Jim Duggan's TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR site

SOL - A SEASON OF WORDS - make your own mind up
26th May 01 - CLUB STATEMENT ON CAMPBELL

Yet again, our new owners ENIC have come out of the situation with the Club's dignity intact, and our future under them looks certain to be so so so much better than the mismanagement under Sugar. This is the statement, with thanks to the official site www.spurs.co.uk

Sol Campbell will leave the club having rejected our latest contract offer.

The big defender is set to officially announce his intentions in a statement expected later today (Sunday) from Monaco where he is watching the F1 Grand Prix.

Campbell has demanded a £20m three-year deal including a clause that he can walk away from the club as a free agent if we fail to achieve a Champions League place by the end of next season. This we found unacceptable.

For our part, we had made Sol an offer that would have made him the highest paid player in our history and one of the best paid players in the Premiership.

However, there was no room for flexibility in his demands, leaving the club disappointed that this issue could not have been resolved six months ago when Sol Campbell stated that his decision was not about money.

In the meantime, we have brought in former England manager Glenn Hoddle and have signed two international players - Goran Bunjevcevic (awaiting work permit) and Teddy Sheringham - sharing our vision for the future with Sol and keeping him abreast of our intentions and plans.

We are determined that we will be a European competing club again, but clearly - and sadly - Sol does not share that view. In the end, no player can be bigger than the club and if he has made the decision that he does not want to play for us, then that is it.

We wish him all the best for the future and hope that he enjoys success in every way. We will certainly miss him

 26th May 01 - Campbell's statement

If these were the only reasons, why did he not annouce them when it was clear that we were not Champions Leaue bound earlier in the season & if Sol wanted to go for footballing reasons he should have left last season when the prospect of Thatcher coming in and Ginola going out, with the Goons in charge did not spell Champions League to many people.

Don't get me wrong - Sol has been a great player for us and good luck to him in the future (as long as its not with the Scum). He deserves better than the mid table crap or worse he has had to put up with in recent years, but the timing of his decision is as much money related as football.

In a statement, Campbell said: "Following lengthy discussions with Tottenham Hotspur I have decided to leave the club at the end of my contract on June 30, 2001.

"This has been the hardest decision of my football career.
"My decision has been a prolonged one. This is because I wanted to give the club every opportunity to have inputs into my future.

"I will be 27 in September and need to be playing in the major European club competitions sooner rather than later.

"My decision has been based purely on football. I have been at Spurs for 10 years and my commitment to the club during that time is there for all to see.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people at the club who have supported me over the last 10 years and would like to say a big 'thankyou' to all the fans."
26th May 01 - Carr's view on Campell

As ever Stevie Carr is on the ball with his comments about Sol - and I share his sentiments 100%

I'm back in Ireland enjoying my time off at the moment but I've seen the news that Sol has rejected Tottenham's highest ever contract offer and is to leave the club. I hope the fans won't have a problem with this. We're not in Europe next season and that's where Sol needs to be. In my opinion, he may have stayed at Tottenham longer than was good for him, and that's why the fans should wish him well.

I feel no anger or resentment towards him. He's been incredibly loyal to the Spurs cause. He's been here all his life and he gave 100 per cent right up to the last game he played. He's doing what is right for him and his career as a footballer. He has Europe's top clubs after him including three or four Premiership teams and wherever he goes, I wish him luck.

Sol is in a very strong position. I've played with him for years, he was here when I joined Spurs and I think he's become the best defender in the world. He should be winning trophies and playing in all the top competitions and the decision he has made will be based on that, rather than the money. I heard that Sven Goran Eriksson advised him to seek a club where he could play Champions League football and that's absolutely right and proper.

He'll be incredibly difficult to replace. I don't know who is available of the same calibre but losing him will be a massive blow to the club. He held us together as a team when we maybe weren't performing so well at times and as club captain he has the respect of everyone here.

I've talked many times about what it is that he gives to a team, I rate him highly enough to have put him in my Fantasy XI and the top clubs all recognise his qualities too. Good luck to him, he's a fantastic footballer and a great man who deserves everything he gets.

I'm often asked if I consider the Bosman ruling fair to clubs and I think that it is. The clubs had it all their own way for far too long and at the end of the day, we're the ones who go out and do it on the pitch every week. Sol has seen out his contract and is now weighing up where to go next. That's his right.

As I said, if Sol leaves it will affect everybody at the club including the fans but one piece of good news is that is Teddy Sheringham is on his way back to Spurs. Teddy proved with his Player of the Year Award that he's still one of the finest front-men around.

26th May 01 - More Club comment on Campell

I hope they don't engage on a slanging match with Sol over this issue, as the Club has handled itself well up to now. Sol's gone, we know the club did its best to keep him, but its over now and we should move on.

"Campbell has demanded a £20million three-year deal including a clause that he can walk away from the club as a free agent if we fail to achieve a Champions League place by the end of next season. This we found unacceptable," it read.
"For our part, we had made Sol an offer that would have made him the highest paid player in our history and one of the best paid players in the Premiership.
"However, there was no room for flexibility in his demands, leaving the club disappointed that this issue could not have been resolved six months ago when Sol Campbell stated that his decision was not about money."
Vice-chairman David Buchler added fuel to the fire when described Campbell's demands as "ridiculous", and told talkSPORT: "There was no question of the club agreeing to those sort of demands. Those sort of demands, frankly, are ridiculous.
"We are building, we need to build a team that is absolutely committed to the future rather than to the monetary side. In doing that, I think that's where we will achieve success.
"I think it is almost impossible when you are dealing with the amount of money being bandied about in the game. It's almost impossible to get to any sort of reason at that sort of level.
"At a certain level, it all gets out of reason and out of kilter. It'll all end in tears. We are not prepared to do this with our club."
26th May 01 - The Press Conference & Sol, part 179

Lots of huff and puff about the Sol Man over the last 24 hours - but here are the only quotes.

The club's executive vice-chairman David Buchler said today: "As a club we are disappointed that Sol's agent saw fit to release details of the discussion to the press. It takes two to make a contract, negotiations are continuing and we hope that these will continue in private arena. The club has offered him a contract which is probably the highest contract paid to anyone in English football today in order to keep him. That is how much we value him."

Executive vice-chairman David Buchler said: 'We have gone a long way to try to get near the demands being asked of us and talks are still going on.' Campbell's agent said further talks would take place early next week.

Judging from that the reported £80,000 a week wage offer looks like what has been offered but until Sol is quoted as saying he has turned it down, he is still favourite to stay with us. [on a personal note, I think we are mad to pay Sol this, as £80000 gets you Sol on £40000 and another one possibly two top international players with the rest of the money. I also hope that it does n't give Anderton inflated expectations over his current worth to the club].

Other things that it is not worth losing sight of include the emergence of King, Doherty, Young and Gardner, with the fairly reliable Perry and the signing of Bunjecvcevic, mean we have a number of good or better players at the centre of our defence, and that while Sol is a great player, I'm sure Hoddle can develop the other players he has at the club into an organised defensive unit. At Southampton, they went 7 games without conceding a goal this season with two bob players. Don't get me wrong, Sol would be a great part of the new Tottenham, but he is not the be all and end all.

Our major problem is in midfield, where we need a complete overhaul and up front where we need another top striker to go alongside Ted, Rebrov, Ferdinand, Iversen and Armo. I assume that there is only a certain amount of wages per week, so giving so much to one player where we already have strength in depth is probably not the best move in the long term - although that I appreciate that ENIC are doing their best for the club and to be seen to be letting hte Solman go would be equally bad.

Campbell 'wants £100,000 per week' - until I see this in quotes from either Sol or Sky Andrews, I just don't believe it as it does n't stack up with other stuff Sol has actually been quoted as saying

Vice-chairman David Buchler ensured the Spurs supporters that skipper Sol Campbell will not sign for arch-rivals Arsenal. With Campbell still mulling over his future plans, Buchler insists the one place Campbell won't be going is Highbury. "There's no chance of Sol leaving for Arsenal," he said. "He is a Spurs fan and there's not a hope in hell of him playing in an Arsenal shirt."
22nd May 01 - Ted's Talks, Ziege, Lampard, Gardner's injury and of course Sol!!

Last but not least - Sol - Again I have heard that Sol is more interested in the ENIC money going on wages of OTHER players to come in and make the squad one that can challenge for honours next season. I firmly believe that Sol is waiting for ENIC and Glennda to put in place a squad that is befitting of Campbell and one that has a chance of doing well next season. Lets hope the club move quickly and sign top players to keep Sol at the Lane, cos while we will survive without him, it would be great to have him at the helm when we take the Premiership by storm next season.
21st May 01 - The Sol Man

Today we actually have some quotes from the great man - "Going abroad is not in my mind," said Campbell. "The ball is in Spurs' court now. It is a typical type of negotiation situation. There are ups and downs and we have to find somewhere everyone is happy. I am in no hurry because I want to look at the whole picture. We will just have to wait and see what happens in the next two or three weeks."

Campbell's agent Sky Andrew held talks last week with Barcelona, but Campbell has yet to rule out extending his Spurs stay after meeting club officials on Friday. And the chances of Campbell remaining at White Hart Lane have been improved by the arrival of former England coach Glenn Hoddle.

"Glenn is trying to put a team together at the moment and when things go well it is a wonderful club," said Campbell. "You could see that when we beat Manchester United on Saturday. The atmosphere and the feeling were both great."

As I mentioned last week, the fact that he is waiting til the end of the season when English clubs can have the same access to him as the foreign ones have had since Jan 1st means that he is likely to stay here. I read this as a fairly positive statement, and his body language and lap of honour last week suggest that he is up for staying, as long as we have a strong squad for the start of next season.

I think Sol would be wise to have an opt out clause if we do not reach a European place/things do not go well next season and I think if he signs now, the club owe him that.

I was further encouraged by the words of Inter president Gabriele Oriali who hinted that Sol Campbell is set on staying at Tottenham Hotspur. Oriali stated that interest in Spurs star Campbell was likely to be ended by the player choosing to sign a new contract with the London club. "Sol Campbell seems destined to stay with Tottenham," admitted Oriali. "At the moment it does not look like he will move, but we will keep in touch with the situation."

16th May 01 - The Sol Man

The will he won't he sign seems to have reached new heights this week, even though the great man is miles away on Holiday. The club have spoken for the first time for a while on this issue today, and I was particularly pleased to see David Buchler refer to Campbell as a "man of honour".

David Buchler, Tottenham's executive vice-chairman, said: "We are looking forward to speaking with Sol at the end of this week. "He has been on holiday for the past couple of weeks having a well-earned rest, and we agreed that we would talk immediately after he returned. "We still hope Sol will commit himself to Tottenham and are looking forward to discussing his future at this club. "There are lots of clubs interested in Sol, but we know that he is an honourable man and any reports of him having agreed to join Barcelona are just rumours."

Whatever happens in this situation, it should not be lost that the Sol Man has been one of the all time greats at the back and joined a select few who have lifted a trophy for the club. He should be given 100% respect whatever his decision, as in the words of his song, "he's done his country proud" as well as Tottenham in the 315 matches since he scored the first of his 15 goals on his debut against Chelsea back in Dec 1992. It would be horrible to think that his last contribution in a Spurs shirt was giving away the foul (which he would not have conceded if fully fit) against Pikey Parlour for the Goon equaliser in the semi, although the manner of his performance against the Goons before this was showed both his courage and talent.

I hope he gets the great reception he deserves on Saturday when they do their lap of honour - whatever the outcome.

Sol - we'd love you to stay, but understand if you want to go (as long as its not to Arsenal or to a team not of the status you deserve). Do the right thing
13th April 01 - Campbell contract latest

Spurs owners ENIC have opened talks with Campbell and his advisors but no firm figures for a new contract have been mentioned.
"I will leave it as late as possible - but I am happy at the moment and that's the main thing," Campbell revealed. "We have got to have a few more meetings to talk about the situation.
"Maybe it will be before the last game of the season but who knows. There are a few more meetings planned.

9th April 01 - Sol's reaction

Sol is a hero as ever - giving his all despite his injury yesterday, but also because of the way he has come out and openly forced the people in control at the club to show some ambition. We love him and he loves us, its just a quesiton of whether he can be sold the ENIC dream, led by Hoddle. Lets hope ENIC can convince him to stay and more importantly make his vision of the team he wants to play in come true - and soon.

"Arsenal played well and deserved to win. They've set the standards that we've got to aspire to," Sol said.

"I've got talks with the club and then I'll make my decision, which has always been the case - but I'm staying quite positive. I've never had any big desire to leave
1st April 01 - The future of Sol, Pleat & Hughton

Sol's using his loaf - if as we all hope ENIC can persuade him to stay after removing both Sugar and Graham, Sol will sign, knowing that if it's all hot air (which I have every confidence that it won't be) he can get off and win something elsewhere - a situation that suits everyone.

Campbell said: "I'm tired of being second. I want to win things - with club and country. The situation is not just about me. As a club we have to move forward, and i'm sure Glenn Hoddle is not coming here to be second best. "Glenn Hoddle coming here is a positive move, it's what the fans want and the owners have gone out and got him. It seems they want to do the best thing for Tottenham, but we have to win things and move on."

"There is a lot of sorting out to be done, but I am sure it will be resolved."

After the excellent work old Pleaty has done in bringing in new young players and holding the fort as the Gooners were flushed away, I think it would be fitting for him and Hughton to be retained in their current roles supporting Hoddle and Gorman.
26th March 01 - Weekend review - increased Sol hopes

Sol said: "Over the next week or two I'll be meeting with the new owners and there will be discussions about different situations at Tottenham Hotspur. "They want to be successful so we've got to talk and see where we want to go as a club. These things take time. You can't rush them. I've had a couple of talks already and things so far have been positive. "I'm not looking to move if they convince me about the future. I want to stay at Tottenham.

"Whether or not a new manager is in place is not a big thing for me. As long as the club is healthy and things are in place, then myself and other players will want to join Tottenham or continue with them. "I want the club to do well and that's the main thing for me. If Tottenham is in a situation where they want to do well then people are going to want to join in and that includes me.

"They've (the new board) got a blueprint for the future. I want to see that blueprint and then make a decision." He continued: "I've been at Spurs 10 years now and I have been loyal to them. I've not spoken to any other clubs. I'm happy for me to do well for Spurs. That would mean a lot and is more important than any other offer. "I've been through four managers now but the main thing is keeping us winning and moving up the league and there's also the FA Cup semi-final still to come.

(Jan 5th - The Campbell and Anderton contact Saga - and another undignified outburst from Sugarlump)

Oh dear!! - Contract negotiations that seem to be being conducted solely in the media - which is good for no-one, especially the reputation of the club. I have to say - a god knows it does n't happen often - that Sugar and the Club have come out with more credibility than Sol on this latest media comment. I have been behing Sol 100% and will not begrudge him a move to somewhere more successful if the club do not invest in trying to build a top team - and all of his comments seem to be along the lines of I want to stay, but only if the club invest for a better future - but unless this was just a dig at Sugar - from which it seems obvious that Sol loathes - it does not add to his credibility. Anyway - make up yer own mind - all comments to follow:

First Sol's view

Sol Campbell claims he is hurt that Tottenham have not made him an improved contract offer during the last 18 months and is angry that the club have not made him another offer since he rejected their last one two summers ago. "Of course it hurts. In a way I am not selfish in that I want the club to do well rather than worrying about a contract and money," he told Sky Sports.
"I have been here over 10 years and it means so much to me to do well for Tottenham, rather than go somewhere else. I'm happy here but there's a lot of things to sort out off the field."The main thing is to get the club in good order and moving in the right direction. "The ball's in their court now and we have got to now move on and see what they do. "I have put my cards down and now they have to make their move. I am happy, I'm willing and I'm here to do business."

Then Graham

Spurs boss Graham said he would have been happier if Campbell had made his statement "person to person", and wants to see some progress on any new deals sooner rather than later with both players seen as crucial to the club's future success. "My attitude is let's get them round the table and get some serious talking done," "But so far it's nearly all paper talk. I haven't spoken to them and David Pleat is the first port of call as our director of football. It will all be done through official channels."

and then - oh shite motormouth is back from Holiday - Sugar (in one of his old fashioned outbursts).

Sir (sic) Alan said: “I am absolutely astounded at Sol’s comments. They imply that the club has not been trying to get him to stay. “This is so far from the truth that I am at a loss to understand what motivated him to say these things. “We have had endless meetings with him and his agent, all of which were fruitless; each time the clear message coming across was ‘Sol does not want to discuss a new deal’. “His latest comments make me, David Pleat and George Graham come across as idiots or even worse, liars. [no comment - I think the three unwise men do a good job of that without Sol]

“We have publicly stated many times that we are ready to sit down and discuss a new deal but we have been unable to get him to the table. Why on earth would we refuse to make him an offer? There’s no point making offers to someone who refuses to talk. “We turned down £15m for him, this showed our commitment to keep him at the club.

“With the ongoing saga of Campbell’s future with rumours of him going to Manchester, then abroad on a Bosman, does Sol think anyone is going to believe what he is saying? Everyone in football knows we have been desperately trying to keep him. “The fans are not stupid and he should not try to make fools of them. “I am disappointed he has chosen the media to pass messages to the club. If he wants us to make him an offer we are delighted to do so but the fans must not be misled by his recent comments. “They are hurtful and, for the life of me, I can’t understand why he has said them.”
(Jan 1st - The Sol man's statement)

A great bit of news to greet the new year as the Sol man states that he wants to stay at Tottenham - but reading it all - it sounds very much like his "steady eddies" statement of Oct 2000, where he said that the club management need to take a chance to get some good players around him to make Tottenham a great team again

Sol - as reported on 8th Oct 2000 - Sol, the top man that he is, has again laid down the conditions for him to remain a Yiddo next season. 'We're a big club and, sometimes, you have to take a chance in life. "It's no good being a Steady Eddie and standing still, you've got to move on and take a gamble, if necessary.  We didn't really progress last season after winning the Worthington Cup which was a shame - but that was down to picking up a lot of injuries. "We need to acquire some quality players, big signings.  Most of the other big clubs take a chance now and then and it doesn't normally go against them. See JMDview - October 2000

So in effect there is no change - although the statement could be due to mounting pressure in the media or an assurance from the new owners. Its one of those situations where we get two good things - Sol and an ambitious management set up willing to buy good players or a double nightmare of another "Sugarlump" and Sol leaving,

I'd love Sol to stay at Tottenham & Its not over yet - pen to paper will be when I believe it - but I trust Sol to do the right thing - if its not right at the Lane - he owes no-one and deserves a chance to better himself, but if they buy the right players and show ambition, we know we'll have the Sol man at the heart of them - which is excellent news

That statement in full: "Sol Campbell has indicated he wants to stay at Spurs. Our super skipper’s contract runs out this summer and he is free to talk to clubs under the terms of the Bosman ruling as from now. His availability sparked stories on Sunday that he was the subject of a huge contract offer from Spanish outfit Valencia.

But big Sol has finally come out and said what the fans want to hear. He said: “I’m not going anywhere – now or in the summer. I’m here, why would I want to move? Tottenham are a fantastic club. “I have been here all my career and for me to do well at this club means everything. “Just because I have been here for so long doesn’t mean I have to move for the sake of it.

“When you look at Tottenham and the following, it is unbelievable. The stadium is fantastic – all the ingredients are there. “Sometimes you have to take a gamble and go for it. The new owners are in so let’s see what they can do. “I don’t think about what contract I’ll be offered. The first thing is to get Tottenham back on track from top to bottom.”"
(Dec 3rd - The Sol Man)

Sol has spoken again regarding his future. I respect Sol and whatever he does will be fine by me (expcept of course if he joins Arsenal) and agree that he has demonstrated great loyalty to the club and does not need to make any hasty decisions.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR captain Sol Campbell has promised that he will not speak to other clubs while he is still a White Hart Lane player, despite his future after his contract ends next summer being uncertain. The England international defender's Spurs contract expires at the end of the season and he has yet to agree a new deal with director of football David Pleat. Manchester United were interested in a £17 million swoop for him in the summer, and not signing a new deal as yet has meant that speculation that he will leave the club has raged in recent months.

However, in a show of loyalty to the club at which he has played since a trainee, Campbell has now promised not to agree a move to another club while he is still wearing The Lilywhites' shirt. "I can assure everyone that I won't be signing for another club while I am still a Spurs player," said Campbell. "There have been numerous times when I could have just walked away and said 'I've had enough, I'm leaving.' "I haven't done that because I want to be here.

"It annoys me that people question my loyalty to the club. Is eight years of your career not loyalty? How many players have stayed that long at a club? My position has not changed from day one. I always said that, when the time is right, I will talk to the club about my situation. "I have always maintained a good relationship with the fans. I have always spoken from the heart when it comes to Tottenham and they respect that. "That in itself shows how much I think about the club. It's not the attitude of a player who couldn't care less, who throws in the towel at the first opportunity.

"I still believe Tottenham can be a very successful club, that we can move forward and challenge the top teams for honours. "I'm as ambitious as the next player. I want to win the Premiership and I want success in Europe but, most of all, I want to believe I can achieve that here."

(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.
(Oct 29th - Campbell is no Spurs fan, fumes Graham)

"'Sol says he's a Spurs fan, but I'd doubt that,' said Graham. 'If he was, he'd listen to what the club had to offer. >I think we could make him easily one of the best paid players in the country - but we can't make him an offer if he won't talk.'
'Sol won't speak to us until the end of the season,' reported Graham. 'I want him to stay, he knows that and I >think we could match anything he was offered by another Premiership club. But I can't influence his attitude, I just have to get on with my job and make provision for the future.'"

What a scum git

Sol has made no secret that he will not stay if the team are shite, and with a helping hand from Graham they are still shite. Sol has done his bit at Tottenham and should be given a hero's send off (as long as he avoids Arsenal/Chelsea), while Graham should concentrate getting us in the Champions league, a move that might keep Sol rather than antagonising him
Hypocritical wanker, what was it he said - don't criticise the players, get behind them - he's a faaaaaaaackin caaaaaaaaaaaaant
(Oct 8th - Coventry demo & Sol request to Sugar)

On the www.theyids.co.uk website I have spotted a demo planned for Saturday's away match with Coventry. I fully support this demo (although I hope its not overtaken by those muppets at TAG) as long as its confined to peaceful protest and not during the match, but Graham has to go.

Sol, the top man that he is, has again laid down the conditions for him to remain a Yiddo next season. 'We're a big club and, sometimes, you have to take a chance in life. "It's no good being a Steady Eddie and standing still, you've got to move on and take a gamble, if necessary.  We didn't really progress last season after winning the Worthington Cup which was a shame - but that was down to picking up a lot of injuries. "We need to acquire some quality players, big signings.  Most of the other big clubs take a chance now and then and it doesn't normally go against them.

Sol - we're all with you mate