Tottenham’s win against Cyprus minnows may be all down to a cheeky ball boy! (watch it on video)

By 1970’s Gooner

So the 6-1 win that Spurs managed against the minnows of Cyprus, Anorthosis Famagusta, in the first round first leg tie at White Hart Lane last Thursday was not all down to good play.

Or even the weaknesses inherent in a team that has a budget which is about one hundredth that of Spurs.

A lot of the inept display by one of the Cypriot’s sides players was down to the cheekiness of a Spurs ball boy who decided his team needed a little bit of help!

He returned the ball to Kostas Loumboutis for a throw but not, as you would imagine, to his hands. He rather forcefully aimed it at the ex Twente player’s privates forcing him to wince from the pain inflicted.

Loumboutis gave him a very glaring look but decided to continue with the throw that was awarded to his team.

The crowd gave the boy, who was in the corner of The Shelf and the Park Lane, a rousing reception.

Watch the clip and the fans reception by clicking on the video window.


Last night’s performance means that Arsenal will win trophies this year

Arsenal’s weaknesses Vs Tottenham’s. Preview and Prediction

By 1970’s Gooner

You are only as good as your weakest link. And for Arsenal's last game we did unfortunately spot the weakest link in our preview. Senderos's red card nearly jeopardised a fine performance by this young, but now determined to prove everyone wrong, squad.

Arsenal’s weaknesses are today centered in two positions. In central midfield the enforced deployment of Gilberto brings with it two problems.

The first is jet lag and fatigue. He did not get back to St Albans, his home, till yesterday afternoon which does not really allow him much recovery time.

Remember he did play the full 90 minutes for Brazil against the USA last Sunday and 75 minutes on Thursday morning against Mexico in Boston.

The second problem is Gilberto’s relative lack of pace which may be exposed against Spurs’ very quick front two of Berbatov and Keane.

I am worried about this and I hope that his experience, astute positioning awareness and Toure’s cover will get us through relatively unscathed.

Arsenal’s second weakness may be a self inflicted one. For some reason Wenger has put Flamini ahead of Diaby in the pecking order.

It is bleeding obvious that Diaby is a far superior player on all counts which are too numerous to mention in this posting.

Tottenham’s weaknesses lie in defence and in the midfield areas. The absence of King and the forced deployment of the inexperienced Dawson and newcomer Kaboul leaves huge gaps at the back.

In midfield they lack a creative midfielder which Jenas clearly is not but there is also not enough penetration on the flanks.

Lennon’s absence has cost them a lot. I do not think he will start today and that leaves Melbranque and Bale to fill these positions. The first lacks quality and is not penetrative enough and the other is too young.

Conclusion

If Gilberto wakes up in time and manages to put in a decent performance aided ably by Toure then it will be another North London triumph for the Arsenal.

Prediction: 1-3 to the Arsenal


Mind games from Jol and Wenger

Spurs fly like a bee and sting like a butterfly!

By 1970’s Gooner

Well who would have believed it? After spending 40m over the summer and reaching the dizzy heights of third biggest spenders in the league, after Manchester United and Liverpool, Spurs have plunged to such low depths where it matters. On the football field.

Yet at the end of last season their weaknesses were apparent for everyone to see. The lack of creative midfielders and quality in defence.

And what does Mr. Jol goes out and buys? A £16.5m forward to add to the other four he already had (Defoe, Keane, Berbatov and Mido).

And in defence he brought in two relatively young and inexperienced defenders, Bale and Kaboul. The former was out due to injury and the latter limped out during the game.

As often happens in football, due to its zero sum characteristic and reliance on team coordination, if one or more of its parts or players is not functioning well the whole of the team suffers.

Tottenham last night in their efforts to appease the plethora of forwards at their disposal sacrificed shape and the balance of the team by playing three forwards, Bent and Berbatov up front and Keane just below them.

This had the effect of depriving the midfield of a genuine central player and putting too much load on Jenas’s shoulders to strive to control it. A task which he is not that capable of performing at the best of circumstances anyway.

On the other hand Moyes is not that an idiot to make such selection mistakes. He played a 4 4 2 even if it was an away game. But at least his team was balanced and his four man midfield had the extra midfielder to provide protection.

We Arsenal fans were starting to get sick of all this Spurs hype during pre season that they will finish above us in the League. They were even talking about challenging the top two for the title!

Lay off it please.


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