Spurs finally 'sign' a big name striker

Antonio Michael Pedroza Whitham.

What? It's a big name, isn't it? There's four of them and they're bundled together. A mish mash of Mexican and English. For a snappy £1M (insert little finger to corner of mouth).

Done and dusted. Delegation sent over to thrash out the deal. Allegedly. All this according to the Daily Mirror who apparently first 'broke' the story two weeks back. It's obviously true, so kids, save up your money...it's gonna cost your piggy bank to get his name printed on your shirt.

Okay, don't go blaming me for this article, it's gone midnight and I'm only as good as the material I have to work with and considering the ITK community have spent the summer thus far reacting to the press and making sh*t up I'm waiting for one of their esteemed members to lay claim that they saw this one coming to restore my faith in...oh wait, I have no faith in them.

Of course, the alternative is that the Daily Mirror are talking nonsense and this Mexican forward with family based in Cheshire is not on his way to N17. If the Daily Mirror prove themselves to be on the ball then it will officially mean: Daily Mirror > ITK Community

0 goals, 12 games apparently. Oh well.

Wickham, Whitham...not that much of a difference there. Well, apart from several million pounds.

The summer transfer window just keeps on giving.

Will someone please think of the children?

The never ending story does what it says on the tin. Official club statement here.

Twitter reaction:

I think we have all lost track of it now. I guess he wants to be in court same time as 'Arry. Save on cab fares... @SpursSimon

are we really appealling the failed right to appeal? @Studub

Ref: OS appeal - doesn't mean decision will be overturned. Just means #thfc could be awarded compensation for unfair award process @RichSibley

Oh Daniel, you are starting to wind me the f**k up now. Maybe you should concentrate on a live striker instead of a dead duck @Bentleysbird

Rather tenacious our Mr Levy. Reminds me of an annoying Jack Russell, continually yapping & nipping at ankles @Coq_Au_Ginge

#Spurs' attitude to the Olympic Stadium is embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as the idea of W. Ham vs Barnet there in front of 2000 fans @daveeeeeed

#levy. We dont f**king want the stadium. The govt dont want us to have it. Pls just wipe your mouth of it before we dont want YOU #thfc @Rabbicrackers

F*ck the Olympic Stadium Levy! What we need is a statue of Michael Jackson outside White Hart Lane #COYS @aGrime

Join the chat: @Spooky23

Gio dos Santos and Adel Taarabt walk into a pub...

The landlord looks up to see the two men approach the bar.

"What would you chaps like to drink?"

Gio surveys the bottles behind the bar and responds, "I'll start on the left and work my way through to the right".

The bar man nods, "And you sir?", he asks of Adel.

Adel pauses with thought, astonished by his surroundings, then responds.

"I don't understand this joke, where is it going? Why would I even partner up with Gio and even consider sharing a drink with him in a pub? This makes no sense to me. I should be enjoying a cup of expresso el fresco with the likes of Ronaldo and Messi".

Gio laughs out loud, "Ridiculous".

Adel looks across to him, "What? What is so ridiculous about that?"

"Share?", replies Gio, "I'm not sharing a single drop".

So goes the story.

Exactly how does one go about answering the questions posed by the young Mexican and his international form compared to his Premier League isolation? Is the wall between club and country one built solely on stubbornness and mismanagement? Are we walking straight into the same paradox that has come to passing since we sold Taarabt to QPR, who then led them to promotion, winning accolades and awards in the Championship. With subsequent self-promotion hoping to finally cement that move to a Champions League club. No international football for Adel to draw another parallel similar to the one Gio has. The Moroccan has retired on the basis of being too good for it.

Gio and Adel. Misunderstood by many and controlled by few.

Have to admit I'm not sure I'm the  best to answer this question in terms of game for game analysis of performances as I've seen very little of Gio's most recent loan spell at Racing Santander and only highlights and reviews of Adel's title winning season. If we intend to base our opinions on You Tube videos then someone fire up a compilation of Jermaine Jenas best bits.

However, taking into account what we have seen (in Lilywhite colours) and what we know of the players stints at our club...going with your gut instinct is probably enough in both cases based on the (lack of required) qualities in question outside of their audacious talent - with regards to Spurs. Even though you might debate Harry's agenda with both players. Did they get ample chances to impress? With both players he gave us a clear indication they we're given the opportunity to prove themselves at Spurs but both (for different reasons) were ultimately pushed away.

Gio

You have to question the application and effort of a player who seems to be focused and vibrant for his country and anything but for his club. Barcelona saw something in the lad to plunge him into their first team squad. Perhaps his playboy personality (birthed because of his Barca break?) was always going to work against him which is why he was sold. They didn't feel he was worth the extra work to keep hold of. Or maybe cruelly deemed surplus due to the players ahead of him at the club. At Tottenham, Harry cited weekend away trips back in Barca and resulting failure to turn up for training. Gio was not taking it seriously.

So goes the story.

Harry quotes aside, with the money spent on a Barca prodigy, you'd think the club would have worked to settle him in England. He settled so well he had no qualms with doing as he so wished.

What does it matter the skill you possess, the goals you can score if you don't want to stick in a shift and prove yourself to the team and the club? It's easy to always pin the responsibility on the manager.

Just going to randomly mention David Bentley here.

The very fact that Gio plays well for his country and not for us is not because they are managing him better or giving him a free role or building the team around him. It's because he gives a sh*t for them and doesn't for us.

Would a different coach have got the best out of him? Maybe, maybe not. I reckon we - Harry included - would have if dos Santos cared enough. What I do know about his La Liga loans is that he's had some sparkling performances mix in with the mundane. His performances for Spurs (last time of asking) we're hardly inspiring. Did well for Ipswich once or twice I seem to remember.

Pressures of breaking into the Barca team so early might have elevated his ego to the point of no return.

Would I love to see Harry take him back and work some man-management magic and instil some renewed confidence in the player 'domestically' back here in England? Sure. But Gio's profile back in La Liga means this is player the club won't struggle to sell - especially off the back of his performances in the Gold Cup. Copa America might add even more value.

He's too much of a risk to keep, not worth the gamble. Therefore easy money on the transfer market.

Adel

This one has yet to conclude as it's still on the march to a satisfying (or otherwise) finale. The opening three or so months of the new season will tells us whether we were right to get rid of him (that's if he's not been signed up by Jose).

Here's a lad called a genius by Redknapp then shifted out on loan, then sold. Sometimes, on occasions, players have to be sold on for them to truly find their place and develop and mature. Whether it's a reality kick in the teeth or simply the aid of a prolonged run of games (even if it's a league lower than where they started from) it's quite easy to say in hindsight 'we should have kept hold of him'. Had we, he might still be on the fringe of first team action or worse.

I can't comment on whether the club did enough when he was there because I wasn't on the training pitch or at the Lodge day in day out.

So what of this genius?

Pockets of plushness accompanied by playground posing. Tricks and step-overs aside, he was obviously too raw and immature. I always had this overbearing emotion that people who enjoyed watching him for us (in those cameos) smiled and laughed out of enjoyable embarrassment. Some of us loved him because of his sheer audacity to be so care-free and without an apparent air of awareness of where he actually was. The Prem and not the playground.

His loan spell was meant to fix that. He was meant to discover the art of grafting and improve that lack of self-awareness and find the right balance between tempo and team-work. But we still didn't see enough to retain his services (but just in case of an err we pencilled in a nice 40% sell-on clause) and allowed QPR to take him permanently. Championship Player of the Season later he still shows traits of self importance and priority of individuality on the pitch and plenty off it. But he's adapted well down there, just below us. He's now coming back up for his second chance.

Sustained form in the rough and tumble second tier from Adel, but whether he'll have time to stand on the ball and outwit the very top players is altogether a different question that will no doubt be unequivocally answered. One that we could not have possibly found out at THFC because he did not want to buckle down and prove his worth with us. This genius felt he had nothing to prove. You have to love the self-belief and arrogance. If Jenas had a tinge of it, he'd be < insert long-winded theory that Jenas is a confidence player here >.

Alas, this self-belief and arrogance appears to be far more self indulgent and deluded than it is Zidanesque. Actions speak louder than words but not for Adel. His words come with megaphone and neon lights.

I'm still not inclined to believe Harry 'didn't fancy him' because he was too flash. Bostock was also put in his place by Harry. Players being marginalised because of the gaffers ego? Don't all managers favour certain players and don't all managers look to move on players who have no future at the club? Hopefully Bostock will come good.

Granted all managers get it wrong from time to time.

Much like Gio, Adel has attitude and simply won't adjust it to accommodate the team and his manager. Unless that team is QPR and the manager is Neil Warnock. If you proclaim to be that good you can make it work anywhere. Even if it means waiting and fighting your way through into the first team. If you simply don't possess the patience to work alongside the skill then that's your problem, not ours. Help yourself to aid others to help you. He found the Championship more comfortable for him to bed into the English game. That's the path he choose, it's not one that could have involved us.

Gio and Adel talented? On both accounts, very much so. But you need your head in the right place. You also need to sacrifice some ego in the process. Adel has at the very least proved he does know how to get on it. The Championship is hardly forgiving, even though it's nowhere near the same level as the Prem.

Both players were reluctant to do so in our colours. Good luck to both, but it's their loss, not ours.

Curveball? Bale was famously almost loaned out/sold before he returned into the team. Sometimes fate takes hold of your destiny and forever changes it. But unlike Gareth, Gio has not been with us for a while now. He's already been cut loose. As for Adel, he will no doubt provide some entertainment next season.

In an ideal world I'd have both of them at Tottenham on the bench. Because both are capable of producing something crazy and magical. But their world is on a completely different axis.

Join the conversation on twitter

Don't blame me, blame him

Harry Redknapp working his way through his copy of 101 Summer Transfer Sound-bites for the disconcerting manager by Harry Redknapp.

According to the gaffer:

- There is nothing happening in the transfer market

- He needs to sell four or five players to bring in funds

- Levy has made it clear to him the club have to move a few players before we can start doing any business

- Unless we reduce our squad numbers we will stay quiet in the market

Superb, such depth, such clarity.

Harry has this gift of saying something when there is nothing to say. It's like he can't just leave it alone with a simple, subtle and polite nod towards the fact the club are going about their business like most others without the necessity to provide directors commentary.

The recent meeting between the club and the Supporters Trust revealed we are looking to off-load players. Which is pretty much like someone revealing to you Spurs play at White Hart Lane. To suggest we can't sign anyone until someone is sold is ludicrous. He then states the same thing again but differently.

(i) "I need to sell four or five players to bring in funds"

(ii) "The chairman has made it clear we need to move a few players before we can start doing any business"

The concluding comment about 'staying quiet otherwise' is laughable. I can see the official club statement from Levy post-transfer window closure...

"I wish to make it absolutely clear that by the time the next transfer window shuts we'll have sold a few players and then and only then we will sign a couple of new ones, but only if there is enough time to do business. It's been disappointing that we've not managed to bolster our summer war chest and spend it on new players but we remain hopeful that Santa Claus will broker some late Christmas deals in the new year."

All we appear to have here is a manager stating facts (yes, we have to sell players and yes money will go back into the pot) but using them in yet another tidy example of deflection and disassociation.

When we sign a player, sit back and note who takes all the credit for it.

In the meantime bask in the irony of a 2000 word article about nothing in particular.

Join the conversation on twitter

Jog on

So just checking in after a Saturday spent off-line and behold the lack of imagination from the press.

Modric is still leaving even after the club stated he would not, under any circumstances, be sold for any price. But still they can't let go, persisting in brokering a deal for him to Chelsea via the back pages. This leads into the 'fact' that Luka's inevitable guaranteed departure means that Gareth Bale will follow him like a rat deserting a sinking ship. 

One season in the bright lights obviously all we're allowed, so dismantle Tottenham they will this summer.

If that isn't enough (and it's obviously not) further fabrication is added to the mix with yet another repeat show (Lennon to Liverpool) and some still persist with the 'rumours' that Sandro will be moved on after a single season at Spurs for a measly £12M.

Patiently waiting for Darren Lewis to share with us another quote from five years ago.

Give it a rest you insufferable *****. Your relentless hard-on for us is an embarrassment.

We are here to stay. Deal with it.

Stratford's death still leaves us feeling White Hart Pain

So the High Court has refused our application for permission to bring a claim against the London Borough of Newham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company along with the Mayor of London and Government Ministers for the judicial review re: bid process for the OS.

What a guest list, would have been some party.

We await to see if Levy persists with this in the next few days (club can basically take an option to renew its application of complaint).

Vast majority (controversial?) of Spurs fans are probably more than happy to hear this news (happy and fed up) and hope the club, chairman and board of directors leave it in the past and move on with finding a true solution to the stadium issue. What's done is done. Right?

We've been told a few times by Levy that he can't reveal certain information due to the process at hand and from a business perspective, playing politics with local government can be a game of poker so he's hardly going to show us all of his cards. However, there has to be some transparency and based on the recent meeting between club and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust it still sounds like we're walking through mud.

The NDP remains an expensive proposition, one without public sector funding. Which seems to be the excuse given (someone can remind me but I'm sure there's a fallacy surrounding Arsenal and the money they got for their stadium - i.e. they didn't).

In comparison (Stratford and the NDP) purely from a fiscal perspective (is there another perspective?) the OS was made priority because it would not have cost as much as remaining in N17 and in the long term was a far more achievable financial outgoing compared to the debt that will have accumulated with the NDP.

Business sense and shareholder gleefulness - Stratford was the answer. The other perspective? History of a geographical nature and various emotive arguments regarding identity. For most it was too much to ask and to see the club uproot and move from North London to the East. Progression off the back of increased revenue would secure the club's history even if we left our spiritual home, some said. Others preferred to remain anchored to the past and use that as the driving force to push on, remaining in N17, with an increased capacity.

There are arguments, good arguments for and against. But the one question that looks down at all of the in-fighting asks: Was it ever truly plausible for us to move to East London?

We've been over this a million times, so I wont lose myself in another rant. I will share a couple of thoughts off the back of the latest club statement.

Was the NDP ever viable? The reason I ask is, considering the business acumen of our chairman and the fact that forecasting every conceivable scenario would have been discussed in terms of the potentiality of increasing costs - why present the NDP as a viable project in the first place? Perhaps this is naivety on my part. I can appreciate that the NDP 'on paper' worked until it drowned in various red tape and outgoings once it began it's stuttering journey.

The more Stratford hogged the limelight, the less feasible the NDP became.

Stratford first appeared as a backup plan, then became our first choice (but there were mentions of it long before the NDP - the suggestion being it was always the clubs first choice). All guns blazing we went. Even though there were FA Premier League issues (ignored in the case of Orient post-decision) relating to boundaries and territory. Even if us bidding for it was (amongst the people locally and back in Tottenham) a non-starter - to Levy and from what we are made to believe certain people involved in the OS stadium process of selection and the Mayor - it was very much a competitive bid. One that stood a chance.

On paper, miles and miles ahead of West Ham's and in long term financial gain, utterly no competition when comparing the two clubs. The voting appeared to suggest that Tottenham never stood a chance. Hence the complaints made by club.

The crux of it falls on Daniel Levy. Here's me banging on about Machiavellian strategy and playing people off each other for our own gains, and yet looking back our hard nosed negotiator wore his heart on his sleeve. He was pro-Tottenham the club, the brand...and pro-Stratford to aid with elevating us to the next level of financial clout and stability. The sacrifice (the emotive stuff) worth while.

Did he genuinely believe we had a chance? Or did he expect to be p*ssing in the wind, all part of the game plan? Was the NDP only ever presented to us to appease the masses? Or is it still the ideal solution but one that simply isn't probable any more due to the constraints placed upon it?
 
Wouldn't moving to a different part of North London (or wherever else) equally see us battling against rising costs and political chess? As noted in the dismissal of the Tottenham Hale site.

Can't argue against Levy not wanting the best for the club. But that transparency, that direction...it's hard to know what we are concentrating on if we continue with our OS complaints whilst walking into brick walls that need to be knocked down first.

Perhaps everything that has played out has not been to his surprise. Although I can't quite grasp how any of it acts as a leverage towards the the NDP. But then I'm not a chairman of a football club and managing director of an investment company.

From the meeting with the THST:

“The Club is very busy behind the scenes trying to make the NDP viable”

If the OS never existed, what would our contingency plan be if the NDP went from viable to not being viable? Because that's where we currently stand at the moment.

It was never do or die for Stratford. Yet I can't shake off that feeling that some believe it to be the case.

In Tottenham we trust

My head is pounding, gut churning. You know how it is with man-flu. Fathers amongst you will appreciate that in the first year or so of having a baby you tend to pick up any cold/virus they pick up. Probably a lack of vitamin c on my part, but I appear to be sick without fail every 5-6 weeks. Or perhaps I’m not sick from a bog standard bug and the baby is just a patsy. Perhaps I’m just depressed and I don’t know it.

Lack of summer sun, lack of summer transfer activity.

Sure, we’ve had the Modric saga slapped down like rolled up newspaper squashing a fly. Luka supposedly said what he said. Levy responded and closed the matter. Whispers of a possible statement from the Croatian, but nothing yet. Perhaps there’s no point in one although it would silence the vultures of the press if he came out and said something pro-Tottenham – ending any further sequels to the first episode of discontent.

New kits out. Love ‘em, hate ‘em. Seems like there’s an unwritten rule which must state something like: We shall not release the perfect kit, instead we’ll retain some imperfections with random streaks of yellow just to make it look like some thought went into it. Sponsor pays money, sponsor has right to include their logo on kit, but would be nice if both sponsor and club found a middle ground where they would share a celebratory drink with style. Style, for the record, does not include yellow or a bold font.

Then there’s the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust. You know who they are, right? Quite a few of you do but it’s always up to someone else to remind you, to give you a poke of encouragement to take a look when you’d have probably missed it altogether.

I had no idea they meet with the club on the 14/06/11. I missed a tweet earlier this afternoon that would have linked me to the minutes made live on their site today and only found out about it because someone gratefully left a comment on my blog. Considering the questions asked and the answers given, its information that should be far more reaching. You know, neon lights and not a candle in the wind.

Blogged earlier here highlighting some of the minute but now I have some available time to run through a couple of things that stand out for me.

If you’re on Twitter, follow @SpursFuture for the latest on the stadium developments. Their website is here. Look out for some news they plan to share tomorrow.

Stadium

“The Club is very busy behind the scenes trying to make the NDP viable”

Pretty much what appears to be a very positive message given in the meeting. Either that or a PR friendly ‘we’ve not dismissed the idea of the NDP’. The issue still remains one concerning public sector grants. The project still weighs in at around £250M - £300M leaving it with that not viable tag currently.

You do have to wonder what the committee discuss every week when it's obvious nothing changes from one to the next.

Have we looked elsewhere? Yes. But the land near Tottenham Hale is equally not viable due to the expense of purchasing it and countless surveys and God knows how much more time would have to be spent on proposing design, affect on the surrounding area etc etc.

We appear to be stuck in limbo in terms of direction. The club are at least investigating an increase in any proposed capacity (along with market research for corporate hospitality) but no movement (as you would expect) on naming rights and the supermarket deal. No stadium means we can hardly have a sponsored name for it.

As for the Olympic Stadium shambles, the legal challenge is in process. End of July is when Levy and co will find out the result of their complaint. I guess this is the back-up plan, be it one rooted deep in fantasy (if Levy honestly thinks he’ll get anything over-turned he’s mad). Then again, it’s not about over-turning a decision, you would think it’s more about making a point in how the decision (recommendation) was made.

The point being, we (the club) we’re used to force the reattainment of the running track and the OS legacy via the publicity of our bid in comparison to the one made by West Ham United. Considering how voting went, it was a blatant stitch up. Not that I have any complaints about it. Say no to Stratford all day long. But from the minutes the following leaves me a little cold: “Uncertainty remains that NDP will ever become viable”.

Add that quote with the following: “DL advised that he has no preference re stadium he just wants a stadium solution whatever that may be” – and we are back to the question of geography and history against revenue and progression.

There’s no time-frame on any of this, which makes me question the whole premise of the NDP and it's contingency plans that would have been in the original discussions the club had when outlining the ground redevelopment. To quote the past, if the OS never existed, if the games were to be played in France next year...thus no OS...where would we be looking towards now?

Club suggests we lobby DL David Lammy, Boris Johnson, the Sports Minister and the Local Authority 'to constructively point out the benefits that would accrue to the local community from providing some Public Sector grant support to the stadium project'.

Game of tennis.

Transfers

Nothing we don’t know already. We need to ‘trim the existing first team’. No sh*t Sherlock. We’ve got enough deadwood to reconstruct the Great Fire of London. Get the impression Danny boy is always looking to make a profit on a player bought and then sold on. Which might see us getting unstuck with one or two turning away at the thought of paying what our valuation is for the likes of say, Robbie Keane or Wilson Palacios. Selling players who no longer fit into our plans will also aid with the wage bill.

‘There will be activity this summer’.

Set your watches for the final ten minutes on the last day of the transfer window. No, hold up don't fret, it’s just how it all works. Deals only kick-off in domino fashion when everyone gets desperate as time runs out. Levy states he understands why there is a perception but it’s not deliberate.

Phew. I was going to suggest we only have a transfer window of 2 days in the middle of the summer for all clubs to do their deals in. It will be akin to Wall Street with loads of chairman waving their hands around in the air screaming and shouting. Robbie Keane will no doubt be in the thick of it, signing for at least seven boyhood clubs who would share him across the course of a season.

Levy cites wish lists and clubs working through them. Perhaps it’s best to just cross out the ones that are unlikely or just start from the bottom up. Unless Carlton Cole is at the bottom of said list. Let’s be fair, I don’t think it’s an easy job to do. As long as we do have a wish list and we aim to work through it with urgency. Problem can usually sit with the opposing club who might want to hold off for a bigger fee. That’s not to say I will be forgiving if we don’t sign what we need to sign this summer. Have to be decisive.

Interestingly, the manager puts forward recommendations for players and the chairman and board of directors discuss taking into account long term financial implications. Actually, that’s not that interesting. It’s quite traditional. Although obviously Levy does a bit of work on the side (i.e. van der Vaart).

The hypothetical situation outlined (during the meeting) in terms of when the chairman/directors would say no to a proposed deal relates to a big fee for a 30+ player with little chance of re-sale or the possibility of a new manager taking over during the player’s contract who might not see the player as part of his squad.

Hypothetical or perhaps a clue to our not so far off future? I would hope the club look at certain potential players on merit of ability/experience and what they could offer in the way of leadership and that galvanising touch. Now say signing Scott Parker for £8M-£10M would fall into the ‘just say no’ category due to his age and the fact that Harry will probably not be Spurs manager beyond the 2012 season. It’s logical not to splash out such a sum on a player that wouldn’t even be first choice at Spurs (my two cents). But say, just for the hell of it, Drogba was available for £3M-£5M...would that not be a worthwhile investment? You wouldn’t get any money back on re-sell but you’d make your money back on another CL placement. No? That's the risk, gotta speculate to accumulate.

Finally, academy players. Lack of. Club are aware improvements are needed. Caulker gets a special mention, as many of us already hope he will be a special player for us in the future. We need more of this.

Harry and the Press

Brilliant side-stepping here. Harry calling fans idiots, accepted by the club as an inappropriate comment to make but it’s the fault of Sky Sports thus, mitigating circumstances, that Harry was given a leading question to answer. We’ve apparently spoken to Sky about this.

Harry loves the media, media loves Harry. Always the potential for the good and bad. Perhaps if Harry limited himself to only, say, 400 interviews a day...he wouldn’t slip up too often.

Shame the Trust didn’t ask why Harry persists with the disassociation (it’s always ‘them’ never ‘us’). I’m being petty now. We all know his only priority is to himself. I hardly care as long as he produces the goods next season.

Finance

We didn’t make as such from the CL as other English clubs due to the limited stadium capacity and restricted corporate hospitality. All links into the search for a NDP solution or a potential agreeable move to a new location that won’t fragment support. Although chairman is simply looking at the club as an entity, a brand and all that matters is that 60k capacity and plenty of boxes for the rich to swim in tubs of caviar whilst drinking unicorn blood from diamond encrusted skulls of baby seals. Because he knows in the CL (gotta get back there) we would sell out and the revenue would make us richer. If we’re 14^th now in the world (last time I looked) then it’s scary to think how strong we’d be with a new stadium.

But then, call me soft, call me a romantic...I’d rather it be just under 60K and built in N17. Tottenham is Tottenham after all. Sorry, I want my cake and I want to eat it.

Kit and Sponsorship

Reason for delay in release of kits? To coincide with the shirt sponsors launch of a new product. I honestly don’t think anyone is going to care about the launch of the shirt sponsors new product. Do football fans really take note of what's on a kit other than the badge? I know advertising is just that but I didn't spend the 80s painting the walls because Liverpool were always on tv drunk on Holsten.

Under Armour from next season replacing Puma. Five year contract. Let’s pray they don’t include the random yellow streaks in their début kits.

That’s as much as I can muster.

Join me on Twitter because that's where I live.

"There will be activity this summer"

Click here for the full minutes of the meeting between the club and the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust.

Covers off questions around the Stadium, transfers, Harry and the press, ticketing, finance, fair play rules, kit and sponsorship and some other bits and pieces.

Stadium

• The Club is very busy behind the scenes trying to make the NDP viable. There are two dedicated people working 24/7on the stadium project and a committee of 15 meets weekly to discuss progress. The Club is seeking public sector grants to help reduce the costs and in light of this has appointed Savills to explore this avenue.

• The Club is carrying out market research to ascertain what the appetite for corporate hospitality is as well as considering a moderate increase in capacity.

• At the same time the legal challenge regarding the Olympic Stadium bid process continues. The club should know the results of their challenge by the end of July. There are two reasons for this; (i) Uncertainty remains that NDP will ever become viable and (ii) Genuine concern that the bidding process was unfair.

• With regards to other Haringey locations DL confirmed that a site near Tottenham Hale was considered but, due to the amount of property that would need acquiring, this would have been extremely time consuming and in all likelihood just as expensive as NDP with a further need for seeking planning permission from the local authorities.

• With a capital cost of £250-£300m it is just not viable right now.

• Re funding, the Club has not gone to Market yet re Naming Rights and the Supermarket deal is on hold.

• The Section 106 agreement has been agreed but is not yet exchanged.

• Ultimately, despite the huge investment this would be from THFC in the local community, there is no public sector money being made available.

• No timeframe can be put on how long this may take to resolve one way or the other.

• BK asked what supporters can do to assist THFC? DL advised that it would be beneficial for THFC supporters to lobby David Lammy, Boris Johnson, the Sports Minister and the Local Authority to constructively point out the benefits that would accrue to the local community from providing some Public Sector grant support to the stadium project. Ultimately this should be a Private/Public Sector project so all pressure exerted on the decision makers would be very welcome.

• DL advised that he has no preference re stadium he just wants a stadium solution whatever that may be.



Transfers

• The club has to trim the existing First Team squad as only 25 players are allowed excluding home grown Under-21’s who don’t count towards the 25.

• There will be activity this summer but the club does need to sell players for the above reason.

• DH asked if it was a deliberate tactic to wait until the end of the window before any intense activity? DL said he understood why there was this perception but this was far from deliberate, it was just the way the transfer market worked with buying clubs having their 1-10 wish lists and the fact it takes time to work this through.

• The Manager puts forward recommendations for purchases and the Board of Directors have the final decision taking into account the long term financial implications for the Club. For example, a hypothetical situation where the Board would need to say No would be where the selling club is seeking a sizeable transfer fee for a 30+ year old with little chance of re-sale and/or the possibility of a different manager appearing during that player’s contract who didn’t see that player as part of his squad.

• The lack of home grown players was raised by John Morrow. DL agreed that academy produced players needed to improve. S. Caulker is a very promising academy resource right now.



Harry and the Press

• The subject of Harry’s public criticism of some THFC fans as idiots was raised as an inappropriate comment to make. This was accepted by the Club however mitigating circumstances of a leading question from the Sky reporter was raised and the fact that the club had spoken to Sky about this.

• It was agreed that Harry had an incredible relationship with the media (They like him/He likes to speak with them) and that with this there would be some positives and negatives.

Discuss amongst yourselves. There's a few things that really stand out. It's worth reading the full set of minutes. I'll revisit most of it again in more detail when I get a moments chance.

Tweeting Tottenham

If it feels like your permanently on-line at the moment, refreshing countless news feeds and message board threads in the hope of a breaking story or slice of information that will brighten up your day...you're wasting your time. You and I both know Spurs won't do any business until the final day of the transfer window and the only thing worth watching on that day is Sky Sports News in the hope that Jim White's head will finally explode on live tv.

That's not to say there is anything wrong with being permanently on-line. But there are better ways to spend it. No, not porn. Yes porn, but another is Twitter.

Don't be afraid, if you're not a user - sign up.

Might appear a little offbeat and irreverent to start of with, but if you follow the right type of people then what you end up with is basically a time-line of chat and information, a good mix of fellow THFC fans along with some top journalists (they exist) and esteemed bloggers (not just the Spurs ones) and statos. It's good craic.

So to get you started (of if you're on it already), make sure you're following this Spurs lot and a couple more:

@daviddinkin - Trust me on this, one THFC fan well worth a follow.

@tehTrunk - Creator of this lot. His facebook page is here.

@thedarkpav - Roman Pavlyuchenko's dark side.

@SpursSimon @Bentleysbird - Banter.

@MorrisKeston - Superfan.

@MartinCloake - Author.

@ThePOTL @EvilChirpy - Phantom of the Lane, allegedly. And post-surgery Chirpy.

@WindyCOYS @spursblogger @Studub @dompaczko @NorthernWrites - Bloggers.

@TLDORC @R_o_M - City. Utd.

You know what, far too many too mention. Full list here.

The new Spurs shirt...it's very bold

Via the official site.

Lovely minimalistic design by Puma. Shame about the mental size bold fontface. I know a sponsor pays the money to have their logo on the shirt, but too much trouble to ask for them to match colours with shirt and perhaps sort of have a more subtle font for the name? It's not like nobody isn't going to see it if its slightly less boldy. It's on the front of the shirt staring right back at us.

Shirts are released on September the 14th. Clever.

My name is Luka...I live in the second kit.

Yes, I'm complaining. Only fair to do so after I did the same with the yellow-streaky shirt. Still, on a positive note:

Bold > yellow streaks

So hands up if you're gonna get Modric 14 printed on the back?

UPDATE:

Oh Christ. I had not seen the third kit. In a rather cruel twist of irony and fate, here it is:

Bold AND a random yellow streak.

Wow.

I...have...nothing...more...to...say....

A day in the life of Adel Taarabt

Reprise from last year.

Adel, is enjoying a cup of coffee in his kitchen. When suddenly; chaos! The very fabric of space and time is ripped open, resulting with a small and rather polite worm hole appearing before his very eyes.

'Hello Adel', the worm hole greeted the ex-Moroccan international with a smile.

Adel: "What in the **** is this s**t? I already have an agent. Get out of my home"
Worm hole: "I'm here to offer you what you deserve"
Adel: "Adel is not interested in anything a hypothetical topological feature of space-time has to say"
Worm hole: "Oh, sorry, I thought you were…Is Adel home?"
Adel: "Of course he is. Adel is standing in front of you, idiot"
Worm hole: "Where? Oh, I see. First person"
Adel: "You are wasting Adel's time. Leave"
Worm hole: "No, no I'm not wasting your time. You deserve so much more than this. Than QPR"
Adel: "Hold on a minute, Jose…Jose is that you?"
Worm hole: "I am not Jose. I have trancended the infinite layers of the mult-verse to visit you today. I'm here to gift you something special Adel. 1970. The World Cup final between the boys from Brazil and Italy. A spectacle befitting a player of your undoubted quality. I can take you back in time, Adel, and replace Pele with you"
Adel: "Replace?"
Worm hole: "Yes, replace. You will be Pele, but you will define the final and his legacy with your own two feet and footballing brain. Adel Taarabt in the body of Pele with the ability of Adel Taarabt. How does that sound?"
Adel: "It sounds like the same Adel in blue and white hoop colours every weekend, but in Mexico instead of West London. Okay. Why not? I was only going to spend the day looking at myself in the mirror. I can do that when I get back. Do they have mirrors back in the 70s? Yes? Okay, so then, do I jump?"
Worm hole: "Yes, jump into me. And you will be transported onto the pitch in 1970 Mexico City, in full kit"

And so Adel takes the leap of faith, after finishing his cup of coffee and spending some time styling his hair, and jumps into the worm hole with the minimum of fuss.

1970. The World Cup Final. Brazil v Italy. Mexico City.

Rivelino: What the…?
Gérson: I don't get it.
Jarizinho: This is ridiculous.
Carlos Alberto: I do not believe my eyes. Is he mad?

Commentator: Unbelievable scenes in the World Cup final. I can't quite fathom this. Pele has stripped off his yellow jersey and thrown it to the ground after screaming abuse at Mário Zagallo and proceeding to push him over. Just ten minutes into the game and Pele - who has been shocking, just shocking - has gestured abuse to his team-mates and the fans and has sensationally walked off the field of play in protest screaming 'I quit, I quit' in what can only be described as a very public melt-down. The Italians are unsure where to look. I'm unsure where to look. This is so out of character. It's embarrassing.

All this madness began after Pele attempted to dribble through and around his own team-mates with the Italians looking on in amazement, and then had the ball abruptly taken off his feet by Jarizinho which resulted with Pele slapping him across the face. This is quite an incredible start to the World Cup final.

And it's a red card for Pele. The ref has seen enough!

Oh dear God, he's now urinating on the dug-out in retaliation to the card. Extraordinary!

Later that day, back in 2010...

Worm hole: "That went well"
Adel: "Please. No more Sunday League football, okay?"

Statement of intent

Brace yourselves. It seems Sam Wallace of the Independent is privy to an imminent statement from Luka Modric concerning the players future at the club. The statement will no doubt be apologetic spin to limit any further damage made by the perfectly scripted quotes made from his boat to a Daily Mail reporter. Something lost in translation no doubt, he’ll say. It’s almost a certainty that Luka will be positive towards the club he’s currently contracted too and perhaps we can all move on and hope that Levy follows up his blockbuster statement from the other day with one pertaining to a new signing (or two).

Kia Joorabchian was/is (according to the Independent article linked above) involved with the Luka bombshell which more or less explains the shady developments of recent days. It’s looking more and more like they were testing Levy and the clubs resolve, possibly knowing deep down it was a long shot but giving it a go regardless - be it for a transfer or further improved wages (worked with Rooney). I guess had Chelsea bid £40M from the off, we might have found ourselves in a different position today. But they only bid a laughable £22M. Proving I guess that their ambition hardly matches Modric’s, if they don’t rate him highly enough to pay his worth.

To repeat what I said in my previous blogs, Levy’s devastating hand to face statement is one that allows zero wriggle room to go back on his word that the player is not for sell at any price (in addition to Luka’s comment that he would not hand in a transfer request). Levy knows the move is fantasy and I don’t blame him for taking advantage of this. He’s made sure he gets maximum impact out of making a mockery of the Chelsea bid. Flexing muscles for all to see. Using the ilk of language that shows off his strength in refusing to buckle.

Luka/agent/Joorabchian might want something else out of all this but they’ll have to wait another season at the very least.

It's been theatrical from all concerned. More so once the Luka statement is released. Because regardless of what he says in terms of appeasing the disgruntled and disappointed Spurs fans, it’s all been akin to a father taking a belt to his rebellious son to then have said son return from his bedroom after reflecting on his behaviour and apologise to the family for being out of line.

He was never going to get away with it.