Tag Archives: spurs - Page 2

Represent Spurs When We Take On Blackpool!

Posted by on November 30, 2010 2 comments

Blackpool v SpursThe club is looking for a brave fan to take on a Blackpool supporter in the half-time Wonga Cash Dash, when the teams meet at Bloomfield Road on Sunday, December 19.

To enter, CLICK HERE.

The Cash Dash is a race in two giant zorb balls, across the Bloomfield turf, between one home and one away supporter. The winner will be the fan who crosses the finishing line first, and will earn themselves £250. There will also a £250 donation to Blackpool’s Trinity Hospice.

So if you fancy representing Spurs, register your details at www.wonga.com/blackpool

And if you don’t know what a “zorb ball” is, here is Blackpool’s Ian Holloway demonstrating! http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10432~2136928,00.html

West Ham the Value

Posted by on September 24, 2010 4 comments

Wrighty7 is a gaylordFrom a betting perspective, I like the best price of 11/4 on West Ham tomorrow. That’s not to say I don’t think Spurs can win the game, they most certainly can, but I feel we are a little skinny at 11/10 coming off the back of a demoralising defeat against Arsenal. I realise that game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things but it still wasn’t nice and it will likely give the Hammers a bit more confidence, especially when they are coming off the back of two decent results.

Both Sunderland and Stoke are tough places to go and come away with anything. West Ham are certainly on the up and this is not a great time for Tottenham to have an away game at Upton Park as far as I’m concerned. Scott Parker has carried his excellent form from last season into this and he will be key as far as their chances of gaining their first win this term are concerned.

Spurs do have some positives however, with Luka Modric, Rafael van der Vaart and Vedran Corluka all available for selection having recovered from their respective injuries. Not only am I sure that Harry will be desperate to put things right tomorrow after our midweek result, the majority of the players will also want to give the fans something to be happy about. As much as I can understand the frustration of the supporters that walked out on Tuesday night, it’s not something I like to see and it must be very tough on the players, no matter how badly they may have performed.

I could see this game being a draw, possibly 1-1. Harry’s history with the Hammers will ensure it’s a lively encounter both on and off the pitch. Spurs certainly have too much for the West Ham on paper and could well come away with a victory, I’m just not confident enough to be putting any of my hard earned on them at poor odds. West Ham are coming into a bit of form and will be looking to this game as the one where their league campaign can really get under way.

Oh and by the way, to show I have got a bit of a sense of humour, I’ve used the lovely image our old mate wrighty7 posted on my Facebook wall earlier. The Arsenal fans seem to be getting over excited at the prospect of winning the League Cup when they have never cared about the competition before. Desperate times and all that I suppose. I’ll let them have their moment while I concentrate on more important things such as FC Twente.

The Chelsea fans seem upset

Posted by on September 15, 2010 9 comments

I’m a little bit confused this morning. I went to a local pub to watch the game last night. It wasn’t particularly busy but more than average for a week night. As far as I could see, there wasn’t anyone wearing a Spurs shirt, but there were a good few patrons in Chelsea colours.

I didn’t think much of it but once the match got underway, it became clear they were all staunch Werder Bremen supporters for the night. It wasn’t just cheering and booing from this crowd though, there was actually screeching accompanying each Werder chance as though they had just climaxed.

There are a few teams I don’t particularly like, but I’d never go out with the sole intention of supporting another team for the night because of it. All I’ve been hearing from Chelsea supporters for the last few weeks is how Tottenham won’t be able to cut it in the Champions League and we will be dumped out in the group stages. Well if that’s the case, I don’t understand the need for them to get so excited when Spurs are playing.

Admittedly, a few of these boys were holding hands and also having a bit of a kiss when they thought nobody else was looking. One of them even had a Gok Wan rocks my world t-shirt on. If I could be sure this was a meeting of Chelsea’s homosexual supporters community, then I’d be a little more understanding. I know they have a large gay following and on a personal level, the luck I have with women, I’m starting to see the appeal. Obviously taking their shoes off at West Ham last weekend was some kind of fashion statement.

The Champions League is the one thing Abramovich’s money hasn’t been able to buy yet. Maybe the reason Chelsea supporters are so upset about Tottenham being in the Champions League is because we have a habit of beating them. I’m sure watching us come away with a point against one of the best sides Germany has to offer won’t have done much to make them feel better…

Bargain Borrowing

Posted by on August 3, 2010 11 comments

Tottenham Loan DealsSo, no players want to sign for us on a permanent basis then! The fact we can’t tie any of our top transfer targets down is a little disheartening but it’s probably also an indication that Harry Redknapp isn’t prepared to buy second rate players just to bring in bodies. He seems very much of the opinion that if the price isn’t right, we should just move on.

Redknapp has been quoted in the press today saying loan deals are probably the way forward for Tottenham in the current transfer market;

“I can see loans happening. I’ve got three players in mind that would not cost a lot of money.

“If we can pull off the deals you are talking about £8million or £9million for three players. Loans would certainly be a real possibility.

“People are going to loan players from all over the world, there will be loads because clubs are struggling to pay the wages. There will be high earners they have to loan out.”

I’m not really sure how I feel about loan deals. Part of me thinks it’s a good thing. You get the player in for the season just paying wages and if it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to retain their services. Often, these players are looking to put themselves in the shop window and put in decent performances throughout the season.

Usually where loans are concerned, it’s players from the top clubs going to smaller outfits. A side in the Champions League having to bolster their squad with loanees seems a little ridiculous. However, with the new rules regarding squad sizes, times may be changing. The wealthiest clubs are going to have a number of players surplus to requirements and loan deal may be the only viable financial option.

The only issue I can see is whether these big name stars are going to have enough hunger coming to Spurs on a temporary basis. Will they just rest on their laurels? If you take Jamie O’Hara’s spell at Portsmouth as an example; he worked his socks off week in week out. I can’t see many of those on the fringes of the Manchester City squad doing the same for Tottenham. Only time will tell I suppose. I’d imagine some business will be done one way or another this week.

Other news;

I’m going to be the Spurs contact for Ian Wright’s Saturday football show on Absolute Radio.

I’ve been asked to share this Arsenal story with you all;
Arsenal Celebrations

You can join our Fantasy League for this season below
2010/11 Fantasy Football

Once you have chosen your team, click on leagues then enter the following code to join the EBA League:
163104-47048

And finally, you can follow me on Twitter here
Mabbs on Twitter

Players Please

Posted by on July 24, 2010 21 comments

Tottenham TransfersSo where are these summer signings then?! I expected Tottenham to be very active in the transfer market by now but it just hasn’t happened. It sounds like Harry expected to get Joe Cole but I still thought we’d have three or four new squad members by now. Our boss was quoted in the press today talking about Man City’s resources, claiming fans would not care if ‘Saddam Hussein’ owned their club so long as he was pumping ridiculous amounts of money into it.

City’s spending power is incredible and eventually, I’m sure they will manage to buy the Premier League title and possible even the Champions League, but I believe we still have another season or two before the Abu Dhabi United Group complete their mission! Although it must be exciting times for City fans, I’d imagine it must also be a little tedious being able to basically go out and get anyone. As a fan you want success, but just buying it in that way makes very little appeal to me personally. If Spurs paid the type of transfer fee and wages that are being quoted for James Milner, I’d feel more than a little sick!

‘There’s still value in the transfer market, but you’ve got to be a genius. You’ve got to go and find somebody, but top players, they want top wages. That’s your problem.’

While Redknapp does have a point with regard to the transfer market being a tougher place to unearth bargains than it has been in years gone by, it’s not impossible. If anyone can come up with a couple of gems for fair money, it’s Harry. I think wages are an issue but there is a balance you have to find where that issue is concerned. The club have that balance about right at
the moment.

It just doesn’t feel normal being a Spurs fan this Summer. Champions League football and not being linked with every player under the sun while buying and selling lots of others. Maybe this is the new Tottenham, a more settled and stable one hopefully. That being said, two or three new faces before we kick off our campaign proper would be very welcome.

Will Joe Cole tip the balance?

Posted by on July 21, 2010 7 comments

Joe ColeA few days ago, I wrote an article discussing the online betting for next season’s Premier League title. I found it puzzling that Liverpool were a significantly shorter price than Tottenham going on last season’s form, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the future of their star players. Gerrard was to be joining Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and Torres was also allegedly keen to move, that is if anyone is brave enough to risk millions of pounds on a player that looks to have serious issues if his World Cup performances are anything to go by.

I genuinely thought Joe Cole would end up at Tottenham this summer. If the internet and newspapers are to believed, Spurs offer of wages was the lowest of his suitors, and significantly lower than those Liverpool where willing to pay. The way I see it, Liverpool were willing to pay over the odds for a player like Joe Cole as a statement of intent. They are not in the Champions League currently, have appointed a very talented but arguably low profile manager and looked like a club in serious regression last season. Cole’s signing not only shows they are still able to attract players of world class

All this being said, I don’t think it’s the end of the world that Spurs missed out on Cole. We already have a wealth of talent in midfield and paying 100k a week or more for a player in his late 20s who has a very poor injury record probably wasn’t the right move for us in hindsight. I think he was a lot more important for Liverpool than he was for Tottenham.

Do I think Cole’s move to Liverpool will propel them to mount a challenge for the Premier League title this coming season? Not a chance. Do I think he will tip the balance in their favour over Spurs where the battle for a top 4 spot is concerned? I doubt it, but I fully expect them to be better than last season. The only problem for them is, Spurs will be too!

I might start supporting Fulham

Posted by on July 19, 2010 38 comments

So that was a white lie, but it will hurt seeing Martin Jol at another Premiership side if today’s papers are to be believed. Maarten Cornelis Jol should never have lost his job as Tottenham manager and the way he was treated still gets my goat when I think back to it. Obviously it’s all water under the bridge now, and I wouldn’t swap Harry for anyone, but I was very disappointed when the Dutchman was replaced.

His record since leaving Spurs has enforced the fact he is an excellent manager having tasted success at both Hamburg and Ajax. It’s easy to forget what he achieved at Tottenham and how much improvement and consistency he got from the squad during his tenure. Winning the League Cup under Ramos vindicated the club’s decision to replace Jol in the short term, but Ramos’ overall record did nothing of the sort.

I’ve always had a lot of time for Fulham as a football club anyway but now I’ll be keen for them to do well, just so long as it isn’t at Tottenham’s expense. If Martin Jol does take the reigns at Craven Cottage, it will certainly make for a couple of very entertaining fixtures this coming season and it would be no surprise to see Jol’s Fulham side turn us over in at least one of those Premier League meetings. As much as I’m a fan of our former manager, I just hope it isn’t at White Hart Lane!

We will never know what might have been under Martin Jol. I realise he was going through a slightly rough patch when he was removed from office at Tottenham but that was likely due to the fact his position had been undermined by both Levy and Comolli. Fingers crossed it will be a successful 2010/11 season for both Tottenham and Fulham.

The truth about Joe Cole

Posted by on June 8, 2010 23 comments

For the best part of two weeks, every Arsenal fan I know has been very keen to tell me that Joe Cole has agreed a deal to join the Gunners. I did find it slightly hard to believe, I just couldn’t see him wanting to go there. Not solely for footballing reasons but I just can’t imagine him fitting in very well there. He strikes me as a guy who needs to have a laugh and a bit of banter and I don’t think Wenger and co are going to provide any of that. Maybe now he’s got a kid he’s his thinking is different but I can see no reason why he’d want to go there rather than come and work with familiar faces at Tottenham.

When Harry Redknapp said last week it looked like Cole had already agreed a deal with a club, I started to think that maybe the Arsenal rumours were true. The fact Redknapp has done a U-Turn in the last couple of days and declared his interest in signing the Chelsea and England star makes things very different. Something must have happened to make Redknapp change his position so dramatically. Last week he basically said there was no chance, he’d been told Cole was off the market but now he’s made his intentions very clear.

The only negative I can see from Cole’s point of view where a move to Spurs is concerned is the fact we still have to qualify for the Champions League proper. Also, the fact we aren’t Champions League regulars and it’s going to be no easy task to repeat the feat next season would mean his contract would likely contain a lot of conditions, but I don’t really see any problem with that. Being one of the most desirable free agents in recent years, his wage demands will be huge but there are ways around this with signing on fees, bonuses etc so we wouldn’t necessarily have to destroy our wage structure!

A good World Cup for Cole may create new interest from abroad for his signature but from a neutral point of view, I honestly believe Tottenham to be his most likely destination. Obviously I’m also hoping that is the case but the lure of working with Redknapp again coupled with the fact he would feel very much at home with a number of friends and England team mates at the club must make Tottenham a very attractive proposition.

Do the positives outweigh the negatives?

Posted by on December 7, 2009 5 comments

I was hopeful Spurs would managed at least a win and a draw from our three away games on the spin but as it turns out, I’m reasonably satisfied with two more league points. The only disappointing part is we should have got all six!

As much time as I have for Everton, our class should have been enough to win yesterday’s game. They were missing a number of players and also had to travel abroad during the week. While it was a very entertaining encounter, we had numerous chances and far to much quality for a second string Everton side.

To be two goals to the good with only twelve minutes to go in the game and not win is simply not good enough. All credit to Everton for a battling performance but we cannot afford to drop points like that if we are to have even a remote chance of a top four finish.

I wasn’t too bothered about our Carling Cup exit. Although a victory over Man Utd at Old Trafford would have been great, Spurs have been there, done that as far as the trophy is concerned. I’m not saying we are better than the competition, but a place in the Champions League would mean so much more both from a reputation as well as a financial point of view. Most of the top teams use the League Cup as an opportunity to give their reserve and youth players some first team action. Maybe Tottenham should be doing the same now.

Not getting beat after going to both Villa and Goodison Park should make Spurs fans very happy, outplaying both sides and not winning either game will not.

I hope Wigan bounce back

Posted by on November 25, 2009 4 comments

As wonderful as our nine goal victory was on Sunday, spare a thought for Wigan. As I said last week, I was not surprised to see a big score line but it was thanks in part to Wigan’s style of play.

As difficult as it must have been for Wigan fans to swallow, I hope they give Martinez time to finish the good job he’s started. I know they have been on the end of a few hidings but they play attractive football. The Premier League would be very boring if all the lesser sides played like Stoke. He’s a good young manager and comes across very well.

As for Tottenham, maybe we still have a mental block when it comes to the big teams. We cannot continue to put on scintillating performances against the majority of opponents at the Lane and then give limp displays like we did against Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea. I know two of those games were away from home and injuries played a part but the contrast is too great.

Harry has done wonders since his arrival but his previous sides have always been able to turn over the likes of Utd and Arsenal, sides that had no where near the strength in depth the current Spurs squad has. Maybe things will look different come the end of the season.

With Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and Villa all dropping points this past weekend, our top 4 push is still going along nicely and the 9-1 win will have done wonders for both confidence and morale. It couldn’t have come at a better time with 3 away games on the trot coming up, all against tough sides. I’d take 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat if I’m honest, as long as the win is against Utd!