UEFA President Michel Platini has announced that each club in the four biggest leagues in Europe with the least amount of debt would be granted a place in the Champions League this summer. The contenders for the spot for England are our very own Lillywhites, Bolton, Manchester City and Wigan.
The team that shows the least amount of debt will be granted a place in the qualifying stages of the Champions League, which is all one can hope for, if you can't advance at that stage, you shouldn't be playing European football. Apparently, we are still in the running for this spot, even with the vast resources of City.
I hope we would qualify, but my question lies somewhere else. If a club like City were to secure this Champions League spot, and they were already slotted to play in the Europa League, would they be replaced by the next team in the table. In other words, if City were to finish 7th, and Spurs 8th, would we slot into the Europa League if City were to go to the Champions League?
I wouldn't have thought that European football would have been an option for us even a month ago, but now it's close and I can almost taste it. Staying in Europe would help us keep our big stars, i.e. Modric and Lennon, and would provide us another stream of revenue, which is important if the rumors about Mansion ending their sponsorship deal are to be believed.
I hope we get the Champions League spot we were denied by bad lasagna three years ago, but I would take the Europa League, what do you think?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Pavlyuchenko to Play a Role?
With news coming out of the England camp that Darren Bent has withdrawn from the squad with an injury, the nightmare of the club vs. country debate comes to a head for the club once again. Granted, Bent has been one of my whipping boys this season, but he had just started to look like a real footballer again, and while I don't know the extent of his injury, it certainly jeopardizes his chances to be in the lineup versus Blackburn on the weekend.
Getting injured on the training ground for your club is one thing, but it hurts so much more when it happens when your players are on international duty. There is no greater pride than your country winning a World Cup, but for me, I'm going to have to settle for Spurs accomplishing something since the US have little to no chance of winning the World Cup in my lifetime, so I'll still be upset when one of our boys gets hurt on international duty.
Will this injury to Bent give Roman Pavlyuchenko the chance he's been waiting on since the Boro game at the beginning of March? Much has been made about his appearance with the reserves and his lack of playing time this month, with Russia and Chelsea boss Gus Hiddink ready to make an offer for him, if you believe the papers. Roman has had to make several statements that he believes his future lies here at the Lane and he wants to fight for his place. I have been one to voice my support for Roman, but it seems my voice and others like me keep getting shouted down, and Harry has not exactly instilled confidence in the Russian.
If Roman is going to settle at the club, he needs to seize this opportunity this weekend. A mediocre performance will only make the doubters of his ability howl even more, and give Harry more and more reason to believe he needs more striker cover in the summer. A strong performance might not hold off Bent or Jermain Defoe in the run-in to the season, but it could give him a huge boost of confidence, and convince Harry he's worth keeping around.
So Roman, you've been granted your wish, your fate is in your own hands. Go out and show us what you've got son, or else don't be surprised if Harry looks elsewhere.
Getting injured on the training ground for your club is one thing, but it hurts so much more when it happens when your players are on international duty. There is no greater pride than your country winning a World Cup, but for me, I'm going to have to settle for Spurs accomplishing something since the US have little to no chance of winning the World Cup in my lifetime, so I'll still be upset when one of our boys gets hurt on international duty.
Will this injury to Bent give Roman Pavlyuchenko the chance he's been waiting on since the Boro game at the beginning of March? Much has been made about his appearance with the reserves and his lack of playing time this month, with Russia and Chelsea boss Gus Hiddink ready to make an offer for him, if you believe the papers. Roman has had to make several statements that he believes his future lies here at the Lane and he wants to fight for his place. I have been one to voice my support for Roman, but it seems my voice and others like me keep getting shouted down, and Harry has not exactly instilled confidence in the Russian.
If Roman is going to settle at the club, he needs to seize this opportunity this weekend. A mediocre performance will only make the doubters of his ability howl even more, and give Harry more and more reason to believe he needs more striker cover in the summer. A strong performance might not hold off Bent or Jermain Defoe in the run-in to the season, but it could give him a huge boost of confidence, and convince Harry he's worth keeping around.
So Roman, you've been granted your wish, your fate is in your own hands. Go out and show us what you've got son, or else don't be surprised if Harry looks elsewhere.
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Big Move for Spurs?
World Cup winning defender Fabio Cannavaro could be moving to Spurs in the summer. His contract runs out at Real Madrid in June and it is more than likely than Real will not try to retain his services. He's long been linked with a move to Naples to finish his career, but if Spurs were to offer a big payday and first-team football at a high level, it would be hard to turn down.
Harry is clearly looking for cover in the center of defense in the summer, with Ledley King needing a good bit of rest throughout the season. At 35 years of age, Cannavaro is no spring chicken, but has least one season of football left in him. Could he have two seasons left in him? Only his physio and his legs know the answer to that question.
My other question would be if Cannavaro would be happy at Spurs, especially if when fit, King and Jonathan Woodgate would be the first choice center back pairing? Cannavaro has looked a step slow this season at Madrid, and while his quality is unquestionable, I have the same feelings about him as I did about our rumored move for Marco Materazzi in January, thanks but not thanks.
I know this is not the popular opinion, but I think the best course for Spurs is to find good players, who are not seeing the twilight of their careers. One player her and there wouldn't be bad, lending maturity to the squad, but Harry shouldn't make a habit of buying older players, and I still don't think Cannavaro would be the right fit at the Lane, though it would be pretty cool to have a World Cup winner at the club.
Harry is clearly looking for cover in the center of defense in the summer, with Ledley King needing a good bit of rest throughout the season. At 35 years of age, Cannavaro is no spring chicken, but has least one season of football left in him. Could he have two seasons left in him? Only his physio and his legs know the answer to that question.
My other question would be if Cannavaro would be happy at Spurs, especially if when fit, King and Jonathan Woodgate would be the first choice center back pairing? Cannavaro has looked a step slow this season at Madrid, and while his quality is unquestionable, I have the same feelings about him as I did about our rumored move for Marco Materazzi in January, thanks but not thanks.
I know this is not the popular opinion, but I think the best course for Spurs is to find good players, who are not seeing the twilight of their careers. One player her and there wouldn't be bad, lending maturity to the squad, but Harry shouldn't make a habit of buying older players, and I still don't think Cannavaro would be the right fit at the Lane, though it would be pretty cool to have a World Cup winner at the club.
Juve In for Bale?
Juventus have now been linked with a possible move for left-back Gareth Bale in the summer. They are apparently interested in having him compete for the left-back slot in Turin, which makes me wonder, what are we missing here?
Bale came in with such high hopes and now he's been in the reserves for the last month, but Juve, Man United and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the defender.
Will Juve come in for Bale in the summer? It's all speculation at the moment, but if Bale does move on, to a bigger club no less, what will Spurs fans not see that the other clubs are seeing?
Bale came in with such high hopes and now he's been in the reserves for the last month, but Juve, Man United and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the defender.
Will Juve come in for Bale in the summer? It's all speculation at the moment, but if Bale does move on, to a bigger club no less, what will Spurs fans not see that the other clubs are seeing?
The Curious Case of Darren Bent
Love him or loathe him, Darren Bent has been involved in a lot of the Spurs talk this year. Mostly it's been about his poor form, moving on because Harry doesn't rate him, not getting on with Jermain Defoe, but he got the England call-up didn't he?
Does that say more about Bent coming back into form, or the lack of striker options for Capello at the moment?
I think we had all figured that Bent was moving on in the summer, and I still think that it's going to happen. But Harry might be under more pressure to keep him at the club now that he's getting another call-up to the England squad. He's played decently as of late with Robbie Keane and I don't see Harry changing things up at the weekend. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right?
But why should we keep Bent around? He seems to sulk whenever he's on the bench, and while I want our players to want to play every week, the sulking only seems to hurt his play when he does make it on the pitch.
When he does start it seems to take him awhile to get into the game, if he does at all. He's making a little bit of a connection with Keane now, but it's nowhere near instinctive, and for someone who cost us so much money, he does little to justify it.
That is Bent's biggest problem at the club I believe, his price tag. If he would have moved here for around 8 million pounds, maybe even 10 million, it would be a different story with the fans and him. But since he cost more than any other striker on our books at the moment, you expect him to, you know, score regularly. But as the miss at Portsmouth attests, Bent has not been prolific in front of goal for us.
Until this year I gave Bent the benefit of the doubt, because he never got a regular run in the side, with Keane, Defoe and Berbatov in front of him. I thought, "He's a lad who needs to be playing regularly before he can get in a groove." But after giving him the beginning of the season, and watching him fumble his chances throughout the year, I still think he should be moving on.
It would be better for everyone if he did, giving Bent a fresh start would allow him to get the weight off his back about the price tag, and for the club we could look for someone who is comfortable coming off of the bench and creating that spark in the 70th minute when we need it.
I'm happy Bent got the call to the England squad, though I don't expect to see him play on Wed. night. I'll be pulling for him when he suits up for the club through the rest of the year, but I think his future lies away from the Lane.
Does that say more about Bent coming back into form, or the lack of striker options for Capello at the moment?
I think we had all figured that Bent was moving on in the summer, and I still think that it's going to happen. But Harry might be under more pressure to keep him at the club now that he's getting another call-up to the England squad. He's played decently as of late with Robbie Keane and I don't see Harry changing things up at the weekend. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right?
But why should we keep Bent around? He seems to sulk whenever he's on the bench, and while I want our players to want to play every week, the sulking only seems to hurt his play when he does make it on the pitch.
When he does start it seems to take him awhile to get into the game, if he does at all. He's making a little bit of a connection with Keane now, but it's nowhere near instinctive, and for someone who cost us so much money, he does little to justify it.
That is Bent's biggest problem at the club I believe, his price tag. If he would have moved here for around 8 million pounds, maybe even 10 million, it would be a different story with the fans and him. But since he cost more than any other striker on our books at the moment, you expect him to, you know, score regularly. But as the miss at Portsmouth attests, Bent has not been prolific in front of goal for us.
Until this year I gave Bent the benefit of the doubt, because he never got a regular run in the side, with Keane, Defoe and Berbatov in front of him. I thought, "He's a lad who needs to be playing regularly before he can get in a groove." But after giving him the beginning of the season, and watching him fumble his chances throughout the year, I still think he should be moving on.
It would be better for everyone if he did, giving Bent a fresh start would allow him to get the weight off his back about the price tag, and for the club we could look for someone who is comfortable coming off of the bench and creating that spark in the 70th minute when we need it.
I'm happy Bent got the call to the England squad, though I don't expect to see him play on Wed. night. I'll be pulling for him when he suits up for the club through the rest of the year, but I think his future lies away from the Lane.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Spurs' Left-Wing Dilemma
How long have Spurs had problems down the left-side of midfield, and for that matter at left-back as well? It seems that we've been linked with more left-wingers than I care to count, but none have made their way to the Lane. At the moment we have Luka Modric on the flank, and he drifts further infield as the game progresses, with BAE acting as the de facto winger for the team.
It seems to be working well, I'm not going to complain about the results over the last month or so. It seems like the team is starting to find it's shape, and firing on all cylinders at the moment. I'm reminded of the saying that my mother and countless others have used over time, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
But I am going to go against my mother's advice and look at our options for the left-side in the future. No matter how well the team if playing at the moment, I have a feeling that Harry will want to tinker with things over the summer, and the left-side seems to be the position he is intent on "fixing."
Many have suggested that we have several left-wing options already at the club and there is no need to spend big money on a winger. We do have several options, but I'm not sure that Harry agrees with us, so I'll look at what is already at the club, and some of the players we've been linked with.
Luka Modric: Our current winger, he has been one of the best players for the club this season, and was masterful against Chelsea. He is not a true winger of course, he drifts infield during the game and allows BAE to provide the width at times. But I have been impressed with his effort down the left-side and he does help keep the width himself at times. Honestly this is not a bad solution to our left-wing problem, we're winning and that's all that matters, but I think Luka would do even better things for the club in a central position, but can he handle the physicality of the center of the field?
Gareth Bale: Let's face facts, Harry clearly doesn't rate the youngster as a left-back, his defending is too poor at the moment. The strongest part of his game is his play upfield, and I have mentioned before that he could an option down the left-side. Each time Bale has played as a winger he has looked uncomfortable however, he just hasn't had enough experience to feel comfortable there. Maybe some time in the reserves at this position could help us see if he could make it, but unfortunately I think Harry will be selling young Gareth on in the summer.
Jamie O'Hara: Pluck is a good way to describe Jamie in one word. He's not the flashiest player on the pitch, but he'll give you everything he has. Lacks the pace to be an out and out winger, but so does Luka and he's doing well at it. Jamie is young, left-footed and has the desire to do well wherever he is out on the pitch. I think Harry sees his future more in the middle however, or as a utility-type backup for the club.
Danny Rose: The anointed one. He's been tearing it up in the youth sides as well as the reserves, and has recently gone out on loan to Watford to get some match experience. Those who watch the club closely think he's going to be a real player. He might have a chance at making an impact next year, he will be 19 in the summer and I think will train with the first-team in the preseason, unless Harry brings someone in.
Stuart Downing: If I had a nickel for each time we've been linked with the Boro player. With Boro looking more and more like they are going down, there will be a fire sale at the Riverside, and Downing would probably be the first to go. I have stated before he's not worth 15 million pounds, I don't think he's worth 10 million to be honest. But it seems that it is a requirement to be manager at Tottenham, you must be infatuated with Downing. If we buy anyone in the summer, look for it to be him, though I will reiterate that I think Adam Johnson would be the better Boro winger to buy.
Stephen Hunt: The rumors were hot and heavy in January that he was coming to either us or Aston Villa, and he's still at Reading. I have to wonder about him, he does seem to do well, but in the year that Reading played well in the Premier League, it was Bobby Convey who was first choice, but his injuries allowed Hunt to force his way in the side. As an American fan as well, I can say that Convey is only okay, and if Hunt wants to succeed in the Premier League, he would need to do more than compete with Convey for first choice. Few rumors about him as of late, it seems the bloom is off the rose.
Aidan McGeady: The Celtic winger is being linked with all sorts of clubs, us among them. If you've watched the YouTube highlights, he has the flash, but does he have the substance to be a first-choice winger in the Premier League. I also wonder about his temperament, he's had bust-ups with players and management at Celtic. I would take a pass.
We'll see what happens, there are no shortage of options for Harry, but for now I'm happy with what we've got.
It seems to be working well, I'm not going to complain about the results over the last month or so. It seems like the team is starting to find it's shape, and firing on all cylinders at the moment. I'm reminded of the saying that my mother and countless others have used over time, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
But I am going to go against my mother's advice and look at our options for the left-side in the future. No matter how well the team if playing at the moment, I have a feeling that Harry will want to tinker with things over the summer, and the left-side seems to be the position he is intent on "fixing."
Many have suggested that we have several left-wing options already at the club and there is no need to spend big money on a winger. We do have several options, but I'm not sure that Harry agrees with us, so I'll look at what is already at the club, and some of the players we've been linked with.
Luka Modric: Our current winger, he has been one of the best players for the club this season, and was masterful against Chelsea. He is not a true winger of course, he drifts infield during the game and allows BAE to provide the width at times. But I have been impressed with his effort down the left-side and he does help keep the width himself at times. Honestly this is not a bad solution to our left-wing problem, we're winning and that's all that matters, but I think Luka would do even better things for the club in a central position, but can he handle the physicality of the center of the field?
Gareth Bale: Let's face facts, Harry clearly doesn't rate the youngster as a left-back, his defending is too poor at the moment. The strongest part of his game is his play upfield, and I have mentioned before that he could an option down the left-side. Each time Bale has played as a winger he has looked uncomfortable however, he just hasn't had enough experience to feel comfortable there. Maybe some time in the reserves at this position could help us see if he could make it, but unfortunately I think Harry will be selling young Gareth on in the summer.
Jamie O'Hara: Pluck is a good way to describe Jamie in one word. He's not the flashiest player on the pitch, but he'll give you everything he has. Lacks the pace to be an out and out winger, but so does Luka and he's doing well at it. Jamie is young, left-footed and has the desire to do well wherever he is out on the pitch. I think Harry sees his future more in the middle however, or as a utility-type backup for the club.
Danny Rose: The anointed one. He's been tearing it up in the youth sides as well as the reserves, and has recently gone out on loan to Watford to get some match experience. Those who watch the club closely think he's going to be a real player. He might have a chance at making an impact next year, he will be 19 in the summer and I think will train with the first-team in the preseason, unless Harry brings someone in.
Stuart Downing: If I had a nickel for each time we've been linked with the Boro player. With Boro looking more and more like they are going down, there will be a fire sale at the Riverside, and Downing would probably be the first to go. I have stated before he's not worth 15 million pounds, I don't think he's worth 10 million to be honest. But it seems that it is a requirement to be manager at Tottenham, you must be infatuated with Downing. If we buy anyone in the summer, look for it to be him, though I will reiterate that I think Adam Johnson would be the better Boro winger to buy.
Stephen Hunt: The rumors were hot and heavy in January that he was coming to either us or Aston Villa, and he's still at Reading. I have to wonder about him, he does seem to do well, but in the year that Reading played well in the Premier League, it was Bobby Convey who was first choice, but his injuries allowed Hunt to force his way in the side. As an American fan as well, I can say that Convey is only okay, and if Hunt wants to succeed in the Premier League, he would need to do more than compete with Convey for first choice. Few rumors about him as of late, it seems the bloom is off the rose.
Aidan McGeady: The Celtic winger is being linked with all sorts of clubs, us among them. If you've watched the YouTube highlights, he has the flash, but does he have the substance to be a first-choice winger in the Premier League. I also wonder about his temperament, he's had bust-ups with players and management at Celtic. I would take a pass.
We'll see what happens, there are no shortage of options for Harry, but for now I'm happy with what we've got.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Another Attacking Midfielder? & Pavy Wants to Fight
Spurs are being linked with out of favor Real Madrid player Rafael Van Der Vaart, the 26-year old who only moved to Real this year. It is pretty well known that he and Robben don't get on, and he has thus far failed to make an impression since his big money move.
I have a question about this possible move, why in the world do we need him? We already have a glut of players who can be an attacking force in the center of midfield. Luka Modric and Van Der Vaart are similar, and I'll take Luka any day of the week.
I think this is more of the papers needing to churn some copy before the qualifiers this weekend. Even if Van Der Vaart and Robben don't get on, I don't believe Madrid will give up on a big money buy after only a few months. And also, I think his attitude is not exactly what we need at Spurs.
It always seems like we're buying what we don't need, a right-sided midfielder last summer, and neglecting the positions that need help, such as left-wing. I'd rather have us linked with every left-sided player on the planet, at least then we know that we're trying to balance the side.
The papers today are also quoting Roman Pavlyuchenko as saying that he wants to stay and fight for his place at Tottenham, which is exactly what he needs to say. The fact that he wants to battle for a place and prove his worth to the club should prove something to Harry, unlike Tom Huddlestone who seems to be ready to talk about how frustrating it is not playing. Roman is saying that but is also talking about wanting to earn a spot on the field and prove his worth.
I have a question about this possible move, why in the world do we need him? We already have a glut of players who can be an attacking force in the center of midfield. Luka Modric and Van Der Vaart are similar, and I'll take Luka any day of the week.
I think this is more of the papers needing to churn some copy before the qualifiers this weekend. Even if Van Der Vaart and Robben don't get on, I don't believe Madrid will give up on a big money buy after only a few months. And also, I think his attitude is not exactly what we need at Spurs.
It always seems like we're buying what we don't need, a right-sided midfielder last summer, and neglecting the positions that need help, such as left-wing. I'd rather have us linked with every left-sided player on the planet, at least then we know that we're trying to balance the side.
The papers today are also quoting Roman Pavlyuchenko as saying that he wants to stay and fight for his place at Tottenham, which is exactly what he needs to say. The fact that he wants to battle for a place and prove his worth to the club should prove something to Harry, unlike Tom Huddlestone who seems to be ready to talk about how frustrating it is not playing. Roman is saying that but is also talking about wanting to earn a spot on the field and prove his worth.
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