no in between.
On Sunday you’re miserable as hell because a chance at an FA Cup winning season has been blown by a lacklustre, inept display against a side already relegated that you should stuff but didn’t deserve to beat and a week later it’s all joy.
Could it get better than beating the scum midweek and ending their season? Well yes, completely stuffing Chelski to follow it up, that’s better, even if ironically it rekindled the scum’s season – only for it to totally extinguished during ten glorious minutes on Sunday by 9-1 Wigan.
This week has been exactly the response required after the semi-final defeat, it’s also exactly the response very few out there expected from them. ‘Arry’s got this week right, the tactics of both games, the scum well just let them have the ball, no cutting edge, Chelsea well get at ’em more, that back four, run at ’em, they’re old, infirm and not that great to be honest.
Oh and start as you mean to go on, up and at ’em like we should do most games, it’s when they play their best. But it looked like it could be one of those days as Terry, when last man, got away with a tug and trip on Defoe in the D nothing given and then even more bizarrely Bale was first tripped and then pushed over by Mikel all in one motion and the ref just gives a corner. Spurs on the wrong end of some shonky officiating against a “Top 4” side, where have I seen this before.
And then the break, the ball jumps up at Terry he plays it with his arm and the ref amazingly points to the spot. Terry explains he always gets away with that, just look at the Bolton game midweek, but the ref is having none of it, though a card wasn’t displayed – he really should have been off by now. So who to take the pen, Defoe was stripped of the duty, after a number of bad failures, and it was passed to Huddlestone who then proceeded to take one of the worst spot kicks you’ll ever see. In what looks to be his only game as official penalty taker, as Defoe stood up and banged it in.
It was all Spurs, it was all Bale, it was all Modric, no one knew Cole or Lumpalard or Malouda or Drogba were even playing, chances were created but chances were wasted so it was just one nil and I’m thinking as the break creeps closer what we really need is a start to the second half like Wednesday, just after half-time and it’ll kill ’em off.
Bale had other thoughts though, why wait, why not do it now, as he shimmied Ferreira, who expected the left-footer to go outside but instead he came in and with an early shot the ball was past Cech at his near post. You wait how long and then two goals come along in a week. Goals that Bale’s play this year has deserved, there’s quite a bit of man-love aimed at the Welshman recently from those in lillywhite. To think he could have been sold last summer and even this winter, many were calling for it, where would be now if that had happened?
So the second half didn’t start with an early goal but it did start with a piece of high comedy, as Drogba started holding his groin waiting to kick-off but Chelski had made all their changes – one in the first half and the other two during the break, the anonymous Cole and destroyed Ferreira – so he’d have to carry on. Well you just never know with him do you.
Terry finally gets a card at the third time of asking, for bringing down Pavlyuchenko, it was a goal scoring opportunity as without Terry’s trip Big Pav was clean through the parted Chelski defence. Then three minutes later things just got better as Modric fed the advancing Bale’s great run with a great pass and Terry clattered into the winger. It could mean only one thing and I don’t know if I’ve seen a ref quicker with the cards. Terry of course tried to play the “do you know who I am” card until it was pointed out he isn’t England captain anymore. Will the watching Capello take any notice, everyone has Terry down to go to the World Cup, many were talking about Judas Cuntball going as well but in two games they’ve been totally and utterly overshadowed by Dawson.
Of course it wouldn’t be a standard stuffing, this is Spurs and nail biting is part of the whole package. So more chances were crated and more wasted and then the board goes and where the hell did 5 minutes come from. There’s been one substitution and one sending off, no injuries and a slight scuffle, no where near five minutes. Of course they had to get one back, it was tough on Dawson and Gomes who again made some great saves not to have another clean sheet.
But in the end this score flattered Chelski, half a dozen wouldn’t have flattered Spurs…
I can’t help but think of the stupid points dropped through the season – 2 up against Everton get a draw, 2 points dropped, home against Stoke, Wolves and Hull, 8 dropped – 10 points added to what we already have (64), along with a game in hand, this Saturday’s game against ManUre (on 76 points) shouldn’t be just about securing 4th spot it should be a Championship decider.