onwards and upwards
Though Wembley is overrated these days…
Plenty of quotes floating around today attributed to the good man Harry Redknapp which would seem to suggest that the FA Cup and all the antiquated glory that comes with winning it, isn’t really top of his wish list for 2010:
“The cup has always been a special thing and I’d love Tottenham to win it this year, it would be fantastic for us,” he said in The Mirror.
“But if we finish in the top four over the season that is probably a great achievement in all honesty, the way it is,” he continued.
“It’s so tough to do, whereas in the cup you can get the luck of the draws and make it [to the final]. Finishing in the top four over the season is difficult.”
He added: “When was the last time Tottenham won? It was 1991. But apart from Evertonno-one has been in that top four. No one else has broken in, that’s how hard it is and it’s going to be just as tough this year because there is real competition.
“Man City are going to be right in there, along with Aston Villa. Our fans would love to see us finish in the top four. The cup winners each year normally come out of that group. Portsmouth broke that mould one year but mostly it’s the same teams.”
It’s safe to say that getting into the top four nowadays has eclipsed the glory of winning the FA Cup; though the suggestion that it’s simply down to the difficulty of cracking into the highest echelon is maybe a little shortsighted. We’re all aware of how much money is suddenly made available to teams that find themselves playing in the Champions League, and more and more these days this is seen as the top prize.
So today you can expect a squad to come out with a few faces that we haven’t seen too much over recent weeks as Harry not only will want to take a look at the options he has available to him, but will also wish to appease a few people who seem to be getting a few ants in their Calvin Kleins. It’s quite strange how we seem to have the loudest squad players in the league; this could be indicative of the determination around the club or conversely a trend in signing the least professional players available to us. (If you’re getting paid to pay football you should really be looking to do the best for your employer, in whatever capacity the Manager wants you to contribute to the club). Eyes today will be on Modric and Bale who are both expected to play in the absence of Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto and both will be looking to get back to full fitness.
We should walk it today really; but Peterborough happen to be one of the more determined and overachieving clubs in the Championship, so we should be cautious in assuming that we’ll walk it today. However the abundance of talent that we have in the squad should speak volumes today.
