In a East End town, a dead end world

So on the one hand you might agree that Levy's legal sniping has pushed West Ham United, the OPLC, UK Athletics and the Government all into a corner with Boris serving up cups of tea in panic discussing issues raised. Issues pertaining to fairness and the running track which concludes with the break down of the Brady bunch owning the OS out right. But there was no panic. More of a swift counter-move on a dirty chess board that needs binning.

Instead they'll (probably) get a 125 lease (as good as owning it), except its not as good as owning it in terms of potential corporate profit you'd make if you did, to name just one reason. The running track is supposedly now cast in stone to remain. Or is it? I'm sure over time it will disappear. They will find a reason (or add it to the small print of the new bid) and validate it and let's be honest, few will care. By that point, the NDP will be in full swing and Levy will be past bothering himself with further court room dramatics. Anyone who moves into the OS and retains its current structure is asking for trouble either way. No atmosphere with running track, no atmosphere without it. Its an athletics stadium, its not purpose built for football. If its leased, what chance of a complete overhaul of its structure? Unlikely.

Not sure anyone has 'won the day'. Look at the money spent in the original bidding process. There has been plenty of manoeuvring and posturing and politics. But little has changed. They always wanted WH to 'win' the OS. They used Tottenham to consolidate the bid but the fallout now means they just have to swagger on in as tenants.

Levy's legal push is now redundant so perhaps they have won after all. They've defused all the bad publicity. They can now agree a new proposal that we (Levy) can hardly object too. It was of course the original process we had issues with. Still, as someone pointed out to me, WH can hardly dump debt as an asset onto a stadium they do not have ownership of. Affordable as tenants, but not in the long term.

At least the media cant be arsed to prolong this tiresome saga by suggesting we might want to pay rent in East London. We'll have to wait to see what all the official statements detail.

The most prominent THFC question, in terms of Machiavellian tactics, is whether Levy still retains any cards to bolster the redevelopment in N17. The concern is, he might still wish to bite back. This is Levy. Shrewd, hard as rock. We still await to see whether the fight for admission on the original process is now dead.

End game in sight, right?

Or perhaps not. Read this article by Martin Cloake. There are still plenty of questions that require answering, relating to accountability.

We can all agree (no matter Lilywhite or Claret and Blue) that this has been an absolute mess.

I'd rather Barton than Cole. Admit it, you would too...

Morning.

Okay, so what do I need to blog about today? The Judicial Review. Levy telling Chelsea 'to f**k off' re: Modric. Ade and Diarra practically done (for the 3rd week on the trot). Joe Cole. Hearts 'preview'. Being linked with Parker again. And Joey Barton. Here we go...

High Court drama

It would appear Levy was correct in fighting this with the judge yesterday granting us permission (along with Orient) for our application for a judicial review of the decision to give Olympic stadium to West Ham United. That's a review of the process leading up to the decision that saw us get spanked 14-0. The rather unfair process, that Levy won't let go of. Again, whether this is a case of us proving a point or attempting to claim back money spent or perhaps also gain as much leverage as possible - we don't know. As the chairman pointed out during the OS bid, there are certain things that have to be held back.

As one or two have already pointed out, its only leverage if nobody actually perceives it as that. So when is enough, enough?

Running parallel to this all day yesterday was the suggestion that the Mayor of London was in deep talks with the club relating to support for the NDP and the Tottenham area. What some expected was for Spurs to drop the court case and accept (finally) the money/deal/compromise that would be offered. But for now the 'game' continues.

One thing is for certain though. All of this does not look good for the Olympic Committee and the image of the games being held in England along with the fact that the recent riots (shown across the world) was hardly a great advertisement. N17 needs help. The Olympic Games do not need the adverse publicity. The NDP needs a helping hand.

It's still all very political and Machiavellian. It's still all bluffs and threats. We'll have to wait and see who stands down first.

Levy: You shall not pass

So via Harry (where else would you expect to hear it from?), Levy has instructed Chelsea to give up on Luka not bother with any more bids or pressure via media outlets as the player (as stated countless countless times) is simply not available and will not be sold. In other words, regardless of the cheap ITK headlines news feeds are polluted with from one day to the next, there has been no change in stance by chairman since his very first public announcement/statement.

Player might want to leave. Player might not be completely right in the head either. But as I've said before, Luka's head has not been right since it was turned during the start of the summer. He's obviously injured (carrying a knock) and that's being used as an escape to avoid first time action whilst he sulks and comes to terms with the fact he will have to pull on the Lilywhite shirt again.

Redknapp has probably had to tell him to get his sh*t together. Hence the 'his head aint right' comment.

I don't think he's on strike or even contemplating it. Also think Harry's comment was just Harry being not so articulate with his words as there was nothing much wrong with the rest of his comments when clearly stating 'he's not going to be sold'. He could have just stated Modric was injured and left it at that. We do not need to disclose everything from within the club. But then this is Redknapp we're talking about.

You might want Luka out for the disrespect he's shown to the shirt. I hardly want to hug the bloke myself. But my opinion still remains the same. Honour the contract. The club have to make sure he does just that. If a contract is simply a tool of insurance to gain as much transfer fee money as possible then here's some advice for footballers and their agents. Don't sign massive 6 year contracts and accept the money on offer.

Adebayor and Diarra

I still believe the Adebayor deal was 'done and dusted' a week or two back. Just formalities to be sorted. Just a gut feeling that Levy wants to bundle together all the signings and then reveal all (ooh) at a snazzy press conference. Ade was spotted and photographed with BAE, so there's no doubting he's back in London. The questions surround whether this will be a loan deal or a permanent one.

The other questions (this morning) concern Diarra. Yesterday the Madrid press said the deal was practically done. Now the player himself is saying he isn't moving.

"The information about my departure is a lie. There's no agreement with Tottenham and I don't think there will be"  - Diarra

Cheeky Arsenal bid? There is some logic in perhaps not worrying too much if he decided to reject us. One being the fact he tends to throw a hissy fit if not selected and when Sandro is fit, Sandro will be number one choice (at least you hope that's the case - I'm trying to ignore Harry's favouritism here).

Controversially, I'd just offer Joey Barton a contract. Non-believers, embrace Barton. I'd have him sitting in the middle of the pitch tweeting. He wouldn't even have to play football.

Yes. I did just say that. I've changed my mind on this. I'm easily influenced by Twitter. We need an absolute **** in the midfield to anger up the players and at times embarrass them into fighting rather than falling asleep on the ground sucking thumbs.

I did clearly say controversially, so stop screaming at your monitor.

I doubt West Ham would look to do business with us re: Parker. And to be honest, I dislike Parker more than I dislike Barton. Parker 'the Spurs fan' who rejected Spurs 2/3 times. Top bloke.

Having said all this, perhaps Diarra has simply been instructed to say what he has said. Either by agent or by Spurs. We'll find out soon enough. Tick tock tick tock.

Joe Cole

Don't be so f**king silly.

Breaking the Hearts of Scotland

Luka might play. In fact, the git should be forced to play if he's fit. We'll need someone in the middle to allow the game to flow and possession to be kept as Harry looks to start 'the yoof'. 

Enter...

Harry Kane. Goal getter.
Tom Carroll. Cultured versatile midfielder (deep-lying midfielder...the English Luka?)
Lewis Hamilton. Energetic winger.

Bookmark Windys blog for all the info you'll ever need on our kids.

Should be a good game, if anything, because Hearts will (should) offer a stern test (more so than what they offered up North) and look to reclaim some pride after their thrashing on home turf. And we finally get to see Kane, a big prospect, show us if he has the touch and maturity to perhaps feature in more games this season rather than just a cameo.

What does remain a massive positive is the fact that we are finally seeing some of these youth players break into first team action. Livermore at Old Trafford did himself proud. Townsend always looks bright, so Kane and Carroll...over to you. No pressure. Seriously, no pressure. If you're at the game this evening, sing up sing up. This is what it's about. Tottenham yoof coming through the academy and wearing the shirt.

Love it.

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Tweets from the High Court

Confusion and conspiracy still dominates Spurs and the High Court. The suggestion has been that we would drop the legal fight off the back of a promise (you would assume/guess/hope) from Boris Johnson to support Tottenham and the NDP, with Boris himself alluding to this, stating that it was 'very likely' we'd drop the case. A caveat best included here to highlight that plenty of reading between the lines is necessary.

The BBC firstly reported we'd be letting it go then updated their story to say it was still going ahead. Hence the confusion. The conspiracy part remains why Daniel Levy wishes to persist with it. Perhaps because we do in fact have a case? Or that the chairman wants to get money back spent on the premise that we were invited to bid in the first place only to then find ourselves nothing more than a chess piece. Or maybe the OS and this entire process is a chess piece Levy continues to move around the board, brining us back to the question of public funding.

Considering recent events in N17 and the state of the place post-riots, there is government pressure to act regardless.

Follow Don Roan on Twitter (@danroan) for updates from the court room. Below, the ones he's sent thus far.

Off to the High Court later for latest round of Spurs' legal fight over the Olympic Stadium - or am I? @BBCLdnOlympics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14641254

On way to High Court as Spurs appeal against rejection of application for judicial review into decision to give 2012 stadium to West Ham...

..but could be end of road for Spurs if appeal rejected or their lawyers advise abandonment- If case heard will start at 10.30 - updates here

Spurs' QC Dinah Rose arrives at High Court. Suggests club's judicial review appeal into Olympic Stadium decision will go ahead at 10.30

Latest round of Spurs' & Orient's High Court fight v decision to award Olympic stadium to West Ham goes ahead despite last - minute talks

OPLC Ch Exec Andrew Altman in High Court to hear argument of Spurs QC Dinah Rose as club bids for judicial review into 2012 stadium decision

Spurs QC Dinah Rose says Newham loan to West Ham for Oly Stadium was a "distortion of competition" & decision in favour of WHam "unlawful"

So the Mayor says it looks 'very likely' that Spurs will drop legal challenge re stadium decision - it's going ahead right now in Court 2!

Spurs QC arguing that the £40m loan Newham granted WestHam for stadium wouldn't have been available via private bank & was thus "state-aid"

Spurs are effectively arguing that the Newham loan to West Ham constituted state-aid, & was therefore illegal under EU law

Interesting developments in High Court. Judge says Spurs' case is "arguable" (ie has some merit) and refers to "confusion" in Newham case

Adam Lewis QC for Leyton Orient (also seeking judicial review) say PL's decision to permit WH to leave Upton Park compromised by relegation

Judge asks Leyton Orient's QC what club's gate is and what league they play in. Justice Collins clearly not a regular at Brisbane Road

Despite their court hearing appearing to go well, Spurs talks with Mayor re agreement for them to drop legal fight in return for help on ...

...move to Northumberland Park stadium are progressing well - announcement unlikely today but possible.

Judge stresses if he allows judicial review "doesn't mean the case will succeed". Appears to be gearing up to find in favour of Spurs/Orient

To be clear best Spurs can hope for today is that the stadium decision subject to full hearing in future. Would mean uncertainty continuing

2012 stadium judicial review hearing rumbles on. OPLC's counsel Richard Gordon QC on his feet - says Spurs case is "baseless".

Regardless of result of hearing, today has done little for reputation of WestHam/Newham partnership - key to making 2012 stadium viable...

...and if Spurs/Orient do win it casts doubt on London's chance of winning right to host '17 World Athletics Champs, lots at stake in Court2

Breaking: Judge grants permission for Spurs/Orient application for judicial review of decision to give Olympic stadium to West Ham

How exactly does one manage to lose 14-0?

The more I read into this Olympic Stadium debacle the more apparent the screw-job becomes. Or perhaps the screw-job only exists from a THFC perspective. Which would mean you would have to disagree with some of or most of the below when taken into a context. Unless of course THFC always new the most likely outcome would be a West Ham recommendation. But then that would mean knowing that the process was never fair from the start and still persisting with it. 

Why bid? Why be invited to bid?

If the likely outcome was expected then the bid might have simply been made for leverage (in favour of the NDP) that would be birthed at the 'conclusion'...whenever that might be. The theory is, government plays into Levy's hand and 'shuts him up' by giving him what he desires. Any added bonus of suspended OPLC members and laughable statements from Brady and co would be a exactly that...a bonus.

The payment controversy might turn out to be nothing or the evidence inadmissible. Or it could do some heavyweight damage. Perhaps the prospect of such damage is damaging enough to find that amicable conclusion (i.e Levy wins by not actually winning what he set out to win). It's not exactly the type of  headlines everyone involved with the Olympic Games would want to be choking over during breakfast every other morning.

Not that I was in favour of a move away from N17, but regardless of my affiliations, I've collated the various soundbites whilst reading through hefty quantities of articles/threads and discussions on the subject.

Is anyone truly surprised? What government wants, government gets.

Here's the bullety points:

West Ham

- West Ham United, in debt to the tune of £100M (or so)
- Relegation on cards during process of OS bid
- £80M funds required for OS project to also retain stadium as Olympic legacy
- £40M handed to private sector business via a low interest loan from a fiscally poor Newham Council
- West Ham met the OPLC's financial criteria simply based on the loan from Newham Council
- If West Ham ever defaulted on loan, the debt would fall on the taxpayers of Newham
'Catastrophic' relegation achieved
- Championship West Ham United who could not pack out their smaller and current Premier League home will be entrusted to pack out a larger home possibly whilst still languishing in a league that isn't the top tier of English football
- The very same Championship side that have owners apparently paying out of their back pocket to sign Kevin Nolan's services for five-years, on an alleged 50k per week contract
- The very same Premier League rules relating to local territory used by West Ham to argue against Tottenham's proposed geographical shift from the North to the East were completely ignored by side-stepping the potential for Leyton Orient to suffer in terms of their fanbase catchment area*

*Tottenham have no right either, a case of 'who the f**k are Orient?' from everyone involved

The OPLC

- The OPLC clearly state post-decision the running track was an 'essential' element to the OS bid and hence why WH won it even though they encouraged Spurs to bid for the stadium, a bid that included no running track in the clubs plans post-Olympic games
- The OPLC clearly state post-decision that retaining the original stadium was an 'essential' element to the OS bid and hence why WH won it even though they encouraged Spurs to bid when they had made it clear they planned to demolish the original site and build a new purpose built football stadium in it's place
- Tessa Sanderson asked to step down from OPLC due to Newham Council affiliation
- Suggestions that various members of the decision committee had links with Newham Council
- THe OPLC/government never had any intentions of considering the Tottenham bid no matter the financial implications and relevance in terms of club statue and link up with AEG

Tottenham

- Financial secure bid and partnership (with AEG)
- Plans pencilled in for Crystal Palace guaranteeing a viable legacy that will offer only athletics all year round (although CP themselves opposed this for alternative plans of their own)
- Absolutely no ambiguity in terms of the plan for redeveloping the Olympic site
- Absolutely no 'doors closed' by OPLC during the duration of the bidding even though post-bid it has become apparent the details in Spurs plans do not match up with the post-decision clarity given for awarding it to West Ham

The decision and aftermath

- 14-0 in favour of the West Ham bid
- Levy pushes for judicial review of 'unfair process' leading to OS decision
- Judge rejects first hearing, suggests no point in pushing further
- Levy requests oral hearing, as per right to do so
- Allegations of corruption made relating to the OPLC decision and West Ham bid
- Alleged secret payments made to an employee of the OPLC
- A WHU Olympic director alleged arranged payments to be paid to the OPLC's director of Corporate Services
- Two further individuals were allegedly involved in a personal relationship
- West Ham United say payments were for consultancy work
- Vice-chair person Karren Brady fully aware of payments
- WHU Olympic director suspended
- OPLC employee suspended after all this transpired via the Sunday Times article that broke the story
- West Ham release statement, will take legal action
- Suggestion that Spurs tactics in hiring PR's to investigate corruption might be considered 'dirty' (although using dirty tactics to uncover dirty tactics should hardly be reason to turn away and dismiss out of hand)

Conclusions

- Mud-slinging in public in the lead up to the Olympics that the Government could do without
- The OPLC will not over-turn the decision
- The WH bid will not likely collapse regardless of relegation (which was planned as a potentiality)
- The OPLC along with the athletics community all supported the West Ham bid, preferring the idea of an iconic legacy to be used every so often rather than the Crystal Palace alternative
- Government, OPLC: only wanted a Spurs bid to aid towards guaranteeing a legacy and making sure West Ham adhered to all their blueprint
- A Spurs OS recommendation would hurt a bid for the athletics European Championships at the current OS site (rather than what Spurs suggested, Crystal Palace), a bid that needs to be submitted this summer. A bid that could possibly be effected by any continuing legal reviews pushed by Levy i.e. the next hearing
- Levy doesn't expect to get anything out of this other than the one thing he wants. Public funding for the NDP, re: RDF.
- Therefore; this is all to do with leverage
- Levy 'Machiavellian', reactively and otherwise

Obviously there is hearsay, suggestions, perspective and currently unproven allegations to consider but the stuff that's black and white and indisputable just confirms that the decision to award WH was one taken before Spurs even entered 'the race'. Politics, hey?

This will make your head spin

This is satire at it's very best. From West Ham site, KUMB:

Tottenham's dirty tricks exposed

Filed: Sunday, 3rd July 2011
By: Staff Writer


The full extent of the dirty tricks played by Tottenham in the 'cash-for-stadium' row have been exposed.

Today's Sunday Times revealed how the OPLC's director of corporate services was paid circa £20,000 for 'consultancy work' by West Ham - work sanctioned by the club's Olympic Director, said to be in a relationship with the aforementioned. More details on that can be seen here.

However it also reveals the depths that Tottenham were prepared to sink to in order to derail West Ham's move into the Olympic Stadium, which was ratified by the Government earlier this year.

1. Hired 'corporate intelligence' company: The Times claimed that Spurs hired the intelligence agency two days before the OPLC declared their preferred bidder to investigate the 14 members of the adjudicating panel in order to unearth any potential conflicts of interest.

2. Hired private investigators: Having struck gold, Tottenham ordered investigators to place Dionne Knight, the OPLC director at the centre of the storm under personal surveillance. This included a 'stake-out' of the single mother's home, where she lives with her 14-year-old daughter.

3. Accessed personal information: Tottenham's investigators admitted procuring sensitive documents - including personal bank statements belonging to both Knight and the West Ham employee - along with other sensitive personal information usually protected by data protection laws.
 
West Ham fans posting on forums across the web tonight have urged the club to immediately halt any future transfer dealings with Tottenham in response to the revelations - including any potential move for Scott Parker.

Sorry, I lied. It's not satire. Honestly, hand on heart.

West Ham's response to The Sunday Times article that revealed the 'conspiracy' can be found on their official site. They're going to sue us.

All kicking off. Again.

N17: Home is where the heart is

There's been plenty of debate and opinion in the past few days, spurned on in addition by David Lammy (Tottenham MP) who revealed via Twitter that Daniel Levy is serious about the Stratford bid. Well he's hardly not going to be serious is he? Of course he's serious. Levy is a business man and his responsibility is to THFC, unequivocally and unquestionable. Although the health and financial clout of ENIC is also of utmost importance. A new stadium would equate to our overall value quadrupling and some. It's about revenue and we have a power-house of a fan base, just not enough seats at the minute.

We all know this redevelopment and approval lark has dragged on and on, even though the reality is - it's just been going through the standard application process. Seems like we're all now tap dancing around the last hurdle. A substantial amount of work has gone into the vision and re-designs of the Northumberland Redevelopment Project. The question marks have always been about the transport links and traffic issues getting in and out of N17. Which is apparently one reason why moving to Stratford is a viable option. No more walking up Tottenham High Road rushing for the bus. Or leaving the game ten minutes early (that's for all the West Standers amongst you) and missing a late <insert promoted side here> winner.

Okay, so there are countless facets to this for and against argument. And plenty has been said already (mostly from the three stooges over in Green Street) about how we would not be allowed to uproot and move from one Borough to another (hey, if we did, we'd be so close to them lot they'll have a right to call us their rivals and it would mean something…derby matches against Orient would be guaranteed sell-outs. If they ever got themselves into the Prem that is).

I've even heard that Boris himself (a week or so away from announcing his approval/disapproval of the Northumberland project) invited Spurs to bid for Stratford. Supposedly because we would be far more beneficial to the area and the Olympic stadium in terms of fan base, money and stature. Sub-plots about running tracks and concerts don't sit well with me. But if there is no running track and the stadium could be touched up to include even more seats etc etc - financially, it would be the easier option to take/be given. Purely from the perspective of progression and cost. If we're talking about the club as a business entity. Far fewer headaches and possibly far more accommodating politically.

Haringey are tiresome and draining and it would seem not fully appreciative that without the club all they would have left in Tottenham is that quite wonderful kebab house just past the Paxton Rd and on the opposite side of the high road where they wrap up your chips in pita bread. Probably not worth a visit every other week if there's no dessert to feast on just after 3pm. However, they've approved the plans regardless.

Back to Levy. At the time that Spurs officially bid (confirmed their interest) in the Olympic Stadium, I was advised this was astute and shrewd of Mr Chairman. Covering all bases. Think about it. We have plans to knock down and build a brand spanking new stadium just to the side of WHL. It would aid in the regeneration of the surrounding area. The local council know this. All the reports and surveys and various must haves (i.e. the listed buildings) are simply standard hurdles. The final one is where Boris now stands, but he wont be the one jumping, just rubber-stamping. All the tap dancing being had is by us, the press, West Ham, MP's and journalists.

Levy had to declare interest in Stratford because if the NRP was rejected, we'd be stuck with our 36,000 capacity. We might still be stuck in Tottenham if there's an uproar and riots back in East London, a few miles from the border into the North. Sullivan with staff screaming, you shall not pass. The Lilywhite Balrog defeated. Karren Brady at the time made a big deal of Levy not telling her about it, presumably via Facebook. She misses the point like many. It's not about her or her poxy little club or anybody outside of THFC. It's about Tottenham Hotspur. And I applaud Levy for his tunnelled focus on making sure that whatever happens no rock is left unturned. Because the risk of ending up with nothing would be a disaster.

Levy, at his Machiavellian best you might say, could have initially used Stratford to pressure Haringey. But its gone to the Mayor so there is very little to be gained from political blackmail and at the end of the day, if there existed a third option he'd have probably gone after that with equalled motivation. Boris might do what's best for London or he might just opt to give us what we want. Levy is continuing on both fronts because he would be wholly unprofessional if he didn't. One thing is for certain, unlike us - he's not split in the middle. Levy knows what is best - from his perspective - for the club. Deep down. Everything he does, we question and attempt to second guess and decipher. Patience, not much of a virtue.

This is where it gets fragmented. If you had to guess, which way would you go?

What side of the fence do you sit on?

On the one hand you could argue that Tottenham, it's essence, is the fans. We are the club. We get charged up to £50 - £70 per game for the privilege, but it's still all about us (although modern football is making the majority more and more disposable and replaceable with each passing decade). Some clubs, if they upped and moved  would not need to offer cut-price tickets to re-generate a buzz. Although there still remains a risk of a curse not too dissimilar to the one Man City fans find themselves in.

We're the heart of the club. No matter where we are you could argue we would perceiver and make the most of it. If we moved away from N17, the club and its traditions would move with us. Sentimental, romantic notions of 'our patch' and the Glory Glory nights under the floodlights at the Lane - will remain strong in our history, and never be forgotten. We still lose WHL if we rebuild just next to it. So what difference moving a few miles away? It's not like we're moving from South London to North London? We'll just be moving the THFC franchise a few miles up the road. No need for a breakaway club. No change of name. Agree? Disagree? FC Hotspur of Tottenham anyone?

So up the road. To the Gardens of Babylon of East London. So what of the area?

Quite a number of European clubs have their grounds in not so glamorous surroundings. I guess moving from Tottenham to Stratford wouldn't make that much of a difference either way. Although Stratford will have some trees so obviously it's going to be prettier. I lived for some time in Leyton, stones throw from Stratford. Anyone know this part of the world? Allow me to describe it to you. There is a tradition for local residents to throw their broken tv sets and old and stained bed mattresses outside in the street. In fact, any old rubbish, just dump it outside because someone will pick it up.

Gang warfare from teenagers with knives to the East Europeans, muggings, killings, drunken fights in the streets, pockets of poverty and run down buildings aplenty. A lack of respect. It's a bit like moving from Basrah to Baghdad. Or say, I don't know, from Tottenham to Stratford. Hmm.

People from that part of the world might think I'm being harsh, but I'm just picking up on the bad things that outweigh the good. Much like you would for N17. Both, personally, from the perspective of living there, are hardly paragons of beauty to look at. But then in regards to Spurs, the high road is something you walk down to get to the ground. It's not the reason for going to Tottenham. WHL is.

It's all fairly redundant. Most parts of London are rundown, unless we decided to build a stadium in the middle of Knightsbridge.

So who gives a f*ck where the stadium sits when all that matters is what goes on inside it?

We are Tottenham. That's all that matters. Right?

If Spurs and Levy genuinely believe we will be paralysed in parts with the transport aspect (would cost billions to extend the Victoria Line) of staying in N17 (the only negative long term issue worthy of discussion, well that and the 'just under 60,000 capacity')  then I'll have to suck it up. Spurs will be around long after I'm gone. But as colourful as all the rhetoric is from all corners and taking in all the pros and cons of going or staying - I'm going to go with my heart. Because that's how I follow football. Gut feelings.

I will be shocked and surprised if Boris doesn't give the green light.
I will be shocked and surprised if Levy's vision, his priority, is not to stay in North London.
I will be shocked and surprised if the whole progress and process of submitting and re-designing the Northumberland Redevelopment Project that came with the hardly unsurprising initial rejections and demands of change has forced Levy into changing his focus from North to East Northish East London.
I will be shocked and surprised if after all this, Levy always knew that the cost of building a stadium in N17 would have a detrimental effect on the club in terms of transfers in and out long term and that the real ruse was the project and thus the real target was Stratford.

We could be here all day drowning deep in conspiracy theories and agendas (is Lammy tweeting for his own personal gains to look good or is he being played by Levy or are they both in on it? See what I mean?)

My heart says we don't want to move and there is very little chance of Boris rejecting it and that the fact its got as far as being sent to his office for final approval means that its practically done and dusted. IMO.

Tottenham Hotspur, the experience, it's match-day traditions and its soul is in the heart of N17, Tottenham. It's home. Even with the police signs calling for witnesses littering the high road and the distinct lack of pretty buildings. It's home. The pubs and the long walk down from Seven Sisters. The ridiculous queues to get a train from White Hart Lane station into Liverpool Street post-match. None of it actually matters. And yet it does. But then who cares as long as Spurs win?

It's our territory. It's our land. Just for one or two days every couple of weeks.

Sentimental, I guess I am after all. Stratford would feel like an away day, detached from the past. For a while perhaps. And having just under 60,000 in N17 would make the various queues even longer. But personally, I'd rather have the atmosphere of having the majestic swashbuckle of our club in a derelict area than moving outside of the place we are named after into the heartland of Orient and West Ham United.

A derelict area with a shiny new polished stadia in the middle of it.

If I lack ambition or perhaps allowing sentimentality to cloud my judgement, sorry. My heart rules. If Levy or you think otherwise then so be it.

And I guess my heart is also telling me I'm a traditionalist. If it was good enough for Bill Nicholson to live up the road from, then its good enough for me to travel to from my humble village dwellings just outside the M25 in Essex. To be honest I still have issues with losing White Hart Lane (the ground and it's name), so the sucking up I'll have to do to deal with a move to Stratford would have to take on epic proportions for me to accept it. But accept I'll have to. Sir Bill would not have wanted the club to stand still. Aim high.

It's about revenue. But foremost, in its purist form, it's about football. It should be. And it should be about us. The fans. The 'club'. So what do you want?

If we're progressing as a football club will it matter where the new chapter is being written?

I guess the crux of it is, either way, whatever happens, no matter which side of the fence you sit - no matter the final decision - you will move on. No matter the loyalties sacrificed. We'll move on. Together. With the club. As one.



Spurs v Spammers: Match Thread

Line-up.

Cudicini

Hutton, Corluka, Bassong, Bale

Lennon, Jenas, Huddlestone, Modric, Van der vaart

Crouch

SUBS: Pletikosa, Palacios, Sandro, Kranjcar, Giovani, Pavlyuchenko, Keane.

Yes, that's Charlie at CB. Shudder. Middle five looks epic, as long as JJ turns up for it. Not short on creation. No King, Bassong or Kaboul. In fact, no defenders on the bench. Not one. Champions League the priority for Harry. Stud Bale at left-back. I'm disappointed. But BAE picked up a knock, so tinkering had to be done. Gallas I guess is still not 100%.

Having also seen the West Ham side; Green, Jacobsen, da Costa, Upson, Gabbidon, Dyer, Parker, Noble, Boa Morte, Obinna, Piquionne - shame on us if we lose this.

Feel free to discuss away in the comments section. If my baby girl allows me, I'll be updating this blog article as the game progresses.

To dare is to do do do...

1st Half

04:47 mins. Free kick outside the box after first proper attack. Ooh set-piece. Let's see how we manage to fudge this one up.

06:36 Close. Off the wall. Corner. Wasted. vdV busy busy busy at the mo.

07:18 Dyer fires wide. From the corner, another effort from West Ham. Biting of the nails.

09:28 Textbook West Ham so far. High tempo, pressure, be it resulting with deflections for corners. Need to try and put the olde studs on ball and take the pace out of it.

10:55 CC saving a shot, not masterful stopping. All West Ham. Sigh.

12:24 Bale forward. Stopped. WH counter. Boa Morta turning past Hutton. Comes to nothing, but still, this is getting a tad silly now.

14:27 Jenas with a shot. Green saves. First effort. Still have yet to have a patch of possession on this game yet.

15:23 Dyer on fire. Cheeky bid?

16:10 That midfield five just can't get hold of it at the moment. I guess with no defensive/holding midfielder in there, it's proving nigh impossible at the moment to do much other than the odd cameo run forward. Hammers fans with the Oles. Statue being built as I type outside the ground.

20 minute mark - Not a lot to say other than West Ham have been dominant, without exactly carving us up, but showing far more positivity in attack, earning corners and asking questions. We've don't little in response, be it a free-kick from vdV and the Jenas shot (as I type another vdV shot, saved well by Green). Huddlestone quiet as a mouse. All a bit dis-jointed.

22:00 Another leftie from vdV. Wide.

27:11 Starting to hold the ball a bit better. Still, our players looked bored.

29:00 1-0 West Ham. Yay.

31:15 So, have we gone and lost that away day magic from last season? We look poor, disinterested, incapable of taking the game by the scruff.

33:23 Great defending for the goal by the way. Forgot to mention that.

34:50 Parker into the box, good tackle from Charlie. This is pretty shit, no?

35:50 Just like watching Barca at the moment.

38:00 Free-kick, cross in, comes to nothing but the ball gets back onto the wing, crossed back in, Moddle with  the shot, SuperMan Green to the rescue, save onto the woodwork.

42:19 vdV cross-cum-shot, Crouch not quite getting on it. Not exactly what I was hoping for all this.

44:58 Coming up to HT. Crouch header over. Should have mentioned, Dyer went off earlier. Cheeky bid off.

Half-Time - 9 shots to our 7. It's been piss poor. Making them look decent, which is a massive achievement in itself, for us to be so out of this game in terms of application and desire. WH deservedly in front. As for us, it's not like we haven't had a go, but shooting and watching Green save is not good enough. We are meant to be stamping some of that quality onto the pitch, but it seems we have no strength centrally to take control. Time for a sub me thinks. Hopefully, vdV is okay. Looked to have picked up a knock.

So, shit first half. Honestly, only Spurs can make West Ham look good. Still, they deserve to be ahead. Can see us losing this 2-0 if we don't change our attitude. Having better quality players is not good enough if all they're going to do is swan around.

2nd Half

Okay, so here go. Can we have our Tottenham back please?

48:00 Like I said in the original post, Bale at left-back...wasted. We need him in midfield. Let's not forget, this is a struggling Hammer's side. Have a sodding go at them. They're confident at the moment, but one goal back and they are likely to collapse.

51:15 Hudd shot. Close. Another decent effort. But still, all from distance.

53:23 More in the game now. Just nothing decisive.

54:46 Oh dear. Hudd around Green, tries a shot, complete mess. Had he crossed it for Crouch...had he...

60:00 Okay, what did I miss? Had to leave the stream for several minutes. Daughter is teething, so had to use some of that powder on her gums that looks like cocaine. Talking of which, I could do with a couple of lines round about now. 30 minutes left. It's not looking good on the pitch at Upton Park. I'll be screaming like my baby girl by the full 90 at this rate.

64:55 Another CC save. Living dangerously. WBA 2-0 up at Arsenal. No doubt the scum will score three goals in the final ten.

65:34 Lennon off. Keane on. Game number 300 for our Robbie.

67:17 Did I say shame on us if we lose this? I'm standing by that statement. 

69:10 "Why are we making this look sooo difficult?! Its sodding west ham! FFS!" - Bimspur.

71:00 I'm fast losing interest now. It's all about the players right, not formation? Well Harry, it's much ado about nothing out there.

73:43 Cracking save from CC from Noble. Cracking. Cracks in our team mind.

77:10 Run into the box from JJ. Shot wasn't a cross wasn't a shot wasn't a cross.

77:36 vdV off. Good shift. Gio on. Ho hum.

78:19 Mighty scramble in our box. Which has seen more action than that call-girl skank off the X-Factor.

79:37 Crouch off. Pav on. The nightmare is complete.

81:13 If it stays 1-0 then its proof that West Ham United are level-pegged with us in stature and thus our rivals.

82:56 Champions League, it's all we've got, Champions League, it's all we've got...

84:44 Worst. Free-kick. Ever.

85:59 Keane effort. Keane of old might have had that.

88:04 Well done Spammers. Find those keys the trophy cabinet.

88:41 Yep. Given up I have.

Full-Time Shame on us. WH fully deserving of the three points, as shit as they are, they at least wanted it today. We did our usual apologetic attempts of botheredness. Not good enough Harry. Not good enough Spurs. Momentum. When are we going to have some?

Conclusion? Not much of one. Half-arsed performance. No effort, not urgency, no desire. West Ham tired, but fuck me, they're not exactly a team built up of quality and depth are they? And yet they won. We failed to score. I'd rather be trashed out of sight than to lose because we're as limp as a 99 year old cock.

Sorry Spurs. So sorry.

PS. Three points off 4th. It's not over yet !!!!1111 COYFS !!!!!!!!111

To dare is to turn up avoiding any lasagne pre-match

We've discussed plenty of times how we have been Jekyll and Hyde so far this season. Because of our stop/start play, we've yet to really stamp down an authoritative swagger on a match from start to finish, convincingly and emphatically.

City Home Draw 0-0 - Breathless first half, stagnating second half.
Young Boys Away Loss 3-2 - Keystone cops first half, dug deep second half.
Stoke Away Win 2-1 - Beastly first half, holding onto dear life second half.
Young Boys Home Win 4-0 - Probably the most comfortable 90 minutes of the season.
Wigan Home Loss 1-0 - Hangoverish. Got worse in the second half until disappearing completely
WBA Away Draw 1-1 - Mish mash.
Werder Away Draw 2-2 - Best 44 minutes you could ask for. Lacklustre defending, but not a terrible second half all things considering.
Wolves Home Win 3-1 - Laboured a little what with finishing, but had all the chances, and in the end, endeavoured to finally make the break-through. Not a win to be dismissed in terms of once more digging deep.
Scum Home Loss 4-1 - Second/third string that hardly performed and yet could have won. In the aftermath, it's quite cute how hard them lot are trying to justify the significance of the win as something tangible. The fact that it wasn't our first team should therefore have no negative impact on the mentality of the side that plays on Saturday.

Looking at the EPL games only, that's DWLDW. It's a case of C+ when we were hoping for more of a B, B+. But to be completely fair, had we won the Wigan home game, I'm not sure many would be that concerned, probably preferring to cite how we are not playing brilliantly but still picking up the points - a sign of a dogged side that churns out the results. Instead, we find we are lingering on a few worrying aspects of the performances. For example, our lack of grip on the second half of games. The struggle to be clinical in front of goal. The form of some of our players (Corluka, Palacios, Lennon), the loss of Modric (be it for a few games) and also the signing of Rafael van der Vaart.

Now the latter is not actually a worrying aspect at all. It's inspired. Levy bagged an extra dimension in Rafa for Harry, which will allow for decisive depth which IMO spoils us. We could, for example, rest Luka and play Rafa. Or play them both. Or have at least one available if the other is injured. Thus no reason to be down-hearted if we are missing one of them but including both in the starting line-up should be nothing less than majestic. Of course, there are tactical responsibilities to be understood in terms of what to do if the opposition attempt to flood the midfield or nullify one or both of our lefties.

Both are quite similar in terms of being able to play out on the flank and through the middle. Modric, a crafter of creation, dinking in and around the box with sublime touches and passes. Rafael, a technician of tricks, offensive-minded and equally superb in play-making, with the added bonus of knowing where the back of the net is.

Both (regardless of the obvious difference in physical stature) know how to handle themselves on the pitch. Modric can get stuck in. vdV is also not afraid. For anyone who had reservations about his work-rate, re-watch the first half v Werder Bremen and how superbly he covered the pitch, closed down opposition players and took responsibility with wanting the ball. He was equally important in the Wolves win. A touch of leadership about him in terms of how he's always looking to push the team forwards.

So nothing worrying about the inclusion of vdV in our squad. Of course, Harry has to be certain of  the mechanics of the team and how they can work best. Fluid functioning 451 success isn't going to happen over-night. 15 games in, if it's still fragmented and we are not progressing too well, then sit yourself in the corner and do that back and forwards slow movement, staring blankly into space, foaming at mouth thing you do when you know a transitional season is on the cards.

Amsterdam yids

So is all the lingering doubt really worth it? The scratching of heads? It's not exactly Everton all this. Or Liverpool. Not that we should ever want to be using other clubs problems as a gauge of how well we are doing in comparison. We can see what's not quite right, and it's all fixable. Look up, not down brothers.

Talking of looking down. It's vital we win on Saturday. The main reason being, it's two wins from five, and this would make it three wins in six. It will be a testament of our guile and determination. Had we not lost Modric at WBA, the game might have turned out differently. My point being, it's time for some convincing football, across 90 minutes, away from home. There is no room for the team, the players out on the pitch, to knee-jerk if say a player goes off injured. We've seen that happen this season, so time for Harry and players to excel and look towards that B, B+.

It's swagger time. Screw B. I want A+ with distinction.

West Ham, no matter how abjectly shit they are, which they are most of the time, always turn up for this fixture. Well, I say always turn up, they still had around 1,500 tickets available for the game earlier in the week. I guess some are holding out for a seat in the Olympic Stadium.

Their players rarely fail not to play with fire in their belly at Upton Park. No matter their form in prior games. And what with their woeful start to the season, they've apparently half turned a corner with their point away to Stoke and the cup win at Sunderland. A win for them would be deemed an important kick-starting turning point. Historically, for all their plucky efforts, it hardly ever goes their way. Unless of course we get poisoned.

I've got to be honest. Anything less than three points will be massively disappointing.

We are better than them on paper, on form, in Football Manager 2010, better than them even when we are abjectly shit. Losing this will hurt just as much as losing to Wigan because it's completely avoidable and unnecessary. Losing to Wigan is probably worse because that was a home match, but you get what I mean.

We always take points off them. And we never take it for granted, so no change in attitude is required. Our players are just as aware of how high tempo these games can get and that there is - like all London derby matches - the matter of pride. Be it far less important than Arsenal and Chelsea. It can turn out to be tenacious and ferocious and their players via the vocal power of home support, can elevate themselves onto a higher level playing field and blah blah blah.

I don't care. Ruin them thank you very much. Take those lingering worrying aspects we've kept in our possession since the opening day, stick 'em in a box, and throw it into the canal.

Things I want to see:

Bale marauding through the West Ham defence like a hot samurai sword through butter. Although to be fair, you could blunt a knife or just replace it with a feather, you'd still manage to get through their defence. Very accommodating, knees up and such.
Start Hutton. Bench Corluka.
Our midfield dominating the midfield. Scott Parker does a sterling job, but if we can't go to Upton Park and strangle the life out of them, then shame oh shame.
Crouch looping header of a despairing Rob Green.
If a DM is to be used at some point. Use Sandro, not Wilson.
I'd drop Lennon, but I'm struggling to work out if that would be more so detrimental to the side even with his current form being very average, because the alternative(s) are not great. Lennon, at least manages to assist. He might actually re-discover something so, in conclusion. Play Lennon.
No. More. Fitness. Issues.
Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack.

So something sexy like this will do me just fine:

Gomes
Hutton King Bassong BAE
Lennon Huddlestone Modric Bale
vdV
Crouch

COYS.

Selection this, selection that...

You might have read West Ham United have complained to the Premier League about Fulham's decision to rest players last weekend when they played (and lost) 2-0 to Hull City. Obviously, a weakened Fulham side is detrimental to West Ham (and arguably others in the same predicament down at the bottom) because to those sides struggling for points, seeing one of their rivals for survival gather them with comparative ease leaves a bad taste in their mouth.

You'll remember similar complaints when Wolves fielded practically a reserve side up at Old Trafford, a sacrifice/risk that their manager calculated as worthy. If you're not going to win against Manchester United, you might as well lose without losing players to injury. Utd's rivals might also disagree with these types of selections because it is, on paper, an easy three points. But that's not Man Utd's problem, is it? The same way it's not Fulham's problem if West Ham are absolute toilet.

Wolves lost three points at United, and won three against Burnley. Rather than end up with the one or nothing at all. Sure, it should be about glory and had Wolves shocked Utd...but then again the manager makes the final decision, and in this case it paid off for McCarthy. Much like it has in the eyes of Hodgson and their 2-1 win in the Europa League.

For the sake of footballing justice, yes, I agree every side should be at its most strongest in order for competition to be fair. But define strongest? Actually, don't bother because that's not your job - it's the managers. If Hodgson wants to play youth and reserves because he has prioritised his teams objectives (Europe being that priority) then the side that faced Hull was the strongest he could possibly field.

If West Ham are in such dire desperate times, they should perhaps look inwards at sorting out their inability to function as a cohesive unit. If a side is in trouble it's because they've dragged themselves down there and not because other teams are winning thanks to the odd (very rare) occasion a rival side has played an under-strength upper region side and won.

The footballing governing bodies should not legislate team selections to the nth degree. Even if the final game of the season a manager rests every first team player in a game that might decide someone else's fate - and yes, I know, the Hull/Fulham result might just have been that type of game - just not played on the final day. And nobody rests players for the sake of it, there's always a reason and that reason is always justified as far as the team doing the resting are concerned. It's the ones who are desperate who look for a way to claw back some hope.

The crux of the problem is that this form of complaint is driving towards the suggestion that a club should consider the plight of another club when they are making decisions based on their own ambitions. The rule about having to field a full-strength side is there to protect the integrity of the league - which it does perfectly fine.

But placing another club ahead of your own? In a parallel universe perhaps where a match is postponed to allow players to recover from a dodgy lasagne, perhaps.

Hodgson cares for nothing more than Fulham and their progression, so of course he's going to take a risk and sacrifice potential points for the sake of silverware in another competition.

It's a bitter pill to swallow, and I know that if Spurs had to rely on others to fail (a possibility in the run-in for 4th place) its still something completely out of our control and there is nothing we can do other than do the best in our own games - a destiny we can shape. If one of our rivals plays an under-strength side and gains points that places them above us, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. If it was the other way around, we'd be smiling our faces off.

So to go back to the actual rule that West Ham are arguing Fulham broke (from the BBC article covering this story):

The Premier League's E20 rule stipulates that clubs must field a full-strength side in all top-flight games.

Perhaps next time Hodgson should play a full-strength side and ask them to play at around 40% effort. Which matches the level that West Ham have been playing all season long. Which should restore some balance to the farce.

Gudjohnsen

So apparently we've signed Gudjohnsen. On loan. He's definitely not a defensive midfielder (sigh) nor a prolific striker. He's a link man. Superb player at Chelsea, but not sure exactly how he's progressed since - other than the odd cameo during his time at Barcelona. No problems, it would seem, in getting him to sign on the dotted line as there was no competition for his signature.

Pause.

Nah, just kidding. West Ham apparently offered him a contract and the player had a medical there too. We then offered the same contract (wage wise according to honest Harry) and he's chosen us. Not sure why the claret and blues are in melt-down over it. He had two choices, he made a decision, end of story. Why do chairman/owners always try to re-invent the wheel in the hard-done by stakes? It's not like this type of thing is rare in football.

Sullivan spouting about karma just adds fuel to the perpetuated obsession that is directed towards us and thus by mentioning it our obsession with them…it's complex stuff this rivalry business.

Birmingham recently stole a player from the clutches of Wolves, so perhaps that's the karma Sullivan is referencing. Otherwise, let me remind you about a certain French player we spoke to who then got into a cab we paid for, drove to the cesspit and signed for the enemy. Karma? We've had plenty of it rammed down our throats with excessive dollops of lasagna to last us a life time.

Still, I'm not stripping down to my y-fronts and moon walking across my office desk just yet. Perhaps it’s the collection of forwards we now possess that has me wondering where they will all fit in from one game to the next. Although plenty of time for one of them (at a stretch two) to be sold on between now and the 1st of Feb.

I still believe that another DM is a necessity if we are to consolidate and take that 4th spot. This is a massive chance to claim CL football because next season the likes of Man City will have spent another £200M or so in a single summer and Liverpool will probably rediscover their form - leaving us scratching our heads and wondering about 'what ifs', and in addition relentlessly trying to hold onto Lennon and Modric, before accepting a donation to the Tottenham Foundation and accepting defeat.

Good luck Eidur. Once upon a time, it was Keane who spent the game linking the midfield with the forward line. Hopefully Harry has a plan about how this will work, but considering the issues we have currently with unlocking defences and thus making a meal out of it, we might have just got ourselves a rather worthy key.

Open bus parade cancelled in East London (2-0 to the Lilywhites)

West Ham still are rivals, right?

No blood and thunder in this derby match. It was akin to a giant swallowing a feather. Slight tickle on the tongue, hardly noticed, and not a chance in hell of choking.

They were never in it. Very comfortable, embarrassingly so. Shame we couldn't carve up a few more slices of goal mouth action and stuff them, but can't complain at all. 2-0, another clean sheet and very little to complain about. No complacency at all, unlike what happened against Stoke and Wolves. West Ham were plucky in parts in the second half, but never threatening. Not helped by injuries, including the one to Scott Parker that appeared to play a part in allowing Luka the freedom of the midfield to race in for his first goal of the season. Welcome back little man.

Modric (starting and finishing the move for that goal) appeared to galvanise one or two players with his mere presence. I guess the lack of Claret and Blue presence also helped, but credit where it's due. Huddlestone was influential, Palacios biting like a mosquito on speed. We'll have to perhaps wait a little longer to see if Modric in the middle and Niko on the left can work, but no doubt, the line-up that started did.

We clicked and dominated possession. Lennon and Corluka enjoying plenty going forward. Defoe always a menace. The only humbug was perhaps the impossibility of a post-match DVD release cometh the final half an hour as we still sat on a 1-0 lead. There was no Wiganesque demolition job here. Not that WH ever really looked like scoring anyway. But sometimes crazy shit happens, and you can suddenly find yourself pegged back. But I guess another positive about this Spurs side is that there was no collapse evident at any stage and in the end, we put it to rest with a great goal made by Defoe, for himself, teasing with speed and urgency outside the box, lashing it in, off Green and back to him for yet another lash - this time finding the net. Everything in between the first and second goal was easy on the eye. Highly enjoyable afternoon, but we need to discover the guile for that ruthlessness that turns this from a Sky+ recording of MOTD2 to club shop merchandise heaven.

And also, special extra mention for JD - yellow-carded for celebrating with fans by allowing an embrace or two to engulf him when he made it 2-0. Much like Cesc Fabregas did at the Emirates yesterday. Score and celebrate with fans. He got yellow carded too. Yep. He suuuuuuuuure did. Hmm.

Anyways.

Do we get to keep the cup?

As for top 4 - we need to consolidate and to do that we need to step up an extra gear. Up to Harry to make sure the players remain focused. The way this season is panning out, anything is possible, so I'm neither jigging nor scratching chin. I'm waiting to see how things pan out, but to be honest, my dancing shoes are on. Fuck it, may as well wear our hearts on sleeves. Its what we do best. And if we get something at Anfield...

Think Liverpool will come back into it at some stage soon, and add City and Villa to the mix - its cat and mouse at the moment. Still no sign of anyone truly grabbing the Prem by the scruff of the neck. I'm enjoying it though. How can any Spurs fan not? Our next 6 games are perhaps season defining (how many times have we heard that?). In fact, screw the rest of them. We need to focus completely on what we do going forward. Let them play catch up rather than sigh when someone above us drops points. We need to have them chasing us. I guess this is where we find out if the players - and Harry - actually believe.

It's been a decent Christmas. 4th going into 2010. Not sure what to make of our gaffers comments about not having anyone in mind, re: transfers. He doesn't think we need to cause ripples with further headache selections, but when he cites '4 forwards' you have to wonder if his tongue is firmly embedded in cheek. Is Pav really still a choice?

Sorry, can't muster too much else at the moment. I'm still sick, bloodshot eyes, head-thumping headaches. It's the end of days over here at the moment. But still smiling. If I'm not back on-line before 2010, enjoy what's left of this year. And cast your minds back to where we sat just before Redknapp took the helm. Facebook Relegation Party, what became of you?

For now...we're forever bursting...

Back in time for the cup final...

Good Christmas? I had a fairly wonderful Xmas Eve and day, spent with close family, drinking twenty three year old Guatemalan rum and eating plenty. Boxing Day was altogether a rather less pleasant experience. Was meant to be a day spent again with relatives (turkey and mash) after a brief drink or two in the local pub. If it wasn't bad enough that the pub in question was West Ham (Buckhurst Hill), we managed to consume a ridiculous amount of triples, quadruples and shots rendering some of us devoid of the ability to either talk or walk. All this in the space of three hours. There was no dinner (over-cooked and the host almost sliced his finger off when attempting to carve it). Plenty of arguing (the sober ones did not take well to our state and late arrival back) and I apparently spent the next two and half hours hugging the toilet and shivering. I had turned a horrid shade of green. What a light weight. I don't remember much else and what I do (in the form of flashbacks) would be preferable to have remained forgotten. Oh the joys of the festivities. It's all in the name of baby Jesus.

I've seen nothing of the Fulham v Spurs game so read this if you want a quick summary. Family members and friends have told me it was a fair result in the end with Gomes making some pretty ace saves. Great goal for us disallowed thanks to some shabby decision making from the ref. We looked more up for it after JD and Modric came on. And thanks to the organisation of Fulham we spent the early parts of the game hoofing it. Happy with a point then. 3rd clean sheet on the trot. Hopefully tomorrow things will be a little more tidy offensively. Clinical and ruthlessness is the key because I couldn't possibly stomach a Wolves/Stoke type of game/performance.

It's not been a bad half season has it? In fact, it's been pretty good, lots to improve on with steps forward rather than falls backwards. Hopefully we'll remain on track after tomorrow. We do love playing the Hammers. I'm completely out of sorts with the latest news, ITK info and selection teasers - but glad to see Dawson and Bassong continuing their partnership and Gomes with the much deserved plaudits for his keeping. Would like to see Moddle play a bigger part tomorrow also. Might be the right type of game for him, space wise. We'll see.

If there are any major talking points, let me know. Think of this as a self-service blog. You write the content. I'll play catch-up from Tuesday.