Views of Jim Duggan season ticket holder & White Hart Lane resident - last updated November 30, 2000 21:06:23 PM
(Nov 29th - No news!)
Not much on today - third choice keeper Kelly has a loean deal at Lincoln called off - that's about it
(Nov 25th - Reflections on a good week)
The disappointment that has hung round Tottenham since the cup exits early last year (and the sale of Ginola) finally seems to be clearing with the two good wins against Liverpool and Leicester, Carr extending his contract and the emergence of King and Thelwell along with the continued progress of Clemence and Young. While it would be lovely for Sol to extend his current contract, even for another 12 months, I expect him to be off to the Champions League next season and so I hope the club can put together a deal that keeps Anderton around for a few more seasons to ensure that we keep another quality player.
A new central midfielder in the Roy Keane mould and a quality striker in the Robbie Keane mould, along with some credible cover at leftback for Treacle would be just what is needed (along with better tactics away from home) to take us into the top six and above in what is looking an open year apart from United way clear at the top. And even if Santa can't grant our transfer dreams, lets hope he helps us put one over on the Goons in the next home match (after successive away wins at Old Trafford and Valley Parade of course)
(Nov 25th - Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 0 Leicester City)
Spurs put up another decent home performance to see off a well orgainsed Leicester City side that had only conceded one goal in seven previous away matches this season, and had Sir Les to thank with all three goals. The game was another niggly affair which culminated with Taggert getting sent off for fouling Carr, an incident which nearly started a mass brawl. Savage was wound up all through the game and eventually was substituted for to save the ref sending him off.
It must be said that the ref was on the side of Tottenham - disallowing a goal that could quite easily have been given and giving an indirect free kick instead of a penalty and not giving another penalty when Thatcher fancied trying his hand a tackling, but all said and done, we've had some real knob end refs against us here and it was probably deserved.
Sullivan 7/10 – One
brilliant save from Elliot in the second half and a generally
decent performance
Perry 6/10 – Took a couple
of knocks before having to come off after about 25 minutes
(Sub Thatcher 5/10 – A poor performance from Fatch,
when he was n’t giving the ball away or missing tackles, he
did his best to give away penalties) Campbell 7/10 –
A commanding comeback from the great man
Thelwell 6/10 – Another good game from the youngster
who was equally happy when switched to the right side of defence
after Perry’s injury
Carr 7/10 – Gave everyone a
great boost by signing an extension to his current contract
before the match and gave another of his cavalier displays as
right wingback. Nearly scored the opening goal when a free kick
was squared to him and his thunderbolt shot was tipped wide.
King 7/10 – Played well in the central midfield
currently favoured for him at the club and continues to impress
with accurate passing and good tackling.
Anderton 7/10 – Was at the heart of most of the
creative stuff offered by Tottenham
Sherwood 6/10 – Played in the hole behind Rebrov and
Ferdinand and had another fair game, seeming to prefer this
advanced position to the more orthodox central midfield position
Clemence 7/10 – Getting better with each match at
left wing back, endearing himself to the crowd with an early
scuffle with Savage in the first minute.
Rebrov 6/10 – Does what he does well – his short passing and vision are excellent, but its not as much as you feel he has to offer Ferdinand 8/10 – A game Les will remember for a while. His first was an excellent goal, latching on to a bad back pass, running at Elliot before smashing a shot into the corner while his other goals were real strikers goal – a header from a goal line clearance and a tap in from a saved Anderton shot. A pity someone in the crowd ran off with the ball at the end of the match!
(Nov 24th - Leicester Preview)
I think this game has all the makings of a draw. Leicester have had a seemless transition from Martin O'Neill to our old boy Peter Taylor, who was one of my first heroes at the Lane (I can still remember him running with the ball, stopping to pull up his sock and continuing without the defenders getting near him).
I hope Graham keeps all the young players that are still fit, with King dropping back to centre half and Freund returning to the midfield so that we are spared Fatcha and Vega.
(Nov 20th - Young injury disaster)
Reports today suggest that Luke Young will be out for about five weeks with a broken bone in his foot. This is such a shame after his good recent displays and opens the door for one of either Fatcha or Vega to come back (although putting King at centre back and restoring Freund to the midfield would negate this). Lets hope Graham puts him straight back in the team when his foot has recovered.
(Nov 20th - Campbell off at the end of the season?)
Sol has given his clearest indication that he will leave at the end of the season as we've all suspected. citing wanting to be playing at the top club level as his reason. Good luck to him, its just a shame that the club can't match his ambition with good signings
LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) -
Tottenham Hotspur are set to lose England defender and their club
skipper Sol Campbell at the end of the season without receiving
transfer fee for him, manager George Graham said on Monday.
Spurs are still hoping Campbell will sign a new contract with
them when his cuurent one runs out at the end of the season, but
Graham told London's Evening Standard on Monday he thought the 26-year-old
would use the Bosman ruling to leave White Hart Lane for free
when it does. "We know that even if we accepted a transfer
fee, Sol wouldn't go. It's important that the fans know that.
"It's all very well people saying that we could have sold
him for 15 million pounds ($21.36 million) but that would never
happen if the player himself doesn't want to move until his
contract ends.
"It is time people realised that you cannot sell a player
without that player's permission. Sol's stand is that he is not
going anywhere until he sees his contract out.
"I can understand that but what I can't understand is why he
is not sitting down and listening to our financial offer - even
if he turns it down."
Campbell, who has been sidelined since dislocating a shoulder
against Brentford in the League Cup in September, stressed his
loyalty to the north London club.
"There have been various times and opportunities when I
couyld have said 'Right, I'm leaving.' But no, I haven't, because
I want to be here.
"As you grow up, you get a sense that this is your club and
this is where you want to be," he said.
"I want to win league titles and FA Cups sooner rather than
later and nothing would give me more pleasure than doing that at
Spurs.
"There are six months to go and I will play for Tottenham
all day long."
Campbell, who made his debut for Spurs, his only League club,
seven years ago, has developed into one of the best defenders in
England and has won 37 England caps. He has long been coveted by
Manchester United among others.
Despite beating Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday, the Spurs defence has
struggled without Campbell, who has now missed Spurs' last 10
matches.
(Nov 20th - Selection made for George?)
One of the positives to come from
yesterday's game was that the home grown young players all played
well and put Gooner George in a position where he cannot drop
them without a massive outcry - imagine Clem or Alton being left
out for Fatcha or Vega getting the nod over Young?
If Fatcha ever plays for us again it will be a disaster - the
Times football stat thing shows that he has a shockingly bad pass
completion of 59% over the season (which compares with Campbell
76%, Carr 74%, Perry 73%, Treacle 73%, Vega 67% and Young 76%)
Only Carbonari, Higginbottom, "England's" Michael Ball,
Song had lower pass completions and of these, only the clueless
Ben had played regularly for their sides - but never mind, at
least he adds steel
it also revealed that Carr is one booking away from a match ban -
if he gets it against Leicester he'll miss the Goon game which
will be a major setback
not that I'm obsessed wiv stats
(Nov 19th - Spurs 2-1 Liverpool)
An excellent game at the Lane where a
spirited Tottenham came back from a goal down to beat a genuine
top five team
I've given the evil goon plenty of stick when his ineptitude has
deserved it in the past, but today he deserves some qualified
praise. First of all he dropped Vega and played Young, King and
Thelwell. He also kept faith with the progressive 3-5-2 system
that was effective against Sunderland but lost against Villa and
managed to make the players use the system more effectively. It
can be no co-incidence that no Fatcha and we have our first
assists from the left wing since you know who departed in the
summer
The reason the praise is qualified is because it has taken him
this long to give the youngsters a proper chance and why why of
fucking why can we not play as positively as this away from home.
We now have the best home record in the league and the worst away
record
I watched the game as a refugee in the upper West (an area I last
visited on a sunny day in Sept 1990 when a certain fat bloke
scored three past Shilton in a 3-0 win against Derby, Great view
but no atmosphere and even some bloke moaning about Carr!! (twat)
The game started with both sides having good possession, with
Thelwell and King getting huge receptions for every pass and
tackle. Liverpool had the best early chances with Murphy shooting
tamely when in a good position. Their goal came out of a nothing
ball to Owen on the edge of the box. He managed to flick it
sideways and wrongfoot everyone giving Fowler an almost open goal
Spurs battled back and had attacking options on both sides of the
pitch. Rebrov won the ball near the left touchline and put Clem
in with a neat back heal. Clem then excelled himself with a
perfect cross and for once Ferdinand moved his fat arse and got
on the end of it and slid it home.
Most of the game was played in an open attacking way that has
characterised recent encounters between the two sides at the Lane.
The goal that proved to be the winner came from a long ball from
Carr which seemed to find Ferdinand offside in the middle but as
the Scousers stopped, Clem ran on to the ball on the left wing
and with plenty of time delivered his second perfect cross on to
the massive head of Sherwood who thumped the header into the top
corner
Piggy Barmby was introduced along with Gerard midway through the
second half but Liverpool despite having lots of possession in
the Tottenham half but did not take any of the half chances that
fell to them. Spurs had a few chances, the best of which was an
audacious chip from Steve Carr which hit the inside of the post
with Westerveld stranded and Anderton could only hit the rebound
straight at the keeper
The board indicating 5 minutes of added time was greeted with
groans, but Spurs played out the majority of this in possession
in the Liverpool half and a great cheer greeted the final whistle
Sullivan 7/10 - Good performance from Sully (despite being a bit
out of position for their goal) with a couple of crucial saves
from Hypia header and Owen shot and he managed to mix up his
distribution between the aimless oofs to upfield to throws to the
back players
Perry - 6/10 Played another decent match defensively but the
crowd seem to have little patience with his ordinary distribution
which is a little unfair imvho as Perry is a capable Premiership
defender
Young 8/10 - A fine match from Youngy who nearly two years after
making his debut at Upton Park is fulfilling the promise expected
of an England U-21. Today he demonstrated good reading of the
game, good heading ability, with a number of excellent tackles
and decent passing. He deserves an extended run in the team, even
when the Sol man returns at the expense of Perry
Thelwell 6/10 - After being an unused sub almost two years ago at
Upton Park when Young made his debut, Thelwell made an impressive
first team debut at the left handside of a three man defence. It
drives me mad that Graham has chosen to wait to Liverpool at home
live on Sky to give Alton his debut, but Alton rose to the
occasion with a spirited display and even when he got caught by
Owen, Sully produced a good save to rescue the day. A debut full
of promise which should relegate Ramon and Fatcha further down
the pecking order
Carr 7/10 - Another barnstorming display from our hero -
fierce in the tackle, excellent going forward and an exquisite
chip which hit the inside of the post in the second half which
would have made the last few minutes a bit easier on the nerves
King 7/10 - Every time Ledley gets a start in the first team it
seems to be in a different position. This time he was back to
play the central midfield role he played so well during the away
win at Derby last season, and he played another fine match good
tackling and interceptions with simple accurate passing when in
possession. Another player who deserves to keep his place for the
Leicester match and beyond hopefully
Anderton 6/10 - At the heart of all the good passing moves and
did a fair job when we did n't have the ball. Could have used
dead ball situations better in the opposition half.
Sherwood 6/10 - Another better display in his more familiar role
further up the pitch where he seems more happy. Scored what
proved to be the winner with a thumping header from a Clemence
cross
Clemence 6/10 Did a good job in what is proving to be a problem
position without Treacle. Provided two excellent crosses for our
goals, the first after a neat Rebrov back heel and the second
running onto a long crossfield pass by Carr which wrong footed
the scousers who were appealing for offside against Fat Les
Rebrov 6/10 - Produced a better performance as the team tried to
pass the ball a lot more and had his usual excellent link ups
with Carr and Anderton. He seems to thrive on being involved in
the game and its up to the rest of the players to utilise his
undoubted ability. No one can doubt his commitment as a crunching
tackle in the second half proved and its up to the other players
and management to get the best out of him, although I'd like to
see him shoot more. I would also like to see him play in Sherwood's
position (the front man of the central midfield three) as I think
this would give his skills greater opportunity, esp. if we had
two forwards in front of him (and if these forwards were ones
that did n't stand still all the time)
Ferdinand 6/10 - Another decent match from Les, capped with a
good goal when getting on the end of Clemence's inch perfect
centre to slide home the equaliser. While he may not be the
player of the mid 90's, while he has this level of commitment, he
still has something to offer
Neil Pearson who sits behind us took Susannah Doyle (Joy from Drop the dead Donkey) to yesterdays game
(Nov 18th - The mess we're in - author Alan Sugar)
Sugar has often used the defence that at least the finances are solid off the pitch, but this review shows that this is not the case and the evil scumbag is running up big debts while trying to sell. Lets hope we see the back of both him and Graham in the very near future.
On Sunday, Sugar issued a statement
indicating that he wanted Sullivan to pay #1.40p per share, which
would value Tottenham at nearly #140 million, more than double
the current Stock Market valuation of #£61 million. This latest
figure represents a drop from the #1.80- #2 he was apparently
asking for shares when he talked to Sam Hammam, the Lebanese
former owner of Wimbledon. It seems the figure being discussed
through the Sullivan intermediaries is now around #1.20, and the
sticking point has consistently been the price. One potential
City investor with a prominent international institution, a
season ticket holder and supporter since the age of five, told me:
"The price Sugar is asking for is crazy." What is
intriguing is that Sugar says he only wants someone who has
"real money" to put into Spurs. He added: "I don't
mean arrange bank loans to put the club in debt, but something
like the #70 million some say we need to build up a championship-winning
side."
Yet in the last year Sugar has done exactly what he does not want a new investor to do: he has borrowed from the bank to strengthen the squad. Whether Graham's squad has been strengthened is a matter of debate, but there is no doubt that, compared to last year, Spurs have a weaker balance sheet. Yet a strong balance sheet is what Sugar has always stressed. The net debt of the club has increased from #5.4 million to #18.3 million and the #24 million Graham has spent on players in the last year has, basically, come from bank borrowings. A year ago Tottenham's overdraft and bank loans were #3.8 million, now they are #17.4 million. And while the club are owed #10.5 million, they owe #45.4 million. This figure includes the money still owed on the #11 million Sergei Rebrov transfer. Tottenham are paying this in instalments with another #5 milion, due this year, covered by a Bill of Exchange. Sugar, himself, has not made any large financial investment since November 1991. Then, through buying off Irving Scholar and Paul Bobroff and later funding a rights issue, he invested a total of #8.1 million. Indeed, when the next big rights issue came in 1996 with Spurs raising #11.5 million to fund the north stand, Sugar did not take up his rights but sold the two million of rights he was entitled to for 12p each, getting #240,000. Sugar, who then owned more than 50 per cent, felt he needed to reduce his holdings to improve liquidity in the shares and, by not taking up the rights, he reduced his to 40 per cent.
As for opening his own cheque book, I understand that Sugar feels that Tottenham are a public company and should fund their purchases through the cash they generate and borrowings. Chairmen, he believes, should not be expected to dip into their pockets. The initial contact came with Sullivan just before Tottenham played Birmingham in the third round of the Worthington Cup, which resulted in a humiliating 3-1 defeat at home. Both Sugar and Sullivan were in the Tottenham boardroom, enjoying the splendid hospitality the home team normally offer. Sugar, I understand, approached Sullivan and said he understood that he wanted to buy Tottenham. Sullivan simply did not respond. But as the Tottenham drama develops, Sullivan's next move will be eagerly debated by those protesting fans at White Lane tomorrow.
(Nov 18th - Premiership review)
Click on www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jmdcon/thfc-article06.htm for a review of this weekend's premiership fixtures by Prashunt Lutchman
(Nov 18th - Davies off?)
So much for Gooner George giving this welsh international a chance, and so much for moaning on about not having a big enough squad. Its just a shame that we can't get £2m for Fat Les and there being no truth in the Davies reumour!!
SIMON DAVIES could be on his way to
Cardiff City according to reports this evening. The (extremely
talented) young midfielder signed from Peterborough last season
has only had 30 or so minutes of first-team football this season
and George Graham is reported to have decided that he doesn't
have a future with the club. Davies is one of three players
expected to be revealed to the Ninian Park crowd at 11:30 on
Sunday, prior to kick off against Bristol Rovers.
The Third Division side have recently been taken over by Sam
Hammam and this has seen a decided upturn in their ambition. If
the Davies deal does go through then he will join his Welsh U-21
team meat Rhys Weston who is expected to sign from Arsenal.The is
no fee mentioned as yet, but if the midfielder is to return to
Wales then that will be a huge slap in the face to David Pleat
who is trying to assemble a reserve squad of talented youngsters.
Meanwhile George Graham has revealed that there was definitely no
bid from Manchester City for Les Ferdinand and the whole story
was a fabrication.
The club, bless em, were trying to peddle Spurs Shop vouchers as Christmas Gifts, which got me on to thinking what my
(Nov 16th - Christmas gift)
The club, bless em, were trying to peddle Spurs Shop vouchers as Christmas Gifts, which got me on to thinking what my Tottenham Christmas gift would be? A picture of George and Euston signing on in the freezing cold at the Highgate DHSS. I don't ask for much, so come on Santa........
(Nov 14th - Little Jo and Walker)
Not much on today in the way of Tottenham stuff - surprised and delighted that little Jo has been given a chance to resurect his career at a semi decent club, although its a pity Kaiserlautern did n't also want Vega and Fatcha, possibly in a swap deal with Djorkiaeff
Walker has said that he is coming off the transfer list - which is as much related to the ordinary form of Sullivan as it is to the only offers coming from Norwich, West Brom and Southampton
(Nov 13th - Sugar not saying no to Sullivan?)
I thought that this was just another of those stories the press like to make up to make our misery complete, but the continuing dialogue seems to indicate that Sugarlump is interested in Sullivan's money, although he does not look likely to sell (who else would give his son £200,000 a year)
The idea that someone comes in with an extra £70 million or so as a partner for Sugar is a dream (leaving aside the individuals concerned), as long as this money is spent wisely on good players, marshalled by a good manager (previous applicants need not apply)
One problem that no one seems to have mentioned is that to move in with Tottenham, Sullivan has to get rid of Birmingham which means finding a buyer that is willing to pay what Sullivan wants for it, and with all this press talk about his interest in Tottenham, he is not in a great position as the seller.
Also, is n't Karen Brady a gooner? and which of our players is she most likely to shag?
TOTTENHAM'S beleaguered chairman
Alan Sugar appears to be ready to wave the white flag in
surrender and relinquish control of the north London club. Angry
supporters have grown increasingly disillusioned with the current
regime in recent weeks and the computer tycoon has now given the
first indication that he may have had enough in his battle to win
over the fans.
Many of the White Hart Lane faithful have never forgiven Sugar
for his part in the departure of Terry Venables from the club and
his popularity was further eroded - irreparably so in many people's
eyes - when he appointed former Arsenal stalwart George Graham as
manager. Poor results and what fans perceive to be a lack of
ambition both on and off the pitch have increased the pressure on
the current regime. Despite the venom directed at him, Sugar has
resolutely refused to back down. But the signs now are that he is
close to conceding defeat.
David Sullivan, who has made a fortune through his pornography
and newspaper empires and who owns 40% of Birmingham City, has
expressed an interest in buying a stake in Tottenham. Football
Association regulations mean he could only purchase a 9.9%
holding in any other club, although he has not ruled out selling
his interest in the Blues and taking over entirely at Spurs.
And Sugar, while not openly welcoming the first signs of an
approach from Sullivan, was not prepared to issue a "hands
off" warning either. The stumbling block to any deal will
certainly be the two men's respective valuation of the club but
the indications from Sugar are that he will sell if the price is
right.
Tottenham's shares are currently valued at 60p, with Sullivan
accepting that a more realistic price is around 85-90p. Sugar,
however, believes the valuation should be nearer 140p and has
warned that he will not give up the reins on the cheap. He said:
"He (Sullivan) can forget about bargain basement prices and
tune into the true value of about 140p a share."
He added: "If he has some real money, and I don't mean
arrange bank loans to put the club in debt, but something like
the £70m some say we need to build up a championship-winning
side, then he should come to the board who could consider to
issue him some new shares and put the cash in the club."
Tottenham's fans would likely welcome that sort of move from
Sullivan who has demonstrated his determination to make his mark
by bankrolling a major overhaul at St Andrews. However, his
millions have failed to buy him the prize he cherishes -
promotion to the Premiership.
(Nov 13th - Little Jo on his way?)
Tottenham's unsettled Portuguese winger
Jose Dominguez is expected to join German outfit Kaiserslautern
later on Monday.
The 26-year-old former Sporting Lisbon and Birmingham star will
arrive at the Fritz-Walter Stadion for talks on Monday afternoon,
after which details of the transfer will be revealed. Dominguez
has only made two substitute appearances at Spurs this season.
Kaiserslautern have been resurgent under new coach Andy Brehme,
who has steered his side into fifth place and wants the
diminutive Dominguez to add more width and pace on the left.
(Nov 12th - Villa 2-0 Spurs, another shameful away performance, Graham must go!)
There was no passion amongst any of our
players, no-one showing any sort of leadership either by example
of verbal motivation.
Graham has to go. This is an urgent priority - the argument that
who would take over? we need stability, he's only had two years (of
shameless asset stripping) just does n;t stack up - Pleat and
Hughton could start to repair some of the damage this shitbag has
done for the short term. SOS need to include the removal of this
useless fucker in their manifesto
Maybe the worst part of this defeat, was the fact we almost
described the performance at 1pm in the pub - long balls from
Sully, Rebrov missed out and looking lost, Thatcher offering
nothing of the left, the midfield being over-run and no goal
threat
Rebrov's next injury will be neck strain as he watches that
clueless prick Sullivan ooof the ball up to Les who, was back to
his normal game of winning one header in twenty (Sir Ted has the
same number of league goals this season as Les has in his entire
Tottenham career from Aug 1997)
Thatcher was a fucking disgrace - he looks like he's been roped
in to make up the numbers and has never played football before
and does n't contribute as he does n't know what to do or where
to stand, but as we assume he is a professional footballer, his
attitude makes it look like he does n;t give a shit. That fuck he
is banned for next week. He makes Nethercock's attempt at full
back in the 95 semi look fairy decent
Ginola's few minutes were a great reminder of what we are missing
- passing the ball forward and to another player on the same side
without it being a hosipital ball. He also handled the great
reception given to him by the Spurs fans with great dignity
Carr played his usual solid match, and along with Young and Anderton can come out of the match with some sort of credit. The Brummies could n't believe that Carr was on £8000 a week and that we were only offering £15000, despite offering the largely unfulfilled promise of Iversen over £20000
Spineless, inept and an insult to
everyone of the yiddoes present
GGG vs. CG - the latest update
Christian Gross
Pts per game 1.31 p26 w9 d7 l10 f33 a40 pts34
Pts per game - Home 1.50 p12 w4 d6 l2 f16 a17 pts18
Pts per game - Away 1.14 p14 w5 d1 l8 f17 a23 pts16
George Graham
P W D L F
A PTS
Pts per game - Total 1.31 81 28 22
31 111 105 106
Pts per game - Home 1.83 40 21 10
9 74 47 73
Pts per game - Away 0.80 41 7
12 22 37 58 33
This will read
Pts per game - Away 0.79 42 7
12 23 37 58 33
after the goals to nil defeat we are almost certain to endure at
Old
Trafford
(Nov 10th - New owner?)
Porn magnate David Sullivan has expressed an interest in buying a share in Tottenham to go alongside the controlling intereest he has of Birmingham City. Sugar has been the custodian of our decline in the 90's and its time he gave someone else a go, but even in these desperate times, I'm not sure someone like Sullivan is the right man to turn the club around.
(Nov 10th - Preview of the Villa game)
On paper this is a game Spurs will lose by one or two goals, probably without scoring - that has been the nature of Spurs away performances under the Gooner, especially against the better clubs. But we have to be hopeful, and a better if not brilliant display against Sunderland should help the confidence. I only hope that Ginola is played on the left, god help us if he is switched to the right and is against Thatcher!
(Nov 8th - Another awayday ticket fiasco)
Spurs are again being accused
of deliberately withholding tickets for away games in order to
maximize revenue from live screenings of matches at White Hart
Lane
The allegations centre this time on the forthcoming visit to the
Theatre of Corporate Dreams, Old Trafford. Man U offered Spurs 3,000
tickets, for which they received 2,600 applications from season
ticket holders and members. However, Tottenham opted to take up
only 2,500 rather than put 400 remaining seats up for general
sale to non-members. All of which meant that 100 unlucky fans
were not able to buy a ticket.
The inference is that Spurs took a pre-meditated decision not to
go for the full allocation so that those fans who missed out on a
ticket would be ‘encouraged’ to watch the game at White
Hart Lane on the ‘big TV’, aka the Jumbotron. Oh, by
the way, visiting clubs do not receive any revenue from selling
tickets for away games. Spurs of course, DO receive revenue from
the big screenings. Just thought you’d like to know.
All of this is will be very familiar to those of you who remember
the fiasco that surrounded the Chelsea away game of a couple of
seasons ago when Tottenham pursued the exact same policy.
(Nov 8th - Trammenzani)
Not much news on today, but the Football Italia magasine has named former legend in the Nethercott sense of the word, Paulo Trammenzani in their Serie B team of the month. Another great talent lost to Tottenham....... it almost makes you nostalgic for Edinburgh
(Nov 7th - lookalikes?)
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I'll get me coat..........
(Nov 7th - Pleat to manage Bradford)
This is just the sort of offer that would suit both Pleat and the club very well. Pleat was originally introduced to the Director of Football role to act as buffer between Gross and Sugarlump, but with the arrival of Graham he role has been marginalised and he seems like a wasted level of the managerial hierarchy.
David Pleat, Tottenham's director of
football, faces an agonising choice after being offered a return
to frontline management in the wake of the sacking of Bradford
boss Chris Hutchings. Bradford chairman Geoffrey Richmond
believes Pleat's vast experience is the route to another unlikely
escape act for his Premiership strugglers and has already begun
the task of trying to lure him away from White Hart Lane. But,
while the former Sheffield Wednesday manager would welcome the
chance to resume day-to-day coaching duties, he is loath to turn
his back on a personal crusade to restore Tottenham's fading
image as one of the game's leading attractions.
As Richmond prepared to follow up his initial inquiry with an
official approach, Pleat was torn between taking up the challenge
and remaining with a club who have always been close to his heart.
After making his name as a shrewd tactician at Luton and Spurs in
the 1980s, Pleat misses the involvement of working with players
on the training pitch. Richmond, who appointed Stuart McCall as
caretaker-manager, will use all his powers of persuasion to
entice Pleat back to Yorkshire after carrying out his threat to
dispense with Hutchings barely five months after handing him his
first management job. But the indications last night suggested
that, with Pleat leaning towards continuing on his White Hart
Lane mission, the Bradford chief may have to look elsewhere.
(Nov 7th - Sherwood back to Watford?)
Sherwood might not be playing that well and might not ever get back after that injury he played with last season, but I really don't think we can afford to lose him at the moment
Tottenham have invited Watford to make a bid for former Hornets midfielder, Tim Sherwood. The England international has been linked with a £2.5 million move back to the club where he started his career, and Spurs Director of Football David Pleat has refused to rule out a possible transfer. "Watford are an honest club and we will talk to them through the proper channels if they are interested in making an offer for Tim," he said. The 31-year-old has struggled to repeat his form of last season at White Hart Lane but a stumbling block could be his £20,000 a week wages.
(Nov 5th - More on the Carr's unhappiness at the club)
Today's Spurs news has been dominated with the comments from Steve Carr about his contract negotiations with the club. Is there anyone who thinks Carr should take home less than Thatcher? Imagine a team without Carr (Sol, Rebrov & Anderton) - its called Tottenham 2001/2002
"The 24-year-old earns less than £4,000 a week - far less than many players at White Hart Lane. Carr - Tottenham's player of the year last season - has been involved in negotiations for a new contract, but says the offers made to him have been unacceptable. "I came to this club as a 15-year-old, so they got me for nothing," he said. "All I'm asking for is financial parity with other first-teamers, but the club seem to feel that as I have another three-and-a-half years on my contract there isn't a problem.
"I love playing for Spurs and would gladly stay, but they have to show me a little respect - I know the fans appreciate me working my socks off, but it seems the club haven't been properly prepared to reward me for this." Carr will have a final meeting with Spurs' director of football David Pleat on Thursday to try and resolve the problem. "It's make or break time," Carr said. "I just want to see it sorted out so I can devote all my thoughts to attaining success on the pitch. "I'm not sure how it will go, but I know one thing - the last time we met to discuss a new contract, what they offered me was nowhere near what I'd expected. "Unless there's a dramatic improvement in their offer, an agreement will be unreachable."
With Sol Campbell expected to leave White Hart Lane when his contract expires next summer, Spurs can ill-afford to lose another of their best defenders. Carr added: "It's just crazy, because the more they stick to their guns, the more it seems to me like they don't care whether I'm at the club or not." "
(Nov 5th - Transfer links)
With Sugar and gooner George annoucing that we were going to spend our way out of trouble last week, it was almost envitable that we would be linked with someone over the weekend and this weekend's turkey in Titty Camera, a player that was so bad, Gross was n't interested even though he signed Tramenzani. While this looks a nonsence, I am concerned that Stephen Clemence is being linked with Birmingham City. While he may not be the finished article, he is certainly improving and a valuable squad member, and lets hope common sence prevails and we tell the Brummies to do one.
(Nov 4th - Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland)
At the end of one of the most depressing weeks I can remember as a Spurs fan, this was a good result to lift the misery, although all the weaknesses in the team are still very evident. Things did not look to bright when the collective cheer that went up when Rebrov’s name was announced was drown out by the “faaaaakin hell”’s that greeted Vega’s announcement and the realization that we were playing the untried wing back 3-5-2 system.
My expectations were so low beforehand I would have been quite happy with a point, but a spirited opening by Tottenham had Sunderland on the ropes, with a rejuvenated Ferdinand going close following a deflection and Vega having an effort saved. Sorensen in goal for Sunderland looked like having one of those games opposition keepers have at the Lane where they save their best performance of the season. An Anderton shot and a Ferdinand header were further efforts on the Sunderland goal during the bright opening
The early Spurs pressure was backed by hearty support from the crowd. This was exactly the response the crowd should have given - no use whinging like spoilt rich kids during the game. This is not to say that I support Graham or Sugar, it’s just that during a game the crowd need to play their part.
There are still many things wrong at Tottenham on top of the injury crisis and despite the bright opening Sunderland began to get in the game more as Spurs tended to ditch the good short passing game which had served them well in the opening minutes and go long, with hopeful balls to Ferdinand as Rebrov was missed out of the play altogether
Graham adopted the 3-5-2 formation that finished the shambles against Birmingham in midweek, with Anderton playing in the centre and having a good match both in terms of passing and ball winning. Carr again was excellent on the right and Sherwood, despite not being able to pass properly to Spurs players, played a little better, as did Clemence, who apart from a few too many stray passes had another decent match. The weak link in all this was Thatcher who was truly shite. When he was n’t walking about disinterestedly or being miles out of position he was not bothering to tackle Hutchinson, who ended up with many glowing references as a result. The sending off was a blessing and hopefully will give someone else a chance to shine there before Treacle is welcomed back with a prodigal son reception
The defence was often left exposed on the flanks with Thatcher’s aimless wandering and Carr returning from attacking forays, but considering this was the first time that they had used the system in a match, it was a reasonable effort, with Perry taking Phillips and Vega grappling with the ex-goon streak of piss and Young, who had a good match sweeping between them.
Both teams had chances throughout the half with Sorensen excellent in goal for Sunderland and the Sunderland efforts not being of sufficient quality, either wide or straight at Sully. With about 10 minutes to halftime, the ball bobbled around in the Tottenham area and mad Ramon was there to claim his second handball penalty give away in a week. My heart sank, I could n’t remember the last person to miss a penalty against Tottenham and have no recollection of Walker ever saving one (although he has apparently). Phillips placed the ball and blasted over from a short run at the Paxton end and a great feeling of relief was felt all over the ground
Soon after Spurs were at the other end with their own good shouts for penalties, the first for a handball and the second when Carr, after another sweet interchange of passes with Rebrov, was taken down in the box. Referees waving away blatant penalty claims for Tottenham have become common place over the last couple of season and so it came as no shock to see the mincing Gallagher, who had a shite game, not give these decisions.
Ferdinand, who I have slagged off for his recent performances that have ranged from lacklustre to useless, had his best match for ages. Having a good time of it in the air with Varga, who would have looked more at home minding the door of a nightclub, and holding and distributing the ball well with his back to goal. Les smashed a fierce shot (similar to Korsten’s early effort against Chelsea), which Sorensen tipped over. From the resultant corner the ball missed the near post headers and rebounded off the knee of Rae? back to the near post area where Sherwood reacted quickest to slide the ball home.
The second half was a closely matched with both teams playing fairly well. Another refereeing shocker at the lane was completed when Gallagher adjudged Carr and Young to have fouled a Sunderland player, when it was obvious that Carr had won the ball cleanly. From the resultant free kick, Hutchinson rose at the far post and headed unchallenged across the goal into the far corner. The marking was non-existent, with Les jumping with two Sunderland players and Thatcher who was meant to be marking Hutchinson gormlessly wandering about elsewhere in the box
Armstrong, who had spent some time winding up the traveling Mackems who were dissing his Geordie background while warming up, replaced Rebrov who was probably not 100% after returning from injury.
The winner came from Carr winning the ball coming infield and passing to Sherwood, who instead of passing back to Carr fooled everyone by turning to his left and slipping Armo through with a clear run at goal. This was where Armo was at his worst last season, when he had time to think, and I’m sure this went through everyone’s mind, esp. as his touch seemed to put the ball too far ahead of him as he got into the box. But unlike the chances he missed last year, Armo looked composed and waited for the keeper to commit himself, before slipping it through his legs for a classy goal from open play
With 10 minutes to hang on, Spurs in their customary fashion made it difficult for themselves, giving the ball away needlessly. but hung on well and should have made it 3-1 when Clemence was put in by Ferdinand, but managed to blast over. Thatcher was dismissed for a bit of verbal at the end. A terrible bit of refereeing where he booked him for giving the ball away and a bit of backchat, so much for using a bit of common sense with a few seconds to go. This said, I won’t miss Thatcher when he’s banned, hopefully for the maximum term.
The last time Spurs were 5-1-0 or better after 6 home league matches was in “that” season, but the difference being they’d also won all their away matches and played well in doing so. This result, while good for morale at the end of a bad week, should not disguise the very evident problems at the lane which will not be cured by a few players coming back from injury and a bit of time
Sullivan 5/10 - His goal keeping was of a good standard, but his continual oofing goal kicks up field needs to be stopped
Vega 5/10 - Despite giving away a silly penalty, played Quinn fairly well, but never managed to convince
Perry 6/10 - Another decent game defensively where he handled everything with the minimum of fuss. His distribution as ever is his weakness, but overall played well
Young 6/10 - Eventually given a chance in the first team and took it well. His passing could be more accurate, but wasn’t the only one guilty of giving the ball away too often
Thatcher 2/10 - Really really poor. I would love to write one of these reports and praise this twat, but he gives me the impression that he has never played football, let alone left (wing) back before. More often than not out of position, weak tackles and sulking round the pitch. Was harshly sent off, but offers someone else the chance to claim the left back slot away from this expensive flop
Clemence 6/10 - Another decent game from Clem that was slightly marred by giving the ball away too often
Anderton 7/10 -Given the role he wants in Central midfield, Anderton had a good match passing well and tackling back. Lets hope he stays injury free and signs a new deal with the club.
Sherwood - 6/10 - Still not back to his best but is starting to play a little better. Gives the ball away too often but was less of a liability in a role that gave him greater licence to go forward
Carr 7/10 - Promoted further up field, Carr had another excellent game and is one of the consistently bright points of an otherwise gloomy time
Rebrov - 6/10 -What must he think when he looks at Sullivan, or who ever, oofs the ball up to the forwards for 50/50 headers all the time. As we’ve paid £11m for Rebrov, it might be an idea to play the ball to his strengths, his feet. When they manage to do this, especially from Carr or Anderton, he looks sharp and dangerous, at other times he looks lost in a long ball nightmare. Ferdinand 7/10 - Had a fine match, winning more than his share in the air along with good quality layoffs. Was unlucky not to score but did enough to suggest that he is not all over
Armo - Scored a goal he would have missed more often that not last season and looked sharp in a good return
(Nov 4th - Sunderland match thoughts)
A win would be some consolation in a shite week for the club, a win and Graham resigning would be even better! I'm of to the match soon with so little hope of a good performance let alone a win, I just hope the crowd do their part and get behind the team, leaving no one to blame but Graham.
Good to hear Rebrov is back and with a bit of lucj Vega will be "given a rest in the squad rotation" that Graham spoke so much about when getting rid of Ginola. I'd like to see King given a chance at the back to replace him, with Etherington given a go on the wing. Here's hoping!!
(Nov 2nd - time to spend money)
Graham has been his usual wanky self, going on about how much he won at the Goons and saying we were going to be relegated before he took over etc and although he insists there is no crisis, Sugar and him have decided that some money needs to be spent soon to buy some players. Too little too late as usual - the time to spend money on players was the summer of 1999 when we could have attracted some good ones as we were in Europe.
(Nov 2nd - my position on the Sugar/Graham debate)
Just to reiterate my position on Sugar -
I would like to see him gone as soon as and think his removal is
crucial to us returning to something like a decent club, but in
what is developing as a crisis situation, I would like to see GG
given the elbow immediately as should have some effect in
unifying the masses. Having the crowd behind the players is
crucial in our recovery
Spurs in 2000 (oh god, statto's at it again)
p 30 w 10 d 6 l 14 f 41 a 43
pts 36 1.20 pts per game
p 15 w 8 d 3 l 4 f 29 a 18
pts 27 1.80 pts per game
p 15 w 2 d 3 l 10 f 12 a 25
pts 9 0.60 pts per game
45.6 extrapolated points over 38 games
this will just about keep us safe, but is nothing to feel
complacent about, esp with the last five fixtures all being games
we could struggle to get points from
I've been wracking my brains to find a way of getting hold of £26m
to buy Sugarlump out and have devised a cunning plan - a 4 time
25/1 accumulator, placed 59 times with different bookies to avoid
maximum payout problems should produce the £26m with some over
for legal fees Anybody got any suggestions for the 25/1 shots!
(Nov 1st - the aftermath of the league cup debacle)
I'm interested to read about how the
debate has moved from Graham to Sugar. I think is unfair to
Graham who should shoulder the blame for our current malaise. I
appreciate that Sugar has been the custodian of our long term
fall from grace, but the removal of GG is a matter of urgency as
it was:
Graham spent £5m on Thatcher
Graham sold Ginola without replacement
Graham chose to play Vega instead of Young
Graham dictates the tactics and is responsible for the team
Graham picks the subs bench
Graham brings on a centre half for a midfielder at 3-0 down
etc and so on
Graham needs to be removed as a priority in the short term. This is crucial. Getting Sugar to drag his sorry ass out after him would be a bonus Think of Blackburn - qualified for Europe 98/99, knocked out early and failed to win in the league from Jan 98 til they were relegated May 99 with a number of high profile injuries that never came back
(Nov 1st - Danny Kelly)
Danny Kelly has written an excellent article which is reprinted here - click here.
Previous Months
October 2000 - loss upon loss, injury upin injury as the club go into free fall with one win, one draw and four defeats in our last 6 matches
September 2000 - Scrambled home wins see us rise to 5th, away defeats in the premiership and failure to beat promoted sides see us return to our level at 10th. A shambles against Brentford in the League cup & Thatcher challenges Phil Neville as England