Comments on: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa: Don’t Blame The Loss On Scapegoat Gomes

By: lsmetana

lsmetana — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:03:03 +0000

I agree with your article Gaffer, Gomes bailed out Tottenham on several occasions prior to the mistake on Villa's winning goal. He was getting almost zero help from his back four. To be fair to Spurs they've changed a lot of players over the summer and were changing right up to the deadline...it's going to take a while to get up and running. I don't think they'll finish in the bottom spots but at this rate a 7th or 8th place finish would be a big achievement.

i disagree with your assesment of Ramos though. I think his response is appropriate. He's not ready to hit the panic button just because of a few reporters/pundits/fans calling for wholesale changes and sounding doom all around. There are plenty of points still to be had and he knows it'll take a while for the squad to gel.

I also agree with Michael that John Terry should not be the standard for captains. You want someone who has experience and is a calm head in the midst of a storm. I think Woodgate has that potential and no one else on Spurs jumps out as a natural replacement at the moment, maybe Huddlestone in the long term view?

By: artist formerly Alex Hleb

artist formerly Alex Hleb — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:34:28 +0000

their results make me smile.

By: artist formerly Alex Hleb

artist formerly Alex Hleb — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:33:27 +0000

looks like st totteringham day will come extra early this season, hopefully before christmas so then i can celebrate even more.

knock on wood

By: ihuy01

ihuy01 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:32:17 +0000

I think darren bent has had a harsh beating from media pundits/journas all round. His barely been given a sniff and he was scoring like no tomorrow in pre season. Case in point he gets once chance against Chelsea and he puts it away. He was winning balls in the air yet there was no support. To preface my point i didnt see this particular game but Darren Bent's greatest trait is his pace, he loves the space behind the back four. Yet noone has given him any decent service in all the games ive seen this season. Pav? the other russian bloke who injured his knee pre euros is apparently a much better player. Pav misses bags of chances but no doubt has potential.

I've followed modric for years since he starred for Zagreb v Arsenal in UCL qualifying, and his best position is up close like a number 10 to the strikers. He likes to play in that little hole playing his delicate passes and shoot. I've seen him play way too deep at times for spurs.

The real missing ingredient in my opinion is the defensive midfield position. Zokora played his best game against Chelsea but has been useless (and that's not being harsh) for Spurs since he has signed. His been found missing in action countless times. Add to the mix Dawson is shambles, King who is a great defender cant get himself fit and they still havent signed a good enough left back (gilberto? assou?) well you can tell why defensively they have problems. Bale is a phenomenal talent and he has done reasonable well playing at left back. He has a big physique, technically very good which means he can play in various positions. I dont think Ramos has found him his best position.

By: The Gaffer

The Gaffer — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:35:26 +0000

Michael,

What Spurs needs is someone to inject some grit into the squad and to get fired up when the chips are down. While I agree with you that John Terry is hardly a model captain, Spurs are in need of someone with his balls-to-the-walls energy. Screaming at Petr Cech last Saturday was a good example.

Someone should be doing the same thing to the back four to keep them in line.

Cheers,
The Gaffer