So life as a spurs fan was becoming too easy. The team were playing well, the luck was with us, bale was scoring for fun.
But always there was that gnawing pain at the back of your mind, that voice reminding you that we are tottenham, super Tottenham, super tottenham from the lane, a team that had the ability to play some marvellous football one minute then fall apart in the next 45 minutes, to lose games so unbelievably that at no time did i ever feel that we had scored enough goals to ever feel comfortable in a game. Until this season. We seemed to have found a new steel, a new resolve to the team.
And yet the last week we've lost 3 times and suddenly the old doubts have come back full force. So who or whats to blame?
As i see it theres lots of suspects, some even the usual suspects, that dome would say we could see this coming, what i wang to know is who should take the blame for the current malaise:
1) suspect number 1 Avb- hes done some very good things this season and improved the team play over the season, but maybe its naivety maybe just lack of experience maybe hes too stubborn but tactically he's shown he can make mistakes, and his lack of rotation in some areas ie midfield and more so in other areas ie defence and gk. Also you have to question the decision to send our few if young direct back ups for our pacy wingers, on loan. Call it brave decision, call it forward thinking, as they've needed to play week in week out, but when bale and lennie are out we are a completely different team and much the weaker for it.
2) Suspect number 2 chairman levy- yep the usual suspect, surely he could've dipped his hand in his pocket and backed up the manager early on- all that fannying around with modrics transfer, and ade's, leaving us wi no time to buy moutinho, or another adequate replacement, or another striker as competition for defoe and ade. As great as he is at brinksmanship, this was the year to back the manager, get him off to a gd start. But come january and the team is doing ok and with a push could go all the way to top four finish but still missing some key ingredients like a top class finisher, cover for the wings, central midfield. What do we get instead? Holtby, a gd little player but not what we were desperately in need of.
3) suspect number 3- the strikers. Ade is a shadow of his former self, and jermain is back to his normal self scores a few then doesnt for longer. And hes 30 now surely he knows whrn to pass and when to shoot? Surely he knows not to keep hitting it at the middle of the goal where ghe keeper stands?
4) suspect number 4 - gareth bale. Yes i know if it were not for young gareth this season would be a lot worse but as many goals as hes scored this season its been to the detriment to the whole team play, ss we've looked too narrow and unbalanced at times. The move central had led more goals scored for him but the team had lost one of its key weapons, width with pace and power and a fantastic crossing ability. I know he wants to be ronaldo but he wont ever be given how one footed he is and i still believe his starting position should be the left interchanging with the rest of the forwards as necessary wihout sacrificing the team balance.
Ok so we are still fourth at the moment, and we are still one point ahead if arse win their game in hand and there's still a long way to go but wanted to get all that kneejrrking crsp off my chest to make me feel better.
So who should be taking the blame for our mini slump?