Trasnfer Update

Lee has now been confirmed by the club. He has joined for around £1.4 million after we were apparently tipped off by our old chum Frank Arnesen on his last day of employment for the club. Lee hd an option in his contract that he could talk to any club who bid £1.4 million or so so we bid just the right amount much to the displeasure of PSV.

Jol said:

He has played at PSV for three years and was in the South Korea side which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup," reported the Head Coach. "He has played in the Champions League - reaching the semi-finals last season - and is the best left-back in Holland.

"A number of Italian clubs would have liked to have taken him and we are happy to have got him to our club. He is an attacking full-back and is a big star in Korea having achieved so much success in Europe.

"I am very happy he is coming to Spurs and very proud of it. Like Edgar Davids he has made the decision to come to Spurs and it is a big thing for the club."

The club has also confirmed that Erik Edman is on his way to Rennes. A surprise sale as it does leave us weak in that position if Lee gets inujured or suspended.

Reto Ziegler has joined Hamburg on a season long loan. He will team up with ex Spur Atouba. Lets hope he doesn't learn too many tricks off him.

Jermaine Jenas has joined for anything between £7 million to £9 million which is being paid over 5 years. Without having to shell out all in one go it should leave us with cash for further strengthtening later today or in januray.

Robbie Keane has been strongly linked with a move to Everton with BBC Radio 5 claiming he was there for a medical this morning but there has been no follow up in the press. It is highly unlikely we will let Keane move without ensuring we have bought a replacement for Kanoute.

Speaking of which there is no new striker to announce yet but from what people are saying around the message boards we could still expect some further activity tonight.

COYS!

Edman sold apparently

According to the Rennes official website Erik Edman has joined them on a three year deal. They even have a quote from Edman saying:

"I hope the switch will suit me and make me a better player in a good league"

Rennes said:

"Swede Erik Edman has signed a three-year contract."

There is no word as of yet from Spurs but if true it must mean Lee is signed and just awaiting the work permit to be confirmed. However it does not fit in with the two players for every position philosphey (10 in midfield) we have been heading for since Arensen, and now Jol, took charge of transfers. Today looks like it is going to be very interesting for everyone involved with Tottenham Hotspur.


COYS!

Jenas signs.

The worst secret in football has been confirmed today that Jermaine Jenas has signed from Newcastle. The club are currently being tight lipped about the fee but Sky Sports reckon its around £9 million! However, knowing Levy, this won't be one big lump sum and will revolve around things such as appearences and the clubs progress in league and cup competitions. Although we have more midfielders than anyone else in the world there is no doubting Jenas's skill and ability and he is better than what we currently have especially going forward and bursting into the box.

This must now mean the end of Sean Davis and probably Michael Brown or Pedro Mendes Spurs careers. However time is short to offload them and they could well be sitting around until January. There HAS to be some movement in there soon though as the wage bill must be going through the roof with the size of our current squad.

Sky also claim that Lee is done and dusted but we are awaiting a work permit. Still no sign of a striker but we still have till midnight. Cross your fingers!

COYS!

24 hours to go!

There are now less than 24 hours to go before the transfer window slams shut. By the time it re-opens the season will be over half way through and lack of action now in a few key areas could wreck our chances, once again, of a top six finish.

Up to now the window has been pretty productive for Spurs. Pace and width have been brought in with the signings of Lennon and Routledge. The right back position has been strengthened with Stalteri, Tainio has joined along with Edgar Davids and Davies was flogged for £3.5 million to Everton. Kanoute also left us for a profit which is good business assuming he is replaced.

If you believe the message boards and the hundreds of people who claim they are “In the know” Spurs are still trying to buy people for various different positions. The one that seems an almost 100% banker is Jermaine Jenas. Clearly the midfield needs even more strengthening as we don’t already have Brown, Davis, Davids, Tainio, Carrick and Mendes to battle it out for the two spots available so if we landed him and did not strengthen in attack then it would have been a backward step.

It looked like Lee from PSV was on his way but that has apparently stalled. A strengthened left back would not be sniffed at but once again it is not a key weakness. The key weakness as we all know at the moment is the choice of the front players. While all very good various combinations do not work together. We sold Kanoute, in my opinion a good bit of business as he was prone to disappearing and his goals to game ratio wasn’t all that. However we now have only one tall striker who is currently looking at a four game suspension. This could force Jol into pairing Keane and Defoe together – both gifted players but a pairing that hasn’t really jelled. A four game run may give the partnership time to actually work as we have better players than when we last tried it but we do like to play a direct ball from goal kicks and it is never going to pay off with two little front men. This is the one area we have to improve on today. Various names have been linked including Kuyt, Cole and now Sidney Govu and it is vital that we pick up at least one of these before midnight. Failing to do so could scupper our good start. Here’s hoping!

COYS!

Spurs move for Lee

Spurs look like they are going to strengthen the back four once more and purchase Lee Young-Pyo from PSV. The left side was weakened (or strengthened depending on your point of view) when we offloaded the worlds best left back, Atouba, to Hamburg. This only left Edman in that position and although solid he does sometimes get caught and likes to haul players down in the box. He was injured against Chelsea and thus Kelly played there. He did well but he is a right back and we cannot be expected to play players out of position on a regular basis.

Gus Hiddink told the BBC:

"There are still some discussions going on, but there is a strong chance that he is going to Tottenham Hotspur.”

Discuss this idiots performance here Take 2

It appears Rob Styles has been at it again after performing like he was the Russian's lap dancer. However looking back to last season we can see that Styles has form!



http://theshelf.blogspot.com/2005/03/discuss-this-idiots-performance-here.html

http://theshelf.blogspot.com/2005/03/unjust-defeat.html

When will the FA act against incompetent idiots?

COYS!

Spurs 0-2 Rob Styles

Spurs lost 2-0 today to Rob Styles and his brand of appalling ability at being a ref. A blind man would have done a better job after today’s appalling efforts by the muppet in black. Goals from del Horno and Duff ensured the Champions left with all three points.

Spurs started brightly and just about edged the game in the early exchanges. Defoe looked sharp and Mido was causing problems throughout. An excellent move allowed Davids to burst through. Essien (24 million my arse) hacked him down and looked like the last man but Styles, probably recently wined and dined on the Mafia’s yacht, only gave him a yellow. Minutes later Mido challenged for a ball with his arms raised. Styles run as fast as his little legs would carry him to show him the red card even though he was 40 yards away and the linesman was closer. As usually thought with these egotistical referees, he decided he was far too important to take on anyone else’s view and sent Mido straight off. This, of course, changed the whole game. Chelsea then took the lead from a well-worked corner but it is always disappointing to concede from a set piece.

Lennon replace Tainio at the break and his paced caused Chelsea a few problems but to be fair they controlled the game. They made it safe after a lucky touch saw Duff scramble the ball home to kill us off.

What cannot be faulted is the performance of the team today. Even with ten men we put up a good effort and before Styles ruined the game we were actually putting a lot of pressure on the Russian scum. What can be faulted is the boring football Chelsea played. Even when winning 2-0 they felt the need to pass back from the midfield to the defence and then to the keeper. The Chelsea “fans” may as well have not bothered to turn up as they were silent until the last ten minutes and even then they managed a feeble “Champions” chant. What would be interesting is to see how many Chelski fans can actually spell “Champions”. Not many I expect.

"The public can't be kidded. They know what they want to see, what is good 
and what is bad and what is just average. At least I believe they do." We watched a good Chelski side today play dull, boring, George Graham style football. Bill Nicholson, quoted above, would have been appalled by the performance by Chelsea today. They may be satisfied with boring the opposition to the title. We, at Spurs, will never be satisfied with that and it is that belief which makes us the greatest club in the land.

COYS!

Spurs beat 'Boro to go top.

Spurs moved to the top of The Premiership yesterday with a hard won victory against a well organised and disciplined ‘Boro side. Goals from Jermaine Defoe and Mido saw us through although Paul Robinson had to be at his best to save two free kicks and Downing somehow missed a sitter when storming into the box.

The first half was a dull affair with only Edgar Davids providing any entertainment. Within 30 seconds of the start he had upended the local Gipo who used to have his caravan parked down the road in the occupied territories but now plays his football up north. In fact everything Spurs then did went through him. However it was very even in the first half with neither Spurs or ‘Boro looking like they would score. In fact ‘Boro looked content for a 0-0 with the dull time wasting they employed throughout the first half. Even McClaren, probably the most boring man alive, looked fed up with it. Maybe it was a ploy to bore the opposition to sleep so they could then sneak in and score a goal.

The second half saw Viduka come on. Looking fatter than ever he actually caused us some tricky problems winning a lot of the high balls and knocking down for the on rushing (ha ha) Ray Parlour and co. We were then able to counter attack. Tainio picked out Defoe who ran straight for goal before unleashing a powerful shot that left the ‘Boro keeper stranded. 1-0 Spurs. ‘Boro then had the best spell of the game. Spurs midfield disappeared for a while and they just kept coming at us and were unlucky not to score. I was getting worried especially when Downing screamed into the box only to blast over. Luckily we got the second. Mido decided to shoot when there were much better options. His shot tamely bounced towards the ‘keeper only for him to scramble it over the line for us. Thanks very much, game over. It could then have been more but time and time again Andy Reid would put completely the wrong ball across even when he had plenty of time. Not good enough.

There are things we need to improve for the trip to Balckburn and for the visit of the Mafia. The right wing was non-existent as Tainio came in field a lot. He had a good game but we were not able to get forward and attack down the right too often. Reid was also poor and must raise his game much more than it is now.

Nevertheless, this was a good win. ‘Boro are a good side and I feel they probably haven’t got going yet. Lets hope they try and be a little less boring. Come the end of the season they will probably be challenging us for the top sixth finish we want. However they seem like Spurs under Hoddle a little. Maybe a little too much experience now a days and not many younger legs.

COYS!

Pre match entertainment:

Who had the pleasure of listening to Gary O’Reilly befor the game? Wasn’t he awful? I have emailed the club about it and a copy is below. Lets try and get this moron the boot before too long.

email@spurs.co.uk

Sir,

I write regarding the pre-match entertainment at Spurs and the introduction of Gary O'Reilly. When I saw him at the Porto game he was truly awful but I did not worry as in the program it stated he was a guest presenter. Imagine my horror when he turned up again yesterday! His presenting skills are atrocious, I find him irritating at best. Although he played for the club he doesn't seem to know anything about us. No one is interested in trivia questions before the game and the cheering a goal section is just embarrassing. No one cheered, as they couldn't care less. Gary's introduction at the Lane has worsened the pre-match entertainment to a new low. I understand that the club wants to bring more people into the ground earlier for security and revenue reasons but I find it hard to believe that anyone will be able to sit through another dreadful show presented by Gary again. I for one will not be arriving at the ground early anymore if I have to watch that rubbish again. Brian Alexandra, from last season, is a proper journalist with years of experience. He did a far better job. Can the club please remove this idiot before they drive everyone into the surrounding pubs until 2:45pm!

Yours Sincerely,

Spurs Vs. ‘Boro

It is the first home game tomorrow against opposition who narrowly beat us towards the end of last season to take the European place available through the league. Middlesbrough will want to look for at least a point from White Hart Lane while we must push for all three. We must beat teams at home, especially ones that are of a similar standard to us, to give us the advantage as we all start the push for a top six finish.

Spurs start the game with a few injuries still and Wayne Routledge has been added to the list, which is a disappointment, as he needs game to settle in and find some form. However it appears that Davids will make his Premier League debut tomorrow, which will lift not only the crowd but the team as well.

Spurs will start with Robinson in goal. Now definitely England number one, not so much for what he did but for what Calamity didn’t. In front of him will be Edman, Dawson, Gardner and Stalteri. In the middle of the park will be Davids and Carrick. I hope Davids will be able to put a stop to Mendeita playing an important role for ‘Boro. Reid will be over on the left with Tainio on the right. This could be a good for Spurs as he will be willing to put in a few choice tackles on Downing that will hopefully stop too much attacking threat coming down our right.

Up front will be Mido and Defoe. Keane will be on the bench. Middlesbrough has a defensive crisis with Ehiogu suspended and many others out. Someone called Matthew Bates is in line for his first start so I’m hoping that Defoe will be able to exploit this inexperience in the back four. For this reason I am going to push for a Spurs home win to continue our good start to the season.

COYS!

2005

Kanoute Sold

Freddie Kanoute has been sold to Seville for a yet undisclosed fee. Rumors are that we are receiving around £5 million for the striker. Freddie has agreed personal terms already and is now on his way to Spain to pass his medical.

Freddie Kanoute joined Spurs from the Canning Town Social and Bingo Club for £3.5million scoring 21 goals in 72 appearanceses. That is almost 1 goal in 4 games so it was never the best strike rate going. However when you compare the best strike partnership at Spurs it was always Kanoute and Keane followed by Kanoute and Defoe. However Kanoute could be very lazy and was happy to jump ship and go play for his country while we sat in the bottom three with Pleat as the boss. He then refused to got to Mauritius on the club tour at the end of last season.

It is assumed that we have a replacement lined up with all the signals now pointing towards Dirk KUYT from Feyenoord. He is another big man and would fit in with Jol's desired front two of one little, one big. Another piece of good news from this is it makes it much more unlikely that Keane will be leaving in some dumb swap deal for Jenas.

The Shelf would like to wish Kanoute well and hopes he remembers to turn up for more matches in Seville than he did while he was at Spurs.

COYS!

Spurs win away!

Spurs dispatched Portsmouth 2-0 in a tricky away game today in lousy conditions. An own goal from Andy O'Brian and a second from Jermaine Defoe ensured we made the perfect start to the season and win our first away game of 2005.

We started well but Portsmouth worked themselves into the game well and looked the better side. Towards the end of the half they had 71% of possession and Lua Lua was causing us a lot of problems. Anthony Gardner went back to his shaky looking ways but Dawson was solid.

What was a little worrying was the way Portsmouth swept through our midfield time and time again and they will need to tighten up for next week if we are to continue our bright start. Just as it looked like we were going to go in at 0-0 Mido and Defoe combined well leaving Andy Griffin to slide in before Mido could reach it.

Portsmouth started the second half well and continued to push on forcing two corners. However we worked our way back into the game as the midfield started to improve. Our second goal came as Mido played a hopeful ball down the left flank. Westerveld came off his line but the pace of Defoe allowed him to reach it before he did. From a tight angle, on the turn, Defoe was able to fire the ball into an empty net. The second goal was very important as the Portsmouth heads dropped and thus the pressure we were under was less. Jol is always saying how important the second goal is and that we have to kill teams off and we did that today.

The one worrying aspect of the game was how poor Routledge looked. In the most important season for years we cannot afford to carry a player and hopefully this was just a one off and his performance will be better next week.

Anyone who remembers being played off the pitch on Boxing Day with Pleat looking bemused realises what a good result this is. We played at only an average level but still went away with two goals and all three points.

COYS!

Davids Out

Edgar Davids will not make his compeitive debut for Spurs tomorrow as he has picked up a knee injury in training. It is likely that Tainio will slot in next to Carrick with Reid on the left. Unlike previous years, where an injury to an important player would screw us, we now have cover and strength in depth.
COYS!

Portsmouth Vs. Tottenham Hotspur.

The season is finally back with us and we start with a tricky trip down to Portsmouth. Many of their experienced players left in the summer and anything above 15th place will be a real achievement for Pompey this season I believe. I also always believed that we were a better team overall but that hasn't stopped us having picked zero points for quite a while down there. It has been teams that Spurs "should beat" that have curtailed our progress over the last few years. Our away record has been useless as well generally over the last five years and if Spurs really are to make progress into the top six this season then the away record has to turn more defeats to draws and victories. That means scoring more and conceding less, obviously, but we haven't been very good at that.

Robinson will start in goal with either Salteri or Kelly at right back. King is injured so Dawson will partner Gardner in the centre with Edman on the left. I would prefer Kelly to start at right back as I know more about him. Whoever is there will have the pleasure of stopping Lauren Robert. Kelly will be keen to push forward which will hopefully stop Robert getting forward to attack us too much. Davids and Carrick will make up the centre pairing with Routledge on the right. Reid will probably go wide left but Jol has shown he really likes Tainio, who has played in virtually every pre-season game. The left wing spot is somewhere we can accommodate him so I wouldn't be surprised if he got the nod over Reid. Up front will be Defoe and another. Mido has had a good pre-season but he didn't look quite right against Porto. I can't put my finger on exactly what is was but I would pick Kanoute ahead of him. He gave the impression of being more involved than Mido did when he came onto the pitch late on.

If Spurs are to make the necessary progress this season then we must take at least something from Portsmouth. If this was three months down the line I think we would be disappointed without a win but this is the first game of the season. Portsmouth won't want to lose he first game and the fans will be "up for it". That will make it more difficult than it would normally. Obviously a win would be best but if we take a point so be it.

COYS!

Season Preview

I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a new season since I bought my first season ticket eight years ago. Compared with last season I was nervous and worried about our very Premiership survival after a dismal pre-season and a virtually whole new team waiting to gel. Luckily my worries were not necessary as we actually had a successful season if you think about what happened.

One of the keys to the door of success is a stable management structure. For the last two seasons we have sacked managers within two months or so of the season starting. In the case of Hoddle his sacking was necessary but the buffoon Pleat was stuck in charge and we looked like relegation for sure, especially at Christmas. Then Arnesen came in and brought along with him Santini and Jol. It wasn’t long until the mad French man was off grumbling into his croissant about houses and sea views in Tottenham and thankfully Jol was put in charge. His record was actually very good in the time he was in charge and we can only hope he improves on it this season. Of course the Russian Mafia then stuck their noses in and Frank Arnesen was jumping ship as well. It is vital that this season we don’t lose anymore important back room figures, especially Jol. It is unlikely but who thought that Santini would be off so quickly after it took such a long time to get him. The sporting director appointment will also be an important role and whoever it is must keep his nose out of the first team as Jol is the key man in Spurs being successful again. I hope Levy has the sense to consult Jol before anyone is brought in.

The playing squad has been improved again and very shrewdly as well with only a net out lay of around £500,000. Simon Davies was shipped off to Everton with us receiving an amazing £3.5 million for the injury prone winger. Arnesen also left with us receiving a tidy sum in return so there is still money to spend either now or in January. Routledge was signed adding welcome pace to the right wing. Further work is required on his final ball however. Tainio was bought via a Bosman and looks like he will be an excellent addition to the squad. Stalteri comes bringing “Champions” League experience with him. Lennon looks like one for the future and also has a lot of pace while Huddlestone joins from Derby. The big signing was Davids. The biggest Spurs buy since Klinsmann, it is hoped he can have a similar affect on the team as the blonde German. However it was important that we kept our key personal at the club and we have done so. Defoe, King and Robinson are all still here alongside Robbie Keane etc. so the squad is looking strong. Another left back is needed after Atouba was sold for £1.5 million and we need to trim the squad down with players like Sean Davis and even Michael Brown looking surplus to requirements.

We have a tricky start to the Premiership. We visit Portsmouth first. What always looks like an away win never is with us failing to score down their for quite a long time so while we will go there full of optimism on Saturday it won’t be an easy ride. We then host Middlesborough – a game we should be looking to win if we are really going to make progress towards a top six finish. We then visit Blackburn before The Mafia arrive. About time we beat them. Looking at the results from last season we took four points from those teams in the same fixtures. We must do better than that because a successful start is always important for confidence.

Many of the press including the Mail and Independent are predicted a strong season for Spurs. Fourth and fifth place appears to be where all the pundits are settling on us finishing come May and if that is the case then we would have had a fantastic season. We really must be looking to a top six finish this season and for us to finally make the big push towards regular European football back at the Lane.

Here’s hoping – COYS!

Spurs beat FC Porto.

Spurs completed pre-season with a 2-0 victory over Porto yesterday thanks to two goals from Jermaine Defoe. A certain Edgar Davids also made his debut coming on for the last 30 minutes or so.

Spurs started with Robinson back in goal with new Canadian defender Stalteri over on the right. He showed he is not frightened of putting in a crunching challenge and was willing to get forward as well. King was injured so Gardner and Dawson started together. Edman was on the left. Across the middle was Tainio and Carrick with Routledge on the right and Reid on the left. Defoe and Mido started up front.

The first half was quite a dull affair to be honest. Robinson had to make one very good save as two or three times Porto were able to cut through us quite easily. The play between the defense and the midfield was also sloppy at times.

Cerny replaced Robinson at half time and the overall performance improved. However it was not until the introduction of Robbie Keane and a switch to a 4-3-3 that we really looked like scoring. Kanoute also came on and won more balls in the 20 minutes he was on than Mido did all game. The best move of the game led to the opening goal. Carrick played a great goal over the top for Defoe to chip the keeper with a fantastic lob. Davids was also on by now and was showing why we bought him. Crunching tackles and a bit of vocal leadership. Tainio set up the second with a good ball through the Porto back line allowing Defoe to chip home once again.

So a good win but things need some tweaking. Routledge showed pace and then a lousy choice of pass of ball across and this will need to be improved if he is not to become the new Matthew Etherington. He can beat a man but it is no good if the cross goes behind the goal afterwards. Reid didn't particularly impress either. The Canadian full back looks a good signing and Edman now looks the weak link across the back four. Although solid he does sometimes get caught the wrong side of a winger which causes the defense big problems.

After today's performances and pre-season overall I would expect the line ups on Saturday to be Robinson in goal with Stalteri, King, Gardner and Edman across the back four. In the middle of the park will be Davids and Carrick with Routledge on the right and probably Tainio on the left. Defoe will be up font with probably Kanoute as his performance yesterday outshone Mido's. Mido has had a good pre-season but didn't look up to it yesterday.

COYS!

New Kit Now Available

The new Kappa home shirt is now available from kitBag.com. Click the banner above to see the kit and purchase it if you want from £39.99. They also sell the shorts and socks.

The kit sizing is the same as the 2004/2005 shirts.

COYS!