Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

fox actually didnt play much after his first season, he was very highly rated but of course thats a young darren anderton breaking into the scene that time. :D

hahaha... thats a good one bro.

i watched the england v spain friendly. the only player who played like a pro is carrick (spurs sold him and look at the midfield problems spurs is having).

swp played like good grief...

p.neville has been playing dm for everton all along and suddenly he took the left back spot for england!

why g.neville is still 1st choice right back is beyond me.

and woodgate, he deserves a england call up? i dont think so.

and before we forget, the nonsensical lampard+gerrard. seems like steve mcclaren dont have the balls to drop one of them. and the struggle continues... :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

What in your Opinion do you guys think that Spurs need at this moment to challenge for top placing in the league?

In my opinion, all the Spurs players need to put their heart and soul in every game they play. They must have bite and must not allow the opposing team to play. I found that was exactly what they did last year with both Tainio and Davids providing the bite white Carrick does his job spraying the passes. I acknowledge while that works well last year, it should do better for Spurs in the future if the likes of Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon, Murphy and Zokorra do that too. Tainio, Malbranque and Ghaly already are aggressive players in their own right.

Why i say that they will do better if they do more bite? Coz the players Spurs have now are all much younger than Davids and have more legs and speed than the pitbull.

I also think that the Forwards do not have much speed....although Defoe is touted to be fast. But more often than not this guy will be caught in offside position and if not he is too light weight to hold the ball most of the time. Mido and Berbatov have lots of skills but they do not have blinding speed. So does Keanno....Seriously i hope they bring in the likes of Someone with speed and size in....so they will not have to play the big man, small man too often. If they can get a big man with lots of speed and some skills....Martins of Newcastle United fits the bill, so does Marlon Harewood. It does not necessarily be them...i would like Lee Barnard to recover fast too so he can help the first team....remember this young chap has size and has big heart too(not afraid to give opposing defenders some stick!!)....How about Huntelaar or Darren Bent?....while Spurs Strikeforce needs to find the goals, i also noticed that Spurs do not always have players that go for that second chance. I seriously thinks that other teams that beat Spurs always have players up there to poach the goal....when 1 player take a shot, there should be at least 2 players ready to pounce. Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool always have these players there. So it is about time that Spurs do well in this department.

For that Left back Spot, i think somehow they will cope with it...but i hope it gonna be soon...hehe...put Young Pyo back to his midfield position. I think next year Assou Ekotto will be better equipped to handle things there. I also think that the Southampton youngster will be coming to Spurs rather than Man U....I just got this feeling...hehe...i also can't wait for Dervite to recover and play in that central defend position. I think he will be a real asset in the future....of coz the King and Dawson are the ideal partner.....now having Rocha in not bad actually although his mistake gave arsenal that goal...no worries....just dun do that mistake many times over!! haha

Haha....my greatest fantasy is for Ribery to come!! haha...but most likely he will end up being a Gunner:(....So what you guys think....share your thoughts...

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

lampard+gerrard = lampard+ballack, both attacking mid conflict with each other. one position. 2 on the pitch.
also dun tink s.mclaren is a good coach.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Eh...G Neville has to be England's first choice right back becoz of his experience but Micah Richards should play 90mins in all friendlies.

SWP is struggling maybe coz he doesnt play much at Chelsea.

Woodgate was good before his lengthy injuries problems. Hopefully he can challenge Terry for competition. Why didnt the Clueless One field Dawson last night?

P Neville was playing at left back coz he is better there than Carragher...haha

Bro, how can you say McClaren got no balls? He was the one that ended Beckham's England career. This man got balls! Its just that he is CLUELESS!!

Lampard should be rested coz he plays so often for Chelsea. England doesnt need to trouble him when there's Gerrard and Carrick.

I dont understand why Crouch is in the squad when the best English weapon for crosses and set pieces is in Madrid busy packing his luggages. :confused:

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

i'll still say a very very good defensive midfielder like carrick is what is missing now. someone like him who can like what you mention, spray the passes. and on top of that, someone who cuts off the opponent's attack in midfield.

you may have a world class back four, but it is not enough against powerful teams like man utd. you remember milan's back four against liverpool in the champions final in the 2nd half? nesta and stam were wondering what happened to their midfield.

although zokora is doing a decent job now, he loves to attack. and the best centre midfield man to lead the attack is jenas.

sad to say, spurs is not the team to beat these days. that honour is shared by the usual epl big 4 clubs. the enterprising football spurs play that won over millions of spurs fans thru the years is not enough anymore. spurs must stop the leak and prevent those 3-0 or 4-0 defeats.

i dont need glory days to maintain my unconditional love for spurs, what i want to see is spurs play with pride in every match.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

mcclaren should ask them, "hey lamps, steven, who wanna play the 1st 45mins?" :D

g.neville is very experienced and goes for tackles, but he's quite ineffective when overlapping. his crosses are always to no man's land.

swp used to play much and paid less, now he's paid much and play less.

woodgate tend to lose concentration these days. the clueless one should have tried dawson but i think he was going for an experienced defence.

i believe mcclaren got the balls to drop beckham that time becos becks was already featuring little in the madrid team that time. and his performance in the wc 2006 showed he's struggling with pace.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Yeah I agree with u bro. Now that Carrick and Davids has left, we had to rely on either Zokora or Hudds. Zokora makes a good attacking mf while Hudds is still very young. His passes are sometimes sublime, its just that he lacks pace, which is vital for a defensive mf coz he needs to go up and down the field. But I have my trust in Hudds...maybe he would be a good player in years to come, but if u want instant success, we better look for an established player. A couple of seasons ago we were linked with Hargreaves. But we opted not to go ahead with the deal as we had Carrick. But now Carrick has gone to ManYoo...and they also want Hargreaves! My my, how greedy can a club be...hehe...What we need is a marshal in the heart of mf. We had hardmen before in Hoddle (in his later years at Spurs), Vinny Samways and Davids. We should look at these players, who could marshall the mf and is a hard tackling player. Mind you, successful teams have these kinds of players....Barca has Xavi, ManYoo had the other Keane, ARSE-nal has Gilberto, Chelsea has Essien and Makelele and used to have Denis Wise and before that Vinny Jones and unbeatable Inter has Vieira. Now thats a point to ponder...

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

xavi is another excellent midfield marshal. small guy but big player. i watched the france v argentina friendly last nite, cambiasso was superb. france kept re-organizing and ribery couldnt run in for the kill at all becos cambiasso was thwarting their attacks. :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Yeah but Cambiasso was crap for Real Madrid, only recently we could see his true capabilities. He has an eye for a goal too.


As for england, well....they were crap. If i were Macca, I would start this 11...GK- Foster (I reckon RObbo needs a rest and his form is not that great), RB-Micah Richards (no disrespect to G.Nev, but I think Micah has a bright future and is not short of confidence, another plus point is that he plays for a crappy club yet he is playing well for them!) LB-I would play Barry rather than P.Nev because based on form, Barry is better and P.Nev hasnt played in that position for sometime now. CB- Ok fine, I will stick with Ferdi, but Woody isnt the same since he joined Madrid and Boro. I would go for Dawson ..RM-Dyer. I suppose If not for Lennon's illness, I wouldve played him. But Dyer did better than SWP. I wonder why Macca didnt call Pennant...is he injured? CM- Barton and Stevie G. Lamps??? I think he is not his usual self this season. Burn out maybe. Carrick? He deserve a place but I would play Barton. Maybe he has more enthusiasm than Carrick as this is his 1st call up and wouldve give his all. ST- Defoe shouldve start. Crouch was irritating to watch but his record for Engerland is superb. Overall, I think Macca shouldve played 442. Get him out and promote El Tel back at the helm.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Sheffield United 2 Spurs 1

Hmm....cannot comment much as not televised....wasted that Spurs gave away the game after an early lead....need to have post mortem man...need to improve too!! No worries, better results next time round!:) Cheers

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

seems like spurs is conceding a penalty in every match or what? :(

http://msn.foxsports.com/id/6461668_7_1.jpg
Phil Jagielka (6) of Sheffield United celebrates scoring from a penalty kick against Tottenham as the Blades finished up a 2-1 victory over Spurs.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Nevermind conceding penalties in every match...we are conceding goals. Surely Jol need to improve on this. Robbo is looking out of sort...when was the last time he kept a clean sheet???? The defence too should take the blame. I rate Dawson and Chimbo highly but offlate, they, as a defence unit are not working together.

We also tend to lose the ball in midfield which may lead to goals for the opposition. We dont really have a ball winner. We are soft and fragile. I cant understand our MF...we're leaking goals thru the midfielders legs, but then they dun really create chances for our strikers. When are we gonna work as a unit in whole? as a team? Again, this has to be another season of mediocre football by Spurs. But fret not, I will give my continuous support for the team I have supported since 1985!!

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

I've just watched the EPL highlights show, Spurs defence was in 6s and 7s. Dawson not winning all headers. Misses King big time.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

yeah fret not buddy, spurs is leading the bottom half right now, they will still be in epl and we will still see spurs' live telecast next season. :p

but this bad to worse string of six winless epl games is really not reflecting the quality of the squad. 1 spurs player can exchange for 3 from reading or sheff utd, you know what i mean?

great pics bro!

calling for LEDLEY KING!

SOS! SAVE OUR SPURS! :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

I think that there are no real leader in the defence now. Im hoping that Dawson can step up or Robbo to lead!! Is the problem similar to Chelsea when Terry and Cech not around? I think so....

I agree totally with you.....i mentioned that there are no grit left in this Spurs Midfield....only Tainio and sometime Ghaly are able to provide them. I think they truly missed the combatant attitude of Brown, Mendes and Davids...the present crop of midfielders must show more grit and bite in the same level as their high individual skills in the near future....Yup will continue to support them strongly no matter what!!:) I truly like Mendes!!! What a waste they sold him...

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Yeah...i noticed that the last 3 games dawson have not been dominant in the air as what he used to be...hope this will not be permanent?!!?

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Jenas: We need some fight

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has admitted that they lack the ability to battle for points away from home.

Spurs slumped to defeat at Sheffield United on Saturday and have won only one game on the road all season in the Premiership.

Jenas admitted: "We have to be a bit more resilient. We can't look at our away record as a fluke - it's something which has to be looked at.

"A fluke is a one-off and this hasn't been a one-off. We're not hiding away from the facts.

"We are completely aware of it and we are determined to change it.

"We've got the talent to come to places like this and win, but talent doesn't always win you games. You have to have more than that.

"Our ability will beat a lot of sides, but we need to start being stronger and more physical."

Spurs boss Martin Jol admitted that they are lacking the physical presence of the departed Edgar Davids and Michael Carrick as well as the injured Ledley King.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

im going to london to watch Spurs vs Bolton on 25thFeb!!....anyone joining? :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Have fun mate. Ive been to WHL a number of times as I lived nearby when I was a teenager. One of the best stadia ive ever been to. Been to a few stadiums in England and I must say that WHL has the best kebab there!! LOL. But overall I think The best stadium I have been to is the Amsterdam Arena. Simply electrifying and breathtaking.

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Yeah pretty similar but Chelsea has more depth. They have Cudicini and the ever the hillarious Hillario as backup. Their defence isnt that bad either compared to us at Spurs.



Pedro Mendes...I liked him a lot. He was a hero of mine and even had his name on the back of my kappa kit. But hey man, at least Tainio and Ghaly are better than David Howells, Paul Stewert, Steve Sedgley and Nicola Berti combined. Its just that Jol needs to find the right blend, the ultimate combination. I reckon Zokora could be our hardman. Having said that, we need to level him with an attacking midfielder to compliment the strikers. Thus, Zokora partnering Hudds wont work as both are defensive minded. I would go for Zokora or Hudds or Tainio partnering either Jenas, Murphy or Malbranque as I stick to my decision that Malbranque is a superb playmaker if he was given that role rather than a LM (in which he has done well, but we need a natural LM).

We have a good team, its just that Jol needs to dig his brain deeper to find the right combo. We just dont play well as a team compared to ManYoo, Kops, Chelsea, ARSE-nal and even (Michael) Bolton!

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Jol: We will do it again

Tottenham manager Martin Jol believes his team have what it takes to turn their disappointing league form around despite falling into the bottom half of the table following the 2-1 loss to Sheffield United.

Speaking to the official Tottenham website Jol said: "We are not being dragged into the lower reaches, we are 11th with a game in hand, which is not the best of positions because we want to be in the top seven, but we have played 40 games now and are still developing as a team and unit,"

"At times this season we have flourished, we are proud of the cup runs this season, but we could do with five or six points more in the league and that is the issue.

"If we had put our chances away on our travels at places like Watford and Aston Villa there would be no complaints over our league position.

"We will turn it around and make things better. We have been a bit vulnerable lately but, in the end, our quality will pull us through.

"Confidence is not low and we still have the quality to come through this period - we have done it before and we will do it again.

"I feel there is a lot of growth to come in this team and we will show that, but sometimes you have to be patient. We need a bit of time."

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

spurs will turn it around on this sunday's FA cup clash with fulham in the cottage at 11.55pm.

spore pools is paying 2.42 for a spurs victory. no more draw, no more extra time, no more ice cream. i will splash $100 and get back $242 on monday! :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Plenty of spare change left for beer money... Speaking of ice cream , reminds me of my last night's foray (last call before cny, mah). Cabbie on way home confessed he's a goner when FL does "ice cream" (bbj) errr something like gone in 2 mins! How our conversation turned to this anatomy talk is another story kekekeke:p

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

'We're there for the taking' admits Jol as the pressure starts to mount
By Glenn Moore
Published: 16 February 2007

When a manager begins to manipulate statistics and lower expectations, it is an indication that he is under pressure. So it is with Martin Jol, who last night looked ahead to Tottenham Hotspur's fifth-round FA Cup tie at Fulham on Sunday with a mixture of bravado and negativity that betrayed his insecurity.

Spurs' season of promise has turned sour since the Carling Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal. Victory would have covered up a patchy League campaign notable for the club's lamentable away form.

Defeat appears to have exacerbated the problems, Spurs subsequently losing 4-0 at home to Manchester United, then at Sheffield United.

Fulham, who are just a point behind Spurs in the Premiership, have not lost at Craven Cottage in eight matches and Jol said: "They might feel we are there for the taking at the moment." He added: "We will use that as a motivation. We have to prove to people that we can be solid, physical and professional in what we do."

In looking for positives, Jol expunged the Carling Cup semi-final from the records. Arsenal won in extra time in the second leg and Jol said: "We haven't suffered a defeat in 14 cup matches over 90 minutes and that is good."

In mitigation, Spurs have been badly affected by injuries, to Ledley King and Aaron Lennon in particular. They have also progressed to the last 16 of the Uefa Cup, albeit helped by the expulsion of their scheduled opponents Feyenoord after crowd trouble.

After narrowly missing out on a Champions League place last May, then investing heavily during the summer, Spurs were not expected to be in the bottom half of the table at this stage, 10 points off a Uefa Cup place and 16 adrift of a Champions League qualifying spot. The future of Jol, who took over in November 2004 after Jacques Santini walked out, is attracting speculation. Soon after his appointment, Jol gave a barnstorming speech at the club's AGM, at which he harked back to the club's sepia-tinged glory days and invoked the memory of the Double-winning manager Bill Nicholson. His ebullient style, and early success, won over the Spurs fans.

But recently there have been signs of dissatisfaction at White Hart Lane, which has never been the easiest audience to please. Arsenal's continued excellence, and the fact they fielded an understrength team in that Carling Cup semi-final, but still won, has not helped.

Robbie Keane, who has been the stand-in captain in the absence of King, said: "I have been through times like this before when you just can't get that win, but we know it will not last with the players we have. We've too many good players to just sit back and accept it.

"We've got winners in our squad and we know a win is just around the corner and once we get that we will be back on song again. It is about sticking together, working hard for each other and bouncing back. I've got no doubt in my mind that we will be back."

Adding insult to injury yesterday was an uninvited rebuff from Robinho. Real Madrid's young Brazilian striker said of reports linking him to White Hart Lane: "If I had to leave Real, I'd choose to join another big club. I don't regard Tottenham Hotspur as a big club." :eek:

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Where has it all gone wrong for Jol's sorry Spurs?
Cups are the last resort for a club in freefall from last year's challenge to the big four, writes Jeremy Wilson
Friday February 16, 2007
The Guardian


It was Bill Nicholson who most succinctly summed up the level of expectation that swirls around White Hart Lane. "If you don't win anything, you have had a bad season," Tottenham's 1961 Double-winning manager once remarked.
By such strict criteria Spurs have endured mostly poor seasons over two decades, the only silverware coming via the FA Cup in 1991 and League Cup in 1999. As they prepare for Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Fulham, this year looks unlikely to be different.

Tottenham were beaten by Arsenal in the Carling Cup semi-finals at the end of last month and enter the final third of the season in the bottom half of the Premiership. In nine months they have moved from Champions League candidates to a team closer to the relegation zone. It may be premature to talk of a crisis but the murmurings of discontent are becoming more audible.
Since taking charge in 2004 Martin Jol, Tottenham's manager, has spent more on buying players than his Arsenal counterpart, Arsène Wenger, but according to the former Spurs winger, Chris Waddle, his activity in the transfer market is in danger of becoming counter-productive.

"With good teams you pretty much know the starting 11 but, if someone asked me to guess Tottenham's team this weekend, I might get five players right," he said. "Jol is trying too hard to keep his squad happy. Players are in and out every week and I get the feeling he is needing to accommodate players who have been signed on good contracts for big money. I look at Tottenham and just think where is the fear factor?"

Tottenham remain in the FA Cup and have received a bye to the last 16 of the Uefa Cup. But, after appearing poised to challenge the Premiership dominance of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal last year, their league form has plummeted, culminating in last weekend's defeat at Sheffield United. Away from home they have won once all season, scoring nine goals in the process.

"Fulham might feel we are there for the taking at the moment," Jol said yesterday. "We will use that as a motivation and we have to prove to people we can be solid, physical and professional in what we do."

Since the turn of the year Tottenham's only victories have come against Cardiff and Southend in the FA Cup. "There is no feeling against Martin Jol but supporters are pretty despondent," said the football author and Tottenham season-ticket holder Mark Perryman. "Most people recognise that we are now going backwards. We have fallen into the trap of adding quantity rather than quality."

The sale of Michael Carrick to Manchester United for a fee that could rise to £18.6m has left a hole in midfield but arguably the biggest setback has been Ledley King's ongoing injury problems. Steve Perryman, who won the FA, Uefa and League Cups twice each during his Tottenham career, believes that King's absence has been costly. "For a club to be successful at the very highest level you need leadership in the boardroom, in the manager's office and on the pitch," he said. "There seems to have been a purpose to what they have been doing behind the scenes but I do not see a leader on the pitch."

"I'm not questioning [the players'] ability but can they dig in, are they prepared to fall out with each other?" said Waddle. "Every good team has players who point the finger and have presence. I don't see much presence running through the middle of the team. Michael Carrick has not been replaced; he's not an aggressive ball winner but his positional sense and distribution are first-class."

Considering Everton and Newcastle remain the only clubs to have broken into the Premiership's so-called 'big four' over the past five years, Tottenham's current slump must be placed in perspective. "Tottenham are secure now," said Steve Perryman. "There is no dallying with relegation and there is still a feeling the club is going in the right direction. I just think the club needs a trophy. When we won the FA Cup in 1981 it led to a few years of success. The cups this year are vital because they could act as a launch pad."

The former Tottenham midfielder, Alan Mullery, is adamant that any sense of panic would be premature. "There has been a policy of buying young players - I don't think there is a player over 30 in the team," he said. "The board have given money to Martin Jol and there have been some good buys and some bad buys but it does take a bit of time to gel."

Supporters, though, are expectant and impatient, especially after last year. "Tottenham have a demanding crowd but it is a great stage for football; one of the very best," Waddle added. "It is a club with glamour and you really need to stick your chest out. But with that comes a feeling they should be doing better."

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

I think Spurs will pull thru if all of them stick to one another and stick to the Gaffer!!

For the Robinho thingy, i am not bothered as he is not the kind of Player that Spurs will look to...i dun think he even have the physics to last in EPL...i rather Spurs have Ribery!! Haha...but thats a dream lar!:p

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

maybe cabbies sit in the bumpy taxi for too many hours, didi whole day feel nauseous so thats why very fast throw out. :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

except for a few dazzling turns shown in a few matches last season, robinho is now officially a flop in real madrid. he just scored 1 goal so far this season and he is starting to make noise about not starting enough games blah blah.

real madrid is my favourite club in la liga, so i follow and watch their matches. robinho is becoming very selfish with the ball even when he is playing winger and his shots are often weak and wide. if spurs wanna sign anybody from madrid, the player should be guti. :D

Re: Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London
 

Yeah Guti. And he has leadership quality as well as he is the vice captain behind Raul. That should be good enuff for our midfield who I think lack leadership quality. We were linked with Guti last season....what ever happened to it? another "ALMOST" signing for us then I supposed?