Celtic vs. Spurs - Jubileum Tourney.

[KeaneIsKeane]

I think us not hoofing the ball up the pitch every time the GK got the ball was one of my favorite positives of the game. Near the end he made a few misplaced throws, but on a whole it was way better than what would result from Robbo's punting the ball up the pitch. Though Robbo is better than that then most keepers it still had a low success rate.

 

[JustinSane]

Considering we didn't even have to step out of first gear, and comfortably controlled the game throughout, I'd say it was pretty convincing.

That's spot on Hughy. Considering the number of games we have played and will play in a short space of time I'm sure that Magic Juande told the boys to pace themselves. And that's exactly what they did. I always felt that they kept a few gears in reserve and would have used them only if need be and there was never any need today.

 

[sparx100]

Positives: Ekotto, Modric, Bent and Bentley
Negatives: Berbs - seriously sort yourself out or piss off - petulant git.

Not a great performance, but as they say you can only beat whats in front of you. Ramos still tinkering with the formation and the players are still adapting.

 

[nidge]

tbf nidge they are a week away from there season, they played a full strength side & beat a full strength fc porto side in there last game.....

fact is we kept the ball so well we made them look crap, they created zilch unlike us....

even strachan said when a team keeps the ball like that it doesnt matter what tactics you play....

we were very good imo...

Celtic won that match by packing the midfield and stealing a goal at the death and apart from that one match, they beat Southampton, lost to fulham, drew with middlesborough, lost to Cardiff this preseason.

As for Strachan, don't get me started on him. He really can't see Celtic winning the league this season with him incharge. :-(

 

[nidge]

It was an okay performance. We didn't create too many clear cut chances considering the possession we had and our goals basically came from Celtic mistakes. I thought the most encouraging thing was that we kept our team shape very well and controlled the game for long periods. Celtic were poor on the ball and didn't really press us that much when we had possession. We can't really say it was as good a performance as some are making out, when you consider how our goals were scored. It's not as if we carved them apart and put a few past them. Despite how much of the ball we saw and the encouraging showings from a number of players such as Bent, Bentley, Bale and Zokora, the difference between the two sides was ultimately a poor back pass and a mix up between the GK and a defender.

I think we need to play a couple of games at a much higher tempo. At the moment we are passing the ball nicely, but until we play a side that really gets in amongst us, we wont really know too much. There have been a few occassions in the last 3 games, when I've been concerned about how we'd fair against a side that will press, as teams in the Prem tend to.

Completely agree. It will certainly be an interesting start to the season.

 

[nicdic]

I thought we were pretty convincing, and having not seen Celtic play this pre season, I would have said we stopped them from ever causing threat, not that they were just poor. We made them look poor.

On the matter of Berbatov I have two main things to say. Those who are saying we don't need to rely on him anymore are correct, but those who are saying that he is not needed, or they don't want him, are wrong. Yes our midfield is a lot better, so the reliance on him to create and be our forward thrust and spark is gone, but he is still one of the most technically gifted players around. It will no longer be the end of the world if he leaves because of the work Juande, Comolli, Levy and Alexander have undertaken, but he is still an incredibly important player, and would be much better to have him than lose him.

On the other players, I was impressed with BAE as most seem to be. I remember seeing his first game at the Lane and being impressed then, and think it was a shame he suffered those injuries as he is undoubtedly talented.

Thought Bale looked a bit off the tempo at first again, but seemed to grow into it the longer he played, eventually reminding me of the player he was last season.

Bent, three ninety minute run outs in five days, scoring eight goals. Not sure there is much else I can say. :-D

Modric, class. He's going to be a superb player in the Premier League, such great awareness and skill, hope to see more of him and Berbatov linking up as they showed on a couple of occasions some great play.

Bentley did OK, my worry with him through the whole saga was how he'd fit into this team, but I am encouraged. Thought he wasted a couple of opportunites, but on the whole was good. Brilliant to see him score, and whipping crosses in. Think he could become a fan favourite.

Zokora, when will everyone see how good a player he is?! So versatile, can do a job in midfield, full back or centre back, and does all of them well. A great player to have in the team. I thought he was superb tonight even if his delivery left us a little wanting.

All in all, i'd say we're looking good, and I have to agree with the commentators, it really is an exciting time to be a spurs fan.

 

[Knapspur]

I want to see Berbs at another club, if for no other reason that to see if he acts like wanker and like he doesn't give a shit in front of other team mates / fans.

 

[don1]

Hold on, hold on, bent Bale....he ain't no shirtlifter (As far as I know....mind you, he is Welsh) and I REALLY don't want to know which player Modric was on....FFS!

yeah does sound a bit odd alright:rofl::rofl:

Actually I don't think that is the case. I am starting to think we would stand a better chance of breaking into the top4 without Berbatov than with him.

nidge i dont see it, berbatov done ok today his first full 90 minutes. for bentleys goal he knew he was behind and just let the ball run through for him to tap it in, also showed some great skill on the ball linking up with modric and defended well also. ok at times he did throw his arms in the air and stamped his feet but thats the way he is, we are a much better team with him than without, but then again everyone has different views

 

[nicdic]

Also I think if you re-watched the game, you would see that Berbatov was more often than not showing his frustration at his own poor work, rather than berating other players inept play, which was the norm in the past.

 

[Bonjour]

Also I think if you re-watched the game, you would see that Berbatov was more often than not showing his frustration at his own poor work, rather than berating other players inept play, which was the norm in the past.

That's how I read it. Just general frustration at great moves breaking down and wayward passes. Aimed at himself as much as anyone.

 

[shelfsideyid]

Average first half, but almost total control in the second half.

Bale stood out in the last 45, Bently supplied some good crosses and looked very promising for the season. Bent was sharp, Modric looked neat & tidy without really setting the game alight, Gomes looked solid ( distribution was a bit sketchy) Zoko worked hard, Beni looked a bit better @ LB, but Berba' seemed totally dis-interested.

 

[SpurSince57]

I think us not hoofing the ball up the pitch every time the GK got the ball was one of my favorite positives of the game. Near the end he made a few misplaced throws, but on a whole it was way better than what would result from Robbo's punting the ball up the pitch. Though Robbo is better than that then most keepers it still had a low success rate.

We now have alternative methods of getting the ball forward quickly.

 

[thetallaghttiger]

Firstly, my take on the game was from watching the game on Sky...

Berba - Funnily enough, most of his 'stropping' I thought was to do with things not coming off for him. Obviously there is stuff behind the scenes happening that no one bar 3/4 people are privy to (as D Bent said in his post match interview), but the effort from Berbatov was no more different to his usual effort before this transfer talk IMO. He played well, showed his usual class and skill, could've scored from the attack that led to Bentley's goal.

Gomes - not much to do. Made 2 bad throws out from his goal though at the end of the game, cut that out please Heurelho! :wink:

Ekotto - good. Looked a bit weak physically and I just wonder can he cut it in the EPL week in week out. Would be grand for every 2nd week though me thinks. Was good going forward and cut out a few crosses.

Woodie - typical woodie, calm and read the game well. I hope he has nearly 38 league games in him this year.

Dawson - got caught out badly for 1 celtic attack in the 1st half, attacked the ball but didn't win it and let McDonald break through (luckily the ball was down the flank though). Tried to start attacks from the back which is admirable, needs to work on that cross-field pass though, he is capable of it though. Decent otherwise.

Zoko - showed some great attacking play from RB. Kept McGeady quiet mostly, was tested though and becuase of that, Didier may have showed enough to start RB vs Boro.

Modric - ah Luka! Could watch him play all day, pure class. If he can dictate the play for us, we won't have to worry about our shaky defence. Got stuck in as well which people may not have noticed.

Hudd - to me, he definitely showed more mobility and a greater ability/willingness to tackle. Didn't overly stand-out otherwise, was decent as well though

JJ - I think JJ was our most impressive performer. He clearly had plenty of gas in the tank at the end of the game. He needs to be like that week-in-week-out though as we know he can tend to go missing in games. A real driving performance from him, deserved to be vice captain on the evidence of today.

Bent - looking sharp, wants to score, wants the ball. Great showing from him. A definite starter vs Boro

Bale - as people have said, took a few mins to settle. But once he did, showed great pace and flair to get forward. Lovely left foot, PLEASE STAY FIT NOW! He's very fidgety with his jersey/socks/leg, makes me always think he's picked up an injury!

Bentley - showed great promise considering his only been with the squad for 48 hrs or so. Good to get a goal, once he settles in hopefully he'll have set-pieces sorted as he should be aiming to create 5/6 goals a season from free's/corners, and scoring 5 goals a season from free's.

King - showed his class. Made what may have been a goal saving block in the penalty area, it was clear to see that over 4/5 yards the guy is so quick. Again, let's hope, or rather pray since it's Ledley (!), that he has close to 38 league games in him.

O'Hara/Gunter only played 7 mins, some nice touches from O'Hara, while Gunter was solid and saw out the few mins well. Want to see more of Gunter though so hopefully he'll start against Dortmund.

I see Dortmund won 2-1, think that means we only need a draw on Sunday to win the tournament (hopefully a few bob as well to go to signing Arshavin/a forward)

 

[steve]

Actually I don't think that is the case. I am starting to think we would stand a better chance of breaking into the top4 without Berbatov than with him.

I think you're wrong. I went to the O's game last season and Berbs was a lot less interested than he was today. Doesn't mean he'll stay, but aint buying the usual sulk bollocks that's been perpetrated by the media and swallowed whole by so many fans.

We can't really say it was as good a performance as some are making out, when you consider how our goals were scored. It's not as if we carved them apart and put a few past them. Despite how much of the ball we saw and the encouraging showings from a number of players such as Bent, Bentley, Bale and Zokora, the difference between the two sides was ultimately a poor back pass and a mix up between the GK and a defender.

I think we need to play a couple of games at a much higher tempo. At the moment we are passing the ball nicely, but until we play a side that really gets in amongst us, we wont really know too much. There have been a few occassions in the last 3 games, when I've been concerned about how we'd fair against a side that will press, as teams in the Prem tend to.

It was a bit more than that J55, as Strachan said afterwards we passed the ball better than them and controlled the game. Good sides win easily mistakes (or forced errors in this case) or not, and tonight we won easily.

Agree re the tempo, but you must take into consideration the number of games played and the conditions these games are played in. Not sure many teams in pre-season will get the sort of games you describe.

Positives: Ekotto, Modric, Bent and Bentley
Negatives: Berbs - seriously sort yourself out or piss off - petulant git.

Not a great performance, but as they say you can only beat whats in front of you. Ramos still tinkering with the formation and the players are still adapting.

See above

I thought we were pretty convincing, and having not seen Celtic play this pre season, I would have said we stopped them from ever causing threat, not that they were just poor. We made them look poor.

On the matter of Berbatov I have two main things to say. Those who are saying we don't need to rely on him anymore are correct, but those who are saying that he is not needed, or they don't want him, are wrong. Yes our midfield is a lot better, so the reliance on him to create and be our forward thrust and spark is gone, but he is still one of the most technically gifted players around. It will no longer be the end of the world if he leaves because of the work Juande, Comolli, Levy and Alexander have undertaken, but he is still an incredibly important player, and would be much better to have him than lose him.

I think you sum things up very nicely. No we don't need to rely on him, but why would anyone not want him? And don't give me the petulant crap perpetrated by the media, I'm sick of hearing it.
He is a top class technical player who we will struggle to replace. I hope he stays no question, but if he does go it won't be the end of us. But I won't be pushing him out the door or smiling about it.

 

[Piaki]

links for highlight of the game ?

 

[llamafarmer]

links for highlight of the game ?

:stupid:

 

[JustinSane]

links for highlight of the game ?

This is the best I can do.

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/N5XDCMM1G61LTYP4

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/SD9R9LF8SXG5XMD8

 

[JJetset]

SUPER SPURS GO BALLISTIC CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS !!

Don't thank me for that headline in the papers tomorrow thank Mary Poppins.........:grin:

 

[lifeof...]

Team: Gomes, Zokora, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Modric, Berbatov, Bent

Subs: Gunter, Bale, Bentley, Gilberto, Janssin, O'Hara, King

Watched the game heres my thoughts

General: We pretty much controlled the whole game, and it wasn’t a great workout, which is what I had expected.

Gomes: had so little to do, looked likes he want to get the ball back into play quickly, some intelligent distribution, some players will need to wake up to this.

Zok: played very well at RB, some poor crossing, but did an excellent job,

Dawson: hmmm, ok, but showed some of the sames signs as last year, caught out of position, poor decision making, tried some long balls, he really needs to stop that. But also made some good defensive play.

Woodgate: His normal commanding self

Ekotto: hate the hair, Played well in defense and when supporting attack, can cross too.

Hudd: Ok, nothing really to highlight the negative or positive.

Jenas: Showed why I never have highly rated him, a mix of positives and negatives.

Modric: Always on the move and looking for the ball, he doesn’t stop moving. Seems to be still learning his team mates, The signs are really very good.

Lennon: didn’t really do a lot or enough for me.

Bent: looked very sharp, seem to tire near then end of the game(but who could blame him)

Berbs: seem more frustrated with himself than his team mates, came more into the game near the end, some wild shooting.

Subs:

King: just good to see him come on, didn’t have to do much.
Bale: IMO got into his game quickly, played LW and looked…..GOOD
Gunter: did ok
O’Hara: didn’t really notice anything
Bentley: slow start, but grew, some nice stuff nearer the end.



Berbs and Bent partnership…needs lots of work
Sad I didn’t get to see GDS

MOM: either Zok, or Bent

 

[stevenqoz]

Also watched the game on ozSetanta. First point to make would be that Celtic looked worse than most Championship sides and the best player McGeady was well held by Zokora. I found Benoit to be pretty ordinary but perhaps they were giving time before him going out on loan. Woodgate and to a lesser extent Dawson looked comfortable altough Dawson still has not perfected his 45 yards cross field ball (plenty of attempts though)
The addition of Modric and Bentley gives us two players who were very comfortable on the ball tonight. I can see much formational rotation with this group....Huddlestone and Jenas both played ok without dominating. Bent made numerous well timed runs across the face of the defence finishing one chance and forcing saves with several others. Berbatov worked his way into the game and had a good half hour in the period...yes he moaned but chiefly at himself. What if he did stay? What a bonus.
Our most impressive player was Bale who simply ripped them apart from left midfield with great footwork, touch and final ball. Most of us had him in at left back for the season but should now expect him to played in both positions depending upon the opposition. Dos Santos was not in the squad...anyone know why? Lennon gave the ball away first half quite a lot as he went looking for it infield. Celtic hardly had a shot and posed little threat.