Update

Simon Davies has finally completed his move to Everton. Good luck Simon.

Lee Barnard and Kieran McKenna have both agreed new deals with the club.

Crystal Palace has denied stories that Wayne Routledge has signed for Spurs in a £2 million deal.

Competition winners have now been contacted by email - congratulations everyone who won and thanks for entering.

The answers were 1882, Scarborough and Beckton.

COYS!

Davies set for Everton

As widely reported for the last few months Spurs have agreed a fee worth "up to" £4 million for Simon Davies. Davies now needs to agree personal terms before the switch becomes permanent.
Sporting Director Frank Arnesen commented: "Simon has given this club great service but he was ready for a new challenge and we wish him all the best."

Davies has made over 150 appearances for Spurs and everyone at "The Shelf" wishes him well for the future. However I have to question the decision myself. The fee is up to £4 million, not just £4 million. If it was a set £4 million then we should be biting their hands off but it is bound to be based on appearances, goals, Everton's achievements and so on so we may not even get half of the stated figure. I also have to assume that we have a replacement in mind which is probably relegation fodder Wayne Routledge. No offense Palarse fans, but he hasn't looked too good when I have seen him this season. With Davies showing glimpses of his previous self in recent home games this decision could be a mistake.

In other news Martin Jol commented::

"Yeah, The Shelf compistishion is still on. Enter now before itsh too late".

Enter by midnight tonight. See the main page or archive for further details.

Discuss this and more with our official message board partners at The Spurs Web message board.

COYS!

WIN With The Shelf - further Info - see main page for how to enter. 

Competition Time - Win, Win Win with "The Shelf"

"The Shelf has been given four fantastic copies of the a new book just published by Apex Publishing Limited. As featured in the Blackburn Program, "The Tottenham Hotspur Quiz Book" contains over 1000 different questions and answers on Spurs. Do you really know everything about our great club and its illustrious history? Well now is the time to find out!

Some of the great names of Tottenham past and present have added their glowing contributions to the book:

The book is good. I played for Spurs from 1957 to 1968, part of which they called the 'Glory Years' - and it was a privilege.

Cliff Jones, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (1957-1968)

Tottenham Hotspur will always have a special place in my heart as I had a fantastic time playing for Spurs, playing in some fantastic matches and with some great players. This book has helped me remember some special times and has tested my knowledge of Spurs to the full, a must for any Spurs fan! I think it's a great idea that John White and Apex Publishing Ltd are raising money for charity with the sales of these books.

Jurgen Klinsmann, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (1994-1995 & 1997-1998)

When I picked up The Tottenham Hotspur Quiz Book I thought it would be just another Quiz Book. However, to my surprise, the book is much more. It is a trip through the history of the club but done so in a quizzical way. It teaches the reader about the club's history as well as tests and entertains you.

Martin Jol, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (Manager)

All you need to do to win one of these fantastic books is to email theshelfcompetitions@gmail.com with the correct answers to these easy questions:

1. In which year was the club first formed?
2. Where was Bill Nicholson born?
3. Where was Jermaine Defoe born?

Send your answers to theshelfcompetitions@gmail.com by Friday 20th May 2005.

Good luck!

COYS!

(More info can be found on the front page)

For those of you unlucky enough not to win then the book can be purchased for £8.99 from The Club Shop. £1 will be donated to The Willow Foundation, a charity that arrange special days for seriously young adults. The charity is supported by Pat Jennings and Gary Mabbutt.

Ricketts released.

Trouble maker Rohan Ricketts has been released by Spurs. He made six starts and two substitute appearances this season.

David Limbersky's loan arrangement has concluded and the midfielder will return to Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

Paul O'Donoghue, Nicky Eyre, Michael Malcolm and Owen Price have also left the club.

Everyone at "The Shelf" would like to wish them all the best of luck for the future.

Spurs snap up Stalteri

I have to admit that when I found this out today I did wonder who he was. However with a little digging around it appears that he will be a welcome addition to the squad for next season.

Paul Stalteri is a Canadian defender who was playing for Werder Bremen. He has received over 50 caps for his country and also has Champions League experience. In 2004 he won the Bundesliga title and German Cup.

Sporting director Frank Arnesen said:

"He is a defender who can play in midfield - so he is a multi-functional player who can play on both sides."He has come from a tough environment at Werder Bremen and their players are very well-known for their mentality."

Arnesen added: "His biggest success was last year winning the double and he has now had good experience of European football. "I am delighted to get him in, there were a lot of clubs chasing him, including some from England. He will be a big plus for the squad."

Paul Stalteri:

"Obviously I'm delighted it's a top club like Tottenham. "In the last little while they've expressed an interest and they've watched a lot of games this year.

"There was a lot of potential clubs and a lot of other offers that came my way. "I won't comment on names but my top club and top decision was Tottenham. It's a massive club and there is great potential. That's why I chose to join them."

Paul can play on the left and right side of the back four increasing the pressure on the excellent Kelly and not so excellent Atouba and Edman. It may also increase the rumors that Atouba could be off to Hamburg.

A welcomed signing and one that adds winning experience to the Spurs line up.

COYS!

Spurs draw a blank

Spurs ended the season ninth after failing to break down a well organised but boring Blackburn team. Savage was his usual charming self and was lucky not to get sent off after being wound up by Kanoute. The shameless cheating by Blackburn continued when they attempted to convince the ref that Naybet had elbowed some Blackburn player - Utter nonsense to everyone who saw the incident.

Spurs were the better side throughout with Cerny only really being called in to making twotricky saves. For all our efforts however we never really tested Friedel and that should be a concern. We still lack a central player who can put in a killer pass for the front two. We also need to get Defoe back in form as he has scored 2 Premiership goals in 2005. Compare that with Keane, who has scored five.

So, season over. We didn't make Europe but we greatly improved. We finished ninth, five places better off than last season. We also have the most promising squad in the Premier League with a wealth of young talent at our disposal. With a few more experienced players to hopefully come in during the summer we can all look forward to August.

COYS!

Spurs Vs. Blackburn.

And so the season draws to a close on Sunday as it has done for what now seems like forever - a home tie against Blackburn, the dour outfit from the north that contains wankers like Savage and Dickov.

We all know what we need to do. Thrash 'em and hope for a 1-0 to Manchester City against 'Boro. It is a tall order actually as Blackburn aren't too shoddy and won't roll over for us. It is a shame because two weeks ago it was in our own hands and bizarre tactical changes and the inability to break down a dull 'Boro side has lead us to this position. To be fair it makes a change for us to actually be playing for something come May, our fate of mid season nothingness normally being confirmed in January. When we compare this season with last you have to say it is almost a miracle that we are still in with a shout, albeit a small one, of Europe.

Jol has been speaking of how the two points lost at Old Trafford have cost us but I would remind Martin, that while we have made good progress on all fronts, the inability to beat utter crap such as West Brom (home & away), Crystal Palace (home & away) and Norwich (home) is what has cost us. If we had beaten West Brom, Palarse and Norwich just at home we would have another 6 points and be sitting pretty in fifth place.

Anyhow, Blackburn tomorrow. Cerny will remain in goal. Kelly, King and Edman along the back. Dawson is a doubt and may be replaced by fit again Naybet. In the middle Sean Davis is a doubt and thus Johnnie Jackson has been recalled to the squad. If Sean does not make it then I would stick Simon Davies in the middle, Reid on the right and Ziegler on the left. Mr Offside didn't do much against 'Boro although the service wasn't fantastic. However, he is way off form and dropping Keane last week was a mistake. Keane, who looked much sharper last week than Defoe, should start with Kanoute I suppose.

We need to worry about our own game on Sunday. Lets make sure we give Blackburn a hammering that they deserve with players like Savage in the team. We can only worry about ourselves as whatever we do will have no effect on the result in Manchester. Hopefully we will finally get a slice of luck that sees us sneak into Europe but if not then so be it.

COYS!

P.s. Keep checking "The Shelf" in the next couple of weeks for a fantastic competition!

Discuss this article at The Spurs Web Message Board, our official message board and chat partners.

The Shelf and The Spurs Web join forces!

Now you can discuss all the topics posted on "The Shelf" at the Spurs Web message board.

Message Board

You can also chat right now and every Sunday at 8pm here:

Chat

The board and the chat room can also be accessed in the side bar by just clicking the link.

So go, discuss what went right and wrong with the season and how we can move onto bigger and better things in the future!

COYS!

The fat lady is about to sing.

Defeat has all but killed off our European hopes this afternoon. A poor first half performance and a not much better second saw 'Boro take maximum points. Citeh also beat Villa 2-1 and move above us on goal difference.

We are in this position due to numerous reasons. Today we failed to get behind the 'Boro defence. Kanoute was poor as was Defoe. It was a mistake to drop Keane for Defoe as we sounded better once Robbie was on. However we never really created enough chances for anyone playing up front. Mido came on and did nothing and people who still think Mido is ahead of Keane and we should sell the Irish man is an idiot. Referees poor decisions at Old Trafford also lost us two points. However it was the inability to beat the shit that came up from Division One which has proved our downfall. I'll write more about this later.

Well, like the headline states, the fat lady is ready to sing. She hasn't belted out her voice yet as mathematically we could still qualify but we now rely on not only getting a result next Sunday but also on other teams. If Citeh can beat 'Boro by a one goal margin (1-0, 2-1, 9-8) we need to ensure we beat Blackburn by at least three goals.

I will be there cheering on the lads as always and we just need to cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Whatever happens, we are greatly improved on last season. COYS!!!

Middlesbrough Vs. Spurs

The most important game of the season takes place up north tomorrow that will either increase or destroy our European hopes. Avoiding defeat will leave Europe in our own hands and if we play like we did against Villa in the last game of the season we are home and dry. A win in Middlesbrough would almost certainly put us in the UEFA cup but defeat would leave us hoping Manchester City beat 'Boro and we beat Blackburn.

Things are not made any easier as Paul Robinson, the best goal keeper in the country, will miss the rest of the season with ligament damage. Radek Cerney will replace him in goal. He made his debut last week against Villa and looked good. His kicking was clean and accurate although he seemed a little slow in clearing sometimes. He didn't have much else to do but, like Martin Jol pointed out, he is very experienced having played over 200 times for Sparta Prague and over 40 times in European competition. Hopefully the back four and Cerney have been working on their communication and the basics ahead of tomorrow's game.

I expect that will be the only change. The back four will continue to be Kelly, King, Dawson and Edman. Edman will have to be sure that Zenden does not get the wrong side of him. Kelly should push forward to keep Downing on the back foot. The midfield will be Simon Davies, a revelation last week, Sean Davis, Carrick and Reid. Up front will be Kanoute and probably Keane as he is still the on form one between him and Defoe. To be honest, after stuffing Villa we should not be tinkering too much with the team.

It is time for Spurs to be counted. Too many times over the years we have had the opportunity to take the next step, or cement a good league position only for us to blow it. The League cup final against Blackburn springs to mind. However, that must end tomorrow. The lads know that Spurs need European football to begin the next stage in the Jol revolution. They know what they need to do.

COME ON YOU SPURS!!! COYS!!

WOO HOO!

A great performance all round by Spurs ensured we thrashed Villa by four clear goals to move above Middlesborough with only two games remaining. The UEFA cup spot is still on and, like Frank Arnesen said yesterday, lies in our own hands. Win the final two games and we definitely qualify via the league.

Spurs took the lead as early as the fifth minute. Mark Deleny had made a good run into our box but tumbled under pressure from Edman. It was a tough one for Clattenberg to call as he was behind play (as usual) and his view was blocked. However I have seen penalties given in that situation so maybe Edman was a bit fortunate. Robinson then launched a magnificent ball forward which Kanoute was able to control, all be it with his arm, and slot pass Postma, the Villa keeper. 1-0 Spurs and maybe a bit fortunate, like I said, but it is about time we had some luck after Old Trafford etc.

Villa continued to look bright and their build up play was neat but they never troubled Robinson too much after that. I was a bit nervous after they won a couple of corners but they never really took advantage. Spurs added more pressure when they scored their second. Simon Davies won the ball and stormed 70 yards up the pitch to win a corner. At this point I think a few fans had to sit down as Spurs actually counter attacked with pace! From the resulting corner Ledley was able to prod home after some shocking Villa defending. It was 3-0 soon afterwards. Keane was able to get the ball to Kanoute under a heavy Villa challenge for him to fire home his second of the afternoon.

Villa were back in the hunt just before half time after a dodgy penalty. The ball struck Dawson's arm - more ball to hand but he did have them raised - a tough one to call. Gareth Barry put it past Robbo.

Villa were much improved in he second half, well for about 15 minutes anyway and kept us pegged back in our own half for a while. A second goal for Villa would have put us in trouble but Reid scored a cracker. Villa then collapsed and allowed Kelly to score the fifth after good overlap play.

It was a great performance all round. Reid played well as did Simon Davies. He ran all afternoon and created a lot down the right. He still can't beat a man but is rapidly improving. Keane worked well with Kanoute and when Defoe came on he should have scored at least once. Dawson had another excellent game and Edman got forward well. He just has to be careful he isn't caught on the wrong side of attacking players.

So we now sit in seventh. However, this win means nothing if we loose against 'Boro come Saturday.

COYS!