The Boys From White Hart Lane

Evil Spurs fluke their way into last 16

2012-01-30T14:11:00.000Z

"Go on, touch it. I've put the safety on."

Football on a Friday night? It's just not cricket. Perhaps that was the reason for Tottenham's utterly distasteful performance at Vicarage Road as they scraped past a plucky Watford. If you were to believe the general theme of the commentary and post-match media reports, you'd be forgiven for thinking Spurs arrived in north west London, rudely parked their giant team coach wherever they chose, shaped to headbutt anyone and everyone on their way in and spend the entire game cheating and coercing the ref into allowing them victory. Such was the strength of support Watford had garnered by stringing together a couple of chances.

Fair enough, Spurs were pretty atrocious. Possession seemed to be a naughty word that the away side weren't allowed to mention or believe in as they spent much of the game giving the ball away and playing absurd Hollywood passes that had little chance of succeeding. More Borehamwood than Hollywood. Watford, to their credit, did play some attractive stuff and they had their chances to score, for sure. But those chances were surely born out of Spurs' defensive inadequacy more than anything else.

Walker and Rose were entrenched in a game of who can give the ball away more (with Walker's saving grace being that he actually worked to get the ball back once he'd lost it). Modric was so off colour, he may as well have been playing in the 1930s (Ah Motty: "For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are playing in all yellow."). The Adebayor and Defoe partnership gave a frighteningly accurate impression of the Pavlyuchenko and, erm, Defoe partnership - in that they were pretty much useless and appeared completely uninterested. van der Vaart felt compelled to pump long diagonal balls across the park but failed to realise they'd only be worthwhile if they went to another Spurs player.

All in all, it was a forgettable display. Livermore impressed, Kaboul was given a bit of a runaround by Marvin Sordell but was otherwise a calm presence and Cudicini was safe between the posts but, on the whole, it was a distinctly un-Tottenham performance. Much like the scheduling of the game, it just didn't feel right.

Cue the peculiar reaction of the nation's media. They just stopped short of calling for the entire Watford playing squad to receive knighthoods and demanding van der Vaart's head on a plate but headlines along the lines of 'lucky Spurs scrape through', 'brave Hornet heroes denied by Spurs scum' and 'REVEALED: Tottenham responsible for world famine' have been prevalent (the second one might have been made up (so might the third one)). Let's not sit here and take anything away from Watford, of course. They gave a great account of themselves and refused to roll over but can we also be honest? They had the better of the game against an incredibly off-colour Spurs side. Nothing more.

One has to hope that performance levels will raise come tomorrow night when Wigan come a-calling. Let's have a little more 9-1 and a little less last season's 1-0 reverse please. League points are at a premium, especially when we haven't won in two games and this represen.... hang on. We've been drawn against Stevenage in the Cup 5th round!? Well, why didn't you say!?

Fellow TBFWHL blogsworth and all-round nice guy Jamie Dunn is a bit of a Stevenage resident and I'm here to report to you all that the draw has gone down extremely nicely with him. Split loyalties? Behave yourselves. He's Spurs through and through. Aren't you Jamie? Mate? Hello?

Can The Fighting Hotspur see off Roberto Martinez's embattled outfit The Perennial Strugglers? Find out on Tuesday night and stay tuned to this humble and honest blog for reaction and outspoken opinion.

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The cruellest twist of fate of them all

2012-01-23T14:12:00.000Z

The great irony here being that if it was Peter Crouch, it 100% would have gone in

Football, the great reducing force in all our lives. If Jermain Defoe had stretched for that Bale cross just a millisecond earlier, we'd all be headed to work this morning without that overbearing sense of melancholy that you're probably still feeling. As it is, we're left with that familiar sense of being hard done by, mixed in with a generous helping of what might have been. In the battle of the Premier League's two newest forces, it was Man City who greedily snatched the spoils.

Yet, for all the "we'll score when we want" bleating from their fans, the result hinged on the decision from Howard Webb to ignore a repulsive stamp by City's last minute penalty scorer Mario Balotelli on Scott Parker. The offence was worthy of a straight red in itself and Balotelli was already on a yellow. But Webb's failure to act, just as he hadn't when Joleon Lescott threw a disgraceful elbow into Younes Kaboul's head, saw the Italian remain on the field before winning and converting a 95th minute penalty, after Spurs had come back from 2-0 down to level the game.

The result puts City 8 points clear of Spurs - a gap that seems impregnable at the moment and one that reduces Tottenham's title ambitions. That said, it's still only January and we've clawed back a greater deficit than this in the first half of the season. As Redknapp is constantly at pains to suggest, it's not impossible.

It is, however, improbable. Just as the situation had seemed for Spurs after two goals in three minutes put City two up at the start of the second half. Tottenham, as is their way, defiantly refused to go down easily as they may have done in days gone by. Defoe capitalised excellently on a mistake from Stefan Savic before rounding Joe Hart and finishing into an empty net. It was a tough afternoon for Defoe, who took his goal superbly but struggled to really be a force. It was further proof that he doesn't really fit into the free-flowing 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 that Spurs have used so effectively all season.

Minutes later, it was all square and we had the outstanding Gareth Bale to thank. Lennon cut inside from the left with seemingly few options but his cut back to Bale was dispatched first time from 30 odd yards towards Hart's goal. The ball curled and dipped perfectly over the keeper's reach and into the back of the net and Spurs, having looked all at sea moments before, were level and in the ascendancy.

Bale continued to torment City, ripping their defence to shreds with pace in a manner scarily similar to his clinical dismantling of Internazionale last season. And it was he who so nearly set up Tottenham's last minute winner - he burst down the left with Defoe unmarked in the centre, beat his last man, put the cross past Hart and left Defoe with what seemed like the simplest of finishes. But as the little striker stretched, he found he wasn't long enough and his connection with the ball wasn't as good as it needed it to be. It was all very Paul Gascoigne at Euro '96. Should he have scored? Without wanting to sound harsh on JD, yes. For such an instinctive finisher, it's a mystery as to why he didn't stretch just a fraction earlier. If the ball goes in, we win the game. It's as simple as that.

The ball was hoofed up field by City as quickly as our hope had turned to despair. The previously faultless King got in a tangle with Balotelli and Webb had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. And the rest, as they say, is now history.

But the fact that Balotelli shouldn't have been on the pitch will rankle for a fair few months to come. You can watch it over and over again and no-one can convince this humble blogsworth that it was anything other than a cruel and deliberate stamp from a footballer that causes far too many ludicrous headlines for him to ever be taken seriously. It was malicious, it was hateful and it has absolutely no place in the game.

I've seen some try to defend Balotelli, claiming that his reaction (he showed concern for Parker after a few seconds) is evidence of his innocence. But is it not possible that his concern isn't genuine? Is this not the same player that has stamped before? I'm sorry, I know he's 'an eccentric character' and he does a lot of humorous things off the field but to me he's just an attention seeking thug. A tremendous player but very much a symbol of my disdain for the archetypal modern footballer.

So the Man City bandwagon rolls on to fight another day whilst the Tottenham title tilt looks to have stalled, perhaps irrevocably. Looking ahead, the only way you could see a Spurs title win is if these three things happen:

1) Man City, with little experience of how to close out a title race during the pressure months at the end of the season, begin to panic and drop points all over the shop.

2) Man Utd, who do indeed have said experience, continue to rely on Scholes and Giggs as their midfield creators and the two old-timers suffer from a lack of fitness (a long shot in the case of Giggs).

3) Tottenham take at least 7-9 points from their home game with Man Utd and away games with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. You have to assume that they will continue to pick up enough points against the teams lower down the division as they have done all season. It's in the crunch games against those clubs closest to us that our shot at the league will be decided.

So, in the words of Axl Rose, where do we go now? Well, an immediate recovery in the league is crucial. Along with the Wolves draw, that makes it two games without a win - never before has that sounded like such a problem but our increased stature this season demands that this run goes no further. We need to put together another run of form, much like we did after the last City defeat, and ready ourselves for those games with Arsenal and Liverpool and the like.

A lengthy cup run would also be extremely welcome. Trophies are what will define a side in therms of history and if the title is to be out of reach this season, then a successful return to Wembley would at least give this fantastic team something to show off. Watford away on Friday will be tricky (much like most away cup ties) but the right combination of experienced and fringe players should do the job and then the draw gets smaller and smaller. 3rd place and an FA Cup? Erm, yes, that'd be some kind of alright.

But, for now, we're left with only the rank taste of unjust defeat and the never-ending replay of Defoe's right foot pushing the ball wide in that godforsaken 94th minute. Football, you cruel and unforgiving mistress.

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The month that was

2012-01-20T13:09:00.001Z

The transformation from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk still isn't an easy process to watch

Hello? Is this thing still on? Oh good, you're still here.

Apologies for the delay in regular programming but, fret not, The Boys From White Hart Lane is back from it's Christmas hiatus and is ready to rock your socks off all over again in this new year. The dynamic duo behind this blog haven't spend the entire month ignoring each other, mind - we picked each others brains regularly for nuggets of Spurs wisdom and, helpfully, the conversations have been kept for you to enjoy and muse over...

Mark: It's January. Spurs are frightening close to the top of the table. We've got an absurdly healthy lead over the chasing pack. Before we discuss the past month's happenings, I ask you now, sir: are we going to win the title!?

Jamie: Straight for the jugular eh?! At the moment, Spurs are in the title race and that can't be disputed. If they were to do the unthinkable and beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, then you would really have to start thinking seriously about the possibility. But I find it hard to look past City, even if they have stuttered slightly lately.

MT: The one thing that concerns me greatly going into the next month or so is the proliferation of difficult away games at strong sides. Man City away, Arsenal away, Liverpool, etc. Going back to before Christmas, I genuinely thought that, with the form we were in and the state of that Chelsea side at the time, we'd walk all over them. Confident, sexy, swaggering football over tired, misfiring and in-fighting Chelsea. But we looked a bit overawed. Despite starting like the proverbial bat out of hell, we were a little bit unstuck and didn't look anything like the all-singing, all-dancing side that we've been built up as since those painful defeats at the start of the season. Do we still suffer from a confidence problem against the bigger, reputable sides?

JD: Well, the list of away games still to come is fairly daunting, but this Spurs side has enough quality in it to avoid rolling over against the bigger sides, as the case has been in the past. It's worth remembering that Chelsea had beat City prior to that game, and what's encouraging is, despite falling flat after a strong opening salvo at White Hart Lane, Tottenham didn't lose, and in fact could have stolen a win at the death, had John Terry not blocked Emmanuel Adebayor's shot on the line.I felt that might be a chance missed at the time, but then the performance against Norwich in the following game quickly consigned the disappointment to the past. Do you think that sort of victory, two days after Christmas, was a mark of further progress?

MT: You know what, as much as that Chelsea draw disappointed me, I was equally thrilled with the way we came back at Norwich. It was a result and performance that, I reckon, could sum up our season so far. Beautiful passing, every player involved, confidence to try new things and a simply sumptuous second goal from the boy Bale. And, yes, I did mean to use three 's' words in a row there.There's something quite enchanting about Spurs in full flow, as we were that night. And what I also adore about this side is that you can see the delight and joy on the faces of each player when they score. It's as if they're genuinely over the moon for their team-mates when they're the ones who get to score. I think that's what separates us from them lot at Man City and Chelsea, where it's fairly obvious they all despise each other. I'm fairly certain I even saw Gallas crack a smile at one point...

JD: I find it hard to believe Gallas is ever anything other than stoney-faced.Spurs - and Spurs fans - have learned to be patient this season. At White Hart Lane, you can feel the anxiety beginning to set in if the goal doesn't come early or at all in the first half. But at Carrow Road, Bale, Adebayor and Van der Vaart among others kept going and eventually broke down Norwich. The system was changed slightly in that game as well - it looked almost like a 4-3-3 at times.

MT: I have to admit that with the season of goodwill that seemed to surround us after that Norwich game, I was a bit deflated by the Swansea result and the West Brom performance. Getting a point at Swansea isn't a terrible result but I was saddened that their equaliser came so late. And, expecting us to roll over West Brom, I was concerned that we struggled to break them down. It was as if those horrendous memories from last season of Crouch, Defoe and Pav aimlessly running into each other were manifesting themselves in 2012 Spurs. Now, you know that I'm a particularly nervous fan - the slightest hint of disharmony and I'll be panicking faster than an England penalty taker. But was there a part of you that felt that we might just be about to hit a rough patch?

JD: I expected there to be a dip over Christmas, yes - who didn't? Manchester United lost to Blackburn, Sunderland beat Manchester City, and Arsenal came undone against Fulham recently, so it happens. The fact that a point against a side that have only lost one home game all season represents the extent of Spurs' blip is impressive.They didn't light up the Lane against West Brom, no. It was a fairly flat performance, but Jermain Defoe gobbled up a half chance - he must be feeling enormously hard done by this season - and Spurs held on through a nervy end. But, going away from home with Roy Hodgson in charge, West Brom were only ever going to be tough to break down, rather than actually threaten, until those final ten minutes.

MT: Is it worth even mentioning the FA Cup game? We rested key players, gave the fringe boys a chance to impress, which some of them did, and we strolled to victory. I was a little bit irked by Defoe's extremely naughty theft of a goal from Gio dos Santos in the first half. Call it 'striker's instinct' all you like but that was Gio;s goal fair and square (and a delightful goal at that) and JD stole it. I like it when JD is greedy and takes his chances but something about this didn't sit right with me. But, negativity aside, we've got Watford away next, a winnable game. I don't know about you but I seriously fancy a little cup run this year.

JD: Despite it being prioritised well below the Premier League and the Champions League for those clubs still in it, I still think any team would love to take a serious run at the FA Cup. Particularly Spurs, who have such a history in the competition, with that semi-final defeat to Portsmouth and the humbling against Fulham still stinging. Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko played the role of flat track bullies against Cheltenham. Pavlyuchenko has an excellent record in cup competitions.And then there was Everton. Again, Spurs were not at their fluid, free-flowing best, but they dominated for long periods after surviving an early scare, and then Aaron Lennon got on the scoresheet, which I'm sure everyone would like to see him do more often.

MT: I'm shocked, nay, staggered that you haven't taken the opportunity to wax lyrical about Benny's goal. I mean, did you see that!? He was miles out!It was that Everton win that had the best and most astute sporting minds in the country proclaiming us to be 'genuine title contenders', ignoring the fact that we've been there or thereabouts for months previously. We're playing their game now - every dropped point is scrutinised over and seen as a sign of incredible weakness, hence the ridiculous overreaction to the draw against Wolves. Yes, it was two points dropped and, yes, we could have gone joint top (temporarily) but the way some members of the press and our rival fans have reacted, you'd have thought we'd just been relegated.

JD: Assou-Ekotto's goal took a big deflection. Not even I can ignore that.The Wolves game must have been a frustrating one. Much like the Everton and West Brom games, Spurs completely controlled without punishing Wolves early on, then failed to deal with a header and were punished.Adebayor had his second legitimate goal of the season chalked off for offside, but really, after Modric equalised, they should have gone on to win that game and it just didn't happen. Lennon had a near-open goal but shot straight back at Wayne Hennessey too.Still, another game Spurs perhaps would have lost in the past after falling behind - I'm thinking Stoke, Wigan, West Ham - and while the chance to go joint top with Manchester City has gone, a victory at the Etihad would still be absolutely enormous.

MT: So, to the first of two big questions: can we and will we win at the Etihad? Our games up there over the last two seasons have taken on season-defining levels of significance and this could be yet another. A win would surely set the cat scurrying amongst the pigeons. But, seeing as they gave us the mother of all maulings at the Lane back in August, should we just aim for, at best, a draw?

JD: I'm not sure this Spurs side is capable of playing for a draw, or at least I don't think I've ever seen Harry Redknapp set them up to play for a draw - possibly to tighten up at the back during a game but never to defend for the majority.City won't have either Toure brother or Vincent Kompany, which is a huge bonus for Spurs, but Adebayor is of course ruled out due to the terms of his loan deal, so Defoe will lead the line. There was a gulf in quality at White Hart Lane; I don't expect it to be the same again because Spurs have found form, and Scott Parker. It's a monumental ask against a team with a 100 per cent home Premier League record, but to quote Redknapp himself: "It's not impossible."

MT: I agree. I still have a few doubts about the big game ability of the side, after they seemed to crumble against Chelsea last month but I'm sure they've got the belief that they can win. City aren't exactly in a rut but they've proved to be a little bit vulnerable in recent weeks and I'm praying we can exploit that.So, to the second of those questions: who do we need to sign this January and who do you actually think we'll get? I'm keen on Chris Samba - ridiculously keen. I'd also like some cover on the wing should Bale or Lennon suddenly have to miss out. That Hoillett at Blackburn looks a goer. But I agree with Harry when he says there's no point signing people just for the sake of it - if they can't benefit the side then there's no point. We've already got enough players on the fringes that could do a job. Whether they're worthy of a team being billed as title runners is another matter.

JD: I'm not sure there'll be any high profile recruits over the rest of the month. Loic Remy has been scouted for a long time now, but he won't be leaving Marseille until the summer it seems, and unless Defoe were to leave - he wants to play every week after all - I can't see much changing. Only peripheral squad figures are likely to leave I would have thought.Samba would be a good signing, with Sebastien Bassong out of favour, Gallas leaving in 2013 and Ledley King surely unable to last much longer, but it's worth remembering for the long term that Steven Caulker is a Spurs player and a fantastic prospect. I'd imagine another club in more need may outbid Daniel Levy, and the same applies for Hoilett, a player of great potential, but one I doubt the chairman would want to spend around £7m for, with his contract expiring in the summer.I don't think the market is out there for someone who is going to come in and improve the squad, and represents value for money. The current setup is good enough to finish in the top four, barring a catastrophic injury crisis.

MT: Right, let's square this off with a simple prediction competition: where will Spurs finish at the end of the season?I'm saying 3rd. Whoever's furthest away buys the other man a pint (unless you say 3rd as well).

JD: Well, you've snaffled up third before I even had a chance. So to keep it interesting I'll have to go fourth. Mine's a Peroni (but other lagers are available).

Can the brave Hotspur topple the mighty Cash Machine FC? Find out from 1.30pm on Sunday.

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Chelsea at home - never a dull moment

2011-12-21T10:15:00.005Z

Terry and Cole recreate a scene from 'Blades of Glory'

For many years - too many to mention - Tottenham simply could not beat Chelsea. Yes, there was the 5-1 victory at White Hart Lane in the 2002 League Cup semi-final, when everything clicked an even Sergei Rebrov scored, but in the Premier League up until 2006, it just would not happen for Spurs.

Ever since then, however, fortunes have turned for Tottenham, who are unbeaten in five home games against a Chelsea side that have rarely left the top three of the table during that period.

Here then, courtesy of TBFWHL, is a rundown of those games, which have provided more than a few memorable moments over the last five years.

Lennon breaks the curse

Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea, November 5, 2006

At first it looked ominous for Spurs, as Claude Makelele volleyed beyond Paul Robinson from outside the area for a rare goal 15 minutes in, after Ledley King had conceded a corner whilst producing one of the best interceptions you’re ever likely to see.

But Tottenham were level ten minutes later when Dawson headed a free-kick beyond Hilario, and after the interval the hosts went ahead as Robbie Keane left a dizzied Khalid Boulahrouz for dead and saw his cross deflected to Aaron Lennon, who controlled with his right foot, and curled in with his left.

John Terry was sent off for his part in what appeared an innocuous incident but Chelsea continued in search for an equaliser and nearly had it, but Arjen Robben’s effort cannoned off the woodwork.

Spurs held on though, and secured their first home league victory over Chelsea in almost 20 years, the last having come in 1987.

Agent Keane to the rescue

Tottenham 4-4 Chelsea, March 20, 2008

This game wasn’t three minutes old before Chelsea were in front through Didier Drogba, who raced into the box unmarked to head beyond Robinson, as White Hart Lane filled with echoing boos.

Not ten minutes later, Tottenham were level as Jon Woodgate climbed highest to power the ball past then-Blues shot stopper Carlo Cudicini, but Chelsea were back in front shortly after when Michael Essien stabbed home.

Ashley Cole hardly covered himself with glory shortly before the interval with a studs-out challenge to Alan Hutton’s shin and subsequent arrogance towards referee Mike Riley, but the visitors were back in front after the break through Joe Cole, whose poked effort squeezed under Robinson’s leg to make it 3-1.

Another header, this time from Dimitar Berbatov pulled Spurs to within a goal of Chelsea, and after Essien struck the post following more good work from the excellent Joe Cole, Tom Huddlestone grabbed the equaliser with a typically controlled but powerful drive.

The game was far from over and Joe Cole scored his second of the night, drilling into the roof of the net to put Chelsea in front again.

But Spurs would have the final say when a long ball forward struck the back of Ricardo Carvalho and fell into the path of Robbie Keane, whose swerving effort from 20 yards beat Cudicini with two minutes of normal time to play.

In fact, were it not for Cudicini it might have been 5-4, but the Italian thwarted Berbatov in stoppage time with an outstretched right hand. Life is funny like that sometimes.

Modric makes his mark

Tottenham 1-0 Chelsea, March 21, 2009

Spurs and Chelsea had both made managerial changes during this season, as new managers rescued their clubs from their respective crises. Tottenham only had two points after eight games when Redknapp took over, you know…

Guus Hiddink was in charge of the visitors and had kept them in the Premier League title race as well as eventually winning an FA Cup, but any hopes of a league and cup double were severely dashed on this Saturday.

Heurelho Gomes and Petr Cech were both called into action on a handful of occasions, but the deadlock was broken five minutes after half time, when Luka Modric met a Lennon pull-back on the edge of the area and slotted into the bottom left corner.

Alex hit the crossbar at the death and Hiddink’s 100 per cent record since taking charge at Stamford Bridge was over.

Modric’s reputation has gone from strength to strength ever since – as Chelsea well know.

The perfect week

Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea, April 17, 2010

In the race for a top four place, the realistic Spurs fans were eyeing a run of fixtures in April – Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United – and saying “we might just come undone there.”

But it wasn’t to be. Not shaken by their FA Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Portsmouth, Tottenham won the north London derby and carried the momentum into a clash with Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea just a few short days later.

Spurs started at breakneck speed. Modric and Gareth Bale were excellent in midfield while up front, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe were causing problems and eventually, Tottenham were awarded a penalty for handball against Terry which Defoe, for all his troubles from the spot, duly converted.

Shortly before half time, Bale doubled the advantage as he jinked inside the Chelsea penalty area at pace and beat Cech at his near post with a low drive.

Terry received a second yellow card and was dismissed and Frank Lampard scored late on but time ran out for Chelsea, not that it would matter in the long run. Ancelotti would guide the Blues to the Premier League title at the end of the season, while Spurs would reach the Champions League for the first time.

The Gomes show

Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea, December 12, 2010

It all started so well for Spurs when Pavlyuchenko produced a moment of individual class – as he so frustratingly does on inconsistent occasions – to take an excellent first touch and eliminate the Chelsea defence from the equation before smashing the ball beyond Cech with his left.

Ancelotti introduced Drogba for the second half and the Ivorian made a telling impact, most notably for Chelsea’s equaliser, brushing off Dawson and powering a shot straight at Gomes, who should save, but instead let the ball out of his grasp, leaving fans at the Lane to watch it plod into the net.

But, Gomes being Gomes, the show was not over, as the Brazilian brought down Drogba in stoppage time and gifted Chelsea a penalty and a chance to claim all three points.

Gomes went left. So did Drogba, and the erratic goalkeeper was off the hook – just about - as he palmed away the spot kick for Spurs to claim a point.

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Spurs regain that winning feeling

2011-12-20T11:49:00.000Z

What has two thumbs and couldn't be more desperate to leave?

Hold tight comrades, this is the serious shit now. Rejuvenated Sunderland came to the Lane on Sunday with a cunning plan to further derail our campaign after the damage inflicted by Corporal Pulis' Stoke Taskforce the week before (ably assisted by rear gunner Foy, it must be said). But, with a helping hand from the an agent from the Soviet Hotspur branch, the good ship Tottenham was dragged back on course. Now for a game of potentially titanic proportions on Thursday night: Andre Villas Boas and the Chelsea Brigade.

Roman 'Cult Hero' Pavlyuchenko's sweet right footed strike was just about enough for Spurs to seal the points against a Sunderland side that, to their credit, came to north London with the aim to win, unlike some sides this season (we're all looking at you McCleish). Bereft of Bale's warp speed down the left flank and also without the less impressive but similarly dangerous Lennon after an early injury (reports suggest he'll be out for a fair few weeks), Spurs were lacking their usual creative edge. Midfield artists Modric and van der Vaart were redeployed to cover the wide positions, nullifying Tottenham's potency.

In fact, were it not for the continued excellence of The Honourable Bradley Friedel in goal (respect your elders), we might well have been facing the prospect of conceding a goal or, whisper it quietly, losing. Thankfully, a slice of delicious combination play resulted in the half chance for Pav, which he buried in the way only he could. Modric's clever pass found VDV and his delightful reverse pass played in the Russian to break the deadlock.

Modric may have then thrown his name into the running for the race for miss of the season (let's hope his campaign ends right there) but Spurs were a notably better side after the goal and were able to close out the win with only a few horribly nervous moments. A combination of Tackles Parker, The Boy Sandro and the King of England helped Friedel to ensure the points would be going our way.

This was no vintage performance - far from it - and there's always the chance our rivals could claim this is a sign of further weakness after our first defeat in ages last weekend. But it's been said time and time again that winning ugly is a sign of title contende... Y'know what? There's no point saying it for now, we'll leave it imagination. With Chelski and those horrible, arrogant lot from down the road both dropping points, our position was further strengthened.

Speaking of Chelsea, our game with them on Thursday is just the right amount of huge. Win (as we arguably should) and we'll be in a horribly good position for the second half of the season. Lose and, erm, we'll still be in a decent position but we'll lose a bit of credibility as title cha.. Again, sorry, I just can't bring myself to say it. Not yet. Maybe on Friday.

Chelsea are vulnerable, as they always tend to be these days, with AVB hanging onto his job by a thread if you believe the rags. A possibly injured John Terry, a disillusioned and benched/beached Frank Lampard, a £50m striker who doesn't play and John Obi Mikel. Hardly the stuff to inspire fear when you've got Tackles Parker in the ranks. One player who does inspire fear is Juan Mata - his name may lend itself to some delightfully playful headlines but this guy can definitely play.

But we'll see their Mata and raise them our Modric. Coveted by Chelsea all of last summer, the wee man made very little effort to hide his desire to leave. But so far this season, he's put his head down, performed like the champion he is and kept his mouth shut. Does he still prefer Chelsea to us? Who knows. But on the strength of this season so far, his current employers are looking more like achieving something significant. A win on Thursday would consolidate that idea.

Spurs v Chelsea. King v Drogba. Adebayor v Terry. Modric v Mata. Harry v AVB. Bring it the f*ck on.
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Ditch the self-pity and move on

2011-12-12T11:08:00.000Z

Younes couldn't have picked a worse time to roll out his Petr Cech impression

WWWWDWWWWWWFOY. Tottenham's remarkable run of winning form came to a shuddering end at Stoke yesterday but the controversial decisions made by referee Chris Foy left a particularly bitter taste in the mouth.

An inept first half showing from Spurs, unbecoming of a title-chasing team, had left them 2-0 and with the prospect of scaling a metaphorical mountain in order to get anything from the game. They responded in a manner more worthy of a team that hadn't lost since the middle of August but despite having the ball in the back of the net twice and having numerous cast iron penalty shouts rejected, they left the Britannia with only a 2-1 defeat and a sense of what might have been.

It would be redundant for this blog to list the various injustices from the game and become yet another voice claiming how unlucky we were. Anyone with a brain can see that poor refereeing decisions have ultimately cost us the game. It doesn't need repeating.

The harsh truth is that over the course of a 38 game season, there will be afternoons where it seems like nothing goes your way. 'Experts' will tell you that good and bad decisions tend to even themselves out thoughout the year - the theory being that for every referee-inflicted defeat, there will also be a decision-aided win. And though no-one really feels like it at present, it's important not to get too overblown on self-righteous injustice. How many times do we see Arsenal and Liverpool fans claiming that refs are out to get them and that they'd have won everything going were it not for poor decisions? Do we really want to become those types of fans?

What I found interesting and heartening was the reaction of the players on Twitter after the game. There's no telling how genuine the tweets of a Premier League footballer are - for all we know, the Spurs Press Officer was hovering over their shoulders, telling them what to write. But, assuming said tweets were indeed from the horses mouth, there was a pleasing lack of complaint coming from the players.

Kyle Walker (@kyle28walker): "Disappointed about the result was unlucky not to get anything out of it thanks to everyone who came great support as normal #wewilbouncebk"

Jermain Defoe (@IAmJermainDefoe): "Disappointed with result but have to look forward to next game great away support like always #COYS"

Emmanuel Adebayor (@Sheyiadebayor): "Very disappointed with the result. We will bounce back quickly. Its in our hands to put it right."

There was no Wilshere-style moaning about the circumstances and then dressing it up as 'banter' a few hours later. There was no screaming of injustice, guaranteed to get them a story on the Daily Mail sport website. There was a simple acknowledgment of the facts and a willingness to right the wrongs next weekend and get another run of form going. And they all know how to spell 'disappointed' (which is nice).

It's an attitude that is, in this humble blogsworth's eyes, wholly correct and one that we as fans would do well to mimic. Complaining about Chris Foy and endlessly retweeting images of Adebayor being onside won't change what happened. Nor will raining down foul mouthed abuse on pundits when they fail to share our exaggerated sense of injustice. To attempt to immediately move on from this isn't to ignore the fact that we were robbed. But I see no good in wallowing in self pity. We've been there before (May 2006).

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Scintillating Spurs batter Bolton

2011-12-04T01:35:00.008Z

RIP Gary Speed

For a few hours on Saturday, Tottenham were second in the Premier League, until Phil Jones scored the only goal of a turgid affair between Manchester United and Aston Villa.

But if Spurs continue to turn in the sort of sumptuous performance that secured a 3-0 win against Bolton at White Hart Lane on Saturday and a sixth successive Premier League win, what’s to say Harry Redknapp’s side can’t flirt with the highest reaches of the top flight for at least a little while longer?

Tottenham were explosive and on the front foot from the first whistle, and it took only six minutes for Gareth Bale to open the scoring, as the Welsh winger darted in at the near post to flick home Luka Modric’s corner, wheeling away to pay tribute to his compatriot and former Bolton man Gary Speed, by raising his customised boot to the Wanderers crowd. It was one of many salutes to the departed former Wales manager on an emotional day for British football.

The major talking point of the game followed shortly after as Gary Cahill, still a target for Spurs, was put under pressure by a combination of Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor and relinquished the ball to his international team-mate before hauling him down 45 yards from goal. According to Stuart Attwell it was an offence worthy of a straight red card and Bolton were somewhat harshly reduced to 10 men, making an already ominous start look all the more intimidating for the visitors.

Had it not been for Jussi Jaaskelainen, it might have been a lot worse for Bolton before the interval. The Finnish veteran thwarted Adebayor on several occasions in the first half, as the Togolese combined with Bale and Parker regularly but saw the opposition goalkeeper keep him at bay three times in the first half.

Jermain Defoe, who started in place of Rafael van der Vaart, was left equally frustrated by Jaaskelainen in the opening 45 minutes, twice seeing close range efforts kept out. The striker looked sharp despite a lack of regular playing time and even in the absence of the Dutch playmaker - on the substitute’s bench as he continues to recover from an injury – Tottenham’s attacks were fluid, the movement between the attacking players as impressive as it has been all season.

Just five minutes after the break, Defoe was involved as Spurs doubled their lead. Kyle Walker, full of running throughout, launched a counter-attack and passed to the striker, who shifted the ball to his left, where Aaron Lennon collected, shuffled past two defenders and fired past Jaaskelainen.

That Lennon popped up on the left hand side is testament to how free-form and interchangeable Tottenham’s front line has become. Lennon and Bale are effective on either flank and able to occupy the space left by Van der Vaart behind the striker should he drift wide, while thus far, both Adebayor and Defoe have been more than willing to drop deep and collect the ball if needed. The excellent base of Modric and Parker allows it all to tick.

Defoe finally had a goal to his name when Bale met another Modric corner and flicked the ball into the 29-year-old’s path, leaving him with the simplest of tap-ins and putting the game beyond any possible doubt.

Spurs could have had more as Jaaskelainen saved from Parker again, while Defoe saw another shot kept out before hitting the near post, but three goals proved to be more than enough as Redknapp’s charges extended their unbeaten run to 11 league games – the draw away to Newcastle the only relative blot in the copybook.

The current Tottenham team is producing some of the finest football seen at White Hart Lane in recent history, while the exploits of Modric and Bale evoke memories of David Ginola in his pomp or Paul Gascoigne’s inspirational performances in the 1991 FA Cup run. The younger among us dare not compare this squad to any of Bill Nicholson’s trophy-winning assemblies. Not yet at least. Not without the return of some silverware.

There are still difficult tests to come before the halfway point in the season, including the dreaded trip to the Britannia Stadium and the visit of Everton, who were good value for a point at White Hart Lane last season, while Chelsea, for all their apparent frailties, are still no pushovers.

For now though, Tottenham sit comfortably third, with a game in hand over United offering the chance to potentially move into second. Spurs fans, for the time being, can at least dare to dream.

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Spurs made to pay for stuttering start as fringe players fail to fire

2011-12-01T10:02:00.006Z

Recreating 'Reservoir Dogs' could not lift the boys

After Blackburn Rovers’ exit from the League Cup at the hands of Cardiff City on Tuesday night, Steve Kean suggested his side had “forfeited” the game to concentrate on Premier League survival.

And, while Tottenham are approaching the halfway point of the season with the opportunity to strengthen their hold on a place in the top four, Harry Redknapp showed no signs of surrendering the club’s place in the Europa League against PAOK ahead of the clash at White Hart Lane.

The competition’s credibility has been called into question plenty of times in the past, but with Spurs needing three points to move into the top two of Group A, Redknapp elected to start Luka Modric, who was missing from the victory over West Brom due to illness, and Aaron Lennon.

It was a strong-looking Tottenham side, which also featured Jermain Defoe, Steven Pienaar and William Gallas, signalling Redknapp’s intent to stay in the tournament.

But Redknapp’s intent was undermined inside 15 minutes at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night, as PAOK raced into a two-goal lead.

Dimitris Salpingidis was left unmarked and headed beyond Heurelho Gomes from close range after just six minutes, as Gallas and Sebastien Bassong allowed a gaping hole between them for the Greek international to run into.

Barely seven minutes later, Spurs were cut open again as PAOK countered, made the most of the abundance of space afforded to them and doubled their lead through Stefanos Athanasiadis, who finished comfortably, again unmarked.

Only then did Tottenham stir, but there was an incisive edge lacking from attacks; Danny Rose and Jake Livermore were guilty of giving away possession too often, while the road to recovery from injury for Steven Pienaar appears to be a long one, as the midfielder continues to struggle to reproduce his best Everton form.

Harry Kane, the sole youth academy product on display for Spurs, showed plenty of industry, but clear cut chances were few and far between, though it was the 19-year-old’s effort on goal which offered the home side a route back into the game.

Kane’s shot amid a goalmouth scramble struck the arm of Kostas Stafylidis on the line, the defender was dismissed and Modric coolly converted the resulting penalty.

After the interval, Spurs asserted their dominance but, despite wave after wave of attack looking increasingly ominous for PAOK, the Greek side somehow held firm from deep inside their own half.

Kane headed over from close range and Pienaar scuffed an excellent chance, while the second half introductions of Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker and Yago Falque were further evidence of Redknapp’s desperation to get a result.

Spurs did have the ball in the net in bizarre circumstances after Defoe was played onside by a stricken Pablo Contreras, who had cleared off the line and been hurtled into by the striker shortly before the goal, but the match officials, who were perhaps the only thing worse than Tottenham’s performance in the opening 15 minutes, conspired not to give the would-be equaliser.

There is still come confusion over whether the goal was chalked off for a foul, or for an offside - impossible in the circumstances -but in truth, had Defoe’s strike been given, with Contreras floored on the goal line, it would surely have left a bad taste in the mouth.

With Spurs needing a convincing victory over Shamrock Rovers in Ireland and for PAOK to beat Rubin Kazan, Redknapp has conceded the Europa League is all over bar the shouting for his side.

Most Tottenham fans – and Redknapp himself – would admit elimination from the competition is not necessarily a bad thing given the club sit third in the Premier League, with a game in hand over Manchester United, who are only two points ahead as the festive period approaches.

But there is little else to be gained from a performance that ultimately left much to be desired, and asked questions of some of the club’s fringe players.

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COMPETITION: Win a free t-shirt!

2011-11-30T11:11:00.001Z

Morning all. Have you ever wandered across these humble pages and thought 'Y'know what, this is an alright website and all that but what I'd really like to see is the chance to win some free stuff - a competition, perhaps'? You have! Well, that's frighteningly convenient as The Boys From White Hart Lane has joined forces with the wonderfully creative gang at Philosophy Football and guess what? We have a free t-shirt to give away to whoever's having a lucky day. So say them:

LETS KICK BLATTER OUT OF FOOTBALL

From vote-rigging to covering-up corruption, via advocating tight-fitting kits for women footballers, selling the game short to sponsors and now fighting racism with a handshake. (All 'allegedly' of course, for the sake of our lawyers). It's surely time for Blatter to go.

Philosophy Football's design (pictured above) is a shamelsss pastiche of the brilliant Kick It Out campaign's logo. SPECIAL LOW-PRICE CAMPAIGN T SHIRT. JUST £14.99 Available in sizes small-XXl from www.philosophyfootball.com.

This might be the only chance to win something from this blog so don't hang around - get involved quickly! To get your hands on a free t-shirt, send your reply to the following question to @TheBoysFromWHL on Twitter (and be a mate, follow us too) or send an email to marktilley10@googlemail.com:

Sepp Blatter controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup to which country?

Get answering and if you're the lucky winner (we'll pick one using the tried and tested method of choosing a name out of a hat), we'll be in touch. Alternatively, click here to purchase the t-shirt and browse the Philosophy Football range. Go!

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The Spurs top four bandwagon rolls on

2011-11-29T14:27:00.001Z

Vedran Corluka's requests for first team football had spread around the team

Right, call off all the bets. The season's as good as over and the title is ours. As if any further proof were needed that this year's Spurs are made of different, more robust stuff than previous incarnations, this weekend provided further evidence that we are indeed, as Herman's Hermits said, into something good. For on Saturday, we won at West Brom. Yep. I'll give you all a moment to absorb that.

For years, West Brom away has been a fixture that fills me with dread. Events always conspired to ensure a catastrophe every time we headed to the Hawthorns - the best I remember getting from that godforsaken place is a 1-1 draw last season and even that was hard-fought. The nadir was perhaps a 2-0 loss in the infancy of Harry Redknapp's tenure. Back then, defeat left us further submerged in the dark, hopeless depths of the relegation zone. Today represents a wholly different future, one which would have been unimaginable on that bleak December day in 2008.

There are plenty of away grounds in the Premier League that will hold a certain fear with different fans. For example, despite the Hawthorns now being crossed off, I still feel a great deal of trepidation before we travel to the Reebok Stadium, having not seen us win there in... well, in living memory. The same goes for St James Park, even if Timothee Atouba's 2004 winner is still relatively fresh in the mind.

One of the key features, for me, of Redknapp's reign has been the elimination of many of our bogey away days. Games where Tottenham teams of recent years would have found too tough and too detached from the comforts of White Hart Lane. Fratton Park, Anfield, Ewood Park, the Brittania, the Emirates, Craven Cottage, Molineaux, Villa Park... All once stood as fortresses before Spurs. All have been conquered.

Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that the key to success was 'win your home games, don't lose your away games'. And Spurs are doing all of that and more. It's incredible to think that were it not for Shola Ameobi's late equaliser back in October, we would have won every single game since the first two of the season. Our strength at home is well known but, this season, Spurs are a wholly different prospect away from home and it's transformed us from a talented side with a soft underbelly to one to be feared the nation over (just not Manchester).

Saturday's win was one in which we had to dig a bit deeper than in usual weeks. Outplayed in the first 45, we looked all at sea and lucky to be level. The absence of Modric and VDV had confirmed the fans' worst fears: we had little creativity. Redknapp's second half response was a clever tactical move and one that he'll probably receive little credit for. Whereas Scott Parker has been instrumental in helping protect the defence and give us some bite in midfield, he was pushed into a slightly more advanced role, leaving Sandro to play the role of defensive midfielder.

Parker had no say in the winning Spurs goals but his influence was felt throughout the half. So many chances were created that when Defoe finally cracked Spurs in front, it had most certainly been coming, even if West Brom could be forgiven for feeling unlucky. Defoe, pushing for a start all season, showed electric pace allied with confidence and was able to turn a half chance into a goal, something he's so good at when on form. One has to hope that Defoe remains patient and keeps doing the business when he's called upon, be it from the bench or on the rare occasion he starts.

And Adebayor's back to scoring for fun again. His penalty was, erm... it was just awful. But he had the presence of mind to bury the rebound and his stoppage time finish, if a little scuffed, was just what the doctor ordered as we protected a slim lead. Replacing Crouch feels better and better with every passing week.

WWWWDWWWWW. Who'd bet against a few more W's being added in the coming weeks?
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Perfect Spurs continue winning run

2011-11-24T10:11:00.001Z

Rafa clearly believed in the power of his groin a little too much

"Pay your tax, my lord, pay your tax," the Aston Villa fans sang to Harry Redknapp, to the tune of 'Kumbaya', during the second half on Monday night. Within seconds, the home crowd replied in near unison with: "2-0 down, my lord, 2-0 down, oh you're 2-0 down." The away support retreated, not to be heard from again for the rest of the match. Their team had long since given up.

Spurs soared into 3rd place with a 2-0 win that defied belief - how Adebayor, van der Vaart, Bale, Lennon, Parker and Modric could tear Villa to pieces with such regularity and only find the net twice will remain a mystery. Replicating the sort of glorious, incisive football that did for QPR several weeks ago, Spurs were perfect from one to eleven - not a single player didn't carry out his job with anything short of clinical excellence.

From the phenomenally solid pairing of King and Kaboul at the back, to arguably the finest midfield pairing in the Premier League in Parker and Modric, all the way to the front four, Lennon, Bale, van der Vaart and Adebayor, who all looked completely able to interchange positions when needed. This was total football at close to its best - there must be a complaint, then to only score two goals after a display like that was ever-so-slightly frustrating.

After Adebayor had rediscovered his scoring touch with two opportunistic goals in the first half, attention turned to whether Spurs could survive the notoriously rocky opening 15 minutes of the second half, something they've seldom done in weeks gone by. And as soon as Darren Bent's header was easily saved by Friedel and a couple of slightly loose passes had been played by those in lilywhite, Spurs produced one of the most dominant second half performances you'll see all season, creating no less than about five or six glorious chances and passing the Villans to despair.

Every man did their bit. Walker and Lennon combined effectively on the right flank, using their pace to burn past Stephen Warnock time and time again. If anything, they were a bit starved of possession - a common sight in the second half was the pair of them stood, hands in the air, unmarked, desperate for the ball. When he got it, Lennon got to the byline with ease and delivered several crosses that should have been finished.

Bale on the other flank was just as impressive, having a hand in both goals and dealing easily with Villa's odd plan to play two right backs. It was a miserable night for former Spur Alan Hutton, who was deployed at right wing to help Villa double up on the flying Welshman. It couldn't have worked any worse and it portrayed a negative game plan.

Parker was, as usual, utterly superb as he linked with van der Vaart and Modric... ah, Modric. I still find it impossible to be completely enamoured with him given all that went down over the summer but I'll be damned if he's not the finest player to play for this club in a seriously long time. His second half display was a masterclass in ball retention and gap finding. His first touch would make Jesus envious. His ability to read the game puts him on a par with anyone else in the Premier League or even the world. In those second 45 minutes at the Lane on Monday night, Modric was absolutely world class (yes, that's an overused phrase but he was that good).

And then there's Adebayor. We're all too aware of how the deal might not be perfect - he's likely to only be a short term fix for a long term problem. But when he plays like this, it's almost enough to banish the painful memories of last season and Pavlyuchenko and Crouch lumbering around with little or no aim. His effort level was superb: if he lost the ball, he'd sprint into our half to get it back; if he missed a chance (and, let's face it, he missed a few), he'd visibly chastise himself and work doubly harder to execute the next move flawlessly. Messi apart, no striker is perfect and chances can and will be missed from time to time. But in Adebayor, Spurs finally have a striker who can do it all: score, run, win the ball in the air, protect it, retain possession, drift onto the wing, beat his marker, all of it. Whoever the next striker is, they need to be able to do all that as effectively as Ade. Sorry Jermain, with all due respect, I don't think it'll be you.

So we're finally up to 3rd and the next question to answer is: can we stay there? As ever, this blog will exercise nothing but caution. We'll cling tightly to our 'one game at a time' mantra, especially with a series of fixtures ahead that, should we keep up our level of excellence, we should win. Attention can soon to turn to Chelsea at the Lane in December - a titanic game that could help to define our season.

But not yet. That wouldn't be taking it one game at a time, would it?
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Third place in sight as Villa visit White Hart Lane

2011-11-20T21:03:00.000Z

Younes hated the 125-year anniversary shirt

Glen Johnson’s 87th minute winner for Liverpool against Chelsea on Sunday has added plenty of significance to Tottenham’s clash with Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on Monday night.

The indifferent form of Andre Villas-Boas’ side has seen the Blues slip to fourth, behind Newcastle United and level on points with Spurs, who have two games in hand over their London rivals.

The end of Newcastle’s unbeaten run at the hands of Premier League leaders Manchester City, too, means that victory over Villa would see Tottenham move into third place, with the opportunity to open up a three-point lead over the Magpies and double that advantage over Chelsea.

Of course, it is too early to suggest victory on Monday will stand Spurs in good stead to launch an assault on the top three, let alone the top four, and Liverpool’s triumph at Stamford Bridge, coupled with the resurgence of the red side of north London means a win could be just as vital in preventing a slip two places down the table.

It is rarely plain sailing for the hosts against Villa, either, with only two wins coming from the last five meetings between the two at White Hart Lane.

The Midlands side have arguably had a hand in the end to the reigns of the two managers previous to Harry Redknapp. It was Villa who nearly spoiled the 125th year anniversary party at the Lane, only for Younes Kaboul to seal a dramatic late comeback in an infamous 4-4 draw that, naturally, demanded a DVD release from chairman Daniel Levy, despite not quite playing out as scripted.

Weeks later Martin Jol lost his job and, a year on, Spurs turned in a flat performance and were defeated 2-1 thanks to goals from Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young as Juande Ramos oversaw the club’s worst ever start to a Premier League season and shortly after was replaced by Redknapp.

Spurs fared better last season though, as Rafael van der Vaart’s blistering start to life in England continued with both goals in a come-from-behind win that handed Gerard Houllier what was his first defeat as Villa boss.

The potential absence of Van der Vaart could pose the returning Redknapp, who says he is fine after minor heart surgery, a selection headache.

Van der Vaart picked up a hamstring injury – as this blog suggested he might – in the Netherlands’ first friendly over the international break, but Spurs coach Joe Jordan indicated the Dutchman, who has scored six league goals this season, has a chance of featuring on Monday. Should the playmaker miss out, Jermain Defoe may be afforded the chance to break into the starting XI as Redknapp would likely shuffle his pack slightly, playing the striker alongside Emmanuel Adebayor, rather than a player in behind the Togolese.

Elsewhere, Spurs appear to have come through the international break unscathed, with Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Scott Parker in particular enjoying success with their respective countries.

Monday night also marks Brad Friedel’s first game against his former club. The American made over 100 appearances for Villa, and will be eager to keep out his old side after leaving them on a free transfer for Tottenham this summer.

Villa should have Gabriel Agbonlahor, who withdrew from the England squad for the Spain and Sweden friendlies available again, while Alex McLeish also has former Spurs Alan Hutton and Darren Bent in his ranks, with the striker undoubtedly keen to haunt the place where he never quite became part of the furniture.

Bent scored for Spurs the last time he was involved in this fixture, in that 2-1 defeat back in 2008. Tottenham will be hopeful he doesn’t find the net again on Monday, but does suffer the same fate as Ramos’ side three years ago.

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The pros and cons of an international break

2011-11-09T11:58:00.000Z

Charlie thought eating Luka would prevent him leaving Spurs

Maybe it’s the many, many years of crushing disappointment but, a decade or so ago and beyond, the international break seemed far more exciting. England were preparing for tournaments we thought we could actually win by finishing second in competitions like 1995’s ‘Umbro Cup’ – who could forget Tottenham hero Darren Anderton’s stoppage-time-woodwork-pinball-volley against Sweden – or triumphing in ‘Le Tournoi’, a trophy made famous largely by Roberto Carlos’s other-worldly free-kick against France.

And, on paper, Saturday’s friendly with world champions Spain is exciting. Tickets for the Wembley friendly sold out well in advance for the first time in what must be several games as the opportunity to see Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta et al in the flesh has been grasped by the public with both hands.

But, even the most optimistic of England fans would admit Fabio Capello’s charges have little chance of beating Spain at the weekend. Vicente del Bosque’s superstars play a brand of football so much more appealing than ours that it’s hard to see any other outcome than an away victory. Call it tiqui-taca, call it whatever. Spain do it in style, and they can go all night.

Managers bemoan the international break, especially where friendlies are concerned, as it adds more football to an already bloated schedule as they protect their best interests and do their best to convince their star players they have a cold, stubbed toe or dead leg that might rule them out for five to seven days. ‘Meaningless’ and ‘a bit ridiculous’ said Sunderland boss Steve Bruce back in August, while last March Sir Alex Ferguson labelled them a ‘waste of time’.

Of course, injuries will be a primary concern of Harry Redknapp’s over the coming week. The Spurs boss has several members of his first team squad away on international duty, including England pair Kyle Walker and Scott Parker, who are both likely to feature against Spain and Sweden at some stage. Parker in particular has his work cut out for him as he attempts to stifle the Spanish creative hub of Xavi and Iniesta.

Meanwhile, Rafael van der Vaart is in action with the Netherlands, who have two friendlies against Switzerland and Germany, while Luka Modric hopes to guide Croatia into Euro 2012 in a two-legged playoff against Turkey. Gareth Bale also features as Wales take on Norway in Cardiff on Saturday.

To lose any of those three players would be a major blow to Spurs. Modric has been close to his exceptional best since the transfer window closed and speculation surrounding a move to Chelsea ended, for the time being at least, while Van der Vaart, who has proved susceptible to niggling injury in the past, has put to rest any doubts regarding his place in the starting XI with a run of six goals in as many games. Bale, too, has enjoyed fine form of late, scoring twice against QPR and revelling in the free-moving, interchanging Tottenham front line.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Sandro and Vedran Corluka, among others, are also set to represent their countries, but it’s not all wait and worry for Spurs.

‘The Ledley King Experiment’ was one of Capello’s many failures at World Cup 2010 and, despite the centre-back featuring seven times this season, it appears the Italian is unlikely to revisit the possibility of selecting the Spurs defender. Terrible news for King, but not for Spurs or the club’s medical staff, who must welcome every extra opportunity for the 31-year-old to recuperate.

Aaron Lennon also misses out, having not done enough to warrant a place in Capello’s squad since his recent return from injury, while Jermain Defoe has been kept out of the Spurs first team by Emmanuel Adebayor and Van der Vaart and will not feature, despite scoring one less league goal than Darren Bent and Gabby Agbonlahor in fewer minutes of playing time.

Elsewhere, there will be no concerns over Younes Kaboul, who Laurent Blanc has left out of France’s squad to face Jurgen Klinsmann’s USA, and Adebayor’s status as a Togo player remains in doubt. The striker retired from international football in the wake of the attack on his side’s team bus at the Africa Cup of Nations, though Adebayor has suggested he may one day play for Togo again.

But perhaps most important for Tottenham at the moment is the rest and recuperation of Redknapp himself. After a recent minor heart operation, Spurs were without their manager for the narrow, nerve-wracking 3-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday. Redknapp has many detractors and his tactical nous has been called into question by pundits and supporters in the stands in the past, but it can’t be denied that, without their boss in the dugout, Tottenham struggled.

Perhaps the international break will halt the momentum of Tottenham’s current excellent run of form, or maybe it presents a good chance for some tired legs to rest up. Either way, Redknapp will be hoping all of his players return to Spurs Lodge fit, and he’s able to take charge at White Hart Lane for the visit of Aston Villa on November 21.

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Doing it the (Harry's) heart way

2011-11-07T14:36:00.000Z

Even Robbie Keane's cartwheel was less over-used.

Poor old Harry. One suspects that watching Spurs desperately defend a one goal lead from the touchline is cause enough for coronary problems. But to have suffered through that last half an hour whilst recovering from actual heart surgery at home in Poole can't have done anything for the old ticker. Still, it's probably also fair to claim that he'd be happy to forget the Keystone Cops defending and just enjoy the win. Another three points. Seven wins from eight. Winning ugly. Title form (steady).

Redknapp's (Bond and Jordan's) Blue and White (Purple) Army do indeed go marching on. Weeks ago this humble blog meekly suggested that the fixtures ahead all looked laden with potential points and that, should our heads be screwed on the right way, there was a streak to be had. And you can't really ask for more than what we've been given, even though judging by the tweets of certain fans yesterday, our team selection, tactics and general morals were all just plain wrong. Haters gonna hate, I guess (what's happened to this blog!?).

The first goal was eerily reminiscent of many of those we've scored of late: Adebayor releasing Walker, Bale finishing, although, seeing as it cannoned off Chris Baird and into the net, his post-match assertion that the goal was 'definitely his' might not be the most watertight statement.

The second goal was an annoying reminder of what Aaron Lennon is capable of when he fancies it. Switching passes delightfully with Bale, taking it on towards the area, beating his marker and flashing it home all by himself, with his left foot even! If only the little oik could try that a little more often. Harsh? Maybe but he's not young enough anymore to be considered a 'prospect'. It's high time he started delivering on a Bale/Ashley Young-esque standard, especially if he fancies getting back in that England side.

The second half was more like The Alamo than a football match. After King and Kaboul charitably decided to start a game of head/back tennis in their own six-yard box, Fulham were back in it and all over us. Did Walker clearly handball in the dying moments of the game? Yes. Was Modric's clearance off the line one of the luckiest hacks at a ball with a boot seen in years? Yes. Has Brad Friedel been blessed with divine influence after he essentially secured the points for us with a superlative display? Erm, probably.

Defoe bizarrely finished it in the 95th with an instinctive volley - harsh on Big Martin Jol, who was given the appropriate level of serenading from the away fans (pleasingly, they also paid tribute to the stricken Harry Redknapp). People can say that Spurs were poor in the second half and lucky to win but this is what Manchester United did for years to win title after title. Winning ugly, finding a way to get the three points when you're not on top form. It also helps if you can beat the big teams around you but we'll get to that another day.

So what can Project Spurs achieve this season? As with every other win on this remarkable run, let's just take it one game at a time. Keep racking up the wins, keep climbing the table. Maybe think about closing out a few games before it gets to 2-1 - if not for my heart, then for Harry's.

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Deconstructing the Tottenham defence

2011-11-03T12:05:00.000Z

William was fooling no-one with his 'steady hand' display.

By Jamie Dunn

The Europa League may not be at the forefront of everyone's thinking at White Hart Lane this season, but while Harry Redknapp is unable to attend Thursday's game against Rubin Kazan due to his recovery from minor heart surgery, William Gallas has presented him and the Tottenham faithful with reason to watch events in Russia with added interest.

The French defender is in line to feature for the first time this season after struggling with a calf injury and should start in Russia.

And, should Gallas come through the game unscathed, he will present Redknapp with a welcome selection headache in what has been a problem position for Spurs for a number of years.

The jury was out regarding the free transfer signing of Gallas last summer. A 'no-brainer' said Redknapp, but plenty of the Spurs faithful were still sceptical over a player who had caused problems at both Arsenal and Chelsea. He threatened to score an own goal while at Stamford Bridge, so the story goes, while his very public sit-in after the Gunners' defeat to Birmingham was one incident in a long line to bring his temperament into question.

But the veteran kept his head down and played a vital part in so many of Tottenham’s best performances last season, dominating in the 3-2 turnaround against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last November, and keeping out AC Milan with that goal line clearance at White Hart Lane in the Champions League last 16 second leg.

The acquisition of Gallas was eventually hailed by some as one of the best of that summer, and helped provide Tottenham with cover in a position they have consistently struggled with.

Just ask Younes Kaboul. Signed in 2007 and dubbed a player of immense potential, Kaboul, aged just 21 at the time, was thrust into a central defensive pairing with Anthony Gardner due to injuries to Michael Dawson and of course Ledley King.

The former Auxerre man had his moments, scoring the equaliser in that infamous 4-4 anniversary draw with Aston Villa, but struggled as Spurs got off to a poor start and Martin Jol ultimately lost his job.

Kaboul was sold to Redknapp's Portsmouth the following summer but returned with the now-Spurs boss in January 2010 and has flourished ever since. The 25-year-old deputised at right-back to great effect as Tottenham finished fourth in the 2009-10 season and, injuries and suspensions aside, has presented a strong case to be considered a first choice centre-back.

And then there's King. Quite simply, when the club captain is fit, he plays. A brittle knee has limited the heights he could have reached. He doesn't train during the week. It has all been said before.

Spurs are a massively improved side with King at the base of their spine, and the 31-year-old has managed six appearances in nine league games this season, even recovering quickly from a knock picked up against Newcastle, missing the trip to Blackburn but playing the full 90 minutes in Sunday's victory over QPR.

Sebastien Bassong appears to be the odd man out, having come close to leaving the club for Neil Warnock’s side on the final day of the transfer window, but after losing Gallas and Michael Dawson for a longer period of time than perhaps was expected, Redknapp will be glad he didn't part ways with the young Cameroon international.

Bassong may not have fulfilled the potential of a player dubbed one of Newcastle's few shining lights in their relegation season, but he has proved himself adept in the Europa League and on sporadic occasions over the past two years. At the same age as Kaboul, Bassong hasn’t quite impressed as much as his partner at Ewood Park two weekends ago, but still has plenty of football in front of him.

The news on Dawson, meanwhile, is not as good. The former Nottingham Forest man had shown signs of improvement after an early diagnosis suggested a long layoff was expected, but recent reports have suggested he could be out until 2012 and is due to see a specialist over his Achilles problem.

But it is a mark of how far Tottenham have come that, even without Dawson, who has been so integral over the last two seasons, Redknapp could be able to choose from four centre-backs come Sunday's clash with Fulham. It is likely to be King and one other. Who his partner is, should Gallas prove himself fit in Russia, is anyone's guess.

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Parker the catalyst behind Spurs rise

2011-11-01T12:35:00.000Z

Guest written by Jamie Dunn:

Last season, Scott Parker was depicted as a Churchillian figure, taking West Ham United’s half time team talks and single-handedly leading the quest to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.

Of course it wasn’t all that cut and dry, but in the end Parker toiled and harried to no avail as West Ham were relegated on the penultimate weekend of the campaign, relinquishing a 2-0 lead to Wigan and suffering defeat at the DW Stadium.

Parker's efforts did not go unnoticed as he was named the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year, while Fabio Capello returned the midfielder to the national team fold for the first time since 2006, where he remains a part of the Italian's starting XI heading towards Euro 2012.

Harry Redknapp was watching too and identified Parker as his number one transfer target for the summer.

"I said to the chairman during the summer the one player I wanted was Scott Parker," Redknapp told the press after Sunday’s 3-1 victory over QPR. "Forget looking for £20m players or anything else, Scott Parker is what we need at this football club. He'll make a difference to this club and this team and that's what he has done."

Despite not fitting the remit for a club’s ideal signing - aged 30 and likely to be priced at a premium given his status and nationality despite West Ham’s relegation - Spurs deemed it acceptable to part ways with around £5.5 million for Parker and on transfer deadline day it was announced that Redknapp had got his man.

And at White Hart Lane on Sunday, Parker continued to prove that, so far, he has been worth every penny.

It was a scintillating first half performance from Spurs, who dominated from the outset as their five most advanced players attacked QPR wave after wave. Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric dictated proceedings; the Dutchman saw an effort saved by Paddy Kenny after just two minutes while Emmanuel Adebayor will feel he should have converted the 28-year-old’s in swinging cross.

It was no surprise to see Tottenham go in at the interval two goals to the good through Gareth Bale and Van der Vaart and it could have been more. Parker played an important part in an excellent opening 45 minutes from deep, connecting defence to attack, but it was after the break that the 31-year-old’s presence was truly felt.

QPR boss Neil Warnock played his hand, and having been forced into an earlier change, used both of his remaining substitutions as Jamie Mackie and Jay Bothroyd came on for Shaun Derry and Adel Taarabt, who was wasteful in possession on his return to White Hart Lane.

QPR rallied and improved. Van der Vaart and Modric's influence dwindled. Spurs were on the back foot, failed to clear from a set piece and in the 62nd minute Bothroyd headed in from close range.

With over 25 minutes left to play and the visitors enjoying their best spell of the game, Parker came to prominence. He chased, tackled and passed in a typically simple but effective manner to nullify the threat of an equaliser.

It was from Parker's tireless work that Spurs got their third goal as he brought to ball forward and played in Van der Vaart, before watching a move develop in which Lennon and Bale exchanged passes and the Welsh winger unleashed a delightful effort which curled beyond Kenny and all but ended the game as a contest.

Parker continued to work until he was substituted for Sandro with less than five minutes of normal time remaining, receiving the plaudits of Modric and Bale as he left the pitch to an extended handshake from his manager and a standing ovation.

After the game, Redknapp gushed with praise for his summer signing and suggested Spurs legend Dave Mackay would be proud of Parker's performance.

While that was an exaggeration of the 31-year-old's outlay, his commitment continues to impress and Parker's impact cannot be ignored - Tottenham have dropped just two Premier League points since his introduction to the side seven games ago and Sunday’s performance was the latest in a string of industrious displays.

The 31-year-old can expect more comparisons to Mackay et al if he continues to perform as he has so far, while Spurs can expect their resurgence since the thrashings they suffered at the hands of the Manchester clubs to gather apace.

Jamie Dunn is a writer for Goal.com, an expert on all things Tottenham and a thoroughly nice man, into the bargain. Follow him on Twitter: @JamieRDunn

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Bale and Parker ruin Rangers

2011-10-31T14:20:00.000Z

"Help me out lads, his Rubix cube is really starting to annoy me."

Super, swaggering Spurs took another step forward in Project Top Four or Project Top Three or Project Let's Finally Finish Above The Arsenal or whatever it's being called this week. On current form, the sky appears to be the limit with regards to our short term ambition.

Let's not patronise the team and say that Sunday's win was the realisation of a five-year long plan to get us playing to-die-for football and getting results with it - this side has been playing above accepted convention for several years now. This was no landmark performance or season-defining win. But, boy, was it fun to watch.

Whereas the all-conquering (not 'all', I know) Spurs of two seasons prior had pretty much all boxes ticked, this years vintage are dripping head to toe in genuine quality and yesterday's win was as close to a perfect team performance as one might hope to see at this famous old stadium. The front five of Lennon, Bale, Modric, van der Vaart and Adebayor produced some of the most slick and memorable football the Premier League is likely to see this year. One touch moves, dreamy passes to split the defence in two and exceptional off-the-ball running to make the space, it was football from another plane of existence.

And none of it would have been possible without the outstanding Scott Parker, who has unquestionably proven to be the signing of the season so far. Harry Redknapp was moved to compare his performance to the great Dave Mackay and, whilst one quite rightly hesitates to throw such accolades around so freely, those that this blog has spoken to who had the privilege of seeing the great man (Mackay) in action were equally as wholesome in their praise of Parker.

While van der Vaart has been grabbing the headlines with his run of goals in recent weeks, this time it was Bale's turn to grab bit of the spotlight as he terrorised the QPR defence with his combination of direct, lightning quick running and lethal, instinctive finishing. His first was a peach of a shot - right out of the sweet spot on his left boot and arrowing at pace into the bottom corner, after a swift and decisive move that started with Friedel and travelled to Bale via Adebayor, van der Vaart and Lennon in about 8 seconds.

His second goal, Spurs' third, was worthy of a far greater stage than a Sunday afternoon against a recently-promoted side. Intricate footwork from van der Vaart saw him release to Lennon whole then combined with Bale to play a double one-two (if that makes any sense?). Lennon, Bale, Lennon, Bale, beautifully curled finish into the top corner. Magnificent.

This being Tottenham, of course there were negatives. The number of goals we scored in the first half was not proportional to the number of chances we fashioned and once QPR had nudged their way back into the game, we were looking worryingly dicey at 2-1. Had Bale not scored his second, there's no saying what may have happened. If there's one thing we could majorly do with improving, it's our goals-to-chances ratio. Against Wigan, we created enough to have a first half party and ended up clinging on for 2-1. Another goal or two before half time really would have killed the game.

And, since we're pointing out things that could be better, it's worth mentioning Adebayor. The Togolese Tyrant (that'll catch on, just you watch) hasn't scored since the brace against Liverpool and the longer it takes for him to score, the more of a concern it'll be. He's been in some excellent positions too and could have had at least two yesterday. The calls from Defoe loyalists have already begun - what they're ignoring is Adebayor's superb link-up play with his midfield and with van der Vaart. If he goes ten games without hitting the back of the net, then fair enough but, for now, he's part of a hugely successful formula.

So the run continues. 19 points from 21, six wins from seven and a confidence and swagger about the way we play. Tottenham's football is good enough to sit next to the very best Arsenal have to produce. It's as easy on the eye and the stuff that Manchester United are capable of. And it's as clinically effective and devastating as Manchester City's. So long as complacency doesn't become an issue, our tilt at the top four looks to be snowballing.

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Project Blackburn: the story of a Spurs away day

2011-10-28T12:55:00.000+01:00

Rafa's 1998 Heemskerk Disco Dancing Champion medal was still very much at the forefront of his mind

Apologies for the lack of posts in recent days. It's been fairly non-stop ever since this blogsworth returned from Blackburn at 1am on Monday morning. Yes, that's right, it's not all dodgy Internet streams and crowded pub visits to watch games for me.

Project Blackburn has to go down as a success for the team - our record at Ewood Park is formidable in recent years but you do feel it always takes a lot of effort for us to pick up the points. And so it proved on Sunday. But pick them up we did and it's now five wins from six.

But enough about the team. Here's my official account of Project Blackburn:

Saturday, 9pm: Meet friend in London. Drink beers whilst watching Match of the Day and contemplating just how miserable a five hour drive back to London will be on the back of a defeat.

12am: Attempt to sleep. Mind races over the various ways in which we could lose the game.

Sunday, 6.30am: An early start for what we ridicule as a ridiculously early departure time for the supporters coach from White Hart Lane.

7.15am: The bus leaves at 8am and we're still stuck at Kings Cross thanks to the London transport system effectively shutting down. Panic for a bit. Decide to get a cab straight to the Lane.

7.20am: No cab is interest in taking us. They're all twice as miserable as we are and coming off the back of overnight shifts. Panic some more.

7.30am: Finally find a cab willing to drive the 6 or so miles to Tottenham.

7.55am: Board supporters coach parked outside the stadium. Find the only two seats next to each other, right at the back. It's hot, uncomfortable and a tight squeeze but no matter... we're on our way!

8am: Still haven't left yet.

8.10am: Still haven't left yet.

8.15am: Now we've left.

9.25am: Arrive at Newport Pagnell services for 45 minute stop. Breakfast opportunity is seized upon immediately. Start praying for a good performance from Sebastien Bassong.

10.30am: Okay, I'm not one to complain excessively but this music is so morose. It's hardly the kind of aural fare to get one excited about a long coach journey. How about a bit of Radio One or 6Music? Or even commentary of the Rugby World Cup final? Apparently not.

11am: Spot Villa Park as we drive through Birmingham. Plans for the next away day are born.

11.30am: Getting pretty bored now. At least the music's changed - it's now 90s disco on repeat. So glad my adolescance was in the 00's and not this godforsaken decade.

1.30pm: After what seems like (and what actually was) hours, we're at Ewood Park. It's an odd part of the world. The drive towards the stadium is like crawling through a sleepy village but then suddenly you're past the away supporter's pub (packed full of the Spurs massive) and it's there. It's a nice looking ground from the outside and nowhere near as small as it looks on TV.

2pm: Pie and a pint. This is what we've come for. The choice of pies is typically Northern. Friend chooses Chicken Balti, which smells foul but he insists is glorious. I go for the interestingly named 'meat and potato', which makes no attempt to say which meat it actually contains. By the time I've finished it, I'm still none the wiser. Was it worth it? You betcha.

2.30pm: Friend has a bet on a 3-0 Spurs win and Modric to score first. His optimism scares me but then I suddenly come around to his way of thinking - we've been in top form recently and these lot are bottom of the league. We should do a number on them. But this is Spurs and things are never straightforward. Meanwhile, Balotelli puts Man City one up in the Manchester Derby and Crouchy scores for Stoke against Arsenal, raising a massive cheer from the Spurs fans in the stadium.

2.50pm: Take our seats in the away end, just behind the goal to the left. Again, it's a nice ground. Noticable amount of empty seats in the home stands. Blackburn fans actually in the ground are as silent as a tomb. Spurs are making all the noise and it's an exceptional atmosphere and a privilege to be part of... w-w-whats that!? Man City are 3-0 up!?

2.55pm: Players come out. Bale straight over to the away section to applaud the fans. Legend.

3pm: Kick off and we immediately look in control.

3.15pm: City have won 6-1. *passes out*

3.16pm: Adebayor feeds Walker who absolutely burns past his man down the right wing. His cut-back is steered home by Rafa and we're one to the good. Pandemonium in the away end. We'd started well so that goal was definitely coming.

3.30pm: We're still bossing it. Oh wait, they've scored. We're not anymore. A high ball into the box towards big Chris Samba comes off a combination of Kaboul, Parker and Samba himself and Formica is all alone in the box to ping it home. Ripples of applause from the home fans, who still don't appear to be in the mood to give Steve Kean or his side any support.

3.45pm: Half time and after the equaliser they've been in the game a lot more than we would have liked.

4pm: Players are back out for the second half and Paul Robinson makes his way over to the away end where he recieves an absolutely incredible reception from the Tottenham fans. The look on his face suggests it really means a huge deal to him. Loyalty in football is remarkably scarce but to see a player retian the same bond with the fans even after he's left the club is perhaps the most heartening aspect of the day.

4.10pm: How people can devalue van der Vaart's value to the side is mystifying. After a period of pressure, Assou Ekotto manages to feed Rafa 20 yards out, who curls his first time shout past Robinson and puts us back in front. He celebrates right in front of us. Adebayor feels the need to excessively point to the name on Rafa's shirt, as if to remind us who'd scored. Erm, cheers Ade.

4.30pm: The Blackburn aerial bombardment has begun and we're keeping them out so far, even if we do look a bit anxious under the high ball. Samba is the man causing us the most threat and every set piece has his name on it. Redknapp brings on Danny Rose for the disappointing Lennon - a substitution that I'm still trying to comprehend to this day. We were crying out for Sandro to help Parker shut out the game but he remained seated. I'm sure there was a good reason for it all...

4.35pm: Still haven't figured out the reason but should probably concentrate on the game - we're hanging on here.

4.45pm: Defoe on for Rafa with minutes to go. Tough for Defoe to only get a couple of minutes of game time but, until he makes himself un-droppable like Rafa has, there's not much that can be done.

4.49pm: Final whistle goes just as Defoe was winding up to score from halfway after Robinson had gone up for a corner. It must be noted that despite the pressure we were under, we looked remarkably composed towards the end. Defoe and Assou Ekotto disappear straight down the tunnel. Redknapp applauds the away fans for a good 15-20 seconds. Walker, Modric, Bale, Parker, Kaboul and Adebayor walk closer towards the away end to register their applause, which is warmly recieved by the Spurs fans.

5.05pm: We're back on the coach and ready to go. If things go well here, we could be back in London by about 9.30, which would be awesome.

Some time between 5.30pm and 6.30pm: We get stuck in awful traffic around Manchester. The coach temperature has tripled (probably not that much) since the morning and there's even less room to move. We drift in and out of sleep and pray for it all to be over soon.

7pm: It's still not over. It's pitch black outside. We have no idea where we are. This is awful.

7.15pm: Someone decides it's a good idea to put on the 2002 classic 'Ali G Indahouse'. Raises a few laughs from me but it's clear no-one else onboard is watching it. Shame. The scene where Charles Dance reads out the joke budget to the House of Commons is worth its weight in gold.

8.30pm-ish: The film ends. I don't know who long I've been asleep for. I don't know where we are. This has been a pretty hellish trip so far. Why can't they have one of those inflight maps you get on planes where it tells you where abouts you are and how long is left?

9pm: Stop at Newport Pagnell again, despite the fact everyone's really keen to get home. Our plans to get the 10.07pm train out of White Hart Lane is dead. Our plan to get the 10.37pm train is in serious jeopardy. It dawns on us both that we probably won't get home till at least 12.30am. And we've both got work early the next day. Why the f*ck did we choose to go to Blackburn?

9.30pm: Okay. This is beyond a joke now. I've never been a fan of long car journeys but this is something else. We have zero idea of how far out we are and it's ridiculously uncomfortable. And, to cap it off, there's about as much atmosphere on the coach as there is at an Arsenal game. Everyone's tired, miserable and desperate to get off.

10pm: Yep, we're not going to make the 10.37 train.

10.35pm: Finally pull up outside White Hart Lane. It's been a five and a half hour journey. We contemplate just how appalling it would have been had we lost.

10.40pm: Rock up at White Hart Lane station and prepare to wait 25 minutes until the next train to Liverpool Street. Discuss how much of a good day it was, despite the coach journey, but there's a suspicion that we're both sick of the sight of each other now, having spent the past 26 hours in each others company.

11.07pm: Train leaves WHL. Dead empty. We can seen the end of the tunnel but the harsh reality is that we're still at least a couple of hours from home.

11.30pm: Reach Liverpool Street and bid each other farewell. I enjoy my mate's company immensely, especially on football trips, but if I'd had to spend one more hour on a coach or train with him, there would have been violence. And I'm reasonably sure he's feeling the same way about me. We both resolve that our next away trip will be no further north than the Midlands and that we'll give serious consideration to taking the train.

11.55pm: Arrive at Waterloo and discover there's no train home for another 25 minutes. I've spent 80% of this day waiting for things.

Monday, 12.20am: Leave Waterloo. Eyes have long since started to glaze over.

1am: Home. What a day. It's been a 19 hour effort but well worth it. Spurs weren't at their best but they had more than enough in them to see off Blackburn, an indiactor, if it was needed, of how strong we are these days. How often in the last ten years can could Spurs have gone away, not played near their best and still won? What's more, that's 16 points from a possible 18 and we're up into 5th. With a plethora of winnable games on the radar, the next month is a giant opportunity. And all of this without a single mention for Bill Nicholson - on the seventh anniversary of his passing, what a way for Spurs to honour the great man's memory.

Another three points next week please.

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Fog on the Tyne

2011-10-17T13:02:00.000+01:00

Tiote and van der Vaart were convinced that, despite their differences, they could dance their troubles away.

League wins at St James Park are as rare for Spurs as days where Harry Redknapp doesn't provide the press with a story-leading quote. If you remove the great Timothee Atouba's fantastic winner from the 1-0 steal back in 2004, our away record against Toon would look fairly terrible. As it is, it still doesn't exactly strike fear into the Barcodes. Therefore, if you'd have offered fans. 2-2 draw before the start of play yesterday, many, if not all, would have been grudgingly happy to take it.

When you throw in the circumstances of the season, it looks an even more hard-fought point. This, remember, was a Toon side that was unbeaten and sitting pretty just where we'd ourselves like to be - fourth spot. And let's not kid ourselves into thinking they didn't have the better of the game. There were more than a few hearts in mouths when Fabricio Colocinni swung his right leg at that chance in the dying moments.

Then there's the opposite way of looking at it. It's perfectly reasonable to think that a team such as ourselves shouldn't be happy with anything less than three points, having taken the lead twice. And if we're ever to amount to anything, we're going to have to learn to beat Newcastle in their own backyard.

But, all things considered, a point will do alright, cheers. Five wins on the bounce may have led to a few 'title-winning-form' quips from this blog but we'll just have to do with four. And having played the Manchester clubs already (you don't remember the results? Best not to look it up), we have the added bonus of a nice long stretch of games that are eminently winnable. On paper. Which means we won't.

Onto matters on the pitch and it was unfortunate to see Scott Parker have perhaps his first relatively poor game in a Spurs shirt. He unleashed his inner-Palacios by coughing up possession and failing to execute his 'tactical' fouls on a regular basis to control the midfield - perhaps he would have prospered in partnership with Sandro and not the inexperienced Jake Livermore.

There are serious concerns that our rock of the last month - the King himself, Ledley King - will be getting reacquainted with the physio's table in the coming weeks. Captain Fantastic was subbed in the first half with a muscle strain, one of those injuries that sounds fairly innocuous to you or I but to the world's most fragile centre back, not so much. Redknapp seems to think Ledley will be missing for 'some time' (a month? Longer?) and with Dawson and Gallas still missing, it'll be a big test for Kaboul, who's looked awesome in recent weeks, and Bassong, who, erm, hasn't.

Van der Vaart caused a minor earthquake by becoming the first Spurs player to score a penalty since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The penalty was won by Adebayor, who hasn't scored now in three games - don't panic, this can't be a Crouch-like drought. Can it!? Complain that VDV unbalances the side all you like but the simple truth is he does grab plenty of goals - enough to be considered a striker. Could we really leave someone like that out?

Defoe further complicated that particular conundrum by coming off the bench and grabbing a spectacular second, proving in equal measure that he can produce a bit of magic when required and that he can't play in the same side as van der Vaart. Sort it out boys, you're both too valuable to be left out. Also, as a side note, didn't he look miserable when he scored? This blog remembers the days when he used to go mental for a back post tap in. Now he can barely raise a toothy grin. Maybe he's not enjoying his football as much as we may think? Maybe it shouldn't matter seeing as he's on £50,000 or so a week?

Football. Bloody hell.

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Carroll on the way up

2011-10-08T12:51:00.000+01:00

A strong feature of the early part of Tottenham's season has been the use of various youngsters in our non-Premier League campaigns. Anyone who was at Hearts away and Shamrock Rovers at home would have been impressed by Andros Townsend's electrifying contributions. Harry Kane might have missed a penalty in that 0-0 bore-fest against Hearts at the Lane but his general performance in that game and away against PAOK Salonika demonstrated that he might be able to make something of his career at Spurs. And Jake Livermore didn't disgrace himself when he suddenly became an important part of the side in the absence of other midfielders for the first few games.

How many of these youngsters eventually become first team regulars at Tottenham is entirely up for debate. But if the ripples of fan approval on social networks and supporters forums is anything to go by, then young Tom Carroll can expect some fruitful years ahead in the centre of midfield.

Deployed first against Hearts at home and then in games against PAOK, Stoke and Shamrock, Carroll's assured performances in midfield have earned him quite a few plaudits and concerns over his slight frame are easing with every game. What's more, he proved he had a bit of fortitude about him during the Carling Cup final defeat to Stoke when he stepped up and slotted home a penalty during the shoot-out.

He even made the bench for a Premier League game against Wigan, confirming, perhaps, that he is held in high regard by Redknapp and the coaching staff. He might appear to be lightweight - his 5ft 7 height would lend support to that theory - but the success of players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Paul Scholes has proved that height is not the be all and end all. And besides, Carroll is just 19 years old - he's got a bit of growing to do yet.

Whilst it's perhaps unfair to throw so much pressure on these young players and hype them up to insurmountable levels, it's nice to finally have a crop of homegrown players to get at least a little bit excited about and Carroll is one of the brightest of the bunch. There's a fantastic interview and feature on him for The National, an English-language publication in the Middle East (hardly a Hello! feature but it'll do).

A choice quote from the boy, on his penalty at Stoke:

"I knew if I missed we would be out. The crowd were whistling and booing but I just tried to blank it out and focus on what I wanted to do with the pen. The keeper went early so I hit it firmly across my body. It was a relief when it went in."

It's interesting to hear him talk about his experience on loan at Leyton Orient last season and his clashes with Arsenal in the FA Cup (Carroll was pitted against the enemy at the Emirates for a replay after he helped earn a brilliant draw at Brisbane Road). He also mentions how Peter Crouch helped welcome him into the first team before the big man departed for Stoke and how Tom Huddlestone, very much a senior player these days, offered him some wise words of advice before he took to the pitch for his debut against Hearts.

He's nailed a penalty in a lengthy shoot-out, he's held his own in front of a hostile Greek crowd and he's had marginal success against the Arsenal. If those aren't ingredients for a promising future, this blog isn't sure what is.

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North London is Lilywhite

2011-10-06T11:59:00.000+01:00

Benny was confused. Had Rafa not seen how good his wife looks!?

It's not so much a changing of the tide anymore - the dam has been broken. For the two North London clubs, the direction of the rivalry has largely been one way over the past 15 or so years but no longer. Spurs beat Arsenal 2-1 on a blazing hot Sunday afternoon at White Hart Lane and they didn't do it by raising their game and Arsenal lowering theirs: this Spurs display was worse than it has been in recent weeks and Arsenal rolled out their best work in the same amount of time. Yet, Spurs took the spoils. This was a symolic afternoon.

Before this blog gets all cocky, let us say now that for as much as we might like to feel we're now the superior force on the Seven Sisters Road, only at the end of the season, when we've finished above them, can we launch into such platitudes. For as dire as they are at present, they've been top dogs for so long it's going to take something definitive to officially dislodge them. But we're on our way, make no mistake.

Let's discuss the game, though a play-by-play analysis wouldn't serve much use as any fan reading this now will know exactly what happened. What's that you say? Scott Parker? Well, he's f*cking incredible. Much of our North London Derby downfall in the past has been our completely inability to compete in midfield, largely thanks to Messrs Viera, Fabregas, Nasri and, erm, Jenas. But with Scotty in the middle of the park, doing the work of about three players until Redknapp brought on Sandro to help out, Spurs have a competitive edge that they've scarcely enjoyed in recent years.

Parker was everywhere. Plugging holes in midfield, snapping at the heels of the opposition, retrieving the ball from deep and working it forward intelligently when needed to. I've said it once and I'll say it again: he might just turn out to be the bargain of the season. To get all this in one player for just £5million is seriously tidy business. That he kept us in with a shout all by himself until Sandro was finally sent on to help him says it all. Little fuss, no extravagance, maximum productivity.

Was it a handball for Rafa's first? Your point of view will depend entirely on who you wanted to win. Personally, this blog thinks it hit him on the shoulder, if anything (*braces for abuse*) but there are plenty out there who'll scream at the injustice of it all (looking at you Wilshere).

Walker's long-range missile was a hit worthy of winning such a high stakes game. The speed at which he was running makes the fact that he hit it so sweetly and kept it on the ground a minor miracle. Szczesny probably should have got behind it more but such was the ferocity of the strike and the late swerve on the ball, it was a seriously difficult save to make. His defensive work still needs a bit of improving (a season in the first team ought to teach him a great deal) but there's piles of excitement about this one. He might just be about to join an exclusive group of young English talent that we brought from other teams and then turned into first teamers (see Matt Etherington, Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon, etc).

As is often the case when Spurs beat Arsenal, the reaction of their fans is one of the most gratifying highlights. Particularly those with a strong Twitter presence, such as Wilshere and Piers Morgan. Morgan's assertion that Modric was 'useless' showed all you need to know about the man's grasp on intelligent football discussion, whereas Wilshere's litany of tweets claiming that van der Vaart should have been sent off and so on were eerily and comically similar to the conversations this blog has had with friends of an Arsenal persuasion. Always blaming others, never themselves... Spurs fans aren't exactly perfect but at least when things are going wrong, we're willing to admit it's our own fault.

Perhaps the most vertigo-inducing aspect of this win (a fourth on the spin for Spurs) is the comparative lack of significance being attached to it. When we beat Arsenal last season and the season before that, they were triumphed as landmark wins, with Levy commissioning DVDs and commemorative mugs quicker than you can say 'squeezing every last penny out of the fans'. This year, the win has been celebrated as a North London Derby win should be but there's more of a relaxed attitude towards it. As if to say, 'we beat them again, so what?'. Not in all my years of supporting Spurs has this been the attitude surrounding Arsenal.

It's both odd and hugely rewarding in equal measure. We beat a team that, at the moment, looks inferior to us. And instead of banging on about it, the prevalent feeling is: what's next?

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North London Derby flashbacks - part two

2011-09-30T13:49:00.000+01:00

Vedran was reasonably certain he knew the Croatian for 'unmentionables'

By the time Arsenal came to White Hart Lane for the return game, the buoyancy surrounding Spurs' season was starting to dissipate. A succession of agonisingly frustrating draws against bottom half sides had unravelled the chase for a second successive fourth place finish and where Spurs were floundering, Man City weren't. There was still plenty to play for, however. Arsenal needed a win to prove to everyone (and themselves) that they still had a marginal shout of winning the title. Defeat for Spurs would put more distance between them and City and would restore the bragging rights in North London back to the Woolwich.

It turned out be another absolute thriller.

20th April 2011 - Tottenham 3 Arsenal 3

Teams:

Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Gallas, Assou Ekotto; van der Vaart, Modric, Huddlestone, Bale; Pavlyuchenko, Crouch

van der Vaart '7, Huddlestone '44, van der Vaart (pen) '70

Szczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Fabregas, Song; Diaby; Nasri, Walcott,Van Persie

Walcott '5, Nasri '12, Van Persie '40

What we said: "Harry's boys played out a frenetic, all-guns-blazing, high stakes shootout with the Arsenal that we did well to get a point out of. There were plenty of memorable moments: Van der Vaart's epic return to form, his celebration of the first goal, Huddlestone's devastatingly beautiful second. The game itself will live long in the memory."

What you said: "Too many home draws... has been holding us back this season." (Matt84)

What they said: "When the thrill of this spectacle at White Hart Lane has faded, the space will be filled by the realisation that Arsenal blew a 3-1 lead. It ought to be appreciated that in advance of this fixture Tottenham had scored a mere 22 Premier League goals on this ground. If they were at times irrepressible, it was because Arsenal permitted them to be so." (Kevin McCarra, The Guardian)

The word 'anticlimax' is perhaps a harsh one as no-one who saw the game would think to label it in such a manner. But, in reality, a draw helped neither side. Arsenal lost more ground in a title race that they were probably already out of before the game started but pretty much definitely were afterwards. And a similar sentiment could be applied to Tottenham's race for 4th.

Yet the game itself was a high octane affair, riddled with defensive lapses. Arsenal came out of the blocks quickest and even after van der Vaart immediately cancelled out Walcott's opener (and celebrated it with now customary VDV derby passion), we contrived to throw away two more before half time and, just as we had at the Emirates, hand them a two goal lead.

Thankfully, Huddlestone produced one of the sweetest left foot drives you'll ever see which pinged through the Arsenal defence and bought us a way back into the game. And in the second half, we were the more lively, the more comfortable. Van der Vaart's cooly taken penalty brought things level and it was to stay that way - neither side could find that extra spark to go and claim the win.

With six league goals against the Gooners last season, Spurs have proved that they can exploit a shaky defensive line (though their five against us proves a similar point). With Bale, Defoe and Adebayor in goalscoring form at present and van der Vaart partial to a NLD goal, there coul be plenty of reasons to smile on Sunday. Whether we can keep them out at the other end remains to be seen.

Part one here.

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North London Derby flashbacks - part one

2011-09-29T12:23:00.000+01:00

Fabregas' entry into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame was seconds away from being confirmed

Before the first of last season's North London Derbies, this blog took a little stroll down memory lane and had a little look at the games from the previous season and how they had been previewed and then reviewed on the blogosphere. It was such a raving success (it got about 8 comments) that it'd be remiss if another reach wasn't taken into the TBFWHL archive for this Sunday's installment of the Tottenham vs Arsenal saga.

So let's begin with the first clash. The month was November. The air was pregnant with a combination of winter and Lilywhite dread. Because we just didn't do winning at the Emirates. In fact, we didn't do winning at Arsenal in whatever poxy stadium they were playing in. At least, we hadn't since 1993. Spurs had assembled their strongest side since that last win on enemy soil and had just beaten Inter Milan. But league form was patchy at best and there was little more than token optimism that Spurs could do something worthwhile.

90 minutes later, history had been changed.

20th November 2010 - Arsenal 2 Tottenham 3

Teams:

Fabianksi; Sagna, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Fabregas, Song; Denilson, Arshavin, Nasri; Chamakh

Nasri '9, Chamakh '27

Gomes; Hutton, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou Ekotto; Lennon, Jenas, Modric, Bale; van der Vaart; Pavlyuchenko

Bale '50, van der Vaart (pen) '67, Kaboul '85

What we said: "What a morning. What a game. What a comeback. What a story. If you could have pitched to Spurs fans how they'd most like the 17 year win-less run away at the enemy to end, then the way things went down yesterday would have garnered quite a popular response. This was a day when we not only ended a hoodoo that had plagued us for far too long and not only further closed the symbolic gap between ourselves and our once great rivals but re-established our Premier League credentials too."

What you said: "Full credit to everyone on that pitch: Gallas, an exemplary performance along with the returning Defoe, who rarely looked like he`d been away. Van Der Vaart had a frustrating game but still, when it mattered, he was there. Gareth Bale, you can't keep him quiet for long. The disappointment for me was again conceding goals but who would dare to count Spurs out if losing at half time in the future. The future's bright, the future's Lillywhite." (Tone1976)

What they said: "That Arsenal would lose this game appeared a laughable proposition at half-time. There was almost a sense of disappointment that Tottenham Hotspur had not put up more of a derby fight in the face of Arsenal’s relentless possession and mesmerising attacking convolutions. That Spurs, inspired by Rafael van der Vaart, exploded back into this game said everything about their taste for the cavalier and the continued fragility of Arsenal’s aesthetes." (Duncan Whyte, The Telegraph)

The changing of the tide in fortunes between Spurs and Arsenal seems to have been going on for years now. It was in 2006, when we spent an entire season flirting naughtily with fourth spot and with them chasing us for once, that it was tentatively suggested that Tottenham might be about to finally topple their noisy (and ultimately more successful) neighbours. It didn't happen that season. And it didn't happen the next. And, frankly, you'd be sticking your neck out to say it has now. But this win, this glorious, victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat, mesmerising win will perhaps be looked back on in years to come as the symbolic result of the time.

Arsenal, excellent and all-conquering in the first half. Two goals to the good. Passing and scoring with ease. Spurs, defending atrociously and looking like they were overrawed by the occasion and the stature of the opposition. And, amazingly, the second half couldn't have been more different. Spurs' big guns, Bale, van der Vaart and Modric, had failed to fire in the first 45 but they were a different side after the break. Defoe and van der Vaart combined to set Bale free and his measured finish stunned the home side and fans, who were probably still switched off, believing the rest of the game to be a mere formality.

Spurs pushed, Arsenal wilted. Fabregas punched a van der Vaart free-kick in the area and gave away a penalty. It was as if a long-suffering Spurs fan was writing the script for the game. Fabregas, the symbol of all we hated about Arsenal - the smug air of superiority, the arrogant comments about us in the media, the annoying but, at times, breathtaking talent. And there he was, the captain of the enemy, throwing away his side's lead and gifting us a route back to parity, a gift that van der Vaart happily accepted and celebrated with the passion and joy of a man who knew exactly what it meant to the club.

A point would have been brilliant, a win was akin to nirvana. Van der Vaart curled in a delightful free-kick late on, the majestic Kaboul rose highest and Spurs were minutes away from breaking one of the most famous and long-standing voodoos in English football. A few excruciatingly nervy minutes later and the deed was done. Spurs had beaten Arsenal away from home. They'd done it with grit and determination and belief, three things that were so badly missing in their shambolic first half performance.

But if they hadn't been 2-0 down, it wouldn't nearly have been as much fun. The win cemented the idea planted by Harry Redknapp that this Spurs vintage were good enough to win the Premier League title. Of course, it seemed a reckless thing to say - a comment born out of immediate euphoria rather than rational thought. But as Spurs spent the next week easing into the Champions League second round and dispatching Liverpool at the Lane, they looked every inch the Premier League's newest force. It didn't neccessarily stay that way all season but the ryhthm of North London Derbies had been broken and it was all eyes on the return in April to see what came next.

Part two coming soon...

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I think we're on a roll this time

2011-09-27T12:09:00.000+01:00

Despite their footballing talents, Kaboul quickly realised he wasn't exactly in the company of great beauty

Where this blog is from, three wins on the spin, including two away from home and one against a team being billed as top four elect, is pretty good going. Especially when you consider the depths from where this winning streak has been born from. Whether Spurs are to end up back in fourth at the end of this season is a discussion for another time but what can't be doubted is that they're playing a quality of football that will stand them in very good stead for the upcoming battle.

The team has unquestionably been galvanised by the key acquisitions of Parker and Adebayor - the former providing the necessary blend of defensive aggression and intelligence on the ball that Wilson Palacios once threatened to produce and the latter proving in just three games to be the goalscoring (and ultimately superior)version of Peter Crouch. The entire squad looks revitalised as a result and even injuries that were initially diagnosed as long term are happily disappearing ahead of schedule (Sandro, King, van der Vaart). There'll be low points to come, sure, but there's a prevailing sense that this side can go far this year.

Saturday's win was both a tantalising glimpse of Tottenham's attacking might and a harsh reminder of our defensive and mental frailties. The first half was an exhibition of football from the heavens, with Bale the tormentor-in-chief, cutting Wigan's defence to shreds in a manner not unlike his best form from the past two seasons.

Adebayor's guile (not to mention some fairly casual home defending) created the first goal for van der Vaart, who is making a habit of arriving late in the box to finish off chances. It's not just with Crouch in tandem - he can scores goals in any side with any players.

Bale's headed second was another welcome departure from convention. How often do Spurs ever score from corners? Yet the Welshman added yet another string to his bow (and perhaps a few extra millions to his price tag) and directed a fine header home from Modric's outswinging corner. If you didn't see the goal, just picture his header against Blackburn last season and add a little more precision and finesse. You didn't see that goal either? Well then, there's just no pleasing you, is there?

Despite proliferation of missed opportunities in the first half, there was so little about Wigan as an attacking force that you sensed the second half could be just as one-sided. But after BAE's mindlessly wayward pass allowed the home side a route back into the game, we took on the form of Tottenham from seasons gone and started to panic. Were it not for the resolution and calm presence of King, we might well have left with only a point.

But hold on, we did and it's now a highly satisfactory three wins from three, with the North London Derby to come on Sunday. With Arsenal looking so incredibly shaky in recent weeks and our mini-resurgence, the form book surely points to the Cockerel. But, with this being Spurs and all, it's best to throw conventional logic and wisdom out of the window. Expect goals. And red cards. And Wenger complaints. And van der Vaart to score.

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The Carling Cup doesn't matter

2011-09-22T12:00:00.000+01:00

The selection of a child in Tottenham's lineup added fuel to the suggestion that Redknapp wasn't too bothered about the Carling Cup

Fredi Kanoute, Michael Brown, Jermaine Jenas, Pascal Chimbonda, David Bentley, Jamie O'Hara and now Roman Pavlyuchenko and Massimo Luongo. It's just as, if not a little bit more, depressing a list as Pearce, Waddle, Southgate, Batty, Vassell, etc. Our list of penalty shootout failures continues to grow and, much like the national side, there is a sense that we're just not likely to ever win one.

To be honest, that we scored so many was a surprise to this blog. You'd have got good odds for Defoe missing his and the likes of Townsend, Corluka (Carling Cup final, now this - permanent taker?), Kaboul and Tommy Carroll deserve praise for putting their hands up and doing the job. As for Pav, well... the less said the better. An utterly lamentable attempt that completely mirrored his disinterested excuse of a performance.

So we're out of the Carling Cup at the first hurdle. A competition that we once had a mini-monopoly over (we, erm, made the semis quite a lot and the final a couple of times in succession), now holds about as much interest to us as Dimitar Berbatov does to Sir Alex Ferguson. But does it really matter?

The answer is no. If anything, bowing out of the competition now is very much a positive thing. I've never wanted to be one of those fans who prioritises certain games and trophies over others but, unfortunately, that's the price you have to pay to manage a successful, multi-competition season. Tottenham's priority this year is 4th place or higher. That's the be all and end all. Success in a cup would be great but having flirted with the Milans and Madrids of this world last season, Spurs want back in and the only way to do that is via a hugely successful Premier League campaign.

The FA Cup is a prestigious trophy and one all Spurs fans have an affinity with and would like very much for us to win. The Europa League is also something we should strive to win but it's also a big drain on resources. The ludicrous scheduling and structure of the tournament means that squads are stretched from the very beginning of the season and that trips to the furthest corners of the continent are made with precious little time to get back and prepared for the weekend's Premier League game. Our trip to Kazan is a perfect example of this.

Therefore, intelligent squad management is necessary and was put to use by Redknapp in Thessaloniki last week. One suspects everyone at Spurs would dearly love to win the Europa League but these early group stage matches are to be assigned slightly less importance that they perhaps deserve. If that sounds snobbish then maybe it is. But there's no escaping the fact that there are simply more important games to be played at this stage in the season. Hence, van der Vaart's exclusion from the Europa League group stage squad (which was, by the way, a perfectly legitimate decision).

That leaves the Carling Cup. It's silverware and it's a day at Wembley in front of almost 100,000 fans. But, frankly, it just isn't that high on our list of priorities and going out this early whilst our 4th place rivals continue is probably a good thing. A winning cup run is good for any club's momentum but our absence from any further midweek League Cup games allows our notoriously injury-prone squad more time to rest and prepare.

So whilst this blog feels a degree of sympathy for poor Luongo for missing that decisive kick at Stoke, he may well have done us a favour. Not that he'd have known at the time. Chin up lad.

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Four-midable Spurs back in business

2011-09-20T11:28:00.000+01:00

Now probably wasn't the best time for Modric to enter into a bicep competition with member of the Park Lane

Oh my, when we're good, we're good. Four goals to the Hotspur, none to the Liverpool pretenders and, for ninety minutes on a Sunday afternoon, all felt right within the world. How long that feeling is sustained for is now anyone's guess.

Supporting Spurs is a notoriously stressful occupation, with the predisposition for agonising failure being prevalent in most, if not all, fans. Only the uneducated go into every game without the dreaded fear that at some point things will go, for lack of a better phrase, balls up. But, worry not: they'll soon learn themselves and become as bitter and as cynical as the rest of us.

But, every once in a while, a result comes along that erases all of the suffering of before and substitutes in a feeling of immense euphoria, if only for a day or two. It's as if the humiliating 5-1 home defeat to Man City had literally never happened. As Spurs produced a performance of such majesty against an inferior Liverpool side, the darkness of our opening two games this season immediately gave way to optimism and talk of a successful run at fourth spot. Whether that's likely or not is a discussion for another time. For now, let's talk 4-0.

And weren't they magnificent. From the moment Modric arrived on the edge of the box to lash home a quite exceptional opening goal, there was a mark about Spurs that suggested they were here to play. This would not be another mission in rolling over at the first sign of trouble. Over the next 87 minutes, Liverpool were out-thought, out-manned, out-gunned and out-played. As ludicrous as this may sound, 4-0 flattered them.

Everything went Spurs' way. From Parker's combative midfield display to Bale's demolition job on Martin Skrtel. From King's defensive master class (not that there was too much to cope with) to Adebayor's guile up front in partnership with Defoe. No member of the side can be said to have had a bad game.

Our cause was helped by Liverpool's refusal to offer anything close to a challenge. Charlie Adam, a villain in these parts for his disgusting hit on Bale last season, finally earned the red card that he should have been showed five months ago. If his first yellow card was contentious, the reprehensible knee-high 'tackle' on Parker deserved a straight red in itself. With Spurs already one up at that point, the game could have gone one of two ways: either Spurs made use of their numerical and scoreline advantage and stretched Liverpool around the pitch to add more goals. Or the opponents were galvanised to the point where Spurs crumbled. Thankfully (as if it were ever in doubt!) the gods opted for the former.

Bale gave Skrtel the runaround all afternoon, in a display to finally look something like his Maicon-tormenting best. Mind you, 'all afternoon' is an exaggeration as Skrtel too was dismissed from the field on the hour for one too many bookable offences on the flying Welshman. 'If you can't stop him, kick him' might be a successful tactic against Bale but not when said kicks are performed with as little subtlety as this. Moments later, Spurs were three to the good, via goals from Defoe and Adebayor, and coasting. The fourth, Ade's second, served simply to put the proverbial icing on the cake.

The Anglo-Togolese partnership up top showed further signs of blossoming with three goals between them to add to the two scored at Wolves last week. Defoe isn't exactly looking like Messi but he's getting in better positions than he was last season, mainly down to Adebayor's support play, and it's paying off. He's got three in Spurs colours this season already, compared to just one at this stage last year (and that should have been ruled out for handball anyway). As for Adebayor, if he carries on like this, those Arsenal connections will be conveniently forgotten.

Parker, as mentioned, was incredible and has immediately proved himself to be the perfect foil for Modric. He's all the best parts of Palacios and Huddlestone combined into one super holding midfielder. He can tackle, he can run and he can pick a pass, meaning Modric can roam further up the pitch without worrying about what's happening behind him. How Arsenal or even Liverpool themselves didn't want to sign him up is an absolute mystery.

And a quick word on Modric himself... let's not mess around: he was absolutely sensational. The best central midfielder in the country at this moment? Probably. But did no-one else feel a bit odd watching him celebrate his goal like he hadn't just spent the summer sticking a knife in our back and twisting it? Much like when he walked off against City without even acknowledging the fan's applause, it seems as if he'd completely forgotten everything that's happened. Maybe that's just the way it is. If he wants to play like that for the rest of the season then this blog won't be complaining too much. But don't think for a second, Luka, that we've forgotten too.

So, after looking abject to the point of utter despair in the first two games, our season is suddenly looking quite rosy. With Liverpool stuttering and Arsenal in the middle of their biggest crisis since, well, since many of us can remember, that fourth place doesn't look entirely out of the question. But then it's only September.

Better to just enjoy the moment and worry about later another time. But that's a bit boring so feel free to boldly declare our fourth place finish as an inevitability in the shape of a comment below.

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Guest blog: Crouch's legacy of disappointment

2011-09-17T20:27:00.000+01:00

Here's a treat for all you lot: the excellent Vertigo by author John Crace was recently released into the literary world and this blog is here to tell you that it's an absolute must-read if you're of a Spurs persuasion (which, seeing as you're on this website, is quite likely).

From the point of view of a long-suffering Spurs fan, the book tells the tale of Spurs in 2010/11 - the European highs, the domestic lows, Harry, Gareth, Rafa, Luka, all of it. It's a fascinating and in-depth look into the 'fear of success' that came with last season and Crace writes expertly on how Tottenham's on-pitch fortunes affected his personal life and vice-versa.

For anyone who's ever looked up to the heavens and felt like a Spurs defeat was destined to be the natural order of things, this should be an essential component of your Christmas list. What's more, John has very kindly taken the time to write a guest blog for us, providing his thoughts on the recently departed Peter Crouch and the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor. If you enjoy this, you're going to love the book. Take it away, John:

I felt oddly relaxed watching Spurs at Molineux last Saturday. It wasn't that the standard of football was so high – the five minute package at the tail end of Match of the Day was more than the game deserved; it was the thought that if by any chance we did manage to create an opportunity, we had a striker in Emmanuel Adebayor who was more than likely to take it. And so it proved.

Imagine a parallel world in which Crouchy hadn't been sold to Stoke and it was he who found himself one on one with the keeper. We all know what would have happened. He'd have tripped over his legs, lost control of the ball and stabbed it feebly wide. We know, because we've all seen him do it countless times over the past few seasons. It's painful to say, but it's true.

I want to love Crouchy for scoring the goal against Manchester city at Eastlands that took us into the Champions League and the one – I can overlook the fact he scuffed it – that beat AC Milan in the San Siro to take us to the Champions League quarter-final. And I sort of do; at least I've got photographs of both goals up on my landing wall at home. But the feeling I most associate with Crouchy is pain. How could I not? Time after time last season I almost cried with despair when I got the text saying he was in the starting XI because I just knew we were going to struggle to score. Crouchy is that uniquely English creation: the £12m international striker who can't score.

And it's not just me that thinks like this. Everyone who sits near me in the East Stand Lower felt exactly the same way. We'd see him come out on to the pitch and say, 'Why?' Well, everyone except Justin who remained blindly loyal to Crouch until the end of March. Then even he had had enough. None of us could understand why Harry kept on picking him. We could only imagine Crouchy must know some of the guvnor's guilty secrets...

And that's what I really remember about last season. Call me a typical Spurs miserabilist, but look beyond our great Champions League adventure and what you are left with are opportunities missed. We drew far too many games we should have won comfortably and lost too many we should have drawn. Those lost points cost us a return to the Champions League. And the reason we dropped those points was quite simple: for much of the season our strikers couldn't buy a goal. With Crouchy by far the worst culprit.

So that's why I'm feeling bizarrely chilled at the moment, despite the fact we've only got three points from three games and have been thumped by both Manchester teams. It's because at last we have a striker who knows where the goal is. Adebayor may be a handful, his attitude may sometimes stink but give him a sniff of goal and he will take it. And that kind of confidence rubs off on the others: Defoe looked a lot brighter playing alongside Adebayor than he did partnering Crouchy. I'm even daring to believe we might beat Liverpool and the Arse again...

Between those games, of course, there is a trip to the Britannia to play Stoke in the Carling Cup. And it will be sod's law if Crouchy scores. But you know what? I'd take that in return for not worrying where his next goal was coming from.

Vertigo is published by Constable & Robinson and is available now. You can purchase the book on Amazon here. Do the right thing and get yourself a copy - no book will better encapsulate the exaggerated highs and lows that come with being a Spurs fan.

Thanks John.

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Liverpool at the Lane

2011-09-17T14:30:00.000+01:00

Even stood next to Bale, Kuyt was still the ugliest specimen on the field

Remember when Liverpool were really good? No? Well that's fair enough, it was a fairly long time ago (he says in jest, fully aware of his own team's recent decline). But if you believe the crowing coming from Merseyside these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking they're shoe-ins for the title. So their arrival in N17 on Sunday lunchtime carries an extra spice: one team desperate to prove that they're still a force to be reckoned with... the other, erm, is Liverpool.

Our recent history against the Scousers is as good as it has been for a long time. Everyone remembers Aaron Lennon's last minute winner at White Hart Lane last year and we even managed to end the long-held Anfield curse with a late season 2-0 win. The last time we succumbed at home was in 2008, an already-on-holiday 2-0 loss on the final day of a nothing season. Liverpool at the Lane tends to be a game with rich potential for three points - enough of a challenge that we actually have to turn it on but not so good that it's an insurmountable task.

But for all the piss-taking of the opening paragraph, Liverpool bring with them their strongest side in years. Luis Suarez is unquestionably one of the best forwards in the country right now, even if he does have a slightly reprehensible aura about him. It's tough to imagine him enjoying a cordial relationship with the Park Lane but he poses a great big threat to our crumbling defence and could wreak havoc in the same manner as Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero did back in August. A fit and firing Ledley King is utterly essential.

Charlie Adam, another with a potentially fractious relationship with the home crowd, has the ability to supply Suarez with all the ammunition he needs and there's also the added threat of Craig Bellamy, acquired on a free transfer on the last day of the window. Their squad reads like a who's who of players we could and perhaps should have signed.

Yet, their season hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, even if it has been markedly superior to our own. They gained a very credible 2-0 win away at Arsenal but have also succumbed away at Stoke and been held at home by Sunderland, meaning that their form is something of a mixed bag. What's more, 'King' Kenny Dalglish has already started to shown signs of mental disintegration (or more commonly known as 'a touch of the Wengers') with his 'referees are out to get us' comments after the Stoke game. So on the off chance that we scrape together a winning performance, expect a post-match tirade from the opposition camp.

Prediction town? Horrible time to predict a Spurs result, given our very own fluctuating form. Best to play it safe and plump for a 1-1 draw, Adebayor to hit the back of the net. But who cares what this blog thinks. The floor is yours...

P.S. Didn't the kids do well in Greece on Thursday?

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We're back

2011-09-13T12:54:00.000+01:00

Modric proving once and for all that his head is 'in the right place' (i.e. on his shoulders).

Project 2011/12 is finally underway. As Piers Morgan astutely pointed out on Twitter in reference to his beloved Arsenal, 'the real season starts now'. Those embarrassing early few games for both sides obviously don't count (erm, except that they do!?).

Spurs have made a habit in recent years of winning away games that the more pessimistic amongst us have nailed down for disappointment. Stoke and Portsmouth two years back. Blackburn and Fulham last season. And now Wolves have been put to the sword, courtesy of two swings of the boot from Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe. Defeat at Molineux would have turned our season start into a real nightmare. As it happens, the win could well invigorate us for some tough challenges ahead.

So what was different from this Spurs side to the one that got so embarrassingly schooled by both sides of Manchester?

Well, for a start, Adebayor and Scott 'Thunderbird 1' Parker made quite seamless transitions into the side - the former rounding the keeper expertly to put us one up, the latter with the deft through ball for said opener. And that's not all Scotty contributed. Classy on the ball, tough in the tackle and with enough determination to share out amongst the entire squad, he instantly became the midfield marshall we all used to wish Wilson Palacios would morph into.

Adebayor also had a good all-round debut, linking well with the midfield and making enough runs to create the space Defoe needs to badly to be effective. Basically he was everything Crouch isn't, though admittedly the big man used to look okay in the 4-4-2 that Manu was treated to in his debut game.

It was also heartening to see Defoe grab his first goal early on in the season. The argument rages on amongst the Spurs online community: if you believe some, JD is on the verge on another epic, 2009-10-style scoring spree. Others say he's still as lazy and as useless as he was in the last campaign. As for his goal, it was telling that only a slip from the defender in front of him allowed him the space to run into and score. Had the man stood his ground, it's likely there wouldn't have been a goal. But put the chance away he did. So maybe he is about to lay all who stand in his way to waste and start putting up big numbers again. We promise to complain a lot less if he does.

The final word goes to the incredible specimen that is Ledley King. Has months out of the game, never trains, surprisingly slots back into the side at short notice and immediately looks top class. There are few superlatives left to describe the man - when he plays, we are almost twice the team we are when he doesn't. The day he finally packs it in will be a sad one for the club but no-one will deserve it more than our Ledley.

The kids are off to Salonika on Thursday for a Europa League jaunt with PAOK. Don't expect many first teamers to be rolled out, what with them Scousers coming to town on Sunday for a potential humdinger of a match. Get your excuses in order Kenny - Spurs are back. Sort of.

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The Wolves are at my door

2011-09-09T13:17:00.000+01:00

Not entirely surprisingly, Hutton was nowhere.

Well, technically, we're at their door, what with it being an away game and all. But I digress.

Our zero-points-two-games Premier League campaign gets back underway tomorrow with a visit to the Midlands. Wolves away has held nowt but frustration for us since their readmission to the PL. A bitterly cold and frustrating 1-0 defeat in 2010 momentarily stalled our push for 4th place that season and the 3-3 draw in March, erm, stalled our push for 4th that season too.

It's the quintessential game that we should win on paper but it always turns out to be a nightmare. Perhaps our lot just don't fancy it against a spirited team with a partisan crowd baying for blood from these 'soft Londoners'. Throw into the bargain their excellent start to the season and current 5th place position, it makes tomorrow look like a banana skin ready to be slipped on.

And we can ill-afford a poor result here. Our awful start to the season has to be tempered by the quality of the opposition but a defeat to Wolves would not only make in 0 and 3, it'd also rule out the excuse that we've only played the highest calibre of team in the league (sorry Wolves fans, I don't think you're going to win the title - please don't lynch this blog like you did last season).

But, before it can be said that The Boys From White Hart Lane is all about the negatives, let's assess what might go right. We have a (slightly) rejuvenated squad thanks to the deadline day clear-out and under-rated acquisitions of Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor. Parker should slot right into the middle of the park and provide much needed bite and determination, something that's been missing since the early days of Sgt. Wilson.

Adebayor finally gives us a new option in attack and, if he doesn't bring the goals immediately, he'll at least be more adept at holding the ball and bringing others into play than the likes of Defoe and Pav. That said, if he doesn't score straight away, this blog will be calling for the termination of his loan deal.

Van der Vaart's unfortunate six-week injury might appear a terrible loss on paper but it's not the end of the world, as REM once tried to claim. VDV, fine player and hero though he may be, often means the team has to play an awkward 4-4-1-1 to accommodate him and we've been starved of regular goals as a result. His absence might lead to a return to the gloriously tried and tested 4-4-2 (or a variation) that works so well.

It's the defence, however, that raises the most concerns and Dawson and Kaboul had better put their heads together and decide if they really want to be the pairing that ships 8 goals in 2 games. Some of the defending against City was of the lowest standard possible and, though both players have shown themselves in the past to be of immense quality and potential, it simply must be better. Give a team like Wolves half an inch and they'll take a mile.

2-1 to the Fighting Hotspur, Adebayor and Bale to grab to goals. Fingers crossed.

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Farewell St Peter

2011-09-03T15:00:00.000+01:00

Crouch's joke answer to how many goals he'd score that season was scarily accurate

Sometime around 9.20pm on May 5th 2010, Younes Kaboul's fierce cross-cum-shot was palmed out and the rebound was nodded in by Peter Crouch. Spurs went 1-0 up against Man City in a winner-takes-all showdown for 4th place and Champions League football. Crouch had been the scorer of many an important goal all season and that moment was the culmination of a season's worth of hard work and perseverance.

A year or so later, the same man scored again at Eastlands... but at the wrong end. His own goal meant that Spurs sacrificed their 4th spot to those same opponents from a year previously and Crouch was left with a shockingly poor return of just four Premier League goals all season. Sure, there was a fair number of Champions League strikes to go with it but, to be brutally honest, they were more down to the work of others (eg Bale v Inter, Lennon v AC Milan).

Last weekend's mauling at the hands of Man City turned out be Crouch's last game in a Spurs shirt. And, perhaps symbolically, he gave a fairly anonymous display as part of an ineffectual 4-4-1-1 formation. His transfer to Stoke frees up space in our squad and in our attack for more of a goal-scoring threat. It also should stop us from playing countless long balls over the top that rarely work - Crouch's presence in a team often renders the long ball as the most popular method of attack, despite its obvious ineffectiveness.

But the criticism stops right there. Crouch, for all his flaws, has been a great servant to the club and has played his part in some of our best moments in the last two years. His starting place has not once looked set in stone, meaning he has had to fight for his place week in week out. And out of the much maligned front three, Crouch was often the one who looked like he wanted his place the most.

Think of a golden moment from our recent past and you can bet Crouch will have been involved. From that goal at Man City to the hat-trick against Young Boys to get us in the CL group stage. From those glorious assists for van der Vaart at the start of last season to that wonderfully composed finish at the San Siro to beat AC Milan. Crouch may have ended his Spurs career on a bit of a damp squib but there were plenty of champagne moments to go with it (the less said about that red card in Madrid, the better).

So, whilst it's not exactly a crying shame that he's departed, it would be just that if we let him go without recognising the part he played in our success over the past few years. Cheers Crouchy, please don't score against us this year.

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Transfer window aftermath

2011-09-01T17:15:00.000+01:00

News of Hutton's departure had quickly reached the players

4-2-3-1: Friedel; Walker, Dawson, Gallas, Assou Ekotto; Parker/Huddlestone, Modric; Lennon, van der Vaart, Bale; Adebayor. Has a nice ring to it, does it not?

The transfer window didn't so much slam shut as it did gently but firmly close last night and Spurs have been left, once again, to rue a couple of deals that got away. The priorities all summer have been a new striker (check) or two (not done), defensive reinforcements (not done), a goalkeeper (check) and a midfielder to replace any outgoing incumbents (check).

Brad Friedel, Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor are three good signings and to get them for the measly fee of £5m combined represents good business from a man once associated with throwing cash around with reckless abandon. And to get rid of so much deadwood from the squad is also a positive move forward. Shifting Hutton, O'Hara, Crouch, Palacios, Bentley and Jenas (finally!) ultimately makes our sqaud stronger.

But the overall feeling remains that we may have missed the boat on a number of potentially excellent deals. Gary Cahill is the obvious example - we had the funds in place to make the signing and all that needed doing was paying what Bolton wanted but we couldn't agree a deal. Snatching him from under the noses of Arsenal would have been a very strong move.

We also missed out on Craig Bellamy - a disruptive presence perhaps but, on a free transfer, a great option to have in the squad. The same goes to Joe Cole. And despite having had about a year to scout, approach and then sign a quality new front man, the reality is we've only got Adebayor on loan. Meaning that the search must go on. Llorente, Rossi, Leandro, Vucinic, etc... none of them are any closer to the Lane than they have been for the past 12 months.

But, despite not really splashing the cash in the manner of Liverpool or, dare we say it, Arsenal, Spurs' squad is definitely better than it was. And the above line-up and formation looks like a team worthy of taking on anyone else in the League.Whether it's a team that can deliver a top four finish is another matter entirely.

Here's the full list of ins and outs, just in case you need reminding:

IN: Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, free), Cristian Ceballos (Barcelona, free), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed), Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City, loan), Yago Falque (Juventus, loan), Scott Parker (West Ham, £5m)

OUT: Peter Crouch (Stoke, £10m), Wilson Palacios (Stoke, £8m), Jamie O'Hara (Wolves, £5m), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy, £1.8m), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Jonathan Woodgate (Stoke, free), Kyle Naughton (Norwich, loan), Steven Caulker (Swansea, loan), Bongani Khumalo (Reading, loan), Ryan Mason (Doncaster, loan), Jonathan Obika (Yeovil, loan), David Bentley (West Ham, loan), Jermaine Jenas (Aston Villa, loan)

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Manchester 2 London 0

2011-09-01T15:11:00.000+01:00

Dawson had chosen competely the wrong moment to unleash his sex face on Corluka

Is this the end of it all? Is this the conclusion of an epic three year journey from two-points-eight-games to the dizzying heights of the Champions League and back again? Are those halcyon nights in Milan and Madrid and afternoons at the Emirates and Anfield to be consigned as a thing of the past? Or is there life in this Tottenham machine yet?

The early signs aren't good. The postponement of what would have been our opening game of the season left us with an opening brace of games against the two Manchester powerhouses, energised and raring to go after splashing the cash over the summer on some of the finest players going around. What had looked like a tough start was suddenly an increasingly insurmountable one, with the idea of taking any points being outweighed by a truly abysmal away record at United and the likelihood of City continuing their excellent start to the season with their plethora of attacking riches.

And so it proved, as Spurs performed their annual trick of matching United blow for blow right up until the home side score… and then caving in. It's difficult to appraise a performance like the 3-0 defeat we suffered that night as United are clearly in a league of their own at the moment (well, not strictly on their own but you get the point). The club is brimming with youthful enthusiasm and their young English players are taking the opening few weeks by storm. So it's perfectly understandable that we lost the game to the superior team.

But one of these days it's going to have to end. This crippling fear that Tottenham players seem to have when playing United at Old Trafford, a fear that only seems to strike once we've conceded. 2009: we were two-nil up and cruising. A contentious penalty here, a stroke of Ronaldo genius there and before you knew it, we'd shipped five goals. Last season, we were holding them at 0-0 and looking extremely threatening in their half of the field. As soon as Vidic put them one up, we were finished. If Spurs have serious designs on becoming one of the nation's top sides, then records like ours at Old Trafford are unacceptable. Quite simply, it's embarrassing.

However, as mentioned, an opening day defeat to the country's best side was nothing to get uptight about. The soporific 0-0 with Hearts in midweek didn't precious little to spark any excitement, though few were complaining – the chance to see the generation of Spurs youngsters such as Harry Kane, Tom Carroll and Andros Townsend all take the field in the starting XI was enough to interest most observers and though the game petered out into nothingness, it was pleasant to see young players trying to make their mark in the game.

And then City came to town. And any notions we may have had about being able to compete with them, we did effectively in 09/10 and gallantly but unsuccessfully in 10/11, were blown out of the water by a simply awesome away display. Spurs were a mess. Modric allegedly asked Redknapp before the game not to select him (any respect this blog once had for this man has long since disappeared). The wantaway Croatian was partnered with Kranjcar in midfield, leaving us with no defensive midfielder to stem the City tide. Redknapp was slated by fans for this but the simple truth is that we had no-one else available.

Dzeko, Aguero, Nasri, Silva… everywhere you looked, City had world class talents on the ball. It's not as if they've suddenly become this good overnight but their improvement from last season's negativity to the all guns blazing attack they're favouring now is remarkable. As the goals poured in, Spurs fans could be forgiven for wondering if they'd ever be able to match what was being put on in front of them. 4-0 down after just 60 minutes. Dzeko rampant. Aguero just as good. Upfront, we had Peter Crouch by himself. It's possible that there's no greater illuminating statement than that.

There's no escaping the fact that City have elevated themselves to a status higher than us – throwing down huge money on players like Aguero and Nasri will do that. Last season, it seemed possible, likely even, that we could compete on a level with them but that's unfortunately a thing of the past. There shouldn’t be any shame in that from our perspective. The bare truth is that we can't compete with them financially.

What's worrying, however, is the manner of our defeat. We didn't just get beaten, we were humiliated. White Hart Lane is an incredible hard place for away teams to take points and has been for the past few seasons. Spurs hardly ever lose games at home – one, maybe two at a push, each season. And for City to not just disprove that theory but to do it to the tune of a 5-1 win is nothing short of embarrassing.

Defensive calamities, the likes of which were exhibited by Spurs at the weekend, against Real Madrid, Inter and, erm, Fulham, last season, are not befitting of a team that wants to be in the top four. Dawson, for all his class, still occasionally looks like he needs his hand holding by Gallas or King. Kaboul, who looked to have come on leaps and bounds last season, was utterly hopeless and even though he scored our consolation, he was perhaps more likely to be the cause of a goal in his own area, let alone at the other end.

Again, it's no great catastrophe to lose a game against a side that's better than you. But to go down showing barely any fight is a crime against the fans. Modric, who was afforded an extremely generous reception from the fans, refused to even acknowledge the applause he received when he was substituted. As if the past three years never happened. A complete and utter disregard towards the club and the supporters, who have been showering him with praise and affection for years.

Two games in and zero points. Bottom of the league. Knee-jerk prone fans would be wise to retain a sense of perspective – these were the two best teams in the country – but it still looks pretty shambolic on paper. New signings are clearly needed (more on this in a separate blog).Time to press the panic buttons yet?

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Breaking Hearts

2011-08-19T12:41:00.000+01:00

Playing arm in arm was never going to be anything other than annoying for all concerned

If every Thursday night in the Europa League proves to be as entertaining and one-sided as that, then TBFWHL won't be complaining one jot.

For all the pre-match talk of Spurs being rusty after their delayed start to the season and Tynecastle creating an intimidatory atmosphere to knock a patched up Spurs off their stride, Harry Redknapp's men put their north-of-the-border opponents to the sword with a swashbuckling 5-0 win that effectively killed the tie off as a contest, much in the same fashion as Tottenham's last European game was over by the end of the first leg.

Yes, the opposition were pitifully poor. And, yes, the Europa League is hardly the best test of a team's talent. But this blog would go so far as to say that's the best Spurs have looked in a game for a long, long time. The goals scored were of the highest quality, with slick, one-touch moves creating ample space for the flair players, and it also shouldn't be ignored that we managed five goals in the game - for a side that was hamstrung by a lack of cutting edge last season, a return to goalscoring ways is indeed a welcome sight.

Pretty much all aspects of the performance were extremely pleasing - the only possible straw to clutch at for the pessimists was a typically nervous performance from Heurelho Gomes. Kyle Walker, significantly chosen at right back, performed well in what must have been an audition for the first choice full back slot this year. There were one or two minor lapses, as you'd expect from a young player still, to a degree, learning his trade, but on the whole he looked extremely useful, showing the pace to be able to get forward as well as a good eye for a tackle. His sprint back and recovery challenge in the second half was a joy to watch.

Lennon and Bale on the wings were fairly close to flawless, both scoring and having a hand in pretty much every Spurs attack. Bale took the ball on a trademark 60 metre journey in the first half, reminding many just what he's capable of in case his stuttering second half of the season had led them to forget. Lennon was equally as quick on the right and his low pass into Defoe for the second goal was majestic. (turns to critics) What's that? He's actually got a decent final ball? Erm, he has done for a while now.

Van der Vaart slotted in just behind Defoe and found acres of space - space he rarely finds in the Premier League in that position. His opening goal owed in part to a touch of fortune but his assured finish and class in all other aspects of his game were hugely satisfying. With question marks over Modric's future and commitment, van der Vaart has it in him to step up and become our talisman this season. Bale may provide the fireworks from out wide but van der Vaart is a leader and his example is closely followed by the rest of the side. Simply put, when he brings his A game, we're in business.

Defoe looked very eager to impress and his movement was excellent, as it was in the friendly with Bilbao last weekend. He's got so much to prove this season that it might just bring out the best of him and if he starts banging them in, the failure thus far to bring in a new striker won't be as much of a crisis. He'll need support though, which is why it's so critical we get someone who can provide regular goals as well and take the burden off him. Adebayor might just be the man.

Jake Livermore was given the nod in midfield alongside Kranjcar and capped off a lively display with a goal. His ease on the ball belied his lack of experience and he showed promising awareness as he joined in on several superb passing moves. It's nice to see a midfielder attempt to play the ball forward and get involved further up the field, rather than seeing Jenas string together 300 consecutive sideways passes in his own half.

And Andros Townsend, talked about by so many as a future Tottenham star, gave an extremely good account of himself in a 20 minute cameo. He showed extreme confidence on the ball and wasn't afraid to shoot from range or try one or two neat flicks and turns - the hallmarks of a Spurs player? And it was he who instigated the brilliant fifth goal, racing out of the box on the counter and slotting through a sumptuous, outside of the boot through ball for Defoe, who fired it across for Lennon to finish. The three young players who had it all to prove (Walker, Livermore, Townsend) will all head back to the training ground in extremely high spirits.

So, 5-0 up at half time in the tie and the chance to field even more fringe/youth players next week at the Lane. Do Thursday nights get any better?

How the 2011-12 season will pan out

2011-08-18T13:07:00.000+01:00

TBFWHL has seen into the future. Everything that's going to happen in this season has been foretold and, hold on tight, you're about to find out how it all pans out. Remember to look surprised when this all actually happens...

August

Spurs finally get their season under way at Old Trafford and the 2011/12 incarnation of Tottenham look good. Sir Alex Ferguson is clearly rattled as Redknapp's men dominate the first 70-odd minutes but just as the nation senses an upset, referee Howard Webb fails to notice Wayne Rooney holding Brad Friedel in a headlock as a corner comes in and Ryan Giggs marks his 218th season in professional football with the opening goal. Spurs have a marginally credible appeal for a penalty turned down when Patrice Evra shoots and kills Aaron Lennon in the area but Webb waves away the screams before a sweeping counter United counter attack is turned in at the far post by Webb himself. Jermain Defoe blasts a 93rd minute penalty wide.

Tottenham recover to see off the challenge of Hearts in the Europa League qualifier and then beat Man City 1-0 at the Lane the next weekend, with Kyle Walker notching the game's only goal. City immediately tender a bid of £65million, which Redknapp labels as 'an insult'.

September

Redknapp is adamant on transfer deadline day that no further deals with be made for players coming in to Spurs, yet at 11.40pm, the club announces the signings of Emmanuel Adebayor, Joey Barton, Ian Wright and Peter Sutcliffe. Defending the signings after a wave of criticism from home fans, Redknapp says of all four: "It's all cobblers really, isn't it? What have they done wrong? It's not like I'm signing the Yorkshire Rip... ah."

On the pitch, the team drop points away at Wolves and Wigan but manage a sterling 2-1 win over Liverpool at home. The away fans sensibly scale back their hopes for the season from Champions League winners to merely genuine Premier League contenders but still maintain they're 'quite clearly better than Spurs'.

October

The first North London Derby of the season is typically packed full of drama and intrigue. After debutant Kudus Oyenuga opens the scoring with a volleyed effort from 80 yards (he later admits he was simply trying to clear a corner), Arsenal hit back through goals from Robin van Persie, who later denies having a half-time phone conversation with representatives from Barcelona, and Robert Pires, back in Arsenal colours at the tender age of 37 and still managing to find the net against us. Spurs have the last laugh, however, and win the game through two late goals from Rafael van der Vaart, who ceremoniously burns an Arsenal shirt by the corner flag in celebration, which everyone agrees is a bit over-the-top. Defoe has a chance to seal the win but fires his penalty straight at Szczesny.

Spurs go on to win tough games away at Newcastle and Blackburn but the momentum is lost when QPR snatch a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane, where the faint sound of boos can be heard as the team walk off. Redknapp claims in his post match interviews that "this is as good as it's going to get for Spurs", constantly refusing to associate himself with the club by using the term 'we' instead of 'us'. Undeterred by the earlier rejection, City come in with an improved bid for Walker - £70million plus the principality of Luxembourg. Daniel Levy continues to pay hardball.

November

Three wins from three in the League are allied with progress in the Carling Cup and youth-inspired success in the Europa League. Before everyone knows it, Spurs are top of the league on goal difference. Redknapp says on Football Focus that "these are great times for the club - they can go really far" and is promptly slated on Twitter, with the #harryout hashtag becoming a trending topic within 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Benoit Assou Ekotto is featured in another video interview on BBC Sport, with Leon Mann once again playing the role of cool, friendly questioner as the two drive around in Benny's smart car and eat together at Nandos. Fans up and down the land praise BAE for his attitude towards football and life and wish that they had a player like him at their clubs. BAE's month is ever-so-slightly marred by an awkward moment against Aston Villa where he attempts a pass to Younes Kaboul but over-hits it straight to Michael Dawson, forcing the skipper to quickly readjust his position. Alan Hansen dedicates 15 minutes on Match of the Day to slating the Spurs left back, labelling him as 'probably the worst person in the world'.

December

In the midweek clash against Chelsea, Spurs win a penalty early on. Defoe hands the responsibility over to van der Vaart, who promptly scores, has to retake due to encroachment, scores again and then has to retake again due to the ref not looking when the kick was taken. His third attempt is blazed over the bar. A point is secured at the end of the 90 minutes, though replacement Heurelho Gomes, in for the injured Friedel, makes a horrendous error, flapping at the ball despite it being safely already in his arms with no-one around him. Despite fumbling it into his own net, he still finds reason to turn and protest to the referee that it wasn't his fault. Arsenal fans, seemingly unaware of their own motley crew of error-prone keepers, have a field day on Twitter.

With Euro 2012 and the end of Fabio Capello's tenure as England boss fast approaching, media speculation surrounding Redknapp and the vacant position is rife. Harry refuses to comment on the matter, insisting he's committed to Spurs 'for now'. But at the next home game, he takes to the dugout wearing an England tracksuit and with Stuart Pearce at his side instead of Kevin Bond, leaving everyone quite confused.

January

The transfer window re-opens. Liverpool sign Jermaine Jenas for £28million, taking their tally of midfielders to 26. "We got him on the cheap," says Kenny Dalglish. Spurs are once again linked with every striker from North London to the Galapagos islands. Redknapp and Levy insist that 'everything is being done behind the scenes to ensure the right players are signed' but nothing of note happens until January 31st, when it emerges that Tottenham have launched a three-pronged bid for Guiseppe Rossi, Karim Benzema and DJ Campbell. Neither transfer materialises but Spurs are able to pull off the utterly pointless signing of Gareth Barry. They also manage to finally get rid of Giovani dos Santos, after the talented but wayward Mexican is seen drunk at Sugar Hut Nightclub, in the background of a scene of The Only Way is Essex. Redknapp offers to pay any club to take him off his hands. Man City bid £40million.

Gareth Bale is once again the subject of plenty of newspaper gossip and The Guardian causes controversy with its back page splash: "BARCELONA TO MAYBE BID £30M FOR BALE AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE". Bale remains dignified and brushes off all speculation but the cat is once again amongst the pigeons when Gary Neville remarks on Sky that Bale 'has a big future in the game', leading to an 8 page exclusive in the Mirror detailing why Bale is destined to leave play at Old Trafford next season. Jack Wilshere tweets: "Dnt understand the fuss about bale leavin spurs. he need 2 play in the Champs league like all top players", perhaps forgetting Arsenal's current 9th place and Champions League group stage elimination just a few weeks earlier.

February

Spurs are flying in the league and spirits are lifted when Ledley King makes his first appearance of the season at home to Newcastle. The veteran defender looks like he never went away in a resolute and determined 30 minute spell before having to leave the field after celebrating Huddlestone's opening goal a little too vigorously. Further surgery on his troublesome knee is scheduled, with a 62 week recovery period, but Redknapp is publicly optimistic that he'll be back before the end of the season.

Spurs go to the Emirates, determined to prove that last season's 3-2 win wasn't a fluke. They come away with a 1-1 draw after Arsene Wenger, with his team 1-0 up and absolutely coasting, completely loses the plot: he removes van Persie, his side's most dangerous player, brings on Carl Jenkinson, instructs his team to completely avoid the middle of the pitch, giving Spurs a clear path to goal and then dons a Spurs shirt and sprints on to score the equaliser. "Sanest thing he's done all season," comments a club official. In his post match interview, Wenger slams the performance of the referee and rejects the notion that the club needs new players, claiming that the £127million made from the sale of Fabregas, Nasri, Clichy, Arshavin and Vermaelen won't be spent on new recruits and will instead be put into an investment bond.

March

Some traditionally iffy results over the winter period stall Tottenham's title charge but, despite the side still clinging on to the very healthy position of 3rd, it's not enough for some fans. "Harry keeps picking the wrong players," says one internet forum user. "He's too friendly with the media," claims another. "If Harry had a better relationship with us fans, we'd have definitely won the Champions League this season," says a disgruntled Twitter user. Helpfully, TBFWHL decides to sit on the fence throughout and refuse to comment either way on the issue.

Spurs lose the Carling Cup final on penalties to Manchester City, after Defoe, who sensationally volunteers to take every Spurs kick, misses four on the bounce. Quite why the referee allowed him to take all of them remains a mystery but his profligacy from the spot renders Friedel's save from Mario Balotelli useless (admittedly, the Italian had decided to take the penalty blindfolded and with a backwards run-up). In the league, the Lilywhites go down 3-2 at Stamford Bridge to a resurgent Chelsea, under the command of Guus Hiddink, their 3rd manager of the season. Celebrity Chelsea fan Tim Lovejoy claims that Spurs fans should 'get a life and stop moaning' after Frank Lampard taps in the winner despite being several lengths of the pitch offside and appearing to pick up the ball and throw it in the back of the net.

April

Jermain Defoe begins the month by lamenting his lack of first team starts to the media and anyone else who's listening. The fact that he's only been on the bench three times all season and has returned only five league goals seems lost on him. Despite Peter Crouch's goal record being only marginally better (six league goals but 14 assists for van der Vaart), Redknapp insists the pair are 'great lads' and that he's not looking to move either of them on. Summer signing Adebayor has managed the small total of 22 goals in just 15 starts but still can't get a game.

Luka Modric, having heroically remained at the club on increased wages of £80,000 per week, releases his long awaited autobiography. Surviving My White Hart Lane Prison is a gut-wrenching tale of the Croatian's dignity in the face of adversity - staying at Spurs, withstanding Joe Jordan's back-breaking training sessions, putting up with Vedran Corluka's appalling banter, etc. Sir Alex Ferguson, in the middle of a press conference, laments that football is "all about bloody money these days". The following day, United leak to the press a £30million bid for Modric.

May

Spurs are ending the season very strongly: A place in the top four is very much within their grasp thanks to some excellent performances from a suddenly interested Modric and the flying Bale, who is measured as officially being able to run faster than the speed of sound. 3rd place is secured with a win away at Villa in the penultimate game of the season. The match lacks the spectacle of the famous Man City fourth place shootout of two seasons prior but Spurs typically make things uncomfortable for the fans by gifting their opponents a two goal lead. Brad Friedel, the 14th different penalty taker of the season, then misses from the spot. Thankfully, breakthrough star of the season Massimo Luongo begins the fightback with a dazzling solo effort (he's promptly loaned out to Exeter the following season) before Crouch belies his reputation for poor technique and rifles home a staggering volley from 35 yards, causing seismic activity across the country and several members of the away crowd to lose consciousness. Pavlyuchenko notches a late winner and Spurs are back in the Champions League. The Guardian's Barry Glendenning derides Tottenham's celebrations as 'laughable for such a small achievement'.

But before the season is out, there's the small matter of the Europa League final to contest. Fiercely loyal to his young charges and risking the contempt of the fans who demand he takes the final seriously, Redknapp names a ridiculously young side for the final against Schalke. Spurs take the lead through Soulemayne Coulibaly but then Raul decides to play and scores a first half hat-trick, winning the game for the Germans. Within moments of the game ending, Chelsea lodge a £25million bid for Coulibaly, who complains to the press back in the Ivory Coast that he had a 'gentlemen's agreement' with Levy and that Spurs should let him go.

Season 2011-2012: The Hotspur Strikes Back

2011-08-08T15:50:00.000+01:00

The impending season would be tough but the mere mention of Anthony Gardner was comic relief for Redknapp

Here we sit, dear friends, on the verge on another Premier League season. The players have had their break, we've had ours, pre-season has come and gone and now it's time to deliver. It may seem like we say this before every campaign these days but this really is a big year for the Hotspur.

Beating Internazionale, Arsenal, AC Milan and Liverpool amongst other fine achievements should have made last season one to cherish. Yet a raft of bitterly disappointing draws against bottom half sides, constant linking of our best players to other, more prestigious clubs and the inevitable percentage of fans who decided to turn against the management at the first sign of a poor result left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Spurs fizzled out last season, rather than the great big final crescendo of success the year before and, subsequently, there's little 'buzz' about the side. We're no longer counted amongst the elite. We're no longer thought of as almost-equals to nations best sides. We've been dropped down a bracket and we have it all to prove again. Even Liverpool, despite having not actually done much at all, are now thought of as a superior side. Title odds: Spurs 50-1, Liverpool 10-1. B-b-b-but we beat them twice last season and have finished above them for two years running!? Obviously these things matter little in the face of King Kenny and his shrewd multi-million pound signings of Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing.

But before this turns into a rant about how bitter this blog is that we're not rated as much as them Scousers (an 'inferiority complex', according to the therapist), let's move on. This time last year, TBFWHL wrote:

"Taking into account everything (Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, no transfers, Champions League, etc), 5th is probably a safe bet. Staying in fourth shouldn't be completely ruled out but considering the added pressure and shed-load of extra fixtures, 5th place seems like quite a reasonable finish and, along with a decent showing in the Champions League and another possible trip to Wembley in the cups, would represent an good season. For all of last years euphoria, the party line for this season should be consolidation."

Lo and behold, a correct prediction! 5th place? Done. A decent showing in the Champions League? Done and then some. A trip to Wembley in the cu... you know what? We'll leave it there. Whilst we're on a prophetic theme, this sentence was also written before the season kicked off: "None of the strikers linked to us have materialised thus far (Forlan, Huntelaar, Cavani, etc) leaving our strikeforce looking just a tiny bit undercooked." That might just have come true as well. But that's neither here nor there.

Except that it is. Tottenham's endless search for a dashing new striker to supply to firepower to reignite our surge up the Premier League table is, well, it's still endless. Forwards from all corners of the world have been suggested and linked; all have failed to sign on the dotted line. Leandro Damiao, Mirko Vucinic, Emmanuel Adebayor, Fernando Llorente... all have been imagined wearing the famous Lilywhite and scoring the winner past Arsenal but none have materialised. Dame fortune has yet to smile on White Hart Lane

One rather grimly suspects that Tottenham's fortunes this season, much as they were 12 months ago, are directly linked to whether a new frontman can be acquired. For all their individual merits, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and Crouch pack as much combined punch as a gun that shoots out a flag saying 'BANG!' and, as last season painfully showed, a team that wants to be among the best in the country has to be able to score goals and beat sides like West Brom, West Ham and Wigan at home (yes alright, West Ham are no longer in the Premier League, you know-it-alls).

But before we completely write off our chances this season, let us not forget that this is still a fine Spurs team - the most accomplished, perhaps, of the last twenty years. The defence, thought hardly watertight, is superbly marshalled by the excellent Michael Dawson and should Ledley King be able to play a few more games this season then we'll be more than competent. If the King of White Hart Lane is restricted to the physio's table then Spurs have the ageing but throroughly impressive William Gallas and his protege Younes Kaboul waiting in the wings. It would be nice to forge some defensive stability this season - perhaps we should plump for a preferred pairing of Dawson and Kaboul?

Assou Ekotto continues to do all that is expected of him and more on the left flank. And, on the right, there's naughty rumours going around that Redknapp has decided the time is now to go with young Kyle Walker, in place of the the lumbering Corluka and the hopeless Hutton. Walker is quick, strong and has been slowly working his way up the experience food chain. TBFWHL still rates Corluka but, if pushed, would give the position to Walker.

There are decisions that need to be made in midfield. Squeezing Lennon, van der Vaart, Modric (boooo) Huddlestone, Sandro and Bale all into the middle of the park will take some doing, though the burden is temporarily eased by Sandro's injury. If Modric is selected, how will he play? Will his performance suffer as a result of his very public desire to leave the club? Or will he play it like a consummate professional, very much in the same manner as how he's acted throughout his Spurs caree... ah.

One thing's for certain, a fit, flying and, erm, fantastic Bale would make a huge difference to our early season form. It's not a coincidence that our form last season tailed off after Bale's injury problems kicked in - his presence doesn't guarantee us a win but it gives us that extra bit of spark and we simply look like scoring more often, even with those lot up front. Last season, the Welshman started the campaign excellently and we'd all be mightily grateful if he could serve up a repeat dose.

Whichever way you look at it, however, it's a minefield of a start to the season, with minefields in this case being massive games against those really rich and really good teams from Manchester. Everton on the first day of the season is definitely winnable (we're at home, where we hardly ever lose, and Everton are often slow starters) but failure to pick up three points there and the pressure is immediately on. Old Trafford the following week will bring a grand total of zero points. Negative? Maybe so but when Rooney bundles home the opener on 40 minutes after Howard Webb physically holds down Brad Friedel, you'll all be thinking back to this blog and chuckling along in agreement. If you haven't committed homicide by then (Note: this blog does not condone the taking of another human being's life, no matter what the circumstances. Not even Modric's agent).

And then it's another symbolic clash with Man City, where the press can make merry with their comparisons of rich club with huge power to attract players and not rich but still quite well off club with far less power to attract said players. Our games with City have tended to mirror the shape of our seasons in recent years - 2009/2010 we battered them and scored plenty. 2010/10 we battered them and didn't score a single goal. A positive result here could be three of the most important points we'll register all season.

But that's not for another few weeks yet. Predictions? TBFWHL hates this part. But perhaps taking into account the aforementioned success, there should be less trepidation. With that said, let's go for 5th again and you'll now listen why. In spite of the lack of buzz around Spurs at the start of this season and the (so far) failure to really strengthen, we're still a mighty good side so we are. Dawson, Bale, van der Vaart, Lennon... these are some seriously talented players who, on their day, can beat pretty much anyone (not United at Old Trafford, mind).

Getting back into 4th will prove a staggeringly difficult task but 5th is well within our reach. Everyone seems to be bigging up Liverpool for some kind of title challenge which, to this blog, is inexplicable. Fair enough, Suarez is a seriously threatening player. But Carroll? Decent, yes. Better than our lot, maybe. But is he going to score 20 goals this season? And Henderson/Adam/Downing? These aren't spectacular signings. These are more David Bentley than Luka Modric. Maybe they are the real deal this year. But this blog still reckons we'll put three points on them come September at the Lane. Who knows - we've been wrong before.

Spurs have it all to play for this season and have a reputation to win back. There's talent in that squad but, at the moment, it lies dormant and underrated. Now would be a brilliant time to unleash it. And so begins another riveting chapter in the incredible Tottenham story.

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Hurricane Harry Kane

2011-07-27T14:51:00.000+01:00

"You're good kid. But can you get caught offside a hundred times in one match like Jermain?"

Anyone for a home-spun hero?

The number of youth academy products rising up through the ranks to first team glory may be few and far between these days but it's always good fun to speculate over those who might make the cut. So here's a name to throw into the hat for 2011-2012: Harry Kane.

Last night's 5-3 friendly win over MK Dons (urgh) saw a resplendent performance from Kranjcar, a promising one from Pavlyuchenko and an earth-shakingly exciting one from the 17 year old Kane. With the scores locked at 2-2 following a fightback from the home side, Kane entered the fray, replacing Jermain Defoe, and immediately had an impact. He restored Tottenham's lead with an effort from inside the box and, after a flurry of goals, he had the final say on the match with a 30 yard run and finish to settle the game at 5-3.

15 minutes, 3 chances and 2 goals. Not a bad way to get yourself on the radar of people whose opinions count for a lot - Technical Co-Ordinator Tim Sherwood and, subsequently, Harry Redknapp. Quoth Sherwood: "Harry showed real quality when he came on. His first goal was a real goalscorer's goal, a poacher's goal, just nicking in front of the defender and sliding the ball home. The second was a good finish as well. He had three chances and scored twice in 15 minutes, a good ratio. He's a good player and we all think he's got a future at the club."

'A real goalscorer's goal'? Probably a good thing Sherwood is a coach and not a wordsmith. Still, it's high praise for Kane, who had a good loan spell last season at Leyton Orient. At just 17, it's still incredibly early to heap too much pressure on his young shoulders and it could still be a long way to go before he reaches a level where he can play for the first team. But there's undoubted talent there and a scoring cameo in a friendly filled with first team players can only be a good thing for his development.

Plus he's really good on Football Manager. Watch this one with interest, Spurs fans.

Read more about Kane's late show here. Photo courtesy of tottenhamhotspur.com.

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Would it be wrong for Spurs to sign Adebayor?

2011-07-21T22:41:00.000+01:00

Emmanuel had been advised to 'cover up' during games to stay warm but this was just ridiculous

You won't find transfer rumours discussed in too much depth round these parts. But the proposed loan signing of Emmanuel Adebayor has the potential to polarise opinion amongst Spurs fans in a way not seen since, erm, William Gallas. Redknapp has gone on record as saying he'd like to do a deal if it's possible and the deal seems to hinge only on whether City would loan to one of their top 6 rivals (TBFWHL still takes small comfort in classing us as a 'top 6' team) and his wages.

There's no doubting the man's got talent. He bullied us in that Champions League quarter final has a successful scoring record in English football. But he comes with quite a bit of baggage. His allegiances with the red half of North London can't exactly be swept under the carpet and he's known to be a bit of a disruptive influence when things don't go his way.

Attitude wise, he's not exactly a shining role model to the kids of today. That full length of the pitch sprint to goad travelling Arsenal fans after scoring against them for Man City raised a few laughs because, well, because it was Arsenal. But take them out of the equation and imagine it was any other team, the act just seems a bit reckless and childish.

That's the negatives out of the way. There are plenty of reasons why he'd be a great addition to the squad. For starters, he's good. Seriously good. Better, you'd have to say, than all four of our current strikers (maybe not Defoe when he's on absolute top form but how often is that?). Tall, powerful, good in the air, skillful on the ground and he knows exactly what to do in front of goal, he's essentially a talented Peter Crouch (harsh - sorry Crouchy).

And, with our striking woes so apparent last season and seemingly still lingering in the first two pre-season friendlies in South Africa, can we really afford to turn our noses up at a player who has been successful at Arsenal and Real Madrid? If he's good enough for José, he's good enough for us. With regards to his Arsenal past and his reputation as a trouble-maker, were we not all saying the same about Gallas last August? And look how well that's turned out (so far).

There's still a long way to go - his wages may prove to be the ultimate stumbling block - but an attacking quartet of Adebayor, Mirko Vucinic (another forward man rumoured to be very close to signing) and two from Crouch, Defoe and Pav sounds very appealing to this blog. Goals, competition and variation in abundance. And there's always the 16 year old 'new Drogba' Souleymane Coulibaly, who already looks like he's got 'a bit about him', to provide absurdly young cover.

Would you be happy if Adebayor joined the club? Speak your mind in the form of a politely worded and eloquent comment (doesn't necessarily have to be eloquent).

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The rights and wrongs of the Modric saga

2011-07-16T14:31:00.000+01:00

The relationship between player and manager just wasn't what it used to be

Luka Modric was signed by Spurs for a club record fee and brought all the way from the quiet Eastern European divisions to arguably the biggest league and stage in the world. To say that Spurs had taken something of a gamble, spending so much money on a talented but unproven player, is an understatement.

They then stuck by him as he struggled to immediately adapt to the pace and rigours of the the English game. 'He's too lightweight, he'll never make it' they cried. 'Give it time, you'll see' we cried back in response. And people did see. Success soon followed as Modric grew accustomed to the brutality of life in the Premier League. Spurs were quick to herald his success and champion him as a player that Tottenham could build their team around for the next five years.

Then, in 2009, a broken leg and a 5 month absence. Again, Spurs stuck by him, aided his recovery and nurtured him back to full fitness, as one might expect from your club. Once again, following his return to form, he was celebrated and heralded by all within the club.

And now, in the season just gone by, fans, players, staff and pundits have rightly stated Modric as one of the league's finest players - a midfield magician with few equals. The fans adore him. He's the club's player of the season. He recently signed a length contract extension, signalling his intent to stay with the club as we sail through some of the most successful times the club has seen in years.

We have no need or desire to sell him, especially having unwillingly sold some of our better players in years gone by. We definitely don't want to sell him to a club who are both our local rivals and a club we're aiming to become equals with in the very near future. Any Tom, Dick or Harry knows this.

To Modric and anyone else who thinks Spurs aren't entitled to be livid with the Croatian's stance: you couldn't be more wrong if you tried. Modric owes Tottenham a whole lot more than the deplorable behaviour he's currently offering. End of story.

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Lennon/Huddlestone - We Want Answers

2011-07-07T17:14:00.000+01:00

These are worthy a few minutes of your life but not too many more than that. Safe to say that if TBFWHL was forced to choose out of these two who to spend an hour down the pub with, it'd probably choose, erm, Crouchy. Don't go on TV after you've retired, eh lads?

The ~~low~~highlight? "I don't know about Mastermind, what's that? Is it a programme?"

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All quiet on the Western Front

2011-07-07T13:21:00.000+01:00

Harry had wanted a quiet pre-season but Kevin Bond's comedy tumbleweed was just ridiculous

'It's oh so quiet, ssshhhh, ssshhhh'. Let that be the first and last time Bjork is ever paraphrased on this previously refutable publication.

The girl's got a point though. There's little activity in the world of Spurs these days, unless you choose to include meaningless transfer gossip as 'activity'. What's that? You do? Okay then, a quick run through to keep you happy:

- Modric to Chelsea - Gut feeling says no. Player wants out, that much is certain but Levy's digging in his heels and rightfully so. Moddle won't want to make too much of a nuisance of himself so he'll possibly go into a shell, media-wise, and play out this season for us, all the while making sure his agent is savvy to any outside bids. A sad inevitability is that if we don't go big this season, he's definitely off. As is Bale.

- Defoe to Arsenal - Yes, this actually came up. Definitely won't happen. Arsenal won't want him, we won't want to sell. The end.

- Lennon to Liverpool - There might be some truth in this one, in that Liverpool are probably interested (he'd walk into their side). But can't see how we'd be willing to sell. Unless they throw in Suarez and that as likely as an Arsenal fan admitting to their faults.

- BAE to PSG - No. Move on.

Are there any more? No? Good. This blog refuses to idly rehash transfer gossip whilst we endure this lull in on-field action so unless we see a player actually holding up a Spurs shirt or one going out the door, then don't expect it to be given an essay's coverage over in these parts.

Away from transfers, there's been a few drips of news coming out. The players are back in pre-season training, except for Mr Modric, who's been conspicuously absent from the jovial snaps coming out of Spurs Lodge on the @SpursOfficial Twitter account. Also not back in action on the first day was Danny Rose who tweeted: "Wondering if 1st day of pre season has been a graft for the lads while I'm sipping a cold one on the beach.....". You'll get yours Danny, don't you worry.

Gio dos Santos scored a wonder goal for Mexico against the USA in the Gold Cup final. Doesn't stop him from being terrible. Everyone's favourite lost child Adel Taarabt has done his newly-promoted side QPR a huge favour and started blabbing to the papers about wanting to leave. Way to prove you've turned a corner mate.

Harry went on the bastion of substance-filled reporting that is Sky Sports News and provided the usual sound-bites. Modric isn't leaving, he wants Spurs to be a title-challenging side, we're on the lookout for new players, etc, etc. For this blog, the most empty part of pre-season is the lack of Redknapp in the media every thirty seconds. So this marks a welcome return.

And we still haven't signed a f*cking striker.

Anyone else got any decent news they feel like sharing? Preferably Spurs related, though if you've an anecdote this great British summer, we'd all love to hear that as well. The comment box is, as always, yours.

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The week that was

2011-06-25T16:25:00.000+01:00

It's been a funny old week in Planet Tottenham. After the Modric mess of last weekend, it's all gone slightly quiet on that particular front. After the startling admission from Moddle that he wanted to jump ship and climb aboard the Villas Boas revolution a Stamford Bridge and Daniel Levy's frank rebuttal of those plans, we were all expecting further fireworks. But what we got precious little more than speculation.

This Independent article by Sam Wallace claimed that Modric was prepared to backtrack on his claims that he wanted out and suggest that he was merely stating his acceptance of a deal should Spurs decide themselves that they want to cash in on him. All the statements in the world can't disguise the fact that Luka wants to leave but if we could get another year of him (a year of him actually trying) then it might not be the worst way for things to pan out.

Elsewhere, we've packed off Jamie O'Hara to Wolves for the tidy sum of £5million. Seems a rather good deal all round, to be honest. Wolves get a decent enough player for that level, O'Hara gets the first team football he's been convinced he's worthy of ever since he scored a deflected goal against Slavia Prague and we get £5million for a player who was never really going to break into our first team. Some people have suggested that O'Hara is a better player than Pienaar and that we've missed a trick by selling him. But could O'Hara do this? No, thought not.

Besides, O'Hara lost any brownie points on offer from this blog when he claimed that he wanted Spurs to lose to Fulham in the FA Cup so that he'd be eligible to play in the semis at Wembley. Then, during ITV punditry on said semi final, he said that he wanted Portsmouth to beat Spurs so he could play in an FA Cup final. They did, he did, Pompey went down, he only played a few minutes at Wembley and we got into the Champions League. The lesson? Don't claim you're a Spurs fan and then go and behave like that.

In other news, we're still no closer to adding that classy striker that we've all been dreaming about. Rumour has it we're still tantalisingly close to nabbing Leandro Damiao - a good player for sure but the guaranteed goal threat we so desperately need? Jury still out. This blog quite likes the look of Espanyol's Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and still, of course, secretly holds a flame for Diego Forlan but, frankly speaking, anyone will do. If Crouch lines up at the top of a 4-4-1-1 formation against Everton in a little under two months, TBFWHL cannot and will not be held responsible for our actions.

Speaking of next season, we've released our shiny new kit range for the upcoming campaign:

Home. Obviously.

Remember our purple away kit in 2003? Now you don't have to.

Is it black? Is it really dark blue? Either way, it's a pretty classy third shirt.

All in all, we over at TBFWHL Towers think all three are pretty tasty. The purple away number? Delicious. Can't wait to see Modric strutting around in it next season... ah. The one downer, perhaps, is the odd, Tron-like font on the sponsor's name. And what in the name of all that's holy is Aurasma? The mind boggles.

It matters little, we'll still be buying all three. In September, when they're released to the public. What's that? Why can't we get hold of them before the season starts? Why can we only start supporting our club in the new shirt a month after the season's begun? That's neither here nor there. Just think, by the time we get our hands on our lovely new stash, we'll be on the lookout for a new manager.

Have you not seen the start of our fixture list!?

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The day we all feared was coming

2011-06-18T14:12:00.000+01:00

Crouch's latest attempt to perform the robot was enough to persuade Modric his future laid elsewhere

Oh Luka. You've caught us all off guard with this one. Out of the trio of stars that we currently hold in our midst that have been linked with clubs all over the continent, he was supposed to be the one that we could bank on to stay. The quiet, reserved, brilliant midfielder who was so central to our cause. The one who had sat back and let Bale and van der Vaart hog the headlines and the interviews while he pulled the strings from the middle of the park. He was definitely going to stick around for at least another year.

And then this. This despicable howling to the press from his holiday yacht about, not just wanting to leave, but wanting to leave and go to one of our closest rivals. For a supposedly bright footballer, there's no shred of intelligence about the way he's gone about this.

Footballers want to win trophies and play at the highest level, we get that. It's natural for a player to have a taste of the Champions League and not want to let it go. It's natural for a player to want to push himself to the pinnacle of his career and play at the highest level. But we're building something at Tottenham. It started two years ago and it's seen the club hit unthinkable heights. And Modric is central to that. He must know. He is the fulcrum that this talented group of players pivots around on a weekly basis.

Whilst, admittedly, it must be frustrating for him that we've missed out on the Champions League this season, he must surely be aware that he'd be a big part of us trying to get back in it next season. He's surrounded by players that know and love him, a coaching staff that respects him and a fanbase that has recently heralded him as the best player at the club.

But, frankly, it's not just that he wants to leave. It's the manner in which he's gone about it. A day after we publicly deride a Chelsea bid of just £22 million, he discloses to a tabloid paper from his holiday that he wants to leave. He then has the barefaced front to claim he 'doesn't want to have an argument with Spurs'. If that was true, then he wouldn't have gone public.

Surely he must understand the gravity of the situation he's created? He must recognise the Spurs-Chelsea rivalry. He must realise that he risks alienating himself to the rest of the team, especially after Bale and van der Vaart came out and made statements that they were going to stay. He must realise that, by acting in the manner he has done, he has driven a wedge between himself and Levy/Redknapp, making the chances of a smooth transfer almost impossible. Surely?

This whole saga has the foul stench of the Berbatov affair hanging all over it. And that ended miserably for this club. Levy's statement this morning is saying all the right things but he is now faced with a real dilemma over how to act. Chelsea will certainly come in with an improved bid. We can either stubbornly refuse and hold onto an unhappy player or we can sell and make sure we get top dollar. Look at Arsenal. They've held on to Fabregas, who couldn't be more blatant in his desire to jump ship, but look where it's got them? A unhappy player and an unharmonious squad. The last thing we need is a moody Modric, bringing down the atmosphere of a club that has generally been on the up for the past two years.

But, if we sell, no amount of money could make up for the gaping hole in our side that he would leave. He is, quite simply, world class. The heartbeat of the team. Scott Parker? Charlie Adam? Do us a favour. Modric is effectively irreplaceable and selling him, however lucrative it may be, would be a giant step backwards and would perhaps hasten the departure of Messrs Bale and van der Vaart.

This blog sees it quite bluntly: no player is bigger than the club. We took a chance on Modric and gave him his shot at the Premier League. We've built him up and idolised him. If he wants to leave us now and have a shot with Chelsea - if that's how little he really cares about this club - then good riddance. If this is the way he chooses to notify the world that he wants to leave then do we really want that type of player or person at the club?

These are dark days, Tottenham fans. The next few weeks are crucial.

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Season wishlist - the results

2011-06-07T12:59:00.000+01:00

"Get away from me Jermaine, you're still a bit of a nothing player", Kaboul probably said.

Way back in August at the start of the season, TBFWHL drew up a little wishlist for the impending year. Now that everything is done and dusted, it's the perfect time to take a look at that list and see whether or not any of those desires were granted...

1) "More Gomes brilliance. The Brazilian was in superlative form last season and went a long way and more towards erasing the bad reputation some had of him after a blunder-filled opening to his Spurs career. His triumvirate of world class saves against Arsenal in April was enough to take the breath away and he ended the season being hailed by many as one of the best keepers in the division. If Spurs are to continue on their long road of progression, a solid and dependable last line of defence is crucial and Gomes is certainly capable of providing that."

This didn't happen, not in the slightest. Gomes still exhibited the flying saves that were the hallmark of his finest performances in 09/10 but what he also showed was the maddening ability to ally great saves with goal-costing fumbles and rushes of blood to the head. Ronaldo, Lampard, Adam - all were indebted to Gomes at the end of the season for goals that shouldn't have been by conventional goalkeeping logic. As well as he's played at times over the past few years, his time should now be over and the expected signing of Brad Friedel means that Gomes' place is as insecure as it has been at any time.

2) "Consistency from Defoe. JD began last term like a train on fire. Or something. He had many notable moments throughout the season: the blistering hat-trick away at Hull, his historic five-goal haul in the 9-1 mauling of Wigan and his clinical poacher's hat-trick in the cup at Leeds. But towards the end of the season he had trailed off. He bagged a crucial penalty against Chelsea and worked incredibly hard during the season-defining win against Man City but having set a new personal record for goals in a season, he was unable to push past the 30 mark which had looked a certainty. Defoe is a brilliant goalscorer and a touch more consistency will go a long way to ensuring no more blank days in front of goal for Spurs."

Again, this wish spectacularly backfired. Defoe was injured for two or so months admittedly but his returns upon recovery were nothing short of woeful. Four Premier League goals were all he could muster and even a couple of FA Cup and Champions League hits weren't enough to gloss over his inadequacies. His poor form isn't necessarily a war crime but that he had the front to complain to the media that he wasn't getting started in every single game was pretty reprehensible. No wonder there's now rumours over his future.

3) "Huddlestone goals. When Tommy hits 'em, they stay hit. See his thunderbolts against Sunderland, Everton (Carling Cup) and Bolton for evidence. But for all the ferocity of his shooting boots, there were precious few efforts that hit the back of the net last term. With Palacios sitting deep and protecting the back four, Huddlestone has the remit to push on and try and create goal chances. Not all of them have t be for others, though, and the next level of his development is surely the addition of regular goals. He should aim for around 8-10 this coming year."

No. Another one that bit the dust. This wishlist is starting to feel like a monumentally bad idea. Whilst Hudds again had a decent season and more than played his part in some excellent team performances, goals were again seldom. A scorching hit against Fulham and a similarly fierce rocket in the North London Derby were all we were treated too. Next season perhaps?

4) "Positional definition for Bale. Many are still torn on where Bale's best position is. On the one hand, it would be brilliant for him to develop into a top left back in the long term and he can still attack from the back. The other end of the argument is that his most defining displays have come from left wing. The jury's out, to be honest. Redknapp has stated that he sees him as a left back and maybe that's the best option for now. A lot of it depends on whether Modric plays in the middle or on the left. Either way, for our sake and for his own, it would be wise to properly define Bale's position."

Finally, a wish that has been granted (ish). Bale made the left wing slot his own this season and delivered some of the season's greatest moments and performances. There's still the odd rumbling that many still see left back as his future role and this blog understands that - his runs would be equally as effective coming from deep and a quick left back is no bad thing to have. But, for the main part, Bale is a left winger par excellence.

5) "More away day guts. Traditionally, Tottenham sides of old would go to places like Blackburn, Bolton and Stoke and crumble miserably. No longer. Spurs were able to grind out results away at Ewood Park, The Britannia and Fratton Park, three places where we've never really had much success. The secret? The addition of the strong, physical Palacios will have certainly helped. We're no longer soft, Southern pushovers. As David Pleat once said, 'we like a tackle here at Tottenham'. Of course, there was the 1-0 reverse at Wolves to blight said progress. But more hard working away wins are certainly on the agenda for this season."

On the one hand, yes, with wins away at Stoke, Blackburn, Villa, Sunderland and Fulham. And, on the other hand, no. We were unable to win at places like Wolves, Newcastle, Everton and, perhaps the greatest sin of all, West Ham. Spurs are no longer the away side pushovers that they once were but to be a really great team, then consistency needs to be achieved and games like those mentioned above should be regularly producing three points, not just every once in a while. Still something to work on.

6) "A win away at Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool. Liverpool shouldn't really count because they're a bit rubbish these days. But we haven't won away at a big four ground in far too long. Beating them at home is certainly welcome too. But when we visit Old Trafford, we crumble - usually assisted by the ref. When we visit Stamford Bridge, we offer little. When we visit the Emirates... well, the less said the better. If we're ever likely to be taken seriously as one of the better teams in England, we need to address this problem sooner rather than later."

Yes, hell yes. This was done and then some. Whilst we capitulated at Old Trafford in typical style, we recorded the result of the season at Arsenal, pulling back a two goal deficit and recording a first league win away to Arsenal since 1993. At Chelsea, months later, we were arguably robbed of a win by two spineless pieces of officiating (and Gomes' complete ineptitude) but we made up for that with a win over Liverpool at Anfield, as we went about proving we were still ahead of the Merseysiders despite our fall from grace and their rapid ascent up the table. More of the same next season please.

7) "Redknapp to still be our manager at the end of the season. This is brought up for a number of reasons. The first is that typical Spurs predicament - early season optimism combined with a few disappointing results equals board overreaction and manager termination. As unlikely as it sounds given Harry's success so far, it's an outcome that shouldn't be totally scoffed at. And should the FA buy into the current We-Hate-Capello bandwagon then there's a real chance the Italian could be out of a job in a few months. And we all know how eager Harry would be to land the England position. Ah well. We'll just have Martin O'Neill."

Well, he's still in charge. But the angry rumblings of a section of deluded Spurs fans who want him out means that his position isn't as tenable as one might have hoped. Redknapp isn't perfect - he has his faults and it's easy to spot them. He's tactically naive at times. He doesn't try very hard to endear himself to the fans. But a) if he's tactically naive then we're one of the top five sides in the country and we beat the European champions this season and b) why does he have to endear himself to the fans if all he gets is circumstantial criticism from those who think we can do better? It's staggering to think that there are people out there who want to sack the man who delivered us, after years and years of failure, into the top four and the Champions League. This time next year he could be off to take on the England job anyway. So then they'll get their wish.

8) "A trophy. Any Trophy. This is something of an every-year wish. But it's just as important. Carling Cup is acceptable. FA Cup is much better. Champions League is beyond our wildest imaginations. But the point is that a bit of shiny silverware would look a lot better in 10 or so years time. Might as well take advantage of our current squad strength and muscle our way to a final."

There isn't too much that needs to be said on this one. Muscled out of the Carling Cup by Arsenal, humiliated by Fulham in the FA Cup and we were never likely to win the Champions League or the Premier League, despite a reasonable fist at the former. Still, could be worse. We could be Arsenal. (Too soon?)

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2010-11 Season Review: Awards

2011-06-06T13:07:00.000+01:00

Luka hadn't quite perfected the art of the angry punch

Settle down at the back there. The most gratifying part of a blogsworth's existence is the customary handing out of end-of-season awards - where players and games are rated and slated and the very best moments of the previous 10 months can be reminisced over. This year might not be as euphoric as the previous campaign but that's no reason not to celebrate the very best of Tottenham circa 2010-11. There were, of course, some simply unforgettable moments.

Read, enjoy, comment. Debate is, as always, encouraged. Here we go:

Goal of the Season

Wow. A horrible decision to make first up. Like choosing your favourite child (or something like that). Spurs scored more aesthetically glorious goals this season than they dropped points against bottom half team. Bale, Huddlestone, van der Vaart, Kranjcar, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko... all would be worthy beneficiaries of this prestigious award but, for sheer smack-bang-out-of-the-blue impact, it has to go to young Mr Sandro Ranieri Guimarães Cordeiro and his beautiful dipping volley against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It's tough to pinpoint what the most incredible component of the strike was: the gorgeous little reverse flick from Rafa, the fact that Sandro was far froward enough to be in that position, the weight and accuracy of the shot or the fact that he was cut off mid celebration by Redknapp and told not to get that far forward again. A truly majestic moment from a fine young player. Shame about the rest of that game. See the goal, in admittedly not the greatest quality, here.

Unsung Hero

The winner of this award is, in one half of Tottenham support, unsung and, in the other, very much, erm, sung. But for that ridiculously over-the-top criticism sent his way by Alan Hansen on Match of the Day after a below-par showing against Everton, Benoit Assou Ekotto is this year's winner. For those that pay attention to him, he's one of our very finest and most consistent performers. Very rarely has a bad game - that Everton showing being the exception that proves the rule. BAE has been recognised by the media this year as a person who is the polar opposite to today's archetypal footballer, as we were shown in the hundreds (not literally) of newspaper, magazine and TV features on him during January and February. Solid, dependable and one of the best passers in the side, BAE is doing a very capable job and deserves more credit from those still in the 'anti' camp.

Game of the Season

Tempting to choose from the litany of exceptional Champions League performances, it's really too difficult to look past our scarcely believable storming of the Emirates castle in November. 17 years in the making, Arsenal 2 Tottenham 3 was perhaps the perfect way to silence to taunts of our bitter rivals over our failure to beat them on their own patch, or even at all, in what seemed like generations. 2-0 down at half time and having turned out a desperately poor showing, Redknapp's cavaliers turned it round in the second half, led by goals from our big guns Bale and van der Vaart. Then, with minutes remaining, Younes Kaboul provided the coup de grâce with a neat header, putting the finishing touches on one of the greatest games of the season and a quite remarkable comeback. Sing it together now: Two nil and you f**ked it up...

Moment of the Season

'Taxi for Maicon' was the chant reverberating around N17 on the evening of November 2nd as the world's best right back (or so commonly thought) was given the runaround by a young Spurs winger all night. The number of times the Welshman had beaten the Brazilian was becoming hard to calculate but, with the score at 2-1 and with Spurs holding on to a tiny lead, it happened again, in perhaps the most devastating fashion all evening. Bale received the ball on the left flank, knocked it past Maicon and absolutely burned past him in pursuit of his self-pass. A perfectly weighted cross was turned in by Pavlyuchenko, Spurs were 3-1 up and were moments away from beating the European champions in their debut Champions League season. Tottenham and Bale had well and truly arrived.

Breakthrough player of the season

Really only one man this can go to. Step forward once again, Sandro, you greedy little so-and-so. Odd to think he couldn't get into the side until around January. But once he got his chance, boy did he take it. Standout performances include his absolutely colossal display at the San Siro as Spurs took it to the would-be Serie A champions and beat them 1-0. Then there was his goal at Chelsea, mentioned earlier, as he showed he could mix it up in attack as well as perform the holding role so efficiently. A tirelessly hard worker, Sandro runs around like few before him. He's sharp in the tackle, confident in possession and extremely mindful of his responsibility to protect the back four. More of the same and you'll be a star, my son.

Player of the Season

There's only one man in Lilywhite who is truly worthy of this season's player of the year gong, yet honourable mentions must be made beforehand. Firstly, to Gareth Bale, the PFA Player of the Year. His lung-busting runs down the left wing are one of the modern game's most cherished sights and he quite simply was an absolute star in the first half of the season. Stunning in the Champions League, just as eye-catching domestically, his season was cruelly cut short by a succession of injuries. Next, Rafa van der Vaart. Perhaps one of the best bits of business in Premier League history, Rafa arrived at the last possible nano-second for a snip at £8 million. And he immediately looked the business. A leader on the pitch, a scorer of plenty of goals and a hater of the Arsenal. His form may have tailed off slightly but this is a serious player we have on our hands here. Also worthy of mention are the centre backs Michael Dawson and William Gallas. Dawson was stricken by injury in the cruellest manner possible whilst on early season England duty but made it back to lead the side superbly for the second half of the season. Gallas was a questionable signing by Redknapp but it can't be said that he didn't add heaps of extra class to our defence and he has the winning attitude that is so badly needed around the team. No tantrums to be seen either (yet).

But, with all that said and done, 2010-11 really did belong to the superb Luka Modric. For all Bale and VDV's fireworks, Modric makes the side tick. Sitting in his central midfield berth and pulling the strings so effectively, he is type of player that every side craves. Incredibly capable on the ball, technically outstanding and gloriously effective in terms of off-the-ball movement, he could play for any side in the world and look good. Even the all-conquering Barcelona. For now, at least, he's ours and whilst he remains at the club, we must build our sides around this diminutive Croatian genius. When he signed on three years ago, it was clear that he was a supremely talented player, if he did take a few months to really shine. Now, he's one of the best players in the league. Keeping hold of him should be the club's number one priority.