La Liga's Coming To The Lane

With Harry at the Villarreal vs. Almeria game, possibly watching Giuseppe Rossi or Pablo Piatti, and football agent Barry Silkman telling Sky Sports News that loan moves for Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra maybe coming off, things could look whiter than lilywhite in and around White Hart Lane this transfer window.

Harry's been raving on about Daniel Levy telling to splash the cash, but if we are to believe some of the rumours, loan moves could be the latest fashion. Let's forget the 'Beckham to Newcastle' tripe. If he's going to sign for a Premier League club, I think he would want one that could offer him Champions League football. However, if we do end up with the Madrid pair, both would be cup-tied with regards the Champions League.

Signing Rossi on the other hand, would be a major coup. I was at White Hart Lane in July and watched him tear us apart. He's not just a fox in the box, but a superb professional striker that if given a real go in the Premier League, could push us onto a proper title challenge. The Argentine, Pablo Piatti, isn't a bad bet either, although I am not entirely sure he would be suited to the Premier League.

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Questions need to be answered

Not by Harry Redknapp, but by us, the fans.

I was watching the game in a pub that was packed to the rafters with fellow Spurs fans, yet all I could hear were chants of "Redknapp's rubbish!", "What is he playing at, he hasn't got a f***ing clue how to manage a club in the Champions League!", and my favourite, "If we had only two points in this group, Harry would win it for us".

Oh how fickle a lot of us are. Not all, but the majority. I even found myself feeling extra uncomfortable when the fourth goal went in and thoughts of "Redknapp is so very tactically naive in Europe" crossed my mind.

Thing is, as a club, we are at the Genesis of what could be a flourishing series of campaigns in the Champions League. I do believe that we have the squad and manager to make our entry into the competition a regular occurrence. Although based on the Italian TV directors guidelines, Clive Allen might just be than man to steer us to Champions League glory.

We are on a learning curve and as curves go, we are slowly, but surely, bending towards getting out of this group.

I am not doubting that we looked like fluffy rabbits stunned by oncoming headlights in the first half. In the second half however, we were the boy-racer in the GTI, bombing down towards the shocked, soon to be road-kill.

I doubt there's any need to go on about just how good Gareth Bale is, for his class shines through easily enough for all to see.

As regards our naivety, I advise you to reminisce Manchester United's first exploits in this very competition back in the early nineties. Remember how long it took them to figure this competition out?

I was going to ask you all to give us time, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Inter won't be knocking down the same lilywhite, fluffy-tailed rabbits in two weeks when they visit Tottenham.

We've got the GTI and Gareth's driving it.

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Spurs Priorities

Despite the fact Tottenham are clearly in with a massive chance of making the knock-out stages of the Champions League, Harry Redknapp and his side have shown they are fully focused on matters back home.

It's clear to me that domestic dominance is a more important quest than pursuing what the Champions League betting suggests would be an unlikely European triumph.

It's a tough balancing act to pull off. Harry Redknapp and the Spurs players will want to do as well as they can in the Champions League, but at the same time, ensuring they qualify to play in it again next season.

The fact Redknapp was prepared to play Ledley King against Fulham, rather than at the San Siro, is a clear sign of which competition he wants his side to be stronger in this season. Either that, or Harry's already played the match in his head and we have lost.

Our win against Fulham came despite us not being at our best. I suppose this shows that the team is able to dig deep in order to achieve the sort of result that few Spurs teams in recent years would have been able to pull off. A glance at the Fulham betting will tell you they're a tough side to beat at home, plus, they were unbeaten all season, until we came along.

Having said all this, the fact that Spurs have spent such an impressive amount of cash to strengthen their squad in recent years means that we surely should have no worries when it comes to putting out a top side in either competition, even if this means we need to sacrifice the success we have achieved in previous years, especially when it comes to domestic cup competitions.

Wouldn't you prefer that we do well in the Champions League rather than Carling Cup success? It seems to me that Harry is doing the right thing.

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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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Tottenham Hotspur vs. Young Boys in Champion's League Qualifier

We couldn't have asked for a better draw to be honest. The Swiss side is the weakest of all the non-seeded teams that we could have been drawn against. Although I think we shouldn't be too complacent.

The first leg will be played away in Switzerland on either Tuesday (17th) or Wednesday (18th) of August.

The return game will be played a week later.

COYS!!!

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Champion's League? You're Having a Laugh

I was involved in an interesting conversation with a few colleagues of mine this morning.

Included in the group of football wannabe pundits, were Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Villa and one recently baptised Manchester City fan. We were discussing the teams chasing the fourth, majestic Champion's League spot.

The majority of the office is confident that Spurs can finish in the top four, with Liverpool finishing the season in fifth and City in sixth.

What I did find interesting, wasn't the fact that the majority thought that we could make the Champion's League, but that Tottenham Hotspur could be on the verge of a one-time affair with the lucrative competition.

Let's face up to the facts. Sooner or later, Manchester City are going to get it right. With the money they've got, they can and will buy the league.

If we make the Champion's League and that's a mighty big "if", I believe that it will transform us as a club. We will be able to sign a calibre of player that wouldn't have been available to us previously. Therefore, if we are to cement our place in the Champion's League, year in, year out, we need to invest. Maybe investment isn't the only key ingredient? Hope that we can evolve faster than the chasing pack is also vital.

Everton's Champion's League exhibition didn't bode well for them. Instead of making a real go of it, they went out in the qualifying rounds; qualifying rounds that have somewhat become harder in recent seasons.

Whether or not they decided they had the squad to compete, or simply didn't have the funds to invest, is anyone's guess. What is fact is that the route they took proved that the team they had back then wasn't good enough to compete for the top four position year on year.

Manchester City isn’t the only club we should be worried about. We've also got Liverpool to think of too. They are a sleeping giant, one that, once fully awake, will cause damage.

As things stand, Liverpool need some heavy investment and that could take a while, especially with the internal problems that keep erupting in the boardroom. As well as a new team, as Torres keeps alluding to, they need a new stadium. If reports of them bringing in Jose Mourinho are to be trusted, they will need to fork out some serious dough. The man doesn't come cheap. He's reported to be on £9 million net at Inter Milan. If you take into account the 50% tax scheme that's about to come into play, we're talking £18 million a year! If you get him on a 5 year deal, that's £90 million (plus additional bonuses).

There's no doubting he'd want a few world-class players to, which could mean a further outlay. How much would a few world-class players cost? City spent over £200 million on a group of players that I personally wouldn't call all world-class. Then we come to the stadium issue. That's another £400+ million. All in all, Liverpool could need an investment of near on £1 billion. Football doesn't come cheap, does it?

Aston Villa is also a slumbering giant, one that with the right playing squad could be in the position we're currently in. For them to push on any further, they to would need drastic investment, which, their owner, Mr. Lerner has said won't be forthcoming any time soon.

Therefore, if we are going to make the Champion's League and stay there, we need to reassess some issues in relation to the playing staff. Let's hope the board is game.

Of course, we have to get there first. Who else will become a Wigan Athletic fan tonight? I know I will.





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