What had started out as quite a promising campaign has definitely turned into a topsy turvy year for Tottenham Hotspur, and this week has been no different as we backed up a poor performance against Arsenal in the North London Derby defeat with a quite incredible performance that saw Dinamo Zagreb fight back from a two goal deficit to unceremoniously dump us out of this season’s Europa League competition.
Opinions amongst Spurs fans have always been torn when it comes to manager Jose Mourinho and this last week has done nothing to temper those thoughts, and it probably feels even more frustrating as ahead of Arsenal it looked like we were again playing ourselves into some good, attacking form and leaving the more defensive and pragmatic approach behind us.
We will be missing Erik Lamela after his sending off, and Son Heung-Min continues to be out. In other potentially good news, there’s mixed talk about Jack Grealish returning so he might miss out for them, but in any event, we know we have the firepower to take all three points, it just again comes down to how we play and, well, how we play.
The question that no one can bet on ahead of a match this season.
Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t go on living!
Geof,
When did any conversation stay on the same topic that it started with? We sit down, order a round of pints, start chatting and change topics every few minutes. Every time a new mate joins the conversation, the topic changes.
Back when Gareth was at Spurs before he went to Madrid I wrote that he would never be a hero there. He’d make gobs of money and win some cups and the like, but he’d never be a hero. I wrote that if he stayed at N17 and led us to a title, he’d be remembered and loved here forever.
Well he left, he made gobs of money, won four titles (was it four?), a few cups of various kinds, is now is loved no where. Not in N17, certainly not in Madrid. He’s not loved and that’s would we knew would happen.
I hope you’re right about OUR Harry. I’d love to love him forever–if he stays. We know that he will gain a love like no other if he stays. But, take the money and run and that’s what you get–the money, and as the 4 told us a few decade ago, money can’t buy you love. Can’t buy you love love, can’t buy you love. Money can’t buy you love.
Stay, Harry. You might make a bit less, but you’ll make enough never to want for much of anything. And you’ll have something that money can’t buy you. Can’t buy you love, love. Can’t buy you love.
Thanks for the remnder, Geof.
If you accidentally (how else would you do it) opened the biggest room in Harry’s home, you would probably be crushed to death by an avalanche of one hundred pound notes. An interesting, but untimely, way to go. Harry doesn’t need the money! You can buy trophies but, as TK points out, you can’t buy love, respect, and immortality.
What would you do, lads?
I think that not exactly the question Geoff.
As I feel a professional footballers mindset is different to ours, they also have advisers behind them discussing not just what is best for them (the footballer) but what is best for “the product” that is the footballer and just how much the agent etc can make from all of this.
I think if it were jusk HK himself and his family, I think there would be a good to decent chance he’d stay. But Harry Kane the footballer who knows..
ND … I know what you mean but I think you should give more credit to strong-minded players. Kane does not need to listen to anyone. He’s not young and gullible. I expect he will do what he wants to do.
Geof, never a truer word there. cOYS
If Harry leaves (and I think he will within the next year or so), who’s to say that it will be all about the money?
It’s his choice. I wouldn’t care one bit. Just as I could accept Bale and Modric going. And many others that moved on before them.
Right now, if I were in Harry’s boots, I’d be thinking., “Jose and Spurs, or maybe Pep and City”? I’d chose the latter, no matter the money. In fact, I’d happily take a pay cut! ………………..
Just because players can and do earn vast amounts of money, it doesn’t follow that they are all, all about the money. And just because one is rich and maybe even getting richer, it doesn’t make one greedy.
A sportsman or sportswoman that reaches the top of their game, would have worked hard at being the best they can at their chosen sport, to get there. And of course have the talent to do so. And being at the top means medals and trophies etc. Which also just happens to mean more money.
Some kids will dream of a cup final. Others will dream of cash. Some will hunger for both cash and medals and… of course, love. That’s their choice, their desire. And whatever their motivation might be, it’s their business and not mine. ……………
The Beatles also sang an old Motown song called “Money, That’s What I Want”. And then they made their millions. And they also made love too. Whilst being adored and loved by millions….
HT, to be honest when has a top footballer ever left for less money, he hasn’t, fair enough, you might, I might but we come from different worlds, anyhow I have said prior that I do not believe Our Arry will leave, but if he does decide to leave, it will be abroad, and not to another Prem Club because I also believe he will think that is being traitorous to the fans who have always loved him.
Serge Aurier turned down a new and improved contract at PSG and took a pay-cut when he joined Spurs. He wanted the challenge of playing at a new club and to play in the PL. And, he was no longer happy at PSG for his own personal reasons.
But, it stands to reason that if a player leaves Spurs for a much wealthier and more successful team, that they will earn more money. And Harry could have done this easily 2 or 3 years ago, I’m sure. My point was that if he leaves Spurs it will be because he wants to enjoy his football elsewhere and achieve the ‘trophy’ success that being at THFC has not given him.
When a player leaves Spurs for another PL club it is not being a traitor. No player should ever be made to feel this way. It’s their freedom of choice to do what they wish for their own sweet satisfaction and enjoyment of the game. And even for the lure of better money too. Why not?
My joke about taking a pay-cut was a slur about playing for Jose. I wouldn’t want to play for him. I would prefer to play elsewhere, if I had the choice. Even as a die-hard Spurs supporter.
When Poch was fired I was devastated. Whether it was the right decision or not it was still a massive blow to our club. I had to leave really early the following morning for my weekly trip to London so when I went to bed I had only heard whispers that Spurs were interested in Jose – whispers that I dismissed. The following morning, I switched the radio whilst driving to London and there were still the rumours about Jose. At 6.30AM that morning the announcement came through that Jose had been appointed. My heart sank, I knew then it would be a disaster. Within 5 minutes, my brother called me (also a season ticket holder) and he shared my thoughts.
Jose was once a fantastic manager, organising his teams superbly and creating a winning at all costs mentality. He was I believe hired to get us into the Champions League, Levy was worried about not having Champions League football in the new stadium.
What I have seen in Jose’s reign is negative cowardly football, he is more concerned about what the opposition may do to us rather than planning what we can do to the opposition. We have some wonderful players at Spurs (admitedly we also have some players that need to be moved on) yet Jose behaves as though we are fighting relegation and plays not to lose rather than to win. We are better than that. He is always the first to praise his tactics when things go well but blame the players when they don’t.
When we play, I see no structure to our play – they look as they do no work at all on the training ground on the attacking. I constantly hear him screaming – press, press, press but pressing is something that needs to be worked on and needs to be done as a team. This is clearly not the case with Spurs.
Jose was famed at being able to organise a defence -he a clearly failed there too. We was famed at developing a winning mentality – he has failed there to.
We are so much worse off under Jose, we are going no where with him. He is an outdated manager who still thinks he is special. I want him out ASAP.
Sorry for the ramble and poorly written article, I am sure there is loads I have missed I’m still recovering from my COVID jab. In summary, Jose out now. COYS
Donny, your poorly written ramble is bloody clear enough for me mate, no apologies needed there, you seem to be recovering from the Jab ok to me, and I am in the same frame of mind as you, though at the beginning I did say give him a chance, the eating of my own words is awful, lol! but correct.
MOANINASAROUS OUT.
Morning guys or evening in Geof’s case!
Niall, you are right about agents having influence over their clients decisions, and in many respects this can be driven by their own greed rather than the clients wishes, but at the end of the day the players themselves (if they have any self respect and don’t share the same greed) have the last say on the matter.
If HK10 wants to spend his entire career at Spurs he will, it would be nice to think he could follow in the footsteps of Bill Nicholson and go on to be a successful manager at our club following his playing career. This might mean him learning the trade elsewhere in the same fashion as Gerrard, who is destined to return to his boyhood club one day, unless of course he fears ruining the adoration the fans have for him by failing there as a manager as Lampard has to some degree.
That all made perfect sense to me DH… Needless to say, I agree. And, you pretty much described my exact thoughts and reaction to Jose’s hiring, as well…
What I know is that my Chelsea supporting family members and friends were happy with Jose bringing the success that he did after so many barren years.
But that has nothing to do with THFC and what we are seeing and feeling right now…
A couple of articles caught my eye in the back pages today.
The first was speculating that UEFA are thinking of scrapping FFP rules in order to ‘give clubs more control over their finances’. There are likely to be some bulging back pockets among their hierachy if this is the case.
The second was a call by Marco van Basten to scrap the offside laws, this made me think, why were they introduced in the first place, can anyone explain?
TQ …. I put up an article a couple of years ago suggesting the offside rule be discarded. It’s up to the clubs to work out how to manage their formation. It could raise the excitement level of the game. And it would give the game more playing time.
TQ2S, yes I heard that, scrap the FFP, brilliant idea by some no brain numpty, everything won by one or two clubs, mind thats happening now lol! but the Rich clubs get richer/bigger, the smaller clubs get smaller and more go into liquidation, though thinking about it it could just be the start of some sort of World/Euro Super League.
Regards the “offside” rule I might be wrong here, but I think it was introduced to stop the “Goal Hanging” scenario.
Totally agree Doncaster. My heart sank when we appointed Mourinho after the exciting football under Poch. Proven right. My heart is still sunk after the disastrous football in the past 12 months. I now sit watching Spurs bored and dismayed at the defensive tactics and top players being bullied and flattened. We have moments of temporary joy provided by Kane and Son and some entertaining play from N’Dombele. What would we do without those three. I blame Levy for his panic acquisition of Mourinho. He can only rectify things by sacking the dinosaur now. Has he got the balls to do it and swallow his pride? The international break is the optimum time for action.
In respect of our current leader, I have always thought that Mourinho’s reputation and success is founded on the quality of players he has either inherited or has been provided with rather than his ability as a coach/man manager. His fans usually point to his success at Porto to defend him in this respect but if you look at the history of the game it always throws up the occasional surprise, some examples include Sunderland and Southampton winning the FA cup and Leicester winning the PL, all as underdogs.
My own view of him sees a man who has in the main been provided with top class players who he has bullied into winning trophies and titles but were only prepared to accept this treatment for a couple of seasons at best before revolting against his methods.
I guess you would call it short term gain for long term pain!
TQ2S, love it, but do not forget Pompey winning the FA Cup lol! which by the way loads of em regret because it almost bankrupted the club, saved by the fans in the end. COYS
two quick comments,
First, the offside rule was created so that teams didn’t simply park an attacker in front of the opposition goal all the time. It was expected to increase the flow of the ball over simply constant long passes over the defending team. this is the same reason that ice hockey plays with an offside rule of a different kind. I’ve often thought that the kind of offside rule that’s used in ice hockey might improve football. A line on the pitch that defines the attacking zone, and offside if a player enters that zone prior to the puck (the ball, for us).
second, I was able to see the entire Bale interview where he spoke of his plan to return to Spain next year and that he was in London to get ready to play for Wales. I heard nothing exculpatory. He came to London to get in form for Wales, more or less. Now he plans to go back to Madrid. I’ll be happy to let him leave. My only hope is that we don’t see any more matches like the derby where he lollygagged about and showed scant interest in the match. That was shameful.
Anyway, football could have a different kind of offsides rule than what we have now. No entry for a player across the “blue line” until the ball has entered or Is)he is carrying to ball across. Theres some grist for future thread–should football imitate ice hockey in terms of the offsides rule? Where’s that old VS particpant from Ontario who was passionate for the Colorado Rockies NHL team that used to play in Quebec City before moving to Colorado?
Too much “franchises” in North American sports moving from one city to another. Kind of like the South London team from Woolwich moving to North London, the Quebec hockey team up and left for another country. What was that fellows name who used to come on the old VS and argue with me about ice hockey. lol.
TK…..I think you are referring to Peter as the VS poster in Canada, that wasn’t his full profile name but I can’t remember the rest. He was a great contributor to the site and very knowledgeable on up and coming talent around the world. I remember seeing quite a few players make it to the top of the game after being tipped by by him as unkown youngsters. Like many he left when the site was tainted by a number of confrontational posters, I’m sure he probably still reads the threads and did make a fleeting appearance a while back so, if you’re reading this, do come back Peter.
Its was “peterballb” from Mississauga.
I want a future in which OUR HK10 stays at Spurs forever, ultimately replacing DL as the general manager with new Spurs ownership that really is based on the good of THFC. Yes, I know. That’s why I’m called the total knobhead. Dreams are for those with the vision to dream. Anyone can see in front of their nose.
TK, I think thats one of your more sensible posts lol! COYS
Allow me to propose a change to the offside rule in football as follows: A player is offside if and only if (s)he is entirely past the last defender. In other word, just like a ball is a goal only when the whole ball is past the goal line, a player would be offside only when the whole body is past the the last defender. As it is, a player with one beard hair past the defender is offside, although I haven’t seen quite that scenario yet in women’s football.
Agreed TK, I think that’s similar to the “clear day light” idea something like this has been proposed by Wenger. It’s where you can see clear space between defender and player none of this, toe offside rubbish. Hopefully something sensible will be suggested. Imagine that footballing bodies doing something sensible.
Clear daylight for offside excellent, hair n toes have been mentioned, arms the same, but surely you cannot score with your arm, though you can with your hair n toe. COYS
I’m not sure ‘goal hangers’ would be allowed by managers in the modern game anyway, forwards are expected to defend when not in possession which implies they will have to track back to their own half.
I quite like that idea of having something similar to ice hockey TK but that’s probably too radical thinking as far as FIFA and UEFA are concerned, I think the ‘clear daylight’ option is more likely.
Just watched the England U21’s lose 1-0 to the Swiss team, it’s a pretty poor effort when you look at the array of young talent in the squad, there was a distinct lack of nous to open up a packed defence, similar to what we have witnessed with Spurs over recent times.
peterballb from Mississauga, yes. Just south of Toronto. Stopped at the shopping mall there once 30 years or more ago when I was driving from NYC to Toronto. lol. small world.
the other old VSer from old I was wondering about recently was AlexSpur, in brazil. I think he even visited London some years ago to take in a match at WHL. Disappeared. A whole lot of people disappeared. the old format used to get 1000 comments after some matches. It’s never been the same since the format switched.
I’ve got some old friends in Toronto who would want to kill someone from Mississauga who supports the Colorado hockey team.