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Learning From Your Mistakes

January 10th, 2011 Posted in FA Cup, Match Reports
Jan, 10 2011
7 Comments »

The date was Saturday 28th August and we were playing a Wigan side at White Hart Lane who had lost their first two league games 4-0 and 6-0. Instead of compounding their misery we lost the game 1-0 with an abject, uninspiring display that lacked creativeness. Before the game many people were surprised Redknapp had opted for a starting midfield pairing of Palacios and Huddlestone who both like to sit deep. Huddlestone can’t really be described as a defensive midfielder but he’s not the type to make runs past the strikers either.

That experiment didn’t work and thankfully it hasn’t been tried since. That is until yesterday’s FA Cup game against Charlton. Only this time it was even worse, Palacios and Sandro, both players who if they had to select a position they would say defensive midfielder.

This isn’t closing the stable door after the horse has bolted as the saying goes because I, like many, had a terrible feeling the selection of Palacios and Sandro was a mistake. With Modric being rested, most people assumed Jenas would come in alongside either Sandro or Palacios giving the team a balance between defence and attack. Arguably given JJ’s performance against Everton he didn’t deserve another start and I’m all for that normally but you’ve always got to do what’s best for the team. It seems strange against Everton we didn’t bother with one holding midfielder and then at home to Charlton we stuck two in there.

As has been pointed out to me by WindyCOYS the Palacios selection might have been to help him gain a bit of confidence. Playing at home against a team 2 leagues below you should do that for a player but unfortunately it back fired massively. On a personal level for Wilson he had a shocker, once again being substituted at half time, but as a team we weren’t much better.

We didn’t look like we were in too much trouble and we controlled the half for the most part, but we lacked imagination and that spark centrally that you need to win games. The only bright spark of the first half was the debut of Andros Townsend who at 19 has already shown what a talent he is while out on loan (except at Ipswich where Roy Keane had no idea how to use him), especially with this goal. He played out on the right and terrorised the Charlton defence at every opportunity, running at them and basically doing what a premier league side should do against a League one outfit. No disrespect to Charlton though who come to the Lane with more offensive ideas and inclination than many top flight sides have done this season and gave a good account of themselves.

Centrally though, we were slow and gave them an easy ride. Niko, who needs games to find his best form which he won’t get at Spurs so I see little point in him staying, started in his favourite position on the left but didn’t spend much time there. He loves to drift in which meant not only did we get in each others way but it also left Ekotto exposed for any potential Charlton attacks. Without a midfielder who could run the game and get at the Charlton defence they were fairly comfortable without being in control if that makes sense.

Then the second half came and while I’ve steered clear of blaming Redknapp for the first half for fear of getting abuse from those who believe he can do no wrong, he deserves credit for making the obvious change. Palacios off and Modric on. The game was over within 15 minutes of the restart. Modric pulled every string there was to pull, got forward, linked play and generally made everyone else look better. I’m assuming Redknapp might’ve had the odd word to say while the lads sucked on pieces of orange too.

It’s possible, and more than probable that Jenas wouldn’t have done the same. I’m not saying he would have. However, you’ve got to give yourself the best chance of playing well to win and for me that means even when resting players you’ve got to still keep the right shape and balance which we just didn’t do. Hopefully, having witnessed how it doesn’t work against Wigan and now Charlton, that’ll be end of the Roberto Mancini style of play at White Hart Lane.

In the end, it was a very comfortable win and a mistake we didn’t pay for. With the likes of Modric and van der Vaart on the bench and Defoe returning from his ban with two goals we always had a very good back up plan and thankfully so. We were excellent in the second half, we did what we had to do and it’s nice to see changes being made for the positive. Fulham away in the next round. Bring it on.

COYS

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Ginger Pele Returns

January 9th, 2011 Posted in FA Cup, Match Previews
Jan, 09 2011
2 Comments »

As the third round of the FA Cup kicked off yesterday I wondered to myself if it was as special as it used to be. Many people have said over the last 15 years or so that the FA Cup has lost some of the magic it once had and I can’t really argue with that. When I was younger, this time of year was as exciting as the final itself, the beginning of what you hope would end with your team at Wembley in the final game of the season lifting the most famous club cup trophy of them all. Nowadays it seems like just another set of fixtures and a chance for managers to rest players after the busy festive period. However, as I watched the games and results yesterday with the likes of Stevenage, Notts County and Burton Albion, all recording victories over clubs in higher leagues some of that magic returned. The fact I had all those teams to lose in an accumulator didn’t quell that feeling either.

Today it’s our turn to hopefully bypass a potential banana skin and start our assault on a trophy we haven’t won for 20 years. When the draw’s made I always pray we’ll get Bristol City away so for once I’ve got a nice short trip to make and can reminisce about by first experience of seeing Spurs live. Unfortunately that never happens and their 3-0 drubbing at home to Sheffield Wednesday yesterday means I’ll have to wait at least another year. Instead, we got a nice home draw against Charlton. When I say nice, I mean the playing at home part of the draw. The team could’ve been worse of course, having missed United or another Premier League team for a change, but fingers crossed we won’t take them lightly.

As always when we play a lower league team it’s a no win fixture. Beat them 4-0 and that’s what people expected, don’t and we’re suddenly back page news. Just ask Mr Wenger how he was feeling with a couple of minutes to go yesterday. I won’t pretend to be an expert on Charlton’s current playing squad but the one thing this fixture has thrown up is the return to White Hart Lane of two ex Spurs. Both signed for Charlton last summer and both have become integral parts of their team. I’m talking about Johnnie Jackson and Gary “Ginger Pele” Doherty.

I had high hopes for Jackson when he first burst onto the scene in 1999 but an inability to really break into the first team on a regular basis resulted in plenty of loan deals and eventually being sold to Colchester where he enjoyed a fairly successful 3 years. It seems he’s now found his level which obviously isn’t in the top flight. It happens to a lot of young players at Spurs.

Gary Doherty joined us at a time when we made him look half decent. Not good, but decent. I don’t mean that to belittle the talents he was born with but when a set of supporters name you The Ginger Pele it’s not because you’re actually as good as Pele but have ginger hair. He did his best though and was often called upon to play as a striker. Whether we were hoping to unearth our very own Chris Sutton who had previously started as a defender and ended up playing for England and winning the title as a striker I don’t know, but it didn’t work. In all fairness to him though, he suited our style and abilities at the time. Since leaving us he’s spent the last 6 years in the Championship with Norwich before making the move to Charlton.

I would expect there’s a few butterflies for both those lads this morning, but excited ones. They’ll be hoping to put in a good performance in the stadium they once plied their trade and I hope they do well. I don’t want them to win but I don’t want those two players to have any part in the reason they don’t. Quite often returning players get booed for one reason or another but at this time of year, in this competition, against lower league opposition, it’s about appreciation. It’s not their fault they didn’t quite cut it at Spurs or played in a poor side. They gave their best for the shirt when asked to play and that’s all we as fans can ask.

So is the magic of the cup still alive? Ask Jackson or The Doc and I expect the answer to be yes. Welcome back lads, I hope you get a beating.

In Other News: We still haven’t completed to signing of Beckham but Redknapp is in the press today speculating about the fact he might end his career at Spurs once his contract with LA Galaxy ends in November. Looks like the Beckham / AEG team won’t be broken for a while yet. Robbie Keane is still at the club even though we had apparently sold him to Birmingham for £7m last Wednesday but David Bentley will be moving to St Andrews on loan if he passes a fitness test this weekend.

PS. Has anyone mentioned the year ends in a ’1′ yet? ;)

COYS

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The Circus Comes to Town

January 7th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Transfers
Jan, 07 2011
7 Comments »

I’ve steered clear of the whole transfer window so far and have only briefly mentioned Mr David Beckham once in passing, but with Redknapp stating on TalkSPORT that the deal is all but done now, with Levy just finalising some of the finer details with Beckham’s advisers in California, I think it’s safe to say we’ve made our first signing of 2011. If it doesn’t happen you can blame me or thank me for jinxing it depending on where you stand on him joining.

As I quickly approach my 32nd year it’s rare Spurs sign a player that doesn’t make me feel like I’ve missed my chance to walk out onto that hallowed turf and score a last minute winner in front of the Park Lane (sorry Paxton). Golden Balls however, being 4 years my senior, and only slightly better than me ;) means there’s still hope. The trouble I have with signing Beckham is are we getting Golden Balls or what’s left, a browning slightly damaged sack?

I’m not one to sit on the fence on any subject when it comes to Spurs and while I’ve struggled to decide whether I’m happy or not with this signing I have chosen the side I’ll be on. Whether it’s 2 months, 3 months or ends up being the remainder of his career I think this is a good move for the club. We’ve got to forget the qualities he used to have as a player, mainly because he no longer has them or they’re vastly reduced but what he does have is an aura. Other players will listen when he talks and will only improve with him around the club and on the training pitch.

Will he make a massive impact during matches? I doubt it. He’ll possibly make the occasional 10-15 minute appearance to help us hold onto the ball and keep a lead, and maybe even get a few chances to score from a free kick. Hopefully we’ll start working on corners now too. English football is a lot quicker and tougher than Italian football so don’t expect appearances to equal that of his stints with AC Milan. His main influence on this team will be off the pitch.

Hopefully his signing will lift everyone at the club and possibly more importantly when we consider other potential signings, elevate the clubs stature around the world. As much as we like to think of ourselves as a big club, and don’t get me wrong we are to a certain extent, there’s a lot of players who wouldn’t consider moving to Spurs good for their career. Now, when we approach someone and they see the likes of Modric, Bale, van der Vaart and David Beckham at the club that’s got to mean something. This is a club going places.

Then of course there’s the financial aspect to him coming. We all know the circus follows him wherever he goes but that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone else at the club and could quite possibly take the spotlight away from players like Bale to leave them to get on with their game. Personally I wouldn’t go out and buy a shirt with his name on it when he won’t play much and more than likely won’t be at the club for very long but I can see a lot of people who will and a second boost of shirt sales will do very nicely thank you very much.

Am I excited about this signing? Not really if I’m honest but I’m not upset by it either. I can’t see any reason why it’s a bad thing. Having said that, as silly as I know it is when that times comes for him to step onto the pitch in a Spurs shirt there’s a good chance I’ll be jumping up and don’t like a little girl.

Spurs fans, prepare for Beckhamania.

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Huddlestone Not Missed?

January 7th, 2011 Posted in Articles
Jan, 07 2011
21 Comments »

Before you read the title and quickly scroll to the bottom of the page to post a comment along the lines of, “you don’t know what you’re talking about, you idiot. Of course he’s been missed, who wouldn’t miss him?”, read exactly what I’ve got to say and ask yourself the question I’m really posing, which is why haven’t we missed Tommy more? This isn’t intended as a Tommy bash in the slightest as I hope you’ll see. Nor is it intended to wind people up who believe he’s excellent, it’s just something that crossed my mind and when I asked the question as to whether he’s been missed at all on twitter the responses I got were 50/50, which I found interesting.

Eleven games he’s missed now. That’s a third of the game’s we’ve played so far this season and until the Everton game it coincided with our best unbeaten run in over a decade. Some of those games included Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Liverpool at home and the likes of Arsenal, Birmingham and Everton away. Some would argue it’s not been the hardest run of games but there haven’t been any pushovers either (is there such a thing any more?).

Thomas Andrew Huddlestone is without doubt an excellent footballer. Blessed with vision, control and a passing ability that has seen him likened to Glenn Hoddle. That likeness is usually quickly followed with an “obviously not that good though” comment but he’s one of the best technically gifted English footballers playing today, a statement which I don’t think many would argue with. However, although only just 24 he’s struggled to get into the England fold and when given the chance hasn’t given a reason to get another. He’s also not a player that many fans of other clubs talk about. He gets the odd mention here and there but not in the same way our other midfield players do.

He’s quickly racking up the appearances in a Spurs shirt, having played 118 times for us. Quite a few of those have been from the bench but he’s still only managed to amass a paltry 14 goals. In all fairness to the big man, his partner in crime for the last 18 months Luka Modric, hasn’t got a much better return than that either, but with the talent he possesses and shooting ability this number should be a lot higher than it is.

He’s part of a young generation of Spurs players who have been with the club for a while now, having developed their skills and are the reason we’re currently in a rich vain of form. The likes of Michael Dawson, Benny Ekotto, Aaron Lennon, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale were all bought at a young age with the intention of improving and becoming either major saleable assets or a team that could take us somewhere. At present they’re all the latter although their stocks have risen somewhat since we initially bought them if we were ever short of a bob or two. The same can be said for Tommy, but to what extent?

Last season he was a linchpin in what turned out to be one of the best years we’ve had in two decades. His partnership with Modric developed into one of the best in the league and the thought of being without him left many to wonder how we’d cope. However, this season, including before his injury he’s struggled to reach the same heights in my opinion and as such we haven’t missed him as much as we probably all thought we would. When the news of his injury was released many struggled to see who would replace him in that central position. Excusing last night’s game where everyone played poorly and the odd inadequate performance from individuals, Palacios and JJ have filled the gap left my THud fairly easily and neither of them are particularly brilliant at anything even when playing well. Whether the form of Modric has helped that or whether the fact Tommy isn’t playing is the reason for Modric’s return to excellence is open to conjecture.

What I’m saying is this. We’ve been without Dawson for a large proportion of the season and we missed him badly. We’ve missed Defoe when he was injured too. I know a lot of people out there don’t like him, but if Ekotto got injured we’d be in real trouble because not only is he a more than decent defender and works well with Bale but we’ve got no cover for him. Gareth Bale in the last year has transformed himself from a bench warmer to indispensable to the team. We’d struggle without Modric pulling the strings centrally as we did when he was injured last season although we’ve probably got better cover now with van der Vaart, of course another who has become central to everything good the team does. Even Aaron Lennon is missed when he’s not in the team because of what we can replace him with. Whether it be vdV on the right or Bentley/Niko/Modric none of them offer the same pace and directness we miss when Lennon’s not playing.

Why is it so easy to see why all these players would be missed and are vital to the team and chances of success and yet Huddlestone isn’t?

There’s the possibility that had Tommy played the last 11 games we would’ve won them all because of the calmness and ball retention he offers over the likes of Palacios and Jenas. However, we can only look at the facts and as much as we should and probably have missed him in certain situations, the results have been good in general and he’s not been obviously missed like the others in the group of players I mentioned would’ve been.

Here’s my theory on why. He’s the perennial under achiever. He promises so much but often delivers very little. Apart from a lack of pace he’s got the lot, technical ability, passing, strength, tackling, vision etc. Some of those aspects of his game are better than others obviously but when he plays I don’t think we miss the traditional defensive, tough tackling midfielder so he does what he has to in that role. The other players in our first team have stepped up and made themselves indispensable, Tommy is yet to do that. If out of form players like Palacios and Jenas can cover your position when you’re injured without it being a major problem there’s something wrong.

If Redknapp signs Diarra, or Sandro suddenly becomes the world class player some were led to believe he would become who’s place will they take? Tommy’s. It’s as simple as that.

So in conclusion as much as we thought we would miss him and as much as it could be argued in theory we have missed him, the fact of the matter is we haven’t missed him as much as we should when you consider he’s a vice captain and plays a central role in the team (has a sentence ever contained the words much and missed more?). Of all our players, Huddlestone’s injury has shown he’s not quite as vital to the teams success as maybe we thought he was. Or at least he’s not as vital as 6 or 7 of our other players and when he comes back, it’ll be up to him to make sure that’s not the case any more.

Like everyone else I thought when he got injured we could be in trouble but the fact that hasn’t been the case is either down to good squad players in Palacios and Jenas (who a large proportion of the fan-base don’t rate) or the fact his influence on the team isn’t quite as effective as we thought. He’s a hugely talented player with the world at his feet. A young player who I think most teams in the premiership would have but one that needs to mature quickly and make sure any replacement better be world class or they’re going to spend a lot of time on the bench.

Hurry back and prove me wrong Tommy.

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Missed Opportunities

January 6th, 2011 Posted in Match Reports, Premier League
Jan, 06 2011
6 Comments »

Last night wasn’t pretty to watch. We were systematically taken apart and not only had no plan B but looked at times like we had no plan A. With Chelsea losing and the Arsenal/City game ending in a draw we had one of those moments in a season where a team can really make a statement. Instead of currently being 1 point in front of Chelsea in 5th and 4 points behind Arsenal in 3rd we could’ve had a 4 point cushion over Chelsea and be breathing down the goons necks. However, before you think this is a massively depressing match review let me put last nights result into perspective. We lost, but none of the teams around us won so it didn’t hurt as much as it might have done.

It was out first defeat since losing to Bolton on 06th November, or if you prefer, our first defeat in 2 months. If we can react well from losing and go on a similar run we’ll enter March still in the chase for the top 4 position we so desperately want, we’ll probably still be in the Champions League and we won’t have lost to United or Arsenal. Teams lose games. That’s nothing new and this season it’s hardly surprising with any team, although Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Wolves last night was a bit of a pools breaker.

Like everyone else we’ve had a tough festive period and the only other team before last nights games with a 100% record, Man City, managed to play a game and not get a shot on target at all. As the saying goes, you can’t win them all. I’m going to break this review into three sections, Everton, The Players and Harry Redknapp.

Everton

I thought they were excellent last night. When we played the reverse fixture earlier in the season I was very critical of what I called their “non football” and “anti entertainment” strategy. I believe football is all about entertainment and as such when I see teams play with little or no attacking endeavour I don’t like it. Last night, Moyes did what he should’ve done a long time ago and played with two strikers. If I was an Everton fan I’d be slightly annoyed that my team couldn’t play like this all the time. They were agreesive, but on the whole fair, closed us down high up the pitch when they could and attacked quickly and directly.

In Fellaini they had a player who just held his position in midfield and let those around him push on while he helped keep tabs on our attacking threat. Something we didn’t have at any point in the game. Coleman, for the second time, spent the second half tearing us a new one and deserved his winning goal having spent large amounts of the game helping to shackle Bale and then being released to attack seemingly at will once Bale went off injured.

The Players

Try and think of a Spurs player who had a good game last night. You can’t can you? The entire team was knocked off their game and just weren’t at the races from the first whistle. I could highlight players who were worse than others, in particular Jenas, who I felt was out of position for both their goals but also offered little in attack. However, that really wouldn’t be that fair because Modric was poor too. As were Lennon, Bale, vdV and Crouch. There were moments from them all but not enough to warrant a special mention and reprieve.

Defensively we were all over the place and a lack of cover from the midfield meant whenever Everton got past Modric and JJ, which wasn’t hard, they had a free run at the back four. Both our central midfielders were very square so if Everton found the right pass it was simple to bypass our midfield. They all gave the ball away too much throughout the game but more so in the second half meaning we came under wave after wave of Everton attack.

No-one stood up to be counted once they crossed that white line and while I believe the manager has to take responsibility for the game, the players are equally to blame. We needed a leader. No, we needed a few leaders. We needed Dawson to command the defence, Modric to sort out the midfield and keep possession while vdV spearheaded the attack. We could’ve also done without Gomes having one of his flappy mental nights.

Harry Redknapp

It’s an interesting stance that many fans have when it comes to Redknapp, one which I don’t agree with. Last night as I watched on a very hit and miss live feed of the game I tweeted a few times about a lack of substitutions and tactical nous, even as early as half time when it was obvious we needed someone to either sit deep or someone on the pitch more accustomed to breaking up play and protecting the defence. The response I got from most, not all, but most, was that Harry Redknapp has been the best manager we’ve had in decades and we shouldn’t question him because of one defeat.

Harry Redknapp IS the best manager we’ve had in decades. The success the team has had on the pitch highlights that, but no-one at the club is infallible. Even the great Bill Nic made mistakes and I’m sure fans of the time would say so. Most of the time Redknapp gets it right. He’s got a wealth of attacking options and some world class players in the side so he picks them and sends them out to play football. That’s about it really, as both he and vdV have confirmed in the past, but that’s fine when it works.

Last night it didn’t and it was clear fairly early on that it wasn’t working. Ok, so we managed to equalise and if Crouch and Bale knew what offside was, we should’ve gone in at half time 2-1 up which if we’re honest would’ve been fortunate to say the least. So, even though we’ve been overrun in midfield and already conceded a goal because both of our central midfielders were too far forward after 3 minutes, we’ve somehow managed to go in on level terms.

No changes were made at half time, either to personnel or system and unsurprisingly Everton continued to create the better chances. Then Bale got injured which when you look at our bench and you see Niko as his obvious replacement that’s one injury we don’t want. In fact if you look closely at the replays of Bales substitution you can see Coleman in the distance licking his lips in anticipation of a foot race with a player slower than David Beckham. Again within a few minutes it was obvious we needed to change something on the left but we did nothing.

Then 2-1 down and needing a goal came one of the strangest substitutions I’ve ever seen. I’m no fan of Pav but he’s more likely to get a goal than Keane and why would you risk the possibility of injury when he’s so close to being sold for an amazing £7m?

I’m more than happy to say what a fantastic job Harry Redknapp has done at the club but last night he got it wrong. Who’s to say had he picked the right team or at least changed it when it wasn’t working anything would’ve been different. The players, who to a man had poor games could’ve been the same and Everton might’ve still won but at least we would’ve given it a go. The “we’ll score one more than you” philosophy is great to a certain extent. It’s why we’ve been entertained so much this season but when things aren’t going quite the way you want them to, we’ve got to learn how to make a change and one that will effect the game in a positive manner.

I started this off by trying not to be too negative and I really don’t mean to come across that way if I have. As I said, teams lose games and losing 1 in every 12 games I’ll take every season for as long as I live. We’re a team still learning, players still learning, a manager still learning and a set of fans who have been so spoilt in the last 18 months that we’re devastated when we lose an away game to a decent side.

The futures still bright and it’s always been lilywhite.

COYS

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AEG To Turn Spurs into Stratford Hotspur?

January 5th, 2011 Posted in Articles, New Stadium
Jan, 05 2011
17 Comments »

I Hope West Ham Win! Not something you’ll hear a Spurs fan say everyday, and I know there are plenty of you out there that are all for the move to the Olympic Stadium but there are a lot of us that don’t want to. While you may think this is just another anti Stratford blog update it’s more than that and I hope even if you’re very pro moving, you’ll appreciate the possibilities of what I’m about to say.

Having spoken to members of the We Are N17 group in recent days I’m sure they will excuse me for publishing some of our thoughts in this blog. One thing you should be aware of is that just because things have gone a little quiet with regards to the campaign doesn’t mean ears aren’t to the ground and progress isn’t being made. Fundamentally the whole process is in limbo at the moment until the end of January when the Olympic Park Legacy Company will make their “preferred bidder” announcement. There are pro’s and con’s for both our joint bid with AEG and West Ham’s bid with Newham Council and if the West Ham bid is successful, the following is inconsequential, but if as it looks, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board get the decision they want we could witness a massive change in our club.

Let me start with today’s news that the club have appointed Mike Lee. In what capacity isn’t exactly clear but given he’s a PR guru it’s likely he’ll be tasked with bridging relations between the board and those fans opposed to any possible move. The fact he’s already got links with the Olympic board is an added bonus, just like the appointment of Charlie Wijeratnaas back in November. A strange coincidence perhaps but one that makes you wonder if the links they have formed while working on Olympic bids are the main reason for their appointments. While it’s not 100% clear what the spurs board would prefer it certainly seems like they’re edging towards Stratford. If the Olympic Stadium was a bargaining tool as first thought there is little reason to keep it as such, now planning permissions have been granted in N17.

So, lets say we are the preferred bidder, and judging by the financial reasoning and the fact we’re in partnership with a company who seldom loses, it’s highly likely we will be, what will happen next? Well here’s a theory. Not long before Christmas I wrote a piece on the possibility of ENIC selling the club. At the time it wasn’t obvious who they would sell to but I thought it would be to the highest bidder.

If you look a little deeper, and this one is clutching at straws but bare with me, David Beckham joining Spurs, whether it’s on a 3 month loan or the rest of his career can also be seen as a potential building block for new buyers. David Beckham and AEG have long gone hand in hand. He’s a pawn they use for their needs and whether he plays for them in Los Angeles or in London really isn’t any concern of theirs. Told you that one was a little out there but it’s an interesting thought. He’s another who’s influence will no doubt reach as far as the people who make the Olympic Stadium decision.

So back to potential buyers of what we know as Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The most obvious one is already in partnership with us, AEG. A worldwide, massive company who’s business model revolves around buying sports franchises (teams in English), building new stadiums like The Staples Centre and The Home Depot Centre and putting sports teams in them to generate a steady revenue whilst also staging concerts and other events when the team isn’t playing. Rumours have it that AEG would be looking to stage approximately 100 concerts/events a year if they were allowed to buy the Olympic Stadium or whatever stadium is on that patch of land. If that’s true the obvious next step would be to buy Spurs from ENIC and cut out the middle man, making profit and running it like a franchise. They’ve already got a large portfolio of sports teams throughout the world, but Spurs would be the feather in their cap.

This is where we need to be careful. Many people will see this as a good thing. AEG being a very large company, and a well run one at that taking over Spurs would potentially give us more clout in the transfer market etc. However, take another look at it. What would become of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club? I genuinely understand the reason’s why people don’t mind the thought of leaving N17, personally I’m against it but I understand. The problem and the reason why there are differences of opinion is based on tradition and what football means to you.

I support a football club. A football club with a great history. Maybe not the most successful history but a history I’m proud of and for all it’s low points and failures, it’s that which keeps me coming back for more. To go on a slight tangent for a second, have you ever wondered why Americans have huge attendances for their college sport and we don’t? It’s because of the “franchise”. Many people support their college team as we support Spurs. The reason is because they know it’ll always be there. We’ve all heard of the LA Raiders American football team right? Sorry, I should say the Oakland Raiders because that’s what they’re called now. They were the LA Raiders for the 12 years they played in LA. They moved back to Oakland because they were basically offered more money to play in that area and promised a larger stadium. What about the San Jose Earthquakes who we’re partnered with and played a pre-season friendly with last summer. They moved from San Jose in 2006 to Houston to become the Houston Dynamo. A year later a new franchise was set up in San Jose which was allowed to use the name San Jose Earthquakes which means apart from name we didn’t really play the San Jose Earthquakes at all. At least not as their original fans would know them. Take a look at this list to see just how often it happens and while it’s more rare to occur on this side of the pond, it does still happen, the prime example being Wimbledon and MK Dons.

There’s little or no link between teams, sorry, franchises and their fans. Imagine putting your heart and sole into a team, only for them to move to another part of the country. Obviously, the distances we’re talking about aren’t the same as those experienced in America but the principle is the same. When you think about a shiny new stadium in Stratford and you think of all the plus points how do you feel when you think “our” stadium would be used for concerts more often than we would play there? How would you feel if when you went to book tickets for a game you had to search through the lists of various non Spurs related events before you found what you wanted?

The Olympic Stadium wouldn’t be the home of Tottenham Hotspur, or Stratford Hotspur if you prefer, it would be a stadium for everyone, that our once loved football club play in once every other week. We would have very little affiliation with it and lose an identity we all feel today. There’s nothing like having a home, nothing like knowing it’s yours. A new stadium in Stratford wouldn’t just be a new stadium, it would be a change in footballing culture and could bring in the age of the franchise. Something we would live to regret and something I dearly hope doesn’t happen.

Whether you think moving to Stratford is a good idea or not, take a minute to think about the possible repercussions and whether you want that. What looks good at first glance can sometimes, especially when it comes to money and football, be detrimental to the fan. That’s you and me. Just ask Liverpool and United fans how they felt when they saw changes coming and how they feel now. Of course this is all speculation and conjecture and there’s no proof of what I’m saying other than reading between the lines and coming up with 14. However, it’s definitely a possibility so shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. The other possibility is we stay/move and ENIC remain in charge and continue the good work they’ve done so far.

If you want to remain in N17 and build a new stadium there then please take a minute to visit the We Are N17 site and write to people at the club, local government, Olympic committee etc voicing your opinions. It’s looking more and more like Stratford is now Plan A and I believe those seats won’t necessarily be paved with gold, at least not for us fans.

COYS

Feel free to join and discuss this in our forum HERE

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Let’s Munch on Some Toffee

January 5th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Jan, 05 2011
19 Comments »

Ah, Everton. A team I should have some fondness for because they’ve got noisy neighbours like us and while I was growing up for some reason most of my friends wore their blue and pretended they were Neville Southall or Tony Cottee, but I don’t. It annoys me how they go from one season to the next flitting between challenging for Europe or escaping relegation. It annoys me how they spend most of their games playing without a striker and have done for a couple of seasons. It annoys me that they claim to be well supported but rarely fill their stadium. It annoys me that Tim Cahill is now playing on the other side of the world and not picking up points for my fantasy team. Most of all though, they annoy me because they always seem to play better against us, even though our record is very good against them, recently they’ve been a tougher nut to crack.

Today’s ITK is: “keane, bentley and giovani are leaving, and kranjcar will stay. Beckham is still on, and that a new striker is on the table…

A little interval for all you rumour whores out there. Of course, all of that isn’t really ITK, even though it’s come from the internet’s biggest egomaniac transfer leaker. The beauty of ITK is it’s ability to change at any point and when things don’t happen there are always reasonable sounding excuses. For example, lets say Keane doesn’t leave. The reason for it will probably be because he won’t take a pay cut and would prefer to sit on the bench. Beckham doesn’t come to Spurs? Well, that’s down to not being able to agree the image rights part of the contract.

Sorry, I digress. As fun as the whole transfer window is the ITK stuff really bugs me. I’ll do a separate piece at some point in the near future about possible signings, rumours and Mr Golden Balls himself. Back to what’s really important at the moment, Everton.

Hopefully, players don’t get as distracted by all the rumours and Sky Sports News constantly at The Lodge as we fans do because we’ll have to be on top of our game to get 3 points tonight and put more pressure on those above us. I mentioned Tim Cahill being away on international duty and given how important he is to them, that’s a massive plus for us.

I don’t see this game being much different to the previous game at White Hart Lane. Everton will pack the midfield and try to play on the break. A strange thing to do for a home side but that’s David “Mr Adventurous” Moyes. I heard somewhere that a large proportion of Everton fans are actually in favour of him leaving the club. I’m not sure about that myself, given the small income the club generates and a lack of funds that make Arsenal look like Man City, his ability to keep them in the top flight has been nothing short of miraculous. However, I do understand why some would feel that way. I can’t think of too many situations where a spurs crowd would accept a lone striker and hoping for a 0-0 game after game after game.

Wow, I really am babbling today, sorry about that. So, with Everton playing a five man midfield it’s there the game will be won and lost. It’ll be interesting to see if Moyes decides to go for five men across the middle or four with one sitting just in front of the back four to keep an eye on vdV. Both could be effective but personally I’m not sure man marking vdV with the other players we’ve got would be beneficial. Whoever Moyes could put on him wouldn’t be as intelligent as our Rafa.

Bale was marked out of the game at White Hart Lane by a combination of Coleman and Neville. I can’t see Moyes changing that template having had such success but if he had any sense and if Coleman passes a late fitness test he would. Coleman tore us a new one in the same fixture last year. Remember the one? 2-0 up and not even out of first gear? Second half Coleman pushed forward from his right back role, ripped Bale to shreds and suddenly it’s 2-2. Could’ve been an off day for Bale but Benny handled him fairly easily at WHL although then Everton barely got out of their half after they grabbed an early goal. Surely tonight they’ll have to go on the attack? That’s when we’ll be at our most dangerous.

If a side was ever made for counter attacking football it’s this Spurs one. Don’t tell my mum this because it’s a little bit rude but I’m still waking up half way through the night in a state of arousal having dreamt about our second goal on boxing day. Yummy with a capital Yum. It’s why we’re such a difficult team to face. What would you do? Defend and let us come on to you, hoping to sneak a goal on the counter or from a set piece? How about attack our previously* leaky defence and just try to outscore us? Then you’ve got the problem of leaving space for quite possibly the best midfield in the country to play in. The only solution I’ve been able to come up with so far is pretend you’re Manchester United, because we’re scared of them, or resign and manage Spurs. ;)

So, it’s going to be a tense affair as it seems it so often is. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Jagielka is playing so we’ll have to score our own goals tonight but with Crouch being a little bit crap and Pav being, well, a little bit crap too who will lead the line with Rafa? Personally I think it’ll be Crouch. Or maybe Pav. I don’t know. In all fairness to both of them it doesn’t really matter. They’re not the guys that make our team tick and they’re rarely the reason we get any points.

We need Modric to control the game and not Arteta. We need Palacios to win the duels and not that big hairy bloke who looks like a cross between sideshow bob from the Simpsons and an ice cream. We need Bale to make Neville look like his older brother. We need Lennon to make Baines defend more than he attacks and if Pienaar really wants to come to Spurs, we need him to do everything possible to make sure Everton lose.

Stat Attack

I like my stats but I always look at them with a sense of, “it’s about time they beat us then”. Make up your own mind with these:

  • Everton haven’t beaten us at Goodison since 2004
  • David Moyes has only lost 3 league game to Harry Redknapp
  • Everton have lost 99 league games at Goodison
  • Spurs haven’t won in Merseyside in their last 6 visits
  • Redknapp has only won once in 27 visits to Merseyside
  • Spurs have managed back-to-back away victories only twice under Redknapp

If I could be greedy and have one last Christmas present I’d appreciate a 3-0 at half time lead so I can relax while we add another couple in the second half. Oh and it’d be nice if the game on the red side of north London ended in the draw. Go on, I’ve been a really good boy.

COYFS

*previously could be a little presumptuous as it’s only been 2 cleansheets so I hope I haven’t jinxed tonight
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Festivities – Winners and Losers

January 4th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Jan, 04 2011
3 Comments »

It’s all over for another year and in case you’re wondering we’re 107 days away from the next bank holiday and long weekend. Kill me now!! What a festive period we’ve had though, with three wins out of three, two clean sheets, 5 goals scored and two red cards. I haven’t updated much because quite frankly I haven’t had the time or inclination to do anything between watching Spurs, other football, darts, pulling all nighters to watch the Ashes and eating more food than a really hungry fat man. So before we get back into the swing of match previews and reviews and the traditionally boring January transfer window lets take a quick look at the winners and losers of the last 10 days or so.

The Winners

Spurs - As a club, team and set of fans things couldn’t have gone much better for us really. As I’ve already said, having a 100% record over Christmas and New Year is something I don’t remember doing before and something few clubs achieve. I could be wrong because I haven’t done my research and am going on gut instinct and a hazy memory but only ourselves and Man City managed it this year. Couple our good form with Chelsea’s shocker and we’re now sitting in 4th spot again and have a very healthy 6 point cushion with a game in hand over 6th. With the likes of Arsenal and Man City playing each other this week we can close the gap further if we can get 4 wins on the spin tomorrow night against Everton.

Gareth Bale – Scored our last goal in 2010 and our first in 2011 as well as playing a vital role in our eventual winner against Aston Villa on boxing day. He seems to go through these patches of goal scoring and then goes quiet for a few games before reminding everyone who he is again with a match winning performance. Fulham kept him fairly quiet on New Years Day and Newcastle tried their best to hack him down at every opportunity but our Gareth still managed to produce the goods when it mattered.

Michael Dawson - Captain fantastic is back and how. It’s no coincidence we only conceded 1 goal in 3 games with him marshalling the back four. Makes you wonder where we’d be had England not ruined him earlier in the season. At one point or another awesome Dawson played with Kaboul, Bassong and Gallas. Ok, so none of the three teams we faced really showed much precision in front of goal but as I said, that’s not a coincidence. Great to have him back.

Luka Modric - When he plays, we play. It’s as simple as that and Luka put on a show, especially in the two home games we had and the pass to Hutton against Villa which led to our first goal was worth the freezing temperatures alone. Easily man of the match against Newcastle and probably again against Fulham. An ageing Frenchman once said, “he’s too small for the premier league”, but while Modric is small in stature he’s often the biggest player on the pitch. I can’t think of any intelligent football manager who wouldn’t have him in their team. With the exception of Barcelona I can’t think of any football club he wouldn’t improve.

Steven Caulker - One of the few positives from being stuck in the west country at the moment is being able to keep tabs on Steve Caulker and unfortunately from what I’ve seen and heard on Danny Rose at Bristol City. Unlike Caulker, it doesn’t look like Rose will make it at the very top. He will probably develop into a very good Championship player or mid-table EPL but I don’t see him making more of an impression at White Hart Lane than his wonder goal last season. Think of Matty Etherington and I think you can see what the future holds for Rose away from Spurs. Caulker on the other hand is immense. Not only a future Spurs player but an England international. Personally, if we’re going to let Bassong leave we should be looking at Caulker to warm the bench and get him into the first team squad in the next year or two. In the few games I’ve seen him play I can honestly say I’ve never seen a better young defender than him and that includes Sol and Ledley. According from City ST holders I know, the games I’ve seen are the standard so look for him in the near future.

That’s it for the winners. I could mention vdV and Lennon for the impact they both had, including 3 goals and 2 assists between them. Ekotto, who apart from a shaky 10 minutes against Fulham, played out of his skin especially against Villa. Even Palacios, who was overrun against Newcastle but yet again showed signs of returning to form in the other two games and the fact we haven’t missed Huddlestone since his injury should be noted here too.

The Losers

Jermain Defoe - Slightly harsh perhaps to put him into this category, especially as he only played 28 minutes before getting sent off against Villa and in those 28 minutes he looked like he might be able to form a decent partnership with vdV. Most people thought the red card was harsh but we’ve all seen them given and he should know better. Just returning from injury and knowing what a pile of crap our reserve strikers are JD needs to make sure he’s on the pitch as much as possible. It’s also only fair to include him given the next two selections.

Roman Pavlyuchenko - I’ve never hidden my feelings on our maverick Russian striker. He scores goals and can do so for fun when he’s in the mood but I want more from a striker than just goals. Odd I know but now we’re competing at the top table it’s what we should all expect. JD isn’t the best all round footballer but he’s worked at his game and has improved immensely. This was Pav’s big chance (again). Defoe is out for 3 games and Redknapp shows faith by playing him against Newcastle and Fulham instead of Crouch. Unfortunately he does very little in either game and is taken off fairly early in both. His first touch was terrible and while he was unlucky not the receive the ball at times when he made good runs, they were few and far between. It’ll be interesting to see if Pav has wasted his chance and finds himself on the bench tomorrow night.

Younes Kaboul – Another early bath recipient. Frustratingly he showed both sides to his game against Newcastle. Was excellent alongside Dawson against Villa and like Pav had the chance to cement his place in the team with Gallas injured. When we were finding it hard to break Newcastle down, Kaboul did what was needed and brought the ball out of defence into midfield and was the catalyst to Lennon’s opener. Unfortunately, not long later he decided to head “push” Tiote who in all fairness deserved it and should’ve gone too but it showed un-professionalism that we can do without in the second half of the season. He’ll come good without doubt, as long as he learns to control his temper.

The Rest of the EPL - We’ve now set out our stall. We’re ready to make a challenge on the summit of English football. I don’t think we’re going to go for the title this season but when was the last time we were only 5 points off the leader going into the new year? If we can continue this run of form, staying unbeaten and preferably winning more than we draw at some point even Alan Hanson and Mark Lawrenson will have to acknowledge a beast is awakening in N17.

Happy new year my fellow Spurs fanatics and welcome back to work. ;)

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