Tottenham Hotspurai??i??s Corner: Harry Redknapp's Distraction Causing Trouble?

“Mind the gap”, this phrase would come back to haunt Tottenham fans. Most of the country, even a sizable portion of their own supporters, expected them to somehow blow their healthy position and surrender third spot by the end of the season.

Only, they haven’t, have they?

Spurs have spent almost all of that lead by now, but while they still hold third place, then they are still favourites for it.

They’ve had a shocking month, and no mistake. And the obligatory finger-pointing is never far behind. Some of it justified; some of it not. They have more than enough time to straighten things out, if we can understand what just happened.

Firstly, they played three of the best teams in the country. A horrible last-minute against Manchester City saw what could have been a victory turn into a sour defeat. That was closely followed by a loss snatched from the jaws of victory against Arsenal, and a capitulation against United. There were justifiable bright spots in all three games, and although the results disappointed, it says much for Tottenhamai??i??s progress this season that they would not have been surprised at a victory in any of them. Alas, not to be.

Redknapp And His Distraction

Redknapp’s situation is hurting them. All Premier League managers have famously been warned by the F.A. not to comment on the England job, yet here comes Harry every other day with one interview after another on exactly that topic. All to say that heai??i??s focused on his current job. He doesnai??i??t appear to be.

(c)CreativeCommons_Harry-Redknapp-england — Is Harry unsettled?

Whatever he does, it’ll cause unrest, unless he tells his players flatly that he’s going nowhere, in which case we’d have all heard about it. So one of two things has happened: either he’s kept them all guessing, or he’s told them he’s off. There’s an element of hypocrisy in a manager who tells his players they can’t go anywhere and then takes off himself, and if they even suspect that’s about to happen then he’ll have an unhappy bunch. If he’s as evasive with them as he is with the press, same result.Ai??Either way, they’re left wondering who will be there next season.

And not just for the uncertainty have some quarters questioned the manager lately. Aaron Lennon’s injury has been key, as Harry has rearranged the rest of the midfield to try to fix that, rather than replace him. Bale is not as effective down the right, as he is down the left. Modric down the left to accommodate that doesn’t work either. The most forceful and two of the most creative players in the Premier League both lose their effectiveness, and Spurs are left without three regulars in their strongest positions, instead of just one.

There are players who the manager simply doesnai??i??t see fitting in ai??i?? Giovani dos Santos, for one ai??i?? who could otherwise have filled the void left by Lennon. But his face doesnai??i??t fit with the manager, who has been publicly critical of his lifestyle, but scarcely offered an opportunity to rectify it on the pitch. One wonders how Redknapp would have managed George Best!

And when injuries happen, the replacements are rusty and short of match fitness, since the reserve team was disbanded three years ago. The youngsters are out on loan to compensate, and closed-door friendlies are arranged for the remainder of the squad, but the habit of competitive football every week is lacking. Any replacements ai??i?? Nelsen, Kranjcar, Rose ai??i?? have been thrown in at the deep end.

Tottenham Are Still Favorites For 3rd Place

Despite all of that, there’s optimism. At the last count Wilshere, Walcott, Frimpong, van Persie, Vermaelen and SzczesnyAi??have all had something to say about Spurs in recent days, which can only mean one thing. It’s like the boxer who smiles when he’s punched, trying to kid everyone that he’s not hurting. Szczesny, as always, is trying too hard with his usual high sense of humor, and he shouldn’t think anybody takes him that seriously (except Chelsea, apparently).

It’s interesting to listen to Arsenal and Chelsea fans these days. Chelsea supporters have told everyone for the last eight years that their lack of history means nothing – it’s all about the here and now, the present day. Tottenham wouldn’t trade for their present day, or their next few years either. Arsenal fans’ battle cry is that momentum will carry them to finish third. Momentum might also suggest that only one of those three clubs is on the rise. But a football fan’s blinkers (including this authorai??i??s) are what keep us all talking.

Contrary to Redknappai??i??s unceasing interviews with the press, Tottenham have not been punching above their weight this season. Third place is theirs on merit, and they remain in control. Itai??i??s still in their hands. Arsenal and Chelsea have yet to play each other, and both still need to face Manchester City. Spurs also travel to Chelsea, who still wonai??i??t have a permanent manager in place and are unlikely to have one for the next couple of months, at least. After that, only Sunderland occupy a top-half position, from Spursai??i?? remaining opponents. The last time they crashed the top four in 2010, their final last six fixtures included Arsenal, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs. They finished the job.

Until now, the defeats have been sporadic, and only punctuated some lengthy undefeated runs. Where last season they dropped points from easily winnable games, theyai??i??ve lost that tendency, by and large, and even developed the ability to grind out a win against the more physically belligerent sides.

Tottenham fans are hopeful of third. They’ve not become a bad team overnight; neither have Arsenal or Chelsea. They still have what is widely regarded as the best midfield in the country, as long as it is used properly. It’s not in a Tottenham fans’ nature to be comfortable though, and some niggles do need to be put straight immediately. But there are ‘immediate fixes’. Those below them (we’ve not even considered Liverpool) have all been set back years. Tottenham will continue to enjoy this season, and an uneasy cup run. Third is not only within reach, itai??i??s theirs to lose.

—-

Written by Si Twining

Si Twinning is the admin of one of the most famous Tottenham forums in the web,Ai??www.spursornothing.co.uk.

Follow him on twitter @Tottenham_N17

Tags: Harry Redknapp Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham’s Corner: Harry Redknapp’s Distraction Causing Trouble?

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