Modric. Again.

Another day, another Harry throw-away soundbite that gets savaged on like a pack of zombies eating through a bit part character in The Walking Dead.

This illustrates why Redknapp should just say 'no comment' or just decline an appearance (although he's probably the one inviting himself). Personally think he has said something off the back of something we already know. Luka wants to leave. That's different, very different to the club looking to sell him and then publicly and indirectly suggest that the player is refusing to play. Just a single soundbite chewed and spat out by the gaffer, and suddenly the player is on the verge of signing for Chelsea again.

Redknapp, hardly the articulate type, probably wasn't suggesting what the media are lapping up at the moment whilst they continue to push their Modric to West London agenda.

The player is injured, not fully fit. The additional commentary on the state of his head (last time I noticed it was still sitting on his neck) was unnecessary and is also pretty much common knowledge. It's like Harry can't help himself (consciously or subconsciously) by stirring it up a little bit by stating facts of truth that only serve to feed the hungry journalists and sports desks.

Breaking news...Modric's head hasn't been right from the moment the Daily Mail published that interview from the yacht.

Once more I refer you to:

Levy has stated its a closed matter and the player won't be sold.
Modric and agent agreed a 6 year contract, of the ilk of an actual gentleman's agreement where pen gracefully touched paper.

All the alleged engineering in the world won't change the fact that regardless of the fact that this now transcends the player himself (he is simply a chess piece), the club can not go back on their word. This is not the same as the Berbatov strike and United move.

Redknapp (you might have missed this particular soundbite) cited the fact the chairman wont sell the player. He probably just needs to read off a cheat sheet next time to avoid using the wrong terminology.

Onwards to the only thing that should matter today. United at Old Trafford. Spirit of '89 and all that.

-

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Irony

Not having an operation on one existing injury. Declaring yourself fit to give it your all for country, only to get injured and need a different operation which results in a three month lay-off meaning no group stage Champions League football which is that thing you dreamt about for so many long years. But it's okay. Hat-trick against Bulgaria.

Three lions on a shirt.

Casualty

By guest-blogger Fox Mulder.

The corridor doors fly open and a young man is wheeled at speed towards surgery. The bed comes to a rest in a room where a medical team is sitting at a screen.

NURSE: Doctor, this man is seriously injured. He’s suffered lacerations to both his legs, severing a main artery. He has severe concussion and has lost all feeling in his limbs....

DOCTOR ONE: No put Messi at right midfield and get him to cut inside with his runs.

NURSE: His blood pressure has dropped to dangerously low levels and seems to have suffered an asthma attack. He’s conscious but barely. He needs immediate surgery.

DOCTOR TWO: But I played him up front in the last game and he got a hat-trick against Real in the cup. I think I should move Iniesta out there instead.

NURSE: Doctor’s PLEASE this man is going to die unless you do something now.

DOCTOR ONE: Oh for Christ’s sake. Ok let’s have a look at him then.

Both doctors saunter over to the dying man, blood is oozing through the sheets that cover him.

DOCTOR ONE: Hmmmm doesn’t look too serious to me. Nurse get some plasters on that wound on his leg and run a wet sponge over his head. That should cure the concussion, which to be honest I think he’s making a meal out of.

DOCTOR TWO: Yes yes this really is a big fuss over nothing. That bone’s not broken, there’s just a slight tear in the muscle. Nothing to worry about really. He’ll be right as rain in a few days. He should be running about happy as Larry within the week and back at work in no time.

NURSE: But THIS MAN IS DYING!!! Look I’m going to call a specialist to come and have a look at him.

DOCTOR TWO: YES! 1-0 Messi. I told you putting him up front was a stroke of genius. Forrrrzzzzaaaa Barcaaaaa!

DOCTOR ONE: Look there’s really no need for a specialist. We know perfectly well what we’re doing

Starts to prod the patient with various implements.

NURSE: For Christ’s sake this man is in hideous pain. You can’t just patch him up and send him on his way. He’ll die.

DOCTOR ONE: Ok maybe you’re right. Doctor Stevens can you grab some aspirin from my drawer over there. Oh and a Centrum Vitamin tablet STAT!

Doctor Two passes the pills to Doctor One who forces them into the man’s mouth...There is silence for a few seconds, broken only by the beep beep of the Heart Rate Monitor.

HEART RATE MONITOR: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

NURSE: Oh my god he’s flatlining. You need to DO SOMETHING PLEASE!

DOCTOR ONE: Erm ok maybe we should call the specialist.

DOCTOR TWO: Good plan. He might be able to find what’s wrong because I really can’t see it myself. Besides we’ve got to get over to Spurs Lodge now anyway. Harry doesn’t like it when we’re late and I hear Aaron’s got a bit of tightness in his groin area.

DOCTOR ONE: Groin area? Ah don’t worry I’ll Wikipedia it on my iphone in the car.

Nurse leaves the room and glances at TV in A&E waiting room. Sky Sports News is playing. The headline running on the yellow-ticker at the bottom of the screen reads:

Defoe is 8^th Tottenham first team player out through injury. Spurs to struggle to finish 4^th. LOL

Time to recall Robbie Keane (cough)

If we lose because we fail to defend a Delap throw and a Stoke player headers/bundles the ball in…I'll be gutted. If Palacios and Modric don't soak up the physicality and in-yer-face tempo of their midfield and fail to control and boss the park…I'll be gutted. If Roman fails to make a goal-scoring impact and wastes glorious chance after chance…I'll be gutted. If Bale isn't destroying the flank, powering past opponents…I'll be gutted.

0 points? Gutted. 1 point? Gutted.

Three points? Gutted. Yes, gutted. I want us to not just beat Stoke but to beat them so badly, so emphatically, we're awarded an extra two points just to back away from their bloody broken body. I want them decimated. Smashed up. Ruined.

Wolves. 6 points lost. Stoke. 6 points lost? No thank you very much, no sir, no way.

This isn't a personal thing against Stoke. I actually don't mind them. They don’t annoy me, not really. It was more our fault than there's that we failed to break them down at the Lane earlier this season. Can't expect sides to just play open football because we do. Yeah sure, they've got that cheeky long throw tactic, but they can sometimes play a bit too. Teams with lesser quality always seem to be able to produce massive dollops of effort that can sometimes cause sticky moments for the opposing team visiting their humble home. Opposing teams, regardless of their superior quality on paper, sometimes fail to match the tenacity of the effort a Stoke City possess.

i.e. Tottenham.

People cite our erratic away form. Like the oracle of football predictions, Mark Lawrenson, who has us pegged down to lose 2-1 because he is not convinced by our travels, even though we are 4th and have gained 20 points away from home. Still plenty of improvement can be had, which I suppose can be roughly translated as Spurs being a tad inconsistent. And there are some who are nervous about tomorrow because Stoke will show us no respect and go for our jugular, expecting and forcing a text-book powder-puff collapse from us. Because it's happened before. Wolves away, which was the type of depressing performance that is detrimental to all the positive progression we've made this season.

But as we enter the final 9 games, there is no room for these negatives. These ready-made excuses.

So screw Lawro and stick it up your bollocks if you're not ripping the shirt of your back and slow-clapping 'Oh when the Spurs go marching in…' come Saturday afternoon.

What's that? Defoe has torn his hamstring? Out for a few weeks? Er...oh…fuck. Really? Injured? Christ. Those sonsofbitches footballing Gods have hit the target again. They aim for the most important, most vital of Spurs players and strike them down. Gomes, Woodgate, Modric, Lennon, Huddlestone and now Defoe. Backbone players. All with spells out this term. Add King who can only ever play the equivalent of half a season anyway, and it's enough to bring on an epic twitch spasm.

No idea where the Jenas injury fits in with the above. What's that? A voice in my head? Calling out for JJ? Sad sad times.

And yet we've somehow managed to dig deep and get through it all. But is this now one injury too far? A cruel twist so close to seasons end.

Roman, Crouch, Eidur (yes really)…your time is now. Take down Stoke. Decimate. Smash up. Ruin.

Sigh.

Who am I kidding?

If we score in the 93rd minute, deflected shot off someone's bum having been dominated for 92 minutes, and win it 1-0, I'll gleefully accept the undeserved/lucky three points and move on. One game at a time.

Time to recall Robbie Keane then.

What? He can't be recalled? Celtic have his registration? Bless 'em. At least there's some good news that's come out of today.

COYS

Transfer deadline headache

The clock is ticking and 5pm Tuesday (transfer deadline) is a breath away. Prior to Luka Modric’s injury, top of our list was a central midfielder to cover any potential loss (suspension or injury) to Wilson Palacios. Jamie O’Hara is out on loan and God forbid we lost our Honduran panther because we’d be left with a powder-puff centre, softer than a Will Young chorus. Jenas and Huddlestone can share (battle for) the spot beside Palacios. Gio can cover the left and Bentley the right. But there’s no one else.

You’d think this would have been a priority at the start of the transfer window. And with a day and a bit left to go before it shuts, we don’t have Wilson protection insurance. So what are the chances we have someone lined up? Only hope is that Levy has been busy working away on targets for a while now, and just waiting on the green light.

Sissoko? Sandro? Muntari?

Sissoko has been outpriced by his club.

Sandro would need to adapt to England. But is big, physical and can play a bit. And we’re now best buddies with his club, so a deal is not impossible to fathom.

Muntari might work, and is no stranger to Harry. But is he simply a more accomplished version of Zokora?

Adding to the transfer conundrum is what we do about covering Luka’s absence. Fracture to his fibula, no surgery just an aircast protective boot to fix him up. This equates to 4-6 weeks out, although we might need to add on another couple of weeks on top for match fitness (unless the magic of the aircast is accounted for within the 6 week prediction). So worst case scenario he’ll miss the Man Utd, Chelsea, Preston, Burnley and Bolton. Five games. Six if you add Stoke. Maybe that’s drunk optimism, but it doesn’t look that bad now, does it? Sure, not having him fit to unlock the Utd and Chelsea defence is a massive blow.  But if we – the ones with Top 6 aspirations – cannot turn it on without one key player missing then let’s just settle for 8^th spot and make do without the wonderfully nervous anticipation that comes with competing.

Yesterday, I posed questions about how to compensate for the loss of Luka. The tabloids and message boards are crying out for Petrov and the insane for van der Vaart. Problem with signing someone, anyone, is that when Moddle is back, we’ll have quite a few players in the mix of it and even more unrest with those sitting on the bench. Harry knows if Gio can do a job on the left or whether playing Lennon there and Bentley on the right will genuinely prove to be productive. If Spurs signed a player of van der Vaart’s quality (unlikely this close to the end of the transfer window) then when Luka is back, the whole balance of the midfield would have to evolve to accommodate the two of them. Does that sound like a logical solution in reply to a six week layoff?

Would signing Petrov (cheap, experienced and probably won’t mind a bit of squad rotation) or Kranjcar as additions to the squad rather than a stop-gap break up squad harmony or work well in the long run, making sure cover and depth is always available? But then cover is there already.

Players like Bentley, Gio and the soon to return Jenas have to be given the chance to step up and aid the team. So if we want to cover the left, then we should do so with what we’ve got. Otherwise, it’s a waste of resource and money.

Between now and Tuesday 5pm, the priority should simply be another central midfielder.

As for the Luka conundrum, Harry knows best. He might not fancy Gio fullstop, regardless of our calls to give him a chance. Bentley is still subject to transfer whorage that he’ll be on his way. If that’s the case, then a cheap option of Petrov (for example) would be ok (if he avoids injury). Someone has to leave IMO for someone to come in. Maybe the work has been done already and all that’s needed is for Levy to get the go-ahead from Harry to push ahead with whatever it is they’ve agreed with in principle.

Has to be decisive and has to work when everyone’s fully fit.

Brace yourselves either way.

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.

Same old Tottenham, always winning

Tottenham 2  Brummies 1

You wouldn’t have blamed one or two people from knee-jerking had there been only 94 minutes of play at the Lane this afternoon. Had it finished 1-1, we’d have heard a moan or two about our lack of edge in a game where Birmingham did their very best to not only frustrate but also take a professional point back to the midlands. We’ll always have days like this. When our play isn’t quite polished and we struggle to step up a gear. Happens to every team. Usually (go back to pre-Redknapp) we’d have lost this game based on that on-going quintessential Spurs problem where our heads dip and the plucky away side steal in for all three points. It’s been a while since that’s happened but looked a possibility for parts of the second half. Up until the 94 minute.

The knee-jerk that would have covered off our inability to edge ahead and consolidate our lead. After the 95^th closed, the actual conclusion on the afternoons performance was more positive and about how this is the type of thing the ‘big teams do’. Win when they are far far from their best.

Let’s go back to the first minute and kick-off.

Can we live with the hype? Best start to season since the early sixties, wonderfully ironic compared to last year’s worst ever start. Haven’t lost at home since Everton beat us last November. This was always going to be a tricky game, and I wanted us to be tested for it. Whether that be the opposition taking the game to us and taking the lead or simply frustrating us with men behind the ball. It was the latter. And boy did they frustrate.

Same team that started away to West Ham, saw us dominate the opening 10 minutes possession. But you sensed there was a lack of sharpness. Plenty of play from the left-wing saw us cause the Brummies some early worries. Keane shot, Defoe in the way. Modric having plenty of success down that flank.

Birmingham countered, O’Conner with a volley easily saved by CC in goal. This was the story of the first half. Ball mostly at our feet, not quite finding a way through, and having to deal with the odd counter.

There was no shift in tempo. Even though Modric was having plenty of success against Parnaby. One passage of play was almost Hoddlesque, allowing the ball to do the running, getting away from his man on the left and finding Lennon, who’s shot was cleared. Lennon in the mood, greedy, but in the mood.

Larsson shot thankfully wide. Sloppy defending from us allowing him in with a chance. At the other end, Defoe’s turn to be greedy, shooting wide when Keane was the better option.

Ominous, that oh so familiar rude word was doing the rounds in my head. Where’s the opening goal to help settle the nerves? Not that we were overwhelming nervous, but you’d think getting into the positions we were we’d have slotted one away by now. Going on the general sharp movement and ruthless finishing of previous weeks. Possession was there. Composure wasn’t.

Birmingham’s plan was to defend deep, counter, and nick one. Dangerous, but if they allowed the game to open up, we might be more fruitful. They even gave us a helping hand, giving the ball away often. But no punishment forthcoming for the men in Lilywhite (and yellow streaks).

Too many loose touches from Keane and JD. Huddlestone lacking that extra spark we know he can produce. A shot here, a run there. That word ominous was getting a little louder.

The test was now upon us, 30 minutes into the game. Could we avoid the frustration building up and seeing Birmingham turn it to their advantage? Could we adapt and find another way through? Let’s face it, teams will not come to WHL and bend over for us. The key here is simply this: Patience. For all their stubbornness, we still crafted the better chances. Modric coming close with a curling shot. But for every 3 or 4 chances we had, Birmingham replied with half of one.

Half time, and no swagger.

The test got a little tricky cometh the second forty-five. Off went King (groin tweaked) on came Hutton. Bit of a shuffle in defence. What you don’t then want to see is Lee Carsley head towards goal dangerously (wide) and McFadden almost scoring not long after the half has begun.

And if the double scare wasn’t enough, Moddle went off with an injury. More on this later.

Plan A wasn't working and its main instigator had hobbled off. Time for Plan B. Crouch. Its a little more traditional this. Altogether a different kind of threat. Ping the ball to his head. Simple, right? With Luka off, the next 45 and some would be a preview of what life is like without him in the side (if he was out injured for a while).

Still no spark. Birmingham grew a little in confidence. Half a chance, Keane pulled back the ball but Defoe made a mess of controlling it. Crouchie is fouled on the edge of the area, not given. I guess that’s something we’ll see a lot of. Expect refs to give plenty against him. Tallism that is.

Another Lennon run, should have released JD early, didn’t and Stevie Carr cynically fouled him. Hudds freekick attempt to bulldoze the wall summed everything up.

Then a scare. Penalty shout. Was it? Wasn’t it? McFadden clipped, although Palacios had his hands up already with the Blues player a tad off balance. Personally, not a pen. But then I would say that.

Nearing the 60^th minute mark, and this was now officially an unsettled performance. The test was not just unnerving, but our attempt to get through it was stagnating. Teams, as I’ve already said, will aim to frustrate us and hope to steal in with a breakaway goal.

But then we were blessed with a good omen. Crouch header, Hart save. Then a BAE cross, Crouch nodding it back across the goal, cleared away. Still a bit untidy, but the pressure turned up a little on the opposition. Plan B perking up.

Defoe then had half a chance, a sort of messy version of the overhead kick. Crouch was looming, had the ball been left. Huddlestone was quiet creatively. Missing Moddle big time at this point. Games like this where we don’t click are the exact type of games where we need to nick a goal and take all three points.

Crouch header from another sweet Keane (who improved as the game went on) cross hit the sodding bar. Followed up by a JD effort resulting in a corner. Then another Crouch header, cleared off the line by Carsley. Crouchie was getting closer and closer.

That slight tempo change evident now.

Another cross, this time Lennon nearly finding Crouch who couldn’t quite get his head to it. Birmingham wasteful in possession. It was time to make the breakthrough. And it came. Crouch heading (yes, heading, would you believe it?) the ball across the goal, beating Hart to make it 1-0. All from a free-kick. Simple. 72 minutes. Plan B works when Plan A is busy having treatment.

Now, let’s close the shop.

Close the shop. Lock it up. Bring down the shutters. Park a bus in front of it. Deck it out with a Romulan cloaking device.  Just close the sodding thing!

Three minutes later, Birmingham equalise.

Did we close the shop? Yes. But Hutton decided to sleep-walk to the front door, unlock it, and  leave the door wide open while the shopkeeper inside was asleep at the till.

This was Spurs of old. Dither, wait for each other (CC and Hutton failing to communicate or take responsibility) and the deflected ball fell into the path of Lee Bowyer who tapped it in for 1-1. Shocking stuff. Why wasn’t it cleared? Cudicini wasn’t at his best today (far too many moments where he failed to command his area). Hutton is prone to these sorts of things. Combine the two, and we have ourselves a gift. At least Alex McLeish did.

The test had now evolved, asking the question: Can we show bottle and determination and re-take the initiative and reclaim the lead?

JD trotted off, Pav his replacement. 10 minutes left and we are struggling to overcome the Brummies. Question remainign unanswered.

Benitez caused a bit of panic in the penalty area, O’Conner should have scored. Tidy passing ending with a thankfully tidy pass into the side netting.

WAKE UP TOTTENHAM.

Six minutes left. Goodbye 100% record? The game was turning into an example of why we don’t quite have that Top 4 mentality and will need to raise our games if we have aspirations to claim a top 6 finish.

Brummie free-kick, Roger Johnson should have scored and should have won it. Suddenly the value of a point had most wanting the final whistle to be heard.

Final minute.

What was going through your mind? No knee-jerking from me. Just a gentle reminder that there are some weak links in the squad and that the mental strength is not quite fully charged for a real surge forwards. It’s an off day, one where too many players were off form. With Modric off injured, nobody was able to quite grab the game and shake it to its foundations. At least it’s a point gained if you compare it to last time out (where we lost home and away to Birmingham couple of seasons back).

Then we had a 5^th minute of injury time.

Oh. Wasn’t expecting that. Carr slips, immediately cancelling out Hutton’s dithering, and we break. Pav finds Lennon who cuts into the box, shifts to the right of two defenders and shots...and scores.

Holy crap. 95^th minute winner. 100% record retained. 12 points. 4 game. Delirium.

Let me take you back to something I said early in this review of the game:

This is the type of thing the ‘big teams do’. Win when they are far far from their best.

We did not play well from the start, and I don’t think it would even be far to suggest we can’t play without Modric pulling the strings. It wasn’t a great performance and Birmingham had a bit t to do with it, with or without Moddle we made hard work of it. And if Hutton had cleared it, we probably would have picked up the points without the necessity of injury time dramatics.

But credit for looking for it and pushing forward, be it Carr slipping.

Days like this will not be uncommon, and expecting to win every game with an avalanche of goals is simply fantasy.

Dug deep. Bided our time. Adapted play after injuries. Scored from the tactical change. And embraced luck with the returning gift that saw us take all the points (although Lennon had far more to do than Bowyer). We punished them and 64% possession, 14 shots on goal says we edged it just a little bit. I still wouldn’t blame them for being gutted....I mean, 95^th minute...ouch. I guess when you play for a draw...

Importantly, it takes us into the Utd and Chelsea games with max points so if we match last season’s efforts against them, we can all smile that little wider. If we continue in the same vein, then start to polish that open bus for the parade.

Missed O’Hara today (can he be re-called?). Reckon he would have been useful out there, in what was a sluggish second half. Harry (yesterday) claiming we are not close to signing anyone, not sure I quite believe him. We should be in for someone. Simply because we’ve loaned out Jamie and got rid of KPB. CM cover is required.

I’m not going to go rate the players. Like I said, low-key day for most. Modric (was superb 1st half) has a ‘nasty injury’ to the calf and King might be out for a bit with groin trouble. This is the quote that best not come back to haunt us:

“If we lose Ledley and Modric, with Michael Dawson and Jonathan Woodgate already out, the squad is a bit short.”

Harry, I refer you to the previous quote about not being close to signing anyone. I hope you're blagging it mate. Don’t want us to be blaming squad depth if we deplete further. Others have to take responsibility and (cue broken record) we need to add another player to the squad – because it’s not just Modric we need to worry about. Lose Palacios and we are shagged.

Back to Moddle. He has broken his fibula. Damage? Two/Three months sidelined. If correct, that’s devastating news. It’s almost a certainty we would need to bring a player (Petrov?) otherwise we might be left wanting...literally. If we don't, Gio might have to impress, but I expect Keane to slot in there – which is not something I want to see personally. Still waiting on the official word. But don’t expect it to be good news. Textbook, hey? We’re going to find it tough without his magical boots. He's the brains.

Harry seems to be downplaying it (saying it's a kick to the calf). Slaven Bilić suggesting it's as serious as noted above.

JD should be ok. Ledders defo out of the England squad.

As for his match assessment, Redknapp reckons we battered them. Statistically, we did. But don’t think it was quite in the realms that Harry described it. Birmingham seemed content to park the bus. We couldn't quite roll them over.

If we start playing like this every week and riding our luck, I’ll be concerned. Still think it was an off day, and the injury to Luka has deflated me. I guess we should still bask in the glory that is 4 from 4. We are on the up with Harry. And I like it. Let’s hope we do good between now and the end of the transfer window.

COYS

Gareth Bales out of Spurs pre-season

Gareth Bale in all probability won't be fit for the start of next season. He faces a race to recover from knee surgery for a medial meniscal tear. Which means by the time he's back in full training, he'll be lagging behind for a place in the first team.

He's never had it great at Spurs.

Six months out with an ankle injury, comes into a Spurs side that is utterly shite and incapable of winning and has yet to taste victory in the Prem as a consequence leading to loss of confidence and keeping another victim of hard luck David Bentley (cough) company on the bench. He just doesn't get a look in, possibly because Harry doesn't rate him. But probably because there hasn't been much on offer since his arrival. If Gareth was in his late twenties, then I wouldn't expect Harry to be so patient.

The only positive out of all this is that we are unlikely to sell the kid now. Harry has to be paitent, all things taken into consideration, Bale is only 20 years old. There is no doubting he has talent. It's there, it's been hiding behind the footballing sofa except now it's having to lay on it, feet up with little to do but wait.

But as we've seen time and time again, it doesn't always come together at the first time of asking. In Gareth's case, it's all down to that first injury.

It's frustrating for all concerned.

His talent isn't quite defined, and coming to Spurs was meant to be the next step in his development to evolve into a more complete all round player. He's great coming forward, and arguably better at his offensive duties than his defensive ones.

Now he's back to square one, again. As long as he is not rushed back and starts playing in a winning side, then I'm certain he will be a success. Confidence breeds confidence which breeds smiles all round.

Talking of square one (or should that be ground zero?) Kevin Prince Boateng is back at Spurs having been told Dortmund can't afford to sign him. Which translated simply means he didn't do enough to impress the German club to sign him full time. It's difficult to gauge if KPB has anything in his locker to make it in the EPL, considering he failed to impress first time round. And tbh, I'd rather we push Adel Taraabt than the 'never won the German Young Player of the Year award no matter how many times the tabloids and broadsheets tell you he did' midfielder.

He's the perfect illustration of an unnecessary Comolli signing. Hyped potential, all tattoos and no substance. My advice to Levy and Harry? Lower your asking price.

Then again Harry did sign Kaboul when he was at Pompey, so never quite know what's in store...

'These boots have bagged some goals'

But are no longer required. Not for a while at the very least.

I guess this constitutes great timing from the webmaster of the official Tottenham site.

Click on this link and try not to shake your head despondently at the irony.

Raficulous

Rafa Benetiz is angry. Apparently Harry Redknapp and Spurs are tapping up Robbie Keane. Tell you what Rafa, how about we return the 'donation' your club made to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and we'll take back the player and you can quietly admit to yourself that you haven't got a clue what it is you're doing at the moment.

(Arguably, neither do we.....)

It's now a trend that no manager is permitted to make any positive comment about a player who doesn't play for their club as this now constitutes 'tapping up'. I know Harry is a bit norty at times, but directly answering a question from a journalist about a player isn't exactly underhanded tactics is it? If we wanted to tap him up, we'd get Jamie Redknapp to make a massive phone call to Robbie and invite him round for some Mario Kart action and tell him that Spurs will have him back, embarrassing boyhood dream blotch included.

What Liverpool did in the summer WAS underhanded, which is why we got our little donation to the charity. What Liverpool are doing now is probably their way of making it look like Robbie Keane has been unsettled so that it's easier on them when they let him go. It's all Tottenham's fault, innit?

News in this evening that Defoe is out for several games (probably 3 weeks) even though the initial rumours suggested he had broken his foot and was out for the rest of the season. I've had 6 text messages already from suicidal Spurs fans. Still waiting on the official word, but I don't expect Spurs to say much until after Mondays transfer deadline. The more desperate we are to bring in a player, the more an opposing club will demand we pay. Keane or otherwise.

In Defence of Redknapp

“When I see it devalued like a couple of years ago when teams suddenly didn’t want to get involved, like Manchester United did, it’s very disappointing. As far as I’m concerned I’ve always had a go at the FA Cup wherever I have been. I’ve never been at a club where we weren’t interested in winning the FA Cup. We start the season in two cup competitions where we have a chance of winning — the FA Cup and the Carling Cup — and we go for it. We’re not going to win the Premier League at Portsmouth, so we need to have a go at the cup competitions.” - Harry Redknapp, April 13, 2008

“I can’t risk [Jonathan] Woodgate on Saturday because we’ve got Stoke on Tuesday and I will go to Old Trafford with the weakest team I can possibly find.” - Harry Redknapp, January 21, 2009

For any Spurs fans having a dig at our King of the Soundbites manager, get a grip and look at the bigger picture. If we sat on 31 points rather than 21, or for that matter, had we beaten Pompey at home in the Prem the other week and avoided extra-time against Burnley, we probably would made plans to go to OT with a strong(er) team. Not that the desire to do well shouldn't be evident on Saturday, regardless of the team fielded.

Play a strong team against Utd, lose more players to injury, then lose to Stoke at home in the league is not the way I want to see things pan out over the next few days. Rock and a hard place at the minute for us. And unfortunately, in a competition which has a rich history for Spurs fans, its a sacrifice we simply have to deal with. Sums up our season really that we have to make the Prem the priority, but for the wrong reasons...which are the right reasons if we want to be playing top flight football next season. At least we've got a day trip to Wembley to look forward to.

I wonder how many copies of the 2008/2009 Season Review DVD the club shop will sell when its released? As long as we secure rights to have the theme tune to the Great Escape as the soundtrack, I'll be more than happy to kick back with some popcorn and a can of coke zero and relive those magical moments.....like the thrashing dished out to Stoke City at White Hart Lane on the 27th January.

Cough.

Darn it

An MRI scan has revealed that our lickle creative spark, Luka Modric, has suffered a partially torn groin muscle which means he will be sidelined for around two weeks. That's two weeks too long. Just as he's starting to settle in the Prem and linking up with the Bent, our luck takes a turn for the worse. Hate to think who will be the playmaker in our side now.

Jenas?
Taarabt?
ZOKORA?

Blackburn and Everton at home are two must-wins. Both at home, both imperative to once more climbing out of the bottom three (which is more or a psychological bottom three rather than an impossible to get out of mathematical one). But in 4-5 weeks time, any team sitting there will have to press the panic button and start praying for a change of form.

We beat the Liverpool reserves with some ease and looked great in possession and going forward, so maybe the doom and gloom of losing Modric isn't that dramatic after all.

Play with confidence, drive and urgency and it should.....should be three points.

Should.