Levy's statement over the weekend championed our "settled team" which, whether you agree with his sentiments or not, indicates that he is not willing to tear up the squad and start again. We're clearly in the market for a goalkeeper and maybe a long-term centre-back, so at the very most we're looking at four notable arrivals.
Striker. It's the word on everyone's lips. And the first position we need to address. It's likely to be Keane and one other out the door, probably depending on the best offer, so we need at least a big-ish name and a well-renowned bargain.
The agent for FC Porto's Radamel Falcao, who scored a record 17 goals in the Europa League this season, has claimed that Spurs and Arsenal have matched his client's £26m buyout clause in a fight for his signature. And yesterday we were closely linked to Leandro Damiao, Internacional's £13.2m-rated who has netted 16 goals in Brazil's Gaucho state championships - we're supposedly fighting Barcelona for him, but, guess what, he's best mates with Sandro. Could next season have a distinctly Samba swing to it?
The prospect of "the new Didier Drogba", Belgian Romelu Lukaku (£17m-£18m), being tutored by the real Didier Drogba really excited me, but it now seems most likely to happen at Chelsea as they've reiterated their intentions to keep the Ivorian.
Goalkeeper. Signing Friedel is not the road to go down. We'll get one, maybe two seasons out of him and he'll retire. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually retires this summer anyway. It's the end of the season and we're not looking for a quick fix. Ben Foster is the man, or better if possible, but someone fresh who can really grow into the position. I wouldn't ditch Gomes entirely, but he's got to be ready to play second fiddle after losing his confidence so badly recently.
Only expect a centre-back along the lines of Ryan Shawcross or Gary Cahill if we can really barter a price for them and, bar one or two smaller acquisitions, I think that might be our lot.
We know the midfield is fine, the defence will shore up with a broad-shouldered organiser between the sticks, so it's the front line and the keeper that needs the most attention.
More importantly, it needs doing quickly and decisively. I'm all for shopping around and doing the best deal possible but we don't want to be active until the deadline again. We got lucky by finding Rafa Van Der Vaart last season but we can't rely on last-minute deals. If Levy wants the settled squad he so happily claims, then we need to be ready well in advance.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Thursday, 19 May 2011
25-man squad points to mass exodus
The end of the season is in sight and people are beginning to discuss how many players we need to bring in for next season and who they should be. But with a worrying amount of dead wood and the added pressure of meeting 25-man squad regulations, we need to get busy offloading players before we even think of bringing anyone in.
So just who, realistically, could be shown the door this summer?
You'd imagine Robbie Keane and David Bentley will be the first through the exit door as they are already out on loan. The problem is that Keane didn't really perform at West Ham and, having been relegated, they're in no position to be throwing money around. That, and the striker will not want to play in the Championship if he can help it.
Wolves, where Keane started his career, would get the emotional vote for his signature, but Celtic may be interested after he impressed Neil Lennon on loan last season. He should probably never have left Hampden Park in the first place.
Bentley will also prove difficult to get rid of, as Birmingham have cited the same old problems with his attitude that are bound to turn off potential employers. We are going to have to take a huge loss on his original fee (that's a theme we're going to have to grin and bear this summer), I would think a £6m bid from Mark Hughes' Fulham is about the best we can hope for, although Newcastle have a tendency of spending big money on flair players, unless they've learned their lesson after relegation.
Giovani Dos Santos is also out on loan, and the smart money is on him signing a full contract at Racing Santander, although a lot of Spurs fans
would like to see him given the chance to impress in our first team as we've never really seen what he can do. However, Gio soon turns 22 and no longer has a free pass into the squad, next season he'll have to be registered on the list 25, and that may not be a risk worth taking.
It's barely worth mentioning Jonathan Woodgate, if he goes then we aren't going to get any money for him, if he stays, he'll never make the 25-man squad. Best bet? Give him a coaching role and be done with it, the man knows positioning like nobody else and the sooner that knowledge is passed on to
our shaky defence, the better.
So far, so simple, then there's Niko Krancjar, Roman Pavlyuchenko and, as of yesterday, Jermain Defoe, who have all bemoaned the lack of first team opportunities and could be looking to get away.
Krancjar has been rumoured to interest QPR, he's one of the few
who we may make some money on as we was originally a bargain at £2m. QPR of course have the financial clout, and could be in the market for a playmaker if their star prospect Adel Taarabt is prised from their grasp in the close season.
Surely Pavlyuchenko's writing is finally on the wall. He whinges and whines every season when he doesn't get a game and then he gets given a run in the team and never takes the opportunity, missing hatfuls of chances in the process. We all know he's got the talent, he shows some wonderful vision and scores some good goals but the application for a full season's work isn't there and Harry must have had enough by now.
I'd expect Crouch to escape all but the biggest of culls, such is his effectiveness in Europe. He also has a positive attitude, never complaining to the press, and Redknapp will be mindful of the partnership he struck up with Rafa Van Der Vaart at the start of the season, it's gold if they can rediscover it.
Apart from all this, there's the small matters of what to do about our dysfunctional keeper and our wonderkid winger. I do of course mean Heurelho Gomes and Gareth Bale. How we handle those two could prove to be season, or era-defining. But getting the small things right comes first and, as far as sorting the men from the boys goes, it's open season.
WE'll look into inbound possibilities after Sundays game when we know our European fate. See you then.
So just who, realistically, could be shown the door this summer?
You'd imagine Robbie Keane and David Bentley will be the first through the exit door as they are already out on loan. The problem is that Keane didn't really perform at West Ham and, having been relegated, they're in no position to be throwing money around. That, and the striker will not want to play in the Championship if he can help it.
Wolves, where Keane started his career, would get the emotional vote for his signature, but Celtic may be interested after he impressed Neil Lennon on loan last season. He should probably never have left Hampden Park in the first place.
Bentley will also prove difficult to get rid of, as Birmingham have cited the same old problems with his attitude that are bound to turn off potential employers. We are going to have to take a huge loss on his original fee (that's a theme we're going to have to grin and bear this summer), I would think a £6m bid from Mark Hughes' Fulham is about the best we can hope for, although Newcastle have a tendency of spending big money on flair players, unless they've learned their lesson after relegation.
Giovani Dos Santos is also out on loan, and the smart money is on him signing a full contract at Racing Santander, although a lot of Spurs fans
would like to see him given the chance to impress in our first team as we've never really seen what he can do. However, Gio soon turns 22 and no longer has a free pass into the squad, next season he'll have to be registered on the list 25, and that may not be a risk worth taking.
It's barely worth mentioning Jonathan Woodgate, if he goes then we aren't going to get any money for him, if he stays, he'll never make the 25-man squad. Best bet? Give him a coaching role and be done with it, the man knows positioning like nobody else and the sooner that knowledge is passed on to
our shaky defence, the better.
So far, so simple, then there's Niko Krancjar, Roman Pavlyuchenko and, as of yesterday, Jermain Defoe, who have all bemoaned the lack of first team opportunities and could be looking to get away.
Krancjar has been rumoured to interest QPR, he's one of the few
who we may make some money on as we was originally a bargain at £2m. QPR of course have the financial clout, and could be in the market for a playmaker if their star prospect Adel Taarabt is prised from their grasp in the close season.
Surely Pavlyuchenko's writing is finally on the wall. He whinges and whines every season when he doesn't get a game and then he gets given a run in the team and never takes the opportunity, missing hatfuls of chances in the process. We all know he's got the talent, he shows some wonderful vision and scores some good goals but the application for a full season's work isn't there and Harry must have had enough by now.
I'd expect Crouch to escape all but the biggest of culls, such is his effectiveness in Europe. He also has a positive attitude, never complaining to the press, and Redknapp will be mindful of the partnership he struck up with Rafa Van Der Vaart at the start of the season, it's gold if they can rediscover it.
Apart from all this, there's the small matters of what to do about our dysfunctional keeper and our wonderkid winger. I do of course mean Heurelho Gomes and Gareth Bale. How we handle those two could prove to be season, or era-defining. But getting the small things right comes first and, as far as sorting the men from the boys goes, it's open season.
WE'll look into inbound possibilities after Sundays game when we know our European fate. See you then.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Fluctuating fortunes
A swagger, sorry, make that stagger, of inconsistency has plagued our season. Many a promising run of results has been halted with an inexplicable result, a heinous defensive error or a misfiring squaddie on the front line. Ultimately, it's thwarted our Champions League hopes but thankfully, our fluctuating fortunes know no prejudice and on Sunday we pulled off another unthinkable result.
One win in 13 games. That's not good. In fact, it's rubbish. Multiply that by the Anfield factor, where we hadn't won in 18 years, and by kick-off time I had all but given up on it.
Then, we pull off one of the results of our season - that's probably over playing it a bit but until yesterday we all thought our season was over. Redknapp didn't want the Europa League spot and we were all bracing ourselves for a lynch mob of money men to come for our prize assets. I even turned to my girlfriend just before kick-off to state, "I have never been so sure in my life that Spurs are going to lose a game."
Now, we're in a commanding position to qualify for Europe via the league for the fourth time in six seasons. I'm not going to make this one of those "everything's fine", Harry Redknapp-endorsed comments, we should have done better in the last three months, but we're where we are and, like I said last week, if we want regular success, we really should be in Europe.
Involvement in the Europa League will keep more members of the squad active, fit and happy, and get us used to juggling priorities during these long seasons - not to mention bringing in some prize money to keep the board, and the sponsors, sweet.
It's actually been a good season for breaking new ground and settling some old scores in the meantime. It's 25 years since we did the double over the Reds and, funnily enough, Kenny Dalglish was in charge the last time we did it back in 1986-87. We beat them 1-0 home and away, with Clive Allen scoring at Anfield in October and Chris Waddle back at White Hart Lane in March.
Clive Allen scored 49 goals in all competitions that season, a feat which remains unmatched to this day - we could have done with him up front this season. Well, we could have done with him up front any season. We could have done with anyone up front this season.
Rafa Van Der Vaart's goal on Sunday was great to watch, I know it deflected, but his reaction - instinctively grabbing the badge on his shirt and running to the Spurs fans - was great to see, and indicates he might not want to go anywhere. Much the same with Luka Modric, rumours are flying about if he'll be off in the summer, but he cared enough to take the penalty and if he thought he was in the shop window, then he needn't have put his reputation on the line.
If VDV and Modric stay put then we're half way to keeping morale high for another bash next season – all we need now is a good old-fashioned goalscorer... Clive Allen, anyone?
One win in 13 games. That's not good. In fact, it's rubbish. Multiply that by the Anfield factor, where we hadn't won in 18 years, and by kick-off time I had all but given up on it.
Then, we pull off one of the results of our season - that's probably over playing it a bit but until yesterday we all thought our season was over. Redknapp didn't want the Europa League spot and we were all bracing ourselves for a lynch mob of money men to come for our prize assets. I even turned to my girlfriend just before kick-off to state, "I have never been so sure in my life that Spurs are going to lose a game."
Now, we're in a commanding position to qualify for Europe via the league for the fourth time in six seasons. I'm not going to make this one of those "everything's fine", Harry Redknapp-endorsed comments, we should have done better in the last three months, but we're where we are and, like I said last week, if we want regular success, we really should be in Europe.
Involvement in the Europa League will keep more members of the squad active, fit and happy, and get us used to juggling priorities during these long seasons - not to mention bringing in some prize money to keep the board, and the sponsors, sweet.
It's actually been a good season for breaking new ground and settling some old scores in the meantime. It's 25 years since we did the double over the Reds and, funnily enough, Kenny Dalglish was in charge the last time we did it back in 1986-87. We beat them 1-0 home and away, with Clive Allen scoring at Anfield in October and Chris Waddle back at White Hart Lane in March.
Clive Allen scored 49 goals in all competitions that season, a feat which remains unmatched to this day - we could have done with him up front this season. Well, we could have done with him up front any season. We could have done with anyone up front this season.
Rafa Van Der Vaart's goal on Sunday was great to watch, I know it deflected, but his reaction - instinctively grabbing the badge on his shirt and running to the Spurs fans - was great to see, and indicates he might not want to go anywhere. Much the same with Luka Modric, rumours are flying about if he'll be off in the summer, but he cared enough to take the penalty and if he thought he was in the shop window, then he needn't have put his reputation on the line.
If VDV and Modric stay put then we're half way to keeping morale high for another bash next season – all we need now is a good old-fashioned goalscorer... Clive Allen, anyone?
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Why Spurs must qualify for the Europa League
There is no denying that the Europa League has become the graveyard shift of European football; the night watchman, if you will, but don't shirk it's importance too readily.
Until this week, I felt that, should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League, I'd prefer we finished 6th, thus not qualifying for the Europa League, such is the draining nature of Europe's second tier but it has become all too evident that it is vital to our continued development as a "big side" that we qualify for the
competition next season.
Arguments suggest that both Man City and Liverpool have been far better this season since being knocked out of the competition and even while they were in it they had to wade through a sea of minnows such as Aris Thessalonika, Red Bull Salzburg and Lech Poznan while we routinely lined up against world football's finest - so are we really better off without the Europa League, after all, we did better in the Premier League in 2009/2010 when we didn't have the distraction of European football?
These may be valid points but not the correct attitude if we're driving towards success. Our main enemy at the back end of this season has been stamina and, in truth, our final big push of the season was the tie against AC Milan; two hard-fought games against a top team.
In future, we must be able to deal with these big occasions mid-season and not save them up for the final exchanges like our terrific run at the end of last season. Milan came at us and came at us for two games and our defences held out, but not without cost; our league campaign trundled over the rumble strips and onto the hard shoulder.
The Europa League may be a lot of games but it builds up our stamina and keeps the side used to long seasons. If we really want to build on our reputation as a promising side then we have to be mentally and physically fit enough to stomach gruelling campaigns of 60+ games, while jetting all over the continent - to not qualify for Europe would be a backwards step.
Our other big problem this season has been failing to bury the smaller teams. Far too often have we dominated a game only to lack the killer instinct when it matters most. William Gallas has lately hinted that complacency has played its part and maybe that's a result of playing your Milans and Madrids so often.
Getting our waders on and slogging through eight or ten games against smaller teams may well get us used to beating teams in regular games, the smaller occasions, then maybe we'll not struggle so much against the West Hams, Wigans and Blackpools of the division next season.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League is not a disaster, but we have to make a final surge for the Europa League as, however you percieve the competition, it could be exactly what we need.
Until this week, I felt that, should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League, I'd prefer we finished 6th, thus not qualifying for the Europa League, such is the draining nature of Europe's second tier but it has become all too evident that it is vital to our continued development as a "big side" that we qualify for the
competition next season.
Arguments suggest that both Man City and Liverpool have been far better this season since being knocked out of the competition and even while they were in it they had to wade through a sea of minnows such as Aris Thessalonika, Red Bull Salzburg and Lech Poznan while we routinely lined up against world football's finest - so are we really better off without the Europa League, after all, we did better in the Premier League in 2009/2010 when we didn't have the distraction of European football?
These may be valid points but not the correct attitude if we're driving towards success. Our main enemy at the back end of this season has been stamina and, in truth, our final big push of the season was the tie against AC Milan; two hard-fought games against a top team.
In future, we must be able to deal with these big occasions mid-season and not save them up for the final exchanges like our terrific run at the end of last season. Milan came at us and came at us for two games and our defences held out, but not without cost; our league campaign trundled over the rumble strips and onto the hard shoulder.
The Europa League may be a lot of games but it builds up our stamina and keeps the side used to long seasons. If we really want to build on our reputation as a promising side then we have to be mentally and physically fit enough to stomach gruelling campaigns of 60+ games, while jetting all over the continent - to not qualify for Europe would be a backwards step.
Our other big problem this season has been failing to bury the smaller teams. Far too often have we dominated a game only to lack the killer instinct when it matters most. William Gallas has lately hinted that complacency has played its part and maybe that's a result of playing your Milans and Madrids so often.
Getting our waders on and slogging through eight or ten games against smaller teams may well get us used to beating teams in regular games, the smaller occasions, then maybe we'll not struggle so much against the West Hams, Wigans and Blackpools of the division next season.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League is not a disaster, but we have to make a final surge for the Europa League as, however you percieve the competition, it could be exactly what we need.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Cough, cough, splutter
The past month or so I've been able to hear a quiet chug, chug, chug sound somewhere in the distance. Initially, concerned I was going mad, I decided to ignore it but as it got louder and more noticeable I asked around a bit, coming to the conclusion that it was some form of tinnitus.
Yesterday, however, it reached a peak and it dawned on me that no qualified psychologist or medic was needed for a diagnosis; the chug, chug, chug sound was in fact the sound of Tottenham's season coughing and spluttering to a halt as we ran quite convincingly out of gas.
People are quick to point the finger after results like yesterday and, as anyone who read my last post will know, I feel that Redknapp had to make an example and drop Heurelho Gomes. But I'm willing to stand by his decision as I find it admirable that Harry is willing to stand by the guy and it shows that he has a strong sense of ethics and fairness - Gmoes did make three world class saves yesterday - and if you ask me, Taylor-Fletcher dived for the second penalty.
In truth, the fuel gauge has been firmly in the red for weeks and weeks and two hard-fought legs against AC Milan either pushed us over an edge we had already reached, or they took the wind out of our sails entirely. Either way, the whole experience probably accelerated the slide towards exhaustion that has seen us unable to kill teams off.
Harry Redknapp was a guest on Match Of The Day 2 earlier this evening (Sunday) and, whilst I admit, he is beginning to sound like a broken record with his, "Who are we gonna knock out the Top 4; not United, not Arsenal etc" on top of the "two points from eight games" mantra, I do think he is setting his stall out with regards to next season.
Redknapp has said a number of times that he genuinely believes he can win a title with Tottenham. Only recently has he started to admit that he "needs to add some real quality over the summer." He realises that our misfiring forwards have let us down badly this term. Be it lack of confidence or talent, it can't be tolerated. It certainly can't be lack of service!
We're all grateful for the experiences that have come with this season, it was beginning to look like we'd never see nights like that again, but the way the team has juddered to a halt is far from acceptable. We're meant to have a large squad of talented midfielders and we are either not using them, or they aren't playing ball.
Squad players have to accept some time on the bench and work to prove themselves. We as fans can't judge as we don't see them train from day to day but certain players have fought their way back into the squad in the past (Palacios, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko), so it seems that the manager is only too willing to give players a go when they've earned it.
With that in mind, you can only deduce that the supposed brilliant squad we had assembled lacks a bit of depth and, above all, a bit of determination. Coming from two goals down is one thing, but turning a bad run around under pressure is quite another and it's where we've fallen flat this season.
It's been a long time since we've had a manager who believes we can win a title and, whether you believe him or not, you get the impression the board would be crazy not to throw their weight behind him...
It could be an interesting summer.
(There's also the small matter of whether or not the Europa League is really worth being in, but I'll wait until after the Man City game before I mention that at all)
Yesterday, however, it reached a peak and it dawned on me that no qualified psychologist or medic was needed for a diagnosis; the chug, chug, chug sound was in fact the sound of Tottenham's season coughing and spluttering to a halt as we ran quite convincingly out of gas.
People are quick to point the finger after results like yesterday and, as anyone who read my last post will know, I feel that Redknapp had to make an example and drop Heurelho Gomes. But I'm willing to stand by his decision as I find it admirable that Harry is willing to stand by the guy and it shows that he has a strong sense of ethics and fairness - Gmoes did make three world class saves yesterday - and if you ask me, Taylor-Fletcher dived for the second penalty.
In truth, the fuel gauge has been firmly in the red for weeks and weeks and two hard-fought legs against AC Milan either pushed us over an edge we had already reached, or they took the wind out of our sails entirely. Either way, the whole experience probably accelerated the slide towards exhaustion that has seen us unable to kill teams off.
Harry Redknapp was a guest on Match Of The Day 2 earlier this evening (Sunday) and, whilst I admit, he is beginning to sound like a broken record with his, "Who are we gonna knock out the Top 4; not United, not Arsenal etc" on top of the "two points from eight games" mantra, I do think he is setting his stall out with regards to next season.
Redknapp has said a number of times that he genuinely believes he can win a title with Tottenham. Only recently has he started to admit that he "needs to add some real quality over the summer." He realises that our misfiring forwards have let us down badly this term. Be it lack of confidence or talent, it can't be tolerated. It certainly can't be lack of service!
We're all grateful for the experiences that have come with this season, it was beginning to look like we'd never see nights like that again, but the way the team has juddered to a halt is far from acceptable. We're meant to have a large squad of talented midfielders and we are either not using them, or they aren't playing ball.
Squad players have to accept some time on the bench and work to prove themselves. We as fans can't judge as we don't see them train from day to day but certain players have fought their way back into the squad in the past (Palacios, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko), so it seems that the manager is only too willing to give players a go when they've earned it.
With that in mind, you can only deduce that the supposed brilliant squad we had assembled lacks a bit of depth and, above all, a bit of determination. Coming from two goals down is one thing, but turning a bad run around under pressure is quite another and it's where we've fallen flat this season.
It's been a long time since we've had a manager who believes we can win a title and, whether you believe him or not, you get the impression the board would be crazy not to throw their weight behind him...
It could be an interesting summer.
(There's also the small matter of whether or not the Europa League is really worth being in, but I'll wait until after the Man City game before I mention that at all)
Monday, 2 May 2011
Spurs must act quickly to localise Gomes damage
Heurelho Gomes is a talented shot stopper and a likeable guy. But enough is enough. Saturday's costly blunder is not just one too many, it's too many too many.
Spurs must act quickly to remedy the situation, by starting Carlo Cudicini in our next game against Blackpool at home.
I'm aware that the ball didn't actually cross the line but goal-line etiquette seems to work differently where Spurs are involved, remember Pedro Mendes 'goal' against Man United?
The linesman may have made a mistake but he should never have had to make the decision in the first place. The technology debate should have raged on a different day, between two different teams because this was a routine catch for Gomes from a speculative Frank Lampard hit'n'hope - and he blew it.
The reason it is so important that Spurs act over the Gomes situation, apart from the obvious fact that our hopes of a Top 4 finish are hanging by a thread, is that we have a team to protect and build upon and our best players will grow disillusioned if we don't look to solve the problem.
I don't for a minute think that Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Rafa Van Der Vaart and Luka Modric would all seriously consider leaving just because we don't make the Champions League this season. If that is on their agenda then frankly they can go because it's the wrong attitude and shows their heart isn't in the right place.
However, for any top player with promise, talent and ambition, I can't imagine anything more frustrating than putting your all in every game, getting the team into a winning position and protecting a lead only for it to be continually undone by defensive gaffes, and it's happened a number of times this season.
It is that frustration that is likely to bring unrest simmering to the surface and I fear it poses a much bigger threat to keeping our team together than our final league position does. Gomes' latest blow damaged our Champions League hopes, there is no denying that, and it's important that the problem is not allowed to rumble on into next season.
It's not always Gomes, admittedly. We make a lot of defensive howlers but it could all stem from having no faith in the man between the sticks. Our centre-backs routinely panic over long balls and fail to deal with crosses; even corners that should be dealt with as second nature become a battle of nerves.
We are desperate for some confidence at the back, especially in time for next season and, if our best players are to pledge allegiance to our cause then they need reassurance that Harry Redknapp will make difficult decisions quickly. And that means dropping Gomes with immediate effect.
Spurs must act quickly to remedy the situation, by starting Carlo Cudicini in our next game against Blackpool at home.
I'm aware that the ball didn't actually cross the line but goal-line etiquette seems to work differently where Spurs are involved, remember Pedro Mendes 'goal' against Man United?
The linesman may have made a mistake but he should never have had to make the decision in the first place. The technology debate should have raged on a different day, between two different teams because this was a routine catch for Gomes from a speculative Frank Lampard hit'n'hope - and he blew it.
The reason it is so important that Spurs act over the Gomes situation, apart from the obvious fact that our hopes of a Top 4 finish are hanging by a thread, is that we have a team to protect and build upon and our best players will grow disillusioned if we don't look to solve the problem.
I don't for a minute think that Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Rafa Van Der Vaart and Luka Modric would all seriously consider leaving just because we don't make the Champions League this season. If that is on their agenda then frankly they can go because it's the wrong attitude and shows their heart isn't in the right place.
However, for any top player with promise, talent and ambition, I can't imagine anything more frustrating than putting your all in every game, getting the team into a winning position and protecting a lead only for it to be continually undone by defensive gaffes, and it's happened a number of times this season.
It is that frustration that is likely to bring unrest simmering to the surface and I fear it poses a much bigger threat to keeping our team together than our final league position does. Gomes' latest blow damaged our Champions League hopes, there is no denying that, and it's important that the problem is not allowed to rumble on into next season.
It's not always Gomes, admittedly. We make a lot of defensive howlers but it could all stem from having no faith in the man between the sticks. Our centre-backs routinely panic over long balls and fail to deal with crosses; even corners that should be dealt with as second nature become a battle of nerves.
We are desperate for some confidence at the back, especially in time for next season and, if our best players are to pledge allegiance to our cause then they need reassurance that Harry Redknapp will make difficult decisions quickly. And that means dropping Gomes with immediate effect.
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