Tag: Tottenham

Deals, deals and more deals…

The January transfer market can be as exciting as it is annoying for some clubs. In the middle of the season, transfers can cause unrest and can lead to disastrous results.

Teams can lose their best players, and before you know it, the season is over. However, teams can also buy great players and see their season end in a winning fashion. Either way, people either love or hate this time of year.

The January transfer window hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but the last few days can always prove to be a shocker. And there is a story brewing that is making all the headlines. Fernando Torres is being hunted by Chelsea. Surely Liverpool don’t want to sell him, do they?

With Argentine strike Luis Suarez on his way to Anfield from Ajax, this could well be the time where the scouse house finally part ways with the Spanish superstar. Suarez impressed at the World Cup for Argentina and could be a perfect replacement for Torres.

Torres could use a fresh start. He has been ravaged by injuries the last couple of seasons and we haven’t seen the best of him. He is however finding some form of late and could join Chelsea at the perfect time. But should Torres leave?

In other transfer happenings…Edin Dzeko’s move from German club Wolfsburg to Manchester City is at present the most expensive transfer in this January window. I always thought he was a quality player who could do some serious damage in the Premier League. But did he join the right club?

Other transfers that made headlines include Emmanuel Adebayor to Real Madrid from Manchester City on loan, but do we care?

Darren Bent seems to get more expensive as he moves from club to club. Aston Villa paid Sunderland 18 million pounds with the transfer fee rising to 24 million. Is he worth it?

Ryan Babel finally ended his Liverpool nightmare and darted off to Hoffenheim for 6 million. That’s a good move for him and he needed to get out. Should another Premier League team have picked him up?

England has beens David Bentley and Wayne Bridge went on loan deals. Bentley left Tottenham for Birmingham and Bridge left Manchester City for West Ham. Can these players resurrect their careers with these latest moves?

We are heading towards the most exciting part of the season fellow footie fans and it’s all leading to a massive crescendo. Take a deep breath. Oh and by the way, the Diva is back…

Sleeping with the enemy…not…

What can I say? I’ve been missing in action. I’ve been bad. I’ve had no desire. Just like my beloved team. It’s their fault. They did this to me. This season, they’ve already had me floating towards heaven and then they abruptly drag me into the depth’s of hell. It’s senseless. It’s hurtful. And shameful.

I haven’t even been able to face the blog. I mean it’s not like I write ground-breaking articles. They are merely my football thoughts that hopefully turn into conversations between fellow football fans. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates. But let’s face it. There are times when you don’t fancy going down the pub. Especially when your team recently lost its balls to the enemy.

So what do you do? When your team is painful to watch, you often look elsewhere for some football inspiration and pleasure. You are not deserting or cheating on your team, you are just choosing to watch more games that don’t exactly involve them. And I knew that if I could just get out of my bubble-of-hell, I would see that I’m missing one of the most exciting Premier League season’s ever.

Chelsea are not running away with it. Manchester United are undefeated but yet look beatable. Manchester City could really make a run for it. Bolton are shockingly only 6 points back. Liverpool are hanging on by a thread. Arsenal are being traditionally Arsenal and Tottenham…well as painful as it might be Arsenal fans, Tottenham are the most exciting team to watch this season. They play beautiful football and they score lots of goals. Am I losing my mind? I don’t think so…

Whether they are playing in the Premier or Champions League, Tottenham are capturing the imagination of the football world. Van der Vaart is the buy of the season so far. He looks like he belongs at White Hart Lane. He already carries himself like a Spurs legend. He performs for the fans. They love him. And he loves them. And ‘Arry loves him a little bit too. I don’t love them. But can I compliment the enemy?

Welsh sensation Gareth Bale is setting the pitch on fire wherever he plays. @ Inter Milan, no problem! @ Arsenal, no problem! As posted in a previous article, Bale reminds me of Ryan Giggs. He flies down the wing in a fearless fashion that is truly inspiring to watch. He overcame adversity at Spurs and has solidified his reputation as one of Britain’s best. He is the most thrilling player to watch in the world right now. If he were Portuguese or Argentine, we’d be talking about him in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Yes. I said it out loud. And that’s what I truly believe. If Tottenham can go on and win a major trophy and Bale can stay injury free, he will be in the running for World Player of the Year! I need a bath.

Even though the last two paragraphs felt like I cheated on the Gunners, I’m not sleeping with the enemy and I believe the truth will eventually set me free. I’ve had these thoughts about Tottenham bottled-up for weeks. I was down and out. I was washed-up for the season. But I got my head out of my own arse and started smelling the football roses again. And I usually can’t help think that Tottenham always stink. But for the first time in many many years, the enemy is a real threat. And I have raised my hat to their recent victory. But the war continues and we will rise again for another day of brutal battle. And sometimes, just sometimes, the enemy wakes the sleeping giant. Could it be Arsenal? Could it really be?

Remind you of someone?

Gareth Bale saved Tottenham’s blushes in Europe last night with a stunning hat-trick against Inter Milan. Let’s face it. After Tottenham’s first-half display, nobody saw Bale’s second-half performance coming. If Lionel Messi had scored three goals in that fashion, everyone would be lording him today.

Bale was the only Spurs player who didn’t look like a deer in headlights at the San Siro. He turned the travelling fans experience from a nightmare into an almost amazing dream. Still. Well done son. You are without doubt, a future divo in the making. In fact, last night, you officially arrived.

The Welsh star has long been considered one of the most exciting British prospects in years. He went through a miserable time when he first joined Spurs from Southampton. Every time he’d play, they’d lose. But Bale didn’t let it bother him. He fought back and was given a position in the side that is almost the nucleus of the current Spurs team. Impressed? I am.

Does Bale remind you of another flying winger from Wales? He’s almost identical to Ryan Giggs in every way. Let’s hope Spurs can hang onto him for a good few years. He can become a legend at the Lane if he wants. But the lure of money could lead him to pasture new. For now, soak him up Spurs fans.

Revenge is sweet…

Is it me or do Arsenal look like they have an edge to their play this season? Nasri looks on fire, Wilshere is a star in the making, Koscielny proved he can play, and so far, the Gunners are fighting back like a team when things go a bit south!

After Spurs hammered them in the Carling Cup in 2008, the red side of London was ready to turn the tables on their arch rivals. And boy did they put the boot in. Arsenal managed to empty Tottenham’s stadium before the second half of extra time had even begun. It was sweet revenge for Gooners everywhere.

Granted Tottenham didn’t field their best, but neither did Arsenal. Sure there were some familiar faces like Keane and Lennon for Spurs and Rosicky and Nasri for Arsenal, but it was the brilliance of Jack Wilshere that stole the show. He looked like Liam Brady out there and if he continues on this path and stays injury free, he could be an Arsenal legend in the making. He was precise with his passing and his speed was impressive. His technical ability is sublime and Wilshere’s overall feel for the game is instinctive. Do Arsenal have a replacement for Fabregas waiting in the wings?

The Carling Cup is not really a competition where we should be judging whether a team is good or bad, or whether a player is quality or not. What I do like about the Carling Cup though is you get to see a team’s future. You get to see budding divas in the making and it’s certainly fun to watch.

Arsenal fans shouldn’t get too carried away with this victory, but it’s always beautiful when you humiliate your rivals in their own back yard. Sweet revenge yes. But the season is oh so long…

Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur…

After years of paddling around in the kids pool, Tottenham finally get their chance to dip their large man toes in the big boy pool. Champions League football beckons at the Lane next season. Question is, will they sink or swim? For now, Tottenham fans are not worried about the two-legged play-off in August. For now, they are just happy to have been invited.

Regardless of how they do in their first Champions League tournament, for Spurs fans, this is a monumental time. Not only have they achieved their main objective of the season by qualifying for Europe’s most prestigious footballing competition, they have also surpassed expectations by beating London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea. In seasons past, they always failed against the big boys. Not anymore. This is a new Tottenham.

‘Arry Redknapp has done a phenomenal job guiding Spurs into the Champions League in his second season as boss. He has built a team that play for each other. He has developed Michael Dawson into a potential England international. He has made Gareth Bale a positive attacking force and his displays have made him a target for Manchester United. He has given Huddlestone so much confidence that you can now see his “Hoddle” like abilities. He even made Bentley step-up to the plate following Aaron Lennon’s injury. And his boy Peter Crouch came up trumps netting the winner against City. You could go on and on about what a great job ‘Arry and his staff have done. It’s good to see an English manager getting the opportunity to manage an English club in the Champions League.

Spurs are now breathing down Arsenal’s neck in more ways than one. They have certainly caught up to their North London rivals with regards to talent on the pitch and they are certainly miles ahead in the spending ranks. Plus they have done much better in domestic competitions over the last few years. They’ve actually won something! Credit to Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy for making some bold decisions and for being willing to make mistakes in order to achieve success. With Tottenham having gained on Arsenal so fiercely, is the power shifting to the blue side of North London?

There’s lots to dissect after this game, but the other obvious winner last night was British football. Manchester City made some bold statements at the beginning of the season. They spent huge amounts of money which left them so assured about qualifying for the Champions League. Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Wayne Bridge were already guaranteed Champions League football with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. So if it was really about playing Champions League football, then surely Adebayor, Toure, Bridge and Tevez would have have stayed at their previous clubs no? Gareth Barry wanted to play Champions League football but snubbed Liverpool for Manchester City, who were not even in the competition. All of these moves were motivated by the big bucks City were willing to pay. And it didn’t work. Does this mean you can’t buy success?

For British football, Tottenham and Manchester United, the fact City didn’t qualify is great news! But despite their failures, City have much to be excited about next season. They will no doubt have a new manager and they will certainly bring in some new faces. Of the faces they currently have, it’s questionable who will stay. One thing is for sure, Adam Johnson looks like a future star and was the best buy of the bunch that rolled into City over the last few months. If I were running the blue side of Manchester, I’d build my team around Johnson.

For now, the day belongs to Tottenham. It’s been such a long journey for their fans. They are ready to cheer their team on in Europe. Could they be singing “Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur” all the way to Wembley in 2011 or will it all end in tears before the party has even begun..?

Did Inter Milan park the bus..?

Football really is a funny old game. Whether you win, lose or draw, as an owner, manager or player, at some point, what you say or how you play can always come back to haunt you. Always!

Just a few seasons back when Jose Mourinho was manager of Chelsea, he made this comment following a Premier League game against London rivals Tottenham. “As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal. I would have been frustrated if I had been a supporter who paid £50 to watch this game because Spurs came to defend. There was only one team looking to win, they only came not to concede – it’s not fair for the football we played.”

With Inter Milan’s heroic victory over Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League this week, you could easily point the finger at Mourinho and his Inter team for parking their bus in front of the Catalan goal at the Nou Camp. You could also say that fans were upset his team was so defensive and that they didn’t come to play real football against the world’s prettiest team. You could say Mourinho did to Barcelona what Tottenham did to him. But would you? Was this really a case of parking the bus, or was it purely a defensive master class planned by the Special One and executed by his loyal army of men?

If you read the media reports in Italy, Mourinho’s team played like heroic gladiators on the night. If you read the media reports in England, it’s evident how the British game misses Jose since his departure from the Premier League. And if you read the media reports in Spain, Inter’s play was negative and “park the bus like” and Barca were the unlucky heroes after dominating on the night. Isn’t it great how we can all see things so differently? But don’t you think that even as rival football fans we should give credit to the opposing team when we witness something truly amazing?

For me, it wasn’t a case of parking the bus, it was truly a case of tactical mastery. And as we said in a post earlier this month when Inter Milan beat Chelsea, Jose Mourinho is still very much the Special One. Perhaps we would have viewed Inter Milan’s approach differently if they had kept 11 players on the pitch. But when you go a player down and you are winning the tie by 2 goals, there’s no need to gamble. There’s no need to chase the game. You just defend. And that’s what Inter Milan did. And their organization, their timing, their positioning…it was all just so impressive. It wasn’t a case of parking the bus and hoping for the best. They wore Barcelona down. They had the tactics and the will to win. The red card changed the game.

Busquet’s beahviour was disgusting. The way he had one eye on the referee while rolling around like a girl was grotesque. Motta should definitely know that in the modern game if you touch a player’s face like that you could be sent off. But the manner in which Busquet reacted was truly unsportsmanlike. As talented as Barcelona are, it’s this part of their game that makes them unattractive. They get away with it and the media doesn’t give them a tough time about it. Lots of acting, rolling around and poor behaviour overall. Following that incident, I found myself rooting for Inter Milan even more. And I think the sending-off gave the Inter team even more determination to win.

Even Lionel Messi couldn’t do anything in that game and despite Barca’s dominance of possession, they couldn’t break down the Inter defense because of the incredible organization and discipline. Pique finally got the goal that gave Barca hope, but the game was already lost in the second half in Milan. And all Mourinho had to do at the Nou Camp was not give anything cheap away by gambling unnecessarily. They played their game to perfection and shockingly, for a defensive performance by one team, it was still compelling and thrilling to watch.

When the final whistle reverberated around the Nou Camp, Mourinho exploded into a celebration like we’ve never seen before. It was even crazier than his leg slide across the pitch and his running down the touch line. This time around he ran onto the pitch with his finger firmly pointing in the air. You could see how much this all meant to him. How much he wanted to win this game. In fact, he wanted more than just a victory. He wanted to dot the “I” and cross the “T.” He wanted to show Barcelona they made a mistake about him. He wanted to prove he could beat the best in their own back yard. And he did. And Victor Valdes could do nothing about it!

Mourinho will continue to beat the best in their own back yard. Why? Because he is the best. He’s special. And when his career is over and he’s sitting in his favourite chair looking back, he will have an abundance of trophies from each of the major footballing countries. And he will probably have a World Cup winners medal with Portugal too. Only one question remains and we asked it a few months ago. Where will he go next? Wherever he goes, fasten your seat belts and get your popcorn ready, because as T.O. says “it’s going to be a show.”

Do you think Mourinho’s celebration was over-the-top? Did Inter Milan park the bus…?

Who will cross the finish line first..?

horsesOur crystal ball spoke to us clearly and concisely when the excitement and anticipation of the 2009/10 season kicked-off.  We made our predictions. We chose the chosen ones and it was off to the races.

As the best of the best galloped into the eyes of victory and defeat, we raved, we ranted, we posted and we polled about the beautiful game. And as the race to be crowned champion nears its end, we can’t help but wonder, who will cross the finish line first?

For so long Chelsea have been the favourites to scoop the Premier League title. If I remember correctly, we warned the Stamford Bridge outfit not to celebrate too soon. At Christmas, the Chelsea players and faithful believed they had it in the bag. There was an evident cockiness to them which has become synonymous with Chelsea. But a loss to Everton and a whipping by Manchester City in their own park soon made the Blues players and fans realize the fight to the finish will not be so easy. Did they under estimate their opponents? Did the John Terry scandal hurt them? What would they do without Drogba? Will the iron Chelski curtain find its strength again as they head towards the finish?

With Wayne Rooney turning on the style and making a case to be European Footballer of the Year, Manchester United are once again finding their strength and form at the right time. Determined to create history and make it four Premier League titles in a row, the Red Devils are as hungry as ever for silver ware. They’ve already bagged the Carling Cup, they have one eye on a Champions League quarter final spot and they are two points clear at the Premier League summit. Granted they haven’t been as exciting to watch as a team this term, but Rooney has given us every reason to be up for watching Manchester United play. Do you think they’d be flying if Ferdinand and Vidic were fit all season? Do you think Rooney deserves to be Player of the Year? Has Valencia been a success? Will Berbatov be the man United fans want him to be?

And what of Arsenal? After losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, everyone had written off their title chances for good. How could the Gunners win the league if they couldn’t beat the two best teams in the country? Somehow, some way, Arsenal have hung in there. Even though they lost to the big two, they picked up some good results in games we’ve easily seen them lose over the last few seasons. Beating the likes of Stoke and Hull has helped. Losing Ramsey to such a horrific injury has not. But unlike the Eduardo injury experience which saw Arsenal implode that season, it appears this time around the team are galvanized to win it for Ramsey. They seem to have a purpose we may not have seen in recent times. Can Arsenal finish strong without Fabregas? Would they be clear of United and Chelsea on points at this stage if Van Persie hadn’t been injured? Was Vermaelen the best buy of the season? How good could Arsenal actually be if they bought three more world class players?

The rest of the league are fighting for a fourth Champions League spot, a Europa League place or just plain old fashioned survival. How do your predictions match up to what you thought at the beginning of the season? Who do you see wining it all? Chelsea? Manchester United? Or Arsenal? Can Tottenham really steal a Champions League birth? Will Manchester City or Aston Villa ruin their coming out party? Will we see another famous old club like West Ham go down? Has Hull City’s luck finally run out? When Portsmouth go down, how much further will they sink over the next few years? Remember Leeds?

There is still much to play for. It’s sad that the season is almost ending but fear not fellow footie fans! The silver lining is that we are in a World Cup year so the wait for some quality football won’t feel like eternity. Could this be the year Wayne Rooney shines on the world stage? Is it his time to be crowned a world football superstar? The race to the finish line is almost over. The only question is, who will win?

Santa’s bag of tricks…

DVDCharlieBrownCharlie Brown often gets off to a bad start around the holidays. But somehow, some way, it all comes together for him in the end with a little help from his friends and Santa Claus of course. Around this time of year, Santa can be your best friend. He can bring you gifts you never dreamed of and he can make things happen by just simply sliding up and down your chimney! If you could have one football wish this holiday season what would it be? What would you like to receive from Santa?

If you are a Liverpool fan, you might want a new manager. If you are a Manchester United fan, you might want to see new referees in the league. If you are an Arsenal fan, you are praying for something silver this year! If you are a Tottenham fan, you are hoping your man Defoe can keep up the scoring! If you are a Chelsea fan, you might be wishing for the double this season. And if you are a Manchester City fan…well you got your gift when you beat Chelsea!

Spare a thought for Portsmouth, Hull and West ham fans. What can they be hoping for this holiday season? A boat to prevent them from drowning as they lurk in the deep and dangerous waters of the Premier League? What about Bolton fans. Surely their wish is to see the back of Gary Megson already. They’ve been asking Santa for years now! And let’s spare a thought for Evertonians. They are having a dodgy season and are finding themselves at the wrong end of the table. Are they praying not to be the Newcastle United of the 09/10 season?

You could be wishing for the Premier League title, the Champions League, the F.A. Cup, the Carling Cup, or just plain and pure survival. Heck you might already be praying your country wins the World Cup next summer. Whatever it is we might be hoping for, the one thing that brings us all together is the love of the game. The passion, the heartache, the elation and the despair. It’s that time of year. It’s Christmas. It’s the time where hearts can be broken and when the shape of things to come is evident. It’s make or break time. Keep praying, keep hoping, keep wishing and keep watching. Santa’s bag of tricks could be on your side this holiday season. If Charlie Brown is anything to go by, it might just turn out fine in the end for some of us fans…

Kiss it…

DEFOE_280x390_934278aJermain Defoe scored a record 5 goals in one half of football to help Tottenham secure one of the biggest wins in Premier League history. The blue side of North London battered Wigan 9-1 and reminded everyone they do have what it takes to hang around the top 4 with all the other big boy wannabes. Only Manchester United have scored 9 goals in the Premier League and that was against Ipswich many moons ago. And yes, once upon a time, Ipswich were in the top flight!

Not even ‘Arry Redknapp could believe how his team trounced Wigan. Wigan have been doing some solid business under new manager Roberto Martinez. They have fought well thus far in the Premier League this season and have secured a couple of surprise results including a 3-1 victory over Chelsea. Does this mean Tottenham are better than Chelsea? Of course it doesn’t, but it’s an interesting fact don’t you think? What does it mean when Manchester United lose to Burnely, but Tottenham beat them too? We looked at this trend in the Topsy Turvy post a few weeks ago. We will only know if it means anything at the end of the season and what Spurs really need to do is beat the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal to up their game to the next level.

One thing is sure from this result. If injuries are not a factor and form is not an issue, Jermain Defoe will be going to the World Cup with England next summer. And if Aaron Lennon can keep up his current play, he will be on that same flight to South Africa with his Spurs pal. These two players wreaked havoc on Wigan this weekend. They were devastatingly good and there was no stopping them. If they can produce this type of football every week, Tottenham are absolutely a team to be reckoned with and England might benefit from their chemistry at the World Cup.

We have to give credit where credit is due fellow football fans. It’s not easy to score goals in the Premier League. Spurs scored 9. Defoe alone scored 5. Only 3 other players have scored that many in a Premier League game. Spurs were playing against a decent side. The question about Spurs is consistency. Can they bring their “A” game to every game? History has shown us this is not usually the case. But history is there to be altered. Can Tottenham continue the good fight and prove they can hang with the best of them?

Other notes from the weekend…we footie fans needed Manchester United to win so they can keep close to Chelsea. Arsenal blew it against Sunderland. They need to win that game in hand more than ever now. Liverpool look like they are out of the race after a draw with Manchester City. They just don’t look good enough and they don’t have that Liverpool spirit about them. How long will Rafa hang on? Even with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham all still sniffing around, everyone is starting to talk about the Premier League being a two horse race? I’d hate to think so when there is still so much football to be played. What do you think? I believe anything is possible as long as it’s still this side of Christmas!

The evolution of Robin van Persie…

01_VANMAN_280x390_919502aWe have all witnessed the growth and progression of Cesc Fabregas as a world class footballer. There’s no question the Spaniard has solidified his place as one of the best midfielders in the universe. His goal against Tottenham on Saturday was magical and proves that if he wants to turn his talent on like that, he has the ability to do so at any given time. The Arsenal fans are completely aware of his brilliance and the effect he can have on a game. But what of his teammate Robin Van Persie?

This season, Robin Van Persie is proving to Arsene Wenger and the entire Arsenal fan nation that he has matured as a player and is ready and prepared to take on much more responsibility. There is definitely something very different about the Dutchman this term. Van Persie has taken the team on his shoulders and is repaying the faith Wenger and the fans have shown in him. There’s always been an edge to Van Persie’s game, but so far this season it has been controlled and he has been more than affective for the Gunners.

We’ve all seen glimpses of how amazing Van Persie can be. There’s no doubt he has scored some incredible goals and has contributed to much of Arsenal’s beautiful play over the last few years. But there was always a part of his game that let him down. Rash challenges and emotional reactions raised question marks about the maturity of Van Persie. But he seems to have put that behind him this season and he has been able to contain his emotions far better. If he can continue to evolve like this as a player, surely there is a legend in the making at Arsenal?

Not only has Van Persie’s attitude improved, his finishing has been clinical and his overall team play has been unselfish and inspiring. With the departure of Adebayor, it’s as though he has been freed to play his game and in return, he has delivered his best performances in an Arsenal shirt. With Fabregas and Van Persie hitting form at the same time, this could definitely give Arsenal fans hope that they can really make a run for the title this year. Add the world class talent that is Arshavin to the mix, and anything is possible.

Van Persie is ready to take his place among the elite footballers on the planet and in a World Cup year, he could really solidify his status as one of the best. Who knows, perhaps the evolution can become a revolution for Arsenal and the national Dutch team…