Wednesday
Jul132011
Exclusive interview with 'The Phantom of the Lane'
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 1:55PM The person with his finger on the pulse of inside information and knowledge of club ethics, politics and transfers...ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a reconstruction of a conversation with the pinnacle of the ITK (In the know) community, the multi badge of honour wearing; The Phantom of the Lane*.
*So deep throat, he's deeper than Linda Lovelace sitting at the bottom of a disused well.
The Phantom of the Lane on Twitter: @ThePOTL
related articles:
In the Know: Tottenham Transfer Exclusive
How many ITK's does it take to change a light-bulb
Reader Comments (61)
blue and yellow, blue and yellow, blue and yellow. hahaha
That is so insulting to POTL and out of order.
bang-on
And POTL is insulting to anyone who happens by his nonsensical musings.
Score draw.
Mad but funny
Joke of an website. It's because of cretins like yourself that information dries up.
Utter disrespect.
Genius
'information dries up?' WHAT information?! You mean the information that people keep making up? POTL, Sky Sports, The Sun. They are all the same.
I HATE the transfer window
harry and sandra asking about work.
Yes Dan, because of me information leaks are now non-existent and nothing to do with the club and chairman and the fact there is no info to share in the first place.
Lock this thread, hey?
Not a good idea Spooks. There are a lot of people that respect most of the info POTL provides. There is of course the cryptic stuff, but there is plenty that isn't, such as the Naughton to QPR info. Prefer it it if you didn't make him/her stop posting.
Chose what you do and don't want to believe. I personally have 100% faith we will sign someone (1 or 2) where Blue and Yellow will be very relevant.
Do I want to believe we will sign someone or no one?
Pointless comment to explain I can't watch vids at work.
@someone else. Of course we are going to sign 'someone' at some point. That's what football clubs do. I don't blame POTL though. He is simply a symptom of the disease. With so many online football forums and websites and very ltitle real information, there are more opportunities than ever for people to spread ridiculous rumours based on hearsay or, dare i say it, make shit up.
I fell for it myself last year when someone I know who works in a lawyers office told me they'd seen a contract between Mark Hughes and West Ham and to put money on him becoming their new boss. Now that may have been true, but it didn't happen. The important thing is I kept it to myself because I knew that it could well be bollocks and didn't want anyone else to risk any cash on my recommendation.
There's a lot of people who don't and there are a lot of people who hate/dislike the people who respect the info more than the actual info being shared.
You do know everyone understands the basic principle that someone knows someone who knows someone? It's how you dress it up. The community seems to hold in high regard about 50 different ITK's. That's some hole in the wall at WHL.
POTL= ex (very) low level THFC employee. Friendly with a couple of players so gets the odd great bit of info but, trust me, has no links to the high ups at Spurs.
Questioning him atrracts "out of order" and "disrespect" comments. Get over yourselves - if anyone was actually allowed to post an analysis of his info you would see that you're just as likely to hit on the truth of what's going on by reading the papers (and has the upside you won't have to wade through cryptic clus (a.k.a vague nonsence that can be adapted and retospectively analysed to show POTL knew all along).
Take it from me as one who DOES have contacts at the highest level at WHL and does not post "ITK" as to do so would be a betrayal of those relationships - very few people outside of Levy, HR, KB and Donna Cullen have ANY idea as to what's going on on the transfer front. Things are kept quiet for very good reason. ITK's do more harm than good - and you CAN take that as the official thoughts of those involved in these things at the club.
Someone else must be very naive.
No, not you someone else....I mean someone else.
Before anyone else dry humps my leg, if it means anything, I'm taking the piss out of THE ENTIRE ITK COMMUNITY. As there is hardly any difference between one and the next in line. I'm not taking the piss out of people that share info upfront without ego who get it right. So the POTL is simply representative of all of them.
He gets things right? Sure, okay. What about 90% of everything else that some of his supporters seem to be conveniently blind too? Anyone?
Don't take life too seriously.
bap bap americano. joke of a website
utter joke. its because of information like you that cretins dry up.
if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
I am POTL and I can confirm from a very reliable source that I am am full of shit..brown and runny..brown and runny..brown and runny
Nice, Very Funny!! its put a smile on my face. Now back to who we aint going to sign over to to iTK's.
ITK's hear the info third hand probably. They are not privy to information because they hold important positions at the club. They hear and pass on whispers. People who back them up no matter what are the ones responsible for creating the 'monster' culture at play. Stop pretending like these people are important. The reactions to the video is funny than the actual video. It's like you want Spooky lynched for it. The POTL doesn't exist does he? Just a username on a message board. We are perfectly okay to take the piss out of him or anything else in the public domain.
Chaps. I fully understand the way that ITK's work. I also understand the Chinese whisper problem and most (if not all) is complete and utter regurgitated nonsense. Most of it by names that come up time and time again. After all, only 3 weeks ago we had signed Gervinho 100%.
Thanks for the insight also 'hoops' - can I take that as 'ITK'? I must admit I have also been under the impression that certain material has been fed to us poor suckers by the THFC PR machine. If not then I seriously question why they have not got someone on this stuff full time. I guess I'll have to trust you.
It's a fun game - to keep us salivating on warm summer nights when all we've got are rumours and stories. I personally prefer mine from these type of sources than the crap spouted by the nationals.
Oh, and yes Spooks I did read the 17 point guide that someone else had posted on their own blog to being an ITK guru.
'- The truth?
pause
- Green and purple.'
Ha ha ha!
@someone else, I'd like to know why it's 'not a good idea'. Is POTL about to get all 'raunchy'?
This website is utter rubbish. Day after day pointless article after pointless article which usually is trying to be funny but fails miserably. Awful...
POTL is obviously someone who enjoys/needs to feel an importance and purpose to his life. No doubt single and in desperate need to feel wanted. This applies to all the bull-shit ITK's. They must so miserable and lonely during the season!
@Parklaneyid -Fck off elsewhere then! Simple solution to your disgust.
ITKs are ruining football.
People have made a living from taking the piss out of Presidents and Prime Ministers. One or two jokey jokes aimed at an anonymous bloke on the internet is hardly of any real consequence, is it now?
Some of the reactions are proving that next time I should be aiming the joke at the people who blindly follow ITK's no matter the evidence.
TWWNN. Merely a request and not a threat. Personally I'm sure there are many who wouldn't want him disappearing, kind of like, well a Phantom I guess, as people enjoy the stuff out there.
If you wished to take it as a threat to Spooks health then you'll find that the Phantom is a friend of Cassandra Craft, the alchemist Tannarak and also Wonder Woman. That's fact and not ITK. Must go.
spursdman, sorry did you just write 'joke of an website'. Now I'll admit that my typing isn't great, but I tend to miss, or accidently swap, rather than add extra letters, thereby highlighting certain 'deficiencies' and utlimately rendering your comment worthless other than for a bit of a giggle.
Honestly, some people's idea of a 'bigger picture' is clearly to go out and buy a bigger TV.
Levy has a hate-hate relationship with the media, they dislike him because he controls information, and in recent history banned some hack from standard, which then led in turn to them hating us and trying to get others to hate us and shit stir.
And so Levy now resembles a poker playing thalidomide. And with Millions at stake why shouldn't he?
They hate us (spurs), we hate them (media). But we get sucked into the whole itk thing, on the basis that someone somewhere knows something and everyone's got 'an angle'. Well guess what peeps? It's all a crock of shit, they have about as much knowledge and integrity a a tabloid journo. And still we hoover it up like a 1980's dyson.
Best news today is Sky pulling out of BSkyB deal, lets hope begining of the end, the first nudge on the house of cards, and maybe in 5 years time the whole house of cards comes tumbling down and receivership is the only option for the endebted clubs whilst the financial prudence escalates us to the top of th table. One can hope, eh.
Of course, who would be content with what may happen in five years time. ;)
Of course people enjoy it. It gets us through the summer. It's not unappreciated. But that should not mean its not beyond criticism. You put yourself out there, then roll with the punches.
If they want to contain it, then follow the lead of all the other forums that have a locked-down community and lock it down.
I only do it for the avatar. My real life is so dull and uneventful I decided to make up stories a number of years ago. I now get the attention I fully deserve. Before spreading ITK I used to pretend I was a 14 year old girl and tease old men on Yahoo chat.
Before adopting the name POTL I had considered using the name CNUT but someone had already taken that.
Airplane soda bubbles confuse many marbles in Margate.
keep up the good work spooky,some people do take themselves too seriously and its good that they get the odd punch up the throat,and i have at last found out what ITK means
So much of what I write (the comedy) is just a dissection of what Spurs fans are discussing/saying/thinking. The original ITK video was practically created by using all the ITK info and the people demanding/wanting info. This POTL vid is no different. People need to get past it being a direct attack on one person.
Perhaps the secondary character in that video should have been the people who lust for info and award their brethren for passing it on.
Next time, right?
Please take this with a pinch of salt. Spooky is just passing on this disrespect in good faith. Don't shoot the messenger.
Hehe Classic spooky once again , was wondering when a new video would come out. Makes me laugh though that there are people coming on your blog defending some random , cryptic loser that has maybe got some signings right but we all know it's not that hard is it , if you throw enough recycled crap around some will stick.
btw Tricky : Honestly, some people's idea of a 'bigger picture' is clearly to go out and buy a bigger TV. nice one mate
I work for a sports agency , as spooky knows , and come in contact with lots of agents , players and club officials (mainly french market) and even then it's very hard to get genuine trustworthy info. Because these deals are very complicated and players negotiate with three or four clubs all at once , because there are so many financial interests at stake people tend to just shut up.
The only ones making a lot of noise are the agents and the selling clubs , create some rumour around the brand always helps to create some added value. If you have info that could complicate or even ruin a deal involving millions of dollars , you keep your mouth shut unless you come by it accidentaly (zokora at the airport being the best example)
There are genuine ones out there , true , but they are ver rare and the CNUTL is not one of them.
I also read the ITK threads and sometimes run em by journo's or agents i know and we always have a good laugh.
I don't even believe that POTL is an actual phantom. He's probably not even dead.
Tomorrow, Les Grossman has a chat to POTL.
parklaneyid, ouji, I'd give it a miss.
Don't defend yoursely Spooky.
You put it out there sit back and relax.
Just because POTL might self harm because of your ridicule
that was not your intention.
POTL is a wanker who masturbates by writing nonsense
about Spurs in cryptic form.
Quite a hard trick actually.
He is clearly a needy person
who needs his ego refurbishing on a daily basis.
If you drive him from the fan-site scene,if only,
you deserve an award.
ITK a waste ot time,space and energy.
Ignore it? If only.
It's everywhere like dust, clogging up the real and virtual world.
At least I wont get suspended
for 'a 'site infraction'.
(Will I Spooks?)
"I don't even believe that POTL is an actual phantom. He's probably not even dead"
haha
I am ITK..
Van Der Vart was invited to assist in held talks with Wesley S, about joining THFC.
Funding Sell Luka for 40 million, Buy Wesley for 35 million + 5 million signing on fee.
Job Done.
This will happen in next 48 Hours.
£5 million for Wesley Snipes is a lotta cash........
If people think I care (re: defending myself), sorry, not meant to create that illusion. It's a weakness I have trying to get one or two to perhaps lighten up when I'm best sat just watching it all unravel and not give a flying fuck about what people think.
So...back into the shadows I go. All phantomy.
This is comedy gold. Superb as usual Spooky and completely 100% true. Such a shame we have a minority that are too stupid to see this.
I don't know who or what PTOL is.
This site used to be responsible for some properly funny and clever stuff. The What the f**k does Jenas actually do and conversation between a Tottenham and Arsenal fan cartoons were real class. Very well observed and argued from both sides. I for one, always click on these articles in the genuine hope that the old standards will be regained.
Or am I on the wrong site?
What is PTOL please?
PTOL: I think it's to do with how Harrier planes work without runways or something.
PS Keep up the pisstaking Spooky.
What a load of shit spooky your as boring as chich
I remember a time, not to long ago, when you just woke up, read the paper and found the club had signed someone.
There was (is?) not a need to know anything before it happened, none at all.
How odd is it that grown men sit in front of a screen fawning over some loser who despite being less intelligent than the stool I just produced thinks he is really clever and cryptic?
Think about it, then feel shame.
Spooky, you are a legend mate, thank fuck someone is willing to point out the bleeding obvious
"What a load of shit spooky your as boring as chich"
I'm not that boring, am I? Really?
:(
I'm banned
I don't know POTL personally, nor do I know any of the other ITKs that post, so cannot say whether they are full of the brown stuff or not - but what I do tend to do is take everything with a pinch of salt (or dismiss) because unless the chaps is there on the OS holding the shirt anything can happen. There are so many variables in a transfer that even Levy himself couldn't get every transfer right.
Still, while it's easy enough to make up a transfer rumour (if they do, probably some do), it's just as easy to ridicule/belittle people who we don't know.
Surely it would be far easier to just ignore what you deem a load of tosh and be done with it?