Gareth Bale Strike Vs. Stoke

Dazzling shot from the left foot of Bale on Saturday. Loverly...........

Spurs 2 Arsenal 0:Thank You Danny Rose

helluva debut goal Danny......couldn't have come at a better time against a better opponent.......gooner cat can't believe it either :D

Man U 5 Spurs 2: Second Half Poleaxe To The Solar Plexus

A tale of two completely different halves for both sets of teams and supporters as Spurs let a good effort in the first half go to waste under a savage second half assault from the challenged leaders of the EPL.


Spurs had some good movement around the pitch offensively in the first half, and goalie Heurelho Gomes made some excellent saves to pace a defense that kept the Red Devils scoreless. Two goals around the half hour mark for Spurs were a just reward for the efforts, the first was from Darren Bent, who had earlier slightly misfired on a shot from the left, and the second was from Luka Modrić; the feeling of having a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford was a spectacular feeling for all Spurs fans.


MODRIĆ'S GOAL





Unfortunately, a dodgy penalty call on Gomes led to a second half avalanche of Man U goals, 5 of them in 22 minutes, as the home side responded to their predicament with fury.


For this Spurs fan, the first half was a continued sign of progress the team has generally made under Harry Redknap, and while the half-time result may have been a dream to even the most optimistic fans, there was still a feeling base upon that showing that a fair result would at least have garnered one point.


The speed of Spurs demise after the penalty kick was astonishing, with the team reeling in their defensive end of the pitch, with no organization to get the ball moving toward the other goal. Defensive lapses and a poorer show of form from Gomes sealed the deal in those critical minutes, leaving the team still seeking its first win at Old Trafford in league competition since 1989.



The gory details about the match from the GUARDIAN

Luka Modrić's Goal Vs. Chelsea: Spurs 1 Chelsea 0

Watching Aaron Lennon on the right side mesmerizing part of the Chelsea defense left a wide swath of midfield open, more than enough space for a cross to a wide open Luka Modrić to quickly blast a shot by Petr Cech. It could have been 2-0 to Spurs a couple of minutes later on a similar play, but Modrić drilled that one straight into the turf. Still that goal was enough to give the home side a well-deserved win at White Hart Lane today in an exciting match for Spurs fans.



Heurelho Gomes played a critical part in the win, with some vital saves throughout the game, though the one-handed swat of a John Terry shot late in the game will be the one fans recall. Luck was also on Spurs side as Alex had a wide-open shot hit the top of the woodwork moments later. After all of the crap Spurs have been through this year, it felt great to have the three points as a reward for a job done, for Spurs were the dominant side for the majority of game, and it took the last 15 minutes or so for the Blues to get untracked.



Undefeated against Chelsea for the season, gonna have to do some research to find out the last time that happened. COYS!!!!



GUARDIAN REPORT , SPURS REPORT

Aston Villa 1 Spurs 2: Good News, Bad News

Good news is that Spurs garnered a well-deserved victory over Aston Villa in a place where Spurs have failed miserably in recent years, it was the first Spurs win in Villa Park since 2003. The bad news is that with the loss Villa continued their recent poor form and have slid to fifth in the EPL, allowing a resurgent Arsenal to gain the coveted fourth spot. Still, there's lots of football left to be played, so let's see if Martin O'Neill can find a way out of this rough spot.



On to the game itself, Spurs found themselves up a goal rather quickly as an Aaron Lennon cross into the box, but unfortunately goalie Brad Freidel didn't punch the ball out far enough, allowing an alert Jermaine Jenas to head the ball into the net in the fifth minute.



Villa regained their composure fairly quickly, and they had a lot of decent movement, getting a few good shots on goal, but for those were quickly neutralized by some good defense, some good goalkeeping, and the woodwork on one shot. However, Villa's Ashley Young was turning Didier Zokora around on the left side, leading Spurs coach to replace him in the 35th minute with Vedran Corluka, who did a better job keeping him in check.


Spurs put the game out of reach, for all effective purpose, early on in the second half when a Robbie Keane ball headed for the goal from the right side was tapped in by Darren Bent. It looked to me that the ball might have gone in anyway, but Bent did not do any harm by making sure of that fact.


That goal kind of shocked both the Villa team and fans, and for most of the rest of the second half, Spurs were the more confident side. However, the home side finally had something to cheer about in the 85th minute when John Carew out-leaped Jonathan Woodgate for a fine goal off of a long cross from near the right sideline. That galvanzing moment was not further capitalized upon though, and in the end once again, Spurs were clearly deserving of all three points.



Chelsea at White Hart Lane is up next, also on television, things are certainly looking up for Spurs at the moment as they move up the table and away from the relegation zone.



SOCCERNET , GUARDIAN REPORT

Man U. 0 Spurs 0 : (4-1 Pens)

Pretty good match for the "worthless" Cup today, both sides not at full strength but both of them giving their all for another piece of silverware. The feed I watched was pretty good, it only gave out at the very end when the Reds had converted three penalty kicks to just one for Spurs.


Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric were men of the match for Spurs, whilst goalie Ben Foster, who made a couple of excellent reflexive saves, was Man Of The Match for the Reds. John O'Shea was lucky not to have been given a second yellow card midway through the second half, but Spurs also got the benefit of a non-call on Ledley King's tough challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo just inside the box a couple of minutes later, much to his displeasure, and for which he was given a yellow card. I got a laugh from one of the announcer saying "that for once, Ronaldo is right" in the context for his propensity of diving.


With Spurs misfiring on their shots on goal, the thought came to my mind of the last time Spurs faced Foster, when the goalie was playing for Watford. Of course, that was when goalie Robinson launched a free kick that bounced over the heads of a couple of Watford defenders and then over the head of Foster into the back of the net.



GUARDIAN, SOCCERNET

Man United 2 Spurs 1: Two Minutes Of Madness Sink Spurs

JUDAS,JUDAS, JUDAS












An entertaining match from the fourth round of the FA Cup saw the home side overcome an early deficit with two quick goals toward the end of the first half that saw them defeat Spurs today.


Roman Pavlyuchenko deftly headed home a neat pass from Tom Huddlestone in the fifth minute to give Spurs the lead, much to the shock of the crowd at Old Trafford, and it took a bit of time for the Red Devils to get their offensive game on track. (Both teams, plagued by injuries, fielded teams that featured a number of reserve players).


That attack started around the 18th minute, with a couple of shots from Carlos Tevez testing reserve Spurs goalie Ben Alwick. The first barely hit the fingertips of the goalie before tipping over the goal bar, the second one, in the 22nd minute, produced an excellent save that had all Spurs fan breathing deep sighs of relief.


The news for Spurs went bad in the 35th minute when a couple of ex-Spurs combined on two different plays for the difference in the match, with Michael Carrick the central figure in both of them. While the Spurs were doing a fine job defending Man United early on, Carrick delivered a pass that Paul Scholes drilled toward the goal from outside the box which glanced off of Huddlestone into the net, with Alwick having no chance to stop the blast.


Mere seconds later, Carrick linked up with Dimitar "Judas 2" Berbatov on a long pass, with the Bulgarian quickly leaving the Spurs defense in an awkward position with some fancy footwork, leaving him with an inviting look at goal that he confidently cashed in, much to the displeasure of Spurs fans everywhere.


In the GUARDIAN MATCH REPORT , Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted as saying the reception given to Berbatov from Spurs fans was "a social disease...we must be the only club to actually welcome back our former players". SAF, I can safely say that it's how players leave one club to another that is the basis for the nature of that reception, and given how nasty (and lengthy) the departure of Berbatov from Spurs was, I find it hard to believe that SAF would have an issue with that.



At any rate, that's it for Spurs in the FA Cup this year, up next is a crucial EPL fixture with Stoke that is crucial for the two teams, both of them hovering dangerously near the relegation zone. Come on you Spurs!!!



ESPN SOCCERNET

Spurs 1 Portsmouth 1: Defoe To The Rescue

It was a perfect time for Jermaine Defoe to score his first goal since his return to Spurs by knocking in the leveler at the 70th minute mark to give Spurs a vital point and lift them off of the foot of the EPL table. What made the shot even better was that is was perfectly driven between the legs of former Spurs defender Sol 'Judas' Campbell.


Portsmouth had grabbed the lead 10 minutes earlier on a great strike from David Nugent, but there was certainly a sense from the team and the home crowd at White Hart Lane that the match was far from settled. The game up to that point had been a lively affair, with Spurs having the greater number of chances. However, perfect Portsmouth defending and some excellent saves from goalie David James ensured that Spurs would be held scoreless for the majority of the affair.


The bad news for Spurs would be on the injury front, the tally on that from coach Harry Redknapp is at the bottom of the match report from Spurs HERE, most troubling is that captain Ledley King has a hamstring injury requiring his absence for an extended period.






SOCCERNET REPORT

Wigan 1 Spurs 0: Unremittingly Stupid Loss

(title chosen because I rarely get to use 'unremittingly' and 'stupid' in the same sentence).


What else is new? Spurs allow an injury-time goal to Wigan ( a decent side this season ) off of a corner kick to allow the home-side a 1-0 victory at the JJB earlier today. I hate reading the match reports that say the late goal allowed that team to earn a well-deserved victory........but why put lipstick on a pig, unless you're into that sort of thing (NTTAWWT!). The depressing story of the result is HERE , leaving Spurs in the relegation zone once again. Nothing personal against Wigan or their coach Steve Bruce, both of whom I've felt a sense of liking to in the past few years, it's just that I expected a bit more from a Spurs side desperately trying to reassert its identity after a truly dismal start to the season. Pass the alcohol......please!

WBA 2 Spurs 0 & Clint Dempsey's Bookend Goals Deny Chelski Three Points

A miserable day in the West Midlands for Spurs, falling to bottom dwellers West Bromwich Albion on two late goals in the last ten minutes. Spurs played most of the match with 10 men, after Benoit Assou-Ekotto was sent off in the 35th minute for a rash challenge. This match was on FSC on replay, but after following it via gametracker, there was really no reason to watch it at all.



Much better was the result Fulham got from playing Chelsea at Craven Cottage, two goals from Clint Dempsey were on either side of two goals from Frank Lampard as the Cottagers proved their resilience at home yet again this season, where they've lost just one match so far.



Dempsey's first goal came in the tenth minute off of a free kick, a ball that he chested neatly and delivered into the back of the net with his right foot at point blank range in front of the goal. He celebrated that goal by ENJOYING A COLD ONE FOR HIS WORK right in front of the Chelsea fans, and there were a number of them who were less than pleased with this action. His second goal came off of a corner kick in the dying moments of regulation, a perfect header toward the undefended left corner post that momentarily paralyzed the Chelsea defenders in the net.








DEMPSEY'S FIRST GOAL



DEMPSEY'S SECOND GOAL


FULHAM/CHELSEA MATCH REPORT



FULHAM/CHELSEA VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS


BAGGIES/SPURS MATCH REPORT

Spurs 0 Man United 0: Gomes The Hero

Not a bad result at all, but ideally this would have been a 1-0 match won by Spurs, the winning score being an own goal from Dimitar Berbatov just so that he could be serenaded one more time in song from the White Hart Lane faithful.


Things didn't look promising for the home side, with captain and defender Ledley King missing the match, and with Jonathan Woodgate being forced out with an injury just 10 minutes in, to be replaced by Tom Huddlestone. With those big departures in the Spurs defense combined with the erratic play from goalie Heurelho Gomes, fans were rightly nervous about how the defense would hold up against Carlos Tevez and Berbatov (Wayne Rooney sat this one out).


Man United certainly were the more determined team, holding on to the ball for long stretches of the game and garnering a large number of corner kicks, but the combination of the make-shift Spurs defense and some inspired play by Gomes kept the visitors off of the scoreboard.


Spurs did not just bunker down and forget about the offensive end of play in an effort to salvage a point, there were a number of fine opportunities throughout the game that kept the Red Devils honest, and goalie Edwin van der Sar had his chances to shine in goal as well.



Play of the game had to be Gomes swatting away a free-kick from Ryan Giggs at the very end of regulation time, a curling shot that looked to be a certain goal. For Gomes, there were fewer punched balls (the best being one that denied Berbatov a goal in the first half, a low cross in the box was deftly knocked away before the sliding Bulgarian could get his foot on the ball) and some clean catches of missed shots. Gomes failed once in awhile getting the ball to his side cleanly, but at least the Man United offense had to start up near midfield rather than in front of the goal on those occasions.



Berbatov was booed relentlessly on his every touch of the ball and at several times found himself missing clear shots on goal by a matter of inches, to the delight of the home crowd.



Once again, a fair enough result for a highly entertaining match that never lacked from excitement, any point these days, especially against one of the big four is certainly welcome. Come on you Spurs!



BBC, GUARDIAN , SOCCERNET

Man City 1 Spurs 2: Resurgence Continues

Quite a nice come-from-behind victory for Harry Redknapp and Spurs today as they overcome an early goal from Robinho goal to claim the three points behind two Darren Bent goals at the City of Manchester Stadium.



Followed this one by gametracker early on, knowing that there'd be a replay on FSC at 1:30 p.m., but the recent Spurs renaissance had me glued to the computer early this morning (okay, I would've been doing that even if they hadn't been taking points lately!).


This really was a bit of an oddity of a game, given that there were three red cards handed out and that there wasn't any nasty stuff going on between the two sides from what I could see, it's just that the precedent of what was going to be allowed was set early on and after that there could be no deviation.


Robinho got his goal in the 16th minute on a rebound shot, but City's Gelson Fernandes received two yellows in the first 26 minutes, leaving the home side with 10 men for the balance of the match.........until much later. Spurs leveled just a couple of minutes later when Richard Dunne made an error on a clearance, allowing Bent enough space and time to race forward to drive the ball past a jumble of City defenders and goalie Joe Hart.


Bent got his second goal and gave Spurs a deserved lead in the 64th minute, but City managed a couple of attempts on goal that Heurelho Gomes did well to deflect, particularly shots from Stephen Ireland and Robinho that were impressive in their own right. I must say that the uneasiness I'd felt earlier this season watching Gomes wasn't to be found today.


Dunne got sent off in the 83rd minute for a tackle on David Bentley, leaving City with just nine, but Spurs didn't capitalize on that advantage, and just a few minutes later, the game was reduced to 10 on 9 when Benoit Assou-Ekotto for Spurs was given the red card for a hard tackle on Pablo Zabaleta.


At the end of the day, Spurs were certainly deserving of all three points, Luka Modric in particular being active on the front end of things early on in establishing offensive movement.


Up next Saturday is a visit to Craven Cottage and Fulham, who were victors over a hapless Newcastle side as well today 2-1; it should be a good battle between two London clubs that deserve to stay in the EPL. Come on you Spurs!!!






BBC , GUARDIAN

Spurs 2 Liverpool 1: Stand By Your Jamie Carragher

So what if the final score doesn't tell the tale of the game? The only thing that matters is the final score, and on a soaking wet night in north London, Spurs had two go into the net for them, whilst the visiting scousers were limited to just one. Even though Spurs were outplayed for large stretches of the match, they got their goals when they needed them most against the league leaders.


Liverpool got on the board early, and fairly easily, in just the third minute as Dirk Kuyt slipped in a close shot amidst a loose Spurs defense and just like that, all of the momentum that had been created in the past week with the win versus Bolton and the dramatic tie against the Arse had been subdued.



It's no secret that Spurs hardly ever challenged to score in the first half, but more than held their own on the defensive end, sometimes by good fortune, to keep the score at 0-1.



Things improved in the second half in terms of offensive movement for Spurs in the second half, but it took an own goal from Liverpool's Jamie Carragher (his third that he's scored for Spurs) to get Spurs level at the 70 minute mark. From that point on, belief that the three points were there for the taking grew amongst Spurs fans and players, and Spurs certainly were the more aggressive team over the last quarter of the match.


It took a shot from Roman Pavlyuchenko on a cross from Darren Bent at the beginning of extra time to give Spurs the lead, causing much enthusiasm amongst the faithful crowd who had endured a long wet night in London, whilst Liverpool certainly looked a bit shellshocked from that point on. After a bit more than four minutes, the final whistle sounded and the Spurs fans rejoiced about their new found luck that has coincided with the appointment of Harry Redknapp, seeing that Spurs have grabbed seven out of a possible nine points to lift themselves off the bottom of the table.



Always pleased to use the "pic" of "scousers" above, twas a great win today. Come on you Spurs!



BBC , GUARDIAN

The Joys Of Fandom: The Arse Vs. Spurs

Got to love the enthusiasm that these two chaps exhibit as the commentators for Fanzone for their respective teams in Wednesday's north London derby between the gooners and Spurs. Here are the video highlights of the two watching the action. Yelps of joy, screams of gibberish, badge kissing.....and topless nudity...it's all there. Well done Spurs man, way to actually get on those arse girls! :laugh:





YOU BEAUTY!

Arsenal 4 Spurs 4 :Shut Up Cesc

Given the nature of a possibly drunken Cesc Fabregas quote in which he replied that current EPL strugglers Tottenham might be lucky to earn a point off the Arsenal ladies team, it was very nice to see the good guys rally to produce two goals in the last four minutes to earn a vital 4-4 draw at the Emirates, shocking gooners the world over.

The quote from Fabregas: "They would do really well. I`m sure they would get a point!" Looks like they did Cesc, I suppose you'll be donning a skirt for the rematch later this season at White Hart Lane, in hopes of getting another point, eh?



Ex-gooner David Bentley (pictured above in post match glory) scored a lovely goal to open proceedings, lofting a ball from 35 yards over the stretched arms of Manuel Almunia, who wound up letting the ball into the net after attempting to knock it over the top (doubtless Jens Lehman would've made the play!)


The play after that for the most past favoured the home side, and ended in a 1-1 draw at the close of the half. Arsenal put two past the always creaky Spurs defense in the beginning stages of the second half, Darren Bent managed to get one in in the 67th minute, but Robert Van Persie immediately replied to give Arsenal the 4-2 lead with just over a half hour left.


Jermaine Jenas pulled one back for Spurs in the 89th minute, and Aaron Lennon knocked in a rebound from fellow Spur Luka Modric in the dying moments of extra time to give Spurs the much needed point. Arsenal may have played better overall for longer stretches of the game, but not when it mattered most, and Spurs made them pay for it, although once again Arsene Wenger continued to bemoan the "inexperienced" nature of his side when it comes to the heat of contested matches. Umm, okay, AW, whatever you say.

With such a rally, Harry Redknapp has certainly demonstrated a new belief in the players for Spurs: play hard and just see what happens. Much as I liked Juande Ramos, I don't thin this comeback would've been possible under him. At any rate, Liverpool visits White Hart Lane this Saturday (thankfully I'll be able to watch this one live), so we'll continue to see what the resurgence under Harry truly means. Come On You Spurs!!!!





CESC: HEY LADIES




BBC , SOCCERNET , GUARDIAN.

Spurs 2 Bolton 0: Spurs Win As Ramos Is Sacked

Plenty of time for fans to sort out who is more to blame for the woeful start Spurs have gone through, with Chairman Daniel Levy and Director of Football Damien Comolli getting a lot of heat for questionable transfer practices, and for coach Juande Ramos, whose playing formations and game substitutions brought puzzlement to many Spurs fans.
The news broke just after midnight on Saturday that Comolli, Ramos along with assistant coaches Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez were relieved of their positions by Levy just hours before Sunday's home match against Bolton. Even more stunning was the announcement that Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp was to be appointed as the new manager, a real whirlwind of news that contrasted starkly to insignificant things such as replacement strikers for the departed likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.


Harry made it to North London in time for the game, though he did not select the starting lineup, development coach Clive Allen took responsibility for that matter. The game was a vital one that Spurs needed maximum points from, with looming matches at Arsenal and home to Liverpool this coming week providing stern tests as to the true impact of Redknapp on the underachieving side.


I only caught bits and pieces of the match online, but what I saw looked pretty good on the offensive side of things, in combination with the 'hold your breath' antics of the defensive backline and goalie Heurelho Gomes that usually raise one's blood pressure.



Roman Pavlyuchenko scored his first EPL goal in the 17th minute on a lovely cross from David Bentley to give Spurs their first lead of the season. Darren Bent scored the other on a second half penalty kick to seal the win, the first of the season for the team.

As noted above, we'll see how the team reacts to the upcoming difficult matches this week, but for the next couple of days, the arrival of Redknapp has certainly given Spurs and their fans some breathing room. Come On You Spurs!



BBC , SOCCERNET , GUARDIAN REPORT ON RAMOS & REDKNAPP

Stoke City 2 Spurs 1: Screaming Awful Bloody Mess

All four of the adjectives above were useful in describing parts of what happened at the Britannia Stadium Sunday, a match in which Spurs continued to founder at inopportune times.


After an opening period of 15 minutes where the two teams sorted themselves out, Spurs found themselves in hot water when Gareth Bale drew a straight red card for cutting down Tom Soares in the penalty area, and Danny Higginbotham knocked in the penalty shot to give the home side a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Spur goalie Gomes did correctly guess the position of the shot, but failed to slow down the ball as it entered to his left by the post. Of course, the red card on Bale meant an immediate ejection, so Spurs were left to play 10 men for the rest of the match.


Things for Spurs turned around soon after, typified by their good fortune by being a tad bit offside, but not being penalized, as Darren Bent leveled the score just a few minutes later. For the rest of the half, Spurs were indeed the better team on the pitch, moving the ball around nicely and getting a couple of decent shots on goal, all of them being from a distance however, giving their keeper Thomas Sorensen good looks at the shots.


Rory Delap knocked in a beautiful (and well-defended) cross from the right to give Stoke the lead again, and it was at this point that the home side played as if they knew had the man advantage on the pitch. Spurs efforts to score in the second half were similar to the ones in the first half, with nothing particularly close near the goal.

Micheal Dawson made a bookend for Spurs in the red card department by receiving one for a studs-up tackle on the shin of Mamady Sidibe in extra time, and with Spurs having trouble scoring goals with 11 men most of the season, the task of getting one in the final 4 minutes or so was daunting indeed.


As for the adjectives, screaming could have been used for the grimace on Gomes near the end of the first half after a collision on a Stoke corner, but I couldn't quite tell what might have happened to produce such a reaction; after a visit from the physio, he remained in the game and finished strong.


Awful is the word to describe what happened to Spurs defender Vedran Corluka midway through the second half in a collison with Gomes, taking a knee to the head and knocking the defender to the ground, where he remained motionless for several minutes. Corluka was given an oxygen mask and carted off the field, but apparently not immediately taken to the hospital, as the commentator noted that his condition was not of a very serious nature.


Bloody is the fate of Sorenson, the Stoke goalie, after an accidental collision with Alan Hutton left him with his fluid streaming down his face, the injury time for both players were the reasons that there were 11 minutes of extra time, a figure not often seen.


The mess Spurs now find themselves in is dead bottom of the table, with just two points from their first eight games, with fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United coming up in the very near future. How much further Spurs can sink remains to be seen, but for now, the view isn't a very good one.



BBC REPORT , GUARDIAN REPORT

Portsmouth 2 Spurs 0: Another Mishap From The Mish-Mash Team

You Don't Know What You're Doing!. That's what Spurs coach Juande Ramos heard today as Spurs put on another lackluster performance. Since having won the Carling Cup last year, Spurs have compiled a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, and 7 ties, with a current winless streak of 7 games dating back to the last match of last season.



Jermaine Defoe scored on a penalty in the first half, and Peter Crouch quickly knocked back a missed shot that rebounded into the area in front of the goal before any Spur could react. Give Defoe credit, he said he didn't celebrate his goal because he still appreciated the Spurs fans whilst he toiled at White Hart Lane.



Next up is the away leg of the UEFA Cup, Thursday at Wisla Krakow, Spurs having won the first match 2-1 earlier this month. After that, on Sunday, Hull will pay visit to White Hart Lane, fresh off of their shock dispatch of Arsenal, 1-2 at the Emirates. Pass the bottle quickly please if Spurs lose these two critical games.




BBC


SOCCERNET

Spurs 0 Wigan 0

More silly knees-bent running about that amounts to nothing particularly inspiring or organized; the replay on FSC this afternoon was just the tonic to aid me at nap time........I'm sorry to say.





SOCCERNET REPORT



'FORGETTABLE' BBC REPORT

Spurs 1 Aston Villa 2: Pressure Drop

Did not watch this one, as I had to work, but Spurs continue their early season blunder run with a woeful home performance to leave them bottom of the league with just one point in four games, and also the only team who has failed to have won a match this season.


Spurs fell behind just five minutes into the game, and on a second Villa goal just after the start of the second half. Darren Bent got one back in the 87th minute, but as with Alex Rodriquez, these stats come at a time in the game when it really doesn't matter anymore.



The only "bright" spots in all of the fandom reports I've read is that this is still a young team that's barely played together for a very short amount of time, and the future is still bright once all of the players chosen by coach Juande Ramos have been fully integrated in his system. It can't get any worse at this point, though, could it? Let's hope we don't find out the answer in the Championship next year. *sigh*







The harsh but fair reads are as follows: GUARDIAN ; SOCCERNET ; BBC.