2008-2009 Tottenham Hotspur Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports' started by Hornin Hong Kong, Jun 17, 2008.

  1. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    I am happy he ade the switch because we got 6-8million Pounds mroe than he is worth whcih let us sign 23 year old bently and we should still haev the cash for Arshavin even if Berbs doesn't leave.

    Another hat trick for D Bent last night woo woo

    Come on Arshavin.
     
  2. 1899horn

    1899horn 500+ Posts

    Dos Santos is very hungry, and I have read him quoted as saying that he'll play wherever Juande wants him to play. He just wants to be on the pitch. Im aglad to see that he is making a good impression. I hope Gio gets to give Barça "fans" a real reason to boo him one of these days. Fickle mushheads.
     
  3. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    from what ive seen he was a steal at 4.5
     
  4. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Another friendly last night that we came away 5-1 winners. Lower division side and we didn't kick into higher gears right away.

    Darren Bent completed a second hat-trick in as many friendly matches as we made it 10 goals in a week by beating Leyton Orient 5-1 on Wednesday night.

    The striker picked up where he left off at Norwich City on Monday to make it seven goals in two matches as we repeated the winning scoreline from Carrow Road.

    This time, it was all about the second half as we trailed 1-0 at the break to Jason Demetriou's curler before rattling in four goals inside 15 minutes to completely change the course of the game.

    Bent rounded it off with the fifth in the 77th minute to make it seven goals in his last two games and nine so far in pre-season.

    There was a tale of the unexpected after just four minutes when Demetriou picked up the ball around five yards outside of the area to the left. After ambling forward in a non-threatening fashion he looked up before planting a curler of the highest quality into the top left hand corner.

    Young Oscar Jansson in goal could do nothing about it and the majority of a full house at Brisbane Road were given some early cheer by their side.

    Gareth Bale made his first start of the pre-season campaign in left midfield ahead of Gilberto, while Adel Taarabt and Aaron Lennon were operating behind Darren Bent in attack, with Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric patrolling central midfield.

    On 18 minutes a Spurs player was carried off on a stretcher, albeit one wearing the colours of the home side. Stiker Simon Dawkins appeared to suffer an ankle injury following a collision with Huddlestone. We hope the injury is not a serious one and wish him a speedy recovery.

    After a period defending without suffering too many alerts, Orient could have doubled their lead just after the half hour mark when Tamika Mkandawire forced a route through on goal.

    Jansson did well to close him down and force the ball wide for a corner.

    Glenn Morris made a brave block to foil Bent after Taarabt played him through on goal, but chances were not coming thick and fast.

    Chris Gunter, Gilberto and Taarabt made way at half-time for Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Jermaine Jenas and Giovani dos Santos.

    The change paid almost immediate dividends. Just 47 seconds into the half, a Dos Santos corner fizzed into the near post from the right, Bale attempted a flick at the near post and Morris was completely foxed. The goalkeeper only managed to parry the ball and Bent was on hand to smash home his fifth goal in two pre-season games.

    Just over a minute later a Didier Zokora cross from the right was headed home by the unmarked Lennon from 12 yards out and the game was turned on its head.

    The home fans cheered in hope of a leveller a few minutes on, but Jansson was clearly bundled over.

    On 51 minutes Modric made his mark when he sweetly controlled a Lennon cross from the right and steered high into net with the assistance of a slight deflection off Brian Saah.

    Jenas came mighty close with a spectacular scissors kick from a Lennon cross, but just before the hour the England international threaded a pass to Bent in the area and, despite being forced wide, the striker executed a precise finish.

    Jamie O'Hara then came on for Modric and Academy full-back Adam Smith replaced Zokora. Andros Townsend was later introduced for Bale.

    Dominance was near total and Orient were being forced to watch something of an exhibition of precise, yet adventurous, passing. Jenas and Dos Santos galvanised the game from a Spurs perspective, with Bent thriving on the increased activity behind him.

    He clinched his hat-trick on 77 minutes when some trickery from Dos Santos unlocked the Orient rearguard and he cannoned the ball home from penalty spot range.

    Spurs: Jansson, Gunter (Assou-Ekotto, 46), Bale (Townsend, 66), Zokora (Adam Smith, 60), Huddlestone, Lennon, Bent, Gilberto (Jenas, 46), Modric (O'Hara, 60), Taarabt (Dos Santos, 60), Dawson. Subs: Gomes.

    Leyton Orient: Morris, Purches, Granville, Mkandawire, Saah, Melligan, Chambers, Dawkins, Terry, Demetriou, Jarvis. Subs: Gray, Giddins, Shields, Cave-Brown, Boyd, Palmer, Pires, Boyd, Robson.
    The Link



    [​IMG]
     
  5. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Spurs sign Bentley.

    £15 mil plus add on's, which I think is a little steep (if that is accurate), but I think he can certainly help us.


    Bentley to The Lane
    We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Blackburn Rovers for the transfer of David Bentley.

    The England international made 133 appearances for the Ewood Park side - scoring 21 goals - after initially joining on loan from Arsenal in August 2005, the move being made permanent in January 2006.

    The 23-year-old has now won six senior England caps after previously representing his country at B, Under-21 and Under-20 level.





    [​IMG]


    The Link
     
  6. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Bentley: Spurs have piece of my heart
    David Bentley on Thursday insisted it "meant the world" to sign for Tottenham and backed the club to break into the Premier League's top four this season.

    The England winger completed his move from Blackburn, worth an initial £15million, late on Wednesday night and has agreed a six-year contract.

    "It means the world to join Tottenham," he told a news conference televised on Sky Sports News. "Gazza was my favourite player, all my mates are Tottenham fans and there's a piece of my heart at this club."

    He added: "I didn't think they would be interested in me and when it became available there was nowhere else I wanted to go."

    Asked about the fact he began his professional career with Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal, Bentley said: "That's in the past, I grew up through the Arsenal youth team but it's not a problem for me, all my heart is at Tottenham and all my passion will be tunnelled into doing well for Tottenham."

    He immediately targeted a challenge for Champions League qualification, which would require big-spending Spurs breaking up the dominance of the division's 'big four'.

    He continued: "We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to. You've seen what Juande Ramos did last year; the fitness and level of play has risen and I want to be part of that, hopefully we'll keep progressing and doing well.

    "It's all there for us - if we're all up for it it's quite possible."

    Bentley continued on Sky Sports News: "I'm excited by it. There are a lot of good players here, you look at (Luka) Modric, Giovani dos Santos and I'm looking forward to fitting in the side somewhere."
    The Link
     
  7. DrunkenMic

    DrunkenMic 25+ Posts

    Ollie - I know that one player does not make the team. In most cases it bothers me when people put anything ahead of their team - but here's my problem: the ONLY reason I became a Spurs fan is Robbie Keane.

    I was in Ireland during the 2002 WC and couldn't believe the way he put that team on his back and willed them through the group stages - at the age of 21. It was like an Irish Bret Saberhagen! I had already decided to start following the EPL, but didn't know what team I wanted to support. I had no overwhelming reason for any - until I watched Keano play.

    Thus, when the 02-03 season started I became a Leeds fan...for about a week. He transferred to Spurs early in the season so I switched my "allegiance" (I hadn't even seen a match yet anyway). I quickly found that Spurs history was the type of club I was looking for - but through those lean years, it was Keano that kept me interested in the team.

    Once I got FSC and was able to start watching a lot of games, I got more and more into the club, but there were no players on the squad or throughout the EPL that I enjoyed watching near as much as Keano.

    So no, I don't plan on dropping Spurs - but it's really hard right now to care at all about the team. I'm trying and following the news, but this is devastating. I've always been about my team first. There were players I liked, but never one as much as the team (or certainly not the team because of a player). I can't imagine watching Bent and a way over-valued Russian or some old Spaniard as the first team strikers.

    I know that my footie world has been turned-upside down when the most intriguing player on my favorite team is Mexico's biggest rising star. It's like cheering for a Mizzou player, a St. Louis Cardinal, or a Gooner (OU or North London). I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
     
  8. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    DM, I do understand, but that unfortunately is the way the game is these days. People maybe followed Arsenal because of Henry. He WAS Arse, but ended up leaving.

    Keano has decided to jump ship and play for the fat Spanish waiter. Fair play to him, he has got a big pay rise and wanted to move, what can you do?

    Very few players are loyal like they used to be now. Spurs have some great players at the club. It's like any team, when you read about them all the time and watch them as much as you can, you get more into supporting the team.

    You can still follow a player you like (unless you totally hate the team he has moved to then it is certainly tougher to do) but personally I hate it when fans jump ship and only follow teams due to an individual player. That doesn't sound like you though. Follow Tottenham this year and lets see what we can do.
     
  9. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Pre season still going well. Watched the game against Celtic, SPL champs and we dominated. Oh, David Bentley scored on his debut too. Next game up Sunday, but in the mean time, here is the match report from Friday night:

    David Bentley scored on his first Spurs appearance as we began the Feyenoord Jubileum Tournament with a 2-0 win over Celtic in Rotterdam.

    The England midfielder, who joined us from Blackburn Rovers during the week, made it a day to remember as he tapped in at the back post 11 minutes from time to seal a comfortable win over the Scottish champions.

    Darren Bent had earlier opened the goalscoring with his ninth goal in four pre-season friendlies this summer.

    Our first chance came when Lennon began to tease his marker and released Bent into space ahead of him down the right flank. The striker delivered a decent cross but Jenas couldn't quite get enough purchase on his header to trouble Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal.

    But it was a Celtic slip that opened the gates on 25 minutes when Paul Hartley weakly attempted back pass was seized on by Bent, who proceeded to round Boruc and once again his execution was precise.

    He could have added to this tally three minutes before the break after Modric slipped a clever pass beyond Celtic's defensive line. Quick as a flash Bent was bearing down on goal and only a fortunate block by Boruc prevented him extending the lead.

    Bentley entered the fray at half-time and was joined by Gareth Bale, with Woodgate and Lennon making way.

    He showed his range of passing straight away with a deep ball that proved just a little too powerful for Berbatov, before Modric probed and played through Bent, but the forward was shouldered off the ball on approach to goal.

    The clever feet of Berbatov provided Modric with a chance to add to his pre-season tally following a smart low cross from Bent, but the little Croatian just lost his footing at the crucial moment. One thing is clear, this squad does not look like it will be lacking in creativity as we head into the new season.

    Celtic were struggling to make any sort of impact on the game as we hit the hour mark, and Heurelho Gomes remained untroubled as the boys established dominance with slick passing and interchange.

    Ledley King was then entered into the mix in place of Huddlestone before, on 72 minutes after a further period of patient pressure, a Bentley cross just cleared the head of Bale after good work from Modric.

    It was turning out to be a very one-sided 1-0, with the team not able to find the goals to match the superiority they were enjoying.

    But this all changed on 79 minutes when Bale fired across goal, Boruc could not grab and it was Bentley waiting to slot home at the far post before enjoying an enthusiastic first greeting with the travelling support.

    It was a dream start for him and the perfect start for the Club at this prestigious tournament, where we next face Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.
     
  10. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    what time is the dortmund match
     
  11. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Sky Sports 2

    Tottenham v B. Dortmund - Live

    16:30pm - 18:45pm

    Tottenham Hotspur face Borussia Dortmund at De Kuip Stadium in the Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament. The new Spurs signings will be on display ahead of the new Barclays Premier League season.
     
  12. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Only a friendly, but still, we have won all our pre season games and this one was against Roma...

    Bentley shines in Spurs romp
    New boy hits brace, Bent grabs two and Lennon also on target

    Last updated: 10th August 2008


    [​IMG]



    David Bentley marked his home debut for Tottenham Hotspur with a brace in a 5-0 thrashing of Roma.

    Striker Darren Bent continued his impressive pre-season form with another double and Aaron Lennon chipped in with a goal as Roma finished the game with 10 men.

    Spurs enjoyed the perfect start to the contest when Bentley whipped in a free-kick which eluded everyone and crept in at the far post after just three minutes.

    The lead was doubled two minutes later when Bent latched on to a poor pass from Philippe Mexes to finish clinically.

    Roma striker Mirko Vucinic headed tamely at Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes before Juande Ramos' side added a third goal in first-half injury-time.

    Marco Cassetti was sloppy in possession, allowing Bentley to smash home a low drive from 25 yards.

    Lennon was a half-time substitute and made an immediate impact by scoring the fourth following excellent work from Giovani Dos Santos.

    Tottenham completed the scoring on 54 minutes when Bent finished from close range at the far post after Jonathan Woodgate had glanced on Bentley's corner.

    The Serie A side saw midfielder Alberto Aquilani sent off late on after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.



    Sky Sports Match Report
     
  13. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    That was a complete detonation of a quality side. Berbs played the whole first half and did nothing.

    I'm starting to think we may keep him and he will half to earn his transfer - but why does he now want to transfer?

    Dos Santos cross to Lennon looked like it was shot out of a cannon right on hto his boot.

    Gomes is all that and more.

    I was watching Spurs on one tv and USA basketball v China on the other.

    Awesome.
     
  14. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

  15. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    Why did Tottenham let this guy get away?

    [​IMG]

    PS- I didn't know that RuPaul's boyfriend played soccer. [​IMG]

    The Link
     
  16. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Not sure. I thought he had a lot of potential, but for whatever reason, Ramos obviously didn't rate him enough. He could be a little suspect in central defense. Personally I think he would have turned into a great Defensive Midfielder if given the chance, sitting just in front of the back line.

    Oh well. Hope he works out for Pompey.
     
  17. LondonOllie

    LondonOllie 250+ Posts

    Guardian - Premier League Review - Tottenham

    The first weekend of a new season is not unlike the first day back at school after the summer holidays. There are a few new kids to bully, and everyone wants to see what everyone else has been up to during their break. Most haven't changed much at all, save for an expensive new coat, a snazzy new haircut or a new pair of brogues from Clarks. But there's always one who comes back having had a major makeover; who is a different, barely recognisable person, and the talk of the playground.

    This year, that team is Tottenham. After taking a good look at what he had last season, the impressive Juande Ramos has overhauled a decent but ultimately inadequate squad with decisiveness (seven of the side that started the first game of last season have gone, and an eighth, Paul Stalteri, was last seen scrubbing toilets), imagination (Luka Modric, Giovani dos Santos and possibly Andriy Arshavin) and audacity (Modric, Dos Santos and possibly Arshavin).

    As a consequence Spurs are surely the most interesting of the 20 sides we will see for the first time in the league this weekend: partly because of their unpredictability, partly because they have bashed 33 goals in eight pre-season games, partly because they may have lost the Premiership's best strike pair and actually improved, but mainly because of the talent they have assembled.

    There should be no assumptions of hegemony among the also-rans: too often in the past Spurs have presented a brilliant trailer, only for the actual movie to suck. But on paper Spurs are the best of those competing for the hallowed fifth place - and, if they get Arshavin and a proper replacement for Dimitar Berbatov, arguably even better than Arsenal and Liverpool.

    Certainly it's Spurs' best array of attacking talent since 1986-87, when Clive Allen scored 49 goals and Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle ran amok.

    One thing's for sure: they should be great to watch. Of their three marquee summer signings, it's hard to know which represents the biggest coup:
    Modric, the Croatian schemer whose wit and grace sent English football into a prolonged bout of navel-gazing last November; Dos Santos, one of the world's best teenagers, who scored a hat-trick in his final game for Barcelona and whose signing, for a maximum of £8.6m, is a remarkable steal; or David Bentley, the best emerging player in England, followed by plenty of daylight, and someone who will surely be playing for a top-four club within two years, whether at Tottenham or elsewhere.

    While Bentley is close to a banker, the Rule of Rebrov provokes legitimate concerns as to how the physically light pair of Modric and Dos Santos - and Arshavin, if his move is resurrected - will handle the muck and bullets of English football, although Modric is a deceptively tough nut. There are also issues about how the new players will gel and fit in tactically.

    Spurs have so many options that a best XI might not even exist. Modric, a very modern kind of playmaker, could play alongside either Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas in an orthodox 4-4-2, or wide left in the same system, or in the Deco role in a 4-2-3-1, with a combination of Dos Santos, Bentley, Aaron Lennon - whose directness offers an important complement to the patient craft elsewhere - Gareth Bale or Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the wider positions.

    If only they had such depth up front. The first-team squad page on the club's official site lists only three strikers: one of those is Dimitar Berbatov, apparently about to leave, and another is Dos Santos, who is more of a second striker than a first. That leaves Darren Bent, who is seemingly about to become the first player to win an England call-up based on form in pre-season friendlies (12 goals in six games), but who surely lacks the subtlety to play up front on his own for an extended period. It would be a major surprise if Berbatov was allowed to leave without a replacement having been lined up. A big man capable of linking play, and taking advantage of Bentley's consistently outstanding crosses, would seem the most desirable option. And if they keep Berbatov? Bloody hell.

    For the big man in midfield, Huddlestone, this is a huge season. He is still only 21, yet it feels like he has stagnated for the last 18 months. Excess weight should no longer be an issue now that Ramos has seemingly banned everything except water from the training ground, but the lack of bite within this gentlest of giants is still a concern. If he can add that, Huddlestone can achieve anything, because he is a brute of a man and a simply exquisite passer of the ball, particularly short- and mid-range.

    Alongside him, Jenas seems to have convinced his manager of his worth: Ramos made him vice-captain, a role that has more significance than at other clubs in view of Ledley King's injury problems. Jenas hinted at the addition of the most important ingredient - authority - to his game last season, but there are still many fans who wonder what he actually does in the grand scheme of things; 12-15 goals from midfield, an achievable target for someone with his energy, timing of runs and coolness in front of goal, would be a good place to start.

    Yet for all the thrilling attacking permutations on the tactics board, the key might be in the treatment room, and the presence (or absence) of King and Jonathan Woodgate. Both are top-class centre-backs, who might be inferior only to Rio Ferdinand among English defenders. But King's painfully protracted rehabilitation from a serious knee injury means it is difficult for him to play two games in a week; and Woodgate, ironically for someone who increasingly looks like he's just shambled out of a caravan park, seems to have had a curse put on him. If Spurs could keep them both fit for an entire season, they might even be title contenders.

    The probable absence of one or both puts pressure on the talented but fragile Michael Dawson, who seems half the player when King is not there to prop him up mentally, and the likes of Huddlestone and Didier Zokora, who may have to fill in. No wonder they are so keen to sign the impressive and versatile Vedran Corluka. Alan Hutton and Bale are an excellent pair of attacking full-backs; and even if the new goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has a minor shocker it will be an improvement on last season's Paul Robinson/Radek Cerny show, although for £7.8m Spurs will expect a genuinely safe pair of hands.

    They certainly have that in Ramos, behind whose inscrutable phizog lies a furious, bubbling intelligence. He has experience of gatecrashing an apparently exclusive club, when he almost led Sevilla to the title in Spain, and he has skilfully built not only for the present but also the future: a possible starting line-up of Gomes; Hutton, Woodgate, King, Bale; Jenas, Huddlestone; Bentley, Modric, Dos Santos; Bent, has an average age of just 23. Ramos is in this for the long haul, but that's no reason not to tick off a few ambitions in the short term.

    In: Luka Modric (Dinamo Zagreb - £16.6m), Giovani dos Santos (Barcelona - £4.7m), Paul-Jose Mpoku (Standard Liege - free), Mirko Ranieri (Perugia - undisclosed), John Bostock (Crystal Palace - £700,000), Heurelho Gomes (PSV Eindhoven - £7.8m), David Bentley (Blackburn - £15m)

    Out: Robbie Keane (Liverpool - £20.3m), Paul Robinson (Blackburn - £3.5m), Teemu Tainio, Pascal Chimbonda, Steed Malbranque (Sunderland - undisclosed), Radek Cerny (QPR - free), Joe Martin (Blackpool - nominal fee), Tommy Forecast (Southampton - undisclosed), Younes Kaboul (Portsmouth - undisclosed)
     
  18. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    Im used to starts like this.
     
  19. Laphroaig10

    Laphroaig10 1,000+ Posts

    Did we let Gareth Southgate pick our lineup for us? Seriously, that was a bizarre starting XI.
     
  20. Hayden_Horn

    Hayden_Horn 1,000+ Posts

    please don't lose to the mackems ever again. kthx.

    boos at white hart lane coming loud and clear after the match. what is wrong with tottenham?
     
  21. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    The problem is that for some unkown reason players with 4 year contracts can evidently demand transfers at need positions to competitors at need positions and you actually let them go.

    Why do we have contracts at all?

    Fook.
     
  22. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    This is more like it. Players should not hold teams hostage, any team. I was impressed when Man U laid down the law for Ronaldo, this is no different.

    30m for berbs or he sits in the reserves.

    Hell yes.
    The Link

    The game of brinkmanship between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United over the future of Dimitar Berbatov intensified last night when the London club indicated that they would be willing to consign the striker to the reserves rather than sell him to the Premier League champions for anything less than their £30m valuation of him.
    Spurs, having rejected United's opening £20m bid for the 27-year-old Bulgarian, are awaiting an improved offer but relations between the clubs are strained after Tottenham complained to the Premier League alleging United had inappropriately pursued Berbatov.
    The Spurs manager, Juande Ramos, spoke with the striker on Friday and deemed him not "focused enough" to feature against Sunderland on Saturday, with an attitude that would not "be good for the dressing room and the team effort".
    Although that statement appeared to offer United the initiative in their pursuit of Berbatov as they prepared an improved and apparently final bid of £25m, Spurs moved swiftly yesterday to indicate that they were willing to relegate him to the second string, where he would remain even after the closure of the transfer window, should United not offer the full £30m. The Tottenham hierarchy would argue that he was not psychologically ready to represent the first team, leaving him in limbo with two years to run on his contract.
    Compromise is still likely to be reached before Monday's midnight deadline, but Spurs are dismayed that no real interest has been expressed in the striker by any other club.
    Tottenham's own pursuit of reinforcements will go down to the wire. They are still interested in the Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and the River Plate striker Radamel Falcao, who was watched by their scouts at the weekend. The merits of the Wigan forward Emile Heskey have also been discussed.
    There remains the possibility of Andrei Arshavin, the Russia playmaker who has long been targeted by Ramos, moving to White Hart Lane after Zenit St Petersburg secured the Portuguese midfielder Danny - full name Daniel Miguel Alves Gomes - from Dynamo Moscow for a Russian-record £24m. Arshavin was left out of Zenit's side for their win over Krylya Sovetov at the weekend and, despite Tottenham insisting publicly that they had "moved on" in their search for recruits, the 27-year-old remains an attractive target.
     
  23. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    There is no question following Spurs is like following the Cubs.

    So yeah we got some cash and a young striker (we got fair cash for sure) however we have 2 strikers each less good than the other.

    Pavs no Berbs, Cambpell no Robbie.

    We got a v good Defender in Corluka (yay) but did not get Veloso, the DM we need.

    If we had gotten him I'd be OK with it but we didnt. So what have we got now?

    Strikers - Worse than before - Pavs could be great - at least he is tall. If he can take the high ball and dump it to Giovanni or Bent could be Ok - definitely a step back - I have no opinion on Frasier Campbel

    Midfield - Offensively much better. Modric will be great distributing, Giovanni is awesome, Bentley is a great signing an is fantastic at set pieces.

    Defensively - still a huge liability. Even in our 'defensive' set with Hud in we are a bottom table saide. We need an angry general like Veloso or a ice cold stopper/distributer like (cough) Carrick.

    Defense - Better - Back 4 with Woodgate, Bale, Corlusa and Ledley King is very stout. When Hutton gets back it willbe even better.

    Dawson and Zokora signed new deals whcih at Spurs means we are going to sell them. Dawson not a moment too soon. Zokora, I'd like to keep as a sub.

    So the squad - all in all better than last year but if we had kept Berbs and bought Veloso we would be AWESOME.

    Of course we didnt and aren't. The worst part is we showed we are a ***** feeder club for anyone who has the cash to spend.

    I have thought for about a year now the league title is completely unreachable until they change the rules. We should only care about competing for and winning cups.

    Priorities should be for any season:

    1) Avoid relegation
    2) Win UEFA cup
    3) Qualify for UEFA Cup
    4) Win FA Cup
    5) Win League cup
    6) Win League

    And we should deploy the squad accoringly.
     
  24. Laphroaig10

    Laphroaig10 1,000+ Posts

    We're better at keeper, too. No way Robbo or Cerny saves that shot from Lampard yesterday, and we're still pointless. Defensively, you have to look at where we were when JR took over. He added Woodgate and Hutton in the January window. We're MUCH better off than we were before then.

    We're still a work in progress, but we are making progress, and it's hard to argue that any of the other "pretenders" have leapt far in front of us.
     
  25. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    Yes definitely - we have an octopus at keeper. I'm arguing are we better since the last xfer window?

    Pretty clear thats no in my opinion..

    Glaring striker problem, glaring field general/DM problem (that we caused ourselves by selling Carrick).

    Are we better than start of season last year - yes

    Are we better than end of season last year - no (IMO) - we have traded one set of problems for another.
     
  26. Laphroaig10

    Laphroaig10 1,000+ Posts

    Fair enough, but the only place we've taken a step back is at striker. There's really not much we could do about that. That Berba was using us as a stepping stone was no secret, and it was obvious it was coming to a head sooner or later. Keano was a surprise, but I take him at his word that he'd've only entertained the spectacle of this offseason for 'pool.

    We're in the midst of a makeover, and it will take a while. JR is doing it from the back forward, and, IMO, it will work.

    I also don't disagree with your schedule of how to approach things, and, given his record at Sevilla, likely neither does JR. We're a ways away from CL football. But we're on our way. That's something we couldn't say a year ago.
     
  27. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

    Im just freaking annoyed we didnt have veloso teed up. Arshavin I dont care about, he is not a need position.

    I do not, however, understand how we dont have someone better at DM - spend the 25 million THERE and get someone.

    We are going to clearly sell zoko now that he got new deal so we will need 2 of hem next xfer window.

    Who do we want besides veloso? Anyway we are VERY VERY good, great coach, a high quality first team, some good subs and scads of money - we arae just not 'getting in the champions league' good and IMO it's our own fault.

    Liverpool and Arsenal will not easily get weaker and this year if we had been better during the off season we had a chance.

    Oh well I want the FA and UEFA cups and will watch every match - COYS
     
  28. Hornin Hong Kong

    Hornin Hong Kong 1,000+ Posts

  29. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    In reply to:


     
  30. Laphroaig10

    Laphroaig10 1,000+ Posts

    Yeah, we do suck. And our first Carling Cup-tie is at Newcastle. To say we've struggled of late vs. Northeastern clubs is to put it mildly. We might not be able to even hope to retain the one trophy we've got.

    Bring on the next transfer window. That's when it's best to be a Spurs fan.
     

Share This Page