Thoughts On A Week Of Tottenham Related Events

A week of Tottenham related events to consider.

Alan’s Summer Diary 3

Kyle Naughton [Photo: Jav The_DoC_66]28 May – Sebastian Bassong and Kyle Naughton featured in the national newspapers posing with guns. Referred to as an ex Spurs player, Bassong said he was just playing shooting games with his daughter in the garden. According to a Tottenham spokesman, reported by the Daily Mail, Naughton was participating in an organised holiday activity in a regulated environment in America. Fine but don’t post pictures like that on social media for the world to see. It’s thoughtless at best and drags the club’s name through the mud. Not the example to set disaffected youngsters, especially in the light of the violence we have seen on the streets recently. This is just the sort of thing I have been saying needs to be made a disciplinary offence under club rules and any contracts we are offering.

Having seen AS Roma in the Italian Cup Final the other night, my wife said I should get one of their shirts. I can’t understand why. I think it might be something to do with their sponsors and my personal habits…

Wed 29 May – The transfer rumour mill is in full swing. The Sun says Spurs are trying to get David Villa from Barcelona and Leandro Damiao from Internacional for £30 million the pair.

Sun 2 June – Apparently, the Sunday Times say that Madrid are about to offer £85 million for Gareth Bale. It is their new president’s way of showing they can outdo Barcelona’s signing of Neimar.  £85 million is a sum even I would consider, if Bale as his agent has said, is really open to listen to offers. I would so like us to build a cup winning team around him. However, if he truly wants to go, that would pay about a third to a half of the cost our new stadium. If Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy do consider such an offer, they need to insist on full payment, up front, tax paid.  No bits and pieces instalments deals thank you very much. As Freddy Mercury said, “I want it all, I want it all and I want it NOW!” Not with only days of the window to go.

I see Falcao has gone to Monaco. Another player putting money before football….

Sun 2 June – After last week’s tired looking performance against Ireland, England are overwhelmed by Brazil in the first half of the friendly held to celebrate the opening of the refurbished Maracana stadium. Joe Hart plays a blinder and restricts Brazil to a 1-0 lead into the second half. Hodgson brings on Oxlade-Chamberlain for Glen Johnson. He plays without fear and galvanises the team, standing the match on its head. In one of those fantastic twists of fate that football throws up, he scores with a lovely volley from outside the area in the corresponding match to the friendly his Dad played in, in 1984.  Wayne Rooney scores a beauty (slight deflection) from outside the area 6 or so minutes later. England are well worth the 2-2 draw that is the final result.

Clint Dempsey inspirational as Jurgen Klinsmann-managed USA shock everyone by hanging on to beat Germany 4-3 in their friendly. Yes!

Mon 3 June – Chelsea finally officially announce Mourinho’s return. I feel a managerial merry-go-round blog coming on.

Meanwhile it’s like my birthday today all over again. Last week I received a reminder to spend my Club Cash points as the scheme was ending.  I had built up quite a lot over the years, and was able to place an order for a several polo shirts, a 1982 F.A Cup Winners T- Shirt (as regular readers will know, I was there!), a 2012/13 season review DVD and a bench of Spurs garden gnomes (well if they were allowed at Chelsea flower show this year to celebrate their 150th anniversary–why not?). Parcel Force delivered it all today in a large cardboard box. What a treat! All free, even got a couple of T-shirts for the wife.