Same Old Tottenham, Always Bottling It

Carl

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Since the start of March they've played 7 Premier League games winning just 1, drawing 3 and losing 3. What a collapse.

They can forget top 4 IMO and will probably struggle to even get 5th.

Newcastle now level on points and in great form and Chelsea seem to have a fair bit of momentum.

Same old Spurs, always bottling it.
 

lysglimt

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Since the start of March they've played 7 Premier League games winning just 1, drawing 4 and losing 3. What a collapse.

They can forget top 4 IMO and will probably struggle to even get 5th.

Newcastle now level on points and in great form and Chelsea seem to have a fair bit of momentum.

Same old Spurs, always bottling it.

Maybe I am not a math genious but:

played 7 Premier League games winning just 1, drawing 4 and losing 3
 

Cheesy

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I don't think they'll get top 4 either. People have pointed to their easy run of fixtures, but that doesn't mean anything when they seem to have the inability to win any of the easier games.
 

WireRed

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Choke artists, they've fecked it big time. With their comparatively easy run-in, they should be nailed on for third, and that's not taking into account the huge cushion they had a few weeks ago.

People were saying they'd changed, they were mentally stronger, not flaky like they always were. Bollocks, the games at Etihad, Emirates, and to a lesser extent Stamford Bridge showed how easily they let opportunities to win go.
 

SATA

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Reminiscent of their north London neighbours eh? But i wonder how much of this is due to Harry Redknapp's link to manage England. And to think some people were talking up their title chances when they were just a few points away couple of months ago
 

Snake Plissken

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Gooners will be enjoying this big style.

Spurs had gotten very cocky about being so far ahead, now they've thrown that big lead away they look like very stupid!
 

adexkola

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Bottling is the wrong word here. It's so overused nowadays it's lost meaning. We "bottled" it against City in the 6-1 loss, Arsenal "bottled" it losing to us at home, now Tottenham "bottled" it losing to a very good Swansea team. Please.
 

WireRed

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Reminiscent of their north London neighbours eh? But i wonder how much of this is due to Harry Redknapp's link to manage England. And to think some people were talking up their title chances when they were just a few points away couple of months ago
Nothing to do with it IMO, just coincides with the season reaching the business end and Spurs being found wanting when the wannabes get sorted from the real men.
 

Ole's_toe_poke

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Hopefully this puts an end to the myth of magical Harry as some great football manager.

I doubt it though. His friends in the media will be making up excuses for him as always. England will be as shit as ever with him.

They won't even get 4th now.
 

Liam147

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Bottling is the wrong word here. It's so overused nowadays it's lost meaning. We "bottled" it against City in the 6-1 loss, Arsenal "bottled" it losing to us at home, now Tottenham "bottled" it losing to a very good Swansea team. Please.
One, you mean Norwich, two, none of those examples are of teams bottling it. City have bottled the title race, and Arsenal usually do. A game when we were outplayed (and for half the game, outnumbered), and Arsenal traditionally struggling against us isn't teams bottling it. But I believe Spurs led Arsenal by 12 points in February. I'm sorry but that is abysmal. Arsenal win their GiH, and they'll have gained 17 points more than them in a few months. Through the whole season to be 17 points worse than them is bad, in such a short space of time is just, incredible.

But all this talk of 'Arry being England manager isn't distracting them. Nah, they're just getting on with it.
 

WireRed

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Bottling is the wrong word here. It's so overused nowadays it's lost meaning. We "bottled" it against City in the 6-1 loss, Arsenal "bottled" it losing to us at home, now Tottenham "bottled" it losing to a very good Swansea team. Please.
Anyone can lose a football match, only mentally weak sides can let a 10 point cushion go with an easier set of fixtures, that's exactly what Spurs have done and are still doing.

Bottling it is a very apt description of their meltdown in recent weeks.
 

rcoobc

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I still think they will get 4th. Yes they are complete bottle jobs though.

Chelsea and Newcastles form's will push them all the way though, they have reasons behind their collapse in form too, but I think they will edge it.
 

adexkola

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One, you mean Norwich, two, none of those examples are of teams bottling it. City have bottled the title race, and Arsenal usually do. A game when we were outplayed (and for half the game, outnumbered), and Arsenal traditionally struggling against us isn't teams bottling it. But I believe Spurs led Arsenal by 12 points in February. I'm sorry but that is abysmal. Arsenal win their GiH, and they'll have gained 17 points more than them in a few months. Through the whole season to be 17 points worse than them is bad, in such a short space of time is just, incredible.

But all this talk of 'Arry being England manager isn't distracting them. Nah, they're just getting on with it.
Sorry, Norwich. I confused the two.

Nah, Tottenham and City have never been in such high positions, and they're suffering from fixture congestion, teams fighting relegation, and they're being chased by teams who have experience getting wins when it matters.
 

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Now what will happen to players like Modric (particularly) and Bale if Spurs don't make it to the top 4? Will Spurs be able to hold onto them?
 

charleysurf

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Chelsea going to be in the CL next year. How boring.
 

amolbhatia50k

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It's ridiculous how they've played in the last month and a half. There's been no shape, no balance to their football. The players seem to have no faith in themselves except Gareth Bale who plays in complete isolation to the rest of the team so I'm guessing that isn't a problem for him. And apart from seemingly not being able to instill belief in his group of players harry also has made a mess of spurs from a tactical stand point in this time.as well. Weird formations with the wrong players in the wrong positions and just a complete lack of balance to the team.

It's sad because it would have been lovely to see one of the plastic clubs fall out of the top 4.
 

gooDevil

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Everyone has a rough stretch, Mancini has pulled down 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses in the last 5, and we had a stretch earlier with 1 win, 2 draws and a loss in four.

But we had 5 straight wins before that, and have dropped only 10 points in 22 games since!
 

Relevated

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a few people in newbies and irl people thought they would. it was laughable.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Everyone has a rough stretch, Mancini has pulled down 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses in the last 5, and we had a stretch earlier with 1 win, 2 draws and a loss in four.

But we had 5 straight wins before that, and have dropped only 10 points in 22 games since!
It's not just the results though. It's the performance and tactics as well. A team that usually plays with freedom and adventure seems labored and uneasy. Everytime I've seen them in this time theyve just looked unbalanced.
 

Carl

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Now what will happen to players like Modric (particularly) and Bale if Spurs don't make it to the top 4? Will Spurs be able to hold onto them?
Bale is a certainty to move to City IMO. They'll throw a load of cash at Spurs for him.
 

Antisocial

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Quite a bit frustrating tbh - this seemed like a real opportunity to test the FFPR in the case of Chelsea finishing outside of the top 4. This collapse has let them right back in, unless Newcastle can make a push for 4th place.
 

Brwned

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Bottling is the wrong word here. It's so overused nowadays it's lost meaning. We "bottled" it against City in the 6-1 loss, Arsenal "bottled" it losing to us at home, now Tottenham "bottled" it losing to a very good Swansea team. Please.
I agree it's overused, for whatever reason it's become something of a buzzword on here any time a team loses a game or two. I don't think that's quite the case here though. They're under huge pressure to finish in the top four, having been in 3rd place for so long and that's a kind of pressure they've not had for a while. In 2009 when they qualified for the CL they were never expected to finish ahead of City, they were just hopeful. And they had the backing of the media and the neutrals all the way. Even in 2006 when they really ought to have finished in 4th it was still a bonus to finish there, it was always about their 'Champions League hopes' simply because they hadn't been in the competition in over 40 years. Now it's completely different, there was expectation throughout that they'd finish in the top 4 and it seems a logical conclusion that this expectation has been one of the triggers for their collapse, because it's clearly not down to a lack of quality.

Funny to think that little over two months ago they were genuinely being considered title challengers by many.
 

cesc's_mullet

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I hope to Christ Newcastle beat them and the Chavs in the race for the other CL spot.
 

Guy Incognito

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I was waiting for someone to post Spurs were two points behind with a game-in-hand. :smirk:

Nothing to do with it IMO, just coincides with the season reaching the business end and Spurs being found wanting when the wannabes get sorted from the real men.
I agree too but...

Tottenham's points per game average up until 8 Feb, before Fabio Capello resigned: 2.08

Tottenham's points per game average since 8 Feb, after Fabio Capello resigned: 1.12
 

Randall Flagg

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I think they will scrape 4th still, Newcastle I can see falling away a bit and the Barcelona games will take their toll on Chelsea
 

Cheesy

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Now what will happen to players like Modric (particularly) and Bale if Spurs don't make it to the top 4? Will Spurs be able to hold onto them?
They should really look to see what sort of interest there is in the players, because if they can get massive sums of money for them, I see no reason why they should keep the two of them. Both are examples of players who are massively overrated because they sometimes put in top performances.

Modric will look like Xavi, Schweinsteiger or any of the other top central midfielders out there when things are going well, but as soon as Tottenham come up against a team who can match them with a half decent midfield, he's nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he can no longer control the game like the world class player he's supposed to be. £35m for him would be one of the greatest deals Spurs have ever done.

We all know about Bale. Occasionally turns up with a great performance and he's the 'new Ronaldo' in the eyes of everyone. Again, anything over £30m would be brilliant business for Spurs.
 

That'sHernandez

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didnt a spurs fan think the same up here?
GlastonSpur, he was shot down pretty quickly. I seem to recall betting my house they wouldn't finish above us in fact. Do you reckon he'll pay up the 200 grand he owes me?
 

cesc's_mullet

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Anyway next season their leading scorer will be gone - they can't afford to keep Greedy around. And the likes of City, the Chavs and United will be circling around Modric and Bale. Maybe Van der Fart will be off too.

Also let's not forget that Friedel will be another year older...
 

Cheesy

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In a way when you look at it, they haven't bottled anything.They're just at their true level, reality has caught them up
Thing is, I actually think they are good enough for the top 4. Look at their team. They were overachieving when it looked like they could compete for the title, but it's probably still the 3rd best in the league.
 

Randall Flagg

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I agree it's overused, for whatever reason it's become something of a buzzword on here any time a team loses a game or two. I don't think that's quite the case here though. They're under huge pressure to finish in the top four, having been in 3rd place for so long and that's a kind of pressure they've not had for a while. In 2009 when they qualified for the CL they were never expected to finish ahead of City, they were just hopeful. And they had the backing of the media and the neutrals all the way. Even in 2006 when they really ought to have finished in 4th it was still a bonus to finish there, it was always about their 'Champions League hopes' simply because they hadn't been in the competition in over 40 years. Now it's completely different, there was expectation throughout that they'd finish in the top 4 and it seems a logical conclusion that this expectation has been one of the triggers for their collapse, because it's clearly not down to a lack of quality.

Funny to think that little over two months ago they were genuinely being considered title challengers by many.

I agree with this, except for many believing they were genuine title contenders. I don't think anyone really did. Pundits perhaps said so on TV to hype up the title race.
 

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Spurs didn't win in their run of big games, which wasn't unexpected, but they haven't been able to pick up their winning mentality again.