isn’t working after another defeat.
Spurs started the New Year much like the last year had gone, with yet another defeat but with Postecoglou getting snippier and snippier with his mates in the media, as he blamed everyone else for Spurs loss to Newcastle.
Yes the officiating was rank but everything being equal the Newcastle of the last few weeks would have turned up, not a Newcastle that did just enough to win. All things being equal Spurs wouldn’t have a manager who decided to start Timo Werner.
They have a manager who now picks a goal keeper for his first ever game, only because the previous one was ill. A keeper that showed he’s quite capable, is a hell of a lot mobile than the lumbering monster and all over less of a liability. But yet it took numerous weeks and having his hand forced to do so. But then we had Spence starting again, after a year and a half of being ignored by Ange, while Reguilon came on for a half, despite also being previously ignored.
Spence of course was playing out of position, so Grey was playing out of position but not in his previous out of position position. Werner playing out of position, being on the pitch. While no Maddison again, with Son also on the bench.
And things started well. Nice run by Bergvall, who had a good game right up until – well we’ll get to that later – his ball though was behind Johnson but his lay off to Porro was met with a first time cross, an excellent cross, no Solanke started hiding but eventually he got in front of his defender – maybe more to do with said defender being out of the game injured for nine months, than Solanke’s striker ability – to nod in the opener.
The good feeling didn’t last. After playing out from the back, Sarr’s ball was overplayed so Bergvall was stretching but his ball hit of the Newcastle arm, completely deflecting the ball in a new direction and straight to a Newcastle player, from there one pass and Gordon’s shot flew past Austin. Yes, I see the League saying his arm was by his side and all, but they benefited from a handball, the handball played the ball to their guy. But VAR, “lads, it’s Spurs”.
What followed was a half where the possession was not far off equal and yet every Newcastle player, apart from their keeper, touched the ball more than the Spurs front four. And Newcastle ending the half 2-1 up.
It should also have seen Newcastle down to 9 men. Somehow it took Joelinton 73 minutes to get a yellow card, when he’d committed enough fouls in the first half to see red even if you don’t count the forearm into the side of Bergvall’s head.
While Dan Burn was carded for a foul and then, even though the ref gave a free kick, he didn’t get the second yellow he should, for a deliberate hand ball, where he spread his arms to make sure Spurs couldn’t break. It’s so obvious. But you know, pundits are always saying you don’t want to spoil the game by sending someone off.
So yes Ange had a right to be angry about that. But it looks like an act.
Newcastle’s second came from a Spurs’ throw. Why throw to Solanke with a man on? He couldn’t keep possession, I was stunned. And this time Isak made enough contact with a cross from the right after Dragusin’s touch, to score. He’d missed a similar one a little earlier. So all things being equal it could have been 3-1, from Newcastle’s more shots.
Half time for once saw a change made. That one from earlier, Reguilon for Dragusin. Meaning Spurs now had three fullbacks, one midfielder and no centre-backs in its defence. It took Ange until the hour before he finally brought on Maddison and Son. But he faced a barrage of boos for including Bergvall in the players coming off. Ridiculous decision. They were better in that half but also lucky. Kulusevski could quite easily have seen red and a penalty awarded for his shoulder smacking Gordon’s nose.
Spurs had more shots in the half but only a couple, while shots on target were thin on the ground from both teams. Though I wonder what Johnson’s banged ball across the face of goal late on was classed as. It was screaming out for a shot at goal from the leading scorer but looked like it was a cross. It was met with a similar cross back from Reguilon. Where was our great striker. On his heels.
Ange showed life for once. Ange moaned. Ange might be losing his fan base in the media with his post match snipes at them and quite frankly that’s all that’s keeping him in the job at the moment.
Wolves have the last game of the weekend, in the three games since they sacked their manager they’ve picked up 7 points, it could be as much as 10 in four, if they beat the team currently third in the league, Forest managed by former Spurs boss. Spurs have 8 points in their last 10 games.
They’ve signed a new keeper but surely this clown can’t be given more money for this rubbish…