SPURS: Thrashed but perhaps a blessing in disguise

By Gary Beaumont
December 14 2003

A 4-0 thrashing, but is it a blessing in disguise? Perhaps our frailties have finally been exposed to the people that matter. There are no excuses this time; we have fewer injuries, a stable formation and the ability to score…

…So why do we still manage to fall apart when the going gets tough? The answer is simple and this answer has been said so many times that we assume now that the answer is falling on deaf ears…

However a 4-0 drubbing four days before an important quarterfinal MAY have finally hit a cord with Mr Pleat. Previously we had been scraping through games (Apart from Everton) and a lot of these victories are down to individual performances on the day. These types of players are in short supply at N17 but occasionally they have the ability to get results and carry the team (Kanoute, Dalmat & Keane for example) when needed.
Against teams who aren’t very good (esp when playing away from home) we find ourselves in a position where we are taking advantage of THEIR frailties. Yet this only results in our own problems becoming temporally masked as we wrongly assume we are on the up. THIS IS A LIE and we need to calm our expectations. We are (at present) no better than our place in the table suggests and we have to realise that this is where we will finish. A win doesn’t make us CL contenders and likewise a defeat doesn’t mean we will be relegated. I think the fans need to understand that our mediocrity is in-grained into the club and it will take time to eradicate this. As long as the club highlights these problems (esp in January & in the summer) and look to rectify these then we can all take some heart from this.

I don’t want to make this yet another generic Spurs report/article that either slags off the club or defends them without reason. I want people to curb their expectations and be realistic about our plight. We need to understand that we still have a long way to go but Pleat HAS made progress with actually giving a spine to the team (No hair brained formations for starters).

However, we have short-term issues that need to be addressed and this is a priority.

Wednesday is a vital day for our season and if we get a victory then the Newcastle result will be long forgotten. However if we lose then expect more pressure to be heaped onto the club, players and management.

This is where Pleat comes into this and we need to incorporate the putty approach as a quick fix until we have a longer-term solution. We need to get the players believing in themselves and we need to get them spilling blood for the team. The midfield is the core area and Pleat needs to find the formula that allows us to compete energy wise with anyone. Pleat HAS to drop those players whose work ethic does not warrant a place and it’s high time that we get some bloody grit and determination on the pitch. We cannot afford to persist with the same midfield quartet of; Konchesky, Poyet, King and Anderton, and this is tantamount to our chances of progressing in the cup.

I don’t really know what the answer is (If it was that obvious then I wouldn’t be writing this article in the first place) but one thing I do know (And stats aside) Poyet does not warrant a place in the team. If we could just get some energy and pace around Dalmat then I am sure he would improve ten-fold as he has the ability to unlock defences. We are currently looking to individuals to be our “saviour” and this is not the answer.
I believe Playing Ricketts FROM THE START, is a start, as he is one of the only players (Redknapp & Davies aside) who actively demonstrates his energy & enthusiasm for the team.

Come on Pleat, we have stumbled along for far too long now, lets actually see some blood on the pitch.

P.S: Only allow Poyet onto the pitch once he has downed a pitcher of red bull.

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