Justified

Now we have to endure stories of Defoe allegedly telling Jol he won’t sign a new contract, furious that he only got 15 minutes against Derby. On top of this, the rumourwhoring machine has spat out a story that states that after the Everton defeat Berbatov and Robinson had a massive disagreement, which resulted with Jol siding with Robbo.

Again, its been said a million times by a million Spurs fans in the past two days, but only we can take a stable situation and smash it into a hundred million pieces.

Levy's Machiavellian masterplan appears to have fallen short of turning the fans against Jol, but has made his (Jol's) position unattainable and Levy' equally so in the eyes of the fans. Levy and his minions couldn't even get it this right, an embarrassing incompetent plan executed with no precision and has only served to destroy all the work done by our Dutch manager. I'm thankful for it. At least now everyone can see that Levy isn't this whiter than white messiah that will guide the club forwards.

If....and its a huge if.....some of the rumours are true and Jol has fallen out with players and does not command the respect of the team as a whole - there's about a thousand ways of dealing with it without making it look as shambolic and pathetic as its turned out.

It's not Jol who is dead man walking anymore. Its the board of directors. For the first time, I might not be alone in burning my season ticket.

I'm talking big fuck off bonfire over here.

Riquelme

Riquelme's agent (yesterday evening) was on various late night football shows on Spanish radio (cadena ser, radio Marca etc) and stated that Tottenham's offer of 15 million euros for Riquelme is the best that the club has received and that Villarreal are happy with it. AS and Marca all over this as well now. Seems that our director of football is busy trying to rose-tint the steaming pile of shit that Levy has created for himself.

I'd be shocked and surprised if Riquelme decides to join us.

Jol, second to Bill Nic

From The Times online:

Martin Jol has the best league record of any Tottenham Hotspur manager since the great Bill Nicholson resigned in 1974, in terms of points per game. Records have been calculated on the basis of three points for a win even though the system was introduced only in 1981.

Bill Nicholson 1.65 points per league game (1,102 from 666)
Martin Jol 1.58pts per game (167 from 106)
David Pleat 1.53pts per game (132 from 86: 91 from 54 in first spell; 41 from 32 in second)
Peter Shreeves 1.54pts per game (194 from 126: 142 from 84 in first spell; 52 from 42 in second)
Keith Burkinshaw 1.45pts per game (488 from 336)
Terry Venables 1.42pts per game (194 from 137)
Doug Livermore 1.40pts per game (59 from 42)
Gerry Francis 1.39pts per game (165 from 119)
Christian Gross 1.308pts per game (34 from 26)
George Graham 1.306pts per game (128 from 98)
Terry Neill 1.29pts per game (101 from 78)
Glenn Hoddle 1.27pts per game (113 from 89)
Jacques Santini 1.18pts per game (13 from 11)
Osvaldo Ardiles 1.15pts per game (62 from 54)

Sadly, football reasons are not relevant in the current boards assessmentof Jol's progression of the team. What grand times we live in.

The Club Speaks

An official word, from the club....a bit late in the day:

The Club is aware that there has been much speculation over the past few days in respect of our Manager, Martin Jol. As you know, the Club does not respond to speculation, but we do feel in this instance it is important to clarify the current position. Manager Martin Jol and Assistant Manager, Chris Hughton met with the Chairman, Sporting Director Damien Comolli and members of the Board today – discussions were held re-confirming our aims for the season, the development of the full potential of the squad and taking the Club forward.

“We have had two good, progressive seasons with fifth place finishes. I am an ambitious Chairman, we are an ambitious Club and we want Champions League football at White Hart Lane,” commented Chairman, Daniel Levy. “We, the Board, owe it to the Club and the supporters to constantly assess our position and performance and to ensure that we have the ability to operate and compete at that level. We have made a massive investment in the squad and as a result we have the best squad of players this Club has had for over 20 years and they are equally hungry for success and silverware. For that we need our management and coaching standards to be of the highest quality such that players can fulfil their potential and we can compete with the best. We have discussed all of these expectations with Martin and he has confirmed to me today that he feels he is equipped with a squad and a determination to take on that challenge.”

Martin added: “We had a full and frank conversation and I fully understand the ambitions of the Club – they are the same as those of the supporters. He has put a lot of hard work into this Club and with the squad of players we have assembled, it is realistic that we should look to challenge for a top four position and I have assured him and the Board that that is what I shall aim for.

“The last two seasons we have finished fifth and this season we start with an even better team. So we should be optimistic. Yes, it is pressure to deliver, but that is what we managers should expect. Hopefully all the media will relax now – all I shall be concentrating on is each and every game.”

This statement does nothing more than confirm every two-bit rumour that has been dropping from the skies like diseased pigeon shit for the past week. The board has no faith in Jol and this statement illustrates 'crisis talks' with the big Dutch bear to hand him his task: Finish 4th or else. The statement offers nothing. The English press, tabloids and broadsheets, have every right to rip us to shreds after this self-mutilated mess especially when the chairman/directors offer the fans and the world a complete non-event of a statement.

Damage has been done. Might even be the case that he has decided to go/been pushed and that as part of the compensation package he has to stay in charged till Ramos arrives. Sorry, for a moment I thought I was presenting Sky Sports News.

Top 4 finish? Is he 'aving a larf? Thats mission impossible. The chairman appears to be demanding something that not even the most hardcore Spurs are. Ramos has obviously told Jol to come back in 2008.

Disgraceful.

EDIT: Round about the same time over in Spain, the Seville chairman, Del Nido, has held a press conference announcing that Ramos is staying for at least another year.

Never saw that coming.

Afternoon Update

News items from the Evening Standard:

- Jol on his way out
- Repeats of the Berbatov/Jol row story
- Ramos has had an offer from Spurs and will give an answer in two weeks. Wants to compete in the Super Cup v AC Milan on Sept 1
- A 'Source' close to Ramos says 'meeting/offer did take place'
- Tottenham wanted to keep it quiet. Ramos is unhappy with 'behind the scenes' problems at Seville and is thinking very hard about offer
- Ramos started taking English lessons last year

So, we are set to get rid of Jol BEFORE Ramos agrees to join? And if Ramos takes the two weeks to decide, then goodbye transfer window deadline. Wonderful timeframe there to get this problem sorted.

If true......it's comedy. I swear, I'm on the verge of becoming the most anti-spurs spurs fan of all time. Like I said. Season over. Another transitional period brought on by directors who think they are bigger than the club, and more important than the fans. They have fucked it up...again.

Levy continues to groundhog day us over and over again:

Graham - Sacked a week before an FA Cup Semi Final against Arsenal. Perfect timing.

Hoddle - Was at no point backed 100% in the transfer market and was then sacked 5 games into a season with no replacement lined up. Everyone believed (from the stories pouring out of WHL - that Hoddles ego was the problem and that he was at fault for signing the wrong players).

Pleat - Placed in charge of the first team for a whole season. WHY would anyone wish to do that?

Santini - Brought in, probably because the other 10 targets all rejected a move to WHL. Santini appeared to completely mis-understand what his powers he had at the club as coach, thinking he was in fact manager. Huge huge mistake of an appointment.

Jol - Brilliant appointment by... Frank Arnesen. Levy seems hellbent on ridding Jol from the club. Yes, Jol...the best thing to happen to this club for 20 or so years.

If Ramos joins Spurs he will be Levy's 6th manager. Thats the sixth man employed by Levy. And in that time only Jol has actually made progress and appeared to know what he was doing. You cant dismss two 5th spots and the fact that the fans are singing their hearts out for a bald Dutch man who starts every sentence with 'no'. We are not an easy lot to please. We have got it right, Levy, you smug sonofabitch. You haven't.

6 managers. And 3 directors of football. That's some nailed on stability for you there from DL.

Levy might know his way around wage structures and releasing funds to purchase players but appears to lack basic footballing decision making instincts on how to leave a coach alone to run the team. Which, is ironic, as the whole point of the DoF system is that the club buy the players and the coach works with them and everyone gets on famously. Its obviously not working. Not because the system is at fault, but because the people in place away from the first team are mugs.

I'll leave you with this for the time being. Posted by Cule-Spur on gg.net. Some of this is already being reflected in the Spanish media and in England.

Of course, that overlooks the possibility that Comolli is possibly restricted by the general lack of faith at board level with Jol. I mean, if Jol tells the board that he wants Downing, Boro quote £12m, Levy tells Comolli he isn't spunking £12m on Jol's target unless he (Comolli) rates him aswell, Comolli says he doesn't rate him, and that's that.

Endless permutations. Maybe Comolli comes back and says, "we should get Ben Arfa". Jol says, "I want Downing and if you get Ben Arfa, I'm not going to play him - he's too lighweight for our midfield", etc.

It's all clear as mud, as I said earlier. Whichever way you look at it though, it's not a question of Jol or Comolli, simply because even if you remove Comolli there are still clear problems with Levy/the board and Jol's relationship.

Ramos has a year left on his contract but it is a rolling contract and the whole set up at Sevilla is fairly complicated. There is a rift between Ramos and club President, Del Nido, over the terms of that contract. Ramos, justifiably, feels that he should be given a fairly substantial and long term deal for all that he has acheived. Del Nido, on the other hand, is an egomaniac ( possibly the biggest arsehole working in football with the possible exception of Calderon and Taxi Shinupwhatsisface). Its not just the issue of the contract but the fact that Del Nido parades himself around as if he is soley responsible for the club's success.

I can't comment on the Tottenham end of things as it falls well outside my remit, but I can shed some light on things at the Spanish end. As I understand it, and this comes from very close to Ramos, the meeting that took place was staged by Ramos' agent. His agent contacted a couple of contacts in the Mardrid press (one of whom I spoke to Yesterday) and made it known that the meeting was taking place, who would be there and even where they should stand if they wanted a photo.

The idea, on the eve of the Supercup final, was to place pressure on Del Nido with Ramos making it clear that he is in demand. Tottenham have been chatting up Ramos for a long time. Not neccesarily with an eye to making a firm move but rather to developing a strong relationship with arguably the most promising manager working in the game right now.

Before everyone gets on their high horse and starts screaming about loyalty to Jol etc etc - lets be very clear. This game is a business. Tottenham should be applauded for developing a strong bond with a manager who is so highly sought after. It shows forward thinking and shrewd business sense. There is no loyalty in football and six months is an eternity.

When Levy started chatting up Ramos who knows what the next six months promised - Jol could have quit, gone to Manchester United, fallen out with all and sundry or, god forbid, been hit by a bus. Remember how when we signed Berbatov he revealed that he chose Tottenham because we had been after him for a long time and that our interest was genuine and that the way we had courted him was impressive.

Its the same thing - In football contacts are everything and if for whatever reason we find oursellves managerless on any given day then its reassuring to know that the club has a strategy.

Now back to my little tale as I have it in Spain. John Alexander gets the phone call and trundles along to the Alfonso XIII hotel in Sevilla. ;This is where it gets interesting. According to a Marca journalist - who is running this today - Ramos' agent was expecting a coffee and a natter (as has happened on numerous occasions before only without the cameras lurking). Totally unbeknown to him , Alexander turns up with Kelmesly who offers Ramos a 4-6 year deal along with a gargantuan salary. I've spoken to the journalist - Mercedes Torrecillas (she knows Torres- Ramos agent- well and works the daily press brief in Seville) and She has given me her word that Torres insists on that he was not expecting an offer just a chat.

Further, he tells her that Spurs have given Ramos until the end of the week to decide. The size of the offer has left Ramos tempted - but at the moment he is leaning toward staying in Seville - although he will see how the news of Spurs' offer plays with Del Nido.

I know the above is all a bit Tom Clancy but that is how it works. I don't do ITK know shite and nothing in the above will not surface as copy over the next 24hrs ( In Spain anyway) - I've just sought confirmation frm some of the characters involved - that is all. They are journalists and football agents so we are just an estate agent short of the axis of evil. Take it or leave it - its just what is being said in Spain.

For what its worth, with regard to Ramos - he is a fine coach who has won trophy's in one of the best leagues in the world and taken some impressive scalps. His footballing philosophy would put a smile on old Sir Bills face - score one more than the opposition and then score another one just to be sure, the best form of defence is to attack, attack, attack. He accepts nothing but sheer bloddy minded grit and determination to go with it and like Sir Bill is not averse to giving out a rollicking after a 3-0 win.

There is a proviso - he owes a lot of his success to his sporting director at Sevilla - Monchi- and it is hard to gauge how effective Ramos would be without him - he supplies Ramos with some fine players on a budget that makes Bolton look like Chelsea. Further, prior to Seviilla, Ramos past is somewhat chequered and he has not always been so succesful, there are a couple of blemishes here and there.

There's meant to be a board meeting this evening, with some saying Jol will be out of a job by 11pm. Whilst other rumours suggest he has '2 weeks'. Its all pretty much guess work from everyone - fans and media alike.

We won't know until the club or Martin Jol says something, but the fact nothing has been said all day today would suggest that once more, its all gone pear-shaped.

Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur.

Twisted Conspiracy Theory

Berbs was never injured. There was a dis-agreement over squad rotation between him and Jol. The politics that Mido touched upon concerned how in one camp sits Levy and Comolli and the other Jol, on his own.

Berbs is sent off on a 'holiday', with the cover story of an injury while Levy cleans up the 'mess'. Stories break in the press, leaked by Levy. Berbs agent denies any truth in them, keeping Berbatov 'innocent' while Levy makes his final preparations to oust Jol.

-

It's such an easy life being a journalist. Conjuring plot twists as easy as a magician pulling rabbits out of a hat.

Latest News from the Hellmouth

Its a day of madness in Spurs forums everywhere.

I've written this season off. Just don't understand how the club persist in dislodging any form of consistency. Fact of the matter is, if they keep having to change managers - they are obviously not appointing the right ones. Though on this occasion - they did get it right. Or so the fans thought.

This is why Spurs will never make it under the current dictatorship, IMO. Too much tinkering.

All Levy can do is prove me wrong. But until then, I don't approve of any of this shit. Of course, who knows the real truth behind all this? But I'm willing to bet its 2 or 3 people inside the club who don't like Jol (fickle fickle fans with power) who have done enough to push him out to get their own way.

They finally get the right man for the job, and they push him out.

And now the Beeb are reporting the following:

Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has not fallen out with boss Martin Jol, according to the player's agent.

Reports on Tuesday suggested Jol wanted to sell Berbatov, who had reacted angrily after being substituted during Spurs' 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

"One thing I can tell you for sure is that there is not a problem between Martin Jol and Dimitar," Emil Dantchev told BBC Sport.

"They have discussed the football situation but that is normal."

Come on Levy, your turn to come out and say there's no problems between you and Jol. That's not going to happen though, is it? Because the Berbatov/Jol story was leaked as mis-information from inside the club to the newspapers for the sole purpose of adding weight to removing Martin as the manager.

Sickened.

Its all over

One day after the 'Berbs on Bulgarian tv' story was posted in Spurs message boards, the tabloids and broadsheets are running a story about a bust-up between Jol and Berbatov stating that the Bulgarian doesn't want to be involved in a rotation system and that Jol wants to sell him because of his attitude.

You couldn't make this stuff up. How very convenient for this story to appear days after a 4-0 win with the Park Lane singing Martin Jol's name.

Would appear that Levy and the board of directors are getting desperate to make their changes. Martin Jol is a dead man walking.

No official statement from the club to counter or dismiss any of these tabloid/tv/broadsheet rumours. Not a single word. Just relentless propaganda from Levy's war machine. Martin Jol may not even be manager by the end of this week.

What is it about this club that it persistently attempts to commit suicide? What's wrong with consistency? What's wrong with not rocking the boat?

Staggers belief. Oh hold up, of course it doesn't. This is normal service running at the Lane. And with news we have bid for Riquelme - you know that Levy is doing his utmost to weather the storm of disapproval from the Tottenham faithful.

An alternative look at the seasons events from White Hart Lane

Summer, 2007

LEVY: Here’s £40M, spend it well.
COMOLLI: Of course I will. Have I let you down before?
LEVY: Well, I suppose Zokora hasn’t…
COMOLLI: He needs to settle! Damn it Daniel how many times do I have to explain the settling down thing! Sacré bleu!
LEVY: Just make sure Martin has the final word on all transfer targets. Don't want to get him upset. He's scary when he's angry.
COMOLLI: Of course I will consult with him. As if I would spend the clubs money without the capo’s word.
LEVY: And if you plan to travel abroad to complete any potential signings, don’t allow some skinny teenager to take photos of any new players, resulting in them appearing on forums before the official site. Be discreet at all times! Remember go incognito.
COMOLLI: Fucking hell, yes, yes. Jesus, I know what I’m doing, I use to work for Arsenal for fucks sake. Chill out. I have a disguise and an alternative name I travel under.
LEVY: Which is?
COMOLLI: Diego Ribas da Cunha.
LEVY: Catchy.

Later on…

COMOLLI: So Martin, who should we bid for? A left-winger perhaps?
JOL: No, no. We need more midfielders, lots of them. All different types. Big midfielders, small midfielders, sexy midfielders, tall midfielders, fast midfielders, slick midfielders, young midfielders....
COMOLLI: A creative midfielder?
JOL: No, no. Let’s buy a left-back instead.
COMOLLI: Ok. But we have a few already…
JOL: Yes, but not Gareth Bale. Fantastic talent. Can score precision free-kicks. I want Bale.
COMOLLI: Ok. Let me just make a note of this……Must sign Bale.
JOL: Why are you writing it on your hand?
COMOLLI: I forgot my notepad.
JOL: Yes, but in crayon?
COMILLI: I left my pencil at home. Ok, so Bale is our target. Anyone else?
JOL: We need a defender, a good one. Young, strong. Someone to cover King.
COMOLLI: You have someone in mind?
JOL: No, no. I trust you to find someone. Scout some players and let me know who you recommend we should bid for. I will give you the go-ahead if I’m happy with the video footage.
COMOLLI: Ok, so two defenders on our hit-list. A left-winger perhaps now?
JOL: No. I want you to bid for Scott Parker and Kieran Dyer and offer them a kings ransom in wages.
COMOLLI: Right, ok. Dyer and Parker.....
JOL: Haha, don’t be a mug all your life. Of course I don't want them. They are shit. I want another young player with potential. Giles Barnes perhaps, or one from the continent.
COMOLLI: Ok, I think I know someone from abroad. Boateng. Good player, bags of potential. Will be one for the future.
JOL: Good, good. I like ones for the future. They need many hugs on the touchline. I'm good at that. Hugging.
COMOLLI: Yes, sir. You are. My back is still recovering. Anyone else? Left-wing?
JOL: Darren Bent.
COMOLLI: Darren Bent?
JOL: Yes. Why not. If we are going to challenge for 4th and all cups including UEFA Cup, why not have the best strike-force in England? Bid for Bent. Levy has money coming out of his bum.
COMOLLI: Ok. So Bale, Bent and Boateng. Left-wing now? A creative midfielder?
JOL: What’s your fucking hang-up on a creative midfielder? We have Taarabt. I will play him when he's ready and he will fill the void. We can save ourselves £10M or so.
COMOLLI: And the left-wing? We need to fill that void. Petrov perhaps?
JOL: Bah, Petrov, Shevtrov. Bid for him if you want.
COMILLI: I could try for Duff again if you prefer?
JOL: Forget it! He chose Newcastle. He got away from us. Its finished. Over. He is not a target anymore. Don't tell me you are still having the nightmares? He's hardly kicked a ball for them anyway.
COMOLLI: I nearly signed him you know. If only we offered him twice as much....if only......
JOL: Just bid for Petrov. Keep the Spurssh forums distracted for a bit. He wont sign. He'll do what Duff did and go where the money is. And all this fuss about a left-winger. We came 5th twice with no left-winger.
COMOLLI: I'll get to work now.
JOL: Good, I have some personal things to do online.

(Jol boots up his PC, logs into glory-glory.co.uk and starts a thread using his alias)

WE8CAMPBELL: I have some news. Torres is on his way. Medical tomorrow, should sign end of week.

JOL: Hehe...

Politics

MIDO: What’s this?
DIETITIAN: Its lunch.
MIDO: What? This is bullshit man. Bullshit!
DIETITIAN: It’s a healthy balanced meal, it’s what all the players get.
MIDO: Fuck this shit maaan! I want a fucking cheeseburger, double cheese, double burger with extra cheese and burger and some fucking burgers with fries. And I want a diet coke to go with that!
DIETITIAN: You can’t smoke in here.

(Mido Lights up a cigar)

MIDO: Fuck you. I’m Mido. Nobody tells me what to do.
DIETITIAN: Ok, well, can you take your meal please and join your teammates.
MIDO: It’s not a meal, man, its rabbit food. I’m wasting away here! I'm skin and bones!
DIETITIAN: Damn it, every day it’s the same thing. You can’t have a frigging burger! Now please Ahmed, take a seat....
MIDO: Yeah well fuck you and fuck this club and its politics. I’m going to Birmingham.

Later…

STEVE BRUCE: Ok, so that sorts out the wages. I’m happy. Anything else?
AGENT: I think we are fine.
STEVE BRUCE: Happy days.
MIDO: Hold on.
STEVE BRUCE: Yes..?
MIDO: What do we eat?
STEVE BRUCE: You mean now? We could go for a meal to celebrate, once you sign the contract.
MIDO: I’m not signing any motherfucking contract until I know what we eat. What do you feed the players?
STEVE BRUCE: Well, its all done by a dietitian, it’s a healthy balanced…..
MIDO: Cheeseburgers?
STEVE BRUCE: Of course not.
MIDO: Fuck this shit. I’m out of here. No burgers, no deal.

And later…..

GARETH SOUTHGATE: Hi Mido, its Gareth here. Would you be interested in joining Middlesboro?
MIDO: Jesus Christ, no fucking way.
GARETH SOUTHGATE: We are happy to pay you loads of money.
MIDO: Will the money be made of burger meat?
GARETH SOUTHGATE: I suppose that can be arranged.
MIDO: DEAL!

The Sunderland Defeat

LEVY: That wasn’t good.
JOL: I know, we played shit.
LEVY: What went wrong.
JOL: We didn’t get going.
LEVY: Let’s try and get back on track.
JOL: Will try to do so. With so many players out....
LEVY: You should be fine. You've got us up and running for the past two seasons.
JOL: I know. It will be fine.
LEVY: You know the newspapers and fans are going to start to stir up the wrong type of publicity for the club?
JOL: This is England, yes?
LEVY: Well, you have my support, 110%.
JOL: That's not a vote of confidence is it?
LEVY: Technically speaking I would have to release a press statement.
JOL: How's your wife?

(Pause and stare)

LEVY: Yes, shes good. You should come...come round for dinner one night.
JOL: I think I will.

In the forums

‘This is disgraceful!’
‘What’s gone wrong?’
‘No balance – no organisation’
‘Is Jol tactically inept?’
‘Who do we need to buy to get things right?’
'Worst weekend ever'
'Why so defensive?'
'I miss Ledders!'
‘Same old Tottenham’
‘Jol's not good enough!’

The Media

SLAG01: HAHA, looks like the Hotspurs have fucked up.
SLAG02: Yeah, should be fun slagging them off for flopping so badly, and live on TV too! £40M spent and they lose to Sunderland.
SLAG01: Serves them right, their fans are so fickle. They thought they could challenge for the title.
SLAG02: Did they say that?
SLAG01: Nah, just made it up. Gonna print it too.
SLAG02: Fuck, you’re good.
SLAG01: Course I am, that’s why I’m the Sports editor.
SLAG02: Up the ‘ammers!
SLAG01: HIGH FIVE!

The Everton Defeat

LEVY: Martin?
JOL: Yes, yes. I know. But you can’t judge me on two games.
LEVY: I’m not. But we need to pick up and pick up soon.
JOL: And we will. Two 5th places on the trot. No other Spurs manager in the past 20 years can claim that, no? Two defeats can't mean anything compared to two full seasons of progression, no?
LEVY: What are doing?
JOL: We will win against Derby and it will kick start our season.
LEVY: They booed the team tonight.
JOL: They may boo from the stands but face to face, they will shit their pants. They will sing my name on Saturday. I promise you. Anyways, they were not booing me. They were booing the players. And I've had words with them. They understand their responsibilities.
LEVY: Berbatov's out injured.
JOL: Yes, but we have Bent.
LEVY: Good signing. Money well spent.
JOL: I know.

In the forums

‘He’s got to go’
‘Humiliating’
‘What’s gone wrong?’
‘Why did we buy Bent?
'Dear Mr Levy...'
‘Jol doesn’t have a clue’
‘He’s not the right person for the job’
‘How long does he have left?’
'Two defeats - is our season over?'
'No midfield, why didn't we invest better?'
'The last two years have been flushed down the toilet'

The Bookies

BOOKIE01: Bets are piling on.
BOOKIE02: One little white lie and were in the money.
BOOKIE01: Farking mugs! Easy money!

In the Media

SLAG01: HAHA! Another loss.
SLAG02: Yeah, we should run stories on him being under pressure and the board being unhappy.
SLAG01: Are the board unhappy? Have you spoken to someone there?
SLAG02: Well no….
SLAG01: I know, we can say….an insider told us!
SLAG02: Yes! Of course. But we need more exclusives.
SLAG01: Easy. Lets wait for the Spurs fans to give us some ideas.
SLAG02: How?
SLAG01: Easy. Type in www.glory-glory...

In the forums, In the know...

‘Levy is unhappy and Spurs are looking for a replacement’
‘Jol has been sacked. Derby is his ‘wave goodbye game’'
‘Ramos is an option’
‘Comolli and Jol don’t get on, Jol has no power over transfers’
‘Levy and Jol don’t get on’
‘Board unhappy with Jol’
‘Spurs sending director to meet with Ramos’
‘Jol knows he is history’

Back in the Media

SLAG01: This is Gold!
SLAG02: Are you copy and pasting?
SLAG01: Yes, I know how to copy and paste!
SLAG02: Use spell checker too.
SLAG01: Back pages here we come!
SLAG02: How much do you earn?
SLAG01: £90,000
SLAG02: HIGH FIVE!!

In Spain

KEMSLEY: Hi, I’d like to inquire about some of your players?
RAMOS: No chance.
KEMSLEY: Are you available?
RAMOS: I don't date men.
KEMSLEY: That's not what I meant.
RAMOS: You want me to leave Champions League, two-times UEFA Cup Champions for Spurs?
KEMSLEY: Doesn't sound plausible when someone says it out loud.
RAMOS: Adiós.

The Derby Win

LEVY: That’s better.
JOL: Yes. Jenas was majestic.
LEVY: Good comfortable three points and a clean sheet.
JOL: Did you hear the crowd singing my name before we even scored?
LEVY: Yes, yes, you have no hair. I’ve heard it once or twice before.
JOL: Utd up next.
LEVY: Fergie's job is on the line over there. Three games none won. We might be in for a backlash.
JOL: With Jenas on form, we have nothing to fear. He destroyed newly promoted Derby.

The Media

SLAG01: Fuck. Can we still write negative things even though they won?
SLAG02: Of course! You’re the editor! You can do what you want!
SLAG01: Ok, lets change the ‘has 1 game to save himself’ to ‘has 6 games to save himself’
SLAG02: What about these photos?
SLAG01: What photos?
SLAG02: These.
SLAG01: Your hand is empty, you have an empty hand. You are not holding anything.
SLAG02: Oh yes, but am I?
SLAG01: (Stares)
SLAG02: In my hand, I have photographs of Ramos and a Spurs director talking shop about becoming the new Spurs boss.
SLAG01: But your hand is empty, theres nothing….Oh, I get it. Magic invisible truth photos! Can we print them?
SLAG02: I don’t think we can. Probably best not to. They are only magic when they are in my hands.
SLAG01: Let’s just say we have them, but cant use them. But we've seen them, so that should be enough for our readers.
SLAG02: Excellent! Make sure we use an extra large font to hide the fact we have nothing to report in our exclusive!
SLAG01: Brilliant!

The Fans and the forums...

‘What about the negatives from the game?’
‘No official comment from club on rumours’
‘We beat Derby, doesn’t mean he’s safe’
'Is Adel better than Zidane?'
‘If theres smoke theres fire’
‘Any more rumours floating about?’
‘Berbatov wants to leave’
‘Says who?’
‘Who cares, lets turn this 'Berbs to leave' thread into a 30 pager and the Daily Mirror is bound to see it’
‘Yay! More bullshit! w00t!’

The Sunday Supplement (on Sky)

PRESENTER: Should we spend 10 minutes talking about Tottenham?
JOURNO: Sure, let’s spend 10 minutes talking about rumours and conjecture and look all serious and intellectual when doing it as we are at the peak of our profession.
JOURNO2: Sounds good. I know someone at the club who tells me that Jol and Levy don’t get on.
PRESENTER: Really?
JOURNO2: No, of course not. I read it online.
PRESENTER: Do you have anything to add?
JOURNO2: Billy Levy doesn’t know what he’s doing and Craig Comolli buys all the players without telling Jol and smuggles them into the training Lodge and has them all wearing Jeans masks in training.
JOURNO: And then theres the English block that stops the continental system of having a coach and director of football working at Spurs.
PRESENTER: Jol is Dutch, Comolli is French. They are both continental.

(Silence)

JOURNO: Yes, but its the English block! They don't know how to use the continental system over here. Its too confusing for them. They're in England so being Dutch or French isn't relevant. Jol should be left to be the manager of the club and buy the players he wants to buy. And anyway, theres way too much for a manager to do nowadays and they need help when it comes to running the first team and dealing with transfers.
PRESENTER: You're not making sense. You just contradicted yourself.

(Silence)

JOURNO: I support West Ham United and get paid £90,000 a year.

Back at Spurs

LEVY: Bit crazy all these stories. Ramos this and Ramos that. Don't believe what you read, Martin.
JOL: What stories? Oh, them. No, no. Not paying too much attention. Daniel, can you call me back. I’m playing Football Manager. I'm two nil-up against Arsenal at home......Oh shit, make that 2-1.

Adel

Arsenal fan on Taarabt:

I saw 18 year old Adel Taarabt for the first time as he came on for Spurs in the 2nd half of the game yesterday, and boy, did he look like a young Jay-Jay or Zizou.

The boy had the confidence to try things normal players wouldn't dream about, he had the swagger, bags of natural ability and looked the best baller on the park. He had the crowd buzzing whenever the ball came to him.

My only concern for him is that he came to England from France at such a young age. I fear that poor coaching and the 90 miles per hour stuff may ruin his game. The commentators were already condemning him for failing to play the simple pass on a few occasions. If this sort of thing carries on they will drive the fear of taking risks out of the boy and he will turn out like the other headless chickens that clutter midfields in the EPL.

Doesn't have the composure of Fabregas who seemed to have everything except a stubble at the age of 16 when he made his debut, but Adel has undisputed ability that needs to be nurtured.

He's not afraid to pick the ball up and run with it and has no problem with running in the opposite direction to help defend. He has an abundance of enthusiasm, is strong, great touch and ball skills and his passing isn't too bad either. Not afraid to shoot - but seems to do it too often. Which brings us onto his negatives which really only consist of selfishness and his shots need to actually hit the target when he fires them towards the goal.

Composure will come with experience. This kid could become a great. The worrying thing is, Tottenham and the ambiance we create at the club (joke) tends to overwhelm everyone, so God knows how an 18 year old kid is going to handle his progression, let alone how we plan to do so.

Fingers crossed we don't suffer another Blondel moment.

And the shit has hit the fan

A Bulgarian browsing a Spurs forum takes acclaim for this piece of newsworthy info:

Berbatov gave an interview to the Bulgarian New Television yesterday. On the question whether he is going to stay at Spurs he said: There are still 12 days till the transfer window closes. I do not exclude the possibility for moving to another club.

He didn't say the usual "I'm happy at Spurs". He looks as if something has happened during the summer. He may be disappointed with someone/something at Tottenham.

Let's see how long this little gem takes to hit the mainstream media. The above was posted on Glory-Glory.co.uk (where else?) at 4 hours ago.

The interview was broadcasted on New Television (Нова телевизия) in Bulgaria, The World of Sport (Спортен свят), at 14: 30 PM ( yesterday afternoon).

The name of the journalist who conducted the interview was Krum Savov (Крум Савов).

Now. This might be nothing more than made-up bollocks. It was posted on a forum so theres a 97% probability rating that its exactly that. But regardless, someone will see this and tell people who will in-turn tell a bunch of other people. And like a wildfire, it will spread. So, as I said, let's see if this makes it way to the back pages of the tabloid newspapers. And if it does - see how easy it is to push any information (true or false) into the public domain and therefore cause further dis-information and propaganda.

Yes, I see the irony in what I'm doing. But it serves a purpose to prove a point.

Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking - Guest Blog by 'The East Stander'

On Sky’s Sunday Supplement, various journalists (and I use that word loosely) debated the current state of Tottenham Hotspur. You can watch the video here:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11096_2665571,00.html .

It’s Damien Comolli you idiots, not Daniel. And Martin Jol wasn’t brought to the club originally as a Director of Football either. Superb researching on display by England’s finest reporters. I’m not going to dispute any longer that Jol’s position at the club is on thin ice. Even though the journos from the above link were making assumptions based on rumours, the fact that people are discussing any of this means that it’s in the heads of Levy and Jol and pressure is then created from a situation where it might not have existed in the first place.

Jol gave his speech last season and gave credit to Levy. After the opening two defeats, people claiming to know people at the club began to spread rumours. Jol’s job was no longer safe. He and Levy did not see eye to eye. Comolli and Jol do not get on. Jol has not approved of several signings made (i.e. Zokora, Bent). Suddenly, it’s being suggested that the past two years have been achieved through a divided management team that do not get on.

Bookies stopped taking bets on Jol being sacked.

This (prior to the Derby game) appeared on a Spurs forum:

Right dont shoot the messenger but I’m just passing on what I’ve been told this morning by my friend...
He is helping out a lad today whose dad is very good mates with Chris Hughton...
He has said Jol and him are gone after the Derby game whatever happens..
Jol has said to the players he wants a win against derby, a wave goodbye to the crowd before being forced out, he wants to leave with his head held high...
It fits in with what is being said...
Id be gutted if he goes as I love him as a character and a personality, but I’ve been having doubts for a while now whether he has what it takes it get us challenging for the next level...
And was echoed across other forums that suggested that Jol was a dead man walking.

Of course, Spurs won 4-0. And the people who suggested Jol was gone backtracked, saying that Levy had not been able to draft in a replacement and that apparently he will get rid of the manager once we ‘the fans’ turn against him. The Favourite being Ramos of Seville who was apparently spotted with chief executive John Alexander and director Paul Kemsley. The Sunday Mirror had pictures (too low quality to print). Ramos denied the stories, but people would simply suggest ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire’.

There’s been no official word from Spurs. Of course any official word would probably constitute a ‘vote of confidence’ so they can’t win on that front.

But even though I would want to dismiss all stories as mis-truths, Jol appears to be fighting his corner:

“I always think of David Moyes and Everton,” Martin Jol, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, said. “He had a very good year, then the next year was horrendous, but nobody said anything. And now they have a good team and are challenging for the top six. So I just think, leave me be.”

“The board has never personally told me I have to break into the top four,” Jol said, “and betting on me to get the sack, I don’t think so – but you never know. I thought there were whispers last year, but there are whispers at every club. I’m the same as maybe seven people in every ten – I can’t take f***ing criticism.

“As a manager, you want time to build a team. Look at Arsenal and Liverpool, how many of my players would get in for them? If it is six or seven, then we must be fourth. If it is one or two, then we are overachieving. In 25 years, no Tottenham manager has had the number of points we have won over two seasons. None of them.”

Unless he is fighting the media rather than Levy with his words.

On another Spurs forum, a member was asked to post the following – which is apparently from a Spurs board member. Not exactly official club policy to go through a message board rather than the official club site:

As I know you are always in the chatroom, can I provide you with the current position please.

Re Ramos, Klinsmann etc - We are not negotiating with any managers about the replacement of Martin Jol at this time. We are an ambitious club and it is a realistic ambition that we should look to CL qualification, so anything that looks like we may not make it is bound to lead to speculation and we fully expect that. No manager's future is decided on one or two games and it is insulting to suggest that this board would do that.

Re Martin and Damien - they have a good working relationship - the football management board works - no player comes into this club that Martin doesnt agree to - it would be ludicrous to suggest that money would be spent on players Martin did not favour and whom he would not then play, Damien has brought talent to the club with Martin's approval - and we would not have players like Berbatov and Bale without him to mention but two (there are obviously many more).

Re left position - always difficult as evidenced by the fact that the majority of prem teams (Liverpool a notable exception) play a right footer on the left. We have Lennon, Malbranque (who played a blinder on the left yesterday) Bale and Keane. So we have many options and yet we will still look as depth is a key factor of the squad.

Please let me know if any rumours running amok that I have not answered here - will be happy to! best regards,

Too confusing, isn’t it? No real way of knowing whether Mido’s dig at Tottenham’s ‘politics’ is true or just a bitter parting word at the fact that he was shifted out of the club having dropped to 5th in the pecking order.

And are forums really this powerful tool of mass hysteria where a few words posted suddenly appear in the next days edition of The Sun or Mirror?

Is Levy to blame for failing to buck a trend and behave in the manner that has become synonymous with the past - bad management. Why do we have to persistently rock the boat? Or is modern day football to blame, breeding impatience in the terraces and on the board.

Maybe its not all rumours. Maybe there is truth in it. Maybe I'm blinded by the fact that Jol has achieved great success compared to the past set of managers who have failed miserably - but I fail to see that he might not be capable of taking us further.

I said that I no longer dispute the fact that Jol's days maybe numbered. And as you can tell from this article I am unable to settle down into one school of thought on this.

If Jol wasn't in trouble he is now. And its more to do with the hype surrounding it than the actual logical process that should be considered (i.e. give Jol the time he needs).

Maybe sacking him isn't too bad an idea if Ramos replaces him. But I just can't find myself liking that idea at this moment. That must make me pro-Jol and anti-Levy. Spooky will be pleased with that. Though he's anti-everything at the best of times.

TES