To play or not to play, Adel is the question

It’s simple really. If Adel Taarabt was good enough for the first team, he’d be playing first team football. The fact of the matter is that he’s only good enough in his head. And granted if we were a slightly lower key club with lesser players in important positions then he’d probably get a run or three in the first team, enough to blood him for the war that is Premier League football. The fact that he went out on loan to QPR is evidence enough that he isn’t ready to stake a claim alongside the likes of Wilson.

Harry called him a genius. We (well, many of us) love him for his tricks and turns and showboating – but his naivety and lack of composure and decision making means he is more of a luxury and a liability at this precise moment in time. He is raw and needs to develop his touch. Along with an improvement re: grey matter.

But if you believe the stories suggesting we will not and do not want to sell him (resulting with him pleading for a transfer) then the thought process behind him taking time out at another club on loan makes perfect sense. Because if he shines brightly, Spurs can then offer him something far more substantial – like a more prominent first team role.

However, he still wants out totally. And a loan move would serve only as a shop window for him, rather than to any advantage for us.

Shame really. I like him and I rate him. But he has a while to go before proving he can play consistent top flight football. From the sounds of it the perfect scenario (play him off the bench as an impact cub) is not something Adel is accepting as an option. And there appears to be no option for him to be considered as a first team squad player, for reasons given already.

Malaga are back in for him again. Shame nobody in the Prem wants to take a risk. Although that goes along way to show he has done nothing yet to prove he can swagger around with true intent and final product rather than make us laugh out loud or hold our hearts in our hands at his sheer audacity.

Love his ambition and self-belief. It's just all a little mis-placed at the moment.

Balls of Steel

A walk in the park.

Yiddo.

Protecting and enhancing the name of 'Tottenham'

Another week is upon us. Buckle up. I'm feeling confident something will happen in the next seven days to break us free from the weary chains of summer boredom. And such is my boredom that I've resorted to browsing the Tottenham OS, trailing for anything worthy of a mention which has successfully resulted with the discovery of a certain clause in the One Hotspur terms and conditions that I missed first time round.

Do you read T&C's before signing up? Did you read them when purchasing/renewing your season ticket? I'd hazard a guess and say you probably didn't read all the small print. Who does? We all know that if you're naughty at games you'll be punished for it - and deservedly so. It's a given. But what's there to know other than the usual blurb you get with any type of purchase?

Well here's the gem in question:


1.2 Members must at all times do everything within their power and control to protect and enhance the good name of the Club and not to diminish the good name of the Club in any way or through any means. The Club does not tolerate foul and/or abusive behaviour towards staff. This applies to any form of communication with Club staff.


Ouch. Don't supporters do this by their very definition, at the ground or away from home - giving their support for the team and players?

But what does this actually mean in context with regards to bloggers or anybody who posts about the club on unofficial message boards? No wonder the official Tottenham Hotspur forum has less bite than a toothless bed-bug, with everyone far too scared to say anything that may be frowned upon considering you can only post once your membership number has been validated through registration. You have to be careful not to be too critical, and people who are get slated for being so.

And since some of my articles incite some fans (I've got a few 'admirers' over on the official forum that think I have an anti-Spurs agenda, the melters) to suggest that the content on this blog is derogatory towards the club, I'm curious for some clarity.

What constitutes diminishing the good name of the club? It's a little ambiguous and vague.

I don't like the new yellow-streaked home shirt. I posted about it. Several times. Even signed a petition. Am I in violation of my contract? And am I failing to enhance the name of the club?

Who am I kidding? Of course I'm not. I have an opinion and I can make my feelings public if I so wish, in whatever writing style I see fit.

IMO, protecting the name of the club is standing up for what you believe in, as a fan. We are the true shareholders. The club belongs to us, be it in a romanticised way. But much like anything in life, we can choose to stand back and be critical if we don’t agree with something - anything - the club representatives do or say. One perfect example was the doomed Director of Football structure. Even though people within the club swore by it, many fans disliked it. And in the end we were proved to be right. Arguably, the club did little to enhance the good name of the club, by dragging it through a dizzying mess of embarrassment. Maybe I can sue for the trauma and emotional stress I was put through during this uneasy period in our history?

Would like to hear from someone at the club about this. I’m not stirring. And I’m not concerned or worried. I always find these type of entries in a legally binding contract to be susceptible to several forms of interpretation and because you agree to it as a member, the power of how its translated to any number of things is not in your hands – but in the clubs and thus, they can exercise it to their hearts content when they see fit. I guess that's the point of it.

Also, re: This applies to any form of communication with Club staff.

I best be grateful that my letters never make it into Levy's in-tray. Small mercies. Going forward I may take to burning my season ticket in the men's gents as nobody is likely to notice with all the smoke emanating from the cubicles.

Modric, stuck out on the left...

Are we going to sign a left-winger? Young? Downing? Anyone? It's the quest that never ends, usually because we are never looking, and it's a question that gets repeated over and over again and with each passing transfer window we are left empty handed and confused.

The only reason I care to mention this is because of Luka Modric. And the little matter of our midfield. At the moment he dinks in, drifts around at his heart's content, conducting play and creating havoc. All from the left-wing. I discussed this at length - click here to read it - and the conundrum was simply whether our Croatian wizard was better suited in the middle.

With Palacios now commanding the centre park, the protection is in place for Luka to slot into a more natural position for a player with his abilities. But there is no indication of what Harry is planning other than a complaint about Man City 'moving the goal posts' and being able to outbid everyone around them citing Barry and Santa Cruz - indicating we were interested in both. Which means we are still looking to bring in two players of similar ilk. Ignore his comments relating to not bothering to strengthing the side if we can't find players that would improve us (Harry mind games):

"I have spoken to the chairman Daniel Levy and we've decided if we can't get players who will improve the team we're not going to bother. We've already got a decent squad, many of whom are going to get better. But we recognise we have to improve"

Not a chance he won't get involved in some dealings.

a) Because he's Harry Redknapp

b) Because we DO need to strengthen the squad

A CM and a number 9 type of forward player are the current targets based on Harrys comments (if you read between the lines, and I know I might be reading way too much into it). He also mentions Glen Johnson, so it's possible we are also looking at the right-back position too. You know, because, we need one of them due to the lack of depth in that area of the squad since Pascal Chimbonda was involved in a training ground accident involving a tear in the space time continuum that sucked him into a worm hole.

Now I know I'm basing all this around the obvious and there is no clear indication, but I hope (and pray) we don't simply sign players just because they are available (regardless of their hype) and that we sign players that we need because they WILL improve the side.

Barry would have completed our midfield. Santa Cruz, I'm not too sure about. So maybe I've got that one wrong. All irrelevant now anyway.

Signing Barry would have meant Modric remaining on the left-hand side. If we do sign another CM, it's possible that the player will be a back-up (with Zokora on his way out). Whatever happened to the Scott Brown rumours? We've also been linked to several La Liga based midfielders in recent weeks, but it's all speculation - our tabloids repeating what their tabloids are saying. If we sign a major player for the CM role, then Luka will no doubt remain drifting in from the left. There is no real clarity and definitive ideology of selection based on the transfer rumours. But then I wouldn't expect that to be the case.

Not a clue about the 'number 9' - and whether we end up with a tricky goal-scorer or a tall/big/strong Crouchesque player. If we do sign another forward, then the Keane/Defoe issue will no doubt resurface.

And back to the left-sided question. Downing is injured and I'm not sure when he'll be back to full fitness - so signing him would still mean we begin the season with no left-winger. Anyone would think there's a shortage of wingers. It's gone quiet everywhere. Ashley Young too.

I guess one thing to be completely positive about is that we are not rushing into making any signings. Whether this is because we are waiting to sell players (or swap them) or because we are biding our time to find the right (left) type of player to bring to the club - it gives me the impression we are a little more calculating this term, than in previous seasons.

Either that or the transfer window is in a state of reverse flux, with clubs nervous about spending too much on the wrong player.

Until we make a signing, we won't know where Moddle will be starting. But at least he'll be starting in Lilywhite.

Bent still on course for Sunderland summit

Chatting to some Sunderland lads, it would seem the rumours of Robbie Keane being offered to Sunderland (a month or two back) are possible true - in that their ITK's are confirming the same thing ours are blabbering on about.

So whether there is any truth in the story suggesting that Keane is unhappy/only re-signed to save him from his Liverpool hell and help us out whilst Defoe was injured, on the promise of being sold in the summer.....phew, is something that we can only discuss as half-truths until we know better. We do love our conspiracy theories down here in N17.

As for Darren Bent, he's apparently keen on joining Sunderland and will be speaking to them this up and coming week (when he apparently returns from his hols). Spurs and Sunderland are almost at the point of agreement with the transfer fee. One of the Sunderland ITK's is well connected enough to say that Bent is interested in moving up to the Stadium of Light. Villa the only other interested party. We all know this is on the cards because far too many people have spoken about it - online and in the press. I bet it ends with an 'undisclosed fee' and Bent grabbing 20 goals for them next season.

As for Keane, we can only wait and see, but when offered, Quinn was not interested in accepting our generous gift that would come with a hefty asking price and a ripe old age.

Bale was also apparently offered to the Black Cats. Another rumour that the Spurs ITK's shared with us several weeks back. I'm hoping that part is not true.

No wonder we can't sell any of our unwanted players

ITK rumours hit a new low

He's been whoring himself in the media talking about being out of contract and willing to listen to offers.

"You want a good chairman and a great manager – it doesn't matter if he is coming into the game or is vastly experienced. You want stability. I'm aware [of interest] and it's nice to know that. I'm sure people come back from their holidays and have a week or two and start to see what they've got and hopefully deals can start moving." - Sol Campbell

The ridiculous is being suggested. Judas. Back to Spurs. On a free.

What next? Benedict Arnold being crowned the 'Greatest American in history'?

It would appear the sun is melting minds as well as ice cream. The ITK rumour suggests we are interested because we wouldn't have to pay a transfer fee. The irony of this...it burns, it burns. All we need now is Sky Andrew to get involved and we're set to go.

Are the ITK moles this desperate to claim prediction gold? He'd never come back. We'd never take him back. It's bullshit. There's more chance of me making made passionate love to Daniel Levy, on a bed made up of copies of the Opus in the centre circle at White Hart Lane wearing nothing but the yellow-streaked home shirt with 'WEST HAM ARE A BIGGER CLUB THAN US' printed on the back.

(To clarify...zero chance. Sorry Dan).

In other related news.

O'Hara is on his way to Fulham and Adel is set to stay and fight for his place. Far more realistic sound-bites, but this is now the 3rd or 4th time the deep throats at the Lane have passed on this information.

The only factual news relates to Zokora, as Sevilla once more (apparently) pull out of a deal.

The perpetual waiting game drags on...