wins another 3 points.
Tim Sherwood still unbeaten in the league as Spurs boss after giving a win one for the Gipper
half-time speech and a goal for “the greatest striker who ever scored a goal”, it was a Daily Mail reporters wet dream at The Lane on Saturday.
I can just imagine the response and reporting if AVB had presided over this game.
An absolutely atrocious first half where those in white struggled to string one pass together, never mind two or more. That saw the defence repeatedly in trouble and repeatedly let of the hook.
Never more so that the worst penalty we’ve seen all season. With that miss Jason Puncheon looks like he could be a Spurs player. Everybody asking what was Dembele up to when he fouled Chamakh for the spot kick. Never mind what the midfielder was doing, where was the defence? Vlad was up the park after a forward charge that resulted in him giving the ball away with ease. The rest? Who knows?
For once Walker wasn’t playing so far inside no he was mincing about behind the action. Bizarrely this wasn’t the worst bit of defending Walker was involved in all afternoon. No, his reluctance to have anything to do with touching the ball in a defensive situation raised it’s head again. A week ago in the cup we saw him more interested in playing grab arse rather than make a tackle, this week more interested in shoving his arse into a player and the crawling on all fours, after he’d fallen over from his arse shove, to shepherd the ball out of play for about 20 yards.
Play football? Dear god no.
Only decent bit from Spurs was Bentaleb hitting the post with a shot. One thing, it wasn’t unlucky. Always hear people say he was unlucky with that when someone hits the woodwork. It’s not. It was off target it was as unlucky as Puncheon’s penalty.
Then Adebayor also had a chance. But then he’s done his stuff for the season so what did you expect? Oh you really expected him to put it in for the rest of the season? His first touch was about as bad as you get and yet of course it was Soldado who got all the abuse.
By the time the Spaniard was bizarrely replaced, Timmy had given his half time oratory on desire and he’d out Tony Pulis’d Tony Pulis. As Naughton, on for Walker – which brought initial chills but by the end was more like for like than you’d like – launched a long one onto Adebayor’s head, he actually managed to nod it onto Eriksen who finished with aplomb.
Soldado had now got into the game but the aforementioned greatest striker of all time had to make a farewell appearance after signing for Toronto in the MLS, even though he’s apparently going to be back straight away.
He scored. No it wasn’t the great goal you all read or heard about. Nice ball by Lennon and stumbling, bumbling, Defoe actually managed to miss the ‘keeper and the woodwork to finish. And the “natural born goal scorer” guff came flooding out. Those saying it don’t mention with that goal, his first in the league this season, he matched his league total for the whole of 2013.
Around the goal we saw why many aren’t that unhappy at seeing him depart as his selfishness, lack of footballing awareness and general stupidity took hold. Players are in position to score but no Defoe needs to shoot and shoot so badly as to just provide more evidence that he’s not what we are told he is.
Evidence that’s backed up by this move. If Defoe was as great as they tell you he wouldn’t be moving to a 17th rate team in a fifth rate league. No matter the wages or what some rapper said. Especially not in a World Cup year, even at the age of 31. Much as when he was just 25 and first moved from Spurs if he was that good a player it wouldn’t have been a move to Portsmouth.
The goals and there’s been a few mask everything else, especially that there should have been more goals. Much like the three points gloss over the crap that Sherwood’s side served up for a lot of this game. Funny that those that complained about that under AVB are now happy. I wonder how happy they’ll be when a better team stumps up – Stoke, WBA, Palace and really ManUre haven’t been much – one with a packed midfield, passing able, scoring able side.