Sorry for the recent delay in posting, I have spent the past couple of days with my head as far down a toilet as Bentley's head is up his own arse. Just thought I would share a few observations from the Peterborough game, please as ever feel free to disagree:
1) The Tottenham faithful - Ok ok so the atmosphere for much of the game was flatter than Susan Boyle but once again we have outdone ourselves by being one of the only fixtures in the country to sell out. Peterborough, with the greatest respect, were hardly the champagne derby fixture that every spurs fan was hoping for but there was barely an empty seat in the stand. Special mention should go to the reception given to Pav when he came off the bench. We have all read the comments he has made in the press and like him or loathe him, most feel he was never given a proper chance. The standing ovation he received and the deafening chant of 'Super Pav' were not lost on him as he clapped the crowd in return and threw himself at the ball for his first corner. Equally heartwarming was the almost homoerotic relationship Gomes continues to enjoy with the south stand responding to chants of "we love you Gomes we do" by thumping the badge and saluting the terraces. I truly hope reports linking us with James are the daydreams of bored and lazy journos. Gomes fully deserves his jersey and is fast becoming a Spurs legend; it would be both unwise and unfair to bring in another qualified keeper to 'mix things up'.
2) Tottenham's number 2?: Peterborough's Joe Lewis was superb from start to finish and it is little wonder that Capello has taken an interest in him. I have my doubts that Cudicini will ever represent Tottenham again and our number 2 slot is glaringly empty. I have previously stated that someone like Scott Loach would be an ideal signing and Lewis is in a similar mould; young, ambitious and homegrown. His reflex saves were top notch and his 6 foot 6 frame makes for a commanding figure. As chants of "Tottenham's number 2" echoed round the ground I realised I wasn't the only one incredibly impressed by the young keeper. Let us hope 'Arry looks very carefully into the alleged story that he has been offered for sale.
3) Robbie Keane - Once again the only comments I heard from the stands about Robbie were negative. At times when he was over in our corner people were shouting loud and abusive insults at him, many of which must have been audible. Everyone is entitled to an opinion about Keane; he is the ultimate Mr Marmite, but no true fan would ever treat him the way he was treated on Saturday. Personally I would agree with the majority that Keane is no longer good enough to help the club push up the table and despite the arguments about him boosting team morale I would sell him if the right offer came in. Yet one thing no-one can deny is that Keane works incredibly hard for the team and he deserves credit for that alone. Much has been posted about his reaction to the penalty he scored, looking downcast and world weary but how many players can keep their head high when they have lost the love of the fans? If Keane is here to stay then he needs the our vocal support on matchdays to recapture his form, if he is on his way out let us at least give him a positive send off. The move to Liverpool was a mistake but Keane is a Tottenham legend and does not deserve the level of hatred he is being forced to endure.
4) The left wing conundrum - There was a time when an injury to Lennon spelt disaster to a Tottenham season; this time it has spelt only opportunity. Krancjar has been a revelation since joining us and as things stand I would not bench him in favour of Modric. The gap that has opened up on the right hand side allows 'Arry a perfect opportunity to nurse Modric back to full health without having to drop the excellent Krancjar from the team. Modric's future is in either the centre or the left hand side of midfield but he was very comfortable playing out on the right and one assumes this is where he will stay until Lennon's return.
5) The wealth of young talent - I published an article on Naughton a couple of weeks back and had a good response from Blades fans all of whom seemed to rate him. It was obvious to see their criticism that he is still a little light weight for the Premiership but he's still young and can learn much from Defoe in the battle to bulk up. Aside from this he displayed excellent pace, composure and awareness. If he continues to improve I would expect to see him seriously pressuring Charlie in a season or two's time.
Danny Rose was often referred to as 'the left footed Lennon' because of his blistering pace and poor final ball. Yet apart from one ballooned cross I thought he played very well. His control and first touch were impeccable even when dealing with difficult passes and he demonstrated an ability and a willingness to take people on. Peterborough's right back had an absolute nightmare trying to close him down and the penalty came as no surprise. If 'Arry can get his staff working on Rose the same way he has done with Lennon; focused running and final delivery especially, there is no reason why a few seasons from now we can have the fastest wing attack in the country.
Bale, for me however, was the stand out performer. I fully realise the constant criticism he is unable to defend but there was no evidence of this particular failing on Saturday. Certainly he will come up against tougher challenges than Posh but he stood up well, was decent in the air and put in a couple of impressive slide challenges. Going forward he was excellent, linking up well with Hudd, Keane and Krancjar. The second and third goals were his own creations and he looked a threat whenever he was on the ball. What a terrible shame we no longer need a left winger as Bale is certainly beginning to look the part. Once again he needs serious work on the training ground in basic defending but fantastic to see the boy displaying the talent we all know he has.
Leeds up next and hopefully another run out for some of the fringe.
In'ArryWeTrust
