Going 98 mins or so and making meaningful contributions, after all that travel and a full 90 in wilting heat 3 days ago. Warrior.
Only embarrassing if you never played soccer. A bouncing ball with the weaker foot? Easier said than done, homeboy.
You could see Holtby further back with Parker next match. Ade and Dempsey up top. It depends how Dembele feels after that nasty tackle late in the game. Next up is Lyon on Thursday. Not much rest for the weary.
Lol, a 'world class' footballer has no excuse for missing an open goal from 4 yards or for having a 'weak foot'. And yes I've played 'soccer' to an ok standard.
so you realize that this happens to all players, including Messi and Ronaldo. Messi has a weaker foot, BTW.
It's not just goal.com; it's also a bunch of posters on the Tottenham forums. Yeah, Dempsey looks slow, cannot seemingly keep up on the counterattack, does not look "flair-y" etc... but he was a warrior putting in a solid shift despite all the minutes he's logged. And AvB obviously rates him; preferring Dempsey to start up top over a more "natural" striker in Adebayor who had an extra three (3) days of rest. A lot of people were wondering Holtby was subbed instead of Dempsey; after watching the replay, I thought Dempsey put in the more solid shift. Yes, Holtby put himself in good positions early on and missed some decent chances but he was not much of a factor later in the game.
This sounds like the biggest reason the Spurs fans think the Spurs strikers just are not good enough. With the exception of Defoe's early season goal-scoring spree, the strikers have "looked poor" in eyes of the fans (not necessarily AvB) whether it be Defoe, Adebayor or Dempsey. Then again, who needs strikers when you have Bale ?
The fact that Dempsey, despite the miles and even with younger, less tired blood on the bench still gets run for 90 only reconfirms that AVB recognizes Demps contribution. Dempsey often "looks poor" if you don't know what you're looking at. But I have expected AVB to sit Demps much more this season. Injuries etc. have made that more difficult than he might have liked, but it's clear AVB likes what Demps brings. Spurs, the last couple of years, have gotten a lot of goals from midfield. Harry made Defoe learn to play hold-up and Adebayor had a lot of assists to gow with his goals last year.
Dempsey was half-decent. Lennon was poor. Adebayor was not good, but surprisingly useful in that he takes up space. Holtby started strong, but became less effective over the game. I didn't think Dembele had is best game. Bale was the good Bale, which is pretty special.
Gritty, committed team player? Absolutely. Warrior? Not even close. But I'm with ya in appreciating what Dempsey brings.
but is he a world class gritty, committed team player with a weak foot? Or is he a poor man's warrior?
watch the match again. Lennon was a defensive force for the entire match. Everyone did little things in this match. Parker was actually cutting out passing lanes. Dembo was playing manly defense, Clint was battling. Dawson was throwing himself about. It was a good team win against a ncu team that can score.
Newcastle has won two straight so beating them was a good result. I think only Spurs and ManU are undefeated in their last 10. Spurs will be white knuckling it to the finish but they can't feel too bad about where they are, all things considered.
Read my post again. Never said word one about Dawon or Parker, focusing on the more attacking players. As to the two players we disagree about, (insert rude comment here similar to "watch the match again"): Lennon was horrible on offense. Running around doing the little things is nice but Lennon's ineptness in the offensive third (his major task in the role he has), was a major reason why Tottenham struggled with a weaker team at home. Dembele did work hard, but again, he had enough dodgy touches and poor passes for me to conclude that he could do better.
Haven't we conversed about the poor's people once before? If our hero Dempsey is a poor warrior, or poor person's warrior, or a warrior, or whatever... then he must be a monk. And monk's kick ass.
was not meant to be rude. was just saying, on first viewing, Lennon was crap. On second viewing he was winning possession in the defensive 3rd on both sides of the pitch. I find it refreshing that this team can win while doing dirty work rather than look good dropping points. I guess just a different perspective. I like ugly wins.
He's not anybody's warrior. In a society where maybe 1% serve in the military and far fewer see actual combat, I am not really surprised that so many have no issue with describing athletes as warriors. It just bums me out a little, especially 12 years after 9/11. My sensitivity is born of seeing the damage done to those I served with. Here's another Clint, a warrior worthy of the title; http://www.army.mil/article/95790
You may be pleased to know that the total number of veterans and active service military is more like 7%. (It's a half a percent for active duty.) 'Warrior' as an semi-technical umbrella term for soldiers, sailors, and airmen is relatively recent, so you shouldn't really expect it to drive out earlier colloquial uses.