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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
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!
.. TOPSPURS COLUMNISTS
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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
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. http://www.topspurs.com/5859.htm http://www.topspurs.com/5960.htm http://www.topspurs.com/200809.htm http://www.topspurs.com/200910.htm 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.
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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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
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