Tottenham Hotspur Forum

[tmc01grady]

Spurs fans report in!

Come on you Spurs!

1) tmc01grady
2) Songbird
3) hotspur_77
4) Eric_Ying
5) victorian07
6) isorn
7) triple888

[Songbird]

2) Songbird

[hotspur_77]

finally!!!

[tmc01grady]

Tottenham v Sunderland - Sat 3rd Dec

Last 5 home matches - Tottenham

Tottenham - West Ham 1 - 1
Tottenham - Arsenal 1 - 1
Tottenham - Everton 2 - 0
Tottenham - Fulham 1 - 0
Tottenham - Liverpool 0 - 0

Last 5 away matches - Sunderland

Arsenal - Sunderland 3 - 1
Newcastle - Sunderland 3 - 2
Middlesbrough - Sunderland 0 - 2
Chelsea - Sunderland 2 - 0
Wigan - Sunderland 1 - 0

Past Matches

08.02.2003 Tottenham - Sunderland 4 - 1 (2 - 1)
10.11.2002 Sunderland - Tottenham 2 - 0 (0 - 0)
02.03.2002 Tottenham - Sunderland 2 - 1 (1 - 1)
19.09.2001 Sunderland - Tottenham 1 - 2 (0 - 1)

hope can tok them!!

[hotspur_77]

Tottenham v Sunderland - Sat 3rd Dec

Last 5 home matches - Tottenham

Tottenham - West Ham 1 - 1
Tottenham - Arsenal 1 - 1
Tottenham - Everton 2 - 0
Tottenham - Fulham 1 - 0
Tottenham - Liverpool 0 - 0

Last 5 away matches - Sunderland

Arsenal - Sunderland 3 - 1
Newcastle - Sunderland 3 - 2
Middlesbrough - Sunderland 0 - 2
Chelsea - Sunderland 2 - 0
Wigan - Sunderland 1 - 0

Past Matches

08.02.2003 Tottenham - Sunderland 4 - 1 (2 - 1)
10.11.2002 Sunderland - Tottenham 2 - 0 (0 - 0)
02.03.2002 Tottenham - Sunderland 2 - 1 (1 - 1)
19.09.2001 Sunderland - Tottenham 1 - 2 (0 - 1)

hope can tok them!!
surprisingly spurs away form is better than home

[tmc01grady]

surprisingly spurs away form is better than home

no leh.. we've got exactly 3 wins 3 draws and 1 defeat for both home and away.

[hotspur_77]

no leh.. we've got exactly 3 wins 3 draws and 1 defeat for both home and away.
i mean last 5 hm vs last 5 away form...

[tmc01grady]

1-1 now.. come on!

score 1 more can leapfrog the gunners!

[tmc01grady]

well done. 3-2 to Spurs!

spurs leapfrog the gunners and got birmingham, pompey and the baggies coming up, so should be staying above them!

[hotspur_77]

hoooray!!!although robbie missed a penalty but final score 3-2...we won!!!4th this week...

[hotspur_77]

wooooo....spurs won 3 - 1 despite trailing 0 - 1 @ half-time... :s21:

[Eric Ying]

me and the spurs go go marching on.....

[victorian07]

no thread for spurs previously? kinda weird

[hotspur_77]

no thread for spurs previously? kinda weird
sighz...dun have leh...even threadstarter also MIA leh =:p

[victorian07]

hmm..abit sad then.. acty SG got quite a considerable Spurs fan base..

lol..maybe threadstarter now devote his full attn to houston rockets n boh chap spurs liao.

[hotspur_77]

hmm..abit sad then.. acty SG got quite a considerable Spurs fan base..

lol..maybe threadstarter now devote his full attn to houston rockets n boh chap spurs liao.
ya...u may wanna join local spurs fan club...4gotten the webby liao...try google...

[isorn]

There was a Spurs thread here a few years ago. Then a few kids, whom some of them are still around, came and acted childishly. In the end we just closed the thread and left.

We are now at http://www.spurs-sg.org .

[Songbird]

Oh, what did they do ?

Anyhow, a great end to 2005 last night, finishing as the top club in London. (chelsea dont count) Carr must be cursing himself for deciding to move to that 'big club', Parker and Owen must be wondering WTF have they gotten themselves into and Souness must be only manager that plays Ameobi ahead of Luque.

[triple888]

howdy folks
new to the forums but old suporter of spurs :s7:

[tmc01grady]

yo hotspur_77, i do spend most of my time on the official spurs supporters club forum that Isorn mentioned above.

My nick is kev21.

victorian07, you are welcomed to join us there to chat about Spurs.

cheers.

[triple888]

gutted....

spurs out of the two cups....
hopfully now they will concentrate on the league and get into europe

on a bright note.... rednose and his deers need a reply.... come on burton
know them out of the cup

[victorian07]

rather unfortunate.

2-0 up then to throw it away.

no excuses.

[triple888]

ok... v07 mate
any chance of spurs beating the king of europe?

[Songbird]

if king and davids are back, maybe got abit chance. If not we will really need an off form gerrard and a super on form spurs to get any kind of result there. will take a draw now.

[triple888]

sell/off load three players for 7.5 mil and trying to get one player for 8 mil?
ffs bad hindsight
i know jol trying to sell his predecessor's players but this is not the way to do it , not at such a cheap price... :s27:

btw songbird - spurs away - a draw is very slim chance
going to pools for a 1 nil score line in favour of the home side
(hopfully spurs prove me wrong this time)

[hotspur_77]

sell/off load three players for 7.5 mil and trying to get one player for 8 mil?
ffs bad hindsight
i know jol trying to sell his predecessor's players but this is not the way to do it , not at such a cheap price... :s27:

btw songbird - spurs away - a draw is very slim chance
going to pools for a 1 nil score line in favour of the home side
(hopfully spurs prove me wrong this time)
wayne 4 8 mil??i thought 6??no pt getting defenders again...wat 4 buying many defenders & not playing them...hopefully spurs can really prove us wrong this time :o if really win,then spurs r very close 2 2nd & 3rd place liao...

[PootPoot]

wah.. no ppl already..

this fixture found by fumofumo. tot be interesting for all the clubs in the race.

http://www.photovideoi.com/share/upload/2006/02/28/11/hmm.png

[chryzh35]

We had towards the end of the match 5 spurs players in the England team.

I think spurs has done proud to England, what other top English teams have not been able to do, especially our neighbours.

Despite having a foreign coach spurs have invested heavily on local players and I think that in itself is an amazing achievement.

[Mankul]

Spurs fans.. I've got a riddle for you...


What’s the difference between the squirrel and Spurs?

[yourmother]

a squirrel has champions league experience and spurs don have. :s13:

[Panzerf]

We had towards the end of the match 5 spurs players in the England team.

I think spurs has done proud to England, what other top English teams have not been able to do, especially our neighbours.

Despite having a foreign coach spurs have invested heavily on local players and I think that in itself is an amazing achievement.

yes but damn sad . Every year no europe to look to for so long...hope this season can but then again . the remaining fixtures look so tough with Liverpool waiting..

[Kiwi8]

Spurs fans.. I've got a riddle for you...


What’s the difference between the squirrel and Spurs?
a squirrel has champions league experience and spurs don have. :s13:

:s22: :s22: :s22:

[1920_me]

Perhaps u can ask what is similar between the squirrel and arsenal??

[Panzerf]

Perhaps u can ask what is similar between the squirrel and arsenal??



What did the Kop thug said to the Old lady?

[Songbird]

The year was 1991, Arsenal were dead certs for the League and FA cup double, but they had a little problem. Up against them in the FA Cup semi was their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur, 11th in the league and facing the very threat of financial ruin if they fail to win the cup. Even the ardest of Spurs fan sitting in Wembley couldnt envisage anything less than an Arsenal victory.

Guess what happened ?

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2623/bbt198hi01up.th.jpg (http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bbt198hi01up.jpg)


Seaman making himself more foolish by even TRYING to save it.


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4338/36379473gazzasemi3008ag.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[tmc01grady]

http://www.mydigitalstory.net/2006-04-22-live-screening-mailer.jpg

[waitforyou]

Perhaps u can ask what is similar between the squirrel and arsenal??

so what's the similarity?

[triple888]

Spurs fans.. I've got a riddle for you...


What’s the difference between the squirrel and Spurs?

squirrel = henry's replacement

[arsenal]

the squirrel is going to Paris !

[Mankul]

'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'

[EmPtYsOuLz]

'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'

don't disgrace the other arsenal fans out there...
i think u deserved to get banned.

[Mankul]

don't disgrace the other arsenal fans out there...
i think u deserved to get banned.

'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'

[EmPtYsOuLz]

'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'

watching the CL league finals coz i'm an Arsenal supporter? :yawn:

[Kiwi8]

'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
'What are you doing on May 17th.......'
U are just like United_Treble, only coming out in times of your club glory, and hiding in times of your club crisis. :s22:

[Jermaine84]

sorri guys.. as an Arsenal fan we too condemn ppl like Mankul.. they dun reflect us..

[Mankul]

sorri guys.. as an Arsenal fan we too condemn ppl like Mankul.. they dun reflect us..
then you're not a red blooded Arsenal fans cos arsenal fans in highbury would SING what I had typed... never been to highbury? ;-)

[Jermaine84]

of cos not.. im jus a typical Arsenal in sg.. not every fan gone to Highbury before.. anyway u r jus an embarressment

[vasilli07]

All Spurs fans gather here.

COME ON! YOU SPURS!

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9464/41234268spursbadge4mh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club who play in the FA Premier League. The club is also known as Tottenham and Spurs, while their own fans also refer to them as the Lilywhites because of their traditional white shirts. Their home ground is White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London.

Tottenham were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the league and cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960-61 season. In 1963, Spurs became the first British club to win a European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup.

The club enjoys a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours Arsenal, and matches between the two are known as the North London derbies. The club motto is Audere est Facere (lit: "To dare is to do") and their emblem is the cockerel and ball.

[xOxMxGx]

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1163085&highlight=tottenham

[yourmother]

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=297

[ben0704]

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=297
what this for? lol. :s22:

[yourmother]

what this for? lol. :s22:
:D :D :D

[vasilli07]

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1163085&highlight=tottenham

That thread had been dead for almost 9 mths. :s11:

[yellowsubmarine]

That thread had been dead for almost 9 mths. :s11:

This shows that.......

[spykid]

You can ask Shebby Singh to join and gather in your forum as well.

Write an email to him to espn-sports.

[yellowsubmarine]

You can ask Shebby Singh to join and gather in your forum as well.

Write an email to him to espn-sports.

Ohyah, how i can forget the ex Malaysia international! His commentary btw Sg vs Msia is seebay tokkong!

Can email Edwin Yeo as well.

[yourmother]

This shows that.......
:s13: :s13: :s13:

[vasilli07]

Jol Reluctantly Would Take Uefa Cup Bye
Tottenham boss Martin Jol has admitted that his side would benefit from receiving a bye in the Uefa Cup following Feyenoord's expulsion.

The Dutch club have been chucked out of the competition following crowd trouble in their Group Stage match with AS Nancy, but it leaves Spurs in a unique situation when they have no choice but to progress to the last 16 without kicking a ball.

The decision would see a loss of revenue for Spurs and would lessen any achievement they may have in the competition, but given their forthcoming fixture pile-up Jol is looking for the benefits.

"I would take a bye, I have to be honest," he said.

"We have so many matches that it could be a helping hand to leave this one out and give ourselves a bit more rest. That is an advantage. My chairman [Daniel Levy] thinks we should play in Europe, and he is right – it was a big tie against Feyenoord, and I hope we would get some compensation, but other people may think differently."





Rocha Has Spurs Medical
Ricardo Rocha has reportedly undergone a medical with Tottenham, who hope to wrap up the signing of the Portuguese defender in the next 48 hours.

The 28-year-old centre-back is expected to cost Spurs slightly in excess of the £3m they received for defender Callum Davenport, whom they sold to West Ham last week.

Rocha, who has been a key player for Benfica in recent years but has not had much international recognition, is believed to be on the verge of signing a two-and-a-half year deal with Martin Jol's side.

Following Davenport's sale and the continued injury problems suffered by Ledley King a defender was top of Jol's wanted list in January.

[WhiteShadows]

Merged threads. :)

[vasilli07]

Carling Cup Preview: Tottenham Hotspur-Arsenal

What: Spurs (9th EPL, 33 pts) v Arsenal (4th EPL, 45 pts), Carling Cup Semi-final, first leg
When: Wednesday, January 24th, 2007, kick-off 20:00 local (GMT)
Where: White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London N17

Chelsea Await

A showpiece final against Chelsea at Cardiff's superb Millennium Stadium is the prize that awaits one of these North London giants as they do battle over two legs in the Football League (Carling) Cup semi-final. The rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal fans is one of the most bitter in English football, and there is no doubt that the elation of the winners will be as exquisite as the despair of the losers when this tie is settled next week at the Emirates. Tonight, though, the first leg at White Hart Lane offers both sides the chance to strike a psychological blow and take a precious advantage to Ashburton Grove in a week's time.


Arsenal In The Ascendancy In North London

Since George Graham's Arsenal and his good friend Terry Venables' Spurs shared the Charity Shield in 1991, the Gunners as League Champions for the 10th time, Tottenham as as FA Cup winners for the 8th, the balance of North London football power has swung decisively in Arsenal's favour. Spurs have won only one major trophy since then - the League Cup in 1999, ironically under the management of Graham - while the Gunners have won the European Cup Winners' Cup, one League Cup, five FA Cups and three Premier League championships.

Spurs reached but lost the League Cup final of 2002, while Arsenal were runners-up in the Cup Winners' Cup (1995), Uefa Cup (2000), Champions League (2006), FA Cup (2001) and Premiership (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005).

Moreover, in head-to-head terms, Arsenal have lost just one of their last 23 games against Tottenham, home and away. And the Gunners are currently in the best unbeaten run that either team has enjoyed over the other. That run currently stands at 15 consecutive North London derbies without defeat for the Gunners. However, Spurs fans will point to the fact that they had a similarly undistinguished record against Chelsea until this season - when they broke the hoodoo with a 2-1 win over the back-to-back Premiership champions.

And despite Arsenal's good recent form, Spurs will be determined to make home advantage count in the first-leg of this semi-final. They will also be fired up to avenge their 3-0 defeat at the Emirates on 2nd December.


The Kids Are Alright

However, a key variable in the equation for this semi-final is Arsene Wenger's policy of using fringe and up-and-coming youth players to represent the club in the Carling Cup.

The Gunners have already beaten Premiership opposition at Everton and, in the last round, Liverpool with a very young side, and Wenger intends to continue with this policy for the short trip to Spurs.

"We want to repeat our previous performances we have had so far in this competition - if we can win at Everton and win at Liverpool, then we can win at Tottenham as well. Now it is down to the boys to prove that," he said in his programme notes ahead of the game against Manchester United.

"It will be a very special atmosphere, and we will be ready for it.

"Do not forget we were in the semi-finals last year and we feel our young players have improved since then."

Indeed, this will be Arsenal's third League Cup semi-final in four seasons using youngsters, and Wenger insists the young stars deserve to play in the last four having taken the club this far in the tournament.

He told Arsenal TV Online said: "They deserve it. They have earned the right. "It is very difficult to say 'Listen you are good enough to play at Liverpool, but you are not good enough to play at Tottenham'."


Jol's Challenge

Meanwhile, Tottenham's head coach Martin Jol says his players must show they have got what it takes to go from hopefuls to trophy winners.

"What do we want?" he asked. "Do we want to be potential winners?

"That is the only thing in football. The only thing I'm really proud of is that I was coach of the year, player of the year and won the cup in Holland. That is the only thing you think about.

"So we have to win something in our career, they have to win something. Otherwise you are sitting there in 35 or 40 years and there is nothing to come up with. The medals are not important, it's the memories that are important."

And Jol stresses that a game against a second choice Arsenal side is anything but a foregone conclusion.

"Their second team, or kids, or reserves, is probably as strong as any other Premiership side outside of the top four," he said.

"Julio Baptista was transferred for 20 million euros last year and he is playing for the kids.

"How many teams are there in England like Arsenal who can take a gamble and say 'okay, we don't play our best players and we still have a great chance of going for the Champions League and title'?

"We are in not in the position to lend our players out and do well. The only changes I can make are up front or in positions where I have two good players, like in left-back."



FORM GUIDE

Tottenham

20 January v Fulham (A) DREW 1-1 (Chimbonda) Prem
17 January v Cardiff (H) WON 4-0 (Lennon, Keane, Malbranque, Defoe) FA Cup
14 January v Newcastle (H) LOST 2-3 (Defoe, Berbatov) Prem
07 January v Cardiff (A) DREW 0-0 FA Cup
01 January v Portsmouth (A) DREW 1-1 (Malbranque) Prem
30 December v Liverpool (H) LOST 0-1 Prem


Arsenal

21 January v Man Utd (H) WON 2-1 (Van Persie, Henry) Prem
13 January v Blackburn (A) WON 2-0 (Toure, Henry) Prem
09 January v Liverpool (A) WON 6-3 ((Aliadiere, Baptista 4, Song) Carling Cup
06 January v Liverpool (A) WON 3-1 (Rosicky 2, Henry) FA Cup
02 January v Charlton (H) WON 4-0 (Henry pen, Hoyte, Van Persie 2 - 1 pen) Prem
30 December v Sheff Utd (A) LOST 0-1 Prem



THIS SEASON'S CARLING CUP TRAIL

Tottenham

20 December v Southend (H) WON 1-0 (Defoe) (aet)
08 November v Port Vale (H) WON 3-1 (Huddlestone 2, Defoe) (aet)
25 October v Milton Keynes Dons (A) WON 5-0 (Mido 2, Defoe 2, Keane)

Arsenal

09 January v Liverpool (A) WON 6-3 (Aliadiere, Baptista 4, Song)
08 November v Everton (A) WON 1-0 (Adebayor)
24 October v West Brom (A) WON 2-0 (Aliadiere 2 - 1 pen)


LEAGUE CUP FINAL APPEARANCES

Tottenham (5)

1971 v Aston Villa WON 2-0
1973 v Norwich City WON 1-0
1982 v Liverpool LOST 1-3 (aet)
1999 v Leicester WON 1-0
2002 v Blackburn LOST 1-2

Arsenal (5)

1968 v Leeds United LOST 0-1
1969 v Swindon Town LOST 1-3 (aet)
1987 v Liverpool WON 2-1
1988 v Luton Town LOST 2-3
1993 v Sheffield Wednesday WON 2-1


LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL APPEARANCES
Tottenham 10 times
Arsenal 11 times


SPURS-ARSENAL HEAD-TO-HEAD IN THE LEAGUE CUP

20 Nov 1968 Semi-Final 1st Leg Arsenal 1 (Radford), Spurs 0
04 Dec 1968 Semi-Final 2nd Leg Spurs 1 (Greaves), Arsenal 1 (Radford)
04 Nov 1980 4th Round Spurs 1 (Ardiles), Arsenal 0
09 Nov 1983 3rd Round Spurs 1 (Hoddle pen), Arsenal 2 (C Nicholas, Woodcock)
08 Feb 1987 Semi-Final 1st Leg Arsenal 0, Spurs 1 (C Allen)
01 Mar 1987 Semi-Final 2nd Leg Spurs 1 (C Allen), Arsenal 2 (Anderson, Quinn)
04 Mar 1987 Semi-Final Replay Spurs 1 (C Allen), Arsenal 2 (Allinson, Rocastle)


TEAM NEWS

Tottenham

Midfielder Teemu Tainio misses out after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday. Captain Ledley King had a set-back in his recovery from a bruised foot and is also out. Jermaine Jenas (ankle), Mido (groin), Edgar Davids (illness/groin) and Paul Stalteri (hip) are back in training but may not be considered ready enough to be involved against the Gunners. But new signing Ricardo Rocha could make his Spurs debut.

Squad: Robinson, Cerny, Alnwick, Chimbonda, Lee, Dawson, Gardner, Assou-Ekotto, Zokora, Davids, Lennon, Keane, Berbatov, Defoe, Murphy, Ghaly, Malbranque, Huddlestone, Ziegler, Rocha.

Last starting XI (v Fulham): Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Gardner, Young-Pyo Lee, Ghaly (Lennon 61), Tainio (Zokora 27), Huddlestone, Malbranque, Defoe (Keane 67), Berbatov. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Assou-Ekotto.


Arsenal: Theo Walcott is likely to return to the starting XI after having been rested against Manchester United on Sunday. Brazilian Julio Baptista will be aiming to build on his four goals against Liverpool, and French striker Jeremie Aliadiere, man-of-the-match at Anfield, is also in contention. But leading scorer Robin van Persie is sidelined for several weeks after fracturing a metatarsal bone in his foot while scoring the equaliser on Sunday.

Squad: Almunia, Hoyte, Toure, Djourou, Connolly, Traore, Walcott, Diaby, Denilson, Julio Baptista, Aliadiere, Poom, Merida, Lansbury, Randall, Adebayor, Senderos, Flamini.

Last starting XI (v Man Utd): Lehmann, Eboue (Hoyte 90), Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb (Van Persie 67), Fabregas, Flamini (Julio Baptista 79), Rosicky, Adebayor, Henry. Subs Not Used: Almunia, Denilson.

[vasilli07]

To sum up last nite performance, good in the 1st half, rubbish in the 2nd half. :slant:

[vasilli07]

Martin Jol was left looking for excuses as the attention focused on him to explain his his Tottenham team failed to make the most of the superb start to the Carling Cup semi-final with Arsenal.

Spurs raced into a 2-0 lead in the opening 21 minutes of the first leg, but an injury to Dimitar Berbatov led to Jol changing his tactics and it led to Arsenal getting back into the game and turning their fortunes around with a brace from Julio Baptista levelling the scores.

Jol suggested his club struggled due to being tired as well as missing their impressive striker Berbatov, who opened the scoring before being forced to withdraw.

"I felt we started off very well, we kept the ball and pressurised them, we looked good and were 2-0 up," Jol told Sky Sports.

"Second half it was a different story, we dropped off too far that is true, on the other hand they played ever so well and put pressure on us.

"We got tired maybe because we have had a lot of games and they had six or seven fresh players, we didn't hold the ball up maybe because Berbatov was not there.

"The only way to win matches against Arsenal is to put them under pressure but second half they controlled the game."

[vasilli07]

Spurs Tipped To Win Bale Race :)

Tottenham have been tipped by a national newspaper to win the race to sign Southampton's highly-rated teenager Gareth Bale in a deal worth an initial £8m.

The 17-year-old left-back had been expected to join Manchester United, but it has been claimed that the Championship club have been persuaded by the make-up of Spurs' offer while the player has now also agreed to make the move. However, he will initially return on loan before moving to London permanently in the summer.

The Welsh international would provide Martin Jol with the long-term solution to his left-back problem which has seen numerous players tried in the position before being moved on.

Arsenal had also been said to have been monitoring the player, but the investment looks to have been deemed to expensive for the Gunners, who forked out in the region of £12m for Theo Walcott from the same club last year.



Spurs Uefa Cup Fate Due On Thursday

Uefa have delayed until Thursday their decision over whether Tottenham will get a bye into the next round of the Uefa Cup following the decision last week to expel their opponents Feyenoord.

Spurs were due to face the Dutch side in Rotterdam on February 15 but it was decided the actions of Feyenoord's fans in the group stage should see them removed from the competition.

The Premiership side could be awarded a bye through to the last 16, or could face Wisla Krakow, who came fourth in Feyenoord's Group.

[vasilli07]

Spurs handed bye into next round of UEFA Cup

Tottenham have been given a bye into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, subject to a possible appeal by Feyenoord to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Dutch club were kicked out of the tournament following crowd trouble earlier in the season against French side Nancy.

Spurs were due to travel to Rotterdam on February 15 but will now go straight through to the next round where they will play Braga or Parma.

A statement from UEFA read: 'Tottenham have received a bye into the UEFA Cup round of 16 following the exclusion of opponents Feyenoord from the competition.'

UEFA's other option was to order Spurs to play Wisla Krakow, who finished behind Feyenoord in the group stage.

While Spurs will lose revenue from gate receipts and television money, they gain prize money for getting closer to this season's final, in Glasgow.

Martin Jol's men also move a step closer to ending their eight-year wait for a trophy, the day after their hopes of reaching the Carling Cup final was dented by Julio Baptista earning Arsenal a 2-2 draw in the semi-final first leg at White Hart Lane.

It gives Jol's men more recovery time in their hectic schedule, although it offers a spare week for the Premiership clash against Everton which requires rescheduling.

Dutchman Jol had spoken earlier in the week about expecting compensation for missing out on the Feyenoord trip.

'My chairman thinks that if we want to play in Europe we should play in Europe,' said Jol. 'He's right because it was a big tie against Feyenoord and hopefully we'll get some compensation but other people may think differently.'

'The decision taken by UEFA is subject to a possible appeal by Feyenoord to the Court of Arbitration of Sport,' confirmed a statement on their official website.

Feyenoord are expected to take the matter to the CAS.

The Rotterdammers' financial director Onno Jacobs, speaking at a fans forum today, was asked what course of action the club would take if they were thrown out of the tournament.

He said: 'The chances of us taking the matter to CAS are high. This is based on the fact we don't feel we should be punished in this way. There is an overall feeling that the punishment is not justifiable.'

[vasilli07]

Spurs midfielder Davids agrees deal with Ajax

AMSTERDAM, Jan 26 (Reuters) --Tottenham Hotspur's Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids has agreed an 18-month contract with Ajax Amsterdam, according to his lawyer Robert Geerlings.

However, Geerlings also told the weekly Voetbal International magazine the clubs still had to work out the details of the transfer before the window closes on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old Davids began his career at Ajax in 1991 and helped them win three league titles from 1994-96 plus the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the Champions League in 1995.

A year later he joined AC Milan before switching to Juventus, where he won three titles in 1998, 2002 and 2003, Barcelona and Inter Milan before moving to Spurs in 2005.

He has represented the Netherlands at four major finals and has played in four Champions League finals.

[vasilli07]

Fergie admits Spurs have the edge in Bale race

Sir Alex Ferguson has conceded Tottenham are now in pole position to sign £10million-rated defender Gareth Bale.

The Southampton youngster has become one of the most sought-after players of the transfer window, with a host of Premiership clubs keen to secure his services.

Even though Bale is still only 17 and has made less than 30 senior appearances for the south coast outfit, both United and Tottenham have made concerted efforts to try and prise the Wales international away from St Mary's.

However, Ferguson has admitted United's preference to do a deal with Southampton heavily based on Bale's future progression could count against the Red Devils.

'Southampton said no to us because they are looking for more money, which they have every right to do,' he said.

'The bid we made for Gareth reflected his potential. There were a series of build-ups in it because we have to protect our own club's assets too.

'We offered an initial fee with add-ons depending on how many games he plays, international caps and so on.

'I am not exactly sure what Tottenham have offered more but they have offered more and that has put them in pole position at the moment.'

Ferguson has not given up hope of landing Bale and rejected completely the theory Spurs may have an extra advantage in any bidding way because coach Martin Jol can guarantee the youngster more first-team action.

The United boss points to his record in handing promising players opportunities as evidence to back up United's claims and insisted he is not frightened by the staggering sums now being spent on emerging talent.

'Anyone who guarantees a player first-team football every week is wrong,' he said.

'There are so many examples of young players being given a chance at this club, no-one could dispute the fact they will get opportunities. Maybe the boy himself would need to assess that.

'The fees don't frighten me, although it can sometimes frustrate me a little bit. When you are talking about signing young players with potential, you hope your decision-making and your assessment of the player is correct.

'You hope he won't be there for just one contract but for two or three. Then you get the longevity from that player, as we have done in the past with the likes of Roy Keane, Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce and Denis Irwin.

'That is the only way you can assess it.'

[forbiddenfruit]

Under Martin Jol , SPurs lack the ambition and guts to think big..

I really hope he will be sacked , he is such a bland manager, looks bland, tactic bland. charisma bland - due to his poor EQ, we lost out Duyt to Liverpool, brought in a tall flop, berbe and doesnt have the ball to discard short defoe ...

sign... its 11 empty and fruitless season for long suffering spurs fans.

look at the rest of the london clubs.. chelsea and Arsenal... even west ham is making wave with good progress.

where are we.. 10 in the table.. out of league cup... zzzzzz...

sick as it might be,, its painful to be a spurs fan...

[forbiddenfruit]

[/url]

LOSER FACE OF THE YEAR [url="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/manager?id=21&cc=5739"]http://soccernet-att.espn.go.com/images/jb2/jol_65.jpg (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/manager?id=21&cc=5739)

[vasilli07]

Under Martin Jol , SPurs lack the ambition and guts to think big..

I really hope he will be sacked , he is such a bland manager, looks bland, tactic bland. charisma bland - due to his poor EQ, we lost out Duyt to Liverpool, brought in a tall flop, berbe and doesnt have the ball to discard short defoe ...

sign... its 11 empty and fruitless season for long suffering spurs fans.

look at the rest of the london clubs.. chelsea and Arsenal... even west ham is making wave with good progress.

where are we.. 10 in the table.. out of league cup... zzzzzz...

sick as it might be,, its painful to be a spurs fan...


I admit we were poor in the 2nd leg of the league cup. But give some credit to the team for making this far.

Are you sure West ham is making wave with good progress? If yes, are you saying you want spurs to be in the relegation zone rather than in mid-table?

How many spurs matches have you watch this season? Did you even see how Berbatov and Defoe play together?

And lastly, if you only want to be a glory hunter, pls support the top four teams.

[ben0704]

Under Martin Jol , SPurs lack the ambition and guts to think big..

I really hope he will be sacked , he is such a bland manager, looks bland, tactic bland. charisma bland - due to his poor EQ, we lost out Duyt to Liverpool, brought in a tall flop, berbe and doesnt have the ball to discard short defoe ...

sign... its 11 empty and fruitless season for long suffering spurs fans.

look at the rest of the london clubs.. chelsea and Arsenal... even west ham is making wave with good progress.

where are we.. 10 in the table.. out of league cup... zzzzzz...

sick as it might be,, its painful to be a spurs fan...

without martin jol, can spurs finish 5th last season?

any player with ambitious and right mind will choose liverpool over spurs. don't blame martin jol.

although you been hiding inside a cave for some age now. you should check the league table to see where is west ham before you make the comment. wave with good progress? :s22:

[kaseymunson]

A mediocre self-boasting team who claims to be good. True or false?

[yourmother]

"Reports that I'd move to Tottenham are wide off the mark. If I had to leave Real, I'd choose to join another a big club. I don't regard Tottenham Hotspur as a big club."

-Robinho

One good season last year and they really though there is going to be a power shift in London. :s13:

Look at them this season, challenging in Europe and at the same time in the league and the cups etc, suddenly they show their true colour, and this is what we had to go through every season including last when we had crazy injuries crisis which no one talk about.

[dle4e_2005]

"Reports that I'd move to Tottenham are wide off the mark. If I had to leave Real, I'd choose to join another a big club. I don't regard Tottenham Hotspur as a big club."

-Robinho

One good season last year and they really though there is going to be a power shift in London. :s13:

Look at them this season, challenging in Europe and at the same time in the league and the cups etc, suddenly they show their true colour, and this is what we had to go through every season including last when we had crazy injuries crisis which no one talk about.

Not to forget they have alot of English players too.

[Songbird]

A mediocre self-boasting team who claims to be good. True or false?


Coming from a newcastle fan ? When was the last time you won ANYTHING ? Oh wait, the two bob intertoto which you won by beating the likes of world class teams such as real madrid and ac milan no ? HAHA.


do you have any knowledge or history of soccer pre 1992 ? Because anyone who does will not question that spurs > newcastle. Spurs are not top 4 material, and manu/pool/arsenal are all bigger than spurs. But newcastle ? Gimme a break. go take a look at your empty trophy cabinet. Finishing 2nd a couple of times dont count for shyt.

[Songbird]

"Reports that I'd move to Tottenham are wide off the mark. If I had to leave Real, I'd choose to join another a big club. I don't regard Tottenham Hotspur as a big club."

-Robinho

One good season last year and they really though there is going to be a power shift in London. :s13:

Look at them this season, challenging in Europe and at the same time in the league and the cups etc, suddenly they show their true colour, and this is what we had to go through every season including last when we had crazy injuries crisis which no one talk about.

almost every club in the world will look small when compared to real madrid. arsenal is no exception.

[yellowsubmarine]

Coming from a newcastle fan ? When was the last time you won ANYTHING ? Oh wait, the two bob intertoto which you won by beating the likes of world class teams such as real madrid and ac milan no ? HAHA.


do you have any knowledge or history of soccer pre 1992 ? Because anyone who does will not question that spurs > newcastle. Spurs are not top 4 material, and manu/pool/arsenal are all bigger than spurs. But newcastle ? Gimme a break. go take a look at your empty trophy cabinet. Finishing 2nd a couple of times dont count for shyt.

When did he start comparing Newcastle with spuds? A cup is still a cup. When was spuds' last cup?

http://orders.mkn.co.uk/mime/footballshirt/mugs/spurs.jpg

Oh wait a minute, are you gonna bring Rovers in as well? nonono... i dont think you are going too. Rovers are too small a club to be compared with the mighty spuds.

[hiei02]

spurs is underachieving this season..

[Songbird]

When did he start comparing Newcastle with spuds? A cup is still a cup. When was spuds' last cup?

http://orders.mkn.co.uk/mime/footballshirt/mugs/spurs.jpg

Oh wait a minute, are you gonna bring Rovers in as well? nonono... i dont think you are going too. Rovers are too small a club to be compared with the mighty spuds.


aww. the residential blackburn fan strikes with his trademark shrewdness and quick witted retort.

and it's just funny how you try to shrug off the obvious with sarcasm. :s13: :s13: :s13:

bring in rovers into the picture ? You sound as if it's not already recognized throughout that rovers are..nothing ? Ok maybe, a first generation chelsea with jack walker starring as a poorer abramovich.

[Wryer]

Hey Songbird~ Haven seen your posts for a long long time. Need more Spurs fans around to add to the fun in this forum.

ciao.

[yellowsubmarine]

spurs is underachieving this season..

Wrong dude, they over-achieved last season.

Before Songbird wanna rebuked, so did Rovers last season.

[Songbird]

Hey Songbird~ Haven seen your posts for a long long time. Need more Spurs fans around to add to the fun in this forum.

ciao.


Yeah but im on here almost everyday, a couple of times i'm tempted to reply but i know it will just stir another pointless spurs vs arsenal/blackburn/newcastle debate, so i just click 'back' before my anger get the better of me. ;)

[vasilli07]

We produced a performance of the season. Berbatov was tearing Bolton def apart. Even though we played with 10 men for nearly 50 mins, we always look like scoring. Cannot imagine if we had 11 men on... :s13:

[Pred2]

another spurs fan reporting in. hi to those spurs fans who know me, esp. isorn n kev21 =)

[hotspur_77]

hopefully spurs can make it 2 europe again :)

[Pred2]

Great match!!! 'tho west ham din really deserved to lose, given their top notch display in the 1st half, spurs din deserved it either with their excellent 2nd half come-back. Excellent stuff!!!!

it's a shame if west ham really get relegated cos i feel they're much better compared to the rest of the relegation candidates, but the table doesn't lie and i sincerely hope the hammers can pick themselves up and strive for survival.

[Tool18]

great match. berbatov = one of the top 10 buys of the season.

[vasilli07]

They deny us a spot in CL last year but we won't deny them a spot in another CL(Championship league). :s7:

[hotspur_77]

They deny us a spot in CL last year but we won't deny them a spot in another CL(Championship league). :s7:
lol... let the matter rest loh since we've pay them back 4 wat they did 2 us last season...our win over them is certainly the final nail on the coffin liao...dun think they can recover from this loss...

[PrinCe_iL]

great match. berbatov = one of the top 10 buys of the season.

Excuse me, Berbatov top 10 buys of the season??? You must be kidding!

IMHO, he is the buy of the season!! Delicious player! Come to Liverpool!! :D :D :D

[Eric Ying]

WEST Ham made spurs lost 25 million pound by beat us last season , this time we made them lost 40 million pound by send them out of the EPL ............ Song AH

a dish of revenge is best served cold

Excuse me, Berbatov top 10 buys of the season??? You must be kidding!

IMHO, he is the buy of the season!! Delicious player! Come to Liverpool!! :D :D :D



i agree he is a class player but sorry he is not going to Liverpool :)

[PrinCe_iL]

What is this man? You are celebrating over other club's misfortune? But honestly speaking, with the way west ham players have been playing, i see West Ham to be well placed at the bottom of the EPL at the end of the season. :D :D :D

WEST Ham made spurs lost 25 million pound by beat us last season , this time we made them lost 40 million pound by send them out of the EPL ............ Song AH

a dish of revenge is best served cold





i agree he is a class player but sorry he is not going to Liverpool :)

[foxtrot1985]

What is this man? You are celebrating over other club's misfortune?

It's called karma after West Ham fans celebrated our misfortune last season.

[vasilli07]

With the results going our way, we could be on our way towards the doubles.

[vasilli07]

Baffled by the substitutions Jol made...even though it's a draw, it is still a good result against the champions.

[vasilli07]

Tottenham Complete Signing Of Gareth Bale

As expected, Spurs have completed the signing of Southampton's teenage left-back Gareth Bale.

Southampton said Spurs will make an immediate payment of £5 million for the Wales international, with further additional payments that could push the eventual fee up to £10 million.

Bale, 17, said: "I'm just excited to be coming to a massive club like Spurs. It's pushing forward and I want to be part of its future."

He had one year left on his Southampton contract, and Saints manager George Burley had urged him to see it out with the south-coast club.

But the defender with the reputation as a free-kick expert was also reportedly wanted by Premiership rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, so Spurs were under pressure to complete tyhe signing quickly.

Back in January, Tottenham had made a bid of some £10 million which Southampton accepted, but Bale was not inclined to move at that time.

However, Southampton's defeat by Derby County in the Championship play-off semi-finals last week meant that Premiership football next season was no longer an option if Bales remained a Saint.

The prospect of top-flight involvement with Tottenham - who will also be competing in the Uefa Cup - looks to have persuaded Bale to go now.

"I really want to play in the Premiership," he said. "That's very important to me and this is a fantastic opportunity. I've thought long and hard about it and feel the time is right to move on.

"I could have gone in January but I wanted to try and help Saints win promotion. I felt I owed them that and I didn't want to move mid-season.

"I wanted to keep my focus on learning and developing my game at a critical stage of the campaign."

Bale made his Saints debut as a 16-year-old in 2006, becoming the club's second youngest player. And he also became the youngest Welsh international when appearing against Trinidad & Tobago last May, setting up the Dragons' late winner.

During the 2006-07 season he became a regular fixture in both the Southampton and Wales teams.

Tottenham's sporting director, Damien Comolli, said: "We have been following Gareth for a long time now and have been very tenacious, so we are absolutely delighted to get him here.

"He's a player of great quality and, as we always say, our aim in each window is to improve the quality of the squad. He has the ideal combination to become a top, top player."

[vasilli07]

SPUR-FECT MOVE FOR DARREN
Darren Bent underlined his desire to join us by admitting: "I always wanted to come to Tottenham."

The England international completed his move across London from Charlton on Friday and couldn’t wait to pull on a Spurs shirt.

Darren scored 15 goals last season as Charlton battled in vain to avoid relegation. That figure, including 13 league goals, came despite a two-month spell on the sidelines and took his tally to 31 in the top flight (37 in all competitions) in two seasons at the Valley.

What clearly impressed in negotiations was that the 23-year-old wanted to join us, a point he was only too happy to confirm. “In my heart of hearts I always wanted to come to Tottenham,” he said.

“Everyone wants to play at the top level and Tottenham have showed in the last couple of years that they are one of the best teams in Europe, so it’s the perfect place for me to continue my development.

“There are some fantastic players at the club. I’m looking to be part of a team and hopefully help us break into the top four.

“You only develop by training and playing with better players and I’m relishing that challenge. It’s something I can’t wait for.”

The icing on the cake for Darren was the chance to step back into the European arena – something he tasted very early in his career.

“I actually made my debut for Ipswich in the UEFA Cup,” said Darren, referring to his substitute appearance in a second round, second leg tie against Swedish side Helsingborgs aged just 17 back in 2001, a 3-1 win for Town.

“I’ve grown up a lot since then, I’m a better player and Europe will be a massive challenge.

“I’m looking forward to playing against different opposition from Europe, you can only judge yourself against the top clubs and playing in the UEFA Cup is an example of that."


http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/vasilli07/5281-6.jpg


I thot that shirt is quite nice...

[vasilli07]

Barcelona Got Henry On The Cheap, Says £16.5m Bent
Darren Bent refused to get upset by criticism of his inflated price-tag, particularly in the light of Thierry Henry costing less than him.

The former Charlton man chose to play it cool when quizzed about his price tag.

"To be fair I think Barca got Thierry on the cheap as I'd have put him in the £30million bracket," he told the BBC, who caught up with him on a rain-ravaged say at Wimbledon.

"It's surprising he went for so little money."

"It [my price tag] has nothing to do with me," he continued. "Charlton put the price tag on my head, I'm just grateful that Spurs took it.

"I was disappointed to leave Charlton - I had a great time there but I wish them all the best."

"I want play in Europe. And for me that was Tottenham."

Moving on to his Spurs career, he declared that he was ready to fight for a starting spots, against strikers such as Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane, Mido and Jermain Defoe.

"They have several internationals there already, and as long as I can go there and fight the cause and help Tottenham get into the top bracket then I'll be delighted," he said.

"I think it's a bit unfair to talk about me and Berbatov because Robbie and Jermain were both fantastic last season.

"It's going to be difficult and I don't expect to walk into the team but I know the challenge and if I'm firing, Berbatov's firing and Robbie's firing and Jermain's firing, that can only be good for Tottenham."

[THFCPM]

Kaboul has finally signed, it's on the official site. :s12:

[ivanschitz27]

read about how spurs season 06-07 went at http://www.theurbanwire.com/stories/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1269&Itemid=65

[vasilli07]

Spurs To Land Yorkshire Rose
Tottenham's pursuit of the best young English talent is again taking them to Leeds United as they hope to land 17-year-old Danny Rose.

The youngster, who has previously been chased by Chelsea is on the verge of leaving his scholarship at Leeds United and follow in the footsteps of Paul Robinson and Aaron Lennon in making the switch to White Hart Lane.

Newcastle and Liverpool had also been keeping tabs on the highly-rated player, who has recently starred in England's youth sides.

Despite Leeds' financial disarray which has seen them crash from the Premiership to League One the Yorkshire club have continued to produce talented youngsters.

Last year two of Rose's team-mates Matthew Woods and Tommy Taiwo left for Chelsea, but the Blues look to have missed out on the latest talent from Elland Road, who can play as a wide man or a forward.

[vasilli07]

Lowdowns on some of our youngsters by a fan

Just finished watching the second half of the St. Pats game, and was very impressed by the group of youngsters who saw some playing time.

Jamie O'Hara (20 yrs) looks and plays like a young Danny Murphy (i.e., back when he was an excellent prospect coming up at Liverpool). Central midfielder with fantastic vision, safe on the ball, not the type to go on a mazy run at the defense, but at the same time much more mobile than the likes of Carrick or Huddlestone. He's also got a wicked shot on him. First time I'd seen him play and I liked what I saw. Not sure if he'll get a look into the first team this season with all the talent ahead of him (Huddlestone in particular) but in the league cup, who knows?

Jacques Maghoma (19 yrs) looks like another exciting prospect. He was dynamic, fast, tricky, had a very nice touch and a good shot. I don't quite know how to describe it, but he gave me a similar feel to some of the African players we saw at the world cup - oozes talent and althleticism, yet goes down a little too easily and needs to complete more passes. I see him being given a shot in a year or two.

Phil Ifil (20 yrs) feels like he's been around forever, but he's still young and improving. He didn't play for very long, but when he came on, he looked excellent going forward, if a little suspect defending (although I have to say, less so than Gareth Bale). Delivered a couple of excellent crosses which on another day would have been assists. Still not sure about him, though. Talented, no doubt, but I'd still pick Stalteri or Lee as our backup for Chimbo.

Gareth Bale (18 yrs) definitely does not look his age, and already a brilliant footballer. Looked to still be finding his legs, and adapting to the new team, which is very normal. I'm convinced he'll be a fantastic signing for us, but at the same time I have to say that he's not ready to start for us yet. He'll play in the league cup and might force his way into contention by the end of the season (by which point he'll undoubtedly be helped by injuries). But he'll not be tearing things up immediately like Lennon or Giggs did - which is more of a function of his position, I think. E.g. if an 18 year old winger makes a mistake, it creates a failed attack, but if an 18 year old defender makes a mistake, we just might concede a goal (like we did 2 seasons ago every time Lee or Stalteri messed up).

Won't talk about Taarabt (18 yrs) too much, as I've already raved about him in another thread. The synopsis is that he will see a lot of action this season. Definitely in the league cup, and as a super sub when we're losing games in other competitions. If Lennon is out of the team for some reason or another, Jol needs to consider including Taarabt because he has the potential to be the focal point of our every attack.

I've also discussed Kaboul (21 yrs) in other threads - so I won't repeat myself (but I'm interested in what you guys think). Suffices to say that if he can slip into the premiership as effortlessly as he did in this past friendly, we have a winner on our hands. I'll expect him to have a few hiccups at the beginning (which is to be expected) but even so, I already feel more comfortable with him than with Gardner or even Rocha.

Barnard (23 yrs) wasn't on the field for too long and didn't have many opportunities. But he looks a little stronger than the last time I saw him play, and still as quick. But he's running out of time and with our current strikeforce, I don't expect to see too much of him this season.

Would have liked to have a look at Derviette (18 yrs), but I'm sure he'll get his chance soon. Still has a few years to go before he enters the first team equation.

Credit to Spur Forever from BigSoccer

[the_ron]

Spurs have signed Danny Rose, the high rated England youth player who Chelsea were fined after being found guilty of tapping up

[Rappelz]

not bad...
spurs has got some gd youngsters..

[vasilli07]

Tottenham Confirm Rose Signing
Tottenham have confirmed that they've completed the signing of highly-rated teenager Danny Rose from Leeds United.

The England youth international follows in the footsteps of Paul Robinson and Aaron Lennon in coming through the impressive acadamy at Leeds United and ending up at White Hart Lane.

The 17-year-old midfielder, who has represented his country at various youth levels, did not make a first team appearance with Leeds United, who were relegated to League One last season.

Rose is believed to have impressed manager Martin Jol in the recent youth European Championships in Belgium when he played in all five games.


Just hope he is as really as good as he is in FM. :)

[Eric Ying]

Full squad numbers list for season 2007-08

1 Paul Robinson
2 Pascal Chimbonda
3 Lee Young-Pyo
4 Didier Zokora
5 Younes Kaboul
6 Teemu Tainio
7 Paul Stalteri
8 Jermaine Jenas
9 Dimitar Berbatov
10 Robbie Keane
11 Mido
12 Radek Cerny
13 Danny Murphy
14 Hossam Ghaly
15 Steed Malbranque
16 Gareth Bale
17 Kevin Prince Boateng
18 Jermain Defoe
19 Adel Taarabt
20 Michael Dawson
21 Wayne Routledge
22 Tom Huddlestone
23 Darren Bent
24 Jamie O'Hara
25 Aaron Lennon
26 Ledley King
27 Ben Alnwick
28 Lee Barnard
29 Phil Ifil
30 Anthony Gardner
31
32 Benoit Assou-Ekotto
33 Ricardo Rocha
34 Andy Barcham
35 Dorian Dervite
36 Simon Dawkins
37 Danny Rose

[vasilli07]

Why is Ghaly given a number? :s27:

[ghimpheng]

Why is Ghaly given a number? :s27:

Martin Jol Decided to Give him a chance and let him stay in the current squad

[vasilli07]

Prem Preview: Sunderland-Tottenham Hotspur
What: Premier League
Who: Sunderland v Tottenham
When: Saturday, 11th August, 2007, kick-off 12:45 local (BST)
Where: Stadium of Light, Sunderland.

It Is Back

Another summer has flown by and to our relief it is time for the Premiership once again and there is intrigue and expectation everywhere you look, especially at the match that kicks off the party, which is Sunderland’s match at home to Tottenham.

Great Expectations

Sunderland are back in the top flight after just one season down in the Championship, but the club is barely recognisable from the one that was humiliatingly relegated with a record low points tally.

The rise and rise of the Black Cats has been remarkable and has led to a wave optimism that has not been seen for a long time in this area of the North East. Having been relegated in such embarrassing circumstances they started last season in equally shoddy fashion, but after appointing Roy Keane as manager they never looked back and ended up lifting the title in May.

It was just the start of the surprises as the club’s new ownership, led by Irishman Niall Quinn has undertaken an ambitious spending spree this summer, which leaves Sunderland not hoping for a miraculous survival, but demanding safety at the very least.

Close to £30m has been spent on new players and it does not seem that the spending has stopped yet, but they are not the only club that has spent heavily this summer, which is partly way the new Premiership campaign should be even more interesting than ever.

Tottenham too have spent big, as they have done now for a few years, and they too have great expectations following on from successive fifth-placed finishes in the Premiership, which while being their best achievement for two decades is no longer deemed acceptable.

The North London club, in some quarters at least, are now deemed to have made the big four a five, but with there only being four Champions League places something has to give.

New Faces

Sunderland have spent a lot of money on a lot of players not many people know much about, which in many ways increases the pressure on the management to deliver on what they’ve signed away.


The biggest of all their signings has come this week in the shape of Scottish international goalkeeper Craig Gordon, who arrived for an initial £7m and should go straight into the team to face Spurs.

The other big money additions have been Kieran Richardson, who arrives from Manchester United’s substitute bench with lots of potential, and Michael Chopra, who has seen his price-tag rise ten-fold after failing to make the grade down the road at St James’ Park.

Egyptian striker Mido may yet also arrive from Saturday’s opponents, who boast an impressive forward line after their biggest signing of the summer in the form of England striker Darren Bent.

Bent, along with Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe are all available for the first match of the season so all eyes will be on Jol’s first team sheet.

Two of his other new additions Younes Kaboul and Kevin-Price Boateng should also be involved, but the exciting teenager Gareth Bale misses out through injury.


FORM GUIDE (All matches are friendlies)

Sunderland

Aug 04 v Juventus (H) DREW 1-1

Aug 01 v Rangers (A) DREW 3-3

Jul 30 v Cork City (A) DREW 1-1

Jul 28 v Bohemians (A) WON 1-0

Jul 21 v Scunthorpe (A) LOST 1-0

Jul 18 v Darlington (A) WON 2-0


Tottenham

Aug 04 v Torino (H) WON 2-0

Aug 01 v Leyton Orient (A) WON 4-2

Jul 28 v Orlando Pirates (A) WON 3-0

Jul 24 v Orlando Pirates (A) WON 2-1

Jul 21 v Kaizer Chiefs (A) WON 2-1

Jul 12 v St Patricks (A) WON 1-0


TEAM NEWS

Sunderland

(to follow)

Squad - to follow

Tottenham

Jol has his injury problems before the season has even started as skipper Ledley King is again on the sidelines and will be for a number of weeks, while winger Aaron Lennon is also missing having been out of action all summer. He is also missing all of his first three choices at left-back with new signing Bale joining Lee Young-Pyo and Benoit Assout-Ekotto in being unavailable. Ricardo Rocha is likely to play out of position to fill in.

Squad - to follow

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sunderland - Kieran Richardson

It is often hard to break through the youth ranks at a massive team and make the grade, few manage to pull it off, while many end of slipping away into the oblivion of the lower leagues when they are finally sold off in their early twenties having suffered from the lack of first team football. Richardson will be hoping to have made his move early enough to prove he is good enough at the top. He is a player that has had much promise and even scored a brace on his England debut in what now seems a distant memory. However, he never had a long run in United’s first team and consequently has suffered, but he is still young and will be hungry to perform.

Tottenham - Younes Kaboul

It would be too easy to name Bent or any of Spurs’ other strikers, but in his first game in English football it will be more interesting to watch the performance of Kaboul. The French defender has arrived with little profile despite his £8m price-tag, but comes with great reviews from within French football following his good work with Bordeaux and France’s U21 side. With King injured he will get his chance to make his mark in the team from the outset. If injuries persist he could be a massively important player for Spurs this season.

PREDICTION

Opening matches to a league season are notoriously hard to predict as they are often cagey affairs and this one is no exception with its early start time for a TV audience. There will be many new players on show, but Tottenham will have bar far the more settled set of players with only Kaboul likely to start without any prior Premiership experience. This should give the Londoners the edge and they can pick up a massive early three points to send the jitters down the spines of Sunderland supporters right at the start of the campaign. 2-0 away win.


Source: Goal.com


My prediction: 2-1 to super spurs =:p

[vasilli07]

Well...we lost the 1st game to a newly-promoted club...totally unacceptable if we wans a champion lge spot.

I hoped Martin Jol will ring some changes for the next game. Bring in Taarabt for over-rated Jenas and maybe Huddlestone for Tainio. Everton will be a tough opposition and for the next game, we must win no matter what... :s7:

[ghimpheng]

Well...we lost the 1st game to a newly-promoted club...totally unacceptable if we wans a champion lge spot.

I hoped Martin Jol will ring some changes for the next game. Bring in Taarabt for over-rated Jenas and maybe Huddlestone for Tainio. Everton will be a tough opposition and for the next game, we must win no matter what... :s7:

would love to see Martin Jol Try Out 4-3-3

Bent Berbatov Keane

Malbraque Zokora Jenas

Bale Kaboul Dawson Chimbonda

or 4-4-2 with keane on the right


Bent Berbatov

Malbraque Zokora Jenas Keane

Bale Kaboul Dawson Chimbonda

[wrxs204]

Spurs fan reporting in.....sad that we lost the game to sunderland, but hopefully we can bounce back & get 3 pts frm everton.

[vasilli07]

Spurs fan reporting in.....sad that we lost the game to sunderland, but hopefully we can bounce back & get 3 pts frm everton.

Wrxs204, come here often and tok...we need more spurs fan...:o

[hotspur_77]

i'm always here mah...juz that always @ hardware forums...

[wrxs204]

been supporting them since epl started in 1992...am proud to say that I have stuck with them thru their ups & downs....hehe

[vasilli07]

I have been supporting spurs when they have players like Linker and Gazza...hope to see more spurs fans when we have matches... =:p

P.S: hotspur_77, come here and chat lah...the spurs forum always very quiet... :o

[wrxs204]

Spurs will be facing everton at WHL 2night. Hopefully, they will win this match so as to boost their morale. However, have to be cautious as they lost 2-0 in the last season.

Anyway, my prediction is that spurs will win 2-0

[vasilli07]

Spurs will be facing everton at WHL 2night. Hopefully, they will win this match so as to boost their morale. However, have to be cautious as they lost 2-0 in the last season.

Anyway, my prediction is that spurs will win 2-0

Hmm...this is a must win game if we must to compete for a cl spot...2-1 to super spurs =:p

[Pred2]

another longtime spurs fan reporting in :D

was really disappointed to see the lineup against sunderland and knew we are going to lose it with Anthony Gardner playing. No way were we going for a win with that kind of lineup, it really disturbed me that there wasnt any real wingers both in the starting lineup nor on the subs' bench.

let's hope Mr Jol wakes up his ideas and grow some bigger balls n play Taarabt in place of Malbranque or Tainio (who's done **** all too).

And please, no more Mr Gardner......

[vasilli07]

another longtime spurs fan reporting in :D

was really disappointed to see the lineup against sunderland and knew we are going to lose it with Anthony Gardner playing. No way were we going for a win with that kind of lineup, it really disturbed me that there wasnt any real wingers both in the starting lineup nor on the subs' bench.

let's hope Mr Jol wakes up his ideas and grow some bigger balls n play Taarabt in place of Malbranque or Tainio (who's done **** all too).

And please, no more Mr Gardner......

Actually we have to play Garnder as Dawson is out...we don't have any central defenders unless shifting Chimbonda to central defence again...anyway, he did not do much wrong on sat and i certainly don't hope that will happen tonite...

Yup...from what i heard, Taarabt seems very good...

P.S: Pred2, also come here often lah... :)

[vasilli07]

Tottenham Ready For Guti Move

Tottenham Hotspur could make an official approach to sign Guti from Real Madrid if the Spanish giants finally agree a deal to buy Arjen Robben from Chelsea.

The north London outfit have made their interest known and have been told that a deal could be on the cards if they remain patient.

Madrid boss, Bernd Schuster, is keen to mould his own Madrid team and has demanded that the creative side of the midfield be players that he wants.

The arrival of Wesley Sneijder will add pressure on Guti and if and when Robben joins, the 30-year-old could find himself playing another bit-part role at the club.

Tottenham have been long-time admirers of the Madrid playmaker and are desperate to add some flair to their midfield and would not put off by the €8m asking price.

Martin Jol also knows that Guti can operate on the left and that adaptability has proven to be an extra motivation to persevere with his enquiries.

Guti has been at Madrid for his entire career, after coming up through the club's youth ranks, but may fancy an adventure abroad before the end of his career.

The Premiership outfit would be capable of matching his wages and he could be assured of a regular starting place in the side at White Hart Lane.


I like him...thought 8 million maybe too much for a aging player...he will be a great playmaker for us provided he can do it consistantly...

[vasilli07]

Boro Agree Mido Fee

Middlesbrough have confirmed that they have agreed a fee with Tottenham for the transfer of Egyptian striker Mido.

The 24-year-old was poised to join Premiership newcomers Birmingham City last month but the deal fell through at the last minute when the parties involved failed to agree on the length of the contract.

Sunderland and Fulham also expressed an interest in the former Roma man, but Middlesbrough have emerged as front-runners to secure his services, but the deal had stalled recently apparently over the asking price.

It seems as though this has now been cleared up as manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that he is in agreement with Spurs and the player will undertake a medical imminently.

"We've agreed a fee with Tottenham and that's enabled us to have Mido up to see us and he's currently in the process of having a medical," Southgate told Boro's official website.


"Hopefully if everything goes well we'll have some news in the next 36 hours.


"All the talks have been very positive and I don't see the medical being too much of a problem for him."


Best of luck to him...

[Pred2]

between Rocha and Gardner, i would choose the former anytime, anytime (provided dawson n king are unavailable, of cos). Gardner has consistently proven that he's not cut out for rigours and fast pace of EPL n yet, Martin Jol's insistence to use him is simply baffling everyone but himself.

Although i have to applaud Jol's policy on buying good youth players with potential, what good would it do to these players if they hardly get to play in every season? This will not only demoralise the young players, but will deter other youth players from joining Spurs in future. IMHO, some of the younger players can give some of the 1st-teamers a run for their money. Players like Jenas, Malbranque n Tainio seem to have a wildcard to play in every match, be it whether fit or otherwise. Anyone remembers when was the last time Jenas was dropped due to his consistent inconsistencies?

I just feel that Jol lacks the balls and assisted with an evenly gutless n useless No.2, Chris Hughton, i doubt we can even get a CL spot this season or the next few seasons to come. Call me a pessimist, but you need plenty of that to be a spurs fan these days. I just hope ENIC shares the same views as me and i'm quite sure i'm not alone in condemning how Jol n CH are stagnating our beloved Spurs.

Spurs need to be consistent in gaining points against clubs of lesser stature to at least have a shot at the CL spot, not to be playing cowards away from WHL against what, a team which just got promoted? Who cares if that team is managed by a menace in his playing days? That 3 points were there for the taking but alas, the team that Jol sent out might not even have a chance of winning against the Spurs Ladies Team.....

[vasilli07]

Although i have to applaud Jol's policy on buying good youth players with potential, what good would it do to these players if they hardly get to play in every season? This will not only demoralise the young players, but will deter other youth players from joining Spurs in future. IMHO, some of the younger players can give some of the 1st-teamers a run for their money. Players like Jenas, Malbranque n Tainio seem to have a wildcard to play in every match, be it whether fit or otherwise. Anyone remembers when was the last time Jenas was dropped due to his consistent inconsistencies?




Yeah...Jenas is 1 of the most over-rated player in the Spurs team. Jol must drop(or even sell) him for maybe Huddlestone.

The whole Spurs team was horrible last nite. Malbranque was nearly ineffective on the right, yet played there for nearly the whole game. Bent was on the field, but i didn't notice him till his substitution. The def didn't deal with all the high balls well...in all, everything went all...

We already lost 2 games now...both games that we aren't suppose to lose. Looks like our cl spot is all but gone...

Other clubs fans must be laughing at us for spending 16 million on a striker who has yet to score in 2 games...

Spurs better wake up their idea...if not we could well be embroiled in the relegation battle instead of a uefa cup spot. :mad:

[United_Treble]

overrated team, 2 defeats in 2 games, 1 against newly promoted sunderland, 1 against everton at home.
wonder why so many articles talking abt spurs being the most dominant strike force this season

[vasilli07]

Jol Becomes Third Favourite For The Boot
What a differance two matches can make! After going into the season full of expectation and excitement, Tottenham manager Martin Jol now finds himself third favourite to be the first Premiership manager sacked this season after tonight's defeat at home to Everton.

The defeat left Spurs, who have finished fifth in the previous two campaigns, without a point after their opening two matches of the season and the pressure has been firmly lumped onto the shoulders of the likeable Dutchman, who is started his third full season as the club's manager.

Bookmakers William Hill have tonight released a statement saying: "Martin Jol has been slashed from 16/1 to 9/1third favourite by William Hill to be the first Premiership manager of the season to lose his job after their second league defeat of the fledgling campaign."

Spurs are now down to 66/1 to be relegated, but still remain the favourite to win the Premiership without the so-called 'Big Four'.

Moods change quickly in football it seems.



Our next 3 games is against Derby(H), Man U(A) and Fulham(A)...if we fail to get 6 or 7 points, then Jol gonna go...

[wrxs204]

Very sad to see spurs going down so easily, and at home ground as well, which is suppose to be a fortress. But if bros here remember correctly, spurs also had a bad start at the beginning of last season (only won 1 in the 1st 6 games). However, they started to get their form back & went on a good run after that.

[vasilli07]

Very sad to see spurs going down so easily, and at home ground as well, which is suppose to be a fortress. But if bros here remember correctly, spurs also had a bad start at the beginning of last season (only won 1 in the 1st 6 games). However, they started to get their form back & went on a good run after that.

But we cannot do that every year...if not, every year, we are just hoping for a uefa cup spot which is not good enough after spending so much money. :mad:

[ghimpheng]

Defeat Derby Draw Man Utd Win Fulham

then his job will be safe

[United_Treble]

Defeat Derby Draw Man Utd Win Fulham

then his job will be safehis job will be even safe if they beat manu

[Pred2]

overrated team, 2 defeats in 2 games, 1 against newly promoted sunderland, 1 against everton at home.
wonder why so many articles talking abt spurs being the most dominant strike force this season
not sure if u understand this term "on paper". eg. "on paper", Louis Saha is also very much a 20-goal per season striker, but in reality, he should b the 20-games-out-and-having-fun-on-the-treatment-table kinda player. U get the drift?

Over-rated or not, it's not merely Spurs going around blowing their own trumpet, claiming they r uber strong n can steamroll past any Tom,Dick or Harry teams in the way. It's just the act of the media+some managers who overhype things to:
a) generate more "juicy" news which translate to higher readership = more sales
b) take the pressure off the managers n their teams to perform.

Say all u want against Spurs cos i've heard worst, but my love for Tottenham will not wane.







p/s: On a sidenote, i would love to see how you gonna react when the tables turned on ur beloved United and maybe in a few seasons of underperforming, i won't be surprised to see you abandoning the Red Devils for the Blues (or whichever team is leading the table). *shrugs*

[Pred2]

Very sad to see spurs going down so easily, and at home ground as well, which is suppose to be a fortress. But if bros here remember correctly, spurs also had a bad start at the beginning of last season (only won 1 in the 1st 6 games). However, they started to get their form back & went on a good run after that.
We can rest assure that this run will continue each time Anthony "Titus Bramble" Gardner and Paul "I Give Last Minute Goals for Free" Staltieri feature in the starting lineup. Oh, and Jermaine "Confirmed in 1st Eleven" Jenas too.

Hopefully, Mr Jol wises up and throw Huddlestone, Taarabt, Kevin Prince Boateng into the starting lineup, then it will be the opposition which will b trembling, rather than the fans everytime they see the usual suspects in the midfield positions.

Every team now must be thanking their lucky stars if they see these bunch of jokers in the lineup and a win is like 75% in the bag.
1) Gardner
2) Staltieri
3) JJ
4) Malbranque
5) Zokora
6) Tainio

[Pred2]

After their disappointing 3-1 home defeat against Everton Tottenham defender Anthony Gardner pleaded with the fans for patience, but admits they have to beat Derby to give the side belief that they can still qualify for the Champions League.

He said: "I can understand the fans' frustrations.

"Expectations are high and they are looking for us to do big things. We finished fifth last season and we have improved the team since then so we were expecting to make a strong start, but we haven't.

"I just hope the fans can be patient because we have the quality to turn this around. I train with the players every day and know how good they are and the quality of players we have bought in the summer.

"We just need a result to go our way. It may be early, but Saturday is a must-win game for us to lift our morale. The players are disappointed, just as the supporters are disappointed.

"But if we can beat Derby it will make everyone happy again and give us something to build on."


lol? Of all people, this clown has to be the spokesperson? and a IF we can beat Derby......oh wait, IF only applies if he plays? On wat basis can he speak for the team? Based on he's the team's topscorer right now?

[vasilli07]

lol? Of all people, this clown has to be the spokesperson? and a IF we can beat Derby......oh wait, IF only applies if he plays? On wat basis can he speak for the team? Based on he's the team's topscorer right now?

I don't think we can blame him for playing...yes, he is a poor defender. But which central defenders are we left with? Maybe Dorian Dervitte could play...but he is in-experienced...

If we have to blame, it's Jol. He rather spend 16 million on an extra striker. What we really need is/are quality defender/s. If we could shore up our def, then we surely have a good chance of a cl spot.

I heard our spending is 2nd to Chelsea in the past 2-3 years. If chelsea can win the league twice by spending abit more than us, why can't we even secure yearly cl football?

Anyway, some players need to go...

1) Jenas
2) Stalteri
3) Gardner
4) Assou-Ekotto
5) Murphy
6) Ghaly
7) Routledge(maybe)

Lastly, we must win against derby...any other result, Jol's head will be chopped...


COME ON U SPURS...

[ghimpheng]

Clearout List

1) Robinson
2) Staltieri
3) Tainio
4) Gardner
5)Jenas

all those stated above is a must in order to break top 4 or @ least don't play them first team

[Pred2]

Clearout List

1) Robinson
2) Staltieri
3) Tainio
4) Gardner
5)Jenas

all those stated above is a must in order to break top 4 or @ least don't play them first team

6) Malbranque (not as effective as when he was at fulham)
7) zokora (hardly impressive in all the games he played so far)

[vasilli07]

6) Malbranque (not as effective as when he was at fulham)
7) zokora (hardly impressive in all the games he played so far)

If you notice, it's Jol who makes them ineffective. He likes playing Lennon and Malbranque on the left when they are both more effective on the right. And after Jol 3 years in charge, have we solve our problem on our left midfield? No...

[ghimpheng]

6) Malbranque (not as effective as when he was at fulham)
7) zokora (hardly impressive in all the games he played so far)

i tot Malbranque did okay

and Zokora quite a good passer and in charge of holding midfield so that others can push forward

Jenas and Robinson is surely over rated

i tot they got sign a keeper on loan can replace robinson

and Jenas replace by Murphy he is much better than Jenas

[Kiwi8]

Haiz sad case for Tottenham. I thought they could do well after all those expensive buys. :o :o :o :o

[rahul49]

I think what Spuds need is a quality playmaker in the mid field. Someone who can provide the killer passes to all the excellent forwards you have.

This season is the last chance for Jol to prove he can take this Spurs team any higher. Everton and Newcastle would be very close on your heals this season.

[vasilli07]

Champions League? You're Having A Laugh!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR's woeful start to the season sees them lying sixteen places off the much-fancied fourth spot, with a goal difference of minus three. Their bad luck will soon dissipate and they will return towards the top half - but finishing fourth is a step too far, writes Christopher Spillane.

I've had the pleasure of sharing a train carriage with fans of Tottenham Hotspur twice. Both occasions occurred on Tuesday evenings, but one was in March and the other was in August. They had only two things in common: defeat and unseasonably bizarre weather.

The first occasion came following an epic FA Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea where Tottenham blew an away lead of 3-1 to draw 3-3 and then lose the resulting home replay. The mood was one of disappointment but optimism. Spurs had sent a warning shot to the Premiership's elite, after it had taken Chelsea the best part of two games to beat them. Forget that Chelsea were suffering a mini injury crisis and that they had taken three points off them in the Premiership, Tottenham looked threatening, and as long as Martin Jol was shrewd in the transfer market in the summer, fourth place shouldn't be unimaginable.

The summer started and assertions and posturing about a top four finish gradually grew and rivalled the Tevez transfer saga and Fernando Torres' arrival on Merseyside. Martin Jol, Darren Bent, Ledley King among others appeared in the nationals waxing lyrical about bringing Champions League football to the blue and white side of North London.

Tottenham even a had an early season victory over Arsenal after managing to fight off top-flight interest in their star player Dimitar Berbatov, while Arsenal had a Thierry Henry-shaped vacancy up-front. Expectation gathered more pace with the arrival of four notable players in Gareth Bale, Darren Bent, Younes Kaboul and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Then came the second occasion on which I shared a train with Tottenham fans post-match - Tuesday's 3-1 defeat by Everton. Before the game the mood was one of anticipation and expectancy. Three points were a must against a fellow top-eight team if Europe's elite are to head to White Hart Lane next season. After the game the atmosphere had descended into one of blame and incredulity. What a difference five months and over £30 million worth of new talent can make.

Accusatory fingers were pointing at Jermaine Jenas and his apparent lack of bite and energy in midfield, while disbelief was aimed at Jol's transfer dealings. The lack of an experienced enforcer to compete in midfield, and of a left winger with a left foot, was glaringly apparent. They were missing from the starting eleven, the bench, and even from the injury table. "Why had Jol added to an already menacing strike force at the princely sum of £16 million?" was the cry from scores of moody fans whose £50 ticket had brought them nothing but misery and a position at the foot of the table after two games.

Granted, Spurs are missing Aaron Lennon, Ledley King and Michael Dawson, while Kaboul came off early against Everton through injury. But if they are to enter the "gang of four," Jol needs more depth, quality and competition in his squad.

The odds on Martin Jol being the season's first managerial casualty have been slashed from 25-1 to 8-1, making him the third favourite to lose his position. Although talk of signing another youngster in Curtis Davies from West Brom may sway some into a cheeky punt, money would be better spent on predicting a top six finish for Tottenham rather than the sacking of a manager who has brought European football to N17 for two consecutive seasons.

A more calculated risk maybe tipping Everton to break into the top four, because David Moyes has crafted a fantastic team out of a good, but not fantastic, players. Blackburn could also challenge, with steady head Ryan Nelsen at the back and the useful addition of Roque Santa Cruz in attack.

Martin Jol has taught Tottenham how to crawl, but it seems that they are trying to run before they can walk, and defeats by the likes of Sunderland will be a handy reminder of this. Players of the calibre of Berbatov and King will see them knocking on the Champions League door. But until Jol signs an energetic midfield talisman in the mould of a Cesc Fabrégas, a Michael Essien, a Paul Scholes or a Steven Gerrard, they'll be knocking until they are sore in the head.

Christopher Spillane

Source: Goal.com



What he said is quite correct. Do we have any midfielders in that mould? Maybe Zokora or Tainio?

[vasilli07]

What should i use to describe our 1st half performance? Vintage or breathtaking performance? :s13:


If Jenas can perform like this consistantly, we will have a stevie g in our side...=:p


Hope we can score another 2 so that our gd will at least be +1... :D

[stevenliew]

I think vasili will have to tack bake his words abt jenas and malbranque liao....
both were inspiring tonite!!!

[vasilli07]

I think vasili will have to tack bake his words abt jenas and malbranque liao....
both were inspiring tonite!!!

Haha...i only don't like Jenas as he cannot give this kinda of performance consistantly..as for Malbranque, his performance is affected by him playing on the left side and derby did not expose him as everton did in mid-week...:o

Anyway, great to see Taarabt being sub in, quite lively but must learn how to pass... :D

I will give super spurs 8 out of 10 for tonite performance... =:p

Next big test...the champs...MAN U...

[wrxs204]

Great morale boosting win for spurs. 3 goals inside 13 mins. Hopefully, this is the start of their revival. COYS

[Pred2]

What should i use to describe our 1st half performance? Vintage or breathtaking performance? :s13:


If Jenas can perform like this consistantly, we will have a stevie g in our side...=:p


Hope we can score another 2 so that our gd will at least be +1... :D
dun get ur hopes too high. if we cant even beat derby with style, then i cant bear to see what will happen in our next game. if u noticed, jenas tend to play better against uber weak oppositions.

[vasilli07]

I kept an eye on the Reading game last nite as i bet on that game...I realised they have a player there who could solve our left midfield problem. He is Stephen Hunt, very hard-working and at times drive Reading midfield on at times, i would be more than happy to have him in the spurs team... :)

[Rappelz]

I kept an eye on the Reading game last nite as i bet on that game...I realised they have a player there who could solve our left midfield problem. He is Stephen Hunt, very hard-working and at times drive Reading midfield on at times, i would be more than happy to have him in the spurs team... :)
yeah hardworking..
and he strikes fear in goalkeepers too i believe...

[foxtrot1985]

I heard our spending is 2nd to Chelsea in the past 2-3 years. If chelsea can win the league twice by spending abit more than us, why can't we even secure yearly cl football?

If you look at net spending, then we're definitely not 2nd. Most of the players bought and then sold were sold at roughly the same price or a much higher price (e.g. Carrick and Mido)

[spykid]

Who is this Tabarrat guy? I saw him play yesterday, style abit like Ronaldo :s13:

[foxtrot1985]

Who is this Tabarrat guy? I saw him play yesterday, style abit like Ronaldo :s13:
Taarabt actually played last season when he came on as a sub at West Ham and at Chelsea.. He's got the skill but he's still quite raw and his crossing needs improvement

[spykid]

Oh thought he was a new signing. Can see he's quite individual, but has very good outrageous potential. If nuture properly, can be quite a footballer in future.

[jon_17]

Taarabt actually played last season when he came on as a sub at West Ham and at Chelsea.. He's got the skill but he's still quite raw and his crossing needs improvement
sounds abit like ronaldo

[foxtrot1985]

To be more precise, Taarabt was on loan last season but now he's on a permanent deal.

[vasilli07]

Jol Talks Of Whispers As Ramos Denies Spurs Approach
Martin Jol may have seen his team roar back to form with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Derby on Saturday - but the Spurs boss does not feel entirely secure as rumours of contact with Sevilla persist

Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol has spoken of possible manoeuverings against him behind the scenes at White Hart Lane.

Despite the weekend's resounding win, Jol hinted that he could be 'stabbed in the back,' revealing: “I thought there were whispers last year - and there are whispers at any club all the time.

“I don’t know if I’m being undermined. I don’t think so but you never know.”

Bookmakers have made the Sevilla boss, Juande Ramos, 7-4 favourite to succeed under-pressure Jol at White Hart Lane.

The club insisted on Sunday night that they have not made an approach for Ramos yet, but their statement was not entirely reassuring for the Dutchman.

There were reports at the weekend that a delegation from Tottenham had met with Ramos at a Spanish hotel on Friday.

However, a Spurs spokeswoman said: “Our secretary John Alexander was there for a private meeting and we are not in negotiations with anybody to replace Martin at this current time.

“We are a club looking to finish in the top four and when results are as they have been, we would expect speculation.”

Meanwhile Ramos, 52, who masterminded Sevilla's stunning 5-3 victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday night, has denied holding any talks with Spurs behind Jol’s back.

Ramos said: “I totally deny that I met with any Tottenham representative. Is there any evidence that demonstrates the contrary?

“It’s totally false. I was with one friend in two hotels and I’m only shown leaving and in my car.

“I didn’t speak to anyone about Tottenham or any other team.

“It’s true I was in the hotel as I went to see a friend who has nothing to do with football and who was in Seville on a visit. But there was no meeting about Tottenham.”

However, The Sun claims that Jol’s relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is at "an all-time low" following a series of clashes with sporting director Damien Comolli, a Levy appointment.

Jol's position was undermined by Spurs losing their first two matches of the season, though he surely went a long way towards repairing the damage with that stirring performance against struggling Derby.

The Dutchman has been ordered to finish in the top four after spending £39 million on new players this summer.

As well as Ramos, former Spurs striker Jurgen Klinsmann and ex-Real Madrid and Juventus boss Fabio Capello have also been linked with a possible appointment at White Hart Lane.



I like Jol coz he is the manager who lead us to our best premier lge finish...but his tactical knowledge is only average. Best eg, likes playing players out of position...

If we were to have a new manager, i would like Klinsmann to be the 1. He is one of my fav spurs player... =:p

[cutter]

:s13::s22: what a joke.... like that SAF must be sacked after getting fewer points than Jol after the first 3 matches :o

[hotspur_77]

big match coming up... hopefully can get something out of it...

[vasilli07]

Jol Stays For Now, Given Top Four Ultimatum

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levi has been told in no uncertain terms that he must deliver Champions League football after spending big this summer.

A clear-the-air meeting was held late this afternoon between Martin Jol and Daniel Levy, and message is clear: Jol stays for now, but must deliver Champions League football.

Following the meeting, Levy made it abundantly clear that the board would do what was needed to ensure that the team had the right coach to take the club forward.

After two fifth placed finishes and a very expensive summer, nothing less than a Champions League berth will suffice for the bosses, and that has been impressed on Jol.

"We have had two good, progressive seasons with fifth place finishes," said Levy. "I am an ambitious chairman, we are an ambitious club and we want Champions League football at White Hart Lane.

"We, the board, owe it to the club and the supporters to constantly assess our position and performance and to ensure that we have the ability to operate and compete at that level.

"We have made a massive investment in the squad and as a result we have the best squad of players this club has had for over 20 years and they are equally hungry for success and silverware.

"For that we need our management and coaching standards to be of the highest quality such that players can fulfil their potential and we can compete with the best.

"We have discussed all of these expectations with Martin and he has confirmed to me today that he feels he is equipped with a squad and a determination to take on that challenge."

The last statement implies that Jol has been given more time, but the ones preceeding it make it abundantly clear that he was given absolutely no guarantees.

Admitting that Levy had outlined the club's abitions, Jol said: "We had a full and frank conversation and I fully understand the ambitions of the club - they are the same as those of the supporters.

"He [Levy] has put a lot of hard work into this club and with the squad of players we have assembled, it is realistic that we should look to challenge for a top four position and I have assured him and the board that that is what I shall aim for."

That settles the issue for now, particularly with Sevilla having slammed the door shut for Juande Ramos, and the coach in no mood to give up on Champions League football either. However, bets have opened again on Martin Jol becoming the first casualty this season.

Spurs take on Manchester United on Sunday in what is a must win game for both teams - a game which will put at least one of the two sides in a very precarious position.




Hmm...it should be a realistic target for us given the money we spent and the time we had given to Marton Jol.

[Kiwi8]

Jol Stays For Now, Given Top Four Ultimatum

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levi has been told in no uncertain terms that he must deliver Champions League football after spending big this summer.

A clear-the-air meeting was held late this afternoon between Martin Jol and Daniel Levy, and message is clear: Jol stays for now, but must deliver Champions League football.

Following the meeting, Levy made it abundantly clear that the board would do what was needed to ensure that the team had the right coach to take the club forward.

After two fifth placed finishes and a very expensive summer, nothing less than a Champions League berth will suffice for the bosses, and that has been impressed on Jol.

"We have had two good, progressive seasons with fifth place finishes," said Levy. "I am an ambitious chairman, we are an ambitious club and we want Champions League football at White Hart Lane.

"We, the board, owe it to the club and the supporters to constantly assess our position and performance and to ensure that we have the ability to operate and compete at that level.

"We have made a massive investment in the squad and as a result we have the best squad of players this club has had for over 20 years and they are equally hungry for success and silverware.

"For that we need our management and coaching standards to be of the highest quality such that players can fulfil their potential and we can compete with the best.

"We have discussed all of these expectations with Martin and he has confirmed to me today that he feels he is equipped with a squad and a determination to take on that challenge."

The last statement implies that Jol has been given more time, but the ones preceeding it make it abundantly clear that he was given absolutely no guarantees.

Admitting that Levy had outlined the club's abitions, Jol said: "We had a full and frank conversation and I fully understand the ambitions of the club - they are the same as those of the supporters.

"He [Levy] has put a lot of hard work into this club and with the squad of players we have assembled, it is realistic that we should look to challenge for a top four position and I have assured him and the board that that is what I shall aim for."

That settles the issue for now, particularly with Sevilla having slammed the door shut for Juande Ramos, and the coach in no mood to give up on Champions League football either. However, bets have opened again on Martin Jol becoming the first casualty this season.

Spurs take on Manchester United on Sunday in what is a must win game for both teams - a game which will put at least one of the two sides in a very precarious position.




Hmm...it should be a realistic target for us given the money we spent and the time we had given to Marton Jol.
It doesn't seem a realistic target though. Is the board expecting to dislodge one of the Big Four with just money?

[vasilli07]

It doesn't seem a realistic target though. Is the board expecting to dislodge one of the Big Four with just money?

We didn't finished in mid-table or lower last season. We finished in 5th. We spend money to strengthen our squad as to improve and break into the top 4. So I don't see why CL spot is not a realistic target.

If CL spot is not a realistic target, might as well not spending any money and try and remain in 5th or just claim a uefa cup spot.

If buying better players is not a way to dislodge the top 4, then could it be the tactics that the team is using? If yes, then it's Jol to take the responsibilty.

[vasilli07]

Spurs Concerned Defoe Will 'Do a Sol Campbell'
Tottenham Hotspur are concerned that striker Jermain Defoe could emulate the club's former captain Sol Campbell and run down his contract in order to leave on a Bosman free, possibly to a Premier League rival.

A Defoe exit could be the first fall-out from the Spurs board's uneasy relationship with manager Martin Jol - who has admitted that the ex-West Ham striker could be sold.

Certain newspapers have claimed this week that Defoe and Jol are barely on speaking terms after clashing in the dressing room following Tottenham's 4-0 victory over Derby last Saturday.

Tottenham's chairman Daniel Levy - who also held 'clear-the-air' talks with Paul Robinson yesterday after the Spurs goalkeeper called the board's treartment of Jol 'ridiculous' - wants Defoe to commit his long-term future to the club.

But Defoe, who has less than two years to run on his contract at White Hart Lane, is refusing to negotiate a contract extension while Jol remains at the club.

Jol said: "Jermain's the only problem because he is not signing the contract. He is the only player who doesn't want to.

"Somebody said to me - and it wasn't a fan - 'Why didn't you bring him on at half-time [against Derby]?' This is not a kindergarten.

"Everyone else is committed. I am committed. He tells everyone he loves the club, so sign a contract. As for the rest, I don't know what can happen to him - there are other clubs.

"The chairman told me a couple of weeks ago: 'I don't want another Sol Campbell*on my hands,' and I know what he means.

"We have made a good offer. You love Spurs, we love you and we need four strikers. But he did not do that and he will not even discuss it. If he commits to the club, I said to him: 'You will have your fair chance all of the time'."

Sol Campbell rejected a new contract offer from Spurs and allowed his contract to run down before leaving for nothing to join bitter rivals Arsenal in 2001, going on to play a key role in the Gunners' Double triumph in 2001-02, and subsequent Premier League title and FA Cup successes at the hated club a few miles down the Seven Sisters Road..



I don't mind if he leaves on a free transfer but not to as#senal again... :s27:

[vasilli07]

Prem Preview: Manchester United-Tottenham Hotspur
What: Premier League
Who: Manchester United (16th Prem) v Tottenham (12th Prem)
When: Sunday, 26th August, 2007, kick-off 16:00 local (BST)
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

Huge Significance

Rarely is there a match that means so much to both teams at this stage of the season, but the fixture list has delivered a cracking match-up of two of the most talked about teams so far in this Premiership season.

Manchester United could potentially go into the game in the relegation zone depending on how earlier results go, while Tottenham, who are just one point better off, are in absolute turmoil after a nightmare two weeks for the club.

This is the situation for two clubs that went into the campaign with great expectations. Manchester United are reigning champions and have invested heavily and seemingly wisely on new talent during the summer, while Spurs were widely tipped to break into the top four after back-to-back fifth place finishes and healthy investment of their own during the previous months.

However, there has been just one win between them after three matches apiece, while Manchester United have mustered just one goal for all of their attacking talent. But the major talking point going into this game is not about either teams points tally, but about the crazy goings on at White Hart Lane this week.

Martin's Not So Jolly

Martin Jol was seemingly safe as houses in the Tottenham hotseat when the season begun, but the opening two defeats at the start of the campaign showed there were some major cracks in the foundations of what has been the club’s most successful spell in a generation.

Despite the top five finishes and the cup runs last season it transpires that not all at the club were exactly happy with the Dutchman’s performance and despite giving him £40m to spend on new players they decided that opening defeats to Sunderland and Everton was an excuse to sack him.

However, after their apparent approach for Sevilla’s backfired they’ve been forced into a humiliating and shallow backtrack, which has seen the board criticised by pundits, supporters and players.

Jol’s job has hung by a thread at times this week and his long term safety is still far from secured despite the claimed “100% support”, but what is sure is there should be a united front in the dressing room and a desire from those that can influence matters on the pitch to show those that can’t just how stupid they’ve been.

Berbatov On The Move?

All of this shenanigans has sidetracked another key factor to Sunday’s clash as there is the small matter of Tottenham’s best player being targeted by United. A year after Sir Alex Ferguson came in and persuaded Michael Carrick to leave Spurs and there is the worrying sense of déjà vu as Dimitar Berbatov is very much on their radar.

Speculation has claimed that the Bulgarian has played a role in the near downfall of Jol as a reported bust-up appeared to lead to the doubts in the boardroom. However, both the player and manager have stressed they are the best of mates, but while that may or may not be true money speaks.

It was reported on Friday night that talks have been held at Spurs concerning Berbatov’s future and it will be very interesting to see if the Bulgarian returns from injury to play a role at Old Trafford.

Whatever happens it is going to be an anxious wait for the transfer deadline to close for the supporters of the North London outfit, who once again have taken two steps back after their stride forward.

Quotes

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:

"We will win the game on Sunday. Our performance level will win the game for us.

"There is no question Tottenham will come here with a great determination to help their manager.

"But with the ability in this team, I know the results we have been having will not carry on for long."

FORM GUIDE (Premiership unless stated)

Manchester United


Aug 19 v Manchester City (A) LOST 1-0

Aug 15 v Portsmouth (A) DRAW 1-1

Aug 12 v Reading (H) DRAW 0-0


Tottenham

Aug 18 v Derby (H) WON 4-0

Aug 14 v Everton (H) LOST 3-1

Aug 11 v Sunderland (A) LOST 1-0

Aug 04 v Torino (H) WON 2-0 (Friendly)

Aug 01 v Leyton Orient (A) WON 4-2 (Friendly)

Jul 28 v Orlando Pirates (A) WON 3-0 (Friendly)


TEAM NEWS


Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson must still do without striker Wayne Rooney and right-back Gary Neville through injury and Cristiano Ronaldo due to suspension. Louis Saha, who could be a makeweight in any Berbatov deal, is back on bench, while concerns over Edwin van der Sar appear to have been overstated.

Squad - tVan der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Evra, Silvestre, Fletcher, Eagles, Carrick, Scholes, Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Saha, Tevez.

Tottenham

Jol has doubts over Berbatov’s availability, in more way than one, while is still without defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King and winger Aaron Lennon. However, Gareth Bale is in line to make his debut for the club against the team he considered joining.

Squad - Robinson, Cerny, Chimbonda, Bale, Lee, Stalteri, Gardner, Rocha, Zokora, Tainio, Jenas, Routledge, Malbranque, Boateng, Huddlestone, Ghaly, Murphy, Taarabt, Berbatov, Bent, Keane, Defoe.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United - Michael Carrick

Carrick was the controller of Tottenham’s team in the season before he left for United and Spurs fans more than anyone appreciate his talents. However, even though he played a leading role in United’s success last season he still has his doubters, as he does at International level after a suspect performance against Germany in midweek. So when better to make a statement on your talents than against your former club!

Tottenham - Gareth Bale

The Welsh teenager may not start following his return from injury, although he was in action at international level this week. However, if he does feature there will be a fair amount of focus on him as he came very close to joining United at the start of the summer, but has ended up at Spurs as one of the big money signings that Jol hasn’t yet had the chance to use.


PREDICTION

Both teams need a result here, but you can only see one winner. Manchester United deserved a result in their derby defeat last weekend and a similar performance will get what it deserves. Spurs may well be motivated after their week in the public eye, but it will have had a draining effect at the same time. Spurs have a terrible record at Old Trafford in the Premiership and on this one Ferguson is right. United will win. 2-0.


Source: Goal.com



I would go for 1-1...players will fight hard for Martin Jol...Robinson will be MOTM. Bale will score the equaliser for Super Spurs with a free kick. =:p

[Kiwi8]

We didn't finished in mid-table or lower last season. We finished in 5th. We spend money to strengthen our squad as to improve and break into the top 4. So I don't see why CL spot is not a realistic target.

If CL spot is not a realistic target, might as well not spending any money and try and remain in 5th or just claim a uefa cup spot.

If buying better players is not a way to dislodge the top 4, then could it be the tactics that the team is using? If yes, then it's Jol to take the responsibilty.
The problem is that not only Tottenham spent money. The other clubs also spent money. Why was there the need to unsettle the club by threatening to sack the manager so early into the season? Like what Iain Macintosh said in TNP, Tottenham seem to be consistently making a joke of themselves. :o

[vasilli07]

A good overall performance by super spurs...

Man Yoo once again strikes lucky against super spurs...

If we can play like this week in week out, we will surely get in cl position...:o

Gareth Bale looks quite promising... :D

[hiei02]

lucky win? we fought like hell with no strikers and on a goal drought.

[vasilli07]

lucky win? we fought like hell with no strikers and on a goal drought.

Pls lah...the goal was a defected 1 if u watched the replay...and if u compare the chances, we had the better and closer ones...

U might as well say man yoo(the most potent again in the epl last year) cannot even score more than once when half of our 1st team def(dawson and king) is out

[ghimpheng]

if i am tottenham surely go print berbatov he is not only superb and also he get the team going

berbatov is the man !!! but too bad for him he is denied @ least 1 goal / penalty - Gutted

[hiei02]

look, i'm not trying to flame you. yeah sure the goal was deflected. but i don't recall VDS making any saves either. and please save the sarcasm about us not being able to score, there's no need for that.

[vasilli07]

look, i'm not trying to flame you. yeah sure the goal was deflected. but i don't recall VDS making any saves either. and please save the sarcasm about us not being able to score, there's no need for that.

U sure u don't rem or u don't want?

Pls give credit when it's due...i am not defending my club but a draw would be a fairer result...

Even your fellow man u fans said that the win is a lucky one in their own forum... :o

[hiei02]

please refresh my memory. VDS comes out to tackle berbatov. what else?

"Pls give credit when it's due"

you didn't giv credit to my team, did you? :)

[foxtrot1985]

you didn't giv credit to my team, did you? :)

credit to man u for having the better luck ;)

[hotspur_77]

please refresh my memory. VDS comes out to tackle berbatov. what else?

"Pls give credit when it's due"

you didn't giv credit to my team, did you? :)
VDS really didn't made a save cos the ball's either saved crossbar or his defenders :s8:

[hiei02]

i don't wanna be a nuisance here. anyway, i felt spurs deserve something out of this match. but saying it was a lucky win for us is nonsense. you can get a lucky goal but a win is something you get credit for.

[vasilli07]

please refresh my memory. VDS comes out to tackle berbatov. what else?

"Pls give credit when it's due"

you didn't giv credit to my team, did you? :)

Haha...rem the 1st half where your gk needs to punch when your dear rio went to sleep, and in the 2nd half, your dear gk had to help his def twice...

Btw, it's u who said it isn't a lucky win and u seems to think a win is fully what man u deserved from their performance.

lucky win? we fought like hell with no strikers and on a goal drought.

[hiei02]

the reason why i came in here was that lucky manyoo win comment you made. and please don't put words into my mouth, i didn't say spurs deserve to lose.

what i meant was shots on target and VDS actually having to make a save. but oh nvm, lets end this. :)

[vasilli07]

Prem Report: Nani Denies Unlucky Spurs
A wonderful strike by Nani has given Manchester United their much needed first victory of the season against an under pressure Tottenham side that deserved better after being denied a penalty just minutes before they fell behind.

Both teams needed a result after their abject starts to the new campaign, while the spotlight was on Spurs' boss Martin Jol after the high profile week he and his club had just had. However, for all of their hardwork they are only left asking what do they have to do to get a result at Old Trafford.

The result leaves Spurs just one place outside the bottom three after one win and three defeats from their opening four games, while United promptly rise from second bottom to the top half.

Tottenham, as a club, went into the game in disarray, but their players were far from it as they started the brighter at the theater of dreams and even managed to hit the top of the crossbar through Robbie Keane after just 20 seconds.

The early moment of concern for the first half and the following minutes of intent from the visitors helped silence the home faithful even more than normal as they contemplated the prospect of being seven or eight points behind Chelsea at this early stage of the season.

Tottenham handed a debut to Manchester United target Gareth Bale on the left-wing, while reported United target Dimitar Berbatov had recovered from injury to start the game and both players were looking likely, but as the first half reached the midway mark the home team began to take control of the player.

Jol's side responded by defending deep with only Berbatov left on his own in attack and the plan worked well as it restricted United's attacking threat due to their lack of a target man.

Paul Robinson, who himself was in the spotlight following his mistake for England in midweek, only had one save to make and he did well to parry away Rio Ferdinand's effort.

With the game going into the second half the pressure was builing on United as they were the team that more urgently needed the win and a goal to add to their soletry one this season, but this played into the hands of Spurs, who had more opportunities to edge ahead.

However, they did not take them and it, as it so often does, proved costly. Ricardo Rocha directed a free-header wide before three goal line incidents in the space of little more than five minutes. Good work from Bale played in Berbatov, who fell to the floor after colliding with Nemanja Vidic but still managed to poke the ball past Edwin van der Sar. However, Rio Ferdinand reacted quickly to clear off the line. Minutes later there was a case of deja vu, but this time the Bulgarian was denied by the arm of Wes Brown on the line, but the referee did not have the courage to point to the spot when those around him clearly saw the incident.

It was a cruel repeat of an incident three years ago when Tottenham's Pedro Mendes had a last minute winner denied as it was deemed the ball had not crossed the line when it had come close to hitting the back of the net.

The crazy minutes of play also saw Jermaine Jenas clear off the line as United pressed, but there was nobody on the line to keep out a thunderous shot from Nani, which blasted past Robinson after a minor deflection of Carlos Tevez on the way in.

Tottenham now had no option to attack and they quickly introuced Jermaine Defoe and Adel Taarabt, but still nothing would go there way.

A sublime effort from Berbatov curled just over the bar, while both Anthony Gardner and Jenas failed to control balls when a one-on-one opportunity was on the cards.

United will be relieved to get their season off and running, but their current set-up without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha is clearly not working and will be a concern to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Jol will also be concerned and he will be well and truly under pressure to get a result away to Fulham next week, but his players showed him they are prepared to fight for his cause and on another day they'd have been celebrating all three points at Old Trafford for the first time in the Premiership.

Match Details

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Brown, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Giggs, Hargreaves, Carrick (Eagles, 57), Nani, Scholes, Tevez (Fletcher, 78). Subs: Fangzhuo, O'Shea, Kuszczak.

Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Lee (Taarabt, 75), Gardner, Rocha (Zokora, 83), Bale, Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Berbatov, Keane (Defoe, 75). Subs: Cerny, Stalteri.

Referee: Mr H Webb

Man of the Match: Pascal Chimbonda

[foxtrot1985]

how come howard webb doesn't get any credit ? the referee and also the assistant referee should usually be given the credit whenever spurs play man u :s8:

[vasilli07]

how come howard webb doesn't get any credit ? the referee and also the assistant referee should usually be given the credit whenever spurs play man u :s8:

He would be only given credit when he gives us the pen... :D

[hotspur_77]

guys...watever the scoreline is...it's history...let's concentrate on the next match...bring on arse!!

[vasilli07]

guys...watever the scoreline is...it's history...let's concentrate on the next match...bring on arse!!

It's fulham 1st, right? :o

[foxtrot1985]

He would be only given credit when he gives us the pen... :D

Hmm that might be too premature to give the credit... even if we were to hit the ball across the goalline for the penalty, it might still be disallowed by the assistant referee...

[foxtrot1985]

It's fulham 1st, right? :o

yesh. anyway we only had 4 pts from our 1st 6 games last season.. i'm sure we'll get something out of the next 2 games

[hotspur_77]

It's fulham 1st, right? :o
paiseh...paiseh...i skipped that 1:D

[RVN]

yesh. anyway we only had 4 pts from our 1st 6 games last season.. i'm sure we'll get something out of the next 2 games

no on 3 points. Spurs played well today, but its putting the ball into the net that count so just too bad. ;)

[vasilli07]

My predictions for the next 5 games...:o

Sept 2007
01 Sat Away Fulham (W)
15 Sat Home Arsenal (W)
23 Sun Away Bolton (D)

October 2007
01 Mon Home Aston Villa (W)
07 Sun Away Liverpool (L)


That would be 10 points out of 15 which is not too bad considering we are facing 2 top 4 teams in 5 matches...

[vasilli07]

Berbatov Commits Future To Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur's star striker Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed that he intends to stay at White Hart Lane after a pay rise, ending recent speculation about a possible exit.

Dimitar Berbatov, Tottenham's much-admired Bulgarian striker, has moved to quash speculation that he could be leaving Spurs.

His agent, Emil Dantchev, had revealed renewed interest in Berbatov from Manchester United, although the Red Devils played down the rumour.

But the 26-year-old Spurs striker has put the issue to bed by declaring: "I chose to join Tottenham last season, now I'm staying at the club through my own free will. At least for now.

"There has been a lot of speculation but all I can say is the club's board have decided to raise my salary."

Berbatov joined Tottenham from German Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen in May 2006. He scored 12 Prenier League goals last season, and 23 in all competitions.

Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is an admirer of Berbatov and recently admitted making a tentative inquiry for the player earlier in the summer.

But Berbatov told Bulgarian Football Weekly : "No one said that United didn't have interest in me and my price in general but it has to be clear that there will not be a move for now."

His club manager, Martin Jol is "100% convinced" Berbatov will remain at Tottenham.

Jol revealed: "I said on Friday that I would rather die than sell Berbatov. Hopefully, I won't die. I am 100% convinced he will stay at the club."



Wow...how many managers are willing to die just to keep a key player? Maybe only Martin Jol... :D

[vasilli07]

UEFA CUP DRAW

We have been drawn against Anorthosis Famagusta FC of Cyprus in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

We were drawn out of the hat first and will therefore play our home leg first, a tie scheduled for Thursday September 20. The return leg in Cyprus is scheduled for Thursday October 4.

The winners of the two-legged tie will book a place in the group stages of the competition.



We should breeze thru...4-0 or 5-0 win in WHL...

[vasilli07]

Fulham land Murphy
Fulham have signed Danny Murphy from Tottenham on a year-long loan deal.

The former England midfielder has not figured at White Hart Lane since January and a move to Fulham could re-ignite a career which has stalled in recent years.

Reflecting on the capture of Murphy, Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez was clearly pleased to have signed the playmaker.

"Danny Murphy is a proven England international player with great vision, experience and ability," Sanchez said.

"He can split the defence with a single pass and can score goals so I'm delighted he's chosen to come to Fulham at this stage in his career.

"It's been a busy last couple of days with many deals being done but hopefully this concludes our business for the window and we can now concentrate on winning football matches and climbing the table."


Was surprised when we 1st signed him...not quite the player he used to be. Wish him luck at Fulham and hope that he plays regularly.

[vasilli07]

arghhh...once again, we were unlucky...

Even the bbc commentators cannot describe how fulham came away with a point... :mad:

Will we have finally have lady luck on our side against assenal? :o

[hoks]

Same old sickening feeling, how many times must we concede last min goals????

[vasilli07]

Spurs Get Mixed Defender News
Tottenham are reportedly set to be without captain Ledley King until November after the England international defender suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

King hasn't featured this season and missed much of last season due to injuries, but it had hoped that he was nearing a return, which can not come soon enough for Spurs, who have shipped eight goals in their first five matches to the season.

A club insider told the Daily Mail: "He is struggling quite badly. No one knows when he will return and the date keeps getting put back.

"It's a big blow because he's the best defender we've got and we miss his leadership on the field. It is just too easy to score against us at the moment."

However, Michael Dawson, who has also been missing this season, featured in a reserve victory last night and should be ready to partner Younes Kaboul at the back in time for Tottenham's next match, which is against North London rivals Arsenal.



Haizzz...will King become the new Woodgate? :(

[wrxs204]

Big game against arsenal tis wk....hopefully we wun get 'robbed' again

[vasilli07]

Woo...1-0 to super spurs...but can we hold on? :D

[vasilli07]

WE CANNOT FARKING DEFEND AND WE CANNOT FARKING SCORE...sorry, martin jol, U ARE FIRED!!! :mad:

[ranjiaolang]

byebye tin tin

darren bent cost spurs 16m??

:s13:

[Swordsman]

martin jol should have sub in the pacy darrrent bent when arsenal had equalized not till the last 10 mins then sub in..its a very open game.. berbartov took his own sweet time to shoot..

[wrxs204]

Jol has 6 games left to save himself. Personally, I feel that Jol is not bad as a manager. Though his tactics come into question at times, he's the only manager so far who's able to lead Spurs to 2 5th placing & into the UEFA cup. It would be really sad to see him go

[vasilli07]

Finally, our season seems to turn around...although once again, we let our lead slip away...but how many teams will go to anfield and play football?

Well...i'm happy with our display today...hope we can pick it up from here...

[vasilli07]

Finally, our season seems to turn around...although once again, we let our lead slip away...but how many teams will go to anfield and play football?

Well...i'm happy with our display today...hope we can pick it up from here... :o

[yourmother]

Finally, our season seems to turn around...although once again, we let our lead slip away...but how many teams will go to anfield and play football?

Well...i'm happy with our display today...hope we can pick it up from here... :o
How can your thread got 4 stars?! You one man show here still got 4 stars?!! :mad:

How many clones you have??!! =:p

[Rappelz]

How can your thread got 4 stars?! You one man show here still got 4 stars?!! :mad:

How many clones you have??!! =:p
wat stars for?

[vasilli07]

How can your thread got 4 stars?! You one man show here still got 4 stars?!! :mad:

How many clones you have??!! =:p

I dunno leh...i voted once myself...i got no clone...:o

Who voted less stars? :mad:

[yourmother]

Who voted less stars? :mad:
Is yours truly here. :o

[yellowsubmarine]

Is yours truly here. :o

whaha.. so funny... :s13:

[yourmother]

2 stars now, must be yellowsubmarine! :s13:

[Hua_Hui]

nxt game against magpies, try to get 3 points!!

[yellowsubmarine]

2 stars now, must be yellowsubmarine! :s13:

*innocent look*
though i dislike spuds.. i really cant be bothered to minus or plus star to the thread. :s22:

[vasilli07]

Long time never bump up the thread liao...they never win, i also low on confidence... :o

Hoping for a win in the uefa cup today to boost our confidence against blackburn on sun... =:p

[sugarkittyx]

Tottenham Hotspur are reported to have sacked Martin Jol and agreed a deal with FC Sevilla boss Juande Ramos to replace him. The unsubstantiated reports from the UK's Sun newspaper, and which have yet to be confirmed by Spurs, claim the decision to axe Jol was taken this evening ahead of the UEFA Cup tie at White Hart Lane against Getafe. However with the game level at 1-1 in the second half, Jol remains on the Spurs bench. <- soccernet.

[alex666]

bye bye MJ.......no spiderman to save u this time.....2-1

[colster]

They have offically parted company. :s11:

[ahgohgoh]

yes it's official.....

CLUB STATEMENT
We can confirm that the Board has this evening asked Martin Jol, Club Manager and Chris Hughton, First Team Coach to stand down from their positions with immediate effect.

Click here
We have not taken these decisions lightly or without recognition of the contribution both Martin and Chris have made to the Club.

Chairman Daniel Levy said: 'For me, Martin and Chris' departure is regrettable. Our greatest wish was to see results turn in our favour and for there to be no need for change. We feel honoured that Martin has been manager at our Club, having seen us qualify twice for Europe. Chris has been with us since 1977, bar a three year period, both as player and coach and he has been an excellent ambassador for the Club. They have been professional, popular and respected members of the coaching staff and there will always be a warm welcome for them both at the Lane.'

Martin Jol added: 'I can understand the position of the Club in light of the results. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Tottenham Hotspur is a special Club and I want to thank the terrific staff and players. For me the fans were always amazing with their support so I would also like to say thank you  I shall never forget them.'

We shall report in due course on new appointments to the coaching staff. In the interim, the First Team will be coached by our current Development Coach, Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe, our Youth Team manager.

[vasilli07]

He has been one of our best manager in recent years. But this year has not been his year, we just cannot buy a win.

I guess his desination will be ajax, i hope he can lead ajax back to greatness...

[younggun__007]

tink its gd news for spurs fans.
under martin jol, the team always seems to choke when everyone is tipping them to win.
but then again, whoever recommend that spurs buy darren bent at 16m pounds shld be sacked too.

[vasilli07]

tink its gd news for spurs fans.
under martin jol, the team always seems to choke when everyone is tipping them to win.
but then again, whoever recommend that spurs buy darren bent at 16m pounds shld be sacked too.

haha...it's our director of football...

But he was also the one who bought berbatov. :o

[spykid]

Sulking Berbatov could be on his way out liaozz, unless the new coach is someone who got big reputation and persuade him to stay.........

[younggun__007]

haha...it's our director of football...

But he was also the one who bought berbatov. :o


who's dat??
any1 who played fm shld noe dat it is crazy to spend so much on darren bent :D

hope spurs can get a real gd manager this time.
btw, klinsmann and marcelo lippi are still jobless. BPL will be more interesting if any of these managers took over at spurs :)

[vasilli07]

who's dat??
any1 who played fm shld noe dat it is crazy to spend so much on darren bent :D

hope spurs can get a real gd manager this time.
btw, klinsmann and marcelo lippi are still jobless. BPL will be more interesting if any of these managers took over at spurs :)

Damien Comolli...director of football.

Klinsmann is unlikely to take over as he wans complete control of things, unless Comolli get sacked...

[sadisfiedx]

buy all these players and still near the relegation zone. should have been sacked a long time ago

[vasilli07]

Robinson Out, Palop In As Ramos Wields The Axe
Goalkeeper Paul Robinson is expected to be the first casualty at White Hart Lane as the Juande Ramos era begins.

Multiple media reports coming out of London are suggesting that Juande Ramos has chosen to begin his new side's restructuring from the very back.

Robinson has been in poor form over the last twelve months, and guilty of a number of gaffes that have cost Spurs, and sometimes England, dearly.

Ramos is said to have called for a goalkeeper who can snatch points for the team, not give them away, and has told chairman Daniel Levy without room for interpretation: "Get me Palop in January."

Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop, himself known for the odd eccentric moment - in particular rushing out of goal at first opportunity - has been in superb form over the last year or so.

The 25-year-old moved to Sevilla just over two years ago - was one of Juande Ramos' first signings back then - after playing under-study to Santi Canizares at Valencia, and failing to break into the first team.

At the Sanchez Pizjuan, though, he has come into his own, and supported his team's push for silverware with some superb displays. That his record saving penalties rivals that of 'Pepe' Reina is hardly a disadvantage.

[vasilli07]

Fat Robbo definitely needs a competition...hoped he can finally go and lose some weight and come back stronger...

[colster]

He certainly had chances after chances after chances. :s22: :s22:

[vasilli07]

An open letter to supporters from Chairman Daniel Levy.

Dear Supporter,

Today we welcome members of our new coaching team to the Lane - Juande Ramos and Marcos Alvarez and, in doing so, we bring to an end an unsettled two months for our Club.

Much has been written and speculated about the Club in the past few weeks. Quite clearly there are always two sides to every story but, in the interests of the Club, we have endured much criticism without responding or retaliating. We have instead issued statements, when appropriate, containing accurate and relevant information.

For you, the supporters, there are two particular issues on which I would now like to comment: Firstly regarding reports about Thursday evening - the first time Martin and I met to discuss his position was after the match, there were no discussions prior and there were none of the reported disagreements. We would not have, in any case, asked Martin to take charge of the match under those circumstances. Media speculation which preceded the game, inaccurately reporting Martin as having resigned, was in no way a deliberate measure by this Club, in no way served our purposes and we have resented any suggestion that this was the case. Leaks (which are wholly unacceptable) and speculation accompanied the game and it is a sad and regrettable aspect that individuals get caught in their midst.

Several events clearly did not happen as we all would have wished and I am the first to admit that things could have been handled differently and better.

Secondly, I should like to once again outline how the acquisition and disposal of players works at the club. We have a Football Management Group which meets on a regular basis – this is constituted by myself, Damien Comolli (Sporting Director), John Alexander (Club Secretary) and the Head Coach, now Juande Ramos. This group meets to discuss, identify and acquire players in targeted positions and to consider possible disposals. No player is brought into the Club or sold who is not approved by the coaching staff – it would be counter-productive to buy players that won’t be played. It is a system that Juande has worked with for years, which allows him to specify his needs and to concentrate on coaching the team whilst Damien and his scouting network seek options. This process clearly relies on accurate briefing and good decision making. It has a collective responsibility.

In conclusion, you, our supporters, should know that your Board has always had, and will always have, the long term interests of your Club as its sole focus.

In the past six years we have accommodated many changes, some of our own instigation and some that were thrust upon us by circumstance. I consider it the mark of the strength of an organisation as to how it deals with change, realigns and moves forward. We have made the changes, popular or unpopular as they may be, that we felt were necessary and right. New possibilities now face us, please lend us your support as we move forward together.

Yours,
Daniel

[ahgohgoh]

what happened to robinson last night? not even on bench... dropped or injured??

frankly i think he's very substandard this season... so many blunders for club and country!!

[dreamer75]

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed former Uruguay international midfielder Gus Poyet as an assistant to new coach Juande Ramos.

The 39 year old arrives from 3rd division side Leeds United, where he was assistant to Dennis Wise, after a compensation package was agreed over the weekend.

Poyet joins Marcos Alvarez, who arrived with Ramos from Seville when he took over the top job after Martin Jol was sacked last Thursday.


Poyet played for Spurs from 2001 to 04 and then moved into coaching.

[scytheavatar]

LOL, the problem never was Jol to begin with; the ones that should be sacked for what which is going on in Spurs is Levy and Comolli. Until that happens not even Wenger or Mourinho can save these people.

[vasilli07]

Juande Reveals Real Reasons For Quitting Sevilla
Juande Ramos has revealed that he was keen to leave Sevilla because of problems behind the scenes which meant he felt that the time had come to go.

The 53-year-old resigned last week to take over at Tottenham Hotspur and was criticised by sections of the Spanish club's fans for leving for the money.

Ramos told Radio Marca that the €7m-a-year contract offered by the English was not his main motivation for quitting after guiding Sevilla to five trophies in the past two seasons.

"The situation became unsustainable because there are times when a club can trample on its coaches," he explained.

Several clubs were interested in his services during the summer, but he previously stated that he had turned them down because he did not fancy the move.

Now Ramos has revealed that Sevilla kept him from going before the start of the current campaign. "Sevilla prevented me, not for any other reason," he added.

Despite walking out of the post at the Sánchez Pizjuán, Ramos admits that it was a very difficult decision to make.

"I left with some sadness after all the years I have been there," he stated.

Rumours that his relationship with president José María del Nido had deteriorated are wide of the mark according to the new Spurs boss.

"It was always very good throughout all those years," he concluded.



Good luck to his 1st match in charge tonite...3-0 win... :D

[Hua_Hui]

i read from wanbao ramos is gonna pull in dani alves + kanoute to WHL? (pls confirm)
hurray!!

[vasilli07]

i read from wanbao ramos is gonna pull in dani alves + kanoute to WHL? (pls confirm)
hurray!!

Yup, i read about that too. But not sure if D.Alves wans to come as there are alot of clubs who wans him. As for Kanoute, if he comes, then D.Bent could be off.

[vasilli07]

Prince Boateng makes his debut...With all his tattoo, looks like he will be the bad guy of our midfield... :o

[vasilli07]

A good point today and a good EPL debut for Juande Ramos and Prince Boateng... :)

[dreamer75]

Deposed manager on how it went wrong at Spurs, his continued affection for the club - and chairman - and his hopes of remaining in England

Duncan Castles
Sunday November 4, 2007
The Observer

Martin Jol is a collector of fine art - and a commissioner. Broad smile across his robust features, Jol welcomes guests to his Chigwell home and draws their attention to a pair of modern canvases. On backgrounds of sunrise yellow and orange, enigmatic human figures interact with some familiar images. Worked into each painting are an upright cockerel and an old, leather-panelled football - the symbols of Tottenham Hotspur.

If the description suggests otherwise, there is a subtlety to the art; one that parallels Jol's feelings for the club that many believe were cack-handed in their sacking of him 10 days ago. From the moment of his promotion to 'head coach' in November 2004, the Dutchman talked of his love for Spurs: his English club, the one he had followed as a child, on a radio in The Hague. Three years leading them to their highest Premiership finishes and building a bond with their demandingly impassioned supporters, merely intensified those emotions.

Article continues

A master of the one-liner, Jol jokes about that affinity. He is dressed in a burgundy shirt, similar in colour to Arsenal's centenary kit of two seasons ago. 'This is the first time I wear this colour, it's unbelievable,' says Jol. 'But that is what they put into you when you are at Spurs. If I would have £2billion I would buy Arsenal. And I'd make a big parking place from the Emirates and make a new stadium for Spurs. Or for another club, you know. That is a nice one!'

Far nicer, he clearly feels, than the manner in which Tottenham dispensed with the services of their most successful modern-era manager. At odds with key board members despite guiding the team to within a nauseous afternoon of Champions League football, Jol feels he was steadily undermined by his directors. They unsuccessfully approached Juande Ramos to replace him in August, failed again the following month but finally installed the Spanish coach last weekend.

Sitting back in a white sofa, taking a large draught of his wife's coffee with both painted paeans to Spurs in view, Jol is clearly not over that 10-week stint on managerial death row. He still looks jaded, a slight sadness to the eye and a marked hesitance to his words.

'I feel very tired, but maybe that's normal,' he says. 'I saw myself on television and thought "bloody hell". I looked at my picture compared to last season. It was maybe more than I realised... For example, Thursday I felt like I was beaten.'

That was the night of long knives. The Uefa Cup tie with Getafe, when word of Jol's demise spread round White Hart Lane, when the crowd repeatedly chanted his name and defamed chairman Daniel Levy's - aware of the Dutchman's fate before it had actually been communicated to him. The following days' papers reported that a disconsolate Jol had been fired before the game, or after. That his players knew before kick-off, or after. That he had called Levy every name under the sun.

'Everybody got it wrong about that night,' he says. 'They said I stayed on the bench, but I didn't go to the touchline because the German bugger of a fourth official wouldn't let me. Spurs fans were singing my name but they always sang my name, so at first I didn't think it was anything unusual. People say I was crying, but I swear to God I didn't know - it was probably a windy night. I was stressed but that was because I didn't want to lose, but maybe the players had an idea. Daniel was embarrassed and that made me feel better - he said he regretted how it had all come out. If he'd sat me down eight weeks ago and said we've got someone who can do better that would have been OK.'

While Jol did not expect the axe to fall on the night of a European tie, he knew the blade was raised, had heard that Spurs had sent an English teacher to Spain to work on Ramos's language skills. He paints a picture of a club that had got ahead of itself, which believed the natural consequence of consecutive fifth-place league finishes was a march into the top four and the revenues of the Champions League, yet refused to alter a business strategy of buying young, semi-formed talents on limited wages.

'If you are in a club like Southend for example and you achieve what you want you get a big celebration. In our club it is different - it is next target. There were conversations about me being more outspoken about Champions League ambitions, but I didn't want to put too much pressure on the younger players. Of course I wanted to be in the top four, but I would also one day want us to be champions. But is that realistic? Ambition needs to be measured by what you're working with.

'In a way I don't mind because it's a management style and Daniel is a manager. That is not a problem, the problem is that if, for example, we still had [former sporting director] Frank Arnesen, as a football man, he would have said to them it doesn't work like that, we need some time. David Moyes was fourth with Everton three seasons ago, next season he was fourteenth. Now he's got strong players, he's got his final sort of article, now he can stay in the top six. But for me, to stay in the top six would have been fantastic. A couple of years ago my target was to be structurally top six every season and we did that. Perhaps with the younger players we could achieve more but we'll never know.'

Levy pursued a policy of purchasing young, preferably English, players and building them into stars who could act as centrepoints for the team or be sold at significant profit. Michael Carrick, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Tom Huddlestone, Darren Bent and Gareth Bale all arrived during his tenure as the balance sheet blossomed. Jol, whose team grew younger each season, respected the policy. He simply wanted a balance between profit-making development and reaching the top four. Tottenham confused short-term business aims with the long-term football objective of Champions League qualification.

If it did not help that Levy was also looking to sell the club to foreign suitors, Jol's working life became more difficult when his friend Arnesen resigned to join Chelsea in 2005. Yet he still achieved two fifth-place finishes as the Dane was replaced by Damien Comolli, an inexperienced ex-Arsenal scout almost two decades his junior.

Though Jol is reluctant to go into details, it is clear that his dealings with the Frenchman were fraught. 'It's been portrayed that I spent the money,' says Jol. 'I don't fix the fees and I don't even know what they earn, that's not our structure. Frank was more of a right-hand man and he would come in and say "why did you do this?" in a game. Frank was my friend so I would answer. I had nothing against Damien, we just didn't have that kind of relationship.'

Tottenham hired a headhunter to draw up a 50-strong list of potential replacements for Arnesen. Jol promoted the candidacy of a couple of Dutchmen, including Marcel Brands of AZ Alkmaar and Hans van der Zee, then of PSV Eindhoven, now chief scout at Ajax, and had no problems with the principle of working with a sporting director.

'It is a model that can work everywhere,' he says. 'But the director has to appoint the manager. Otherwise, if the manager is already there and knows all the ins and out, all the players, when somebody else comes in it's difficult. That's why I changed my contract [in 2006] and became manager so I would report to Daniel. And that's not ideal because it means the football director is then only a sort of super scout. Now Ramos is head coach and Damien is his boss, he's a proper football director again and maybe that will work better.'

There has been much talk of Jol suffering at the hands of vice-chairman Paul Kemsley and communications director Donna Cullen, he is surprisingly warm in his appraisal of Levy. 'If I had something with Daniel I'd tell him. Sometimes they don't like that, but I still worked in his structure because he's the best businessman ever.'

Jol has been less impressed with reports that he had fallen out with Dimitar Berbatov after the club prevented the forward signing for Manchester United in the summer. 'I loved Berbatov,' he counters. 'He was my player. Berba came to me after the first two defeats this season and said: "Boss I want to achieve something. I'm not worse than Eto'o or Rooney or Tevez." And he's right. But, I said to him, "You have to make the difference and win us prizes. You need to be more consistent in your play." Last year he scored 12 in the league and with his ability he could score 20.'

[dreamer75]

There is a similar reaction to claims that his team's frequent concession of late goals was because of sub-standard stamina training. 'The fitness coach of Ramos was there on Monday and said "No, they don't look fit". They'd played four games in 10 days, how can you see that after a game? You can see that probably in the next couple of weeks if there's no game. But we played 59 games last season and never lost the third game at the end of the week. What does that prove? I can tell you we were always fit. Though we weren't fit in that last match against West Ham!'

The day of Upton Park food poisoning that cost Spurs a top-four slot in 2006 is one regret; failing to defeat Arsenal another. Jol also wonders if he was outmanoeuvred by the club in their respective dealings with the media.

Though he followed club advice and avoided briefing journalists off the record, stories were often leaked to the press. When one regular Spurs reporter spent four hours doorstepping Jol the day after the sacking, the Dutchman only spoke on the record to get him to leave. It is telling that Jol did not know the journalist by name. 'Why do I have the reputation I've got? Because I'm the only one in the whole Premier League who never talked to a journalist. Maybe that is not a strength. Now, in hindsight, maybe I should have done it, but I still feel that I didn't come out of it bad.'

He also wants to continue managing in England. Jol has already fielded strong interest from a couple of clubs, including PSV Eindhoven, but elected instead to take a family holiday in Brazil. The Dutch federation has expressed an interest and the Football Association could do worse than add him to any shortlist to succeed Steve McClaren.

'International football is great,' says Jol. 'I'm 51, I'm not too young. You tell me I want to be in the Champions League. Of course it's an ambition or to be the champions of England. I still have ambitions in Holland, where I have won every title at all levels apart from the championship. I want to apply my philosophy, because I still feel in England you still play too rigid. I want my team to play and move, exploit the spaces which are created by movement. That's what Arsenal do, what the great Liverpool did and what I always wanted from us.

'I live here. I've been in my house in Essex three-and-a-half years. For me it would be easy to go back to Holland, but what more can you want? A year ago I got offered a job in Holland at a club who get 50,000 a week. That's more than Spurs, but it's not the same. I love the people here because they love their football. They have a crazy love for it but they also have a feeling for justice. Perhaps that's why they chanted my name during the Getafe game. I would work anywhere if the job was right but I love it here.'

And then there is the unfinished business at the Lane. 'I'm a fighter. I still have the feeling that you never know in the future,' he says. 'In football it's all about circumstances, opportunities.'

Don't expect those paintings to come down anytime soon.

[vasilli07]

I thot it would be nice to bring this up again for our big derby game against the gonners. COYS!

Prem Preview: Arsenal – Tottenham Hotspur
What: Premier League
Who: Arsenal (1st, EPL, 40/51 pts) v Tottenham Hotspur (12th, EPL, 18/51 Pts)
When: Saturday, 22nd December, 2007, kick-off 12:45 (GMT)
Where: Emirates Stadium, London.

Gunners Aim For More Derby Joy

The 142nd League Derby between these North London rivals kicks off the weekend’s Premier League programme on Saturday lunchtime. Having being drawn together for the second successive year in the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night, Spurs and Arsenal will be desperate to win this highly charged game and get a confidence boost before they clash over two legs in January.

Arsenal are sitting proudly at the top of the Premier League following last week’s hard fought win at home to Chelsea so the Gunners will be confident of continuing their excellent recent record against Spurs which stands at an astonishing 19 games without defeat to their main rivals.

Arsene Wenger was able to rest his entire first choice XI in the midweek League Cup win at Ewood Park, and will be delighted that his key midfield trio Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, and Aleksandr Hleb all came through last weekend’s bruising encounter with Chelsea unscathed.

Fabregas and Hleb in particular provide Arsenal with that little bit of extra imagination that is needed to break down Premier League defences. With the excellent Robin Van Persie also expected to start, Arsenal will be able to field their full armoury of attacking talent, which should be a real test for Spurs recently improved defensive record.

For Arsenal to be competing at the top of the table with big spending Manchester United and Chelsea is proof of the extraordinary managerial ability of Wenger, who was the only manager to make a net profit in pre season, yet has guided his side to the top of the table and seen his second string side ease past both Blackburn and Newcastle to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.

It is a testament to Wenger’s eye for a player that he has managed to combine a winning team while also making money for Arsenal, and the major signing he made in pre-season, Eduardo is beginning to show flashes of the brilliance that could become a key component for Arsenal in the second half of the season.

The Gunners have a difficult Christmas period, and it is the next few games that could determine whether they can retain a challenge at the top of the Premier League this term. Tricky games against Portsmouth and Everton follow this North London derby so three points here are vital. The Emirates has become something of a fortress for Arsenal, and they will be confident of continuing that excellent unbeaten home record with another three points over an under-strength Spurs on Saturday.


Spurs State Case For Defence

Juande Ramos has certainly worked his magic since he took over at White Lane Hart from Martin Jol. The fomer Sevilla boss has steered Spurs away from the relegation zone, having lost just one of his 11 games in charge. The last week has seen victories away to both Manchester City and Portsmouth, with clean sheets in those testing away trips boosting the confidence of under pressure keeper Paul Robinson.

A trip to the Emirates is a different prospect altogether and if Spurs could pull off a win at the home of their neighbours it would be a huge shock, as Arsenal have lost just once since they moved from Highbury to their new stadium. Spurs have some key defenders missing, and Didier Zokora, who had been filling in at centre half successfully, will miss this one which should open the door for a returning Michael Dawson.

Tottenham now have their eyes set on the top half of the table, which was the least they expected at the start of the campaign. It has been a turbulent season for Tottenham but they should strengthen the squad in January and can look forward to a much happier 2008. Ramos has already transformed the fortunes of Aaron Lennon, who has rediscovered his confidence since the arrival of the Spaniard.

Ramos also seems to have improved Spurs’ defending which was such a huge problem earlier in the season. Spurs are in excellent form, but their terrible record against Arsenal does not bode well for tomorrow’s encounter. Without their captain and defensive stalwart Ledley King, they can look vulnerable defensively, and that is something that Arsenal, with such rich attacking talents, will look to expose. Going forward, however, Tottenham can mix it with any side in the division and they will look to cause Arsenal problems with the pace of Lennon and the skill of strike pair Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov.

Tottenham will have to get close to Arsenal in midfield, and try to disrupt the rhythm of Rosicky, Hleb and Fabregas, so much will depend on how Jermaine Jenas and Kevin Prince Boateng play. Boateng has suddenly found himself in favour under Ramos having being invisible under Jol’s management, and he must ensure his enthusiasm for the fight does not boil over against an Arsenal side that have shown a harder side in recent games.


FORM GUIDE (Prem unless otherwise stated)

Arsenal

Dec 18 v Blackburn (a, CC) WON 3-2 (Diaby, Eduardo 2)
Dec 16 v Chelsea (h) WON 1-0 (Gallas)
Dec 12 v Steaua (h, CL) WON 2-1 (Diaby, Bendtner)
Dec 9 v Middlesbrough (a) LOST 1-2 (Rosicky)
Dec 5 v Newcastle (a) DREW 1-1 (Adebayor)


Tottenham

Dec 18 v Manchester City (a. CC) WON 2-0 (Defoe, Malbranque)
Dec 15 v Portsmouth (a) WON 1-0 (Berbatov)
Dec 9 v Manchester City (h) WON 2-1 (Chimbonda, Defoe)
Dec 6 v Anderlecht (a, UC) DREW 1-1 (Berbatov)
Dec 2 v Birmingham (h) LOST 2-3 (Keane 2)


TEAM NEWS

Arsenal:

Ivorian Emmanuel Eboue damaged knee ligaments after his horror tackle on John Terry last week, and will miss this game. Brazilian midfielder Denilson is suspended after he was dismissed at Ewood Park on Tuesday night. Theo Walcott is doubtful with a knee injury, but other than that Wenger has a full squad to choose from.

Last Starting XI (v Blackburn): Fabianski; J Hoyte, Senderos, Song, Traore; Randall (Barazite 80, Merida 100), Diarra, Denilson, Diaby; Bendtner, Eduardo (Gibbs 115).

Possible Starting XI (4-4-2): Almunia – Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy – Hleb, Fabregas, Flamini, Rosicky – Van Persie, Adebayor.


Tottenham:

Juande Ramos has a lengthy injury list in comparison. Left sided Gareth Bale (foot) is missing till February, captain Ledley King (knee) is still not ready to return and Didier Zokora is suspended after his controversial dismissal at Manchester City. Reserve defenders Anthony Gardner (ankle), Ricardo Rocha (ankle) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) add to Spurs’ defensive troubles.

Last Starting XI (v Manchester City): Robinson; Chimbonda, Zokora, Kaboul, Lee; Lennon (O’Hara 72), Jenas, Boateng, Malbranque (Huddlestone 88); Berbatov, Defoe (Tainio 23).

Possible Starting XI (4-4-2): Robinson - Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lee - Lennon, Jenas, Boateng, Malbranque - Keane, Berbatov.

Referee: Rob Syles (Hampshire): 4 Red cards and 42 Yellow cards in 12 Games so far this season.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Aleksandr Hleb is arguably the most technically gifted player in the Premier League, and this season the wiry Belarussian playmaker has added consitency to his game. Hleb can spot and play a pass through even the tightest of defences and he could be the man to decide this North London derby with a moment of magic.

Tottenham –Dimitar Berbatov could grace any attack in Europe and the Bulgarian with the sublime touch has this week said that he has no plans to quit Spurs despite being constantly linked with a move to Manchester United since the summer. Berbatov will want to continue his excellent performances of the last 7 days at Arsenal, showing the Spurs fans that he is serious about wanting to remain with the club.


PREDICTION

Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham

An improving Spurs should cause the Gunners problems, but this Arsenal side seem to have added a steely resolve to their delighful flowing football, and they should have enough to take more points in the Championship race.

Iain Hepburn


__________________________________________


We have perform well against the top 4 away from home so i don't expect us to be over-run. A draw would be a good result...

[vasilli07]

Nice to see O'Hara playing well and Arsenal playing like crap...:D

Hope we can continue...

[Rappelz]

O'Hara gaining confidence in the first half...
Hope he doesnt get over confident.

Berbatov seem to have lots of space.....

[vasilli07]

O'Hara gaining confidence in the first half...
Hope he doesnt get over confident.

Berbatov seem to have lots of space.....

Berba seems like he wans to draw alot of fouls, hope he can get a pen by....diving...:s13:

[Rappelz]

Berba seems like he wans to draw alot of fouls, hope he can get a pen by....diving...:s13:

He doesnt seem himself today... Losing concentration and falling... lol

[The_Governator]

damn! awesome goal. almost burst open the net

[The_Governator]

WTF LA KEANE MISSED

[Deunamist]

well done Berbatov!

[The_Governator]

cmon spurs cmon!!!!!

[The_Governator]

lets put our minds together and pray for an equaliser

[The_Governator]

even the commentator is a spurs fan he said about five times keane will never miss

[vasilli07]

even the commentator is a spurs fan he said about five times keane will never miss

He is our former care-taker manager(2 times), david pleat and he is crap...keane will never miss! keane will never miss! D*mn his big mouth...

[Rappelz]

the strikers were quite awful today

[vasilli07]

Some positives in this game, we look hard to beat and our def looks more stable. We have a new michael carrick in O'hara.

With abit of quality that J.Ramos is going to bring in, we can match the big four.

[AhHuat]

despite scoring , berbatov play like a fark head today.

lost countless of possesion and totally no heart to play.

[vasilli07]

despite scoring , berbatov play like a fark head today.

lost countless of possesion and totally no heart to play.

He sulks when he loses the possesion. Sometimes i think we are better without him.

[The_Governator]

wheres defoe

[vasilli07]

wheres defoe

He came on as sub just after Keane pen miss. If he came on earlier, Berbs may become the hero. :s8: