. . .topspurseditorial

 

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31st January 2010 – TOPSPURS update

 

Another transfer window, and more players re-signed in a perplexing yo-yoing with Portsmouth where movements both to and from Spurs seemed based upon ability to return a profit rather than footballing imperatives. Its saying something when the signing of over the hill former Bolton striker Gudjohnsen seems interesting as at least its someone new… and coffin dodgers will remember with affection his old man making Tony Parks a hero in 1984 and he becomes the second connection from that Anderlecht side to work at both Spurs and Chelsea

It seems that Redknapp Snr just cannot help himself when it comes to Spurs players, signing them on a regular basis from Spurs when he was elsewhere going right back to Sheringham and Sherwood in the early noughties and signing them back after his arrival. While getting Defoe and to some extent Keane back has been good news, there have been some gorblimey ones such as Chimbonda and Kaboul’s ‘ka-Bull in a china shop’ approach to central defending which saw Jol’s defence fall apart and Wendy Random take him off at half time on a number of occasions seems to sit closer to Chimbonda than Defoe at this stage.

Kaboul’s first coming was a classic “director of football” signing and its hard to see how 18 months picking the ball out of the Pompey net has turned him into a champions league defender and successor to quality international class players King and Woodgate. Sure he looked a good athlete and had some ability – and I’d have thought he may make it as a modern premiership central midfielder – but the defence, something upon which Spurs success under Redknapp has been delivered, is fast developing a flakey look to it with the injuries to King/Woodgate, Dawson wobbly when not alongside a quality partner, Bassong only solid squad player only, Corluka a bit weak but better than Hutton. Perhaps only a fickle Spurs fan could write such nonsense after that run of 6 clean sheets but you know what I mean.

Perhaps Kaboul has matured into a better player with more EPL experience but did Spurs sign him because of this or because they could bend Pompey over on the price, and if it’s the latter, its not enough on its own to move the squad forward. Although it could be that I’ve never been able to take seriously the man formerly known as Youseless Kaboul after the following image appeared in one of the merchandising mags

uselesskaboul.png

 

Spurs appear to be a bit out of form at the mo – perhaps the return of Modric/injury to Lennon have taken the edge off things (and how does Bentley rate above Krancjar or even Jenas for the starting X1) but all teams go through ups and downs in a season and the fact remains that Spurs are having their best season in years.. the best since 05/06 and that was the best in a generation before. With 42 points from 24 games, Spurs are averaging 1.75points per game which if extrapolated for the rest of the season would see a very respectable 66/67 points in a season which with four teams going for the faux gold of 4th place should be pretty close to achieving the maximum realistic potential of the team at the current time. With that in mind, its strange to hear so much dissent regarding different players and the manager. Sit back and enjoy it as (perhaps unfortunately) this may be as good as it gets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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16th January 2010 – TOPSPURS update

 

Firstly a belated happy new year to everyone! Its been a while since the last update but there’s not really a lot more to add to previous comments this season. Spurs are well placed both on and off the field to do well and through a long overdue dose of common sense from Mr Harry, are at last starting to fulfill the potential of our great club. And long may it continue

When things are like this you can take the odd blip like a defeat against Wolves or indeed failing to put away Hull as you know Spurs can turn on a quality performance like the win over City and string together some good results. With the City-United cup semi next week, perhaps the biggest disappointment was the non entity of a game up there in the league cup with Wembley within sight but you can’t have everything and two wembley visits in three seasons is not too bad and there is still the FA Cup anyway. Overall, time to sit back and enjoy and see where this team can go, esp after many crap years with not much hope during the Sugar years post Venables and before Jol.

There are not too many dark clouds on the horizon. Possibly something from Levy’s box of clangers or perhaps the Government gangsters investigation of Redknapp Snr taking his hand from the rudder but assuming normal luck, things should just keep getting better using each window to upgrade the quality of the squad. If the biggest thing supporters have to worry about is that 121 goal legend Keane is getting in the team ahead of an England International, we’ve certainly come a long way since Spurs ended a 0-0 game at lowly West Ham with Andy Booth and Dave McEwan up front 9 years ago this month. Although it seems beyond the comprehension of the modern soccer fan to be happy with 1-X1 of their team, where there always has to be villain or two, deserved or otherwise.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the continued harmony would be raised expectations from the last 18 months of champions league football going unfulfilled over the next couple of seasons. While it would be good to initially take 4th this season before cementing a place in the top 4 and eventually challenging for the title, equally there are worse situations to be winning plenty of games near the top of the also runs and having good runs in the cups. And sometimes you have run hard to stand still, which has certainly been the case in the EPL where everyone is scrambling to stay aligned to the money trough.

 

The transfer window presents an opportunity to get misfits such as Bentley and Pav off the books and strengthen in the areas such as fullback and reserve keeper where Spurs look a little exposed, but these windows should be used to cherry pick when the price is right rather than the blanket buy five hope one works approach

 

While Myhill takes the plaudits from the Hull game, it was also a notable game for Spurs who recorded their sixth consecutive clean sheet (and fifth consecutive clean sheet in the league), both of which equal Spurs record.

The game at Anfield represents the history making game against crisis club Liverpool, a club Spurs have not kept a clean a sheet in 10 games against the scousers and you have to go back to August 2003 for the last time Spurs kept a clean sheet up there but then again Crooksie and co had an even bigger shadow hanging over them in their history making win in 1985 so you never know

As you can see, runs of clean sheets are very much a modern Spurs thing. Those runs of clean sheets in full – firstly league and cup games…

16-Jan-10 FA Prem 35,729 H Hull City D 0 - 0  

02-Jan-10 F.A. Cup 3 35,862 H Peterborough United W 4 - 0 Kranjcar (2), Defoe, Keane (pen)

28-Dec-09 FA Prem 35,994 H West Ham United W 2 - 0 Modric, Defoe

26-Dec-09 FA Prem 25,679 A Fulham D 0 - 0  

19-Dec-09 FA Prem 26,490 A Blackburn Rovers W 2 - 0 Crouch (2)

15-Dec-09 FA Prem 35,891 H Manchester City W 3 - 0 Kranjcar (2), Defoe

 

07-Jan-95 F.A. Cup 3 25,057 H Altrincham W 3 - 0 Sheringham, Rosenthal, Nethercott

02-Jan-95 FA Prem 28,747 H Arsenal W 1 - 0 Popescu

31-Dec-94 FA Prem 19,965 A Coventry City W 4 - 0 Darby og, Barmby, Anderton, Sheringham

27-Dec-94 FA Prem 27,730 H Crystal Palace D 0 - 0  

26-Dec-94 FA Prem 21,814 A Norwich City W 2 - 0 Barmby, Sheringham

17-Dec-94 FA Prem 32,813 A Everton D 0 - 0 

 

25-Feb-87 Division 1 Division 1 16,038 H Leicester City W 5 - 0 Allen C (2, 1pen), Allen P, Claesen

21-Feb-87 F.A. Cup 5 38,033 H Newcastle United W 1 - 0 Allen C (pen)

14-Feb-87 Division 1 Division 1 22,066 H Southampton W 2 - 0 Hodge, Gough

08-Feb-87 L.C. Cup L.C. Cup SF (1L) 41,256 A Arsenal W 1 - 0 Allen C

02-Feb-87 L.C. Cup L.C. Cup 5® 41,995 H West Ham United W 5 - 0 Allen C (3, 1pen), Hoddle, Claesen

31-Jan-87 F.A. Cup 4 29,603 H Crystal Palace W 4 - 0 Mabbutt, Allen C (pen), Claesen, O'Reilly og

 

28-Oct-05 Western Lge - A Portsmouth D 0 - 0  

23-Oct-05 Western Lge 6,000 H Millwall W 5 - 0 Berry (4), Blake

21-Oct-05 Southern Lge 15,000 H New Brompton   W 6 - 0 Walton (2), Chapman (2), Kyle, Glen

18-Oct-05 Western Lge 6,000 H Fulham W 1 - 0 Kyle

14-Oct-05 Southern Lge 10,000 A Bristol Rovers W 2 - 0 Tait (pen), Chapman

11-Oct-05 Western Lge - A Reading D 0 - 0 

 

 

And then league games only:

16-Jan-10 FA Prem 35,729 H Hull City D 0 - 0  

28-Dec-09 FA Prem 35,994 H West Ham United W 2 - 0 Modric, Defoe

26-Dec-09 FA Prem 25,679 A Fulham D 0 - 0  

19-Dec-09 FA Prem 26,490 A Blackburn Rovers W 2 - 0 Crouch (2)

15-Dec-09 FA Prem 35,891 H Manchester City W 3 - 0 Kranjcar (2), Defoe

 

10-Feb-01 FA Prem 34,399 A Manchester City W 1 - 0 Rebrov

03-Feb-01 FA Prem 35,368 H Charlton Athletic D 0 - 0  

31-Jan-01 FA Prem 26,048 A West Ham United D 0 - 0  

20-Jan-01 FA Prem 36,095 H Southampton D 0 - 0  

13-Jan-01 FA Prem 32,290 A Everton D 0 - 0 

 

16-Dec-95 FA Prem 16,193 A Wimbledon W 1 - 0 Fox

09-Dec-95 FA Prem 28,851 H Queens Park Rangers W 1 - 0 Sheringham

02-Dec-95 FA Prem 32,894 H Everton D 0 - 0   

25-Nov-95 FA Prem 31,059 A Chelsea D 0 - 0  

21-Nov-95 FA Prem 29,487 A Middlesbrough W 1 - 0 Armstrong

 

02-Jan-95 FA Prem 28,747 H Arsenal W 1 - 0 Popescu

31-Dec-94 FA Prem 19,965 A Coventry City W 4 - 0 Darby og, Barmby, Anderton, Sheringham

27-Dec-94 FA Prem 27,730 H Crystal Palace D 0 - 0  

26-Dec-94 FA Prem 21,814 A Norwich City W 2 - 0 Barmby, Sheringham

17-Dec-94 FA Prem 32,813 A Everton D 0 - 0 

 

22-Mar-87 Division 1 32,763 H Liverpool W 1 - 0 Waddle

07-Mar-87 Division 1 21,071 H Queens Park Rangers W 1 - 0 Allen C (pen)

25-Feb-87 Division 1 16,038 H Leicester City W 5 - 0 Allen C (2, 1pen), Allen P, Claesen

14-Feb-87 Division 1 22,066 H Southampton W 2 - 0 Hodge, Gough

24-Jan-87 Division 1 19,121 H Aston Villa W 3 - 0 Hodge (2), Claesen

 

13-May-67 Division 1 44,912 H Sheffield United W 2 - 0 Greaves, Saul

09-May-67 Division 1 35,758 A West Ham United W 2 - 0 Greaves, Gilzean

06-May-67 Division 1 40,845 A Liverpool D 0 - 0  

03-May-67 Division 1 33,936 H Sunderland W 1 - 0 Greaves (pen)

22-Apr-67 Division 1 30,285 A Southampton W 1 - 0 Gilzean

 

Shameless plug - When Football Was Football: Tottenham Hotspur

There is a new Spurs book about to hit the shelves from TOPSPURS favourite Adam Powley called When Football Was Football: Tottenham Hotspur. Drawing on colour and b&w pictures from the huge Mirrorpix archive, and with a foreword by Steve Perryman, it's a photographic nostalgia-fest that, like it says in the title, harks back to an era before the Premier League and to football's golden age.

Shots include Jimmy Greaves playing football in the House of Commons, WHL being used as a World War One military supplies factory, Alfie Conn playing barefoot, Eddie Baily advertising fags, Glenn 'Bite yer legs' Hoddle taking out Terry Butcher, and Jimmy Dimmock in his dotage, plus special features on the Double, European Glory nights, a frame-by-frame shot of Ricky Villa's masterpiece, together with 'legends' profiles, famous victories and peeks behind-the- WHL scenes from 1904 to 1994.

It is now in the shops and ready to order online: Amazon Link  and here: Publisher Link

 

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and of course, not forgetting with Christmas coming up: Martin Cloake’s new book

The Pocket Book of Spurs

 

 

11th November 2009 – False prophets

Its that time again when the PLC report the financial numbers and the customers feel obliged to have an opinion on it

The key things to take out of the headline numbers are that the sale of Berbatov made a decent chunk of the profit, but on the flipside the sale of champions league quality players such as the sulky Balkan and Carrick are contributory reasons why Spurs hit glass ceilings when playing elite sides, the last time was only a few days ago against Arsenal. I wonder if the healthy balance sheet provided any consolation at the end of another defeat? Perhaps a smaller profit and strong management of star players may see an improvement in this area but then again it seemed more important to the clubs owners at the time to squeeze an extra few quid out of United on deadline day (while leaving Spurs squad hopelessly unbalanced and subsequently at the bottom of the league). The next time United or whoever come knocking, will Spurs enforce the contract or wheel out the excuses about unsettled players/no player bigger than the club and pocket the profit?

As ever there are the ‘turkeys voting for Christmas types’ who salute the board for squeezing even more money out of the customers goodwill to see Spurs do well, still imagining a day where Spurs making a profit will be translated into improved performance on the pitch. Spurs have outspent everyone in recent years and while that has undoubtedly increased the quality of the squad over the period from 2004 onwards, the marginal difference of money spent against additional points gained over Jol’s team would presumably be quite high

Any balance sheet bolstered by large and increasing level of intangible assets looks a bit sous and the level of total liabilities on the balance sheet is around the £230m mark, which is a big hole from which to embark upon a new stadium build which is likely to exacerbate the situation

Again Levy has raised the three priorities “first team, training ground, new stadium”, just as he did back in 2002 (all still in the future tense) although I suppose we should take comfort in recent years that the first team has leapt to the head of the order. Just as the internet streaming of games is starting to take off (where you don’t need any more bricks and mortar to reach a worldwide audience of loyal customers and surely something which will be in the next TV rights deal), do Spurs need a big debt on replacement bricks and mortar. Equally, do Spurs really need a new training ground/academy? Will all that money spent generate new players which will reduce the need for transfer fees? So far its been “Show me a boy at the age of ten and I'll show you the orient man." Where are Spurs going with this as a return on investment. Would you be more comfortable with a lower debt and struggling along at WHL and Spurs Lodge or do Spurs have no alternative but to follow

When you think Spurs nearly went bankrupt twice in the 80s trying to build a new stand each time, leaving Levy (and his gaffe filled record) to build a new stadium and keep the club solvent, will show just how far Spurs have come and how much better off we are thesedays.

 

 

1st November 2009 – Limbo

It’s a funny old season for Spurs where it has been unusually gaffe free off the field (so far) and even quite good in terms of high proportion of wins and goals against the cannon fodder. However the seemingly ever present glass ceiling to the next level has certainly been in evidence when it has come to playing the elite clubs. Its not just getting beaten again, its more the inability to compete against another side who Spurs are chalking up a long losing run against where it appears courage and belief as much as ability are the constraints. Spurs may have the points to be in the VIP section of the club, but lack the cred to feel comfortable in it and appear waiting to be put back in their place on the other side of the roped off area.

Mr Harry has more than got Spurs ship back on course but you’d be hard pressed to find much difference between the current Spurs team and the one Jol had crafted circa Jol 2005/6ish (right down to dismal 0-3 defeats at new scumbury), which is perhaps what you’d expect after buying back most of the squad of that era. It could be argued that Spurs play a more convincing game under Harry and don’t spend the period after scoring trying to hang on to the lead as was often the case under Jol,  but its only different shades

Its not doom and gloom and there is plenty to be happy about, esp in the context of the last 15 years or so but also a long way from any paradigm shifts away from the best of the also rans. ‘Captain’ Keane’s ill judged comments before the game demonstrated a serious lack of judgment when he should have let the football do the talking… or not.

No doubt Sunderland will be put away in the usual fashion at the weekend and while that would have been an enviable position for some of the Spurs sides around 10 years ago, after being well established as the top of the also rans it’s the progress against the elite which surely holds the future interest and after flattering to deceive last season seems as far away as ever.

And drawing United away in the League cup seemingly has closed another avenue of interest although 20 years ago Spurs went up to Madchester and won twice in a month, so you never know... although given they were Spurs last wins up there, perhaps we do.

 

23rd September 2009 – Back to reality

A double dose of the premiership elite has taken the wind out of Spurs sails. It may have been different if Spurs had gained confidence from rather than taken fright at the early goal against United and had Keane let gravity take its course rather than a clumsy dive at 1-0 down against Chelsea, but it was n’t… and rarely is in fixtures Spurs have lost 23 of the 36 since EPL year zero.

Throw in a lucky last minute winner against the Brummies and it starts to look a full scale slump to the fans permanently on suicide watch and other permanent single issue anti’s (and lets hope Levy can keep his cool as October approaches… another manager who has spent all his (sic) money on a players who still can’t beat CL sides… consecutive top 5 finishes and silverware did not prevent the ejector button in the last two years)

Centre back injury concerns, the limitations of two little ones up front against the better sides and the diver’s boots worn by Corluka apart, things still seem very much on the up for Spurs where the customers can feel confident that each set back will be met with liberal doses of common sense in the post director of football era, where the manager manages, the coaches coach and the players play. The only slight down is the ability to drop Keane to play Defoe and Crouch from the start, without wedging the former in on the left wing for the sake of it

Given the holes at the back, Spurs many need to place the emphasis on scoring more than they let in against Burnley as was the case in the first league cup semi last season but a run of games against the bottom feeders punctuated by Arsenal should see Spurs back on the wagon where its the same three points whether you beat cannon fodder or a member of the elite

All in all with a bit of luck and equal amounts of patience, Spurs should be on for an all too rare 60+point season and wherever that lands them in the top 6

 

 

 

 

24th August 2009 – Uncanny parallels

Its official – this is the greatest Spurs side since 1961. The usual win down the Thames Ironworks duly arrived and Spurs now sit proudly at top the table with a load of old pony like Birmingham City being served up next on the menu we have a while yet to enjoy this agreeable phenomenon

While its been a great start, deep down we all know that however well this run goes, this season at least Spurs probably do not have the resources or wherewithal to keep the pace going right into May. I say probably as you never know but there may be another dodgy lasagna if the legs/belief does not intervene before, but with all this talk of 1961 there is another uncanny parallel

Back in the season 8/9 of the decade, a Spurs manager is replaced with the club in a bit of trouble. The new manager starts with a bang and succeeds in keeping the club up while making a series of astute transfers.

Spurs open the next campaign with a 5-1 away win up on the North East coast and start the season impressively being unbeaten in the first 12, before finishing the season with an impressive 3rd place. That was all a prelude to the century shattering season which followed which saw the league and cup double with the greatest side ever produced on these shores and the decade of trophies.

While its hoping a lot, the parallels with 1958/2008 and 1959/2009 are so far so good.

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For what its worth, Spurs drew their second home game of the 1959/60 season 0-0 with Birmingham City, Spurs next opponents in the second home game…also on 29th August

 

 

 

16th August 2009 – Hull 1-5 Spurs, TOPspurs

Quality stuff from Spurs so far this season – putting away an elite team at the weekend and then still having enough to go away and record an emphatic win against one of the lesser lights adds an all too rare level of consistency not normally associated with the club. With a settled starting line up and emerging style which is both thrifty at the back but with goals up front, all looks set fair for a good season for Spurs. Fingers crossed.

Plenty more stats – Defoe’s hatrick was his second for Spurs (previously in another 5-1 where Keane was also on the scoresheet against Southampton in Dec2004), with the only hatrick in between the four Berbatov scored against Reading in the 6-4 game. It was Spurs first away hatrick since JK banged in four in a 6-2 to keep Spurs safe in 1998 Spurs hatrick scorers. Defoe now has 71 goals for Spurs fast approaching Crooks and Archie but perhaps more significant of the goals was Keane’s which now sees him in the top 10 Spurs overall scorers. Two of the top 10 played for Spurs in recent seasons (Sheringham and Keane), coincidentally both re-signed after differing levels of success in a red jersey in the North West. (Leading Spurs goalscorers)

Since gaining promotion in 1978, Spurs have won the opening two league games three times in 1980/1, 1994/5 and with a nod in the right direction from Stefan Otrebski also in 2005/6. The 1980 summer equates well to the current situation, beating a top side at home (Forest), before scoring more in an away win against “the team of the 80s”. That was as good as it got for a while as a 2-2 draw at home was followed four consecutive games without a Spurs goal. It was also a home fixture which ended the run in 1994 against the defending champions and an over cautious display away at Blackburn under Jol.

Best recent start was under the divine guidance of Hoddle in 2002/3 where Spurs won four of the first six which also included a draw at Everton and giving up a 2-0 lead at Fulham to lose 3-2. Harry would do well to remember that Hoddle was gone within a year of that start but he can console himself as Spurs best manager in the league based upon points per game.. and as a comparision his 1.72 points per game after 32 league games compares favourably at the same stage with 1.28 Ramos (with similar stats for Hoddle/Graham) and Francis/Jol in the mid 1.45s, on a par with Pleat’s first season but behind Omar the cabbie who had Spurs topping the table with 1.88ppg

And the last time Spurs won three in a row…...that year...Tip top Tottenham Hotspur, the greatest team of the year... surely west ham can’t stand in the way of the modern destiny at the weekend

 

 

16th August 2009 – Spurs 2-1 Liverpool

Despite some downbeat sentiments before the kick off in relation to another season slower lanes, the result and performance against Liverpool has to go down as the best opening day result since the Klinsmann debut game at Sheff Weds back in 1994 and best at WHL, esp in terms of feelgood since the Gazza/Lineker WC90 return game which resulted in a 3-1 against City. All days when the sun shone for Spurs in every sense.

Considering how the rules of football have been twisted for the elite over the years its was ironic that difference between the two sides Bassong – who not only scored the winning goal but made an impressive start in a position Spurs did not really have a fit plan B – may have been suspended if it were not for the jumble of rules and bureaucracy which smother the EPL machine and tend to work for rather than against the elite.

After recent summers of upheaval where half the side would be making their debut in a disappointing Spurs defeat on the opening day, Bassong was also the only debutant in the starting line up which has to be a good thing for team building and maintaining progress, although before the game there was a slight heart sinking moment when Keane and Defoe were selected together as evidence suggests either would be better with a Crouch player alongside. That was easily the only small quibble both with selection and tactics as everything else was spot on, and it’s a lot easier to line up behind Redknapp’s common sense approach than some of the stuff which has come before.

I have been a big fan of Bale’s ability but a combo of his bad luck with injuries and subsequent lack of form its time to let go and appreciate the progress made by BAE over the last few months of last season which was capped by a missile through the Liverpool defence worthy of his acronymic namesake to set Spurs on their way. BAE had his injury nightmare soon after breaking into the first team and its to his credit that he has fought his way back and hopefully like Carr’s progress 10 years ago he can mature into a top player.

On the otherside Corluka looks the heaviest legged, least mobile full back Spurs have had since Van Den Hauwe but the goals against column suggest he more than does his job. Another Gomes moment for the penalty leaves more work for him to do to win me over and although I do want to believe, I just can’t shake the image of him as a bit of a flake.

Huddlestone and Palacios were just the ticket in the middle with inspiration and pace on either flank supplied by the impressive Modric and Lennon, who really look the part as EPL dangermen. Up front, the largely unpopular move to make the prodigal Keane captain over Ledders (who it almost went without saying was a rock at the back against one of Europe’s top strikers), leaves the management with a bit of an issue with selection. Keane’s finishing was consistent with his overall record against the elite sides although in his favour at least he got into the position to miss the chances which on another day would have been converted (esp against a Wolves, Birmingham etc). Either way it’s a management of quality talent rather than a heap of sow’s ears which has to be a good thing.

 

There has been plenty made of Mr Harry’s excellent points per game return, currently running at 1.68 points per game which is only a smidge off the record held by ‘Omar’ Shreeve in his two post Burkinshaw seasons which have been unfairly forgotten by mainstream history, esp since the first of them nearly returned the league title to Spurs. A win against Hull and Redknapp goes to the top of the shop but its also the emerging record against the elite EPL sides which is turning a few heads where only a referee assisted win for Man U and a last day of the season reverse against Liverpool are the only defeats in eight games which over the last 15 years tend to have a much higher casualty rate for Spurs sides.

Vs Sky4 Sides

Played

Won

Drew

Lost

For

Against

PPG

Redknapp

8

3

3

2

12

14

1.50

Graham

20

5

4

11

21

33

0.95

Francis

26

3

12

11

17

32

0.81

Santini

3

0

2

1

1

2

0.67

Pleat

6

1

1

4

6

11

0.67

Hoddle

21

2

5

14

19

44

0.52

Ramos

6

0

3

3

7

12

0.50

Jol

24

1

8

15

18

42

0.46

Gross

5

0

2

3

5

14

0.40

The flip side of this that its still the same three points whether you beat Burnley or Liverpool and just as important to put away the pony in the context of the season (as fans of Jol are no doubt thinking looking at that table), but equally its good to go into games with the best sides knowing Spurs can hold there own and not just park the bus or be turned over. Spurs can’t be part of the top four until they play and feel like a top four side.

 

A few nerdy TOPSPURS facts while we are on the numbers – as far as I can work out Assou-Ekotto is the first double barrel name player to score for Spurs (Scott-Aaron Houghton has the distinction of having a double barrel first name.. and for what its worth has the record of most goals for a Spurs player who never started a first team game). Bassong becomes the first centre back to score on his debut since Dean Richards, who not only nodded a dead ball into the Paxton net but also cost £8m. Fortunately the similarities end there and hopefully that will also apply to their Spurs careers. I often wonder what profound insights into humanity I could offer if my brain was not clogged up with this useless junk.

All in all an excellent start, and while those determined for this to be the breakthrough season for Spurs will come out with stuff like “it means nothing unless we beat Hull”, sometimes its best just to enjoy it for what it was – an accomplished Spurs performance and a well deserved win against a top side

 

 

 

13th August 2009 – Season Preview

Its that time again… seemingly earlier each year… for the start of another new season (the 100th anniversary of the Spurs first season in the top flight of English football should anyone give a monkeys Season 1909/10). If nothing else, I still know me history!

Its traditional to start these previews with some optimism (however ill founded and lacking in conviction) and to finish off with some platitude along the lines of “well at least its not going to be boring” (and apologies if any of my fellow voxpoppers have chipped in with something similar)

The thing is, the EPL as a contest is going to be predictable… Spurs will finish somewhere between 5th and 12th with a somewhere between 62-53 points, rolling over the real pony at home, winning/drawing most home games but  struggling away and in all games the elite... and predictable is boring. Just another second tier EPL franchise going through the motions for another visit to the money trough, its modern raison d’etre. We’re just paying First Class fares for a Premium economy seat, and looking wistfully back to the golden age, imaginary or real.

Even if the defensively solid displays towards the end of last season are repeated and improved upon… which for all the best will in the world is something that must be open to question given the current injury issues at the back… Spurs may bag an EPL record 70 points… which may not even be good enough for a podium finish, just an extra wedge of dough. For all the bluster at the end of the season about the race for 4th, 5th or even 6th, if it ain’t got a medal, it’s does not have any intrinsic sporting worth. There is not a reciprocal worse case as anything behind 8th to 15th ish which is as low as Spurs could conceivably finish is just a homogeneous layer of beige which is instantly forgotten, season on season.

The paradox in all this is that largely meaningless but expensive EPL games are sold out but cup games, steps on the road to Wembley, a venue which still has glory connotations and competitions Spurs can genuinely win which are at much lower prices, are poorly attended. It just goes to show the power of marketing/advertising

That said, not even a Wembley Cup final could tempt me away from the armchair last season to attend a live game and I can’t see myself returning anytime soon. Apart from meeting up with pals before and after the game, its an infinitely more rewarding experience to watch a few games of Spurs a season when it suits other commitments on the comfort of the sofa with a glass of Paul Masson California Carafe in hand, with instant access to replays etc rather than shelling out £50 for a ticket to be wedged into a plastic seat, not knowing what sort of nutters you are going to be sat next to but almost certainly knowing there is going to be someone within earshot who starts slagging Jenas from warm up onwards, spied on by old bill, given a list of dos and don’t to restrict behaviour by the club to be enforced by 100s of stewards and then having all the travel issues of getting too and from the game. The test to see if you still like the football for the football, is to go a game without going to the pub… and if the cold turkey of realising how ordinary the matchday experience is sober… why not just cut out the middle man and meet up with yer mates in the pub watching the game on an arab channel as that £50 per head ticket makes for a formidable whip.

 

There have been some funny comings and goings since Mr Harry took over but its fair to say he did a great job in sorting out the shambles Wendy Random left him (I wonder if those rowntree random adverts where inspired by Mr Harry’s predecessor). Redknapp has followed a very similar path to Jol in his first steps in sorting Spurs out – stop the goals going in. Spurs went from 57 goals conceded to 41 under Jol’s first season and the 61 conceded with the zonal marking under Ramos was down to 45 under Redknapp.

I think its fair to say its going to be more of the same next season as keeping it tight at the back is going to be Spurs best chance of competing and hopefully with the experience of unconvincing wins under Jol being better than unconvincing defeats under the same manager when he was under pressure for style as well as substance, Spurs fans (including myself) can be more forgiving of style if results are coming. Redknapp brings common sense and style of play familiar to the fans and hopefully the fans can reward this with some patience in the sticky times, remembering his brief is to only win football matches

In both cases, the goalkeeper (Robbo/Gomes) was lauded as some sort of hero of the recovery but this may have been overstated as the shutting off of the goals starts from the forwards and is a team and organization success. Personally I still don’t dig Gomes as he appears to have a flakey character when the pressure was on but look forward to having my mind changed this season

As mentioned above, this solid platform is threatened by a defensive crisis which currently has the real Spurs captain entering his 12th season in the first team Ledley King, Woodgate and the reliable Dawson unavailable. In time honoured fashion, Spurs have raided a relegated club… presumably the logic follows that a player good enough for relegation one season is going to be good enough to make the jump up to challenge the elite the next…er… with Bassong who should have an early opportunity to show his worth. Hopefully he can settle well at Spurs and establish himself as the long term successor to Ledders and/or Woodgate. While Berbatov may have behaved like a wanka towards the end, surely going to champions league outfits like Dortmund and champions league players like the ‘cranky whore’ himself should be where Spurs should be looking to position themselves to make an assault on the elite. That said, of all the players available and likely to do well at Spurs, Peter Crouch should be an excellent signing not just in terms of his contribution of goals but he will be the first forward since Kanoute who should be able to form effective partnerships with either Keane, Defoe or the Russian fella if he is not discretely moved on.

Of all the buybacks, the £8m spent for one start and two subs that Willy McKay’s Chimbonda managed in the league last season did not seem terribly good value and despite being made captain on his return, it is not obvious that Keane will be the first choice to partner Crouch. That said, he battled his way back into the team at Defoe’s expense from the bench back in 2005/6 and the competition between the two can only be good for Spurs. Either way, Spurs have a much better balance to striking options with Crouch and.. and either Keane or Defoe starting with the other ready to come on from the bench, a role that should not be underestimated given the increasing number of goals coming from substitutes.

This time last year I was genuinely convinced that Bentley was going to be a special signing but turned out to be useless and it was Lennon who finally converted all that promise into performances which won him deservedly the the player of the season. Bentley’s problem appeared to be mental and not ability and hopefully it can be something Spurs can work through...although Spurs tend to throw away rather than fix players who have lost form. In the middle, marmite Jenas delights managers and frustrates fans wherever he goes while Palacios industry and Modric guile should do very well against most sides, although Palacios would do well to remember the failings of Zokora where being seen to work hard is as important with the customers.

 

For all the lack of excitement about Spurs achievement horizons, there is plenty to be relatively contented with. Spurs have a balanced squad of decent if not brilliant players who should enable Spurs to go into most games as favourites and its likely that Spurs will win more than they lose and score more than they let in this season which is surely the broad barometer of what constitutes a good/bad season, before all the added expectation of high prices and history are factored in.

With three elite sides in the first six games and a possibly creaky defence, lets hope those dummies who run the club (the spurs board, not the Icelandic bank who hold the shares) are too busy counting their money to put early pressure on the manager should things not go well early on as it should be remembered the last time Spurs qualified for Europe through the league, they were 1-1-4 after the first six games, a profile which has also seen three managers sacked over recent seasons. And while it may seem far fetched, the dead hand of the Spurs boardroom has been seen to have a long and often clumsy reach

Enjoy the season and remember its just a game!

 

 

 

3rd June 2009 – Season Review

In starting the season preview, I thought back to the opening day and for the life of me I could not remember who Spurs played (can you, quickly, without looking? Really? You should get out more (click here to put yourself out of your misery). It has been one of those largely forgetting seasons in terms of spirit lifting experiences/great games (as opposed to relief at avoiding the embarrassment of relegation) and complete with the now traditional boardroom inspired fiasco

But a step back from the season and prima facie it looks quite a decent one. Spurs reached a cup final, finished top half in the league (only the 8th time in 17 EPL seasons) and finished the season strongly under a manager who appears to be turning spurs into a credible outfit.

To put this in context Spurs have appeared in domestic cup finals in 13 of the 100 years since Spurs became a league cup in 1908 (excludes first cup win and 82 treated as one year) so taking into account war years, on average a Spurs cup final is a one in seven year event and as such along with the cup lift in 2008 and league improvement under Jol the period from the mid/late 00s while perhaps not a golden age the best for well over a generation. That said, getting to the final after that shambles up at Turf Moor was typical of the lack of spiritual lift behind what bare achievement for last season.

Best game of the season was the 4-4 at Arsenal, Spurs had started to breathe again after contortions of Wendy Random had left Spurs at the bottom and it was an all too rare moment of pure magic to nick the goals at the end. Wendy Random’s reign at Spurs should stand Spurs fans in good stead to believe what they see with their eyes and are not spun by the club and media. Looking back, were the players really fitter? Did Spurs play a better way? Or were Spurs a shambles lacking motivation for more than half of his tenure?

Best league win has to be overcoming Chelsea 1-0 at the lane but the most significant in many ways was the late winner at Hull which set Spurs up for the end of season flourish. There were plenty of disappointments – at the start of the season despair at the results and later in the season frustration at the good run not being even better.  The defeat at United angered those who do not accept that the league is fixed but perhaps the defeat at Blackburn raised the most questions for the season ahead

Best player over the season was Aaron Lennon and perhaps the most improved was Gomes but it has to be said it started from a very low base and had as much to do with a much tighter Spurs outfit where goals at both ends dried up. Bentley has been a massive disappointment as he looked a good if over-priced signing but the shenanigans in the transfer market of selling players on the last day to unbalance the team through to buying back old players have set new levels of head scratching.

In some respects it’s a bit like the end of season 2004/5 where then new manager Jol was just starting to fashion a decent outfit at the end of his first half season in control. With that in mind, its already best to forget last season and start to look to next season and hope Mr Harry retains his decent touch in the transfer market to prepare a talented but importantly balanced squad to go into war with next season.

The holy grail of the have nots/squanderers is top four which still seems beyond Spurs reasonable ambitions unless Wenger walks away from what appears to be a listing ship at Arsenal but another top of the crap 5th place should be well within the grasp of the current set up, esp when you consider how little Everton/Villa had to do to achieve it this year. That said, if there is not a medal for it is it any sort of achievement or just a media concoction to keep the customers of the league cannon fodder interested to the end of the season. No UEFA will be a disappointment to the fans but not the players/staff who need more time to spend their wages rather than playing football for Spurs.

 

With the Premier League firmly ensconced as part of the entertainment/leisure industry where gossip and celebrity are more important than any sort of substance, its still a relief that there are one or two journo’s out there with a sense of perspective and leading this small group is David Conn from the Grauniad and its well worth having a gander at the following articles about EPL debt:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jun/02/premier-league-clubs-debt

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jun/03/english-premier-league-debt

 

The latter is very interesting for the long term prospects of the club and is summarized below:

(Accounts for the year to 30 June 2008). Ownership 82% owned by Enic International Limited, registered in the Bahamas, a tax haven. Chairman Daniel Levy and family own 29.41% of Enic.

Turnover £114.7m (up from £103.1m the previous year, an increase of 11.34%)

Wage bill £52.9m (up from £43.8m in 2007, an increase of 20.8%)

Wages as proportion of turnover 46%

Profit before tax £3m

Debts £65m

Interest payable £3.95m

Highest paid director Daniel Levy: £1m

 

While most topspurs readers are well versed in the eye watering salary Levy takes each year for his deadhand stewardship of the club and the decision to issue a dividend the year after the preference share buyback allowed ENIC to have the majority of shares (and as such take out the majority of the money), but I did not realize the extent of Spurs debt at £65m.

Perhaps this will not be an issue when the gangsters who run the country turn on the printing presses and Zimbabwefication emerges out of QE but even then the rise in interest rates will wipe out the club unless they are fixed. I suppose the debt is only to be expected given the way the money has been splashed about on transfers but nonetheless is a sizable chunk when considered relative to turnover and also interesting to know when this debt is due. Add in the money for the new stadium costs (if they are serious about actually building one) and you can see that they will be coming to the customers for more money to pay for it all… be prepared. Perhaps we could organize a sponsored walk for the cause… LevyAid (or should that be KemsleyAid?) where all the fans could walk around the ground once, passing a replica of what the “naming rights” stadium will look like it if ever gets built ending in the club shop where you can buy a whole range of branded tat for the cause

 

The size of the debt seems strange as the Spurs model as I understood it should not be like this as the wage bill has consistently been around 50% or less of the turnover (as it is again this year).

In the last few years the income has been £70m/£77m/£103m and now £114m and with the wage bill at 50% gives a balance of around £180m for the club to play with and outside the wage bill, the only other serious drain on money are transfer fees and I can’t seem to remember the club spending another £65m (in total £240m) on transfer fees during that period

The only other significant change in the period is the ownership of the club. When ENIC came in they paid Sugar well over the odds for 29% of the club and needed the preference share wizardry to buy a greater stake of the club on the cheap which is now up to 82%. As a failed accountant, I don’t know anything about finance but surely the accumulated surplus has not been used to buy a greater share for ENIC

Then again, what do I know. We should be loyal … keep the faith… coys… this time next year…

(I wonder just how different it will all be)

 

That’s your lot for this season. I’ll pop back if anything major happens over the summer but otherwise intend to spend long lazy afternoons watching dull county cricket at lords, taking in the wonderful British countryside on the North Downs and at the stables watching my equine hopes & money evaporate in training fees, vets bills and dodgy jockeys.

All that remains is a massive thank you for all the TOPSPURS columnists and guest columnists for their excellent contributions throughout the season which has enabled TOPSPURS to be well up there as a site of interest for Spurs supporters as it enters its 9th season next year… and of course a big thank to you the reader for logging in and hopefully the site still provides some entertainment albeit more sporadically and from a greater level of physical and emotional detachment thesedays.

 

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And Finally … Some sad news reached TOPSPURS today when the following article regarding the demise of the investment vehicle of former Spurs director Mr Paul Kemsley Click here for Kemsley article.

 

Mr Kemsley was a charismatic man with a vision who could have led Spurs to greatness. I think Levy and old friend Mr Harry should do the decent thing, as they have for many of their old friends such as Sherwood and Redknapp jnr, and give Kemsley a day a week for around £150k a year as you can’t keep a good man down.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Please note the words on this page are the opinion of the topspurs columnist and are just that, opinions, not facts and are nothing to do with Tottenham Hotspur Football club PLC. Just a supporter having his say nothing more nothing less. Any commentary on betting is meant for discussion purposes only and does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation.