-
The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...
Match Final game of the season vs. Newcastle (away)
- Thread starter Builder
- Start date
Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports
Remember when goons were already starting to celebrate the title after Welbeck made that last second header all the way back in February?
Of course they will be mate
I can only see two scenarios playing out, depending on how much Newcastle want to turn up. If they do, a scrappy 0-0 or 0-1. If they don't, or if we go ahead early and fans get on Newcastle's case, then I can see them completely capitalising and our team going on a rampage to finish on a high (and to help Kane secure topscorer) with five or more not as unlikely as it would normally be. There's been a few times this season, where we've gone up by a few and taken our foot off the gas. There's no match next week to save ourselves for, so I think we'll go full throttle until the end.
Is this the equivalent of waving your private parts and showing your arse to the gods of fate?
Throw capitalising in for capitulating and its hard to see how you could tempt providence any more.
Eric Dier isn't a centre back.Newcastle v Spurs Preview
It was only a couple of weeks ago I made myself look a right tit by saying that we are at such level beyond our opposition in these final games that we need not worry about their game but merely concentrate on our own.
Cut forward to Wednesday night and I’m celebrating a Sunderland win that means Sunday’s opponents are already relegated.
Tim Sherwood claimed that AVB was fired because ‘Winning isn’t enough.’ at Spurs ‘You have to win pretty.’ And that certainly rings true with me. Without beauty, results are joyless.
This Sunday, however, I’ll take the most boring, insipid, backwards joke of a game. Anything. As long as we don’t lose. As long as we get a point. As long as we finish above Woolwich.
Newcastle might be relegated but they were also the first club to show the league that without Dembele our playstyle leaves us too physically weak in midfield and easily pressed.
Ryan Mason has been his stand in and while I’ve defended him, and while I maintain that he is a good player he’s not suited to playing in midfield for this Spurs side right now. No-one is going to compare to Dembele for physical presence but Mason is especially lightweight and I suspect a little more fearful of contact since his injury.
Without a miraculous return to fitness and form from Nabil Bentaleb replacing Mason in midfield to beef it up is a tricky one. There’s a handful of possibilities and none really stand out.
We could bring in Wimmer and have either him or Vertonghen play in midfield alongside Dier.
Starting all four centre-backs is a bit Tony Pulis and certainly leaves us short of creativity from deep but I’ll refer you to my intro: I’d play 10 defenders if it meant we came away with a point this weekend.
We could introduce Chadli and drop Eriksen alongside Dier.
Eriksen is no less lightweight than Mason but he has the touch, vision, creativity and skill that may mean he is able to avoid those battles without losing the ball.
There’s Tom Carroll but he’s even worse for that and now we’re running out of options. We could bring in Onomah.
Bringing in a 5’11 19 year old to add strength to your midfield isn’t standard procedure and Onomah certainly isn’t a powerhouse. But he does have the control and on-the-ball confidence that could just be enough to help us out.
Nacer Chadli is a big lad with a good touch and Sherwood once played in in central midfield. But no.
Son or N’jie could move up top to let Kane come deep and do a job in midfield, I actually quite like that idea, but there’s no way Poch would go for that.
In fact I feel there’s a strong possibility that Pochettino won’t do any of these or think up one of his own. I think he’ll do as he has before, show faith in a decision he’s previously made and play Mason again.
There’s something to be said for two existing media narratives about relegated teams. One is that they can sometimes improve once they are free from pressure and I think that’s been shown to be true. The other is that relegated teams can become even worse than they were because relegation can suck the life out of you and I think that’s shown to be true too.
Relegation means freedom. You’re free to make mistakes. You’re free to take risks in the final third which means that you can start making plays and converting chances that you previously hadn’t. And that freedom also means you don’t really care if you slip up defensively.
The one worry from Newcastle coming into this game is that they would play a physical, pressing game against a demoralised Tottenham side with Mason in midfield which would see us get overturned. But I don’t think that’s how you play after you’ve been relegated. I certainly hope it isn’t…
Is this the equivalent of waving your private parts and showing your arse to the gods of fate?
Throw capitalising in for capitulating and its hard to see how you could tempt providence any more.
That's the word I was looking for. Good thing I don't believe in Gods in any shape or form!
nope.
Rafa Benitez will resist the temptation to play any youngsters in the clash with Tottenham Hotspur as he looks to sign the season off in a winning manner.
The Spaniard has also not made plans to field any of the club’s returning loan players meaning Adam Armstrong, Sammy Ameobi and Haris Vuckic are not expected to make the squad after loan deals at Coventry, Cardiff and Wigan.
When asked if he was going to make any shock changes against Spurs and play some of his fringe players, he said: “We said last week they wouldn’t be.
“Obviously we didn’t know on Wednesday that everything would be done.
“So we were trying to stay with the team we already had here.”
But Benitez will have to tinker with his back four after Vurnon Anita picked up a knock last week.
He said: “We have some problems as Vurnon Anita is not available so I think we’ll have to change something.
“Daryl Janmaat is available. But we won’t have to change too many things.”
Benitez also spoke about the mood in the camp after relegation was confirmed with Sunderland’s resounding 3-0 win over a feeble Everton side.
He said: “On Thursday they were a little bit down. They know and we know we made mistakes.
“When you’re at the bottom of the table it means during the season you aren’t well.
“I think they realise that everybody has to take responsibility.
“At the moment we can’t change anything. We just have to approach the game against Tottenham and do well.
“The main thing is to be sure that next year Newcastle United will be where they have to be, promoted and back in the Premier League.”
How strange. I literally just (1200) heard him on Absolute radio saying maybe I will start some of the academy players. Some will definitely get game time.
Listen to the one o clock news absolute radio in five mins. I bet they play the same clip.
I need a decent stream for this match not some Russian Armenian crap!
Well, Adam Johnson got jailed for it, so.....
The Bill Nic is open Mate.. Was going to go myself but got other plans now.. It willl be a great atmosphere in there.
No That's their money bag full of notes for poker on the bus!
Footballers are all like sheep. If one player does something then they all follow. Making sure you wear headphones when stepping off the team bus or drinking out of a water bottle at the side of your mouth or pointing to the heavens when scoring a goal, or pulling your socks above your knees etc etc etc..
Majority of them aren't the brightest and are easily lead... Well apart from Spurs players who can do what they fucking like..
Yeah, they should just come in with a container of Lynx in their hand...