Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013/14

[fallenangle]

Wish we were playing AFC Wimbledon or MK Dons rather than Leicester.

I thought I remembered correctly but had to check and indeed it was Leceister that put us out of the FA Cup last season in the fourth round earlier this year. They did the same in 2006 too.

[EJG1980]

Both of those were really "ugh" defeats. 2-0 up against lower league Leicester and end up losing 3-2 in 2006, and chucked away a lead to lose 2-1 last year even though they had rested quite a few first choice players. Lost to a last minute goal in both matches too! Fun memories

Hopefully we can do better this year. It's about time we had a decent FA Cup run again; since making the semi-final in 2012 we haven't made it past the 4th round.

[EJG1980]

A good night last night. Six reserve / youth players in the line up and already qualified, you wonder whether psychologically the team would coast along a little and not worry too much about the result, but not a bit of it. Nice hat trick from Lamela (with a little help from the keeper for the second), decent debut for Onomah, and good to see Chadli and Bentaleb back from injury.

To be nit-picky, we really could do with some sessions on the training ground practising our defending from set pieces. A number of occasions Monaco had a completely free header or shot from a corner, need to improve our marking in those situations.

Despite topping the group there are a lot of tough looking possible opponents in the next round:



Villarreal would be a fun draw. Soldado back at the Lane... he'd probably score a hat-trick

[fallenangle]

4-1 last night and I was very happy with that from what was essentially a team made up of second choice players. Good to see EL score the hat-trick but particularly enjoyed Tom Carroll's goal. Loose ball in the 18 yard box and he was on to it before the opposition even started to respond, surges past two defenders to the by-line, looks as though he's going to cross but slots the ball past the goalkeeper and the near post into the net. That's just the sort of positive, hungry for goals behaviour you want to see from attackers.

Monaco were pretty ordinary in all departments but it was a bit concerning how ordinary Spurs looked themselves when defending some set pieces. If we do that against the better teams left in the competition we'll get punished.

Not sure who I'd fancy us meeting in the next round but Villarreal would certainly be interesting.

[EJG1980]

Very disappointing day today. With Man Utd losing and Liverpool drawing this was a great chance to gain some points on them.

We got what we deserved though. First half an hour was decent without being all that great, final fifteen minutes of the half we stepped it up and deserved to be ahead, forced a couple of great saves from their keeper. If we'd carried on playing like that in the second half I'm sure we'd have won comfortably. Yet we just didn't turn up and put in probably our worst 45 minutes of the season. A real head scratcher as to why our performance dropped off so much. Newcastle took full advantage and deserved the win, by far the better side in the second half, but we shouldn't have allowed it to happen.

We were always going to lose at some point though, so hopefully our young team will learn from it and come back stronger. Three without a win now so a big response needed over the Xmas and new year period.

[EJG1980]

Fiorentina again in the Europa League. Some dull cup draws so far, FA Cup and EL both repeats of last season! Oh well, let's hope that this time we get the opposite result in both ties

[fallenangle]

That Newcastle game was weird. MotD made it look like Spurs had a good first half but didn't put the game away. Second half, particularly after Newcastle's subs came on Spurs just seemed ineffective.

The BBC5 radio commentary was a making a big thing about Spurs trying to play too narrow and not using the wings. That is how it looked to me too on MotD. A good example of how reliance on wing backs for the wide option is a gamble particularly when they're having to deal with a fast counter attacking threat, which their subs provided. It means the wing backs don't get forward as much so the ball has to go down the middle more often.

Poch really needed to change the shape of the team, bring on a right sided midfielder/winger like Andros Townsend to cover Walker's position when he went forward or get in some crosses himself. Same thing on the left, although I'm not sure who was available to do that yesterday.

Anyway it would have forced Newcastle to react to counter that and mess up their plans in the process. Instead all Poch did was bring on Chadli for Lamela in a pointless and predictably ineffective like for like substitution. We lost.

Big opportunity to rise in the table missed.

[EJG1980]

After draws in all three of the previous away matches I'd been to this season, it was good to see a win yesterday! The best possible reaction to the loss against Newcastle.

Thought it might be a tough day as Southampton were the better side for the first 15-20 minutes, but we got through that period and it was even for the rest of the half, with us very gradually creeping into the ascendency. Then the two goal blitz just before half time completely knocked the stuffing out of them.

Second half was a very good, professional, away performance. Controlled the match, Southampton never looked like getting back into the game with their one very good chance coming in injury time, and we saw out what was, in the end, a comfortable win. Nice little bonus that Man Utd lost so we're into the top four on goal difference.

[fallenangle]

Back to winning ways, yep. Loved that Harry Kane goal, waited for the pass then using strength and acceleration went past two defenders, jinked around the third to slot it home past the goalie. It encapsulated everything good about him when he's on form and at the momment he certainly is.

Saturday 26.12.15

Excellent result today, just what we needed. Two more goals for HK and Spurs now clear of MU in the Premiership thanks to their loss against Stoke. Even if Soton can't do a job on Arsenal later this evening I don't think things could be looking much better for Spurs going into 2016.

Belated happy Xmas and New Year to all Spurs and other football fans here.

[EJG1980]

Top notch Xmas pressie today. Tough first 15-20 minutes where Norwich gave us a good test and they were probably the better side, but we wrestled back control of the match and didn't look back. Our second goal was a brilliant counter attack, one of my favourite goals this season.

Our best football was played in the second half; there was a spell of 15-20 minutes with constant quick attacks, one touch passing, slicing through Norwich, with Alli and Lamela putting in particularly excellent performances. Funnily enough we didn't actually score during that period but it was wonderful stuff to watch. Then Tom Carroll rounded off the match with a great strike for his first PL goal. Love seeing academy graduates doing well. Still time right at the end for Lloris to pull off a stunning double save to preserve our clean sheet.

Watford have been playing very well so that's going to be a tough test on Monday, but we should be full of confidence and if we keep putting in the effort and playing well we can get good results anywhere. Would love to finish off the year with one more win! Whatever happens by the end of the season, I'm really enjoying watching this young team grow and develop.

Merry Xmas and hopefully a happy new year

[Nu-Eclipse]

Spurs in good form. Looking increasingly like Liverpool/Man Utd/Everton etc. will have to finish above them for top-four.

[EJG1980]

Well that was an unexpected Xmas present from Southampton!

The league is so tight and topsy turvy this year that even half way through I wouldn't want to make any predictions about who will finish where. Just a couple of bad results and suddenly you can drop two, three or four places. I think we have got a very good shot of fourth, or perhaps higher, this season though. Old clich?, just gotta take one match at a time and not think too far ahead.

And, with that Arsenal loss tonight, Spurs now have the best defence in the league... twilight zone stuff, considering what our defence was like last season. It'd be very nice if we can keep that going.

[fallenangle]

Couldn't believe the Arsenal game when I saw it on MotD. When I made that earlier post the prospect of Soton getting a good result against them seemed too ridiculous to contemplate but then they go and do that.

If Spurs can burst Watford's bubble we really are going to be well and truly up in that top four mix. Even if we only manage a draw it will still keep us well in touch and a loss wouldn't be that disasterous, particularly if the other results go our way.

I still think Spurs have it within them to give it all away but many of our players seem to be hitting their best form at just the right time of the season so fingers crossed that continues.

Monday 128.12.15

Oh yes! Not heard any reports on the match except there was a Watford sending off but Spurs grabbed all the points and that's what matters.

[EJG1980]

Blimey... I was watching the match with my Dad and my sister (certainly not by any slightly iffy online means ) and I think we nearly had three simultaneous heart attacks at the end of that match!

Absolutely jubilant with the win, of course, but very cruel on Watford. They were excellent after going down to ten men, kept us at bay superbly and then in the final five minutes suddenly started bombarding our goal, we were almost certain they were going to nick the three points. They had a shot cleared off the line that was literally about an inch from being a goal to win it for them, and less than a minute later we go up the other end and get the winner ourselves.

Just the kind of last gasp, ground out win that you expect teams at the top end of the table to pull off. Bodes well for the future. Lovely goal from Lamela in the first half and good that Son got the winner, should be a nice confidence boost for him after a little bit of a struggle to find his form again after his injury.

The only downside was Dembele going off injured, but hopefully it isn't too serious as he walked off fairly normally, didn't seem to be in a huge amount of pain.

Now I need a lie down

[fallenangle]

Thank the IT gods for goal line technology because that incident was about as close to being in as is possible without the ball fully crossing the line. Without that it probably would have been given and we'd have only got a draw.

Son's winner was very iffy too. He wasn't offside when the ball finally came to him but, under the now Byzantine offside rules, he was, arguably, active and therefore in an offside position when the original cross came in that Gomes beat out.

Still these things are the sort of luck you need when making a serious challenge for a top four place.

I won't be convinced Spurs have any chance of doing any better than that until it comes to the beginning of March and they're still in the top four in touch with the leaders.