One Kick Away
One kick away. It’s not Chimbondabond’s miss that sits in my head but JJ’s. To say I new he’d be the one would unfair. I thought that every time a player in white placed the ball on the spot, even for Dimitar the Great. One kick away. If he’d just put his foot through it, buried it, even a keeper’s arm wouldn’t have been enough to stop it.
He’s a sensitive lad, JJ, and I don’t want it sitting on his mind. He’s turned a corner in recent months and I don’t want a thing like that to ruin his temperament and good work. I hope it wont. Fortunately, it’s Bonders who’ll be blamed with his scuffed effort. Fortunate because he’ll probably leave us in the summer anyway. Fortunate, because he’s mentally strong enough, apathetic enough to deal with it. One kick away.
I hate penalties. I don’t suppose anyone likes them except Germans. I’ve never seen my team win a shoot-out whether it be the last three for Spurs or England in 1990, 1998, 2004 or 2006. I missed Euro 96.
One kick away. I was really looking forward to another European away day. I was hoping for Hamburg or Munich for the beer or St.Petersburg for the soviet factor, but no. Nothing. Just home to an empty league competition and a trip to Blackburn if I fancy it. I’m still looking forward to playing Chelsea and Liverpool but that’s about it. One kick away.
I have no idea if we would have won the cup had fortune favoured our side. It’s hard to see anyone but Munich lifting the trophy. We were the better side last night, maybe not in the first leg but last night we were good enough. PSV did the same job as before and kept it tight. Keeping our forwards quiet is no mean feet and but for a handful of chances they did very well. It’s Steve’s shot in the dying seconds that cripples me. I was on my feet in the Bakery. I’d been shouting at the TV. I could hear my voice echo about the open plan space. I often hear the couple in the flat above screaming at each other. Maybe they’ve just been watching football al this time?
One kick away, on my feet, the ball floats in, Steve open, the perfect strike and save no keeper has a right to make. It was there. It was perfect. Just one kick away.
I started to hate Sergei Bent just a little less after he put his pen away but the chances he spurned were criminal. If we’d put a second in in extra time, it would have been all over. And now I hear the words of Jimmy Molar (nee ticket) in my ear: “Shoulda, woulda, coulda.”
Speak to any PSV fan and I’m sure they’d consider themselves fortunate. One kick away.
It was hard not to favour Gomes for the shoot-out standing tall, lean, shot-stopping keeper shaped next to a squatter, inconsistent Robinson. An incredulous shout went up from Spurs fans all around the world when Didier Zee stepped up to the plate: “Zokora?!” But he did us proud. One kick away.
It’s hard because there’s nowhere you can look and say what went wrong. According to Gus and Juande, we lost it in the first leg but I’m not so sure. The venues seemed to make no difference. Home and away the two sides seemed to have a strange effect on each other, canceling the other out with neither playing their usual brand of football. You didn’t have to be at either game to tell. You could hear it on TV. The fans were as quiet and as edgy as the game.
One kick away. There’s something frustrating about the Uefa Cup. You spend the first four or five games rattling through the monkey teams and then as soon as you come up against opposition with pedigree, it’s over and not necessarily by merit.
“I respect anyone who’s got the balls to go up there and take one,” said Jonny Gate, and I think that’s the way I’d like to remember this. It was no ones mistake that made us lose this tie and the performance was a lot gutsier than one might think. From the players who back to defend and defend well, to the patience of the strikers and bold moves of the manager; we never lost concentration for a second. We played with hearts and with our minds and we’ll just have to come back stronger next year. Thank you Tottenham and good luck PSV.
We really shook the bagels of heaven, didn’t we Wang?
The Bagel
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March 13th, 2008 at 4:59 am
We was robbed.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:02 am
That malbranque effort is goiing to haunt me for a long time. Gerate.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I am not a comment
March 13th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Har fucking har
March 13th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Gutted. I also had an ease the pain bet on us going out with a 0-0 draw.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Sorry bagel - I agree with Juande and Gus. We can play so well away from home, beat PSV, and then we feel ‘unlucky’ because the boys did us proud in the second leg.
The UEFA cup all season has been the opposite of our usual league performances over the last few years. Really good away from home, but sub standard at home. We got lucky against Aaaaaaalborg, lost to Getafe, should have been taken to extra time against Slavia Prague (and probably wouldn’t have won the carling cup if we had been), and then were poor against PSV.
Thats the challenge for Spurs now. If we can raise our game for “when it really matters” we need to work out how we do it when it doesn’t really matter. Because, of course, winning games that “don’t matter” are what gets you more games that do matter!
Except for now until the end of the season - but even that matters, because the attitude of only performing for the big games is the big problem!
Luckily, Ramos knows all this better than I do, I’m sure!
March 13th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Penalties are an awful way to go out of any competition. Bizarre last night that both Spurs & Everton put in great performances, won their games, should’ve scored more goals & both went out; it is a cruel game sometimes.
Chimbonda shouldn’t even be wearing the Tottenham shirt after his disgraceful antics in the Cup Final; on a personal level, what goes around comes around but he won’t lose sleep.
Fair play; at least you can do it all again next season.
March 13th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Absolutly gutted! Chimbo is a right back, I didn’t expect much from him, but Lennon? Steed? JJ is supposed to be our attacking midfielder yet he can’t strike a ball, always trying to use his instep, the lad, for all his effort has no confidence in shooting.
We were desperatly unlucky last night failing to capitalise on what was, at times, woeful defending from PSV. However, the Dutch side looked sharp when attacking and highlighted our need for a LB.
Plenty to be done before next season but the foundations are in place. With European competition confirmed the rest of the season is for Ramos to look at the players we have in the squad and decide who is good enough to take us forward. The lads still have pride and their places to play for!! COYS
March 13th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Jenas’ penalty was saved cos the keeper guessed right. It wasn’t a great penalty and was at a nice height - but if the keeper had guessed wrong nobody would have criticised it and he’d be praised for keeping his nerve. At least he hit the target!
Chimbonda just messed up and if it had been anyone else I wouldn’t have blamed them - these things happen. But because its Chimbonda, I don’t feel much sympathy for him, I must admit.
Berbatov has the right idea - just hit it hard, low and it almost doesn’t matter if you don’t get it into the corner because it will be so hard to save. Like a lot of things, he makes it look very easy.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
oog - I totally agree. Berbatov is soooo cool!
A shame…and I feel sorry for JJ and Chimbonda (sorry, but I do). Penalties are bloody horrible - I think being English (or a fan of the England national side) gives you an innate fear and loathing of them.
Chin up x
March 13th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Robinson and the so called JJ must leave pro football…They are piss poor …Open your eyes Spurs fans…There is no midfiled,Lennon can’t cross a knife and fork never mind a ball.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
It’s always crap when you lose a shoot out but great when you win. It’s a lousy way to decide a game because it has very little to do with the game itself. If football was just about trying to beat a goalkeeper from a few yards out with no one in the way, nobody would watch it.
Having said that we won the UEFA Cup that way and as a dual national I rejoiced when the Aussies knocked off Uruguay from the penalty spot to reach the World Cup Finals. What goes around comes around it seems, Australia subsequently lost to Italy in the dying seconds of the game to a very doubtful (you guessed it) penalty.
Have to agree with you about Lennon’s crossing ability George. How much for Arteta? Everton have a gem there. 16 million quid for Downing instead of Bent might have been money better spent.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Spot on, El Bagel. I hope that one kick doesn’t mean goodbye to Berbagod. We simply cannot lose him in the summer.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I’m totally with oog on this. Somehow, the boys hadn’t got back yet from Wembley Park & Gants Hill last Thurs.
It’s football, not rocket science, so in the end, we’re left with 6 months of “Yeah-but-no-but-yeah-but-no-but….”
JJ simply bottled it. As for the Chimb, playing catch-up by then, I haven’t got the picture out of my head: like, the goalkeeper commits himself to his left, giving Chimbo a whole 80% of the goal to aim at. I can’t find any excuse for any pro not hitting such a target from 12 yards. And then what was that all about, him leaving the pitch with his shirt over the top of his head, with his his face poking out like some 7-yr-old half-hoodie??
Last night JD scored yet another pen for Pompey. Every one I see brings straight back that picture of his penalty miss in injury time at Upton Pk last December, costing us another 2 points.
We have got to get the kind of consistency that means winning and that means scaring the shite out of whoever’s next in line to face Spurs. That’s the target.
Meanwhile, don’t you just HATE pen shoot-outs, win or lose? ‘Cos when it comes down to it, it’s got nothing really to do with a football match at all. It’s just a side show, a little circus of thrills of its own. Even when we beat Anderlecht in the final at the Lane in ‘84, deep down, after the euphoria, it just didn’t feel right. Maybe you’ve got a point, RosieRoo.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
How about an end of season review Bagel ?
What about picking apart all those August predictions, some micro analysis over the buzz around when you won all your pre season friendlies, perhaps even a small dishing out of humble pie might be in order.
I think my work here is done, your season is finished, and, as I predicted in August you came up short, start bleating about how great you would be with that standard ‘watch us next season’ speech, but this season you have no excuses really.
The fact is, you sacked the manager who was moving you forward (in August / September) or holding you back (January), wasted a fortune on an inadequate striker, overpaid for a crocked full back, watched the other full back go from hero to villain to embarrassment.
But, the facts remain, mid table mediocrity and a meaningless cup are all that you have to show and once again no CL football.
Season Over.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Meaningless cup my arse Ki ki. Tell that to Mark Hughes, Sven or Kevin (the saviour) Keegan who won’t have a team playing in Europe next season
March 13th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
KiKi,
The Bagel most certainly did not sack Jol - I’m pretty sure it was the board of directors.
Still, glad your ‘work’ here is done - that’s something to be cheerful about. Take care, and don’t call us…
PS - We have qualified for Europe again, and won a trophy. So it has not been a complete waste really. Oh yes, and we beat Arsenal 5-1.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I would mention Jenas, but really I just can’t bring myself to talk about that… But DagDave is right - we do get to do it all again next year.
Sadly, as much as I can dream, I feel we will need to replace Berbatov next season. Hopefully we’ll replace Bent too.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Ignoring Ki Ki’s moronic comments, Bagel, I thought the same thing when it was D. Z. turn in the que for the spot last night. No goals in a Spurs shirt and countless blasts wide or over the bar to associate him with. Then a nicely struck penalty….maybe that broke his spell and he’ll start scoring?
I thought Steed — who must have had fire in his belly after that near miss at the end of extra time — would be up before him.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
GUTTED.
Another european season of nearlys, just hope we can get ahead of the Hammers in the league now.
March 13th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
What the fuck is a meaningless cup???
March 14th, 2008 at 4:12 am
It’s a cup that you can put in your trophy cabinet, rather than the ones they just talk about trying to win at arsenal. They’ve been polishing thin air for years.
The Bagel.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:49 am
….and Ki Ki has been polishing his helmet while reading this excellent blog.
He obviously gets off on reading about our glorious club. Maybe he is a secret Spurs fan. Or is he a Peterborough fan? He has said how he goes along to their games. Christ, how many teams does he support?
He’ll be back. He just can’t keep away. We are the only “friends” he’s got and we all think he’s a cunt.
So long billy no mates.
March 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Ahhhhh ha ha h ah ah h ah ah ah ah
Never seen such a feable team… You’ve had yer “One day” Ramos. Back to underachievement for you.
A for Effort
Z for achievement you spuds!
You’re rubbish… support a decent team…
Come on yoooo bluuuuuuues!