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 …
Posts Categorized: Modric
Villas-Boas and Spurs – Sit Back, Deep Breath, How’s It Going?
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has been charged with many failings during his relatively short career. These include being aloof and uncommunicative, out of his depth, obsessed with tactics and worst of all, not being Jose Mourinho or Harry Redknapp. Over the weekend came the ultimate condemnation – AVB, you were seen in possession of a notebook. J’accuse! [...]
A look at AVB after 10 games in charge at Spurs
White Hart Lane has been home to a poisonous atmosphere this season. Boos were heard at half time in the very first home game of the season, when Spurs were unable to take the lead against West Brom. These boos were heard again against Norwich, and wer…
Superjan Struck Down By Kryptonite Posioning
Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Sure, Superman is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, he may be able to leap tall buildings with a single bound but could he keep the Spurs defence together? Superjan can. Vertonghen can do the lot. Centre half, he’s [...]
The Dynamic Duo Driving Spurs Success | Stats Comparison
Totalling just two points from the opening three games of the season (with both points earned in disappointing home draws), the press seemed all too willing to put Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villa Boas under increasing scrutiny. Fleet Street favou…
A Defining Week For Spurs and AVB
The value of some performances transcends the goals, the points or the league table. Spurs victory at Old Trafford yesterday evening was infused with meaning that runs deep and will resonate long after the celebrations die down, although I suspect those who were fortunate enough to be there floated home rather than requiring any form of transport. [...]
Moussa Dembele – More than a Modric Replacement? | Stats Analysis
With the long awaited transfer of Luka Modric to Real Madrid finally completed last weekend, all eyes turned to who his replacement would be at Spurs. Having witnessed the first two games of the new season it is evident that [...]Written by Matt SwanMo…
Modric Gone But Dembele’s No Flop
So this is goodbye. Maybe because we’ve had an entire twelve months to get used to the idea of Luka Modric vamoosing to pastures sexier, the official confirmation of the Croatian’s departure on Monday wasn’t quite the dead-weight blow that perhaps other high-profile escapees have affected in recent years. If you want to mark it [...]
Goodbye Luka. Remember The Good Times
Luka, goodbye and good luck. I’ll only remember the good times, and they were rich, plentiful and sweet. The finest midfielder to wear the shirt since Gascoigne, on his day he made the team hum with energy and purpose. He was the link between defence and attack, taking the ball from the toes of the back four [...]
Spurs fans going soft?
Like every Spurs fan around the country this morning, I woke to the news that little Luka the snake was having his medical at Madrid today, which as we all know by now, went without a hitch and he went on to complete his move. This hardly came as a surprise as I think even [...]
Nuri Sahin Stats | Compared to Yaya, Modric, Arteta & Liverpool mids
These past few weeks the loan transfer of Nuri Sahin has been nothing short of a saga with the player first linked to Arsenal then supposed to be signing for Liverpool, with another u-turn to Arsenal and now it looks [...]Written by AnfieldIndexNuri Sa…
Scott Parker or Sandro? A statistical comparison
Not since Harry Redknapp signed Wilson Palacios in January of 2009 have Spurs had a tough tackling midfielder to compliment the creativity and flair in their midfield ranks. That was the case until Redknapp persuaded Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to […
“Concrete Offer” For M’Vila – Could He Be Spurs Bound?
Yann M’Vila may be set to join Tottenham later this week after Frederic de Saint-Sernin, President of his current club Rennes, confirmed he received “a very concrete offer from England”. The 22-year old midfielder was a target of Arsenal’s for much of the summer, but with Cazorla and Podolski signing and Song set to [...]
A Heart Warmer From Younes as the Slimy Snake Saga Slivers On
With the new season dawning ever closer and things finally beginning to pick up speed in the transfer market (not for Spurs, though, depressingly) there remains only one name on the lips of football fans when talking about Tottenham Hotspur; Luka Modric (again, unfortunately). Little Luka has really showed his true colours over the past [...]
The Importance of Adebayor | Stats Comparison of Strikers From Top 6
With two weeks to go until Tottenham face their season opener up at Newcastle, to say we are lightweight up front is an understatement. The only recognised strikers on the books are Jermain Defoe and the youngster Harry Kane. While [...]Written by Matt…
The Mercurial Luka Modric | Rival Play-Makers Compared Statistically
With Luka Modric seeming set to leave Tottenham in search of Champions League glory with Real Madrid, there has been plenty of discussion amongst Tottenham fans as to how important a player he is. I have been surprised to see [...]Written by Matt SwanT…
Gylfi Sigurdsson Joins Spurs | Stats Comparison to Spurs & LFC Players
There was a lot of surprise that Gylfi Sigurdsson would choose to join Spurs over Liverpool as Gylfi’s previous manager, Brendon Rodgers, is now at the helm at Anfield. Everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion however Spurs have trumped [……
Italy 1-1 Croatia Report & Why Croatia were 39.8% ‘Luckier’? [PDO v2]
Both the Azzurri and Croatia came into this game unchanged and in full confidence after their recent performances against Spain and the Republic of Ireland. Italy’s first half performance was comfortable – with the midfield trio of Pirlo, March…
The End of The World But Nothing’s Changed
The dread anticipation of the Doomsday Scenario was hideous, elongated as it was over several weeks as first the semi-final and then the season’s final day played out. Goals and sendings-off that weren’t, the bitter tease of a former Spurs keeper throwing three goals into his net, yet another rearguard action, all of this involving not just any [...]
Players that will Stay Up When Their Team’s Gone Down | Opta Stats
Inevitably there are those players who, despite seeing their team drop down to the Championship, will find themselves playing in the Premier League next season. For some, it is a matter of financials as their old club needs the proceeds [...]Written by…
Spurs Are A’Coming! Circle The Wagons!
Tottenham Hotspur’s spring tour of the lower regions of the Premier League finished in the Midlands on a frustrating note as we hammered away at Villa’s massed ranks for 90 minutes without scoring from open play. Going down to ten men early in the second made only a momentary difference to the pattern of a [...]
It’s Alive!
Well this is getting interesting. Just when the season looked to be shuffling off its mortal coil, to quote the Bard, Tottenham have ploughed the infertile landscape and miraculously found new life. Thrill-seekers or, indeed, masochist will no doubt be enjoying themselves in the current winds. Me, I’m still on the hunt for a quiet [...]
Redknapp for England!
“We want you to stay, we want you to stay – Harry Redknapp, we want you to stay”. It seems like a long time ago that song echoed round White Hart Lane. Redknapp had just got off his tax evasion [...]Written by Matt SwanRedknapp for England!
…
Sad Spurs Are The Ghosts Of Their Former Selves
Plenty of Spurs places on the web where you can find anger as we slip down the table. I’m fond of describing the significance not of individual matches but sequences that crop up as the season plays out. A combination of computer predetermination and evolving circumstances throws up intriguing little sets of fixtures. Take our [...]
Spurs and Wembley. Nice Day, Shame About The Football
I’ve known worse times as a Spurs fan. Forgive me if for the moment I can’t quite name them. An afternoon so utterly dispiriting, the fans, the decisions, the outcome, that heart and soul are thoroughly drained. Not anger, though there’s just cause – the referee, the way we just slipped away without enough of [...]
Tottenham Taken Apart by the Canaries | Stats Report
Tottenham played two of the promoted teams at White Hart Lane in quick succession. Much like Swansea who had left empty handed in Tottenham’s previous home game, Paul Lambert and his Norwich team have rightly earned a number of plaudits [...]Written …
Modric Vs Mata | Professional Performance as Spurs go Back to Basics
After a disappointing draw at home to Stoke, It was important that Tottenham did not lose at Stamford Bridge Saturday lunchtime. Chelsea were in need of a win if they were to close the gap on Tottenham in the battle [...]Written by Matt SwanModric Vs M…
Assessing Spurs’ midfield ahead of away trip to Chelsea
On Saturday 24th March Tottenham travel west across London to play Chelsea in the lunchtime kick-off. Spurs will be hopeful of all three points, but in reality most fans would accept a draw before the game. It says a lot about [...]Written by Tom Na…
Back to Basics | Bale on Left, Modric in Middle | Opta Stats
Football should be a simple game. Play your best players in their best positions and you will be in with a chance. To that end, it is frustrating to see Harry Redknapp keep playing players out of position. After the [...]Written by Matt SwanBack to Bas…
Spurs v Man Utd Preview | EPL Opta Stats
Manchester United, currently in 2nd place in the Premier League, faces Tottenham Hotspur, who are currently 3rd, on Sunday in what is one of the games of the season. How have they fared so far this season? Statistically not much [...]Written by RedManc…
Spurs vs Man Utd | Contributing factors | Opta Stats
Title contenders may have blips, also-rans suffer bad form… If Tottenham are to seriously consider themselves as title contenders they need to consign the 5-2 defeat at Arsenal to history and get something out of the match against Manchester Unit…
Spurs Out-played & Out-fought by AFC
The two fixtures that all Spurs fans look out for at the start of the season are both games against Arsenal. These are the games that they want to win more than anything. On Sunday, Tottenham fans headed to the [...]Written by Matt SwanSpurs Out-played…
The Case For More Spurs Rotation
Rotation, it’s important for tires, baseball pitching staffs and this lovely little blue planet we call Earth. Sadly, it is not important or even in the vocabulary of Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp. What’s the point ofThe Case For More Sp…