Ticket Travesty And Other Spurs News

A week tinged with disappointment on Spursonal note, as I and 4 pals missed out spectacularly on a ticket for the glamour tie at the Bernebau, having already bought our flights. Our optimism was based on the clubs woefully misjudged invite for those with 250 or more loyalty points to apply, so when 551 points (now lowered to 530 following the release of a further 227 tickets) was eventually revealed as the magic number, there were many who’d been caught short. While I understand that the club couldn’t afford to mess about due to time constraints, I do wonder where they plucked 250 from. I’ve since learnt that for the first trip to the San Siro, the bar was set at 380 points. On the return in the last 16, levels were set at 283 as, presumably, everyone thought once was enough. Based upon this, how the ruddy funk did they pluck 250 out of the air? They are privy to a loyalty point database unlike us fans, so as a supposedly responsible organisation, it’s their task to manage expectation among the masses. I mean, for goodness sake, this is a quarter final at Real Madrid. Did they not envisage a rather large interest? The spectacular nature of the underestimation, underlined by the fact that had I had DOUBLE the minimum application level, I’d have still been left high and dry, is the most galling aspect of it. That and having forked out for flights I’m in 2 minds over using. Connecting flight to Madrid has been sacked off but the return trip to Barcelona to watch Tottenham on a Catalan telly is still on the cards. I know.

Moving on, and faced with the prospect of an international game to build up to, I think it’s best we go 180 and have a look at Tottenham-related stuff from the week that was.

Paul Gascoigne is teaming up with legendary Spurs goal-grabber Jimmy Greaves to put on a show involving the 2 of them chatting back and forth about their days in the game and fielding a few questions from audience members. Greavsie of course is well versed in these kinds of productions, having done several similar tours with Ian ‘Saint’ St John and various others, but the involvement of Gazza will surely introduce the format to a new generation of nostalgia hunters. Apparently it’s all part of Gazza’s on going rehab; presumably talking about his crazy drinking stories in public is designed to allow him his own form of catharsis. Gazza said: “It will ­definitely be entertaining. I’ll give them some stories about some of the mad things I’ve done.” I can only imagine. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into a nightly public meltdown from the man.

Harry has slapped (or not?) a 1 BILLION pound price tag on Luka, just to underline the fact that he is not for sale at any price. Not quite sure what forced him into a comment that linked Luka Modric and money, probably some rag telling us he was wanted by Barca/Real/Manure/Chelski. Either that or the press were looking elsewhere for a story and Harry felt obliged to talk about transfers, followed by an insistence that he doesn’t want to talk about transfers. Plausible.

Huddlestone’s recovery continues at a pace, with Harry saying that he’d been sorely missed and that it was great to have him around the gaff again. If that endorsement wasn’t ringing enough for you, young wordsmith @Ryan_Mason13 tweeted ‘decent session today in the sunshine… Huddz is looking sharp to all u spurs followers!’. Lovely stuff.

I suppose we couldn’t ignore the International stuff entirely. Bale injured. Again. One of the Welsh backroom chaps called/didn’t call our physio’s a bunch of amateurs and said that he was broken upon delivery. Warehouse foreman Harry Redtop insisted that the goods were checked and double-checked before dispatch and that as the Welsh signed for him, they assume full responsibility for the breakage. It’s only a wonky hammy so he’s been sent back to the sorting office, where he should be duly sorted in time for our trip to Wigan next week. Probably for the best.