Back to School
Headmaster Levy must have sent a prefect down to get MJ because every one in the football school seems to know that our manager was last summoned to his office. With all noise from the terraces muffled and only a painful wait for Levy to sign some papers, punctuated by the sound of a ticking clock, Jol stood there looking down at his feet until Mr Levy lowered his reading glasses and said:
“Explain yourself boy.”
One can only guess as to what happened next.
As far as the board were concerned, this season was the big one for Tottenham. This was the day of day graduation to the Big Four. The money was given, and lots of it, so where are the results. From their point of view, we have too many players to blame for our lack of success and that buck must now stop at the manager.
Levy must have sat there and listened to the predictable excuses of injuries and bad luck. What else would anyone expect? He’s then put in a situation. Do I let him go with a warning and fire this underling at the end of the season should no progress be made? Or do I give him enough rope to hang himself much sooner?
The board’s already chucked in the cash for almost every player MJ and Comolli have wanted so perhaps it’s a case of in for a penny in for a pound or more accurately, in for a £50m in for £100m? What excuses can the manager possibly have if he’s given the £10-12m for Curtis Davies, £8m for Matt Taylor, however much Guti would cost and now another tenner on Hamburg based, Dutch creative midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart? Give MJ what he wants and if there are still no results then the board are at liberty to dispose of him whenever they chose with no complaints from the manager, the fans or the press if indeed they’re bothered by any of these groups.
The words of comfort today come from Baby Face Tony. I can’t tell you why I find them comforting there’s nothing implicitly wonderful about them but it’s the fact that he knows the score (no pun intended). He’s been with us through thick and thin and he must be a pretty good barometer of the mood and the capability of the club. He admitted that he was at fault for the opening goal on Tuesday, so he pulled his socks up and he got one back. That’s a good attitude. Anyway, this is what he said:
“It was important to get off to a strong start, but we haven’t. Now all we can do is to get three points against Derby and we’d ask the fans to be patient. There’s enough quality in the team - and with the players we have brought in to strengthen the squad - we just need a result to go our way and we’ll be all right.”
So there you go; trust in Tony.
I don’t have the time to give Guti and van der Vaart the full Bagel this morning, although I did have a peak on youtube as to what the Dutchman can do. As I saw a clip of his best bits I started to imagine what a video of JJ’s best moments would look like - pretty good I should imagine but no one’s looking to Jenas as the answer to our problems. And then I remembered looking at the hard working but more uncultured Everton players and thinking, ‘Maybe we just need a Lee Carsley in the midfield to just run around and kick people?’
Food for thought, well, Toffee for it anyway.
“Save the bagel, save the world.”
The Bagel.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:08 am
I know that both performances have been shit and well below par but we are only talking about 2 games. If these 2 games / results had happened in mid - season would there have been the same reaction?
Our expectancy and hope levels have been inflated in the pre-season. To some extent rightly so as we have spent a lot of cash. More importantly, we know that we can play so much better.
I hope that the board, BMJ, the players and all of us supporters take a nice deep breath and calm down a bit. I know that every game is vital and we have all spent far too much hard earned money on these last 2 games but we are always going to have ups and downs. Let’s hope we get this down out of the way quickly.
A good performance on Saturday and it all looks rather different. 3 points and we are above United (briefly).
And if we lose on Saturday……. ?
Sack ‘em all!!!!!
Come on You Spurs!
August 16th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Considering the last two seasons we’ve had, I think it would evoke similar reactions if these performances/results happened in mid-season. Doesn’t it get tiring losing out on 4th place by 2 points (or 8)?
For me, personally, it’s not that we lost the first two games of the season - it’s that we lost to a newly-promoted side, by a last-gasp goal at that… and that we got hammered by *Everton* at WHL (argh!) without even an attempt at a fight. (And a 2.55am weekday game at that, come on boys!!!!!!)
Maybe this year, we’re destined to lose to the little teams and beat all the big ones? :p
August 16th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Oops, didn’t realise 8 and ) made this weird smilie thingy…
August 16th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Farah - you are right. I’m just doing all I can to convince myself that everything will be OK.
The pain of it all!
August 16th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
well, here is a little stat that I just worked out…
in the corresponding fixtures last season… we lost to the championship winners away, and lost at home to everton.
So we are 0 points worse off than in the corresponding fixtures last season!
Unfortunately, we need to beat Derby this weekend (and for Robinson to score again) to keep this pace up, but there’s still lots of time to claim the extra 10 points that could take us 4th, and we are on course for fifth!
But I agree with farah. It was the lack of fight that in the second half particularly that concerned me so much. We kind of need to see a reaction from the boys on Saturday (not just a scrapy win, which is obviously not a gimme anyway).
August 16th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
oog, how are you gonna make up the 10 points that ‘could’ claim you fourth when you are slipping up against lesser teams ?
last season you scored 5 less points than the season before, and given that the bar is raising at the top of the table, you need to be doing it much better than previously.
There a lot of pressure on the derby game, and they played very well at a vastly improved man city, if you lose this one, someone needs to explain why £40m has been wasted (on Jol’s ego, as I previously stated).
Stop dreaming of where you would like to be, start getting behind your team and accept the landing, I predict service as normal: mid table mediocrity.
August 16th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Oh oi oi…! I was only making the point that you CAN lose to teams like we have done, and still make something of your season. Obviously, you can’t do it too much. Obviously, we need to improve on this season’s showing so far. Obviously, obviously, obviously…
I don’t agree the bar is being raised. It was raised a couple of years ago, but the 70 mark (my 10 points improvement) would have got 4th the last two seasons, and I think anyone who gets 70 points this season will also qualify for CL. In fact, I think it will be less points than normal this season, but we will see.
Where do you get this idea that we have wasted money on Jol’s ego? I’m really not being pedantic here even if you think I am - I just don’t understand what you mean. If you think he’s signed players in the wrong position, or wasted money on poor players - then thats one thing. But why is it his ego rather than his judgment which you are questioning?
And thanks for telling me to start getting behind my team. You have no idea if I get behind my team at the matches or not.
I have never booed my team in my life, as it happens. If you are saying Spurs fans shouldn’t do it, I would basically agree. Although they pay their money, and so can do what they like I guess. I don’t think that was in any way the reason why we played sh*t on Tuesday though.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
MJ is ultimately responsible, I blame his ego for the simple reason that he thought he needed to show the world spuds were up there with the big boys by flashing the cash.
The facts remain that you don’t have the trophies / titles to be classed as a big team, and until a solid team is created, that’s not possible.
You don’t have a creative midfielder, but Jol thought that he could compensate by paying (through the nose ?) for bent, and relying on a championship performer (bale) to step up.
I personally don’t see spuds as any challenge again this season, and you may write of 2 loses as unimportant, but after a summer of expectation from the spuds fans, those 2 loses have made the derby game this weekend an absolutely necessary win. If you lose, your season is effectively over.
Or, I’m wrong.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Ok, to be top 4, we’re already running out of lives, but to be saying the season is over if we lose to Derby??!!
It’s early day’s still. I think Bent could be good business with Berba potentially out for a month.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
oi oi
Quote; “If you lose (to Derby on Saturday) your season is effectively over”
Three games in to the new season & it’s good night Vienna?
I’ve never heard so much gobble-a-duke in all my life!
COYS!
August 17th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Ha! well, I’ll agree with Oi oi that losing to derby would be a disaster. That, I would agree with.
His ego thing is a weird one though. I still don’t get why its a personal attack on Martin Jol’s psychological make up rather than the more orthodox “he’s got it wrong” which might have made for a sensible discussion point. Of course he’s responsible - but I don’t see why its his ego rather than his ability that you’re attacking, and you still haven’t come up with a reason. “he needed to show the world spuds were up there with the big boys by flashing the cash” is just conjecture based on nothing at all. Do you really think he just decided to do something even though he knew it wasn’t the best thing for the team? Did Wenger sign Jeffers for egotistical reasons - or did he just get it wrong? I’ve no reason to think the latter with Wenger, and nor do you with Jol and Bent.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:28 am
and before you point it out, oi oi, I meant the former, not the latter! I’m pissed, so cut me some slack!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Wetha pised or noot yu shud alweys chek ur spelin an loggek
August 17th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Oi Oi, why don’t you start explaining some of the immature and idiotic comments that you keep making?
Accusing people of racism? Still waiting on your evidence.
Claiming our season is over after 2 games?? How’s that then?
And this Jol ego thing??? What do you base this on?
From some of the stuff you write it seems like you have a somwhat over-inflated ego. Or, maybe you are just an arrogant tosser?
August 17th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Maybe I am an arrogant tosser.
I never thought of it in that way.
You can read my point of view regarding rascism in a previous comment, I won’t open that argument again. I will say this, however, if I read anyone describing a player by race / nationality / colour / religion / ethnic origin, i will address them as the racist that they are.
I see the pressure that the hopeful fans place on the players, and wonder, will those nerves help them play better? The pressure on spuds to win against derby is enormous. And with a shoddy defence, a confused midfield and a blank firing strike force, I think the game may well be in the balance, certainly derby expect to go to whs and get some result.
As for Jol’s ego, without explaining Freudian theories, and as there is no chalk and talk facility on this site, I shall try and make it easy for you to understand.
Jol has made huge financial decisions based on what he wants rather than what he needs. His managerial history isn’t littered with glory or success in this area, and he hasn’t proven himself to be a natural at organising tactics or man-management. The collection of players that is the current spuds squad is his creation, based on his inflated feelings of self worth, ergo, his ego.
Excuse my little foray with irony in response to oog, I’m sure he would appreciate the sentiment.
It’s a shame you find my comments “immature” and “idiotic”, people often comment that I debate with a strangely obtuse logic, that somehow seems to work. Perhaps Hornchurch isn’t reaady for this yet.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
and I will ask the question again, where does anyone refer to ” a player by race / nationality / colour/ religion etc etc ?
They don’t!
But it’s still fine for you to accuse people of racism?
As your obvious arrogance is preventing you from admitting you got it wrong I will move on.
Do people really say to you that “you debate with a strangley obtuse logic”???
You really do talk a load of shit.
I’m so relieved that I’m “not ready” for such pretentious bollocks.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Hornchurch Yid - beaten
Who’s next ?
August 17th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Hornchurch Yid:
“I suppose that as you play at the Emirates Stadium, you most likely don’t know what country you are in half the time. “
August 17th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Hornchurch Yid - don’t rise to it! He uses strangely obtuse logic. It “somehow seems to work” - the guy is just an enigma…
He’s not taken me up on the offer of carrying on this fascinating exchange on the race (of football stadiums, apparently) on email, so lets not open this can of worms on the blog again.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I have accepted your offer of keeping on the topic of football, which my earlier post was based upon.
I see that nobody has disagreed on my views towards MJ, guess I must have clarified that his ego is the problem, and that his unjustified self belief is responsible for the current squads failings.
August 17th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
oog, some people will never admit when they are wrong. Never mind!
I’m glad that Oi Oi copied that line from my original post. It just emphasises the point I’m making. Where is the racism?
Keep it up Oi Oi, you are actually quite hilarious, (somehow).
August 17th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
No, oi oi. It probably just means that now you have finally explained what it was you meant, everyone has seen that its just a randomly expressed theory with no actual evidence to back it up.
I still think he probably signed Bent because he thought it would be the best thing for the football team. That makes more sense to me than your crackpot explanation of MJ’s motivations that you couldn’t possibly know. Unless you actually know him.
Any manager has an ego. That ego is usually best fed, I would imagine, by making your team as successful as possible. Unless you have any reason to think that Martin Jol (who, to be controversial, is DUTCH, but he is not a player so thats ok) is no longer trying to improve the team, its pretty clear that you aren’t using any logic, obtuse or otherwise.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
True, to be in that kind of job you need to have huge self confidence and self belief.
I just wonder whether MJ has the ability to succeed in his ambitions and justify the millions invested through him. As I mentioned, he doesn’t have a history that shows he is proven at the highest level.
Last season was tolerated by the exploits of the previous season, getting close to the goal of CL football.
Last season didn’t improve on the previous, you were out of the top 4 race with weeks to go, and only scrapped 5th after other teams fell away, regardless, you still ended 5th, but it wasn’t an improvement.
This season, and I’m fairly sure MJ won’t have all of it, MJ has to prove that he is the man to lead £40m of funding to glory.
I expect the demands of the chairman would only be sated by silverware, which I’m not convinced MJ is capable of delivering.
Here’s a question:
Has Sven spent the last year watching tons of premiership games to suss out tactics for the coming season (on the FA’s money of course), or is he gonna be sussed out as blithering idiot ? I doubt anyone who has taken over a club has had that much time to study the opposition.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
oi oi
Despite all your ramblings (& I’m being polite), you do make me laugh, though probably because of your rambling!
However, I must say your last recent comments about Sven are quite interesting! Personally I think he’s spent the last year kicking the arse (no offence intended) out of the FA’s generous severence package & doing his Premiership homework. Afterall, he was fairly successful on the domestic managerial front, so it will be interesting to see if he can turn it on in the Prem
Keep up the ramblings, but keep them clean, but more of the comments like the above & I think we’re getting somewhere!
COYS!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
I know it’s not safe here, your all a bit on edge, but my regular blog just got tore up with racism too.
Oi oi=Toppig
You know it.
Bye!
GOONS!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
No problem.
If you could bear with me.
Following on with the Sven theme.
Each year, just after christmas, a team in the middle-ish treads on that slippery slope. Draw after loss after draw sends them plummeting. Indulge me for a moment, what if that were citeh ?
Sven has shown himself to be cool under pressure, no one can doubt that, though largely un-influential, he remained cool while we all screamed at the players / telly. While we all posticulated and ranted our changes, he mildly, as if ordering a devon tea, whispered his demands.
Should this happen, and should city stuggle, would the Sven question that we all have be answered ? would you choose him over Redknapp / Stachen / Alladyce in that position ? did he just not have the tools available for the england squad ?
Does he have the ability ?
Perhaps a reason to remember this season, if nothing else.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:09 am
oi oi
I’ve just picked up your last thread as I’m at work (shhh, don’t tell anyone) & well done me old china! Another constructive, thought provoking entry (No, I’m not being sarcastic, I’m being honest)
No doubt we all have theories on this one, but only time will tell. Though I must admit, I’ll be intreagued to watch it unfold
August 18th, 2007 at 3:10 am
I don’t know why anyone bothers giving this oi oi guy the time of day. Everyone knows the team has been rubbish the first two games, but everyone also knows it is only two games. One thing that noone seems to be noticing either is that our side is decimated with injuries. I’d like to see the Arse lose 3/4 of their starting defensive backs and still beat the crap out of everyone they face. Give Jol a little time.
I think the most legitimate criticisms of Spurs from what I can tell at this point are:
1. Berbatov has looked like a shell of himself
2. Keane was played out of position to accomodate Bent, really limiting his contributions
3. The defense sucks as bad as last year. We need Ledley back!!! (Having Dawson et al would help as well)
4. Perhaps too many offseason signings in the past couple of years has prevented Spurs from being a fluid and comfortable side in the beginning of the year. They were crap at the beginning of last season as well.
I have a feeling this season will look much like last season, where we will have a couple of great runs, but be disappointingly inconsistent. I still think we will be knocking on the door toward the end of the year.
August 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Mitch I hope you’re right. I see Mido has been gobbing off in the press about politics in the Spurs camp. The Independant is reporting that the ‘Foreigners’ at the Lane say there is not enough fitness work done….It’s all shit slinging season, I know. Not enough games played for any real stories, and so they write about anything, but the most interesting thing I’ve read in the last 24 hours (apart from the Bagel, of course) is this:
Back at White Hart Lane, Jol is under pressure after two defeats. The Football Association said it would investigate yesterday’s decision by the bookmakers Coral to suspend betting on the Dutchman as the next Premier League manager to be sacked, due to “unusual timing” of bets. Coral’s market later re-opened.
From September 1, bookmakers will be obliged to share details of suspicious betting patterns with sports’ governing bodies. The FA, which will ask Coral for help, could also call on the memorandum of understanding that is already in place with the betting exchange Betfair.
Now is there anything to that, or is it more shite in print?
August 18th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Sorry - source is the grauniad - link to full article here:
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2151251,00.html
August 18th, 2007 at 11:14 am
This truly is the Oog Vs Oi Oi show … I await round 10.
Ding ding
August 18th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Oi oi=Toppig - afraid not.
I’m me - and Ha ha, and once was Hoi hoi.
and the only reason I used Ha ha and Oi oi was because one name was on one pac, and the other was on the other, and I couldn’t be bothered to change it.
Don’t know who GOON is, or where his blog can be found, don’t care too much either.
Assuming it’s an Arsenal Blog, the only one I read is the fantastic ArseBlog (www.arseblog.com).
August 18th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
4-0 wat a result, probably more goals than the ARSE will score all season……
GET IN!!!!!!!!!
August 19th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Unfortunately, we have already scored 4 goals, sorry 1992Yido.
It looks like a reprieve for MJ, for the moment at least. A good result against relegation candidates derby. I feel that it was a lose lose situation anyway, if you had lost / drawn it would have been a disaster, had you won, you would have only beaten a bad side.
With rumours flying around about a posible replacement for MJ, his tenure may not last very long, ManUre, Fulham, Arsenal, Bolton away coming up.
This is the make or break test for MJ and I wonder if he will come through, Should he make it through september, I’ll be the first to offer my congratulations, I can’t see it happening though.
Was the victory a shallow one, was it a blip against a nervy looking derby, will normal service resumed against ManUre ?
A big test for our young team coming up in a couple of weeks, I feel confident that we will triumph, surely levy wont sack him after that game even if we thrash you, the banter would be horendous.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Looks like the ManUre game takes on more importance now - they need to kick start their season and have gotta fancy grabbing all three points against the spuds.
The Mighty Arsenal (well Jens) dropped 2 points against Blackburn, but last years team would have dropped all 3.
Already the game between us looks very important, if you were to lose to ManUre and The Mighty Arsenal, maybe scrape a point against Fulham then times up for MJ.
Chelsea are looking very strong, clearly the team to beat this year, Liverpool will fall away.
I feel this season will end with the usual 4 at the top, and several teams scrapping for Uefa, you have to imagine that should be the spuds target. Perhaps with a managerial change, the collection of players you have might be formed into a team, but by then, you would have to start your “watch us next season!” cobblers.
I would have to say that any pessimistic but realistic fan would agree.
FOYS
August 19th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
You would have to say that anyone who is realistic should agree with you.
Looks like you might need to be throwing a young inexperienced goalkeeper into your first team and you have no idea how he’ll cope.
I would say that anyone who agrees with me would agree with me. Anyone who disagrees would clearly be taking a different line, and I would accuse anyone who finds themselves unable to form an opinion on this matter of indecision.
And you know I’m right.
August 19th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Almunia has experience, and looked sharp in pre-season.
We don’t need another Seaman’esque final season, looks like Jens may be finished, I would expect Arsene to give Jens one more chance, but that’ll be his lot.
We do have options, but I would have prefered Craig Gordon when we had the chance to get him.
Still, we nearly got Paul Robinson, but he failed the reaction speed tests, apparently with the (s)lowest results ever. He has shown his weakness in this area many times, he certainly does seem to get caught out, particularly from longer range shots. I don’t suppose being such a fat git helps either.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Jesus Bagel, all this newspaper talk about Ramos, and Jol’s imminent sacking….ALL of them are reporting it!
This is fucking shite. I think sacking Jol now would be ridiculous. Brining in someone else, after Jol’s bought so many players, it’s all a bit ‘Newcastle’ isn’t it??
Either way, this is not a good sign, and it’s not going to do anything but damage our prospects.
Rant over.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:27 am
The newcastle connection may be quite apt.
It does seem strange that 1 week into the new season and MJ might be shafted, as a football fan, and essentially the paymaster of the club, surely the fans decision must be heard ?
Levy has taken the booing on tuesday as the sign that the fans are displeased with MJ and has chosen to react, this threat(?) of replacement, one would deem, would be used to encourage MJ to sort the problem out.
I hardly think that MJ needs any more pressure on him than he already has, this added side attraction would hardly help the team focus on the next game. And with some tough games ahead, you need the entire back room personel to work together.
As a independent (hahaha), this pressing of the self-destruct button has been an ever present within the spuds make-up, and unless this routine is broken, the spuds will always remain the under achieving bunch we all know and love (to hate).
August 20th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Martin Jol has a brother called Cock Jol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Jol