White Hot Lines

31.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Tottenham lost against Arsenal at Highbury today, the score was 0-2.  For a match report, click here.  For reaction, click here.
  Before the game, there was a minute's silence for David Rocastle, the former England, Arsenal, Leeds United, Manchester City and Chelsea, who died today with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - a form of cancer.  The Spurs fans were given credit for respecting the silence and not spoiling it with cat-calls as other fans have done at White Hart Lane.
  George Graham was the target of a vicious attack in  the Daily Mirror today by former Chairman Sir Alan Sugar.  He accused Graham of being cowardly in never owning up to his own mistakes and also that he was a managerial has-been.  He added that had ENIC not asked him to hold off, he would have sacked GG himself and that in the event, only loaded the bullets that ENIC eventually fired.

  George Graham has said (through his legal representative) that he was disappointed that Sir Alan Sugar had made these comments in the newspaper today.  He said his unrivalled record would speak for itself.

  John Gorman has asked Spurs fans to be patient for success as it will not come straight away.  While there is a FA Cup semi-final next week, the Spurs assistant manager said that the long term success of the club was what they were concerned with.

  David Pleat fears for his future as Director of Football at Tottenham now that Glenn Hoddle has taken over as manager.  He said that it could well be his last game in charge for Tottenham, although he wanted to stay and work for Glenn, as he wanted the best for Tottenham.

  Glenn Hoddle, although not in charge of team affairs, was at the game today.  He walked up the tunnel at one stage, but appeared to stop short of coming into view of the crowd.  Hoddle sat in the main stand for the rest of the match alongside his number 2, John Gorman, and former Spurs chairman, Irving Scholar.

  Arsene Wenger said he knew many years ago that Glenn Hoddle would return to manage Tottenham Hotspur one day.  Although Hod never said this to the current Arsenal manager, Wenger felt that it was always "his (Hoddle's) club" and that he wanted to be the boss there even when he didn't think he would be a manager.

  Spurs have been linked with Bayern Munich's Steffan Effenburg and Juventus' Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids following Glenn Hoddle's appointment as manager and ENIC's statement that there will be money available for new signings.

  Chris Hughton has been promoted to first team coach in recognition of the excellent work he has done with the reserves at the club.
  The Highways Agency is removing road-works along the route to Old Trafford to alleviate some of the traffic chaos expected next Sunday for the trek to the FA Cup semi-final.

30.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Glenn Hoddle was finally formally announced as Tottenham Hotspur manager this evening at a Press Conference.  Compensation was eventually agreed with Rupert Lowe, the Southampton chairman and the paperwork will be finished off on Monday morning.  Hoddle said he didn't feel guilty about leaving the Dell as Spurs have been such a large chunk of his life as he said he first came to the club when he was eight and left when he was 29.  Tottenham were the only club that he would have left the Saints for he said, because it was not an easy decision after putting so much hard work in there.  He added the fans had given him and John Gorman such a warm welcome, that it has been quite emotional for him to come home.  Hod explained that he knew what the fans liked and didn't like and that he would be judged by his success in the job, but would try to balance success with style.

  Speaking about Spurs, he echoed George Graham's words when he first arrived in that the club had "slipped a bit" and there was a lot of hard work to do to make the club what they once were.  Glenn's comment that he had signed a five year deal to make a long term commitment echoed his words about building up the club from the Academy upwards.

  Hoddle said of the squad that he would have to assess the players to see if they would form a team that would shape up into the side he wanted.  He added that he knew some of the players, but would know them all a lot better by next Saturday.  Of those seeking to be retained by the club, he wanted to be part of the process to persuade them (Sol and Darren) to stay.  Nothing was mentioned about Les Ferdinand.  He said that there were some fantastic players at the club and that Sergei Rebrov would be worth all the money spent on him, while h knew exactly what Sol Campbell was capable of from his England days.

  Glenn expected there to be pressure on him in his new post.  He said the words that all Spurs fans wanted to hear  ... "There is an added pressure because I am a supporter.  If you are a supporter of a club, in your heart it is for life. I am overwhelmed and delighted to be back as manager."
  While Hoddle will not take over his new position until Monday, he will be watching David Pleat's side in action tomorrow at Highbury.

  Spurs' Executive vice-chairman David Buchler has denied that he acted improperly in the hiring of Glenn Hoddle as Tottenham's new manager.  He said the first meeting was set up on Tuesday evening (27th) and the talks went on until 2 a.m.  Then Southampton were informed and the compensation money paid to the Premier League for Southampton, with the final conditions of the deal received by Spurs this evening.  Buchler said that discussions with Hoddle about money for development of the club had gone well, with not all of the cash going to purchase new players, but some of the money would go "to ensure the long term development of the club".  
  Buchler went on to say that Hoddle was the only manager they had approached for the job, as he was the number one choice.  He assured fans that the new owners would want to get closer to the supporters and that the chants of "We Want Our Tottenham Back" were only viewed as criticism from the fans when it was necessary.

  Hoddle praised the work done before him by George Graham.  He said that what Graham had done to get Spurs to the semi-final had to be acknowledged and applauded, before he went on to praise the current Arsenal manager, saying he wouldn't be at Tottenham now if it wasn't for Arsene Wenger - his Monaco mentor. 
  Gary Doherty said today that George Graham was the happiest he had ever seen him on the day he got sacked.  He said the players wanted to win the FA Cup for GG as it is basically his team and the ones he brought on or brought to the club want to repay the faith shown in them.

  Stephen Carr has said that the FA Cup semi-final means more to Spurs than it does to Arsenal.  He considered that the Highbury side might choose the points to boost their challenge for a Champion's League place rather than the FA Cup glory, whereas Spurs would take the opposite view in a piece on his own website.
  Steffen Freund rates Spurs v Arsenal as one of the biggest derbies in the world as 100,000 would watch if there was a stadium big enough.

  Going into the game with a number of injuries to key players, Pleat has added youngsters Jonnie Jackson, Steven Ferguson and John Piercy to the first team squad.  They join  the younger players who are in the squad on a regular basis of Etherington, Davies, Gardner, Doherty, King, Thelwell, Young and Hillier, bringing to 11 the number of under-21 players.  

  Les Ferdinand is looking forward to doing battle with Tony Adams and Martin Keown as he looks for his first North London derby goal.  He said he knows exactly what to expect, but is up for it and will be looking to win the match without thinking about the semi-final next week.

  A story in Sports First today is linking Teddy Sheringham with a move back to Spurs in a player-coach capacity.  It reveals that he would be happy to move back to London and the thought of re-joining a Sugar free Tottenham appeals as it gives him the contract he wants and an introduction to the coaching side of the game.

  ENIC's share price dropped 11.5p to an all time low of 47p after stories that £50 million would be available to Glenn Hoddle to spend as Tottenham manager.

29.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Glenn Hoddle has not yet been announced as Spurs manager, as he cannot be unveiled until compensation is settled with Southampton.  His agent said talks were progressing well and hoped a press conference would be called tomorrow.  The move appears to be in limbo at the moment with Southampton saying that no formal offer of compensation has yet been received.
  It is reported in newspapers today that Sol Campbell and Darren Anderton will sign new contracts for Spurs when Glenn Hoddle takes over as manager at White Hart Lane.  Anderton will sign a £3 million two year deal while Sol is rumoured to be ready to put his name to a contract lasting four years and worth £12 million.

  Sol Campbell's ankle injury, picked up in the England match in Albania yesterday could keep him out of the FA Cup semi-final.  He has ruled himself out of the match at Highbury on Saturday, but it is feared that it might stop him playing against Arsenal in the semi at Old Trafford on Sunday week.  The injury occurred when he landed after a header and an opponent fell across his leg landing on his ankle.
  Other Spurs players struggling with injuries for the League match are Sergei Rebrov (definitely out with a hamstring pull), Luke Young, Ledley King and Stephen Clemence.

  Stephen Carr has said that it was fan power that has brought Glenn Hoddle to White Hart Lane.  Speaking on his own website, Carr said he looks forward to seeing what Hoddle can do for him as a player and that the players will give 100% for him, as they had done for Graham.

  Les Ferdinand will seek to discuss his future with Glenn Hoddle, when the ex-England boss moves into the manager's office at Tottenham.  He wants assurances that he will be part of the plans for Spurs' future, because with his contract expiring in the summer, he would be able to move on a free transfer.

  Stewart Houston has left Spurs.  The official site carried this statement ...  "Assistant manager Stewart Houston had his contract terminated today and has left the club.  We thank him for his past efforts and wish him well for the future." 

  Leyton Orient's 19 year old defender, Simon Downer, who has interested Spurs and Newcastle United, has signed a new three year deal for the East London Third Division club.

  Apparently, Spurs joined Manchester United and Newcastle United in watching Ajax's 18 year old midfielder Rafael van der Vaart play for Holland's Under-21's on Tuesday in Portugal.  Or perhaps it was the Dutch striker Arjen Robben, they were looking at 

  The young Scarborough centre half that Tottenham were supposed to be buying, Ashley Lyth, has joined Leicester City for £100,000.

  ... and finally, more old evidence in the Leeds players trial in Hull, as Lee Bowyer's solicitor described him as "a weedy chap".

28.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Glenn Hoddle has been confirmed as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager this morning. After phoning the chairman of his current club Southampton at 10 p.m. last night to ask to be released from his contract, the South Coast club announced on their official website that he is leaving The Dell. New Spurs owners ENIC are holding talks with Hoddle to agree terms (rumoured to be a five year deal worth about £6 million) and he is expected to be named as George Graham's successor at White Hart Lane when the time is appropriate, even though the Saints want to keep hold of him.  It is likely that he will be introduced as the new manager at a Press Conference at Tottenham tomorrow, according to his agent.
  Rupert Lowe, the chairman of Southampton has said that he is stunned that Hoddle is turning his back on the club who offered him a way back into management after he had been sacked as England manager.  He also said that he would not stand in the way of his "evident will".  He was also shocked that the deal was done after only five hours of discussions.  Don't know why, we all knew he was going to be Spurs' new boss weeks ago !!  Referring to the release of Hoddle from his contract, he said that it would not take place until compensation had been paid and some sources are rumouring that the contract condition to allow him to speak to Spurs did include a figure to be paid, although Lowe could be trying to push this sum upwards to cover the remaining 15 months of Hoddle's contract.  Dennis Roach, Hoddle's agent said that the clubs were in dialogue about the settlement and things were going amicably, hoping to conclude matters very soon.  
  Lowe was quick to tell Glenn Hoddle to "keep his hands off" Southampton's players (most probably Kachloul and Petrescu, although Wayne Bridge has been suggested as a solution to Spurs' defensive left side problems too) and is reported on the ClubCall site to be ready to protest to the FA about the way Hoddle was approached and then appointed.  Sour grapes all round then !!
  It is rumoured that Glenn will not take control of the team until Monday morning and therefore, his first match will be the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford against Arsenal.
  John Gorman, Hoddle's managerial sidekick, is also coming with him.  He said he had asked to be released to join Hoddle back at White Hart Lane and this move casts further doubt over Stewart Houston's role at the club.  Gorman said he was sorry to be leaving the Saints, but delighted when Hoddle asked him to join him at the Lane.
  Former Spurs defender Gary Stevens said on Sky Sports that Hoddle was the man for the Tottenham job.  He said that Glenn could still show players on the training pitch what he wants and that he was a talented coach, who could get Spurs playing the football they are famous for.  With respect to Sol's position, Stevens thought Hoddle could persuade the England defender that good times are ahead and that it would be worth staying at White Hart Lane.  Although he acknowledged that Spurs were known as a Cup side, he considered Hoddle's ultimate aim would be to win the League.
  Another Ex-Spur, Graham Roberts said that Hoddle will pull the fans together behind him and the team and given the backing of the new investors in the club he could bring success back to Tottenham.  He did add a circumspect feel to his comments, when he said he hoped Hoddle would be given time as he would not like to see what happened to Ossie Ardiles happen to Hod.  Robbo said that Hoddle will not be a soft touch and reckons that Sol Campbell will now stay at White Hart Lane.
  Chris Waddle said that the appointment of Hoddle was a good one as Hoddle had Spurs in his blood and understood the way things had to be done at White Hart Lane.  He said the fans crave success, but need the style that goes with it.
  Another former Spurs star, Alan Mullery, has commented that he would bring the fans together to back him and it is a dream come true for the ex-England manager.
  Steve Archibald said he thought Glenn would be a hit with the Spurs fans as he has a bit of experience, the flair that the fans loved and that it was about the right time for him to return to Spurs.
  Ray Clemence, former Spurs keeper and assistant with England, said Hoddle was very forward thinking coach and very popular with the Spurs fans.
  It is reported (fiendishly) on the Guardian Unlimited's "The Fiver" that Glenn Hoddle's first transfer targets are likely to be the Manchester united pair of Phil Neville and Nicky Butt !! 
  Les Ferdinand has said he knows nothing of a bid from Celtic for his services and he wants to reach agreement with ENIC about a new contract at Spurs, where he would like to finish his career.
  Darren Anderton has announced he is keen to sign on for new manager Glenn Hoddle.  He said he owed Hoddle a lot for helping him overcome his injury (with the help of Eileen Drewery) and also for having faith in him to choose him in front of David Beckham for England.
  Sol Campbell limped off after 28 minutes of England's World Cup game in Albania tonight.
  Steffen Iversen played for Norway in the first half of their World Cup qualifier against Belarus, which they lost 2-1 today.
  Gary Doherty came on as a 25th minute substitute for the Republic of Ireland in their 3-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona.

27.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Glenn Hoddle has been having talks today with Tottenham's top men at a secret location about taking over as manager at White Hart Lane.  Some reports state that it is one of many interviews the Spurs board wish to carry out to find a replacement for George Graham, while others suggest that Hoddle might be taking over sooner rather than later.

  There has also been confusion over whether Spurs had permission to speak to Hoddle, with Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe first saying that he had not given Spurs the go ahead to talk to the former White Hart Lane hero, then changing his story to say that he had.  He said that permission had reluctantly been given at 4.47 p.m. this afternoon on the request of Hoddle and his agent, but he hoped that the talks would come to nothing and that Hoddle would continue as Southampton manager.

  The short list had dwindled earlier in the day when Ruud Gullit had stated that he did not want to leave Holland despite being asked by Spurs if he was interested in taking the job.

  Former Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt said that Hoddle would be a firm favourite with the fans if he did take on the manager's job.  He feels that he has come on as a manager and that he has learned his lessons form the past (his comments getting him the sack as the England manager for example).

  Stephen Carr said today that all the players knew about the charity fines cash that George Graham collected and they were all in support of it.  They thought it was a good idea that the money went to a worthy cause rather than an end of season jolly-up for the players.
  Away from all this management talk, Spurs are reportedly keeping their eye on Roda JC Kerkrade's Belgian Under-21 left winger Tom Soetaers.  He has also been watched by Ipswich Town and it is rumoured that Spurs could go to £2.5 million for the youngster.  They might as well throw in Willem Korsten as he might do better playing on home soil ??!!
  Matthew Etherington has told the Spurs official site that he wants to break into the England Under-21 set-up, but feels he must do more in the Premiership before he gets his chance on the international stage.
  Spurs team mate Luke Young was a part of the England team that beat Albania's Under-21s 1-0 this afternoon in Tirana.
  Ciaran Toner was in the Under-21 Northern Ireland side beaten 2-0 by Bulgaria's Under-21s today.
  Oyvind Leonhardsen could be fit for the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal on April 8th.  He has recovered well from his ankle injury and could get a week's worth of training in before the big game at Old Trafford.
  Doubt about Ledley King's injury have crept in after it has been reported that heavy bruising has come out after the dead leg he sustained against Finland Under-21s last week meant he had to pull out of the Albania match.  He should be ready for Spurs next fixtures after a rest though.
  Gary Doherty could be laying up front for the Republic of Ireland tomorrow against Andorra in Barcelona as manager Mick McCarthy tries out different options within the squad.

  Simon Davies played for Wales' Under 21s this evening at Swansea's Vetch Field in the 0-3 defeat by their Ukrainian counterparts .

  and finally ... the Leeds United players in the race attack court case being heard at a court in Hull were today branded as "cowards and liars". 

26.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Bayern Munich's 32 year old midfielder Steffen Effenburg has claimed that he will leave the German club in the summer of 2002 and that Spurs have always "fascinated" him, so he could end up in North London.  The controversial player has been in excellent form and although he will be in the twilight of his career, he has said he fancies a crack at English football rather than Italy or Spain and he wants to play in London before he calls it a day in the United States.  He has heard how successful Jurgen Klinsmann was at Spurs and with Steffen Freund there now, he may feel this is a good place to come.  He would be available on a Bosman, so could be heading to White Hart Lane in about 14 months time !!

  Having been quoted in the German press as saying "I want to stay at Tottenham", Sol Campbell has said that he will be willing to sit down with the new Spurs Executive Vice Chairman and hear exactly what he has on offer.  In a similar scenario to a TV beer advert, the Spurs captain said "These things take time. You can't rush them."  Sol was not concerned who the new manager would be or if he was in place only that ENIC come up with a blueprint for the future and how they want to push the club forward.  Until he has done this, he has said that he will not speak to any other club - including Bayern Munich.

  Hurrah !!  Birmingham City are to sign Trevor Francis up on a long term contract to prevent Spurs snatching him away as their new manager.  Good !!

  A day after saying he would consider the Spurs job if it was offered to him, Joe Kinnear has now been reported as saying he definitely won't go back to White Hart Lane.  He said that he should have got the Spurs manager's job when Christian Gross was appointed and now sees his future at Luton Town, excited by the new stadium they are planning.

  The London Evening Standard report that the shortlist for managers to replace George Graham at Tottenham includes but five names.  Those are Trevor Francis, Graeme Souness, Glenn Hoddle, Ruud Gullit and Alan
Curbishley.  After the above, we best make that four then.

  Spurs have been watching a young Scarborough player - Jamie Burt - who has been on the books of Newcastle United and Carlisle United.  He is also being trailed by Watford, Brentford and Leicester City.

  Ledley King's dead leg gained in the England Under-21 match against Finland will rule him out of the match tomorrow against Albania, although he should be fit for Saturday's game at Highbury.
  ... and finally.  Chelsea have warned that their holding company Chelsea Village may announce very poor performance on the Stock Market after an early exit from Europe and their shares have plummeted to about a third of their best price since the launch.  Shame !!

25.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  David Pleat fears that he might be axed when a new manager comes into White Hart Lane to replace George Graham.  He also thought that the sacking of GG was ill timed and that the club could have done without all this with a FA Cup semi-final coming up.

  As Les Ferdinand is reportedly not receiving offers of the contract he wants, Martin O'Neill is rumoured to be ready to sign him for Celtic before the Scottish transfer deadline.  However, Planet Football report that they might be willing to give him a one year deal, which is less than he wanted at Tottenham, so read into that what you will !!  West Ham are also interested and given Les' age could well offer him an extended contract, given that he is a comparative youngster alongside Stuart Pearce.

  Jurgen Klinsmann has revealed that although he has gained his coaching badge, he only did it to find out how coaches are trained and will never probably use it in anger.  He said that to be a professional coach would mean him missing out on his son growing up and that ruled him out of a return to White Hart Lane.

  TeamTalk have a story that hints that Sol Campbell's contract talks could become heated as David Buchler has supposedly revealed that they will continue, when they are supposed to be confidential !!  This is somewhat of a turnaround in fortunes for the Spurs Executive Vice-Chairman, who sacked George Graham last week for revealing details of a confidential meeting with him to the Press.  Apparently, the talks are set to continue over the next couple of weeks.  However, other reports say that Manchester United representatives met with Campbell at England's Cheshire hotel this week and Liverpool are setting up a £25 million deal to tempt him to Anfield.

  Ian Walker feels that George Graham's exit from the Tottenham manager's office lets him in with a chance of resurrecting his Spurs career.  He did not see himself being involved while Graham was still in post and now that Glenn Hoddle is favourite for the job, he thinks he might have a chance of re-establishing himself as Tottenham's number one keeper.  Hoddle was the manager when Walker received the last of his 3 England caps.  Ian thinks that if the new man does not fancy him (and who wouldn't with that lovely hair ??), he may have to seek his future away from the Lane.

  Oyvind Leonhardsen takes the opposite view, in that because he was a GG signing, he might have to go when a new manager comes to Tottenham.

  Spurs are having Racing Santander's Swedish defender Olaf Mellberg watched again as Arsenal and Chelsea join Roma and Barcelona in a tussle for his services.  The 23 year old could fill in should Sol Campbell leave in the summer.
  One of the young players being released by Spurs has already got himself a contract with a new club.  Winger Andrew Burke has got a two and a half year deal with Bristol City, where he joins another former Spurs trainee, Simon Clist.
  The FA have revealed that Second Division (and soon to be Third Division if they keep playing poorly in league matches) Wycombe Wanderers only have to beat Liverpool to get through to the FA Cup Final and they may be assured of a place in Europe !!  Should Arsenal beat Spurs in the other semi and automatically qualify by gaining a Champions League place, then Wycombe would go through even if they lost to the Gooners.  This is a turn-around in FA thinking that had previously denied lower league teams a place in Europe unless they were winners of a trophy outright and did not qualify for Europe by default.

24.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Darren Anderton has said that a move abroad is not for him should he fail to agree terms with Tottenham Hotspur.  With Middlesbrough and Aston Villa willing to sign anyone who moves, he need not worry on that front too much.

  Sol Campbell played in England's 2-1 win over Finland at Anfield this afternoon.

  Neil Sullivan was Scotland's goalkeeper in the 2-2 draw at Hampden Park against Belgium today.

  Sergei Rebrov featured in the Ukraine side that drew with Belarus today 0-0.

  Gary Doherty came on 2 minutes from time to replace Robbie Keane in the Republic of Ireland's 4-0 win in Cyprus tonight.
  Steffen Iversen came on as a substitute in the second half against Poland in Norway's 2-3 World Cup qualifier defeat today.

  Planet Football's site link Spurs with interest in a £2.25 million bid for Jordi Cruyff, now playing with Alaves in Spain.
  Ledley King only suffered a dead leg in yesterday's Under-21 international and expects to be fit for the Albania match on Tuesday.

  The EU signed a compromise agreement about transfers for the future which includes a four month ban for any player failing to honour the agreement with his former club.

23.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Sol Campbell could be a doubt for England in their game against Finland at Anfield tomorrow after collecting a knock in training.

  Ian Hillier was an unused substitute and Simon Davies (who picked up a booking) played in the Welsh Under-21 team that lost 0-1 against Armenia today.  Both are in the squad for the match this coming week against Ukraine.

  Ledley King went off injured at half-time, while Luke Young played all of the England Under-21's game against Finland Under-21's at Oakwell tonight.  England ran out winners by 4 goals to 0.

  Ciaran Toner played in Northern Ireland's 0-2 defeat against the Czech Republic tonight at Under-21 level.

  The Under-19 match against Wimbledon due to be played at Spurs Lodge tomorrow is OFF because the pitch is waterlogged.  However, the Under-17's game against Queens Park Rangers is still ON.

  Ex-England international John Barnes has said that he believes Glenn Hoddle can lead Spurs to glory in the future.  He said he was as shocked as anyone by the timing of the sacking.
  Allegedly, the London Evening Standard are touting Graeme Souness and Trevor Francis as candidates for the Tottenham manager's job. They also reckon Ruud Gullitt is in second place on the wish list.  NOooooooo!!

22.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Everton manager Walter Smith has blasted David Pleat's revelation that Spurs made an enquiry for Francis Jeffers just before George Graham was sacked.  He said that details of their private conversation have been made public and added that Spurs were given no encouragement whatsoever.

  The Bradford City match postponed because of the FA Cup semi-final has been moved to Tuesday the 10th April with a 7.45 p.m. kick off.  The reserve match against Nottingham Forest due to be played that night will no doubt be cancelled.

  George Graham has won the support of the League Manager's Association to assist him in his case against Spurs for unfair dismissal.
  Joe Kinnear has said that he would be willing to take the Spurs job should it be offered to him.  The Luton Town manager said he thinks Hoddle would be the favourite, but he would have to talk to people should Spurs approach him at any stage.
  Kevin Keegan has ruled himself out of an application for the Spurs manager's job as he claimed he had never applied for a job in football before and wouldn't start now.  He added he was not watching how the situation developed at White Hart Lane.

  Ben Thatcher has been frustrated in trying to overcome his hip injury.  He said that it was soul destroying to come in every day, do the same repetitive exercises and then go home, he told the official Spurs site.
  Simon Davies has been named a as player who could make the move to the Welsh national side form the Under-21's seamlessly.  Coach Jimmy Shoulder said he was the most advanced of the squad and could handle the pressure of such a step up.  Davies himself said he is pleased to get away from the circus surrounding Tottenham at the moment and hopes it will have calmed down by the time he returns.  He said that he was hoping that the new manager would be impressed by his play and that he had a lot to thank George Graham for as he brought him to the club and was very helpful in his encouragement.

  Johnny Jackson played for England Under-18s at White Hart Lane tonight and ended up on the losing side to Poland's Under-18s.

  Spurs loan striker of earlier this year, Andy Booth, has left Sheffield Wednesday for his former club Huddersfield Town.

  Former Spurs midfielder Moussa Saib has joined Monaco on a two year deal from Auxerre.
  Former Spurs winger Andy Turner has left Rotherham United for his latest loan spell at Rochdale.
  and finally ... one of the big name deals of transfer deadline day saw Mohammed Takalobighashi move from Margate to Scunthorpe United.  Made up name or what ??

21.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  An inquiry at the club has been launched into £18,700 found in a drawer in George Graham's office.  The former manager has slammed the club for trying to besmirch his good name, saying that it was an accepted practice that club fines were donated to charity - the Richard House Trust Children's Hospice.  Graham Taylor of the Professional Footballer's Association ahs said that the guidelines for fining players indicates that the money should be taken directly from their wages and he has not heard of this practice going on elsewhere.  John Fennelly, Press Officer, has issued a denial to the story on the official website, saying that the money was not suddenly discovered and the reason for it being locked in a safe was well known.

  It has been reported that Spurs made a move for Everton's Francis Jeffers.  The England Under-21 striker has been unhappy at Goodison and refused to sign a new contract, so Spurs seeing their chance enquired about the 20 year old, but as he picked up an injury, no firm bid was made.  Spurs could pursue the jug-eared one in the summer when the new manager comes in, should he still fancy having a replica of the FA Cup around White Hart Lane.

  David Pleat also said that the club had planned to buy Hassan Kachloul form Southampton, but as the South Coast club are aiming for a European place, they did not want to sell at the moment.
  Spurs are rumoured to be ready to make a transfer deadline day swoop (they always swoop on deadline day don't they ??)  for Manchester United's midfielder, Jonathan Greening.  Along with Leicester City, Everton and Blackburn Rovers,  Spurs are hoping that the England Under-21 international could be tempted away from Old Trafford for about £2 million.
  Reports also link Spurs with a move for the Swede Olaf Mellberg of Racing Santander, bottom of the Spanish top division.  The 23 year old left back would strengthen Spurs depth in that position, but it is thought that Barcelona might also be interested and that could rule out a move to Spurs. 

  Darren Anderton has denied rumours that he is set to leave Spurs in the summer now that George Graham has left the club.  He said he wanted to stay, but wanted to be assured that the people coming in would be helping the club to be successful.  He said that bumping around in mid-table "isn't good enough".  He is due to have more talks with David Buchler this week.
  Les Ferdinand is also set for talks, but should they break down Harry "Hangdog" Redknapp is ready to pounce and offer the Spurs forward a two year deal at West Ham United.

  Ossie Ardiles has proposed his former team mate Glenn Hoddle as the man most likely to take Spurs forward.  The Argentinian said Hod was well qualified for the job and must be given time to do it properly.  Asked about the team he said keep Sol Campbell and sell the other 10 players !!

  Howard Shore, "a lifelong Spurs fan" and executive chairman of the Shore Capital Group plc, has been appointed as a non-executive director of Tottenham Hotspur plc.  Daniel Levy said he was sure that Howard would bring a number of business attributes with him to forge partnerships with backers and entrepreneurs.

  Tomorrow night England's Under-18's take on their Polish counterparts at White Hart Lane and the kick-off is at 8 p.m.  Tickets for adults is £3 and accompanied under-16's and OAP's get in free.  Why not take advantage of seeing an international fixture at the Lane and some of the country's top youngsters ??
   Spurs transfer target, Millwall's Lucas Neill, looks like he will sign a new contract at The New Den leaving Middlesbrough disappointed that he will not be going there on a £500,000 transfer either.

20.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Steve Perryman has said that Glenn Hoddle is the favourite for the Spurs job and although he is keen to return to Japan to manage, should Hoddle ask him to assist he would.
  Charlton Athletic have issued a hands off warning to Spurs for their manager Alan Curbishley.  They said he is one of the best motivators in Britain and that they wanted to keep him at the Valley for four or five years by offering a new contract.

  Paul Walsh, the former Spurs striker, has said he thinks the sacking of George Graham was a "bit of a plot".  He said the reason is thin and the timing terrible, adding that he thinks that Campbell and Anderton are not likely to be at the Lane next season.

  Kevin Davies has revealed that the players are in the dark about whether Glenn Hoddle will leave Southampton to join Spurs.  He has told them nothing and they are hoping that he will consider the Saints ambitious enough to stay there.

  Stephen Carr is trying to resist the lure of the derby matches coming up in league and cup.  He said he has started running, but will not be rushed back when not fully fit, although he acknowledge that the games are massive and the sort that players want to play in.

  Spurs reserves drew 0-0 with Derby County reserves tonight.

  Ian Walker has been linked tenuously with a move to Manchester United to cover their goalkeeping crisis.  But then the world and his wife have been mentioned in relation to the problem between the sticks at Old Trafford.

  Youth Team goalie Jamie Atwell has gone on loan to Bradford City to replace the outgoing keeper Matt Clarke, who has been loaned to Bolton Wanderers.

  20 year old El-Hadji Diouf of French club Rennes had been watched by George Graham, according to Planet Football.  The midfielder is looking for a move to England and as his name has not previously been linked with Spurs, I guess his agent is taking a flyer on the hope that Leeds United will beat us to his signing for the player who is rated at £3 million.

19.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Sol Campbell is allegedly set to reject Tottenham's first contract offer of £50,000 a week according to the London Evening Standard.  David Buchler is keen to keep talks going and is due to meet Campbell's agent again this week.    
  David Pleat has been asked by David Buchler to take charge of the first team until the end of the season, as no new manager will be appointed until then.  The club said they wanted to consider candidates from England and Europe and would not rush into a decision over this important appointment.
  The agent of Gianluca Vialli has ruled his client out of the rumours that he might take over at Spurs this season.  Vialli's representative, Athole Still, said that he had received lots of enquiries from England and abroad and would not start any managerial job until the summer.  Still went on to discuss the merits and dismerits of Tottenham's standing as a big club, which he felt the statistics foretold that Spurs were not as big as they thought they were.  Strange that this man is the agent for Stephen Carr also.
  Marcelo Lippi has also ruled himself out of the running and intends to continue his career in Italy, perhaps with AC Milan, who have just sacked their manager Albert Zaccharoni.

  Former Spurs captain and record appearance holder, Steve Perryman, has not ruled himself out of the race for the manager's position at White Hart Lane.  Mainly because he has refused to discuss the matter when asked about the Spurs job.
  He is joined in keeping mum about the post by Terry Venables who said it is not a distraction, but he is focused on what he has to achieve at Middlesbrough at the moment.
  Graeme Souness has said he is happy at Ewood Park and is not looking for a job.  He said that he would be pleased to be linked with the job at Spurs, but not at the moment.

  Apparently ENIC have told the players to choose their words carefully when talking about recently sacked manager George Graham. They will not be bale to dedicate the Cup to him should they win it and if they talk out of turn, they better watch out ... we reckon they might end up going the same way as GG.

  Dean Richards, a player Spurs were supposedly interested in buying before GG was sacked, has signed a two year extension to his Southampton contract to keep him with that club until 2005.

  The Southampton chairman has confirmed that Spurs have bid £350,000 for Hassan Kachloul.  However, on the Spurs site, David Pleat has said he will only be joining Tottenham if Southampton want to talk about the sale, which he left was very unlikely.
  Pleat also said that the rumour that a £7 million bid for Sylvain Distin of Paris St. Germain has been made was "not correct".

  Pleat was supposedly in Holland yesterday watching potential signings.
  Spurs are rumoured to have watched Nzelo Lembi of Club Brugge in the Belgian League.  The 25 year old Congo born defender has been earning quite a reputation and Spurs scouts have been sent to watch him perform, as they spread the net wide to sign new talent.

  George Graham has asked the League Manager's Association to help him seek compensation from Spurs for his dismissal.

  Three of Tottenham's young players have spoken in favour of George Graham after his sacking.  Luke Young said that GG was starting to get a good team spirit going, a pint that was backed up by Ledley King, who thanked Graham for giving him his debut and had a lot of faith in him.  Stephen Clemence added that he had made him a better player and that he was disappointed at his departure.
  Former Spurs centre half Ramon Vega even sent his sympathies to George Graham saying he was sorry that he had been sacked.  He said he did not bear a grudge against Graham, but he was under pressure to succeed and Vega had been injured for much of the year after the Worthington Cup victory, so he could understand not been selected to play.  He said it is obvious that there are new owners with a new philosophy at the club.

  David Pleat had some praise for Stephen Clemence.  He said that Clem did very well. He said "he was almost very, very good" on the club's official web site.  What praise !!  What praise ??

  David Beckham has been confirmed as England captain for the World Cup qualifying matches next week, instead of Sol Campbell.

  Sergei Rebrov has been named in the Ukraine squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Wales next week.
  Spurs reserves take on Derby County at White Hart Lane tomorrow with the kick off at 7 p.m.  Entrance is free, so why not go along and see the Spurs stars of the future ... and some of the present ??

  Youngster Jon Jonsson looks unlikely to continue his career at Spurs beyond the summer as he is already talking about returning to Sweden when his contract ends in July.  He said he is not happy in London, because he will not be in the first team nest season and would seek to make a move to Malmo, who were interested in him recently, on a free transfer at the end of the season.

18.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  It has been revealed today that just before George Graham was sacked, the club made a triple transfer move for Southampton's Hassan Kachloul and Dean Richards, with Paris St. Germain's Sylvain Distin the other target.  Kachloul was a man who Spurs had been linked with for a long time and a bid of £500,000 was in for him along with a £10 million offer for central defender Richards !!  No wonder Graham was sacked !!  It looks as though Spurs were desperate to find a replacement for Sol Campbell, who must have been expected to leave in the summer.  With a £7 million bid for the French 23 year old too, it looks as though a new defensive partnership was being bought to fill in for the England central defender.  Whether any of them will arrive at White Hart Lane before transfer deadline day on Thursday, we wait to see.

  Rumours are circulating that Glenn Hoddle will take over at Tottenham in the summer, as Spurs will not approach another Premiership manager in mid-season in accordance with an agreed protocol.  The £750,000 buy-out clause that Hoddle has in his contract is believed to be only for Premiership clubs and that Spurs would pay up when he was available to take over.  Hoddle is taking a short holiday with a break in the Premier League programme next week for the World Cup qualifiers.

  Spurs are also reported to have made a move to bring David Ginola back to Tottenham shortly after ENIC took over.  Aston Villa were happy to oblige should they receive the £3 million they paid Spurs for him in the summer.  Apparently, they are waiting for Spurs to get back in touch.

  Early editions of the Mail on Sunday were implying that Spurs were set to make a move to make Marcelo Lippi their new manager.  Later editions proclaimed that it was to be Glenn Hoddle.

  George Graham is set to try and sue Spurs for a whopping £4 million for unfair dismissal following his sacking on Friday.  His legal team say they have clear evidence that the version of events put out by David Buchler is misleading.  The Scotsman is reported in the Sunday People as interesting Valencia in Spain after they had been rumoured to be ready to offer the post to Graham's good mate Terry Venables.  It is believed that former Valencia boss, Claudio Ranieri, has recommended Graham to the Spanish side.  Glasgow Rangers are also keen on the former Spurs boss, should Dick Advocaat vacate the position at Ibrox in the summer.

  Players have been reacting to the sacking of George Graham yesterday.  Les Ferdinand last night refuted the allegation that players got George Graham the sack by saying they would not sign new contracts unless he was removed from his post.  Steffen Freund said that some players will like a manager, while others will not get on with him, but he was grateful for GG bringing him to White Hart Lane and experiencing new challenges.  Steffen Iversen thought it was a mistake to sack Graham who he described as a professional man and made the sensible point that big clubs need continuity, so managers can have time to get successful results.  Stephen Carr said Graham was the best motivator he had met and thought the new shareholders might want a complete clear out, but might come to regret it.

  Meanwhile, ENIC are believed to have approached Jurgen Klinsmann before George Graham was sacked.  He is not expected to be made manager, but to become a roving ambassador for Tottenham and as a repository of footballing knowledge to draw on.

  Sol Campbell is set to be offered the biggest deal in the club's history to keep him at White Hart Lane.  A five year deal could be worth about £20 million to him, should he accept it.  ENIC are set to resume talks with him over a new contract and Darren Anderton and Les Ferdinand are also giving encouraging signs that deals may be completed.
  In an interview in the Telegraph, David Buchler has been giving his side of the story and said that "In the meeting, my voice did not go above a decibel."  Now if that is true, any words he had spoken would not be audible to the human ear as a decibel is a very tiny amount of energy and would not register to a person of normal hearing.
  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Stewart Houston has defended George Graham following his sacking from Tottenham.  He said that he thought things were going in the right direction and that GG was a team player because he was not a "tennis player" !!
  Sol Campbell is the only Spurs player named in the England squad for the World Cup qualifying matches against Finland and Albania.

  Spurs are reported to be ready to pay £2 million for Wolverhampton Wanderers and England Under-21 left back Lee Naylor.
  Sunderland's Republic of Ireland winger, Kevin Kilbane, is allegedly a £2 million target for Tottenham. 

  Leicester City are searching for an experienced striker for next season and are targeting Les Ferdinand, who is out of contract in the summer.

  Don Givens the Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager has said that Gary Doherty will have not problem stepping up to the full national side and will be a big star once he gets the opportunity for Eire.

17.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Spurs today won 3-0 against Coventry City at White Hart Lane.  The goals were scored by Iversen, Ferdinand and Rebrov.  For a match report click here.  For reaction, click here.

  David Pleat revealed that he had been asked to take charge of the team for the one game and that someone else could be in charge by the time the next game came around.  He also said that he was shocked by the news that George had left the "company" and that Graham would have been pleased with the performance today.  He did add, however, that his wife could have managed the team to the same result today !!

  In stark contrast, Glenn Hoddle refused to answer questions about the Tottenham job when interviewed after Southampton's game today against Everton.  However, his agent said that Hod is ready for talks with Spurs on a deal to take over the hot seat, saying if Spurs came in for him, in business terms he would have to listen to what was on offer.  He remains the 4-7 favourite with the bookies though.  For an article on the man most likely to, click here.

  Ruud Gullit has had his betting odds on getting the Spurs job slashed to 7-2 by William Hill to make him second favourite.  Other odds are 4-1 for Gianluca Vialli, 8-1 for Terry Venables, 10-1 for Dick Advocaat and John Gregory, 16-1 for Alan Curbishley, Jurgen Klinsmann, David Pleat and Peter Taylor.

  Lots of support for a move for Jurgen Klinsmann is welling up.  He is doing his coaching badge in America and has kept himself fit, but any appointment to the manager's job would be a risky one, with him having little experience in this field.  The stories are emerging from the link with Gary Mabbutt, who will be taking up a new post at the club and is still good friends with the German.

  Stephen Carr has said on his website that he was shocked by the sacking of George Graham.  He said he thought that Graham had been a great coach for him and felt that he had helped him develop into the player he is today.
  Former Spurs Jeff Minton scored twice on his Rotherham United debut this afternoon against Bristol Rovers.

16.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Just 24 hours after revealing all from his meeting with new shareholders ENIC, George Graham is no longer the manager of Tottenham after two years and five months in charge.  The Scot was summonsed to an emergency meeting this morning at White Hart Lane and Executive Vice-Chairman David Buchler told him that the club could no longer work with him.  The news broke at around 2.30 p.m.  The new man said that he had been summarily dismissed for breaking his contract after being given written warnings and he still went out to the Press with his comments.  Buchler said that he could not have someone who is not a team player and was not happy that these stories hit the papers on the same day he started meeting with Sol Campbell's agent on talks about a new contract.  The timing of the move could not be worse for Spurs as they have an FA Cup semi-final coming up and still have a hard run-in to the end of the season.  Graham is accused of using "inappropriate language" at the meeting today.
  Some of the comments he made for which he received the sack appeared on the Spurs official web site.  Ooops ... an own goal there.
  Through his legal representatives, GG has said he was shocked that he was sacked for such a flimsy reason and he would be seeking a legal resolution should the club not honour his contract.  He denied that he had his own agenda and that stated that ENIC had decided to get rid of him as soon as they took over.  Graham said he felt sorry for the fans that the money men had endangered the good spirit and form that had been built up.  HE described the dismissal as "bizarre and inexplicable".

  David Pleat, the other party involved in the talks about the way forward, will take over for the match against Coventry City tomorrow.  Buchler said he had no firm candidates in mind for Graham's replacement, but expected the new man to be in post when Tottenham face Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final on April 8th at Old Trafford, which could tend to imply that it will be someone currently out of work.  He said he would talk to ENIC owner Daniel Levy about the situation in the next couple of weeks and consider their options.

  Clive Allen has said that White Hart Lane is in turmoil after the sacking of George Graham.  The former Spurs striker told Sky TV that he thought GG was a strong manager and was getting things the way he wanted them at Tottenham.  Allen added that he considered Graham would have been looking to take Spurs that next important step in their development next season.

  Ex-Spurs winger Chris Waddle said that it was the lack of money and the fact that ENIC might have wanted to bring in their own manager that prompted the sacking.

  Former captain Gary Mabbutt said that Spurs always seemed to be one game away from being in crisis, but he believed that it didn't matter what GG did for Spurs, he would always be tainted by his association with Arsenal.

  Various names are being put forward for the job including former Spurs players Glenn Hoddle, Gianluca Vialli, Gary Mabbutt, Steve Perryman, Joe Kinnear, Peter Taylor, Terry Venables, Jurgen Klinsmann and other big names David Pleat, Dick Advocaat, Steve McClaren, Kevin Keegan, Ruud Gullitt and Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley, who has been spotted at Tottenham regularly over the last few weeks.  Perhaps they could  take a turn each week ??

  Glenn Hoddle's agent said there had been no approach by Tottenham for his client, although he did admit, it is Glenn's "spiritual home" (what that means to Glenn Hoddle is anyone's guess).  He remains the 4/6 favourite with the bookies though.
  Nobody has mentioned what becomes of Stewart Houston in all this.  Surely his position will be untenable with his mentor leaving.  I certainly can't imagine David Pleat taking him on as his coach.

  In a statement on the club web site, David Buchler (or David as he signs himself) said that there had been an eight figure sum mentioned available for signings, but in the light of George Graham's departure, they would re-look at that and work to get the heart and soul back into the club.

  Earlier in the day, George Graham had backed Sol Campbell to take over permanently as England captain.  He said Sol was having a very good run of form and it would be great if he could captain his club to a Cup Final and then his country too.
  The London Evening Standard says that talks had opened with Southampton's Moroccan midfielder Hassan Kachloul about a £1.75 million transfer to Spurs and George Graham had also been keen to bring Paris St. Germain's defender Sylvain Distin to White Hart Lane.

  In a completely unassociated thread, George Graham was spotted in Amsterdam last week.  Now what was he there for ... ?????????
Spurs six month financial report showed the club had lost 50% of their pre-tax profit, bringing it down to £900,000.  This has been blamed on the lack of European football for the club.  The cynical could suggest that sacking Graham today was a way of hiding the news of the financial poor performance.  Or perhaps they were hoping that the news of Graham's dismissal would be overshadowed by Tony Cottee's removal from the hot seat at Barnet.  Tottenham's share price fell on the news of Graham's sacking.

  Ledley King and Luke Young have been called up for the England Under-21 squad to play against Finland's Under-21's on Friday 23rd march at Barnsley.

  Steffen Iversen said he still had some energy left after the FA Cup tie at West Ham United last Sunday and was pleased that he is back to a good level of fitness.  He said that he has played as a right wing back for his country and although he enjoyed it, he would not want to play there all the time.  Iversen said he was looking forward to the semi-final and hopes Spurs could continue their good run of results against their North London rivals.

  Spurs' game at Liverpool on Saturday April 21st could be put back to Sunday 22nd, because the Reds will play Barcelona on April 19th in the UEFA Cup semi-final.

  Richard Branson has told David Buchler, who has had a very busy day, that he will work with the club to put on some extra trains to take fans to the FA Cup semi-final in Manchester.  This is despite reports that he had written to the FA to get them to change the venue for the Spurs v Arsenal match because there was only one train going up to Manchester that morning.
  Swedish superstar youngster Kim Kallstrom is in the country to train with Sunderland, after Spurs have been constantly linked with him for the last six months.

  George Graham has been told by Executive Vice chairman David Buchler that there is only a limited budget available to buy new players.  GG hopes to bring some new faces in by next Thursday's transfer deadline day, but this might be hampered by the small amount of funds that he can call on.  The amount has been guessed at in reports and a figure of at least £10 million has been mooted, after Buchler stated it was an eight figure sum.  Expect the intended purchase prices of Tottenham's transfer targets to rise sharply.  Graham said that he has made two recommendations.  One to resign Anderton, Ferdinand and Campbell and the second to bring in players to strengthen the squad which will mean that the young players do not have to be thrown in, but can be brought on at their own pace.
  However, Darren Anderton has now been put into plaster again and will not be available for the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.  The move is to help him to rest the Achilles injury he has suffered and GG hopes he will be fit before the season's end.  Some speculation has been reported that this may affect the length of contract he may be offered by Spurs.
  Further injury news was that Les Ferdinand has got over the knock he picked up on Sunday, but Tim Sherwood is not quite ready to play again as his groin is still stiff.

  Fans travelling to Old Trafford for the FA Cup semi final are being offered an alternative means of transport to get there - by air !!   Meanwhile Buchler has slammed Virgin for being "unhelpful and arrogant" and said that the club are hiring coaches, trains and planes to get their fans to Manchester.  The FA are trying to strike a deal for a travel only package for fans with British Airways to make getting to Manchester a little easier.  BA are being urged to put on bigger planes and they are trying to review their schedules to fit flights in.  

  Neil Sullivan has been named in the Scotland squad to face Belgium and San Marino in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

  Steffen Iversen has been recalled by Norway for the World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Poland.

  Stephen Carr has returned to Spurs Lodge after a break back in Ireland to recuperate from his hernia operation.  He is getting some time in the swimming pool and will be stepping up his recovery under the scrutiny of the physiotherapy team at Tottenham.  He said he can't wait to get back playing.

  Chris Armstrong has been running after overcoming his latest groin injury. Suffering from a little fluid on his abductor, he hopes to be doing some more ball work soon and then playing a reserve game or two to see how it shapes up.
  According to the Official Spurs site, this happened to Stephen Clemence in the West Ham FA Cup game ... "As usual, Stephen put in a whole-hearted display and was unlucky not to open the scoring with his rasping angled shot in the first half, Shaka Hislop denying him a fist of the season."  Oooh Errr !!
  Spurs are unlikely to get Neil Harris to join them from Millwall.  The South London club are intent on hanging onto the young striker and as their financial position has improved of late, there will be no hurry to sell players at the New Den.
  Bastia's Polish winger Piotr Swierczewski looks set to join Schalke 04 of Germany rather than Ipswich Town or Tottenham who were supposedly looking at bringing him to England.
  With Spartak Moscow being knocked out of the Champions League last night, it is probable that they will off load some of their players and Spurs have been linked with midfielders Igor Titov and Victor Bulatov, both of whom have been recommended by Sergei Rebrov.

  Junior Lewis completed his £150,000 move from Gillingham to Leicester City today, which scotches rumours that he may be interesting Tottenham.
  Former Spurs midfielder Jeff Minton has joined the other former Spurs youngsters Kevin Watson and Andy Turner at Rotherham United from Port Vale on a free transfer.

14.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Rail companies have urged the FA to forget playing the all London FA Cup semi final at Old Trafford.  The one train up to Manchester is already booked and Virgin trains say that the return journey coincides with the busiest period of the week.  The FA have taken a very caring approach and said that nothing will change and why are Virgin only putting on two trains that day !!  With most of North London emigrating North, why not go the whole hog and play the semi at Parkhead or Hampden.  Playing the Final outside the country sets a precedent, so why not a semi-final too ???
  With the game likely to go ahead at Old Trafford, at least it might not be a mud heap as Manchester United have moved their League match against Charlton Athletic from April 7th to April 10th.  Let's hope there is not a replay required to be played at the same venue !!

  Benfica's young Spanish centre half, Marchena, is being watched by Real Madrid. The Spanish Under-21 star who played against England last week is also being watched by Deportivo La Coruna, Athletico Madrid and Barcelona.  Spurs were rumoured to be interested in buying him earlier this season.

  Ledley King is happy to have got his contract extension signed and is now looking to a long future with Spurs. He said he cannot see why he would want to move away from White Hart Lane and that he hopes to take his run in the side forward in both the Cup and league.

  George Graham has high hopes that both Darren Anderton and Stephen Carr will be back in the side by the time the FA Cup semi-final comes around.  As long as they can get a reserve game for match practice, it is likely that they will feature at some stage in the game.
  Bad news in the Stephen Hughes drawn out transfer story ... Spurs are back in for the former Gooner midfielder.
  Rumours are also linking Spurs to a move for Gillingham's midfielder, Junior Lewis.  Having been on loan at Leicester City, it was thought that Peter Taylor would push through a £150,000 deal, but as well as Tottenham, West Ham United are also linked with the former Hendon player.
  While Spurs are there they might make a move for their long-watched target Nayron Nosworthy, the young Gills defender/midfielder.  He is rated highly and many clubs have watched him play.
  Celtic boss, Martin O'Neill has apparently enquired about the possibility of signing Les Ferdinand.  The Spurs striker is out of contract in the summer and was set for talks about a new deal, but he is thought to want two years rather than one.  If he is not content with what the club are offering, he might move to Celtic Park and Spurs might get some money for him instead of losing him on a free.  However, with a FA Cup semi-final on the horizon and a last glimpse of some real silverware, Les may choose to stay.
  The Spurs Trust, the supporters share buying consortium, will meet at Birkbeck College tomorrow night for a further meeting for those interested in getting involved.  For details, ring Steve Warby on 020 7631 6740 or e-mail him at s.warby@bbk.ac.uk
  With Niall Quinn pulling out of the Republic of Ireland squad for their World Cup qualifiers, it looks as though Gary Doherty might get a look in playing up front.

  Colin Calderwood has moved a few hundred yards from the city Ground to join Forest's neighbours, Notts County on loan.

  Andy Sinton is being given a free transfer by Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the season in a clear out at Molineux.
  and finally ... in court in Hull today, Lee Bowyer told the jury that he was not clever.  Hardly new evidence there old boy !!

13.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Spurs season ticket holders have until Friday 23rd March to apply for tickets for the FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford.

  The early start for the FA Cup semi final has been slammed by fans who say that there is only one train out of London that will arrive in Manchester on time and that this could be delayed by the Sunday service and the problems with trains running on time since the Hatfield crash.

  Steffen Iversen said the Spurs players are keen to win the FA Cup ... for George Graham.  He said that the manager has taken a lot of unnecessary stick and the side have not been playing that badly.  He went on to add that any match against Arsenal would be tough, but the Spurs side will be fired up.

  Arsene Wenger said that as a free agent, Sol Campbell would interest 19 clubs in the premier league, but hoped that Tottenham would not be one of them.  He said the England centre half has stated that he wants to stay with Spurs and that his decision must be respected.

  Darren Anderton, however, is over the moon that Spurs have opened talks with his representatives on a new contract.  

  Gary Doherty has been named in the republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Andorra, while Ciaran Toner has been selected for the Northern Ireland Under-21's to face the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.  Simon Davis and Ian Hillier are in the Welsh Under-21 squad to play games against Armenia and the Ukraine. 

12.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  The FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal will take place at Old Trafford with the kick off at 1.30 p.m. just a day after the Manchester v Charlton Athletic game has taken place on the same pitch.  Spurs had asked West Ham United if they would allow the semi-final to be staged at Upton Park, but the small capacity counted against it.  Other options were Stamford Bridge which is undergoing building works and would have a capacity of just 35,000.  Twickenham had been ruled out by the RFU and Villa Park is to be used for the Wycombe Wanderers v Liverpool semi.  Therefore, fans will have to make an early start to travel from London to Old Trafford which holds 67,000 to see the match.  Although the ground saw Spurs lose in their last FA Cup semi final, Arsenal's last trip there ended in a 1-6 defeat.  

  GG has said that he is glad that Sergei Rebrov is adapting to the "blood and thunder" of English football, but he has seen him play better than this.  The little Ukrainian striker said he was grateful to the fans for their support.  His transition from Ukrainian football to the Premier League had not been easy, but he felt more confident after each game now.  Looking forward to the semi final against Arsenal, he said that he knows how important these games are and senses the atmosphere around them.

  Neil Sullivan has told of how manager George Graham has taken the pressure off the Spurs team.  The Spurs keeper said the manager's strength has allowed the progression of the team despite all the off-field goings on.  He said that there is good character in the side and that the choice to come to Tottenham was a sound one as he believed he could win things at White Hart Lane and sees no reason why that cannot happen.

  Stuart Pearce has admitted in the London Evening Standard that West Ham United were "outscrapped" in the FA Cup Sixth round tie yesterday.  He said "well done" to Tottenham for their battling performance.

  Following the controversy over the FA Cup draw being made between the two quarter finals played yesterday, the FA revealed that the new TV deal that starts next season will stipulate that the draw will be made on the Sunday of FA Cup weekends after all the ties have been played except for those that require replays or have been re-arranged.  MEHSTG thinks they should restrict the draw to a Monday lunch-time and on radio only, so that the excitement of the wooden balls rattling around in the velvet bag an be brought back to enliven the draw.  Let's face it, I would prefer faceless FA officials to David James any day.

  Liverpool are being touted as the favourite to sign Sol Campbell according to t he German press today.  They are reportedly set to offer him £5 million a year, although Planet Football are adding that he could stay at Spurs if ENIC can match his ambition.

  Better news on the Stephen Hughes transfer saga as West Ham United hope to seal his signing soon for £500,000 from Everton.
  Spurs reserves lost 0-7 at Southampton tonight.

  Former Spurs winger David Ginola has been told by Aston Villa manager John Gregory that the Frenchman still has a future at Villa once he can trust him on the field.  He said he didn't want Ginola sitting on his backside moaning at the ref and demanded that he chased back to defend and give 100% !!!  Sound familiar ??

  ... And finally, Real Madrid and Manchester United are chasing Ajax youngster Rafael van der Vaart.  No doubt they will be looking to pair him up with Sunderland target Bernt Haas to spark their seasons into life.

11.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Spurs beat West Ham United this afternoon at Upton Park 3-2 with two goals from Rebrov and another from Doherty.  This takes them through to the semi-final where they will meet Arsenal, who they were drawn against before kick-off, on April 8th.  For a match report, click here.  For reaction, click here.

  Sol Campbell is the subject of a lot of speculation today - no doubt in an attempt to distract him from the FA Cup 6th round tie.  Lazio are rumoured to be offering him a £10.8 million three year deal and other newspapers reveal that Arsene Wenger is telling his board that Sol is the only central defender in the world that he will settle for.  Sol himself has said that if it was all about money he could have taken a big cheque and walked a while ago, but he wants to know what ambition ENIC have for the club.  

  Middlesbrough and Aston Villa - the two clubs linked with more players than Spurs - are thought to be ready to battle it out for Darren Anderton in the summer should he fail to agree terms with Tottenham.

Frank Lampard has been linked with a move to Tottenham once again after saying that there could be a big movement of players out of West Ham United should Harry Redknapp not spend the £18 million raised by selling Rio Ferdinand.  The England midfielder said that the news of him being of interest to Spurs was an old rumour and he couldn't get excited by it any more.
  Ipswich Town are looking at Piotr Swierczewski, the Polish right winger at French club Bastia.  Spurs and Celtic are also supposed to be interested in the player who has 60 international caps and is out of contract at the end of the season.
  Middlesbrough and Aston Vila are considering a move for Millwall's young goal machine Neil Harris.  The 23 year old striker would cost around £2.5 million and Spurs are known to have watched the player too.
  More worryingly, Spurs are now said to be favourites to get Stephen Hughes from Everton, as West ham United have dropped out of the chase for the midfielder.
  Peter Crouch, who left Spurs for Queens Park Rangers for £70,000, is now on Peter Taylor's wish list to be bought by Leicester City.  A fee of £2 million is expected should he move on and if I remember correctly, Spurs will receive some of it back as part of the deal that took him to Loftus Road involved a sell on clause.

10.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Steffen Iversen has said that he hopes to play against West Ham United to allow him to put his injury nightmare behind him.  Having played the whole of the reserve game on Tuesday night, he is looking forward to being involved in the FA Cup tie and give something back to the team after missing large chunks of this season because of a knee problem.

  George Graham has said that Spurs need to invest in a bigger squad for next season to make progress.  He thought that the club could have been in the top six had the side not been hit by a number of injuries, some to key members of the team.  He said that there are not the bargains out there which existed in the past, but any club who wants to do well needed serious financing.  He reflected on the barren time recently, saying that he was depressed because the terrible weather had ruined his garden.

  Graham has blown the trumpet for Spurs young players in a blast at the media for not giving the new Spurs stars coming through the ranks as high a profile as that afforded to West Ham United's youngsters.  He said that the young Spurs are just as good as those of the Irons and that the clubs had played out similar seasons, but little credit had been given to the likes of King, Thelwell, Davies and Doherty.

  Aston Villa are believed to have joined Middlesbrough in harbouring hopes of tempting Darren Anderton away from White Hart Lane, but with the statement from David Pleat that the midfielder is set to be offered a new contract, they will have to wait to see if talks do not develop as Spurs hope.

9.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Apparently, Total Football carries an interview with Steve Perryman which claims the current Spurs captain should not be doing that job nor the same one for England either.  Showing his current lack of awareness of the Spurs side, Stevie said that Tim Sherwood was more the type and Sol needed to be lead, rather than be a leader himself.

  Spurs have announced that a new contract is being prepared for Darren Anderton and will be talking to the midfielder and his agent in the next 14 days.  

  Ledley King and Alton Thelwell both signed new contracts at Spurs today.  Midfielder King and defender Thelwell have both impressed in their games since breaking into the first team and although neither player's contract was expiring in the summer, David Pleat said this was a show of faith in the players' abilities.

  Spurs will have late fitness tests on Tim Sherwood and Sergei Rebrov for Sunday's FA Cup tie against West Ham United.  Rebrov is still suffering with the thigh injury that kept him out of Tottenham's defeat at Derby County, while Sherwood has picked up a groin injury, no doubt from too much pointing.  He has not trained all week after getting his injury at Pride Park, about all Spurs did get that day.

  A rumour on Planet Football's site says that AC Milan could offer German striker Oliver Bierhoff to Tottenham to tempt them to part with Sergei Rebrov.  The 30 year old looks out of the picture for next season and a new coach (expected t be former Fiorentina coach Fatih Terim) is thought to be considering matching Rebrov with his old Dynamo Kiev partner Andrei Shevchenko.

  Glasgow Rangers have tried to take former Spurs winger David Ginola on loan from Aston Villa and also rumoured Spurs target, Everton's Stephen Hughes.

8.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Sol Campbell is about to be offered the chance to become the best paid human being playing football in Britain if he will sell his footballing soul and sign for Celtic.  The Scottish Premier league leaders are preparing the five year deal that will se Sol earn more than Roy Keane at Manchester United (£55,000 a week), which the England centre half is seeking from his talks with Spurs' new owners that could start as early as today or tomorrow.  If he did move to Celtic, it would be almost as laughable a move as if he went to Craven Cottage as Fulham are being linked with him among many top European clubs.

  However, all will not be lost if Sol does not join the Bhoys, as they will then make a move to take Les Ferdinand to Celtic Park on a two year deal.

  Hangdog Harry Redknapp will be without Stuart "Sicko" Pearce for Sunday's FA Cup 6th Round tie and he hopes that Kanoute, Carrick and Winterburn will all be fit for the game.  Pearce went out of the match after 11 minutes with an ankle injury and had X-rays to see the extent of the damage.  The Irons will also be without Hannu Tihinen, who has ended his loan spell at the club, as they did not pursue their interest in him.

  Ben Bowditch has signed a professional contract with Spurs, putting his name on the dotted line on his 17th birthday on 19th February.
  John Jackson has been included in the England Under-18 squad for the game against Poland in the European championship qualifier at White Hart Lane on March 22.  The second leg will be played in Poland on April 26th.
  Everton will decide in the next couple of weeks what to do about Francis Jeffers.  Having turned down a  lucrative deal, the England Under-21 forward could be put up for sale, which will spark a rush form interested clubs, including Tottenham.  Let's hope his ears aren't worth their weight in gold !!

  Apparently Jan Venegoor de Hesselink has been told to move to a bigger club by Dutch national manager, Louis van Gaal.  He reckons that the young striker should leave Twente Enschede to develop his career.
  Arsenal fans are being warned that they will be treated as potential carriers of foot and mouth disease when they visit Germany next week for the Champions League game against Bayern Munich.  TeamTalk say this ... "Supporters have been advised by the Germans to wear clean, disinfected clothes and shoes, to help limit any possible problems."  But surely this is a precaution that any club would recommend for an average Premier League visit by the Gooners.

7.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Simon Davies is fit and ready to take a part in the FA Cup 6th Round tie on Sunday against West Ham United.  He said there was no after effects from last night's reserve match against Charlton Athletic and he enjoyed the game against some first team regulars in the South London side.  He hopes he will be bale to affect the result like he did in the previous round against Stockport County.
  Chris Perry who played 84 minutes of the reserve match last night is also confident about being fit for the West Ham United match.  He is keen to play in a  game that he regards as "massive" for the club's season.
  Another of the first team coming back from injury, Steffen Iversen, completed the match last night and hopes that the reserve outing will stand him in good stead for a starting place at Upton Park on Sunday.
  TeamTalk report that ENIC are set to restructure Tottenham's salary system, which could benefit Sol Campbell, Les Ferdinand and Darren Anderton, who are all set to be offered lucrative new deals.  The new shareholders will put top stars at White hart Lane on money equivalent to that anywhere else in the Premiership (even Middlesbrough).  Whether this will be enough to retain the services of Solman is to be seen.

  Sergei Rebrov might not be playing at the moment, but he's being put to good use.  George Graham and David Pleat have been asking him about Spartak Moscow midfielders Egor Titov (fnack,fnack) and Victor Bulatov.  Rebrov has confirmed this is true.  "Yes, it is true," he admitted.  Titov is a 24 year old who plays "in the hole" behind the front two and was Russian player of the year last season. His club price him at £9 million.  Bulatov, at 29, thinks it is time for him to move from Spartak.

  Chelsea seem to have reportedly snuck into the lead in the race to sign Moroccan midfielder Hassan Kachloul from Southampton in the summer.

  The club are reportedly lining up a fall back plan should Jan Venegoor de Hesselink not come to Tottenham.  He is the Moroccan forward Ali El Kahttabi of Sparta Rotterdam.  He has 18 goals this season and would cost around £3 million.

  Norwegian striker Thorstein Helstad is wanted by Sunderland.  The tall forward has been a target of interest from Bolton Wanderers, Tottenham and Leeds United.
  The loan spell with Spurs did not do Andy Booth any harm, as his club have received three bids for him since he has been away.  However, his first task is to try and help Sheffield Wednesday away from the bottom of the division and that could be as early as against Portsmouth tonight.

  Former Aston Villa midfielder and Spurs trialist Mark Burke is to become the first Englishman to play in Romania as he joins Rapid Bucharest.

6.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Following yesterday's news of Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, Ajax are now supposedly favourites to sign the Twente Enschede striker, after their manager said he was just the sort of player they needed.  Meanwhile David Pleat has actually admitted that Spurs have watched him a few times and like the look of him.  Pleat confirmed that the club will be looking to sign a new striker in the summer.

  Liverpool have denied rumours that they are in the hunt for Sol Campbell.

  Spurs have been linked with a move for Everton's £10 million rated young striker (and young wing nut around town) Francis Jeffers.  The 20 year old walking replica of the FA Cup is rumoured to have turned down an £8 million, 5 year deal with Everton and is being courted by Manchester United, Leeds United, Arsenal and Middlesbrough, but the Spurs link appears to be the strongest in stories reported today, due to the fact that he might have more chance of first team football here. 

  On the club's official site, Anthony Gardner has said he enjoyed his debut and wants to play well for the reserves regularly to get the chance of another crack at first team football.

  Spurs reserves drew 0-0 with Charlton Athletic reserves at St. Albans tonight. For a match report, click here.

5.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  George Graham is chasing Dutch striker Jan Venegoor de Hesselink.  The 22 year old from Twente Enschede is a marketing man's dream with the longest name in the game, which will only fit on extra extra large shirts.  It is rumoured that £5 million will seal the signing of the Dutch international and he has said that Spurs are a beautiful club and he admires the Premier League.  As GG was at his latest game in Holland, it indicates that a bid could soon be on the cards if ENIC free the purse strings.  A player who could shoot Spurs to glory would go down well, but someone to provide the ammo is also needed.

  Stephen Carr's operation on his groin has been successful.  The Irish defender said on his website that he intends to rest and then have the stitches heal up before he even thinks about playing again.  He has set no date for a comeback as yet.
  Sol Campbell has been linked with interest from Liverpool today, as speculation continues apace on his intended destination when he leaves Spurs on a Bosman transfer in the summer.
  Sergei Rebrov twisted his knee in training on Thursday and is a doubt for the visit to West Ham United on Sunday.

  Darren Anderton has once again said that he wants his Spurs future settled quickly.  He feels that the club are "dragging their heels" as he looks for one last big fat contract in his career.  He is very disappointed that the club have only won one trophy in the nine years he has been at the club and he wants to know from the new owners, what their intentions are.  He said that it is frustrating, but hopes to get talks started in the next few weeks.

  Les Ferdinand says Spurs will not be distracted by the FA Cup in their pursuit of league points.  He said the club ant to finish as high up the table as possible and denied that the team were saving them selves for the FA Cup 6th round tie with West Ham United when they went out against Derby County on Saturday.

  Loan striker Andy Booth has returned to Sheffield Wednesday.

  ENIC have denied reports that they intend to move Spurs away from White Hart Lane.  David Buchler said this was an item in their five to ten year plan and added that he didn't even know where Picketts Lock was !! Some Spurs fan if he doesn't even know the area around the ground !!

  Neil Sullivan, Steffen Freund and Gary Doherty have all said that Alton Thelwell will bounce back from the nightmare first half he suffered at Derby County on Saturday.  having played in an unaccustomed position, he will be helped in his next first team outing if he is in a defensive slot he is more used to.
  Chris Perry is due to return from his gashed shin injury tomorrow night with a start against Charlton Athletic reserves at St. Albans (kick off 7.30 .p.m.).

4.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  News comes today of the new Spurs executive vice chairman David Buchler stating that Spurs might need to move to a purpose built stadium to accommodate all the fans who want to get in to see the team.  This no doubt has come pout of the comments he made in the interview on the club's official site and for the first time hints that a move away from White Hart Lane could be a possibility.  Destination Picketts Lock anyone ??

  Newspapers today are full of the "Sol to Celtic" story, with Martin O'Neill saying that he has a list of players who are out of contract in the summer and it would belie the intentions of Celtic to become a big club if he did not ask players of Sol's stature to join them.  If Sol really intends to improve in footballing terms, a move to Scotland would hardly achieve that aim.  There is the chance to win things up there in a two horse race, but then Ramon Vega is considered a god at Celtic.  Oh, yes and I forgot to mention, Rivaldo is a target for Tottenham Hotspur, because Spurs would not be considered a big club if they weren't linked with all the best players in the world.  

3.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Spurs lost 1-2 to Derby County at Pride Park today.  Spurs' goal was put into his own net by Taribo West.  For a match report click here.  For reaction click here.
  Espanyol's Raul Tamudo is interesting a number of clubs including Spurs.  The 23 year old striker has caught the eye since his return form injury and Everton, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Spurs are all being linked with a move for the Spaniard who nearly joined Glasgow Rangers earlier this season. 
  Stories are circulating in the Scottish press that Sol Campbell is the subject of a move by Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic.  This no doubt comes from idle speculation on the fact that he went to see the Rangers - Celtic derby recently as a guest of Ramon Vega.  There can be little substance to this story, despite the best efforts of BBC radio phone-in show "6-0-6" to get people interested in calling the show.

2.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  David Buchler has been expounding his theories in getting Spurs back to the top on the official website.  He said that a lot of world class players will be available on Bosman transfers in the summer, but he is still awaiting the outcome of the UEFA transfer talks.  He has discussed the matter with GG and DP, but said that Tottenham had to "get smart" with spending the money available on players coming in and keeping those that we have now.  He will also look at the ground and the money making possibilities of increasing the capacity.  He wants to "grow the club" along the lines of Manchester United and Arsenal by making the ground bigger to make a great organisation.

  Allegedly, according to one website report, Gary Mabbutt has been appointed by ENIC in an advisory role alongside David Buchler to deal with transfers and contracts.  Isn't that what David Pleat is supposed to do ??

  Chris Perry could be ready to return to the Spurs side to face Derby County tomorrow.  Having missed two games after getting a gashed shin at Manchester City, the former Wimbledon man will be hoping to break back  into the Tottenham defence.  Steffen Iversen is also hoping to get a starting place alongside Sergei Rebrov, although he is more likely to start on the bench.  Simon Davies is over his virus that saw him taken off at half time in the Leeds United match last week and Dave McEwen returns after an ankle injury.  Andy Booth is in the squad for his final game of the loan spell before returning to Sheffield Wednesday.

  Tottenham's Double winning team of 1960-61 has been voted as the tenth best team ever in a poll conducted by FourFourTwo magazine.

  Better news on the Stephen Hughes to Spurs transfer rumour, in that West Ham United are keen to buy him and grant his wish of a return to London for just £500,000.  However, some sources report that the Irons only want to take him on a free transfer.

1.3.2001  (For other Spurs history on this day click here)

  Stephen Carr is set to fly out to Germany to have an operation on a hernia that it is estimated will keep him out of the Tottenham team for six weeks.

  Sol Campbell has said that he knows nothing about the rumours of Bayern Munich's interest in him.

  Steffen Iversen hopes to be fully fit and ready for the FA Cup quarter final against West Ham United on Sunday 11th March.  On Saturday, he was still suffering with a viral infection and his knee was not quite 100% either.

  Edgar Davids has said on a BBC interview that he would like to play in the Premier League.  He admitted admiration for Manchester united and Arsenal, but said he was a Spurs fan.  Edgar Davids ... come on down !!

  Spurs are being linked with an unlikely move for Everton's Stephen Hughes, who signed for them for £3 million from Arsenal.  Although he has not been in the side recently, it is unlikely that a £2 million Spurs bid would bring him to White Hart Lane.

  Ibrahim Said of Belgian club Ghent is said to have been watched by Spurs.  The 21 year old central defender (just what Tottenham need - another centre half) has already won 27 Egyptian caps and is the country's most talented player.  He wants to play in a higher quality of European league after moving to Belgium on a free transfer and is also being trailed by Borussia Moenchengladbach.

  Tottenham's opponents on Saturday, Derby County, have signed an Icelandic midfielder from Las Palmas in Spain on loan until the end of the season.  Thordur Gudjonsson may not be able to play against Spurs though as he has to wait for his work permit to come through.

  Former Spurs winger Garry Brady has joined Portsmouth after having his contract terminated by Newcastle United.
  Nigeria are set to play Japan in London in an international friendly in October this year and Highbury, Stamford Bridge or White Hart Lane are being considered as venues for the match.
  Simon Downer has returned to Leyton Orient after a couple of days training with Newcastle United.  Spurs have expressed an interest in the player in the past.

  Viking Stavanger have insisted that Hannu Tihinen returns to them on march 6th when his loan period ends at West ham United and they are not willing to extend it for a further week to encompass the FA Cup quarter final against Spurs.