White Hot Lines

• Aston Villa may make a £4 million bid for Tim Sherwood as Tottenham's interest wanes.
• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he was flattered by Tottenham's interest earlier in the season, but will stay at United and fight for his place in the team.
• Spurs and Wimbledon seem locked in another battle - this time for 18 year-old Barnet striker Marlon King. Tottenham have bid £200,000, but the Dons may move in to take the forward to South London.
• Darren Anderton has revealed that he came close to shunning the England national football team prior to the World Cup finals last summer. He felt down after two years of almost continuous injury that he wanted to throw in the towel, but having starred in France he is happy to be included in the squads for the international games now.

30.1.99

• Tottenham got a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers. The home side took the lead through a 42nd minute Matt Jansen goal on his debut, but hit back with a Steffen Iversen goal after 61 minutes. Jason Wilcox was dismissed for a rash tackle shortly after.
• Reportedly, Tottenham may be making a further bid for Frank Lampard Junior, the West Ham midfielder. Having failed twice already, Graham may offer £4 million plus Allan Nielsen to tempt the Irons to let the England Under-21 player go.
• Colin Calderwood may be allowed to leave Tottenham if the interested sides can come up with £400,000.
• Tony Adams has been quoted as saying he would not play for George Graham again. Phew !!!

29.1.99

• Tottenham look likely to miss out on another transfer target as Oleg Luzhnyi of Dynamo Moscow seems set to sign for another Premiership side - maybe Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough or West Ham.
• Media Monitor claim there have been no talks at all in respect of a move for Tim Sherwood of Blackburn Rovers.
• Andy Sinton is the most likely replacement for the suspended David Ginola at Ewood Park where Spurs play Blackburn Rovers tomorrow. Luke Young and Mauricio Taricco are both in the squad.

28.1.99

• Chris Waddle has come out in support of David Ginola by choosing him as his favourite for Player of the Year.
• Ginola's injury last night was a hamstring pull and he will undergo a scan to see how bad the trouble is. He is suspended for the game at Blackburn on Saturday, so has a chance to rest it before the next installment of the Wimbledon saga. The man himself thinks he will recover from the injury in time for the FA Cup replay.
• Colin Calderwood is in demand even if he is not a first choice at Tottenham. Both Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town are reportedly interested in having him and a fee of £300,000 has been mooted.
• Tim Sherwood may be a Spurs player before the match at Ewood Park if Tottenham agree to a £4 million fee and wages of £25,000 per week, now that Jason McAteer has arrived from Liverpool. He will be missing from the game serving a suspension for his second sending off of the season. Tottenham may have doubts about the fee for a 29 year-old though and may prefer an offer of around £3.75 million.
• The transfer interest in Alain Goma may be complicated by Newcastle's failure to obtain the services of Taribo West. The Magpies may now enter the hunt and put a spanner in the works for Tottenham's moves for the defender.
• Both managers have requested that Dermot Gallagher referee the FA Cup replay between Tottenham and Wimbledon. There was a furore after he asked for Ginola's shirt after the original tie and FA bosses were reportedly keen to drop him from having control in the return.
• While not being first choice is a new experience for Les Ferdinand he is happy to fight for his place in the team and understands the manager's reasoning for his omission.

27.1.99

• Tottenham drew 0-0 with Wimbledon in the first leg of the Worthington Cup semi-final.
• Andy Sinton has failed to agree a new contract and could leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.
• John Scales needs surgery on his knee after seeing a specialist.
• Joe Kinnear has criticised the Match of the Day team for their appreciation of the finer things in the game such as David Ginola. He has branded them "muppets". In the next breath the former Spur wished he could sign the French wingman.

26.1.99

• HA HA. Wild rumour of the day - Teamtalk say that GG has been alerted by Stephen Hughes' declaration that he must play at Arsenal or he will leave. Why do they think he will get a game at Tottenham then ??
• Speculation still surrounds Tim Sherwood. Some say he is set to sign a new four year deal with Blackburn, while others state that Graham will "swoop" for him before the end of the week. Unlikely that Rovers would want to let him go until they were out of the FA Cup at the very least, I would have thought.
• Celtic's Mark Burchill has quashed further speculation on his future by signing a four and a half year deal with the Scottish Champions.
• George Graham has said it will be another year before Tottenham will be able to seriously challenge for trophies on a regular basis. The team he is building is still a way off how he would like it. He added that there would be some incomings and some outgoings within that time until he was happy with the squad of players he had at the club.

25.1.99

• Spurs Youth lost 4-2 on penalties in the FA Youth Cup at Walsall after the game ended 0-0 after extra time.
• David Ginola had a gag slapped on him by George Graham after Saturday's drawn FA Cup tie at Wimbledon. Following the bad press after the League game between the two clubs, GG wanted DG to concentrate on his football.
• Further to the FA Cup tie, Wimbledon may get their wish to have Dermot Gallagher replaced as referee for the replay.
• Spurs were apparently represented at Watford on Saturday, where they were watching WBA's ginger goalgetter, Lee Hughes.

24.1.99

• Joe Kinnear had nothing but praise for David Ginola after the FA Cup tie yesterday. "After all the adverse publicity during the week, it appears that he heeded the warnings and cleaned up his act", MEHSTG said about the Wimbledon boss. He wasn't so glowing about Justim Edinburgh, who he thought should have been sent off after fouling Jason Euell, having already been bokked in the first half.
• This Sunday, Tottenham have mainly been linked with :-
  Michael Duberry of Chelsea - £5 million bid turned down.
• John Bond and Ossie Ardiles made the draw in which Tottenham have been paired with Leeds away in the 5th round of the FA Cup, should they overcome WImbledon in the replay of the 4th round.
• Dermot Gallagher faces the wrath of the FA for asking David Ginola for his shirt after the game at Selhurst Park. He wanted it to give to a local charity to raffle.

23.1.99

• Tottenham drew 1-1 at Wimbledon in the FA Cup 4th round with David Ginola equalising for Spurs.
• Arsene Wenger has come to the defence of David Ginola by saying he does not dive as much as others.

22.1.99

• David Pleat has defended claims that Ginola dives by saying he could "seduce the pigeons". Is the Director of Football taking in too many Cantona style referneces during his talks with Paris St. Germain for the transfer of Alain Goma ???
• Jurgen Klinsmann has praised Gary Mabbutt who had to retire this week. He admires his long stint at Tottenham and said that it doesn't happen much these days. "Perhaps the worst example is me" the German star stated.
• Teamtalk say that George Graham is set to fine Moussa Saib two weeks wages and put him on the transfer list for his "Irresponsible" act of playing for Algeria this week.
• A difference in the price of Alain Goma may delay his arrival at Spurs. The French club want £5 million , while Spurs value him nearer £4 million. It is also hinted that Ramon Vega may be the casualty if Goma signs.
• Luke Young and Darren Anderton are set to play at Selhurst Park tomorrow, while Les Ferdinand may have to make do with a place on the bench.

21.1.99

• Tottenham are negotiating the £3.5 million signing of Paris St. Germain central defender, Alain Goma.
• Moussa Saib is set to face the wrath of GG when he returns from his trip to play for Algeria against Tunisia in a friendly. Tottenham had informed the Algerian FA that he was unable to play as he was suffering with a chronic back injury. However, the Spurs midfielder jetted out without informing Spurs and will be looking at disciplinary action when he comes back to England.
• The abuse from Spurs fans earlier this season has made Ramon Vega more determined to prove his doubters wrong.
• Jurgen Klinsmann's claims that Tottenham came to the rescue of staging a charity game at White Hart Lane, after the German Football Association vetoed the match in their country, have been denied by the club. The match to mark his retirement from the game would have raise dfunds for good causes.

20.1.99

• The comment that Alan Sugar made that "There will always be a job for Gary Mabbutt at Tottenham" may come back to haunt him now that the ex-Tottenham captain has had to give up the game. The free transfer he was given at the end of last season coincided with a knee injury and that has ruled out playing again. His intention to get a coaching qualification means that he could be in line for a backroom position somewhere and if Tottenham were to add his experience to that of Chris Hughton, the memory of GG's Arsenal background could be pushed a little further to the back of the mind.
• David Ginola will miss Tottenham's visit to Ewood Park after he picked up his eighth yellow card of the season v Wimbledon last Saturday.
• Tottenham are talking to Peterborough about the possible transfer of Matthew Etherington, the 17 year-old winger. Barry Fry, the Posh boss, said that the deal would be done, when it best suited the player and the club .
• Colin Calderwood was watched by Huddersfield Town again last Saturday as they prepare a bid for the Scottish international when the takeover at the club is finally resolved.
• According to a newspaper report, Luke Young has turned down the opportunity to sign a four year contract with Spurs.

19.1.99

• Tottenham have confirmed a three-year kit deal with Adidas. This closes the long-running saga of who would replace Pony as the makers of the Spurs kit.
• The signing of Matt Jansen (a one-time Tottenham target) by Blackburn Rovers, could lead George Graham to try and prise Chris Sutton from the North-West club. They are over-burdened with strikers and there will some outgoings in that department, with Graham a long time admirer of the former Norwich front man.
• Rob Jones has returned to action in the Liverpool reserve team. With only a few months of his contract left at Anfield and no moves to renew it made by the club, the right back has attracted interest from Arsenal, Rangers and West Ham. Tottenham may revive interest if he is available for a small fee or for free.
• Luke Young should have recovered from flu to be included in the squad for Saturday's FA Cup tie at Wimbledon and Les Ferdinand is also likely to be back to full fitness for the match.
• Former Spurs skipper, Gary Mabbutt, has had to retire from playing football. His knee injury has been more difficult to overcome than he thought and will require reconstructive surgery. He now intends to take his UEFA coaching qualification and to pursue a journalistic career too.

18.1.99

• Sol Campbell has been formally charged with causing actual bodily harm to a steward in the tunnel at Pride Park after Tottenham's game there in October. The case will be heard in court on March 1.
• Allan Nielsen could be set for a return to first team action in the first leg of the Worthington Cup semi-final. He missed Saturday's league game because of a hamstring pull and is suspended for the FA Cup 4th round tie at Selhurst Park, but might be fit to feature against the Dons again next Wednesday.
• Andy Sinton will not know for a few days how long he will be out with the shin injury picked up in the studs up, over the top challenge by John Hartson. He had stitches in the wound and will have to see how it settles down.
• Speculation is rife that there may be disrepute charges from the FA concerning the tunnel confrontation between Chris Hughton and Mick Harford at WHL on Saturday. However, the referee was still out on the pitch and therefore, may not be able to include it in his report.
• A 15 year old Rotherham United midfielder, Steve Alabi, is attracting a host of Premier clubs after he refused to sign for the Third Division side. Tottenham are among the chasing pack and may have to pay a hefty fee to attract the boy to the club.
•  

17.1.99

• The Sunday press have come up with the following stories to fill their pages today
  George Graham has been given the go-ahead to make a £2 million bid for 17 year old Peterborough winger, Matthew Etherington.
  Tottenham are still eyeing Celtic's Mark Burchill.
  Colin Calderwood is wanted by Nottingham Forest and it is claimed he would welcome the move.
• Former Tottenham striker Jurgen Klinsmann has announced his retirement from football.

16.1.99

• Tottenham drew 0-0 at home with Wimbledon.
• David Ginola has pledged the rest of his career to Spurs.
• Sol Campbell has said that foreign players add spice to the Premier League and that each club must make their own decision on how the make up of their side is formed.

15.1.99

• Hans Segers proposed loan move to Leyton Orient has been called off by Alan Sugar, who is upset that the Third Division club are suing Spurs over the termination of the use of their ground for Reserve fixtures.

14.1.99

• Ian Walker could be in line for a recall to the England squad for the friendly v France.
• Colin Calderwood has got a back injury, picked up while playing for the reserves at Peterborough, but may be required in the next few weeks, with Tottenham missing Clemence and Nielsen through suspension and Anderton with an injured calf.
• Despite press reports that Tim Sherwood appears set to sign a new contract at Blackburn now that new boss Brian Kidd is in charge, some rumours are indicating that Tottenham are watching the situation and may move for the midfielder should any hesitation be evident. Why Spurs would want a 29 year old battling midfielder after just having signed Freund is open to question. David Pleat has said on Media Monitor that the story is not true.
• GG has said that Wimbledon are favourites in the coming Cup matches because of their League position.
• Luke Young is currently suffering with a virus while Allan Nielsen and Ruel Fox are hamstrung before Saturday's match against Wimbledon.

13.1.99

• Moussa Saib is making good progress in his recovery from a back injury.
• Mauricio Taricco may be in line for a first team place against Wimbledon on Saturday.
• Darren Anderton has said he might be fit for the game on Saturday, after a recurrence of his calf injury. If not fit for the League game, he should be ready to face Wimbledon in the FA Cup.
• It has transpired that Steffen Freund has a clause in his contract that could allow him to leave after two years before the end of his four and a half year deal if he cannot settle in England. He said he has to learn everything anew and therefore, it is difficult to know if he will fit in.

12.1.99

• Spurs may lose the services of Luke Young if he is selected to play for England in the Under-20 championships in Nigeria later this month.
• Les Ferdinand could be fit for Saturday's game against Wimbledon as his knee is not as badly injured as first thought.
• George Graham turned out to watch the reserves last night with half an eye on young Posh star Matthew Etherington.
• The FA Youth Cup tie due to be played at Walsall tonight has been postponed (again). It is now hoped that it will be played on Monday 18th January.

11.1.99

• Darren Anderton (calf) and Les Ferdinand (knee) are struggling to be fit for Saturday's visit by Wimbledon.
• Allan Nielsen collected his fifth yellow card of the season at Hillsborough and will miss the Wimbledon FA Cup tie.
• Steffen Freund has won over the staff at Tottenham in just five days. Following his gritty debut, he went in for training on Sunday and GG said he will be a real asset to the side.
• Luke Young has also won praise from his defensive partner Sol Campbell who thinks he will go far as he is willing to listen to advice and is keen to learn.
• Ex-Spurs boss Peter Shreeves is to be the number two to Big Fat Ron Atkinson at Nottingham Forest.
• Ex-Spurs striker Teddy "Cockney Red" Sheringham is unhappy being behind Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a place in the Man U side. Shame.
• Internet rumours insist that adidas will be Spurs kit suppliers next season witha home kit similar to Real Madrid's and an away kit of orange and blue (David Pleat's Luton influence there me thinks !!).
• Spurs Res. beat Peterborough 1-0 in the Avon Combination with a Jose Dominguez goal.

10.1.99

• It's Sunday again, so the rumours start here. Tottenham are maintaining surveillance on Marc Vivien Foe, the Cameroon midfielder. It is thought that George Graham is keen to link Freund up with Foe in a tough middle two where they will take no prisoners. Man U were interested in the 23 year old Lens man, but since he has played in the Champions League, they may have cooled their ardour. The fee back before his broken leg was £4 million, but it is reported it may now be less than that.
• Huddersfield have been watching Colin Calderwood and are keen to give him a chance to re-ignite his international career. He has been a fixture on the bench since GG took over and may relish the prospect of a first-team place. However, the proposed takeover at the Yorkshire club may stymie the deal.
• Rumours indicate that Chelsea may have made a bid to buy Les Ferdinand as an answer to their forward injury crisis. Without Flo and Casiraghi, they turned to the England man, but were given a "Hands Off" warning by George Graham. It seems a bit strange that they would want somebody who has been injury prone for two seasons to replace their missing forwards !!

9.1.99

• Tottenham drew 0-0 with Sheffield Wednesday. Steffen Freund made his debut for Spurs and got booked. Les Ferdinand and Darren Anderton both went off injured. GG was disappointed with the defending as he wanted the side to attack more, rather than have to keep out the opposition the whole time.
• According to TeamTalk, Tottenham will sign 29 year-old Stockport County central defender, Mike Flynn tomorrow. He will cost £850,000. Which will be nice, except you can't help feeling that their sources are a bit saucy.

8.1.99

• Carling Player of the Month, David Ginola, has praised George Graham's tactics and said he had proved that they could work together.
• Two First Division clubs have shown interest in Gary Mabbutt as he nears full fitness - one is believed to be Crystal Palace.
• Spurs have been linked with youngsters Mark Burchill (Celtic) and Matthew Etherington (Peterborough) this week, but the latest young star allegedly taking Tottenham's fancy is Seth Johnson of Crewe. Liverpool are also trailing the England Under-21 star , but TeamTalk think he may stay at Crewe for a while yet.
• Ramon Vega could feature in a reserve game next week as he tries to make a return to match fitness.
• Moussa Saib has vowed to stay at Tottenham and fight for his place in the side, following his successful reserve team match this week.
• Luke Young will retain his place in the side at Sheffield Wednesday. Chris Armstrong is available again and Steffen Freund and Mauricio Taricco are also in the squad.

7.1.99

• David Ginola has been announced as the Carling Footballer of the Month for December. His commitment to Spurs and his outstanding play has been a major factor in Tottenham's revival, they said.
• The Times FA Youth Cup replay at Walsall will take place next Tuesday, 12th January.
• Mauricio Taricco came through his debut in Tottenham colours at St. Albans last night without any reaction to his ankle injury. He felt tired after ploughing through 90 minutes on the muddy pitch, but was grateful his first outing had gone well.
• Stephen Clemence who received a red card for two bookable offences will not be available for the FA Cup 4th round at Wimbledon as he will now be suspended.
• Steffen Freund was tipped to join Spurs by ex-Arsenal player Tony Woodcock ,who is now working as a scout in Germany. Tottenham were alerted to the Borussia Dortmund star a year ago and although it took time for him to arrive, Woodcock believes he will do really well for Tottenham.

6.1.99

• The Youth team were foiled in their attempt to play the replay of their Times FA Youth Cup tie at Walsall when a waterlogged pitch caused a postponement.
• Tottenham have been linked with a £2 million move for Peterborough's young winger Matthew Etherington. The club have denied this however. George Graham rates the 17 year old and it has been said that the Posh will not be able to hang onto him should a large bid come in.
• Espen Baardsen has signed a new contract taking him through to June 2004 with Tottenham. Despite offers from two other Premiership clubs he decided to stay with Spurs because he is happy at the club and has friends in London.
• Tottenham are among a large pack of clubs who are interested in signing the forgotten Liverpool full-back, Rob Jones. The 27 year old defender has just come back from back and hernia setbacks and will be back at full-back for the reserves this week. Celtic, Rangers, Benfica, Arsenal and West Ham are quoted as being the other interested parties for the player who is out of contract at the end of the season and can sign a pre-contract agreement now.
• Media Monitor has denied a story stating that Tottenham are interested in Steve Howey, the Newcastle centre half who is out of contract at the end of the season.
• "It's ridiculous if they're even thinking about it." No, not the inclusion of Ruel Fox in Tottenham's side for Saturday's game, but FIFA's idea for having the World Cup every two years and Sol Campbell's opinion on it.
• Tottenham's Reserves beat Brentford 3-0 at St. Albans tonight. Three players were dismissed (Clemence from our side) and the goals came from Rory Allen (penalty), Clemence (penalty) and David Lee. Paul McVeigh also missed a penalty.

5.1.99

• John Scales is no nearer a return to first team action after sustaining a calf injury in training some five weeks ago.
• Espen Baardsen has agreed terms for a new contract to keep him at the club for another five years. He will sign in the next few days.
• Stefan Freund has been warned to stand by for his debut just 48 hours after arriving in England. He may be played in the match at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday as GG makes changes to the side that beat Watford, but conceded twice.

4.1.99

• George Graham has again hinted that he would like to make a lot of new signings and quickly. He is worried that the squad is not good or big enough to challenge for top honours.
• Despite the above, David Pleat has denied that Tottenham are interested in Aston Villa's Mark Draper.
• George Graham has got the bubbling David Ginola playing so well by getting inside his head with psychobabble. He has turned him into a "productive entertainer" who has an end to his trickery and not just a party piece.

3.1.99

• Tottenham were drawn away to Wimbledon in the FA Cup 4th round.
• Transfer speculation in the Sunday press has linked Tottenham with a £6 million bid for Frank Lampard Junior.
  The club entering a battle with Newcastle for Romanian midfielder - cum - defender Constantin Galca of Espanyol.
  New speculation has sprung up concerning a bid by Tottenham for Mark Draper of Aston Villa. A sum of £4 million could part him from the Midlands club. Seems a bit of a large amount for a fringe squad member.
• Arsenal are reportedly set to sign Mark Burchill of Celtic.

2.1.99

• Tottenham beat Watford 5-2 in the third round of the FA Cup at White Hart Lane today. After going a goal down in 53 seconds, Tottenham struck back to be 3-1 up after 20 mins. through Iversen (2) and a Darren Anderton penalty. Watford pulled a goal back, but Nielsen made it 4-2 just before the break. A terrific hailstorm threatened to stop the game, but it continued and Fox ended the scoring with a goal in the last five minutes.
• Reports have linked George Graham with a return to his old club to sign defender Ian Harte and Aussie Harry Kewell. The Leeds boss has stated that he would not let the players talk to other clubs and it appears that the story may not be all it seems.

1.1.99

• HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
• There is no new year return for Scales or Vega in the Watford match, but Spamezzani, Saib and Taricco are all back in training.