TOTTENHAM ARE STILL A BIG CLUB!

I don't think he was frozen out, but equally I really don't think he was central to Redknapp's 2-4 year plan either, assuming he had one. Obviously he came good but I don't think he was consciously cultivated in the way a Ferguson or Wenger or Moyes would bring up a young player.

he wasn't bought by redknapp, so it's not quite the same thing as comparing him to the MO of those guys imo? He inherited bale as a problematic but talented left back, remember.

interestingly enough, harry's first game in charge, he started bale in midfield

i think he'd been tried there on and off, tbf. But he'd not had a run there, nor had he particularly impressed (tho matt & i both were stanning for him prior to the notts forest loan talk iirc)

how good are the tottenham cbs and friedel at this point

which cbs. we've agreed that dawson, kaboul and caulker can stay, bassong's fat lady has bassung, gallas was p shit the last six months and king's prob finally ready to be a non-consideration. So at least one first-choice cb, if he can play lb as vertonghen is supposed to then perfect.

I'd have no prob with friedel another year tbh.

the tottenham cbs deems

kaboul
dawson
khumalo

i always thought dawson was a bit limited

kaboul tho, idk

Dawson will fling himself in the line of everything but needs a CB with a cool head next to him, dunno if Kaboul-Dawson will ever work as a pairing, although Kaboul is probably better by this point.

Ideally Harry would go for Vorm or Krul in the summer but another year of Brad could be fine, he barely fucked up this season. Of course when it goes it could all go very quickly but he's hardly likely to turn down the opportunity to play in the Champions League, if it materialises.

dawson is maximising within his limitations, with a classier player to cover behind his charges he's got a certain s/thing that almost passes for inspirational leadership.

Kaboul I like v much. Plays across the back to p good effect, but idk do the two of them as a pairing exhibit mutual positional excellence.

Khumalo is a professional footballer currently registered to tottenham as a centre half, yes.

krul would cost so much tho

i think matt and i are in basic agreement here

Corluka's strictly ok as cb cover, if he returns, but not to be discounted as important if arry ever realises e's got a squad btwn cb, rb, walker covering rw, etc

agree, caulker vertonghen should sort it and i'd hold on to naughton as well if charlie's off

attacking rb adam smith looked quite promising against qpr on loan to mk dons in the cup fwiw

also you appear to have an academy rb by the name of alexander mcqueen...?

he got ten mins against fulham... it may have been at cb tho.

naughton is p much a cert to make next year's squad, whether walker is to be used as rw cover or not in arry's 'ed will decide whether corluka stays or goes i think.

I don't really think Harry out.

I think that fourth, even in a hardly vintage race for fourth, is no mean achievement.

I think that Harry should have to answer some pretty tough questions as to why third wasn't secured, even though very good players were sent out on loan or just not utilised.

To finish fourth, fifth, fourth with a young team and playing good football is enough, though.

This summer is going to be tougher for the lack of CL at the end of it, but as Matt said in the other thread, a good pair of bids for Bale or Modric now would almost be welcome- if Redknapp can be trusted to spend the income wisely.

For large tranches of the season neither has performed to the level of player the worth of which they will be sold for. Carrick them off, by all means.

I'd be more worried at the prospect of losing Sandro or VDV tbph.

Interesting times.

I should say- I don't really think Harry out, but were he to go then I'd not be crying or anything. But I don't think he deserves the sack.

don't be a pussy

redknapp out

jol >>> redknapp

both had gutless flaky teams who couldn't really do it when it counted but redknapp had greater control over playing resources and a more expensive squad

spurs' form post february this year was one of the worst sustained periods of underperformance in recent memory

redknapp's gotten fourth twice in three years, winning many big matches in the cl and against big four teams in the league, has developed a squad of players that will at least sell for a huge amount to be re-invested if they go. he's also had more competition for the fourth spot.

how will u feel if tottenham finish fourth and chelsea win the cl thereby consigning u to the europa league?

― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Sunday, April 29, 2012 5:38 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

how'd you think

― diafiyhm (darraghmac), Sunday, April 29, 2012 5:40 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

stoical imo

― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Sunday, April 29, 2012 5:44 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

roberto di matteo looks vaguely like a harlequin foetus

― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Sunday, April 29, 2012 5:45 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i gotta say tho, this is a piece of shit

chelsea have to be there but still it just isn't right

feel like if newcastle had got 4th, the outcry would have been so huge, poor little nukey trampled by uefa & the russian oligarch...

as it is, tottenham had 3rd sewn up for so long it's difficult to play to that gallery in the same way

otm

tho

again

it being a known possibility makes this unlike everton/lfc in 2005

http://windycoys.blogspot.com/2012/05/spurs-loanee-update-220512.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FcgaIL+%28Windy%27s+Blog%29

good round up of spurs loanees with some imput from fans of their clubs this past season.

ah Iago Falque, played once for Saints iirc. He's what, like, 22 now. He needs to go play somewhere.

now that i've read it that was a really good guide.

gah, David Bentley's 'career arc' is so depressing.

the depressing part is that comolli & co thought he was worth £11m more than the £4m player he was on a good day

horrible gutless little cunt given undue prominence for being technically above average in a truly terrible generation of england players

ah Iago Falque, played once for Saints iirc. He's what, like, 22 now. He needs to go play somewhere.

― pandemic, Tuesday, May 22, 2012 3:36 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

started once, was taken off at half-time. although he was trying to force his way into a first place team that didn't rotate much.

i remember him playing really well for b'burn vs man u once, i think.

xp re bentley

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m438q5meK11qck7blo1_400.gif

Comolli also spunked a load of money on Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll so he's got form here.

Pretty sure if you banned him from signing Englishmen he'd have a pretty incredible hit ratio though, especially taking into account people like Kevin Prince Boateng who Spurs never worked out how to use.

yeah i can only think he was leaned on to buy oi mates british bloody old talent because levy saw how it attracted a premium at resale with carrick

remember how desperate they were to buy hutton that they gave him £1m or something to induce him to move when his pregnant fiancée/wife/gf wanted to stay in scotland

Would love to know what's been going on between Levy and Redknapp behind the scenes though because I'd expect Levy will be fucking furious at allowing that lead over Arsenal to evaporate and I'm not sure Redknapp even now had twigged what he did wrong.

"I’ve been discussing things with the Club and my contract expires this summer. The Club has been fantastic in supporting me and given me several options to stay involved with Tottenham. I shall take a view with them pre-season on my future.

"Tottenham has been the only Club for me and if I can’t play here then I shall look to be involved in another capacity."

Ledley likely to hang up his knees?

sit him up on kaboul's shoulders to steer imo

Let him coach the defence IMO.

don't know what competition this is but coulibaly is psyched! wonder where his teammates are
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ykohTYNf1qjb5mho1_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ykohTYNf1qjb5mho2_250.gif
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ykohTYNf1qjb5mho3_250.gif
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ykohTYNf1qjb5mho4_250.gif

Villas Boas is throwing his toys out of the pram because he's not the only manager we're talking to. Happy to let the cunt take his ball and go home if this is the way he's going to be.

he wants the manager`s job before he gets it? strange approach.

I think he thinks he's in a stronger negotiating position than he actually is, he's not yet of the stature where any sensible club would talk to him and no-one else, and he thinks he is.

this is all so crazy. stupidest decision ever. not only did he sack a coach who finished 4th twice (not long ago a holy grail) but he had no plan in place whatsoever about who he wants.

be a miracle if spurs finish with more points next season.

i don't particulary believe this story. there are no quotes, and i think it came from the guardian who the day before wrote a story claiming levy was about to offer avb the job. really baffled by the "journalism" that occurs in football (this kind of stuff rarely happens in the states)

i dunno. leagues are tricky things to predict in june. arry and me and levy and matt would not have credited that fourth would be a bad season last year if you`d asked a twelvemonth ago. but it was. sackable bad? maybe not so, but then arry wasnt sacked for finishing fourth. he wasn`t even sacked for failing to qualify for the cl. he himself made it difficult for levy to agree an extension. he himself went public with the matter- levy`s form here is zero tolerance. he himself has refused to acknowledge his own input into a catastrophic five months for the club.

i don`t think levy had a manager in waiting because i don`t think levy planned this.

i don`t think avb is entitled to the preference he`s seeking, and i still think he`ll be spurs manager this weekend.

yeah i tend to believe the theory levy had a long game succession planned for next summer but arry must have provoked him to snap during that meeting. arry would have been a nightmare all season without the new contract anyway and most likely it wouldve affected the team

this summer rather than next to begin the rebuilding job seems a good call to me, it's already on the cusp; backline needs reshaping, modders possibly off, decision out on adebayor. could have had another season of same again but overhaul would after that would be more traumatic probably

avb is a neurotic basket case but if he really is anything more than a nothing manager, a clown for all to see, then this is the right job for the lad

I don't care if he's arrogant and thinks he should be a clear first choice, he's probably right, but if he or his agent are behind a media-led power-play to force Levy's hand that's nagl.

Still hope he gets it.

Tottenham's squad is probably much better suited to an AVB overhaul than Chelsea's anyway, if you overlook the obvious problems in central defence. By and large he didn't have the personnel to match his tactics at Chelsea, especially in midfield, although it's worrying he didn't seem to realise that.