Luka necessary for eclipsing the blue moon
Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 7:01AM I'm comfortably numb at the minute. After the Spurs v Man City game concludes the season will have started proper. Two games against Hearts and a dicking at Old Trafford hasn't warranted much in the way of botheredness thus far, from me. Probably because the transfer window continues to consume all of us whilst we crawl towards its closure.
This evening (Saturday when I wrote this piece), Palacios and Crouch have signed for Stoke (Wilson photographed with Stoke fan, confirming that along with Peter they are new arrivals to the club - sort of pre-official announcement ITK). That's going out, coming in - Scott Parker is meant to be done and dusted in that the player really wants to join and West Ham have agreed to sell, so its all down to the nitty gritty of contract agreements. Bellamy also re-linked. Hopefully we've heard the last of Joe Cole.
Deadline transfer day closure can not come quick enough even if it was a teenage boy losing his virginity to a MILF.
Other players who have been perpetually linked with escapes from their White Hart hell (Hutton, Bentley, dos Santos et al) will probably hopefully move before September waves hello. We'll be tighter for it, squad wise and fiscally. Not a clue about Diarra. Not a clue about Leandro. Although the latter is no stranger to a Tottenham link considering he plays for a club we have a relationship with (appreciative nod for Sandro). Internacional unlikely to let him go now, not for cheap, mainly because he recently signed a new contract (insurance) and the fact he's on form. Perhaps we have first refusal for a later point in the calendar?
If Crouch does go, you would think perhaps someone has to be lined up to retain our cover up top. Wouldn't be a shocker if we didn't replace him. Step up Harry Kane?
So comfortably numb I am. Ignoring Hearts altogether, as mentioned post-United defeat, it would have been better had the Everton game been played. Forces outside of football influencing matters beyond our control and placing it all into perspective, its something we all expected to happen. But it has obviously affected us. Didn't think we looked sharp or at the top of our fitness at Old Trafford. Even though we did showboat with confidence in Edinburgh.
It's almost got a feeling about it that our season actually begins at the Lane against City.
On Sunday afternoon, I'll be hugely disappointed if we don't see a repeat of the effort we stuck into City last season at the Lane - minus a Hart supershow. Things have changed a touch since that game. For one, City have so much depth its embarrassing. If a player like Adebayor is surplus to requirements it means they hardly lack options. It irks me that Adam Johnson has to make appearances off the bench. Its irks me even more that they can have Tevez coming off that same bench.
Harry might underplay it all (I'll ignore his 'we can win the title' comment and just hold back with his 'we can't compete with City' one) but he knows the soundbites are just for the benefit of the media and tv. Spurs might not have that depth in riches but we're hardly left begging in the streets.
We've been a team, a unit, for a good solid two years. City are still finding their groove. We do, however need to rediscover ours.
Amazingly, Luka Modric...the much maligned and to be fair deservedly so much maligned deep-lying playmaker needs to dig deep and prove his worth to the shirt. Do not underestimate his value to the side. It might appear we are fragmented or 'in crisis' from the outside looking in - but every player seems to echo unity on the training pitch and dressing room. No one has a problem with Luka. No one but the fans in the stands. So best to simply support the team and ignore individual mishaps that have tormented us off the pitch.
It's what you do on it Luka that will define you.
At the time of writing, yet more rumours of an imminent £40M Chelsea bid off the back of Levy's supposed 'forget about it' call to Chelsea HQ. Levy runs game, look at the OS/NDP saga. But his words in the case of Luka Modric contain no ambiguity. Unless we're meant to read between the invisible lines and side with his strategy to engineer and invite a £40M bid by making it seem like nothing but a massive offer would turn our heads to the direction Luka has been facing all summer long.
If that is the case, then the ethos of not selling our top players collapses. Hence why I continue to side with the argument that the chairman wants to retain the player. £50M or equalivant of? Then my head might turn for the first time.
If he's sold in this window, placing aside the plaudits for what a great chairman we have for earning us £40M we probably wont spend...we may as well broker a deal for Bale now for next summer.
Back to the game...
We've got to put on a show. Again, to be philosophical about it all, if we are out-played or beaten because they simply have more match-winners or they deserve it...so be it. I'll accept most outcomes (of the fair variety) as long as we turn up. But then I know, if we turn up we've got a good chance to turn them over.
I dislike City, the embarrassment that is the Poznan, their mannerisms (Cook) and the whole ethos of the club as it stands presently. It's hardly unlikely for such a project to fail. A false eleven that will find the back of the net with the shouts for offside ignored. Nothing would give me more pleasure (currently) to beat them. Would also shut up certain mainstream media outlets who have already decided who will compete and finish in the top four and elevate us back into positivity.
There is no doubting we are the ones not expected to be slotting the three points into our back pocket at the final whistle.
Early season marker needs to be placed down. With all the obsessive transfer speculation causing bi-polar off the pitch, we need to be crowing as one for what's being played on it.
Love the shirt.
Related articles:
It's not actually a bad thing being a Spurs fan (my guest blog on Cartilage Free Captain)
Modern Football. It's not that great...discuss
Spurs v Man City preview (via thfc1882.com)
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Reader Comments (59)
Its not hot air when I call for the entire backroom staff and doctors to be sacked - but as usual, most are Harrys mates.
How can we have 8 players injured before the season starts -nobody is asking any F..ing questions - for Gods sake - what on earth is going on at the club.
Its being run by a mafia put togther by Harry - on and off the pitch - what on earth is Levy doing - wake up man, wake up!!!!
it could be worse, we could be Arsenal.
I do notgive a damn about Ars........
My concern is what is going on at our club. No doubt Harry will try and cloud the situation, Modric, look at Ars, injuries, transfers................
To be fair Ars' game at OT, did make mi shitey day a lil better.
I hope after this ridiculous transfer window and terrible game today, the tossers of redknapp open their eyes and see that all he touches is not gold. I hope Levy opens his eyes and realises you have to spend in order for names to come to the lane..
Harry Redknappy rash is far too content with mediocrity... Every time he speaks a piece of me dies inside. Talking up Joe Cole and the like, in love with crouch and defoe...ffs if this continues I will stop following football of any kind.
On a positive note we might just do what we do all the time and sack the manager...who know's we might finally find 'that manager'.
Blim Spur i could not agree more with your comment.........
Every time he speaks a piece of me dies inside. Talking up Joe Cole and the like........ffs if this continues I will stop following football of any kind.
Modric is a cunt. Him and his dirty fucking Balkan mafia agents. No doubt this has been a shocking preseason, I wrote yesterday that it'd been a disaster and would make things tough. Too many injuries for sure, but the modric mess has fucked us up good and proper.
Modric us a wanker. Some arse above asks if we can blame him for wanting to go. Well yes we can Einstein. He gas a contract with a good club that pays him well. However surely nobody can accept what he did today. Said he didn't want to play, then played like me after a heavy night out. He didn't run! I was dumbfounded that some cretins near me in the crowd cheered his name today. What fuvking planet are these people on?
Modric shouldnt be paid. He must have breached his contract numerous times with his refusal to play. Spooky I know your position on this, but surely your mind is changing now? He has to go. This side show has brought the team down. Get rid now, bring a couple of new faces in and get going with our season. Although an awful week, we've only dropped one point vs last season, it isnt anywhere near too late to turn things around. Keep modric tho and and we'll be in a right old mess.
My observation from a 15 min run round the chartrooms:
1. A number of spurs fans think redknapp should be fired.
2. Many arsenal fans think wenger should go.
3. Most spurs fans think arse fans are insane to even think if firing wenger.
4. Almost all arsenal fans think spurs would be nuts to fire redknapp.
So, if I have that right, should we just swap managers? Seems to be the kind if thing that happens a lot in Milan
I am a handful of weeks from giving up on premiership football.
I've already stopped watching our international games.....
It's not about pride/passion, but all about the money.
Even the blokes on Sunday Supplement were saying that Modric knew what he was letting himself in for by signing a long-term deal last year. If he wanted high wages he should never have extended.
He on a contract? What does that mean, absolutely nothing these days. Get into the real hard world.
He wants European football, yes he may have wanted it with Spurs once, but pls, a 40 yr old goalkeeper, 2 players on loan, Scott Parker on his way and Crouch as our sole attacker on our first home game of the season, what do you expect, its embarrassing mate!!
Its not happening for the club, we cant compete, we are way behind and Modric knows it and he also knows that there is another £100k more a week waiting for him,. Put all this together and tell me you would not have your head turned, because if you say no, you are a liar!!
You know most footballers are @##@s, with no more than two brain cells to rub together driven by agents sitting in the back counting money!!
He has to go and he has to go now!! yes we can fine him, we can let him rot in the stands, big deal. he does not want to play for us, we have no ambition, no drive, no willingness to spend and no proper club management!!
Harry was right, last season was as good as it gets, this current lot cant and will not take us any further, this is it!!
If we had spent, had got half decent players in, showed ambition, bought the right players when we had the chance, and god we had lots of chances, things may have been different. But here we are, getting it wrong again, just like the screw up we made when everybody got carried away with the Champions Cup, when it was 4th place that was the most important thing for the club, not some poxy glory night or two at WHL!!!
God we screwed up, we screwed up big time and here we are now all moaning about Modric, when we seeded our pain last year.