The Great Tottenham Hotspur Loyalty Point Swindle

I wrote this for the Bleacher Report last week.

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after an absence of 49 seasons is now available to buy for £4.27 (inc VAT) on Amazon and Smashwords. It recalls the Glory Nights at the San Siro, the North London Derby Comeback, Peter Crouch's winner at Manchester City, putting Inter to the sword at White Hart Lane and Diego Maradona's one appearance in a Spurs shirt. It ends with an epilogue at the end of 2012 season, the day after another season of Europa League was confirmed. Further details and photos here.

Guest Blog: Spurs in the USA (July 2012)

In a guest post for 'Glory Nights', Tottenham Fan, North London ex-pat residing in New Zealand and Goalkeeper for Metro FC, Paul Ruscoe, writes about his trip to LA to see Spurs in the States.

 

Living in New Zealand, there is not much point in holding hope that one day, my beloved Tottenham Hotspur will tour The Land of The Long White Cloud to take on the Wellington Phoenix in preparation for a gruelling Premier League campaign. Maybe one day, years into the future when technological developments make the long flight feasible, we may see European teams visit Australia to take on A-League opposition. But even in Oz, the standard of football is still 5-10 years behind even the MLS. Depressingly, that gap is widening with the increasing influx of ‘designated players’ into the North America’s top flight. So lets face it, it’s not likely we’ll see the Europeans here any time soon, and that was justification enough for me to part with $2,000 to watch the mighty Spurs in LA.

So, with no likelihood of seeing Spurs in NZ, when they announced they were to undertake a second US tour in three years, I leapt at the chance to snap up tickets to see the Lilywhites take on Robbie Keane’s LA Galaxy. After all, it’s only a 12 hour flight away. (It takes 8 hours to drive to Wellington to see the Phoenix.) The game not only gave me the rare opportunity to see Tottenham (probably the only thing I miss about London, since I emigrated) but also to reconnect with acquaintances and fans I spent the summer of 2010 with, when embarking on my journey to see Spurs’ previous west coast encounter in San Jose.

I arrived in San Francisco on the Saturday, to meet up with an old friend, comic and of course, Spurs fan, Trevor Hill. We were both excited to see the Spurs, while enjoying a few other perks of being on vacation. (Namely the ability to consume copious amounts of alcohol on a school night, without having to feel guilty about it.) After two days well spent in the Haight Street bars, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 7am on Monday morning, to catch a flight to Long Beach from where we would ride the train into Hollywood.

The Cat and Fiddle, a fine boozer and home of the Los Angeles Tottenham supporters club, would be our next stop. Upon arrival, a huge navy and white banner greeted us, with ‘Pride of North London’ emblazoned upon it. Meanwhile, sat in the beer garden were some familiar faces from the San Jose escapade of 2010. Staunch ‘Yiddo’, Graeme Rudge, welcomed Trevor and I to the pub. Graeme is a colourful character. One would describe him distinctly ‘old school’, and we were soon reminiscing and looking forward to the evening’s events. He had the previous day, been evicted from Tottenham’s open training session on the tour. This was not a surprise to any of us, but we knew with Graeme around, we would definitely have a good laugh.

Graeme had brought with him a number of prostitutes to provide ‘entertainment’, should they be required. In truth, I was more excited at the prospect of meeting Steffen Freund and Tony Parks, both of whom were expected to arrive at the Cat and Fiddle at any time. 

The LA Spurs had created a stage from which Freund and Parks would take questions from an anticipant crowd. Indeed, as Freund took the microphone, we welcomed him as only we would know how, with chants of ‘Yiddo’ interspersed with shouts of “SHOOOOOOOOOOOT!”

The pair spoke eloquently, and professionally, while also dropping subtle hints of another imminent signing for Andre Villas-Boas’ new look Tottenham. However, the undisputed highlight has to have been when Parks’ joined us in our sing song that went late into night, even as we danced to the “let’s all do the Gomes” tune. I’m not so sure if Parks or Freund were as keen to let our Brazilian Goalkeeper spend the night with their wives as us Spurs fans were though.

As the early hours were upon us, we had been joined by a couple of well-known Hollywood porn stars. Freund and Parks were still enjoying themselves with a few beers, and Graeme’s prostitutes had disappeared, obviously having found some company. The LA Spurs group, the San Fran Spurs group and the New York fans that had travelled were in good voice, as was the sole Kiwi supporter among the crowd. As the night drew to a conclusion, I smiled. Sun, Spurs, beer, porn stars, prostitutes and good friends. It doesn’t get much better than this!

We returned to the scene of the crime on Tuesday afternoon. Match day. Time for a few beers prior to our departure, with the buses set to leave at 5pm to escort us to the Home Depot Center. After a merry old sing song on the bus, Graeme and I marched into a local Galaxy pub with tens of fans following us in singing “This boozer is ours, this boozer is ours! Tottenham Hotspur are here! This boozer is ours!” I’m not sure the local Galaxy fans really knew what to expect!

I’ve been to a number of sporting events in the US over the years, including a number MLS matches. Indeed, American sports generate a unique atmosphere, but lack the intensity of European football stadia. The MLS clubs try, but the support still doesn’t feel organic like it is at the Lane. The atmosphere in the MLS is a little plastic, a little forced, and still a little too ‘American’. However, that wasn’t the case last Tuesday night. 

The hardcore LA fans behind the goal were in good voice, although lacking the wit to really challenge the local and travelling Tottenham support that comprised mainly of expats based around the US (and of course, New Zealand!). It was these Spurs fans, all craving the camaraderie felt when they once stood on the terraces at White Hart Lane that shone. Singing for 90 minutes non stop and enjoying one of the few opportunities they would have to see their idols.

Bale, Walker and Van der Vaart all started for Tottenham. The latter of whom was withdrawn halfway through the first half. However, it was LA, and Robbie Keane who created the better of the chances, despite going behind to a fine Gareth Bale header. Defensively, Tottenham didn’t cover themselves in glory and there was an air of inevitability about the Galaxy equaliser, coming just 13 minutes after the opener. The second half saw Tottenham grow into the game, and new signing Gylffi Sigurdsson had a golden opportunity to give Tottenham the lead, but he shot wide when it looked easier to score. Chances continued to flow at either end, as both sides sought to exploit each other’s defensive frailties, but ultimately the game ended in a tie. A fair result.

The result was not important. After all, this was merely a pre-season fixture for Spurs. And LA, without Beckham and Donovan (who were both on All-Star duty), have important league games in the coming weeks. 

However ‘meaningless’ this fixture may have been, what is clear that even 52 years after our last League title, there is mystique about Tottenham Hotspur that intrigues football fans across the globe. To the Spurs fans with whom I shared this experience, some relatively new, others who remember the great successes of the 1960’s through to the 1980s, it is clear that the glory of the past, and even the glorious failures, the history, the passion, the fairytales that come with following this great club mean so much to them. There is something about Tottenham Hotspur that no other club has and yet it is so difficult to pinpoint. It’s the glamour, the unwavering belief even at our lowest ebb, the noise of the Park Lane end that some of these fans remember fondly. 

When they reminisce about the great players they have witnessed prior to moving Stateside, you can see the glint in their eyes, for those eyes have most certainly seen the glory.

Paul Ruscoe

Mel Gomes' e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after an absence of 49 seasons is now available to buy for £4.27 (inc VAT) on Amazon and Smashwords. It captures the flavour of travelling overseas to follow football and recalls the Glory Nights at the San Siro, the North London Derby Comeback, Peter Crouch's winner at Manchester City, putting Inter to the sword at White Hart Lane and Diego Maradona's one appearance in a Spurs shirt. It ends with an epilogue at the end of 2012 season, the day after another season of Europa League was confirmed. Further details and photos here.

Let’s Push Things Forward

As indicated when I concluded the 2011-12 end-of-season blog, Yesterday’s Papers, which was written when Harry Redknapp was still Manager, I thought the time was right for Tottenham to look to a long-term plan. 

In the last twenty years, only five clubs have won the Premier League. Two, Manchester United and Arsenal, have enjoyed success as part of long-term approach. Although Arsene Wenger won the League in his first full-season, the model that brought three Championships, including two doubles, was based on building a foundation. The same has of course been true at Manchester United, with a Manager in place for a long-term tenure.

The other three clubs, Blackburn, Chelsea and Manchester City, have all benefited from a large injection of cash. But even if Tottenham were to suddenly find themselves flush with greater financial resource from new investors, it is the first model that is the way forward.

Harry Redknapp’s departure was inevitable due to the specifics of the situation, the reasons of which I expanded on in this piece for The Football Project. But the aim of the change was not just another hit on the fruit machine in an effort to strike lucky on a new Manager to bring greater success: it is part of the development a long-term plan where the relative progress of the last three years is built upon.

That is why the new man, Andre Villas–Boas, is not the new Manager, but the Head Coach. It is the structure that is key, with a Head Coach who believes in playing passing, moving and attacking football, and developing technical ability and footballing intelligence. This 2009 interview with Daniel Sousa, who is now our opposition scout, in which Villa-Boas talks about his time working at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, suggests he has those attributes. (It is a fascinating read, although if he thinks Drogba has a bad first touch, his orange hair may turn grey if he sees Adebayor try and trap a ball).

While clearly a student of the game, Villas-Boas’ return to Chelsea raised doubts about the way he man-managed players he already knew and the way he handled the press and the pressure. Which is why it was pleasing to hear him say yesterday he knew he had made mistakes last season yet still found it a very gratifying experience from which he has learned. Though Chelsea finished sixth in the League last season, their decline started under Carlo Ancholetti the previous season, as I wrote in ‘Glory Nights: From Wankdorf to Wembley’ ahead of a potential 2010/11 Champions League Quarter-Final.

The experience of understanding one-size doesn’t fit all, when it comes to both man-management and tactics is crucial. If Villas-Boas work experience in West London has taught him that, it has been time well spent from which we will hopefully benefit. Double training sessions won’t work for every player, just as having a tactical approach is fine, as long as recognizing formations depend on the talent at your disposal. Even Pep Guardiola adjusted Barcelona’s formation last season to suit both his players and the situation, while still maintaining his principles. Not having the ability to adapt, and being insistent on one formation, is asking for trouble.

All-in-all it was a positive first public appearance for the new Head Coach yesterday. He spoke about “us”, he wasn’t shy to talk about challenging for silverware and he even spoke about “Harry”, although he hadn’t got the measure of how to drop the ‘aitch.

The references to Redknapp’s legacy were on the money though. In the few minutes of answers Villa-Boas gave the mics, voice recorders and mobile phones stuck under his chin against the sleek looking backdrop of our new training ground yesterday, it was good to hear his wish to build upon the excellent foundations in the first-team squad already there. 

With Juande Ramos’ first-full season fresh in the memory, The Board will surely have made clear that while progression is important, it is no good throwing the baby out with the bath water. At the start of 2008-09 the majority of the first-team was replaced - experience and goals gone, the talent of Aaron Lennon bizarrely excluded for David Bentley, one of eight new first-team players who struggled to cope with the burden of expectation in a formation that wasn’t getting the best of out of them. Ramos should have played 4-2-3-1, with Lennon, Modric and Dos Santos playing behind Pavlechcnko, in a position he excelled in just weeks earlier in Euro 2008. 

Four years on, success is within reach for this Tottenham side if Villas-Boas makes the most out of the very good squad he has. And the leadership, experience and footballing qualities of Scott Parker and Rafa van der Vaart could be as crucial as the players who developed so well last year, like Walker and Kaboul. Combined with the new signings, that would include a top class striker, and the squad is as strong as any in the country other than Manchester City. So, Villa-Boas was right to talk about “titles”, with respect to both winning cups and challenging for the League.

The start will be important. With a pro-Redknapp press looking for mistakes, the pressure of a bad start could affect the confidence of the players. But it is clear the Board are more concerned about the structure, and having a system in place that will continue even if any of the new appointments don’t work out. The choice of Steffan Freund, a player who always showed his commitment on the pitch but looked like he could spend extra–time on the training ground working on his crosses from the right and his shooting, shows the Board have appointed not only an up and coming coach with a loyalty to Tottenham, but a pair of eyes and ears in the dressing room of someone they trust. And it makes sense in what is a new managerial team in a developing structure.

As is to be expected, all the noises in Week One of Training are positive, with every player seemingly being given a clean slate. Even Bentley has said he is eager to show the new Coach what he has to offer. Let’s hope he doesn’t think that means he should start kicking balls into a skip again.

However well training is going, the aim now should be for the club to complete its transfer business by the end of July.

MG

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after an absence of 49 seasons is now available to buy for £4.27 (inc VAT) on Amazon and Smashwords. It recalls the Glory Nights at the San Siro, the North London Derby Comeback, Peter Crouch's winner at Manchester City, putting Inter to the sword at White Hart Lane and Diego Maradona's one appearance in a Spurs shirt. It ends with an epilogue at the end of 2012 season, the day after another season of Europa League was confirmed. Further details and photos here.

The End of The Affair

On Friday I wrote a little piece for The Football Project about Harry Redknapp's departure from Tottenham. It is up on their site now - http://thefootballproject.net/2012/06/17/harry-redknapp-the-end-of-the-affair/

The blog on the direction of the club will be coming soon on this site.

Yesterday's Papers

Tottenham Hotspur 2011-12 

At the end of the eighties Manchester band James released a song called ‘Sit Down’ which later became an anthem in student bars in the nineties, with more substance in the ‘pound-a-pint’ plastic glasses rather than a fairly flimsy song that is not representative of their best work. It did though contain the line “if I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor”, words that go some way to summing up why the under-achievement of a Tottenham season that contained some scintillating football at times, is such a big disappointment.

A more lasting memory from the eighties rather than sing-along-guitar-based-pop was a Tottenham side that not only played football with flair, but won things. It had stated ambitions to challenge for the title. And it was proud of a history that we should all know, and which includes these words from Bill Nicolson that are always worth remembering in any end-of-season analysis:

“It’s better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of Glory”. 

Having seen a lot of football over the last thirty years, I knew that going into January 2012, Tottenham had a decent chance of winning the title. And I was pleased with some of the words at the time from players, the coaching staff, the Manager and the Chairman, which also echoed those ambitions. 

Not only were we playing football as good as any side in the country, we had shown signs of a strong winning mentality, and just as importantly, none of our competitors had a significant advantage over us, either in points or on paper. Manchester City had the strongest squad, but with all the expectation on them, no track record of success and a first-team set-up that looked like it could implode, we would have been in with a chance at the death if we kept in striking distance. Manchester United meanwhile were picking up points, but looked far from invincible in any game they played, both in the League and in all other competitions, suffering defeats that would have been shocks against past United sides of recent seasons.

And at that point it was just three-horse race. But I always expected us to be in the top three once we completed our summer transfer business. Anyone who saw Chelsea’s struggles since before Christmas 2010, looked at how Liverpool had spent their millions or even observed Arsenal closely, would have smelt those shovelling shit from the bag labelled “We'll be lucky to finish in the top four” a mile off.

We were worth our place in the top three, aiming high and playing great football. Everything about the club was positive. So far, so good.  In fact up until January there were only a couple of regrets.

Not for the first time we didn’t do our transfer business quickly enough in the summer. The unsettling of Luka Modric was handled superbly by Daniel Levy, and there is nothing we could do about the end of the window occurring after the season was under-way, with as far as keeping Modric’s mind on the job. Levy’s comments out of his car window, telling us how Modric had “understood” the situation, were as welcome as any other interview from a vehicle with the engine running outside a Tottenham Car Park. 

The problem instead was with the incoming players. As previous readers of this blog and my e-book of our Champions League Campaign 2010-11 will know, I had been in favour of signing Scott Parker for a long-time. (Back in the days when he was at Charlton originally, to be precise). Why that wasn’t done before the start of the season was never made clear, and the delay meant we were without him for two crucial games against the Manchester clubs, both of which should be recognised as six-pointers, because even following the defeat at City in January, would have meant the gap was minimal had we perhaps even drawn at White Hart Lane in August. We started that delayed first home game of the season well, Bale looking dangerous, but with Crouch rather than Adebayor being on the end of chances in the penalty area. But eventually City’s fluid attack found it easy to play behind our lightweight central partnership of Modric and Kranjcar, a midfield they already out-numbered anyway, and we lost by four goals, following a three goal defeat at Old Trafford. 

After the window was closed, and our business done we were excellent in the League, and even the points we dropped – draws at Newcastle and Swansea and at home to Chelsea as well as the loss to Stoke where diabolical refereeing decided the game – all contained positive signs in their own way. We should have been more clinical in the first half against Chelsea and in the second half at St James Park, but we were well placed.

In the League Cup and the Europa League the Manager rightly gave some squad players games, while still picking teams that were, on paper, strong enough to win the games they needed to comfortably. The crucial defeat in Europe, to PAOK Salonika at White Hart Lane, highlighted performances that were either lacklustre or not good enough from players including Corluka, Rose, Bassong and Kane, the first three of whom were supposed to be able to step-in as replacements at anytime.

However, we produced so much good football before the defeat at the Etihad in January, it would be wrong to not also mention some of those highlights before moving on.

The win at home to Bolton in early December delivered, for me, our goal of the season by Aaron Lennon, who finished a sweeping move that was started by Kyle Walker, and finished beautifully by Lennon himself, as once again he stretched an opposition with a starting position from wide on the left, coming inside to score a significant goal. 

Bale’s goal second goal at home to Queens Park Rangers, from a central starting position that involved an interchange of passes with Lennon (again from the left), was also full of style, drawing comparisons with Barcelona from observers, although also bringing back memories of Tottenham of old, when passing and movement underpinned many of our greatest days.

And the flexibility in tactics and fluidity of movement were often a key part of that our success in the first half-of-the-season. Lennon, once again from the left, scored another wonderful goal at Fulham, in a team performance that showed a combination of quality and real mettle. 

Arguably the best team performance of the season came away at Norwich, when unlike in the great display that followed at home to Newcastle in February, we didn’t get an early goal, but continued to play football in our efforts to win the game. A fluid front three of Bale, Adebayor and Van Der Vaart all had licence to roam and Bale’s two goals in the second-half that evening, including a great run and finish from deep, were a reminder of his constant ability to win matches.

Alongside Bale and Lennon, Rafa VanDer Vaart is our other genuine match-winner, with a consistent ability to turn games. He showed it with the vital run he went on, scoring in consecutive games in our unbeaten sequence, which included a couple of crackers away at Blackburn and the opener in the North London Derby win. But as well as goals he offers more, with a combination of technique, football intelligence and desire. When we have struggled to break teams down, his ability to play between the lines, such as in the second-half at home to Everton when he played at the front of the diamond, has allowed him to change games in less obvious ways.

The versatility for the team to switch between systems including 4-4-1-1, a diamond, 4-3-3, and three at the back, boded well at the turn of the year, and even in the second-half fight-back at Manchester City it was the movement of Bale and Lennon that caused City the most problems as we piled on the pressure.

The decisive moment was of course Defoe just failing to convert the chance that would surely have won the game and killed City off from Bale’s cross in that game. Not only was it a six-pointer that would have closed the gap, it would have been City’s first home defeat in the League of the season, and caused serious doubts to side that had only won one trophy in 25 years at that point, and who following their pre-Christmas exit from the Champions League had been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions that month. They had a long way to fall after their early season promise, and Defoe scoring may have caused them to look down with four months still remaining.

But instead that let-off, which they capitialised on by going up the other end and nicking it, caused a psychological blow for us from which we never recovered. We stumbled along in the FA Cup, and produced one last sparkle in the League, against Newcastle, following a couple of early goals in a Saturday early-kick-off at White Hart Lane that boosted the well oiled crowd that after three days of incessant media coverage had almost convinced itself we had the Messiah running the show.

We unwisely took the same team in to the North London Derby the following week, perhaps gambling in an effort to pressurise a suspect Arsenal defence with two big strikers, and arguably our hand forced by injuries. We had a good opening ten minutes, but were soon outnumbered by a team who for all their faults, know how to keep possession; though we got the second goal that always looked likely from a break, we were overrun, and rather than ending Arsenal’s season, we gave them the biggest boost of all.

Tactical errors followed in other games as well; we temporarily got away with 4-4-2 at home to Manchester United because they played the same shape for the forty-five minutes. But a silly foul at the end of the first half gifted them a set-piece, from which they scored, and they were able to re-jig at half-time, as our injury depleted XI looked too weak to fight back. At Everton Van Der Vaart was left on the bench while 4-4-2 failed again. His introduction later wasn’t enough to overturn a lead the home side already had, and were happy to defend deep, and in numbers. 

Van Der Vaart considers himself an attacking midfielder, which is exactly what he is, and he is far more potent a goal threat than Luka Modric when Spurs decide to play with a midfielder behind two strikers, whereas Modric’s greatest strength is dictating the pace of play centrally from deep. For all the fluidity of our play at times in the first half of the season, too many times in the second half, players were not deployed where they could be most effective. And Van Der Vaart is always more effective on the pitch, than on the bench.

Things out of our control also didn’t go our way. Adebayor’s goals that had previously been wrongly ruled out against Stoke, Wolves, Chelsea and Manchester United started to grate more, the worse our latter performances and results became. Even the lost day of training ahead of the midweek home game against Stoke, as the players understandably had to cope after seeing a fellow professional stop breathing in front of them, could be considered a factor when looking into the minute detail of where points were dropped in the season.

The ghost goal in the FA CupSemi-Final, a crucial decision that affected the game was typical of the season’s disappointments, and a growing sense of injustice, which continued to the last day, when Arsenal benefited from Martin Fulop’s shocking display to stop us going third, and then beyond, when the most negative of displays was still enough for Chelsea to stop us getting even a Champions League qualifier.

But for all of that, it should never have come down to little elements of luck. Even with the last two league games left, we knew two wins against inferior opposition would secure a top three finish, which was all we had left to fight for, and the least we should have expected this season. Yet, bizarrely, Scott Parker, apparently struggling with an achilles injury, was brought on for the injured Van Der Vaart instead of Dos Santos, Defoe or Saha, when we needed a goal at the death at Villa Park. The previous week, the insistence to keep the injured Lennon on against Blackburn for an extra ten minutes, despite having a goal-lead and knowing his importance in the coming games, was also worrying. And finally, sending out the injured Kyle Walker for the second-half on the last day, again despite being in the lead and having two alternate options at right-back, was a final sign of erratic decision making from the Manager.

It has been a hard season for Redknapp. He had a heart operation, then the culmination of a Court Case which has been a cloud hanging over him for years. The day that ended he was immediately under pressure again, as the England job became vacant ahead of time. He was always going to be a contender, and it was long expected 2011-12 would be his last as Tottenham Manager, but the very public distraction as he was touted for the Office he has always openly courted didn’t help him or the players, as results started to slide. 

At the time we were riding high and he could have committed to Tottenham in the knowledge if he was offered the England job he could have done it on a one-off basis with public backing for the summer - without the hassle of qualifying, with no worry of blame, fulfilling his ambition while challenging for a major international tournament with nothing to lose. And as I wrote at the time, he could then have returned to work with better players at his club, and the knowledge they were as likely to win the Champions League at Wembley in 2013, as England were to win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Chelsea’s win has emphasised how achievable that would have been, as they won the Cup on foreign soil with an inferior team to ours. But Redknapp didn’t commit, and after over three and a half years in charge, is also solely responsible for us not guaranteeing qualification next season.

For the players, as the results got worse, and the season neared to the end, the uncertainty of Redknapp’s position, and their own situations, helped no one. While the long-standing doubts over Redknapp’s future, which were there before February, have no doubt been a factor in the lack of activity in the transfer market in the last two windows. 

It is clear where we need to improve in the squad. Watching Ledley King struggle this season has been painful, and a centre-back is imperative. A left-back that can challenge Ekotto is also essential, as is cover for Walker, and strong back-up players who can come-in to the team and turn games, like Krancjar used to be able to do in the past. And for all Adebayor’s contributions, for the money reportedly involved in the deal, it is likely there could be a better options available – ideally someone who has a good first touch and can consistently time his runs, as well as being always motivated and clinical in front of goal.

The Club has made good transfers in Redknapp's reign without much involvement of the Manager, notably Van Der Vaart, Sandro and Pienaar, the last of whom is now only fully appreciated under a different Manager (which is maybe how Dos Santos will finally be viewed positively). But the limbo, now recognised by all, is not helpful. It is a loose end must be tied one way or the other.

It is why “just one more year” won’t work in this circumstance. This is not Pep Guardiola on a rolling-contract at Barcelona, with a footballing philosophy behind it, and an orderly succession in place from the backroom staff. If the decision is to wait for Guardiola himself, who may well fancy a job in London after a year’s break and who, reports suggest, will consider clubs not involved in the Champions League, it is understandable, though from the outside it looks like a massive gamble, unless he signs a pre-agreement. 

Either way, something should be happening behind the scenes and I will expand on long-term solutions in my next Spurs blog, coming soon.

MG

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup in 2010-11 is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

Glory Nights: From Wankdorf to Wembley

My e-book about Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup after an absence of 49 Seasons, is now available to buy for £4.27 including VAT from Amazon and Smashwords. It documents Glory Nights when Spurs put the then European Champions Inter to the sword at White Hart Lane and the famous win at the San Siro, as well as past recollections, including Deigo Maradona's one appearance in a Spurs shirt at White Hart Lane. From the qualifier on the plastic pitch in Berne through until I ended up in the front row at Wembley as Barcelona won the Final, via an epic series of El Clasicos, it captures football at the highest level, as well as the Glory and Escape of travelling to matches over land and sea.

Underneath the Arch

After yesterday's FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley, I have written this - http://thesubstantive.com/2012/04/underneath-the-arch/ 

My e-book on Tottenham Hotspur's return to the European Cup for the first time in 49 Seasons is now available on Amazon and Smashwords.