Guardian Chalkboards: A Tottenham Hotspur analysis

Guardian.co.uk is my homepage on Firefox and so probably the news source i consult more than any otther. I mean, I don’t think an internet session goes by where I do not look at the BBC but nothing on Granuaid Sropt escapes my view.

I listen to their podcasts, read their minute-by-minutes (and attempt to ape them when doing live reports myself) and items such as “Classic Youtube” and “Our favourite things this week” are amazing time killers.

However they have surpassed themselves this time…

I realise this is a chalkboard for the American version of football, but you get the point.

…with the introduction of their football chalkboard technology. Anyone who reads the paper will see this analysis being done by an ex-pro, Gerry Francis and David Pleat most often, but now they have extended it to the readers as well.

At first glance it appears rather superfluous but scratch the surface and football geeks everywhere will be re-joicing.

So fair it only extends to Premiership clubs but if it was on Sky Sports it would simply cover the ***Big Four*** so let’s be thankful for the Guardian’s more socialist approach.

My initial reaction was to compare what I think is the best Tottenham performance in the past couple of years, with maybe the worst, against the same team anyway.

In Feb 2007, the 4-0 home loss to Manchester United was a total capitulation and one of the worst second half performances in my time as a season ticket holder. Fair enough the visitors were very good but Spurs just tolled over and died.

12 months later and we had a different team and a new manager. It was in the period before everyone decided Ramos (currently enjoying a very successful spell at Real Madrid) was complete rubbish and the players were behind him. Ignoring the last minute equaliser, the true sign of what made United champions that year, it was probably my favourite game at home in my time as a regular.

We competed all over the park, the debuting Alan Hutton was immense, we closed them down all over the pitch and full deserved a victory. Shortly afterwards we beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup final and thought we were finally headed in the right direction. Oh Tottenham…

My chalkboard for that game

Looking at the stats, they actually make for interesting reading. In terms of pure passes we were not as dominant as I remembered but I think the graphic I have linked to above is a good demonstration. Some points I noticed:

- Berbatov made five interceptions in the 4-0 loss as opposed to one in the draw. People who call him Berbatosser now would say it’s symbolic of his diminishing efforts but I personally choose to believe the ten men behind were playing to a much higher level and so he was able to play more on the shoulder of the last defender, which is where he made his sole interception.

- The amount made in the second game was almost double, and seeing as Berba made almost half on his own in the first game it again highlights the effort of the side.

- Hutton made five interceptions. I said he had a great debut and this is an example but he was clearly helped by the workrate of Aaron Lennon and then latterly Kevin-Prince Boateng. Compare this to the first game and only Malbranque (with one) made an interception in the deep wide areas.

- In the draw, our midfield two of Jenas and Huddlestone had clearly defined roles with Thudd covering a lot of ground in a deeper role while Jenas pressed higher up the pitch. In the loss, only Thudd from our midfield made any interceptions (two) and then they were in sporadic positions.

I could go on forever but, in short, I love these tools and will probably spend a silly amount of time on then in the coming weeks. After today’s north London derby, I shally fully analyse the reasons for our dismal defeat / glorious victory.

If you can’t trust the BBC…

From today’s BBC Gossip Column…

Chelsea are closing in on the transfer of Fiorentina defender Branislav Ivanovic. (The Times)

For those thatdon’t know, the column in question is just a collection of tales from the tabloids, updated throughout the day, and a guarenteed way to get loads of hits during the silly season that is the transfer window.

However the above extract is from today’s… oh dear. Just to confirm, the original story in The Times did not make the same mistake. Branislav Ivanovic is indeed already a Chelsea player. As this picture will attest to.

It’s slightly pedantic to point that out but when the BBC, the bastion of journalism in the UK / the world can’t even get a fact right regarding the big four, BIG FOUR, BIG FOUR then something is wrong.

Maybe the window is rotting their brains and they find it as rtedious as everyone else. Only three and a bit days to go thank God.

Matches of 2009: Cambridge City FC – now with pictures!

There was a slight delay in getting this post up, as I went to the game a week ago, but as you will see from the shaky mobile phone photos – it is worth the wait.

The above is of course not one of mine, but a better look at the stadium I was at this time last week. Milton Road, home to Cambridge City Football Club.

I was there to see Chippenham Town beat them 1-0 in a rather entertaining game that just about beat the elements to take place. In fact at one time in the day it was called off only for the referee to go back on this after confering with both managers.

This ground is probably more famous than many readers probably realise as it was the reason for the club’s controversial demotion to the Southern Premier League, despite them finishing outside the bottom three. It’s all explained here.

I have installed a Flickr widget for this blog, see the right hand column, and will try to post at least one photo from every new ground I attend. Unfortunately the first two aren’t the best but you get the idea.

The turnstile issue is still relevant and to get into the ground you, in my experience, walk from the car park through a main entrance (almost like entering a pub) and there a steward will take your ticket and point you in the right direction. There was a respectable crowd of 405 there last week, but on a busy game (they would have played AFC Wimdbledon and there hordes of supporters had they stayed in Conference South) it has the potential for calamity.

There is also very little behind either goal apart from a burger van and space for maybe two or three rows of people. I can’t compalin about the seating section, and the press box had cover and a wall socket to plug your laptop into which is a rare luxury, but I can see the reasons for their demotion. By Southern Premier League standards it is more than adequate. Certainly compared to somewhere like Mangotsfield which was pretty dreadful.

This is the stand I was based in, and by far the best of all four sides.

After this game, it was three games for me in as many games, all at different stadia but since then it has come to a grinding, frost-induced halt. I was meant to cover a game today, but weather in Wiltshire means no local ones are taking place.

I should be doing a game on Monday and Tuesday night though, the latter of which will be another venture in unknown territory.

2009: 10 days, three live games, three stadiums.

Matches of 2009: Sympathy for the Ghaly

Despite almost reneging at the last possible moment, I braved the cold to make my way to White Hart Lane last night for my second live game of 2009.

Alright, handsome.

I haven’t been to Tottenham since I was forced to give up my season ticket to emigrate from London for work commitments, so I probably should have been more excited than I was to make the 444 bus journey from the end of my road to the Angel Islington.

However comments from manager Harry Redknapp had basically said that we can’t win the competition and he isn’t going to necessarily field a full-strength side to give it the best possible go. There was also the fact the game was taking place on a Friday night, which just felt wrong and also that the tickets were in the South Stand of the ground. While it would be unfair to slander the entire section, because there are some genuinely really good fans there, but it also houses by far the largest concentration of morons by far.

The teamsheet presented some interesting story points though. Gareth Bale was back at left back with a chance to remind everyone that he was / is the most promising left back in Europe. Modric played in the middle of a 4-4-2, a tactic that Harry had criticised former boss Juande Ramos for utilising. Most interestingly of all, Hossam Ghaly was in a matchday squad for the first time (I believe) since he was threw his shirt onto the ground after being substituted, having earlier been brought on in the first half.

The game itself wasn’t much to write home about, so I’ll comment slightly on the Ghaly incident. He was booed last night when his name was announced. With about 15 minutes to go, he got stripped off and ready to come, a sight that was also roundly booed. A couple of minutes later Redknapp changed his mind and it was cheered.

For perspective’s sake, let’s explain the reason for the shirt-throwing incident. It was in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn, at a time when we were desperately trying to clinch fifth place. The crowd were edgey because it appeared as though it was going to slip through our grasp and a home game with Blackburn, which is the sort of fixture the WHL crowd assume should be  walkover, was deemed must win more than ever.

Ghaly was never a popular figure anyway despite putting in man of the match performances in the 2-1 home win against Chelsea and the 3-3 draw in the FA Cup. It’s too easy to cry racism, but the fact that he was Egyptian and therefore a friend of fellow player Mido (an unpopular figure for equally bozarre reasons) and I think that definitely counted against him from day one.

So on he came for the injured Malbranque and shortly afterwards Blackburn took the lead, although if memory serves there was no link between the incidents.

The whole team then took a bit of stick every time there was mis-placed pass. Ghaly was one of the few that didn’t alter his game though and refused to revert to simple sideways passes just to make sure it met the feet of a team mate but played his normal flair-filled game and continued to try through balls and chipped passes etc. 

Now he isn’t exactly Zidane in his prime, so not everything came and every miss-placed pass was booed with increasing ferocity.  He was the only one on the night actively trying to make something happen but alo the one being greeted with most derision.

The boos turned to cries of ‘getimoff’ and when still behind on the hour mark, with Robbie Keane ready to be introduced, fans were calling for him to be replaced. Gardner seemed the natural choice to go off, wth Tainio switching to full back, or even the Finn himself but Jol chose the Egyptian for I’m sure completely tactical reasons as he isn’t the type of manager who is so weak to be influenced by the crowd to the detriment of the team.

The decision was cheered more than anything else that night and he trotted to face the ultimate humiliation of a substitute being substituted to the jeers of his own supporters.

I don’t agree with the reaction to throw your shirt down at all, but given the circumstances his frustration must have been boiling over. It was wrong but he did and then came the fury.

“Ghlay, you’re a c*nt, Ghaly, Ghaly, you’re a c*nt” rang the South stand. Forums later demanded he never play for the club again and it seemed as though that would be the case until last night when Redknapp threw in a curveball.

The ironic thing is, he is clearly good enough to play for us and could do a decent job at a time when the manager himself has admitted we have a stretched squad. However that one show of dissent it seems will never be allowed to be forgotten.

The question now is whether he perseveres with the player, which in my opinion he should, or gives up on him forever. If the former then expect him to be brought on during the next away game, hopefully when already head, to get the stigma out of the way in front of as few fans as possible when in as good a mood as they can be. Maybe then they’ll show a little leniency nearly 20 months on.

New year, new idea

While covering a New Year’s Day football math yesterday, my mind wandered back to this ol’ blog as it often does, as I thought about how to utilise it more.

I realised that it was my third live game in five days and that I also planned to attend another two before January 3. Most of these are of course work commitments but occasionally I get to take in a visit purely on a social basis.

So in homage to Pyramid Passion and probably an endless list of geeky ground hopping websites all over the place, I will look to make  a short note on every game I attend and also take photos of grounds that are new to me.

I don’t plan for this to take over my life, and I will not go out of my way to visit new grounds in an effort to ‘complete a never-ending set’ but it’ll be a personal note anyway.

So, game number one. January 1, 2009, I was at Hardenhuish Park to take in Chippenham Town v Tiverton Town. I won’t go into it too much as my live updates can be read here, but it was ok and as much as I couldn’t face the world after going out for new year’s eve, I enjoyed myself once there having stayed awake for the 2hr journey from London.

Hardenhuish Park is a regular haunt for me now and I shall upload photos from a future visit and it’s a nice venue, especially considering some of the grounds you see in the Southern Premier League.

I’m going to Tottenham this evening and Cambridge City tomorrow (my life is all glamour) so that will be three games in three days for 2009. I’m curious to see how many I make it to in the year as a whole. If I had to a spread market I would say 58-62 but we shall see.

2009: DAYS 1, GAMES SEEN 1, GROUNDS VISITED 1.

Four grand a day!

Pedantic? Maybe, but wasting an opportunity to point out the atrocity that is punditry on football coverage is something that would sit far more uncomfortably with me.

When alluding to the financial might of Manchester City on Match Of The Day last night, former Arsenal defender and thus ready made pundit for the BBC, Lee Dixon, speculated how the credit crunch might affect them.

In these troubled financial times everyone is having to make cutbacks and the conclusion reached was that multi-billionaire oil barons are no exception.

Having said that the fact that, y’know, they won’t be affected in any way, could make them a class apart from everyone else in the market and thus be able to continue the bullying tactics that enabled them to steal Brazilian superstar Robinho from under the noses of former king of the playground Chelsea.

While the likes of West Brom are looking to bring players in on loan, manager Mark Hughes has a chequebook capable of offering wages previously unheard of in world football. Yes, Dixon confirmed, the sums reported are so astronomical they could even reach FOUR or FIVE thousand pounds a day in salary.

Frankly mind boggling but let’s put that into perspective. That sort of figure daily would mean a weekly wage of 30-35,000 pounds A WEEK.

I’m not sure I have enough noughts on my keyboard to do the annual sums but in words that would be one and a half to one and three quarter million pounds a year.

With that kind of finance on offer the Premiership will surely soon become a one-horse race unfortunately.

The Zokonundrum

While perusing two of the resources that I link to on this very site, it set me off thinking about Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora. I’ll admit to not being a massive fan of his, not that I dislike him in any way – in fact quite the opposite, and I began to wonder if he is the most under-rated players in the country?

I was driving back to London this moring and listening to a hot-off-the-iTunes download of last night’s World Football Phone In. Annoyingly it was a 40 minute podcast of a special four hour show (hopefully the iPlayer can provide the other 200 minutes) but the subject of Zokora came up.

Gareth Southgate appreciation post

It’s half time in the game pitting Middlesborough against Arsenal in the Premiership but the encounter has already provided enough evidence that Gareth Southgate is fast turning into an excellent manager.

I’ve long held the opinion that he was showing enough promise for a young manager in an incredibly difficult first job, but to be honest I’ve never really seen enough of his teams to confirm it one way or the other. Until now.

Sunday, November 30: A potentially great day of football

I typed ‘Soccer geek’ into Google images and strangely this came up. It’s not hugely appropriate but made me laugh anyway.

There are occasionally benefits to being ill. Feeling horrible and not wanting to leave your bed are not among them. However having a PC, laptop and (admittedly onlt terrestrial) television in front allow for opportunities of tremendous football-related geekdom.

I have decided to fully embrace this concept today, especially with the line-up of football on offer. As I start this post I am watching a highlights programme of yesterday’s league football on ITV. There is then Swansea v Cardiff, mixed with Histon v Leeds in the FA Cup. We then have the Mancs derby, Tottenham v Everton (assuming there’s a stream) and Chelsea v Arsenal to contend with. Following that, if I haven’t gone off sport forever, there will be two La Liga games although the do clash with my NFL team playing on Sky Sports. I will also be playing Football Manager in the background for good measure.

So join me – and if you’re in the mood then bother me on Meebo (see right) – as I attempt to watch more of the game in 12 hours than I previously thought possible.

Match Of The Day: LIVE THOUGHTS

Mr Mowbray, I saulte your admirable but ultimately unsuccessful attitude to the Premiership.

How exciting. I want to update the blog mre often and I’m watching football, so why not type along…

Sunderland 1 – 4 Bolton: You know you’ve got problems when a Gary Megson side make you look average, and it’s not just the grey patch on Roy Keane’s beard that will have Sunderland asking questions.

The fact that their manager is so awful at signing players is one. Not that he always signs dross, but he seems so naive in some respects. For example, Chimbonda is a known mercenary with an attitude problem but a good player with it. You can’t expect to him turn into an angel overnight just because you’re a bit scary and so he is banished to the reserves for acting like he always has done, Either don’t sign players with questionable attitudes or work to their strengths if you do.

Bolton are improving and I didn’t realise how much until MOTD pointed it out. They’re not safe yet but you would think they are playing well enough to finish 15th or something. They put their chances away clinically here with Elmander showing signs of why they paid a frankly proposterous ten million quid for him.

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Fulham: Not much to say about this. Seemed a bit of a dull game. The excellent Gab Marcotti pointed out that Villa were one of the biggest spending teams in Europe over the summer and so their recent success should be partly expected rather than a testament to a plucky team of kids.

They plainly don’t have a big enough squad to compete on all fronts and with O’Neill’s tactics focusing on high-tempo and quick running, they will tire by March I would have thought. They aren’t going to break the top four as is being asked (I doubt the pundits even believe this) and fifth could even be beyond them if some other teams pull their finger out.

Wigan 2-1 West Brom: I thought it was strange that the show started with Sunderland / Bolton but I’m starting to see why.

The moment I realised WBA were going down was when they lost at Anfield earlier in the season. Not that they should have got something out of the game but they played 4-4-2 with four attacking midfielders. I’mconflicted because I applaud Mowbray for playing the game in a postive way when Stoke, for example, didn’t even resemble a football team when they went there. Sadly, Stoke got a point and Brom left with nothing and you can only sheer naivity.

They are playing nice stuff and losing and this game today was a perfect axample. They took the lead (through an inspired Bramble error) and seemed to create a number of chances to pull clear. However they are in a wierd state of not being good enough to put away enough chances that their defensive errors aren’t important, yet still conceding goals regularly.

It’s a shame that they will probably even finish bottom, below much worse teams, but ultimately far more effective ones.

Stoke 1-1 Hull: Hull are a mixture of the other two promoted sides, and show the best and worse characteristics of both. Are capable of taking the game to teams with better reputations, but solid and more astute defensively and are also more savvy with set pieces. I don’t think they are as good going forward as WBA, although that may be silly considering they have scored more, and they probably aren’t as good defensively as Stoke.

As it’s a Stoke game we of course have the sub-plot of the The Delap Long Throw, which incidentally I think would be a good album title for someone. It’s completely made everyone lose their head and you can’t help but think the hysteria surrounding it makes it more effective than if people thought rationally about how to handle it.

This game summed up the lunacy when the Hull keeper chose to give away a corner rather than a throw in out of sheer fear about a fucking high ball coming into his area. Unfortunately, Stoke also used the patented corner technique of putting a high ball into the area.

Hull hada hilarious methos to combat it which involved sending a sub (Dean Windass) to warm up in the space where he would normall run into before releasing. It was as funny as it was mindless and the inevitable booking for obstruction was soon forthcoming.

Side note – Fuller scored with one of the weakest penalties I’ve ever seen. Naturally, Pulis says it was a pen while Brown disagrees. Fuller has left his leg in but Myhill is naive in giving him the opportunity as he wasn’t going to pose an immediate danger from there anyway.

In a separate post I shall give my solution to the Delap DIlemna. I have the whole thing figured out and should really sell the proposal, but will plant it here to justify the purchase of a domain.

Middlesborough – Newcastle: Oh, I don’t know the score of this one ahead of time. On paper this is clearly th biggest fixture of the day with the local interest. I can only assume it was utterly awful.

The weather seems even worse than the game I was at, if that’s possible.

Martins wasn’t happy at beng subbed and paced rather than stormed down the tunnel. I’m sure that’s nothing that being told you’re a c*nt and *generates random CRAZY GANG antic* burning all his clothes won’t put right. He does seem to be chronically under-rated by a series of Newcastle managers though.

The game ended 0-0 which probably say as much the weather as anything. Shearer says it was awful but that’s no indication of anything given his taste in clothing.

Viduka made a not bad joke in the post-match interview about how he knows everyone in Boro loves him really. So of course Lineker decided to play it with a straight bat and kill the mood.

…and that’s it for Match Of The Day. I plan to watch most of the Manchester derby, the whole of Spurs v Everton and the second half of Chelsea – Arsenal tomorrow. I may even do a LIVE BLOG of said events. We’ll see…