13 August 2013

Where does this leave Ade?

Last season, there were two players in our squad that Spurs fans failed to tolerate last season and would not never succeed in meeting expectation. Last season, the same two players in our squad once played for Arsenal. William Gallas made notable errors in defence last season, and with the clock ticking on his successful career, he would surely not regain form as quick as our other centre backs. Emmanuel Adebayor scored a baron 8 goals in all competitions for Spurs last term, symbolising our never ending goals problem, our lack of dinner-finishing between the posts. Whilst Gallas is no longer at the club, Adebayor very much remains a Spurs player.

With the introduction of Roberto Soldado to the squad, where exactly does Ade fit into AVB's plans? Will he feature at all this season? Will Ade have to pay the price for his lack of goals?

At the end of last season, a reporter posed a question to AVB: 'How would you rate Emmanuel Adebayor's season, bearing in mind his lack of goals?' AVB calmly replied 'very good'. Ask the average punter down Tottenham High Road the same question and they probably would reply with the much more negative 'Sh*t, get the lazy tw*t out of Spurs, AVB is a mug to play him'. This appreciation from AVB made me conclude that he does believe the Togolese striker fits a role in his side, just not the role that satisfies fans, as clearly shown by the hashtag '#ThingsMoreUsefulThanAdebayor' trending after our exit to Basel in the Europa League.

Adebayor's role last season in his starting position was not of a direct number 9, probably a role which appeases fans a lot more (hence Jermain Defoe's popularity), but rather of a striker that creates space by making distracting runs, drifting wide to keep possession of the ball and dropping into midfield to keep the flow of play going. Perhaps the most telling games of this style was Inter Milan away and Fulham at home (both played in the same week). Against Inter, we started both Ade and Defoe; whilst Ade was making runs, holding up play and trying to cope with the solid Inter back line, Defoe did... nothing. Defoe's inaction was met with his substitution after half time, leaving ex-Arsenal striker to score the vital away goal that put us in the next round. Against Fulham, all the players noticeably lethargic, Adebayor made many good runs for Defoe, worked his arse off on the wings and made chances... Defoe missed a sitter in the final minutes that would have gave us the draw. After almost every match, Adebayor was criticised by fans and by pundits alike.

But what about this season? Roberto Soldado is our record signing and, even on a simple PR basis, AVB will have to select the Spaniard above Adebayor and Defoe (he is after all the superior player). This will confine Ade to the cup matches, probably shared out between him and Defoe, leaving the two to fight for their place in the team. Many people have called for one or the other to be sold this summer, disregarding what happened last season when we went in with only two recognised strikers, claiming we ought to replace the sold striker. This, to me, seems pathetic. Why sell a striker comfortable in the squad just so he can be replaced? Some people would have rather had the accused rapist Loic Remy than Adebayor. Let that sink in.

Defoe will always be the fan's favourite, no matter how low a conversion rate he has (one of the lowest in the league at just over 10%) and how little of a supporting role he chooses to carry out. Adebayor will always be a gooner to some fans' eyes. That's how football fans are (until they score of course, then it's irrelevant). But I don't see Ade being forced out of the door in these last few weeks, not when searching for a replacement would result in a lot of unnecessary effort on the club's part. Perhaps that's because I don't despise him like many of you do. Perhaps it's because I remember what he did for us in the 2011/12 season. Perhaps it's just a moment of optimism. However, should he stay, Emmanuel Adebayor will influence Tottenham's season in some way, as he had done last season too. His appearances will continue to divide Spurs fans, but as the saying goes, the end justifies the means. Who knows? We might even be singing this number again.
"Adebayor, Adebayor... This is the best club you've ever played for."

3 August 2013

Soldado

Let me take you back to September 1st, 2008. Dimitar Berbatov had just signed for Manchester United for £30million. Meanwhile in North London, Tottenham Hotspur had just been forced to sell the most talented striker in the Premier League. Although not out of pocket, Tottenham would find it hard to replace the Hungarian. Who would have known that the search for Berbatov's replacement would have lasted almost five years, three managers and £83million to find?

The journey begins with Juande Ramos and the signing of Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow for £14million. Although clearly a talented player, the Russian's three-and-a-half seasons at Spurs were mixed and inconsistent, struggling to fill the role Berbatov left behind, scoring 42 goals in 113 appearances for Spurs.

Jermain Defoe returned to White Hart Lane in January 2009, despite only leaving Spurs the year before for Portsmouth, for almost £16million. A fan's favourite, Defoe had a fantastic 2009/10 season, scoring a whopping 24 goals in 43 appearances, key to the Lilywhites finishing fourth place. However, similar form has alluded Defoe since then, a modest 41 goals in 111 appearances.

Robbie Keane was the second player to resign for Spurs for £12million in 2009 after an unsuccessful spell at Liverpool. Before leaving, Robbie Keane was one of Tottenham's most liked and most consistent strikers, scoring 107 goals in 282 appearances. However on his return to the Lane, Keane only scored 14 goals in 49 appearances. He left Tottenham for good in 2012 for LA Galaxy for £1.5million.

Peter Crouch signed for Spurs in 2009 from Portsmouth for £10million. Crouch scored some very memorable goals for Spurs in his time there, including the goal against AC Milan, putting Spurs in the quarter final of the Champions League in their first attempt, and the goal that put them their in the first place against Manchester City. Crouch was never a regular scorer for Spurs, representing a serious goals problem for Spurs at the time.

Emmanuel Adebayor became Harry Redknapp's next striker signing in 2011 on loan from Manchester City for the 2011-12. He enjoyed a great first season for Spurs, scoring 18 goals in 37 appearances, as well as 12 assists. He made the deal permanent in August 2012 under the new management of Andre Villas-Boas. AVB did not enjoy the same success with Adebayor up front, with the striker only scoring 8 goals all season, despite playing a very important forward role in the side.

I've had to take you through the whole plethora of Spurs strikers since 2008 so you can truly grasp how much of a struggle it has been to find Berbatov's replacement. The main problem has been finding a striker who can score 20 goals a season whilst being consistent. As we saw with Defoe in 2009/10, if you could find that striker, you could get into the Champions League. Adebayor would have worked in 2011-12 if it weren't for the freak accident of Chelsea's Champions League win, denying Spurs their place. Last season, the problem was not as nearly as intensive as previous seasons due to the goal scoring record of Gareth Bale; Spurs made their highest total points tally of 72 points. Due to the impeccable form of other club, this problem still managed to cost us Champions League football.

With the signing of 28-year-old Roberto Soldado from Valencia though, I feel this problem will finally cease to exist. The Spanish striker has scored 20 goals or more for the past three seasons in La Liga, as well as scoring 6 goals in 11 appearances for Spain. What's more, Soldado will not need to adapt to the Premier League; the type of player he is already relies on positioning and physicality. He possesses the ability to lead the forward line, as well as beating the final man, something many strikers in the England lack. Complaints with age will be quickly put to bed when I tell you how old Robin van Persie was when he signed for United: 29. RVP's signing won United the league.


Roberto Soldado will bring to Spurs what they have lacked since Berbatov, what would have pushed them on to bigger and better things, what would have put them with England's elite. He will be a regular goalscorer. He will make good out of Tottenham's fantastic midfield. He will be a game changer. My prediction is simple: should Soldado score 20 or more goals this season, Tottenham will be in the top four.  

Change (Revive The Lane)

I rarely go to the lane, but when I do, I feel the same excitement every time. Walking up to the ground, pictures of the players lining the streets, the hooky merchandise shops, watching the hundreds of fellow fans walk by me, or simply seeing the cockerel on every piece of clothing – home. But, more than anything, it's the White Hart Lane itself that stirs my emotions. I look upon that beautiful green grass as if it were my home, where I truly belong, where I'll always belong. That will never change.

I recall the last time I went to White Hart Lane. Basel at home, 4th April 2013. There was an air of expectation going around the ground. I thought we would outclass them, I won't lie. After all, we had just beaten Lyon and Inter Milan, and romantically I thought this would be our year for European glory. The game itself was poor, with most of the chances going to Basel, but I'm not going to dissect the game. It's the fans that stood out from that game.

It was just so flat. I heard a lot of talk about silence at the lane, a lack of atmosphere, but you can never get a grip of how silent it is till you go. The few songs that were song that night were quiet and were very distant from where I was sitting. I tried to join in but only a whisper came out. Even our supposed anthem 'Oh when the Spurs' was sung very lightly. When they scored, I could only hear the Swiss in the away stand, leaving us staring blankly at the pitch – that silence could've lasted a lifetime. For 95% of my experience, all I could hear was the murmuring of fans. Let me share with you a few inspiring quotes:

'Gallas is shit, why doesn't he just retire?'
'Adebayor is fucking useless. AVB is a mug if he can't see that.'
'That Icelandic, what's his name, useless (said just before he scored the equaliser).'
'Why are we even the Europa League? Pointless competition.'
'I pay (x-amount of money) a year for this.'

As a young fan going to the Lane, this is about as depressing as it gets. What's worse is, these people calls themselves fans. Supporters who don't support and just complain can't be supporters at all, just pricks. It was a nauseous atmosphere, toxic and contagious. This has been the attitude for the last few years now. Now it's time for change.

Why should people pay literally hundreds to watch Spurs, turn up and be greeted with such a negative atmosphere? How is it fair on the young fans going to the Lane for the first time? Do they not deserve the right to hear the roar of the Lane? Consider these questions when considering to join this movement.

Revive The Lane is a plethora of ideas new and old, but mostly it's about change. It's about converting the sickening silence and the leering judgement of the present into songs, chants, happiness, an expression of love for the game. It's about going to football matches and escaping the rottenness of reality. Past the turnstiles, our lives didn't matter any more: it was all about the beautiful game. It's about letting the glory and the shite unfold, not like a theatrical production, but like we're part of it as well, like we have a hand in the glory and in the shite. It's about realising that our support does influence the players. Think about Fulham and how little we did to get the players going! Revive The Lane is about putting the 'support' back in supporter.

But it's more than that. It's about thousands of us coming together and uniting for the common cause. Since the conception of the Premier League, fans have increasingly become a commodity, customers that come and go and are always replaceable. Clubs don't look to fans for guidance till they're deep in the mire (look at Portsmouth, look at the Plymouth). It's time for that to change. We must become a mass again. Lowering ticket prices, safe-standing and bringing back the drum can only happen if we unite, say 'YES' and say 'NO' to the club. Revive the Lane is about bringing us together.

I implore you all to join us. These ideas have been furiously discussed on The Fighting Cock Podcast (@LoveTheShirt), formulating in the 1882 movement who want to bring the escapism of going to football matches back to the Lane. I implore you to become involved in 1882 events (such as the Espanyol pre-season game at the Lane on the 10th August). The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (@THSTOfficial) are the only legitimate voice of fans inside the club, so it's vital that you become involved with them.


If you truly want change, make your voices heard in more than one way. Stand. Sing. Support. Your club needs you.