http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/ en Copyright 2012 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:34:34 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The very first comment from a reader of this blog following the Manchester City game last month was simply "I'm proud to be a Spurs fan". That statement no doubt reflected not only the way Spurs held their own in the backyard of the Premier League leaders but also how they conducted themselves in the face of thuggery. A repeat performance was required by the team at Anfield on Monday night and was duly delivered. And, unlike at the Etihad, Spurs emerged on this occasion with the point that their display merited. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/02/no_reds_for_the_reds_1.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/02/no_reds_for_the_reds_1.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:34:34 +0000 At the beginning of the week, Spurs cemented their place in the top three with a fairly routine victory over Wigan, distinguished by the quality of the goals. Teams around them also conspired to help out as best they could, with Man. City losing at Everton and Chelsea only rescuing a point at Swansea thanks to a deflected injury-time equalizer. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/02/transfer_talk_1.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/02/transfer_talk_1.php Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:44:41 +0000 "He loves playing in England. He keeps asking 'why always me, why does it always come back to me?' He loves playing in England and I think he feels persecuted." http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/stamped_out.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/stamped_out.php Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:39:05 +0000 It's a mark of how far Spurs have come this season that sitting in third place, and with a ten point lead over that other team from north London, has a slight tinge of disappointment. A win over Wolves would have meant drawing level - on points if not on goal difference - with Man. Utd. in second. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/testing_times_ahead.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/testing_times_ahead.php Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:48:22 +0000 As the new year begins, Spurs sit in third place in the Premier League table, five points ahead of Chelsea in fourth and just three behind second placed Man Utd - and with a game in hand over both. In less than a week they will face Everton at White Hart Lane, where a home win will draw them level, on points if not on goal difference, with the faltering champions. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/welcome_to_2012.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2012/01/welcome_to_2012.php Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:20:24 +0000 As Spurs travel to Carrow Road for the fixture against Norwich, results elsewhere have conspired to consolidate their position in the top four. With Chelsea and Liverpool both failing to take three points at home against inferior opposition, Spurs now have the opportunity to take a firm grip on third spot - especially if that other team from north London fail to maximize home advantage against Wolves. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/a_strong_squad.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/a_strong_squad.php Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:33:56 +0000 The run of victories had to come to an end at some point and it's perhaps not entirely surprising that it did so at the Britannia Stadium. Eighth-placed Stoke were themselves coming off the back of two league wins and had already knocked Spurs out of the Carling Cup earlier in the season. The Spurs old boys in their side would certainly have been up for the game and, in the event, it was one of those, Matthew Etherington, who supplied their two goals. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/all_good_things.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/all_good_things.php Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:37:06 +0000 Six league wins on the bounce. Third in the table (and even second, for an all too brief interlude) with a game in hand. November's Manager and Player of the Month trophies sitting on the mantlepieces of Harry Redknapp and Scott Parker. All in all, it's a pretty good time to be a Spurs fan. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/business_as_usual.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/12/business_as_usual.php Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:21:39 +0000 In recent years "breaking into the top four" has generally meant finishing in fourth place behind Man. Utd, Chelsea and that other team from north London. This season the equation has shifted, with the relative newcomers Man. City heading the table and showing every indication that they will still be there at the end of the season. Spurs, for their part, now lie in third with a game in hand. The question is - how high can they go? http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/reaching_for_the_top.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/reaching_for_the_top.php Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:06:19 +0000 Such is the strength of the Spurs squad that the international break didn't provide much of a break for quite a few of them. Modric and Corluka were involved in one of the more significant games, namely Croatia's Euro 2012 playoff against Turkey. Although Corluka's opportunities at club level have been few and far between this season, he managed not only to set up the opening goal in a resounding 3-0 win but then get on the score sheet himself. Sandro also found the net in Brazil's friendly against Gabon, while van der Vaart had a slightly less happy time, being taken off injured while turning out for Holland against Switzerland. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/national_pride.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/national_pride.php Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:25:58 +0000 It's really getting boring. Surely he must have a complete stinker of a game at some point, and then there'll be something different to write about. Given the manager's comments after the QPR game, though, that's not looking very likely: http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/a_proper_oldschool_player.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/11/a_proper_oldschool_player.php Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:49:12 +0000 Spurs moved up into fifth place with a win over Blackburn Rovers that was somewhat harder fought than it should have been. Harry Redknapp admitted that "in the end we were hanging out there as they put us under severe pressure". The expression the manager was looking for was probably "hanging on" or perhaps even "hanging in", although in truth he might have inadvertently hit upon an apposite phrase. Many of the Spurs team did appear to be "hanging out", producing a somewhat flat display which was only just good enough to earn maximum points against opponents who had won three of their previous 23 Premier League games. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/onwards_and_upwards.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/onwards_and_upwards.php Match Reports Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:25:28 +0000 A betting man would have had Spurs visit to St. James' Park down as a scoring draw, and so it proved. The hosts were unbeaten in the league while the visitors were in pursuit of a fifth league win on the bounce. Both sides have played expansive, open football in recent weeks and so goals looked like being on the cards. In the event, four were shared between the teams and both ended the day where they started, in fourth and sixth place respectively. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/ledley_limps_off_again.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/ledley_limps_off_again.php Wed, 19 Oct 2011 03:15:38 +0000 After a poor start to the season, Spurs now go into the international break sitting pretty in sixth place following four league wins on the bounce. The most recent of these was achieved against that other team from north London, leading to talk in the media of some sort of "power shift". http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/a_shift_in_power.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/10/a_shift_in_power.php Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:14:09 +0000 The victory at Wigan marked the first time since February that Spurs have won three consecutive Premier League games, and it lifted the club into sixth place in the table, with a game in hand on the teams above them. Van der Vaart and Bale notched up their first league goals of the season and new boys Parker and Adebayor continued to impress. http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/09/making_hard_work_of_it.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/tottenhamhotspur/archives/2011/09/making_hard_work_of_it.php Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:28:41 +0000