Club Focus - Tottenham Hotspur - Cup disappointment but no need for post mortems yet

By TMWNN on 13 April 2010 at 18:16

Of course we've progressed from last season. We had 2 points from 8 games in the last one (just in case you forgot). Redknapp has done an above average job, but please don't confuse this with being able to progress further next season. It just won't happen with Redknapp in charge. I'm not saying sack him now either, just being realistic. With the scousers stumbling, this season was our chance to make top 4, then build. We just didn't perform well enough in games where we needed to. It's a shame, but that's the truth. If in the unlikely event we do make the top 4 this season, I will doff my cap to Mr Redknapp and hold my hands up and admit I'm mistaken. We shall see.

By Tom on 13 April 2010 at 17:28

Defiinate progression, but we shouldnt be ruled out of 4th quite yet, i mean man city are in form, but its still the side we beat 3-0 earlier in the year, if we get something against arsenal i fancy us to beat city again, and you never know how they will do as they have some massive games against tough opposition too.

By Andrew Iddon on 13 April 2010 at 17:21

Mes - thanks. TMWNN - Just to explain a bit better than I have perhaps done in my short remark about City and the Champions League - City will be able to attract some better players but will also have to cope with several extra games against some big European sides. Remember, they haven't even had the Europa League to contend with this season, let alone the Champions League. Plenty of teams have stuggled with the extra demands before, and whilst Spurs will have the Europa League, the demands are not on the same level and they have been there in recent seasons and so will have learnt a bit about what is required in getting the balance right. I don't think that necessarily means Spurs will finish above City for that reason, but I don't think the gulf will be there that would be otherwise created if City add the kind of player who would otherwise join someone like Chelsea or Madrid. There have obviously been some downs this season as well as ups or Spurs would be top of the league, but if they miss out on 4th, the margins will have been small and that is still a big progression from last season to me.

By Tom on 13 April 2010 at 16:58

@TMWNN dont know why you start criticising fellow spurs fans but anyway - i think your assessment of the season is hugely unfair on redkanpp - you only have to look at the league and see how close we are to the top four, and that we were unlucky, not outplayed, in a fa cup semi-final. i doubt your gonna change your mind, but complaining so much when we are making great progress is pointless in my opinion - we've even had to deal with loads of big injuries, and we have done so really well innthe main - everyone wrote us off when modric got injured, we coped excellently, then when lennon went they said we'd drop right down the table, we dropped one place in 4 months, defoes been out but pav made up for that, harry did a great job brining in palacios and krajcar, bassong too giving us a much more reliable defence, hes got the best out of bale when we lost ekotto for so long, gomes is full of confidence which he wasnt when harry came, and best of all he dropped jenas

By TMWNN on 13 April 2010 at 16:49

@Tom. Not closely enough, obviously. Peterborough, Leeds (after a replay), Bolton (after a replay), Fulham (after a replay) and losing the semi to a relegated Portsmouth during extra time is hardly the stuff of legends. We won 5 on the trot, granted, but we then lost to Sunderland when at least a point was essential. We also bottled it at Anfield when they were there for the taking, we were rolled over by the top three, managed to turn a 2-0 victory into a 2-2 draw with 15 minutes to go at Goodison (even bottled the pen in the last minute), failed to turn our dominance into goals in a number of games due to poor tactics and players (players that Redknapp bought), fumbled out of the Carling Cup against Manure's reserve side, let two points slip through our hands in the last minute at St Andrews etc. etc. It's not all been bad; the scousers, City and Wigan at home. We've also had a couple of good wins away that we normally wouldn't; Blackburn and Stoke (10 men). I'll be amazed if we get more than 2 points from The scum, the chavs, Manure and City in our up coming games. If we do get 4th I'll come back and apologise. I'm also grateful to Redknapp for coming in and getting us out the shit last season, but I won't be misled into thinking that Redknapp has done an amazing job since. The top four will be even stronger next season and I guarantee it'll take someone with more tactical nous than Harry 'mastermind' Redknapp to crack it, especially when you consider that he failed to do it when it was at its most vulnerable this season.

By Tom on 13 April 2010 at 16:04

@TMWNN i have folowed spurs closely this season, and i dont think we should be criticsiin redknapp - we are ina great position, one we would clearly have taken at the start of the season, and he has been responsible for that - we won 5 on the trott before a bad game v sunderland, and an unlucky defeat to pompey. we have a better squad, better defence tha before and the season isnt over,. sacking the manager isnt always the right answer, havent we learnt that by now.

By TMWNN on 13 April 2010 at 16:00

'Redknapp has still masterminded a campaign where Tottenham have overtaken both Liverpool and Aston Villa in the queue' 'Redknapp' and 'mastermind' are incompatible in the same sentence. Anyone who has followed Spurs closely this season will tell you that our position is down to Liverpool's demise rather than of our own doing. 4th was a real possibility this season, but throwing needless points away has cost us dearly. How exactly does Man City playing in the Champions League with better players help Spurs who will be playing in the Europa League with worse players?

By Mes on 13 April 2010 at 15:37

Very balanced and sensible write-up. There has been some hysterical nonsense written over the past 10 days and it's good to see that some bloggers are still capable of producing pieces of journalistic quality.