On Andros Townsend

After Andros Townsend came onto the scene for AVB's Tottenham at the start of the 2013/14 season, several articles were published under the headline "Is Andros Townsend the next Gareth Bale?". Feel free to copy and paste that into Google; you'll find like I did a bunch of articles written in 2013 discussing that prospect.

And blimey, what a prospect it was for us Spurs fans! We sold our hero, our talisman, arguably the best to play for Spurs in many years. And in an instant, we could have found a successor. Not one bought, but one of our own! One fast, attacking, goal-hungry, distance-striking winger replacing another. It was glorious. It dared us to dream of thirty-yard screamers, last minute winners, attacking football again. And with thoughts on what that could do for a national team so devoid of flare, so lacking in actual impact players, every English football fan was caught up in the furore of Andros Townsend.

It breaks my heart, therefore, to have to say this, but I think everyone knows it's true. He's one of our own, after all, that's what we sung - but so has many failed Tottenham prospects. Andros Townsend will never amount to the player we want him to be. Furthermore, Townsend barely justifies any more a seat on Tottenham's bench, let alone a starring role.

Allow me to explain. Townsend has many attributes that I adore from a modern-day winger: the ability to take on the defender; the willingness to take a dig at goal from outside box; the sheer velocity to belt it down the flanks. I look at defenders when he has the ball and they look startled into action, frantic to defend and stop him from making a difference in the final third. There's no denying that Townsend could fit the mould perfectly to play in our first team - hell, to play in any Spurs team over the years.

Well, then - why isn't he playing in the first team? Why has Pochettino confined him to the benches this season, using him in the league as no more than a second-half impact player? If he does indeed have all these attributes, shouldn't he easily waltz into the starting eleven ahead of Erik Lamela, ahead of Mousa Dembele, ahead of Nacer Chadli?

The answer is end product. Shots on goal. Creating chances. The difference between foreplay and fuck. Townsend has absolutely no end product, both as a midfielder and as an attacker. He has the foreplay of a pornstar but the penetration of a pubescent twit. He will take on the man; he will dribble down the the flanks; he will get into creative positions to set up and maybe even score. And he will bottle it almost every time. It's fun to watch him mess with defenders, but it is infuriating to watch the terrible crosses, the missed passes, but most of all, the constant, constant attempts on goal,

Scenario: a player gets the ball - teammates are in the box - a player cuts inside - a player looks up - teammates lose their marker - a player decides Fuck it, I'm scoring the winner - a ball goes cannoning into Row Z - possession lost, chance wasted.

Now picture that same scenario when you're watching your team, and it's every single game, and it's every single appearance, and it's every single season. I present you Andros Towsnend.

And the stats do not favour Andros at all. I've dusted off my old calculator, done a bit of division, nearly had an aneurysm, and discovered some shocking statistics about Townsend's end product. This was shocking despite the experience of watching him play for the past few seasons. Brace yourselves, people.

Across the last three seasons in the league and in Europe, Andros Townsend has played for Tottenham 58 times, shot at goal 102 times, and found the net 2 times. Two. That's a shot conversion rate of 1.9%. To put that in perspective, Spurs fans are like to see one goal out of every fifty Andros Townsend shots... ONE GOAL - FIFTY SHOTS. To put this in an even worse perspective for Andros, we'd be likely to get seven goals from Nacer Chadli in as many shots since 2013.

The fun doesn't end there, guys. Oh no. More of the stats that we so eagerly like to read say that Spurs fans see Andros create a single chance per 113 minutes of football. To compare with the a much maligned (and frankly, by many Spurs fans, still despised) rival to the right-wing spot, Erik Lamela will on average create a chance every 38 minutes of football, as well as the 12 assists compared to Townsend's 3 amongst his chances. If I were crude, I would say Lamela is statistically three times as creative as Andros Townsend on the football pitch.

So why exactly might Pochettino bench this young, talented footballer? Well, not only do the other young talented footballers in the squad - Kane, Lamela, Dier, Alli, (at a push) Mason - clearly make better impacts on matches than Townsend, these players are also improving at a far better rate since first playing for Spurs than Townsend. Whilst only the most hypercritical cynic would dispute the fact that Erik Lamela has improved since arriving at Spurs from Roma, Townsend is exactly the same player as he was when he burst onto the scene that same year. There's even an argument to suggest Townsend has gotten worse since first starting for Spurs in 2013; good defenders are more aware of his party tricks and can show him onto his weaker right-foot, which has even less of an impact than his left foot. With the likes of Alex Pritchard and Joshua Onomah jumping up and down to play for Spurs, I honestly wonder how Townsend is even on the bench under Pochettino.

Imagining a Townsend performance is much like Orwell's imagination of the future in Ninety Eighty-Four. I paraphrase: There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment in the process of attacking football. All possible chances to score will be destroyed. Always will there be the intoxication of taking shots, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of shooting from thirty-yards out, the sensation of trampling on a goal-scoring opportunity that is helpless. If you want a picture of Andros Townsend, imagine a boot stamping on Mauricio Pochettino's face - for ever.

Perhaps I'm being a tad harsh in likening Andros Townsend to totalitarianism. My main point is that I hold very little hope for Townsend as a top-half Premier League player. He is void of all end product, merely possessing the threat of it. He has all the attributes of an impact player without the decision-making skills to consistently do anything useful with them. At aged 24, there's still a few more years potentially there for improvement, and I'd love to see him replicate for Tottenham what he seems to do invariably for England. Sadly, with injury problems looming and better options already available and playing for Pochettino, I see a struggle for Townsend to hold onto his future at Tottenham.

The British tabloids have an excruciatingly painful tendency to hype up young, English footballers and announce them to be the next superstar in order to create interest. It wouldn't bother me if it didn't leave such a mark on these young players' careers. Tottenham and England fans alike will always struggle to discard the idea that Townsend could one day score goals, change games, bring glory like Gareth Bale did season after season in Lilywhite. But it's time we put it next to our other hopeless dreams for English football. I'd say that glory fades for Andros - this time, I doubt the glory was ever there to begin with.

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 Does The Future Hold For Erik Lamela?

Erik Lamela's first season at Spurs, in parallel with this season as a whole, has been one of great disappointment. Signed from Roma in August, Lamela seems to represent the plentiful nature of young talent in our squad without there being any great, world-class specimen. He has featured rarely, and his absence has become a great source of pain for Spurs fans. As we begin to hunger for a new start, I begin to question where exactly does the Argentinian go from here?

Let me give you the skinny. 21-year-old Erik Lamela, one of the top (if not the top) young talents in Serie A, signed for Spurs for £25.8million in August. He, together with Christian Eriksen, came to replace the departed Gareth Bale, last year's Player Of The Year. The two players potentially and logically had what Bale possessed together: goals from midfield, flair, creativity and an eye for set pieces. The eyes of Spurs fans passively looked to Lamela for guidance.

I felt euphoric when I first saw this photo. How times change.

With the weight of expectation on his shoulders, a burden shared by all of the summer signings, he was not planted straight into the first team, but eased in by Andre Villas-Boas, kept out by the bright but inconsistent Andros Townsend. Lamela and Spurs fans alike waited and waited and did a bit more waiting to see a performance from him. The wait briefly ended on November 7^th against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League – a goal, an assist and a match-winning performance. This would be, arguably, the one and only time we saw Lamela at his maximum.

The Spurs fans were once again left starved of Lamela and starved of his talent. When AVB was sacked in December, some began to speculate that he could get his chance, get his moment he and we had craved. Sadly not. Either by injury or (allegedly) through Tim Sherwood's over-zealous repression, Lamela has not featured in the first team since December 4^th.

I have too waited and, like this season, nothing” is the cry from many a fan. “What a waste of money!” some would even say. The outrage and knife-wielding cries of our fanbase forms a clear, Machiavellin-esque purging of our squad, such a purging that even Stalin could be proud. Out the signings. Out the deadwood. Out Tim Sherwood. New man comes in. Chuck in a few expletives and that's the gist of it, anyway.

I have become tired in my disappointment. “Thirty-million pound and

This may just be me – speaking as someone who has brooded over this season in a melancholic state for four months since we sacked Villas-Boas – but I once again will state that the worst thing for this squad would be a purging. In that case, I believe Lamela stays. But what do I expect from the young winger? Bale-esque glory? 30-yard screamers? 90^th minute winners?

I knew in my depths of my heart when we signed him that we were unlikely to get a top quality player in his first season in England. Across the road at Arsenal, the signing of Mesut Ozil has proved as inconsistent as any of Spurs' signings, has it not? We took the gamble of signing Eriksen and Lamela, two young foreign players to replace Bale. One has flourished. The other has not. This is the cold, disappointing truth.

Lamela gets his leg up against Tromso in the Europa League

However, it is not ludicrous to state that Lamela has a chance to flourish next season. At Roma, he rightly rose to prominence in the team, labelled by many of their fans as 'the next Totti'. He was versatile, operating both on the right as an inverted winger, and as a creative No. 10 on many occasions. He scored 15 goals and assisted five times in his last season in Serie A. Quite simply, you never gain a reputation as one of the best young talents in Europe unless you are really talented. Quite simply, there is no smoke without fire.

Erik Lamela has been absent in his debut season, both in his minute appearances on the pitch, and in his long time out of the Tottenham squad. A disappointment and a dead cert on many 'Worst Transfers of the Season' lists. It is my belief, however, that what will come of Lamela in his Spurs career will be no disappointment; he may even become extraordinary.

Last December, Lamela said in an interview to the Standard a telling quote: “I feel I need a bit of time. My moment will come and I will make the difference.” Let's hope so too.

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.

Swansea vs Tottenham: Player Ratings and Summary

• Lloris - 6.8 Our goalkeeper had a lot to do in the first half an hour, with Swansea creating a lot of chances after a slow and unstable start. For the rest of the match, he was largely untroubled.
• Walker - 8.0 One of our stand-out players today. When he burst down that right wing, he not only creates width - he creates chances, setting up the own goal and troubling Ben Davies all day. With form like this, he is a world cup starter.
• Dawson - 6.0 Dawson was competent today, but was caught out when pressured by the excellent Bony, giving the Ivorian too much space for their goal. 
• Chiriches - 8.5 He has arguably been our best signing this summer, certainly being the most consistent. He has the ability to challenge for the ball, win the ball, retain the ball and recycle possession; this is rare in English football, where defenders are discouraged from exercising ball skills. 
• Rose - 7.0 Our left back does have temperament issues, but he had a competent defensive game today. On top of that, he set up the third goal with a neat cross into Adebayor. It's a relief having a real left-back in our first team again. 
• Lennon - 6.0 Didn't have a major impact in the game and didn't make good use of the ball in advanced positions. This was rather unusual considering the form he has been in since returning to the first team.
• Eriksen - 8.8 Recently, we've really started to see the young man that gained such a renowned reputation in Europe. Eriksen played extremely well, taking on defenders (real, painful abuse; should be locked up for that), creating chances, using his speed and skill. He set up the first goal with a beautiful cross into Adebayor.
• Dembele - 7.5 Dembele is a player that adhered to me from day one, and he showed his versatility today. The Moose retained possession, did good work in our own half defending and combined well with young Bentaleb.
• Bentaleb - 6.0 Bit of a controversial one here, considering all the praise he gained during the game and after it. Bentaleb kept the ball fairly well, but that really was the only thing he did today. He didn't create chances, didn't do well in dealing with the Swansea pressure in the first half, and didn't impact the game against a weak Swansea midfield. For a 19-year-old, Bentaleb is very good, but I'd throw caution to the wind when hyping him up too much. Nothing does a player as much harm as unattainable expectations.
• Chadli - 6.5 Chadli did fairly okay in his initial position on the left, but looked much better when playing a fluid role across the attacking third, taking shots and troubling the defence with his physicality. I'm interested to see if Chadli ends up playing a second striker role in the future, as Sherwood has previously hinted.
• Man of the Match, Adebayor - 9.0 Excellent. Simply excellent. Ade has managed to combine the work, link up play and overall contribution with a massive goal threat. Our team created the chances for him, but we had a striker who was in position to finish it off. He was calm and precise in his two goals and earnt his reception from our away fans today. He was brilliant.

The Salute: Adebayor after scoring his second today

Today was a good day for Spurs, and they have been few and far between this season, I admit. Watching a striker produce the goods in a Spurs shirt is a rare thing, like the Solar Eclipse, or a Liverpool admission of guilt; Adebayor produced the goods, cut it up, baked it and served it. He was sublime. Along with great support acts in Chiriches, Eriksen and Walker, this was a comprehensive Spurs win.

I'd like to thank our away fans who paid tribute to Roger Lloyd Pack today. The Only Fools and Horses actor was a Spurs fan all his life, attended many games in his time and narrated one of the best Spurs videos on the internet. Our away fans sung 'He only had one broom!' and 'Sing up for Trigger, he's one of our own!' for the man that passed away this week aged 69. It was a beautiful moment and one we should all be proud of.

'I think we're on a winner here, Trig.'

Sherwood: Disliked, disloyal and the blood will be on Levy's hands

"The Club can announce that Tim Sherwood has been appointed Head Coach with a contract to the end of the 2014/15 season." 

I never like to put gut reactions into articles. However, for the purposes of this article, I will describe to you my gut reaction to the news of Tim Sherwood's appointment as Tottenham manager. 

Picture Anakin Skywalker burning, writhing in pain, screaming, completing his transition into evil. It seemed like the world around me, already built on unstable molten rock and pain, was falling apart. In just one week, we had gone from Andre Villas-Boas, an image of class, of method, of intelligence, Tim Sherwood, a man who has discredited himself in his time at Tottenham. In my eyes, the only man who had any favour for this appointment was Daniel Levy (conveniently the only man necessary for the appointment to happen). I was distraught.

Meltdown: My reaction to Sherwood's appointment on Monday

Since Monday, I've taken time to mull over this move, assess whatever pros and cons I can muster up. Bear with me.

Under AVB, Tottenham's style of play became stagnant. It lacked rhythm, had very little cutting-edge in the final third and primarily, it lacked goals. With 15 goals in 16 matches in the league, Liverpool fans were quick to point out that Luis Suarez alone had scored 17 goals in 11 league games this season. Due to this lack of attack, the team could not respond when our defence capitulated (cite West Ham, Man City and Liverpool games as proof). Critics would label Villas-Boas as 'stubborn', 'arrogant' and 'tactically-rigid' in his final months. Can the same be said of his replacement?

Sherwood seems willing to play two upfront, introducing Emmanuel Adebayor back to the first team with immediate results. He has also abandoned the holding midfielder role, a short term measure to deal with injuries to Sandro and Paulinho, hoping to create an attacking intent. The team is looking more free and open, guaranteeing goals and more movement in the final third.

It is clear that Tottenham must possess a bigger attacking threat and something more in the final third to challenge for the top four this season. A big change was needed. From two games under Sherwood, it is evident that we will see more attacking intent. Change is guaranteed, at least in the short term. In the long term, this will not work. With an 18-month contract, Sherwood would be wise to factor in the long term.

Across AVB's tenure, the man was given the task of modelling a new squad after losing key players of Redknapp's regime, notably Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. In 18 months, 15 players came in and 17 players went out. AVB modelled his transfers to a 4-3-3 formation, focussing on a three-man midfield and one upfront. In this sense, there is no way that Sherwood can accommodate for the entire squad by playing 4-4-2. Sherwood's real aim should be making 4-3-3 work to Tottenham's gain.

Off the pitch, Tottenham are in a state of crisis. Fans are being overpriced and priced-out under the categorisation system, criminalised by over-zealous stewards and the police, dealing with legitimised ticket touting under StubHub, preparing for the effects of the new stadium in a few years time. The club have dealt with nine managerial changes across twelve years under Daniel Levy. Constant change. No stability. 

I tell you this in an attempt to explain why any manager will struggle with this job, why a completely inexperienced coach in Sherwood, already disliked by a large section of the support for ratting out the Tottenham staff to the media and tensions with Glenn Hoddle in his managerial tenure, will struggle to succeed at this club. 

Don't get me wrong, Sherwood has things going for him off the pitch as well. After being heavily involved with the youth setup since being appointed to Redknapp's coaching staff in 2008, Sherwood has spoken about his desire to promote more youth team players into the first team, something always pleasant to see. Sections of the media have praised Levy's willingness to give an English coach a chance at the top level, giving him the media backing that AVB never seemed to have.

Despite these things, despite weighing up both sides, despite the chairman's support for this appointment, I can only see Sherwood ending one way. The competition for the Champions League places this season is the most competitive ever. Many of the teams competing are in some sort of change, but none more so that Tottenham, on and off the pitch. The likelihood of a sustained challenge this year is unlikely. It'll all end in tears. It always does. 

The appointment of Tim Sherwood was a massive gamble; the man even admitted it himself. To give a coach with no professional managerial experience whatsoever, a tainted history at the club and all the problems and instability of Levy's regime and expect him to deliver is madness. I never saw Villas-Boas' sacking as a positive; I don't see Sherwood's appointment as a positive.

Come June, the blood will be on Daniel Levy's hands.

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.

1882: An account of Thursday night

I waited outside the turnstiles last night and I was scared. I wasn't scared of the fans, the police, the stewards - no, none of that. I was scared that I'd be alone. If I were alone, I could never have enjoyed the night, and if I didn't enjoy the night, my journey would have been wasted.

Thankfully, I was not alone. I had 1882.

We entered the ground after some odd delay. My out-of-place black tie and crombie combination received some funny looks and comments, however I managed to convince myself that that's how they all used to look 'back in the day'. I entered Block 35 some 10 minutes before the start, and, staring at the pristine green of the White Hart Lane pitch, the troubles of my daily life filtered away.

Perhaps it had something to do with my age, but occupying White Hart Lane is still a cause for many feelings of joy. I'm a proud cynic in real life, yet when I pass through the turnstiles, joy and positivity enriches my blood and tones my voice. This is why I feel the urge to align myself with 1882 ideology; there is no other way I can support my team.

It wasn't long before Block 35 began to fill. I couldn't tell you how many people came under the banner of 1882. We were just fans standing in a block, holding scarves and waving banners and flags; singing for the shirt. And, oh boy did we sing.

From the first song, I could tell this would be as fulfilling as I hoped it would be. Long, never-ending versions of 'Oh When The Spurs' till the point of laughter. Infectious renditions of 'AVB's Blue and White Army' (of course, followed by the fierce bellows of 'Yids'). Toing-and-throwing with the Shelf and 'Stand up' songs to engage with other parts of the ground. All the old songs like 'Glory Glory Hallelujah' and 'Hark Now Hear' as a reminder of our past. Judas songs. I could go on and on and on but you know the deal. This is 1882.

I saw at a few points throughout the evening fans being forcibly removed from the block for chanting our Yid songs. This made my blood boil. It could have easily tainted the event. However, the fans responded by chanting the word twice as loud. We got behind those victimised fans. They are us and we are all the same. 'Being a Yid' was the song of the night as a result.

I screamed at the stewards, "I'm a Yid! Arrest me!" This was part of a lot of talk between me, the stewards and the police last night. They were cooperative, but they seemed confused. When asked who told them to victimise the fans, I got told they were ordered from the club, the police, lawyers and the FA - all separately. When asked about over-zealous stewarding, they referred to safety certificates and guidelines. When asked if they knew who their boss was, they had no idea. Sadly, there's nobody to make accountable for the crime of criminalisation.

This is why groups like 1882 are vital to the fans. Who is going to back the fans given 'verbal warnings' when the club turned their back on them like they did on Thursday? This may sound cliché, but sometimes, we only have each other to turn to. We had that at the Anzhi game and I was proud of us for that. I implore fans to keep a dialogue with our Supporters' Trust, THST, for these reasons.

More about the game. It was very entertaining and the positive performance certainly helped get some of the fans off their feet. When we sang the name of particular players, you could tell they were loving it. The big smile in Holtby's face. The appreciation from Eriksen when he warmed up. Even Friedel's response to our questions about the score. At those very moments we sang their names, the fans loved them, and they loved the fans. Backing the players in this way help establishes this connection, I feel. Don't you agree?

The final whistle came and we headed out of the Lane, albeit slow, reluctantly and anxious to do more. I wanted to do this all over again. And soon. An explosion was heard at one point late on. None of us cared. I never felt a better sense of escapism than in that block on Thursday. I've had a lot of trouble and stress in my life recently, but it didn't matter when I was singing, when I was loving my club.

My lungs were aching. My throat was scratched. My head was addled. My voice was gone. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered any more. All that mattered was that I belonged. All that mattered was Tottenham Hotspur.

If you think I'm exaggerating, join us in Block 35. I dare you. 

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...

Inverted wingers IS the answer

After intense note-taking and debating on twitter, I have found the right team. It’s a long time coming, and my goodness, AVB needs to find the right team before our lack of goals becomes harmful to our league position. However, I believe this team for today’s match against Newcastle will work.



The main debate regarding the formation has been over inverted wingers. Many people believe inverted wingers makes the midfield congested and harms free-flowing creativity. However, that does not explain how teams such as Bayern Munich have reached dizzy heights operating a similar system.

I have kept Sigurdsson and Lamela as the inverted wingers. Lamela has shown in midweek what he possesses, taking the full back with distinct forward attacking play, either posing as a goal threat or a creative threat. Sigurdsson has scored 4 goals in this spot and, although not the most involved player, his qualities will pose useful in sorting out our goal problem. They will still cut in and take shots, but with an added twist.

The No.10 spot has been much debated, and frequently talked about as the reason for our goal drought. Central in creating chances, the No.10 is vital in winning games. However, for Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City (No.10′s being Oscar, Ozil and Silva respectively), their most creative threat is not fixed in the middle. He interchanges with the wingers, providing crosses as well as through balls, offering different angles for the striker(s).

Eriksen gets the pick for today’s match, much becuase he better suits the system as a two footed player. Holtby shows glimpses of creativity, alongside work-rate and aggressive play, but it is not his main focus, unlike Eriksen. At home, often in front of a back 9, the focus of the No.10 must solely be breaking down the opposition. Eriksen, therefore, has the most ability to complete this should Sigurdsson or Lamela be central.

The demands for width have been loud and clear, and natural wingers seems the most obvious answer to this. However, looking at our summer activity (Lamela and Chadli, Townsend in the squad), inverted wingers appears to be the system AVB will keep with as a primary option. Therefore, the width, I believe, intends to be provided by the full backs (wing backs in this purpose).

Walker is naturally a wing back and revels in hugging the touchline. Under AVB, he has refined his play to become more defensively sound, and has been one of our best players this season. Before injured, AVB stuck Rose at left back, and did a fantastic job after playing regular first-team football for Sunderland last season. His wing play suits the formation, but owing to his absence, Vertonghen has to fill-in. Although less effective, the professional class the Belgian possesses will more than make up for Rose’s play.

There is no question who starts upfront. It is the £26million striker. It is the man with one of the best goal scoring records in all Europe last season. It’s the No.9 that we begged for in the summer. Roberto Soldado. If we create chances for him, the kind of chances he thrived on last season, he will flourish.

Ultimately, we have to play football against Newcastle. Attack them. Pepper the goal from all angles. Create chances for the front man. We have commanded possession, but not commanded the final third. We have solidified the castle walls, but our artillery is inaccurate and wasteful. Over time, these problems will reduce, the ‘gelling process’ will give a greater abundance of goals.

Till that moment, I ask for patience, as has AVB. There’s a reason why glory football and tactics of our has never actually brought much glory since the Premier League’s inception. There’s a reason AVB’s football has.

Atmospheric Pressure

It was a horrid display of football. Tottenham, trying to split the 10-man defence of Hull, exhausted every possible means to get that first goal. Nothing worked. The possession-orientated play that Andre Villas-Boas has drummed into the squad wasn't enough to break the deadlock, just as it wasn't versus Swansea, just as it wasn't versus Crystal Palace. When Soldado converted his third penalty of the season, a gust of relief swept around White Hart Lane, and the match was won.

After the game, the main complaints about the football was a wide judgement across the season.

• "Our football is too cautious. It shouldn't be based on possession, but on unrestricted swashbuckle."
• "Soldado doesn't get enough chances. He's only good for penalties."
• "This is not the attitude of a top four team."

The football could have been less cautious this season. We certainly have the players to be more attacking and have more bite to it. It's just a case of gathering the right eleven players for it, and that will come with time (that benefiting to a large squad). If we play unrestricted attacking football a la Redknapp, we abandon a fantastic defence (6 clean sheets in 9 games) and I doubt Spurs could last till May. A conundrum, but 'patience' is word of the day. 

The 1882 Movement may be the answer to the dying atmosphere

AVB was surely thinking about tactics on how to improve the football. When faced with problems, he has clearly demonstrated an admirable pragmatic nature, a readiness to solve problems on the pitch through off-the-pitch tactics. AVB did tell the media the cause of the problem, quite explicitly:

"We looked like the away team. We played in a difficult atmosphere with almost no support,"
"Away from home their support has been amazing; we play with no fear and we need that atmosphere at White Hart Lane."
"We spoke about it at half-time. I told the players that we would have to do it on our own. They had to dig deep and look for the strength within themselves. They also believed that it's not easy to play in this stadium when the atmosphere is like this."

"We have a wonderful set of fans but they can do better."

To many Spurs fans (probably the ones inside the ground that day), this was a shocking statement. Their argument was that the team did nothing to get them going, that it was up to them to do their job and we cheer when they complete it, that forking out hundreds gives them the right to complain about it. If they have been quiet, it's because of AVB and the players.

The other camp to this argument supported AVB's verdict, not only supported, but knew it for many years. Their argument was that the Spurs fans have become too expectant, that the high ticket prices has brought in the wrong type of fan (I pay x-amount to watch this shit), that young, energetic fans have been skimmed out White Hart Lane due to the ticket prices. The argument was that White Hart Lane is just another product of modern football.

There's is no doubting that there is a massive atmosphere problem within the Lane. I remember Basel at home last season, where the silence of the Spurs fans was chilling, and the only voices that could be heard were Basel fans. It was no advert for White Hart Lane; it was not the way it should be. 

If the atmosphere has become so negative that the players had to talk to the manager about it, then it seems clear  that something has to change. The supporters don't do enough supporting. The fans are not fanatic enough. If you love your club, you have to do more than pay x-amount to show that. Paying £9 to watch Captain Phillips in the cinema doesn't make me a die-hard Tom Hanks fan. Paying £20 to watch Othello doesn't make you a Shakespeare ultra. You owe Tottenham Hotspur more than what you are giving them.

A 'fan', inside White Hart Lane, playing Candy Crush. Wow.

The majority of fans have become spectators, theatre-goers who would rather criticise the performance than get behind the team. The energy these people have exercising criticism could easily be put into singing 'Oh When The Spurs' or any other song. Why has the players turned you cynical? I idolise them.

I have heard some horrific stories. Fans starting songs, only to get glaring looks from the people around. I've heard of people standing up together, only to be told to sit down and shut up by the overpowered stewards. I've even heard of people reporting other fans for swearing, resulting in a three-game ban for the 'guilty' fan. Does this sound like support to you? 

Why have 90% of Tottenham fans become nihilistic? Why can't they go to the Lane, absorb in the moment and forget about negativity? Why can't they sing their hearts, show their colours, enjoy the moment? What good can criticism possibly achieve?

There are things the club need to do to help change the atmosphere, definitely. Reducing ticket prices, reducing steward and police presence, stop criminalising the fans and supporting safe-standing trials would all contribute towards an improved atmosphere. Outside of England, fans laugh at how stale we have become. Perhaps the 'product' is better, but what's the point if you can't enjoy it? 

Football is not a product, and fans are not customers. You have a duty to your football club. Stop fearing the fans around you, join arms and sing for the shirt you claim to love. AVB has given you a message, and it's time to listen, time to learn: 

Stand. Sing. Support. 

Soldado's strike gives Spurs the victory

Club record signing Roberto Soldado scored the winning penalty for Tottenham Hotspur on his debut, beginning Andre Villas-Boas's second season at the club with a win against promoted club Crystal Palace.

The first game of the season is always a special occasion for any club, whether that be a club challenging for European honours or a club appearing in the top division for the first time in eight years.  The vibrant reception that the Crystal Palace team received throughout the game, however, made this meeting particularly special. With any luck, this atmosphere will carry the Eagles this season in their attempt to avoid relegation.

Like many games last season, Spurs held most of the possession in midfield between the strong middle pairing of Mousa Demb ele and £17million-signing Paulinho, also making his first appearance for the Lilywhites. Both impressed throughout, controlling the tempo of the game and at times threatening the goal, with Dembele's shot in the first quarter almost breaking the deadlock.

Other close chances from Gylfi Sigurdsson and other debutant Nacer Chadli in the half were promising for Spurs, while the Pally's saw very little of the ball. With the surprise appearance from injury-threatened Jan Vertonghen in defence, this would be a common feature of the game. Despite this, the half ended all square.

However, the chance to break the deadlock came in the 49th minute when Dean Moxey handled in the area after blocking a cross from Aaron Lennon. Referee Mark Clattenburg did not hesitate in giving Spurs the penalty. The clinical Spaniard Soldado, who scored 30 goals last season in 46 appearances for Valencia, slotted the penalty in the keeper's right-hand corner with ease.

The Spurs defence proved a brick wall for Palace, one that they could not break down, despite the appearance for the wily Kevin Phillips and ex-Gunner Marouane Chamakh. They held the match for a 1-0 victory.

The most impressive display, however, did not come from any of the Spurs players, but from Aussie Mile Jedinak, Palace's skipper. Jedinak, a holding midfielder, patrolled the pitch with ease, breaking up many of Tottenham's attacks with strong tackles and interceptions. He received many plaudits during and after game, despite missing out on Man of the Match, which was given to Paulinho by Niall Quinn.

Spurs may not be fully happy with their performance. but they can be pleased that they got what they deserved. Whilst in many ways this victory away from home was reminiscent of Spurs last season, they also had something else in their style, a certainty that they would not be beaten. Should this be the case for the season, their target of a place in this years top four is likely to be achieved.

Born To Play For Spurs

On the 1st September 2013, Gareth Bale completed his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid for a reported world record fee. Whilst Madrid followers from all around the world rejoice in the glory of another galactico signing, Tottenham fans are left in a flurry of emotions. As a Spurs fan, it's up to me to unravel this situation.

In Bale's first season for Spurs, he was playing left back and the only thing I can remember for certain is his immaculate speed down the flanks. Was he destined for greatness at that point? Of course not. Bale's debut season was very depressing, potentially soul-destroying for the young man, especially when he hadn't won a fixture with the Welshman in the side for his first 27 starts. Safe to say, I wasn't expecting much from him.

The first time I really began to notice Gareth Bale as anything as a player was midway through the 2009/10 season. That season as a whole is littered with glorious moments, but the most promising player out of all the bunch was our skinny Welsh left back. Bale was beating players down the left flank like no other, and creating problems for almost every team in the league. He showed drive and ambition; he wanted to succeed. To think, he could've been outed by Harry Redknapp to Nottingham Forest or Birmingham in January if it weren't for a few cameos in December! Funny old game, football.

Bale excelled the next season. In October, the man was the leading star in our Champions League debut season. After Bale put three past Julio Cesar and Inter Milan with his left foot, he put in a world class performance in the return fixture at White Hart Lane, known to all the Spurs fans by the song we sung that night, 'Taxi for Maicon'. That was one of the great European glory nights at White Hart Lane. Seeing that moment makes me long for Champions League again. As for Bale, I said that night that he was destined for greatness and that soon, all the top teams would want him. He went on to win PFA Player of the Year for the first time that season.

The 2011/12 season was not one where he wowed the millions, but one where he tried to find his place in the team. He was first put in a central role that season, but quickly shifted back to the left flank when Redknapp could not bring the best out of him. I always found Bale was at his best when he drove through defences, whether it be in the centre or the left, torturing them, ripping them apart. From an early age, he always had that in his locker. Proof? Goals last season came usually from a drive through the defence or the more majestic long shot.

In the 2012/13 season, Gareth Bale started it as a world class player and ended it a superstar. 31 goals in all competitions, many games and points won for Tottenham and many YouTube-compilation-worthy moments, drew comparisons between the Welshman and Cristiano Ronaldo, to many people the best player in the world (in my opinion, he is the most exciting player). From the very start, Bale set the house alight, scoring a wonderful free-kick against Croatia for Wales. The moment that will live in many Spurs fans hearts will be the last minute winner against West Ham at Upton Park, leading him to embrace Andre Villas-Boas on the touch line. Both manager and player admit their partnership brought the best out of the Welshman. To me, it was one key element that allowed this to happen: confidence. How confident must he have been to take that shot at Jaaskeleinen from 30 yards out, rather than chip it in the box? How confident must he have been to step up to that free kick against Lyon, winning the game and the first leg for Spurs? How confident must he have been to think he could curl in shots from all places, impossible to 99% of the football world? AVB gave Bale the confidence to deliver the impossible.

Bale's transfer saga has left a bitter aftertaste in the mouthes of many fan. The non-stop coverage from Sky Sports bored most football fans from the first minute, reporting any story from the most unreliable of sources, including many of the Marca, despite admitting it is Madrid's mouthpiece, a tool to engineer transfers. Real Madrid approached this transfer thinking they could claim Bale without any questions asked, known from the moment Florentino Perez said the player was 'born to play for Real Madrid'. The transfer rumour mill was non stop, all the papers looking for a breaking news exclusive. In the middle of it, there was a young Welsh boy who just wants to play football. I will never blame Bale for the way he had to leave. I blame the rotten way the media report transfers. From the gossip columns to the Deadline Day with Jim White, the whole thing is enough to drive you suicidal.

I hoped for most of the window that Bale would wear the Lilywhite shirt again, but that hope vanished when we began looking at Erik Lamela, expensive and talented to be touted as Bale's replacement, sought with money that could only come from one place: Madrid's back pocket. For 100 million Euros, I believe it was out of the best interests of the club for Levy to accept and reinvest, make the squad stronger with players that can drive Spurs to the top of English football (...hopefully).

Bale leaves White Hart Lane after six years, four of which will live in our hearts forever. In his statement to the fans, Bale said 'I have had six very happy years at Tottenham but it's the right time to say goodbye. We've had some special times together over the years and I've loved every minute of it. Tottenham will always be in my heart.' As a young Spurs fan, writing this with warmth in his heart and a tear in his eye, I can safely say that no player in my lifetime has brought more ecstasy and glory that Gareth Bale. My only wish that in his wake, Tottenham's future will be filled with moments of glory akin to last season. The club move forward, and we, as fans, will have to as well. But as Danny Blanchflower said many years ago, the game is about glory. There is no player that lives up to that mantra than Gareth Frank Bale.

I wish him well.

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."