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Great.Blue.Kingly.

Great.Blue.Kingly.
This is a blog devoted Tottenham Hotspur, and occasionally other football-soccer related matters. The site features video highlights, regular news updates about our beloved Spurs and ocassionally insightful commentary along with musings on Spurs hist

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News Flash!
2007-11-08 17:53:00
Berbs and Keano have put us up 2-0 at the half! Keano's run of amazing form continues and Berbs is starting to look a little more like his old self. In case anyone was concerned, I am listening to the match on BBC London 94.9. You can listen here and its free, all you need is Realplayer. The commentators keep saying that Tottenham is not playing well, but up 2-0 and defending well sounds pretty good to me...
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To Tel Aviv
2007-11-08 16:47:00
Some are going to Tel Aviv , like Beef Bagel (yes, I'm jealous)--and apparently many others because the tourist bureau from Tel Aviv posted some travel information on the Bigsoccer Spurs board, but I, however, will not be in attendance. At the moment, I am desperately trying to find a way to watch the match--I signed up for the Setanta last weekend but I have yet to get the fucking thing to work, and of course my pleas for help have been ignored. Luckily our match with Wigan this weekend is on the tele, otherwise I might loose my mind. Matchcast on ESPNsoccernet is just so agonizingly slow, and anti-climactic, but G-d love them for trying...I have yet to experiment with the various free live streams I see advertised because I am afraid that they will kill my computer--and thus my thesis to which I have devoted countless (literally) hours.On to the match: [Pauses, tries in vain to get Setanta broadband to work, fails again, considers legal action, curses miserable life, laments the w...

Ramos speaks
2007-11-07 16:24:00
Juande says here that he is not planning any major changes in January and gives a vote of confidence to Robbo and Berbs. While Robbo has taken the most criticism, often being singled out (somewhat unfairly, in my opinion) for our crap defense, Berbs has been in less than sparkling form lately as well. So much so that the talk of selling him almost seems palatable, let me stress "almost." I have said before, in other mediums, that having four potential starting strikers is a waist an inevitably a morale problem. Why not sell a striker and buy some defense, or a good center-mid who can win the ball as well as score?--which we were promised after Carrick was sold but the player never materialized. Anyway, Ramos ' comments come amid talk of yet another Sevilla player being linked with a move to the Lane--this time it is Christian Poulsen, though I find this hard to believe as we could actually use a player like Poulsen and a transfer would thus ruin Comolli's strategy of only buying pl...
More About: Amos

It appears that every Sevilla player (past and present) has now been linked
2007-11-05 19:22:00
Alexander Kerzhakov is the latest Sevilla player to be linked with a move to the Lane, along with Daniel Alves and Kanoute (what a Glorious Return that would be). Kerzhakov is a bit of an unknown quantity at this point, he has a ton of potential (apparently) but both times I have seen him play he was virtually anonymous. He has not worked out well at Sevilla, so perhaps they will sell him if we really want him--but there is no actual indication that we are looking at him right now. However, Comolli probably wants to buy two or three more high-priced strikers, so perhaps we will see him in a Spurs uniform after all. Everyone needs a hobby, Comolli's is collecting players that his club does not need--here comes Kerzhakov.Meanwhile, Jermaine Defoe is apparently impressed with Ramos, which makes sense because he now has the chance to work his way back into the starting eleven. I have never been a fan of Defoe and have often spoke longly about his departure from the Lane, but if he gets...
More About: Player , Past , Present , Villa

Jol, a living Hotspur saint?
2007-11-04 22:56:00
Jol continues to impress everyone with the grace he has handled his unfortunate departure from the Lane, saying that he would even consider a return after all he has been through. The man is all class, he really was one of us (a fan as a child, even). Oi, Martin, cheers! (Maybe Comolli should be replaced by Martin...Comolli out! Martin in!)Here are a few links:Jol interviewed by the GuardianArticles from Sky Sports, BBC Sport, and ESPNsoccernet about Jol's potential desire to return to the Lane
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Jol, a living Hotspur saint?
2007-11-04 22:56:00
Jol continues to impress everyone with the grace he has handled his unfortunate departure from the Lane, saying that he would even consider a return after all he has been through. The man is all class, he really was one of us (a fan as a child, even). Oi, Martin, cheers! (Maybe Comolli should be replaced by Martin...Comolli out! Martin in!) Here are a few links: Jol interviewed by the Guardian
More About: Living , Saint , Hotspur

Away at Middlesbrough
2007-11-04 01:47:00
We needed a win, really, but we came away with one point instead of three. That's something, which is a little more than nothing. In a surprising move both Keano and Berbs were on the bench, this despite Keano's blazing form, and we actually got to see Kevin-Prince Boateng. While opinions vary, I think that Boateng performed well--he was solid, straight-forward, he did what he was supposed to do, even defending fairly well in contrast to the shoddy midfield defense that has characterized the start to our season thus far. Bent, who scored an excellent goal, and Defoe were not that great of a combination; I would have been more interested to see Bent and Keano, but Defoe looked like the odd man out (which is fitting, I suppose) most of the time--though he did have a decent chance towards the end of the first half. In the end, had we been able to produce more effective offense we could have taken the match. Young's equalizer was, for a change, not the result of poor defense (though ...
More About: Middlesbrough

Ready for the weekend
2007-11-02 15:43:00
Tomorrow's match with Middlesbrough is by all accounts an important match. Having tasted victory at home, though against a scrappy but ultimately inferior side, we must now win on the road against a Premiership team--one that is in a somewhat similar position, in fact. Bale, Gardner, Rocha and Assouto-Ekotto are all out for sure according to Sky Sports, which means that Ramos will have limited options for defense. However, Robbo looked a little more confident against Blackpool and the clean sheet should have helped psychologically. If Robbo could achieve some consistent form, then perhaps our defensive line will become a bit less porous. With Bale still out I am looking for Steed to start on the right and Lennon on the left, with Keano and Berbs up front. Will we see Chimo in the center, or perhaps Dawson who looked a little more like his last season self against Blackpool, or Kaboul? It will be interesting to see what kind of line-up Ramos chooses for his first proper Premiership ...
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Its a start
2007-11-02 00:20:00
My dear old dad always says: you have to beat the teams you're supposed to beat if your season is to be a success. Against Blackpool, the Spurs certainly did just that and they kept a clean sheet as well. A win is a win, even if nearly every match report that I have read has been rather unimpressed with our performance. Our defense still needs work, according to Juande, but the clean sheet is sure to boost Robinson's confidence--along with his spectacular save. Its a start, and n0t a bad on either, but the real test will be this weekend against Middlesbrough. COYS!Here are some highlights (along with some pre and post-match bits). Enjoy.
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Classics III
2007-11-01 05:12:00
Bit of a newer classic this installment, 1999 League Cup Final against Leicester (featuring a young Robbie Savage--Savage is a wanker, Savage is a wanker, la la la, Savage is a wanker, Savage is a wanker, la la la--anyone remember that one?). Winning late in the second half with only ten men speaks volumes about the courage and grace under fire that characterizes Tottenham past and present (though that doesn't generally include the executive staff). A great match and a well deserved honor, another reminder of why we love our Spurs. Enjoy.Ps-Comments on today's victory to come (oh the suspense!)...
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Just a couple of things
2007-10-31 04:53:00
Here are a couple of posts from the Guardian sports blog that I found interesting, and that you might as well:Barney Ronay compares Juande Ramos to the Special One.Richard Williams adds his bit in regard to Ramos' immediate future at the Lane, his analysis is separated from the rest by its intelligence.Phil Ball, who along with Norman Hubbard is one of the two good things about ESPNsoccernet, gives his take on Juande Ramos.Graham Roberts says that Tottenham should stick by Ramos for the long term; listen to the legend, Levy!And finally, here is a little something that will make any true Spurs fan happy no matter how bad things might seem (in life, in the world, in football):
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Ramos, Alvarez and Poyet unveiled, Comolli in top form, Levy absent
2007-10-30 22:53:00
Today a press conference was held to introduce Ramos , Alvarez and Gus as the new coaching staff at our beloved Spurs. It was, by all accounts (BBC Sport, Guardian, Sky Sports), yet another demonstration of Levy/Comolli's incompetence--though for Levy it was a demonstration by proxy because he did not bother to show up for the affair. No doubt Levy's absence was designed to make it easier to avoid questions about his conduct in hiring Ramos--Sevillia is still apparently quite angry--plus, accountability has never been Levy's (or Comolli's) strong point.As for Levy's minion, all the article's I read said that he acted like the squirmy little weasal that he is--next to Ramos' poise and professionalism, the absurdity of this man having any power at Tottenham will have no doubt been on display. As for the man himself, Ramos' words could not help but inspire confidence both amongst the players and the fans. One curious tick: Ramos, Alvarez and Gus were apparently introduced as Co...
More About: Form , Amos

Interesting
2007-10-29 22:25:00
"Motivating Berbatov is not least among the challenges Ramos faces, including dealing with a disreputable board and a sporting director of dubious merit.Yet while the unaccountable, no matter how poor their performance, retain their jobs, the public face of Tottenham - Jol - was sacrificed. He had accountability without full power, and that was unenviable. Tottenham should not make the same mistake. Juande Ramos faces a stiff task in a climate of pressure, but he should not be a head coach or subject to an intermediary with the boardroom. Let him be a manager."--from Norman Hubbard's excellent diagnosis of our current status at ESPNsoccernet. Hubbard, who in my opinion is one of the few good things about ESPNsoccernet, does not break any new ground with his commentary, but what he does say he says well. Worth a look...here are a few other items that may be of interest:David Hytner writes about the potentially rocky relationship between Ramos and Comolli at the Guardian Sports Blog...
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Gus returns to the Lane
2007-10-29 16:22:00
Several sources (Guardian, ESPNsoccernet, BBC Sport, Sky Sports) are reporting that Gus will become Ramos' second assistant along with Marco Alvarez (who came with Ramos from Sevilla). While I am happy to see Gus return to the Lane , I can't help but wonder why Ramos was not able to pick both of his assistants. In an earlier post I worried that Levy/Comolli were undermining Ramos right from the start by hiring an assistant without his input--Jol all over again, is this the situation? Are Levy/Comolli already tinkering, even before Ramos has been officially introduced as the new manager of our beloved Spurs? I don't know...Gus has done well at Leeds (who are apparently no longer angry about the approach, amazing what a generous compensation package can do), but will he be able to work with Ramos? But let's be optimistic, c'mon...be optimistic [shakes fist in the air]!

Another day, another poor defensive performance
2007-10-29 00:30:00
The agony. Oh the agony! To be hated by the Gods! Such a fate! Such a fate!Wailing aside, today's loss was hardly the result of fate conspiring against us--it was, as per usual, the result of poor defending. Though we played attacking football up until the last minutes of the first half, with Keano and Lennon conspiring well for the first goal, we gave up our lead and began to lose our fire only ten minutes after Keano (converting a penalty well won) put us out front. Poor marking allowed McCarthy to slip into the box to recieve a Bently cross. Samba's game winner, in injury time (salt to the wounds, especially since this is not the first time we have conceded a goal in injury time), was the result of blown coverage. Simply put there is no reason that we should not have come away with a point at least, let alone a win. Suffice it to say that job number one for Ramos will be to fix our defense. We can score, particularly with Keano in such devastating form, we need to keep opponent...
More About: Performance , Perform

Levy responds (but not specifically to Great.Blue.Kingly., though I am stil
2007-10-28 22:38:00
Levy has issued an open letter answer the rash of criticism regarding his dismissal of Jol and hiring of Ramos. It was your standard letter, emphasizing organizational unity and attempting to convince us that there was only the appearance of acrimony or underhandedness--caused, of course, directly or indirectly by the press and or rouge elements of the organization. Perhaps it is just me, but I thought the letter smelled faintly of arrogance; Levy was telling us all to fuck off and let him run his business--eat, drink, purchase and sing, but if you take an interest in the club that is expressed in a way other than consumption you have overstepped your bounds. In the letter Levy almost seemed as though he was scolding the fans for their misconceptions in the first two paragraphs and then forgiving them for their ignorance with an offer to rejoin the Spurs fold in the closing paragraph. Not exactly the best way to win support from an irritated fanbase. Its worth pointing out that Levy...
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