'Coxon's Comments' #8 'The Exuberance of Youth'

As we approach the closing stages of the Premier League I thought I'd take this opportunity to have a brief recap and review on the team I have a great interest in, almost my second team and has been for a number of years, Tottenham Hotspur.
 
Its fantastic to see Spurs title challenge of last year wasn’t a one off or a highlight to look back on in a decades time, it was almost a right of passage to achieve solid top 4 finish and it looks like this season they’ll be up among the elite again and heading into Europe’s holy grail that is the Champions League next season.
 
Granted Tottenham and every other team, who are considered to be our country's best will have been left red faced and gobsmacked by those little old foxes, Leicester City, who ran away with what’s considered the worlds toughest league, but unlike Leicester, Tottenham have kept their form and momentum; the drive and the sheer quality going into the new 2016/17 season that’s seen them keep pace with yet another freakish outcome in the league being Chelsea and their resurrection under Conte's system and tactical changes.
 
My fondness for Tottenham stems from the team always having a particular player in their ranks that peaks my interest and stands out in their own way, be it from Berbatov, Modric, Bale and now the new crop of Tottenham’s team, there’s more players in this squad that makes me interested in their fixtures than ever, whether it be Dele Alli's flamboyance and ability to do something from nothing. Harry Kane’s never ending product of goals. Moussa Dembele's ability to turn 180 degrees and back with no effort at all or Toby Alderweireld showing defending can be elegant and have vision with his ability to skate away from an attacker and play a forward ball, this is a team in which every player in their own position excels and delivers week in week out.
 
The fact the oldest player on the pitch is their captain Hugo Loris at 30, which for a goalkeeper is perhaps not even his peak. A scary thought. This is a team who’s youth play with the heads of veterans, after last season's collapse you can see that this team, is ready to push for more than just European qualification, something their fierce London rivals Arsenal will not be best pleased at. This is a team who aren’t even at their peak, and with years to come from each individual component; up is the only direction for this team.
 
I think this season has seen the boys of Tottenham grow into men. Their continuity is becoming second nature. Its seen a turning of a new page and the prospect of finishing above their arch rivals for the first time in the Premier League will be almost as good as the challenge of pushing for the title. The way this team goes about its business on the pitch you can no longer place the league trophy in Chelsea’s hands. These young men, many of whom many were born after the introduction of the Premier League , may yet be able to have their name etched on the trophy.
 
I just hope the transition from White Hart Lane to Wembley for next season doesn’t become a curse as has been seen in Europe this season for Tottenham. I hope it’s a platform for them to play to the masses and progress even further and push beyond qualification for European football and allow them to push for Europe’s top prize and maybe even win the competition. Watch this space.

Coxon

'West Ham Thoughts'

Wahbi Khazri, finally brought into the starting XI by David Moyes, ended Sunderland's seven game long goal drought by scoring direct from a corner, and like those proverbial buses, another one inevitably seems to follow straight afterwards. Maybe it was always going to take something like that to get back on the goal trail.

A bit of luck, a deflected shot or a set play. What came afterwards was an improved, spirited display from Sunderland.

The return of Khazri against West Ham was well overdue. The side has badly needed a player with craft and creativity and the Tunisian came up with the goods, winning and dispatching the corner for Sunderland's first goal. It has a whole 'we told you so' feel to it, and realistically, it may come too late to really swing things in our favour against battling the drop. Khazri's situation may be one David Moyes regrets upon reflection of another disappointing campaign. 

Besides the fact that Sunderland have finally managed to find the net, twice in a single game to boot, the one big talking point surrounded manager Moyes. For the first time, supporters really voiced their discontent in his direction at The Stadium of Light. When Khazri netted, whenever he ventured out to the technical area; the long suffering home faithful made their feelings clear. With six games to go patience is wearing thin. A lack of positivity. A lack of meaningful signings capable of improving the side. Team shape and selection. The list of for debate goes on, but each make up a fair portion of the disastrous picture Moyes has painted on Wearside this season. The next four matches will tell us where our fate lies. Winning them all may still not be enough to preserve our top flight status.