Transfer Round-Up- Looking on the Sunny Side

Well that was all a bit disappointing. No lack of entertainment from elsewhere in the footysphere, as the artist formerly known as Fernando Torres completed a frankly ludicrous 50m move to the Chavs, and desperate to soften the blow of his departure, Andy Carroll completed an equally ridiculous 35m move to NESV Ltd.

Tottenham meanwhile, so often the star turn and media darlings on days like these, were left alone on the dance floor, staggering about and desperately searching for someone to get off with as the lights came up. SSN, so confident that we would do our usual, had a reporter camped outside The Lodge all day, despite being told there was nothing doing. For once, Harry was telling the truth, and a couple of desperate late attempts for Phil Neville and Chadam were the only bits of attempted business confirmed to us by the man himself. I’m sure we’ll find out more over the coming days just how close we were to the more exotic targets, but for now, a lot of fans are rightly disappointed at our activities, not just in this window, but the previous one as well.

Let’s face it, sensational last minute coup of VdV aside, the last couple of windows have been pretty uninspiring. We’d reached the Champions League for the first time, but given our new found stature, our dealings have been, by and large, the actions of an ambitious mid-table side, as opposed to a side which needed to consolidate and push on. Levy, famous for his bargaining skills spoke at great length about finding value and that we would stick to principle and not break the wage cap. I agree with him to a point, and would cringe at any Chelski/City style reckless spending from our Chairman, but at the very top, it’s the way things go. Is Carroll worth £35m? Not on your nelly, but he is a (potential) top player who didn’t want to leave his club, and a huge offer was what finally prized him away. I find it pretty cringe worthy, if the rumours are true, that we came in and matched Liverpool’s bid at the last minute after going back and forth with 20, 21, 22m bids for weeks, wasting everyone’s time, when perhaps a balls-out 25m, plus Crouch and Krankie- or even 30m cash, a week ago might have been enough to force Newcastle’s hand. Liverpool and Comolli of all people read the situation perfectly, knew it would take something big, and they got their man. I can’t help but wonder if Levy’s love of bargaining had him negotiating with the Spammers over a few quid in the Honest Bob deal, when his time would have been better spent weighing up a gamble to try and get us back into the Champions League positions. The multi-millionaire version of ‘penny wise, pound foolish’.

I’ll add that I don’t necessarily believe that we should have gone all out to get Andy Carroll, just that our umm-ing and ahh-ing over relatively small amounts earlier in the window may well be a lesson learned a little too late.

Enough of the doom and gloom, this is a day when we want positives, so let’s have a few. Honest Bob has FINALLY gone on loan, as have Bentley, O’Hara and 2Saints, all with views to a permanent transfer. We’ve recruited a promising young defender and a quality midfielder with Premier League experience, and they’re both available for our Champions League squad. There were also zero bids for any of the players we want to keep for a very long time… and if you want a barometer for January transfer activity, the top 2 teams in the country hardly spent a bean. That’s 2 extremely experienced managers who’ve both won the title, knowing that spending big in January can disrupt, more often than galvanise a squad. If there’s one thing that Harry has nurtured in his time at Tottenham, it’s a togetherness in the squad we’ve rarely seen in previous years.

‘Great success comes through great adversity’, someone probably said at one time or another, and if there are any that could benefit through similar sentiment, it’s our remaining 3 front men. A tricky little sharp-shooter, a temperamental but often mercurial talent, and a tall, strong, defenders nightmare, ready to bring our fizzing, crackling midfielders into play. That’s what the CV’s say, but very little evidence of it so far this season. An Al Pacino, ‘Any Given Sunday’ inspired speech to these 3 before tomorrow night’s trip to Blackburn might just be the best course of action.

‘We’ve tried to get in another couple of forwards, but it hasn’t happened. There’s been news of 1 or 2 of you moving on, but it hasn’t happened. This is it boys. 1^st half of the season has been pathetic in terms of goal scoring, but we’ve got our aim of 4^th and you boys are the ones chosen to fire us there. Forget what’s gone on before, forget the cup and forget the transfers. We can all think about it again in the summer, and either way, your performances in the next 4 months could determine what happens for the rest of your careers, whether you’re here or not. For now, all those fans are relying on you to up your game, and while this club is paying your wages, you’re going to give it everything you’ve got. No more coasting through games, no more relying on the midfield and no more excuses. For the next 4 months, I want you eating crosses and shitting goals. Now get out there and f**kin run about a bit’’

… or something along those lines.

We’re not that far off. We’ve done it once and we can do it again.

Anyone For Cottaging?- Fulham In The Cup

West London calling for the Totters this Sunday, another F.A. Cup romp to look forward to at Mohammed’s public lav Cottage. We’ve been here once already this season, Bill Gallas and his star jumps in an offside position were enough to distract a linesman and their net tender to ensure 3 away points. It’s also a re-run of last seasons quarter-final in this very same competition, our Pav-inspired lads finally getting the better of Uncle Woy at The Lane in a replay. I can see this very scenario playing out again this time around.

In transfer news, we were led to believe that Thursday was to be the big one. Biggest day of transferring to date they all said. Forlan, Suarez, Fabiano and any other number of names that sound a bit like they’ve come straight from an exotic cheese counter were expected to roll up to The Lodge, hold shirts with numbers akin to their k’s per week and tell the official site how they can’t wait to get started. Alas, no such events have occurred at the time of writing and the faithful are becoming restless. The ITK’s have gone awfully silent.

The Guardian’s Ian Prior yesterday tweeted to the world that we were assured of MASSIVE Spurs related transfer news and that all would be revealed at 5:30pm. Despite the fact that no journalist worth his salt would ever delay a big announcement for fear of a rival stealing his thunder, the eventual story was a rehash of an article I read back in November after we’d beaten Inter at The Lane. They’re preparing a summer bid of around £40m… and Real Madrid are also a bit interested. Even funnier than this however, was a Daily Mirror hack chiming in saying that Prior’s obviously got a reliable source in this one… ‘WE DON’T JUST MAKE THIS STUFF UP YOU KNOW!’ Learlz.

Like a stiff upper lipped Englishman aboard that famous ship that sunk a while back, I can but appeal for calm. As somebody wisely pointed out, our transfer window tends to span from the morning of 31^st of Jan to whatever time the window shuts on the same day (and a few minutes beyond, some cynics who know the inner workings of fax machines will tell you). In true Garry Kasparov style, I image that Levy has got his pieces in place, ready for another deadline day check mate to propel us back into contention in a season that needs a spark. If anyone can, Danny can.

Do You Know Your History?- How Andy, Richard and Rupert Invented Football

L-R Rupert, Richard and Andy

It’s a Sunday afternoon in the late 1980’s. Keys and Gray are watching the Chomley Knickerdraws take on Flangey Hopscotch in a game of thumpbag. The game, spanning the entirety of Hampstead Heath and involving approximately 84 squires per side, had entered it’s 4^th and final day (this is where the term ‘Super Sunday’ comes from) with the scores tied at zero all. Struggling to keep pace with the action, and despite it often being trite, repetitive and downright incorrect, the two friends tirelessly continued to pass comment as the events unfolded. When the game was finally abandoned, following Gentleman Jim Jamtodger being struck down by an errant and seemingly rabid owl, the two chums retired to the ‘Washer and Iron’ for a well earned Light and Bitter to analyse the encounter and swap cutting edge mother-in-law and period gags.

                                                                                           

On the way however, they encountered a vagrant by the name of Rupert who was armed with a gun full of vision and a pocket full of dreams (and acorns) who had overheard the 2 friends and believed their combined powers of ruthless ambition and penchant for puking up thumpbag related trueism’s could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams. Using a series of diagrams drawn onto discarded Ribena cartons (for these were the days when giant iPads were as far fetched as talking robots and female motorists), Rupert outlined his plan to the 2 friends.

First was the radical reinvention of the thumpbag itself. Rather than a collection of broken vinyl records, held together with pomade, blu-tac and the dreams of orphaned children, wrapped in a hessian sack, it would be round, non-pointy and made of cows. The Heath would be abandoned in favour of flatter plains with white markings to control the action, and a limited and equal number of men were to be deployed on each side. They added up their combined charges of domestic violence and the magic number was 11. The crude trenches dug into the ground to represent a ‘thump point’ were replaced with what we now recognise as ‘goals’.

Over the next few years, the three men worked tirelessly on polishing the finer points of the game and gaining funding for their venture. Pivotal in the plan was acquiring the services of a nuclear physicist and a quantum mathematician to devise the offside rule, relayed back to the trio in a way that only the massively superior male brain would be able to fathom, with the frontline duo being the only people on the face of the Earth that categorically know the REAL rules.

And so it came to pass, that in 1992, Sky invented Football.

All was rosy in the Sky Sports garden. Keys and Gray were allowed to carry out their roles without question or reproach, no matter how many inaccuracies they continued to pedal. The public were happy and felt safe with their on screen embarrassing uncle type and token Scotsman, following broadcasting code throughout the nation (Scottich accent = VAST football knowledge).

But cracks had begun to appear. Reneging on their gentleman’s agreement, Rupert began to employ non-male (female) staff. At first it was just a few runners and boom operative’s to give the duo something to look at between compiling lists of ‘clever gamesmen’ and ‘diving cheats’, but in time, there were even women appearing ON CAMERA on the 24hr  Sky Sports News channel. In an attempt to reassert authority over this rebel uprising, they would attempt bonding exercises with younger male counterparts by using the sexual colloquialisms of today’s youth that they’d picked up from various online resources, as well as cutting edge ‘boobless’ calculator sums. They also began to suggest that female ‘colleagues’ were fit only to affix ‘walkey sound box’ to their person before live broadcast, fiendishly undermining their positions even further

The greatest indignation was to come this past weekend, when not only would a female be seen during a live game, but that she would be officiating and making decisions, possibly determining the outcome of the event. Timid male co-workers of Gray, recognising that perhaps this female uprising was a permanent trend and not a passing fad, suggested that the official was quite good. This did not go down well. He was reported to have said:

‘’I don’t care if she’s had years of training at the FA, acquired all the relevant qualifications, officiated at a huge number of league and cup match’s, and is respected by fellow officials, she simply cannot understand the offside rule. I should know, I INVENTED FOOTBALL.’’ *roars skyward*

Keys, for his part in the fateful conversation, has been allowed to continue, for now, but any further mentions of hanging from anything or even a sideways glance at the tea lady and Rupert will personally catapult him back to the Heath from whence he came.

It was a step too far for Gray. His behaviour had become increasingly intolerable and the brotherhood had to be split. He is set to sue, write a book and can now be found on the ‘Loose Women’ sofa for the next 15 years.

So there you have it. A complete history of football to date.

The Weekend That Was

Got any cutting-edge mother-in-law gags as well?

Wasn’t able to get a stream for the game in the end, and patchy 3G coverage meant I was heavily reliant on the twitterazzi. Sounds like one that could have gone either way and perhaps we were a shade fortunate to get our equaliser. 9 from 9 followed by 2 from 9 means 2011 hasn’t started at the breakneck pace we’d hoped for, but it’s 1 defeat in 15 or so games so we’ve got to be pretty happy haven’t we? That’s 17 points rescued from losing positions this season, more than any other Premier League side. Plucky resilience or a lack of focus? Elsewhere, Dazza Bent scores on his debut and made sure we actually made up some ground on Citeh, and we’ll be hoping Bolton can get something from the Chavs tonight.

So Pav’s head wasn’t in the right place to join the squad eh? All these offers (one) that happen once in a blue moon (pretty much every transfer window) and he went into meltdown. It reminds me of what Guus Hiddink used to say about him being able to take one look at him before a game and knowing whether or not he was going to turn up or not, such is the enigma of our Russian goal-bagger.  Harry had a slightly less complex explanation: ‘’What did he have this week? Oh yes, it’s a long way to Newcastle! He had a bit of a sore groin and he couldn’t make it, so there we go’’. Should have said you had the Brad’s, less questions Roman! Contradictory information puts him within the vicinity of the city over the weekend, this time discussing personal terms with Sunderland.

A striker, a striker, my Kingdom for a striker! It does make me laugh those who profoundly state that we need one with no reference to what’s available. Perhaps we should ask those in charge to enter ’20’ for shooting and heading, click search and see what our scouts throw back at us? Everyone in the developed world, Levy and Redknapp more than anyone, can hear us crying out for one and if there is anything consistent coming out of the ITK machine, it’s that a lot of work is being done to remedy the situation. The fans, like the appointed negotiators being sent out, need to be patient and keep a lid on it for a bit longer. We are Brinksmanship Hotspur and with only an FA Cup game until the window shuts, I fully expect something to happen (woh!). I fear Suarez, but hope for Benzema or Fabiano. They sound fancier.

Friday was supposed to see a conclusion of sorts to the Olympic Stadium debate, but breaking news suggests that the legacy doo-dads need more time to examine the bids put forth by both clubs. So another couple of weeks for regurgitated view points and the #saynotostratford brigade have another chance to stage another mass (200 or so) protest and block the High Road.

And finally, Bale’s got a wonky back, but apparently he’ll be offered 100k a week in a new deal. Swings and roundabouts. Gray and Keys are shown up for the charmless nurks they really are. A couple of old windbags pedalling tired, inaccurate clichés? Not ENTIRELY against your ethos now is it Sky Sports?

Newcastle Away- The Pre-Match Psyche and Interview with ‘KevinAndAndy’





The game I always say I’ll go to one of these days, but then don’t because I’d take months of flack from the missis about not taking the baby somewhere where she’ll have no conception of what’s going on instead. The Zoo, for example. But where will baby be if I want to raise the issue of animals in captivity versus our increased understanding and awareness by having them so readily accessible? Asleep after excessive pointing and clapping is where. It’s a minefield, I’d be far more use on a northern terrace.

A reasonably busy week for us then. Stevie Pii completes his move after briefly flirting with the Chavs, and we’ve managed to make a bit of sell-on clause dosh out of our former hot shot forward Darren Bent’s transfer kafuffle. Reports on the grapevine suggest this could spark a bit of a transfer merry-go-round. On potential departures, Honest Bob, who we know is sticking business cards up in various phone booths in the vicinity of any London based club, may be joined by our patchy Russian, who’s been told that he can have a look around because we will definitely be getting in a striker, and his chances will be limited as a result. Suarez and our summer crush, Fabiano, are the names being bandied about by those claiming to be connected to the higher reaches of the club.

A deal involving star striker for this weekend opponents, Andy Carroll is another transfer rumour that’s resurrected every couple of days. Conspiracy theories abound that his latest ‘injury’ is a line being fed to the media while we continue to iron out a deal and prevent any damage he might inflict upon his potential new employers on the pitch. Or he might just be injured. Either way, the Toon have ruled him out for our visit.

Rather than hack my way through trying to analyse this weekends opponents, I’ve pinned down someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. James Mitchell, author of the fantastic KevinAndAndy (named after possibly the funniest bail arrangement in the history of football/crime) Newcastle United blog agreed to answer a few hastily composed questions.

Rio: How have you enjoyed your return to the Prem? What have been the highlights?

James KAA: The return to the prem has felt a little like vindication, with good results and performances against Arsenal and Chelsea I think we've shown that we do belong in the league. We've only scored 2 less than City with all their riches so we're good value for the neutral as well. The highlight has to be the 5under1and game! But Arsenal away was great as it showed we can mix it with the big boys as well.

Rio: How was life in the Championship? A much needed wake-up call, or just a bit annoying?

James KAA: It was gutting. I was at Villa when we were relegated and it was slightly surreal. It was a little annoying as it soon became clear we were going to go straight back up, and games like Peterborough away felt like a bit of a nuisance. That said it probably did wonders for the club, a lot of dead wood was cleared out and the team spirit we've come up with is fantastic. 

Rio: What were your thoughts on the sacking of former Spurs hero Chris (Cockney-Mafioso to hallowed martyr) Hughton, and what do you make of Pardew?

James KAA: Like almost all Toon fans I was gutted when he was sacked, but not surprised, the writing had been on the wall for a while. I could write an essay on Hughton's sacking but it's been done before. I think Pardew has won over some cynics by tying down some promising players to long term contracts and coming in and getting on with things in a quiet sort of way. He's also a better manager than people have given him credit for, his teams always tend to play attractive football.

Rio: Despite the protestations, the hacks continue to link Andy Carroll with a move to ourselves. How highly is he rated by the Newcastle fans, and what would it mean IF he were to leave?

James KAA: A lot of the stories have been regurgitations, it seems that Redknapp has said he's a good player, but he's out of reach, and Pardew has said we won't sell him. So a lot of papers are making 2+2=345. He's very highly rated and rightly so, he is a very good player. He's quicker than people give him credit for and he brings others into play very well. His goal against Liverpool showed he's not just a Duncan Ferguson type as well. IF he were to leave Ashley would do well to jump in his helicopter quickly and get out of the country. 

Rio: Joey Barton has recently claimed to be THE in-form player in the country. Is he being a bit of a silly-billy or does he have a point?

James KAA: He has been in very good form, he's playing wide right and his delivery has been exceptional, but he's also been bossing games from a wide position which is a bit of an art. I think people will always cast cynicism on anything he says because of his problems, but I think he has a point, at least where English midfielders are concerned anyway. By way of comparison he gave the much hyped and recently capped Jordan Henderson an absolute lesson in both games against Sunderland.

Rio: Any other good young players coming through at Newcastle ? The lad Ranger has taken a bit of stick for that shocker of a miss, but from the other bits I’ve seen, he looks a good prospect.

James KAA: He looks better than Carroll did at the same age, he's strong, tall and quick but seems to lack a bit of composure and technique. I think the jury is very much still out on how he'll develop. Other than that there are high hopes for attacking midfielder Haris Vuckic, and one who slipped in quietly under the noses of Manchester United, Yven Moyo, a left winger.

Rio: The hot topic for us Spursers surrounds our potential move to the Olympic Stadium in the East. As an outside observer, what do you make of it all, and how would you feel if your club moved to an area outside of Newcastle ? Still pretty close, but, you know, not geographically Newcastle ?

 
James KAA: I'm opposed to the idea where any club is concerned, it strikes me that more money could be spent improving transport links to White Hart Lane. A move away seems too drastic.

Rio: What have you made of our season so far?

James KAA: I've loved watching Spurs this season,  although the media hype has been frustrating, 'footbale' has been one particularly amusing summation of the hype surrounding Spurs. But I always look at it this way, if you moved to the country and were completely ignorant of football, you'd never heard of any of the clubs or any of the players, and you watched football for a few weeks, who would catch your eye as an exciting team? Spurs would. That's why I support Newcastle, because when I grew up Newcastle were so exciting to watch despite not winning anything, they were irresistible. 

Rio: If you could take only one of our players, who would it be?

James KAA: ... Bale. Purely because we have players who can play in Van der Vaart's position, (Nolan, whilst clearly not as good, has a credible 10 goals so far this season) and a winger like Bale is such an exciting prospect every time you watch a game. Modric is fantastic as well, he was actually at Newcastle's training ground then dashed to London to sign for Spurs, which was gutting. He does such a good job in the engine room, but we do have the monster Tiote who's been a revelation this season.

Rio: Finally, your score prediction for Saturdays game?

James KAA: I'm gonna stick my neck out and say 2-1. We have a lot of players missing, but I think Spurs are due a little dip in form, or at least I hope they are! I'm crap at predictions though...

A massive thanks to James. Any of you wanting to read a bit more into Newcastle United, KevinAndAndy is well worth a read.

The Rise of The Mod- A Luka Love-In

‘’ Tottenham Hotspur plc is pleased to announce that agreement has been reached with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian international midfielder, Luka Modric, age 22 years, for the transfer of his registration to Tottenham Hotspur FC for a total consideration of Euro21 million payable in installments over the next four years.’’

I remember clearly that message popping through on my phone on Saturday 26^thApril 2008. I read it through bleary eyes, hungover after a mates wedding and the news was just what I wanted to hear. He’d recently starred for Croatia in the demolition of Ingerland at wemberlee, the wolly with the brolly etc, and our Totters were high off the back of a Carling Cup win, with a successful 08/09 season in prospect with Ramos at the helm.

We all know what happened next and Luka found himself under the guidance of our ‘arry. His mentor, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, having played under Harry himself at the Spammers, simply said ‘All the best!’

‘’But then he said Harry would look after me, teach me the right things and get me to the right place. Slaven is quite similar to Harry because they both have the ability to get the best out of players.’’

On the playing front, it was a rough ride for Luka. Assuming we’d signed an attacking string puller as shown in his performances for the national side, he was originally deployed alongside Jenas in a 4 man midfield, often meaning he would drop deep and his threat was nullified. Speaking only a couple of weeks after his arrival at the club, Harry immediately saw where Luka needed to be playing.

‘’…between (the oppositions) defence and midfield. That is where he's at his best - you can't put him in a 4-4-2 as it's difficult for him to play as one of two central midfielders, he's got to play further forward.’’

It was a hint at Redknapps reluctance to play Modric in the middle, and as the season evolved, he was shunted out to the left with Jenas/Huddlestone and Zokora/Palacios being the preferred options in the middle. Harry knew he was a ‘special talent’, but didn’t know what to do with him, so the left side of our 4-man midfield was the only position where he felt he could be utilised. While shining in the odd game and being steady in others, Spurs fans couldn’t help but feel he was playing within himself, the Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United being a case in point. In hindsight, he probably felt shackled himself and was desperate to be given the chance in his preferred position.

"I know I am strong enough to do well and I will prove that in the coming matches. That's my aim."

After dominating the midfield and scoring in our 1-0 win over Chelski towards the end of the 08/09 season, there were great hopes for him in Redknapp’s first full season in charge, but only a few games in, at home to Birmingham, Luka suffered a broken leg. It was at the lower end of the ‘serious broken leg’ charts, but it was enough to keep him out for several months. On his return, the close control, and the most incredible balance I’ve had the pleasure of seeing at close quarters were still there, but he also appeared stronger, both physically and in his focus. Far from just riding out his injury in front of a playstation, Luka hit the gym, determined to show he could play the central role.

Another young starlet by the name of Gareth Bale had grabbed his chance in the first team with both hands and usurped Luka’s niche on the left wing, but it wasn’t long before he had the chance to shine once again in the middle of the park. Wilson Palacios’s suspension meant Harry had his hand forced in playing a midfield 4 of Bale, Modric, Huddlestone and Lennon for 2 huge home games, firstly against the Woolwich Wanderers and then Chelski. Modric and Huddlestone were magnificent in both eventual victories, and such was their success that even though Palacios was available for the big showdown away to Manchester City, the same midfield 4 were chosen to start the game. Modric had proved what he himself knew all along.

"I have been brought up to be a modest person, not to show off, and to appreciate the things I achieve. But I believe in myself, which I think is important in life in general, not just in sport."

For those of us who’ve read about Luka’s early career, to say he was too lightweight to play in the middle was to do him a great disservice and an over-simplification of his attempts to adapt to a new way of playing. As an 18 year old on loan at Zrinjski Mostar, playing in central midfield in the ‘industrial’ Bosnian League, he emerged as the Leagues player of the season, saying "someone who can play in the Bosnian league can play anywhere", referring to its physicality. However, he readily admitted that it was more to do with the combined pace and pressure of opposition players in the Premier League that he needed to adjust to.

‘’What I noticed the most was the strength and speed. The lack of space as well. I was used to getting a lot of space in Croatia and that makes a hell of a difference. But I am getting used to it now. When that happens I will be OK."

And more than OK he is now. The congestion in the middle of the park was a dominant feature of Sunday’s game against Manchester United, and Harry, always full of praise for our little magician, commented:

"There was talk about a lack of space and time out there but he kept finding it. His touch and awareness is fantastic. He could play in any team in the world."

While casual observers rightly site this seasons contributions of Bale and the impact of Van der Vaart as a huge influence on our current position, the performances of Modric, while far subtler, have arguably been more telling. The introduction of Van der Vaart to our squad has given Harry the flexibility to use the 4-5-1 formation favored by many of the European elite and deploying Luka in a similar role where he shone for Croatia, and it’s beginning to pay dividends. Those who saw his ‘grabbing-the-game-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck’ performance when we were a goal down at home to Liverpool, will testify to seeing a new dimension in Luka’s game as a potential match winner in his own right.

The next step for our Modders is to add goals to his game. 7 in 75 league games for us shows there is still work to be done on that front, but as I’ve said before, if he can do it, we’ll have the EPL version of Iniesta on our hands.

Perhaps even more impressive is Luka’s maturity and loyalty in the face of such admiration. He has constantly batted away talk of transfers to many of Europe’s top clubs (and Chelski), and knowing that we have him secured to a six-year contract certainly puts us Totters at ease.

"Me going to Barcelona? Yes, I really hope that, but only as a Tottenham player in the next round of the Champions League’’

With the backdrop of the Croatian War of Independence, Luka’s childhood perhaps puts him in a better position than many of his counterparts to appreciate where he is now. It’s not just his game, but his whole outlook on life that is well-rounded. 

"The most important thing is for me and my family to be healthy".

Perhaps my favourite Luka quote though is this one from November 2010.

"I can make my football dreams come true with Tottenham, and that is why all my thoughts and also my future is with this club."

Luka, we salute you!

They Parked The Bus

Still a bit too sore to see this as a compliment. An opportunity missed, but 10 out of 10 for effort. A ruthlessly resolute and organised manure side eventually won out in the war of attrition, our lads just missing out on that bit of luck or a kind bobble around their goal. The one time it did drop for us, VdV conspired to curl just wide. Some ratings:

Gomes, 7- Excellent save from Rodney at the beginning of the 2^nd half. Not too sure about the one in the 1^st half where he knocked it back in front of himself, but he saw it late so fair do’s.

Hutton, 6- Gets tight when he needs to stand off and vice-versa. He makes me nervous. However, provided an excellent attacking threat against a team permanently pinned in their own half.

Daws, 7- Done everything asked of him. Great awareness. 4 clean sheets in a row at home, coinciding with his return to the side.

Gallas, 7- Just a great defender. Distribution was also excellent.

BAE, 6- Rafael got at him a couple of times, but Nani being quiet and eventually taken off was credit to him.

Lennon, 6.5- With Bale under wraps, he had more ball than he might have anticipated. Huffed and puffed but didn’t get at Evra enough when he was on a booking. Overly critical perhaps. Needs to look inside a little more as there was space to exploit.

Mods, 8- ‘They’ve got Van der Vaart and Bale’. Something you might hear from a few fans taking a passing interest in Totters. We grin smugly as they rarely mention our best player. Dropped deep and made a congested midfield look wide open when he got forward. A joy to watch.

VdV, 6- Forgot he was on the pitch until that curling shot. Marshalled manfully by Felcher and unable to stamp any authority on proceedings.

Wilson, 6.5- Was surprised to see him on the team sheet, thought Jenas would have been the better choice. Hustled Carrick and Felcher nicely, but nowt our JJ couldn’t have done. Got into a decent shooting position a couple of times, exactly where you might have fancied the aforementioned to cause more problems.

Baler, 6- Is he injured or being told to rein it in? Not just in this game, but several recently, there have been very presentable opportunities to run into space beyond the full back and give an option to BAE or Mods to find him, and he’s just stood still. Still having a great season but needs to sharpen up to move to the next level.

Crouch, 6- Still trying to find his way out of Vidic’s pocket.  Another surprise selection from Harry. Didn’t he refuse to appeal Defoe’s sending off at Villa to ensure the ban wouldn’t have been in force for this game??? Given the quality of CB he was up against, won a fair amount of the aerial challenges, but delivery from the flanks and set pieces weren’t good enough to exploit what he was on the pitch for.

Subs. Were there any? Defoe for Palacios. Minimal impact.

60% possession and I can’t recall another side forcing Manure to play so negatively. Great effort but on the balance of play, 2 points dropped. A huge run of games coming up, and 6 out of 7 of them are away from home.

The planned protest over our proposed move to Stratford took place outside the main gates on Tottenham High Road. As a few people have pointed out, the volume of people resulted in the High Road being shut, ironically highlighting one of the main problems about getting to Tottenham and one of the main reasons for seeking a move away from the area. There was a bit more chanting going on at halftime which I took a video clip of. It’s on youtube, but then there are loads of them on there so get yerselves searching if you want to have a witness.