22^nd February 2008 – Cup Final Thoughts "I really think that we are with a shout to lift the cup on Sunday. Ramos has the tic tacs to beat Grant and hopefully it will be the first of many in the Ramos era. 2-1 Spurs. 27^th August 2007 – What has Martin Jol done to deserve this? A week is a long time in politics and so it is in football. Spurs have spent big, and on the whole, the consensus of opinion is that we have bought quality. The price that we have paid for these players is a different discussion. This season all the premiership clubs received £30 million, so our board has not really spent that much, if anything at all, when you take into account players that the club has moved on. What a great board we have at this great club of ours? Investing a shed load of money into the team, to get to the promised land of Champions League football. Well, up to last week, I thought along those lines. Not now! When they arrived and took over from Alan Sugar, I and many others were glad that there would be a new injection of enthusiasm and our club would push on up the table. At once they sacked Graham and bought in Hoddle. At a stroke they were popular. Meanwhile, they began to buy shares, issue shares and low and behold there were subtle differences happening at the club, which made you think all was not right. Where was all this money coming from to buy players? Hoddle didn't last long and Pleat took over for what was to become a wasted season. Santini took over, but in a short while he was gone and Jol took over. A dodgy start, but soon things started to take an upward turn which resulted in that first season, of just missing Europe. The next season, saw an improvement of a fifth place, which could have been fourth, if it had not been for a perfectly good goal disallowed at Manchester and some dodgy lasagne. Last season saw us again secure a fifth place. Enough of the history lesson. This season, after two games whispers were heard that Jol was going to be sacked and that the bookies had stopped taking bets. After two games! It made the Derby County game a must win for Jol, which the team won, by four goals. The rumours would still not go away. During this period a Tottenham official was seen in Spain and talking to the Seville coach. What a way to conduct yourselves? What has Jol done to deserve this? From the outside, not a lot. It is now obvious that he does not see eye to eye with the director of football and in my view the manager was doing the business before we got this Arsenal reject. The board have shown themselves for what they are. Clueless, about football, but experts in taking money from the fans and sponsors. They are market stall boys at best and have made Spurs the laughing stock of the league, in the way they have conducted themselves.

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15^th May 2007 - Season 2006/2007, a season to remember

This season has been erratic, but in the end saw The Spurs finish in fifth place and another European tour! When I think back, there were times that I thought that we would not achieve Europe again and the club actually saying that we would enter the two bob cup, just to get us there said something.

Some games really stand out in this season. The drubbing at home by the mancs, the 4-3 win against the irons, beating Chelsea, but what I also remember is the fact that we lost against Sheffield Utd, drew at Wigan and Watford. Two of those teams went down and Wigan just survived on the last day! Nine points dropped. That would have taken us into the champions’ league. Why do we struggle against teams that are at the foot of the table?

The Fa cup draw made my blood boil. The Fa wanted Chelsea and Man utd to contest the first final to be held at the new Wembley, and they got their wish. We nearly spoilt the party and we should have won it at The Bridge. We played Watford on the Saturday and the replay was on the Monday against Chelsea. Why? I am sure Manure, Liverpool would not have wanted that. If the club want to break into the top four party, then we should start acting like a top four club and start throwing our weight about and not rolling over.

Opinions is one of the aspects of football that I enjoy, and technology would take some of that away, but it cannot take away fans booing a player (s) especially when they wear a spurs shirt. How can booing a player help him or the team? At the end of the game or at half time maybe, but during the course of the game, then no. The fans can be the twelfth man and can influence the game. However, when a player takes his shirt off and throws it to the ground, then for me that is it. Teddy, Ethrington and Ghaly, did just that. Teddy and Etherington did not play again and Ghaly has come out and explained his actions, and to be fair it was very brave of him to come out and do the lap of honour. My view is that he goes to another club.

Jol has done a great job. At last I don’t have to listen to Gerry Francis banging on about this stat and that stat which said he was a good manager. There were calls for Jol to go, but all teams go through a sticky patch and it is the way a manager and team come through it which will set them apart. Jol and the team came through it with flying colours. All Jol needs to do is either win a piece of silverware or get us into the promised land of champions league football and I can see that coming.

With the 2012 games approaching and Wembley completed, expanding The Lane or even moving came to the fore once again. When you look at the top clubs and Arsenal, you can see a pattern emerging. Mancs 76k, Arse 60k, Chelski 44k and the Scousers looking to move to a new 60k ground capacity. If we do leave it any longer, than the gap will become bigger. Chelski don’t have to move as they are bankrolled. I do think that the club will end up increasing the capacity, by either moving or redeveloping The Lane. The latest that I have heard is that they move the pitch around. That could well work as the club does own the whole block and most of the Paxton Road, where the ticket and offices could be relocated.

Never in the field of corporate money grabbing have I seen anything like it. Clubs freezing or reducing admission prices while spurs put theirs up! Ring tones, limited edition shirts with a limited edition price of £55, (why didn’t they make it £65 or round it up to £100?) credit cards, insurance etc etc, I might as well have my monthly salary paid direct to Tottenham Hotspur and miss out the middleman (me). It is a business but do these people have no shame in how they can fleece the fans?

Berbatov was the difference in the team. If we had not had him then I do not think that we would have achieved the dizzy heights of fifth place. Not only the goals he scored, but his link up play with Keane and Lennon have lit up the game. No wonder he made the pfa team of the season and our player of the season. Some fans say that he reminds them of Gilzean, but I am too young to remember his strike partnership with Greaves. Other team members who should be mentioned in despatches are Robbie Keane, Paul Robinson and Michael Dawson. Keano had a wonderful season and picked up player of the month with Berbatov. His overall play, goals and commitment was first class. Robbo (England’s number one) went through a dodgy spell but put all that behind him with some match winning saves and a goal as well. When all around him were in the treatment room, Dawson was still showing the passion and commitment he has for Tottenham Hotspur. I am sure if you were to cut him in half it would say “Tottenham Hotspur” just like a stick of rock. Players to leave The Lane? Mido looked like an overweight division two player. Murphy, another Liverpool reject. When will we learn not buy from them? Ghaly, shirt throwing, nuff said. Either one or both of our left backs and the same for Rocha and Gardner. We need another centre half, a left back and a player with a left foot to play on the left wing! Hey, that is revolutionary. The transfer window will open and we will see who comes in and who goes.

My Eyes Have Seen The Glory and The Cockerel Crows, the last remaining spurs fanzines finally called it a day. Selling fanzines on the corner of the Paxton and high road, I met some really passionate fans and I thank them for buying and stopping to have an exchange of views on our club.

Season 2006/2007 was a season to remember and next season should be no different and I can’t wait for the fixtures to be announced. Bring it on!

Mario Sergides

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