Gareth Bale Appreciation Society

2010 to date has been a bit of a stutter with regards to Tottenham's form and performances. Dropped points and constant accusations of long ball tactics saw our charge for Champions League football reduced to embers from the trail blaze we set in our early form

Whilst our form has stuttered and spluttered one man has risen above and comfortably been our player of the calendar year to date. Sit down Pav...

Gareth Bale has been nothing short of sensational. Since the turn of the year many were panicking at the prospect of Benny leaving us for a month for the African Cup of Nations and leaving our left hand side in the hands of a Welshman... that can't defend... and can't win.

Cries of 'great going forward but can't defend', 'defensively weak' and inexplicably linked with a move to Nottingham Forest let’s just say the omens were not looking great for the young man. Many chose to pick his poor half at Everton as the basis of their argument. Failing to see that a young player, who hasn't had a consistent run of games, may be prone to be making mistakes when being dropped into the volatile atmosphere of Goodison Park in an exposed position.

Bale is a true example of how fickle a section Spurs fans truly are. He has had severe criticisms aimed at him whilst a player of more exotic nature, Giovani Dos Santos (he played for Barca, he must be good innit) doesn't receive anything near the same level.

Opportunities were always going to be hard to come by for Bale considering the consistency of Benny makes him very difficult to drop. So Gareth knew what he had to do, roll up his sleeves, fix his hair and put on some brightly colours boots and get down to it.

I'm not sure how far he runs per game but the lad's got energy to spare akin to a small child who has had too many E numbers. He buzzes up and down the left flank with direct purpose and attacking intent. His bursts from deep see him as a valuable asset when hitting teams on the counter and catching static full backs off guard.

With or without the ball at his feet he displays strength and balance at pace which makes him so difficult to stop, especially as he's 6" plus. How often have we seen him muscling in between two defends with the ball at his feet.

His dribbling skills display a deft touch and he has the ability to not only take players on the outside but to create openings for himself with a bit of skill. His Robinho approach to stepovers against Phil Neville probably still exhibits his inexperience however he is damn exciting to watch.

One aspect of his game that has been a joy is his crossing ability. He can hit balls with accuracy deep or near post, can spot a pass in the box and strike the ball with power into dangerous areas whilst running at pace. Considering the lack of width and penetration our midfield shows without Lennon, Bale has provided the antidote to slow, lumbering build up play.

It's easy to get carried away at how good he is offensively, but he has easily become our most exciting player to watch in the absence of our resident rude boy Azza. Going forward has always been his strength but has always been susceptible to being caught out defensively whether it be through poor positional sense or selling himself short he has always had this in his game.

No serious complaints can be levelled at him currently. Considering his young age small mistakes have been kept to a minimum. He probably has too often backed off his attacker when they are running at him allowing them into the penalty area. Maybe he finds himself tucking in too much when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch catching him out when the ball is switched quickly. However the demons of that game at Everton seem to be put behind him as he strides on.

He has not only proven himself an able deputy but must have overtaken Benny as first choice such has his stature grown in this small space of time. Credit must be given to Harry and his coaches for preparing him well and showing continued faith in him. Whatever your thoughts on Harry, the improvement in players like Azza, Gomes, Dawson and Bale has come from him gifting them faith even if their opportunities may have only come up though injury or lack of options.

I still worry about his fragility such has his injury problems in the past but if he stays injury free he will not only steal Benny’s starting spot but also claim his 'Most Improved Player' award at the end of the year too.

Then he will probably fuck off to United.....