Its all gone Donkey Kong!

Football, turns you inside out more than anything on this planet (excluding women). Just ask any Chelsea fan.

First I had the usual pre-game tension...except bigger than usual...chain-smoking, hitting the vodka...hard.

Everton score...nice...can't really believe my prediction of an Everton win is actually going to happen...calm down, long way to go.

Bolton score...hmm, never mind, long way to go, we've been here before...

We score - Elation. C'mon now.

We score again - FKN AVE IT...We can do this...c'mon now Everton, hang on

Half-time : Level on points, we're going to win the League

5 mins later, fk me, Everton are 2-0 up...it's coming home alright.

5 mins later, fk you Davies, fk you Essien...nah, not a prob, we've still got plenty of time to nick our recent trademark late winner

7 minutes later, bolloxs, United are coming back...

7 minutes later, you fkn idiot Neville...realisation is starting to dawn...

10 mins from the end and United take the lead...fk, fk, fk...we don't look like we're going to break Bolton down here...

Final whistle at the Bridge = Abject. Destroyed. TV off, Internet off. Vodka hammered.

~Chopper

A Great Day




~Spooky

First blood to Jose

If Chelsea win the quadruple, no doubt he will request all four trophies to be melted down and then sculptured perfectly into a statue of his likeness, which he will then demand to have placed in his bedroom, where each night he can gently kiss his metallic lifeless doppelganger, whispering to it and caressing its cold hard exterior whilst basking in the fact that he truly is the omnipotent king of the universe.


~Spooky

Just shut the fuck up

The two sanctimonious smug cunts on ITV are the worst. In addition they have David Pleat who, cleverly tricks you into inviting his voice into your living room (Good evening everybody) as you reach for your control, not fully understanding why you are turning the volume up and not switching over.

Slowly but surely, Pleat inflicts the listening viewers to a slow death, brain hemorrhage the result as they struggle to keep up with the creation of new ungrammatical sentences and mis-pronounced names.

I get confused with the two ITV lead commentators. I know one of the two loves Man Utd like a brother loves his sister in Burnley. What is obvious is that they are both quite obviously skilled, as its a difficult and rare talent to be able to describe the action on the pitch whilst choking on the metaphorical girth of the English team playing. It's not even commentary. Its like one prolonged ear bleeding induced sonnet, felched from Satan's arse.

ITV = horrible smug nonsense. May as well have Robbie Earl and his cotton bud on screen for 90 minutes screaming "WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE A GAME OF FOOTBALL ON THIS CROCK OF SHIT CHANNEL".

BBC are also quite poor, but not to the extent of ITV. Seems Motty has gone the way of Junior Soprano. Verbally fidgeting high pitch wailing sounds and self-correcting mumbling. Repeating himself, getting players names wrong, asking daft questions which means having to listen to The Lawro state 'I told you so' countless times in 90 minutes. Its all gone pear-shaped at the Beeb.

Jon Pearce, we get it chief. You have eyes. And you can see. Praise the lord! We don't need to fucking hear you describe everything....every single incident....with profound effect and detail. We get it. Player A passed the ball to Player B. It's not fucking rocket science. They didn't just split the atom. Get a grip man. This isn't Capital Gold and there are no kung-fu kicks into the stands. Your glory days are over.

We also now have a woman commentating on Match of the Day. What next? Monkey Tennis World Cup?

And let's not forget our friends at Sky Sports. Andy Gray, the proverbial football slut of digital TV. One week he's tickling the balls of Manchester United. The next, blowing cum bubbles with Chelsea. He's had Arsenal too. And snogged Liverpool a few times. Shouldn't be surprising as he does like playing with knobs. Yes Andy, hindsight and several thousand pounds worth of playback freeze frame technology makes you the Oracle. Which, I'm guessing, makes Martin Tyler, Neo.

And there are others. If his heart stops pumping adrenalin it will be the day Jaime Redknapp dies.

Richard Keys, not a commentator, but worth a mention as it appears he has waxed his hands and arms. Be proud of your ape heritage! Fuck it.......its too late. You manics! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!



~Spooky

Half-time at White Hart Lane

Credit to a member of the COYS forum (I'll add his name once I have it). Good work fella.




Arsenal dressing room:

Wenger - "Right listen closely this is what we will do. Tottenham will try and defend their lead and hang on for one nil, [suppressing a laugh] they try this every year. Their CBs will camp out on the edge of their penalty area, they already started this behaviour as soon as they scored. We now have 3 in central midfield versus their two so Diaby and Gilberto, push on and occupy Jenas and Zokora. That combined with their defence dropping too deep will allow Fabregas the freedom of the pitch and allow him to run the midfield. Eboue and Clichy, you two can push on and occupy their wide midfielders, Fabregas will always find you when he has time on the ball. Lennon is no threat on the left and has been told not to leave Rocha unprotected anyway. Tainio will leave his position on the right to try and help out in the centre once they realise they are overrun. Our CBs can push right up as neither Berbatov or Keane are quicker than Toure. And remember, you are all fitter than them and they will tire."

Arsenal Players - "Yes boss."



Tottenham dressing room:


Jeans - "Cracking goal Robbie."
Keane - "Thanks mate."
Lennon - "Who's up for clubbing tonight?."
Jenas - "I'm in."
Jol - "Hey, settle down lads. Listen to me. We can win this 1-0."
Berbatov - "But we never keep a clean sheet, surely we must look for the second goal?"
Jol - "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. We can still score a second from a set piece."
Berbatov - "But we never score goals from set pieces and we already got lucky from one once today. We don't even practise them."
Jol - "Don't worry Berbatov, I know what I am doing. Now, Lennon, you're having a great game. Eboue hasn't had a run at Rocha once yet. Keep doing whatever it is you're doing out there on the left."
Berbatov - "But he hasn't done anything? Not one dribble, not one shot, not one cross. He should play on the right."
Jol - "Don't worry Berbatov, I know what I am doing. Now, Jenas and Zokora, great game, you dominated the midfield first half."
Zokora - "But they brought Fabregas on, they have an extra man, we need help."
Jol - "Don't worry, Tainio will come inside and help out, and Robbie will try and stop the ball getting to Fabregas."
Berbatov - "That plan didn't work in the two cup games against them did it?"
Jol - "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. Anything to add Chris?"
Hughton - "Yeah, I've drawn a really nice picture of you boss."
Jol - "That is great work little man".



from COYS



~Spooky

18 and still counting

If you left White Hart Lane in the 90th minute and missed the Jenas goal, don't fret. I'm sure Spurs will be releasing the Special Edition DVD of the game, including the directors cut ending where Jenas adds another goal in the 97th minute (the directors cut ending is included in narrative format only and accompanied with black and white illustrations of the alternative fictional finale. DVD extras also include a construction of what the open-top bus parade would have looked like).

It was a poor second half performance. Post-match hype from Robbie Keane (we proved this that and the other - read tonights Standard) does not hide the fact that we appeared to do nothing but sit back and invite Arsenal to attack in the second forty-five. Sorry Robbie, but we were plain lucky to get a point. It wasn't so much painful but typical to witness. Same old, same old. Shame really as the first 45 minutes was not too bad. 1-0 to the good and creating chances, though Arsenal still looked dangerous.

Jol's team talk at half-time. I wish I was a fly on the wall. "Go out there, and play shit" must have been the war cry from the big man. "Play shit? I do that every week, guv", responds the shy Jenas.

No chance however this match can be used as a gauge to display the differences between the two clubs. We all know they have better quality overall and play to a system that's been in the making for a decade. Head-start is an understatement. At the end of last season, I said Spurs would compete for 4th spot. An Arsenal fan said no chance, and that the blip that allowed us to sit pretty in 4th for 4 months would never happen again because Arsenal would shift up a couple of levels.

Season 2008?

Well, Arsenal, in comparison to their 'standards' and what their fans expect, have been relatively average. Sure, the fancy quick passing football is still there. The brilliant young players also. But if you believe their fans, injuries have meant top 2 or 3 has been out of their reach. When in reality, they are simply not as good as they were. But still good enough to have a second successive average season (in the Prem) but still finish 4th. And still in a healthy position to become better and (ouch) as good as previous years. Credit to Wenger. Again I hear that next year, they wont have another blip.

I'm going to be a little bit dramatic here (hold onto your hats).

Whether it be Spurs or whoever, someone other than the current top four HAS to finish in the top four next season. Obviously, I'm hoping (expecting) that Arsenal are once more the weakest and thus the most catchable. And I'm looking at Spurs at claiming that spot.

Why?

Because we have no other choice.

We had a poor start and a poor Christmas. We've had plenty of decent Cup runs. Players (like Zokora and Berbatov) are settling into Prem life. Jol (if he couldn't before he can now) can see what HAS to be done during the summer. Both in player selection (and transfers) and his own personal tactical ploys - especially away from home.

4th spot has to go to Tottenham next season. The players have to genuinely believe it. I'm not asking for much, am I?

Well, if we don't make it then the likes of Berbatov will dancing a jig of joy celebrating another goal for Man Utd by the 2009 season.

I'm being a little broad (with my dramatics). Spurs have improved this season in some areas but (as previous blogs etc state and if you've watched us this season) we will have ongoing issues to resolve (the left side, set pieces, choking against the big clubs in big games). And breeding winners means having to win in the first place. Catch 22. But again, if you compare us against the top 4 today and then look back 4 or 5 years, there has been improvement. The final gulf is always going to be a bitch. Especially with players nowadays looking to jump ship to pick up their silverware the easy (and only) way.

But when do you (as a fan) stop saying 'we have to do this' in order to compete for the top 4? When do you come to the conclusion that the gulf is impossible to get across? Well, for all you West Ham fan's, there's no fucking way I'm going give up. Football, for 95% of all clubs is about dreams. Mine are in black and white and in the 60's. I want to fucking upgrade to HDTV and this century.

As I said, 'broad'. See next season, Arsenal might hit big time form again and suddenly become a player in the race for the title. If that happens then hoping Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool drop a level is like asking for Robbo to save a shot from 30 yards.

And the 'best' players will always sign for the 'big' clubs. But you don't need to spunk money on the Ballacks and Shevs of this world. Hate to say it, but look at the Goons. Cheap buys = world class players. It's a big ask isn't it, competing against Romans cash, Wengers know-how, Liverpool's history and Man Utd's franchise.

Which means 5th may will be the only option, unless the 'self belief' carries itself off with a nice little miracle. 5th, wouldn't complain, would you? But it would then mean greater emphasis on winning the League Cup or FA Cup or hopefully the UEFA Cup.

(though 5th would be nice this season too).

Giving up, and just admitting we will never catch anyone would mean the club wouldn't bother trying. All you can do is hope. And pray. And wait. One thing can change everything. Just ask Man Utd fans and Arsenal fans.

There's no delusions of grandeur here. I'm not stating we deserve 4th spot. I'm not stating we are a big club (sorry 'ammers fans). What I'm saying is, its about fucking time the players shut the fuck up about 'we're nearly there' so that me and other yids can also shut the fuck up with our what-has-to-be-done and what-jol-needs-to-do lists.

TO DARE IS TO DO............well fucking do it then if you want the glory.

Two seasons on the trot now, and both have been progressive rather than transitional. Season three has to have a new arc, otherwise the network might can it.



~Spooky

Getting it right

Its been a tough week or so. That's personally, hence lack of blog entries. Was aiming to comment on several TopSpurs articles, but found myself lacking any kind of time. Made worse is the fact that my crock of shit pc is about die on me. Also, the weather means more time spent in beer gardens taking snapshots of thighs and upskirts. So, what's been happening in the world of Spurs?

Wigan away. 3-3. I was at a B-B-Q at the time, reaching into my pocket every so often to pull out (ooh matron) my mobile, laughing at the text goal alerts. Heskey FFS. This game more or less displays our lack of depth when we lost the odd defender. Need to sort this out in a big way come the summer. This summer, we may have smacked in the goals at one end, but we continue to leak them the other way. Partly due to gravity-defying Robinson who somehow manages to remove his feet from the ground below. To no avail of course. Just how many more times will he get beat from distance? Very poor season from Robbo. Needs some comp. Needs a prolonged 'rest' on the bench. Doubt Jol will drop him though.

With Chelsea and Utd getting into the Cup Final, it means 7th is enough for the UEFA Cup - and 8th (if we finish there) will take us into the Inter-Toto. Please. Stop laughing now. But Europe is Europe, and with Berbatov's 'war cry' - its a subtle hint that every season has to produce progression and anything below the standard of the previous isn't good enough. Simply put, if we fail next season - the likes of Berbs and Lennon will move on. Fact of life these days. Take Carrick as the ultimate example, using us a stepping-stone to get a move to Utd. And you can't really blame him. A footballers life is a short one, and in this modern age if you are not one of the current big 4 then you are unlikely to pick up silverware. It's that harsh.




I probably will return to the TopSpurs articles, as they serve well as examples of the other type of Spurs fans (the one's that are nothing like me). So, I wont linger too much on a season review just yet.

Tomorrow, its the North London Derby. Robbie Keane is injured. Which means Defoe upfront with Berbs. If there was a moment in time that the lickle man had a chance to prove himself, this is it. I think we wont be seeing him in a Lilywhite shirt next season. And tbh, he needs to move on to re-ignite his career. Not that Spurs have stopped him progressing, but more the case that Defoe can't really progress that much due to lack of a footballing brain. Maybe someone else, manager and club, can get something extra out of him. Our defence is still not a full strength, so if we do our Keystone cops routine and Arsenal don't (in front of goal) then it's not going to be an enjoyable afternoon.

On the other hand, we have to win. Its been too long, and with this game having less pressure than previous encounters with the scum this season, we might actually avoid choking. I've said this about 50 times this season.....Spurs (the players) owe us (the fans) something to sing about. I've enjoyed this year and apart from the 2-1 v Chelsea game, I personally need something more to gloat about. Arsenal are always going to be a bunch of c*nts to play against. And even without Henry, they can produce the goods. Yes, they are not that good on recent form and are in no way formidable. However, they have the ability to ooze confidence and arrogance - which we lack.

So, once more - I ask.....'Lets be 'aving you'. 12:45 kick-off, which means most of the drinking will be done after the game. Let's hope its naked dancing on the bar rather than drowning my sorrows under it.


~Spooky

Wigan Away

Falling in short in Europe means we have to aim as high as possible in the Prem, to make sure we are back in the UEFA Cup next season. Arsenal (gulp) next Saturday. But I'll come to that later in the week. Today, Wigan. Which is a game I'm likely to miss due to girlfriend commitments (BBQ in deepest Essex). I'll have to 'watch' my Spurs Mobile text messages. Having said that, the host of the BBQ has a massive 50 inch tv, HD Sky and Sky Sports. He's a West Ham fan, so he might put the footie on just so he can laugh at me if we lose. Though I'll be sure to point out their league position countless times (but only after I've eaten).

So, Wigan. Must win. Simple as that. Need it to keep in touch with Pompey, Reading and Everton. Even Bolton. And, in the cruelest of fates, we need Chelsea to do over Rovers today to make 7th spot UEFA Cup qualification.

I'll leave it at that for now. If you have a moment, read this woefully idiotic 'article':

http://www.topspurs.com/newsnow/thfccol210407.htm


I will get a response together in the next couple of days. I hate Spurs fans.


~Spooky

Spurs Suicide Squad

The dream is over. But credit all round to Jol and the players for the Cup run. In the end we came up short, and once more we left feeling a little frustrated with the old 'shooting ones self in the foot' that we do pretty well. If Simon Cowell was judging us on The Choke Factor, he'd remark:

"Spurs take their fans to the edge, within in touching distance, before stumbling backwards and landing on their bum. As far as choking goes, they gag like champions"

Oh yes, we are consistently good at some things.

I got into the ground (having returned from Boro) one minute into the game. Before I had time to get my singing voice into tune, I found myself rather bewildered that we were down 2-0 in seven minutes, and both goals appearing to be rather simplistic (though Fredi's finish was cool - no idea what Steed was doing).

Who the fuck re-drafted the script? Maybe, its a tad cruel to slate our players. Even with my initial over-confidence, Sevilla showed the type of experience and mentality that we lack. But we know this is a missing ingredient, and sadly wishing and hoping things will come together in 90 minutes doesn't appear to be likely until the team grows a little more and we maybe draft in one or two other players in key positions.

Miserable first half it was. In fact, shocking performance. The exact opposite of what was needed. No warcry. Ledley looked, well not at 80%. Chimbonda and TT uncomfortable. Berbs isolated and Lennon (again) non-effective. It was shambolic. And everyone knew at that point it was over and done with. I mean, come on.....to score 4 goals in 45 minutes against Sevilla? Fantasy football.

And yet, what a difference the second half was in comparison. Some spirit and fight to go with some wonderfully relentless chanting of 'Martin Jol's Blue and White Army'. This wasn't just about tonight, it was pretty much a big thank you to a great season back in Europe (even if it fell short of our dreams of Glasgow).

But still, Sevilla were tough to break down, and once more aided by some abysmal referring and the textbook playacting, at one point, I sorta gave up jokingly remarking:

"Defoe? He can't even score in the Prem, how the hell is he gonna score against this lot?"

Cue, Defoe goal. 1-2. Then Lennon, the cheek of it, decides to give us hope. But still, and I'm sure most would agree, we lacked the sharpness of previous games (especially in Europe). It still all looked a little too heavy. The final ball not being of the quality to break down the team from La Liga.

And then Lady Luck stuck her two fingers up at us, when she wrapped herself around Dawsons leg to cause him to blast the ball over when it was easier to hit the back of the net. Had that gone in.......blimey. It would have been an incredible final 10 minutes. Berbatov was then guilty of lame shot easily saved. And that was it. Though TT gave us a cheer when he picked up a red card for laying the smackdown on Puerta. Well done that man.

Big time credit to the Sevilla fans who chanted 'Tottenham Tottenham' at the end of the game and both sets of fans applauding each other. Sort of shows up the Spanish riot police for being a bunch of over zealous pigs.

And that was it. Brave, but naive. Giving Sevilla two goals.......that's just suicide. Did Jol get it wrong? Or maybe the penalty decision from the first game has proven to be more decisive in the end. Should we have played patient football from the kick-off, gradually building into high tempo and pace? Perhaps so. Gifting the away goals in the manner we did only elevated the Spaniards aided by the the clown in black (yet another one - where do you find them UEFA?) and the usual dirty tricks. But thankfully, the second half - and the support from the fans - at least restored a little pride. Let's not forget we have been a joy to watch this season in Europe. Chin up lads. We've still got work to do.......


~Spooky

COYS........let's be 'aving you

I'll be spending the day in Middlesbrough, but should be back in London by 7pm, so shouldn't have a problem getting to the game on time. I will go postal if I'm delayed (so keep an eye on the news for any passenger incidents on the Great Northern Railway).

With UEFA critical of the police in the Rome and Sevilla games its good to see a fair reaction to the troubles from the top dogs. Hopefully our 'boys' off the pitch will behave themselves tomorrow night, and our boys on the pitch dismantle the Spanish team in the same way Utd put Rome to the sword. Talk about decimation. Had me applauding the Mancs. And behold we witnessed........why Carrick opted to commit himself to the them rather than us.

Spurs are capable of that speed and tempo, but what we've lacked in far too many occasions this season is the killer-touch/ruthlessness that the likes of Utd seem to possess nonchalantly. We've already had 2 or 3 big 'turn up and prove it' games this season. All ending in defeat.

Time to stand up? Oh hell yes. As confident as I was last week, it worries me a little that one goal...from them...could kill us off. 4-0, is that too much to ask for? I'll be comfortable at 4-0, so that's what the footballing Gods will hear me request in my prayer tonight.

King is back and in the squad. Apparently, has been fit for a week or two but has been kept under wraps. Much needed, but is this too big an ask for him for his return game?

Stalteri - Injured (knee)
Lee - Injured - out for 3 months
Chimbonda - Apparently 'struggling', but will play (on the right)
Tanio - Probable emergency left-back

So King/Dawson at the back (Rocha cup-tied)

It's simple really. Spurs have to believe. That's it. Oh, and actually make possession count. This football lark, it's plain simply innit?

I do understand that Sevilla might actually turn up and play us off the park, and we might - at no point - be in the game. If that happens, then no one can be blamed and as disappointing as it might be - its a fact that if a superior team turns up and beats you, there's no hindsight analysis that can change the final score.

If we turn up, and play them off the park but lose because we don't bury chances or Robbo bites into a pie before attempting to save a 40 yard shot, resulting in him picking up the ball from the corner of the net (where other pies are residing) - then its that ye olde Spurs tradition of 'nearly/almost/not quite good enough' that you will be hearing beneath our tear-strained faces.

But I'm no Grim Reaper. It's been another splendid season, and I firmly believe that Man/Chel/Liver/Arse are the only clubs in better condition than us. So, it's not that grim is it? We all know how much of a bitch it is nowadays to compete - to genuinely compete - with the top dogs.

Spurs are looking a-ok IMO. Just one or two upgrades for the summer. In the mean time, we have to make do with what we've got. So, here's to:


Lennon re-discovering his form in devastating style
Berbatov, scoring and providing
Keane at his energetic best
King.....at his most commanding and calming


Oh, and WHL.....let's make a little noise tomorrow night, yeah?



~Spooky

Looking back....

Time to digest all the reports (from fans and media) surrounding the riot police and the general battering our fans got in Sevilla. Everyone seems to be saying the same thing, and having seen some high res footage of the incidents, seems that it was pretty conclusive that the geared up Old Bill got a little too 'say hello to my little friend'. One eye witness account from the day suggests that there was allegedly a steady build up of fan trouble, with Spurs inciting outside the ground. I've not heard anyone else report this, especially the press, so placing that aside (and the fact that every club in Europe probably has an element of idiotic supporters who get a little bit Football Factory on 5 pints) all we have is what happened in the ground.

I was speaking to a friend, who's mate (ironically a Spurs fan) is old bill. When Spurs played Arsenal recently (at the Lane) there was trouble kicking off at Liverpool St station and he was dispatched with Riot Police to 'go sort it out'. This involved, nothing more than hitting anything that moved and looked like a Spurs or Arsenal fan. No arrests. Just some ye olde baton lashings.

"They love it. They even keep score on how many people they hit and compare later on"

Sounds like nothing more than hooligans with a license. Nothing new though, is it? Anyone who's been around longer than 5 minutes could tell you a story or two. They're in riot gear, so why let it go to waste.

Whatever it was that inspired the Sevilla police inside the ground to hit a man out of a wheelchair is probably the same insignificant thing that inspires a football thug to rip out a chair and throw it. That same thing isn't relevant. What is relevant is that the outcome is exactly the same.

Shame (as already stated) that I'm talking about this rather than the disgusting behaviour on the pitch from the ref. I won't slate Sevilla's players for their time wasting/play acting cause we see it all the time. Just as much in this country as La Liga.



Off-field footage of Sevilla v Spurs: http://www.inkiboo.com/seville/


~Spooky

latest on the troubles

From the official Spurs site:

Club Secretary John Alexander is today calling for answers from the Spanish authorities as to what prompted the disturbing scenes during the match last night.

"Our supporters have been on four trips into Europe before this and have behaved impeccably so something was clearly different in the way they were treated last night to suffer this sort of response," said John this afternoon.

"We really need to get to the bottom of just what the police were trying to do when they entered those segregation lines. We have been distressed to hear about incidents involving our supporters at a time when they were showing no aggression whatsoever and also in respect of our disabled supporters being set upon by the Spanish riot police. We need to understand how we are in a position whereby we have two clearly identifiable Spurs Stewards assaulted by the Spanish police, along with our disability co-ordinator being injured too.

"Both the Club and the local authorities had worked very hard to try and respect what was happening in Seville over the Easter period and arrangements were put in place that the fans appreciated. They had a good time in the town and were mixing quite freely with no signs at all of what was to come," added John, who said fans making contact through the email address seville.report@tottenhamhotspur.com is key to creating an accurate assessment of the incidents.

"It is an important part of us building up a picture of what happened on the night. They were the closest people to it. We had observers from the Embassy, along with five police officers, our own Safety Officer with 22 stewards. We also had a representative from the Football Association.

"All of their information and feedback will be valuable to us in piecing together what happened along with statements from our own supporters."

People back in the UK having travelled home are reporting the same type of concerns. Lack of organisation outside and within the ground - having tickets stating entry to one gate only to be told to enter via another. People walking away from trouble being clubbed, including women and children.

Fact is there was no trouble before the police got heavy handed and there was no trouble after. Seems pretty clear cut to me and everyone else.

Shame all this is distracting everything away from one of the worst ref performances I have seen.


~Spooky

Sevilla 2 Spurs 1

Disgraceful scenes during the Sevilla v Spurs UEFA Cup Q-F. How fucking hard is it to pronounce Chimbonda? If it isn't bad enough watching Robbie Earl stutter away pitch side with a cotton bud cello-taped to his cheek we also have to listen to David Pleat creating players that don't even exist. Shimbonba? Shimshombo?I mean fuckin 'ell. Can someone at ITV not take him aside for a couple of minutes and explain how to break words down phonetically?

Leaving aside ITV's 'skills' with showcasing football, the match it self was anything but uneventful. Sadly, off the pitch too. Man Utd fans suffered at the hands of over zealous Roma riot police the other night, but at this point in time it's difficult to know exactly what kicked off the trouble this evening. When the camera moved over to the part of the stadium where the Spurs fans where, a pocket of riot police were doing what they do best, smacking people with their batons whilst supporters screamed for some kind of composure. Though there were one or two idiots who looked like they preferred not to turn away but to incite a little.




I wasn't there, obviously, and I'll take it with a pinch of salt what I heard on the tv ('Police officer fell 4 or 5 tiers' -I'm sure they meant 'rows'). I'll also take with a pinch of salt everything else until I hear a majority tell the tale of the evenings events.

What I have heard is that the Tottenham Hotspur stewards who were present had everything under control but the police ignored them and decided that cutting open a 17 year old girls face and beating a man in a wheelchair was the best way to make everyone feel welcome. This then drove one or two Spurs fans towards the police. You know, to have a word or two. Which led to the mayhem.

Seems heavy handed police action is what we (the English) have to put up with because of 20 year old history. 'Hooligans' rang out the chant from the home fans. And like Man Utd found out it seems we still have a stigma that just wont go away.

Why the fuck don't they have several rows covered with nets (like in the Prem) with riot police either side, but have them 'sitting' down rather than getting into the faces of the fans. IMO, its blatant that they are geared up to fight. And hit anything that moves. It's just so unnecessary.




We don't see this in England much, yet twice in two nights we get it on the continent. And sadly, they (the police) will be above and beyond suspicion or criticism that should lead to action from UEFA. Have a go at the cops, might lead to strike action that will lead to no presence at games which means no football match can take place.

Of course, ripping up seats and throwing them doesn't do our name much good. Shame that had to happen, and not a proud moment. But not to defend this type of behaviour, if the police were just hitting people for the sake of it, I'm not too surprised some fans reacted this way.

Enough with this for now. Until I speak to friends who were out there and other witness accounts I can't really form too much of an opinion. I'm gonna be bias obviously. Like any supporter. But if Spurs fans were given grief in the city prior to the game....well, it's not surprising that someone may have been a tad naughty with the cops possibly inciting them. What doesn't help is having ITV blame Spurs fans just because were English.

As for the game....

I'm actually quite pleased. Sevilla, for all their La Liga form were not as impressive as I thought they would be. Quite soft in defence, but still dangerous in attack. Have to say I'm confident we can score a couple against them at home.

What a start though. Nice goal. Good away goal. And if it wasn't for some quite diabolically bad referring, things may have been even better. Their second goal - no complaints. Bad defending from us, but fuck me.....penalty?? No way. Robbo takes the ball, ref admits to this, but still gives a penalty. Criminal decision, but then what can you do about it? Cool penalty from Fredi. The git. Second half saw us a little bit more in control resulting in few chances for the Spaniards. But we didn't create too many chances either.

Lennon and Berbs were awfully quiet. Shimmabondierlo did ok, but need King back there. I see what Jol says when he mentions needing one or two more players. Anyone can see that if we add some more quality then the team is more of a whole instead of having one or two holes. Lee still makes me nervous, and more so the Canadian with the giant eyebrows. Sevilla will have to come to WHL and attack. This will allow us space. And Space = goals.

Other general observations. The ref blowing his whistle for anything physical. The ref giving some questionable decisions against us (not just the pen - but why was Berbs penalised when he got sandwiched by two Sevilla players?). Oh, and La Liga at its best with Renato doing his best to allow gravity to keep him firmly grounded while we attacked forcing us to kick the ball out and Palop suggesting to Lennon he dived. The irony burns. But these are the usual knee-jerks.

It's a defeat, but as far as defeats go, it ain't too bad. We didn't play that well yet got a decent away goal and maybe, with another ref...a credible draw. Instead its a '1-0 defeat'. Time for one of those glory glory nights at the Lane next week......



~Spooky


Pics taken by superyids from GG.net

Uncomfortably comfortable

Rampant yet wasteful Spurs 1 Plucky Reading 0


20 odd chances, countless fluffing about in front of goal, wonderful football, the odd player or two not fully on song, and one dubious penalty and one blatant disallowed goal. Oh and three points.

An entertaining match at the Lane and holy crap we've even gone and got ourselves a clean sheet. Up to the dizzy heights of 6th place, suddenly its game on again. Even 5th spot isn't out of our reach - though expect this up and coming Sunday to end in misery. With Arsenal not too far off either, its gonna be a potentially heart in mouth month as we aim to glue ourselves into a UEFA Cup spot. 7th might even do if Man Utd face Chelsea in the FA Cup. Of course, winning the UEFA Cup will also take us back into it automatically.

What? What? I didn't jinx it did I? Sevilla rested 5 or so first team players the other day so Fredi and co are ready for us. I won't be out there sadly. The one game I wanted and I'll be at home watching it on the TV. In fact, I may not even be home. Working late that evening, will probably miss the first half and then some. Hopefully I can avoid any Spurs Mobile text messages and pubs as I make my way home and Sky + it. The following week, I'm in bloody Boro of all places (God hates me). Which may mean missing the WHL second leg. Razor blades at the ready.

Fixture congestion is on its way, but thankfully our season (unlike some) is still alive and kicking. Not bad to have that for a second year on the trot. That's almost like...winning something for us lot. Consistency. I like it. Feels like the 80's again.

I wont post our remaining fixtures in case the Premier League decide to sue me, but looking at our remaining games in comparison to Bolton, Everton and Blackburn along with Pompey - we have as good a chance as anyone to finish 6th or 5th.

Reminds me of something a gooner said at the start of the season.

"Spurs wont be a problem this season, they wont compete for 4th spot. We'll (Arsenal) be back to normal and light years ahead"

Yes well, if anything, Arsenal have been rather fortunate again. Unspectacular season in the Prem for them. And had one or two teams shown better consistency over the season - like us (bad start, bad Christmas) then 4th spot would have been up for grabs once more. Maybe next season it will be 3rd time lucky. I know something though, the dawn of the new Invincibles has been vastly exaggerated.

So. Roll on the second tier of European competition. For now, you'll have to do.


~Spooky