Now the dust has settled

[Shuggie13]

It was the first day of the season. Bolton are a nightmare to play against. They cheated their way to the first goal. There is nothing wrong with a reality check on the first day of season.

Now talking about 'reality checks'........ Arsenal.

Opening game at their shiney new stadium. The team seemed very, very ordinary. I love the fact that they did not have it in them to absolutely shine on their 'Historical' day. I love the fact that they just managed to scrape a draw. I love it even more that the first ever scorer at their stadium was Olaf Mellberg, Freddie must of loved that!!!!

[JM_]

I did my reality check this morning... I still belive that the team sucked, played with no passion. BUT it was our first game...away...at Bolton (the ugliest heap of "footballers" in the world). We also lost to them away last season. And hey, we have 37 more games to go.
So, when they play at home infront of you homefans it will be a different story! I feel sorry for the Blades already, as they will be at the recieving end of a Spurs backlash! COYS

[Shuggie13]

There well may be a backlash but the Blades looked extremely well organised yesterday and they would have had 3 points if not for a very dodgy penalty desicion.

[JM_]

True. But that was their homegame and Liverpool looked almost just as poor as we did, with the exeption that they created a chanses. Let's hope it was "beginners luck" for the Blades.
But the good thing yesterday was that the Arse only got a point, and they got 3 from the same game last season!

[Gregzy]

It's marathon, not a sprint; this match will be forgotten next month; it's not how you start, but how you finish etc etc etc..Select your favourite cliche!

However, cliches are only cliches because they are universal truths and we would all do well not to worry about yesterday. We've got one of the nastiest footballing trips out of the way and can now concentrate on the rest of the season, hating those negative, spitting, cheating Lancashire scumbags all the way...

Here is the science behind Bolton Wanderers

Pre-Wenger Arsenal divided by 1980's Wimbledon multiplied by the current Portugal squad.

[Welsh Spur]

I interpret that as boring, cheating, underdogs......and I agree!

[Gregzy]

Correct! Let's all forget about what is always our least favourite trip north and recapture the optimism that has brightened our summer.

[neilmcnab]

I AGREE WITH ITS A MARATHON, what im questioning is we are not deep enuff as a squad, look yesterday, keane injured, we didnt no what to do, i think hell be injured again during tyhe season,, and he cant play every game league, cups and europ,we very thin on experience. plus no ledley we struggle badly.we should of bought carlton cole, plus a centre back, plus a full back plus a wide left player or even two wide left, if we wana be serious, we have no back up if we have injuries....

[DonJolSpurano]

did you guys knw spurs have NEVER won at the reebok.

the arsenal game made me laugh as it went exactly how i predicted (it was the only result i did get right tho, i predicted a 2-0 win to us). i had warned a few goons on bbc 606 and so forth that this might happen and wondered just how it would effect their team. what if they fail to win their next game???

the doubts are sure to creep in and we all knw how superstitious footballers are.

but anyway, back to spurs. last season we never lost 2 games on the run. on tuesday we have sheff utd who arent much but caused liverpool some problems. incidentally, i boasted to a few mates on saturday as we watched the liverpool game that if rob hulse scored at all this season, i would drink a glass of my own piss (my thinking was that if he ever did, they'd never remember). needless to say within one hour i was being sick outside.:(

spurs need to win on tuesday. we had an excellent record at WHL last year and need to make our quality tell over utd. they can beat them and im hoping they will but we need to buck up our ideas after saturday.

it appears to me that jenas is a confidence player and right now doesnt seem to have any. davids is little more than an impact player now and just seems to be there for his leadership in the absence of king. it was also a bad idea making robbo captain. i dont like GK captains and feel it would have been better going to dawson or even davids.

i feel that keane starting is a must. i prefer him to defoe but wonder whether both will start in a front three. but then lennon wont play. so a delicate balance needs to be found. id also start tainio over davids and play a cental three with two support/wide players playing off berby. or alternatively, play a conventional 4 across the middle with lennon on the left and jeans on the right until we buy a good left winger. im not convinced by zeigler yet.

luckily we have two home games now with the second being everton, a team we havent failed to beat for donkeys. that record MUST continue and by the time we face man utd @ OT we could be back to our confident winning ways.

finally, yes it is a marathon but we need to start well and keep up with the pace so 6pts by sunday is a must. anything else is failure.

and here are the players id look to buy by the 31st:

1. Mido...we missed him on saturday. we need a battering ram style cf at times for games just like bolton.

2. Petrov or Downing...either one will do me and both would bring good balance to the left. downings goal on saturday was excellent but he isnt worth £12M.

3. Chimbonda...obviously, lee looks weak and actually worse at right back.

4. Raphael van der Vaart...a versatile and very talented attacking midfielder who can play out wide, centrally and in the 'hole'. id have this guy over downing and petrov.