Waving the Flag
It’s not event he fact that it was Mark Clattenburg that was officiating in this game that I was filled with ire at the end of it. Not even that he was accompanied by two flag bearing (I won’t say waving, as they failed to do so when required) men in black, somewhat inadequately described as “assistants”. It was the performance of the team that really got to me.
When you look at the definition of the word “assistant”, it comes up on an internet site as “a person who assists or gives aid and support; helper.”
Now I know that you shouldn’t believe all you read on the internet, other wise Spurs would be kings of the world !! However, definitions of words are found to be fairly as you would expect. However, the secondary definition of “a person who is subordinate to another in rank, function, etc.; one holding a secondary rank in an office or post.” The feeling among a number of fans is that this description of the men on the sidelines, is the real intention of referees, who might be doing just that. Keeping them on the sidelines. It appears that often, they wave their flag for throw-ins, corners and goal-kicks (not always getting them right either and sometimes waiting for the match official to point the way they are going to flag anyway), but for all the serious stuff, it is the man in the middle who decides.
It was most enlightening in the League Cup Final that the assistant gave the penalty against Bridge for handball, as, I feel that some in his position would not flagged as it would be something that influences the match.
But this is what they are there for.
I would rather they took a full part in the proceedings and this will only be good for their development in the game. And make the laws applied in a more equitable fashion, as was intended.
There is the old adage that “these things even themselves out over the course of a season” and as far as City fans will be concerned, for Spurs they evened themselves out over the course of this match. Dawson’s intervention as Johnson shot inside the box brought shouts of “Handball” and then boos every time Dawson touched the ball after that. The whole thing about handball (and it has been seen in other games over the last few weeks) is that almost any handball is being given in the area. No longer is the “intent” aspect considered, much the same as for fouls.
Mark Clattenburg owes us some evening out of the luck (c.f. “the goal that never was”) and Spurs will have to play an awful lot better to put themselves in a position where they can make things happen in their favour.
It looks like the THFC season officially ended on 24th February. What the players did that day was a real achievement. What they are doing now does not amount to a hill of beans compared to the effort they put in that day. For the team to move forward, it requires consistent performances from all of them.
It was perhaps ironic that one of the players who seemed to want to play (and scored the goal), should be brought off with twenty minutes left. Keane usually has a good game against compatriot Richard Dunne, as he has the abilities to counteract Dunne’s strengths. By bringing on Darren Bent, it was playing into Dunne’s hands (or head and feet). Similarly, Aaron Lennon’s substitution was a little mystifying, as he had Garrido on the back foot a lot of the first half, even though he did not see a great deal of the ball, nor do too much with it when he did get it. The mere threat of his pace kept City wary and made them sit deeper than they would normally have done. This should have allowed other Spurs players to make use of that.
Instead, the large amount of possession and the dominance they showed over their opponents in the first half, almost came unstuck with the Dawson “handball” incident and the defender’s clearance off the line straight afterwards. What it did was to propel Tottenham into attack and when Corluka missed Malbranque’s pass to Chimbonda, the full back had a free-run up the left wing and as Dunne got pulled towards him, Pascal found Keane’s run and he lashed the ball across Hart with his left foot to hit the net.
But Spurs seemed to think that they could play flamboyantly with their one goal lead. Flicks from Berbatov failed to come off and possession began to be given away cheaply. They got through to half time, but Huddlestone’s introduction did not have the same deterrent as Lennon’s pace.
City began to build moves, with Johnson influential, with Elano suddenly popping up in the area to head on Castillo’s mis-kick towards goal, where Stephen Ireland swivelled to touch it in near the post. TV pictures showed the assistant wasn’t there to help Tottenham, being out of line to adjudge whether Ireland was or wasn’t offside, whereas his colleague on the other side of the pitch was perfectly in position to see that Berbatov was offside from Jamie O’Hara’s free-kick even though the ball didn’t get that far.
But by then Tottenham had given City the win they had been seeking for a few weeks now and the home side deserved it, because they kept going. The tweak of Tottenham’s Achilles heel of set-pieces gave City and easy winner. Onouha’s header came above a static Chimbonda and an ill-positioned Dawson. The City defender didn’t even have to make a run to lose his markers and I cannot help but feel that the zonal marking system that Spurs have been playing with should be ditched and a return to man-to-man marking might suit them better.
It is a long held understanding among Spurs fans that if clubs haven’t won/scored/drawn for millennia, then when they play Tottenham, the record tends to be broken. It is like Spurs are some sort of Good Samaritan aiding those in need.
Let’s call this Tottenham’s contribution to Manchester City’s Sport Relief and hope that all charitable donations are made off the pitch in future.
Wyart Lane
My Eyes Have Seen The Glory
Well maybe you should be the manager then and see where spurs end up? saying that the zonal system doesnt work because of one corner conceded is a questionable statement, Tottenham have looked far more comfortable with the system in question and have subsequently conceded less goals thus winning more matches. Have a look at footage of them earlier in the season when they were using man to man and then come back and re-write this poor article.
Posted by: John Anderson | March 22, 2008 at 10:34 PM