Tottenham news: Hoddles Headache

By Gary Beaumont
April 15 2003

With our season almost at and end and a mid table finish our most likely outcome (yet again), the arrival of the cricket season may be a big welcome for many Spurs fans. However our season may not be finished just yet!

No, I am not talking about Europe (We all know us Spurs fans have to be in a state of denial, as this prepares ourselves for the torture of missing Europe by the skin of our teeth). As it happens I am talking about player changes to look forward to and these are not new signings. These changes may or may not provide an immediate reward, however they will be interesting none-the-less. There may be only a few games left, but if a few certain things go our way then we may be in for an interesting end to the season.
Firstly the forming of Gardner and King at the back, considering two these stay fit and we see the swift return of Richards, how will Glenn accommodate these three players?
I believe Glenn will probably leave Richards on the bench, either to await an injury to that of either Leds or Ant, or to save him until he is fully fit (The first theory is possibly a little cynical of me; although that is a trait us Spurs fans have to adhere to these days). If these players were all fully fit would Glenn look to revert back to the 3-5-2 that he so dearly loves? Bearing in mind we have not been successful with this when lesser defenders are in the side.
Or…. Hear me out; does he make some rather drastic changes? This is where I cross my fingers and kneel by the side of my bed. Upon arrival at the newsagents the following morning (after my brush with religion), I read the morning headlines stating that Glenn has decided Ledley King will be relieved from his defensive duties and will be allowed to roam the centre of midfield at his pleasure. This drastic measure will see the unfortunate end of <Shudder> Bunjes illustrious midfield career.
Could this masterstroke be the one that changes the following season for the better? (As well as saving millions of quid and the embarrassment of using Toda). Well we can all only pray. It has often crossed my mind how can a player with so much ability on the ball, can be denied useage of this in the name of trying to keep a clean sheet. Especially when he has had so much experience of tackling then distributing ASAP. This is the problem with our midfield and I for one would welcome any changes to the formidable partnership of Poyet and Bunje.
The second bit of interesting thought came after trying to raise awareness in regard to the talents of a certain under 19 player we have. No this is not Slabber (although he is half decent) but a player not to dissimilar to Keano himself. A few months ago a Mark Yeates caught my eye. He was being used in midfield (at that stage his goal scoring ability was a little to be desired) but he was clearly being earmarked as a forward. This was the time that many people were turning to the younger players to find hope and many names were being passed around. It is alleged Spurs management were told to keep from talking up this certain individual, as he hadn’t matured as a player at that stage. However this seems to have changed over the last few weeks when a hatrick for the under-19’s saw to this in style. He was then pushed into the reserves for a measly 10 mins only to upstage many of his better-paid colleagues when he scored on his debut. He has now gone on to manage 7 goals in his last 5 games (including 2 in 2 reserve games). The question is, will Glenn use him before the end of the season? I will not continue to talk him up, as I am sure his ability will do the talking when given half a chance.
The third thought (Stay with me guys and girls!) is the other midfield vacancy at Tottenham (although Glenn & Poyet doesn’t know it yet). Mr J Redknapp will return to anchor our midfield. This ultimately means the end of Poyets time at N17, as with any luck the introduction of Blondel on the left will deny Gus the opportunity of any other place to fill (or un-fill as the case often seems to be). Long shots and hype you might all think, but he is almost ready for a return to the reserves and may be back in less than two weeks. With Etherington struggling with a knock Blondel may be given an opportunity to replace him on the left (Rather than his preferred central role). With changes almost being forced upon Mr Hoddle then maybe it is not all doom and gloom. As given half a chance I am sure these three ideas may become a reality and turn things around.

N.B: There was no mention of Sheringham as I feel he is getting a lot of unfair publicity recently, especially when he has continued to score and there are no real alternatives available.

Come on you Spurs.