West Ham Radio Ad

The lads in the office have put on talkSPORT so as to listen to all the fans calling for either 4-4-2, Capello's head, or both to be tossed into the bin.

Today has been a strange kind of day. There's only one thing we're all talking about. Yeah, you guessed it; the new and fantastic West Ham radio ad!

For those that don't listen to talkSPORT, it's the red-top of footballing radio stations. The ads mirror the quality, therefore you can image the London based fans amazement when the West Ham ad came on.

"New manager, new players and more excitement". That was just a snippet of the ad that caught my ear. To my astonishment, West Ham have actually thought it prudent to release a radio ad that (if one can read between the lines) asks football and (more embarrassingly) West Ham supporters to buy their new season ticket.

I had to look over at my calendar. Nope, not 1st April.

How desperate must a club be if they are willing to sacrifice their self esteem and image so as to entice would-be football supporters to watch a side that so very nearly went down?

The ad sounds like it was recorded in a circus to. Now I know the two David's have their roots firmly planted in the marketing of porn, but come off it!

If you're English, chances are, you're feeling down right about now. Do yourself a favour and turn over to talkSPORT. Listening to the ad will raise your spirits!

Also, if you're in that part of the world, go and watch Dagenham & Redbridge. You'll be greatly entertained and their fans are top notch to.



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FIFA and the Dark Ages

I happened to be listening to the Stephen Nolan show on BBC's Fivelive last night when the discussion of goal line technology came up.

Nolan welcomed the Irish F.A. Chairman (or Vice Chairman; it was late) onto the show. A few months back, both Wales and Ireland were against goal line technology, whilst England and Scotland were pro.

When asked why the Irish F.A. were against it, the interviewee said that "the technology would cost too much". To enable the chip in the ball to work, all clubs would need to add "electro-magnetic fields in and around their pitch and that would cost in excess of £500,000".

Stephen Nolan and Andy Hinchcliffe (remember his bender freekicks for Everton?) went off on one when they heard this.

Hinchcliffe: "It doesn't cost £500,000 to take a quick look at a monitor, does it!?"

Irish F.A.: "Well, that's what was on offer at the time and that's why we declined it".

Nolan: "Didn't any of you have the common sense to state that a quick look over at a monitor would be sufficient enough?"

Irish F.A.: "No."

Are all F.A's in the UK & Ireland run by numpty's? It sure looks that way.

Let's rewind back to the 2006 World Cup final between Zidane and Italy.

When the Maestro famously butted Materazzi in the chest, the ref clearly hadn't seen the incident, but sent off Zidane anyway. We all know that the 4th official (what are his responsibilities by the way?) had mentioned something to the ref via his headset, even though FIFA stated that wasn't the case.

Did any of you watch the Hawk-Eye used to assess if Lampard's goal went over the line?

Now I don't want to beat the drum about what ifs. If the goal had stood, England still may have lost the match. Let's not forget that the England side had an entire half to equalise, but failed to do so.

When is FIFA going to take football out of the dark ages?

Does something about this smell a bit off to you, or shouldn't I dwindle on conspiracy theories?

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Tottenham Home Kit

Right then, the above images have NOT been approved by the club as being the official home strip for the 2010/2011, but a lot of forums, including the respected Spurs forum, COYS, have leaked the above images as being the official home strip.

We're just waiting on a sponsor now.

PS. Doesn't it remind you of the Bolton kit? What do you make of it?

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England Shambles

What more is there to say other than we were pants?

Rooney; rubbish, but also undroppable. Gerrard; wasted on the left. Lampard; ? Terry & Upson; I am actually faster than either of them.

Need I go on?

Oh and before I go, forget the non-Lampard-goal. England made Germany look like worldbeaters. End of.

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The Passion of Capello

For those of you that thought England's manager lacked passion, or simply wasn't too interested, take a look at the below video.

Source: COYS

The bit with Stuart Pearce (you'll know the one after you've seen it) is hilarious!

Come on England. If we ever believed, then now is the time.

THBN Prediction: England 1-0 Germany.
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Where's the new kit?

"It's nearly the end of June now. If this is the new kit, why aren't spurs flogging it to bits? Very unlike them to miss a chance of making a couple of quid."

The above was posted today by Michael Evans, as he commented on the article Photoshopped to Death: Spurs New Kits.

To be honest, the club hasn't announced who the main shirt sponsor will be for next season. Therefore, they can't release the kits until a sponsor is found.

A few ITK's have said that the club is still nowhere near to announcing who the sponsor will be.

Is Levy and his chums asking for too much? I would have thought that the sponsor business would have been wrapped up by now. The longer it takes for the club to seal a deal with Zurich, Bloomburg, Santander, etc. the longer we'll have to wait for the arrival of the new kit.

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Player Slaps Female Reporter

Algerian International, Rafik Saifi, slapped female journalist, Asma Halimi across the face after she attempted to ask him a few questions.

Halimi, who works for the Algerian newspaper, Competition, wasn't going to take that! She turned back around toward the player and smacked him in the mouth.

This led Saifi to have a "Curbishley Moment". He let his frustration out on a bottle of water, whilst security moved in to take Asma away.

And we thought we had it bad. At least we have qualified; by the skin of our teeth I might add. Germany up next. Heathrow thereafter....



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Spare a though for the brave hosts

I don't know about you, but I did feel sorry for South Africa after seeing them fall out of the World Cup on Tuesday.

Bafana Bafana showed plenty of guts and determination and their singing on arrival to the stadiums and in the tunnel put a smile on my face. But unfortunately that couldn't make up for their lack of quality and they became the first ever host nation to be eliminated at the group stage and fail to be involved in the world cup round of 16 betting.

It was an outcome I fully expected, having tipped Mexico at even money to advance through to the round of 16 and eventually on to the world cup quarter finals betting, but in the end I found myself cheering on the hosts. Their efforts in the opening draw against Mexico made people, including myself take note, but they couldn't continue that against Uruguay, who I can see reaching the semi-finals. I'd also fancy Diego Forlan at Spurs. In my opinion, he is the complete striker. The guy brings others into play, scores and is a winner.

Forlan and his crew beat the South African's 3-0 and that left them in an unenviable position in their last game. Still, they dug in against the 1998 World Cup winners France and triumphed 2-1 in Bloemfontein after giving everything against a shambolic French Pub side.

Unfortunately it wasn't enough for Bafana Bafana, who were eliminated on goal difference with Mexico grabbing the second qualifying berth behind group winners Uruguay.

It was a sad end for the brave hosts, who didn't know whether to conduct a lap of honour after the ref blew the final whistle or drop to their knees in despair.

Memorable World Cups down the years have usually involved the host nation in the latter stages of the tournament. And the only plus point of the hosts' early exit will hopefully be the end of their enthusiastic Vuvuzela blowing, although I kind of doubt it.

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Knock-out stage could start early for England

England face a winner-takes-all clash with Slovenia in Group C on Wednesday.
The knock-out stages might be a week away, but England face a do-or-die date this week and Fabio Capello says it's one of the biggest game of his distinguished career.

After two draws against the USA and Algeria, England must win in Port Elizabeth against the World Cup's smallest nation, Slovenia to make it through to the last 16 and keep England World Cup odds to win alive.

Despite two below-par performances Fabio Capello's men are the overwhelming favourites to win the game at odds of 4/9. Capello is set to make changes to his side after the Cape Town debacle against Algeria - one of which is enforced with Jamie Carragher suspended.

Matthew Upson will replace Carragher and become John Terry's third central defensive partner in three group games. I still would have Dawson in there ahead of the guy that was a member of the team that nearly got West Ham relegated. The duo have played together plenty of times in qualifying and will be confident of keeping Slovenia quiet. Going forward England certainly haven't clicked into gear and Slovenia are sure to try and stifle Capello's men with a five-man midfield.

Whether the Three Lions match up to Slovenia in midfield and play Wayne Rooney on his own is debatable, but another area Capello will be keen to improve on is set-pieces.

England have failed to trouble their opponents from corners and set-pieces so far and it might be worth punting on Terry (who I think should have been on the same plane as Anelka) (22/1) and Upson (40/1) to get it right on Wednesday.

Both are expected to get forward for dead-ball situations and one of the towering centre-backs might prove to be the key to unlock the Slovenian defence.

Meanwhile, now is also a good time to get some money on the Italy and Spain World Cup odds to win. Both have made slow starts, so now is the time to back them!

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Premier League Season Opener Against Manchester City

Our season as one of the recognised Top Four™ kicks off against Manchester City at White Hart Lane on Saturday, 14th August 2010.

That's a nice and easy one to get off to...

Looking down the fixtures list, we don't get to play a Top Four™ side until 30th October, where we play Manchester United up at Old Trafford.

The good news is that the fixtures are fairly ordered for a change. You won't see us playing the top 3 in quick succession. In fact, in the first 5 matches after the City game, we get to play all the W's (Wigan, at home, 28th August | West Brom, away, 11th September | Wolves, at home, 18th September | West Ham, away on 25th September).

For more news on all the 2010/2011 Premier League Fixtures, go to the Tottenham Official Site.

When you're there, make a note of how many points you think we'll be on up until the end of September 2010.

Here's my prediction:

Manchester City | Home | Win
Stoke | Away | Win
Wigan | Home | Win
West Brom | Away | Draw
Wolves | Home | Win
West Ham | Away | Draw

Total Predicted Points: 14.


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Alan Green is a.....

....few days off becoming a ripe plum.

Read his piece here.....

What is this guy's problem? For instance, I don't know how some of you feel about the way Capello informs the players (who will be starting) 2 hours before the game, but I have heard a great deal of professional players state that it really doesn't/shouldn't matter if the team-sheet is given to the player 5 minutes or 5 hours before kick-off.

Alan Green:"I don’t get this business of telling his players what the team will be barely before they step on the coach to the venue. What meaning does pre-match training have if individuals don’t know if they’ll be playing together? And this is particularly relevant for a specialist position such as goalkeeper."

Let's say Rob Green got injured and the sub keeper had only 2-3 minutes to prepare himself for the match. Does the fact that he's only got 2-3 minutes to prepare himself mentally and physically, mean that he won't put in a good performance? Please, do me a favour and look into the game we call football, before making your lame-duck comments Mr. Green.

All the players are kept on their toes if nothing has been finalised about the team selection. The only cert start in all of this is Steven Gerrard, who is the captain.

Let's flip this comment 360.

If Capello names the side to play against Algeria (this Friday) on Wednesday, what does that do to the morale of the players that aren't selected?

Do you think they'll be bothered? They should be bothered, for they are professional footballers, but we all know life doesn't work like that.

Capello's assistant, Franco Baldini, has stated that there is a possibility that certain cliques may form in the camp between the starting 11 and the rest of the players.

Do we really want this happening?

Oh and one final point. Please Alan, keep your opinions about Johannesburg to yourself.

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Boring, Vuvuzelas and Stocktaking

Is it me, or is this World Cup not living up to expectations? I understand that all the games we've seen thus far are the opening games of the group stages, but still, this tournament is boring me senseless. I suppose the atmosphere in the stadia has got something to do with the general experience.

Those blasted Vuvuzelas have really started to get to me. I don't know about you, but the noise pollution they're emitting is undermining the crowd and the viewers at home.

I did have an interesting conversation with one of my South African colleagues. This was his take on it..

"Besides the South Africa vs. Mexico game, it was the fans of the representing countries that were blowing on their Vuvuzelas, not the locals."

Not the case at all, but go on..

"Each World Cup comes and goes and each with its own culture. No one complains about European culture or the cultures of Asia or the Americas. The first time it comes to Africa, you and everyone else is complaining to hell and back. If we can accept your drums and singing and flutes and everything else, then why can't you accept us as we are?"

I personally thought that football was about the fans. If you think that clouding out the fans with a constant buzz is footballing culture, then I don't really know what to say to that?

"Had you bought enough tickets to watch your games, then you would have been in the majority at the stadiums and you wouldn't have been 'subjected' to the Vuvuzelas. But you chose to stay in your countries, allowing us Africans (Black and White) and open-minded foreigners to fill the stadiums and enjoy the game our way!"

Isn't that sort of contradicting your first point when you said that it was the "fans of the representing countries" using the Vuvuzelas?

I couldn't really carry on this conversation with him as I was getting nowhere fast. If the Vuvuzelas were not so prevalent during the match, it wouldn't bother the majority of us. However, these things just don't stop.

****

You know it's a slow day at Spurs when....

......The official site releases an article in relation to them carrying out a stocktaking session.



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Ask a Pro

THBN has teamed up with Coral Dugout and their superb Ask a Pro competition on Facebook.

Would you like to enter into a debate with former England players and experts with real World Cup experience? With Ask a Pro, you can do!

Ask a Pro will give you the chance to ask your own questions to Terry Butcher, Martin Peters and Graham Poll. The best questions that receive the most votes will then be personally answered on video by the pro of choice.

You can ask as many questions as you like, but keep in mind that the Republic of Facebook will vote on any question you throw at the pro's.

I plan on asking my old mate, Poll, why he dished out 3 yellows? If you've got a question, go to the Coral Dugout Facebook page now.

Once you've left your question, come back here and post your question in the comments section. THBN has your vote.

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Liverpool want our 'Arry

Other than fatboy Fowler mouthing off about Liverpool wanting our manager, the Liverpool contingent in the office have said that "it's a done deal".

Some of them would like to think that they are Special Liverpool ITK's and have said that the Liverpool board have discussed his appointment, whilst others have even put money on it happening. Some people are so gullible. If I had known they were giving away their money so freely, I would have taken on their bet!

So let see if I've got this right; Harry Redknapp, who has just taken Spurs to the gates of the Champion's League, would be interested in managing a club that potentially could face administration this coming season?

Now I'm not doubting that Liverpool are a great club. I'm also not doubting that they are a world brand. What I am doubting, is if they can recover from the way the club has been and is continually being run by those two buffoons?

Redknapp is about to embark on possibly the greatest season of his career. He's at a club that is going somewhere, a club that is building the greatest sporting and training complex in the world. A club that, within 11 months, will commence development on a brand spanking new stadium.

"So Harry Redknapp would give up all of that to become the Liverpool manager, knowing full well that Torres and Gerrard may leave and that if a new owner is to come in, he/she/they may want to bring in their own man?"

"Yes, of course. Never forget, we are Liverpool".

What is it that makes some highly intelligent grown men, talk absolute trash?

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