africanspurs' Blog

There’s Only One RAT in Tottenham’s Kitchen………….

africanspurs — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:44:00 GMT

…….and what a very special rat he is.

He was born Adel Taarabt in Berre L’Etang in France on the 24^th of may 1989, of Moroccan descent but now playing for his adopted home nation of France, he follows a path taken by other players of African origin that play for the great football nation across the channel. He has represented France in four consecutive age groups from the U-16s up to the U-19’s.

At first sight what you have is a slightly full faced young man with a thing for the Elvis Presley impersonation. Standing at 5 ‘11 and weighing over 10 stone you can’t call Taarabt small or skinny, and yet the ability he possesses mirrors players that fall within such a category.

So what DOES Taarabt posses?

Many have voiced praise and concern over Taarabt, ranging from “Great talent with the capacity to threaten any team in the league” to “Show pony with no end product whatsoever” , with one undeniable point that shines through like the sun does everyday that Taarabt has natural ability/ talent/ potential to quite possibly surpass every first team player currently playing for the Tottenham first team in the future bar Berbatov. At this moment though there is clear evidence to show that Taarabt possesses the following qualities which sets him far apart from many in his generation

Composure: - Absolutely outrageous composure that would put fans not used to such ability on the edge of their seats and in panic. Most people totally ignore this quality in players but the reality is that it is paramount to be a good team and to being a good player in football today. The ability to basically get the ball and not panic, to just have the ball as a servant in the midst of a storm knowing that you can just walk out of it without so much as a displaced hair follicle. The ACTION being the composure and the KNOWING being the confidence the boy has probably brought about by the skills he possesses

Dribbling: - This ability is most likely to be the one that most fans are aware of (which tends to bring myths and bias towards the boy) and is one of his strongest assets. Close proximity and intricate dribbling from one that is larger than average with a languid playing style (remind you of anyone?) is rare and are tools that he uses time and time again to humiliate opposition both in the reserves and in the first team when he gets a chance as Sagna, Wes Brown, Lucas Neil, Fabregas and the entire Derby team have found out. This in marriage with his agility make’s him able to twist and turn away from opposition in the same manner that Zokora does but without the safety of being in his own secure half with support from the back line that Didier has. He does this on the wing and in the middle of the park with a myriad of opposition swarming around in the final third.

Technical ability: - Something that is not scarce on the continent. As such there should be no need to highlight such an ability as its expected sometimes when buying foreign players, but this needs highlighting due to the fact that even though technique is higher abroad than in the UK, where physical traits are valued higher than most other qualities, Taarabt’s technical ability is of sufficient standard at such a young age that you can be sure that technical ability in one so confident will never be an issue therefore his touches are won’t look out of place against most oppositions he comes across, he’d belong the arena. A case that a dedicated and hardworking player like Michael Brown would not be able to put forward convincingly

Extreme Confidence: - A follow up to Composure. Too much of this can be detrimental to one so young as it puts a tendency to say “No Fear” to most situations whereas in actual fact a bit of cautions quick decisiveness to protect the ball and keep possession by passing short to a near by team mate would be the order of the day. This rare gift can be found in only a handful of players, it’s something that can be worked on but to have a natural tendency to be confident and have self belief is literally priceless in conjunction with someone with some with that much talent at their disposal.

Upper body strength / Balance :- Quite simply put, you can’t easily barge him off the ball, you can’t easily force him off his stride, he doesn’t tend to run away from his opposition and it’s not easy to stop his forward momentum. Opposition don’t seem as successful to intimidate him off the ball in most areas of the park where he has the ball, it has been done, but it certainly is not frequent enough to say that he is a lightweight, far from it, this part of his game helps him along with the cluster of other abilities to be able to retain the ball. At 5’11 and close to 11 stone , he’s probably bigger than our entire first choice midfield (No not including the Thudd)

Use of both feet: - Speaks for itself. Can put the ball on his left or right foot and dribble with either. Can take players on down the outside left or the outside right and deliver with both feet, able to twist unto his left side or his right side switching the ball unto either foot. Something that all footballers should posses with the wages they command

Positive attitude: - All these qualities combine to bring forward a youngster that looks to go forward more often than not, that looks to make things happen most times he gets the ball.

All these things are the deep seeded “X factors” that surround truly gifted and special players. These kinds of players don’t come around very often and are highly sought after assets.

The Myth and Bias

There is a pre-conceived idea that if you have a God given ability to dribble then that’s ALL you can do. A prayer that this view should be given a reality check is in order, it’s true that those that can dribble and humiliate their opposition tend to look to do it maybe more than they should but does that justify the total shunning of all the other aspects that come with this ability or the ability the player may posses outside of dribbling?

But you have to ask yourself…WHAT HAVE people seen? Some say for all his dazzle nothing is produced, games against West Ham, Man United away, Chelsea away last season, Derby at home (Probably one of his worst displays as his team work skills were non existent) Arsenal away and PSV at home, all showing the young man has a MASSIVE amount to offer this club and that claims about his total lack of contribution to matches are greatly exaggerated and unappreciated.

The Standards He Is Held to

Taarabt is definitely a victim of his own ability and mental attitude to games and to opposition. With great talent come great responsibility to perform ALL the time to prove you can be a part of this franchise based on the gift you have, especially as a newcomer, people look for your mistakes first and your contribution second. In essence Jenas can get away more with not being pro active in the middle of the pitch, Lennon can get away more with not having an end product, Zokora can get away with almost anything and someone like steed can get away more with not being able to truly penetrate in a high percentage turnover down the outside left flank. The reason for this is because they are established first teamers, the TEAM being the most important factor. In that aspect though Taarabt may train with the team and though he may be part of the Tottenham squad, he isn’t inherently guaranteed to be part of the First team and the routines involved with the true first eleven. A whole host of reasons are out there as to why, but unless visual evidence is provided it shall remain a question.

What Would Tottenham Have To Give Up To Play Him?

NO ONE can be sure what would be given up were he given more minutes. No one can be sure that he won’t work for the team, no one knows if he will destabilise formation or if he brings and empty threat to one of the positions he may occupy. On the flip side though we can’t be sure all these things won’t happen.

With all these gifts and abilities, does Taarabt have the discipline and wisdom to assimilate into first team football properly at this moment for spurs? There are factors that work against him.

He can be guilty of over dribbling and ‘hogging’ the ball
He can be guilty of not looking up as he performs for the crowd
He can be guilty of holding unto the ball for those extra seconds
He can be guilty of being erratic and unpredictable, playing to his own Hip Hop tune in the middle of a Spice Girls concert.
He can be guilty of going for the glory instead of the simple

All deficiencies fall into four main departments which are Decision Making, Discipline, Team Work and Intelligence. These are things which now and again manifest as problems for young Adel, but they don’t occur all time, just enough to see where his obstacles to being a first team player may be coming from.

What Taarabt may need to appreciate (whose to say he doesn’t already) is the value of the simple over the value of the glamorous, to be able to make quick instinctive decisions when and where to release the ball, to be disciplined enough to view his actions as a small part of a larger body and to know when, where and how to use his gifts at the proper time at the proper situations. These are extremely hard to do especially when it may go against your natural tendency but luckily for Tottenham is not nearly as hard as teaching someone to be gifted like Taarabt already is.

How Do You Incorporate Taarabt Into Tottenham? Where To Play Him?

There is money available to anyone who can figure out the answer to the above questions but a humble educated guess would be to do the same for Adel as one would for Tom Huddlestone, which is to compensate for the potential problems his presence would bring. It gets tricky here because Taarabt has not earned the right to have a team built around him and that is only done for established talented professionals that offer guarantee of what you are building around. It is as simple as that, and because of that simplicity, added to the potential lack of regular first team decision making, there could be a problem finding where to play Adel. Other things to consider is

The System: - Flat 442? A 433-451? A Diamond? Does that help Tottenham in any way with a player that can’t be given accurate measurement of his team oriented abilities? No it doesn’t tell anything unless the leap in this boy’s education is taken and he is played for an extended period in a formation over and over again. What justification is there for picking a formation to suit a teenager that hasn’t made a HUGE impact already? None.

Movement of players and Communication: - As said before, Taarabt plays to a system that sometimes appears only he is aware off, that pass for instance with the right mid partner against PSV was actually a very good idea but one that was not adequately communicated with his team mate and therefore the wrong decision. In reality to become the kind of threatening team that Tottenham wish to be then that pass is what is called for with players making the sort of movement that is needed to make that pass effective for the benefit of the team.

(The second point brings other side questions, Does Tottenham have players who themselves are creative enough to spot where THEY should be? Where they should move to? What positions they need to occupy? How to lose their markers with quick thought out movements in small spaces? There is a thought…..)

Taarabt basically needs to play the waiting game both on and off the pitch. When he gets playing time he should focus on tempering his skills and playing more of a team based game. Yes, he should leave his immense talent behind to show that he can do the simple things well enough. The time to demonstrate the ability to skin a cat with a single thought should come at the optimum time when it can cause the most damage, because for all the times the young man twists and turns his way into creating an attacking momentum for Tottenham, all the fans will see is the clock winding down with the ball at his feet and Ramos might see the opposition given the opportunity to set up their defensive stance thereby losing the advantage of a fast break or transition play for example

The world is Taarabt’s oyster and hopefully he can be patient enough to see it through with Tottenham Hotspurs, his style is a mark of what Spurs are all about and what made Tottenham the club to love outside your own.

Tottenham are going places with Ramos and hopefully The Rat will be a part of that march.

Defense : The Tottenham Midfield's Unauthorised Absence

africanspurs — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:49:00 GMT

Before the season started many thought this was the year Tottenham really made a stand for “The Rest” of the premier league and more importantly, where Tottenham displaced one of the top four powerhouses. The flaw in that assumption was a very simple one and the most obvious to see, it stems from an idea that seems to be as old as God Himself, which is that ‘We Learn From Our Mistakes’ and like most things ancient that still apply today to the betterment of mankind you can be sure that advise is as good as gold. So even before you can make an assumption as to what a Tottenham Hotspur can accomplish you have to ask the question

“Have the problems of the last season been addressed? “

Potential problems were touched on briefly in the article of “Money down the toilet or the 40 million pound bluff” that can be found over on Glory-Glory. One of these potential problems seems to have been declared the front runner to becoming a real permanent problem, that problem is the Tottenham midfield and its contribution to the team’s defending. The way we play the defence is just as much part of the midfield as much as the midfield is part of the defence. It’s a team game and everything each part of the team does affects the other.

Some possible ailments arising from the Tottenham midfield are:

The Midfield and Defense’s interaction.

Symptoms include:

Separation from the midfield and the defenders: There seems to be a case of shyness between the defensive line and the midfield. They look too far apart which permits any decent pass to the opposition front line to become a heart stopping dilemma. Teams are more able to turn and face our LAST line with ease and not as much pressure. It becomes easy for the CB pairing to be isolated if one is being drawn into the chasm simply due to the opposition stepping to the side or forward to receive a pass. Oddly enough, this symptom tends to occur a lot more at home than away.
Pressing too much: People seem to tackle the man and not the ball, then follow the ball and not the man once the ball has left the man they were hell bent on destroying in the first place. Generally there is nothing too criminal about this act IF your team mates know how to cover / protect the space, close of passing lanes and to anticipate the next recipient of the ball….all of which most of the players are not currently doing well at. With this in mind our players tend to press badly and then create a space behind them which is not looked after by a team mate.
Undisciplined holder(s) and some bad positioning: Directly related to the points above, not one player appears to have inherited the skill Carrick gave us for protecting the open space in front of the back four in a zonal and anticipatory fashion. That space is being attacked on a weekly basis and no one has successfully made it their main duty to protect it at all cost. The best success being Jenas against Manchester United
Lack of urgency: This is a motivational issue and saying this you would hope that with this predicament we find ourselves in that our players would work that extra 50% harder over the 100% they are supposed to be giving us already to get back into place and organise themselves properly. It doesn’t appear to be present for a full 90 minutes at the moment.
Lazy attitude from the flanks: Also a motivational issue and definitely a symptom of bad defending. Once your wingers think they can take their time in getting back from attacking is when you know your team isn’t too interested in defending properly…granted not all are showing this symptom but the ones that do show it in abundance. This results in the fullbacks getting isolated. A not uncommon occurrence but can’t be a good sign when it happens as frequently as it does with us.
Ball watching from the players: Again this is not an uncommon thing; it’s just worrying at how often it tends to occur with certain players. More worrying still is when your holder or the players assigned the holding duty are also in on the joke. Obviously this joke never gets old as it happens in a lot of the games

Could this be down to lack of trust from the coach to his players in the defensive line? The trust comes down to the defensive line, how high they play and who is in charge of giving orders. Could this be Dawson’s organisation? Jol’s coaching or lack of King being present to encourage a higher line? This affects the team going forward and most importantly when defending especially when you take into account bad holders and the occasional lethargic, ball watching flank men.

Midfield’s low confidence in defending through ball retention

Symptoms include:

A lot of second guessing from our midfield players. It’s not surprising to see that some of our midfielders have a very high pass total count or completion percentage. This tends to happen when you pass safe and when you or your team don’t have a decisive plan of action.
Aside from Tom Huddleston no one wants to dare spread the ball about quickly. Even simple passes become a bit of a chore and laboured effort. The ball therefore isn’t retained as comfortably and as well as we can normally which in turn adds more pressure on us.
Getting the ball forward quickly seems only possible with maverick movement and numbers (nothing wrong with this if you can get back and defend as a unit). Pretty on the eye but with no obvious and apparent game plan along with a vast green ocean from the last man in midfield to defense could cause problems/
No one in our CM seems like the one to take the game by the scruff of the neck…..whether it is down to lack experience, lack of faith in defensive abilities of the rest of the team mates, bad movement or no leadership, the problem is still there

These two factors, the midfield defending and poor ball retention (possibly due to bad movement and low confidence), contribute to a re-occurring lack of control we suffer in game. Without them what we have is a spineless team in possession and a team attack that doesn’t actually have a game plan aside from the individual performances and brilliance of certain erratic players. More importantly we don’t seem to be able to properly stop very dangerous attacks from occurring even if they are few and far between simply because when trouble does hit it appears that solo defending is the remedy of Tottenham, not a solid and supportive organised team defense.

Something else that warrants a mention is the behaviour of one of our full backs………. Chimbonda. This piece was meant to look into the midfield frailty but one cannot possibly escape the effect action Jackson has had on our poor defensive solidity as a unit. Chimbonda is a good strong, athletic and reliable one v one defender but things that he does which are impressive might indirectly affect the team in a negative way especially when you consider that the team might not be currently defending well as a unit.

How does Chimbonda affect the team’s solidity as a unit? Well he…..

Holds unto the ball too much. Even though he can hold unto the ball remarkably well for a full back it doesn’t mean that he should do it at every single opportunity. It limits Lennon or Steed’s offensive contribution and makes them more reserved /cautious as he basically is overcrowding the plate, exposes us defensively and forces our team to be bent out of shape when right now we are in desperate need of some solidity.
Bad timing on the overlap. The flank might not be as effective as it can be which we could use to pin back the opposition. Might be all according to Jol’s plan though I am not really sure but just constantly planting yourself and running down the wing time and time again even when the opposition is set I would not have thought was good timing which gets him out of position and Dawson to defend from the flank which could be seen as a bad idea.

Has a concentration issue with his blind side during set pieces. Nothing that should be a worrying factor because he saves us a lot more than he misses his man. It’s when you add that extra straw that you find yourself stranded.

Concentration and Composure under pressure

Some have said that the midfield has no guts and that they fall apart under pressure. Maybe, as we seem to be conceding goals during the periods that are known to require the greatest level of concentration. At home we average the first goal against us every 30 minutes and away from home its every 60 minutes (Both of which are periods of the game when the tempo apparently is supposed to be slower or in the latter figure’s case could be building up with us sitting back inviting pressure). Out of the nine first half goals we have conceded this year about 6 occur in the last 10 minutes of the half…… SIX OUT OF NINE!!!!! Out of the 11 goals we concede in the second half 5 of them occurred in the last 10 minutes and 7 goals conceded in the last 15 minutes. The loudest declaration this shows is that we need to be able to see out a game, to be able to retrieve the ball and hold unto it while under pressure, and finally to be able to keep concentration during periods that you think your not under pressure.

Would an experienced head stabilise this and make the team focus? Is the defensive ability of a new DM what’s needed to breed confidence into the rest of the team when they attack and have possession of the ball? Either way something is needed to add that extra ‘character’ that ‘winning spirit’ that ‘X factor’ that was within the team 2 seasons ago, which oddly enough did have that reliable DM in Carrick or even Mendes, did have that experience partly in Naybet, Davids, Lee, and Stalteri, did have a reliable defensive personnel in King, Tainio, Jenas and even Mido who was extremely vital defensively against set pieces.

Having said all that the situation isn’t as disastrous as one might think because the team has shown a capacity to look much more solid for large spells of a game when playing away from home where IMHO we seem to play with more organisation (Fulham, Bolton, Man United and Liverpool). After all we concede only approximately 1.5 goals away compared to our 2.5 goals against average at home. This shows that the team has a capacity to defend better than the overall 2 goals per game against figure. The team just needs to concentrate more, hustle and defend as a unit. The only way this can happen is if the midfield and defense co –operate with one another.

Money down the toilet? Or the 40 Million pound BLUFF?

africanspurs — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:07:00 GMT

Ladies and gentlemen, the clock is ticking and reality (not idle fantasy) is calling. The time has come to identify the problems that stopped us from breaking into the top 4. Have they been addressed?

One way of evaluating this is to look at our player acquisitions. What HAS our summer purchases done for us and our prospective outlook for this season? Have we made the necessary moves to make 4^th?

Darren Bent

As some of you readers may know, I am a pretty big Darren Bent fan and I fully felt that his purchase was necessary despite the large sum we paid. Darren Bent is definitely a player that will add some serious value and momentum in our quest for top 4.

Naturally some of you may ask….

“Why? We scored goals last season; it was hardly a department in which we struggled”

Good question. To an extent goals were not really an issue for us last season, something else was, which I shall get to later in this long article, but these goals didn’t come constantly over the course of the entire season. They came after an almost sudden belief our players had in themselves and their abilities, most notable factors included

The 4 nil win at Fulham
Berbatov settling into the premiership and displaying top class form.
The emergence of a more settled midfield with Zokora, Jenas , Tainio and Lennon

…..yet no Berbatov means our overall performance can drop drastically, team cohesion could be lost. Bent provides an easier transition in case of the need to drop or rest Berbatov ever arises. Not to mention that his partnership with Berbatov might actually prove to be more fruitful than Berbatov / Keane. Reason being is that the roles for both these players are more defined than with Keane and Berbatov, yet both are amply able to switch roles, something that would be key in taking the physical pressure of Berbatov.

Bent becomes an insurance policy on our goal department, goals which are needed to make top 4.

There are a whole host of other reasons, for those reasons please see the “Why Darren Bent “article on the home page of Glory-Glory.

As for the rest of the purchases, it gets slightly trickier and less obvious from here on…………………..

Kaboul

How does he help the drive to a place in the top 4?

He would need to be either at the very least as good as Dawson or King. Can people be certain of this? Time will tell. He certainly does have the physical attributes to succeed here, now all that is left is to know if he has what it takes in between the ears to make a serious impact on our team. However reports seem to point to him being a bench player. Is this caution to blood him into the team? Or could it be he isn’t as good as our first team pairing?

The Top 4 answer we would be looking for is the first possibility ……..caution.

At least that way our CB pairing in the FIRST 11 improves through his selection or genuine competition for places. But I won’t make light of the advantages of having a player near the quality of Dawson and King as they too also provide the same transition in performance levels at the back as Bent provides at the front. It could be the difference to maintaining a high performance level through the season at the back.

Bale

What does he add that improves our chances of a top 4 finish?

Some people seem to have this notion that you need a left foot to be successful on the left. I personally think that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. You do however, in my honest personal opinion, need to be able to deliver the ball from the outside left and in this aspect bale would be an improvement on lee (a player that I rate very much). However Bale’s delivery from the left adds what exactly? Goals and assists to the team stats? Perhaps, but like we mentioned earlier, the team never really suffered this last season once we found our feet. The key comes down to the big question…….

“How good is Gareth bale at defending to premiership standard?”

It’s difficult to judge Bale seeing there isn’t much experience against premiership opposition and against Man City in the cup he was made to look….ordinary. Bale is undeniably a talented and technical player, he’s also big (another improvement on lee, who despite his small size manages to operate the entire left side on his own when exposed), but the department which he must at least maintain in order to keep the top 4 push truly alive is to be able to defend as well as lee can. That is an absolute minimum (not to mention the ability to cover the entire left side without compromising himself or the team in either the attacking or defending departments) and the honest answer is that we don’t know if he can but we sure as hell will hope and pray and encourage him to do so.

Taarabt

I was delighted to hear that Taarabt signed for us just as much, if not more, as I was to hear about Bent. I personally feel that he is another player that adds a dimension of quality that we didn’t have last season, he can provide the outside left option and also the creative presence in the hole. His ability is very capable of allowing us a smoother transition into top 4, but the truth is that he is another youngster that isn’t tried and tested in the premiership for a prolonged period of time and as such falls into the realm of yet another squad player with a question mark to his contribution to our top 4 gate crash.

Danny Rose or Berchiche

If these players have a sizeable impact on our quest for top 4 I will be very impressed, or really worried cause it would mean that all other left options have failed or didn’t pass the mustard. Let’s move on from these two acquisitions because quite frankly I don’t see them featuring in the first team a lot if at all this season

The Prince…..?

Jol said Kevin prince Boateng is an attacking player that was bought to replace Ghaly. Does this ring alarm bells? Ghaly was a played out of position, used as a squad player and as such Prince Boateng might destined for the same fate. Personally I feel that Boateng is yet another player with the ability to play a wide range of positions (much like Taarabt), but also he could be a player that could raise Jenas’ game by being in direct competition with him for the position of box to box CM. For this purchase to be top 4 worthy he would have to displace someone from the starting 11 or cause someone from the starting 11 to raise their game or at the very least maintain the standard of the game our first 11 normally play at, which is once again top 5 or top 6

Do they maintain the level that we have become accustomed too? Or do they improve upon it?

So far it seems that the players ability wise (aside from Zidane junior) maintain a top 5 level, a simple basic assumptive deduction brought about by their place on the squad at this moment in time. Nothing wrong with this, I would be happy with another top 5 finish in what is fast becoming the hardest most competitive and most entertaining league in the world, but I cannot describe the feeling I would have if our team finished in the top 4.

However these players don’t seem to improve the first 11, they do seem to be gifted enough to maintain the level we are at.

Have the Deficiencies of last season been addressed?

Do we have more options to switch up our game? Thank the lord cause the answer for this one is YES. With the inclusion of Taarabt and Bale we have an outside left option both at fullback and left mid. This is definitely a step forward because we really didn’t have that option utilised last season, BAE might have offered something had he decided that he was allowed to pass the half way line from time to time (a behaviour that I can only guess would have been ordered by JOL). The option to utilise the outside left as well as a presence in the hole gives us an extra cutting edge.

There was however an even bigger problem, (no not the glaringly obvious lack of a determined, confident and composed ball playing centre midfield. We aren’t running for the league title yet and we seemed to be able to create through the middle in the 2^nd half of last season by playing as a team), defending seemed to be a skill lost to us.

Have we done anything to change our defensive problems?

No we haven’t, at least none for me personally that would significantly raise the first 11 defensive performances. We still have a problem with our defending at this time seeing as the first 11 hasn’t changed , so the midfield , personnel wise based on last seasons performances, still doesn’t help secure the defence. Barring player developments from the midfield on the defensive end, I still expect for teams to be able to pass the ball right to the front of our defensive backline with the midfield back tracking to come to support slightly late.

Something interesting is that everyone we have bought is approximately 5”11 and above….could these players we bought address the size situation we had during set pieces? Needless to say the midfield needs to defend better; our purchases haven’t seemed to target this problem. It’s not written in stone that we will still be porous through the midfield and who is to say that the resilience and bottle we had when we were with Davids and Carrick will be there in the coming season or not.

Is the differential between the fringe players what separates us from 4^th?

Assuming the players have all got standard top 5 ability….is the differential between the fringe players and the first 11 what separates us from 5^th (which if you have noticed by now we seem to be consolidating) and 4^th? Basically is squad depth of true quality what the management see as the way forward into top 4? The purchases would make a lot more sense. This way we may have the top 4 teams dropping points when they have to rely on their fringe players whereas we would be still maintaining a constant momentum that would allow us to overtake them (Liverpool or arsenal that is).

Let’s face it, compared to the top 4 teams our first 11 is not good enough for fourth unless there is significant improvement from their average performance from the entire of last season. That midfield spine once again doesn’t seem to match up. One thing is for sure if the management really want to make 4^th then they must have serious belief in most of the current team. That is the only way the purchases can be explained if they were targeted to truly help us break into the Champions League, that and the value they place on continuity and growing as a team to produce a free flowing settled side.

Any distractions?

Cup games and Europe could hinder our chances for top 4, especially if it gets in the way of team training and preparation (no one can answer this for sure outside of the Tottenham Staff, not even those with the three initials…..).

Winning silverware could be paramount, which would explain the big and better squad .Top 4 might not be at the forefront of the management’s mind (I don’t believe that for a second). So what are our intentions on all fronts? Will we sacrifice one or two cups for the sake of the league?

Does all this money mean that we are challenging for 4^th?

Short answer is NO. Only that your account gets deducted. The assumption that it will is naïve to say the least and doesn’t take into account the human error in judgement of purchases. The thought is born from a desire to progress from where you were and not to stay still. Maybe it’s cause the natural transition from 5^th 2 seasons in a row would be to challenge for 4^th in the 3^rd season. The money however will NOT guarantee this IMO.

So what was the 40 million and these players for?

Are we instead consolidating 5^th and thereby putting an impenetrable platform for which we can focus our attentions of then achieving 4^th and winning silverware and attacking on all front better?
Genuinely going for Top 4?

An alternative possibility is that the 40 million was for:-

The Future: - We have young squad; we went out there and actively paid money to buy into an even younger average age in the squad. Is it not plausible that we are looking to the future as opposed to a quick fix? There can be arguments made that we should focus on getting there NOW while others appear to be in transition. Well guess what, WE are also in transition as well. Better to get there with a solid foundation and stay there than to be present for one year and fall at the waist side having to pour tons of money to get back.
Longevity: - The squad is not only looking to the future, it is seemingly geared for a lasting future. A future that seemingly goes beyond the near sight objective of making the Champions League this year, but seems primed to unveil talents from the academy that could really take the premiership and the world by storm half a decade from now. Is this not possible?

The ability to grow together: - this applies to both the current senior team and those that may be part of our club for potentially the next decade. Having a settled and adapted side is actually one of the biggest factors to long lasting success, no one can guarantee that this approach will work, but it is refreshing to know that vision on this scale may be at the club. The age range and talent seem to be correct, though there isn’t a player that can be pointed to with the necessary experience here to maybe guide them as such, who’s to say that there won’t be in the near future. Alternatively these young hungry and talented players could all get the experience themselves to become a formidable force (assuming they don’t leave )
To challenge on ALL fronts with better quality for a period greater than a mere 9 months. After all we did reach the quarter finals of 2 cups and the semi finals in another. A better quality squad might take us two steps further.

To consolidate 5^th and therefore provide a platform we can use to truly challenge the top 4 this season, not just for now but also in the future.

Protecting our future should players leave or retire: - it is not unheard of to lose your best players. It is always wise to prepare for these outcomes. Why not get the replacements in early before they fulfil their promise so they may reach that plateau with your club instead of another club with ridiculous sums of money

That is an alternative explanation as to what the 40 million went towards, that is what the purchases potentially signalled, and that is something we should consider as a possibility should we ever question where the money went to and why.

Lets have faith and lets be patient.

Why Darren Bent?

africanspurs — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:18:00 GMT

Before a goal scored, an attempt squandered, before a ball kicked or the lilywhite shirt put on, and most importantly, before pen has been put to paper…Darren bent has caused a divide in opinions amongst Tottenham fans that mimic’s the Jenas transfer saga. In the same way as Jermaine Jenas, Darren bent’s purchase is viewed as either a waste of a lot of money or as a luxury to the squad that isn’t needed at this present time.

But how much of an unwanted luxury is it to have in your team the highest scoring English man over the past two seasons?

Standing at 1.80m and weighing approximately 75 kilos. Bent doesn’t posses a typical body that is associated with being a target man. As such one has to ask,

“Why is he being bought in the first place?”

His frame may indicate a particular breed of striker (smaller and agile fox in the box) but Bent’s utilisation over his career indicates a versatility that isn’t inherent in many English strikers in the game today.

Despite Bent’s physique he’s a good target man. Through intelligence, something I fully expect a couple of lads over on Glory-Glory will categorically deny Bent; he is able to make himself one of the biggest nuisances in the league for all types of centre backs. Stealing positions to hold or running into wider channels to make the supply for hold up play easier (something that “The Master” Berbatov does will so much success) all highlight the instinctive intelligence Bent has as a footballer to adapt his lesser than gigantic frame to make his hold up play one of the better ones in the league….certainly better than ALL of our strikers at this precise moment except for Berbatov.

Darren bent is probably faster than all of our current strikers at the moment including Defoe and Keane; he’s also probably a better leaper than ALL of our current strikers except for maybe Mido. Right now Tottenham don’t have a single striker that offers both dangerous pace and power that can give us the option to make our more direct approach very effective on a regular basis. His pace and wide channel movement would worry the stronger /slower / more physical defenders and his strength / leaping ability / hold up play would worry the more finesse and quicker defenders for most teams.

What positives do you get with Bent?

Balance on the striker rotation: - There is a evidence that Defoe and Keane cannot work together on a regular basis. You could probably count the number of times on 1 hand that they have excelled as a striking partnership for a majority of a game. Defoe can work with Berbatov but this is mainly because the partner of Defoe has to do most of the donkey work in the supplying department, Berbatov can do this if he has to because Berbatov can do everything. He’s an excellent striker gifted beyond anything the premiership has the moment. The supply appears to be one way traffic but to be fair Defoe does try harder and has improved in his link up work over the years and probably attempts to supply Berbatov just as much as Berbatov supplies him. This still doesn’t take away that Berbatov’s role becomes more confined to doing the brunt of the physical work both on the last line and when he drops deeper. Darren bent on the other hand would provide the option of doing a lot more physical work on the offensive end than both Keane and Defoe which would relieve the need for Berbatov to do so. This pairing will allow for a much more fluid and role defined relationship between the two strikers whenever either of the players decides to take up a position on the shoulder of the last man, in the wider channels or when dropping deep. Bents versatility also makes it easier for him to play with either Keane or Defoe. Tottenham would then possess a SECOND player in their ranks capable of playing with ANYONE in the front line (Berbatov being the first)
Versatility:- Bent can play as a lone striker, can play as a target man , can play off the shoulder of the last defender, has fantastic movement (makes both selfish and unselfish runs with relative ease), can score with both feet (though there is a clear preference for the right foot), is an aerial threat and finally can score from inside and outside the box
Game winner:- Bent had one less game winning goal than our game winning leader Berbatov and Bent has a knack for scoring goals in those periods that we wish we could kill off teams, half of his goals have come between the 70^th to 90^th minutes of a game
Consistency: - He has passed the test of being labelled a one season wonder. Over the past two seasons he has been in the premiership he has accumulated enough goals to make him the highest scoring English man in the premiership, surpassed only by Drogba and Henry. His shots to goal ratio according to Actim Stats for the season 05/06 was 2.67 shots to every goal and this season it was 3.3 shots to every goal
Keeps the team’s Momentum going: - It’s very simple, when Berbatov isn’t playing, we don’t do as well on most occasions. As such keeping the momentum becomes very important. We probably won’t do as well with Bent coming in for Berbatov but we should certainly do better than a Keane and Defoe partnership or a Keane/ Defoe and Mido of 2006/07 season partnership. Points that would have been dropped would be less likely to be dropped with a good player that can shift into Berbatov’s team sheet slot. Three strikers that working together in any pairing would mimic the trio of Yorke , Sheringham and Cole for United in that all three could play with each other to a very high standard , keeping the goals flowing, the wins coming and 3 points always a good possibility.

Bents possible inclusion brings about the question

“What about Defoe?”

Defoe used to appear invincible and every touch threatened to be a goal. It started out under Santini and carried on for a short period through Jol’s era, before Jol tried to expand Defoe’s natural game because at the time we were playing to the tune of a one man striking team which was obviously not the way Jol wanted to proceed. Until then Defoe was the focal point of most our attacks. An unselfish partner like Kanoute was imperative to allow Defoe’s strengths to be utilised as he would look to hold up first and bring other into the game especially Defoe. The team would benefit from the exceptional support role performances of Kanoute while Defoe would increase his goal tally as the main striker. Jol working on Defoe’s supporting play and making him work for the team was where the deadly striker appeared to fall short and couldn’t incorporate both styles of play into one.

Darren Bent is precisely this striker that Jol wants, a more natural and instinctive finished article of the kind of player Jol intended for Defoe. Bent is the fast and agile predatory striker like Defoe more than capable of doing the donkey work for the rest of the team and his strike partner in a similar way to King Kanoute. Sir Alex Ferguson recognised the need for a player like this with his record breaking purchase of Andy Cole and paying close to 20 million for Ruud Van Nistelrooy...and most likely Damien Commilli and Martin Jol recognise this as well. I fear that Jermain Defoe could fall down another place in striker rotation, ideally he should see this as a challenge and fight for his place, this is what many certainly hope for, but in reality it may signal Defoe's daparture as it could signal even less minutes for him and more minutes for a player that is in direct competion with Defoe and others for place in the England squad.

Of course it wouldn’t be right to ignore the possible downsides to this deal though there should be no reason at all to dwell on them. What could possibly be the downside of the deal?

The Price: - There is a lot of money going around in the Premiership thanks to the TV deals, plus the prices of successfully tested English premiership players are raised thanks to an inflated market. Combine these two factors with a rich club and what you have is a selling club holding out for as much money as they can get. Should we bow down to the pressure?
Uneven spread of transfer capital: - Would there be enough money to purchase the top level players we might need in other more urgent positions?

· His Technical ability :- May not be as high as say Berbatov or Keane's, but whose to say it wont improve with us as Andy Cole’s did when he joined united….

· His playing style:-May not be able to execute the "number 10" or “Bergkamp” type passes for his partners / rest of the team in the same way as Keane or Berbatov.

· Berbatov doing midfield chasing? :-A worrying possibility to a Bent / Berbatov partnership would be that one of Bent or Berbatov be required to drop into the early midfield ranks for defensive purposes as Jol likes with Keane. Not easy to tell how successful either will be at doing this.

The positives from a personal humble opinion outweigh the negatives. All in all Bent would be a very welcome addition and is clearly a top 4 calibre player, he may not be fanciful or graceful with the ball at his feet and he may not have a sexy South American ring to his name like Bentinho but the man can put the ball in the back of the net. With hopefully even more games to play in the coming season losing Berbatov for a game here and there shouldn’t stop us pilling on the wins.

So here's hoping that the Bent deal goes through....................