In that vein, Spurs fans have had something to throw their hat on in the past 48 hours: an unbelievable decision by Martin Atkinson early in the second half of the Tottenham/Chelsea FA Cup semi-final where a ball that came nowhere near crossing the line was judged to have, well, crossed the line. Chelsea went 2-0 up, Spurs poured forward (somewhat unthreateningly) and Chelsea ran out 5-1 winners.

Emanuel Adebayor and manager Harry Redknapp condemned the referee’s decision – and rightly so. It was ludicrous.

Out of steam
But the cold, harsh reality is that Tottenham have long run out of steam and out of ideas. A Chelsea team, replete with relatively ordinary talent like Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou and semi-retired veterans like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, survived a couple of first half scares to romp home. Spurs were blunt and jaded.

Drab
I wrote last time out about how the end of the season was the right time to say goodbye to Harry Redknapp, Luka Modric and Adebayor. It feels even more true after performances in the three games since (drab 0-0 with Sunderland, ridiculous home defeat to Norwich who succumbed 1-6 to Man City five days later and a thrashing by the weakest Chelsea squad in fifteen years).

I’ve read thoughts from Spurs fans who argue that Petr Cech should have been shown the red card for bundling over Adebayor in the build-up to the Spurs goal (something that doesn’t make sense to me since it was not violent conduct and he didn’t prevent a goalscoring opportunity) and, of course, numerous arguments about how crucial Atkinson’s decision was in the story of the game.

Papering over the cracks
But arguing these points in isolation does not help us identify exactly where Spurs season has begun to unravel. Even *if* the ghost goal had not been given; if Adebayor had been bundled over, Cech was sent off and Spurs scored from the penalty and gone on to win the game, the evidence of the last two months is that the formula is not working any more. Yes, a win might have generated fresh momentum but one feels that Spurs’ shortcomings are numerous: a mixture of tactics, team selection, tiredness and form.

Best XI
When Redknapp plays the best XI players – a selection that does not include more defensive-minded midfielders like Jake Livermore or Sandro – Spurs get overrun. Sandro may be a six-out-of-ten player, but he and Parker could have been a more effective buffer in front of a ragged back four (a back four which included a center back paring that looked geriatric).

Maybe the blame shouldn’t be just directed at Redknapp. For example, If Daniel Levy refuses to give him the funds he needs to compete – that is, leave him with no choice but to buy ageing reserves like Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen while Chelsea pony up the money for Gary Cahill – then fair enough. But if it’s just a case that Harry is focusing on an “experience ideology” then it does not appear to be working.

Momentum
Six months ago Spurs were winning the 50/50s and playing fluidly. Now they are picking up scraps and chasing shadows. And this isn’t just about getting the top four spot – not every fourth place finish is equal. This is about a team that has momentum, that is able to raise their game when it matters, that is capable of defending properly and has a big enough squad with enough young talent to ensure that it is still a force in five years time.

An FA Cup final appearance would not have made this any truer no more than it suggests Liverpool will be contenders next season.

Super Scotty Parker
Maybe he’s not super but he certainly doesn’t deserve the barrage of abuse in the wake of his PFA Player of the Year nomination. He may not be one of the six best players in the Premier League this season but he has been undoubtedly Tottenham’s best and most consistent player. I saw one commenter suggest he’s not even in Tottenham’s top six. This is pure hyperbole – or bollox, to be more precise.

What are those decisions?

1. Accept an England approach for manager Redknapp

If Spurs do keep their nerve and finish in the top four (absurd though it is that it’s not virtually sewn up by now), England may follow through on their supposed interest in Harry Redknapp.

The competition for the top job – assuming the FA are scared off appointing a foreign boss after the Capello debacle – is underwhelming.  Roy Hodgson has enjoyed a relative renaissance at West Brom but his stock was damaged after the disastrous reign at Liverpool.  Stuart Pearce seems to lack something – perhaps personality – and has no track record of managerial success to call on.  Glenn Hoddle flopped at Spurs and Wolves after his short but reasonably successful 1990s reign with England.  Alan Pardew and Martin O’Neill are in good jobs in the north-east that are certainly not worth leaving while Sam Allardyce would be a disaster of Steve McClaren proportions.  Below them only Alan Curbishley jumps out but he’s been out of management for four years now.

While Redknapp has done well at Spurs, his limitations will become more and more apparent the longer he stays at the club.  Jamie’s dad is not a tactician – he’s a motivator (see Martin O’Neill, Kevin Keegan).  Winning the big games takes more than mere motivation and the peculiar tactics employed by ‘Arry at times (Bale playing centrally, Modric on the left) highlight this.  Bale returned to the left-wing against Swansea last weekend and was man of the match. If Tottenham do secure Champions League football then a clean break with Redknapp is perfect for everyone. He leaves full-time management with a smash hit album and gets to spend the second half of his 60s working part-time to bring England to the quarter-finals of the next World Cup.

This is a crucial time in the future of the club.  Perhaps Andre Villas Boas could find the set up at Spurs that he didn’t have at Chelsea – a relatively young squad without the heavyweight egos that repelled his attempts to rebuild his previous employers.

Glad I wrote that one after a victory.

2. Send Adebayor back to Eastlands

He’s scored goals, he’s worked hard, he’s been committed.  But Emmanuel Adebayor is not worth the mammoth investment that his permanent signing would require.

There’s no doubt he’s been an asset this season – a goal every other game – but he’s not a top class finisher and history shows that he tends to only have one good season per club.  A string of highly rated strikers have been linked in the last year – Rossi, Llorente, Damiao, Remy – and Spurs need a clinical finisher and a powerful presence up front to perform in the big games.

3. Transfer Modric abroad

My name is Michae...Um, 'Arry Redknapp

ensconced in the top three in little over three years. So why on earth would there be any question about the man’s management?

The last week has been tough on Spurs where the poorest Arsenal and Manchester United teams in a long time both easily dispatched them. Their credentials were always going to be tested by a run of games against Manchester City, Liverpool, United and Arsenal and one point from 12 is threatening to undermine the club’s season and maybe Redknapp’s reputation. There were always question marks about the man who has just one FA cup to his name as a top flight manager at 65 years of age.

But the surge up the table and the single season of Champions League football combined with the attractive counter attacking style he encouraged, had led many to re-think their assessment of him.

While Spurs have a favourable Premier League run-in, they can barely afford another slip-up. For Redknapp the pressure may rival what he went through during his recent court case. If Spurs fail to make the top four – never mind hang on to third place – then he may fall from public favour and, subsequently, from the thoughts of the Football Association.

While Redknapp has a lot – a majority – of supporters, I have read a number of missives from Spurs fans who reluctantly suggest that Redknapp might have taken the club as far as he can. His tactical decisions and “stop-gap” signings have been questioned – something that is always going to happen if you lose games. Redknapp’s defenders will say that fans weren’t questioning him when the team hammered Newcastle or beat Arsenal and Liverpool earlier in the season. But Redknapp is judged on 38 games and a number of performances have been poor recently.

I always found it something of a misnomer when people talk about how a sign of a good team is that they are winning when they are not playing well.  This can be true of the better teams – those who have the world-class individual talent to pull them through a difficult phase.

But there’s always a chance that positive results are masking fundamental problems. Right now Spurs are struggling with individual form, injuries and a propensity to let their heads drop.  Arsenal have momentum at the right stage of the season and are a massive threat in spite of their own serious shortcomings.

With rivals in transition there is no excuse for a team with Spurs’ talent to miss out on the top four. If they do collapse then it might be a blessing in disguise that Redknapp goes to England – if they still want him.

Arsene Wenger has had a resigned air to him, his lack of touchline histrionics a sign perhaps that he’s weary of trying to make things work.  While Arsenal’s board are clearly motivated by profit, Wenger can’t be absolved of all blame.  He’s the one who signed Emmanuel Eboué, Nicklas Bendtner, Manuel Almunia, Carlos Vela, and Denilson – players who failed to make an impact at the club.  And there’s many more still in the first team squad who are not performing, some of whom were only signed last summer.

Why sign a carthorse like Per Mertesacker when you could have had Gary Cahill from Bolton?  Scott Parker – one of the buys of the season – would have cost £5m but  Wenger thought that Emmanuel Frimpong – a 20 year old rookie – could step in to the breach.  Frimpong was sent off in his third game and is now on loan at Wolves.

Whoever it was – Wenger, the board, or a combination of them – backed the club in to a corner.  When it became apparent that Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri were definitely not sticking around, Wenger had to throw away his blueprint and principles and make the most uncharacteristic signings he’s ever made in Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun.  His other acquisitions were no better.  Everyone said that Mertesacker was slow and plodding (and so he is) and anyone familiar with Brazilian football offered the opinion that left-back Andre Santos was, well, not a great defender (which he isn’t).

He is suffering the absence of Thomas Vermaelen and the next great English footballer (if he fixes his ankles) in Jack Wilshere.  And on the plus side he has discovered the player that Theo Walcott wishes he was in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.  So with an injury-free squad Wenger has the semblance of a good side.

But for now he’s only ever one defeat away from mumblings of discontent and I suggest that defeat is coming at The Stadium of Light next weekend.

Liverpool were fully entitled to defend their player but a blatant disregard for the sensitivities of the case flew in the face of everything that the famous club has stood for.  From the egregious statements, explicit criticism of Patrice Evra and the FA, strong hints of a conspiracy against Liverpool (the same organization that has previously been accused of conspiracies against just about every top club in England – can you be prejudiced against everybody??) and, of course, the immensely inappropriate t-shirts, Liverpool have made a complete balls of this.

The club have been so blinkered and ignorant about the issue that their statement even contained complete inaccuracies, wrongly claiming that Patrice Evra has previously made claims of racism.  It’s well documented that he hasn’t.

The nauseating picture of Suarez parading around grinning, wearing a shirt with a picture of himself on it is as Spinal Tap as this situation could get.  Any amount of self-awareness would have told the Uruguayan that he was going to face a public backlash over it.  But even if he wasn’t wise enough (or cared enough) to see that he was completely out of touch with reality, the club should never have sanctioned what was a vulgar display of arrogance.

Liverpool have painted themselves as the victims here, invoking a siege mentality and working some of their supporters up in to a frothy frenzy of injustice.  Even if this lamentable action on Friday night is completely unrelated, the public and media will draw inevitable conclusions.  The consequences of Liverpool’s actions might have only just begun and I think some day we’ll get an admission that they handled the matter all wrong.

It follows a difficult 15 months in his relationship with manager Alex Ferguson. Rooney flirted covertley with Manchester City in late 2010 following a reported fall out with Ferguson. After supposedly making it clear he would not sign a new deal he did just that within days … and secured a pay rise.

Over Christmas he was fined and dropped after going out for dinner with teammates following the 5-0 win against Wigan. Despite not breaking any club rules the club’s coaching staff said that Rooney (along with his co-conspirators Darron Gibson (yes, he still exists) and Jonny Evans) was not performing to an acceptable level at training.

Rooney returned in the 3-0 defeat at Newcastle but was largely ineffective and was substituted. The forward is regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation but is dogged by on-field misdemeanors and fits of pique. He is due to serve a two match ban at Euro 2012 for a needless red card in the final qualifying game against Montenegro. His attitude and body language are frequently questioned and has even attracted attention for aggressive responses on Twitter to a goading follower.

Rooney and United have issued a joint statement already to say it’s nonsense but it seems that things are not right between player and club. Most of those moved on by Ferguson have been expendable (even if Paul McGrath undermined Fergie’s lack of faith with a seven year stint at Aston Villa and top class performances at two World Cups).  But Rooney, yet to really reach his peak as a professional footballer, occupies a talismanic place in United folklore.  Only David Beckham – sold at 28 – could claim to have been sold unwillingly while at his zenith.

United need Rooney, perhaps more than Rooney needs them.  He could walk in to any team in the world.  I’m sure Jose Mourinho would make him a mainstay at the Bernabeu and Roberto Mancini would probably be happy to replace Tevez with the United number ten.

So the question is, what serves United best?  A future without Rooney?  Or a future without Ferguson?

That was very much the “nearly season”.  And while only a fan as pessimistic as me could declare that 2011/12 is set to be yet another, I’d rather have a nearly season than a nothing season.

While fans of other clubs are fondly recalling the goals that won league titles or Champions Leagues, the likes of me is forlorn over the last minute Gudni Bergsson equalizer that cost Tottenham second place in December 1995, speechless at Ian Walker’s gormless grin after a crap Steve McManaman shot hit a divot and trickled past him in 1996 and demoralized following Allan Nielsen’s humorous tapping of his wrist after his 90th minute consolation in a 1-7 defeat to Newcastle.

The 90s were utterly dire for Tottenham, the first half of the last decade not really that much better.  Rival fans loved to laugh – and why shouldn’t they.  Big spending Spurs were embarrassing themselves again whether it was losing 6-1 to Bolton or giving Stuart Nethercott 50 games.

But for all the complaints I’ve had about Harry Redknapp, he’s certainly managed to stitch a good outfit together.  While Chelsea spend £50m on Torres, United pony up £34m for Anderson and Carrick (ironically both pony), Liverpool splash £85m on Henderson, Downing and Carroll and Man City spend hundreds of millions on their first team, the Tottenham team that beat West Brom this week was put together for about £60m.

Just three league defeats (two of which were against the top two and suffered without the considerable presence of Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor) have silenced the critics for now and the season is not looking as transitional as it seemed it might be.

While the players and ‘Arry have to play the game and suggest they are in the title race, it would take incompetence of the highest level for Mancini not to bring the trophy to Eastlands.

The media have been jumping on the top club’s bad results (crisis! pressure!) only a week later to flip 180 after a good win (back in the title hunt!).  It’s reactive and illogical but it gets people angry and accumulates page hits (used to be that it sold papers but no one buys those things any more).  Spurs are one defeat away from the same treatment but that defeat doesn’t change the reality and likelihood any more than a win does.

There are only two teams who ever really had a chance this season.  Chelsea are too old and in transition, Arsenal lack quality and Liverpool have a good manager who bought the wrong players.  Tottenham sit somewhere in the middle – quality in key areas but without the experience and touch of class that the two Manchester clubs have to call on.  Even if I wasn’t a Tottenham fan I’d love to see them in the hunt just to bring something a little different in to the mix.

But we all know what will happen when they take on Everton on January 11th hoping to record the win that puts them second with Man United – the recently re-signed Steven Pienaar will knock home a 90th minute equalizer for Moyes’ side.

This is a Luka Modric-free blog.

demanding a mere 3 million pounds for his poor application ecosystem – then the 6 million-rated Wilson Palacios is the overclocked, larger capacity hardware (as an aside, is David Bentley’s slow boot sequence the reason that he remains on the shelf?).

With just a day left to save Tottenham’s season, hard-negotiating chairman Levy is finally accepting that to save money you sometimes have to lose money, sanctioning transfers that represent a more than 50% mark down on the various purchase prices.  It’s perhaps harsh on Palacios, an inconsistent performer who signified a good performance with an obligatory yellow card.  His Tottenham career deteriorated in the aftermath of his brother’s tragic kidnap and murder in 2009.  But the 6 million pounds his transfer to Stoke looks likely to net is somewhere around the figure Spurs should have paid for him in the first place.  Levy paid too much.

He paid too much for Alan Hutton, a limited defender who spent his entire career in the Scottish league, and has amassed just 51 league games in three and a half seasons.  Nine million pounds…seriously.

David Bentley cost Levy about 17 million pounds and is now worth probably a third of that.  In fact Bentley may end up going on a free transfer at the end of his deal as nobody wants him.  His insipid loan spell at Birmingham last season hardly lit a fire under potential suitors and now he’s been mentioned as a make-weight in an attempt to bring Gary Cahill from Bolton.

Jermain Jenas came in for 7 million pounds with a growing reputation but has rarely convinced.  The 21st century Jason Dozzell may still manage to secure a fee around 4 or 5 million pounds because he’s under 30 and English.  But the fact that he’s linked with the Premier League lesser lights says it all.

Sebastian Bassong is another ordinary talent that Harry thought was worth a lot of money two years ago but is now also make-weight material.

And the punches keep coming.  Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch: all returning to the club for big money, all signed by Harry Redknapp, all flops.  People keep making excuses for Defoe but enough is enough.  The guy had a few purple patches in seven seasons but he’s just not got the composure or intelligence to be a top class striker.  Levy lost big on Keane but he may be fortunate that Steve Bruce thinks Peter Crouch is worth about what Spurs paid for him.  For a 30-year-old who has managed just 12 league goals in 67 games, I’d buy him a train ticket to Sunderland (as opposed to driving him there myself – it’s a fairly long way).

Levy’s reluctance to give Redknapp money to spend is understandable.  Yes, he’s made some coin on the likes of Berbatov and Carrick but he’s been stung way too much in the past by trying to do the right thing and trust the judgement of the managers and their coaching teams.  With Redknapp probably in his last season (or even last months if his upcoming court case has fallout) this season may be transitional.  But it gives Levy a chance to push reset, trim the squad, get rid of the dead wood and prepare for a new incumbent…who I hope is Italian with silver hair.

Bit embarrassing for Spurs to see the phrase ‘Levy threatened me’ in the headlines today.  Luka Modric insists that not only has Spurs chairman Daniel Levy reneged on an agreement to consider any bid from a “bigger club”, but he also “threatened” to leave Modric in the stands or on the bench if he causes any trouble.  It brings to mind an image of a maniacal, trench coat-wearing Levy pointing a baseball bat at poor little Luka as he cowers in the corner in the new Spurs away kit.

I covered the topic before about how everyone shared a little bit of blame for this situation.  Modric and his agent may have asked for a minimum fee release clause when negotiating their new contract 12 months ago and were met with this reported verbal counter-offer from Levy.  Naive on their part to accept this – but then again they were happy at the time with the improved terms, signing-on fee and agent cut, no doubt.

Nevertheless, it looks like the damage is done and Spurs have little choice now but to move Modric on.  The bid, of course, is a joke.  When you consider that Manchester United paid £18m for a far inferior player five years ago, Spurs need to hold out for close to double that – or for a smaller amount and perhaps Drogba or Sturridge in exchange.  Personally I’d take both strikers with some cash.

What a Jonny

Probably made up, but some sites are reporting that Spurs want to take Northern Ireland international Jonny Evans from Old Trafford. Evans is an average player who was accidentally overrated as a result of looking competent while playing alongside top class players.  Anyone can have a good half-season (see Bentley, David) but the last 12 months has not been kind to Evans.  If he stays then he’ll probably become the new Wes Brown, filling in for unimportant games and the occasional appearance at right back.

While I’m at it can I nail my colours to the mast and say that I’m not buying in to this Danny Welbeck thing.  He’s someone who could end up having a decent Premier League career but it won’t be at Old Trafford (see Higginbotham, Danny or Campbell, Frazier).  I feel sorry for young players who have a couple of good games for United because they are instantly elevated way above their station.  For the record I see more potential in Federico Macheda although, like Giuseppi Rossi, he may make his name abroad.

Defending Liverpool

£16m or £20m, it's still a lot of money for Henderson.

I tend to delve in to the Football365 mailbox to find out what the fans are thinking and those of Liverpool have been vigorously defending their clubs transfer policy in recent days.

There is some scoffing from other team’s fans at the money paid for Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll, the signing of Charlie Adam and the targeting of Stewart Downing.  One of the defences from Merseyside is that the £7-8m paid for Charlie Adam compares very favourably to the figure that Manchester United paid for Michael Carrick five years ago or that Fergie’s bit-part midfielder Anderson cost more than Jordan Henderson or that the purported £19m fee for Downing is not far off what Antonio Valencia cost United a few years ago.

But the comparisons don’t make much sense.  In the last Deloitte football finance report, United were shown to generate an annual revenue exceeding Liverpool’s by £100m.   Another year away from the Champions League means that the gap will only get wider.  Just because the Old Trafford club overpay for a player like Valencia or Anderson bears no relation to what Liverpool are doing.  After all, United could bring Garry Birtles out of retirement, pay him five million a year and still win the title.

The current state of play is that Gael Clichy (who wasn’t good enough according to Arsenal fans – probably fair comment) has gone to Manchester City, Cesc Fabregas is probably on his way to Barcelona shortly and Samir Nasri is on the open market with just 12 months of his contract remaining.

Meanwhile, as if to rub salt in the wounds, lots of deadwood (purchased, it should be pointed out, by the manager many fans are defending) remains.  No one seems to want to pay £10m+ for Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson is not

Funny that Arsenal only became invincible when they loaned Jeffers back to Everton

moving to AC Milan, Tomáš Rosický wants to stay at Arsenal and “achieve something” (a shot on target?), Sébastien Squillaci is not very good, Andrei Arshavin’s 15 minutes are up and Emmanuel Eboué….well, I got nothing.

Every squad has players who are out of form or just haven’t made the level.  Arsenal are no different and perhaps listing the underachievers above like that gives the impression that Arsenal are some sort rubbish tip for sub-standard players.  They’re not.  They showed last season that, when on form, they are a match for anyone.

But they are undermined by problems in defence, problems caused by their esteemed manager who has neglected the goalkeeper and back four for too long.  Sure, they’ve been unfortunate with injuries but when you’re in the Champions League every year and have one of the biggest grounds in the United Kingdom, you should be able to reinforce your squad with enough quality players to get through all but the worst crisis.

Yet even if Nasri and Fabregas leave, Arsenal should still be able to compete for the title.  Fabregas was disappointing last season and Nasri went off the boil after Christmas.  In my view their star players are still there – Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Robin van Persie.  While the transfer sagas rumble on in the background, maybe this should be the alternative narrative, something that a journalist with a little conviction can push on a jaded Arsenal fan base.

But at the same time I’m not sure Arsenal fans can complain that the fact a quarter of their first team wants to leave is such big news.  Seven years ago the media was full of effusive praise for ‘The Invincibles”, the Arsenal side that went 49 games unbeaten over 2003 and 2004.  The thought was that this team would go on to dominate the Premier League and the fans rode this wave of optimism with the same belief.

Yet within a couple of seasons their key players (Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Patrick Vieira) had moved on and Arsenal have now gone six full seasons without a trophy.  How many Arsenal fans wrote to Football365.com to say they were sick of reading the positive wall-to-wall coverage about their record-breaking team?  How many pointed out that, in fact, the media were over-reacting and that the likelihood was that the club would only win an FA Cup between now and 2011?

Probably somewhere about ‘none’.  Suck it up Arsenal fans and enjoy what will probably be another competitive season.