at this rate.
Three wins in a week, 9 points, eight goals for just two against. Surely ‘Arry would have done better than this. It can’t carry on, we shouldn’t allow it to carry on.
A reasonable week for the boss. Not quite so for the haters. It was topped off by decent away display at BMJ’s Fulham. Only decent because with the three goals and three points came two injuries.
Dawson limping off early with an ankle concern, Bale doing his hamstring later on. Dawson could be back by the weekend, Bale is said to be one or two weeks. But I’ve heard that before, one or two weeks ends up being one or two months, with important Spurs players. See Lennon’s absences over the last couple of festive periods. Then if they rush him back could it have a knock on effect? This time of year, games coming thick and fast, you can either really strengthen your position in the league or it can kill you. Need the best players available.
Bale is also facing up to being close to a suspension due to yet another incorrectly yellow card handed out by an inept official, accusing him of diving. Foy, having a clear view of the incident that everyone say and can see was a clear foul. Two bookings in a week suggest the reputation we all warned about has come. But what was the on field punishment Charlie Adam received for the two cowardly challenges on bale’s ankle?
Anyway the game. A subdued cagey first half with Spurs in somewhat of control, but nothing coming up front, Defoe barely touching the ball, bar having one of those really stupid desperate attempts on goal that he so likes.
One person trying to light up the half was an ex-player, though not Dempsey or the excellent Dembele but Berbatov. Still a class player when he wants to be. I didn’t get over excited as many did about his goal scoring numbers during the last couple of seasons at ManUre. It was mostly made up of putting five past the likes of Blackburn. But if he hadn’t shit all over us securing the move to that club would gladly have seen him back where he should have stayed.
Second half was lit up ten minutes in when Sandro received the ball in acres of space, was closed down at all, so decided to have a pop. Going from the stripes of the grass about 35 yards out, Schwarzer maybe should have done better but it was another beastly moment from the beast, dipping and swinging. And it must have made a refreshing change for the player to be able to celebrate a screamer without his manager balling him out.
Seemed to spark Spurs into life. A Bale charge and shot led to his injury shortly after. Not long after his substitution Defoe actually did something. A nice run by Sigurdsson, who replaced Bale, who laid it on a plate for Defoe 10 yards out. Now in total control a great through ball by Dempsey produced Defoe’s second involvement and the end of the game as a contest.
The silver lining to the cloud of Bale’s injury being that two of the goals came when he wasn’t on the park – the first didn’t involve him at all really – and came from attacking play on the left hand side. If he is gone for just the couple of weeks is that the position to get the best out of Dempsey during the period?
Good clean sheet and three points against a reasonable Fulham, who have plenty of attacking talent, though maybe missing their defensive rock. Nine pints from three games, as Chelsea and the Goons are beaten at the weekend. A great week for the manager so of course the media have shifted their agenda from running him out of town to running Bale out to Madrid or Barca.