Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 2:19PM I hardly miss Martin Jol. Bit of kidology thrown in there along with the usual 'up against it' complaints about squad depth. Always with the agenda, hey 'arry?
Monday, December 29, 2008 at 9:23PM The Two-Face Perspective
Issue #4
What do we think of Harry?
Harvey Dent: Redknapp, the miracle worker. He’ll save Spurs. He’s the right man for the wrong circumstance the club finds its self in.
Two-Face: But is he the right man to take Spurs forward?
Harvey Dent: If by forward you mean avoid relegation, then yes.
Two-Face: And beyond that? Then what?
Harvey Dent: How about avoiding relegation before realigning club ambitions. This is damage limitation. It’s the afterbirth of the fabled Director of Football system and it can’t just be swept under the carpet. There’s no quick and easy impromptu kick-start that will propel the club back to where the fans and chairman want it to be. It won’t happen overnight and it won’t happen easily.
Two-Face: I get it. This isn’t Harry’s fault. He’s come in to do a job and clean up the mess. But this is Tottenham, not Portsmouth.
Harvey Dent: And your point is?
Two-Face: We need not forget who we are and the traditions we have so being linked to the likes of Bellamy and Bullard and even Zamora, make me taste my own puke. And with my face, that’s saying something if I can taste vomit.
Harvey Dent: Forget who we are? Would that be a club that aspires to heights we hardly ever reach? Martin Jol’s 5th placed side has long been dismantled. Take away those two seasons, and we are nothing more than under-achievers, based on those aspirations and the transfer money spent on new acquisitions. Massive underachievers. Pompey were almost relegated, and Harry pulled them from the depths and within touching distance of Champions League football. Surely you’ll take that?
Two-Face: But at what expense? Redknapp is no master tactician or managerial genius. He isn’t known for taking the raw materials he has at his disposal and moulding them into a winning mentality. That old more than the sum of their parts trick isn’t in his repertoire.
Harvey Dent: What?
Two-Face: For Harry to succeed he has to gut the squad he has and then bring in players of his own liking, until the right balance is in place for the side to achieve its goal. In this case, mid-table.
Harvey Dent: Hate to point out the obvious, but he has the same players Ramos had at his disposal and has managed to notch up 18 points compared to Juandes 2. I’d say that’s pretty decent managerial skill right there.
Two-Face: So, we are settling for avoiding relegation, and that’s all? A team built to finish above the bottom three. Then what? What happens after that? We settle for a mediocre side who probably won’t punch above 8th or 7th place?
Harvey Dent: Mediocre? Like the one we have at the minute?
Two-Face: I think we both agree that the current side is bare bones. A skeleton crew with a handful of players that should not have been purchased in the first place. Rather than build a team we've bough players who only function in different roles and formations and never in the same one together as a single unit.
Harvey Dent: Which makes it commendable that Harry turned it around so quickly. Seems the knee-jerk thing to do is wheel out the wheelbarrow of despair because we dropped points against Newcastle, Fulham and WBA. Don’t forget, we are in the position we are in because of the start we had. So when we do drop points, it’s magnified tenfold because we can’t afford to do so based on the clubs around us being on similar totals. But that isn’t Harry’s fault, now is it?
Two-Face: Are you saying he is immune to criticism just because of his initial impact?
Harvey Dent: No, of course not.
Two-Face: Then?
Harvey Dent: People’s perception of events can have drastic reactions, from good to bad, when things go for or against us. Look, he had a wonderful start to life at Spurs. We rode our luck, but that was more than can be said for when Ramos was at t he helm. But in no way were we playing brilliantly. Certain individuals improved, others haven’t. There are still problems with our strike force (or lack of) and the balance through the midfield is still fragile and not up to the long haul task of climbing the table. So the moment we drop two points or more, why should Harry get the blame?
Two-Face: Because the tactics, the formation and selection is his responsibility. If we’ve stagnated, which we have, and the players are failing to give their all, then the manager should be aiming to get a reaction from them. I expected one at WBA after the Fulham game. We didn’t get it, regardless of the referee and sending off, the display was inept. Something all too often tagged with Spurs teams – regardless of the manager or players present at the time.
Harvey Dent: There’s a good chance Harry has done as much as he can do with the players he has.
Two-Face: Do you really believe that?
Harvey Dent: We need an injection, in the form of a new forward and definitely a left-winger. Don’t underestimate what a couple of new players will do for the side. Yes, we have our fair share of prima donnas and players with their heads firmly in the clouds. This has been a deep routed problem at Spurs for years and years. Far too many individuals who believe their own hype and the hype that has surrounded the club for far too long. It’s a comfort zone that some take advantage of, and almost wait for someone else to do the deep digging for them. Seems at Spurs it’s ok to be half a defensive midfielder, but still play in every game, or be a player with huge potential but with each passing season come nowhere near to fulfilling it.
Two-Face: You haven’t answered my question.
Harvey Dent: Patience. Harry cited the necessity, the requirement of having proper players in the team. Players not engulfed in vanity or bogged down with self-importance based on their haircuts. Players who will get stuck in and understand that sitting on 20 points just above the bottom three is a relegation battle, one that requires men with balls of steel and not fluffy scared kittens more interested licking their balls.
Two-Face: Do kittens lick their balls? I thought that was dogs?
Harvey Dent: It’s just a metaphor.
Two-Face: Bit of a mess that. Like your argument. If Harry requires proper players, then why is David Bentley playing every week? By your definition, Bentley is a player who is constantly licking his balls. And the only product you can associate with him is what he puts on his hair. He rarely beats the first man with a set-piece. Doesn’t track back, doesn’t do much in fact that helps the team. He’s like a good looking version of Andy Reid. Slim, a little taller with highlights in his hair. In fact, arguably, he isn’t even as good as Andy Reid. At least Reid can play in more than one position.
Harvey Dent: Let’s not scapegoat.
Two-Face: No, no. Let’s not. This isn’t about scape-goating. This is based on performances and fact. David Bentley? What does he do exactly? Not much at the moment. Is Harry’s genius man-management skills based on playing David every game because he’s bound to regain form at some point? Did the club not try that with Robinson last season? Granted, it’s worked with Gomes, but keepers are funny creatures. Outfield players can easily be replaced. What type of message does it send out if Bentley is undroppable to the likes of O’Hara and anyone else for that matter who sits on the bench or worse? Bentley is the personification of all that’s average about Spurs at the moment. I’m sure there is a good player in there somewhere. But it doesn’t help matters that the player himself believes he is great when he is merely just good.
Harvey Dent: In defence of Bentley, he has little support and nobody to pass too, but sure, form wise regardless of reasons, I agree. But maybe Boateng or whoever genuinely isn’t the right answer for us and Harry knows.
Two-Face: Why? How do you know that? Is he really that unimpressive in training and for the reserves? Surely he should be given a start, if anything, to allow Bentley the time for some much needed soul-searching. Because at the moment, the Penguin would do a better job out there.
Harvey Dent: So what’s your answer?
Two-Face: Well for a start, it’s not Bellamy. Our stature, even though we have been nothing more than over-glamorised pretenders to the 4th spot, was a lot higher than it is now. We attracted Juande Ramos, one of the most highly rated coaches in Europe. Few in England could have done that.
Harvey Dent: Money. Money can do anything you want it do. And Spurs, fans and club alike, do a mighty fine job of hyping the club beyond its reality. Look, there is no doubt Levy runs the club financially spot on. We are rich. We can always compete in the transfer market, and we always buy quality players, amongst all the duffs. But look at what signing Ramos achieved. Cup aside, it didn’t work out and the DoF pulled the club down from the giddy heights achieved under Jol to the brink of utter disaster. So if you consider the amount of times we’ve gone out and signed the ‘right’ manager and ‘right’ players, and yet ended up with zero in the way of progress and success – I can’t see how an old fashion reality check will hurt us.
Two-Face: So going from Modric to Corluka to Bellamy and Downing is fine with you? Do you honestly believe that aiming for a lower-tier in the Premiership just to survive is the way forward? Why not aim higher, survive, and then be able to push on?
Harvey Dent: Here we go again. Isn’t this the fickleness of fans coming into play now? Just above the bottom three, yet you want to consider what we can aim for AFTER we get ourselves out of this relegation dogfight. How about getting out of the dogfight first? And Modric and Corluka were signed in the summer, so Spurs – with or without Redknapp – will always attract this type of quality. Keane and Berbatov have not been replaced effectively at this time, but we probably don’t need to aim that high because it’s not required. A good decent goal scorer is what’s required, and there is no need for it to be a superstar or a sexy signing. Just one that will do the flipping job and do it well. You know, if you add Berbatov and Keane into the current side, we wouldn’t be worried about relegation. As I said earlier, don’t underestimate what an injection of new blood can do. We are missing vital organs, and the transplants are just days away.
Two-Face: You need to work on your analogies and metaphors. As much as Harry and Levy need to work on their signings. Bellamy for £8M? Downing for £15M?
Harvey Dent: Downing gets linked to Spurs for £15M every single season, so I don’t get your problem with this.
Two-Face: So, these are the proper players Redknapp wants? Sounds like another Bentley signing. Superflous.
Harvey Dent: Then what do we go for? Another Pav or Modric? We can’t afford to do that. We need players who will fit in from the off and Redknapp knows that. We’ll know for sure once the transfer window opens. Everything until then is nothing more than hearsay and gossip.
Two-Face: And Harry gets us out of trouble with these signings, then what?
Harvey Dent: Again, why does everything have to fall into a 3-4 year plan? At the moment, there is no plan other than getting ourselves into a stable position. Once we are stable, then we can go about signing what we consider better quality players. But we are not in the position or have the luxury to do so at the moment. Once we are in a healthy state, then we will. And remember, Harry’s stay at Spurs might well be short term. He will only take us so far, and it’s probably a given that Harry and Levy both know this. The next man in, will hopefully inherit a good side, top end of the table, consistent and going places (again).
Two-Face: So, we sacked Ramos because he couldn’t get the best out of the team he had, which is the same team Harry has. So arguably, you could say the players react better to Harry than they did with Ramos, but as a group are still not good enough. Which is possibly down to Levy and Comolli. And thus are beginning to struggle again because Harry can do so much with so little.
Harvey Dent: You’re obviously leading up to something with this.
Two-Face: If Ramos had the right players then it might have worked.
Harvey Dent: It didn’t work. Whatever the reasons, whether it was communication or he disliked living in England or if it was purely footballing matters, it did not work out. We got what we thought were the right players although everyone will always blame the departures of Keane and Berbatov as being the downfall. Which is not something most would disagree with.
Two-Face: Ok, so we sign yet more strikers. But surely we needed to bring in a manager who is tactically astute to the level Ramos was?
Harvey Dent: He wasn’t tactically astute for us.
Two-Face: You know what I mean. Harry praises Zamora in the press. Admits to telling Pav to ‘run around a lot’. To go from Top 4 pretenders/contenders to hiring and firing Ramos which might not have happened had Comolli and Levy replaced Keane and Berbatov properly, and end up fighting relegation with Redknapp at the helm and being linked to the type of players we would never be linked with. It’s just not right.
Harvey Dent: Are we covering old ground again?
Two-Face: We might buy journeymen or stop-gap players but this isn’t the same ethos the club has had in recent years and it won’t place us anywhere near Villa’s consistency or City’s financial clout.
Harvey Dent: You make no sense. City will outbid anyone they choose. Villa, without the hype, have slowly and gradually built their way to their current position. No big name superstars in their team by the way.
Two-Face: So Levy has also scrapped the sell-on value ethos, by looking to bring in the likes of Bellamy that won’t have any value after a season or two.
Harvey Dent: Ok, we are definitely going over old ground now. Fact of the matter is, under the previous ethos and system, we were heading downwards. It simply wasn’t working. We’ve played well under Harry. Reclaimed some form and pride. We were unlucky against Newcastle. The Fulham game simply illustrated what we need to acquire in January. And the same can be said about the WBA game, which we probably would not have lost on another day. All this talk about Ramos and what if he had two decent strikers is bullshit, because Harry is in the same position. Compare the two.
You notice the difference? Redknapp had the far more difficult games to get through. So lay the ghost of Ramos to bed once and for all. All that we should be concerned about is being a Prem League side cometh the summer. Then, with the guiding help of Levy, Redknapp knowing he is at a far bigger club (with no disrespect meant) to his previous clubs, will be able to aim much higher in the way of transfer targets, with the luxury of time on his side for any bedding in of foreign acquisitions. At the moment, we needed fighters and we need experience. We don’t fight relegation often, so there is no pussy-footing around the matter. No room for mistakes. The current lot don't look fit for it.
Two-Face: Ok. But do we agree that in the long term, Redknapp is not the answer?
Harvey Dent: Harry is known for one or two things. He makes smaller clubs ‘bigger’. He spends a lot of money on a lot of players. Nobody knows what he will be able to achieve at a bigger than small club like Spurs. We are about to find out. And if you look at the players he signed for Pompey (Defoe, Diarra, Johnson, Campbell, James, Crouch) it’s not all Bellamys and Zamoras, is it?
Two-Face: So, he leaves in a few seasons with us in mid-table with an ageing squad with no sell-on value and a new stadium about to be built. Cost of surviving relegation I guess?
Harvey Dent: Let’s wait and see who he signs in January. He’ll make some shrewd signings for sure, but he won’t just make them for the sake of it. They will fix the problems at hand, and surely that’s all that matters.
Two-Face: So he isn’t the long term answer then?
Harvey Dent: He’s a wheeler dealer cockney cheeky chappy. Not a tactical genius. He’s been brought in for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to steady a sinking ship whilst Levy evaluates his position, club structure (no more DoF) and the development of the new ground. Then, with or without Levy and Redknapp, the club will once more aspire for greater things.
Two-Face: Maybe we should aspire to be more like Everton and Villa. Consistent without the constant demand for precision attack minded football. Win ugly more often than not. Sacrifice glory football for bread and butter results.
Harvey Dent: That’s not Tottenham. And it never will be.
Two-Face: Guess not.
Inspired by the boys over at Glory Glory.co.uk
Monday, December 29, 2008 at 1:19PM As it's been mentioned everywhere else, it may as well be mentioned here. Allegedly, Redknapp and the board of directors have fallen out over money and 'arry has received a warning as a result.
Money? Relating to transfer funds or to do with money owed to him, is up to you to make up and post on a message board somewhere.
Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 7:50PM 
This may be the most important moment of your life. Commit to it. They took your Berbatov from you. They took your Keano from you. They put you in the bottom three and took everything they could take except your hope. And you believed that was all there was, didn't you?
The only thing you had left was your hope, but it wasn't, was it? You found something else. In that bottom three, you found something that mattered more to you than hope. Because when they threatened to laugh at you unless you gave them what they wanted... you told them you'd rather die. You faced the emails and jokes.
You were calm. You were still. Try to feel now what you felt then.
Try to remember the impact Harry Redknapp made. And hope he makes it again.
Ok, so plagiaristic introduction aside, it's time for another series of games that might help comfort us in the weeks ahead by applying more pressure to each league game as they take on a meaning akin to a Cup game. By comfort us, I meant shit bricks.
5 games. 3 of them at White Hart Lane, which should be an advantage, but considering our current home form, it's not. And if that isn't enough to be concerned about, take note that only the 5th game (against Arsenal) is against opposition that we tend to show up for.
Wigan, Pompey and Stoke are three teams that we've failed to beat this season. Bolton away is much like WBA away. We lay down and die. And now, ironically, these games are pretty much do or die. Dramatics aside, this is a good a time to buck up our ideas and get moving up the table.
Dare I predict?
Ideal (yet within the boundaries of reality) Results:
(A) Wigan ---------------- D
(H) Pompey -------------- W
(H) Stoke City ------------ W
(A) Bolton ---------------- D
(H) Arsenal --------------- D
9 points from a possible 15, giving us a total of 29. That will probably, depending on what the other teams around us do, leave us in pretty much the same position, which means after these 5 games, we'll have to have the same attitude for every single remaining game from now to the end of the season. But best to worry about anything post-Arsenal once we get there.
From the above forecast, Bolton away is the most likely to result in defeat, which makes 8 points the minimum. Obviously, all dependent on Spurs bothering to play for a win. As we saw with the Challenge Spurs™ series of games, usually, the points came from games you least expected them from. Let's hope for some surprises in our favour.
Two home wins and anything but defeat against Arsenal is IMPERATIVE. 15 points is what they should be aiming for because 15 points will genuinely make the following 5 games less stressful. Although every time Spurs get comfortable, we drop back into the mire again. But rather the 15 then nothing. You know, what's in the bag is in the bag.
These next five games is all about Spurs, Harry and the players, showing us their worth. I guess they did that against Fulham and WBA, but I'll allow for a second chance before I start mapping out routes to Blackpool and Plymouth.
Wouldn't be Spurs if there wasn't any heart palpitations, so hold onto your hats.
I'll eat mine, and I'll shave my head if we win all 5 games.
Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 6:16PM You know me and match reports. Hate to go over what everyone knows already, so if you want to make your own unbiased judgement best to brave it and watch MoTD (not that it's ever unbiased) or read several tabloid and broadsheet reviews and just find the middle ground in the way of analysis and settle for that.
Spurs forums at the moment are probably best avoided. I know the ref is getting some flak, but it's weak to have to deflect towards the man in black, when the men in light blue failed to impress. Although Harry is getting it in the neck from some. We'll come back to that in a moment.
Player review:
Gomes - On form with some great saves, but still a moment of comedy or two mixed in for larfs.
Corluka - Average compared to recent performances.
Dawson - Average, defended well in places, but is it really necessary to resort to Championship hoofing of the ball? Or is Daws getting in some practise for next season?
Woodgate - Our best player. Doesn't have an off day too often, but one man won't win you a game.
BAE - Played reasonably well, then got sent off. 10 out of 10 for the hairstyle.
Bentley - Fucking shit. Like any of his previous performances. He might have mad skillz when star-jumping for the camera or adding highlights to his hair, but he is incapable of taking a set piece of doing anything else of note. Once again, rather than attempt to play the basics first, he attempts to be the superstar. Brings nothing to the team. Can never beat the first player.
Modric - Struggled. Outfought in midfield battles and his performance suffered for it. None of his quality passing evident today.
Jenas - Textbook invisible man. Now you see him, now you don't. Not as bad as Bentley, but surely after several years of waiting, JJ will never achieve this alleged potential he has.
Zokora - Another MIA. Some would say he's been on form in recent weeks, but today, disappeared without trace.
Lennon - Best offensive player, and not too shabby with defensive duties. The only bright spark.
Bent - On his own upfront. You can't blame him for being isolated.
Special mention: Bale. It must be haunting him now.
I'm sure everyone is asking the same question, but exactly what's wrong with O'Hara, Boateng, Campbell etc who find themselves sitting on the bench or worse, whilst the likes of Bentley, Jenas and the rest get selected every week?
Some would say Bentley is struggling due to Lennon's form on the right hand side. Lennons form, by the way, isn't down to Harry as he was our best player under Ramos. And Harry took his time in selecting him as a first choice.
Other's would point out that the likes of Bentley, along with Modric, Bent and Pav do not become shit over night and that these players will deliver consistently. Yes, we as ever, over spent on all of them, but they are players who can peform to high standards. Getting them to do so is proving tricky. If any one knows when exactly the fateful day might occur, let me know so I don't miss out.
There's no doubt we would be dead and buried had Ramos not gone allowing for the arrival of Harry. But playing Bentley every week is down to the manager and playing one up front is also down to the manager.
I'm repeating myself again. But that happenes with the obvious. It's so obvious, you wonder how it gets repeated over and over and over again. And you keep having to refer back to it.
Until next time.....
Sunday, December 28, 2008 at 5:35PM Challenge Spurs™
Games 11 and 12
(H) Fulham 0-0 draw
(A) W.B.A. 2-0 loss
The Dirty Dozen final points tally: 18
Total Prem points: 20
Position: 16th
Having got ourselves out of the bottom 3 we appear to be reluctant to escape further away from the mire. No gap is forthcoming between us and 18th place. Where as others have managed to leapfrog mid-table and sit in a far more comfortable position nearer the UEFA Cup spots. There's still not too much in the way of pts difference from bottom to topish (8th place), but if form continues this way then the gap that will appear, will be the one we don't want.
Yet another Christmas where Santa fails to empty his sack for us. Instead, we get a limp excuse of a performance and zero satisfaction. Scandalous. 1 goal in four games, and it seems that Harry has forgotten the magic of man-management and is failing to get this misfit of a team scoring again. Wasn't a problem in his first few games, but appears to be one now. The solution?
£16M Bent + £14M Pav = £8M Bellamy. The mathematics of Tottenham.
Man City will outbid us there (thankfully) and Defoe is possibly on his way to Chelsea (or City, depending on what rumour you wish to believe). I've got to be careful not to go off on a tangent here but seriously..........Craig Bellamy? Yes, I get it. He's scoring, which is more than we can say for our lot, but the player is injury prone and an utter misery of a human being. Harry apparently succeeded with getting Levy to make the bid. What happened to the ambitions Daniel? Bring back Comolli. There's 1000 players better suited than having Bellamy spearhead our attack. Remind Harry that he can aim just a little bit higher.
The Fulham game was boring and lacklustre. What a surprise there. Dominated the first half but failed to do much in the second. Today's game against WBA was sluggish, and if there's a team that will ever so subtly lay down and die for shit opposition its Spurs.
I don't believe in Father ChristmasWe lacked any inspiration or direction or tactical initiative. Does Harry actually do the latter? Or is it always a case of asking the players to run around a bit and hopefully get lucky? Yes, if we didn't have BAE sent off, it probably would have finished all square, but what is it with these type of games that the players always fail to fancy? We never appear capable of mustering up the urgency to get something out of it. Arsenal or Chelsea away? Sure, no problem. No matter how shit we are. WBA away? Nah, maybe....maybe next time.
Harry failed to do any after game TV interviews (at the time of writing) and he didn't look best pleased after the Fulham game, so hopefully he'll get the message across (again) to the players in time for the next Prem game. And hopefully he'll do some soul searching with regards to his tactics and formation/selection. Because it's no working.
FA Cup next up followed by the Carling Cup semi-final. I almost don't want these games because they feel like they're in the way of the bread and butter league matches.
The Dirty Dozen - Challenge Spurs™ series ends in..........failure. Only 18 points from a possible 36, well short of the 22 point forecast, and we find ourselves above the bottom 3 by the skin of our teeth.
Where has the good fortune and good form gone? Has Harry been found out? Have the players believed too much of the hype from earlier performances, all exaggerated in comparison to the shambolic form under Ramos?
Suddenly, that olde relegation dogfight, the genuine one - not the flirting of recent weeks, is a possibility once again. Three points off 20th place. Seven points off 8th. Our current run of results reads as: L W L W D L D L
That's far from being sexy. Our up and coming games:
(A) Wigan
(H) Pompey
(H) Stoke City
(A) Bolton
(H) Arsenal
Dare I say it. 15 points up for grabs. 12 is the basic minimum required. IMO.
There. I said it.
I'm not going to knee-jerk. If you go back to when Ramos was still in charge, many overly dramatic Spurs fans (is there any other kind?) had already adjusted to future life in the Championship. It does look likely now that we will finish around the 16th - 14th positions. Which means its going to be a case of always looking over our shoulders, one week to the next.
There are still teams around us who are in worse shape. Granted, they all appear to have fucking won this weekend, but it will swing back the other way next week. But, and this is a knee-jerk of sorts, I'm not discounting the fact that teams who believe they won't go down because they think the teams around them will, are the very teams that get tagged with the 'too good to go down' tag, and end up getting sucked in, and then don't quite know how to get out. So for me to say it does 'look likely now that we will finish around the 16th - 14th positions' is the exact type of attitude that will drag us back into the bottom three.
Redknapp might have saved a team or two in the past, but he's also managed to take a couple down.
If we lose at Wigan and fail to win at Pompey, then we'll be bottom 3, possibly even bottom. And with 18 games left, there's not that much time left to start getting it right.
It's now all down to Redknapp and Levy to make the most of the Jan Sales and for the players we have to start earning their wage.
It's down to Redknapp to let our millionaire players know they are well and truly in a relegation fight, and losing 2-0 to WBA does utterly nothing for confidence for fans.
Is scoring a goal such a scary thing to do? Stand up and be fucking counted you daft cowards.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 2:10PM AGM big news was about the new stadium with the designers unveiling their first 'artistic impressions' of what the ground and surrounding area will look like. Firstly, thanks to the numerous people who were present at the AGM who have reported back on Spurs message boards about what was discussed.
Here's a brief run down of what was spoken about during the meeting, which also included a cameo from Harry Redknapp.
- The Tottenham 16. Spurs will be speaking to the FA and Hampshire police about this in more detail. Donna Cullen stated that the FA meet-up is planned for January. The club have raised concerns with Crimestoppers and the whole 'racist' element believing (and rightly so) that fans have been misinterpreted. No shock that the only reason action has been taken is because Judas made a complaint.
- Harry made a cameo, pulling no punches, and probably got up Levy's nose in the process with his assessment. Which is music to my ears. He said the squad is not good enough for Top 4 ambitions. Thank the lord for the reality check. I guess that makes the fact that we apparently don't plan to spend big in Jan a bit worrying, but then, we've never made the top 4 with all the money we've spent, so maybe it doesn't matter that much. If we start signing players of quality (that don't cost tens of millions) we might see some progress with less of the superfluous. We're not as good as Villa according to Harry. Don't disagree with that. He also said he almost joined Newcastle. Phew. He also touched on the basis of his managerial wizardry (telling players when they play well and when they don't) and also had a special mention for Ledley (makes all the different when he plays). Scored high with the classic 'I use to watch Spurs as a kid' stories. Of course you did 'arry.
- No option to waive dividends to shareholders (4p a share). "Don't cash the cheque" is the advice from Levy if you don't want it. Hardcore.
- Regarding the stadium, there will be a second consultation in January. What pleases me at this point is that the pitch will be 4-5 metres closer to the stands that at other comparable stadiums (like the pikey one for example). Capacity will be between 55,000 and 60,000. The theme and concept of the stadium is based on 'flowing lines' which is based on Tottenham's flowing football. Riiiiiight. Well thank God we've picked up a little on the pitch, because designing a stadium to look like a sack of potatoes (based on form earlier in the season) would have failed to ignite the imagination. There is currently no date for completion, and the planning application will be submitted next year.
Some images:
Looks pretty much like most modern-styled bowl stadia. But it's what's inside that counts most. - The club is receiving a "six figure" sum for being involved in the motor sport sponsorship deal. More money under the bed for Daniel there.
- Apparently we are not a big enough club for our own television channel. Other clubs have media partners on board or are "heavily subsidised". Thank God for that. Last thing I want to see is an excuse for David Bentley to star-jump his way through more TV time.
- We have (according to the presentation), 100 scouts worldwide. Yes. 100 scouts. A frigging army, with notepads and pencils. Scouting what exactly, I don't know. If these chaps reported into Comolli when he was still knocking about, then I suggest we get rid of all of them and start from scratch.
Inside the new Spurs stadium. Old skool ground for the purists.- Oh hold up, that might actually happen. Apparently this summer an overhaul of the scouting network will be begin. Begone Comolli Agents! It's going be like that scene in the Matrix when Neo fights hundreds of Mr Smiths. Except there won't be any sunglasses and kung-fu fighting as such, just phone calls and P45's. And Levy as a bald 'Neo'? I can taste my own vomit.
- No right to buy clause on-loan Campbell from Man Utd, and he looks set to return in January. Which is fine by me, because it means we will HAVE to bring in someone for sure.
- Usual mix of random questions about prices, European travel, the Berbatov transfer saga, lack of 28/30 kids shirt size availability.......I'm sure Levy was sweating. There were also some feeble attempts to justify the farcical way in which tickets are allocated for European games and booking fee hikes were also brushed off.
So, same as usual. Some positives. Some spin. And no real hard hitting questions asked. I've been banned from these AGM's for a number of years now, after I throw my shoe at Levy. Bloody infidel.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 8:10PM Julian Dicks, Tony Cottee, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard Senior, Danny Dyer, Russell Brand, Ray Winstone, The Krays, Phil and Grant, Jellied Eels, Burberry, Lego castles, Knees up mother brown, Dick van Dyke, Nigel Winterburn, Scott Parker, Green Street, lasagne, Carlito Tevez, The Academy of Football, Frodo Baggins....can you hear me Frodo Baggins? Your boys took one hell of a beating! Your boys took one hell of a beating!
Spurs with the better chances (Pav hitting the post being the closest we got). Second half, we were resolute and determined. And simply better in every way in comparison to the little team from Green Street. Aaron 'I really do have some end product' Lennon crossing for Ledley 'my knee is knackered but I'm still better than most' King who duly headed the ball downwards into the ground and over the despairing reach of Rob Green. The second goal came from a counter after Gomes brilliantly saved twice (first save was good, second was actually down to the ball being struck straight at him by DiMichele, but let's just reveal in the moment) and off down the other end of the pitch we went where O'Hara hit a sweet shot giving Green no chance for the second time in the game.
Why so serious?Pav. Played upfront on his own, didn't hold up the ball that well but you could argue that hoofing the ball to him isn't the cleverest of things tactically. He's a bit slow which became more than apparent when the pacey Bent came on. Much better suited in a 4-4-2 where he is more likely to cause a bit of havoc 'running around' alongside Darren.
West Ham's new academy players did little to impress 
Carlton...Cole....I can't look away.....help me...
West Ham's norty mob, in their mannerChallenge Spurs™ - Stats Update
8 Played.
5 wins.
1 draw.
2 defeats.
16 points.
4 games left in the Challenge Spurs™ Dirty Dozen series. When I started this, the challenge was as follows:
For now, tilt the head ever so slight upwards to stop the nosebleed.
Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 1:07PM 
It's been a while since I quoted some stats from the Beeb, so here we go:
Harry Redknapp takes his new Tottenham charges to West Ham, hoping they will retain a 100% record for him. The 61 year old has won every Premier League game at Upton Park as an opposing manager since leaving the Hammers, where he was in charge for seven years from August 1994 to May 2001. Portsmouth won there 2-4 in March 2006, 1-2 on Boxing Day 2006 and 0-1 on 8 April this year.
Spurs, who are on course to retain the Carling Cup, need a victory to draw level with West Ham on points, but they're yet to win a London Premier League derby this season.
Gianfranco Zola's Hammers have followed a six-match winless run, with five points out of nine, a three game spell in which as many clean sheets have been kept.
This being Spurs, you can throw out omens and previous history, as nothing is ever certain when we clash with the 'ammers. And with 'arrys return adding an extra spark to the game (for their fans) I'm sure this will be anything but boring. After the disappoint of losing to Everton at home, and with Utd next weekend, 3 points is imperative™. Losing to them is probably on par with losing to Fulham. An annoyance. And its something best avoided considering we are just above (or arguably in) the mire.
12 miles apart geographically, but I've always fancied Chelsea, Arsenal and even Leeds more when it comes to hatred. Their insistent obsession with us is all abit stalkerish (they seem to hate us, like Arsenal, support West Ham in that order).
I know certain minorities from both sides like a rumble now and again, smashing up pubs at 6am, but I've always liked their players/teams and style of play. But I get it, if you lived in the vicinity and supported Spurs, then you'll have grown up surrounded by West Ham fans, so I can see how some of our fans hate them as much as Arsenal.
Meet any Hammer and they will tell you Spurs are not a big club - sure, we're not, but we're still a bigger club than West Ham - which I guess is what they dislike hearing. They seem to discount the fact they yo-yo between divisions, never win anything and brag on about how they finished above us that one season. Trevor Brooking header aside (my earliest footballing memory was celebrating the goal in the back garden), they won the World Cup (or maybe that was a Russian?).
Their finest recent moment was stopping us from getting to the Champions League. But I've always found that I get more defensive when Arsenal fans bring that up rather than a Claret and Blue. I do know that some Spurs fans hate losing to them, much like Man Utd hated losing to Southampton away many years ago.
WHU v Spurs is the biggest fixture in their calender, which is why they paint their faces and sing 'Bubbles' with so much more intent when we visit Upton Park. But fucking 'ell, leave us alone. We've had to contend with Chelseas love for just as long, and the itensity when we play them is far greater than when we play the Hammers. Also, a horrible little place to visit, with the over zealous police and foul-mouthed fans.
Modric plays, we win. If he doesn't, its a draw or something Fulhamesque, which will result in much open bus parade and street parties I'm sure.
Will Harry keep up his 100% record?
Will Spurs manage to win a London Derby?
Will Zola's inform Hammers hammer Harry?
If it breaks their lickle hearts to lose to us, then I'm more than happy for them to get spanked. Tune in Monday.
Friday, November 28, 2008 at 11:19AM Not been blogging much this week thanks to mainly travel and smoking crack.
So, this is the week that was (in no particular order):
We won away. 1-0 against NEC. Wasn’t vintage stuff but we played pretty well against a not so strong Dutch team, allowing us to bring on a couple of youngsters (welcome to Obika & Mason) for their debuts late on. O’Hara from a header in the 14th was enough to take us to the brink of qualification. 7 wins in 9 now for Redknapp’s Tottenham.
Are we taking the UEFA Cup seriously? At the moment, we can't. We don't have Pav or Corluka available and the Prem is still the priority. Risking it all for European glory when we are still not really out of the mire would be fools gold. Saftey by Feb, then we can try and win a Cup.
Every player under the sun is being linked to us. Which is no different to most lead-ups to the transfer window. I’m sure the old and trusted formula (Spurs + New Manager x tabloid gossip = Agent Profit) will always win through and having wheeler-dealer ‘arry at the Lane means that there’s deals to be done.
So step forward Adriano, Elano, Cavenaghi, Tymoshchuk, Downing, Podolski, Balotelli……it’s an endless list. And it’s not even December yet.
Tony Parks is our new goalkeeping coach. I think. Actually is this official now? (I’m so on the ball this week).
Hutton is out injured, again, and from the looks of it he'll be out for several months. Thought he looked like a cracking player (going forward at the very least) when he first joined up with us. Looked a mess since returning from his first lay-off, so hoping he returns to a team in winning form next time round and has some of that upbeat confidence about him. His error against Arsenal that resulted in a goal sums up his season. He's been a bit off colour.
In other news a female steward who looks after Block 35 has accused a Spurs fan of making a racist remark. Apparently she lip-read him from distance. 30 yards away. This incident occurred in the midst of the usual ‘Please sit down’ instructions barked by Levy’s foot soldiers. The bloke made no such racist comment, so my message to the steward is best to stop attempting to show off your abilities of reading lips from distance. You’re obviously fucking shit at it. Accusing people of racism is a big deal and just because you are employed by the club doesn’t automatically mean you are right especially when you’ve made a mistake.
I’m sure there’s more for me to talk about.
Simon Clifford (known for his forward-thinking Brazilian Soccer Schools in the UK) wrote possible one of the stupid, bitter and ridiculous articles I’ve read by anyone, for Setanta Sports. But then again, writing a column for Setanta isn’t exactly going to result in masterful and insightful literature. The emphasis on his piece was that even Mickey Mouse could have success at Spurs with the players at his disposal and that Ramos failure was to do with language and the lack of communication meaning that players failed to react positively to training and tactical ideas. He manages to also get a dig in at Kevin Bond, stating he relegated Bournemouth but fails to mention their point’s deduction. And then turns his attention back to Harry saying he wasn’t really that responsible for bringing through the young players at West Ham. Which might be true to an extent (Tony Carr was the Hammers academy director at the time) but the very mention of it is obviously there to serve its purpose at ‘aving a go at ‘arry.
Clifford is a great youth coach. But he is obviously hurting over the clashes he had with Redknapp over training concepts whilst at Southampton. For all of Clifford’s apparent genius – it appears he prefers to write twisted words rather than offer his services to a Premier League team and work side by side with a top class manager. Simon is manager of ‘15th in the UniBond First Division North’ Garforth Town.
And just for the record, we’ve had plenty of Mickey Mouse managers over the years and they all failed miserably.
Challenge Spurs™ preview up next.
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 3:30PM Ramos
Football. Keep the man-management simple because footballers are children at heart.
