Spyin' Kop - L.F.C. v Tottenham Hotspur.

Posted by Hinesy on October 6, 2007, 11:48:36 am

Well its time we played a team out of Europe before we join them, and this Sunday sees the visit of the strangely misfiring Tottenham Hotpies to Anfield.
Last season they played some superb football, Berbatov a revelation, and Aaron Lennon hoping to finally prove he's no Keiron Dyer on the wing. ie hospital wing.
But this season, the club has lurched from embarrassing press release to embarrassing results... After the 4-4 draw with Villa, are Spurs the new Newcastle? Is Martin a Jol-e good fellow or is he another Jose, fighting against a board that is bored with him?

To be honest I completely forgot I was doing this, so its a little rushed but I've had one reply within 8 hours of asking, so here it is.




Tottenham Hotspur



Major Honours

Football League Champions 1950-51, 1960-61.
F.A. Cup Winners 1900-01, 1920-21, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1966-67, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1990-91.
Football League Cup Winners 1970-71, 1972-73, 1998-99
European Cup-Winners' Cup Winners 1962-63.
UEFA Cup Winners 1971-72, 1983-84.
Football League Division Two Champions 1919-20, 1949-50.
F.A.Charity Shield Winners 1920-21, 1951-52, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1967-68 (joint), 1981-82 (joint), 1991-92 (joint).
Winner of "We play a certain way, well we did 40 years ago and we're gonna stick with that" award every year since the late 60's


First of all I should send a big thank you to Jim Duggan for his extremely quick reply. Check the site out at www.topspurs.com.
As this was done Friday night, I'm going to post this up with only one reply but if I get more from my trawl, I'll add them in. In the meantime enjoy Jim's responses. Interesting that I thought most Spurs fans liked Jol, but Jim knows his stuff and is (understandably)royally pissed off at the mo by the look of things.


1.How's the season going so far - obviously you must be wondering what's gone wrong - what has?

Jim:The season has been a total cock up. Everyone at Spurs from board to fans has had a whole summer of thinking how great they are, buying England B players for too much money and just expecting to break the top 4 without putting in the graft. The first two games could have worked as a reality check but the board ensured it was a full blown crisis within a week by their subsequent actions.
A very tottenham cockup, and a very tottenham, midtable season to follow


2.What are your thoughts on Martin Jol - Jol-y good fellow or just the little dutch boy with his finger in a dyke... oops I'll rephrase that.. Can he hold back the flood? 

Jim:Jol is a dutch george graham who has failed to get the best out of some decent players, playing very negative football. That said, his record was ok, most of the fans lapped him up and the board should have supported him for longer


3.Who do you think has been your most important player(s) this season so far - Berbatov was fantastic last year - why hasn't he fired up properly yet?

Jim:See answer to 4.

4.And your worst player(s)?

Jim:No players have been good or bad, just indifferent and using the mess around the club to go missing


5.Daniel Levy? Chairman of the Board, or Chairman of the Bored of Jol... Is he running things the right way?

Jim:Levy and the rest of the board are wankers who are one granted planning permission away from selling up for a £200m profit for acheiving nothing. That is what the Premier League is all about - an advertising vehicle to bring lots of consumers of the right age and income to one place which brings in the TV money and the cult like devotion to the club ensures that their "loyalty" can be rewarded by being ripped off at every turn by the club. A double whammy like this is being sold at premium prices thesedays. The worst bit is the new investors are likely to be even bigger wankers and the football side of things will continue to slide


6."One of four clubs with just one Premier League victory so far this season. The others are Bolton, Derby and Fulham. " - Now I think Spurs are a big club in the grand way of things, so this statement must hurt.. Should Spurs always try to play this mythical Spurs way or do they now need to be a bit more pragmatic ? 

Jim:Good football wins matches, bad football does n't. Spurs should be seeking to play good football and for 90minutes not just until Spurs score the opening goal before lookin to defend the rest of the match from the goalline


7.What sort of line-up do you expect Martin will set up against us?

Jim:Not sure what line up Jol would pick, but am sure he'll get a helping hand from the chairman and director of football


8..What do you expect in the way of singing/banter etc from our away support? Do we compare well and how do you rate the atmosphere at your ground?

Jim:The trips to both merseyside clubs are two of the best of the season.
We always win at Everton which helps over there but Anfield is a special place to visit (even though a 2-3 defeat is my best result in about 9 visits over the years) as along with Man U (sorry), its one of Englands two biggest football clubs and it always has a sense of occasion up there.
Like most home grounds the noise is not great from the home supporters, many of which seem to travel up on the trains with us but you lot are a decent mob in the pubs before and after which makes for a good trip.
 
Most of our lot go to the Arkles and while its a good and convenient boozer, i prefer the Flat Iron just down the road for a bit more authentic scouse, and love the couple of pubs by the station - ma egertons and lord walden as you always get a few characters in there


9.Do you have any favourite chants and perhaps any that require an explanation?

Jim:Nothing much at the moment although you could look for the first "Jol out" chants, which should be followed by a civil war breaking out in the away end


10.Where do you expect yourselves and Liverpool to finish come the end of the season?

Jim:Liverpool should be 2nd or 3rd, Spurs midtable somewhere - there is no real difference between 5th - 15th, and somewhere in there. Europe in its different ways offers the best chance this season for both clubs


11.Which Liverpool player(s) do you fear the most?

Jim:Usually the little bald fella with the whistle giving dodgy penalties...
Dunno really, most of your side looks ok but think your keeper is a bit sous... but then again thats a bit of a glass house comment with Spurs and Robbo at the mo


12. Who's getting booed the most at Arsenal this year?

Jim:The Spurs board, the Spurs manager and Spurs players - as they played us off the park last week and we are miles behind. Not sure many of my Spurs comrades would agree but there is little to dislike about them at the mo - good players (without criminal records/addictions) who play good football. Booing in that instance goes over to jelousy from rivalry


13.And your feelings on Liverpool this season? How well do you think Rafa has done?

Jim:Don't like Rafa, looks a bit snide to me, but two champions league finals suggests he knows what he's up to and your board, or at least your old board, are the most steady in the english league when it comes to giving managers time and support so I think he'll do well and once he learns to trust non spanish players, you may even win the League


14.And to finish, what's the score? Care to hazard a guess?

Jim: There are very many paraelles with Jols time at Spurs to Gerry Francis 10 years before - both started in the 4th year of the decade, both opened up with a high scoring home defeat before taking Spurs on to two 60 point a seaosn finishes with almost identical long term points per game averages - check this page http://www.topspurs.com/thfc-gerryjol.htm before falling away and being sacked in the Autumn of the 7th year of the decade. Francis last game... you guessed it a 0-4 defeat at Anfield and something similar will see Jol going the same way
 
My prediction 2-0 or 3-0 to Liverpool and Jol gone by Monday lunchtime



Thanks to Jim again. If any other ones come in, I'll add them.

NB  had this email from Jim re: this piece - fair comment I think
"cheers - just one thing you may want to add - I'm "royally pissed off" but not just with Spurs but with football in general as its come a long way from what interested me all those years ago as I don't want to sound like a whingy cockney wankah who is only happy when his team is winning"

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