Looking back at the young Hotspur, it was an obvious indicator of the sick and twisted mind that was to blossom in later years. I always relished games that resulted in extra time, penalties or replays. Any of these elements gave me the sense I was getting extra, a bigger bang for my buck. To hell with emotionally burned out players collapsing in cramp riddled heaps.
The atmosphere was great. The mob that provided a burst of “Is this loud enough for you?” exemplified how football support works. Witty and wonderful. AVB got it and waved to them. Standing there swearing into your boots about how much your ticket costs isn’t support. Nobody will wave to that. People will applaud wildly as you’re taken outside and shot, but nobody will wave, not even goodbye.
Great credit to the fans. They were the difference, inspiring us – always cheering, always supporting,”
~ AVB
Brad‘s performance only served to prompt the question “just how damaged is Gomes, then?”
The “Brad’s great” schtick has run it’s course and he needs to be moved on. It’s strikes me that potentially he could be a huge asset on the coaching side. As a player, forget it. The bungled goal wasn’t the end of the world, that ball was being sucked in to our net anyway. But the penalties were embarrassing.
Cringing when you know what an outcome will be, before it happens, is the worst kind of cringe. The foregone awfulness of the shoot out was beyond uncomfortable viewing.
Bonzo gets a lot right. Defensively he was far tighter and when he moved the ball forward, but he is the wrong man to be making offensive passing decisions. The forward runs that so many think are really groovy, are utterly pointless if the momentum is routinely killed dead with a backwards/lateral pass.
And just like that little girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead; when he was bad, he was horrid. The two footed lunge that managed to escape even a yellow last night, would have won him red in more or less any other game.
Kaboul – welcome home son. I really don’t believe he put a foot wrong. An assured showing. Impressive energy levels for a such gruelling return. Beautifully struck penalty.
Naughton – not awful.
Jan made a couple of out of character brain fart passes early on. They didn’t define his game, just saying. He was excellent otherwise. Looked absolutely pooped at the end.
Vlad appears to be dividing opinion. There are those who have decided after a handful of games he wasn’t worth signing, and then there are those who have decided after a handful of games that he might be a useful addition.
I’m not sure what sort of game Eriksen had. What I do know, is after that Norwich game, we were all cooing. The cooing has since dwindled.
Lamela will be remembered by some who watched this as some wet kid who fluffed his penalty. I’ll remember him as a lad who came out of his shell a little, a lad who walked up to André and said “give me a penalty”, a lad with Niagaras on him, a lad who deserves some bloody respect.
Some of the absolute tossers we’ve had in the shirt and yet Lamela gets half a dozen cameos before being pronounced “defective”? Not a chance.
Siggy‘s goal was reminiscent of Bale last season. Not that it was Balesque, rather it echoed the fact that until we start getting more creative in the final third, then random acts of individual brilliance are required. Them and dodgy penalties…
Mousa and Paulinho worked their bottoms off.
Defoe gave us a masterclass in why he never needs to play for us again. Dire barely touches upon it. Selfish, greedy, stupid, gormless, clumsy, cheating, poor, weak and wasteful. If I missed anything off the list of misery, I apologise.
Kane must overtake Defoe in the pecking order. I don’t want to reference Defoe when talking about Kane for fear of it being mistaken for faint praise. Kane’s stock is on the rise, let’s get him involved in Europe and the domestic cups.
AVB has brought an attitude of playing to the very last minute of every game. The attitude has shifted and if you can’t see it because you are so outraged at us not beating everyone 5-0, with 25 yard wonder goals, then that’s your business. I don’t think this group is going to start playing the kind of football most of us want to watch until February, maybe March. By all means voice your frustrations, but try not to dismiss “stuff” such as the league table and the progression in tournaments. To do so is simply dishonest. History is not littered with compelling arguments beginning, “Yeah but…”
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