A rotten performance and a scraped draw. Again. We’ve had to put up with our fair share this season.
For an hour at the Britannia we once again looked like a collection of eleven players that had never met before.
Devoid of ideas, inspiration and a cutting edge we looked a team desperately short of confidence. It won’t return properly until we win a game. Our last victory at the Hawthorns was over two months ago and it shows.
With a midfield containing Duff, Butt and Nolan, it’s no suprise that victory proved elusive once again on Saturday.
Lacking in skill, quality and pace, our midfield was dragged down to Stoke’s level in a game where very little football was played. It was a game crying out for footballers rather than a brawlers, with only the energetic Guthrie standing out from a crowd of cloggers in the middle of the park.
This made the exclusion of Jonas until the hour mark a strange one. With Milner and N’Zogbia gone he’s still the only midfielder in the squad always willing to push forward without passing the buck of responsibility to someone else.
Once Jonas was on the pitch we pushed forward, Stoke were pushed back and super-sub Carroll’s top drawer header was our just reward. This may have given us the belief we so desperately need at Spurs on Saturday.
As we go to happy hunting ground White Hart Lane next week, let’s see Jonas get the nod from the word go and start as we mean to go on.
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