not have predicted happened, Liverpool went out of the Champions League in the group stages. Throughout Rafa's years in charge when Liverpool have struggled domestically moments of European magic have saved them. This time it will not be the case. Jamie Carragher today said "The Europa League is still a piece of silverware" but it is not the one Liverpool should be playing for, nor is it a foregone conclusion that they will be anywhere near winning it. This should demoralise and humiliate a club who's history is all about winning the Champions League and it should lead to Benitez being sacked, but it won't. Liverpool cannot afford to sack Benitez and have to pay his wages along with whichever expensive European would come in to replace him. This makes Liverpool dangerous, they are now a squad who have disappointed very passionate fans, a club who know only a top four finish can give them a way into the Champions League, and a manager who knows that failure to get the top 4 position will cost him his job!

Of course what your all really interested in is how did Sporting JLGB do this week. Well after weeks of games cancelled and all players being out of match fitness, facing a side in form in the league, with two of our best players still out injured there was only ever going to be one result..... we won, 1-0, a score that is so rarely seen in our league it took me about 2 days to believe it happened. So through to the next round of the cup we go. Next week another cup game and the week after yet another.... well it's all silverware ey Jamie!

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