Tottenham Hotspur

Why Ledley King should now retire – June 2nd 2012

Ledley King makes Tottenham fans proud to support the club. Injuries have robbed him of the extended career he should have had, but this is a player who has quite literally run himself into the ground for the cause.

King is an example of something rare in football: a player who genuinely loves a club. Not in the sense of badge-kissing, bluster, or rhetoric, but in to the genuine definition of the phrase. He has the same affection for the club that the supporters do.

As his body has begun to creak, and his performances have succumbed to the inevitable, the club and the fans have had to acknowledge a difficult truth: even a defender with such imperious understanding of the game can’t exist on nous alone.

Not that a few isolated below-par performances could tarnish a legacy as rich as the one built by King, but nobody wants to see him go on longer than he should. This goes beyond what a player contributes to the team – the fans don’t want to see King struggle, and nobody in the game wants him to risk further harm to his long-term health.

You’ve done enough now, Ledley.

The jarring part of the reality here, is that King should’ve captained his country. When you see the success that’s been had by a player as technically-inferior as John Terry, how can you not feel for Tottenham’s captain? Terry is all brawn and no brain, whereas King has both in abundance – the sky should have been the limit.

What shouldn’t be understated, is that even in his lessened state, their captain was until very recently consistently Tottenham’s best player. Is there a better example of a physically damaged player getting more out of his body? No, regardless of the discomfort, he was a shining example to every other player on the pitch.

If this is the last we see of Ledley King, then nobody will remember the hesitancy of the season gone by, he’ll have secured the legacy he deserves. Remember the performance he turned in at the, then, City of Manchester Stadium the night Spurs qualified for the Champions League? The Spartan-resistance, throwing himself in-front of everything, and even scoring an – incorrectly – disallowed goal. Those are the moments and the games that everyone wants to remember – a fabulous body of work, achieved under considerable physical duress.

A true captain, and thoroughly deserving of his place amongst the club’s immortals.

Potential exodus at Tottenham being overplayed – June 1st 2012

This has become the default theory for every paper in the country; as soon as one big-name Tottenham player leaves, all the rest will swiftly follow. The press will have us believe that, should Daniel Levy allow Luka Modric to depart, that a queue of players all clutching written transfer requests will quickly form outside of his office.

Football clubs don’t work like that – and Daniel Levy and his club especially don’t. Given what we’ve learnt about Levy, does anyone really think that – on losing Moric – his negotiating stance with players is suddenly going to soften?

“Yeah, fair enough Gareth/Rafa/Younes/Sandro, now that Luka’s gone there’s no point in you sticking around – completely see your point, I’ll help you clear out your locker.”

Does that sound like Levy? This is a Chairman, after all, who plays hardball in all negotiations, regardless of the squad status of the player in question – and even over those who are no longer needed by the club, think David Bentley, Darren Bent, and Giovani Dos Santos.

The idea that he would stand aside and allow the invading armies of the predator clubs to ravage his first-team is clearly ludicrous. It’s not going to happen.

In addition, where is there any suggestion that all of these players would want to leave. Is there even a precedent in English football for this kind of ‘exodus’? Has the transfer of one player ever led to the type of talent-drain that’s now being forecasted in North London?

No.

The reality is, that with or without Modric, this is still a highly-talented Tottenham team, and the players know that. Additionally, as much as he’s been derided by a some sections of the club’s support, Harry Redknapp still commands the loyalty of a lot of these players and has them believing that, despite last season’s collapse, the sky is still the limit.

Kyle Walker speaking last week:

“The chairman showed last season that we are not a selling club.

We can challenge next year for the title, definitely. We will be up there.

We can achieve anything with the squad we have got. When I look around the changing room there’s Gareth, Aaron Lennon, Rafa van der Vaart, Emmanuel Adebayor and even the likes of Louis Saha, Brad Friedel.

There are world-class players there, experienced heads and they have helped me a lot this season. It’s only upwards for Tottenham.”

Walker may not be the brightest star in the White Hart Lane sky, but he’s one of the most promising players in English football – and as such he’s a useful barometer for club morale. This is a set of players who believe that they can win medals with the club they’re at, and this is also a set of players who quite clearly believe in each other. Nobody, other than Modric, is going anywhere.

Far from the the Armageddon-like scenario that’s continually predicted, the sale of Modric – and the savvy allocation of the revenue – wouldn’t really hurt Spurs. As this side matures, and if it’s complimented appropriately, the curve is still pointing upwards.

Tottenham should look to Josip Ilicic to replace Luka Modric – May 26th 2012>

Tottenham fans will likely be wondering how Harry Redknapp will fill the Luka Modric-shaped gap that’s going to appear in his side over the Summer – and he could do a lot worse than to look at Palermo’s Josip Ilicic.

Ilicic is cast in a similar mould to Modric – albeit not physically, the Slovenian is 6ft3 – a skilful, attacking midfielder who’s comfortable on the ball, and at 24 is about to enter his prime.

Palermo may have signed their playmaker to a new 5-year contract last year, but the Italian side are a selling club, and could very well be tempted to make a considerable profit on the mere £1.5m they paid for Ilicic in 2010 if a bid was forthcoming.

If Tottenham are forced into selling Modric after Euro 2012, then they need to replace him with someone that provides the same balance to the side – and Ilicic is capable, and equally as importantly, could be acquired whilst still leaving change from the sale of the Croatian.

Worth a look.

Admiring Jan Vertonghen’s attitude towards Tottenham – May 25th 2012

Jan Vertonghen comes across really well; there’s no ambiguity or attention-seeking with him, he states his preference outright and doesn’t try and play any games.

Compare that with the approach of Vertnghen’s Belgian compatriot Eden Hazard, he of the ego, he who continuously seeks the spotlight.

Vertonghen’s move to Tottenham is seemingly an inevitability, with Ajax and Daniel Levy a couple of million away from striking a deal. Even though the transfer isn’t complete yet, the player has gone on record about his intentions:

(courtesy of Goal.com)

“I’m just waiting for it to be done. I understand the situation and I have to be patient. I am not at the Euros but I hope it will be done soon after.

There are still other clubs interested but I will wait. Tottenham is an amazing club and are the team I like to join the most.”

You may think that such a banal comment isn’t really worthy of our attention, but in reality football’s bloated sense of self has made this kind of approach quite rare and very refreshing.

How many times do we see players behave like the prettiest girl at a dance, hedging their bets and playing coy until they snag the best deal for themselves. Vertonghen knows what he wants, and is imploring both sides just to get it done.

“Mr Levy was in Amsterdam on Monday and is talking to Ajax and my manager. When they have an agreement they will let me know and I can move.

Does it matter that Tottenham are in the Europa League? No, not that much, you don’t just join for one season.”

Yeah, tell that to Luka Modric.

That’s the clearest sign yet that Tottenham are not only on the verge of signing a ‘triffic footballer, but also a very decent personality. Someone with their head screwed on properly. He understands where the club are, he knows where they want to go, and he wants to be part of that process – as he says ‘you don’t just join for one season’.

As obvious a comment as that is to make, there are surprisingly few modern players who seem to understand it.

Don’t feel too sorry for Tottenham – May 20th 2012

The natural response to last night’s outcome in Munich might well be to feel sympathy for Tottenham, denied a spot in next year’s Champions League by cruel fate.

That’s not really true though, fate has nothing to do with it – Spurs surrendered their place at UEFA’s top table and they deserve none of your tears.

The next couple of days, maybe weeks, will likely see the club in full-blown self-pity mode; from Harry Redknapp to his players, we’re certain to hear plenty of hard-luck stories. However, take the jarring reality of it being a rival club who have denied Tottenham, and it’s apparent that Spurs have got nothing more than they deserve.

Fortune, like luck and circumstance, is only to blame when you haven’t the fortitude to hold yourself to account. That’s Tottenham in a nutshell. Never masters of their own destiny, always the victim to the work of outside agents. It’s nonsense of course, but it’s still more palatable than the reality.

The stinging slap in the face that they club received last night is a righteous punishment for their mid-season capitulation – never has a side had a better chance to advance themselves than Tottenham did this year, with all of their nearest rivals in disarray. Frankly, that Arsenal managed to finish third in the league this year is an embarrassment to the quality of the competition, so finishing below Arsene Wenger’s side only extends that sentiment.

Chelsea have earned their place in Europe next year, because they’ve actually shown the strength of character to win something. That’s the polar opposite of Tottenham; the side always capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

What Daniel Levy will hopefully realise this morning, is that he hasn’t been let down by UEFA loopholes, but rather by his own manager – and he should be acting upon that. If he doesn’t, he’s making a very negative statement about what is and what is not an acceptable standard for his team – and reaffirming just how spineless this football club really is.

Yes, the club who finish fourth in the league usually qualify for the Champions League, but – even though this is an exception to that rule – let’s not pretend that this was a sting in the tale that Spurs weren’t warned about. A huge lead over your rivals, a comfortable third-placed finish guaranteed – if you let that kind of advantage slip, then you don’t warrant a place in the Champions League.

The advantage of the reality Tottenham now find themselves in, is that it may force Levy to acknowledge what the majority of fans already know: Harry Redknapp’s tactical naivety and continuous media-bluster are taking the club nowhere. It’s a full-stop, he’s reached his vertical limit, and now he must be replaced. All that Champions League football would have done, is provided a smoke screen for Redknapp to hide behind and a convenient one-line reposte with which to silence the critics calling for his departure.

Luka Modric is now certain to depart, Gareth Bale will soon follow, and all of a sudden Redknapp’s world has imploded. In the long-run, it’s a good thing – but for now, let’s just acknowledge that fate and fortune have nothing to do with where the club finds itself today.

Rumoured Tottenham 2nd & 3rd kits for 2012/13 – May 17th 2012

Tottenham’s kit deal with Puma is now up, and as of next season Under Armour will take their place.

This is a bit of landmark moment for UA, as it represents their first real foray into football, and naturally there’s a lot of anticipation over what they’ll come up with. Part of the sponsorship deal will also include the collection and provision of player performance data using UA technology – anyone who watches the NFL Draft Combine will have seen this before, but essentially UA’s kit allows for the tracking of the individual’s physical state. That’s all rumoured at the moment, so no idea how much or how little Spurs are going to be embracing that side of UA’s capabilities.

Anyway, courtesy of a couple of leaks, the below images surfaced online yesterday, and they’d appear to be Tottenham’s new second, third kits, and goalkeeping kits.

Yes, there’s always a chance that they might be fake, but a couple of reliable sources have already published them – including the very credible footballkitnews.com.

The image quality isn’t the best, so apologies for that – but…

What next for Luka Modric? – May 13th 2012

Today may very well have been the last time anybody sees Luka Modric in the white of Tottenham.

Maybe a case could be made for saying that the Croatian’s immediate future will be decided by what happens next Saturday night in Munich, and whether the outcome allows Spurs passage into the Champions League.

Maybe.

The trouble with this kind of situation is that it sends out the wrong message to supporters, because a player’s desire to represent a club really shouldn’t hinge on the participation in a cup competition – regardless of the stage it affords them. I think we’re all sick and tired of hearing players claim that they need to be playing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for ‘the sake of their career’ or for ‘their advancement within a national team’. It’s a fallacy; a convenient excuse to go and forage for higher wages.

What Luka Modric actually needs to do in the next couple of weeks, is forget about next season, and just work out whether he wants to be playing for Tottenham or not – because if so, the Champions League shouldn’t matter. It’s not really fair to hold the threat of leaving over a club, and this particular situation has just become another example of a player acting above his team.

Modric’s main gripe last Summer was that he supposedly had a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Daniel Levy that would have allowed him to leave Tottenham should a suitable offer come his way, and that was apparently the condition under which he signed a new contract. Given the way Daniel Levy negotiates everything, it’s very difficult to believe that the Spurs’ Chairman would have agreed to such a thing.

Regardless though, it’s time for Modric to go one way or another – the haggling over money and caveats about Champions League participation are just a smokescreen, if he wants to fill his wallet, then he should go and do that at a club which tolerates that kind of player.

If Tottenham are to push on next year, and make strides towards the summit of the league, then they need players who are on-board for the entire journey, and not the type who still view the club as a stepping stone to a more lucrative future.

Do what you like Luka, but commit to a decision.

Thoughts on Jermain Defoe & his situation at Tottenham – May 11th 2012

Here are some quotes from Jermain Defoe that appeared in The Mirror this morning:

“I didn’t want to leave. I don’t go thinking, ‘I want to go to this club or that club.

But in January I just wasn’t playing enough and I did go to the manager and ask to go out on loan.

He said to me, ‘I don’t want you to go out on loan. We are trying to do something special here. Don’t go.’ And so I stayed. And I worked hard to keep myself sharp.

But still I haven’t had that run of games. It still feels like I will only get a game if someone is injured or suspended.

Sometimes I even feel like I’m in the youth team, because I know that, whatever I do in midweek, I won’t get a game at the weekend.

The manager picks the team and I would never be disrespectful to the manager. But when someone doesn’t talk to you and explain what’s going on its hard.

I love the club. Everybody knows that. When I’m out and people ask whether I am leaving I always say no. But how can I stay somewhere that I don’t get the chance to play?”

Defoe’s frustrations are understandable, but what does he hope to achieve by going to the press with this? There’s nothing more irritating than professional footballers bleating about not getting game time.

Jermain Defoe is not a first-team regular at Spurs because his ability doesn’t allow him to be, but he’s a useful back-up. That’s his role, and Harry Redknapp is entitled to expect him to perform that function within the squad because Defoe is paid very handsomely to do it. Tottenham don’t owe Defoe any playing minutes, and if they don’t want him to leave the club on-loan, then they don’t owe that to him either.

Players are just resources.

It’s unfortunate for him, and has possibly cost him an England squad place this Summer – but don’t go outside the club with this. Tottenham pay his wages, Tottenham are entitled to use him in whatever capacity they wish to.

Jan Vertonghen ready to sign for Tottenham – May 8th 2012

Jan Vertonghen’s been doing some talking this morning, and Tottenham fans will enjoy what he’s been saying – the Belgian now looks certain to join Spurs instead of Arsenal. Interesting.

‘I owe much to Ajax, I have always given my whole heart and soul for them. My appreciation for the club and the fans is great.

It would be terrible if my departure would be a long and distorted situation as Ajax would keep asking for a great price “till the bone”.

Of course I want Ajax to become financially better, but the amount Tottenham are willing to pay, maybe with a little bit extra, is very reasonable.

In a year from now I could leave the club for free. I hope Ajax are aware of it as the situation of Maarten Stekelenburg’s transfer was very harsh. He only arrived at the end of pre-season at AS Roma. I want to flow in fluently, directly with the other Spurs players.

Tottenham is a fantastic traditional club who play football in a way I like. Ajax was the perfect club for me, but Spurs will be very close in nearing that already. They buy young, eager and offensive-minded players.’

There’s not a lot of ambiguity to any of that, so we can expect that to be a done deal very shortly. It’s only a theory of course, but a Vertonghen/Younes Kaboul defensive pairing would be outstanding for Tottenham and the Belgian’s signing would be real statement of intent.

If the reported £7m reported fee is accurate, then that would represent an outstanding piece of business by Daniel Levy. Proper upgrade.

Harry Redknapp getting in the way of Tottenham’s progress – May 6th 2012

If Tottenham had lost to Aston Villa today, Daniel Levy should have been ready to sack Harry Redknapp at the final whistle.

Nobody has achieved so little with so much as Redknapp has with this Tottenham squad, to whom throwing points away against hapless opponents has become something of an art form.

Redknapp continuously reminds everyone of where the club was when he took over in 2008 and assumes that to be his hall-pass for all of his subsequent failures. Let’s clear up some myths: firstly, the league position that he inherited was an anomaly that even Juande Ramos would have righted eventually, and secondly, one Champions League finish out of four attempts does not represent over-achievement.

Dear old ‘Arry wants to have a look at the team he’s managing. This is not a Portsmouth or a West Ham, this a club which should be further on than he seems able to take them. The money that’s been spent, the players that he has available to him – sorry, but finishing fourth or fifth is a failure.

Everybody’s tired of listening to the same old excuses, and bored of hearing the repeated mantra of it being ‘just one of those days’. Nothing that happens is ever, it seems, Redknapp’s fault. Never.

Circumstance may reward Tottenham with a place in next year’s Champions League, as in all likelihood Bayern Munich will be too strong for Chelsea. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking that Spurs belong in the competition for what they’ve achieved this season. They don’t, they’re an extremely talented group who have returned the bare minimum on their promise – and Redknapp’s responsible for that.

Give Sir Alex Ferguson this squad, and they would be Champions. Give Luka Modric, Gareth Bale et al to Roberto Mancini, and you’d get the same result. Redknapp is the weak link here, he’s become an obstacle to success.

Time after time, Tottenham’s players line-up against inferior opposition and squander points. It happened today, and at QPR, home to Stoke, at home to Wolves, away to Everton; and that’s just this season. This afternoon, for example, how can anyone justify a team that includes Rafael Van der Vaart, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Emmanuel Adebayor not beating the worst Aston Villa side in Premier League history. There are sides in the Championship who would comfortably deal with Villa.

If anybody thinks any of that is harsh, then consider this – the article doesn’t even touch on the spectacular mid-season sulk that afflicted the side, the malaise that cost them a comfortable third-placed finish. It’s disgraceful – and Redknapp is never held to account for any of it.

Wanted to be England manager do you? Feel slighted by Roy Hodgson’s appointment? This squad’s body of work is hugely disproportionate to its potential – sort it out, or get out of the way for somebody who can.

Reasons for and against: Tottenham keeping Emmanuel Adebayor – May 6th 2012

The Premier League Owl

Decision time looms for Tottenham and Emmanuel Adebayor. They’ve been living together for a while, is it time to walk down the aisle?

His loan expires in a week’s time, so Harry Redknapp and Daniel Levy need to reach a consensus on whether they trust the Togolese to lead their line for the foreseeable future.

For…

Adebayor is the definition of a modern forward, and is almost built-to-purpose for the Premier League. Big, strong, physical, good touch, excellent awareness – finding a player that ticks all those boxes is tough, so why allow one that you already have to slip through your fingers.

Buying a replacement would be risky. Luuk De Jong has been mentioned, as have Roberto Soldado and Alvaro Negredo – but all of those players carry a risk, as none of them are proven commodities in English football. Adebayor is an established Premier League performer whose credentials aren’t in any doubt.

All of the players mentioned above would command a bigger fee than would be required to make the Togalese’s move to White Hart Lane permanent. Such is Roberto Mancini’s apparent desire to be rid of Adebayor,and City’s eagerness to get him off the wage bill, that as little as £10m-£12m would probably be enough. Spurs would be looking at least £15m for De Jong, and nearer £20m for the other two.

He’s popular with the other players. Squad harmony is a really underrated commodity in football, and Tottenham have it in abundance. Look at how the other players react to Emmanuel Adebayor; he’s liked by the rest of that squad, and that’s important. That’s not to say that an equally good-fit doesn’t exist, but that, again, finding one would carry a risk. And finding another ‘silly celebration’ partner for Gareth Bale would be harder still…

Against…

The big question mark against Adebayor is his attitude. So far, that hasn’t been a problem – but is that just because he knows he’s serving an apprenticeship of sorts at Tottenham? This is a forward with a lot to prove and a career to get back on track, but would his desire to contribute diminish with the security of a permanent deal?

Wages. Obviously. It’s a concern that the player doesn’t seem willing to negotiate-down on his wage demands, because it suggests that his commitment to being a Tottenham player isn’t enough to for him to settle for less money. Of course, that’s a two-plus-two style theory, but it still represents a red flag – and long-term, it doesn’t look good in front of the fans.

Thoughts on Kyle Walker as he signs a new contract with Tottenham – May 3rd 2012

Kyle Walker has signed a new contract with Tottenham that commits him to the club until the Summer of 2017.

That’s great news if you’re a Tottenham fan, because it’s this site’s opinion that Walker will grow into the best full-back in Europe within the next three or four years. He has absolutely everything to succeed at the very top of the game, and should already be Roy Hodgson’s first-choice right-back for the European Championships.

Sometimes it’s easy with full-backs to be sucked-in by their attacking prowess and to turn a blind eye to things that they don’t do so well on the other side of the ball. Most certainly, Walker has a lot of improving to do around his own box, but a lot of that is to do with experience.

We frequently castigate English full-backs for being frail defensively, but given the attacking emphasis in the Premier League, what do we expect? In England, a right-back is expected to essentially perform the duties of a wing-back, bombing forward and creating overlaps higher up the pitch – it’s no wonder that the art of defending has got lost a little bit.

With Walker, the key is going to be exposing him to Champions League football, because that’s the best way for him to learn – to face sides capable of punishing his positional naivety. You can’t just explain these things to a player on a training ground, he has to be afforded the chance to learn from his mistakes – and Walker’s made a few of them this season.

The important thing though, is that these are mistakes that have been made because of his age, and not because of limitations within his skill-set. That pace, that trickery, the quality of his final ball? This is a Rolls-Royce of a full-back, and he’s going to be absolutely essential to Tottenham and, hopefully, to England also. Let him learn, and then reap the benefits.

Thoughts on Gareth Bale ‘considering his future’ – April 28th 2012

So, Gareth Bale will have to ‘have to discuss what’s best for (him)self’ if the Tottenham fail to reach the Premier League, will he?

Just a quick thought Gareth: maybe you should be worrying about your own contribution to Spurs’ bid to finish in the top 4.

When players make these kind of comments, they make it sound as if the final outcome of the season is completely independent of what they themselves are doing on the pitch. Anybody who watches Bale on a regular basis will have noted his increased tendency to play in central areas – and, forgive the phrase, but it’s fucking up Tottenham’s universe. Bale is a winger, when he shifts infield his productivity halves itself – additionally, his apparent fondness for playing low-percentage football is starting to frequently derail Spurs’ attacking progress.

Gareth Bale is currently playing for Gareth Bale’s best interests, not Tottenham’s.

Luka Modric is the same. The Croatian will doubtless spend the off-season agitating for a move, citing a bigger stage and a bigger pay cheque as motivation, yet his performances over the last six months have been dismal. If Bale and Modric had played to their potential in the second half of the season, Daniel Levy could already by projecting the club’s Champions League revenue for next year.

If eight-to-ten additional games in a different competition is really the degree of separation between staying and leaving a club, then maybe these players need to be moved on regardless? Either way, don’t hang threats over your club when the season is still in progress.

Shut up and play.

Tottenham & Luuk De Jong: Perfect Match – April 27th 2012

Don’t let the fact that Luuk De Jong looks a bit like Roman Pavlyuchenko prejudice you against him, De Jong is the complete modern forward that the Russian was never capable of being.

It now looks like a permanent deal for Emmanuel Adebayor is very unlikely; having a ruck with your manager will do that. No deal for the Togalese will leave Spurs without the type of targetman that allows their system to operate fluidly – just watch the drop when Jermain Defoe has tried to deputise for Adebayor this season.

So, Tottenham need to go shopping in the ‘forward’ department this Summer – and on their checklist should be ‘physique’, ‘touch’, ‘finishing’, ‘ability to bring others into the game’, and ‘creativity’. Add those all up, and you have FC Twente’s De Jong.

A perfect fit.

As much as you may deride the Eredivisie, it’s an absolute hotbed of talent at the moment, and you really can’t dismiss De Jong’s 28 goals in 34 appearances as being purely down to facing inferior defenders every week. He’ll be twenty-two in August, and is well worth a look for whoever the Tottenham manager is once Triffic has done a bunk to England.

Harry Redknapp expects Luka Modric and Gareth Bale to stay at Tottenham – April 25th 2012

Sigh. This again.

Here’s Harry Redknapp’s response to being asked whether he asked either Gareth Bale or Luka Modric to leave Tottenham in the Summer:

“No. When they came to the club Tottenham were nowhere near the Champions League. They’re at a great club, there’s no reason why they would suddenly want to leave. There’s not too many clubs they could go to that are better than Tottenham.

“I don’t make the decisions, the chairman runs things in terms of finances. But we’re not a selling club.”

Quotes courtesy of Sky Sports.

And what are you basing that on Harry? Because it’s apparent to everyone else that Luka Modric has phoned-in the second half of the season, and that Gareth Bale is more interested in playing for his own highlight reel than for the team.

If Spurs don’t make the Champions League, there’s no way that Modric doesn’t use that as an excuse to agitate for a transfer. Was Redknapp not paying attention during all that Chelsea nonsense in 2011 – the Croatian wants to go and fill his wallet somewhere, and he’ll have another bloody good go at it once the season finishes.

Bale? Less certain. But you get the feeling that one relates to the other, in that if Modric leaves, Bale will see that as a statement of Spurs’ lack of ambition and follow suit. Either way, Redknapp can’t just make sweeping statements in the press like this and hope that they come true – he’d be better off spending his time extricating his side from one of the biggest mid-season sulks that the Premier League has ever seen.

Do you like the way he covers his tracks at the end of that quote?

“I think they’ll stay, but if they don’t it’s the Chairman’s fault.”

Triffic.

So, this is how it’s going to be.

Let me draw you a hypothetical situation, and one that I have no doubt will come to pass in the following weeks.

From their remaining four fixtures, Tottenham will take four points; they’ll draw with Blackburn on Sunday, lose at Villa Park and the Reebok, and beat Fulham at White Hart Lane on the final day of the season. If they achieve anything more than that, I’ll be stunned. This is a club that exists to fail in the modern day game – managers preaching hard-luck stories and myriad excuses beyond their control, players feeling sorry for themselves, and profoundly gifted performers going through the motions. This team have created the nosedive that they find themselves in, no matter what they say to the contrary.

This is what happens next.

The failure to reach the Champions League leads to a predictable exodus; Luka Modric and Gareth Bale vanish over the horizon, with the ironic sense that they created the reason that they used to demand their exit. Rafael Van der Vaart starts to think that maybe he’s getting older, maybe he wants to eat at Europe’s top table, and maybe there’s a vacancy for a luxury-item somewhere else. Emmanuel Adebayor? Forget it.

And the manager? The one who tells us all how well he’s done, and how horrifying the situation would’ve been without him? Off to Wembley to explode his own myth and fail on a more global stage. Get ready for bad luck and lots of ‘those days’ in Polkraine.

You see, what Harry Redknapp doesn’t realise, is that fleeting appearances in the Champions League mean very little if they’re not repeated. Rather than giving fans a memory that they can cherish, sporadic seasons like 09/10 and 10/11 just taunt supporters. Tottenham have shown clearly that they can perform at a certain level under Redknapp, but that only makes it more jarring to watch them cheat the shirt that they wear with ill-discipline and poor application. Tottenham at the moment are an embarrassment to their fans. It’s one thing watching an under-talented squad struggle, it’s quite another to see a ludicrously gifted team surrender week-in and week-out.

Spurs fans beware, this is the point where your team falls back into the chasing pack. A failure to breach the Top 4 this season will represent a failure to capitalise on the struggles of the traditional incumbents of those spots. The door was open, and now it’s going to close – Chelsea will be bankrolled back to success over the Summer, Liverpool will improve, Arsenal will do the same, and the two Manchester clubs will gallop even further into the distance. Tottenham will be back to second-level recruiting in the Summer, both in their transfer market dealings and their search for a new manager. Where there was once Luka Modric, there’ll be some home grown mid-tabler, and where there was the remote possibility of Jose Mourinho, there will be David Moyes.

Without a Champions League revenue, Tottenham will not be able to compete until the new stadium is built and the increased capacity benefitted from – and any attempt to do anything but that would be incredibly foolish. It’s like the last four years never happened; Spurs fans are awake, and all of a sudden Chris Armstrong is playing upfront, Jermaine Jenas is the captain, Ian Walker is in goal, and Gerry Francis is back in the dugout.

Welcome back to also-ran country…

Adil Rami is a perfect fit for Tottenham and should be a Summer priority – April 17th 2012

Taking the last two months out of the equation, one of the most impressive performers in Tottenham’s season has been Younes Kaboul – his exponential improvement over the last two seasons has been almost miraculous. He’s assured, he’s far less error prone, and he has the physique and power to match-up with any threat in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, one of the most disappointing aspects of Spurs’ year has been whoever has partnered Kaboul at the back. Injuries and a lack of training appear to be finally catching up to Ledley King, William Gallas spends more time in the treatment room than on the pitch, Michael Dawson lacks the pace to be a credible top four defender, and Sebastien Bassong is always an accident waiting to happen.

That second centre-back position must, must, must be addressed.

Amidst the talk of Eden Hazard and whichever other optimistic transfer targets Tottenham have this Summer, Valencia’s Adil Rami should be the biggest priority. The guy’s worth his wait in gold, and the addition of the Frenchman – to Brad Friedel and Kaboul – would create the most secure defensive triangle outside of the Etihad Stadium.

What marks Rami out is his blend of attributes – he can read a game and he can defend, but he also, unusually, combines a rare technical ability for his position with the physique to kick forwards up in the air if necessary. He’s 6″3, built like a phonebox, and a natural leader. He’s absolutely ideal – and Valencia aren’t financially armed to dig in too much over his price.

This is the area where Spurs are most in need, because season after season it’s defensive sloppiness that undermines their credentials. Whoever ends up being Tottenham manager after Harry Redknapp leaves for England – this is your man.

Barcelona continue dirty tricks in campaign in pursuit of Gareth Bale – April 17th 2012

If any other club consistently behaved like this, UEFA wouldn’t hesitate in slapping a transfer embargo on them.

Introducing the 2012 version of the two-year Cesc Fabregas drama: Barcelona’s pursuit of Gareth Bale.

Having already very publicly spoken about him at boardroom level, and been quoted on what they would consider a ‘reasonable price’ for the Welshman, Barca have turned to their players again to aid the tapping-up cause.

An interview with Daniel Alves that appears in The Independent today:

“Bale is very good as a winger but I would have him at the back. At Barcelona he would be a full-back.

Barca always sign players who they know will fit into the team,” added Alves.

It’s never a case of, ‘Oh he’s playing well. People are talking about him a lot so let’s sign him’.

Barcelona look at everything. They ask themselves if the player can fit ‘here, here and here’ and if they decide that yes, he would fit ‘there, there and there’, then they make their move.”

If you think this is just an innocent case of a player showing his admiration for another professional, then you’re incredibly naive. Just as with Xavi Hernandez’s comments about Fabregas, this is just another way of unsettling a player that Barcelona are interested in – Alves’ comments make Gareth Bale aware that he’d be welcome at Barcelona, and that gets him thinking. Well played, this really is mas que un club.

How about this is an idea – Barcelona pay the transfer fees that other clubs demand, they don’t circumnavigate transfer regulations through their players and upper management, and UEFA start treating them in the same way that they would any other club who continually stuck two fingers up at the negotiation process.

On the pitch and off of it, they play by a completely different set of rules to everybody else.

Tottenham’s weak mentality cost them at Wembley – April 15th 2012

That’s unforgivable.

Not a referee giving phantom goals, but a team emotionally buckling because of it. Good teams respond aggressively to misfortune, and play with a righteous anger and determination. Tottenham just felt sorry for themselves. I understand the disruption something so contentious can cause, but football doesn’t wait for teams to process their sense of injustice.

That’s an extremely average Chelsea team that have just humiliated them at Wembley.

Isn’t this just confirmation of everything we suspected about Tottenham? The club, and whichever players wear the shirt, have absolutely no resistance to adversity. I’ve said it half a dozen times already, but this team hasn’t been the same since the North London Derby, and Robin Van Persie’s equaliser – that slide has never been arrested.

Now, more than ever, how can there not be serious questions about Harry Redknapp? A managerial reputation built almost entirely on motivational and man-management skills, and he can’t lift the most talented Tottenham team in a generation.

Why?

Martin Atkinson will be nationally chastised for the absurdity of the second goal, but Tottenham shouldn’t allow that to mask quite how feeble they were today. Referees make poor decisions, that’s a phenomenon as old as the game itself – you have to be able to move on. Week to week, you can’t afford to carry baggage from a previous fixture. It’s an obsession with negatives.

On to next week for Spurs, are their inevitable rolling over at Loftus Road and subsequent failure to qualify for the Champions League. As certain as the sun rising in the morning.

Why Tottenham now need to sell Luka Modric – April 13th 2012

Because it’s just time.

For all Harry Redknapp’s rhetoric about Luka Modric’s attitude, it’s become apparent that he doesn’t want to play for the club anymore. Ultimately, if an extra twenty-to-thirty thousand a week is the difference between whether a player is committed to a club or not, then maybe he shouldn’t be wearing the shirt in the first-place.

If it really is just about money, then the Croatian should pack his things, clear out his locker, and move on – leaving £40m in his place.

That sounds like the best situation for everyone involved.

When Chelsea came sniffing around Tottenham’s playmaker in the Summer, the determination from Daniel Levy to keep hold of him was probably just as founded on the principle of selling to a rival club, as it was preventing the loss of a key player from his side. The ratio was probably pretty similar with the fans.

What now has to be appreciated, is that there’s a life after Modric. When he’s described as a playmaker, that’s actually become quite misleading – he really doesn’t actually do very much. He doesn’t score goals, he doesn’t affect big games, he’s a defensive liability, and he doesn’t use his ability anything like forcefully enough. Want an example of this? Watch him go missing against Chelsea on Sunday night.

As talented as he is, Luka Modric isn’t irreplaceable. He’s the player that provides ‘ice hockey assists’: he puts other players in a position to deliver telling final balls. Obviously, that in itself is a useful commodity, but not an overly-rare one. Four assists in 31 league games? To put that into context, that’s equal to Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s and Aaron Lennon’s creative output, less than Rafael Van der Vaart’s 5, inferior to Gareth Bale’s 8, and dwarfed by Emmanuel Adebayor’s 11 assists. From a production standpoint, that’s not nearly good enough.

And not to go all ‘Moneyball’ about this, but matching and bettering the three goals that he’s scored this season isn’t exactly intimidating.

I obviously understand that football isn’t baseball, and that Modric makes a contribution outside of the tangible statistics – but is it really a £40m contribution? If a club was willing to pay that in the Summer, Tottenham would be out of their mind to turn it down. Think how it could be used. An elite-level attacking midfielder? A twenty-goal a season forward? A new centre-back?

Actually, the opportunity cost of not cashing in on Modric is far greater than the rewards for keeping him.

Six players whom Tottenham need to shed over the Summer – April 12th 2012

Giovani Dos Santos

A haunting reminder of the Damien Comolli days. Quite clearly purchased without anybody making any kind of check on his personality, as he’s never seemed the slightest bit interested in making a contribution.

A strange case, because as reluctant as Harry Redknapp is to play him, Daniel Levy seems equally resistant to selling him. There’s always a Spanish club interested in ‘resurrecting’ his career, so this Summer might just be time to call it quits and send him back from whence he came.

David Bentley

The £17m spent on bringing Bentley back down to London from Blackburn retrospectively looks like one of the worst uses of money in Premier League history. A primadonna party-boy with no sense of positioning, zero workrate, and the haircut of a lesbian.

Nobody in their right mind will pay a fee for Bentley, but it’s most definitely time to chop him out of the wage bill. The archetypal over-hyped English player, maybe Liverpool might want to add to their collection? Buy him a one-way ticket to the MLS, and let us never mention his name again.

Niko Kranjcar

A talented footballer, but one no longer has much use. In an ideal world, having a technically-gifted midfielder who’s capable of winning a game sitting on your bench would be great, but not when the club is evidently struggling for transfer funds and that player still has a resale value.

Jake Livermore

Not good enough, and nor will he ever be to play at the kind of level Tottenham aspire to. The argument could be made that one of the weaknesses of this Spurs’ side is its over-reliance on Scott Parker, which isn’t flatter for the players who deputise for him. No Parker, no security, no backbone, and ultimately no performance.

Livermore wouldn’t get into any of the starting elevens of the league’s top-half, which I suppose says it all – if it really needed saying after his calamitous contribution against Norwich.

William Gallas

An outstanding defender in his day – five years ago. Now seems incapable of staying on the pitch for an entire half without tweaking/pulling/tearing a muscle. The poster-child of Tottenham’s fragile backline.

Heurelho Gomes

Yes, he’s still at the club. A legend in the Eredivisie, a punchline in the Premier League. People forgot his frequently brilliant contributions to the 2009/10 season, and prefer the more slapstick moments associated with the Brazilian. Find a club who are willing to pay a fee, and reclaim some of the £8m outlay – nobody will ever trust him in England again.

Four reasons why…Tottenham’s season has capitulated – 9th April 2012

Ineffective management

Doubtless after today’s loss to Norwich, Harry Redknapp will attribute the defeat to it ‘just being one of those days’. Maybe, although possibly their insipid and directionless football is the result of something a little less cosmic.

For a manager who’s eaten out through his entire career on his motivational ability, Redknapp’s doing a horrible job focusing his squad at the moment.

He’s incapable of stopping momentum swings. From the moment Robin Van Persie equalised in the North London Derby, Spurs have been really poor – and Redknapp hasn’t shown himself to be in any way capable of arresting the decline.

Gareth Bale

Playing almost entirely for his own highlight reel at the moment. A sulky, petulant shadow of what he was six months ago.

Having players that drift around the pitch is an asset, but not if they don’t really know what they’re doing outside of their natural position – all that does is unbalance a team, and contort a shape into something ineffective.

Whether the Welshman now believes himself to have a license to play low-percentage football or not, he’s got to be reigned back in and limited to occupying the role within which he’s so effective – because the team thrives on its width and pace, not on its wingers ducking in-field and congesting the pitch.

Over-reliance on Scott Parker

Today was a window into the past, this is how soft Spurs used to be. Profligate in possession, light in the tackle, and without any defensive shape or, most importantly, midfield protection.

Scott Parker has been Tottenham’s backbone all season, and not having a credible alternative to him is really starting to cost them. Parker has been run dry and kicked to pieces, and the decision to rest him today – while understandable – was always going to bring such an alarming drop in competitiveness.

Not only is Spurs’ defence laid bare without their anchorman, but Luka Modric looks a third of the player he usually is with Parker alongside him.

Yes, Tottenham’s squad is deep, but not necessarily in the right areas.

Lack of a Plan B

Say what you want about Peter Crouch, but he offered an alternative. When an opposing team managed to squeeze the passing life out of Tottenham, on could trot Crouch, and Spurs could start launching those long diagonals towards him.

Now what? What happens when the slick football doesn’t click into gear, or a highly-spirited opponent disrupts the fluency?

Tottenham have nowhere to go. Where are the players who enable a different approach? The only option that seems to exist for Harry Redknapp if a game doesn’t go to plan, is to replace first-eleven players with lesser replacements filling similar roles. Brilliant.

Maybe that explains the statistic about Tottenham only having won from behind once all season?

Tottenham: Jermain Defoe Goals – 6th April 2012

It’s hard to believe that Jermain Defoe has 46 England caps – for someone who’s never really been given an extended run in the team, that’s quite a return.

He’s scored a lot of goals for Tottenham, but has always battled away at the perception that his undeniable talent should have led to more; there’s always been someone in his way at Spurs, or the system hasn’t suited him, or a manager hasn’t used him enough. It’s a shame.

Wrong place at the wrong time maybe, which is ironic considering the way he plays. An old-fashioned poacher suffering from the development of the game and evolution of the forward position.

Tottenham: 101 Great Goals – April 3rd 2012

So, while we’re in the mood for goal compilations, here’s a bit of a treat for Tottenham fans. Glen Hoddle, Jimmy Greaves, Paul Gascoigne, and even one from Gary Mabbutt…

No idea where Part 7 is sadly, but then it does include a bit of Dimitar Berbatov, so it’s probably best left in the depths of YouTube.

Enjoy. After that though, you really must do some work…

Tottenham should look at Javier Aquino for wide cover – March 28th 2012

We hear a lot about how deep the Tottenham squad is, but if this season has shown anything, it’s how unbalanced Spurs can become if they lose either one of their wingers.

There’s no value in having a David Bentley-type in reserve next year, because even though he’s naturally a wide player, his lack of pace forces a change in midfield philosophy and dampens the threat that the side carries on the counter-attack. And he’s utter toss, of course.

So, a low-budget replacement that with a lot of Gareth Bale/Aaron Lennon qualities? 22 year-old Mexican winger Javier Aquino.

Aquino is as raw as it gets, but his unrefined dribbling style and devastating pace would provide the back-up that would allow Tottenham to lose a winger without sputtering to a creative halt halfway through a season.

Obviously it’s ironic that another Mexican could, and probably should, be the solution to this problem, but I think it has to be accepted that for as long as Harry Redknapp is manager, Giovani Dos Santos will not be trusted around the first team. It’s a shame, because he has the talent to contribute so very much.

Back to Aquino, who at Cruz Azul has amassed a reputation for being able to beat a man on either side, trick his way round an opponent, or simply gas him. The beauty of bringing someone like this in, is that he gets the chance to grow into the English game – and at what would probably be quite a modest fee, he could be afforded the chance to do that. Nobody needs anything from him immediately, he would just be there as a wildcard – and as cover.

Why Tottenham should stay well-away from David Moyes – March 26th 2012

As the Summer approaches, so does a perfect storm for Tottenham. Harry Redknapp will likely leave the club and stain his career with the England manager’s job – and that could trigger a series of events which derails all the progress at White Hart Lane.

If and when Redknapp leaves, the retention of the squad he has assembled is almost completely reliant on who Daniel Levy names as his successor.

This is why mention of David Moyes should be a concern.

Pretend, for a second, that you are Luka Modric or Gareth Bale; a manager who’s been so fundamental in developing your career leaves the club, and is replaced by a middle of the road specialist like Moyes. Are you staying? You must be joking. You’ve got your agent on speed-dial, and you’re getting yourself booked on the first flight to Spain.

I’ve got nothing against David Moyes, but I resent the reputation that has been bestowed on him. A miracle-worker, a ‘water-to-wine’ manager, a shoe-string operator, etc. No, what I see at Everton is a talented group of players performing at a reasonable yet inconsistent level. He’s done well over the last ten years, but he’s done nothing to suggest that he’s capable of taking a team from Tottenham’s current position to the place that they want to inhabit. He’s a top-8 manager, not top-4.

Sometimes we’re too quick to assume that just because someone has had decent success with scarce resources, that an optimisation of their working conditions will amplify that achievement. It doesn’t work like that – most managers are suited to a certain level, and for Moyes, that’s Everton, and that’s the chasing pack in the Premier League.

The Scot has never been at a club where there haven’t been mitigating circumstances that pad out his reputation. He built his CV at Preston, and developed it at Everton – both clubs who were, and are still, struggling financially. Win a game and he’s a magician, but lose one and there’s a bank of excuses waiting to be deployed.

Tottenham isn’t like that. Losing in North London isn’t excusable in the same way that it is on Merseyside – you can’t just shrug your shoulders and point to the lack of a bottom line when you get turned over at home by QPR, and the fans won’t just settle for the occasional high-effort performance against a big club live on Sky. It’s very much a pressure job, and one where the only criteria by which success or failure is judged, is the league table.

Moyes has no experience of that. In much the same way as he’s unproven in dealing with top-calibre players – with all due respect, extracting the full amount out of Emmanuel Adebayor’s talent, is a little different to revving-up Leon Osman for a solid 90 minutes.

What Tottenham need now, and what the squad and fans need to see, is a tangible statement of intent from Daniel Levy. An appointment that shows that his club is progressive, and not that he’s just going to settle and hope for the best. Having come this far under Harry Redknapp, half-arsing the decision over a new manager will more than likely lead to Spurs falling back into the pack. What a waste of four years that would be.

I’ve already made my case on this site for who I’d like to see at White Hart Lane next season – should Redknapp leave – so I’m not going to labour the point. But the commodity Tottenham need next is ‘star-power’, and the type of manager they require is the one, or the special one, that all players want to play for.

Show some balls Daniel Levy. Go and get it done.