Tottenham Hotspur - the Pride of London

[Castrol]

birmingham 4 spurs 1

yes, due to the hangover from the league cup final celebrations.

[Spurslover]

Match Report from ESPNSoccernet:ESPNsoccernet - Report: Tottenham vs West Ham - English Premier League

Dimitar Berbatov's two headers helped Tottenham towards victory at White Hart Lane as West Ham boss Alan Curbishley suffered his third consecutive 4-0 defeat.

Berbatov netted both of his goals early in the first half of the Barclays Premier League clash, with hopes of a Hammers comeback virtually ending when Luis Boa Morte was dismissed just before the break.

Gilberto came off the bench and added a third before Darren Bent headed a fourth.

Spurs head coach Juande Ramos has now completed a London treble this season, defeating Arsenal and Chelsea in the Carling Cup and now bitter rivals West Ham.

It also ended Spurs' run of back-to-back defeats ahead of their UEFA Cup trip to PSV Eindhoven.

But West Ham's slump continued, following 4-0 defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool last week.

Their poor run saw Curbishley wake up to reports of his job being insecure. His response was to pick an attacking formation that fans have been craving this season.

Dean Ashton and Bobby Zamora were paired up front but, despite the latter being unfortunate with an early chance, they made little impact throughout.

Zamora took advantage of a Paul Robinson fumble but saw his finish loop over off team-mate Boa Morte.

Going into the clash in 10th and 11th, both teams knew they would not move up or down the table with victory or defeat. With the Carling Cup securing European football next season, Spurs have been accused of neglecting league matters.

'It is a matter of us showing professionalism,' said Ramos in his programme notes.

The Spaniard emphasised his point by picking a strong side, with just Ledley King rested and Jermaine Jenas out with a twisted ankle.

They were ahead after eight minutes, although Curbishley was protesting to fourth official Uriah Rennie near the tunnel and missed Berbatov's opener.

The Hammers boss was furious that Jonathan Spector, in place of injured Matthew Upson, had been penalised for a foul on Berbatov.

Tom Huddlestone swung over a free-kick from the right flank and Berbatov's header on the penalty spot skidded past Robert Green into the far corner.

The Spurs pair combined again three minutes later from the opposite flank with the same outcome. Berbatov's header this time beating Green at the near post.

It was too much for Freddie Ljungberg, who threw a water bottle to the touchline in disgust, while Alan Hutton was on the receiving end of a spiteful late tackle.

Huddlestone, creator of the first two, then almost added to the scoring when he got on the end of Aaron Lennon's cross, but his header was too high.

Boa Morte picked up his first booking after persistent fouling, and he was constantly battling with Hutton and Robbie Keane. Keane, in turn, angered Hammers fans with a gesture towards his own supporters acknowledging the recent Carling Cup triumph.

Steed Malbranque was the next to try his luck but his angled drive went wide of Green's post. Green also saved a Berbatov volley when another Huddlestone set-piece caused problems.

Boa Morte received his second yellow card a minute from half-time for a foul on Lennon.

There did not appear to be any complaints from the West Ham bench but Curbishley had words with referee Chris Foy in the tunnel at half-time, protesting about the foul leading up to the opener.

Huddlestone's effort went just wide early in the second half, while Ashton went over at the other end with a shot from the edge of the penalty area and Lucas Neill tested Robinson from a similar distance.

'We've only got 10 men,' chanted the West Ham fans. Despite the visitors applying pressure, Spurs could have added a third through Keane and Lennon when they broke.

Gilberto was brought on for Malbranque just before the hour mark for his Premier League debut, and Bent was given a run in place of Keane.

The third came when Gilberto scored with a shot on the turn, with six minutes remaining, after Lennon had dummied a Pascal Chimbonda pass. Bent added the fourth with a stoppage-time header.




Curbs: We must stop the rot


Alan Curbishley is hopeful that his board understand the injury crisis he has faced as West Ham's season threatens to fizzle out following a third 4-0 defeat in a row.

Curbishley woke up to reports suggesting his job may be insecure, although he feels his board are sympathetic about the problems he has had with players missing during his first full campaign at the club.

'I think they are realistic about it but we'll have to see on that score because it's a results business,' the Hammers boss said.

'Up until this week we hadn't been too bad so we'll have to bounce back.'

He added: 'We're in football and nothing surprises anybody but I would have thought (they would understand). They are realistic about what has gone on. They get the update every Monday of the injury situation.

'Any other team that has had six or seven out every week would find it difficult. You can see the difference in teams with settled sides.'

Anton Ferdinand was to blame for Berbatov's two goals, both free headers from Tom Huddlestone free-kicks.

'He was nowhere to be seen,' said Curbishley.

'He's got to dig in, he gave a penalty away against Chelsea early in the game and put us on the back foot.

'You can't allow centre-forwards to have free headers.

'Berbatov didn't have to jump. Then straight away there was another one. It's difficult to come back from it.'

Curbishley was upset with Jonathan Spector being penalised for fouling Berbatov leading up to the opener.

'He fell over in stages,' the Hammers boss added.

'They (referees) spend all week on this and that and looking at videos and perhaps they have got to realise one or two things that were going on.'

Curbishley had no complaints, though, when Luis Boa Morte was dismissed for two bookings, the second coming a minute before the break.

'We took two wallopings going into the game and I asked for more aggression and application,' he said.

'He was done for persistence.

'Luis put a wholehearted performance in but he's on thin ice and has to make sure he gets to half-time. He hasn't and that has killed us off a bit.'

Gilberto made his Barclays Premier League debut when he came off the bench and he scored with a finish on the turn, then Bent headed in the fourth in stoppage-time.

'We put ourselves in a position where we expect to finish in the top half,' Curbishley added.

'We've lost three games on the spin and we're still there so it's all to play for still.

'The pressure when you lose three games 4-0 is there, and we have to bounce back. We all have to. It's only them that can go out and do it.

'We have to regroup and get on. There are not many options with our injury situation and we have to just get on. Our aim is to finish in the top half and as high as we can, and we can still do that. It's a long way back for us.'

Spurs head coach Juande Ramos was pleased with his side's response after two defeats since winning the Carling Cup.

'The goals made it easier and we were in control for a large part of the match,' said the Spaniard.

'It was important to have a victory to recover people's esteem.'

The only negative aspect of the afternoon was Jonathan Woodgate taking a knock to his foot and calf and getting taken off as a precaution.

[Castrol]

its portsmouth next, and ROBBIE KEANE is in a MOOD!!!

[wooster]

Spurs 2 Portsmouth 0, hope they keep this winning form. They have been fairly inconsistent lately.

[Castrol]

hey rafa, hands off robbie! you can get robbie when he's 40.

Rafa gives up on Villa but wants Keane

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has ruled out making a move for Spain striker David Villa but said Robbie Keane is still on the Reds' radar. Benitez, who has allowed striker Peter Crouch to join Portsmouth, had been linked with the Valencia player who top-scored at last month's Euro 2008 finals. 'I said the other day that Villa is one of the names we had on our list, but I can say at this moment that it is not an option for us,' Benitez told Liverpool's website. 'We know Villa is a very good player, we know the price and we know the players we have, so when you consider everything we decided he was one of the names but, at this moment, not our target.'

However, Benitez confirmed that a move for Tottenham Hotspur's Ireland striker Robbie Keane was a possibility. 'Keane is one of the other names and OK we are still working with other names. We were in contact and we will see now,' he said.

[ANDYSIAO14]

Welcum back bro castrol...after nearly 5mths ya
KEANE will surely come to Liverpool before transfer ends or the next transfer windows reopen

Nice to see u back...
have a good weekend bro...

Originally Posted by Castrol

hey rafa, hands off robbie! you can get robbie when he's 40.

Rafa gives up on Villa but wants Keane

[lee_li]

If spur want to hav a fight on the premiership or european cup, pls keep keane. he is a prolific striker and current at his prime. i think spur should do well in coming season,because ramos is a gd coach based on his past coaching record in spain.

[B-52]

Kean was a good striker now he's more of a attacking midfielder. but he has a good football brain.

[LiverPOO]

It's a fair Kop - Liverpool land £19m Robbie Keane and then say sorry to Spurs

Liverpool apologised to Tottenham on Monday night and made a charitable donation to their Barclays Premier League rivals as Robbie Keane's £19million move to Anfield reached a bizarre conclusion.

In return, Spurs dropped an official complaint accusing Liverpool of tapping up Keane before the Republic of Ireland striker demanded a move

However, Liverpool's unprecedented gesture did little to appease furious Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who claimed his club had been forced into accepting a deal that could eventually rise to £20.3m.

'I don't regard it as a transfer deal,' said Levy. 'That's something which happens between clubs when they both agree to trade. This is very much an enforced sale.

'I was incredibly disappointed when I first heard not only that Liverpool had been working behind the scenes to bring Robbie to Anfield, but that Robbie himself wanted to go and he submitted a transfer request to this effect.'

Levy revealed that Liverpool had said sorry for the 'inappropriate' way its official website reported comments by Rafael Benitez confirming his interest in Keane.

He added: 'In light of that acknowledgement they have apologised and agreed to make a donation to our club's main charity, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Tottenham has therefore agreed not to pursue its official complaint to the Premier League.'

Keane has signed a four-year deal worth £80,000-a-week with the club he supported as a boy and could make his debut in Wednesday night's friendly against Villarreal after flying to Spain with the rest of Benitez's squad on Tuesday.

On Monday night, Keane attempted to defuse the row by thanking the Tottenham board, players and fans for his six years at White Hart Lane.

He said: 'I would specifically like to thank Daniel Levy for understanding that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn't let pass me by. I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this, too.'

In partnering the Irishman with Fernando Torres, Benitez has sent out a clear message that he finally intends to launch a serious assault on the League title - last won under Kenny Dalglish back in 1990 - having been criticised for placing too much emphasis on the Champions League.

The Spaniard must now find a way of financing an £18m bid for Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry and could even listen to offers for Dirk Kuyt.

Tottenham fans face more disappointment, with Dimitar Berbatov's transfer to Manchester United nearing completion. He cut a moody figure on the Spurs bench on Monday night, not getting changed despite being named as a substitute in the friendly against Norwich.

However, David Bentley's £17m move from Blackburn to Spurs will go through this week and coach Juande Ramos can now use the Keane cash to pursue Russian targets Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko, plus Sevilla's Diego Capel.

[darkafac]

Bentley says his heart is at Tottenham


David Bentley has insisted it 'meant the world' to sign for Tottenham and backed the club to break into the Premier League's top four this season.

Click here
The England winger completed his move from Blackburn, worth an initial £15million, late last night and has agreed a six-year contract.

He told a news conference televised on Sky Sports News: 'It means the world to join Tottenham.

'Gazza was my favourite player, all my mates are Tottenham fans and there's a piece of my heart at this club.

'I didn't think they would be interested in me and when it became available there was nowhere else I wanted to go.'

Asked about the fact he began his professional career with Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal, Bentley said: 'That's in the past, I grew up through the Arsenal youth team but it's not a problem for me, all my heart is at Tottenham and all my passion will be tunnelled into doing well for Tottenham.'

He immediately targeted a challenge for Champions League qualification, which would require big-spending Spurs breaking up the dominance of the division's 'big four'.

'We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to. You've seen what Juande Ramos did last year; the fitness and level of play has risen and I want to be part of that, hopefully we'll keep progressing and doing well.

'It's all there for us - if we're all up for it it's quite possible.'

[Wedge]

sigh, how come all these childhood fans of club only emerge when they do BIG $$ moves to the club ?

[Adidas020108]

Spurs has the best chance of breaking into the Top Four,this coming season.
They spent quite a lot and some very good players.

[darkafac]

Tottenham eyeing £60million triple swoop?


Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos will continue his summer spending spree with a triple swoop for David Villa, Andrei Arshavin and Vedran Corluka, according to reports in the UK press.

However, if Spurs want to secure all three deals they will have to stump up another £60million, having already spent £40million on five players during the transfer window.

The Sun claim that Tottenham are ready to smash the British transfer record with a sensational £32million swoop for Valencia striker Villa and will fund the bid with the sale of want-away striker Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United for £30million.

Real Madrid are also interested in signing the Spanish international, who helped La Rojas win Euro 2008, but Villa's agent Jose Luis Tamargo insists his client is keen to head to the Premier League.

'David likes London and likes how Spurs play under Ramos. If they present an offer, Valencia will seriously study the subject,' Tamargo said.

If the deal goes through Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will make the striker the club's top earner with a huge £100,000-a-week deal.

Meanwhile, The Independent claim Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Arshavin is on his way to White Hart Lane after the Russian club lowered their asking price of £21million.

Tottenham have offered £15.6m for Arshavin but, having banked around £20m for Robbie Keane could easily increase their offer to an acceptable level.

Arshavin has told Zenit that he wants to leave and the Russian club's president Alexander Dyukov is due to meet with the player's agent, Dennis Lachter, in Madrid to discuss the Russia international's future.

The 28-year-old forward has rejected an improved contract offer from Zenit and although the £50,000-a-week deal at Tottenham is not the most lucrative on offer Arshavin still wants to move to London.

Spurs boss Ramos is also set to boost his defence with the £6.8 million capture of Croatian international Corluka from Manchester City, according to The Times.

The continuing fitness concerns about captain Ledley King and the erratic form of Michael Dawson means a defender is a high priority for Tottenham.

Although Corluka played as a right-back at Eastland's last season Ramos views the versatile defender as a long term central-defensive partner for Jonathan Woodgate.

Spurs have been very busy rebuilding the side this summer under former Seville coach Ramos: England's David Bentley, Croatian star Luka Modric, PSV keeper Gomes, Barcelona's Giovanni Dos Santos and Crystal Palace starlet John Bostock have already joined the club.

[Adidas020108]

Spurs is the biggest spender this season.
so maybe they will be the surprise team for this coming season.

[lacoruna69]

Middlesbrough 2-1 Tottenham: Mido sinks Spurs

Tottenham's aspirations of challenging the Barclays Premier League's big four suffered an early setback as Middlesbrough claimed an opening-day 2-1 victory at the Riverside Stadium.

Defender David Wheater scored the first in the 71st minute after an Afonso Alves shot had come back off the underside of the crossbar and Mido, on for Alves, turned in a second with four minutes to go.

All eyes pre-match had been on Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United, and his appearance as a 65th-minute substitute did not help Spurs take anything from the game. A late Robert Huth own goal was mere consolation for the Londoners.

(Excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)