TOPSPURS
VOX POP 2010/2011
Lilywhite
McLenin aka Sean Hurl. Paisley
There is a
growing sense of disbelief - after the summer football festival that never
was, I still cannot believe that my team have a chance of playing in that
cash cow called the Champions League.
Even now, after the qualifier draw has been made, I cannot let myself
believe that we will grace the same tournament as Barca, Inter et al. Does
this make me an Arsenal fan? I know
amongst those heathen of my acquaintance that they believe it even less than
me! Their lives have gone on hold ever since the 81st minute of that game at
City when Peter 'sleazy' Crouch sealed our chance to possible play in the Big
Cup.
Still what
is to come? I think this season will
have highs and lows, it will flatter to deceive, be a curate's egg and
generally be a normal Spurs season - again hopes are high but the game is
being distorted by money and a dearth of talent among players born in this
rocky north-west outcrop of islands off the European coast. I want us to be Barcelona but we will be
Spurs - it will be fun but we will be lucky to remain in the top four. Can we win a cup this year as it does end
in 1? And fantasy land? We finish the
top team in London with home and away wins against the red and blue
scumbags/scoundrels. COME ON YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU
SPURSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Topspurs
Columnist Greg Meyer
Voxpop
Thoughts At A Kent Pub.
Le Tour EPL 2010-11.
We all
know who will be in the chasing peloton but the big question is whether our
Lilywhites will be in the breakaway and who with.
Unusually it
has been a stable , uneventful transfer window. No discernable panic. A
measure of our growing maturity perhaps.Given there have been no big name
departures ( perhaps none of them own a bike) then despite the lack thus
far of an arriving 25 year old Lance Armstrong it augurs well for Spurs
being right up there in the frontrunners again.
Team
Moneybags ( the 2010 Mid East version) will be alongside surely. Surely
you don't spend upwards of half a billion pounds on a football team only to
commit hari kari. They may wobble a little early on but surely the collective
newboys will pick up that football like bike racing is a team game.
Team
Moneybags the Older will be there and so to the other Manchester boys. Arsene
the Wenger is getting a little old for bike riding but certainly has done
well to keep his star rider out of the Spanish Tour. Three London teams in
the breakaway.
Our pub
still think Torres is up there with Alberto Contador as the best. If he stays
on as opposed to off his bike then his class will mean Liverpool
may gather some stage wins and ride along with the breakaway.
Elsewhere
hovering between the breakaway and the peleton Everton and Villa will pick up
some sprint points. Who cares its the General Classification that is the big
one.
For all
those that don't ride a bike.
Spurs in
the top four. Some exciting times in the Champs League proper. The other
Cups. Not Minded. Oops heresy!!
The year
ending has two of them. Why not a big go at the FA Cup.
Mainly
because we'll all be totally buggered if the first two parts of the equation
come to pass. Let alone a long Cup run.
Still Le
Tour is an endurance epic.
Cheers ...
time to dig the exercise bike out of the cellar ... Greg
Meyer. coys.
Pat Healy,
leader of the Rebel Army Cork Spurs
For all
the talk of the need to bring in players in defence and midfield I think our
lack of real quality up front needs to be addressed. The 4 we have are
moderate to good players but none of them are the type who'll get a scrathcy
goal in a bad performance on a wet and cold January night somewhere up in the
frozen north! If we want to stay in the top 4 and be competitive in the CL
the chairman needs to step up to the plate and get the cheque book out!
PS - My
hopes for the 09/10 season.were
1. beat
the goons
2. win
away at one or preferably all of last season's top 4
3. win a
cup (preferably the FA Cup)
Well we
got no1 last season and here's hoping we can add the other 2 this time
round! Up the Spurs!
Topspurs
Columnist Dan Wetzels
And so we
enter a new era in the modern game for Tottenham. A quiet pre-season has seen
little transfer activity (which is probably just as well), although the
obvious targets are continually linked with us. A striker, it would seem is
still top of the list for Redknapp, although he recently denied that any of
this forwards would be leaving, bar perhaps the perennial want-away Irishman.
It would
seem that the youngsters will get plenty of on-pitch time this season with
the new 25 man squad and ‘home-grown rule’ coming into effect in the EPL this
season. This bodes well for a club like ours which has plenty of young talent
in the ranks. Bostock, Rose, and others have had fleeting glimpses of life on
the big stage and now they are set to get their fifteen minutes of fame, as
the squad will no doubt get stretched to breaking point if we are able to
really make a go of it in every tournament we find ourselves in this year.
It would
be kind of nice to think that we may have had to rest our England
internationals after a prolonged presence in the recent World Cup, but alas,
our pathetic performances there mean that Defoe (the only shining light of a
torrid campaign), Crouch and the crocked Ledders et al are set to be as fresh
as the others going into another 38 game battle for the remaining ‘big four’
birth.
Man City’s
attempts to buy every player under the sun may well hinder our attempts to
achieve CL football again next season, but it will be an interesting sub-plot
to see if the money or the consistency win the day in the battle for fourth.
We face a
fairly unknown quantity in Young Boys of Berne for the final qualification
round of the CL. The Swiss outfit are already well into their own domestic
season and beat Fenerbache in the last round, so this is no push-over! If we
can put our lukewarm pre-season warm-up form behind us and get a strong team
out to play, we should be OK. But to fall at this late hurdle would be a real
kick in the teeth. The infighting across the Seven Sisters Road is a very
amusing pre-season story and we can only hope that the Gooners’ implosion
comes off this season. Things have been brewing there for some time and if
Fabregas continues to throw out the toys, we could see their indifferent form
of the past few seasons rear its head again, and aid us
in our cause.
Liverpool
look like they have made the best signing of the summer in landing Roy
Hodgson. I think he’s a top manager and did a sterling job at Fulham. His
tried and trusted management style will work well for the scousers and I think
they’ll be right up there this season. I actually think this could be the
closest EPL campaign for some time, with at least 8 teams gunning for the top
4 spots.
The
stadium twists and turns continue to intrigue as well. Our recent enquiries
about the Olympic Stadium are not altogether without their issues (since when
have we been an east London team?), but it shows that not everything is 100%
ticked off when it comes to this project. The transport issues it seems are
the main stumbling block with the London Mayor unwilling to fund the tube
extension. West Ham have put in a formal offer for the stadium to relieve any
‘legacy’ embarrassment for the former government, so I think it’s just a
back-up idea by the club, but this issue in particular will have to be
monitored. This season’s results will have a massive bearing on whether this
project goes ahead in my opinion and if we can consolidate our league
position, it will keep the pressure on the management not to worm out of
their promises.
The global
economic situation still doesn’t really lend itself to a project like this,
but we’ll see how things go. The club have invested too much in design,
planning and land purchasing to let it go by the way-side now.
So to
matters on the pitch and I can see a settled line-up this season as to last.
As I say, a striker of real pedigree seems top of the list, although it’s no
secret that Harry wants Bellamy. We’ve got a great back-up keeper in
Pletikosa on the books and Sandro will hopefully join us at some point. Harry
hinted at loan deals and that we were still one or two players away from the
line-up he wants. So expect us to continue to be linked to everyone under the
sun until the circus that is the closing day of the transfer window arrives.
The team
looks pretty solid to me and I can’t see that we need to panic buy. Harry
hasn’t suggested that will happen with his actions either, so consistency and
progress are the buzz-words for this season. I expect to see players like The
Hudd improve still further and we have plenty of strength in depth in
midfield and up front. The defence is still a bit of a concern, but as long
as we can keep the rotation of the centre backs from destroying continuity, I
think we’ll be fine. Ledley will be saved for Euro games and Bassong and Dawson
would be my preferred line-up if we aren’t going to sign anyone else.
Our first
two games will be a real marker for the season ahead and our condition and
attitude. Our main rivals in the league in the swag-laden Citeh and then a
trip to the bruising north with the direct style of Stoke after that. At
least we can look forward to a guaranteed goal-fest at home to Wigan! All in
all we’re all set and it’s still with a slight tinge of disappointment that
I’m looking forward to a domestic season more than a World Cup but that’s the
state of modern English football.
Oh and by
the way, Mr Redknapp, if you happen to be reading this, please be more
careful about what you say in the press. His recent statement along the lines
of ‘the fans wouldn’t care if Saddam Hussein was in charge of the club as
long as he was bank-rolling us with millions,’ was, even by his standards,
pretty shoddy work. We may not have a rich Arab in charge, but I think the
fans are all in agreement that maybe, just maybe, Levy and the board are
alright. We’ve grown to respect them a bit more. Firm stewardship and wage
control are sexy after all.
Come on
you Spurs!!
TV’s Rabbi
Crackers
Oh Mr Levy
..... What to do eh??
Do you
A.....
TWIST ..... Throw some money at the
squad, bring in players that are a step up from where we are now, and
therefore bigger wages for 5 years than we are currently paying, and hope we
stay in the champions (and everyone else that finished down to 4th) league,
and consolidate fourth place at the expense of liverpool/citeh/scum/chelski/12
man u ?????
B. .....
STICK .... Keep the two cards that add up to 16 (so tempting to try for that
next card being a 5 or under) maybe bring in one or two new faces akin to
what we have already, get the shelves of megastore creeking with goodies that
have the champs league logo on them and trouser the profit????
You decide
which one its gonna be from your previous perceptions of
Levy.............stick a pony in me pocket. I'll get the suitcase from the
back.
Topspurs
Columnist RBS
It has
been a strange pre-season for the Spurs. The World Cup took over the
footballing world for the first couple of months of summer (I won’t dwell on
the England debacle – other than to say that I thought that Capello’s
treatment of the Spurs boys was a disgrace).
Following
on from that, for the first time in years we have barely signed or sold a
player. In recent summers, there has been a revolving door of players in and
out at Spurs Lodge. I guess there is still time for a late flurry of
activity, but what is great is that our squad is very settled and the basic
truth, is that we don’t require wholesale squad changes. We have a very good
team and we finally proved it last season.
We have held onto all of our stars to date and that is fantastic. Just
think, next season we might have a fully fit Modric and fully fit Lennon
playing together for the first time since last August.
Even
stranger perhaps, is that the players that all seemed certainties to leave
are still here. Jenas, Bentley, Pav and Keane –all remain Spurs players. And
for Keane perhaps it is the strangest of all – will it be the 3rd coming of
him? I hope so, he has been excellent in pre-season – he finally seems to
have got his Mojo back and is now playing with a smile on his face, after returning
to us from another one of his footballing holidays. I would like to see him
leading the line for Spurs on the opening day and to continue his fine
pre-season form.
The
disappointing thing I suppose is that we have not yet landed the “marquee”
signings that would help us compete at the very top.
We have
been linked with countless players, but the names which remain in the frame,
in my mind do not inspire much and are not much better than what we have. Is Bellamy really better
than Keane? In my mind No. Is Gallas
better than Bassong? – probably five years ago – but not now. And more to the
point both of these individuals are two of my most disliked players – I
really do not want to pay the wages of these obnoxious, horrible characters,
looking for one last pay day before they bow out with shame from football.
Other
names? Remy? He seems to be being banded around like some cheap whore (sorry
Crouchie!) by Nice, except he is not so cheap. The fact that he rocked up at
Stoke and is closely linked with West Ham, to me means he is not got the
calibre that we now require. Ashley Young? Pretty decent –but expensive and
not sure where he will fit in to the team, but I would be happy enough to
sign him.
I am still
hoping we pull off a top signing to add to the squad, but we are not
desperate in any area, and we do not need to panic buy as in the past.
So if
things stay roughly as they are – I expect another very good season. Will we
improve? It will be difficult Man City continue to spend, spend, spend. Chelsea
and Man U will stay up there, Liverpool will probably be a bit better, but
the goons again look vulnerable – defensively unsound, we came close to
finishing above them last year, we finally beat them in the league, let’s
finally finish above them this year. I think we have a real chance of top 4
again, but equally we could finish 6th / 7th if things conspire against us.
In the
Champs league we have given a plum draw, against Wenger’s favourite team and
baring a disaster, we will be in the group stage, which will be a fantastic
achievement by itself. I am salivating at the prospect of playing against one
of the European elite as their equals.
Finally in
the domestic cups? Well the year ends in one – so surely another trip the
Wembley beckons!
Up the
Spurs!
Long time
Topspur Mark Astaire
Our best
starting 11 is a match for any team in the Premier League - a fit Bale,
Dawson, Modric, Gomes and Lennon is the core of a legitimate top 4 team. The
success of the season could well be defined by the Champions League. If we
fail to get beyond the qualifying round it would be a disaster for the club
having worked so hard to get there. However, if we do get through the
pressure of plying two crucial games a week will be a new experience for the
club and could undermine our league performance. This is unknown territory
for the players and the manager. For me and I think most supporters it is
just great to be in the thick of the action.
Topspurs
Columnist Sean Morley
It is
interesting to note that despite the fact Spurs and 'Arry surpassed all
predictions last year by finishing in the CL money places, the professional
pundits are all again overlooking Spurs chances this year and
are talking up their rivals, no doubt suggesting that it was a fluke or
a one-off.
This is despite
being written off before the final run in, beating the goons, destroying
Chelsea who were conquering everyone else for fun, and playing
Man City off the park in their own backyard.
Finishing 4th
with the qualifying games still to come means that Chairman Dan will be
keeping the Arkwright shop till firmly closed until the club's fate in known.
Until then, Arry is doing his usual stint of asking for the keys to the safe
so that he will have a chance to compete, no doubt to cover
his backside if it all goes pear-shaped this season.
However
that is by the by.
The
prediction for the season is the same as last year. There remains
a clear hierarchy in the league and I would expect Spurs on paper
to finish 5th-8th, subject to the form and fitness of key personnel
(and with the added demands of Europe).
However if
you ignore the propaganda for the sky4 media (plus Man City) Spurs have
a young squad, (notably Spurs are not affected by the new 25
man squad + U21 rule), a good and proven manager, an improving squad,
have kept all their key personnel and none of their main rivals appear
to have properly strengthened or they have stood still. If Arry can coax more
reliability and match winning performances out of the strikers, and patch up
King to play more games than he misses, then it should be another good
season.
Block C
Spur
10th year
in the East stand for me this year coming up and (as of today anyway) Spurs
in the best position we have been in over that period – on and off the
pitch. The days of ‘nailed to mid
table’ appear to be over, for the time being at least, and top 6 has to be
the expectation for 2010 / 11.
Last
season was a bit of a strange one for me in many ways as when I look at the
players we used in the squad I would use ‘good but not great’ to describe
pretty much all of them, which I guess makes a change from the days of yore
where a couple of absolute class individuals surrounded by dross was the
standard Spurs masterplan.
Look at
the forward line for example, Defoe, Crouch, Pav and latterly Gudjonsson are
all solid players, effective at the Prem level, all good for anything between
5 and 15 goals a season… but none of them really fit to lace the boots of the
Torres, Drogba’s or Rooneys of this world (or even, whisper it, the
Berbatov’s or the 05 -08 Robbie Keane).
Rooney, for one, won the game single handed for Man U again us at the
Lane last season scoring a great goal when they were down to 10 men to get
them to 3-1. Our boys will try hard but just cannot do that.
Similarly
in midfield, Luka started off the season like a world beater, but never
reached the heights again after Bowyer broke his leg. Lennon gave us four months of good stuff
and then disappeared until just before the world cup. Krancjar was mercurial for 15 games, Hudd
did the business throughout but can still look ponderous at times, we may
never see Jenas again, and Winston looked about 75% of the player we saw in
his first season.
At the
back – Daws deservedly won player of the year for 9 months of blood and guts
and he should be in the England squad from now on (not first 11 though). Corluka, Benoit and Bassong ranged from
quietly competent to shocking. Ledley,
our one indisputable world class player, will never play more than 25 games a
season again. To be fair to Bale and
Gomes they did the business way more often than not, and Bale in particular
gave glimpses of heading towards that Ledley bracket as special player. It will be interesting to see how he gets
on this time around as another six months of the sort of stuff he was
delivering at the back end of last season and he really will be one the
hottest prospects in the premier league.
And yet…
Winning
5-1 away in both the carling cup (twice) and the Prem - beating Wigan 9-1 –
back to back victories over the Arsenal and Chelsea - going to Eastlands for a winner takes all
Champions League play-off and winning (in the circumstances a game that could
well be our result of the decade)… Truly memorable moments where the team
stood up, looked the opposition in the eye and didn’t buckle.
For me the
key ingredient therefore has to be the manager. So much internet space has been used up
debating the pros and cons of our great leader that I won’t add too much here
other than to say I am a fan. He makes
the game simple, picks teams and makes substitutions that the fans understand
(in the main) and isn’t shy of being ambitious for himself and the club.
So what
next…
I fancy us
to win our Champions League play-off, do well in the Group stages and get
through in second place, then fall to one of the big boys in the last 16.
However,
we’re not experienced enough at going through that sort of season to keep up
the standard in the Prem, so I reckon a natural focus on our first champions
league campaign will mean early exits in the domestic cups and falling back
into the 6th – 8th bracket. Esp with
Man City upping their game as they surely will given the signings.
Whatever
happens I intend to enjoy it – could well be some considerable time before
the big guns of Europe are coming to the Lane again, so soak it up while it
lasts.
COYS
Topspurs
Columnist David Hayes
Approximately
36 hours after the City game my cynicism did no so much creep back in but
banged down the door, pointed a jagged finger at my optimism and screamed
‘what is she doing here?!’. Success was like a buxom nineteen year old girl
whose affection I had mistaken for mutual attraction and not paralytic
drunkenness. I was now left waiting for to her remove her head from the
toilet bowl and enquire exactly who I was.
It has not
been a good summer really. Most of our dashing world cup contingent came back
home to find they were apparently no longer fit to lace Theo Walcott’s boots.
There was a silence after the World Cup that everyone took to be that of the
knowing urbane variety – none of this splashing £17m on a North Korean left
back who was slightly less responsible than his peers for the 41 goals
conceded. But then the silence became deafening. Outside of City’s gluttony,
I can honestly say Joe Cole’s move to Liverpool is the only signing I can
think of. Utd have bought a highly rated Mexican, Liverpool a tall striker
who’d spent his career mainly in Belgium (I think?) whom people in the know
believe could go either way, and Arsenal have signed a mouthy striker on a
free whom is said (again from people in the know, me not being one) to be
good but nothing particularly special. And we have signed only Sandro. The
same Sandro we had signed this time some months and had all but signed this time
too many months ago to remember.
We do have
a good squad, the best I’ve ever known. As a whole it should improve but it
will not be straightforward. Perhaps one or two will come out of nowhere. I
can understand the expectation about Dos Santos, and I am by no means writing
him off, but it will take an extended run in a real competition before I
declare it a blessing in disguise that Joe Cole made the most suspicious of
‘footballing’ decisions. My prediction is Keane, a player who I’m sure would
be long gone any other summer - but not in this climate when clubs
optimistically request a loan of seasoned internationals whilst in turn
accepting no less than £12m upfront for the steam off the grounds man’s piss.
Other
players too should disappoint, decay, or revert. Sadly my tips are Defoe and
Palacios. Last season was Defoe’s chance; he was undisputed number one,
relatively injury free, and with at least one midfielder in unplayable form
at any given point of the season, had an embarrassment of riches at his
disposal. And while 18 goals seems good it was disappointing for a player
expected to breeze past 20, and for many, myself amongst them, it was
papering over the cracks. It’s a cliché by now, but most of the game is in
the mind, and for me Defoe is as shackled by confidence as Ledley is by his
knees. For every game he tortures Hull there will be another where only an
occasional snapshot reminds you he is on the pitch, and for every one of
these games again there will be another performance where there is nothing to
remind you at all. Palacios too I cannot help be pessimistic over. There were
times last season when it was like watching Vinnie Jones, had he lost all
spatial awareness in (an only somewhat) tragic accident and was now
undergoing highly speculative treatment that required mass consumption of
MDMA.
Some may
find it odd, but I also expect a difficult season for Dawson and Bale. Dawson
because the phrase ‘from zero to highly respected character actor’ didn’t
quite catch and ‘hero’ was shoehorned in: put frankly, many now look at him
as a Woodgate or a King - a role for which he is not yet ready and may be
castigated for not fulfilling. Bale profited from being neither one thing nor
the other last season, so neither right backs nor right wingers had a chance
to even try and figure him out. They will have more opportunities this time
around which will make it harder for him. By and large though I believe both
men have their best years in front of them.
The only
out and out bona-fide dead wood appears to be Hutton, though it will only
take a few run outs as rotten as last season for Jenas to join him (a player
who has nothing to prove apparently, spouted with the sort of self-delusion
that would make Naomi Campbell question his priorities).
But it is
foolish to think that the current squad is enough. Last year was like
watching an athlete run beyond his ability with veins bulging and deep pain
on his lock-jaw face, glancing over his shoulder constantly before finally
falling over the line in knots of cramp and tears. This season we were to be
the leggy sort who runs the same race at a cantor and is immediately prepared
to give a composed television interview extolling the virtues of the
competition (as they approach their last lap in the background). One or two
players could have perhaps given us the extra yard but then they have not
been forthcoming, neither for us nor for anyone. It has not been Harry’s
fault or Levy’s, but the coming home to roost after a decade of decadence in
the English game. If anything our chairman can feel hard done by, having held
his cards for so long only to find the other players had bluffed away their
chips when the time finally came to play his cards.
Neither
does it help that our peers have failed to capitulate as we hoped. Everton,
Arsenal and particularly Liverpool were supposed to enter the season in
disarray, with key players gone, leaving politics and poverty to pull what
remained apart. It never worked out that way though, and if rumours are to be
believed Liverpool are on the verge of acquiring a backer with greater funds
than most countries. Or for that matter any country other than their own. At
least Villa have had the good grace to self destruct in a hail of humiliation
and conspiracy. ‘Doing a Spurs’ I believe it’s called.
My
predictions? No big signings, the unexpected (and unintended) triumphant
return of Keane, an initially embarrassing but eventually spirited go at it
in the Champions League (as nerves and pressure succeed to underdog status)
without making it beyond the group (given we beat Young Boys). In the Premier
League I see fifth, below the increasingly focused City but above the not
quite rehabilitated Liverpool. Sadly, Man Utd to win the League.
Topspurs
Columnist Martin Cloake
Hoping for
a decent title tilt and a good CL showing should not be unrealistic. We have
a settled team, and a manager who looks at last to be confident he can
compete with the best.
In Modric
we have one of, if not the, best playmakers in the league, and that little
left-sided triangle of him, Bale and Niko looks tasty. Some depth, and nous,
in the middle of the park and in defence plus, most importantly, a genuine
goalscoring striker capable of operating on his own - because football clubs
cannot thrive on 4-4-2 alone - would take us up the necessary notch.
Optimism
doesn't come easy to long- time Spurs,
but we are capable of good football, can battle too and, so far, are still
operating as close to a sporting institution as it is possible to be in the
increasingly ridiculous environment of corporate moves and attempts to buy
instant success. More than most, we've created what we have, which should
make any success all the sweeter.
Plenty to
look forward to.
Dublin’s
finest Shane O’Sullivan
So another
new season is upon us again. I can’t believe it has come around so quickly.
So what can we expect for our Spurs in 10/11 ?
I think
this really is a tough one to call. I suppose I should be bursting with
positivity after last season’s triumphant entry into the top 4 against all
the odds. It was a massive achievement that required tonnes of hard work and
especially “bottle”, the rarest commodity in our resent history.
So why is
it that I’m slightly afraid of what is to come over the next 9 months ? I think the main reason is probably
based on previous false dawns. We’ve all been burnt so many times by this
football club, I find it very hard to honestly believe that they will
continue to make the right decisions that will keep the club progressing. I
almost expect Spurs to implode. I suppose I’m damaged goods.
However
most of facts point to Spurs being a major force again this season.
Firstly
our players have a newfound belief in themselves following last season’s
success. The belief that they can go toe to toe with the best sides and come
out on top, the belief that they can outplay any team visits the Lane, the
belief that they can go to difficult places and get results against the odds.
This belief is priceless.
Secondly we
have not had to sell any of our top players to direct competition, so many
previous summers were dominated by damaging sales (Carrick and Berbatov
spring to mind). Selling valuable assets to rival clubs is the football
equivalent of a 2 shot swing in golf. Securing 4th place was massive in this
regard, and the proof of the pudding was seen when Modric and Bale signed
major contract extensions in May.
Thirdly
the continuity/stability of keeping the same manager in place. I was
delighted to see Redknapp putting pen to paper on a new contract a few weeks
ago. Stability is something we have rarely had in my time supporting this
great club. It’s so important that the same ethos and standards are
maintained. Redknapp has done such a marvellous job since he came to Spurs,
his win/loss/PPG stats speak for themselves.
The only
slightly disappointing aspect of the pre season is the lack of transfer
activity, but as anyone with half a brain knows, signing top professional
footballers in this day and age isn’t like the Football Manager video game.
I’m hopeful that Harry will get his Man/Men in the end, however if the window
were to close tonight I wouldn’t loose any sleep over it.
To
summarise, I think Spurs are in the strongest position we have ever been in
going into a new premier league season, but Spurs being Spurs I’m half
expecting a collapse. So my prediction: Another top 4 placing in the league and
Champions league football after Christmas. The domestic cups are a much of a
muchness. Although it would be nice to win one again, we’ve moved on to
bigger things and they could prove to be unwelcome distractions.
Topspurs
Columnist Logan Holmes
Another
summer anticipating new signings at White Hart Lane draws to a close with
nothing to show, as yet, but expectations for the new season remain
high. It will be difficult to maintain
the level of consistency shown throughout the greater part of last year when
European games are added to the fixture list but that’s what Tottenham have
been striving for over the past number of years. It’s fitting that Tottenham embark on their
first season in the Champions League in the year that marks the fiftieth
anniversary of Spurs’ greatest ever year and team – the 1960-61 ‘Double’
side. The team that earned Spurs a
place in the European Cup and did so much to emblazon the name of Tottenham
Hotspur across Europe and worldwide.
As the
legendary Bill Nicholson said, “It's magnificent to be in Europe and this
club - a club like Tottenham Hotspur - if we're not in Europe, we're
nothing.”
Once again
Spurs have that chance in Europe’s top competition and the opening matches of
the season will go a long way to determine the success or failure of the
season that lies ahead. There are the
crucial qualifying games against Young Boys Berne to reach the group stages
of the Champions League and three vital Premier League games before the end
of August. Last year Spurs took nine
points from the corresponding fixtures and to maintain a position in the top
four that level of consistency is going to be vital. To fail in these games could really dampen
the spirit of optimism surrounding the club and spectators as the season
opens.
To date,
transfer activity for Spurs has been limited to rumours of possible targets
and probable departures. Presumably,
the Chairman will be activating his usual ‘last-minute.com’ policy once he is
aware of Spurs European status in the last week of August – Champions League
or Europa League.
Spurs
immediate goal for the season must be to reach the group stages of the Champions
League with a long term objective of building on last season’s progress by
maintaining their top four position.
However, that will not be an easy task with Manchester City signing
players for fun and lavishing excessive salaries upon them while Liverpool
are determined to revitalise their flagging fortunes under Roy Hodgson and
are fortunate to have retained their star players. If Spurs are unable to achieve these short
and long-term targets Daniel Levy may regret his unwillingness to speculate
in order to strengthen the team this summer.
There is
much to look forward to this season and there is a great buzz of expectation
around the club at this moment in time.
Spurs are in their strongest position for many years and it is to be
hoped that they will progress to an even higher level and by next May will
have some silverware to show for all their efforts.
Topspurs
Columnist Richard Pymont
I expect
us to get off to a bit of a stuttery start to the new season, with the
distraction of the Champions League and so on. But by September, I think
we'll be flying- my prediction is we'll get to Group stage of Champions
league and have a fairish run in it, maybe get to FA Cup final and finish top
six. Bale to be PFA Young player of the year and this will be the season
Modric really comes to the fore.
I think
Citeh may be too strong for us to finish above them this season and much as I
hate to say it, I think the Goons will finish above us too. Hodgson will make
Liverpool hard to beat and with Torres staying, I think they will also finish
above us, whereas we will struggle to keep in top 4 with Champions League
being a totally new experience for us.
Topspurs
Columnist Woodo
So another
season is upon us and judging by the limited comments on TopSpurs the combination
of a lack of transfer activity and such a depressing World Cup has possibly
dampened enthusiasm during the off season.
Once again being an old wise type I have said to myself that I need to
be realistic this season, that the players are just over paid whipper
snappers, half my age who don’t really care about the Spurs, so why get
worked up about it all? I’ve had the
same conversation for the past few years yet come kick off on that first game
of the season, all objectivity is shelved and we set off on a 10 month
Lilywhite rollercoaster. So after the
comparative success last time around where do we go; backwards (often our
reaction to progress), hold our position or push on?
Let’s be
realistic about it all, this year is going to be tougher than last. The lack
of money at clubs (bar Citeh) is causing a closing of the gap in terms of top
teams who are now unable to spend their way to success but the top 8 sides
from last season all look capable of a top 4 finish. Chelsea, United and the Arse will all be
there or thereabouts, Citeh likewise, Liverpool can’t be as poor under Woy
and Everton (who finished like a train) surely can’t start as badly. That leaves Villa, who will at worst upset
a few of the top teams along the way and us.
That’s the bad news out of the way, on the positive side, we have a
settled team (until Harry lands Bellamy), with some good cover across most
positions, who learnt a lot over the last twelve months and some good
youngsters who can certainly be involved in the league cup games to relieve
the load. A couple of good additions, particularly a proper international
class forward and a top centre half (where injuries will surely deprive us
for a large part of Ledley and Woodgate) and I think we can have another
exciting season.
Two
wishes? In Europe, qualify and get past the first group stage of the Champs
League. Domestically, get that enormous gorilla off our backs, that one or
two people love to remind me of, about not winning away at OT, Stamford
Bridge, Anfield or down the road.
It’s 67 games and 17 years-not too much to ask is it?
Jürgen of
Belsize Park
I think
having got to the Champions League play-off round was a huge achievement, and
the built-up frustration of never having been there will make it a dead-cert
that Spurs will qualify for the group stage, where again they will probably
overachieve and qualify for the knock-out stage. Once play-off success is
guaranteed, some quality players will be added, though Scott Parker seems an
odd choice as he is no spring chicken, and his best years are probably behind
him.
On the
domestic front, I don’t think Champions League qualification will be repeated
because Man City will break into the top four, and it is not obvious who else
could drop out. Arsenal could be vulnerable, but somehow I can't see it. I
think Spurs will reach the Europa League next season, which is perhaps where
they belong (and which is a fairly respectable outcome and competition), and
they are always a decent bet to win the FA Cup or League Cup.
I am still
not 100% convinced about the attitude of the squad who still flatter to
deceive in many games while the big boys at the very top display a more
ruthless approach. Perhaps that will change for the better one way, but seems
so ingrained in the internal culture of the club that it may be hard to
change unless you get a Jose Mourinho in charge.
Anyway,
all in all this is probably as good as it has been for ages, but also
possibly as good as it realistically can get.
Topspurs
Columnist Il Falcone
If you swallow
the hogwash still peddled by modern football’s persistent cheerleaders, Spurs
have already achieved this season – we’ve landed our ‘holy grail’ by
qualifying for the omnipotent Champions League. This conveniently ignores the
barely acknowledged but crucial detail that we haven’t qualified – there is
what could prove to be an inconvenient pre-group stage game to negotiate
first. So, for the unfashionable old curmudgeons among us who hang on to that
quaint but outdated belief that lifting trophies is a more accurate
definition of success, there’s still plenty of work to be done. We haven’t
won anything yet.
Nonetheless,
even a miserable old git like me won’t begrudge any Tottenham fan walking
around with a bit more swagger this summer: it is as good a time to be a
supporter of the club as any in recent (i.e post Premier League) memory.
The mood
is good. We’re a stable club in relative good health; we have a decent,
shrewd manager who knows the score and has shown he can get the best out of
Tottenham players individually and as a steam; the squad is better-balanced
with seams of real quality running through it – Modric, Bale, Lennon, Gomes
and King (if fit and ably backed up by Dawson if not) are contemporary Spurs
players to be proud off and, complemented by more quality in depth, combine
to give hope and optimism for the future rather than the usual pessimism and
misery.
Over the
summer there have been the familiar mutterings about the need to seize the
opportunity and aim to sign big-name players on fees and salaries to match,
as befits a club that is poised to gain a ticket to Europe’s top table.
Redknapp himself said as much in so many words. But with Man City now doing
an impression of an even more monied Abramovich-era Chelsea tribute band, its
arguable we’ll have to wait for the Abu Dhabi Colin Bell fan club to exhaust
their spending spree before we compete for what’s left. Just when it seemed
the indebted circus that is British football was regaining a semblance of
economic sense, along come the oil billionaires to perpetuate the culture of
madness.
In those
circumstances, and with the familiar caveats about possible ins and outs
before the end of accursed transfer window, for me the more important benefit
of last season’s excellent performance in the league has been to enable Spurs
to hang onto our better players, instead of the usual depressing spectacle of
seeing good players leave for more promising and lucrative pastures.
The squad
should be stronger for the experience of seeing out the last season in hugely
impressive fashion and hopefully, staying together means they’ll want to
succeed together. The question is, will this be a season in which we build on
that success or suffer a dose of ‘difficult second album’ sickness?
Only two
defeats and 10 wins from the last 12 league games, including memorable
victories over the Goons and Chelsea, was outstanding, title-winning form by
anyone’s definition and the players should now have the confidence to realise
they can take on the best sides and succeed. Is it too fanciful to suggest we
could aim for the league? Perhaps, but far from being mocked for his belief
that Tottenham can challenge, Redknapp should be applauded. For too long
we’ve known our ‘place’ and cowered accordingly. We probably won’t even come
close, but so what? Time to show a bit of Audere est facere.
Fanzine
legend Mario Sergides
"After
the mess that was the semi final, the boys did us proud in securing a fourth
place in the league. I did not see us doing that, after witnessing the semi
at Wembley.
We still
have to beat the "young boys" to get to the group stage of the
champions league, but with whats at stake, we should progress.
Managers
always want add two or three players to their squad and Harry is no
different. I do think that he is right. We certainly need a centre half and a
striker. Woodgate did not even make it into the 25 man squad and Keane does
not seem the player he once was.
My
prediction for the coming season is a top six finish. If we can finish teams
off as Chelsum, Manure and the Arse do, then a top four finish."
Topspurs
Columnist Colin Ashby
It’s like
a drug for me, Spurs that is and when nothing is happening I get into a state
of near depression.
Yes I know
we have had the World Cup, but even that isn’t the same, maybe it would have
been if some of our players had played.
These past
few weeks reading sites and media looking for news on transfers in has been a
bit of an anticlimax compared to previous seasons, but in many ways this
can’t be a bad thing surely? Consistency and confidence in the squad is
important and with just a minimum of tinkering will help. After all we
haven’t seen a mass influx of players into Manure and the other top teams,
and they haven’t done too badly.
The
strength of any good team has to be down the middle, goalkeeper, central
defender, midfield general and goal scorer. Gomes fulfils the role at the
back and I am hoping that the emergence of Dawson will cover the regular loss
of King, with Bassong and Kaboul backing up we are fairly strong in this
position. I know some want a replacement for King, but where is he? Will he
come?
Midfield
general is a problem; should he be defensive or attacking, we have a mix but
not the complete player, and once again I don’t know if the player is out there
to fulfil this role. It is the man up front that is the main weakness, a man
leading the front line has to be in my opinion one who can not only score but
hold the ball, feed others. Holding the ball is just as important because
even though he may be attacking he is defending as well. I remember Clive
Allen prolific goal scorer, but his first touch was not good. Oh for a Bobby
Smith, Alan Shearer type, but hey that’s in the old days modern football is
much different now, so I am told often enough.
In Harry I
have every confidence, didn’t at first, but he is an old stager, knows the
game and knows how to get the best out of players, I for one was never
worried when he told Bent that his missus could have scored after a glaring
miss. It was true. The rest of his back up staff are tough no nonsense
campaigners, I am convinced it is they who have brought out the improvement
in Bale and Lennon and hope they will either do the same for Dos Santos or
pack him off for a tidy profit.
This
season I hope for at least a repeat of the last. Although some are tipping City, with all
their expensive new signings there is no guarantee they will immediately
settle into the rigours and demands of the Premier league and the same will
go for Liverpool. This is a big ask for Hodgson and the expectations will be
very high on him.
We have a
really tough start to the season especially with the qualifying rounds of the
Champions league and I can’t wait for it to begin, hoping to see young Bale
continue the form of the end of last season, and the emergence of some of our
younger players.
Said it
earlier consistency, brings confidence, we have a strong squad, maybe not
some brilliant individuals, but overall the strength in depth is there for
all competitions. On our day we are good enough to beat anyone, and I mean
anyone. Bring it on, and let’s get it started.
Haig from
Cyprus
Right,the
new season is around the corner with Man City the opener and than we travel
to the Young Boys which i hear Mr Wenger is getting jealous,he wanted to play
them.
A couple
of thoughts Spurs have to focus on. It looks like when we see this team from
the north called Man Ure, they r loosing it. GET OVER IT. This complex and I
don’t see why Spurs cant win the premier league as a certain Spaghetti junction
did the double last year with Chelscum(his first year).
Its
getting frustrating repeating ourselves 50 years of hurt. Good luck both in
the CL and the premier league,not interested with the cups.
Topspurs
Columnist JimmyG2
OK let's
see: good pre-season; bad start; result, mid table mediocrity. Bad
pre-season; good start;
result,Champions' League. Simple innit? I've gone from the depths of
depression after the runaround
administered by Villarreal and on to Cloud 10 after an impressive performance
against Benfica so I should be back on an even keel by the time I post this.
It doesn't make any sense to base the season's prediction on whatever
happened in the last game but I'm afraid that's as scientific as it gets following Spurs.
But
pre-season matches, I'm reliably informed,
are just training ground games that they charge fans to watch. Not if
you win they're not. They are another milestone on the road to ultimate world
domination. They don't matter if you lose perhaps but against Benfica we won
the Eusabio Cup, don't ask, and played well, which will give everyone a
boost. Such are the scraps we have to feed on. Fiorentina was a game of two
halves and is difficult to base much on except that Huddlestone looks a class
apart. It was the right result in the end and Keane, calmer, and better for
it, might not be leaving us after all.
The
highlights of the summer season have been new kits, sponsorship and medical
updates on Woodgate's groin and Ledley's knee which will be posted on the
railings at Buckingham Palace in future. No signings apart from Sandro who
will come to us like Pavlyuchenko
without a break and will probably not surface until nearer Xmas. No
sales either apart from the new Zidane pioneering a new route to Madrid via
QPR. As soon as I post this there will no doubt be a flurry of signings.
However
there are sensible footballing grounds to think that a settled squad under a
stable management automatically improves by continuing to play together. Add
on youngsters making the move up and the possible emergence at last of
Giovani and you have a squad that can at least maintain last year's levels of
performance and achievement.
Liverpool
are desperately trying to convince themselves that they are not going into
free-fall under Roy Hodgson. Man. City will probably implode under the stress
of all those egos. Aston Villa are slowly falling apart. Man.Utd are a waning
force with an aging squad whose hour has passed. Everton are strapped for
cash and won't be able to mount a serious challenge. Arsenal have kept their
key man and could be in with a shout.
So there
you have it; real value for money here. Chelsea to win the league, Spurs or
Arsenal for second. Man. Utd or Man.City for fourth and and Liverpool or
Everton for sixth. This has a pleasing city symmetry about it. They don't
call me the ITK's ITK for nothing.
On the
other hand with a jet-lagged, heat exhausted squad already suffering from
injuries to Modric, Pavlyuchenko, Jenas, Keane, Defoe and Bentley at various
times we could find by the end of August that our season is over: out of the
Champions' League, floundering in the Premiership, Harry in prison, new
stadium blocked and Autonomy in receivership: what they call the 'post Villarreal trauma effect'. However a
kindly draw in the play-offs should ensure that the first of these bear traps
is avoided, apart from the AstroTurf and the fact that Young Boys knocked out
Fenerbache.
I've
re-read all of last year's Vox Pop ( You live your lives and I'll live mine
thank you) and being hard-bitten Spurs supporters we were a very cautious
lot. Only Greg Meyer and his troop of Mummers and Morris Men at the Kent Pub correctly predicted a 4th
place finish. I believe that Jim sent them a firkin of good ale as a prize.
Since then we have proved we have the ability,confidence and determination to
make the step up, much to everyone's delight and most people's surprise.
So taking
a leaf out of Greg's book I'm erring on the optimistic side this year. no bet
hedging, fudging or double talk. This is known as the 'Eusabio Cup
exhilaration effect'. We will qualify for Champions' League proper; we will
come 4th at least in the Premiership; throw in a Cup run; Harry will still be
manager this time next year and I can put two fingers up once again to those
who believe in keeping a low profile in case optimism, not to say over
confidence, upsets the Gods. The Gods don't read 'Topspurs': fact.
So sit
back and hold on very tightly; keep your hands inside the car and remain
seated at all times. Remember this is JimmyG2, the columnist that's not
always wrong.
Topspurs
Columnist Jim Duggan
Not much
going on over the summer is not a bad thing as Spurs can start the season
with the team that finished off so well last season and there is no reason to
expect anything other than something similar to last year, with another 70ish
league points, good cup runs and of course the CL.
Spurs
toughest opponents will be ourselves. To achieve success you need the ability
but to maintain it you need the mentality. Spurs never dropped below 6th
place last season but the sense of crisis which followed a run of two draws
and a defeat to Wolves, one of only two instances that Spurs went more than 2
games without a win, was symptomatic of the fragile confidence under the
surface of many fans. Hopefully the fourth place finish will have done
something to cement the belief both on and off the pitch. Spurs have got the
players to do well again but the manager and his staff most important role
will be sustaining motivation and re-enforcing belief, especially during dips
in form. Aside from this, the stats show that Spurs have just two wins (both
in 1993) from 72 matches away against the Sky4 sides since the start of the
Premiership and last seasons return of 0-3, 0-3, 1-3 and 0-2 is a 12 point
handicap that needs work.
Of Spurs
rivals – Chelsea are ageing and will struggle to repeat last years
performance and while United always solid at the back, it looks pretty thin
behind Rooney for goals. Arsenal have a lot going for them but the effect of
Fabregas want away will be another tug on what looks thin team spirit and
Wenger’s development of players has always eclipsed his buys who again look
CL rather than EPL. Liverpool may be more league focussed this year but are a
one man team with a lot of journeymen behind and how anyone can take Man City
seriously is beyond me, a cockeyed club now run on the whim of an Emirati
sounds a recipe for another showy big money failure. With Villa set to back
peddle, nothing else will come from the pack and should the elite come back
to the pack, a resurgent Spurs may even exceed our own dreams – 50 years on
from the last time. Why not… and just remember how the 50s/60s is being
mirrored in the 00s/10s….
In the
October of the eighth year of the 1950s, Spurs replaced the manager of a side
struggling in the league and the new man managed to keep Spurs in the top
division while upgrading the squad. The next season saw progression to the
top four, which was sustained to deliver a league and cup double the
following year.
In the
October of the eighth year of the 2000s, Spurs replaced the manager of a side
struggling in the league and the new man managed to keep Spurs in the top
division while upgrading the squad. The next season saw progression to the
top four….
It would
be wonderful to think Redknapp Snr could continue to follow in the footsteps
of the great Sir Bill but another 70-75 points, good runs in the domestic
cups and a good showing in the Champions League into the new year would be
another reason to sing ‘its lucky for Spurs when the year ends in one’!
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