Monday 16 December 2013

Andre Villas Boas : Thanks for the memories...

Last day of the premier league 2011-2012. Spurs have finished fourth. Champions league qualification almost within reach. The only way we miss out on the CL would be if Chelsea,who finished sixth in the league,manage to do the impossible : beat Bayern Munich in the champions league finals at the Allianz Arena, the home of the German giants on the 19th of May. Chelsea sit back, defend all match, concede one and score a last minute goal through a corner out of nowhere. Luck favours them in the penalties and stabs us in the back yet again.
Harry Redknapp is stunned. Luka Modric goes AWOL to force a move to Madrid. He gets his way and is sold to Madrid for 33 million. Day is going fine, Harry is having lunch with his wife, thinking what went wrong. Didn't get the England job, no top 3, no champions league. And he receives a text from Daniel Levy," Hey 'Arry , you're fired!" Harry stunned again, White Hart Lane stunned again, Spurs fans stunned again.
Now, there is only one question that arises - What the hell? Why was Harry sacked? The only plausible reason I could come up with was the lack of ambition in Harry. Also, the ageing squad he built. Replacement suggestions were being thrown in by the media. Moyes, Martinez, Benitez and AVB. Wait...who AVB? That same young dynamic coach who loves aggression and wanted to build a young squad at Chelsea and was given  the axe in a few months? That same guy who didn't get enough time to build a squad? Oh.

So Levy sees the same thing we all saw in Andre Villas Boas, and hires him. Avb asks Levy for a few new signings. Levy gets him Gylfi Sigurdsson, a promising midfielder who impressed with his performances on loan at Swansea City, Jan Vertonghen, Dutch League player of the year for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, Mousa Dembele, an engine and a world class dribbler who thrived at Fulham and the French keeper captain,Hugo Lloris. But Avb's priority was a world class striker. Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe sure didn't fulfill his requirements. But Levy is Levy. He gets him Ade(28) ,who no doubt impressed with his performances on loan at Spurs the previous year, and Clint Dempsey(29), who did well at Fulham. Avb was content but not completely happy. He surely had the right to be disappointed after having had strikers like Radamel Falcao and Hulk at his disposal during his reign at Porto.

2012-2013 seasons kicks off with a home fixture against WBA. A slow start to the premier league put some pressure on the young coach and a trip to the Old Trafford was around the corner where no Tottenham coach had managed a victory in the past 23 years! Guess what? Spurs managed to beat them 3-2 in a game of two halves. Avb instantly became a fan favourite. His emotions, his celebrations, and those wild fist pumps while shouting out loud showed his attachment he had begun to develop with Spurs. The strikers were wasteful all season and truth be told, Gareth Bale single handedly won quite a few matches for us. But someone had to shine. But Bale shined too bright. It was another bright star Madrid wanted to gobble down its ever hungry stomach and add to its already star studded galaxy. Frankly, he was so good, that he was our plan A , plan B and plan C. Avb had turned Bale into  an unstoppable world class player. Did the same happen with Falcao? Hell yes! And still no credit was given to Avb. Bale took away all the limelight. Bale went on to win all the 3 awards of the season,which only a few players like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo have managed.

Spurs finished fifth in the league, with a total of 72 points, our highest points tally in the premier league ever. We missed out on Champions league by a single point! No problem. Spurs had become a force to be reckoned with.  Next season they would do better. A team would be built around Bale. A team which could be a potential title contender. But Bale and Real Madrid had other ideas. A long stressful transfer saga ended with an inevitable sale of Bale to Madrid for a world record fee of 84 million pounds, eclipsing the previous highest that involved Madrid(again) and United for Cristiano Ronaldo that summed up to 80 million pounds.

Spurs stunned yet again. A player becomes famous, and leaves us in misery yet again. Its hard to face the fact that you're being used as a stepping stone. Spurs appoint Franco Baldini as a technical director on Avb's suggestion. All the money from the Bale Sale was pumped in for transfers of Paulinho, Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen, Etienne Capoue, Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela and Vlad Chiriches. Levy gave complete backing and assurances to Andre to begin a revolution at Spurs and build a young squad which would be POTENTIAL title contenders in the near future while setting the mimimum qualification of a top 4 FINISH AT THE END OF THE SEASON and subsequent champions league qualification.

Two home defeats against West Ham and Newcastle and a 6-0 defeat at the Etihad had created enough buzz in the media threatening Andre's job safety. 15 games , 27 points, and just 8 points behind the leaders, Arsenal, 6 points behind second placed Chelsea, 5 points behind 3rd placed City, and 3 points behind 4th placed liverpool before the match against liverpool on the 15th of December at  White Hart Lane. Spurs don't show up in the match, while liverpool dominate them in each department and run riot at us smashing the spurs' net 5 times. Final nail in the coffin for Avb. Levy sacks him today, the 16th of December. Fairytale ends. Dreams shattered. All gone quiet. Revolution halted. Avb gone.

108 million pounds invested in the team. 115 million earned. A net profit is still made by our Chairman, Daniel Levy. 108 million spent and only 107 DAYS invested in Avb after the transfer deadline day. Funny.
The whole point to appoint Avb was to BUILD a squad to challenge for the title in the near future, to play dynamic aggressive football. Honestly, we didn't see the best of it but we did see glimpses of what we were capable of. All that was needed was time. A young squad WAS in the making. All that was needed was to find the missing spark that Bale took away with him. And a top 4 finish was well within reach with 22 more games to be played! United still sit below Spurs, but Moyes has the complete backing from everyone at Man United. And those who think pumping in millions guarantees success, let me tell you something. Sheikh Al- Mansour bought City in 2007. Millions and millions were pumped. But the first time they MADE AN APPEARANCE in the champions league was in 2012. And they also went on to win the 2011-2012 title after 44 years! Patience paid off. No? Hire and fire is certainly something that no club should be proud of. I'm devastated , shocked and disappointed in Levy today.
A final goodbye to Avb. Some of the memorable moments Avb gave all of us were : The 3-2 win at old trafford, the 3-2 win against West ham and a 3-1 win at home agaisnt city. Also the 4-0 thrashing Spurs gave Inter Milan was worth celebrating.Personally, his fist pumps and celebrations made me crazy about him.
Good bye Andre. All the best!
Meanwhile, I can only hope for some good times at the lane. Hope that  dawn is coming. Hope that the light will shine again. Hope that there will be smiles brightening up our lilywhite faces again. Hope there will be a wave of happiness sweeping the Lane again. Hope that we will throw our hands wide in joy again. Hope that we will breath the sweet smell of success again.

We keep on the fight
Even in the darkest night
The future is bright
The future is lilywhite!

Come On You Spurs!


Aman Tukrel
@aman_thfc

Friday 29 November 2013

Spurs vs Manchester United - Match Preview-1st December

".....It's Six in the City!". Everything left disjointed,disordered and chaotic after that embarrassing defeat at the Etihad. So much rambling that Andre Villas Boas is now suddenly leading the 'sack race'.SO MUCH for one big defeat? Or is the frustration growing in the fans for the lack of goals? Whatever it is, if AVB can prove his critics wrong ,THIS IS THE TIME!

Having suffered a horrendous defeat at the hands of the blue half of Manchester, Spurs will be definitely looking to bounce back against Manchester United. After some poor show in the start of the season 2012-13, it was this fixture result that really made AVB the fan favourite! That's when he earned his Spurs. Now it's time for Spurs to get back to winning ways against United who are on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw at Cardiff themselves.

Both team have had mid week engagements in European competitions. United played their best football under David Moyes as they brushed aside a strong  Leverkusen side 5-0. Spurs got their job done in Norway with a 2-0 win over Tromso.

BIG GAME FOR THE SCOT AND THE PORTUGESE
Now,as it turns out, this fixture is a great opportunity to get some confidence and restore some belief. Be it for the low scoring Spurs side, under-fire Villas-Boas or the disheartened spurs faithful. This is a must win game to get our season kick started !

TEAM NEWS:
Andre has all players at his disposal except for  3 players. Adebayor remains doubtful due to a groin injury , while Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Christian Eriksen remain out on the sidelines

Last year's result: 1-1

Referee : Mike Dean

KO time : 5.30 pm IST


Line up prediction :

Lloris
-Walker Kaboul Dawson Vertonghen -
Paulinho sandro-
Townsend sigurdsson lamela 
soldado


Score line prediction : 3-1 to spurs! Sigurdsson,Townsend and Soldado!
For Indian Spurs,we have exciting screenings in some cities this Sunday. Contact IndiaSpurs for details.
https://www.facebook.com/IndiaSpurs
https://twitter.com/IndiaSpurs
 Get in there!

COYS!

https://twitter.com/aman_thfc

Wednesday 25 September 2013

In My White Heart Lane.

"Dude, why Tottenham?",asked a friend of mine with an astonished look.And I was compelled to think-Hmmm, why Tottenham?

Okay, it goes something like this. It was the summer of 2006, the World Cup year. I was only 11 and being an Indian child, I grew up watching and playing cricket. Then the World Cup came around and took me completely by storm. Having enjoyed the FIFA World Cup ever so much, I was looking forward to the Barclays Premier League. That's when I really wanted to find out what football is and why is it so popular,  particularly, the English Premier League.

Being an impressionable boy, and owing to some so-called fans(not referring to those who actually support United in the true sense), I would be influenced to watch Manchester United play. After a few weeks, I asked myslef, "What's so great about football?What am I really doing?". I couldn't answer myself then, just when Tottenham came along. That easy on the eye football, those lovely fans, those committed players, those lilywhite shirts, those loud chants(my favourite being-Oh When The Spurs) and that grand stadium,  WHITE HART LANE. I did not find the need to answer my questions. They were already taken care of.

It's a shame I never got to watch Berba and Keane play together, but who really stole my heart was Luka Modric. Seeing him was always a delight as he flawlessly glided through players. Soon I found myself playing football for my school, and later for my junior college. I realised my passion for football was growing exponentially. It was Spurs who showed me another dimension of PASSION and HAPPINESS. It has been a treat to watch some of the players grace the pitch at The Lane with their mind blowing footballing skills. Apart from Modric, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Jan Vertonghen and Aaron Lennon have been players who certainly caught my eye, to name a few.

At home, I instantly turn up the volume when I  hear 'Oh When The Spurs' and sing along. The mere thought of it gives me goosebumps. My dream is to go to The Lane, with the India Spurs flag wrapped around my back, with my hands thrown up in the air, and sing this sensational chant. I know for a fact that'll send chills to my spine even in my coffin!

I believe horror movies, adventure sports and supporting Spurs should not be meant for faint hearted people. Supporting Spurs, obviously has never been easy. But it's this one thing I'll always have my entire life to hold on to. It's this one thing my heart would always beat for.

Now, here I am, a part of India Spurs, an official supporters club of Tottenham Hotspur, living my dream and writing for them. I can't thank these two people enough : Suraj Sharma, the chairman and founder of India Spurs to have given so many of us a chance to  be a part of the supporters club and my friend, Mahika,  who constantly pushes me and motivates me to do things she knows I'm capable of.

And now whenever someone asks me, "Dude,why Tottenham?", I don't find the need to answer him. I just shrug my shoulders and secretly pity him knowing he would never know what this really is. In my heart, I know, it's not just football, it's not just Tottenham Hotspur, it's my LOVE, PASSION and RELIGION.
The future is bright,
The future is Lilywhite.
COYS!

Friday 13 September 2013

SPURS VS. NORWICH PREVIEW-Team News.

After a long international break,we are finally set for some Barclays Premier League action this weekend.







Ex-Tottenham boss,Chris Hughton is up against Andre Villas Boas this Saturday!

Good news is that almost everyone has returned without an injury except for Gylfi Sigurdsson who returned with a dead leg,but still took part in the initial training. Kyle Walker certainly didn't have his best game against Ukraine after his recent media problems. Hugo Lloris did have a bad time in his last game for France ,but the French shot-stopper will be hoping to keep a clean sheet this Saturday.

Spurs have had a good start to the season, taking 6 points from the first 3 games. Spurs would definitely want to bounce back after that 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates. On the other hand,Norwich City have had a mixed start, winning 1, losing 1 and drawing 1.

Both the fixtures last year ended in a 1-1 draw,and the match is expected to be as tight this Saturday too.

Tottenham and Nowich ,both have strengthened their squads heavily. The Canaries have signed Gary Hooper,Leroy Fer, Nathon Redmond and club record signing Ricky Van Wolfswinkel.

Expected Line Up:



Prediction: I'm going for a 2-0 win to us. Soldado and Townsend with the goals. What are YOUR thoughts?

 

AVB has the entire squad to choose from, except Aaron Lennon, Adebayor and Capoue, while  Gylfi Sigurdsson is a doubt.

K.O. time: 3:00pm GMT 
Venue: White Hart Lane.

COYS!!!


Monday 9 September 2013

International Round-up

International break folks. Here's how our players did for their respective nations in the first game of the International break.
Qualifiers: 

New signing, Christian Eriksen scored the winner as Denmark edged past Malta 2-1 in Ta'Qali.

Nacer Chadli and Jan Vertonghen both played out 90 minutes for Belgium in their 2-0 victory against Scotland. Mousa Dembele got a few minutes under his belt as he was brought in late in the game.
Full back,Kyle Walker played 90 minutes for England in their 4-0 win against Moldova. Andros Townsend and Jermain Defoe were unused substitutes.

Hugo Lloris captained France in their 0-0 stalemate with Georgia.

Vlad Chiriches captained Romania in their 3-0 win against Hungary.

Roberto Soldado was an unused substitute as Spain came out victorious against Finland, beating them 2-0.

Gylfi Sigurdsson played 90 minutes for Iceland in their breath-taking match against Switzerland ending 4-4.

U-21:
Tom Carroll played 90 minutes for the England U-21 side and Harry Kane was brought on as a substitute for Zaha as England drew 1-1 with Finland.

Friendlies: 

Paulinho was instrumental in helping Brazil ease past Australia,6-0. The midfielder played the first  60 minutes for his nation,later being substituted for the  Lazio ace,Hernanes.


All the best to our players for the second game!
Fixtures:
ROMANIA vs  Turkey
Ukraine vs ENGLAND
BRAZIL vs Portugal
Belarus vs FRANCE
Armenia vs DENMARK
SPAIN vs Chile

COYS!!

Wednesday 21 August 2013

SUPER SCOTT SUPER SCOTTY PARKER!


If Scott Parker had featured in 300,it would have been called 1.


"I'm gonna knock him down and wrestle him to the ground. I don't care,I'm getting the ball back!" This is what Scotty would probably tell himself while getting the possession back and getting the ball moving again for the Lilywhites. Not once,not twice. A hundred times over and over again.

I would like to express my views as we see our workhorse join Fulham after serving two sensational years at Tottenham.
 Signing him for 5 million pounds from the then relegated club,West Ham,certainly raised a few eyebrows.So many questions were raised. Was he the right man Spurs are looking for? Are we taking a step forward? No,no. Super Scotty just didn't clear our doubts,he SMASHED them.
 Often we saw Parker hassling and battling and tackling to get the ball back. His discipline and commitment spoke volumes of this midfield powerhouse. Scotty had established a great partnership with  our midfield maestro,Luka Modric. Tirelessly chasing or rather hunting down the opponent,Scotty would give in a 110% for us. Undoubtedly,his energy and dedication was second to none. So good that he always remained no.1,keeping out the beast we now know as 'Sandro'. Old Harry would have no option but to deploy Parker in the central midfield.
Parker carried on in the match even after this nasty injury agaisnt the club he just signed for,Fulham,in our 3-1 away win at  Craven Cottage. Some fella.

Unfortunately,Parker leaves Tottenham without a single goal scored. He came closest to score against FC Basel in the Europa League quarter final,where his attempt to pass the ball in an empty net took an unlucky deflection of Lewis Holtby,lying helplessly on the ground. Not the best dribbler or attacker around,but Scotty sure had other attributes of his that made sure he was always loved at The Lane. So much that he was voted the best player of the season 2011-2012.


Performing with pride,winning the ball back and allowing the creative craft of the team to embrace its expressive freedom, Super Scotty would always pick himself up,in his typically dirty shirt,waiting for another battle.
Here's a video you can watch.


GOOD LUCK SCOTTY!



-Aman Tukrel
Twitter: aman_thfc

Friday 16 August 2013

CRYSTAL PALACE Vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR-Team News and Quotes.

Ahead of Tottenham's first game of the Barclays Premier League 2013-2014,we look at the team news and quotes.

AVB looks ready for the kick-off.
Gareth Bale, an obvious summer target for Real Madrid, will be out injured with a foot injury and definitely wont feature in the clash at Selhurst Park.


The Welsh Wizard is ruled out until September

Lewis Holtby remains side-lined due to a knee injury and is also unavailable for selection. The versatile German midfielder is expected to be fit before the North London Derby at The Emirates.
Lewis is expected to be back by the 25th of August.

Good news for Spurs fans is that Jan Vertonghen could feature in the squad. The Belgian defender faces a late fitness test before the Sunday encounter against the newly-promoted club.
  "Let’s wait and see on Jan," said Andre Villas Boas after training on Friday. "He’s made good  progress so there is a small chance he could make the squad."


Jan Vertonghen was injured in our clash against Sunderland in Hong Kong

 When asked about Younes Kaboul,AVB said,
   "He’s looking extremely good. He only played 20 minutes for France so he was able to train fully today and he did very well. There have been some good signs from him." 
   With Kaboul returning to fitness,AVB could give him a few minutes. New signing Etienne Capoue is likely to slot in directly in defence with club captain Dawson,who had a few things to say before their match on sunday.
Kaboul might feature on Sunday


'We didn't get off to a flyer last season like we wanted to,' the Tottenham captain told Spurs TV Online.
'We showed strength, commitment and spirit to fight back, but if we had started better then who knows where it would have taken us? Hopefully this year we can get off to a flyer.
'Hopefully it will be the start of a great year that has more ups than downs.'
   Dawson has underlined the importance of a quick start,which we certainly didn't display last season which saw us only take 2 points from our first 3 games.
Dawson spoke about Younes,and the new signings,while particularly praising Roberto Soldado.






The travelling fans would be hoping to see their big money signing,Soldado step up in the absence of Gareth.







All the four signings spurs made this summer-Paulinho,Chadli,Capoue and Soldado are available for selection and most of them are likely to feature this weekend and make their debuts.

COYS!