It has been a quiet week as far as Tottenham go with the media giving the club a break from the constant transfer tittle-tattle. Harry has warned potential suitors off Luka Modric, while several England stars have come out this week and hailed the world class talents of Ledley King.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of Tottenham blogs which has included…Contract stalemate paves Spurs move; Modric slams the door on United, while Tottenham face up to their most important deal of the summer.
Plus we have taken a look at the best Tottenham stories on the Web this week.
Can Tottenham afford not to splash the cash?
Contact stalemate paving the way to Tottenham move
Tottenham’s most important deal this summer
Modric door slams shut to leave Fergie having to search elsewhere
Walcott vs Lennon – who deserves the nod?
Michael Carrick: faltering or already failed?
Top TEN Scapegoats in the Premier League
Why the Premier League big clubs have had to break tradition
Does Platini’s CL plan for the FA Cup warrant consideration?
The SEVEN players Capello should drop from his England squad
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Best of Web
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Keane Can Whistle – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
The Redknapp Revelation – Dear Mr Levy
GLENN HODDLE: What it’s like to be the England boss – Daily Mail
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Reflections – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2
Not so Keane on Robbie – Dear Mr Levy
’Arry: King Mex the grade – Sun
Flashback: Tottenham 9-1 Wigan – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
Portsmouth have confirmed the appointment of Steve Cotterill as their new manager.
Cotterill has agreed a three-year contract at the recently relegated Premier League outfit after deciding to leave former club Notts County last month.
The 45-year-old former Cheltenham Town and Burnley boss helped guide the Magpies to promotion from League Two but left after just four months at the helm.
Portsmouth were on the lookout for a new manager after Avram Grant left at the end of the Premier League season to take the reins at West Ham United.
"Steve is the perfect fit for the rebuilding job we want to do here," Pompey chief executive David Lampitt told the club's official website.
"He's talented, ambitious, energetic and positive, with a very good footballing CV, coming here on the back of a great achievement at Notts County.
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"We've got lots of challenges ahead and like the rest of us here at the club Steve is ready to tackle them head on to bring stability and long-term success to Pompey."
Cotterill's appointment comes just one day after the club moved a step closer to coming out of administration after creditors voted in favour of accepting the terms of a Company Voluntary Agreement.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City will do everything they can to stop Real Madrid enticing Carloz Tevez to the Spanish capital.
Argentina international Tevez is believed to be the subject of a £40million bid from Real, just 12 months after City persuaded the striker to move to Eastlands rather than remain at Manchester United.
Real signed Tevez's international team-mate Angel di Maria on Monday and The Sun reports that they have now turned their attention to a player who scored twice in Argentina's 3-1 victory against Mexico in the last-16 stage of the World Cup on Sunday.
However, a club source was quoted in the newspaper as saying: "Carlos is going nowhere. He's happy here and we're looking forward to welcoming him back next month."
City have already snapped up Hamburg star Jerome Boateng this summer and are set to confirm the captures of Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure and Valencia winger David Silva.
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Tevez found the net 29 times in 43 appearances for City last term.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
I have always felt that agents were the lowest of the low in football and nothing has made me changed that view after picking up the paper and reading we have been linked with a certain Didier Drogba.
If ever there was a blatant attempt at Manchester City’s name being used to broker a deal elsewhere then this is it and thankfully the words of Thierno Seydi have been dismissed by a spokesman at the football club. Drogba is an exceptional footballer and there is no club in the world that wouldn’t want him, but realistically there is no chance of him leaving Chelsea, or Ancelotti letting him leave, so what was the agenda here apart from alerting the money men of Chelsea? If Drogba wants a new deal then approach Abramovich himself, instead of dragging our name into the equation.
“Today he’s at Chelsea. Maybe there will be surprises before August 31,
“I haven’t spoken to just anybody. The only contact I’ve had directly was with City,
“At his age I can no longer hide the financial aspect. The club that want Didier will have to meet the price.” (Sun)
Unfortunately the use of the name Manchester City has been used far too often for my liking of late and it is getting rather tiresome. From being a contributor to England’s failings this summer (believe it or not), to ruining the make-up of football (even though clubs like Chelsea and United have spent millions upon millions in the last decade), we are now a plaything for agents so they can tout their clients, or in this case attempt to get an improved deal at their respective football clubs.
Written By Don Thomas
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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Boss Harry Redknapp has dropped a major hint that Tottenham Hotspur will utilise the loan market to try and strengthen their squad before the transfer window shuts.
Spurs continue to be linked with moves to sign Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy and AC Milan's Dutch frontman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but Redknapp is unlikely to pay out big money to land any of his targets.
He told the Daily Mirror:"I can see loans happening. I've got three players in mind that would not cost a lot of money.
"If we can pull off the deals you are talking about £8million or £9million for three players. Loans would certainly be a real possibility.
"People are going to loan players from all over the world, there will be loads because clubs are struggling to pay the wages. There will be high earners they have to loan out."
Meanwhile, Redknapp has dismissed recent rumours suggesting that he could be prepared to allow England striker Peter Crouch to leave White Hart Lane.
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He added: "Peter Crouch is going nowhere. He is definitely staying."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Robinho is still a Manchester City player. Not many would have expected that statement to have been true at this stage of the transfer window when Robinho made his loan move to Santos in January. The interest in the player has been surprisingly limited to Turkish outfits Fenerbahce and Besiktas. Considering that he is one of the most talented players on the planet, one could well have expected a clamour for his services amongst some of the top European sides. Yesterday it was revealed that Robinho had in fact rejected a move to Fenerbahce, he told globoesporte.com
“With all due respect to Turkish football, I’m not going to play there at the moment. The only thing I’ll say is that I’ll carry on in Europe, in Italy or Spain.”
This is all well and good if there are teams interested, but Robinho’s transfer will require a substantial fee and currently there do not appear to be any suitors that will meet Robinho’s wishes. With the end of the transfer deadline fast approaching, there may be a chance the Brazilian stays at Man City. Roberto Mancini has indicated Robinho could have a future at Eastlands, BBC Sport quotes him as saying,
“Robinho has two or three options. I have spoken with Robinho and he can stay if he works well and trains well. I have a good relationship with him but I think he wants to play in Italy or Spain.”
Robinho then, can still have a future at Manchester City and it is my view that this may not actually be a bad thing. Robinho is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the world, and he proved that ability in the World Cup in South Africa with some superb displays. The problem during his time at Man City has been his attitude, the Brazilian often performs wonders at Eastlands, but in the away games he has often been anonymous. Robinho is a luxury player, and if he is not performing he will not add anything such as defensive work to the team. But when he is performing, he is a devastating weapon.
Manchester City’s 3-0 defeat of Liverpool on Monday was very impressive and it may have given Robinho some food for thought. Like every top player, Robinho wants to be playing Champions League football, and on the evidence of what we saw on Monday this has to be a possibility at City. This will encourage Robinho that maybe life at Manchester City is not so bad after all and if Mancini can get him training and playing hard, then he could be a big player for the club this season. The fact is that even though Robinho may want to move to Spain or Italy, like Cesc Fabregas it is by no means guaranteed to happen, and if he does stay there is not a chance that he will be missing out on the 25-man squad.
If Robinho does stay at Man City he will need to sort his attitude out, but the club appear to playing well at the start of the season and this well be of help. Manchester City already count Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor amongst their forwards, add Robinho to this list and you have one of the most potent attacking forces anywhere in Europe. Robinho is capable of great football and linking up with these players he has the potential to be a Premier League star. Robinho will want to play, and if the club are looking like they will challenge at the top of the league it might just encourage him that City is the place to be.
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Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering an horrific ankle injury in the Champions League goalless draw with Rangers.
The 25-year-old Ecuador international was injured in a tackle with Kirk Broadfoot, before leaving the Old Trafford pitch on a stretcher.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed:"It is a dislocation or a fracture and he gets operated on tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.
"It was an innocuous challenge but when you saw the Rangers player waving, you knew it was a bad one.
"It is a bad blow for the boy and you are talking about the rest of the season."
Meanwhile, Gers defender Broadfoot was clearly left shaken by the incident, adding:"I'm not too sure what happened.
"I just slid in and looked round and his bone was sticking out. We tried to get the physio on to help him because you don't like to see that.
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"These things happen and hopefully he makes a fast recovery. I've never seen anything like that so close before.
"You see things like that on television and it's not good, but to see it there in front of you, it doesn't look nice and I just hope he recovers quickly."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp commented after his side’s 1-0 defeat at Upton Park that he wanted more flair players in the order of Rafael van der Vaart. Never one to be overtly partisan he expressed admiration for Arsenal’s fluid attacking style. “I’d like to get another couple of flair players for the side to go with the likes of him (van der Vaart) and Modric. You don’t give the ball away when you’ve got players like that.” His side have endured wretched luck with injuries recently but is the former Portsmouth tactician neglecting the talents of last year’s purchase of the summer? Niko Kranjcar joined the London club from Pompey for a fee of around £2 million but has been largely anonymous this season. Should Redknapp turn to the creativity in his ranks before scouting more flair players?
Kranjcar has yet to start a game for Spurs this season which is inferably peculiar given his excellent maiden season in north London. Signed on transfer deadline day last year for a relatively bargain price, the Croatian was reunited with Redknapp once more. It was an astoundingly astute piece of business which warranted the manager’s unwelcome tag as a ‘wheeler dealer.’ He initially had to fight for a starting berth with his international colleague Luka Modric but later profited from the playmaker’s injury. In 29 appearances in all competitions last season Kranjcar scored 8 goals and established his credentials as an adroit creator too. Often deployed on the left side of midfield, the Croatian midfielder scored his first Tottenham goal in a 2-2 draw against Bolton Wanderers. He netted an impressive brace against Manchester City at White Hart Lane last year. His second goal was breathtaking as from a City clearance he skipped past Emmanuel Adebayor and then fired a low shot past Shay Given from an acute angle. Redknapp said of the player after the match, “If you don’t get a man of the match award for that tonight you’re never going to get one.”
Sublime goals followed against Peterborough and Stoke City as his long range striking ability attracted numerous admirers. His goal scoring expertise coupled with his ability to assist others allowed him to have a substantive impact on their remarkable season. However his authority subsided after being trumped by the emergence of Gareth Bale in the latter stages of that campaign. Both players have a direct, attacking style but the Welshman’s pace is far superior. Kranjcar’s chances this season have been restricted further by the constantly progressing Bale and the renewed competition from fit again Modric and van der Vaart. The No21 may therefore have to bide his time before an opportunity presents itself. However when the Lilywhites’ play can become too intricate, as it did at West Ham, Kranjcar is worthy of inclusion due to his explosive shooting and incisive style of play.
The competition he faces is intense as Bale is arguably one of the most promising wide players in Europe, particularly when freed from defensive duties. Despite missing a penalty and seeing red for two bookable offences in their 4-1 win over Dutch champions FC Twente, van der Vaart is rapidly becoming a fan favourite and the key creative conductor in their midfield. His volleyed goal past Nikolay Mihaylov was executed with aplomb. Spurs have received countless plaudits from neutrals for their manager’s penchant to play open, attractive football with verve and purpose. In his post match press conference on Wednesday, Redknapp said, “We picked an open team, we went for it.” But should his team require an added burst of unpredictability and ideas he would be wise to not look far beyond his substitutes, especially Kranjcar.
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England goalkeeper Joe Hart is bracing himself for the inevitable backlash which will hit him if he suffers a dip in form.
The 23-year-old Manchester City man has become first-choice for both club and country this season and is poised to start for England against Montenegro at Wembley on Tuesday evening.
However, the former Shrewsbury Town youngster is aware that criticism will be heading his way if he makes an error.
Hart told the FA's official website:"I am well aware that the pressure is there.
"People build you up and as soon as anything does go slightly wrong, then they are hard on you.
"But that is the nature of the game and if I want to be at the top level, then I think you've just got to be prepared for things like that.
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"It is another thing you need to work on. Another thing you need to be good at is taking criticism."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Arsenal's Belgium international centre-half Thomas Vermaelen has suffered a setback in his recovery from an Achilles injury and will be out for the foreseeable future.
The 24-year-old was close to a return to action after more than two months on the sidelines, but suffered a recurrence of the injury during training on Monday.
Manager Arsene Wenger told the club's official website:"We don't have good news about Thomas Vermaelen. He had a little set-back in training and he has to see specialists again.
"I don't know where we go with Thomas time-wise, but at the moment he cannot play. I can't give you any timescale at all.
"On the scan his Achilles is completely clear, but as soon as he stays out for a while it tightens up and he has pain. We don't know the source of his pain."
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Vermaelen joined the Gunners in the summer of 2009 from Dutch giants Ajax and has since made 48 appearances for Wenger's side, scoring eight goals.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email