Shape of Things to Come?

cynicsid wrote:Thats just about how I see it as well Ion.


Let us hope that it's seen that way by all mate, particularly if we hit a trouble patch. You probably remember as well as I do, how everything was euphoria under Jol, until he didn't get where we wanted to be fast enough for some. I'd be heartbroken if all the hard work, to date, comes unstuck because of the impatience from some quarters. It's tantalising how close we are, all it needs is a bit of time. Everything I'm reading, about the players, is that they are unified in what they want to achieve at Spurs.

They want it as much as we do.

It's a pitty because our strikers should be a lot better than they are performing right now but I dont think they are going to turn it around any time soon.

I agree mate, that's the main reason I see to us needing to move at least 2 on. As much as I like Crouch, I can only see him being used as the bench striker. If he was in gridiron he'd be classed as 'Special Teams', brought on to try something different if the tried and trusted isn't working. He's just too weak in the important area of finishing.

Keane, for my money, is on borrowed time. He doesn't fit into either the managers plans or those of the fans really. He's been a great servant but he'll never spearhead a strikeforce challenging for the title, he doesn't even give you that 'something different' that Crouch does.

Pav, I believe, will be the other to go. He's another support striker who will always play a secondary role. I'd choose him to start ahead of Crouch more often than not, but I don't think he's good enough to replace Crouch as that 'something different'. IMO, his future at Spurs will depend on whether he can forge a partnership with whoever we bring in to replace Keane. That's if Defoe doesn't do it first. IF JD does then Pav will be gone.

Personally, I think we should be looking for 2 strikers and I wasn't joking too much when I wrote the Eduardo post. He showed, at the goons, that the ability was there, it took him a while to get over the break but he looks like he's there now and playing alongside Moddle, Krankjar and Charlie might just have some appeal for him. No harm in trying eh?

And just think how it'll send the goons to chewing the legs off their sideboards!!

The danger of course is that we will start loosing players, I dont mean Bale and other 1sr choices but players like Kranjca and Bentley & O'Hara who are of major importance because as they push for a start they push the current team to do better and better all the time.

True mate, but I also agree with Yid in that, if there is better quality (or better potential) out there then maybe that is the way to go. We have a huge midfield really and players like that will not be happy playing bit part roles. They're not learning their trade but are in their prime and wanting first team Football. If they're 3rd or 4th choice at Spurs then they'll go where they're 1st choice.
This is where the difficulty of squad management comes in and rotation plays its part. Going out of the CC so early hampered our ability to give these players an opportunity to showcase and push for a first team shot. Maybe they'll get a go in the early rounds of the FA Cup. These players are high quality pro's, some of them Internationals and that wouldn't demean the trophy, even if they are not first choice.
I have to admit that I'd hate to see Kranky go. I'm also being won over ........ Again ......... by JJ. He's played consistently well for the last half dozen games. Can you remember the last time we ever said that?
Bentley I wouldn't lose sleep over TBH, O'Hara I'd be in two minds about. For me, he is to Spurs what Fletcher is to Utd.

If our strikers were performing better we could run the risk of playing these fringe players a bit more and therefore keep the whole squad happier and lets face it better prepared to be called on.

Absolutely. I don't think our strikers will ever be what is required though mate. None of them is really the goal machine required to challenge for the top. Chelsea have Drogba and an only slightly less effective Anelka.

Told you we should have bought him!

Utd had Rooney last season and Ronaldo the previous one.

As they are the only two who really challenged for the title, I'll not mention anyone else.

Only Defoe made anywhere near 20 goals, last season, and even he had some lean spells.

Who knows though. Maybe Defoe will be the catalyst that sparks a few goals more from the others. Maybe Crouch will try the Charles Atlas regime and put enough power into his legs to be able to kick a ball hard enough to actually cross a goal line.

Currently we have had a couple of bad CL matches and lets face it, in Wigan West Ham & Everton we have missed out on 8 points we really should of got ( we scored 1 goal in those 3 games). It's those results changing that will make all the difference, Facing the goons and chelsea while we are about level on points is a lot easier than being several behind, same goes for Man U. We need the confidence of knowing we are unlikly to cock it up before we will be on level terms mentally and that confidence comes from doing as good as those teams against the rest of the league. Being consistant, in beating the teams we are expected to beat. To do that we need goals & not just enough but a strong positive goal balance that gets the rest of the league worrying about us before a match.

You said it.

Right now any team can reasonalbly expect to restrict us to a single goal or two and that gives them confidence.
Our defence & midfield is as good as any in the league. WE really need a set of strikers that put fear into the opposition.

I like the sound of this African guy playing at Marseilles. Powerful, fast, good in the air and has an eye for goal. I'd like to see us with some real power up front.
And I really am warming to the idea of Eduardo too. Power and guile up front, with the kind of service we can provide, would yeild a real glut of goals. We wouldn't be breaking the bank for these two either.
I also think that the advent of Eduardo would keep Defoe firmly on his toes.

Everything else will fall into place.

ionman34 wrote:



I still maintain that this squad is a hop, skip and jump away from being the finished article. Not a lot to do to get the team correct ...............


A couple of Strikers and a therapist eh?