A little perspective on this season

therecklessone

I've been thinking about this since Wednesday night's disappointment at the Death Star, trying to formulate some thoughts on where we are and where we should be in absolute terms. Bear with me for a while.

Last year's narrative seems to culminate in the events at the Bingo Club on the last day, suggesting that we were 90 minutes away from Champions League football, and that we were undone by events off the field of play. Subscribing to that school of thought means ignoring the reality of our season last year, that we were in contention for 4th place as much because of Arsenal's poor form as because of our own good form. Fixating on our weakened side's loss to the Bingo Club hides the fact that we could and should have had 4th place sewn up by 3pm that Sunday, surrendering 1-0 leads at home to the Goons and the Bingo Club, and away to Sunderland and the Goons cost us an extra 8 points over the course of the entire campaign. Throw in points lost away to Chelsea (that 92nd minute winner...) and Fulham, costing us another 2.

Accepting all of that allows one to analyse last season's performance in a bit more detail, and prompts comparison between this season's team and last's. The most obvious comparison is in league position, 10th this year contrasting with 4th at the same point last year. We lie 12 points off a Champions League position, any chance we had of claiming that long since gone. However, we are currently in the 5th round of the FA Cup, the last 16 of the UEFA Cup and have just exited the Carling Cup at the semi-final stage. We exited both domestic cups at the first hurdle last year (to lower league opposition) and of course we had our Thursday nights free due to the lack of European football...We've played 38 games so far this season, just 2 less than the total played last year, and we are guaranteed to finish the season having played a minimum of 55 games.

Accepting all of the above leads on to our on-field faults this season, and begs the question of whether these are new problems or existing problems highlighted by our results this season. In my opinion it is the latter. I've watched Spurs in the flesh more than 40 times in the last 18 months, I can honestly say we have learned little from our defeats during that time. Our goalkeeper continues to be poor dealing with long range shots, and continues to punt long balls down field to diminutive players like Defoe and Lennon. That didn't start this season. The left side of our midfield was as much a problem last season as this. We've surrendered possession and conceded the midfield to our opposition for as long as I can recall. Our away form is appalling, but wasn't much better last year.

Is this year's side worse than last year's. Simple answer, no. Carrick was a loss, no question, but the addition of Chimbonda and Berbatov has improved our first XI immeasurably. Malbranque is not a left winger, but he's better than anyone who played left wing last season, and adds creativity to the side in place of the graft and nothing more of Tainio/Davids who we persisted with last season. Zokora has yet to impress, but I'm prepared to give him time to settle, considering the impact his illness earlier in the season had. BAE needs time and coaching to improve as a LB, but he's as good as Lee and much younger, so can get better.

The fact is, last season was a fluke in many ways. Last season's first XI would struggle to continue their achievements through this one, with or without Michael Carrick. I can't help but draw the conclusion that we're still moving in the right direction squad-wise, slowly I'll grant you, but moving all the same. My one misgiving is the manager, but I still stand by my comments last nonth that he should be judged on this season at the end of this season. Nothing's changed there.

You know something, we'd have been better off finishing well behind the Goons in 5th place last year, there'd be less expectancy this season, and less disappointment.

el diablo

good post, I must agree with your analysis....

not really convinced by Jol either, but I suppose he should be given more time..

Dublin Spur

Very well made points mate.

You know where I stand on the issue. I still can't help feeling raped by the Players & Chairman after the relative sucess of 05/06. I know we got to the last game because of Arsenal's weakness, good for us. No matter what happened during the season the fact remains that it did actually come down to the last day. We ended up 2 pts off Champions League.

My problem is the the gap now. This was shoved down our necks with venom during the past 2 Wednesday evenings. I'm totally sick of it. And as if we needed any more reminders, we got them yesterday v Man U.

It's very simple for me. Half of our usual starters are not good enough to challenge top 4. If we accept this then we are accepting averageness. Why should we accept this from a club with such a large fan base who apparently have:

A record kit deal
A record sponsorship deal
A record transfer fee received (Carrick)
Season ticket waiting list
European Football
Sky tv money (new bumped deal from next season)

With all this money, you'd think Levy & Co would be trying and tempt better players to The lane, apposed to sniffing around the likes of West Brom, Derby & Southampton for the next 17 year old sensation. I'm now convinced that Levy is in it for personal gain first and Tottenham Hotspur second.

If he wont make offers for players that will make us a better team instantly then I hope he fcuks off and is replaced me a man or woman who has the ambition to take us out of the ****e we are currenly up to our eye balls in.

Jol is still okay for me, you can't turn ****e into quality.
Although, I am starting to wonder if he is the long term answer.

kmick

You would have to wonder why one of the richest clubs in the UK for the last 20 years are so have done so little. Am I wrong or is a Cup all Spurs have won (in 1991). Their team seems to be populated by players with the self esteem of pimply teenagers for years. Other clubs namely Liverpool, Newcastle and others seem to suffer from the same problem. I think like life success is all in the mind. Whatever about the lack of quality players there seems ot be no sense of a team about Spurs for a while. Betting on a Spurs team home or away is impossible. You just never know what they are capable of even with the same players.

Andrew 83

We also won the League Cup in 1999.