Financial Results ending June 2008

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club's financial results for the year ending June, 2008 have been released to the Stock Exchange this morning and include an important announcement in respect of our Stadium Development Project.

For our financial results in full, CLICK HERE...

A full announcement on our Stadium Development Project - the Northumberland Development Project - appears separately on the site. CLICK HERE for this announcement...

Linked here.

New Stadium Plans

Courtesy of Official Site-

• A world-class scheme incorporating a new stadium with a capacity of 60,000, a Club museum, new shops, new homes, a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and important new public space
• Delivered on the current site and adjacent land, ending concerns about a move out of the Borough
• No need for a temporary move during construction
• Significant local benefits and a huge boost to the area
• Potential catalyst for wider regeneration and further investment
• First public exhibition to open from 14 November - 18 November

The Club is delighted to announce that, having concluded an extensive review of suitable sites and viable alternatives, its preferred stadium option is to remain at the Club's spiritual home in Tottenham - the option known to be the fans' favourite.

The existing 36,000 capacity stadium has remained unchanged for over a decade and the club is currently in the position of having 70,000 registered club members and a waiting list for season tickets of around 22,000 people.

The Club is preparing plans for a world class scheme incorporating a new stadium, Club museum, shops and homes, new facilities for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and important public space. The plans will enable the team to remain at the current site throughout construction.

Daniel Levy, Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club said:

"The Northumberland Development Project would deliver a world class scheme and substantial new investment for Haringey and our supporters. It represents a significant step in the growth of the Club, with a proposed stadium capacity of 60,000 and would provide state-of-the-art facilities, important public space, new jobs and homes and a significant boost for the local economy.

"It would also enable us to provide a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation so that its award winning programmes can continue and have an even greater impact in the local community.

"Tottenham Hotspur is proud of its roots in Haringey. We have been in the Borough for 126 years and the Club is inextricably linked with this part of London. We believe that this scheme has the potential to create a truly inspirational environment for the Club and the community as well as acting as the catalyst for the uplift of the wider area.

"We are at an early stage of what is part of our long term plans for the Club and now we want the views of local people and our fans. I hope people will take the time to look at our plans and let us have their comments."

Councillor George Meehan, Leader of Haringey Council, said:

"I am delighted that Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed its commitment to remain in our borough.

"We have always regarded Spurs as one of Haringey's prime assets. They bring major economic benefits to our borough and carry out some excellent community work through the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

"But more than anything, Spurs has played an integral role in giving a sense of identity to the area it calls home. Tottenham would not be Tottenham without its football club.

"We have been working extremely hard to regenerate the Tottenham area, which suffered so much from industrial decline. Real progress is being made, and it is extremely pleasing that Spurs has demonstrated that they share our commitment to this continuing regeneration.

"But, as always, we will consider very carefully any plans that are submitted to us, as we strive to ensure that a new stadium delivers real benefits for all who live and work in the area."

The plans, which will be unveiled at the first public exhibition later this month, cover an area of around 20 acres including the site of the current ground and the adjacent industrial estate. The new stadium would be sited largely to the North of the existing one.

In policy terms, the area is within the 'Tottenham High Road Regeneration Corridor' and identified in the Haringey Unitary Development Plan (UDP) as a "major site for potential redevelopment" to act as a "catalyst for prime regeneration".

The transport infrastructure around the stadium is already in place, with 4 stations (White Hart Lane, Northumberland Park, Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale) and over 100 buses an hour serving the stadium area. Together these deliver a total capacity in excess of 90,000 passengers an hour.

The recent introduction of a match-day Controlled Parking Zone together with improved dedicated match-day services and a public information campaign to supporters, means that just over a third of people now come by car with the majority using public transport.

The Club will now undertake a thorough consultation programme with the local community and will also continue to consult with supporters. A first public exhibition is being organised to present the Club's vision for the area with the public invited to make comment on the plans. These comments will be considered and more detailed information will then be presented at a second exhibition before a planning application is submitted to Haringey Council.

The exhibition will take place in the Bill Nicholson Suite at the stadium during the following times:

- Friday 14 November, 10am - 5pm
- Saturday 15 November, 10am - 5pm
- Sunday 16 November, 10am - 5pm
- Monday 17 November, 12pm - 8pm
- Tuesday 18 November, 10am - 5pm

As always we shall look to keep you, our supporters, along with the local community of Haringey, as informed and up-to-date as possible.

On Friday 14 November, the Club will launch a special section of the website dedicated to our future plans. Please visit it at www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans to see the emerging plans and to let us have your comments

Whilst we are at the beginning of a long process, should we receive the necessary planning permissions, preference will be given to existing season ticket holders and corporate customers to retain their status in a new stadium. Priority for any new season tickets will go to our One Hotspur Bronze members, who make up our season ticket waiting list. Any current season ticket holders who are interested in obtaining additional tickets for friends and/or family members in a new stadium will therefore need to ensure those individuals are signed up to the One Hotspur Bronze membership scheme.

Linked here.

League Report: Ar5ena1 4 Spurs 4

Courtesy of Official Site-

Lads pass character test

Harry Redknapp praised the spirit and character of the side after our fantastic late, late show gained a precious point at Arsenal on Wednesday night.

David Bentley's wonder goal put us ahead but set-piece goals either side of half-time and Emmanuel Adebayor's strike on 64 minutes put the home side in the driving seat.

Darren Bent responded for 3-2 but any hopes of a comeback appeared quashed just over a minute later when Adebayor set up Robin Van Persie for 4-2.

The clock had ticked into the final 90 seconds when Gael Clichy slipped on halfway, Jermaine Jenas picked up the ball, dribbled to the edge of the bx and curled into the far corner for 4-3.

Four minutes of added time soon went up and with the clock showing 48.15, Luka Modric hit a dipper against the post and Aaron Lennon was on hand to bury the rebound for 4-4.

"Amazing," said Harry. "I thought at 1-0 with 10 minutes to half-time, let's get to half-time 1-0 up because it's going to be a tight game.

"We couldn't defend the set-pieces though, got back into the game at 3-2 then gave a terrible goal away and it looked all over at 4-2 but full credit to the lads, we kept going and pulled an amazing result out of the bag.

"I thought we started well. We got a great goal from David Bentley, passed the ball well - I felt we passed it as well as them in the first half.

"Suddenly we conceded from a set-piece, Silvestre wasn't picked up well and then we came out second half and conceded a second goal from a set-piece, we're 2-1 down in no time.

"It was then 3-1 but we got back to 3-2 and were thinking 'let's see what we're made of' but before we had a chance of doing anything we gave another goal away.

"So credit to the lads. We kept going and showed a lot of character."

Linked here.

League Report: Le Arse 4 Spurs 4

Courtesy of Official Site-

Harry Redknapp admitted he hoped for 'one more chance' when we made it 4-3 with time running out at Arsenal - his prayers were answered as Aaron Lennon slotted the equaliser deep into injury time.

A game that had everything looked to be out of our reach when Robin Van Persie slammed home Arsenal's fourth goal for a 4-2 lead with just over 20 minutes left.

However, with 88 minutes on the clock, Gael Clichy slipped on half-way, Jermaine Jenas picked up the loose ball and drove forward before curling a cracker from the edge of the box for 4-3.

It wasn't over though. Three minutes and 15 seconds into four minutes of added time, Tom Huddlestone headed forward, Luka Modric swivelled to hit a volley that cannoned off the post and Aaron Lennon was there to slot home the equaliser.

"Time was running out and it looked all over at 4-2 down," reflected Harry at the Emirates.

"Once it went to 4-3 we had nothing to lose. We went for it. We stuck Jonathan Woodgate up front and knew that either they would score again or, hopefully, we would get one more chance.

"We got that chance and took it.

"It's a fantastic result, a great point for us. You would always take a point at Arsenal anyway but the lads showed a real never-say-die attitude.

"To score four goals away from home shows what quality we have as well. It was an amazing game to be involved in."

Linked here.

EPL Match Report: Spurs 2 Bolton 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

Harry Redknapp's first game as the new Spurs manager resulted in our first league victory of the season as we defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-0 at The Lane.

Roman Pavlyuchenko's first Barclays Premier League goal and a nerves-of-steel penalty from substitute Darren Bent gave us the points - and the Club a much-needed lift after an eventful week.

It is difficult to judge how much of an effect the events of the previous 24 hours had had on the team, but the players certainly came out of the traps seeming like they were looking to prove a point.

The team had a slightly new look, with Tom Huddlestone being brought back into the midfield, David Bentley onto the right flank, and Pavlyuchenko into the lone striker role with Luka Modric in a more advanced position just in behind.

Bentley in particular had an added drive about him to begin with, bringing to the side the sort of delivery our attacking players crave.

That goes especially for Pavlyuchenko, and he proved to be the main beneficiary of the service after 17 minutes.

Ten minutes earlier, only Andy O'Brien's brave defending denied the Russian from tapping home Bentley's in-swinging corner.

But the next time the big striker was found by the former Blackburn man, he made no mistake as he got in between the defenders to power a header firmly into Jussi Jaaskelainen's bottom right-hand corner from 15 yards, sending the White Hart Lane crowd into raptures.

We have talked about for some time how key scoring the first goal in a game could be to our improvement, so was this to be the difference? At first it seemed as if it might prove to be a false dawn as we experienced a spell of pressure.

Most of it was of our own doing. A defensive mix-up on 28 minutes put Heurelho Gomes in all sorts of trouble, and as the ball run free to Kevin Davies, the forward did extremely well to come to within millimetres of equalising from a tight angle.

Three minutes later, we again failed to clear our lines as Matt Taylor sent a low shot inches wide from the edge of the box.

And we had Ledley King's goal-line clearance to thank for once again keeping the visitors out on 34 minutes after Johan Elmander capitalised on a half-cleared free-kick.

It was clear we needed a second goal to give our lead that important protective cushion, and to be fair, we certainly got ourselves together and went looking for it at the end of the half.

Two chances fell to Huddlestone, the first just inches out after Jaaskelainen spilled a Bentley free-kick at his feet, only for the big man to volley over.

But then the England Under-21 international created an opening for himself, side-stepping Gary Cahill on the edge of the box before unleashing a rasping left foot shot which whistled just past the post.

However, Bolton emerged for the second half intent on finding the equaliser they felt they deserved, and it seemed as if it would take a little bit of luck to turn a fast-approaching tide back in our favour.

That came on 56 minutes when Bolton's tough-tackling midfielder was sent off for a second bookable offence, and we looked to capitalise immediately.

First, a nice one-two between Huddlestone a Modric resulted in the latter getting free on the left-hand side of the penalty area, and he should have done better with his shot which went straight at Jaaskelainen.

Then Jamie O'Hara took a leaf out of Huddlestone's book, side-stepping a couple of defenders on the edge of the box before hitting a fierce shot that was just too high.

Bolton's answer was to bombard Gomes with high balls at every opportunity, and it could have paid off for them on a couple of occasions.

On 62 minutes, a punch from the Brazilian goalkeeper fell to Kevin Nolan on the edge of the box, who fired over, and four minutes later a similar fist away from Gomes landed perfectly for Fabrice Muamba to attempt a volleyed lob, which fortunately dropped onto the roof of the net.

We needed some fresh impetus, and Harry duly delivered his first tactical manoeuvres as our new manager with a touch of renowned genius.

Pavlyuchenko had gone a touch quiet on his road back from an ankle injury, and he was replaced by Bent in a straight swap, while Aaron Lennon took over from Jamie O'Hara on the left flank.

Almost immediately, Bent was given the chance to put his fresh legs to use as Modric put him through, but his shot was well saved by Jaaskelainen.

Lennon also got a piece of the action soon after his introduction, but he failed to convert after another Jaaskelainen save from Huddlestone fell to him 10 yards out.

But it was Bent who was to have the defining say in this match, as his awareness and determination to chase down a loose ball after a Modric shot had been saved drew a foul out of the Finnish goalkeeper and resulted in a penalty.

There was only one man who was going to take it, as our top scorer grabbed the ball and didn't let go until he had placed it on the spot and slammed home his fifth goal of the season - in the process sealing our first league win of it.

As the final whistle blew and the crowd let out their biggest cheer of the season so far, it was clear the players had embraced this brave new era for the Club as much as anyone, giving Harry plenty to be encouraged about before he takes office on Monday.

Spurs (4-4-1-1): Gomes; Hutton, Corluka, King, Assou-Ekotto; Bentley, Jenas, Huddlestone, O'Hara (Lennon, 71); Modric; Pavlyuchenko (Bent, 67)
Subs not used: Cesar, Zokora, Gunter, Giovani, Campbell

Bolton (4-1-4-1) Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, A O'Brien, Samuel; McCann; Davies, Nolan, Muamba (Gardner, 85), Taylor; Elmander (Riga, 85)
Subs not used: Al Habsi, Hunt, Smolarek, Helguson, Shittu

Linked here.

Team News, Loan Extensions: Oct 26, 2008

Courtesy of Official Site-

Tom Huddlestone, Vedran Corluka and Roman Pavlyuchenko are back in contention for Sunday's match with Bolton Wanderers.

Tom has returned to full training after missing the trip to Udinese with a knee injury, while Roman and Vedran are available again after being cup-tied for Thursday's UEFA Cup tie.

Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson will miss the visit of Gary Megson's side due to suspension.

LOANS EXTENDED

Andy Barcham and David Button have had their loans, at Gillingham and Grays Athletic respectively, extended by one month.

Linked here.

Open Letter form the Chairman, Oct 2008

Courtesy of Official Site-

Dear Supporter,

How quickly things change in football. Our pre-season form, our start to the transfer window and early summer signings had everyone optimistic for the season ahead. The last few days of that window and our poor start to the season has seen all that change. This has been a difficult period for the Club and many questions are being asked and much criticism levelled. I should like to update you on some important developments announced a short while ago, to answer some of your questions and also to outline our thinking as we look to improve our current position going forward.

We have faced many key challenges as we have progressed over the last few seasons and we have had to take important decisions at crucial times - without the wonderful benefit of hindsight and always under full public scrutiny. As such, they have been judgement calls. Some of our decisions and judgements may at times be unpopular with our fans but we always take decisions we believe to be in the best interests of our Club, at the time we make them, and for the right reasons. In many cases, it is simply not possible or practical for all of the factors involved to enter the public domain and I do understand that this can alter or impair the perception of why something has or hasn't been done.

Today, as formally announced by the Club, I have made one such important judgement call and in doing so I have taken some very difficult decisions. Relieving Juande Ramos, our Head Coach, and Juande's assistants, Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez, of their posts is not something I have undertaken lightly.

Unfortunately, our record of just three League wins since our memorable Carling Cup victory against Chelsea last February, combined with our extremely poor start to the season, led the Board and I to determine that significant change was necessary as a matter of urgency. We are grateful to Juande, Gus and Marcos for all their hard work - they are incredibly professional, committed individuals and I regret that their time in the Premier League has not gone as well as we had all hoped..

The English Premier League is an unforgiving competition - time was no longer on our side and was a luxury we simply could not afford. We have quite clearly not performed to the best of our ability for many months now and our poor run of form is not something we could allow to continue unchecked.

In appointing Harry Redknapp as our new manager, we are delighted to have secured the services of someone we have long since admired and whose track record and knowledge of all levels of football, including importantly the Premier League, is outstanding. I know Harry is relishing the opportunity of managing a Club he knows well, not least from his son Jamie's time here as a player and Captain, and of re-invigorating and restoring confidence to a squad of highly talented international players. With his great knowledge of the game and his excellent motivational skills, Harry has inspired his teams to consistently over-perform, whilst his preferred attacking style of playing the game sits comfortably with our Club's history, heritage and the type of entertaining football our fans want and expect to see.

We have spent around £175m on new players over the last 3 years. The purchasing of players is a critical aspect of our Club and, given our current position, it is essential that we go into the January transfer window with absolute confidence in the advice being offered to the Board. Following a meeting of the Directors and a full review of our football management structure, I can also inform you that Damien Comolli has left the Club with immediate effect. Damien will not be directly replaced.

In my opinion, and with the benefit that comes with running our Club with and without a Sporting Director in the past seven years, the successful management of a football club is not about structures or job titles. As in most businessess, it's about people: their personal qualities, their knowledge, their experience, their relationships, communication skills, interaction with colleagues, leadership and, of course, their ability.

In Harry, we are also accepting with his appointment that now is the right time for us to move back to a more traditional style of football management at our Club. one which we believe will be capable of initiating our climb back up the Premier League table and to maintaining our challenge in the UEFA, Carling and FA Cup competitions.

However, I should stress that we are not in this current position because of any single factor or any one individual. Human nature often dictates the need to find someone or something to blame, but in these circumstances we need all our energies to be directed instead to supporting the team and improving our League position. Nothing else matters at this time.

That said, and without dwelling too much on last summer, I do also want to take this opportunity to address some of the other concerns you have raised. Many of the questions I have been asked and much of the reasoning for our poor start to the season has centred on our striker options. I do not believe this to be the sole reason, but I do feel it is important to set out the facts once again regarding the sale of two popular and talented strikers: Keane and Berbatov.

Robbie Keane's departure was undoubtedly the shock of the summer. I personally had an excellent relationship with Robbie and he was one player that I always thought would end his career at the Club. I know you all felt the same. I was as disappointed as any of you when he informed me that he wanted to join what he described as his favourite boyhood club. Against this background and despite his obvious professionalism, our coaching staff felt that it would be very difficult to expect Robbie to continue to be such a positive influence in our dressing room when he so clearly wanted to leave us. The decision to sell Robbie was therefore not a financial one, although in such circumstances it was vital for our Club to secure the maximum possible value for a player of Robbie's ability.

The sale of Dimitar was an entirely different matter. Dimitar first intimated to Martin Jol that he wanted to join Manchester United after just one season at our Club - and just 10 days before the end of the summer 2007 transfer window. At that time, the coaching staff's preference was to let Dimitar go and for us to replace him. This was not something I would allow - at any price - as I felt that Dimitar's request was completely unreasonable. From that moment on, we obviously knew we had an issue and we spent many hours over the course of the season that followed trying to persuade Dimitar to stay. I rebuffed a number of approaches from clubs , including Manchester United, this May and again in early July. Despite press stories to the contrary, there was no extended period of negotiation with Manchester United and their July offer of £20m was not increased until they contacted us again in the last few days of the transfer window.

The internal decision to sell Dimitar at the beginning of the window was premised on a suitable replacement being found and on the assumption that Dimitar couldn't be persuaded to change his mind. Under FIFA regulations, if a players signs a contract before his 28th birthday, he has only to serve 3 years of that contract before he can terminate it and join a new club. Whilst some compensation is payable under such circumstances the level of compensation is set by a third party body in accordance with predeteremined factors, and in Dimitar's case would have been but a small fraction of the fee we received from Manchester United. But even this was not the final determining factor in our decision to part company with him. Despite the potential cost to the Club and knowing that our efforts to sign an additional, experienced striker had failed, the final decision on whether or not to sell Dimitar was not a financial decision but a footballing one. It was felt that he had not been a positive influence on the pitch or in the dressing room and that this would continue.

The timing of the actual transfer of Dimitar was completely immaterial and unconnected to our bringing in a replacement for him. We had been aware for a long period that he was likely to leave and our negotiations to get the best fee for him was independent of our work to replace both him (as we did with Pavyluchenko) and Robbie, with experienced strikers.

The ultimate failure - as I have said before - of our dealings in this summer's transfer window was not about the departure of two good strikers, or because we have operated a structure that happens to have had a Sporting Director and a Head Coach, or because our financial parameters are too rigid - after all, let´s not forget that we did bring in much quality to enhance our current squad. Quite simply, we failed because we were not as decisive or as successful in identifying or replacing the two strikers as early as we should have been. Perhaps these insights will help once and for all to de-bunk the myths that have been perpetuated around these transfers.

There is also an inaccurate perception that our Club is run entirely for profit and that football is secondary. Success on the pitch is the sole determinant to the future of the Club and its financial stability, so it would be entirely counter-productive to have anything other than football as our first and foremost priority and it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise. At a time when football clubs are criticised for losing money and for their debt levels, I am surprised that we should be criticised for running our Club on a sound commercial basis and for making a profit. Thank goodness we do make a profit because it has significantly supported the progress we have made over the last seven years and has helped to make us one of Europe's most secure Clubs. I make no apologies for the fact that we reinvest the Club's positive cash flow in both players and infrastructure.

And so back to looking ahead and to redress our current position.

Firstly, in Harry, we have secured the services of an excellent Manager of proven Premier League quality. Harry will be working with a squad of quality internationals. We must not forget that this team, without the benefit of three additional players at the time (Pavlyuchenko, Corluka, Campbell), gave a more than creditable performance against the current League leaders. I have spoken to the senior players in recent days and I know the players share our frustration and I know they will dig deep to produce the performances we know they are capable of - they have our full support - and support for the team is absolutely critical at this time.

We have all been subjected to much criticism - myself, the Board, coaching staff and players - having now made what I considered to be necessary, sweeping changes to our football management team, we must re-assert ourselves, regain our focus, and answer our critics in the best way possible - by winning games again.

Secondly, we must prepare ourselves to take advantage of the January transfer window. Harry's experience of the UK and international transfer market will be of critical importance and I shall be looking to Harry for clarity on our priorities. As Chairman, and as previously in our former structure, I must, ultimately, rely on the knowledge and judgement of my technical staff to give me a clear football-based view and recommendation on our transfer targets.

I can assure you that everyone here, from the Board to our most junior staff member, shares the frustration and disappointment of the season so far, but I can also assure you that all of us in every area of the Club are doing what we can to help the players to produce the level of performance and the consistent good results our fans expect and all of us crave.

We have achieved too much over the last seven years - three successive qualifications for Europe, a League Cup win, Training Centre planning permission - and still more to announce - to allow this to be overtaken and thrown away overnight. We have suffered a set back and we have taken strong action.

I have received numerous e-mails and letters from supporters offering advice and suggestions on how the Club should be run and what we should and should not do. I do appreciate the time people take to write to me and when the e-mails or letters are constructive and not abusive, I can assure you that I read as many as I can. And I do take notice of your views. Indeed, I have been heartened by the fact that the over-riding response from our supporters has been one of determination to get behind the team. Too often in difficult times supporters can forget that their support is needed even more than ever. The team will tell you how much of a difference it can make to them on the pitch. White Hart Lane needs to once again become the fortress it was, not so very long ago. With your tremendous support it can.

Finally, I know I am sometimes criticised for appearing too business-focused, too uncommunicative, or simply for not being emotional enough when it concerns our team. The majority of our fans know that it's simply not my way to seek a high profile. I do not crave publicity, neither do I believe it is necessary to do my job. I would prefer our team to make the headlines, for the right reasons. We now have a manager who is a great communicator to players, fans and the media alike and I shall also, personally, look to keep you all informed and your questions answered as we progress through the season.

Your support has never been more important - and we are grateful to so many of you for the messages of support and encouragement the Club has received during this difficult period. Now's the time for all of us to pull together and to get behind Harry and the team.

Yours, Daniel

Lined here.

Club Announcement: Confirmed

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club is delighted to announce that it has appointed Harry Redknapp as Manager.

A full announcement and statement from the Chairman, Daniel Levy, will follow shortly.

Linked here.

Club Announcement: Redknapp?

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club has requested permission to hold discussions with Harry Redknapp and Portsmouth FC has reluctantly agreed.

Linked here.

Club Announcement: Ramos out

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club can announce that Damien Comolli, Sporting Director, Juande Ramos, Head Coach and First Team Coaches, Marcos Alvarez and Gus Poyet, have left the Club, with immediate effect. We wish them well.

Clive Allen, Development Squad Coach, and Alex Inglethorpe, Youth Team Manager, will take charge for Sunday's League match against Bolton.

An announcement will be made on First Team coaching staff in due course.

Linked here.

UEFA Cup Match report: Udinese 2 Spurs 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

TEAM NEWS - Juande Ramos makes three changes from Sunday's loss at Stoke, the most notable the return of skipper Ledley King in place of cup-tied Vedran Corluka. Jamie O'Hara and Benoit Assou-Ekotto also return for Luka Modric and David Bentley.

FULL TIME: UDINESE 2, SPURS 0
85.14: GOAL-UDINESE Classic counter-attack, De Agostino angled pass to Quagliarella, he unselfishly rolled to Pepe who finished off the post from 12 yards.
84.30: CHANCE - SPURS/SAVE - HANDANOVIC. Giovani broke down the right flank, managed to dig out a cross from byline for Bent to power header at goal from six yards, unbelievable reactions from Handanovic to tip over.
83.10: King glanced header straight at Handanovic, but whistle already blown for foul.
81.42: YELLOW CARD - UDINESE. Isla.
78.26: SUB - UDINESE. Pepe for Sanchez.
76.50: Gomes out sharply to save at feet of Quagliarella.
73.27: YELLOW CARD - UDINESE. D'Agostino.
70.39: Jenas chipped a free-kick in looking for King, half-cleared, bits and pieces not falling to us at the moment.
63mins: Formation is now Bale at left-back, Zokora at centre-back, Giovani has come on and gone to right midfield with Lennon on the left. Playing a 4-4-1 with Hutton pushing on.
62.57: SUB - SPURS. Giovani for Woodgate.
62.43: YELLOW CARD - SPURS. Bale.
62.20: SAVE - GOMES. Sanchez superb crossfield pass from right to left to pick out Di Natale's run, Di Natale clipped the ball over Gomes but the keeper managed to track back and tip aside diving backwards.
57.12: SAVE - GOMES. Save of the game - D'Agostino swung in free-kick from right touchline that found its way through to Domizzi at far post, six yards out, Gomes threw himself at it to block.
56.20: YELLOW CARD/RED CARD - SPURS. O'Hara for foul on Sanchez.
55.16: YELLOW CARD - SPURS. O'Hara.
53.55: D'Agostino angled shot wide from 25 yards.
51.30: Lennon involved down the right again, inside to Modric, shooting chance but crowded out. Corner punched away by Handanovic.
50.17: SAVE - GOMES. Hutton robbed as he tried to break forward, Sanchez played into Quagliarella, aimed low shot to near post from the edge of the box that Gomes did well to get down to.
48.50: Bale curled free-kick from 30 yards a couple of yards over.
O'Hara has switched to left-back, Modric in usual midfield role.
2ND HALF KICKS OFF
Half-time: SUB - SPURS. Modric for Assou-Ekotto.
7.09pm UK: Teams on their way back out.
HALF-TIME: UDINESE 1, SPURS 0
39.04: CHANCE - SPURS. Handanovic completed missed Bale's inswinging corner, ball fell to Hutton who couldn't get a clear sight of goal, eventually laid back to O'Hara who blazed over from 20 yards.
37.32: Hutton clipped ball up to Bent, who controlled but was then fouled by Domizzi. Good position for free-kick but Bale curled into the wall.
31.19: Gomes flew out to punch away a corner, didn't really get it, ball fell to Quagliarella but two efforts blocked well by King.
30.37: SAVE - GOMES. Keeper had to be alert to turn aside a D'Agostino's 25-yarder.
23.45: YELLOW CARD - UDINESE. Lukovic.
23.45: YELLOW CARD - SPURS. Gomes.
23.37: GOAL - UDINESE. Di Natale drilled the penalty home to Gomes' right, keeper guessed the right way but too much power. Udinese 1, Spurs 0	Udinese 1, Spurs 0" src="http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/images/matchtracker/goal.gif">
22.39: PENALTY - UDINESE. Gomes miscontrolled a backpass stumbled slightly and that allowed Quagliarella to nip in. Gomes tried to shift the ball around him and clear, Quagliarella got in front of him and Gomes was adjudged to have brought him down.
19.37: Lennon looks to have measure of left-back Lukovic and beat him again, drilled in cross that Handanovic spilled, ball out to Zokora who smashed high and wide from 30 yards.
18.27: O'Hara took aim from fully 30 yards after a free-kick was half-cleared, effort always going over but had Handanovic scurrying back towards his line.
16.58: Di Natale beat offside down the left, time to pick his cross but hit tame ball into near post, collected by Gomes.
14.34: CHANCE - SPURS. Jenas drove into the box from the inside right channel, got to the byline and clipped perfect cross to the back post for Bent, looked like he had a bit more time but elected for header, didn't get enough on it to trouble Handanovic.
12.23: Great spot from O'Hara to pick out Bale's run behind Motta, controlled on chest but ball ran away from Bale and Coda cleared.
9.58: Jenas and Lennon combined down the right, Lennon low cross took a nasty skip in front of Handanovic, who claimed anyway.
8.50: Assou-Ekotto did well to clear from Sanchez.
5.44: King forced into spectacular diving header away as Inler crossed from the right. Gomes flying punch to clear the corner.
3.52: CLOSE - UDINESE. Quagliarella stooped to flick D'Agostino's whipped free-kick from the left just wide with Gomes scrambling to his left.
1.30: Gomes out to claim as Quagliarella chased a long ball, no danger.
1.05: Bright start, Bent won a throw down the left, Bale crossed twice, the second just over the head of Jenas and hacked away by Lukovic.
1ST HALF KICKS OFF
6.08pm: Captains Ledley King and Di Natale to centre for coin toss. Udinese to kick-off, we attack the end where our fans are congregated.
6.07pm UK: Teams on their way out.
5.59pm UK time: Welcome to the Stadio Friuli! Bit of a breezy night, a breeze felt in an open stadium. Flags waving everywhere at the moment. Both teams have been out, warmed up and gone back to the changing rooms.

Linked here.

Match Report: Stoke 2 Spurs 1

Courtesy of the Official Site-

Juande Ramos felt the second goal did the damage as we suffered a 2-1 reverse at Stoke on Sunday.

Stoke grabbed that vital goal when Rory Delap rammed home Mamady Sidibe's cross in the 53rd minute of a bruising encounter at the Britannia Stadium.

The home side were handed an advantage after just 17 minutes when Gareth Bale felled Tom Soares as he was through on goal. Bale was sent off, Danny Higginbotham drilled home from the penalty and we were left with 10 men for the final 70-plus minutes.

However, the 10 men responded by taking the game by the scruff of the neck, dictating play and deservingly equalising when Darren Bent finished well from close range.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis later admitted his side needed half-time and they returned for the second half a different team - Delap scored and Ricardo Fuller missed a penalty before rattling the woodwork in the final seconds.

Vedran Corluka was stretchered off after being clattered by Heurelho Gomes - see update below - and to add insult to injury, we picked up a second straight red of the afternoon when Michael Dawson was sent off for a tackle on Fuller.

Three players went off injured - Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen and defender Ibrahima Sonka alongside Corluka - and that was reflected in 11 minutes of added time.

"It's difficult to explain games like this," reflected Head Coach Juande afterwards. "We had two penalties against us and two men sent off.

"The first was a penalty but perhaps the red card was a little harsh, it should have been a yellow card.

"It was difficult with 10 men but the team played well for the rest of the first half. The team played correctly, we drew level and we created chances

"The second goal for Stoke made it difficult for us but I thought the attitude of the players was very good."

CORLUKA UPDATE

Vedran Corluka was stretchered off in the second half after being knocked out after a collision with Heurelho Gomes. He regained consciousness later, has had head and neck X-rays and everything appears to be okay.

Linked here.

THFC Launces Partnership with San Jose Earthquakes

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club is delighted to announce the formation of an extensive partnership with MLS team San Jose Earthquakes.

The agreement will focus on football and commercial development that will see the implementation of a best practice exchange programme, with the objective of creating a lasting bond between the two clubs.

Tottenham Hotspur will invest time and resources into the development of San Jose Earthquakes on and off the pitch as well as working across charity and community based initiatives.

Our Development Coach Clive Allen, who was one of very few players ever to make the crossover into gridiron football, said: "The relationship will provide us with the opportunity to exchange coaches and methodology as well as providing a base for the Club in any future US tours. Our aim is to support the development of MLS by using our wealth of experience in the game on a number of levels. Football development will certainly be an integral part of the partnership, but other areas of our infrastructure will be beneficial models such as the work we do in the community with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation."

Lew Wolff, co-owner of the San Jose Earthquakes, said: "The Earthquakes and Major League Soccer are delighted and excited with the creation of this professional soccer relationship with Tottenham Hotspur. We believe our partnership with a club of such great football tradition unites the Premier League in England with the soccer league in the US."

One of the clear objectives of the alliance is to provide Spurs fans abroad with the opportunity to engage with the Club, with both senior and youth team visits to the US envisaged in the near future.

Paul Barber, Tottenham Hotspur Executive Director, highlighted the commercial benefits for the Club: "This agreement with San Jose Earthquakes will provide us with an excellent opportunity to access a key region in a global market. As a Club we are continually looking for innovative ways to evolve and our partnership with the Earthquakes will enable us to market Tottenham Hotspur to a wider audience. We already have a fanbase within the state of California and the opportunity to grow the brand in the US is very appealing."

The Club has already capitalised on previous tours of the US and benefit from an existing presence stateside with supporters clubs located in San Francisco, LA, New York, Chicago and Canada.

Tottenham Hotspur first visited the US in 1951 to play Manchester United at Yankee Stadium, New York. The match ended with a 7-1 scoreline in favour of Spurs. In 1966 the Club toured the US for the first time and played matches in numerous locations including Chicago, Detroit, Hartford, Jersey City and San Francisco. Tottenham Hotspur last visited the US in 2003 to play DC United in the Capital Cup, which resulted in a defeat against the Washington-based team.

We are currently one year into a successful partnership with South African league champions SuperSport United. The relationship was announced in 2007 and has seen the introduction of a coach exchange programme, as well as the launch of the Tottenham Hotspur SuperSport Academy.

Linked here.

Uefa Cup Seedings, 2008-2009

Courtesy of Official Site-

We have been seeded in Pot One for Tuesday's draw for the group stages of this season's UEFA Cup.

Other teams in our Pot include AC Milan, Sevilla, Valencia and Benfica.

We will be drawn in a group of five teams with the other four teams being drawn out of each of the four remaining Pots.

Juande Ramos' side will therefore avoid all other teams in Pot One at this stage, as well as the three other English sides remaining in the competition.

The draw will take place at 11am on Tuesday (October 7) in Nyon.

Here are the seedings in full...

POT 1
AC Milan (ITA), Sevilla (ESP), Valencia (ESP), Benfica (POR), Schalke 04 (GER), CSKA Moscow (RUS), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Hamburg (GER)

POT 2
VfB Stuttgart (GER), Ajax (NED), Olympiacos (GRE), Deportivo La Coruna (ESP), Club Brugge (BEL), Spartak Moscow (RUS), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), SC Heerenveen (NED)

POT 3
Rosenborg (NOR), Udinese (ITA), Feyenoord (NED), SC Braga (POR), Slavia Prague (CZE), Manchester City (ENG), Galatasaray (TUR), Sampdoria (ITA)

POT 4
Hertha Berlin (GER), Partizan Belgrade (SRB), AS Nancy (FRA), Portsmouth (ENG), Aston Villa (ENG), Racing Santander (ESP), FC Copenhagen (DEN), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)

POT 5
Saint-Etienne (FRA), VfL Wolfsburg (GER), Standard Liege (BEL), FC Twente (NED), NEC Nijmegen (NED), FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR), Lech Poznan (POL), MSK Zilina (SVK)

Linked here.

Match: Spurs 0 Hull 1

Courtesy of Official Site-

Juande Ramos insisted he couldn't fault the players after Sunday's 1-0 reverse against Hull City at the Lane.

The Head Coach left the Lane convinced that fortunes will turn if the players reproduce the type of performance that went unrewarded against the Tigers.

Match statistics later showed 19 efforts on goal to Hull's nine and 12 corners to nil in our favour but the key note arrived in the eighth minute when Geovanni brilliantly curled home a free-kick from 30 yards for what turned out to be the winner.

We struck the woodwork twice in the first half - Dean Marney did the same for the visitors - and the second half was one-way traffic but Hull's goal remained intact.

"I thought the players gave a big effort and we had many opportunities to score but it wasn't to be," reflected Juande. "The opposition scored in the early minutes again but after that we hit the post twice, had clear-cut chances and spent the second half attacking, attacking and attacking.

"In football, sometimes it's very difficult to explain things.

"We wanted to win, we played to win and I think if we play in a similar way we will change this situation."

Asked why he was convinced things would change, Juande responded: "The attitude of the players is very positive in training and when I speak with them my feeling is that they want to finish this situation quickly.

"They are unhappy because it wasn't a good scoreline but I'm sure if they have the same attitude in the next match it will be possible to win."

Meanwhile, Juande confirmed that Roman Pavlyuchenko was substituted in the first half because of an ankle injury. The striker will undergo scans on Monday.

Linked here.

Match: Pompey 2 Spurs 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

Portsmouth clinched victory by a 2-0 margin at Fratton Park, a goal in each half leaving us still awaiting a first Premier League victory this term.

It was a case of perfect timing for Pompey, a penalty given for handball against Jermain Jenas lifted the home gloom after successive heavy defeats, while the second from a counter-attack came when a leveller appeared most likely.

The restored David Bentley served up some early notice of intent with an arrowing set piece from the right inside the first couple minutes that Jonathan Woodgate headed goalwards, but there was also a signal of the danger at the other end when a Peter Crouch flick-on landed in the path of Jermain Defoe, who proceeded to steer past Heurelho Gomes. Thankfully the flag of the assistant saw to it that Pompey were not given an early cause for celebration.

Richard Hughes then took Gomes slightly by surprise by packing some considerable power into a shot on the slide, but the goalkeeper did well to parry. A Vedran Corluka charge down the right, moments later, resulted in Jamie O'Hara just arriving a fraction too late to record his second goal in two games.

Gomes made a superb reaction save from a Hughes smash just after 20 minutes and ended up on the receiving end of a boot in the eye from Crouch. Pompey were picking up a bit of momentum, although the pressure point was mostly a direct route up to Crouch and seizing on the second ball.

On 33 minutes the home side took the lead from the spot after Jenas lead with his arm when attempting to clear a high ball from the right. Defoe did the honours with Gomes coming pretty close to getting his hands to his strike to the keeper's right.

Portsmouth now held an advantage in a game where there was not much in it, although Roman Pavlyuchenko being isolated in attack was an issue that needed addressing during half-time and the introduction of Aaron Lennon appeared likely.

It proved to be the case and Lennon replaced Gilberto after the break, no doubt to inject some pace in support of the Russian.

There was greater urgency in the approach play of the team, with Lennon seeking to attack Glen Johnson at every opportunity and, from one such sortie, Pavlyuchenko headed just wide. A dash from Nadir Belhadj led to Gomes making another smart reaction save at his near post before a Lennon cross struck the arm of Lassana Diara but, on this occasion, referee Mr Dean deemed that the ball hitting arm was not a penalty awarding offence.

Giovani was next on for Didier Zokora with 57 minutes on the clock and he quickly began to cause problems with his tricky running. From him being illegally halted on one such run, a Bentley free-kick dipped into the area and the outstretched leg of Pavlyuchenko could not quite guide the ball towards goal.

A two-goal deficit was inflicted on 67 minutes when, from a speedy counter, Armand Traore drilled a shot in that Gomes blocked, but the loose ball looped up towards the head of Crouch and the England striker applied the nod to double the advantage for the home side.

The goal was against the run of the play and the scoreline not in tune with the course of events. Darren Bent came off the bench to try and provide some thrust up front, with Pavlyuchenko withdrawn.

A Woodgate chip forward did set Bent in motion but, while he went wide to avoid David James, he could not keep his effort from flying high. Lennon did force a fine save out of the England keeper before Pompey were reduced to ten following Diarra's lunge on Benoit Assou-Ekotto.

It came too late to really have any effect on the outcome and it is now off to Poland on a mission to book UEFA Cup group stage football for the next few months.

Linked here.