What's going on?

I’m in one of those places at the moment. Much like Dexter Morgan (in the hit US tv show ‘Dexter’) has a dark passenger that lusts for blood (he’s a serial killer, but a good one, he only kills people that deserve it like...other serial killers) I also have dark thoughts. Mostly about ordering a kebab at 11pm or attempting to induce lucid dreams that consist of me scoring last minute winners away to the scum then diving into the stands to ‘sort ‘em out’. Although I could be more like Dexter. Kill other bloggers. Alas, never red, so lusting for blood is a step too far. Click whores, you're safe for now.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it’s international break time and I am suffering from a creative lull. There’s not that much going on to be fair. Here's some snippets of things that might muster up a discussion or two.

England

Might as well. I tuned in with 30 minutes gone, caught the goals, sort of half watch the second half. Was all very mediocre but that extra bit of quality allowing us to comfortably pick off San Marino. To be honest, I found myself watching more of the Wales v Scotland game. Football irony in your face with Gareth Bale’s winner, leaving Adams in his wake as he finished brilliantly to add to a dubious penalty which saw him win the spot kick by tripping himself up in the area. It was against the Scottish so allow it. Defoe sat on the bench (from what I saw) and Walker and Lennon didn't pick up injuries. Good enough for me. Elsewhere, three of the back four (Smith, Caulker, Rose) of the England U21 side were Spurs. Some of that.

Manager of the Month award

So Andre Villas-Boas had the better record than winner David Moyes? Who has the better beard and why isn’t a monthly award given out for that instead? Talking of which, I’m sporting hobo chic at the moment. I look rough and I like it. The fact I’m even talking about my irreverent fashion sense pretty much tells you everything you need to know about my opinion on the Manager of the Month award.

Stratford

The Olympic Stadium and Tottenham. It’s like stepping in dog **** and no matter how hard you try to wash it out you swear you can still smell the stink. Britain, gold medals, glorious scenes aside...back in the real world if we had to play away from the Lane for even half a season, would rather Wembley than a structure not purpose built for the sport our team actually plays. Hopefully the original plan (of playing at the Lane with building work on-going) sees fruition. Unless the OS has purpose built caravans shifted onto the running track to double up as executive boxes for corporate hospitality. That’ll work.

Podcast

Win against Villa. Noel Gallagher. Diving. Walker. How to get out of doing something with your missus and going to Tottenham instead. Midfield beasts. Cannibalism. And trikes. Click here for it.

International break killed the Tottenham blogger

International break is the bane of blogging. I usually take the opportunity to write without the anchored constraints of what is expected during a busy build up to a Spurs match. But alas, could not even inspire myself to muster up something (anything) to drown out the snoring that accompanies another England match. The North London derby seems a world away now, so far in fact, I almost expect to trip over a Betamax copy of the 2-1 win whilst searching for the remote control. Has anything of note happened in the past week?

Paul Gascoigne opened his heart for the Guardian. Harry Redknapp cited Cahill and how we are still interested in signing him. Some no mark made a joke about Spurs playing like girls. What like Arsenal's silverware hauling ladies team? I don't get the joke. But I do get that his team choke more often than a casting couch starlet. No laughing matter on the pitch, no laughing matter off it, it seems for anyone in red and white these days.

So to answer my own question, no. Not a lot has happened in the past week. I'd recommend that Gazza interview. I idolised Gascoigne back in the day, even when he wore the black and white of the Toon. They don't quite make them like that these days. Robust, cheeky and brilliant. Mackayesque (with smiles) no head screwed on with an additional destructive personality. The lack of head being screwed on and his personal issues his downfall off the pitch and arguably on it, although injury plight punctured his form. He still entertained, he still carved out moments of sheer magic. Clown prince of football he was called once upon a time back when it was pranks aplenty in amongst the powerful driving genius of his play. Tragedy aside, he's the type of player that would rekindle my love for internationals. Instead we have Theo and Jack. Sad face. I love you Paul and I miss your ilk.

As for England (might as well), we drew 2-2 and we qualified and I still don't seem to give a **** about it. Rooney gets sent off and there's discussion on how we plan to cope with his suspension. Does it matter if he plays or not? We never seem to do well either way. This disenchantment I have for the national side, I wish I hadn't. Maybe when the old guard are finally gone I can push on rediscovering my love for the Three Lions. Then again, if Redknapp takes over...well, that wouldn't be too bad. If anything, just to see how the media treat him in comparison to his red carpet VIP currently. Elsewhere, Bale scored for Wales and Rafa played 78 minutes for the Netherlands. The latter a minor miracle.

At least now we can start looking forward to Newcastle away. We never seem to get much up there. We seem to get bossed and for a long time it was a guaranteed defeat in the league. Okay, so they're in form and unbeaten but perhaps punching above their weight akin? Pound for pound, we should be able to contain them and beat them. Should. Sandro and Parker in the middle, Modric free to dink and dictate...we need to be looking at the three points. More on that later in the week when it's clearer who will be available for selection.

In the mean time, check out The Fighting Cock website and register for the forum. If you've not heard the podcast before, then listen to episode 11 for some NLD glory. We're not recording this week. Blame international break.

Oh God, it's that time of the month

International Break is upon us. Last time out it was a rather productive time with this blog as I side-stepped the England circus with a six-parter (that acted as filler for the lack of newsworthy Spurs news) which included musings and anecdotes about the 1991 season protests outside the High Court smashing up Amstrad computers, how and why I (and you) started supporting Spurs, a mention of Stratford, defending Robbie Keane and one or two other more random subject matters to polish it all off before the Prem returned. Click here for the final part and links to the first five - if you fancy reminiscing. Full links below.

Not sure yet how to best handle the time that will see Wales and Ghana share the headlines with Fabio and his army of stuttering, spitting and soulless Lions before we return to all things THFC.

Although I might find myself forced to follow and report on England thanks to the following:

Dawson, Lennon, Defoe, Crouch. All in the squad. Congratulations to Walker for also making it. Back to the aforementioned four. I promise you all, if we lose any of these players to injury I will systematically remove body parts from World Cup Willie and send them to the FA until they do the right thing and return the Tottenham representatives, boxed up in cotton wool and feathered pillows to Bill Nicholson Way. Yeah, World Cup Willie, you heard that right. He's old, his bones are brittle, but he still feels pain.

If that wasn't bad enough (the Spurs players selected in the squad, not the fact that I have the World Cup '66 mascot imprisoned in my basement), it's Wales which means it's Bale which means they're hardly not going to play him. So that's almost half a  team we've got out there risking it all for national duty. There's also van der Vaart with the Netherlands, who isn't even fully fit. I could go on, I won't. I need to stop thinking about all this to aid with subsiding the heart convulsions. I need to relax, and possibly attempt to detach ever so slightly from it all. Again.

Therefore...

International Break Diary II...on it's way.

International Break Diary

Tuesday, October 5 - Tuesday, October 12

International heart-break

Tottenham till I die

A spoon full of sugar makes the Venables go down

FAO Sullivan, Gold and Brady

In defence of Robbie Keane

Boycott England

Bored of the Stratford

Oh for the love of God. There's an England game this evening?

Well, sod that. Looks like I'll be firing up Football Manager and continuing my THFC save game (I'm top by the way, around 15 games played in the Prem, two points clear).  So, what with this not being a full-on international break and just a standard non-event of a friendly (loving the ITV advert trying to hype it up as a battle of two sleeping giants licking their wounds and trying to rediscover themselves…sorry ITV, you're better off trying to sell me rocking horse sh*t) here's a quick-fire round-up of Spurs news that has made me twitch these past few days.

Niko (via agent) is once more putting it out there that he might leave due to lack of games. On the one hand you might compare him to Corluka who was dropped due to loss of form and hasn't got back in because Harry is someone who does like to reward players for their good forum (Hutton - although I'd much prefer a more positional savvy Charlie working in tandem with Aaron rather than a rampaging Alan not giving a toss about anyone else on his flank including opposing players). Corluka says he will just dig deep and try to reclaim his place. Bravo. That's what we want to hear from our players. On the other hand, it's not like Niko has had much of a chance to hit his stride. A game here or there is more likely to produce a Bolton away performance rather than anything top drawer.

However, I'd refuse to let him go. What with the way we lose players to injuries from one month to the next.

Elsewhere, van der Vaart revealed that we have a clipboard in the dressing room that doesn't get used by the gaffer. No shocker. You can't put your hands around a clipboard and tell it how clippy and boardy it is. Harry is a man manager, I wouldn't go as far as saying tactics and opposition strengths are never discussed. The evidence is there and can't be argued against in terms of focus and game plans (Arsenal/Chelsea/City away last season - Inter at home this season). Unless all these performances were birthed from a brand of belief that Spurs players can occasionally conjure up like a rabbit from a top hat.

Stratford. Bored of it now. You've got every Tom, Dick and Harry coming out denouncing this that and the other about how we can't expand the Olympic stadium or move there or whatever. It's all redundant. The great irony is how many journalists and bloggers are making this out to be a Spurs v West Ham battle with only the one winning through and emerging victorious in the end - us or them. One massive massive problem here. We're going to have our Northumberland Development Project approved, thus remaining in N17. And the consequence of this is we win, and WH lose. Because if you ask any Hammers fans who do not work for the Daily Mail what they think - they'd rather remain where they are now than move to a stadium which they will only ever fill up by selling cut price tickets to Orient fans.

Defoe is almost back. One word of advice. More than one word. Patience for all concerned. Let's not rush him back. Let's allow him time to settle back into the side (he might not need time and be all guns blazing - but still). If we get him back to 100% from now till the end of May, we'll be happy. Everyone will be happy. Including his dear old friend, the offside rule.

COYS.

WALOB II

Defoe. Off. On a stretcher. Clutching his ankle. Three Spurs players go on England duty. How many come back fit? Can someone say 'conspiracy'? If you want further evidence, look no further than this Saturday's up and coming EPL game away to W.B.A.

Howard Webb officiates.

Facebook Tottenham Relegation Party group in 3...2...1...

WALOB

Sodding internationals. Why don't they just line-up our players and shoot them in the back of the head. I'm going to go score some coke and drink a bottle of rum.

Update on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 9:47PM by spooky

Defoe hat-trick. Defoe limps off. I can't prove it, but this game was set up specifically to hurt our season. The ghost of David Dein lives on in the halls of the Football Association.