Sunday, November 2, 2008

Rock Bottom

Tottenham remain rock bottom of the Premier League after their 1-0 defeat to Hull, during which their fans chanted 'You don't know what you're doing' at manager Ramos.
The fans frustration is understandable with the side collecting just two points from the opening seven games of the season, and now it is clear that people are losing patience with the Spaniard.
That left Tottenham rock bottom and looking more likely to be involved in a relegation battle than one chasing for a place in European Competition.
It was at this stage last season that Martin Jol, who had guided the side to two fifth place league finishes was sacked after and indifferent start to the campaign. Ramos arrived in a blaze of glory and was seen as the man who could finally break into the illusive top four, and finally bring Champions League Football to White Hart Lane. The signs were promising, with Spurs beating Chelsea to lift the League Cup Final, shortly followed by intense transfer speculation.
The summer spending in sued, in came David Bentley from Blackburn, Croatian midfielder Luka Modric from Dynamo Zagreb and Giovani Dos Santos from Barcelona. However despite the new arrivals, much of the news surrounded the future of want away striker Dimitar Berbatov, who had his sights set on a transfer to Manchester United. Amongst that speculation, Ramos continued to move players from his squad including Paul Robinson, Pascal Chimbonda, Steed Malbranque and Robbie Keane.
With Berbatov all but a Man United player, Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko arrived from Spartak Moscow to ease the fans worries having already seen Robbie Keane and Jermaine DeFoe leave the club. As part of the transfer which saw Berbatov join Man United, young striker Frazier Campbell was captured on loan for the season.
The season started with surprise defeats at Middlesbrough and then at home to Sunderland, before earning a respectable 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. Since that result though, there have been no real evidence of the side improving, with many now believing that Juande Ramos' tactics are not suitable for the Premiership.
In Ramos' defence he has been unable to field what would be considered to be his strongest eleven on a regular basis, with Ledley King unable to shake off persistent injuries and Luka Modric so far struggling to deal with the pace of the Premiership. Many though are questioning why Jermaine Jenas, who was dropped from the side has been reinstated as captain, or why David Bentley, who enjoyed superb seasons at Blackburn is currently looking half the player of last term.
Scoring goals has also been a problem, with many criticising the decision to sell Keane, DeFoe and Berbatov in the space of a few months, replacing them with the unproven Pavlyuchenko and Frazier Campbell, leaving Darren Bent, who struggled in front of goal last season, his only striking options.
Despite Ramos reporting to the press that he was not hurt by the comments and insisted he does not think his job is under threat, a defeat in the Uefa Cup on Thursday, followed by a negative result against Hull on Saturday may well begin to signal the end of his reign.