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TOPSPURS |
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The thoughts and views on THFC
updated daily from Jim Duggan - Shelfside season ticket holder, White Hart
Lane resident & supporter since the early 1970s |
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31st October 2001 – No News is No News No News day – No
news today other than Anderton has realised that Spurs pay his wages and
after going on about playing for England every time he has a half decent
game, he’s paid some lip service to wanting to get us back in Europe. I realise I’m often a bit harsh on
Anderton – mostly for what he says rather than what he does on the pitch and
I’d just like to clarify that I think its great that he is getting back to
his best form for us and its great to see him play well for Spurs. |
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30th October 2001 – Daily Round up Perry – Perry took time off from his mid morning grazing to issue a statement regarding his first team place “"At the moment I have got the position in the side and I am playing well. As far as I'm concerned it is up to him (Bunje) to try and get me out of the team." One can assume this was not said with the Boro goal going in on a video in the background! I seem to spend a lot of my time defending Perry from unjust stick, but think that Bunje, Doc and Gardner will all feature in front of him when they return to fitness. This is not criticism of Mr Ed, who is excellent to have around the squad as his recent form has proved. It’s just that we are very strong in the central defensive department, and some of the others are better ball players. Sir Les – Les has finally broken his silence on the Rebrov/Ferdinand debate. I think Hoddle is correct to use Les as Sheringham’s partner, and while he’s a little way off being the 25 goal a season striker we need – he is doing his best and for the most part doing a good job. I’ve got the distinct impression in recent matches that Les does not feel he is getting the recognition he thinks he deserves – his morale cannot be helped when hearing fans chanting for Rebrov and not him, despite scoring in three of the last four premiership matches, and it was noticeable that he applauded the Newcastle fans first at St James when he was subbed. Les in his own words: "I
think this is the best spell I've had at the club. I'm staying fit and I've been
pleased with my form so far. I'm scoring goals but all I need to do now is
start scoring a few away from home. But I think I can get even better because
I'm enjoying my football and I think that shows in the way I'm performing. I
am going to keep my place for as long as I can. I am not going to say to
Sergei 'here have your shirt back'. I understand his disappointment and
frustration at not playing but I'm certainly not going to let him back in
easily. It has been the manager's choice to play me so far and I've always
said when I'm fit, I feel I will play. I am just pleased that I'm playing
well enough to keep Sergei on the bench. I came back for preseason in very
good shape and the management saw that I had conditioned myself and had the
bit between my teeth. "I have seized the opportunity since I have been in. I feel good and I'm playing well and if the manager keeps faith with me then I'm happy. It will be a loss if Sergei decides to leave because we need as many strikers as possible with the injuries we have. I won't think 'yes I've made Sergei move on' if he goes but at this moment in time me and Teddy have started and we are working well together. It is frustrating for Sergei but that's football sometimes." Ian Hillier –
Another Jamie Clapham situation possibly as Welsh U21 defender Ian Hillier
has made his loan at Luton permenant. Hillier never featured in the Spurs
first team but looked a useful prospect nonetheless and we wish him well with
former Spurs Joe Kinnear as they challenge for the third division title |
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28th October 2001 – The real Rebrov Story, Gardner & Burkinshaw Rebrov – My snout (who has never been less that 100% accurate and is a complete star) has confirmed that Rebrov did indeed have a knee injury and there is no story. He will presumably retake his position on the bench when fit again, although Rebrov’s morale looks pretty low – not getting in the team and now injured. Much of the worry about Rebrov’s situation at the club could have been avoided if they would have announced the subs along with the first team at 2.30 when the players were warming up and it was obvious that Rebrov was not amongst them and Kamanan was. He is such a high profile player and his absence should have been explained. More stuff from the Snout – The legendary Keith Burkinshaw has been seen around the training ground and reserve matches and the word is that he will be appointed in some formal capacity with regard to scouting operations. This will be great news and it will be great to have the man that developed the great Spurs side of the early 1980’s back at the club. Gardner continues to progress well and hopefully should be close to first team action very soon, and just as importantly he is held in high esteem by senior members of the coaching staff, while the Doc’s long road to recovery continues to go to plan, with a January comeback planned. Thoughts on Boro the day after – Thinking about the Boro match with a bit of hindsight, although we did not move the ball with fluency of previous matches, much of this was related to Boro doing their homework on us and denying us the scope to play, and all in all we should be pleased that we got the points from a team and type of game that has often been a banana skin in the past. What I’m trying to say is that, I’m more happy with the match on reflection and that it does show our progress. Manager Stats: The win also elevates Hoddle to 9th in our overall managerial rankings – with 1.50pts per game (compared to 1.29ppg the Goonersaurus). Taken just on this season which equates to 1.55 ppg and a final league points haul of 59 – considerably higher than recent seasons and with more improvement in the team to come, there is no reason why we cannot be in the low 60’s points at the end of the season and Europe. These are good times at Spurs. Leeds & our record at top 5 away ground L No-one expects us to get anything at Leeds, but if they underestimate us and we play well – we might be able to get something at a top 5 away ground for the first time since……………well here goes ManU – 6 straight defeats, two goals scored. Last point Mar 1995, 0-0. Last win Dec 1989, 1-0 Arsenal – 2 straight defeats, – Last point Nov 1998, 0-0. Last win May 1993, 3-1 Liverpool – 5 straight defeats, (although two cup wins). Last point Mar 1996, 0-0. Last win Aug 1993, 2-1 Leeds – 4 straight defeats. Last point Dec 1996, 0-0. Last win May 1996, 3-1 Chelsea – 5 straight defeats, one goal scored. Last point Nov 1995, 0-0. Last win Mar 1990, 2-1 We wish Hoddle every success to stop the rot! Effenburg (again) : The lederhosen wearing one has obviously got out of bed the wrong way again and decides he wants to be linked with us again. Despite last week saying he wanted Herta Berlin and a whole host of other clubs. While he wages are reasonable at £800,000 a year, the question is would we be better off as a whole with him – a quality midfielder is needed, but we don’t want him ruining team spirit. We trust Hod to do the right thing. The midfield veteran is available to Tottenham boss Glenn
Hoddle on a no-fee transfer but carrying an £800,000-a-year salary demand -
still a snip by today's Premier League standards. His contract runs out at
the end of the season and already he has been offered to a personally-chosen
group of Premier League clubs with the hint that, for the right deal, he will
be available immediately. Spurs are one of the 33-year-old's choices and have
been contacted by his representatives. But Effenberg, recognised as a supreme
playmaker, also carries some excess baggage. He has also gained a reputation
as being too single-minded for his own good on occasions, an attitude which
has involved him in numerous public rows with his managers, coaches and
team-mates throughout his career. Effenberg wants to spend them in England, despite receiving
offers to stay in Germany from Hertha, Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen.
Effenberg is currently injured, although he is expected to be fit within two
weeks, but had been dropped previously this season and there is no longer a
regular first-team place in prospect with Bayern |
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27th
October 2001 – Match
Report - Tottenham 2-1 Boro Spurs go within 4 points of the top with a 2-1 win over
bogey team Boro with second half goals from Sheringham and Sir Les
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27th October 2001 – More news on the minute of contempt |
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24th
October 2001 – thoughts on the SmogMonsters One good thing about the North East of England – there are some good nicknames going about. We all know about the Geordies in Newcastle and the Mackems in Sunderland, but less well known are the ones are the Monkey Hangers (Hartlepool – for hanging a monkey which they thought was a Frenchman) and the SmogMonsters of Middlesboro. Middlesboro, even by the North East standards is not an attractive place – but it has a club that for some reason has always done well against Spurs. Spurs have only won 21 of the 64 League matches between the clubs, with Boro victorious in 28 and the other 15 drawn. They also have 4 Premiership wins to our three, but with 5 draws, this has been the most common result in recent seasons. Spurs have 3 draws and three defeats before you can find a Spurs win, which was sealed with a Sinton goal late in the 1996/7 season. With due respect to them, when you think of who they are – this is a shocking record! Spurs have been playing their best football for years and should win this fixture comfortably, and while I think this is the most likely outcome – probably 2-0 with a few missed chances! – I have this small nagging feeling that despite all logic, they could spoil the “third league win in a row for the first time since Aug 1999” party because they usually do well here. At the very least, lets hope it’s a better game than their last visit. My training ground snout tells me that Treacle is fine and will play on Saturday which is excellent news as it should mean an unchanged team for the third match. He also said that Armo was on the way back and should be in full training soon which is excellent in terms of back up and competition for places. |
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26th
October 2001 – Trust Election Result The 8 people elected to the Trust committee are as follows in alphabetical order: Jimmy Brecknock, Anthony Chappel, Peter Haring Bernie Kingsley, Trevor Payne, Derek Ridgers Karen Smith, Daniel Wynne Topspurs would like to wish them all the best in their new roles, although I am surprised not to see Ali or Paul Smith amongst them. |
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26th
October 2001 – From the guardian Letters page –Thursday October 25, 2001 “If I am no
longer going to be arrested for possessing cannabis for my own consumption
(Cannabis laws eased in drugs policy shakeup, October 24), shouldn't I be
able to grow my own? By doing so I will help undermine the gangs of serious
criminals that import the drug. It is ridiculous that I can purchase the
seeds, lights and fertiliser legally, and yet as soon as the seed sprouts I
become a criminal. Jason Cundy (address supplied) “ Is it from our
Jason Cundy? Great if it was! |
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25th
October 2001 – Trust Meeting & Frenchman on Loan Montero On Loan – Maybe Taricco's injury is as bad as it looked!! Sedan defender Jean-Louis Montero has arrived ona weeks trial. If he impresses he may well land a permanent switch. The right back started the season as the French side's first choice full back, but he has since lost his place in the team and has not featured since the end of September. If Montero did impress Hoddle then he would be available for a nominal fee as he is out of contract at the end of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust – The THST's first AGM will take place at Whites, Paxton Road – Tonight at 19:30 hrs. It's very important to attend, especially if you haven't yet voted for board members via your postal ballot Online Ticketing – The on line ticketing promised earlier in the season is progressing well and should be available in the near future. This will allow people to see the view from their seat and looks a progressive move. |
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24th
October 2001 – Daily Round up That Picture – today’s Spurs news has been dominated by a great picture of what really happens behind the scenes at Scumbury
Gorman’s away comments –"It was lovely and we want them to see a
lot of performances like that, we want to see 4,000-5,000 going to watch us
away from home now because they'll certainly see a good display." While I know Gorman can do nothing about this – we were only
given 1500 tickets for Newcastle, 1600 for Fulham and god knows what else the
ticket office is going to pull in terms of not taking up allocations. The
message is you get us 5000 tickets for away games – and we’ll fill them up!! Bunje ready to return – Good news with a few of our injured players coming back and lets hope Bunje continues to build on his impressive start at the Lane. He has come thro a second match with his face mask and although not 100% happy with it, would like to be considered for Saturday. While its good he wants to get back, with Ledley, Richards and Perry playing well at the back, he might as well wait until he is fully recovered. Welcome back Mullers – The impressive start to the season has seen our profile raised in a number of ways, and former Spurs player Alan Mullery, who was always quick to put the boot into Sugar is now singing the praises of Hoddle’s Tottenham. With the profile high and things going well, the club owners should speculate to accumulate and try and lure a top quality striker to finish off all the good work the rest of the team are doing. There is no better time to try and sell the club to someone like Phillips or Fowler. Mullery:"Glenn
knows the traditions of the club, having been there as a player, and is
taking those traditions into the way he is coaching the club. It is the way
he used to play football. On a short-term basis, Glenn has made some very
good signings. Teddy Sheringham and Gus Poyet are out-and-out footballers. |
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23rd
October 2001 – Daily Round up Just like to give a small mention to one of the people who is standing for the committee Daniel Wynne. Many of you know Daniel through his media work, and on a personal level I am 100% sure he would do a good job for the trust if elected. We disagreed on many Spurs issues at the start of the year (Graham and Sugar mainly ;->), but he will always listen to a different point of view and is good at reconciling people with differing positions - which is essential for committee based work. Still in shock after meeting Sully last night – a great honour. |
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22nd
October 2001 – An evening with Neil Sullivan Premiership on Monday – What a weekend – still asleep at 8.45 at Kings Cross Thameslink, I get a call from Spurs legend Daniel Wynne – “Do you want to be a guest on the ITV premiership show – Sully’s a guest?”. It did n’t really dawn on me til later in the day what an honour this would be – to meet the man who polled 80% of the vote in the 2000/01 player of the year and a real favourite. Sully was a top lad and devoted 20 minutes to us two – answering all our questions, signing autographs and being a good lad. I also learned that Ledley loves “his” song – and they all sing it to him in training. |
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21st
October 2001 – Super Spurs win at “Just a small team in Scotland” Third win on the trot – In all honesty, Spurs did not have to get much out of second gear to be far superior to a poor Newcastle team. Spurs played well when it mattered in the first half and we worthy of at least the two goals we scored – the second being particularly noteworthy, and scored in the style of Hoddle’s Spurs. After not getting back til 12.45, the match report will be up tomm. These are good days for Spurs and we should make the most of tehm after the shite times under the Gooner and the Black knight of Chigwell Just a quick mention for Chesterfield Spurs John Golding, who I shamefully left out of my Liverpool report, but met again today – top lad, and it makes you proud that these lads travel all over the country to see us home and away. |
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20th
October 2001 – Edinburgh has scored again! & Treacle Contract extension It happens once every 3839 days! – This is how a Portsmouth Website described the event “Pompey took a flattering lead on the 40th minute, when Robert Prosinecki - who had been reduced to a largely cameo role - put a perfect corner to the far post and Crouch's nod back was prodded home at the far post by Justin Edinburgh. His first Pompey goal and only the third of his career. His only goal for us was on 17th April 1991 and he played 276 matches for us. A true legend! Treacle Contract extension – The man who replaced Ricky at left back, and is doing a great job at Right Wing Back Treacle, has signed a two-year extension to his contract at White Hart Lane, keeping him at the Lane until Summer 2005 – which is great news for everyone. Lets hope he can celebrate with a win tomm at Newcastle. |
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19th
October 2001 – Thoughts on Newcastle Get Carter – To say we have struggled at Newcastle in recent years is putting it mildly – lost 7-1 under Mullethead, and the 6-1 under the Goonersaurus in the cup nearly two years ago, amongst several defeats. Our last point was when Carr won a penalty converted by Anderton, a week or so before we lost to them in the 1999 semi. In fact our last win was in 1993 – when Sheringham scored the only goal, when we wore out light blue away kits. It is conceivable to argue that was the last “Tottenham style” Spurs team to travel there, and hopes of another win are fairly high after a couple of good results, and a number of good performances. Newcastle themselves have been going well, notably with a 4-3 win over Man U, but some have suggested that they have been getting more points than their performances deserve – and while it will be tough, if Spurs play well and defend as a unit once we lose the ball – we should not lose, and hopefully get a win. Ferdinand has done fairly well against his former club since his move to Spurs and is likely to get the nod again in front of Rebrov, after the latter’s outburst has made it difficult for Hod to play him without losing face. The rest of the team should be as Monday night, with a decent bench consisting of Rebrov, Davies and even Sherwood to cover key positions. Like every Spurs match under Hoddle, we travel hopefully and know that we have a chance. COME ON YOU SPURS! Hod had this to say about Newcastle. “Result-wise Newcastle have crept up there on the blind side.
Now they are in that position I feel it's a good time to play them because
people are aware of them, focused on them and saying 'hang on, they must be
doing something right' to get where they are. I
think that puts a little pressure on them and I think it's a good time to go
up there especially on the back of two good results. We're looking forward to
this game. They are a very attack-minded team, they go for you at home and
perhaps leave the back door open at times. We've got make sure we defend
properly, defend shrewdly and I think can get a result."
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18th
October 2001 – Daily Round up Rebrov – Again the debate continues in the press with
Rebrov adding “I'm used to stay on the bench and leaving Spurs is possible. I
want to play and if I don't, I'll leave. Andrei Shevchenko told me AC Milan
are interested, but I don't know what will happen.” If we do sell him to Milan, I hope it is a
swap with Simone Inzaghi or for a fee well over £15m – although in all
honesty I’d rather he stayed and was in the sort of goal scoring form that
would make it impossible for Hod to drop him. You say “Tano”, I say “Treacle” – With both Hod and
Poyet referring to Treacle as Tano, I suppose that is the nickname that will
be associated with him. The good news is that Hoddle is starting to realise
what a good footballer he is "Tano is playing
very well, he's somebody that when I came to the club I didn't know much
about and he's been a pleasant surprise. He had a 12 months of hard time with
injuries so it's good to see him progress. More good news for Treacle when it
was revealed that he will get no further punishment for the tackle he did on
Graveson in the Everton match. While it was n’t good, it was out of character
and Graveson, who was meant to be out for months, was playing within a couple
of weeks Injury update – Good news is that Steve Carr is on course with his injury that has wiped out his 2001, and all being well he should be back before Christmas. Less good news is that the Doc will be out until the end January at the earliest and has a metal plate in his broken leg. We wish them both a full and speedy recovery. |
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17th
October 2001 – Daily Round up Hoddle on the Rebrov “situation” - Hod has come out and played down
the rumours “Until Sergei comes knocking on my door and tells me has a
problem here, it is not a concern for me. That hasn't happened so far and it
is just paper talk as far as I'm concerned. As the season goes on he will
have a part to play, but I can't say whether he will play next week against
Newcastle. There is no rotation policy here. I just pick the team I feel is
best equipped to cause the opposition most problems. Lets hope Rebrov and Hod do speak, and not in the press as
this will do no good for anyone – but it must be said that it looks like
their relationship is fatally flawed and a move looks on the cards for Rebrov
when European transfer windows reopen. Shreevesy -A bad day for Peter Shreeves, as he resigned from Sheff Weds. After saving them from the drop last season, he had a bad start and has decided to hand the poisoned chalice of the Sheff Weds job over to someone else. Another former Spur, Terry Yorath is taking temporary charge. For better memories of the under-rated cabbie - click on http://www.topspurs.com/pshreeve-1.htm and he also features pretty well on http://www.topspurs.com/thfc-managers-index.htm. We wish him well in what ever he does next, and another stint on the backroom staff at Spurs could be an option. Marcus Stewart -For no reason whatsoever, we have been linked with the Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart. He follows a long line of England hopefuls like Cole, Philips and Fowler, but unlike the last two – he is not someone I would be keen to sell Rebrov to buy – although I’d quite happily offload Iversen for him! Arsenal Tickets -The usual acrimonious scenes were played out yesterday with members ringing up for Tickets for the Arsenal match. I think for games like this, the Ticket office should allocate them to the fans who have seen most matches. While this is in favour of the most affluent supporters, it is the best way to avoid the misery of being on hold in the queue at the ticket office. The club also said that it would be selling tickets “on line by the end of September – with two weeks gone, things have been very quiet on this front. Barthez - I’ve no great grudge against Man U, although like everyone else I do like watching them get beaten in Europe – but it was made extra special by that little wanker Barthez costing them the game. I have yet to see a player who’s talent is so much less than their hype - and if you add the flash arrogance to that, his cock ups become all the more satisfying. It was also noticeable that as he trudged off, not one of the Man U players came over to him |
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13th
October 2001 – Financial statements Annual Report - I’ve had a quick shoofty at the financial statements and will be doing a more thorough review when I have more time (whenever that mystical time may be), but everything looks in order. The debt/gearing is coming down from £20m inherited from Alan “I saved the club and ran it soundly” Sugar to £15m (compared to £90m at Chelsea) and much of the reported loss was due to writing down of player assets, which very sensible, prudent even!. It has long been assumed that Levy would take control, and it makes good sense to keep Buchler aboard as he knows as much as anyone at the club about the business after his review in the preceding months. The only area of concern was the absence of ambition in terms of big named signings. While I’m sure everyone applauds the investment in youth, Spurs need to be able to compete like clubs of our size and stature. We were ranked 15th by turnover last season – in between Serie A winners Roma and recent Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund. If they can do it, there is no reason why we cannot. I have been assured by sources close to the club that there is a £30m pot (minus Richards) waiting to be spent by Hoddle. I hope these statements were just there to ward off people only interested in the money. Levy goes on about the famous name of Tottenham Hotspur – and while it is to people above 25 who can remember the great days, we need to have more great days to introduce the great club to the next generation of fans. I’d like to be able to say that there is only so much time that we will be charged premium prices for an on the cheap operation – but this is Tottenham, and most of us will turn up and pay whatever is charged. |
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13th
October 2001 – Tottenham 3-1 Derby & Site problems 1400th League win for Spurs - Super Spurs strolled to their 1400th League win (125 Prem, 964 Div 1, 311 Div2) with some excellent football against a modest Derby team. Everybody played well, but Ziege, Sheringham and Anderton were a joy to watch playing football in the Spurs tradition. |
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13th
October 2001 – Weekend Round Up Fucked by a virus - Topspurs was done by the SirCam virus on Saturday morning – totally taking out my machine and meaning that I have not been able to update the site until Monday evening at the earliest. Bastards – but just in case you missed the message board warnings – DO NOT OPEN ANY EMAILS SENT FROM MY MAIL ADDRESS WHICH HAVE ATTACHMENTS OR “TOP SPURS - SEPT O1” IN THE TITLE. Apologies for all inconvenience caused. Rebrov & Striker Talk - Hoddle won’t play him and he wants to go – the equation is pretty simple for Rebrov. The agent said: 'Sergei is not
very happy at the moment because someone of his level has to be playing. I
would say something has to happen in the next month. If Spurs don't want to
sell him, there is nothing we can do under the terms of his contract but
there are ways and means. Sergei doesn't want to leave, he wants to play. But
he may decide to go if this carries on indefinitely. It doesn't make sense
having him on the bench because the more Sergei is not playing, the more his
value decreases and that's not good either for Spurs or the player. On the face of its, it is a little surprising that 35 year old one league goal Ferdinand can keep him out, but Ferdinand fits the striker system Hoddle is trying to play, and although he has not looked like scoring too often, he has worked hard for the team and done what Hoddle has asked of him. The only problem is that Les and Ted are both in their mid 30’s and are not long term options. While it will be a shame if Rebrov is sold, it could turn out to be for the best in the long run, if Spurs can re-invest the money in someone like Phillips, Fowler or even Yorke and get the proven goalscorer we desperately need to finish off our good play. |
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11th
October 2001 – Daily Round Up Robbie Fowler Over a day and a half since the story broke and still no official denial by either Spurs or Liverpool. My snout gets the impression from the people he speaks to that the Management would be keen for Spurs to get Fowler, and although there is another Champions League team waiting in the wings, we have the advantage of regular first team football and a chance to play with Teddy. We await developments with interest! TOPSPURS Crossword In association with Spurs fan in Israel David Graniewitz, a crossword is available at www.topspurs.com/thfc-crossword.htm, or go via the option under multimedia on the menu. Many thanks to David for this. Sir Les The great man must
know time is running out for his first team place and is reported in the
press as having said "A few more goals certainly
wouldn't go amiss. I do brood on things if I haven't scored in a match. League Cup Draw Various stories have gone about that the draw has already been made and that we have either Newcastle or Man City in the next round, and then the winners of Arsen*l/Man U after that. Which ever way you look at it, it could have been easier – and we must hope the gods are with us with a home draw against either Man City or Newcastle, and then again against ManUre or the Arse – not just for the team, but for us supporters as a midweek Moss Side does not appeal in the slightest! |
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10th
October 2001 –Tranmere 0-4 Spurs--The Fowler link--Unemployed w*nker--crap
joke Match report –
Tranmere 0-4 Spurs Robbie Fowler: The equation is quite simple with Fowler – he is a
player we cannot afford to miss out on if he is genuinely available for us to
sign. For a fee of around £10m (which we allegedly have without having to
sell Rebrov – its only a third of what was apparently available for
Shevchenko) – we get a goalscorer, the player to get on the end of all the
good moves we are making and chances we are creating. Fowler is guaranteed
first team football on a regular basis at the only top club, which can offer
him this, without serious competition. Fowler has had his problems with
injury and daft antics with Le Saux and the white lines, but if Hoddle is
serious about him, I’m sure he has a strategy to deal with this side of
Fowler and all in all – the sooner the better! Why Sky persist with the Goonersaurus as a summariser is beyond me – Spurs
fans hate him and he hates us. There are plenty of ex-Spurs out there that
have not been banned from the game for a year for wrong doings that would be
glad of the job, and us glad of them. In an effort to help them along, we
thought we’d look into the topspurs crystal ball for their futures: http://www.topspurs.com/thfc-thebigissue.htm
Latest news reports advise that a cell of 4 terrorists has been operating in Merseyside, Liverpool. Police advised earlier today that 3 of the 4 have been detained. The Merseyside Regional Police Commissioner stated that the terrorists Bin Thievin, Bin Drinkin and Bin Fightin have been arrested on immigration issues. The Police advise further that they can find no one fitting the description of the fourth cell member, Bin Workin, in the area. Police are confident that anyone who looks like Workin will be very easy to spot in the community. (with thanks to Man City’s very own Gavin Horton) |
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9th October
2001 –Tranmere 0-4 Spurs |
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8th October
2001 – Daily Round up – Tranmere/Black Market tickets Again we are without a number of players – but at least we can welcome back the good the bad and the ugly The Good – Bunjevcevic. What a hero, coming back to play for Spurs in a protective mask after Hasawank broke his face. Good lad, and I sure every Spurs fan salutes you, esp. considering the injury crisis which leaves us with only Ledley and Mr Ed that are not injured for this match. (POST SCRIPT – Apparently the Doctor has allowed Bunje to train, but he is not allowed to play – bollox – god help us if Mr Ed or Ledders get injured!) The Bad – Thatcher. Fatcha was quite simply one of the worst players I have ever seen last season for us, BUT that nightmare is over for both him and us and he starts this season with a new manager and a clean slate. The bad news is that he might actually play, with Ziege having a knee injury from the weekend and is not in the squad. This is a good opportunity for our 4th most expensive signing to finally establish himself at Spurs, and I hope he takes it and turns in a great display. The ugly – Sherwood. Gets in front of Fatcha as the ugly on the basis of his bad Barnet, but they could quite easily swap. After watching Paul Scholes give the ball away or give hospital balls every time he received the ball on Saturday, I’m not sure I could stomach a Sherwood virtuoso so quickly – at least Scholes did have the good grace not to point inanely all over the pitch before giving the ball away. Like with Fatcha above, Sherwood was dire to abysmal last season, and one can only hope that a summer’s rest and being left out of the squad for a little longer than he would have liked has spurred Deadwood on to capture the form he showed when he first arrived. Again, I would be delighted to see him turn in a great performance and make a mockery of my slaggings of his play – being ultra positive - you never know how much having to play with that injury during the end of the 1999/2000 season affected his play last year. But at the very least, Sherwood along with Fatcha, as long as you do your best and run your heart out for Spurs – we will support you. It is also a big game for Poyet and Anderton (who will probably start in front of Davies), as the form of the young Welshman is making it such that these two cannot hide behind their reputations forever. I would also like to see Fergie given a run out as Sub. Squad: Sullivan, Keller, Taricco, King, Thelwell, Perry,
Thatcher, Davies, Leonhardsen, Sherwood, Anderton, Freund, Poyet,
Etherington, Sheringham, Rebrov, Ferdinand, Ferguson. You could n’t make it up – Club clamps down on Black Market tickets!: On the day the ticket office announced that it has lost not just the Tranmere, but also my Leeds tickets – it launches its “war” on the ticket touts! What if my lost tickets end up here, after they could not write the correct address on the envelope (for £35 service charge per ticket, even though they go to the same address)! A quick tip to apprehend a ticket tout – stand by the petrol station on the high road, and wait 5 minutes to be offered a ticket once every 10 seconds! No wonder members complain about not getting tickets. This is a serious issue, and I’ve copied the club statement below Club clamps down on black market tickets Have you sold your ticket or match voucher on? BEWARE. We've got our eyes on you.
In-house investigators tracked down over 250 tickets that had been sold on
the black market before last Saturday's big game against Manchester
United. These tickets originated from Club box holders, Season Ticket
Holders and Members. The re-sell prices for this match were exorbitant. Names
have now been passed onto the ticket office and the Club are seeking to
prosecute anyone touting tickets including ticket agencies. Ticket office manager Karen Murphy said: "We do care about
how fans are consistently exploited by touts at White Hart Lane. We are
constantly trying to improve our technology to ensure it becomes harder for
these unscrupulous 'supporters' to purchase match tickets. We will continue to work with the
police to improve the situation throughout the season." If you have been a victim and purchased a match ticket from an
unauthorised source then 'help the Club help you' in prosecuting the persons
responsible – please contact 'spillthebeans@spurs.co.uk' The Club would like to remind all Season Ticket Holders and Club Members both books and match tickets are non-transferrable. Any supporter found to be selling match tickets or books to a third party will be banned indefinitely without compensation or re-imbursement and may be prosecuted |
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6th October
2001 – Teddy and the ex-Trainee score as England qualify England 2-2 Greece: As I mentioned earlier in the day, it was
always going to be a lot harder than people were making out, but I did not
think it would turn out to be the struggle it was, and all credit to the
Greeks for making a game of it, but a special vote of thanks must go out to
all the Finns – who’s teams heroic performance in Germany enabled England to
progress with only a draw. And a special message to all our Finnish friends: Me kaikki englantilaiset tervehdimme teitä urheita
suomalaisia loistavasta England needed the Tottenham connection of Spurs captain Sheringham to score first and then ex-Spurs trainee Beckham to score the injury time equaliser. A quick word on Beckham as an Englishman, he was brilliant today – and if we had another 10 out there with his commitment and talent we might stand a chance in the finals. Quick Quiz – Who is this? Makes his debut for a North London team in a year at the start
of a decade and plays in a 2-1 cup final in the year ending one, and is rated
as a future star, but is absolutely useless for the rest of the decade, as
his club goes on the decline. First answer?
Edinburgh of course, but I can see Ashley Cole going the same way, and
hopefully the goons with him, and at least Edinburgh emerged from his cup
final with a winners medal! Of the other Spurs
in action today – Davies had a good match for Wales, delivering a perfect
cross for Fatlump Hartson to score, and although he missed an easy chance
later on to get his first International goal, he had a good match, and it
only seems the reputation of both Poyet and Anderton that is keeping him from
an automatic first team place. Ziege had a good match in his recall to the
German side, but must be disappointed. Sully also had a great game for the
Jocks, but he like the rest of us will be disappointed that they, along with
the rest of the countries from the home nations have not made it to at least
the play offs. News on Leo as it comes in. So far, no news of any injuries, which is good. |
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6th October
2001 – Friendly match vs DC United DC United: Spurs are set to face American opposition next month, with Major League Soccer outfit DC United to travel to London for a benefit match. The three-times MLS champions are one of four US top-flight teams to travel to Europe. The matches, which will be formally announced by the clubs on Monday, are in aid of the victims and rescue workers of the September 11 terrorist attacks. |
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6th October
2001 – Weekend Round up Injury Update: Dean Richards agent Ian Elliott "He turned his knee in the game against Manchester United last weekend and he went into training on Monday feeling a bit stiff. With the international break and Dean being cup-tied for the game against Tranmere, it was best for him to rest and not risk anything. It's not serious and there is no problem." Letter 2 Willem: Friend of TOPSPURS and all round good geezer Daniel Wynne, has put together a letter on behalf of the Tottenham Hotspur supporters Trust to Willem Korsten after the sad news of his retirement earlier this week. A fine gesture – the letter can be read here www.topspurs.com/thfc-willemletter.htm Some have suggested a benefit match for Willem. This is a noble gesture and the Danny Thomas benefit match sets a definite precedent about what the club should do for players forced to retire prematurely. But what about Maurice Norman, a true Tottenham hero of 411 matches, including 41 of the 42 in the double season. He was forced to retire after breaking a leg in a match against a Hungarian XI in 1965, and was offered no benefit match, as the club did not do that sort of thing then. Maurice played as a hero for Spurs fir 10 years during our greatest time and in an era when footballers were not as well paid as today, a belated benefit match would set the record straight. Just a thought. International Matches: Lets hope all the Spurs on International duty have good weekends, and most importantly return fit and well for training on Monday. As an Englishman, I naturally want England to win today, although I think it will be more of a struggle than the 1/6 odds quoted by the bookies. England have a good record against the Greeks, with 6 wins out of 7 and the Greeks only registering one goal in all of those matches, but back in 1983, they did manage to get their one and only draw on English soil in a European qualifier. On a personal note, I hope Dabizas has a shocker for the Bubbles – two and a half years after his blatant handball (and the blind Durkin) cost Tottenham a cup final place against Man United (which would have equalled up the cup final wins at 9 each and stopped them winning the treble) , although I hope the crowd afford Karagounis a warm round of applause before the match for scoring the winner for Panathanikos against Arsenal recently |
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4th October
2001 – Daily Round up Players Strike?: Its looks as though the proposed players striker could affect the Spurs matches with both Derby County and Newcastle United. Having already booked my two Newcastle train tickets at the cost of £92 – I assume that the clubs will refund these if the game is postponed and also pay for the half day or more off work I will need if the game is re-arranged for a midweek evening. Greedy bastards on both sides – firstly, the TV companies should give a greater proportion of money to the players, but equally, the PFA would be better funded if it took a percentage cut of players wages. Locker Room debate – Andy Cole: Cole has been quoted as saying that Hoddle would sign him if he had the chance, even though the great one said that Cole needs five chances for the one goal and club captain Sheringham won’t talk to him. We need somebody with the scoring record of Cole, but not Cole. |
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3rd October
2001 – Korsten forced to retire Korsten: Willem Korsten has been forced to retire at the unfortunately young age of 26, after scoring 3 goals in 27 first team matches for us. Korsten arrived in the summer of 1999 for a fee of £1.5m as Graham’s replacement for Ginola after scoring twice in seven appearances on loan from Vitesse Arnhem at Leeds. Unfortunately, like the previous player we nicked from under Leeds noses, John Scales, Willem spent much of his time injured and failed to convince when given the opportunity in the first team. After some impressive pre-season matches, Korsten picked up an injury before the start of the season and did not get back into first team contention for 6 months – making his debut in a dreadful 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Weds in Jan 2000. Willem went on to make a further 8 appearances that season but did not impress, suffering from a loss of confidence and not being played in his preferred position. Korsten’s form and morale never recovered while the Goonersaurus was manager, and while he demonstrated a powerful shot, his overall contributions (admittedly often out of position were very weak). For many of the fans, Korsten’s career was a bit of a joke, and another stick to beat Graham with as he had purchased him to replace Ginola, who was player of the year at the time of the transfer. Injuries soon after Hoddle's arrival meant that Korsten got a decent run in the first team, and he showed his first real signs of ability in the brilliant second half comeback against Sunderland which saw Spurs comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2. His first Spurs goal away at Anfield soon followed (when I know for a fact I was the first Spurs fan ever to start a Willem Korsten chant [super willem Korsten]), but a mad sending off against Chelsea in between seemed to sum up his luck in our colours. He returned from suspension to have his finest moment in our colours when scoring the first and third goals in a 3-1 win over Man United. Even with his improved form, I was sceptical about whether he would ever scale the heights for us, but thought that he had shown good character to come through a difficult period and at last showed something like his best form. No one knew where Korsten was over the pre-season as the rest of the squad assembled and only in August was it revealed that he would be out for at least 4 months. The news of Korsten’s early retirement will sadden football fans everywhere, and I would like to take the opportunity to wish Willem all the best in whatever he turns his hand to next (many players forced to retire early, seem to do well as Managers). All Korsten’s details can be found at |
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2nd October
2001 – Daily Round up Hoddle: "There is bound to be
speculation because he is out of the team. I'd expect that. "But it is a
long season and the situation is always likely to change. "I'm aware of
the speculation but I've not heard from Sergei or his agent." Gorman: "It's only the usual -
people making something out of nothing because Sergei hasn't been in the side
lately, he's been substitute, so there is speculation. It's always the way.
"He is very much in our plans. Every game is different and the manager
has said that. He's missed the last couple of games and that's where the
speculation comes from. "It's hard because players want to play and they
should be disappointed if they are not. Sergei wants to be in the team and
that's why he's frustrated. Other than that it's just speculation. The plight of the Goonersaurus: Graham continues to be linked with Leicester and lets hope they get the useless wanker – I had to laugh when I read this from Graham’s agent: "George is interested in talking to any club that has ambitions to match his own." One wonders what these ambitions are? And do they involve paper bags, buying shite players and going on about the Woolwich Nomads without reference to the fact they sacked him for being a scumbag. At least it would get the cunt off doing the sky summary’s – why do sky use him for our matches – his is a convicted trickster who was banned from the game for a year and Spurs fans hate him? Welcome to TOPSPURS: Big thanks to Fernando Carvalho for providing me with a welcome to topspurs in his native Portuguese http://www.topspurs.com/thfc-welcome2topspurs.htm - anybody got any others? |
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1st October
2001 – Daily Round up I should imagine Tottenham Hotspur as a PLC are just about
the largest company in the borough and it looks like the club are putting
pressure on the council to get them to develop the transport infrastructure.
All in all it’s a step towards retaining WHL as our home, although with the
usual guarded caution. From the
official Site:
Haringey Council has approved our plans for the redevelopment of the East
Stand at White Hart Lane. Today’s
East Stand was built in 1934 and refurbished, still using the original
structure, in 1989. It’s two
remaining supporting columns restrict viewing from certain areas and it lacks
the general facilities associated with a more modern structure and enjoyed by
our other three stands. There
would be two levels of corporate boxes in between the three tiers of seating
beneath an overhanging roof to match the North and South Stands. Toilets, refreshments and all other
facilities would be enhanced and completely modernised. Goran Bunjevcevic: I often say, as long as a player does their best and tries their hardest for Spurs, they will always have a good word for them at topspurs (which is why we love Mr Ed, when all around slag him), and coming back early from his broken face by wearing a face mask, gets the thumbs up from me. Well done Goran. Spurs defender Goran Bunjevcevic is hoping to back in action
for the Worthington Cup tie against Tranmere next week, face mask and all.
The Yugoslav is to wear a special face mask, similar to the one once worn by
Gazza and Gary Mabbutt during their time at Spurs, to protect the shattered
cheekbone. Bunjevcevic:"I start
training again today (Monday) and I am going to play with a protective mask
like Gazza once wore. I am having it fitted later this week and I will be
able to train fully and then wear it when I play" Peter Taylor: Another reason to dislike Leicester is that they sacked Spurs old boy Peter Taylor. It would be justice like know other if Gooner George took over, spent all their money and relegated Savage and the whole orrible lot of em! (Although I would feel sad for Walker). The good news for both Taylor and us is that Glennda has said that he wants the some time Norman Wisdom impersonator as part of the coaching staff at the Lane. This would be another excellent signing to the back room staff as Taylor has an excellent reputation as a coach (and we should remember his success at Gillingham and with the England U21 to show that he is still a good manager). My favourite Taylor memory was when he was running with the ball, stopped to pull up his sock before carrying on – you had to see it! I look forward to him joining after a couple of weeks in the sun. Rebrov: Rebrov's agent revealed: "There are no official bids but Rebrov has informally talked
to AC Milan and Lazio. The player has got a 5-year contract and would love to
stay but he will leave if keeps on sitting on the bench." Equally, Spurs don’t
need a player who wants away. I think this situation needs sorting and soon. The
best business Spurs could do would be to swap him with a decent Serie A
striker who is young quick and scores goals - then everybody is happy. If its Lazio – a straight swap with Simone Inzaghi, if its Milan, his brother Pipo, and if its Fiorentina, Nuno Gomez. Maybe Roma will do a swap with Batistuta! Chances of swaping Serie A for Spurs? We can but dream. My own preference would have been for Brazillian Jardel, but he has recently signed for Sporting Lisbon. |
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