Article by Nathan DurecClick here to Follow e-Spurs on Twitter for the latest Spurs news and views!
Time differences can hurt. And yet rather than taping the opening match of Tottenham versus West Ham, I find myself crawling out of bed, excited for this debut. It used to be Saturday morning cartoons. Now, it’s football.
Armed with a shower and a pot of coffee, I settle down to watch. Last season was a tumultuous one to say the least. Two managerial changes, the post-Bale spending spree, tactical apathy or inefficiency (not sure which), and a final fight for 6th when we all hoped for a couple spots higher.
Sitting in front of my TV with the sound down so as to not wake my wife, we begin anew. The heartache of last season is behind and potential is in front. I say this because that’s the team we have been in these past few seasons, one of potential. And not to say it’s been squandered; it takes quality play to achieve European football based on our EPL standing. However, as supporters, we want more. The brief taste of Champions League football only a few years back left us wanting more.
But a team of potential can either rise to the occasion or they can pass on their chances. It would be harsh to say that the latter happened last year with the sheer number of changes that occurred. However, this season is a different story. Yes, there has been a managerial change at the top, but it has been one that has been welcomed by most. Pochettino came off a great season at Southampton with a tactical style that should be well suited to Spurs’ brand of football. It was entertaining, which is what we have come to expect from our club and saw lacking.
Stability is key in any organisation. In sports, squad stability translates into cohesion, knowing what your teammates are doing on the pitch, and allowing for innovation. Besides a run of four wins in the middle of the season last year, Spurs found it tough to string together more than a couple at a time. Our plus-four goal difference highlighted the frustrating battle that each match was. Nothing came easy. Perseverance was lacking at times and is something that needs to be turned around.
Not that we want easy; we hope for rewarding. The elements of stability, when hitting on all cylinders, should be rewarded. And there have been early signs of this happening. The preseason gave us glimpses of the quick-paced, attacking, and possession-based play that Pochettino wants to bring. The players are listening and we have been able to see some exciting football played.
All of this sits in the back of my head as the whistle blows and the ball gets kicked. But before we can even get a half hour into the match that old creeping feeling rises up again, that feeling that the gods are against my club.
Naughton’s handball a penalty? Sure. A red card? Abhorrent.
It would be easy to quit or decry foul or play for the draw. Last season, this may have been the case. But while it may not have been pretty at times, perseverance was shown and it was rewarded. Kane’s precision pass through the defence of West Ham that found our young newcomer, Eric Dier, was a thing of beauty. Dier showed composure and ease in moving round the keeper, letting him commit, and gently placing the ball into the net.
We are never going to be the club to do things the easy way and that’s fine. The highs are that much sweeter. While the supporters of other clubs continue to see us Spurs fans as deluded or gluttons for punishment, we remain optimistic that our best is near. Perhaps “near” is already here; we need a few more matches before any sort of judgement is possible.
But if our first match is to be viewed as a brief indication, stability and perseverance can (and will) be rewarded.
© e-Spurs 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Spurs
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep all comments:
1-Clean (non-offensive)
2-Spurs related
3-Interesting