Manchester City to get into the top 4? Don't make me laugh

I've just had the pleasure of watching Manchester City draw for a 7th consecutive time at home to Hull.

Is this the Manchester City that is supposed to throw Liverpool or Arsenal out of the top four? You're joking, right? If they continue playing as they have done, there's not a glimmer of hope that this side will finish anywhere near the top four, let alone in it.

Hat's off to Hull though. Phil Brown has got them playing, but it's no coincidence that the Tigers have started to climb the table upon the return of Jimmy Bullard. He was fantastic today and ran the show. Has anyone seen Phil Brown's ear-piece? It's gone missing, along with his sides bad form.

Watch his penalty celebration on Match of the Day tonight. Classic!

Well done to Wigan to. They beat Sunderland 1-0, getting a clean-sheet and showing the footballing world that Martinez isn't such a bad coach after all.

Results have spun Tottenham's way. Let's hope we can win up at Villa Park. Carlos will be at the game, tweeting away. So if you haven't done so yet, get yourself a Twitter account and follow us.

COYS!!!


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Our Board is Confident

It was good to hear that our board have submitted our proposed new stadium within London's host application of stadia for the 2018 World Cup bid.

Some may see this as a good sign in relation to our new stadium submission plans being accepted by Haringey Council.

Let's face it; the Tottenham area is in need of some sort of regeneration project. The area around the ground is crying out for it and so the rumours of the plans being fast-tracked through the system, don't seem far off the mark.

As regards the World Cup bid, do you think we stand a chance of winning? When I look back at the successful Olympic bid, I remember Seb Coe being brought in as the knight in shining armour. Who do we have? David Maxim Triesman.

He's not exactly the most marketable character around. Fair enough, he's a Spurs fan, but that won't win us the bid.

Who will be the bid's knight in shining armour? David Beckham? Gary Lineker? Whoever it will be, they'll have a lot of responsibility cast on their shoulders. From what I hear, the board that have been put in charge of the 2018 bid are already at each others necks.

For the sake of English football; from grass-roots to Premier League, let's hope they can get it right.


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Wenger Talks Rubbish

I've just come across The Sun's rendition of Mr. Arsène Wenger's attempt at talking up his sides chances on Sunday against Chelsea.

"We are not any more a team that has to be considered to be young. We have the strengths and can show on Sunday that we are strong enough to compete."

Did he actually say that? I know this is a Spurs blog, but I just couldn't resist putting my neck on the line and stating that Arsenal will lose on Sunday. I can see Chelsea winning and winning comfortably.

The only thing Arsène and the rest of his merry men will notice after their demolition, is that they simply do not have a big enough squad.

The Woolwich Wanderers are without Van Persie, both left-backs (Gaël Clichy & Kieran Gibbs) and Gallas may miss out.

Anyone else think that we'll be sitting 3rd come Sunday evening?

Talking of which; we've got Villa coming up on Saturday. This will be a tricky one lads. Let's just hope Harry leaves Keane on the bench. Harry can't possibly think that Keano can do a better job than Kranny on the left of our midfield?

None of that silly diamond formation either. Villa are a strong side and will take us out to tea if we don't have a balanced midfield.

As I said, this is a tricky one. I can see us getting a point.

THBN Prediction: Aston Villa 0 -0 Tottenham Hotspur

PS. I'm counting on the low IQ Arsenal fans to come on here with the usual "how many Premier League titles have you lot won?", "when was the last time Spurs were in the Champion's League?". Please note that I haven't made this about "you and us". I'll do that when you lot come over to the Lane.

And fellow Yids, don't make turn this into a "you and us" debate either.

COYS!!!

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January Transfer Targets

We're not far off of the January Sales and as usual, the media have us pinned down as spenders. To fair though, they've not gone all out and branded us as major spenders.

So far, The Mirror have come up with the notion that Harry is to make a bid for City's Micah Richards, whilst The Telegraph have provided us with the news that la-Z-boy Adriano, will replace our other lazy layabout, Roman Pavlyuchenko. The Guardian haven't missed the bandwagon either, making us favourites to sign Ben Arfa (we could have so much fun in The Shelf if a player by that name played in the Lilywhite of Spurs) from Marseilles. They've also thrown LuaLua's name into the ring.

Normally, we're bombarded with speculation. It looks like City have stolen our limelight (thank god for that). Chelsea, who need to spend big, are also the talk of the town, meaning our purchasing publicity has been put on the back burner for the time being.

To be honest with you, I'm hoping that we don't sign anyone. Our team is beginning to gel as a unit and let's not forget our youth. Bostock, Livermore, Rose, etc. These are all fine players with a definite future ahead of them.

I can, however, see Roman leaving White Hart Lane. Harry has said that he doesn't want the player to leave, but then again, when was it ever left up to the manager to manage his own team?

All this talk about Pavlova leaving for Roma in a permanent deal is absolute tripe. The Italian side are in massive financial trouble. If anything, I can see Roman leaving on a loan deal only. If that does happen, Harry would probably bring in a loan striker to fill the Russian's departing boots.

LuaLua wouldn't be a bad option, but he's on the big-bucks in Qatar. It'll be interesting to see how all this pans out.


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Now we can talk about the top four

Just over a third of the season has gone and it is a case of so far so good for Tottenham Hotspur. 25 points from 13 games represents an excellent start, but the question will we be fourth when the season finishes?

It is a tough ask. The holy grail of a top four finish preoccupies too many clubs – Spurs especially, just ask Martin Jol – but the carrot of Champions League football is hard to ignore. The team is clearly good enough to gatecrash the so-called ‘big four’, but a lot can change between now and May.

We are on course for a final points tally of near 75 points, which would almost certainly be enough to finish fourth. 75 points earned Manchester United the title in 1996/97, but the gap between the elite and the rest has widened since then. Even so, carrying on as we are should suffice for Champions League football next season.

A slight tailing off might not be too damaging to our odds of finishing in the top four of the Premier League, largely due to the inconsistency of Liverpool. We are five points clear of the Reds and it is no exaggeration to say they currently appear incapable of bridging the gap.

Aston Villa and Manchester City are perhaps bigger rivals, but both clubs have more deficiencies than Spurs. A lack of goals might hinder Villa, whilst City’s problems are at the back. Both managers will have funds to spend in January, but Harry Redknapp can strengthen if he needs to.

The 9-1 win over Wigan Athletic was a timely confidence boost, but it is only of value if it is backed up with a good performance at Villa Park. Three points on Saturday would enable Spurs fans to finally say with confidence that a top four finish is on the cards.

In other sports news, the betting odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are heating up, so keep your eye on these for future betting opportunities.

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Managers Delight

It looks like we're back to talking about Rafa Benitez losing his job. Liverpool are out of the Champion's League and the world is about to go into meltdown. However, the Kopites don't see it like that and neither do I.

After hearing that Portsmouth had sacked (or removed) Paul Hart from the managers chair, I couldn't help but feel that the majority of Chairman seem to be as fickle as the rest of us. Fair enough, we all know that football has evolved into a business, wherein shareholders need to be kept happy, but where has the loyalty gone?

True Liverpool fans may not be happy with their current lot, but at least they're realists. Portsmouth, on the other hand, have decided to replace Hart. Let's remember that it was Hart that saved them from relegation last season.

After saving the club, Hart was given a new contract and basket of fruit in which to purchase players. The man worked with what he had. He brought in a few players that could not and would not cut the mustard, but then again, Hart worked with what was given to him.

Now here comes the part when all of us pretend to be little fickle bunnies.

Why did Hart not have the funds to bring in the players he wanted? I think we shouldn't be looking over at the manager in answer to this question. Maybe we should be casting our head over at the mishaps of the board.

Whether it was a self proclaimed doctor that was penniless, a Prince from Saudi Arabia that no one had heard of (including the Saudi Royal Family), or the alleged tax evading Storrie, the buck always seems to stop right at the managers door.

I also blame a lot of the Portsmouth faithful for the sacking of Hart. If they had the voice of the Kop, I believe Hart would still be in a job. Instead of calling for the heads of the board members that have truly taken the club down this dark path, many, called for Hart to be replaced.

Shocking!


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Henry: Shut Up!

Life at the moment couldn't get any better. The few Spurs fans that are in the office are still trying to wake up from the 9 - 1 dream. Yes, that's nine, one.

Trust an Arsenal fan, Steve, to come over and try and spoil it all.

"Henry said that he thought about quitting after the Ireland match on Friday as it got to him", said Steve.

I couldn't help think what a pathetic statement that was from the former Arsenal striker.

"I nearly quit" isn't a far cry from a recent lottery winner coming out in the press and saying that "I nearly gave all my winnings away to charity".

Is Henry out to rub the Irish fans noses in it or what?

Do us a favour mate; next time you think about quitting, do what Nike tell you to do and 'just do it'.


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Speechless

Spurs 9 - 1 Wigan

I've got nothing more to say. I'm leaving the ground now. If I remember to pinch myself later on, I'll blog something else.

Spurs 9 - 1 Wigan

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It's probably our fault

I've just heard the news that Russia have failed to qualify for the World Cup.

I suppose it's our fault for not giving Roman Pavlyuchenko enough playing time? I do wonder what 'the world's greatest manager', Hiddink, will do now (Chelsea anyone)?

Didn't it bug you the way the Dutchman went on last season, telling us all just how good Pavlyuchenko was? In fact, our sub was basically too good for us and we simply couldn't reach his level.

I personally think Roman's found his level; on our bench.

On another note; Come on Ireland!!


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Huge Desires

I thought Daniel Levy was the Tottenham Hotspur Chairman? I was mistaken. It now seems that Mr. Pavlyuchenko is the Chairman of the Board.

“I am prepared to accept any decent offer from Russia”, said our new Chairman.

Coming back to reality; it looks as though our Cameron Diaz lookalike is so eager to leave us, he's bypassed all forms of control at White Hart Lane. If the statement that appeared in the Mirror is accurate, it seems as though Daniel Levy nor Harry Redknapp have any say in the matter. If a club meets his demands, well, he'll be off and that's that!

In other news, it looks as though Mark Hughes is mad enough to spend around £8 million on David Bentley. This story appeared on transfer deadline day, but nothing came of it. We were apparently interested in signing their left winger, Petrov, but Hughes pulled the plug.

I actually believed that story to. There were so many circulating on that day that it was hard to keep up, but after reading statements from Petrov himself, it was clear that our Harry was in for him. I still wouldn't mind it if he joined us this time round. He's been one of the better performers in the Man Sheikh side and if Harry is to carry out his plan of world domination, he needs all the players he can muster.

Getting rid of Bentley and his reported £50,000 per week pay package wouldn't be bad business either.

Whilst we're on the subject of City; if I was Harry, I would make a cheeky bid for their central midfielder, Stephen Ireland. He's not been the same player this season, but that's largely due to the tactics employed by his boss. The Irish player simply doesn't fit into the playing style Hughes has set up.

Ireland is one player that I do admire and I believe he could slot in right next to Sgt. Wilson. Saying that, it looks as though Harry is adamant, in that he wants another strong-ironed central midfielder in alongside Palacios with the wingers providing the attacking flair (cue Petrov).

The fire sale that's been widely reported to be taking place in Madrid, has had us linked with all and sundry, as is always the case. If Harry is looking at players in the Sandro and Muntari ilk, maybe he should bid for Mahamadou Diarra?

Some sites are commenting on the fact that Harry has shown interest in Manchester United's bench warmer, Ben Foster. I've got nothing else to add to this nonsense, so I'll leave it there.
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Foster vs. Gomes

The everlasting debate of us signing a keeper to replace Gomes, raged through the office once again.

I do thank my lucky stars that most of my prestigious colleagues claimed that Gomes is a better keeper than Ben Foster.

I didn't want to name and shame the under writer of yet another pointless office rant, but Pat, who also happens to be my boss, started the "Gomes Out" campaign at the beginning of last season.

It sometimes got to the point, especially after that away day at Fulham, that we dare not mention the Brazilian's name.

Either way, Pat, once again, commenced his field of dreaming aspirations as regards Foster.

I didn't want to get dragged into this debate (for the millionth time) as you get nowhere. No matter what Gomes does, Foster can do no wrong.

I really do hate it when a fellow blogger asks the question "Foster vs. Gomes?" (Note to self: slap yourself silly). You see, when Pat reads the said heading on NewsNow (oh yes, it's not just us lowly minions that click the refresh button countless times during an off-day), you can bet your hairy touche that he'll pop his head up from behind his cubicle and rant on about the mistakes that have cost us due to not having a class keeper, namely, Foster.

I won't discuss the pointless discussion that Pat sparked off, but I will add that it was a Man U fan that finished it. "I wish we had Gomes, Pat. Fancy a swap?" That swift comment put an end to today's office rant.

Henry, I thank you, but no, we don't want to swap Gomes for what I can only call the most overrated keeper in the Prem.

Oh and God bless Tomas Raszkin.............

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We don't want you either!

I read the Sun's article on Huntelaar rejecting a move to Spurs and thought; 'hold on a second, who said we wanted you?'

Fair enough, Harry was interested in the summer, but that all changed when Crouch was signed. Milan took the punt on him, spending €15 million (£13 million or so). Oh how they wish they hadn't.

The lad has played a total of 8 games (correct me if I'm wrong) for them and scored an astonishing 0 goals (don't correct me because I'm right mwahahaha). He's also looked well off the pace, which, playing in Serie A, is an extremely difficult thing to do, seeing as it's the slowest league this side of the Milky Way.

In the article, Thanks, but no thanks, I likened him to the rich variety of strikers that have taken the plunge out of the Eredivisie, but unfortunately, have never made it.

Harry thought that £13 million for him was too much and so, spent that on Crouchie (or Crouchy). That in itself shows you what Harry makes of the Dutchman.

Just before I go, I want to dedicate this article to all the people out there that will probably write a comment (or two) about how wrong I am and that they'd have taken Huntelaar over Crouch any day as 'Huntelaar is world-class'.

PS. For those that do leave this type of comment, I've added a picture of him so that you at least know what he looks like, as I'm fairly confident that the majority of the 'Huntelaar Lovers Fanclub' have no idea what the chap looks like, let alone seen him play.

Ta Ta

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Pavlyuchenko's got a new agent

I came across Brian Reade's article in the Mirror and couldn't help but ask why he wrote such a Pro-Pavlyuchenko piece?

It's as though Roman has made a new friend in Reade, or there's some other fascination not worth thinking about. Either way, Reade did make some valid points about our Russian striker. Unfortunately, he missed out the 'con's' section when pointing out all the 'pro's'.

Along with having "potential" (not sure a player that's a month away from his 28th birthday can still have potential), Reade failed to mention the players lazy attitude, distinct lack of pace and obvious homesickness.

I had wished that everything would have worked out great for Pavlova, but unfortunate circumstances turned his Spurs career on its head.

Good luck Roman.


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What was he doing on a motorbike?

Firstly, I would like to wish Carlo a speedy recovery.

Right, now that I've got that out of the way, I would like to ask what our keeper was doing on a motorbike? I only ask, because after researching the accident rate (you can find that here in the Department of Transport In Depth Study of Motorcycle Accidents) of motorcycles, it's quite clear that all and sundry should stay well clear of them, let alone £35,000 per week professional footballers.

"Motorcyclists have an especially poor safety record when compared to other road user groups. Their killed and serious injury (KSI) rate in the UK, per million vehicle kilometres, is approximately twice that of pedal cyclists and over 16 times that of car drivers and passengers. Motorcyclists make up less than 1% of vehicle traffic but their riders suffer 14% of total deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads (DETR, 2000)."

Harry, if you haven't banned the players from owning motorbikes, then I think now would be the time.


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Football is by no means the endgame of life

I awoke to the terrible news yesterday that Robert Enke had taken his life, leaving his wife and daughter behind. This news put my stomach in a knot but also replayed that tired old cliché saying of 'putting things into perspective'.

I hadn't known much about the player to be honest, but this horrific story made me eager to find out why a player had been driven to end his own life. As I read the various articles surrounding Enke's life and death, it dawned on me that for a second, I forgot that Robert Enke was more than just a professional footballer; he was a husband and a father. Of course I knew that Enke was more than just a player, but as the media men saturate us with endless wag-tertainment, the next Beckham look, and baby Kai, we sometimes forget that these superstars are just like us, human and certainly not untouchable.

Grief hit me when I read that Enke's daughter, little Lara, died, aged just two, due to a problem with her fragile heart. Robert, never recovered from this (recovered is a stupid word to use and for that, I am sorry. You never recover from the death of a loved one, you simply teach yourself to cope with the loss). Even though the Enke's adopted a baby girl, the death of his Lara would drive the zest from his life and leave him a crumbled, hollow man.

I wrote the article surrounding some of the silly actions some players get up to; thinking to themselves that they are above the law. I look back on that now and think to myself that maybe I shouldn't have given Marlon King the time of day. Maybe my time would have been better spent discussing the problems some of our stars endure on a daily basis. Hindsight, they say, would be a wonderful thing.

Before I finalise this article, I would like to leave my condolences to Teresa and Leila Enke.

RIP Robert Enke

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Naming Rights

A lot has been said in relation to renaming the new stadium that will be built near our home, White Hart Lane, as well as handing out other naming rights to other stadia around the country such as the future New Anfield and Stamford Bridge.

Many of us just want the naming rights to be left alone. Abandoned. I was one of them. I, like many others, sentimentally ignored the fact that naming our new stadium XYZ Arena (or whatever), could in fact be the major deciding factor in getting it built.

For those that can, cast your minds back to 24th January 1976. Kettering Town lined up against Bath City in the Southern League. The only difference was that they had "Kettering Tyres" printed across their shirts. This, of course, caused an uproar amongst many Kettering Town supporters, as well as a major stir in the F.A.

Why? For starters, what were the words "Kettering Tyres" doing, plastered on the Northamptonshire clubs strip? Comments like; "Kettering Tyres have violated our team by daring to put their logo across our clubs' shirt!" were heard echoing around the ground on that wintery, wet Saturday; for an occurrence like this one had never happened before!

How times have changed? We eagerly anticipate the announcement from our respective clubs in relation to which major conglomerate will plow its millions into sponsoring our sides shirt (please make sure we don't get another red sponsor!).

I fully understand the Geordie's frustration with the attempted re-branding of St. James' Park. I am firmly against traditional grounds having their name changed, which is why I also feel Chelsea may be wasting their time.

SportsDirect.com@St James' Park Stadium sounds more like an email address than a stadium. Is Mike Ashley attempting to hit new lows each month? Hasn't that man done enough up in Newcastle? And he's a Spurs fan, which proves my point that we're not all perfect.

When it comes to new stadia, I'd prefer to keep the name of the traditional arena, but I am not so opposed to a new name, as long as it's something respectable.

For example, Ashburton Grove is the original name of the Woolwich Wanderers stadium, most commonly called The Emirates.

As long as we can get the right investment and brand through the door, I'll be happy. I'm delighted with the current planning and designs of our new stadium. It does look similar to some of the newer stadiums that are being built at the moment, but with the added difference of the Kop-styled stand and the 'nearer to the pitch' design; much nearer than our Southern rivals.

It was pleasing to hear that our club is in good hands (see our Financial Highlights for the year ended 30th June 2009). With the current financial climate, I strongly believe that Mr. Wenger had a point when he said large footballing institutions could collapse if they weren't careful.

Daniel Levy, under the shrewd stewardship of Joe Lewis, are working wonders, especially when you think Tottenham Hotspur are the richest club to have never played in the Champion's League. Our attendances of a shade over 36,000 haven't helped either, but Levy & Lewis continually steady the ship.

Bear in mind that behind Mansheikh City, Spurs have been the biggest spenders on players. With a new state-of-the-art training complex already underway and the New Lane's planning permission submitted, the future does look a lot brighter.

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Liverpool, I applaud you

I watched the Liverpool vs. Birmingham game on the box yesterday evening and saw the Red's truly batter Birmingham. I muted the TV as I couldn't stand for another Jon Champion assisted commentary and put on Five Live instead. Out of the fire and into the frying pan. Instead of Champion, I got Green, Alan Green. Now, this man either hates everyone (Jimmy Armfield excluded), has an extraordinarily sized chip on his shoulder (thanks Phil), or just simply, detests Rafa Benitez?

Either way, it's quite obvious to me that you can count Alan Green in on the "Rafa Out" movement group.

Personally, I quite like Rafa. I think he's a top, world-class manager. I also view Liverpool fans among the best in land and yesterday's fan performance reiterated that fact. After drawing 2-2 with a team that, well, let's face it, they should have beaten and beaten comfortably, the Kop simply applauded. I was waiting for the booing crescendo, but none came.

Rafa, as we know, is a particular kind of guy. His captain, Steven Gerrard, had said that in all the time he had known his boss, the two had never spoken about anything other than football. I assume that's a far cry from our Harry. The players probably leave their kids round his house when they want to go out with their wags. Maybe little Bent could have taken a few tips off of Sandra and shown what he had learnt to his father; who knows? The point is that some managers have relationships with their players, whilst others don't. Mr. Benitez obviously falls under the latter criterion.

I said that I think Rafa Benitez is a 'top, world-class manager'. You don't win La Liga twice and the UEFA Cup with a side that had to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, without having something special about you. He took Liverpool to the Champions League final twice, winning one ever so memorable game.

Liverpool fans and by that, I mean the true Kopites, have given Rafa time. They will continue to grant the Spaniard time. They are true football fans, knowing the bigger picture. He'll also be given time by his management (or two clowns). They won't sack a guy that still has the fans by his side. Let's not also forget the other financial deterrent in that Rafa has approximately 4 and a half years to go on his new lucrative contract.

I can see Liverpool going on a run in the second half of the season that will see them clinch the 4th (or maybe 3rd) Champion's League spot.

I wish other fans around the country were as willing and loyal as Liverpool fans. I make this point because on Saturday, a lot of so-called Spurs fans, booed the players off at half-time. We were 1-0 up at that point, but they booed. Abuse was hurled at Harry for his "negative tactics". It pains me to say it, but anyone who booed on Saturday at half-time is a moron.

Let's try and be a bit stylish eh? I heard a few fans calling for Harry's head. I won't mention the exact phrase used, but it went along the lines of (picture a large bloke with stains down his 1999 home strip, IQ lower than 23, you know the sort); "If we lose this one to, well, that's it, Harry's got to go. He's not done anything different to what Jol did and he's useless".

That's right, Harry's useless. He saved us from the Championship, but all in all, the guy hasn't got a clue.

I do wonder about us sometimes.

If you've liked what you've read, why not read the new article that's just been published; Naming Rights

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Footballers are kings among men

The debate regarding footballers doing what they want in society, crept into our lively office conversation this morning. It was interesting to see my fellow colleagues reaction to the Marlon King story.

If you've been living in a cave for the last week or so, you can read what Marlon King did here, here and here.

The split between the office was fairly interesting. No one stuck up for King, as in saying that he didn't do it and it was mistaken identity, as the player himself stated, but there were a few that felt sorry for the individual.

I won't sit on the fence in this case. Marlon King deserves everything he gets, although I must add that I do feel sorry for the family he's left behind.

My colleagues that felt pity for the player, came up with the standard comments of; "you don't know what it's like being a Premier League footballer", "the pressure that's on their shoulders is so intense", "Premier League players rarely have an education to speak of and yet are thrust into environments that can cause things like this to materialise".

I don't buy any of it. King's comment of "Do you know who I am? I’m a millionaire" (the night he battered a woman) will be left reverberating in my head for ages. To be fair, it is only a minority of players that follow the long dark path into thinking they are kings among men and Marlon Francis King is one of them. I am fully behind Wigan's Chairman, Dave Whelan. The straight-talking Bradford born businessman said;

"He is absolutely sacked - we will not tolerate football players who get sent to jail for 18 months. As far as we are concerned, he is finished with football at Wigan Athletic. Young people look up to professional footballers and we must have standards. At Wigan we're mad keen on setting standards and our players, generally, are absolutely brilliant. It can happen to any club - this has happened while the lad was on loan to Hull. I don't blame Hull in any way, shape or form, but we have to stand up and be counted."

Thing is, would Dave Whelan have said and done the same thing if Marlon King was a 30-goal a season player? It's a tricky one.

A few media sources have said that King will be out within 4-6 months on good behaviour. It also came up in the conversation that the player stands to lose over £2 million in wages. Oh poor thing. Let's not forget the 5 months he spent locked up in 2002 when he was caught driving a stolen £30,000 Bimmer. He's also been arrested a further 7 times for violence against women, dishonesty and driving offences.

Some footballers have got to understand that they are not above the law. Joey Barton, for example, has never understood this. Don't they realise the privileged position they're in? I know this is cliché, but my own son (a Manchester United fan unfortunately), started to act like Rooney when the ref pulled him up on one occasion last year. I was disgusted with him and let him know it.

Kids, no matter what you say, watch these Premier League players and imitate them. I know it's been said a million times before, but are we making excuses for them? For example, the nightclub that this incident happened in, didn't call the police. Why? Could it be that a few other Premier League players visit it frequently? It wouldn't seem appropriate for the business to be seen reporting on one of its best customers now, would it?

Players are responsible for their own actions. Whether another club goes in for Marlon King when he's out of prison will be interesting.

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Bent is a cheat

I was at the Lane this afternoon and from my viewpoint in the Shelf, it looked as though my man of the match, Gomes, was extremely lucky to stay on the pitch after taking out Darren Bent in the penalty area.

After watching it on the box at home (about 5 times from various angles), all I can say is that Darren Bent is a filthy cheat.

Gomes got to the ball before Darren did and just as Gomes was about to plant his right hand over the ball, Bent dived.

Thankfully, justice was served quickly, as Bent hit a woeful penalty.

Never mind son, good luck in your goldfish bowl.

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White Tweet Lane

Just a quickie to let you know that I'll be at The Lane today with my trusted BlackBerry, Tweeting away.

I won't just be giving out the highlights of the game against Sunderland, but will also throw in a few added tweets, detailing some of the crazy traditionalist comments screamed out by the diehard Yids that'll be all around me. I hope to give you a first-hand experience of what it's like in the Shelf.

COYS!!!!

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Grow up Bent

"I was fighting an uphill battle before I went there. I knew they had Defoe, Berbatov and Keane", said a cheerful Darren Bent yesterday. Hmm, that's interesting mate. Then why did you sign, knowing that you faced an 'uphill battle'?

"Every club needs four good strikers they always say. It wasn't just my decision to go there. Other people were influencing it as well."

So it wasn't really your decision to sign a £35,000 per week contract?

The lad scored a bundle of goals for us, but let's not forget that he also missed a fair lot as well.

Thing is, you just know, for a certainty, that he'll score today. Paddy Power have given odds of 15/2 on Bent scoring first, which, if you're a betting so-and-so, isn't too bad.

Can still see us beating them 3-2 mind.


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Name and Shame

Quick post to congratulate Paul Barber, our Executive Director, on the comments regarding finding new investors for the branding of our new stadium.

When asked if Chelsea's plan of renaming Stamford Bridge would coincide with us finding suitable investment, the Barbarian simply commented;

"It's now two London clubs looking for naming-rights partners and potential sponsors have a choice - an old, established stadium in Stamford Bridge, or our new state-of-the-art stadium. The key is that word 'new'."

We applaud you Paul.

Has your cash run a bit dry there, eh Roman?

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Cheatsea

I woke up cheerful today, as is normally the case on most Saturday's, especially on Saturday's when we're playing at home. My smile quickly turned into a miserable frown and my joy evolved, faster than than any Richard Dawkin's book, into disgust as I read that Chelsea are now allowed to trade within January's transfer window after the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) postponed the FIFA imposed ban until it (CAS) has heard the club's appeal.

That's interesting, as FIFA themselves found Chelsea guilty of seducing French winger Gael Kakuta to break his contract while at Lens and simply walk out the French side that gave him his start as a pro.

Some reports are even saying that CAS won't study the case until March or April at the earliest, although it may extend into July and/or August, meaning that the Cheatsea FC may be able to buy in the summer window to!

Is there no justice in the game any longer? I do wonder what's gone on behind the scenes at CAS. Has anyone checked the judicial committees bank balances lately? Are any of the CAS bigwigs rolling around in new cars?

Makes me sick.

Anyway, let's forget about that and concentrate on today's highly important game against Sunderland. Expect goals and a lot of them!

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Massive Hart Lane

Tomorrow sees us take on Sunderland at home in what has now become a massive match. Steve Bruce has taken them to the next level, although they're a sort of Jackal and Hyde side as they're nowhere near as good on their travels as they are when playing at home. Sound familiar?

The good news is that Jones won't be bullying King and Woodgate, but we'll still have Darren Bent to worry about.

Defoe will slot right back into the team in place of Crouch probably. I do wish those two were given a run of games. Aaron Lennon is still out apparently.

It's shocking to see that without our little winger, our side looks incredibly slow. Oh how we're missing the Modfather. Let's hope Harry plays Kranjčar from the beginning and gives us the much needed width we were so desperately lacking in last weeks debacle.

I've got a feeling we'll win this one. Well, we've got to win it!

Spurs 3-2 Sunderland

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Midfielder Lite Spurs

Right then, the good news is that Harry has spoken openly about us being light in the midfield department.

"I am happy with the squad. The only area we are short of a body is central midfield", said Harry, in preparation for the January sales.

Thank the lord! The only hurdle that I can see us falling on is that teams rarely give away their best players in winter transfer window. The standard names of Sandro, Muntari and the like have been banded about again. Does the media think that if they print these players names out enough times, they will actually materialise into Spurs players?

The one player that will definitely be available in January, is Middlesbrough's left winger, Adam Johnson. The 22 year old will be in the last 6 months of his contract come the transfer window and even though Boro are adamant that they want to keep the England Under-21 International winger, he's not been saying if he'll sign a new deal or not.

Sunderland have been linked with him, but I think Harry may take a look at the lad. Reports are talking about a deal worth around £3 million only (due to his contract running down).

I know that a lot of you are wondering where we would accommodate him, seeing that the Modfather and Kranjčar, as well as Bale can fill the left-wing position, but then again, Harry's on the lookout for another central midfielder, even though we've got a plethora of them also.

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Time to keep it shut Harry

It wasn’t the wisest pre-match interview to give. Criticising the opposition in the build-up to any match is always ill-advised, but when the inflammatory comments come from a Tottenham manager ahead of a trip to Arsenal, you are asking for trouble.

In truth Harry Redknapp did not say anything particularly controversial – he, like the Premier League title betting odds, expect Chelsea or Manchester United to win the league, not the Gunners – but he should have been aware of what the headline writers would seize upon. The complimentary Arsenal comments were ignored.

‘Redknapp doubts Arsenal’s chances’ duly filled the front of the BBC sport web page, allowing as the cliché goes, the opposing manager to cut out and keep his own team talk. Arsene Wenger would have stuck the piece next to the one which detailed how Robbie Keane thinks the Spurs squad is stronger than the Arsenal one.

Having both the manager and captain fire-up your hated rivals ahead of a derby clash reveals a lack of judgment that needs to be addressed. There is a time and a place for inflammatory comments; the day before such a big Premier League game is not one of them.

Spurs of course lost the match due to shocking defending, but our manager should be media-savvy enough to know that his entertaining interviews need to better thought out. His (selective) straight talking is one of his charms, but it should be used to help the team, not hinder it.

Redknapp and Keane were simply trying to be bullish and Spurs fans will loathe the day that a Tottenham boss gushes over Arsenal, but this standing up to the Gunners needs to be done on the pitch as well as in the press room.

Take a peek in Betfairs new Front Room for all the latest football banter.

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