Back door route into Europe!

[Electric ~soul~]

Seeing as Spurs are making a considerable hash of qualifying for Europe by the conventional methods, this news is encouraging stuff for Gertcha and myself who fancy a few days away in some Eastern European shithole next season!!...

 

"Spurs can qualify for the Uefa Cup by finishing in the Premiership top six or through the Fair Play League.

 

Chelsea, who will qualify for the Champions League, are top of that league with Tottenham second.

 

When all European leagues are completed, the top three countries in the overall Fair Play table are rewarded with a Uefa Cup place.

 

England are currently in the top three. "

 

 

We have, however, declined to partake in the Intertoto!

[Electric ~soul~]

Tottenham Hotspur are starting to get respect even in defeat

 

It seems to be a trend this season that Spurs have become the respected losers. Whether it’s losing in a quarter-final to some dodgy refereeing or missing out on a win at Old Trafford due to some even dodgier refereeing or a host of unfortunate losses, we’ve become the perennial unfortunates this season.

 

It’s hopefully a mark of the new regime at White Hart Lane that rather than leaving games furious at the dire team performance you’ve just witnessed, it’s much more likely that you’ll leave with images of the referee’s pathetically apologetic smile burned into the back of your mind.

 

I used to spend Saturday nights after a Spurs defeat in a very dark place. Family and friends decided it was best not to disturb me especially when they heard the long dead Aramaic language being whispered under my breath and gently flickering flames spreading around my feet.

 

A voodoo doll of David Pleat with suitably large ears would be lying next to me on the sofa full of pins, knives, forks and the throat slashed repeatedly with paper cuts from my season ticket. You can tell I didn’t enjoy last season very much.

 

After the 4-3 collapse to Manchester City in the FA Cup, I spent three voluntary months in a mental institution with a 7ft tall native American and a bunch of loonies who wanted to play cards all day. I escaped after a doctor, who looked suspiciously like John Gorman, suggested a lobotomy.

 

Since Martin Jol took over from The Grouch Who Stole Goals, things couldn’t be more different with the majority of losses having been far more bearable mainly because of the fight or performance shown by those proudly wearing the cockerel. It probably helps that we’ve only lost six times in the league since the big man took over.

 

The defeats against Southampton, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Arsenal, the infamous ‘draw’ against Manchester United and Sunday’s quarter-final FA Cup exit have seen fans’ anger deflected from the team to officials or outstanding goalkeeping performances. Only the matches against Bolton, Crystal Palace and the Carling Cup surrender to Liverpool have led to accusations of below par or lazy performances.

 

It’s a massive step up and bodes well for the future. Even the media are sitting up and taking notice. The perennially Spurs-hating Guardian allowed Gordon Strachan to say on Monday: “Tottenham gave the best performance I've seen in a long time from a losing team in a quarter-final. They were by far the better side. They moved the ball quicker than Newcastle, had more chances, more shots and tactically had a good gameplan.” That must have really irritated the holidaying sports editor on his return.

 

The newspaper is not alone and this season Spurs performances in victory and defeat have drawn praise from all quarters. There seems to be a genuine feeling that the team is heading somewhere. It’s a similar wave of tributes to the kind often reserved for the likes of Middlesbrough in recent seasons. It’s rewarding for the fans and a nod to Jol and Frank Arnesen that the side is seen as European challengers now rather than mid-table wasters.

 

This season has also seen a first in my relatively short Spurs memory with the possibility of another club poaching our manager. In the last 20 years, when have the side had a manager, or head coach, good enough to attract the attention of another top European club? Like Frank Arnesen, I wasn’t worried that we’d lose the Jolly Great Giant, I was in fact rather proud that he was making the others sit up and notice and the fact that they couldn’t get him was even better.

 

Now the pubic hairstyle of Mark van Bommel is looming on the horizon and if reports are to be believed, we should know whether the world-class midfielder is on his way within a fortnight. I’m a bit reluctant to dream after the Davids debacle but to have a big Dutch leader on and off the pitch sounds like a perfect match to me. There’s no doubt we have quality in our midfield already but this guy is the next level and the difference between trying to get into Europe and rampaging into the higher echelons.

 

The match tomorrow night against Charlton is going to be cracker and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s not an eliminator in the chase for Europe but if we win it, it’ll be one hell of a stepping stone. We’ve got a game in hand over the sides above and a win would mean a surge up into seventh place, which could in a best case scenario eventually reward it’s holder with a Uefa Cup place. With only a couple of points separating us from fifth place and only nine games left, the chance of success would be in our hands not others.

 

I’m treating the London derby as our second quarter-final this week. If we progress through, a semi-final at Highbury awaits on April 25 followed by the final to be played either at the Riverside Stadium on May 7 or the following Sunday at White Hart Lane.

 

What I’m saying in a convoluted way is that we need to keep up our levels of support throughout the remainder of the campaign. The fans were magnificent at St James Park on Sunday, a 12th man, and we all need to keep that up at home and on our travels.

 

Every game’s a cup game from here on in and rather than switching off as normal and dreaming of the summer, the club and its fans have to step it up another gear. Roar your support tomorrow night and watch the cockerel crow.

 

 

www.squarefootball.net

[YELLOW]

Nothing wrong with the Intertoto!! Great competition!!

[Electric ~soul~]

So... did we pick up any reds or yellow's last night?

 

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

[YELLOW]

Four yellows apparently.