Well this all sounds rather promising. If you weren’t entirely convinced by the ‘feeling in my waters’ I spoke of yesterday then perhaps this might come as something a little more, shall we say, meaty. Word from the man himself, Gareth Bale, via Spurs TV Online. These things can change in an instant, of course, [...]
Posts Categorized: Bale
It’s the End of the Season As We Know It…and I Feel Fine
So, dearest reader, here we are. The end of another season and for the second year on the spin May 19th goes down as a miserable day in the diary for those connected with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. In any other context, in any other footballing universe, apart- rather inconveniently- from the one we find [...]
Tottenham vs Sunderland | Match Preview
Andre Villas-Boas’s Tottenham side welcome Sunderland to White Hart Lane today, with the North London side hoping they can secure Champions League qualification, with a little bit of help from Sunderland’s arch rivals – Newcastle United. The two sides have had contrasting seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have been battling for the top four for the majority [...]
Tottenham vs Sunderland | Match Preview
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Solving the Right Wing Dilemma
The last few seasons have been connected by one predictable plot twist – a problem with depth on the flanks. This year, as happened the year before, Aaron Lennon picked up a knock about two-thirds of the way through the season, decimating Tottenham’s crucial width and reducing their attacking options. I’ve written at length about […]
In Case You’ve Forgotten, This is a Full Strength Spurs Squad
Sometimes during the long winning streaks this season, a small minority of fans were infected by a certain amount of hubris. As soon as a negative result happened, some took the opportunity to decry the club with both hands. “We didn’t spend enough money”, “Friedel is rubbish”, “Steffen Freund isn’t shouting loud enough”. Etcetera. But […]
Can I get a Left-Back up in Here?: Spurs v Sunderland Tactical Preview
Well, there’s ninety minutes of the 2012/13 season left, and Champions League football might not be in our hands, but you can’t say that Tottenham haven’t given it a damn good go. If Tottenham win against Sunderland at White Hart Lane but don’t qualify for the Champions Leauge, they’ll have still finished the season on 72 […]
Sandro: Injured Titan
Sandro limped off with an Anterior Cruciate ligament injury in the 0-0 draw against QPR earlier in the season, and has be rehabilitating ever since. The Brazilian born midfielder was in good form before his injury, and was the cog that powered the team in midfield, pushing Scott Parker out of the squad he played …
Deuce not yet Dropped: Stoke 1-2 Spurs Tactical Analysis
A Deuce might not have been dropped in the Tottenham Hotspur team this afternoon, but many a deuce must have been dropped by Spurs fans across the breadth of the country. Spurs left it late to score a winning goal against a Stoke side that were a man down for nearly 45 minutes. Although the […]
Mad Craachy’s Black Apalachi: Stoke v Tottenham Tactical Preview
Stoke play with a totally different nature to the rest of the Premier League, they are very aggressive and direct, they are in your face. It is a style that has brought them success so it is not up to me to condemn them. But it is easier to cope with now I have played […]
Thor’s Hammer: Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham Tactical Analysis
When I have a son, I’ll be able to tell him all about Tottenham’s history. One day, I might tell him about these two players that used to be on that White Hart Lane turf. One was this useless, lanky striker. He walked around the pitch like he was looking for a toothpick in the [...]
Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 | In-Depth Tactical Analysis
It was yet another glorious spring day and north Londoners Tottenham were hosting Southampton, in a bid to secure their position for a place in the Champions League. Both teams had some key absentees and it was interesting to watch how both managers coped with them. For Tottenham Parker was injured and on top of [...]
Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 | In-Depth Tactical Analysis
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The Battle of Stamford Bridge: Chelsea v Spurs Tactical Preview
Nearly a thousand years ago two sides met at Stamford Bridge. One, an established ruler of the land that’d been at the top for a while. The other, a challenger from across the channel that was commanding a fearsome and large empire itself, and whom had already seen off many powerful adversaries. That day, the [...]
Tottenham to Sign Rivaldo, Probably
Oh, it’s that time of year again. May. For footballing reasons, it’s a glorious month to be a Tottenham fan, the month where the gloomy form of April gives way to that stylish way of winning that Spurs don’t quite manage to keep up into March. But it’s also the time when the rumour mill [...]
Bale – Reason To Believe
When he does those things, I just stand and gasp. Goal celebration bedlam feels wrong somehow, a vulgar demeaning of greatness. Several times this season, the instant adrenalin rush has propelled me from my seat, then I’ve stood, barely clapping, swaying gently as the wonder of it all flows over me, seeps through the skin, travels along [...]
Who Needs Strikers, Anyway?: Spurs v Southamption Tactical Analysis
There are some games that Tottenham have won this season that displayed what is frequently called a “winning mentality”. That drive and confidence that forces players on and up the pitch with the ball even when it seems like the footballing gods have no gifts to give you that day. Spurs have shown it time [...]
Saints, Sinners and Paint Thinner
This is it, then. The last hurrah. Eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed that the midweek game at Stamford Bridge is rather an important encounter, but the bleak reality for Tottenham is that if we decide to lay a steamed pudding in our trousers tomorrow afternoon and results elsewhere go awry, then the jig is up [...]
Ride the Dembele Train: Spurs v Soton Tactical Preview
Last weekend’s game at Wigan felt like a third date that didn’t end in a night of passion. All the expectations were there, the groundwork had been laid in the previous weeks, and it was assumed beforehand plenty of chances to score would make themselves apparent. But for whatever reason Tottenham never quite settled into [...]
How high do Tottenham aim?
The 2012/2013 season has been a massive shake up, it has seen the departure of manager Harry Redknapp and key players in Ledley King, Luka Modric and Rafa Van Der Vaart for Tottenham Hotspur. So, the million dollar question: Is 5th place, the Europa league place, really that bad? This is a transitional season, new …
Spurs’ struggling strikers
Gareth Bale has scored more than both Tottenham Hotspur’s strikers combined this season. The above stat is clearly suggesting something, Spurs need strikers! Jermain Defoe started off the season well, scoring goals for fun and even grabbed goal of the month in November against West Ham, a fantastic run after being fouled, he carried on …
The good, the bad, and the mediocre dead wood
It’s nearly the end of the season, which means it is nearly Levy’s favourite time of the year, the Transfer Window. Although “Levy Day” is not until the 31st August, we all still expect some business to be done before then. In the last transfer window, Levy backed AVB with large sums of money, and …
Gareth Bale: the PFA Player & Young Player of the Year in GIFs
It’s official – Gareth Bale has been voted PFA Player of the Year AND PFA Young Player of the Year. That’s not to say he wasn’t amongst some stiff competition. He beat out Luis Suarez and Robin Van Persie to clinch the senior award, and Christian Benteke and Romelu Lukaku for the young player’s award. [...]
Tottenham Vs Wigan Review
Well after the amazing 6 minutes against the reigning champions last week , I for one was expecting us to sweep Wigan aside on our way to 3rd. How wrong we were. We started off brightly and came close many times , hitting the post through a Tom Huddlestone free kick, and the breakthrough came …
Wigan Vs Spurs Review
After a brilliant performance to beat City at the Lane last weekend many would have expected Tottenham to build on this win and sweep Wigan away but it was a late OG that stopped Wigan completing the double over us. Within five minutes, Spurs had hit the post, with Tom Huddlestone looking to catch Joel …
Dreaming of a Haircut: Wigan 2-2 Spurs Tactical Analysis
Wigan Athletic should be a pushover. Should be. - Me, 22/04/2013. It feels like every time Andre Villas-Boas tries to take some risks with his Tottenham tactics, it comes back and bites him on the behind. Switch to 4-4-2? Get thumped 5-2 at The Emirates. Switch to 4-4-2 again? Get thumped 4-1 at the San Siro. Switch to 4-3-3? [...]
DW, We Got This: Wigan v Spurs Tactical Preview
In many ways, playing Wigan Athletic almost feels like some kind of international cup tie. The Latics carry themselves with a swagger that’s just a little bit different to every other team in the Premier League. From their continental 3-5-2 formation (more on that later) that is unlike anything else in the league, to [...]
A win at Wigan
This weekend, we play Wigan at the DW stadium. The chase for top four is still on. A win against Man City, an amazing comeback which really lifted our spirits against last years league winners. So, lets continue our drive and determination to Wigan, and hopefully a win! Lennon returns to bomb down that wing, …
Tottenham Hotspur 3 Man City 1 | Tactical Analysis & Stats
An excellent encounter at White Hart Lane ended with Tottenham Hotspur coming from behind to win. A game that Man City took a grip of initially, eventually saw key tactical changes from Villa Boas which dragged Spurs forward and altered the complexion of the game. Line Ups Having recovered from injury, Villa Boas put Gareth [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 3 Man City 1 | Tactical Analysis & Stats
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What do we stand for?
Generally speaking, it’s always pretty easy to write about Spurs. The club have this uncanny knack of putting their fans through abject disappointment and utter delirium – often within the same period of ninety minutes. So, sitting down to have a crack at this just hours after we’ve taken Mancini’s mercenaries to task at White …
AVB Reads my Blog: Spurs v Man City Tactical Analysis
Even if the valiant comeback and eventual 3-1 win in yesterday’s match against Manchester City doesn’t get Tottenham into the Champions League it proved, if nothing else, that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to tactics. In my preview yesterday, I said that the only way to beat the title holders would [...]
Spurs v Man City: Quick Tactical Preview
It feels like an age since Tottenham last played, doesn’t it? In footballing terms, it almost has been an age. A two-week break for our players coming after a gutting but heroic exit from the Europa League is something of a blessing in disguise, and for those who constantly complain of Spurs never getting any [...]
Chalkboard For City | The ‘One-Man Team’ Edition
By the time the single-term Champions arrive at The Lane tomorrow it’ll have been a whole ten days since our semi-tragic parp-parp-whoops exit from the Europa League. In that period, Arsenal and Everton will have played thrice and Chelsea and City on two occasions. These things rarely boil down to the machinations of a diary, [...]
Without a Paddle?: Tactical Analysis of Spurs With and Without Bale
“One man team” has always been a lazy criticism when it comes to football, regardless of the club. It’s not in doubt that every squad will have their triggerman, the fulcrum of the team and someone that just makes the side tick, but to reduce the tactical depth of eleven men to the performance of one [...]
Will he stay or will he go?
As you can probably guess from the title, this article is about Gareth Bale. There’s always been speculation about him moving to pastures new, but not quite as strong as they have been in the last week or so. It is inevetible that we’re going to get offers from clubs to buy him, and they …
The Rise of Tottenham Hotspur (Part 2)
This is a continuation of my earlier post under the same name. Check that one out first if you haven’t already! Let’s pick up from where we left off, Harry Redknapp had just turned us around from bottom of the league, 2 points from 8 games, to a comfortable finish and a cup final. …
Europa League: Basel
Okay, so we play Basel on Thursday in the Europa League after drawing 2-2 at White Hart Lane, now what do the spurs fans want to happen here? We don’t have another premier league match until the 21st of April so there is no reason to say that our players are going to be fatigued? as they have 10 …