'From chaos to turgid on a weekly basis'

There is a famous Oscar Wilde quote: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."

On Wednesday, Tottenham could not even manage flattery.

By mirroring the tactics of a Bournemouth side on a horrendous run of form, we did not just look mediocre, we looked like a team that has finally forgotten its identity.

For the second time in a week, we lost the lead in a game that we failed to control from a position of power. There is no control or plan - we swing from chaos to turgid on a weekly basis.

But yet somehow we still manage to score the spectacular. For the fourth time this season, one of our players has flown through the air to score a memorable acrobatic goal.

A moment of inspiration from a loose ball that has bobbled up into an area as one of our players decided to improvise. It was a scintillating and joyous moment, but despite how beautiful the sight was, it summed up our attacking play.

We are a set of individuals playing parallel to each other. Each player is vibing, doing what he thinks is correct or what he feels like.

One full-back is smashing it long, the other carrying it 30 metres. One centre-back is trying risky passes through the lines, the other bulldozes his way through anyone crazy enough to stand in his way. And our wingers are expected to pluck the ball out of the sky and "be Gareth Bale". Sometimes Mathys Tel can do it, but not often enough to save Tottenham.

Thomas Frank has failed to imprint on this team an identity or a way of playing that we can get behind. There is a carelessness to our play and this is echoed by the fact that our manager does not even realise he is drinking from an Arsenal cup.

We were never asking for much from this season, just something to believe in. The occasional glimpse of progress, a battling victory or a bullish fightback. But we have seen nothing. Supporting Tottenham has become a test of faith. We are asked for blind faith, as what we are served up is football that is hard to get behind, even for our away fans who are the real litmus test of faith.

If you lose the away fans - a group of hardcore set of believers in Tottenham that travel hundreds of miles, midweek, on a freezing night in early January - then you are on an icy stretch of road.

Find more from Bardi at The Extra Inch

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