Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 10:56PM ''Luka needs to be played in a free role and he can be a magical player'' - Redknapp
Thank God for that. We might see something of true quality now, comparable to his international performances.
And yes. This is my first pro-Redknapp blog post.
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 9:47PM Jol sacked late on the 25th October.
Ramos sacked late on the 25th October.
Spooky, no?
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 7:00PM We've tried just about everything. The anti-Christ (Graham), ex-legend (Hoddle), international manager (Santini), low-key in-house appointment (Jol) and the continental (Ramos). And they have all failed because the one constant survived every single appointment: The Director of Football. A suggestion made once upon a time by David Pleat, and then implemented by Daniel Levy.
Pleat, Arnesen, Comolli. And now finally......nothing. No more is the DoF. Levy has embraced the truth and the demands of the fans and has rid the club of this clandestine position which has no doubt directly or indirectly affected every manager who has attempted to work under it. Apart from one purple patch where Frank and Martin got on famously.
So Damien Comolli and his offbeat signings are no more. Levy did say DC would be accountable for Ramos. And that's the gist of the trouble White Hart Lane is in. I wont go into any detail about Levy's letter to the fan at this precise moment as that needs to be a blog post of it's own. But what I will need to touch upon here is the fact that Levy is apparently hiring people for the football side of the business and entrusting them. Which basically means, Levy allowed both Comolli and Kemsley to influence him and sanction the tapping up of Juande Ramos. Accountability is passed onto the DoF, protecting his chairman status at all times. As we've seen, Ramos has flopped - so Comolli gets the sack. And Teflon Levy survives another day.
"I'm buying a yacht with my severance pay.....how about you?"
Comolli and the eternal trouble-maker Kemsley believed that Jol had ran out of steam and couldn't take us any further. So basically, Levy is a bit of a jellyfish here. Deciding that if he's forking out 200K (or whatever) per year for DC, then DC gets to decide what's going on. Which means the DoF has an agenda that supersedes the one the chairman might think he has. What the DoF wants the DoF gets.
And that right there is the problem that drags Spurs back so often. Our over-ambitious streak. The fans, you can forgive for getting excited and aspiring to want Champions League and other Glory moments. And regardless of the laughter and abuse that's usually aimed at us from West Ham fans, who are disinterested in their own little club, Spurs have had players in the past few seasons that if (I hate that word)....if they had remained then we could have been contenders. But such is life in the two-tier Premiership that if you're bloody decent (Carrick, Keane, Berbatov) then why stay at Spurs when you can sign for a Top 4 club? It's pretty much impossible to build to challenge the Top 4. So self-preservation is the all important priority, or at least should be. In our case, it should have been about preserving 5th spot.
What Comolli and Kemsley did was assume that we were very close to cracking that Top 4. And Levy (I don't care how daft he wants to play this) also believed this to be the case.
Of course, we weren't. Probably still the best club for 5th, but miles off 4th. But the DoF meant that in-between the Chairman and the manager this entity created unnecessary confusion when it came to transfer targets and (as Levy has informed us) the Berbatov saga. Jol wanted him out straight away. Yet the player didn't leave until the summer just gone.
That word undermined is used often by myself and other fans and some of the hacks in the press. But it's the perfect word for the situation. With Ramos in, the belief is that we had a world-class manager. But what did Jol do wrong exactly? Yeah sure, there was always that element of choking in the big big games. But who knows, that might have been ironed out had he been left to get on with another season, uninterrupted by politics. We were all guilty of believing that Jol being sacked was 'for the good of the club'. Hindsight is deeply ironic.
We'll never know, but the point here - and it's an important one especially with recent events - is with 15 years of musical chairs and no consistency, why the rush to break the into the Top 4 after just two consistent seasons (2 x 5th spots)? We have no God given right. We all know the Top 4 is beyond most clubs reach. Every other club below 5th spot just gets on with it. With us, we should have been content with Jol and given him at least 2 more seasons. Because the past 15 seasons have not been much to write about, so what difference would it make waiting for another two years?
But what's done is done. In came Ramos. And off he goes now. For a cool £26M (£11M for signing him, £15M for sacking him). No doubt, the most costly flop in our recent history. But at least we can remember the Carling Cup with fond memories.
And in comes the media whore that is Harry Redknapp. A manager with little integrity. Sorry 'arry, but it's true. His Pompey/Soton merry-go round will tell you all you need to know. Levy claims that he's had conversations with Harry in the past, suggesting that 'he almost got here' before. Shudder.
Yeah, he saved Pompey from almost certain relegation. But couldn't save Soton and also relegated West Ham. What exactly is so great about his CV? Have we now lowered our ambitions? Have we accepted a place alongside the likes of Blackburn and co?
Well firstly, scrap ambitions and comparisons, because that's what has got us into this mess in the first place - believing the hype.
We are now behind the likes of Villa and City. As they develop and progress, our work has to begin again. Maybe not quite from ground zero, but we are limping at the minute. Although in modern day football 5th - 8th spot tends to shift about every season so all we need to do is regain a bit of pride and form. And no matter the progression you make (that goes for Villa and City at the minute) - you still need to depend on one of the Top 4 having an off season if you. Which is rare. And even if it does happen, you might find hotel food conspire against you. So we are not that far behind if you go on recent Prem records.
The simple fact of the matter is - at present - we are bottom. The players were not playing for Ramos. Levy had to do something drastic. Sacking Ramos and co was the first part. Appointing Redknapp was the second. Because for the moment, the only thing that's important is remaining in the Prem.
Survival. That's it. That should be the mission statement for this season. And having tried every type of manager, we've now gone for the 'not really done anything, loves his money a bit, Sky and the tabloids love him a lot' type of appointment.
We've stopped acting like the 'big club' and just taken stock of our current predicament.
So, am I happy? Nope, unsurprisingly, I'm not.
Levy, for all his little boy lost innocence, is knee-deep in damage limitation and blame deflection. The players, having performed today well enough to claim 3 points are questionable commitment wise if you look at some of our prior performances (although, I'm happy to agree that Ramos wasn't helping himself with selection and tactics). New manager usually gets a reaction from the players, but I still can't get rid of this feeling that Spurs will never push on until they get rid of the vanity at the club. £15M+ for Bentleys hair is proving to be a hard pill to swallow.
Harry himself paid money for Kaboul and does select players out of position. Sometimes has three DM's in his team and still gets bullied by the opposition and generally isn't the most astute tactically. So, I would guess, it's down to his man-management to get things going again.
It's worked one game in. And come Jan, we might see the return of Defoe and one or two other players - including some very un-Tottenham like signings that might have some of us question wtf is going on (BRING BACK THE DOF!!!!!1111) but that's what we want isn't it? Players we NEED - and not superfluous signings. So, there is a positive, one hopes in his appointment. Although getting rid of the DoF and letting Jol sign his own players would have worked fine too.
So, is Harry an interim manager for the club? I hope so. Am I know being a hypocrite for suggesting we are too big for Harry? Call me that if you want. What I'm saying is, Harry isn't a great manager and has limits which will become apparent in a couple of seasons. But this all serves a purpose. A recovery period, washing off any remaining residue of the DoF era. It's the consequence, not of Comolli but of Levy. The buck does stop with him, and this I feel is the final sorry chapter of mis-management. He's admitted it hasn't worked, so he has gained a final encore. And this is it. Harry will take us so far, and then Levy (if he's still around) will no doubt appoint someone knew. Maybe a promotion for whoever his number two is? We'll see how it all pans out. No point dwelling on this at the minute. If Levy suggests that Harry is the one to reclaim GLORY - then Daniel will be leaving us in the very close future.
If (there's that magic word again) Harry performs a miracle and is still knocking around with us in 4 years time then Levy will be deemed a genius and I'll have to eat a hat (preferably made of bagel).
In the mean time, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (that's Harry). And do what any fan would do: Support the team with all my heart......and cry uncontrollably when it goes tits up. Again.
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 6:41PM Game 01 v (H) Bolton Wanderers
2-0 win, 3 points
Total points: 5
Position: Still 20th
4 points from safety
You have to wonder if a Ramos team would have been victorious today. But then would he have selected the team Harry put out? King, second game on the trot. No Zokora. Huddlestone started. Along with Bentley. Lennon on the bench. It wasn't always pretty. Sometimes (thanks to Gomes and his inability to punch or catch a ball) it was calamitous. But overall, we put some neat and tidy passes together and deserved to win. Bolton were, like many teams we've been up against this season, decisively average. So it's nice to finally find some confidence and belief.
Modric deserves a special mention. Was a bit outstanding for a change. Team looked more balanced and for the first time this season actually reacting to the home support in a positive way. Once or twice a move would end with a tame shot or the wrong decision, but let's not all expect the moon on a stick. We've been woeful all season, so to win / keep a clean sheet / and smile at the final whistle should be something to be content with for now.
Was this a Clive Allen side or a Harry Redknapp side? Bit of both probably. Harry wouldn't want to miss out on good PR, would he now? Although in his post-match interview he cites Allen as the man who picked the team.
Also Gareth Bale, absent due to his suspension, proving that when he does play - we never win. In fact, one way to get the monkey off his back is to bring him on as a sub in the last minute when we are winning by at least 2 clear goals. If we end up losing 3-2 then I suggest we sell him. Or perform an exorcism.
Anyways, 3 points was imperative today, with Arsenal and Liverpool up next we just had to win 'a game'.
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 9:57AM I have little time this morning to write anything up. But (along with the match review) will have plenty to say this evening. Our chairman has written up a lengthy letter to us, the supporter.
http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/openletterfromthechairmandaniellevy261008.html
No more DoF.
Break out the champagne and coke!
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 2:18AM 
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 1:44AM Will be of great personal interest (I'm sure for all) what our friends over at Sky (Jamie) and the rest of the hacks make of this appointment and how they treat us going forward. Considering the respect and admiration the press seem to have for 'arry.
Damage limitation. The damage being Championship football. Levy sees this as his (desperation) manoeuvre to save the club from relegation and thus make certain that ENIC's investment doesn't go to shit. As I mentioned earlier, Southampton still went down with Redknapp joined them. But they were a little more far gone (I think). Although in his defence he did save Pompey from relegation.
Expensive night for Spurs in more ways than one. Thank God we sold Robbie Keane and grabbed that extra £6M or so for Berbatov. Our chairman truly knows how to be prepared for any financial hit.
I'm now looking forward to what Levy writes up for his official statement on the nights events, attempting to justify his decision making. PR machine at the ready...
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 1:13AM I've been reading the threads on this message board, with a numb feeling watching the events unfold. I just dont know what to say or what thread im supposed to post in.
This fantastic post by Spooky reminds me of what this club is about.
Spurs fans are not a fickle bunch of tossers as the media would love the world to believe. The events over the past year and actions and runnings of the board has left so many of us bemused and crestfallen as we mourn the loss of what this club once stood for. My love for my football team will always remain strong but it would be near impossible for the average spurs fan not to have the same affection which you held for this club when you first fell in love with it.
Its hard to remind yourselves why we love our club so much at times like these. There certainly isnt much to like about us right now. But this is our club. We are what Tottenham Hotspur football club stand for. I am trying so hard to keep alive the spirit of the Tottenham way but we have had our name and badge dragged through the mud one too many times now.
Spooky I think its time for a hostile takeover by the fans.
~ diego_maradona (glory glory.net)
Diego, me old chum. If I could. I would.
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 1:12AM The clocks go back tonight. I need that extra hour to recover from the breaking news.
Ramos. Sacked.
Poyet. Sacked.
Comolli. Sacked.
The chairman deciding that the manager has indeed lost the dressing room, so why wait any longer? Just get rid of the deadwood the night before a massive Prem game and about £15M in compensation (£5M to Pompey, the rest to Ramos and co).
Club announcementThe Club can announce that Damien Comolli, Sporting Director, Juande Ramos, Head Coach and First Team Coaches, Marcos Alvarez and Gus Poyet, have left the Club, with immediate effect. We wish them well.
Clive Allen, Development Squad Coach, and Alex Inglethorpe, Youth Team Manager, will take charge for Sunday's League match against Bolton.
An announcement will be made on First Team coaching staff in due course.
Comolli gone. Wow. There go about 45% of my future blog rants. Does this mean the DoF is dead? End of an error....era. Sack. Comolli wanted Jol out and Ramos in. And it's resulted with Redknapp at our club. And the chairman still sits pretty at the helm.
Apparently (the above statement is now out of date) HR is picking the team for Sunday and he's also giving the team talk. Is Defoe playing?
All that effort to push Jol out and bring Ramos in, to end up with Harry Redknapp. That's Harry 'I left Pompey for Southampton, who I failed to save from relegation' Redknapp.
So here we are again. Another new manager. I wonder if our esteemed chairman will leave this one alone.
Hoddle was sacked because of Pleats involvement in transfers.
Santini was sacked because again, the players being bought were not to the managers liking.
Jol takes over and even with two 5th place finishes, Levy sees fit to side with Comolli and tap up Ramos.
And as for Juande, he is undermined by both chairman and DoF in the transfer market. But arguably, the Prem proved to be a move to far for him.
So back to Levy we go, the one true consistent in this embarrassing merry-go-round.
Never a boring second at Spurs. And never a great moment either.
COYS.
Cough.
Friday, October 24, 2008 at 10:46AM THE BIGGEST GAME IN OUR HISTORY™ : The Final Chapter
Spurs v Bolton, 3pm kick-off, Sunday 26th.
You know, we always called each other Yids. Like you said to, uh, somebody: You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a Yiddo. He's one of us: You understand? We were Tottenham fans. Lilywhites. But Jimmy and I could never sit in the West Stand because we we didn't drive Mercs. It didn't even matter if you didn't own an Opus. To become a member of the Park Lane crew you've got to be one hundred per cent Spurs so they can trace all your relatives back to the old days in the 1960's. See, it's the highest honour they can give you. It means you belong to a family and crew. It means that nobody can fuck around with you. It also means you could fuck around with anybody just as long as the old bill and stewards wasn't watching. It's like a license to chant. It's a license to do anything. As far as Jimmy was concerned with Tommy being ITK, it was like we were all ITK. We would now have one of our own up a tree at the Lodge
~ Yidfellows, 1961 - 2008
This is it people. End of days. The last hooray. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Charlton Heston thumping the sand at the end of Planet of the Apes. Rocky losing out to Creed. Steve McQueen not quite making the motorcycle jump over the border.
We are gush, make no mistake about it. And there's not a whiff of a blockbuster performance in sight.
We are doing just about enough in each game to lose. We haven't been overwhelmed or battered by anyone yet. We just turn up, go one goal down, and quietly die on the pitch while the opposition, usually not that much better than us, more so plucky, get their heads in front and comfortably hold on to win.
GritWe haven't got any worse over the past few weeks, in fact arguably we've improved. But that improvement is fairly invisible to the human eye, thanks to the fact that the results have remained the same. What we've managed to add to this cauldron of crap is red cards. We're not just pressing down on the self-destruct button, we are head-butting it.
It's impossible to know if the players are shit because the manager has lost all respect, or if the players are shit regardless or if the manager is shit or if the squad is so disjointed due to lost players and ineffective signings that nobody quite knows what the fuck is going on. Or all of the above.
PassionLuck (the good type) is also non-existent, and all mathematical omens are more ominous than the Grim Reaper taking a seat next to you at a doctors appointment.
Sunday is no longer about measured tactical ploys or 4-5-1. Sunday has be a Cup final (only one we'll get this season). Sunday has to be about setting the precedence for every game after that with regards to performance. Performance equating to: Fight, urgency, spirit, desire, guts, passion, belief and pride.
Go one down? Heads up, chests out, fucking well go for the jugular and claw/scratch/kick/bite your way back into the game. Go one up? Then push for a second with all your sodding might. Start to believe, regain that swagger and that confidence. Because even without Berbatov and Keane and a true DM - we still have players of quality. Enough of them to get us above Newcastle, Stoke, Fulham, Everton at the very least.
A win, 3 points, is not the fucking Holy Grail! Dry those fucking eyes, get a grip and win the sodding game. Getting smacked around by third-rate teams like we're a crack whore begging for a hit from her weasel pimp is FUCKING PATHETIC.
We are down to basics. Every time we have prayed that our players would take the game by the scruff (Wigan, Hull, Stoke etc) we have failed miserably. Its now do or die.
Over-dramatic? If I was drunk on rum I might suggest that losing to Bolton won't be the end, because Ramos would walk/be sacked and the new coach might galvanise the side to such an extent that the same bunch of players start to perform minor miracles. But that's pretty unlikely based on the fact that this dire form has been a year in the making. But then, that's what we are all hoping a win against Bolton will do. Galvanise. Because we have no choice now due to the maths and our position and the upcoming fixtures. With or without Ramos, we have to start winning.
So all that's left is for the home fans to sing till their mouths bleed and for the team out on the pitch to remember who they are and reclaim some self-respect and respect for the club and its fans and its history.
Otherwise, I'd suggest we sack the lot of them, run an X-Factor style competition to find out who the most athletic 20 Spurs fans are, and then stick them in the Lilywhite shirt. Because determination wise, they will run till their lungs collapse. And at least win/lose/draw - we can say we we're proud of the effort.
For one last time, it's over to you.....Gomes, Hutton, Woodgate, King, Gunter, Corluka, Gilberto, O'Hara, Zokora, Jenas, Lennon, Bentley, Modric, Gio, Bent, Campbell, Pavlyuchenko....
Bolton Wanderers..... go home and get your fuckin' shinebox.
Friday, October 24, 2008 at 10:41AM Southampton were the last team to survive after a start as bad as ours. They finished on 41 points. I think survival this season on 41 is only dependent on other teams just above us being just as bad.
Below is Soton's results from that season. Take inspiration from the fact that you can be truly awful and still retain your Premiership status.
I'm off to open a bottle of champagne.
16-Aug-98 Liverpool (H) L 1-2
22-Aug-98 Charlton (A) L 0-5
29-Aug-98 Nottm F (H) L 1-2
08-Sep-98 Leeds Utd (A) L 0-3
12-Sep-98 Newcastle (A) L 0-4
19-Sep-98 Tottenham (H) D 1-1
28-Sep-98 West Ham (A) L 0-1
03-Oct-98 Man Utd (H) L 0-3
P8 W0 D1 L7 F3 A18 1
17-Oct-98 Arsenal (A) D 1-1
24-Oct-98 Coventry (H) W 2-1
31-Oct-98 Sheff W (A) D 0-0
07-Nov-98 Middlesbro (H) D 3-3
14-Nov-98 Aston Villa (H) L 1-4
21-Nov-98 Blackburn R (A) W 2-0
28-Nov-98 Derby C (H) L 0-1
05-Dec-98 Leicester (A) L 0-2
12-Dec-98 Everton (A) L 0-1
19-Dec-98 Wimbledon (H) W 3-1
26-Dec-98 Chelsea (H) L 0-2
28-Dec-98 Nottm F (A) D 1-1
P20 W3 D5 L12 F16 A35 14
09-Jan-99 Charlton (H) W 3-1
16-Jan-99 Liverpool (A) L 1-7
30-Jan-99 Leeds Utd (H) W 3-0
06-Feb-99 Chelsea (A) L 0-1
20-Feb-99 Newcastle (H) W 2-1
27-Feb-99 Man Utd (A) L 1-2
02-Mar-99 Tottenham (A) L 0-3
06-Mar-99 West Ham (H) W 1-0
14-Mar-99 Middlesbro (A) L 0-3
20-Mar-99 Sheff W (H) W 1-0
P30 W8 D5 L17 F28 A53 29
03-Apr-99 Arsenal (H) D 0-0
05-Apr-99 Coventry (A) L 0-1
10-Apr-99 Aston Villa (A) L 0-3
17-Apr-99 Blackburn R (H) D 3-3
24-Apr-99 Derby C (A) D 0-0
01-May-99 Leicester (H) W 2-1
08-May-99 Wimbledon (A) W 2-0
16-May-99 Everton (H) W 2-0
P38 W11 D8 L19 F37 A61 41
Fingers crossed, yeah? Might not be worth the effort, crossing fingers. Read this article from The Proud Cockerel site.
Only voodoo can save us now.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 9:31PM Udinese 2 Spurs 0
Great interview here from Woodgate. Great because it sums up what's going on perfectly, pretty much how I or any other Spurs fan would describe the on the pitch performances at the moment. Sunday, genuinely is, a game of extraordinary importance. The fact the players are reacting badly to every bit of unfortunate luck or mistake on the pitch doesn't bode well for this game and the games that follow it. 'Losing mentality' Woodgate called it. Sums it up IMO. We are masters of it.
Once again we played a team this evening who were not that great. And yet we had one shot on goal, saw Gomes kill off the confidence we managed to build up in the opening 20 minutes with a howler - giving away the penalty - and then another inept© (copyright Tottenham Hotspur) second half performance topped with a O'Hara red card and a second Italian goal.
There was not a lot on show to suggest we will compete with Bolton. Yes, in parts, we actually played ok. But there was nothing sexy or slick and we looked a hundred years away from scoring. This is what makes it even more infuriating. We are not utterly useless like Derby County were in the Prem last year. But we are just shit enough to always lose, no matter the opposition. Udinese are second in Serie A, and until Gomes dropped a clanger we competed pretty well. Once again, no leader means when are heads go down, they stay down. Woodgate, for all his post-match talk should be doing some of it on the pitch.
What I hope has happened (at the very least) after the game is that Woody has gone mental in the dressing room, swearing/accusing and generally causing a reaction from other players. I'm talking about an old fashion verbal ding-dong, fingers pointing and frustrations aired publicly. The players have to unite and sometimes the only way is for some home truths to be told. Heads slumped, getting showered and dressed and sticking on their iPods is a no-fucking-go.
Ramos and Poyet have to also get in on the act, but somehow I can't see it. Can you?
The flip side to all this (which is still negative in this case) is that Woodgate isn't helping matters by slagging us off to the media. If he is frustrated then maybe the blame game within the dressing room is having the opposite effect because people are whispering their discontent rather than shouting it.
We also have Bentley telling everyone how 'shit' things are at the minute in magazine and radio interviews. It's grim no matter what what you read or hear.
Woodgate mentions Leeds (in the interview linked above) and how they had a better team than we do at the minute and still went down. Nobody is untouchable. On this current form, nobody will want to touch us come the January transfer window. So the players we have will be the players who will need to drag us out of this.
Relegation fight? A million percent, says our Woody rather obviously.
We are a calamity. And once again we move to our next game in the vein hope that something happens. A wink or a wave from the football Gods might just change our luck. Even a drop of piss from the God of War, falling from the heavens and onto our brow will be more than enough.
Sunday is going to be hellish. I have a feeling the God's will be napping.
