Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London

[lungless]

Originally Posted by putrawk

Nevermind conceding penalties in every match...we are conceding goals. Surely Jol need to improve on this. Robbo is looking out of sort...when was the last time he kept a clean sheet???? The defence too should take the blame. I rate Dawson and Chimbo highly but offlate, they, as a defence unit are not working together.

I think that there are no real leader in the defence now. Im hoping that Dawson can step up or Robbo to lead!! Is the problem similar to Chelsea when Terry and Cech not around? I think so....

Originally Posted by putrawk

We also tend to lose the ball in midfield which may lead to goals for the opposition. We dont really have a ball winner. We are soft and fragile. I cant understand our MF...we're leaking goals thru the midfielders legs, but then they dun really create chances for our strikers. When are we gonna work as a unit in whole? as a team? Again, this has to be another season of mediocre football by Spurs. But fret not, I will give my continuous support for the team I have supported since 1985!!

I agree totally with you.....i mentioned that there are no grit left in this Spurs Midfield....only Tainio and sometime Ghaly are able to provide them. I think they truly missed the combatant attitude of Brown, Mendes and Davids...the present crop of midfielders must show more grit and bite in the same level as their high individual skills in the near future....Yup will continue to support them strongly no matter what!! I truly like Mendes!!! What a waste they sold him...

[lungless]

Originally Posted by qbdp

I've just watched the EPL highlights show, Spurs defence was in 6s and 7s. Dawson not winning all headers. Misses King big time.

Yeah...i noticed that the last 3 games dawson have not been dominant in the air as what he used to be...hope this will not be permanent?!!?

[qbdp]

Jenas: We need some fight

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has admitted that they lack the ability to battle for points away from home.

Spurs slumped to defeat at Sheffield United on Saturday and have won only one game on the road all season in the Premiership.

Jenas admitted: "We have to be a bit more resilient. We can't look at our away record as a fluke - it's something which has to be looked at.

"A fluke is a one-off and this hasn't been a one-off. We're not hiding away from the facts.

"We are completely aware of it and we are determined to change it.

"We've got the talent to come to places like this and win, but talent doesn't always win you games. You have to have more than that.

"Our ability will beat a lot of sides, but we need to start being stronger and more physical."

Spurs boss Martin Jol admitted that they are lacking the physical presence of the departed Edgar Davids and Michael Carrick as well as the injured Ledley King.

[geylang]

im going to london to watch Spurs vs Bolton on 25thFeb!!....anyone joining?

[putrawk]

Originally Posted by geylang

im going to london to watch Spurs vs Bolton on 25thFeb!!....anyone joining?

Have fun mate. Ive been to WHL a number of times as I lived nearby when I was a teenager. One of the best stadia ive ever been to. Been to a few stadiums in England and I must say that WHL has the best kebab there!! LOL. But overall I think The best stadium I have been to is the Amsterdam Arena. Simply electrifying and breathtaking.

[putrawk]

Originally Posted by lungless

Is the problem similar to Chelsea when Terry and Cech not around? I think so....

Yeah pretty similar but Chelsea has more depth. They have Cudicini and the ever the hillarious Hillario as backup. Their defence isnt that bad either compared to us at Spurs.

Originally Posted by lungless

I truly like Mendes!!! What a waste they sold him...

Pedro Mendes...I liked him a lot. He was a hero of mine and even had his name on the back of my kappa kit. But hey man, at least Tainio and Ghaly are better than David Howells, Paul Stewert, Steve Sedgley and Nicola Berti combined. Its just that Jol needs to find the right blend, the ultimate combination. I reckon Zokora could be our hardman. Having said that, we need to level him with an attacking midfielder to compliment the strikers. Thus, Zokora partnering Hudds wont work as both are defensive minded. I would go for Zokora or Hudds or Tainio partnering either Jenas, Murphy or Malbranque as I stick to my decision that Malbranque is a superb playmaker if he was given that role rather than a LM (in which he has done well, but we need a natural LM).

We have a good team, its just that Jol needs to dig his brain deeper to find the right combo. We just dont play well as a team compared to ManYoo, Kops, Chelsea, ARSE-nal and even (Michael) Bolton!

[qbdp]

Jol: We will do it again

Tottenham manager Martin Jol believes his team have what it takes to turn their disappointing league form around despite falling into the bottom half of the table following the 2-1 loss to Sheffield United.

Speaking to the official Tottenham website Jol said: "We are not being dragged into the lower reaches, we are 11th with a game in hand, which is not the best of positions because we want to be in the top seven, but we have played 40 games now and are still developing as a team and unit,"

"At times this season we have flourished, we are proud of the cup runs this season, but we could do with five or six points more in the league and that is the issue.

"If we had put our chances away on our travels at places like Watford and Aston Villa there would be no complaints over our league position.

"We will turn it around and make things better. We have been a bit vulnerable lately but, in the end, our quality will pull us through.

"Confidence is not low and we still have the quality to come through this period - we have done it before and we will do it again.

"I feel there is a lot of growth to come in this team and we will show that, but sometimes you have to be patient. We need a bit of time."

[Castrol]

Originally Posted by qbdp

"We will turn it around and make things better. We have been a bit vulnerable lately but, in the end, our quality will pull us through.

spurs will turn it around on this sunday's FA cup clash with fulham in the cottage at 11.55pm.

spore pools is paying 2.42 for a spurs victory. no more draw, no more extra time, no more ice cream. i will splash $100 and get back $242 on monday!

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by Castrol

..paying 2.42 for a spurs victory. no more draw, no more extra time, no more ice cream. i will splash $100 and get back $242 on monday!

Plenty of spare change left for beer money... Speaking of ice cream , reminds me of my last night's foray (last call before cny, mah). Cabbie on way home confessed he's a goner when FL does "ice cream" (bbj) errr something like gone in 2 mins! How our conversation turned to this anatomy talk is another story kekekeke

[qbdp]

'We're there for the taking' admits Jol as the pressure starts to mount
By Glenn Moore
Published: 16 February 2007

When a manager begins to manipulate statistics and lower expectations, it is an indication that he is under pressure. So it is with Martin Jol, who last night looked ahead to Tottenham Hotspur's fifth-round FA Cup tie at Fulham on Sunday with a mixture of bravado and negativity that betrayed his insecurity.

Spurs' season of promise has turned sour since the Carling Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal. Victory would have covered up a patchy League campaign notable for the club's lamentable away form.

Defeat appears to have exacerbated the problems, Spurs subsequently losing 4-0 at home to Manchester United, then at Sheffield United.

Fulham, who are just a point behind Spurs in the Premiership, have not lost at Craven Cottage in eight matches and Jol said: "They might feel we are there for the taking at the moment." He added: "We will use that as a motivation. We have to prove to people that we can be solid, physical and professional in what we do."

In looking for positives, Jol expunged the Carling Cup semi-final from the records. Arsenal won in extra time in the second leg and Jol said: "We haven't suffered a defeat in 14 cup matches over 90 minutes and that is good."

In mitigation, Spurs have been badly affected by injuries, to Ledley King and Aaron Lennon in particular. They have also progressed to the last 16 of the Uefa Cup, albeit helped by the expulsion of their scheduled opponents Feyenoord after crowd trouble.

After narrowly missing out on a Champions League place last May, then investing heavily during the summer, Spurs were not expected to be in the bottom half of the table at this stage, 10 points off a Uefa Cup place and 16 adrift of a Champions League qualifying spot. The future of Jol, who took over in November 2004 after Jacques Santini walked out, is attracting speculation. Soon after his appointment, Jol gave a barnstorming speech at the club's AGM, at which he harked back to the club's sepia-tinged glory days and invoked the memory of the Double-winning manager Bill Nicholson. His ebullient style, and early success, won over the Spurs fans.

But recently there have been signs of dissatisfaction at White Hart Lane, which has never been the easiest audience to please. Arsenal's continued excellence, and the fact they fielded an understrength team in that Carling Cup semi-final, but still won, has not helped.

Robbie Keane, who has been the stand-in captain in the absence of King, said: "I have been through times like this before when you just can't get that win, but we know it will not last with the players we have. We've too many good players to just sit back and accept it.

"We've got winners in our squad and we know a win is just around the corner and once we get that we will be back on song again. It is about sticking together, working hard for each other and bouncing back. I've got no doubt in my mind that we will be back."

Adding insult to injury yesterday was an uninvited rebuff from Robinho. Real Madrid's young Brazilian striker said of reports linking him to White Hart Lane: "If I had to leave Real, I'd choose to join another big club. I don't regard Tottenham Hotspur as a big club."

[qbdp]

Where has it all gone wrong for Jol's sorry Spurs?
Cups are the last resort for a club in freefall from last year's challenge to the big four, writes Jeremy Wilson
Friday February 16, 2007
The Guardian


It was Bill Nicholson who most succinctly summed up the level of expectation that swirls around White Hart Lane. "If you don't win anything, you have had a bad season," Tottenham's 1961 Double-winning manager once remarked.
By such strict criteria Spurs have endured mostly poor seasons over two decades, the only silverware coming via the FA Cup in 1991 and League Cup in 1999. As they prepare for Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Fulham, this year looks unlikely to be different.

Tottenham were beaten by Arsenal in the Carling Cup semi-finals at the end of last month and enter the final third of the season in the bottom half of the Premiership. In nine months they have moved from Champions League candidates to a team closer to the relegation zone. It may be premature to talk of a crisis but the murmurings of discontent are becoming more audible.
Since taking charge in 2004 Martin Jol, Tottenham's manager, has spent more on buying players than his Arsenal counterpart, Arsène Wenger, but according to the former Spurs winger, Chris Waddle, his activity in the transfer market is in danger of becoming counter-productive.

"With good teams you pretty much know the starting 11 but, if someone asked me to guess Tottenham's team this weekend, I might get five players right," he said. "Jol is trying too hard to keep his squad happy. Players are in and out every week and I get the feeling he is needing to accommodate players who have been signed on good contracts for big money. I look at Tottenham and just think where is the fear factor?"

Tottenham remain in the FA Cup and have received a bye to the last 16 of the Uefa Cup. But, after appearing poised to challenge the Premiership dominance of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal last year, their league form has plummeted, culminating in last weekend's defeat at Sheffield United. Away from home they have won once all season, scoring nine goals in the process.

"Fulham might feel we are there for the taking at the moment," Jol said yesterday. "We will use that as a motivation and we have to prove to people we can be solid, physical and professional in what we do."

Since the turn of the year Tottenham's only victories have come against Cardiff and Southend in the FA Cup. "There is no feeling against Martin Jol but supporters are pretty despondent," said the football author and Tottenham season-ticket holder Mark Perryman. "Most people recognise that we are now going backwards. We have fallen into the trap of adding quantity rather than quality."

The sale of Michael Carrick to Manchester United for a fee that could rise to £18.6m has left a hole in midfield but arguably the biggest setback has been Ledley King's ongoing injury problems. Steve Perryman, who won the FA, Uefa and League Cups twice each during his Tottenham career, believes that King's absence has been costly. "For a club to be successful at the very highest level you need leadership in the boardroom, in the manager's office and on the pitch," he said. "There seems to have been a purpose to what they have been doing behind the scenes but I do not see a leader on the pitch."

"I'm not questioning [the players'] ability but can they dig in, are they prepared to fall out with each other?" said Waddle. "Every good team has players who point the finger and have presence. I don't see much presence running through the middle of the team. Michael Carrick has not been replaced; he's not an aggressive ball winner but his positional sense and distribution are first-class."

Considering Everton and Newcastle remain the only clubs to have broken into the Premiership's so-called 'big four' over the past five years, Tottenham's current slump must be placed in perspective. "Tottenham are secure now," said Steve Perryman. "There is no dallying with relegation and there is still a feeling the club is going in the right direction. I just think the club needs a trophy. When we won the FA Cup in 1981 it led to a few years of success. The cups this year are vital because they could act as a launch pad."

The former Tottenham midfielder, Alan Mullery, is adamant that any sense of panic would be premature. "There has been a policy of buying young players - I don't think there is a player over 30 in the team," he said. "The board have given money to Martin Jol and there have been some good buys and some bad buys but it does take a bit of time to gel."

Supporters, though, are expectant and impatient, especially after last year. "Tottenham have a demanding crowd but it is a great stage for football; one of the very best," Waddle added. "It is a club with glamour and you really need to stick your chest out. But with that comes a feeling they should be doing better."

[lungless]

I think Spurs will pull thru if all of them stick to one another and stick to the Gaffer!!

For the Robinho thingy, i am not bothered as he is not the kind of Player that Spurs will look to...i dun think he even have the physics to last in EPL...i rather Spurs have Ribery!! Haha...but thats a dream lar!

[Castrol]

Originally Posted by yinyang

Cabbie on way home confessed he's a goner when FL does "ice cream" (bbj) errr something like gone in 2 mins! How our conversation turned to this anatomy talk is another story kekekeke

maybe cabbies sit in the bumpy taxi for too many hours, didi whole day feel nauseous so thats why very fast throw out.

[Castrol]

Originally Posted by lungless

For the Robinho thingy, i am not bothered as he is not the kind of Player that Spurs will look to...i dun think he even have the physics to last in EPL...i rather Spurs have Ribery!! Haha...but thats a dream lar!

except for a few dazzling turns shown in a few matches last season, robinho is now officially a flop in real madrid. he just scored 1 goal so far this season and he is starting to make noise about not starting enough games blah blah.

real madrid is my favourite club in la liga, so i follow and watch their matches. robinho is becoming very selfish with the ball even when he is playing winger and his shots are often weak and wide. if spurs wanna sign anybody from madrid, the player should be guti.

[putrawk]

Originally Posted by Castrol

if spurs wanna sign anybody from madrid, the player should be guti.

Yeah Guti. And he has leadership quality as well as he is the vice captain behind Raul. That should be good enuff for our midfield who I think lack leadership quality. We were linked with Guti last season....what ever happened to it? another "ALMOST" signing for us then I supposed?