A fond farewell

This will be the last post on Great.Blue.Kingly., I can no longer find the time. Just when I thought my schedule was all set, things changed as they often do. So that means this blog, being a labour of love, gets the proverbial "ax."

Its been fun, and as always: COYS!

A return to the north-west

Today's match sees our beloved Spurs travel back to the North-west, this time to Goodison Park with the hope of picking up three league points. Today will see the debut of Woody in a Spurs kit, although newest signing Alan Hutton (official announcement, after three tries and a huge salary increase, the player who least seemed to want to wear the shirt is on his way to the Lane) will likely debut in Saturday's home rematch against Manure. We have lost our last three on the road, but I think that we are still playing good football--to be fair, two of those three matches were against the Scum and Manure. I like our chances today, though beating Everton at home is always going to be a task.

The word on whether Leds will start is ominously quiet--all is not as it should be, there is definitely something afoot. He has not been listed as injured in any of the match reports that I have read, however he has not been listed in any of the probable squads either. That is not a good sign, if I'm not mistaken Leds has yet to play two consecutive matches and if he misses today's match that will make two in a row--two important matches, by most accounts. Indeed, it looks as though he will not even be on the bench; it seems less and less likely that we are resting him--resting him for what? Home against Manure? I should think that this is the less important match against them, the FA Cup tie offered more a chance chance to get to Europe than the upcoming league match. I don't like this one bit...the rest of our injuries consist of the usual suspects: B A-E, Bale and Big Tone, with Zoko still on international duty, Dawson out on suspension and Chimbo returning from suspension. Meanwhile, Everton will be without Hibbert and Cahill due to suspension and Yak, Pienaar and Yobo are all away on international duty--Leighton Baines is still out with an ankle injury as well. Suffice it to say, we will be facing a depleted side--but that does not mean an easy win, as some might be inclined to think.

I suspect that Keano and Berbs (who turns 27 today, happy birthday Berbs!) will be leading out attack up front, with Jenas (who is in fine form, in my opinion) and Teems in the center--though I wouldn't be surprised to see O'Hara start. Steed and Lennon on the left and right, I see no reason to change that--the back line, as usual is the biggest question. Will Cerny be in goal?--he didn't exactly shine against Manure, perhaps Robbo will get a chance to win his spot back today. I wouldn't be upset at that, especially not after his recent interview on Sky Sports where he came off as rather classy. Perhaps it is time to give Robbo another chance, Cerny has done well but we all know, and no doubt Juande and Gus know, that he is not a number 1--he his a lot of things: hardworking, intelligent, aggressive, at times brave, but he is just missing that extra something that makes him the number 1. As for the rest of the back, here's my prediction: Chimbo-Woody-Hudds-Lee. Of course, Juande can always through us for a loop with some more of his creative positioning of players; in fact, I love how he does that, it shows his footballing IQ to be able to spot different abilities in players that make them more versatile than they appear.

*Here are match previews from BBC Sport and ESPNsoccernet--I would have included Sky Sports but since they didn't bother to write more than a fucking paragraph about any of today's matches...
*Here are a few other items of interest:
-Some articles about Hutton signing with us: ESPNsoccernet, BBC Sport, Sky Sports, the Mail (not exactly encouraging)
-Kaboul happy to stay at the Lane; I believe him, and I am glad that he seems to like the club--he's got an abundance of potential and in 2 or 3 years he may prove to be one of Comolli's better signings
-Some transfer news: Sky Sports is reporting that Routledge has undergone a physical at Villa, they also reported earlier this morning that we had agreed on a fee with Villa for K-PB as well--but that story has mysteriously vanished from their website; poor old Routledge never really got a chance for us, I like the lad and think that it is right that he move on to get some first team football, though I would have preferred he went to QPR who he was linked to earlier this month

Alright Yidos, see you on the other side! And as always: COYS!

Woody to Spurs, Hutton Lured With Sweats and Several Thousands of Pounds, Some More Transfer Gossip

It's official (Woody!), we have completed our first signing of the transfer season: Jonathon Woodgate is now our newest CB. Though I have heard that he is a bit of a prick, though I cannot confirm that, there is no doubt that he is a solid defender. Questions remain about his long-term fitness, the last thing we need is two classy CBs that are constantly injured. However, it has been pointed out that since returning to England from Madrid Woody has maintained his fitness much more consistently than in the past--it was said that he sat out Boro's FA Cup tie last weekend because of calf strain, but I suspect that this was probably more a result of the impending transfer deal. Either way, a calf strain is hardly a serious injury--we will just have to wait and see if he makes is debut tomorrow; I hope so because its on the tele in the States--DVR! I think that this is a fairly good signing if Woody can stay healthy, particularly with Dawson's limitations becoming ever more clear this season--like the lad, but he is probably best suited to be a back-up for a side with CL ambitions.

It also now appears that Hutton is ready to complete a move to the Lane (Sky Sports, article on Rangers website). He's a player that I have long had my doubts about, I have never been particularly impressed with him in the five or six times I have seen him play--though I'm sure so many football luminaries (in England and Scotland at least) don't rate him so highly for nothing. Of course, the fact that he clearly did not, perhaps does not want to play for us hasn't done much to convince me on him. However since it looks like the deal is done, I will get behind him--anyway, I'm sure we'll all have a much better idea of what he's all about, of his commitment over the course of the rest of this season.

*Rumours: By all accounts we appear very close to signing Hertha LB/LM Gilberto, only a couple of days left so we shall see soon enough. I like this signing, Gilberto is a solid LB but can also play in the midfield--we need that kind of adaptability, he can plug a couple of gaps if needs be. There has a talk of a renewed deal in the making for Tiago, though Juve are playing hard to get. I can see this happening, with the arrival of Sissoko headed to Turin I would imagine that Tiago can see the writing on the wall--London is probably looking like a good place to be.

*Some other items of interest:
-Woody is happy to be at the Lane, according to Sky Sports
-The rumoured Downing switch is a definite "no"
-Spurs revival?, stranger things have happened but we are playing in Europe, in a cup final and have finished in the top half regularly as of late...do we need a "revival" in the grand scheme of things?

That's all for now, pre-match for Everton coming later today or tonight and more news and gossip (and griping) coming as it comes to me! COYS!

[I haven't said it yet today, so I will now: 5-1 5-1 WE BEAT THE SCUM 5-1] :-)

Out of the FA Cup

No one person is ever responsible for a loss, not in a team sport at least--especially football. However, football fans have made an art out of blaming one player for a team's poor performance. There has been much debate about Dawson's role in our 3-1 loss, at times rather fierce. Here is my take: Dawson, in my opinion, was not responsible for Tevez's goal; had there been better marking in the midfield, that is to say more pressure on the ball, things might have gone differently--poor defense from our midfield has been a constant this season. No such excuses can be made for his horrendous error which resulted in a penalty kick for Manure, and thus the lead--Christiano "Divey McDive" Ronaldo making good from the spot. Say what you will but Dawson's hand ball in the box was completely intentional and he deserved his red card. He was out of position, he over-committed to the ball and neglected the player. Rooney, who had a clear path to goal on his left, was able to take advantage and force Dawson into a desperate situation in which he made a desperate, idiotic mistake. Not only did he give Manure a pk, but he left us with ten men and the nearly impossible task of a short-handed comeback against perhaps the best side in the Premiership. Does this make Dawson responsible for the loss? Not entirely. But he didn't look good. But what did we expect without his safety net, the Cap aka Leds? The difference between the two Dawsons (w/ Leds and w/o Leds) is absolutely ridiculous. Here we have a CB that is incapable of playing a competent 90mins without the presence of another player--I ask you dear reader, does he seem like a valuable player if all sense and capability leave him when Leds leaves the pitch? Furthermore, as has been discussed earlier, Leds has a bit of an injury problem--he has been gone often over the past couple of seasons and may be again in the future. Dawson is an average defender, let's face it. If we want to be a top four side we are going to have to find someone else to start next to Leds, someone competent, cool-headed and reliable; I have been saying this for some time but yesterday's performance makes me feel the need to say it again.

Speaking of Leds, he was notably absent yesterday and I must wonder why--on the tip of every tongue but nowhere to be found. I was suprised, as was Dr. Yido--who has become my new match watching partner, both believing in each other's talismanic powers since our first match was the Match. We had both guessed that we would see the strongest possible lineup on the pitch yesterday, and while we knew Chimo was banned (and cared little) we had not expected to see Hudds and O'Hara in the defense. I should have thought that such a make-shift defensive line would have been save for later this week against Everton--a match that to my mind at least, has less implications on our quest for European football next season (see the pre-match post for my thoughts on league position vs. the Cups). But apparently Juande and Gus have not invented a machine that allows them to read my thoughts, or Dr. Yido's thoughts, which is probably a good thing anyway.

There were some good things to be taken from yesterday's match, however. We played a wonderful first half, it was as we just picked up where we left off against the Scum. The build up to Keano's goal and the finishing itself was beautiful. And even after the adversity of Dawson's red card, we never gave up. This again would appear to be the Ramos effect, no heads were hanging--we continued to attack even with ten men. I, for one, was proud of those that remained on the pitch.

Down yes, but not out! COYS!

*Here are match reports from Sky Sports, BBC Sport, and ESPNsoccernet.

*Here is Keano's goal, along something to warm you Hotspur hearts:



Berbs. Gallas. Panna. Good triumphs over Evil.

Away at Manure (FA Cup, 4th round)

Despite what you may have heard, I have it on good authority that Manchester United are a side made up of actual human beings--containing all the key ingredients: flesh bone blood and shite--and thus do not have any sort of G-d-like invincibility. So much was proved by the Spammers not all that long ago; that's right, Manure can be beat. In fact, we have beat them in the FA Cup before: Spurs 1-0 Manure, 1980. Gloddle was in goal (yes, you read that right) and Ossie scored the winner in extra time--article from the Beeb on the match. So there you have it, it is possible to beat Manure.

More than likely we will see basically the same side that dismantled the Scum earlier this week, with the exception of Chimo due to suspension. I would expect to see Jenas, who is in red-hot form, in the center-mid and perhaps Teems will get the nod again or Hudds--Steed and Lennon on the left and right. Berbs and Keano up front, with Stalts filling in at right back? I have no idea who will be in goal for us, but Cerny has done well lately although I am starting to think that it is time to give Robbo a chance to win his place back. Playing a full strength side makes sense, the Cups are really our only realistic ticket back to Europe--despite our improvements, we remain in the bottom half of the table with a lot of ground to make up. I'm not saying its impossible, but Citeh and Liverpool are tied for 6th with 40pts a piece and we are 13 off their pace--for fuck's sake, we are 7pts back from the Spammers and the symbolic security of 10th place, the bottom of the top half. So it just makes more sense to concentrate on the three Cup competitions that we are currently competing in: the Carling Cup (!), the FA Cup, and of course the UEFA Cup. Personally, a deep run in the UEFA Cup, possibly an appearance in the finals, would ease some of the disappointment of this season--but that's another post. For now, we have to concentrate on getting back to Europe and one of the ways to do that is to beat Manure and advance to the 5th rd. Simple, right? Well, possible: yes; simple: not exactly. In terms of injuries, we have no new ones to speak of: just Bale, B A-E and Big Tone. Manure should be close to full strength as well, with Anderson available after an absence said to be the result of a "domestic" situation but Scholes still out, though he is training again according to BBC Sport and there is thus a slight possibility that he will be fit.

Everyone knows that this is going to be a hard fought match, Manure have hopes of the treble and need to get past us to have a chance; we have our dreams of silverware and European football next season. However, the Ramos effect (mentioned in an earlier post) cannot be discounted. I think that we have a chance tomorrow not only because we have an excellent squad capable of some fantastic football (as amply demonstrated on Tuesday of this week) but because we (players and fans) now believe that we can win--and its all thanks to a stern Spaniard.

*Here are match previews from Sky Sports, BBC Sport and ESPNsoccernet.
I am not going to include any transfer news as all the conflicting reports and rumours would take up too much space, I'll probably do a separate transfer post when something actually happens--the juiciest rumours over the next week will certainly get mention somewhere on this blog, though.

Two more things: Watch the African Cup of Nations--you can find streams on the internet, it is some great football; Well done to Havant & Waterlooville, fantastic match lads, you should all be proud.

As always: COYS!

Taking the piss (Part 1)

This is where we take this piss out of Scummers. We earned it, we should enjoy it.
To begin this new feature, some pre and post-match messages from a certain well known Scum board:

*Pre:

“it’s an embarresingly strong squad!!- we gotta win now or else we wont have the ‘we definately only played youngsters’ excuse- the main dif will be the strength of the bench probably……..it’s ghood that we’re taking it seriously i spose”

“It is a very strong squad indeed. Flamini is also in there. I wonder if he’ll start”

“Very strong squad. I think this match means more to Wenger than we think. Apart from it being a North London Derby and the fact he doesnt want Ramos to get a pscyhological edge if Spurs win for the long run, I think he sees it as a realistic chance of us gaining silverware this season. Wenger knows he cant go this season without winning a trophy so why not get the one we have the best chance in at the moment.”

“So, looks like we’ll have no excuses if we lose tonight. We’ll just have to thrash em.”

“When we win i can’t wait to hear the Spurs fans crying and complaining that we didn’t play a youth squad. Like it makes any difference whether we play them with kids or our first team its always the same result.”

*Post: [just one, but it sums things up nicely]

No excuses here, just summing up a few things and showing that this was Spurs best chance to beat us for an awful long time.
Reasons Spurs would win:

# Best Eleven on the pitch.
# 8 years of hurt to motivate the players.
# At home with passionate support.
# Players rested specifically for this tie.
# Chance of getting to their first final in years.
# Chance of getting their first trophy in even more years.
# Chance of revenge for last seasons implosion against us in the same competition.
# Their best chance to salvage a horrific season.
# Their best chance to qualify for Europe next season.
# Paul Robinson being dropped has been like a sphincter contracting around the Spurs goal, impeding entry.

Reasons we would lose:

# Too many reserve players.
# Inexperience throughout the team.
# Awful in the first leg, should have lost then.
# Least important competition we are in.
# 8 years humiliating them will always end up biting us in the arse sooner or later.
# Away at White Hart Lane after having such a poor showing at home.
# Hoyte as CB against Berbatov and Keane.

In addition to those factor in Spurs turning out their best performance for many years and us turning in a performance on the level of Sevilla Away and you can clearly see why they won 5-1.

Spurs did pretty much everything right and far too many things went wrong for us.

Fair play to them for pulling it off, it was always going to happen one day, it's just a shame all these things came together to let them have such a big scoreline.

[emphasis mine]

5-1 5-1 WE BEAT THE SCUM 5-1!

22/1/2008 (Part 2)

A couple of days removed, the Match is starting to take on the aura of history; by next week it will certainly be wrapped in the ornamental syntax of legend...

As I was looking through my old posts, trying to decide on a direction for this blog over the next couple of months I happened to notice that my last post before my rather lengthy sabbatical was on our Premier League loss to the Scum on 22/12. It was the second NLD of the season, the first ending in utter defeat. In that post I suggested that despite the loss, something had notably changed about our side--our comportment and demeanor, and indeed the quality of our play on the pitch. To my mind, the loss was painful but at the same time encouraging. Nostrodamus I am not, but it was clear to me that we had reached a turning point though I would never have imagined that it would come to perhaps its fullest fruition with a 5-1 thrashing of the Scum in the fourth NLD this year.

Around that time I recall a post over at Beefbagel reflecting on what appeared to be the relative decline of the North London Derby. According to the Bagel, a Premiership NLD was becoming just another match against one of the so-called "Big Four." The fact that almost no Yidos expected to win, with many stating that a draw would be grand, should say something (although I hardly did a scientific survey). It just seemed that hatred wasn't as intense, or perhaps it was a quiet, smoldering hatred--fed by disappointment and expressed paradoxically in a pessimistic outlook on our side's chances. Our hatred for the Scum has turned into a self-hatred. The fact that the pre-match wind-up is all so routine doesn't help. The Scummers show their arrogance, their inborn lack of class and grace, and we curse at them or scuffle with them--and then when the (expected) result comes about, they gloat and we smolder. Its been going like this since the early 90's, before that the modern NLD pre-match rituals were still being solidified.

But this time, things were different. The COYS, FTL, GG, and SC boards were aflame with a fresh hatred, a rejuvenated desire for victory. Why? I think the answer is simple: Juande Ramos. He is our motivational speaker, headset microphone and all, who has taken us from living in our cars and eating hotdogs thawed in a petrol station washroom sink to being productive citizens with slightly dodgy but successful real-estate businesses. We have all become believers, we have seen the changes that I suggested in my post a month ago. As cliche as it sound, the winning attitude has returned to the Lane--and it is with (most of us) now more than ever. In fact, it reminds me of the heady of days of Jol era when Marteen hit his stride and we broke out of the mid-table doldrums and the Yidos were on tour in Europe once again; when we were challenging the Sky Sports anointed "Big Four." Dr. Yido pointed out in one of our many pre-match chats that the Scummer's were particularly quiet in the build up the the second leg of CC semi, whereas for the first leg they had tried their best to follow the "traditional" pre-match ritual--but even then it had seemed a bit half-hearted. Of course, 12 year olds and glory hunters tend to be half-hearted in their support, but even the hardest core seemed a bit uneasy--lacking their normal arrogance, working harder to be smug in advance. Perhaps it was the first leg draw that invigorated us and made them anxious, perhaps it was the impending sense that history was about to roll over them, perhaps it was the Ramos effect--the shear competence that the man's stern Spanish presence in the technical area seems to inspire. I would opt for the latter, it seems that Juande has not only had a huge impact on us (fans and players) but on them (fans and perhaps players) as well.

After sixty minutes on Tuesday, Dr. Yido and I changed. With the sight of the Scummers jumping ship, headed for the exits as discreetly as possible when you have just been slaughtered, Dr. Yido and I became mean spirited schoolboys--exalting in the misery of the Scum, sniggering at Wenger paedo jokes, laughing at Bendnter getting pushed around by his own teammates and hoping for Fibreglass to pick up a serious knock. We had regressed--on over thirty, one fast approaching thirty, five higher education degrees between us and we were acting like two gits taking the mickey bliss out of our schoolyard rivals. Oh dear, oh dear. Honestly, though, I think that our regression was a positive sign: for Spurs fans, at least, the NLD is far from in decline. If anything, it is the Scummers who have grown complacent.

We all have no choice but to believe again.

5-1 5-1 WE BEAT THE SCUM 5-1!

OH WHEN THE SPURS GO MARCHING IN
(BRICKLAYERS, 22/1/2008, SPURS 5-1 SCUM)