Beef Bagel

Saturday - 12.40

Sitting in the heart of Hammer country was not where I thought I’d be watching the season’s opener. This was not a friendly local’s pub and indeed not the pub I was supposed to be in. The plan had been to meet my friend, Anna, at The Palm Tree in Bow but after dream after dream about missing the kick off the in the small hours of the night before, I really did find myself running late as usual. Will I ever learn?

(more…)

Amazing. Three left backs and all of them injured for the trip to Sunderland. Wait a minute, you know what that means? There could well be a place for new signing and king of the recent Eurfoot Tournament, Yuri Berchiche. Now, it being an away day, the first of the season and a guaranteed bruiser against not only a Championship side but a Roy Keane Championship side, MJ may decide against this blooding for the 17-year-old that could become something closer to a decapitating but I would be disappointed not to at least see the Basque born youngster make the squad. Instead, we’ll most probably see the likes of an Ifil, Stalteri or Rocha out of position and plugging the gap. Another time Yuri.
(more…)

With just a few days to go the question that’s been on our lips is now as clear as day on those at the club and the rest of English football fans. Can Tottenham break the Big Four?

“I think with the squad we have got it is a chance this season. It’s our first real chance to do that. That is what our aim and focus is on achieving this season,” says Ledley as he confirms our targets are theirs but what are the real chances?

(more…)

If you missed it - and I most certainly did - the first game at the Lane, for what seems like an age now, apparently looked a little like this…

(more…)

It’s not the fact that we’re a weaker team without him, it’s that I miss watching him play. That’s what saddens The Bagel most about the setbacks upon setbacks that continue to plague O Captain Our Captain. Without a given time frame by which to have Ledders back, my best guess would be the last game in September and later still if we’re looking steady with Safety First, Kaboul and Curtis Davies if we’ve finally managed to sign him by then.

What’s worse is that Gareth Bale and Little Aaron will be absent from the first few games with problems of their own and suddenly our line up feels a lot less stellar than it could do. It’s at times like this when I’m glad we picked up goal machine Darren Bent to lift the spirits some. Here, this should help a little too…

(more…)

Poor old Princess Boateng. One minute it’s all white dresses, ‘i dos’ and drunk, embarrassing family members and the next she’s whisked off on a honeymoon to romantic N17, where her husband has just signed his life away for a modest £15,000 per week. On the other hand, we get a 20-year-old cheap to run £5m player, who in six month’s time will do anything just to be out of the house, even if it’s to spend a season in the reserves or sit on the bench. Sounds good to me.

(more…)