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Happy New Year?

December 31st, 2010 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Dec, 31 2010
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It’s been a while since i last updated. To be honest with you all I’ve found it quite hard to come to terms with the clean sheet we got against Newcastle. I’ve also eaten so much food I’ve barely left the couch apart from football and the odd trip to the toilet.

I’m sitting here, doing what many men will be doing at this time of year, and thats waiting for the other half to get ready. Not sure why it takes her so long, took me 25 minutes, including a shower and I look fantastic.

Christmas is the only time of year I’m happy not to be a footballer. I love Christmas and would hate the thought of having to work although I would at push but would expect at least £100k a week for my efforts. Tonight however, is the time I’d love to be a footballer. I hate new years eve. Everything overpriced, your local pub suddenly charging you £5 or more to get in and 2 hour waits for taxis. Of course then there’s the problem of seeing spurs the following day. If you’re lucky enough to live within an hour of the ground it’s not a major problem, but if like me, it’s more of an effort, making that trip becomes impossible with a hangover so i often miss the new years day match, as i am tomorrow.

This is all very quick, so i’m not going to go into how we need to line up to beat fulham or what tactics we should employ because quite frankly we’re showing signs of being able to play the way we play and win. As Redknapp says, pick the right players, send them out and let them play.

All very optimistic from me. It could be the few glasses of bubbly I’ve already had, or the fact I haven’t eaten a cocktail sausage in at least 24 hours, or even the rather snazzy Elvis like sideburns I’m supporting tonight with great aplomb (only taken 2 weeks of facial hair concentration). Whatever it is, I can see no other result than a spurs win. Ok, maybe I’m not that optimistic. Fulham have just beaten Stoke 2-0 at Stoke which is some result but surely the fact it’s their first away win in approximately 1,376 games means lightning isn’t going to strike twice. The law of averages and all that. The same logic can’t be used when talking about the possibility of us keeping another clean sheet though. No particular reason for that, other than I said so.

To summarise, I shall be sacrificing my trip to White Hart Lane tomorrow for what I see as a massive anti-climax night but spurs will walk across the white line with clear heads, sexy football in their hearts and make this a very happy new year. So simple.

To all the people who have read is blog throughout the year, I thank you and wish all my fellow spurs fans a very happy new year. I’ll be back spouting rubbish about our beloved club once the party food has been cleared.

COYS

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Dear Sol

December 28th, 2010 Posted in Articles
Dec, 28 2010
12 Comments »

Later on today we’ll welcome back Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell to White Hart Lane once again. This time with Newcastle and likely on the bench at best. Things have changed for him since leaving us. He went on to win pretty much everything with them, then he went mental for a bit, left them, got more money from some other clubs and eventually ended up with the magpies. Just as a little pre cursor to the game, even though it’s unlikely he’ll even play we have a “love” letter pencilled by one of our forum members, YidetteKels. Kelly attends every home game and many away (even though she’s still waiting for her season ticket), including being at both European games we’ve found ourselves 3-0 and 4-0 down within 30 minutes. She’ll be attending the Milan away game so prepare yourselves for a bad start, it’s clearly her fault.

Dear Sol,

Ive spent some time reflecting on things lately and I’m wondering if I was a little harsh about you and perhaps said some rash things in the heat of the moment. I mean you know where I’m coming from right? Like the time you said you would never play for Arsenal. The thing is I’ve been having an ongoing debate with a few people about Judas Scumball, that’s you incase you didn’t realise. Some think its time we put the past behind us, when I say us I mean spurs fans, you know the club you started your professional career at.

You see I’m told that not everyone understands why you deserve this Judas tag that you get so I thought maybe they’re right, maybe its time to let it go, but then you see I thought about just what you did. You promised us that you would sign a new contract, we would have broken the bank for you, you would have been the highest paid player we’d ever had but instead you decided that you would pocket a load of cash, something you continue to do, and make yourself available to other clubs. You choose to go to our biggest rivals. You left us after 9 years, 9 years of ups and downs, 9 years of our support. You see Sol, that’s the difference between you and me, in those 9 years you got paid for our relationship, I had to pay. You gave us 255 appearances, you gave us a captain leading our team to a league cup victory in 1999 and then you gave us a knife to the heart as you decided to take money over principles. We could have tried to give you the European football you craved but instead you choose to pocket the cash, polish your medals and without a second thought for us it seems. So why do you get so upset when we remind you of this? Surely as you count the vast stacks of cash you have from years of pocketing signing on fees it consoles you as the fact you sold you’re soul.

Tell me really what did you think was going to happen every time we met? Did you think we would roll out the red carpet and recount tales of what could have been, had you had any principles of your own rather than just a fat wallet? Could you even thank us for putting you on the right path as a defender instead of the striker that you thought you wanted to be?

Instead you get upset when we sing about you. So we have a lot of songs about you at spurs, more than we ever had when you played for us, too many of them with your name in it for my liking, its become some what of a format, one I’d rather break away from but one recently that I’m rather fond of and I don’t think we could be arrested for, although im sure come 28th December Harry will ask us to pipe down and not say anything to you. The thing is Sol, I’ve never been a great one for doing as I’m told especially when I strongly believe in something and guess what this is no exception. Its just a shame that the press like to sensationalise things in this country or you would see that what was sang to you at Portsmouth was not what it was painted out to be.

Sometimes it all feels a bit like a pantomime, we all need a villain, but its football, there are plenty of players and managers you can dislike, we don’t have a shortage. As I started to write this I thought I’d be objective, write down all the positives you gave us but then the passion kicks in and I just can’t bring myself to do it.

I guess I’ve answered my own question, is it time to let the grudge go, move on and forget it? You bet your life its not, Judas.

Forever Spurs,
Kels.

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Boxing Day Magic

December 27th, 2010 Posted in Match Previews, Match Reports, Premier League
Dec, 27 2010
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£35 for a match ticket. £25 for petrol. £2 for a hot chocolate. Watching Rafael van der Vaart return to the side, Priceless.

In all fairness to the rest of the team it wasn’t vdV alone who got us a hard earned 3 points yesterday but he did make all the difference. I just love watching him play. I didn’t think there were many players who could surpass my enjoyment of watching Modric in a Spurs shirt but the Dutchman is pure class. All the superlatives have been used already so there’s little I can add to them in my little corner of the internet.

Football is all about moments. Those little things that separate one team from the other. We were lucky enough to witness quite a few moments last night, and some of them were simply breathtaking. If you only managed to catch the highlights on Match of the Day you won’t have seen that many of those moments actually came from Ekotto and Palacios who were as good as vdV if not better. Both have been “whipping” boys of large proportions of the white hart lane crowd in their time and while I’ve always sat on the side that thinks highly of Benny, I can understand the Palacios disappointment but he’s been coming back to form in recent weeks and yesterday he was back to his best. The only thing that could’ve topped it was a goal which he nearly got had it not been for a superb save from Friedal which went unnoticed from the officials.

Speaking of the officials. I’m not one to point the finger too often when they get it wrong. I’ve watched too many games screaming for what I think is an obvious penalty only to see a replay later to see I was completely wrong to pass judgement on them but they all had absolute shockers. Not only bad decisions for Spurs, but for both teams. We would’ve been better allowing each manager to have a half each. The Defoe sending off is debatable. Personally I don’t think it was a red but it’s one of those that are sometimes given and sometimes not. It’s the game and it’s something I would expect us to have to deal with as I don’t see the FA or Premier League rescinding the 3 match ban. A chance for Crouch and vdV to strike up their partnership again. For all you Pav fans out there, he won’t get in front of Crouch for our next game against Newcastle and that I guarantee.

As I sit here with my new Christmas pants and socks on, I realise I was privileged to witness two moments of genius. There’s nothing quite like coming away from a game and thinking you’ve had value for money. Thankfully this season we’re lucky that’s the feeling most of us get after each match, but winning isn’t the be all and end all of football. As a talented footballer once said, “Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom”. There’s a team currently in the premier league who are constantly praised for their style of play. Some suggest they try to play like Barcelona, but there’s a massive difference. Barcelona are entertaining, they’re not. They pass the ball about very nicely but with little end product and tend to wait for the other team to tire and make a mistake. We on the other hand just go full out attack, entertain and hope to score one more goal than the opposition. It’s a joy to listen to other fans singing our praises on radio phone ins after watching us play. We’re Newcastle circa 1996.

Moment One

Luka Modric makes a pass that not only was pass of the game but was quite possibly the best pass I’ve seen from any player in any team in any game this season. Maybe I’m being a little over the top but it was a piece of magic that only he in our team could produce. The vision to be able to turn and pass into a space that he knew Alan Hutton would be able to get into and pass it to within an inch of perfection so Hutton could set up our first goal was special. From my angle I was right behind the balls flight and to be honest as soon as it left his foot me and those around me all said “ooooooohhhhh, what a pass”. It was one of those moments you remember. A moment you pay to see.

Moment Two

Goal two and the eventual match winner. This was sexy football at it’s finest. Sky Sports News were reporting this morning that Ruud Gullit locked himself in his bathroom just after witnessing it and has only come out once since to get more tissue paper. It was a goal that had they scored it or Barcelona or even United, people would be going on about it all the time. As far as team goals and counter attacking football go we’ll be hard pressed to better it this season. For me, it was even better than Bale’s goals against Inter purely because of the match situation, amount of defenders and the fact it incorporated 3 players instead of just one.

van der Vaarts control and flick around the corner 10 yards outside his own box to set Bale on the break showed the class he has. None of our strikers could’ve done what he did then. Bale did what he does best which was run, run, run. Reminds me a little of Forrest Gump at times. Anyway, huge credit must go to Aaron Lennon who not only kept up with the break but showed footballing intelligence, something he’s not always had, to lay the ball back to vdV instead of taking the shot on with his weaker left foot. I’d hazard a guess that had he been on his right he might not have passed it. Rafa just slotted the ball home and we had just witnessed excellence.

To play for an hour with 10 men and play the way we did was a real sign of where this team could go if we can get a few class signings in. I don’t think we’re in the title hunt for one second but the way things stand if we can have a really good festive period, and that’ll be very hard, there’s no reason why we couldn’t really cause an upset and get into the top 4 again. Make no mistake, we’re the outsiders again to finish in the top 4 and if we do it, we’ll have done better than last season.

Just a quick match preview for tomorrow’s game now. Newcastle at home. Going to be very hard I think. We struggled with Heskey once again until he went off injured and I see no difference with Carroll. I expect us to give away plenty of fouls on him as Kaboul and Dawson try to go through him to get the ball. Thankfully, Nolan is suspended so that’s a bonus for us. Personally I’d let Carroll win the ball and make sure we’re ready for the second balls. Maybe don’t even compete with him for it except for set pieces of course. Gomes still isn’t looking the same as he was last season, especially at corners and I would’ve thought Newcastle will have a couple of players keeping him on his line. It’ll be up to Crouch to sort Carroll out when that happens.

I can’t decide what I think the outcome will be in this one. It’s a pity JD is suspended because his pace would be handy against their centre backs but Crouch will come in as his replacement, especially so we have some extra height to cope with Carroll. Barton will probably make a hard, borderline leg breaker early on Bale or vdV so expect lots of booing from the home crowd. It’ll also give us a chance to compare Ekotto and Enrique who some think would make a good replacement for Benny. Silly people. ;)

The one thing is for sure, if we play the way we can and the way we did with only 10 men last night we’ll win. I’d like a clean sheet at some point though. Another massive game. I think it’ll be a 1-1 draw but would love an easy relaxing game, so 3-0 at half time lads. No make that 4-0, I still remember Black Wednesday.

COYS

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All I Want for Christmas is 3 Points

December 24th, 2010 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Dec, 24 2010
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If our boxing day game against Villa is on, and I guess it’s a big if at the moment, it’s yet another must win. I think I’m going to assume all games we play from now on are must win, at least until we’re safely in the top 4 with no chance of going lower. Without football on boxing day the footballing population will crumble under the pressure of spending a further day with family. I know that sounds harsh but you know what I mean. I’ll be with the in-laws over the festive period and while I have no problem with any of them, well almost, the last thing I’ll need to hear come the morning of the 26th is I’ve lost my excuse to leave.

So, lets say for arguments sake that I’ll be making the trip to Villa Park with the rest of the travelling yid army, what should I expect? Thanks to SKY it’s a late kick off so the first thing is freezing temperatures and no feeling in my toes. As for the game we’re looking fairly strong, player wise.

The defence picks itself and no doubt will buckle at some point under the stresses that are dealing with goal machine Emile Heskey. In all fairness to the big lump he gave us a spanking in the game at White Hart Lane earlier in the season and we were fortunate he went off injured midway through the first half. It was only then we really took control of the game and deserved the 3 points.

In midfield we can welcome back Jenas if he’s selected although given Palacios’s recent improvement in form I would expect him to keep his place alongside Modric if fit. Then there’s the big one, van der Vaart’s back ladies and genitals. The maestro of most things good we’ve done this season and the match winner against Villa in October.

With his inclusion we’ll get a much better picture of how Redknapp plans on playing this season. That sounds strange given we’re about to enter the second half of the season but we still don’t know whether he plans on playing with a lone striker and vdV just behind or 2 strikers and vdV in midfield. We’ve had both this season so far but we’re yet to see a team selection and formation when all parties are fit. Can Defoe play as a lone striker as he did once for England alongside Rooney? Will Redknapp want to break up the Crouch / vdV partnership that’s produced goals. Will Lennon lose his position on the right so vdV can fit into the midfield? Or can we play Bale, Modric, vdV and Lennon in a 4?

So many questions and I’m looking forward to see if ‘Arry can find the answers. I think the easy option would be to go with Defoe up front and vdV just behind him but since when has Redknapp taken the easy option? Obviously with the exception of paying tax!

Stolen from THFC6061 on glory-glory.co.uk

In total, Spurs have played 83 matches on Boxing Day winning 33, drawing 20 and losing 30 games. Spurs haven’t lost a Boxing Day match since 2003 and have only lost 3 of the 16 played during the Premier League Era so far.

Who would’ve thought we had such a decent boxing day record. I’m sure my Christmas’s are often ruined by some lacklustre performance that makes me cringe at the thought of another game only 2 days after.

Onto our opponents. Villa haven’t exactly set the world on fire so far this season. It’s hardly surprising either when you consider the timing of O’Neil’s departure and they play a winger as a striker. Oh, and they still think Agbonlahor is the answer to their problems. I know, I know, if he’s fit he’ll get a hat-trick now but overall he’s got pace, and lots of it, but little else. I like Houllier though so apart from boxing day I hope they do well this season and I like the fact he’s brought in some decent looking youngsters who will no doubt get better with experience.

In Ashley Young (if fit) and Stuart Downing they have two talented England internationals who on their day can cause the best teams problems so we’ll have to be wary of them and pace isn’t something we have an abundance of at the back so we’ll need to play a deep line to make sure balls over the top aren’t successful.

The bottom line is this, if we play to our potential and haven’t had too many mince pies we should win. Play with confidence, swagger and commitment and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be looking at another victory to add to our boxing day record.

Short and sweet and not really very detailed match preview today, but it is almost Christmas. I’m off to spend time with the in-laws, wish me luck and a snow/frost free premier league schedule. Have a good one yids.

COYS

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2010: The Year That Was

December 23rd, 2010 Posted in Articles
Dec, 23 2010
5 Comments »

As it’s Christmas Eve Eve and we’re all either doing last minute shopping or counting down the hours until we can say goodbye to our mundane jobs for 10 days I thought it would be an opportune time to take a look back at the calendar year that was 2010. I guess really I should schedule this to publish after Christmas but if we’re lucky enough to get any football in that time there will be other things to talk about so here goes. I should warn those of you that are naturally pessimistic like I am that the following may shock you. It’s advisable to sit with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie. Make sure your glass is half full and not half empty.

Lets start with the league and what a year it’s been for us at the bread and butter. With 2 games to come, Villa on Boxing Day, followed by Newcastle, we’ve played 35 games, winning 17 and drawing 9. That’s 60 points so we’ve managed to keep a consistent form throughout the year and in effect the two seasons. We’ve continued to perform in a traditional Spurs way too, losing to the likes of Wolves, Burnley, Wigan, West Ham and Bolton but those have been blips on a year that’s seen us record back to back north London derby victories, beating the eventual Champions Chelsea and one glorious night at Eastlands that gave us that all important Champions League place.

Favourite victories will always be different and I expect the majority would say one of the two NLD games as their favourite league game of 2010, especially the away one. However, mine is probably a little bit out there and many won’t agree but my favourite victory of 2010 was our 2-1 win at Stoke on March 20th. A strange one to choose I know but hear me out. Stoke away is never easy, especially last season where very few teams had come away with the 3 points. As I stood in what was a freezing breeze that day and applauded the players off it was the first time I genuinely thought we had a chance of the top 4. Until that point I’d be waiting for the wheels to come off or just thought we weren’t quite good enough. As Harry Redknapp walked into their canvas tunnel he turned to the fans and gave a fist pump, something I’d not seen him do before. I wonder if that game was the one when he realised it too?

So, on the night on May 05th 2010 we travelled to Manchester City to play our rearranged league game with 4th spot resting on the result for both teams. Strange how these things turn out isn’t it? The cynic in me would think that game was scheduled for the end of the season hoping it would attract a large television audience. Anyway, with one bustling run from Younes Kaboul and a salmon leaping Peter Crouch we made our way into the Champions League for the first time. I’m not ashamed to say I had a little tear roll down my cheek that night.

Onto the Champions League. The best club competition in the world. Some say it’s better than the World Cup and judging by last summers exploits in South Africa it’s hard to argue with them. We all watched the draw for the qualifying stages in anticipation and were fairly pleased when we got Young Boys of Bern. Easy peasy lemon squeezey. As fate would have it our opening game of this season would be against City again, only 3 days before “the biggest game in our history” as it was billed by some. Not ideal but something we would have to get used to now we were sitting at the top table of European football. After keeping Joe Hart in action for an entire 90 minutes we travelled to Switzerland for what we hoped would be a fairly routine first leg only to get a nasty Champions League fright. All the hard work of the previous season and that magical night at Eastlands was being destroyed when we found ourselves 3-0 down after only 28 minutes. Thankfully we did what we’ve done best in 2010 and that’s make a comeback. The game finished 3-2 and we destroyed them 4-0 in the return leg to get into the group stages.

The group stages where we got the “Group of Death”. The hardest group of any of the English teams. We weren’t given much of a chance against the reigning champions, Inter Milan, seasoned champions league veterans Werder Bremen and Dutch champions FC Twente. Third at best we were told and Europa League football come 2011. Foolish press.

We don’t do things easily though do we? I made my first European trip with the team for the Bremen game. I had to be at our first Champions League game proper and what a game. 2-0 up after 18 minutes and most of us didn’t know what to do. We decided on jumping up and down with Cheshire Cat grins on our faces, saying to complete strangers, “what’s going on? We’re 2-0 up”. Of course, this wouldn’t be Spurs if we didn’t end the game 2-2 but like Stoke away that game made me realise we could qualify for the knock out stages if we played the way we all know we can.

What followed were two easy wins at home against FC Twente and Bremen but sandwiched between were the glamour ties of the group. Inter Milan v Tottenham Hotspur. As I write this I’m chuckling because it’s only when you look back you realise just how naive but also how brilliant this team we watch every week (snow permitting) is. 4-0 down at half time and down to 10 men wasn’t quite what we all had in mind, but we won the second half 3-0 and aplayer we knew already introduced himself onto the world stage. Arise the beast that is Gareth Bale. More on him later, but his second half hat trick might’ve papered over the cracks of the first half but more importantly it gave the team and fans belief that Inter weren’t the Inter of old and they could be beaten. I guess the award for best defeat of 2010 goes to Inter away.

Then the Champions League sex really started to kick in. On November 02nd we welcomed Rafa Benitez and his Inter team to fortress White Hart Lane. The atmosphere was building, anticipation for what could be a glory night ahead and tension was in the air. Bang, Bang, Bang. Gareth Bale did it again. This time creator but a 3-1 home win made Europe not only take a look at the Welshman but also our small area of north London that many hadn’t travelled to before and Inter don’t want to come to again. We’d done it. Qualified from the group most didn’t think we could. We went on to draw away to FC Twente in another up and down game with goals galore to finish top of the group and draw Inter’s rivals AC Milan in the first knock out stage. Could 2011 see more glorious european nights? Fingers and toes crossed.

As great as the Champions League has been, the domestic cups haven’t been so kind to us. The FA Cup started off quite well, although with 3 replays out of 4 it provided more games than we wouldn’t liked. Having beaten Fulham knowing we’d meet an almost relegated Portsmouth many of us were working out how we’d get cup final tickets. Unfortunately we hadn’t read the script this time and somehow and far inferior team managed to beat us 2-0 after extra time. One slip by Awesome Dawson and we were done. The trip home fromWembley that day was probably the worse football feeling I had in 2010.

A close second or maybe worse or the same! I can’t make up my mind on this one but the 4-1 defeat to “them” in the Carling Cup on 21st September at home wasn’t a pleasant experience. Maybe it’s only the Carling Cup but it’s a trophy that’s been kind to us over the years and frustratingly it’s a trophy that looks like they’ll win this season, ending their baron run. It’s clear we sacrificed this competition for the Champions League and when I look back on it now I’m ok with that to a certain degree. I just wish we’d beaten them first.

As I write this we’ve scored 92 goals in the last 357 days. Strange stat I know but a stats a stat. We’ve enjoyed regulars like Michael Dawson playing out of his skin, rightly becoming captain and getting England recognition. Tommy Huddlestone start to develop more as an all round footballer in the centre ofthe park. We’ve seen the highs and lows of Gomes, who goes from match winning performance to crying like a little girl when the ball hits him in the knee and then back to match winning performance again. The resurgence of Alan Hutton, the fifty-four different hair styles of Benny Ekotto, the sixteen different injuries of Ledley King and eleven counts of drunk and disorderly. We’ve seen one of the finest players, while injury prone, to wear the lilywhite shirt join the club in Rafael van der Vaart. A joy to watch and a will to win that we haven’t had since the days of Gazza.

However, the year of 2010 belongs to one man. At the end of 2009 he was being lined up for a move to Nottingham Forest and then fate struck. Injury to Ekotto opened the door for a 20 year old from Cardiff, with bad hair, simian like features and bits of tape stuck to his legs. In all fairness he’s sorted out his hair now!! I’m not one of the many fans who think he has a brilliant game every week or chant his name because he got on the end of a goodthrough ball by Ekotto but he’s learning the game and when playing well he’s what you pay your money to see.

In a vote, best goal of 2010 is probably Danny Rose’s against them but for me it was (so far) Bale’s volley against Stoke. As the youngsters say nowadays, it was perfect tekkers. Even at the other end of the ground, everyone knew we’d just witnessed a cracker. I’m sure I’m not different to most of you reading this when I say I have never been able to even get my leg that high let alone kick a ball into the top corner at the same time. His displays against Inter Milan will be remembered for years to come by all Spurs fans.

It’s been a massively entertaining year. Ups and downs as always, but for a change it’s been mostly positive. With young players like Bale, Modric, Dawson, Huddlestone, Lennon, Ekotto getting better all the time, and the experience of vdV and hopefully a couple of new signings 2011 isn’t looking too bad either.

What will it bring us? Another top 4 maybe? I hope so. A decision on the new stadium most definitely. News on whether Redknapp will be with us or England in 2012? Will ENIC still own the club? Will we still be linked with Scott Parker and Steven Pienaar? One things for certain, being a Spurs fan is never boring and that’s just the way I like it.

We shouldn’t forget that 2010 has also been a year in which we’ve lost many of our heros from yesteryear, in particular Bobby Smith, Eddie Baily and Ralph Coates. All have been a part of what makes this club the one we love and they shall never be forgotten.

Hope you all have a great Christmas, New Year and 6 points would be the perfect present.

COYS

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ENIC Prepare to Sell. Maybe.

December 21st, 2010 Posted in Articles, New Stadium
Dec, 21 2010
11 Comments »

There’s been little to write about of any note recently, mainly because of the weather and local councils’ fear of someone suing them because they fell over on an icy pavement. First off, I know the title is a little sensationalist but if ENIC were to sell Spurs that’s exactly what it would be. It would turn our little world upside down, possibly for the good but more than likely for the bad. I should add these are entirely my views and I don’t claim to be an expert in shares and all that business stuff but it’s something to read and think about on another cold winters day while we wait for Christmas and our boxing day game to be called off.

I think Daniel Levy and ENIC have done a fine job since they bought the majority of Sir/Lord Alan Sugar’s shares a decade ago and started the process of becoming the majority shareholders in the club. It took them 7 years to finish buying all of Sugar’s shares by which time the company held 68% of the overall holding and were firmly in charge.

In the last 3 years ENIC have established themselves as owners of 86% of all shares, a combination of 76% of ordinary shares and 97% of the convertible shares they had released to help fund the initial development costs of a new stadium project.

As we all know ENIC have always backed whatever manager we’ve had in the transfer market. We’ve been one of England’s biggest spenders in the last decade. We may not have liked the way Levy went about certain things and I guess a lot of what happened in the past (Martin Jol’s treatment) could be put down to a lack of experience in the football world, but he does seem to have always had the best interest of the club at heart. However, he’s a businessman and so is Joe Lewis. In the case of Lewis, a very wealthy one.

Rumours have circulated for at least the last 5 years that ENIC would sell up soon for a tidy profit but it hasn’t materialised. The better the team got and therefore the more exposure to the world media it obtained the higher the share price rose. The one thing the club is missing is a stadium. It’s no secret Roman Abromovich “looked” at Spurs but settled on Chelsea because they were in the Champions League, were in the nicer area than north London and their stadium offered more than ours. You’ve got to wonder why Sheikh Mansour chose Manchester City out of all the clubs in the world and over a club like Spurs. Obviously we weren’t for sale but I don’t think that sort of thing stops people like that. There’s no doubt in my mind if City were still playing at Maine Road they wouldn’t be the richest club in the world at the moment.

Everyone knows to compete at the highest level you have to have that big stadium and City had theirs. Is it plausible that had we already been sitting in a nice 50,000+ stadium we might’ve been wearing keffiyeh’s? The benefit of not having to fund a new stadium is a massive plus for any potential buyer.

Which brings me on to the recent news that ENIC have bought even more shares in the club:

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has tightened his grip on the Premier League club.

ENIC International – a company in which Levy is interested – now holds 181,793,258 Tottenham Hotspur ordinary shares, representing 86% of the issued ordinary share capital.

This follows the conversion of 56,247 preference shares into 87,857,814 ordinary shares.

ENIC no longer holds any interest in preference shares.

Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Well to say they’ve bought more shares isn’t strictly speaking true. What they’ve done is convert the preference shares they created to get capital so they could start the beginning stages of the new stadium development. This means they still own the same percentage of shares but they’re now all ordinary shares and as I’m reliably informed this brings them to within 4% of having to make a compulsory offer for the remaining 10% of the club and therefore taking the company into the private sector. This would mean not having to answer to any shareholders and being able to do what they want.

The next conspiracy theory has to do with the timing of this announcement. With the possibility of the club moving to the new Olympic Stadium still very much on the cards, being able to move the club to the new site without the need to gain shareholder approval would be very beneficial to Levy and ENIC. As soon as we’re in the new stadium the club would also become a very sellable asset which ENIC would own 100% of. If they were to sell they’d be looking to do so before they had to start paying off the debt. That potentially could be the good news. Whichever new stadium we get, will come debt. If we’re bought by a billionaire oil tycoon who is willing to wipe that debt out of his own pocket we’d be smiling, but then there’s the other side of the coin. ENIC would make a very big profit from the sale but we could be ladened with huge debts like many other clubs who have recently been sold.

Of course none of that could happen. ENIC could stick with their 86% ownership and carry on with how they’re running things at the moment. Levy could get the NDP off the ground and in 3-4 years we could all be sitting in that big cop like stand in the new stadium. Or, we could be moved to Stratford with no say in the matter, be in a new stadium with new owners but be all over the papers because we’re in so much financial debt.

I don’t like change. Better the devil you know and all that jazz.

PS. Good to see City lose last night. I guess that means we’re still in the title hunt? ;) COYS

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Tangerine Dreaming – Blackpool Preview

December 17th, 2010 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Dec, 17 2010
1 Comment »

Big game on Sunday, huge game in fact. Absolutely massive. Well maybe not quite that big but being at the sharp end of the table this season has meant all our games have been important and this one’s no different. It’s the one the travelling army have been waiting for so they can tick Bloomfield Road off their grounds visited list, but it also has the potential to be one of this seasons best games.

Both teams play open, attractive football and both teams have been gaining praise from all quarters. Blackpool for their part have been exceptionally entertaining and fully deserve their place in the top flight and currently sit 10th only 5 points behind us. They’ve scored 24 goals, compared to our 25 but have conceded 29, making us look like we’ve got a great defence. This game must have goals and plenty of them.

It’ll be very interesting to see how we line up, especially as the news on the injury front is good for a change with vdV definitely being in the squad and possibly given a start. Personally, while I hate the 4-4-1-1 formation we play when he starts we’d be better off playing that than our normal rigid 4-4-2. Blackpool have shown this season that playing 4-4-2 against them will often lead to you being overrun in midfield. Blackpool play a 4-2-1-3 formation with Charlie Adam sitting between the oppositions midfield and defence, often finding time and space, which would account for the large amount of assists he’s got already this season.

However, Adam, arguably Blackpool’s best player is suspended so we don’t have to worry about him. They’re unlikely to change their formation though so we’ll have to counter the threat from whoever sits in that hole. Play the right team in the right formation and we should have enough to score one more than them, get it wrong and we should be surprised if we lost. This is not a team to take lightly, even if they haven’t been in the top flight very long.

That’s enough from me for today, so lets have a Q&A session with a Blackpool fan to finish things off. I introduce to you Chris Walker.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to support Blackpool

I’ve been a Blackpool fan since before I can remember, and my Grandad indoctrinated me from an early age sneaking into games for the last 10-15 minutes when they used to open the gates to let people out. I started going regularly when the late Billy Ayre was manager back in the early 90s. As well as being a season ticket holder at various times, I also sold programmes for five years which got me into games for free. I moved to Sheffield in 2004 for university and have been in exile ever since, but as a member of the Yorkshire Seasiders I’ve still been able to attend 30+ games a season.

As of this season I have been running a blog called Up The ‘Pool. On the blog I write a variety of articles about current affairs at Blackpool FC, as well as writing match reports with a heavy slant on the tactical side of things, making heavy use of the Guardian’s chalkboards feature.

How are you enjoying your first season in the Premier League and what are your expectations?

Expectations at the start of the season, and now, are two very different things. It was a difficult build up to the season as the club struggled to get up to Premier League standards both on and off the pitch. With a week to go before the start of the season we had barely enough players to fill the subs bench, and I was beginning to expect the worst. To be honest I’d more or less resigned myself to relegation, but then on our budget, it would have been unreasonable to expect what we’ve achieved so far.

The season to date has been an absolute joy and after many years following Blackpool in the lower leagues, you almost have to pinch yourself when you see ‘Pool winning at places like Anfield. The team have only been outclassed on a couple of occasions at Arsenal and Chelsea, but that’s hardly something to be ashamed of. Performances and results have been way beyond belief and for that the whole playing staff should be congratulated. However, with the early season promise comes elevated expectations and it would be deeply disappointing if we fail to stay up now. There’s still a long way to go, but as long as we don’t lose too many of our star players in January, I can’t see us falling apart like Burnley and Hull have in recent seasons.

It’s been a breath of fresh air watching Blackpool this season, how much of that is down to Ian Holloway?

Holloway has been the catalyst for our meteoric rise in the last 18 months, so he must take the majority of the credit. He came in and completely changed the attitude of the players. When he first took the job he asked the players what their ambitions were for the season and they all replied “to stay in the Championship”. Holloway has instilled a positive attitude into the whole club and managed to get us promoted with a lot of the same players who had been believed to be punching above their weight just by surviving in the Championship.

The change from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 (and this season 4-2-1-3) has also had a massive impact, with many opposition teams struggling to deal with such a dynamic formation, particularly last season in the Championship. In the Premier League we’ve been almost unique amongst newly-promoted sides that we’ve tried to win every game, even when away from home. I think some teams have been shocked by our cavalier approach when so many unfancied teams turn up with the intention of parking the bus. Holloway has stuck to his guns and his attacking philosophy has reaped the rewards so far.

We’ve had to put up with a lot of speculation regarding Redknapp and England, do you think Holloway could also be in contention?

I doubt Holloway is a realistic contender to be honest. Holloway has little experience working with the very top players, and it would be a big gamble for the FA to take a chance on him. It’s not that I think he’d do a bad job, but for the foreseeable future a job with the national team is unlikely.

As for Redknapp, I think he’d be completely the wrong choice for England. He may be flavour of the month with a lot of the tabloid hacks who seem determined that a “good old English” approach is what’s needed, but I think Redknapp would be horribly exposed at international level. Redknapp has built his career on his ability in the transfer market rather than any particular tactical nous, and I’m not sure he has what it to takes to be a success with England. Then again, who does? For me the FA needs a shake-up from top to bottom before a major trophy can be won.

Do you think you’ll be able to sustain your top flight status come May?

Without wanting to jinx us, I have every faith we can avoid the drop. At the start of the season I thought our home form would be the key to survival, so to be on 22 points having played only six home games so far is a fantastic achievement. Our ability to pick up points on the road will prove invaluable and while our home form has been average so far (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 defeats), I’m confident that with 13 home games to come we can amass enough points to stay up.

I suspect the survival tally will be higher than in recent seasons and could be up around the 40 point, but 5 more wins and the odd draw here and there will take us over that mark. There’s no reason we can’t finish towards mid-table however, and I’d be delighted to see us safe with a few games to spare. A trip to Old Trafford on the last day of the season is not the kind of fixture you want if points are still needed going into the final day.

Who are the Blackpool players we need to keep an eye out for?

Well the only Blackpool player most outsiders seem to know, Charlie Adam, is suspended on Sunday after picking up his fifth booking against Stoke. Of the players available, David Vaughan is having a great season alongside Adam, and any of the strikers (Taylor-Fletcher, Varney and Campbell) are capable of finding the net. The one player due to have a big impact is Elliot Grandin, who we signed from CSKA Sofia in the summer. Grandin operates in almost a free role and while he looks very skilful, he’s yet to contribute a match-winning performance. With Adam out of the team, this could be Grandin’s day to shine.

Who are your favourite Blackpool players, past or present?

My favourite past player is Dave Bamber, who was our main goalscorer when I first started watching ‘Pool. However, somewhat unfortunately, he’s possibly best remembered for his penalty shoot-out miss in the Division Four play-off final against Torquay in 1991 – he hit it miles wide and at one time Torquay even had a fanzine called “Bamber’s Right Foot” in reference to the significance of that miss.

Nowadays I like watching David Vaughan, who has possibly been our best player so far this season. He doesn’t perhaps have the flash of Charlie Adam, but he is just as important and rarely lets the side down. Vaughan does a lot of the tidying up in midfield and allows Adam to flourish. Unfortunately his contract is up at the end of the season so securing an extension has to be a key goal for Holloway in January.

If you could have 1 current spurs player who would it be and why?

Although we don’t really struggle to score goals, I’d probably still go for one of your strikers. We create so many chances however that with an extra cutting edge we would have the potential to be well clear of relegation already. On our limited budget we can’t expect to be able to afford a 20 goal a season striker, and what we do well is spread the goals around the team, but I’d love to have someone like Jermain Defoe leading our attack. (You can have Keane for about £8m if you want)

Prediction for the game on Sunday

Adam is obviously a big loss, but I still feel there should be goals in the side. After all, the last time ‘Pool failed to score in a home league game was back in August ’09. Then again, we’ve not kept a clean sheet at home this season either. I highly doubt it’ll be 0-0, but I’ll predict a score draw, 1-1 or 2-2.

Finally, where’s a good place to go in Blackpool for the travelling yid army?

Blackpool hardly suffers from a lack of drinking venues, and any of the bars on the promenade are typically popular among away fans. Nearer to the ground, the Old Bridge and The Manchester are away fan friendly.

Hopefully the game won’t be called off, especially for those of you making the trip or have already made that trip. I know come Sunday if I had the choice of watching Blackpool v Spurs or Chelsea v United, there’s only one game I’d choose and that’s a credit to both teams. Hopefully they won’t let us down and when I say they, I obviously mean Spurs. ;)

COYS

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It’s Christmas, Let’s Get Drunk

December 17th, 2010 Posted in Articles
Dec, 17 2010
8 Comments »

Match preview for Sunday’s game coming up later but there are a few things we need to touch on first, one stupid, one sad and one exciting.

The first is the fact the players went out on their traditional Christmas party after being told by Harry Redknapp, their boss, that he didn’t want them to. So much for the players respecting what the manager says, which makes you wonder just how much authority he has at the club. Maybe his style of putting his arm around someone’s shoulder and being their “mate” has led to the players not really listening to him when he goes against something they want to do.

The Daily Mail ran this story early this morning which I’m sure most of you have seen. Once again, club captain Ledley King was pictured looking worse for wear and to be honest I can’t blame the guy. He’s seen his career ruined by injury and he’s recently had a driving ban for speeding so all is not rosy in the King garden.

More importantly though is the fact even though they all earn stupid amounts of money, not one of them has any fashion sense!! Thankfully, Huddlestone didn’t go out in one of the cardigans his nan knitted for him last Christmas but his leg brace didn’t really go with his black faded jeans. There was a lot of jeans and jackets which is maybe the fashion but I can’t help but think of Jeremy Clarkson when I see someone wearing them.

Ok, joking apart, is this really the way spurs players should be behaving nowadays? Is Redknapp right to suggest they shouldn’t be drinking at all or is that a little draconian and they’re all adults (just) so should be able to regulate themselves? Personally the thing that really gets me is the fact a large proportion of our first 11 have gone against everything their manager has said which shows a huge lack of respect and that’s worrying. I also don’t understand why they can’t hold a party somewhere private? Surely one of them has a house large enough to accommodate everyone where the snapping cameras wouldn’t be? There’s nothing wrong with relaxing and bonding as a team, but there’s a time and a place and respecting what your boss says should be priority number one.

News also broke this morning of the tragic death of Ralph Coates at the tender age of 64. Coates joined us from Burnley and initially struggled to fit in and find the form that encouraged us to sign him but he scored the winner in the 1973 League Cup final and didn’t look back from there. He played 248 games for us, scoring 24 goals.

If you were lucky enough to spend some time in the hospitality suites at White Hart Lane you’ll have seen Coates working on match days as a host. Always happy to meet and greet any fan, Coates was a firm favourite at Spurs and Burnley. He will be missed. RIP.

Finally, to end this short update on a happier note, the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made earlier with us once again making the trip to the San Siro but this time to face AC Milan. Far from the easiest draw but at this stage of the competition you’re unlikely to get easy. AC Milan will be by far our toughest match yet but they’re an ageing team and have poor full backs which could fall right into our style of play. Fingers crossed anyway.

So, it’s one of Europe’s big names and a team we met and beat on the way to our 1972 UEFA Cup win. Coincidently that was also Ralph Coates first season at Spurs. Life has a funny way of making you think, “hmmm, that’s a sign”.

COYS

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Last 16 – Who Do We Want?

December 16th, 2010 Posted in Articles
Dec, 16 2010
6 Comments »

Tomorrow morning see’s another room full of businessmen who have been lucky enough to get themselves into the halls of power at UEFA, pick some balls out of a pot to determine the games in the last 16 of this seasons Champions League. Without doubt we’ll be subjected to the normal boring, pomposity and video clips from the last few months of competition before we start the ball picking but once it’s completed we’ll start a mass rush to buy cheap airline tickets and hotel rooms before the travel agents triple the prices. So who will our potential opponents in the last 16 be? Here’s the candidates:

Lyon

One of Europe’s more successful sides from an unfashionable country. I should clarify that, I’m not saying France is unfashionable, just their football league. Actually when I come to think about it, hmmmm, anyway they were semi finalists last season before making a very poor attempt at reaching their first final against Bayern Munich. They qualified for the next round by finishing second in group B behind Schalke with 10 points in one of the poorest groups this year. They always play open, attractive football which would probably suit us nicely and if we’ve sorted our defence out by then we should beat them over two legs fairly easily.

Valencia

One team I really don’t want us to be pitted against. We all know on our day we can beat anyone, especially at white hart lane but Valencia are a good side. Finished second behind United, which included a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Can score goals, although 9 of their 15 came against Bursaspor so how much we can read into that I don’t know. Any Spanish team will be technically gifted and Valencia are no different. With Soldado and Mata they’ve got players that could hurt us. Could be two tight games if we drew them, with the winner being decided by the smallest of moments.

FC Copenhagen

These are the boys I want. No disrespect to them and knowing how we play against the “lesser” team maybe I shouldn’t feel this way but I want to get as far as we can and if that means we have to wait until the final to play Barcelona then so be it. I won’t pretend to know much about this Danish side other than the fact it’s the first time they’ve qualified for the knock out stages, much like us. I’ve also never been to Denmark so it’d be nice to make the trip.

Roma

Much like Valencia I guess I don’t really want them. However, they shouldn’t give the team too much to worry about. As with Valencia, they would probably be well organised but if we can beat Inter over 2 legs I’m sure we can do the same with Roma. Marco Borriello would probably provide the biggest threat but defensively they’re not good enough to keep us out often enough.

Marseille

Another one of my favourites, simply because I like the south of France and it would be a good trip. They beat Chelsea in their final group game but it was a poor Chelsea that night and one that didn’t seem too bothered about the final result. They showed good mental strength to qualify from the group after losing their opening two games, so if we were to draw them we’d need to make sure we didn’t get carried away if we took a lead because they will fight their way back.

AC Milan

Finally, one I really don’t want. Not only because it’ll be going back to the San Siro but because it’s the one team I think can beat us. I know Seria A isn’t as strong as it once was but they’re still sitting top of the league by 6 points and to give you an idea how much better than Inter they are, they’re 13 points clear of Benitez’s side. We all know on paper they’re an ageing side and one that had a mixed group stage but it’s full of quality players. Quality players and Kevin-Prince Boateng that is. I’ll probably regret that one if we get them. Nesta, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Ibrahimovic, Inzaghi, Robinho and Ronaldinho. I’m not saying they’d definitely beat us and our high tempo, all out attack style might be too much for the dad’s army of Europe but I’d rather not find out.

So there you have it. A quick and simple run down of our six possible opponents. A few I’d like and a few I’d rather stay clear of, but when you look at each of them there’s no-one we should fear, and there’s one thing I can guarantee, none of them will want to draw us.

COYS

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Getting To Know You

December 15th, 2010 Posted in Articles
Dec, 15 2010
1 Comment »

Just a bit of light hearted fun today to kill some time before the Champions League draw is made on Friday and our game against Blackpool on Sunday is called off on Saturday. ;)

If you talk to anyone who watched spurs further back than the late 80′s or read books like The Glory Game you’ll realise players were a lot closer to the fans than they are nowadays. Many would go to the same pubs after the game as those who had idolised them from the terraces only an hour before. They would stay in their group of players but would take acclaim or a little bit of abuse on the chin and would carry on with their pint.

Obviously things have changed slightly. Now whenever a player is spotted in any type of drinking establishment it’s back page news and in the case of some of England’s biggest stars, front page headline grabbing news. It’s not that today’s players don’t enjoy the odd tipple now and again, just look back over the last couple of years at Spurs, with players like King and Crouch seemingly enjoying themselves on a night out, but even then they’re in specially selected “celebrity” hang outs and will no doubt be in VIP areas so if you were in the same place there’s little chance of bumping into them at the bar. That’s probably best for Crouch given many fans feelings towards him.

Perhaps that’s one of the reason’s the average fan no longer has any contact with players. Maybe, people are more likely to say exactly what they feel and step over a boundary because they feel they own a part of that player, or worse, berate the player for missing yet another penalty. Personally I don’t think that’s it, fans have always been passionate about their club and the men who play for it and I don’t think it’s the money either. Footballers have always been paid well, not as well as they are today of course but they’ve never been short of a pound or two, and I don’t see sports car driving, expensive suit wearing, mansion living guys on the pitch. I simply see my hero’s. The men doing what I’d give my right testicle and grandparents lives to do (my left does all the work anyway). So why is it we no longer have a link to them? Why are they so untouchable. When you do meet a player they’re just normal guys, often shy and retiring, not used to any adulation they might be receiving. Of course there’s the opposite to that too.

Nowadays there seems only one way to get to “know” the players at a football club and that’s on social networks. As far as I can tell there are definitely four and possibly five spurs players currently using Twitter, but do you really want to get to know them?

My experience with “celebrities” on Twitter isn’t a good one. There’s the odd one who understands using a social network means you have to be social but most believe it’s a way for them to sell something or “keep in touch with the fan”. Footballers are no different. I have no interest in what Rio Ferdinand has to say for example or Robbie Savage for that matter, but the opportunity to get a little closer to a Spurs player and see what really makes them tick is something completely different. There’s always the added bonus of hearing what’s going on at the club and feeling a little more involved then most of us do too.

Let’s start with David Bentley who was one of the first Spurs players on twitter. He’s got a healthy 8,238 people following his tweets but unfortunately few are very interesting. When he first started, he was injured and we got regular updates, including pictures from inside the physio room and now we’re subjected to “Do we do things in life because they bring us wealth or do we do things because they bring us happiness and lifestyle” style tweets and his thoughts on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here.

Then there’s Jermain Defoe who after a fake account was set-up by some sad individual, had to set-up his own official account. Now, I like JD. I like the way he plays with his heart on his sleeve and gives it his all. He may not be the best striker in the world but when he’s on form he’s a brilliant finisher, a natural. I also wouldn’t expect to have much in common with him if we were to have a beer but what I didn’t expect was a lot of “blessed” tweets.

Good morning tweeple, what will you guys be up to on this blessed weekend? I know what I will be doing, in the only way I know how

I presume he means getting blown in a car parked in a cul-de-sac somewhere. Here’s another one: Whoop whoop!!!!….2 goals!!!! Blessed to be part of the action again. Blessed are the people who follow you JD, blessed.

Aaron Lennon and Tommy Huddlestone are also reportedly on twitter. Neither account is used much and they’ve shown no evidence of getting verified or proving who they are with pictures so it’s impossible to say whether the quality of their updates will be up to much but judging by Lennon’s designer eyebrows and THud’s cardigans it’s hardly going to be up my street.

There is one decent players on twitter though and that’s Jermaine Jenas. JJ seems to get the whole thing, interacting with some of the 17,785 people who follow him. Constantly giving updates on what’s going on in training and with whatever his latest injury is at the time, as well as just normal life, which is after all the one thing people are interested in. A few weeks ago he was asking for ideas on practical jokes he could play on Alan Hutton as it was his birthday and followed that up by posting a picture of a snowman he’d built and put in Hutton’s car. For the majority of us, things like twitter are a way to pass the time while you’re in the office and things like this from anyone is a “blessed” thing (thanks JD).

It’s a strange thing really. I’d love to go back to the days when I could have a pint after a game and just quickly congratulate a player on his performance or pass on my commiserations on a result not going quite the way we’d have liked but then I look at things like twitter and watch interviews and wonder do I really want to know more about these people other than their ability to play football for my club? How would I have felt had I been able to sit down with the great Glenn Hoddle for a few beers only to have him spend the entire time discussing Eileen Drewery and religion? Each to their own but that would’ve ruined the aura he held for me, just as these twitter accounts have done slightly on today’s stars.

Maybe footballers are better when they’re seen and not heard. Maybe all “hero’s” are better seen and not heard, allowing your imagination and your idealism to continue and never be diminished or tarnished completely.

As always, feel free to join our forum by following this link

COYS

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