a banjo.
And if they get close there’d be an orange shirt there in the way. What would Spurs give for a striker who could strike? And where would they be?
European hangover? Well it was a week ago, a game a couple of days later you might get away with that excuse but a whole seven days later, no. Week night away match up North on a crap pitch, it’s a tired old excuse. Only thing you can say is Blackpool have a decent record at home and Spurs are exactly the type of team they like to play. An open team that attacks and doesn’t just park the charabanc.
Injuries, well they played their part, Gallas at right-back ,where he’s played plenty of games to be comfortable, meaning Bassong alongside Dawson in the centre. This didn’t quite work to plan as the Frenchman was having one of those days. At times he can be an excellent defender, this wasn’t one of them from the off he looked like an accident waiting to happen due to his dithering and being weak in the challenge.
And lo it came to pass, a Blackpool lump into the box from their right and Bassong is all over the place, resulting in him having a wild swipe at DJ Campbell, connecting with his hip, rather than being anywhere near the ball. No one complained when the ref blew for a penalty.
Ah, been at their best when behind this season, 20 points ain’t it?
Well the chances were created and the chances were spurned. We’ve all been used to Spurs struggling to get past a ‘keeper having a blinder but this was just a bit different, struggling to get past a ‘keeper who was having a flapper. Well they didn’t always struggle to get the ball past him it’s just when they did there was that orange shirt the banjo kept hitting. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many goal line clearances in a game. Will Defoe ever score again? Will he ever stop being offside?
It was turning into one of those “it ain’t gonna happen tonight” games.
It was all out attack by Spurs, just how Holloway’s side like it leading to ‘Pool’s second, just on the break. As they broke from their own half Dawson sold himself cheaply on the halfway line he then compounded this by tracking Campbell to the box but letting him go when they got there, seemingly thinking Assou-Ekotto would pick him up, if he (Dawson) was going to do that he had to block the cross, he didn’t. It was an easy finish for DJ, yes he was offside but it was shocking defending.
‘Arry was in for handing out another half-time rollicking. He made a change but unfortunately it was a like for like. Jenas for Palacios. The Honduran was back to his worst, after the great display against Milan, this was a dithering giving the ball away performance. Don’t know why Sandro didn’t get a look in. Jenas provided nothing in the second half, as he slowed down play, passed back, dithered, got in the road and flounced out of challenges.
Modric saw more of the ball after the break, he’d been a bit bypassed in the first as the ball was humped up the park early. His first touch though was a glorious move away from an orange shirt with the ball stuck to his foot but after that we witnessed a couple of the worst passes we’ve probably seen from the little Croat, the low light being an inept back heel.
Now we’ve got three strikers on the coaching staff and the current strikers can’t score. We could do with a old timer winger to the way to those out wide. Time and again last night Lennon had plenty of space, he had the beating of the fullback when he wasn’t doubled up but he kept stopping, allowing the defence to get back and cover, highly frustrating. Even more frustrating was Pienaar on the left, who every time he got the ball cut inside on his right, far too predictable and far too easy to defend. Kranjcar should have been brought on far earlier, don’t know why the South African came out after the interval.
And the second half pretty much panned out like the first, all out Spurs attack, chances squandered, goal line clearances, attempts wide of the mark. All leading to another break and ‘Pool making it safe with a third, Ormerod slotting home Assou-Ekotto’s nice layoff.
Yes the ball finally did find the Blackpool net but not after an orange shirt had deflected it about 40 seconds before the ref ended the misery, it was all a bit headless chicken at the end there.
All those chances missed and the biggest one was to leap over Citeh in the table and move further ahead of Chelski. Only second league loss since November, still fourth and Cherlski’s game in hand is at the league leaders but just so disappointing and just so Spurs.