Are we closer too La Arse?

[OrlandoSPUR]

Last time Tottenham beat the Scum was 99/00m when we won at the Lane, Iverson scored our first and Sherwood our second. Which was a fantastic free kick towards the Paxton Rd, oh and the departed Vieira scored theirs. Unfortuantely the result was reversed at the Library.

I think this year the MF of Carrick and Davids or Tainio, will boss a Vieira less scum mf. I know Fagbregas ran through our MF in the last game, I can't see him doing it again. Gilberto IMO is over rated and I am not concerned About him. They of course have their Swedish prick and Reyes. Hopefully with the introduction of Routledge we have a winger who can make them think of providing cover for Cole and that twat Lauren. IMO Wenger has made a big mistake not replacing their talismatic Captain!! Also their CB will prove to be what they are average. Who would you want more, fat Arsol, Sendoros (watch for a 2nd yr slump) Cygan LMAO, Taore hmmm prone to dodgyness. To King, Dawson, Naybet, Huddlestone, Gardner and Davenport? I'm going with the boys from the Lane.

And comparing our strike force, look for a lot of goals from Jermaine and Mido. Keane and Kanoute aint bad either!! They have Henry, good player and a good Captain for them imo. DB10 is class and he's Spurs. the Accussed, and Reyes. I think we hold are own nicely.

Goalkeeping, hahahh England's #1 and Cerny or Fulop, OVer Lehman and what ever other dodgy keeper they have.

I think we are closer to the nomads from up the road, closer than we have been since Wenger arrived.

[THFC1]

I agree, i think we will be closer in points than we have for a long time. I'm not convinced by Wenger not saying they have no interest in Owen though. I think Toure.
The midfield battle between Davids and Fabregas will be something to watch when we play them.
Hopefully we are near the top of the table by January time then maybe we could get a player in to push us over the edge.
LOL at the accused. hahahahaha

[OrlandoSPUR]

..cheers for showing me how to spell accussed! In all seriousness it is about time to beat them, and be a threat to them more importantly. Their recent success has made their fans act in a way that they superior, it would be nice to see the tide to turn towards N17.

[OrlandoSPUR]

....note to self, don't try to write a thread when you're off your head.

[THFC1]

LOL, dont worry this thread will get going once Jaymes gets here :p

[OrlandoSPUR]

LOL, dont worry this thread will get going once Jaymes gets here :p

...it would be nice for others to show their observations on the nomads from up the rd. I know we shouldn't care about them, but it is just not that easy ;) . I really feel that they're on the decline, and will be lucky to get an automatic CL place this season, Man u and 'pool have caught them in my eyes....even Jol thinks we are the fifth best in the league. I feel a win against them is well overdue.

But the reason I wrote that note to self was more to do with how badly it was written. I need remedial english :)

[pookspur]

...it would be nice for others to show their observations on the nomads from up the rd...

i'll go.

the arse is, always has been, and always will be the club i want most to beat. i won't pretend that i hate them with the venom that many of the locals have, but i don't much like 'em. and i respect the rivalry as much as anyone.

that said, it's quite difficult to find bad things to say about wenger or dein. the way they've run that club is infuriatingly impressive. i'll be quite honest here, there is one thing to which we (or at least I) must be very grateful to the arse. in this day and age of financial dominance and the apparently increasing gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots', the arse is living proof of what can be accomplished by a big - but not huge* - club. if it wasn't for the arse, i suspect that i just might resolve myself to the fact that we just can't compete for the biggest prizes in england. but, dammit, if they can do it, we can do it. we've shown that we can spend with them, we just haven't matched the quality of their spending - until, perhaps, now.

i have never (at least since i've been too old for blind optimism) been as optimistic about spurs as i am right now. the gap will undoubtedly close - whether the arse stumbles a bit or not. and they just might. gooners are a bit nervous right now, and not without reason. they'll still be very strong, of course, but football is, and always will be, a bit cyclical. they will not be better than us in perpetuity - and there's not a hint of criticism of wenger and dein in that comment. still hate the gunners, of course.


*if there IS one area in which i might be inclined to criticise the fellows running AFC, it is in their effort to become a huge club. i understand the dynamics of their move across the road. and i'm impressed enough by the way they do things to realize that it just might all work out for them in the end. frankly, if they had to leave highbury (and they didn't), they probably couldn't have pulled it off any more smoothly (thus far). but it still hasn't played out in it's entirety yet, and the gamble still has risks. it seems a bit of a shame to me that a club that shows that it can win all the silverware that england has to offer without spending like chelsea, man u, or madrid feels so compelled by the need to generate those kinds of revenue that they'd leave their (not quite) ancestral home to try to become something that they're not - and haven't really needed to be. you think the library lacks atmosphere? emirates could be worse, still. Amsterdam ArenA, anyone? oh well, it's their bloody club, they can do whatever they want.

conversely, though, i pray to God that we never leave the lane. increase capacity? absolutely. but we don't need to try to be something that we're not to regain the glory. and when i think about spurs' return to glory, i realise that i really don't give a rat's what the nomads down the road do or don't do. whether or not they can continue to take four or six points off us every year is just as much down to what we do as what they do. and i like what we're doing.

COME ON YOU SPURS!!

[Lillywhite]

Yes we are. They'll be fewer points ahead of us this year. We'll overtake them some day but who knows how long it will take?

As for expanding the stadium, as pookspur said, it is a must. In order to generate revenue long term we need to expand to 50,000. How often do fewer than 35,000 show up anyway? Exactly and we've hardly achieved success on the pitch have we recently. Tranport link improvement or no, it's vital we increase capacity. Then all we'd have to do is get the Paxton to sing up! hehe.

Also, and I prolly speaking personally here, I hate those pikey c*** nomads. Moreso now than ever before. I still have those wonderful memories of watching the mulleted munters after the semi final in '91. Best day of my Spurs life. Freckled bastards every single one of them. No offence meant BTW pookspur. I think it actually makes you the better person that you don't care about them all that much. I am, however, pettier. :) I suppose they're like the French. Alright individually but in a group, a bloody nightmare of chav arrogance. I personally wish they'd just do one and bugger off to the south of the river again. Let Charlton or whoever deal with them. This was just meant to be more of a PS when I started but you know, they're warpigs and I just wanted you all to know that.

Also, it's nice to know that the scum are continuing their tradition of equal opportunity employers regarding hideous footballers - i.e. Phlegm (lol@ Rich).

You can stick your Sol Campbell up your Arse,
You can stick your Sol Campbell up your Arse,
You can stick your Sol Campbell,
Stick your Sol Campbell,
Stick your Sol Campbell up your Arse,
Singing we've got Ledley at the back,
Singing we've got Ledley at the back,
Singing we've got Ledley,
We've got Ledley
We've got Ledley at the back.

[PoshSpur]

LOL, dont worry this thread will get going once Jaymes gets here :p


...I'm here. What are we talking about?

[cdmphy]

Arsenal are still a very good team and could contend for the title, however I have my doubts.

Here's their problems:
Who leads? - Viera's skills are easy to replace but he was a magnificent presence and you can't expect Henry to do it. And youth is great, but even Man Utd's great class of the 90's had Ince, Wise, Keane, Cantona, Sheringham, etc to set examples and teach them. Arsenal doesn't have that. Their veterans don't lead, they play. So, they don't have anything remotely viable to push their kids. Jol's decision to groom his kids with someone like Davids is brilliant management.

Who defends? - Sol is damaged goods. And Senderos is quality and in 3 years might be one of the best CB in the game. But right now he is 20 and is playing with 3 guys that love to fly forward. And that leaves Lehman to organize the back which takes a world class keeper and he's not. Plus he is mentally fragile and if you get a goal, you can just as easily score 2 more as no more

And while they do play a very attractive forward moving game, it is still reliant on Bergkamp, who is the only one of them that can make the through passes that allow the rest of their offense to flow. He's old and his replacement (VP) might be in jail by season's end. Otherwise it's just throw everything forward and hope something makes goal. A kind of highly-skilled version of the old Wimbledon Crazy Gang.

Wenger is so in love with himself that it probably drives him crazy that he's unable to ******** himself in bed. This can be a good thing, don't get me wrong. Jose has worked this to perfection to take any pressure off his players. However you have 4 ego-maniacs duking it out for the tabloids in Rafa, SAF, Jose and Wenger and that will take it's toll. Spend too much time in a cat fight with Jose or Alex and it leaves less time to spend on tactics and man management. Jol doesn't have that problem (and he's quality)

So are we closer? Most definitely. We have a better center 4 in Robbo-King-Dawson-Carrick than they do (and defense wins titles). They have significantly better Half backs. They have the best forward in the game, but other than what was previously mentioned about their strike force Reyes doesn't fit the system. We have two very potent lines that helps even us out at the front. I think Routledge and Davids makes our midfield more of a threat but they are still ahead of us in attack. So we are catching up. Can we place above them this year? Yes, but it will take a bit of luck and an ability to keep healthy. And come January, we seem to have more money to fix problems than they do because of the stadium and that ridiculous structure of the Viera transfer.

Still shooting for 5th but you never know.

[PoshSpur]

I view Arsenal as a dirty share. They are on their way down. With shares that are about to plumit, you take your cash out.

Expect many changes at Arsenal in the next 3 years.

[OrlandoSPUR]

I don't think Tottenham will finish above the scum this year, but I do think we'll be 5th and they will be 4th. What I want to see is a tottenham win,(which we all do of course) but not to have won since 99/00 is too long.

CD I don't think Sendoros will have as good a season this year, he may turn out to be one of Europes best CB's, but this year his supporting cast is not there. When I watch Lauren I think if we have pace he will be turned. He enjoys going forward and i think he is suspect. Agreed that when Arsenal goes forward they are good. but when a team is going at them I expect goals against an average keeper and defense.

Agree with Posh things are changing over there. They don't have the money to compete for players IMO, but I am basing that on nothing other than the massive outlay for the Grove dump.

[mis-e-one]

Can we beat Arsenal this season? Any team can beat any other in the Premiership. For all we know, Wigan might beat Arsenal!

I think the gap between ourselves and Arsenal is lessening though. I think we probably have a better goalkeeper and an improved midfield. They're probably better in attack.

conversely, though, i pray to God that we never leave the lane. increase capacity? absolutely. but we don't need to try to be something that we're not to regain the glory. and when i think about spurs' return to glory, i realise that i really don't give a rat's what the nomads down the road do or don't do.

Well Arsen*l had to leave Highbury because there is little room for expansion there, since it's surrounded by housing. White Hart Lane isn't really.

But I think for us to be successful we need to increase the ground size. 36,000 would be too small for a successful side. I feel ashamed that West Ham have as big a ground as us!

[PoshSpur]

If we don't start plans for expansion soon, we will always be behind Arsenal.

[mis-e-one]

Should we always look at what Arsenal are doing?

Do they always look and compare themselves to us? Probably not. They probably still hate us, but reckon Man U or Chelsea are their rivals.

If making the ground bigger can make us a consistent top four/five side, I'd be happy.

[Lillywhite]

Expansion is vital. Southhampton and Sunderland have bigger ground capacities as does Middlesbrough I think. Are we smaller than those clubs? So once again, it is vital for the long term success. Whoever needs to make the decision better bloody make it pronto and stop fannying about. In case anyone missed the point.....EXPANSION IS VITAL!!

[PoshSpur]

Ok, here are the figures we have been given (from THBN).

So far from season ticket sales, we have £13.9 million in sales. The club aim to gain around £14.6 million. That is from selling 23,000 seats as season tickets.

Now, imagine us having a ground that housed 60,000 seats. We could have 40,000 seats allocated to season tickets. The turnover from those season tickets would generate approx £27 million.

That is an increase of already £12.5 million. That could buy us a world class player.

We would then also have an allocation of approx 20,000 seats to fill, which, I am sure, wouldn't be a problem at all.

The stadium expansion needs to be addressed within the next 3 years or there could be a problem as other clubs will soon be out-bidding us.

I am all for us moving from the Lane. It hates me to say that. But most of us on this forum have been to the ground. Those who have been, know that it would be impossible to expand the stadium by more than 10,000 seats, and even that's pushing it.

Pickets Lock should be our new home. Is the UCI cinema and the sports complex still there?

[pookspur]

...I am all for us moving from the Lane. It hates me to say that. But most of us on this forum have been to the ground. Those who have been, know that it would be impossible to expand the stadium by more than 10,000 seats, and even that's pushing it.


jeebus, jaymes, where are we gonna go? pay rent at wembley? emirates? :eek:

dunno what 'pickets lock' is; but are you talking about building a whole new 50k+ stadium in london? i just don't see how we could finance that. not saying it can't be done, mind, but it's a pretty daunting proposal.

ok, maybe we'd have to buy up a little more property to sufficiently expand the lane; but we've all been there - it can't be the saltiest real estate in london. granted, there is some point where you say "why put that much more money into the old girl? spend a little more and get a lot more for it." but i don't think we're anywhere near that point. we'd have to spend a whole lot more - perhaps more than we can (even in the long run) afford.

and what's the downside? tottenham's a dump? no decent trasport links? so what? spurs fans will make that long walk up the high road in more-than-sufficient numbers. 35k+ have trod that ugly path week in/week out for the last 10 years to watch utter shyte. wait til we start winning (only a couple days)!

upgrade the lane, i say. if it takes clearing out a whole stand - and a little bit more - to get 15k more seats, do it, i say. does it really matter that i don't know what the hell i'm talking about? really?

[Lillywhite]

I would prefer to stay at the Lane. Haringey council have proved the expansion, which would take us upto at least 50,000, most probably a bit more. The club are just waiting to see if any transport links are going to be improved.

If, however, the club think it's best for us to move into a new stadium in order to increase capacity, then so be it. It'll be a huge change and I personally am always a little tentative regarding change. It is VITAL (have I mentioned this yet?) to increase capacity. We could name it something nice. After Bill or something.

Whichever we do we need to get things rolling. Even if we start tomorrow, it'll be a couple of years before anything starts to properly happen and a couple more years until a stadium is finished. That's a very optimistic prognosis.

If we actually want to be able to compete for the top prizes domestically and in Europe we'll have to become a larger financial power than pushing the boat out to 47,000 a week for one player. It's just that simple. A significant factor in being able to do that is bums on seats.

[Malkamus]

As a Chelscum supporter at my pub chirped after Daisy Dukes scored his brace in the Shield match. 'The end of goonerism as we know it!' I certainly hope so.

But perhaps we should revisit this topic in a few months time when we got some results and performances to chomp on. Of course if you want to keep on abusing Le Arse for a couple pages, don't let me stop you :)