Tag Archives: gareth bale

those that shout the loudest

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It’s amazing how quickly the collective mood can change.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale

isn’t the rule that if gareth looks this forlorn, the rest of us should too?

A month ago, I and my fellow Spurs supporters were ready to celebrate the club’s best season in the modern era. Tottenham were on pace for a third place finish, were arguably the favorite’s in the Europa League and we were trying not to talk about the points gap that seemed to be widening weekly between ourselves and the Goons. But now, we were bumped out of Europe by the measly FC Basel, we languish in fifth place in the league, and could be four points behind the scum before the end of the night.

Where did it all go wrong? What can Spurs do to save their season? And most importantly, who can we blame?

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ten words or less #69

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Tottenham's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring against Arsenal

look at the joy and elation on every single face in this photograph. including the face of one gareth frank bale.

While I don’t want to gloat over Tottenham’s North London Derby victory on Sunday, I am going to bask in the glory of that victory for just a moment. I want to marvel at Gareth Bale — while we still have him, at least. Can I also shine a spotlight on André Villas-Boas, who so many had doubted, decried and dismissed for a recall of his predecessor before he had even had a chance to prove himself? And too, maybe I should take a second to apologize to Daniel Levy, the man I often attacked during Spurs inactivity during transfer windows. Because right now, sitting in third after a 12 game run that’s gone WTWWWTTTWWWW, I’m feeling pretty good about Spurs.

Though with a tricky trip to Anfield to face a surging Liverpoolside at the weekend — not to mention a Europa League match against our old friends Inter in the midweek — things could go off track quickly if Spurs get too far ahead of themselves. So if for no other reason than to get my mind out of the clouds, here are some of other links to keep me from daydreaming of greatness quite yet.

One reason why Bale is taking the world by storm. - guardian.co.uk

Soccer once had the mighty MLB shaking in it’s boots. – twitter.com/pothunting

This USMNT 2002 photo shoot will haunt your dreams. – nytimes.com

Stylish playmaker prints to hang on your wall. – behance.net

Commitment to a soccer publication can change your life. – inbedwithmaradona.com

Brian Phillips’ intriguing take on El Diego’s past and present. – grantland.com

Alexi discusses football corruption, simulation on the Colbert Report. – colbertnation.com

Berba’s talents are literally endless. – dirtytackle.net

Can’t complain about not being able to watch games anymore. - giltedgesoccer.com

Alright… who wants to get me this? - whoareyadesigns.com

an open letter to gareth bale

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Tottenham winger Gareth Bale's signature heart goal celebration

gareth, you’ve got me feeling the love again.

Mr. Gareth Frank Bale
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Bill Nicholson Way
748 High Road
Tottenham
London
N17 0AP

Mr. Bale:

Let me start this off by saying that I owe you an apology. After all, when anyone inquires who my favorite player is, your name is the always the first to come out of my mouth.

From the day you signed from Southampton, through the Premier League record 24 games without a win, you’ve been the Spur I’ve most admired. Maybe it’s because you turned into a massive signing for me on FIFA ’07 while you were still a starlet playing for Saints. Or maybe it’s because you were a swashbuckling left-footed left back that balled on the set pieces, much like I once aspired to be. I don’t know exactly why; you’ve just been my favorite player for a long, long time.

But, I’ve admittedly been pretty harsh on you at times this season and last. For a number of reasons. None of them would surprise you. They’re the same complaints which you’ve heard from everyone else at this point.

Despite understanding why you go down so easy — to avoid greater injury, you try to avoid the contact if possible — I’d get myself worked into a tizzy at the frequency with which you did it. Curses would be mumbled (sometimes) under my breath when you deserved a foul you weren’t given, but your perceived reputation for simulation instead earned you a wag of the finger or a yellow. We’ve all got our vices, let’s just not forget that we need to work to improve them.

There’s also your propensity to drifting out of position that drives me a little crazy. I’m by no means insinuating that you’re bad on the right, or insinuating you shouldn’t cut into the middle from the left any longer. It’s great that you’re capable of attacking from various parts of the pitch. Adding other dimensions to your game makes you less predictable, thus increasing your overall effectiveness. But sometimes its important to remember just how friggin’ exceptional you are at flying down and attacking from that left wing. I’m aware it’s not always your decision on where you get to play, but I also don’t think AVB is telling you to head to the right all the time either, right?

And lastly, there are those persistent rumors of a move to a bigger club. Again, I know this isn’t all your fault, too. Playing the way you have over the last few seasons, you were bound to catch the eye of many clubs trying to achieve big things… and journalists trying to achieve big sales. But you haven’t hurt their cause either. To us fans, the thought of you wanting to leave smells of inflated ego and a lack of loyalty. Then again, I doubt I’d be able to ward of the flirtations of a Real Madrid or Barcelona at 23 either.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale rounds Aston Villas' Brad Guzan

calm, composed and completely dominant against aston villa, bale played the way we all want him to every week. and for the most part this season, he’s delivered.

But after watching you against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, dropping a hat trick and generally dismantling the Birmingham outfit — almost singlehandedly — it finally snapped me out of this temporary funk of disappointment I’ve had with you recently.

Reflecting back over the season so far, you’ve actually easily been our most consistent player. Perhaps this is at least slightly attributable to the way Villas-Boas is deploying you, but you can see how you have matured, too. Smarter on the dribble, picking your times better, your service from the wing even better. Even your set pieces have been far more effective, if a little too Cristiano-esque. I used to gripe that you never used your right boot, but you’ve scored twice with it this season. I was even impressed by your move to have the ears pinned back, a move that undoubtedly reduces drag and undercuts your opponents’ jibes.

But seriously Gareth, you’ve been a revelation for Spurs this season. Our hope. Our spark. Our star. And while I’m hardly the first to say it about you, it’s worth saying the adjective again: unplayable. Pundits, journalists and bloggers alike all agree.

And though I sometimes get caught up in the emotion of the game, yelling/tweeting at you in frustration, don’t take it personally. I’m sure you don’t, but let a guy pretend. It’s just I have high expectations and a metric-shit-ton of belief in you. You play the game the way I always wanted to play, but wasn’t capable of. And though I’d like to think you will stick with Tottenham for the rest of your career, I can’t fault your for the ambition. It’s the same drive that let’s you do what you’ve done this campaign. Just be smart about where you go, and move for reasons aside from the fattest contract, and you’ll still be my favorite player.

It’s a privilege to get to watch you play week in and week out. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Looking forward to the rest of the season… and hopefully beyond,

D.J. Switzer
Wrong Side of the Pond

ten words or less #63

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With my wife sick, this past weekend presented itself as an opportunity for a whirlwind of football viewing here at WSOTP. I’ve not kept any statistics on this kind of thing, but I can say with confidence that I watched more soccer this past weekend than I ever have before. Saturday included a marathon of five straight live games which, between Twitter and A.D.D., my brain had a hard time handling.

ONU Men's Soccer in the Final Four

seeing my alumnus polar bears make their way to the national title game might just have been the highlight of my weekend.

The morning started well with Spurs bagging a win, Arsenal and Chelsea both losing, and an unexpected, entertaining shootout between Manchester United and Reading. And while the (oddly timed) midday MLS Cup Final might have seemed the marquee match, I was really looking forward to watching my former college team — the Ohio Northern University Polar Bears — play in our school’s very first NCAA Division III National Championship match. My former teammate Milky even stopped by to take in both the late matches, also allowing me a solid four hours of Liverpool jibes…

Much to our chagrin, ONU were quickly picked apart by an admittedly impressive Messiah College side. But the result doesn’t dim my pride in my old team for everything they accomplished this year. Considering the program only had 8 winning seasons prior to my class’s arrival on campus, and had never made the National Tournament prior to Milky’s, to see the program continue to build on our successes — even despite a heavy loss — had us both beaming. The sky’s the limit from here, boys.

Anyway, below are some of the better links from around the world of soccer from the last week.

The perfect gift for your soccer fan? Sexy Managers Calendar. – yahoo.com

A photographic essay of grassroots football in third world countries.
- jessicahilltout.com

Beckham’s kids old enough to be called full kit wankers. – angelcitybrigade.net

Carlos Tévez’s paystub will make you very jealous. – dirtytackle.net

Hot Chip makes a seriously WTF FIFA-esque music video. – kckrs.com

Shout out to local Casey Weddle for being named All-American.
- ohiodominicanpanthers.com

“We need to be more assertive,” mumbles Rosický to nobody.
- fistedaway.wordpress.com

Floridian city most likely to land an MLS side… Tampa? – theoffsiderules.com

Once again, Spooky captures how I’m feeling about Spurs. – dearmrlevy.com

 A top-25 list for boots from Sneaker Report… I’m in. – sneakerreport.com

worst case scenario

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This piece is a short excerpt from my second featured post on the Tottenham Hotspur podcast/blog website www.TheFightingCock.co.uk. To read it in it’s entirety, please click here or click the link at the end of the post.

Tottenham's Daniel Levy

levy has a lot of work to do to right tottenham's ship, regardless of whether we finish third, fourth or fifth.

Labeling Spurs’ close to the season as a disaster — which has involved pissing away a sizable third-place gap and free-falling as low as fifth — would be a massive understatement.

What a difference a few months of bad form can make. Back in January, I was filling this space with ideas on how Spurs should bolster their ranks in the summer to strengthen the squad ahead of our next Champions League campaign. Now, we’re staring headlong into another season in the perpetual wasteland that is the Europa League and facing the prospects of having to sell off our best players. At least that’s what everyone suspects will happen if the boys continue on as they have in the second half of the season. And describing it as a “worst case scenario” seems apt, though I admittedly understand there are those facing an even more horrible fate.

How it’s gone down isn’t worth rehashing in detail since Tottenham’s demise has been well documented, and because I’m trying to spare myself from reliving the nightmares. That said, I will continue to give Harry Redknapp a dirty look from across the room, just in case you need a hint at who I’d like to blame.

So assuming the cookie completely crumbles, where do we go from here? If we take on some optimism — something that’s become increasingly rare at White Hart Lane and in Spurs forums over the last few months — it would leave you to believe that things can only go up from here. But considering this was the season formerly hailed as the “best for Spurs in a generation”, common sense tells me things could potentially get much, much worse. Therefore, if we do end up on the outside looking in of the Champions League, the question becomes, “How do we stop the slide and get things back on track?”

Continue reading “Worst case scenario” on The Fighting Cock →

digging deep

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Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig. – Marcus Aurelius

bale and company have the ability.

Perpetual gloom and doom hangs over White Hart Lane these days, at least that’s how it has felt the last few weeks. Spurs’ terrible run of form would normally be enough to drag squad and fan spirits down on its own, but Muamba’s near-tragedy on pitch last weekend was another blow to the collective despair that currently surrounds the club. The feeling is pervasive, and seems to have reached every corner of the Tottenham’s being.

Our manager has had his head turned, and predictably lost the plot because of it. Though injuries have forced his hand at times, Harry’s willingness to mess with a winning formula has been confounding. Gareth Bale is one of the world’s finest left wingers: let’s let him wander the middle of the pitch or switch him temporarily permanently to the right. Luka Modrić is one of the most sought-after center midfielders in the game: it will be best to play him wide left where he won’t see enough touches to impact the match. We’ve been one of the best sides this season at stretching the pitch and playing direct: maybe we should play narrow and through the middle now… you know, just for shits and giggles.

Speaking of injuries, they’ve finally hit us hard enough to hurt. Though not a world-class player in the same sense as Modders, Bale or Rafa, Aaron Lennon’s absence has been very influential. His pace, when paired with Bale’s on the opposite side, is crucial to Spurs’ ability to stretch opposing defenses and make room for the more creative players to orchestrate opportunities. Without Adebayor up top, we’ve lost the target man and hold-up play a direct offense requires. That’s not to mention that we’re only another Gallas hamstring away from having a legitimate crisis at center half. And with Scott Parker looking rusty the last few matches, perhaps we can again find fault in the manager. Undoubtedly, Redknapp’s reluctance to rotate the squad earlier this season looks to have come back to haunt him.

Then, of course, there’s that pesky drop in form I mentioned earlier. A quick glance at the League Form Table over the last 8 games sees us sitting a paltry 13th, just ahead of relegation candidate QPR and just behind potential top four foe and weekend opponent Chelsea. Had it not been for van der Vaart’s last gasp header against Stoke on Wednesday night, we’d be sitting in at least 16th. If you’re at all worried about Saturday’s visit to Stanford Bridge, I would strongly recommend not having a look at Tottenham’s form over their last five away fixtures… unless you’re feeling up for a/n panic attack/aneurysm.

Some of our fellow supporters have even started turning on the players, which is equal parts predictable and deplorable. How telling the boys that they’re worth “less than poo” will benefit them or spur them on to victory is beyond me, but who am I to judge how other’s cope with such a drop in fortunes?

To make use of an overused Austin Powers phrase, it’s clear that Tottenham as a whole have “lost their mojo”. The swagger and confidence that oozed from the side and fanbased in the first two-thirds has been suppressed. But despite all of that, I’m relatively calm heading into the clash with Chelsea.

So what if the injury bug persists, likewise if Redknapp continues to experiment. Who cares if the Scum have erased the gap. Those are all worrying and troublesome, but all hope is not lost.

chelsea and torres have struggled for form themselves.

Firstly, of all the “Big Four” sides that we could be facing this weekend, Chelsea are ones I most prefer. As mentioned earlier, the Blues aren’t exactly in the best run of form themselves, and they’re arguably the only club in the Premier League that have had more internal drama than Spurs this season. John Terry should be missing through injury — hardly a good omen for a team who’s been defensively fragile this year — and will instead do his best to play managerial puppeteer to interim boss Roberto di Matteo. And even though Torres finally ended his 25+ hour goalless streak, his mental stability is anything but proven at this point.

Secondly, it’s not like we’ve been playing absolutely horrible football of late. There have been flashes of the old Spurs throughout this barren run. Against Stoke, Bale had a beautiful blast against the bar, not to mention we bossed possession. In fact Spurs have done surprisingly well in possession during this stretch, having only narrowly lost the statistical battle in three of the last eight matches (@Arsenal – 43%, @Liverpool – 48%, @City – 47%). They’ve also created nearly 50 more goal scoring opportunities than their opposition during the same run, which suggests that if their finishing improves marginally then they could start taking more points. The City match could have turned out differently had Balotelli been correctly sent off. Maybe we could have taken the spoils against United too, had Adebayor’s early goal not been incorrectly disallowed.

This is essentially the same squad that we’ve had all season, barring some minor personnel changes. We know they’re capable of turning in some breathtaking performances, ones that are more than enough to knock down a side in turmoil such as Chelsea. All we need is for the manager to place the players in the right formation, a little more belief, and a sprinkling of the luck we’ve missed out on the last few weeks, to help lift the gloom that’s hung over the club, the players and the supporters alike.

The ability that’s needed already exists in this Tottenham Hotspur side, they just need to dig deep within themselves to find it again.

wrong side XI: left mid

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this is part X in the “wrong side XI” series, where i’ll be selecting my very own starting eleven, assuming of course that i could choose any player from any team in the world. you can read the rules i’ll be following to make my team selection, and what formation i’ll be squeezing them into, on the first post in the series.

Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juan Mata

my shortlist for left mid compiles players from all over the world: argentina, wales, belgium, portugal and spain.

At long last… we finally reach the front three of my hypothetical team. It’s been a long time coming, considering that this series was originally intended to wrap up prior to the end of Summer 2011. And while I’ve spent roughly the last 10 months (occasionally) working on this project, debating relatively boring positions, we’ve now crossed the threshold into the so-called “glamour” positions.

Whether you want to call this player a forward, an outside midfielder, or a winger, he’s almost exclusively an attacking player. Sure, my formation defines this position as one of the five in the 4-5-1. But in practice, it’s a position that behaves much more like one of the forward three in a 4-3-3.

In general, I expect these players to attempt to receive the ball high and wide on the touchline. From there, they can do what they like: drive further forward on the flank, cut into the middle, or drive in a cross. In fact, I expect a large majority of my attacks to funnel through the left or right mid’s feet as I would instruct my players to look to the wings as option #1. Defensively, I just want them to high pressure when the ball is near, and track back whenever the other side breaks.

The job of picking this player, as you might expect, isn’t very easy. The primary reason for this is the cornucopia of wide attacking players that I enjoy watching. The second is because many modern wingers are becoming more and more ambidextrous in their wing of preference. But I’ve got a good set of contenders in mind that I doubt many would argue with… jump past the break to see if you would or not.

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risk and reward

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Looking at the latest Premier League Form Guide, I should feel really good about Tottenham’s season thus far.

Tottenham Celebrating

though everything seems just peachy at the lane right now, i can't help but feel a little nervous about the rest of the season.

Monday’s 2-0 victory over Villa was Spurs’ eighth in their last nine — the only blip being the 2-2 draw against high-flying Newcastle back in October — with only Manchester City performing better during the same spell. They’re currently sitting third in the table, three points ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and the hated scum of Arsenal with a game in hand.

Unlike last season, Premier League goals haven’t been hard to find and they’re coming from all corners of the pitch. Eight players have contributed to their 23 league goals thus far, hopefully indicating that their over reliance on Rafa van der Vaart to bag all of them is waning.

That said, the Dutchman has also been on form and — perhaps more importantly — happy so far this campaign, and is still leading the pack with six tallies to his name. Luka Modrić has seemingly put his summer transfer saga behind him and is again playing with the excellence that first attracted Chelsea’s envious eyes. Gareth Bale looks to have finally found the sparkling form that made him one of the most dangerous attackers on the planet at the beginning of last season. Aaron Lennon’s return from injury has seen him playing well too, with a brilliant and confident strike against Fulham to show for it. Defoe is looking content (so far) to be the super sub the club needs to provide a spark off the bench.

Not only that, but all of the major summer signings have turned out to be well worth the money spent. Adebayor is settled and provides the class tha’s been missing up front since Berbatov departed for greener pastures. Back from a few loan spells, young Kyle Walker has impressed at right back and even earned “Man of the Match” honors on his full England debut. Brad Friedel must know the location of the mythical fountain of youth, as the “wiser” presence in goal has been a massive upgrade from the gaffe-prone Gomes. And then there’s the work-horse defensive midfielder we’ve long been looking for,  Scott Parker combines intelligent distribution with crunching tackling to shore up Tottenham’s midfield.

In short, as a Spurs fan, I have a lot to be happy about.

So why is it that, a third of the way into the 2011-2012 Premier League season, I’m still feeling so uneasy about the rest of the campaign?

If you haven’t watched them play much yet, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy right now. But after looking at their impressive string of results a little more closely, there are a few things that are concerning.

Aside from the wins over Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, most of Tottenham’s victories have hardly looked dominating. Though it’s great to see them show impressively against the big guns, their susceptibility to look disinterested against the so-called “lesser sides” has me worried. This trend of struggling where they should succeed was a large part of the reason they missed out on 4th last season, and I’m concerned that this trend is bleeding into this season as well.

In most games, Spurs have spells where they do look like the world-beaters every Yiddo knows they can be: controlling possession, executing lightning quick counterattacks, and showing impressive flashes of skill and swagger. But those bright spells are always balanced out by periods of apathetic, unconvincing or downright chaotic play. Even in Monday’s dominating win, Aston Villa had several missed opportunities (two involving ex-Spur Darren Bent) that were the result of absolutely horrid defending.

At times, I think caving to Rafa’s demands of playing in a central, support-striker role is at fault for the periods of erratic defending. If Redknapp is planning on playing van der Vaart and Adebayor at the same time, it means they have to play a 4-4-2 that leaves the backline a bit more exposed. This is especially risky in a counterattack-oriented offense like Tottenham’s: just look at how much room Scott Parker has to cover all on his own when everyone bounds forward.

Sure, leaving Rafa to play where he likes has yielded a number of… benefits. The least of which is a happy Rafa (which probably equals a happier locker room too), and the most obvious of which is the team’s impressive string of results. But it’s also van der Vaart’s demand that has been the root of the sides defensive fragility.

So let’s imagine for a second that Harry hadn’t caved and continued to play Rafa wide right. Though it would be at the expense of Lennon, playing Adebayor as a single striker opens up space in the line-up for a second holding midfielder who could stay at home on the breaks that tend to leave us susceptible to a counter-attack ourselves. Sandro hanging back to cover a streaking Walker or provide cover in front of the back four would allow Parker to move forward and create… or Parker for Sandro.

I’m not saying this is something we should be doing permanently. But it is an option that allows Harry to fit most of his offensive big guns on the field without leaving the defense shorthanded — something that will be key when we eventually face one of the more talented clubs again. And a little unpredictability never hurt anyone either.

Luckily, those moments of lost focus and mistakes do seem to be on a bit of a decline in the last few matches. Without a doubt, the side starting to gel together has a lot to do with that.

In fact, Redknapp has trotted out the exact same starting line-up in each of the last three matches. Consistency being the theme of this stretch, Harry also only looked to Defoe and Sandro as subs in those matches too. Looking back to the Liverpool match when their run of good form began, the manager’s only deviated from that line-up by one player in all of those other matches… and that leads to my other big concern.

the crowded tottenham hotspur bench

these guys can't be all that happy with spending so much time on the bench this season. what happens if spurs need to lean on them?

While it’s great to see an established First XI that are comfortable playing with each other, you can’t help but wonder how the rest of the squad players are taking it. We know Pav and dos Santos are aiming to leave in January, and it’s safe to assume that Kranjčar still would prefer to move on, especially considering his early season form. Sandro was a revelation last season, yet he hasn’t been offered much more than 15 minute cameos at the end of most match. And that’s ignoring the host of other first-teammers and up-and-commers that are probably itching for some face time.

Miraculously, we haven’t had much of a need for squad player so far. A majority of Tottenham’s stars have managed to avoid the training room for most of the season to this point. Conventional wisdom tells us that won’t continue.

So with the rest of the squad short on match sharpness, would Spurs be able to cope with the loss of a Bale, Parker, Modrić or Adebayor? I’m all for building team cohesion and allowing players to develop on-field understandings, but I just can’t shake the feeling that Harry’s lack of squad rotation might negatively affect the side when the injury bug does eventually bite.

I’m holding out hope that Redknapp’s just been biding his time to rotate the squad, and next weekend’s fixture against an inconsistent West Brom side does seem the perfect opportunity.

Tottenham's Kranjcar and Danny Rose

growing mustaches for cancer "awareness" will only keep niko and rose distracted from their lack of playing time for so long.

Why not give Assou-Ekotto or Walker a break to make way for Ćorluka or Rose respectively? Walker in particular, since the kid has literally been running his legs off for both Spurs and England lately. Scott Parker could also use the rest, considering the well-equipped Sandro more than ready to stand in. I’m even down to let Gio or Pav have a run out: if either shines, it could potentially net some additional transfer dollars in January… double bonus!

Honestly though, my knack for pessimism is probably the only thing that’s really shining through here. I should really quit my bitching, right?

The blowout losses to the Manchester sides seems like ages ago, and Spurs really have been pretty impressive this season. The boys look more than capable of competing for the Champions League places this season, not to mention their main competition (Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal) for those spots look prime for the picking.

Yes, the system Redknapp’s currently employing is paying dividends, but this also isn’t exactly the hardest portion of this season’s schedule. And I know that many of those squad players glued to the Premier League sidelines are getting minutes in the Europa League, but you and I both know that the quality of opposition in those matches pales in comparison to the Premier League.

I’m really happy with Tottenham, this year. I am. It would just put me at ease, moving forward, if Harry could show me these risky decisions are backed up by some a solid “Plan B”.

ten words or less #39

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andrei arshavin giraffe shirt

if arshavin's fashion sense catches on, we all have reason to be pessimistic.

It may just be me, but I feel like my recent posts have taken a rather pessimistic view of the beautiful game. A quick look at my front page shows a total of seven non-round-up posts, and four of them are nothing but me bitching about some current aspect of the game. I must think soccer is going to hell then, right?

Well, sort of… but I could also just be moody and hypersensitive to issues that I think are currently plaguing the game. If it makes you feel better, you can call me a pessimist. I won’t take it the wrong way.

However, if you’re not yet concerned about the state of affairs in professional football, just take a gander at a few of the links below. We’ll make you into pessimist in no time.

Is Serie A’s decline due more to TV than stadiums? – theelastico.com

The Home Nations collectively shudders at the site of this. – footballshirtculture.com

You can actually feel the sorrow in the author’s voice. – twofootedtackle.com

While a valid point, is there a workable solution? – soccerissue.com

Is Balotelli a Dynamo Dresden fan, or just their inspiration? – dirtytackle

Pelé makes boots now, undoubtedly thinks they’re the best ever. – theoriginalwinger.com

Neymar has nothing on these guys. – youtube.com

A good effort that needs revising: too much white space. – kckrs.com

you have to give to take

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the problem with this season and last for tottenham? they set the bar too damn high. make it to the quarterfinals of the champions league, and suddenly everyone expects you to do it again next year.

such are the risks of success, i guess.

luka modric and gareth bale of tottenham

i like to imagine that, in this picture, bale and modrić are pleading to stay at white hart lane.

despite turning in a massively entertaining –if not cardiac– first half of the season, the bruises one takes for such success looks set to be cause of their demise. a thin and ultimately not that talented squad (and perhaps manchester city’s oil-drenched billions) mean spurs find themselves again staring enviably back up at the perch they had worked so hard to reach and capitalize upon this season.

in order for tottenham to even consider the thought of a top four finish next season, they have to spend big on world class talent. harry said it. the pundits are saying it. the fans demand it. i’m assuming the players problably want it too.

at least one striker, a right back, and a goalkeeper are not just desires, but necessities.

yet keep in mind that there will be no champions league money rolling in next season. honestly, they’ll be lucky to get europa league money at this point. so while redknapp said they need to open the checkbook this summer, he also knows that money will be tight at white hart lane.

so how can spurs possibly spend big with lower revenues next season? unfortunately, the answer to that question is every fan’s most hated phrase around transfer windows…

“we’ll have to sell to spend.”

it strikes fear in the heart of supporters because we know that means you have to sell valuable assets to be able to buy more potentially valuable assets. none of us want to see our star players go, but that’s usually what that means. spurs faithful the world over know this story well, with the somewhat recent departures of berbatov and carrick to manchester united used to fund the building of the current squad.

sure, they could trim the fat in the squad instead. hutton, jenas, palacios, bentley, keane and maybe even defoe could all go as they aren’t really up to the grade that a champions league level club should expect. pavlyuchenko (himself on the edge of the previous “list of insufficients”), cudicini and kranjcar are all wanting to leave. not all will go. but the sale of a majority of them combined might be enough to snare one significant signing.

so that means a big gun will have to be sold if there’s going to be any “big” investment in the squad. bale, modrić and van der vaart have all been heavily linked with the usual suspects(united, chelsea, madrid, barcelona, inter), so it’s safe to assume that the three of  them would give spurs the most leverage in the transfer market.

but as everyone is keenly aware, they’ve all been crucial to tottenham’s recent successes. how could they possibly let them go?

tottenham's luka modric

the little croatian is the heartbeat of tottenham's attack.

modrić is the best of the three and the one who’s loss would be felt the most, despite the fact that he hasn’t received as much hype as bale and rafa. he would have absolutely no problem slotting in at united or barcelona. tottenham literally have nobody who can replace him in the current ranks, as is visible every time he doesn’t play (or even played out of position on the left). even if they pick off charlie adam from a relegated blackpool in the summer, that wouldn’t be enough to fill the void. in my opinion, luka is virtually unsellable.

bale is a trickier proposition. whether he deserved the pfa player of the year award or not, he has had one hell of a 18-month run. from the transfer list to the hot list, he’s rightfully earned himself all of the speculation he now garners with some glittering performances. he’ll be tough to hold on to for that very reason. he’s been one of the club’s brightest stars in the last two seasons, and you never want to sell off a young player that is one of the best players in the world (or my favorite player!)

but i’ll also be the first to admit that his gareth’s form has dipped recently. it’s possible that is due to his injuries and not regaining full fitness from them, or it could be that the world has finally learned how to neutralize him. while i certainly wouldn’t claim that he’s a flash in the pan, i do worry that he could be. maybe it would be better to cash in on him now while his value is at it’s peak. however, his recent injury could also dent his appeal.

and that leaves rafael van der vaart. the dutchman was the catalyst for spurs’ early season red hot form, as his goals kept us all from noticing that tottenham’s forwards don’t know how to score them. he brought the fire, flare, and excitement that seemed to be the missing piece in tottenham’s quest to break into the english elite. we all wanted to believe that anyway. regardless, the way he played in the fall no doubt  raised his transfer value

it didn’t take long, though, before the praise inflated his ego. he couldn’t seem to get a lodge a full 90-minute match, and soon publicly vented his frustration of being subbed off so often by ‘arry. sometimes he morphs into a dribble princess, keeping the ball to himself when he has it and throwing his hands up in frustration when his teammates don’t give it to him. though often started as a right-sided attacker, he often drifts wherever he pleases during the course of the match, murdering the team’s shape and crowding the space of central players. sure, he’s better when he get’s to play the much desired “rover” role. but is it really worth the affect it has on the team’s performance?

so long story short,  if you have to sell one of the three, make sure that it’s van der vaart.

don't cry rafa. it's nothing personal.

look, redknapp wants to play in a 4-4-2. after all, he is english and loves the long ball (right peter crouch?!). tottenham never played particularly well in the 4-5-1, and that’s the formation they had to play with vdV in the line up. it provided enough cover in the midfield to allow the former gypsy to roam the field at his whim. but by selling him off, spurs will have enough room on the pitch to play another striker, and thus justify buying a world class forward.

the dutchman also appears to be one of the only players in the squad with a huge ego (at least one that affects the squad), and has a penchant for biting the hand that feeds him. mabye letting him go would be a boost to team chemistry too. i don’t know; i’m just speculating here.

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we all know that someone has to be sold to take this team back to the promised land. there’s no denying it. nobody wants it to happen, but then again, none of us really wanted dimitar or michael to part ways either. look how well that turned out.

who ends up on the chopping block, or whether it will happen at all, remains to be seen. van der vaart makes the most sense to me, but then again, it’s all just a toss up anyway. because if things continue on this way, we’ll probably be fighting relegation next season anyway.