Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London

[_AXL_]

Originally Posted by Castrol

come on, gerrard is all action but he's no riquelme right?

u r right!!! gerrard is no riquelme!!! he is at least 5 riquelmes!!!

these 2 gentlemen deserve a nice steak and 11 pints of beer from jol.

but the first that came to mind is that the 2 guys think jol is doing such a lousy job that they would have it easy against him leh... no? nothing against jol though, he has built an exciting attacking team...

capello would be good leh... he is still jobless, right? he would really be able to do something to the defence... kekeke

good luck with the game, ya? cheers!

[Glen2712]

HUGHTON'S NOTES


Chris Hughton's regular assessment of our forthcoming opponents - next up, champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.


THE big blow for United is the loss of both Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo but anyone who watched the derby against City last weekend will know that they certainly had enough possession.


They will generally go with a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 and I wouldn’t expect them to be much different to how they lined-up against City.


At the back it will be Wes Brown at right-back and Patrice Evra at left-back, he’s done really well and is making progress, an attacking full-back and something they enjoy up there as he tries to get involved going forward and creating opportunities. Centrally it’s Rio Ferdinand and Vidic.


How they’ll go across midfield I’m not so sure but players we can expect in there include Michael Carrick, a player we all know here, a real class act. They have options in the wider areas with Ryan Giggs, Nani, as good options as there are around. Owen Hargreaves came into the side at City, he's still finding his feet but a quality player and then it’s about what’s available up front.


Paul Scholes is a wonderful player who can play off the front from midfield and a player who can create problems for you as soon as he’s on the ball. Carlos Tevez is there now but they’ve had problems with Ole-Gunnar Solskjear and Luis Saha not being available and now Rooney and Ronaldo both out.


They are a very good team at Old Trafford, they don’t lose many there and any game that looks where they might not get the right result, they always look capable of scoring. It's a very difficult game for us but at a stadium everyone enjoys going to and we’ve performed well there in recent seasons. We’re on the back of a good win against Derby and we have to go there in confident mood.


The teams who are successful at Old Trafford tend to play it in their own way but if that’s going up there and trying to out-football them it's a tough task because of the amount of quality passers they have in the side. You have to restrict them to minimal chances and take your own chances yourself. Not many teams will go there, have one chance, score and defend it for the rest of the 90 minutes.


You need to have enough of the ball because there is always the fear with United if they have a lot of the ball, at some point they will break you down.


We had two very good chances last season and that’s the key, no side will go there and have a lot of chances and you have to take the ones you create.

P.S: List Of UPPEES is not in full due to the capacity limitation of the signature function (not be longer than 300 characters excluding BB Code markup). Rest assured I've all ur nicks n u'll be awarded. If I do missed u, kindly PM me.


Appreciate the PM, Bro David_Ginola and Bro Rw6828!

[Glen2712]

CHAIRMAN SPEAKS

Chairman Daniel Levy reflects on a few days that has seen the Club make headlines off the pitch rather than on it...


No doubt you would agree, it is has been a tough period of time for everyone associated with the Club.


Daniel Levy: It has not been the best few days but you have got to put it into the context of six years of progress and as far as I am concerned the whole matter is behind us now. Martin and I have all the confidence that we can move this club forward again.


There has been much speculation and conflicting reports, along with a lot of uncertainty. I am sure fans would welcome clarity on many issues.


DL: I can understand that. Firstly, no-one has been offered a job either now or in the preceding nearly three years that Martin has been manager. Martin has my 100 per cent support and I’d like the fans to understand that they need to take the last few days in the context of what we think has been significant progress over the last six years.


Given that you have said that, people could think if the next two or three results do not go our way, then a change might be made.


DL: Firstly, no change would be made on the basis of two or three results and I have every confidence that no change will be required and Martin will continue to bring us success.


How did discussions with Martin go at the meeting earlier in the week?


DL: We had a very open meeting and I think it was long overdue on a number of issues that we needed to bring out into the open. Following that meeting I think we are stronger and we’re both going in the same direction. We both want success and Martin has assured me that I’ve got his 100 per cent commitment and I’ve given it to him.

There is a suggestion that Martin must now steer the team into fourth place – is this accurate?


DL: No, what Martin has said and what I have said is that we need to aim to be in the top four. I very much hope that we will be there and he believes he has got the squad, but obviously there can be no guarantees.


Many may feel that we have an under pressure and unsettled manager for the rest of the season – is this the case?


DL: I don’t think this is the case and I have just had a conversation with our captain Ledley about everything. As a result of what has happened in the last few days, both the players, Martin, the coaching staff and the board, all feel we will be stronger for it.


So we are back on track?


DL: Absolutely.


The transfer window will slam shut shortly. There might be a worry amongst fans that we won’t be able to attract the players we want to, given the events of the past few days.


DL: Let me put everyone’s mind at rest. Firstly, I don’t think this would have any bearing whatsoever should we wish to bring anyone else in. At the present time though, following my conversations with Martin, we both feel we have a squad that is capable of mounting a challenge for the top four. On the other hand, should a great opportunity arise, we would definitely consider it.

P.S: List Of UPPEES is not in full due to the capacity limitation of the signature function (not be longer than 300 characters excluding BB Code markup). Rest assured I've all ur nicks n u'll be awarded. If I do missed u, kindly PM me.


Appreciate the PM, Bro David_Ginola and Bro Rw6828!

[hawksbay]

Originally Posted by Castrol

come on, gerrard is all action but he's no riquelme right?



these 2 gentlemen deserve a nice steak and 11 pints of beer from jol.

well there s only one steven gerrad n he will put ur roman in is pocket any day n i will sponsor the pints for mj.

[qbdp]

Why the money men want Jol out

The players and fans are behind him but the fate of Spurs manager will be decided by profit not results

It used to be one of English football's classic fixtures before falling into decline as Tottenham Hotspur were eclipsed by the Premier League's Big Four.

Today, though, Manchester United against Spurs at Old Trafford returns to centre stage, but for reasons that neither club — nor, more crucially, their managers — will welcome.

Early concern grips United, last week's derby defeat by Sven Goran Eriksson's new City slickers leaving them with no wins and only one goal to show for the first three games of their title defence.

But while the pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson may be only temporary, for Tottenham counterpart Martin Jol this afternoon's match threatens to mark another significant step towards his departure from the club.

Despite the humiliation of being caught courting Sevilla coach Juande Ramos, insiders at Spurs regard the sacking of Jol and the appointment of Ramos as a matter of when, rather than if, while former German World Cup coach Jurgen Klinsmann remains another option for the club.

Jol's situation is one that baffles fans, players and managers alike, including Ferguson.

United midfielder Michael Carrick, who will line up against Tottenham this afternoon after playing under Jol at White Hart Lane from 2004-06, last week spoke up for football's majority in expressing his incredulity at the manager's treatment.

Carrick said: 'It's unbelievable, with a week gone of the season, that he's gone through what he's gone through. People forget that when he got to the club, it was up and down, good and bad.But since he's been there,there have been two fifth-place finishes. I don't know what more they could have asked for.

'They've spent a bit of money and they're hoping for the top four, but after one week,for that to happen, I was shocked.'

Carrick's frank admission of his disbelief may express the loyalty of a player who knows how much Jol has contributed to his own footbaling development.

But the reality is that it was more than simply the loss of earlyseason points that drove the Tottenham hierarchy down the road to the King Alfonso XIII Hotel in Seville and a four-hour meeting with Ramos that amounted to a job interview.

Far from being a knee-jerk reaction to two Spurs defeats at the start of the season, the meeting 10 days ago, which chairman Daniel Levy (pictured right) and sporting director Damien Comolli instigated and attended, had been on the cards for several months.
It was part of a sequence of events that says much about the modern politics and economics of the Premier League and its new power brokers.

In this case,Levy and his company ENIC, who own the club, are looking to redevelop Tottenham's stadium — plans are due to be announced at the end of this year — and reach the Champions League so that they can secure a serious profit on their investment, having already sounded out potential buyers.

It is believed that Tottenham even approached sports retailing entrepreneur Mike Ashley, the new owner of Newcastle United, earlier this year, with an asking price of £200 million.

ENIC have built up their holding in Spurs to more than 66 per cent by buying out Sir Alan Sugar's remaining 12 per cent recently, having started out with just under 30 per cent that cost £22m seven years ago.

Ashley, though, preferred Newcastle United for £133m but there are others said to be interested. For the selling price to be maximised, though, Spurs need to be in the top four and winning trophies.

And the key figures in the Tottenham corridor — Levy, his vicechairman Paul Kemsley and Comolli — began to doubt that Jol could take them up a level and into the Champions League as last winter wore on as last winter wore on and Spurs struggled in mid-table.

The rally that would take them to fifth place was then a distant prospect.

Ramos came on to the radar with his Champisuccess and attacking style of play with Sevilla. Respect for him grew after they ousted Spurs from the UEFA Cup in the spring and Comolli and Kemsley spoke informally to him.

Over the summer, players arrived at Spurs as part of a £40m speculate-toaccumulate investment plan with Comolli, close to and trusted by Levy, largely behind the recruiting.

Jol was believed to be unhappy with some of the purchases and made his views known. He suggested other players he wanted and was disappointed to miss out on left winger Martin Petrov, who went to Manchester City.

Matters came to a head after the opening-day defeat at Sunderland when £16.5m signing Darren Bent was left on the bench.

The Spurs administration had hoped to see an expansive performance that would sweep away newly promoted opponents and send out a signal of intent for the season. Instead, a row developed.

Dimitar Berbatov expressed his anger at being substituted, Jol responded that he had not been playing well and spoke to Levy about the dispute. Levy, however, was furious that the coach and the team's coveted talisman were at loggerheads.
Levy ordered the meeting with Ramos to be set up. It was done through Kemsley, who made contact with Londonbased property developer Tony Jimenez, a man with interests in Seville and who has been acting as UK agent for Ramos, who is keen to work in the Premier League and has been learning English for a year. Jimenez — the man pictured alongside Ramos in the Seville hotel last weekend — was even in touch with Manchester City a few months ago but the club were then in the middle of their takeover.

Levy and Comolli flew in from London, along with the Spurs secretary John Alexander, who has responsibility for contracts. Kemsley arrived from the south of France, where he had been on holiday.

Ramos gave his blueprint for Spurs' future and making them a Champions League team. He agreed that he was happy to work under Comolli as long as he retained responsibility for coaching and team selection and had a big say in the recruiting of players.

The Spurs delegation made it plain, however, that they were not yet in a position to offer him the job, although Kemsley would meet afterwards with Jimenez to talk about a financial package, which in turn would lead to the midweek statement by Ramos of a 'dizzying' offer. With Jol on around £1.75m a year to Ramos's current £1.2m, money was not an issue.

But Tottenham pointed out that with tough games coming up — at United, then Fulham and Arsenal — they would need to await the outcomes to time any move properly. They knew Jol was popular among the fans and was liked by most of the players, even if there were rumblings from within that certain Comolli favourites were not being selected. It was what the Egyptian striker Mido was referring to when he spoke of 'politics' around the team before he joined Middlesbrough.

That was all fine, Ramos said. He wanted to see Sevilla through qualifying into the Champions League proper and fulfil the club's European Super Cup match against Milan in Monaco this week. The meeting broke up, the Spurs contingent satisfied that Ramos would be a good appointment in the near future. Levy and Comolli left by the back door,while Kemsley and Alexander were caught in the flashlights at the front.

While they might have expected that, they were certainly not prepared for the week of firefighting and damage limitation that followed. What might have been perceived as a sensible contingency plan, should the poor start to the season drag on, turned into a notso- clandestine fiasco that, at the very least, shows that the 15th wealthiest club in the world,remarkably,are unfamiliar with behaving like a big club.

All week there have been meetings and comings and goings at the club's Essex training ground — neat and tidy enough but again pointing up Tottenham's deficiencies while they wait for planning permission on a new venue to compete with state-of-the-art facilities at other top clubs.

No matter the amount of wellwishing from fans, results will decide Jol's fate, the next batch of bad ones being likely to signal his downfall. The Jermain Defoe contract situation is an irritant to unsettle further. It is a pity for Jol that Michel Platini's proposal that the FA Cup winners receive a Champions League place will not come into force this season.

The coach will not resign, knowing that he is due a large pay-off if he is sacked. Besides, he genuinely enjoys the job and the club, if not the politics, however adept he is proving at picking his way through them and retaining his self-respect. Deep down, though, Martin Jol must know that his position has been undermined and could soon become untenable.

[qbdp]

Back me with £17m for two new signings, Jol tells Spurs board

Martin Jol will test the commitment of the Tottenham board this week by asking them to back him in the transfer market with two new signings.

Jol, who feels he has been overruled by director of football Damien Comolli on transfer policy in the last 12 months, is determined to bring in Portsmouth's Matt Taylor or Luis Boa Morte from West Ham to solve the team's left-sided problem.

He is also looking for the board to meet West Bromwich's £10 million asking price for defender Curtis Davies (pictured right), who is also being strongly courted by Aston Villa.

Jol wants to see clear evidence that the Spurs board have faith in his management following the botched attempt by the club to appoint Sevilla manager Juande Ramos.

The popular Dutchman was on the brink of walking out after members of Tottenham's board were pictured with Ramos, viewing it as the final straw in their strained relationship.

Jol was angry that the club sold Mido to Middlesbrough in the summer when he would prefer to have let Jermain Defoe leave.

Now he wants the board to do things his way. Davies, who hails from north London, would like a move to Spurs but has been disappointed by their lack of urgency caused by the speculation over Jol's future.

Jol believes Taylor is available at £7m and may also take a chance on Boa Morte, who has flopped at West Ham since signing from Fulham in January.

Comolli has consistently opposed spending more money on a left-sided player, arguing that signing Gareth Bale in the summer should have been enough.

But after missing out on Morten Gamst Pedersen and Stewart Downing, Jol fears the lack of a left-sided player may jeopardise the club's chances of reaching the Champions League.


Martin Jol's Tottenham peace lasts 24 hours

Tottenham Hotspur go into today's crucial Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford with manager Martin Jol under fresh pressure, this time from club director Sir Keith Mills, who has said that shareholders had a right to expect their club to finish higher than last season's fifth place.

Mills's views contradict those of club chairman Daniel Levy who said "it is not true" that Jol had to steer the team into a Champions League place this season or else face the sack.

But in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Mills said it would be unacceptable for the Dutchman not to improve on last season's place and take the club into the Champions League.

"For the club to expect to do only as well as last year is unacceptable," said Mills. "If you run a large plc and you tell your shareholders you will do the same next year, they get pretty disappointed. They like to see improvement. Martin Jol has done an excellent job over the past two or three years and it's perfectly reasonable for any club to want to do even better.

"If you don't perform in any sporting environment, you get called into question. In that respect Martin is no different to anyone else."

Jol came out fighting on Friday after a week of turmoil, following persistent reports that Spurs had held secret talks with Seville coach Juande Ramos about taking over after apparently losing faith with Jol.

Spurs chairman Levy gave Jol the dreaded vote of confidence only after Ramos reportedly turned down what he described as a "dizzying" offer to manage the White Hart Lane club. Spurs have come under fierce criticism for the way in which they allegedly went behind Jol's back despite strongly denying any offer took place.

But Mills, a non-executive director of Tottenham Hotspur plc and member of the plc board, yesterday blamed the press for damaging the club's image over the future of the hugely popular Jol.

"The media have done an enormous disservice to the club in mis-reporting what has been going on because 90 per cent of it is garbage," said Mills, who helped mastermind the London Olympic bid and is deputy chairman of the 2012 organising team.

"I'm a director of the club and I know what happens and what doesn't happen. The media have totally over-reacted. The speculation that the club would consider making changes after two games is rubbish. What I have read is not remotely close to the briefings I have had.

"Managers, players and chief executives are only as good as their performance. I've been involved in lots of sports. If my America's Cup skipper or chief executive, for instance, doesn't do the business, we change. We set very high goals at Tottenham and we'll see how the season goes. We have probably the best team we've had for a decade and have invested the time, effort and money to get to where we are."

[nacho]

With so many reports in the papers, I don't know what and who to believe.
But anyway, hope that all back room problems are quickly solved and get the club moving.

[beck7777]

You guys dont deserved to lose...

Tough luck...

[nightriderinsg]

I second that...seems that u guys always have tough luck at ManU home ground...thot the 2nd half u were the better team until the screamer from nani. Cheers!

[hawksbay]

Once again the ref made a mistake spurs shd have got a penalty,fantastic effort by u guys,for the 2nd time robbo is beaten frm distance

[Cum_Luver]

bro, when u are at Old Trafford, u hv to be prepared for this type of treatments from the referee...
it a good performance from Spurs....well done !!!

[Castrol]

man utd 1 (nani) spurs 0

if it was white hart lane, i think spurs would have won it. but of course thats becos man utd was under strength. i fought the z monster and saluted the spurs players for the wave after wave of attacks against the red devils in the later part 2nd half.

for the 1st time in a long while, spurs had 2 left footers on the left flank. if aaron lenon was available on the right, we wouldnt have to see malbranque struggling to get make an impact last nite. i'm not sure why hudds was preferred to zokora, hudds is too slow to catch any red shirts. great to see defoe being introduced when 1-0 down, but jol should not have taken out keane for that.

the claim for penalty against wes brown was pointless to me. berbatov went past van der sar with nothing between him and goal except wes brown, brown did the right thing by throwing himself down to block berbatov's shot. i reckon the ball hit his upper arm and it didnt look delibrate, it was just pure defending instinct to close down the angle.

i was amused when i saw ferdinand ran back like a bullet to make the goal line clearance when berbatov managed to put the ball past van der sar. that was 100% defending. i noticed berbatov started to show a lot of frustration in the game, especially whenever spurs lost possesion. jol may need to harden up his handling style.

still, great stuff from spurs with a great deal of possesion!


The ball appears to hit the arm of Manchester United's Wes Brown as Tottenham attacks in the box. No penalty was awarded.


Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur and teammate Gareth Bale appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty after Wes Brown of Manchester United appeared to handle the ball.

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by Castrol

..if it was white hart lane, i think spurs would have won it. but of course thats becos man utd was under strength. i fought the z monster and saluted the spurs players for the wave after wave of attacks against the red devils in the later part 2nd half.
the claim for penalty against wes brown was pointless to me. berbatov went past van der sar with nothing between him and goal except wes brown, brown did the right thing by throwing himself down to block berbatov's shot. i reckon the ball hit his upper arm and it didnt look delibrate, it was just pure defending instinct to close down the angle.
i was amused when i saw ferdinand ran back like a bullet to make the goal line clearance when berbatov managed to put the ball past van der sar. that was 100% defending. i noticed berbatov started to show a lot of frustration in the game, especially whenever spurs lost possesion. jol may need to harden up his handling style.
still, great stuff from spurs with a great deal of possesion!

Cockerels did really well last night, despite backdrop of MJ's ill treatment.

You marked us out of game, defence wise. Heart stopping moments include the last minute gasp by Rio (kns, redeem himself.. he can even forget to take the pee!). As for that alleged brown's handball.. our (bad) joke was it was his nipple that did it, so check got any abrasion by his WAG

We didn't make any serious real inroads, especially 2nd half.. until Nani's turn and shot. Pity MU's relief at breaking the duck came at expense of spurs

[Castrol]

Originally Posted by yinyang

Cockerels did really well last night, despite backdrop of MJ's ill treatment.

You marked us out of game, defence wise. Heart stopping moments include the last minute gasp by Rio (kns, redeem himself.. he can even forget to take the pee!). As for that alleged brown's handball.. our (bad) joke was it was his nipple that did it, so check got any abrasion by his WAG

somebody ought to hot wax brown's nipples.

given the earlier opponents and homeground factor, spurs could have 9 pts out of 3 games before travelling to old trafford. 3 pts out of 4 games now is really becoming a mini crisis becos who will know how well or how badly spurs will do in the next few games. keane and berbatov have yet to score.

[Cum_Luver]

Originally Posted by Castrol

man utd 1 (nani) spurs 0


The ball appears to hit the arm of Manchester United's Wes Brown as Tottenham attacks in the box. No penalty was awarded.


Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur and teammate Gareth Bale appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty after Wes Brown of Manchester United appeared to handle the ball.

whether it was deliberate or not, if the ball hits your arm/hand in the penalty area, it is a straight penalty just like what happened during Aston Villa vs Liverpool. The ball struck Carragher's hand, it was also not deliberate, there is nothing he can do to get away from it. And the referee gave a penalty....
And that was also the explanation given by the referee...
i did not watch the match, but will be watching the replay if there is any.

My 2 cents of opinion..