Ed Waller Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 I have been disappointed by Spurs’ recent performances. It looks like they will struggle to hold on to the 4th spot. One of the great ironies is that even if they do make 4th place, they will not get into the Champions League if Arsenal win it this year. Actually I thought our performance angainst Newcastle was one of our recent best, despite the outcome. I have become accustomed to winning against the odds, and that match felt like losing against the odds. The Gooners' result tonight obviously bring tears to my eyes and the 'decider' for 4th place might well be the match in between their Villareal semi finals, which is no bad thing, as we would have a chance against the reserves. If it is the case that they go on to win it and deprive Spurs of a place in the Champions League, we'll at least have the satisfaction of beating them in the 'real' league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 14, 2006 Author Share Posted April 14, 2006 The Guardian today: http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1753770,00.html Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham will be contesting the Premiership title within three years, according to their manager Martin Jol, who joined in criticising the non-British nature of the Highbury team which reached the Champions League semi-finals by claiming that domestic football fans would welcome his side winning the league with a British backbone. "I would like to challenge for the title. It's not easy but I think that in the next three years we could make a good challenge to be champions," Jol said. "You need consistency at the club, with the players as well. Our spine always remains the same with Ledley [King], Paul [Robinson], [Michael] Carrick, Robbie Keane is there for another four years and [Jermain] Defoe. It is probably an advantage over a lot of other clubs having a British base. "Last week there was not one single British player in the Champions League. Did you notice? So if we could do it, I don't think it would only be a big achievement for us but for English football as well. "When I was younger, Spurs was the best club in Britain. There is still the same fan base, the same sell-outs every week and the best away crowd with one or two other clubs, so it remains the same. The only thing was they were waiting for us." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 The Guardian today:"Last week there was not one single British player in the Champions League. Did you notice? So if we could do it, I don't think it would only be a big achievement for us but for English football as well. Rather an easy pot shot against their north London rivals don't you think? Who would have thought that the foot soldiers for the 4th Reich would be wearing football boots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 The Guardian today: "Last week there was not one single British player in the Champions League. Did you notice? So if we could do it, I don't think it would only be a big achievement for us but for English football as well. Rather an easy pot shot against their north London rivals don't you think? Who would have thought that the foot soldiers for the 4th Reich would be wearing football boots Considering our current English manager is on record as saying he is reluctant to pick players who do not have experience in the Champion League, it is a very important point. I don't understand the second comment. I assume it is another attempt to divert attention from a serious point by introducing some sort of racialist smear against me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 I don't understand the second comment. And I don't understand your position on this issue at all. Are there any other areas of employment in Britain where you would like to see ethnicity/nationality based quotas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 Are there any other areas of employment in Britain where you would like to see ethnicity/nationality based quotas? I have no objection to teams playing with largely foreign-born players. My point is that teams should include at least one UK born player. Of course there are restrictions on the number of overseas players in other sports. For example, county cricket teams. This was done to protect the emergence of young British players. According to your logic I suppose the County Cricket Board are full of racists as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 I suppose the County Cricket Board are full of racists as well. I really couldn't hazard a conjecture. It is possible that there are a few as they do seem to turn up in quite unexpected places. I do not think however that the policy you refer to (if it is indeed the case) is either desirable or sustainable in modern sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 17, 2006 Author Share Posted April 17, 2006 Actually I thought our performance angainst Newcastle was one of our recent best, despite the outcome. I have become accustomed to winning against the odds, and that match felt like losing against the odds. I was very impressed with your performance against Everton. You seem to be back on track. I am really looking forward to today’s game against Manchester United. It should be an open game with Spurs having every chance of winning the midfield battle. In the past, because of my allegiance to West Ham, I have never been a supporter of Spurs. However, I really admire the job done by Jol and will be cheering them on today. I suspect that the spine of the team (Robinson, King, Carrick and Defoe) will eventually become the spine of England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 18, 2006 Author Share Posted April 18, 2006 I am really looking forward to today’s game against Manchester United. It should be an open game with Spurs having every chance of winning the midfield battle. In the past, because of my allegiance to West Ham, I have never been a supporter of Spurs. However, I really admire the job done by Jol and will be cheering them on today. I suspect that the spine of the team (Robinson, King, Carrick and Defoe) will eventually become the spine of England. I was right about it being an open game. It is a shame Spurs failed to take their early chances. Lee’s mistake was horrendous. Even pub players do not run into their own area with the ball while being chased by an opponent. What was he trying to do? It is now a very big game against Arsenal. Maybe they will be helped if Villarreal give them a good game on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Waller Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Lee’s mistake was horrendous. Even pub players do not run into their own area with the ball while being chased by an opponent. What was he trying to do? It is now a very big game against Arsenal. Maybe they will be helped if Villarreal give them a good game on Wednesday. Lee's was just another in a series of 'schoolboy errors' the defence have made this year. To be fair, there have probably been fewer mistakes this year than in recent years, hence currently 4th (and likely to end up 5th, I concede). Yep, our only chance is if Arsenal 'take their eye off the ball' due to the Villareal match. If you listen carefully, you'll be able to hear me chanting 'venceremos' later tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted April 22, 2006 Author Share Posted April 22, 2006 Lee's was just another in a series of 'schoolboy errors' the defence have made this year. To be fair, there have probably been fewer mistakes this year than in recent years, hence currently 4th (and likely to end up 5th, I concede). Yep, our only chance is if Arsenal 'take their eye off the ball' due to the Villareal match. If you listen carefully, you'll be able to hear me chanting 'venceremos' later tonight! I thought you were the better side today. Once again you never took your chances. However, you won the midfield battle until you had Davids sent off. I suspect you might lose out on fourth place by being beaten by West Ham on the last day of the season. I liked the Arsenal poster at the match. "What is the difference between a squirrel and Spurs? A squirrel has appeared in the Champions League." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted May 7, 2006 Author Share Posted May 7, 2006 Ed, sorry about that. Ironically, it was West Ham that stopped my prediction that Spurs would finish 4th being correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Waller Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Ed, sorry about that. Ironically, it was West Ham that stopped my prediction that Spurs would finish 4th being correct. Not that this is any place for conspiracy theories, but I wonder if there's a hotel chef somewhere who is also a gooner... Ironically and sadly makes my top 4 correct (disregarding the order, of course) Ah well, a good year overall. Had you asked most Spurs fans last August if they'd be happy with 5th they would probably have said "yes" as a stepping stone to better things. Wouldn't be surprised if Ruud van heads our way (just far enough over the hill?) as the next Klinsmann/Sheringham figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted May 8, 2006 Author Share Posted May 8, 2006 Not that this is any place for conspiracy theories, but I wonder if there's a hotel chef somewhere who is also a gooner... Maybe he was just a French cook? I was amazed to hear that Spurs stayed at a London hotel for a local derby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Not that this is any place for conspiracy theories, but I wonder if there's a hotel chef somewhere who is also a gooner... Maybe he was just a French cook? I was amazed to hear that Spurs stayed at a London hotel for a local derby. I hear Pardew has volunteered to arrange hotel accomodation for Liverpool next weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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