you can’t lecture about others “expecting too much”.
No we have “never been in the Champions League before this season” but that doesn’t mean we can’t expect more from a run of games against Blackpool, Wolves, West Ham, Wigan, Stoke, the scum & West Brom.
That’s two cellar dwellers from most of the season, one that’s plummeting like a stone with a shocking home record and one side that’s just getting out of trouble at home. Surely expecting more than 8 points from a possible 21, when fourth spot is begging out to be taken, isn’t asking too much.
And when expectations aren’t met, ‘Arry, you have to take the criticism the way you are more than happy to take the plaudits when things are going well. You keep saying “two points, eight games” well we’re saying “8 points, 7 games”, it’s not much better.
And you have to expect the criticism when you play your part in a poor run with strange selections. Now I said when he came back we’d missed Huddlestone and we had but it doesn’t mean that Sandro should have been immediately benched, when the young Brazilian came on against the Baggies he showed what the midfield has been missing, someone to stop them other buggers. But of course when he came on it meant ‘Arry shifted everyone around and Modric was plunked out on the left again and again it was shown to be a waste.
For all his hard work you can tell he doesn’t like it out on the flank, didn’t when Juande was getting those two points and still doesn’t. He’s getting kicked for nothing and as I tweeted the other day, imagine if a Woolwich Wanderers player was kicked about like Luka, we’d never hear the end of it.
You then leave it to the hour before bringing on Lennon and straight away he’s on the left. You seem somewhat obsessed with Lennon on the left, I don’t know is it the inner Mancini coming out in you ‘Arry or what? So you put him on the flank West Brom are doubling up on to keep Bale quiet, while the right side is wide open and Kaboul has no one to play with.
Then there’s the strikers, Pav and Crouch had just developed a bit of an understanding so you change it. Continuity does help. Defoe, yes he scored his 100th league goal, his 100th Spurs goal and Spurs’ 100th Premier League goal but he’d done nothing to deserve the start and did bugger all before and after the goal. In fact his presence just made things worse as for some reason he kept dropping deep, cluttering up a midfield that already contained Modric and van der Vaart coming off their flanks. What with the times Pav did so as well, it ended up with the likes of Lennon and Kaboul in good positions out wide to play a dangerous ball into the box but no one in white actually being in that box. Defoe should never be any deeper than the last defender.
As for Pav, he won a goal of the month for that goal against Chelsea when they said his great first touch had taken him away from the defence. When if you look at it now it was just his usual, pretty crappy, first touch that goes yards, added to that the dummies, step overs, flicks that just never work.
Then the defence, where were they for the opener and didn’t someone think of maybe challenging the player who scored the equaliser? Maybe you could coach them to do so ‘Arry.
And that brings us to ‘Arrys transfer dealings, with the need for new striker or strikers. Drogba, well he is a scumbag, with his connection to Chelsea and his flouncing and feigning but on form there’s no doubt he’d be a difference maker, hell even with malaria he’s got one less than our league top scorer, just four less than our three strikers put together. As for the talk of another returnee, Berbatov, well yes he’s the league’s top scorer but 11 of those 22 came in three games. Last thing required is another hit and miss merchant.
What with the other names bandied about, names you know ‘Arry likes, it doesn’t fill one with great joy. I can see a Lennonless Spurs next season, at the start he was nearly always subbed by ‘Arry when others were far more deserving of the hook and the decision just didn’t make sense, tiring opposition and off goes a flier. Now Lennon seems to be taking the flack for answering back via Twitter after the Madrid fiasco. Benched and then played on the left so chances are it won’t work, Lennon, wrongly, gets the blame and ‘Arry can get rid. To be replaced by one of ‘Arry’s favs, Joe Cole, who is of course coming off a fantastic season with the scousers.
And when Adam replaces Modric and Parker comes in for Sandro, well ‘Arry should be very happy as there’ll be no expectation then…