Wear your heart on your sleeve
Monday, August 9, 2010 at 12:22AM So, here I am. Having returned from a weekend no-internet sabbatical. I have seen nothing at all of our 3-2 home friendly win against Fiorentina. Dare I ask...is Robbie Keane showing signs of redemption in form? It's pre-season though, right? So I guess we can't read too much into it. Although dos Santos continues to pull out the tricks apparently. No sign of any new signings. Harry now spouting sound-bites that we are not in a position to challenge the upper tier unless he brings in 3 players. Everyone awaits to see what Citeh plan to do, considering their untold targets and little squad room. They buy, they need to sell. And it's open season for the rest of us.
Had some colourful conversations this weekend. One concerned our redevelopment project. The listed building that have caused such a fuss, you know the ones? The ones that have been derelict for so many years. Apparently, if they do remain they'll be knocked down eventually. It's called progress. All this fuss, apparently - will be for nothing. I'm not I..T..K..(I promise).
Also had a fellow Spurs fan say that Bellamy would be a great signing. You get the feeling nothing is going to happen until perhaps this week or next - with incomings and outgoings. Like I said, everyone is waiting for City to kick-start it. One signing will cause a knock-on effect. I don't like Bellamy. Spends too time injured, or at least that's the perception I get from him. Yes, he was stupendous at times last season for City. You get the feeling he's the type of player who would kill off the 'ickle' teams we sometimes make hard work out of. But is he a next-level player? I guess 'superstar' signings are hard to find in this day and age.
Only other news I've picked up on since browsing back on-line is Crouchie paying £800 to some hooker for sex. Honestly Peter, shop about mate, you probably only have to endure two hours of West End shopping with the missus to get it for free.
Apparently Liverpool want him back. I don't see how that would work out. Although someone is going to have to leave if we're going to boost our front line with a new addition. My money is still on Keane.
Also, the England squad. Bit of a mish-mash. Several players dropped. Perhaps because they under-performed? Or maybe Fabio wants to take a look at some new blood and has simply excluded one or two for that perhaps. Although quite how a few of them (guess) have made it back in there considering their World Cup experience...meh, who cares? Either way, it's good news for us. Last thing we need are injury concerns before the season has even started thanks to a nothing international game.
Less than a week to go now until the EPL is back. Epiphany time. Many people are sort of half knee-jerking about the new season. I'm not so sure much has changed from last season to this. If we show the same tenacity, we'll do just fine. City might be collecting players for fun, but they might find themselves in a similar position to last year. Fragmented, and thus 5th. Doesn't mean we should be dismissive of them or others. When is it ever easy? But considering what we achieved in that final month or so, I'd say we should trust more. Wear your heart on your sleeve, and just enjoy it.
Reader Comments (32)
all i want is keane + some amount of money to villa for young. gio replace keane as a second striker and we are all set.
gomes
corluka dawson king/bassong bale
lennon modric hudd/wilson young
gio
pav/defoe/crouch
Looking at the Capello Squad, it is interesting that he chose six Spurs players in the 30, with five of them going onto SA. According to the Capello Index, Def was the best England player. Now the only Spurs player in the squad is Dawson, who was the only uncapped Spurs player. I strongly suspect that this squad is experimental.
Regarding Crouch, I've never been a fan because he never looks a "pretty sight", but I think if he goes to the bindippers, Pav might at last get a decent run in the team. He has a very high strike rate in cup games with 14 goals in 16 apps and overall 24 goals in 60 Apps for us, many of these being as sub.
Is Keane revitalised. His stint at Celtic tells us nothing, and recalling the preseason friendly goalfest That Darren Bent enjoyed, and the subsequent "two points from eight matches", it is too early to tell if Keane is renewed.
That leaves me wondering if Gio will turn out to be the real deal at last?
My own prediction is that things will take off in the transfer market once the Young Boys tie is done and dusted. If we were to win the first leg by 2-0, and more or less guarantee the group stages, then we might have a so called marquee signing by the second leg.
If we enter the market after that game that means we only have 7 or 8 days, not enough to make most deals
I think Man C will kick off the transfer market when they sign Miliner and Bartellio !? Spurs will then test their resolve with Richards and Bellamy and I have no doubt that Harry's other 'wish list' player is Parker. That will set us up for a wonderful season. Oh, and by the way Keane and Jenas to Villa. We WILL wear our HEARTS ON OUR SLEEVES.
I agree that pre-season performance are just that - pre-season. But that should apply to everyone not just Keane. As for him, I don't think he did any better than he could have done before if he would have gotten served with the same brilliant twin passes as on Satdee. I just hope that Defoe was watching how to play the off-side line and sprint up at the right time, because he would’ve fuck up both chances.
I propose Huds gets a proper nickname – “The Waiter” - for his deliveries of great passes. It is amazing how often he delivers split-defense killers, or serves bombing passes from one side of the pitch to the other.
Gio was great and deserve to get a sniff of the first team, but I don’t know how much he improved because I didn’t see much of him before, except recently in vuvuzela-country.
If HR thinks he could handle Bellamy’s personality and his attitude, he would be a great addition to the team. I don’t think any newcomer to PL at similar price can do any better than Bellamy would, and be fitted to play more positions than Bellamy. However, I can’t see MC selling him to us after we fucked up their season last year. If they do sell him, he’d end up at fooking Fulham.
BTW, what’s the deal with the Iceman? Is he coming back? I wish he does.
I have no idea how Man City is going to keep it together with that mish-mash of players. Sure, they're talented but they have zero chemistry. I also noticed that Mancini cut his hair and hasn't been wearing his scarf this summer (ok, it has been warm almost everywhere...). But it's like he wants things to be even more disjointed there. The sad thing is, they have the money to let these stars rot on the bench. I wouldn't be shocked if they do just that and if most of these signings are motivated by the fact that they just don't want the other big teams to have them. It's really a shame. They can hold out for a good price because they just don't need the money.
I bet Gio will be a great super sub for us this year. Or the (unfortunately inevitable) injury fill in. Hopefully he got all the partying out of his system and is ready to move on with his life. I feel like this Gio debate has gone on forever and he's only just turned 21. He can finally drink in the States! (uh oh...). I don't know what to think about Keane. I just wonder if we can bring anybody in that's a real improvement over him. I don't want us to make change for the sake of change. Though I feel pretty confident that we are going to bring in quality in some form before the end of the month.
Levy needs to spend a little....Give Knappy room to bring in the players. I mean honestly, the new players (should we actually manage to sign any) will need a chance to settle. Time is runnin out, and ffs what's with these players constantly snubbing us!?
I was all for us selling Pav and Keano for the longest while, but what's the use if no one is taking us seriously as a top club? Fools signing for City in search of riches...speaking of city, feeling a lil bit nervy about our opening game with them, not as bad as end of the season but a little bit nonetheless.
Well just got to keep the faith.
I am more concerned about Tottenham than England (zzzzzzzzz) any day. I'd also rather have Keane than Bellamy. We need a Centre Half first and foremost. I hope I am wrong, but it seems we also need a back up DM, I hope Wilson justifies first choice, but he looks a bit out of sorts. Finally we need to ship off JJ and get a better replacement. I am looking forward to the season starting and hopefully at 2 or 3 good quality signings. So, a start strong on the league and the Young Boy's scalps!
Crouching Tiger........Hidden Dragon......sad
If Harry wants experience and good football, I'd go for Arteta and Bellamy, Kaboul can cover centre back duties.
Can't expect Torres to come to Spurs? More like Kenwyne Jones since Harry was in for him before.
But as Bruce mentioned above, if Robbie is firing then he'd do just as good a job as Bellamy.
I think we should sell all 4 strikers and buy Kevin Doyle, play 4-5-1 and win the league.
I say sell no one (Perhaps Crouch as his mind has to be on moving to pool to try and save his relationship with miss Clancy).
His Replacement has to be Huntlear in my mind...
In addition we should add a centre back, someone decent (Should I whisper an out of contract Frenchman who recently left the Arse....Or has he been snapped up).
Finally - lay off JJ, the man is a legend - all of you who forget what he has done dig out your old derby day DVD's he seems to have a knack of not only scoring but also delivering match winning performances. In a long season like the one ahead his energy will help us through.
Gomes - Kaboul, King, Dawson, Bale - Bentley, Modric, JJ, Krnjcar - Dos Santos, Defoe.
The more I think about it, the less I'm bothered by our lack of new signings thus far. It has been pointed out that a couple of our youngsters are breaking through into the first team, and that this has much of the same effect. Gio has been discussed at great length, as well as Walker and Naughton (not everyone agrees on that one), Caulker and Rose. Obviously they can't all have a breakout season, they probably won't even all get to play (outside of the likl' tots cup, at least), but one or two should get opportunities to shine. Between the lot of them we should have the equivalent of a decent signing, even if it's not the of the "marquee" variety many of us are hoping for.
So, one young star shining through the ranks, plus Sandro and we've already made two "new" aquisitions (even though we've known about both for some time). After the Young Boys games, when (hopefully) Levy knows we have the extra cash and potential signings know we have the CL, I'm sure we'll see one or two new faces. Even if we don't make it I reckon we'll see a signing or two, but probably not the same players as if we do make it.
I wouldn't be suprised if it turns out that deals are agreed in principle, but we're waiting 'til CL is a fact before pulling the trigger. Generally, football clubs are about as watertight as seives when it comes to keeping transfer activity quiet. Levy & Co., however, seem to have mastered that little trick in the past few seasons.
Time will tell, but I'm optimistic. Making it through the first few weeks with the squad we have shouldn't be a problem. If Harry wants to play 4-5-1 in Europe/away in the league then I think Bellamy will be key. Bale looks great on the wing in a 4-4-2, but I'm not sure playing out-and-out attacking winger (in 4-5-1 / 4-3-3) caters to his strengths. However, if you look at our other wingers (Lennon, Bentley, Gio, Rose [not Modric/Krancjar, they'd be a bit wasted out there in a 5-man mid]) they would fit right into that setup. So assume Bale is an LB in 'Arry's mind (doubling with the LW, whipping in early crosses and switching the ball onto Lennon's runs), then we're pretty light on the left wing (unless you don't mind playing Lennon out there - "this time it'll work, you'll see.."). As much as I hate it, Bellamy is a perfect fit. Loads of PL experience, a proven ability to slot into new teams quickly. Can play advanced wing.
I'm not too worried about his "shady" past. The problems with Souness at Noocastle were silly, but that was a long time ago. Now he's 31, then he was 25 and I'm sure he has matured greatly. Also, he kind of had a point (though he made it in completely the wrong way) in saying he was wasted on the right. Then there were the text messages to Shearer and Freddy Shepherd's son. It has never been proven that he actually sent the messages, we (myself included) just assumed he did. In fairness, if he did lose his phone and I found it, I'm pretty sure I would have sent some messages too. Besides, what a sore loser Shearer was in that whole debacle. Toon lost the game, Craig (or someone else) took the piss, that's all. Then there was the golf-club incident. Let's face it, Riise is a stupid ginger c*nt (great footballer, though), and any of us would want to hit him with a golf club sooner or later if forced to spend time with him. Based on the evidence it could certainly be that Craig is a "bad seed". It is equally possible that he's not, but that he simply doesn't suffer fools lightly. And Harry is no fool. I don't think it'll be a problem if he comes.
Not too crazy about Parker coming, certainly at the figures Wet Spam are quoting. Is he better than O'Hara could be this season? I'm not convinced...
The "third player" (in addition to a left sided player and CM) would have to be a center half. Honestly, I'm not sure we need it, unless we get injuries galore. Even if you assume King and Woodgate will miss every game, we still have Dawson, Bassong, Kaboul and Charlie (plenty of cover in RB at the moment) as well as Caulker. If we buy another player, and King and Woodgate are both (miraculously) standing come the end of the season, we'll have a comical surplus of CB's, a position where consistency is key. If we bring in a new CB, he had better be a distinct improvement on what we have. With the names being mentioned, I'm not sure any of them are.
But that's just my take on things, and I've been wrong before.
Almost forgot:
COYS!!!
All these non-transfer stories are just an irritation, because many views are based upon friendlies and supposition. But the worrying aspect for me is Palacios and the obvious need for a centre half to cover for the inevitable injuries to King. Keane will not accept second fiddle, we've been there before, hence his loan spell to Celtic. If he's in the side, he's all sweetness and light, but a pain the backside when not.You only have to look a HR's quotes about him when releasing him to join Celtic.We've a good side as it stands right now, and had without the services of Keane, in fact far better if truth be told. Bentley did the business when called upon and surely if Wilson continues this downward slide, then who else but Jenas can cover him at present? At present the targets we're chasing (allegedly), are certainly not in the areas we're lacking
Anyone know where Sandro is? When is he joining up with the first team squad? I some how don't expect to see much of him until Xmas.
As soon as we got Keane out of the team, and got that armband onto Dawson - we motored into the champions league. Why on earth was Keane made captian when he returned, and those of you looking carefully would notice that armband was around his arm again during some of the pre-season friendlies recently! He has to go, I dont like Bellamy but he will be far more effective that Keane and wont throw his toys out the pram when he is on the bench. Keane is obviously getting the captain nod to keep him happy and quite - he should Jig his way back up the motorway to Scotland.
Keane being made captain again was part of the problem. You wonder what was agreed with his transfer back to WHL in mind. Total balls up.
The Machine:
Sandro is still with Internacional. They're through to the final of the Copa Libertadores, which is played on 18. Aug.
I imagine he'll be popping over shortly after that.
Its a pity that Dawson got called up for England duty, it would have been helpful to have him around the week before the season starts. Not sure what Chubblestone has done to be left out though, he's certainly one that should be in the England squad in the future, especially when he got another decent assist at the weekend... And no Lennon is a bit stupid too.
The best bit of news was Robbo bowing out of England duty on his own terms. After his revitalisation, he deserved to be ahead of Robutterfingers Green for a WC place, so retiring is a good two fingers up at a manager who's about as effective as Ramos when it comes to the crunch.
where am i ?
God only knows, my son.
I figure we've already made offers for Bellamy & Richards. However, City won't sell to us until this weekend's game is out of the way. Would you want us to sell players to an opponent right before we play them?
Anyone know if Gio is in the Mexico squad for Wednesday night?
Could do without him having a trip to South America ahead of Saturday's game.
If he keeps his head down and stays away from the bright lights, he could have an EPIC season for us.
Hi Guys,
For those that haven't checked out Sandro here are some links....looks very promising, passes well and tackles fearlessly, could bring some real excitement to The Lane;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZYvG5WwMuo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC_gbBscsSs&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Was at the game at the weekend. Gio looks very impressive. If we resist the urge to loan him out again, he could play a big role for us this season.
I think Keane needs more positive vibrations from the populace to get his mojo working again.
SpursSince67;
Thank you for the links. Sandro's game look very impresive. He should blend right in. :)
Anyone else thinking Harry out M O'N in?
Harry's done a great job so far but he has spent a lot, sorry, wheeled and dealed a lot, to arrive here. M O'N has never really been backed by substantial cash or had that next level of player at his disposal that he would have with us.
I can't help but wonder what he might be able to do with backing, and I can't help but wonder how far away Harry's next dream job move is. I can't forget all the noises he was making re the England job after the WC ended, and could he ignore Wet Spam if they came a courtin' with their busted-arse vans and brown paper bags?
Anyway, it's just a thought.
Are you an idiot? Trade in HR for Martin fucking O'Neil? Who, by the way, has only been outspended in terms of net transfters by us and City in recent times? He has had cash and he wasted it on shit players whom he kept on the bench because they were English. MON is nothing compared to HR.
All that is missing from your tirade, Ahmed, is accuracy and signing off with "FACT".
How am I missing accuracy? Care to enlighten me on how I am wrong? Martin O'Niel spent 35 million pounds last season, and 48.4 million the season before. Where has that gotten him? How much has Harry spent? I know it's not little but at least he turned a team at the bottom of the table into a (fingers crossed) champion's league team in 18 months. Winning things with Celtic in the SPL is not exactly a challenge as well, seeing as you have ONE team to beat. Harry Redknapp is by far superior to Martin O'Niel.
Its as if I had a bit of inside knowledge re my Gallas punt - either that or rumours have spurned from my text...
I am with Ahmed on this one - Martin O'Neil has had money and I did read they were the 4th highest net spenders in recent history and if you look at the squad it doesnt have a realistic chance of 4th. Add this to the fact he is not a people person (reports of players scelebrating his demise) and do we really want him.
Recent Good Managers for Spurs El Tel, Jol,Harry R & even Georgie G (one us a trophy) all of them have one thing in common - they are excelent man managers and get the best out of those players others cannot control.
All of our tactitional managers - Ramos, Grosse, etc... Its just not Spurs is it.................
At the moment Harry is probably the best Manager in the league, Fergie is close but losing it a bit. Arsene is steadily losing the plot as he attempts to pass the ball into the net with a yeam of forein imps (Barcelona Never bees), As for the Bin Dippers celebrating the arrival of HOdge the Bodge...... League form was shocking and what do they want more than anything else???????????
Harry will never get England Managers job for same reason as Cloughie never got there, and why El Tel had to leave
Harry seems happy to me and long may it continue.
On a transfer front I am still awaiting Crouc out (Sun have wrecked him) Huntlear or someone powerfull in + Centre Back (yeah I know he was a loony Goon but he never liked Arse so I feel we will warm to him in a Spurs Shirt especially after he enters a press confrence and starts slating his time at Arse).
Also one more player but I dont know who - Every time I think of someone I remember all the players that wil be in the squad and start to think we have enough.
GK - Gomes + Cudichini , Alnwick or (maybee one more)
Defence - Charlie, Naughton, Walker, Kaboul,Bassong,Hutton, King, Dawson, Benoit EA, Monkey (Gallas)
Midfield - Bentley, Lennon, Modric, Sandro, JJ, Hud, Krank, Rose, O'Hara
Strikers - Dos Santos, Defoe, Keane, Pav, Crouch (Huntlear)
So thats 27 without Gallas, Huntlear, New Keeper, (sorry Woody)
Not a bad squad take out one of the Sheff Utd boys (think Noughton but get confused) + prob Rose (keeo O'Hara for trips to the north East on A wednesday evening) and you have 25 without additions - anyone coming in has to replace someone happy for a crouch swap but other than that i think a high league finnish is not beyond us.
COYS