Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

[CarolusMagnus]

Fulham - Tottenham

Everton - Tottenham

[CarolusMagnus]

So, endlich das Spiel gegen Bolton runtergeladen und angesehen. Unsere beste Saisonleistung! Wir sind als Team aufgetreten und das über 90 Minuten. Endlich!

Die Tore: Klick

Berbatov zwar ohne Tor, aber eine atemberaubende Vorstellung.

Das gesamte Team hat eine starke Leistung geboten (und das ohne King!) jedoch muß ich auch Zokora hervorheben, der die Nachwirkungen seines Malariarückfalles wohl endlich überwunden hat und YPL. Wer hätte gedacht, dass der kleine Wipey gerade gegen die physisch übermächtigen Antichristen des Fußballs aus Bolton derartig glänzen könnte?

Die Presse zur unglaublichen Leistung von Berbs:

The Independent

Jol's side dug in at the back and continued to look threatening on the counter attack, mainly due to an awesome individual display of control, awareness and hold-up play from Berbatov, looking every inch a bargain at £10m

The Daily Mail

Although the imbalance in numbers was partly compensated for by a performance of outstanding individual excellence from the game's star player, Dimitar Berbatov, the dismissal remained a matter for contention on the Spurs bench..........Spurs have not had a player with Berbatov's vision and touch since the days of Hoddle and Ardiles and he has extraordinary balance for a big man. Cameos of this nature deserve to be treasured.

The Telegraph

Berbatov gives Bolton torturous afternoon

In Bulgaria they have a nickname for Dimitar Berbatov: the devil with the face of an angel.

This was indeed a celestial performance by a player who is blossoming into one of the leading strikers in world football, inspiring his team with his graceful movement and elegant touch after they were reduced to 10 men.

"I told Berbatov after the game that was as good a performance by a striker playing up front on his own as I've seen," the Tottenham manager, Martin Jol, said. "He's taking responsibility and that really pleases me. He really is top class - he could play for any team in the world."

Not even Robbie Keane's dubious dismissal and the subsequent penalty for Bolton could divert Spurs, who had exploded into the game with three goals in 21 minutes. They are playing with renewed conviction, having shaken off the malaise that threatened to turn their season into a long anticlimax. After three wins in a row, the chase for a Uefa Cup place is on, and with Berbatov leading the attack the eight-point gap between these two clubs must look breachable.

Berbatov's all-round excellence was enhanced by the uncharacteristic ineptitude of Bolton's defending. "We need to use this performance as a kick up the backside so that we don't waste all the hard work of this year," manager Sam Allardyce said.

The Mirror

The former Bayer Leverkusen striker set up the first two goals and his movement and touch caused panic in the Bolton rearguard all afternoon.

Some of his breathtaking ball control brought the White Hart Lane crowd to their feet, and brought back memories of pitch-side guest Glenn Hoddle. All the Bulgarian failed to do was add to his tally of 15 goals in his first season in English football.

But a delighted Jol reckoned he did close to everything else.

"I told Berbatov it was probably the best performance I have seen from a striker on his own against any team," said the Dutchman.

"Berbatov could play in any team in Europe - he is top class. It is not easy to adapt to the English game. He cost us a lot of money and it was always a worry whether he can do it in his first few months.

"He is taking responsibility - he wants to do well for us. It is difficult knowing how much your manager loves you as a player and he wants to do well for me and the club, which is great."

usw.

Berby Baby

Nach drei überzeugenden Leistungen in Folge, erwarte ich nichts anderes als eine Niederlage gegen ein desaströses West Ham. Man kennt ja seine Mannschaft.

[schurlibua]

So, endlich das Spiel gegen Bolton runtergeladen und angesehen. Unsere beste Saisonleistung! Wir sind als Team aufgetreten und das über 90 Minuten. Endlich!

Die Tore: Klick

Berbatov zwar ohne Tor, aber eine atemberaubende Vorstellung.

Das gesamte Team hat eine starke Leistung geboten (und das ohne King!) jedoch muß ich auch Zokora hervorheben, der die Nachwirkungen seines Malariarückfalles wohl endlich überwunden hat und YPL. Wer hätte gedacht, dass der kleine Wipey gerade gegen die physisch übermächtigen Antichristen des Fußballs aus Bolton derartig glänzen könnte?

Die Presse zur unglaublichen Leistung von Berbs:

usw.

Berby Baby

Nach drei überzeugenden Leistungen in Folge, erwarte ich nichts anderes als eine Niederlage gegen ein desaströses West Ham. Man kennt ja seine Mannschaft.

So isses. Ich hab mit einem Kumpel "gewettet", dass wir net besser als 10. werden.

"The same procedure as every year?". "Yes, Sir."

[CarolusMagnus]

Boltonnews über die Lane:

GOING to a game at Spurs is like attending one big love-in.

Every ground tries to create an atmosphere of unity, but none manage it quite like Spurs.

It's not the biggest ground in the Premiership, but it's by far the best stage.

That's got a lot to do with the fact that it is one of the oldest, and, while it has been modernised, it has never lost its traditional feel.

It is also the most compact, it's stands hugging the touchlines and rising almost perpendicular so everybody feels part of the action.

Spurs say they have to move to a bigger ground to accommodate their many fans who cannot be a part of their guaranteed capacity crowds.

If they do, they'll lose more than they'll gain. Gone will be the unrelenting buzz and hair-raising atmosphere whipped up up in an instant, and in will be the hollow feel of every new ground.

Watching a game at White Hart Lane is like taking a step back in time in a good way. The noise is constant and electric and the passion is tangible.

Schadenfreude is more obvious than at any other ground with expression of their rivalry with Arsenal never far away.

Indeed, the biggest cheer of their 4-1 victory over Wanderers last weekend was reserved for the 88th minute stadium announcement that the Gunners had gone 2-1 down in the Carling Cup Final.

The pre-match entertainment is by far the best anywhere, with highlights of their last two games and previous meetings with that day's opponents beamed out on two huge screens with the loudest and clearest sound system.

So good is the coverage that many fans get into the ground early to watch it, as do the Spurs players during their warm-up.

The most striking thing about Spurs is how much those inside believe their team is the best.

Every fan is entitled to talk their side up, but Spurs do it so convincingly that you're tempted to check the record book to remind yourself it has, indeed, been a very long time since they last won anything.

The engaging trait was shown by former player, Martin Peters, when he told fellow Spurs legend, Glenn Hoddle, during a pitch-side interview before the game on Sunday: "It's Braga in the next round (of the UEFA Cup). That's not too hard."

This is the same Portuguese Braga side who beat Italy's Parma home and away in the previous round.

Then, minutes before kick-off, the stadium announcer described the game's stage as: "Here, at the world famous White Hart Lane," before the club song began echoeing around the stadium with the deafening line: "Tottenham are the greatest team the world has ever seen."

A neutral might be tempted into offering a sarcastic response along the lines of Spurs just needing a bit of confidence, but nobody could argue that White Hart Lane possesses a fanaticism that most, if not every, other club can only dream of.

On the basis that the most important criteria for a good football ground is atmosphere, passion, looks, comfort and pitch, then the ultra-compact and always full White Hart Lane is the greatest stage in the country.

[Bretwalda]

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

[CarolusMagnus]

Taraabt mit seinem ersten Kurzeinsatz, obwohl die erste Garnitur und die Ersatzbank sowieso schon geschwächt waren. Jedenfalls ein toller Einstand für einen 17-jährigen. Weitermachen!

[Bretwalda]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmDrVWBYtC0

Berbatov :love:

[schurlibua]

Ja, glaub ichs? 4:3 gegen die Hammers? Kenn ich meine Pappenheimer Gott sei Dank doch schlechter als ich dachte, Stalteri mit dem Siegestor, stark.

bearbeitet 5. März 2007 von schurlibua

[CarolusMagnus]

3:2 in Braga. Kein gutes Spiel, aber wir hätten die trotzdem abschießen können, wäre da nicht ein Tormann in Überform (also eh wie immer) und ein Schiedsrichter, der zwei absolut lächerliche Entscheidungen zugunsten Bragas pfeift, aber gut

they are meant to be the arsenal of braga so the diving comes as part of the package with them.

Egal, gewonnen ist gewonnen.

Wenn die an der Lane auch so auftreten, wirds ein Schützenfest.

[CarolusMagnus]

Gegen Chelsea werden neben King und Jenas nun wohl auch Robinson und Keane fehlen. Wer von den Bank- und Tribünenhockern verletzt ist, hab ich jetzt nicht im Kopf. Mido eventuell.

Aufstellungschaos.

Sat, 10th Mar 2007

Chelsea Football Club has joined forces with anti-racism campaigners to urge supporters to unite against anti-semitism during Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur.

The club has been praised for the huge strides made in tackling racism at Stamford Bridge and we want to ensure that any fans who may use anti-Jewish abuse during the game are identified and appropriate action taken.

The Football Association will have an observer at the match briefed to report back if there is any abuse. This could lead to action by the governing body against any supporters found guilty of engaging in any racial or anti-semitic abuse.

A number of preventative measures are being taken by Chelsea to deal with anti-semitism, including stewarding and policing initiatives, general awareness-raising about the issue and messages spelling out what is offensive.

Hissing noises, singing songs about 'yids' and other offensive songs about Jewish people are all unacceptable. If you see or hear anyone making these noises please contact a steward or report it to Chelsea on 020 7915 1919, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or Kick It Out on 0800 169 9414. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Anybody caught chanting or making anti-semitic or racist remarks will be arrested and prosecuted by the police. Chelsea will also ban guilty offenders from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon states that the club is proud of its record in tackling racism and stamping out anti-semitism is part of that.

He said: 'The diversity at Chelsea is obvious to all. The players José Mourinho has brought together on the field of play, the fans watching them in the stadium, and the religious background of some of our directors and owner all illustrate our vision as a multi-racial club of which we are very proud.

'The match against Spurs is a great opportunity to show this. We urge all supporters to respect this and, if there is any abuse, report it. Anti-semitism is unacceptable and jeopardises what coming to Stamford Bridge should be about.'

Coming from the club whose fans will be singing the gas chamber songs and that tomorrow...

Ja, eh klar, funktioniert bei den Gooner- und Hammerdodeln ja auch so gut.

Martin Jol: The Authentic One faces reality check against Special One The Spurs manager has the ambition to dream of a Champions League place but, as he tells Jason Burt, Chelsea will test the progress of his side tomorrow

Published: 10 March 2007

There is "one thing" that Martin Jol has always pledged to be. And that is "authentic" - by which he means honest. If that doesn't happen, then "I hate myself. Whether it's Daniel Levy [the Tottenham Hotspur chairman], the President or the Queen. If there is something on my mind, I say it," Jol adds. "I am totally independent from everyone. I will still eat the same sandwich, with the same thing on it, in 40 years' time."

By way of an arresting illustration the Dutchman reveals that he almost walked out on Spurs just months after joining the club in the summer of 2004. "Is that news?" he says, recalling the episode. Indeed, Martin, that is news.

Jol was appointed "first assistant to Jacques Santini" in the new management structure devised by Levy that summer. At its pinnacle sat Frank Arnesen, the new sporting director. But, after 15 years in management, and a strong-willed man who, as he puts it, "always bites back", Jol wasn't used to not being in charge.

"I said to Frank I would have stayed until January [2005]," Jol, now 51, recalls as he sits drinking coffee at the club's training ground ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea. "The thing for me was I wanted to look at how the system worked. I was a manager myself, always. And I had to work. Frank told me I would do things on the pitch and Jacques was going to be in the office. But it was different because he was on the pitch as well."

Santini, a lugubrious figure, also brought in his own assistant, Dominique Cuperly. Suddenly Jol felt he did not have a job to do and "so after a couple of months I thought, 'Good experience, great club, but this is not for me'." But it was not for Santini, either. After 13 games he resigned. "I wasn't waiting for him to get sacked or for him to say, 'This is not what I want'. Which I think is what he did [think]. And that happened in November. I had to come and speak to the board and there were seven people there and they said, 'We want you to do it'. And I thought, 'yeah, Spurs was my club when I was younger'. So there was no way I would say, 'No, I'm not doing it'."

Jol, a forceful midfielder once acquired by West Bromwich Albion to fill Bryan Robson's boots had, indeed, been a Spurs fan. And so he became first head coach and then, in subtle shift that acknowledges his growing power base, the manager.

That change happened after Arnesen himself moved on, poached by Chelsea of course. The two friends will be in opposition today and there is deep admiration from Jol for the much-maligned Dane.

"The first time I met him was here at Spurs," he says. "Everybody thought, including my friends, that we knew each other. But I'd never met him before in my life. He was at PSV [Eindhoven]. I knew he wanted me at PSV as his manager but I'm not the sort of person to phone him and say, 'Hey, Frank, it's me'. I don't do that. So he phoned me and asked me to go to Spurs.

"If you meet Frank, you know he's a typical football man. He was a star, a great player. And I feel that really great players are always nice people. The players who are not that good are always little fishes. But Frank was a big fish. He was good to me, always motivating.

"If you've got someone who's [high] in the pecking order and plays the boss, I can't stand that. I hate authority. I can't work like that. If someone tries to tell me what to do, I won't do that. But it was easy because Frank was so likeable and so good in that way."

It is a sentiment that clearly is not shared by the Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, so could the tie also serve, as some have mischievously suggested, as an audition for Jol also to follow Arnesen to Stamford Bridge when the Portuguese leaves?

"I respect Mourinho," Jol answers. "I think he's the best. And Alex Ferguson is the best. And a few managers in the past, people like Cloughie. Nobody can touch him. There are a few legends. I will never talk about that sort of thing. He [Mourinho] has said he will be there to 2010 [when his contract expires]. This is my mission and I've got another three years here."

Mission. It is a word Jol, a hugely likeable, warm character, often uses. Indeed, as he utters it my mind reflects back on an interview he gave to The Independent in October 2005 when he talked about standing on the shores of Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, and Spurs being "my mission". That conversation is also on his mind.

"I had an interview with you a couple of years ago," he says. "And I was reading the interview. There was no bluff. I've got a vision and I know what I want and I think we are doing that." There is much to reflect on in the intervening months not least that, having been at the club for 30 months, he has already surpassed the "average of 16 to 18 months" for a manager. "So that's an achievement in itself," he laughs.

"Write this down," Jol adds when asked what he inherited at Spurs. "It was a normal, average club. I started when we were 14th, 15th [in the Premiership table]. I said I needed two weeks. I didn't say two years. I said two weeks. And then after two weeks we had a run of six, seven wins. Good games."

Jol used that springboard to reshape the squad, reduce the numbers, lower the average age, move on older players on longer contracts. To make Spurs hungrier. "For me there was only one thing," he explains. "I want my players to be as ambitious as I am. I always look at Ferguson, at Man Utd, because if you see his players, they have to win and they want to win. If you don't have that, you will be second - or 10th or 11th.

"So over the last two years we have more points, we have more talented English players than ever. Five or six English players in the national side. What did we achieve up until now? We were the best of the rest last year."

The "best of the rest" is an intriguing phrase for a Spurs manager to use as, by implication, it suggests that the "top four" - United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - are in a league of their own. Untouchable.

"I feel, and I said it a couple of years ago, that first we have to challenge consistently, to be in the top six," Jol explains, emphasising the number. "Last year I did that. Now I can tell you that it's easy to be in the top six again with this team."

But what about going that one step further? After all, Spurs were one game away from the Champions League before losing the final Premiership match of last season against West Ham United?

"I don't think it's a big distance," he says. "But in turnover, in philosophy they [the top four] will buy different players." It means, Jol says, that Spurs have to box clever. A wealthy club, the 15th richest in Europe, their income is nevertheless dwarfed by their rivals. He would love, for example, to buy an Arjen Robben or Ryan Giggs "who's 20 years old so you can mould them". They would also be a lot cheaper than the finished article. "We [go] for Tom Huddlestone," Jol explains. "It's good business. Aaron Lennon - the best business ever, in this country, over the last 30 years. Michael Dawson. Excellent business. But sometimes you have to wait. Lennon is still 19, Huddlestone was 20 on 28 December. Dawson is 21 or 22. And the Spurs fans can't wait. So that's a problem. But they still trust me - that's 90 per cent of them. But there are still maybe 10 per cent who want instant success.

"That's the discussion we had. How do you break into the top four? I say by identifying players, hopefully, without being arrogant, by saying maybe because of our vision too. Arsène Wenger is a great manager with a vision, too. So it's not easy. People say we played the Arsenal kids but over the last five games against them we've drawn four and one defeat [over 90 minutes]. We're not far off. But even that is black and white. In the last game we lost in extra time. Lennon wasn't there, [Ledley] King, [Jermaine] Jenas."

That last game was the second leg of the League Cup semi-final. Afterwards Jol faced the fiercest criticism he has endured since his appointment.

"In Holland we call it scoreboard journalism," he says. "For example, you look at the scoreboard, compete for 80 minutes at 1-0 down, you create five chances and then there are two breaks and they beat you 3-0. Bloody hell, they say, 3-0. That's scoreboard journalism."

Jol scoffs at the suggestion that Spurs have suffered "setbacks" and haven't kicked on since the last campaign although injuries - especially the loss of King for "30 of the last 40 games", an absence he equates to Chelsea being without John Terry - have hurt. "I think we've been unfortunate," he says.

"We've had 14 games in the cups and not lost any of them in 90 minutes. If we were a normal club, an average club, everybody would say, 'They're a bit inconsistent but they did great in the cups'. We've been in four quarter-finals in two years. But we're Spurs and it's not good enough. I appreciate that."

There was also the loss of Michael Carrick to United. The midfielder was sold for £18m - a profit of almost £16m in two years. Startling business but, for Jol, it created a huge hole in his team, a team he had build around the player.

"And sometimes I might like to say, 'If Carrick was here...'," he says. "But I don't do that because Carrick came to my office and said, 'I love this club because you gave me the opportunity. But now I can go to Manchester United. I would like to go. We offered him an extended contract and he didn't want it. Daniel [Levy] couldn't do anything else so I said, 'Do it' [sell him] because for that sort of money we could make steps. Daniel is investing money. Like I say we don't want to spend £20m on a finished article.

"Sometimes I have arguments because I'm a football man. But Daniel is maybe the best chairman in England. He never moans, even if we make a mistake. Everybody tells me all the time we have invested £60m or £70m but if those players go out, it will be for more money. If we sell Carrick for a fortune, we have a lot of money to spend."

The desire to fight on all fronts - League, League Cup, Uefa Cup and FA Cup - has stretched resources. "But that is the road you have to go," Jol says. "And if I had all my players on board, I am sure we would do the business. And in the League as well." But he also knows that, starved of success, Spurs' fans crave a trophy and a cup competition is the most realistic prospect of delivering one.

"For me, as a manager, it would be important to win the title not the FA Cup," Jol says. "But it's impossible at Spurs. So maybe in five or six years I will have to go to Ajax or PSV [Eindhoven] to win the title because that is the only domestic thing I have not won. I have won everything else in Holland." He has three years left on his contract at White Hart Lane and wants to see that out. "When I was 20, 21 I went to Germany [to play for Bayern Munich] and said, 'This is my job. I have to do this'. Every week I drove home - 10, 12 hours.

"Then I went to the east of Holland, then I went to [live in] Walsall. Three years. Raining. Then I thought, 'OK, I have a job to do'. But this is the first time I've not thought that. This is the best city in the world."

But what if he did leave? "I'm 100 per cent certain that if I left the club, people will say in five years' time, 'He did well, he did well'. I feel that with the things we had, with the tools we had, we could have done a bit better in the League. But I still feel, at the end of the day, next year, if I don't have a cup that I will not be 100 per cent satisfied."

That challenge continues tomorrow at Stamford Bridge. "Chelsea, at home, on their day, is probably the most difficult draw you could imagine," Jol admits. "To be honest, you can't say that in England. But when we were looking at the draw we were not pleased, I can tell you. Nobody was. It was quiet. We waited for the draw and there was not even a sound. We would have played against other teams at home, even Chelsea at our home. And you guys are all saying, 'Spurs have to win the FA Cup this year otherwise they don't do well'."

But, crucially, Jol also believes there are strong grounds for optimism - not least following the League victory over Chelsea last autumn which marked his second anniversary at Spurs. Then, last season, there was the narrow defeat at the Bridge through William Gallas' goal, "a goal he'll never score again in his life", Jol says ruefully.

The season before Spurs, famously, "parked the bus", according to Mourinho, in front of their goal. "That was a good day," Jol chuckles. "So I don't reckon that they [Chelsea] will think that we are the best team to play either." And it will also give him another opportunity to pit himself against Mourinho, a contest that could well be billed as The Authentic One against the Special One.

"There is a phrase in Holland," Jol declares, "that when I start biting, everybody bites with me. That is what Mourinho's got. And that is what people in Holland say about me."

Jol the player, by Cyril Regis

I remember him being highly skilled and great technically. Those were his obvious qualities, and you can see from the team he has created at Tottenham that he values technique highly. He came in 1982, at the same time as Romeo Zondervan, and started off at right-back but ended up playing in midfield because Bryan Robson had left for Manchester United.

Martin was the first continental I played with at West Brom. He was a tackler, he wasn't afraid to put his foot in, he got a few yellow cards so you could see he was aggressive, but you could also see from what he could do in training that he was very skilful and he showed that in the games.

I think coming to England opened his eyes a bit because back in the early Eighties it wasn't as professional as it was in Holland or like it is today, in terms of the boys having a few drinks, the alcohol consumption.

Martin wasn't a drinker, not like that, but he did socialise. He came from a different upbringing and lifestyle and he was definitely more professional than us

besonders das hier:

We've had 14 games in the cups and not lost any of them in 90 minutes. If we were a normal club, an average club, everybody would say, 'They're a bit inconsistent but they did great in the cups'. We've been in four quarter-finals in two years. But we're Spurs and it's not good enough. I appreciate that.

Noch ein Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_02dyShLtqU

Besonders der Schluß mit Salty - perfekte Musikwahl!

bearbeitet 11. März 2007 von CarolusMagnus

[CarolusMagnus]

Tottenham

* 12 Cerny

* 07 Stalteri

* 20 Dawson

* 33 Rocha

* 03 Lee

* 14 Ghaly

* 06 Tainio

* 04 Zokora

* 25 Lennon

* 09 Berbatov

* 18 Defoe

Substitutes

* 40 Burch,

* 30 Gardner,

* 11 Mido,

* 15 Malbranque,

* 22 Huddlestone

Wie befürchtet...

[CarolusMagnus]

Aaah, der Teufel mit dem Engelsgesicht. Sehr sexy.

[CarolusMagnus]

Ausgleich und mittlerweile das 2-1 für die Lilywhites durch Essien.

Interesting that Chelsea play their first team at home and we play a semi first team away to Chelsea.

Have we become that precious?

Salty!

AHAHAHAHA Ghaly!

HE"S CRAP BUT WE LOVE HIM!

bearbeitet 11. März 2007 von CarolusMagnus

[CarolusMagnus]

Das Spiel ist noch lange nicht gegessen. Chelsea ist noch immer klarer Favorit. Frühestens wenn es in der 70. Minute auch noch 3-1 steht, werd ich anfangen zu träumen.

Chelsea wird zu Beginn der 2. Halbzeit soviel Druck machen, wie sie nur können. Da heißts nicht nachlassen, dagegenhalten und beten.

[Cormega]

Klasse Kopfballtechnick vom Judas