A lot has been said about Adebayor, or lack of over the last few months. Performances not up to scratch, goals alluding him, attitude wrong etc etc. Well I’m willing to counter that argument, throwing some potentially misguided trust in the man, with a series of points.

First and foremost for me, Adebayor has not been used/played in his correct or favoured position this season. There is a clear lack of understanding between himself and Defoe, so to play them both only makes Spurs too direct, and nullifies an attack where confusion and a lack of continuity set in.  If you look at the way Harry used Adebayor, and compare it to his more recent appearances, there is a stark difference…

Adebayor loves to be the focal point in a team, he enjoys that spearhead role where the rest of the team look to him to convert their creative work, or support the rest of play. If you have ever watched this man live, he needs to feel ‘wanted’. Harry was brilliant at getting that side out of Adebayor, and we saw it in his most formidable season at Arsenal.

Let’s have a look at Adebayor’s stats last season in this role, with a quick comparison to Defoe’s contribution this year.

He started 32 games in the premier league, scored 17 and had 11 assists. For me that is a pretty impressive record for a lone striker, and I can’t help but feel these stats are often forgotten when people consider Adebayor’s future or worth to the club. Compare that to Defoe this season so far, and you will see, whilst his goal tally is good (10 in 24 starts), he has only managed 3 assists.

Adebayor’s contribution as a lone striker has significant, often non credited advantages on a team (I say that with caution, as I’m discussing the man with a good attitude). He causes problems for defenders in a way that Defoe can be marked out of a game. Not only is his height an advantage, but his general athleticism and ability to hold onto the ball play a huge role in developing attacks, particularly on the counter, a style very familiar to Spurs. His first touch can often be poor, but once he has to ball at his feet, it takes a very good tackle to remove it. The benefits this proceeds on a team are only highlighted by his assist contribution last season.

He also loves to play with a creative midfielder supporting him. Van Der Vaart was superb in this role. His creative genius is a loss, not only to Spurs, but to Adebayor as well, and that should not be under estimated. It is not all bad news though, judging by new arrival Holtby’s introductory performances, I think Spurs may just have found a key that unlocks this problem.  A system with Holtby just behind Adebayor, and Bale/Lennon wide is effectively what worked so well under Harry. For me, regardless of Holtby’s inclusion, playing a lone striker with Defoe the lead, has made Spurs too direct this season, and has a part to play in their not so exciting home form.

Adebayor has something to prove now, the honeymoon is well and truly over and he is fully aware of the pressure mounting on him to perform. Whatever we say about his finishing (definitely not a natural) his movement is very good, he works harder than he gets credit for and in my opinion is a better leader in that role than Defoe, especially in the box when balls are arriving from wide areas.

As hinted above, Adebayor is certainly not without his flaws, finishing and first touch spring to mind first. However I think there are legs in a system like this for Spurs, and I’d love to see AVB give it a try this weekend.

There are of course wider readings you could do on this subject, and further stats to be investigated. One thing is for sure though, on current home form alone Spurs would finish 6th, and with some crucial home games to come ( Le Arsenal to mention), a settled and proven striker will be essential in the race for Champions League football. What do you think?

Thanks for reading

Adebayor signed a permanent deal in August this year hoping that he could repeat his brilliant form that he had last season. Adebayor signed for half season loan deal with Real Madrid from Manchester City in 2011. Adebayor played 14 matches scoring 5 goals for the club. In the next season he was loaned out to Tottenham. He was prolific, he made an immediate impact. He netted 18 goals in all competitions which was the highest at the club in only a half season deal. The club finished 4th qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Spurs sacked Harry Redknapp and signed former Porto and Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas in July this year. AVB at only 35 years old opted to play Jermain Defoe up front rather than Adebayor. Adebayor has yet to start a match under AVB which has frustrated him and the fans. AVB has decided to play Clint Dempsey and Jermain Defoe rather than a Defoe/Adebayor combination this season. Defoe and Adebayor up front would seem a perfect combination but it has not sparked an interest in AVB’s tactics.

In recent days Adebayor has signalled he wanted to leave Spurs for Atletico Madrid as a replacement to Radamel Falcao who looks to be signing for Chelsea this January. Spurs mentioned they would not let Adebayor go until they find a replacement. Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo is the likely candidate.

Spurs are on a fine run of form in terms of results having picked up 16 points out of the last 18 available. Although the 2-1 result at Ewood Park was impressive, the performance at times was not. One of the positives to come out of the display was that they survived the ‘Samba’ onslaught in the second half where the man from the Congo morphed into an aerial beast at times. Kaboul and Bassong held out in the second half and Spurs came away with the points.

The decision for Redknapp for this fixture will be his formation. Will he stick with the 4-4-1-1 with Van der Vaart playing off Adebayor or will he revert to 4-4-2 with Defoe partnering Adebayor? Redknapp has indicated that he may prefer this option at home against ‘easier’ opposition and with the temptation to keep Defoe happy whilst seeing him start the season in far greater goal scoring form than how he finished the last, its decision time.

It has to be said though, that there is probably ‘easier’ opposition to be had than QPR. With players in their squad that have quality and also like to ‘put it about a bit’, and with the confidence of beating Chelsea at home flowing through them, the fixture does have ‘potential banana skin’ written all over it.

That said, if Spurs turn up with the right attitude and Modric (Joey Barton’s ‘clear’ vote for the 2011 PFA Player’s Player of the Year) and Parker (Football Writers Award Winner) can dominate the centre of the park like they did so well against Liverpool then it really is be a game Spurs should be winning to maintain their chase for a Top 4 place

My Prediction; Spurs 2 QPR 0

‘Pav’ has started five games this season, none of which have been in the Premier League. Most Spurs fans will say that in the games he has featured he has been wholly ineffectual, one sizzling free kick apart. Pav’s goal record reads 40 in 107 appearances, a goal ratio of 1 every 2.68 games. Not bad, but certainly not startling. The main criticism aimed at the Russian is his laziness, there’s certainly no doubting he knows where the net is and his finishing excellent. In the games he doesn’t score, you wouldn’t be blamed for forgetting he was even on the pitch. That said, there will be plenty of clubs both in England and in Russia that would sign him in an instant if our beloved chairman is prepared to sell at a realistic price.

It’s looking unlikely that with the form of Rafa, Defoe and Adebayor, that Pav will be getting any starting time in the Premier League soon and depending on Tottenham’s transfer activity in the next transfer window, they won’t be letting him go without an adequate replacement lined up and January could be a frustrating month for the forward. January will also be a confusing time for Sebastien Bassong. ‘Arry’ has gone on record to say that had the Cahill deal been completed, then Bassong would most likely be lining up for QPR against Spurs at the weekend. For whatever reason, the Cahill deal fell through and Bassong remains a Spur.

A key defender during the ‘top 4’ season of 2009/10 and a shining light in Newcastle’s relegation turmoil has now seemingly been transformed into a dithering, bambi on ice type with confidence around him now shattered to pieces. It’s possible that he will be hoping to seal a move away in January, but with no guarantee that Spurs will sign a centre half, and with the possibility that the defender may be spending the majority of the transfer window at the 2012 African Cup of Nations with Cameroon, a deal may not be successful after all.

Which leaves me with Giovani dos Santos.

A player that arrived from Barcelona with a massive amount of potential heaped on his shoulders and has really flattered to deceive on numerous occasions for THFC. A player that every time he pulls on the green shirt of his native Mexico, turns into a superstar, attacking teams at will with pace and creativity often turning in man of the match appearances

Again, a squad member who has been utilised more in the Europa League than in any other competition. I’m still of the opinion that ‘Arry’ will be determined to sell to a willing bidder as soon as possible with the likes of (when fit) Pienaar, Kranjcar and Falque waiting for starting berths.

Three players that probably need a move to ‘kick start’ their careers. Three players that will enjoy the Europa League run until Spurs get serious. But how many of them will be happy on 1st February 2012?

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Arsenal 1

Scorers: Van der Vaart, Walker         Ramsey

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Van der Vaart (Sandro), Parker (Corluka), Modric, Bale; Defoe, Adebayor (Livermore)  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Bassong, Pavlyuchenko, Giovani dos Santos

Harry Redknapp who won the Manager of the Month award for September, restored Jermain Defoe to the starting line-up, with Sandro dropping to the bench.  Ledley King was available to play his fourth successive league game and looking to continue his record of being on the winning side in his last five appearances.

For all their publicised problems, Arsenal started the quicker, determined to put their poor defensive performances away from home behind them.  However, they did create early difficulties for themselves by giving the ball away but Spurs failed to take advantage especially when Scott Parker found himself one on one with the goalkeeper.  He never looked confident and his scuffed shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.  In the early stages Gareth Bale saw little of the ball and Arsenal had a lot of possession without causing Brad Friedel any real problems.  Tottenham were lethargic in their play, failing to achieve the quick tempo game which had Liverpool reeling in the last home game.  Rafael Van der Vaart was the next to miss from a Jermain Defoe cross and then Gervinho shot past the post when an opportunity came to him on the edge of the box.

Bale was dangerous on the break  with his pace but Arsenal contained him.  Rafael Van der Vaart was less effective on the right side of midfield as he had defensive duties to perform but when he gave up on those five minutes before the interval he controlled a chipped pass from Adebayor to volley home , his fourth goal for Spurs in three London derbies inside thirteen months.  He also had the distinction of scoring Tottenham’s 10,000th competitive goal.  There were claims that he had used his arm to control the ball but the officials saw nothing wrong and television evidence is inconclusive although the ball may have struck his arm after he controlled it on his chest.

Ahead at the interval, Spurs were not playing well and at the start of the second half Arsenal came forward looking to get level.  It took only six minutes as they built up pressure on the Tottenham defence, a clearance from Younes Kaboul was picked up by Song and he raided down the right and his cross was converted by Aaron Ramsey.  Arsenal deserved the goal and went on to control in midfileld, preventing Luka Modric and Parker from having the freedom they have enjoyed in previous weeks.  Eventually, Sandro was introduced in midfield in place of Van der Vaart and he immediately gave Tottenham the hold they needed.  He was much more mobile and involved up and down the pitch putting Arsenal under pressure rather than giving them time to play.

Emmanuel Adebayor, looking to become only the second player to score for both Spurs and Arsenal in a derby match, was the next to miss when through on the goalkeeper but Szczesny saved.  Then with fifteen minutes remaining, Arsenal were caught unawares at a throw in on the left.  Sandro was given too much time to cross the ball.  It reached Modric whose shot was blocked but this fell to Kyle Walker thirty yards from goal and he hit a thunderous shot which swerved and dipped on its way past Szczesny who got a hand to it but failed to keep it out.

Bale had a shot wide and Defoe saw the goalkeeper make another good save.  Tottenham introduced Jake Livermore and Vedran Corluka to hold on to their lead as five minutes added time was played.

Tottenham will be delighted to take the three points which restores them to sixth in the table and to have recorded their fourth consecutive win in the League.  Four wins in the four games between the two internationals breaks after being pointless and rather despondent going into the first one at the end of August is a remarkable recovery.  They will be less satisfied with the performance against a poor Arsenal side.  Spurs now have three wins and a draw in the last four derbies in the League against their north London rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Shamrock Rovers 1

Scorers: Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Dos Santos                   Rice

Team: Cudicini; Walker, Corluka, Bassong, Rose (Kane); Lennon (Townsend), Carroll, Livermore, Dos Santos; Pavlyuchenko, Defoe (Falque). Subs (unused): Gomes, Bale, Kaboul, Modric

Tottenham again, fielded a weakened team to face League of Ireland, part-timers, Shamrock Rovers.  It did, however, include six players with international experience but only Kyle Walker had played in Saturday’s win at Wigan last weekend.  Aaron Lennon and Danny Rose returned after injury and Jermaine Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko who were unable to play, both started.  Tom Carroll retained his place in the Europa ‘mid-week’ team having excelled in his previous appearances.  While Harry Redknapp may have had ‘both eyes on the North London derby’, he was not taking any chances of there being an upset in this match – his list of substitutes included Gareth Bale, Younes Kaboul and Luka Modric, rather than the youngsters who have appeared in the last two Europa games.  This distinguished bench available to firefight any unexpected developments in the game.

Shamrock Rovers started in a very positive manner – they were well organised, very committed and comfortable on the ball, not allowing Spurs to settle into the game or dominate the play.  It was even for the first fifteen minutes with neither side really troubling the other.  Spurs were content to pass the ball around, only Dos Santos and Rose looking to bring pace into the game and be positive and creative.  When Spurs didn’t have possession they were content to allow Shamrock Rovers to pass it around as they waited to pick off a pass or for Rovers to make a mistake.

Gradually, Tottenham with the bulk of possession had Rovers pinned in their own half but not really causing them any problems, Rovers always had a man available to make a timely tackle or block.  Then in the space of three minutes, Spurs had two opportunities to go ahead but goalkeeper Richard Brush came to the rescue.  First he deflected a Defoe shot onto the bar and then he saved from Pavlyuchenko.  Brush was only playing because of injury to Ryan Thompson but he was putting in a sterling performance.  Before half-time Rose hit the bar when a cross was cleared to him on the edge of the box.  Then Pavlyuchenko’s header from a corner was blocked off the line.

Tottenham had the greater share of possession but had seen chances go begging while Rovers had worked hard and hadn’t been overawed, they had played their part in making it an entertaining first half.

Andros Townsend replaced Lennon for the second half and playing on the left he brought added pace to the game and immediately caused the Rovers defence some problems.  However, the match continued much as it had done until in the fiftieth minute Rovers were awarded a free-kick thirty yards from goal.  Gary McCabe smashed the kick past the wall, Cudicini parried it out of the box but it fell to Pat Sullivan who shot for goal but Stephen Rice flicked the ball past Cudicini and into the net.  Rovers’ players, management and supporters went delirious – Spurs fans were bemused.

The Rovers support increased their volume even more as they celebrated the goal and urged their team to even greater effort to hold on to the dream.  This wasn’t going to plan for Tottenham but Harry Redknapp didn’t panic – he let the players get on with it and the combination of Rose and Townsend on the left was creating added problems.

For ten minutes Rovers continue to match Spurs, put in tackles and ease the pressure.  Then Spurs built up a momentum and pinned Rovers back, they probed right and left, eventually getting Giovani dos Santos free on the left and his cross was headed powerfully past Brush.  Level but Spurs weren’t finished – two minutes later it was Townsend who made it into the area and crossed.  Pavlyuchenko left the ball for Defoe to head into the net.

Even after going behind Rovers looked to take the game to Spurs but four minutes later, Defoe went back into the Spurs half and showing great determination, he battled to keep a ball in that was simply going out for a throw.  He set off up the left, past a defender, as others back-pedalled, he cut in towards the centre of the area and as he drew defenders to him he passed to his right and set up the chance for Giovani to score.  3 – 1 to Spurs – Six fateful minutes to shatter a dream and a sigh of relief from Spurs supporters.

The match was now over, Spurs hadn’t had to call for re-inforcements from the bench but Rovers continued to give their all.  They can all be very proud of their effort and style of play and have been great ambassadors for the League of Ireland.

Shamrock Rovers took all the credit and praise for their performance at White Hart Lane but Tottenham took the three points.  Harry Redknapp will be quite happy with that scenario in the run up to their clash with Arsenal on Sunday.

Last week, Owen Hargreaves stirred up a hornet’s nest when he was critical of the medical treatment he received at Manchester United during his time at Old Trafford.  Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t react kindly to the comments from a player who had made a scoring debut for Manchester City having played only seven minutes of football for United in the previous thirty two months.  He questioned if people thought he would employ incompetent medical staff at United.  Next to come under scrutiny were Arsenal who have been criticised for their handling of Jack Wiltshire’s ankle injury which saw him undergo an operation this week with an expected return date sometime in February.  These comments have prompted Arsene Wenger to retort that there was nothing wrong with the medics at Arsenal.

Ledley King

Tottenham have faced similar problems in the past and are currently managing captain, Ledley King’s chronic injury difficulties on a daily basis, hoping to nurse him through the week to get him to the next Premier League game – mid-week Cup games and European matches being totally out of the question.  Ledley King’s presence at the centre of the Spurs’ defence has a dramatic affect on the team and when absent he is greatly missed.  The players alongside him are so much more confident when King is there to guide and support them through the game.

King made and unexpected return without any pre-season matches to lead a despondent Tottenham team at Molineux.  Spurs had previously conceded eight goals to the rampant teams of Manchester in the opening two games of the season but a clean sheet and a first win was his reward.  He is unable to train with the squad during the week, doing his own personal fitness work before joining up with the team for final preparations ahead of the  weekend match.  This is how it has been for King for much of the past five seasons.  A very frustrating time for the player, management and supporters who know how influential he is in the team.  This on-going injury problem has restricted his appearances for both Tottenham and England.  At present, King is focused on playing as many Premier League games as possible, setting aside any involvement in Cup competitions as he realises that with his contract up next summer, he must show that he is able to play in a satisfactory number of games this year.  For the first time there may be a hint that King is thinking of retiring if he is unable to play sufficient games this year to merit the award of a new contract.

Jonathan Woodgate

The central defender, now at Stoke City, has seen his career blighted with injury problems.  A centre-back of immense promise at Leeds United, he moved to Newcastle United and then to Real Madrid even though injuries were a problem for him.  He spent the first season of his time in Spain receiving treatment.  On returning to England he signed for Middlesbrough.  Injury continued to be an issue but Juande Ramos signed him from Spurs in January, 2008.

By the end of the follwoing month, playing with Ledley King in central defence, he had become an instant hero by heading the winning goal in the Carling Cup Final defeat of Chelsea. Unfortunately, the central defence partnership never got time to prosper as either Woodgate or King or both were on the injury list.  In his final eighteen months at White Hart Lane, Woodgate played for only fifteen minutes as a late substitute in the Champions League game against AC Milan in Italy.

He was not offered a new contract and left on a free transfer, joining Stoke City on ‘pay as you play’ contract.  He has played in five of Stoke’s six Premier League games plus an  early Europa League tie.  He has been omitted from Stoke’s Europa League squad and didn’t play in their Carling Cup win over Spurs, instead being rested for the league games.  Since arriving at Stoke he has praised their medical facilities and also saying that during his time with Middlesbrough the club managed his injuries by restricting him to weekend matches and making no appearances in mid-week fixtures.  The absence of any comment about his time at Spurs is interesting but the club did show great patience with him and sent him to top surgeons around the world.  It is rather ironic that the injury prone central defence whom Tottenham released in the summer was fit to play in the opening games of the season while the one they retained was once again on the injury list.  At least, King has now played three consecutive Premier League games and led the team’s recovery with three wins.  His next assignment is to lead them to victory in next Sunday’s North London derby.

Darren Anderton

The original ‘Sicknote’, a name given to Darren Anderton by fans and the media due to his lengthy periods out with injury.  It is a tag that greatly irks Anderton and one that tells only one side of the story.  Tottenham’s fans annoyance with Anderton, apart from the periods out of the team, was when having started only three league games all season because of injury,  he unexpectedly returned to fitness for the final three matches and was immediately selected to star for England in the European Championships in England in 1996. This gave the impression that the player was more interested in playing for his country rather than his club.

In twelve seasons with Tottenham he made 299 appearances and apart from three successive seasons (1995 – 98) when he played in only 39 games, his appearance record averaged 29 matches each year.  However, the nickname has stuck much to Anderton’s annoyance and in his autobiography,’Takenote Darren Anderton,’ he gives his side of the story and questions the competency of the medical staff at Tottenham in the way they treated some of his injury problems.  Having read his book, it is clear that there were issues and only one side of a complex story was being presented at the time with managers and officials expressing impatience with the player.  Having frequently referred to the player as Darren ‘Sicknote’ Anderton, I must admit that I felt a certain sympathy towards him when I read the whole story.  On leaving Tottenham, he played for another

Over the weekend two players have spoken out in the media about being unhappy with the treatment they received at their previous clubs.  Two former Tottenham full-backs, Alan Hutton and Luke Young are relieved to have left their former clubs and have a chance to start afresh at a club where they feel wanted.

Alan Hutton claimed that he felt unwanted at Tottenham under Harry Redknapp and being instructed to train with the youth team was the final straw.  He knew that he had to leave as his confidence was gone.  Luke Young found himself in a similar position at Aston Villa and is happy to have returned to London to play for Queen’s Park Rangers.  Ironically, it is Hutton who is replacing Young at Villa and there he will meet up with his former manager at Rangers, Alex McLeish.

Attempting to keep players happy is a problem that managers have always had to face and it often occurs when a club changes their manager and the new occupant  has his own ideas about how the team should play and who he wants to have in the team.  This leads to discontented, disillusioned players and the longer one is omitted from the team, the worse the problem becomes.

In the past, there was the first team and the reserves with the reserve team consisting mostly of inexperienced or younger players who would step into the first team if a senior player were injured or lost form. This season, Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad contains twenty two players with international experience, most of whom have cost Spurs a fee, who all feel that they should be part of the first team. Add a number of promising youngsters who need experience to further their development and the manager has numerous difficult decisions to make.

All managers encounter these difficult decisions with Manchester City being a prime example at the present time. Previous Spurs’ managers have had to deal with similar situations where certain players have been out of favour. Ossie Ardiles omitted Paul Allen from the team which left the player dissatisfied and so he was transferred to Southampton. He also left out David Howells but as soon as Gerry Francis took over, Howells was the first player he added to the team and remained a regular member during Francis’ time at Spurs. David Pleat decided that Graham Roberts, a fans’ favourite for his total commitment, decided that his style of play didn’t fit in with how he was wanting Spurs to perform so the player joined Chelsea with a not too complimentary comment from Pleat ringing in his ears.

The great Bill Nicholson had to cope with similar problems when he dropped Jimmy Greaves in January, 1970. Greaves didn’t want to be playing for the reserves so he went to West Ham United in part exchange for Martin Peters. Earlier in his managerial career Nicholson had to make a difficult decision over Tommy Harmer. Harmer was nicknamed ‘The Charmer’ and was adored by supporters but when John White arrived to play a similar role, Harmer’s opportunities in the team were reduced. In October, 1960 he was transferred to Watford. Similarly, when Eddie Baily who had been an important part of Spurs successful ‘Push and Run’ team, found himself left out of the team in the mid-1950s, he decided to move on and joined Port Vale.

The greatest mistake made by a Spurs’ manager in such circumstances may have been the transfer of Jimmy Seed at the start of the 1927-28. Seed had been a star performer in the successful Tottenham team of the early 1920s but he lost his place in 1926 through injury and was unable to get back into the team. At the start of the next season, he was allowed to leave for Sheffield Wednesday. Towards the end of the season Spurs were seventh with Wednesday last. In an incredible finish, Seed was made captain at Wednesday and inspired them to avoid relegation while Spurs slumped and dropped to the 2nd Division.

As in all walks of life, managers will have their favourites and players who will respond to their style of management.   Other players find it difficult to fit into the new regime where originally they had been an important member of the team.  In such circumstances, players simply have to bide their time and wait for an opportunity to get back into the team.  If they can’t and are obviously surplus to requirement then as Hutton realised at Tottenham under Harry Redknapp, it was time to move on and make a fresh start.

Harry Redknapp came under attack from former Tottenham defender, Alan Hutton, over his treatment at the club during the manager’s three years in charge. It has been clear that Hutton has been out of favour for some time and been available for transfer if an acceptable offer were received. He went on loan to Sunderland in February, 2010 but returned to White Hart Lane where he did have a period in the team in the first half of season 2010-11. However, a poor performance in the FA Cup defeat at Fulham last January saw him dropped and make only one more start during the final months of the season. Hutton complained of feeling unwanted, a lack of communication and being left to train with the youth players. All of this affected his confidence and he knew that it was time to leave the club so he gladly signed for Aston Villa under his former manager at Rangers, Alex McLeish.

All players are unhappy when they are not playing as Frank Lampard clearly displayed in his reaction to being omitted from the Chelsea team at the weekend. It is impossible for a manager to keep every player content but it is an essential part of the role to ensure that the players feel that they are regarded as an important part of the squad so that they will be ready to play in the team if an injury should occur or if another player loses form. So much of a footballer’s performance is based on confidence that it is negligent to allow a player to feel so low that if re-instated to the team, he would be unable to perform at his true ability.

‘So many people there feel unwanted.’

Hutton also suggested that there were a number of players in a similar position at the club. Although he declined to name them, any observer of Tottenham could make an educated guess at the identity of these players. David Bentley, now on loan at West Ham is an obvious candidate while Robbie Keane is another who has been surplus to requirements and spent periods out on loan with Glasgow Celtic and West Ham since his unsuccessful return from Liverpool and the debacle of the Christmas ‘golfing’ trip to Dublin. He has now departed to LA Galaxy. Giovani dos Santos has been only a peripheral player at the club and looked destined to leave in the summer until a change of heart by the management. Sebastien Bassong lost his place last year after an encouraging debut season and has looked low on confidence when introduced to the team in recent months. He was set to sign for Queen’s Park Rangers on the final day of the transfer window until Spurs failed in their bid to sign Gary Cahill from Bolton Wanderers. Jermaine Jenas who is on a year’s long loan at Aston Villa will be able to discuss his views on this issue with Hutton and former Spur, Darren Bent. Bent took exception to comments Harry Redknapp made following the striker’s failure to convert a good scoring opportunity against Portsmouth which cost the club the chance of winning the game. ‘You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one’ from a manager who is so lauded for putting an arm round his players, understanding and supporting them in order to get the best from them was a surprising comment for Redknapp to make. Darren Bent knew that he had missed a great chance and didn’t need his mistake to be given the full glare of publicity that the remark gave it. He didn’t take kindly to it at the time and it obviously still causes him anguish as he continues to mention it every time he plays against Tottenham and it certainly fires him up for those games. That comment probably marked the certain end of his Spurs’ career. His confidence which was low during his time with Tottenham was gone and although he did score another five goals for Spurs, he knew the manager didn’t have any faith in him. He was transferred to Sunderland the following summer where he scored 32 goals from 58 games compared with 18 from 60 Tottenham appearances.

A Constant Pressure on Players

A current striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko, is in a similar position – out of the team and making little impression when given the chance to play. His miss in the penalty shoot-out at Stoke in the Carling Cup last week ultimately cost Spurs a place in the next round. There are frequent rumours of him looking to leave Tottenham and with Heurelho Gomes now reduced to third choice goalkeeper, he may also be available for transfer. It became obvious last season that the manager had grown frustrated as Gomes’ mistakes cost Spurs dearly in their attempt to secure Champions League football so it was no surprise when Brad Friedel was signed in the summer.

The current squad are aware of this pressure and new signing Scott Parker indicated the need to maintain his early good form with Spurs, now that Sandro has returned to fitness and will be looking for a place in the starting line-up. However, it is possible to turn matters around and Jermain Defoe appears to have managed that as he has scored two goals already this year after a very disappointing season. However, he will be under pressure to continue with this goal scoring as other players come back into training following injury and look to gain a place in the team.

Youth players are also faced with this problem. How can they gain experience if they are never given an opportunity to play. This season the Europa League and Carling Cup are giving some of the group of promising young players at Spurs the opportunity of first team football. Others go out on loan to lower League clubs but at some point they have to make a decision about their future and it may require them to leave White Hart Lane. A perfect example of the impatience of youth was Graeme Souness. He was unhappy at Spurs as he thought he should be in the first team but with players like Alan Mullery, Martin Peters and Steve Perryman in the team, Bill Nicholson thought the time was not right for Souness who was likened in style to the great Spurs ‘legend’, Dave Mackay. After many turbulent episodes, Souness was sold to Middlesbrough where he developed into the player everyone at Tottenham knew he was. He moved on to Liverpool and captained them during one of their most successful periods. Tottenham’s loss was Liverpool’s gain.

Not One to Shirk a Challenge

Harry Redknapp is a manager who is highly-regarded for his man-management skills and has shown this in the past. He has worked successfully with a number of players who could be categorized as being ‘strong-minded and difficult to handle’ and is not wary of signing such players. He has shown an inclination to sign Craig Bellamy during a number of transfer windows at Spurs and the recent transfer of Emmanuel Adebayor and previously, William Gallas shows he is prepared to meet the challenge presented by such players. Regarded as a manager who will put an arm round a player and get the best from them, Redknapp has a life-times experience in football but it is obviously becoming more difficult to please everyone in a 25-man Premier League squad.

Managers are faced with many problems during a season and how they deal with the players is one of the most difficult decisions that they have to make. Past experience in such matters should be of benefit to a manager but from the outside, there does appear to have been an exceptionally high number of players at Tottenham who have become disaffected in recent years. The signing of a long contract guarantees security for a player but it doesn’t ensure them a place in the team and when they are not playing it must be difficult to maintain self-motivation and self-belief so that they cam perform if given another chance in the team. The manager is focused on winning a game and so everything is directed at the players in the team so those on the outside will obviously feel neglected. It is a constant issue now in club football but on the international scene the manager has the players for only a short time and Redknapp could use his man-management skills to good purpose to persuade and cajole the players into performing for their country on the world stage.

Tottenham have always been regarded as a soft touch – a team who won’t perform on a cold wet night in the north west.  Players will go missing and won’t take responsibility when the going gets tough.  Do the current players have the desire to turn such opinions around?

Last year the team managed to gain 22 points from losing positions but they gained only 11 points out of a possible thirty from the bottom five teams in the Premier League which affected their final position dramatically.

The team has won their last two Premier League games but went out of the Carling Cup on penalties at Stoke.  The weakened team contained eight international players but they were unable to score in two hours of football and when it came to penalties their defeat was the sixth consecutive penalty shoot-out loss. When it came to the pressure of the shoot-out, it was an international striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko, who missed a crucial early strike so transferring the pressure to other less experienced players.  Similarly, the defeats in the Carling Cup Final and UEFA Cup match against PSV Eindhoven saw seasoned Premier League players with international experience miss vital kicks at a crucial time in the shoot-out, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas.

Top teams regularly play under-strength sides in the early rounds of the domestic Cup competitions and have progressed to the latter stages, even going on to lift the Cup.  Tottenham’s squad players aided by some talented youngsters weren’t able to produce a similar result this week.

The victory at Wolves suggested greater application from the team against opposition who have proved difficult opponents since returning to the Premier League.  The win over Liverpool was very satisfying in the energy that the players showed from the start taking the game to their visitors and not giving them a chance to control the game.  The four goal success was their largest win over Liverpool since 1963, so we shouldn’t be too critical. However, the one question that has lingered in my mind since last Sunday is – should it have been more?

If things had been the other way round – Spurs at Anfield, reduced to nine men and three down with twenty five minutes remaining, would Liverpool have settled for four?  I suggest that they would have gone for the jugular and it would have been an even greater embarrassment than Liverpool felt last weekend.  Manchester United didn’t settle for 5 – 1 or 6 – 2 against Arsenal they went for it and left the visitors totally shell-shocked.  Spurs, however, having gone three up and with Liverpool offering nothing, settled for playing ‘keep ball’ with pass after pass in midfield, not looking to create anything and Liverpool were content to let them do that as they weren’t under any threat.  A team  with a winning mentality would have benn looking to create more chances, score more goals and make their opponents really suffer, as frequently happens to Spurs.  As it was Tottenham’s fourth goal didn’t come until the last kick of added time with Emmanuel Adebayor putting away Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s cross.

Successful teams have players who lead by example and never know when they’re beaten.  Steven Gerrard is the perfect example of that special type of player when he is wearing the ‘red’ of Liverpool.  He has pulled them through many ‘lost’ causes to success and they have an outstanding penalty-shoot record in vital European and Cup games.  Last season’s defeat to Northampton Town at Anfield when Tottenham’s Oscar Janssen was in goal for the visitors was an amazing ‘blip’ on an incredible record.  Manchester United had Roy Keane and Brian Robson who led by example, Livwerpool also had former Spur, Graeme Souness, but it is some time since Spurs had such a player in the team.

The most notable example is Dave Mackay from the 1960s with Graham Roberts and Paul Miller created from the same mould.  In Tottenham’s UEFA Cup success in 1984, Roberts led by example in scoring the equalising goal against Anderlecht and then as captain on the night, by taking the first penalty in the successful shoot-out.  Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman had similar qualities and were prepared to roll up their sleeves and get on with it when the going was difficult.  Who of recent Tottenham experience has had such a presence in the team?  William Gallas is certainly a ‘winner’ who doesn’t take kindly to losing and on a number of occasions last year he showed that spirit when battling on with minor knocks and injuries bandaged or strapped up, rather than be substituted.

Harry Redknapp has often lamented the lack of a player with such character and qualities and the experience of Scott Parker was something that the manager felt would be of benefit to the current team.  A player prepared to fight for the right to play and not afraid to battle when things get tough.  He showed such leadership qualities while battling with West Ham last season.

The match against Wigan won’t provide any conclusive answers but a defeat would further strengthen the argument that the Spurs players still lack a winning mentality while success would provide an indication that they might just be moving away from that ‘soft’ Londoners tag.