Tottenham Hotspur - A fan's view
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Good, bad or just the same old, same old. |  |
Wednesday, 23, May 2007 06:15
Good, bad or just the same old, same old. What the fans made of the 2006/07 season.
The hangover of the 'lasagne-gate' controversy certainly informed the poor start to the season, but the team have shown some great resilience in matching last season's fifth-place finish, with superb end-of-season form.
The long-term absence of talismanic club captain Ledley King was as big a blow to Spurs as Chelsea's loss of John Terry, but the fantastic form of the strikers - especially the flourishing partnership of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane - has led to some fantastic football and great (if ultimately disappointing) cup runs.
While many related last-season's successes to only playing 40 games, (after being knocked out of both domestic cups at the first time of asking), Spurs played 58 games this year - reaching the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup, capitulating to hated rivals Arsenal in the Carling Cup semis, and being narrowly defeated by Chelsea in the last eight of the FA Cup.
The majority of the Uefa Cup run showed the amazing job Martin Jol has done with the club, sticking to the Tottenham tradition of playing free-flowing, entertaining football and at the same time beating some of the best teams in Europe.
Grade: A-
High Point
The 2-1 home victory against Chelsea marked an end to 16 years of hurt, while the amazing 4-3 victory against West Ham encapsulated the highs and lows of supporting Tottenham.
Low Point
A worrying tendency to bottle it in big games revealed itself in the most awful of circumstances when two and three-goal leads were pathetically surrendered against Spurs' two biggest rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Fan's Player of the Year
- Dimitar Berbatov -
Smashing home 23 goals in 49 appearances, the Bulgarian has proved a bargain at £10.9 million. As the most expensive Bulgarian player ever, many Spurs fan feared the club might have made an error of Rebrov-esque proportions but his fantastic scoring rate, flourishing partnership with Robbie Keane and justifiable place in the PFA Team of the Season have quickly made him a firm favourite.
With a first touch reminiscent of Dennis Bergkamp (as loath as some Tottenham fans might be to even mention a Gooner in the same breath as their new hero), strength that belies his slight frame and a deadly eye for goal it is no surprise that rumours are rife of interest from the 'big four'. A stunning solo display at Bolton, contenders for goal-of-the-season against Wigan and Middlesbrough and a superb scoring record in the Uefa Cup have marked Berba as potentially one of the finest foreign exports ever to grace the Premier League.
Needs for Next Season
Daniel Levy's promise that "we are not a selling club" has to be adhered to if Spurs are to build on this season's progress.
The sale of Michael Carrick - though profitable - was justifiably seen as a backward step and in no small part caused the team's terrible start to the season. Keeping hold of Dimitar Berbatov, whatever the cost, has to be Martin Jol's main priority if the team are to mount any serious challenge to the 'big four', while the acquisition of Gareth Bale from Southampton should go some way to solving Spurs' weak left-side.
Lewis Bazley
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