http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/story/0,4136,122685,00.html?
read this post from Edwin, new paper... super funny.
FOR the first time since the Martin Jol revolution at Tottenham,
this Spurs fan feels like a lamb being led to slaughter.
This, naturally, is due to Manchester United's visit to White Hart
Lane tonight.
It is perhaps the worst time for my beloved underachievers to be
hosting the potential champions.
At the time of writing this, it is unclear if Aaron Lennon has
recovered from his sudden illness just prior to the second leg of
the Carling Cup.
It is almost certain that Dimitar Berbatov is still out injured and
captain Ledley King will spend yet another match watching from the
sidelines.
The absence of Spurs' top three performers this season resulted in
our elimination from the Cup, by Arsenal Lite no less.
Just think about it, if Spurs' first team couldn't beat the kids
who are polishing the boots of the real Gunners, what chance do
they have against the tricky feet of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has
been in explosive form this season since he gave up winking?
Mathematically speaking, it's about as much chance of Thailand's
strikers intentionally attacking their own goal tonight.
Thailand's football, however, is like a box of chocolates - you
never know what you're going to get.
Back to Spurs, it's a shudder when you think about the
underachievers they will have on the field against the Red
Devils.
Starting at the back, there's Paul Robinson.
Once considered the best young goalkeeper to wear the Three Lions'
jersey, Robinson's form has deteriorated so badly that there are
some quarters calling for the reinstatement of, gasp, David James
as England's No.1.
FAST SINKING
You remember James, right? The goalkeeper who does only two things
with crosses - wearing them around his neck and dropping
them.
That Robinson is fast sinking to that level should send shivers
down any Spurs fan's spines.
This season, Robinson has been taken down by more long range shots
than US soldiers have had to face in Iraq.
Where has all his famed shot-stopping abilities gone? To his
ever-increasing waistline?
At the back, Pascal Chimbonda is still doing all right, but on the
left, Benoit Assou-Ekotto's form has sunk faster than the Titanic
after showing promise to be the best left-back in the Premiership
at the start of the season.
So much so that he lost his place to Lee Young Pyo, the South
Korean who has the amazing ability to imitate Ronaldo's stepovers -
in slow-motion.
Michael Dawson, another future England star, has been looking
nervous without King by his side, which isn't surprising
considering that he's had to partner the equally nervous Anthony
Gardner and Peter Crouch impersonator, Calum Davenport (now
thankfully a West Ham player), in King's absence.
There is the new signing Ricardo Rocha, whose major contribution in
his second appearance in a Spurs shirt was to gift Jeremie
Aliadiere with a goal in that Carling Cup second-leg tie in
extra-time.
In midfield, Spurs have been so poor that fans even welcomed the
return of Jermaine Jenas from injury.
This, of course, is the same Jenas that, not so long ago, fans were
calling for his head to be put on a pike.
It's not surprising, however, since Jol keeps insisting on playing
Hossam Ghaly in midfield.
Ghaly's ability to get past players is only second to the tea lady
who cleans my office, who has the amazing skill to brush past me to
clear my dustbin despite me being at my desk and blocking her
path.
Thank goodness for Tom Huddlestone's emergence as the best
midfielder Spurs have had since, erm, Michael Carrick.
Up front, without Berbatov, Spurs have had to rely on Mido being
the big man in Jol's favourite big man-small man combination. Mido
has gone from being the next Eric Cantona when he first joined
Spurs to the next Emile Heskey.
Jol's inability to decide between Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane
has ensured that neither of them has enough of a run to
consistently find their scoring boots.
It's not Jol's fault though, since neither Defoe nor Keane can hold
on to the ball longer than the lifespan of an amoeba.
For all these reasons, it surely seems likes there's no chance
Spurs can engineer their first Premiership victory over Man U since
2000.
Then again, they beat Chelsea and I was pretty sure then that the
Russian EPL side would wipe the floor with Spurs.
As for the punting of this game then, I'd recommend a draw and
prayers.
