THBN - Tottenham Hotspur Blog News

Carling Cup sacrifice only worth it with Wigan win

2011-09-22T19:38:00.001+01:00

The Carling Cup is a funny competition. It seems to creep up on you at the start of the season – especially if you are in Europe – and there is no grand fan fare ahead of each round like there is with the FA Cup.

Teams generally pick reserve sides, while the fans vote with their feet, leaving matches looking decidedly grim in half empty stadiums, especially if a Premier League side is at home. Plus if you go out early you are quick to dismiss it as the ‘Mickey Mouse’ Cup. I remember when we won the Mickey Mouse Cup in 2008 against the blue scum. The Arsenal fans couldn't help themselves and went on and on, telling me that we hadn't won anything special. When they reached the final last year, the Mickey Mouse Cup could have been their first trophy in a while, but of course, as it was meaningless, it didn't matter too much to them that they had lost the final to Birmingham. "We'll leave the Mickey Mouse Cups to the small teams like Spurs", said one colleague.

If I'm honest, I suppose I was quick to have that attitude this week after we were finally put out of our misery at the Britannia Stadium. Wow was that a boring match. Tremendously terrible from all angles.

But, had we gone through to the next round, all the talk would have been of ‘a day out at Wembley’ and a ‘European place’, even if that place is a spot in the Europa League, in which last Thursday we fielded an even weaker team than we did at Stoke. That was also a terrible game, although Redknapp has been blooding the little ones, which can only be a good thing.

So then, if we have a priority, it has to be the league, obviously. If we're going to improve our Premier League odds and somehow hang onto the coat-tails of the billionaire-driven big-three then a return to the Champions League – where we know we can hold our own – is essential. I don't know about you, but we have a real chance of getting into the top four this season. Don't you? Should I take off my Spurs cap?

But I’m also a firm believer in what momentum and confidence can do to a side. It is a well worn and often abused cliché but ‘winning is a habit’ rings true. It is hard for a player to switch off for one game and on for another, even more so if the starting XI is dramatically altered from one game to the next. That is why effectively sacrificing the Carling Cup like we did will only be worth it if the club gets a win at Wigan on Saturday – just like the draw in Thessaloniki, followed up by the Liverpool result, was a perfect example of managing your resources by Harry Redknapp. On a quick side note, I can sort of understand you reasoning behind not liking Harry, although what I can't understand is why so many of you are vocal about it. Harry has a mouth on him. We all know that, but no other manager has done what he has done for Spurs since the Premier League came into existence. Give the guy a break.

A good example of how not to chop and change your squad was recently experimented on by Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa in 2009. The Irishman effectively sacrificed the UEFA Cup by playing a weakened team against Spartak Moscow in order to concentrate on finishing 4th. They ended up by in sixth. Gary Megson did the same the year before when he played a weakened team against Sporting Lisbon ahead of a game with Wigan. They tumbled out of Europe and lost to the Latics 1-0.

If you watch football live at the Lane, then you will know how special European nights and knock-out cup-ties under the lights can be. Therefore, it's a shame that they are viewed so negatively compared to finishing fourth in the table.

However, if the club can continue to muddle their way through the Europa League until the post-Christmas knock-out stages, then it will suddenly take on greater significance. Meaning we could dream of a long cup run as well as an assault on the Champions League places - something that doesn’t seem possible at this busy opening phase of the season.

Can we make it three on the bounce against Wigan? I think so.

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Write Us Off At Your Peril

2011-09-18T16:42:00.000+01:00

Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Liverpool. Yes, that's four, nil.

Isn't it great that all the limelight is surrounding the Manchester clubs and Arsenal? We can get on with our business of chalking up the wins. That's two wins on the bounce, but more importantly, two clean sheets.

Modric is looking like he's rekindled his interest, whilst Adebayor is simply superb. In my opinion, Parker is the pick of the bunch. He popped up everywhere today, stopping play, getting stuck in and putting the Reds off their game. What an amazing signing he's turning out to be, and at only £5 million, you couldn't ask for more.

The only downside is that we didn't score more. We could and should have hit five or six, but I suppose that would have been asking for a tad too much.

By the way, if you haven't done so already, pop on down to http://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/ and subscribe to the podcast.

Wigan next. Three on the bounce?

Do We Miss Comolli?

2011-08-10T16:43:00.003+01:00

I don't know about you, but I am fed up at our transfer activity, or lack of it, this season. We've needed a striker since January, yet it seems no proper moves to bring one in have happened. Is anyone asking why?

Apparently, we've got money to spend. Apparently, Levy and the board are committed in backing Harry. Apparently.

Let's say all this Diarra talk is real and we are close to signing him, can I ask why? Why are we trying to sign yet another midfielder, unless Modric is on his way? If Modric is on his way, I would welcome the Diarra signing, but even still, I'd like to ask why we aren't concentrating all our efforts on signing a striker, you know, the kind that will score us enough goals to make a difference.

What's up with our scouting system? Under Comolli, we signed players like Berbatov, but then again, we signed Darren Bent. I'm not saying that we should go back down the Director of Football route, but for heavens sake, why is there no cohesion? Is there a plan in place, or does Harry simply take calls from agents, but only after trying to sign every player that's ever played for him?

What input do Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan have in Tottenham Hotspur's transfer policy? Do Tim Sherwood and Sir Les have a say? If it's all down to Harry Redknapp, no wonder we're not getting anywhere. Football management has changed so much in recent years. A manager can't be expected to do it all. Look at Fergie for example. He's never on the training pitch, but he's able to delegate and gets the best out of his teams. Oh, and he conducted all his transfer activity quickly.

If Harry is happy with Crouch, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko, can he let us know what he's seen that we've all missed?

The simple fact is this; We need a striker please, Messrs Redknapp & Levy.

Europa League Afterthought

2011-08-07T09:55:00.000+01:00

By William Taylor
With Manchester City and Liverpool dominating the transfer window in the Premier League this season, it would appear unlikely that Spurs will be considered favourites among bookmakers to win the title.

However, it appears as though manager, Harry Redknapp has the title in his sights, with a return to the Champions League a must for the club.

First of all, though, it is imperative that the club keeps hold of it's star players – a move to Chelsea for Luka Modric could significantly reduce any chance of winning the title.

Furthermore, it is essential that the club bring in the sort of players that know what being in a title race is all about. It will be unpopular among many Spurs fans, but the truth is, Emmanuel Adebayor would be a fine addition to the current squad of players.

Despite having played for Arsenal in the past, the former Togo international reminded Tottenham supporters just what a talented player he is, with a devastating performance against them at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid in last season's Champions' League.

Redknapp has now come out and admitted that success in the Europa League could be harmful to his side's chances of winning the Premier League.

There could be some truth to that as well, for even though the Champions' League last season brought much needed income to the club, the fact is, the team struggled to replicate the sort of form that got them there in the first place.

For a club like Spurs, the Premier League is the real deal. It is your bread and butter, and realistically the main source of revenue. Should Tottenham go as far as the final of the Europa League this season, it will add an extra 17 games to an already hectic fixture list.

For Spurs to compete in the Premier League, younger players with ambitions of wearing the England Away kit one day, will have to step up to the plate and prove themselves on the European stage.

Redknapp pointed out that the likes of Jake Livermore and Andros Townsend would benefit from being involved in those sorts of games.

For now though, the club must focus on holding onto its key players, as without them, Redknapp will struggle to achieve his lofty goals.

Redknapp still struggling to convince Modric to stay

2011-07-25T18:13:00.003+01:00

Why is Harry Redknapp continuing this tug of war with Chelsea over the future of Luka Modric? Last week, he told us that he will attempt to convince the Croatian midfielder of the club’s ambition. But how is he going to do that unless we sign anyone? Talk is cheap my friend.

Central to Modric’s belief that his future is elsewhere, is his desire to win silverware and play Champions League football on a regular basis – something our Harry simply cannot guarantee at the moment, and given the lack of news on the transfer front, the former Portsmouth boss will have to rely on his persuasive manner that the club are as ambitious as the player. As I said, talk is cheap.

Speaking on Tottenham’s tour of South Africa, Redknapp admitted he understood why Modric is tempted to leave White Hart Lane this summer, but said he the club has its sights set on equally high targets.

“I can understand how Luka feels in all this. If anyone offers to treble your wages you’d be interested and Chelsea are a big club.” Redknapp said.

“Everyone wants Luka. Just ask Alex Ferguson what he thinks of him, ask Roberto Mancini at Manchester City - they all want him. He could play for Barcelona.”

“Luka wants the chance to win things and he is ambitious. All I’ll say is that we are too at Tottenham. It’s early days in the transfer market and no one is more ambitious than our chairman Daniel Levy.”

“Luka wants to know that we’ll be right up there challenging next season and we are working hard to bring in a couple of big signings that may convince him to stick with us. I hope so.”

“I have sympathy for Luka and his character has shone through in all this. He’s a fantastic bloke and a genius of a player. I’d just ask him to be patient.” He added.

Given John Terry’s recent lavishing of praise on Modric, there appears to be some equally generous words in Redknapp’s quotes aimed at buttering up the diminutive midfielder – all part of a charm offensive to persuade him to stay in North London, while he was also captain for the game against the Pirates.

Make no mistakes about it, Modric’s future hangs in the balance. The free bets market suggests he may stay, but if Chelsea come up with a seriously high offer, rumoured to be around the 38 million mark, Daniel Levy’s resolute stance could be tested, as it was before with Berbatov and Carrick. Or simply put, maybe he knew this would happen?

Redknapp must now match his words with actions as the start of the season quickly approaches. The arrival of Souleymane Coulibaly has been hailed as an excellent piece of business, with the Ivorian already a free bet favourite to break into the first team at some point this season. But let's face the facts here people. A 16-year old isn't going to get us back into the top four, and neither will the introduction of a veteran goalkeeper in Brad Freidel.

If we lose the momentum gained by qualifying for the Champions League and lose some key players including Modric, there is a real danger Spurs could go back to square one. How long before the likes of Van Der Vaart and Bale start asking for a move?.

Champions League qualification next season is bordering on essential; we all know that, yet Redknapp and Levy can't seem to get their finger out. It's not just Modric's ambitions they've got to match, they've got to keep us happy and at the moment, I am not the happiest Spurs fan.

"We've got him and we won't sell him to anyone!"

2011-06-18T16:35:00.002+01:00

Well, that was Redknapp's rant on TalkSport just now in reference to the Luka Modric transfer situation.

"The chairman has said that we ain't selling him and that's good enough for me...we've got him and we won't sell him to anyone. He's worth 40 or 50 million easy and he's under contract. I want a lot of things in this life but can't have them. Luka's a wonderful lad and has had his head turned, but to be honest, that doesn't bother me as Daniel [Levy] has said a few times that we won't be selling any of our players, no matter what the bid and I believe him because you can't make a statement like that and then go against what you've said."

Oh really? Harry either doesn't know Daniel Levy too well, or the Southend sun has gotten to him.

I suppose at only 40k per week and tied into a 6-year deal, the Spurs Board could tell Luka to lump it? But let's face it, Daniel Levy runs the ship. All we need now is the official Spurs website to issue a statement, telling us that "an offer from Chelsea was received but was exceedingly below what our valuation of the player is, given the recent transfer activity in the Premier League. Luka Modric is on a long-term contract and we expect him to honour that."

He'll be sold by the end of the transfer window for around 40 million or 30 million plus Lampard. We all know it, so we may as well own up to it and strike a deal now, rather than spoiling it for the rest.

Tottenham Hotspur.....the fashionable selling footballing institution.

Has the Modric Non-Request Shocked You?

2011-06-18T07:11:00.005+01:00

Personally, it hasn't shocked me. I watched Luka live in the last three to four matches last season. You could tell something wasn't quite right. He looked frustrated. For the first time, it looked as though he had developed Keaneitis - the degenerative disorder some footballers unfortunately inherit, in which they can't help but throw their arms up in the air like a runway controller. He looked tired and upset.

Maybe it was because he knew the Tottenham Hotspur Board didn't possess either the cash to bring in the top players, i.e. a striker, or the want to? Maybe he thought "hold on a second! I earn 20k per week after Cameron takes away 50% so Bill and Kate can have their ding-dong wedding, whilst that muppet over on-loan at West Ham is taking home double what I'm earning!" Maybe?

So then, what are our options? Well, to be frank, there aren't any. We have to sell him. The bugger of this situation is that he wants to stay in London, meaning the ball is firmly in Chelsea's court. When talk of both Manchester clubs being seriously interested in Modric first sparked, I could picture Levy licking his lips with the thought of yet another drawn out transfer saga in which he was the winner. With Chelsea being the only club in contention, he'd better apply some lip balm as some serious chapping could develop. I thought the 22 million offer was a bit suspect. Why would moneybags Chelsea make a silly offer, unless they knew something Levy and co. didn't? I think we all know why now.

I have a feeling we could be seeing Frank Lampard in a Spurs shirt plus some cash. That's football.

Good bye Modric. Your quality will most definitely be missed.

Redknapp really could leave Tottenham Hotspur

2011-05-31T11:48:00.003+01:00

Staying? Going?

As I am sure you've heard, Harry Redknapp has emerged as the shock favourite to fill the position left vacant by Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

Redknapp’s odds to replace the former AC Milan manager have been slashed as owner Roman Abramovich goes in search of the man who he believes can bring him success in the Champions League. That'll be 'Arry then.

It's looking as though the Russian has been impressed with Tottenham’s performances in Europe’s leading club competition this season. Redknapp has come in for criticism by the way we missed out on the Champions League places for next season to Man City. You've got to admit that with only three wins in our last 15 games in all competitions, Chelsea is the only place left for old Harry.

Now Redknapp is the favourite for the role, Goal.com report that the Spurs board would not stand in the way of an approach from Chelsea, although he does still have two years remaining on his deal at White Hart Lane and is the favourite to replace Fabio Capello as England manager once the Italian steps down after Euro 2012.

If anything, it looks as though we're to blame again; the Spurs phone-in public. I mean, who are we to start asking questions about the manner in which our club surrendered the final remaining Champions League spot? I suppose we're the "idiots" for maybe wanting some more off our Lilywhite lads?

Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermain Defoe and Sebastian Bassong have all spoken out about their frustration at Spurs, while a list of players headed up by Wilson Palacios and Jermain Jenas have been told they are free to leave the club.

But perhaps the over-riding factor against a move for Redknapp by Chelsea is there reluctance to go for a British manager with minimal experience at the top level.

Ancelotti’s former assistant at Chelsea Ray Wilkins enforces the belief the Blues would likely favour a manager from with extensive Champions League experience – with Marco Van Basten and Guus Hiddink said to be their main targets.

"I personally don’t see Chelsea going for a Brit, but Harry has come in to the frame. There must be some smoke out there in the footballing world so we’ll wait and see what happens. It’s been the last couple of years where Chelsea have gone for foreign managers so I see no reason why they won’t go for another one," Wilkins told the Godfather of all thing football, TalkSport, with Durham as Master and Commander.

Redknapp himself has dismissed the links with Chelsea and insists he is happy, but after a season which proved to be one of extremes (although Redknapp and I, to a degree, somewhat bafflingly, describe it as Tottenham’s best ever), Redknapp finds himself at a crucial period during his time with us. He's also said to be unhappy with the club’s transfer policy and the lack of backing from the board, although whether this rumour is true or not will be proved this summer as Redknapp goes in search of improving his squad. It must have been another Board that bought the likes of Palacios for 14 million then...

For every Sandro, who we will miss when he goes off to play in the 2011 Copa America tournament later this year, there has been a Kevin Prince "Jackson" Boateng or Giovanni Dos Santos.

He will likely hold out for the England job next summer, but he will have to be careful about not alienating fans or his squad further, or he will risk being pushed before he is jumped.

Thing is, if I were Levy, I would sit down with Redknapp and ask him to sign a new long-term deal with club, in effect ruling himself out of the England and any other jobs. I would give him a two week period in which to think about it. If he decided to not sign the deal after two weeks, I would hand him his P45 and wish him all the best. After all, how can the club plan for the next few years if they're unsure about the manager?

I have a feeling the Redknapp conundrum will be sorted when this court case is done and dusted.

Pablo Osvaldo In, Defoe Out?

2011-05-20T18:52:00.003+01:00

It must have been a frustrating season for Jermaine Defoe. Anticipated to lead the line in Tottenham’s maiden Champions League campaign while expected to score the goals that would keep Manchester City at bay long enough for the club to secure their place in European football’s premier competition once more; for one reason or another it never really happened for our lad.

It could have been so different for him. Having returned from the World Cup as one of the few English players to emerge with credit from the fiasco in South Africa, football betting backed Defoe to start the season with a bang.

But with injury and selection decisions going against him, Defoe failed to register his first goal of the Premier League campaign until March, against Wolverhampton Wanders.

And so that trend continued, with the 28-year-old struggling to hold down a starting place and failing to find the net when he did manage to make it on to the field, mustering just four goals in 21 Premier League appearances.

So when the forward spoke out about his future earlier this week, it came as no surprise that he was unhappy with the way things have gone this season.

“When you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional and then you are not playing, it is difficult.

“I love the club and I still get the same buzz that I did when I first walked out at White Hart Lane, which is important.

"But for me, the main thing is playing football and if I am not playing football then I am not happy, because I love my football." He added.

Unfortunately for Defoe, his future at Spurs could follow a similar pattern to this season. It's obvious to all and sundry that we're in desperate need of a new striker and have already begun our search for a man to lead the line next season.

Football bets have backed Espanyol’s Pablo Osvaldo to join the club this summer already and could even make a £13 million switch in the next month should Fulham’s overtures be rejected by the Argentine born striker.

A new boy in town is exactly the opposite of what Defoe needs, but after a season in which none of the three main strikers were able to stake a convincing claim for the role as leader of the front line, fresh blood is inevitable.

While Defoe was busy declaring his discontent to the world’s media, it was perhaps the comments of one of his team-mates to the media on the same day which could spell trouble for the diminutive striker’s future.

Rafael Van Der Vaart confirmed he was happy to stay at Spurs for the remainder of his contract, and should Osvaldo join the club to link up with the Dutchman playing just behind him, it is difficult to see where Defoe fits in.

With Harry Redknapp’s insistence of playing Peter Crouch up front on his own in Europe, should Spurs secure Europa League football for next season, Defoe’s opportunities look to be even more limited than ever.

He remains a dangerous striker with a natural instinct for scoring goals. Had his season not been disrupted so badly by an Achilles injury he may have been able to replicate the form that saw him force his way into England’s summer plans in the first place.

But with the pressure on Redknapp to match Man City blow for blow and the failure of the club’s front line to fire in the second half of the season, Defoe may find himself marginalised – Redknapp must be seen to do something about the lack of goals and show ambition with a big name striker joining the club in an attempt to match City.

So where does this leave Defoe? Unfortunately the man who has endeared himself to the Spurs faithful may find his best days at White Hart Lane have been and gone.

Joe Cole's Mistake

2011-03-13T13:00:00.001Z

Yes, that's right, his mistake. When asked if he was happy at Liverpool, he gave the same run-of-the-mill answer, but did manage to let on that things weren't going to plan. No sh*t Sherlock!

You know it's only a matter of time before the mainstream media junkies start writing headlines like "The Prodigal Son Returns" and "I'm REDy to Quit my Liverpool Hell".

As far as I am concerned, Joe can rot up in Liverpool. Joe Cole chose to go after the money, setting aside ambition. From what I've seen of him this season, he dribbles with the ball from right to left a great deal, stops, dribbles some more and then either loses possession or makes a dreadful pass.

If anything, I would like to thank Joe Cole for choosing Liverpool over Tottenham Hotspur, for if he had decided to sign a 70K per week deal with us, a certain Van der Vaart may not have graced the White Hart Lane pitch.

Even though I wasn't pro-Cole when he was being linked with us, I still got that empty feeling after he had signed for Liverpool; you know the one - like you felt when you heard that West Ham had won the bid to takeover the Olympic Stadium - you didn't want us to get it, but at the same time, you felt disheartened.

Maybe Joe Cole could have been a real Tottenham Hotspur player. One that inspired us and got the team going. But as I said, Mr. Cole made his choice. Now he can't wait to get out of his Anfield hell. Well, I won't be welcoming him at Spurs. Even if Liverpool were to gift wrap him to us without a transfer fee and even if he accepted below-par wages, I still wouldn't want him anywhere near White Hart Lane. Firstly, he wouldn't be an improvement on what we have, secondly, he's an expert at writing sicknotes and thirdly, he would take up one of the valuable 25 man squad slots.

Someone better let Joe Cole in on the fact that we've moved on. Tottenham Hotspur is simply too big for Joe Cole.

Sandro; Take a Bow Son

2011-03-09T21:46:00.001Z

So that's why we signed him? I had always thought our young Brazilian was a diamond in the rough. Tonight's performance shined him up brilliantly! Watch your back Huddlestone, it looks like we've got a player that can fit in nicely alongside The Modfather.

Slowly but surely, Sandro has come of age, worn the lilywhite shirt with pride and put in a performance that I will long remember.

Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight of the Champions League. Who would have thought it, let alone predicted it when the score against Young Boys read 3-0?

The stat of never being beaten at the legendary White Hart Lane in any European Cup/Champions League clash remains strong.

Are you watching Arsenal? Probably.

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7 Years Happy

2011-02-27T18:01:00.003Z

Don't you just love upsets? Well done Birmingham!

I know this may be a bit premature, but it looks as though Arsenal could go yet another year without adding a trophy to their cabinet after just losing to Birmingham City in the Carling Cup Final.

I make it 7 years. Fair enough, they could win the Champions League, but let's face it, there's more chance of Tottenham Hotspur winning it. League? Forget it. F.A. Cup? Maybe, but I can't see it myself.

I suppose we'll have to wait another year for these young Arsenal players to mature, because we all know that one of these days, they will come good.

I am looking forward to welcoming them to The Lane in April. Thing is, when they lose to us yet again, what will be their excuse? I'll send a "7 Years Strong" T-Shirt to the best comment.

PS. RIP Dean Richards

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La Liga's Coming To The Lane

2011-01-03T20:57:00.000Z

With Harry at the Villarreal vs. Almeria game, possibly watching Giuseppe Rossi or Pablo Piatti, and football agent Barry Silkman telling Sky Sports News that loan moves for Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra maybe coming off, things could look whiter than lilywhite in and around White Hart Lane this transfer window.

Harry's been raving on about Daniel Levy telling to splash the cash, but if we are to believe some of the rumours, loan moves could be the latest fashion. Let's forget the 'Beckham to Newcastle' tripe. If he's going to sign for a Premier League club, I think he would want one that could offer him Champions League football. However, if we do end up with the Madrid pair, both would be cup-tied with regards the Champions League.

Signing Rossi on the other hand, would be a major coup. I was at White Hart Lane in July and watched him tear us apart. He's not just a fox in the box, but a superb professional striker that if given a real go in the Premier League, could push us onto a proper title challenge. The Argentine, Pablo Piatti, isn't a bad bet either, although I am not entirely sure he would be suited to the Premier League.

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3 Points Today Please

2010-12-28T09:57:00.000Z

Newcastle United are in town. Let's send them home with nothing. In fact, while we're at it, we may as well talk business with Ashley and sort Andy Carroll's transfer out here and now.

Having just come off of a massive 10-man victory at Aston Villa, a game in which I saw a Spurs side play the best they have away, under the circumstances, I'd think it not too bad of me to ask that they players put in the same shift against the Toon. Talking about Villa, let's be fair to them; they to were playing with 10 men, up until Gerard Houllier realised the gaffe he'd made and decided to rectify it by subbing Heskey.

What is it now, nine games unbeaten? Premier League contenders or great pretenders? Who knows? All I do know is that Rafa van der Vaart is unplayable. He also loves getting a goal or two at The Lane, therefore who's to say that we won't run riot against the barcodes? We all know Ashley wouldn't mind it if we took them apart, but then again, when has that bloke ever cared for Newcastle United?

I'll be watching their local hero Carroll quite closely today. It's the first time I'll be able to see the lad play live, so here's to hoping that he doesn't disappoint, although I hope he blunders every chance. Judging by what a few pundits have said, he could really give our defence a hammering, therefore I am ever so grateful Dawson has returned and is gradually finding his feet and his head. Oh how I missed those headed clearances.

THBN Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 Newcastle United

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Scott Parker; The Leader We Require

2010-12-26T11:59:00.000Z

Harry Redknapp spoke with Colin Mafham of the Express in a frank interview and laid out the facts about our intended title challenge.

"If we could find someone who would make a big difference to us then I know the chairman would go for him.

"But it's hard to find somebody like Terry or Carragher who can change the place and be a bit of a leader.

"It's just someone who can give you a lift. You're always looking for that sort of player."

Harry knows all to well that there is one player he would be able to sign; Scott Parker. Only this time, Harry's kept quiet. We all remember the tirade of verbals that went on during the summer window when the two David's accused Harry of "unresting their players".

If we are to make a real push for the title, we need a solid spine and it's my opinion that Spurs fan Parker can provide the steel we so desperately need. I also think Jamie O'Hara should be given a chance as it looks like he could well develop into a solid central midfielder, able to dictate and break up play. Unfortunately, if we are to believe the rumours, West Ham would require O'Hara in a player exchange deal as part of the Parker transfer. The lad also spoke to Paul Hawksbee on talkSPORT and explained that he wants first-team football and may have to leave The Lane in order to play regularly. If he does leave, I would miss his tenacity and give-all character.

It's in games like the one today against Villa away, where they deploy Ashley Young in the hole, that the presence of Scott Parker would have been admired.

It's obvious that we need a leader in the middle of the park as well as a striker that can score more than one Premier League goal (Crouch). The truth of the matter is that at present, we have the best squad of players that I have seen in the 30 years I have supported the club. A couple of "special" additions could really push us on.

THBN Prediction: Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

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Defender on the move

2010-12-24T19:28:00.000Z

I think the wisest news I've heard this festive period is that Harry Redknapp's trying to get Jonathan Woodgate a loan move so as to beef up his fitness and especially match fitness. It also gets him off our wage bill until he's back to his very best.

I still remember the Carling Cup winning goal against Chelsea as though it were yesterday. I also remember a few pundits claiming that the King/Woodgate partnership was the very best in the Premier League. How we miss those fine days when we had a settled centre-half pairing.

As this is the time for dreaming, do you think we can have a good Christmas? We face Villa away, whilst tackling Newcastle (is the honeymoon period over?) and Fulham at home. Surely we can take seven points from those three games, especially as it looks like our injured lads are on the mend?

Merry Christmas fellas.

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Bassong: A Lot Like King

2010-12-01T16:01:00.001Z

Excellent display from Bassong

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Liverpool. But the final scoreline could have read something entirely different had not a certain Sébastien Bassong intervened with two of the best timed tackles I've personally witnessed at The Lane this season.

Both times, our stand-in centre-half prevented Torres from scoring nailed on opportunities. Being in the Shelf Upper, it looked as though Ledley King was on the field. As I watched the highlights on Match of the Day, those two last-ditch tackles looked so King-like. It was the way in which Bassong covered the ground and timed his run and tackle to perfection in the same way Ledley does.

Once Gallas and King have seen their day, Dawson and Bassong will be immense for us at the heart of our defence.

In other news, Harry is apparently interested in bringing Manu Adebayor to The Lane. Can I ask why? I mean, the lad has got an abundance of talent, but (and there's always a but when Adebayor is involved) he also comes with too much baggage. Baggage our squad could do without right now.

I understand that Harry has the ability of turning players around, but when it comes to troublemakers like Emmanuel Adebayor, I wouldn't even think about it. I suppose next you'll tell me that Spurs will move to Stratford?

PS. A warm welcome to all the Cyprus Yids; Akis, Stamatis and Socrates (@ the Bank of Cyprus IBU in Nicosia, Cyprus)

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Liverpool set to lose

2010-11-28T09:45:00.000Z

I really can't see anything but a Spurs win today. Fair enough, we may be without Rafa (Harry rates his chances of playing 50/50), but against Bremen, the side showed that he wasn't missed at all. You could make the argument that the Champions League differs from the Premier League and that Werder Bremen made the tie an easy one, but the facts show that we have come a long way.

The facts also show that we are the only side to have taken 13 points from our second half displays, which means two things. One, that Harry is great at making the necessary changes in order for us to go on and win the match and two, that Harry isn't the best at picking a starting eleven.

Either way, with Liverpool missing Gerrard, and coupled with their atrociously poor away form, it looks as though a home win awaits us, especially if we can emulate the form shown by us in the Champions League.

THBN Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Liverpool

Represent Spurs when we take on Blackpool!
The club is looking for a brave fan to take on a Blackpool supporter in the half-time Wonga Cash Dash, when the teams meet at Bloomfield Road on Sunday, December 19th, 2010.

Win £250!

The Cash Dash is a race in two giant zorb balls, across the Bloomfield turf, between one home and one away supporter. The winner will be the fan who crosses the finishing line first, and will earn themselves £250. There will also a £250 donation to Blackpool’s Trinity Hospice.

So if you fancy representing Spurs, register your details HERE.

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"Spurs don't stand a chance!"

2010-11-19T22:50:00.000Z

That was the remark from the Arsenal contingent in the office today in relation to tomorrow's impending North London Derby.

The truth is that we've not won there for such a long time and according to the Arsenal fans I know, it will be an even longer period of time before we win there again.

Their theory is that the psychology behind tomorrow's game may be too much to handle for our lads. Thing is, before this season had kicked off, I would have quietly agreed with them. Unfortunately for Arsenal, we have two elements they don't have, Rafa van der Vaart and Gareth Bale. I suppose the late possible introduction of Jermain Defoe could also add a spiced up cheer in the changing room, but for now, Van der Vaart and Bale could be the key to our first away win at the Emirates.

I've had the unfortunate misgiving of having to sit through the latest X-Files film, "I Want To Believe". It was beyond dreadful, although the title of the film has got me thinking. I want to believe that we have got enough gusto to beat Arsenal tomorrow. I want to believe that each and every player wearing the lilywhite of Tottenham Hotspur can stand up and be counted.

THBN Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

PS. If you haven't watched I Want To Believe, stay well away from it.

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Jekyll and Hyde Spurs

2010-11-07T19:17:00.000Z

How pathetic are we? There, I've said it. I have called Tottenham Hotspur "pathetic". Am I wrong in my assumption? If so, please let me know, although I think the majority will agree with me.

First off, why did Harry Redknapp decide to rest a lot of the players that played so well against Inter on Tuesday? Did Harry forget that we haven't beaten Bolton away since 1996? If he wanted to rest players, why not rest them on Tuesday when Sunderland come to White Hart Lane? I can understand having to rest Van der Vaart and Lennon, but why rest Huddlestone and why start with a striker that hasn't scored a goal in the Premier League for 10 matches? Yes, I am talking about Peter Crouch. We all know that Bolton are a hard lot, therefore, why decide to start with a player that has zero upper body strength?

Adding to the team selection policy on Saturday, why oh why did Harry decide to start with Niko Kranjčar on the right wing, when David Bentley was sat comfortably on the bench?

Secondly, what happened to the players? I can't blame just Redknapp for Saturday's debacle. There's no point naming which players didn't turn up, as they were all naff. You would have thought that after beating the European Champions, the players psyche would have shifted a bit?

Who am I trying to fool? We are Tottenham Hotspur. This thing has happened right from the off. Here's for hoping that it doesn't continue, for we need to make matters right against Sunderland on Tuesday, or else we can forget about Champions League football next season.

Talking about Champions League football, if you were Gareth Bale and Rafa van der Vaart, would you want to be at a club that wasn't in the competition? I think not. Harry needs to get his priorities in order and fast if we are to start climbing the Premier League table once again.

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Can we start to believe?

2010-11-04T17:22:00.000Z

Do the players believe?

After our superb win on Tuesday, BBC Fivelive commentator and presenter, Darren Fletcher, made the following statement:

"I truly believe that after tonight's amazing win against the European Champions, these Tottenham Hotspur players can begin to believe that they are good enough, not only in progressing further in the Champions League, but also believing in themselves so as to take this form into their Premier League fixtures. These players have come of age."

I do hope he's right. The word "hope" has to come into it, for as all die hard Spurs fans know and realise, our beloved club has a way of coming back and biting us in the unmentionables.

Fortunately, Luka Modric doesn't see it my way.

"They will look at us more seriously than before. Maybe they didn’t take us so seriously before. But after the games against Inter Milan and FC Twente I think they have to look at us differently. I said after Twente that we can play with anyone in Europe and we showed that against the champions. We need to be proud but also need to keep going like this and progress in our game and we should be fine. Our main target before was to go through in the group and we are close to that now."

Being Spurs through and through, I have always believed, much to the entertainment of my fellow Arsenal loving friends. When we signed Jurgen Klinsmann, I believed. Before 'Lasagna-Gate', I believed. When we beat City up at Eastlands last season, I still believed.

Thing is, Darren Fletcher has hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter if we, as supporters, believe. It's the belief of the players that counts. I hope they can take a step back and say to themselves, "We have just beaten the Champions League holders. We can accomplish anything".

Talking about Tuesday's game, I think we shouldn't get too carried away. Gareth Bale played amazingly well, but instead of giving him all the credit, I think some has to go to Rafael Benitez. The Spanish waiter experienced what Bale had done to them in the previous game, therefore, one would have thought that Benitez, apparently being a statistic guru, would have prepared his side so as not to grant Gareth the time and space needed for him to flourish. Fortunately for us, that never happened. Forget there being a taxi for the apparent amazing Brazilian right-back, Hasan's Tottenham Minicab Service would have been sufficient for Maicon.

Next up; Bolton away at the Reebok on Saturday. Can we wear the Investec shirts for that one guv?

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Rio Ferdinand's Twitter Account Explains it Clearly

2010-10-31T10:00:00.001Z

@rioferdy5 "Linesman was saying it was handball, ref never gave it. Play on...."

Why was Clattenburg overruling the very linesman who explained to him that he'd seen the handball?

I've replied to Rio and asked him what gave him the right to shout at the ref and linesman while all the Spurs players were told to walk away.

Rio sent a general reply to all via Twitter:

"By the way I went over to the referee just 2 clarify that he never blew his whistle for anything,I never swore so what's all the fuss about?"

Mr. Ferdinand proves his worth with another reply:

"All a u askin what I said 2 gallas I told him if they had scored when the ball went out 1st half would they say NO GOAL the ball was out? NO"

If the shoe was on the other foot, do you think the goal would have been given? That's not a trick question either.

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Spurs Could Go 3rd

2010-10-30T17:14:00.005+01:00

The City result went our way today with them slipping up against a worked up Wolves side. The Goons beat the Spammers and Chelsea won against Blackburn.

If we can beat Manchester United, and it's more than likely that we can, we will go 3rd in the Premier League. We are in 5th at the moment with 15 points.

I watched the Wolves vs. Manchester City game and once again, City showed me that they are a manager short of making the big time.

Harry Redknapp has opted for Robbie Keane instead of Peter Crouch as our lone striker with Rafa van der Vaart playing off him. Modric and Jenas will hold the central midfield roles, whilst Lennon and Bale will be on the wings. Kaboul and Gallas will hold our central defence together, with Assou-Ekotto and Hutton as fullbacks, and of course, Gomes will be in goal.

Come On You Spurs!!!

You can follow our commentary on Twitter.

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Winning at Old Trafford

2010-10-30T14:27:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been a while, so what makes this time round any different? Well to start with, the Manchester United side we will face today is not the one of yesteryear. Gone are all the world class players and more importantly, their world class mentality.

United used to win even when they weren't winning. They had the "look at us, we're winners" mentality. In my opinion, that's gone to.

Sir Alex Ferguson isn't the same. I've definitely seen a change in him. He's not as hustle and bustle as he once was. His demeanor has slacked and that may be rubbing off on his squad.

What about us? Have we changed? You wouldn't think so after watching last seasons game against them at Old Trafford. We bottled it, or should I say Harry did. All water under the bridge in my book.

This is a new Tottenham Hotspur. We have Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Rafael van der Vaart and Kevin Bond.

If only we could start to believe in ourselves when we face teams away like Manchester United, maybe we could go the distance. Maybe not.

At the moment, our only weakness is our centre-back pairing. Oh how we miss King and Dawson. Sandro may start in place of Huddlestone. Hasn't the young lad impressed you? I know he has come on farther than I anticipated at this stage in the season.

Jaymes was interviewed on the RedCafe podcast and he gave us the thumbs down, saying that we would lose 2-1.

I disagree. I can see us maybe nicking a result, although a 0-0 wouldn't go down to badly in my book.

For those that haven't seen the below video, I implore you to do so. I personally found it hilarious.

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Where has our Bentley gone?

2010-10-29T18:08:00.000+01:00

With the season entering November, David Bentley has had just one Carling Cup appearance in which to persuade Harry Redknapp he's worth a place in the Spurs first team. Bentley can't afford to have another season playing reserve team football and if things don't improve on the field, maybe our midfielder will be on his way out of White Hart Lane in January.

We know that Bentley's got talent, and we all know that the the lad has some temperament issues that have put him in the papers for all the wrong reasons in the past. Last season, Bentley was accused by Harry for showing a lazy attitude in training, contributing to his lack of first team action.

Bentley missed out to Aaron Lennon for the role on the right side of midfield for much of last term and this season looks set to be a similar story, and the Betfair rumour mill suggests he could be moving on soon.

On his day Bentley can be a match winner and when given a run in the first team he has the ability to change a match. He showed that during his three years at Ewood Park, where Mark Hughes brought out the best in the precocious talent.

If Harry does decide to sell Bentley in January then there is sure to be a host of clubs interested in the player. Transfer rumours suggest Fulham have been monitoring the situation since last season and may decide to make an offer in the New Year.

Some see it a shame for us Spurs fans to lose Bentley after never really seeing the best of him? I don't view it like that. If a player isn't willing to give his all, he knows where the door is. There is enough talent in our squad to cover his departure. Aaron Lennon has started to produce the form he showed in the early parts of last season and behind him are the likes of Niko Kranjčar (who needs a game or three) and Giovani dos Santos, who could and has played on the right.

Spurs must keep in mind Bentley's knack of coming back to haunt his old clubs. Arsenal fans can vouch for that after seeing the midfielder score a 45-yard half-volley in the 4-4 draw two years ago. If he does move, Bentley would love nothing more than to prove Redknapp wrong. David would be forgetting that you can't technically prove your former manager wrong by performing well for another club.

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Questions need to be answered

2010-10-21T15:34:00.003+01:00

Not by Harry Redknapp, but by us, the fans.

I was watching the game in a pub that was packed to the rafters with fellow Spurs fans, yet all I could hear were chants of "Redknapp's rubbish!", "What is he playing at, he hasn't got a f***ing clue how to manage a club in the Champions League!", and my favourite, "If we had only two points in this group, Harry would win it for us".

Oh how fickle a lot of us are. Not all, but the majority. I even found myself feeling extra uncomfortable when the fourth goal went in and thoughts of "Redknapp is so very tactically naive in Europe" crossed my mind.

Thing is, as a club, we are at the Genesis of what could be a flourishing series of campaigns in the Champions League. I do believe that we have the squad and manager to make our entry into the competition a regular occurrence. Although based on the Italian TV directors guidelines, Clive Allen might just be than man to steer us to Champions League glory.

We are on a learning curve and as curves go, we are slowly, but surely, bending towards getting out of this group.

I am not doubting that we looked like fluffy rabbits stunned by oncoming headlights in the first half. In the second half however, we were the boy-racer in the GTI, bombing down towards the shocked, soon to be road-kill.

I doubt there's any need to go on about just how good Gareth Bale is, for his class shines through easily enough for all to see.

As regards our naivety, I advise you to reminisce Manchester United's first exploits in this very competition back in the early nineties. Remember how long it took them to figure this competition out?

I was going to ask you all to give us time, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Inter won't be knocking down the same lilywhite, fluffy-tailed rabbits in two weeks when they visit Tottenham.

We've got the GTI and Gareth's driving it.

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The Mercenary in the Corner

2010-10-20T12:00:00.006+01:00

Have I missed something here? As far as I am concerned, Wayne Rooney has every right not to sign/accept a new contract if, and that's a big "if", he and his advisers feel he can get more elsewhere.

It seems as though the media have been camped in the North-West for far too long, and with the impending implosion of Rooney's demands, it seems the media wagon will have to extend its lease for the foreseeable future.

Let's put it another way; if I am head-hunted by a competitor firm and they assure me that I will earn nearly double to what I am earning right now, I would be a fool if I didn't give the offer the time of day.

A few moronic former footballers have said that it really doesn't make a difference if you are on £150,000 a week or £200,000 a week. You what? Oh, let's not forget that these are the same guys that have gone on record and said "present footballers do not comprehend the value of money". It looks as though these former players, turned financial comedians, are the ones that know nothing.

I can understand the frustration of the Manchester United fans, for if Rafael van der Vaart was to suddenly state that he wanted to leave and would not sign a new deal, I know how I would feel. Thing is, each and every person needs to look out for themselves. If Wayne Rooney thinks he can get a double-your-money deal at City or at another club, surely he has every right to look at all possible avenues.

What I do disagree with however, is the way Mr. Rooney has conducted himself since the World Cup. Fair enough mate, you want a better deal, but for heaven's sake, act like a footballer that deserves one.

Unless you have been living in a cave since June, you would have heard and/or seen reports that Wayne Rooney has been missing. Whether he has an ankle injury or not, the way he has performed of late has been nothing short of pitiful.

No matter what you think of Wayne Rooney, he is a world class footballer, although his recent performances would state otherwise. He needs to get back to what he does best, be it for Manchester United or another club. Unfortunately, that may not be so easy, for getting your head straight can take a lot time.

According to reports in relation to the West Brom game last Saturday, the fans chanted Rooney's name as he came on as a second half sub. However, the supporters chants turned silent as Wayne's introduction collapsed all hope of a revival. "The United players became despondent and the game turned flat", were some of the remarks (cheers Chapper's).

So then, when will Harry and Levy get the cheque book out?

It's an amazing situation that Rooney could become a free agent, someone who is worth £50-60 million.

He's in a situation whereby if he does not want to sign a contract then in 18 months he is a free agent. He's in a position where if someone gives him personally £30 million then he is still a cheap player. He can go down that road and Man United can do nothing about it.

Those were Harry's quotes.

And why not? It's obvious that Rooney wants to earn as much as possible. If no offers are forthcoming, he may just play out his contract, although I can't see Sir Alex Ferguson allowing that to happen.

All in all, I wouldn't like to be a United fan at the moment.

Come on you Spurs!

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Spurs Priorities

2010-10-19T19:24:00.000+01:00

Despite the fact Tottenham are clearly in with a massive chance of making the knock-out stages of the Champions League, Harry Redknapp and his side have shown they are fully focused on matters back home.

It's clear to me that domestic dominance is a more important quest than pursuing what the Champions League betting suggests would be an unlikely European triumph.

It's a tough balancing act to pull off. Harry Redknapp and the Spurs players will want to do as well as they can in the Champions League, but at the same time, ensuring they qualify to play in it again next season.

The fact Redknapp was prepared to play Ledley King against Fulham, rather than at the San Siro, is a clear sign of which competition he wants his side to be stronger in this season. Either that, or Harry's already played the match in his head and we have lost.

Our win against Fulham came despite us not being at our best. I suppose this shows that the team is able to dig deep in order to achieve the sort of result that few Spurs teams in recent years would have been able to pull off. A glance at the Fulham betting will tell you they're a tough side to beat at home, plus, they were unbeaten all season, until we came along.

Having said all this, the fact that Spurs have spent such an impressive amount of cash to strengthen their squad in recent years means that we surely should have no worries when it comes to putting out a top side in either competition, even if this means we need to sacrifice the success we have achieved in previous years, especially when it comes to domestic cup competitions.

Wouldn't you prefer that we do well in the Champions League rather than Carling Cup success? It seems to me that Harry is doing the right thing.

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"Gareth Bale is too good for Tottenham"

2010-10-05T18:40:00.002+01:00

Mr. Wise

talkSPORT employs quite a few buffoons, but none can beat the amazing Adrian Durham. This is the guy that said England had a better team than Spain and Argentina put together, prior to the 2010 World Cup. He also gave us some other golden nuggets such as "England will still win the World Cup" (that was after the draw against Algeria, and "Liverpool will win the league under Roy Hodgson this season".

So you understand this guy's levels of wisdom. Well, here is another one of his ultimate treasures; "It's a shame Gareth Bale isn't English and it's a shame that he's playing for Spurs, for a player of his skill should be at a big club".

What more can one say about Durham?

Firstly, let's flog Wales for producing such a player, and secondly, let's make sure he leaves Spurs and joins a club "that wins things".

Adrian Durham, you are a prat.

Also, congratulations to Gareth on winning the Wales Player of the Year award. If only he were English, eh Durham?

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Aaron Lennon Has Found His Form

2010-10-04T08:50:00.002+01:00

For those that were at the ground on Saturday, how many of you actually kept your eyes on Aaron Lennon? I know I did and for the first time in what has seemed absolutely ages, the lad looks like he's getting back to his best.

Harry made the change in the second half against Villa, replacing Roman Pavlyuchenko with Aaron Lennon, and asking Rafa to slot in just behind Crouch. What may have looked obvious to a lot of us, proved to be the Redknapp masterstroke.

In the end, it all seemed too much for poor old Villa. With Lennon bombing up and down on the right, Bale on the opposite flank and Van der Vaart playing just off Crouch, Harry has shown us all that the 4-5-1 formation can work wonders.

I know everyone is ranting and raving about Rafa at the moment, but let's face it, the lad is world class and therefore performances like the one he put out on Saturday should be expected. I am more interested in the resurgence of Lennon. We have all craved to see Bale and Lennon on fire in the same game. On Saturday, we got a glimpse of things to come.

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Bargain of the Premier League

2010-10-02T19:38:00.005+01:00

World Class

So tell me, which player was the best bargain signed in the last transfer window?

Some may argue that Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh, who came in on a free, could be branded as the best bargain of the summer. I've not seen him play live and therefore can't comment too much on him, unless it's to tell him than no matter what he does to his hair, he doesn't look like Ronaldo.

Could Rafael Van der Vaart be that player? After all, he has been simply sensational thus far. The Dutch maestro has taken to our Spurs team astutely and calmly. I certainly didn't expect him to hit the ground running and thought that it could take a good few months before he came good. However, since his debut, he has been performing as though he has been playing for us for several seasons.

It's not just his goals either, which he's now scored three in the Premier League and one in the Champion's League. It's not even his passing and vision. No, for me, it's his tenacity and passion. Watching him live today at The Lane, you could see that he always wanted the ball, demanded it, needed it.

His willingness to tackle also hasn't gone amiss. On at least ten different occasions today, he won the ball back and set up another attack.

It looks as though the rest of the lads have taken to him to, with them warming to his every attempt. What about us? Well, we absolutely love the fella.

As regards my original question; at just £8 million from Real Madrid, Rafael van der Vaart is that bargain.

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Daniel Levy vs. Karren Brady

2010-10-02T11:53:00.001+01:00

Bitter?

In her diary, which can be found in the Sun, poor Mrs. Brady says that Daniel Levy has been a very mean man indeed.

"Oh well, it's amazing how friends can surprise you. Spurs have slipped into the AEG bid for residency at the Olympic Stadium.

"Their chairman Daniel Levy recently called me 'one of his closest friends'. But he hasn't mentioned the counter-bid. However, he wasn't at our Saturday match and hasn't been answering the phone to me. So perhaps that's why. If Daniel fancies going into the Irons' Den - Newham borough - that's up to him.

"No argument with competition but most importantly, he's forgotten the unwritten Premier League rule preventing clubs moving from one borough to another. But that, I guess, is in the detail."

Is that the same "unwritten rule" which allowed Woolwich Wanderers to move to North London, be it before the inception of the Premier League?

Also in the diary, we find an excerpt which says, "Prior to the game Harry Redknapp, probably after my comments about his public interest in Scott Parker, complains we tried to poach Jamie O'Hara in the summer. I wouldn't know Jamie O'Hara if I stood next to him at the bus stop."

And you're supposed to be a Premier League club Managing Director, yet you don't know who Jamie O'Hara is? First off, that's a tad disrespectful, and secondly, let's face it, you're lying. With Jamie's acquired taste in fashion, you would know it if he say next to you.

Going back to the Olympic Stadium bid; even if this is bid relates to us forcing Boris' and the Secretary of States' hand, so what! As Levy said, we've got to keep our options open.

When are the members of the West Ham board going to learn to keep their mouths shut?

PS. Karren, it's not always wise to discuss your own players personal information. We'll see how well Cole performs in his next game for you.

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New White Hart Lane Approved!

2010-09-30T23:12:00.008+01:00

Approved!

Well, that was one of the most boring web meetings I've ever sat through and it was all for you!

After 3+ hours of faffing around, Haringey council finally gave a unanimous decision in favour of the Northumberland project going ahead.

Over to you Boris.

There were some council members worried that Tottenham Hotspur simply wanted to build a supermarket. It had to be explained to them that the club had spent just over 5 years and £10 million in reaching this far, therefore, to propose such a thing would be plain silly.

The Spurs spokesman was also asked to comment on the rumour that we had tabled a bid for the Olympic Stadium. This was met with a firm "I am unable to comment on that" remark. Mind games eh, and I only thought football managers used them.

We should be given the final approval within a two to three week period.

What team does Boris support?

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Real Madrid target Bale

2010-09-28T08:49:00.001+01:00

Gareth Bale's electric start to the season hasn't gone unnoticed by some of Europe's biggest teams. Reports in Spain claim Real Madrid are looking to move for the Welshman when the January transfer window opens. Bale, has been used mainly as a winger by Harry Redknapp this season but it looks as though Jose Mourinho wants to sign the Welshman as a left-back.

Madrid narrowly missed out on Aleksandar Kolarov who opted to join Manchester City and have been left short in that department. Although I am sure Gareth Bale would be obviously flattered by the interest, Spurs would be highly unlikely to sell possibly our best player.

Bale has recently signed a new long term deal at White Hart Lane, committing himself to the club until 2014. His start to this season has seen him look like a world-class winger and he's got an eye for goal to. Remember that strike against Stoke?

His other man of the match performance came in the Champions League qualifier against Swiss side Young Boys. Bale had a hand in all four of Tottenham's goals as we went on to reach the group stages. The Spurs betting suggests that we have an decent chance of progressing in the tournament and Bale will no doubt be a vital part of any success.

It has been a dramatic change in fortunes for the players who signed for the club from Southampton as a 17-year-old. It took nearly two years and 24 games for Bale to finish on the winning Spurs side in a league match.

Of course, that was a statistic that couldn't really be blamed on him and he has now developed into the quality winger we see before us today. Bale has a delicious delivery from the left flank and is also deadly when it come to set pieces. He has enough pace to cause oppositions full-backs no end of problems. If Redknapp can keep Bale on track, we will have an excellent player and Spurs will be a consistent challenger for silverware.

However, all Spurs players will need to be at their very best as they head into a tough week. Although the Aston Villa betting suggests Tottenham will pick up three points next Saturday, we will have to do so after a midweek Champion's League game.

Should it make it easier for us just because we are facing the underdogs of our group? No, I don't think so. FC Twente drew 2-2 with Inter Milan and showed that they can compete. Bale and the rest of the lads will have to dig deep if we are to win both matches.

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Harry Confirms Possible Signing

2010-09-26T12:24:00.004+01:00

Harry Redknapp has confirmed that we are in the process of signing South Africa international defender Bongani Khumalo.

"We're in the process of doing a deal. We had him over on trial and we like him. He has potential. We've got a tie up with SuperSport, so we've taken him. It will be a great chance for the kid. He's a great lad. He comes from a poor background and he's desperate for a chance and we're going to give him a chance."

Harry has always said that he will only sign a player if he can bring something new to the squad. From what I've heard in relation to Khumalo, the lad is extremely powerful, but can also run a bit to.

I can't remember the last time a trial worked out for both club and player, other than the Eric Cantona case with Leeds, and that turned out to be okay. I am a firm believer in player trials. The management team can assess the players skill, but more importantly, his mental strength. Khumalo obviously fitted into the group well enough for Harry to take the plunge and it will be interesting to see how he does with a move to London.

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The Big One - For West Ham

2010-09-25T11:54:00.002+01:00

Even with the midweek debacle, the majority of our players have been well rested and let's face it, they deserve to give us something to cheer about.

I can see us getting a win, purely because we are a lot better than West Ham at this point in the season. I know that football doesn't always work like that, but from seeing West Ham on one occasion live this season against Bolton (yes, I was asked to go, and thinking that I could possibly get lucky, went along), they were about as lucky as I was on the night. Terrible and dross are but two adjectives that spring to mind. I haven't watched a team so inept of confidence since the Ramos days.

Has Grant lost the dressing room? Maybe he has. I think a few West Ham fans will come on here and let us know the answer to that.

With The Modfather back in action today and with Bale and Transit (VDV) on form, I can't see us getting anything but a win.

We may not be the most consistent side at the moment, but this is a London derby and surely that's got to count for something? Of course, we all know that this match means more to the Hammers than it does to us, but as things stand, anything they could get from the game would be a bonus.

As I said above, I can see our attacking play overwhelming them, especially in midfield. Unless Parker can pick up Transit, we may run riot. Our new Dutch maestro is beginning to show why many Real Madrid fans were left disgusted at losing him; and imagine, he's been carrying a niggling calf injury, but has still shown us why he truly can be placed in the "Worldclass" category.

Even if fellow Spurs lovechild Parker can chase him out of the game, who will mark Bale and Modric? I ate my words after the Arsenal match, but I can't see me having to eat humble pie after this game has run its course.

THBN Prediction: West Ham 0 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur

One to Watch: Gareth Bale

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2010-09-25T05:48:00.000+01:00

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2010-09-25T03:33:00.028+01:00

If you need to contact us in relation to advertising on THBN, sending us article suggestions, or just want to say "hi", simply fill in the below contact form and we'll try to get back to you within 24 hours.

We have started networking with all the Official Tottenham Hotspur Members Clubs throughout the world. This means that if you want to visit Chile, Argentina, Cyprus, New York or Durban, we'll put you in touch with the right members club so that you can watch a game with their members and feel right at home. Just drop us an email and we'll find the right Spurs members club for you.

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Done Deal?

2010-09-24T15:00:00.003+01:00

Has Daniel Levy agreed to sign Wickham?

The news on everyone's lips at the moment is that Daniel Levy has done a deal with Marcus Evans (the Ipswich owner and Chairman) to bring the highly talked about youngster, Connor Wickham to Spurs in the January 2011 transfer window.

Obviously, the club haven't announced anything and aren't likely to any time soon, but the media have jumped on this bandwagon and it's gathering pace.

Some of you know what I think about this lad and my disgust at us taking him away from his football education. I mention the word "disgust" only if the plan is to sign him and loan him to another side, or keep him on the bench.

I'll put on my patriotic hat on for the moment and talk about the England national side. We all know what a mess that squad is in. There aren't many players coming through and if Wickham is a possible future England star, I would prefer him to remain at his club for the time being. I know that many of you couldn't care less about England, but it has come to the point where something needs to be done.

If we do sign him and loan him back to Ipswich, well, that wouldn't be too bad, would it?

News of this possible transfer first came out in the summer and we published the article that it just wasn't right to 1.) spend the reported £10 million on him and 2.) take him away from first-team action and have him try to get into the Tottenham eleven.

The pundits on several podcasts seem to think that Connor Wickham could make it at Premier League level already. I haven't seen him play and so can't make that kind of judgement.

Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see the reaction from Ipswich Town FC on this matter, for it looked as though they did enough to keep him during the summer, preferring to sell Jon Walters to Stoke for £2.75 million instead.

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What Went Wrong?

2010-09-22T11:32:00.005+01:00

Mickey Mouse Competition? Course not. How does today's office verbal battering feel? Not enough room on this blog to vent my arsenal of expletives.

Anyway, enough of that. Let's get to the crux of the situation. What on earth went so wrong? Well I am sure a lot of you can give a decent point of view. I haven't seen the game on the box yet, but from the Paxton End, it looked all to obvious to a lot of us that playing three defensive midfielders was just wrong. You know, like the first time you were dared to moonie. You knew you could do it, but also understood just how wrong and foolish it could turn out for you.

And what was with us playing Dos Santos and Bentley out of position? Our biggest problem was that Arsène Wenger had told his defence to not defend deep. Why should they? Was the threat going to come from Palacios, Sandro or Livermore? Not in this lifetime.

We looked disjointed and disorientated. And don't get me started on why Hutton didn't start. He only won us the match on Saturday!

Even though I've vented my frustration, yesterday's match felt weird. I wanted us to beat Arsenal, of course I did; they're our biggest rival, but losing didn't mean the be all and end all of it. Maybe you had to be there to really understand what I mean.

Are there any positives to take from the match? Well, the lad Sandro did well. He's shown us why Daniel Levy flew out to Brazil twice and basically went all out to get him, although I remember us doing the same thing for Stephen Iversen; remember him?

Our young Brazilian prodigy has got an abundance of energy and is a tough young man. Maybe we'll see him earn his place in a few of our squads before the year is out? At this moment in time, if I had to give a starting position to either Wilson Palacios or Sandro, I know who I'd select.

Anyway, back to the "Have you ordered the DVD yet" taunts.

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Mickey Mouse Cup

2010-09-21T14:41:00.008+01:00

Yep, that's what the Arsenal contingent in the office are calling it. Scared are we?

I remember the 5-1 night like it was only yesterday. In my 22 years of going to The Lane, I have never witnessed another night like it. If you were there, you to would have felt the ground beneath your feet shake and tremble. You would have tasted an atmosphere like none other.

Even with Harry ringing in the changes, I can see us dominating the game and winning it comfortably. It'll be a great chance for us to see just how well Sandro is bedding in and we'll have a better look at the rejuvenated Hutton as well as other fringe players.

Matt Law of the Express has said that Harry could be in for a shock when he sees the Arsenal starting eleven. I hope they bring their first team. It'll just add to a greater ear bashing tomorrow morning.

Calling the Carling Cup a Mickey Mouse Cup is just a preemptive strike by the Arsenal faithful. Oh how they wish they could have had their hands on some silverware. Has it been five years already?

THBN Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 Arsenal

Nonsense Stat of the Day
Tottenham are the only club to have a fixture list comprising of 6 clubs that start with the same letter:

Wigan
West Brom
Werder Bremen
Wolves
Woolwich Wanderers
West Ham

Courtesy of Chappers' Podcast

PS. I'd like to give a big shout out to all the Spurs fans in New York City. I watched the Werder Bremen match with a passionate Spurs fan (his name escapes me) in O'Neill's (I couldn't get to Perdition unfortunately). Your hospitality was second to none.

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Has Defoe become the complete striker?

2010-09-11T11:47:00.002+01:00

This season has seen Jermain Defoe go from the high of helping Spurs to secure qualification to the Champion's League proper, to the low of fearing that a large chunk of the season was going to be spent on the sidelines through injury.

So although he has shown in his recent performances for England that he is well on the way towards becoming a complete striker, rather than just an excellent poacher with an eye for goal, he has also reconfirmed nagging doubts that this season could go either way for him on a personal and professional level.

Defoe is not an indispensable member of the Spurs side but in order for Spurs to compete in both the Champion's League and the long Premier League campaign this year, Tottenham will need to ensure that they have as strong a group of players at their disposal as possible. Indeed, Spurs can be pretty pleased with the squad they have. The Aston Villa betting suggests they will be one of Tottenham's rivals for a top four place, but Spurs are able to call on a much greater wealth of talent.

Still, with our North London rivals Arsenal already clearly demonstrating the frustration that a brilliant yet injury-prone striker can bring, Spurs will dread having to cope with the same problem.

However, if Defoe can remain fit and continue to improve his all-round game, then Harry Redknapp's dream of challenging for both domestic and European honours may not be as far-fetched as some commentators like Andy Gray have suggested.

But, with the season in its early stages, Defoe and Spurs have a long way to go if we are to build on our early season promise.

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The Red Snub

2010-09-06T15:12:00.000+01:00

So I've been reading the remarks made by Rafa van der Vaart (VDV - sounds like an illness, doesn't it?). He chose us instead of going up north to Liverpool.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really don't mind it that we've signed the lad. He is a top top player and I have no doubt that he could go on to become a Spurs legend. All I wish is that instead of talking up why a player did this and that, I personally would have preferred him to have remained shtoom and let his feet do the talking.

This "I could have joined Liverpool, but chose to come to London instead" talk, really doesn't wash with me. If you're going to win the hearts of the fans, it's your skills away at places such as Liverpool, which will merit you the status of god.

Rant over. It's still nice to know that international class players are choosing us over Liverpool.

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van der Vaart: To be confirmed or not confirmed, that is the question!

2010-09-01T06:03:00.001+01:00

The man of the moment, Rafael van der Vaart

Am I right in thinking that the English Premier League transfer window was firmly shut at 6pm yesterday (Tuesday, 31st August 2010)?

If that is the case, how is that neither Tottenham Hotspur nor the Premier League have announced the transfer of Mr. van der Vaart? I understand that the paperwork was filed and that Daniel Levy and his sidekick, Darren Eales were attempting to push through the deal and, according to Marca, had succeeded in doing so.

Thing is, Rafael van der Vaart (RVDV) was sitting comfortably in Madrid yesterday evening. Medical, anyone? Could it be that the necessary paperwork did go through in time, but the Dutchman has yet to take his medical?

We never like doing anything the easy way round at Spurs, therefore, why should this deal be any different?

If something were to go wrong now, I will find a field and bury myself in it. I think RVDV will do the same, especially after the interview he gave to the Dutch newspaper, Telegraaf.nl.

"I can hardly believe it myself [on the transfer to Tottenham Hotspur]. It's a pity I cannot now play against Ajax in the Champions League but now I get to visit FC Twente. That will be fun!

"The interest from Tottenham has only today [Tuesday, 31st August 2010] become concrete. But then it [the paperwork] went in quickly. In any case I did not take long to think about the deal. I just want to play football again and if possible, every week, at a great club like Tottenham Hotspur. I'm totally happy with the deal and look forward to this new challenge in my career." - Telegraaf.nl

Need a shovel Rafael?

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Tottenham Sign Rafael van der Vaart

2010-08-31T19:59:00.001+01:00

Spanish newspaper, Marca, have confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur have signed Real Madrid's Dutch International midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart. The deal is believed to be in the region of £8 million.

The club's website has said nothing though, so watch this space. If this story is true, it's a superb signing. RVDV can play anywhere across midfield, and in the hole behind the striker.

Source: Marca

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Parker Spotted at Spurs Lodge

2010-08-31T11:02:00.002+01:00

Now then, the ITK's on all the Spurs Forums have gone into overdrive today! Two different self-titled ITK's have said that Scott Parker is at this very minute, at Spurs Lodge.

If we are going to sign anyone today, I expect it to be Scotty Parker to be honest. West Ham is a club in complete disarray at the moment. Things must be bad, for if we are to believe the reports coming from the Hammers forums, the club has asked Tottenham to continue to pay at least 40% of Robbie Keane's wage for the first year.

After all that David Sullivan has said, if he allows the club captain to join us, he may as well resign. If I were a Hammer, I couldn't ever bring myself to forgive the man.

If Parker is really taking his medical at Spurs Lodge, and we do end up signing him, I'll be a happy bunny. Thing is, with Sandro finally making an appearance, Huddlestone, Jenas, O'Hara, and Palacios, we're a bit top heavy in midfield, aren't we? If you throw Parker into the mix, something has got to give.

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Transfer Window Latest!

2010-08-31T09:54:00.004+01:00

Right then, what does the internet have in store for us today? Same old rubbish really, although there was a bit of news that caught my attention.

Manchester City's Togo and former Arsenal striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, has been linked with a loan move to us. Now, I'm no genius, but this is the same Manchester City that declined Craig Bellamy a move to us a couple of weeks ago, right?

talkSPORT have gone crazy over the rumour that Harry Redknapp is about to sign the player. The tabloid-style radio station has even discussed his contract, stating Tottenham Hotspur have agreed to cover half the players wages.

Utter rubbish.

We can also forget Klaas-Jan Huntelaar signing for us. He's made the move to yet another league. If he can cut it in the Bundesliga, I'll take back everything I've said about him. Can't see it myself frankly, therefore, expect him to be included in the vast list of players to be linked to us next season.

"At the end of his career, Huntelaar could be an interpreter - Holland, Spain, Italy, Germany...." - TonyRich

The Sun's Ian McGarry was asked last night on the BBC FiveLive Monday Night Club which players Harry is likely to sign. He didn't mention any names, but it was obvious that he was alluding to Rossi, although he did say that there's very little chance of getting him.

What are we left with? Scott Parker, surely?

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Complications over Huntelaar Deal

2010-08-30T14:36:00.002+01:00

Marco Borriello is a wanted man

Manchester City and Juventus are interested in AC Milan's striker Marco Borriello.

According to some media streams, City is planning to request the 28-year-old in exchange for Robinho, knowing that AC Milan want the Brazilian, but due to their lack of financing at the moment, will need to offer a player in a part-ex if a deal is to get off the ground.

If Manchester City or Juventus tie up the signing of Borriello, that leaves Milan seriously short on options up front, even if they sign the troubled Brazilian. I'm only putting one and one together here folks, but if Borriello does leave, can you see Milan letting Huntelaar leave to?

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Fabiano Signs Contract

2010-08-30T13:58:00.006+01:00

According to SevillaFC.es, Luís Fabiano has signed a contract extension with Sevilla, with his new deal running until the end of the 2012/2013 season.

This, I think, means he won't be on a plane to N17.

And I thought he was the one we would have unveiled before the transfer window slammed shut. Wishful thinking.

We need to start thinking like a Champion's League club and make our moves early on in the window if we are to sustain any success.

I do think that we will make at least one signing. Maybe Huntelaar, maybe Parker, maybe both?

Click here to see why the Huntelaar deal might be off.

Source: SevillaFC.es

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Harry is no Wheeler-Dealer

2010-08-30T13:49:00.002+01:00

Please be warned that the below video has explicit language in it and shouldn't be view by minors.

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The Tottenham Blip

2010-08-28T17:32:00.000+01:00

We've been here before, haven't we? Wolves and Stoke. I may even throw Hull into the mix.

Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 1 Wigan.

Was Cudicini to blame for the goal? Yes. Was Cudicini to blame for our performance? No.

When are we going to learn that you cannot turn up and expect to win? To be fair to the lads, the result wasn't solely based on our complacency, but more so on our Champion's League hangover.

We have shown our naivety today.

Terrible, shocking and utterly horrible.

"We were poor today, we got what we deserved. We started slow today and couldn't get going. They defended great and we couldn't open them up. Only Niko Kranjcar had some idea on how to open them up. We've had a bad day. It didn't go our way." - Harry Redknapp being interviewed on the BBC.

-

In other news, the main rumour in the Shelf today is that Robbie Keane is on his way to Newcastle United. Another boyhood club?

PS. Why did Harry decide to play two holding midfielders (Huddlestone and Palacios) against Wigan, but chose to attack Manchester City two weeks ago? Just a thought.

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We want 10!

2010-08-28T13:26:00.008+01:00

Surely not again?

Remember last season's humdinger against Wigan Athletic?

So then, what's changed? Well, not much to be fair. The Wigan defence is still shipping goals as though conceding them is about to go out of fashion. Four against Blackpool and six against Chelsea being my case in point.

They are missing Titus Bramble and it looks as though the Charlie N'Zogbia business isn't benefiting their changing room in any way.

Should we make anything of their 3-0 win in the midweek Carling Cup game? Some say we should and that Wigan have turned a corner. I think that we shouldn't turn up at the Lane today and expect another hammering. In fact, whenever the Spurs players have expected to win a match simply by turning up, we've gone backwards.

Truth of the matter is that on paper, we do have a vastly superior side and should win by a comfortable 3-0 scoreline. In reality, I think we shouldn't underestimate this Latics side, nor should we think their manager, Martinez, is a liability.

Champion's League anyone? As this is our first excursion in Europe's elite competition, I truly hope that we aren't hungover from Wednesday's match. Harry said that he didn't want the players celebrating too much, as they had to prepare for Saturday's game.

Having said all that, if we have prepared properly for this match, I can see nothing but a home win.

THBN Prediction: Tottenham 5-2 Wigan Athletic

In other news, the Carling Cup draw has just taken place and we've been drawn to play Arsenal. Should we be even contemplating using any of our first eleven players in this tie?

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Huntelaar in Loan Move to Tottenham Hotspur

2010-08-27T18:24:00.000+01:00

The Mirror have reported that Daniel Levy is currently in talks with AC Milan over the possibility of bringing International Dutch striker, Klaas-Jan-Huntelaar, to White Hart Lane in a season-long loan deal.

The deal could include the option to buy at the end of the loan contract, with the sum reported to be in the region of £12 million.

Source: MirrorFootball

If true, I wouldn't mind any possible loan deal. I've had my doubts about Huntelaar for a while, but if the story were true and there were no strings attached, I think it would suit all parties.

If Huntelaar can hit the onion bag and prove that he's a decent player in the Premier League, £12 million wouldn't be too steep.

I'll wait on Luís Fabiano though. A little birdy has told me that he could be a Spurs player within days. We all know what we think about silly little birdies though. Therefore, until something is concrete, I won't be believing anything, although no one ever said dreaming was wrong.

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Daniel Levy

2010-08-27T14:18:00.002+01:00

The Mission | The Man

When Daniel Levy was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur's new Chairman, we were going nowhere. Players like Dean Richards, Gary Doherty, Chris Perry and Mauricio Taricco may have worn the shirt with pride, but unfortunately, we were a club in disarray.

Look at where we are today; the Champion's League anthem echoing in and around White Hart Lane.

Some say that Tottenham Hotspur is a genuine contender to win the Champion's League. Our squad is among the elite in the Premier League, for we have a young, balanced squad. We are financially sound; with a fantastic new stadium on the way, one of the greatest football training complexes anywhere in the world half finished and fans that will rock any stadium off its foundations.

Take a bow at everyone involved at THFC and the mastermind behind it all, Daniel Levy.

COYS!!!

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The Big One

2010-08-25T12:15:00.000+01:00

Make no bones about it, tonight is the biggest match we have played in a long time. We are on the brink of the Champion's League proper, with only eleven Young Boys standing in our way.

When I saw our line-up last week, I practically hit the roof. Instead of packing our midfield, Harry chose the 4-4-2 option. Yeah, you know the one I'm talking about; the one that Harry Redknapp himself slated while he was a pundit for the BBC at the World Cup.

"Against English sides, you can get away with playing 4-4-2, but on the continent, you just can't play that system". Those were Harry's words in June.

To cut a long story short, we were found out. Young Boys came out the traps faster than we could cope. No matter what you think, their pitch did have a part to play. Our lads couldn't get a hold on the game and we lost 3-2.

After that rant, you would expect me to say that we should play a 4-5-1 formation, control the game at our pace and attempt to hit them on the break. Well, you'd be wrong. This time round, they're coming to our place, our stomping ground. I do hope Harry gets the lads playing the 4-4-2 formation and drives them on to attack. We need to go for the Young Boys jugular. I have a feeling that they will be expecting us to do this. Let's not disappoint.

Spurs are at home, in North London, at White Hart Lane with 30,000 plus supporters surrounding the pitch, baring those silly advertising boards that will probably restrict the view of some punters. If we can emulate the same form that we showed when we needed to beat City up at Eastlands last season, we can beat this team and make the group stages.

Against City last season, we played some impressive stuff. Some said that we really only needed a draw. Our lads obviously were not privy to that train of thought, but instead, went out and took the game to City; making sure that they were always on the front foot, setting the tone and tempo of the match, whilst never allowing City to settle or react while Spurs dictated play. Can we do that tonight? Of course we can.

I've chosen Kranjčar over Palacios as I am not a fan of the Honduran. In my opinion, he's an accident waiting to happen. Young Boys will most likely play the same way they did against Fenerbahçe; counter-attacking and playing deep. That's why I would not put Wilson Palacios in the starting eleven as he gives the ball away far to often for my liking. I also think Niko Kranjčar is class and deserves a place in our midfield. I am interested to see what players Harry starts with.

THBN Match Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Young Boys

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Will Gallas be paraded on the pitch?

2010-08-24T17:15:00.003+01:00

It's been the case at White Hart Lane recently that any new signing is paraded on the pitch, either prior to kick-off, or at half-time. With Gallas' former connections, do you think he'll be introduced to us when we face Young Boys in tomorrows must-win Champion's League Qualifier match?

If both Gallas and Sandro are presented to us, what do you think Sandro will make of all the booing?

I personally wouldn't boo the lad, but that's just me. I've spoken to a lot of Spurs fans recently who still can't believe that we've signed the former Arsenal captain. I think we should trust Harry's judgement and just get on with it, although in the above picture, he does look like a homeless guy that's found the new Spurs shirt in a dumpster.

The best thing William Gallas can do is keep a low profile and play a blinder on his debut. If we were to ask for a cherry on top it would be to see him kissing the badge when he scores. Wishful thinking?

I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. Either way, we have to win, therefore, booing any Spurs player, new or not, will be counter-productive.

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New Signing Arrives at Spurs

2010-08-23T10:18:00.007+01:00

Young Brazilian midfielder Sandro has arrived at Tottenham Hotspur after completing his move from Brazilian side Internacional for a reported, although not often believed, £5.7million.

Sandro left Brazil on a high, helping the club win the Libertadores Cup, making them the champions of South America. Despite having only two full seasons under his belt, the 21-year-old is already a Brazilian international, after making his debut as a substitute in his country's World Cup qualifier against Chile last September.

Sandro is well aware that despite the fact he has won South America's biggest competition, he will be starting from the bottom at Spurs. The young holding midfielder will face a battle to get into the first team with Tom Huddlestone, Wilson Palacios, Jamie O'Hara and Jermaine Jenas all competing for a starting spot. With Spurs vying for silverware on four fronts this season, Harry Redknapp will need numbers in midfield if he wants to maintain a concerted challenge on all fronts. The Betfair Football odds suggest we have a chance of winning something this season.

On top of this, it has been reported that Jermaine Jenas has been attracting interest and it looks like he could miss out when Redknapp names his 25-man Premier League squad for the season. The Spurs manager has already confirmed Sandro will be included.

Our young Brazilian certainly looks to have promise, especially as he graduated from the Internacional youth set up in 2008 making his debut in the first team. The following year Sandro was chosen to captain Brazil's under-20 side as they won the South American Championship. As he became a regular in his club's first team, his reputation grew and his full international debut followed. During his time with Internacional, Sandro made 99 appearances, scoring four goals. He narrowly missed out on being selected for his country's World Cup campaign and instead was named as one of seven back up players.

However, his international career looks set to continue after new Brazil coach, Mano Menezes, named Sandro as one of the 22-man squad of Europe-based players who will take part in a six day training camp in Barcelona.

As Spurs fans, we will understandably be excited to see our new, highly-rated midfielder, who has been likened to former Spurs hero Edgar Davids, who spent two successful seasons with us at White Hart Lane from 2005 to 2007.

Thing is, the lad is going to need a time to settle, learn the language, get used to the weather, his team-mates and the Premier League. If we do see him in action this year, I'll be surprised, but it will also mean that Harry and his backroom staff would have been impressed with him.

Meanwhile, the Wigan betting suggests we should pick up another three points when we meet the Latics next weekend.

The north-west side have already collapsed to two heavy defeats this season and a repeat of the 9-1 win from last term could be on the cards, although I can't see another score line like that for a long time.

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Let's give City a real stuffing

2010-08-13T17:06:00.002+01:00

Right then, we're finally here again. Do you remember the Liverpool game, the buzz, the excitement, the passion, the drive?

Having had no real movement in the transfer market, our squad has gelled and is ready for action. Thus far, Harry's been unable to add "that special player", but there are still 18 days left for Redknapp to demonstrate his wheeler-dealer tactics.

Manchester City on the other hand, have drafted in a new batch of prima donnas, with this lot even more intent on earning greater sums per week than the previous mercenaries.

Don't let the blue half of Manchester fool you into thinking that everything is running smoothly. Craig Bellamy's recent outbursts demonstrate that not everything is as it seems up in Moneybags City.

We all forecasted it (well, I did anyway), that you cannot bring in proper professionals into a club that has done nothing for donkey's years and expect them to gel immediately.

Every player that has been purchased with the Abu Dhabi money is there for one thing; money. If you think that players like David Silva, Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor have signed up for any other reason than money, I advise that you stop deluding yourself. Unfortunately for City, players who are willing to sell their soul to the money-gods, don't often make decent pros.

Think about it. Why does Manchester City need to fork out extortionate transfer fees and wages? Firstly, the selling club doesn't want to lose its player, therefore demands a massive fee. Secondly, the players themselves don't want to join City and would only be tempted if they were to quadruple their wages.

Get-to-the-top-schemes rarely work and it looks as though City, under the stewardship of Cook and Marwood, will fail. Unless those two clowns get it out of their head that you cannot run a real football club like a Football Manager game (I'm talking about taking over a team on FM, only to sell its best players to your original team and sell your naff players, like Taarabt, for £40 million. There's no shame, we've all done it), City will not progress.

So then, we come to the crux of it. Let's not kid ourselves, I think most footballers are prima donnas. It all depends on what PD Level they're at. City players, in my opinion, are at least a few notches above the Spurs players. Should we also take into consideration that most of the City players haven't had longer than a season together? Probably. It all depends on which players have the most drive. I think the Spurs players do.

Tottenham 3-2 Manchester City.

PS. Expect a roller coaster of a match.

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"Spurs Could Win The League"

2010-08-07T12:03:00.000+01:00

Nick Anelka has topped us as being dark horses for the Premier League title. To be honest, I still think we're one or two players short of winning the league.

Can we stay in the top four and cement our place there? In Harry's words "for sure". No matter what you think of our current squad, it is still a very strong one and will continually grow in stature.

Having Jamie O'Hara back and Gio Dos Santos, is like us having signed two new players, although both could be used as bait as Harry tries to wheel and deal. Shame really, as I would like both players to stick around and bolster our squad.

Harry was being interviewed on talkSPORT yesterday evening by Spurs season-ticket holder, Danny Kelly. Redknapp sort of hinted at us maybe doing some business with Villa, but only if they sell Milner, which Harry thinks they will. The business with us and Villa could be the sale of Keano to them, as well as other players. Jenas, anyone?

Transfer markets all over the world are dead at the minute as clubs simply don't have the cash to strengthen their sides. We look to be in the same boat unfortunately. If Anelka's words about us challenging are to be proved right, it looks as though we'll have to ship out a couple before being able sign anyone.

Seems ironic that we spend the worlds fortunes on trying to get into the Champion's League, but now that we're so close to it, the money pit has dried up.

Harry did say that it looks like all our business will be concluded towards the very end of the window. Just our luck.

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The Scott Parker Theory

2010-08-06T14:53:00.008+01:00

We've just finished the debate on us tearing apart Young Boys. I believe everyone in the office thinks that Spurs should get through these two legs. Towards the end of the conversation, the topic changed to Harry's pursuit of Scott Parker.

Mario, a massive Hammer, told us that Scott Parker's posters which depict him modelling the new kits, have recently been pulled from the club shop and replaced with other players.

Talk around Upton Park is that Parker wants to definitely come to Spurs and doesn't want to join Villa. However, the money that both Spurs and Villa have offered is nowhere near the amount the board are willing to sell at.

Apparently, Scott Parker has told the two Dave's that he wants to leave Upton Park and join Spurs and they have agreed to let him go, but as long as Tottenham pay up.

It looks as though a deal to get him out of West Ham is on the cards. The Hammers marketing guy's are using the same tactic we used when shipping out Robbie Keane last season. Just like Robbie, Parker was pictured everywhere, but since Wednesday, his major posters have been replaced.

Read into it what you will. All I know is that this transfer window better get moving.

A lot of Spurs fans dislike Parker and think that he isn't the sort of player that can push us on to the next level. Thing is, exactly what level do you want us to get to? Harry is building a squad and sees Scott Parker as an ideal part of that squad. Let's not jump too far ahead of ourselves. We may make the Champion's League proper and Scott Parker would be a decent enough acquisition, as would Craig Bellamy.

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Tottenham Hotspur vs. Young Boys in Champion's League Qualifier

2010-08-06T11:15:00.003+01:00

We couldn't have asked for a better draw to be honest. The Swiss side is the weakest of all the non-seeded teams that we could have been drawn against. Although I think we shouldn't be too complacent.

The first leg will be played away in Switzerland on either Tuesday (17th) or Wednesday (18th) of August.

The return game will be played a week later.

COYS!!!

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Dos Santos looks to prove his point

2010-08-05T18:07:00.002+01:00

Giovani Dos Santos has made only seven appearances for us in two seasons at White Hart Lane and at one time could only find first-team football by going out on loan to the Championship with Ipswich Town. He earned his place in Portman Road folklore by scoring the winner in the East Anglia derby against Norwich and he looked a different class in the Championship, scoring four goals in his eight games before another injury cut his spell short.

The 21-year-old forward put his Premier League frustration behind him this summer and came out of the World Cup as one of its brightest young stars. He was short listed for the Young Player of the Tournament in South Africa.

Dos Santos finished last season on loan at Galatasaray but looks set to be given a chance this season by Harry Redknapp. The Mexican has looked sharp in pre-season, setting up Gareth Bale's winner against Benfica in the 1-0 friendly win. The striker was also the one positive thing about the 4-1 defeat to Villarreal - he looked sharp all night and grabbed a goal as Spurs were taken apart.

When Spurs signed Dos Santos in the summer of 2008 we were excited to see a player from the famed Barcelona youth set-up. However, this attacking player who is equally adept at playing on the wing has yet to stamp his authority on White Hart Lane but, to be fair, the Mexican International has hardly had a chance to make his presence felt due to a succession of ankle injuries and loan moves. The injuries look to be behind him now and this could the season where Dos Santos truly arrives in the Premier League. The Aston Villa betting suggests we should finish well ahead of them and Giovani could be an important back-up striker as Spurs look to put clear blue water between them and the chasing pack.

He showed his ability at the World Cup this summer for Mexico. Dos Santos was one of their best players, operating just behind a main striker. When he was at Barcelona, comparisons were made between dos Santos and Ronaldinho, although fans haven't seen much proof of that during his time in London. Pundits like Andy Gray probably won't give Spurs much chance of doing well this season, but we proved the experts wrong last time out and the club will need all the players they can to push on from last term.

Redknapp needs to show the youngster he has confidence in him. If he's given a decent run in the team, there is a good chance that Dos Santos could turn out to be as good as a new signing for us. It won't harm the team to have the Mexican in the squad as we look to challenge both domestically and in Europe.

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Robbie Keane didn't Travel to Portugal with the Team

2010-08-03T18:37:00.008+01:00

I personally didn't see the headline, but Tommy from COYS as well as other colleagues of mine, told me about the Sky Sports News headline this afternoon which read: Robbie Keane not on the plane to Portugal along with the rest of the Spurs team.

The club say that he's picked up a knock and therefore there's no need for him to travel with the squad to face Benfica in tonight's friendly (live on ESPN at 7:45). I say that the Villa he's looking for isn't located in Portugal.

Some of us at work found a spare second and researched various Aston Villa forums. A few of their apparent trusted ITK's said that Robbie Keane had not renewed the tenancy contract he has with a local agent on his penthouse in Coventry as he expects to move back into it fairly shortly. Can there be anything in that?

Other "In The Know" Midlanders were sure that Keane was spotted at the Villa training ground today. Some, dare I say it, said that they have good information in relation to Reo-Coker being a part of the deal.

As is the case this time of year, the lot of it could be a load of rubbish, although there could also be some truth to the matter.

As regards the transfer of players, if Keane is to go to the Midlands club, I expect the Milner to City deal to be nearing completion. Things seem to be hotting up. If online betting is your thing, I would take a punt on two things; 1.) Blackpool getting relegated and; 2.) Roberto Mancini not being the Manchester City boss come the end of the season.

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Harry Redknapp is Angry

2010-07-30T14:58:00.003+01:00

I was at The Lane last night and watched us play some good football at times, but saw us ripped apart by a team that knows how to keep the ball and counter-attack. There, I said it. Now, let's move onto Harry being angry.

Today I read that Harry Redknapp is just a tad bit angry with Tweedledum and Tweedledee over at West Ham. He was obviously upset at the way we lost to the Yellow Submarines last night and so let fly on the situation relating to Spurs fan, Scott Parker.

In Harry's words: "Who made it public that we've made an offer?"

I don't think Harry could have put it any better. The first I heard of us being strongly interested in Parker was when the David Gold was interviewed on talkSPORT. Something about us trying to unsettle their player and that £7 million wasn't enough.

Now, let me give you my take on this. West Ham are in real financial trouble. They need to sell players, but unfortunately, they don't have too many that can be sold for a decent amount.

I can picture the two David's discussing how they can sell on their best player, but keep the fans happy.

David: "Spurs were interested in Parker, weren't they?"

David: "I think so."

David: "Great. Have you got Danny's number or does Kazza have it?"

David: "No, no, here it is. Now, listen up Dave, I've got an idea. What we can do, is offer Scott Parker to Spurs. We won't give them a price; we'll just wait till they offer us something. Danny's so tight with his money, so I'm sure he'll offer us nowhere near what Parker's is worth."

David: "What is Parker worth?"

David: "No more than £6 or 7 mill mate. Anyway, once we get the offer, I'll call up my mates in the media and tell them just how unhappy we are with Tottenham. We'll tell all my mates down at talkSPORT that Parker is not for sale at any price and that it's obvious that Harry and Danny are trying to unrest him."

David: "What you want to do that for?"

David: "Look mate, we need to sell him, but after you opened your mouth and told everyone that he ain't going anywhere, you sort of put us in a tricky position. So we'll act as though there's no way Parker will be going anywhere. But we both know he wants to join them, after all, he is a Spurs fan, isn't he?"

David: "So they tell me."

David: "Well, Scotty will want to have a word with us about the Tottenham bid. When he does, we'll tell him he can go, but he mustn't say a thing. In the meantime, we'll look like this entire situation has been taken out of our hands and that we're not to blame at all."

David: "Quality mate. Nearly as good as Debbie Does Essex XVII".

A bit far fetched? I don't think so. Speak to any Birmingham fan and they'll tell you exactly how these two act. We saw/read their superb inspirational displays toward Zola. I can see them acting as though Tottenham and Parker are useless. Anything to get the high ground.

Expect us to now sign Parker, although I can see this one being somewhat protracted.

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Daniel Levy is angry

2010-07-29T11:14:00.001+01:00

And rightly so! Tottenham Hotspur released a statement yesterday relaying that "no bid for the Olympic Stadium had been made". That's right, "no bid" has been made, but Levy and co. have started to make early enquiries as to the availability of the magnificent 80,000 capacity arena. And why shouldn't they?

Haringey council is singlehandedly shooting itself in the foot with all this bureaucratic nonsense.

The Tottenham area is in need of massive funding, that's clear to see. Along comes the star attraction of the area and actually offers to assist in the regeneration. Instead of biting Levy's hand off, the Haringey big-wigs continue to knock back the hand that feeds them.

Fair enough, we'll just look elsewhere.

If Haringey council would like the Tottenham area to continue as a going concern, they will assist the club further in relation to all the objections that seem to be stemming from heritage groups, the police farce and issues over parking.

Pull your finger out Haringey!

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Will Spurs' defensive headache ever end?

2010-07-28T17:03:00.001+01:00

Tottenham have two of England's most talented centre backs at their disposal but, sadly for manager Harry Redknapp, the pair are also two of the country's most injury-prone players.

Those who study the football winning odds recognise that Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King would be pushing for a space in the England side if they could stay fit, but they spend more time on the physio's bench than they do on the park; more so for Woodgate.

Redknapp has now admitted the pair will miss the start of the season and Spurs fans must be wondering when they will next seem them take to the field.

Woodgate is still struggling with the groin problem which limited him to three appearances last season, while King's well-documented knee problem means he is finding it difficult to recover from the groin injury he picked up at the World Cup.

Redknapp said: "Jonathan will not be fit for the start of the season.

"He's in a position where he can't train or kick a ball.

"Ledley has come back and his knee is not great and he has a groin problem."

Spurs do have plenty of cover at the back, and fortunately for Redknapp Michael Dawson has improved dramatically in recent seasons.

However, it remains to be seen how much long the manager will keep faith in two players who between them have made just 96 league appearances in the last three seasons.

They're both quality players when fit, there's no doubt about it, but Redknapp could soon decide the money that pays their wages would be better spent elsewhere.

King recently signed a contract extension which means he's tied to the club until 2012, so his departure may have to wait.

Woodgate, though, will be a free agent in the summer and it seems unlikely he will be offered an extension unless he puts together a remarkable run of first team appearances.

However, with Spurs facing a congested season it could be that Redknapp signs a replacement for Woodgate sooner, rather than later.

Meanwhile, be sure to check out the latest championship tournament odds as the new season gets underway on 6th August 2010. Who will join Spurs in the Premier League next year?

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Portsmouth and their Squad

2010-07-28T07:56:00.005+01:00

As you can see from the above image (taken just now from the Portsmouth FC website), Pompey won't have any problems naming their 25-man squad.

Tal Ben Haim is also on the list, which is strange, seeing as he left the club after they got relegated.

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Enough about them. Who will Harry include in our 25-man squad? Players up to the age of 21 don't count and Harry has to name 8 "Homegrown" players (players who have spent at least 3 seasons in the English or Welsh league systems).

September 1st looms and yet no signings to speak of.

Maybe it's true that we really are waiting for City to finish their spending spree before making a move?

Source: COYS

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"Signing a centre-half is our priority"

2010-07-27T11:25:00.001+01:00

Hmm. So said the Evening Standard last night. Apparently Harry's been on about us needing a central defender. Can I ask why though?

We've all heard the news that Woodgate hasn't been included in the final 25-man squad and Ledley's got a dodgy knee, but we've still got Michael Dawson, Seb Bassong and Younes Kaboul. Charlie is a natural centre-half, although I, like most, don't fancy him in that position.

Is this another Harry ploy? I think we all know Harry well enough to understand the psychology of his comments. "Signing a centre-half is our top priority" can also read as "Dan, I want to add players to this squad, so hurry up and get your cheque book out!".

I had personally hoped that our signing of the "special one/two/three" would have been done and dusted by now. With the season fast approaching, it would have been better to have had a settled squad.

Hopefully Harry can get a few players in prior to our Champion's League qualifiers.

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Our mate, Melsey, was in the same hotel along with the Manchester City squad in the States. He asked Bellamy if he would be joining Spurs and Bellamy replied "I can't keep moving clubs, although I do like and respect Harry a lot".

Melsey then asked one of the waitresses to ask Shay Given if his name was Joe Hart. Very funny indeed, he apparently looked furious.

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Harry's Interested in Huntelaar

2010-07-23T12:24:00.003+01:00

Mediaset, the Italian media giant (owned by Mr.Berlusconi), yesterday revealed that both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have shown an interest in buying AC Milan striker, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for around €15 million (approximately £12.6 million). It also added that "Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, has been looking at Huntelaar in recent months and plans to sign the Dutch striker."

Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of a striker has been the topic of discussion this week, therefore, you can imagine the delight on nearly all my fellow Spurs when they read this. Thing is, I was the only disappointed Spurs fan in the office.

I had to ask my associate Tottenham loving colleagues a question; "Just a thought guys, why are most of you wound up by the media hype that surrounds Klaas-Jan Huntelaar?"

As you can imagine, I received the dreaded blank stare. It was as if I had just said that Ashley Cole is indeed a decent chap.

So again, I posed a question; "How many of you have seen him play?" Judging by the comments I received, most of them didn't even know what Huntelaar looked like.

I went into one.....

"The simple fact of the matter is that Mr. Huntelaar was a goal scorer in Holland, but failed in Spain and in Italy. What makes him such an amazing candidate??

"I remember a certain Mateja Kežman; man could he score....in Holland. Since his move away from the goal-rush Eredivisie (left in 2004), in which he scored 105 goals in 122 games, Kezman has racked up an amazing tally of.........39 goals.

"Let's look at Huntelaar's stats: In the goal-rush (yes, I will call the Eredivisie that, for even Martin Jol's Ajax scored an incredible 106 goals, but still came second), Huntelaar managed to score 135 in 183 games. Pretty phenominal. But then, his goal tally dries up like an elephant's ball sack. Why? Because he left the comfort of the Goal-Rush league!

"Since his move to Spain and Italy, the once prolific striker has scored a total of 15 goals in 45 matches!

"And we want him to sign? Based on what? I suppose we could sign him and loan him to Ajax. As a Spurs player, he'll probably get a bucket load. Shame though, as he'll do it wearing a Ajax shirt.

"So please, can someone explain to me what all this fuss is about?".

Robert in accounting spoke up first; "Jaymes, look at Ruud van Nistelrooy and the original Ronaldo. They all scored in the Dutch league and also found it fairly easy scoring in other leagues".

"Bob, you've just answered your own question mate. They scored in OTHER LEAGUES! Huntelaar has played in other leagues, yet cannot score."

At this point, the conversation went dead, not because it wasn't interesting, but because the only Arsenal fan in the office, Trevor, walked in and put an end to it.

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There will be loads of you who disagree with me. Please don't take any of the above personally. It's just that as Spurs fans (and football fans in general), we seem to get our thongs in a twist every time a foreign player with some history gets linked with us.

If we do sign him and he goes on to score a bucket load, I will be as delighted as my fellow Spur, but the facts don't lie. Chances are, he'll come here and not settle, which means that he'll need a TomTom for directions on where the onion-bag is.

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Three Yellows

2010-07-22T10:50:00.003+01:00

Prior to the World Cup, the Coral Dugout gave us the opportunity to ask Graham Poll a question.

Here is Graham in answer to the question we posed him:

I loved it when he sent off John Terry in our 2-1 home win against Chelsea. I should have asked him what the real reason was. Do you remember King and Chimbonda chasing Terry after the said incident?

How time flies.

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Martin Peters

2010-07-22T10:31:00.006+01:00

Our friends over at Coral Dugout have sent us this exclusive video of former Spurs and England player, Martin Peters.

Martin tells us about his experiences whilst playing for Tottenham Hotspur under the great Bill Nicholson.

The below video is a must see for all hardcore Spurs fans.

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A Jolly time for Fulham fans

2010-07-21T07:02:00.005+01:00

Fulham fans know Roy Hodgson left big shoes to fill as the club's manager, but they should be delighted that Martin Jol looks set to be the man given that task. No managerial shoes are too big for the burly Dutchman, who has all the attributes to be a major success at Craven Cottage.

English-speaking bosses with Premier League experience are a rare commodity and the Cottagers are right to emphasise Jol's success as Tottenham manager. Fulham's Premier League odds suggest they could face relegation this term, but Jol should be able to sort things out.

Two fifth place finishes with us, comprise an ideal CV for a prospective Cottagers boss and Fulham will see the poaching of a top level coach from a European giant as a significant coup. Ajax's loss would certainly be Fulham's gain.

The next manager football betting still makes Jol favourite to take the job, despite reports he has agreed to stay with the Amsterdam club. Clearly, Fulham need to do some work, but they seem confident of getting their man.

It might also be good news for Spurs fans. Not only will it give us the chance to see a much-loved figure up close again - he will be given the warmest of welcomes at White Hart Lane - but it also opens the door for a return to the club.

Jol stated that he had "unfinished business at Tottenham" when he was deviously driven out of the club and his dream of one day returning has come one step closer. A successful two or three years as Fulham manager might make him the ideal candidate to take over from Harry Redknapp, who has not-so-secretly been coveting the England job.

The relationship with Daniel Levy would need to be mended, but one senses the Chairman is not emotionally driven, especially after admitting that bringing back Hoddle as manager didn't work out as he had imagined. If bringing Jol back is the right thing to do for Spurs, Levy and co. will happily eat some humble pie. There are plenty of Tottenham supporters who hope that he does just that, if the chance arises.

To be honest, I am not one of them. I loved the guy when he was here. His charisma really rubbed off on you. I had the pleasure of meeting him via his nephew, Robert, at the Great Ormond Street Charity Dinner in December 2006. He was a real gentleman and his wife, Nicole, also loved living in London and seemed to know an awful lot about Spurs.

But for footballing reasons, I wouldn't want the Martin Jol that managed us previously. Martin himself has said that he made mistakes and has learned from them. If Martin has learned to inculcate a plan B, I would welcome him back. I suppose we'll have to see how he earns his spurs in the Fulham hot-seat.

Above all, if BMJ is to become the Fulham manager, I wish him the very best of luck.

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Wickham to Tottenham

2010-07-20T11:40:00.000+01:00

Has the world gone mad, or is it just the Ipswich Town Board we should be sending to the local asylum?

England have just been humiliated at a World Cup. Everyone is calling for a better youth scouting system and better facilities at grass-roots level.

So what do the tabloids and Ipswich Town FC do? Tell the world that any club interested in prizing away their 17 year old, must stump up at least £10 million. And as always, Tottenham's name has been thrust into the ring.

I can't say I know too much about young Connor Wickham. But if the lad was as good as everyone (in Ipswich) is making out, surely Harry wouldn't be looking to buy the young striker and instantly loan him back to Ipswich? I mean, if he was worth £10 million, he should be knocking on the door of the first 11, right?

Even if the said amount is to be split into various part-payments, it's still too much for a player that hasn't even had a full season in the Championship, let alone the Premier League.

So many pundits keep on about the English talent in this country not being given a chance. Connor Wickham is being given a chance and an opportunity at Ipswich Town. The lad needs to learn his trade. If he was to sign for Spurs or any other Premier League side and didn't make the first 11 quickly, his career would be going nowhere fast.

Therefore, let's forget this story for the time being and allow the young talent in this country to flourish at the clubs they are currently contracted to.

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Jol in for Keane

2010-07-20T09:39:00.007+01:00

Even though Big Martin Jol has yet to be named as Fulham's new manager, The Telegraph have our former boss down as already having lined up a bid for Robbie Keane.

If we are to believe all the reports, it looks as though Jol will be Fulham's new manager before the end of this week. I also think The Telegraph may be onto something here.

Jol was always an admirer of Keane and Robbie, on various occasions, spoke highly of Martin. Both Robbo and Keano spoke out about the way Jol was treated by the Spurs Board after that embarrassing affair.

Maybe this is the end of the line for Robbie Keane? If so, I do wish the lad well.

It will feel kind of weird seeing Jol in Fulham's dugout, won't it? It'll also be interesting to see how Martin fares in the Premier League. Ajax are in financial meltdown, so I can see our old boss swooping in for some of his former players.

Maybe Luis Suárez will be back on Harry's radar, now that Joe Cole has moved up north (for footballing reasons of course).

Source: The Telegraph

Mesut Özil to Spurs?

2010-07-19T08:25:00.004+01:00

Werder Bremen's Sporting Director, Klaus Allofs, said that "we will have to listen to those offers if that is what Mesut wants."

By "those offers", Allofs is alluding to the fact that Werder Bremen simply cannot offer the German playmaker the wages he wants.

We've all heard Harry talk about that "special player", well, I doubt they come as "special" as Mesut Özil.

Let's forget Joe Cole for the time being, for it looks as though he will be donning the new Liverpool kit shortly. If Harry is so adamant in purchasing a player that fits into the Cole formula (can play off a striker, in the hole behind one or two strikers, on the left, in midfield, etc.), surely Özil is that player?

The Telegraph has reported that £20 million should be enough to prize him away from the Bundesliga outfit.

I know who I'd rather sign.

German Prima Donna, Aged 21 or English Prima Donna, Aged 29. You decide.

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Harry allows Keane to talk with Villa

2010-07-16T10:01:00.004+01:00

Sky Sports News "understands that Tottenham Hotspur have given Robbie Keane permission to speak with Aston Villa".

Don't you just love the "understands" bit?

Now that our Harry has finally tied the knot with Daniel, it looks as though our ~~rebuilding~~ "adding one or two new special players" session will commence.

I know I've said this before and it's looked as though I've gotten egg all over my face, but I think exchanging Keane for Carew would be a decent move.

Harry's been ranting on about us deploying a loan striker this coming season. If the Forlan deal doesn't come off, or even if it does, I do believe that big ole' John can do a job for us.

I have prepared myself for the humiliation that is about to follow.....

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New Tottenham Hotspur Kits

2010-07-16T07:31:00.005+01:00

What do you make of them?

When I look at the home kit, I can't stop thinking "Bolton".

I do like the darker away kit, although I've never liked the sky blue kit donned by Lennon.

Now that we've got our kit and three quarters of a sponsor together, I can expect Harry to commence his Football Manager signing spree.

PS. Cheers to COYS for the image.

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Harry Redknapp Re-Signs

2010-07-13T18:14:00.002+01:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

It's great news that Harry Redknapp has agreed to extend his contract until 2013.

Expect him to get the sack by November.....

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Harry on Fab

2010-07-13T15:03:00.006+01:00

Our 'Arry is at it yet again, this time stating that Tottenham Hotspur could be interested in signing the Brazil International striker, Luís Fabiano, from Sevilla.

"To be perfectly honest, I haven't sat down to discuss any transfer targets with our chairman Daniel Levy, apart from trying to do a deal with Joe Cole", said Harry Redknapp.

Come on Harry, we know that's not true. A lot of us heard you say that "Diego Forlan is interested in coming to Tottenham". Maybe Harry did that behind Levy's back? Who knows?

I personally can't stand Luís Fabiano. If he's not constantly falling over, he's telling everyone just how good he is. Thanks, but no thanks mate.

We all know Harry Redknapp would love Craig Bellamy, Diego Forlan and Micah Richards at the Lane. Thus far, Harry has told us (live on talkSPORT) that "Craig Bellamy is a player that could do a job for Tottenham", that "Joey Cole is a player that we are in talks with and are pretty close to signing" and that "Manchester City may allow us to speak with Micah Richards".

Diego Forlan, in my honest opinion, is the "special player" that Redknapp desires. Craig Bellamy isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he could do a job for us. I'm a bit baffled at the inclusion of Richards, but then again, I am sure Harry knows what he's doing.

I personally wouldn't mind the following transfer transactions to take place over this summer:

In
Diego Forlan
Craig Bellamy
Micah Richards
Joe Cole

Out
Robbie Keane
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Alan Hutton
Adel Taarabt
Jermaine Jenas

I suppose we'll have to wait and see how the summer pans out. If only Levy would conduct his business promptly so that our squad could settle before the Champion's League Qualifiers....

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Fabregas in a Barcelona Shirt

2010-07-12T23:27:00.004+01:00

During Spain's World Cup celebrations, Arsenal's want away captain, Cesc Fabregas, donned a Barcelona home shirt.

I bet he'll be popular with the Arsenal fans within the next few days. Unless Barcelona meet Arsenal's valuation; and that's not likely, given the financial predicament the Spanish La Liga Champion's are in, it looks as though he'll be staying with the Woolwich Wanderers.

Last thing you want is an unhappy player spoiling pre-season preparations. All Everton and Spurs fans witnessed firsthand what kind of influence one unhappy prima donna can do to the spirit in the dressing room.

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Our New Sponsor Has Red In It!

2010-07-08T18:43:00.005+01:00

Our Chairman, Daniel Levy has done it again! This time, our shrewd boffin has got Software giant, Autonomy, to sponsor Tottenham Hotspur over two seasons. Apparently, the guys over at Autonomy have agreed to pay £10 million per season (£20 million over the duration of the sponsorship deal).

That's not bad business, seeing as they will only be sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League matches. Our previous sponsor, Mansion, paid us a shade over £8.5 million per season, but that included our UEFA Cup, Carling Cup and F.A. Cup campaigns.

How does Levy keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat?

As you can see from Autonomy's logo, there unfortunately is a little red in the logo, but that's nothing to write home about.

Well done Levy and co.!

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Harry Redknapp interview on his transfer targets

2010-07-08T18:42:00.000+01:00

Harry Redknapp was interviewed on talkSPORT earlier today and said that we are no closer to signing Joe Cole as the lad wants to review all his options.

Being totally against us signing Cole when all this fuss first kicked off, I have to say that I have started to take a liking to the idea. If it comes off and he doesn't mind being part of a squad, then great. If not, he can join another side. No one should be guaranteed a starting position and thank God, in Harry, we have a manager that isn't scared to shuffle the pack.

When asked about any other players that he may be interested in, Harry said: "Scotty Parker is a player that I've always admired. He is a massive Tottenham fan and could do a decent job for any club in the Premiership."

I have to agree with him. Parker was West Ham's best player last season. If Harry is to implement a new system, Parker could fit in nicely alongside Palacios or Huddlestone.

I suppose a deal hinges on the price West Ham place on his head. Either way, he's got my vote!

Harry also commented on Craig Bellamy by adding "Craig is a fantastic professional. He's the type of player that is needed when things aren't going your way.

"I do like the lad, but he's a City player. If he [Bellamy] was to become available, I would definitely be interested."

Would you mind Parker and Bellamy signing up? I wouldn't. They would add a great deal of steel and depth to our squad in my opinion.

Also, as per the article yesterday, a lot of you said that Defoe isn't the sort of player that can play up top on his own. I have to agree with you. I hate to say it, but Darren Bent is the sort of player that could be deployed in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 come 4-3-3 formation. He's proved that at Sunderland. Anyway, there's no point crying over spilt milk.

Maybe this is a long shot, but I wouldn't mind seeing big old John Carew at the Lane. Surely Harry could work his magic and do a deal which involved Robbie Keane going in the opposite direction?

We've finally reached that time of year me ole chums.....

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Interest in Shaun Wright-Phillips Grows

2010-07-08T09:51:00.003+01:00

You've got to be kidding me? I know that we've come to the point in this pre-season when the tabloids go into overdrive, but Shaun Wright-Phillips??

"Arsenal face competition from Tottenham and Liverpool as they try to sign Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips." - Daily Mail

Who dreams this stuff up? I personally think the guy is useless. If the ball isn't deflecting off his shin, then it's coming off of an opponents body part. Has SWP really fulfilled his potential over the past decade? To be fair, he was pretty decent prior to moving to Chelsea, but since then, he has been awful. How he got on the plane to South Africa still baffles me. The fact that he still thinks he's worth £75,000 per week is also a conundrum not many of us will ever be able to answer.

In other news, Niko Kranjcar has fully recovered from the ankle injury he picked up against Portsmouth in the F.A. Cup semi-final. It will be good to see the lad back in action once again. Maybe his form in pre-season can persuade Harry Redknapp to not sign Joe Cole?

I have started to warm to the idea of Cole joining though.

Before I go, Harry is set to be on talkSPORT later on today. Should be interesting!

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Redknapp on possible formation and Cole

2010-07-07T18:17:00.005+01:00

Harry Redknapp has recently spoken about Joe Cole and the possible formation that Tottenham will be implementing.

When asked where he would play Joe Cole (if we were successful in signing him), Harry had this to say: "I think you'd either play him in behind, like the boy [Mesut Ozil] plays for Germany - he could play that position off a striker and be free - or I even think he could play in the middle of the park in whatever system.

"If you play with two up front you could play with a diamond. He could play in behind. I think Joe's strong enough, he's a lot stronger than people realise. He can run all day, he plays with great enthusiasm and skill, I think he's got everything.

"I think there's a good chance [that we can sign him]. A few weeks ago I probably didn't think there was a lot of chance. I really felt that Joe maybe had decided to go somewhere else. To be honest I thought he had maybe done a deal with another club.

"But I don't think he has now and if it's possible to get him I would like him. I'm not going to tell a lie, yes I have spoken to Joe. He's got lots of options, I think quite a lot of clubs want him but I had a great relationship with him as a kid [at West Ham]."

As regards the formation we'll be using next season, Redknapp said: "I think that rigid 4-4-2 formation is the problem when you go in to play teams who can keep the ball.

"Chelsea and Arsenal didn't go into Europe playing that way. Liverpool don't go away from home in Europe and play this way.

"Take Germany - they played with Ozil in the hole behind the striker, two midfield players, and they popped it around.

"I think you can get away with 4-4-2 in the Premier League. Most teams are playing open, but in the World Cup, in European games, and certainly away from home in Europe... I think we're going to have to look at it [at Tottenham]."

With the players we currently have in our squad, I feel that we could implement the below system (click on the image to enlarge it). If Cole does sign, I suppose you could rotate him with Niko Kranjcar.

Source: Ham & High

Cole is popular, but not popular enough

2010-07-06T12:49:00.004+01:00

It's time to join the Joe Cole fan club. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to praise the out-of-contract playmaker, from his England and former Chelsea colleagues to Harry Redknapp, a man never shy of placing a tactical quote in the press.

It is hard not to admire the ability of Cole, who was England's best player at the 2006 World Cup - an honour admittedly nearly as easy to achieve as it was this time around. He was at his peak then, full of dangerous running, clever passing and important goals. I remember thinking how well he played in the famous 4-4 draw at White Hart Lane three seasons ago.

Injuries have taken the edge off of Cole's game since then, but his currency was still high. High enough for Fabio Capello to include him for South Africa despite the fact he was a bench-warmer at Chelsea last term and high enough for John Terry and most of the media to demand he play a central role in the England starting eleven, they certainly thought he would help England justify their World Cup 2010 odds.

However, the praise only goes so far. Capello did not fully trust Cole and it seems as though Carlo Ancelotti was similarly not persuaded by the player power at Chelsea to give him a new contract. Despite seemingly having plenty of suitors, Cole is still a free agent.

His £100,000 a week wage demands are perhaps a factor and could be the reason why he may not agree to be a Spurs player next season. Cole and his agent must assume that if no one else will splash out then Manchester City will, but the demands may have to change.

Tottenham's Premier League odds suggest they face a challenging season, and Cole would be a decent addition to a squad which will be playing in four competitions.

If he is available at a level that fits into Tottenham's wage structure then we should pursue him, regardless of the fact it is hard to see how he will fit into the team. Until then we should, like everyone else, admire him without acting on it.

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Tottenham players at the centre of England future?

2010-07-06T06:51:00.012+01:00

There has been a lot of talk since England’s World Cup exit about the future of the national team. Fabio Capello is staying on as manager, so it is the playing staff where things need to change or at least be freshened up somewhat.

This could be where Tottenham come in. There are several English players at the club that could force their way into Fabio Capello’s reckoning in the next couple of years. Who am I talking about? Take a look below.

Michael Dawson
Having had a superb season for Spurs, Dawson only got on the plane following Rio Ferdinand’s injury and this wasn’t on. He should have been ahead of Jamie Carragher, Ledley King and Matthew Upson.

It could turn out in his favour that he wasn’t involved in the shambles of England’s 2010 World Cup though. Now he should become first choice England centre back and show everyone why Tottenham have the best central defender in the country.

If Fabio has learned anything, it should be that you don't cross John Terry and then expect him to perform for you. I can see Dawson starting for England when we face Hungary in the ludicrous friendly that's set to take place a few days prior to the Premier League kicking-off.

Tom Huddlestone
The Tottenham midfielder must now overtake Michael Carrick in the England pecking order and start to push Gareth Barry – who was awful in South Africa (didn't it look like he was wearing stilettos when trying to catch Ozil?) – for his place. Hopefully he'll be in the starting eleven come Euro 2012.

Aaron Lennon
For whatever reason, he wasn’t at his best under Capello this summer and I personally think he was one of the main players to suffer from the fear factor. Let him loose Fabio, tell him of his worth and you'll unleash the best right winger England have, torturing defences for the next few years.

Jermain Defoe
As he rightly put it, Defoe should have started each of England’s games. He is a goal scorer and England don’t have them in abundance at the moment. Give him a run of games in the international side and by the time 2012 comes around, he will be an automatic choice for a starting role.

The Rest
The above four are the main players that, in my opinion, should be heavily involved in the England team pretty much straight away. Slightly further down the line though, Spurs have some young English players that could, if given the chance, make a serious impact.

These include Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker, Jamie O’Hara and Danny Rose. All of whom have massive potential. Basically, if Tottenham are successful over the next four years, you can certainly bank on England having some excellent young players to choose from White Hart Lane.

Elsewhere, it is time to place your 2010 world cup semi final bet, so who do you fancy? Personally I think Germany and Holland will reach the final and then, World Cup final betting tells me England will have been knocked out by the eventual winners!

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Sponsor to be announced this week

2010-07-05T21:09:00.004+01:00

Spurs forum threads everywhere are going mad with the announcement that Tottenham Hotspur Chairman, Daniel Levy, has brokered a deal with a "secret massive company" that has, in principle, agreed to pay the club more than the £8.5 million per season Mansion were shelling out.

Some of the ITK's (yeah, I know a lot of you hate that term) have said that the deal is only for Premier League games. All cup games such as the Champion's League, F.A. Cup and Carling Cup, will be sponsored by another company, but a deal hasn't been arranged for that part of the sponsorship as yet.

Apparently, the "massive organisation" that has agreed to sponsor us, isn't one of the already mentioned names, such as Bloomberg, Zurich, etc.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see who this mystery sponsor is.

COYS!!!

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Spurs must hope Capello keeps his job

2010-07-01T10:18:00.000+01:00

Now that England's farcical World Cup campaign has finished, fans can start looking ahead to the domestic season. For Spurs supporters this should be a time of excitement, as the usual summer optimism is justified like never before. However, a dark cloud hangs over White Hart Lane - the potential departure of Harry Redknapp to become England manager.

Once Roy Hodgson is installed as Liverpool boss, Redknapp will become the bookmakers' favourite to replace Fabio Capello should the Italian be sacked. Redknapp has already expressed his desire to fill the role, albeit when Capello's contract runs out, but our manager knows the Italian is on borrowed time and his comments represent his hat landing in the ring. The World Cup betting made England third favourites pre-tournament, and Capello could get the boot after a woeful showing.

There is every chance that the popular Redknapp will get the job. The F.A. have had their fingers burned twice by installing costly foreign 'super coaches' and the experiment with internal promotion failed when Steve McLaren was given the job.

They know Martin O'Neill was the popular choice when Sven Goran Eriksson left the post and they will not risk ignoring Redknapp in the same way they did the Ulsterman four years ago. The Harry bandwagon has already started and will be hard to stop, especially as alternatives are thin on the ground.

Hopefully this will not be too much of a distraction during pre-season. Everything is in place for another excellent campaign, not least as Tottenham's England players return home relatively unaffected by the South African calamity.

Tottenham's Premier League betting odds suggest another successful campaign could be in the offing, and their underused internationals will have a key role to play.

Michael Dawson, Aaron Lennon, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe should all have played more but their lack of action does Spurs a favour as they will all start the season refreshed and with a point to prove. Some of their international colleagues will take some time to rediscover their confidence after performing so badly on the biggest stage.

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Cole in Talks with Spurs

2010-07-01T09:47:00.002+01:00

COYS very own Legend and ITK (In The Know), POTL, yesterday announced that Joe Cole was in talks with us over a move to The Lane.

Apparently, the Spurs lads at the World Cup did a pretty good job of convincing Joe that White Hart Lane is the place to be. Let's face it, Cole wouldn't have received any advice from the England Arsenal players, would he??

Joe Cole will also talk with Arsenal, but chances are, he'll sign for us, but I suspect he will wait until Harry commits himself to Spurs.

Good or bad move?

******************

We received the below image in an attachment from one of our German mates who lives out in Cyprus. Cheers Marcus.

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West Ham Radio Ad

2010-06-28T11:32:00.005+01:00

The lads in the office have put on talkSPORT so as to listen to all the fans calling for either 4-4-2, Capello's head, or both to be tossed into the bin.

Today has been a strange kind of day. There's only one thing we're all talking about. Yeah, you guessed it; the new and fantastic West Ham radio ad!

For those that don't listen to talkSPORT, it's the red-top of footballing radio stations. The ads mirror the quality, therefore you can image the London based fans amazement when the West Ham ad came on.

"New manager, new players and more excitement". That was just a snippet of the ad that caught my ear. To my astonishment, West Ham have actually thought it prudent to release a radio ad that (if one can read between the lines) asks football and (more embarrassingly) West Ham supporters to buy their new season ticket.

I had to look over at my calendar. Nope, not 1st April.

How desperate must a club be if they are willing to sacrifice their self esteem and image so as to entice would-be football supporters to watch a side that so very nearly went down?

The ad sounds like it was recorded in a circus to. Now I know the two David's have their roots firmly planted in the marketing of porn, but come off it!

If you're English, chances are, you're feeling down right about now. Do yourself a favour and turn over to talkSPORT. Listening to the ad will raise your spirits!

Also, if you're in that part of the world, go and watch Dagenham & Redbridge. You'll be greatly entertained and their fans are top notch to.

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FIFA and the Dark Ages

2010-06-28T07:53:00.008+01:00

I happened to be listening to the Stephen Nolan show on BBC's Fivelive last night when the discussion of goal line technology came up.

Nolan welcomed the Irish F.A. Chairman (or Vice Chairman; it was late) onto the show. A few months back, both Wales and Ireland were against goal line technology, whilst England and Scotland were pro.

When asked why the Irish F.A. were against it, the interviewee said that "the technology would cost too much". To enable the chip in the ball to work, all clubs would need to add "electro-magnetic fields in and around their pitch and that would cost in excess of £500,000".

Stephen Nolan and Andy Hinchcliffe (remember his bender freekicks for Everton?) went off on one when they heard this.

Hinchcliffe: "It doesn't cost £500,000 to take a quick look at a monitor, does it!?"

Irish F.A.: "Well, that's what was on offer at the time and that's why we declined it".

Nolan: "Didn't any of you have the common sense to state that a quick look over at a monitor would be sufficient enough?"

Irish F.A.: "No."

Are all F.A's in the UK & Ireland run by numpty's? It sure looks that way.

Let's rewind back to the 2006 World Cup final between Zidane and Italy.

When the Maestro famously butted Materazzi in the chest, the ref clearly hadn't seen the incident, but sent off Zidane anyway. We all know that the 4th official (what are his responsibilities by the way?) had mentioned something to the ref via his headset, even though FIFA stated that wasn't the case.

Did any of you watch the Hawk-Eye used to assess if Lampard's goal went over the line?

Now I don't want to beat the drum about what ifs. If the goal had stood, England still may have lost the match. Let's not forget that the England side had an entire half to equalise, but failed to do so.

When is FIFA going to take football out of the dark ages?

Does something about this smell a bit off to you, or shouldn't I dwindle on conspiracy theories?

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Tottenham Home Kit

2010-06-27T17:56:00.006+01:00

Right then, the above images have NOT been approved by the club as being the official home strip for the 2010/2011, but a lot of forums, including the respected Spurs forum, COYS, have leaked the above images as being the official home strip.

We're just waiting on a sponsor now.

PS. Doesn't it remind you of the Bolton kit? What do you make of it?

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England Shambles

2010-06-27T17:04:00.004+01:00

What more is there to say other than we were pants?

Rooney; rubbish, but also undroppable. Gerrard; wasted on the left. Lampard; ? Terry & Upson; I am actually faster than either of them.

Need I go on?

Oh and before I go, forget the non-Lampard-goal. England made Germany look like worldbeaters. End of.

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The Passion of Capello

2010-06-26T17:14:00.005+01:00

For those of you that thought England's manager lacked passion, or simply wasn't too interested, take a look at the below video.

Source: COYS

The bit with Stuart Pearce (you'll know the one after you've seen it) is hilarious!

Come on England. If we ever believed, then now is the time.

THBN Prediction: England 1-0 Germany.
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Where's the new kit?

2010-06-25T11:33:00.006+01:00

"It's nearly the end of June now. If this is the new kit, why aren't spurs flogging it to bits? Very unlike them to miss a chance of making a couple of quid."

The above was posted today by Michael Evans, as he commented on the article Photoshopped to Death: Spurs New Kits.

To be honest, the club hasn't announced who the main shirt sponsor will be for next season. Therefore, they can't release the kits until a sponsor is found.

A few ITK's have said that the club is still nowhere near to announcing who the sponsor will be.

Is Levy and his chums asking for too much? I would have thought that the sponsor business would have been wrapped up by now. The longer it takes for the club to seal a deal with Zurich, Bloomburg, Santander, etc. the longer we'll have to wait for the arrival of the new kit.

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