One of the most frustrating aspects of the fact that Spurs will now finish outside of the top four, is that the transfer speculation in the summer will involve our highest profile players being linked with other clubs because they \u201cwant to play in the Champions League\u201d. \u00a0I would like to support a team that is in the competition also, but, unlike the players, I do not have the luxury of taking my fan services to another club because mine it not cutting it. \u00a0Luka Modric wanted to go to Chelsea before the season started, he was even left out of the opening game against Manchester United because his mind was distracted by the prospect of such a move, but his performances in the last few months leave me doubtful that the Blues would still want him. \u00a0As a creative midfielder, Modric is tasked with unlocking stubborn defences, but his passes routinely find the legs of opposition defenders and his shots are dragged harmlessly wide of the goal. \u00a0Gareth Bale has been linked with Barcelona, something that nobody could begrudge him having an interest in, as having the chance to play for one of the greatest club sides of all time would be a dream move for any professional footballer. \u00a0However, if Bale really wants to improve his game, then a move to Catalonia is not the only option. \u00a0Since Wales are not at the European Championships, he should be spending his summer working on kicking the ball with his right foot, something he seems unwilling, or unable, to do at present. \u00a0Bale has said in interviews that, rather than remaining on the left-wing all game, he wants to cut inside and switch wings to keep the defenders unsure of what he will do next, but right now he is ineffectual on the right flank as he is forced to come back onto his left foot every single time. \u00a0One skill he has already perfected and will not need to learn at Barcelona, is diving to the ground and feigning injury \u2013 Bale will be giving Sergio Busquets a run for the best acting award in La Liga should he make the switch.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of other players who have underperformed \u2013 Scott Parker works tirelessly to win the ball back in the midfield, yet in recent weeks his passing has been so poor, he has given away possession\u00a0to the opposition on numerous occasions. \u00a0The defensive unit, which was cohesive and strong in the middle of the season, has been giving opportunities and goals ever since Younes Kaboul was ruled out with an injury. \u00a0That fragility at the back should not be a surprise, since the goalkeeper and central defenders (Friedel, King, Gallas) have a combined age of 105 and only three good knees between them. \u00a0Jermain Defoe appears to be more interested in complaining about being left out of the side, or that every pass does not come his way, than helping the team by scoring or setting up chances, and Rafael Van der Vaart has fallen into similar bad habits. \u00a0Emmanuel Adebayor has been a real plus since his loan signing last August, but he too is wasteful in front of goal and does not convert enough chances. \u00a0Sandro looked like a competent player before his injury, yet since he has returned he has proven to be a real liability \u2013 a fact that was particularly prevalent in the defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sierraexpressmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Adel-Taarabts-goal-for-QPR-hammered-another-nail-in-the-coffin-of-his-former-clubs-season.jpg\" "\\"Adel")
<\/a>Adel Taarabt's goal for QPR hammered another nail in the coffin of his former club's season<\/p><\/div>\n
Only a couple of Tottenham\u2019s squad have continued their good form through this bad patch \u2013 the best of whom has been the right-back, Kyle Walker. \u00a0He is a solid defender and is rarely beaten for pace, a fact that helps Walker push forward to overlap on the wing and provide crosses into the box. \u00a0Benoit Assou-Ekotto has been a solid performer again this year and \u2013 even though I may have criticised him two paragraphs ago \u2013 when Bale has been played on the left-wing, he has continued his fantastic form from the last two seasons. \u00a0The biggest problem has not been the individual performances though \u2013 Spurs have enjoyed a large share of the possession, even in games they have lost or drawn. \u00a0What has been frustrating Tottenham \u2013 and me \u2013 has been the inability to break down teams who have defended deeply and blocked the middle of the pitch. \u00a0The biggest culprit for this failure is\u2026<\/p>\n
Harry Redknapp<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nPrior to his acquittal, many pundits thought that Harry Redknapp\u2019s court case for tax evasion charges may distract his team and cost them a chance of trying to win the Premiership crown (seriously, Spurs were being talked about as title contender as recently as January). \u00a0When Redknapp was found \u201cNot Guilty\u201d on February 7th, many Tottenham fans breathed a sigh of relief that the danger of losing their manager was gone. \u00a0Nevertheless, the very next day, Fabio Capello resigned and there appeared to be a new destination for Redknapp \u2013 the England national team boss, rather than a resident of Her Majesty\u2019s Prison. \u00a0The following Saturday, Tottenham beat Newcastle 5-0 at White Hart Lane, but since that game, they have won just once in the league and now sit below Alan Pardew\u2019s side, who recovered well following that thrashing.<\/p>\n
Rather than court cases or potential new roles distracting Harry Redknapp, the real problem has been his tactics and team selection over the last few months. \u00a0While he has done well overall with Spurs \u2013 when he took over in 2008, the team was bottom of the league with just two points in 8 games, Redknapp has since taken them on their first European Cup adventure since the 1961\/2 season \u2013 his limitations have been evident in the last few months. \u00a0Rafael Van der Vaart has been quoted as saying that it was refreshing to have a manager who just lets the squad play in training and there is little focus on the opposition, but this lack of tactical nous has cost Tottenham dearly in the business end of this Premier League campaign. \u00a0Too many players are fielded out of position: Bale is moved inside or to the right-wing; Lennon, when selected, is often switched to the left-flank; Van der Vaart does a lot of damage playing behind the main striker in the middle of the park, yet is often asked to fulfill the role of right-winger. \u00a0Redknapp believes in sending his team out to play their own game and not just counter what the opposition is doing, but this results in sides being selected that are unable to break down opponents or take advantage of their weaknesses. \u00a0When Stoke, Sunderland and Norwich flood the middle of the park to prevent Modric or Van der Vaart from picking them apart, Lennon and Bale are needed on their respective wings to spread the game. \u00a0When Spurs played Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson picked the centre-back pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans \u2013 two defenders who are good at repelling balls played into their own box, but who tend to back off when attackers are approaching their area. \u00a0For this reason, Jermain Defoe \u2013 who is lethal if given any space from 20-25 yards \u2013 would have caused United difficulties, yet he started on the bench, with Redknapp choosing to start Adebayor and Louis Saha \u2013 both of whom are poachers rather than long-range sharp-shooters.<\/p>\n
I have never been Harry Redknapp\u2019s biggest fan \u2013 the love-fest he gets from journalists, who adore his soundbites and affability, is annoying, and his long tenure at West Ham, combined with his admission he was an Arsenal fan as a boy, meant I was not in favour of his appointment. \u00a0Redknapp is a great man-manager, whatever he says to players appears to motivate them and believe in him as their coach, and he has taken Tottenham a long way from where they were when he joined. \u00a0Perhaps his departure will spark a mass exodus of half of the squad who were there just to play for him, but it does appear that Redknapp has now taken Spurs as far as he can. \u00a0That happy relationship he has enjoyed with the British press will be severely tested should he become England manager and his tactical shortcomings will be exposed very quickly should he be sending out a side against Spain or Germany in the near future.<\/p>\n
My Own Optimism<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\nThis is what I\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0about Tottenham\u2019s Premiership chances before the season began:<\/p>\n6. Tottenham \u2013 Spurs still have the same strikers who couldn\u2019t score last season \u2013 staying still when everyone else improves, means a lower finishing position.<\/p>\n
Granted, they signed Adebayor on loan after I wrote this, and added Scott Parker also, but I should have re-read my own words when, in\u00a0January<\/a>, I started to believe we might finish as London\u2019s top club. \u00a0How many times can I write about Spurs being frustrating and always dashing hopes of supporters, before I stop hoping the next time will be different? \u00a0One<\/a>?\u00a0Two<\/a>?\u00a0Three<\/a>?! I guess I will never learn\u2026To be fair, the run of ten wins and one draw in 11 Premiership matches had even the most ardent pessimist (which, when it comes to Tottenham, might actually be me anyway) believing that this time they were not going to let their supporters down. \u00a0It was inevitable that the good run of form would end and, at some point, Spurs\u2019 entire season would collapse like a house of cards. \u00a0Dropping down to 5th in the league and being thrashed 5-1 by Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi-Final definitely qualifies as such a flop, I just wish I had not allowed myself the audacity of hoping this year would be any different from the previous twenty.<\/p>\nFor the rest of the Premiership season, I will focus on the title race, battle against relegation and Champions League qualification for next season \u2013 none of which will involve Tottenham. \u00a0Spurs will regain my attention next August, when I will somehow have convinced myself that the coming campaign brings cause for optimism once again.<\/p>\n
This is what I\u00a0wrote<\/a>\u00a0about Tottenham\u2019s Premiership chances before the season began:<\/p>\n 6. Tottenham \u2013 Spurs still have the same strikers who couldn\u2019t score last season \u2013 staying still when everyone else improves, means a lower finishing position.<\/p>\n Granted, they signed Adebayor on loan after I wrote this, and added Scott Parker also, but I should have re-read my own words when, in\u00a0January<\/a>, I started to believe we might finish as London\u2019s top club. \u00a0How many times can I write about Spurs being frustrating and always dashing hopes of supporters, before I stop hoping the next time will be different? \u00a0One<\/a>?\u00a0Two<\/a>?\u00a0Three<\/a>?! I guess I will never learn\u2026To be fair, the run of ten wins and one draw in 11 Premiership matches had even the most ardent pessimist (which, when it comes to Tottenham, might actually be me anyway) believing that this time they were not going to let their supporters down. \u00a0It was inevitable that the good run of form would end and, at some point, Spurs\u2019 entire season would collapse like a house of cards. \u00a0Dropping down to 5th in the league and being thrashed 5-1 by Chelsea in the FA Cup Semi-Final definitely qualifies as such a flop, I just wish I had not allowed myself the audacity of hoping this year would be any different from the previous twenty.<\/p>\n For the rest of the Premiership season, I will focus on the title race, battle against relegation and Champions League qualification for next season \u2013 none of which will involve Tottenham. \u00a0Spurs will regain my attention next August, when I will somehow have convinced myself that the coming campaign brings cause for optimism once again.<\/p>\n