Oh well

I own a pair of Adidas Beckenbauer so that technically makes me German. I'll take that.

We had plenty of desire and heart but lacked quality. Can't really hate on them for that. Italy had more possession than Pete Doherty and managed to blow it all. We could have nicked it but we really should have been well beaten before extra-time. Hodgson can't do much with the likes of < pick any three players at random > and when our supposedly best player is completely off key we're hardly going to ignite and set the night on fire.

Got schooled, justice done for the Italians. Another QF heartbreak for us. It's just not in our mindset to win penalties so let's not pretend we believed we could. Look on the bright side, we're not going to lose 4-0 to the Germans now.

Viva two banks of four. Onwards to Brazil then.

Andre Villas-Intheknowas

Amazing how much you can do with one quote, slightly out of context with emphasis on the answer itself rather than the question posed and no further commentary other than to craft out an inciting headline.

Andre Villas-Boas, according to various news sources, has 'rejected Spurs lies'. All very dramatic. There is nothing, it is all lies, he stated in a Portuguese interview. Apparently the question was directly referring to whether he had put pen to paper and had accepted the offer to manager Spurs. But I can't confirm that for certain as I have not seen the original interview and tradition deems that football journalism is the leading innovator in subjective reporting where ambiguity reigns supreme. Sensationalist soundbites generate click-throughs, so why bother investigating deeper.

The Telegraph have reported another quote (this taken from their article here):

Yesterday Villas-Boas denied he had been offered the Spurs job and he is anxious not to be seen to be pushing the club. He said: “There have been contacts with various clubs but it’s important for me to meet people, know their ideas, share mine and see if a common idea can be agreed.”

Slightly more encouraging, but there's no stand-out head turner in there. It's far less chaotic and doesn't fit into the more comfortably category of calamity that allows people to vent their anger and confusion. Good news isn't great news, bad news is better news. Which is why we've not seen this shared anywhere (at the time of writing).

In addition to all this, something I've yet to see reported on (so I can't substantiate it in any way, which possibly places me on par with the hacks) is that AVB is purposely distancing himself due a contractual obligation he has (had) with Chelsea. It's already been shared on Twitter publicly that the 1st of July is the date that any official agreement can be shared by club and prospective new Spurs boss if such a deal is in the making.

The reality is, there's nothing we can influence. We have no idea of the work going on behind the scenes. We don't know whether Levy is working through a short-list or not. None of that information will be known at any point, until the club make their statement and announce a press conference. All fairly simple and obvious. Yet complicated to **** because we're all so desperate to know something before it's about to happen. Hence the guess work and rumours and people taking every single thing as a literal transparent describition of what is transpiring.

Although most want this sorted as soon as possible and many believed Levy would only have sacked Redknapp if he had a full proof contingency outlined in preparation, that doesn't mean the decision should be rushed. It has to work both ways. We might need to attract someone or perhaps we need to choose from a selection of managers that want to take the hot seat. Levy might have made his mind up and then found himself curious to listen to another candidate that has express interest.

Have I covered off a fair few scenarios there?

Do they pose further shrugs and question marks? If I worked for a newspaper I could quote 'an inside source' and run with an exclusive about how our chairman is dithering and uncertain. Or perhaps not and instead talk about how he waited for the right time to make sure Redknapp wasn't in the running to take over at another 'top' Premier League club when let go by Spurs. Shrewd and calculated and in control.

I could go on.

My point? I know about us much as you do and about us much as anyone in the press knows. Nothing. What will be will be, which means if you remained awake between now and when we appoint someone or slept all the way up the announcement, it won't make a blind bit of difference either way.

The blueprint still requires ink

An excellent read from David Conn via the Guardian here about the problems facing Daniel Levy in terms of how the club can sustain competitiveness at the very top level based on our current financial model. Or rather the quest that presents itself and how it may continue to remain answered even after we appoint a new manager.

Once more it's worth regurgitating the ugly truth that it was because of how Redknapp behaved and the apparent non-relationship he had with Levy that saw him lose his job. Judging by comments made by Levy and Redknapp post-'sacking' the official line is that Harry was let go because the club want to go in a different direction. Isn't this just PR, an avoidance and agreement to side step making public the real issues at hand? Or am I just basing that on the deafening silence from the club whilst Redknapp talked contracts to Sky Sports? Seems obvious to me but it's just an opinion.

Redknapp was a success compared to the past. The past in this instance is the Sky Sports era of football where we spent over a decade turning up for a yearly party at the wrong address. You could attempt to argue with the squad at hand it was expected in the time Harry spent at Spurs to achieve top four challenges - which he did. Even if that wasn't the intention when he joined. It soon become apparent that if the squad played like men instead of lost little boys they could aspire to so much more. So regardless of his flaws and lack of tactical shrewdness, he has left a steady foundation for the next man to build on. Perhaps the next man will be backed by Levy in the transfer market. You would hope they will see eye to eye and spend money on areas that need mending and upgrading. Forwards, midfield and the defence. Not too much then to concern themselves with.

Beyond Redknapp, Conn does hit the nail on the head in suggesting we need to be able to go toe to toe with the teams above us and to do so we need to be equipped, tooled up so that we stand a chance of us being the ones left standing when the fighting is done and dusted. Other clubs, the richer clubs might not always spend as much as you expect them to but they knock us out when comparing wage structures. As we all know, money talks and in this modern game it can talk players into remaining or signing regardless of whether Champions League is part of the package. I'm not completely comfortable with it but the wage you offer a player is a far more powerful tool than being able to sign the player in the first place. City might be able to out bid any competitor (both in transfer and wages) but not everyone can sign for City. It creates tiers in football in terms of which clubs can go after certain players. The Hazard transfer was interesting because apparently we could afford his fee but his wages? The only tears here are the ones falling down our cheekbones.

Ironically, Redknapp's legacy (aside from the stability we've found with our league form) finds our expectations for the club to see us compete at the very top of the Prem. There's no particular model or blueprint that has been implemented by coach or chairman. We know how good we can be, we know we can be even better and we know what we need to be able to get there. It's up to the chairman to unequivocally back the next man placed into the hot seat. I never got the impression Redknapp had that reassurance. Probably because he wanted to do things his own way. He took it a touch too far in the end, a one man band playing a tune that nobody else at the club was singing along to. There was disassociation, again this can be placed down to Redknapp and his selective detachment and loyalty to himself.

A very good manager, say someone equal to Redknapp, will probably achieve what Redknapp achieved. That sounds obvious but the point is with the players at our disposal, we won't degrade in any major way unless 3-4 key players walked away from the club. Which is highly improbable. So as long as the next man in gently and carefully begins to mould the team into the vision he has for them, there shouldn't be a major impact on our expectations or form. Granted the pressure (not just from the media) will be a problem for obvious reasons (how dare we sack their favourite son). But equally the pressure from us, the supporters. The much maligned Redknapp has actually set the bar very high as many amongst us expect us to achieve what we failed to do this season: 3rd place or better. Even in his failure there's an echo of glory.

We're going to need to retain our feet firmly on the ground and appreciate that one season in football is hardly comparable to the one that follows it. Still, the attitude has to be focused on bettering this season regardless. How else do retain a sense of progressive positive motion and emotion to see the club elevated further forwards?

To actually achieve more we have to be completely ruthless in our ambitions. There is no need for a five year plan as per previous years. Scouting and youth development should be part and parcel of a clubs set up. Which it is at Spurs. Although the scouting element is not something I quite understand since Comolli left. What we do need is to maximise our potential based on our current stature and aim not just for the season ahead but for the team to grow and evolve organically as to avoid any transitional periods. It's a continuation, not damage limitation or gutting. This job should not be one that is made difficult by the circumstance of the team itself. We just need to manage these expectactions with a little caution and not too much arrognance and entitlement.

To achieve that the chairman and manager have to be completely on the same page with short term transfer policies to get us challenging now and with long term projection. Even without a manager, signing a player of Jan Vertonghen's quality is the perfect illustration of this. As opposed to the moneyball quick win 'for the present day' strategy that Redknapp had with his signings (although kudos for Parker and yes, Redknapp's method can work if money isn't going to be spent). A blueprint for the future will be birthed from such a harmonious relationship.

Easier said than done. We still don't know what Levy is planning on doing in terms of the structure that will be set up to support the new manager/coach. Rumours suggest the return of the director of football position. Although arguably its never gone away. Levy has acted as one since Comolli was sacked, working with Redknapp or attempting to do so. We assume money wasn't spent because they couldn't agree on targets. If there was something else at play in terms of working to a budget outlined by Levy then Harry did work miracles to see us compete with the clubs above us that dwarf our budget in comparison.

The big boy revenue wont be there until the stadium is built and that could still be five years away if not longer. So until then we have to sustain our stature as a 'top five' club season in season out which means perhaps the short term tactic Redknapp embraced - working from one to the next - is the only way to do with the caveat that we sign players we can then sell on for profit (a classic Levy tactic, one that we'll probably see with Luka to La Liga).

Modric will go this summer. Bale might go next summer. We've always been able to attract players that are then sought after so perhaps this is the only financial model that will work to sustain our challenge. It's high risk because we're going to have to be up there challenging to attract the players in. It's harsh, it's not something I like to tag us with, but you can understand how Spurs act like a stepping stone, a gateway for players that want to showcase before they move on. I'm certain the link up with Internacional was based on this thinking, as we'll probably see with Sandro at some point in the future with him moving on to Italy.

Sometimes high risk can pay off. A club like Spurs in the CL every season would mean the club can start to throw heavyweight punches back at the bigger boys standing over us. Having no monopoly is a good thing but it also opens up a far more competitive league meaning we might have to share the privilege of wanting to get back in it. I for one would want to see Sandro see out his career at Spurs as a legend. It's going to take some doing.

Are we punching above our weight? In financial terms, yes. In footballing, there isn't that much difference at this moment in time between 4th and 3rd. We have to adopt and strength to remain level pegging. It's risky like I mentioned but there is no other way until we have a 60k (or just below) stadium.

To finish, here's Conn's opening paragraph from his article:

There are two ways to ask the same question about the Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy, the club's owner, Joe Lewis, and the three directors who sanctioned this week's sacking of Harry Redknapp. Do they have delusions of grandeur if fourth place in the Premier League is considered not good enough? Or, to put it more bluntly: what more do they want?

This isn't about Levy and the directors having delusions of grandeur. We don't have any other option at the moment than to build on the team finally sustaining consistency in the league. The key is the football played. Another season of Champions League will elevate us further in terms of accountancy. I'll settle for that and a piece of silverware. No one said this would be easy. Retaining Harry would simply give us more of the same and there's nothing wrong with that. Had Harry behaved, had we perhaps got into the CL. If anyone, Levy included, wants to validate sacking Redknapp purely for footballing reasons then perhaps the risk is in the belief that the right top class appointment would give us the very same thing but with the potential to go that little bit further and as I stated, there's very little between 4th and 3rd.

We can't stagnate, regardless of whether the statistics sneer back at us.

Forza England

I'm not quite back in love with England. I hardly even lust her. I wouldn't even consider a one night stand. Perhaps a cuddle at best. If it did lead to a kiss I might lose myself momentarily and allow a tug although I expect it wouldn't get beyond a limp state. I call that a Milner. She probably wouldn't even notice that I wasn't too keen. She'd just be happy to be there and to have caught my attention. And so on.

There is nothing sexy about Hodgson's men but I quite like that mainly because there's nothing sexy about England these days. All that pomp and expectation that anchored the fabled golden generation to disappointment is gone, although as shared in a previous blog, I enjoyed the delusion that came with the ridiculous notion that this year would finally be the year we do it. Belief is such a powerful emotive. It renders reality irrelevant that all the hope and want is misguided. It fuels you as a supporter and makes the sport you love a far more rewarding experience, even if you end up losing and hurting. You feel more alive for it. Spurs fans know what I mean. England fans of old also.

I can close my eyes and still see Italia 90 like it was yesterday (don't ask me what I was literally doing yesterday though because I won't remember, in fact don't even bother asking me what I did two hours ago, thanks to MDMA and countless summers under the Ibiza sun). That game against Cameroon. There was one moment where I was such a wreck, a ball of nervous nerves nerving, that I walked outside into the garden and wondered around trying to calm myself down from having a heart-attack. Such was the intensity, the hope to keep the dream alive. I returned to glare at the tv again and pray for safe passage into the next round (with thanks to Lineker). My heart pumping and head racing through countless permutations and what ifs and how I'd handle a loss if it happened. All the games we're like that. Euro 96 also. Then it slowly started to degrade, for me any way, with each passing tournament.

I'm still waiting for that moment in the present day, that rush of blood, to have me genuinely jumping off the sofa and screaming at the telly in celebration or frustration. I did lift my hand up when Rooney scored. Worked a treat for me as on the way back it picked up a drink that sat waiting on the coffee table. Good timing. I was thirsty.

That's not to say there weren't any moment of joy. There were moments of actual joy to behold. John Terry. What a moment that was. For a minute I thought he'd score when that cross pinged across the six yard box but it zinged past him. Wouldn't want that now would we. Still, I made a pre-tournament promise that I would not be counting any goals scored by him. Yes, that's right, I don't count goals scored by people of his colour. The colour of hypocrisy. It's an ugly colour.

What about his clearance? I guess we need to be thankful to that bloke that stands by the side of the goal staring into space day dreaming about that other bloke whose job it is to scan the stadium for fit looking female supporters via tv camera. Now that's a job of importance and more importantly, fun. Shame he didn't take a second to perhaps zoom in on the sleepy official with the mundane job, missing the fact the ball actually crossed the line. We all like to laugh at someone having a snooze during the football. But hey, whatever, who cares. Justice for Lampard and all that.

Ukraine did okay. Had a fair few chances, but failed to take them. We had a couple also. A Rooney sitter, Cole with a decent effort. Okay so it wasn't exciting, we're not exciting. Hodgson has the team well drilled (he's got that particular thing trademarked) and organised, even though you suspect a far stronger opponent would not struggle much against our backline with perhaps a clever ball or burst of pace. Just how far stronger other teams are currently is up for some debate. France hardly looked bothered in their game against Sweden, Blanc drawing a blank, distracted no doubt from being linked to the Spurs job. We have that effect on managers.

England work hard off the ball, but we're hardly majestic on it. Aside from Scott Parker who just has to run around to look like something from a 1950's action comic book. But as a collective, we're just very average. We ride our luck a fair bit but as witnessed at club level, this can sometimes be enough for a team to go all the way to the final. The plucky can be crowned kings. It's happened famously at international level also. I doubt very much the England players would turn down the chance for some Greek. The reality is, we'll probably get spanked instead.

Gerrard (to be fair to him) has done quite well, particularity with his deliveries. One of the old guard proving a point. Hart has been kept busy between the sticks and remains quite sharp when called upon to react. Another major positive is the tabloids will have to write positive things about the team through gritted teeth, still probably seething from the irony of being accountable for losing Redknapp the England job and then in turn being responsible for the said catalyst that saw Redknapp also lose his job at club level too. Keep it up Roy. They're hating this.

We're in the quarters so I guess I should stick a smile on it. The glory hunter within me is primed and ready to burst out in a fit of hypocritical giddiness. Sunday against Italy and the prospect of a semi-final against the Germans (maybe) if we win. I might actually sit up, even shift my backside onto the edge of the seat.

Forza England.

Hacked

More hacks than a Friday 13th movie

You'd think that with Harry Redknapp's departure the tabloid hacks would welcome the amount of free time he now possesses to grace their pages further with insightful gems on how and why Spurs are about to collapse in on themselves and be relegated as a consequence of our chairman's ruthless (not not so ruthless in reality) actions. But alas, their favourite son appears to be imprisoned like Zod in the Phantom Zone, waiting for escape. So until they are distracted with the continuing adventures of Arry they are chugging away at us like a locomotive heading towards a damsel in distress (in this case Levy in drag tied to the railway tracks).

They (the hacks) are basically perpetuating the full collected edition of Harry Redknapp's deflections and fallacies as they build up the strength to pack a punch at the unlucky sod that dare take the job vacated at the Lane against the wishes of the almighty press gang. They're already bitter about Hodgson. Swing and they'll still probably miss. They're already throwing rabbit punches and striking below the belt.

Our players are apparently gutted that Redknapp has gone yet the same players believed him to be on his way during the FA and England debacle last season. Chelsea players scaring off Spurs players? Yeah, because nobody knows what happened in the dressing room at that club with the old guard sabotaging the efforts of the new man who was given the impossible job of changing things and changing them fast. Spurs are a club that have swagger in abundance when confidence is high, what we lacked was tactical astuteness when it mattered most. Balance and shrewd calculated pragmatism as opposed to confusing selections and kick and hope.

This Week published a short article on Spurs fans being split and referenced this excellent article via The Fighting Cock, only to side step the positive write up on AVB and concentrate more on a single comment by a reader that stated appointing AVB would be like the "second coming" of the much-ridiculed Christian Gross*.

The agenda is an obvious one. We'll have to be thick skinned about it.

*They've now amended the original article to reflect the positive article they linked to.

AVB remains the 'favourite' to be appointed although everyone is getting linked with Spurs supposedly approaching half a dozen targets. I still believe Levy had his contingency planned a while back. Probably the moment the esteemed Redknapp turned down a new Spurs contract to opt for the certainty that was the England job. The very same one Levy priced him out of.

Don't mess with bald men.

Elsewhere...

Euros

Bendtner has been fined and handed a one game suspension after he revealed an unauthorised sponsors logo on his pants during match against Portugal. The fine? 100k. Far more serious crime this than being a racist which will only cost your nation between the region of £25k - £30k.

As for England. We're not very good but yet it's quite fun watching us attempt to score one more goal than the opposition. Expect us to get dicked severely soon.

Modric to Madrid (of La Liga) according to Luka's mate Mate Bilic. Such a good mate they named him Mate just to emphasis how in the know Mate is on his mate Luka. Would be no surprise if he was sold, it's what we're expecting. He's in his prime in terms of selling profit margin potential. The stance was made last season with the Chelsea saga and our refusal to let him go, ironic with the seasons finale. Had we made it into the CL there might be reason for him to stay. Although as discussed countless times before, this is more about the money and wages he can earn (and how much his agent can take in said transfer).

Do I believe the 'deal is close'? Do I believe in the validity of a 'swap deal'? Of course not. More likely the agent has had words to drum up a bit of hype, post- Croatia v Spain match. Until the player is gone, he's a Spurs player, so I'd rather wait on official word. Until then he's a bundle of money to be made by the club just in time to bulk up the incoming managers war chest.

But if you did fancy a cheeky bid...

As for Vertonghen, we've been told 'it's practically done' for the past month. So Expect him to sign any day soon. Any day now. Soon. Literally waiting for the ink to dry. Until then you'll have to entertain yourself with such exciting news as 'Nelsen to QPR'. Hedonistic.

Serious relegation fears

Prem fixture list is out. Available in full here. Complete Spurs fixture list here.

We play the scum November 17th away and March 2nd (subject to usual TV rescheduling).

Chelsea at home on October 20th.

Opening day's fixture is away to Newcastle. Followed by Albion (H), Canaries (H), Reading (A) and Rangers (A). Then the obligatory capitulation at Old Trafford.

November looks tricky with City away followed by Woolwich at the swamp, West Ham and Liverpool at the Lane. No particularly obvious bad sequence of games other than Woolwich followed by Liverpool in March and Chelsea/City consecutively in April.

Xmas sees us entertain Stoke at home followed by Villa (Boxing Day) and Sunderland away and then Reading (New Years Eve) at home. Cheers Santa.

End of season,  lightly finishing (home in brackets) with Wigan, Southampton (H), Stoke, Sunderland (H).

Onwards.

Footnote (via Spurs): Due to our Europa League involvement, PL matches move from Sat to Sun as we progress. We enter EL at group stage in Sept. Draw on Aug 31.

Beyond redemption

Via The Secret Footballer's blog:

I have been told by more than one player at the club that one decision in particular last season angered Daniel Levy, the club chairman, beyond redemption. After Norwich City had held Arsenal 3-3 at the Emirates Stadium, Tottenham needed to beat Aston Villa to all but secure third spot.

With the score at 1-1, Redknapp made a change. But instead of the extra striker that was needed to grab a vital winner, he threw on Scott Parker and played for the draw. A few people have told me that there were strong words in the Tottenham camp after that incident and that relations between manager and chairman were never quite the same again.

Full article here.

Can't disagree with the fact the substitution was a negative one lacking fortitude and desire for victory. It's about glory and there would have been plenty of it with an attacking substitution even if we went on to lose the game. Would Levy truly blow his top and have words with Redknapp over this? Strong words is a touch ambiguous though. There's no suggestion there was a face off or angry text messages exchanged. Strong words amongst the board of directors? They probably had a good moan. We weren't happy. Why should they be? Everything we had built was being demolished from within.

The game cited might have been the catalyst. They're have been plenty of questionable tactics since February that you could argue as being instrumental in the failure to consolidate 3rd spot. Point being, there were several occasions during the course of the season that would have seen Levy pulling metaphorical hair out. The Villa game was the final opportunity to take control of our destiny and in that moment Redknapp turned his back on it. Pragmatism, safety, consolidating a single point. Whatever the reasons it was his choice. In the manager we trust until that manager has been removed.

Beyond redemption sounds about right if a little dramatic and harsh in relative terms (the damage was done long before the Villa game, as stated, the Villa game was the final straw). But that's the beauty of hindsight and circumstance. It adds weight or removes it from the shoulders that hold it. Micro-analysis of tactical shuffles and substitutions can be long forgotten (even if they warrant more discussion) if all goes well in the end. It didn't end well. So as long as Harry continues to perpetuate a paragon of perfection regarding his tenure at Spurs, we'll have to make do with these lesser scraps that wont be appearing in a tabloid column any time soon.

AVB and the Spurs striker

AVB: Okay, this is what I want you to do. I want you to go out there and ghost into the channels and pressure their full-back, when you see our attacking player-maker shift towards the penalty area, swap with the left sided midfielder and attack the space directly in front of the attacking midfielder but look at the movement of the left sided midfielder if he attacks the same space as you, cut across the pen area and move at an angle towards the space just outside the six yard box. But not if the right-winger is occupying the same space. If he is, hold back on the edge of the box then move parallel to where the ball is travelling into the box from. Okay?

Spurs striker: <silence>

AVB: Okay?

Spurs striker: Whaaa?

AVB: F*****g run around a bit and kick the ball.

Spurs striker: Yes boss. Gotcha. The ball is the round thing that moves yeah?

Options

The BBC are saying it's barely credible that Harry has lost his job and yet still cite the fact that the relationship between him and Levy was broken beyond repair. They don't appear to be the only ones in the media struggling to come to terms with this announcement. There's a consensus, a controlled outrage that this decision is one they are refusing to accept. What with that other relationship, the one between Harry and the tabloid/broadsheets/Sky, being of far greater importance to their every day existence. It's akin to them losing one of their own. How dare Daniel Levy do this.

Yes, in terms of financial clout and stature you can argue that Spurs were in some ways punching above their weight. I don't believe that myself but some will point towards Man City and one or two others and suggest we have no right to finish above them because of the money they can and have spent. As I mentioned last night on the blog, nobody is going to argue (well some of you might) against the fact that Harry has achieved some measurable success at Spurs. But it seems the crux of it is being completely ignored. It should have been solely about the football. If it was just about the football Harry might have kept his job (although the media seem to be punching very lightly on our end of season form when referencing it) but there's no way a chairman can continue to work with his appointed manager if their relationship appears to have less spark than David Bentley's Spurs career.

The irony of 'Harry to England' and the impact it had on Spurs season completely and utterly lost on our bestest friends in the tabloids and beyond. The moment Harry got Paul Stretford involved you knew it was end of days and it was only a matter of days.

It will be interesting to see whether Harry remains as gracious as he has with words shared in the official club announcement.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Spurs and am proud of my achievements. I have had a fantastic four years with the Club, at times the football has been breathtaking. I am sad to be leaving but wish to thank the players, staff and fans for their terrific support during my time there."

It's been good fun, let's not deny that.

So, what are the options? Names that I can think of that might have some ilk of feasibility to be linked with us (some perhaps in reality more tenuous than others):

Moyes

Capello

Benitez

Deschamps

AVB

Martinez

Blanc

Sherwood

Any more for any more? Would like to mention Klopp and Low. Bilic has already accepted a contract in Russia apparently. I added in Sherwood for laughs. I won't even mention Pep. Oops.

Harry Redknapp. Thank you and goodbye.

Two points. Eight games. We'll never forget the ride. Run out of gas in the end.

I thought it would be apt to go back in time to when Harry Redknapp was appointed Spurs boss and quote some choice paragraphs from a 2008 article (following on from a 2-0 home win against Bolton before we played Arsenal away). Times have changed in the space of four or so years. Our expectations have shifted. Interestingly, some of us forget (ignore) what that catalyst for the shift was. We didn't consider it at the time that a few seasons after his appointment we'd be gutted about missing out on 3rd spot in the league. Gutted and ironically disappointed at the very same catalyst that led to said progress.

And in comes the media whore that is Harry Redknapp. A manager with little integrity. Sorry 'arry, but it's true. His Pompey/Soton merry-go round will tell you all you need to know. Levy claims that he's had conversations with Harry in the past, suggesting that 'he almost got here' before. Shudder.

Yeah, he saved Pompey from almost certain relegation. But couldn't save Soton and also relegated West Ham. What exactly is so great about his CV? Have we now lowered our ambitions? Have we accepted a place alongside the likes of Blackburn and co?

Well firstly, scrap ambitions and comparisons, because that's what has got us into this mess in the first place - believing the hype.

We are now behind the likes of Villa and City. As they develop and progress, our work has to begin again. Maybe not quite from ground zero, but we are limping at the minute. Although in modern day football 5th - 8th spot tends to shift about every season so all we need to do is regain a bit of pride and form. And no matter the progression you make (that goes for Villa and City at the minute) - you still need to depend on one of the Top 4 having an off season if you. Which is rare. And even if it does happen, you might find hotel food conspire against you. So we are not that far behind if you go on recent Prem records.

The simple fact of the matter is - at present - we are bottom. The players were not playing for Ramos. Levy had to do something drastic. Sacking Ramos and co was the first part. Appointing Redknapp was the second. Because for the moment, the only thing that's important is remaining in the Prem.

Survival. That's it. That should be the mission statement for this season. And having tried every type of manager, we've now gone for the 'not really done anything, loves his money a bit, Sky and the tabloids love him a lot' type of appointment.

We've stopped acting like the 'big club' and just taken stock of our current predicament.

So, am I happy? Nope, unsurprisingly, I'm not.

Levy, for all his little boy lost innocence, is knee-deep in damage limitation and blame deflection. The players, having performed today well enough to claim 3 points are questionable commitment wise if you look at some of our prior performances (although, I'm happy to agree that Ramos wasn't helping himself with selection and tactics). New manager usually gets a reaction from the players, but I still can't get rid of this feeling that Spurs will never push on until they get rid of the vanity at the club. £15M+ for Bentleys hair is proving to be a hard pill to swallow.

Harry himself paid money for Kaboul and does select players out of position. Sometimes has three DM's in his team and still gets bullied by the opposition and generally isn't the most astute tactically. So, I would guess, it's down to his man-management to get things going again.

It's worked one game in. And come Jan, we might see the return of Defoe and one or two other players - including some very un-Tottenham like signings that might have some of us question wtf is going on (BRING BACK THE DOF!!!!!1111) but that's what we want isn't it? Players we NEED - and not superfluous signings. So, there is a positive, one hopes in his appointment. Although getting rid of the DoF and letting Jol sign his own players would have worked fine too.

So, is Harry an interim manager for the club? I hope so. Am I know being a hypocrite for suggesting we are too big for Harry? Call me that if you want. What I'm saying is, Harry isn't a great manager and has limits which will become apparent in a couple of seasons. But this all serves a purpose. A recovery period, washing off any remaining residue of the DoF era. It's the consequence, not of Comolli but of Levy. The buck does stop with him, and this I feel is the final sorry chapter of mismanagement. He's admitted it hasn't worked, so he has gained a final encore. And this is it. Harry will take us so far, and then Levy (if he's still around) will no doubt appoint someone new. We'll see how it all pans out. No point dwelling on this at the minute. If Levy suggests that Harry is the one to reclaim GLORY - then Daniel will be leaving us in the very close future.

If (there's that magic word again) Harry performs a miracle and is still knocking around with us in 4 years time then Levy will be deemed a genius and I'll have to eat a hat (preferably made of bagel).

In the mean time, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (that's Harry). And do what any fan would do: Support the team with all my heart......and cry uncontrollably when it goes tits up. Again.

Well, I guess I got certain aspects of it correct. The main point that should be made and will probably be drowned out by a fair few is that regardless of Redknapp's inability to control his mouth and his lack of articulation and timing (and his contradictory statements that are based around reacting to the moment in hand rather than fitting into a more robust consistent bigger picture) - with all his faults he's achieved measurable success at Spurs. It's just that from that success we - he - could have achieved so much more.

When you look at the competition at the top of the table and the managers there, was there anyone else that could have done what Harry did? At that time, no. In the end, he's only guilty of being Harry Redknapp. That's Harry with all the good things and the bad. Much like I predicted he would be, even if he did prove me wrong along the way. The bad for me was not his media persona and love for car windows but his lack of cutting edge on the pitch when the chips were down. His man-mangagemnt skills don't always work when they're required the most. Harry is reactive to making sure he looks good at all times and walking slowly away from any blame. You've got to be accountable. So do we. We (the fans) have hardly covered ourselves in consistency either. Much like Harry, we've struggled to get to grips with the expectations that have continued to evolve over the past two seasons.

He was actually likeable when we were having success on the pitch. But then people tend to smile more when their team is winning and only point, complain and accuse when things go wrong. There was even a connection during his court case battle and during the immediate aftermath. But in the end, Harry looks after Harry and for the most part - we as a collective remain fickle but equally so ambitious and in love with our club. Something Redknapp was never likely to ever have.

Positives from all this? We've lost a manager but we're not 'in trouble'. Not unless in trouble is finishing 4th spot and akin to our past mid-table mediocrity (regardless of the fact we could have finished higher). We're not dizzy or confused or punched in the gut in tears on the ground. We've just sat down for a moments rest and a re-think. We have stability. There will be no mass change transitional season to follow. Not if Levy appoints quickly and appoints the right man and we go marching on.

(I'm sure that 'right man' comment will come back to haunt all of us, as most are already arguing the merits of certain potential appointments and disagreeing about them already).

Harry came in, fixed us up, got us playing like a team and got all the assembled quality playing to their potential (well, not all of them, the ones he didn't like he disowned to the detriment of the squad). The stats don't lie. And in that is the crux of the issue. We grew stronger and with others lagging around us, the opportunity was there to take advantage. We messed it up. Perhaps if Harry was younger or more willing to adapt. Perhaps if he saw eye to eye with Levy on the long term rather than short-term season-to-season moneyball strategies...perhaps if he was a little more shy in front of the camera. Who knows? He'd have got another crack at it next season. But alas, no. His lack of focus has seen to a not so surprising ending.

I should also cite the lack of investment into 'long term' signings in recent seasons. We'll soon find out if this was largely down to manager and chairman disagreeing on targets based on whatever the new man achieves in the transfer market.

In the end, that rather fragmented disassociated relationship he appeared to have with Levy dissolved into nothingness. Levy pricing out Redknapp from getting his dream job, a different catalyst to the one that started this journey. Redknapp then seeking a contract extenstion, with some irony. From the outside looking in. Harry voicing his position from tv interviews, the club remaining silent. The England debacle, the slump in league form...it's the right time for change. We would have moved on had the FA given him the job so this doesn't change much. I'm not going to knee-jerk and concern myself about whether this will impact transfers. Levy will have a contingency. So, all that's left to say is...thank you Harry Redknapp. When we were good, we were very good. We made it to the promised land people! We had our adventure. We wanted more. We might still get more but it will be with another leader. So thanks for the memories. It's a shame that you couldn't quite find the balance of team selection and contain the pressure to guide us just that little bit further forwards (and upwards). It's a shame you couldn't be completely committed to the Cockerel or at the very least disguise your true intentions.

Football, is a funny game, because had that margin of a point been two in our favour, had Chelsea not beaten Bayern...this blog article would never have been written.

Onwards.

I'm in the mood for the Euros. There, I said it.

From this to now giddy giggles and skipping. I'm going to have to avoid actually looking at the team sheet before kick off and if I can do that then I might have some success in watching the whole game through and actually giving a ****. I prefer the days of delusion when we believed we might win it. The build up to this England game (even with all the controversy) lacks the chest pumping pride and excitement of previous tournaments (I lied about the giddy giggles and skipping - I'm saving them for Apple's WWDC 2012 which kicks off around 6pm GMT and might end up being a worthy escape).

So yes, nobody is expecting us to do much. We're pedestrian at best. Dour and unsexy. Workman like but with the occasional piece of trickery and guile. France unbeaten in twenty-one with plenty to prove. We could still surprise everyone and actually get a result and then that belief might return. Or they could brush us aside which would mean the tabloids unleash headline hell. What's been institutionalised over the decades is that it's all or nothing supporting England, the expectation was that we would always be in with a shout to win it (get knocked out at the QF stage). Maybe beating France will ignite that chest pumping. I'm waffling. I'm trying really hard to find some genuine passion from somewhere. If John Terry scores I might actually throw myself at the tv in protest, with grenade in mouth.

Maybe I should just admit my opinion hasn't really changed, I just want it to change and the fact that I can't even get hyped up about my country sums up how the delusion has transcended to disillusionment. Once upon a time, I'd not have questioned any of it. When your club team is struggling you don't disown or turn your back or lose that love for them (if you're not a glory hunter - although not sure glory hunting comes into it with a national side. You can't pick your nation, you are your nation, at least you're meant to be). Once upon a time I had as much love for the Three Lions that I have for the Cockerel. It's all gone very wrong somewhere and the fact I can't answer it leaves me conflicted still.

This is hardly a rousing pre-match battle cry is it? Sorry. So good luck England, good luck Roy.

Here's to dicking the French. It's got to be worth tuning in just for the off chance that might happen.

Luka and ITK mathematics

Luka Modric to Manchester United for £25M. That makes sense. It makes sense we were rejecting £40M bids from Chelsea last summer and would now take a hefty price cut on the valuation of the player so that we could make a divisional competitor even stronger on the cheap.

Does the player still want out? Probably. There's no denying it's about the wages more than anything, far more than Champions League itself (much like Redknapp alluded too the other day). Even if we finished 4th and got into Europe's elite competition, the player (and agent) would still look to orchestrate another attempted move. Why?

125k per week
Several million pounds for the agent via fee

That's two reasons.

Levy made his stand and his point last summer with the player and Chelsea/Dail Mail's attempts to sign him, retaining his services for the 2012 season. It's not rocket science to think he will appear to do the exact same thing this summer, but with one small detail of difference. If we do receive a bid that meets the players valuation, then we'll let him go. That's OUR valuation and not the Manchester United supporting tabloid journalist's valuation when attempting to broker the deal via back page hype, without source or quotes.

I'm not even sure what my point is now. Shouldn't really be expecting anything different from the 'news feeds', especially this time of year. What's wonderful about this particular Luka story is the matter of fact title 'Luka Modric to join Man Utd' and this gem of knowledge planted in the middle of the 'article':

The Croatian said he had no intention of quitting Spurs having signed a six-year deal in May 2010.

Had no intention? Back in 2010? What about last summer dickhead? Surely if you're going to make stuff up there's a time and place for it and stating the truth would actually fit in better with the agenda, on this particular occasion.

I can't see our chairman bending over for them, not with their past form (Carrick, Berbatov) and with the no-way stance of last summer. Okay, so we always bend over for them, but there's been so much control with our 'we won't be selling our best players' mantra over the past two seasons that...who am I kidding? Words are just words. Levy knows how to drag it out. Whatever happens will be because he wants it to happen and its conclusion will satisfy everyone.

So if they want our prize commodity (which will mean we have to change the way we play-make and shape up in midfield) then they need to compensate us for the detrimental impact it will have on us and the bitter reality that they will become stronger off the back of it.

I guess my point, the crux of it, is that these tabloid stories are always about appeasing the club attempting/chasing the signing rather than perhaps seeing a headline that states:

"Spurs tell Utd: £40M or forget about it"

Elsewhere?

I've layed off from ITK bashing for a while now as there is hardly any difference between them and the tabloids. I don't for a second think there are no people with connections (some strong, some tenuous) that might be privy to information. That never means said information can be trusted as there is only one certainty in football and that is the lies and game-playing agents/football clubs/players swim around in to get what they want. If you have info, share it if you wish to share it. Do so with transparency if you can (or not to protect yourself or the source). Sadly with Spurs we appear to have around 40 or so people that claim to have inside knowledge of what is going on and they all seem to hang around online, cryptically teasing us with non-events of tittle tattle in closed off membership forums.

Possibly the best thing I've seen that sums it all up is an ITK answering questions relating to whether we are interested in signing anyone to replace Luka if/when Luka is sold. His response:

Replacement(s)

Yes. We might have a replacement or more than one replacement lined up. But can't tell you anything more than that because I'd be giving it all away so I'll add an 's' in brackets to the back end of the word 'replacement' to leave it all ambiguous and mysterious, like I know something that you don't but I'll remain non-committal about it.

Do one.

Nobody is interested in whether you know something you can't share. If you can't share it don't go telling us you can't share it. It has no relevance in the public domain. You're better off making something up, which is what most people do 99% of the time.

I'm on my period, deal with it.

I miss the days of Teletext and Monday mornings at school where everyone would discuss the weekends football. I remember following Gascoigne's transfer to Spurs via the very same maligned tabloid back pages. You knew the player signed when the player actually signed. I miss those innocent days of the late 80s. That and skipping past white dog poo in the street.