Chimbonda gone - Was he ever 'here'?

Pascal Chimbonda has joined Blackburn Rovers for around £2M (according to the SSN ticker). Re-signed by us as cover, he hardly got a look in which does make me question the ethics of the transfer in the first place. He's a right-back than can play centre-back and at a push (a big push) can also slot into the left-back position (just not that well). And yet we hardly saw anything of him when he made his return from Sunderland.

I guess he was cover (insurance) that we didn't actually ever have to use. And we have Gareth Bale, Kyle Naughton and if need be O'Hara and Corluka (and even Bassong) to cover if need be in an emergency so he's quite obviously surplus to requirements. Even more so then when he signed for us a second time.

Some of you may even remember the rumour that did the rounds concerning how Sunderland still owed us the transfer money (or part of it) from signing Shimbo and that we then wrote it off by taking the player back for nothing. Regardless, it's proved to be a massive waste of time.

Good luck up there. Do try and turn up for Big Sam's training sessions.

Elsewhere, Osman Chávez is on trial. Honduran centre/fullback that our very own Wilson rates (and suggested we take a look at). He's 25 years old, has played for his country (20 caps) and his nicknamed 'El Tierno' (which translates as 'The Tender'). I'm guessing that's one of those ironic nicknames, much like us christening Palacios as 'The Gentle'. Might turn out to be shrewd signing this (with Kings long standing knee troubles and Woody/Dawson both on the sidelines). Of course, it's dependent on how impressive he is during the trial. Fingers crossed.

Other bit of news concerns an alleged bid for Internacional defensive midfielder Sandro Ranieri. Not heard of him? He's the U-20 Brazil captain and meant to be pretty tasty. Solid with the tackles and strong with great technique - he might be that extra bit of steel required. No idea how good his creative skills are. If true, then it looks like we've given up on Sissoko.

Under a week to go now before the window closes. Looks like we should expect 2 players at the very least to join. Possibly a 3rd if you fancy taking Pav's words concerning his want for a transfer away at face value. I'm taking it with a pinch of salt mainly because we are treated with Roman's moans every other month. Still, will he actually get a sustained run in the team to prove himself a £14M player? You can understand why he would want to leave if he's going to sit on the bench unless a key player picks up an injury. Does mean we need to look at a 'back up player' for that 4th striker place.

Any ideas?

Hold on. Need more salt.

Goodbye Zoko

134 appearances.
No goals.
Locomotive runs from midfield.
Plenty of dancing.
Plenty of smiles.
Great engine.
No brain.
Comolli classic.

Goodbye and good luck to Didier Zokora.

He was meant to be some form of Carrick replacement. A defensive midfielder to fill the void. Comolli positively beamed when we signed him. He looked the part. Athletic, strong. But tragically Zoko's first touch and lack of depth to his passing quickly let to the conclusion that he was £8M better spent on someone else (which we did anyway with Kaboul).

In two games Palacios showed us what we had hoped to get from the Ivorian. Composure. Intent. Intelligence.

But he wasn't all bad. He did give us much in the way of effort. And he was superb when covering as a right-back, proving the lack of footballing brain he possessed as he was able to perform the job admirably there. Mainly because the job as a right-back is more straight forward then it is in centre-midfield.

He never scored. He never came close. Well maybe once. And there was that run and shot against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final that had everyone screaming/jumping/crying when it ballooned into the sky. But all was well in the end, as he jigged along to the music along with thousands of Spurs fans. He knew how to lap it up.

£8.65M apparently the fee. Not too shabby business that. Although we might have forked out a bit to them for the Ramos compensation. But at least the window has began for us.

One out. Bent next?

As for our departing friend. Average footballer. Great guy. I bet he scores on his debut for Sevilla.

Have a good one out in La Liga Zoko. You mad bastard.

Is this the reason Spurs form is so poor?

Aaron Lennon has complete control of the team stereo on match days. Nobody else gets a look in. I can only shudder at the thought of his musical tastes having seen plenty of photos of him at parties, baseball cap on back to front, dancing with an urban flavour and rude swagger.

Strictly no Chas and Dave, Barry Manilow or McNamara’s Band for our wee Aaron. He's got way too much street cred to associate himself with music that was made before he was born.

I have this image of a dressing room dance-off with Dawson breaking it down with mad floor skills as he body pops his way to victory against Zokora's mash-up of Usheresque fluidity and silky leg movements. Beats listening to ABBA.

In other news:

Ghaly is gone. I’ve always swayed from one direction to another with this guy. His attitude and arrogance was toxic, his abilities mediocre. He had one or two fine performances, but other than the game away to Chelsea in the Cup and the pitch-side dentistry that made you gasp he wasn’t exactly consistent. Shirt throwing aside, the Birmingham transfer fiasco summed up his tenure as a Premiership player. In his head, he was brilliant. Maybe if he was signed when he was in his early 20’s, we might have developed him into a worthy squad player (then again, us and developing don’t particularly go hand in hand).

The swaying I was referring to concerns some comments I made a few weeks back relating to the boo-boys who managed to change the mind of Redknapp during a game, sending Ghaly back to the subs bench rather than bringing him on. He’s been working his socks off in the reserves, so it’s possible he has managed to grow a little in maturity. We’ll never know. Al Nasr have him now on a 3-year contract. Maybe the fact he has moved there and not to any other continental top flight league sums up what most think of him.

The club has also announced that the price of season tickets will be frozen for up to two years (long enough for relegation and promotion back up to the Prem, hey Daniel?). So, that includes the reduction of VAT at 15% for seasons 2010 and 2011 meaning you’ll pay less for it than you did this season. Levy must be finally shifting those copies of the Opus he’s got stacked up in his garage. Don’t under estimate the power of car boot sales.

The freeze on season tickets has been introduced as a thank you from the club for our ‘continued and exceptional loyalty’ and to help ease the financial burden that nobody appears to be immune from at the moment. Looks like I have no choice but to continue my suffering.

Kabooom!

Regarding the £23M Sunderland raid on 4 of our players.....I just find this whole episode strange. I don't mind seeing any of them leave the club, apart from Steed who I believe still has something to offer. But Ramos obviously knows what he is doing squad/selection wise so if he is letting him go, so be it.

The Kaboul transfer is for me the golden moment of the summer. His agent has told us that Kaboul going to Sunderland is simply not going to happen because it will damage the boys international career. Ok, fact time. To have an international career you need to have a first team domestic career first and all Kaboul has a virtual shit covering his boots. This is the man who creates pockets of miniature earthquakes every time he attempts to defend, resulting in conceded goals. Sunderland, IMO, is where he should go - whether it be transfer or loan because he simply doesn't have the composure or timing to be a first team player for any side with aspirations that amount more to avoiding relegation.

The club are solely responsible for this. I might be wrong but I'm sure when we signed him he wasn't meant to be thrown into the deep end and play for the first eleven. And if so, this begs another question. How can we keep allowing Comolli to spend money like £8M on a player who 'has potential' when in fact all he has is half a footballing brain? For someone who came from Arsenal, Comolli has no ability to scout cheap quality players with potential. For £8M we should be buying superb capable confident players.

Pompey will probably not pay anything more than £4M for him.

Hello, Goodbye

Enough of this 'JD was part of the furniture' bullshit. He had no intention of signing a new contract and rather than spend hours debating whether it's a mistake to let him go to Pompey, it should simply be a case of: We dont want players who don't want us.

Defoe will score goals at Pompey for sure, but in the long run, his lack of footballing intelligence will shine through. At the age of 25 he has yet to work out that he doesn't have to get caught in the offside trap 98% of the time, considering the pace he possesses. And all the 'he's an instinctive goal-scorer' nonsense as a defence doesn't quite work when you look at his rather inept finishing this season.

That's not to say he hasn't made us smile once or twice, and there's probably no bitterness from the Spurs faithful either. Expect applause when he returns to the Lane. He was popular. But not better than Robbie Keane.

As for Gilberto. This is textbook Spurs. Failed medical? Unlikely. Thats the Comolli tactic of telling the selling club to lower their estimated value of the player. Its ok for us to spend £16M on Bent or £8M on Kaboul, but we haggle for a £2M player.

No last minute loan to cover for the departing Defoe, which means Keane and Berbatov have many games to look forward to between now and the end of the season, and Bent (when fit) will play a far bigger role. I'm sure Spurs will look to Europe come the summer when Berbatov departs. That's the reason no major major signing was made now. David Villa anyone? Unlikely without Champs League. So, better to wait for the whoring to begin the moment the season ends.

As for the defence. Sorted? Possibly. Interesting that Chimbonda didn't move on. Gardner joining Everton is a very strange move. Has Moyes seen Anthony play? Stalteri has gone to Fulham. Should find his level there. With Gilberto in, that gives us:

Gunter/Hutton/Chimbonda
King/Woodgate/Dawson/Kaboul
Bale/Gilberto/Lee

Add Huddlestone as a decent makeshift centre-back and Chimbonda capable of playing there too, and there's no doubting the cover we have in all the back four positions. Once Bale is back, I'ld like to see:

Hutton Woodgate King Bale

...line-up. For the time being, it's likely to be:

Hutton Woodgate King Gilberto

Which isn't too shabby.

As for the midfield, Ramos obviously has faith in the players we have, and maybe its for the better that no new defensive midfielder or attacking midfielder has joined the club. The likes of Jenas and O'Hara can prove something to the manager pre-summer transfer season. Although I expect at least one major signing for the middle of the park before next season.

Until then, this lot will have to do. First up, close the gap on West Ham.

Defoe to Pompey

SSN breaking news. This is one I hope they have right. Defoe has no intention of signing a new contract so I'd rather cash in on him and he can go off and score 10 goals in 10 games for his new club before losing his touch and composure in-front of goal until he's benched. Get Bent fit, and get him playing. Could still do with another striker though. Maybe one of the 'wonder kids (scoff) can get a promotion.

Gilberto has failed his medical. Makes you wonder how the heck Woodgate did.

UPDATE: Gilberto deal maybe back on. Apparently, the issue concerns 'wages'. For a 30+ player, there should be no issue. Tell him to fuck off, and its done and dusted.

Barnard to Southend

Good luck. Was never good enough for the first team. Like most of our promoted youth players, very few make it (Marney, Yeates, Jackson...and so on). Average players who have their moment, but nothing more. Spurs really have to get it together with the academy and start producing players we can call our own that make an impact worthy of saving us £10M in the transfer market. Granted, that doesn't happen for most teams.

The current 'next generation' (apart from Dixon) are mostly youth players brought to the club.

Will any of these see the light of first team action over the next year or three?

Reserves

Danny Rose (winger)
Tomas Pekhart (striker)
Leigh Mills (defence)
Joe Martin (defender/midfielder)
Dorian Dervite (defender)

First Year Academy

Mark Clare (defender)

Second Year Academy

Yurie Berchiche (full back)
Alex Olsen (striker)
Terry Dixon (striker)

Is Dean Parrett the new Stevie G? A pound for every time I've heard that....

Proof that some football managers have brains made of shit

So The Fall Guy has left the building. Turned out to be the perfect little ploy by Mr Levy, to the tune of £3M. He must love it when a plan comes together. Anyways...

Steve Bruce, manager of Birmingham. And twat:

Birmingham have completed the signing of Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly from Premier League rivals Tottenham.

The 25-year-old international has penned a three-year deal at St Andrews after agreeing terms with the Blues.

"The signing of Hossam is an excellent acquisition," said Blues boss Steve Bruce. "I was always impressed when I saw him play for Spurs last season.

"As well as being technically gifted, he can stand up to the physical side of the game and give us that edge."

I think the Bruceisms deserve to be bullet pointed:

• The signing of Hossam is an excellent acquisition
• I was always impressed when I saw him play for Spurs
• Technically gifted
• Can stand up to the physical side
• Give us that edge

Excellent acquisition? Sure, for Tottenham it is. I don't say it often, but credit to the board on this one (don't get too excited people).

Always impressed was Bruce apparently, when watching Ghaly play. When was this then? When he played so poorly he was incapable of holding onto the ball or passing it to a player in the white shirt of Spurs that he was then subbed having come on as a sub? Or the countless other cameo apperances that involved running around like a headless chicken with a ferret up its arse.

Shirtless Ghaly celebrates his move with an apple

Technically gifted? For sure, in the art of pulling his shirt off and throwing it away.

Ghaly can also 'stand up to the physical side' of the game too. Not sure making two-footed reckless challenges counts.

And as for giving Birmingham an 'edge' - truefax. If you want an over-rated, hot-headed talentless ego running around flattering to deceive.

Mido. Next. Please.

£6M 'Dollar' Man

Mido is set for a £6M move to Birmingham, rather than the original one-year loan with an option to buy him out right.

Brummies sign Mido for 6 big ones.
Mido goes for Six Million.
Six Million Mido joins the Blues.
Jol has six million reasons to be happy.
Mido worth £6M in Blues deal.

No matter how I write the news, I still can't quite grasp how we have managed to get so much for someone so bloated. Oh, hold up. Of course. TV money.

Steve Bruce and the Birmingham board

I don't go with the current knee-jerk 'goodbye' reactions of some Spurs fans wishing him luck. He played decent for us 3 or 4 times, doing what any forward player ought to be doing playing for the first team.

So what if he scored a brace on his debut. Fucking 'ell, anyone would think we won silverware that day. He is six million miles away from being a model pro. Good riddance.

Seems that Ghaly will follow Mido to the Blues, for half the amount.

Shame that we wont be spending any of the cash on the 5 or so players we have been linked with recently.

No Boateng or SWP or Petrov (though the former is a done deal according to some 'insiders'. Not heard that one before).

Goodbye Mido

From an Egyptian website:

Egyptian star striker Ahmed Hossam "Mido" is set to join Birmingham city on loan starting from next season, according to the player himself.

"Both sides have agreed terms. I will move on a one-year-loan deal to Birmingham worth 1 million and at the end they could by my contract for 5 million if the club survives in the Premier League," said Mido to FilGoal.com.

"Birmingham's offer is the best I had received especially that I chose to stay in England," added Mido.

The 24-year-old striker also confirmed Birmingham's interest in his fellow teammate Hossam Ghaly but said his case is different as he will move on a permanent base.

"I would love to have him (Ghaly) with me in the same team."

Mido confirmed that the contracts should be signed on Monday night or maximum Tuesday morning.

Thank God for Steve Bruce. Not much more to say than that.