| The season has started at last. Following the
mainly uninspiring World Cup in France, the real
blood and thunder is here. Unless, of course, you
watch Tottenham Hotspur. Then you see them roll
over and want Wimbledon to tickle their tummies
rather than have a dog fight with them. Just
three months ago, we turned this lot over 6-2 and
now we come away from South London with a 3-1
defeat. Although I recognise Jurgen Klinsmann as
a striker of great quality, surely his absence is
not the reason for our capitulation. Could it be
that the players selected playing in the
formation chosen was not up to the task ?? Are
the Tottenham players still dreaming of the
summer in France or wherever |
| the rest of them spent their holidays ?? The
fans certainly did not have any such delusions.
To paraphrase Ian Dury, what started with a soul
full of hope ended with a hole full of soap. But
many more performances like this just won't wash.
Spurs fans may have put up with the fact that
they will be paying more this season at home to
watch the same old squad, but they want better
showings from the men in white. They know how
much they earn (even if it is in ball-park
figures), they know what cars they drive, they
know that they are paying for this through
increased season ticket prices. They will have
their say, even if it is during the match. I
think that whatever is happening on the pitch,
the team should be supported during the game as
our common goal is for Tottenham to do well, but
frustration at the antics of some of the team are
understandable. Success will not come instantly.
We do have to have some patience |
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(even after all these years since last a
trophy graced our cabinets). But what the fans do
need is some sign of hope from the club that
things are moving in the right direction. Whether
that be in the shape of signing some class players or the boys on the pitch showing that
they can produce the goods. Even if Spurs don't
win, if they have played well and in the true
Tottenham spirit, they will get the backing of
the fans. Fans are realistic and know that
currently there is little hope of silverware just
yet, but they need something to hang onto,
however thin that thread may be.
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| All the talk has been on Gross being one of
the favourites for the sack this season. Just
because he talks with an accent doesn't make him
a bad coach. It may not help him be understood,
but his ideas may pay off if he is given time. In
the Premier League, unfortunately, that is one
thing he does not have. With only one season of
his contract to run, he will be cheap to pay off
if things go pear-shaped. But then who steps in
?? Joe Kinnear is a strong contender for the
Spurs hot seat. An ex-Spurs man who is a
favourite of Bill Nicholson and is admired by
Alan Sugar for what he has done at Wimbledon on a
small budget. The current heat being thrown Glenn
Hoddle's way because of his World Cup Diary,
could see him walk away form the England job,
especially as he has said |
 |
recently, that he regrets
turning down
Tottenham to go to Chelsea when he left Swindon
Town. How he would get on with David Pleat would
be interesting as he left the club shortly after
Pleat took over at White Hart Lane in 1986.
Further afield, Ruud Gullitt is still without a
job and he may be the big name player to attract
star players to the Lane, like he did at Stamford
Bridge. The big stumbling blocks there would be
his "netto" salary and the amount of
money available to him for transfers. His
approach could also clash with Sugar's and lead
to public disagreements. Who else is left ?? Big
Fat Ron ?? A flamboyant manager who likes his
teams to play entertaining football, but would
he be the sort of manager Sugar would go for ??
Trying to tempt a younger manager away from his
club could be hard, so the options are pretty
limited. The best thing would be to get success
with the present incumbent. Tottenham need to be
safe by Easter, because the final run-in is as
tough as it gets.
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Rumours still abound about who may or may not
be coming to play for Tottenham. We need to keep
an eye out for players who will enhance the team.
The latest is Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu, who now
recovered from his career-threatening heart
operation cannot find a regular place in the
Inter Milan side. Many links are probably
fabricated to make good news stories, but it
would be interesting to know how many of them are
true and how many times Tottenham go in at the
last minute for players, making it look like they
are trying to sign them. Alan Sugar has evidence
that players have been ready to make the |
| move to Spurs, only to decide for
non-financial reasons to go elsewhere. It will be
hard to attract the cream of the world's talent
in our present predicament. So, let's start
turning that around and then the other things
might fall into place. |
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