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Hate for Hate Sake
Before I had time to comprehend what had just happened, the ball found itself at the feet of Roberto Soldado. Watching on a stream that thankfully hadn’t stuttered in a few minutes I was convinced this was our break through, it wasn’t. Instead we had to endure another 30 minutes of tension and David Marshall making a name for himself.
In the long run the three points that Spurs collected and the team continuing to gel are more important than any individual performance. However, as the euphoria of watching the Spurs players bundle on top of Paulinho faded, a question came up that had me pondering Spurs fans, and in this of course I include myself.
If the game had finished 0-0 how would we have reacted to Soldado’s missed chances?
Look at this question from a different angle.
Had it had been Jermain Defoe who had squandered the chances what would have been the reaction?
To take this question even further.
What if it had been Emmanuel Adebayor?
For our last home game I sat in the Paxton end. It was the first time I was back there since our 2-1 win over QPR last season where I spent 90 minutes in the most negative atmosphere I have experienced at the Lane for some time. I vowed to steer clear of the Paxton, however, due to forgetting the on-sale date for the Norwich game, I took the only ticket under £40 left online and I found myself back there.
Whilst Spurs received widespread media coverage for the chants that were emanating from the Park Lane and Shelf, the comments that were springing up around me were far more offensive. As a man who is at home swearing or wandering the virtual streets of Los Santos, bad language doesn’t offend me, but what I found interesting was the context and the direction of it.
Why do some players attract abuse and others escape it?
On Sunday had Glyfi Sigurdsson’s shot that rebounded off the bar fell to Adebayor and the Togolese striker fluffed a golden opportunity, Twitter would have been in a meltdown. The abuse would have ranged from comic to borderline racism.
Had that miss occurred at White Hart Lane, what would have been the crowd reaction? The gentleman that spent most of the Norwich game, when he was at his seat, calling Andros Townsend “greedy female genitalia” would surely have suffered an embolism.
Adebayor is a £5 million signing from Man City, Soldado £26 million from Valencia. Why does Adebayor warrant abuse but Soldado doesn’t?
Benoit Assou-Ekotto is without doubt an entertaining straight talking footballer. Under Harry Redknapp he hit levels of performance that no one other than Damien Comolli thought he was capable of, yet under AVB he lost some of that form.
However, despite a catalogue of average performances and rumoured unprofessionalism, he never once had to face a fraction of the grief directed at the full-back on the opposite side.
Kyle Walker, Young Player of the Year 2011/12 has to deal with an unacceptable level of abuse. If BAE attempts to dribble out of a tight corner, people shake their heads and smirk: “Typical Benny.” Should Walker attempt the same, abuse rains down upon him. There is a clear level of tolerance within the crowd. Some players can make countless mistakes before they are attacked, others don’t have that luxury.
The former Sheffield United player has the ability to become our right-back for the next 10 years, yet we are treating him with disdain. Walker always gives 100% for the shirt and is determined to make it as a top class right back, yet still this isn’t enough.
I am not claiming this is a issue only in the Paxton end, this is a social media/SKY TV watching/home and away attending problem at Spurs.
Why abuse Walker yet honour BAE? Why allow Soldado off the hook? And why label Adebayor a mercenary but no one else?
As we have seen thanks to an FA Statement and a comedian attempting to reignite his failing career, crowd reaction is one of the few elements left in football that can’t be micro-managed. However as Spurs fans we should all be pushing in the same direction, supporting the players, the team and not treating individuals differently.
Spurs lose as a team and win as a team, it is never as clear cut as this or that players fault we lost or drew. We are not and never will be a one man team. At Tottenham we are witnessing the birth of a new team, we should take this as an opportunity to unite ourselves and build a support to match what is occurring on the field.
On Saturday Chelsea come to the Lane, the masters of division, homemade banners and hate. It’s time to start supporting every single player, regardless of history, current form or Twitter likability. Stop singling out certain individuals, stop the tutting and groaning epidemic and instead lift your voices in support.
Love the Shirt.
Spurs Fixture Pile-Up Glory
Madness it has been declared, dangerous says AVB, personally I think it’s brilliant. After a saga filled summer, tennis and some match involving a barbecued wicket and a wooden ball, three Spurs games in a week? Every Spurs fan will be delighted, especially if they are all as easy as the Tromso home game.
Next up for the Lilywhites is Cardiff away, one of those games that historically Spurs would struggle at, however, AVB has, Emirates apart, instilled a real strength to our team away from White Hart Lane. An away day doesn’t have the same connotations it used to have, in most instances, we actually perform better away from the Lane than we do at it. Perhaps it’s the release of pressure from a now continually expectant White Hart lane crowd, but more likely it’s the mentality of the opposition.
Most self respecting home teams will attempt to attack, or at least feint to attack. An away team’s 4-6-0 formation, without even a gesture at employing a false 9 has become as much a part of a home fixture at WHL as the Sunday kick-off. The side affect of this negativity has been slow patient football from Spurs, something that doesn’t sit well with how we were all brought up to watch football.
This weekend however, I expect a different game. Cardiff, Man City game apart, have had an average start to the season. Four points from four games is a decent return, but the feeling is growing that Cardiff really need to start picking up more than a point a game. The former Blue Birds need to benefit from Sunderland acclimatising to an influx of players, West Brom struggling to score goals and Crystal Palace’s tendency to implode.
They need points, not a point. Surely they will attack?
The opposition’s tendency to sit back and deny Spurs space behind them used to be a worry for me. Last season we saw West Brom, Southampton and Sunderland nullify us, only for the world’s most expensive player to bail us out. This year without him, the fear of being nullified again is non-existent. Where once we relied on pace and power, new Spurs is all about guile and intelligence.
Pace and power can only bloom given the right conditions, space, plenty of space. Football intelligence and creativity though can spring up in the smallest of gaps. A run off the shoulder, a delicate through ball, a quick shift of direction, seconds later the best laid defensive plans are in smithereens.
When Willian chose the Rouble, many of us despaired at our desperate search for a number 10. However, this may have been a blessing, instead Spurs snapped up the much cheaper and younger Christian Eriksen. Of course its still only early in his Spurs career, but last Saturday he operated behind Roberto Soldado and knitted the team together beautifully. Then last night in a short cameo he proved that he has that something extra many of his teammates lack. Glyfi Sigurdsson is good, Lewis Holtby is good, but Eriksen is special.
Last night we also got a good look at Eric Lamela. He may not have had the impact that Erisken had on his full debut but you have to remember that despite being the same age (Lamela is one month younger) they are coming from two very different backgrounds. Erisksen has been playing Champions League football and winning titles for years. The Dane has been to a World Cup and Euro Championships, he is much further down the road in terms of development, Lamela is still learning.
The Argentine I have no doubt will turn into a superstar, but he needs time. He came to Europe only because his boyhood club River Plate were surprisingly relegated from the Argentine top division. Arriving at Roma he then had to deal with four managers in two years, including the brilliantly erratic Zenek Zeman, and fit into a team boasting one or two small characters.
Added to this he doesn’t have the benefit of 30+ international caps to his name. Lamela is a young 21 year old and I get the feeling he will need to come to terms with life off the pitch at WHL before he can shine on it.
This is a testament to his development, many including myself had written him off, but Rose has knuckled down, came through a career defining loan move at Sunderland with glowing reports and made the left-back role his own.
Very few full-backs are born great, it’s a specialised role that needs time, dedication and maturity. Rose is giving the role the respect it deserves, hopefully his rise in form and ability can motivate Kyle Walker to step up his waning game.
Tromso done, Cardiff, Aston Villa and Chelsea to come. Fixture congestion? More like fixture glory. Give me more.
Happy 131st Birthday Spurs
On this day in 1882 a group of bible class students set in motion the forming of the club that we have come to love and occasionally loathe. Perhaps after a depressing weekend many of us don’t feel like celebrating, this however is the reason why we need to make a fuss of Spurs.
Today is a day of celebration, a day to salute those young men who created not only a club but a way of life for many of us. This is the perfect opportunity to take stock of what we have and wish Spurs a happy 131st.
Hugo, Jan, Paul and Bobby
There was a time when we would cast our eyes across the capital and covet what our neighbours had built. We had some great players, but we lacked a foundation, a solid base from where to begin. Tottenham were forever building from the top down, a classy winger, an attacking midfielder and occasionally a striker, but never the areas that mattered most, the centre of the team.
Today though as Spurs prepare to blow out 131 candles, we have a spine to our team that can challenge most of Europe.
Last summer we signed Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen, two players whose standout performances were unfairly eclipsed by the Los Merengues badge kisser. This summer we have added strength to their number in the form of Brazilian Paulinho and Spanish striker Robert Soldado. Through the middle of our team we have four top international class players.
Franco Baldini
It is of course too early to judge his recruits, but the fact that Spurs moved quickly and decisively in the transfer market shows promise. The Director of Football in this country is a position that always creates confusion. Certain native managers refuse to work with them, whilst some sections of the press love to report on supposed fall-outs, or a clash of ideas. Franco Baldini this summer though, made the DoF the new must have in football.
As Man United and others spent the day, and pretty much all summer striking out in various transfer deals, Spurs and Baldini passed Transfer Deadline Day with their feet up enjoying the wide-spread panic. It has been a long time since the close of the transfer window has been so quiet for Tottenham fans.
#ILike Under Armour
When the players smashed through the polystyrene wall wearing the new kit many of us immediately cringed at the Americanisation of our club. The use of smoke machines, #IWill and veteran Brad Friedel all seemed wrong. Why couldn’t we just release our kit? Why did it need to be dropped? What’s with the #catchphrase?
We have our navy shorts and socks back, there’s no flappy collar and the shirt has some nice subtle details which make it stand out. The logo may be a different shade of blue, but at least its not a red, or a short term loan company.
The shirt also manages to look good whether painted on to a strapping Nacer Chadli, pulled over a 40 year olds beer belly in Park Lane concourse or worn seductively by a lady boasting a flattering figure. It is essentially a shirt for all occasions.
At Spurs we have had to endure a few dull and down right dreadful kits, but this one thankfully isn’t. Good work Under Armour, just please tone it down for next time.
AVB’s Blue and White Army
On this day of celebration we should be happy that we have a man of undoubted class at the helm. This is the decisive season of AVB’s managerial career, this is the first time he has started a second season at a club and the first time in England where a team has been built to his specifications.
AVB is under unbelievable pressure, added to this he has had the biggest transfer saga in the history of football playing out at Spurs. Where some managers might have cried, thrown a strop or charged out of the press conference, AVB handled himself impeccably all summer.
In comparison to last season we are currently +2 in points and +1000 in positivity. The boos and jeers that marred the end of our first few games have gone, in their place is a faith in our manager and his beliefs. AVB had overtures from PSG and Real Madrid this summer, but unlike some he turned them down because he believes in Spurs and wanted to finish what he started.
Happy 131st Birthday Tottenham! COYS!
The Team That Bale Built
As the curtain came down on the 2012/13 season, the overriding emotion was disappointment. We had missed out on lucrative European nights, by a single point. As the late spring developed into summer though it was the feeling that had it not been for Gareth Bale, those evenings under the floodlights would have been a pipe dream instead of an enticing smell coming from an open window just out of reach.
The thought of Bale disappearing was one that most of us didn’t even come close to contemplating. Finally he had thrown down the shackles of being an albatross, his ears had been pinned back, the hair restyled, the YouTube Channel created and the celebration trademarked, on there own they meant nothing but together they pointed to an exit, but surely not this summer. Bale had more to do before he was the complete brand, until of course FIFA, BT and NBC got hold of his image.
Suddenly Bale was the poster boy of anything to do with the round ball. His marketability although still miles off Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi and the now retired David Beckham was growing. Real Madrid wanted this new phenomena and Daniel Levy was only to happy to secretly sell the dream.
As Spurs fans we have been here before. In my lifetime of Spurs supporting I remember Chris Waddle and Paul Gascoigne leaving and more recently the departures of Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric, star players sold but never replaced. The money recouped was and in fairness to the club, mostly reinvested, but it was spent by gentlemen out of touch with how to recreate and fill a void.
Across London whilst that team in Red proudly announced that they had, and still do have, £70 million to spend, at Spurs we remained quiet. Instead we haggled, bartered and delayed with various chairmen and agents across the globe. The narrative was the same for weeks, with Bale staying we didn’t have a war chest, we had to fight for the right price. Had Bale disappeared to Madrid in July, then effectively every player bar Roberto Soldado (we met his release clause) would have been more expensive.
Its quite incredible to think that whilst Spurs have been spending on credit, Real Madrid are about to sign the most expensive footballer that has ever existed and he hasn’t even had a pre-season. Pressure better be something Bale thrives on because if he thinks the media glare this summer was bad, he is walking into a city obsessed with football, boasting its own newspaper, dedicated radio shows and 80,000 fans who think nothing of burning a Ferrari or two.
Thankfully though Bale’s state of mind is something that we no longer need to contend with. Instead we need to focus on his legacy at Spurs.
In previous windows, especially those in the summer we have signed two, possibly three players who have taken us forward. Bale’s inflated price has enabled us to reconstructed our core. Add the names above to the those that are already at the club and is anything but our own pessimism holding us back from a title tilt?
Bale left the building seconds after the final whistle blew at Newcastle and the Geordies failed to win a £1 million bonus for their tea lady and other backroom staff. He wanted something he along with the rest of the squad were unable to give. Bale though has given us something we have waited a lifetime to see, an exciting, young and motivated squad with a manager at the helm we unanimously believe in.
I am going to miss Bale, as a player he was at times perhaps the finest I have ever seen. I wish we could have had Bale and the team he has enabled us to buy, but greed is a vice I try to steer clear of. Instead I will wish him well and I hope Madrid is everything he wants and needs. I along with every other Spurs fan now turn my attention to what has remained at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham is the club that Bill Nicholson built, but this is the team that Bale built. As it stands the greatest thing Bale has ever done for Spurs, is leave.
Bale Has More To Do Before He Outgrows Spurs
It has been one of those weekends; actually it’s been one of those summers. Everything to do with Spurs has been analysed, inspected and the rumours have been incessant. Roberto Soldado is set to join, Emmanuel Adebayor is off to Turkey, and predictably Gareth Bale is set to become the world’s most expensive player.
This article was first published on The Fighting Cock
For most of the summer I have allowed the rumours and the nonsense to wash over me. On my way home from work the BT Sport posters, the PS3 covers and various internet stories have failed to elicit a response, until today. Until David Hynter’s article headlined: Gareth Bale’s ability and ambition mean he has outgrown Tottenham appeared on my screen.
It was the straw that broke the camels back, that ridiculous sentence: He has outgrown Spurs….Bale needs to leave because he has outgrown us, really? Really?
I have had a strong affection for our former full-back, winger and now penetrative number 10 for years. I remember his debut, all hair, ears and speed. I remember the free kick he scored against Arsenal and I was at White Hart Lane when he broke his losing hoodoo against Burnley.
Two years ago after recounting countless tales of Bale to my girlfriend, I finally took her to the Lane to experience the man himself. Sat on the Shelf, mere metres away from him she passed an Alan Shearer like nugget of punditry gold: “Wow, he’s fast.” With his heart shape celebration reflecting in my eyes, I nodded in agreement.
As brilliant as Bale can be though, its very naive to claim he is the finished article. Therefore Mr Hynter I have a question for you:
“How has Bale outgrown us when he is still growing?”
This claim that he has outgrown us must be a side affect of the long warm summer. The past seems to have been forgotten, Bale despite his heroics in 2013, was largely anonymous for most of the calendar year of 2012.
As the reign of Harry Redknapp crumbled around him, Bale was non existent. There were no last minute wündergoals where manager and player embraced, instead Spurs stuttered to a doomed 4th place, Real Madrid scouts were at Spurs, but they were watching a Croat not a Welshman.
For the start of the following season Bale picked up where he had left off, immersed in mediocrity with brief glimpses of talent. He was a player who dipped in and out of games as Spurs struggled to find form and cohesion under AVB’s new system.
The Bale that now apparently commands an £80 million plus figure didn’t truly arrive until Boxing Day when a hat-trick against a poor Aston Villa side sent him into a goal scoring frenzy.
The Welshman was an unstoppable force from January 2013 until May 2013. That’s five months, less than half a year. For a player to have outgrown a club of Tottenham’s size in 20 weeks, Bale must have undergone some rigorous genetically modified growing.
The truth of the matter is; Bale is a fantastically gifted player capable of doing things on a pitch that very few mortals presently can, however, does this put him on a level with Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi?
These are the globes two standout individuals. Footballers who have operated at such sustained a level for half a decade that it wouldn’t be beyond reason to claim they have outgrown two of the biggest teams in the world.
Bale despite his meteoric rise in form in 2013 has yet to out grow the 4th/5th best team in England. The Guardian’s article is pure sensationalism that has made me take not only the bait, but the whole rod, fisherman’s arm and boat.
Before Bale can hope to usurp CR7 in Madrid he needs at least to help Spurs usurp Arsenal in North London. Great players make great teams and great players have a power to bend a team to their will and define an era.
So far Bale has defined half a season and what it takes to make up bad headlines and as Mr Hynter shows; create angles where previously there were none.
For Bale, the dream has always been Real.
He spoke warmly of the club before he faced them at the Bernabéu with Tottenham in the 2011 Champions League quarter-final, first-leg and it was a sound-bite from that interview which has resonated.
“I’m not afraid to leave the country,” Bale said. “I left home at 15 [to join Southampton’s academy]. If I leave the Premier League, I’ll learn another language … I will grow as a person.”
It’s a mark of how far Bale has come that vague comments from 2011 can be used as evidence for his love of Madrid and create headlines.
Before Bale can wear the crown of the world’s most expensive footballer, he has to earn it. The media, Twitter or his agent clamouring for this title means nothing, until he earns it. The first step on this path is to remain White Hart Lane until he proves himself, leaving with a few PFA awards counts for nothing.
If he guides Spurs to a title tilt or a cup then perhaps he has outgrown us, but only then.
At Spurs we have regularly sold our best players, its part of what comes with failing to achieve. In my Spurs lifetime we have seen Chris Waddle, Paul Gascoigne, Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric all depart. However there is a clear distinction between these players and Bale.
They were players at their peak, at a club unable to sustain them or their ambitions any longer. Tottenham and Bale aren’t currently in that position. We can offer Bale the platform, we have the squad to accommodate and help him flourish, the only thing we lack is Champions League football, but that will come.
Bale is a class player but in a team that features the French captain, a Confederations cup winning midfielder who put Xavi and Iniesta in his pocket, and a couple of wondrous Belgian talents, Bale clearly has some more growing to do before he needs re-potting.
The pressure is on Bale this season, he has to perform, should he lead Spurs to some glory this season, I like a million other Spurs fans will not begrudge him a move, but first he needs to give us more than five months of brilliance.
The Spurs man needs to keep his head down, focus on the forth coming season and rather like me, avoid the nonsense spouted by Mr Hynter and the rest of the worlds sporting media.
Madrid will still be there in 2014.
He hasn’t outgrown us yet, not by a long way.
There is Nothing More Satisfying than……
It hurt like hell for a few days, but now my sun burn has started to peel. Is there anything more satisfying than peeling away dead skin? Women’s Football, Two and a Half Men and even an in-depth report on the Ashes all become far more enjoyable as you attempt to peel off a large section of unbroken skin.
As I scanned for my next area of attack, I pondered, what else other than an enthusiastic 7 minutes, when the mood strikes the girlfriend leaves me so satisfied during the summer?
“We are proud to announce….”
Those magical words that appear not often enough on the official Spurs website. Occasionally they leave me rather deflated when the name Dempsey, Saha or Nelsen appear after it, but when it says Lloris, Vertonghen or Paulinho it’s a different matter.
Spurs signing a top class international in pre season, before SSN start their countdown is once of the great moments of the summer. I remember fondly the day we signed Jurgen Klinsmann, announced Luka Modric and David Ginola swept into White Hart Lane, brandishing his newly Veeted chest.
In long summer days where football news of a concrete nature is scarce, what beats an official club announcement of a new classy signing?
“I think Spurs will be my team.”
Last week my girlfriend and I had guests over from Colombia. Their youngest son, a magnificently well mannered boy of nine is besotted with Barca, Messi and anything which has “Mes Que Un Club” printed on it. When I asked him who he supported in England, he shrugged his shoulders and mentioned without enthusiasm Man U and Chelsea.
As he prepared to leave to early Monday morning he confessed: “I support Spurs now.” Glorious is the mind of a child, and how easy is it to turn to the Lilywhite with a few pieces of merchandise, playing only with Spurs of FIFA13 and a YouTube clip of Bale.
The moment a new Tottenham fan is created, especially one who will now become an emissary to all things Spurs in Bogotá is truly satisfying. The first step to Latino domination has been taken.
<silence>
You hear that? Listen hard, really strain yourself? Can you hear that noise from the Gooners? Are they still walking with a bounce in their step? Has their glorious fourth place cup win faded? Or are they concerned that they are now nothing more than a bargaining chip? Something other clubs/players/agents use to get the star client a move.
Real Madrid want to sign Luis Suarez, Liverpool want 40 million, deep inside Anfield a marketing intern comes up with a bright idea….”Lets leak a story about Luis chomping at the bit to go to Arsenal and force Madrid’s hand.”
In Florence Stevan Jovetić wants to go to Juve or Man City, so he drops a big hint about signing for Arsenal, the result…it looks very likely he will get his move to City.
In France young striker Yaya Sanogo and his agent hatch a plan.
“I want to go somewhere successful” says Sanogo
Agent replies: “let’s start a rumour about you going to Arsenal.”
Sanogo signs for Arsenal. Agent given a slap, which echoes satisfyingly round the Emirates.
Number 11
Its summer so pretty much anything which can be used to link Bale with Real Madrid is apparently newsworthy. Marca and various British papers announced that to make Bale happy the Spanish giants have reserved the number 11 for the Welshman. The fact that no one at Madrid wore this number last season seems to have escaped most people; in fact the last player to don this historic number was QPR’s midfielder Esteban Granero.
It really is incredible foresight for Madrid to reserve a number for two years, especially since their actual interest and Zinedine Zindane’s annoying sound bites only started after Bale’s epic performances last season.
The 8th July Spurs kit launch may have been a bit of a cheese fest, but there is no doubting the satisfaction that we all felt when Bale emerged from the wall wearing his number, at our club.
Le Nouveau Riche
So it may in the long run be bad for English football and it may inspire Bale to go and play abroad, but if you don’t find PSG and Monaco out Man Citying/Chelseaing, Man City and Chelsea, you need to check your pulse. For too long these two clubs have waved their golden cheque book and been able to claim pretty much whoever they liked, but no more.
PSG and Monaco between them are sweeping up the players that once looked destined to wear sky or dark blue. Yes we won’t get to see Edinson Cavani and Radamel Falcao being critiqued by pundit Overlord Alan Shearer, but at least we won’t have to stomach them celebrating a deflected goal with a racist, lardy boy and air rifle wielding sex text pest left-back.
My fellow Spurs fans get your satisfaction wherever you can this summer.
#IWill #WeWill #YouWill Not Panic
The message as the Spurs models burst through the wall was dramatic, even if a little cheesy. What exactly Under Armour wants us to do though remains opaque. #IWILL what? Pull my greying hair out and scream? Or hope that Spurs know what they are doing and enjoy the rest of summer. Either way, #IWAS happy to finally see a new kit.
This articel first appeared on The Fighting Cock Website
However, as quickly as Spurs giveth, they taketh away. With the euphoria still bubbling away, the news that World Cup winning David Villa wasn’t the next through the Styrofoam wall broke.
El Guaje (The Kid) had gone and signed for Atletico Madrid, prompting thousands on Twitter to report the first signs of the end of the world. If a 31 year old striker opting to remain in his home country for £150k a week, signifies forth coming destruction, then please someone strap Will Smith into fighter plane and point him at a the nearest invading UFO.
What exactly is the significance of Villa opting not to sign? Thousands of other players have and will continue to choose another team other than Spurs. Was his decision based on not having Champions League? Perhaps, but most probably it was down to not being bothered to uproot a young family, removing the hassle of learning a new language, and of course money.
I shall refrain from referring to the Villa issue as a failure. Failure isn’t the inability to sign a player who was never really available. We didn’t fail to sign Juan Mata or Eden Hazard, they merely opted for the Russian Ruble and Champions League football. We failed to sign Luis Suarez (apparently too similar to VDV according to the word of Harry), Demba Ba (countless occasions) and Gary Cahill (August 2011,) we didn’t fail to sign Villa.
The Villa issue is closed. It got us excited, gave newspapers something to write about and allowed certain individuals to tap their nose and say: “It’s a done deal” but its time for a new victim. We now have to move on and start the damned circle of nonsense once again.
One person on Twitter now in line for a medal from SKY for sheer dedication to their blinkered betting based sports coverage stated: “Who is there to sign? There are no more strikers.” Does this individual have a point? Is there really no one else out there for us?
Are Spurs in such a state that a 31 year old recovering from a broken leg is the best its going to get?
Of course not. Spurs lest you forget have just signed one of the stars of the well received Confederations Cup 2013. A man who scored the goal that took Brazil to the final, before obliterating a famed midfield trio in a crushing 3-0 victory over Spain. Added to this achievement is that fact that in December he led Corinthians to the World Club Cup beating the “we know what we are lot” from Fulham 1-0.
Paulinho is a player on the cusp of becoming a leading central midfielder on the global stage, yet he chose Spurs just like Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and Lewis Holtby all have done in the past year. The signings Spurs are making are a clear indication of where the club is heading, a move for Villa no matter how impressive or nostalgic it may have been, wouldn’t have felt right.
The options being spoken about regarding a new striker now seem to feature Roberto Soldado and Christian Benteke, two players I like and wouldn’t mind seeing in our new kit. Despite the fact that Soldado is an established striker who has scored goals for many seasons in La Liga, I would still opt for the younger more physically imposing Benteke.
The Aston Villa striker has pace, strength, PL experience and the arrogance, if not quite the geography skills to go with the price tag. When he plays he is like a genetic splicing of Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe, he has the strengths of both, and less of the faults. Basically he can head, run, chest the ball and uses his left for more than standing on.
If we are ever going to sign him, it needs to be this season. Another successful year at Villa Park will see him go beyond our wage structure and transfer kitty.
There are some reservations regarding Benteke and rightly so. He has only played one full season, he is still learning the game and is very expensive. I have even heard some people say: “Michael Ricketts had one good season” the difference between the two though, apart from talent are the clubs looking to sign him.
Ricketts and his one cap went to Middlesborough, hardly famed for their in-depth scouting: Alfonso Alves, Massimo Maccarone, Carlos “the next Maradona” Marinelli and Emerson (not the Roma, Juve, WC runner-up one.) Where as Benteke has been linked with clubs of deeper pedigree, Spurs, Borussia Dortmund et al.
Also seeing as the Rickett’s name has come up, was he really as impressive as Benteke has been during his few months (15 goals by Feb, 15 goals by May) of success? So he played for England, so has Booby Zamora, Kevin Davies and Francis Jeffers. Playing 45 minutes for England in a friendly is meaningless.
Benteke has represented Belgium from youth to full international level and last season broke the Aston Villa record of most goals in a Premier League season. The Belgian along with Brad Guzan basically kept the Villans in the PL, no mean feet when you think back to where they were as Gareth Bale tore them a new one on Boxing Day.
This young man shouldered responsibility way beyond his years last season. Not only did Benteke score crucial goals and inspire his team mates, he did all this with the shadow of Darren Bent hanging over him and Gabby Abonglahor as a strike partner. It may have just been one season, but you can only judge on a man on what he has done, not what he hasn’t had the chance to do yet.
Perhaps £25 Million is too much, but I am sure that Daniel Levy, with a part exchange or clever loan here or there can get it down. If Franco Baldini and AVB have seen something in the young Belgian then I hope we sign him, but should we not #IWILL not be panicking.
The summer is long; winter may be coming, but not quite yet.
The Best Kits Spurs Have Ever Dropped
The lack of domestic football has had quite an affect on me. Occasionally I find myself emerging from a tube carriage, controlling an imaginary ball, performing a step-over and sweeping it past the good looking lady in the pencil skirt. At other times I find myself praying to the Gods, either old or new, for a doping ring to be discovered at Arsenal, however on occasion I do find time to do something constructive.
In this football famine I have devoted my time to reading books on Spurs, and last week I finished Roy Reyland’s excellent: Shirts, Shorts and Spurs.
Roy is a former kit man at Spurs who has been associated with the club since the 70’s. He started life as an odd job man/groundsman before eventually taking charge of the first team kit. It’s a great book and full of nice anecdotes from playing football with Steve Perryman, pool with a young Mickey Hazard, to watching Gazza run riot with an air-gun, dealing with an OCD Robbie Keane and being knee deep in the Lasagne gate aftermath.
This great book got me thinking, not only when are Spurs and Under Armour dropping the new kit, but also what has been my favourite shirt?
Of course trying to pick just one would be too difficult, it’s like deciding between Gareth Bale or Chris Waddle, so instead I have gone all chicken and picked a selection.
1991-1994 3rd Kit Umbro
There was a time when Spurs or any English team for that matter didn’t appear in Europe. However after claiming the FA Cup in 1991, Tottenham found themselves in Cup Winners Cup and they launched a special Euro kit to mark the event.
It may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but for me I loved the light blue colour and the Spurs name across the chest.
Yes it was probably a waste of money as we hardly ever wore it, but I loved that shirt and the fact it signalled we were back in Europe.
1999-2001 Home Kit Adidas
After years of Hummel, Umbro and god forsaken Pony, Spurs finally had a world famous kit manufacturer. Adidas with their iconic three stripes down the arm and smart shorts, coupled with the return of Holsten, ticked all the right boxes.
Tottenham were Worthington Cup champions and even back in Europe. Our Euro adventure however didn’t last long, a Stephen Carr 92nd minute OG away at Kaiserslauten ended our dreams.
However despite an average domestic season there were some highlights, we beat Arsenal at home, and thanks to a Carr wonder goal at the right end, we beat Man United 3-1.
2010-2011 Home Kit Puma
This is the kit that has been immortalised by Bale’s destruction of Maicon, however a few months previous it could have been totally different.
Stood in a pub in Old Street with my fellow Spurs supporting friends, our dreams of Champions League football were in tatters after only 30 minutes. Switzerland, Young Boys, a plastic pitch and some amateur defending threatened to make us a laughing stock.
Thankfully though, we recovered and made it through to the quarter finals where Real Madrid, with the help of Aaron Lennon fainting, two Peter Crouch slide tackles and a flap by Heurelho Gomes ended our journey.
That Puma kit was beautifully tailored and suited our attacking, bordering on occasional suicidal European form.
1988-1991 Away Kit Hummel
We all remember Gazza’s freekick at Wembley in the Hummel kit, but for me it was his goal on the plastic pitch at Kenilworth Road in 1989 against Luton that burned this Hummel yellow kit into my mind. It was a classic breakaway goal, defenders back peddling, options either side but Gazza just slides between two men and rolls it home.
In our squad that season were also Chris Waddle, Gary Linker and Mabbutt and Erik Thorstvedt, enough for any young boy to fall helplessly in love with Spurs.
2012/2013 Under Armour ?????
What do we all want from this year’s kit? A return to navy shorts? A brown away number?
Personally as long as the third grey/black number is ditched and we have a number 9 shirt with a class strikers name on the back, I will be happy.
For The Sake of English Football Bale Must Stay
There is this rumour doing the rounds, you might have seen it at some point. In case you have been lucky enough to miss it, or you have opted to spend the summer in a lead lined fridge avoiding the nuclear fallout from limited live football, here it is: Gareth Bale may depart for mainland Europe. According to many sources teams that have been bankrolled by the black stuff are stuffing multiple suitcases with cash.
This article first appeared on The Fighting Cock
It’s hardly the most surprising rumour ever. The best player in England currently on holiday with his partner, AVB-ette and granny, is being linked to clubs who have a history of more money than sense. It’s the kind of news that makes the summer unbearable.
Phil McNulty noted angrily on Twitter that journalists hate being called lazy. In honour to a man I follow and enjoy reading, I therefore will opt for slothful. These headlines and quote lacking pieces are entirely sloth-like and show that journalists like many of us, are in desperate need of column inches.
Editor: We have a page to fill!!
Journo: Hmm Bale to Monaco and or Madrid?
Editor: Brilliant! England has been knocked out of the Euro Under 21’s we have a page to fill tomorrow?
Journo: What about AVB to Paris?
Editor: Isn’t she currently with Bale? Fantastic!! PSG swoop in on father and daughter.
This summer scrolling through general Twitter nonsense the possible departure of Bale has grown in its significance. Should the Welshman depart, it wont only be Spurs be left reeling, but the whole of our domestic game.
The general perception of the English game will be irrevocably damaged; SKY, BT and thousands of billboard poster-sticker-uppers will be affected. There is also the small matter of the 36,000 or so that squeeze into White Hart Lane, who will be left with a Bale sized gap to fill.
This season watching Bale fire in howitzers from all angles has been one of my most enjoyable Spurs experiences.
I have come to terms that we won’t be trotting out to Tony Britton’s masterful adaptation of Handel’s, Zadok the Priest, I have even accepted that we won’t sign Edinson Cavani or any other player of similar ilk. Fate has been accepted, rather like the £47 quid that whizzed its way from my account straight into Joe Lewis’ wallet.
What I can’t accept though on a purely selfish reason is the prospect of losing Bale. He may not really have been born to play for Spurs, but there is no denying that his style suits the ethos of our club and has made us globally recognisable.
When I went to Colombia in 2008 and football came up in conversation it was rather like this:
Him: Who do you support?
Me: Tottenham (said Tot-nham)
Him: Who?
Me: Tott-ing-ham, you know, Ledley King? Ossie Ardiles?
Him: Are they close to Chelsea?
In 2011
Another Him: Who do you support?
A Wiser Me: Tot-ing-ham
AH: Ahh!!! Bale!! What a player!!
AWM: I love him.
It was a common theme. Despite being the first club to do this or that, Glory Glory Hallelujah and other things we take so much pride in, the truth is, it’s the Welshman that has given us a profile. Bale is that type of player that you can feel proud of, he is that good and he is still getting better. He along with help from Modric, VDV, Hugo Lloris and Jan Vertonghen have increased the profile of our club.
Of course Spurs existed before Bale, and we will exist after he has swaggered off to somewhere thousands of miles from his granny, but there is no denying he puts us on today’s global football map. Football as we see by the astronomic rise in TV revenue is now a global game and personally I like having a player good enough that even in a remote part of Indonesia, a nippy 7 year old with big ears being inspired.
The possible departure of Bale would have a serious affect on the credibility of not only Spurs but also the Premier League.
So far this summer we have seen some of Europe’s best players avoid the PL. Colombians, Portuguese midfield generals, rising German stars and Neymar have opted against a move to our shores.
Is this down to money? Surely Man City and Chelsea would not allow a newly promoted AS Monaco out bid them? Why then are the English paying public missing out on the best players?
The truth is these stars chose something else other than money to not come to the Premier League. These snubs coupled by the fact that the rest of the worlds best players are all abroad only serves to make the tag: The Best League in the World, seem more outlandish than ever. As the Americans do with baseball, we should just give in and call it the Premier World Series League.
The PL is left with only a handful of stars: Bale, Luis Suarez, a 30 year old Robin Van Persie and an overhyped/inflated Wayne Rooney.
Suarez can be found currently using his mouth in more ways than one to orchestrate a move away from Liverpool, whilst Rooney heralded in 2004 as the new global star of football would be happy to move anywhere willing to pay him. This would leave only Bale and RV-OAP.
There are some clubs attempting to stop the flow of talent heading off to Europe. Chelsea has powered up a DeLorean to 88mph in order to recapture past glories, but even that reeks of decline. Pep Guardiola the man who Roman Abramovich has a major man-crush on left him hanging, with no other option he returned to his ex-ex3 manager Jose Mourinho.
Up north Man City have lit a small beacon of hope and splashed of £50 million on Jesus Navas, a 27 year old who suffers from homesickness, and 28 year old Fernandinho, who in one of the worst Seleção pools in recent years, has been unable to collect more than five caps for Brazil. That noise you hear in the distance isn’t the rest of Europe quaking in fear, but the sound of sniggers being muffled.
There is a vast difference in the business being done here and what is going on in France, Germany, Spain and even cash strapped Italy.
The greatest league in the world? Perhaps briefly once, but not anymore.
The Premier League is on the wane and the national teams are wobbling, attendances are down and it’s imperative for SKY and BT that the Premier League keeps hold of at least one global asset.
They need Bale to stay as much as we want him to stay. If Bale left this year, not only would Spurs lose a fantastic and vital component, but it would signify the end of the Premier League as a force.
The best players will all be elsewhere, the fantasy and style that signifies a truly class act wont be on show at White Hart Lane, Old Trafford or Wonga Village. England, the Premier League, football fans and Spurs supporters all need Bale to stay.
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ARLombardi 
Battle Lost, War Far From Over
Tottenham for once have signed the majority of their players before the deadline day, but after another loss at the Emirates, perhaps it wasn’t quick enough. Up against a team that hasn’t made any significant alterations for 12 months, Spurs were bereft of ideas, cohesion and understanding. A marked improvement is needed especially if we are going to challenge honours.
The moment they took the lead the script was there for all to see. They would sit deep and invite us on, before looking to hit us on the counter, had Arsenal’s finishing been better, or Hugo Lloris a lesser keeper, the result may well have been worse. The Frenchman pulled of a string of saves and kept us in the game, whilst as our wayward passing and poor crossing offered little hope of us getting back into it.
Our heralded midfield trio looked neat and tidy, but where was the drive and strength that three individuals of such physical stature should have?
Mousa Dembele continues to confuse me. As his form slumped in early 2013 many of us pointed to Scott Parker’s presence alongside him, yet even now with far better players next to him, he remains ineffective. For long periods of the derby Paulinho’s sole purpose was to sweep up behind the Belgian, his substitution was welcome when it finally arrived.
Etienne Capoue, before injury ended his derby was equally quiet. Up against lightweight opposition and a midfielder who hadn’t kicked a ball in anger since May; it was a poor performance from the trio.
It wasn’t much better for the rest of the outfield team, especially the wide men. Andros Townsend, barring a few trademark long range efforts was ineffective against a left back I believe he had the better of, and across field our Belgian winger had another average performance. Nacer Chadli for a wide man who stands at 6’2 and has a wonderful first touch, remains an anomaly. First impressions when we signed him were that he would be a decent squad player. He has done little to dispel these initial opinions.
As the game ticked away, even with the introduction of Eric Lamela, Spurs turning around the one goal deficit seemed unlikely. AVB so often an assured presence from the touchline, lost his pattern of thought, instead of re-jigging the attacking options he opted for the tired 442 formation, when perhaps removing Chaldi an introducing a more reliable passer in Glyfi Sigurdsson or Lewis Holtby would have been better.
In countless situations last season we saw AVB out think his managerial opponent and conjure up a substitution to change the course of the game, but at the Emirates rather like Spurs, AVB lost his way. The moment that perhaps encapsulated how lost AVB found himself was when he scampered down the touchline to pass on a message to Kyle Walker to chuck the ball long into the mixer. Hardly something you could imagine AVB having a dossier on.
When AVB walked into White Hart Lane he had a big job on his hands, but handling this new look Spurs squad and defining who plays where and how, will be what makes or breaks his Spurs career. With £110 million spent, regardless of Bale’s fee subsidising it, he is under pressure to deliver.
The benefits of having a Director of Football are clear to see in the calibre of the signings we have made, but the danger for AVB is that there will be a contingency plan in place. Should he fail to get the best from this squad, Franco Baldini will have a sheet of paper with managers names on it. A DoF is hired to ensure continuance in the plan, not continuance in the stewardship of the man in charge of the plan.
Of course these are just the over reactive emotions of a Spurs fan after a derby defeat. Spurs have some excellent players in their squad; time is now the only thing we need. Lamela and the other signings from the Friday’s transfer spectacular need time to settle and come to terms with not only Spurs but also living in a completely different country.
The result, despite what noise may be emanating from the red part of London, doesn’t mean a great deal. Just as when we beat them 2-1 at White Hart Lane, Champions League qualification and final Premier League positions are set in stone. We are only three games in. They may have celebrated like they won the war, but this was just the first skirmish. The battle goes to them, but the war goes on until May 2014.