Finally Pleat selects a half decent team. No Richards, Anderton or Poyet. A 4-3-3 / 4-3-1-2 like this: --------------Keller Carr--Doherty--Gardner--Tanno ----Brown---King----Ziege --------------Keano -------Kanoute---Defoe Keano played a deep roaving role and looked like he enjoyed it. Doherty made a lot of great blocks, looks like his break from the team and new contract has inspired him, also not having the lumbering liability Richards next to him must have helped. Kanoute looked rusty but the ability is there and having his height up front is an advantage. I liked Ziege a bit more infield on the left midfield, means his lack of pace wasn't as big a problem and let him get on the ball a bit more. All in all pretty encouraging, Newcastle are dangerous on the break with their pace and Robert's shooting, but it's looking open.
Luckily, I checked immediately before starting a new thread, and while I wrote this, Send had put up a thread. So I'm not duplicative! Spurs entertain Sir Bobby Robson's men. It appears as our newly welcomed Spur BigSoccer.com supporter Thomas Brolin has gotten his wish, and Spurs field possibly their most offensive team of the season, going with 3 forwards. I'm not sure how it'll look, either a 442 with Keano at the point of a diamond midfield (supported by Brown), or whether it'll look like a 451/433/Christmas Tree something like this: ----------------Kanoute---------------------- ----------Keane---------Defoe--------------- -----Ziege--------Brown-----------Davies---- Taricco------Gardner------Doherty-------Carr Oddly, it seems that this attacking lineup is holding nil-nil at half-time. Same ole' Spurs, always entertaining and always unpredictable! Go you Spurs! -Digital
Tottenham 1 Newcastle 0 Own goal wins it. Quite a scrappy game, lots of half chances. The 4-3-3 started to struggle a bit in the early part of the second half, lack of a linkup between attack and midfield. Redknapp made his comeback on the switch back to 4-4-2, but Dalmat was by far the brightest sub, looked lively again and he helped set up the winner via Keano. Brown had a great scrapping game, Defoe showed a lot of persistance particularly right at the end. Such a pity that the team can beat the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Charlton, but then balls it up against the likes of Boro and Leicester.
Congrats on the win. Any time you beat Newcastle, it's a great victory. Now we're only 2 points behind Liverpool and only 6 points off the pace for a Champions League spot. Tight table, this could go down to the final game. I've said these things before and I'll say them again: 1. I don't like the 451/433. It strands one man up top (451) preventing many options and allowing defenders to stop the attack, or it makes you too weak in midfield (433) to win balls, defend, or generate much offense. It's just a bad system, IMHO. 2. Robbie Keane is a true talent, but he's wasted as a midfielder of any kind. Sure, he has the talent to impress, but he doesn't really put his stamp on the game from that position. 3. With all of our quality strikers, we should be starting two and subbing at least one every game. When they're fresh running at tired defenders, we have a very good chance to score late. IMHO, this advantage is totally negated when all 3 are starting, because all 3 are tired at the end of the game and do not have the energy, quickness, change of pace, or change of style to unlock the weary defense. This may be a win, but to me, this should end the discussion of the 433. This offensive formation derailed an extremely potent attack, and it took an own goal to score at all. Obviously, the 433 with Keane, Kanoute and Defoe doesn't count defense as its strong suit. Congrats to the team, Pleat included, but I hope this ends the 451/433 experiment. -Digital
Great win for Spurs. I would stick to the 442. Keane and Defoe right up top together. Pleat was hilerious with his after match comments. I'll miss this guy once you get a new manager just for his comments.
He'll still be around as Director of Football. His comments are amusing, but not to us when he's failing at the management side... today though he deserves the credit for making a lot of good changes and taking some gambles.
By all accounts, it seems like Doherty stepped it up today. I heard he had a poor missed chance, but apart from that his defence was some of the best on the field today. Good to hear.
Did you mean that very subtle similie? I doubt hell is very funny, especially if you think of yourself as God's chosen - which in itself is a very old philosophy, of course the jews thought of themselves as the chosen people. I assume you knew all this before embarking on your comment. Anyway, enough with the pleasantries, a win is a win and we're now within touching distance of a European place. Shame Villa destroyed Wolves though.
it seems we've been in touching distance for a while now. the whole table seems to basically be static, but with 11 teams separated by only 11 points, it could make for a really exciting end to the season