on your feet lad

Today’s match report is going to be important; and on the back of some over zealous rating by myself after last week’s game; today’s will be a minute by minute match report. Aston Villa will be welcoming us to Villa Park, and on the back of our 9-1 win will be aiming to take us lot down a peg or two.

Importantly they are a team that we have struggled against away in the past and with the strength in the wide areas of their pitch could offer our tentative fullbacks plenty of food for thought today. Whilst Modric isn’t back yet many fans are slightly perturbed by the suggestion by Redknapp that he’s looking to change the setup for the away day.

Many cries of; ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!’ and ‘Keano doesn’t do anything anymore’, will be met with the likely appearances of Jenas and Keano respectively. Whilst this seems like madness on the part of the gaffer; the only way competition for places will be if we aim to keep certain important players at the club rather than replacing them every time they feel they’re not achieving much playing time, then we will definite benefit from the continuity of our success.

A win today would definitely put us in a great position to receive Manchester City in a couple of weeks time, who may offer us the most threat, (other than ourselves of course), to achieving the aim of a top four finish this season. Aston Villa would love to be the villains today in relation to our title hopes, but in my eyes if we keep our concentration up and cauterize the threat posed by Villa on the wings and up top, we should be able to enjoy continued success.

Players to look for today; Kranjcar, Defoe and Lennon who certainly impressed last week aswell as Gomes who’s consistancy at the moment is great. Roll on 3 o clock.

liquid awesome

When we went out of our way to make a move for Niko at the end of the summer window; most people saw the purchase as a shrewd move in backing up lynchpin Luka. However despite the absence of Modric, Kranjcar has found very limited time on the pitch despite being a perfect ‘fit’ for the role.

Much can be made of the suggestion that Redknapp values Robbie’s influence on the pitch so much that he overlooked Kranjcar for the time being. On his performance against Wigan, (despite the other distractions that game had to offer) you can’t help but feel that playing Robbie in his position is somewhat shortsighted when you consider that Niko can simply do it better; and with another avenue to explore in attack the confidence that is installed in the players at the moment is certainly something we should be looking to maintain.

However, this weekend could very well see the return of Modric himself which could mean one of two things; firstly that Kranjcar returns to the bench for the time being; (which I believe personally is pretty unlikely), or we’ll have to rejig the system to incorporate both talented Croatians. Whether this would mean a fluid role for both, switching from wingplay to attacking midfield, (I’m hoping in the absence of Jenas) could really be something that would excite the Spurs faithful. If this is the case; then Huddlestone also finds himself in a bit of a quandary as it’s fair to say that when looking at the team sheet, he’ll find himself hard pressed to usurp Palacios, Lennon, or Crouch/Keane for a place.

If only we were allowed 12 players! For me though, Krancjar seriously has to get more game time, as his quality is something which I always tend to find myself comparing to Berbatov, which is a joy that we’ve repressed since his acrimonious departure to Manchester.

In other assorted newsy bits. It’s all gone a bit quiet on the western front in relation to Joe Jordan’s possible move to take over as the Scotland manager. Whilst some of you might say; ‘who?’, this fiery scot is one of the member of backroom staff which for me is invaluable in our recent turn of fortunes as he seems like a seriously ‘to the point’ kind of guy. Fingers crossed he won’t be heading anywhere, but the lack of any official statement to suggest that he would shy away from a move might be an indictment of his possible plan.

The transfer wagon has also started rolling again and whilst at this stage any links without specific insider knowledge backing them up are indicative of lazy hacks with a penchant for annoying us yids, I’ll be taking a closer look at some proposed targets in the near future to give you the low down.

Here’s some light viewing to keep you occupied.

aight

All the results went our way yesterday; so one can assume using Jenas’ law that the odds are the we’ll be running into a little trouble today against Lancashire’s finest custodians of the game. (On the assumption that Blackburn have turned into something resembling a pile of detritus.)

There’s no trick to this one really; a solid performance all across the field should result in a victory that will consolidate our position in the top four; atleast for the time being. Everyone will begin to wonder who this Harry Redknapp is, where he keeps his wand and why he’s been hiding around shoddy third rate clubs up until this point.

Whilst it can be argued that we were one of those underachievers before he came over; the sheer fact that we’re a sustainable club with a few pennies in the coffers seemed to suggest that this was a match made in heaven for Redknapp, and hopefully England’s world cup fortunes prevailing, we’ll be able to keep hold of him for a good amount of time.

In relation to today’s match; Lennon could play a part, as well as Bassong. Though after Ireland’s mid week runout one would hope that sense would prevail and that Keane would maybe make the bench today allowing Kranjcar to display some of his talents from the off. Jenas and Huddlestone could possibly make some kind of contribution to the midfield too; though I imagine a tried and tested four-four-two would limit all of them starting, and as such this would be built around the style of play that we’ll be bringing to the lane today.

Wigan won’t roll over; and players like Scharner and Roddellega will be thorns in our sides today; as they often seem to have something that many of our players lack at times; which is that killer instinct and will to succeed underlying the basic tenants of their game.

A decisive victory would warm up the engine before Modric’s mooted return next week. Let’s give the pundits something to think about.

what? we are!

We’ve all had a bit of time to mull over the not so shocking defeat at the Emirates. It wasn’t so shocking really was it? For a start; on the back of quotes attributed to Robbie Keane; our squad couldn’t stand up to that of Arsenal’s. At full strength perhaps we have players who are of a similar calibre, (Defoe/Van Persie, Modric/Arshavin and Woodgate/Gallas), but with a squad that seems to change uncontrollably due to the forced hand of Redknapp. Doesn’t really help when with the players that you do have, you make the error of selecting Huddlestone in a match where anchoring the midfield isn’t really going to do a lot of good. Kranjcar may have been able to bring Jenas into the game more; as well as keep the ball and run at Song and Diaby.

The fact that Robbie came out with such things when the squad was in such a weakened state either displayed a level of confidence that would belie a fall of embarrassing proportions especially when backed up by Harry just before the match. This shows a level of tact that (of course in hindsight) has given plenty of ammunition for gooner taunts for the foreseeable future. On a par with West Ham claiming to be at our level when their deficiencies are all too apparent. Whilst we’re on our way to becoming a force in the league; announcing our claim to divinity this early is a unilateral blooper of unprecedented proportions and something that will continue to taint our image in the general public for the foreseeable future.

What’s worse is that a predescribed ‘twinge’ that we all saw Bassong (one of the more consistent performers in the squad) at the end of the game leave the pitch with, is unfortunately a hamstring tear which will leave him out of the side for at least 4-5 weeks. The heartbreak continues.

What needs to be done though; is a short sharp kick in the arse of the majority of our squad; specifically the midfield duo who seem to isolate our wingers and forwards by moving very little during the game unless they feel that everyone else is ahead of them. It’s going to take a little bit of courage and creativity for us to look really dangerous going forward, as Keane and Crouch are never going to pose a threat with 6 players in front of them to get past. Sunderland are a team which could potentially take advantage of our linear approach to football; though thankfully they’re missing a couple of players which could potentially cause us alot of problems. Darren will have a point to prove though; and we all know how good he finishes when given the oppurtunity. Buckle up everyone.

Little more time for the caption competition; on the pre NLD post. Winner will be announced after the Sunderland game.

There are days when I fancy a Tottenham season ticket and days when I don’t. Today is one of the latter. If I had a ticket I’d be able to apply to go away games in London and I would have to sit through the second embarrassing performance of the season. Not having a ticket prevents me from such risks and allows me to stop watching when the going gets really tough.

For 40 minutes today we pegged Arsenal back and despite not creating a clear cut chance we gave a pretty good account of ourselves. Half a minute later and we were 2 down having switched off momentarily and allowing the Arsenal steamroller to get into full flow. How many times do we have to do this before we learn? This is the third or fourth generation of players that have committed the same simple schoolboy errors that have allowed them to run all over us and score at will throughout the 90’s and 00’s.

Some of those earlier teams knew no better. They were poor, but this current team believes it can stand shoulder to shoulder with Arsenal and battle for bragging rights. Apparently our bench equals theirs. In terms of the material it is made out of (wood, nails etc) that might be the case but in terms of the footballers who sit on it whilst it looks reasonably attractive it has insufficient constitution to turn around a 2-0 deficit for an unlikely away win.

In my preview I asked “can we please not be an embarrassment in this game” so my simple request failed. Whilst the first goal reminded us of Stoke last week the second was just beyond belief. Our man of steel puts the ball on a plate and the prize centre back ushers him past to leave Gomes stranded without help. 11 seconds of madness. And then in the second half just to cap it off we stop playing again when the referee plays the advantage and its 3-0.

Yes I’m annoyed. With Harry for playing an unbalanced midfield and dodging the Tommy/JJ decision, with Robbie for talking out of turn before the game starts and with Wilson and Ledley for giving up the ball to allow the second goal.

In the last two games Dawson has played really well. But that counted for nothing when today’s side was picked. How long before teams come in offering regular first team football and turning heads. Can we really expect project Ledley to continue into another contract?

At 3-0 with only Pav to come on we were dead and buried and lucky not to concede further before the end. I can only commiserate with our fans who were present. It was hoped that Bentley would get the ball into the box for Crouch to nod down. We didn’t find him often enough to allow that to happen and Tommy and JJ were under pressure with the passes for most of the game.

Yes we shaded the first half in possession terms but Arsenal were organised and we did not create many, if any, clear cut chances from which to score. We missed Lennon, we missed Modric and we missed Defoe. Thankfully Gomes made some good stops and claimed the ball well at crosses. Crouchy was a nuisance up front and it could have been so good. We looked promising but once it was 2-0 it was game over.

If we want to win against the three teams we cannot, namely Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, we have to beat them and not join with them to beat ourselves. Our last away game at each of these venues has ended up badly without good reason for it to happen. We may reach top 6 but sixth might be the spot.

Harry has done a magnificent job but it is the players – not him – who are responsible when the ref blows his whistle to close down opponents, commit to tackles and attack the ball properly in the name of Tottenham Hotspur. Perhaps those who played should revisit the 5-1 Carling Cup win DVD this evening for in that match they did it and look what happened. It has to happen every game in this league to the guarantee points!

16 hours to go and the tension has already set in. It’s the same every time we play – and has been for years – “can we please not be an embarrassment in this game.” Negative, probably but after some tame performances that have handed Arsenal easy home wins against us its easy to see why I feel like this before the game.

I was lucky enough to be at the 4-4 last season – my only visit to Arsenal – and to be fair we could have lost 8-4. Great result and yes we’ll take it but it could have been oh so different. Robbie thinks are bench might be as good but our results have not been. I wish he had said this after sneaking a streaky away win tomorrow but there you have it. The facts are that no matter which side has form we must scrape a win at some point so why not tomorrow.

Frankly, we’ve too many players out injured or suspended. Defoe, Lennon, Modric and Woodgate for sure, maybe King though I think he’ll start if at all possible. The performance against Everton was strong and mostly from players trying to get a start tomorrow. Bentley, Hutton and Bale were all great and Dawson continued where he left it against Stoke.

These performances showed we were playing Arsenal on Saturday and that they wanted to play. Bentley will start – I’m not sure about the others – and he has to have a massive game if we are to win. Crouch will look to benefit from his crosses and Robbie must throw himself at the second ball and hit the target to give us any chance.

Harry’s dilemma will be central midfield and who to partner Wilson with? Jenas may well get the nod as his performances against the Arsenal have been often his very best for the club.

Right back may be a tough call with Hutton and Corluka fighting it out. Whichever plays please can we have no embarrassing plays like we did against Chelsea when Drogba added a far too easy third.

So to the moment of truth and a PREDICTION: Delighted with a draw, ecstatic with a win in truth expecting a narrow defeat. Let’s hope for at least a good performance.

Quick preview this week as I’m away all weekend so once again have to make an early-ish transfer. Not that it’s too difficult to decide who to bring in. The first double gameweek of the season sees Aston Villa and West Ham play twice (they face each other on Wednesday) meaning you should be targetting one of their players for your weekly transfer. More on that later, let’s see what happened last week.

Of our captain picks, only Anelka came through really though he only got five points. In our defence we did say Drogba and Lampard were also good choices and they scored 9 and 14 respectively. Crouch was our top transfer in and he did bugger all but Boateng and Petrov had alright scores.

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Gameweek 10 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves):

Maverick's been expecting him here.

It’s taken ages for him to get going but Frank Lampard finally came through with a big score and wins his first Top Gun of the season. His two goals, clean sheet and bonus point gave him a score of 14 points which was enough to edge out Hugo Rodallega who got 13. I was lucky enough to pick him as captain too which meant a bit of ground was gained on the leaders in my league. Lots of high Chelsea scores all round as Essien and Ballack were next with 11 points each.

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Three Captain Picks:

I know West Ham and Villa play twice but I do think it’s a risk to pick any of their players as captain. Neither team scores too many but clean sheets are at a premium too. I guess Villa have kept three this season which is pretty good and both Collins and Dunne are goal threats but I think the guys below can still outscore them in just one game. Villa are away in both games while West Ham don’t have anyone reliable beyond Cole.

1. Fabregas/Arsenal - Robbie Keane can bleat all he likes about how Spurs are the equal of Arsenal now but I’m certain the Gunners will beat Tottenham at home. At White Hart Lane, it’s usually quite close but at the Emirates it’s a different story (even last season’s 4-4 was 85 minutes Arsenal) and Arsenal should have too much for them. Spurs are still missing Modric and have been struggling without him while Wenger’s side have a 100% home record so far. I think Fabregas controls this game from midfield and maybe get himself a goal too. This usually results in bonus points too.

2. Lampard/Chelsea – Faces Bolton away and I seem to remember him scoring quite a few at the Reebok (and indeed the Bridge) in the last few years. He’s hit some form and the return of Joe Cole allows him to play a bit deeper and more effectively. Chelsea’s reserves smacked Bolton 4-0 in midweek and a similar scoreline won’t surprise me.

3. Elliott/Burnley – Burnley lost their good home record against Wigan last week but I expect them to bounce back against Hull. What better motivation than the possibility of getting Phil Brown the sack. In all seriousness though Hull have just one point away from the KC and I believe Bullard is out again. Elliott is Burnley’s top fantasy performer so if you’re feeling brave give him a shot.

Get's a Captain's tick.

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Three To Bring In:

1. Milner or Young/Aston Villa – This not only applies to this gameweek but for the next month or so too. Villa have Bolton, Burnley and Hull coming up in the next four or five games so one of these tow might be worth a speculative add to see if they can take advantage of playing against some weaker sides.

2. Stoke defenders – I imagine most of you might have Sorensen, Faye or Shawcross in your team but there’s still the option of Wilkinson or Collins if the aforementioned are too pricey. Stoke’s next three games are Wolves (H), Hull (A), Portsmouth (H). That’s at least two if not three clean sheets right there.

3. Aquilani/Liverpool – So the £20million man is finally fit. I saw him in the flesh in Wednesday’s Carling Cup match and he looked pretty tasty in the 15 minutes or so he was on the pitch. I think he could make an immediate impact, especially with Liverpool playing some organised teams in the next five. An interesting gamble at £7.4m.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three To Avoid:

1. Lucas/Liverpool - Even though he’s played the most out of all the Liverpool midfielders, I’d say his place is most under threat from Aquilani.

2. Crouch/Spurs - I retract last week’s recommendation, you can find much better options for his price range.

3. Arsenal goalkeepers – Who’s number one? Nobody knows. They don’t keep clean sheets anyway.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

'oww'

Good news/ bad news day today. Best to start off with the bad news I guess just to get it out of the way. Have a whiskey to settle your nerves.

Modric; who many were led to believe that could be running around our left-hand side once again is unfortunately feeling a bit of a twinge on his broken fibula. Whilst this is a major setback in regards to taking the gooners on in a week and a bit’s time; I certainly would rather have the wing wizard fit in the long term rather than turn into a Rosicky simply because we’re too reliant on the little guy. This of course might not be the case, and could perhaps be Harry trying to negate the pressure on his return for next week’s game. Only time will tell. The way Krancjar’s playing at the moment anyway; it’s safe to say that we won’t be deathly afraid of sending an attack up the left flank. Best wishes Luka, and get well soon buddy.

To take the edge off that; (feel free to have another snifter of your favourite single malt); the legend that is Johnathan Woodgate has played ninety minutes in the lilywhite and thusly could make a return to bolster an already top-notch back line. Another natural leader on the field as well offers not only a reinforcement for defensive set pieces; but also a role model for Charlie to sort his central game out with.

Also note that the new Football Manager comes out the day before the North London derby; I’ve played the demo for the new one and I can say that it is definitely worth the investment; especially if you’re a bit of an armchair manager like myself. Amazon do a copy here for 26 knicker with free delivery. Can’t really complain at that.

Probably the most awaited manchester derby in recent times with the Arab money pumped into the blue half of Manchester looking to match the talent in the red half. Ferguson is already talking about Mark Hughes and his team and it is not in good humour, so he better be prepared for the worse in pre and post match interviews.

It’s City isn’t it? They are a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is Manchester United; they can’t get away from it. That arrogance will be rewarded. It is a go at us, that’s the one thing it is. They think taking Carlos Tevez away from Manchester United is a triumph. It is poor stuff.

This is what he said post the Tevez poster that came up in the blue half of Manchester.

On team strength, United is definitely weaker than last year with the exit of Ronaldo and Tevez. But credit has to be given to Ferguson’s team for their fighting attitude. They might look in deep trouble, like how they were in the last match of the Premier League, but they dig themselves out of it within no time. Average players like Fletcher come out in shining colours in situations like this giving 110% on the field. The way they played with 10 men were something not many teams in the premier league can replicate, probably the only exception could be Chelsea. And this attitude is what I would wish the Gunners can learn from Utd. But to me the most important player that this United team has is Wayne Rooney. He personifies this team the best. He got one chance when the team were leading 2-1 with 10 men and he converted a very difficult chance to make it beyond the Spurs. In team news, Rio Ferdinand looks like missing the match following his groin injury in the Champion’s league tie in mid-week.

Man City on the other hand come to this match at the back of a wonderful 4-2 victory against Arsenal. But what they have to understand is the fact that the Gunners gifted them opportunities which this United team will not. And city will be without Adebayor in this match and there is only a slight possibility that Tevez will pass a late fitness test to play against his previous employers. On paper City will have a good team pitting against Unted, but on skills and temperament, it would be a completely different ball game. With only Bellamy as the fit forward available, it would be a challenge to Hughes to put up an attacking front against United.

Wright Phillips vs Evra battle

Probably the quickest of the left-backs and right-midfielders in this league this would be an interesting battle on the cards. Anderson’s presence in the team becomes vital to support Evra in not just controlling Philips but also in helping him move forward and provide support to Rooney. Phillips on the other hand will hope that De Jong will break up enough play for the creative play of Ireland to flourish on the middle of the park.

City look more creative with Stephen Ireland and Wright Phillips in the team. But it could all be neutralised by the effectiveness of players like Fletcher and Anderson.

Prediction: 1-0 to Manchester United

Other matches

Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspurs in a London Derby which is always interesting due to the sheer number of goals and attacking play. I think this time also we won’t be surprised if there are more than 3 goals in this match. Chelsea is far more superior and this is one match in which I think Spurs will miss Modric.

Prediction:Chelsea to win 3-1

An injury-hit Arsenal take on a flly-fit Wigan at home on Saturday.The good news is that Van Persie might be ruled fit for the match and the bad news is that, that is the only good news. Still many players are injured and will take couple more weeks before we see some new face in the team. Vito mannone will be under the bars and hopefully Wenger should start with Rosicky and Eduardo.

Prediction:Arsenal to win 2-0

Liverpool are away to West Ham who lost to Wigan by a solitary goal last week away from home. But at home I expect them to trouble Liverpool

Prediction: 1-1

£80million

Right so; two players left two teams from the EPL for hotter climes this season; which have neutered two sides. Xabi Alonso was the first and now Liverpool find themselves at a loss to explain what it is exactly Lucas brings to the side. With two forgettable wingers, (although I do rate Riera at times) Stevie G finds himself clipping his fangs; meandering around the centre circle for 80mins. Many Liverpool are sweating on the promise that unknown quantity Aquilani will sure things up in regards to playmaking but that remains to be seen, and with italians for the most part struggling to make their mark on the EPL the smart money is on him being absolutely pony. But we’ve already beat Liverpool.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the second top quality player that the EPL were sad to see the back of;  a man who’s smugness completely dwarfs that of Ibrahimovic; who himself didn’t have the sheer arrogance to suggest that he was worth the extortionate amount of money these players seem to go for these days. Interestingly enough this fee is secured by Real’s assumption that despite probably not qualifying for the World Cup; Ronaldo’s shirt sales will still be amongst the top earners on the globe. Firing blanks won’t get punters to part with their cash either. Whilst his true value is questionable; what Ronaldo gave Manchester United in the past couple of seasons was a goal machine; seeing as their system was built solely to accommodate Cristiano’s prowess he was able to score from all around the park; and when unable to do so would be odds on to provide an assist for his capable team mates to slot home.

Without Ronaldo; and with some signings that in comparison were never going to set the world alight Baconface has battened down the hatches and consolidated; by creating a balanced squad which now has to play unequivocally as a team rather than a buffer for a single talent.

Yes they still have Rooney; but for me the key to tomorrow’s game will be making sure that United have to play through the middle rather than down the flanks. My eyes will be on the full backs as if we can pressure United to have to play a short ball game then we can minimize the threat of Rooney through the centrebacks. What i’m really trying to say here is if we set up Wilson against Fletcher; we’re going to be moving forward all day long. My hopes are that United decide to play football; rather than Cluedo with the refs; because after a while it really starts to detract from the game.

Expect Lennon to give Evra another run around; and for Defoe to enjoy a few more opportunities at goal which he’ll be ready for after being taken out of the game against Croatia. Honestly speaking; it we give them a game; it would take a hell of a lot of luck/ bribery or individual skill for us not to expect anything from the game; even without the little Croatian wizard on the left. The English Premier League is changing; lets have a statement of intent.

Very quick one this week as I had to write this quickly yesterday before going to Bestival (the downside of this is I’ve had to make my transfer early too, which is never good).

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Gameweek 4 Top Gun (aka Tom Cruise Approves) – Ashley Cole

Maverick liked Cole's score but is disappointed he doesn't still play for Arsenal as then he really could have been Top Gun.

Yep, a defender wins it for the second time this season as Ashley Cole scored, kept a clean sheet and got two bonus points for a grand total of 14. He has been excellent so far this season and is fully justifying his high £7.5m price tag. Credit to Baines and Torres who were next with 12 points each.

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Three Captain picks:

1. Gerrard/Liverpool - Gerrard had a decent week last time with the winner against Bolton and he also scored twice against Croatia in midweek whilst playing at Wembley so he’s a) in good form and b) hasn’t had far to travel. Liverpool face Burnley at home this week. I don’t forsee a spanking but what price Burnley holding out for about 75 minutes before Gerrard hits a piledriver for a 1-0 win. I think quite high.

2. Adebayor/Man City - Arsenal travel to Eastlands this weekend and you know that after all the bullshit that Adebayor has spouted over the past few months, he’s going to score for Man City against his old team. This is not a reverse jinx. Well ok maybe.

3. Fulham or Everton defenders – As sure a bet for a 0-0 result as I can see this weekend. Fulham have no strikers but are excellent at home, while Everton are still sorting themselves out after the Lescott saga. Take a gamble on one these defenders if you have them.

Gets a captain tick.

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Three to bring in:

1. Lennon/Spurs - Players who did well in the international week is this week’s theme and Lennon had an excellent game against Croatia (as well as scoring ten points in the last gameweek). He has a very tough match against Man Utd at White Hart Lane this weekend but Spurs usually do really well against Utd for about 45 minutes and go about 2-0 up before rolling over and collapsing in the second half. Lennon could certainly cause the Man Utd defence a few problems.

2. Bendtner/Arsenal - Scored a lovely goal for Denmark v Portugal and has been making noises about trying to get 20 goals this season. That’s a big ask but he’s an important part of Arsenal’s new 4-3-3 formation so he should start producing soon.

3. Dunne/Aston Villa – Not really related to the international theme but if he is half as good as Martin Laursen was at picking up bonus points for Aston Villa clean sheets then he’ll be a bargain at £5m.

Might be worth a pick.

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Three to avoid:

1. Modric/Spurs - Out for a couple of months with a broken leg. A shame as he was playing well (though not in fantasy terms). Kranjcar is a cheaper, ready made replacement at £6.9m if you want to keep a Spurs player.

2. Valencia/Man Utd - Still early days but being hauled after 62 minutes against Arsenal is not a good sign.

3. Scotland/Wigan – I still think he’ll come good but for now he’s yet to start a game and has been losing £0.1m value a week. Grr.

Are you taking the mick?

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T.

spot the odd one out

Answer at the end of the post.

So Aaron picked up the man of the match award tonight for his explosive work down the right hand side against Croatia. Pretty refreshing to see Teddy opt to choose a player who is deserving of the mantle; after his strange choice in the friendly against Slovenia. For the most part; Len looked great down the wing today; causing Pranjic all sorts of problems on the left-hand side; aswell as drawing Simunic out of position. This along with Heskey’s hold up play allowed England to open up the Croatian defensive line-up like a tin of Whiskas at feeding time.

It’s a bit of a shame that he wasn’t as able to dictate terms in the second half; as he found the Croatian side closing him down in numbers to avert a rout. This may be down to the absence of the Sharpshooter (sic) Heskey in the second half; as in his absence Croatia found themselves able to play a much more expansive game, without being pushed into the box.

Regrettably this meant that Defoe found himself unable to force himself on the game; as despite floating around the final third of the pitch; he received very little time on the ball; and even less time with it in a dangerous position. Bit of a shame really; but this will only drive him to keep up his scoring average with us; which is never a bad thing.

On the whole; a strong victory for England; which has exorcised a few demons. Namely the headless spectre of a ginger man whom had been seen haunting the sidelines umbrella in hand. Needless to say Derek Acora is pissed off.

And the answer is Fat Frank is the only one who’s heard the jingle of an ice cream truck pull up outside the training ground. His favourite is cookie dough.

The infamous summer transfer window is now well and truly shut. UEFA have told everyone to shut up and make do until January now. But are all the Premier League clubs sufficiently stocked?

The penultimate article looks at Sunderland, Tottenham and West Ham.

Sunderland

Sunderland were looking to improve their squad in quality by using their renewed wealth after investment. With Djibril Cisse’s loan period ending, a striker to partner Kenwyne Jones was paramount, as was securing more imposing players to reinforce the spine of the team.

Darren Bent joined from Tottenham after becoming frustrated at Spurs’ inflated possession of strikers. He’s started solidly and should continue that form throughout the season. Lorik Cana arrives with a huge reputation and will form a feisty central midfield partnership with Lee Cattermole.

Most of the reinforcement was focused around the defence with Michael Turner, Paraguay international Paulo Da Silva and pacey ex-Lyon defender John Mensah all coming in.

Tottenham

Harry Redknapp had set his sights on taking advantage of his old club Portsmouth’s situation. A raid for a number of their players was touted by the press- David James, Peter Crouch, Sylvain Distin and Niko Kranjcar all mentioned as possible arrivals.

Crouch and Kranjcar ended up at White Hart Lane on September 1^st, with Redknapp having to keep faith with his current goalkeepers Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes rather than go for James. A centre half was brought in- the highly rated Sebastien Bassong joining from relegated Newcastle United. Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker are mouth-watering prospects for the full back positions, and the pair were signed for a sizeable fee from Sheffield United.

After Luka Modric was ruled out for the first three months of the season, Kranjcar was the only deadline day deal that Redknapp completed.

West Ham

Finances are Upton Park were sure to limit Gianfranco Zola’s ability to improve his squad. A striker or two was his priority, but with big clubs chasing his centre back pairing of Matthew Upson and James Collins, he needed to be prepared to replace them.

With Collins joining Aston Villa, Zola drafted in Manuel Da Costa from Fiorentina in a swap deal for the promising Savio Nsereko who had struggled to settle in London. Radoslav Kovac and Herita Ilunga completed permanent moves to the Hammers, with the latter in particular impressing last season. Luis Jimenez should provide a spark of creativity from midfield.

But after only signing Alessandro Diamanti, West Ham are massively light in the forward position. They may well need to dip into the free transfer market. But with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink recently joining Hull, how many good yet free strikers can there be out there?

White Hart Lane: "We're second?!?!!?! WHAT?!"

Chelsea – Burnley (3 – 0)

The first game of Week Four was Chelsea hosting Burnley at Stamford Bridge.  The lunch-time affair was a repeat of last year’s League Cup tie which saw Chelsea beaten out by penalty-kicks.  That’s no way to end a match… I’m not bitter.

Burnley had shown so much promise coming into this match.  Week 3 they defeated a deflating Everton and even earlier, Manchester United.

These results begged the question, would Burnley be able to keep up their performance level through their hellish first five fixtures?  They still have Liverpool at Anfield next week.

Chelsea’s only question was how many goals were they to win by on Saturday?  Chelsea hasn’t played a team that finished in the top-six last season except for Fulham, whom they decapitated like a Barbie doll last week.  Although relatively untested, Chelsea look even better than last season.

To my surprise, Burnley had a couple of great chances to get ahead of Chelsea after a botched breakaway effort by Anelka.  Burnley looked like they were about to pull another upset on a Big Four club.  This time would have been away from home.

Petr Cech’s great goalkeeping kept the Blues from quickly getting behind two goals against a freely playing Burnley.

Chelsea dominated possession for most of the game, but could not show much for it.  Burnley keeper Brian Jensen played out of his mind all match and managed to keep Essien, Ballack, Lampard and Anelka out of the net for most of the affair.  It wasn’t until extra time in the first half that a carefully placed ball by Drogba and a great run by Anelka put Chelsea ahead.  A Ballack header just after the break and an Ashley Cole rip from the left side of the box put Chelsea up 3 – 0 by the 52.  Despite efforts from Essien, the score was to remain as it was until the final whistle.

Burnley played bravely and were only defeated by the class of Chelsea not their effort.  Burnley are tenth in the EPL right now.  This is a direct consequence of their hard work, grit and phenomenal leadership from the bench and around the pitch.  Despite last year’s result in the Carling Cup and my loyalty to Chelsea, you will see me cheering on Burnley in every match they play this season [except for the Chelsea replay at Turf Moor].  They are a perfect example of when a true team can accomplish.  They have just added the services of striker David Nugent from Portsmouth which will help their goal total for the next six months, the length of Nugent’s loan.  Now, the question still remains.  How long can Burnley keep up its level of play?

Chelsea showed that when in attack their options are not just up front with Anelka and Drogba.  The midfield and even the defense got in on the scoring at the Bridge.  Instead of being providers, other players are scoring for Chelsea.  This is only good news for Carlo and the Chelsea faithful.

Tottenham Hotspur – Birmingham City (2 – 1)

Birmingham City coming into their match against Tottenham had not had much luck since their return to the Premier League.  The team had only managed to scrounge up 4 points in 3 matches compared to the 9 of Tottenham before the start of their match.  Adding to Birmingham City’s woes was the absence of 7 key players from the starting XI.

Tottenham got off to a hot start, and were proving why they deserved their top spot in England.  Larsson provided a couple of chances for Birmingham, but could not capitalize getting behind the Spurs’ defense.

The biggest news from this game came in the form of Peter Crouch.  Although he scored against Doncaster in Carling Cup action midweek, Peter Crouch had yet to score in the EPL this season.  Crouch made an immediate impact.  He played with a purpose and created chances for himself by using his size and skill in the box.  His impact came at a cost as Croatian playmaker Modric was taken out of the game due to a broken leg that will have him out for more than a month.

Crouch took advantage of a great set piece and service from Lennon and scored in the 72nd minute.  Birmingham returned fire quickly with the aid of another impact substitute, Cristian Benitez.  The Ecuadorian player disrupted the Spurs defense enough to see his mate Lee Bowyer strike one in from inside the 6-yard box.

Unfortunately, a mistake from Birmingham’s Carr left the City defense open to a breakaway in the 95th minute.  Led by Aaron Lennon, Tottenham scored their second and final goal in dramatic fashion as they assured the rest of England that they could win close matches.

The top two clubs in England deserve to be where they are.  As the table begins to take form and leave teams like Portsmouth and Wigan behind, Tottenham are proving themselves as a team to be recognized.  I don’t believe they have the quality and depth to be able to crack the top four, but rest assured, if they keep this pace, they will make a run for a top five finish in April.   Tottenham are proving themselves to be a resilient team that are ready to see a game to its end.  They aren’t letting up until the final whistle.  Squads with that sort of tenacity are hard to keep quiet.  With the winds of disbelief  swirling about the football world, they are picking up disrespectful debris concerning Tottenham and their low expectations.  Expect Spurs to play with a larger chip on their shoulder as the season goes on as the deniers grow in number .  They will use that fire to push into a single-digit finish.

 Croatian international Luka Modric has suffered a serious injury in the fourth round Premiership match against Birmingham. .. He was diagnosed with fractured Fibula and according to initial estimates, his recovery could take two to three months …

ah ****

The hot news coming out of the lane apart from Roman being rushed off by shady agents with telephones is that Modric’s injury is serious. The words ‘broken leg’ are being banded about with a time frame of 2-3 months the suggested period of Luka-lessness. A fracture is more likely; as Modric wouldn’t have been able to walk off the pitch with a break.

Whilst it is clear that we were building the team around Modric; and as such we can run around like headless chickens at his injury; there are some positives that can be taken from the situation.

Firstly; we have some time left in the transfer window to secure a replacement; whereas if this had happened on international duty we would have had problems. Petrov, Van Der Vaart and the ever elusive Joe Cole are options should we push hard.

Secondly; despite the loan of O’Hara to Pompy we still have Giovani who has played at the top level and now has something to prove and Bale; who will be looking to silence doubters.

Thirdly; and something that doesn’t convince me but some people are banding around; is that after the international break; arguably we’re our next two fixtures are games we’re not realistically going to be too upset about losing. (Personally I’m ready to take the game to Manchester United with or without Modric).

Finally; with the international break, we have a little bit more time to adjust our style of play for his absence; with a hungry squad all looking to state their claim on a starting spot, Harry will have plenty of food for thought.

As much as it’s probably the worst thing that could have happened at this moment of time; if we’re a team designed to work around Modric who are also able to adapt to win games without him; we’re in a strong position.

Keep in mind that initial reports are often exaggerated too; as injuries such as this can often fare better than first thought. As a resolute character too I can imagine that Luka won’t take this one lying down. Official diagnosis pending on a scan.

Hard times ahead; get well soon Luka.

More info on Jermain and Ledley as and when I hear it.

a good player to be linked to. maybe.

We’re doing well. We’re fourth in the league with a few weeks before the winter transfer window and Christmas. But it’s hard not to feel that there’s a anxiousness about all of it, and that with our current lack of creativity and consequential goals mean that as fans we always feel that we’re surfing the crest of a wave comprised of excrement. Crisis is our traditional focus of thought; as to be honest we love the melodrama if only a little bit.

This weeks game comes after another international break that unfortunately shows that the english contingent of our squad aren’t quite ready to take the squad by storm quite yet, indicative of their lack of current form. Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko also won’t be going anywhere this summer, (well atleast in terms of the World Cup) as both strikers found their respective teams taken out of the world playoffs. Whether this will mean that Pavlyuchenko will reevaluate his position here is another question; though you can assume that he might not be fond of staying despite his primary reason for leaving being swiped from him.

Modric won’t return at the weekend also I’m afraid as he is making steady progress with his rehabilitation, though has not returned to full training quite yet. Another chance for Krancjar to try for a starting berth perhaps, though Keano’s undroppability seems to hinder his progress in the squad. We need creativity and I’m sure that Harry has become aware of this. We’re still in a good position, with our beloved transfer window approaching fast.

Names we have been linked with have ranged from; a loan to permanent move for Hatem Ben Arfa, a petulant but extraordinarily talented winger to a imminent free swoop for Lomana LuaLua as a replacement for Pavlyuchenko. I think it’s safe to say that Harry knows where our priorities lie, and a strong central midfield presence both creatively and as a back up for a beleaguered Wilson should be the priority. (God damn you Manchester City and Gareth Barry). With Sandro arguably making his move and Harry’s faith in three quarters of our current forward line and out and out left winger such as Ben Arfa would feature highly on the ‘do want’ list. Though it is inevitable that Arsenal and Manchester City will register their interest in the player as our current competition as suitors comes in the form of Portsmouth, who arguably despite being down near the coast have little to offer at this point in time.

Importantly whilst we’re being cautious we should know where this attitude is relevant. Transfer speculation is certainly the place for it, as it is definite that the most attractive names to be mentioned often are only said to sell papers,. This being the only time where we are given a worthy mention, often to highlight the failure for us to obtain our more ambitious targets, anyone would have thought they just want the same four teams at the top of the table for the forseeable future. Just remember, there’s a time to be pragmatic, and there’s a time to enjoy the ride. With Harry as our helmsman we can all agree that we’re progressing, and with Levy pulling the strings behind the scenes, we’re at the start of a healthy transition, whereas other clubs find themselves in decline.

Onwards and upwards.