SPURS MALTA

2011-07-06T11:09:00.002+02:00

BBQ POSTPONED

Please note that due to the passing away of a close relative of our committee president, this Friday's BBQ for members and supporters has been postponed. Our condolences go to Nenu, Carmen and their family

2011-06-19T18:49:00.001+02:00

STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN DANIEL LEVY ABOUT MODRIC SITUATION

"I wish to make it absolutely clear, as I have said previously, that none of our key players will be sold this summer. We are building a team for the future to consistently play at the highest level and retaining quality players is crucial to that.

"In respect of Luka Modric, we are not prepared to sell, at any price, to Chelsea Football Club or any other club.

"We made our stance on this issue abundantly clear in writing to Chelsea. They chose to ignore it and then subsequently made the offer public.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, let me reiterate that we shall not enter into any negotiations whatsoever, with any Club, regarding Luka.

"We now consider this matter closed."

2011-06-17T14:42:00.002+02:00

ATHELTIC BILBAO AT THE LANE

Spanish La Liga side Athletic Club Bilbao will be the guests for Spurs' final pre-season friendly of the summer at the Lane.

The match will take place on Saturday August 6, kick-off 3pm (UK time)

Athletic have played in La Liga’s Primera Division since its start in 1928, winning the title on eight occasions. Under coach Joaquin Caparros, Los Leones achieved a sixth place finish and Europa League qualification in 2010-11.

Their squad includes Spanish World Cup winners Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez, as well as rising stars Iker Munian and Markel Susaeta

2011-06-17T14:36:00.002+02:00

SPURS FIXTURES 2011-2012 (Kick Offs UK Time)

Saturday, 13 August 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Everton, 15:00

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Saturday, 20 August 2011
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 27 August 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Man City, 15:00

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Saturday, 10 September 2011
Barclays Premier League
Wolverhampton v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 17 September 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Liverpool, 15:00

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Saturday, 24 September 2011
Barclays Premier League
Wigan v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 1 October 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Arsenal, 15:00

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Saturday, 15 October 2011
Barclays Premier League
Newcastle v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 22 October 2011
Barclays Premier League
Blackburn v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 29 October 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v QPR, 15:00

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Saturday, 5 November 2011
Barclays Premier League
Fulham v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 19 November 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Aston Villa, 15:00

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Saturday, 26 November 2011
Barclays Premier League
West Brom v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 3 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Bolton, 15:00

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Saturday, 10 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Stoke v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 17 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Sunderland, 15:00

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Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Chelsea, 19:45

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Monday, 26 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Norwich v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 31 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Swansea v Tottenham, 15:00

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Monday, 2 January 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v West Brom, 15:00

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Saturday, 14 January 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Wolverhampton, 15:00

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Saturday, 21 January 2012
Barclays Premier League
Man City v Tottenham, 15:00

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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Wigan, 19:45

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Saturday, 4 February 2012
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 11 February 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Newcastle, 15:00

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Saturday, 25 February 2012
Barclays Premier League
Arsenal v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 3 March 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Man Utd, 15:00

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Saturday, 10 March 2012
Barclays Premier League
Everton v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 17 March 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Stoke, 15:00

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Saturday, 24 March 2012
Barclays Premier League
Chelsea v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 31 March 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Swansea, 15:00

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Saturday, 7 April 2012
Barclays Premier League
Sunderland v Tottenham, 15:00

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Monday, 9 April 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Norwich, 15:00

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Saturday, 14 April 2012
Barclays Premier League
Bolton v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 21 April 2012
Barclays Premier League
QPR v Tottenham, 15:00

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Saturday, 28 April 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Blackburn, 15:00

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Saturday, 5 May 2012
Barclays Premier League
Aston Villa v Tottenham, 15:00

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Sunday, 13 May 2012
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Fulham, 15:00

2011-06-12T16:24:00.002+02:00

HARRY SAYS LUKA IS STAYING

Harry Redknapp says it's impossible to stop Luka Modric's head being turned by other clubs - but insists the Croatian will not leave Tottenham.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are believed to be keen on signing the Spurs playmaker, who has refused to rule out a possible departure from White Hart Lane.

Redknapp, though, maintains that Tottenham cannot afford to let Modric depart this summer.

"If clubs the size of Manchester United and Chelsea are prepared to offer him Champions League football and massive wages, you would have to be very naive to think it wouldn't turn Luka's head," he told the Sunday Mirror.

"But I have been assured by the chairman that he is not prepared to sell him under any circumstances.

"And it's fair to say he's not happy about the unwanted attention and continuing speculation surrounding Luka.

"I have said on many occasions he is irreplaceable and it would be a massive disaster for the club if he was allowed to leave.

"We need to be strengthening the squad not depleting it. In an ideal world I would hope to bring in at least three more players to give us a realistic chance of competing for a top four place in the Premier League next season.

"United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, who all finished above us, are going to strengthen their squads so we have to be realistic.

"If we want to compete with them we have to be active in the transfer market, but I'm not suggesting it's going to be easy. Quality players at the right price are not easy to acquire.

"We also need to trim the squad and sell a few players."

2011-06-09T09:15:00.007+02:00

VIEW FROM THE PARK LANE

This article will appear in the next edition of The Cockerel

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Tottenham Hotspur Malta. As part of our Supporters Club celebrations we had the pleasure to host former Spurs central defender Paul Miller in Malta.

Born in October 1959, Paul Miller spent the best years of his career at White Hart Lane but also played for Skeid (on loan) in Norway, Charlton, Watford, Bournemouth, Brentford and Swansea.

The Stepney born player joined Spurs as an apprentice in 1976 and signed professional terms a year later. At Spurs, Miller won the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982. He also scored the goal in the 1-1 draw in the away leg of the 1984 UEFA Cup final against Anderlecht. Spurs went on to draw 1-1 at White Hart Lane in the second leg and eventually win the cup on penalties.

While in Malta, Miller had the opportunity to meet journalists at the Grand Hotel Excelsior in Floriana and the Maltese Spurs supporters at our Club in Valletta. Here he not only took time to chat with all those present, but also joined a very nice number of members to watch the unfortunate 2-1 defeat against Chelsea. Judging by the way he was supporting the boys, those who joined us on the day will have no doubt that Paul is still 100% Spurs.

The former Spurs stalwart was also a special guest on Melita Sports’ Champions League live TV programme Focus Champions presented by Peter Paul Gauci and Catherine Mifsud. Speaking from experience and using his insight of the game Paul turned the programme into what can be dubbed a special edition.

During his stay in Malta Miller spoke about Tottenham and football in general. Despite Spurs not making it to fourth place he still thinks that this was a very good season. Fighting for fourth place till the end and reaching the Champions League quarter finals was no mean feat for a team experiencing the balancing act between the Premier League and Europe's top club competition for the first time.

Miller is hopeful that Spurs will use this season as a springboard for further success but in order to achieve this he is of the opinion that the Club needs not only to hold on to its key players but also strengthen in vital areas. He further opined that moving to a new bigger stadium is of fundamental importance if Tottenham are to compete regularly with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.

At this point allow me to thank Norbert from Grand Hotel Excelsior and Pierre from Wembley Motors Ltd without the support of whom this visit would not have been possible. The help of these two friends is always just a phone call away and no words are enough to express our gratitude.

On other matters it was of course a disappointment for all of us to miss out on another Champions League qualification. Towards the end of the Premier League season I was of the opinion that 5th place would do us no good and for me it was either fourth or nothing.

I argued that Thursday night football in a “second division” competition will only serve as a distraction from our main objective, ie a return to the Champions League. However I have to say that Brazilian midfielder Sandro convinced me otherwise when he suggested that the Europa League can help more players get games under their belt. I do hope that this is the case and this competition is used to give more playing time to fringe and young players.

With regards to transfers, both Daniel Levy and Harry Redknapp have reiterated that players like Modric, Bale and Sandro are not for sale. Redknapp also stated that he’s looking to bring in three top signings to strengthen the squad and that, “…we are building a team here not trying to dismantle one”. And so say all of us Harry

Mark Mizzi
8 June 2011

2011-06-09T09:07:00.002+02:00

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MALTA

B-B-Q

Garden Poolside
Maritim Antonine Hotel & Spa
George Borg Olivier Street
Mellieha

Friday, 8th July 2011
at 20.30 hrs.

Adults: €23
Children aged between 5 and 12: €12

Price includes a free glass of wine or beer or soft drink

2011-05-05T10:07:00.002+02:00

Borussia Dortmund campjins fil-Germanja

This article is not Spurs related.

Dan l-artiklu dwar Borussia Dortmund gie miktub mill-blogger Mark Mizzi u gie pubblikat f' L-Orizzont tal-Hamis 5 ta' Mejju 2011

Is-Sibt li ghadda Borussia Dortmund rebhu s-seba’ titlu fl-istorja taghhom hekk kif filwaqt li huma ghelbu lil Nurenberg 2-0, l-eqreb rivali taghhom dan l-istagun Bayer Leverkusen tilfu kontra Cologne. B’dawn ir-rizultati Borussia Dortmund gew inkurunati campjins ghall-ewwel darba mill-2002 lil hawn. Dortmund issa ghandhom 8 punti vantagg fuq Bayer Leverkusen meta fadal biss 2 loghobiet ghal tmiem il-Bundesliga.

80,000 spetattur iccelebraw ir-rebh tal-kampjonat ta’ Dortmund bil-plejers Lucas Barrios u Robert Lewandowski jiskurjaw il-gowls importanti. Ghal Barrios dan kien l-14 –il gowl tal-istagun. Iz-zewg gowls waslu fl-ewwel taqsima biex it-tieni taqsima intlaghbet f’atmosfera ta’ festa specjalment meta sar maghruf li Leverkusen kienu jinsabu minn taht.

Dan is-success fil-kampjonat huwa wiehed tassew impressjonanti ghal Dortmund. Fost ir-ragunijiet ghal dan hemm il-fatt li l-kowc Juergen Klopp kellu ghad-dizpozizzjoni tieghu skwadra relattivament zaghzugha. Klopp irnexxielu jirbah il-kampjonat b’sett ta’ plejers li, jekk tnehhi lil gowlkiper Roman Weidenfeller, ghandhom eta medja ta’ 22 sena.

B’din l-sikwadra ic-campjins il-godda tal-futbol Germaniz rebhu 22 minn 32 partita u tilfu erba’ loghobiet biss. Dortmund kienu konsistenti u komplew jiksbu r-rizultati minkejja li fi zminijiet differenti tal-kampjonat tilfu plejers inportanti bhal Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa, Sebastian Kehl u Patrick Owomoyela. Dan juri li s-success ta’ Dortmund ma kienx jiddependi biss mill-kapacita tal-plejers individwali izda mill-kollettiv u mill-mentalita li rnexxielu jdahhal il-kowc Klopp.

Fil-bidu tal-istagun Borussia Dortmund ma kienux mal-favoriti ghar-rebh tal-kampjonat. Ftit kienu dawk li tawhom cans jaslu sal-ahhar izda t-tim ta’ Klopp kellu ideat ohra u rnexxielhom isiru l-izghar tim fl-eta li qatt rebhu l-Bundesliga. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li wara l-loghoba kontra Nurenberg Klopp qal li, “t-tim tieghi ghamel xi haga straordinarja”.

Issa li Dortmund huma campjins il-mistoqsija hi jekk dan is-success hux se jkun xi haga ta’ darba jew jekk dan it-tim hux se jkun qed jiggieled ghall-unuri fil-Germanja b’mod konsistenti. Din il-mistoqsija tqum minhabba dak li gara fl-passat fejn rajna timijiet isiru campjins u wara jghaddu minn staguni relattivament medjokri.

Il-mistoqsija tqum ukoll minhabba l-fatt li donnu kull meta il-kampjonat jintrebah minn xi tim li ma jkunx mistenni il-kanuni jduru fuq Bayern Munich u l-klixe’ tkun li l-kampjonat intebah minn dak it-tim partikolari minhabba l-fatt li Bayern kellhom stagun hazin.

Dan l-istagun Bayern Munich kellhom stagun domestiku dizastruz u allura wiehed jistenna li jergghu jibdew jizzeffnu fin-nofs l-istess paraguni. Almenu kif jidhru l-affarijiet s’issa, fil-kaz ta’ Borussia Dortmund mhux bilfors se jkollna l-istess ezitu u l-livell li lahqu jistghu isostnuh.

Fil-passat ricenti rajna lil Stuttgart jirbhu l-kampjonat fl-2007 u Wolfsburg isiru campjins fl-2009. Dawn kienu zewg kampjonati mirbuha fl-istagun ta’ wara kompetizzjoni internazzjonali u hawn ikompli jissahhah l-argument ta’ dawk li jirragunaw li timijiet ohra jirbhu meta Bayern ma jkunux tajbin. L-argument hu li Bayern Munich dejjem ikollhom skwadra mimlija plejers internazzjonali u allura l-plejers taghhom ikunu ghajjenin meta jigu ghall-istagun domestiku.

Is-success ta’ Stuttgart u Wolfsburg ma kienx sostnut u l-ebda klabb minnhom ma rnexxielu jibni fuqu. Fl-istaguni ta’ wara r-rebh tat-titlu dawn iz-zewg timijiet ma zammewx il-livell taghhom u waqghu lura.

Jekk wiehed janalizza dawn iz-zewg staguni partikolari jinduna li fil-verita is-success taz-zewg timijiet ma kienx frott il-konsistenza u dan jikkonfermawh ir-rizultati matul l-istagun. Il-livell ta’ dawn iz-zewg klabbs mhux biss ma setax jigi sostnut wara r-rebh tal-kampjonat izda l-istess livell ottimu sahansitra lanqas gie sostnut b’mod konsistenti tul l-istess staguni li fihom rebhu l-kampjonat.

Fl-ewwel parti ta’ dawn il-kampjonati partikolari la Stuttgart u lanqas Wolfsburg ma wrew li ghandhom il-potenzjal li jsiru campjins. Izda t-tieni parti tal-istagun kienet storja differenti bi Stuttgart jirbhu l-ahhar tminn loghobiet u Wolfsburg jirbhu 14 mill-ahhar 17 –il loghoba tal-kampjonat.

L-istatistika turi li dawn kienu timijiet ta’ nofs stagun u mhux ta’ stagun shih. Minhabba l-forma fqira u aktar inkonsistenti ta’ klabbs ohra suppost pretendenti ghat-titlu, nofs stagun tajjeb kien bizzejjed biex dawn iz-zewg timijiet jiehdu l-kampjonat.

Dan jikkuntrasta bil-kbir ma’ dan l-istagun fejn Borussia Dortmund urew livell gholi ta’ konsistenza tul l-istagun kollu. Dortmund hadu l-kmand tal-klassifika f’Ottubru u baqghu jiddefendu din il-pozizzjini sat-tmiem. B’zewg loghobiet ghal-tmiem l-istagun Dortmund ga qabzu t-total ta’ punti li kienu kisbu Stuttgart u Wolfsburg filwaqt li jistghu ukoll jiksru r-rekord tal-anqas gowls maqlugha fi stagun shih.

Il-konsistenza ta’ Borussia Dortmund kienet ir-rizultat ta’ livell ottimu fl-iskwadra kollha. Dan ukoll huwa kkonfermat mill-istatistika fejn skond ir-ratings tal-magazine Kicker l-aqwa hames plejers fil-Bundesliga huma plejers ta’ Dortmund. Is-sitt plejer huwa l-gowlkiper Manuel Neuer ta’ Schalke biex imbaghad il-lista tkompli bil-gowlkiper ta’ Dortmund Roman Weidenfeller.

Dortmund issa jridu jkunu lesti li jiffaccjaw il-problema ta’ interess minn klabbs ohra fl-aqwa plejers taghhom. Meta tim bhal Dortmund jaghmel hoss ikunu qed jaghmlu hoss ukoll il-plejrs tieghu u awtomatiakment dawn il-plejers jigbdu l-intress ta’ klabbs ohra Ewropej. Karrotti quddiem dawn il-plejers se jiddendlu zgur u biex huma jaghzlu li jibqghu mal-klabb iridu jkunu konvinti li Dortmund se jaghmlu minn kollox biex jibqghu mal-isfidanti ewlenin.

Dan mhux dejjem kien il-kaz u klabbs ohra Germanizi tilfu uhud mill-ahjar elementi taghhom wara li telghu fil-quccata tas-success. Huwa fatt li hafna mill-plejers regolari ta’ Dortmund huma kuntrattati sal-2103 pero llum il-kuntratti ftit li xejn jiswew u jekk plejer jaghmilha cara li jrid jitlaq il-klabb ma jkun jista’ jaghmel xejn biex izommu.

Favur Dortmund hija s-sitwazzjoni ekonomika tal-klabb li fil-prezent mhix prekarja daqs kemm kienet qabel. Sa ftit ilu offerti kbar ghall-ahjar plejers zgur li kienu jwasslu ghal trasferiment pero issa il-pagna inqalbet.

Fiz-zminijiet koroh id-dejn tal-klabb kien lahaq kwazi 120 miljun Ewro izda issa is-sitwazzjoni stabilizzat ruhha u d-dejn nizel ghal 73 miljun Ewro filwaqt li d-dhul qed jizboq l-infieq b’mod konsistenti. Bil-kwalifikazzjoni ghac-Champions League dan il-bilanc pozittiv ghandu jissahhah grazzi ghad-dhul li ggib maghha din il-kompetizzjoni.

Fl-ahhar snin Dortmund raw ukoll li jbiddlu s-sistema tal-akkwisti taghhom biex ma jergghux jingidmu kif ingidmu qabel u jigu f’sitwazzjoni li jkollhom bilfors ibieghu l-ahjar plejers taghhom. Kulhadd jiftakar il-vojt li hallew plejers bhal Marcio Amoroso, Jan Koller u Tomas Rosiciky li l-ingagg taghhom ma baqax sostenibbli.

Minflok imorru ghall-plejers bhal dawn Borussia Dortmund qed jakkwistaw talent zaghzugh sahansitra fl-eta fejn il-plejers ikun ghadhom se jiffirmaw l-ewwel kuntratt professjonali taghhom. B’hekk, minbarra tnaqqis fin-nefqa ghall-klabb, il-plejers ikunu nqabdu f’eta fejn ikunu jistghu jitilghu fis-sistema tal-klabb u jsibuha aktar facli li jaghmlu l-qabza ghall-ewwel tim.

Dan il-mudell ta’ ingaggar ta’ plejers wassal biex mill-2008 lil hawn 5 mill-ewwel tim ta’ Klopp inghaqdu ma’ Dortmund fl-eta ta’ bejn 19 u 21 sena. Id-dirigenti tal-klabb jidhru li se jibqghu jahdmu fuq dan il-mudell u f’Jannar li ghadda huma akkwistaw lill-plejer ta’ 18 –il sena Moritz Leitner li huwa meqjus wiehed mill-aqwa prospetti tal-futbol Germaniz.

Din is-sistema ta’ rekrutagg u s-success ta’ Dortmund huwa mera tas-success tat-tim nazzjonali Germaniz fejn fl-ahhar edizzjoni tat-tazza tad-Dinja rajna l-frott ta’ hafna xoghol u nvestiment fl-akkademji Germanizi. Xoghol u nvestiment li kkulminaw fil-produzzjoni ta’ plejers zaghazagh ta’ teknika u talent li sebbhu Tazza tad-Dinja u spiccaw jilghabu mal-aqwa timijiet fl-Ewropa.

Bhat-tim nazzjonali Germaniz Borussia Dortmiund qed jesponu l-merti ta’ success mibnu flok mixtri. Kif ghidt drabi ohra fis-sitwazzjoni ekonomika tal-lum ftit huma l-klabbs li jistghu jixtru s-success. U anki dawk li jixtru s-success m’ghandhomx garanzija li dan se jkun sostenibbli.

Success mibni ghandhu sisien aktar sodi. Jasal wara hafna pacenzja u sagrificcju izda l-beneficcji jistghu ikunu akbar. Success bhal dan ikun jiddependi fuq l-istruttura u s-sistema tal-klabb u mhux fuq l-individwi u dan ghandu jkun meqjus bhala vantagg kbir ghall-klabb koncernat.

F’dinja fejnil-kuntratti m’ghadhomx jiswew il-karta li jsiru fuqhom u fejn il-plejers ghandhom is-sahha jaghmlu li jridu ikun zball li klabb bhal Borussia Dortmund jibbaza l-futur tieghu fuq l-individwi.

B’dan l-mudell, jekk il-klabb ikun kapaci almenu jixtri dak il-plejer jew tnejn li jaghmlu d-differenza fil-grawnd u li bihom jikkonvincu lill-plejers l-ohra li l-klabb huwa wiehed ambizzjuz, ic-cans li Borussia Dortmund jigrilhom bhal Stuttgart u Wolfsburg ikun izghar.

2010-09-14T08:51:00.001+02:00

LEVY WON'T PUT SPURS FUTURE AT RISK

Article taken from THE GUARDIAN

Daniel Levy believes Tottenham Hotspur deserve to be in the group stages of the Champions League but on the eve of their return to Europe's premier club competition the White Hart Lane chairman said he will not jeopardise their future to pursue qualification year after year.

Having defeated Young Boys in a play-off-tie last month, Tottenham play their first game in the Champions League proper tonight, when they take on Werder Bremen in their opening Group A match. Spurs supporters misty-eyed at memories of the great Bill Nicholson side who reached the semi-finals in 1962 before losing to Benfica have long dreamed about seeing their team back on this stage and Levy shares their excitement.

The chairman has, however, moved to quell expectations and called for fans to be "realistic" about the prospects of the club remaining at football's top table in the long term, claiming only Manchester United and Chelsea are assured of a place in the league's top four every season.

Levy also said the Champions League is "not a gold mine" and pointed out that the £15m Spurs will make from competing in the group stages is merely the equivalent of a transfer fee for one player."We deserve to be in the Champions League. Our history dictates that but it has taken us a long time to get back," he said. "I think it's a huge achievement for Harry [Redknapp], all his coaching staff and players and the fans as well.

It's something special."I think we all want to stay there but we all have to be realistic. There are only four places in England and there are seven or eight clubs competing. There are probably two clubs you could say are guaranteed to be in that top four. You then have two places for six clubs. The odds are stacked against you.

But what we won't do is jeopardise the club to challenge to be one of those two. You can't run the club on the basis of being in the Champions League. "Often people say you just need an extra player. It doesn't work. It's about the team. I like to think it's important to run the club in the right way. It's not just about today; it's about the future generation of fans.

You have to protect the club."Spurs must already feel like they have travelled to hell and back in this competition after their remarkable first leg against Young Boys, when they fell 3-0 behind inside 28 minutes, leaving Levy in a state of shock as he looked on from the stands.

The real journey, however, starts in the Weser- stadion this evening, when Redknapp and his players seek to prove they belong at this level.Redknapp claimed last night he has "nothing to prove" after taking Spurs from the bottom of the Premier League to the Champions League in less than two years but he also admitted "you never stop learning".

The experience in Switzerland was uppermost in the manager's mind when he made that comment and he said he would be "committing suicide" if he set Spurs up in a 4-4-2 formation against Werder Bremen. "I went at Young Boys because the reports came back that they were there to be beaten, that they weren't a good side so I thought, 'We can have a go at these, we'll murder these tonight'.

And after half an hour ..."This is different, they are a good side with quality players. You have got problems with the way they play. They will certainly play with at least four narrow midfield players. It makes it difficult, you are going to get run around all over the shop if you open up and play 4-4-2. With your two wingers, the two in the middle are not going to get near them. If you play 4-4-2 you are committing suicide."

With Jermain Defoe, Michael Dawson and Heurelho Gomes injured and Luka Modric also ruled out after failing to make a full recovery from the knock he received at West Bromwich Albion, Redknapp is set to play with Peter Crouch as a lone striker, with Rafael van der Vaart likely to be encouraged to support him from what will effectively be a five-man midfield.

Bremen are not without their own injury problems. Claudio Pizarro, the former Chelsea striker, will be missing and the club's first-choice central defenders, the Germany international Per Mertesacker and the Brazilian Naldo, are also sidelined, meaning that Mikaël Silvestre, who was released from Arsenal in the summer, is set to start after making his debut at the weekend.

2010-09-07T08:45:00.002+02:00

Maghrufa l-Gruppi tac-Champions League

Dan l-artiklu miktub minn Mark Mizzi deher fuq L-Orizzont tal-Hamis 2 ta' Settembru 2010

"Grazzi tal-polza...issa tista' tirranga sabiex Real jibqghu telghin sal-finali u jilghabu ma' Chelsea?". Dan kien il-messagg li baghat il-kowc ta' Real Madrid Jose Mourinho lill-ex internazzjonali Ingliz Gary Lineker hekk kif telghu il-poloz tal-gruppi tac-Champions League. Lineker kien protagonista ewlieni fil-procedura li ddecidiet min se jilghab kontra min f'din il-fazi tal-kompetizzjoni - procedura li se taghti bidu ghac-Champions League vera u propja li twassalna sa Wembley Stadium f'Mejju li gej.

Mourinho rebah ic-Champions League ma' Inter l-istagun li ghadda u rnexxielu jaghmel il-holma ta' dan il-klabb ta' Milan realta'. Issa ghandu missjoni gdida u xejn ma jtih aktar sodisfazzjojn milli jaghmel l-istess fil-kapitali Spanjola ma' Real Madrid li huma ghatxana biex jergghu jitilghu fil-quccata tal-futbol Ewropew.

Bl-istil tipiku tieghu, Mourinho diga' qed ibassar il-finalisti u jemmen li t-tim prezenti tieghu jista' jikkontesta l-finali kontra l-ex tim tieghu Chelsea. Ghalkemm ghadu kmieni wisq biex wiehed jibda jaghmel il-previzjonijiet, kull fejn kien s'issa Mourinho gab is-sucess u ma nahsibx li jkun hawn hafna li lesti jahilfu li l-Portugiz ma jistax jasal ghat-tragward li jkun wahhal f'mohhu.

Dan l-istagun Mourinho akkwista tnejn mill-aktar plejers li spikkaw fit-Tazza tad-Dinja jigifieri l-Germanizi Sami Khedira u Mesut Ozil. Meta tghodd lil dawn ma' plejers bhal Kaka u Cristiano Ronaldo m'hemmx dubju li Mourinho, ghal darba ohra, ghandu f'idejh l-ghodda biex jasal. Kollox jiddependi mill-pressjoni li se ssir fuqu mid-dirigenza, mill-partitarji u mill-ambjent Madrilen inifsu li forsi ma tantx huwa sintonizzat mal-pragmatizmu ta' Mourinho.

Real Madrid huwa tim maghruf ghall-futbol offensiv u attraenti izda f'dawn l-ahhar snin dan il-futbol ma tantx gab unuri lejn il-klabb. Mourinho mhux bilfors joffri dan it-tip ta' futbol izda bhala kumpens kapaci jgib ir-rizultati. Issa wiehed irid jara kemm se jbati sakemm Mourinho jirnexxielu jdawwar il-mentalita Madrilena u kemm se jkunu lesti jiehdu pacenzja bih id-dirigenti ta' dan il-klabb sakemm jasal fejn irid.

Ir-rivali principali ta' Real Madrid fi Grupp G se jkunu Milan li f'din il-kompetizzjoni tant ghandhom rekord tajjeb. Fl-ewwel loghoba taghhom fil-kampjonat Milan urew sinjali ta' titjib kbir mill-istagun li ghadda. Ronaldinho deher trasformat, Pato rega' jinsab frisk u efficjenti quddiem il-lasta u bl-akkwist tal-attakkanti Ibrahimovic u Robinho Milan jistghu jergghu isibu ruhhom protagonisti ewlenin.

B'zewg timijiet jghaddu minn kull grupp il-kwalifikazzjoni ghal Milan u Real Madrid tidher prattikament assigurata b'Ajax u Auxerre probabilment jispiccaw jikkompetu ghat-tielet post u kwalifikazzjoni ghall-Europa League.

Il-kowc li ha post Mourinho ma' Inter, Rafa Benitez sab ruhu fi Grupp A flimkien ma' Werder Bremen, Tottenham u Twente. Fuq il-karta Inter ma jidhirx li jista' jkollhom problemi serji biex jghaddu minn dan il-grupp. Izda Benitez, bhal Mourinho, irid jiggieled kontra mentalita li sarett parti mis-sistema ta' Inter.

Il-kowc Spanjol ikkonferma dan u ammetta li qed isibha difficli jibdel il-mentalita tal-plejers tieghu u jwassalhom biex jaqilbu mis-sistema ta' Mourinho ghas-sistema tieghu. Dan wassal biex s'issa rajna lil Inter jitilfu s-Super Cup kontra Atletico Madrid u jibdew il-kampjonat bi dro kontra Bologna.

Benitez qal li taht Mourinho il-plejers kienu mdorrija jilghabu bil-kontrattakk izda hu irid tim li jiddfendi oghla u jzomm aktar il-pussess tal-ballun. Fi ftit kliem Benitez irid lil Inter jilghabu futbol aktar attraenti u hekk ikun tahom it-timbru tieghu. Fil-verita ghal Benitez se jkun difficli jirbah aktar mill-predecessur tieghu u ghalhekk irid li jirbah isbah.

Dan mhux se jkun facli specjalment meta wiehed jiftakar li l-plejers li ghandu huma bazikament il-plejers ta' Mourinho li jibqghu leali lejh u lejn is-sistemi tieghu grazzi ghas-success li dawn gabulhom. Wiehed ma jridx jinsa wkoll li uhud mil-kolonni tat-tim qabzu t-tletin sena u bidla fil-mentalita u sistema ghal dawn il-plejers tista' tkun aktar difficli.

Minkejja dan Inter m'ghandhomx jonqsu milli jikkwalifikaw b'Werder Bremen potenzjalment joffru l-akbar sfida. Werder Bremen irnexxielhom jeliminaw lil Sampdoria fil-playoffs u jinsabu kunfidenti li jghaddu minn dan il-grupp. Il-General Manager ta' Bremen Klaus Allofs qal li Werder huma rrenkjati fid-9 post fl-Ewropa u jemmen li, "l-grupp huwa difficli ghat-timijiet l-ohra" u mhux ghall-klabb tieghu.

Ghal Tottenham din se tkun l-ewwel avventura fic-Champions League u n-nuqqas ta' esperjenza tista' tilghab parti importanti hafna f'dan l-istadju. Ghalkemm Spurs jistghu jaghtu loghoba lil kulhadd wiehed ghad irid jara kemm l-iskwadra hija preparata mentalment u fizikament ghal sfida bhal din flimkien mal-impenji domestici.

Tottenham jinsabu ezatt fuq il-linja bejn li jiggieldu ma' Werder Bremen ghat-tieni post u ma' Twente ghat-tielet post. Episodji partikolari waqt il-loghobiet u l-forma ta' plejers importanti ghandhom jiddeciedu lejn fejn se jxaqleb il-mizien.

Fi Grupp C se jkollna l-battalja tar-Renju Unit b'Manchester United jiltaqghu kontra l-Iskoccizi Rangers. Fl-istess grupp hemm ukoll Bursaspor tat-Turkija u Valencia ta' Spanja b'dawn tal-ahhar ikunu mdghajjfa wara l-bejgh ta' David Villa, Carlos Marchena u David Silva.

Kontra Rangers Manchester United ghandhom jistennew battalja fizika aktar milli teknika izda l-Iskoccizi ma tantx ghandhom rekord tajjeb fl-Ewropa u ma kellhomx xi kampanja akkwisti b'sahhitha. Nemmen li r-Red Devils ghandu jkollhom bizzejjed kwalita biex jinnegozjaw iz-zewg loghobiet kontra t-tim ta' Glasgow.

Mill-banda l-ohra loghoba fit-Turkija qatt m'hi facli izda l-loghoba ghand Bursaspor se tkun ir-raba wahda ghall-United fil-grupp. Hekk, sa dakinhar it-tim ta' Sir Alex Ferguson jista' ga jkun relattivament komdu fi triqtu lejn il-kwalifikazzjoni bit-tlett timijiet l-ohra jikkontestaw it-tieni post tal-grupp.

Chelsea ta' Carlo Ancelotti jinsabu fi Grupp F flimkien ma' Marseilles ta' Franza, Spartak Moscow tar-Russja u Zilina tas-Slovakkja. Dan huwa grupp li m'ghandux joffri problemi kbar ghall-Blues biex jghaddu ghal fazi li jmiss. Marseilles mistennija joffru l-aqwa oppozizzjoni izda l-loghoba fi Franza tintlaghab fit-tieni gimgha ta' Dicembru u sa dakinhar Chelsea jistghu ikunu prattikament akkwistaw il-kwalifikazzjoni.

Is-Slovakki ta' Zilina se jkunu qed jiddebuttaw f'din il-fazi u ma jidhirx li jistghu joffru intoppi serji lil Marseilles u Chelsea. Min-naha l-ohra loghoba kontra Spartak Moscow, specjalment fir-Russja, qatt m'hi passiggata u l-possibilita li l-Moskoviti jtellfu l-punti liz-zewg favoriti zgur mhix eskluza.

Tim iehor Ingliz fic-Champions League huwa Arsenal li telghu biex jilghabu fi Grupp H flimkien ma' Shaktar Donetsk tal-Ukraina, Braga tal-Portugall u Partizan Belgrade tas-Serbja.
Mal-ewwel daqqa t'ghajn dan jidher grupp relattivamet hafif ghall-Gunners izda r-realta' tista' tkun differenti. Arsenal ghandhom kwalita teknika li tisboq lil dik tat-timijiet l-ohra fil-grupp izda l-aggressivita fl-istil ta' Partizan u Shaktar u l-ambjent difficli li jista' jinholoq ghand dawn iz-zewg timijiet jaghmlu l-grupp ta' Arsenal wiehed ferm 'il boghod minn passiggata.

F'dan il-grupp Braga huwa l-aktar tim li jipprova jilghab il-loghoba bhal Arsenal u hekk, bl-istess stil ta' loghob, it-tim ta' Arsene Wenger ghandu jkun superjuri. Izda z-zewg loghobiet l-ohra, partikolarment barra minn Londra, jistghu joffru problemi ghal Arsenal u ma jhallux ir-rebh tal-grupp konkluzjoni assigurata.

Matul is-sajf Arsenal sahhew id-difiza taghhom b'Laurent Koscielni u Sebastian Squillaci filwaqt li fl-attakk ziedu lil Mourane Chamakh izda xorta jittammaw li l-pedini taghhom Cesc Fabregas u Robin Van Persie b'dan tal-ahhar diga' jinsab imwegga'.

Fi Grupp E il-finalisti tac-Champions League tal-istagun li ghadda Bayern Munich tal-Germanja flimkien mat-Taljani ta' Roma m'ghandhomx ifallu l-passagg ghat-tieni fazi meta jridu jiffaccjaw lil Basel tal-Isvizzera u Cluj tar-Rumanija.

Dawn l-ahhar zewg timijiet gieli offrew sorprizi izda issa l-avversarji taghhom mhux se jwettqu l-izbalji li twettqu qabel u l-element tas-sorpriza mhux se jibqa' daqshekk importanti. Bayern jibdew favoriti li jirbhu dan il-grupp b'Roma, issa msahha fost l-ohrajn mill-attakkanti Adriano u Boriello, ghandhom jassiguraw almenu t-tieni post b' Basel u Cluj jikkompetu ghal-post fl-Europa League.

Is-semifinalisti Barcelona, imdghajjfa mit-tluq ta' Zlatan Ibrahimovic izda msahha minn akkwisti bhal David Villa u Javier Mascherano, jibdew favoriti netti li jirbhu Grupp D li jinkludi wkoll lil Panathinaikos tal-Grecja, Copenhagen tad-Danimarkau Rubin Kazan tar-Russja.

Panathinaikos f'darhom jistghu ikunu forza filwaqt li l-istagun li ghadda Rubin Kazan urew loghob ta' kwalita teknika gholja. Minhabba f'hekk dawn it-tnejn mistennija jikkontestaw it-tieni post tal-grupp b'Copenhagen jidhru l-aktar tim dghajjef.

Fl-ahhar nett naraw li t-timijiet li jiffurmaw Grupp B huma Lyon ta' Franza, Benfica tal-Portugall, Schalke tal-Germanja u Hapoel tal-Izrael. Dan jidher li jista' jkun grupp interessanti hafna fejn fuq il-karta Lyon, Benfica u Schalke, imsahha mill-akkwist ta' Huntelaar minghand

Milan, jidhru bejn wiehed w iehor tal-istess livell. Dawn it-timijiet kollha jistghu jiehdu l-punti lil xulxin u ghalhekk il-grupp mistenni jkun wiehed incert.
Min-naha l-ohra Hapoel, ghalkemm jidhru l-aktar tim dghajjef, jistghu jaghtu joffru oppozizzjoni f'sahhitha lil kulhadd u ma tkunx sporpriza jekk jirnexxielhom itellfu l-punti lit-timijiet akjtar rinomati specjalment fl-Izrael.

Dawn huma l-aqwa 32 tim tal-Ewropa. F'nofs dan ix-xahar nitilqu maghhom ghal vjagg twil mimli emozzjonijiet, ferh, dizappunti, kontroversja u diskussjoni. Vjagg li matulu naraw lill-aqwa klabbs Ewropej jikkompetu bejniethom ghall-aktar unur prestiggjuz li joffri l-futbol Ewropew. Vjagg li jwassalna fit-tempju tal-futbol Wembley Stadium fejn hemmekk, fil-monarkija li tatna l-futbol, naraw tigi nkurunata lir-regina tal-futbol Ewropew.

2010-05-08T22:09:00.003+02:00

HARRY NAMED TOP PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGER

Harry Redknapp has been named Premier League Manager of the Year after breaking into the top four with Tottenham. Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have monopolised the UEFA Champions League positions in recent seasons and were expected to dominate once more this term.

Manchester City were tipped to mount a strong challenge after investing heavily in their squad, with the likes of Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton considered outsiders. But Spurs have enjoyed a stunning campaign, recording victories over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool at White Hart Lane.

Other highlights included the 9-1 demolition of Wigan in November, as well as the 1-0 triumph at Manchester City on Wednesday that guaranteed Champions League qualification for the first time in the club's history.

Redknapp, who took charge in October 2008 when Spurs were bottom of the table, was thrilled with the accolade but paid tribute to his players and the rest of the backroom staff.

"I'm delighted to receive the award but it's a team effort with Kevin (Bond), Joe (Jordan), Clive (Allen), Tony (Parks), Tim (Sherwood), Les (Ferdinand) and all the coaching and fitness staff," he told the club's official website.
"Really, I'm just part of the team. It's all down to the players and what they've achieved. It's down to them really and a real honour to receive it."

The prize is decided by the Barclays awards panel, which is made up of football's governing bodies, the media and fans.

Redknapp becomes only the second manager since the formation of the Premier League to win the gong without having won the league, following in the footsteps of George Burley after the Scot guided Ipswich to fifth place in 2000/01.

Well done Harry, and Thanks for a Fantastic Season

2010-05-07T09:13:00.005+02:00

GOOD HARRY REDKNAPP ARTICLE ON THE TELEGRAPH

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has risen from folk hero to top-class coach It is time to say goodbye to the cliché, to Harry the folk hero, the crafty Cockney, the wheeler dealer, the cheeky chappy with the gift of the gab – know what I mean? And to recognise formally Redknapp the high class coach.

Gareth Bale, Michael Dawson, Benoît Assou-Ekotto, Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe and Heurelho Gomes offer incontrovertible proof of Redknapp's power to transform, to mould, to improve, to inspire. All are better players now than they were before coming under Redknapp's tutelage.

Tottenham Hotspur did not achieve Champions League status by accident. Fortune played no part in the victory over Manchester City at Eastlands. Spurs understood the demand. Each did his job. They were organised, composed, executed a plan and won with little bother in the end. None of this surprised Redknapp.

Time to get serious about Redknapp It shouldn't have surprised us. He hasn't changed. It is perception that needs to alter to take proper account of a serious player.

There isn't a journalist working in football in England who does not have a Harry anecdote, a comic aside that reinforces Redknapp's potential for slapstick. Here's a personal favourite.

"What's happening about Marco Negri, Harry?" "Negri? Don't know what you are talking about? Who's he?" "That bloke from Rangers running around the training ground behind you." "Oh that Negri. Yeah we are having a look at him."

This was a comment on the times as much as Redknapp practice. Redknapp was in his first senior post having taken over at West Ham from Billy Bonds. Foreign players flooded the English market in the post-Bosman frenzy.

Training grounds doubled as clearing houses for exotic names. Inevitably mistakes were made. Redknapp's principal howlers were Marco Boogers and Florin Raducioiu, punts that did not even hint at coming off.

None of the same uncertainties informed his judgment of domestic talent. At West Ham Redknapp developed academy prospects Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Joe Cole.

At Portsmouth he plucked international footballers from under a perpetual Christmas tree, albeit with a leveraged chequebook, and won the FA Cup playing enterprising, open football.

The problem was that the quality of his output could never quite escape the suspect protocols of the Pompey business plan, which resulted in a dawn raid at his home in Poole and a case to answer brought by the Inland Revenue that is ongoing.

Thus his unveiling at Spurs following the hopeless failure of Juande Ramos was seen as a gamble for chairman Daniel Levy and a last chance for Redknapp to break free of the stereotype that chained him and to establish himself as a coach with bona fide credentials.

Redknapp's success exposed the default recourse to foreign coaches as the baseless fad it was. Ramos was imported from Seville a guru and left impotent, a man without a voice shuffling from foot to foot on the touchline powerless to shape events.

Redknapp made immediate sense of the chaos, giving the players a structure and leadership. Twenty months on he is a Champions League manager. Astonishing. Like most in the game Redknapp does not dispense wisdom using vocabulary from an academic register.

His English is estuary plain. The football lexicon is often a crude tool with its own rules. Redknapp is fluent in this language. What Tottenham have given him that he did not have before is a platform.

"I know a few journalists ridiculed me because I said there were good English coaches. There are good ones all over the country at all levels – it's a crying shame they don't get the opportunity," Redknapp said in the first flush of Wednesday's triumph.

Steve McClaren is similarly feted in Holland following championship success with FC Twente. Roy Hodgson's quiet revolution at Fulham draws universal admiration.

The English coach is suddenly the must-have accoutrement. The Bundesliga is in a lather over McClaren. Hodgson is seen as the man to nurse Liverpool to health. Redknapp's reputation now submits to the ultimate test.

There will still be some who sneer at his affection for 4-4-2, who question whether he has the tactical agility to move with the times, the flexibility to adapt to the technical demands of the continental challenge.

On Wednesday he said his policy would be to 'have a go'. Redknapp understands that tactics are subordinate to talent. That giving his players confidence is as important as structure.

Against City Tottenham showed themselves replete in both. Is he ready for the Champions League? Pah. Is the Champions League ready for Harry?

2010-03-12T21:14:00.001+01:00

TEAM NEWS V BLACKBURN

Bentley, Huddlestone, Jenas, King, Lennon, Cudicini, Woodgate all out injured. David and JJ closing in on a return to training - Carlo is scheduled to have a plate removed from his wrist next week.

2010-03-11T14:59:00.001+01:00

INTERVISTA MA' OSVALDO ARDILES

Fil-granet li ghaddew kelli l-opportunita li niltaqa’ mar-rebbieh tat-Tazza tad-Dinja mal-Argentina u ex-plejer ta’ Tottenham Osvaldo Ardiles. L-okkazjoni kienet intervista pubblika li ghamiltlu f'lukanda ewlenija fil-Floriana. Nista' nghid li kienet diskursata interessanti hafna fejn dawk mistiedna mhux biss segwew b'attenzjoni izda kellhom l-opportunita li anki huma jaghmlu l-mistoqsijiet taghhom.

Ardiles, li twieled fit-3 t'Awissu tal-1952, kien parti mit-tim Argentin li rebah it-Tazza tad-Dinja fl-1978. Dakinhar fil-finali ta' Buones Aires it-tim ta' Menotti gheleb lill-Olanda 3-1 fil-hin barrani. F'dak it-tim Ardiles laghab ma' plejers bhal Daniel Passarella, Mario Kempes, Daniel Bertoni u Americo Gallego.

Ardiles laghab ukoll fit-Tazza tad-Dinja tal-1982 fejn laghab ma dak li hu jiddeskrivi bhala "habib hafna tieghi" Diego Armando Maradona. Il-hbiberija sinciera bejn Ardiles u Maradona tohrog mill-fatt li meta mistoqsi jekk jahsibx li Maradona huwa l-kowc li jista' jwassal lill-Argentina ghar-rebh tat-Tazza tad-Dinja, Ardiles ghazel li ma jikkummentax u qal li, "ma' Maradona laghabt ghal 8 snin u sirna hbieb. Ma nissugrax nikkummenta dwaru ghax kull kumment jista' jigi nterpretat hazin".

Kurzita li rajna matul it-Tazza tad-Dinja tal-1982 kien il-fatt li Ardiles laghab bin-numru wiehed, numru normalment assocjat mal-gowlkiper. B'cajta Ardiles qal li kellu n-numru wiehed "ghax kont l-aqwa plejer".

Izda mbaghad huwa spjega li fl-iskwadra tal-1982 kien hemm numru ta' plejers li riedu n-numru 10 u ghalhekk il-federazzjoni Argentina iddecidiet li tqssam in-numri skond l-ordni alfabetika. Hekk Ardiles spicca ha n-numru wiehed. Jidher li fl-1978 kienet intuzat l-istess sistema. Dakinhar Ardiles kellu n-numru 2 bin-numru 1 imur ghand il-midfielder Norberto Alonso.

Dwar is-success tat-Tazza tad-Dinja Ardiles jiftakar li t-tim nazzjonali Argentin kien taht pressjoni kbira minhabba li kien qed jilghab f'daru. Huwa jghid li kien ferm dubjuz ghal finali izda beda l-loghoba u rnexxielu jvinci sebghin minuta fejn kellu parti fil-gowl li bih l-Argentina marru fil-vantagg, bl-Olanda eventwalment igibu d-draw fit-tieni taqsima.

L-aktar mument li Ardiles jiftakar minn din il-finali hu ix-xutt ta' Rob Rensenbrink fl-ahhar minuta, xutt li skond Ardiles, "...kien diehel gewwa, kien gowl cert. Ghidt daqshekk, spicca kollox. Addio Tazza tad-Dinja...izda l-ballun bidel id-direzzjoni tieghu fl-ahhar sekonda u b'xi mod laqat il-lasta. Ftit li xejn niftakar minn dik il-gurnata imma s-silenzju perfett sakemm il-ballun deher diehel u n-nifs kbir kollettiv li nstema' fl-istejdjum meta habat mal-lasta niftakarhom cari daqs il-kristall”.

Ir-rebh tat-Tazza tad-Dinja fetah orizzonti godda ghal Ardiles u ftit wara, flimkien ma' Ricky Villla, spicca jilghab fl-Ingilterra ma' Tottenham. Ma' Tottenham Ardiles rebah l-FA Cup darbtejn u t-Tazza UEFA fl-1984.

F'White Hart Lane huwa laghab ma' plejers bhal Glenn Hoddle, siehbu Villa, u Steve Perryman. Wara l-1984 Ardiles halla l-Ingilterra u mar jilghab ma' PSG fi Franza izda wara sena huwa rega' sab ruhu bil-flokk abjad ta' Tottenham. Hawn baqa' sal-1988 u anki ghamel sena bhala care taker manager bejn it-tluq ta' David Pleat u l-hatra ta' Terry Venables.

Meta kkummenta dwar it-trasferiment tieghu ghal ma Tottenham Ardiles qal li hu kien sorpriz daqs kulhadd. "Ridt immur nilghab fl-Ewropa u kien hemm hafna spekulazzjoini dwari. Kienu qed jissemmew biss il-kampjonat Spanjol dak Taljan u xi ftit il-kampjonat Franciz"

"Meta l-president ta' Huracan qalli li jriduni fl-Ingilterra bqajt b'halqi miftuh. Fuq il-futbol Ingliz ftit li xejn kont naf u fuq Tottenham anqas w anqas. Niftakar li lil maniger ta' Tottenham Keith Burkinshaw ikkonvincewh li ahjar jixtri zewg plejers u dan ha lili u lil Villa. Villa, bhali, qatt ma holom li jilghab l-Ingilterra u dejjem kien jghid li sejjer jilghab Spanja jew l-Italja"

Dwar Burkinshaw Ardiles jghid li dan "qatt ma pprova jghallimni l-futbol. Kien biss jiccalingjani. Qabel kull loghoba kien jghidli 'ejja champion tad-dinja- ha naraw x'kapaci taghmel kontra dan jew dak il-plejer'. Kultant nemmen li ghal plejers bhali dan kien tajjeb hafna. Burkinshaw kien ihallini nilghab il-loghoba tieghi u dan kien vantagg kbir ghalia"

Kontra dak li nisimghu dwar certu plejers illum, minkejja l-bdil fl-istil ta' loghob, klima, dieta u stil ta' hajja, Ardiles qal li hu qatt ma sabha difficli jissettilja fl-Ingilterra u fil-futbol Ingliz. Jinsisti li ghalih kienet xi haga facli hafna li jadatta. Hu qal ukoll li ma' Tottenham laghab ma plejers li jilghabu l-ballun mal-art- il-futbol li jilghab hu u ghalhekk ma sabx problema jintegra ruhu fit-tim.

Mistoqsi min kien l-ahjar plejer li laghab mieghu ma' Tottenham, bla tlaqlieq, Ardiles iwiegeb, "Glenn Hoddle..hasra li qatt ma kien daqshekk apprezzat mit-tim nazzjonali Ingliz".

La konna qed nitkellmu fuq il-karriera tieghu bhala plejer ma' Tottenham ma stajtx ma nsemmilux il-famuza kanzunetta rekordjata qabel il-finali tal-FA Cup tal-1981. Din kienet diska dwar il-holma ta' Ardiles li jilghab f'Wembley fejn Ardiles ikanta l-frazi , "...in the cup for Tottingham".

Din dahaqha. Qal li hu qatt ma ried jirrekordja d-diska izda fl-ahhar ikkoncvincewh. Ghall-ewwel m'ghogbitu xejn u ghamel zmien ma jridx jismaghha. "Imma issa bdiet toghgobni. Bdejt naraha tajba. Tant hi tajba li ghadha tindaqq sal-lum" qal Ardiles bid-dahqa.

Fost it-timijiet li kkowcja Ardiles fl-Ingilterra hemm Swindon Town u WBA fejn mat-tnejn irnexxielu jirbah promozzjoni. Ma' Swindon Ardiles baqa' maghruf ghal kif bidel is-sistema tal-ballun fit-tul ghal futbol mal-art.

Staqsejtu kemm kien difficli jew facli jibdel il-mentalita tal-plejers. Qalli li ghalih mhux kwistjoni ta' mentalita imma kwistjoni ta' kemm il-maniger kapaci jikkonvinci u jwassal il-messagg. "Il-futbol hekk ghandu jintlaghab. Mal-art. Meta bdew gejjin ir-rizultati u beda jidher il-frott il-bicca xoghol ma baqghetx difficli".

Bejn l-1993 u l-1994 Ardiles kien maniger ta' Tottenham fejn baqa' maghruf ghal-lineup offensiva li kienet tinkludi lil Jurgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton, Illie Dumitrescu u Nicky Barmby. Staqsejtu jekk jahsibx li maniger ghandu jilghab il-plejers tajbin kollha anki jekk ibati xi ftit il-bilanc tat-tim.

Risposta cara u skjetta "Da zgur li mainger ghandu jilghab il-plejers tajbin kollha tieghu. Il-problema li kelli jien ma kinitx li t-tim kien offensiv wisq izda affarijiet ohra wara l-kwinti".

Tlabtu jelabora u hawn hareg id-dispjacir sincier li ghad ghandu sal-lum ghall- fatt li ha f'idejh lil Tottenham fi zmien hazin u mimli intricci interni. L-imhabba ghal Tottenham ghadha f'sahhitha hafna u Ardiles jaghmilha cara li xtaq mexxa lil Tottenham fi zminijiet aktar stabbli.

Tottenham kien ghadhom hergin mill-glieda bejn Alan Sugar u Terry Venables b'dan tal-ahhar jispicca barra l-klabb. "Messni qrajt is-sitwazzjoni ahjar. Venables kien ghadu kif tnehha mill-klabb u hafna mill-plejers li sibt jien kienu plejers tieghu. Dawn kienu ghal kollox kontra Sugar u qatt ma riedu li jitlaq Venables. Ghalhekk ftit stajt insib armonija u sapport. Barra minn hekk, jien kont laghabt ma' uhud mill-plejers u dawn sabuha difficli jaccettawnu bhala maniger taghhom".

"Mit-timijiet kollha li kkowcjajt Tottenham kien il-post fejn l-aktar li sibt problemi. L-intricci interni kienu inkredibbli. Fazzjoni tal-plajers baqghet leali lejn Venables u la d-decizjoinijiet ta' Sugar u lanqas jien ma konna accettati"

Dwar Sugar Ardiles jghid li l-intenzjonijiet tieghu kienu tajbin izda hu ma kienx bniedem tal-futbol u d-decizjonijiet mhux dejjem kienu l-ahjar ghall-klabb. "Ridt nixtri plejers Inglizi ghax kellna bzonnhom izda dawn qatt ma waslu".

Is-sitwazzjoni kompliet titgharraq meta Sugar gab lil Claude Litner bhala Chief Executive. "Dan beda jaqta' l-ispejjez b'mod li ma jaghhmilx sens u plejers kienu qed jigu urtati ghal xejn."

"Kelli wkoll kwistjoni mieghu dwar Teddy Sheringham fejn jien kont qed nahdem biex ingeddidlu l-kuntratt u Litner kien qed jittama li jsib lil xi hadd tajjeb daqsu b'nofs il-pagi li kellu Sheringham….Fiz-zmien li ghamilt bhala maniger ta' Tottenham kien qisni pumpier il-hin kollu nipprova nitfi n-nar".

Quddiem dawn il-problemi kollha ma stajtx ma nsaqsiehx kif fil-ktieb tieghu jghid li meta telaq minn ma' Tottenham kienet l-aktar haga li wegghetu fil-karriera tieghu. Infakkru li fl-awtobiografija tieghu Ardiles jghid, "...L-aktar haga difficli li gratli f'hajjti kienet li hallejt lil Tottenham. L-aktar zmien iswed ghalia wara l-gwerra tal-Falklands kien it-tluq tieghi minn ma' Tottenham".

"Lil Tottenham inhobbhom"....jirrispondi Ardiles "Dik id-dar tieghi. Tottenham huma hajjti. Dejjem emmint li kont destinat immexxi lil Spurs. Xtaqt hafna mexxejthom fi zminijiet differenti. Ghazilt zmien hazin wisq. Messni stennejt, izda meta giet is-sejha qalbi kkmandatni."

Tkellimna dwar Alan Sugar u r-relazzjoni ta' bejniethom. Kuntrarju ghal li jahsbu hafna nies Ardiles jghid li hu kellu relazzjoni tajba hafna ma' Sugar "...sakemm qalli 'you're fired' u spicca kollox" ikompli l-ex internazzjonali Argentin.

Kelli kurzita dwar anedottu li kont smajt dwar Alan Sugar fis-sens li dan ma riedx ihallas lil dawk il-plejers li kienu mwegga'. Ardiles ma wegibx "iva" izda bir-risposta tieghu ma halliex dubju li din l-istorja mhux 'il boghod hafna mill-verita.

Fl-ahhar tal-intervista irritornajna ghall-prezent u ghalaqna nitkellmu dwar kemm hu possibbli ghal timijiet bhal Tottenham u Aston Villa jiksbu post regolari mal-ewwel erbgha. Ghal Ardiles dan m'hu facli xejn.

"L-ewwel erbgha jinsabu f'cirku vizzjuz fis-sens pozittiv. Jikkwalifikaw ghac-champions league, jissahhu finanzjarjament u jattiraw l-ahjar plejers kemm minhabba l-pagi u kif ukoll minhabba l-attrazzjoni tac-Champions league infisha"

Ghal timijiet ohra huwa difficli jattiraw plejers tal-livell tac-Champions League. "Jistghu jattiraw plejers tajbin imma mhux plejers eccezzjonali li tassew jaghmlu d-differenza".

Skond Ardiles dan jistghu jaghmluh biss Manchester City ghax, minkejja li m'humiex fic-Champions League, jistghu jattiraw l-aqwa plejrs permezz tal-pagi.

"Jekk timijiet bhal Tottenham u Aston Villa jirnexxielhom jikkwalifikaw darba ghac-Champions League ir-rota tista' tibda ddur bil-mod izda li tikkwalifika l-ewwel darba huwa difficli ferm".

Ardiles jerga jwaqqa d-diskors fuq it-tim ta' qalbu- Tottenham- u jghid li fl-opinjoni tieghu it-tim jonqsu playmaker ta' certu klassi li jilghab il-loghoba ta' Spurs u attakkant tajjeb li jikkumplimenta lil Jermaine Defoe.

"Defoe qed jilghab tajjeb hafna u bi plejer ta' klassi li jikkumplimentah Tottenham ikollhom attakk fenomenali. F'nofs il-graswnd nara plejer wiehed li Tottneham jistghu jattiraw u li jaghmel id-differenza kollha. Plejer li jgib lil Tottenham jilghabu l-loghoba tat-Tottenham. Dan hu Juan Roman Riquelme ta' Boca Juniors"

U b'dak il-parir minghand min rebah it-Tazza tad-Dinja l-intervista giet fi tmiemha sabiex Ardiles seta' jqatta' ftit hin jitkellem mal-mistiedna dwar il-loghoba li tant ghadu jhobb.

MARK MIZZI

(i) Ritratt tal-intervista- Aidan Formosa
(ii) Iz-zjara ta’ Osvaldo Ardiles f’Malta kienet possibbli grazzi ghal Tottenham Hotspur Malta, MTA- Island of Gozo, Air Malta, Grand Hotel Excelsior, Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, Gozo Football Association, Sullivan Maritime, Marsovin, China Town (Mriehel, Cospicua),Waterline Restaurant (Marsascala)

2010-03-11T09:42:00.002+01:00

FA CUP SEMI-FINAL DATES ANNOUNCED

The Football Association has announced the dates and times for the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Villa will take on Chelsea on Saturday, April 10, kick-off 6pm.
Sem-final draw...
Aston Villa v Chelsea, Saturday April 10, 6pm
Fulham/SPURS v Portsmouth, Sunday April 11, 5pm

Our quarter-final replay against Fulham will take place on 24th March at 8.45pm

2010-02-05T21:31:00.001+01:00

OSSIE BACK IN MALTA

Tottenham Hotspur Malta announce that World Cup winner, and Argentina and Tottenham Hotspur legend Osvaldo Ardiles will be in Malta on 12 February 2010.

This visit is being supported by MTA- Island of Gozo, Air Malta, Grand Hotel Excelsior, Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, Gozo Football Association, Sullivan Maritime, Marsovin, China Town (Mriehel, Cospicua), Waterline Restaurant (Marsascala) and Amabile Zammit.

After the 1978 World Cup Ardiles joined Tottenham where he spent four seasons. He helped Spurs win the FA Cup in his third season (1980-81) and collaborated with pop duo Chas and Dave as well as the rest of the Tottenham players for a song - "Ossie's Dream" - in which he famously pronounced Tottenham as "Tottingham".

He played a big part in another FA Cup triumph the following year, but did not play in the final. He also helped Tottenham win the UEFA Cup in 1984, leaving shortly afterwards to sign for Paris Saint Germain in France

After just one season in Paris, he returned to Tottenham, where he stayed until 1988. In the autumn of 1987, he was caretaker manager of Tottenham between the resignation of David Pleat and the appointment of Terry Venables He then played for Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and Swindon Town, before being appointed as manager of Swindon Town in July 1989.
He returned to Spurs as manager between 1993 and 1994 where he famously played several matches utilizing a formation that had five forwards, a formation that hadn't been used in English football since the 1950’s.

On 7 February 2008 Ossie Ardiles, along with his fellow countryman Ricky Villa, was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame

Tottenham Hotspur Malta will be organising a Question and Answer Session with the former Argentine international at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, Floriana on Friday 12th February from 7.30pm onwards.

After a short interview by sports journalist Mark Mizzi, Mr Ardiles will mingle with guests who will be able to get to know the man who, besides being a football legend, also starred in the epic movie "Escape to Victory" alongside other legends such as Pele and Bobby Moore. Guests will have time to take pictures with Mr Ardiles. Light finger food and wine will be served throughout the night.

Tickets for this unique chance to meet a true football legend are on sale from Tottenham Hotspur Malta, 22, St. Frederick Street, Valletta and Geraldu’s Kiosk Valletta at 10 Euros. One may also call on 79691882 for more information.

Tottenham Hotspur Malta intend to use this visit as a launch pad for bigger events involving other former players and present players. The Club wants to create a legacy between Mr Ardiles and the Maltese Islands as this does not only benefit football enthusiasts but also niche tourism.

In this regard the Club is already in talks with Mr Ardiles over a bigger event which will not be focused solely on Malta but also on the Island of Gozo

MTA, Island of Gozo - Air Malta - Grand Hotel Excelsior
Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz - Gozo Football Association - Sullivan Maritime Marsovin - China Town (Mriehel, Cospicua)
Waterline Restaurant (Marsascala)

2010-01-30T08:29:00.002+01:00

EIDUR JOINS ON LOAN

O'Hara and Dos Santos loaned out

We have completed the signing of former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen on a loan deal from Monaco for the end of the season.

The 31-year-old Icelander, who also attracted interest from London rivals West Ham, underwent a medical and agreed terms on the move on Thursday.
"He's a player I've always admired," said boss Harry Redknapp. "He can play several positions and is very clever.
"It was his decision to come to us. He said 'I want to come to Tottenham'."

West Ham had been confident of arranging a deal after Gudjohnsen underwent a medical at the club but Harry convinced him to opt for the Lane.
"I rang him and left a message on his phone and he came back to me and said 'I want to come to Tottenham'," said Redknapp. "He gives us lots of options. He is a top player."

Gudjohnsen will provide cover for a number of positions as they look to push for a top-four finish.

Gudjohnsen has won League titles in England, Holland and Spain, and was an unused substitute for Barcelona when they won the Champions League final in 2009.

Meanwhile thw club has rejected an offer for Pavlyuchenko from Birmingham while Jamie O'Hara has re-joined Portsmouth on loan and Giovani Dos Santos hasd been loaned out to Galatassaray in Turkey.

The Club is still in talks over Younes Kaboul and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic of Portsmouth.

2010-01-09T19:50:00.002+01:00

LEEDS TIE ON TV

Our FA Cup 4th Round tie at home to Leeds United has been selected for live television coverage by ITV and will take place on Saturday 23 January, kick-off 6.15pm (Malta time). GO subscribers in Malta may also view the game on GO's sports channels.

2010-01-09T19:43:00.003+01:00

BUTTON EXTENDS SHREWS STAY

David Button's loan at League Two side Shrewsbury Town has been extended until February 27.
The 20-year-old goalkeeper has made seven appearances during his initial loan move to New Meadow in November, keeping three clean sheets

2009-09-19T16:21:00.001+02:00

This article will appear on the next issue of "The Cockerel"

VIEW FROM THE PARK LANE... by Mark Mizzi

Deflated is an understatement. I am penning this piece the day after our first defeat of the season which came against champions Manchester United and I am not in the happiest of moods.

A series of 5 wins out of five in all competitions came to a shuddering halt at the Lane as the Red Devils came from behind to beat us 3-1 even though they had Paul Scholes sent off in the second half.

By the time you read this we will have also played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and that is definitely going to be another tough test. Stamford Bridge is not the happiest of hunting grounds for us and Chelsea are really on song at the moment. If you ask me, Ancelotti's side is even more difficult to beat than Manchester United.

But back to the Manchester United game. Was it that bad? A defeat is a defeat and there is nothing good about it. But should we panic? I don't think so. We started the game on a high and that Defoe opener will be contender for goal of the month, if not the season.

If there was a bad thing about that goal it was that it came too early. Manchester United being Manchester United, they clawed their way back into the game and equalised trough a marvelous Ryan Giggs freekick.

A half clearance from our defence found its way to Anderson's feet and he fired a rasping shot which beat Cudicini. I think the Italian goalkeeper did not have a good view of the ball and I am convinced that had his sight not been obstructed, he would have saved it.

At 2-1 down we did come back into the game and Jenas coming on for Palacios gave us a new thrust. Ben Foster performed a top notch save on Jermaine while Crouchy was denied by the cross bar. At that point Manchester United were with 10 men but, as so often happens, this made it more difficult for us to find a way through their crowded defence.

Their third goal was no surprise really. With Spurs desperately searching for an equaliser and our defence exposed, the ground for Rooney to score one of his trademark goals was fertile.

Put this way it does not seem that bad does it? But it does not mean that there are no problems to be addressed. Losing the flair and creativity of Luka Modric is one of them. But we cannot do anything about that except pray for a quick recovery.

The Manchester United game also showed that, despite all the talk of a big squad and strength in depth, we are very dependent on one player and I am not referring to Modric. This player is Wilson Palacios. Against Manchester United he was a shadow of his usual self. Maybe his travels to fulfill his international commitments with Honduras had something to do with it but the fact is that the midfield battle was lost.

On the other hand Tom Huddlestone is one of our most skilful players but everybody knows he is not fast. Yes he has made great progress under Harry's guidance but he is still not up there and he was found out against Sir Alex's boys.

Hindsight is a commodity Harry did not enjoy before the game. But I think if this game made one thing clear it was that Keane is not a winger. Maybe he can fill in there against mid-to-bottom teams but surely not against the top four.

Maybe Harry's plan was for Keane to help the midfield and attack with Ekotto covering the wing. But this was Manchester United and every time Keane left the wing Ekotto was exposed. Keane ended up uncertain of what to do and slowly but surely became anonymous.

With Crouch in attack I think Modric's role should have been given to a proper winger. Maybe David Bentley should have been given the chance to claw himself back into Harry’s reckoning. That would have at least given us another source of creativity. In my opinion Jermaine Jenas should also have been considered for that role. Ok he is not a proper winger but neither is Keane. Jenas would have at least helped Huddlestone and Palacios against the overwhelming United midfield

Lennon was wisely cut out of the game by Fergie and that meant that we had no outlet of creativity. With Ekotto not free to attack at will, Keane ineffective, and Lennon marked by three players, it is fair to say that our opportunities ratio was reduced by 75%.

Jenas, Gomes, Dawson and Woodgate are back to full fitness now and this will give us more strength in depth. But Modric's problem is still there. For it to be solved, creativity has to be replaced by creativity. A winger should be replaced by a winger. Avoiding square pegs in round holes will go a long way towards alleviating, if not solving, the problem.

On a positive note, having successfully completed all of the pre-development conditions and preparatory works, Spurs announced that works to build a world-class facility in Enfield to house our first team, development and academy squads have started.

Let's hope that this project will prove to be another step towards returning Tottenham Hotspur FC to its' former glories.

Mark Mizzi
13 September 2009
www.spursmalta.blogspot.com
(Look out for Spurs Malta on Facebook)

2009-08-05T18:01:00.005+02:00

Ossie Ardiles meets the President of Malta Dr George Abela

Wednesday 5 August 2009

2009-07-11T20:54:00.005+02:00

ARDILES IN MALTA

Tottenham Hotspur Malta are proud to announce that World Cup winner, and Argentina and Tottenham Hotspur legend Osvaldo Ardiles will be in Malta in August.

On the initiative of Ms Carly Barnes and Tottenham Hotspur Malta, and with the support of Air Malta, Ramla Bay Hotel, Herbies, Jewellery and Wembley’s Car Hire Service Ardiles will be in Malta between the 3rd and 10th of August.

Ossie, as he is affectionately known by Spurs fans worldwide, won the 1978 World Cup with Argentina and became a cult hero in England, along with Glenn Hoddle and compatriot Ricardo Villa with Tottenham Hotspur.

As a youngster, Ardiles played football in the streets and was given the nickname "Pitón" (python) by his brother because of his snake-like dribbling skills. He began his professional career in Argentina with Instituto de Córdoba, playing also for Club Atlético Belgrano and Huracán.

After the 1978 World Cup he joined Tottenham where he spent four seasons.
He helped Spurs win the FA Cup in his third season (1980-81) and collaborated with pop duo Chas and Dave as well as the rest of the Tottenham players for a song - "Ossie's Dream" - in which he famously pronounced Tottenham as "Tottingham".

He played a big part in another FA Cup triumph the following year, but did not play in the final. He also helped Tottenham win the UEFA Cup in 1984, leaving shortly afterwards to sign for Paris Saint Germain in France

After just one season in Paris, he returned to Tottenham, where he stayed until 1988. In the autumn of 1987, he was caretaker manager of Tottenham between the resignation of David Pleat and the appointment of Terry Venables He then played for Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and Swindon Town, before being appointed as manager of Swindon Town in July 1989.

He returned to Spurs as manager between 1993 and 1994 where he famously played several matches utilizing a formation that had five forwards, a formation that hadn't been used in English football since the 1950’s.

On 7 February 2008 Ossie Ardiles, along with his fellow countryman Ricky Villa, was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame

Tottenham Hotspur Malta will be organising a number of activities for the Spurs supporters and football followers. A bar-b-q is planned for Friday 7th August at Ramla Bay Hotel while a visit to Gozo is scheduled for Saturday 8th August. On Sunday 9th August Ardiles will visit the premises of Tottenham Hotspur Malta in St. Frederick Street, Valletta to meet the Members and supporters.

A charity event will take place on Thursday 6th August. The former Spurs hero will attend the screening of the epic movie “Escape to Victory” in which he stars along with other football icons such as Pele and Bobby Moore.

All proceeds will go to Inspire Foundation

A short interview and a presentation will precede the screening. This event is being made possible through the help of KRS and Warner Brothers, Embassy Cinema Complex, Tottenham Hotspur Malta and Kick Off.

More details about the Ossie Ardiles’ visit to Malta will be published next month.

2009-06-14T18:14:00.002+02:00

SPURS IN BARCLAYS ASIA TROPHY

Tottenham Hotspur will participate in this summer's Barclays Asia Trophy in Beijing, China, along with West Ham United, Hull City and Beijing Guoan.

The four-team knock-out tournament will take place over two match days with a final to determine the winner and a play-off to decide third place.

Spurs kick off proceedings against West Ham United on Wednesday July 29, kick off 11am (7pm Malta time), followed by Hull City against Beijing Guoan, kick off 1.30pm (9.30pm Malta time).

The winners of each fixture will contest the final on Friday, July 31, kick-off 1.30pm (9.30pm Malta time) immediately after the third and fourth play-off, kick off 11am (7pm Malta time).

All games will take place at the Workers Stadium, one of the sites used for football matches at the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Barclays Asia Trophy, which began in 2003, is held every two years in Asia and contested between three Premier League clubs and a local team from the host nation.

2009-06-03T19:58:00.002+02:00

INTERVISTA MA' HARRY REDKNAPP

Din l-intervista ta' Mark Mizzi ma' Harry Redknapp saret wara r-rebha ta' 1-0 fuq WBA f'White Hart Lane u giet pubblikata f' L-Orizzont il-Hamis 7 ta' Mejju 2009

Fil-jiem li ghaddew attendejt ghal-loghoba tal-Premier League bejn Tottenham u West Bromich Albion f’White Hart Lane. Ma kinitx xi loghoba klassika u ecitanti. West Bromich Albion riedu l-punti biex jippruvaw jevitaw ir-relegazzjoni filwaqt li Tottenham ghadhom bic-cans li jispiccaw fis-7 post u hekk jikkwalifikaw ghall-Europa Cup li se tiehu post it-Tazza UEFA.

Izda matul id-90 minuta deher car fejn kienet l-akbar motivazzjoni. Tottenham, minkejja li rebhu b’gowl wahdani ta’ Jermaine Jenas, laqtu l-lasta u kellhom gowl imhassar ghal offside dubjuz, fl-ebda hin ma wrew xi entuzjazmu specjali.

Min naha taghhom WBA ghamlu dak kollu li setghu biex jiehdu l-punti u wiehed jista’ jghid li kienu sfortunati li ma hadu xejn mil-loghoba. Wahda mir-ragunijiet li zammet lil WBA milli jiehdu xi haga kienet bla dubju ta’ xejn il-wirja brillanti tal-gowlkiper Brazilan ta’ Tottenham Heurelho Gomes. Wara bidu inkonsisatenti u mimli paprati, dan il-gowlkiper qed juri l-potenzjal veru tieghu.

Propju ftit wara li ntemmet il-loghoba, grazzi ghall-agent tal-futbol Carly Barnes, gejt mistieden biex niltaqa’ mal-maniger ta’ Tottenham Harry Redknapp u nehodlu xi kummenti.
Mal-wasla tieghu fid-dressing-room fejn iltqajna Redknapp laqatni ghal kemm hu "approachable" u kemm hu facli titkellem mieghu. Redknapp huwa maniger li jmur tajjeb hafna mal-midja u fil-hin li ltqajt mieghu ikkonfermajt dan. Ma jiddejjaqx jitkellem, fl-ebda hin ma jtik l-impressjoni li jixtieq qieghed x’imkien iehor u kultant donnu ma jiddejjaqx jisvela affarijiet li manigers ohra jiddejqu jkitkellmu dwarhom.

Tkellimna dwar id-decizioni tieghu li jhalli lil Portsmouth biex jinghaqad ma’ Tottenham. Qabel mar Londra huwa kellu offerta minghand Newcastle li rrifjuta. Dakinhar kien qal li ma hassx li kellu jhalli lil Portsmouth anki b'rispett lejn il-plejers li hu kien ikkonvinca jiffirmaw ma' Pompey. Ma' Tottenham mexa b'mod differenti u l-offerta giet accettata.

"Tottenham huwa klabb specjali. Meta giet l-opportunita ma stajtx inhalliha tghaddi. Ghalija kien difficli hafna nhalli lil Portsmouth pero din kienet l-okkazjoni ta' hajjti...naf l-istorja tal-klabb, kont naf uhud mill-plejers...kien prattikament impossibbli nirrifjuta".

Staqsejtu jekk id-decizjoni tieghu tfissirx li ghalih Tottenham ghandom potenzjal akbar minn Newcastle. Qbilna li Newcastle huwa klabb kbir, izda ghal Redknapp, ir-risposta qieghda fil-klassifika.

"Jekk tara fejn qeghdin Tottenham illum u fejn qeghdin Newcastle, ir-risposta hija ovvja. Newcastle qeghdin f'inkwiet kbir". Redknapp jahseb li finalment ha l-ahjar decizjoni. "Irrifjutajt lil Newcastle u bqajt ma' Portsmouth fejn irbaht l-FA Cup. Imbaghad hassejt li wassalt lil Portsmouth sa fejn nista' nwassalhom. Kien wasal iz-zmien li niccaqlaq".

Min jaf kieku Redknapp ma qalx le lil Magpeis is-sitwazzjoni kinitx tkun bil-kontra?

Taht Redknapp ir-rizultati ta' Tottenham tjiebu mil-lejl ghan-nhar. Bhal f'hafna kazijiet ohra fejn kien hemm bidla fil-maniger hafna kritici ikkumentaw li l-bidla fir-rizultati kienet sempliciment rizultat tal-bidla tal-maniger infisha. Donnu l-maniger il-gdid ma jkollu ebda mertu hlief il-fatt li hu gdid. Ghamiltha cara li ma naqbilx ma’ din it-teorija u nemmen li la r-rizultati jkunu nbidlu, xi haga differenti tkun qed issir.

Redknapp qal li l-kunfidenza tilghab parti importanti hafna fl-andament tat-tim. Huwa stqarr li meta ha t-tim f'idejh sab grupp ta' plejers b'moral baxx u minghajr ebda kunfidenza fihom infushom.

Biex dahhlilhom il-fiducja fihom infushom ghamel xi haga li tista' tidher semplici u elementari. "Naf li tinstema' stupida izda hafna plejers ma kienux qed jilghabu fil-pozizzjoni taghhom. Tottenham kienu tim mimli plejers jilghabu f'pozizzjonijiet li m'humiex komdi fihom. Minhabba f'hekk qatt ma setghu ikunu kunfidenti u jaghtu l-ahjar taghhom. Tkellimt maghhom u biddilt il-pozizzjonijiet ta' certu plejers. Dawn mill-ewwwel irrispondew u r-rizultati bdew gejjin".

Redknapp qal ukoll li t-tim kien zbilancjat u hu hadem biex jirranga din il-problema. Dan il-bilanc wassal ghal aktar konsistenza u meta r-rizultati jibdew gejjin tibda gejja wkoll il-kunfidenza. "Dahhalt lil Lennon fit-tim, Modric beda jilghab ahjar u Ledley King irritorna minn injury. Meta jilghab King rari nitilfu. Sfortunatament ghandu l-problema ta' rkopptu izda meta ma laghabx emmint f'Dawson u dan irrisponda b'wirjiet kbar"

Ledley King ibati minn injuru f'irkopptu li ma thalliehx jilghab aktar minn loghoba wahda f'gimgha. Fil-fatt dan rari jittrenja u jghaddi l-granet bejn loghoba u ohra fil-pool, fis-sala tat-terapija u fil-gym. Il-mistoqsija fuq mohh kull partitarju ta' Tottenham hija jekk dan jistax jerga' lura ghan-normal.

Skond Redknapp dan mhux se jsehh. "Le. King qatt m'hu se jkun jista' jittrenja regolarment. Il-bierah (lejlet il-loghoba) kienet l-ewwel darba li rajnieh din il-gimgha. Meta johrog fit-training grawnd ikun jista' biss jaghmel fti jogging, stretching u affarijiet zghar ohra". Redknapp spjega kif ikun biss lejlet il-loghoba li jkun jaf jekk King hux se jkun tajjeb ghal-loghob, "...u wara kull loghoba rkopptu tkun id-doppju ta' li hi".

Id-diskors waqa' fuq iz-zewg plejers ta' Tottenham Robbie Keane u Luka Modric. Tkellimna kif dawn jibdlu l-pozizzjoni taghhom kontinwament waqt il-loghoba u kemm huma mportanti ghat-tim.

Redknapp qal li dawn huma, "...zewg plejers intelligenti hafna, jafu l-importanza tal-moviment bla ballun u jikkaverjaw hafna lil xulxin. Emmint li dawn iz-zewg plejers ikunu tajba hafna flimkien u qed ituni ragun".

Minn din id-diskussjoni fuq it-tattika tkellimna dwar il-manigers in generali u esprimejt id-dizappunt tieghi ghal kif il-midja tipprogetta lill-manigers barranin bhala tatticisti kbar fil-waqt li tpoggi lil manigers Inglizi f'qoffa wahda taht it-timbru ta' motivaturi. Hafna drabi il-manigers Inglizi jigu mpingija li jibbazaw il-loghoba fuq il-passjonin aktar milli fuq l-intelligenza tattika.

Redknapp ma jaqbel xejn ma dan u din il-generalizazzjoni ddejqu. Huwa jemmen li hemm hafna manigers Inglizi tajbin filwaqt li fil-parti l-kbira il-manigers barranin kienu fortunati.
"Hafna manigers barranin gew imexxu lit-tmijiet il-kbar li jispiccaw regolarment fl-ewwel erba’ postijiet. Dan jaghmlilhom il-hajja aktar facli. Kieku l-istess manigers titfaghhom fis-sitwazzjoni ta' West Bromich Albion nahseb isibuha difficli hafna u r-rizultati ma jkunux l-istess. Intenni li hawn hafna manigers Inglizi jew Brittanici tajbin u nixtieq li xi darba dawn il-manigers jinghataw cans mal-klabbs il-kbar"

La semmejna l-klabbs il-kbar staqsejtu x'jahseb li jonqoshom Tottenham biex ikunu tassew jistghu jiccalingjaw ghal post ma' ta' fuq. Redknapp jemmen li Tottenham ghandhom bzonn tnejn jew tlett plejers ohra fis-Sajf biex ikunu tassew tim tajjeb.

"Iridu jkunu plejers tajbin. Plejers li jinsabu fl-ahjar taghhom u mhux plejers b'potenzjal. Naf liema setturi irrid insahhah u naf lil min irrid". Bi tbissima Redknapp kompla, "...izda mhux se nghidlek min huma ghax lanqas lic-Chairman ghadni ma ghidt".

Redknapp rega' tkellem dwar il-bilanc fit-tim u qal li din il-problema indirizzaha bl-akkwsit ta' Wilson Palacios minghand Wigan. "Palacios jaghti kollox ghal flokk, huwa f'sahhtu, aggressiv u fl-istess hin kapaci jilghab il-ballun. Ghandu kollox u l-partitarji jhobbuh ghax jarawh jistinka".

Staqsejtu jekk Tottenham ghandhomx jistennew plejers ohra tast-tip ta' Palacios izda r-risposta kienet wahd diplomatika. "Hemm zewg setturi li rrid insahhah. Naf liema huma imma mhux iz-zmien li nisvelahom".

Minn Palacios Redknap mexa ghal plejers ohra u qalli kif fl-opinjoni tieghu il-progress li ghamel id-difensur laterali Assou Ekotto kien, "...inkredibbli... jaf li nemmen fih, nahdem mieghu kuljum, jaf li jekk jaghmel zball mhux bilfors se jitlef postu ghax nemmen fih...dan kollu mlieh bil-kunfidenza u l-fiducja fih innifsu. Ghal plejer m'hemm xejn aghar mill-fatt li jilghab bil-biza' li jekk jaghmel zball se jitlef postu" Redknapp qal ukoll li Ekotto qed jigi meghjun mil-pozizzjoni ta'Modric fuq il-linja.

Redknapp ghalaq billi kkummenta wkoll dwar il-gowlkiper Heurelho Gomes u kif dan rega' ghall-ahjar tieghu. Apparti l-kunfidenza Redknapp attribwixxa hafna mill-mertu lil Tony Parks li gie ngaggat bhala kowc tal-gowlkipers mill-istess Redknapp.

"Tony Parks ghamel bicca xoghol kbira. Jahdem ma' Gomes kuljum, jitkellem mieghu u jibnilu l-fiducja fih innifsu. Ir-rizultati qed jidhru". Il-forma ta' Gomes qed thalli lil Carlo Cudicini fuq il-bank. Redknapp qal li Cudicini mhux kuntent fuq il-bank u hu jiddispjacih hafna ghal dan il-gowlkiper. Izda l-wasla tal-gowlkiper Taljan ma’ Tottenham gabet il-kompetizzjoni ghal Gomes u, ironikament, Cudicini stess ghin lil Gomes isib il-forma tieghu u jzommu barra mit-tim.

Qabel hallejt lil Redknapp jitlaq ghal impenji ohra ma stajtx ma nsemmilux lil Michael Mifsud. Naf li Redknapp kien interessat li jiehu lill-internazzjonali Malti ma' Portsmouth u staqsejtu x'jahseb mic-cansijiet li xi darba naraw lil Mifsud fil-Premier League.

"Huwa plejer tajjeb hafna. Segwejtu meta kien ma' Coventry u nahseb li hu plejer ecitanti. Huwa plejer ta' talent kbir u ghandu l-velocita favur tieghu. Issa ghandu bzonn jghaddi minn fazi ta' konsistenza u minn hemm inkunu nistghu nibdew nitkellmu dwar il-Premier League. Nahseb jista' jghmilha. Kull ma jrid hu li tigi l-opportunita"

U b'dik il-laqta lokali ghalaqna d-diskussjoni taghna u Harry telaq ghal aktar laqghat. Min jaf? Forsi mar jitkellem mac-cermen ta' Tottenham biex itarraflu dawk l-ismijiet li s'issa zamm mistura.

2009-05-16T09:13:00.002+02:00

INTERVIEW WITH LUKA MODRIC

This interview appeared on www.guardian.co.uk

Luka Modric trots past the training pitch at Spurs Lodge with the air of a man who believes he belongs. His studs casually click-clack along the path. He knows his way around the place, nods to friendly faces, feels comfortable with his game. But it was not always thus.

Rewinding to the beginning of his English adventure, Modric recalls the bewilderment he felt as a new face, a signature signing, in a team that began falling to bits the moment the season kicked off. Tottenham failed to win a league game for the first two months. Mistakes ruled. Morale evaporated. The club – sold to him as a slice of the big time – instead felt crushed with worries.

Modric wondered whether he had made a poor choice in joining this troubled corner of the Premier League. During his final season at Dinamo Zagreb there had been abundant transfer speculation about Barcelona and Chelsea, but Tottenham's persistence, and willingness to spend £16.5m, had won the day. "It was very difficult for me because I didn't expect such a start," he admits. Difficult enough to feel like a mistake? "Soon I had that impression. I was thinking what could I do to improve things, and whether I might be partly to blame."

His waif's physique might suggest otherwise, but in character Modric is deceptively steely. Despite understandable doubts, he hung in there until the storm abated. "In spite of that start I never doubted myself, or that the results would change. Now we can see that it's better, and there is no more pressure. Of course it's much easier since we didn't have to think about relegation."

Tottenham are thinking in a much more positive direction. They are in the shake-up for the remaining Europa Cup slot for next season along with Fulham, West Ham and today's opponents at White Hart Lane, Manchester City. It might look like the clumsiest European competition ever created and prove to be a headache in disguise for managers, but players want to be in Europe. Modric is no exception.

The international stage makes him tick. It is when he talks about his experiences with Croatia that his personality, his passion, breaks out of its shell. His landmark appearance in the red-and-white-chequered shirt occurred in 2007 just a few miles round the North Circular at Wembley. As Croatia beat England, celebrated an historic double and secured their qualification to Euro 2008, it was clear that Modric had the ability to shine outside of his home nation on the biggest of stages.

"That was the game," Modric smiles. "Beforehand the important thing was [the coach] Slaven Bilic came to me and said, 'Luka, you have played so many good games you don't need to prove yourself to anybody today. Just be yourself. Don't feel under pressure and things will turn out the right way.' That's what happened."

The atmosphere in the away dressing room that night has stuck in his mind ever since. "Fenomenalno," he breezes. "It was a great feeling. Playing for Croatia means everything. It's completely different to playing for a club. So much more emotions. Because of all the bad things that were happening in the war we really, really appreciate playing for Croatia and we cannot wait to play another match."

Come the end of the season, Modric will rejoin his compatriots in trying to improve a World Cup qualification campaign that has turned upside down the fortunes. Now it is England who have the upper hand, while Croatia have it all to do.

Naturally, when Fabio Capello's team came away from Zagreb with a devastating 4–1 victory last September it was not so fenomenalno. You can imagine how challenging a time it was for Modric, coming as it did in the midst of Tottenham's blue period.

Modric sums up the transformation in England using only one word: Capello. "The players are more or less the same but the difference is the coach, who gave them the confidence they were missing. He is one of the best in the world who can achieve a lot.

"To be honest, we haven't started the campaign well and England have a big advantage at the moment. The most important game is the next one, in June against Ukraine, who are our main rival for second place. But we are still not giving up the possibility of being first. If we win every game and England have a bad result somewhere, it can happen."

Modric looks forward constantly. It is his reaction to a childhood scarred by the Balkan conflict of the 90s, which came with great personal loss when his grandfather was killed. It is something he is loth to rake over any more. "You can't forget, but you need to look to the future."

Football offered some normality for a boy who pinned posters of his idol, Zvonimir Boban, on his walls, and Modric practised as often as possible. "My parents still took me to training sessions, I played in the schoolyard and also in front of the house where we lived. So no problems," he says. Moving from the seaside at Zadar, where he had grown up, to the capital to join Dinamo Zagreb was a culture shock. But that was nothing compared to his next move, on loan to Zrinjski Mostar in Bosnia. It was a none too subtle manoeuvre by Dinamo designed to toughen the kid up. Suffice to say he went a boy and returned a man.

Modric grins bashfully. "I was 17. It really helped me because it is a very rough, tough league to play in. You get a lot of hits. The referees let many things go. The country is divided into the Serbian, Muslim and Croatian parts, so if you were a Croatian team going into one of the other parts, there was extra pressure from the fans and referees succumbed to that. Nobody was at liberty to break your leg but the tackles were very rough."

Obviously he would prefer his football to be more about technique than physique, but at the end of a season of adaption at Tottenham, Modric has shown the doubters that he can handle it. Only two outfield players have had more minutes on the pitch than him – Jonathan Woodgate and Vedran Corluka.

Brute strength was always the burning question with Modric, who admits there were times he feared his size would count against his aspirations. Notably, if you stood him side by side next to Lionel Messi, there is no question one is slighter than the other. Harry Redknapp sends Modric to the gym to develop his stamina, but also reckons he is stronger than he looks. "Luka has been brilliant. He is a special player and he's not a lightweight either. He has shown he can mix it with the big boys." Redknapp has said he wants to build his team around Modric. Next season will be a major one for the both of them.

"Overall I have adjusted very well here but I'm missing very much my friends in Croatia," Modric muses. "At the beginning it was strange coming to such a huge, huge city but I like to play here very much and I am settled here."

The next step is to experience some fenomenalno moments with Tottenham. "I think we are in a good position," he says. "It's difficult to predict if it will take a year or two but I don't think we are too far off. I am really looking forward to next season because I don't believe we can possibly have such a bad start again."

Modric was at the Kickz tournament, put on by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, in partnership with the Football Foundation and the Home Office's It Doesn't Have To Happen anti-knife crime campaign

2009-05-16T09:01:00.001+02:00

VIEW FROM THE PARKLANE

This article was written on 1 May 2009 and will be published in the next issue of The Cockerel

Thank you Harry. You did not just save Tottenham from the abyss of relegation, but you also gave us our Tottenham back. We may or we may not qualify for Europe this season but that is beside the point. The most important thing is that we now have a group of players who want to play for the team and for each other. Our players believe in the cause and want to play for their manager. The indifference, apathy and lack of direction we witnessed at the start of the season is now a distant memory.

Dear gaffer, I do not know whether to laugh or cry when I hear so called experts and (pseudo) football connoisseurs branding you tactically inept, plain lucky and nothing more than a motivator.

Like every other man in the business you will always have your critics. And like every other manager you will also commit mistakes. But those who say you are no tactician are missing the point. I do not have the space to delve deep into this argument but if people took time to analyse the interchanging of positions between Robbie Keane and Luka Modric, just to mention one example, they might change their mind.

The seemingly natural understanding between these two players and their continuous movement between the wing, central midfield and upfront gives us options. The way these two players move and play has given us a large degree of fluency that we did not have before. What we are seeing now is one of the most slick-moving, flexible and non-rigid teams we have seen in years.

Allow me to highlight Modric's intelligence and movement by making an audacious comparison. How many times have we heard that Steven Gerrard's natural position is just behind the striker and how he is “wasted” when played on the wing? This is certainly true. But one thing everyone seems to take for granted is that Gerrard cannot play both roles at the same time. The typically conservative English media does not even consider the concept and never poses the question. The possibility is not even contemplated. Well dear hacks, believe me, it is possible. How? Harry and Luka have the answer.

And what about Robbie Keane? According to Benitez he did not cut it at Liverpool. According to some critics he is now failing at Spurs because he is not producing the goals. Some are even stating that he gives nothing to Spurs and he should not be in the team.

Everyone is entitled to his opinion and here is mine. Benitez and Keane's critics are doing the same mistake. Robbie Keane is not just about goals. Robbie Keane means movement and application. He covers every blade of grass and works tirelessly for 90 minutes. He is there to build play, there to make that final through pass, there to defend and there to mark. No he has no definite position. You know why? Because Harry has asked him to cover every position and, to be honest, I can’t think of a lot of players who can or are willing to do that.

There is one question every Spurs follower should ask himself. Go back to the pre-Keane months and think about how many times we had the ball and the player in possession gave (or had to give) the ball away simply because he had no team mate near him with whom he could exchange and build play. How many times does that happen now? Much less I think. The team is now much better in possession. The reason is simple. Robbie Keane is always there to receive and pass.

Need I say more about Harry? Just a couple of other things. If ever testimony of Harry's impact was needed, just look at Assou Ekotto's improvement and the good link up play between left back and winger on both flanks.

It is of course not mission accomplished. The team needs strengthening and more balance. I am sure Harry has already started planning his summer purchases. In the meantime, thanks again Harry. I am pretty confident that it is now a case of onwards and upwards.

Mark Mizzi
29 April 2009
www.spursmalta.blogspot.com
maltayid1882@gmail.com

2009-03-26T21:57:00.002+01:00

STADIUM COSTS DOWN

Second Exhibition Announced

The Club is set to save £40m on the cost of the new stadium due to the global financial crisis, Spurs finance director Matthew Collecott has revealed.

Tottenham have proposals for a new stadium adjacent to White Hart Lane, with the full planning application for the Northumberland Development Project due in the next few months.

Spurs have so far been encouraged by the response of local residents to the proposals and there could now be good news over building costs.

"The stadium build cost has come down by about £40m because of a fall in the price of steel and cement," said Collecott. "People who want to do this project have greater availability than they did a year or so ago."

Collecott also feels the new stadium will lead to a positive impact on the surrounding area.

"Nobody else is going to pump £250million into this part of London," he added. "It doesn't take a genius to realise it's not the nicest area. It could be the start of much-needed regeneration for this part of north London."

Meanwhile, preliminary work on a new training complex in Enfiled will commence in April.

SECOND NORTHUMBERLAND PROJECT EXHIBITION

The Club has announced the dates for the second public exhibition as it continues to consult on plans for a world-class new stadium, a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and a vibrant mix of other uses including retail, restaurants and homes alongside important new public space.

The Club will be hosting its second public exhibition from the 2nd April to the 7th April 2009. Having received strong support for the plans at the first exhibition in November 2008, this new exhibition will present more detailed information and include new images.

Commenting on the announcement, Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur said:
"Over the last few months we have made significant progress with our plans, having had an overwhelmingly positive response to our first consultation.
"We believe these plans will further demonstrate the potential of this scheme to make this area more vibrant for the local community, as well as genuinely acting as a major catalyst for the regeneration of this part of the High Road.

"The second stage of our consultation will be another opportunity for the public to comment on our plans, as we present more detailed images and designs, and I hope many local residents and supporters will take the opportunity to visit the exhibition or view the information on our website."

2009-03-26T21:10:00.001+01:00

DUO LOANED OUT

Youngsters Yuri Berchiche and David Hutton have joined League One side Cheltenham on loan for one month.
Spanish defender Berchiche joined the Club in the summer of 2007 from Athletic Bilbao and has represented his country at both Under-17 and Under-18 levels. He has featured in four games for our Reserves this season.
Hutton has been capped by the Republic of Ireland at Under-15, 16, 18 and 19 levels and the winger has appeared on six occasions for our Reserve side this term, scoring once

2009-03-24T21:23:00.001+01:00

DANNY ROSE LOANED TO WATFORD

Danny Rose has joined Championship side Watford on loan for the rest of the season.
The attacking midfielder, 18, has recently returned from a long-term knee injury that ruled him out from September until March and has impressed in our last two reserve wins against Chelsea and West Brom.
An England youth regular, Danny joined us from Leeds United in July, 2007 and played 10 games for the reserves last season, scoring once.

2009-03-23T21:30:00.003+01:00

TOTTENHAM V CHELSEA 10-0

No, the score in the heading is not a mistake. Luka Modric's superb goal v Chelsea at the Lane on Saturday did not just give us a sweet tasting win over noveau-riche Chelsea. It did not only seriously dent our rivals' hopes of winning the Premiership. The 50th minute strike did not only put to rest the "Three Point Lane" myth spouted nontheless on Chelsea's official website. No it was not just all of this. Luka's goal was also the tenth goal we put past Chelsea in a week.

On Monday our reserve side beat the Blues 4-0 while on Saturday morning it was the U/18's turn to destroy the Chelsea counterparts 5-0. The stage was set for Saturday evening's senior game and Modric capped what was a marvelous week for the Spurs.

Here we reproduce reports of the three games. The reports are taken from www.spursodyssey.com- a Spurs website we highly reccommend.

Premier Reserve League South, Brisbane Road, Leyton

SPURS v CHELSEA 4(2)-0(0)

It was a chilly evening for the first of three games against London rivals Chelsea this week. Spurs fielded a near complete first team shadow squad led by the players from the bench at Villa.
Spurs lined up with Rocha and Gilberto at the back with Chimbonda at right back and Bale on the left. Huddlestone and Rose started in the centre of midfield with Bentley on the right side and Townsend on the left. Campbell and Pavlyuchenko started up front.
Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the north end using the pace of Townsend backed up by Bale to stretch the inexperienced visitors and provide crosses for the strikers. The young Blues players showed lots of energy to try and close down the Spurs players and Di Santo was put through but he hit his effort over. Spurs won a corner which was partially cleared to Bale who crossed to the far post where Chimbonda had stayed. He took one touch before hitting it low past Taylor in the goal.
Spurs had most of the possession throughout the game as they were stronger and more experienced than the visitors and it was mainly due to some slack play from them that gave Chelsea any chances at all as well as keeping the score down.
Townsend was released down the left and his cross was turned wide of the far post. Huddlestone released Bale and his cross was turned wide at the near post by Campbell. Taylor then saved from Rose before Mineiro tested Alnwick. Bentley took a free kick but hit it well over the bar. Stoch cut inside and fired over. Rose was doing a lot of chasing in the midfield and caught Mellis late shortly after being spoken to by the ref and was duly booked.
Pavlyuchenko held up the ball before playing Campbell in for a run at goal. Campbell out-paced Mancienne and lifted the ball over Taylor to increase the lead. Bale took the next free kick and forced Taylor into a good save. Taylor also saved the next free kick taken by Huddlestone. Alnwick saved from Borini for a corner and when the corner was taken Mancienne connected with a overhead kick which Alnwick saved for another corner. Bridcutt fired wide before Townsend had a chance that was saved.
There were no changes for the start of the second half and Spurs continued to dominate with Bentley firing a free kick from an acute angle that Taylor saved. Campbell set up Pavlyuchenko but he turned it wide of the goal. Mancienne had a long range effort go wide before Rose also went wide at the other end.
After Alnwick saved a free kick by Stoch Clive made two changes. Obika came on for the ineffective Bentley and went to the left side with Townsend crossing to the right. Livermore replaced the tiring Rose in the middle. Campbell was fouled on the edge of the area as he dribbled along the line which gave Huddlestone another Free kick chance. This time he beat the keeper to his right for a 3-0 lead.
Mineiro then got a yellow card for another foul on the lively Campbell. Huddlestone took the free kick and put it to the keepers left but Taylor saved it at the second attempt. Campbell changed places with Obika and got to the line on the left and tried to cross but Mancienne handled to concede a penalty. Pavlyuchenko took the kick and blasted it over the bar much to the relief of the Chelsea faithful in the stand.
After Nouble put his effort over the bar Allen made his last substitution - replacing Townsend with Bostock. Pavlyuchenko put a chance wide and Huddlestone was off target with the next free kick. Campbell drove wide before he won another penalty when he was played through on the right by Chimbonda and tripped by Philliskirk a yard inside the area. This time Campbell took the kick himself and put it to Taylor’s right for 4-0. In the last minute Van Aanholt was the unlucky player to get a yellow for trying to stop Campbell wide on the right. The last chance of the game fell to Nouble but Alnwick saved comfortably.
With such a strong side (Ed: Almost UEFA Cup proportions!)there was only going to be one winner and despite the half-hearted performances by Bentley and Pavlyuchenko the hard work put in by Campbell, Rose, Townsend and Bale had the visitors on the backfoot for much of the time with the rest of the defence having an easy time of it. Huddlestone had plenty of time to pick his passes and even used his weight to dispossess opponents a few times. This side may only have played to keep players sharp for the first team as there are no more midweek games but it did give Bale his first league win in a Spurs shirt. The four goals see Spurs go above Chelsea on goal difference as well. The next Chelsea game is on Saturday morning when the Academy side take them on, and some of the lads were in the crowd tonight. Next week the Reserves play West Brom at the Hawthorns.

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Premier Academy League, Chelsea Training ground

CHELSEA v SPURS 0(0) -5(2)

Despite it being a sunny morning, there was a slight chill in the air as I rolled into the plush new Chelsea training ground. I have to say that the pitch that was used today has flood-lighting and also seating for a couple of hundred. Unfortunately they did not supply a teamsheet. This may be of course be because some clubs refuse to provide them for their visitors as they have a tendency to pinch young players. Due to the delay in providing this report I have managed to find out the teams anyway.
Spurs lined up with Butcher and Caulker at the back with Smith on the right and Cox on the left side. Parrett and Kasim started in the centre of midfield with Byrne on the right and Hutton on the left. Mason supported Oyenuga up front.
Spurs defended the south end to our left in the first half and were put under pressure by the home side who closed down quickly, turning over the ball and preventing Spurs from getting their passing game going. Mellis fired into the side netting early on but most of the play was in a congested midfield as both sides fought to get control of the ball.
Spurs first chance fell to Mason who saw his effort saved by Heimann for a corner which he took and Oyenuga headed wide at the far post. Spurs broke the deadlock two minutes later when Oyenuga won the ball and advanced on the keeper hitting a rising drive. Heimann got his hands to the shot but it still found the net.
The Blues responded and Jansson saved from Taiwo's drive. Byrne provided a good cross for Oyenuga, but he could not get his effort on target. Jansson saved from Sala and Ahamed drove wide before Spurs increased their lead when Mason was played in by Kasim and fired the ball past Heimann. The keeper saved Mason’s next effort and Kasim fired over minutes later.
Chelsea had a chance to get back into the game when Taiwo and Gordon combined on the left to put in a cross that Clifford put over the bar from less than 6 yards. Ahamed fouled Mason just outside the area to be shown a yellow card but Mason fired the free kick wide of the goal. Oyenuga got through in the last minute of the half but the keeper saved his effort at the second attempt.
The home side started the second half strongly with Jansson saving from Sala and Taiwo drove wide coming in from the left and followed that by skewing the ball wide from the right side. After Mason hit the post, Spurs put the result beyond Chelsea reach by getting a third. Hutton dribbled into the area and was tripped by Ince to win a penalty. Mason took the kick and placed it to the keeper's right.
It had been a tough battle for most of the game and the ref began clamping down more as a frustrated Sala got booked for a challenge on Mason. Saville jumped highest to head wide from a free kick before the visitors increased their lead. Hutton got down the left and pulled the ball back for Parrett to drive low into the net from 25yards.
Oyenuga went into the book for a two footed tackle on Sala who then kicked him where it hurts! Taiwo followed him into the book when he stopped Smith’s run from deep. Smith did go down the flank and provide a good deep cross that Hutton failed to connect with at the far post.
Inglethorpe replaced Oyenuga with fit again M’Poku as he took a knock and also replaced Mason for the same reason with Kane. Parrett drove wide from distance before he gave way to Ekim. Phillip saw his effort saved by Jansson before Spurs put the icing on the cake with a fifth goal on 90 minutes. Kane supplied M’Poku who slipped a challenge and poked the ball passed the advancing keeper. Heimann still had to save from Hutton before the final whistle.
This was a good result after a shaky start as sides now try to knock Spurs out of their stride with a more physical approach that in the past would have seen them cave in. (Not this side though!) It may take them a little time, but they will continue to play a passing game. This was the second of a triple header against the Blues in a week and I had to get my skates on to see the last part at White Hart Lane. Next week the Academy side return to south London when they visit Fulham at Motspur Park. It will be interesting to see what side Clive puts out at the Hawthorns on Monday evening as only Bostock was missing from the academy line-up. He may continue to use players from the first team squad if they are not away on international duty.

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BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 (0) CHELSEA 0 (0)

Scorer:-Modric, 50
Attendance; - 36,034
Referee: - Mike Dean
Teams:-Spurs (4-4-2):- Gomes; Corluka, Woodgate, King, Ekotto; Lennon (sub Zokora, 90), Jenas, Palacios, Modric (sub O’Hara, 86); Keane (Capt.), Bent
Subs not used: - Cudicini; Dawson; Huddlestone, Bentley; Pavlyuchenko
Booked: - Palacios, Modric
Chelsea (4-3-2-1):- Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry (Capt.), Cole; Belletti (sub Quaresma, 61), Ballack, Lampard; Essien (sub Malouda, 76), Anelka; Drogba
Subs not used: - Hilario; Ivanovic, Mancienne; Di Santo, Kalou
Booked: - Belletti, Ballack

Spurs fans walked away from The Lane with their heads held high and broad grins on their faces, after their team beat Chelsea once again, and deservedly too! This was a magnificent team performance where every team member gave 100% effort, Aaron Lennon set up a great goal by Luka Modric, and Heurelho Gomes ensured the points were secured with some heroic saves towards the end of the game.
The win put Spurs into an overnight position of ninth in the Premier League, and also puts them on top of the form table after their last six games, in which they have won 4 and drawn 2 league games. Fears of relegation can surely be cast aside now, and Spurs can legitimately chase seventh place which might be enough to ensure a fourth consecutive season of European football. This week, Spurs have achieved a clean sweep over Chelsea at Reserve, Academy and Premier League level. The reserves won 4-0 on Monday night, and the Academy side won 5-0 at Cobham this morning. The chances of the first team getting the “treble” seemed remote, but the icing on the cake was obtained in style.
The game was delayed for half an hour due to a security alert, but Harry Redknapp fielded the same starting line-up as last week, with the exception of Vedran Corluka replacing Didier Zokora. There were some terrific individual performances worthy of mention, such as Jenas playing his best game of the season, tracking and nullifying Frank Lampard for the first hour of the game but also finding time to create and support attacking moves. Robbie Keane’s return to Spurs has surely been integral to our recent successes, and today, without scoring he played in the zone between Darren Bent and the midfield to brilliant effect, making many successful and skilful passes. Lennon tested Ashley Cole to the full, and after a tentative start, Luka Modric was at his awesome best, with the ball sticking to his feet as he weaved his way down the left channels, and sparked many attacks.
Chelsea’s midfield was set up with Ballack behind the driving force of Essien, with Belletti on the right, and Lampard towards the left. Anelka and Drogba took it in turns to play on the left flank or as the target man.
Spurs were more than holding their own from the outset, playing towards the vocal Park Lane supporters. Gomes made the first meaningful save though, getting down well to Essien’s drive, before stretching to prevent Belletti following up. Jenas responded for Spurs within a minute, after a Corluka cross was partly cleared and fell to his feet 25 yards out on the right side. Jenas let rip with a powerful shot that passed only just over the corner of Cech’s goal. After 17 minutes, Darren Bent headed on a long ball into the path of Robbie Keane, who tried a left foot shot to the narrow side of Cech’s goal. Cech was on guard though, but still had to concede a corner, from which Ledley King headed over.
After 24 minutes, Corluka picked up a Jenas interception, carried the ball forward passing to Keane who this time hit a shot from the right side of the box with his right foot – saved by Cech. A Chelsea ball crossed from the far left reached Belletti on the other side of the pitch, and the full back turned winger cut the ball back to Anelka, whose shot was pushed round by Gomes for a corner. Five minutes later, Modric took the ball out of defence, passing quickly to Palacios who also showed speed of thought and action, sending a quick ball to Robbie Keane who found Cech his equal again.
Ekotto was fouled and Modric took the Spurs free kick which Ledley headed to Cech. Ekotto picked up a poor Chelsea clearance following a Spurs corner, sending the ball down the line to Modric, whose cross was met by Darren Bent. Bent’s shot was outside the target, but Cech was unsure of his ground and dived to save anyway. Bent was subject to a late challenge from Belletti as he broke away, and Belletti got a yellow card for his trouble. The teams went in level at half-time, but Spurs had clearly been the better of the two sides, with Chelsea rarely threatening.
Within five minutes of the break, Spurs had a precious lead. Bosingwa has to take some of the blame, as he should have just shepherded a ball out of play when up against Modric. However, the right back chose to take the ball inside along the bye-line, before hitting a random clearance that was soon headed back by Woodgate towards Aaron Lennon. Lennon quickly cut the ball back for Modric who was now on the edge of the area towards the right side. Modric drilled a superb low shot that beat Cech low to his left leading to great celebrations in front of the North-east corner of the ground.
Spurs did still create a few openings, and it was inevitable that Chelsea were going to come after us, but I did feel that we sat back and allowed that to happen too much, rather than carry on playing with the confidence and panache that had been so present until the goal. Soon after we took the lead, Darren Bent raced onto a long ball, and took a little too long making his mind up what to do, before picking out a pass to Jenas, who shot wide. Ledley had another headed chance from a corner that had been won through the efforts of Keane and Modric. Keane then hit a fantastic long cross-field pass to Lennon, who crossed for Modric, when the Croatian hit his shot into the ground and up into the arms of Cech.
Belletti was replaced by Quaresma, and Lampard started to have a bit more influence on the game. He picked out Drogba, whose shot was saved for a corner. Jenas made a rare error in the middle and this allowed Anelka to pick up the ball and feed it to Lampard, whose shot was well wide and received laughter from the Spurs crowd. Going the other way though, Jenas made an incisive run through the middle, passing to Bent. Bent tried a pass to his right and the ball was blocked running back to Keane who tried a right foot curler that was only just wide.
Jenas conceded a free kick about 25 yards out, which was taken by Lampard. The kick was blocked by the wall, and then put wide by the Chelsea number 8. With fifteen minutes to go, Chelsea skipper John Terry was getting forward more and more, and was being allowed too much space. He hit a ball to Drogba, whose shot went wide across the goalmouth. Now Essien was replaced by Malouda. Palacios and Modric took bookings as the pressure mounted upon Spurs. After Modric’s yellow card Terry got on the end of the free kick, and his header was well saved by Gomes. Spurs broke down the right and Aaron Lennon had team-mates waiting for a killer ball, only to see the little winger sky his attempt to cross or shoot.
With ten minutes to go, Woodgate was harshly penalised just outside the box, but Ballack hit a kick over the goal by a distance. Ballack then saw yellow for a late challenge on Modric who had received a good ball from Keane. Modric was then replaced by Jamie O’Hara, and received a deserved standing ovation as he went off. Gomes patted out a header by Alex that had come down off the underside of the bar and in the dying seconds of four added minutes, the Spurs keeper also thwarted Malouda.
It is difficult to relay in words the great feeling of ecstasy that pervaded the stadium and its environs for a long time after the game. The fact is that Spurs have now put the old Chelsea hoodoo well behind them, and have beaten them in two of our last four meetings. Harry Redknapp has got the team playing as a unit in these last five games, and they are playing with skill and confidence. Magnificent Spurs need fear no-one!

2009-02-21T19:23:00.003+01:00

THE GREAT WILSON

This opinion piece by Philip Oliver is taken from www.spursodyssey.com- a website which we strongly recommend.

It was a home debut that stirred the fans. Energetic yet composed in possession, aggressive but disciplined; Wilson Palacios was the clear man-of-the-match against Arsenal and is already a favourite with the White Hart Lane faithful.

Harry Redknapp gave our Honduran recruit from Wigan Athletic quite a build-up and Palacios certainly delivered in his first home appearance. He bossed central midfield and did all the things his new boss said he would, with some extra things beside.

His hunger to win the ball is breath of fresh air in a team that has failed to screen the back four properly since Michael Carrick left the club in 2006. Palacios hunts the opponent with the ball down with such intensity that an easy pass is usually denied.

It is often said that tackling is a dying art form in the modern game, which is why Palacios is such a welcome addition. He is an expert in judging and timing tackles, conceding just four free kicks against Arsenal, although Harry will be keen to preserve his dynamism and aggression – the fact Palacios was suspended when we bought him endeared him to a manager frustrated by the soft centre of his squad.

However, Palacios is much more than a defensive midfielder who hassles opponents: his use of the ball on Sunday was excellent, misplacing just four of his 34 passes. He also tested Manuel Almunia with a rasping drive that suggests his shooting prowess is a league above that of his fellow midfield engine, Didier Zokora.

Palacios’ ease on the ball was surpassed by Jermaine Jenas, who found a white shirt with 41 of his 43 passes, the highest success rate of any midfielder on the pitch.
Unfortunately the two he misplaced, a simple five yard ball to Lennon after a first half burst into the Arsenal half and an ambitious floated cross-field switch to the same player in the closing stages, will stick in the fans’ minds.

It is this inconsistency at crucial stages with which Jenas frustrates, but it is clear that he know has the ideal foil to improve his own game and I hope Harry persists with the midfield axis he started the derby match with. Two games into his Tottenham career and Wilson Palacios is already a crowd favourite.

Written by Philip Oliver, a Tottenham Hotspur fan and a professional sports writer who blogs about football betting at Betfair.

2009-02-21T19:15:00.002+01:00

FIXTURE CHANGES

The following two Barclays Premier League matches in April have been selected for live television coverage and will now take place as below (all Kick offs Malta times)

Saturday 4 April - Blackburn Rovers (A) - will now kick-off at 1.45pm

Saturday 25 April - Manchester United (A) - will now kick-off at 6.30pm

2009-01-07T20:55:00.004+01:00

JERMAINE IS BACK

Jermain Defoe returned to White Hart Lane on Tuesday night then saw his former team respond to a half-time rollicking from Harry Redknapp to move within sight of a second Wembley appearance in 12 months.

Defoe milked the applause of the White Hart Lane faithful and admitted, on his return to Tottenham, that he never wanted to leave. Defoe was introduced to the crowd before last night's 4-1 win over Burnley and was taken aback by the response.
"It's great to be back," he said. "I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's hard to put it in words – it's brilliant. I had been looking forward to it all day.
"A number of things made me return. Obviously everyone knows the manager was a major factor; my family still live in London and the fans were a factor, too – you can tell by the reception I got.
"I never wanted to leave, but as a professional there comes a time when you think you need to move on. I did, in order to improve my England career. But I didn't want to go in the first place."

WELCOME BACK YIDDO !!!!!

2008-12-25T19:40:00.002+01:00

VIEW FROM THE PARK LANE

by Mark Mizzi

This article will be published in the next edition of "The Cockerel"

In my first article of this series Spurs were in deep crisis, had collected just two points and the future did not look good at all. In that piece I wrote that the Club should give Ramos more time to turn it round.

I am writing this article on Christmas day. Ramos was given some more time but results did not improve. He was sacked and Harry Redknapp was installed in his place. I got the news from our Secretary Alex Cilia who texted me at 6.30am!

Though I always advocate consistency, I don’t think the Club had an alternative. Ramos is a top coach but the simple fact is that it was not working for him in the Premiership. Yes he won us the League Cup, but league results were nothing to write home about.

It was crystal clear that Ramos had lost the dressing room and the players wanted a change. His message was not coming across and the players were baffled by some of the tactical decisions. The language barrier did not help and it was not that easy for Ramos to change things during games. His lack of fluent English prevented one to one communication with the players and man management was inexistent.

Redknapp is known to be a very good man manager and a great motivator. In a few weeks he has instilled confidence and belief in our players and results have changed. The transformation of error prone Heurelho Gomes and Michael Dawson from accidents waiting to happen to strong and reliable players exemplifies Redknapp’s man management skills.

The players are happier, they know their roles and want to play for the new gaffer. As one journalist once said, it’s doesn’t matter whether you are a great coach or not. What matters is that you make your players want to play for you. Harry has certainly achieved this and more.

At the time of writing we are still in the middle of a relegation battle and the team is still prone to mistakes that cost vital points. Gomes’ error against Fulham, the soft goal conceded against Everton at the Lane and the last minute undeserved defeat against Newcastle show that we are still work in progress. But progress there has been. Just ask Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United fans.

I was at the Park Lane for the Blackburn and Everton games. We won one and lost the other but the experience was still great. Harry is turning it around in the League, we are in the semi-final of the League Cup and in the knock-out stages of the UEFA Cup while the Club has announced plans for a new stadium. The Academy is also doing very well and some of the boys have had the chance to be in the first squad.

A disastrous season may still turn out to be a positive one. Much depends on the January transfer window. Our attack is still very weak and with a proven striker we will be challenging in the top half of the table.

Redknapp has also got to strengthen the defence. Ledley King is a fantastic player but he is chronically injured, does not train between games and every match is touch and go for him. I am not saying we should discard Ledley. He will always be the King of the Lane but top drawer cover is needed very urgently.

I have been saying that we need a top class holding midfielder for about three years. Redknapp has come in and the first thing he said was that the squad is not balanced and the team lacks strength in midfield.. Let’s hope that the Club listens to Harry and this post- Michael Carrick problem is solved once and for all.

In closing I want to say a couple of words about the new stadium. A round of applause to Daniel Levy for deciding to stay in the same area. I always believed that the area is the heart and soul of any club and moving away is just not right. Tottenham Hotspur FC would not be the same out of Tottenham. If anything, the new stadium will be closer to Northumberland Park and Tottenham Marshes where our beloved Spurs started gracing English football.

The new stadium will be adjacent to White Hart Lane. The location and designs will ensure that the Club is able to remain in the area even during construction. The change from the old to the new stadium will take place over the course of one season and at no stage will capacity be less than that of the current stadium.

Architecturally the stadium design looks fantastic. Being a traditionalist I have to say I am a bit sceptic about its general bowl shape. Square stadiums are the hallmark of English football but sadly they are disappearing. What encourages me is that, according to the Chairman and the design company, the stands will be distinct from each other. We have not seen any interior projections yet but what I am hoping for is a modern trendy stadium on the outside and an English traditional “squarish” stadium on the inside.

Till next time…Come On You Spurs

Mark Mizzi- 25 December 2008
maltayid1882@gmail.com
www.spursmalta.blogspot.com

2008-11-03T20:54:00.003+01:00

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR ANNOUNCE NEW STADIUM PLANS

The Club has recently announced plans for a new 60,000 seater stadium next to White Hart Lane. Here we reproduce excerpts from the official announcement as it appeared on the Club's official website

The Club is delighted to announce that, having concluded an extensive review of suitable sites and viable alternatives, its preferred stadium option is to remain at the Club's spiritual home in Tottenham - the option known to be the fans' favourite.

The existing 36,000 capacity stadium has remained unchanged for over a decade and the club is currently in the position of having 70,000 registered club members and a waiting list for season tickets of around 22,000 people.

The Club is preparing plans for a world class scheme incorporating a new stadium, Club museum, shops and homes, new facilities for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and important public space. The plans will enable the team to remain at the current site throughout construction.

Daniel Levy, Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club said:
"The Northumberland Development Project would deliver a world class scheme and substantial new investment for Haringey and our supporters. It represents a significant step in the growth of the Club, with a proposed stadium capacity of 60,000 and would provide state-of-the-art facilities, important public space, new jobs and homes and a significant boost for the local economy.
"It would also enable us to provide a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation so that its award winning programmes can continue and have an even greater impact in the local community.
"Tottenham Hotspur is proud of its roots in Haringey. We have been in the Borough for 126 years and the Club is inextricably linked with this part of London. We believe that this scheme has the potential to create a truly inspirational environment for the Club and the community as well as acting as the catalyst for the uplift of the wider area.
"We are at an early stage of what is part of our long term plans for the Club and now we want the views of local people and our fans. I hope people will take the time to look at our plans and let us have their comments."

Councillor George Meehan, Leader of Haringey Council, said:
"I am delighted that Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed its commitment to remain in our borough.
"We have always regarded Spurs as one of Haringey's prime assets. They bring major economic benefits to our borough and carry out some excellent community work through the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.
"But more than anything, Spurs has played an integral role in giving a sense of identity to the area it calls home. Tottenham would not be Tottenham without its football club.
"We have been working extremely hard to regenerate the Tottenham area, which suffered so much from industrial decline. Real progress is being made, and it is extremely pleasing that Spurs has demonstrated that they share our commitment to this continuing regeneration.
"But, as always, we will consider very carefully any plans that are submitted to us, as we strive to ensure that a new stadium delivers real benefits for all who live and work in the area."

The plans, which will be unveiled at the first public exhibition later this month, cover an area of around 20 acres including the site of the current ground and the adjacent industrial estate. The new stadium would be sited largely to the North of the existing one.

In policy terms, the area is within the 'Tottenham High Road Regeneration Corridor' and identified in the Haringey Unitary Development Plan (UDP) as a "major site for potential redevelopment" to act as a "catalyst for prime regeneration".

The transport infrastructure around the stadium is already in place, with 4 stations (White Hart Lane, Northumberland Park, Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale) and over 100 buses an hour serving the stadium area. Together these deliver a total capacity in excess of 90,000 passengers an hour.

On Friday 14 November, the Club will launch a special section of the website dedicated to our future plans. Please visit it at www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans to see the emerging plans and to let us have your comments.

Whilst we are at the beginning of a long process, should we receive the necessary planning permissions, preference will be given to existing season ticket holders and corporate customers to retain their status in a new stadium. Priority for any new season tickets will go to our One Hotspur Bronze members, who make up our season ticket waiting list. Any current season ticket holders who are interested in obtaining additional tickets for friends and/or family members in a new stadium will therefore need to ensure those individuals are signed up to the One Hotspur Bronze membership scheme.

2008-11-02T22:10:00.002+01:00

HARRY REDKNAPP FLOK JUANDE RAMOS

Dan l-artiklu gie pubblikat fuq "L-Orizzont" tal-Hamis 30 ta' Ottubru 2008

Fil-gimghat li ghaddew tkellimna dwar il-krizi ta’ Tottenham Hotspur. Dakinhar kont ghidt li l-aghar haga li setghu jaghmlu Tottenham kienet li jkeccu l-maniger u jergghu jibdew mil-gdid. Izda minn dakinhar ‘l hawn is-sitwazzjoni ggravat u fl-anniversarju tat-tkeccija ta’ Martin Jol u l-hatra ta’ Ramos, l-istess Ramos sab ruhu bla xoghol.

Il-partitarji ta’ Tottenham kienu qed jistennew xi haga ssehh. Is-sitwazzjoni kienet saret tali li l-affarijiet ma setghux jibqghu sejrin kif kienu. Kritici, gurnalisti u partitarji stennew li il-mannara kienet se taqa’ fuq ras id-Direttur tal-Futbol Damien Comolli. Comolli kien fil-mira tal-partitarji minhabba l-percezzjoni generali li dan falla fis-suq tat-trasferimenti u m’akkwistax dawk il-plejers mitluba minn Ramos.

Il-loghoba tal-Hadd li ghadda kontra Bolton kella tkun immarkata minn protesta tal-partitarji kontra c-cermen ta’ Tottenham Daniel Levy b’wiehed mill-appelli ppjanati jkun propju it-tkeccija ta’ Comolli. It-tkeccija ta’ Comolli ma kienet se tbiddel xejn fil-grawnd u dan Levy gharfu tajjeb. Huwa gharaf ukoll kif inehhi t-tapit minn taht saqajn il-partitarji billi bejn is-Sibt u l-Hadd mhux biss nehha lil Comolli izda wkoll lill-maniger Juande Ramos u l-assistenti tieghu Gus Poyet u Marcos Alvarez. Fil-ghodu il-partitarji ta’ Tottenham sebhu bl-ahbar li Harry Redknapp kien inhatar maniger gdid.

Levy ma waqafx hawn. Mal-hatra ta’ Redknapp huwa habbar li l-klabb kien se jmur lura lejn sistema tradizzjonali ta’ maniger Ingliz li jkun ukoll inkarigat mit-trasferimenti u hekk se jabbanduna s-sistema ta’ Direttur tal-Futbol li tant gabet antipatija mill-partitarji.

B’dawn id-decizjonjiet Levy laqat zewg ghasafar b’gebla wahda. Fuq naha agixxa b’mod li halla l-partitarji minghajr ebda skop jew lok ta’ protesta ghax tahom li riedu u fl-istess hin rega’ gibed is-simpatija tal-midja Ingliza li tant attakkat u kkritikat ‘il klabb taht it-tmexxija tieghu.

Ic-cermen ta’ Tottenham tkellem ukoll dwar it-trasferimenti u ammetta r-responsabbilita tal-klabb li ma rnexxielux jakkwista sostituti ta’ Keane u Berbatov

Levy nizel minn fuq il-pedestal tieghu u ghamel dak li riedu n-nies. Barra minn hekk lill-partitarji tahom maniger tan-nies. Redknapp huwa maniger li, f’sens metaforiku, jitkellem l-istess lingwa li jitkellmu l-partitarji u r-relazzjoni tieghu mal-midja hija wahda tajba. Bid-decizjonijiet tieghu Levy mar lura lejn il-bazi u se jerga’ jaghti laqta’ Ingliza lill-klabb li, bhal f’hafna klabbs ohra, kienet sparixxiet. Minn mira tal-kritici Levy sar bniedem li qed jerga’ jaghti cans lill-klassi tal-manigers Inglizi fi klabb ambizzjuz.

Izda x’wassal ghad-decizjoni ta’ Levy u shabu id-dirigenti ta’ Tottenham li sena biss wara li kkommettew ruhhom ghal wiehed mill-akbar kuntratti manigerjali fl-Ingilterra jiddeciedu li jnehhu lill-istess maniger u t-tim tekniku tieghu biex minfloku jahtru lil Redknapp? Hawn ta’ min jibda biex jghid li jekk il-hatra ta’ Redknapp kienet sorpriza ghal kulhadd, mhux hekk kienet ghall-istess Levy li fl-ewwel kummenti tieghu, qal li kien vicin li jakkwista l-firma ta’ Redknapp darbtejn ohra.

Il-karriera tal-manigers hija marbuta mar-rizultati u r-rizultati ghal Tottenham ma gewx. Fl-ewwel stagun tieghu ma’ Tottenham Ramos rebah il-League Cup izda l-forma fil-kampjonat ma tjiebet xejn minn dik li beda l-ahhar stagun tieghu ma’ Spurs Martin Jol. Mir-rebh tal-League Cup lil hawn Ramos rebah biss tlett loghobiet tal-kampjonat u dan ir-rekord negattiv ma setax iregi fi klabb li l-ambizzjoni tieghu hi li jiccalingja lill-ewwel erba’ timijiet.

Ir-ragunijiet ghal dawn ir-rizultati negattivi jistghu ikunu hafna. Wiehed irid jaghmilha cara li dan ma jfissirx li Ramos huwa maniger hazin. Bhal hafna ohrajn kont fahhart il-hatra ta’ Ramos ma’ Tottenham ghax il-kwalitajiet ta’ dan il-maniger huma indiskutibbli. Ramos huwa kowc b’kapacitajiet kbar imma l-avventura tieghu fl-Ingilterra ma hadmitx.

Kif qal Levy, dan ma kienx tort ta’ xi individwu izda tort kollettiv. Madanakollu fl-ahhar mill-ahhar il-maniger huwa responsabbli tar-rizultati. L-ideali hu li zzomm l-istess maniger, taghtih aktar zmien u thallih jasal fejn irid. Il-problema ta’ Tottenham hi li ma kellhomx aktar zmien, Tottenham ga tilfu punti prezzjuzi kontra timijiet li suppost qed jiggieldu kontra r-relegazzjoni u d-dirigenti ma setghux jibqghu b’idejhom fuq zaqqhom.

Il-kunfidenza tal-plejers ta’ Tottenham sparixxiet u l-plejers kellhom bzonn bidla biex almenu psikologikament jibdew pagna gdida. Din ma kinitx l-uniku problema. Bil-vantagg tar-retrospettiva kien car li l-plejers ma kinux kuntenti taht Ramos. Tajjeb kemm hu tajjeb Ramos, il-plejers ma riduhx u fl-ahhar mill-ahhar ghaddiet taghhom. Huma l-plejers li jaghmlu jew ikissru maniger. Bil od il-mod qed johrog car li uhud mill-plejers ta’ Tottenham imminnaw lil Ramos u anki tkellmu kontrih mad-dirigenza tal-klabb.

Kummenti ta’ plejers bhal David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas u Jonathan Woodgate hargu fil-berah dak li kienu qed jahsbu l-plejers ta’ Tottenham fid-dressing room. Il-messagg ta’ Ramos ma kienx qed jasal u tattikament hadd ma kien cert mir-rwol tieghu. Id-decizjonijiet ta’ Ramos li jaghmel bidliet numeruzi f’kull loghoba kemm fil-plejers u kemm fil-pozizzjonijiet taghhom kienu bdew jaghtu l-impressjoni li ma kienx jafx x’inhu l-ahjar tim tieghu u dan kompla hawwad il-plejers u ghaqqadhom kontrieh.

Dan kollu gie kkonfermat mill-atteggjament tal-assistent ta’ Ramos Gus Poyet li kellu l-inkarigu li jkun il-pont bejn il-maniger u l-plejers. Ghall-ewwel din is-sistema kienet qed tahdem izda meta l-plejers bdew iressqu l-ilmenti taghhom ma’ Poyet u dan ma kienx qed ikollu rispons pozittiv minghand Ramos, sab ruhu f’sitwazzjoni difficli. F’ghajnejn Ramos Poyet seta’ deher li qed imur kontrieh fil-waqt li f’ghajenjn il-plejers deher li mhux qed jaqdi dmiru u jwassal il-messagg taghhom lill-maniger.

Id-differenza fl-atteggjament ta’ Poyet kienet cara. Fejn qabel dejjem kien jitkellem b’mod li jidher spalla ma’ spalla ma’ Ramos, fl-ahhar gimghat beda joqghod lura u donnu ried juri li hu ma kienx parti mid-decizjonijiet li ma kinux qed jinzlu tajjeb mal-plejers.

Il-lingwa lanqas ghinet lil Ramos iwassal il-messagg tieghu kif xtaq. Ghalkemm Ramos kien imexxi t-tahrig bl-Ingliz hu ma kellux il-kmand tal-lingwa biex jwassal il-messagg li jrid b’kunfidenza u b’awtorita. Dan id-difett kien jidher aktar meta jkun irid ibiddel xi haga waqt il-loghobiet u sar aktar gravi meta Poyet beda jzomm pass lura anki fuq it-touchline biex ikompli jiskolpa ruhu mid-decizjonijiet ta’ Ramos. Dan kollu naqqas l-awtorita ta’ Ramos fuq il-plejers u, kif deher fl-ahhar gimghat, tellfu d-dressing room.

Il-mitstoqsija l-kbira issa hi fejn se jmorru Tottenham b’Redknapp. Bhal kollox l-ghazla ta’ Levy ghandha l-pozittiv u n-negattiv. F’dawn l-ahhar snin Tottenham kellhom plejers zghazagh li kulhadd stenna li se jsiru stilel kbar. Dawn mhux biss m’ghamlux progress izda uhud minnhom ghamlu rigress. Plejers bhal Lennon, Huddlestone, Bale, Zokora u Jenas m’ghamlu ebda progress notevoli fil-waqt li plejers bhal Michael Dawson u Paul Robinson ghamlu marru lura.

Min-naha l-ohra Harry Redknapp huwa maghruf li jiehu l-ahjar mill-plejers tieghu u jaf jizviluppa l-plejers. Il-paraguni huma odjuzi imma m’hemmx ezempju ahjar minn paragaun bejn Paul Robinson u David James li nghaqad ma’ Portsmouth u rega rebah il-flokk numru wiehed tat-tim nazzjonali Ngliz.

Harry Redknapp ghandu wkoll esperjenza kbira f’kull livell tal-futbol Ingliz u huwa motivatur kbir. Fis-sitwazzjoni kritika li jinsabu fiha fil-mument Spurs zgur li ghandhom bzonn kemm lil xi hadd li jaf tajjeb il-loghoba Ingliza u kif ukoll lil xi hadd li jista’ jgholli l-moral u jimmotiva l-plejers. Kien ovvju li Ramos, kemm minhabba n-nuqqas ta’ kmand komdu tal-lingwa u kemm minhabba li kien qed jigi imminat min-numru ta’ plejers, dan ma setax jaghmlu.

L-ammissjoni ta’ Ledley King li taht Redknapp il-plejers kien qishom nehhew balla minn fuq l-istonku u s-sodisfazzjoi tieghu ghax il-klabb hatar maniger Ingliz tghid kollox fuq kif kienu qed iharsu lejn Ramos il-plejers fl-ahhar gimghat.

Il-lingwa u l-konoxxenza tieghu tal-ambjent tal-futbol Ingliz tghin lil Redknapp ikun ahjar f’dak li huwa man management. Tghinu aktar ikun qrib il-plejers u jikkomunika ahjar maghhom biex b’hekk jiehu l-ahjar minnhom u jtihom il-kunfidenza li ghandhom bzonn. Ramos bata hafna f’dan l-aspett. Dan ix-xoghol pprova jaghmlu Poyet izda s-sistema ma hadmitx. Il-plejers iridu maniger biex ikellimhom direttament, jispirahom u jimmotivohom. Meta dan ix-xoghol jithalla f’idejn haddiehor l-awtorita u r-rispett jintilfu.

Redknapp se jgawdi wkoll mill-abbandun tas-sistema tad-Direttur tal-Football . Kif kelli l-okkazjoni nghid drabi ohra is-sistema ta’ Direttur tal-Futbol mhix wahda hazina izda wiehed irid joqghod attent hafan kif ihaddimha. Fil-klabb ta’ Tottenham tant ma hadmitx li fl-ahhar transfer window kien qed ikun Levy nnifsu li jmexxi l-parti l-kbira ta’ negozjati mal-plejers fil-waqt li Comolli thalla fil-genb. Comolli ngab ma’ Tottenham taht l-impressjoni li kien parti mportanti mit-tim ta’ nies li skoprew it-talenti zghazagh fi hdan il-klabb ta’ Arsenal izda wara kien sar maghruf li kemm dam ma’ Arsenal, l-uniku skoperta notevoli li kien ghamel kien Gael Clichy.

Minkejja dawn il-punti pozittivi il-hatra ta’ Redknapp tibqa’ riskjuza. Redknapp kellu success ma’ kull klabb li kien izda l-aspetattivi ta’ dawn il-klabbs qatt ma kienu kbar daqs dawk ta’ Tottenham. L-oghla objettivi li qatt kellu Redknapp kienu li jistabilixxi klabb fil-parti ta’ fuq tal-klassifika tal-Premiership. Minkejja li dan l-istagun huwa prattikament mitluf, il-miri ta’ Tottenham huma ferm oghla u l-pressjoni hija akbar ukoll.

Redknapp dejjem kien is-suggett tad-diskussjoni dwar jekk hux tajjeb biex imexxi klabb kbir jew le. Hemm min sahansitra xtaqu jmexxi t-tim nazzjonali Ngliz fil-waqt li ohrajn jahsbu li s-successi ta’ Redknapp huma relattivi ghax gew ma’ klabbs fejn l-ambizzjonijiet m’humiex kbar, il-bagit huwa limitat u l-pressjoni hi minima. Il-kritici jiddubitaw kemm dan il-maniger jista’ jaghmilha ma’ klabb kbir u kemm jista’ jkollu success ma’ plejers ta’ profil gholi.

Min naha tieghu Redknapp qal li ma setax jirrifjuta dan ic-cans. Huwa qal li ma’ Portsmouth il-finanzi kienu limitati wisq u hu ma setax iwassal ‘il klabb aktar minn fejn wasslu. Redknapp kompla li, minkejja l-pozizzjoni prekarja fil-klassifika, Tottenham huwa klabb kbir bi stejdjum kbir, bagit konsiderevoli u set up bhal tal-klabbs il-kbar. Fl-eta ta’ 61 sena dan kien l-ahhar cans ghal Redknapp biex jipprova lilu nnifsu fl-oghla livell. Ghalih it-test jibda issa.

2008-07-24T17:22:00.002+02:00

FAREWELL TEEMU

Finnish midfield battler Teemu Tainio has left us to join Sunderland.
The Finnish international, 28, has penned a three-year contract and is Roy Keane's first summer signing.
"Teemu has showed versatility, playing in different midfield positions for both Tottenham and his previous club, Auxerre," said Black Cats boss Keane.
"But his experience in particular and the fact he has played more than 40 international games shows he has a lot to offer Sunderland."
Keane is also interested in adding three more Spurs players to his squad.
Steed Malbranque, Younes Kaboul and Pascal Chimbonda have all spoken to the former Manchester United captain after a fee for all players was agreed with the Club.
Tainio joined us in 2005 and played in 83 League and Cup matches in his three seasons at White Hart Lane.

Good luck Teemu and thanks for the memories

2008-07-01T19:34:00.002+02:00

THE HUDD SIGNS ON

Tom Huddlestone has signed a new five-year contract, committing his future to the Club until 2013. The midfielder, called up to the full England squad for the end-of-season internationals against the USA and Trinidad and Tobago, made 43 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring four goals.

Tom also played a big part in the League Cup success at Wembley - coming on as substitute and forcing Wayne Bridge into the handball for the penalty that brought us back into the game.

Now 21, Tom has represented England from Under-15 level through to Under-21s and is one of the most experienced players in the current U21 squad - earning his 26th cap and scoring against Wales in May, 2008.

2008-07-01T19:30:00.002+02:00

MIRKO RANIERI JOINS THE ACADEMY

Italian 16 year old goalkeeper Mirko Ranieri has joined the Club from Perugia.

The 6ft 2" international has represented Italy at U/16 level. He will form part of the Spurs academy.

2008-06-27T18:18:00.007+02:00

GOMES DEAL AGREED WITH PSV

The Club has announced that we have reached agreement with PSV Eindhoven for the transfer of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to Spurs, subject to the player agreeing personal terms, passing a medical examination and obtaining his work permit.
The Brazilian international, was an ever-present member of PSV's title-winning squad last season, when he conceded only 24 goals in 34 league games.
He made his name at Cruzeiro in Brazil, debuting in 2002 before securing his move to Europe and PSV in 2004.
Since then, he has won four Dutch titles in succession with PSV, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2004-05.
Gomes will be no stranger to us Spurs fans - he was outstanding in our UEFA Cup Round of 16 matches against PSV last season when we were ousted on penalties.

Heurelho Gomes Profile

Heurelho da Silva Gomes was born on February 15, 1981 in João Pinheiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Club career

He started his career at Cruzeiro until moving to PSV Eindhoven in July 2004 after being scouted by Piet de Visser for the Dutch club, where he made his debut against FK Crvena Zvezda on August 11 of that year.

At first, there were critics, saying that Brazilians 'should be on the field, not in the goal'. In other words, there were doubts if Gomes was reliable enough. Those doubts were quickly erased. Even though he conceded two goals in his debut against RBC Roosendaal, which PSV won 5-2, he proved himself to be a reliable goalkeeper.

Gomes established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He played a major part in PSV's four latest consecutive titles in the Eredivisie and in the great European achievements. In his first season, PSV immediately reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where in the 14 attempts before, PSV wasn't able to reach the second round. In the following seasons, PSV progressed each time from the group stage.

In the Eredivisie, Gomes is known for his outstanding reflexes, which has saved points from PSV more than one time. Also his trademark throwing ability is well known. Gomes is able to throw the ball all the way deep into the opponents half. Also before the start of the match and second half, Gomes jumps up above the goal with his shoulders, pumping up the PSV-supporters.

Gomes is a crowd favorite at PSV. He can speak Portuguese and Spanish, but has learned to speak quite a few words of Dutch. Most Dutch-football fans can't understand why he isn't in the starting eleven of Brazil. Even though the rivalry between PSV,

Feyenoord and Ajax is intense, fans from rival clubs showed sympathy for the Brazilian. Most notably is his excessive cheering when his teammates score. In the match in Rotterdam against Feyenoord, Gomes injured himself after overcheering when his teammate Phillip Cocu scored the 1-0. Gomes was able to play further and even saved a point with a wonderful dive, which most goalies would find unstoppable.

Notable achievements

Gomes has achieved a lot since his stay at PSV. He held a clean sheet in 60 percent of his Eredivisie-matches. No other goalie has ever achieved that. In his first season, Gomes didn't concede a goal in 971 minutes. In the same season, Gomes had an another goalless streak. This time he didn't concede a goal in 817 minutes. In his third season, 2006-2007, he had again a notable streak. Gomes didn't concede in 956 minutes, which eventually played a huge part in PSV's surprise championship title. PSV won the Eredivisie 2006-07 title, after having the same amount of points as Ajax, but PSV finished first due to a better goal difference (+50, against +49 for Ajax). Even though those were very impressive stints, it wasn't enough to break the record of Heinz Stuy, who set the record in 1971 with 1082 minutes. Gomes did set a record, though. In the 2007-08 season, Gomes kept a clean sheet in his first 5 games.

International career

Gomes made his debut for Brazil in 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Although the competition is for senior national teams, Brazil chose to send an Under-23 squad to the competition. Gomes made 5 appearances as Brazil went to the final and finished second after being beaten by Mexico 1-0.

Despite being part of the Brazilian squad that won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, as the third-choice keeper behind Dida and Marcos, Gomes did not receive any playing time. He was also excluded from then coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's final 23-man roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

It wasn't until his inclusion on the team for a series of late-summer friendlies, as a consequence of new Brazil coach Dunga's desire to play many of the Seleção's younger stars, that Gomes has finally gained some consistent playing time in goal. On August 14, 2006, he was called up for a friendly against Norway, which ended in a 1-1 draw. On September 3, 2006, he played in Brazil's 3-0 defeat of rivals Argentina at Emirates Stadium in England. Two days later, Gomes kept a second consecutive clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over Wales at White Hart Lane. His latest stint between the sticks was during a 2-1 win over Ecuador on October 10, 2006.

2008-06-16T13:43:00.002+02:00

ROMA AT WHITE HART LANE

AS Roma, runners-up in this year's fiercely-contested Serie A title race, will be the guests for Spurs' final pre-season friendly of the summer.

The match will take place at White Hart Lane on Sunday 10 August 2008, kick-off 4pm (Malta time) and sees Ramos' boys face the likes of Christian Panuci, Alberto Alquilani, Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta - all in Italy's Euro 2008 squad - and renowned striker Francesco Totti, forced out of the tournament through injury.

Ticket prices will be £25 for West and East Stands, £20 for North and South Stands and £10 for concessions in all Stands. A booking fee of £1.00 per ticket will apply to all bookings. Tickets for this match will go on sale from 10.30am on Tuesday 17 June.

Please note that due to the ongoing renewals process no priority will be given to One Hotspur season ticket holders or members. All tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis. A maximum of 6 tickets per transaction can be purchased.

To buy your tickets to see this match please visit www.tottenhamhotspur.com or call the NEW TICKET HOTLINE on 0844 844 0102. Supporters are advised to book their tickets early for what is sure to be an extremely entertaining friendlY

2008-06-06T16:33:00.004+02:00

DOS SANTOS TO JOIN

The Club today announced that we have reached agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of Giovani dos Santos, subject to a medical and agreeing personal terms.

The 19-year-old Mexico international made 28 senior appearances for the Catalan club last season, scoring three goals, after displaying his credentials in the B team, where he made 27 appearances and netted five times.

It was his performances playing for his country at the FIFA World Under-17 Championships in 2005 that caught the attention of the Nou Camp side. Mexico emerged as winners in Peru and Giovani was named second best player in the tournament, while he was ranked in the top three players of the FIFA World Under-20 Championship staged in Canada in 2007.He has since been capped on five occasions by the full Mexico national team.

Earlier in the day Barcelona had also confirmed the deal on their official website. Barcelona stated that:

"The Mexican will sign for the club managed by Juande Ramos until June 30, 2013 for a fee of six million euros plus another five million depending on the player's appearances for the London club during his five-year contract.
"FC Barcelona also maintain 20% of the financial rights to any possible transfer of the player during his first two years of contract and 10% on any transfer from his new club, Tottenham Hotspur FC."

Dos Santos said: "I love Tottenham's plans, they are very ambitious.

"I know Juande Ramos and of all the offers I had, this was the most challenging from a sporting point of view."

DOS SANTOS PROFILE

Giovani dos Santos Ramírez (born May 11, 1989 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican attacking midfielder or forward, who plays for FC Barcelona and the Mexican national team. Dos Santos was a member of the Mexican National U-17 team that won the 2005 U-17 World Cup held in Peru.

Dos Santos is the son of a famous Brazilian football player Gerardo dos Santos, better known as "Zizinho", who played for the Mexican soccer clubs América and León in the late 1980s; Gio's mother, Liliana Ramírez is Mexican. Dos Santos has two brothers and two half-brothers, the older, Eder, currently plays for Socio Águila in the Primera División A as a defensive midfielder, and the younger Jonathan, plays for FC Barcelona, in the Juvenil A category.
Dos Santos' father is seen as the driving force behind his son's career, as he founded a school in Monterrey, named São Paulo in México, at which he coached his own, and many other, children.

In 2001, São Paulo participated in the Dallas Cup, a prestigious youth tournament in the USA, winning the U-12 category with Dos Santos as a member of the team. Zizinho decided that Dos Santos was ready to begin a professional career and was able to get him a trial with the Mexican first division team Club Monterrey, where he quickly progressed through the youth ranks to join their third division team.

During the FIFA U-17 World Championship 2005, Dos Santos managed to assist half of the goals of the Mexican team during the tournament, a fact that, combined with his abilities, awarded him the Adidas Silver Ball as the second best player of the tournament, finishing behind only the Brazilian Anderson.

After the U-17 title, Dos Santos returned to Barcelona and the Juvenil A category where he helped his team to make a comeback in the league and win the regional title. This title allowed them to participate in the Youth Copa del Rey, where they faced other regional champions, among them their historic arch-rivals, Real Madrid. Dos Santos once again played a significant role during the tournament and helped the team win the national title of the Juvenil A category.

In 2006, Dos Santos was invited on the pre-season tour of FC Barcelona's senior squad. During a friendly match on July 29, 2006 he scored in his senior team debut game against Danish club AGF Aarhus. Hugo Sánchez, the ex-manager of the Mexican national team, called on him for the first time for exhibition games against Panama and in early September. He made his debut against Panama on September 9, 2007.

In the U-20 World Cup Qualifiers he scored twice; once against St. Kitts and Nevis in the 86th minute and the second against Jamaica in the 56th minute. He was forced to sit out the last game against Costa Rica as he had received a yellow card in the previous match. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but Mexico still qualified, finishing top of the regional group.

During the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup Mexico was placed in Group C, where they were drawn against Gambia, Portugal, and New Zealand. On July 2, 2007, Dos Santos and the rest of the Mexico team played against Gambia and won 3-0, with Giovani opening the scoring in the second half with a superb volley into the top left-hand corner from outside of the box. Dos Santos then played against Portugal, where Mexico won 2-1, scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot. As Mexico had already qualified from the group, he was rested for the game against New Zealand. In the last-sixteen Mexico played against Congo, dos Santos returned to the starting line-up and yet again opened the scoring with a goal from the penalty spot in a match that Mexico won 3-0. In the quarter finals, Mexico were eliminated by Argentina, with a close fought game ending 1-0. Dos Santos was awarded the Adidas Bronze Ball, behind the Argentines, Sergio Aguero and Maximiliano Moralez.

During the summer of 2007, Dos Santos was once again invited to join Barcelona's senior squad on their pre-season tour. On August 29, 2007, Dos Santos received dual nationality and was included in the official first team squad. He made his competitive and league debut on September 2, 2007 during a 3-1 home win against Athletic Bilbao, coming on for Thierry Henry in the 62nd minute.

Dos Santos made his Champions League debut on September 19, 2007 during a 3-0 home win against Lyon. He came on as a substitute for Xavi in the 79th minute.

On May 17, 2008, Dos Santos scored a hat trick against Real Murcia, with a final score of 3-5, granting a victory to Barcelona on the team's last game of the 07-08.

2008-05-30T14:05:00.002+02:00

BOSTOCK AGREES TO SIGN

Tottenham Hotspur FC today announced that the Club has reached agreement with John Bostock to join us.

The 16-year-old midfielder was previously a schoolboy with Crystal Palace, making his First Team debut for the Eagles when he came on as a second-half substitute against Watford in October 2007.
He went on to make a further two starts as well as two appearances as a substitute for the Championship club.

Sporting Director Damien Comolli said: "We are very pleased that John has decided to join us. We know he has the talent but we also know he is only 16 and so we will not rush him. He will have time to develop and will be working within a very talented development squad".

Speaking after signing, John added: "I am definitely ready to make this move and Spurs is the team I wanted to join. I feel this is a club with a great future and this is where I want to be to develop my potential and improve as a player."

2008-05-28T12:58:00.025+02:00

End of Season Porchetta

A nice group of Malta Yids met for an end of season Porchetta at "Ic-Chief" in the limits of Siggiewi. The food on offer was the traditional Maltese "Ghagin il-Forn" and delicious pork ably and very patiently prepared by our host "Ic-Chief". The setting was a quite secluded farm house in the middle of nowhere and so, for once, we did not wake up any neighbours.

2008-05-26T19:57:00.003+02:00

GOALKEEPER COACH APPOINTED

Tottenham Hotspur FC have announced the appointment of Hans Leitert as first team goalkeeper coach. The 35-year-old will join the Club from Recreativo Huelva.

Born in Vienna, Austria, Leitert was the national team’s Under-21 goalkeeping coach for six years, as well as enjoying two seasons with Panathinaikos. As a player, Leitert represented his country at Under-18 and Under-21 level before a wrist injury forced him into retirement having been the youngest goalkeeper in the Austrian top-flight during his time with VfB Mödling.

He began his coaching career with his former club’s youth side before taking full-time coaching positions with Rapid Vienna and Austria Vienna.

Leitert, who holds a Master’s degree in Sports Science, has also been invited to speak at goalkeeping lectures on behalf of UEFA.

Perry Suckling will revert back to his role as Academy Goalkeeping Coach having ably stepped up to First Team duties since October, 2007.

Sporting Director Damien Comolli said: “We took a lot of care in our search for a new First Team goalkeeping coach. It is a crucial position at the Club, not only in terms of training and developing the First Team goalkeepers, but also because we have got a lot of quality and potential in goalkeepers of a younger age group - so it was a very important choice for us.

“We believe Hans will bring many qualities to the Club. He is a forward thinking coach who likes to employ new methods, a very enthusiastic individual who has lived and worked in different countries with different influences and has also worked with UEFA. He joins us with glowing references and an excellent reputation.

“Perry has done a fantastic job during his time with the First Team and I would like to thank him for his work. I know Juande has appreciated his commitment and efforts, but Perry’s passion lies with coaching younger goalkeepers- he was keen to return to his position within our Academy, that is a great ideal to have and we are delighted to have him at the Club.”

2008-05-02T09:17:00.004+02:00

BUFFET DINNER

Tottenham Hotspur Malta are organising a Buffet Dinner

on Friday 13 June at Il-Kastell Winebar in Tarxien.

The event will start at 8.30pm.

Tickets are on sale at Euros 24 for adults and Euros 12 for children between 5 and 12 years.

Menu

· Antipasto table with 10 different types of Salad.
· Baked pasta with pesto and meat ragu.
· Penne with green Pesto.
· Beef olives cooked in traditional Maltese sauce.
· Drumsticks with bacon and mushroom cream.
· Grilled fish Kebabs.
· Vegetables and potatoes of the day.
· Free flowing foreign wine, soft drinks and water.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL THE CLUB ON 21231192

2008-05-02T08:52:00.004+02:00

LUKA MODRIC TO SIGN

Tottenham have won the race to sign highly-rated Croatia midfielder Luka Modric for a fee believed to be £15.8million.
Spurs have agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old, who was reportedly courted by many of Europe's top sides, and he will leave Dinamo Zagreb to start a 6-year contract at White Hart Lane this summer subject to his passing a medical.

LUKA MODRIC PROFILE

Luka Modrić (born September 9, 1985 in Zadar, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Croatian football midfielder who currently plays for Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatia national team. Modrić agreed terms on 26 April 2008 to join Tottenham Hotspur for the start of the 2008–09 season. He was named the Prva HNL "Player of the Year" in 2007.

Club career

Dinamo Zagreb
Modrić signed for Dinamo Zagreb as a 16 year old in 2002, but after a season with the youth side was loaned out in 2003 to Zrinjski Mostar in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina where he quickly showed his potential, becoming Bosnian League Player of the Year while still just 18 years old. He later claimed that "someone who can play in the Bosnian league can play anywhere"[citation needed], referring to the physical nature of the Premier League. The following year he was loaned to Inter Zaprešić and played one season for them, helping them to second place in the league and gaining the Croatian Football Hope of the Year award in 2004, before being recalled Dinamo Zagreb in 2005.Such was the regard for his abilities, Modric was rewarded with a 10 year contract through to 2015.
At his team Dinamo Zagreb he usually plays as playmaker, on the left side of the field. His natural position is that of central midfielder and he plays as playmaker solely due to his capabilities to cover that role as well and to leave room for designated defensive midfielders in Dinamo's 4-2-3-1 formation. He uses both feet to play, and his biggest strength is his swift offensive positioning without the ball, as well as his great ability to read and react to the game well in many situations.

Tottenham Hotspur
Modrić agreed terms with Tottenham on April 26, 2008 subject to a medical and receiving a work permit.The player's contract is for a period of up to six years beginning in the summer of 2008.Tottenham have confirmed that the total fee to be paid is £16.5 million, equalling the club's record fee set by Darren Bent's move in 2007.

International career
Modric' performances earned him a call up for international duty, playing for the Croatian U-17, U-19 and under-21 teams, and soon progressed to his country's senior national team. He made his senior international debut in a friendly match against Argentina on March 1, 2006 in Basel, Switzerland. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany he made two substitute appearances in the group matches against Japan and Australia. He scored his first international goal in Croatia's 2-0 victory over Italy in a friendly match played on August 16, 2006 in Livorno.
Honours

Individual- Bosnian League Player of the Year: 2003 , Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2004, Croatian League’s Player of the Year: 2007[2]
Club (Dinamo Zagreb)- Croatian First Division League: 2006, 2007 , Croatian Super Cup: 2006, Croatian Cup: 2007

2008-04-11T08:54:00.003+02:00

LEDLEY KING SPEAKS
Here we reproduce an interview with our captain Ledley King which appeared on http://www.myfreesport.co.uk/. Enjoy:

You really upset the odds in the Carling Cup Final, has it sunk it yet?
Yeah it has to be honest. It came and went so quickly because we had so many league and UEFA Cup games around that time, so there wasn't really time to dwell on it. When you play a team like Chelsea in a final you know you're going to have to be at your best. We went in as underdogs and that took a bit of pressure off of us. We were able to relax and just give it our all.
A lot of the players hadn't won anything before or even played in a final so the dressing room was an emotional place afterwards, but I think that's what gave us that extra determination to win. For me personally, with the season that I've had with injuries, the chance to come back and play at Wembley and then to win was like a dream.

Were there times you thought you'd never have a moment like that?
Yeah maybe, I've been playing for a long time now. The last time I played in a final (the 2002 League Cup final defeat to Blackburn) I was only 21 and at that age you take it for granted that these things will come round again quickly. But I ended up having to wait six years to play in my next final.

How knackering was it walking up all those steps having played two hours of football?
It was tough! Maybe one of the toughest parts of the day (laughs)! It seemed like those steps were going to go on forever, but knowing that when you get to the top you'll be picking up a trophy certainly helps.

How much of that Carling Cup success is down to Juande Ramos?
Without wanting to take anything away from Martin Jol, a lot of it. The new manager has come in and when you look at what he was able to win with Sevilla; back-to-back UEFA Cups and domestic trophies in Spain, you obviously know that you've got a manager who's a winner. That has really has rubbed off on the team, all of a sudden there is a belief that we can win things and that really helped us against Chelsea. His knowledge and reading of the game are superb; he always knows what needs to be done to beat the opposition.

How's his English coming along, does he shout at the players in English yet?
He's quite calm. His emphasis is more on hard work than shouting and being aggressive, so he doesn't shout too much. His English has improved a lot in the short time he's been here, I've been impressed. But with Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez (Spurs' new fitness coach) both speaking really good English anyway there really hasn't been any problem at all.

A lot has been said about the changes to the players' diets and training under the new manager. What have the main differences actually been?
I think the press have maybe gone a little bit over the top about it all. When he first arrived he had us working very hard, we started off with double sessions with a lot of running and clearly his first thoughts when he arrived were to make us a lot fitter. Some of the food that we eat has been changed but it wasn't as severe as has been documented in some places. It's been more subtle changes really.

Will you miss all the Jaffa Cakes?
If the manager says he wants us to cut things out we'll give it a try and we're certainly not complaining at the moment. There used to be a few Jaffa Cakes laying about but I'm sure other teams still have them. But we all want to be the best players we can be and the changes in the diet seem to be helping.

How does he differ to Martin Jol?
There are some similarities. Both of them like the team to get the ball down and play, you can see that from how we've played over the last few years, but now there's that extra emphasis on our fitness and our diet. I think we've always had good players, we finished fifth in the last two seasons so Martin Jol was obviously doing something right. We're growing up as a group of players and we're starting to realise that we need to reach our potential. With the manager's help, along with Gus and Marcos, we're looking to move to the next level. Sometimes you just need a bit of change to do that.

And where is that next level?
The top four is definitely what we have to look at. Me and the rest of the players are all desperate to play in the Champions League, that's our dream and we still see that as the next step. At the same time we want to have more cup runs and win more trophies but we need to be a lot more consistent to achieve that.

Ah, the ‘c' word. Is consistency the key to breaking the ‘Big Four' then?
Definitely. We've proven that we're a talented side and that on our day we can beat the top teams, so it really boils down to being able to grind out the results every week and build the points to be able to challenge the top sides all season. We aren't that far away from it, we've got a good squad and I think we'll probably strengthen again in the summer.

How important is it to keep Dimitar Berbatov? How good is he?
He's a top player, one of the best about at the moment. It goes without saying that you don't want to lose your top players and I think us having just won a trophy might just give him the belief that we might be going places. I think the way he plays sometimes gets misconstrued as sulking, but that's just him. He's a quiet player but he's very passionate about his football. I've played with some very good players over the years but I think his touch is possibly the best I've seen. The way he pulls the ball down out of the air is incredible. You can play him a bad ball and he can make it look good. I'm sure the club will be doing everything they can to keep hold of him.

How much of a boost was it that Fabio Capello picked you in his first England squad so soon after your initial comeback from injury?
It was a huge boost. It was actually a little bit catch 22 because, although I was back playing, I still didn't feel that I was right with my knee and I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to train. But it was great to know I was in his thoughts after only a couple of games. I'm desperate to play for England but at the moment I'm still searching for the consistency of playing games every week. I want to make sure I'm 100% before I start to really think about England again.

You've obviously had more than your share of time on the treatment table. Can you explain to us exactly what the latest problem has been?
I was playing on an injured knee for a few seasons, but at the time it didn't really seem like a major problem. Gradually I just made it worse and when I eventually did have the operation it was maybe a little bit more complex than it should have been. I always want to play if I feel I can and at the time the injury was there but I could play through it. I made the decision to keep playing until I really had to have the operation.

How frustrating is it not to be able to play week in, week out? At what stage do you hope/expect to be able to play twice a week again?
As a player when you've been out for six months what you really need are matches in order to get back to full fitness and consistency, so it's been difficult playing one game and then missing out in the next three. I'm still searching for that fitness because I'm not playing week in week out but we had important games that I really wanted to play in and I felt that if I could get myself right for certain games it would help the team.
I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back playing twice a week again. Now my main aim is to prepare myself for next season and do everything possible to ensure that I don't have any problems next year.

There have been rumours that you may even be forced to retire due to your injuries, is there any truth in this? Does this get you down or give you determination to prove the doubters wrong?
I've read a lot of stories about my situation over the last few weeks but I honestly believe that when I do finally get it all right there won't be any more problems in the future. It's just talk. I've heard it but I have no idea where it came from. It's never nice to read stuff like that about yourself but I don't feel like I have to prove anything to anyone, all I want to do is play football. I'm not retiring, let's put it that way.

2008-04-10T08:45:00.002+02:00

NORWICH FRIENDLY

Spurs will travel to Championship side Norwich City for a pre-season friendly on Monday, July 28. Kick-off at Carrow Road will be at 8.45pm.
Tickets are priced at Adults £12, OAP/Under 21 £7, Under 12's £3 and our fans can buy tickets direct from Norwich - contact the Carrow Road Ticket Office on 0870 444 1902.
Tickets to all supporters go on sale.

2008-04-05T19:34:00.001+02:00

EDITORIAL

This Editorial will appeal in the next issue of The Cockerel

Thank you Tottenham. Thank you for finally rewarding our loyal support with a trophy. Some may see the Carling Cup as the lesser of the priorities. In a way it is. But after our disastrous start to the season it represented the only gateway to Europe. Our road to the first silverware in nine years also made this cup extra special as we destroyed our biggest rivals Arsenal in the semi-final and then outclassed the other fierce London rivals Chelsea in the final itself.

I was lucky enough to be at Wembley. Allow me to use this space to thank my friends Sandro and Peter from Melita Cable, without the help of whom I would not have got my hands on a ticket. The rest of the Maltese contingent got their tickets through the Malta Football Association. The Club did its best to accommodate the biggest number of requests possible but tickets were in very short supply and unfortunately we had to disappoint a large number of Members. As many of you know we received no ticket allocation from THFC. A detailed explanation about the reasons behind the lack of tickets can be found on www.spursmalta.blogspot.com

Is the season over now? Yes and no. We are in Europe, safe from relegation and will not get near a Champions League place. There is a danger of our players switching to holiday mode but I believe Juande Ramos and Gus Poyet will not allow this to happen. Our coaching team will use the remaining weeks of the season to assess the players and build a clear idea of who will be with us next season and what reinforcements we need to sign. Ramos may also decide to give some playing time to young promising players like Taarabt and Pekhart.

There is also the small matter of trying to finish above West Ham in the final table.

Thank you Nenu. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Carmelo Debattista’s stint as President of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club Malta. Nenu, as he is affectionately known among friends, has been at the heart of our supporters club since its inception. He has literally dedicated his life to Spurs and the Tottenham fan base in Malta. Nenu can always be found at our club premises in St Frederick Street, Valletta. If he is not behind the bar, he will be in our committee room cleaning or organizing our memorabilia collection, sorting the post or updating our members’ data.

A special word of thanks should also go to Nenu’s better half Carmen who has always supported her husband and our Club. So thank you both of you and may you keep he Spurs flag flying high for many years to come.

Enjoy this edition of The Cockerel and don’t forget to log on to www.spursmalta.blogspot.com. Please also find time to visit our Club for a drink or a chat with fellow Spurs fans.

Mark Mizzi
March 2008

2008-04-05T19:31:00.001+02:00

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORT

This year’s A.G.M. was held at the Club’s premises on Sunday 20th January. The meeting, which was very well attended, commenced at 9.30 a.m.

Club Secretary Mr. Alex Cilia read the minutes of the previous meeting and after some interventions from the floor, the minutes were approved by the Members who were present for the previous meeting. Mr. Cilia then read out a detailed administrative report in which he highlighted how the committee felt disheartened by the fact that we have had to cancel a number of events due to the lack of participation from members.

Club treasurer Mr. Godwin Cilia then reported in detail about the Club’s finances. Mr. Cilia pointed out that the club’s financial status is still healthy even though we had less paying Members. This report was greeted with a round of applause.

Word then passed to Club President Mr. Carmel Debattista who started his address by stating that it was the Committee’s priority is to see the Club developing a bigger supporters’ base. Mr Debattista said that digital cable television has been installed at the Club and Members and supporters can follow Spurs at our premises. The President said that he would like to see more members making use of these facilities.

Mr Debattista said that the committee has managed to get a better sponsorship deal with Farsons Co. Ltd.. There were also positive reactions about the organisation of the sixth consecutive darts tournament. The President said that the competitors were all pleased with the organisation of this tournament and one of the competitors has promised to sponsor the club in order to double the prizes of the next competition.

Mr. Debattista went on to talk about the daily running of the club saying that although there is a number of Members who visit the club regularly, he would like to see more faces as this serves as an incentive to the committee. Mr Debattista continued his speech by mentioning the difficulties that the Committee is facing regarding the publishing of The Cockerel. A number of Members offered their help and promised to pass on some material for the magazine.

Mr. Debattista concluded his speech by thanking all those present for their effort to attend.

At this point there were other interventions from the floor and one of the Members asked about the possibility of the Club voicing its opinion on the local media. The Club Secretary replied that the Club already does so when invited to participate on football talk shows. He also invited Members to participate when such occasions arise and two Members expressed their wish to do so.

The meeting ended with the election of the new Committee. Since there were no new nominations there was no need for an election and last year’s Committee was confirmed for this year.

The 2008 Committee

President – Mr. Carmel Debattista.
Secretary – Mr. Alex Cilia.
Treasurer – Mr. Godwin Cilia.
Vice-President – Edward Ciantar.
Vice-Secretary – Mr. Vincent Piccinino.
Vice-Treasurer – Mr. David Zerafa.
Club Directors – Mr. Julian Saliba, Mr. Nicholas Saliba.
P.R.O. and Media Officers – Mr. Ray Mifsud, Mr. Lino Bartolo, Mr. Mark Mizzi.
Advertising Officers – Mr. Jimmy Portelli, Mr. Tony Zammit.
Gozo Delegate – Mr. Mark Mizzi.
Spiritual Director – Fr. Joe Bonnici O. P.
Legal Advisor – Dr. Stephania Zerafa.
Editorial Board –

Mr. Mark Mizzi, Mr. Alex Cilia, Mr. CarmeL Debattista, Mr. Vince Piccinino, Mr. Tony Zammit, Mr. Simon Bonnett.
Honorary Presidents –

Mr. Justice Dr. Joe Azzopardi, Mr. Salvinu Muscat, Mr. Norman Vella, Mr. Norbert Gingell, Mr. Frank Cauchi, Mr. Herbert Azzopardi and Mr. Alfred Cachia.

Auditors –

Mr. Alfred Cachia, Mr. Simon Bonnett

2008-04-02T10:21:00.001+02:00

GOING DUTCH IN SUMMER

Tottenham will take part in the 'Feyenoord Jubileum Tournament' celebrating the Dutch club's centenary in Rotterdam in August.

Feyenoord have invited the clubs they have faced in European finals to the tournament - Spurs, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund. Tottenham will play two matches with the opener on Friday, August 1 and the second game on Sunday, August 3. The draw for the tournament and ticket details will be announced at a later date.

Sporting director, Damien Comolli, commented: "The tournament is prestigious and will provide perfect pre-season competition for us. We like the format of playing two games in three days against top class opposition with differing styles, which will also be suited to our UEFA Cup preparations.

"We shall be entering the final two weeks of our preparations and Juande plans to build up our pre-season gradually against differing opponents. The teams we will be facing begin their own seasons before we do so this will ensure the games have a competitive edge to them, played in an excellent stadium."

Tottenham played Feyenoord in the final of the UEFA Cup in 1974. Feyenoord took on Celtic in the European Cup Final of 1970 and Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Cup final of 2002. They won all three finals.

2008-03-01T12:19:00.009+01:00

BACK FROM WEMBLEY.... AS WINNERS

I have just returned home from London and have now started to recover from the big hangover. I finally have some time to update this blog...this time as a winner. Yes- as Gus Poyet put it...we are now winners. No more "we played very well BUT...". No more BUTS- We faced Chelsea in the League Cup final and outplayed them. We swept them off the park to come from behind and WIN.

What a day it was. There was a nice group of Maltese yiddos in London. The majority of them had to pick up their tickets from Wembley stadium so they left the hotel a bit early. Me and Simon, had our tickets in hand and could take a more "relaxed" approach to the final. At about 11.00am we left for Baker Street where we had agreed to meet some fellow yids. Hoswever The Globe Pub had been taken over by Chelsea fans and the yids had sought alternative "warming up" venues.

Another Spurs fan informed us that a large group of yids had taken over The Torch pub near Wembley. We didn't need any convincing and quickly made our way to Wembley. As soon as we got out of Wembley Park station we were met by the impressive and fantastic view of Wembley Stadium and the famous arch dominating the North London skyline.

But Wembley could wait...our planned first port of call was The Torch. We did not take long to find it..."just follow the white shirts" we were told and we duly obliged. We will never regret it. The Torch was swamped with Spurs die hards drinking and singing on chairs, tables and other makeshift platforms. We soon joined in the fray and spend the best part of three hours singing our hearts out. It was like one big family...a proud Tottenham family.

We made our way to Wembley about 30 minutes before kick-off. The walk along Wembley way makes your heart beat faster so imagine what we felt when we stepped into the stadium to be greeted by a sea of flag-waving and chanting Spurs supporters. The scene was surreal and became more so when the players came out on the pitch....COME ON YOU SPURS, COME ON YOU SPURS, COME ON YOU SPURS!

What a game! We out-paced, out-classed and out-witted Chelsea to emerge 2-1 winners over a supposedly much stronger side. All the boys deserve special praise but most of the credit has to go to Juande Ramos. His game plan and substitutions made the difference and, thanks to the Spaniard, we are back amongst the winners. JUANDE RAMOS' BLUE AND WHITE ARMY!

The final whistles brought tears to my eyes...and thousands of others. I couldn't believe it...when Ledley and Robbie lifted the cup I finally understood what the word "heaven" means.

After the game we met our fellow Maltese yids and made our way to the Bricklayers near White Hart Lane. There we celebrated till very very late but it was not over yet. When we got back to our hotel we found a group of Norvegian Spurs watching a repeat of the game in the hotel lobby. I don't think I have to say what happened then. Let's just say that the hotel staff were not very happy with the not so silent and tranquil atmosphere...but very happy with the beer sales.

The memory will be with us for ever. There were so many proud moments- approaching Wembley, Berbatov's "COME ON! COME ON" after he equalised, Woody's goal, King going up for the cup, Zokora doing his dance routine, Keane crying his eyes out with joy, Keane and Boateng showering Ramos with champaigne, invading Liverpool Street Train Station and singing TOTTENHAM TILL I DIE...I could go on for ever.

But one last thing I want to say is THANK YOU MR LEVY FOR GOING FOR THE BEST AND GETTING THE BEST- JUANDE RAMOS YOU ARE ALREADY LEGEND.

Here are some pics and a video...more will follow later on:

2008-03-01T11:49:00.002+01:00

MIKE KING WRITES FROM THE UK

Dear Mark,

Thanks once again for another interesting edition of The Cockerel. I have been an International member of the club for many years and although I have not been able to visit in recent years, I always cherish some great memories of my times at the club. .

In December last year my Father Vic and myself were treated as guests of the club for a match day feast and hosting for the match vs. Birmingham. We were celebrating my father's 90th birthday and it was fantastic to shake hands with Pat Jennings, Cliff Jones, Martin Peters and many others. We had a great day, I will try and send a photo sometime, though I am having problems downloading them at the moment.

I hope you all have a wonderful day on Sunday for the Carling Cup Final, have a drink for me!. An old work colleague of mine, Nick Creak, may be calling in to say hello. Despite him supporting that other lot from North London, I assured him he would receive a warm welcome, let's face it why should we hold a 5 . 1 win against him!! He is running in the Malta Half Marathon, real fans run a full marathon!

Please say hello to everyone at the club for me.

Best Wishes,

Mike King

2008-02-07T16:49:00.000+01:00

MORE ABOUT LEAGUE CUP FINAL TICKETS

We are herewith repruducing correspondence from Ms Diane Smith (ONE HOTSPUR) and Mr. Paul Barber, Executive Director (THFC) about the lack of allocation of cup final tickets to supporters clubs.

Dear Supporters’ Clubs

We are pleased to provide the following update to questions some Supporters’ Clubs have raised in response to Paul Barber’s letter to you at the end of last week.

Regards,

Diane Smith, One Hotspur

Dear Supporters’ Club

Further to my letter to you last week, I am pleased to update you further on your various queries concerning our decision not to allocate Carling Cup Final tickets to Supporters’ Club and, for the benefit of all Supporters’ Club branches, to reiterate or clarify one or two points that have been raised in various e-mail exchanges with either myself or Diane Smith directly.

Supporters’ Clubs were not guaranteed or promised an allocation of tickets to any Cup Final the Club may have reached during the 2007/8 season. Ticket allocations for all matches are always subject to availability - and particularly so for Cup Finals where the Club’s ticket allocation will be varied depending on the competition owner’s regulations, the event itself and the venue (none of which we control).

Since our appearances at previous League Cup Finals in 1999 and 2002, season ticket, Club membership and Executive membership numbers have grown considerably. Those events were also held at different venues (to each other and indeed this month’s new venue) and the Club was subject to different ticket allocation levels and competition regulations.

All Supporters’ Club members are required to be One Hotspur members. We are however aware that some Supporters’ Clubs have advertised higher numbers of members than those that are registered as One Hotspur members with the Club itself. (We do not know why this is).

One Hotspur members, affiliated to Supporters’ Club branches are entitled to (and do frequently) purchase tickets directly from the Club when they are available and as such those individuals will have accrued loyalty points in the normal way. It has therefore been possible for Supporters’ Club members to apply for tickets to a variety of matches both as a direct One Hotspur member and as a member of a Supporters’ Club, where they will have secured priority access.

All records for Supporters’ Clubs going back to the start of the loyalty point scheme are intact (they have not been destroyed). Loyalty points have been accrued to the Supporters’ Club through combined ticket purchases for their members in each season. In order to be fair, and given that many different members may have accumulated the points for attending different matches at different times and may not have been members throughout the period, those points can only be averaged across current group members.

Diane Smith and her team have worked tirelessly in recent days to check all records and to ensure that Clubs have been credited with the loyalty points they believe they are due. These points have then been divided by the current number of members in each Supporters’ Club branch. This means that some current members have benefited from this policy as they may not have been around throughout the entire accrual period. Others may have slightly lower levels of points than if they had collected them individually (but may also have benefited from securing priority access to some matches).

The maximum number of points accrued by any one Supporters’ Club branch is 11,798 to date. This Supporters’ Club currently has 180 members and therefore, to be fair to all current members in that Club (and accepting that some people may have attended more matches than others) each member is assumed to have the average of 65 loyalty points.

The Supporters’ Club branch with the highest loyalty point to member ratio has accrued 4735 points and currently has 67 members. The average loyalty points per member is therefore 71.

In both cases, and based on information currently available to us, no members in either of these Supporters’ Clubs’ will qualify for a Carling Cup Final ticket based on our current estimates of what the likely loyalty point requirement for One Hotspur Bronze and Lilywhite members will be (please note that the final loyalty point number requirement won’t be known until final One Hotspur Bronze and Lilywhite member allocations are considered in light of the remaining ticket allocation early next week, but with more than 30,000 applications made before today’s 5.30pm deadline, it’s fair to say the loyalty point threshold will be very high).

We have not created an uneven playing field against Supporters’ Club members. Supporters’ Club members receive priority booking opportunities for all matches. If anything, this creates as uneven playing field in favour of Supporters’ Club members as they have a greater opportunity to secure tickets and therefore loyalty points for all matches, particularly the bigger matches, ahead of non-Supporters’ Club affiliated One Hotspur members.

On various occasions, various Supporters’ Clubs at various times have been permitted to purchase match tickets while not meeting the minimum ticket order requirement. Diane and her team, in an effort to be as supportive as possible, have overlooked this. Again, if anything, this has provided Supporters’ Club members with an advantage over One Hotspur members not affiliated to a Supporters’ Club as technically such ticket applications should have been denied and loyalty points should not have been accrued.

On various other occasions, some Supporters’ Clubs have been allocated match tickets despite failing to submit lists of the members attending. Again, on occasions, this has been over-looked – and, for the purposes of this exercise, loyalty points for those matches have still been added to the totals. Once again, technically speaking, loyalty points should not have accrued for these matches.

More worryingly, on some occasions – and as recently as last Saturday - some Supporters’ Clubs have booked tickets and then failed to produce One Hotspur Club membership cards in order to verify One Hotspur membership entitlement to those tickets when asked to do so. For the Manchester United match, this led to over 40 tickets remaining unclaimed and unused by Supporters’ Clubs for one of our biggest matches of the season. Unfortunately, as result, the Club will now be requiring Supporters’ Clubs to verify individual member details on a more frequent basis for the remainder of this season.

Finally, whilst the Club very much recognises that many of our Supporters’ Club branch members travel long distances to matches, so do many other One Hotspur members. We now have a huge number of One Hotspur members who live across the UK, Europe, the USA and many other parts of the world. Many One Hotspur members travel to a large number of our matches at White Hart Lane and indeed to our matches away from home. Furthermore, a large number of One Hotspur members, who live in or close to London, but are not affiliated to Supporters’ Clubs, also travel to many of our away matches across the UK and, in the past two seasons, across Europe. We recognise that many, many fans spend large sums of money following our Club and we are grateful for this support.

Contrary to suggestions by some Supporters’ Clubs this week, I do think that the Club, over the course of many seasons, has in fact been supportive of and extremely fair to our various Supporters’ Clubs. We have also set out to recognise the hard work and organisation that goes into running Supporters’ Clubs in the UK and across the world by applying flexibility to our rules and to helping members get to matches that they might not otherwise be entitled to attend.

Recent events have, however, demonstrated the very real need for us to review and, in some cases, tighten up many of the current procedures for the benefit of the Club, our Supporters’ Clubs, and the wider and fast growing One Hotspur membership. We will be looking at ticketing rights, loyalty point awards and branch membership and operation criteria amongst many other things. This work has already started and, as I have mentioned previously, it has been accelerated by the nature of the correspondence we have received in the past week. On this point, I am extremely grateful to those Supporters’ Clubs who have written to us expressing their full understanding for the difficult decision we reached regarding the distribution of Carling Cup Final tickets and, in particular, for their appreciation for the excellent work Diane and her team have done on Supporters’ Clubs behalf so far this season. Those messages, during a particularly busy period, have been much appreciated by the One Hotspur team.

Finally, when demand outweighs supply for any match, most of all a Cup Final at Wembley, the Club fully recognises that a very large number of loyal fans – including many One Hotspur members with high loyalty point levels - from many different places, will be desperately disappointed at missing out on match tickets. We understand and appreciate this – and we sympathise. However, this does mean that our ticket distribution methods must, by definition, be as fair as possible and allocations should be determined, wherever it is possible to do so, by the use of contractual rights or a common currency. In our case, for the majority of supporters, this means using the loyalty point system. It is not perfect, but it is the best mechanism we have. Whilst I regret that we will not be able to accommodate a specific allocation of Carling Cup Final tickets to Supporters’ Clubs, I do hope that our letters to you have provided you with a detailed explanation as to why. Unfortunately, time constraints will not permit us meeting individual Supporters’ Clubs at this time. We will however involve all Supporters’ Club branches in our research to determine how we work together in the future and we look forward to involving a small group in some face to face discussions we will hold at the Club.

Thank you for your continued support for Tottenham Hotspur.

Regards, Paul

Paul Barber
Executive Director

2008-02-01T11:41:00.000+01:00

CARLING CUP FINAL TICKETS

As had been expected we have had a big number of requests for Carling Cup final tickets at Wembley on 24 February 2008.

Unfortunately our Club, like all Spurs Supporters Club around the World, has had no tickets allocated from THFC.

We wish to inform our Members that we are doing our best to get tickets from other sources but at the moment we have no guarantee about whether we will have tickets and/or how many we will have.

All requests are being entered into a waiting list just in case we manage to get tickets. In the eventuality of acquiring tickets, we will distribute these on the ususal criteria with the International Members who have been paying the International Membership the longest heading the list.

In the meantime please be patient as this is totally out of our control.

THFC have received a lot of complaints about the lack of ticket allocation to Supporters Clubs. Here we are reproducing a letter by THFC executive director Paul Barber who explains the Club's position about this.

Dear Supporters’ Club member

Carling Cup Final 2008

I thought I should write to explain in full the reasons why we have not been able to allocate tickets to Supporters’ Clubs for the Carling Cup Final at Wembley on 24 February 2008. We are aware that many of your members have been disappointed by this but I can assure you that we have set out to be as fair as possible to everyone.

As with most Cup Finals, demand for tickets will almost always massively outweigh supply. For example, allocations for an FA Cup Final at the new Wembley Stadium is around 25,000 tickets per competing club, while, for the UEFA Cup Final this season, the allocation is likely to be less than 14,000 tickets per competing club. Should we be fortunate enough to reach either of these Cup Finals in the next year or two, we would have an even more difficult situation to manage – and unfortunately many season ticket holders would most likely miss out on tickets. For the Carling Cup Final it’s difficult enough. Our Club has been allocated a total 31,018 tickets – and demand for these tickets is many, many times that level. In fact, it is greater than we have ever known it to be.

Tottenham Hotspur now has an (independently) estimated 1.5 million fans in the United Kingdom and almost 5 million fans worldwide. Of these supporters, more than 80,000 fans are One Hotspur Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Lilywhite members, while just over 2,300 fans are currently affiliated to our 55 official Supporters’ Clubs worldwide and, as such, are also confirmed members of the Club’s One Hotspur scheme.

From our Carling Cup Final ticket allocation, we must satisfy our One Hotspur Platinum, Gold and Silver members (that’s all 23,500 season ticket holders), our executive membership (a further 3,000 plus fans, all with annual contracts), the Club’s own players, coaches and staff, our Academy players and staff, the Club’s own guests, and our commercial partners. Just as importantly, we also must consider the needs of more than 60,000 One Hotspur Bronze and Lilywhite members, many of whom have accumulated large numbers of loyalty points over a long period of time and attend matches both here at White Hart Lane, all over the UK, and, in some cases, many parts of Europe in the past two seasons.

As members of our official Supporters’ Clubs are also required to hold personal One Hotspur memberships, they are free to apply for our match tickets directly and independently of their Supporters’ Club at any time and to accumulate loyalty points from the Club in the same way as all other One Hotspur members do. Indeed, many members of Supporter’s Clubs do just this and those individuals are therefore in no way disadvantaged by the Club’s decision not to allocate Cup Final tickets to Supporters’ Clubs. Other Supporters’ Club members prefer to apply for tickets through their Supporters’ Club as, in some cases, this will help them to secure tickets for the bigger matches through the Supporters’ Club priority application period. In such circumstances, it is by definition harder to accumulate individual loyalty points over a consistent period as Supporters’ Clubs naturally rotate their ticket allocation usage across their membership.

I am of course also aware that many Supporters’ Club members make very long journeys to see the Club in action. In truth, so do many One Hotspur members who are not affiliated to Supporters’ Clubs. The Club’s wide and fast growing supporter base now stretches far and wide from its original North London roots. We also know that our Supporters’ Clubs organise local events, generate goodwill and positive press coverage for their efforts, and that all of this supports the good name of Tottenham Hotspur. We do appreciate and respect this work and the huge amount of time, effort and organisation that goes in to it.

We feel that we recognise all of these efforts and the large amounts of money spent travelling to matches by making match tickets available to our Supporters’ Clubs throughout the season. Such ticket allocations are made available to Supporters’ Clubs as a priority and therefore, whilst we cannot guarantee to meet all ticket requests, we do make tickets available to Supporters’ Clubs often at the expense of One Hotspur members who are not affiliated to Supporters’ Clubs, particularly where the bigger matches are concerned. As One Hotspur member numbers grow, you will appreciate that such booking priority is becoming harder for the Club to manage and even harder to justify. Inevitably, it generates complaints from One Hotspur members not affiliated to a Supporters’ Club who feel that a two tier system is in operation to their detriment.

This issue is at the very root of our decision not to allocate tickets to our Supporters’ Clubs for the Carling Cup Final. With tickets in very limited supply for all groups, particularly One Hotspur members, we are required to employ the simplest and fairest possible means to determine who does receive a ticket and who doesn’t. For us, this means using our loyalty point system. If they do have enough points, then Supporters’ Club members can of course apply like other One Hotspur members in the normal way. If Supporters’ Club members don’t have enough points, then it would seem to us to be entirely unfair to divert tickets to such individuals at the expense of a One Hotspur Bronze or Lilywhite member who does have the required number of loyalty points.

As you would expect, the Club took a great deal of time to talk to the Supporters’ Trust regarding our ticketing allocation for the Carling Cup Final. We assured representatives of the Trust’s Board at a recent meeting that we would use loyalty points to determine the destination of any tickets remaining after we had satisfied the groups listed earlier in the e-mail - and we are doing just that. I have also spoken to the Trust’s Chairman, Daniel Wynne, several times in the past 24 hours to fully explain the Club’s position and the stance we have taken on this matter. Daniel took the time to write to me to query our decision, following representations from some Supporters’ Clubs, and to repeat the views that many Supporters’ Clubs have expressed in their e-mails to the Club. Daniel also took the time to listen to the Club’s opinions and a different point of view. We did not ask or expect the Supporters’ Trust to take sides in this debate, but, like the Club, the Trust do appreciate, understand and accept that when demand for Cup Final tickets outstrips supply, the Club has an extremely difficult job and that we will have disappointed supporters to contend with regardless of their affiliation.

Going forward, we are committed to reviewing how our Club works with our various official Supporters’ Clubs, what benefits we can justifiably offer, and those benefits, such as guaranteed Cup Final tickets, that we simply can not. It is for the reasons I have described above that we did not, could not, and would not guarantee Cup Final tickets to Supporters’ Clubs in any scenario. Please be assured that we are extremely grateful and mindful of the work that Supporters’ Clubs carry out and the loyalty that our fans belonging to Supporters’ Clubs show to the Club each and every season. In reaching the decision we have, we did not intend to be disrespectful or ungrateful for the work you do. Our priority was simply to allocate our tickets as fairly as possible.

Finally, these events and some of the recent correspondence to Diane and her team have clearly highlighted the need for us to accelerate the formal review of Supporters’ Clubs I mentioned above. As part of this work, we do of course intend to consult Supporters’ Clubs representatives, Supporters Clubs’ wider membership and the Supporters’ Trust about how we might move forward in the 2008/9 season and beyond. Ian Murphy, Diane Smith and their team will be in touch shortly to invite small groups to the Club to discuss our plans and ideas and to hear your views. We will communicate with the wider membership, in the UK and across the world, by post and e-mail to ensure we gather the widest possible cross-section of views.

In the meantime, I very much hope that you will understand and appreciate the fair basis of our decision and I thank you for your continued support for the Club.

Regards, Paul

Paul Barber
Executive Director

2008-02-01T11:06:00.000+01:00

DEFOE, ROUTLEDGE LEAVE CLUB; STALTERI AND GARDNER LOANED OUT

It was a busy old night down at the Lane on transfer deadline day with 3 players leaving the club and Gilberto joining.

No doubt the biggest move out of Spurs was that of Jermain Defoe who moved to Portsmouth for a fee thought to be in the region of 8million pounds. Defoe was a big favorite with the fans at White Hart Lane and it's highly disappointing to see the England striker leave but with only 18 months left on his contract perhaps the time was right to cash in.

Other departures from Spurs last night saw Anthony Gardner join Everton on loan and Paul Stalteri move to Fulham also on loan.

Wayne Routledge had earlier left the club to join Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa.

2008-02-01T10:56:00.000+01:00

GILBERTO JOINS

Tottenham rounded off a busy January by signing Gilberto from Hertha Berlin just before the transfer window closed.
Gilberto, a versatile left-back who can also play in midfield, arrived at Spurs' training ground yesterday to complete the transfer.
The Brazilian joins Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton and Chris Gunter as manager Juande Ramos' new recruits.
Hertha were keen to sell Gilberto before the midnight deadline as his contract with the German club was due to expire in the summer, with Tottenham paying around £2 million for his signature.
The defender, 31, provides much-needed cover for Ramos following the long-term injuries to Gareth Bale and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

2008-01-31T14:08:00.000+01:00

ALAN HUTTON JETS IN

Spurs have reached agreement with Glasgow Rangers for the transfer of Alan Hutton.
Hutton made his debut as an 18-year-old and has since gone on to appear on 122 occasions in total for the Scottish Premier League side. The 23-year-old right back has also collected six international caps for Scotland after making his international debut against Austria in May 2007.

2008-01-28T20:47:00.000+01:00

WOODGATE SIGNS

We have completed the signing of Middlesbrough's centre-half Jonathan Woodgate for a fee believed to be in excess of £7million.

The 28-year-old former Leeds United and Real Madrid stopper was also a target for another of his former clubs, Newcastle United, but Woodgate has opted to head for White Hart Lane.
He joined Boro, initially on loan, in the summer of 2006 and has gone on to make just over 50 appearances for the Teessiders.

Newcastle had given up their pursuit of the defender at the weekend, with boss Kevin Keegan admitting: "At this moment I don't think he is going to come to Newcastle.
"In fact I am almost certain he isn't. I think he is going to go somewhere else.
"It looks like we have lost him. I am very disappointed. I fully understand, but I desperately wanted him to come."

Boro boss Gareth Southgate spoke of his disappointment at losing Woodgate, telling the club's official website: "You're looking for everyone at your club to want to be here and be part of it.
"We wanted to give Jonathan the opportunity to speak to other clubs because when clubs call you about a player it usually means the player knows about it anyway.
"We were then asking a question of Jonathan, do you want to be here and be part of what we want to do or do you want to head off? And it seems he wanted to head off."

2008-01-26T21:04:00.000+01:00

JUANDE PERSUADED BY FANS

(from THE DAILY MAIL of 26 January 2008)

Juande Ramos was persuaded to become Tottenham's new head coach because of the passion of the Spurs faithful in their UEFA Cup quarter-final with Sevilla last season.
The north London side were beaten over two legs by the Spanish side, who went on to win the competition for the second successive year under Ramos' leadership.
But the Spaniard was highly impressed by the atmosphere at White Hart Lane in the second leg of the last eight encounter and Spurs first-team coach Marcos Alvarez believes it was instrumental in helping him succeeded Martin Jol when he parted company with the London club in October.
"One of the reasons we came is because Spurs are a very big team in Europe," Ramos' assistant at Sevilla told Hotspur magazine.
"When we came here with Sevilla for the second leg of our UEFA Cup match last season we fell in love with the supporters.
"We thought we were going to lose in the second half and it was interesting to hear the atmosphere, to hear the singing and shouting and seeing the team coming back.
"It is very important for us how we have been welcomed and the staff have been very kind. Everything we've needed we have been given. That's very important when you come to a new country."

2008-01-25T14:27:00.001+01:00

MORE SPURS V ARSENAL LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL PICTURES

2008-01-25T14:20:00.000+01:00

BARNARD JOINS SOUTHEND

Spurs have reached agreement for the permanent transfer of Lee Barnard to Southend United.
Academy product Lee broke into the first-team at the end of the 2005/06 season, making his debut as a substitute against Manchester United and featured in a further two Premier League games against Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. ‘Barney’ has also previously picked up league experience during loan spells at Leyton Orient, Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra. We wish Lee all the best for the future.

2008-01-25T14:08:00.000+01:00

JERMAINE JENAS

An article in the Daily Mail

Ramos sees Jenas as the Lampard of White Hart Lane

There may be no love lost between Tottenham and Chelsea, but Spurs manager Juande Ramos is using their rival's model for success to make Jermaine Jenas realise his massive potential.

The two clubs will meet at Wembley in the Carling Cup Final next month and observers may be forgiven for thinking that the two team's use similar tactics.

For Ramos has taken one look at Jenas's impressive fitness and finishing ability to believe that the 24-year-old can be the Frank Lampard of White Hart Lane.

Spurs fans have never taken kindly to Lampard, but his goalscoring and assists record for Chelsea is one of the finest in Europe and Ramos feels Jenas can provide a similar threat for his side.

Of all the players who have thrived under the Spaniard since he took over in October, Jenas seems to be the most rejuvenated.

The midfielder has divided many supporters since he joined from Newcastle for £7million in 2005, with some questioning whether he performs enough in the big matches against the better teams.

But in Spurs' 5-1 win over Arsenal in midweek he not only scored the crucial opening goal, he was also the best player on the pitch and his form over the last three months has been impressive.

On Sunday he will face an even stiffer test when he comes up against Spurs old boy Michael Carrick as Tottenham take on Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Most of the credit for Jenas's improved consistency has been linked to the new strict diet and fitness regime, and Ramos's admiration for Lampard's achievements has helped bring about the biggest change in his performances on the pitch.

A club insider said: "The big difference is that Juande sees him as the Frank Lampard of the team and has told him to concentrate on getting forward more and not worry so much about the defensive part of his game.

"If you notice he is playing a lot closer to Robbie Keane on the pitch now and is getting in more advanced positions on a regular basis. Lampard has thrived on having Claude Makelele playing deep in midfield so he can concentrate on scoring and setting up goals and, while Spurs have no-one like Makelele at the club, Teemu Tainio played the positionagainst Arsenal and it worked to great affect.

"Juande thinks Jenas should score a lot of goals for the club and has made him concentrate on doing what he does best."

It is partly because of Lampard that Jenas's England ambitions have yet to be realised and he has not even been in the squad since he was dropped by previous coach Steve McClaren for the friendly against Germany last August.

The decision hurt deeply at the time, but his professional attitude meant he was already employing a strong work ethic to turn his fortunes around before Ramos arrived at White Hart Lane.

It is something that has not gone unnoticed, with Ramos even telling friends in Spain of Jenas being a great example to the rest of the squad.

A source in Spain said: "Juande is happy with him. He works very hard in training and is improving every day. He is in such good form that many people think he can get in the England squad again. He is fitter than ever and is playing very well.

"The way he ran hard and maintained his performance against Arsenal for 90 minutes is exactly what Juande and his coaching team want to achieve.

"He is a good player and a good professional. When you train well, you love your football and that is the case for him. They have already built up a great understanding and Jenas knows what Juande wants."

The timing of Jenas's renaissance couldn't be better, with new England coach Fabio Capello naming his first England squad next Thursday for the friendly against Switzerland on 6 February.

The Italian has seen a few of Tottenham's games since he was given the post last month including the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Arsenal where Jenas also stood out.

Striker Robbie Keane is in no doubt that it is time for his team-mate and friend to be rewarded with a recall to the national team.

He said: "Jermaine has made a massive impact, his whole play has been getting better every week. Fabio Capello has been watching some of our games and he can't ignore that.

"I just hope people appreciate what a good player he is. There are many top-class midfielders in the country, but over the last year Jermaine is right up there with them and there is no reason why he can't be part of Capello's plans."

Another good performance at Old Trafford on Sunday will surely see him back in the England fold and Jenas himself says he has never been in better shape.

He said: "I feel this is the best football I've played in my career. I feel very confident. The manager has come in and he's got that experience of winning semi-finals and finals. It helped us against Arsenal and gave us an edge.

"We're going to Old Trafford and it's not an easy place to go but we go there full of confidence."

2008-01-23T16:28:00.000+01:00

SPURS 5 ARSENAL 1

POST MATCH CELEBRATIONS AT THE MALTA CLUB

2008-01-23T15:36:00.000+01:00

We're off to Wembley cause we beat the Arsenal !!

22 January 2008

CARLING LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL 2nd LEG

SPURS v WOOLWICH ARSENAL 5-1

(aggregate 6-2)

Tuesday 22 January 2008 will forever remain one of the best days in the history of Tottenham Hotspur FC. We not only beat our rivals in a cup semi-final- we destroyed them, out paced them out thought them and played them off the park. Watching the game there was one thought that kept crossing my mind, and that was WE GOT OUR TOTTENHAM BACK.

This is the style we want- this is what Tottenham is about- style and panache- so a big thanks to the players who fought till the end and a round of applause to Mr Juande Ramos who, slowly but surely, is getting us back where we belong.

Of course many Arsenal fans, including Arsene "I didn't see it" Wenger will say this was not their priority and they played with reserves and "children". Well lets debunk this myth- take a look at the following stats (taken from COYS):

Sagna - (24yrs)- £4.5m - 4 years playing in European club competition, full French international

Gallas - (30yrs) - £5m - 4 years at Marseilles, 5 years at Chelsea, 50 caps for France

Gilberto (31yrs) £4.5m - Brazil captain 2007, 59 caps Diaby - full French international started. 3 champions league this season

Denilson - Current Captain Brazil u-20

Hleb (26yrs) - £11m - Captain Belarus, 3 times player of year Walcott - £12m - started 4 champions league, played 9 premiership this season, full English international

Fabregas - 175 games for arsenal, full Spanish international

Adebayor (23yrs) - £3m - 184 games for monaco and arse - full international

Eduardo (24yrs) - £8.5m - started 9 premier league, 3 champions league this season, full Croatian international

The average age of the gooners 14 players used was 22.8, for spurs 25.8. So yes they were a little younger.

The goon starting XI cost £51m to Spurs £39m. including the 3 subs used this becomes £62m arse to £53m spurs.

The 14 players used by spurs have started 279 games between them this season, the gooners 14 have started 214 between them.

There were 11 players out of the 14 for Arsenal who have full international caps. Spurs had only 10. 5. The total caps held by the 14 goons is 261 (hardly kids eh!) to spurs 341.

2 players for the goons have won the world cup, thats pretty good for experience.

AND THIS IS TAKEN FROM AN ARSENAL MESSAGE BOARD. THIS IS WHAT THE ARSENAL FANS WERE SAYING BEFORE THE GAME:

"it's an embarresingly strong squad!!- we gotta win now or else we wont have the 'we definately only played youngsters' excuse- the main dif will be the strength of the bench probably.......

it's ghood that we're taking it seriously i spose

"It is a very strong squad indeed. Flamini is also in there. I wonder if he'll start"

"I can hear the spurs fans crying already. lol."

"Very strong squad. I think this match means more to Wenger than we think. Apart from it being a North London Derby and the fact he doesnt want Ramos to get a pscyhological edge if Spurs win for the long run, I think he sees it as a realistic chance of us gaining silverware this season. Wenger knows he cant go this season without winning a trophy so why not get the one we have the best chance in at the moment."

"So, looks like we'll have no excuses if we lose tonight. We'll just have to thrash em."

"When we win i can't wait to hear the Spurs fans crying and complaining that we didn't play a youth squad. Like it makes any difference whether we play them with kids or our first team its always the same result."

We beat, no slaughtered, a good Arsenal team. Not their best, but a good Arsenal team, peppered with experience, that cost "the greatest transfer bargain hunter in the world, ever, in the history of football that started the careers of every great player from Pele to Rooney" ( over £60m to assemble)

SEMI FINAL PICTURES

2008-01-10T20:24:00.000+01:00

PHIL IFIL LEAVES THE LANE

Championship strugglers Colchester have agreed terms with Tottenham to sign full-back Philip Ifil on a permanent transfer.

Ifil made five first-team appearances for us and has had loan spells at Millwall and Southampton.
The 21-year-old made his Spurs debut against Liverpool in 2004 but failed to establish himself under former boss Martin Jol.
Ifil has joined for a six-figure fee which, with certain add-ons, could become the club's new record transfer.

2008-01-07T11:30:00.000+01:00

BERBATOV SPEAKS OUT

Tottenham star Dimitar Berbatov says he is fed up with the constant speculation surrounding his future.
Berbatov's future at White Hart Lane has been the subject of conjecture for the last few weeks with the Bulgarian being strongly linked with a move during this month's transfer window.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all reported to be waiting in the wings to sign Berbatov if Spurs decide to cash-in on the skilful forward.
Berbatov's agent fuelled speculation over his client's future by suggesting the 26-year-old would be interested in moving to a big club, but the forward says he is happy in North London.
"There are too many speculations around my name, but most of them are foolish," Berbatov told Bulgarian television.
"It's absurd and I'm tired of seeing my name in the newspapers. I want to live in peace. It is getting too much.
"I am a Tottenham player and I'm trying to give my best, so I can help my team. I'm happy when we play well and I'm miserable when we lose our games.
"I'm happy at the moment. You can win titles and medals with every team and I can win with Tottenham too."
"Everybody in the team supports me and I've never heard a reproach or felt envy.
"Juande is very good, both as a man and as a coach. He sees even the small details that remain hidden from most people."

2008-01-04T16:17:00.000+01:00

BUTCHER LOANED OUT

Goalkeeper Lee Butcher has joined AFC Wimbledon on loan for a period of one month.
The 19-year-old, who joined us from Arsenal in the summer, has so far made 11 appearances for the Academy side and was named as substitute on three occasions for our Reserve Team.

AFC Wimbledon are in the Ryman Premier League and Lee will go straight into the squad for the fixture against Maidstone on Saturday

2007-12-24T21:26:00.000+01:00

GUNTER FIRST IN

The Club has confirmed that we will complete the signing of Wales defender Chris Gunter from Cardiff when the transfer window opens in January. The Welsh international thus becomes Juande Ramos' first signing at Spurs.

The 18-year-old full-back has made 33 first-team appearances and won three Wales caps since breaking into the Bluebirds first team in August last year.
The two clubs reached agreement over what is reported to be a £2million deal last week and the player underwent a medical over the weekend.

Cardiff boss Dave Jones admits there was no way the club "could stand in the way" of Chris Gunter's dream move to Barclays Premier League side Tottenham.

Despite only making 33 appearances for the Bluebirds, Gunter has established himself as one of the most exciting players outside the top flight - a belief backed up by the fact he has already won three caps for Wales.

While Cardiff will sorely miss his presence on the right flank, Jones concedes they had no option but to allow him a move to White Hart Lane.
"He is a young prospect - we wish him all the best," Jones told Sky Sports News.
"You can't deny the lad the opportunity, he's done really well and broken into the full international team.
"We're sad to see him go but there is no way we could have kept hold of him or stood in his way.
"What we said to him was go and prove to everybody the potential we all thought you had.
"He's a very raw boy, he's still got a lot to learn.
"If he breaks into Tottenham's first team this season it would be fantastic for the kid."

Jones believes Juande Ramos has signed a player every bit as promising as Bale, who joined from Coca-Cola Championship side Southampton in the summer.
He added: "He's very athletic, he's got great pace and can pick out a pass. He will get stronger and stronger.
"He's still not fully developed and I think Tottenham know they've bought somebody who they're going to have to nature along, just like we were trying to do here.
"Maybe they will have to be a little bit patient with him, because he is still learning his trade.
"I feel they've bought another good prospect like Gareth Bale - he's just as good and capable on the right-hand side."

CHRIS GUNTER PROFILE

Chris Gunter (born July 21, 1989 in Newport, Wales) is a Welsh footballer, currently playing for Cardiff City and has played for the Wales national team. He is the youngest Cardiff City player ever to play for the full Welsh team.

Gunter started life as a striker when he played for Durham Colts and Albion Rovers. But switched to full-back at a young age and signed for the Cardiff City youth side at the age of eight. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 1 August 2006 along with fellow Cardiff academy graduate Darcy Blake.
Primarily a right-sided defender, Gunter made his debut for Cardiff City on the 22 August 2006 against Barnet in the League Cup.
In March 2007 he won the Football League's Apprentice of the Year award after impressing in the first team squad due to injuries to some regular players and during the summer of 2007, Gunter was the subject of two bids from Premiership club Everton. Both, however, were rejected.[1]
Gunter is tipped to be a huge star in the Future, He is a Cardiff City fan and is happy to pull on the clubs colours, He has stated he would love to play in the Premiership and hopes to achieve that with Cardiff.

He started his Wales career in 2003-2004, making four appearances for the schools under-15 development squad before moving up to the Welsh Schools under-16 squad and played in a friendly against Republic of Ireland plus three Victory Shield internationals. He then made 11 appearances at Wales under-17 level during 2005-2006, playing in two rounds of the Uefa Championships as Wales qualified from the opening group to reach the elite stage. His next step was playing for the Wales U19 squad in the Milk Cup.[4]
Gunter, 17 years old, then became the second youngest player to play for the Wales Under-21 team when he played against Cyprus Under-21 at the age of 16 years and 299 days.
He eventually made his full international debut for Wales in a friendly match against New Zealand on 26 May 2007 at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham; in doing so he became the youngest ever Cardiff City player to play for the senior Wales team. Gunter started as a left-back in a young and inexperienced Wales team in the teams Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Republic of Ireland and Germany giving very impressive performances in the games which ended 2-2 and 0-0.

2007-12-20T19:10:00.000+01:00

CARLING CUP SEMI FINAL DATES

After our 2-0 win against Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium, Spurs travel to Arsenal for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final on Wednesday January 9, kick-off 8.45pm.
The return leg at White Hart Lane will take place on Tuesday January 22, kicking-off at 9pm.

The other semi-final is between Chelsea and Everton.

2007-12-14T15:28:00.000+01:00

SOME PICS FROM OUR LATEST VISIT TO SPURS

We were there for the 3-2 win over Aalborg and the 3-2 defeat against Birmingham. Losing to Birmingham was not a very nice experience but meeting Mr Ramos and the lads more than made up for it!

2007-10-30T15:45:00.000+01:00

"THE TIMES" ARTICLE ABOUT RAMOS' FIRST DAY AT SPURS LODGE

Tottenham Hotspur’s players were dragged into the era of Juande Ramos with a double training session yesterday. Arriving first and leaving last, the head coach put his charges through their paces for the first time, with a warm-down in the morning and a practice match in the afternoon.

Only on a few occasions since pre-season have the players been asked to do a double session, which are used to accelerate fitness levels. Ramos also wanted to use the extra time to get to know the players, but it was a first contrast with the regime of Martin Jol, the former manager. The Dutchman used to have the players do one session of light training on the day after a match.

During a meeting with the squad, Ramos explained his football philosophy, theory and tactics, emphasising the positives from their spirited display in the 2-1 defeat by Blackburn Rovers at White Hart Lane on Sunday. He will drip-feed some of his ideas over the next few days but did not want to suffocate the players with too much information so soon before they play Blackpool at home in the fourth round of the Carling Cup tomorrow. Ramos is expected to play a full-strength team in a competition that offers a place in Europe that could be beyond Tottenham in the Barclays Premier League.

The Spaniard will leave nothing to chance at the club’s training ground in Chigwell, Essex. One of his former players once put sticky tape over his mouth in protest at the severity of pre-season training. At Seville, where he was coach for two years until last week, he employed a psychologist to establish belief among the team and the Tottenham players can also expect a new diet regime. The Seville players drank vegetable smoothies at half-time.

“He came into the dressing-room for one minute,” Radek Cerny, the goalkeeper, said. “It was good to see as everyone was very disappointed after the match. He went around the room and said, ‘Come on guys, heads up, you have to play for not 60 or 70 minutes but 90 minutes.’ It is important he comes in and does something straight away, gets the confidence across to the players, because there’s not a lot wrong right now, apart from maybe a few things at the back.”

Ramos was assisted yesterday by Gustavo Poyet after compensation was agreed with Leeds United for their former assistant manager. Poyet, a Uruguayan, will be charged with translating some of the more complicated tactics from Spanish while Ramos improves his English. Poyet retired in 2004 as a player after three years at White Hart Lane and became an assistant at Swindon Town before joining Leeds.

The pair will want to address some of the gaping deficiencies in the Tottenham team: the slack, unconnected central defensive partnership and the lack of combative and creative midfield players.

Any additions may not come from Seville, however, after Ramos was given a hands-off warning about his former players. “Seville does not want to sell any of its stars,” José MarÍa del Nido, the Seville president, said. “The English clubs, who look at our players, should know that when we want to keep our players, we do. Tottenham will get the response they deserve. I doubt they have the money to buy [Daniel] Alves and [Frédéric] Kanouté.”

Del Nido claims that Tottenham have offered only £200,000 in compensation. “I can assure you that we will pour all of our energy and all of our force into making sure that Tottenham pay the consequences of this situation,” he said. “This is a situation that they have illegitimately provoked. We will do everything in our power and use all the means at our disposal to make sure of that.”

2007-10-30T15:41:00.000+01:00

KANOUTE PRAISE FOR RAMOS

FORMER Tottenham Hotspur striker Fredi Kanoute has praised Juande Ramos.

Kanoute worked under Ramos during their time together at Sevilla, where Kanoute flourised after being given a confidence boost by his former boss.

"He just gave me confidence since I've been here," Kanoute told Revista de la Liga.

"He has always given me the confidence I needed and that's it. He just said to me that I have to play how I know my best.

"He gave me quite a lot of freedom on the pitch also to do whatever I want."

He added: "Maybe this is someone who is on the pitch, who works on the pitch every day.

"He's there to give advice. He's very serious in his job and he's not the kind of man who likes to speak a lot about his job, but he's doing it well."

2007-10-30T15:36:00.000+01:00

GUS MAKES LANE RETURN

Tottenham have confirmed Leeds assistant manager Gus Poyet will move to White Hart Lane as first team coach.
The 39-year-old former Spurs midfielder will be one of two first team coaches with Marcos Alvarez, working under new head coach Juande Ramos.
Poyet has left Elland Road with the club's best wishes after Leeds agreed an undisclosed compensation package with Tottenham.
Leeds granted the London club permission to speak to their assistant manager yesterday morning following an official approach for the Uruguayan.
A Leeds statement read: "The club would like to thank Gus for his efforts over the past 12 months and wishes him every success in his new role.
"He leaves with the best wishes of everyone connected with the club."
Poyet arrived at Leeds in October 2006 as number two to former Chelsea team-mate Dennis Wise.
The pair had forged a managerial partnership the previous summer at Swindon where they had steered the Robins to the top of Coca-Cola League Two.
Former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Poyet, who retired as a player after three years at White Hart Lane in 2004, has been an integral part of Leeds' unbeaten start to the season as the Yorkshire club look to challenge for promotion despite being hit by a 15-point deduction for financial irregularities.

2007-10-30T15:26:00.000+01:00

JUANDE RAMOS REPLACES JOL AT THE HELM

Juande Ramos has signed a four-year deal to become the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, replacing Martin Jol who was sacked on Thursday.
Ramos, 53, resigned as Sevilla coach on Friday and Spurs have asked Leeds if they can invite Gus Poyet to work as Ramos's assistant.

Ramos said: "It is a squad any coach would be excited to work with. There is the potential to achieve great things."

Newspaper reports suggest he will be paid up to £6m a year by Spurs.

Ramos will be at White Hart Lane for Sunday's Premiership clash with Blackburn and will take charge of Spurs for the first time for Wednesday's Carling Cup visit of Blackpool.

Tottenham must now negotiate a pay-off to Jol and a compensation package for Sevilla.

Ramos led Sevilla to the Uefa Cup title in each of the last two seasons and into the Champions League for the first time after they finished a close third behind Real Madrid and Barcelona last year.

He also won a European Super Cup, a Copa del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup for the Andalusian club.

"This has been the hardest decision of my life," he said after leaving the Spanish club.

"My time at Sevilla has been the most important period of my life personally and professionally. I will be eternally grateful."

And in a statement released through the Tottenham website, he added: "I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work as head coach at Tottenham Hotspur, a club with a great tradition and history.

"Ever since I started my coaching career I have wanted to work in England. It is my sincere hope that I can repay the faith the Spurs board has shown in me.

"I am looking forward to meeting the players.

"I was hugely impressed with the Spurs fans both home and away when Sevilla played Spurs last season and it will be a privilege to be the coach of this club with the huge support it enjoys both at White Hart Lane and throughout the world."

Marcos Alvarez, 36, who worked with Ramos at Sevilla, will also join the Tottenham coaching staff.

Ramos's contract with Sevilla had been due to expire at the end of this season and Manolo Jimenez has been promoted from youth team coach to replace Ramos until the end of the season.

Spurs sporting director Damien Comolli said: "Juande's arrival is great news for Tottenham Hotspur.

"He brings with him a wealth of experience, a proven track record and a winning pedigree.

"Now is the time for us to regroup and look to deliver the results and performances that everyone associated with the club wants to see."

Ramos's appointment brings to an end a lengthy pursuit by Spurs.

They were revealed to be interested in recruiting the Spaniard in the first week of the season when officials met him at the Alfonso XIII hotel in Sevilla.

He steps into the vacancy left by Jol, who was sacked following a disappointing start to the season which has left Spurs third from bottom.

RAMOS FACTFILE
Full name:
Juan de la Cruz Ramos Cano
Age: 53
Managerial career:
Alcoyano (1993-94)
Levante (1994-95)
Logrones (1995-96)
Barcelona B (1996-97)
Lleida (1997-98)
Rayo Vallecano (1998-01)
Real Betis (2001-02)
Espanyol (2002)
Malaga (2003-04)
Sevilla (2005-07)
Trophies: Uefa Cup (2005, 2006)
Super Cup (2006)
Copa del Rey (2007)
Spanish Supercopa (2007)