ten words or less #56

Wrong Side of the Pond's Subbuteo for The Football Attic

feeling important these days, thanks to the boys over at the football attic taking a fancy to the subbuteo figure i submitted their “league of blogs” project.

The Euros are over, thus ending a three-week stretch where I’ve felt like I have been drowning in football. I mean, I’ve been seeing matches when I sleep… far more than normal, at least. I needed a break, which is something I never thought I’d say about the game. But the headlines just keep rolling out, as if I had forgotten that the world of soccer never sleeps, takes breaks, or allows me to catch up with the rest of my life.

I mean just some of the headlines that caught my attention, and probably deserve an article of their own. Thanks to an epic final, Spain have officially entered G.O.A.T. territory. Transfer madness is in full swing: big names already on the move, others look to be doing so soon, and – GHASP!!! — Spurs are even getting in on some early action.

So as I put the finishing touches on about four different articles, I figured I could pacify you readers with another edition of TWOL. And if that sounds like a raw deal to you, I’m sorry… but you’re going to need to deal with it.

I made the Football Attics League of Blogs top 3! - twitter.com

Ever wonder how MLS sides utilize statistical analysis? – mlssoccer.com

Brazilian side Vitoria have a bloody brilliant kit promotion. Literally. – 101greatgoals.com

Who wouldn’t watch a late night TV hosted by Crouchy? – givemefootball.com

Why the international game lags tactically behind the club game. – newstatesman.com

Spanish B sides up for promotion are causing massive issues. – inbedwithmaradona.com

If all holds true, the Colorado Rapids are disgraceful. – prostamerika.com

Everything you wanted to know more about Italy’s kit font. – designboom.com

Never underestimate the combined power of the internet and idiots. – dirtytackle.net

Gyan is a text book case for “lack of ambition”. – theoriginalwinger.com

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ten words or less #33

Aaron Biber and Tottenham's Peter Crouch

crouch visited and got his haircut by aaron biber. when biber's barbershop was trashed during the riots, the looters shockingly left the autographed crouch photo he's holding.

Welcome back, distinguished readers, and thanks for reading my latest article on wrong side of the pond. I am attempting to keep today’s posting very formal, proper, and short as this blog needs to get into in-season form for the start of this European campaign. So with that in mind, let’s skip the silliness today and get on to the sub-ten-word links below.

No word on whether he was red carded or not. – mirror.co.uk

WTF is that face, Landycakes?!?! – dirty tackle @ yahoo.com

Farewell to the best defender of his generation… after Maldini. – therunofplay.com

This took balls… brilliant work by adidas marketing. – kckrs.com

Sir Alex 1 : the Daily Mail’s Bob Cass 0 – whoateallthepies.tv
A tip of my hat to 2-time defending fantasy champion Lippadona for pointing out this link.

The new La Masia: now that’s an academy. – theoffside.com

Don’t care if everyone’s linked to it… brilliant. – arseblog.com

The Canadian MLS clubs always nail branding. – designfootball.com

man whore all-stars

Even though I’m still knee-deep into a very drawn out series of posts to select my very own wrong side XI, I feel I have to name another very important all-star squad from the world of football.

ryan giggs on the cover of the sunday herald

maybe giggs will learn that in the age of the internet, nothing is secret.

With the near constant stream of super injunctions and confirmed tabloid stories about footballers having affairs and shagging ladies of the night, it’s only right that we give these men of such “quality” morals the credit they truly deserve… a man whore XI if you will.

Now in the spirit of fairness, I do want to make sure that I’m not unfairly labeling anyone as a cheater. And since it can also be hard to confirm who has actually committed such sinfulness, we’re also going to include players who are known for the playboy lifestyles.

So without further adieu, let’s get on to the dirtiest team in football:

Goalkeeper – Allan McGregor (Rangers)
Apparently the most faithful position on the pitch, I had to dig hard to find a current goalkeeper that plays the field… figuratively of course. After an hour of searching, I almost settled on this half-story from the South African second division. Luckily, a little extra dilligence yielded McGregor’s indiscretions. The most famous of those saw the Scotland keeper dating a series of young ladies, this despite the fact he had a live in girlfiend at the time. He later cheated on his mobster-linked ex-fiancée with that same live in girlfriend.

Left Back – Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
When not shooting club staff members, Ca$hley likes to spend the remainder of his free time either sexting pictures of his junk to American women or shagging with ladies of varying attractiveness. Apparently this became such a frequent issue that his supremely hot (yet infinitely annoying) wife decided to call off their marriage by text message. If he keeps this kind of behavior up, Cole could quite possibly be the most lonely man on the planet.

Center Back – John Terry (Chelsea)
Probably the worst teammate and friend you could possibly have in a squad, unless it’s this squad I suppose. It is never advisable to leave one’s WAG/daughter/mom around Mr. Chelsea. Just ask Wayne Bridge. And I don’t care that The News of the World have since said that the rumors were untrue. Something obviously happened because Bridge still refuses to play with his former best friend. Your 2009 Dad of the Year!

Right Back – Alon Harazi (retired)
I couldn’t find any mention of any other right backs involved in sex scandals, so we’ll have to turn our attention to the recently retired Israel defender. Hazari, who made over 600 apperances for Maccabi Haifa, was one of the contingent of Israeli players that had an all-night sex party full of prostitutes and alcohol prior to the country’s biggest ever match. Despite losing 0-5 to the Danes in the first leg of the Euro 2000 qualifier, Harazi and his teammates repeated the incident in denmark and lost 0-3. Didn’t exactly learn their lessons, did they?

cristiano ronaldo with a lovely lady

ronaldo may be a womanizer, but at least he never marries them.

Left Midfield – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
While Ronnie has a “long-term” girlfriend at the moment, and there haven’t been any rumors of infidelity in the relationship, the oily-skinned icon makes this team more for the ridiculous list of tramps/supermodels that he’s managed to bed over the last few years. Entire websites are devoted to cataloging his sexual conquests, which includes rumored hook-ups with American media whores celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. And when you have to pay-off an American waitress in South Beach to take the love-child you created with her, you probably know you probably deserve your spot here.

Center Midfield – Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
The man whose name we should not say is a late and surprising addition to the squad. Long revered as a model professional, the old Welsh wizard was tricking us all after it was revealed that he was a cheating bastard. And now rumors are spurting out that Giggsy has spent the last 8 years having occasional frolics with his brother’s wife. With all of the stress of sneaking around, it’s no wonder that we’re seeing his hair quickly turn grey. I’ll now spare you some poor viagra jokes.

Offensive Midfield – David Beckham (L.A. Galaxy)
A serial offender deserves to be on this list, even if some of that series are only claims. The world’s most popular footballer certainly has no shortage of admirers, though he has an inkling for the help apparently. Either way, i can empathize with Becks though: I wouldn’t want to have sex with a crazed, plastic Barbie doll like Posh either.

Defensive Midfield – Paul Terry (Darlington)
The older brother to the captain of England, it seems as if adultery runs in the blood of the Terry family. Though Paul has never been able to reach the playing heights of his younger sibling, he has had just as much success in destroying people’s lives. Back in 2010, Paul managed to carry on affair with the fiancée of his Rusheden & Diamonds teammate Dale Roberts, despite already being married to Paul Konchesky’s sister. Roberts was so troubled by the betrayal of his teammate that he soon committed suicide. Those Terry boys are just stand-up individuals, aren’t they?

Right Midfield – Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich)
All the money in the world sometimes isn’t enough to find yourself a quality WAG, as the unfriendly-on-the-eye yet tremendously talented Ribery knows all too well. Maybe that’s the reason Frank felt it necessary to fly in the forbidden fruit of an underage prostitute from Paris in 2010. The then 17-year-old Zahia Dehar is also rumored to have, ahem, worked with other French internationals such as Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou… so he’s not alone in his desires at least.

Forward – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
While by no means saying he was right to sleep with an insanely pricey hooker, or a cheaper but older one for that matter, I can sort of see why Wazza might be prone to infidelity. He’s married to the same girl he’s been dating since he was a schoolboy, and it’s hardly imaginable that a young egotistic star on the rise could resist the lure of reaping the rewards of his talents. He probably felt a need to soil his wild oats. However, why he didn’t just head to the club to pick up some young pretty thing instead of paying for an overpriced romp in the sheets is simply beyond me.

peter crouch and abbey clancy

can someone please explain to me how crouch cheated on clancey?

Forward – Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur)
Someone needs to pull Pete aside and have him look in a mirror: there’s no way he won’t recognize while staring back at his pasty, gangly reflection that he is not that attractive of a man. That same person should then show him a picture of his fiancée: there’s no way he won’t recognize that she is smoking hot and that he should have no business marrying a woman so attractive. Then that person should tell him that spending thousands of quid for expensive prostitutes is a giant waste of the very money that has allowed him to bag a girl as hot as Abbey Clancy.

Manager – Sven-Goran Eriksson
Even the managers can use their fame and fortunes to feed their sexual appetites! The former manager of every team ever has twice been caught being unfaithful to his wife. The first time was with a decently attractive Swedish TV commentator, the second with an English FA secretary. He apparently also heavily influenced his successor, as Steve McClaren must have felt the need to live up to the bar set by Sven.

Also, I would rue the opportunity if I didn’t give a nod to these other legends of the game with an additction to the nookie:

  • George Best: The England legend is the original football playboy, famously once saying, “I used to go missing a lot… Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World.” baller.
  • Garrincha: The former samba star is the Wilt Chamberlain of world football, having a confirmed 14 children and the possibility of another twenty-freaking-four around the world. Dads fret not, your daughters are safe: Garrincha passed away in 1983.
  • Jean-François Larios: The former French international famously had a fling with the wife of current-UEFA president Michel Platini in the lead up to the 1982 World Cup. I actually like him a little bit for it.
  • Ronaldo: Il Fenomeno tagged bunches of ladies in his time, and possibly even some transvestites.
  • John Harkes: The American version of Larios, Johnny boy was dismissed from the USMNT shortly before the 1998 World Cup for having a quickie with teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife instead of attending a team meeting.

Now before any of you readers jump all over my back for glorifying assholes that treat women like the property, I don’t condone the behavior of any of the men listed above… unless they’re single. If that’s the case, my advice to those boys is: get it out of your systems before you decide to settle down. No one really needs a super injunction, right?

the inevitable is there

“they’ve done well, but the inevitable is there,” said ray wilkins during his commentary towards the end of last night’s game. and while the former chelsea first team coach’s words were a generous yet accurate assessment of spurs’ performance, the sting was still there. we all knew it would end this way.

ricardo carvahlo pokes the ball away from gareth bale.

even bale's immense talent isn't enough to ward off the inevitable.

thank god for ray, though: he was a like a machine gun that fired off training ground quips at random intervals. if it hadn’t been for his entertaining commentary, i doubt many tottenham fans would have in any way found the match enjoyable.

either way, let’s just say i’m glad i didn’t make any predictions in yesterday’s column.

in a rare display of common sense, even i knew that i would end up putting my foot in my mouth by making some absurd prediction of a tottenham victory in the bernabéu. the yids had already pulled off a miracle this season at the san siro (an argument could even be made that they pulled off two miracles there), but asking for another magical european night facing another storied opponent? nobody’s luck stays good so long.

besides, redknapp had already been mugged in madrid once this year. would it really be that surprising if it happened again?

even with the man advantage for three-fourths of the match, madrid clearly looked the better side. the interplay at the

di maria celebrating his scorcher against madrid

angel di maria's belter was the nail in tottenham's champions league coffin.

top of the pitch between the two-goal adebayor, ronaldo, ozïl and di maria was, at times, a force of nature. the tandem of xabi alonso and khedira completely neutralized any central threat from modrić and jenas. (tangent warning: is it just me, or is jermaine jenas the worst player ever to play in a champions league quarter-final? he didn’t play one positively directed ball, and when he attempted to, he coughed it up every time. i hate him.)

without crouch up top to divert their attention, the madrid back line did little wrong in handling counter attacks sporadically coming out of the tottenham end. and with less defensive responsibility, it allowed marcelo the freedom to regularly join the madrid attack. judging by his performance both tonight and over recent months, i’m guessing the special one is feeling rather justified with hanging on to the emerging brazilian.

sure, the red card certainly threw tottenham’s match plans out the window. but i would venture to say that even if

crouch sees red against real madrid

crouch's stupidity likely didn't impact the eventual outcome that much.

crouch hadn’t been an idiot, spurs would still have been tactically out matched. massimo allegri and rafa benitez are great managers, but neither prepares their side as well as mourinho. and though harry’s not as big of a tactical moron as some like to claim, there’s no doubting that mourinho is a class above in that department.

but like mr. wilkins noted in the opening quote, tottenham’s performance wasn’t all bad. there were positives to glean from the horrid 0-4 scoreline:

  • bale seems to be getting his mojo back. he was able to really open it up a few times last night, a first since he went out injured. moments that stick out were the near miss in the fist half after beautifully chesting down a long ball at the top of the madrid box, as well as a very accurate long throw to van der vaart. he was dangerous enough to draw a ban-inducing yellow on pepe, and should have earned another from sergio ramos on several occasions.
  • michael dawson is definitely emerging as a premier level center back. despite the score, he handled himself very well when facing up against one of the most gifted attacking groups in the world.
  • sandro’s rise to prominence continued last night, though his decision-making at times made me sweat (quit dribbling out of the back!). regardless, his distribution is light years better than palacios and he may soon find himself ahead of even huddlestone when he returns from injury.
  • spurs defended very well with ten men for stretches, and it’s a bit shocking that they held off until the 57th and 72th minutes before conceding the second and third goals. if they had been at full strength, i think a 1-2 or 1-3 scoreline would have been more likely.

despite these bright spots, and even if there had a been a few more, i still knew this was coming. it was “the inevitable.”

yes, the second leg still remains. but it would be foolish to predict another miracle. beating madrid by five goals, even at home, is pure fantasy. getting knocked out the champions league wouldn’t be the worst of scenarios either, allowing spurs to fully focus their efforts on finishing fourth and qualifying for the champions league again.

but i am hoping tottenham will make it competitive this time around. it’s been a fun ride this year, and i’d love to get to see some of the attacking flair that was deprived us last night. and if we’re so lucky, we can all enjoy just one more european night at white hart lane.

ten words or less #8

a quick fyi... this team has NOT been in bahrain in a while.

sorry for the long wait for a new post everyone, i’ve been a busy boy the last week. whatever you do, please don’t construe that to mean that i’ve been off pulling a rooney (or crouch, or cole, or terry or…). my wife wouldn’t find that funny. so in lieu of searching out each reader and coaxing a vow of silence out of each of you, how about i appease you with a quick ten words or less?

this. would. SUCK. – caughtoffside.com

what freaking century is this!?!? – dirty tackle @ yahoo.com

mental note: make sure other team is real. – indianexpress.com

dead on. – talksport.co.uk

change title to “emirates state of mind”. – caughtoffsides.com

bribes in china? gasp… no way. – unprofessionfoul.com

raul mierles, PBR, phil collins in the same football story. -fistedaway.wordpress.com

maybe staying with crouchie wasn’t just for a meal ticket. – kickette.com

six reasons for redknapp’s rage

my, oh my… we’re just five games into the season and we’re already feeling the pressure in north london.

tottenham hotspur finally secured their long-desired champions league dream last week, squeaking by swiss “giants” young boys with an emphatic second league win. but the quest for european glory is already taking a toll on the club’s domestic form. losing to wigan, who’s previous to games were 0-4 and 0-6 losses to blackpool(!!!) and chelsea respectively, can be best described as a disaster.

i would be lying if i said i didn’t expect this to happen this season, i just didn’t expect it to happen so early in the season.

and while it’s worrying that they came out so flat against the latics, it’s infinitely more terrifying that the gaffer seems to be showing signs of cracking under the pressure of raised expectations this season. harry redknapp’s expletive-laced response to being called a “wheeler and dealer” in the post game interview makes me thing that he’s is feeling the heat in the tottenham hotseat. haven’t seen it yet? check it out below:

i can see some logic in why ‘arry would get his panties in a bunch over the term, as it could somehow imply that he is a swindler of sorts. but, it was just one comment that the reporter asked that set him off on a tizzy.

one could easily imagine that harry’s got a lot on his mind right now, and maybe that question was the perfect way to poke redknapp’s coals enough to get the first started. though you have to wonder why he’s on edge, and i got to thinking about it last night quite a bit. here’s my best guess as to what is causing so much stress in the “wheeler and dealer’s” head:

  1. the loss to wigan: his team came out flat, and obviously underestimated a side that has had two very bad outings. harry is facing the same challenge that troubles sir alex, arsen wenger and carlo ancellotti year after year: how to keep his team motivated to face premier league minnows while they’re focused on trying to beat european giants.
  2. the transfer market: i’ve already devoted a half of an entire post to spurs’ lack of presence in the transfer market this summer, so i won’t rehash my reasoning for my displeasure in this space (if you’re interested to know those thoughts, feel free to read that here). but as frustrated as i am as a fan, i can only imagine what redknapp is going through. being priced out of bids for luis fabiano would make me angry too. he knows he’s got a thin squad that needs some injection of class, and the looming transfer deadline would give anyone a need for some tums.
  3. peter crouch is sleeping with sandra redknapp: i have to admit that i made this up, but only because it’s definitely in the realm of possibility. as of late, crouchy is attempting to tag just about every female he walks past. so i could completely see harry being a little nervous about his wife’s fidelity, if just by proxy.

    sandro: has anyone seen this man?

  4. the case of the missing brazilian: imagine going through the lengthy process of trying to acquire the services of a much heralded brazilian prospect. first you have to ward off all of the other suitors, then negotiate the terms of the potential agreement, and then get the signature. say you do all of that successfully, but you’re newboy goes AWOL right as he’s supposed to show up at your ground. that’s exactly what is going on with the £8m rated sandro, who has yet to show up after completing the copa libertadores duty with internacional. when you spend all of those quid on a player that’s supposed to help your team and he fails to show up, then you’re bound to get a little stressed out.
  5. this interview: classic video two years later, and i would guess he’s still miffed about this one. i would be.
  6. injuries: this reason can’t be discounted either, especially when coupled with reason #2 above. here’s a list of tottenham’s crocked players: gomes (which might be fine, as he had apparently reverted to his clueless style of net minding), luka modrić, jonathan woodgate (eternally broken), jermain defoe (who is putting surgery off for the time being) and of course ledley king (who is always a day-to-day evaluation). sure there are teams worse off with the injury bug, but these are no doubt weighing heavy on harry’s mind.

fine, i admit it. as i read back through that list, there really isn’t a good reason as to why redknapp flipped his lid on saturday. it was unprofessional, no doubt, and i’m sure the premier league will have something to say about it.

but the guy is clearly on edge, just as many of us find ourselves throughout the course of our daily lives. let’s cut him some slack, at least until the next tottenham loss.

mortal kombat!!!!!

Every work day, I exchange at least 10 to 15 emails with my buddies Lippstick and Milky, arguing about the latest news and rumors in the world of football. And since the football media pour out stories at a rate equivalent to the amount of oil spewing forth from BP’s well in the Gulf of Mexico, we never have a shortage of things to talk about.

Links are exchanged. We discuss potential transfers. Lippstick and I constantly try to remind Milky that Liverpool will again fail to live up to their overly lofty expectations. And unsurprisingly, these exchanges are the birth place for my articles here on WSOTP.

Today is no different.

Milky sent me a brilliant link yesterday, one that sparked an entire conversation that dipped itself into unknown territory — at least when compared to what we normally spend our time writing each other about. The destination for that link, which was only to a .gif file (an animated picture for those non-tech savvy readers), can be seen below:

I’m sure just about everyone reading this remembers this horrifying moment in the World Cup final, when Nigel de Jong did his best Cantona impression into Xabi Alonso’s chest. I’ll be the first to admit that it was a terrible challenge, one that should have seen the Manchester City dirtball midfielder sent to the showers. And as a Real Madrid supporter, I’m just glad that Alonso wasn’t seriously hurt.

But like any soulless bastard, I still love to make light of awful incidents such as this one despite my allegiances. This mindset completely explains why I found the above “modification” of the event so entertaining. The .gif sent me traveling down memory lane, reminding me of the days when my friends and I spent hours in our parents’ living rooms, attics and basements committing heinous acts of bloody, gory murder while playing Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II.

And that got me thinking… doesn’t de Jong’s tackle actually serve as the template for an awesome video game?

my favorite fighter is manchester city flavored… and crazy.

Imagine being able to choose from a list of twenty of the world’s best footballers, but instead of playing a one on one game with your opponent, you would have a death match of high-kick, kung-fu, and Eduardo-leg-breaking tackles. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!

Think about it for a second: you’d be able to stage a true rematch between Zidane and Materazzi, with Zizou’s “FINISH HIM” fatality move a head butt through his foul-mouthed rival’s chest. The possibilities are pretty much limitless, especially if you have a glut of players at your disposal.

While de jong gets the obvious nod for his theatrical foul, I can easily think of some other players that would be great to fight with:

  • Peter Crouch would be at great advantage for his long reach, though you would have to worry about him constantly flopping… or getting straight broken in half.
  • Argentine bruiser Javier Mascherano is generally known for being a prick, thus making him a great candidate for the game.
  • Milky suggests Papa Bouba Diop, to which I initially balked. But then my pasty friend reminded me that Diop is 6’5”, 217 pounds, and 32 years old… “so he’s got that old man strength.” Point taken.
  • Joey Barton’s track record should be enough to qualify him, and his home fighting ground will be a Liverpool McDonald’s.
  • Wayne Rooney’s temper would be sure to cause a good fight.
  • We have to reserve a place for at least one girl, and no one is more deserving than Elizabeth Lambert of New Mexico fame.
  • Easily my favorite pick would be Craig Bellamy: he’s quick and feisty, he’s Scottish (meaning he’s probably well practiced in bar fights), he’s got a track record of anger management issues, and lastly, he is certifiably a loon.

Sounds great, right? You could even create your own player/combatant, getting to design your fighter from head to toe. Dressed in a Millwall kit, beating the piss out of Matthew Upson would take on a whole new meaning. Not to mention that it would probably be a dream come true for many of the Lions’ faithful.

In all honesty, if you’re not sold on this idea by now then you must be some purist snob who doesn’t want to sully the good name of football with a ridiculous video game. I — on the other hand — think this could make buckets of money, and would be willing to sell my  idea to the highest bidder. Someone get EA Sports on the phone and make this happen… FIFA Fight Night ’11?

the summer at the lane

ok, i’ll admit it. i haven’t said much about tottenham yet. and i feel a little bad, because spurs are one of my two favorite teams.

but i had a good reason: not much happened at the club for most of the summer.

harry has his eyes on some more moves at the lane

harry has his eyes on some more moves at the lane

normally a loud participant in the summer transfer fodder, tottenham would have made some noise at this point in the summer. it would be about about now that the pundits would start arguing whether or not tottenham had made the right moves this summer to crack the top four this season. and then they would have another awful start, i’d worry for the middle stretch of the season that they could possibly go down, and then they would make their now pattented late-season charge into the top 10. then repeat.

but this summer has gone differently. there were some rumors of harry redknapp having an interest in some of real madrid’s unwanted dutch contingent, especially in ruud van nistelrooy and klaas jan-huntelaar (which he might still be… more on this in a minute). they sold off didier zokora, which i can’t be too upset about as he was never a standout option in the midfield. and they released and sold/loaned off a few others from the reserve ranks, including david hutton on a free transfer to league 2 side cheltenham town and chris gunter to nottingham forrest. they were even linked to figo, who is retired. most of this all happening before the start of july.

then in july someone must have a lit a fire under white hart late chairman daniel levy, as spurs quickly began making moves. first came the signing of the kyles from sheffield united. kyle naughton is a promising defensive winger who can easily push corluka for playing time on the tottenham backline. after just eleven appearances for the blades last season, naughton earned a call up from stuart pearce to the england under-21 squad. the other kyle, kyle walker, is another defensive starlet with a lot of promise. however, he’s already been loaned back to sheffield to get more playing time. with an aging, injury prone backline, tottenham did well to secure long term contracts with two of england’s most promising defensive up-and-commers. good business in my opinion.

so the giraffe is back at his old club, but will he be effective?

so the giraffe is back at his old club, but will he be effective?

then came the least suprising move tottenham have made this summer, especially considering harry redknapp’s fascination with forwards. even less shocking, when harry signed his next forward by bringing in former player–and hired mercenary–peter crouch. a product of the spurs youth academy, crouch has always been willing to make a move to a better situation. and with portsmouth sinking quickly, a move to his hometown and a chance to play for his favorite former manager (at both southampton and portsmouth) was too opportunistic for the robot to turn down. will he provide some offensive spark that the yids lack? i have my doubts, as crouch’s goal record hovers around a goal every three appearances. not exactly jaw dropping, and he could find himeslf on the bench a bit.

next come’s the on again, off again sale of darren bent to sunderland. bent obviously wants the move to happen, and i can’t really blame him. when darren arrived at white hart lane, he was a promising goal scoring talent fresh off goal sprees at charlton and ipswich. he was a rising star in the england fold. darren bent was to become the next great english striker, and was therefore a major signing for spurs. but after a goal scoring drought at the beginning of his stay, and was subsequently benched by martin jol, juande ramos and harry redknapp. though in limited appearances under ‘arry, he’s shown he still has a nose for goal. the guy wants to play, can you blame him for wanting to leave? though, bent venting through twitter over his frustration with the lack of progress on the move might have been the wrong move.

so with bent most likely leaving, it means harry redknapp would have a four established strikers. which for harry it just isn’t enough, which is why he has admitted to still being interested in signing huntelaar. nothing like bringing in another large egoed star striker who will expect lots of playing time to keep team chemistry balanced.

but with a minor trophy in the bag already this season, after winning the preseason barclays asia cup, there are signs of continued improvement with harry steering the ship. i’m expecting a big season for luka modric, who has had his season to adjust to the EPL and has shown glimpses of brilliance. wilson palacios should also be adjusted to his new surroundings this season. jenas and aaron lennon will hopefully continue to show improvement, if the backline stays healthy, and if gareth bale and john bostock finally show the promise that earned their moves to the lane, this season could be interesting.

but, honestly, they’ll probably suck at the beginning of the season as always. and like all of my fellow yids out there, i’ll be riding the emotional rollercoaster just waiting to see if we can make it back to a european spot or fend off the drop. those spurs always find a way to make it interesting, and i’m sure it will be.