Peter Herbert, Tackling Racism Right From the Heart of the Problem

Recently there have been many high profile racist incidents in the world of football. John Terrys' court case and subsequent FA hearing, Suarez with his nine game ban and the disgraceful scenes in Serbia, amongst other things. But to a group of people, known as the Society of Black Lawyers, the greatest of all these is Spurs fans referring to themselves as "Yids" or the "Yid Army". This society, led by a barrister called Peter Herbert, has enflamed many Spurs fans, Jewish or not.

Spurs have always had a large Jewish following, stretching back to the very beginnings of the club. I am not saying Spurs were or ever have been an exclusively Jewish club, that would be ridiculous, but Spurs have always been a multi-national and multi-faith club, that accepts fans of any creed or colour. In the early days, this was held against Spurs who constantly had anti-Semitic remarks thrown in their direction. Since then the term "Yid" has been used as a badge of honour, as ownership of what was once an oppressive phrase. It is chanted regularly at match days by Jewish and non-Jewish fans in a show of support against the disgusting anti-Semitic taunts which predeceeded the chants.

Spurs fans are still subject to anti-Semitism, when certain teams visit there is still the sound of hissing (simulating the sound of a gas chamber) from the away section in White Hart Lane. I have personally received abuse from people I don't know for being Jewish, despite the fact that I am not, for simply answering the question "which team do you support?" with "Tottenham Hotspur". Why should I not be able to turn it around, to use it as a badge of honour? Just because I am not Jewish myself, does not mean I should not align myself with their view point.

For a long while know I have been concerned about the state of anti-Semitism, not only in the UK but in the world at large. It seems to me that it is ok to be anti-Semitic, the world turns a blind, its ok to make Jew jokes and make a fool of the race, my point in evidence would be, could you ever image Channal 4 airing a show called "Muslim Mother of the Year" in which they found the most stereotypical Muslim mothers for the rest of the country to laugh at? No, I didn't think so, and nor could I.

Peter Herbert and his buddies in the SBL are, in my view using Spurs and the Jewish faith as a catalyst to get what they want, to get a Black Players Association and their other nine demands. To me this is the lowest form of anti-Semitism itself, they have no care about the Jewish faith, or the roots or the meaning of the word, if they did they would be working with Spurs to stop the chants from opposition fans, the chants that have the relevant intention to be classed as racist in a court of law, instead they are coming after the good guys, the guys who's only intention is defend a large section of their fans, and to own a term that was once used as an offence.

Not all Spurs fans like being called the "Yids", I think if we are all honest, we would rather have never been forced to use the term in the first place by bigoted opposition fans. And before anyone leaps in to say "that was a hundred years ago" or as Herbert so 'delicately' put it "this is not fifty years ago" (a time when anti-Semitism was rife, very appropriate words for a man who is supposed to be leading a non-racist revolution) the problem is still a very real one today (as discussed above) both in football and every day life. A citing point would be Polish and Ukrainian fans warning Spurs fans not to come to the Euros otherwise they would be attacked for following a Jewish club.

So no Mr Herbert OBE, we will not stop chanting "Yid Army", we will not stop calling ourselves "Yids", we are fighting for the good side, the side of right over wrong, if you and your little movement can stop anti-Semitism in football maybe the term "Yid" will fall away, and we will not feel the need to own it anymore, until that day, why should we be punished for the actions of racists?

PS - The response from Spurs and the Met Police who have both said there is no racist intention has been spot on. I can't see how any "prosecution" can be brought, and maybe more time should be spent stopping real racism, rather than escapades of self-publicity.

Please comment and add to the debate, all views are welcome and respected

If Only Harry Was Still in Charge...

If Harry was still in charge we would have signed Moutinho, Tevez, Balotelli and Cazorla.
If Harry was still in charge Modric would have rejected his dream move to Real Madrid, and continued to play in the heart of the Spurs midfield.
If Harry was still in charge Van der Vaart would not have wanted to move back to Germany, to be with his kid and stunning wife.
If Harry was still in charge we would have beaten Newcastle away.
If Harry was still in charge we would have beaten WBA at home.
If Harry was still in charge we would have beaten Norwich at home.
If Harry was still in charge we would have won the league already.


When Harry was in charge we signed Saha and Nelson.
When Harry was in charge Modric tried to force a move to Chelsea.
When Harry was in charge Van der Vaart was still a Spurs player, but who would honestly say no if Sylvia said to move to Germany?
When Harry was in charge we drew with Newcastle away.
When Harry was in charge we did beat WBA at home. 
When Harry was in charge we lost to Norwich at home.
When Harry was in charge we blew a 10 point lead over Arsenal.


For those who booed and chanted Harrys' name on Saturday. Get a grip, we are three games in with a new team, new players who will settle in and will be class. We know Defoe is not a loan striker, we know Livermore is not a playmaker, we would all have liked Van der Vaart to stay, but he didn't, he wanted to go, he was not forced out, Defoe has done a good job and will be an integral part of the team all season, Livermore is a promising youngster, he needs your support, not to be giving stick (which he was on Saturday). No one enjoyed the Norwich game but judge AVB on the results at the end of the season, or even better the end of next season, this is a new team that needs time to gel. Everyone who booed needs to have a long hard look at themselves, and decide if they are wearing the right shirt, judging a manager after three games, shouldn't you be at Stamford Bridge. Judging a youngster for a few miss placed passes, you should be at Old Trafford. Not singing then booing, you should be at the Emirates, you are not true Spurs fans.

Have a think about this next time you get the urge to sing "Harry Redknapps Blue and White Army" even though you never sang it when he was in charge, if the attitude of the fans carries on this way we will go the way of Blackburn, and it will be your fault, not the players, not AVB and not Daniel Levy.


#BackAVB

The Revolution Has Begun

The merry-go-round that is transfer deadline day seems to have started early this year, for Spurs at least. Adebayor has finally signed on the dotted line after a summer of negotiations with City over how much of a “loyalty” bonus he deserves. After weeks of inactivity, this deal seems to have sparked the possibility of many more. Willian, of Shaktar is a real possibility, with Sky Sports News reporting that both clubs are locked in negotiations. Moutinho is still on the radar, as are M’Villa, Adam Johnson, Llorris and Pjanic, amongst others. But the possible introduction of these superstars has come at a price, Michael Dawson seems bound for the exit, with QPR, Sunderland and Stoke all possible suitors. Tom Huddlestone has gone out on loan to Stoke and Bassong has been reunited with Spurs legend Chris Hughton at Norwich. Bassong always put in a good shift, but was never a fans favourite, there was always a feeling that he lacked that little bit of class and ability to be a Spurs player, however he will be warmly received when returning to lane in little under two weeks. Huddlestone and Dawson on the other hand, are seen by many as cult hero’s, and along with the potential sale of Van der Vaart, many Spurs fans have been left scratching their heads as to why these three players are so readily available on the market.

We will start off with what Spurs are gaining, well, not so much gaining as securing on a longer deal. Adebayor was pivotal in Spurs finishing fourth last season, he scored eighteen league goals and got eleven league assists. He linked up really well with Garath Bale, benefiting from the crosses that the pacey winger supplied to him. Bale thrived having someone who he could play a one-two with, and get the ball back ninety percent of the time. Adebayor comes in at a time when Spurs are crying out for centre forward who can play the loan striker role. Defoe is a very good finisher and took his goal against Newcastle very well, but he struggles to hold the ball up, he struggles to bring Bale, Lennon and Sigurdson into play. Having Adebayor to lead will give Spurs much more of an attacking presence, he is a threat in the air and on the ground, and is a handful for opposition defenders. He was seen by Arsenal fans as lazy, and some Spurs fans feel he was lazy at times last season. He does sometimes have goal draughts but there is no doubting his quality, to score and to play the game. In his “lazy” moments he is often not being lazy, but his contributions are just not noticed, those in the game never refer to him as lazy, but always see him as a handful. One problem that Adebayor has had through out his career is his attitude, and while he caused no problems last season, it is certainly a gamble giving him a four year contract. Hopefully he can concentrate on playing football and not being a pre-Madonna, and for the first time in his career he will be at a club where his class shines through and is not overshadowed.  

The imminent departure of Michael Dawson is one that has divided Spurs fans. Most love the commanding centre back, but whether he should be sold or not is the all important factor. Dawson is probably the most committed player to wear the Spurs shirt, he loves the club and the club loves him. Along with this he isn’t a bad player, this isn’t love based purely on his passion, he is a first class centre back. Crucially for the future of his Spurs career though, he is not the quickest, and is far slower than Caulker, Kaboul and Vertongen. This may have been the nail in his coffin as it is clear from pre season that AVB is keen to play a high defensive line, that requires quick centre backs to cover when the opposition break the offside trap. AVB also likes his centre backs to be able to get the ball down and play it, Dawson, although blessed with fantastic defensive ability is not the strongest with the ball at his feet, and could come unstuck there. It does make good business sense to sell Dawson for a large transfer fee and concentrate on bringing through Caulker, but the question will remain, would it not be better to sell Gallas and keep the younger and more committed Dawson.

Rumours have today surfaced that the next player out of the door will be Rafa Van der Vaart. There is nothing to back this up and it could realistically be lazy journalism, as he was only on the bench against Newcastle. Again this would devastate Spurs fans as he is a favourite, and his quality is for all to see. There are question marks surrounding his fitness but the contribution he has made over the last two years has been immeasurable. With signing of Sigurdson, Van der Vaart, should he leave, has already been replaced by a younger and fitter player. The Icelandic midfielder signed from Hoffenhiem has got great potential, scoring seven goals in the second half of last season for Swansea last year, and his a welcome addition to the Spurs squad. It remains to be seen if the Van der Vaart will return to Germany, but the rumours are certainly resurfacing.

The previous lack of transfer activity, and now the extreme selling policy, has lead a minority of Spurs fans to question AVB and Levy already. It is scandalous to question a manager after one match, no matter what the fans think of his sales, AVB is in charge of the squad and he should be allowed to make the squad he wants, if he sees no future for Dawson, Huddlestone and Van der Vaart they have to go, and be replaced by AVBs’ choice of players. It is the only way Spurs can move forward. For every one Spurs fan who has already turned on the boss there are thirty who trust his decisions and realise that these players who will go down as legends will have to go, if we are to move forward.

Move Over Mo, Football is Back

As summers go, this one has not been a bad one. We have had agonising but all too familiar penalty defeats in international football. Roy Hodgson's England side lost to Italy, but ultimately showed in the tournament that the future may be brighter than once expected. The Great Britain side, managed by Stuart Pearce, and inclusive of a number of Welsh players, who refused to Sing the BRITISH national anthem (that is a story for another day), where also knocked out of the Olympics on penalties losing to South Korea, after Aaron Ramsey missed a penalty in normal time. Most of our other Olympians were much more impressive than the Welsh Gooner; Stephen Caulker starred in the tournament, and a record haul of golds and medals were brought back from a number of different sports. A gold and a silver medal will be on their way to the Lane, as Gio was vital in the Mexico Team that won the mens football gold, beating Sandro's Brazil in the final. It has been enjoyable, we were all gripped to the screen during the Olympics, but that fact that I have played more golf in the last two months than I ever have in the rest of my life seems to suggest that it has nothing on the domestic football season. And our wait is finally over.

AVB is in, Redknapp is out, Vertongen and Gylfi Sigurdsson have signed on the dotted line and initially there was great enthusiasm as to who was the next player to join our White Hart Lane family. Adebayor, Moutinho, M'Villa, Butland, Llorris, Dimiao. Two days before the season opener against Newcastle we have not added to the squad. We still just about have Modric, but he will certainly be a Real Madrid player by the time we play our first home game. I would like to wish the little Croat good luck and all the best at the second greatest club in the world (Obviously Spurs being the first), he has done very well for us and although it is not a popular view he deserves his "dream" move and should receive a warm welcome when he lines up against us in the 2013/14 Champions League Final. It is a shame however that the saga has dragged on this summer, as there is no doubt had the deal been concluded earlier we could have signed some replacements already and be in a better position than we currently are.

However, that is not to say that we are in a bad position, we have kept our best players, Modric excluded. Bale has signed a new deal and VDV has committed his future to the club. Sigurdsson has looked good in pre-season, and having Caulker and Huddlestone back will be like having new signings. The one area we are currently lacking is up front. We still have Defoe, and most would hope that he would still be a Spurs player by the time the transfer window closes, even if he might not be the natural player to lead the line in a 4-3-3 formation. In some quarters there has been much discontent about the lack of transfer activity on the striker front. I don't believe there is a need to panic just yet, Adebayor looks like it will happen sooner or later, and AVB has said he wants three forwards, so there should be another on the way aswell. Once Modric has left there seems to be a chance that Moutinho could be heading to the Lane. I have no evidence of this and I would not put a bet of a substantial amount of money on it, mainly because I don't have a substantial amount of money but positive noises have been made by the player and the new manager. All in all the squad looks good, and if we can pick up some wins before the window closes we could be in a very good position by the time the final pieces are added to the jigsaw.

So here we go, we may not have a full squad yet, we may want bury our heads in the sand every time someone proclaims that they are ITK and that Messi is going to buy out his Barca contract to sign for Spurs, we may be wondering if the defensive is just too high, but we will be there for all the highs and the lows, and Saturday afternoons will not be about golf anymore. Fasten your seat belt, it is going to be a rolacoaster. 

AVB's BLUE AND WHITE ARMY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frimpong gets Frimponged... AGAIN!

Emmanuel Frimpong lived up to his clown tag once again yesterday. He reacted to a Spurs fan by calling him a "scum yid". The Spurs fan in question had stated that he would welcome Frimpong breaking his arms and legs. While this was out of order and not something that most normal people would wish upon anyone, it is only meaningless words from someone who will never meet the Arsenal midfielder. The now infamous figure, Frimpong rose to the bait and in doing so used a word that has antisemitic connotations.

Many people will wonder though, how Spurs fans can use the term yid to describe themselves and complain about others using it against them. It is the tone that is important in these scenarios. When Spurs sing about being yids, there is no anger, there is no hatred, it is simply ownership of a phrase that was used to try and belittle the large Jewish following that Spurs have. When Frimpong calls someone a "scum yid" he is using this as an offensive term, designed to alienate a group of people.  In this respect, and i realise this will be controversial, it is similar to the use of the "N" word, a word that is non-offensive when used as ownership of the phrase, but when used to belittle is incredibly racist. 

I don't believe Frimpong has the mental capacity to understand what he has said, he thinks it is only against Spurs fans and does not realise when said in the manner in which it was as it is an antisemitic term. For that reason I don't think he should face too much punishment, he should be reprimanded, but not severely, there was no intent to cause pain to the whole Jewish race, and at the end of the day, he has once again shown himself to be a fool. Spurs fans will give him so much stick for the rest of career also, which is no treat, just ask Sol Campbell.

Football has fallen into the trap of "political correctness gone mad" with the recent Terry, Suarez and Ferdinand issues. Twitter isn't helping, it can't be that hard for players to realise that what they write will be seen by everyone, and that sometimes it is better just to keep a lid on it. Ferdinand has been the worst culprit, once again using Twitter to tarnish his successful career. Both Frimpong and Ferdinand are very quickly turning into the clowns of football, and I for one am enjoying watching their hilarious demise.    

AVB is Having a Party!

It is a great time to be a spurs fan and there have been many exciting developments down at the lane over the last week. We have brought in a new manager and two new players, and on top of that it now seems certain that Adebayor will be signing a permanent deal in the next few days. Gylfi and Vertongen have been much talked about and will make fantastic signings. Vertongen is one of the best defenders in European football, and joins Spurs, giving up his role as Ajax captain. He has made no secret of his desire to join Spurs and this has made him an instant hit with the fans, even before he has been to his first training session. Gylfi is a goal scoring midfielder, who also likes to play the right kind of football; he will fit in effortlessly, whether as a replacement to Van der Vaart or alongside the Dutchman. The main purpose of this article though is to think about AVB as the man to take the reigns at the Lane. There is a very good reason for holding back and writing this a few days latter than everyone else. I wanted to dust to settle, I wanted to see how the press would react, after their initial slandering of the ex-Porto man before throwing my opinions out.

When AVB was first appointed the press instantly jumped to the defence of their golden boy, defending Harry to the hilt in the only way they know how, by belittling his successor as much as is humanly possible. The insults flew in from all corners of the media, but there was a specific radio station and a particular national newspaper that were the worst culprits, I wont mention any names as everyone will have their own opinion but I will not ever take the two parties seriously again, as they continuously showed the kind of lazy journalism that is becoming all too familiar in the UK. Anyway, enough of a rant, the dust has settled, the players have made the right noises, signings have been brought in and the press have left AVB alone a bit. So only now is it the right time to evaluate his credentials as the next Spurs boss.

While he didn't have the most successful spell at Chelsea, he was incredibly successful at Porto, where he won the league, the cup and the Europa league in the same season, that kind of class does not disappear over night. Due to his time at Chelsea he is not always looked upon too favourably in England, but what has become clear is that he is very well respected across Europe. His former player from Porto Moutinho has made positive noises about his appointment and has even suggested that he "would work with him [AVB] again tomorrow". We can only hope that this is something that does come off, but should AVB work his magic and persuade the Portuguese to join, he will have a ready made replacement for Luka Modric, or if Luka stays a quality partner in midfield. Gylfi has also made positive noises about his talks with AVB, showing that Spurs have picked up a boss who can persuade top players to join him in his evolution of the club and say no to other clubs, in Gylfi's case Liverpool. It is not just new signings and potential new signings who are singing AVB's praises, Danny Rose and David Bentley have publicly praised the decision to appoint him, and Garath Bale signing a new contract shows he has belief in the new man.

AVB is renowned for playing attractive, attacking football, often with three up front. His style of football will easily fit into the Spurs ethos of playing good football. We always like to see great football at the Lane, and this peaked last year; Harry did have us playing some world class football at times. AVB takes on the same squad of players who can play that well, and if he can add his own personal touch, there is no reason we cant continue to set the world alight with our performances.

It looks as though the line will be lead by Adebayor. This will be one of the biggest challenges that AVB faces. Ade is famous for being a trouble maker, he was not a trouble maker last season, and I hope he will not be again in the seasons to come. However, the handling of Ade with show whether AVB has learnt from his time at Chelsea. Whether he has learnt to cope with big egos. The time at Chelsea will have been a steep learning curve and hopefully he will now be able to cope with situations when things aren't one hundred percent going his way. Other than Ade however, there are not many major egos in the Spurs squad, no where near as many as there are in the Chelsea squad, so he should be able to concentrate on leading the team and not squashing mutinies.

AVB will prove to be an inspired choice, he has the ability to bring in some top players from around Europe and build on an already first class team. It may be a blessing in disguise that the press is not taking too kindly to him; it removes a lot of pressure on him, as the press are expecting him to fail anyway, but do not confuse this as should he fail they will jump on him straight away, it is only his initial expectations that are not high in the press.  It has also united many Spurs fans, who needed to be brought back together after being torn apart because of opinions about Redknapp and his sacking. Spurs now have a common enemy, the press. The fans have closed ranks, defended AVB at all costs and stuck up for Levy, who has had a fantastic summer so far. It is the first day of pre season training on Monday and AVB will be required to work his magic straight away. The players will know that the fans are fully behind them and the boss, and it can only mean good things for Spurs. The future is bright, no matter what the tabloids would have us think

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Gareth Bale: A Humble Superstar in the Making

This week Gareth Bale penned a new four year contract at Spurs, which undoubtedly involved a pay rise, but a deserved pay rise. Bale has played some top quality football over the last two seasons and has been central to our relative success. Towards the end of last season he wasn't at his best, but he was often pushed into the middle. The BBC amongst others jumped on the bandwagon stating that our failure to secure Champions League football would mean that he would be plying his trade else-wear next season. The welsh international, who is set to star at the Olympics proved everyone wrong by agreeing stay at the Lane.

Last season was a some what transactional one for Bale. He needed to develop his game, he needed to learn how to come inside. By his own admission though the next step is to learn to come inside and use the wings at the same time. In his most recent interview he stated that next season his aim is to work on his all round game and not have to just come inside, or not always hug the touchline. If he can do this, combined with his blistering pace, the sky is the limit for Bale and Spurs next season.

Bale will not be a Spurs player forever, he is destined for great things, he is destined for great things at Spurs and he is destined for great things individually too. One day he will grace the shirt of Real Madrid or Barcelona, and he will do very well there. The fact that he has delayed these moves by at least a year, maybe two if we get in Europe's top competition, shows a great maturity and a lot of loyalty. He realises Spurs have done a lot for him, Spurs as a whole as well as Redknapp, he knows he owes the club and signing a new contract shows that he is willing to repay the faith that has been shown in him by the fans, the management and the board.  Staying after Redknapp has gone shows real passion for the club.

The most refreshing facet of Bale signing a new contract is that he turned to his sceaming and skiving agent, who was already lining up a move abroad, and said "NO!", "I want to stay at Spurs". Not many players would say that in this day and age, most are concerned with personal achievement as quickly as possible. It would have been unwise for Gareth to leave this summer, he is not developed enough to move on yet, he will be one day but he is not yet the complete player. Once he can pull all the areas of his game together then he can become a world class player. Two more seasons and the world will be his oyster. His actions in signing a new contract show a remarkable amount of maturity and humbleness. Hopefully he will be rewarded this season by winning some silverware and having another great season.

The Pre-Pre Season Report

This weekend could prove to be a decisive one for the future of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It seems to be a certainty that by Monday evening AVB will be firmly planted in the cooling seat that was once occupied by Harry Redknapp. Some bookmakers are even offering odds of 1/14 that he will be our next boss. It has been widely reported that Levy has spoken to Blanc and Capello as well, so our chairman must be sure that AVB has learnt  from his unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge. His time as Chelsea boss could be of benefit to us, providing he has taken on board the frankly disgraceful way he was treated by Lampard and co, so that he will have more control over the Spurs squad. What everyone forgets about AVB is that he was incredibly successful at Porto, who are not a small club, the sort of managerial class he showed there does not simply disappear because he has been bullied by overpaid, egotistical players. He is renowned for playing good football and we can expect to see a 433 formation, with Bale and Lennon on the left an right and new forward up front. Playing three central midfielders will make us very hard to breakdown whilst also giving our central players the chance to get forward and join the attack.

Who will be in that midfield though? Gylfi Sigurdson looks to favour move to the Lane over a move to Anfield. Much to everyone's surprise we have offered a higher wage to the goal scoring midfielder than Liverpool have. Whether the deal goes through we will have to wait and see, as he is still talking to both clubs. All corners of the press are reporting that Modders is leaving, but then they did say that last season. Personally I would let him leave now, Gylfi would be a good replacement and today there are reports of Mountinho, so there will be life after little Luka. Whether Mountinho would come in or not is precarious but the rumour does at least show that there are other players out there who can do the job Modric does. Providing the Croat goes abroad he will go down as a Spurs legend in my eyes, however, should he demand a move to Chelsea or United, I will not look on him so fondly.

One area that has gone a bit quiet recently is the transfer of Jan Vertongen. He still wants to come to Spurs, we still want him and Ajax still want to sell him to us. So what is the problem then? He has a clause in his contract to receive fifteen percent of any transfer. A clause that Ajax are not honouring. I just hope the whole scenario can be sorted quickly and the center back can start pre season training with Spurs. To me it seems that no matter what happens Jan will be a lillywhite next season, if this can not be resolved quickly he will give in a move to Spurs anyway. I only hope I am right.

We have also been linked with Danny Sturidge, Lassana Diarra, Sahin and at one particularly audacious moment Hulk. It is not worth talking about these until the new boss is in and there is some substance the rumour. This weekend will be a very exciting one, potentially a new manager and two new players, the 2012/13 season will be one to remember.  

The Tottenham Civil War!

When I returned home in the early hours of Thursday morning I was shocked to read that Harry Redknapp had been sacked by Spurs. The vast amounts of beer and vodka i had consumed through out the course of the night led me to believe it was best to wait until the morning to see if this was true or not. Sure enough my eyes had not deceived me, Harry and Spurs have parted company.

Personally I have mixed feelings on this. I have never made it a secret that I not a Harry fan, his press performances, his lack of tactical knowledge at crucial times in crucial matches, his disloyalty and his refusal to see himself as one with the club are just a few of the traits that have pushed me away from the man, who was seen by many as more of a step-father than a father. There is no doubt that Harry has done a decent job, two fourth placed finishes is not a bad achievement, but I (and i'm not the only one) feel that his good points do not necessarily outweigh his bad points.

Redknapp summed up his Spurs tenure over the last two weeks. He showed his disloyalty by claiming he would have accepted the England job if he had been offered it. He has continued the constant media circus by showing his anger at the lack of a new contract, at the end of the day why should disloyalty be rewarded. The most laughable comment was that the players will be put off by him only having a year left on his contract, yet they were not distracted by the England speculation. Levy like most has had enough of Harry self preserving, contradictory comments to the press. You can't help but feel without talking to the press Harry would have been at the Lane for years to come.

What has been most noticeable in the last few hours is that Tottenham is divided into two parties. The "Love Harry" party and the "We Are Spurs Not 'Them, or They'" party. This worries me, this could pull the club apart, with the "Love Harry" party blaming non Harry fans for forcing their savour out of the club. I have read more than one article slamming people like me for questioning his decisions and behavior. Equally the "We Are Spurs" party are not too happy with the Redknapp fans for slamming Levy, as they cling to the belief (rightly or wrongly) that he has a plan and will pull off a masterstroke.

Only time will tell if Bale, Modric and Co will want to stay without their old pal Harry, the Welshman's agent is already flirting with the powers that be at the Nou Camp. Charlie Corluka thinks Modders will be off too, but £25 million to Man Utd is laughable, cheep and frankly lazy journalism. I can only hope that the Vertonghen deal will still be going ahead because he will be a top class signing.

I personally feel that Levy has an ace up his sleeve, he will know who he wants in and he will know he can get them, my money is on Capello, who's odds have been slashed over night, but I also think AVB, Rafa Benitez, Klinsman and Van Bastan are names that should be considered. David Moyes is odds on favourite to get the job, he would not be a bad signing, but would he be of a high enough caliber to hold onto the stars?

The next few days and weeks will be exciting and will hopefully push us on to the next level, we need to stick behind Levy and judge his actions once he has made them rather than just assuming he doesn't have a plan. There will be life after Harry, just like there was life after Martin Jol, just like there was life after Hoddle, just like there was life after Venables, there will be life after Harry and the club will continue. What is important is that we all stick together and all follow the club we love, no matter what we thought of Harry, he has gone, there is no changing that, now we need to get behind Levy, get behind the players and get behind ourselves. We are Tottenham, the future is bright, and there will be life after Harry.

Cause of Death: A Postmortem Report

On Saturday most Spurs fans were glued to TV screens, watching Chelsea take on Bayern in Munich for the Champions League trophy and a place in next years competition. I was no different, I was watching with bated breath as Bayern offered up useless attack after useless attack. As soon as Drogba headed the equalizer it became all too evident that despite the lack possession or meaningful chances Chelsea were going to lift the cup. This belief was increased by Robben missing a weakly struck penalty. As predicted Chelsea beat the Germans on penalties, of all the times for a German side to forget how to take penalties, of course it would happen when Spurs were relying on them to win. I found myself in the unfortunate position of watching the match with many Chelsea fans, who as expected gave me plenty of banter as I cried into my beer thinking about what could have been, but it was all in good humour. At the end of the day no one wanted Chelsea to win, but you have to take your hat off to them, they have out defended some of the best teams in Europe on their run to the trophy and you have to say "well done". While their victory is extremely disappointing it has to be said that we have no one to blame for our lack of Champions League qualification than ourselves, our poor run of form has cost us dearly and it may well end up being the cause of a major downturn for the club. So where did everything go so wrong?

We started the season in blistering form, at one point giving ourselves a twelve point gap between over the team in fourth. At that stage it looked impossible that we would finish outside the top three, and we were even being cited as a not so outside shot for the title, we started to believe our own hype, started to believe it was our year. Things started to turn a bit sour when Harry Redknapp spent most of his time in court over tax-evasion charges. The trial dredged on for a few weeks, with Harry even missing the trip to Liverpool as he could not make it up north in time after the days proceedings had finished. However we continued to persist and when the verdict was returned that Redknapp had done nothing wrong, we all started to dream once again. The dream lasted little more than a few hours though as on the same day Fabio Cappello left his post as England manager following a dispute over whether John Terry should be England captain while awaiting a trial for alleged racist comments towards Anton Ferdinand. Instantly Redknapp became darling of the press and the nation as he was wooed for the top job. Things were initially ok, a fantastic 5 0 win over Newcastle at home seemed to suggest everything was going to end well after all. After the thrashing of Newcastle things turned sour. An awful run of results saw us drop outside the top four, below Newcastle and Arsenal. It was not until the FA appointed Roy Hodgson that our picked up again, securing three wins and one draw in our last four games. When Arsenal failed to pick up all three points at home to Norwich we missed to chance to jump back to third as we could only draw at Villa. Arsenal then picked up all three points on the last day of the season at WBA, with more than a little bit of help from former Spurs reserves keeper Martin Fulop.

While the stats seem to show that when Redknapp was being linked with the England job we were not as good as before or after, Harry himself has always maintained that he was unaffected. It seemed clear to most fans that he didn't have the same passion for the job, and his press conferences did seem to suggest he was well prepared to take the England job, but only at the end of the season. The thing that makes me think that he did take his eye off the ball is that Kevin Bond, Harry's best mate had said to him on many occasions that he didn't seem the same as when he before he was linked with England. I am not going to go through all the facets of where Harry went so wrong, Bale on the left, Defoe getting more game time, I have been through it all before, as regular readers and generally anyone who speaks to me about football will know. I personally think the blame does rest squarely at Redknapps' feet, he showed us a real lack of loyalty, not a trait that is uncommon of him, just ask Portsmouth and Southampton. He has also shown himself to be tactically inept this season at times.

So where now for Spurs then? This summer will be one of the most important summers in the history of the club. Will Bale, Modric and others want to jump ship, if they do want to go, will they be allowed to, will we be able to add to the squad, who will be in charge on the opening day of next season? Modric has stated that he will consider his future after the European Championship, and you can't help but feel that he is once again going to try and force his way out of the Lane. I wonder if this season we may not be able to hold on to him, especially if one of the big boys from Spain come in for him. I don't think Levy will let him go for any less than about £50mil and he will not let Bale go for even more than that. It is realistic that Modric and Bale could both stay at the club and and we could add a few more players, Adebayor has already said he is trying to negotiate a permanent deal with Spurs. We will have to add a few more players to the team, we will have to be sensible with it though, there is no way Eden Hazard will be signing for us now, but the squad does need padding out. We need to get some of the average players off the books, Bentley, Pinaar, Saha, Nelson come to mind, and replace them with quality players. I think Redknapp will get one more chance, and it may surprise some of you to know that I think that that would be the right decision. He should not be offered a new contract until next season, and he should only get a contract offer if we qualify for the Champions League. It would be nice for us to take the Europa League seriously next year, it is a chance at silverware and a good competition, one which we have had some marvelous matches in, and it would be great to get some of those glory nights out.

If I could sum this season up in five words they would be loyal, disloyal, disappointing, quality and unlucky.

Loyal - Kyle Walker, Adebayor and others who have shown great spirit and fight for the club all season declared that they want to stay for the long haul, or join permanently in Ade's case.

Disloyal - Reknapps' handling of the whole England affair and I suspect we will see another outburst from Modric; Bale and Assou-Ekotto have already had their five minutes of misconceived self belief and claimed they are destined for bigger things (Bales comments were not so bad).

Quality - By far and away this season has given us some of the best football I have ever seen in my life, at the end of the day we have shown ourselves to be the fourth best team in the country.

Disappointing - The bad run of form has cost us very dearly.

Unlucky - Stoke Away (correct decisions would have granted us third place), Chelsea FA Cup Semi-Final, others results, and most of all, Chelsea winning the Champions League.

We now wait, wait to see what the summer holds, wait to see what Daniel Levy can pull out of the bag for us, and wait for the 2012/13 season, we are Tottenham Hotspur, and we will be back! 

EURO 2012: The Spurs Perspective #1

At 6pm on Saturday we will all be cheering on Bayern Munich, as they take on Chelsea in the Champions League final. This will have a massive impact on our season, for obvious reasons, but I for one would have be supporting Bayern even if we had finished third. There has never been such a "wretched hive of scum and villainy" than Stamford Bridge (To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV) and it would be an injustice to football if they won the Champions League, I really don't care about wanting the English team to win, if anything I want the other English teams to lose, improving Spurs' status in the country. I will be writing a season review after the final, as it does have such a big impact on our season. 


Roy Hodgson has named his England squad for Euro 2012. Spurs have two players in the 23 man squad. Jermain Defoe and Scott Parker have been chosen to represent England in the summer and it is certainly something they both deserve. Defoe has been on fire this season, despite not starting many matches and Parker has arguably been our player of the season. It is shame that Kyle Walker picked up an injury and was unable to be in the squad as he was almost a certain to be the first choice right back. However, it is more important that he is ready for the start of next season, and going to the tournament could have aggravated his injury.   


There has been much criticism of Roy's first squad, much of it surrounding the inclusion of Carroll and Downing. I personally think Carroll was an inspired choice and will weigh in with his share of goals, international teams will struggle to deal with his presence in the air. You only have to look at Crouchie and his England record to see that the international stage is good place for a big striker. Obviously as a former lilly-white it would have been great to see Crouchie there but Carroll is still a good choice. The only real disappointment for me is that Downing is going, especially when Aaron Lennon has had such a good season. I would have taken Lennon over Walcott, but then I am biased. Lennon would have offered a much better option than Downing, but then you can see why Roy has chosen the Liverpool winger, he has a good left foot, but the stats don't lie, no goals, no assists in thirty-six matches this season, is that really England form? The other option of course would be Adam Johnson, who is left footed and is a much better player.  



No one will ever compile an England Squad that everyone agrees with, but I think most people have been a little harsh on Roy. He has put together a good team, with a mixture of youth and experience and hopefully they will do England proud. Although it pains me to say it, it is good to see the Ox in the squad, he is a big part of the future of English football and this will be good experience for him. 


All that remains to be said is COME ON BAYERN, DO THE BUSINESS ON SATURDAY AND BRING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL BACK TO WHITE HART LANE!

Hopefully Martin Jol Wont Be Having A Party!

Sunday sees the final game of the 2011/12 season, and Spurs close proceedings at home to Martin Jols' Fulham. There is unfinished business all over the Premiership, the title isn't decided, 3rd, 4th and 5th isn't decided and the still issues to be sorted out regarding relegation. Off course when the clock hits three the only battle that we will care about is the one for 3rd and 4th. Arsenal play WBA away, a tricky game, and one that Roy Hodgson, in his final match in charge before taking over the England team will not want to lose. Safe to say, this weekend will define the season that Spurs have had.

All we can do is win, and even if we do we are not guaranteed 3rd. If Arsenal win there is no way we can over take them. There is no doubt that at the beginning of the season most fans would have accepted a 4th place finish, and would have been delighted with it. But having been so far ahead in 3rd is 4th really a good finish? The other side of the coin is, given how quickly we were falling, should we be delighted with a top four finish, as it could be far worse? If you asked me when we were twelve points ahead of Arsenal I would have been disappointed with a 4th place finish, but now I would be very pleased with it, and sensibly speaking it would represent a very successful season. Will WBA do us a favour? Possibly is the answer to that one, I wouldn't like to predict. WBA are a good side, with a good manager and it certainly will be an occasion, but Arsenal have a horrible habit of winning when they have to. All we can do is hope WBA and Roy do us a massive favour. Should we finish 4th, I have faith in Bayern Munich, but that's a different story.

Martin Jol is returning to White Hart Lane for the first time since he was dismissed at half time against Gatefe. He has stated in the press this week that he still has love for the fans and for the club, something that is great to hear; part of me still thinks he will return to his rightful place as Spurs boss one day. I'm sure the fans will show Martin how much we appreciated him, but the players must not get caught up in the occasion. It is important that they do the job, and do it well, otherwise we could be stuck in another "lasagne-gate" situation. Jol would not want us to finish outside the top four, although he will not want to lose, and will not set up to lose in any way, he would be gutted if we didn't finish in the top four. Forget listen to what the press say about him wanting revenge, the man is Spurs through and through. I wouldn't expect him to bring out a "I'm glad we lost to them" speech (presuming we win of course) like Houlier did when he lost to Liverpool last season as Jol has more class than that, but as Fulham are secured in having a decent position, I'm sure he will be there to enjoy being reunited with the Spurs faithful. As long as he doesn't enjoy it too much and we take the three points.

Whatever happens this Sunday Match of the Day will be one not to miss. Hopefully this time tomorrow I will be writing about Spurs getting into the Champions League, or at least nearly there and relying on Bayern Munich.

WHO DOES BENNY EKOTTO THINK HE IS?

After a draw against a battling Villa side at the weekend saw us miss the chance to go third, there seems to be more dissenting opinions in the ranks. I will start by saying, the Villa performance was a good one, and ultimately a good point, which leaves with an excellent chance of finishing fourth and still in with a good shout of third. Anyway onto the the main issue at hand. I came home from work today, checked the Spurs news, pretty standard day really. To my surprise, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the half decent but not very reliable Spurs left back, will be leaving to a "bigger club" in the summer if one comes in for him, and he has a an "agreement" with Daniel Levy to this extent. Not to worry Spurs fans though, as if we invest in the team he may consider staying. I keep checking the date, as I am sure it should be 1st of April with stories like this doing the rounds.

Firstly, if Spurs do invest in the team, after a centre forward, left back has got to be one of the main areas that needs improving. Benny (as he affectionately used to be known) has at times been unreliable this season, there is nothing good about a left back who constantly does Cryuff turns until he has no where else to go. He has put us in danger, and out of anyone in the team he is the one who creates a sense of uncertainty amongst the fans. I would love to say that going forward he was a class player but his crossing is average on a good day, and he hardly ever scores, so i really can't. I hate to agree with Alan Hanson, but he has sussed Benny out completely, the man ain't as good as he thinks he is.

Secondly, he wants to join a bigger club. Now the press are usually good at knowing when a player is attracting interest from other clubs. I don't think it is a coincidence that there has been no links with him going to any other club. Spurs are the eleventh richest club in Europe and consistently playing in Europe, in one way or another, how much bigger can you get? The idea that a top Champions League club would want Benny is laughable. Although I have heard that Mourinho wants him at Real Madrid, as he feels he can just add that little bit extra that they lack with only having Marcelo. He will face stiff competition from Ferguson though, he highly doubts the ability of Patrice Evra and is looking for a replacement.

Of all the players to think they are bigger than the club, Ekotto is not one i thought would be stupid enough to think he is. He should be pleased to have played for a club the size of Spurs, not the other way round. We all knew he was an insufferable w****r when he stated a few years back that he was not proud to play for Spurs, but this the next level up.

So please please please Mr Levy, let him go, obviously he will never go to a big club, but use him as a bargaining chip to bring in Baines, it will take us to the next stage and give us a real chance next season, as we would have a better team from that small change. If we can't find anyone who will take him off our hands, leave him in the reserves, we won't get any money for him anyway. It remains to be seen how the Spurs faithful react to him, but if this is still remembered next season I can see him being on a par with Hossam Ghaly, afterall has he actually done anything different from what the Egyptian did?

What is your opinion on BAE, will you be cheering him on next season or will you be giving him a frosty reception (presuming he isn't playing his home football at the San Siro or the Nou Camp; the only way he will get a Barcelona kit is by buying one off ebay.) ??

Is The Feel Good Factor Finally Back?

After two wins in a week, it is almost difficult to remember the horrific form we were on this time last week. After a professional performance against Blackburn we thrashed Bolton 4 1 on their own patch. The performance was not dissimilar to those earlier in the season, and goals from Modric, Van der Vaart and Adebayor with two gave us all three points. We are back up into fourth, just one point behind Arsenal, who have two potentially tricky games left. On top of that Redknapp is out of the running for the England job and the strain that was placed on the team by him being linked seems to have been lifted. Van der Vaart has made it clear how glad he and the other players are that Redknapp will be sticking around, and if Redknapp can keep Bale, Modric, Van der Vaart and co at the club then even those who remain skeptical about his abilities, myself included, should get behind him, as this summer is a vital one. Hopefully, we can win the last two games and Arsenal slip up, if we finish 3rd, or even 4th and manage to still get into the Champions League then Redknapp has done a good job this season, and as I have always maintained, he should ultimately be judged on our end of season finish. On top of that Walker has signed a new contract keeping him at the club until 2017, and it looks as though Kaboul may be the next to sign a new contract.

So could it finally be that the good times are back at the Lane? 

Bale, Modric, Blackburn and Hodson - A Strange Weekend

It has been a funny old weekend to be a Spurs fan, but generally a good weekend to be a Spurs fan. There have been four major talking points, starting with Gareth Bales interview for Football Focus, but I have already made my feelings known on that so I won't go over it again. This seemingly led to Redknapp stating that he was not sure if Modric would stay this summer, just 24 hours before our important match with Blackburn. We all struggle to see the logic behind this, maybe Harry believed he already had the England job secured and was just being honest, maybe Harry is a slave to the press and will do anything to give them a good story, well no maybe about that one. However, I am beginning to think it may have been very clever mind games on the part of Harry. Modric turned out his best performance this calendar year and was an integral part of the side once again. Whether Modric goes or not will be dealt with in the summer, but could it be that Redknapp has finally pulled off a masterstroke in the press by making Modric realise that he needs to up his game if he wants to keep in the thoughts of his potential suitors?

So we were all apprehensive at kick of as to what to expect, but playing Blackburn, a team who have hardly made it into second gear at all this season, we were also optimistic. Spurs started really well, nearly taking the lead within 90 seconds, through Lennon, who could only find the side netting. Sandro, who I personally thought was man of the match, thrashed a long range effort against the under side of the cross bar. Sandro was on great form all day, controlling everything in the middle, and offering an attacking presence that Parker often does not. Gallas Also hit the woodwork with a header. It was not until after this that Spurs took the lead. Van der Vaart tapped in from two yards, this time with the linesman getting the "was it over the line, wasn't it" question right, and it was no more than Spurs deserved. The second half was not quite as exciting as the first. Spurs confirmed the victory with a world class Walker freekick. He curled it round into the top corner in a strike that he later claimed was his best career goal. Walker has been fantastic this season and is now showing signs of turning into a Dani Alves esc player. Another impressive trait of Walkers' this season is that he has been immensely loyal and has always fought for the cause. He has apologized on Twitter when he has made a mistake, he has always showed passion and a desire to win. One thing that stood out for me is that when he was awarded our player of the month award he stated that he hopes that it was the first of many for the club. That kind of loyalty is refreshing in an era when more players seem worried about getting as high as they can as quick as they can. All in all it was a good performance and a good result, granted Blackburn didn't have one shot but we still needed to get the job done and we did.

Another piece of good news came after the match. The FA reveled that they had approached Roy Hodgson for the vacant England managers post and that they were not intending to speak to anyone else. Obviously I have previously made it clear that I am not the biggest Harry fan but at the same time I am glad it should now be down to us whether he leaves or not. If we do get third or fourth and do get into the Champions League I would not be opposed to Harry staying as then he would definitely have achieved something this season, that is ofcourse linked heavily to Chelseas' fortunes in the final. From an England point of view also Hodgson is a far superior choice to Redknapp. He has international experience and will bring through youth players and not stick with the same old crap that we have been plugging on with for years like Redknapp would have.

We don't have much time to rest, Bolton away on Wednesday, a very important match, that could see us going just one point behind Arsenal. Chelsea play Newcastle at the same time so it is our chance to put some distance between us and at least one of them, lets just hope now all this Harry to England nonsense is finished that we can crack on and produce another good result. I have written the whole article, and still not mentioned that we are back in fourth, and the race for the top four is back in our hands, at least until Chelsea play Bayern.  

Press to unsettle Spurs once again

Having finally watched Gareth Bales' interview for Football Focus, I do not think it is that bad, or at least not as bad as the BBC and the other press organizations are making it look. He did say he would have to consider his future, he did say he wanted to play Champions League football but he did not come out and say he wants to leave Spurs. It was in no way similar to outbursts of Luka Modric last summer. The press are seemingly trying to engineer the move of Bale to any team that isn't Spurs. I personally do not see anything too bad in Bale has said, and still remain confident he is committed to Spurs. However, should he try to engineer a move away in the summer himself, my opinion would change very quickly, but for now he remains a yid.

On the plus side Newcastle are 4 0 down to Wigan as I write this and Arsenal are drawing with Stoke. While I am sure the scores will not stay this way, Spurs will have a good chance to at least return to the top four tomorrow against Blackburn.

Another Nail in the Coffin!

I would like to start by saying, I do not enjoy moaning, although it may look like a do, i really don't, I would much rather start every Monday morning by writing a blog about how happy I am about  what the weekend has had in store for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Unfortunately this Monday, like most Mondays recently I am left annoyed, frustrated and disappointed. What has made it worse is that non-Spurs fans are starting to realise that not everyone at the club holds Harry Redknapp in as higher esteem as he would have them believe. So now those of us who think it may be time to freshen things up, like me, have to answer accusing questions from Chelsea and Arsenal fans in particular, along the lines of "you were nothing before Harry, how can you want him sacked?". Do they really need reminding that Arsenal called for Wenger to be sacked earlier in the season, despite the fact he really has made their club what they are today. Chelsea sacked Ancellotti less than a year after winning the double, so the day i take advice from anyone in the blue of Chelsea, is the day I sign up to my Saracens season ticket and throw my Spurs season ticket straight into the Thames. Anyway enough of a rant about what uniformed arm-chair fans of other clubs think, down to the real matter at hand, Spurs abysmal defeat to the hands of QPR.

Despite what you may think about the title it is not a reference to the end of Harry Redknapp tenure at Spurs, but in fact the more important business of Spurs' season as a whole. We have dropped out of the top four, and i for one, cant see us winning again this season. We fell to an Adel Taraabt free-kick in the first half, the player was latter sent off. I do not begrudge Adel getting his goal, although it was painfully predictable before the game. I have a lot of time for the lad and i feel that he would still be at Spurs now, had he been guaranteed first team football. I think it was a bit harsh that he performance against us earlier in the season was described as "useless" by our fearless leader. For a youngster and a former Spurs youngster at that, it will not be constructive for his carear to level those kind of insults his way, especially when he has destroyed all your tactical knowledge, if it can be called that, with one swing of his right boot. The whole speech stank of jealousy and desperation, and I don't think there is one party who benefited, other than maybe Redknapp who took on the persona of a typical bully, I feel hurt so I am going to slag someone else off.

Other than the winning goal there was little else worth mentioning in the match. So where did it all go wrong? Firstly, Bale and VDV were just behind the striker again, leading the Spurs fans to sing once again "He plays on the left, he plays on the left, Gareth Bale he plays on the left". We have all been through this so many times, I am not going to waste my time by re-writing it all again, but we all know, he can not play in the middle. Again we started with two defensive midfielders, Sandro and Parker, on the face of it this looks far too defensive. However, after having the idea given to me by someone who's football opinions i rate very highly (unlike the clowns in the first paragraph) it seems clear why we start two defensive midfielders so frequently now. Redknapp is so worried by our defensive frailty that he doesn't trust any of centre back pairings without Kaboul and therefore needs to reinforce the defence with Sandro and Parker. Don't be fooled though, I am not defending his tactics, I am just saying that the problem comes from a different area than you may think. The real question is then, with Cahill, Samba and others on the market in January, why did we bring in Nelson, if he is not trusted?

Once again the team looked lifeless and passionless. Something needs to be done, no matter how many time Parker and Redknapp say "we haven't got time to look at whats wrong" if we don't we will find ourselves in sixth, and remarkably worse than last season. I don't for a minute think Redknapp will be out of Spurs before the end of the season, Levy will now want to hold out for the England money to come in. Should England not go for Redknapp, will he be sacked, depending on the final four games of the season of course? Unless the wheeler-dealer has some serious dirt on Levy i can't see how he can keep his job, Levy is not a stupid man, he know Harry should denied speculation about England straight away. Only time will tell now, and perhaps i should quote Scotty Parker, now isn't the time to look into it.

Another excuse was that Spurs don't have enough strength in depth and the bench lacked any quality on Saturday. I wonder what Newcastle fans and management think about that, they have a far lesser squad than ours and they are flying. I think it is an insult to teams like Newcastle when Redknapp produces that sort of drivel as an excuse for his poor tactics. Furthermore, why are Townsend, Pinaar, Corluka and more out of the club on loan if he is that worried about strength in depth, at the end of the day it must have been you who signed the forms to let them go Harry?

All i hope now is to be able to write a happy blog about next weekends home match with Blackburn. Despite how it may seem, moaning about my beloved Spurs is tiresome, and i would give anything to highlight the good points as well for once, just there haven't been many good points recently, and i don't think anyone could argue with that.

A Second Chance?

Firstly i would like to apologise for not writing a blog about the farse that was Sunday evening. We all know how the story goes, we were cheated, it was a disgrace, and I along with most of the Spurs fans left before the clock had hit 80 minutes, so i didn't and still haven't seen the last goal. We were all very dissapointed, and dispite what the scummy Chelsea fans might say, the ghost goal changed everything. Anyway enough about that, back to league matters, and Wigan have done us a massive favour.

While Arsenal were gloating about our loss of form they were beaten 2 1 on their own patch by the Latics, who got their two goals in the seventh and eighth minutes. I have always liked Wigan but now I can safely say I love them. This result has left us five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, and they face the "in form" Chelsea on Saturday. We of course face QPR away, a game which of course will now be our game of the season.

We really need to pick up our form, and as Gallas says our luck and turn out a great performance at the weekend, it could really give us the lift we need. We all trust this Spurs team, although we may not have shown it recently and although we have been disapointed we need to believe we can finish third. Everyone needs to pull together, no matter what happens at the end of the season we need to make these final five matches count. COYS!

FA Cup Semi Final Preview

Spurs have been to Wembley for so many finals and semi-finals in the last 5 years that it almost feels for many of us that we have a Wembley season ticket. However the 6pm KO FA Cup semi against Chelsea on Sunday probably represents the biggest of these visits, at least since we beat them in the 2008 League Final 2 1.

The good news is that Ivanovic failed in his ludicrous appeal against the retrospective action taken against him and will not be available for selection on Sunday. On top of that Ashley Cole is struggling and may also be out of the Chelsea team, which would certainly leave them light at the back. Other than that they seem to have a clean bill of health.

Parker, Kaboul, Gallas and Kranjcar all face a battle to be fit but could feature. Dawson and Huddlestone are still out. It is likely that Redknapp will revert to Adebayor and Van der Vaart up front again after the disaster of the Norwich game and that should be a bonus for Spurs.

Spurs have won the FA Cup 8 times, lastly in 1991 and will be hoping to cement their place as the team who has won the FA Cup the third most times in England, by lifting the trophy this year. Chelsea have won it 6 times, 4 of those wins coming since 2000. Sky Bet make Spurs the favourites at 6/4, while Chelsea are 7/4 and the Draw is 23/10.

Hopefully Spurs can live up to their favourites tag and return to Wembley to face either Everton or Liverpool in the final. One thing is for sure, there will be a great atmosphere and should Spurs win it will be a great day. COYS!

Led will always be the King!

Ledley King will go down in Spurs history as a great centre-back, a great captain and an all round great guy. He has been plagued with injuries through out his career and if he had not had these there is no doubt he would have been a regular for England and would have lead Spurs to a few more trophies. Unfortunately Ledley is no longer looking up to playing in the Premiership, and this is not surprising as he barely trains, and most of his training is done in the swimming pool. Ledley would always have a place at Spurs if it were down to me, and he would have a contract for life, but he doesn't seem that he can be the main man at the back like he once could. If we are to replace this hero, who can we replace him with, now that Cahill and Samba are off the market?

JAN VERTONGEN

 

Vertongen is a Belgian international who plays for Ajax. He is vice-captain and has been the rock at the centre of their defence since 2006. He is left footed which may be a bonus, as we do not have any other left footed central defenders. He is 6ft 2inches and us very good in the air. The downside to signing him would be that he is completely untested in England and this may mean that like Mertasacker at Arsenal he may need time to settle in. On the plus side he has made positive noises about a move to the Lane, so his heart would definitely be in playing for Spurs.

JAMES TOMKINS

 

Tomkins has represented England at every youth level and is currently in the U21's squad. He has been in fantastic form for West Ham this season and is approaching 100 games for the club, even at his young age. West Ham fans can not speak highly enough of their young centre back, and it would be difficult to take him from the hammers, especially given that we have already taken Parker from them. He would be a very good signing, and he would only become a better player being able to work alongside experienced defenders like King, Gallas, Nelson and Dawson.

WALTER SAMUEL



The Argentine would bring a wealth of experience but no long term future. There are some rumours circulating that he wants the chance to play in England before he retires and Spurs could be his preferred destination. Whether we want him remains to be seen. 

JULIAN VELASQUEZ

Velasquez is a little know 21  year old Argentian defender, who has been strongly linked with Spurs in recent months. However this would surely represent a huge risk.

BRUNO UVIV


The Brazialian youngster is already on trial at Spurs and has widely been tipped as the successor to King. His talent remains to be seen but the chances are he will be signed up along with one of the above.