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SPURS COMMUNITY
Southampton 1-0 Spurs: Welcome To The David Pleat School Of Football Management
by Medigansta
27-03-04
Rory settling matters with a moment's brilliance in a dull match
Welcome one and all to the David Pleat School of football management. It's a wordy name, I know, but it serves its purpose.
Today's class, how to exert authority yet keep all members of your side happy and also, we'll scratch the surface of football tactics, including a few tricks up the old proverbial sleeve.
Part 1: The youngsters
The perfect way to deal with a youngster is to hand them their debut at Old Trafford. Heck, they may have never started a game before for the club, not even in the Worthington Cup, but away at Manchester United is the perfect arena for the introduction of young talent.
You must also make sure that, despite them not putting in a bad performance against the Champions, that you drop them for the next match. Don't even put them on the bench.
Is bound to do wonders for the confidence.
Part 2: The Strikers
Many football 'experts' say that when you have three strikers at a club, it can be hard to accommodate them. Balls to that, simply play all three, then there's no arguments. Doing this also means that Portuguese bloke who you showed no faith in at the start of the season gets his place on the bench, even though we all know there's no chance of him getting a shot no matter how well the other 3 are playing. Its genius I tell you, perhaps even revolutionary.
What do you mean creation? The midfield needs to make chances for the strikers? Don't be daft, there's three of them for gord's sake, they'll obviously be self-sufficient, and that Irish guy I really like up front will run around everywhere like a headless chicken with the odd trick here and there. He may not pass the ball, but it sure looks good when it all comes off.
These Spurs fans are crying out for attractive football, so serving up this long-ball stuff should please them all greatly. Using all three strikers also saves you getting your bollocks headbutted when you tell the French-Malian geezer he won't be playing.
Brilliant.
Part 3: The injury-prone skipper
The final part of today's lesson, how do you ensure you incorporate your skipper into the side? Well, you must, simply must make sure that, regardless of how the team is playing, or the other side's tactics, that you get him on for 20 minutes at the very least.
The best way I find of doing this is by moving that bargain buy from Sheffield United out onto the left-wing. Some people say he's been our best player since signing, but we all know that having a slow, weak midfield with good passing is much more important than having someone who actually tackles.
Part 4: The Match Review
Now onto the actual review, because believe it not, our team did actually play today.
At least, that's what it says on spurs.co.uk, as far as I can see, no Spurs players turned up today.
Admittedly, it was a peach of a goal that settled it, but that was more down to the home side's woeful finishing than any decent play from Spurs.
The early minutes were fairly uneventful, though there were a few opportunities for the home side to go ahead even then.
After just a few seconds, a long throw from Rory Delap caused problems in the Spurs 18-yard box, but David Prutton was somewhat surprised the ball actually got to him, and failed to do anything with the chance.
James Beattie sent a free-kick just wide while both Fredi Kanoute and Jermain Defoe had shots well saved by Niemi before the game's first real chance fell to the home side.
Rory Delap's fairly speculative shot was deflected into the path of Beattie, who instinctively swung his boot at it, only for his shot to be well saved by the legs of Keller.
Spurs had to wait until the 34th minute for their first real chance of the match, and it fell to Defoe, who, following a mistake from Jason Dodd, was left with a free run on goal. Defoe took the ball slightly too far to the left however, and though his shot was a good one, Niemi was able to palm it wide.
Kevin Phillips then almost scored, lifting the ball over Kasey Keller, only to see the ball bobble inches wide.
Just before the break, excellent work from Telfer and Fernandes saw the Scot put an excellent cross in for James Beattie, who could only volley the ball over the bar.
Half-Time: Saints 0-0 Spurs
It was clear changes were needed, we were lacking creativity in a big way, and Pleaty decided that Redknapp was the man for the job. Johnnie Jackson made way for our skipper.
The first half started badly for Spurs, with Christian Ziege being replaced with Stephen Kelly, presumably another injury for the German. I seem to say it in every match review these days, but it is my opinion that Ziege is finished as a professional football player.
Two minutes later, Fabrice Fernandes had one of the misses of the season. Good work by Beattie down the left hand side was brought to a halt when the assistant referee flagged for a foul by Gardner, however, the referee waved play on, and as everyone had stopped, Beattie was in the clear. He squared the ball for Fernandes, whose shot somehow went wide from only 7 yards out.
On 64 minutes, Southampton had the goal they deserved. Southampton had taken a number of consecutive corners when Lundekvam headed one well across goal, allowing Rory Delap to acrobatically slam the ball into the net with an audacious overhead kick. Saints 1-0 Spurs
On 75 minutes, a well struck shot from Jamie Redknapp forced a good save from Niemi.
Pleat then threw on Dalmat, who replaced Michael Brown. But the Frenchman failed to have any sort of impact on the game, and the match's remaining chance fell to the home side.
James Beattie went round Kasey Keller, only to be forced wide, Rory Delap then shot just wide.
Full-Time: Saints 1-0 Spurs
Spurs: Keller, Carr, Ziege (Kelly 47), Doherty, Gardner, Kanoute, Brown (Dalmat 75), King, Jackson (Redknapp 45), Keane, Defoe.
Subs not used: Hirschfeld, Postiga.
Booked: Doherty, Ziege
Saints: Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Higginbotham, Telfer, Prutton, Delap, Folly, Fernandes (Svensson 75), Beattie, Phillips (Ormerod 75).
Subs not used: Smith (GK), Hall, Pahars.
Medi's Man Of The Match: 18. Rory Delap
He scored a good goal. That's about it.
A very uninspiring match where we were poor and they were average. Delap's excellent strike was the difference between the two sides, and so earns him the accolade of Medi's MOTM.
Both teams will have to play better than this though in their coming games if they are to pick up points, which both need to do, as neither are mathematically safe from relegation.
A poor match, poor team selection, and probably a poor review in all honesty.
Roll on June. COME ON YOU SPURS!!!
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