Spurs freeze over

Two goals in the final 12 minutes from Shakhtar Donetsk sunk our weakened team.

To be honest with you, I really couldn't be bothered if we went out or not. I am fully behind Redknapp's rants about us having to many games.

The UEFA Cup is a luxury at the moment, not a priority.

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You know where the door is sunshine

I'm sure that you've all read or heard about the threats Darren Bent has made this week. If not, here's a snap of the comments he made;

"I've spoken to the manager a couple of times about my position but I can only hear the same thing so many times," Bent told The Sun. "I'm not one of those players who will just sit back and let his career pass him by.

"But I'm only 25 and there is so much more to come from me as a player. I'm not the finished article and I will get better.

"I'd like to think that improvement will be with Tottenham. But if nothing is happening for me by the end of the season then I will look to go elsewhere."

Darren....don't let the door hit you on your way out!

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Why we'll beat Arsenal

Written by Jaymes Marsh

I may be putting my neck out on the line here, but I am pretty confident that we'll beat Arsenal come Sunday.

The reason; Robbie Keane.

Here's what Harry had to say on our new signing; "You can already see the difference [within the squad when Robbie signed]. Training on his second morning was the best since I arrived. His enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone. That is why I made him skipper."

For me, signing Robbie Keane will prove to be the ultimate master-stroke Harry Redknapp has pulled off since being at the club. His enthusiasm and drive are just the ingredients needed for a relegation dog-fight, and trust me guy's and girl's, we're in one.

Keane will prove to be the player that has been distinctly missing this season. I expect us to win 2-1 with Keane scoring a penalty.

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Fill in the blanks

Honestly, I am lost for words. What are we trying to achieve here? I am actually not too bothered about Robbie Keane coming back, after all, he was the main driving force in the changing room and was known to rally the players together prior to kick-off and at half-time.

I am though, troubled at the "mish-mash" transfer policy that has been installed after the dreadful tenure of Comolli ended.

It looks as though Redknapp had taken a look at Defoe and knew that we needed a goal scorer and so signed him. Then Robbie Keane's agent called Redknapp, informing him that the former Spurs vice-captain had become available and would welcome a move back to Spurs. We know how that turned out.

The problem I have foreseen is that it's clear Harry doesn't know what his best 11 is. How do you play Pavlyuchenko, Defoe and Keane in the same side; a side that will also accommodate the lightweight Modric, Bentley and Lennon?

Please don't use the Palacios card here. He's clearly a good player, but he can't anchor our midfield alone. If we were playing in a fantasy league, then the line-up of;



would look like a tasty one, especially with Cudicini, Bale, Dawson, Jenas, Modric, Dos Santos, & Bent warming the bench. The reality is that the above line-up does not have the steel and grit needed in it to force us out of our current predicament.

Why didn't we sign Reading's, Stephen Hunt? He may not have the flair and pace of Lennon, but he's a fighter.

I really do worry about the lack of determination and drive that is sadly lacking in our current squad.

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Cure needed for late goal disease

Plenty has changed over the last few seasons at White Hart Lane. Managers have come and gone and players have left (and come back!) but our tendency to concede late goals has remained unchanged.

Some teams are known for scoring late goals, others for conceding them. We definitely fit into the latter category, and whilst it is certainly true that the successful teams score more and concede less than others in the dying stages of games, Spurs were affected by this malaise in 2005/06, when we finished fifth.

Fourth place should have been ours that season. We were denied not so much by the infamous ‘lasagne defeat’ at West Ham, but by the points dropped late throughout the season.

We conceded injury time goals at the Lane against West Ham and on the road at Fulham, Sunderland and Chelsea, all of which cost us points. A late Robbie Keane penalty at home against West Bromwich Albion was our only late goal that brought points.

Kevin Davies’ late winner at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday was a reminder that this problem is yet to be fixed. Having got back on level terms the momentum seemed to be with us, but a lack of organisation and concentration at a corner cost us, as was the case at Wigan earlier in the month.

Spurs’ fitness levels have steadily improved – second half performances have generally been better than first half ones - so fitness should not be a factor. The problem is instead mental; players lack the nous to do the sensible thing in the closing stages – losing the ball in dangerous areas, conceding corners and free kicks.

Harry needs to quickly stamp out the problem, as well as rediscovering the luck that brought late goals and bonus points against Arsenal and Liverpool early on in his tenure.

Written by Philip Oliver, a professional sports writer who blogs about football betting.

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Pointy Shouty Bloke Returns

It's official; our very own runway traffic controller has returned.

If no amount is quoted to the stock exchange tomorrow, we can assume that the deal to bring back our vice-captain was less than £10 million.

Was it a wise move? Where does this leave Defoe? And what happens if his other boyhood team, Celtic, come in for him at the end of the season?

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"Transfer window extended" - The F.A.

The Football Association has extended the transfer window over and above the 5pm deadline.

This clause has been set in place for clubs finding it difficult in getting the necessary player(s) in for either medicals or agreements due to the weather situation.

This clause only applies for clubs that have transfer dealings already going through, and not for any club trying to sign a player at the last minute.

This begs the question....how do the German clubs always sign their players in time?

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