New White Hart Lane Approved!

Approved!

Well, that was one of the most boring web meetings I've ever sat through and it was all for you!

After 3+ hours of faffing around, Haringey council finally gave a unanimous decision in favour of the Northumberland project going ahead.

Over to you Boris.

There were some council members worried that Tottenham Hotspur simply wanted to build a supermarket. It had to be explained to them that the club had spent just over 5 years and £10 million in reaching this far, therefore, to propose such a thing would be plain silly.

The Spurs spokesman was also asked to comment on the rumour that we had tabled a bid for the Olympic Stadium. This was met with a firm "I am unable to comment on that" remark. Mind games eh, and I only thought football managers used them.

We should be given the final approval within a two to three week period.

What team does Boris support?

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Real Madrid target Bale

Gareth Bale's electric start to the season hasn't gone unnoticed by some of Europe's biggest teams. Reports in Spain claim Real Madrid are looking to move for the Welshman when the January transfer window opens. Bale, has been used mainly as a winger by Harry Redknapp this season but it looks as though Jose Mourinho wants to sign the Welshman as a left-back.

Madrid narrowly missed out on Aleksandar Kolarov who opted to join Manchester City and have been left short in that department. Although I am sure Gareth Bale would be obviously flattered by the interest, Spurs would be highly unlikely to sell possibly our best player.

Bale has recently signed a new long term deal at White Hart Lane, committing himself to the club until 2014. His start to this season has seen him look like a world-class winger and he's got an eye for goal to. Remember that strike against Stoke?



His other man of the match performance came in the Champions League qualifier against Swiss side Young Boys. Bale had a hand in all four of Tottenham's goals as we went on to reach the group stages. The Spurs betting suggests that we have an decent chance of progressing in the tournament and Bale will no doubt be a vital part of any success.

It has been a dramatic change in fortunes for the players who signed for the club from Southampton as a 17-year-old. It took nearly two years and 24 games for Bale to finish on the winning Spurs side in a league match.

Of course, that was a statistic that couldn't really be blamed on him and he has now developed into the quality winger we see before us today. Bale has a delicious delivery from the left flank and is also deadly when it come to set pieces. He has enough pace to cause oppositions full-backs no end of problems. If Redknapp can keep Bale on track, we will have an excellent player and Spurs will be a consistent challenger for silverware.

However, all Spurs players will need to be at their very best as they head into a tough week. Although the Aston Villa betting suggests Tottenham will pick up three points next Saturday, we will have to do so after a midweek Champion's League game.

Should it make it easier for us just because we are facing the underdogs of our group? No, I don't think so. FC Twente drew 2-2 with Inter Milan and showed that they can compete. Bale and the rest of the lads will have to dig deep if we are to win both matches.

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Harry Confirms Possible Signing

Harry Redknapp has confirmed that we are in the process of signing South Africa international defender Bongani Khumalo.

"We're in the process of doing a deal. We had him over on trial and we like him. He has potential. We've got a tie up with SuperSport, so we've taken him. It will be a great chance for the kid. He's a great lad. He comes from a poor background and he's desperate for a chance and we're going to give him a chance."

Harry has always said that he will only sign a player if he can bring something new to the squad. From what I've heard in relation to Khumalo, the lad is extremely powerful, but can also run a bit to.

I can't remember the last time a trial worked out for both club and player, other than the Eric Cantona case with Leeds, and that turned out to be okay. I am a firm believer in player trials. The management team can assess the players skill, but more importantly, his mental strength. Khumalo obviously fitted into the group well enough for Harry to take the plunge and it will be interesting to see how he does with a move to London.

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The Big One - For West Ham

Even with the midweek debacle, the majority of our players have been well rested and let's face it, they deserve to give us something to cheer about. 

I can see us getting a win, purely because we are a lot better than West Ham at this point in the season. I know that football doesn't always work like that, but from seeing West Ham on one occasion live this season against Bolton (yes, I was asked to go, and thinking that I could possibly get lucky, went along), they were about as lucky as I was on the night. Terrible and dross are but two adjectives that spring to mind. I haven't watched a team so inept of confidence since the Ramos days.

Has Grant lost the dressing room? Maybe he has. I think a few West Ham fans will come on here and let us know the answer to that. 

With The Modfather back in action today and with Bale and Transit (VDV) on form, I can't see us getting anything but a win.

We may not be the most consistent side at the moment, but this is a London derby and surely that's got to count for something? Of course, we all know that this match means more to the Hammers than it does to us, but as things stand, anything they could get from the game would be a bonus.

As I said above, I can see our attacking play overwhelming them, especially in midfield. Unless Parker can pick up Transit, we may run riot. Our new Dutch maestro is beginning to show why many Real Madrid fans were left disgusted at losing him; and imagine, he's been carrying a niggling calf injury, but has still shown us why he truly can be placed in the "Worldclass" category.

Even if fellow Spurs lovechild Parker can chase him out of the game, who will mark Bale and Modric? I ate my words after the Arsenal match, but I can't see me having to eat humble pie after this game has run its course.

THBN Prediction: West Ham 0 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur

One to Watch: Gareth Bale

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Done Deal?

Has Daniel Levy agreed to sign Wickham?

The news on everyone's lips at the moment is that Daniel Levy has done a deal with Marcus Evans (the Ipswich owner and Chairman) to bring the highly talked about youngster, Connor Wickham to Spurs in the January 2011 transfer window.

Obviously, the club haven't announced anything and aren't likely to any time soon, but the media have jumped on this bandwagon and it's gathering pace.

Some of you know what I think about this lad and my disgust at us taking him away from his football education. I mention the word "disgust" only if the plan is to sign him and loan him to another side, or keep him on the bench.

I'll put on my patriotic hat on for the moment and talk about the England national side. We all know what a mess that squad is in. There aren't many players coming through and if Wickham is a possible future England star, I would prefer him to remain at his club for the time being. I know that many of you couldn't care less about England, but it has come to the point where something needs to be done.

If we do sign him and loan him back to Ipswich, well, that wouldn't be too bad, would it?

News of this possible transfer first came out in the summer and we published the article that it just wasn't right to 1.) spend the reported £10 million on him and 2.) take him away from first-team action and have him try to get into the Tottenham eleven.

The pundits on several podcasts seem to think that Connor Wickham could make it at Premier League level already. I haven't seen him play and so can't make that kind of judgement.

Whatever happens, it will be interesting to see the reaction from Ipswich Town FC on this matter, for it looked as though they did enough to keep him during the summer, preferring to sell Jon Walters to Stoke for £2.75 million instead.

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What Went Wrong?

Mickey Mouse Competition? Course not. How does today's office verbal battering feel? Not enough room on this blog to vent my arsenal of expletives.

Anyway, enough of that. Let's get to the crux of the situation. What on earth went so wrong? Well I am sure a lot of you can give a decent point of view. I haven't seen the game on the box yet, but from the Paxton End, it looked all to obvious to a lot of us that playing three defensive midfielders was just wrong. You know, like the first time you were dared to moonie. You knew you could do it, but also understood just how wrong and foolish it could turn out for you.

And what was with us playing Dos Santos and Bentley out of position? Our biggest problem was that Arsène Wenger had told his defence to not defend deep. Why should they? Was the threat going to come from Palacios, Sandro or Livermore? Not in this lifetime.

We looked disjointed and disorientated. And don't get me started on why Hutton didn't start. He only won us the match on Saturday!

Even though I've vented my frustration, yesterday's match felt weird. I wanted us to beat Arsenal, of course I did; they're our biggest rival, but losing didn't mean the be all and end all of it. Maybe you had to be there to really understand what I mean.

Are there any positives to take from the match? Well, the lad Sandro did well. He's shown us why Daniel Levy flew out to Brazil twice and basically went all out to get him, although I remember us doing the same thing for Stephen Iversen; remember him?

Our young Brazilian prodigy has got an abundance of energy and is a tough young man. Maybe we'll see him earn his place in a few of our squads before the year is out? At this moment in time, if I had to give a starting position to either Wilson Palacios or Sandro, I know who I'd select.

Anyway, back to the "Have you ordered the DVD yet" taunts.

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Mickey Mouse Cup

Yep, that's what the Arsenal contingent in the office are calling it. Scared are we?

I remember the 5-1 night like it was only yesterday. In my 22 years of going to The Lane, I have never witnessed another night like it. If you were there, you to would have felt the ground beneath your feet shake and tremble. You would have tasted an atmosphere like none other.

Even with Harry ringing in the changes, I can see us dominating the game and winning it comfortably. It'll be a great chance for us to see just how well Sandro is bedding in and we'll have a better look at the rejuvenated Hutton as well as other fringe players.

Matt Law of the Express has said that Harry could be in for a shock when he sees the Arsenal starting eleven. I hope they bring their first team. It'll just add to a greater ear bashing tomorrow morning.

Calling the Carling Cup a Mickey Mouse Cup is just a preemptive strike by the Arsenal faithful. Oh how they wish they could have had their hands on some silverware. Has it been five years already?

THBN Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 Arsenal

Nonsense Stat of the Day
Tottenham are the only club to have a fixture list comprising of 6 clubs that start with the same letter:

1. Wigan
2. West Brom
3. Werder Bremen
4. Wolves
5. Woolwich Wanderers
6. West Ham

Courtesy of Chappers' Podcast

PS. I'd like to give a big shout out to all the Spurs fans in New York City. I watched the Werder Bremen match with a passionate Spurs fan (his name escapes me) in O'Neill's (I couldn't get to Perdition unfortunately). Your hospitality was second to none.

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Has Defoe become the complete striker?

This season has seen Jermain Defoe go from the high of helping Spurs to secure qualification to the Champion's League proper, to the low of fearing that a large chunk of the season was going to be spent on the sidelines through injury.

So although he has shown in his recent performances for England that he is well on the way towards becoming a complete striker, rather than just an excellent poacher with an eye for goal, he has also reconfirmed nagging doubts that this season could go either way for him on a personal and professional level.

Defoe is not an indispensable member of the Spurs side but in order for Spurs to compete in both the Champion's League and the long Premier League campaign this year, Tottenham will need to ensure that they have as strong a group of players at their disposal as possible. Indeed, Spurs can be pretty pleased with the squad they have. The Aston Villa betting suggests they will be one of Tottenham's rivals for a top four place, but Spurs are able to call on a much greater wealth of talent.

Still, with our North London rivals Arsenal already clearly demonstrating the frustration that a brilliant yet injury-prone striker can bring, Spurs will dread having to cope with the same problem.

However, if Defoe can remain fit and continue to improve his all-round game, then Harry Redknapp's dream of challenging for both domestic and European honours may not be as far-fetched as some commentators like Andy Gray have suggested.

But, with the season in its early stages, Defoe and Spurs have a long way to go if we are to build on our early season promise.

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The Red Snub

So I've been reading the remarks made by Rafa van der Vaart (VDV - sounds like an illness, doesn't it?).  He chose us instead of going up north to Liverpool.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really don't mind it that we've signed the lad.  He is a top top player and I have no doubt that he could go on to become a Spurs legend.  All I wish is that instead of talking up why a player did this and that, I personally would have preferred him to have remained shtoom and let his feet do the talking.

This "I could have joined Liverpool, but chose to come to London instead" talk, really doesn't wash with me.  If you're going to win the hearts of the fans, it's your skills away at places such as Liverpool, which will merit you the status of god.

Rant over.  It's still nice to know that international class players are choosing us over Liverpool.

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