The Most Important Game of Tottenham's Season

The Fulham game was like losing my virginity all over again. The performance was, apart from some occasional half hearted forward thrusts, a flaccid and desperate disappointment. Yet, when it was all over (slightly earlier than expected) I was flooded with the same relief and confidence I felt all those mont...sorry...years ago.

Liverpool and Hull had placed doubts in the mind of many a Spurs fan over our ability to last the season. On one hand there was our inability to break down 'park the bus teams', tapping gently and feebly on their windows rather than smashing Bentley's porsche into the side and mugging every terrified pensioner on board. Then there was the criticism we lacked the mental strength to take on the top teams, utterly devoid of the belief and confidence needed to get a result. Fulham has not changed either of these factors. We still spend much of our time against these types of opposisiton looking as clueless and panicked as Sol Campbell in a brothel.

However, Tuesday's game was an enormously reassuring experience for a packed White Hart Lane. Finally, the curse of Gareth Bale was lifted. The monkey that has clung onto his back for so many games can now return to its seat in the Upper West stand, next to the rest of Gareth's siblings. Bale was excellent yet again and the way he took it in turn to applaud every stand at the final whistle showed just how much the result meant to him. He has the fitness and pace to sprint up and down that left flank like no-one else. He also is strong and useful aerially for someone who (hopefully) still has a lot of growing to do. Yes, his positioning and defensive decision-making can be dodgy but many people fail to remember he's still only 20; such mental elements rely on gametime and experience, neither of which he has been blessed with. The real reason I like Bale though, is that the opposition are scared of him. He is capable of lifting the entire tempo and atmsophere of a game with one run and the prospect of Lennon and him galloping down their respective wings makes me feel good in my special area.

I would like to say (as many of the papers incorrectly reported) that Bentley had a cracking game and has put himself back into contention. In truth, watching him was rather like watching your club-footed child playing sport; you are caught between desperately wanting him to do well and screaming 'take that f*cking special case off'. All his desperately ineffectual flicks and spins would be great fun if we had been 5-0 up but they often put his team members under pressure and were greeted with howls of derision from the crowd. He put a few decent balls in but his free kick was lucky, his pace is laughable and he just doesn't look capable of fitting into the team. £10 million from Wet Spam will do nicely. Whats that Mr Sullivan? 10 quid and a pair of Zola's used undies? You sir have yourself a deal!

It gives me even greater delight to inform you that both Sergeant Wilson and Luka put in the kind of performances we have not seen of late. Palacios was back to his best; charging around bellowing Honduran war chants and felling the Fulham midfield with tackles that would have had the Conquistadors rowing desperately back across the Atlantic, pantaloons round their dainty ankles. Modric, who is still settling back into the team, also looked like the old Luka we all know and love. He was the heartbeat of the midfield; dinking delicate balls forward, cutting inside and generally causing trouble with every touch. Perhaps even more encouraging was the understanding that was evident between him and Bale. Stories abounded of Gareth finding a banana in his locker before the game alongside a note scrawled in poor English saying 'we can be friend??' Bale, utterly perplexed, scanned the dressing room and noticed little Luka strapping on his size 4 boots, giggling shyly and hiding under his fringe; something beautiful was born.

It wasn't all good news. Defoe has begun to get frustrated in a way that not even Katie Price can remedy, having wild pop shots in his attempt to break his apparent 'goal drought'. Crouchy is always a useful outlet but for God's sake someone buy that lad a gym membership, get him bicep curling the team oranges...anything!! It continues to astound me that this caricature we use as a 'target man' could be outjumped and pushed off the ball by some of the vertically challenged gentlemen you often (accidentely) come across on specialist adult sites. King was imperious at the back again as was Dawson, but the latter's distribution was dire. Stick to heading it Daws, and if I see you trying to play one more impossibly Beckham-esque cross field ball, I'm going to rip out your knees and give them to Ledley.

All in all, it was an unspectacular and competent performance which in many ways could define our season. Not only have we put breathing space between us and Liverpool but players who are integral to our team, seem to have recaptured the form we require of them to suceed. One game is one game, and this is Tottenham. Anything can happen from here but the signs are positive. Can we make the Top 4?? Probably not, but after the last few games I was starting to see our name engraved onto a shiny plaque saying "7th place". Bring on Birmingham and Villa.

In'ArryWeTrust

The Wealth of Young Talent at Harry's fingertips

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