Will the real Tottenham Hotspur please stand up

[scotspurs]

 Ouch!!
 I thought Spurs had turned a corner with Harry. Long gone are the days of humiliating defeats by teams you've never heard of. Long gone are the defensive mistakes that regularly cost us dearly.
 For 45 mins last night it felt like groundhog day. The Tottenham team we love, that in turn love to frustrate and torment us the faithful fans did'nt turn up for the first half.
 In Dawson and Bassong we have two very promising defenders but I think that last night showed that they still have a lot to learn. Both tackle and head the ball well but neither is blessed with pace, and in this competion - if we progress - this will be our achilies heel. I think going forward we will pose problems for all our opponents, pace in the form of Bale and Lennon, guile and trickery from Modric and Kranjcar, and with our strikers I can see us scoring plenty. But Defensively I think we may struggle unless we sign an experienced defender with pace. Opinions please.

[Gareth Keown]

Bassong has plenty enough pace.

the problem in the back4 is when you get 2 players with little pace NEXT TO EACH OTHER - like Dawson and Corluka, which leaves 2 contiguous (joined-up) areas making a very large space to be covered with a lack of pace... this becomes doubly significant when you go a goal down and have to PUSH FORWARD THE BACKLINE in order to get forward as a team to apply pressure for an equaliser... 2nd goal was a classic example of this, and to a lesser extent the 3rd goal too..

Corluka next to Dawson...... our greatest weakness.

[dedleysting]

We were sluggish, sloppy and poor in many area's but its how respond in the coming games. Harry is no mug and won't stand for that performance. We will bounce back. We did it last season notibably when we lost away to Sunderland 3-1 then went and defeated Ars*nal and Chelsea in a week.
 
Everyone suffers humilaiting results once in a while, but we will be back. Our squad is strong with good depth. Im sure we can get the job done at the lane next week!!
 
COYS!!!

[Persemillion]

Corluka is painfully slow and runs like he is wearing sandals but he has also played in an effective back four with Dawson many times where we have kept a clean sheet or looked like Titans (they wore sandals too probably). Last night our defenders looked nervous and were caught out of position too often, and their confidence was low on that surface leading to loads of misplaced passes and hesitancy on the ball.
 
But I love the use of the word contiguous by Gareth, kudos for that.

[Gareth Keown]

not sure Dawson and Corluka played TOGETHER that many times last season... Dawson was not 1st-choice at season-start (King-Bassong) and Corluka also missed games at the end when admittedly Dawson was there and even playing well.

when played together they wont be GUARANTEED to be a proven liability every single time they play, football isnt like that... but the risk of that liability is greatly increased and over a series of games where they play together, will eventually manifest itself.... its inevitable.

kudos for using the word 'manifest' anyone ??

[WilsonJet]

I don't think you're allowed to ask for kudos 

[YidJoe24]

Jesus christ calm down, we've got two away goals. So a 1-0 win at the lane and away we go laughing.

[ugs]

One game on a dodgy pitch that 'Arry already explained that many of the players didn't fancy because of the surface. As you could see the ball was running through at pace and bouncing quite strongly causing problems for all the side all over the pitch.
 
Dawson was interviewed after the match as he was CAPTAIN and to his credit he held his hands up and said the performance was not good enough, that would be the same Michael Dawson that gained his first England cap this week and had a great game against Man Citeh.

when played together they wont be GUARANTEED to be a proven liability every single time they play, football isnt like that... but the risk of that liability is greatly increased and over a series of games where they play together, will eventually manifest itself.... its inevitable.

Get off their backs if Dawson is good enough to be picked as Captain by 'Arry for such an important game then that says it all, and funny how everyone else is fit but 'Arry still picks Corluka. Gareth do you have a vested interest in Gallas or are you a gooner because all you do is pick holes or look for problems, we all know that both players are not the quickest but generally both read the game well.
 
Also Young Boys are into their 6th week of the season and we have just come out of pre season, we are still searching for full match fitness and sharpness and I would guess that Young Boys are gonna be pretty much up to speed now.
 
I'm not making excuses it was a shocking display but there are reasons behind it and in a weeks time things will be different, remember after such a p*** poor display we scored 2 away goals and ended the match 1 goal behind. For pity's sake give up on the witch hunt and support the team that's in your heart and stop slagging off individuals remember their are 11 players on the pitch and without them all we wouldn't be a TEAM !!!!!!!
 
 

[Gareth Keown]

I'm not on their backs, they do the best they can which I appreciate..

but TOGETHER their combined lack of pace on the same side of defence will continue to be a big liability which other teams will continue to capitalise on...

why dont you all stop looking thru rose-tinted specs and forever making up excuses for these 2: 'he's alright with the right partner next to him, to hold his hand' etc etc....

the sirens were blaring last night..... Arry will have duly noted it..

[AuburnSpur]

I'm not on their backs, they do the best they can which I appreciate..

but TOGETHER their combined lack of pace on the same side of defence will continue to be a big liability which other teams will continue to capitalise on...

why dont you all stop looking thru rose-tinted specs and forever making up excuses for these 2: 'he's alright with the right partner next to him, to hold his hand' etc etc....

the sirens were blaring last night..... Arry will have duly noted it..

I tend to agree, and the pitch being uber-fast just accentuated the weakness.  I've really been hoping that instead of a striker or midfielder (which almost every transfer rumor seems to focus on), Spurs sign a solid CB.

[Gareth Keown]

I tend to agree, and the pitch being uber-fast just accentuated the weakness.  I've really been hoping that instead of a striker or midfielder (which almost every transfer rumor seems to focus on), Spurs sign a solid CB.

and there finally speaketh the voice of Reason...Hallelujah..

the senior experienced CB we get will be our most important signing this year....... never mind the airy-fairy bigname strikers we're constantly linked to...

get Gallas..... and a tall lump upfront with abit of pace that has half a brain in his head so that he knows how to pass it at the right time as well as shoot.... is that really sooo hard to find ??

[AuburnSpur]

I tend to agree, and the pitch being uber-fast just accentuated the weakness.  I've really been hoping that instead of a striker or midfielder (which almost every transfer rumor seems to focus on), Spurs sign a solid CB.

and there finally speaketh the voice of Reason...Hallelujah..

the senior experienced CB we get will be our most important signing this year....... never mind the airy-fairy bigname strikers we're constantly linked to...

get Gallas..... and a tall lump upfront with abit of pace that has half a brain in his head so that he knows how to pass it at the right time as well as shoot.... is that really sooo hard to find ??

100% of my friends who are Spurs fans also agree.  Of course, being not only in the States but in the South means I only know 1 other Spurs fan, but you could still say "2 out of 2 Spurs fans agree." 

Looks like Gallas is coming, which is great.

[Gareth Keown]

I hope the Spurs support will give the guy a chance and judge him on performance.... not 'other criteria'...

I think he will be our most strategic signing this year...