Gareth Bale would begin 2011 in the same style as he ended 2010. He had said a fond farewell to the old year by scoring Tottenham’s final goal – and would ring in the new by scoring their first goal in the 1-0 win over Fulham at the Lane.
Cottagers boss Mark Hughes, another former boss of the Welsh national team, had predicted before the match that Gareth was going to be a world-class star. Hughes said, ‘Gareth has come on in leaps and bounds. Everyone was aware of the talent he had as a kid but at times he looked awkward because of his style. Now he has filled out and with every step of his progression he is accomplished and it doesn’t faze him. If he keeps going then there is no saying what level he could reach.’
Gareth’s winner extended Tottenham’s perfect Christmas and sent them back into the top four. And he had extra reason to celebrate his 11th goal of the campaign…for it was a rare headed goal. It came just before the interval as he met Van der Vaart’s free kick, nodding the ball past Mark Schwarzer. A Spurs source said: ‘Gareth was on cloud nine after getting that goal with his head. He doesn’t score many with his head so he was delighted to put that one away. Harry is always encouraging him to get in there with his head, he’s a big lad, a bit like Cristiano Ronaldo in size and stature and skill – and everyone knows how brilliant Ronaldo is in the air. There’s no reason why Gareth can’t build on it and create a name for himself as a fantastic header of the ball, too. His aim is to be an all-round great, so don’t be surprised if he works on that aspect of his game more in training over the next few months – and adds to that New Year’s Day headed goal with a good few more!’
Many pundits wondered aloud whether the headed goal was pure luck. Gareth cleared that one up with Tottenham’s official club website when asked if it was indeed a fluke – or whether he meant to score. ‘Yes, I did mean it!’ he said. ‘Just before Rafa was going to take the free-kick, he said to run towards the near post, I did that and reacted to the free-kick. The ball was right in front of me and I had to direct it as best I could towards goal and thankfully it went in.
‘It’s great to get on the scoresheet as often as possible and I just hope to keep doing that to help out the team.’
Gareth Messenger, of football website A Different League, summed up the importance of Bale to Spurs when he said of the Fulham match: ‘Gareth Bale has excelled and it was Bale’s 11th goal of the season that gave his side victory over Mark Hughes’ Fulham side at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day. An insipid first half display from both sides created little in chances but Bale rose highest to direct Rafael van der Vaart’s fiercely struck free-kick to give his side all three points and take Spurs into the Champions League places.
‘The combination of Van der Vaart and Bale proved to be vital yet again for the home side. In what was a lacklustre display by Tottenham, the performances of the Dutchman and the young Welshman proved key in the London side’s victory.’
And Peter Berlin of Inside Soccer made the point that Bale was more than capable of overcoming the double marking and tough tactics of stubborn defences as teams wised up to his speed and skills. Berlin said: ‘2010 was a breakthrough year for Tottenham’s left-sided Welsh lightning bolt. But Premier League defences, helped by the permissive attitude of English referees, have quickly found ways to neutralise his thrusts – chiefly by thumping him at every opportunity. On Saturday, John Pantsil of Fulham, quickly earned a yellow card for hacking down Bale…
‘[But] one mark of a great player is that when one door is shut, he will find another way through. In a tight game, Bale made the difference. When Spurs won a free kick after 42 minutes, Bale had a brief chat with Rafael van der Vaart, then trotted forward, leaving the kick to the Dutchman. Van der Vaart smashed the ball toward the far post. Bale, standing near the penalty spot, flicked his head at the flying ball and deflected it past the wrong-footed Mark Schwarzer. It was an impressive flash of courage, reflexes and fast thinking.’
Gareth’s winner extended Tottenham’s unbeaten run to eight games and lifted them back into the top four at Chelsea’s expense. It was a great start to the New Year and boss Redknapp praised his men – a virtually unchanged side that had played its third match in seven days…and won the lot!
He said: ‘It was a tough game and credit to Fulham, they played very well and put us under pressure. You could see an equaliser coming. But there are no easy games. We looked like one of two were running on empty. But you’re in a no-win situation, aren’t you?
‘If you go and make seven or eight changes, like Arsenal did [at Wigan], everybody goes, “Why did he change his team?”, if you don’t get the result. I stuck with the ones who have played. That’s what I consider the best team for today and we clawed a result out. I thought [Michael] Dawson and [William] Gallas were outstanding when we were under pressure. We played with 10 men Sunday and Tuesday but nine points from the week is fantastic. Any team that achieves something don’t play well every week but they win.’
Redknapp added to the speculation that former England skipper David Beckham was about to join the club on loan from LA Galaxy when he added: ‘He could’ve come on when we were under pressure. He might’ve kept the ball for us.’ Former Wimbledon boss Dave Bassett would almost immediately argue against Beckham’s arrival at the Lane – contending that it would be bad news for the likes of Gareth Bale. He said: ‘You’d have the Beckham circus that comes to London. Let’s face it Gareth Bale’s getting plenty of publicity now, as is [Rafael] van der Vaart, and all of a sudden it’s all going to be about Beckham. If he doesn’t play you’re all going to be asking why, if he does play you’re going to be asking why are they leaving Aaron Lennon or Gareth Bale out?
‘I think you’ve got a system with Tottenham where this is the club at the moment, the one that’s got the glamour, they’ve taken over from Chelsea and everyone wants to be part of Tottenham. I think Tottenham are going along very nicely and you’ve got be careful you don’t upset the ship.’
Fulham boss Mark Hughes was hardly concerned with the ins and outs of the Beckham saga. He was downhearted after his side’s defeat but paid tribute to Gareth’s goal, saying it was ‘the difference between the two sides’ and that it only confirmed what he had felt before kick off – that the boy could now kick on and become one of the greats of the modern game.
As we have noted, Gareth knew it was unlikely he would ever make a major international finals with Wales – although he would never give up hope…that was one other ambition he maintained he was determined to achieve. But at the start of 2011 it became clear he might be able to achieve international recognition in a more unlikely way, as part of a proposed Great Britain team in the 2012 Olympics to be held in London.
There had been rumours during the latter half of 2010 that Gareth and his Welsh team-mate Aaron Ramsey, of Arsenal, could be picked for the GB team. But political in-fighting among the Football Associations of the home nations had thrown that into doubt.
Basically, the Welsh, the Scots and the Northern Irish feared that if they agreed to compete as part of a British team, they faced losing their own individual rights to take part as separate nations at other events. For example, what if FIFA decided that a Great Britain team should compete in the World Cup, or the European Nations Championships? Was that the next logical step if they caved in and agreed to their players competing for Britain at the 2012 Olympics?
In 2008 the Football Association of Wales (FAW) warned that they would not allow any of its players to take part at London 2012. ‘If any of our players put their hand up and said they wanted to play in the Olympics, they would not be able to do it,’ said Dave Collins, the then-secretary of the FAW. ‘They are Welsh players and we would not give them permission.’
I could certainly understand the fears of the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish FAs. They quite rightly were reluctant to lose their independence – and were rightly fearful of FIFA. The president of that organisation, Sepp Blatter, was a renowned maverick who could quite easily demand a combined British team so that he could make space for more of the newer, smaller nations who were asking for a place at the World Cup feast.
But by the start of 2011 it was becoming increasingly likely that Gareth would be able to play for the GB team. He had already said that he would like the chance of doing so. The previous November he had said: ‘I feel the Olympics would be a great opportunity for a young player like me to play in a major tournament.
‘Look, I’m Welsh and we all know Wales don’t tend to qualify for too many. I would love to play in the Olympics, especially as it would be a part of a Great Britain team. Of course, I always want Wales to be Wales. That is important and I wouldn’t want that to change but if there’s a chance for me to play in a GB team that would be a great idea.’
And in 2011 The British Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed they would expect the English FA, who were administering the Olympic team, to select the best possible side – and that included the Welsh, Scottish and those from Northern Ireland. The BOA warned that if they FA did pick an all-England XI, they would be in breach of the Olympic charter, which outlaws discrimination. Jim Shaw, chairman of the Irish Football Association, admitted that the discrimination element meant they and the other FAs now had to look at the GB team in a different way. He said: ‘If a player wants to play, we would probably not stand in his way. But I would be doubtful if a player would be happy to play under those circumstances.’
A BOA source told ESPNsoccernet that Gareth was a ‘must have’ player for the Olympic team, and that discreet enquires had already been made to the Welsh FA about his potential availability.
The source said: ‘Gareth Bale has emerged this season as one of the most exciting players in world football, and the plan is not just to field an Olympic football team, but to put together a team that has a chance of going for gold.
‘You’re not going to achieve that without players of Gareth Bale’s quality. But so much depends on the attitude of the Welsh FA as he is a Welsh international. The parameters of the home nations’ participation is the subject of wide scale debate.’
Those were concerns for later – there would be an International Board meeting in March to discuss the thorny subject. For now, in the first week of January 2011, Gareth had more pressing matters to deal with. Like the tough-looking fixture away at Everton on Wednesday January 5. Before the match, Gareth revealed a little more about what had turned him into the goliath of a footballer he had become, as it was confirmed that his average of 5.2 dribbles per game was the highest in the season’s Champions League so far.
Gareth said the cross-country running at school had built up his energy levels and strength and that he loved running at defences. He said: ‘I just think that if you have the chance in a game to go forward into a good area then that’s the kind of sacrifice you make for your team. I don’t think of it as a way of tiring out full-backs. I just do it until I’m tired.
‘I think teams have doubled up on me, but that’s a compliment in a way. I’m finding new ways to get past players in different positions - it’s interesting and something I enjoy. If someone knocks me over I just get up, and if they keep doing it, eventually they’ll get sent off. Someone might decide to “smash” me but it doesn’t bother me. I’ll just get up and go again.’
Gareth also told Four Four Two magazine that he enjoyed playing against the big European teams as they are also not afraid to attack, meaning the games are often more open and entertaining, which suited his game.
The day before the Everton match, former Toffees player Ian Snodin predicted that the encounter could provide a ‘left-flank masterclass. He told the Liverpool Echo: ‘Gareth Bale and Leighton Baines have both enjoyed outstanding seasons so far. And both Everton and Spurs look likely to produce their most threatening work down that wing…I was told about Bale’s quality when he was just a 16-year-old. My brother Glyn was working at Southampton with George Burley and I expressed my surprise when they sold Wayne Bridge to Chelsea.
‘He told me they already had a kid ready to step straight into the first team – a player with pace, strength, someone who could strike a ball and take a long throw-in – all at the age of 16. When I saw Bale for myself play in the Championship he confirmed everything I had been told, and more.’
BBC Sport also picked up on the potential fireworks Bale and Baines could provide, saying: ‘This match pits arguably the two form left-sided players in the league against each other. Leighton Baines has been outstanding for Everton this season and has buried the ghost of his World Cup snub, while the performances of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale have seen his status upgraded to world class.
‘Two goals over the Christmas period lifted his tally for the season to 11. Few defenders have been able to shackle the Welsh winger, but the wily skills of Phil Neville neutralised his threat at White Hart Lane in October with a defensive display that turned him into a surprise hit on social networking side Twitter as fans lauded his performance.’
The fans were also busy on the websites and blog sites before the match at Goodison, with many commenting on just how far Gareth had come in the last 12 months. Typical of the sentiments being aired were those from Mark, on The Boys From White Hart Lane blog. He amusingly and cleverly highlighted the Welshman’s development by suggesting he had been taken under the wing of a Buddhist monk. He wrote: ‘…got injured and retreated into his shell to hibernate for about two and a half years. It’s not confirmed but rumour has it he spent this time with a Buddhist monk, who taught and trained him the ways of The Force and how to basically run like a freaking bullet. The monk motivated young Bale by placing a poster of Brazilian full back Maicon up on the wall at an unreachable height, slowly lowering the image with every step of progress Bale took. “This”, the monk said, “is your destiny. You will one day learn the skills to make this all-conquering right back look like Stephen Carr after a trip to Spurs’ Christmas party.”’
Another fine football blog site, the Flat Back Four, made the observation that for all Gareth’s headline-grabbing speed and skills, the other thing that helped him stand out from previous seasons was his consistency: ‘In a team of Luka Modric, Rafael Van der Vaart and William Gallas, Gareth Bale is more than holding his own and is Spurs’ Mr. Consistency personified. That’s been his main weakness over the years, a lack of consistency. This season, however, he has come of age. There were inklings of his emergence at the tail end of last season but now his performances have made him the top left sided player in Europe.
‘The change from defender to winger has helped him most definitely but more importantly, this season, there is more intelligence in his play. His crossing has markedly improved, his awareness and determination to get involved has helped propel him to become one of the most sought-after players in Europe.
‘Gareth Bale – Spurs’ Mr. Consistency. The transformation from “Jonah” to “Spurs jewel” is now complete.’
The match on Merseyside would certainly test Gareth and Tottenham’s consistency after that superb Christmas spell. It had ominous looking omens for Tottenham and boss Redknapp. Spurs had failed to win on their last six visits to Merseyside to play either Everton or Liverpool and Harry had won on just one of 27 visits to the city of Liverpool as a manager – his only ever success being Portsmouth’s 3-0 triumph at Everton in August 2008.
And, of course, the last time the clubs had met, at the back end of October at the Lane, Everton had pulled off a 1-1 draw – with the aforementioned dangerman Baines opening the scoring and Gareth finding it tough to break down the spirited resistance of Phil Neville and his helpers.
Gareth arrived on Merseyside in high spirits after a great festive season. He walked into Goodison and was almost immediately asked what he thought about the latest transfer link – one that had him going to Turin and Juventus in the summer. Reports in Italy had claimed that Juve, the old lady of Turin, would make a summer bid for Gareth.
They had apparently initially been set to make a move for Lyon’s Michel Bastos but had turned their attentions to Bale after his brilliant form so far in the 2010/11 season. Bianconeri general director Giuseppe Marotta was quoted by sources as saying he remained hopeful he would land the player in the summer – despite the fact that Harry Redknapp had made it clear he had no intention of selling him even if they were offered silly money, and Gareth’s repeated protestations that he had no intention of quitting the Lane.
Italian agent Peppino Tirri also stirred up the nonsense by confirming that Juve wanted him – and that there was a good chance of the deal happening in June. Tirri said: ‘I can confirm interest from Juventus, but we are talking about June and certainly not January. Milan and Inter have also shown an interest in the Welsh player, especially as Bale would like to play in Italy soon. I’d say there’s a good chance of it happening, but more likely in June, as it’d be very difficult for the Italian sides to take him in the transfer window.
‘Real Madrid would be the only club capable of signing Bale in January, especially as they are really trying very hard to make it happen. ‘Jose Mourinho has set his sights on him and wants to take him straight away, otherwise the conversation will resume in June.’
When asked at Goodison about the comments and the possibility of a move to Italy, Gareth merely laughed and shook his head. Well, he would laugh, wouldn’t he? He had already said he had no intention of leaving Tottenham – and why would he go to Juventus, a team who were no longer considered in the top two outfits in Italy, let alone Europe?
They had been playing in the much derided Europa League while Gareth was competing in the Champions League with Spurs. Juve may have been one of the big clubs in Europe in the old days, but now they were not in Tottenham’s league in terms of star players or strength in the team itself. No wonder Gareth could afford a wry smile!
‘Gareth and the boys were confident they could do a job on Everton,’ says a Spurs source. ‘Sure, they all knew they had not had much good luck on Merseyside over the last couple of years, but they were full of confidence in their own abilities and were truly starting to believe they could beat anyone. There was a lot of talent in the side and a lot of hope and optimism for the New Year. They were convinced this would be their year – the one in which people finally sat up and took notice of them.’
Long-time supporter Nat McEwan was also convinced this would be the year, saying: ‘You just got a feeling, something hard to put into words, that we were watching something special with Harry at the helm – and the likes of Gareth and Rafa and Luka pulling the strings. It was a special team with a special manager at a special time. There was a great optimism among the fans that, yes, after many false dawns, this could finally be our year. And that even if we didn’t quite make it, we were certainly on the right tracks to do so next season – as long as we could hang on to Harry, Gareth, Rafa and Luka.’
A few hours before kick off Gareth was asked about Phil Neville’s contribution in negating his usual dynamic performance at the Lane back in October. Gareth said: ‘He has a lot of experience but it will be a difficult game for everybody. Hopefully, everyone can win their personal battles and we come out on top. At White Hart Lane it wasn’t just him that made it hard for me, he had two or three players helping him. The right winger was right on my toes all the time so I couldn’t get the ball and the midfielder or centre-back would come across if I got past him.
‘It was the way they set the team up, teams do that against me and Aaron Lennon at the minute. We have to figure ways to get around it now. Every match we go into now will always be tough. Teams are lining up against us in a defensive way and it is hard to break them down. It’s a compliment for them to do that and shows how well we are doing. We just have to take advantage of that now. It’s nice to have a different challenge and to improve as a player, which is the most important thing. Hopefully, I can keep doing that and keep helping Tottenham.
‘We want to continue our run going but it’s always tough up at Everton. We know what a good team they are even though they’re not in the League position that they’d like. It’s still going to be difficult for us, they always make it hard for us. They showed it at White Hart Lane and I think this will be even more difficult up there. They are definitely better than their position in the League suggests. It has been difficult for a lot of teams this season because everyone is beating everyone.
‘There are a lot of teams down there who probably shouldn’t be. We will be prepared and ready and hopefully get the three points.’
Gareth was right in that it would be tough – but he was wrong in his anticipation of three more points to help push on Tottenham’s top four bandwagon. A resilient Everton would end their 11-match unbeaten run and Gareth would come up against a determined Phil Neville and Co. The only joy from the trip to the frozen North was that Chelsea also lost – 1-0 at Wolverhampton – which meant Spurs kept fourth place, a point ahead of the Blues with both teams having completed 21 games.
Louis Saha put the Toffees ahead within three minutes – his first goal since his brace helped beat Chelsea the previous February – 11 months and 25 Premier League games previous. Saha struck before Spurs had chance to settle, hammering home a 25-yard drive into the corner.
Rafael van der Vaart pulled one back with a header eight minutes later, but Saha proved a thorn in Tottenham’s side again on the three-quarter hour mark, indirectly setting up Seamus Coleman for the winner. The Frenchman’s sizzling shot was parried by Gomes, but only as far as Coleman who gratefully headed home the rebound.
Relieved Everton boss David Moyes, who had seen his side slip dangerously towards the drop zone, said: ‘Everybody knows that is what Louis is capable of. Anyone who has worked or played with him will tell you he’s a fantastic talent and can produce that sort of thing. If you are not scoring regularly then it can affect your confidence and to score lifts it immensely. ‘Overall he played really well and even if he hadn’t scored I would have said he did really well. But the goal is important for him and for us. We are a good team who can play against the good teams and perform well.’
It was Everton’s first home win over Spurs in seven years and only their second in the last 11 games and Moyes added: ‘I am very pleased with that win, I thought it was a really good game, because whoever beats Tottenham is going to have to play well. I think we are a good team ourselves, but we find it difficult to score. We had improved vigour and determination and made sure we got more balls into the box than recently. We needed to show something tonight – all the players and me. We did that, we were outstanding and we showed we can play against the top sides.’
He was asked about Bale and Van der Vaart and said: ‘Both great players, both dangerous players, but tonight was not to be their night – thankfully! Gareth Bale should get the major plaudits because he is an unbelievable talent but Phil Neville did a brilliant job on him. But if you were to talk about a wide player tonight, you can only talk about Seamus Coleman. He should have scored before he did.’
Gareth had a couple of major runs that panicked the Toffees’ defence and set up Peter Crouch for what should have been an easy goal before the interval – but the big striker fluffed his lines by straying half a yard offside as Bale flung over the cross for an easy tap-in.
Harry Redknapp was generous in his praise for Everton after the defeat, which meant he had just one win to his name in 28 visits to Merseyside as a manager. He said: ‘We started poorly but we came back and got a goal and should have gone in 2-1 up at the break. At half-time I would not have taken a draw but credit to Everton, they upped the pace in the second half.
‘They made lots of chances and we had chances on the break. It is not an easy place to come to. We should have scored just before half-time; Crouchy shouldn’t be offside there, but credit to Everton. In the second half they were great and had some great chances to score. They pressed us well and worked their socks off.’
Rory Smith in the Daily Telegraph suggested that the defeat could hasten the arrival of David Beckham at the Lane. He said: ‘If Harry Redknapp had any doubt as to whether David Beckham was worth signing, he will have found all the proof he needed in 90 breathless, frenetic minutes at Goodison Park…What a difference a cool head…a wizened winner of football matches, might have made.
‘True, Beckham might have struggled with the pace. His body may not be up to the breakneck speed of the league he left behind. But his calm, his composure would have been valuable as Redknapp’s side tried to control their energetic hosts, and his leadership might even have stymied David Moyes’s team’s rousing crescendo…’
Redknapp also admitted that Beckham could have helped out Gareth and Co, saying: ‘I think he can keep the ball and second half we were not keeping hold off the ball. Aaron Lennon didn’t get into the game too much and I think Beckham could get it out of his feet and with Crouch playing he could be the perfect foil for him.’
It had certainly not been a night Gareth’s would want to dwell on for long – although that was just what he did on the bus home. He was taken off on the hour after a few tough (and a couple of clumsy) tackles from Neville and was quiet on the four-hour journey. ‘He never likes to lose and always analyses his own performance and that of the team by himself,’ said a Spurs source. ‘It seemed a long journey back to London that night.’
Redknapp would later reveal that Gareth had hurt his back and that he was an injury concern for the FA Cup match against Charlton the following weekend after limping off. Redknapp admitted: ‘I should have taken him off at half-time. His back went into a spasm and he didn’t feel good.’
Ironically, it had been revealed before the match that Gareth was the most fouled Tottenham player so far this season – suffering 37 while only committing six. Even Everton fans were keen to say how much they respected Gareth’s dramatic rise to the top. One, writing in the Liverpool Echo, commented: ‘Credit to Spurs, no “ten man” defensive tactics from a side full of quality, the result a great free flowing game full of what’s best in English football with a result that was more than satisfying, and fully deserved on the night. Most Blues, myself included, didn’t rate our chances very highly against the talent of the class act that is today’s Spurs – with Bale, van der Vaart and Modric. We had no Cahill or Jags [Jagielka], and recent poor form said a draw would have been a good result for us…’
Yes, Gareth Bale was a fair player as well as a brilliant one. He was also an essentially optimistic lad and soon put the Everton defeat behind him. There was much to play for as the New Year opened up and Gareth wanted to be at the forefront of Tottenham’s battle on three fronts – the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. These were exciting time for the Welsh boy wonder who had now made his home at White Hart Lane, North London.