Congrats to Harry...good work fella

36 league games. 18 wins. 7 draws. 11 defeats. Scored 52. Conceded 43. 1.69 points per game average.

14 cup games. 8 wins. 3 draws. 3 defeats. Scored 34. Conceded 17. 73% won.

Trffic.

Congratulations to Harry Redknapp and reaching 50 games as Spurs guv.

We play with balance and structure. With intent and style. Players playing for each other. Players playing in their strongest positions. There's some guile in there along with plenty of pride and passion. And when we lack these virtues, we bunk up with lady-luck. We are professional when faced with lesser opposition (was that another 5-1 victory last night?) and regardless of the disappointment of the last two league games, there's no doubt we will look to make amends with Burnley visiting the Lane on Saturday.

Harry has made us consistent. More focused. Still plenty of work to be had. We have injury issues at CB. Another CM is required. Set-pieces need improving. There are players that may or may not be here cometh the end of the next transfer window. As much as we need to develop a siege mentality to get us through games against the Sky Sports elite clubs, it wont happen over night. We just have to keep working at it.

Losing to both Utd and Chelsea might hurt, but one step at a time. If we beat everyone other than those two we'd do just fine. Points won against Top 4 clubs has never amounted to much in our overall tally. Not dropping points away and at home against bottom 10 clubs is the foundation to build on. Nothing insightful here. Just the plain obvious. And that's where Harry has worked so well. Unlike his predecessor who made a mess of selection and tactics. And ex-legends who tried to play a brand of football that the players were not capable of. Harry and his 'run around a lot and kick it in the net' philosophy. Who'd have thought, hey?

Beating Arsenal and Man City however is something I'd love to see us work towards.

Roll on. More of the same please.


--


Sol Campbell. I've read some pretty ridiculous things in the past day, posted by Spurs fans trying to justify to themselves how re-signing him would actually work regardless of the 'history'. Granted these remarks were made on message boards. And there's no reason to even entertain them. But I'll do so anyway. As a general FAO to any simpleton who still harbours some demented perverted desire to see this Benedict Arnold don our colours again.

Reasons for an ear-bleeding inducing unequivocal 'no'?

Firstly, he lied and left us for them lot on a free and followed it up by genuinely believing he did nothing wrong and believed the abuse aimed at him on his first return to the club had racial connotations and nothing to do with anything else.
Secondly, he's quite obviously not quite right in his head if he's signing for a club then quitting a game later. It's a trend.
Thirdly, he's not as good as people assume he is, much like the obsession many have with Patrick Vieira. Just because you performed well in the past doesn't mean you still can today.
And finally, only the first reason above is of any worthy consequence in a discussion about whether we'd take him back. It's not even a discussion, it’s a dismissal and slap across the back of the head for person suggesting it.

Only a very small minority are whispering their opinion on what would be their theoretical approval of welcoming back 'Mr Tottenham Hotspur'. The reality is altogether different. Harry knows he'd ruin what he has with us if he attempted to bring him back. Levy wouldn't even consider it. But the greatest fail-safe is that the player himself is probably telling people he'd never return to Spurs because of the way the fans have treated him since he's left.

I'd rather we sell Modric to Utd for £2M and re-sign Gary Doherty and play him in central midfield as our playmaker.

Cheeky bid for Gary Neville?

Been discussing attitude recently on this blog. My favourite statement at the moment is "No siege mentality, no determination to right the wrongs..." - a testament to the difference between us and the likes of Man Utd and one or two other clubs up there at the top. Carrick, when he left us for Old Trafford, was critical of the acceptance attitude at WHL. Players accepted defeat, it was something that didn't appear to hurt players enough. Harry has been citing Gary Neville's reaction on the sidelines during the City game as an example of togetherness. Players on the bench that kick every ball and celebrate every goal.

It's a constant wanting to play every game and win. Defeat is inexcusable. Carrick also famously cited how players sat in a comfort zone, with some not wanting to show up others and there was almost a culture of under-achievement on an individual basis, which obviously works its way through the team - so the overall mentality is one of mediocrity. This is all very much a generalisation, but I'm not alone in thinking we've been powder-puff for far too long, without leadership and guile. Far too many ego's. A stepping stone, an arena, where you prove you are decent enough to look upwards at a CL club to swoop in and poach.

Harry has began the process of change. Team spirit has evidently improved, be it on the pitch or on the bench. One or two sulky faces still persist, and I guess it's here that we lag a good light year behind the likes of United. But to achieve something akin to what Fergie has done at United is not exactly a peace of piss. We still have players who think as individuals rather than part of the collective of the squad. The more you win, the more unacceptable defeat becomes.

I love 'arry because he talks straight. No nonsense. Ok, so he talks a lot and has an opinion about everything, but what he does well is see what we see, rather than shrug and state that he's been left scratching his head.

How do we exactly go about building this mentality? How do Spurs players become Spurs fans? Easier said than done. Fergie's empire began in a different era of football. The fact that the Top 4 site in their thrones means that there is always another level for the modern player to aim for when he plays for the likes of Spurs, Villa, Everton etc.

I guess its partly up to us to support the team vocally - as ever - and Harry to gradually change the mind-set of the players. Losing has to hurt more than anything. Not that it doesn't (for us), but the players have to feel sick to see points lost.

Signing players like Wilson Palacios is how we work towards it. Players who work at a tempo that inspires others around him to match his tenacity. When we see the first example of a siege mentality then we can begin to smile a little more and the players - having experienced the very fact they can lift their game to a higher level - will know that if they can do it in one game, there is no excuse to fail in the next. We need a couple of giant personalities in the side that have an unnerving warrior stance out on the field, barking out orders to players, encouraging them and giving them what for if any heads drop down. It's the type of confidence that flirts with arrogance.

Every opponent should be treated the same. No discrimination. Go out there and pull the fuckers apart.

Vieira? Again? Harry is scaring me

Read this first. Ok, so let's summarise:

• We are "short" in midfield
• Lack of options are "scary"
• Three CM's are not enough
• O'Hara likely to return on Jan
• Interest in Patrick Vieira was "genuine"

I can't decide which one scares me the most. I'd say the continued and persistent obsession with Vieira is slightly ahead from the apparent realisation that we are lacking an additional CM. Considering we sold 2, sent 1 on loan and flirted for the entire summer with several targets, you'd think stating the obvious would simply illustrate our failure. Unless this is textbook Harry using ever so subtle kidology to get the best out of the bunch he has.

Reality is we do not need another CM. I know most are expecting Sandro in the new year. New breed Brazilian. Rather than run-down no bite Frenchman. Am I missing something with Vieira? If Harry does rate him and does think he can do a job, then that makes a lot of people - a lot of Spurs fans wrong. He looks spent for Inter and hardly ever plays. And when we all thought this horrific rumour had died a death, Harry goes and mentions his name not long after the former goon is saying how he thinks he can work well with Redknapp. How many days till the window opens? Don't answer that.

As for the rest of Harry's comments about being scared and lacking options...I don't think we need to fret much. It's a small compact unit, sure, we might be shagged if someone like Wilson gets injured but we spent the whole of the summer discussing this and hoping for an understudy to be signed, so lining up excuses doesn't interest me.

Between now and Jan, Hudd and Jenas can go about proving to Harry and us they can do a job - a proper one. And the CM we do look to sign in the new year is one that finally lays this sodding conundrum to rest for good.

Anyone missing Comolli?

You'll have probably seen Kevin Prince Boateng bemoan his time at Spurs having been signed by Comolli then apparently told by Martin Jol that he never wanted him. A perfect illustration of why the director of football and the big jolly Dutchman didn't work as a partnership. But then we always knew that Comolli seemed to sign the players he believed would work with Jol rather than signing the players Jol wanted. In essence (according to Levy) that's how it was meant to work. DoF is responsible for the coach. Which is why the Ramos apppointment ended the Frenchman's time at the Lane. If Jol really told KPB that he 'had no time for him', then it's a shame. Waste of our money, waste of our time and has done nothing but stagnate the young lads career. He might be an average player regardless (time will tell) but from his perspective, it sounds like Jol was using (or not using) Boateng just to prove his point to Comolli.

The DoF should have been there for support for the manager/coach. Rather than Comolli deluding himself that he was the big boss and Jol was nothing more than the bloke who trained his signings.

Refreshing to have Harry pick and choose who he wants.

How to beat teams and survive without Luka Modric

The club have confirmed that Moddle has sustained a fracture to his right fibula. That might amount to 8 weeks or more out.

With Luka, all the playmaking comes from his magical little feet. Dinking in from the left, dictating and conducting the midfield and forwards as we turn it on offensively. He is imperative to the style Harry has us playing. That’s no exaggeration. And it’s no exaggeration to also suggest that without Luka, the dynamic of the team drastically changes. He allows for our short passing game that starts out on the left hand side of the field, drawing in the opposition, then switching play to the opposite flank where Aaron stands with wide open space before him. Everyone in the team slot into their roles, combining effortlessly. It’s a style. And it’s one by virtue of what our wonderful Croatian brings to the game. He’s the link, the tick that allows for the tock.

So how do we compensate? How do we go about replacing him? Well in a word, we can’t replace the irreplaceable. Firstly, there is zero chance of us going out and signing another world class midfielder. It’s not an option because Modric will be back in 2/3 months. Another midfielder to cover Wilson Palacios would be the best signing we can make with the time left in this window. A secondary signing to cover the left would be dependent on what Harry decides, tactically, because compensating for Luka is something that can be done.

Our short passing game might suffer, but there are options. How effective these options will be and how it might disturb the balance of the team is something I’d have preferred not to see tested with Utd and Chelsea up next.

So, what’s the option?

Let’s say we don’t sign a left-winger and make do with what we have. One option would be to have Lennon out on the left-wing and David Bentley out on the right. Ideally, with Peter Crouch upfront alongside Jermain Defoe. Slightly different approach play required, but the idea is for Bentley to ping in balls to Crouchies head, and he should have plenty of time and space to do so if Lennon pulls players to his side of the field much like Luka does. Extra responsibility will fall onto the shoulders of Tom Huddlestone who will have to stamp his bulkly authority on the game, conducting play and tempo. But still keep an eye on defensive duties, avoiding any isolation of Wilson Palacios. Hudd has to lift his game to supreme quarterback status and sharpen up his range and passing completion. The question here is whether he finds the time on the ball to ping it around at his heart’s content. At the moment, Keane helps out the midfield, dropping deep. Dropping Keane might be detrimental to Tom’s performance.

Would Harry even consider dropping Keane to the bench? If he doesn’t it may well be Keane out on the left and Aaron remaining on the right (with Bentley still warming the bench). Gio might get a chance. Bale (when he returns) also. Unless we do make a signing. But a signing would mean further selection problems in a few months time. And Keane on the left still doesn’t help Hudd in the middle.

Complicated this is, no?

A lot of the play will go through the wingers and onto the head of Crouch. Plan B, with Plan A in rehab.

There’s still room for the short passing game even with Bentley and Crouch on the field of place. Balls to feet, Lennon running in on goal and Defoe sniffing in and around the box waiting for a killer pass. It’s not that shabby and not too far off the way we play now. We can still mix it up with Modric in the team. We’ll have to mix it up without him. The problem with the tactical switch is that we have to rely on Bentley finding form and doing so quickly and for Azza to fit in comfortably over on the left hand side. No reason why he shouldn’t be able to do so. The key is that he continues to ‘cut in’ and BAE offers a respite with his overlapping.

And there's Jermaine Jenas. Not sure what we do with him, but he's there as an option.

I guess, if we aspire to be top 6 or even top 4, we have to be able to adapt and players have to be able to take responsibility - rather than us place all our hopes on the shoulders of one lickle magical Croatian. How ironic that Bentley might reclaim past form from the depression of losing Luka.

As for the possibility of also losing Ledley King for a few games? Gulp. Although it sounds like he should be fine for the Utd game. Woodgate is also (apparently) back in training and should be available for the next one. Which would at least sort out the defensive issues.

Luka, get well soon buddy. Spurs, heads up, the quality is there to get through this.

The Saviour of Spurs

Dear Mr Levy,

You complete me.

For years you have been the Lex Luther to my Superman, leaving a trail of Kryptonite that has had detrimental damage. The Bane to my Batman, lifting me up in humiliation and breaking my resolve without a flinch. The Mike Ashley to my Newcastle, defecating in my bowl of corn flakes, day in and day out. You and your dark shadow that has blackened the Park Lane into unnerving darkness with no presence of even the faintest light. Until…until you had your epiphany. The moment, the one truly pure defining moment of your villainous Sarumanesque reign over my beloved club. The moment birthed from the depths of darkness where a blinding ray of sunshine cut up the night sky to shreds and turned it into a supernova of raining rainbows. You, the one responsible for the dread and the disillusion, changed the course of time its self.

One single decision that has enlightened and blessed us all.

You rid the club of the Director of Football structure, and as a consequence returned to simple fundamental basics. And saved us. Even though you left behind you a tapestry of mistakes that you were accountable for. They can now be brushed aside and forgotton about.

Daniel, I'm no longer in Kansas. And in front of me is a white and blue brick road leading us to the return of Technicolor glory.

I have preached outside White Hart Lane many times, disguised as a fundamentalist Christian armed with a megaphone telling passing supporters wandering down towards the South Stand that Jesus Christ loves them and forgives them. All ignoring my drooling monotonous ranting, laughing and taking the piss as they walked past. But I was influencing them and their thoughts, and they didn't even know it. Not willingly that is. Subliminal messages work in a mysterious way. The megaphone transmitted low frequency directives to anyone within 50 metres, penetrating their subconscious mind.

"Don't buy the Opus"
"Don't sit down, stand up"
"If we lose, it's the chairman's fault"
"Smoke in the cubicles"

Guerilla warfare against the oppressive dictatorship you stood for was a difficult and draining 24/7 campaign. I know people expect me to stand outside the West Stand main entrance and relentlessly chuck water balloons loaded with the contents of Pot Noodles at your passing car. Or shooting frozen shit pellets (do you have any idea how long it takes for me to make these? The diet I have to retain and the cost of refrigeration?) at board members when they're out dining with their wives. Handcuffing myself naked to the turnstiles and boycotting the Spurs Shop have served me well over the years and the country too, thanks to the generous amount of community service that her majesty has bestowed on me. Incidentally, that evening I was walking my cat (she was very domesticated) and it just so happened to jump over your gates and into your garden hence why your wife found me going through your bin bags. Cats do like rummaging for scraps. Anyway, the resulting restraining order was a little harsh, it has to be said. I'm considering legal aid, because I've not seen my cat since that day and your guard dog is looking suspiciously tubby. At least I was considering legal aid. It's all behind me now. The leaflets, the online propaganda. The effigies. All of it. It's in the past. I've forgiven.

Tottenham under Ramos

No more burning my season ticket in full view of the directors box. No more calls for others to do the same. Embrace your season ticket. Kiss it gently. Touch it in it's private area. Make sweet love to it. Whisper your unconditional loyalty, while you cheekily slap its sweet firm arse.

I am proud. Proud of the team and proud of your newly refined clarity. Many people go through life without a life-changing Darth Vader moment. You did. You have come full cycle, restoring balance. You are positively drenched in midi-chlorians, bringing with you a new hope.

And Jar-Jar Binks is nowhere to be seen.

When Comolli was axed, you were able to see the necessity for complications was redundant. No need for a continental structure when the most successful of clubs in England have done just fine without one. A traditional managerial appointment was needed. A man for the hour, a man for the immediate future. No 5 year plan. No lofty delusional assessments of our progress. Season upon season of transitional nonsense had rendered us null and void. A fragmented mess, disjointed. Beauty spots on a blemished face. Great to look at from afar, ugly up close. We had become the Paris Hilton of football clubs, believing our own hype thinking we are great and important. When in reality we had a stupid face and disgusting feet.

You did a brave thing. You made a ballsy decision. With the Spaniard sent home and the fans nervous about two measly points from eight games, the very foundations of the club began to shake. You remember that evening? I remember it well. I stood outside White Hart Lane, holding up a 'LEVY OUT 3:16' sign along with my 'THERE USE TO BE A FOOTBALL CLUB HERE' banner which I last held aloft just after the George Graham appointment. I stood there, tearful, waiting. And that's when I heard the news. Harry Redknapp. The new manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

A new dawn was upon us. I went home. Content. Happy.

The great managerial escapologist. Harry Houdini. Back to basics. English. And loyal to the club he's just joined until he's loyalty shifts across to his new club. And his new club was us. It was time for Tottenham to fight it's way out of the depths of the mire it had found its self in. And Harry was the man to lead us upwards. No more DoF interference. No more politics. No more misguided dreams. Get out of the bottom three and never look back.

Harry Redknapp's Tottenham

You read our predicament for what it was. A unmitigated disaster. Granted one of your own creation, and another Ramosesque appointment was an impossibility. Redknapp, man-manger extraordinaire, speaker of the English language, man of the media - the sound-bite king. This wasn't just about repairing the damage to the squad, the players confidence and the clubs non-existent stature. This was, in the most simplistic way, a relaying of our foundations, plastering over the cracks. The media love a bit of 'arry. The cynical might argue that this was a strategic stroke of genius, getting in a man who doesn't need to wait for a journalist to come knocking on his door. He calls them up. PR heaven. On and off the pitch. But who cares if the attention is deflected away from the chairman and onto the manager. Isn't that the whole point? You took responsibility for your actions rather than stand sheepishly behind a Frenchman.

Superfluous signings? Forget about it. Harry saw what was missing, what was needed and did the simple thing: Sign players that would improve the teams effectiveness. And you supported him. It would take 1000 Zokora's to match the presence of one single strand of hair from the head of Wilson Palacios. JD's return is proving to be inspired. Keane returned home from his sabbatical and claimed the captaincy. And in Chimbonda we made sure we covered our defensive line. In case anyone got injured. Or if we needed to cover anyone who required a rest. Not that we did. We did, but not that we had to call for Chimbonda's assistance. But it's not the winning that matters, it's the taking part. Which technically Pascal didn't do, well neither, but he was there. With us. In spirit. And that was the effect Harry had. He got the players working for each other and for the club and restored the pride that had deserted us.

And then the moneyshot, the reason why your decision to bring in Harry will go down in history as one of the great master-strokes of chairmanship. Escaping the clutches of relegation and coming within a whisker of European qualification, along with another cup final appearance was simply inspirational. It justified everything and made a mockery of the director of football mantra.

And this season, it's more of the same. Upbeat, positive and belief from the players and the fans in the stands. Good solid signings. Nine points, three games. Top of the Premier league. Free-scoring. Swaggering. Swashbuckling. Sexy. Harry has given us our Tottenham back. WHL is a fortress and away games are a blast. We all know of course that this - the present - is all Harry's doing with regards to results. So the real test is yet to come. The one concerning how we react to any minor (or major) blip in form - with nobody to blame as the responsibility will belong solely to him. The one about mental strength and staying power. And Harry is here to restore respectability and make sure the foundations hold strong. So that the next appointment is not a transition but a continuation.

You have learnt a valuable lesson in football. You need to walk the walk rather than just talk the talk. Appointing Ramos on the advisement of Comolli and Kemsley to take us to the next level displayed a lack of realism and a dollop of over-confidence about where we stood in the food chain of football.

We are now a team. A unit. A dolphin not a haddock. A badger not a skunk.

And it's because of you Daniel.

I can forgive your good self and Paul Barber for the travesty of the yellow-streaked home shirt. I can forgive you for the continued employment of that arrogant sonofabitch Chirpy and his sexual harassing of supporters (he touched my back once and just starred back at me, smiling. I felt violated). I can even forgive you for the commissioning of the endless supply of club DVD's chronicling score-draws.

You are forgiven. Unequivocally.

I want us to hold hands (metaphorically, as the restraining order still has me at 100 metres distance) and march together, forward.

The future is bright. The Future is lilywhite.

I have sent you a hamper of bagels and a lovely bottle of white wine (never red, right?)

I love you man.


Yours forever,

Spooky

To dare is to buck the trend

Another season is upon us. And it doesn't bode well. At least not if you take Twitter-gate as an omen. But I wouldn't fret. We usually attract publicity, whether it's sacking and hiring managers or prolonged transfer sagas. You just know with Spurs there's a story waiting to happen just around the corner, and usually it involves plenty of egg on face. Last season was an absolute melting pot of circus activity. We had a manager who could hardly speak a word of English and put as much effort into learning the lingo as he did with team selection (zero) and then blessed us further when he started appearing in post-match interviews to apologise for yet another woeful display. West Ham fans danced in the street showering themselves with mash and eels as they moved 15 points ahead and e-mails and Facebook groups taunted us with jokes about certain relegation. 50 page threads on Spurs message boards cursed us with grim mathematical evidence that proved we couldn't possibly survive. Knee-jerking had turned us all into nervous blithering wrecks. Suddenly every game would be a cup final. A must win. A do or die.

How did we fall to such lowly depths when in the not so distant past we were meant to be on the up? Or have we aimed too high when we should just accept that we've spent the majority of our Prem years mid-table.

The irony was not lost on any of us. Two 5th spot finishes under Martin Jol were meant to signal THE revoultion of hope and progression. The one we've longed for. But Carrick was never properly replaced and then we suddenly found ourselves slumping. Which was no surprise when we later found out the trouble the disruptive squirrel loving Berbatov was causing behind the scenes and that our esteemed Director of Football, Mr Comolli had decided that our big bear of a Dutchman didn't have the skills in his locker to take us to the next level. The devolution had began and one dizzying offer later Jol found out he was about to get sacked mid-match during a UEFA Cup tie. Yet more drama, the Spurs way. And then in came the new messiah who deflected the obvious problems with our league form with a rather wonderful League Cup run and win against Chelsea in the final, masking the decline towards the bottom three.

Blips and transitions is what we are famous for. Chopping and changing on and off the pitch in desperation, hoping to force success. Because, with hearts on sleeves, it's what we crave - to be successful. But impatience strikes us down each time. We're happy to watch our team play entertaining swashbuckling football, pushing the ball around the pitch with shirts tucked out swaggering like kings of yesteryear. We are traditionalists with romantic notions of how football should be played, refusing to see the ball spend more time up in the air than on the ground or bully and stomp are way through the opposition. But alas it's been our downfall too many times. It's a failure that we haven't been able to take elements of steel and blend it in with the flair. We are happy to watch our team play entertaining swashbuckling football, but we are not truly content to always see us nearly be good enough for more. Especially with the money spent. We speculate but rarely accumulate.

We continue to win silverware with every passing decade, flirting now and again with the top end of the table, but never building and progressing. We've lacked the mental strength in recent years along with metal strength in the backbone of our sides. The balance is never right and the weakness always obvious but never worked on. But still we are entertained and still we do our utmost to play great football.

So how did we get to the present in such good nick when we looked so doomed? You couldn’t blame most for our depressive outlook back at the start of last season, because we were so bad it was almost believable we'd perish. Too good to go down? We were so bad we deserved to go down.

When the Ramos chapter concluded with two points from eight games it was time for yet another appointment. It was bleak, considering that the Spaniard was meant to be the man to move us forward. A 'world class' manager who simply didn't settle with the English game.

If we were a TV show, we'd be a dark comedy on HBO. Gratuitous scenes and loads of swearing. A hit with some for the wrong reasons, and a miserable mess for it's targeted audience. With cancellation looking imminent, the producers had to take drastic action. In a surprising scene, the main character (Daniel) got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, he was surprised and confused to find that it wasn't his Spanish lover in the shower but instead a saggy faced East Londoner, who turned and smiled seductively at him and gently spoke one word:

"Triffic"

The ratings went through the roof.

Harry Redknapp turned it around.

• Logical selection based on effectiveness, form and tactics. Play our best players in their best positions.
• The re-discovery of pride in the shirt. Too often we accomadte players who casually stroll around in a comfort zone. No more.
• Belief. Even when you're dead and buried, it's not quite done and dusted. Ask Arsenal.
• Grit and determination. Working for each other and working for the team.

It wasn't always pretty and sometimes there was a massive degree of luck but we went from a hapless embarrassing mess to something that suspiciously looked like a football team. And from bottom we climbed out of the mire and back up to claim a little respectability.

In addtion, when the window opened, there was no longer any room for superfluous signings. In came Wilson Palacios - the type of player we have been crying out for several years. Defoe returned home. Less said about Pascal the better and Keane did have a postive influence when he returned (even though he has struggled since). But it all came together and the stat geeks salivated over the points accumulated under Harry. Our home record had returned to something good enough to crow about. And away, we began to dig deep when it mattered most. We almost nicked a European spot. All this after looking down into the depths of decimation.

And the summer months have brought us a distinct lack of the usual over-exuberant spending where we usually find ourselves throwing money at anything tagged with 'Player of the Moment'. We've plugged the holes that needed plugging. In came a couple of young lads from Sheffield United, for future-proofing. In came a striker for the one that tweeted his way up North to Sunderland. In came a centre-back to help support the walking wounded. Out went the reserves and academy teams inclusion in their respective leagues. Loan deals for the young ones who aren't quite ready for first team action. Others have gained a second chance to impress. Pre-season has been without the usual over-hyped delusional cries of intent (Roma were not available for a friendly kick-about). It's been understated. Twitter-gate aside. Sure, we've had a couple of 'we are good enough for Top 4' comments, but unlike the past the media have settled for us to challenge for 6th which is a far more realistic goal. The players have no reason to believe they are deserving of anything more and after last season they should all understand that you can't turn up and accept to win just because you all look good on paper.

Plenty of ITK rumours and players linked throughout, and as we approach the big kick off, there's still time to find the final piece to the jigsaw. Someone to add to the Kings, Modrics, Wilsons and Lennons. While others hog the headlines, we are quietly sitting in the shade allowing them to bask in the sunshine while we keep to the cool shadows. And when it's time to swagger, we won't be the ones sunburnt to a crisp. Patience. We'll have our moment in the sun.

We must not fear. We have to be as one, a unit, home and away. Working for each other. No excuses. Relentless, ruthless. With confidence. And with belief. As much as Harry loves a sound-bite, we need to do our talking ON the pitch. It's regarded as nigh impossible to break up the monopoly on a more permenant basis and nobody expects us or anyone else for that matter, to do so. But it's more probable than it was 3-5 years ago. A certain team in red and white the apparent weak link. Everton have proved it can be done. Us and Villa were not far of it.

But there's no point in worrying about others and their ambitions - we just need to concentrate on a continuation of improvement. No European games, so the league is an automatic priority. Compete and aim to defeat the Top 4 sides. Our record against them last season wasn't too shabby. And brush aside the promoted teams. No disrespect to them, but we have always been a soft touch when playing them away from home. Turn WHL into a fortress and look to play offensive football on our travels, taking the game to the home side.

Too often in the past we've failed to do any of the fundamentals (would be nice for us to finally look good with set-pieces). We've tried various structures off the pitch and had far too many managerial appointments. Harry himself admitted he isn’t a long term answer to our ambitions. He's come in to steady the ship and before he moves on his aim is to leave us in a strong position and not another transition.

Someone once said that it's better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we have set our sights very high, as a club with both the board and the fans. But claiming an echo of glory even in failure has become the bane of our lives. Aim high, don't ever change that, but get there through hard work deserving of a reward.

Stand up, stand tall and play like your life depends on it. Leave the soap opera and comedy for the other pretenders. I'm not naïve enough to dismiss how the modern game works. If we fail, and failure would be to finish anywhere below a European spot or perhaps to not taste a cup final, we wil stand nervously this time next year possibly without Luka and Aaron and perhaps even Wilson. There are one or two amongst us who would cite that we have to push for 4th. Otherwise Utd will once more pluck our very best, feeding off us with assured confidence we'll always be supplying them with delicious snacks leaving us once more starving with hunger. The perputal rebuilding exercise that haunts the chasing pack.

Pragmatically, if we play to our best and do so consistently throughout this season - we will take the position in the league that we deserve. Might be 6th. Might be 4th. The aim should be neither, but simply to excel as much as possible.

It's all in the attitude of the players and manager. We simply want the best they can give.

To dare is to believe.
To dare is to buck the trend.

To dare is to do.

Modric, stuck out on the left...

Are we going to sign a left-winger? Young? Downing? Anyone? It's the quest that never ends, usually because we are never looking, and it's a question that gets repeated over and over again and with each passing transfer window we are left empty handed and confused.

The only reason I care to mention this is because of Luka Modric. And the little matter of our midfield. At the moment he dinks in, drifts around at his heart's content, conducting play and creating havoc. All from the left-wing. I discussed this at length - click here to read it - and the conundrum was simply whether our Croatian wizard was better suited in the middle.

With Palacios now commanding the centre park, the protection is in place for Luka to slot into a more natural position for a player with his abilities. But there is no indication of what Harry is planning other than a complaint about Man City 'moving the goal posts' and being able to outbid everyone around them citing Barry and Santa Cruz - indicating we were interested in both. Which means we are still looking to bring in two players of similar ilk. Ignore his comments relating to not bothering to strengthing the side if we can't find players that would improve us (Harry mind games):

"I have spoken to the chairman Daniel Levy and we've decided if we can't get players who will improve the team we're not going to bother. We've already got a decent squad, many of whom are going to get better. But we recognise we have to improve"

Not a chance he won't get involved in some dealings.

a) Because he's Harry Redknapp

b) Because we DO need to strengthen the squad

A CM and a number 9 type of forward player are the current targets based on Harrys comments (if you read between the lines, and I know I might be reading way too much into it). He also mentions Glen Johnson, so it's possible we are also looking at the right-back position too. You know, because, we need one of them due to the lack of depth in that area of the squad since Pascal Chimbonda was involved in a training ground accident involving a tear in the space time continuum that sucked him into a worm hole.

Now I know I'm basing all this around the obvious and there is no clear indication, but I hope (and pray) we don't simply sign players just because they are available (regardless of their hype) and that we sign players that we need because they WILL improve the side.

Barry would have completed our midfield. Santa Cruz, I'm not too sure about. So maybe I've got that one wrong. All irrelevant now anyway.

Signing Barry would have meant Modric remaining on the left-hand side. If we do sign another CM, it's possible that the player will be a back-up (with Zokora on his way out). Whatever happened to the Scott Brown rumours? We've also been linked to several La Liga based midfielders in recent weeks, but it's all speculation - our tabloids repeating what their tabloids are saying. If we sign a major player for the CM role, then Luka will no doubt remain drifting in from the left. There is no real clarity and definitive ideology of selection based on the transfer rumours. But then I wouldn't expect that to be the case.

Not a clue about the 'number 9' - and whether we end up with a tricky goal-scorer or a tall/big/strong Crouchesque player. If we do sign another forward, then the Keane/Defoe issue will no doubt resurface.

And back to the left-sided question. Downing is injured and I'm not sure when he'll be back to full fitness - so signing him would still mean we begin the season with no left-winger. Anyone would think there's a shortage of wingers. It's gone quiet everywhere. Ashley Young too.

I guess one thing to be completely positive about is that we are not rushing into making any signings. Whether this is because we are waiting to sell players (or swap them) or because we are biding our time to find the right (left) type of player to bring to the club - it gives me the impression we are a little more calculating this term, than in previous seasons.

Either that or the transfer window is in a state of reverse flux, with clubs nervous about spending too much on the wrong player.

Until we make a signing, we won't know where Moddle will be starting. But at least he'll be starting in Lilywhite.

Will Spurs 'mix it up' with the Top 4 next season?

Nice little article by Fox Sports with Harry Redknapp. Read it in it's entirety here. My commentry below relates to the sound-bites/quotes Harry made during the interview about the work required pre-season with signing new players and  the aim to push forward with some intent cometh next season.

"We'll be needing a few new faces around here, that's for sure"

"I know the spine of my team, the players I build it around every week, but I also know that there are several places I need to strengthen in, if I'm going to get this team challenging for proper honours"

Indeed. Centre-back, left-winger, central midfielder and a forward. And possibly another midfielder to cover Palacios. It's actually tricky to know who we plan to bring in as we don't quite know who will be sold.

Centre-back - We've got King, Woodgate and Dawson. We need another young quality defender as a long term Ledley replacement. I'm not keen on Corluka playing anywhere other than right-back.

Left-winger - We haven't had one of these for a while now. Again, it's dependent on whether Modric is set to remain out on the left and drift in. If he takes a role alongside Palacios then the money spent on a left-winger will have to be more substantial. Otherwise, a young up-and-coming player who is ok with a little bench warming might be the way to go.

Central-midfielder - Huddlestone and Zokora may well be on their way. The latter almost certain to go. If Hudd remains does he do so as cover for Wilson or cover for the position alongside him? Jenas played well with Palacios so he may well retain that role but the never-ending argument is that he is simply not consistent enough or bullish enough to be first choice. Which means we need someone with balls as big as our Honduran Panther with possibly a little more creative flair. Gareth Barryesque would do. Everton's Arteta is currently being linked, although something tells me this is agent talk so the player gets a nice new contract at Goodison Park. Unless they're skint, I can't see why they would want to sell. Whatever happens, this is the key to our success next season. We need a proper central midfield pairing, one that might not match Utd's or Liverpool's intensity over 38 games, but it's got to be able to compete comfortably with City, Everton and Villa.

Forward - Once we know where Bent and Pav's future lies then we'll know what type of player needs to be signed. JD and Keane will need a big strong more direct type of forward (but not the over-rated Jones or Cisse) or possibly a player of Berbatov's ilk. No pressure then. We also need to promote an academy player as a 4th choice option. This is the one key area that has me slightly concerned. We can not afford to make a mistake here. Not after the circus of last summers red-face disaster.

Stating the obvious with the above, and obvious is head-ache inducing.

As well as the team has progressed under Harry we still left lacking in certain positions. Simply put we are decent with what we have but only 6th place decent at the very best. Football is no longer a fair stage and competing with the Top 4 is becoming increasingly difficult thanks to the stepping-stone factor that we have experienced since Carrick left us for Utd. Signing players of that type of (potential) quality seems to be redundant if the team doesn't achieve instant success with them in it. There is no patience from the players. And too right some may argue because they know they can compete at the highest domestic level. The irony here is that how can we ever push on if they don't try to compete for that level with us? Constant re-building means that we are never out of transition.

So Harry and Levy have to be spot on with their signings. Otherwise, if we do falter again, then the likes of Modric and Palacios will start looking elsewhere for the silverware their agents will tell them they deserve.

Think of it like this. Look at Everton. They've held onto some of their star players for a while, but they will never be a Top 4 club because they can't attract Top 4 players. I don't mean this in a derogatory way because we are much the same in that we can't keep hold of Top 4 players we sign who then leave us to actually sign for a Top 4 club. So the only way (and I'm simplifying this) to break free is to actually get lucky and break up the monopoly the first time of asking if not the second.

Not easy is it? And while we re-build each season, the monopoly get stronger and stronger.

"I was looking at a player who'd come pretty well recommended to me recently. I flew to Italy to watch him in a game, but after ten minutes it was pretty clear that this was not a player I would want to sign. All the signs were wrong."

I like this. Because under the DoF that player would probably have been signed on the strength of Comolli or some random scout. Harry has bought some duffs in his career. Plenty in fact. But as Spurs are the biggest club he's ever managed (sorry Green Street, but its true) the pressure is a little more intense so I'm willing to bet we won't see any risk signings. Obviously, the Chimbonda fiasco remains the only hole in the wall of faith.

"I definitely have no regrets. This is a massive club. Great fans, plans for a new stadium and a properly run business. That's not to take away from Portsmouth or Southampton or West Ham. It's just that Tottenham was the logical next step for me and has been a massive challenge so far."

When asked where his next port of call will take him:

"No, no, Tottenham is the end of the road for me. It's a big setup here and I had to have a go, but when this is over, I'll move on and focus on other things."

For a media-loving sound-bite friendly football man, where better to strut and twitch your stuff than White Hart Lane? He'll never be offered a job at a Top 4 club (yes, I get the irony) so this is as good as it will get for him. And at least there's no chance of him doing a Judas and leaving to replace Wenger at Arsenal.

Think the pressure next season will be altogether something different. They'll be no-one to blame if we begin the season badly other than the man in the mirror. Hoping our pre-season is luke warm. God have mercy on our souls if we thrash Barcelona at Wembley 5-0.

"I don't pay much attention to what players do on the training pitch. It's a bit like the horses. They can look sensational at the gallops, but not perform on the day of the race."

I guess Harry just means that someone who trains brilliantly might bottle it on the pitch. Which is strange considering that Jenas is meant to be outstanding in training and bottles it on the pitch. Actually, I have no idea what Harry means with this particular statement.

"Like I say a couple of new faces here and there and I think we can really get in the mix. Of course I have to be realistic about what Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea and the others can do, but I believe we can get amongst them."

Best we can do is 5th. That will be the same agenda for Everton, Villa and City. Other clubs will also look to push towards those European places below the top 4. We can't afford another disaster and waste another year. We have to compete. Like I've said before, 4th spot is only a possibility if Arsenal (or whoever) shag it up. But its unlikely. But not impossible. But it would mean our form would have to be outstanding at home and tenacious away. And this will be the result of the summer months and the master plan laid out by Harry to the players.

That master plan should simply be this: Forget about the Top 4 (Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal). Just get ahead of the teams (Everton, Villa, City) that aspire to be there.

It really is stand up and be counted once and for all time.

the truth is not quite out there at the minute

If you believe the tabloids Harry is considering selling Modric and replacing him with Joe Cole. Richardson is an £8M target and for some reason Gareth Barry is mentioned as a possibility when in all probability he is more likely to go to Arsenal. And then there's the story in the Sunday Mirror about the Portsmouth takeover and the suggestion that the new owners want to bring in Redknapp for what would be his third reign at the club.

Shocking.

To make matters even worse, this is meant to be the new Spurs kit (sponsorless for the moment):

More rumourwhoring here including source for above

Shocking.

It’s Sunday. Still time for me to go to church and pray that the truth will out. And that it’s a little less ugly than it’s looking at the moment.

Redknapp - The Messiah?

Disclaimer: Yes, I know, it's a bloody long article.

Tapestry Part V

Redknapp - The Messiah

Dear Mr Levy,

I've had my moments. My attempt to parachute onto the pitch at White Hart Lane in protest of our early season form backfired when I mis-calculated the wind factor and my resulting trajectory took me onto the North Circular. My demonstration in protest of the West Stand bourgeoisie also ended unsatisfactory. I guess wearing an actual suit made of bagels was a major oversight on my part. I still have the scars from the pigeon attack. But nobody can ever doubt my commitment. I've put myself out there and will continue to do so. As soon as the court injunction ends.

But perhaps there is no urgency to be on the front-line thanks to the current equilibrium bestowed upon us by your good self. The appointment of Harry Redknapp was a masterstroke of a decision. Nine years into our five year plan to turn us into a Champions League outfit and you finally use the Batphone.

You’ve tried it all during your tenure, your predecessor too. Ex-legends, an up and coming manager, PE teacher, international tactician, promoted assistant, experienced continental mastermind. None of it has worked. Apart from that flirtatious 2006 season which ended with a chorus from Johnny Hates Jazz.

It never quite comes together, does it? Usually because of the itch to jump forward three steps when only one step is required. It's all a bit John Sergeant giving it the Fred Astaire. A comical mess of an embarrassment.

So when Ramos and his ketchup ban was shown the door we all fell into any abyss of confusion, nervously eating away at our fingernails trying to work out who the next victim of the White Hart Lane guillotine would be.

I clearly remember the evening when we all found out. I was watching a remake of Debbie Does Dallas, which in essence I believe to be superior to the original thanks to some sparkling camera tricks and shrewd re-working of the plot. I didn't discover the appointment until an hour or so after it had happened. Sky Sports News was in a giddy meltdown that resembled a club terrace in Ibiza, with churning smiles all over the place as the presenters all bounced up and down with joy, repeating the news over and over and over again with the ticker at the bottom of the screen working over-time.

And then it got surreal. Harry himself on the blower telling us he had accepted the job.

I was numb. And the Kleenex was firmly pushed aside.

"Is Harry likely to fulfil the dream that Levy champions? Does he have the tactical ability to outsmart his peers at the top of the table? Can we see him achieving Fergusonesque empire building success with us fighting it out with Wenger, Rafa and <insert current Chelsea boss here> in the midst of battle for a top 4 place?"

As the questions bounced around my head, the numbness faded, and the hefty kick of reality landed on my backside.

"When have we ever sustained such a challenge anyway? In fact, isn't this form of out-stretched ambition the reason why we never get things right, always eager to change things? We are bottom – all that matters is getting off it"

You don't need me to tell you this is Tottenham Hotspur. But I feel the need to run through recent history. I guess it's a statement of fact. Lessons learnt.

We are ambitious by nature, longing for glory days and nights. Like any other fan who supports a club that has the resource to compete with the top sides, you know you are a little closer to the dream than others less fortunate. But instead we are kept in a perpetual ground-hog day where the same promises are made and mistakes repeated. And yet we never learn from any of it. You must know this already considering the sharp rise of frozen shit pellet attacks on your car over the past few seasons.

Juande you will be able to drive down the road without incident.

Pre-Redknapp, Ramos was obviously still dizzy from the offer and although we will be forever grateful for that day at Wembley, nothing else actually worked.

During the summer in came some key signings and the removal of all deadwood along with some quality additions. You know, like selling Berbatov. To Utd. In the final minutes of the transfer window. At the death. Sold. And bringing in a right-winger, to go alongside the other right-winger we have. Because two right-wingers is better than one especially when one of them costs £15M and can star-jump. On camera. In the background. It was funny. The star-jump. Jumps like a star.

A new age was upon us. It lasted as long as the opening credits to Match of the Day.

What we were left with in the aftermath was a disjointed squad of players who lacked self-belief and pride and two measly points from 720 minutes of football (that's eight games to the common man).

How did we get here? Let's go back even further and work our way back to the present.

Once upon a time, in a simpler world, we were the glamour club. Remember those days? The 1980's were good to us. Shirts tucked out, bit of swagger and a couple of Argentines. Proper Cup finals too. It wasn’t sexy football. It was tantric.

Happy days. But nothing stays still forever. Keith left. Scholar made a mess. Venables v Sugar. We slowly degraded whether it was down to in-house politics or financial meltdown.

The lust we have (it's just part of our genetic makeup) meant we always over-extended when attempting to re-claim past glories. We stagnated. But around us, others began to move on. Arsenal went from winning things in a boring fashion to playing football with the type of revered football that was once bestowed on us. Chelsea stole our glam. And while others (Liverpool) were dethroned (Utd) we jumped from one manager to the next, all failing to claim any concept of consistency.

• Pleat's experiment almost worked.
• Venables saved the club in '91 and then that spoon full of Sugar saw him swap the bench for the High Court.
• Ossie, bless him, was over ambitious and out of his depth, an appointment that stemmed from Sugar's aim to appease the locals.
• Francis got the team working hard but then it all faded into mediocrity.
• Gross was Sugar's attempt to do what Arsenal did with Wenger and how we laughed.
• Graham was another attempt at something that we didn't quite fathom and then the Levy era truly kicked in with the return of the King of the Lane.
• But Hoddle's ego devoured itself, sandwiched in-between Pleats caretaker responsibilities and ‘technical director’ meddling.

Then came Santini, Jol with Arnesen.

This was the master plan in full effect - the Director of Football structure - one that allowed for failures. Santini didn't work so off he went, taking with him the keys to the bus. But no need to fret. The DoF was the guardian of the dream allowing the vision to never lose focus, whilst others around did. Managers are appointed based on what the DoF believes to be the right man for the job, a man who can work hand-in-hand with him.

Jol was promoted and then we watched Arnesen quit for the grand challenge on offer at Chelsea (had nothing to do with money that).

So in came a new DoF. Might have different views and policies than the departing one but the ambition remains the same, no? The ambition based on your directives as chairman. Welcome Damien Comolli, the new keeper of the vision. Safe hands please, don't drop it.

The tranquillity did not last long.

Jol was meant to be the one. Comolli and Kemsley thought otherwise. Many agreed that Jol lacked the edge that was required, with the choking in big games syndrome. So when Ramos took over this was seen as the natural logical step in the master-plan. The final piece of the progression puzzle to elevate us towards the promised land of Champions League.

"Down to bare bones, two points from eight games, triffic"

But just how many mistakes can we afford to make? Up until and just after the Ramos appointment, you built in a nice little safeguard, stating that if Juande didn't work out - Comolli would be responsible. Shock horror, it turned to shit again and not even you and your PR machine could save the infamous DoF from certain doom.

Straw. Camel. Back.

The faith you had in this awkward system was as mystifying as the unnecessary plastic surgery the Leslie Ash of mascots had done to his face. I’m talking about that piece of work Chirpy and that ridiculous face-lift.

We needed an English-can-hit-the-ground-running coach who could lift us up and out of the mire by sorting out the fundamentals. Back to basics was the only way to kick-start things again. The future vision, for the first time, was irrelevant. The immediate future the priority. The plight we were suffering, the only thing of consequence. No messiahs need apply.

Hence Harry, the only viable available option, one born out of desperation due to the predicament. Sure you dropped a sound-bite or two about how you had spoken to Harry in the past about offering him the position and that he is someone the board respect and yadda yadda yadda.

Two or three years ago, appointing him as manager would have been seen as a negative backwards step. And why? Well because, Harry is like, ex-West Ham and what's he ever done/achieved to warrant the job at the Lane? You know, cause we’re such a big club, innit.

Ouch. Another reality kick to arse: Bottom. Two points. Relegation fodder. Damage limitation. Anything after that is a bonus, and anything after that can be something a little closer to that vision we have cradled for so long.

It's no longer 2006. The French do not fear the English. The big bloated ambitions of cracking the Prem’s elite led by a director of football structure has imploded and left us in a perilous position miles under the foundation of hope we would usually start at.

So in some ways having Harry Houdini take the helm was a master-stroke. One or two people pulled out their calculators and worked out that based on the fixtures left in the season we could still go down. Countless Facebook Relegation Party invites does not mean it's a dead cert the champagne corks will go flying for opposing fans.

We were never going to get relegated. Far worse teams in the Prem. But because of the start we had and the fact that we had a squad of players epically under-performing.

Which is why the publicity shy Harry Redknapp had the midas touch with our powder-puff millionaires. It must have been a little gut wrenching for you Daniel. Deep down, you must have felt a little empty that we had come to this. But come to this we had.

And it split Spurs fans, had West Ham fans laughing even harder. But then sometimes, things fall into place accidentally. The less obvious turns out to be the more pleasing. And soon enough the doubters became believers.

• Harry has got the players playing for themselves and the team
• Players starting in positions they are comfortable in
• Playing to their strengths. In a formation that makes sense and works

And more:

• Got the best out of BAE and Lennon where Ramos failed miserably
• Palacios signing was inspired and yet a perfect illustration of the failures of previous DoF's and managers who never got close to filling this gap (apart from Carrick who worked well for us in a different kinda way)
• Defoe just had to come back home
• Keane, did have a positive impact on his return, even if he has run out of gas a little in what has been a roller-coaster season for him
• Points accumulated has been impressive. We got to a Cup final, again. White Hart Lane is currently a fortress

Only concern is the re-signing of Pascal Chimbonda who has hardly figured for the first team. Although I have sources close to the club who believe him to be one of three people employed to wear the Chirpy costume on match-days. The other two are currently in hospital due to accidents outside of the work place. Apparently. So they tell me.

Sure, he shows a lack of instinctive quick-thinking changes to turn the course of the game if things are not quite working and sometimes is late in making key substitutions. But we knew this already. He's no genius.

So does make Harry unofficially a stop-gap? Get the team consistent and up to 6th/5th place and make us steady and reliable enough to not only attract players (which we don't tend to have a problem with anyway) but to also attract a glamour manager? If that's what we need. Considering that hasn't worked before. But then nothing really has since Keith.

But thinking that far forward is the exact type of mistake we are so prone to making. One step at a time. That's for you Daniel AND some of our fan's who take a few wins on the trot to mean that glory is waiting round the corner with her skirt over her back and panties down at her ankles.

So, Harry? It all looks good thus far doesn't it? But I refuse to get giddy. History reminds me to stay firmly on my feet.

There is no doubting that going into the summer, we are looking in great nick. Two or three additional players and we are set. Not for 4th spot. Regardless of what Harry or anyone else in the media will no doubt spout in their predictions for next season. 4th is completely unrealistic, unless Arsenal implode. Winning silverware and finishing 5th is not so ridiculous. An FA Cup would be nice. But continued progression and strength in depth would be even better. We just need to compete. And we've shown glimpses of doing just that against Top 4 opposition this season.

This isn't a deluded outlook. It's just based on the fact that the teams just outside the top 4 are - all on form - about equal in class and effort. And all have the chance to edge in front if they get their summer planning spot on.

It's a realistic ambition.

We've done nothing for years and years in the league if ever tbh (apart from those two 5th spots). And rushing into it has never worked, so instead of assuming we are X amount away from being a top 4 club, how about just working hard from one season to the next until we are actually good enough and its obvious we are within touching distance by the virtue of points in the bag.

Stating the bleeding obvious, aren't I?

See the disease at Spurs is one that has engulfed everyone from the board to the fans to the media and even opposing fans. Because we are so hungry for success, we find ourselves not so much expecting it like it’s a God given right, but always believing we are on the right path in a very over excitable manner that tends to blind us from the harsh truths.

It's the money, the support, the signings. Always positive, always with intent. And the warning signs are pushed aside until it’s too late for recovery.

We put ourselves out there like a cocky boxer who knows he's forgotten his gum-shield but fights on regardless.

No matter what anyone might say about us, we might not be perceived as a big club in comparison to the Top 4, but we are a big club compared to one or two others simply on the basis of what I've stated already - cash, big name signings. It makes failure all that more bitter because the resource to compete is actually there.

Delusions of grandeur!! Delusions of grandeur!! I guess when you have this type of intent constantly, without success you'd think we would learn something. But alas, no. That's us with hearts on sleeves. We might have the intent, but it's nothing without assured focus. And not the type that Comolli displayed when he courted Ramos.

Everton strive for the same thing, but there is no urgency to chop and change. But there isn't half as much money. And they were winning titles back in the 80's, whilst we only ever claimed two in the 60's. Are they less ambitious?

Chelsea, before Romans money, were a Top 4 club. Something they worked towards and have now consolidated, and then gone further because of the money they came into and the Jose appointment.

You make your own luck.

We are a proud club, with a rich tradition. And we are stuck between the past and a vision of the future.

Harry's job should be simple. Change the culture of the team, the players. Instil a winning mentality. Start at the bottom and work our way up. Which, ironically, is exactly what we've done.

There is far too much trauma on the pitch for a club that does almost perfectly off it. Leave the football to the manager and let things progress naturally.

We need to get better than the Villas and Evertons and Citys. And then we can look up at the remaining four.

Consider this a warning shot across the bow. A statement of history we all know inside out, but needed to be stated for reference. Don't make me come back to this for the wrong reasons Mr Levy.

It's in your hands.

Buck the trend.

Regards,

S

Tapestry

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Harry booze ban threat? Pull the other one, then just pull us a pint...

Booze ban at the Lane? Ledley King will be a popular lad at training. It's reminiscent to when Ramos banned ketchup and attempted to regulate the players diet with a strict regime. It all ended in tears.

I'm not sure how much of this 'banning booze' statement Harry has made is just PR fluff to soften the brutal blow received to the clubs public image or possibly even an indirect warning to the rest of the squad to behave themselves going forward. Let's face it, banning booze completely is unlikely. Moderate consumption will always be allowed. Can you really see players going out on a Saturday night and not drinking? Tom Huddlestone and Aaron Lennon are probably still recovering from the heart palpitations experienced when that very thought entered their minds.

If it is banned then we might reap the benefits on the pitch. Boozing every weekend can't help much, if that's all they ever do.

As for King, plenty of aftermath gossip about his arrest. Obvious exaggerations and bullshit interpretations of what happened on the night including some clichéd sound bites surrounding his stay in a police cell overnight (he cried, he stated he was rich, he slept…..shocking stuff). Once more, not defending King for acting the dick, but how many blatant kiss'n'tell money-grabbing attempts ('my face was bruised' - really? Do bruises vanish over night then?) do we have to listen to before this story disappears? Court case is in July, so I guess that answers my question.

"I play for Tottenham, you play for fat Gerard" - This has to be the quote of the whole incident, straight from the mouth of Ledders, that somehow equates to belittling Steven Gerrard (if you go with the tabloid assessment) when in fact it's a reference to Rafa resembling his predecessor (with an additional few pounds). I might have that completely wrong. Maybe he thought Gerard Houllier is still the gaffer at Anfield. That's some night out.

No wonder he doesn't train between games. He's probably refused admission into The Lodge.

Regardless, two points. Firstly, as drunk as Ledders was, well done that man for being able to clock a Liverpool supporter and attempt to shout him down with some football banter. Secondly, so drunk was King, he makes the assumption that someone with a Liverpool tattoo must therefore play for the club. Pure gold that.

Surely on £83,000 a week (allegedly) you could just stay in doors and bring the party to your home. I know I would.

Playstation 3. Dial-an-Escort-girl. Pizza.

Guaranteed fun. Guaranteed women. Food delivered to door.

The good life.