Positive report

We're always bemoaning the fact that we seem to get a lot of negative press, especially in the red tops. Here are some excerpts (copy & pasted below) from a glowing write up by Henry Winter, the Telergraphs cheif sports correspondent. Nice to see some positive press and felt it was worth sharing . . . .


Now that’s entertainment. Now that’s a rebuke to those who decry the Champions League group stage as boring. Even with 10 men, even with Twente far from makeweights in a thrilling Group A tie, Tottenham Hotspur showed what this club and Harry Redknapp are all about: attacking football, from first to last, whatever the score, whatever the numerical disadvantage, whatever the weather.


"Champions League – we’re having a laugh,’’ chorused the delighted Spurs faithful, singing in the rain, even ending an epic second half with chants of "ole’’ as Gareth Bale and company continued to flood upfield. Uefa should thank Redknapp and Tottenham for reminding everyone that it’s about the goals, about the glory.


Rafael van der Vaart began the scoring, Roman Pavluychenko converted two nerveless penalties before Bale, all stamina and skill, applied the coup de grace. The fact that two of Tottenham’s goals arrived when Van der Vaart had been dismissed for a second bookable challenge with 30 minutes remaining reflected Redknapp’s positive principles. Shut up shop? No chance.
As Van der Vaart headed to the showers, Redknapp simply went for it again, clearly believing attack was the best form of defence. Looking over his shoulder at the options on the bench, Spurs manager could have sent on Wilson Palacios, Niko Kranjcar or Vedran Corluka, ideal competitors to man the barricades. Redknapp’s decision? To introduce Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon and then Robbie Keane. Redknapp fought fire with flair.

When Lennon was slightly tardy in getting stripped, Redknapp filled the drizzly air with a burst of invective, hurrying the England winger up. Spurs manager wanted to set Twente more challenges.
Before kick-off, Redknapp had promised to attack and was as true to his word, starting with two up top, Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch, supported by a highly creative-looking midfield of Van der Vaart, Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone and Bale. Not many dogs of war lurked there.
Van der Vaart began an eventful evening on the right but roamed inside, linking neatly with Modric, also inviting Alan Hutton to charge down the flank. Spurs’ left -back, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, popped up on the right wing while Redknapp’s centre-halves, Ledley King and Sebastien Bassong, embarked on dribbles upfield against opponents good enough to win the Dutch title and hold Inter Milan last time out.
It was as if Danny Blanchflower’s famous paean to the Beautiful Game was being honoured by Redknapp. "The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning,’’ read Blanchflower’s words etched on the corridor walls inside White Hart Lane. "It’s nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It is about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.’’