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Fulham (1) 2 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 1 This was a result to make Juande Ramos feel a little bit better about himself. Not a lot better, mind you, because these are still largely his players, although maybe not for much longer after this alarming return by Spurs to bad old ways.The honeymoon had to end some time: there are only so many times you can wave a magic wand before the magic wears off, even if your name is Harry Redknapp, but it was the way Tottenham’s new-found form completely deserted them on Saturday that will be worrying Spurs fans for the next few days. Was this the real Spurs or just a momentary blip in their hitherto remarkable revival story? Has Redknapp just been papering over the cracks during those five wins and a draw or has he really turned the team around. Few fans would dispute that he will have to make some changes, starting with the goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who made another howler here to set Fulham on their way to a thoroughly deserved victory. If Roy Hodgson’s team could play like this away from the home comforts of the Cottage they really would be challenging for a place in Europe. Gomes is the only ever-present left in the Spurs team this season although some would say he has gone missing all too frequently at times. He was certainly on hand in the 33rd minute when Jonathan Woodgate got his head to a cross from Simon Davies and misdirected it towards his own goal. Even so, it looked an elementary catch for any Premier League keeper. Gomes somehow managed to fumble the ball over his own goalline. Tottenham never recovered. Redknapp said he will stand by his man, but then he has no other option until the January transfer window opens. “It was a farcical goal,” he said. “He’s my goalkeeper – he’s got to do the job. I’ve got him and another goalkeeper, a Spanish lad who’s 37 and then you’ve got kids. His record at PSV Eindhoven told you he was a first -class goalkeeper. I’ve got to stay with him. The goalkeeping coach, an Austrian lad [Hans Leiterd] has got a very important job now, he’s got to get inside his head.” Even Hodgson described Gomes’s gaffe as “a glaring error”, but it would be a mistake to lay this defeat entirely at the Brazilian’s door. Tottenham were poor from 1 to 11 and Redknapp himself hardly got his team selection spot on. It was obvious from early on that Spurs were lacking width but the manager didn’t change it until half-time when he brought on Aaron Lennon and Roman Pavlyuchenko on. They looked better but not a lot and didn’t offer a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. But then Fulham were never likely to be the defensive push-over for Spurs that a disinterested Liverpool side had been in the Carling Cup in midweek. Fulham may defend in numbers but you couldn’t describe them as negative, leastways not at home. Jimmy Bullard was their driving force. How the expensive Luka Modric, a similar sort of player in looks and style, paled in comparison. Paradoxically, had it not been for Gomes, Spurs would have suffered an even heavier defeat. He made several fine saves. It’s the elementary stuff he has problems with. He was nowhere to be seen in the 70th minute when Davies got his head to a corner by Paul Konchesky. Woodgate blocked it only for Andy Johnson to lash in the rebound. The Carling Cup hero Frazier Campbell, coming on as a late substitute, crowned a pretty good week for him personally with a nice, composed finish, but Redknapp’s men never looked like reprising their Houdini act. |
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