for three points.
Spurs last home game of 2016 was just that an ugly, ugly victory over relegation fodder Burnley.
The visitors showed no real ambition, as is the case with so many of those circling the relegation drain, yet this being Spurs when the visitors opened the scoring they doubled the amount of shots on target Spurs had managed to that point.
Oh Spurs had plenty of shots, it’s just they only managed less than a handful on target in the first half. They had plenty more in the second, attempts that is with a little more accuracy.
There was a moment in the second half when Hugo went on a mad dash out of his area, causing a touch of panic, well he’s spent enough time behind this defence, which was again Tobyless, to know that so often it’s only him that stands between Spurs and being relegation fodder.
The pundits were claiming Walker had the situation under control, somehow not realising what they were saying. Much like the lot claiming Walker is the bestest right-back in the world ever.
The first half summed Walker up. Defensively weak, he’d given the ball away very easily for Burnley’s first real attack, which resulted in Hugo having to save the day again. Ten minutes later and he hadn’t learnt his lesson, with another classic piece of Walker defending. Trying not to play the ball. His useless attempt to let the ball go passed him resulted in it being taken off him and Burnley opening the scoring.
But apparently Walker is great because just over five minutes later he provided the ball from which Dele scored. Even that highlighted the ineptitude of this educationally subnormal individual.
For once he actually kept wide-ish, before putting the cross in. He actually stayed away from the defender, unlike every other time he had the ball, with acres of space out wide he cut inside, right up on a defender and had the ball taken off him with ease.
Of course seeing staying wide pay off it never dawned on him to try it again.
It could have been different if Dele hadn’t yet again missed the target with an easy chance. Lovely pinged passed from Rose to Kane onto Dele and for some reason he Zamora’d it.
The rest of the game was Spurs this season all over. Plenty of sideways passes, plenty of slowing things up, plenty of inept shots and when the did get them on target a ‘keeper having a worldy.
Until the introduction of Sissoko. Again I tweeted the sarcastic “game changer” in the hope that it would have the “bite me on the arse” effect.
It nearly didn’t if some had their way. People that somehow never mentioned Walker nearly having his head taken off against Swansea, in an attack that didn’t even get a card, were all het up about a Sissoko challenge, that while high didn’t see him go through the player.
That he had a major part in the winning goal moments later made it all the sweeter.
A ball out from the back is stepped over by Rose and finds Sissoko, he charges forward and plays Rose in, just about on the 18 yard box. Thought the left-back had buggered it as he had to take a touch but his second was so quick and powerful, even the ‘keeper on a worldy couldn’t save it.
Rose was by far the man of the match, yup, I just admitted that. Yes, I’m coming round, no, I’m not claiming he’s the greatest left-back ever, as some are but he’s far better than Walker. Better going forward, less dithering, probably better defensively though he’s still not that great. He does win a lot of fouls and doesn’t half bounce when coming down from being fouled.
There was some moments of blind panic after the goal as Spurs held on for the second three points of the week. Didn’t post about the Hull game, out injured. But at the end of the weekend Spurs having played crap all season are a point behind a team some pundits were claiming as title challengers just over a week ago.
Now if they could just kick on in 2017, get out of neutral, it ain’t even second gear, then who knows…