What £86m could be spent on.

A couple of dodgy reprints from previous articles, a lack of official word and a few nutters on Twitter have ensured that we're slowly being brainwashed to the fact that Bale won't be in a Spurs shirt come September. It's propaganda I tell ya. It's times like this when I imagine simpler times. Imagine a transfer window without the net. An ITK would spot something on Ceefax who'd then tell their neighbour, who'd tell a friend, who'd tell his cousin and so on. By the time the rumour reached Europe we'd find ourselves mid-way through the season and gleefully singing 'mind the gap'.

But still, should Levy smell an £86m cheque and give in to his basic instincts - here's what he could do with it:

• Give Baldini a bonus for the great work he's done this window.
• Enjoy flights to Spain on BA instead of EasyJet (this including return journeys as well)
• Increase the wages of Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Jake Livermore to warn away potential suitors interested in their signature.
• Subsidise the bottles of Carlsberg in White Hart Lane to allow a drop in price from £3.30 to £3.20.
• Bring back David Pleat as club ambassador.
• Pay off Uefa to let us into the Champions League
• Save the Antwerp Arms
• Pay PSV to take Gomes back to Holland
• Give Ledley King a new set of knees
• Re-open Rudolph's but only allow those with a fake ID to enter.
• Invest in our own scouts so we no longer have to use Liverpool's. 
• Start his own Spurs based paper company
• Fill the Emirates with thousands of blow up sex dolls for every seat they fail to sell
• Smother ITK's in their sleep
• Ban anyone from the internet that has "Full time yummy mummy xx" on their Facebook profile as their full time job.
• Give Abramovich a Moonpig thank you card for AVB - No Tesco shit.
• Allocate more stewards at WHL to ensure everyone is seated for 90 minutes during games.
• Give Chick King the money to expand 
• Buy back Gareth Bale 

On a serious note, I struggle to see Bale leaving this summer both practically and emotionally. I wouldn't have a breakdown if he would, I'd just feel we'd have contradicted ourselves massively if he does. If Madrid come in with offers over £100m then it's hard to see a bid being rejected. Although, with the publicity surrounding the prospective move, I think Levy will reject any first offer that comes our way to make a point. There's also the fact that brand Bale is worth a lot more than we probably anticipate - apparently Barca have already made back the transfer fee they spent on Neymar in shirt sales worldwide, the player has yet to have a training session with the squad.

Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here

Prepared.

The season abruptly ended just under two weeks ago. An anticlimax that I was fully anticipating. Yet, to this day, I don't find myself replaying the 'what if' and 'if only' games. The Fulham home game isn't as imprinted into the deepest of thoughts as I'd have initially expected it to be after Berbatov found his way past Lloris.

Instead, I find myself reminiscing about the games in which we stole victory, escaping back to White Hart Lane singing AVBs name into the bellowing winter air. Every supporter has their own idealist view of where they want Spurs to be. I find many can be lead down a dangerous path dictated by the press, building up hope, then expectation, to only then fall back on their face with disappointment.

I do sympathise, but always think that we must always reflect on the goals we set ourself in the summer and anything more should be treated like a bonus. Everything needs perspective. I'm on record saying I expected a fight for fourth but to see us finish 5th or 6th this year. We always hope for fourth but only the brave go as far as to expect it.

I undertook my first three European away games this season and honestly felt it fulfilled everything I want when I support Spurs. Relatively cheap trips with a fantastic crowd and everyone in great spirits. Would I get this with the Champions League? Probably. But it's have cost a hell of a lot more.

I've come to the realisation that the CL is of course great for the progression of the club. It would've been a fantastic reward for the work AVB has done this year. Although, selfishly, I put my experiences as a supporter probably on par if not a above this. If I'm to find any consolation to our failure to qualify for the CL it is those arguably cheaper trips to the Europa League and a more realistic chance of winning the competition.

If the games about glory then would we rather be in Europe's second tier competition with a higher chance of winning it or in the first tier with a far slimmer chance? Genuine question, and one that I'm sure would invite a variety of answers. Maybe in the longer term, winning the Europa League would provide a pedestal in which to effectively fight for the Champions League crown. Who knows, but its hard to beat a side with a winning mentality.

We've a young side that have just had a year together under AVB and its hard to see us not continue to climb and improve. I take pride in that our achievements will occur within our means. It'll warrant personal pride. Of course a striker is needed, more so than any other position, but we'll stay within a 'sensible' wage criteria and spend what we can actually afford to spend.

I'm always careful when anticipating a season ahead. Although this ones slightly different. AVB is building a bullish side and were arguably just a couple of players short from the quality in both depth and balance in the side that we've craved for so long. With United, City and Chelsea all changing their managers, this offers a potentially minute chance to bite the bullet and fight with these teams. We need to treat the games in August as we do those ones in April and May. I forgive the dropped points in the early parts of the season last year, we were still learning.

Now we've little excuse, let's hope we can kick on and hit the ground running.

Regards,
Ben - you can follow me on Twitter here

"Even failure has an echo of glory in it"

So the end is nigh. Another enthralling season seeks to find its end as we once more find ourselves in an all to typical blindly-hoping-on-another-team-to-do-us-a-favour end of season debacle. Although it's not quite a debacle is it? We're on course to hit our record number of points in the Premier League but the inevitability grows that Europa League football will, once more, be our European path.

That's unfortunate, but barely raises an eyebrow. If you had to label one club this could happen to, it would be Spurs. I'm a fan of broken records, so here's another. For a manager that was hung out to dry by the press, pundits, 'experts' and both a minority of our own and masses of rival fans, AVB's had a remarkably commendable season. You'd have snatched sitting on 69 points after the penultimate game of the season. Has the League become easier or have we become more competitive? Probably a portion of both.

We kicked off pre-season in the USA and AVB sought to lay down the basics foundations of how he wanted us to play. He set out a blue-print for the forthcoming season, that I highlighted here, tinkering subtly based upon the opposition that sat in front of us. We slowly grew into a pressing game, each player learnt their role and soon enough a group of players soon became a team. This is why I refuse to knock our early results. We were still waiting to 'tick'. Despite conceding points early on to West Brom & Norwich we persisted with the system. This season, for me, truly emphasised that patience is a true art. Critiscism seemed far easier to give at the time but I stubbornly felt (even admitting almost 'blind faith') that the right building blocks were being implemented under AVB at Spurs.

Those that know me know that I'm one of the more pessimistic Spurs fan you could come across. Although I feel next season should give reason to fuel that ounce of hope with optimism. Without sounding to Scouse, next year could be one that holds a lot of promise. I emphasise the word could. Injuries can dictate the path a season takes. It's football. We knew losing Kaboul in the early stages would be a bitter pill but then struggled immensely without Sandro in January with Parker playing a shadow of his former self. It's hard to comprehend we've made a fair challenge at 4th, alongside a gruelling Europa League run and yet have two forwards that have struggled to deal with the demands of this season.

So where's the promise?

A young cast-off came in and adopted a side that was largely short of the players that were so key last year; so vital in grabbing us 4th place. A young side.
We'll continue to spend within our means and thus grow organicly, remaining competitive without the need to sell our souls. I'm both proud and tentatively confident of that (confidence is a rare feat with me). Wigan, if anything, should shed some light on that it's not only big wallets that guarantee trophies. We've shown enough heart to punch above our own weight, with individual brilliance pushing us that extra step.

We'll build and learn from this. The players have had a year together, our coach has had a relatively controversial free season and we've looked more of a team after every game we play. I hate feeling optimistic about anything, it usually leaves me with hollow disappointment - an empty shell, but I just can't help but feel that maybe we have the springboard stable enough to jump back up to where we feel we're more than capable of finishing.

This isn't writing off our chances Sunday, this is merely explaining that there's no reason to feel any dismay if we were to finish 5th.

Onwards.

Regards,
Ben - Follow me on Twitter - @InsideN17

Are we being fooled?

I usually try my best to avoid falling into the ITK tra, but I've admittedly been entangled more often than I care to count. It's borderline inevitability. We snatch at any piece of news that carries with it the chance of hope and excitement yet tell ourselves that we're fools for holding it with such a tight grasp.

The vines on the David Villa story appear to be growing. Slowly wrapping us in and engulfing us. We've seen non-runners appear to have legs on them previously. Sneijder and Hazard both fell through on a grand old scale. In this instance, it's not so much that this deal's too good to happen, but more it's not quite a Levy deal. Villa is 32 this year and represents no sell-on value. Levy seeks a potential return on most purchases he makes, if not all.

Maybe we'll find ourselves in a scenario that sees our Chairman emphasising his faith in AVB with practicalities. Maybe we'll bring in a player for more than financial reasons. Again, I lay my hope carefully and Levy won't be keen to expose his hand just yet. We haven't ended the season yet but maybe talk of a player may somewhat prove a temporary distraction away from the seemingly inevitable scenario of a 5th placed finish.

Maybe we're just all being duped again. Villa would be a good signing. He's the strong, experienced head that's gifted with that winning mentality - that gold dust - that is so hard nurture organically. Injuries have been a big issue for the Spaniard which is why I'd be surprised if the deal was pushed through at over £10m. It's unlike Levy to wrap up a signing so early, it's unlikely our prayers will be answered prematurely.

It's evident I'm a fan of Villa, although I do feel that alongside him we do need a young and hungry forward that is in a similar mould. A forward with intelligence. We've a gifted midfield and having a forward that can play to the same tune as that midfield maybe just the ticket to a host of outcomes next season. A player that can bring others in to the game with the tendency of appearing at the right place and right time would be ideal. We can all dream, can't we?

I dare to hope. The feeling of disappointment isn't an unusual one. The season still has one game left in it, yet so much is riding on it.

Regards,
Ben - you can follow me on Twitter here

Our key weakness

Admittedly I felt we looked exhausted. We returned from Switzerland in almost a worst case scenario position. We'd fought our way to extra time only to find ourselves, almost inevitably, crashing out on penalties. If there was such a thing as 'an ideal way to go out of a competition' then our rivals would've picked this way.

The finish line is a distant sight. We've teased and toyed with 3rd, flirted with 4th but the reality could be a rejection from both. I had my heart set on the Europa League, it looked as though we did as well. But it is how it is. I worried for our mentality upon the Europa League exit and we had Manchester City to play. The players found little life running through their veins in first half. Although this time around, footballing being a funny old game actually worked in our favour. I couldn't ever pin us knocking one past Hart, let alone three. Huddlestone's passing was something we've missed in patches, it's a shame he can't be a more complete midfielder. It seems an eternity he's had to develop his game into a complete holding midfielder but still lacks the fine art of tackling. He's stereotypically sluggish ways always weighing him down and soon enough his negatives out muscled his positives.

We approach 4 tough fixtures. 4 fixtures that should be approached with the same forward mentality. We just about have the quality in our first 11, the problem is we seem to have this niggling function born into the Spurs approach system that sees us lose our nerve whenever we have to depend on ourselves. Combine this with a side short of competition in key areas and genuine strength in depth and you find a mountain as tall as Everest to climb.

A starting 11 involving a midfield three of Huddlestone, Dembele and Holtby with Defoe leading up top could be the shape needed to limp over the line. This leaves Sigurdsson and Dempsey on the bench - Two very useful players. Two players that can impact games, our bench should have more. We were flat against Wigan. Neither side wanted it enough. You'd have been forgiven for believing that neither of the sides had anything to play for. We closed another door shut on an opportunity to exploit. With Dembele limping off, it almost compounded me to feel this'll be another season in which so much promise had been shown yet nothing to show from it.

Our first 11 is solid. We're one forward away from having a fantastic, balanced and competitive first 11. Lloris in goal. Walker right, Dawson/Kaboul, Vertonghen, Benny. Dembele, Sandro; Bale, Holtby/Sigurdsson, Lennon and a forward. That team needs little tinkering with it. It's our depth and competitiveness out wide that may leave us just too short of 4th this year. We need investment in quality depth. The trouble is most quality players don't want to be involved in a squad rotation role at a club that isn't challenging at the top of the Premier League every year. Chelsea exploited their ability to rotate quality players and have done so very well to balance their number of fixtures across their playing staff.

The obvious issue here is that we won't go out and spend £60m net in one window. I call it an issue but I'm happy our club is run sensibly. So we have to be clever. We need footballers that can alter our shape, change our direction if needed and those to simply replace like-for-like. Townsend's relative success at QPR will be like a new signing and hopefully his hunger and confidence will continue when he's in a Spurs shirt next year. I hope he uses this year as building blocks and steps up to our first 11. It's clear there is something there.

It's good to see stability at Spurs. Only one player has arguably been sold by the papers so far but, unlike the Modric fiasco, it seems far more underplayed and demoralising at this moment. Clever spending is a fine art form. We've done it successfully in the past and, should we find ourselves edged out of the running for 4th, it'll have to be a summer of shrewd purchases. We don't want to cause unrest, we just need to face the reality that we need the depth to compete in almost 2 seasons worth of games in a single football calender year.

Regards,
Ben - You can follow me on Twitter here @InsideN17

Delighted?

Dreams were soon becoming murmurs of the Dam. Can we honestly forgive ourselves for even daring to think, daring to believe? I felt an Utter fool for doing so. Allowing myself to be sucked in to the belief that Spurs could make a final in Amsterdam. It would've been too perfect. No Spurs train ever arrives at the end of the line as planned. We encounter far too many signal failures, breakdowns and engineering works in our season and we're left reflecting on how we'll cope as fans, how Spurs will cope and whether we can snatch at any positives that fight their way out of the abysmal anticlimax that is the exit of the Europa League quarter finals.

We worked hard for it. The players left blood in their tracks. I genuinely couldn't fault their effort in a competition traditionally snubbed and demeaned by the English; our own past proving little to shy away from this. We've given so much in an intensely demanding season. Our lack of depth almost predictably epitomising perfectly why the season proved as demanding as it has done. Adebayor's penalty didn't knock us out. The complacency in the first leg did, but we always knew we'd be limping through this competition because of a lack of investment in depth in the summer and January. I do trust Levy and hope he'll give AVB the backing that'll match his initial faith in appointing the young Portuguese coach.

I did little to hide my disappointment at Friedel starting ahead of Lloris. Friedel undoubtly gave us a great year last season but the dynamic of our side has changed. Lloris' importance in the Spurs side is second to none. It does force the subconscious feeling of 'what if'. I struggle to find any real benefit of starting the American ahead of the French 'keeper. The Europa League now enters its de-valuing stage. The remaining teams once playing under the Champions League lights now find themselves in Europe's second tier competition. Perspective. Chelsea's arguably initial goals of a good run in Europe and contending the Premier League title now fall to accept a top 4 finish and a Europa League final.

I don't say this accepting second best. I say this as I see it. We've done well to get to the quarter finals of the Europa League and are still heavily involved in the fight for fourth - as were our initial plans. I've been to three Europa league away's this year and I can't express my admiration for the competition so much more-so now. It's an exciting competition that reaps the passion of the fans all across Europe. They love it, and so should we. It's secondary status to the Champions League gives it the edge for me in almost taking away the commercial propaganda that invites half-arsed fans to flick on the TV or buy up space in a ground that could be filled by those that truly wish to sing for the shirt.

Don't have me mistaken, the Champions League is fantastic in terms of growing the club and continuing this exponentially is key. But, from a fan point of view, I've loved every minute and every aspect of following us in the Europa League. It's granted me more opportunity in which to sing my heart out for the only club I'll ever love. Winning games breeds confidence. A minority saw the Europa League as an opportunity cost to a top 4 place. There's little point playing in a competition if you don't want to go out and win the thing. Nothing beats lifting a European trophy, regardless of its' status.

As has been mentioned before, we must return to find our collective. Slating certain individuals does nothing to help the side progress. I don't knock fans having their own negative opinion, I just call for that particular negative opinion to be bottled away from White Hart Lane. Breathing positivism lifts the tension weighing down the players each week. Believe it or not, but we do make a difference at games. We've only a handful of games left in which to play. We're once again underdogs for top flight European competition. Regardless of how other teams perform, let's show both on and off the pitch how much we want that place in the sacred top 4.

Regards,
Ben - Follow me on Twitter here.

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One or two issues.

So we are nearing the end of another season. Another year with Tottenham pulling the strings of the heart as Modric continued pulling the strings in midfield, in a Spurs shirt. We're reaching a pinnacle in Tottenham's progression, or so I believe. A side that has come on 'leaps and bounds' in the last 3 years after taking giant strides negatively immediately post Jol-era. We've assembled a squad capable of a Champions League finish, capitalising on the demise of Chelsea, Liverpool and, to an extent, Arsenal. The top 4 monopoly shattered quicker than our chances of winning the Premier League; cue eye roll.

So, this season will raise a number of questions and many what ifs; including Adebyor and Pienaar. Let's begin.

Without a shadow of a doubt without Adebayor we would not be favourites to finish 4th in the Premier league. He's been an unlikely breath of fresh air in attack and fits brilliantly into our system. His movement, hold up play and willingness to track is something we've lacked for the best part of a few years. He brings others into play and has proved a real team player. Never did I think I'd ever write that paragraph after he'd just put Arsenal 3-1 up at the Emirates a few years back; football eh. 17 league goals and 14 assists (correct me if I'm mistaken) is a fantastic return on a debut season for a forward that, more than likely, wouldn't even make the bench at City. Strikers can go missing in games. Many argue that Ade did in a few games last month but these have proved more of an anomaly than anything. On the face of it, I don't think any other forward we were supposedly in for last summer would've done much better than Adebayor.

I've no doubt Levy will fight tooth and nail to keep Ade permanently, but within reason. I don't expect us to break  the boundaries of our tight wage structure or pay over the odds for him. There's also the reality that his success this season wouldn't have gone unnoticed and would've more than ensured he won't be short of suitors this summer willing to offer him near enough the wages he'll demand. Would I love like to see him here permanently? Yes. Do I think we'll sign him? No. Money will forever shout louder than anything with a mouth.

After an arguably disappointing and rather bleak January transfer window, we let one player go out on loan that has found his element in the Premier League; no, not Sebastian Bassong. Steven Pienaar returned to former club Everton and has since found his feet again. He looks at home. He's playing without the pressure weighing on his shoulders to perform every week in a position that evidently wasn't comfortable.

Pienaar never looked settled at Spurs. I think it's fair to say we had high hopes when Steven arrived last January. A player that looked incredibly consistent for Everton and seemingly versatile in where he could play; just the cover we needed for the number of games that were to face us. Pienaar's best position is probably just behind the forward, an advanced midfielder, possibly in the vdv role. This was a position where game time would always prove limited with vdv cementing his name in that position on the team sheet. There was no doubting Pienaar's effort, he wanted to do well and be a success, but his failure to adapt to playing out wide saw his chances limited in a Spurs shirt; especially after the fantastic run of form we found ourselves in after the Manchester mauling.

It's a shame the transfer of Steven Pienaar didn't really work out; some you win, some you lose. Despite proving to flourish, as expected, at Everton, it would be best to part ways with the midfielder and invest the money into a brighter prospect that better suits our system.

I said in the opening that I feel we're reaching an important time in our progression. After missing out on a Champions League spot last season we were lucky enough to maintain the core of squad whilst improving in certain areas; note Walker, Parker and Adebayor. Missing out on Europe's most prestigious competition for a successive season would bring more uncertainty than certainty for the forthcoming summer. The summer could prove even more so a power struggle to keep hold of our key players and avoid repeating another giant leap backwards of a few season's previously that still haunts us today.

It is not a given right that Spurs 'should' be in the Champions League. Not at all. Complacency like that costs us. We should appreciate the speed in which we have progressed. We finally knocked through the door 2 seasons back after pushing for so hard. But, saying that, it's evident for all to see we do have a squad capable of putting together a successful Champions League campaign. By successful I mean more than able to make the quarter finals. Wow, and I'm the pessimist.

Do I think we'll do it? The way our fortunes have been this season we'll probably finish 4th then watch Chelsea win the Champions League on penalties.

Regards.

Calamity

Wow. All that hope and optimism that flew to Spain with the thousands of Spurs fans seemed to depart the field of play when Crouchy did on 15 minutes; closely followed by a 'thanks for coming' from Mourinho. It was one of those 'everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong' days which began when Lennon failed to make the starting 11 and the dreaded sight of seeing Jermain Jenas line-up against Los Blancos dampened the spirits slightly. Another dodgy Lasagne?

It was a bitter blow to concede so early. Conceding from a corner that should never have occurred. Modric grounded to the floor on half way for only the referee to wave play on and, 40 seconds later, we find ourselves already one down. I also didn't appreciate the consistent body checking on Bale from Ramos who managed to slip away from a yellow card which would've incurred a suspension for the return leg next week.

I still find myself asking the question as to why we insisted on giving Madrid so much space 18 yards from Gomes' net; why we didn't double up on Ronaldo or Di Maria and allowed Madrid to roll the ball in front of us in such strong areas of the field. How do we find ourselves in the Champions League quarters yet concede two goals that even school boys would be disappointed in conceding? How can we defend so poorly after 3 consecutive clean sheet (admittedly against weaker opposition)?

You could see the hunger in Crouchy's eyes; I suppose there's a first for everything. He seemed so resolute in the short time he was on. But then the idiot got himself sent off. Although I don't single out just Crouch at all for the defeat, it certainly contributed. The game plan out the window before the games started and Spurs left to wonder how 15 minutes into the game and Lennon and Crouch aren't on the field.

Another defender lost in the shape of Charlie capped off, in Gallas' words, the 'worst night.' We weren't good enough and we didn't help ourselves.

Regards

Balague's tip to beat Madrid: Leave out vdv

I'm sure the name needs no explanation. Guillem Balague, Spanish football's answer to the late Andy Gray, has had his precious words of advice for our boys as they travel to Madrid. Whilst watching Madrid fall flat at home against Sporting and, at the same time, see Mourinho's 9 year unbeaten home run slip away faster than West Ham's lead on Saturday, Balague tweeted his insight into what he believes Spurs have to do to stand a chance against Los Blancos.

"Spurs should look to exploit the space behind centre backs. Clearly their main weakness. If fit,Crouch, Lennon and Defoe should start.No vdv

"Goodbye Mou 9year home record, goodbye Liga. 0-1 Sporting won.But steady,Spurs fans.U gonna c a different Madrid. Still very much favourites"

I never read to much into what's said pre-match. We just have to look at this as another game. It is vital that the back four and Gomes perform as well as they did on the latter trip to the San Siro. Whatever happens in Spain tomorrow night, this season we have played against some of the greatest names in world football. We have competed against some of the greatest players to ever grace a football pitch and have proven to the world that we are capable to cut it in the big league.

The Champions League has shown our progression as a club over the last few decades, and the fantastic building (or rebuilding) process that has taken place under the close eye of Levy and Redknapp.

But it doesn't have to end at this stage.

Regards.

Thoughts?

So I've stolen a minute or two from work as I wanted to grab your initial thoughts on the draw with Madrid. When my eyes first saw Spurs drawn alongside Real I couldn't help but smile. We've had some of the greatest players grace White Hart Lane and yet still we march on.

The quarters and semi's really does give a new meaning to the phrase 'doing it the hard way' but I'm sure deep down, we all know Spurs' path was never leading to a more favourable draw.

No one expects us to triumph. We don't expect to triumph but all I hope is that we give them a game. We've show we're more than capable of challenging and competing with the best. We deserve to be here. We won't go the Arsenal way and sit, we will attack Madrid; that's what I love about Tottenham.

I must shoot off. Your thoughts?

Regards

Hero's.

What a game, what a fantastic result. We really brought the game to Milan and showed them the true Tottenham spirit and what a real English football club is all about. The squad played for the badge on their shirt and supported one another. Aggressive in the challenge and keeping the ball well, we looked the business; a far cry from the game away against Young Boys.

As THEspursweb called it, the boys really were lions tonight. They played a good game and stuck to the plan fantastically. Sandro and Palacios looked again as though they'd been playing together for years. Dawson and Gallas were brilliant against Ibra and the City flop. Gomes pulled off a couple of fantastic saves and looked assured for 94 minutes. Did Pato touch the ball? Lennon was an architect and van der Vaart caused more problems than Milan did all night.

A memorable night saw that old Arsenal cnut show us even more that he can't play football; how he's not stuck in non-league is beyond me. Disgusting tackle. Thoughts are with Charlie. I'm sure I wasn't the only one that also wanted Tyson back in the day to show Gattuso just how pathetic he is, or give Joe Jordan just 30 second in a room with him. He wouldn't have a career left. Useless for 94 minutes but still couldn't stop moaning. Pathetic. You lost, move on. But still these guys will happily pick up their paychecks every week with a smile.

The boy's were hero's tonight and fully deserved the win. The Yid Army were fantastic up in the stands.

We deserved it, we stole it.. now let's show them a real atmosphere at the Lane.

Please join us on twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/InsideN17

Regards.

AC Milan 2-0 Spurs

Let me begin by saying recently Rafa has tweeted: "Good news. Back on the pitch tomorrow, can’t wait to put on my shirt again!" Follow us on twitter here: http://twitter.com/#!/InsideN17 So the directions are pointing positively that our Dutchman will take part at the San Siro tomorrow.

But I'm afraid to say boys and girls that I can't look beyond Milan for this game. As good as our home form in the Champions League has been this season, we've conceded masses of goals on our travels and with a front line of Ibra, Pato and City flop Robinho for Daws and Gallas to defend against, confidence isn't high for this one.

Maybe it's the pessimist in me. We've played at the San Siro this season and if we have a first half as bad as we did against Inter there, then we could be kissing goodbye to our European adventure before half time. A slow start will cost us. We must ensure we look to park that famous bus we stuck in front of Mourinho's men against Chelsea a few seasons back and leave it there for 90 minutes.

I'm sure Harry will be telling Gallas to strap up his ankle properly before kicking off although I hear he's only taken the 8 pairs of boots out with him. The key to picking up a result will rest on our back four. If we tighten up the screws at the back then our ability to break on the counter could prove decisive.

But still, first leg, I'm going 2-0 Milan.

Your thoughts?

Regards.

The five teams we could face. Official.

I'm sure many others have spotted this much earlier than me but, for those that haven't, here's the five teams we could face in the Champions League Qualifier should we be seeded.

The list consists of: Ajax, Braga, Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys and Zenit.

Not the easiest teams to face in my book but I'd feel confident over two legs. We may even run into BMJ in Holland if we face Ajax..

Regards.

A bad bad day

What can be best described as a sheer 'gutter blow,' a kick in the teeth and that same sick feeling that occurred when West Ham prevented us from Champions League football a few years back. We all know the difficulty of the fixture list and it brought about a response from many of us with the feeling that three points today and we would still be very much in the hunt for that 4th spot.

Sunderland. A side that had hit form of late especially at home, but a team that no doubt a win was an absolute must. A side that realistically had starved off the threat of relegation and any real ambition was that of making the top 10.

Criticism of Tottenham this season had been much more of a rarity and far less frequent than what it had been in previous season's, although today brought back memories of the past leaving a bitter feeling of disappointment and a large weight added to our grasp of 4th position.

With the top 3 sides still to play and a trip to Manchester City edging ever closer, it is understandable to see where points may be lost on the final stretch to 4th spot.

With Villa giving themselves an outside chance and City currently 2-0 up. It's hard to see us keep hold of the 4th spot. All we can do as fans is stay behind them team and cheer them for 90 minutes for the remainder of the season.

What do you make of our chances?

A painful truth

Business resulted in me having to cross the water and camp out in the states for a while. Once I gathered my bearings I came across an English pub and thought I'd take a time out and watch this Spurs side that apparently is 'in the same league' as Arsenal. Did we not just lose to Stoke or had I misread that score?

So being in the same league I was expecting a competitive game of football to be played. For 40 minutes I felt I was given that. We cancelled them out well, shut down the short passing game that seems to irritate most teams the Arse play, and before we knew it, a reminisced frustration seemed to begin to kick back up from last year. At one point I thought I was about to smile and, in all truth, we would have taken a 4-4 from the start. Then reality hit hard.

Without Lennon, Defoe and Modric this game was always going to be like climbing Everest.. twice. We looked disciplined and well set out before Van Persie found a way past the impressive Gomes. From then we did in fact 'die'.

Once again silly mistakes have cost us goals. Before we knew it we were picking the ball out of the net, twice. Champions league? I'm sorry, but we will not get into the Champions league conceding goals of such a manner that maybe even Mrs Redknapp could've defended.

Concentration and discipline has to be maintained for 90 minutes not 40. Although you would've forgiven anyway who labelled us 'comeback kings' keeping clean sheets is vital.

It hurts, but we are not Champions League just yet. Losing to Arsenal and another CB injured, same old story really isn't it? Thoughts on the game welcome.

Regards.

Championship defender to gain Spurs Champions League qualification

Reports lately have suggested that Spurs are interested in a £12m raid on relegated Geordie's for French international Sebastian Bassong, sorry who? I do laugh when such reports are read, and even though the odd few are laughable, some reach the point where there may just be an element of truth in them.


From a fans' point of view, Harry stated (like many other managers over the years), that he expects Spurs to mount a strong challenge for the Champions League this year. Now-a-days, Spurs fans take these comments with a pinch of salt and pre-season optimism for the fourth-coming season usually turns sour before Christmas.


More to the point, I question whether, if true, why Harry would go for a Centre back that could barely make the Newcastle first team and further, why he'd be willing to splash out £12m on him as well. I can understand the need for depth in a squad but I doubt a £12m signing would be happy to camp on the bench every week and remain lower down the pecking order behind the much loved Micheal Dawson.


Still though, I cannot see how Harry expects the likes of Sebastian Bassong and Paul Scharner to really propel us into the top four, I mean, they're not exactly world beaters are they? Then again, this is paper talk and I will wait until mid-August to see who turns out wearing the badge at the start of the new season.

Regards,
Ben