The Final Word on Spurs

Article by Graeme Clark

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The final word is about January and two things in particular about January.

Firstly the game against Citeh, and for once I will rely on two people whose words and utterances I do not take with a pinch of salt – I normally take them with the white mountains that appear every year around our neighbouring Torrevieja before being transported to the UK and beyond.

Those two people are none other than Arsene Wenger (for so long I have referred to him as Le Arse Whinger – but no more for we are in agreement) whilst the other is none other than the chosen one, or is he the special one? Maybe just “The One” – move over Neo (aka Keano Reeves)

So over to their exact words – taken totally out of context of course – on various decisions lately about Manchester City and their footballing pedigree -

Arsene Wenger - "Everybody speaks of course that they had an impressive win, and a great quality game as well at Tottenham, but if you analyse it well this game could have turned. All the turning points went in their favour. If they had not, then you are not sure they would have won the game."

Mourinho - “The players are obviously very good. Even with very good players, if the manager is not good, you don’t do it. On top of that – and I want to make it very clear that, for me, it’s just a coincidence and nothing else – the reality is they have many crucial decisions in their favour.

"City are lucky. Against Liverpool, the Sterling ‘goal’. The penalty on Suárez. Against Newcastle, the goal that is a clear goal. Against Tottenham, Dawson’s goal, the penalty and the red card. They are having everything. I repeat: just pure coincidence? But at the moment they have everything in their favour.”

So, for once – and quite possibly the only ever time in the history of me writing about football – I am in agreement with messrs Wenger and Mourinho. Weird I know but three great minds thinking alike cannot be wrong.

Citeh are a great team, but they are getting lucky, the decisions are going their way – on the pitch at least. Danny Rose has been vindicated in that he did not commit the foul and his red card has been rescinded.

It is just a shame the penalty and everything else cannot be taken back so easily. All very well for the FA to say the sending off was wrong. Where is the apology, the three points we could have had, the goal difference we now have to make up?

Yet again, poor decisions by officials are costing us – just as they cost other teams week in week out – why no video referencing?

But enough of the musings following one match – what of the great and the glorious, the January Transfer Window? That time when teams buy important players ready to improve the squad and provide the final push for end of season glory. What is the final word on that.

Manure smashed their transfer record in buying Mata, while Chelski used the money and more to buy in no less than four players – Bertrand Traore, Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Saleh and Kurt Zouma. Meanwhile Le Arse seem to have been done – they appear to have purchased an injured female Finnish tennis player by the name of Kim Kallstrom.

Citeh, to be fair, didn´t need anyone so simply did not bother, while Liverpool were their usual selves – huffing and puffing and showing interest in all and sundry and ended up with no-one.

What did we do?

Sherwood insisted he would not buy so instead we released Dawkins, Obika, Coulthirst, Adams, Fredericks, Holtby and Defoe (some on loan, some on permanent deals) and who did we get in to replace them? No-one. Absolutely no-one.

It leaves us with two senior strikers – Soldado and Adebayor – and no cover (does anyone think that Kane can do any type of job for us up front?) in case either or both get injured – and do not even go down the line of anyone being out of form!

We were short of goals before the transfer window – and unless someone somewhere seriously gets their act together we are still going to be short of goals for the rest of the season.

With spaces available in the 25 man squad, why not take a punt on any one of a number of ageing players currently plying their trade across Europe – even if only for a five month loan – just to put a rocket up the backside of the two current incumbents?

The list of possibles is way too long even to contemplate – one, just one, would have made the majority of us content, if not totally happy, but yet again we are left wondering whether there is a transfer policy in force at White Hart Lane or whether it is a scattergun approach.

Buy loads in one window. See how that works.

And when that fails do exactly the extreme - nothing.

The final word has to be from the fantastic, if slightly flawed, “Dad´s Army” where Private James Frazer, played by John Laurie, always seemed to come up with the phrase – “We´re all doomed! Doomed”

Maybe a little over dramatic – but poignant nonetheless.

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