Not often I agree with Robbie Savage. It’d difficult to imagine that many folk ever do. But then that’s probably a perception issue. Chris Moyles recently described him as a cross between a Barbie Doll and a horse. Difficult to take something fitting that description too seriously.
Savage in his Friday mirror piece wrote an interesting article. Being a fully paid up Welshman himself I guess it gave him a different take on the whole Bale business.
Comparisons with Ryan Giggs are very welcome. Giggs is a player that a succession of England managers have wistfully jotted onto their dream team and then swiftly had to scratch a line through. A powerful, committed and vastly talented player who has been a consistently excellent Premiership player.
He has played for his country, but his honours, his appetite for success have all been fed domestically. And this is Savage’s point. If Bale has ambition, which it is incredulous to believe he hasn’t; then this season and at a push next will be pivotal.
Disappointment Internationally has been, Savage argues, by what he has been able to achieve with Manchester United. With all the titles, silverware and plaudits Giggs has scooped at Old Trafford, who in their right mind would suppose they could snatch him? Well history has answered that one. Nobody did.
“Despite their superhuman efforts against the holders, they will not win the Champions League this year or next. They won’t win the Premier League either'”.
Despite being a Tottenham fan, I find it hard to dismiss his prediction.
This isn’t simply post Bolton blues, but a wake up call that the never-ending inconsistency of Tottenham on the pitch needs to be rectified once and for all. I get it that Daniel Levy cannot control players going on strike (Berbatov) or waking up one morning and wanting to realize their burning ambition to play for a boyhood club (Keane) , but he can make their environment as attractive as humanly possible. United did for Giggs.
This means wages being available to those who earn – rather than simply demand them. This means ensuring delivery of trophies, titles and other silver plated pots and pans not just swanky new stadia.
Building a shrine is easy. Building a legacy takes a little bit more effort.
