the rest of the deadwood with you.
The end of this abortion of a season couldn’t come quick enough once Levy decided to Sherwood it. The final match pretty much summed up Timmy’s, thankfully, short period in charge.
Again he was up against a team that has been completely hopeless this season, and shorn of their best players – time and time again the commentator claimed Paul Lambert would be annoyed at his team’s performance, well I don’t see why he should be quite used to it by now. This was standard Villa.
And yet even this motley mob still nearly had half of the ball on offer.
As Timmy claims he was brought in to increase goals. Well the three here added to that, surprisingly the number the opposition has scored over that period didn’t increase. But the amount of opposition possession and ball given away was on the up.
You feel the one thing Timmy got right on the day was more luck than judgement. Can honestly see him sending Sandro out there in the starting XI believing the Brazilian would have a stinker and so he and Ferdinand would be proved right about defensive midfielders.
When the exact opposite was true and everything good about Spurs on the day was due to having that presence in the middle of the park who could free up others. namely Paulinho.
The opener, which just came before the quarter of an hour cut off point, after some inept pinball was some nice one touch play, even if Harry Kane’s one touch was just the ball bouncing off him into Paulinho’s path for him to finish off at the second attempt. This is where the Brazilian is needed, in and around the area, not stuck back in the centre of midfield.
Cue Timmy touchline antics. Does anyone really believe the act? “Got passion me, I’ve kissed the badge and everfink”.
As per usual as soon as Spurs score they drop off and concede the ball at every opportunity. It was only the fact that Villa are so mind numbingly dull that the score was level before Spurs added a second just after the half hour mark.
After some good work to keep the ball live by Eriksen, Rose sends in a hit and hope cross that bounces off a Villa face into the net.
All very fitting for the occasion.
Shortly after Sandro had a shot that Agbonlahor decided to elbow down and Adebayor stepped up to take the penalty. Surprising this was followed by what hopefully is the last of those dimwitted salutes we see at The Lane. In other words he actually scored this pen.
As the rest of the game petered out into nothing, you’re left just thinking who can accompany Timmy out the back door. That saluting long streak of piss would be the first. Along with a pair of fullbacks who are completely out of their depth. When you have to make weak excuses for a players abilities and performances there’s no point holding onto them.
Naughton has been woeful at his preferred position, never mind on the opposite side. He’ll be 26 shortly into next season, he’s never going to improve. As with all Spurs fullbacks his first thought is to grab his opponent, there’s no tackling ability or game reading. So the same is true of Rose, who is a little younger but if at the age 23 – will be 24 come next season, Timmy was defending him based on him still being a “kid” – if he hasn’t learned to pass the ball 5 yards to his team mate he never will.
It’s funny writing this on the day of Ledley King’s testimonial, reading the quotes about Ledley…
Thierry Henry: "He doesn't hold players. He will get the ball off you without you even noticing. For me, that is a good defender."
— Talking THFC (@TalkingTHFC) May 12, 2014
Can you imaging Naughton, Rose, Walker, Dawson – if he gets close enough, or others not grabbing? Nope, me neither.
Much talk of who to go for, especially at left-back, well who ever it is it’ll be an upgrade. With what is already at the club – all last summer’s signings should be kept – those three areas, fullbacks and striker, yet again, are the main ones needing a look at.
But the biggest boon to all involved will be that day, which should shortly come, when Sherwood leaves the club for good. A hard act to follow indeed. I don’t think many of the managers appointed in the future will be as clueless a scummy a dickhead as this loathsome creature.
The pathetic playing to crowd by bringing on a supporter to sit in the hot seat was just shameless, as his whinging to his media chums and their lapping it all up.