‘Boro vs Spurs the first fixture?
According to Planet Spurs, they have “reason to believe” that our first fixture of next season will be away at the Riverside at 3pm on Saturday 16th August. Now before anyone starts jumping up and down or jiggling about a bit - unless you’re female; I’d be happy for you to jiggle as much as you like - let’s be healthily suspicious of this “reason to believe”. We don’t know what the reason is. It may simply be a reason to believe that they’ll get a shit load of traffic, it may be they actually do know someone on the inside or it maybe that they dressed themselves up like tea ladies and spent an afternoon eavesdropping on the Premier League’s meeting in between fetching more Viennesse Fingers and and straightening their wigs. But, now that the caveat’s over…
…I reckon I could live with that. Middlesbrough do have that uncanny ability of being able to beat Real Madrid when playing at home but they also not that good and more to the point, not that excited to be in the Premiership. Facing the run-away winners of the Championship in their own back yard was about the worst possible draw to have been given last time around. A home fixture would have been better but a loss at the Riverside isn’t going to destroy us. Anything we could get out of it would not only be a bonus but quite possible too. Having said that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if come Monday we pull Man U at home. We shall see.
There’s little news today but what there is, I like. My favourite is probably that Roy Keane looks like he’s really got his heart set on Sergei Bent. Huzzah! Better still, Sunderland are willing to back him with cash and lots of it - a good thing because we’re looking to recoup everything we’ve spent which apparently is not the full £16.5m. According to the Mail or Mirror or whoever their man/woman is, we only gave Charlton £12m up front with the other £4.5 based on appearances which it seems very unlikely that Sergei has made. So, I’d say it was looking pretty good that we’ll be doing business with the Mackams, getting rid of a malfunctioning player and getting all that money back. Good news indeed.
The other one I’m less sure will happen but The Bagel wants this just as much. Now, there’s been word for most of the summer that we’ve been after PSV keeper Heurelho Gomes. By the way, does anyone know how to pronounce his first name? It’s all vowel sounds? Is it really “Ur-ruh-leo”? I’ve got a feeling you say his last name as if it’s an English word rather than Spanish - Gomes like ‘gnomes’ rather than ‘Go-mez’. Brazilian Portuguese you see.
So anyway. Various sources are saying that Gnomes is top of Juande’s keeper list, which by all reports consists of about 20 entries in equal first place and nothing else. The fee they’re chatting is £9m, which I’d say is fair enough, the guy is good, the trouble is, I just can’t see it. He may well leave PSV but he’ll go to a CL club. Why shouldn’t he?
See, I reckon this is just a rehashing of a month-old story. Gnomes was having some kind of actually quite disturbing vocal slanging match in the press with the PSV president and the clubs various coaches. Then he calmed down, and all the while there was a list of clubs longer than Chile waiting to help the Brazilian keeper out the door. When I get some quotes from the man they call “The Octopus” that run “Tottenham is a great club with a great project, a a great blog called Beef Bagel”, then I’ll start getting excited. Unfortunately until then, it’s about as certain that we’ll be playing ‘Boro at the start of next season.
If you want me to keep my bagel shut, it’s gonna cost you some dough. I figure a thousand bucks is reasonable, so I want two.
The Bagel
June 13th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
So of the 4 keepers we’ve been linked with recently: Gomes, Hart, Ricardo and Coupet - You’d most want Gomes?
He may be one of the best shot stoppers in the world, judging on his performaces against us, but I’d go for Joe Hart due to his potential and the fact we’ll probably get to revive the ‘england number one chant’ in a few seasons.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Gomes’ first name should be pronounced You-ray-leo & Gomes is well, just, Go-mes… Not sure of his middle names if, indeed there are any…
June 13th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Don’t forget to wow them with your *cough* joker cola trophy.
I reckon that’ll make all the difference.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Still better than an empty cabinet - and a silent stadium.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Another tricky away fixture in the north east to kick us off.Damn
*maybe* ofcourse.
June 13th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
True Toby - and wouldn’t have to play competitive matches after february, wouldn.t have decent european matches either.
Oh yeah, dont forget to mention the 9 year wait for the next tin trophy.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Oi Oi are you an excavator cos you seem to enjoy digging holes.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
No Wilson; he’s just a knob.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Nah, I don’t do manual labour - I work in an office - stare out of the window and dream my life away.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
…..Dreaming about the mighty Spurs.
June 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Celtic have played Kilmarnock at home for the last 2 seasons on the first game. I’m putting money on it happening again.
Rotterdam Bagel?
June 15th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Having lived in a Brazilian neighborhood here in the States for the last four years, and having lived above the loudest, most obnoxious bunch of Brazilian asses for the last few months, I can confidently agree with Yid of the Norf’s pronunciation guide to Heurelho’s first name. I have heard a few of the Brazilians refer to his last name more like Gom-esjh (with that weird Portuguese “j” sound at the end). Perhaps that is just because they are always drunk and can’t pronounce any words at all… (No offense - I am just never allowed to sleep from the constant partying)
By the way, oi oi, maybe you should take up manual labor and get into shape. If the Arses lose Adebayor and Hleb, maybe you could make the team next year.
June 15th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
evening yids…how are you all?
1992yid, nice to see your still as pessimistic as ever!!!
I knew there was something slimey about that lee from the apprentice! another boring celebrity yid to add to the collection!!
June 16th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Boro away it is then, for the first game of the season
June 16th, 2008 at 11:55 am
A mixed bag of the first three games I feel.
Sat Aug 16 Middlesbrough A
Sat Aug 23 Sunderland H
Sat Aug 30 Chelsea A
We’ll draw up at Boro, beat Sunderland at The Lane, and most likely lose to Chelski.
Notice we’ve got the Scousers on the last day AGAIN, away this time; interesting.
June 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I thought Manual Labour was a Spanish waiter…
… I know, it’s an old, bad joke, I just couldn’t resist
June 16th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
And I wouldn’t bet against Albion getting a good result at the Emirates on the opening day.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Just as long as it’s another ‘fuck all’ season in the shit half of north London, I couldn’t give a toss about them being humiliated by WBA; would be a nice start though.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
So by the looks of things we are getting taken over by Sheikh Mohammad in a £250 mil deal, buying David Bentley for £12m and Lukas Podolski for £10m… I’d take that !!!
June 18th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
There’s some very interesting news out there today, as you rightly say Brownpants. Unfortunately, I’m totally snowed under with all manner of bits ‘n bobs, so I can’t post until much later today which will be annoying if you live in the UK but spot on if in the States.
Apologies. Normal service shall resume.
Oh and Keving, completely gutted but I can’t make Rotterdam. LB’s taking me out to Barcelona. She booked it last year. Not the kind of time to cancel for football but rest assured we will be taking a tour of the Nou Camp. I want to know where I want to sit in 2009.
I’ll have to catch you at the next one, or in Europe.
The Bagel.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Sunderland can take Bent for £12m as well which will help cover one of the transfers
June 18th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
yeah i read that. i think there must have been a typo. Sunderland are willing to pay £1.2m for Bent.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Rumour is we’re closing in on Bentley: I thought he wanted to go to a top 4 side?
June 18th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Do we really need Bentley after getting Dos Santos and Modric? Can Bentley replace Berbatov? I am not confident in the holding ability/size of our midfield, unless Huddlestone suddenly finds the pace, stamina, and tenacity for the Premiership.
Perhaps JJ could return to the holding role that he played for Newcastle, but I have to think we would be looking for someone a bit more consistent. Why are we constantly linked with these smallish, wing playmakers when we already bought two? (I know Modric will probably play more in the middle, but he is still not big enough to play the holding role)
June 18th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
After all, our defense was unreliable the entire season.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I trust Juande to make the right decisions here. I wish we wouldve been able to hold onto Carrick since a true holding midfielder would be lovely right now. As far as I can tell, Modric will be a pure CM and will hopefully prove effective alongside JJ. Dos Santos is a left winger right? With him there, and Aaron on the right, we will have a frighteningly fast and athletic (admittedly small) midfield. Especially when the back up choice is Steeeeeeeeed, who is but a few inches taller, although probably two stone heavier, than Lennon. I am really liking the set up honestly, although it would depend on Aaron and JJ showing up to play, which they do not always do. Maybe Modric will make JJ look bad enough that ego will drive him to succeed, who knows. In any case, our defense is looking sharper, our midfield is looking a LOT sharper, and our strikeforce isnt collapsing as of yet.
I am still not letting myself hope that Berba will stay, but with him and Bent (Hopefully) leaving, that does leave a gap up front next to a certain Irishman. I guess Pekhart will get a run out, he is a sasquatch of a man so maybe he will do something worthwhile in the air. I just wish we could get someone a little more proven up there too.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I think that Bentley would certainly add more “bite” on the right side than Lennon ever can. Bentley seems to have more desire about his game and his delivery of the ball is far and away better than Lennon, but then that’s not difficult considering Lenny is a right old shovel foot. The only thing Lennon has is his speed and that’s not enough in the Prem.
I hope we get him. It would improve the team and might make Lennon sharpen up too.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Heurelho Gomes name is pronounced ‘Da-vid J-ames’ but with a Brazilian accent, I can’t believe you’d want this bloke. Next you’ll be telling us you don’t rate Bent as he’s failed to oust Berbatov from the team…oh, er..
June 19th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I agree with you Mitch.
I’d rather we buy a hard man at the back, just incase Ledders and Woody get injured: last season we were a complete joke at the back.