Spurs transfer dealings according to 'club insiders'
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 1:41PM As a direct follow-up to my previous blog entry, I'd thought I share some perfect examples of message board In The Know information. As I referred to it earlier, the cryptic style is an art form I'm sure you will appreciate.
If you are interested, for further updates, visit the originating source for the complied and up to date list of current ITK information at www.spurscommunity.co.uk (put together by Stoff who collates the info from various sources).
Alternatively you can browse to Glory Glory which tends to have random ITK info copy and pasted from the more exclusive Spurs forums as well as Stoffs complied lists.
Both of these forums are open communities and are not exclusive (which I think FTL and COYS are).
I've left the info below in it's original state.
--
[Update 70] Dragon1 on Lennon and Keane
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:33 GMT
who dragon1
date 29/01/09
time 10:52
site COYS
scousers wanted lennon for keano, we told em to do one
he is one of the few harry actually rates!
---
[Update 69] jurgenthengerman on ?
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:29:59 GMT
who jurgenthegerman
date 28/01/09
time 17:56
site COYS
Levy is negociating three situations that involve additions one is a match (that involves a player going the other way ) two are straight additions subject to change !!!! Of these three two have a reasonable chance
Don t shoot
and
The road to redemption is very long with Harry
--
[Update 68] Ben on Appiah
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:18:37 GMT
who BEN
date 29/01/09
time 09:13
site FTL10 AM TODAY
APPIAH GETS TOLD IN MEETING
IF YES OR NO
--
[Update 67] Arigold on Keane, N'Zogbia and Hunt
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:17:23 GMT
who arigold
date 29/01/09
time 09:12
site SO
Big interest in Keane and either N'Zogbia or Hunt will sign, hopefully before Saturday. Hunt is waiting to see if we'll match two bids already in, but (surprise surprise) Reading are getting sick of dealing with us dithering.
Keane, as I've said for 6 weeks repeatedly, wants to come back. Liverpool are looking at other targets as well.
--
[Update 66] Smudgemeister on Keane, Santa, WP and Appiah
Posted: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:16:13 GMT
who Smudgemeister
date 29/01/09
time 09:11
site FTL
Keane was never a target.
Harry looked at Santa Cruz but Rovers want too much (City in so Rovers want a bidding war and we aint going there)
Not terribly impressed with Appiah and not required now WP is on board
Reader Comments (56)
Who are these fucking fools from FTL and COYS exactly? Self important wankers.
Its the public domain you chimps. If you want something to be kept secret don't fucking post it for the world to see.
Is Spooky dead yet?
Hello Mr Spooky,
I'm a Mod on SC and just wanted to explain some of the disdain shoved your way.
ITK does require a lot of dissemination. For instance the use of the word 'done', which is always wheeled out before the contract is actually signed and player announced on the Official Site. For instance, our ITK, the Goat (yes, yes, I know), called Cudicini as done because he knew that the former Chelsea man had done the medical at the Lodge and had his photos taken etc. Really very little should be able to go wrong from there. However, the announcement was then over a week later. During which time, a fair number of SCers voiced their opinion that The Goat was wrong.
Whether he was or wasn't (he wasn't) that isn't the point of ITK.
I've always considered it a misnomer as the individuals can only pass on the words/actions they have heard/seen themselves. If, for example, this were to come from, say, Clive Allen, it may be that Clive has only heard so much of the situation. Or that he has a particular interpretation of it.
There is absolutely no doubt in the world that last summer, Corluka was signed as a Spurs player but continued turning out for City due to their outrageous behaviour. Likewise, Andrei Arshavin was at Spurs Lodge and had agreed terms only for something to go wrong with Zenit. This information comes from 'ITK' and is very gratefully received by those who understand the system.
Hence, when bloggers unfamiliar with the fact that the very nature and inherent difficulties with transfers mean that ITK information is very patchy. General wisdom is that about 30-50% 'comes true'.
However, if you - or any of your readers - think that more than 5-10% of it is a wind-up then you're very much mistaken. Each site has to verify their sources and past records are noted.
Also, one thing more than any other that has caused this unsavoury attack upon yourself and your site is that you have broken the golden rule of ITK.
You talk about these ITK's being revered. Well, that's not strictly true. It looks that way, I agree, but the reality is that each Spurs site adheres to a 'play the ball not the man' rule (copyright: COYS).
What that means is that you can debate the info all you like. In fact, that's what we all go onto message boards to do.
However, don't abuse people who have received sensitive information, have put themselves out there to be shot down (especially when you know that around half of your info won't be seen to come true due to the aforementioned nature of ITK), and who may even be in danger of jeopordising future deals for the club we all support.
Anyway, sorry for the massive ramble. Just wanted to point out where you went wrong and wish you all the best from a fellow Spurs site.
Bill
Abuse, on the web scary. He's taking the piss, these jumped up Internet warriorz really need to turn the computer off and get outside, maybe go down the pub and relearn the much maligned art of proper conversation
Bill, the ramble is appreciated. I think quite a bit has been lost in translation from my perspective.
I guess I should have half expected the reaction I got because my forum blood is Glory Glory.co.uk in colour.
Firstly, I appreciate the complexities of sharing ITK and that for every piece of mis-information there might be something shared that is spot on. I've been knocking around long enough to know this. Even remember some instances going back to my days on the alt.sports.spurs newsgroup. And before the internet, there was the pub and the terrace. I'm not one to turn my head away from a rumour.
This blog was started up thanks to Glory Glory where I would post 'Dear Mr Levy' letters. If you read them you'll understand that the persona of Spooky is exactly that.
My style of writing and the various nudge nudge wink wink jokes and humour is probably more in tune with GG than it is with any other place and a lot of the time its practically a snapshot of whats going on in that particular forum.
I own a website (www.rumourwhores.com) which was set up to accommodate some people who had built up a great little community on another (general) football site (we left due to it turning into the equivalent of Zimbabwe).
Rumourwhores, its name, was a direct influence on the obsession of ITK gossip. So the who fraternity isn't lost on me.
Maybe it isnt the case for SC, but I've witnessed people being banned from other forums for daring to disagree with someone who has given info on a possible transfer.
I think the very level of differences between info (on a particular transfer for example) varies so much and is so cryptic that people who read them (and are not part of the originating community where the info was shared) are very critical. Not in a serious way, but simply dismissive.
GG also has a few people who claim to know things, and yes, they have been proven to be spot on. And others not so spot on - so I'm not saying there is no such thing as a ITK. And I'm not saying I dont enjoy reading ITK.
Also, even though I give Ben a lot of stick its only really tongue in cheek as the whole 'Ben up a tree' thing epitomises the madness and obsession and essence of the ITK business, I'm not attacking the bloke or any other person who shares the info.
And this is probably where things have been lost in translation.
I'm having a dig at the entire 'culture' of it.
I appreciate that some people take it with a pinch of salt and appreciate also that people who react negatively to it are just as bad as the people who react overly protective to it.
Maybe I was being unfair to single out the types who are guilty of the worshipping element - and there are a few.
I'm far too cynical and prefer to dissecte the whole business of 'inside info' with all its quirks and rules and characters.
My hands are up for getting the credit wrong in this article. But I've since corrected that.
As for posting it on a 'single site' - I've shared something that is on the public domain. There is no difference it being on this blog than there is with it being on lets say the Transfer Thread on GG.co.uk - where you'll see some people do not hold back. Which makes the silly threats made against me ridiculous.
ITK is great, from a personal standpoint, when its about something that has happened or is happening (i.e. Jol is about to be sacked.....or Jol has been sacked this happened behind the scenes blah blah blah.....or the Robinho business that broke up online a week or so before it was made public.....)
In the past we've had some epic ITK stuff.....Rebrov, Diego, Kuyt, Arshavin....etc....But if you pull the info shared apart you'll see that not all of it can be right. So yes, I appreciate that the people who share the ITK info are getting there info from someone who might only have a distorted view point of whats going on.
To save everyone from not getting on, I wont be posting ITK in its original (Stoff) format. I'll quote it in parts and link to it and simply give my opinion.
Because one thing that has to be taken on the chin is if someone doesn't agree or doesn't warrant the info of actual worth. I know its shared and you're meant to take it for what it is, but that shouldn't stop people from commenting on it. Pretty much happens with anything, including this blog, where I've been called several names under the sun by Spurs fans who either dont understand what I'm banging on about or dont agree with my viewpoint.
Which is just fine by me.
LOng live spooky long live GG