TOPSPURS

COLIN ASHBY COLUMN

Last Updated: Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 11:27 PM

 

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June 30th 2004 - Why do they dislike us so much?

The press I mean, almost every week there is some article or another that belittles this club of ours.

When we signed Santini, Patrick Collins had a go because we did not sign an Englishman. An Englishman? Who is there? Alan Curbishley- large contract, big pay off? A Briton? Martin O Neill, who does not want to leave the comfort of a Scottish premier club, so who else was there? Is Collins really having a go because we have tried to think about the bigger picture and the future? Does he really believe there is a local who we can get to take the job who has the skill and qualifications to achieve what we want without paying a ridiculous sum of money in compensation? No he does not like it because that does not suit his personal take on English Football clubs.

Only this week there have been snide comments in the Sun, Steven Howard writing “Spurs fans your having a laugh if you think Santini is the answer.” When it was reported that Trezeguet spat on Santini’s back, the Sun again used this incident to say that this shows the lack of respect for Santini and will affect his standing at White Hart Lane. No castigation of the phlegm spitting retard that had let his country down by his failure to deliver at least one good performance in the competition.

I think the problem lies with us the fans, and our expectation with the club. These reporters are supporters of other clubs, and most of them suck up to other clubs. So if you take Collins for example who I believe is a United supporter, he does not like Chelsea or Arsenal, or Liverpool, but they are always there or thereabouts, in Europe and attracting media attention. So he has to suck up to them to show that he is “unbiased” So when they both replace foreign managers with foreign managers. He does not ask “what about local talent”? Newcastle is a slightly different kettle of fish at the moment, because dear old Bobby is still in charge, when it was Gullitt, they attacked them in the same way.

So take away these top clubs who they believe sell newspapers, then there is a cluster of clubs left. Some who fall into the “dear old” category Portsmouth, Bolton, never expected to achieve anything and are there to make up the numbers. So Redknapp and Allardyce get good press. McClaren at Middles borough is ok at the moment as he is ex Man Utd and assistant to Sven. This leaves a few clubs who could with a bit of attention and proper management break into the upper echelon, and therefore by their presence have an impact on the top. That’s where we come in. We the fans know this. We the fans expect this and demand this, by radio phone ins, texts, emails and letters to the press.

Writing about us and giving us good press only appeals to us. The rest of the league and supporters of other clubs hate us for our pretentiousness, clubs like West Ham, Charlton and Southampton, even Bolton and Fulham. They see us as one of them, rarely achieving anything. How dare we fans think we are better than them, or even rise above them? So when an editor or a reporter considers an article about Spurs, it is,”who will want to read it?”  Is it the thousands of Spurs supporters or the hundreds of thousands of supporters of other clubs who want to see us rubbished?

Ledley King was selected into the England squad, you could hear the questions being raised, when he was picked because Terry was injured, the press almost went into a blind panic. He had a good game but in unison they did not expect him to play the next game if Terry was OK. Terry did not have a good game; he did not have one really good and solid game in the finals. He looked slow, and gave away too many free kicks. King came on as a substitute, and covered well. The Croatian second goal, from a free kick, given away by Cole, should have been cleared by Terry who was standing in front of the scorer. The blame was levied at King. King had to return home because of the complications arising from the birth of his child. This has hardly been covered in the popular press.

When we had Klinsmann, Popescu, Sheringham and the like and entertaining crowds week in week out, we got good press. Arsenal fans hated it because they were boring, even though they were grinding out results

So I now rest my case, the press do not like US, that’s right they do not like US the Tottenham Supporters, the fans. We are pretentious, we live in the past, we expect too much, and we have ideals and expectations above our station. So when they rubbish the club, players and everything and everyone else associated with the club. It is done to patronize the supporters of all the other clubs who are also-rans in the premier league, and have a go at US.  I just hope and pray that the arrival of the new coaching and management team, together with some players in the right places will begin to see a steady progress, then they - the press will have to sit up and take notice, and then you will see a changed attitude.

 

4th June 2004 - Santini

Well we can at least breathe a sigh of relief. Levy proved that he was not the Nero of football, fiddling away while his club burns.

 

I am pleased with the appointment, not particularly because it is Santini, but it shuts everyone else up, and proves that Levy  has not been wasting his time. After all he did say a long time ago that he would be making an appointment in the Summer, and he has delivered.

 

Yes I know I have had a pop, and will continue to do so. He is chairman of our club after all, and until he gets it completely right, we are all entitled to  have our say and criticize what we consider to be inadequacies and failings. So just to get in a manager  of international standing and shut up the rags with there continual piss taking, is only the start. Now he and Frankie boy have got to get it right on the pitch.

 

One thing is for sure, that neither he nor Arnesen will have a full knowledge of the players at his disposal, and quite frankly Santini will not even begin to think about this until sometime in July, when pre season will have already started and the team are off on their jollies playing friendlies here there and everywhere.

What we will initially expect from these guys will be their ability to attract big name players, and hopefully get them working to a similar ethic, dare I mention it, to the Arsenal players under Wenger.

 

So Daniel you have come out of the Lion’s den, reasonably unscathed, your reputation has been given a bit of a boost, now take it onwards and upwards.

 

 

1st June 2004 - Picture this scenario…

Man and woman sitting down to breakfast- May Bank Holiday Monday. “ Danny baby, like the new top you are wearing, but why has it got the initials FA?”

“ I had it done specially for the new technical director, to make him feel welcome, but got the size wrong, so the girl in the ticket office suggested I should have it. Even suggested putting “Sweet” in front of the letters.”

“That’s nice of her, they seem to like you?”  Anyway, why are you looking so miserable? “

“I have just seen this post on a web site”, and he reads –“I am reminded about an old article from late 2001 in the Investors Chronicle which selected Levy amongst the “…the countryıs top executives each year according to missed opportunities, poor strategy and decline in shareholder value”

“oh Danny that’s unkind, I think you are very clever the way you are running that football club, look at the way you saved them from relegation”

 He sighs “ I didn’t save them, they didn’t get relegated”

“So what’s the problem? You have got them a new manager haven’t you?”

“Well he is not actually the manager, I did try and get Arsene whatsisname but got an Arensen instead”

“That’s good isn’t it? the name’s similar and he is  a foreigner?”

“They still need a coach though, and I don’t mean a bus.”

 “ Why don’t you just forget football for today and let’s relax together, like we do for the rest of the time?”

 “ No I can’t sweet thing, I want to prove that I can run a football club. I want to be liked. I want to be successful. I want the team to be in Europe. I want them to win things”

 “ of course you do darling, and I want it too, where can we live in Europe?”

 “no I don’t mean moving there, I want the glory the success, then the share price will go up and I will be RICH.”

“ I still don’t follow, you got rid of one manager, nine months ago and now you are getting rid of Pleat, wasn’t he any good, and why do people keep on referring to him as a kerb crawler? And what is kerb crawler?”

“A kerb crawler is someone who slowly drives round places like Kings Cross and St Pancras and picks up prossies.”

“ Really and how do you know that Daniel?”

“ Stick to football dear, you are getting out of your depth.”

“ Daniel, the way I see it is that you stop making promises you cannot keep. Get out and get them a good coach show him that you mean business, use the money that you are getting in from the share issue to get new players, get the fans behind you. Get them a good football team that people want to come and watch, that has team spirit and passion, then you will be able to sell out the stadium every game. Win a cup, get them into Europe and build from there.  Your share price will go up , and you may be able to sell at a big profit to a rich Russian. It seems quite straightforward to me. Stop dithering and start acting, then people may begin to respect you.”

“ I don’t understand this football business”

“ Neither do I and I am a woman”

 

 

17th May 2004- Column update

What a relief that’s over. Please God we do not have to endure another two years like the last, they are certainly the worst extended period of misery I can recall in over 50 years of supporting them.

I wanted Hoddle to succeed I will admit that, but he should have been removed at the end of last season, and not allowed to prolong the agony. I was confident that Pleat would not succeed; he is so out of touch. Yet who do we congratulate for getting Keane, Kanoute, Defoe and now Robinson? The whole sorry saga smacks of rank bad management stemming from misguided individuals at the top.

I have seen the stats, and once again our home form has kept us safe, and that poor away record, lets us down. Many have written that it is our lack of fight and commitment that has been our biggest downfall, it must also be said that skill and confidence have also played a significant part.

The clear out has started Poyet as was expected, Ziege injured too often and Anderton? Bless him “sick note” writes that he feels let down and still hopes to figure in The England squad again. Come off it being unable to play too often and then going missing when he did play did not make him the great player that we all hoped he could have been. I am confident there will be more departures before the new season starts. Will Keller stay? Will there be another season for Richards? What about the rumours about Postiga, Kanoute, Carr ? If Pleat goes, it will surely mean the end of his backroom staff, especially Chris Hughton? Clive Allen? The changes will be many and expect quite a shock to the Tottenham system this summer.

The speculation as to who the new manager will be, will reach a crescendo in the next couple of weeks. Read all of the Spurs related sites, and there are split opinions as to who the best man can be or will be, or even should be. Whoever it is I hope and pray that it will not be someone who is going to continue to make this club the laughing stock it has become. Someone who can inject some pride into the way we play some passion and commitment and who will endear himself to fans and media alike so that we can enjoy a period of good press, look forward to the weekend game, watch them play on Sky and not expect them to embarrass us with another defeat. Even look forward to the Sunday and Monday papers, to read a good report of a classy performance. 

The fact that we have a goalkeeper and central defender, who are good enough to make the England squad to Portugal, with a striker almost on the plane, does augur well for next season. I like the number of younger players we are either buying or bringing through. Gardner will make it, he needs a confident player alongside him, then watch him blossom. Kelly is new, I remember what Carr was like when he first started playing in the first team, he was a lot worse than Kelly that’s for sure. Davies will improve with fitness and confidence. If Redknapp can stay injury free he will get better and better. To be fit to play a premier league game is one thing, but to play a premier league game being fully physically and mentally fit is a step further, and it takes time to achieve.

I am not going to write any more about Pleat, although he feels he has been made a scapegoat for all that has been bad, he has not endeared himself to those people who effectively pay his wages , and that is us the fans.

Finally two aspects of being a fan. I was talking to a guy who sits near me in the West stand, I know he has a number of tickets and although he is not always at the home games, when he does come brings along a number of very small children. We were talking about renewals, just before the Blackburn game. I had renewed and he told me that he had and had bought NINE season tickets, I told him that I knew of three more that would be available near us next season. He bought those as well 12 ST’s at £915 a pop. Now there’s a fan prepared to put his money where his mouth is.

Another guy I know, has just taken a weeks’ holiday- no he hasn’t gone off to sun himself, he has taken a part time job for a week, that pays reasonable money. With that he can afford to buy his Season Ticket in the North Stand, congratulations Will you are truly a real Spur and I hope that whatever the new season brings you feel that the hard work and sacrifices you have made will prove to be worthwhile, for it is people like you who make this club the great club it is. [ed – and I’d go along with that]

The close season will soon be over, and they will be back in training for 2004/5. I was going to write “ it cannot be any worse than last season” but I almost wrote that last season, so I will not tempt fate.

 

 

5th May 2004- Column update

I went into a restaurant the other day; the food was crap and the service diabolical. I asked to speak to the owner, and complained especially as the bill was high. He explained that he could not get a good manager, the staff had no respect for him. But he was planning to open a dining club and that if I gave him a year’s subscription  in advance, I could join. I asked him who he was hoping to get in to turn the situation round, he would tell me but I should trust him. He fully expected that he would be able to sort his problems out, and it would be a good investment for me. I asked him what would happen to my fee if his promises did not happen.

Of course this is not real, but it is exactly the same as Levy asking for money now for next season.

The season is all but over, the worse in our Premiership history, and we can only be thankful that there are three teams worse than us in the league. Now the rumour and speculation will gather weight, is it this man is it that, will Pleat stay, which players are earmarked for the chop, who are we going to buy? The two most important factors are who will take over as manager and whether Pleat is going. The strength and ability of the former will be dependant on whether he has the cloak of doom -  Pleat, sitting on his shoulders.

Whoever the job goes to will be a thankless task, because he will be appointed by a board that has continually shown that while they are in office, they haven’t a clue on how to run a successful football club. Others have said it many times with the size and support that THFC get we should be up there with the best. The fact that we are not is down to continual mismanagement, and ineffective Managing Directors who pick more than useless team managers.

The writing was on the wall at the end of last season that we would struggle this, the record of results from January 2003 to the end of last season showed we were in free fall. Somehow the middle part of this season gave us a life line,  and a false hope, but once again the record from January 2004 to the end of the season puts us in a weak position. A bad omen for next season! Yet the strange thing is that when you look at our line up and team players playing to the full extent of their ability, you would expect us to be able to put up a decent fight and make a game of It.? So the weakness is ineffective management and poor coaching. Management is about getting the best out of the players, giving them confidence and moral fibre. A manager may do this by power, anger, persuasion, coaxing, encouragement, fear and of course positive leadership. The coach/es work on skills, positional play, individual strengths and weakness, team strengths and weaknesses and patterns of attack and defence. When the manager we have can not get the trust and confidence of the players at his disposal, he must go. This means that no matter that his role is Director of Football, and he has been caretaker for almost a season, he has to walk; his pride should make him walk, before being given the boot.

Sadly though all the ranting, emails and writing that will go on between now and the start of the new season will fall on deaf ears. He will still be there at the start of the new season, and many of us will be sceptical about the appointment of the new manager. The players we bring in will be doubted until they start to perform. The pressure will mount to renew, but come August the club will start the new season with the same fantastic support that it always has had, because the beginning of a new season, brings renewed hope, anticipation and expectation. Here’s hoping, wishing and praying. WE have earned it, WE deserve it, WE ARE SPURS!

 

 

10th April 2004- Column update

I have just read Jim’s editorial, and I know I am a bit older than him, but I know exactly how he feels.

There is a masochistic part of me that says, maybe we should be relegated, just to show the wankers in charge how they have screwed this club over the past few years. The ineptitude of so called business men who have constantly failed to see the bigger picture, of having a team that competes at the highest level with the potential rewards that are on offer. Appointing second rate administrators and team managers and coaches, clinging on to an old has been and giving him a high paid role to continually undermine both the coaches and the players with his continual interfering and back stabbing.

The club has a capacity of 36000 give or take a few, our average gate is over 34000. If we were in the top three, and looking for a place in Europe we would still only get 36000. The board are happy with this. They have no ambition, you can tell this by the way they have supported Pleat all along, who’s record is nothing short of disastrous. I am sure if we looked at our record for the past twelve months, it would show that we are worse than West Ham leading up to their relegation!.

Like Jim, I could not be bothered to watch last night’s debacle. My son did and phoned me after the first goal went in claiming how shite we were and how useless everyone was playing. At half time he rang and bemoaned the lack of passion and commitment, the atrocious defending of set pieces and the total inability to pass the ball. At the end he said that the only real bright spark of evening had been the introduction of Ricketts. This brings the question “where has Ricketts been for the past weeks?” I will guarantee that sulker Pleat kept him out of the squad deliberately. Playing his own mind games and trying to establish his seniority and position.

If Ziege, Poyet and Bunjecevic are not going to be with us next season. Why are they still playing in the first team? Are older players who can manage just a half of a game, better for the team than a younger one who can play the full 90 minutes? Pleat is not better a manager than Hoddle, that is as plain as the nose on his face. He does not understand the modern game and the tactics required to deal with it. Hughton is just a lad who has conveniently been allowed to step into a coaching role without ever having to prove his credentials. Segers the goalkeeping coach, tries very hard to improve Keller’s game especially kicking and distribution, but is failing miserably.

So now we are at the end of the season, and already with three home games to go we are being asked to renew our season tickets, with an increase in the price. We know at the moment they cannot fill the ground, check out the official site they are offering Man City tickets. They are expecting us to renew without knowing who will be the new manager, and with the track record of the board, are fully expecting to be conned and they will get in another Pleat puppet.

I would be more inclined to renew if they sacked Pleat and Hughton now, the tea lady could carry on and do a similar if not better job for the rest of the season.

 

Finally we should all write to Levy copy Pleat and any daily newspaper of our choice and say that if we renew now, we will demand a refund in full at the beginning of the new season, if Pleat is still Director of Football and a Pleat puppet has been brought in as coach. This way the board, the public and the rest of football we will be aware of the shambles that has become Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

 

31st March 2004- Column update

I have taken a couple of weeks away in March, so I missed the home game against Newcastle and read about the losses at Manchester and Southampton.

The fact that we keep on losing by the odd goal, is disappointing in itself especially away from home when we seem to do the hard part and hold the home team for a while. I know we let in two late ones’ at Manchester and gave them a cockeyed result; it was still a one nil for me. But it isn’t the fact that we are losing by the odd goal, it is the fact that we continue to struggle away from home. We did it against Brum right from the start of this season, and lost to a dodgy penalty decision, that set the pattern for the season once again. We travel away with very little confidence as it is and not to be able to raise our game against teams that are really no better than ourselves is dismal.

We are no worse than Charlton or even Birmingham, and look where they are, they have young managers who are forthright in their opinions, straight talking and dedicated. They have few individual players who are good, but in the main their squads have good loan signings, loan signings that mean something, play consistently and acquit themselves in such a way that you would think they are actually permanent. These managers bring out the best in players, they make them have desire and hunger and passion. The only passion seen at White Hart Lane comes from the fans.

It is no good going on about Pleat, there are very few who believe that he is the Messiah, and in any other club his whole act would have been seen for the farce that it is and he would have been kicked out long before now. We go on about who may come in to take his place? It is a god forsaken job. With the current set up can you honestly see Tottenham really competing in the top four alongside the current Arsenal and Chelsea sides and Manure when they start to rebuild with the cheque book out? If we even managed to make the top four we could count ourselves top of a division that is under the other three.

I filled in a survey for the club recently and it included a question about what I would like from the club that I don’t get now. Apart from saying I want us to win more games away than we lose. I did suggest that a regular update on injured players, their specific injures and progress would be of interest. I would like to know how Darren Anderton got his latest injury, why Redknapp was out for so long with a broken toe. What is the long term take on Ziege? Is Richards’s really injured or just suffering stage fright? All of these long term injury cases should be shown the door at the end of the season, along with the French nutcase Dalmat, and retiree Poyet, using the saving in wages to good effect on young potential, and really build a team that will compete for that fourth place.

As this season staggers to its boring conclusion, the likes of Pleat will try and persuade us that there is still plenty to play for. His job I think. After this week’s game against Chelsea and then the one against the Arse, the rest will be just meaningless. So we finish tenth instead of twelfth, if we can win a few, what consolation is that?  I would far rather see some of the younger future players blooded and given a chance. Give Yeates a chance wasn’t he going to get a run out  in the last game of last season, until Hoddle changed his mind and played Ziege? IF Marney was only good enough for part of a game against Manure, should he not get a confidence boosting opportunity against a lesser team? Can’t we give Kelly a full 90 minutes?

 

23rd February 2004 – We should not be surprised

I started my two and half hour journey home after Sunday’s game feeling pissed off again. Let down, deflated, disillusioned. Why can’t we win a game that we expect to win, and move up the table?

 

After listening to some of the calls on the radio phone ins, I began to calm down, because it is Tottenham after all. Nothing changes we always flatter to deceive. That is what being a true Spurs supporter is all about. We scored four goals, should have had more. Defoe looks to be a snip. With Kanoute on the bench we have the making of a squad that looks full of goals. Defensively we are crap, but why should I be surprised? It has been crap for some time now, it has been our main weakness, and we are not a side that will give us a boring 1-0 win. Two wins against Portsmouth and Charlton, should not have made us believe that we are invincible, and will make a UEFA spot.

 

So let’s look at some of the positives.

We will not get relegated. We have a front line that is one of the best in the league for its ability to make create and score goals. We have some good young players coming through, and provided the board gets their act together during the close season with some shrewd purchases, we will have a good young squad for next season, one managed by a positive and enthusiastic coach, who will take us on wards and upwards.

We know the negatives, the manager, the coach, the goalkeeper, older slower players. They will all be sifted out by June. I cannot see there being a role for Ziege, Poyet, and Bunjevic. Anderton may be taken off the books, a decision will be made about Redknapp, Taricco is probably playing his last season in a Tottenham shirt, and hopefully Keller will also be moved out. The saving in wages alone will allow the board to spend some decent money to fill these spaces, younger players who will bring pace and enthusiasm to the team.

 

It is easy to blame Docherty for Sunday, yes he did gift two goals, Jackson’s error certainly contributed to another, but Keller continually lumping the ball up field to two small front men, is just handing the ball back to the opposition. Pleat and Hughton must take some of the blame for this, constant loss of the ball by bypassing the midfield means that the ball will very quickly be on its way back and put pressure on the defense. They will inevitably make mistakes. Our most constant defensive partnership this season has been Richards and Gardner, and personally speaking I believe Gardner’s inconsistency is his lack of confidence, understanding, or whatever you want to call it, in Richards. People have tried to influence Pleat by booing Richards, sadly it is not his fault. We have been told often that he is not 100% fit,  at this level he has to be for his sake and the rest of the team.

 

If our season is going to go the way of previous one’s and drift into mid table mediocrity, I sincerely hope that we will see young players like Burch,Yeates, Marney, and Kelly being given a chance to show us what they are capable of. The future IS bright

 

 

19th February 2004 – Latest update

I must admit I was apprehensive last night when I realised that Ledley would start the game against Portugal, even more because of all of the withdrawals. He would be playing in the centre of defence alongside Southgate, a position he has not played in for some time, he did not get the nod until late and then on Monday he knew that he would start. Not much time to adjust and get used to a new set of team mates. There were nerves early on, but he came through with flying colours, and even though the goal was a bit lucky, it was only fitting that he got it and got the accolade he deserved. The next question regarding Ledley of course will be, should he play in midfield or defence? He has been growing into his new role in midfield, he was not going to be brilliant from the beginning it needs a significant amount of practice and experience to take on a completely new role. The fact that he is also beginning to get on the score sheet is a bonus and would have, up until last night, given him even more confidence to make the position his own. Pleat is using him a stop gap in that position, and maybe he has other ideas when the summer transfer window opens, but to have an adaptable young player like Ledley augurs well for the future.

I am sure Gardner will come good, his confidence has been shot to pieces playing alongside Richards, he is a totally different player alongside Doherty and or King.

In the Wales v Scotland match, Davies was injured fairly early on and will probably miss this weekend’s game. This is the time supporters question the necessity of playing meaningless friendlies. A great pity because his return with his penetrating runs have given us a bit more dimension in attack, I just hope that the injury will not keep him out for too long.

 

Now that Kanoute is back, another question is who will play upfront this weekend? Without any injuries following the Charlton game, I would have said why change it? But that would have meant that Richards will be in defence, so Gardner would not play, and then probably put Kanoute on the bench. But would Jackson retain his place? He deserves it after his goal. With Anderton fit will he get a start? Gardner and Doherty are so much a better pairing at the centre of defence?

 

So many questions, but for the first time for a long long time we are in a position to have players competing for a place in the team. This can only be better for the rest of the season, and it does not matter who we have for our individual preferences, and who we would pick, I feel that Pleat can pick a team that will score goals and any team playing us will now look at our team sheet and be concerned. I include in this list Manure, The Scum and Chelski. I for one will not be at all surprised if we get something out of these games.

 

There are still rumours about who the new manager will be, I don’t think that anyone has been approached or agreed. It will go down to the wire with what we achieve in the remaining matches playing a significant part in any decision. Pleat I am sure knows this, the better he does the more likely he will be to stay on in some capacity or another, keeping Hughton with him, if they end up mid table no better or worse than previous seasons, then any manager with an ability to get fight effort and enthusiasm out of the team will do

 

 

8th February 2004 – Latest update

My son tells me that I keep going on about the same old subject and I should get “ a life”  Up until last season he and his son used to go with me every week to see our team, but he decided he could not take the ups and downs any more and my grandson had other things he wanted to do on a Saturday afternoon.. So I make the journey up from the New Forest for every home game on my own, a trip that is eight hours from leaving to arriving home. In the time before and after the game I get plenty of time to listen to radio reports, phone ins and reflect on the game. Of course with Spurs that journey home can be really long, particularly after a night like last Wednesday.

Stupidly I got carried away with the euphoria of being three up at half time, my friend sitting next to me phoned his wife to tell her that the game would not go into extra time, I phoned my son and we rejoiced on such a great first half. Then Paul who was sitting in front of me said, “remember the last time we were three nil up at half time against a Manchester side?” What went on is now history, once again we have set a precedent, once again we have become the butt of football jokes and sneers.

So to Saturday, after the game, people on the phone ins _ how do they get on I can’t, complained about supporters booing the announcement of Richards and Poyet. Whilst I did not hear the booing when the team was announced, I am sure the booing was to show Pleat that the selection of these two was not to the fans liking. After Wednesday Pleat said that players should take the blame. He did not single them out but he did mention that Richards was just back after being out for weeks with an injury, we know that Ziege has been out for a long time. It takes time to get back to full match fitness after a long delay, we know this. When Gardner plays alongside Richards, he has a bad game- check the stats- alongside Docherty he has been much better. Richards is clearly still unfit, look at the way he runs, he runs from the knees down, he does not use the full length of his leg, this leaves him slow to start and at least a yard short of pace. So it is not the fault of these players if they do not produce the goods. He is the manager he picked them. He also kept Dalmat on for the full 90 minutes on Wednesday and for a large part of the match against Pompey. In the time he was on the pitch for both these games Dalmat was and is a liability, continually running into players, consistently giving the ball away. Yet Pleat persists with him, the young players on the bench not brought on – apart at last Ricketts. Does he –Pleat-not think they are up to the task? If not, then don’t put them on the bench.

Trappatoni has been quoted as saying that modern football should be played by a team, where all players have the ability to play. To simply lump the ball up the field in the hope that something will happen is English and a thing of the past. Every team member must be able to do all of the basics required, control the ball, beat the man, pass, move, tackle . Calamity Kate Keller still lumps the ball up the field 90% of the time giving the ball back to the opposition. Does he not realize that a high ball to 5 feet something’s Defoe and Keane will be snapped up by six feet defenders? This is a manager and training fault. Dalmat gets the ball runs at the opposition, Carr takes the overlap position, Dalmat continues his run gives the ball away and Carr is stranded as the opposition breaks. This is a manager and training fault.

Finally on Pleat, he complained in an interview that the pitch was sticky. Sticky? It has been raining  all week. It’s the same pitch we played on Wednesday! And it was watered by the sprinkler system just before the kick off on Saturday! Who asked for that?

At the end of the season we will be reminded that we will have just a few weeks to renew our season tickets sometime in June. Before the deadline to renew I sincerely trust that the board have announced the new manager.

 

 

 

16th January 2004 - We have had our lean times. Now I believe that we are going to see a change.

It is not because of Pleat and Hughton, but there is a sign that there is a bit of passion and commitment.

It happened against Palace in the cup. Zamora was nearly cut in half by a scything tackle and we almost had a full scale melee with every player taking part from Spurs except Keller. This is the first time anything like this has happened for a long long time at White Hart Lane. This is a sign of a “TEAM” looking after each other and fighting for each other.

Another significant event has been the inclusion of Simon Davies back in the side. I thought he had gone off the boil under Hoddle, but in the cup game and the following two league games he has run his little socks off. I liked the left hand side with Jackson behind him. Maybe young Johnnie is not an accomplished defender but he can get forward and delivers a wicked cross. Suffice it to say that with encouragement and regular inclusion in the first team squad he will come through.

A lot is being written in all of the press about us since the disasters of December. I for one think that Levy is now getting the total act in order, he recognizes the weaknesses that have been developing over the past few years, and now I think he will cut the sentiment and get down to making THFC a force to be reckoned with.

This is all going to take time, but with the emergence of Dalmat, and a squad that is beginning to get back to full strength, the next couple of months are going to be very interesting.

The speculation of who is coming or going over the next few weeks will grow and grow. The downside on the new attitude at Spurs is that they still fall into all of the old press and PR traps.

Trapatoni, the speculation is good the reported comments from Levy are good, encouraging but not confirming. Yet they are still “ wait and see” and “could be”.

Kanoute, the way this situation has been dealt with is lamentable. I’m with Jim on this one, if he wants to go, let him go with our best wishes, and then welcome him back as a returning hero in a few weeks time.

Andy Reid, Pleat says he is a player they admire; Forest say an offer has been made and rejected. Is that it? Is it now forgotten? Are we going the same route as Parker?

Davids, we nearly got him!

The press and pr people at Spurs are a complete and utter joke, and as such should be leading candidates for the Spanish Archer. From Levy down, no one at THFC should be allowed to talk to anyone connected with the press without due consideration to what is being said and the subject matter. To me the worst part of being a Spurs supporter is not just continually losing and having bad results, but it is being subjected to the humiliation that is taking place continually in all parts of the media. No one is rubbishing Harry Redknapp at the moment, the press and all are sympathetic to Dave Jones and Wolves and the same goes for Eddie Gray and Leeds. Chelsea lose a couple and Ranieri and some of the rich mercenaries get a bit of stick, beat Leicester 4-0 and they are all in love with them again. Sam Allardyce is always liked, Graham Souness and Blackburn get no bad press and neither does it seem Kevin Keegan or Man City. Spurs we get it all round, every commentator wants to have a go, even when we win the other side are poor. If you listen to the so called pundits, and as for “jumped never come downs” like Alan Parry and Gary Newbon,  callers such Nick of Enfield and the like give them ample opportunity to  rubbish us and the team.

 

2004 is the start of the seven good years for Spurs, I am convinced, mind you it could not have got muck worse. We have good young players that will develop, I am convinced we will see the introduction of more players. Not necessarily the big names that others have been getting but up and coming UK based players who will take the chance of playing in the premiership with Spurs and give something that has been missing until the cup game at Palace. Passion, commitment and a willingness to fight for the team.

 

29th December 2003 - A couple of comments buzzing round:

“Spurs record for 2003 is the worst for a Premiership side”.

“ Included in the worst top ten financial decisions of 2003.Buying a Spurs season ticket”

 

This is our team they are talking about, this is us. People are taking the piss out of us, the press are having a field day, as we are not liked. Yes there will be the odd comment like  “they are too good to go down” , but no one really means it. There are commentators that would feel sad about Portsmouth, Wolves, Leicester and even Leeds being relegated, but not Spurs.

What have we done to deserve this?   Is it just part of life’s glorious pattern , and what goes around comes around, So it is our turn to feel the real pressure?  Bollocks we have had pressure like this for a long time.

5 years ago on this day we were not in the top ten in the league, 10years ago we were not there either, and 15 years ago we were in the bottom half, with Norwich of all teams at the top!

The problems we are experiencing today are not new. Series of poor directors, dodgy managers and players who come along just for the ride and a good pay packet are our problem, Keith Burkinshaw said when he left “There used to be great football club there”

So take the extremely poor history and then add to the mix, one of the worst managers ever - albeit caretaker, and you will realise that this is a disaster that has been waiting to happen for a long time.

I don’t believe for one instance that any manager worth his salt will want to come to White Hart Lane with Pleat still around as director of football. He is a meddling interfering, backstabber, who has his own personal agenda, and that has nothing to do with the club. I often wonder whether he is secretly undermining the club and what it does, as a personal vendetta for getting the sack when accused of kerb crawling? Maybe Pleat is the “Relegation  Collector”

The good things about the club are that we have a half decent ground, that in a few years time will become completely obsolete. It can hardly cope with the current support level. The fan base, it is large and worldwide, but very quickly drops below capacity when the team is not performing, and will drop even further if the team is playing in the Nationwide, maybe then the ground capacity and location will not be a problem?

On the game against Charlton we dominated the first half, however I cannot understand how Poyet got a rating of 7 from one paper I read. Once again he fulfilled the laundry ladies wish and came off with a kit that was still clean and not sweaty. The kids did OK, at least showed passion  and Jackson looked very good until he ran out of steam. The substitutions were strange but that is what you expect from Pleat and Hughton. Mabizela for Taricco on 89 minutes? I thought you did that when you were trying to run down the clock and break up the momentum to avoid conceding a goal?

Roll on 2004, we start the year with a certain amount of fear and trepidation. We are depressed but we are not down. There has to come a time when our luck will change, so grab your lucky balls, rabbits foot, kick the cat, walk under a ladder, mend the broken mirror, do whatever you do to wish yourself luck and happiness and get behind the team you love and support, for these next few months they need you more than ever.

 

22nd December 2003 - Passion and commitment….

…Two essentials in a modern football team. Yes I know skill is very important, but the number of really skilful players is dwindling, and anyway the really skilful ones are all ending up with the top teams. This means that when a team takes to the field to play a top team, they have to have commitment, a very high work rate and whilst accepting that they do not match the individual talents of the opposition they counter this with effort. In Sunday’s match I cannot remember seeing any of this. So we turned up the heat in the last 20 minutes or so. If we had managed to get an equalizer, I am convinced they would have gone into second gear and still got a winner.

The first sixty minutes were abysmal, we had no passion, where are our players who will get angry if they go a goal behind? Where is the passion coming from? In the whole of the ninety minutes I saw it come mainly from Konchesky and later from Ricketts. Do you remember the punch up the Arse players were involved in recently with Man Ure? Can you see a group of our players doing that? Getting that worked up about the game? I can’t. Passion and commitment come from motivation and team building and that comes from the manager and the coach.

It is no use berating Levy, he picked Hoddle because he thought he was the man we wanted, and he got rid of him because he thought we had lost confidence in him, He has provided money for players, and the fact that money has not been well spent is down to the Director of Football. Levy wants to get a new manager, but he can’t mid season, so he has to go along with Pleat and Hughton. Levy’s problem really is that he does not understand football. In spite of ENIC’s investments in many clubs, they do not really understand what it is all about.

Passing and controlling the ball are fundamental and a basic requirement for a footballer, being able to pass accurately and trap and control a moving ball is essential. Yet too many times we pass the ball away when there is no need, take the kick off for example. We kick off Kanoute passes to Keane, only a yard, so no real problem, Keane back to Anderton 5 yards – no problem again. Anderton hoofs the ball down the left touchline for someone to charge onto it. The ball either goes out for a throw in or is snapped up by the opposition back. So immediately from the kick off we have given the ball away. On other occasions the ball is passed back to Keller by a Spurs player, a big boot kick down the pitch either goes into touch, or is collected by an opposition player. Any scout for a team we are due to play will pick up these failings and make sure they counter them. In exactly the same way they will spot that Poyet spends most of his time on the pitch spectating, from as close as five yards at times. They will also note that Spurs midfield is generally non-existent; yes Ledley is gradually growing into the role, but is not the finished article by a long shot. Anderton is never really fit. Dalmat is easily knocked off the ball, Carr has lost his pace and appetite for a fight, Richards is slow, Keller does not control his area and Taricco will try any dirty trick. All of this should be sorted out on the training ground, by the manager and the coaching staff, at this stage of the season I don’t believe that they know what they are supposed to do!

I don’t know what the answer is; throwing more money will not do the trick unless the players they get are fully committed to Spurs. I am not sure spending a lot of money on just one player hoping he will come good and stay fit is the answer. Maybe we should scour the lower divisions and commit to players who will be proud to play for Spurs, journey men players who give everything, and make up for a lack of skill with passion hard work and commitment, this is what is going to get us out of trouble. It’s great to see players being able to juggle a football and do fancy tricks when they are warming up, but its what they do in a ninety minute game and the basics that will earn them a win bonus.

So we are nearly at the end of 2003- another poor year for Spurs, I would love to believe that we have had our seven lean years and we are just about to enter the seven years of plenty, we deserve it. We deserve it for all of the shite we have had to put up with recently, we deserve it because we support a great football club. WE DESERVE IT BECAUSE WE ARE SPURS.

Happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year to all SPURS fans everywhere.

 

18th December 2003 - I said I wasn’t going to rubbish Pleat and Hughton, so I lied.

The quarter final against Middlesbrough encapsulated what is wrong at the club. I was one of the people who were not displeased when Hoddle was dismissed, but whilst P& H were given the job on a temporary basis, I hoped that it would be only temporary – weeks and not temporary till the end of the season.

Examine the facts, Middleboro, with all their talent like Mendieta, Boateng, Juninho and the likes have found it difficult to score for the past 7 games, likewise their defence has not conceded in that time. We open the scoring within the first two minutes and with Anderton, looking pretty lively, we look as if we can add to that score in the first half.

Something happens at half time under P&H, and the team generally come out looking in daze for the first part of the second half, maybe they are bored by Pleat, maybe Hughton is not articulate enough to gee them up? It happened last night, we were being overrun for that period, they should have scored in fact could have had a couple but we held out, through luck and good intent. Many of the Boro team have been suffering from long term injuries so fitness could play a part; we take off Shaggy who has had a good seventy minutes and replace him with – Poyet! Are P&H, Hoddle and Gorman in disguise? This is the sort of substitution, they would have made, and this is the type of selection that got Hoddle the sack after all.

We continue to hold out till the 85th minute, just five to go, all instincts say defend, and defend deep, frustrate the opposition and just clear the lines get the ball into their half and hold on to it. Pleat and Hughton are on the touchline gesticulating, telling them to defend? Hold the ball? Use the senior players to use their tactical knowledge and experience? NO we continue to go for a second goal that will kill the game, against a defence with their current record, absolutely stupid. We give the ball away down our left, Taricco is left stranded, the cross comes in Carr has it covered, but misses it for it to fall to Ricketts. He has already missed one but this time in spite of a miskick it goes past Keller.

They have got what they came down for, a draw at full time hold on until extra time played out and with their selection of players are confident to win the shoot out.

At three penalties each we are breathing uneasily, and then up steps Poyet. I am not confident, and he confirms my worst fears, by trying to be clever but does not hit the ball hard enough. The inevitable is delayed by their miss and then Taricco hits the post. Game over.

I still cannot understand how Poyet whose contract expires at the end of the summer is still being given a first team place. We must have a younger player who will give his all to get a chance who will make a bigger contribution than him? Taricco is a cheating diving disgrace, and I for one would not have him at the club. I don’t care how he plays, he is a confessed cheat. Loan player like Dalmat is not really interested in the future of the club. Konchesky at least tries to impress. King is improving in his new role. Carr is just a shadow of the player of two seasons ago, and we should cash in on him in the next few weeks. Shaggy is trying, give him credit. Keller a great shot stopper, is not the answer, we need a more commanding keeper who controls and commands his area. Gardner will be better with a better player alongside him, Richard’s fitness and Doherty’s ineptitude do not help him. Ricketts runs out of steam, so stamina needs working on, and Kanoute and Keane can do the business when given the opportunity.

However all in all we are a very poor side with a very weak squad, managed and coached by two people who do not appear to have any tactical nous, cannot get the players to play with real commitment, and appear to accept second best.

Watch out for another “glorious in defeat” result this Sunday!

 

 

13th December 2003 - Final thought now Pleat and Hughton confirmed

Now the die has been cast so to speak, I will try hard not to rubbish them again this season. They will need all the support that we can muster, not for their sakes but for the team and the club.

I wonder though if Levy and co ever take time to sound out the opinion of the supporters. Can you imagine them reading the posts on the various web sites? Is there an employee who has been given the job of gauging public- the supporters – opinion?

Last Saturday’s game was quite strange when you finally analyse it. The team was booed off at half time after all. The first half was one of equal opportunity for both teams and both sets of supporters, yes Keane missed one, Richards missed one, but they had their chances as well. I still think we are being overrun by an aggressive opposition midfield. Ince and Co were doing it to us the same as the Fulham and Bolton midfields did recently. The difference this time is that when we went up towards their goal in the second half we had the people to stick the ball in the net. Young Rohan had a hard time against the experienced Irwin, and should have been taken off earlier, but the experience will have done him some good.

I still question Keller in goal, his inability to kick a moving ball in the right direction is always going to be a major problem, and if his kick misses the midfield or goes over the by line, he has immediately given the ball back to the opposition and the defence is under pressure once again.

Our inability to effectively pass the ball, keeping it on the deck and playing to our strengths, must lie with the coaches of the team. It is all about confidence and good management. I just wonder what attitude Anderton and Carr have when they take to the field with all of the speculation surrounding them about their futures. You need a bloody good motivator to gee them up enough to play to their best if they are not figuring in future plans. Sadly these are two out of the starting eleven and key players at that, so whilst there are many posts that rubbish Shaggy and the sour faced Carr, they play because they are picked to play.

Finally I said I will not rubbish Pleat again this season, but as one last parting shot. He is an interfering has been as far as soccer management is concerned. He is the root cause in my opinion, of the failure that we have had over the past number of seasons. He has fought his corner with underhand tactics and misquotes, I hope he is successful in getting us into Europe one way or another this season, and then for the sake of the future he fucks off.!

 

 

1st December 2003 – Column update

The official site says this: “Spurs vs. Man City Season ticket holders” have free admission to this match”.

Now what does this mean I just turn up show my season ticket and I am let in free? They don't take a voucher or special ticket out of my book?

If they do take a voucher, then I have paid for it! Does this mean that I can expect a refund? IN cash before Christmas? Or does it mean that I have a credit for another game later, maybe an FA Cup match.

It makes me really pissed off when I see things like this above on the official site. Do they think we are really that thick, I am surprised they haven’t dressed it up as a “Christmas treat” from the Board of Directors.

This weekend we travel to Blackburn, that’s right, the team that gave us a drubbing on the last game of last season. Are we going there with confidence to do to them what they did to us? Don’t think so, Hope so though. But we still have Redknapp injured, Davies is injured still? Didn’t see either of these players carried off like Kanoute when they got their injuries!

 “Poyet takes training” in the absence of who? Does this mean that Hughton now almost manager is above taking team training and tactics? Hughton is a constant at Spurs for many years he has seen managers come and go, obviously kept his head down out of the firing line and has kept his position. His position as what, first team coach? The only constant about the way we play if he has anything to do with it, is that we constantly pass the ball to the wrong coloured shirt and are so naïve with our movement and tactics that we are being outplayed and out thought by experienced managers such as Wenger, Allardyce and Strachan and even by a novice manager like Coleman. This season we have seen some really poor football from our team, and I mean really poor, with both managers and coaches, yet Hughton has been there all the time!

Further rumour speculates that Hughton is to be given the post as first team coach instead of appointing a manager till the end of the season. What does this mean? He is the best choice at the moment? He is the only choice at the moment. At the end of the season and we assume that we don’t get relegated, does this mean he will have done a good job and therefore be worthy of the post full time? Supposing though he doesn’t do a “good job” then what back to the drawing board? Will Pleat remain as the interfering undermining director of football?

I cannot agree with the appointment of Hughton, it is exactly what it is, if it happens then it will be a total and utter cop out by a bunch of no hopers running a great football club. These are the con merchants who have tried to con us into believing that many top names have applied for this highly demanding post. They have tried to con us into believing that they are taking their time in order to get the right man. They have allowed press speculation about the likes of Curbishley, O'Neill, Souness etc. All of this suits them. One thing is for sure they do not have a clue, and the way they run this club I cannot believe that any one of repute will want to take up the role. It has been proven that it is a thankless task ever since Sugar took over the role. Interfering busybodies who hardly seem to have a clue on how to run a business let alone a football club.

There was a time and it is not too long ago that the people who ran football clubs did it for the love of the club, as directors and board members it was an honour to be part of the team they supported. I do not believe that the current board has any inkling about the traditions of the club, or really care,  they do nothing that appeases the fans, they make decisions that smack of rank bad management.

I think the board of directors and the people they employ to run this club are just amateurs in every aspect. The way they treat us the fans is totally and utterly disgraceful. The handling of a new manager smacks of the same type of con trick that Alan Sugar tried to pull when he had Juninho's father round his house. The same trick as the letter from Rivaldo. The possible deal for Morientes! The saga of trying to get Diego. The loan signing of Toda.  Oh and it is obvious why the Home Office would not give a work permit for Convey, they can see through us at Tottenham,  he would have had the same treatment as many of the other overseas players we sign, like Blondel, Mabizela - we would not have played him!

How is it that Levy who is head of a company that owns just 28% of the shares in THFC is running it? How did he get appointed Chairman/MD? IS he the right man for the job? One thing for sure is that somewhere the buck has to stop with someone. We cannot continue being a club run by such rank "going no where" amateurs. Within the rest of the 72% surely there is a man or maybe even a woman, who will have the bottle to make positive decisions that will lead us into the Promised Land.

 

 

24th November 2003 – The rumour and speculation is increasing that the “Dream Team” for Spurs will be Pleat and Hughton.

Pardon me, but is this not the same people who have been at Spurs for the past few managers? Are they not the consistent that have been in place while we have changed managers over the past few years? Is there anybody in the fan base who actually believes that this is the team to take Spurs on to glory?

I for one do NOT.

Pleat has been meddling in football affairs at Tottenham for far too long, he has been behind the scenes putting the knife in, for consecutive managers, and it is obvious that he is after the job that he was ignominiously sacked from many years ago. He is the manager who dropped Hoddle as a player to make a point, then after a few bad results had to play him in. No wonder they did not get along.

I am not saying we should have kept Hoddle in place, that is a decision that is done and dusted, he is gone and in the past, but we now must look to the future. This season is a write off, even at this stage. Even if we get lucky and creep into the UEFA cup by winning a cup, the squad is poor, the coaching is poor and the tactics are obvious, that is why we struggle against teams we are expected to beat.

Having said all of this there is something that is wrong with Premiership footballers at the moment, and it is coming to a head with the “roasting”, drug taking, rape etc that is prevalent in the papers today. Like David Beckham or not he is an ideal role model. He goes about his work with an application that cannot be questioned and as an England player shows that he is proud to don the shirt and represent his country.  He goes about his business in a similar way that the Rugby players did in Australia. Our problem is that there are too many indifferent players who are paid too much money, and there are the mercenaries who are brought in who do not really care whether they perform well or not. They still get a very good wage, whether they play well or not, and many get picked for the first team just by being there. Iverson was a prime example.

But back to Spurs, Pleat and Hughton. To bring Spurs up to a consistent level of performing and competing and NOT worrying about relegation. We need a plan, yes I know we have heard of five year plans etc. but that is how it should be. Plan to get a team that will develop and grow in confidence and be able to beat the mediocre with ease, and compete and occasionally beat the top teams- or at least give them a game!

This development can NOT be placed in the hands of Pleat, it is a long job, and he is too old and simply not good enough. He will not get better as the years go by. This means that we do need someone else to manage, that person will not necessarily want Hughton as first team coach. I accept the he is a Tottenham man, but that does not mean he is right. If he is the coach at the moment he is responsible for continuing to play high balls up to Postiga and Keane, who are not the tallest of a front partnership. He is the person who gets the team to practice and train first time and accurate passing, which we cannot do. He is the person who surely oversees the goal keeping coach, a goalkeeper who does not command his area, who does not call for the ball, and who cannot accurately kick a back pass up field in spite of parcising the routine for ten minutes before the start of every game.

We MUST have a manager who commands respect, demands effort and will not stand for anyone who does not give 100%. We need a new manager who will take us forward that we will give time and are patient with as he slowly gets us to where we deserve to be.

It is up to us to lobby the board of directors to make sure the appointment of Pleat and Hughton, stays as it is now –Temporary, until a new management team is appointed.

 

 

2nd November 2003 – David Pleat…

So on Saturday before the game started, I started mouthing off about “I would like to know of anyone who makes up the 70% who want Pleat as manager”, and the bloke in front of me turns round, smiles and tells me he will agree to differ on my opinion.

“Surely you cannot want this man who is playing virtually the same eleven that Hoddle would play, but in a different formation?” I asked.

“Wait and see” he smirked.

For the first 15 minutes or so of the game we actually looked quite good, some good possession and Robbie Keane forcing a good save from their keeper. Maybe he is right and I am wrong. Then it all started to go wrong, and the rest as they say is history.

But it was after about 20 minutes, that got me going.  I noticed Anderton standing bent over almost double, and looking extremely out of breath. This is a joke, he is not fit enough to last a half let alone a full game, and Poyet is his normal non existent self, far too slow and not getting involved. We are going to lose this one, the Pleat bubble is going to burst. The body language of some of the players told it all, they felt it as well.

Jay Jay whatever is name is was given the freedom of Tottenham, nobody closed him down; maybe they felt that he would tire himself out by halftime?

Half time comes, Poyet is off and Postiga replaces him, with Keane dropping back. Keane is not going to tackle and win the ball so who is going to do that for him Anderton? You must be joking!

So the rest is now history a very poor performance culminating in a defeat that I am surprised that Pleat did not come out and say “Even Hoddle would have not won this one”

What surprises and saddens me is that Pleat and Hughton, cannot see what we can see, or are we ALL wrong?

To totally surrender the middle of the park, to play  premier league football with only 9 fit players (and I am including King and  Taricco in this number) and two players who are certainly by today’s standards far too slow is courting disaster, and I dread to think what is going to happen next Saturday. The team is taking the field with an air of impending doom, there is no confidence. Carr loses the ball rather than pass, Robbie Keane tries to run down blind alleys. Zamora‘s first touch plays himself into trouble.

Postiga who needs the ball at his feet is getting it bombed at his head.

This situation and responsibility falls onto the shoulders of one man- the manager- . If he is unable to learn from the mistakes of the previous managers, and he has been at the same games as them, in his role of Director of Football, then he is definitely NOT the man for the job.

So let’s kill this rumour, conjecture whatever you want to call it and make sure we shout it from the highest tree top.

WE DO NOT WANT PLEAT TO BE MANAGER, under any circumstances.

The guy in front of me? He disappeared before the final whistle. Says it all really!

 

29th October 2003 – David Pleat…

70% of Fans say, “We want Pleat”!! In the words of Victor Meldrew “ I simply don’t believe it!”

There has been a constant in the club, for the past few years, and whilst managers have come and gone that constant has been David Pleat. – Our Director of Football.

How many of us have not felt that his involvement and dare I say it meddling have not been as a result of a hidden agenda on his part. We have all seen the need for an engine in midfield, but this is the man who brought in Moussa Saib, Nicola Berti, and more recently Toda. The only difference between the team that he picks and the team that Hoddle would have picked is the formation they play. We have seen nothing different under Pleat, he is still playing Poyet and Anderton in a young man’s role, and they are not up to it.

Don’t you think it rather strange that the very first game Pleat was in charge, he dropped Ricketts, a success under Hoddle and introduced Blondel, then played him for 70 minutes before replacing him with Ricketts. It was almost like sticking two fingers up at Hoddle, because he had failed to pick Blondel since his debut last August. Is this the action of a man you want managing our great club? That move could have failed; he took a gamble to prove a point. That is the only reason I can see it, as Blondel has not figured in the squad since. Take a hypothetical thought, Redknapp, Poyet and Anderton, all fit – whom will he play? My bet - all three. Here’s another one - the same three all report ill on the morning of the next match, who will he play then? And will they be any worse than those three?

Pleat is riding out his luck at the moment, sadly I see that crashing down very shortly, the points he has gained, and I believe Hoddle would have gained. The quality of the football is no better than under Hoddle, the quality of the teams we have played is not up to the standard we played under Hoddle.

Sadly though I don’t know who could be a good manager for Spurs at the moment.

Whoever it is will have to make a silk purse out of sow’s ear. To get Spurs up to where we want them is a long haul; it will take a board with enterprise and guts, an astute manager and a band of supporters with extreme patience.

The best manager in the world would struggle with the set up at Tottenham, so in the mean time Pleat will do his thing and the board will try and get a name. Whoever it is Curbishley, Souness or A.N.Other, will have a task on his hands,

In the past few seasons a team has risen and against all pundits advice been successful. Ipswich, Everton, this season maybe Fulham, to name a few. They are like moths drawn to a flame, rising up enjoy their moment in the spotlight then die. I do not want Spurs to be a one-season wonder, for them to achieve what we, as supporter’s want will take time and patience. The next manager may not be the one to get us there but he has to be the one who will set us on the path, and I for one certainly do not think it is David Pleat.

 

 

1st September 2003 – Watching my favourite team will be a roller coaster of a ride …

Watching my favourite team will be a roller coaster of a ride, this season…

Already and with the season only three games gone, we will have many more highs and lows. We have signed this one, made an offer for that one, are negotiating on someone else, in some ways when this window closes on Sunday we will all know what we have and just for a while concentrate on the soccer.

It is disappointing that the strong rumour about Parker did not come to anything, and the possible signings of Diego and Convey failed for there various reasons, but the signings we have made are positive ones, the introduction of young players is exciting and the start with our three best central defenders playing in back to back matches is a bonus. 

I suppose I have to accept that this once great club no longer really attracts the top players. We are not in Europe, we cannot afford high wages, and our record of the past ten years does not show that we will do any better.

One thing for certain in this highly commercial business, football has had to take a long hard look at the economics of the game in the last twelve months, and apart from the Russian money idiot at Chelsea, every team is looking to reduce the wage bill and lower transfer fees. Loan deals between clubs at all levels are now part and parcel of the game, but when you look at this type of arrangement, how can taking a player on loan for a year paying him a high wage – (Geremi at Middlesboro) and then him being sold on to Chelski by Real Madrid for a tasty fee, be of any real value to Boro, particularly when they finished below us last season?

The economics are also relevant with the capacity of a ground, and when one considers that the majority of clubs have capacities of early to mid thirty thousand, it is clearly not enough to compete financially with clubs who can pull in forty five thousand plus. The extra gate money gets more revenues for wages, gets better players, gets higher profile and PR, and gets more TV money. Those in control down the road know this, they cannot afford to stay at Highbury with its limited capacity and get the players. They got lucky selling Overmars and Petit for £35m, Anelka for £25m and getting Campbell for zilch. They will not be able to do that again. In two to three seasons time they will have to bring in some serious new blood, that is why and when it will be important to move to a larger stadium. Assuming we make a decision now either to extend WHL or move we are at least four to five seasons away from a bigger ground. This means we will have lost further ground.

On the playing side, I am excited about this season. Young Ricketts has been a revelation, far better than Etherington. Zamora will gradually find his feet and will be an asset, and so too will Postiga, as he will want to be in Portugal’s Euro squad at the end of the season. Not sure about Davies or Anderton, but want them as squad players, and if the confident start continues every one will be performing better and there should be competition for places. I am still looking forward to Blondel getting a chance, he was seen at the Leeds game with his finger still wired up, not only would it be a pleasant change to have the treatment room empty, it would also be ideal if and when we do get injuries we don’t get such long term ones.

I am glad that we have unloaded the players we have, if we haven’t got them we will not play them. I did not believe that Sullivan would ever get a first team game, other than if Keller was injured, tempting providence to let him go I know, but it is till a sizeable chunk of wages off the bill.

Levy has surprised me this close season, so in spite of the fact that maybe we have n’t got in all the players we wanted, the change has been positive and for the better and gives hope.

Finally I read the message board at least twice a day and look forward to the comments and ribaldry of posts from “Alex”, Chiefy” and the like. I don’t always agree with the comments but that is what makes supporting this team so enjoyable. Everyone’s point of view is valid, if you are a Spurs supporter.

Having seen the Fulham game, it is back down in the dumps again. They worked their butts off, to close us down, and proved to me that what is lacking in skill must be made up for in work rate. Kanoute, Davies did not work hard enough, it is as important to work at defence as attack.

Watching my favourite team will be a roller coaster of a ride, this season…

 

4th August 2003 – Reality time is coming.

When Ken Bates says we are a “nearly” club, it hurts, but sadly it is true. When Rodney Marsh says we are no better than a mid table side, it hurts but it is true.

Today’s football clubs have to have a big financial backer and a large supporter base with a stadium that holds in excess of 50,000. A manager with knowledge, style, charisma, respect and passion, and a board that wants titles and success.

We have a manager that generally brings ridicule, lacks positive support and  is backed by a board that has no money, and no real knowledge of what the fan base wants to make a successful club.

The close season is the time of the year that the hopes and aspirations of all true fans are raised by rumour and speculation, after the final ten games of last season, we have been even more eager with anticipation. The failure to secure Parker, or acquire the defensive midfield player we desperately need, is even more urgent and with just two weeks to go to the big kick-off, it is desperate. We have discarded or about to discard 6 first team squad players, and so far just two replacements. This indicates that younger reserve players will be included this season, not a bad thing under the circumstances as long as they get a fair chance. There is no indication yet as to who the first team captain will be, probably because the choice is between players who will not play a full season due to persistent injuries.

We hope and pray that the management and the board know what they are doing, we trust that as with Postiga and Zamora they are really working to get the right players in, and they are doing it quietly without any outside knowledge and fuss.  Sadly though the lack of activity of late indicates that the spending is over. Not even loan players are mentioned.

Throwing vast sums of money into the transfer market is not the answer, even though Chelsea have the Russian Mafia behind them, it does not guarantee success, Bates did not achieve it, but they did get some good players in and spent heavily. Leeds tried it and failed miserably, and are still counting the cost.

This season is once again accepting reality,