| S |
|
64.375% |
| P |
|
76.25% |
| U |
|
58.75% |
| R |
|
58.75% |
| S |
|
73.125% |
| = |
|
66.25% |
Form Guide December 2007
P W D L F-A GD Pts
8 5 1 2 20-12 8 12
2 Cup Matches
Pos:- 12th
· November 2007 figures
· Last year's figures
December 2006
December has been a month of tremendous entertainment for Spurs fans; a month of noticeable progress for the team; and a month of triumph over several cases of adversity for Juande Ramos and his staff.
In a month of 8 matches, 6 of which have been Premier League fixtures, Spurs have climbed just two league places, but forged a considerable gap between themselves and the relegation zone, with the top half now in sight.
The exclusive Spurs Odyssey form guide indicates that this has been our best monthly performance since October, 2005. That was a month of just 4 games, where there were home wins over Charlton and Everton; an away draw at Old Trafford and one at home against Arsenal. That programme does not quite compare to this month which included the ongoing tough Christmas schedule, and two formidable away Cup games, both of which were negotiated with success.
The adversity has included the loss of Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson through injury. Bale is out for at least three months, whilst Dawson's mysterious migraine problem has now kept him out of 5 games. The delayed return of Ledley King (and what a Boxing Day present that was!) meant that Ramos had to improvise more than once with "apprentice" Younes Kaboul being partnered at times by either Pascal Chimbonda or Didier Zokora. Then there were the red cards for Robbie Keane and Zokora. The loss of Keane against Birmingham had everything to do with Ramos's first defeat in charge, whereas somehow Spurs not only survived the loss of Zokora after just 20 minutes at Eastlands, but they controlled the game, and increased their lead!
Robinson, Chimbonda, Malbranque and Lennon have been ever-present this month, and indeed Chimbonda has only missed the away UEFA Cup game against Famagusta, when he was rested.
Under Ramos, the fitness of all players has improved, which has led to increased and prolonged effort, which has had everything to do with our improvement on the field of play. The form of our goalkeeper has returned to something approaching his best, which has given more confidence to the defence, although we still let in 12 goals during the month! It should also be mentioned how we came away from the 2-1 defeat at The Emirates Stadium with more honour than we have for quite a while against our nemesis.
21 of our squad have played an active part in at least one of the games this month. Teemu Tainio has given two or three great performances as a make-shift right back, when Chimbonda has covered in the middle. It has been a month which has seen the exciting emergence of Jamie O'Hara; the continuing consistency of Steed Malbranque, and despite being restricted most of the time to the bench, Jermain Defoe has still scored 4 goals - none more crucial than the late winner against Manchester City in the league.
My Player of the Month award has to go though to class act Dimitar Berbatov, whose 4 goals against Reading only capped a fine month which included a total of 7 goals. Berbatov did not score in one of his better performances at Eastlands, where his hold-up play and passing put me in mind of last season's 4-1 victory over Bolton, when Spurs had to improvise following the dismissal of Robbie Keane. Berbatov didn't score in that game, but that performance was heralded as one of the finest of the season by a forward. Once again, Dimitar is winning plaudits across the board, and Spurs fans are getting worried that he might be snatched away in the January window. In my view we will only need to worry about that possibility in the summer, if Spurs fail to qualify again for Europe.
With Ramos at the helm; interest in three cup competitions maintained and progress up the table; Europe begins to look like a realistic prospect again.
COME ON YOU SPURS! (and a Happy New Year to you all)
Don't forget to check out the cumulative appearances and grades for the squad below.
...if you want to remind yourself of the matches played during this month, then See the Fixtures page here. By working your way back through the previous month's figures, you can review the performances over the last 7 years!
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