da apostaganha： Following a 2-2 draw with Everton that saw Tottenham Hotspur besieged by a lack of pace and penetration within their side, you imagine there must have been something incredibly macabre for the contingent of Lilywhites fans who paid attention to events down at Loftus Road after their own final whistle.
da betsson： Because there was of course a certain standout winger on display during Queens Park Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic, who could have made a profound difference to events at White Hart Lane yesterday, had he been at the club. But any pain that may have came with watching the R’s No29 gallivant up and down the wing wasn’t borne out of envy, rather more a taste of bitter ruefulness.
Indeed, while Andros Townsend’s pace, guile and industry proved yet again to be a priceless outlet for Harry Redknapp’s side, it was the team that he’s contracted to for another three years that were in dire need of his services yesterday.
And don’t the Lilywhites support just know that, too. Despite the eventual productivity of the substitution, the audible chorus of groans that met Andre Villas-Boas’ decision to bring on Tom Huddlestone for Mousa Dembele were all too predictable.
Yet rather than displaying a feeling of lingering malaise towards the Portuguese, one look at Spurs’ bench gives a better indication to the bubbling sense of frustration that supporters endured yesterday. Because far from displaying any traits of negativity, Villas-Boas’ decision to bring on Huddlestone – a defensive midfielder by right – was arguably the most logical switch he had available to him, bar giving the 20-year-old Spanish rookie Cristian Ceballos his debut as a professional footballer.
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Although a point against David Moyes’ side will seem something of a well-earned one giving the injuries to Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon and most poignantly Gareth Bale, Townsend’s performance for QPR has left many now questioning the logic in sending out the 21-year-old on loan.
Far from just missing Bale’s box-office gifts yesterday, Spurs looked almost anemic at times without either the Welshman or Aaron Lennon offering both pace and balance to the side.
A player of the caliber of either of the aforementioned, Townsend may not be, but he certainly could have gone quite some way to offering Villas-Boas the direct threat that his side so desperately need to prosper. And after his splendid series of displays at Loftus Road, the chances are he could have offered Spurs a hell of a lot more than simply a sense of balance to the side.
But it’s within those displays for QPR that have led some to question why he’s not currently at Spurs, that you discover why sending him out on loan has been such a double edged sword for the club. After all, you can’t have your cake and eat it.
Before joining Harry Redknapp’s side on loan, Townsend had only racked up just under half an hour of Premier League football for Spurs over the course of five games up to January. After clocking up a staggering eight loan spells in four years at White Hart Lane, the 21-year-old had simply reached the glass ceiling in N17.
He was at a point in which he was in desperate need of game-time and that simply wasn’t going to be forthcoming in a side challenging for Champions League qualification and one that bestowed the talents of both Bale and Lennon within their side.
After adopting a scattergun approach to the loan system with the Chingford-born winger that produced more than its fair share of mixed results, the club would have been extremely bold to deprive Townsend the chance of playing regular Premier League football – even more so considering his lack of playing time at any level this term, let alone the highest of them all.
Would he have gone on to rack up a similar level of minutes had he stayed in N17? Given the injuries Bale and Lennon, it’s more than feasible he could have had an impact and given the awkward shape of the side yesterday, Townsend could well have earned himself his first league start for the club. Yet if, as expected, the duo return for the Manchester City fixture, the chances would have been that Townsend would return to the bench and possibly not be seen again until the start of the next season.
The chronic lack of depth that Spurs possess in the attacking department may well have been brutally exposed in recent weeks, but letting Townsend go out on loan to QPR remains the correct decision, despite the woes the side are currently enduring on the wings.
Had he stayed at the club, Townsend’s presence might have benefitted Spurs over the course of 90 minutes, but it would have also deprived him of the opportunity to not only develop his trade on the highest level that English football has to offer, but also ensure that his career is destined to stay there, too.
Despite QPR’s seemingly impending relegation, Andros Townsend will now go into the summer having proved to the rest of the watching footballing public that he as what it takes to not only cut it at the very highest level, but also make a profound impact within the Premier League, too.
Whether he stays at Spurs, is loaned out or even eventually sold, Townsend’s worth to the club has inflated more this season away from North London than it ever could have had he stayed in N17 past January.
Why the club didn’t seek further cover themselves out wide during the last transfer window is a question for another day. But the cover for Bale and Lennon should have come out of Spurs’ wallet and not at the expense of Townsend’s career. Unfortunately for supporters, they only seem to have got half of that equation right.