BLOG POSTS ARCHIVE - February 2008
Posted Feb 26th 2008, 5:11pm
The Ramos revolution
Tottenham's resurgence is well and truly underway after Sunday's Carling Cup victory over Chelsea. The success was a blow to Avram Grant's credibility as a legitimate replacement for Jose Mourinho but further proof that Juande Ramos has the midas touch when it comes to cup finals.
In only four months he has turned a struggling Spurs into a lean, mean fighting machine whilst retaining the ethos of attractive and attacking football at White Hart Lane.
Ramos has strengthened their porous defence with the inspired acquisitions of Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton. With the return to fitness of the impregnable Ledley King Spurs now have a top first team. With an additional forward in the summer and a new goalkeeper they will have the quality to make a genuine assault on the top four next season. There have been plenty of false dawns at Tottenham recently but it appears, under the Ramos regime, the glory years could be returning for good.
Posted Feb 9th 2008, 12:52am
Dropping Owen makes sense
Fabio Capello's first match in charge of England was a predictable win. But the main talking points coming out of it were the omission of David Beckham from the squad and Michael Owen's failure to play any part in the game.
On both counts the Italian got it spot on. Golden balls has not had any time on the pitch in the last two months which made it entirely understandable.
The Owen decision also divided opinion but was another correct choice by Capello. Owen has lost the pace he was so reliant upon as a young star for Liverpool and England. He will still score goals although his barren run of form for Newcastle marks him out as a player well past his prime.
The one-time boy wonder offers next to nothing apart from goals and now that they are in short supply he cannot justify a regular place in our national side. If Capello does persist with his 4-5-1 formation it will surely be at the expense of Owen because he cannot play the lone striker role. The new coach's arrival may well have signalled the beginning of the end for one of England's great goalscorers.
Comments