The Adventures of Pavvi Pukh

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Top 4. Game on.

With each passing week there appears to be less people scoffing at the idea that Spurs are serious challengers to finishing in a Top 4 slot. Great pretenders no more. I'm not about to streak naked down Tottenham High Road singing the Champions League anthem, but my socks and shoes are off. In preparation. All this off the back of a 1-1 draw away to Villa? Of course not. It's the sum of all parts thus far. We are a proper team. Or at least one good enough to take advantage of what is turning out to be a season of ups and downs for all concerned, including the sides that are meant to be super-glued to the CL positions each passing year. We've been outclassed this season by Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. Although none of the defeats, IMO, are as bad in hindsight as they appeared to be at the time. They were blips, hiccups that have simply needed a swift glass of water to be rid of. The sides we have to beat remain the ones from mid-table down and the rest who are our 'rivals' for the promised land. And so far, we're not doing too shabby a job. I'll have my shirt off and catching a bus to N17 if we do well against Everton, Wolves and City because then the reality of the situation will befall all - including non-believers.

The great fallacy is that breaking into the Top 4 is nigh impossible because the gulf of class between the likes of us and the Sky Sports 4 is massive. It is in the strictness sense with regards to mounting a title-challenge, but with each passing season - as we improve - the teams above us sort of kinda stagnate. We are beating the sides they are beating, just not beating them. But that's fine. We're not about to worry Utd or Chelsea, but the vastly over-rated Arsenal and Liverpool? They won't admit it, but we're catching up. Liverpool are disjointed, lacking depth and missing key ingredients. Arsenal are not half as good as their fans think they are. Yes, yes, pretty football and toddlers running around scoring fancy goals in the Carling Cup against weakened Prem opposition or lower league sides might allow for the usual superlatives from the red tops but the fact is they have no spine, are sometimes comical in defence and are hanging on desperately to the past. But hey, don't worry gooners, you've still got Theo Walcott.

Of course, they will still finish Top 4, at least one of them will. So it's up to us and one or two others (City have to break out of their draw-abyss and Villa have to discover more guile and adventure) to make it as difficult as possible for them. The more we improve, the more pressure pushing down on them.

And we continue to dig deep. So fuck it, why shouldn't I shout? It's better than whimpering. There's plenty of work to be had, and it seems we are more than up for it. Harry continues to impress. And even with several key players missing (King, Woodgate, Modric) we just get on with it. We have cover, we have commitment. Dawson (Forest bound, ha!) comes in and gives us one of those 'come here you big lump I want to kiss you' type of all-smiling performances. I love this guy. He took his goal superbly well. Niko is turning it on at the moment. He is positively on fire. Oozing class and has swagger we love to see in a Tottenham player. When Moddle is back, we'll be stronger for it. Obviously.

So, to the Villa game. Pretender v Pretender. First half, we hardly got stuck in so no surprise they took the lead. We sat back, looked nervous. Made it easy for them. Second half was rather better. Such was the tempo of our play that Villa could only survive by sitting back and defending. We were relentlessly good. Totally dominated them. Anyone would think the game was at the Lane with MON's men doing their utmost to survive rather than take the game by the scruff of the neck (although had they, and the game opened up, we'd have scored more). Disappointingly we didn't, and I'm a little gutted we didn't take all three points.

Even with Lennon, double-marked, we still pushed forward and other than a looping Heskey header there was nothing from the home side that troubled us. Dunne also doing a superb job of keeping Defoe on the quiet side. Credit to Villa and their defending, even if their fans are probably despondent that they could not muster up more in the way of offensive opportunities. Freidel was also superb for them. One or two of their fans, pre-match, were dismissive of our chances, suggesting we come unstuck against 'touch opponents'. I guess we'll let them know when we come face to face with the next one.

Villa 170. Spurs 394. Completed passes. Says about us much as any stat.

Obviously, Harry has to work out why it didn't go according to plan in the first half. We lacked composure with passing and appeared off-key. Whatever he said at half-time worked, but credit doubly to the players for reacting to it the right way and performing the way they did in the second 45. Concentration, bite and intent all back in abundance. And this is the little clue to my Monday morning jig. Our reaction was one that showed we look far more prepared for the long haul than Villa. Early days. Once we start games in the same fashion as we started the second half at Villa Park, we'll have grown big enough balls to really believe the next level has been reached. The next level is the one where we take all three points in games of similar ilk.

So, for now, my boxer shorts will remain on.

Onwards and upwards.

Quote of the Day

"I've been telling JJ recently to surge forward with the ball," Sherwood says. "He can run. He's a threat. If he stands there and just passes the ball I could still play against him now, so I got out the DVD and showed him what happens when he bursts forward.

"Tom is another one. Pre-season was a real eye-opener because we saw that he can actually move, that he's fit and he can get about the pitch. People say he can't play in a 4-4-2 but he can. In fact, he's perfect for that because he gets more room to show his range of passing."

From Tim Sherwood, via this Telegraph article.

Give him a shirt number and stick him in the team.

If anyone has evidence regarding Tim's second quote about Huddlestone moving, please e-mail me the details. Ta. And I'm not talking about Hudd moving through the driveway at McDonalds. Got those pics already.

Aston Villa away. 1-0 will do me just fine.

I've been off-line for a couple of days, returning to find the usual assortment of tabloid delights and a Made in Tottenham gem that will have your head shaking despondently.

Villa. Away. It's a biggie. Not just because we smashed Wigan 9-1 last week but also because a win would put us cushion-clear of MON's men and considering their impressive home record, would no doubt go a long way towards cementing our ambitions to remain Top 4 into the new year. Which isn't proving too tricky a task at the moment, even with the odd blip we manage to make room for. All eyes on Harry. With one single request from myself (and possibly all other Lilywhites):

Keep the same line-up.

That's right. Robbie, keep the bench warm son, you did a great job there last time out. No point messing with confidence and consistency. Right? We'll see. It wouldn't shock me if Harry did change it, because it's Villa and because it's away. Redknappology works in mysterious ways. But I'm going to wager he keeps it as it was (even if he's suggesting otherwise). Fuck it. I have no idea what he does, but no doubt if he changes it and we win, he's a genius, if he doesn't then cue tactical heartache and waving fists via message boards and blogs.

Rumours suggest (thanks to Archie over at SO) that BAE will play his last game for a while as he shoots off to France for treatment on a nagging stomach/groin issue. Which means we may be on the verge of the return of Gareth Bale to first team action, on a more semi-permanent basis (rather than the odd cameo). I rate Bale and unfortunately for the lad a mixture of the usual mis-management and shit form of his team mates + injuries was the catalyst for some pretty devastating confidence evaporation that was so bad at one point, he was linked with a move to Birmingham every other week (it's still happening). With us doing okay at the moment, I think a fully fit Bale can do a job for us if asked to slot into the left back position (if BAE is - as cited - going to be sidelined for a few games). If he's going to be a long term solution to the LB position then we need him to play Prem games consistently to find out if he does have true potential, rather than not. So this might work out to be a necessary experiment. We paid a lot of money for Gareth, there's something there. Let's not Blondel him into oblivion. Of course, same say he's better used as a LW. But we'll leave that for another time.

As for the game, pressure is on. Players talking about competing for the Top 4 once again on the back of that game against Wigan (you know the one), so best to avoid egg on face and swagger it all across the pitch once more with intent and end product. Although I don't actually care too much about performance. Yes, would love to see us play the sexy football and trounce Villa, but I'll happily see us battle, spill guts and blood and win with a deflected goal off a Villa defenders backside. 1-0. Three points. That will do me. Anything more and the club might start releasing a DVD every weekend.

Rumours also (keep those fingers and toes crossed for this one) that a certain little Croatian is fully fit and ready for a return although from the bench rather than a starting position. That's from the ITK's. Harry is a little more misty with return dates suggesting that he'll back soon rather than 8 weeks from now (as reported recently). It will be like having a brand spanking new £14M signing coming into the side, one that already knows how to dictate tempo and one that will galvanise all around him.

This is massive for us. Hold on for a sec...removing my heart from my chest and placing it on my sleeve. We could change gear and move up a level - which on current Prem form would suggest monopoly-destroying jigs for the WHL faithful (I'll regret this over the weekend, no doubt when we all start talking post-match about how the Europa League isn't too bad a second option). Move northwards, Tottenham, to avoid the temple of doom.

Elsewhere, we've signed (according to The Sun) another defender from Glasgow Rangers. Yeah, of course we have. Richards also re-linked. Has he been any good since he was...good?

And the club have done it again, this time with a 'I was there' framed collectable. Baby Jesus is not just weeping, he's having one. Toys and myrrh out of pram, the lot.  I understand that people involved in the clubs merchandising department are thinking first with their money-heads and second as Spurs fans because it's their job to come up with as many ways to take the fans money as possible. And I also think that if people are going to easily part with their money for such products they deserve to have their wallet lightened as often as possible because no doubt their world would fall apart if they didn't spend all their cash at the Spurs Shop. And if they're in there, they're nowhere near me. But for the love of God, there is no class or dare I say understatement about selling silliness on the back of what was a heavy win in our favour against...Wigan.

Yes, if you're aged 3-9 years then it's fine because kids don't know any better and it's a nice thing for them to associate the begining of their love affair with Spurs (which will no doubt see their youth ravaged in no time at all). Yes, freak result, and possibly the only recent occasion where a DVD of the game is 'okay' to make but this item is just a little bit sickly for my tastes.

If Paul Barber is reading this, I'm just stating opinion. It's not derogatory to the club (just in case I get a an email telling me it's in my terms and conditions to behave myself and promote nothing but goodness). Oh and Paul - good luck chief with your move across to the MLS. Big move. Big money. Don't go introducing unwanted colour streaks in their kits though, not for a couple of years at least. You know, get some good in before the bad.

FA Cup draw on Sunday. Expect us to get a Sky Sports Elite Top 4 side away.

COYS

More later...

9-1. Frolicsome. Lap it up.

Unbelievable, I'm still trembling with glee on the back of this epic buzz. What a result. What a result. Jedward, finally voted off the X-Factor. Superb. Oh, and Spurs won 9-1.

In my match preview, I made one or two simple requests:

We need the team to give us a confident performance. That’s one that sees us play well, dominate possession and swagger it with tasty end product. One that keeps us 4th in the table.

No banana skin frolics or daft defending.

Prediction? I'm going for a home win.

Honestly chaps, 3-0 would have done me just fine. No complaints about the dismantling of lickle Wigan. We were lethal, clinical and swaggered around like pimps in fur coats gripping diamond studded canes. It's all about the game, and we were game on. There have been plenty of teams who have defended shockingly in the past but the opposition still has to punish them for it. These type of results don't happen often. It's a rare combination that includes not just the welcomed ingredient of the opposition crumbling under the pressure but for the side dishing out the spanking to be completely on fire, all cylinders positively bursting. We deserved what we got and the same can be said of Wigan. They simply couldn't handle the hot Spurs.

Lennon was irresistible, tearing it up, dribbling, hugging the touchline, cutting in, teasing, pin-point crossing, assist after assist after assist. Unplayable. Niko schemed, play-making to his hearts content which included one moment of brilliance that saw him flick the ball over a defenders head and then play a perfect 30 yard pass (obviously with the outside of his foot) into the path of Defoe who had his shot saved. One of the rare occasions that JD wasn't wheeling away to celebrate. Five goals, only the 3rd time a Prem player has achieved such a feat, which included a 7 minute hat-trick. Ridiculous. Even David Bentley managed a worthy cameo, hitting a splendid free-kick (that came back off Chris Kirkland and in) and setting up Niko for the 9th. And to think it was 1-0 at half time.

3-D special edition dvd blatantly in post-production.

Keane sat out the game on the bench (conspiracy clause theory RIP) with JD and Crouch leading the front-line. Hudd with Wilson in the middle, Azza back on the right and Niko starting on the left. The depressives amongst us would pose the question…where's the strength in the middle? Having Palacios as the only defensive player considering the way Sunderland outplayed us last time out might have left a few scratching heads over our potential fragility. But no repeat concerns here. We started well and other than perhaps the latter stages of the first half looked to be in control. Lennon tormenting Edman and crossing for Crouch for 1-0 as early as the 9th minute. Solid stuff. Dare I say balanced? Ok, so the opposition wasn't world-class, but neither was Stoke at the Lane and looked what happened there.

This was simply the perfect performance for the occasion. Devestating.

Relentless pace on one side and sexual football on the other. Aaron and Niko bossed it. A goal-assisting factory, oozing out chance after chance after chance - effortlessly. The passing, crossing, movement was stand-up-on-your-feet majestic at times. Best individual performance of the season thus far from our little rude-boy on the wing. As for Kranjčar? Offensively and defensively sublime. You want swagger bottled up and branded? Look no further than this cracking Croat who had the Ginolas about him as he owned the White Hart Lane turf. Although ownership is a trinity, completed by the irresistible Defoe who bagged himself five (1-2-3-4-5). Faultless display, ruthlessly punishing the luckless Wigan back-line who seemed to collapse on point every time JD moved. He was bang on it, not just with his finishing but his all-round play. That loan spell at Pompey was a masterstroke.

And in the middle a welcomed return to form for our General, breaking up any faint hope of opposition momentum to his hearts content. A defensive paragon of bricks. And let's not forget Tommy Huddlestone. Oh yes. No QE2 jokes. The big man was in his element. Top drawer passing, unlucky not to score. This is the type of game where you forget about any weakness and wish that all opposing teams wore bright orange. If you're wondering, Jenas was on the bench (and not eaten by Tom as part of his pre-match meal) but came on very late in the game, too late to make an impact. Maybe more faith is required on my part in future relating to the conundrum that is the Hudd, as Harry has no qualms in selecting him.

You can hardly fault anyone on the day. Crouch was busy. The defence strong and organised. You know it's a cracking day at the office when forgotten man Bentley shines with a goal (ok, ok, OG) and an assist.

As for the Wigan goal? Hand-ball. Replay? Go on then, why not. Defoe might even manage a double-hat-trick.

8 goals scored in the second half. 5 goals from one man,  3 of them in a 7 minute spell. Lovely. Tottenham Hotspur. She's like a stunning looking girlfriend who too often complains about headaches as you lay in bed despondent, and then makes up for it by fucking your brains out and leaving you jelly-legged on cloud nine.

Also, special mention to Darren Bent.

Good weekend innit?

Do not fade away, my darling Hotspur

International abyss over and out. Finally back to the bread and butter business of the Premiership. And one simple ask for the boys in Lilywhite:

Do not fade away.

We've done fine getting ourselves in the upper regions of the table, even with the almost eternal loss of Modric and one or two other hiccups, we've picked up points more so than failing to. But if our form continues to stagnate, then I can see us dropping 2/3 positions and then yo-yo'ing between 7th and 5th. Which wouldn't be too bad but considering the form of others, it would be a disappointment not to give it a more determined go and continue to hang onto 4th spot before the likes of those other pretenders, City, punch their way out of the paper bag they're in and Liverpool awaken from their coma.

Wilson, bless his wonderfully big heart, is not the player he was last season. Obviously deeply saddened by the death of his younger brother his form has been lopsided. Which is understandable. He'll rediscover his discipline soon enough and channel the anger and regret through his footballing boots. He has to. He knows it. We just need to continue to support him. I'm making an assumption that his dip is down to the loss of his brother. It's probably a mixture of different things including no Luka (it's always about the Moddle) and plenty of trips across to Honduras for internationals. Regardless, what I'm not going to accept is some of the idiot Spurs fans who are know claiming that Wilson is suddenly no better than Zokora. Honestly chaps, please do one and stop embarrassing yourselves.

Another potential problem that has caused Palacios to be a little off his game is the conundrum of who should be standing tall by his side in midfield. Things started well this season with Huddlestone paired up with him in the middle and when Jenas came into the fold one or two expected the dynamite partnership we were treated to towards the back end of last season.

Once again, we've been let down. Jenas sometimes reminds me an eskimo. Cool, ice cold and in control -  a blank white canvas surrounding him with ball at feet, prepared to paint a rainbow of colours. Not sure how that's an eskimo exactly. Perhaps and eskimo with a paint brush? But suddenly, the igloo behind him melts along with all the surrounding snow and the sudden hot temperature has our man sweating, unable to withstand the heat he strips off his clothes and runs around in a daze of confusion incapable of avoiding the glare of the hot unforgiving sun whilst neighbouring penguins look on with despondency, nodding their heads and groaning as naked Jenas eskimo falls into a crack in the ice whispering for help as he drowns. When the conditions suit him, he's a triffic player. He has no fear. Think Derby at home. Or even Arsenal. Such is the impossibility of knowing when he'll show up. But when the conditions do not suit him, he's beyond average (in the wrong direction). He's the most consistent of inconsistencies is our JJ.

Huddlestone, some of us thought, would take the opportunity of JJ's early season injury and cement his position alongside the General. But as expected (by the rest of us) the well known deficiencies in his armour have been once more shown up. So we are left with the January transfer window and the possibility of a new recruit to bolster the weak link in the side. The same weak link we had at the start of the season but failed to plug thanks to a drawn-out chase of various DM's - all of which came to nothing.

I'd expect Hudd to partner Wilson on Sunday v Wigan and the comfort of a home match might allow us to attempt to dictate play and tempo. If Palacios is in good nick and bites ankles, then Huddlestone might give us a quarter-back special, which will have us drooling again for another week before he's shown up as being slower than the QE2 attempting to do a u-turn in the Sahara desert.

Would dearly love to see Niko out on the left (still no Modric) and the return of Lennon on the right. No doubt Defoe will start up front and absolutely no doubt Keane will partner him.

That's Robbie 'played very well against the French' Keane. Robbie '5 goals in 6 league games' Keane. That's Robbie 'he's got a clause in his contract and that's the reason he's playing and it's not because of his form, no sir, it's not' Keane.

Ledley at the back? If we can rest him further, then I'd happily take that. He's another who's been out of sorts recently but rather than hang my head downwards in depression and start balling my eyes out about how this is all evidence of the demise of the King, I'd rather not. It's a lull. His knee hasn't gone to the dogs just yet. Perhaps this is a game for Awesome Dawson to smile his way through and allow Ledders extra time on the sidelines resting. It's not a perfect system, I know. Our best defender, with one knee. In the long term this isn't helping anyone chopping and changing.

As for the game itself.

We need the team to give us a confident performance. That’s one that sees us play well, dominate possession and swagger it with tasty end product. One that keeps us 4th in the table.

No banana skin frolics or daft defending.

Prediction? I'm going for a home win. I know, I know. Shocker.

Henry 3:16 says I just handballed

I'm still KO'ed from a horrid bout of man-flu. So no 10,000 word editorals from me today. Instead, a copy and paste job citing me old mucker Enter the Pitbull from the Glory Glory forum.

Henry is a poisonous, villainous cockbag without a shred of human decency or kindness, and only the brilliance of his footballing abilities coupled with the media's desire to suck off any top 4 product has covered up his true deceitful nature.

Someone give me a hell yeah...

Henry, in his interview, seems to suggest the ball hit his arm/hand and he simply played on. The ball touching your hand is a little different from the ball being caressed on purpose to keep it in play. Watch his interview and the way he laughs it all off. Wonderful example of displacement of responsibility going on. Class act is Henry.

Levy takes a pay-cut

Anyone read the Annual financial report Spurs released the other week (it's on the official site)? Go on, one of you must have printed it out and sat yourselves on the bog, reading glasses perched on nose and read through countless pages of number-crunching. No? You prefer the more rounded figures of Front magazine like me? Good on you. Thankfully there are people out there who don't bother with glossy soft-porn publications and prefer to study and then dig out the type of information that makes us lazy ones ooh when we hear it.

Our turnover made all the headlines along with confirmation of our spending, but we missed the bit about pay-cuts (at least I did) taken by Levy and the directors. A 32.5% cut. Millionaires with less millions and no big shout out about it. No shareholder dividend pay-out either this year. It's all on page 34 of the report (if your copy of Front is in too much of an abused state to turn the pages).

From £1M per year down to £650,000 in the space of three years.

The club make profit and our man at the helm takes a cut. How refreshing. Taking one for the team. Not that taking home 650K isn't too shabby wage. It would seem there's no room for ego's here. Greater good and all that jazz, ENIC are firmly putting their money where their mouth is - although the less bites taken into rotten apples (Bentley, Bent, Pav) the more of that turn-over we're left with. Hard times, bit future plans - the priority is the club and therefore the fans.

If Levy needs to make up some extra cash for Christmas shopping, I suggest he loads up a white van with the left over copies of The Opus (that's the ones left over from the batch used during the half-time raffle ticket give-aways from last season) and hits the high road on match-days. Get Harry in the back and he'll have the lot cleared out by 3pm kick-off.

"Opus, mint condition, £500. And this one, signed by Robbie Keane, you can have that one for £250"

Roman Pavlyuchenko ate my squirrel

I'm coming down with a cold. Head hurts, nose is running, lack of sleep. And I'm sadly finding no warmth from any of the news items that have presented themselves to me this morning making Tuesday as bland and boring as Monday was. Even The Sun, celebrating 40 years today, can't muster up anything of interest, informing us that we are after Man Utd's Ben Foster for a cool £6m. Another back-page testament to the age old 1 (Carlo injured in bike accident) +1 (Foster wanting first team football) = 2 (sign for Spurs) system that has proven to be so very successful for them over the years. Sort of make shit up and it sells newspapers.

I might appear to aim a dig or two at the esteemed red-top, but it still serves its purpose. It's no different I guess from any number of message boards that contain posts from people who claim to be in the know about who is about to sign on the dotted line or opinionated and brash fans telling all how they see it. The Sun print stories that are about as reliable as a David Bentley flick. Might look good, but it's completely useless in the grand scheme of things. Like most of the alleged club insider stories that we are treated to on-line. We read exclusives that contain no direct quotes or actual conclusive evidence. But it's ok because it mentions a 'close friend' or 'club source' as confirmation that the info at hand must be credible because they can't reveal names as it's come from someone who has to retain their anonymity. And how can you possibly argue against massive bold capital words?

For the more astute (that's practically everybody with an ounce of common sense) you'll also have noticed that rather superb trick of printing every transfer scenario imaginable, regardless of just how made-up it is because there's a calculated chance of one of them sticking and if it does then it allows them to re-print the winning story, with the date highlighted, and the smug claim they were in first with the news.

It's such a complex science. Newspapers gloating about how they printed the story before anyone else, even though most papers tend to just read message boards and rehash the nonsense they read on-line. Did I mention that already? Of course I did. I'm recycling. Another gem of the modern day sports press. Quiet time? Go ahead, just re-print a story from two weeks ago, dress it up a little bit by using even older quotes not used last time round and make it look like its brand new gossip. It's a never-ending tapestry of half-truths. If someone notices, who cares, they'll be hundreds of message board forums jam-packed with discussion threads about the story at hand, even if there is little substance to it.

So what possible purpose does it all serve? As a generalisation, the window to football supplied by the likes of The Sun basically mirrors the common man's pub drink chatter on the beautiful game. We all exaggerate and make assumptions and discuss the latest rumours and stories. Tabloids are almost akin to a memo reminding us where our topic of conversation(s) should head towards. Newspapers like The Sun fuel said conversations and incite debate. Even if it all stems from the most basic of platforms. They've even got our Harry on board. And that's the appeal. Quick, easy access - nothing to strain the brain. Big photos and small words. It's made for easy consumption. Harry and his self-publicity sound-bite editorials are a joy to behold. It's far from ground-breaking journalism but its likely to make you turn to the next person and talk about it. Not quite as controversial as it would have you believe, just safe…with a hint of knock-down ginger rather than a brick through the window.

Yeah sure, there's always a hint of Top 4 elitism and favouritisms creeping in with plenty of dour Matthew Norman types depressing their way through match reports. Transparent, but not overwhelmingly patronising as Norman himself over at that freebie paper, The Evening Standard.

If it wasn't for their simplicity of dressing down football then we wouldn’t be blessed with the likes of Sky Sports News, which is a little bit like a 2D version of the Sports pages of The Sun just without the Page 3 girls. Talking of tits, their presenters reach such heights of giddiness over complete non-events that it becomes watchable by virtue of the pantomime at hand.

"We're outside the Spurs training ground, and that might be David James in the land rover that just drove past. Can't be sure, but if it is, he'll be here for a last minute medical and will sign for Spurs. Nope, actually, he's in Portsmouth, but we're just hearing that Anton Ferdinand is about to sign for Spurs…"

Love it.

Whether it's a reporter outside a football ground with delusional/happy fans jumping up and down or the flash of the yellow ticker telling us that they understand xxx is about to sign for xxx, it's essential viewing because you don't want to miss how many times the same bit of news can be repeated with such a consistently high level of enthusiasm.

My personal favourite was the evening that Sky exclusively told everyone that Barcelona captain Puyol was practically Spurs bound, only for the yellow ticker to suddenly disappear and for the accompanying web page story to go missing. Not another mention of it. Ever. It was almost like someone had gone with the story based on the word of someone else who just blurted out a randomly selected well known player, even if there was no suggestion he would ever consider leaving the Camp Nou let alone join us. As if. Yet there it was, scrolling across the screen.

The Sun, Sky…everyone proclaims to hate them yet people keep on reading and watching. I'm one of those people. It's a bit like the X-Factor. It's a winning formula that never needs to change it's format in a huge way and even when it's controversial or just plain silly its popularity isn't effected. Even if it's critically condemned it's usually by the very same people who claim to dislike it yet can't stop talking about it. Christ I hate the twins. Hate them with a passion, but can't ever see myself looking the other way and ignoring them. But that's the magic of Murdoch's The Sun and Sky Sports News. As for Cowell and Jedward, nice lads, who can't sing. Much like Juddlestone at Spurs. Nice lads, who can't play football.

So here's to a further 40 years of botched up predictions, agendas and propaganda, columnists and their egos, regurgitated agent transfer talk and all the exclusives we can handle.

Keep on whoring...

Weekend round-up

Morning.

It's a Monday tradition to run through the 'news' items of the past few days but as we were blessed with International break weekend there's little point in dissecting any of the alleged transfer stories covered by the tabloids. As per usual, there is nothing worthwhile to report on. Once again, we were subjected to another Huntelaar rejection. Diego Capel is a target (yes, we've been here before). And Sandro also got a mention with him apparently interested in a move to N17. It's like I'm quantum leaping into the same moment in time over and over again with no means of escape. Oh boy.

Elsewhere, the doom and gloom relating to Carlo Cudicni's accident and subsequent injuries have proven (it would seem) to be exaggerated. What a shocker. If it wasn't bad enough he broke his wrists and shattered his pelvis, the papers went to town over contract clauses and retirement. Moddle's comeback has hit a 'snag' according to the NOTW. I've not read the NOTW for almost a year so not sure what this snag is. And tbh, considering he's been out for an age, another 2 weeks or so is no major bugbear. We don't want the lickle man rushed back.

Exciting stuff. Talking of which...

Did you manage to catch the England v Brazil game? I spent it multi-tasking rather than glued to my seat. Proved to be the waste of time many predicted it would be. I know that come WC I'll be as patriotic as the next man, but I'm slowly becoming a little disillusioned with the whole set-up. Not too bad on Saturday in that the usual detestable suspects (Terry, Lampard, Rio etc) were all missing but their replacements were not exactly eye-catching. Just damp and wet much like our miserable weekend of rain.

There were some relevant footnotes for Spurs fans, if you managed to stay awake long enough to notice. Rejoice.

John Bostock scored a debut brace for League One's Brentford against Millwall. Wasn't that long ago John was turning out for Crystal Palace in the Championship. The cynical amongst you might cite he has gone backwards since leaving. Arguably, any player moving up a tier and training with internationals and within facilities that eclipse anything he's ever had available to him, would unquestionable NOT be a step backwards. John was out injured during the summer and going out on loan (be it a division lower than where he came from) does not mean his development is being stagnated. He needs competitive football. And he'll get it at Brentford thanks to our non-entry into this years reserve league.

However, the club has a duty to the lad and the fans to introduce him to first team football in the next year or so. Otherwise the questions will be asked again about our youth signings and the way they are (mis)managed. John is still a kid, but either he's more than decent and if he is then it would be nice to see him given a go. However, I tend to question the validity of sending out so many of our youngsters on loan, basically because it sometimes feels more like shop-window than evolution. Or admittance that they are not half as good as we wish them to be (I think in John's case, he's very good - but still relatively young and there's no need to rush his progress into the starting eleven).

Talking of which…Danny Rose scored the only goal for the England U21's at Wembley against Portugal. This is a lad 'promoted' from the U19's into the U21 squad and one we should be keeping an eye on in the next couple of seasons. Recently recalled from loan so perhaps we may see him figure earlier than expected. Or perhaps not. Personally, I cant comment because I've not seen enough of him. Some say he's a prospect. Pace and skill, bags of potential. Other suggest he is erratic and shows no signs of making it to a decent Prem standard. Terribly over-rated apparently, which is a tag used more often than not when we see yet another young hopeful disappear from our radars forever.

The last 'next big thing' we had (other than Tommy's gut) was Terry Dixon. Remember the hype? Remember the injuries? He's now at West Ham having practically retired when he was released by Spurs.

Finally, Wilson Palacios. Apparently considered quitting after the murder of his brother earlier this year. Although he has his brother in mind at all times and says he uses his memory as an inspiration, it's quite obviously no coincidence that his form has dipped a few levels this season. Wilson is a rare breed, a complete gentleman. Honest, modest and respectful. Hopefully he'll re-discover his form soon.

International break strikes again!

Examples of how international week is detrimental to transfer stories:

Exhibit (A)

Arsene Wenger is considering a bid for improved ex-Tottenham keeper, Paul Robinson. The Arsenal boss is apparently seeking cover for the goal-keeping position due to the inconsistency of the current players available to him.

Exhibit (B)

Liverpool are looking at want-away Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko by signing him from Spurs. On loan.


Those pesky monkeys and their typewriters strike again! Robinson to the Emirates? I'll shave my head bald and tattoo Comolli's cheeky grin on the back of it if this deal ever happened. As for Roman to Liverpool, that's nailed on. You know, because of that other deal. Keane. He left us for Liverpool too. So they know they always get their moneys worth when they buy from us. Expect average Torres to come the other way as long as Rafa makes another donation to the Tottenham Foundation.

In other news Craig Gordon is apparently not happy about Jermain Defoe's challenge (for the ball) which left the Sunderland keeper with a fractured arm. Poor apparently. I remember thinking at the time that he JD was a little bit too optimistic about getting to the ball, but I'm not about to complain when one of our players shows ball-lust (stop it). Although I'm sure we'd be bitching if it was the other way around (I've had people tell me Bowyer's challenge on Modric was ok in their book).

As for JD (speeding aside) his grandma has had words considering on the pitch performances and his sending off re: Pompey so apparently he won't be embarrassing himself again. Perhaps we can get her to have a quiet word with Robbie Keane and remind him how to play from his heart rather than from a distant memory.

In conclusion? There's nothing more to say. I see the irony about reporting about reports that don't deserve to be reported on in the first place. I see it and yet it mocks me into reporting about it.

It's not even one of the good international breaks, the ones where the game at hand matters (from and English perspective that is - I'm more looking forward to Eire v France personally, more than our game v Brazil). Top 4 players dropping out of the squad every hour, at this rate Juddlestone will have their opportunity to decimate the boys from Brazil with deep-lying play-making and wonderful energetic bursts of pace.

What?

Was it something I said?

Carlo

This made me scratch my head.

"Cudicini's contract, like those of all professional footballers, precludes them from bring involved in any action that could affect their ability to train or play."

Do contracts also include clauses relating to speeding in ridiculously fast sports cars, sometimes when drunk driving into trees/walls or otherwise just falling out of clubs pissed and making a tit of yourself whilst almost getting into a punch-up? I'm going to hazard a guess and say Carlo has been driving a bike for the best part of his life. Accidents happen, however, footballers should be a little more responsible considering that keeping their bones in tact allows them to earn so well. But since when did responsibility and footballers go hand-in-hand?

There was also a mention in some of the reports that Harry and the rest of the squad had no idea he even owned a bike, which means he either just purchased it or he's been secretly parking up half a mile away and then briskly walking into the Lodge letting everyone know he got a lift into work. On the flip side of that, apparently he's been driving his bike to training for months - ever since he's joined Spurs because it's quicker for him to get from Surrey (where he lives) to Chigwell. So the club are aware of his travelling arrangements.

Regardless, as someone else eloquently put it, 'He's taking as much risk as any other biker. No one gets on their bike thinking 'I'll probably crash today, but at least I'm not a footballer'."

Fact remains, if you don't get onto a bike in the first place, then you'll unlikely to be involved in an accident that leaves you with two broken wrists and a broken pelvis. If Spurs knew (or if they didn't) either way, there's pretty much no insurance claim to be had here.
 
Good luck Carlo, get on the mend and get well soon.

Harry - don't knee-jerk and sign David James.