Clinging On, For Now at Least

I can't remember a Spurs team that has been so ravaged by injuries. Typically any team will lose 3 or 4 guys at any given time. Unfortunately, Tottenham now has Woodgate, King, Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon, Bentley, and Defoe all out. We just received a boost today with the news that Pav suffered from muscle spasms as opposed to a muscle tear so he might be back for the weekend match against Portsmouth. We needed that badly. I really wish we had Keane and O'Hara back now, but hindsight is 20/20. Harry understands the transfer market and loaning out those two kept their transfer value high. The importance of a deep squad cannot be understated at the end of a season when each game is so important. We have fourth place and a date in the FA Cup semifinal in our sights. Without the immergence of Bale, Krancjar, Pav, and most recently Gudjohnsen, this wouldn't be possible.

Not all is sunshine and flowers at White Hart Lane however. There was a sight last weekend that was very troubling to see. Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Charlie Corluka got into it during the second half against Stoke that needed Stoke's forward Ricardo Fuller to break things up. It almost reminded me of the Dyer-Bowyer Newcastle fight from a couple years back. In my opinion, BAE is crazy to begin with. He got into it with a supporter earlier this season, and now this. How can you possibly get angry with Corluka? He seems like the nicest guy on the team. Then he gives up a penalty minutes later! Rip him a new one, Harry.

I'm taking a nap now. I'll finish this up later.

The Fight for Fourth and Advice for Palacios

How about them Spurs? Despite all of the injuries, we have managed yet another win. I would have been extremely disappointed had we lost at home to Blackburn. Pav just keeps on scoring. Joe Jordan, our assistant, has come out and said there is still a spot in the squad for Keane and that he will definitely be returning next season. I can tell you how this is going to play out in one of two ways. Defoe will be sold for upwards of 30 million pounds or Celtic ends up ponying up the transfer fee we demand for Keane. There is just one too many roosters in the hen house. I don't even want to think about Pav being on the way out. He is quality. I love his left footed finishes. He always seems to create just enough space for himself to get off an accurate shot. Harry...sell Keano, keep the others. You hate drinkers, and despite what you said, you hate that he corrupted everyone on the Christmas party to London. By the way, who doesn't allow a team Christmas party with a little booze? I would want to leave Spurs, too. Harry claimed that "you don't put diesel in a Ferrari" when asked why he is so against his players drinking. You are paying them upwards of 60,000 pounds a week and they are surrounded by babes. Why not just ask them to quit masterbating while you are at it. Try telling an 18 year old sailor not to buy a BMW. It's just not happening.

In other news, Palacios has come out and said he would love to play for Real Madrid at some point. Here is a piece of advice, Wilson. Never leave a good time looking for a good time. You are cult hero at Spurs, and you would never be fully appreciated there. Look at how they ran Makelele out after everything he did for them. You are basically a spitting image of Makelele. They want superstars and flash, not hard working midfielders who send too many errant passes downfield. Stick with us, buddy.

My Apologies and an Ode to Donovan

I must apologize for my lack of posts recently. The Navy has decided to put me at work flying twice a day for the past couple of weeks and I took a cross country this weekend to the West Coast. I have neglected my most important job, bitching about Tottenham. A funny thing happened when I stopped posting however...we started winning. Do I feel bad posting and possibly ending the streak? Not really. This streak isn't going to end any time soon. I can see the FA Cup final and Champions League football on the horizon. Half of our team had the flu in the Everton game, and we still gutted out the win. This is an omen. It has been several seasons since the infamous Lasagna gate incident where we needed a win against West Ham to secure fourth and crack the Champions League and our squad was poisoned by someone. All fingers point to the scum, Arsenal, who somehow managed to sneak into the fourth spot we left open. My conspiracy theory places Osama bin Laden as the main culprit. How in the hell can you support a team that has bin Laden as a supporter? I mean, shit, you might as well root for Mexico and Virginia Tech while you're at it. Back to the subject at hand....Spurs are headed for great things. Not even sneaky viruses can keep us down anymore.

I want to take this moment to send an ode out to Landon Donovan. I felt that the US wouldn't have even qualified for the World Cup without him. While the rest of the squad was inconsistent, he was a rock and offensive genius throughout qualifying. This alone would have put him on my Mt. Rushmore of favorite people, but after missing the wide open goal against Spurs, he has now deified himself. All the guy does are things that benefit me. How in the world did he miss? I've looked at it from every angle and it's just puzzling. It was his dominant foot at the far post without a defender providing pressure on his back. This is the type of miss that could just send Landon reeling. Everyone knows he is sensitive and has a tough time when the heat is turned up. He didn't do much in the Netherlands game today, which was his first game since the miss. It's a bad sign. Keep an eye on this fragile little boy just crumbling under a lack of confidence. Just so you know, I hope he doesn't fall apart. I'm all America people.

Onto Super Pav...The last time I can remember a player so far in the doghouse, only to prove all the doubters wrong on his return, was David Beckham at Real Madrid. Capello had completely written him off when Beckham turned Madrid's season around and led them to the La Liga title. Like Beckham, Pav was being shown the door earlier in the season but somehow managed to pull a 180. The signs were there that Pav would be given a chance when Harry let Keano head to Celtic, but no one could have foreseen Pav's rich vein of form. It's always difficult to judge how much other players like each other, but it is obvious Pav is not only a fan favorite, but a fan in the locker room. When someone scores, the team is excited for obvious reasons, but pay attention a little closer to the celebration. Pav is absolutely mauled every time he puts one in. Bale and Corluka nearly ran him over in the Wigan game. The players celebrate his goals as if they scored. I have watched a lot of goals and celebrations this season, and Pav's are easily the happiest and most fun to watch. He has become the catalyst the team needed to kick start the second half of the season. Keep scoring you Russian.

Here is the picture of Wayne Bridge's dirty pirate hooker of an ex-girlfriend. As an American fan, she should be commended for tearing apart the English dressing room. Only a woman can have such a negative impact on morale...

New Guest Blogger- Lukas

I wanted to introduce a new guest blogger to the many readers of the blog. I have brought in Luke Winter to bring a new outlook into the Premiership and life. Luke and I played on the club soccer team at UVA together and was also my big brother during my brief stay in the fraternity which shall not be named. I am honored to present the first of his many contributions below:

Greetings fellow bloggers, soccer fanatics, cool people, and Rob Gordon. While contemplating the topic of this finest guest appearance, I decided why limit myself? This is the world of sports as I see it…in 3s.

3 things to stay to NBC executives about their coverage of the Olympics. 1. You have vastly overestimated my willingness to watch curling and women’s ice hockey. Curling is OK for 30 mins every 4 years. Women’s hockey is never OK. 2. No matter how many times you tell me that an ice skating couple are a couple outside of the rink, I will never believe it. 3. Women’s hockey is NEVER OK!

3 worst dressed Premier League players. 1. Roman Pavlyuchenco – who ever wears long sleeves with thumb-holes cut in them? Goths wearing fishnet shirts and Spurs rejects. 2. Pascal Chimbonda – am I the only one tired of seeing him prance around in ballet tights under his shorts? Is he really not man enough to expose the middle 6 inches of his legs to the 30 degree England winter? 3. Fabien Barthez – This spot is reserved for any player who pulls his socks up over his knees. Barthez just happened to be the first that came to mind (Henry too, though neither play in Prem. now).

(No, it was not a coincidence that two of the aforementioned players donned Spurs jerseys.)

3 worst off field decisions. 1. Tiger…nuff said. 2. John Terry – that underwear model may look good with the airbrush of the magazines, but she’s got some great “but-her-face” potential. 3. John Daly – even though he lost over 100 lbs and isn’t drinking as much and may actually have added 20 years back onto his life, I can’t help but notice that he is decidedly less funny. Nobody cares if a skinny white guy goes onto a golf course and hits the ball hard. It’s only entertaining if he’s fat, swearing, smoking a cig, and drinking a beer.

3 predictions for rest of season. 1. Liverpool will take 4th . I know Rob disagrees, but the squad is just too deep and Man City has no defense. When Torres and Gerrard are back playing well, they’ll shoot back up. Though I hate to admit it, status quo will stay. 2. Someone on Real Madrid will speak out publicly about how selfish Ronaldo is…big shocker. He’d rather take a left footed backheel on goal from 30 yds than pass to a teammate. 3. An Englishman will be the leading scorer for the first time since Shearer. This will only heighten the level of cockiness coming from the potbellied English fan with yellow teeth in time for England to make their traditional World Cup exit in the Quarterfinals because he’s too tired from playing every game for Man U…while the USA march on!!!

-Luke

Thoughts on Leeds

I woke up just in time to catch the Leeds game this past Saturday. At the end of the game, I was pretty morbid. Giving away a last second penalty to offer Leeds a lifeline in a replay hit me almost as hard as the previous night's bourbon. I spent a day of reflection however to give my honest thoughts.

First of all, Gareth Bale is an exceptional talent. His attacking prowess as a left back is unbelievable. I would keep Benoit Assou-Ekotto as the first choice back, but I would give serious contemplation towards moving Bale into the left midfield slot. He runs at defenders fearlessly and the balls he whips in are top class. His defending is still slack at times which is why he doesn't play ahead of BAE.

Another thing that shocked me was how Roman Pavlyuchenko somehow produced a moment of brilliance in the first minute he was on the pitch. How sweet that must have felt for him! Pav has been an afterthought all season long with rumors constantly swirling about him moving on to another club during this January transfer window, yet he still has that striker's instinct. It was a lovely step-over and classy finish. It really makes me wonder if we should be shopping him around so vigorously with Keano's dip in form.

Leeds' striker Jermaine Beckford is the real deal. I didn't buy into the hype surrounding him after the Man U game, but he proved me wrong. He was putting himself into great positions and harassed our center backs all game long. Why in the world did Dawson have to lunge at Beckford in box in the last minute? Stay on your feet son. It almost reminded me of the Australia-Italy World Cup game in 2006 when the Australian defender left his feet to make a challenge and ended their World Cup dream. It was a clumsy challenge by our young captain, but you have to tip your hat to Beckford. He played a great game and his penalty showed the confidence he has. I think it is safe to say that we will see this youngster in the Premiership sooner rather than later.

On Tuesday, Spurs play Fulham at White Hart Lane in what I consider a must-win. Fulham is missing Zamora and Dempsey, so their attack is severly crippled. Now is the time to jump on them and get back to our winning ways. My prediction: 3-1 Spurs. Come on you Spurs.....