Monday 12 December 2011

Pick Your Poison - Tottenham Hotspur


The Challenege
Pick 3 players you believe have left your club and gone on to bigger/better things and you want back at the club. Then make a choice between the 3 players as to which one you'd take back in the current squad. Judge all players on their time of sale, not currently.

The Challenger
Stephen Walker, 62, London (residing in Belfast)

Player 1
Paul Robinson - Goalkeeper
May 2004 - July 2008

"Paul Robinson joined Spurs from Leeds in May 2004, for a fee of £1.5M. He was an instant hit with the fans and in the next two seasons he put in some top quality performances in a team that generally was considered to have a poor defence. It was easy to see why many considered him to be England's best goalkeeper. In his third season, he was very inconsistent, due to the lack of confidence after his mistake at the beginning of the season for England against Croatia. He never fully recovered and in that season Spurs had a poor record of keeping clean sheets. The team however, still managed a fifth place finish in the league. 
His form again suffered for club and country and he lost his No1 status for both club and country. However he showed his professionalism & regained his place and collected the first major trophy of his career in Tottenham's 2–1 victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final. His form suffered again after this and he eventually left the club on transfer to Blackburn in July 2008 for a fee of £3.5M. His performances since for Blackburn showed what a good goalkeeper he still is and it is no coincidence that Spurs have struggled to find a replacement of the same standard. Brad Friedel is showing he is close. I believe he is still a genuine contender for an England place, if he chooses to make himself available for selection. Worth noting that on his Blackburn appearances at WHL, since he left, the fans have given him a special and warm welcome."
Paul Robinson is a good goalkeeper and not much more in my opinion. A committed player to the cause, he is capable of pulling off some top saves for his side but is just as prone to making errors to throw that same side in at the deep end. He always tries hard and gives his all for the team but for me Spurs already have better options in that position in Gomes and Brad Friedel. Their record breaking start to the season is proof to that.

Player 2
Dimitar Berbatov - Striker
July 2006 - August 2008
"This decision is a hard call. I don’t think he has played as well for Manchester United as he did in his spell for Spurs, but he was sold for a club record £30m. He joined Spurs in July 2006 and took time to settle, but formed a good partnership with Robbie Keane and from about April 2007 put in some great performances. However, he is very moody and needs careful management (a genius often does). His languid approach on the pitch can be deceiving; he has a great eye for goal, much like Greaves and Klinsmann before him. We have not really replaced him. Pavlyuchenko is a mood player, Crouch was clumsy, Keane fell out with Redknapp and Jermain Defoe is only now getting some form back. Emmanuel Adebayor is proving to be another shrewd acquisition that has good potential."
Dimitar Berbatov proved he was a genius at Spurs and although he's struggled since his move to Manchester United, we have seen glimpses of it at Old Trafford. In his first two seasons with United he struggled to reach the heights he did with Spurs, but last year he bagged 21 goals in all competitions making him joint top goalscorer in the league with Carlos Tevez. This season he's struggled to break into the team ahead of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, but when he's played he's looked good, scoring 3 goals so far this season. Spurs' depth is something of a huge strength to them, but their striker department looks fairly bleak. Emmanuel Adebayor looks the perfect man up front for them, but he's only on loan and it's looking unlikely the North London club can match his wage demands to make it permanent. Jermain Defoe is a poacher and struggles in the lone role. Although he's bagged goals this season, he still doesn't look as good as he has done and there are lots of reports linking him with a move away while Roman Pavlyuchenko has been invisible this year. Dimi would add a new dimension to an already impressive Spurs squad.

Player 3
Sol Campbell - Central Defender
December 1992 - July 2001
"Sol made his debut in 1992 and proved his class almost immediately. Initially he played up front and also covered all across the back line, but eventually settled into the central defensive position circa 1995. He moved to Arsenal under the ‘Bosman ruling’ amidst a lot of hostility from Spurs fans in 2001 and that is still prevalent today. He played a key role in Arsenal’s success in the early part of that decade and also key games for England, although injury restricted his appearances. The natural successor was Ledley King, but injuries have severely restricted his appearances over the years. We have not had a strong defensive player since, Dawson and King are the closest when fit."
Sol Campbell was a defensive stalwart for Tottenham Hotspur during his time at White Hart Lane and caused mass controversy when he moved to arch-rivals Arsenal on a free transfer. His massive physique along with his deceptive quickness made him a force in defence and he was a key member of Arsenal's invincibles squad. He was excellent for England too alongside Rio Ferdinand before his injuries took their toll on him.  He'd add some real leadership to the side as well as a pure defensive mindset. He and Ledley King would make a formidable centre half pairing and it would be very difficult for anyone to break them down.

CONCLUSION

STEPHEN WALKER 
"If I had to choose one of those 3 above the others, it would be Campbell. Central defence has been Spurs’ achilles heel ever since he left. I am certain we would have been a better team had he stayed."
DMF

I personally think Spurs have got a perfect blend of guile up front and power/speed/creativity in midfield. The defence is solid but could do with some shoring up and for that reason, a Sol Campbell set to enter his prime would be my choice to take back into the squad today.


Do you agree with the choices @spursmentor made? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter.

DMF. (@dmf180593)

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