Defoe or not to Defoe?

There is no denying the fact Jermain Defoe had a poor season last year. Four Premier League goals for a striker who has 46 England caps is not an impressive statistic.

Tottenham’s media friendly manager, Harry Redkanpp has clearly stated his intentions in bringing another striker to the club. Perhaps this is a logical move by Redknapp. After all, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe have all failed to muster a decent goal flow for Tottenham last season.

Between all four Tottenham strikers, they only mustered 19 goals between them. Pavlyuchenko scored 9 of those goals, while Crouch, like Defoe only scored four. With this woeful goal scoring record, all four strikers have been regularly linked with moves away from White Hart Lane this summer.

The name of Jermain Defoe has continuously hit the gossip columns. But the idea of Tottenham selling Jermain Defoe is absurd.

Defoe’s technical abilities along with his style of play make him an incredibly threatening and a unique centre forward.

For starters, Defoe is an explosive player. He is an incredibly strong and fast footballer. His explosive technical capabilities make him test the strongest and most agile centre backs. His decisive dribbling skills make him so unpredictable, thus meaning he is a threat who cannot be allowed space, or he will brutally exploit the opposition.

The opposition, more particularly defenders fear Jermain Defoe. His lethal finishing has been a contributing reason as to why he has earned himself 46 England caps. Over the years, Defoe has proved to be a goal scoring threat from inside and outside the box. In fact, last season, all of his four Premier League goals were scored from outside the box.

Surely this proves Defoe is more than a goal poacher, it emphasises Defoe is a menace in a variety of offensive positions. In the modern game, this is a highly valuable ability. It’s the type of ability which makes Jermain Defoe a game changing player.

History will tell you, teams are willing to push their necks out to sign players who can change games, with a moment of brilliance. Defoe is one of those players. How many times has Defoe changed games and left football fans in awe? Spurs have a player, whom many teams would be happy to facilitate.

Although many teams would love have Defoe in their sides, a reason as to why the Tottenham star had a very poor season was because of his lengthy injury.

Jermain Defoe’s two and half month period on the sidelines, had a real effect on the productivity of the player. Upon his return, Defoe failed to nail a starting position. Perhaps this was due to the great form and understanding between Crouch and Rafa Van der Vaart. But being in and out of the side, effected severely effected Defoe’s match sharpness and form.

The statistics will tell you, Jermain Defoe’s best goal scoring runs occur when the player is a consistent starter for his team. In the 2009/10 – the season when Tottenhm finished fourth. Defoe started 34 games, and scored 18 goals. It was this form which made Defoe a certainty for the South Africa World Cup. It’s abundantly clear, when Defoe is on form, he is one of the best English strikers around.

There aren’t many English strikers like Defoe who have scored 101 Premier League goals or more throughout their career. This is a fantastic record, it symbolises the threat Defoe has consistently carried year in year out. But not only this, the England striker is 28. Defoe still has a lot to offer and his potent threat will not naturally decline, anytime soon.

Indeed, a symbol of Jermain Defoe’s potent threat is the fact he was an England starter prior to his injury. Of course, England possess many talented strikers, but Defoe’s consistent inclusion demonstrates his ability is trusted on the international stage. There are not many England strikers today who can boast this.

Although Jermain Defoe has proved his credentials on the international stage, some argue, he no longer fits into Tottenham’s style. They argue, because of the addition of Van der Vaart, the Dutchmen’s style is better suited for a striker who can win the ball in the air and can hold the ball up. This is something which admittedly Defoe cannot do. Furthermore, with Lennon and Bale on the wings, they are two wingers who predominately cross from the byline, so their service will be nullified as Defoe isn’t the most aerially dominant player.

These comments are all fair and have logic behind them. They also go long way in explaining why Harry Redknapp is in the market for a complete striker. But as Redknapp and most people know, finding a complete striker is hard to come buy and when they are found they cost a lot of money too.

But with Jermain Defoe, Tottenham already have a lethal finisher. Of course, he isn’t a complete striker, but some of skills make him more threatening to certain oppositions. Many top clubs in Europe would happily take Defoe, as there aren’t many clubs who boast the possession of an explosive, clinical and credented goal soccer.

Indeed, if Tottenham do sell Defoe, it would be Spurs’ loss rather than Jermain Defoe’s.

Jermain Defoe has proved time and time again that he can be trusted to consistently hit the back of the net.

Defoe isn’t the problem at Spurs, he is part of the solution.


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Kevin Leonard’s All Star 5 aside Premier League team – The Usual Fullbacks

Here is The Football Front's new feature of the ‘5 a side all star Premier League team.’ Imagine a five aside team. A team that could consist of Premier League players, from the past and present. We have asked fans, bloggers and writers to talk us through their fantasy Premier League five aside teams.

The Football Front's own Kevin Leonard kicks things off with his hilarious selection.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness the assembly of the greatest 5 a side team the world has ever seen. This is a team formed metaphorically speaking in the very depths of hell where the most barbaric of history’s villains dare not to venture.

Realistically speaking they met in a group therapy session on how to deal with anger management issues.

The goalkeeper of these Inglorious Bastards is the German Jen Lehmann. He stood between the sticks for his country as well as Arsenal, Stutgartt and Borrussia Dortmund. Jens was in the group therapy session because his anger problems led him to take a Stutgartt fan’s glasses after he was sent off. The fan, to be fair, had angrily asked the German; why are you so difficult? Jens felt because his anger caused him to steal and effectively blind a man it was time to go into group therapy.

The defender on this team is none other than the angry Aussie Lucas Neill. Once of West Ham and Blackburn, now of Galatasary says it all really. Lucas’s tendency to become infuriated constantly with officials and team mates got out of hand in an International match. Neill played an overly strong pass in the direction of an innocent bird. The bird, known as flappy, was on the pitch trying to enjoy the game when the ball from Niell came flying his way. Flappy will never fly again. By order of the WWF (World Wildlife Fund, not the wrestling organisation) Lucas Neill had to attend this anger management session.

Central midfielders are among the most ill tempered people on the planet and it was no surprise that two of them were at this group therapy meeting. Joey Barton and Roy Keane were certainly scarier than most other patients the psychologist had treated in his career. Barton put the proverbial shits up the shrink because of his time in jail due to an assault on a Manchester City team mate Ousmane Dabo.

While Roy Keane terrified the Doctor for a number of reasons. 1: He looks like Iranian President Mahamoud Ahmadinejad. 2: He broke Haland’s leg in two. 3: His low pitched, calm voice makes him sound like the Cork equivalent of Michael Corleone.

The striker and captain of the 5 aside team is perhaps the most responsible man on the team, Duncan Ferguson. The Scary striker admitted himself to the anger management programme for reasons of heroism. When two burglars broke into his home in Liverpool, he turned into a loud mad Scottish Hulk and pummelled their faces so hard he broke his own fist. Drunken Duncan as some call him, or others simply call him a hero. Even though he was well within his rights to assault the two uninvited guests. He still thought it best for the World if he learned to calm himself by attending group therapy.

Duncan himself formed the side as an idea for him and his buddies to channel their rage into a more productive manner. This may not be a five a side team rich in skill but it certainly will not lack passion!

NOTE: All of these players didnt go to the same therapy group, they went to local anger therapy groups.

You can follow Kevin on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Away Goals too.

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