Translated

"He's very approachable. If there is a problem, or something we feel is not right, his door is open. He wants us to work that way: together, the players and staff, and if there is a problem we can always share our ideas with him and he will take it on board. For example, if we feel we are working too hard in training, if we say that to him, then he'll ease it off. He's still learning as well as a manager but he does all the coaching and everything himself, which is great. Every manager is different and he has his own ways of working. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of time." - Gareth Bale

Translated:

It's mutiny. We all dislike him and don't agree with his methods. We're going to make sure he's sacked by not playing well.


"He's cool. He has a different way to work, so we learn different things from him. He's like the son of Mourinho because he used to work with him and he works in the same style. We do a little more tactics at training. If we work more about tactics we can win and we will enjoy (our football)." - Assou-Ekotto

Translated:

I'm not happy. Villas-Boas thinks he's Mourinho but he's just a pretender.


“I think the chairman sees Tim working with the development squad.” - Andre Villas-Boas

Translated:

I kill him. I kill Broomfield and now I kill Sherwood. He is frozen in ice. I'm the overload of the universe and eat babies for breakfast.

Famous last words

Perspective, reminded by regular reader IanG who looked back on the DML archive and found the following two gems.

"Since beating Portsmouth in March, we have gained 9 points from a possible 45 (0.6 per game)"

More wonderfully depressing stats can be found in this blog posted back in 2008. 

There's more.

Taken from the blog 'The circus is already in town' (2008) which looked at the death of the DoF system and the arrival of Harry Redknapp.

And in comes the media whore that is Harry Redknapp. A manager with little integrity. Sorry 'arry, but it's true. His Pompey/Soton merry-go round will tell you all you need to know. Levy claims that he's had conversations with Harry in the past, suggesting that 'he almost got here' before. Shudder.

Yeah, he saved Pompey from almost certain relegation. But couldn't save Soton and also relegated West Ham. What exactly is so great about his CV? Have we now lowered our ambitions? Have we accepted a place alongside the likes of Blackburn and co?

Well firstly, scrap ambitions and comparisons, because that's what has got us into this mess in the first place - believing the hype.

We are now behind the likes of Villa and City. As they develop and progress, our work has to begin again. Maybe not quite from ground zero, but we are limping at the minute. Although in modern day football 5th - 8th spot tends to shift about every season so all we need to do is regain a bit of pride and form. And no matter the progression you make (that goes for Villa and City at the minute) - you still need to depend on one of the Top 4 having an off season if you. Which is rare. And even if it does happen, you might find hotel food conspire against you. So we are not that far behind if you go on recent Prem records.

The simple fact of the matter is - at present - we are bottom. The players were not playing for Ramos. Levy had to do something drastic. Sacking Ramos and co was the first part. Appointing Redknapp was the second. Because for the moment, the only thing that's important is remaining in the Prem.

This part makes me smile:

So, is Harry an interim manager for the club? I hope so. Am I know being a hypocrite for suggesting we are too big for Harry? Call me that if you want. What I'm saying is, Harry isn't a great manager and has limits which will become apparent in a couple of seasons. But this all serves a purpose. A recovery period, washing off any remaining residue of the DoF era.

It's the consequence, not of Comolli but of Levy. The buck does stop with him, and this I feel is the final sorry chapter of mis-management. He's admitted it hasn't worked, so he has gained a final encore. And this is it. Harry will take us so far, and then Levy (if he's still around) will no doubt appoint someone knew. Maybe a promotion for whoever his number two is? We'll see how it all pans out. No point dwelling on this at the minute. If Levy suggests that Harry is the one to reclaim GLORY - then Daniel will be leaving us in the very close future.

If (there's that magic word again) Harry performs a miracle and is still knocking around with us in 4 years time then Levy will be deemed a genius and I'll have to eat a hat (preferably made of bagel).

In the mean time, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (that's Harry). And do what any fan would do: Support the team with all my heart......and cry uncontrollably when it goes tits up. Again.

I'd like that hat slightly toasted with jam. Willing to share.

Three points away to Swansea will work as the appetiser. 

Losing to Utd, again

First it's Paul Barber, leaving us for the MLS. And now John Alexander, our club secretary, on his way out of White Hart Lane to pastures new. That's Manchester United, where all things Spurs end up, eventually. Daniel Levy's inner circle is in a state of flux. If you're wondering what John did, I'll let the boys and girls over at GG educate you on why this is a loss (although personally for John, its hard for him not to move on, as with Barber he's a career man). In a nutshell, Alexander is considered one of the best. Even if he's part of the furniture that you don't ever really find yourself sitting on, without it, the room is not complete.

Over the past 25 years Spurs have had the best secretaries in the league, Peter Day, Peter Barnes and John Alexander. Peter Day was head Hunted by the FA, Peter Barnes moved to West Ham and now we are on the verge of losing John Alexander.

The role of club secretary in very in depth. like the nerve centre  on a day to day basis of running the club. the responsibility of contracts, banned players notification to FA of bookings and discipline records. Application for work permits, visas for travel and the arrangements for overnight hotel stays for the team when playing away games. I can personally vouch for these three as very hard working people.
- sidtheyid

He is quite simply the best club secretary around...involved in pretty much everything which has seen us behaving like a top 4 club despite only having a 36,000 seat stadium and never having been in the Champions League...those manc bastards!!! they did this once before to our backroom staff, the chap's name slips me, but he was our marketing/merch chap in the early to mid-90s. he's the one who was seen as being responsible for building them into a true global brand and he revolutionized merching of stuff with those megastores. that would've been us...
- thfcsteff

Big loss this. Levy's inner circle for the past few years has been Alexander, Barber and Collecott. Alexander is also the 4th person who sits on infamous 'gang of four' transfer committee. Very well liked and hugely respected by all accounts. 
- Gutter Boy

The question (the obvious one) being asked is whether Alexander is going to take with him intimate knowledge of all our players contracts - and clauses - to a club that picks off our best players every couple of seasons. Knowing Levy (not personally, the court order would never allow it) I'm hoping that there are one or two legal stipulations that would protect us - but then again, Alexander is leaving us for a new job. Other than gardening leave, which he wont be on, there is next to nothing we can do if he wanted to share any information about the club.

Modric to Utd then. Done and dusted.