The Race for 4th

  • 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...

    Get involved!

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports


GUTTED

‘That’s how bad it is’ – Tottenham taking fourth place ‘like wife running off with school bully’, says Woolwich hero Perry Groves​


Woolwich legend Perry Groves says the prospect of losing fourth place to Tottenham is like ‘your wife running off with the school bully’.

The Gunners all-but handed Champions League qualification to their north London rivals with a toothless 2-0 defeat at Newcastle on Monday night.

Having demolished Woolwich last Thursday, Spurs now require only a draw against rock-bottom Norwich on the final day of the Premier League season to seal what looked like an unlikely top-four finish.

Antonio Conte’s men were four points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s side before the north London derby and destiny has been in Woolwich’s hands for months.

“It hurts. It’s like finding out your wife is going to leave you,” Gunners legend Groves told the Sports Bar.


“It’s not like she’s running away with your best friend, it’s like she’s running away with the person who used to bully you at school.

“That’s how bad it is. That’s how dark I feel.”

The former winger, who made more than 150 appearances for Woolwich, insists the performance at Newcastle was worse than the north London derby defeat.

While Woolwich were damaged by a controversial penalty and an early red card for Rob Holding at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they were simply outplayed at St James’ Park and there could be no excuses.

“I actually think tonight was worse,” Groves added. “It’s horrible getting beat by your local rivals and we know the animosity that goes on.

“But tonight, there’s no reaction. With a group of young players, there was no belief.

“First 20 minutes against Spurs was OK. The penalty and red card changed the game.

“Aaron Ramsdale summed up how Woolwich were feeling at Newcastle, in the first 20 minutes, he looked very nervy.

“It’s a bit of know-how. Can you ride through these tough periods?

“When you’re under pressure, all the top teams know how to win those games. Even if you’re not playing particularly well and you have to scrap it out.”

Groves added: “At the beginning of the season, if you were offered two wins to get into top four, every Woolwich fan would’ve snapped your hand off.

“Then you get there, and with three games to go, you’re four points in front of Spurs and you let it slip.

“Woolwich have excellent young players but there’s a lack of leadership.”
We did bully them
 
Really can't beat CL nights.. any trophy would be great to win obviously, but people who claim that top 4 is a fetish and the Poch years were a failure are clueless. Will never forget the excitement and tension of our tie vs Juventus. Really excited today, it's been a tough slog watching this team the last two years and it's great to see us on the rise again.
We've seen from the likes of United and Woolwich that once you start to decline it is not straightforward to arrest that and rise again.

Conte has completely transformed the direction of this club and I think we back him heavily in the summer and become a real force again.

We've had to suffer some abject football for about 3 years but if that is the extent of our dip then in the grand scheme of things it's not too bad.

Football is a simple game. Get good people in on the staff and sign good players - that's it!

We neglected competent investment in the playing staff for many years and we suffered for that but now everything is set up for us to kick on.

There are now no excuses left for Levy. This is the summer to make Spurs a force again.
 
This morning journalist Charlie Eccleshare retweeted his prediction from end of February that Spurs would take 4th place.

Some of the responses he got at the time make great reading like ;




I notice a couple of tweeters have added a tweet since the end of the game last night : can't think why !

End of February you say? Amateur.
I actually think we will finish fourth. Utd don't have a perm manager which was a stupid move. And west ham have already shown they cant sustain it. Woolwich ar better, but are they as good as us? I don't think so, not under Conte.
 
So we are 3-0 up at Norwich with 5 mins to go. Sonny has scored one to put him level with Salah.
We get a penalty. Will Harry give it to Son so he can win the golden boot.
Could be a difficult one for Harry.
Sonny probably wouldn’t want it in those circumstances.
 
So we are 3-0 up at Norwich with 5 mins to go. Sonny has scored one to put him level with Salah.
We get a penalty. Will Harry give it to Son so he can win the golden boot.
Could be a difficult one for Harry.
Sonny probably wouldn’t want it in those circumstances.
If we are winning comfortably he’d give it to Son but if any doubt about result he’d take it.
 
We will be far too strong for Norwich & I also fancy Everton to draw or win at Woolwich.
The problem is that this is our cup really. Top 4 trophy & we go nuts & crazy!
But I’d like us to kick on for once.

Agreed but I’m just savouring this moment and will do for the rest of the week until Sunday

Then it’s back behind the sofa until we’re two up


Embarrassed Cat GIF
 
Can't help but feel these last few days have been huge in terms of the next 5 years.

Worst case scenario was us petering out to the end of the season, only getting Europa League, Kane leaving and then Conte out the door. Not enough money to fill the gaps, end of decade of Kane and Son where we came close but won nothing. Woolwich in the ascendancy, building on Tierney, Partey etc and CL.

Instead, we've probably secured Kane and therefore Conte, extra CL money so easier recruiting and more money for us to go find an Eriksen Jr and a couple others. A few more years to ensure Kane and Son get silverware and we stay in the mix. We're probably a CL quarter final at best team right now, couple of good signings and we'll be even better.

Even better, goons are now truly fucked. Stuttering campaigns from Spurs, Utd and nobody from the chasing pack (Leicester, West Ham etc) putting in a serious challenge, no European football to distract them and they still fucked it up. No extra CL money, and such a catastrophic ending to the season will definitely affect the goon players for a long time to come.

Couple that with no doubt Ten Hag's Utd and now Newcastle back stronger next season....they're seriously going to be looking at mid-table for the foreseeable future. I predict 8th for them next season, trying to sack Arteta at Christmas, but then nobody worthwhile to take the reigns, becomes a circus.
 
So we are 3-0 up at Norwich with 5 mins to go. Sonny has scored one to put him level with Salah.
We get a penalty. Will Harry give it to Son so he can win the golden boot.
Could be a difficult one for Harry.
Sonny probably wouldn’t want it in those circumstances.
Weird hypothetical being 0-3 up at 85 mins - of course he’d give it to Sonny!!

More to consider if somehow we were 3-2 down with 5 minutes left, with Sonny 1 goal away from the golden boot.

Sorry Sonny but H to take it for me!!
 
Last edited:
So we are 3-0 up at Norwich with 5 mins to go. Sonny has scored one to put him level with Salah.
We get a penalty. Will Harry give it to Son so he can win the golden boot.
Could be a difficult one for Harry.
Sonny probably wouldn’t want it in those circumstances.
Salah has 5 penalties, I wouldn't begrudge Sonny one on the last day. Providing we are at least 2 up.
 
Agreed but I’m just savouring this moment and will do for the rest of the week until Sunday

Then it’s back behind the sofa until we’re two up


Embarrassed Cat GIF
Ha. I am cocky now but everytime pukki gets the ball I am going to be shaking!
 
So we are 3-0 up at Norwich with 5 mins to go. Sonny has scored one to put him level with Salah.
We get a penalty. Will Harry give it to Son so he can win the golden boot.
Could be a difficult one for Harry.
Sonny probably wouldn’t want it in those circumstances.
What about that trick pen? So kane passes it forward to son to run on to & score. Very rarely done. Will go down as a goal from open play too,
 
Back
Top Bottom