Around ten days ago I mused that I would have settled for eight points from our four Christmas-New Year games. Three games in and we already have nine, which means that the riotously good fun continues into 2011 – still not yet out of the title race, most definitely still in the Top Four race and looking down upon the rotters from Stamford Bridge, languishing beneath us. Glorious fun.Squad Rotation: Not Welcome At The Lane
I do furrow my brow in contemplation of another possible side-effect, namely that playing the same blighters on a twice-weekly basis will imminently lead to the pinging of a hamstring, or some similarly vital body-part, of someone dashed important. I cannot remember the last time Bale was omitted, while Modders is another who seems to get 90 minutes every time. Admittedly it is not exactly a medical opinion, but I suspect that the practice of non-rotation might have been a contributory factor in Hutton’s injury last weekend, while there was a mild air of sluggishness about everyone in lilywhite during the Fulham win on Saturday.
However the rather compelling counter-argument to all this is that if the likes of Bale and Modric are fit we might as well reap the benefits. When key personnel do get injured/suspended (eg VDV, Hudd, Defoe, the massed ranks of centre-backs) the other chaps simply roll up their sleeves and cope, and moreover, there might be a mini-riot in the Park Lane if Bale were left out one week. ‘Arry seems to have stumbled upon the occasional right call during his time at the helm, so perhaps it would be best if I piped down at this point and left him to get on with things.
Team News
Flabbergastingly enough we have a jolly good chance to record a third consecutive clean-sheet. While one must never discount the possibility that Gomes will briefly and without any warning completely lose the plot and go rugby-tackling the nearest opponent in the penalty area, the return of the marvellous Daws has stiffened up things no end at the back. On top of this Everton’s strikers are currently being investigated under the Trade Descriptions Act, and my Fantasy League dealings have alerted me to the fact that their principal goalscoring threat, Tim Cahill, is so embarrassed about his countrymen’s surrender of the Ashes that he has scarpered the country under the spurious claim of playing in something called the Asian Cup.
Everton away is traditionally a tricky one, but they appear to be having a rough time of things this season so presumably we will adopt our usual cagey away mentality and go all guns blazing for another three points.
10 replies on “Everton – Spurs Preview: Time For Squad Rotation?”
let them do one more match together, then give a load of them a rest for the Charlton game and then they will have had a week and a half off til next weekend.
Last week i told you at AANP. we would struggle against Fulham even though they have players not good enough for Spurs in there ranks. Like Murphy Davies and the missing Zamora to name a few now Everton have missing stars and a front line struggling and inches away from the dreaded last three. This is the premierships Blue print for shocks and its this magic last three and the managers on death row that opens the magic formula, second half spectacular defending saves and blocks where teams despairing hunger for points means they have full tanks for the whole game and any result can and does happen no matter how weak the opposition are on paper and this is how Blackpool have won on grounds where we will struggle Anfield for one with a team given no chance every week with injury’s suspensions to there better players they still gain points. You at the Towers can ignore these shocks because you cant see anything wrong with Blackpool and others on paper winning games they should get beat by Teams costing millions . When this happened in Horse racing people started to suspect something is not right and when the jockey club investigated they opened a can of worms, of betting scams Jockeys pulling horses drug taking and the big clean up started and punters started winning again . Well this is what is happening in Football gamblers are losing money by bad refs Teams playing way above there price tag full of shock results just like racing . My brother who used to gamble on the Horses lost thousands on backing them during these years of scandals and he told me a famous jockey told him to back is horse the next day at 16/1 he said in his drunken voice in the Hotel at four in the morning it will win and it did. This is where the premiership is heading but its energy that’s causing shocks i discovered. Teams are stopping better teams by chasing the ball and pressing for a staggering 90 plus deadly minuets, anything else the police are investigating right now.We get tested by Ufa and Ukad even when we are not playing i no this for a fact this is why we play and score freely in Europe yet struggle against poorer teams in the premiership . Harry is scared to change is team in case we get beat but what Harry should no is this we have not won our games against Birmingham drawn Newcastle Fulham Aston Villa easy because all these teams where high on energy and its brilliant skill that saved the games By Van Bale and Lennon who are top players tested by Ufa who have caught players using this energy and warned all clubs we will catch you so we are clean others are not so expect a hard game at Everton no matter who they play in the team. If Spurs where using this high tempo then i would not be warning you and i would leave it to Ukad but sadly they are not and Only Paddy Kenny is the lone offender to be caught. You all may be sucked in by Blackpool’s form but i am not surprised because Hull did the same and Wolves West Brom where top a few months ago . Playing a team who have lost there last game is deadly if they are near the drop.This could be a big rumour or the truth you should keep an open mind till you give your own reason for all these shocks.
Shouldn’t WE be examining OUR strikers under the Trades Description Act lol.
The rumourman also goes under the name of Davspur I’d imagine. Not only do you let your imagination run away with you but you can’t even write legibly. The fact upsets happen comes down to the fact that it’s always 11 v 11 and when humans are involved you will always get fluctuations in form. Footballers aren’t machines and they don’t perform at their optimum for every minute of every season. Stop talking about ‘energy’ and go back to school to learn to write you inbred halfwit
Blimey, that boy Dav gets everywhere. And exactly what did Paddy Kenny (who is (a) fat and (b) a goalkeeper) do to suggest to the authorities that he might have artificially enhanced his energy levels?!
First comment sums it up for me. We need at least a draw and maybe a win to keep up with the others, so imo we will need our best team out to have any chance of getting it. The Charlton game is maybe an opportunity to rest players and a few years ago the top teams could rest players in the Prem in some of the easier games but there’s hardly any such thing anymore. No to squad rotation and if some players (understandably) get restless waiting, let them leave. I have every confidence for every Krankjar or Keane out, they’ll be a Pienaar or Benzema in, resulting in higher levels of competition and people that are keen rather than moody.
davspurs i’m enjoying your ranting, lucozade like it, holy water even better. Still fulham had played as many games as spurs in such a short period of time unless they had a major squad rotation why were they not as tired by all accounts.
I’d like to see Pav and Crouch start with VDV on the left and Bale given a break. I’m not holding my breath mind!
Davspurs methinks you’ve been rumbled!!
Of course you were right. We looked knackered. With 2 strikers Everton looked a lot more dangerous than we ever did.