Osei Can You See

...by the dawn's early light. What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last gleaming.

Oh sorry, you caught me humming the US national anthem there. Ironic really given that it was our sole American representative that forced Curbs to do what he finds exceptionally uncomfortable, namely to dare to develop our own talent instead of Manchester United's.

Clearly I don't wish Jonathan Spector ill, he seems a nice enough kid, but let's hope this forced substitution and the subsequent turnaround in performance persuades Curbs that occasionally risks are worth taking. He even showed enough cavalier intent to use up his third substitution at half-time. Perhaps he's finally realising that when you have nothing to defend in a game, it's worthwhile risking a heavier defeat by improving your chances of a win (or a draw). It's just a shame the realisation has come in mid-April.

I'm delighted that Darren Bent scored a cracker as his form ran the risk of tailing off at an inopportune time given his World Cup ambitions. He came in for some unwarranted stick after the 'Boro game with fans failing to give Schwarzer credit for two fine saves after Bent had done what he nearly always does ie. shoot on target.

The middle of the Premiership has become ridiculously compressed with ten teams separated by just twelve points, none of whom can be described as anything other than mediocre or inconsistent. More importantly, we are now 18 points above the relegation zone, a veritable chasm whose size suggests the club has little to fear from being a little less conservative next season. It's the combination of the mediocrity around us, and the superiority over the teams below us that continues to make me believe there are rich rewards available if the club can show a little more ambition in its tactics and transfer policies.