Official Tottenham Hotspur Thread

[alldaws1]

Other clubs have had injury crisis' this season, but no other clubs are asking for games to be replayed. At one stage we had EIGHT defenders out injured - alongside injuries in other positions. We didn't ask for replays, we just put out 11 players that were fit (some out of position) and played the games

There's a difference between players picking up injuries due to football and players being poisoned.

Then don't play the players that have food poisoning.....

Every team should be able to play their full strength squad. If football injuries prevent a team from doing that, then fine, we'd have to play the players who are fit. But when foul play such as poisoning comes into the picture that changes everything.

You've had five months to secure fourth, now you just look desperate.

Shut up with that argument, it doesn't work. Arsenal had the same time to secure 4th, but they didn't do it either. It came down to the last game of the season which was amid controversy. There's no rule saying we should have already secured 4th spot before then.

It doesn't matter, they secured it, you didn't. You've had plenty of time but, because of the outbreak you didn't. I'd argue that the reason why it took Arsenal so long is because of the amount of injuries they had - should they replay all games they've played in since January? If you'd have lost and finished fourth anyway you wouldn't be complaining (just like the winners go into the CL rule, you weren't moaning at the start of the season but when it affects Spurs you do).

If our players were poisoned then yes it does matter. It's pretty much giving Arsenal 38 games to get 4th and only giving us 37. People should easily understand that there is a difference between players being injured by the game and players being purposely attacked. If it turns out our players weren't poisoned deliberately then fine, it's just when foul play comes into it, it's not fair.

Of course we're going to moan when it affects Spurs because that's the team we support.

Edited May 9, 2006 by alldawson

[Liam]

I get that your argument hinges on the "foul play" aspect of it, but how likely do you really feel it is that they were intentionally poisoned? They went out for a meal, and wherever they have gone has probably got uber bad press from this incident, so I doubt someone would have seriously jeopardised thier job or the place they work to poison a few Spurs players.

[alldaws1]

I watch CSI, I have visions of Arsenal fans sneaking in and poisoning the lasagne

[Liam]

[therockbox]

You can't seriously believe they were poisoned?

[Bigal]

Clutch at them with Spurs fan, today!

Edited May 9, 2006 by Bigal

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Meh I'd rather we just started focussing on next year's league campaign and our UEFA cup run.

And I've found out that the players ate LASAGNE! So it's obviously the Italians who poisoned us.....And who has an Italian striker?! MIDDLESBROUGH! Those sneaky Teesiders!

[TMM]

Basically, Tottenham have no right whatsoever to appeal. Yeah they had players out with food poisoning, but so what? A strained wrist and food poisoning are the same thing in regards to this, because it comes down to the simple fact of being unavailable for the match. Yeah, 10 players out sick, but bear in mind this game was in London. They had been complaining about it since the night/early morning, how difficult can it possibly be to get a hold of your back-up players and get them to Upton Park for the game? It'd be a different matter if the final game was against Newcastle, but this was London and I'm pretty sure that about 95% of the entire Tottenham squad live in London, so it's the players fault if they said "yeah we can go" and if so, it's Jol's fault for risking the clubs Champions Leagues hopes on them. Anyway, you Tottenham fans have been going on about how much depth you have in your squad...

Now, if the players WERE intentionally poisoned, it becomes a different matter. There is no doubt that the game should be replayed. You would've been cheated out the game (although who's to say West Ham wouldn't have beaten you if your full squad was fully fit?) and should definetly have another shot I think. But there is then the question about when the game will be played.

[ClaRK! Kent]

As a lifelong Spurs fan, I do have to agree with a lot of the Arsenal contingent's points.

- The food poisoning was an awful way to lose the last game and the Champion's League spot, but there's no guaranteeing we'd have beaten an on-form West Ham side anyway, and there's really nothing we could've done about it anyway. Jol gave the players every excuse to say "no, we don't want to play" but they chose to, clearly believing they were up to it. If they weren't, they weren't, but you can't turn back time.

- Taking Danny Murphy to the World Cup would be utter suicide. Don't talk bollocks, we got him on the cheap for no good reason and I can't see him lasting the summer.

- Frankly, my money's on Arsenal to win the CL anyway, so we'd have been in the UEFA cup next season regardless. At the start of the season, any of you would've taken that over years of mediocrity, so just get some perspective and stop moaning. It's disappointing given the season we've had, but it's still our highest finish in God knows how long so cheer up.

- It's not necessary for an English team to field 11 English players, unless you're a red-faced Northern twat doing a publicity stunt. I wouldn't give up the Premiership today for all the tea in China - we've got shit-hot players from all over the world in this league, and whilst it's nice to see a young English team coming through for the good of English football at international level, it's totally bollocks to get all antsy at Wenger and the like because of the foreign players. If we'd qualified for the CL, we'd have had the money to have brought in newer, better players. Guess where they'd probably have come from? Abroad - zOMG!

- We have probably the 5th best team in England at the moment, and it's a young team that will only get better with age and experience, and hopefully next season we can build on this positive finish to further the cause and bring in better players, with European experience preferably.

- All talk of a 'European tour' is valid, but overtly optimistic. Years of supporting Tottenham have prepared me for the possibility of crashing out in the second round to some team from Bulgaria or Northern Ireland.

[alldaws1]

- The food poisoning was an awful way to lose the last game and the Champion's League spot, but there's no guaranteeing we'd have beaten an on-form West Ham side anyway, and there's really nothing we could've done about it anyway. Jol gave the players every excuse to say "no, we don't want to play" but they chose to, clearly believing they were up to it. If they weren't, they weren't, but you can't turn back time.

They chose to play because it was the only chance we had. If we had been given the option of postponing four or more hours or even a day later, they would have taken it.

And there's no guarantee of winning any game, but if we had a healthy starting 11 (barring the already injured King and Stalteri) you surely would back us to beat an understrength West Ham side.

- Frankly, my money's on Arsenal to win the CL anyway, so we'd have been in the UEFA cup next season regardless. At the start of the season, any of you would've taken that over years of mediocrity, so just get some perspective and stop moaning. It's disappointing given the season we've had, but it's still our highest finish in God knows how long so cheer up.

The season just finished 2 days ago. The club has written to the Premier League asking for a rematch and you're saying we should be looking to next season already? Of course there's going to be a lot of disappointment among Spurs fans. I'm sure every Spurs fan is extremely happy we have a UEFA Cup place, but you have to expect the disappointment under the circumstances. Have some passion for your team!

[Guest muddatrucker]

If we had been given the option of postponing four or more hours or even a day later, they would have taken it.

[Guest Kliq Masterson]

And I agree with the report I read which said that although Arsenal may not be full of English players, they are a product of the English football regime which should be commended as such. Oh, and I also agree with the report about how much a man of dignity and respect Arsene Wenger is.

Do you have any links to these? I'd like to see them, out of pure curiosity. That and I'd like to see how Wenger is man of dignity and respect >_>

Edited May 10, 2006 by Kliq Masterson

[Guest Small Red]

It's all being blown out of proportion. If Tottenham are really the club their fans think they are (as in Champion's League material), you'll qualify next season with a more experienced squad.

[alldaws1]

If we had been given the option of postponing four or more hours or even a day later, they would have taken it.

You could of kicked off at 5, but you chose not to!

If you notice, 5pm is just 2 hours after 3pm. I said "four or more hours", which by then most of our team would have been fitter according to our team doctors. The two hours wouldn't have made a difference.

It's all being blown out of proportion. If Tottenham are really the club their fans think they are (as in Champion's League material), you'll qualify next season with a more experienced squad.

Ooh yeah, we came so close this year but let's wait until next year so there's no more controversy. :thumbsdown:

[TAFKA Castroneves]

Wouldn't it be funny if you got that reply and West Ham still beat you anyways

[alldaws1]

Almost as funny as getting knocked out the cup by Leicester

[Liam]

Even though Tottenham were under-strength, West Ham were apparently excellent anyway, so I wouldn't have been surprised if they at least got a result against a stronger Spurs side.

[TheArsenal]

West Ham really were the greater dominant force. I could have seen them getting at least a draw against a full strangth Spurs side.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Exactly.

re: Replaying and/or postponing the match, it's ludicrous to suggest we could've called off the match without any kind of reprisal (see: the Middlesborough incident a couple of seasons back) and delaying the kick-off would've given Spurs an unfair advantage as far as knowing exactly what they needed to get from the game is concerned, given that the Arsenal score was already in.

We did not choose to play because it was the only option available. As the pundits on MotD said on Sunday, Jol was very clever in warming up an admittedly sick team, giving them plenty of opportunity to come out and say "after this warm-up I feel sick as a dog" but they chose to play on regardless and I say well done to the lot of them. They chose to fulfill their commitment, and put a brave face on things. Perhaps it wasn't the best option to chose, but it was the only option that would've been acceptable at the time - delaying the kick-off for 4 or more hours was out due to the police/stewards worrying about public disturbances (what with 20-odd thousand tense Londoners having been drinking all afternoon, which would've been the case) and postponing the match could've brought out a points deduction even if the FA told them "it's your decision."

Spurs did the sportsmanlike thing. We got burned by it, we lost, but if we'd held our hands up and said "well done" to West Ham and put it down as bad luck, I think we'd have been able to take the high ground and a lot of respect from the situation.

All of this bitching, moaning, and demanding a replay is making the club and its fans look very bad.

As for whether we'd have beaten West Ham, they looked pretty unstoppable from what I saw. Reports suggest we were outplayed entirely, aside from a flash of brilliance from Defoe, and it seemed that they were beating us on such things as skill on the ball and tactics, rather than stamina and overall wellness. Evidently, if the team had been fit it would've been a closer game, but it's over now so there's no point getting angry about it.

Yes, I believe we should concentrate on next season.

We've got a good spine to build on, young players that will only get better with experience, and several players in World Cup contention this summer. This is the best finish to a season we've had in years, with all of that in mind as well as the position we ended up in, so I think it's a bit remiss to be complaining, because any and all of us would've taken this finish gladly back in August.

[TMM]

Apparently because Scudamore was at Highbury when he announced the decision to not allow a postponement of the game, the Spurs chairman has said it's insulting and embaressing for Spurs. This was in the paper this morning, and was on some news yesterday. He's also said something about Scudamore's position should be questioned because of it. This whole fiasco is laughable.