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.