It’s been a different festive fixture crush for Tottenham Hotspur fans and we are all still waiting to see what happens to our potential Europa Conference League appeal, but at least everyone headed into Christmas Day with a smile on their face as manager Antonio Conte’s side backed up a very good point against Liverpool with EFL Cup semi-final progression against West Ham United on Wednesday evening.
Once a jolly fat man breaks into our homes and people recover from their meals, it’s all eyes to Crystal Palace on Boxing Day and then a very rapid turnaround to Southampton two days later – but more on Southampton when we know whether or not it actually goes ahead.
For now, it seems safe to guess the Palace clash will continue as planned but what squad Conte can call on remains to be seen and depends what the test results say between now and then.
But that’s a worry for another day, Sunday, in fact.
Until then, to everyone on Vital Spurs, have a great Christmas with you and yours and once some of us have sobered up (hic), I’ll wish you all a Happy New Year and thank you all for putting up with me for another one as well.
Niall,
I’m not sure I’ve got a “bumper sticker” name for what I’m trying to describe. For me, football is about space on the pitch. Move the opposition on the pitch so they are out of place. Move the ball quickly so as to exploit spaces and to open them up. Run into spaces to draw opponents out of where they want to be. It’s about opening up spaces into which flow can take place. It’s not about clogging up spaces so no one can flow. A football pitch is not a parking lot. It’s a beautiful ballet. It’s a grand prix. It’s the flowing vortex of the stars in the galaxies.
I’m not inclined, I suppose, to call for “free flowing,” perhaps because I’m not sure about “free” in this case. To much freedom can open up spaces to one’s own disadvantage. Anyway, “freedom” is a slippery concept whether in football or in society. To live in a decent society requires some limits on what we do. I’m not free to screw you over, am I? One needs to act within a sense of respect for the whole and for the other parts in the whole. Read the flow to sense what is decently possible.
I surely do want flowing football, but I want, I suppose, an intelligent flow within a system that requires everyone to be treated with respect. Respect for one’s self, for one’s teammates, for the plan within which one works and plays, respect for the club’s supporters, and, yes, respect for one’s opponent.
Winning by boring everyone to death is disrespectful to all of those components. Running amok isn’t respectful. Taking a difficult shot when a make a pass to a teamate who can take an easy shot isn’t respectful. Cheating is not respectful. Blaming God for one’s cheating hands surely isn’t respectful.
Even a hunter should respect the prey, and give thanks for the sacrifice of an animal in the sustenance of one’s tribe.
Football played without flow is an insult to the game. Football played like clowns pouring out of a small car in a circus is disrespectful. Chaos is not flow. It’s the breakdown of flow into madness, and is equally disrespectful to the game as is “parking the bus.”
I want respect for a beautiful game played with a sense of its beauty. For me, this is the ancient tradition of the THFC of my long-gone youth. This is why I chose this team to support all those decade ago. This is what I loved of the Brazilian seleção when I was a young man. Football should pursue beauty. Winning the wrong way is not fulfilling because it leaves something empty in me. Being fulfilled cannot have empty spaces. True joy is all in or not. Joy cannot tolerate nagging doubts.
You see, football, like the wider life, is about flowing in the spaces. Neither is satisfying when chaotic and neither is fully satisfying when it stagnates.
Happy Boxing Day. Remember those who have less than we do,
Wow. HK10 with a rare goal this season. Hopes and prayers that this starts the goals from HK10 begin to flow. It’s all about the flow, Harry. Be the beautiful HK10, not the one mired in frustration.
Wow wow wow. 2 goals in a minute. The faucet has been opened. The water flow in.
2 up and wilfred zaha down. WTF? Am I in a dream?
Feeling a lot better about our back 3 now Zaha has gone.
TQ, me too. And it also opens up more spaces on the pitch for us to exploit going forward. Zaha red carded changes all the space on the pitch going in both directions.
We need to bring in another CB or Conte needs to use a magic wand in reforming those we have.
Don’t understand why Rodon isn’t being used, I would bring him on for Dier earlier rather than later to rest him for Tuesday.
What is it with this team? We play the first 20 minutes like statues, bang in two great goals, get a lucky break with the red card, and then fanny about for the rest of the game. I just hope that at the end of the season if we are joint fourth on points with Arsenal, that GD doesn’t go against us. They didn’t fanny about today.
LT….just my thoughts also, especially the fannying about, lol!
It was as if “ah well we have won this” no real get up n go and destroy them, goal difference and all that. COYS
We are still to nice.
Even Palace supporters are slating Zaha, how can such a moron earn so much money playing football ? If Viera had been there would he have taken him off in time to keep Palace at eleven ? From our viewpoint another satisfactory game. Even when Palace had the ball they never looked like they would do much with it. We were organised, disciplined and scored when the opportunities presented themselves. We didn’t bust a gut but given we go again 48 hours later that is just being professional. A special mention for Moura who ended with a goal and two assists and was brilliant and Tanganga who did a great job playing on the wrong side of the pitch. If we want to buy a player in the mid season window a left footer who could deputise for Davis wouldn’t be a bad idea. If we win our games in hand we go fourth and that’s looking a bigger possibility with every game we win.
Hi folks,
Good result, well “managed” game in Itilain fashion.
Here’s where we are, since AC took control, no lost premiership games, I think 12 goals scored 3 against.
I did say it would take a while, and that we would need to become hard to beat, I don’t often revel in these things but seeing the whinging, cheating, Saha sent off was a delight, espically after his histrionics in our last meeting.
Don’t forget we were 2-0 up before they had anyone sent off.
TK, TBH
Lost interest after the first paragraph.
Can we be more entertaining, free flowing, more athletic? Yes
Did we win the game comfortably and not for the first time? Yes.
Are we moving in the right direction???
Emerson , Reggie and Doherty are not the players we want as wing backs .
Most of their crossing and ball distribution is poor . Emerson looks like a giraffe and Reggie just runs an∂ Doherty just doesn’t fit .
This is what has happened to the club when recruiting . We buy 2nd best ( iand you have to ask if they were that good at their previous club why did they sell them ?)
Apart from the one good cross which led to the goal today how many other satisfactory crosses leading to goals have been produced by these three during their time at the club ?
Allan – naturally you don’t tell us who we do want as wing backs or what it would cost to buy them. The negative comments on this site doing nothing more than slagging off our own players is really depressing.
Allen, nobody will be buying and selling players so.
Conte in charge = baby steps, slowly but surely, does for me.
He will know more than us what he wants, thats for sure!
Just wait n see January is just round the corner. COYS
123 You could well be right . However if Conte can develop players considered not good enough by supporters and create a good team ethic ( already begun ) then new players might not be required . However With the back log and speed of matches to be played will the present squad survive without getting fatigue and injuries ?
Are Son and Moira able to keep their speed for the rest of the season ?.
Jod I’m not paid millions to decide who we ought to or not to purchase .
I am not an expert on players abilities but just a supporter who is making comments on what i perceive as some poor buys and hence good money spent unwisely . Emerson has been singled out by Conte as needing to work harder and improve .
However , if Conte can develop some that I have mentioned then for one I will be pleased and delighted and continue to hope that we might be able to achieve something this season .