Same time next year?

Jol sacked late on the 25th October.
Ramos sacked late on the 25th October.

Spooky, no?

It’s squeaky bum time

During the summer everyone – the tabloids, the broadsheets, the Gillette Soccer Saturday crew, football magazines and various wannabe pundits had Spurs down as their firm favs for 5th spot. The reason all of them are laughing at us now is because Only Spurs™ could fail so spectacularly.
Not only have we started badly, but we’ve timed it so well that the press can now make Titanic sinking jokes based on this being our worst start in 96 years. Is this the most diabolical team we’ve had? Or the worst management team? No. And it’s only 7 games in. Yes, Derby were in a better position this time last season, but nobody, not even those zany journalists are mentioning the ‘R’ word with true self-belief. Even rival fans are telling me that Spurs will drag their way out of the bottom three. This is simply only a little bit worse than last season start to the season.

But if they fail to win at Stoke, expect this to change. Because if confidence is bad now, it will be non-existent if we still have two points after our visit to the Victoria Ground (edit: By Victoria Ground, I obviously mean Britannia Stadium).

What makes things even more depressing is that this current group of players are the ones that have until January to turn things around, and if they don’t then that’s that. Nobody is going to want to come here in the new year if we are still languishing in the bottom three. The profile of the club will change completely with regards to transfers. We’ll have West Ham pinching our players. New ground? Why would we need 50,000 in the Championship? Hutton and Bale will be looking for a tap on their shoulders from Fergie and Jenas will still be telling everyone that we can make the Champions League.

Digging deep is what we’ve been expecting (based on what the coach and the players have been spouting) after every defeat, only to be presented with yet another defeat.

But sacking Ramos is not an option just yet. Not because it would cost the club a reported £15M, but because Levy cannot, in pure footballing terms, afford it. Martin Jol’s tenure was undermined and destroyed. We never did find out if he could take us to the next level or not (i.e. beating Arsenal). Ramos was the man that Comolli felt he could work with. Yet the shambolic transfer window activities have done nothing to improve the squad. Jol recently spoke about how there was a clear vision during his time there with regards to English players, and that team has been gutted and replaced with a mish-mash that has no true balance.

Pav is looking more and more like a panic buy, and you almost feel as sorry for him as you do for Modric who is clearly far too good a player for this current Spurs team as he spends most of his time laying off passes that his team-mates simply don’t have the virtue of accepting.

No leadership. Another painfully obvious problem.

So Levy, having gone out of his way, to get Ramos – has to allow Ramos that extra bit of time that is usually not given in such circumstances. If nothing happens in the next 3-4 games, then sadly the team is in such a state that the players are simply not responding to the manager and Ramos time may well be up. Though the blame will fall back into the lap of L&C.

Elsewhere, Defoe scored again. Robbie Keane played a part in a 3-2 comeback win for Liverpool. Dean Marney looked busy and purposeful (even hit the post) for Hull who, well, you know what they did. And Martin Jol's Hamburg won away, and remain top in Germany. And every player we deemed not good enough for us (Steed, Chimbonda) and the targets we scoffed at (Heskey, Crouch, Anton Ferdinand and a shedload of others) all continue to assist their teams while our ‘superstars’ struggle to raise their game to a respectful level.

Are we cursed? Has this been on the cards for years? With our generally poor away record over the past decade or so, when you suddenly stop winning home games, that ‘R’ word becomes a true threat.

Three points. At Stoke. It’s that simple, yet why does it look like it’s going to be so hard?

Klinsmann 'linked'

By linked I obviously mean the tabloids are making it up. Jurgen, with the best squad of players in Germany, is struggling to ignite a title challenge. Bayern Munich are 'aving a 'mare whilst Jol's Hamburg are still top. So if anyone is thinking of running with this story, apply some logic to the situation. Spurs legends do not work as managers: Ardiles, Hoddle.

And if Jurgen can't work out why Munich are not clicking, then what chance does he have with our inept lot?

No Diggity

One minute, Jol claims there wasn't a problem with Berbatov, the next he says there is. Make your mind up, Martin. First he claims he didn't have to ask Berbatov to get up and warm-up in the game against Newcastle. Now he claims that's exactly the case. In his new book. Yes, a book. Probably had an extra chapter added to it recently.



He harps on about Berbatov being a bit like Cruyff. 'Gifted'. But apparently, not a figher. So, why the fuck play him week in and week out? Bit of a contridiction there Martin. Either he is good for the team or he isn't, yet you had no problem playing him and yet now suddenly you reveal he isn't a fighter. Excellent selection work right there. Stick the ones with no heart into the team to lead us.

In addition to all this, today Berbatov Senior is apparently telling everyone his son wants out THIS January.

"My son doesn't feel happy at Tottenham any more. He wants to leave."

If that isn't 'ITK' I don't know what is. In addition (the Daily Mirror) add a nice little quote from a club insider (made up) stating:

Sources close to the striker added: "Dimitar is telling everybody that he doesn't want to stay and would like to leave in January.

"He feels that he made a mistake in the summer by not asking the club to sell him when Manchester United were interested."

Thank you for stating the obvious.

Berbatov can go. World class player when he feels like it, horrific attitude towards the club. Shame really, its been a while since we've had a geniune world class player at the club, and it might be a while longer before we get another. Though he hasn't done his reputation any favours with his sulking. But then he is bound to suggest that Spurs haven't done him any favours with their politics.

Jol has another dig at Comolli

Regardless of what Jol is saying in the press (its all Comolli's fault for buying players he didn't want), it doesn't hide the fact that he is laying blame elsewhere while on the pitch the team fell to pieces. Yeah sure the drop to 3rd from bottom can be seen as a knock-on effect from the troubles behind the scenes but it seems Martin is hellbent on deflecting responsibility to others rather than looking at his tactical naivety, even for a second.

See how easy it is to yo-yo between differing opinions on this matter? It's well documented in other blog entries and I think now Jol should simply move on (hopefully he'll get the Ajax job at the end of the season) and let it be.

We will soon find out who has the biggest say in transfers this January. I'm sure the signings will fit into the Ramos mould. Of course, maybe Comolli has learnt a lesson or two with what's happened with Jol and will now sanction exactly what the manager needs. There's no room for error and I doubt - after the Jol farce - that DM and DL will take any risk to upset the brand spanking new error. I mean era.

When Spooky met Martin

So there I was. Standing, chest pushed out, wearing my Jolfather t-shirt with pride. I’m not going to lie. I was nervous as hell. The big man was three aisles across in the frozen food section and by my calculations he would be heading back in this direction for the Monster Munch. He’s so far picked up some general groceries, pasta and some Brylcreem. Earlier I missed an opportunity, next to the organic vegetables. Sort of bottled it. Held a cucumber in my hand and attempted small talk by saying, ‘Nice size don’t you think?’ as I sniffed it. Thankfully he didn’t call security. He just smiled. That’s the Dutch for you.

Before you think I am stalking him, I’m not. Sure, I’ve kept tabs on him for a week or so noting down his daily habits and routines outside of training and match-days. And with his recent departure from Spurs it’s not been too troublesome to follow him around building a profile of all Monday to Friday activities and therefore potential places where I could approach him without raising suspension. You know what its like. Every red top journalist is probably after an exclusive. Can’t afford to make him nervous.

Obviously, when I finally do approach him and initiate actual dialogue, I need to make it appear as a chance meeting between a Spurs fan and a former Spurs manager. It’s been 5 minutes since my first attempt failed miserably. The cucumber incident wasn’t exactly how it played out in my mind. I chose Tesco’s for this very reason. You always bump into the same shoppers when you walk around a supermarket.

Further reconnaissance required. He’s no longer in the frozen food section. He usually spends exactly three minutes there. Maybe I miscalculated the average handling time with the microwavable goods. Not in the crisps section either. Damn it. Moves fast. Deceptive for a big man.

Hold up, there he is.
Time for an approach.
Be natural.
He’s looking at the aromatics.
He’s reaching out for the Twinings Lapsang Souchong. This is it, don’t bottle your one-on-one now…..


SPOOKY: “Nah mate, wouldn’t bother with that one”

Oh crap, he’s looking straight at me. With that scary slanted-eye look. I’m dead.

MARTIN: “It’s not good?”

SPOOKY: “Erm, yes. But you look like a someone who would much prefer an English cup of tea. Try this one. Earl Grey”

MARTIN: “Thank you. I will. Nice t-shirt”

SPOOKY: “Oh this? Yeah its…OMG….its you, Martin Jol! What a coincidence! I’m wearing a t-shirt with your face on it! What are the odds? I’m a Spurs fan! Wow, you don’t mind if I spend five minutes or so asking you a set of non-rehearsed questions that won’t place you in a position of uneasiness resulting with having to state ‘no-comment’ as a standard response. For the record I don’t work for the national press and wouldn’t dream of mis-quoting you and currently have no electronic devices on me such as a recording device or hidden camera”

MARTIN: “Walk with me”

SPOOKY: “Cool. So firstly, let me just say you were a breath of fresh air. Don’t think Spurs fans have sang the name of a manager as much as they sang yours. Ramos not being bald is going to mean overtime for the Lennon’s and McCartney’s of the South Park Lower. You were truly one of us. We will dearly miss you Martin”

MARTIN: “What do you think? Jaffa Cakes, Chocolate Digestives, Custard Dreams or shortcakes?”

SPOOKY: “I suppose Jaffa cakes”

MARTIN: “Hmmm. I like custard creams and shortcakes, usually together. Now and again I don’t mind a Jaffa cake but don’t care much about digestives. I usually get all four so that I always have the option. You know, with the English cup of tea”

SPOOKY: “Of course. Variety is the spice of life. So, any regrets?”

MARTIN: “I once bought some Polish biscuits. Let me tell you, they were fucking shit”

SPOOKY: “I’ll remember that. I think the way Levy treated you was disgraceful. Do you really hold no resentment?”

MARTIN: “Which way to the cereals?”

SPOOKY: “That way”

MARTIN: “Levy? No, Daniel is like Coco-Pops. He turns the milk chocolatey”

SPOOKY: “Is that a good thing?”

MARTIN: “If all you want is milk, then no”

SPOOKY: “Ok. So could you have turned things round Martin?”

MARTIN: “No, the wheels on this shopping trolley are rubbish. I didn’t even ask for this one. The attendant gave it to me”

SPOOKY: “And what about Kemsley?”

MARTIN: “I’m surprised he didn’t eat Ramos. He eats anything he can get his hands on. Me? I wouldn’t eat Ramos. Miss World, maybe. But my wife would kill me”

SPOOKY: “No regrets then with selection or tactics? Never wanted to change anything?”

MARTIN: “No. Even a broken clock is right twice a day”

SPOOKY: “Many people, directors and fans felt you struggled with team selection”

MARTIN: “A wrong decision is better than indecision”

SPOOKY: “And what about Paul Robinson? Surely he should have been dropped an age ago?”

MARTIN: “All due respect, you got no fuckin' idea what it's like to be Number One. Every decision you make affects every facet of every other fuckin' thing. It's too much to deal with almost. And in the end you're completely alone with it all”

SPOOKY: “Sorry, I…I….”

MARTIN: “Pick that up for me”

SPOOKY: “Ariel?”

MARTIN: “No, Daz”

SPOOKY: “Thanks for the chat Martin. Can you sign my t-shirt? I’ve got a silver permanent marker”

MARTIN: “My pleasure”

SPOOKY: “Martin, there’s one more thing. I don’t want you to freak out it’s a bit out of the ordinary, a bit leftfield…..”

MARTIN: “Left-field? Fuck! Look, I admit, it was a mistake to sell Andy Reid. Oh God, don’t tell me you have Andy Reid here. Motherfucker! Is that Andy Reid over there? Oh Christ, that’s him, isn’t it? It’s him. He always said he would take revenge. I’m gonna get fucking whacked, no? It's all gonna suddenly turn to black!”

SPOOKY: “No Martin, that’s not Andy Reid…that’s an obese middle-aged woman.”

MARTIN: “I knew that. What was it then? This leftfield thing?”

SPOOKY: “What I had in mind involved a box of matches and this effigy”

MARTIN: “What is that in its mouth?”

SPOOKY: “It belonged to Chirpy, pre-castration”

MARTIN: “Interesting. Meet me in the carpark in 10 minutes. Make sure the bonfire is lit”

SPOOKY: “Nice one. You planning to stay in football right?”

MARTIN: “There’s no retiring from this”


-


He didn't let me down. 10 minutes later he was there. We toasted some marshmallows and watched the effigy burn then said our goodbyes before the police arrived. He clinched his fist and gave me a reassuring nod as I stood proud on top of a parked Clio Renault chanting, 'Martin Jol, Martin Jol, Martin Martin Jol, he's got no hair......'

Goodbye Martin. All the best.

Jol: Levy is alriiiiiiiight

This is unexpected.

Martin Jol revealing that he found out he was sacked from his nephew after the game. Believable Factor – 40%

He also states that it was 'rubbish' that he knew before the game. This is believable. Levy would have waited until after the game. No logical sense to ask him to clear out his office pre-kick.

But this is the most curious of his statements to the press:

Despite that embarrassment, Jol denies he angrily confronted Spurs chairman Daniel Levy as some reports suggested.

"I don't have a problem with Daniel or the club because they treated me very well throughout my time there.

Makes you wonder doesn’t it? If Jol is telling the truth here, and why doubt the big man, then that would suggest that Levy has been telling the truth throughout this ordeal meaning that everything we have been led to believe is nothing more than exaggeration and distortion of the truth by our friendly neighbourhood tabloids. Yet some how, from body language and turn of events, you just can’t quite fathom that as a possibility.

End of day rant

We over-achieved. We looked better than we actually were. The Jol / Levy (and the rest of those mugs) relationship was deep and brooding away, behind the scenes, disguised by those two top 5 finishes. Nobody on the outside had a clue, while inside the club it was going to shit. Hence the collapse. Jol was a massive improvement on the past attempts to get this club moving forwards, but football is fickle and you can see how the whole mood at the club (in the stands) has shifted back to despondency this year just because of a 10 game poor run.

To be honest, its time we fucking banned all this 1960's shit and 'We have to make top 4' and all the other bullshit we churn out that drags us down all the time. Yes, we were really good 50 years ago, so fucking what. You can’t expect to be that again simply because you were like that once upon time. There’s not right to expect that. Yes, be ambitious but be realistic too. And the fact WE believe we should have it is something that rubs off on the players who seem to join Spurs for the simple reason that there is little pressure or stress and its a comfort zone (or stepping stone even). Seems the ‘We deserve 4th’ mentality has engulfed the board, hence the impatience and ego-wars and the PR disasters.

I honestly hope Ramos doesn’t give a shit or even mention The Past™ when he takes the helm and simply aims to achieve success for his own personal ego and gain. I wouldn’t mind seeing us finish Top 4 because of his own personal goals. This is no disrespect to Nicholson or the players from yesteryear. By definition, a club is defined by its history. But when you’re history is firmly lodged in black and white its time to create a new one. Remove the anchor and fucking sail upstream.

Jol was too much of a fan. And yes, it was endearing and yes, I fucking loved the big fat bear and wish he was my dad, but our club, our little club lives on nothing but promises and ‘what ifs’ and ‘we deserve to be there’ instead of shutting the fuck up and achieving it on the only place where it matters - the pitch.

Notice our bench last night towards the end of the game? The players enjoyed a joke. Personally think that was disgusting. For £20,000 a week I wouldn’t unzip myself and piss over the fans but they appear to have no problem doing so.

If Ramos comes in, I hope he plays players who want to play for this team, his team. That story about him taking off a player and leaving 10 on the pitch to force them to work harder for each other when they were coasting 2-0 makes me quite confident that Spurs have found the man to finally sort out this mess.

If he fails, then let it be down to footballing matters and not conspiracy theories from the board room.

Bizarro World

The timeline, so distorted and confusing. But then nothing is simplistic with Spurs.

At around 5pm Ladbrokes stopped taking bets on Ramos being the next manager, apparently most of the money coming from Fleet Street. The game kicked off without this making the headlines, but the story managed to leak out during the game. Perfect timing. Initially we were led to believe Jol tendered his resignation. Cue ‘how can he quit then manage the team for the evening?’ questions. As the game progressed, he remained glued to his seat. Looking sad, despondent and generally a beaten man. That went hand in hand with the Spurs performance. No shape no dominance. 1-2 score-line, only our second ever home defeat in Europe.

The 'rumours' continued. Ramos in with Poyet as his number two. Next week? In the summer? No one knows yet. But if we have to wait until the sun is back in the London sky, then welcome to the hellmouth.

An hour or so after the final whistle Spurs release a statement telling us that they asked Jol and Hughton to ‘step down’ after the game. Curious as it looked like this might have been agreed earlier on in the day. Especially reading Jol’s body language during the match. All in all, exactly the kind of inept (there’s that word again) handling we have come to detest from Levy and his board of directors. What a mess.

No hair, we don't care

However, I’m not going to start slating him or Kemsley. Not yet. I prefer to just say, thank you. Thank you to the first manager in an age that the fans loved and adored. Thank you for two 5th place finishes. Thank you for the hope and pride you gave the home faithful. Thank you for the progression.

Yes, it turned to shit in the end, and fuck knows how you even managed to stay on considering the bastards stabbed you in the back months ago – but you did and you will not be forgotten.

Thank you Martin Jol. And all the best for the future.

You took Spurs as far as you could. Lets hope that this is not as far as the club can actually go. Because if Ramos fails then we've hit a bottleneck.....which means we may as well let go of the dream and support West Ham.

Jol given boot

Apparently he is not included in the new Spurs Monopoly board game which would suggest the obvious. What is far more worrying is Chris Hughton’s inclusion. Although to be fair, he was a decent player for us and there is no valid reason for Jol to be included in a game. Why anyone would even bother purchasing this unoriginal attempt by the club to gain more merchandise revenue is beyond me.

I can already see how the game will pan out.

Your boss has been revealed in the media as a backstabber and is attempting to replace you as manager. Collect £4M.

Misery

Not sure where to begin.

Jol was interviewed yesterday (shown in SSN), and he stated various things that were contradictions. Like how we (Spurs) spend more time practising/training set-pieces than any other Prem club. Firstly, how would he know what other clubs do in training? And secondly, OMFG! We spend time practising set-pieces? And yet we hardly ever score from them and ALWAYS concede from them. This is like Jack the Ripper telling everyone he’s actually a great conversationalist.

Martin looked huggered. Completely defeated, his fate blatantly obvious to all. We all know he wont walk (money money money) and we know Levy has no options with who to bring in. So, the cancer continues to spread from top to bottom, from board level to first team and through to the stands where hope has disintegrated into a puddle of shit.

Is he or is he not friends with Berbatov? Who know’s. Everyone’s read about how he apparently asked Berbs 3 times to get up and warm-up. But then Berbatov has looked and acted like a stroppy bastard since pre-season so I wouldn’t blame him. Jol explained the benching down to 'saving him for Thursday'. I wonder if Defoe feels privileged to have been left at home, all in the name of the UEFA Cup.

The confusion continues to drown the memories of what it felt like to be on the up. Once more, I refer you back to the Newcastle game (yes, I have now seen it). Tactically astute is our manager and as for our players, they know exactly what their responsibility on the field should be.

Tainio: "I was surprised I was put on pitch, as I had only trained once after an injury. I went on to play on the wing - which wing it was, was a bit unclear. I think I was told to change positions four times during the match."

It’s Total Football all over again.

The Omnipresent that is Jenas continues to do what he does so well. Nothing. But to simply lay blame on his incompetence (unable to pass or hold onto the ball), to be fair, most of the team were guilty of the same inept display. Again. May as well start copy and pasting previous blog entries to save time ranting about the same thing every week. Then again, it’s therapeutic to laugh at my own misery. Helps to elevate the tragedy of the situation.

So who is exactly responsible for this mess? As manager you expect Martin to oversee and get the fundamentals right:

- Shape
- Passion
- Belief
- Fight

But there’s so much one man can do, because out on the pitch the players are producing nothing more than a Keystone classic whether home or away. Has he really become a bad manager over night? Of course not. Looking at our prima donnas you’d think they were playing to enable those relegation clauses, post haste. All is wrong and God only knows what the psychological shot in the head this will have on the club. Again, amazing how quick you can go from being ‘nearly top 4’ to utter gush. Proving that we were never nearly top 4 in the first place (blame the fans and the media on that one).

Yes we have talented players. But we have no true balance. No true leader. Key positions are weak. And talking of 'no true leader', Jol loves pointing out the fact that we have a leadership issue, but again not his fault that we spent £16M on a striker we don’t need at this current point in time. Talented players – no direction. And the same olde trend is set to be followed. We cant handle or live up to the hype.

Modern day footballers don’t tend to bust a gut for a manager on his way out. And the boards general incompetence with on the field management and football (rather than merchandising) is dragging us down. It always has. The two 5th place finishes flattered to deceive.

We sacked Graham before a semi-final. We gave Hoddle millions to spend when it would seem Levy and his pals always looked to set get rid of him in the 2004 season and did so 6 games in. Then there was Arnesen who’s advice was ignored and Levy drafted in Inspector Clouseau and his magical mystery tour bus. Nine games later he’s gone and Jol is promoted. That’s some shrewd re-structuring there, very slick. No wonder we are hot on the trails of Arsenal. Apparently that’s the reason we have a Director of Football structure at the club. We can replace a coach without upsetting the karma around WHL – and yet it seems to do the exact opposite. To further compound the fact that Levy doesn’t have a fucking clue, him and the board (including Kemsley who apparently has wanted Jol out for an age) knee-jerk after 2 league games resulting in the Ramos fiasco and this rendering our season dead.

Fact. Jol has over-achieved. The fans got a tad too excitable. The board got too Billy big-boots.

It’s summed up perfectly by this:

Levy has enjoyed popularity over the past few years because he has put up the money - but the buying policy is now under serious doubt - many people claim that Levy wanted the young English talent like Jenas and Bent - and Comolli is bringing in player after player who are not the finished article. Running a club is not just about spending money - people tipped us to break the top 4 just because we had finished 5th and then spent £40m. But look at how Allardyce and Eriksson spent their money and look at the way we spent ours.

When Levy announced we would have a DoF structure I thought who the hell is he to decide that he knows better than the boards of Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea where the manager was all powerful - but we stuck with it and by chance ended up with a good coach. But with this structure there is too much potential for conflict and I fear that as long as Levy buries his head in the sand (or refuses to fuck off) we will slip back to being the also rans of the Prem League once more.

Nothing more to add.

Spurs 2 Boro 0

The Crowd: BOO BOO, What you subbing Defoe for? FFS, you don’t know what you’re doing!

Moments later…

1-0 Bale

Moments later again…

2-0 Hudd

The Crowd: WE LOVE MARTIN JOOOOOL, MARTING JOL LOVES US…..


Tactical masterstroke or sheer luck, regardless, nearly scoring goals is not good enough for Jermain or the team and Jol can be happy with himself for bringing on the Orish Ronaldinho and watching us finally break the deadlock against a Boro team full of superstars.

There is still no swagger or extreme determination. We still watch the game with the usual 'oh God, we're gonna lose this any minute' mentality. It wasn’t a bad performance though, but compare it to the past 2 seasons, there is something lacking – though again, we can put that down to all the theatrics off the pitch taking a substantial bite out of our progress. Or if you sit in the other school of thought - Jol is finally being shown up for someone who cant resolve problems that are now very much digging away at the teams moral and performance.

Defending (organisation) is still a mess. Jol is still being over-quoted by the press who seem to have Jol fighting out of a corner every day. Once more, if everything Levy and Jol are saying is true (harmony at the Lane) then why does Jol constantly say things that he knows the media will write up and exaggerate?

Anyways, 4th round for us in the Milk Cup. And a win is a win. For the moment at least, we can be proud of having Gareth Bale in our team - a young lad who is looking quite superb with 3 goals to his name.

Now if someone can find Kevin Prince-Boateng (last spotted in Sainsburys, Loughton) then please return to Martin Jol.

Another point

Reports are now suggesting that Martin Jol ‘has’ agreed to a £4M pay-out and will leave the club once they have found a replacement. This follows on from newspaper reports that he was on his way out yesterday, which were then proceeded with denials from Martin stating the stories were ‘rubbish’.

All this after a rather unimaginative 1-1 draw against Bolton which saw the return of Zokora and TT and the exclusion of Bale (rested? why?) and Defoe. Another goal conceded from a set-piece, Jol looks less likely with each passing game to resolve the long-standing problems we have. And Levy’s Ramos-chasing and the never-ending back pages has resulted in Jol managing the team with an almost scared approach.

We’ve got Boro coming up, followed by Villa at home. Our 125th Anniversary year is one tainted by internal politics and mis-management. The only good thing I've read this past week is Berbatov committing himself to the club.

Five years into Levy’s reign, all we have is opportunism in the transfer market, buying players that look good on paper rather than buying players we actually need to improve team balance.

We may still be (near the) bottom a month from now. It’s not exactly a dream start and a third successive 5th spot is looking less likely with each week that passes. But then again, there’s over 90 points to play for.

Never say die.

Know your place

Apparently Jol has had a furious row with Defoe, telling him he would 'rot in the reserves' if he failed to sign a new contract. Hard decision time for Jermain. Rotting in the reserves as opposed to rotting in the first team.

Coat already on.

NLD (posted on absinthe)

Martin Jol has to go.

This is not an endorsement of Levy’s management of the club. Because arguably, what’s happening behind the scenes has to some degree affected moral within the club. But placing to one side the politics of the situation, the fact of the matter is that perception means everything in the modern game.

Last season, when Jol gave his rapturous speech at the final home game of the season everyone was in love with him and everyone just knew, just knew it, that he wasn’t just the right man – he was THE man to take us to the next stage. But why? Yes, we limped into 5th spot again – but we were never in the running for 4th. Yes, we had some great cup runs. But how great were they? Hardly played giants of football in the UEFA Cup, and when we finally did – we choked. In the League Cup we lost out to a bunch of kids. In the FA Cup we squandered a 3-1 lead. Throughout the whole of the season we still failed to improve on all the schoolboy errors of previous seasons (defending and taking set pieces). Jol still struggled with tactical substitutions. There was still no evidence of true balance in midfield. And some players remained undroppable, no matter what their form.

Into the 2008 season, we find ourselves playing the likes of Kaizer Chiefs and the Pirates – just like we did the previous year, which also resulted in a poor start (much like this season). Other clubs were busy playing big European teams. Preparation is everything, and when have a lazy git like Ghaly suggesting Spurs don’t do much running in training, you have to question who exactly takes place in training sessions at The Lodge.

Enough of this ‘Fergie took 5 years to get things going at Utd’ nonsense. That was a different generation. The game is a monster now. And the fact is, our mentality of ‘lets be patient’ is costing us. Yes, we don’t deserve success we have to earn it. Well, at Spurs the money has been spent. We have the players. We just don’t have the manager. He has taken us to a level which we appreciate, but you have to be a certain type of cunt to proceed further (i.e. Fergie, Wenger, Jose). Even Rafa and his constant complaining and bitching constitute him as a cunt. Jol, the big cuddly bear with dagger eyes, appears to wear his tracksuit way too often. Not that wearing a suit will result with wins on the park. But one wonders what kind of respect he earns in the dressing room. But the fear of God into the players, for fucks sake. You’ve got the looks for it.

Results this season have seen us lose two goal leads. Concede last minute goals. We were plucky against Utd. Unlucky. But how many times are we gonna settle for ‘almost’ winning? Why should we settle for it in the first place? How long does it take to get things right, simple things right?

Jol still shoots himself in the foot with irreverent substitutions in the final 20 minutes of games. Players appear to back off and defend deep allowing the opposition to attack and take the initiative. And as all this is going on, our players begin to show signs of fatigue and loss of concentration. It’s happened way too often and way too consistently. And far too often in BIG games.

The NLD derby. How many times are we going to take the lead against them, on occasions matching and outplaying them (bar the 3-0 at AG last season)? Spurs have made a vast improvement in catching up with Arsenal (only because they have stagnated a little). But if you lack a team of players who have not experienced a NLD win (more the fault of previous generations of managers and average players) then it’s down to the manager to instil that belief.

Can’t beat Arsenal. Can’t beat Man Utd. Liverpool. And probably Chelsea. Defeating them last season was the kind of performance that Everton achieve over Liverpool now and again. But if we need to take that next step we have to do it more often. Other clubs – nowhere near the top 4 – have better records against the top 4 clubs than we do. Even with their lesser players, then find the spirit to overcome the odds. We flatter to deceive. It’s not acceptable.

We have to evolve. We have to make a sacrifice and remove the manager and bring in someone who is the genuine finished article. A world-class manager. One will drop Robinson and Jenas. One who will look at the team and introduce a system that works from the back to the front. Have players playing for each other and the team as a whole. Completely revamp training and preparation. Get each player understanding the very basics of the game, like closing down and bossing the midfield.

Spurs fans get slagged off for being ambitious. For wanting success. We get accused for dreaming. For aiming higher than we can jump. Well, if I didn’t do any of that I’d be a West Ham fan. We have a rich array of talent at the club. But still lack a true midfield general. Man Utd have the likes of Carrick and Hargreaves. Liverpool have Gerrard and Alonso and Mascherano. Chelsea have an abundance of grit and skill. Arsenal have Fabregas.

Spurs, with a full fit squad will still make the same mistakes because no evidence has been forthcoming that the mistakes will be ironed out.

Fully fit, we will do exactly what we did last year. Finish 5th. Get to a Q-F or S-F in a couple of Cups. And then the same will follow the next year with more players joining the club and giving Jol a selection headache.

New, fresh approach is needed. We are – on paper – the 5th best side in the country. With Levy’s pathetic display of boardroom antics he has possibly cost us that 5th place. Jol is not at fault. He’s just not good enough.

Bringing in a new manager wont be a case of ‘another transitional season’. It will be the case of damage limitation and immediate progression and improvement. An injection of adrenaline that will settle to consistent and a true 4th place challenge.

There is simply no room for mistakes with the next appointment.

True Lies

Berbatov's agent is stating that Utd have enquired about the player. Claims Spurs don't want to sell but are set to have a meeting in the next couple of days to decide. Jol tells reporters earlier in the day 'over my dead body'.

What are we witnessing here? If its true and Jol publicly states there is no way Berbs is leaving and also states the player told him that - then why the conflicting information from Emil Dantchev? Is it a ploy for an improved contact? Doubtful, as Berbs will probably leave the club in the summer, as finishing 4th after last weeks circus is a task far too grand (like it wasn't prior to it anyway).

If Levy sells the player to Man Utd then it destroys the club. Jol will walk. Spurs will be left with an ordinary side, and its normal service resumed. Back to the dark ages.

Melodramatic, isn't it? Wouldn't want to disappoint.

Jol Press Conference

Click me: Jol Interview from the Beeb


Looks drained, tired. Angry too. Hides it well behind jokes and mentions of support from 6,000 emails along with the ‘love of Berbatov’. Though it’s hinted (and obvious) that Man Utd have enquired about our beautiful Bulgarian.

Crooks asking the questions. Thankfully, his mug in a pink shirt is not viewable.

Jol saying all the right things, and you almost want to believe that the media took this ‘story’ earlier this week and turned it something one thousand times worst than what it actually was – like taking a mogwai, slapping it about a little and giving it Chinese burns before dipping it in water.

I said ‘almost’. The fact the club waited so long to deny everything says more about the morning after cover-ups and interviews.

Everything spoken suggests nothing has changed with regards to the future. Doubt that will be the case. He is under insurmountable pressure now to claim 4th spot. Unfair and unnecessary pressure. Completely the fault of the chairman. If we crack and it all goes to pieces its down to Daniel Levy.

Daniel, pray that you have created a monster from this public humiliation and that Jol responds with acute ruthlessness that inspires the players and team forward.

Otherwise, kiss it goodbye.

Justified

Now we have to endure stories of Defoe allegedly telling Jol he won’t sign a new contract, furious that he only got 15 minutes against Derby. On top of this, the rumourwhoring machine has spat out a story that states that after the Everton defeat Berbatov and Robinson had a massive disagreement, which resulted with Jol siding with Robbo.

Again, its been said a million times by a million Spurs fans in the past two days, but only we can take a stable situation and smash it into a hundred million pieces.

Levy's Machiavellian masterplan appears to have fallen short of turning the fans against Jol, but has made his (Jol's) position unattainable and Levy' equally so in the eyes of the fans. Levy and his minions couldn't even get it this right, an embarrassing incompetent plan executed with no precision and has only served to destroy all the work done by our Dutch manager. I'm thankful for it. At least now everyone can see that Levy isn't this whiter than white messiah that will guide the club forwards.

If....and its a huge if.....some of the rumours are true and Jol has fallen out with players and does not command the respect of the team as a whole - there's about a thousand ways of dealing with it without making it look as shambolic and pathetic as its turned out.

It's not Jol who is dead man walking anymore. Its the board of directors. For the first time, I might not be alone in burning my season ticket.

I'm talking big fuck off bonfire over here.

The Club Speaks

An official word, from the club....a bit late in the day:

The Club is aware that there has been much speculation over the past few days in respect of our Manager, Martin Jol. As you know, the Club does not respond to speculation, but we do feel in this instance it is important to clarify the current position. Manager Martin Jol and Assistant Manager, Chris Hughton met with the Chairman, Sporting Director Damien Comolli and members of the Board today – discussions were held re-confirming our aims for the season, the development of the full potential of the squad and taking the Club forward.

“We have had two good, progressive seasons with fifth place finishes. I am an ambitious Chairman, we are an ambitious Club and we want Champions League football at White Hart Lane,” commented Chairman, Daniel Levy. “We, the Board, owe it to the Club and the supporters to constantly assess our position and performance and to ensure that we have the ability to operate and compete at that level. We have made a massive investment in the squad and as a result we have the best squad of players this Club has had for over 20 years and they are equally hungry for success and silverware. For that we need our management and coaching standards to be of the highest quality such that players can fulfil their potential and we can compete with the best. We have discussed all of these expectations with Martin and he has confirmed to me today that he feels he is equipped with a squad and a determination to take on that challenge.”

Martin added: “We had a full and frank conversation and I fully understand the ambitions of the Club – they are the same as those of the supporters. He has put a lot of hard work into this Club and with the squad of players we have assembled, it is realistic that we should look to challenge for a top four position and I have assured him and the Board that that is what I shall aim for.

“The last two seasons we have finished fifth and this season we start with an even better team. So we should be optimistic. Yes, it is pressure to deliver, but that is what we managers should expect. Hopefully all the media will relax now – all I shall be concentrating on is each and every game.”

This statement does nothing more than confirm every two-bit rumour that has been dropping from the skies like diseased pigeon shit for the past week. The board has no faith in Jol and this statement illustrates 'crisis talks' with the big Dutch bear to hand him his task: Finish 4th or else. The statement offers nothing. The English press, tabloids and broadsheets, have every right to rip us to shreds after this self-mutilated mess especially when the chairman/directors offer the fans and the world a complete non-event of a statement.

Damage has been done. Might even be the case that he has decided to go/been pushed and that as part of the compensation package he has to stay in charged till Ramos arrives. Sorry, for a moment I thought I was presenting Sky Sports News.

Top 4 finish? Is he 'aving a larf? Thats mission impossible. The chairman appears to be demanding something that not even the most hardcore Spurs are. Ramos has obviously told Jol to come back in 2008.

Disgraceful.


EDIT: Round about the same time over in Spain, the Seville chairman, Del Nido, has held a press conference announcing that Ramos is staying for at least another year.


Never saw that coming.

Afternoon Update

News items from the Evening Standard:


- Jol on his way out
- Repeats of the Berbatov/Jol row story
- Ramos has had an offer from Spurs and will give an answer in two weeks. Wants to compete in the Super Cup v AC Milan on Sept 1
- A 'Source' close to Ramos says 'meeting/offer did take place'
- Tottenham wanted to keep it quiet. Ramos is unhappy with 'behind the scenes' problems at Seville and is thinking very hard about offer
- Ramos started taking English lessons last year


So, we are set to get rid of Jol BEFORE Ramos agrees to join? And if Ramos takes the two weeks to decide, then goodbye transfer window deadline. Wonderful timeframe there to get this problem sorted.

If true......it's comedy. I swear, I'm on the verge of becoming the most anti-spurs spurs fan of all time. Like I said. Season over. Another transitional period brought on by directors who think they are bigger than the club, and more important than the fans. They have fucked it up...again.

Levy continues to groundhog day us over and over again:

Graham - Sacked a week before an FA Cup Semi Final against Arsenal. Perfect timing.

Hoddle - Was at no point backed 100% in the transfer market and was then sacked 5 games into a season with no replacement lined up. Everyone believed (from the stories pouring out of WHL - that Hoddles ego was the problem and that he was at fault for signing the wrong players).

Pleat - Placed in charge of the first team for a whole season. WHY would anyone wish to do that?

Santini - Brought in, probably because the other 10 targets all rejected a move to WHL. Santini appeared to completely mis-understand what his powers he had at the club as coach, thinking he was in fact manager. Huge huge mistake of an appointment.

Jol - Brilliant appointment by... Frank Arnesen. Levy seems hellbent on ridding Jol from the club. Yes, Jol...the best thing to happen to this club for 20 or so years.


If Ramos joins Spurs he will be Levy's 6th manager. Thats the sixth man employed by Levy. And in that time only Jol has actually made progress and appeared to know what he was doing. You cant dismss two 5th spots and the fact that the fans are singing their hearts out for a bald Dutch man who starts every sentence with 'no'. We are not an easy lot to please. We have got it right, Levy, you smug sonofabitch. You haven't.

6 managers. And 3 directors of football. That's some nailed on stability for you there from DL.

Levy might know his way around wage structures and releasing funds to purchase players but appears to lack basic footballing decision making instincts on how to leave a coach alone to run the team. Which, is ironic, as the whole point of the DoF system is that the club buy the players and the coach works with them and everyone gets on famously. Its obviously not working. Not because the system is at fault, but because the people in place away from the first team are mugs.


I'll leave you with this for the time being. Posted by Cule-Spur on gg.net. Some of this is already being reflected in the Spanish media and in England.

Of course, that overlooks the possibility that Comolli is possibly restricted by the general lack of faith at board level with Jol. I mean, if Jol tells the board that he wants Downing, Boro quote £12m, Levy tells Comolli he isn't spunking £12m on Jol's target unless he (Comolli) rates him aswell, Comolli says he doesn't rate him, and that's that.

Endless permutations. Maybe Comolli comes back and says, "we should get Ben Arfa". Jol says, "I want Downing and if you get Ben Arfa, I'm not going to play him - he's too lighweight for our midfield", etc.

It's all clear as mud, as I said earlier. Whichever way you look at it though, it's not a question of Jol or Comolli, simply because even if you remove Comolli there are still clear problems with Levy/the board and Jol's relationship.

Ramos has a year left on his contract but it is a rolling contract and the whole set up at Sevilla is fairly complicated. There is a rift between Ramos and club President, Del Nido, over the terms of that contract. Ramos, justifiably, feels that he should be given a fairly substantial and long term deal for all that he has acheived. Del Nido, on the other hand, is an egomaniac ( possibly the biggest arsehole working in football with the possible exception of Calderon and Taxi Shinupwhatsisface). Its not just the issue of the contract but the fact that Del Nido parades himself around as if he is soley responsible for the club's success.

I can't comment on the Tottenham end of things as it falls well outside my remit, but I can shed some light on things at the Spanish end. As I understand it, and this comes from very close to Ramos, the meeting that took place was staged by Ramos' agent. His agent contacted a couple of contacts in the Mardrid press (one of whom I spoke to Yesterday) and made it known that the meeting was taking place, who would be there and even where they should stand if they wanted a photo.

The idea, on the eve of the Supercup final, was to place pressure on Del Nido with Ramos making it clear that he is in demand. Tottenham have been chatting up Ramos for a long time. Not neccesarily with an eye to making a firm move but rather to developing a strong relationship with arguably the most promising manager working in the game right now.

Before everyone gets on their high horse and starts screaming about loyalty to Jol etc etc - lets be very clear. This game is a business. Tottenham should be applauded for developing a strong bond with a manager who is so highly sought after. It shows forward thinking and shrewd business sense. There is no loyalty in football and six months is an eternity.

When Levy started chatting up Ramos who knows what the next six months promised - Jol could have quit, gone to Manchester United, fallen out with all and sundry or, god forbid, been hit by a bus. Remember how when we signed Berbatov he revealed that he chose Tottenham because we had been after him for a long time and that our interest was genuine and that the way we had courted him was impressive.

Its the same thing - In football contacts are everything and if for whatever reason we find oursellves managerless on any given day then its reassuring to know that the club has a strategy.

Now back to my little tale as I have it in Spain. John Alexander gets the phone call and trundles along to the Alfonso XIII hotel in Sevilla. ;This is where it gets interesting. According to a Marca journalist - who is running this today - Ramos' agent was expecting a coffee and a natter (as has happened on numerous occasions before only without the cameras lurking). Totally unbeknown to him , Alexander turns up with Kelmesly who offers Ramos a 4-6 year deal along with a gargantuan salary. I've spoken to the journalist - Mercedes Torrecillas (she knows Torres- Ramos agent- well and works the daily press brief in Seville) and She has given me her word that Torres insists on that he was not expecting an offer just a chat.

Further, he tells her that Spurs have given Ramos until the end of the week to decide. The size of the offer has left Ramos tempted - but at the moment he is leaning toward staying in Seville - although he will see how the news of Spurs' offer plays with Del Nido.

I know the above is all a bit Tom Clancy but that is how it works. I don't do ITK know shite and nothing in the above will not surface as copy over the next 24hrs ( In Spain anyway) - I've just sought confirmation frm some of the characters involved - that is all. They are journalists and football agents so we are just an estate agent short of the axis of evil. Take it or leave it - its just what is being said in Spain.

For what its worth, with regard to Ramos - he is a fine coach who has won trophy's in one of the best leagues in the world and taken some impressive scalps. His footballing philosophy would put a smile on old Sir Bills face - score one more than the opposition and then score another one just to be sure, the best form of defence is to attack, attack, attack. He accepts nothing but sheer bloddy minded grit and determination to go with it and like Sir Bill is not averse to giving out a rollicking after a 3-0 win.

There is a proviso - he owes a lot of his success to his sporting director at Sevilla - Monchi- and it is hard to gauge how effective Ramos would be without him - he supplies Ramos with some fine players on a budget that makes Bolton look like Chelsea. Further, prior to Seviilla, Ramos past is somewhat chequered and he has not always been so succesful, there are a couple of blemishes here and there.

There's meant to be a board meeting this evening, with some saying Jol will be out of a job by 11pm. Whilst other rumours suggest he has '2 weeks'. Its all pretty much guess work from everyone - fans and media alike.

We won't know until the club or Martin Jol says something, but the fact nothing has been said all day today would suggest that once more, its all gone pear-shaped.

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