In Tottenham we trust

My head is pounding, gut churning. You know how it is with man-flu. Fathers amongst you will appreciate that in the first year or so of having a baby you tend to pick up any cold/virus they pick up. Probably a lack of vitamin c on my part, but I appear to be sick without fail every 5-6 weeks. Or perhaps I’m not sick from a bog standard bug and the baby is just a patsy. Perhaps I’m just depressed and I don’t know it.

Lack of summer sun, lack of summer transfer activity.

Sure, we’ve had the Modric saga slapped down like rolled up newspaper squashing a fly. Luka supposedly said what he said. Levy responded and closed the matter. Whispers of a possible statement from the Croatian, but nothing yet. Perhaps there’s no point in one although it would silence the vultures of the press if he came out and said something pro-Tottenham – ending any further sequels to the first episode of discontent.

New kits out. Love ‘em, hate ‘em. Seems like there’s an unwritten rule which must state something like: We shall not release the perfect kit, instead we’ll retain some imperfections with random streaks of yellow just to make it look like some thought went into it. Sponsor pays money, sponsor has right to include their logo on kit, but would be nice if both sponsor and club found a middle ground where they would share a celebratory drink with style. Style, for the record, does not include yellow or a bold font.

Then there’s the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust. You know who they are, right? Quite a few of you do but it’s always up to someone else to remind you, to give you a poke of encouragement to take a look when you’d have probably missed it altogether.

I had no idea they meet with the club on the 14/06/11. I missed a tweet earlier this afternoon that would have linked me to the minutes made live on their site today and only found out about it because someone gratefully left a comment on my blog. Considering the questions asked and the answers given, its information that should be far more reaching. You know, neon lights and not a candle in the wind.

Blogged earlier here highlighting some of the minute but now I have some available time to run through a couple of things that stand out for me.

If you’re on Twitter, follow @SpursFuture for the latest on the stadium developments. Their website is here. Look out for some news they plan to share tomorrow.

Stadium

“The Club is very busy behind the scenes trying to make the NDP viable”

Pretty much what appears to be a very positive message given in the meeting. Either that or a PR friendly ‘we’ve not dismissed the idea of the NDP’. The issue still remains one concerning public sector grants. The project still weighs in at around £250M - £300M leaving it with that not viable tag currently.

You do have to wonder what the committee discuss every week when it's obvious nothing changes from one to the next.

Have we looked elsewhere? Yes. But the land near Tottenham Hale is equally not viable due to the expense of purchasing it and countless surveys and God knows how much more time would have to be spent on proposing design, affect on the surrounding area etc etc.

We appear to be stuck in limbo in terms of direction. The club are at least investigating an increase in any proposed capacity (along with market research for corporate hospitality) but no movement (as you would expect) on naming rights and the supermarket deal. No stadium means we can hardly have a sponsored name for it.

As for the Olympic Stadium shambles, the legal challenge is in process. End of July is when Levy and co will find out the result of their complaint. I guess this is the back-up plan, be it one rooted deep in fantasy (if Levy honestly thinks he’ll get anything over-turned he’s mad). Then again, it’s not about over-turning a decision, you would think it’s more about making a point in how the decision (recommendation) was made.

The point being, we (the club) we’re used to force the reattainment of the running track and the OS legacy via the publicity of our bid in comparison to the one made by West Ham United. Considering how voting went, it was a blatant stitch up. Not that I have any complaints about it. Say no to Stratford all day long. But from the minutes the following leaves me a little cold: “Uncertainty remains that NDP will ever become viable”.

Add that quote with the following: “DL advised that he has no preference re stadium he just wants a stadium solution whatever that may be” – and we are back to the question of geography and history against revenue and progression.

There’s no time-frame on any of this, which makes me question the whole premise of the NDP and it's contingency plans that would have been in the original discussions the club had when outlining the ground redevelopment. To quote the past, if the OS never existed, if the games were to be played in France next year...thus no OS...where would we be looking towards now?

Club suggests we lobby DL David Lammy, Boris Johnson, the Sports Minister and the Local Authority 'to constructively point out the benefits that would accrue to the local community from providing some Public Sector grant support to the stadium project'.

Game of tennis.

Transfers

Nothing we don’t know already. We need to ‘trim the existing first team’. No sh*t Sherlock. We’ve got enough deadwood to reconstruct the Great Fire of London. Get the impression Danny boy is always looking to make a profit on a player bought and then sold on. Which might see us getting unstuck with one or two turning away at the thought of paying what our valuation is for the likes of say, Robbie Keane or Wilson Palacios. Selling players who no longer fit into our plans will also aid with the wage bill.

‘There will be activity this summer’.

Set your watches for the final ten minutes on the last day of the transfer window. No, hold up don't fret, it’s just how it all works. Deals only kick-off in domino fashion when everyone gets desperate as time runs out. Levy states he understands why there is a perception but it’s not deliberate.

Phew. I was going to suggest we only have a transfer window of 2 days in the middle of the summer for all clubs to do their deals in. It will be akin to Wall Street with loads of chairman waving their hands around in the air screaming and shouting. Robbie Keane will no doubt be in the thick of it, signing for at least seven boyhood clubs who would share him across the course of a season.

Levy cites wish lists and clubs working through them. Perhaps it’s best to just cross out the ones that are unlikely or just start from the bottom up. Unless Carlton Cole is at the bottom of said list. Let’s be fair, I don’t think it’s an easy job to do. As long as we do have a wish list and we aim to work through it with urgency. Problem can usually sit with the opposing club who might want to hold off for a bigger fee. That’s not to say I will be forgiving if we don’t sign what we need to sign this summer. Have to be decisive.

Interestingly, the manager puts forward recommendations for players and the chairman and board of directors discuss taking into account long term financial implications. Actually, that’s not that interesting. It’s quite traditional. Although obviously Levy does a bit of work on the side (i.e. van der Vaart).

The hypothetical situation outlined (during the meeting) in terms of when the chairman/directors would say no to a proposed deal relates to a big fee for a 30+ player with little chance of re-sale or the possibility of a new manager taking over during the player’s contract who might not see the player as part of his squad.

Hypothetical or perhaps a clue to our not so far off future? I would hope the club look at certain potential players on merit of ability/experience and what they could offer in the way of leadership and that galvanising touch. Now say signing Scott Parker for £8M-£10M would fall into the ‘just say no’ category due to his age and the fact that Harry will probably not be Spurs manager beyond the 2012 season. It’s logical not to splash out such a sum on a player that wouldn’t even be first choice at Spurs (my two cents). But say, just for the hell of it, Drogba was available for £3M-£5M...would that not be a worthwhile investment? You wouldn’t get any money back on re-sell but you’d make your money back on another CL placement. No? That's the risk, gotta speculate to accumulate.

Finally, academy players. Lack of. Club are aware improvements are needed. Caulker gets a special mention, as many of us already hope he will be a special player for us in the future. We need more of this.

Harry and the Press

Brilliant side-stepping here. Harry calling fans idiots, accepted by the club as an inappropriate comment to make but it’s the fault of Sky Sports thus, mitigating circumstances, that Harry was given a leading question to answer. We’ve apparently spoken to Sky about this.

Harry loves the media, media loves Harry. Always the potential for the good and bad. Perhaps if Harry limited himself to only, say, 400 interviews a day...he wouldn’t slip up too often.

Shame the Trust didn’t ask why Harry persists with the disassociation (it’s always ‘them’ never ‘us’). I’m being petty now. We all know his only priority is to himself. I hardly care as long as he produces the goods next season.

Finance

We didn’t make as such from the CL as other English clubs due to the limited stadium capacity and restricted corporate hospitality. All links into the search for a NDP solution or a potential agreeable move to a new location that won’t fragment support. Although chairman is simply looking at the club as an entity, a brand and all that matters is that 60k capacity and plenty of boxes for the rich to swim in tubs of caviar whilst drinking unicorn blood from diamond encrusted skulls of baby seals. Because he knows in the CL (gotta get back there) we would sell out and the revenue would make us richer. If we’re 14^th now in the world (last time I looked) then it’s scary to think how strong we’d be with a new stadium.

But then, call me soft, call me a romantic...I’d rather it be just under 60K and built in N17. Tottenham is Tottenham after all. Sorry, I want my cake and I want to eat it.

Kit and Sponsorship

Reason for delay in release of kits? To coincide with the shirt sponsors launch of a new product. I honestly don’t think anyone is going to care about the launch of the shirt sponsors new product. Do football fans really take note of what's on a kit other than the badge? I know advertising is just that but I didn't spend the 80s painting the walls because Liverpool were always on tv drunk on Holsten.

Under Armour from next season replacing Puma. Five year contract. Let’s pray they don’t include the random yellow streaks in their début kits.

That’s as much as I can muster.

Join me on Twitter because that's where I live.

Redknapp

Some general musings and observations from today.

Sky Sports News constantly running the 'Luka Modric wants to leave Spurs' story then breaking the Daniel Levy statement response and then still continuing to run the original story like it was completely irrelevant that the club had shut up shop over any possible transfer.

Harry Redknapp on TalkSport. Never listen to this station (I guess only idiots do) but tend to look for relevant interviews or sound bites when told to do so and our gaffer post-Levy statement gave one of his routine interviews to the station.

Read this article for a general overview.

Do you think he makes it clear enough that it's Daniel Levy's promise that the player will not be sold?

He's relentless with it. Okay, so Levy does have the power to buy and sell but once more Harry hardly endears himself with his disassociation tactics. Seems hellbent to get the message across that if anything hits the fan it's not going to projectile from his backside. It will be Daniel in urgent need of Imodium.

But then it's no great surprise. Harry looks after Harry. He's hardly one to talk about loyalty. But clearly his agenda is to always come out smelling of roses so in case you've not quite grasped it: IF MODRIC IS SOLD, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HARRY.

@fizzyswizzle

Daniel Wynne of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust was also on TalkSport and mentioned how he believes Harry should be more positive about the club when speaking to the media. The same Harry that uses 'them' when referring to us? Disassociation tactics, invisible divide...no matter how you wish to describe it that's how he operates. At least that's how he began to operate last season when the pressure was on. Said it many times, he does great PR that will always appease his pals in the press but he can't quite master the relationship with the fans when things get a little pricky.

I agree with Wynne, Harry needs to be far more positive. But to do so he has to be consistent. I lost count of the times last season when we were in the race and out the race according to Harry. He don't half contradict. He talks like a consultant to THFC rather than our manager (to quote a nail on the head tweet). Perhaps that's all he is. Steady the shape, get us into prime condition for a younger more long term appointment post-2012.

Probably doesn't really matter what Harry says as long as he gets his message across clearly in the dressing room. He loves to have a word on camera, in a mic, so he's hardly ever going to shut up. So he'll continue to churn out the sound bites. Harry should have kept it short and sweet today.

Alas, just roll with the punches.

Love him or hate him, he's worked wonders for us. He has a chance to do so again this up and coming season.

Tottenham's Got Talent and the Daniel Levy connection

For reasons which will become obvious, I can't reveal my full identity.  But let me just say that, I am involved with Tottenham Hotspur and have many years experience within the football industry, at clubs and for sporting agencies.   My work involves close liaison with Daniel Levy’s ENIC (that’s the English National Investment Company) and, as a result, I have seen what goes on from the inside and this has left me increasingly uncomfortable about the integrity of Tottenham and particularly the workings of their chairman.

It's long been known that there is quite a degree of "wheeling and dealing" at White Hart Lane (You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5fwFba59lQ )  But press reports on "wheeling and dealing" are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to  ENIC’s manipulation of, not only potential transfer targets and the fans expectations, but also the media and hopefully, in this email, I can shine some light on the smoke and mirrors trickery of Levy.

Take the last transfer window as an example. Shambolic you’d think? No. It was expertly planned right down to the finest detail, nothing was opportunistic or desperate, everything was staged. Spurs purposely waited until the last hour to bid for Charlie Adam because they knew it would fail but at least the endeavour would gain press coverage, allowing Redknapp to perpetuate a ‘hard nights work’.

In the previous one, they were always going to sign van der Vaart. The player did not become available last second. Levy know a forward would propel Spurs into the top four, so avoided this and signed a midfielder which would generate excitement but also limit the team and confuse tactics.

It's no big secret amongst the fans that Spurs have been looking for a centre forward who could crack the top four push again, particularly in and around the penalty box.  At least that’s the illusion Levy has created to appease the hungry Tottenham faithful. The reality is, there were no true targets, just frivolous bidding and political statements where everyone pretended Spurs were busy trailblazing across La Liga bidding for anyone with two legs and an eye for goal when in reality Spanish club presidents gained kudos for rejecting bids for their star players. It was all pre-planned and agreed. A gentleman’s agreement.

So far in the history of Levy and Harry Redknapp, no one has ever signed who has not been a "buy then sell at profit" signing, and it does sadden me that, all those thousands of linked players, lining up via message board ITK threads, often behind a members only error message, are basically wasting their time. 

The directors at Spurs are not looking for the talented players, they already have those. The reality is that the producers are hunting out oddities, freaks and, I'm ashamed to say, mentally ill people, to act as amusing fillers on News Now. They are nothing more than made up transfer targets and they don't even qualify for medicals and work permits! 

It's quite disgusting and shameful really, how the board and Levy operate.  People come from all over the country, often at great personal expense, standing outside the Lodge waiting to see a major signing because they think Tottenham is a talented team missing one or two key signings that would stand them a chance of realising their dreams. 

I can tell you from the inside that Spurs is no more a "contender", than I am an astronaut.  Nothing is left to chance at Spurs, everything is micro-managed, choreographed, manipulated and planned down to the last detail including, the chaotic deadline day transfer madness and average obvious signings that can sometimes prove disruptive or warrant scratching of the head. Recent South African signings for example are simply there to aid the clubs promotion and awareness in Africa.

The ability to manipulate Sky Sports News opinion is vital if you are to control fees and indeed get the required transfer value for a player and an agreeable donation to the Tottenham Foundation. Levy sees this as essential to the success of the club and are very open about fact; signing and selling players of quality is impossible for an investment company if it purely looks to retain them and not sell them on for profit the moment their value doubles. if it was purely left to the fans, as Harry recently said  "They’re idiots".  Everything at Spurs is geared towards telling you who you we should be signing with misinformation and planted sound-bites with the media and sports writers, particularly via Harry Redknapp who acts as the protagonist for the chess game Levy is playing.  It's an art really, which they have honed to perfection and Spurs are now world leaders at.

The micro-management of Dimitar Berbatov’s transfer was incredible.  I was really quite shocked at how the club let him go up to talk to City when he was always going to be picked up at the airport by Utd.  From a starting point of wanting Berba sold, Levy had totally screwed Fergie in the process to the tune of £30M. But it looked like it was Utd and Berba controlling the destiny of the Bulgarian. Levy looks like he put up a gallant fight and looks better for it when he lets us know the money the club have received for the player. But what did we get in return? Frazier Campbell. Levy hardly interested in plugging the hole that was left. Money earned, job done.

In the present, as a footballer on the flanks, Gareth Bale has a relatively short shelf-life.   Levy knew he was going to have to hit the ground running to maximise Bale’s transfer potential, particularly if they go ahead with a planned sale to La Liga or Italy.

If you think Bale was bad during that run of games when Spurs failed to win with him in the side, you haven't got a clue.  With an "anything goes" attitude all morals have long since gone out of the window.  There  was no allowance for Bale’s age and he was expected to perform before he got injured which he did, rising hopes for his return. When he did, they then strategically played him in games that Spurs would possibly fail to win in order to generate negative hype around the player being jinxed, building up a body of disgruntlement. Then they pretended to offer him out on loan to other clubs, waiting patiently for BAE to get injured and then start Bale, first at left-back then left-wing. They always knew he would be a star, and this way it was rags to riches with an impact that has left the Welshman with a £30M+ valuation. The story its self, worth its weight in gold.

And if he gets exhausted, there's always some other youthful player in the Championship to pluck from a team right under their nose. I've seen it a million times.

Of course, once Bale’s pace goes, it's game-over and he will be commercially redundant for a few years until he re-signs for Spurs as a player in his mid-30s.  By the time he gets through that, the world will have moved on and his  fan-base will have moved onto the next big thing.  Will he make a successful comeback?  In my experience I'd say probably not. Because before Bale’s pace goes, he’ll have been sold to Man Utd or City. His return to Spurs will be nothing more than a sham, a player on his last legs earning a few more dollars.

I've also met Luka Modric privately a few times over the past couple of years.  He's a really nice bloke with a generous, warm personality and the most wonderfully cute, girlie-giggle.  There's nothing to not like about Luka.  He's a really sensitive soul and this comes across as him being a bit effeminate.  But in a world of thuggish chavs, Luka’s a real breath of fresh air really and a real delight to chat to.  Do I think Luka is gay?  No, is the short answer to that. Levy and Redknapp have got a lot to answer for in their initial styling and image for Luka

Like many Spurs midfielders,  Luka may have issues in coming to terms with sometimes having to play alongside Jermaine Jenas but in a year or so he’ll also be sold to Man Utd.  But right now, he's just a great midfielder...a bit different, I admit with the hair and the dainty baby elf type frame ...but a great lad just the same.

I hope Luka and Bale are not damaged by Redknapp’s tactical and formational shuffles geared to keep Spurs from a permanent spot in the top four, fortunately, history warns otherwise...but whatever, the genie is already out of the bottle and come this summer or next, their lives will change  forever.  Whether it's a good or bad experience being a superb player at Spurs in this day and age, only time will tell.  But as an football insider I have serious reservations about what is  about to happen at White Hart Lane and I doubt the home fans are ready for what's coming.

Thanks to my friends on Twitter and Facebook for getting this email out.  Without you my voice would be silent.

** If you want to help expose the lie which is Tottenham Hotspur FC and ENIC, please feel free to republish this article or post a link to it**

Anon
THFC

The Progression of Harry Redknapp's Tottenham

There's little point in drafting up a 10,000 word War and Peace blog on Harry's tenure thus far and how best we progress into next season. I say no point because I have the Bill Murrays since the season ended, what with a distinct lack of newsworthy commentary (other than our shared meltdown of the Modric media circus) it's ground-hog day every day if every day is spent looking back at how it all ended. 

Not a lot to chit chatter about until the window opens and the universe sucks itself into oblivion whilst we all watch on in agonising slow mo.

In the previous end of season articles (all linked below) I more or less stated what we all know has to be done.

Keep the spine of the side together.
Sign a forward(s).
Patch up other areas and let the deadwood go.

Hardly rocket science. More on the transfer window and the theoretical blueprint for success in the next article.

So what of Harry and his (our) team?

There will always be fragmented opinions on the 'miracle' Harry performed when he arrived. Yes, we were in a mess, but he only proved that back to basics man management was enough to get the players out of their disillusioned state and work as a unit. He stuck men in their rightful positions and got the best out of them. No complexities with the chalkboard. No language barrier. Plenty of mayo and Ketchup. We played for each other, in support for each other and with pride.

Sure, it wasn't the Houdini act Harry wants us to believe it was. But credit to him. You can hardly be critical. From the depths to the heavens. The desire to get into the CL and the manner we fought for it was like nothing we've seen at the Lane for years and years.

Okay, so it's never perfect. When is it? Much like it isn't at any club. Sure, we have a right to want more and shouldn't anchor ourselves just because it wasn't too long ago that we struggled with upwards direction. Ambition - it's imperative in the stands and in the mind sets of the players. Perhaps, the job of the manager is made easier if he was to manage expectations without the ambiguity and bloated contradictions.

Never them, always us. That's how it should be.

We'll always have our team under the microscope. We (the fans) always believe we know best and we also know it better than someone who has just a little more hands on experience at it. Get on twitter to see the evidence.

There's always been an element of circumstance and luck (Gareth Bale, almost loaned out/sold on). But on the flip side, as an example, he worked wonders with BAE. When he returned from injury to left-back, the new-born Bale discovered a brave new world on the left flank. The Rafa signing perhaps highlighting the erratic opportunistic nature of the transfer window and the knock-on effect which was positive and negative with hindsight. Perhaps reactive management isn't the best template to work from, but it's got us stable for the moment.

We still lack that bullying nature, that killer instinct and that fabled cutting edge. We didn't do too badly considering our handicap, but not doing too badly amounts to 5th and not 4th or higher.

We did attack Europe, defending with naivety at times, but that was more down to the fragile mentality of our players who had to grow and mature very quickly. Which we did. Individual lapses of concentration proved costly. But the dismantlement of Inter at home and the patient counter-attacking in the San Siro against Milan, a joy. We finished top of a supposed difficult group and did so scoring goals for fun.

Back in the league, we ended another couple of hoodoos.

We still find ourselves questioning formation and tactics. The van der Vaart conundrum and Redknapp's favouritism to what he thinks is best, the reason behind the lack of cohesiveness that damaged our points total. Far too many games at home drawn. A fine line between 4th and anything below it.

Last season we were underneath the bed sheets with lady luck. This season, we were alone, eyes shut and hands free dreaming about her. You make your own luck and we were far too often apologetic in our body language, never seductive and playful.

The over elaborated expansive play paradoxical at times with the one dimensional hoof.

The disappointment exists because we know we lost out on fourth when others were not exactly a millions light years ahead of us. They simply grinded out more results.

But much like the CL was a journey of self-discovery, the experience of handling both Europe's elite competition and the bread and butter of the league will serve us well as yet another building block of our progression.

The team has to unite once more. All the ingredients are there. Just need to spice it up with some seasoning and not look to over-cook it.

I'm beginning to think perhaps Harry's ego has been left a little bruised. He refuses to accept responsibility publicly, hiding behind sound-bites proclaiming our 'best season ever'. Telling us we haven't had it so good. It's how he works the PR. He's a self-promoter, always has been. He's at a big club which means he has to live up to the expectations he has actually carved out for us by bringing stability and performing at a higher standard - one that equates to the players we possess and potential.

He's mis-managed that a little. Too many sound-bites clogging things up. Too much on the defensive.

I personally think no matter when he leaves, if the club is left in a position not too dissimilar to the 2010 season (or the one that's just ended) it will be deemed a success. In terms of there being a foundation for someone else to hit the ground running. Spurs can not afford the overhaul ilk of transition we became accustomed to through-out the 90's and the early parts of the last decade. Although we were never falling down from a higher step, just constantly tripping over the first one.

Have we ever had it so good?

Truth is, we haven't. Well, we have, but not for a long time and only in terms of being able to look ahead and agree we can challenge for a place in the CL. Hopefully winning a cup isn't completely dismissed as an objective as it was this past season.

We are fragile (the fans), having had a taste of the top tier anything less feels like its a relegation of stature. It's emotional, slowly transcending from pretenders to contenders. We're in a state of positive flux, as are the teams around us (some arguably touching on the negative but hardly in crisis). Our perception of what is progression and what is stagnation is dependent on you and thus varies from one fan to the next.

So what are we contending? Depends on how Harry spurs us into the summer and the start of the 2012 season with support from chairman.

We are in good health. We need to tighten up and we need to rediscover that hunger. There is no need to look for inspiration because it's there already.

The top four.

Don't bother knocking, just kick the door down.

'Seasons End' articles:

Tinpots

Forward Failure

Midfield Majesty

In our defence

Anyone got a hymn sheet?

Another day another interview and another soundbite farting it's way out of White Hart Lane. This time Defoe complaining about sitting on the sidelines and how qualifying for the Europa League isn't a good idea because it would be too much of a distraction. Not sure how because to be fair to the lad he'd probably only get to play in the Europa League rather than the all important Premier League what with our imminent world-class forward signing (by imminent I mean 'for the love of God please').

Irony all over the place if he was to start on Sunday, a game where he might find himself in a position to score to take us to the hardly fancied Europa dream.

Defoe says no to Europe. van der Vaart says yes. Harry says no, yes, no, yes...depends on the weather.

We've lacked consistency on the pitch during the run-in which has cost us dearly. Wouldn't harm us to have some consistency off the pitch when people open their mouths. But I guess each to their own (agenda).

As for JD and his threat/plea. Had he not got injured, who knows? He did and he's struggled mainly because he hasn't always taken his chances and also because Harry hasn't always looked to use him. Possible argument that Harry has actually forgotten how to best use his favourite 'son', his mind on other selection and formation headaches. Don't think Defoe will ever improve on his current ability, but that's not to say that a decent pre-season and a run in the team wouldn't see him produce the goods again.

It's all very dependent on the ilk of forward we do end up signing and whether vdV will play just behind him or we opt for the more traditional partnership up front. The fact he's said what he's said (de ja vu) suggests as much as he references the buzz of playing for Spurs and the hunger he has...it's hardly the words of a committed player to the club. Just a player committed to himself, perhaps knowing deep down he just won't cut it any more. If he's weak in mind, then perhaps call his bluff.

Things Harry Redknapp will say next

First there was the epic “I'm going to go and commit suicide, it's so sad”. Then he delivered the punchy “99.9 per cent of people who go to Tottenham have loved everything they’ve seen. That’s all that matters” and the exquisite “They’re idiots who don’t even watch football".

DML and Spurs fans on Twitter present to you...things Harry Redknapp will say next.

"Bill Nicholson led this club to the double, but he didn't have the handicap of two points from eight games"

Speaking on Oprah Winfrey: "The reason the NDP is non-viable is because there's no room for my statue"

"Spurs fans need to wake up and smell the coffee. If I wasn't appointed boss they'd be sitting midtable in league one"

"I established the club in 1882. Some "Fans" seem to forget that..."

"When I left they had 3 points from 8 games. Triffic compared to where they were when I started"

"Spurs will not be signing any players from La Liga. And up after the break on Sky Sports News, Jim White will be with us"

"Top nine finish is superb for them, superb for this club. Remember, they were bottom when I arrived. Two points from..."

"Look, all I did was unzip and urinate in their direction. I wasn't technically speaking aiming at the home support"

"Two points, eight games, two points, eight games, two points, eight games, two points, eight games"

Harry on potential signings: "I like that Revisita La Norther Premier Hotpoint League. That's the standard of player we'll go for"

"I did tell the FA all about my minor indiscretions when I took the job"

"Yeah, he's a good lad that Tony Cottee. He'll be fantastic upfront with Crouchie with Billy Bonds slotting into midfield"

"I didn't lose today, they did, them lot. Spurs. Nothing to do with me is it?"

"What I'm going to do to celebrate 3 wins from 13 games? Not much, probably just go home and have a bacon sarnie and walk the dogs"

"Crouchie and Defoe, unlucky not to score. Not our day. England fans should be happy. Quarter-final? I'd have taken that"

"I love a bit of wheeling and dealing, it's what makes football proper"

#futurearryquotes

Ain't no pleasing you

guest-blog by Chris King

When is it no longer acceptable to complain? To moan about a service provided, an experience gained or an attitude presented to you?

What makes it unacceptable? Do you have to take in to consideration everything that has gone before – to apply a “mus’n’ grumble” attitude to everything you do – as hey, there is always going to be someone far worse off than you; someone below you – way below you.

When do you hand over your right to complain? As soon as UEFA doles out their 30 pieces of TV silver; or does it go back further than that – to Eastlands last term, to when Harry signed, to when Jason Dozzell went back east?

This is the picture currently being presented to Spurs fans – fans who feel they want to exercise their right to politely point out where the team has gone wrong over the last couple of months. To comment, complain even criticise (lick windows and howl at the moon as some in the media are suggesting us “nutters” do). Yet we are being reliably informed that we are clueless; that we have no right to moan about this past season – as this is the best it has ever been (since circa Sky and all that).

Swallow your penance, shut up and accept your lot.

But what if you are one of those book learning types; you know – those that can read. Can look at a set of results, the names in a squad; understand maths sufficiently well to add up points that could (read: should) have been gained against those clubs below yours. What if you then came to the conclusion that all was not right? That something had gone wrong; horribly wrong – and the slight swagger you presented to the world back in March – was now a hunched shuffle, which had you sloping back in to the pack – to where most believe you truly belong.

City beating us was no great shock last night – eggs, paper bags, and the geek’s even nerdy dad could have Spurs in a rumble right about now. Yet if you read twitter last night, or skimmed through the obituaries – sorry – I mean match reports this morning - you’d think we were just popping off cloud nine for a pint of milk, a decent keeper; and we’ll be back amongst the big boys before next season was but a few weeks old.

It was official – we weren’t allowed to complain. We weren’t allowed to pluck figures like one win in 10 (I appreciate it’s more, I just like round figures) out of the cold, hard facts. We weren’t allowed to comment on the apparent lack of desire at times against West Ham, West Brom or Blackpool. 

We weren’t allowed to question the tactical acumen applied to the team selection in those game, or last night – or the switches made, and the personnel introduced. 

Unbeknown to Spurs fans, a new law was passed across the land placing the penalty of treason on any negative comments directed at the Red Top’s new “King of Hearts”. Harry is lauded as a very good manager who had a bad run with a few dodgy decisions, sendings off, injuries – it was always someone else’s fault.

But what if we want to complain? What’s stopping us?

Well there’s the ever so slightly patronising undertone that we’ve been shockingly bad for so long that, To Dare – is apparently above us. We should be happy with the fact that we’ve beaten AC and Inter Milan – we’ve had a run in the Champions League that no one expected of us, and that we took our beating against Madrid like men.

If there’s a Spurs fan out there that can’t find a positive from the season, then there is a little more than something wrong with them – and in fairness, to those baying for Harry’s head, only Vicente del Bosque would get the sack after some of our European results this term – but there is no disputing that our season was derailed sometime in March – and if we can’t moan, then at least let us ask why it all went so wrong?

I don’t buy in to the notion that the European experience did for us. We’ve been all over clubs at times – West Ham at home, City home and away – and what have we got to show for it? If we can’t criticise Harry, do we point the finger of blame at Dear Mr Levy? – who is so cunning in his transfer bargaining that he left us a striker light, and gave us Pieenar – a player who appears to have left what form he had, back up in Liverpool – no doubt a victim of that gang that targets the prized possessions of their local players.

But we can’t moan – nor question. So what do we do? We do what all Spurs fans do at such times, we argue with each other. If no one is prepared to listen, we find someone to at least shout over the top of on the same subject matter; though for once, we all seem to be shouting the same things.

No Journos will return our tweets, opposition fans only see the folly in our arguments – we’re no longer the darlings – back to being the overly expectant, laughing stock we’ve been since the ‘80s.

If last season delivered the earth, this season promised the moon and the stars as well. There was, daft as it now seems - the faint glimmer that we might even be the club to take the title race in to May. Looking at our last 13 league games, the teams we’ve played and the points we dropped – would it really have been so daft?

Though I guess it is not really our fault. United, Chelsea and Arsenal are where they supposedly belong – City have bought their place at the top table, and Liverpool – well, they’re just the Liverpool of old; same efficiency, same manager, same reliance on the back pass to the keeper. So if it feels like we robbed ourselves of glory; chances are it just wasn’t meant to be.

So if you feel like moaning – ask yourself a few questions: are we better than we were under Francis? Have we enjoyed some fantastic European nights down the lane this term? If the Red Tops want Harry for England, surely he’s still the man for us, right? If we’d have won half of those last 13 games, would we be back in the Champions League next year?

Actually, don’t ask that last question; it’ll only cause you to question, to moan….. To ultimately, be wrong!

Chris King, a regular on the old Shelf and held a season ticket in the Park Lane Upper. He now lives in Leeds, where he spends most Saturdays trying to teach his daughter the words to Spurs’ songs. Writes for In Bed with Maradona and his own blog Northern Writes.

The anomaly festers

From March 2011 (Interim results and Chairman's statement):

The statistics will show how fiercely competitive the Premier League now is. We shall look back and be disappointed with our form against clubs in the bottom quarter of the table if we fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League at the end of this season. It has been in these fixtures where we have taken fewer points than any other team in the Premier League and this is the anomaly in what has otherwise been one of our greatest ever seasons.

How best to fix the anomaly?

Is the problem truly one that can be resolved by replacing our forwards with some of genuine world class ability? Or is there a general stagnation of coaching and ideas from Harry and his back room staff? Have we over-complicated formation and strategy? Not highlighted complacency quick enough? Are we perhaps going through the motions on the training pitch? Or are we allowing emotion to cloud our judgement? Victims of a lull of form or the result of degradation that has been festering for a while?

Redknapp got us into the Champions League. Whether this was an expectancy based on the players we possessed is something that's been discussed many times before (the thinking being it was hardly a miracle achieved). It's a fine line between success and what many would deem failure and this season, there is (even though 6 points separate us) not a lot between us and City. Even with the anomalies we could have made it back into the CL, still leaving us with questions unanswered whether Harry can once more reclaim an uncomplicated system, style and swagger next year without the odd anomaly holding us back.

With CL nigh impossible, it's now all assumptions around the fact that what we are seeing at the moment are issues that can not be resolved. Harry apparently distracted by the media game he plays, even though there hasn't been a season in his career where he hasn't taken part in it.

Next season is monumental. We took a risk on him in the first place and it worked. It's worth another gamble? Or not? As I mentioned in my last blog, it's a collective failure this season. But then such a failure always rests on the shoulders of the gaffer. Then again, it depends what you class as a failure. You might be content, much like Levy might be when remembering how he cited that CL would not be possible season in season out. Which would point towards another season of Harry at the very least.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Harry Redknapp. What does he do exactly?

Morning. I'm sort of back. My absence? Call it a creative lull thanks to ill health and lacklustre concentration. Not had the time to write. Doesn't look like I've missed much. Michael Dawson with another rallying (worrying) battle cry pre-match. Have we actually won a game after he's attempted a Churchillian speech? Talk about the validity of Europa League qualification continues. Bill Nick would have taken it, I'm sure. Then again, Bill Nick would probably have got us into that other competition. Also there's the transfer tittle-tattle which continues to link Modric and Bale to moves away. Lennon to Liverpool another firm favourite.

I don't mean to be disparaging to other football websites, but linking X player to X club(s) hardly warrants coverage after the 200th time. God help us when the season is over. It's going to be a summer of absolute nonsensical BS drowning out our every move. We wont be able to breathe. And that's just the return of Big Brother. Let alone what the wonders of the summer transfer merry-go-round will bring. Fergie tap-dancing outside the Lane. Redknapp signing ten relegated West Ham players. Jenas, five year contract extension.

Shame there's no such thing as a stasis chamber.

Tottenham is burning

Dear Mr Levy,

As you gleefully play your lyre, singing arias whilst watching the death and destruction as Tottenham Hotspur burns to the ground as you look down from the comfort of your own personal Maecenas...ask yourself, when the fire is extinguished...who shall you blame? Who will take responsibility for this calamity? From the ashes, will you build on the devastated land a palace for your ego and eunuchs? Will you blame us, the common man, citing Stratford as a catalyst?

Or will you be overthrown?

What’s that? It’s too late? This is fidelity? It sure is. Faithfulness to your own beliefs to the bitter end.

I can only hope Chirpy is caught in the fire too. I think he’s best served up on a plate with a dab of jerk seasoning and Piri Piri sauce. You see, much like my feathered friend, I have a permanent expression of comedic shock on my face. Is this really happening? Are you truly sitting back in your throne eating grapes and watching this despondency and dismay play out before your eyes?

Why do you not listen to the people and their cries for help? Even your soldiers show discontent with their general. But that’s the crux of it isn’t it? You appointed the general yourself having removed your second in command. No more director of football. A wheeler dealer in his place. But we’re not fooled, then and now. We never wanted him in the first place. Any half decent coach would have kick-started our season when we sat bottom of the table. And now, two seasons later, we look set to return to the mediocrity that almost engulfed us. We are stagnating. Sideways stepping when it’s abundantly clear we should be 10, 12 points better off.

When you look for your scapegoat and make an example out of him be sure to remember that the blame should be shared between the both of you.

You for sticking with him and him for making nothing stick.

Where would you like me to start? How about I just throw one or two statements of facts your way and see how much of it you manage to catch? You may need to place your lyre down for a moment.

Two transfer windows and not an inkling of a world class forward. Instead, we’re left rotating the three stooges whilst we try to accommodate a midfielder who is best played centrally but is instead used in the hole in a tragically flawed 4411 formation that rarely proves to be fruitful. If we had two proper forwards signed in the summer along with a fully-fledged right back, a central defender to cover expertly when Gallas and Dawson are not available and in addition a new goalkeeper and better quality cover for Bale on the wing – we’d be challenging for the title. Instead we are struggling to remain in 5^th spot whilst being humiliated in Europe because we have no tactical astuteness to go to Madrid and get a decent result whilst multi-tasking the domestic games.

Don’t give me all this propaganda about the red card and Lennon’s illness. We should have reshaped comfortably and contained Madrid with the odd counter thrown in for good measure. I reckon a 2-1 loss, possibly even 2-2 was more than achievable. If José Mourinho was our manager do you honestly believe we’d have lost 4-0? Do you? Of course not. Harry proving he can’t hack it at the highest level, completely at fault for our surrender and capitulation. Perfect for England.

Let’s go back to the summer again and the New Year. The failure to sign a forward. We get offered a midfielder, rejected from his club, and we lap it up because how can a donkey possibly deny itself from taking a bite out of the dangling carrot? Everybody knows that if van der Vaart had not been signed we’d have been forced to play a traditional 442 system and Defoe, Crouch and Pav would have scored a bundle domestically and in Europe.

Then again, probably not. Neither of them are world class and last season’s fourth spot finish was nothing more than good fortune rather than managerial shrewdness. Because our manager, mugged in Madrid (a second time), doesn’t have the knowhow on how to beat the big teams and inspire the side when the going gets tough. It’s all sound bites with him isn’t it? We’re under achieving and he’s still trying to enforce a down to bare bones mantra to hide the truth and his deficiencies.

In the New Year we should have signed Carroll. He's have been fit and able round about now to make it for the push. £35M well spent rather than sitting in your bank account earning interest.

The form of some of our players has been down to luck and aided by circumstance and nothing to do with his man-management. Bale was always going to come good. Modric was always best suited for the middle of the park. BAE was always a decent left-back. It's more than obvious. The team picks itself unless the team picked loses meaning a different team should have been picked in its place to start with although if tactical changes are made they should only be referenced if they don’t work and ignored if they do work. But mostly they don’t. Which is why we’re 5^th with a handful of games to go and about to be (already) knocked-out of the CL in the quarter-finals.

We got rid of dos Santos and Taarabt – two players destroying their respective leagues with their new clubs, be it the former on loan the latter sold. We could have done with dos Santos mental strength and Taarabts composure. It's painful, the schoolboy errors witnessed. Painful.

We’re always playing our Plan B which means Plan B is in fact Plan A which points to the fact that if Plan B is Plan A then what is Plan B if Plan B is A and Plan A is actually Plan B masquerading as Plan A? With better players we’d be in are far better position than we find ourselves in.

We’ve done ourselves no favours with our European adventure which has simply papered over the cracks. What’s the point in progressing in the Champions League when we’re meant to be competing for a top four finish so we can qualify for it the following season? It’s all about the qualification, not the taking part. We’re never going to win it so why bother trying? It’s an absolute mess. And it pains me to witness my beloved club falling apart at the seams with bickering and in-fighting, dressing room afloat, lost in a sea of despair. What with squad trimming immediate, I expect us to lose Bale, Modric and van der Vaart in the immediate summer months – but we won’t fret as the profit will go towards signing that elusive world class striker leaving us with no midfield to create chances for him.

Disaster. Everywhere I look. Disaster.

You wanted back to basics? You got back to basics. This is football 101 and our ploy of ‘running around and kicking the ball a lot’ has finally collapsed in on itself.

The end is nigh. The fire started with a single match lit by your hands, Daniel, with further fuel added to the flames by Harry. It’s criminal that we’ve failed to compete with consistency and cohesiveness. We find ourselves in this position solely because of your mismanagement of the transfer windows and Harry’s player favouritism and abandoned first teams dumped out on loan. At least under Comolli we had direction, drive. All we have now is a manager winging it with battered feathers taking to the air for as long as a penguin can jump above ground.

Still playing your lyre, Emperor Levy? Your arrogance and self-preservation has once more destroyed all hope in N17. The blind leading the blind, you allow your general to march us into an untenable position and yet more failure. A battle that simply cannot be won. The dream is over. It's hart no longer white, but burnt black from the fire.

Play your lyre, watch us burn away. Watch us all burn away.

Yours tragically,

Spooky

Milan, revisited

Was meant to write up a match report of the Milan game but alas, I’ve been too busy celebrating the best 0-0 ever. Touring the saunas and lap dancing clubs of London can take its toll. And to be honest, in retrospect I’m not sure too much can be read into the manner of the game in terms of tactics and especially in terms of it being any form of marker of improvement or further maturity. It was one of those games that did not go the way we wanted it to, but adapted by digging deep. We might have to do that again, and perhaps next time find a way to turn up the tempo in our favour.

This side, under Harry Redknapp, is more than capable. They’ve proven that. It’s beyond dispute. Amazing considering how it all started with our Bambi foot-work away in the opening qualifier of our campaign. It was always about that gradual learning curve having to tap the vein of belief and inject confidence until our eyes rolled and we flew as high as a kite.

We’re equipped but we’re not going to win it are we? Actually scrap that question. What I meant was, we’re not the best equipped to win it are? So it won’t be humiliating or laughable when we get knocked out because we’ve made the quarters. Sorry playa haters, but as much as your bitterness drives you towards wanting us to fail, but virtue of our progress – it’s now impossible to do so.

Do I want the journey to end? Of course not. I want more. I want more twists and turns and more chronicles in the making. Only two games away from the semi-final. I guess that’s where Spurs fans irk the other fan bases, by being dreamers, by believing the unbelievable. Heart on sleeve, might be too giddy for some but for us it’s the way we live our football. Two games from the semi. Four from the final. So be it. We’re not going to be found out, just out-classed when/if we get knocked out. And there will be no shame in it. 2006 seems so long ago now.

As for the game. I’ll try and cover everything I had planned to in the match report.

Milan – Okay, so they turned up and played like the home side. Controlled possession with good passages of play. I’ve sat down and re-watched the game and for all the time they had with the ball at their feet and their desire to get forward and test us – they didn’t do that much. Two or three chances? Arguably none of them were clear cut. The Gallas clearance? That wasn't even clear cut thanks to how the ball travelled towards goal. I’d go as far as saying that a side with three better forwards would have punished us. I’m going to firmly state they flattered to deceive. Big whoop. The Zlatan Zeppelin burning to the ground in flames. Robinho is not that good and Pato, when in a good position fluffed his efforts on goal.

Now they might cry injustice, but they're in denial. We expertly mugged them at the San Siro in a game where they failed to truly make home advantage count. Gomes the hero in that game, our patience the key with our counter and away goal. At the Lane the only injustice is the suggestion that Ibra calls himself the best player in the world.

Now in terms of how we lined up and how we played, it’s tricky to gauge. Other than perhaps forming your own opinion and taking the sage of Harry in his post-match. We don’t sit back and soak up the pressure in Europe. We appeared to do so against Milan because I’m not sure we had much of a choice. The lack of genuine fitness from van der Vaart and no Gareth Bale from the start meant a couple of outlets of our play were not present. Lennon was doubled up on (personally thought he came through and produced some quality balls into the box the longer the game progressed). And because Crouch will eternally give away free-kicks simply because he’s tall meant that the olde knock-down double act with vdV wasn’t going to have a productive night.

All made more difficult thanks to Seedorf and his excellence and Milan’s midfield and their work ethic. We failed to hassle them back in an attempt to regain sustained possession and instead built a wall out of Brazilian bricks and named it Sandro, the Beast of the Lane. The graffiti clearly stating ‘not tonight, I'm going to give you a headache’ with Milan attempting to get past it and failing time and time again, reaching for the paracetamol with the tick tock of the clock as the game worked towards its conclusion.

As pointed out by a keen follower of South American football, we hardly signed him from a team of Sunday leaguers. He played for a top side in competitive games, not unlike the ilk of Champions League. The kid has taken time to adapt to the pace of the Prem (I say adapt, it’s still early days with a handful of appearances) but even during the appearances made he looks assured, confident and believable as a defensive midfielder who can play the ball a bit (no Huddlestone) can tackle and can get stuck in. He’s robust and simply doesn’t look unfazed by much.

Our performance, our initial drive towards how we wanted to play might have been to hit Milan down the flanks and put them under pressure but having been placed on the backfoot, I think we dealt with them pretty well because the players wanted it and were therefore completely focused at completing the task. If we were not going to score, neither would they. Even with the odd error or scrappy clearance thrown in for extra nail bites. What we didn’t do is change it or attempt to change it, not until late on with the substitutions. Risky, but it worked out.

Gallas, Dawson also excellent on the night. Gomes, ignoring his walkabout, handled very well. Corluka was calm which makes me less nervous than having Hutton at right back. BAE did a job too. Modric had one of his ‘quiet’ games, it’s the type where you might at first glance think he was ineffective. But once more he recycled possession (when we had it) and worked hard covering plenty of ground. 90% pass completion from the Croation. No major link up play with vdV, a player I long to see at even 85% full fitness, something I’m not sure we’ve witnessed yet. Piennar, not box office but another hard working display. Would Niko have worked on the left in a game where grit was required because there was no apparent time for spark? Lennon our main outlet, even when constrained by the double-up, gave us some rest bite.

It was not an offensive Spurs performance by any stretch of the imagination. It was a forced defensive one. Crouch could have should have headed that second half chance at goal rather than across goal. Not enough of the ball out on the flanks which meant not enough of anything in forward positions. High hoofs to Crouch, one dimensional, at the sixth and seventh attempt but one out of desperation to get the ball up top to release the stress at the back – only to give the ball back to Milan.

As mentioned, Harry made the right subs late on. And also, as mentioned, Milan for all their posturing did nothing decisive when it mattered. Other than fall to the ground hurt time and time again. Nice one KPB and Robinho. The ex-goon also showing more of his class with another trademark lunge.

Team unity got us through it.

We have dismantled teams, bossed it and scored goals in abundance at home in the CL. This time out, it a test of character and perseverance. No matter how you wish to analyse, the fact remains, two games against one of the best sides in Italy – and they couldn’t score past us. Luck? It wasn’t luck that saw us finish top of our group was it? Doesn't matter if Ibra is over-rated or that Italian football struggles when played at a Prem rate of pace. We out smarted them in the first leg. That's what won it. That's what they can't get over.

I'm still smiling.

COYS.



Not Tonight Sandra, I've Got A Headache

guestblog by chrisman

Sandra Redknapp is going to have a lot of time to catch up on her knitting over the next few
nights, because her husband Harry has a case of what's commonly known as 'selection headache'. Usually he's a sexual tyrant, but recent events have given him a bit of a 'narky miff' and left him unable to 'smash it' with any real conviction.

Now that we've all calmed down and had a chance to think about Tuesday's Triple Epic-Burger, a few things are becoming clear. One fact, lost in the ethereal San Siro mist, was that it was our first away win in this season's Champions League. Actually, it was only our second away win in the competition, ever (the other being over Feyenoord in 1962-63).

More importantly, the win was based on the defensive stability that served us so well in reaching the Promised Land in the first place. These may not seem like things that would normally give you a headache, but when Harry starts thinking about why we were suddenly so solid, he might come to some troubling conclusions.

So what was different from the away days of Bremen, Enschede and Milan last year? The obvious answer is that the Gallas-Dawson axis is now in full effect. But that doesn't explain the often-frantic defending and lack of shape and discipline against Sunderland, Blackburn and Everton (to name a few). Nor does it explain it's absence in Milan on Tuesday.

Sure, the players raised their performance levels for the big one, but if there is one thing you can't really accuse Spurs of these days, it's lack of effort in the 'smaller' games. The commitment is there. But the stability of last year is not. King has been a big miss, but we have a good replacement in Gallas. Huddlestone's absence has been more keenly felt, simply because no one has been able to adequately fill his shoes. Until now.

Sandro, please step forward. You are the man to pick up the gauntlet laid down by Big T's vastly-underestimated defensive displays. People tend to throw around, in a willy-nilly manner, all kinds of comments about Tom's defensive abilities, or lack of them. 'He's slow, lumbering, lazy, a big girl's blouse'. Well willy this nilly - he's a bloody good defender.

We sometimes forget that he started life as a centre half. He has an ingrained defensive nous that other midfielders will never have. He instinctively knows where the centre-half wants him to be. He knows how and where an attack is going to develop. He knows when to tackle and when to jockey. And as well as Wilson and JJ have played at times this season, neither of them will ever have any of these abilities. Physically, they have it all. Technically, they are excellent. Mentally, they lack that extra couple of percent of discipline, concentration and decisiveness that separates very good players from great ones.

JJ and Wilson are both at their best when they are running, and using their fantastic pace and athleticism. But when your main role should be as a shield to the back 4, it's often best to restrict your movement to a few square yards. To really work effectively as a unit with your 2 centre-backs, you have to be close to them and move with them. JJ and Wilson are too erratic and spasmodic with their positioning and movement. Both could potentially work well in a 2 or 3 man midfield, but with someone to sweep up behind them and allow them to maraud around the pitch.

Sandro on the other hand is at his happiest about 5 yards in front of the centre-backs, ready to make a challenge outside or clearance inside the box. When people talk about the Makelele role, they usually associate it with passing and starting attacks. What they often underestimate is the selfless and disciplined nature of the role. Rarely should you pass the halfway line (an attitude people criticize Big T for having). Even the full backs can get forward more. Sandro loves doing that grimy, filthy defensive work.

Against AC Milan, with Sandro match-fit, bedded-in and playing well, we comfortably repelled their attacks. Ok, there were a couple of headers, but we followed the tried and tested template of last season - sit back, let the defenders defend, and hit them on the break. Apart from the 2 headers, Gomes was untroubled. We kept them at arms length on the edge of the box. Calm, controlled, clinical. The compact triangle of CBs and DM could not be penetrated by the trio of Ibra, Robinho and Pato.

So where from here? The easy answer is 'straight ahead', with a simple tweak of swapping Palacios for Modric. But will Harry be willing to effectively have Sandro do a double-leapfrog over Wilson and JJ? Or will he be a bit sly, and with a nod to pragmatism 'rest' van der Vaart and go with JJ or Wilson in the middle with Modric, and Sandro behind?

In reality, if we're only playing 1 up top, van der Vaart needs to be in the team - if fit. That leaves 1 space in the midfield alongside Modric and van der Vaart, and considering  you want the magical pair to have as much freedom as possible, it makes sense to play a disciplined, selfless player with them. That player is Sandro. There are, however, other options....

One idea I'm sure Harry has toyed with is playing van der Vaart in a wider role. Van der Vaart excels most when he has space and time, and he doesn't always find that when playing in the congested central area with big bruising PL players. So moving him to a wider starting position may give him more room to pick up the ball and use that murderous left foot. He played wide right in some games earlier in the season and it worked. It could easily work again.

Another positive for this formation is that Lennon is apparently pretty comfortable switching flanks and cutting inside with his dribbling. So you get 2 great creators out wide, and 3 solid men in the middle (Sandro, Modric, JJ/Wilson). Essentially all you are doing is swapping Pienaar for JJ or Wilson, and in doing so are giving yourselves more speed and power in the middle to give your match-winners more freedom to win matches.

Despite all of this, I'm sure it's also going to be hard for Harry to resist the temptation to re-unite Crouch and Defoe up front. Blackpool will obviously come forward and leave us lots of space. Defoe could bag a couple and get his confidence back in time for the run-in. But will loading the strikers and leaving the midfield relatively bare (Lennon-Sandro-Modric-VDV) play right into Blackpool's hands?

The pragmatist in Harry surely will not allow him to be so gung-ho, and that means dropping one of the seemingly undroppable trio of Modric, Lennon and van der Vaart. All logic therefore points towards a 5-man midfield, but then again Harry's feelings for the Defoe-Crouch partnership have always been about more than mere logic. It's just something he feels comfortable with. But on recent performances, both from the team and Defoe individually, it seems the days of the 4-4-2 may be numbered, especially away from home. And since the next 2 games are indeed away from home, Harry is going to have to make some tough, emotional choices.

Sandro, Palacios, Jenas, Modric, Pienaar, Kranjcar, Lennon, VDV (edit: not so fit). That's 8 fit and on-form midfielders. Good luck Harry, and Sandra...call me.