Match Report: Spurs 2 Bournemouth 3 (WTF)
After not being beaten on our own turf since the Arsenic did us over in January… we expected nothing other than another victory that would challenge Newcastle United’s third place (more so as they were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa that morning). But would you Adam and Eve it, they (Bournemouth) humiliated us by beating us 2-3.
“Spursy” or a topsy-turvy season, or whatever you call it… we were made a laughing stock. Critics and fans really dug in… it was embarrassing.
We can go out and beat clubs like City, Brighton (just), Chelski… erm… and some other middle-table team… then go and lose to the likes of Bournemouth, Wolves, Sheffield United (a Championship team), Leicester City (struggling at the bottom), Nottingham Forest (who knocking us out of the cup) etc… something is drastically going wrong… and why replace Conte with exactly the same (his assistant) and continue playing boring, failing and inadequate football?
As the Cherries nail entered our coffin, I went out… a friend shouted, “We’ve seen worse.” Yes, but we have to go back a bit. The word “Spursy” was concocted under Levy’s watch. Manager after manager has failed us under Levy’s beady eyes… instead of now thinking about who our next manager should be, maybe we should be discussing our board’s fitness to run our club.
I thought we would learn from our mistakes… Conte had hit the nail on the head when he criticised the twenty-year failures under Levy (not mentioning him by name).
There is talk in the press of the sort of manager he wants! “HE WANTS”? It hasn’t worked so far (what he wants). What makes him think activating his brain on football matters – again – will improve our situation now?
The commentators are having a field day, that is, without adding fuel to the fire and mentioning our fans and our various opposition teams. We laugh at Arsenic, Chelski, United, and Liverpool (even Leicester Titty)… but just look what they’ve won since Levy took over!
The game…
On our trip up to Spurs, Mel and I had high hopes. In fact, our group predicted a very successful day… more fool us!
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes after Bournemouth’s coach got stuck in traffic following a crash, but the Cherries were fully prepared to fight back after Son swept in Ivan Perisic’s cutback.
Manager Gary O’Neil said relegation-threatened Bournemouth “took a huge step” towards Premier League survival as substitute Dango Ouattara scored a stoppage-time winner in a stunning finish at our Tottenham stadium. We took a “huge step (another)” to continue to kick our fans in the bollocks while the world of football looked on and laughed. At the same time, singing “Send in the Clowns”, and we did… totally inept.
Son scored for us in the first half before Matias Vina marked his first Premier League start with an equaliser for Bournemouth. We cheered when Son scored… twenty-four minutes later, we held our heads in our hands and waited for the inevitable.
In the second half, the Cherries looked like they were set to clinch all three points after Dominic Solanke put them in front early in the second half, only for Arnaut Danjuma to come off the bench and equalise against his former club on 88 minutes.
Richarlison then sent a free header wide deep into stoppage time, and moments later, the Cherries went up the other end, and Ouattara netted a dramatic winner.
Crowds streamed out… booing and shouting abuse as they did so.
After winning at relegation rivals Leicester last week to climb out of the bottom three, the Cherries are now six points clear of the drop zone in 14th, thanks to us… who have eggs all over our faces.
Thoughts…
A January loan signing from Roma, Vina equalised after a high press allowed the visitors to win the ball back deep in our half before Solanke shot in his fifth league goal.
Danjuma fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to set up a hands-in-mouth finale as we hunted a win which would have moved us level on points with Newcastle and Manchester United. Easy… but not for Spurs… we don’t do easy… but cringe-spine-tickling shite.
Bournemouth suffered an agonising late defeat at Arsenic last month. Still, Ouattara fired home his first Premier League goal to ensure it was a successful return to north London.
We remain fifth as his Masters Voice, Daniel Levy, continues to search for Antonio Conte’s successor, with Burnley boss Vincent Kompany the latest to be linked with the job this week. More to the point, who is the stupid one prepared to work under Levy?
Our bid for Champions League qualification was boosted before kick-off as Newcastle’s winning run was halted at Aston Villa in Saturday’s early game. But like good old “Spursy” does, we shot ourselves in the foot… and seemed to enjoy the pain the bullet caused.
Yes, we looked set to take advantage as Son scored in back-to-back games for us for the first time since last May.
Son and Kane were denied before the visitors hit back, with Pedro Porro caught in possession for Bournemouth’s first goal and Davinson Sanchez, who came on for an injured Lenglet, inadvertently turning the ball into Solanke’s path for the second. As Sanchez came on, he was booed by our fans… the same as when he left… but louder!
Cristian Stellini said this week that the team must approach their last eight games of the season like eight finals if we are to secure a top-four finish. Instead, we approached this game as if we didn’t know what we wanted or what was happening around us…
Fans continuously repeated their chants of “We want Levy out.” We certainly did not look like a team competing for a place in the top tier of European football. But a team that wanted to compete in the Scottish League of no-hopers.
Richarlison slighted a chance to stake his claim as we slipped to a damaging defeat, especially with games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool coming next. Funnily enough… and as somebody pointed out… we are shit against lower league teams (at least some of them). Still, we will probably go out and beat the likes of Newcastle, Manchester and the Scousers in the coming weeks… who knows what we will get from our team… the same or shit or a spot of brilliance?
Another shit weekend ruined… and fun and games the next couple of weeks when we face Newcastle (away), Manchester United at home… and Liverpool away.
Enough said!
COYS!
Glenn
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”