Official Tottenham Hotspur Thread

[Liam]

Though I do feel bad for you, I'd rather have seen Arsenal go through to the Champions League. If anything, I think Spurs would do really good in the UEFA Cup, and probably not so good in the Champs League, really. Coupling that with the extra games they'd have to play to qualify to the Champs League "proper", it could have put strain on your side in the Prem.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Well that is true.

Although it does mean one less English team and one more French team in the Champions League next season

[/bitter]

[alldaws1]

Bad luck, but it's better than finishing fourth then having Arsenal win the Champions League, right?

Erm, no.

[TMM]

I think the Spurs team waiter was an Arsenal fan...and I salute him. Only thing is that this means a lot of really bitter Spurs fans will 'have an excuse' for losing. Ah well, shit happens.

Bad luck, but ya know, the better team finished 4th, and that's me as a football fan saying that.

[TheArsenal]

Spurs have had a fantastic year, but you can't say finishing fifth was all about today - it's a 38 game season. A lot of the critics were saying that Arsenal deserved Champions League football next year for the standard of football they played, but whether that should be at the expense of Spurs or not was a different matter.

Either way, Spurs have had a great year, and I think UEFA Cup footballis a good achievement for the club.

[Guest Kliq Masterson]

It's okay, I made a deal with the devil where he lets me have all sorts of things if we didn't get into the CL

[NobBe Nobbs]

Bad luck, but it's better than finishing fourth then having Arsenal win the Champions League, right?

Erm, no.

[Guest Kliq Masterson]

Bad luck, but it's better than finishing fourth then having Arsenal win the Champions League, right?

Erm, no.

[IAceI]

Spurs couldn't beat us lot, ergo - no CL ¬_¬

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

It's okay, I made a deal with the devil where he lets me have all sorts of things if we didn't get into the CL

Ask for Henry to go to Barca. One-man Arsenal in their new stadium (which won't suit their 'in the channels' style of play like Highbury does) will struggle to get top 6 next season before the younger guys kick up to full potential.

[Liam]

They'd still finish ahead of you, IMO.

[Guest Kliq Masterson]

If they played consistently the whole time? Maybe. But they don't. Henry is their talisman, and even at times where the Arsenal players appear unmotivated and seem to be doing nothing, Henry is always doing his best to win the games. Without him, they would really struggle to find the proper influential force.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Arsenal/Spurs the other week showed it big time. Before Henry came on Spurs DOMINATED Arsenal AT Highbury.

The other games this season tended to show that they lost the games that Henry didn't play or didn't turn up for.

Also out of interest, as Chelsea lost their last game, were Spurs the only Premiership team this season to not lose back to back league games?

[ONO]

What force would they have with Henry gone?

Fabregas? Too young. Henry IS Arsenal.

[Liam]

I'm not arguing as to whether Henry is or isn't Arsenal, I just think that there is a big enough possibility that this is a false dawn for Spurs, and they might slide back to being the mid-table team that they've been for the past however many years. It is not about whether Arsenal maintain thier form, more is Spurs can actually repeat what was arguably a definite over-achievement this year.

[ONO]

I'm not arguing as to whether Henry is or isn't Arsenal, I just think that there is a big enough possibility that this is a false dawn for Spurs, and they might slide back to being the mid-table team that they've been for the past however many years. It is not about whether Arsenal maintain thier form, more is Spurs can actually repeat what was arguably a definite over-achievement this year.

[Liam]

Yeah, Spurs do have some stuff going for them, but then again, I'd argue that player by player (apart from the defense), a team like Newcastle has a team that should be doing much better, but it just doesn't click. It could go the same way for Spurs, as it is all good having the players, but it is about them going out there and performing.

I like Jol though, and he seems to know what he is doing.

[ONO]

Yeah, Spurs do have some stuff going for them, but then again, I'd argue that player by player (apart from the defense), a team like Newcastle has a team that should be doing much better, but it just doesn't click. It could go the same way for Spurs, as it is all good having the players, but it is about them going out there and performing.

I like Jol though, and he seems to know what he is doing.

[Guest muddatrucker]

HAWH HAWH

[marksbros6]

Anyway, enough of the chatting about Arsenal and Henry in the Official Spurs thread. i'd rather concentrate on the positives from this season. YES it was gutting to lose the final game of the season, and a chance at the CL. But it would have been more gutting for our neighbors from 'up the road' to win the final and rob us, which I'd put money on at the moment. AND I'm convinced that if the squad had been fit then we would have won. Maybe Jol should have nemed our reserves, given the likes of Bunji, Barnard, Marney, Huddlelstone, Davenport and Cerny a shot. Well we'll never know, but we can say:

We've had our best finish for AGES. 5th place! We had something to play for on the last day of the season! This is a welcome change from finishing 11th or 13th, and I strongly believe that after a lot of 'False Dawns' this Spurs side has the potential to do great things.

Martin Jol. He will go down as one of the Tottenham greats. After having to deal with a parade of managers who havn't had a clue it seems (I'm thinking of Gross, Pleat and Santini here) we've got the man to take us places. Tactically astute, a good man-manager (his positive comments about Mendes and Brown after they left, and ignoring the whinging of Sean Davies speak volumes) and most of all a fantastic figurehead for the club. His humour in interviews is great to see, yet he can be an intimidating figure when he needs to be (I loved Wenger squaring up to him, there's only gonna be one winner if it came down to a fight!). Most of all he's a manager we can have faith in again, and no-ones inspired that confidence in me since...well Graham didn't have the team, neither did Hoddle, Pleat made some shitty decisions IMO (King in midfield every game?) and Santini stayed for a cup of coffee and that was it, so basically no-ones inspired that confidence in me in...forever!

The Team and Players. Englands #1 Keeper. King and Dawson in defence. Michael freakin' Carrick. Lennon for England! Give us a whole team of ROBBIE KEANE'S! There are weak points. Davids doesn't look like he has the fitness for a whole season anymore, but I hope we can keep him for his European experience alone. The full-backs look suspect, hopefully Jol can get in some solid replacements for them, they'd be the only weakness in an otherwise solid defence, it's a shame that Stalteri and Lee have cost us a few points this season. I'm also hoping that Marney, Yeates, Ifil and Zeigler can come back and get some chances in the team. I think Marney could be solid at right back, and for the instances where Davids is not fit, off his game or just plain suspended, then Zeigler can give us a similar option to Lennon down the left flank. I'd like to see Yeates given a shot in the 'Jermain Jenas' role too.

Which brings me to the emergence of the youth talent at Spurs. Lennon. Barnard. Dawson and Davenport have all looked impressive this season. And they all have more to come I'm sure! Hopefully they can be bolstered by some quality signings in the Summer (Left back, Right back and a Striker should do it!). maybe then we can push Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool and Chelski even harder next season.

I'll be off getting my passport sorted, and thinking of excuses to skip work midweek next season.

Till then:

'Tottenham are the greatest team the world has ever seen...

Tottenham are the greatest team the world has ever seen...

Tottenham are the greatest team the world has ever seen...

AND THE SPURS GO MARCHING......ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!'