Are Spurs set to surprise a few this season?

Nobody at Tottenham Hotspur expected anything coming into the new season. They had a new manager with new ideas (or should I say “philosophies”?) on how the team should play. They were set to start a recovery, a plan to repair the broken squad of the 2013/14 season, and, having learnt the price of an itchy trigger-finger, most Spurs fans were prepared to wait patiently during this season of transition.

That was the mood in August, before a ball was kicked or a game was played. It is now January and the Premier League has surpassed the halfway point. Spurs sit in sixth, three points off fourth place, two points off bitter rivals Arsenal, two points above Liverpool. They are still fighting in all cup competitions: fourth round of the FA Cup, last 32 of the Europa League, semi final of the League Cup. Suddenly, the mood at Spurs has shifted to snowballing optimism.

You may be asking many questions. How have Spurs season turned out this way? Can Tottenham seriously get into the top four? Can they even win silverware?

I might as well attempt to tackle a few of these.

How?

Having watched Southampton excel last season, I had some sort of expectation as to what Tottenham under Pochettino would be like: high-pressing, possession-based attacking football. But what precisely is the substance of the team? What lies beyond the tactics?

Man-management. Both the previous two managers, Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood, had been charged with lacking in man-management skills. Whilst perhaps this criticism has been contested here and there, there is no denying that Pochettino has communicated superbly with the Tottenham players, particularly the youth. Names like Bentaleb, Kane and Mason were inherited from the previous management as prospects (credit where it’s due) and Pochettino has turned these squad players into starting players. That’s actually an understatement – they are now pivotal to the team! Bentaleb has conducted our build-up play perfectly in midfield. Mason has injected the energy and commitment long absent in defensive midfield at Spurs. Kane is currently Tottenham’s highest scorer in all competitions this season. A Spurs striker that scores goals?! It defies logic.

The cohesion of the squad is another area that has thoroughly improved as well this season. The absence of high-profile, big-money, big-expectation signings in August has allowed the current squad to attempt to prove themselves.  Some of these players have risen to the plate: Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela, Vertonghen and Rose spring to mind. Some have not and question marks remain: Soldado, Adebayor, Kaboul and Capoue have disappointed fans, the saddest one being Kaboul, the supposed skipper. Lloris is… well, Lloris – he was always going to be godlike between the posts.

The success of Tottenham this year has derived from a young, vibrant squad still in status of transition.

Top four? 

At the start of the year, not a single fan would have entertained the idea of a top four challenge, let alone a place. What has emerged this year, most surprisingly, is the failings and disappointments of the other top clubs. Manchester United, despite hammering open the multi-million pound piggy-bank in the summer, have been edgy. Arsenal are imitating the Spurs of 2012/13 and are being carried by their world-class talisman in the form of Alexis Sanchez. Liverpool are imitating the Spurs of 2013/14 and are suffering the loss of their world-class talent in the form of Luis Suarez. Everton are nowhere to be seen. This has paved the way for teams like West Ham and Southampton to cement themselves in the top half, and they don’t look like going away in a hurry.

What this means is that, to use a Sky Sports-style cliché, the race for the top four is completely wide open (*cue dramatic music*). Chelsea and Manchester City have first and second, but third and fourth belongs to whom? There is nothing that suggests to me that Spurs are incapable of challenging, despite whatever challenge surely being based on fragility.

Silverware? 

It is annoying and insipid to constantly having to listen to Sky Sports proclaim Champions League football as the be-all and end-all of a season. At Tottenham, silverware is their manifestation of glory in football, and every season, there burns a hope in Spurs fans’ hearts that they can claim this glory again.

As mentioned before, Spurs are still competing in all the cup competitions. Most immediately, Spurs take on Sheffield United in the League Cup Semi Final, and optimism is naturally high that the club will have another Wembley Final. Absolutely anything can happen in a cup final, so it would be foolish of me to make predictions. Needless to say, though, it would be the best opportunity for a trophy this season for Spurs.

The Europa League is a long and arduous journey from now till May if a club wants to reach the final. Previous seasons have despicably proved that it is the Champions League failures that succeed in the Europa League. Given the right sustenance and management, however, it is possible for Tottenham to endure a European challenge. The FA Cup is still a long way off completion, but Spurs face Leicester in the Fourth Round this Saturday, so it will be interesting is our progress furthers.

Tottenham are far from any sense of a finished article. Their defence has often been suspect. There has been a heavy reliance on last-minute victories to sustain periods of form. However, if progress during transition is to be suspected, is it so foolish to dream that Spurs can only get better from here on in?

Probably. Still, at least it’ll be fun to watch.

The End of Tottenham’s Fight for Fourth

The fight for fourth place in the Premier League has become more like a war, consuming the ambitions of clubs in the top half over the last decade, none more so in recent years than Tottenham Hotspur.

Growing up through the Noughties, I saw the Big Four in English football as a dominant and statute force; Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool. Change to the elite was few and far between, perhaps most notably with Everton in 2004-05. The top four clubs in English football remained the same for many seasons, though. The decline of Liverpool, however, saw a vacuum form, and the seasonal battles for fourth place begun.

Tottenham came agonisingly close to breaking the mould under Jol, falling short at the final hurdle in 2006 on account of dodgy lasagna. The 2009-10 season under Redknapp saw Spurs finish above the likes of Arab-invested Man City, Moyes' Everton and the fallen Liverpool in fourth, and the Big Four had finally been broken. And ever since Peter Crouch's goal at Maine Road, Spurs have been battling ceaselessly and relentlessly to finish fourth every season.

Since 2010, three managers have been sacked, floods of plastic fans have held up the Lilywhite banners, and the identity of the squad and the club has changed beyond recognition. Coupled with off-pitch issues, such as the rise in ticket prices, inflated transfer windows, and Northumberland Park Project, Spurs fans have been left thoroughly exhausted and deflated by the war.

But the saddest thing, the most tragic fact that angers fans most of all, is that after all this conflict, after years of battles for a top four finish, the only rewards for the club has been Ramos' league cup win in 2008 and one season in the Champions League. Totttenham's status as one of the best clubs in English football has been returned, however their European status has not. Fans have been left thinking of what could have been, rather than what was.

A new season is before us, and with it, a new manager. Mauricio Pochettino joins Tottenham after raising Southampton into the top half of the table with attractive, attacking football and excellent man management. Highly regarded for his management philosophy and reputation, Pochettino is expected to change the picture at White Hart Lane, a picture that took many a heavy beating last season.

Tottenham's squad is looking healthy and fairly well-rounded. Key players, such as Lloris, Eriksen, and Vertonghen, will play under Pochettino, a luxury sadly lost on other clubs. The prospect of Erik Lamela to play a key role this season after recovering from injury and starring in pre-season has increased morale for Spurs fans. And with Levy strengthening defensively, last season's regular beatings may be at an end.

Expectations in the league, however, are at its lowest in the past five years. The war for fourth place continues, and motivations for success are high; United under Van Gaal are looking to return to their place amongst Europe's elite, Liverpool are hoping to retain their breakthrough at the top, Arsenal are looking beyond fourth, and Everton under Martinez want to prove themselves as more than just a threat. After last season, other clubs and their fans think much less of Tottenham and their squad, and rightly so.

All of this is understood by Spurs fans, but hopes of a good seasons should not be discarded. Pochettino will begin integrating his high-pressing, attacking, hard-working philosophy on a more than capable set of players. Our squad depth will allow us to challenge in the cups, notably a Europa League with a place in the Champions League for the winner. League games against the top teams will be more competitive this season.

However, the likelihood of Spurs finishing in the top four this season is low. This will be a season of transition under a new manager, reforming a young squad under Pochettino's new philosophy. Tottenham will be building a foundation for future success; even the ficklest of fans will refrain from calling for this manager's head come May.

As surprising as it may be, a season's respite away from the bloody battle for fourth place will prove a healthy remedy for a broken club, a source of cautious optimism for Tottenham's future.  

What's Next For Tottenham Hotspur?

Two moments stand out and serves to summarise Tottenham’s season. The first is the euphoria felt by our fans after signing seven players with big reputations worldwide, for an investment of £105m and an investment of expectation. The second is Tim Sherwood throwing his gilet to the floor during the North London Derby at White Hart Lane.

Questions, questions, questions. How? Why? What now? What next?

When dissecting Tottenham’s season, most people go back to our transfer dealings (usually in the form of ‘they spent £100m on sh*t’). At the start of September, not one writer or punter saw those dealings as a negative; although we sold Bale, we seemingly replaced him by buying talent in all positions. The oracle that is Garth Crooks summed up this stance by boldly: “Tottenham had sold Elvis and bought The Beatles”.

As the season went on, a realisation grew amongst the footballing world: by selling Gareth Bale, Spurs lost their match-winner and the focal point of their team and that the players that Technical Director Franco Baldini brought in could not possibly replace what the Welshman possessed. By September, AVB had a team built around a man that no longer existed in Lilywhite. If you doubt the importance of a star player to a team, look no further than Liverpool, who’s focal point in Suarez has placed them in a title challenge. Melancholic it may be to think Tottenham could be achieving what Liverpool are doing right now, but it’s only the truth.

Tottenham find themselves currently in a position of numbness. Some say the season ended after being obliterated by Liverpool at Anfield, illustrating a start contrast between the two clubs at present. Others say it ended in December with the sacking of AVB and replacement of Tim Sherwood, seemingly gambling away the season before even the halfway point. Our squad is lacking confidence, form and desire, redeemed only by the successes of Adebayor and Eriksen. The media have condemned our club to our current place of purgatory – ‘Spurs are where they have always been and should expect no more’.

With the news that Sherwood will be replaced in the summer, fans can now think towards the future and what to expect for next season. Will we have a summer of upheaval and refurbishment, selling the players we signed and replacing them with more prospects? Will we try and build around the few gems carved from the pit that is this season?

The new manager, whoever he may be, must first look at what we have in our squad. I refuse to place the failures of our season on the players that we signed in August 2013. Take Soldado for instance. Yes, he has a had a dire season, failing to deliver on the promise of prolific goalscoring. My point is that Roberto Soldado was bought for £26m as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe, scoring more than 20 goals for each of the past four seasons. Just because Soldado has not lived up to expectations this season, it does not mean that there is nothing to be had in him next season.

This concept goes with the other players too. The Premier League is littered with players who came from foreign leagues who had poor first seasons but prospered in their future careers. Lamela showed glimpses of talent before being sidelined since December. Paulinho is still considered one of Brazil’s top talents, despite having a mediocre first season in England. Eriksen has been our stand out player this season, despite his inconsistent start.

There will be areas that will need improving in the summer. A young striker must be a priority after selling Jermain Defoe in January to Toronto. Younes Kaboul looks likely to be leaving in the summer when his contract runs out, so a centre-back should also be looked into. We currently possess average full-backs in Kyle Naughton and Danny Rose, so it is likely the new manager will need to strengthen there. On the whole though, our squad possesses talented individuals and is not in the need of another upheaval.

If Tottenham actually have the foundations of a talented squad, what is needed is somebody to create the blueprints needed for future success. Building this project will take years; we cannot hope for Chelsea-style instant success. A long process of evolution is needed, implementing the modern possession-based style of play which has proved successful in Europe, distancing the boardroom from management and stabilising a club in constant transition.

Tottenham’s season is a quagmire, an example of how to regress as a club. Selling your best players, sacking your manager midway through a season, replacing him with a manager with no professional experience whatsoever, deteriorating the relationship between the board and the fans off the pitch (the list goes on). Next season will have to be the start of an evolution and a project for future success if Spurs ever want to be at the top level of English football.

Roberto Soldado: How Spurs' Spaniard hit rock-bottom

Roberto Soldado's career has hit an almighty low, plunging into a pit of indecision and anxiety. A signing that promised a feast has left Spurs fans hungry for more. The Spanish striker has gone from one of the most clinical in Europe to an object of ridicule, condemnation and even pity.

The question on many's lips is how. How can such a potent striker fall so far? How can we have expected so much but see so little? How can Soldado hope to revive his career again?

Let's start where it all began for Spurs and Soldado.

Summer arrived. It is in no way hyperbolic to say that Spurs fans were gagging for a world-class striker, a classic number 9, the player who had been missing for so long from White Hart Lane. This clearly was on the mind of Andre Villas-Boas, who set Franco Baldini the task of finding this golden player. Rumour after rumour of courting strikers went by. Panic began to set in amongst the fanbase. Would our saviour arrive?

Rumours of Soldado to Spurs began after the failure to sign David Villa at the start of July. Roberto Soldado, a Spanish striker praised by their media, featuring in their national team and much revered for his consistency. More than 20 goals a season for the past four seasons in Spain. He fit the bill, the model striker, the marquee signing. '#SignSoldado' trended on twitter, and Baldini was set on a mission to secure Roberto's signature.

Roberto Soldado signed for Spurs on the 1st August, the North London club's third signing of the summer after Paulinho and Nacer Chadli in July. The fee was £26million, more than any spent on a Spurs player at the time. I felt the wave of optimism and excitement on his first match against Espanyol. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Soldado; this sacred figure burst onto the pitch and everyone saw the talent there. He scored a penalty and his all-round play was pure energy. It was a delight. Optimism. Expectation. That's what Soldado took with him from Spain.

Soldado's first goal for Spurs against Espanyol

It all went downhill from there.

At the first, he had many chances, both in the league and in the cups. His movement both in and outside the box was professional. He came so close so many times. He opened his tally through penalties in the league and standard goals in the Europa League. The talent was there, and Andre Villas-Boas was prepared to let that talent find its feet in the league. Expectation was still high.

October came. Soldado was struggling to get find that first goal from open play. Never had I heard the term 'open-play goal' more often since the Spaniard signed for us. Such scrutiny from the press. 'FLOP', declares the Daily Chip-wrap, 'Jermain Defoe is better', 'Let Defoe play for his England chances'. The pressure got to AVB and he dropped Soldado for Defoe in the league for the first time. Tottenham lost 3-0 to West Ham that day. Lesson learned. Back to you, Robbie.

A week later, Soldado scored his first goal from open-play in the league against Aston Villa, and that remains his only goal of that manner in the league this season. I see it over and over and over again, Vine after Vine, and it looks sexy and succinct; one touch - BANG - goal. This was the player we signed, I thought, Roberto Soldado — classic number 9! This goal was the first of many, I thought.

Soldado scores his first league goal from open play against Villa. What a mouthful.

I thought.

The weeks and the games went by quicker and quicker, and each like a painful dagger to Soldado torso. Expectation grew on Soldado more and more. Hull at home — penalty. Everton — no goals. Newcastle — no goals, loss. Manchester City — no goals, thrashed. A team of flops, they said. £100million down the drain! Soldado and the team broke under the scrutiny of the press and the expectation of the fans.

Things go from bad to worse for Soldado, now off-the-pitch. Soldado's wife suffered a miscarriage and his heart was as broken as his game. Amongst this tragedy, Soldado found a brave and outstanding strength and scored a hat-trick against Anzhi in the Europa League. I was there that game. I could see the energy and the movement I saw in August. We screamed and sung his name from first minute to last. He embraced our passion, and at last, I thought, at last Soldado has found his feet.

Hat-trick against Anzhi. A glimmer of hope.

Three days later, Liverpool came to the Lane and thrashed Tottenham 5-0. The humiliation. The depression. The sacking of Andre Villas-Boas. The inexperienced gamble of Sherwood filled the void. You know the story, I needn't elaborate.

Like after the City thrashing, there was a response from the players. Soldado partnered Adebayor upfront and they fed off each other. Hopes of a new partnership were conceived in the minds of Spurs fans that these two could feed off each other's play, in the same way that Liverpool and Man City had prospered in attack. It soon became apparent though that Adebayor's form exceeded that of Soldado's immensely, and Sherwood dropped the Spaniard and left Adebayor as the lone striker.

Soldado has made a few sub appearances since then, but has looked very disappointing in front of goal. Outside the box, he produces tricks and flicks that create chances and opens up play; inside the box, he has no confidence and no composure. His much maligned and ridiculed misses against Dnipro and Norwich serves as examples to Soldado's fall from grace. He is a shadow of the man I saw in August, a pitiful figure, and one fears for his career.

Despair

So, that's where he is right now: football despair. Many have decided his flop is permanent, his pitfall leaves no means of escape. Many have called for his departure and replacement with a talent much younger. However, I do not.

Whilst some Spurs fans laments at the signing, 'why couldn't we have signed Negredo/Benteke/Remy?', I state simply this: we have Soldado. Behind the mask of incompetence Soldado dons lies the free-scoring, consistent, lethal striker of La Liga, up with the highest echelons of Europe's strikers. It may take a matter of games for that mask to fall off. It may take months. It may even take till next season, under a new manager and a new system. But my faith is there: he will return.

Soldado's Spurs career has been poor and unhappy. It started so bright on that August day, the sun shining on Soldado and White Hart Lane, hope and expectation showering on all Spurs fans. Now, like the miserable British weather, his career has been flooded and saturated, broken, with the fear it may never return to its former light.

On AVB

Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked by Daniel Levy. No 'mutual consent' nonsense. He was ruthlessly sacked. The cold stare of Levy's bespectacled face was telling. His fate was decided on a cold, wet day at the Lane. With it comes the end of yet another era for Tottenham Hotspur.

I find myself experiencing a plethora of emotions - negative emotions - mostly anger. It's anger because this decision changes everything; our cracked season is now in ruins; any plans in place before has been swept away. It's anger because our club will have to go through further transitional phases to seek an end we may never even reach. It's anger because I don't know where we're going. 

However, some of the stress and anxiety that we have had to endure as Spurs fans this season has been unbearable. People isolate the West Ham shock defeat, the City drumming and the more recent Liverpool rape as big reasons for the stress and anxiety. These results were humiliating and traumatic; no fan wants to be humiliated by their own club. I'd rather consider AVB on a wider scale though. It's important we do as isolated results can be very misleading. 

AVB brought us our first win at Old Trafford
since 1989

AVB won 44 out of his 80 games at Spurs in all competitions. I needn't remind you that this is the highest win percentage of any of our managers since 1899. We gained a record points total of 72 points last season in the league, missing out on Champions League by the skin of our teeth. AVB's influence in molding Gareth Bale cannot be understated. He shaped the Welshman into the most expensive footballer in history. A difficult feat, but a feat very few people want to recall.

To me, this does not look like a tragic case of a doomed manager, an image the media have tried to promote throughout the past 18 months. I feel the problems AVB have had at Spurs are much more deep-rooted than that.

Some people were never supportive of AVB. They saw a failure at Chelsea come to the club, lambasted by every area of the press. They saw a young manager, a sign of inexperience, vulnerability. They refused to believe AVB could have a developed knowledge of the game, despite his successes at Porto. They saw the antithesis of his predecessor, Redknapp. Nothing AVB could have done as manager within reality would have changed their opinion. 

To the 'AVB out' moderates, who only really started to appear after the West Ham defeat, their opposition was rooted in Tottenham's playing style (argument that we were playing exactly the same way last year, but only started mentioning it when we were losing). It could have worked. It didn't. But there was signs of change, United, Fulham and Sunderland matches. Europa League matches. If we didn't lose yesterday, I doubt we'd be even having this discussion. Fickle football.

When people cite our transfer policy (£100m spent in summer, Erik Lamela, Soldado blah blah blah, football clichés), I think in my mind that this is no reason, that there was no other way. When you lose £85m worth of talent in Gareth Bale, perhaps the best player we've had in the Premier League era, you cannot not sign replacements. Failure after that would spring questions of 'reinvestment' and a clearly weak squad. We would be a threat to nobody if AVB didn't sign the players we did. I repeat, there was no other way. 

Elation: The height of AVB's era

AVB's comments about the fans were correct. Those who do not see the ailing atmosphere inside White Hart Lane are probably the ones content with sitting down, refusing to sing and giving out abuse at the players (you know who you are). Villas-Boas said this out of good intentions, a sense of encouragement to the fans. This shows a bit of inexperience as fans are fickle like fate and fortune and cannot be scrutinised for some reason that alludes me. 

This analysis is looking at the bigger picture, the wider scope to way 'AVB out' grew and grew during this season. It cannot be a case of simple black-and-white results; we are only 6 points off 4th. Hardly dire, is it?In the culture that is modern football though, the idea of 'the bigger picture' is rarely a factor in these decisions. Football is rife with knee-jerk decisions. Just this week, we've seen Steve Clarke sacked at West Brom, a club who would do well to finish in the top half this season, because of a recent bad run of form. Madness, utter madness.

 

I will repeat this word because it is the word I'd label our fans, the media, the directors and football in 2013: fickle. It is a word I detest. It is a word that will stunt the development of our club.

AVB came to Spurs as a successful and respected manager in Europe but damaged from his time at a detestable club. Hopes of a new Spurs, of progress and a future tinted lilywhite entered my horizon. He leaves 18 months later with fans dreaming of the past,  nostalgic of rose-tinted times, times rife with as many problems as times present, and demanding and expecting more and more and more. The man that represented the future to many fans has left Tottenham; our future is clouded.

Despair: AVB after the Liverpool defeat. The end was nigh.

Defoe must go: Tottenham should sell Jermain Defoe in January, for the good of the club

This is a sensitive subject. He's a man that a lot of people regard highly, very highly, chant about, even deify, a 'legend'. Even for those who do not regard him so much, most still have an utmost respect for the man. However, the time has come to face facts: Jermain Defoe faces the prospect of leaving in January.

Defoe has become a problem. His frequent outbursts to the media whenever the spotlight turns to him has become commonplace. Defoe's demands to be placed above Roberto Soldado in the striker pecking order at Spurs seems to come out every week, most recently after England's game to Chile. The debate over his place in the squad rages in the pubs and on the social networks. We all have an opinion on it.

What is Defoe as a player? Constantly throughout his career, he has been branded as a 'natural finisher' by the British media, even in 2013. Spurs fans know this branding is false. We know that in his years at Spurs, he has gone through spells of either intense form or complete disappearances from the side. Under Jol and Ramos, the combination of Berbatov and Keane was preferred. Under Redknapp, the likes of Crouch and Adebayor were preferred to him upfront. Last season under Villas-Boas, Defoe failed to overcome competition from Adebayor, despite the ex-Arsenal striker's massive lack of goals.

Amongst Defoe's on-field problems include his lack of wider contribution to the team; he refuses to bring other players into the attacking third, instead choosing an individual pursuit. True, his best games make him appear tenacious, a true finisher. His average game, however, is nothing of this sort. Defoe becomes a ghost, frequently found offside, failing that, squandering clear-cut chances. I highlight Defoe's only league appearance this year as proof of that. Just after half time, Defoe managed to get one-on-one with Jaaskeleinen, only to tamely squander the chance. Moments later, we went a goal down.

Knowing these facts, Daniel Levy invested money on another striker, a reputed striker, one of Europe's most prolific strikers: this was in the form of Roberto Soldado. The Spaniard has failed to hit the ground running, but his overall contribution to the team, awareness and movements surpasses Defoe. We did not spend £26million, beg for it to happen in the summer (#SignSoldado), condemn our current strikers, just to have Soldado undermined due to reactionary critics.

Don't get me wrong, I do have massive respect for Defoe. His goal in our 3-1 win to City last April was one of the highlights of the season. He is our highest scorer in European competitions. He is our 5th highest goalscorer of all time. Outside White Hart Lane, he has overcome personal tragedies, losing his father, brother and cousin unexpectedly. To overcome tragedy to that degree takes a lot of courage, and I applaud Defoe for that.

But his demands to play for the sake of his last chance to shine in an England shirt in Brazil massively undermines our manager. It undermines his ability to make decisions, something that destroyed his tenure at Chelsea, giving risk to alienating the fans, the media and even the other players against him. If AVB's tenure in undermined at Spurs, we will see a massive disruption in the club in this crucial season, where we have a chance to break the league mould, just as we did in 09/10.

With interest from West Ham growing due to the long term absence of Andy Carroll, there will definitely be bids for Defoe in January, with or without a transfer request. Therefore, the club would be wise to accept the right offer, stick with the strikers we have, and reinvest it on a young striker in the summer. This is for the good of the club.

AVB cannot bow to pressure. He saw Defoe's incapabilities this season and last, as have every Spurs fans. No matter how many pundits big Defoe up, how many goals he scores against teams like Tromso and Sheriff Tiraspol, or how many more of his personal claims of ability appear in the papers, his inabilities will remain and only more problems will be caused.

For the good of the squad, the tenure of the manager, even our league ambitions, it is time we face the prospect of parting company with Jermain Defoe. As the song goes, time to say goodbye...

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."

Duel of the fates

I don't believe in fate. I've said so before on this blog. So the deadlock between Spurs and Arsenal right now at the end of the league is just a stressful coincidence, however entertaining it may be for the neutral. Somebody who would believe in fate would argue it was always meant to be like this: North London rivals deadlocked till the final match, for their seasons' ultimate goal.

Oh the temptations of the Champions League! How much we would all curse and shed tears and sweat for the prospect of hearing that music (Adebayor's favourite music, I hear).

When we were on the peak of our form, it looked like we could 4th, 3rd, even 2nd. It wasn't foolish not to factor in the (many would argue inevitable) drop in form. Our rivals were always gonna step up their game at the back end of the season. Chelsea, benefited with a large, talented squad, could not only cope with the extra games but also managed to go on a impeccable run of form. Arsenal have also gone on a run of form after being knocked out from all competitions, the quality of one of the league's most experienced managers proving vital now. Can't hear the #WengerOut's anymore?

I'm talking like it's the end of the season. It's not. Not yet. But if you're pondering the big question 'How have we come to relying on Wigan and Norwich to beat Arsenal?' well I'm only trying to offer some clarity. And the pressure of the last few months is a factor we have yet to conquer at Spurs. If we had a few injured players at our disposal, things would be different, but then again, the possibilities are endless if we discuss the conditions.

Let me be brief. Come Sunday, I will smile at what we've accomplished this season. If this is a sign of things to come, I will be eager to go through all this shit again next season. May rupture a few blood vessels though.

TOTTENHAM TILL I DIE.

Keep the Faith

Last night, we drew against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Good result, eh? You know, considering what they're fighting for the same thing as us. Objective 1: Get into the Champions League. Objective 2: Stay there. But you know as well as I do that the draw was not good enough, that the draw leaves us one point behind Arsenal with two games to go, a difficult position to where we could've been given a victory.

Nothing in it

I can't say much about the match. Adebayor had a fucking amazing match by his standards, definitely the best he's played all season. The big Togolese striker still has only scored seven goals all season, but it's good he's finally putting in some performances at this time in the season. His goal made me laugh, so cheekily done. Great shot of the ball going straight at the camera behind the goal, perfectly placed up and over Megaman Cech. His backheel-flick into Gylfi 'The Iceman Cometh' Sigurdsson was godly (an adjective I really didn't think I'd describe Ade with this season). We showed solidity when we conceded, something I'd label AVB's Tottenham with this season: the willingness never to give up, right till the final minute.

I thought about the different circumstances Spurs could find themselves in at the end of the season. Here are a few of them.

1. Arsenal win all their remaining games and Chelsea get points from theirs, leaving Tottenham 5th and without Champions League this season, another Europa League campaign ahead of them. Disappointment.
2. Arsenal drop points in one of their games, whilst Tottenham win both and make Champions League, finishing above Arsenal, leaving them with a Europa League campaign. Elation.
3. Arsenal drop points, but Tottenham fail to capitalize on their chance to get one over L'Arse. Grief. 

The last circumstance is the one I fear the most. I don't want our season to end as it did last year with us listing all the "What if"s we can think of. I don't want us to feel like our dream was right in front of us, only to slip away at the last moment. We would grieve and slump into a corner as fans, resigned to another year of hurt. 

Think of Circumstance 2 though. It's still on the table. Perhaps it's not up to us to claim it, but it's there, tempting us in with our unheard prayers. What emotion could come from finishing above the nomads? What emotion could come from snatching it from them in the final games of the season? I called it 'elation' but I have no idea what it would feel like, what it would taste like. 

I will say this though. Come the end of the season, when the inevitable post-mortem is carried out, I ask you to consider as a whole what this season was, what we expected in the early parts, the quality we were competing with, the quality we have had compared to others, and the luck we have had to even still be in it in May. 

I cannot wholly define our season yet, sadly, but I still feel an air of positivity will come from whatever circumstance we have dealt to us. And as ever, keep the faith; it's never over till the final whistle is blown.

Incredibale

I remember the first time I watched Bale play. It was a pre-season match some time ago in 2007 against a random team I'd never heard of. That was the year he signed the Spurs, still a teenager at 17. I didn't think much of him, apart from the fact he looked pretty quick in that position. After that, my attention towards Bale was scarce to say the least, certainly not like Giovani Dos Santos, a young player I would always be eager to see (never did happen for him, did it?)

Bale in 2009/10. The oddest No.3 there ever was.

About half way through the legendary 2009/10 season, BAE got injured and  was replaced by this young player I had heard so little of in the two years since his arrival. Bale became a player to watch, bombing up the left flank on a regular basis, making things happen, even scoring goals. From then on, a Tottenham team was incomplete without the name 'Bale' on it.

His Champions League exploits in 2010/11 made Bale a player to watch in England, including the unbelievable hat-trick at the San Siro and the reverse fixture at the Lane, memories that all Spurs fans cherish. He won PFA Player of the Year that season and signed a new contract with us, ensuring there would be more of these memories to come. And boy did they come.

Over the past two seasons, Bale has shown us how versatile he is, how much of a threat he can be in the middle, on the wings, on the counter attack or even on free kicks. There were times last season where the team didn't quite look right, probably due to some spontaneous tactics by former manager Harry Redknapp. He was still without doubt the star of our team, even with bad egg Luka Modric wanted by Real Madrid.

Nothing like mugging off the Champions of Europe.

This season under Villas-Boas, however, Bale has excelled, becoming the third highest goalscorer in the league and more than just a defensive nightmare. I can't understate how influential AVB has been to Bale's form this season. When he moved into the middle, he wasn't just told to free roam around the midfield like last season, but has been played in a specific role behind the striker. He is no longer leaving large gaps on that left wing, now replaced by technical and supplying midfielders.

There is no player in the world that gives me more excitement when I see them play than Bale. When he has the ball, an air of expectation and excitement rises in the hearts of every yid. The best of players, the most memorable, the most legendary, do not need to be studied, analysed or backed up by stats: you watch them and you know they're good. Only a handful of players have that kind of quality.

I want Bale to stay at Tottenham, not just to benefit the club, but to benefit the league. Why should a player feel the need to move abroad to fulfill his ambitions? Bale can become a Premier League legend, as well as a Tottenham one, if he sticks around. I have said many times that I want him to stay at Spurs so he can become a legend like Hoddle, Greaves, Villa, Ardiles, King...

Wherever his future may life, I am confident Gareth Bale will continue to show the footballing world what a young lad from Cardiff can do.

 

BRING ON THE ACID

I said yesterday how Spurs needed the confidence of LSD users to get passed City today. Whether or not AVB slipped a few blots of acid in their water-bottles at half time is debatable, but all I know for sure is that that confidence and ability were in abundance today.

What a win. I mean what - a - win. When that final whistle blew, I was in a state of shock. What the fuck did I just see? We beat one of the best teams in England IN APRIL. How anti-Spurs, I thought.

The first half was very naff, I'm not gonna lie. We started alright but the goal completely knocked the shit out of us; nobody could believe it. It was a really well worked goal, very little blame attached on the players, but it's still disappointing to concede so early on. Lesbian vampire killer and ex-gooner Samir Nasri should've got his second after some nifty passing. We didn't really pick up our passing after that apart from a few chances  here and there.

What was that? Come on Spurs. This is our season here.

60 minutes in and we really weren't going anywhere. I said that City have one of the best back fours in the Prem. I thought a draw would do, if I'm honest, but it wouldn't come naturally, maybe a fluke goal or a free kick.

Great moment in our season. Cherish it.

Then AVB brought on Holtby, Huddlestone and Defoe, and I was delightfully proven wrong.

The passing improved. We kept possession really well. Players made runs. Chances were coming. Bale gets the ball in the box in acres of space, crosses it with the outside of his foot straight into Deuce's path. He's a big game player, Dempsey, and definitely knows how to score.

Moments later, Holtby picks up the ball on the half way line, dribbles it a bit and puts in a gorgeous through ball into Defoe. Puts it on his right. Buries it. That's the Defoe I loved at the start of the season.

City's heads start to drop and somehow Big Tom 'bursts' into their half, takes his time and delivers a pass that splits up the City defense. Bale, of course, finishes his dinner. He may have the energy of a diabetic American, but there's very few better passers than him.

We've won this match and we've won it well.

Big shout out to the genius, the tactician, the pro that is Andre Villas Boas. He doesn't stop thinking, that bloke, and pondered his Plan B from the minute City scored. He's got sheer balls of steel, and the ability to change the game from his technical area. I'm so happy he's our manager.

Winning this game is vital to our season. Chelsea dropping points again gives us a lifeline that we were
desperate for. This result, I hope, gives the players the belief and the confidence to win our next 5 games, including Chelsea away, who must be a little more frightened at this Spurs team.

I wish I was there, living in that moment. One of the best matches of the season.

It's a celebration

Sex, Drugs and Tottenham Hotspur

We've had ten days to mull over many things about our season: collapse, disappointment, passion, success, failure, and all the implications they bring. I've been wondering and pondering this pretty much all season, even when we were seven points clear. 

Do you remember that? Do you remember how much joy and confidence we had? Players, good all season, became stars. Other players, normally absent, stepped up, and boy did they step up. And Bale, our talisman, was failing on all cylinders. We looked like we wouldn't lose another game all season. It was like sex in football boots.

Seven weeks later. Defeats at Fulham and Liverpool. Four points out of twelve. Out of Europe. Fans nationwide call this the 'Tottenham collapse' but I just call this an unfortunate turn of luck (if you believe such thing exists). It all levels itself out in the end, even for a club like ours where nothing ever happens the easy way. We've had strokes of luck this season; a couple of one-nillers here and there kept our form going. We seem deprived of such moments now, but like Dan Louw says after every Away Days, 'it's all swings and roundabouts'.

More on the game tomorrow. We have key players back, players we don't seem to function well without. Whether or not they'll be match fit is a different matter, but half fit or full fit, Bale and Lennon can rip teams apart, even Man City. 

Whatever happens, yids: stay away from Beachy Head

City, despite their somewhat disappointing season, have a strong team and are in a strong position. Their defensive four is one of the best in the league (Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy). World class midfielders in Silva and Yes Yes Conservative (not Milner though, never Milner). And Aguero, Tevez and Dzeko as their strikers are enough to make you where adult diapers either in excitement or fear.

This is the most important match of the season. Note: I will probably repeat this phrase frequently till the end of the season. But it is though. This match could completely change the momentum of our season. A win would give the squad a confidence boost like an LSD trip. Suddenly, they'll think they can fly off Beachy Head and get to White Castle. If we could beat City, we could beat anyone...

Don't end up like poor Chris Whelpdale with your ballsack split
in two

ON THE OTHER HAND, a loss would damage our squad like a scrotal tearing. Nothing will be in our hands for the rest of the season. 

It's never as simple as that, I know, but it sounds like the right plotline in this bipolar soap opera of a season. It's all down to the team though. They'll need hallucinogenics to get through this.

An Echo of Glory

I could preach to you about backing the team (again). I could tell you that the only way to succeed is if we believe we can as fans. I could tell you that the people that slag off players are twats etc. etc.

Truth is, it's not worth it.

You see, we will always have yids that like to abuse certain players. A lot of the time, they are just scapegoating them to ease their frustration. But most of the time, they are just being cunts.

Last night, I think I may have experienced every emotion a fan can have. Joy. Elation. Hope. Shock. Frustration. Dispair. But as ever, it all ends the same way: sadness.

Basel away, lads. Who would've thought it would turn out this way? 

He felt it more than any of us

Whatever I think, it's the players, though, that are much more important than anything we say.

They didn't just put in 100%. They put in that and more, more than any fan expected of them. The manager too. AVB wanted it more than anyone did; he believed in this competition. Just the image of him praising the players for their efforts with a tear in his eye brings tears to mine. Sad? Pathetic? Perhaps, but that's football.

Basel won't go on to win it, as much as I want them to for their equally impressive performance. It'll be the only club left who couldn't give a fuck what happened. A club that cares more about league positions than silverware. A club that- oh you know the rest. 

It makes me think though. The passion shown by players that many fans have discarded, deemed unfit and unworthy. Walker, Hudllestone, Sigurdsson, Dempsey! The promise of Carroll and Holtby. The leadership of Dawson, our rock in the team. It gives me hope. 

After Dempsey's equalizer, we all though we could do it.

Hope for what? Champions League? Yeah sure, why not? It is, as of recently, our main objective. But, guys, remember our ultimate objective, one that has been engraved into our history:

'The game is about glory. It is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.'

I don't like defeat. Defeat shows weakness, an inability to compete with a greater opponent. On that basis though, I don't think we were defeated, merely lost the tie. We were strong and firm when we easily could've rolled over and conceded. We caused them problems, creating just as many chances as they did for 120 minutes. 

Nevertheless, we're out. Gone till next year. The positive is, we were not outclassed.

Last 6 games. The final hurdle. City will be tough. The other games with be just as difficult  Whatever happens, promise me this guys:

Be proud of our players.

To finish this post off nicely, some words from the great Bill Nicholson, without whom, Tottenham Hotspur wouldn't be.

'It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.' 

It all ends in tears. But aren't you proud of them?

Friedel or Lloris?

One of AVB's selection issues that has garnered a lot of issues this season is Friedel or Lloris. In one corner, we have the 41-year-old veteran keeper, one of the most consistent in the league, who has saved us on multiple occasions this season and last. In the other corner, we have a young, energetic keeper, experienced in all levels of football, with a massive reputation worldwide and our star signing of the summer.

At the start of the season, the favoured keeper was Brad, who started 10 of our first 11 league games. Despite the loud criticism of the decision by football fans, Friedel didn't actually do anything wrong. However, since then, he has not started in 20 of the last 21 games in the league, replaced by Lloris. The media seemed to have chosen to criticize AVB for that selection, zooming in on Hugo Lloris's minor mistakes. Despite this, AVB didn't break and intends to start Lloris in every league game till the end of the season, leaving Friedel benched.

Lloris one-bangs Michu. Fucking brilliant.

Lloris had started the Europa League games, a seemingly odd decision for many as a signing of his magnitude should have been showed off. The Lazio away game was Hugo's big highlight: a world class display of keeping. I'm adamant no keeper in the world could've kept us in that game. Stunning. That performance contributed to his replacement of Friedel in the first team, as no manager could deny its quality. Lloris has made mistakes, sure. Recently, against Everton, he should've caught the ball off the corner, seeing as it was quite close to his line. But he has also kept us in many games, winning matches for us, as world class keeper ought to. He is a gem in our team.

Friedel starts the Europa League matches now. It seems any appearance of Brad in the team angers the Spurs faithful, some saying it contradicts AVB's value of the competition. Friedel is slow going out of the ball and is always tentative about going off his line. He relies on a deeper defensive line than Lloris due to his lack of speed. His distribution is occasionally off.

Friedel saves. He never gives less than 100%

But apart from that, I can't see nothing wrong with him. He has shown many times this season he still has the reflexes, so rare for a man of his age. He is a leader in the team, a mentor to many players. I feel that AVB keeps him in the team so the players don't lose that figure of experience, always needed in tough situations. It is probably why he insists on starting Gallas, although that decision does not please me so much.

It could also be a lesson learnt by AVB in his Chelsea tenure. The leaders of that team turned on him and was one of the factors that lead to his humiliating sacking. He fears that similar actions against the veterans of the team would lead to the same at Tottenham. I personally feel that the players or fans wouldn't give a flying fuck if Gallas never played again, but that might just be me.

Either way, Friedel is here to stay. He will start cup matches. He will be our second choice. Not many teams could boast about having two keepers of the quality we have in our squad. AVB backed his decision from Day 1, never tracking back. Now we, as fans, are expected to do the same.

The best keeper combination in the league.

The Government's response to safe standing

I posted a blog entry, showing the contents of an email I sent to Damian Green MP regarding safe standing at football grounds. Today, I got a reply from the man personally. Below is the contents of that reply.

So the attitude towards safe standing appears to still be rejection from the government. What we all know, though, is that the Bundesliga have a lot of standing terraces, and Mr Green mentions this in his reply.

I'd like to think there will be some discussion about this as standing terraces is VERY IMPORTANT to the game and its history. Probably will take a lot to convince them though. 

I sent another email to Tottenham's MP David Lammy, so hopefully I'll get a reply from him as well.

Safe Standing at White Hart Lane

Here is a copy of the email I sent to my MP Damien Green, requesting a change of law over standing terraces at football ground. A change in legislation is the ONLY WAY we can get Safe Standing at the Lane, or any other ground, so I urge you to send an email to your MP of a similar kind.

'Dear Mr. Green, 

I am writing to propose to you an idea that many people have discussed in my social groups, involving seating at football grounds.

As you may be aware, one of the knee-jerk reactions to the tragic Hillsborough disaster in 1989 was the implication of all-seater stadia, focusing on Premier League stadia. Even though standing areas was only one of a number of factors that resulted in the disaster, laws were passed to make standing terraces almost illegal.

As a football fan, I have watched, as have many, the demise of our sport to what us fans call 'Modern Football'. This is a combination of many factors, including the Sky Sports takeover of the premier league, the inflation of ticket prices, brand clubs, Multi-millionaire takeovers and the transition of football as a spectator sport, like Tennis or Rugby. I do not like what Modern Football has done to fans, prejudging them as vicious and cult, when the majority of us only wish to express passion for our teams.

In Europe, there are terraces known as 'Safe Standing' areas, which have been proven to be beneficial for fans, manageable and efficient. A survey conducted by The Fighting Cock Podcast, popular among Spurs fans, which questioned over 2000 fans about Tottenham Hotspur, receiving very positive reactions to the proposal of safe standing at White Hart Lane, our football ground. The club responded to the survey saying that they couldn't implement safe-standing due to 'prevailing legislation', however they did say that if the 'legislation was repealed or amended', they would consider trials at White Hart Lane. 

As a well respected Member of Parliament, I urge to propose the idea of repealing or amending legislation on standing terraces at football grounds. Other clubs like West Ham, Aston Villa and Arsenal have all stated they would be positive to safe standing at football grounds, as they too wish to benefit fans and their clubs. 

The majority of fans are no longer violent and partisan towards rivals as they used to be many years ago. My Dad told me the reason he became disillusioned by visiting White Hart Lane. He told me how Millwall fans used to chuck bricks over the metal fence dividing the home fans and the away fans. One of his friends was seriously injured by these assaults. A small minority of fans wish to tarnish the reputation of football fans, resulting in the prejudice towards us.

All I want to do is improve the experiences of English fans supporting Premier League clubs. I see images and videos of European games, where the fans do not stop singing for all the 90 minutes, and the unity and passion expressed at games are like no other. Modern Football has seen the decline of these experiences in Britain. However, with a change in legislation, you can bring Premier League football back to its former glory and respect.  

Please consider my request in your busy schedule. I would be very grateful.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Walczak. 

(Link to The Fighting Cock Safe Standing Survey: http://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/2013/03/safe-standing-survey-results/ )'

Reviewing our fans

So I went to White Hart Lane on Thursday to watch our match against Basel. It was the first time I've been to the Lane in quite some time. I enjoyed the day very much, great day, even if the result wasn't ideal.

I had high hopes for the Basel match and, as a result, I massively underestimated their team, thinking we'd get a strong result. Streller, Stocker, Salah and Serey Die were amazing for Basel; they played out of their skins. It was a surprise, but it shouldn't have been looking at their season. Looking at our performance, I thought we were lucky to get the draw. We were poor to say the least.

But this isn't a match review. This is a fan review

The Basel fans were in the stadium at 7pm and were going at it from then on. Singing, jumping, lighting flares, waving flags. Meanwhile, there were about a classroom of Yids in the stadium. Of course, we couldn't respond being so few, so I studied their antics for an hour.

The players names were read out. They not only cheered at the player's name; they repeated it, screamed it aloud. Meanwhile, the Spurs faithful lightly cheered at our players' names. Worrying reports say that fans actually booed Adebayor and Gallas when the teams were read out. Now I personally didn't hear anything malicious, but I could certainly imagine a few disgruntled fans booing the ex-gooners.

Siggo smashes in the equalizer, benefiting from a cheeky deflection

At times, we were loud. Waves of 'yid army' and 'come on you spurs' were heard, along with a few faint-hearted renditions of 'Oh when the Spurs', not strong though to make an impact. Jan Vertonghen's song and Lewis Holtby's song were heard in the first half. We stopped singing when Basel applied themselves. The Basel fans didn't stop. Not from the moment they entered the ground. That's the difference for me.

I talked before the match about our old anthem 'Can't smile without you' and questioned its absence from WHL in recent years. Th
e answer I got was that we replaced it with 'Oh when the Spurs', which not every Spurs fans sung too loudly. I question you now. Why don't we have an anthem? Before the match, I imagine players walking out to CSWY on the loudspeakers, with fans singing with them. The speakers would stop near the end, leaving us singing loud and proud. Can't this happen? I know 'Bubbles' is a stupid excuse for a song, but when they sing it, I always feel a little awe at their singing, only because I want that at the Lane. It's a small piece of identity, if nothing else.

Ade makes it 2-1. Very athletic finish.

I'd say the last 20 minutes, our reaction as fans was poor. Instead of trying to spur the team on (ha, pun), we just sat and stared at Basel pressing our team further and further into our own half. It was upsetting. With just a bit of spectator-input, the team could've had a few more chances.

It wasn't great as a fan watching us fall silent in shock, angry at a mis-touch or whatever trivial indiscretion occurred. I even heard a few dickheads on TalkSport criticize AVB's decisions! He's been excellent all season round, and should have earned more respect.

We have a responsible as fans, to stand up and support our team through thick and thin, through success and failure. Because if we do not support our team through hard times, nobody will.