It promises to be an anxious wait at Tottenham as Daniel Levy awaits the news as to whether Spurs will be granted permission to move into the Olympic Stadium. Opinion is certainly mixed among supporters, with many seeing it as sacrilege that the club could even consider leaving N17.
At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes a Spurs deal that shows the power is shifting; Tottenham need a transfer splash and will Pienaar’s arrival pave the way for White Hart Lane exit.
We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.
The Top TEN Premier League Games of the 90s…well I think so!
A Tottenham DEAL that shows the power is shifting
Time ‘loyalty’ was added to striker’s long list of attributes
Liverpool or Spurs – who represents the best move?
Hart Break Lane? Or football at its finest?
Manchester v London – where does the future of the Premier League lie?
United and Tottenham pairing leaves Capello with cause for concern
Pienaar’s arrival set to pave the way for Tottenham exit?
A welcome addition to WHL, or trouble we could do without?
Why Tottenham need to make a transfer splash
David Beckham for Tottenham is pure showbiz
Few can blame Tottenham, given the parameters laid out by LOCOG
*Best of WEB*
Strikers on strike. – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2
Pienaar Butter Jelly Time – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
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Dear Mr Tottenham supporter, regarding Stratford… – Dear Mr Levy
Transport Myths & The Old Legacy Sketch- Harry Hotspur
Stratford Decision Day Looms: No One Bothers To Ask The Fans – Tottenham On My Mind
There’s been many crazes at Old Trafford over the years, moo hoodies, upturned collars, clear plastic mackintosh’s, green and gold scarves, the list is endless. One craze that seems to be gathering momentum of late is the idea of blaming a certain Darron Gibson every time United put in a below-par performance.
It seems regardless of how other players perform if young Darron’s on the pitch then it’s surely his fault that United haven’t played as well as they could and he deserves to be chastised accordingly. The disappointing results against Rangers, West Brom, Birmingham and more recently the poor performances in the first half against Blackpool and Southampton were blamed by many on Gibson.
Take the draw at home against West Brom for example, Gibson entered the fray with United 2-0 up at the end of the first half when Ryan Giggs picked up a knock. Cue lots of ranting and laying the blame squarely on Gibson’s door as surely if he comes on when United are winning and then they draw- it’s obviously all his fault. Such fallacies of logic are commonplace when it comes to analysing the impact of Gibson.The game against Blackpool was the same with many citing the introduction of Giggs in Gibson’s place as the games turning point. This is actually true but it wasn’t Gibson who was the only poor performer in a United shirt in that first half at Bloomfield Road, there were other more experienced players who were equally as bad.
A quick glance at the stats for this season will tell you that Gibson has one assist and no goals in eight EPL games, however a more in-depth look will tell you that of those eight games- only three were starts- and he was subbed in two of those. In the Carling Cup Gibson fared a little better with a goal and an assist in just two games.
While those stats hardly make you drool with excitement at the prospect of Gibson’s next United appearance they do tell us that the term ‘stop start’ would be something of an understatement for the midfielder. Playing less than 1/4 of United’s games is hardly enough to give any player either the run or the confidence they need.
Part of the problem for Gibson has been his penchant for shooting at almost every opportunity- so much so that ironic shouts of “shoot” echo around Old Trafford when he gets the ball anywhere near the opposition penalty area. Yet Gibson has risen above many other United prospects-arguably due to his reputation of packing a decent long-range shot. Last season was a case in point, when his long range efforts against the likes of Spurs, West Ham and Bayern Munich seemed to cement his reputation as someone who could score from distance. Unfortunately for Gibson those goals, haven’t been forthcoming in his brief appearances this time round and he’s struggled to convince many of the Old Trafford faithful of his value to the team.
Here-in lies part of the problem, Gibson has had no real run in the side, yet is expected to show his worth when he does play so what does he do? He tries to score from long range efforts, yet when he fails it merely convinces everyone he shouldn’t be in the team, it’s a bit of a catch 22. If Gibson was given a decent run then there’s no doubt his shootig would improve and the goals would come, yet with Anderson, Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick and even Giggs all standing in his way then his chances are limited to say the least.
It’s not as if Gibson is a bad player- following his goal against Bayern Munich last season – I’m sure I wasn’t the only United fan eating a bit of humble pie after questioning his inclusion in the team that night. Sir Alex obviously rates him otherwise he wouldn’t have picked him for such an important game and he wouldn’t have kept him in the squad this season.
I’ll be honest and admit at times, I’ve questioned why Fergie persists with him but as I’ve learned over the years, the United manager is seldom wrong when it comes to deciding who’s good enough for the side and even I’ll confess that there are times when Gibson looks as though he could give United a different, useful option in midfield.
Some people have compared him to Paul Scholes and suggested he could replace him one day which is grossly unfair. Not only is Scholes one of the greatest midfielders of all time- that may sound over the top but I whole-heartedly mean it- but he’s a different type of player to Gibson altogether. Gibson may shoot from range, which Scholes does- or used to do a lot better than anyone- but other than that I can’t see too many similarities.
Gibson is no Paul Scholes, but there’s no shame in that- after all Michael Carrick is no Roy Keane and we don’t expect him to be.
The point I’m making is that it’s time to get off young Darron’s case and realise he’s not the root of all evil. You can almost feel the contempt some United fans hold him in at times and it reminds me of the way a certain Bulgarian was treated by some not a million years ago.
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At United I’ve seen players such as Berbatov, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick and Jonny Evans all come in for harsh criticism over the past few years and by and large they’ve proved their detractors wrong.
Gibson may not be perfect but as long as he dons the Red shirt I for one will be getting behind him, you never know with a bit of support he may even surprise us all.
Read more of Justin Mottershead articles at the NEW Red Flag Flying High
AC Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso has apologised for losing his cool in his side’s Champions League defeat on Tuesday.
Tenacious midfielder Gattuso was involved in several incidents during the Italian giants’ 1-0 home defeat to Tottenham, which means Milan will need to win at White Hart Lane to make the Champions League quarter-finals.
The game became ugly when AC Milan’s Mathieu Flamini only received a yellow card for a crude two-footed lunge on Tottenham’s Vedran Corluka, who had to be substituted.
Gattuso traded words with Tottenham’s assistant manager Joe Jordan before shoving him in the face. Tempers flared again after the final whistle, with Gattuso head-butting the Spurs coach.
The retired Italy international had to be restrained by team-mates and escorted down the tunnel. He is expected to face a sanction from UEFA.
“I lost control,” Gattuso told reporters after the match.
“There is no excuse for what I have done. I take my responsibilities for that.”
“I was nervous. I didn’t want to argue with players and I did it with him, but I was wrong to do what I have done.”
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp did not want to comment on the incident at the post-match press conference, but was quoted as telling The Daily Mail: “He picked on the wrong man there. I know who I’d pick between Joe and Gattuso anyway … Joe all night long.”
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Redknapp believes the incident showed Milan were ‘rattled’ – a fair achievement for a club who are making their first appearance in the Champions League.
“Milan lost their heads at the end there – they were rattled, for sure – and I guess that’s a good sign,” he said.
Gattuso also picked up a yellow card in the match, meaning he will miss the second-leg clash at White Hart Lane on March 9 regardless of any UEFA punishment.
Cruz Azul and Real Salt Lake are the first teams into the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals after impressive wins on Tuesday.Cruz scored a 5-1 aggregate win over Santos Laguna on Tuesday but the victory came at a cost with goal ace Christian Gimenez sent off in the 64th minute after picking up his second yellow card in the match.Gimenez, who scored Cruz’s second goal on the night in their 3-1 quarter-final win, will now miss the first leg of the final four against either Monterrey or Toluca. Monterrey lead the tie 1-0 on aggregate.Cruz sealed their third successive semi-final place with three goals in 16 minutes against a Santos side who had dominated possession and had most of the early chances.The visitors picked up a crucial early goal to make it 3-0 on aggregate when Emanuel Villa scored on a counter-strike in the 37th minute. After the interval, Villa scored his second in the 51st minute and assisted Gimenez in the 53rd minute to effectively end the tie. Villa has now scored nine goals in the tournament.Gimenez, who has scored three goals in the CCL, was their top scorer in 2010 with 20 goals in 36 matches.After Gimenez was sent off, Santos pulled a goal back with Cristian Benitez scoring in the 71st minute. Benitez was able to slot home a shot that had cannoned off the far post and went directly to him.Real Salt Lake beat Columbus 4-1 to storm into semi-finals where they will play either Saprissa or Olimpia.The tie, which was delicately poised at 0-0 after the first leg, came to life in the 21st minute when Costa Rican striker Alvaro Soborio scored from 13 yards.Real Salt scored their second in the 36th minute when Javi Morales scored unmarked at the far post from an Andy Williams cross.Columbus hit back three minutes after half-time through Andres Mendoza.But the visitors’ hopes were dashed in the 76th minute when Morales scored his second of the match to make the score 3-1.Seconds before the final whistle, Williams blasted home a free-kick from 20 yards.
Tottenham’s Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes’ nervy performance against AC Milan last Wednesday has again set alarm bells ringing among much of the club’s faithful support once more. It’s difficult to question the undoubted improvements the ‘keeper has made to his game over the last year or so, but despite this improvement, will it be enough to ensure his prolonged stay between the sticks?
Gomes appears to be a goalkeeper capable of producing the sublime and the ridiculous only minutes apart. He’s as error-prone as they come in the Premier League, yet he’s a key player for Spurs and they miss his presence when he’s not in the side. Quite the contradiction.
It’s clear that good goalkeepers don’t grow on trees, sometimes you have to persevere with one until they’ve developed, matured and combined their promise with their performance. A goalkeeper’s peak years are thought to be between the ages of 32-36; and such is the nature and importance of a goalkeeper’s decision-making to the position, it is thought that as a goalkeeper matures, so will his decision-making.
It’s safe to say that Gomes at the age of 30 hasn’t quite reached this point or his peak just yet. He’s both eccentric and inconsistent. His main strengths lie in his reflexes and his ability to make himself big (not a tough ask I’ll grant you) in one on one situations.
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However, he can look particularly suspect when asked to rely on his decision-making ability as opposed to his instincts. He looks extremely susceptible to high balls into the box and his handling ability and communication skills can often be called into question.
It’s rare for a goalkeeper to have such big flaws yet still be capable of producing such outstanding performances while being integral to their own side. Being a goalkeeper is a tough ask in the modern day game, and with footballs being made lighter than ever before, it’s worth mentioning that this is not a game designed for goalkeeping excellence anymore – the movement that modern day balls have through the air must mean that it becomes difficult for ‘keepers to do anything with any real conviction nowadays.
I do retain a degree of sympathy for the goalkeeping fraternity. It’s a position where one’s errors are magnified tenfold in comparison to their saves. The do-or-die nature of the position means that they are often castigated for a player’s errors further up the pitch, yet despite all of this, Gomes does stick out as being particularly prone to errors of the game-changing variety.
There is no question that Gomes has his plus points though. He is a dominant and at times overwhelming physical presence. He is capable of keeping Spurs in a game almost single-handedly at times and due to his sheer size, he can reach things most other goalkeepers can only dream about.
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It’s also worth attaching some perspective to this too and a frame of reference – Gomes is not the first goalkeeper, nor will he be the last either to make high-profile errors. Pepe Reina, the best ‘keeper in the league to my knowledge, regularly delves into the depths of a Nick Hancock blooper reel and finds something to top even the most horrific of mistakes on those terrible compilation clips. The song ‘Reina drops keep fallin’ on my head’ will live long in the memory for most Everton fans.
The most important thing with a goalkeeper prone to the odd gaffe though, is that that they go onto atone for these errors with games where they become almost impossible to breach – Reina most certainly does this for Liverpool.
There is a school of thought that subscribes to the view that as long as a goalkeeper’s gaffes aren’t as regular as their match-winning performances, then they balance themselves out. The only time when this becomes an apparent problem is when the defence begins to lose trust in the man between the sticks and the lines of communication break down more often than not.
Petr Cech treads the line very carefully at Chelsea yet retains an influence that’s hard to match over his team mates and his presence is much-needed – I think that it’s safe to say the same for Gomes at White Hart Lane. Most Spurs fans accept that humiliating errors are just par for the course with Gomes now. He will make them in the future, in the most unfathomably awful ways imaginable I‘m sure, however the next minute he’ll make a game-defining save, and with that you get the balancing act of picking and sticking with a number one.
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A microcosm of Gomes’ Spurs career came this December in the away league game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, where the Brazilian turned from villain to hero in a matter of moments. After letting a rasping drive all too easily pass him for Didier Drogba’s equaliser, Gomes then proceeded to give away a penalty, only to then save Drogba’s resulting injury time spot-kick and earn himself a shot at redemption and with it, Spurs a point in the process.
He is most certainly mad, sometimes bad, but often brilliant. Gomes retains the club’s number one jersey for now, but such indecisiveness will not serve Spurs well going forward as they hope to capitalise on a potentially bright period in their recent history with some silverware – something that I’m sure the player and his manager are acutely aware of.
Whether they place their trust in a player capable of destroying months of work in a moment of madness remains to be seen. With other areas of the team in more urgent need of strengthening if Spurs are to make this season’s Champions League appearance a regular occurrence as opposed to a brief soirée, Gomes is likely to retain his place in the starting eleven for the foreseeable future, at least going into next season.
Sunderland welcome Liverpool to the Stadium of Light on Sunday, with both sides desperate for a win to keep their European hopes alive.Liverpool are in sixth place in the English Premier League but six points adrift of fifth-placed Spurs, who are in the automatic spot for Europa League qualification next season. Sunderland, meanwhile, are in eighth place and 10 points short of Spurs.Kenny Dalglish’s men will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their 0-0 draw with Braga at Anfield on Thursday, a result which saw them eliminated from the Europa League at the Round of 16 stage with a 1-0 aggregate defeat to the Portuguese side.It was a game in which Liverpool – who have enjoyed a stunning reversal of their domestic form under the Scotsman since he replaced Roy Hodgson in January – looked bereft of ideas at times, with long ball after long ball to 35 million-pound striker Andy Carroll failing to bring the goal they needed.In the league, however, it is a different story, with five wins in their past seven games, including a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and a 3-1 win over Premier League leaders Manchester United at Anfield in their last start.Steve Bruce’s Sunderland side, meanwhile, have endured some woeful league form over the past month, and have not won a game since their 2-1 triumph at Blackpool on January 22.The last time the two sides met, two goals from now-Aston Villa striker Darren Bent sandwiched between strikes from Liverpool duo Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard produced a 2-2 draw at Anfield.From that trio, only Kuyt will be playing on Sunday, with Gerrard ruled out for a month with a groin complaint.The absence of his skipper is not Dalglish’s only fitness problem, with Danish defender Daniel Agger still missing along with Fabio Aurelio, Jonjo Shelvey and Martin Kelly.Steve Bruce also has some troubling news from the treatment room, with former Liverpool winger Bolo Zenden, Nigerian defender Nedum Onuoha, goalkeeper Craig Gordon and Irish midfielder David Meyler all sidelined.
Inter boss Leonardo has conceded a comeback against Schalke in the Champions League quarter-final could be beyond their reach.Despite a positive start at the San Siro after Dejan Stankovic’s long-range strike, the Italians saw their lead and hopes of retaining the title slip away from them courtesy of a three-goal second-half performance by the Bundesliga club, who go into the return leg 5-2 up.
“Tonight’s game started in the best possible fashion and it would have been difficult to predict what was to come,” the Brazilian said after the game.
“Early in the second half we missed a couple of chances and immediately Schalke scored their third.”
The Inter boss, who saw also the Nerazzurri concede ground in the Serie A title race following the loss in the Milan derby on Saturday, rued Schalke’s ruthless conversion rate on Tuesday.
He admitted his side had a mountainous task to overcome in the return leg at Gelsenkirchen next Wednesday.
“They had six or seven shots and scored five goals, so in that we can feel hard done by,” he said.
“After their third and fourth goals responding became difficult, especially with ten men, and in the end we lacked balance, as we did on Saturday against Milan.”
“It’s difficult to think about mounting a recovery in the second leg, but we’ll try to capture the best possible result.”
“Unfortunately, the crucial period of the season has come at the wrong time for us. It took a lot of effort to climb the league standings and Inter always play to win. It’s the only way we know.”
Despite the emphatic away victory, Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick refused to be taken away by the result, insisting the contest was not over – yet.
“We are not in the semi-finals just yet, but we have a pretty big chance now,” he said. “In the end, we could have scored even more.”
“It is surely the best game of my career. Had someone told us before the match that we would beat Inter by three goals, we would have had him (or her) declared crazy.”
Over the weekend Arsene Wenger defended his policy towards transfers and explained that he felt that finishing second was a level of success. Wenger was also keen to point out that the Arsenal team should be applauded for being ahead of clubs with greater resources; such as Chelsea and Manchester City.
At the start of the season it’s highly likely that the target was the Premier League title. Therefore, it is understandable that Arsenal fans will be disappointed to fall short again. Especially seeing as at times this season it looked as if Arsenal could take control of the title race. It is six years since a trophy and the fans are getting restless.
However, how do you gauge success? Is it really as simple as winning the title being success and finishing second being failure? As far as Wenger is concerned consistently competing at the top level is good progress.
Wenger said “To be consistent at the top level is the most difficult and important thing in our job. We’ve been in the Champions League for 15 years, and there’s only two clubs who’ve done that in this country. It’s us and Manchester United. Trophies are one way to judge a club. They’re not overrated as it allows you to say you’ve won a trophy, but would you swap winning the FA Cup for playing in the Champions League?” (Guardian Sport).
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Wenger certainly makes an interesting point and the fact that so many so called big clubs have fallen from grace in recent years means that Arsenal’s consistency should be commended. Arsene Wenger is committed to success, but he is determined to do it in what he considers to be the right way. Although, Chelsea and Manchester City have come in and thrown money around, it’s important to Wenger that that isn’t the only way to build a successful team and that the gradual process of building a team and developing players can work as well.
It will be interesting to see how Stan Kroenke’s takeover of Arsenal impacts on Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy. The early indications are that Kroenke will be keen for Arsenal to spend a £60million warchest over the summer and plan to convince Wenger it’s the right thing to do. The fact that Manchester United are prepared to spend £100million over the summer may force his hand, because failure to spend the money could leave Arsenal even further behind Manchester United and other sides that spend big.
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Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish insists his players are fully committed to the cause despite recent dismal form.Since lifting the Carling Cup in February, Birmingham have won only twice and conceded eight goals in their past two matches.
But McLeish has been fielding the walking wounded in recent weeks and is adamant they have given their all.
“They have definitely put themselves on the line at certain times,” he said on Friday.
“Players taking injections to play, really committing themselves, determined not to miss games – you have got to applaud that kind of attitude and determination.”
“And we have needed those ingredients this season. I think we have just about got every ounce out of these players this year.”
“But I can see on the training ground that there is still some energy there. And the fans will help them get an extra couple of per cent energy if they are at their best as well.”
McLeish hopes to welcome Serbia forward Nicola Zigic back into the squad, saying Birmingham have been less of a physical force without his huge frame upfront.
“We’re trying to get him into the squad for this weekend,” confirmed the Blues manager.
“It depends on the training session on Saturday. He’s been training with the physio on his own, so they’ve been putting him through their paces on a one-to-one basis.”
“To join the group is an indication that he’s ready to come back.”
“Nicola was at the best form since he came to the club. Cup final, scored a goal, made a goal. West Ham semi-final he transformed the game for us.”
“He scored the winner against Stoke. His form was that of a top centre-forward at the time. So to lose him, at his peak, was difficult to swallow.”
Birmingham City will be without defender Scott Dann (hamstring) and forwards James McFadden (knee) and Obafemi Martins (groin).
On the verge of breaking the elite that is the ‘Top Four’, established as one of the Premier League’s top six sides and possessing a bright young side full of potential, it is hard to believe that only twelve months ago these were the attributes of an Aston Villa side under Martin O’Neill’s management. However, after a season that only secured their Premier League survival this weekend, with a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, it is safe to say it has been a long season for the Villa faithful. Can Aston Villa expect more of the same next season or will we see the prospect of European Football return to Villa Park?
Gerard Houiller, in this writer’s humble opinion, isn’t the man to do this. The Frenchman replaced O’Neill, a man who is famous for his spiky demeanour and impulsive behaviour, but it was this personality that pushed Aston Villa closer than they had ever done to repeating the success of the 80’s. The former Liverpool manager is quite the opposite to his predecessor, reserved, ‘set in his ways’ and, lets face it, a PR nightmare (seems to display more devotion to Liverpool fans than those of Aston Villa). Aston Villa’s owner should look to replace the 63 year old with a young visionary of a manager, who could reshape the club from the bottom up.
As key as a manager is to success, the players of course must carry the burden as well. One player doesn’t make the team, but perhaps two do? In the space of a year or so, Villa lost captain Gareth Barry and inspirational winger James Milner. Despite obtaining Stephen Ireland in the Milner deal (Ireland has proved nothing but a transfer flop), the current Villa side hasn’t replaced and moved forward their young and bright team that promised so much. Such talents as Marc Albrighton, Nathan Delfouneso and Barry Bannan all show glimpses of ability but as of yet cannot be relied on, which will be a major problem for the Villains next season if Ashley Young does ‘jump ship’ to Old Trafford or Anfield.
Investment has proved to be the main factor in propelling clubs to success (Manchester City this season, for example) and as of yet it’s hard to gauge whether Randy Lerner is going to be that man to inject some cash into the club. £24 million on Darren Bent and £6 million on Jean Makoun is a good starting point, but should Stewart Downing and Ashley Young leave for rather substantial fees it is paramount that the money is bankrolled back into the team. If not, it could be argued that the couple of big money signings Lerner has done could just be him preventing his assets losing substantial value by getting relegated.
When all is said and done, one thing has to be remembered, better teams than this current crop of players have gone through the Premier League’s trapdoor.
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