Once again, one negative result and the optimism created from a terrific win is drowned in a sea of doom and gloom. I wasn't one of the brave and hardy souls who travelled to a cold and wet Stoke on a Tuesday night, the type of occasion that pundits love to imagine would test Barcelona. Those who travelled knew full well, as I think we all did, that it wasn't going to be the swaggering, swashbuckling display we saw on Sunday, but nevertheless were disappointed with what was served up.
There are those that say it's not the Tottenham way. We pride ourselves on our traditional cup success and going out in the third round with a second string team just isn't the done thing. It's disappointing yes, but I'm not too downhearted and here's why. (I'm not even going to use the 'Tin-pot Mickey Mouse Cup excuse').
Penalties. Yes we lost on them again. In my years supporting Spurs I have now seen 6 shootouts and we've lost every single one. Add to that supporting England and my experience of shootouts reads 11 shootouts, 1 win, 10 defeats. But at least 6 out of 8 successful penalties last night was an improvement on our usual success rate. Is it stupid to suggest Corluka as a regular penalty taker when he's on the pitch? He's stepped up and converted in our last two shootouts: last night and the Carling Cup final v United, with great calmness and confidence. Credit must go to the kids who had the minerals to step up, even poor old Massimo Luongo.
Clean Sheet. Again, we tinkered with our team and defence and kept a 4th consecutive clean sheet. Stoke may have made changes to their line-up too but what they put out was still a pretty strong line-up and keeping out 4 decent Premier League strikers in Jerome, Jones, Crouch and Walters for 120 minutes was encouraging.
I'm in the camp that believes it's good and important to see academy players get a go in the first team. Most or maybe all might not make the grade at Spurs, but it's still more positive than seeing a team full of disaffected reserves going through the motions.
If nothing else, last night confirmed that Pavlyuchenko and Gomes do not deserve places in the first team and should be moved on in January. Both still have good reputations in their homelands and if we can get close to £20 million for Crouch and Palacios then we should be able to get something similar for these two. They remain two of the remaining pieces of deadwood in a squad that was pretty well trimmed on deadline day.
Was great to see Sandro back last night, crazy hair and all. Gallas also came through 90 minutes against Brentford last night and slowly but surely we are getting a fully fit squad. With midweek games only every other week now, hopefully the worst of our injury problems are behind us.
Like PAOK, last night's game was just something to get through with a bigger challenge on the horizon. In a weeks time, we'll have forgotten we were ever in the Carling Cup.
Onwards and upwards.
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