Spurs had to take the game to Bolton on Saturday. They failed to do so. The team that was selected on the day would not have worried the visitors prior to kick-off event though they were in the midst of a losing steak and had failed to win away all season. Against West Ham on Wednesday night, David Pleat was without Gus Poyet and Darren Anderton and Spurs, at times, played some of their most attacking football for many games. However, the caretaker boss decided to use the 'it ain't broke don't fix it' policy regarding the league from and stick with the lifeless central midfield pairing against one of the liveliest players in the league. Jay-Jay Okocha twisted, turned and dazzled his way through the midfield on Saturday and was hardly challenged at all. The defeat angered so many due to its manner. It is no secret that the recent run of good results, while extremely pleasing, have been slightly fortunate.
The draw at Manchester City was a lucky one, with City having over thirty attempts at goal and the victory over Leicester was a real smash and grab after a poor first seventy-five minutes. We played very well against Everton, and very poorly against Middlesbrough. The win over West Ham was an improvement on the Boro performance, but Saturday's showing against Bolton should have come with a health warning. Many fans have slated young striker Bobby Zamora for the way he played, but he had a tough time with such limited service. Robbie Keane kept having to drop deep to pick up the ball as Poyet was not doing so, and this left Zamora isolated. Many fans felt that Pleat should have started with all three strikers, with Keane in the hole, which would have enabled Spurs to take the game to Bolton, to show them that they were going to have to catch us on the counter attack if they were to have any chance. Instead, Bolton were allowed to set up camp in the Spurs half for long periods, and could well have scored four more had the FA's goal size regulations been an inch higher.
This weekend's game against Arsenal will be the toughest test of the season, and there is no point in Pleat picking the same side that has failed to score in the last two league games. He must freshen the team up and give youth a chance.