Spirit and Backbone Needed

Article by Shaun Simon

Regardless of how dire the situation at our club seems at the present moment, when you get your pen out and list our first team squad you can’t help but purr at the amount of international talent we have within our squad. We have one of the world’s best goalkeepers, four internationals make up our quartet on centre halves, England right back, England U21 left back, each of our midfielders capped by their country and a striking trio with 124 caps between them.

Everybody knows that any given team could possess the world’s best players, but if there’s no heart and pride for the shirt everything will eventually come crumbling down very quickly. Footballers have always been rich, maybe not earning as much as today's player but nonetheless there’s always been enough to buy several properties, fleets of supercars and the most flamboyant of haute couture goods for the wife or girlfriend. What totally amazes me is the total lack of guts on show these days, especially from our team.

There was a documentary on television about a decade ago about our F.A. Cup win in 1981. Garth Crooks narrating in the well-spoken way in which he does. He spoke of how disappointed Ricky Villa was in being sent off in the drawn final. Crooks went on to reminisce over a moment that certainly put a lump in my throat as I watched. At the point where we were losing 2-1 without seeing any obvious way into the game Ossie Ardiles went flying full-on into a tackle by the touchline. He turned and made eye-contact with Crooks who describes Ardiles eyes as black as marbles. Ardiles totally consumed with fire, anger in his eyes and totally unwillingness to lose that match, almost inhuman. Not a word said, just standing there panting with fists clenched. Crooks said for that moment in time he’d never forget how time stood still, this death stare from Ardiles near hypnotising him in. Crooks began to feel this wave of emotion and fire within bursting out, his eyes glazing over. He becomes more vocal with this overwhelming sense of willpower. Crooks then found himself staring out the nearest team-mate who then gets riled up, and so the chain went on through the team and we know how that match ended. I ask myself where that desire in our present day squad is. Looking at the squad where is the leadership?

There was another TV memory I had back in the early 90s. We had spent almost the entire season fighting relegation. There was a midweek late night sports show in front of a studio audience where Roman Vega was guest with a few other sports personalities. A spurs supporter stood up and accused our players of valuing the lifestyle over what we stand for as a club. Vega turned red with rage, stood up almost in tears and began a rant screaming he couldn’t face himself in the mirror whilst in the situation we were in. I remember being totally convinced in his desire for the club. I was never a fan of Vega but it was comforting to know we had somebody that was so sincere in how he felt for his team.

Alex Ferguson once said when he’s talking to his prospective buys, he wants to see it in their eyes that they’ve got what it takes to play for a club like Manchester united. He wants winners. If you don’t possess that quality he isn’t interested. Looking at Spurs we need big game players, we need leaders, they can be smooth operators who’ve been there, seen it, done it, played against Satan in hells most intimidating cauldron and didn’t flinch. They can also be players who are vocal. When Sol Campbell was young, I remember Gary Mabbutt would always be in his ear encouraging him through games. Sustaining a level of commitment in his team at all times. We need players who let team mates know when they’re having a bad game.

It’s always all too easy to laugh off Manchester City the way a lot of us did when they came into the money, laughing at all the money hungry mercenaries they’d sign but how different is that in reality to a team full of cowards. We have no statement players, looking at players we’ve lost over the years Ledley King retiring really was king of the lane who maybe we took his influence for granted. He was the equivalent of a those teenage nights out in dodgy areas where you know if it kicks off you’ve got the heavyweight boxing champ in your ranks, that total security. I don’t see any organising in the defence, somebody has to find their lungs and start waving, ordering and marshal the troops. Vertonghen and Kaboul should be doing given their status in the game. Luka Modric was another, he’d constantly set the pace with his quickness of thought and having everyone on their toes in anticipation of the incision pass. We’ve also had a few where you could describe them as knowing exactly what you’re going to get from them regardless of ability such as Parker, Zokora or even O’Hara.

Nobody at present wants to chase a lost cause, nobody wants to lead the charge when we need it. Apart from Dawson nobody wants to put their body on the line to get the 3 points. Apart from Sandro nobody is up for a war in midfield. None of our midfielders are interested in making gut-busting runs from deep to penetrate the opposition box on the counter attack. Nobody even wants the ball. The wingers don’t want to drive, everything is so limp. Nobody even seems to be visually disturbed by this.

I know English players aren’t generally regarded as gifted as our continental counterparts but do we need more British grit in our side? Should our coaches try harder to develop and improve our young English players such as Danny Rose, Jake Livermore, Harry Kane and Tom Carroll who know the English game, understand the pace and appreciate the desire needed? Maybe it’s better to have a Jake Livermore in your midfield, he may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’d definitely have him over Paulinho. Maybe our staff can work on Carroll, beef up a little so we can stick him in there and mix it up with the opposition. In terms of transfers in, maybe we should be chasing players like the James Milner’s of this world over these South American magicians. I don’t particularly rave about Milner but he could slot in and with his level of effort and determination we’d be mixing the so-called flair with some proper steel. I think we should appreciate players like Kyle Walker because as mentioned before in previous posts he wants to be here, you can see this is his home. He is still young so we can encourage him during games and he’d feed off of it. Time to put Jermain Defoe in now, regardless of number nines being greedy at least he has hunger for goals, key word hunger.

I’d like to see our transfer policy change to players who are tuned in to the English game. We should be looking at players who, even if foreign have the ability to adapt to new surroundings easily. If you buy a player from Brazil for example, who’s played in Italy for three years but can barely speak Italian what makes us think he’s be able to learn English. Even as far as the language barrier is concerned, players who want to communicate and get stuck in are fine. We don’t have the patience for these seventeen year old prodigies from far flung places around Europe who won’t see the first team for another two years. We need real men in our team, who can catch the pace, come in and be depended on. We have to buy players who are winners or who have that burning desire to win and take us to glory. Tottenham shouldn’t be a holiday camp. Playboys need not apply.

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