New England anthem

Not sure it will catch on like Three Lions. But nice to see John Terry and Ashley Cole give up some of their valuable time to star in the video.

Injuries? We laugh in the face of injuries

It's time to pay kudos to Tottenham Hotspur - the unit. The team. The work laid out and delivered by Harry Redknapp and the march into battle the players repeated time and again, regardless of depletions, AWOLs and MIAs.

With thanks to THFC6061 (of Glory Glory) who is the (Ledley) king of statistics.

So, why 'the unit'? What made Spurs so special this season compared to previous (limp) efforts? Well for starters, resolve. Spurs have instilled a work ethic and spirit that means if we lose a player to injury, we get on with it, no complaints - with the replacement fulfilling his duties.

Now if you go back to Christmas/the New Year you'll remember all of us (yes, me included) holding our heads in the palm of our hands at the fact that we didn't quite spend during the window to fill the gaps in our midfield. Kaboul? Really? We shrugged. Again, this was a very subtle form of knee-jerk, mainly because we feared for the worst (lose Palacios, and we're doomed, dooooooomed I tells ya). When the reality of the situation was we had plenty in reserve to cope. As seen with the injury to Luka early on. Ye of little faith.

So, exactly what was the damage on paper concerning key players? You hear it from them lot over there in the swamplands telling us how they would have faired far better had they not lost players to injury. Using their logic, we'd have faired far better too. We all know it doesn't quite work like that, and had BAE not got injured, would Bale have broken through etc etc.

Anyways - to the stats. Below is a general overall breakdown, but for all the glory in Technicolor - please click here (and bookmark the site for reference as it's a gold mine of wealth). We've had a number of players out injured this season, but looking at key players, here are the numbers that mattered (but didn't quite knock us off our perch):

(All competitions)

Woodgate - 3 starts, 3 total appearances, 194 minutes players, (46 games injured) - Five game period saw Woody play three times, but has since spent a very lonely time stateside, with doctors struggling to work out what his injury is exactly (and how to fix it).

King - 20 starts, 21 total appearances, 1,637 minutes played, (29 games injured) - Vast majority of the season spent missing games and playing when his knee allowed him to do so, only managing to play 4 games on the trot in the finale to the EPL to aid our push for CL and his England ambition.

Lennon - 33 starts, 34 total appearances, 2,846 minutes played, (25 games injured) - Our Azza missed a run of 22 games which meant various shuffles in selection for Harry as he attempted to find the best formation to make up for the loss of one of most potent creative outlets.

Modric - 28 starts, 32 total appearances, 2,547 minutes played, (15 games injured) - Fourteen consecutive games missed in all competitions. Play him on the left or in the middle, when you lose Moddle you lose that craft and those dinking runs that allows us to dictate tempo offensively.

The Fab Four - 115 combined games missed through injury.

In addition:

Corluka (8 games missed towards end of season)
BAE (11 games missed - allowing for Bale to cement a first team place)
Bale (7 games missed at start of season)
Dawson (7 games missed at start of season)
Jenas (19 games missed through injury across the season)
Kranjcar (6 games missed at end of season)
Huddlestone (6 games)

We've had other players picking up knocks (Pav, Bentley etc) - but nothing out of the ordinary. The main key players cited above (Woodgate, King, Lennon, Modric) - are backbone players, imperative to the way we set out and play.

We got through the start of the season - special mention to Bassong who took his place against his centre-back partner without complaint and has been a quite superb signing for us. The King scenario is no surprise. We know he's not able to perform for us every week. So we make do. Having no Woodgate or Dawson didn't help but this is where people covered and got on with it.

Losing Modric was devastating. Felt like it would be detrimental to our progress. But we shuffled. Niko played a part on the left and at one point was quite simply unplayable as far as the opposition were concerned. He tore City a new one. Then when Modric returned, Lennon got injured, and again we had to balance the side to avoid any loss of cohesiveness in both attack and defence.

Moddle playing a part in central midfield, Wilson and Tommy sharing the other centre-spot. We showed adaptability and application with responsibilities given out by the gaffer.

No squad depth they said? I remember we got burnt after Robbie Keane's comments about the strength of our team on the pitch and on the bench. But across the season, he has had his comments vindicated - even though the irony of him being up in Scotland whilst we took 4th is no doubt hurting him bad.

Every time we lost a player, Harry tweaked it. Bale coming in for BAE for left-back, then shifting forwards to left-flank resulting in a flourishing lefty relationship between the two.

Huddlestone. More on the big lad in the next few days. Stay tuned. But I'll note here that he has time and time again proven the critics wrong and has been one of our most vital players in central midfield.

Kaboul, equally maligned, proved in the end that he was worth bringing back. Yes, he's raw and very much rough in parts. Whether there's a diamond underneath all the dirt, we'll have to wait and see. But he covered well (had his comedy moments) but should be applauded for his efforts. When it mattered, he dared to do.

At any given moment this season, we've had someone key out on the sidelines. More than one at any given moment in fact. It worried us. It didn't appear to worry the team.

The players deserve the accolade. It's a team game and we did more than enough to prove we are a team and one that doesn't crumble or lose heart because we are without a talisman or two.

The surprise factor also helped. Bale's resurgence. Pav's free-scoring goal-scoring stint. Love it when it all comes together when the Gods do everything in their power to test your resolve.

Well done.

End of Season 'awards'

I guess what with the World Cup and the summer transfer rumourwhoring we are about to ride on the back of, even though there is no Tottenham until the start of the 2011 season, I doubt we'll get bored anytime soon. In the meantime (courtesy of the thread by Park Lane James @ GG), feel free to agree/disagree/discuss the following season-review-of-sorts.

I'll be revisiting 2010 in more fragmented detail in the coming weeks, with blog posts concentrating on individuals and games. In the mean time...

Most improved player:

Tricky one this. BAE has improved from being a stop-gap player to a certainty in the first team. Okay, so he's sort of lost his mojo since returning from injury, but it's unfair to concentrate too much on his shaky moments when you consider the performances he's delivered for us. He's a renegade. Anti-football qualities off the pitch, but more than assured and focused on it.  

Gomes has improved, mainly be ridding himself of the Paul Robinson curse before it weighed him down. The amount of BS in the press and elsewhere, you'd think there was no way back for him - much like Robbo found out in the end (at least re: his Spurs career). Clumsy silly mistakes no more from the Brazilian though. Flying through the air shot-stopping expertly the only order of the day. Mental strength and character. I'm getting married just so I can offer my bint to him.

Bale has gone on a proper journey. From no confidence to bursting through his skin confidence. He's turned into a marauding pulsating beast of a left-flanker. Better offensively than defensively, but boy, what an offensively it is. So, which one out of all of the above?

/scratches chin.

I'm gonna go for Bale. Mainly because he was buried under 23 or so games of no-wins and given zero hope of survival.

Breakthrough player:

You could say Danny Rose. Because he broke through and smashed it past the red scum. But he's not exactly held down a place in the side (before or since). So even though he broke through, it might make more sense to hand his honour to (the man of the moment, of every moment) Gareth Bale. Okay, so we all knew he was a talent, but then again many had forgotten mainly because he was never quite the same when returning from injury and practically ruined for being part of a crap side (not his fault that every time he player we failed to win - 10 other players on the pitch, right?). What we saw this year, was Bale's resurgence back in the team and slowly working his way to full confidence. Granted, injuries elsewhere allowed his blossoming, but these things happen. For a reason. And suddenly the age old conundrum about Spurs needing a left-winger has been put to bed. He is quintessentially Spurs. Exciting, fearless. Okay, the latter isn't exactly a Spurs quality, but its one we love to see in a player. And he has it in abundance. Just have to work out whether his future is left-back or left-wing.

We heart you Gareth.

Most vocal/best leader:

Dawson I guess. He shouts. He's vocal. He leads by example. King when he stars is also a leader of men. Perhaps a bit passive in comparison to other captains the country over. Always thought (and still do) that we lack a Roy Keanesque type of leader. When Dawson smiles you want to hug the bloke, scruff up his hair and buy him a Cornetto. If Roy Keane smiled in your direction, you'd probably shit bricks.
 
Young player of the season:

Bale. Bale. Bale. This season is testament to why we made the investment in him in the first place. Whether the 'Bale to Birmingham' stories were true (do any of you believe we were ready to sell Dawson back to Forest?) the fact that he bided his time, took his chance and has completely consolidated himself in the first team says a lot about his strength of character and determination. There is little to dislike about this bloke. Improve his positioning defensively (will come with time) and we'll have a complete player. His offensive skills will no doubt continue to improve. Got to get him back in the zone with the set pieces also.

Player of the season:

Ah, you got me here. Gomes is a candidate. He arguably took us to 4th spot with his saves, mainly the gems against the red scum in that spell just before they scored their consolation goal. He has gone from calamity clown (Hansen: Worse keeper in the league) to the very best stop-shooter in the EPL. Brimming with self-belief. Selected for the Brazil WC squad. I once upon a time loved Paul Robinson. A lot. He buckled and died a death when his form dropped, and his confidence was unrecoverable. Gomes has gone from man to giant, proving that if you keep the faith, you get repaid.

Dawson is a good shout. Remember the days when he just had to have King by his side for it all to work? Nowadays, we sort of forget about Ledley in a complimentary way in that Daws can command the back four just dandy, along with his buddy Bassong. A year back I would have said 'we need a new centre-back'. Not so sure now. Perhaps a young(er) understudy. But you only have to look at our defensive record (home) to know we have a diamond at the back and can cope with most things, if Ledley is looking on from the stands.

Bale. Just because he is the sexiest of players to watch. Proper hands down your pants footballer.

I can't choose at the minute. All of the above.

Fan's player (who do you admire most in our squad):

King. How many times have we had to read reports about his impending retirement? Countless stories and whispers, always there, haunting him - us - and the club. And yet still her perseveres. He fights on. Okay, so his knee is shot and at some point the docs will tell him he has to quit before the damage is permanent. But until that day, he's a Spurs player and when called upon he is a monster, a colossus, an absolute professional who gives it everything for the team. He makes so few errors, you can actually cite them all (one hand mind you). I admire him because for someone who doesn't train, for him to do what he does every time he is called upon, it just staggers belief. It's no exaggeration or sound-bite to say that. Christ, if he didn’t have a dodgy knee…I dare not imagine.

Legend.

Team performance of the season:

Daaaamn. You know it's been a good season when you have to stop for several minutes and think about this. I can drift off, day dreaming, remembering. The 9-1 against Wigan was stupendous. But I'm going to skip ahead to the final stages of the 2010 season. For me, the following games bucked the trend and showed us all that Spurs had matured and grown up.

W Arsenal 2-1
W Chelsea 2-1
W Man City 1-0

Three must-wins, none of which anyone expected us to claim victory it.

Out of the three, I'm going to go with the Eastland encounter. Yes, the NLD was majestic. The way we soaked it up, allowed them to play the ball around neatly, forcing them onto the wings and into nowhere land - then striking twice to settle it and just refusing to collapse, even when they scored after The Gomes Show had us all applauding till our hands were bleeding.

Chelsea at home was swagger at its best. We could have scored 5 or 6. They didn't turn up. We did.

But Eastlands, this game was akin to an FA Cup final. Such was the importance that I actually don't care about the semi-final disappoint. Honestly. Can't believe I'm saying it, but finishing 4th and doing so by avoiding any last-day must-dos was just out of this world. Everyone worked as a unit, all knowing the importance of three points and not settling for three. It was the day Harry was vindicated tactically and Spurs showed they don't always bottle and choke. Quite simply brilliant.

Best atmosphere:

I hate this type of 'award'. How do you constitute an atmosphere? The one at home to Wigan was almost carnival in parts, disbelief at the number of goals being netted. The NLD is a horrid excruciating experience, because even though history tells another story, you long for victory and despise defeat. Squirming, biting of nails, you look but you can't look. Still, for how that game panned out, I'd give it to the defeating of the red scum. First time for so long, it would be rude not to. The singing, the feeling - it was different class and a perfect example why White Hart Lane remains the hottest place in London when the chips are down.

Best goal celebration:

Danny Rose. Something about that pumped up look and run facing the Shelf Side, running down the flank as if saying 'Did you just see that? Did you? That was me that was!' It was like a dance video. You know, how they always have someone running or being chased in it? Danny Rose, scored a belter against the scum. I half expected him to run out of the ground in celebration, Forrest Gump style, all the way up the Seven Sisters Rd.

Favourite night out after an away game:

Err. Away game? I remember those days well. It's been two seasons now since my last travels up and down the country, something I did for several seasons before being whipped into sharing my every other weekend with my partner rather than eating pie up at < insert random northern club here >. If anyone cares to suggest one here, please do.

Best away day:

Same here.

Best visiting fans to White Hart Lane:

Chelsea. Not because of any other reason than seeing their stupid faces at the final whistle. It's so easy, it's so easy, it's so easy at the Lane. Indeed it is. Otherwise, Stoke (wasn't there, was told they were more than decent) and Man Utd (who always make noise).

Goal of the season:

For sheer magnitude. The much maligned Crouch up at Eastlands. For majestic qualities. Danny Rose versus them lot in the NLD. Because he hit the ball when he had no right to do so.
 
Favourite memory of this season?

All of it. You know how we struggle to believe? You know exactly what I mean. I refer you to when we had a lull this season, lost three points to a newly promoted side or lost a lead in a game we should have won. Those moments are hard to swallow because the obvious knee-jerk would be to say 'same old Tottenham'. And it's not our fault. We only have the past to go on and we know that in the past 10 years or so, we have flattered to deceive. But the progress made, the achievements gained - they have been such that we now owe it to the club and the team and players to believe in them because they have dared to get it right.

What I mean is simply this. Every time we were expected to drop down the table, we dug deep and we moved onwards. We never caved in. We showed bottle and guile and kept true to our style. The mark of a true unit, a team. Sure, we are in our infancy in more ways than one. But we have renewed goals to aim for. So when I say 'all of it' being the whole season as my fav memory - it's because every game, the bad ones and the good ones, seem to fit together like a puzzle. A complete puzzle. With no missing parts. And the final picture is one of hope.

Hope you get what I mean.

What are you most looking forward to about next year's campaign?

How Harry handles the new pressure on him and the team. The new signings. CL football. The way we deal with away games and the away games against the traditional 'Top 4'. The new Spurs shirt. Which I might actually purchase if I can get it without a sponsor on it. Bale's continued development. Another 6 points off the red and blue scum at home.

COYS.

Newcastlol (teh trunk is back)

Me old mucker is back. And good to see him on form. Check this out for more of his demented genius.

With thanks

Dear Mr Levy,

Many have suggested over the past season or two that I have sold out. They say I am no longer a solider of fortune; no longer a personified rebellion against the Bourgeoisie mentality of the upper tier uber-rich West Standers. They whisper in the Park Lane toilets, in-between hurried puffs of Benson and Hedges, that I have been assimilated in amongst the other Spurs faithful. A passive shadow of my former self. Re-conditioned. Just another replica shirt in a stand of thousands.

It's been years since I last chained myself naked to a turnstile and 20 months since I turned up at the Spurs Shop dressed as Peter Griffin, attacking Chirpy with violent bloodthirsty impunity.

I no longer wait by the gates for directors to drive in and out of the club armed with water balloons (yeah, right, water...ha! If the club wishes to give us yellow streaks against our will, then let them have some back). I have practically seen out all my community service impeccably and I have not breached the conditions of the most recent court order that politely requests I stay 100 feet away from your good self and Mrs Levy. And your pet hamster.

Demonstrations, boycotts, drug-induced squirrels, surprise gift wrapped parcels consisting of dead animal parts. All of them things of the past. Stories forever chronicled in my letters to your office. I can't even remember the last time I stood outside your home and burnt a copy of The Opus. Which for the record is a very expensive bonfire, and at the time would have appreciated a heads-up that you were in Florida on vacation.

It would seem I have become a monument to myself. Just a membership number. Just a chant, a scream, a shout. A fan. Loyal. But no different to the next. Not unique in any special kinda way, no longer standing out in the crowd. No megaphone. No soapbox.

I hardly ever write to you. There is so much blood I can spare. I find there is little need to do so anyway. You hardly ever churn out any propaganda these days either. Although don't think I didn't hear you state the word considering when talking about the proposed plans to build a new stadium post-match at Eastlands. Slip of the tongue I presume.

But the last few letters I have written have been, dare I say, pro-you and prophetic also?

Back in May of 2009 I stated how we needed a change in culture of the team and players, the need to instil a winning mentality.

Look at us now.

Then at the end of August of 2009 I reiterated again in a letter to you how removing the Director of Football structure was the catalyst for progression.

Look at us now.

I forgave you unequivocally and practically ended my vendetta because of it.

And then on March 17th 2010, I continued my goodwill gesture and called for a THFC battle cry in our push for fourth spot. I officially and definitively called a truce. My heart and lungs belonging unconditionally to Tottenham Hotspur right up to the final day of the season. No agenda in sight.

So have I turned my back on all the things that defined me in the first place?

Of course not. I'm simply asleep. Dreaming a wonderful dream.

I said I'd give you a chance. I was initially weary of your back to basics appointment of Harry Redknapp but still supportive, and this decision - whether through desperation or acute insight - has turned out to be a master-stroke of good fortune and commitment. Resulting with end product. Actual 'I can taste it and it tastes good' end product.

Stability and belief. Much like Head and Shoulders, two things you've hardly ever got to grips with. And yet now we swim in a sea of renewed tangible progression, floating on top of it if we so wish to do so. Okay, so you still don't have hair on your head, but one miracle at a time please.

How could I possibly complain? Those impossible highs, those far-fetched dreams to envisage a team, a unit, fighting and playing for each other and refusing to choke, refusing to bottle it…to see this play out in front of my eyes. Our eyes. Complain? There is no need for such a negative sentiment. You listened to the people. You listened to me.

Complain, alas, I simply can't. I refuse to. So I'm only going to say this the once, and I'm hoping your secretary reads this out to you with some conviction and heart to further illustrate my positive sentiment. Here we go:

Congratulations on a job well done.

Yes. I said congratulations.

Granted, I've played my part. Retaining a gagged Jermaine Jenas in my basement dungeon for the best part of the season was imperative to sustaining our challenge for 4th spot - be it not very cheap and quite time consuming. And don't even get me started on the mess down there.

But the big decisions made within the walls of the club are ones that have sat firmly in your full control and your control alone. My mere mortal words can not quite infiltrate your brain when it most matters. Short of me attempting to hypnotise you, I can hardly influence your day-to-day agenda and work ethic at the club. And we all know what happened when I last attempted to hypnotise you. The less said about our night in Amsterdam the better. Never red? That might work over in N17, but in the 'dam, blue is always the colour best avoided.

So, for now until a time when required, no more surprise packages consisting of maggot infested bagels. No more attacking Chirpy (although I can't guarantee I wont have 'words' if he cuts me up with a trolley in Tesco's again. Once I can accept it being a mistake, twice, is more than a coincidence and three times is a blatant pattern. I'll hit the git so hard he'll require another round of plastic surgery). And finally no more burning of season tickets on the final day of the season.

I'm repeating my pledge once more. For you have delivered on yours.

Even if it was a bit like you driving around a roundabout in reverse, failing to turn the car into the correct direction and take the first exit north. You could have removed the unnecessary back-seat driver, ejecting him through the window far far sooner than you did. But you did it in the end. Dizziness can sometimes end with a moments clarity. And that's all that was required to make the right choice. Clarity. And a new driver altogether. One that requires no high-end sat-nav just some experience with a more traditional A-Z.

So here I am soft, like a Care-Bear's belly-button. I suggest you keep me like this, all cute and dainty. And if you really need to ask how, then allow me to refer you to next season. Consolidate the squad. If you want to dictate our destiny I suggest you grab the bull by it's horns and ride the f*cker into the sunset. Do not accept that this seasons end is our arrival, but rather our beginning. We still have a fair distance before we genuinely make an entrance.

Go fourth and prosper.

I suggest you avoid the caviar and Cristal and concentrate on the Champions League. In the mean time, on the recommendation of my psychologist, I'll be concentrating on Harry Redknapp. It's time to shift perspective from off the pitch to back on it. I'll still be hanging onto your effigy just in case it's required. You never know when a dream can turn into a nightmare and wake you up. I don't plan to be caught short.

In the mean time let's keep the donations to the Tottenham Foundation at an absolute minimum this summer and get past that CL qualifier.

Regards,
Spooky

Anglo-Spurs backbone

King. Dawson. Lennon. Defoe. Crouch. Huddlestone. Six of the best. All called to the provisional England squad by Fabio. Out of the six, I'd say two are certain. Two deserve to go. One of the remaining two should be awarded with the honour of being part of the final 23. Leaving just the one who will miss out, but might well be a candidate for the future.

Rewards for all regardless for a fantastic season. Tottenham Hotspur, the club with the English backbone. And bionic knee. It's a bit early doors, what with the season only just ending (well, almost - still the FA Cup to play out and Pompeys certain win over Chelsea) but I'm beginning to get the itch for the World Cup. I always do. Not that I'm ever obsessed with qualifying matches, but when we're involved in the main show it's fairly difficult to ignore it. As much dislike as I have for the likes of Terry, Gerrard, Lampard etcetc, I'm hoping the Tottenham contingent do us  proud, to prolong the wide smile on my face through the summer and into next season.

King - Utterly deserves an England swansong. Proved his knee can survive 4 consecutive games on the trot. Colossus of a player and the best we have at the back.

Dawson - No pace. But makes up for it in the way of determination and bravery. A sort of raw version of John Terry. Just without the **** qualities. Proper 110 percenter is our Daws.

Lennon - Only just back. Has to go because he's best at what he does. He's no speed merchant (unlike Theo). He can pass and cross (unlike Theo). He doesn't have a book out and doesn't have his photo plastered over the celeb pages of tabloids (unlike Theo). He's a player who has improved and developed and terrorised sides prior to his injury (unlike Theo). And now he's back, granted he's only had a couple of appearances, but rather than be nothing more than an option asked to run directly at tired legs (Theo) in the final stages of a game, he can start and be used effectively over 90 minutes. Does concern me though, this nations obsession with Walcott. Johnson, SWP, Walcott, Lennon. Decisions, decisions, hey Fabio?

Defoe and Crouch - The best of the rest that England have available to them. Which isn't a lot. Heskey? Rather Crouch. Bent? Okay, let's repeat ourselves again - he feeds off scraps and counter-attacks, loose balls in the box. Ask him to play as part of a cohesive unit, inter-linking, intelligent moving...no chance. So yeah, JD and Crouch are far superior options. Even if JD has gone off the boil, and tbh lacks the ability to play himself onside at times.

Huddlestone - Mobility. Lack of adaptability. He'll only be able to play one way and we'd have to accommodate him. In the right game though, he could ping the ball about Hoddlesque. And he has proven more than capable at times, but arguably lacks the top level experience and 'testing' to be worthy of a risk in a high-pressured game. Does deserves his place in the final 30 though. Just think he's the most obvious to be left behind.

Good luck to all of them. In Fabio we trust, right?

Brings me nicely onto the below youtube clip. New Carlsberg advert. I must be more easy than a Sunday morning, because the hairs on the back of my neck stand up watching this. And I can't be the only person who gets a little choked up with the lovely Bobby Robson touch.

The things we said...

Gomes is a liability, no better than Paul Robinson

That boy Huddlestone is too fat and slow to be effective in central mid

Time for King to hang up his boots, he's spent. We can't accommodate him when he hardly ever plays

BAE is rubbish

Lennon has no end product. Can't cross, can't score

I'll be happy with 6th spot. Or 7th. Does 7th get us into Europe?

Modric is too small and light-weight for the EPL. He can't handle it

Sell Dawson back to Forest. He's Championship quality at best

Harry doesn't have it in him to take us to the next level

What is the point of Gareth Bale?

I saw Spooky outside White Hart Lane throwing frozen shit pellets at the Spurs shop

We're gonna get relegated

No knee-jerking permitted

Same old Tottenham eh? Does 4th spot get taken away from us now? Harry out and all that jazz.

FA Cup or 4th - Revisited

Remember this?

FA Cup or 4th?

FA Cup = immediate silverware, club shop dvd, another chapter written into the history books

-

4th = CL

CL = more money, better players

More money, better players = possible title challenge

Title challenge = top 4 placement every season

Top 4 placement every season = CL every season

CL every season = even more money, even better players

Even more money, even better players = sustained title challenges

Sustained title challenges = potentially lots of silverware

Simplified, I know. Qualifying one season for the CL doesn't mean there's a guarantee you'll be in it the following. But that's a defeatist attitude. Anyways, to answer my own question:

Both.

A Cup final didn't quite work out for us, but the intensity of the Prem game at Eastland's felt like one. And tbh, as much as tangible silverware means the world to me (it goes down in history as history and the game is meant to be about glory, right?), in order to push on we need CL football. It's just the way the modern game is built. Otherwise all you're left with is the odd cup final win now and again, leaving you somewhat empty because you're missing out on the next level of play (read the quoted text above again).

We need it season in season out. Now that might not be possible if Villa, Everton and of course City (and go on then) Arsenal continue to have aspirations to crack the top 4 or stay there. And let's not forget the red-faced Anfield club. Hence the importance that as much as we all like to remind ourselves that we sat at the bottom with 2 points from 8 games and CL football was never the true target this season - failure would have been / could have been devastating. Morale would have been impacted and potential of key players looking elsewhere for their top tier Euro fix a possibility much like previous summers. We now have the players anchored and can look to sign new ones who in the past politely declined because of our league standing.

The monopoly is dead, for the moment. And the new dawn might comprise of 5-6 clubs fighting for 4th and 3rd meaning that CL entry is shared from one season to the next. That might have a detrimental effect on Chelsea and United and the top of the Prem might end up being wide wide open. Which, for the love of football, would be amazing. But with feet on the ground, it could still yet prove to be a hardship. And that's how we should approach it. Take nothing for granted.

I've heard a few people say it, 4th is the new FA Cup. I don't doubt our ability to actually get our hands on that old and beautiful trophy. I'm sure we'll have our day again at Wembley. One step at a time, and the club should simply look ahead and prepare themselves for the qualifier and then (fingers crossed) the group stages.

Where Harry needs to earn his money all over again is making sure we don't get carried away with our travels into the promised land and continue to concentrate on the Prem - because until we are actually good enough to win the CL (dream the impossible dream - I don't actually expect us to win it by the way, but it would be stupid to make it THE only objective next season) the league has to remain the priority.

But honestly, all this is just hypothetical musings, way to early and too serious to be thought about in any great detail at this point, at the end of a fine season. 2010 has been a blast. Our club likes to take us through the mire, punish us for daring to support them, taking us to the edge and back so finally achieving this means a lot. Considering how dismissive other fans and the media have been in the past, it's a significant milestone in our recent history and the EPL.

In the mean time, get sodding drunk, enjoy Sunday at Burnley when there is no pressure on the players at all and sing up, sing up, with those arms out-stretched and fingers waving to the tune of...that song we sing, the marching one. I'm sure you've heard it a few times.

We'll let Levy and Harry worry about the '5 year plan'. As long Spurs continue to play with flair and entertain the f*ck out of us, whilst pulling our hearts from our chest down to our toes, I will continue to love my life as a supporter of THFC.

To dare is to do do do.

p.s. I'm wetting myself in anticipation for MoTD and Lineker v Hansen/Lawro.

Stats, scores and away form

Some stats I've plucked out of the Glory Glory forum from the past week with a little added commentary. Light reading.

Spurs and Arsenal comparison of positions

(2009 and 2010 seasons) after 37 games (With thanks to spurredjon):

2008/9

Arse P36 W19 D11 L6  F64 A36 GD +28  PTS 68

Tottenham Hotspur P36 W13 D9 L14  F42 A41 GD +1  PTS 48  

20 points behind Arsenal.

2009/10

Arse P37 W22 D6 L9  F79 A41 GD +38  PTS 72

Tottenham Hotspur P37 W20 D7 L9  F65 A37 GD +28 PTS 70

2 points behind a supposedly 'improved' Arsenal side. And let's not mention the last time we finished above Liverpool because most of us were not even born when it happened. It's been a season of progression, and it's in the numbers.

End of season form

I love looking at this. Storming end of season, and to think the month of April was meant to destroy us.

W 0 -3  Wigan Athletic    
W 2 -1  Everton  
W 3-1  Blackburn  
W 2-1 Stoke City      
W 2-0 Portsmouth    
L 3-1 Sunderland    
W 2-1 Arsenal           
W 2-1 Chelsea        
L 3-1 Man Utd    
W 1-0 Bolton          
W 1-0 Man City    

Poor performance up at Sunderland, but how often can you say that about us this season? Not a single draw in that list. Inconsistency? Bah! I laugh in your face.

Home Performance

14 won. 2 drawn. 3 losses. 40 scored. 12 conceded. That is just superb. And when you look at the three defeats, the fabled IF Fairy waves her magic wand and shows you what could have been. We've been here before with solid home form, and it's now vital we retain this.

Away Performance

Played:18
Won:7
Drawn:5
Lost:6
Scored:25
Against:25

Won
Hull 5-1 - Sexy
West Ham 2-1 - Dug deep, showed class
Portsmouth 2-1 - Good solid three points
Blackburn 2-0 - Same again
Stoke 2-1 - Showed our class
Wigan 3-0 - Easy
Man City 1-0 - Epic

Draw
Villa 1-1 - Battered them
Everton 2-2 - Should have won it, gave it away
Brum 1-1 - Last minute equaliser from the Brums
Fulham 0-0 - Probably lucky to get a point here, no complaints
Bolton 2-2 - Our record there isn't exactly great

Lost
Liverpool 0-2 - Defoe goal disallowed. We then sort of went a bit limp, frustrating
Man Utd 1-3 - Textbook result for us at OT. One of these days...
Chelsea 0-3 - Did we get a little screwed before collapsing to defeat?
Arsenal 0-3 - Three key players out, gutless and clumsy performance, gave them the three points on a plate
Sunderland 1-3 - Didn't turn up and let Bent tweet his way to redemption, although LOL at the two pen saves from Gomes
Wolves 0-1 - Awful

Had we won 3 of the games we managed to draw...if if if, eh? See how much of a thin line sits between us and 3rd place, even 2nd - based on this season alone? If we improve in the summer, then our success in what we compete for next year (4th, 3rd?) will also be dependent on what the teams above us and the teams below us do in the transfer market. One thing is for certain, we are finally turning potential into results. And we'll continue to improve. How can we not?

There's a certain unwanted quirk we need to get rid of, the type of performance seen at Sunderland and Wolves (we gave the latter 6 points this season...think about it). Ever so slight improvement away and we'll consolidate a top 4 place again next year - as long as WHL remains the fortress it is.

Regardless of us sometimes 'not turning up', when it mattered most. We did when it mattered most. City away. And as mentioned in earlier blogs, the two London derby games against the red and blue scum.

That's what won the day.

Superfan - comp winner

The winner of this here book competition for The Amazing life of Morris Keston goes to lilywhite73 for this wonderful winning anecdote.

I used to work at the old training ground in mill hill, I was 16. One day I was told (by Chris Houghton I think) that there was a phone call for me and that I could take it in the managers office, as I walked in there was Terry Venables, Doug Livermore, Ray Clemence and the rest of the management team all chatting away. Obviously I felt out of place and extremley apologetic for not only getting a call at work, but also having to bother the management in the process. Anyway, I picked up the phone ( on Terry's desk!) and this guy on the line started to tell me how he'd see me about, and how he'd like to meet up. I was mortified! I was in a room with footballing greats and some bloke I'd never met was trying to chat me up!! Being quite a shy bloke back then, and seeing who was in the room, I was trying my best to get this guy off the phone without giving away the gist of the conversation to everyone else. Then I happened to glance over at Terry and I saw something, a cheeky glint if you will, in his eyes. Then it clicked. It was one of those voice activated phone jokes! The fuckers were winding me up!! Terry knew i'd susssed it and he pissed himself, big time, so did everyone else. By this time I was bright red, but smiling. I politely told them all they were bastards and they could now fuck right off, which only made them laugh more. that was a great day!

COYS
May 2, 2010 at 7:29 PM | lilywhite73

Get in touch.

Buzzing, just buzzing...

Not sure where to begin. There is so much to take in, I can hardly concentrate on matters concerning in-depth analysis. I know I sound like a broken record, but I always knew we'd do it. I've banged on about it for ages now. I think most of us could see it but could hardly even consider embracing the idea, because in our heads, that would be as close to jinxing it as we could possibly come. This quote from AANP sums it up:

"As a long-time Spurs-supporting chum put it to me yesterday, we’re not built for this sort of thing. Let-downs and heartbreaks we can deal with, but this business of every single blasted game coming loaded with significance is just too much to take"

And when the stakes are high, the faster the heart beats and the more intense and unbearable things are. Which is why a defeat here or there had some of the faithful, knee-jerking. It's a defensive inbuilt psychological mechanism that aids us, protects us from the disappointments. Same old Tottenham we say. And when disaster strikes, we shrug knowingly and then look forward to next season.

The semi-final and the 3-1 up at Sunderland have proved to be in some ways inspirational to the team.

9 wins out of 11 games to secure glory. That's just fantastic. Unquestionably fantastic.

What we've gone and done has made every single miserable moment worth it because this win, this historic moment, is all the better for the pain suffered in the past. Next season? I can't wait for it. Is it small time to celebrate this achievement? Of course not. Considering how bastard hard it's been in the past decade to get anywhere near the Top 4.

So, I'm now going to attempt a match review. This is gonna be messy.

I can't say I enjoyed the match. The experience made me sick. Even with my continued confidence since Christmas, it all appeared to desert me just before kick-off. I found myself shifting uncomfortably, almost not wanting to watch, preferring if possible to lose myself in a trance for 90 minutes and awake to find we've won. No such luck. I had to endure it, and for the first time this season I was actually incapable of retaining any form of composure. I found myself dismantling every nano-second of the game, micro-analysing it to the nth degree. It all played out in slow-mo.

21 wins in 28 games for City at home. But we hardly ever lose up there. The stats being churned out just made me dizzy. This was the £30M/£40M/£50M match they said. Cash Wednesday (seriously, only Sky could call it that). The play-off.

Bricking it big time.

First half, was okay. Not amazing. Something lacked, at least that's how I was seeing it. Lennon and Bale not so much in the game thanks to the constant hoofing of the ball up to Crouch. Our play seemed rushed at times. All a bit too much too soon too little. No retention of the ball. City were having a go. We were just a tad too passive. But with hindsight I guess we were measuring up the opposition. Slowly slowly getting a grip of the game. Patiently waiting for the tempo to change in our favour. Which it did in the second half.

However, the nerves obviously blinded me because a neutral would have pointed out that the game could have been 2-0 either way. 0-0 was good, for us. Just needed to test Fulop more. Crouch unlucky with his effort off the woodwork. King scored. Should have counted. Tevez a menace for City.

I found myself thinking 'this is f*cking bollocks Spurs. Get stuck in, and smash these over-rated ****'s out of their own ground'. Wanted to see a bit of that dare to do dance from the boys in Lilywhite.

Second half. Lennon on a run across the middle, doesn't pass to Bale, shoots, wasted. 55 minutes in, first shot on target that Fulop was made to save. Decent effort from JD. Hudd stamps. Lucky with the yellow. Still need to be brave. Modric showing great spirit and fight in the middle of the park. More action. Moddle getting crowded out in the box. Lennon cross, defended well. Then a cross and Defoe and Crouch stretching…almost, almost. Agonising.

Then the word ominous appeared in front of me in the form of a footballing God, all smug and arrogant, asking me how things were going, before disappearing with a cheeky wink. The git.

I was emotionally dead at this point. And although I could not see it at the time, we were bossing it. Creating chances. And City's flirtatious first half of attacks was becoming a distant memory.

Lennon off, Bentley on. Heart stopped for a brief moment when Gomes allowed the ball to go under his foot. Then we had a mazy mazy Crouchie run. My heart. My poor poor heart.

In the midst of all this, when City did have a moment, we had Ledley King. You know him right? He's the one that isn't human. Phenomenal player. The block from Tevez, just amazing. You shall not pass indeed.

Just before that, Fulop pulls off a stupendous save. Or just saves a weak Crouch header. Depends how badly you knee-jerked at the time. I held my head in my hands.

Then it happened.

Before kick-off, around 6pm or so, Chas (from Chas and Dave, obviously) was interviewed on a London news programme. He cited Crouch and said he felt he would be instrumental in the game. I sort of scoffed. This was before the sides were announced. Amazing In the Know knowledge from Chas. Even though he looked a bit dazed on the piano, he was on the money with his prediction.

Fulop, having palmed the ball instinctively away from a Kaboul cross, deflected off Bridge, finding Crouch and his beautiful beautiful head. Crouch making amends.

Absolute insanity.

Kaboul dancing past Bellamy with ease thanks to a pathetic attempt by the Welshman to stop the pulsating Frenchman. Crouch getting the goal he deserved for his second half performance and the travelling Spurs fans along with every Spurs fan the world over going mental, just mental.

82 minutes. And the dream, the dream was not just alive and kicking but stripping off and about to run around naked, big willy flapping around all over the place. This was it. You could taste it now. Er…not the big willy, Champions League. Obviously.

The ominous feeling was gone, the footballing God appearing before me, no longer looking on smugly, but instead whistling the theme music to the Champions League.

This. Can't be. Happening. What are these emotions returning to my wrecked body?

Wilson on for the excellent Modric. Four minutes of injury time.

Then the final whistle. And years of hurt vanquished in the midst of celebrations. Bottle jobs? That fallacy has been buried 6 feet under. This Spurs squad has time and time again dug deep in the face of adversity and come through it. No dodgy lasagne in sight.

It wasn't just at Eastland's. This CL position was won against Arsenal and Chelsea at WHL. But obviously won across the 37 games played. Even with the hiccups. We have been consistent. Spurs. Consistent. Amazing.

King, so deserving of this. Kaboul was a monster. Dawson, Huddlestone - all of them, every single one of them have played a part. I even thought Jenas movement for the drenching of Harry in his post-match interview was superb. All the players deserve credit. Not just for this game, but through-out the season. And to think at any given moment we had a key player out injured. That's actually scary that. Sign a couple of top top drawer players in the summer and I can see us sustaining a Top 4 challenge again. Which is key to progress, because the next step would be to challenge for bigger things. But yeah, one step at a time...

This (CL qualification) might not be an FA Cup final. This might not be silverware. And history will only remember a 4th spot (3rd still a possibility, but let's not get too greedy), but the significance of this is far more important in the here and now.

We stopped City from getting CL football and possibly consolidating their position in the Top 4 for years to come. The pressure is back on them to go for it again, whilst we can prepare for retaining this position next season. Which I have no doubt we will do. The elite, the Sky Sports Top Four has been cracked. This is massively important, mainly for the purposes of belief and mental strength. A winning mentality. The players now have a benchmark to aim to better in 2011. This isn't a fluke or an upset. We deserve this. And can only build on it.

Qualifier obviously standing in the way of the group stages, but I'm sure we'll be just fine. We're edging ever closer to them lot across the road too.

I'll cut this short now (I know, it's been anything but short), as I could go on and on, but will instead blog more later in shorter parts. Like I said at the start, so much to cover.

I have plenty to say about Harry Redknapp (spot on selection and tactics) and of course Daniel Levy, the man who scrapped the DoF system and went back to basics. From bottom 4 to top 4. And yes, that includes a letter to the chairman. But will leave those thoughts for later on in the week. I'm also looking forward to seeing how the press and pundits react to our achievement. Yes, I'm referring to Hansen and Lawro and the mongs on Gillette Soccer Saturday.

Remember last season. 2 points, 8 games. Gillette Soccer Saturday playing a comedy video of a clown, ripping the piss out of Spurs with various stand-up jokes whilst the panel laughed away. Remember this season, after winning 4 straight games then coming unstuck against Chelsea and Arsenal and United. Back in our box, they said.

You might feel dirty for it, but gloat. Gloat to your hearts content.

What a f*cking season. We've actually gone and done that thing that everyone wanted and everyone else expected us not to do. We did it. And the club shop dvd of 2010 will no doubt be a best-seller.

I choked up at the end. Cried for the first time since Italia 90.

We dared. Congratulations.

I f*cking love football and I love this club. Bask in it. It's richly deserved. New chapter, new adventure.

I've gone all giddy.