Element of surprise

Boro want £12M for Downing. Petrov, proven international and La Liga veteran cost £4.7M. It's not difficult to see what's wrong with this country. How Southgate can keep a straight face asking for that amount and how we persist in mugging ourselves off with paying it is beyond me.

So far, we've been linked to several players, with ITK's and the press alike, sharing the whorage. I'm gonna place the little faith I have left on Tottenham signing one or two players 'OUT OF THE BLUE'. In other words, players nobody who claims to be an insider has knowledge about.

I'm pretty sure, Berbatov came out of nowhere. Never remember reading anyone claiming to know we were after him - although the Bulgarian media picked up on the story, us lot over here didn't get a sniff of it. Obviously, the position this time will be a midfielder or defender rather than another striker (if you believe the press and forums, 'Fred' is on his way).

Gunter was 'out of the blue'. You'd just expect the quality would be as near to world-class as possible, because once we lost Berbatov we won't have a player of that type of quality in the squad.

Replace 'hope' with 'expect'.

Diarra agrees Pompey deal

3.5 Year deal. I suppose on the plus side, you could argue the players attitude sucks if he's not gonna stay and fight for a place (twice now, leaving London clubs). No other 'big' club came in for him. Or you could say he is ambitious and as a full French international, good enough for any team. Nah, I'd go with 'no desire to fight for a place'. Exactly what we DON'T want at the club. And whether it was a case that:

a) We wouldn't pay him enough
b) Offer him guaranteed first team football
c) Wenger wouldn't sell him to us

....he hasn't actually committed himself to Pompey for long (shop window anyone?) which suggests he will look to move again. You'd think playing for us is a far more productive shop window to be in. Would be interesting to know who Spurs will line-up as a proper defensive mid. I'd much prefer we go for a 25/27 year old rather than another youngster who might be decent in time.

Diarra hasn't been able to show the world what he can do (for club). He has his chance now, just not in a Lilywhite shirt.

The most important run of games in our history

Sunderland @ Home
Arsenal @ Home
Man Utd away
Everton away
Man Utd @ Home
Derby away
Slavia Prague away
Chelsea @ Home
Slavia Prague @ Home
West Ham @ Home

Every game a cup final. A relegation dogfight is still a possibility, making the home game against Sunderland IMPERATIVE. We owe them for the opening day and the players owe us for the pigs ear they made of the early stage of the season. We have to get points from all of the above Prem games.

Six games at home. Four away. You would think its in our favour.

If we lose to Arsenal at home

I will officially quit being a full time Spurs fan. I will then do a 'Bill Simmons' and select a new club to support. I think you should all do the same. Its time we all reclaimed some self-respect. I'm sick of us choking on the big occasions. I'm sick of waiting for a transitional period to result in actual full-on progression to the next level. I demand more and I aint getting it. If you paid a hooker for sex and hoped for some extras (bj and anal for example) with some additional bareback thrown in for good measure, but instead got a bland tugjob and then beaten up by her pimp when you complained - would you keep going back to her? Of course not. Yet I keep finding myself knocking at her door, believing her when she lets me in, that I will get what I want - what I long for, but always end up with no penetration, an empty wallet and all beaten up. I want the moneyshot God damn it! I want the glory.

To dare is to do? Well get on with it and fucking do it.

Reading 0 Spurs 1 (Keane)

"Bit like having a wank. Got a result but utterly unsatisfying" - Forza Huddlestone.

The above is a text message I got at the final whistle of yesterdays away win in the FA Cup that sees us going out of the next round away to Manchester United.

No Robinson at all last night (his wife gave birth). Berbatov is ill. King was rested. Team had Cerny in goal again with a back four of Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul and debut boy Gunter. TT, Jenas, Prince and Steed in midfield and Keane and Defoe upfront. Keane notched up his 99th goal in Spurs colours in a game where we were pretty much comfortable for all of it (par a few decent patches of pressing from the home side). Should have come away with another goal or two. But who cares. Clean sheet, away win. At least we get to play Utd.

Waterlogged?

There's a possibility that the Reading pitch will be waterlogged meaning the FA Cup reply gets postponed. w00t for match congestion!

ITK latest

The Spurs ITK’s have been busy over the weekend.

Jarque

Will our centre-back issues be resolved? Apparently he is in London to speak to Spurs. The forums say ‘deal to be done today’.

Downing

Various ‘covering our backs’ statements from the people who claim to have inside info. Some are suggesting Spurs won’t pay the release fee in Downings contract and that personal terms are not complete. Others are saying the opposite. It’s done and dusted. Sky Sports News claim to have broken the story last night. In other words they read it online.

Diarra

‘Up in the air’. Wenger wont let him go.

So in other words, more carefully scripted rumours that don’t tell us anything because in reality there is nothing to know.

In Defence of Robbo

On Sunday, The Observer run a story that would not have gone amiss on the back pages of The Sun or Daily Mirror. Not a single quote or any type of evidence other than the assumptions and opinions of the journalists (it took two people to write it). They told us that Paul Robinson's was told by Spurs in a meeting with the chairman that he could leave the club. Then we are told that Defoe will sign a contract but leave in the summer.

The article then bounces back to Robinson and how Levy wants him gone due to Robbo publicly backing Martin Jol back in October prior to the arrival of Ramos. What we are meant to believe is that Levy was furious with Robbo to the point of wanting him kicked out of the club. But this isn’t the most ridiculous part of the article. That’s saved for the part that explains Damien Comolli (also anti-Robinson) went to the ‘extraordinary’ length of advising the then England manager (Mr McClaren) to drop Robinson some months BEFORE the Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia.

Just try to picture that. Comolli telling McClaren to drop Robinson when at the time. Are the Writers Guild of America moonlighting fro the British media? There’s also nothing surprising about Robinson reacting badly to being dropped. Badly can be interrupted into ‘angrily’. Unless the journalists were present and witnessed Robinson being dropped how the fuck do they know anything about how he reacted? Oh yeah, ‘our sources’ tell us. I keep forgetting the press have insiders all over the shop.

I can handle the press printing bullshit. It’s a commodity they rely on. Robinson, bless him, hasn’t gone beyond losing form. He has lost the part of him that made him the best English keeper. He’s gone from very good to very average. But that doesn’t mean he won’t make a recovery. That recovery will happen if he admits to himself he has a problem, something he doesn’t appear to have done at any stage this season and since the air-kick in Croatia.

The recovery is also dependent on how the Spurs fans take to him when he returns to starting line-up. You can’t deny him the fact that at the end of his first year at Spurs he was probably the most popular player at the Lane. 7 year contract, superb all round form. England’s number 1.

Since then, things have progressively got worse for him. From Mr Dependable to Mr Calamity. Signs first appeared in the 07 season. This season has been an unmitigated disaster, with over 10 goals or so being down to his bad decision making and judgement. But any suggestions of him being hounded out of the club, by the board or the players is disgraceful.

Let’s kick him out. Yeah. Great idea. Much like when we thought Pat Jennings wasn’t good enough anymore and sold him to Arsenal. What a brilliant piece of business that turned out to be. Robinson’s form should have been dealt with a long time ago. It wasn’t. We still have no keeping coach since Segers left. He’s confidence will never improve if he is playing with the back four he’s had in front of him most of the season. Maybe with King back, things will begin to take shape.

Sometimes the lack of loyalty and the way we turn on our own is shocking. So, I will hope the media are making up stories and the fickle Spurs fans are just a minority. Otherwise, its shameful.

Downing

My question is, does Ramos know who Stewart Downing is? Does he know what type of player he is? Is he a Levy/Comolli signing or has our new manager had some input on this? I wonder how the conversation went....

Comolli: Hi. I got a player for you.

Ramos: A central defender?

Comolli: No.

Ramos: Another right-back? A central defender?

Comolli: No. No.

Ramos: Defensive midfielder?

Comolli: Nope.

Ramos: Keeper!!! Keeper!!!

Comolli: No.

Ramos: Please, not another...how do you say....sarding...

Comolli: ...sodding...

Ramos:.....sodding striker.

Comolli: No.

Ramos: What? What do you have?

Comolli: A left winger.

Ramos: Riiiiiight. That is exactly what we need this moment. Good thinking. Who?

Comolli: Downing.

Ramos: dos Downing? Mexican?

Comolli: Nope. From Middlesbrough.

Ramos: (laughs) Oh, you are serious. What are his abilities?

Comolli: He cant beat a man, will never be world-class, sometimes inconsistent but can cross the ball. Will frustrate fans.

Ramos: Ok. A squad player. For backup?

Comolli: No. First teamer. Big signing.

Ramos: How much for this Drowning?

Comolli: £12M. More if we can get Boro to take the money.

Ramos: You are fucking shit at your job, do you know that?

Comolli: Your English has improved.

Ramos: Call me a taxi.

Back to the whorage

I love the rags. Back pages telling us Defoe was set to be Harry Redknapp's first signing for Newcastle. Yes. The same Harry who this morning told everyone he isn't leaving Pompey. Still, he may yet sign JD. Although gossip suggests Villa will be in for him (matches up with the news item about him looking to buy a house in the Midlands for himself and his bit of skirt).

Another player who's future is in doubt is Robbo. Again the press suggesting he handed in a transfer request. If this was true, then see you later Mr Robinson. Bit fucking immature. However, Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday stated he knew (ooh ITK) that this was untrue. Still, Poyet didn't offer anything either way today stating:

"I would say no comment because I don't know. There is nothing wrong with Paul. He was part of the team and squad today".

Cerny did OK in goal. He got beaten from distance. Which I'm sure is something I've seen before, somewhere.

Late last night I got a text telling me deals for the following were on the cards, with some of them practically done (yeah right):

Diarra
Jarque
Fred
Downing

Diarra and Jarque are not new 'interests' in the transfer market. Fred is. I pray that the only reason we are looking at yet another striker is because Defoe is on his way. So, get rid of inconsistent JD and bring in the inconsistent Fred. A player rumoured to want a return to Brazil where his goal-scoring ratio was fantastic. Hasn't set France alight. Perfect for Spurs then.

Downing. Christ. £12M? We do like to burn our money don't we? Though in actuality (I hope) Spurs would fork out something like £2M-£2.5M a year for 3 years and then pay out more depending on appearances/goals/CL (lol).

Downing is not £12M player. He isn't a bad player. Harsh to call him average, but he isn't world class and he isn't all that better than what we have at the minute. Yeah, lovely left peg as they say. One of the best crossers of the ball in the Prem, but can he beat a player? Can he devastate like a Petrov? Nope. Is he a Ramos player? Does Ramos know who he even is?

I wouldn't be aggrieved with him joining, just not for a ton of cash. The fact is, the player is the crown jewel of Boro, so they will not want to let him go for cheap. It's more to do with him being their prized asset rather than a player worth every penny of a multi-million pound transfer fee.

And if we layed 12 big ones, do the math with the money spent on Bent. That's our sodding case overspent on players who are not in the 'fucking ace' category. But then, the team isn't in the category either. But then we did pluck Berbatov out of the continent. So, how about doing the same again.

Ramos is improving the team, from top to bottom. And he knows that his ideal tactics and style of play won't happen with the current bunch. Some need to be culled. The remaining need to be complimented. If Ramos believes Downing can restore balance on the left, so be it. I'm guessing Steed will move into central midfield. When Bale returns, that left side (along with Gunter) won't be too shabby.

But a Ramos 'team' needs one box-2-box midfielder and one defensive midfielder. Those are truly the key positions. Defenders are always wanted at the Lane. But at least things will be easier now the King is back.

UPDATE:

£10M for Downing, with Tainio thrown in as part of the deal. Not sure who's getting the worse of it.

2-0 to them lot

Wasn't at the game, didn't stream it. From what I've been told we were pretty much shit, especially in central midfield where O'Hara and KPB struggled. The latter resorting to rugby at one desperate point in the match. Disappointing we couldn't show up for this. By all accounts, poor match lightened up by a sparkling 35 yarder. Though who wouldn't have a crack when nobody attempts to close the player down. 10 seconds is plenty of time to take aim.

King completed his third 90 minutes of football in 7 days. That's one thing to be happy about. Uncertain of young Taarabt's performance. Apparently hugged the ball a little too much. Great in possession but with no end product. Again, development for him and Jamie and Kevin being the key to avoiding transfers to the Championship.

Not going to dwell any more on this game. Bit silly if I haven't seen any footage.

Cynicism

Young-Pyo Lee had a stonking game against the Arse. Yeah, he can't cross for shit, but few would argue against the fact he has been our most disciplined player for a fair while now. Does what needs to be done without being outstanding to the point of fantastic. Never going to be world-class, but is now worthy of remaining in the squad going forward. But you could argue he cost us a goal. I'm not talking about the deflection off his tackle and onto Walcott’s hand. More the case of the play leading up to that incident.

O'Hara was slow to see Bendtner make a run and with Lee already committed to tracking Walcott, King was left holding the area in front of Eduardo but also looking at the run Bendtner was making at which point Bendtner is on his own and in a superb position to receive the ball in a dangerous position. With O'Hara tracking and Lee having committed himself to Walcott, King was caught for a split second in no-mans land - which way to go? What to commit too?

It's here that Lee could have saved the day. Had he focused he could have played Walcott offside as everyone was a step up as Eduardo threaded the pass. Lee plays Walcott on. The rest is history.

But if you take a few paces back, all this could have been avoided.

Gilberto, middle of the park skips round Jenas. What does Jenas do? Nothing. What he should have done is what any Arsenal player would have done in the same situation. Hacked him down, taken the yellow card with pride. Play dirty WHEN you need to. I'd stop short of the play acting theatrics, mind. Cynicism could have given us a 1-0 lead going into the second leg.

Ramos, considering he came from La Liga, will surely with time drill this home to the players.