AVB can't win - Everton away.

So after a seemingly slow start out of the blocks under AVB, we're approaching January with more smug content then looks of disapproval and smacked arses. Results change. Opinions change. We're used to how this all works now. Revelling in the past under Harry, although understandable from some in AVB's early reign, is now utterly redundant. Comparisons between the two are unjust but inevitable. Let's live with the times and move on, as most have grown to do so in the last 6 weeks.

I sincerely expect I lack the number of fingers and toes to count the probable number of times I've repeated the statement "we face a strong Everton side at Goodison". Moyes has always built a bullish side who play without fear, especially at home, regardless of who stands in front of them. The game comes at a time that could really prove a milestone under AVB's tenure of how far we've come since August. We're slowly settling into what we regard as our best 11, with the odd nit-picking and moan regarding one American player or another.  In the past I've arrived away from home with more anxiety and doubt than I have this season. It's almost as if the tables have turned. We're living in a mirror of our former-selves. We seem at ease away from home, we play without fear or weight on our shoulders. We're more relaxed on the ball and the players seem to express themselves far more than they have at White Hart Lane this season.

For me, the most interesting battle will fall between Fellaini & Sandro/Dembele. I'd expect Sandro to drop deeper and almost man-mark the Belgian who seems to thrive going forward. With Pienaar also likley to cut inside and Baines pushing joining in with every attack, our midfield will have a handful to contend with. I'd encourage Lennon to start more advance in the hope that this may restrict Baines from having the freedom of attacking our right. Our best opportunities may be that of breaking at pace.

I'd love to see both Ade & JD starting. Although what may initially appear as 4-4-2 on paper, it is unlikely to stick. Adebayor naturally enjoys coming deep and getting involved as almost a third centre-midfielder, proving a useful intermediary when linking midfield and attack. I continue to stay torn between starting Dempsey or Sigurdsson in place of Bale. I feel Dempsey is really starting to look more the player we were accustomed to last season and I put this down to hard-work on Dempsey's behalf and faith from AVB. This, for me, would edge the American into the starting 11. Despite this, I still feel we've barely seen the tip of the iceberg with Sigurdsson with chances proving limited.

A similar performance to last week against Fulham wouldn't go a miss, but I'm not holding my breath. It's these sort of games in which grinding out a result would be taken with great delight. It's easy to forget we're still in transition with recent events proving very positive. Although, I get the impression AVB is still seen as someone fighting to prove critics and doubters wrong and this will - unfortunately- forever outweigh the credit he's due. Only time will tell. Let's continue getting behind him, as more of us are starting to do.

Score prediction: Everton 1-1 Spurs

Regards,
Ben

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Spurs Robbed As We Go 1-0 Down In Our Opener.

When a quiet protest first broke out in Tottenham following the death of one Mark Duggan, who's name seems to have been lost amidst the chaos that has hit the country of late, many of us struggled to even consider that our Premier League opener was in danger of being postponed. Little did I believe that this protest would be escalated by a minority of youths keen to endanger lives of the innocent and vandalise the property of others.

But we were determined. We weren't prepared to let a youthful violent minority of people continue this destruction of our beloved community, or any other. In the end, the damage was too much and, despite our brave efforts to rid these people off of our streets, our Premier League opener is now cancelled.

Official word from Spurs was:

"Following ongoing discussions with the necessary authorities regarding this weekend's Premier League home match against Everton, it has now been confirmed that this fixture will be postponed due to safety concerns relating to infrastructure of the High Road and access to the stadium caused by last Saturday's riots.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to supporters due to matters outside of the control of the Club. We shall update fans on when this fixture will be rearranged in due course.

Supporters who have purchased tickets for this match are advised that tickets will remain valid for the re-arranged date. Anyone requiring a refund should contact the Ticket Office via email at ticketoffice@tottenhamhotspur.com"

"Disappointed the game has been called off after 6 weeks of hard work for it! But people's safety is more important. Let's hope no more games are called off this weekend or in the future" Tom Huddlestone had to say.

Michael Dawson added: "It is frustrating as we worked for six weeks trying to get fit and unfortunately the first day of the season isn't going to be happening for us,"

"But the most important thing is the safety of all the people involved, the police won't have called it off too lightly."

Should we qualify for the Europa League, then the chances of seeing a 3pm kick off are about as likely as Wenger is to lift a trophy with the Arse this season. These kids have left thousands and thousands of fans out of pocket and it wasn't just TV's they've done a runner with, they've robbed us of our Season Opener.

Respect goes out to all those that battled for their communities and I sincerely hope that people have been able to slowly start rebuilding their lives. Our game with Everton will eventually be giving to us, but some people's lives will never be the same.

Regards.

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David Moyes? Really?

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels a weekend without Premier League football is a long one. Although, I still experience nerves on a similar level when a Spurs player steps out in the colours of their country. A repeat of September time in which we lost Jermain and Daws is not what we need; not now. It was good to see Daws complete an excellent game alongside JT, despite the opposition fairing more as a Championship side than an international one.

But anyway, David Moyes. Considering 'Arry is still with us and, in my opinion anyway, would be a common fool to leave, we have already begun speculating who will be in charge of Spurs come the 2012/2013 season. It gives a new definition to premature. We know Harry likes to send the media on the wrong path with his words and I still don't believe it's a dead cert he'll jump into the impossible job with England.

Speculation regarding the replacement has seen David Moyes' name thrown into the pit. A man manager that has built a solid side at Everton whilst working on a limited budget at the same time. Moyes isn't the glamorous European experienced head that would rub alongside Mourinho but could work well with a side like Spurs. 'Arry was the same, no Champions League with just then Uefa cup experience to his name; and valuable relegation-fighting-and-survival skills

I could see the Scot wanting a new challenge should Spurs make a generous offer to Everton, but that's my opinion. Although unlikley, I do feel that the Spurs job would be Mourinho's perfect job. Winning silverware at Spurs would be held in far higher regard than that of United. But there is the smaller matter that he is regarded as one of the best coaches in the world and wages would mean that Levy would have a task and a half to get their hands on him.

I do feel that, by far, it is to early to discuss such a matter. But, with international's taking place, who could you see as Redknapp's replacement should he leave Spurs?

Regards.

No tears please.

So 4 games in 11 proved to much; to take 9 points from the Christmas period was a positive run for the boys and no one can argue with 1 defeat in 12. Goodison Park is never an easy place to go. Fact. Redknapp has 1 win in 27 there and we've never really enjoyed much success there.

Today proved how Van der vaart has really driven our side into Champions League contenders for successive seasons and cried out a need for an out and out striker for the club. With Robbie set to join Birmingham in a £7m deal, I've no doubt that Redknapp will look to bring a forward in with a policy of having 4 strikers in the first team.

In all honesty the 2-2 draw last season felt more of a defeat than this one and with Chelsea also dropping points, today's defeat is not such a negative one. As long as we clear this out the system and grab a comfortable win at home to Charlton, I'm confident we'll give United the game they haven't had this season.

Still though, a long journey home to say the least.

Regards.

A big problem we could face

Some sloppy goalkeeping and just plain poor refereeing ensured that Everton left us with a point and Harry, liek the rest of us, wondering how we didn't take all three. After being in familiar territory once again, as Yakubu stumbled over Kaboul and Baines cracking in a top freekick, it was left to Rafa to save us once more. Where would we be without the guy?

After I think I counted around a 1000 penalty appeals from Crouch and not one being given, it ended as one of those days when the winner wouldn't arrive for us. But still, we've seen worse results at home this season.

Although undoubtedly premature, my early concern is will we be able to keep hold of Van der Vaart after this season? Should City continue to propel themselves towards the top of the table there is every chance we could finish 5th. Now I know this is incredibly pessimistic but should we finish outside the top 4, would Rafa or even Bale look to stay with us when the top teams in the game will be chasing them?

I am a realist, and, in all honesty, it's a breath of fresh air finally having a world class player battling for the lilywhite every week even if it is for one season.

If the worst does happen and we don't finish in the top 4 this season, do you think we'd stand good ground on keeping hold of Rafa for another season?

Regards.

An absolute joke

I'm fuming .
Your fuming.
I'm surprised that Harry wasn't taken to hospital due to high blood pressure.

I never thought I'd be writing this after 80 minutes had been played at Goodison. It's hard to not bellow the words that are running through my mind right now.

I don't wish to reminisce what we have all just witnessed. We played brilliantly, how did it all fall apart?

Meanwhile our thoughts are with Wilson whos been taken to hospital. Let's hope he's back on his feet in the near future.

Your thoughts on the game more than welcome.

Regards.

Steven Pienaar close to signing

Ashley Young; let's be honest, he isn't coming to Tottenham. We can't afford him, according to O'Neill not even '£50m' would tempt him and I can't see us offering £60m. Maybe Madrid have spare change to throw away? Furthermore, why he'd join a team that would offer lower wages and finish behind Villa, again, would also surprise me. He's not an idiot.

Where we should be looking is Evertons' Steven Pienaar and why we are not at least adding him to out bottomless list of players we are interested in is way beyond me. I wouldv'e thought at least one paper would put two and two together and link us the South African.

Pienaar rejected a new contract offer from Everton on Monday and therefore should be having his name thrown all over the place; it's the trend these day's. It is also reported that Everton want Alan Hutton. I rate the guy but I'd jump at the chance to involve him in a deal that would include Pienaar, who has two years left on his contract.

We have only lost once at home under Redknapp and guess who scored the killer goal for Everton. This guy would prove to be great value on the left side of our midfield and would cost Levy far less than some 23 year old Villa player would.

I can't see this happening, not because Pienaar is still happy at Everton, but because it would be a bargain signing, one that is actually value for money- but we all know how much much Spurs like to miss out on a good bargain.

Regards,
Ben

Manager of the season: The REAL contenders

Once again we come to May with the end of the season very much amongst us. Yet still, surprisingly, the bottom three and Premier League winner are still to be decided, and now Tottenham have safely survived the threat of being in the fizzy pop, I think it's fair to say it'll be an exciting end to it all. so we come to the end of the season and the awards that come with it; we've already seen glimpses that the FA have already engraved 'Sir Alex Ferguson' into one award, but, in the unlikely event that the manager of the season isn't fixed for this season and staying in Manchester, let's have a look at some real contenders for it.

To start, despite their poor run of late, Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill is in top contention; as, for much of the season, gluing themselves to that 4th spot ahead of familiar faces at Arsenal. O'Neill's worked wonders with a small, young and talented bunch of players and early results illustrated the fantastic man-management that he is renowned for. O'Neill's built a Villa team that are punching way above their weight- on a limited transfer budget- by making small improvements and small change every summer to the squad.

The benefits were clear in early season results, beating teams such as Arsenal at the Emirates was once personal highlight for me. O'Neill has developed and worked with young English players such as Ashley Young, who was signed for £8m a few seasons back, and mentioned that he was going to be one of England's greatest players. Ashley has quite obviously proved that this season after already picking up the PFA Young Player Of The Year award and deservedly so.
I truly believe that the lack of depth in the Villa team was the reason behind their recent slump. A young team cannot expect to defy the odds and keep hold of 4th sport for such a long period of time and I now believe that they are severely suffering a hangover much worse than a lot of us have had over the past year or so. I am sure, though, that the stamina will, in a few seasons, be present in this current Villa squad and one day will break into the top four of the Premier League. and that is why Martin O'Neill is a candidate for this award.

We move to East London for our next contender; West Ham's Gianfranco Zola. It is safe to say that when Zola took over from the manager less club, to my delight, West Ham really were in free-fall. Results went against them every week and, despite not even half the season had passed, West Ham were favourites for the drop. Zola, similarly to O'Neill came in, and, due to the financial crisis that was clear at West Ham, had no money to spend and so was left with the same squad to work with for the whole season. Zola has done a magnificent job despite injuries to key players such as top scorer Carlton Cole, Mark Noble and Dean Ashton and has managed to drag the Hammers not just from safety but within 3 points of a European place in the league.

Zola has only been at the club for 7-8 months or so but in that short period of time has clawed credibility back to East London and now their fans can start to believe in their team again. A key asset Zola has brought in was, notably, Steve Clark of Chelsea who's winning mentality and brilliant coaching skills have worked wonders with West Ham.
With injuries hitting the club, no transfer budget and the club in financial melt down, Zola has managed to turn West Ham into a force worth reckoning and look a real contender for that 7th spot and that is why West Ham's Gianfranco Zola is a contender for the award.

Our next contender may come as a shock to some, and not one that would immediately be thought of as a candidate for the award is Fulham's Roy Hodgson. Before Roy took over, Fulham's Premier League survival for the last 4 years looked uncertain and, at times, they looked down and out but jumped back at the death and grabbed survival from the claws of relegation. Roy's exceptional management of Fulham was present at the end of last season where Fulham managed to clinch 5 wins from their last 9 games to survive including one game where they came from 2-0 down to beat Man. City 3-2 at Eastlands to help them clinch survival. Roy has turned Fulham from a team that were just there to make up the numbers in the league to one that visiting teams fear.

Fulham are now in a position where one win could clinch them European football and achieve their highest ever finish in the Premier League and this is all fallen down to the man management of Roy Hodgson, he has invested a small sum over the previous transfer markets with the biggest being £10m spent on former Everton striker Andy Johnson. Hodgson has ensured that every week his players are fighting for their places and has made the club one in which players want to play for; one notable player is Brede Hangeland that looks a much more of an assured defender than he did last year and has been vital for Fulham's remarkable season.
With Fulham sitting 7th and looking hot favourites for a place in next season's Europa league, Roy has turned Fulham from relegation battlers to a safe and established Premier League side and that is why he is a contender for the award.

Our penultimate contender is in the shape of Everton's David Moyes. Now, there's a lot to say why Moyes should be in contention for this award a lot more than he is. After coming to Everton a fair few seasons back he has spent little and has only had a small squad to work with, but, each season Everton are challenging for the top 7 and more often than not achieve European football. Moyes continues to invest very little in the squad but keeps faith in the young English academy players that continue to impress in the first team. Players such as Dan Gosling have come on leaps and bounds and looking more and more comfortable playing against some of the best players in the world, the risk and faith Moyes has kept in this young English talent has clearly paid off and helping the national team out is always nice as well.

Everton are guaranteed a European spot this season, as they have been for the last few seasons, they knocked out Manchester United to reach the final of the FA Cup and Moyes has done this with a squad of tender age and with little depth in it as well. Moyes has spent little cash at every opportunity handed to him and continues to make small changes as he focuses on the building of the young team he has at his disposal. His faith in young English players is also very encouraging that we might actually have some decent players in the years to come for the national team and Everton are helping this cause. Because of this, Moyes is an obvious candidate for the award.

Our final contender comes to Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Redknapp. For much of this season, Tottenham had been fighting what looked liked a lost battle to stay in the league. The Ramos 'revolution' wasn't really meeting minimum expectations, by a long way and so Harry was drafted in to keep us in the league. Ever since, Harry has worked wonders with the club; his man management and the confidence he unleashed on the players was a breath of fresh air and ever since we have looked like a top side. Under Redknapp, Spurs have only conceded 9 goals at home all season, a current record, have only lost once at home since November and have only lost once to a side in the 'top four', a controversial loss at that as well. Spurs have also defeated the likes of Liverpool and Chealsea at the Lane and have held Arsenal on two accounts. Players such as Heurelho Gomes has come on massively after a horrid start to the season and is now one of the top keepers in the league. Players such as Modric and Ekotto are playing above expectation and looking different players to what they were at the start of the season.

When Redknapp took over, Spurs looked dead after taking just 2 points from the opening 8 games of the season. Since then, Redknapp's work with the defence have resulted in less goals being conceded and a real push for 7th spot is currently at hand. spurs are once again a real force in the league and wins against teams such as Chelsea and Liverpool at home and Man. City and Villa away mean that they can upset anyone. After saving Tottenham's season around, Harry is a contender for Manager of the season.

So there you have, it's been a long read but those are the managers that I believe should be in contention for manager of the season. I have no doubts though that the award will go to Sir Alex despite them almost bottling the league and guiding the current best team in Europe to, almost, another Premier League trophy.

Regards, Ben