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 Articles
A fond farewell
2008-02-02 16:17:00 This will be the last post on Great.Blue.Kingly., I can no longer find the time. Just when I thought my schedule was all set, things changed as they often do. So that means this blog, being a labour of love, gets the proverbial "ax."Its been fun, and as always: COYS! More About: Farewell , Fond
A return to the north-west
2008-01-30 16:12:00 Today's match sees our beloved Spurs travel back to the North -west, this time to Goodison Park with the hope of picking up three league points. Today will see the debut of Woody in a Spurs kit, although newest signing Alan Hutton (official announcement, after three tries and a huge salary increase, the player who least seemed to want to wear the shirt is on his way to the Lane) will likely debut in Saturday's home rematch against Manure. We have lost our last three on the road, but I think that we are still playing good football--to be fair, two of those three matches were against the Scum and Manure. I like our chances today, though beating Everton at home is always going to be a task.The word on whether Leds will start is ominously quiet--all is not as it should be, there is definitely something afoot. He has not been listed as injured in any of the match reports that I have read, however he has not been listed in any of the probable squads either. That is not a good sign, if I... More About: West , Return
Woody to Spurs, Hutton Lured With Sweats and Several Thousands of Pounds, S
2008-01-29 17:37:00 It's official (Woody !), we have completed our first signing of the transfer season: Jonathon Woodgate is now our newest CB. Though I have heard that he is a bit of a prick, though I cannot confirm that, there is no doubt that he is a solid defender. Questions remain about his long-term fitness, the last thing we need is two classy CBs that are constantly injured. However, it has been pointed out that since returning to England from Madrid Woody has maintained his fitness much more consistently than in the past--it was said that he sat out Boro's FA Cup tie last weekend because of calf strain, but I suspect that this was probably more a result of the impending transfer deal. Either way, a calf strain is hardly a serious injury--we will just have to wait and see if he makes is debut tomorrow; I hope so because its on the tele in the States--DVR! I think that this is a fairly good signing if Woody can stay healthy, particularly with Dawson's limitations becoming ever more clear this... More About: Spurs , Hutton , Hutto
Out of the FA Cup
2008-01-28 15:49:00 No one person is ever responsible for a loss, not in a team sport at least--especially football. However, football fans have made an art out of blaming one player for a team's poor performance. There has been much debate about Dawson's role in our 3-1 loss, at times rather fierce. Here is my take: Dawson, in my opinion, was not responsible for Tevez's goal; had there been better marking in the midfield, that is to say more pressure on the ball, things might have gone differently--poor defense from our midfield has been a constant this season. No such excuses can be made for his horrendous error which resulted in a penalty kick for Manure, and thus the lead--Christiano "Divey McDive" Ronaldo making good from the spot. Say what you will but Dawson's hand ball in the box was completely intentional and he deserved his red card. He was out of position, he over-committed to the ball and neglected the player. Rooney, who had a clear path to goal on his left, was able to take advantage ...
Away at Manure (FA Cup, 4th round)
2008-01-26 16:49:00 Despite what you may have heard, I have it on good authority that Manchester United are a side made up of actual human beings--containing all the key ingredients: flesh bone blood and shite--and thus do not have any sort of G-d-like invincibility. So much was proved by the Spammers not all that long ago; that's right, Manure can be beat. In fact, we have beat them in the FA Cup before: Spurs 1-0 Manure, 1980. Gloddle was in goal (yes, you read that right) and Ossie scored the winner in extra time--article from the Beeb on the match. So there you have it, it is possible to beat Manure.More than likely we will see basically the same side that dismantled the Scum earlier this week, with the exception of Chimo due to suspension. I would expect to see Jenas, who is in red-hot form, in the center-mid and perhaps Teems will get the nod again or Hudds--Steed and Lennon on the left and right. Berbs and Keano up front, with Stalts filling in at right back? I have no idea who will be in goal ... More About: Round
Taking the piss (Part 1)
2008-01-25 19:47:00 This is where we take this piss out of Scummers. We earned it, we should enjoy it.Some pre and post-match messages from a certain well known Scum board:*Pre:“it’s an embarresingly strong squad!!- we gotta win now or else we wont have the ‘we definately only played youngsters’ excuse- the main dif will be the strength of the bench probably……..it’s ghood that we’re taking it seriously i spose”“It is a very strong squad indeed. Flamini is also in there. I wonder if he’ll start”“Very strong squad. I think this match means more to Wenger than we think. Apart from it being a North London Derby and the fact he doesnt want Ramos to get a pscyhological edge if Spurs win for the long run, I think he sees it as a realistic chance of us gaining silverware this season. Wenger knows he cant go this season without winning a trophy so why not get the one we have the best chance in at the moment.”“So, looks like we’ll have no excuses if we lose tonight. We’ll just h... More About: Part , Piss , Taking
22/1/2008 (Part 2)
2008-01-25 16:48:00 A couple of days removed, the Match is starting to take on the aura of history; by next week it will certainly be wrapped in the ornamental syntax of legend...As I was looking through my old posts, trying to decide on a direction for this blog over the next couple of months I happened to notice that my last post before my rather lengthy sabbatical was on our Premier League loss to the Scum on 22/12. It was the second NLD of the season, the first ending in utter defeat. In that post I suggested that despite the loss, something had notably changed about our side--our comportment and demeanor, and indeed the quality of our play on the pitch. To my mind, the loss was painful but at the same time encouraging. Nostrodamus I am not, but it was clear to me that we had reached a turning point though I would never have imagined that it would come to perhaps its fullest fruition with a 5-1 thrashing of the Scum in the fourth NLD this year.Around that time I recall a post over at Beefbagel refl... More About: Part , 2008
The Goals
2008-01-25 02:47:00 I am quite certain that everyone has seen these a million times by now, but I am going to post them anyway for all to enjoy whenever and wherever they may want to.*the goals:Jenas Bendtner (og)--good for a laugh, eh? Great finish that... Keano Lennon Steed 5-1 5-1 WE BEAT THE SCUM 5-1 More About: Goals
Let's all take the piss (Part 1)
2008-01-24 18:18:00 This is the first in a series of posts about 22/1/2008, when Good triumphed over Evil 5-1. In this first installment I will share with you my experience of watching the match:At around 2pm I was in the campus Library, trying very hard to get through an article on Renaissance conceptions of time and space--though it was interesting, my mind was elsewhere. Since it would have been impossible for me to make it all the way home in time to catch the match, I had agreed to me a fellow Lit instructor (though he's a Doctor already) who has just moved here from old Blighty and is a Yido through and through in his office. I brought my lucky scarf (one of many, but its a bar stripped scarf that I bought a number of years ago while enjoying Spurs crushing Villa with me big brother) and my Spurs legends mug (my most prized possession) to school. 2:15 pm. My mind is in Norf London (translation: "North London"), not in Shakespeare's England. I wonder if Shakespeare would be a Tottenham fan?--I s... More About: Part , Piss
I am back, who missed me?
2008-01-24 18:00:00 Whew! Its been awhile and I apologize to my loyal readers (or reader, more likely)...but things have been a bit chaotic with the start of a new semester and a new teaching schedule plus I'm getting close to ground-zero with my thesis...blah blah blah. I think I have it all worked out now so that I can find some time to blog again on a regular basis, so everyone can breathe easy again.Anyway, enough of that. So what's happened since I have been gone? We have continued to improve under Juande and Gus' careful guidance, we have been linked with nearly every player in Europe--but nothing has happened despite a minor hysteria caused by an ITK on the COYS boards, there are questions about the severity of Bale's injury, Berbs is still with us, Ghaly has finally left, and Arsenal lost on Tuesday in the Carling Cup Semi-final.......... 5-1 5-1 WE BEAT THE SCUM 5-1!!!!!! More About: Back
Even in the aftermath, life goes on
2007-12-23 16:01:00 Every loss hurts. But some losses hurt more than others and a loss to the Scum hurts in ways that are almost indescribable. Let's get it all out there, clear the air, exorcise the bitterness: Yesterday, our beloved Spurs lost to Arsenal. After Berbs scored a brilliant equalizer Keano missed a penalty (blocked by Almunia) and we gave away a goal to an arrogant Danish striker who scored his first Prem goal (I believe) on his first touch literally seconds after coming onto the pitch--on a corner no less, which means it was the result of shit marking. On its face, this is the very definition of disaster. But there was more to it than that, there were some positive things that we can take from this match--for starters, I was well pissed by noon yesterday. The play of both O'Hara and K-PB was inspiring, both continuing to show promise in abundance. When one considers a possible pairing of Jenas with either O'Hara or K-PB, the potential outcome is indeed tantalizing. Juande's faith in ... More About: Life
The Scum
2007-12-21 15:43:00 So here I am, having passed a week filled with delightful anticipation and enjoyable pre-match banter with every Scum mer I know (and many that I do not know), now the battle's eve is here. In some ways, the build up is quite routine: Scummers flaunt their success in our faces, we accuse them of being glory hunters and plastic (to which they rarely have a response); each time they confirm the obvious, that the Scum represent all that is bad and that our beloved Spurs represent all that is good. The whole thing has a biblical tinge to it, the demarcation of good vs. evil is as clear as cut glass--Scum=evil and Spurs=good. How I would love to be at the Bricklayers, pints and sing-songs (ding-dongs :-)); how I would love to march with the Yid Army from the Scum tube station towards the New Library. But alas, it is not possible--not even remotely. I will however be heading to Chicago with me dear ole' Da' and big brother (over for the holidays); a family friend owns a pub in the Secon...
Contest
2007-12-20 19:38:00 I am going to re-post the contest that I proposed yesterday in the hope that more people will see it now that is not at the tail-end of my wordy musings about football and politics and Fabs. If it turns out well, this might become a regular feature; that is I may start bribing readers regularly. So here it is:It occurred to me that a contest might be a bit of fun for my one or two loyal readers, so here goes: in the post from 19/12 I mentioned Paul Celan who is a poet that I have taught many times and written about as well. If you can find the connection between this blog and Paul Celan I will purchase and send to you a Spurs scarf. If you are not a Spurs fan, well, we'll deal with that should it occur. The connection is not obvious, but it is there--want a hint? Look at text of the poems.Could be your's! More About: Contest
More news but thankfully only a minimum number of views
2007-12-20 18:18:00 *Here's a bit of a news roundup:The FA have unsurprisingly rejected Spurs appeal over Zorks' unjust red card against the Citizens, though they will certainly not punish Man Citeh for the disgusting behaviour of their fans. See yesterday's post with the link to Beef Bagel's match report, but prepared to be fucking pist.Sky Sports, among others, are linking us with Tomas Ujfalusi; Ramos is said to be a fan and their were rumours of a Sevilla move last summer. Sevilla, along with Liverpool, are supposedly still interested--that should make things interesting.On the lighter side: Judas has apparently had his feelings hurt by shouts from the terraces, 'Arry, always the humanitarian, has offered a shoulder for him to cry on. I have heard some nasty things said about Judas, but I have never heard him racially abused. Apparently its okay for Judas and his fellow professionals (Terry et al.) and 'Arry (along with Fergie and the lot) to verbally abuse and physically intimidate match off... More About: News , Views , Minimum , Number
Its all just preamble, really
2007-12-19 19:06:00 There is quietness about the North London footballing world (the Footballing world, depending on your perspective), sure there is chatter--the Hotspur hearts are warm though it is winter. A run of good form, three impressive wins in a row and what is beginning to look like an exciting transfer period (aside from the horrifying thought of Wes Brown in a Spurs kit) just weeks away. But all that aside, on the edges of all the chatter there is a quiet anticipation--a counting of the days, the minutes, the seconds that is practically enmeshed within the biological rhythms of our bodies, our breaths and our (Hotspur) heartbeats. It is as if we are all living in a Paul Celan poem, the silence after speech, the darkness beyond the reach of our lighted worlds is so present, though not entirely menacing. We all know something momentous is about to happen, it happens every year, but we all try to go on living as if it weren't--we go to work or school, or wherever it is we go when we are not w...
Man Citeh (part deux, section II)
2007-12-18 23:23:00 Riding the tide of two straight Prem wins, Spurs, clad in the yellow kits, marched into Sven & Co's fortress and ended their ten game home winning streak in fine fashion. Weathering a storm of poor officiating that left us with ten men after Zorks was sent off on a straight red that was completely undeserved. Jenas and Lennon combined well to set up Defoe who scored with a smooth finish only five minutes in, but due to Zorks' departure was subbed out with a sour look on his face in favor of Tainio. Berbs was left on his own up front but performed quite well, making dangerous runs and good touches. Now that Defoe and I are back together again, and its official after today that we are, I couldn't help but feel bad for him--to be subbed off after finally getting a start and making good on it, but circumstances conspired to make it so. Actually, it was shite officiating--let's be honest. Despite being down a man, we looked the more potent side in the first half. The Mancs made their... More About: Part , Section
Man Citeh (part deux, section I)
2007-12-17 20:03:00 [Cue music from Brief Encounters] In this installment of the ongoing Spurs/Mancs drama we find our beloved Lillywhites traveling to Manchester to play away against a side that have a remarkable home record. Citeh's recent revival and indeed their position in the top four seems to rely heavily on their home form. Have lost at the Lane, the Citizens should be keen to get their revenge by knocking us out of the Carling Cup quarters. There has been little change (for us) on the injury front--B A-E, Bale, Gardner, Rocha and Leds are still out and we are without Keano as he is still finishing up his three match ban. Dawson has been classified as doubtful after his migraine attack last week (hope the chap is okay) so there is a possibility that we will see Zorks as a CB again. I wouldn't mind that, he did well at Pompey last weekend. Will O'Hara get the nod alongside Jenas or will we see Boateng?--I could go either way on this one, though I criticized Boateng's performance last Saturda... More About: Part , Section
2 Prem wins in a row
2007-12-15 22:03:00 The snow is coming down rapidly in the middle of America, but a cuppa tea in my Spurs legends mug (my most prized possession) and the BBC Radio London commentary warms my heart with a gentle nostalgia...ah England, rainy old England--where sideburns never go out of style, I can almost taste the bubble an' squeak...Joy, and 'tis the season: the holidays are just around the corner and my adorable nephew will be in town soon, Derby Day is upon us, the transfer season begins in only a couple of weeks, and we got a win at Fratton Park today--a win that we deserved (made all the more sweat after listen to the World Soccer daily twats trash our beloved Spurs the whole program; though I do agree with that chap about Becks being Anna Kournakova--did I spell that wrong?). Though we started out shaky in the back, we were able to pull it together with Chimo and Kaboul doing well and a couple of good saves from the increasingly more confident Robbo--Kaboul seems desperate to rehabilitate himse... More About: Wins
Caution prevails with Gareth's knock
2007-12-11 17:23:00 Spurs have confirmed that Gareth will be out for at least 3 months after the knock he received as a result of Muamba's (unpunished) challenge two weeks ago (articles from the Guardian, Sky Sports, BBC Sport (terrible picture)). Even if there is no further ligament damage to his right foot, which is to be determined by an exploratory operation this week (possibly today), Gareth will still be out for a significant period so that he has time to recover fully. This is a good thing, especially since the latest injury might well be a re-aggravation of the injury that sidelined him before the match against Birmingham--which is often the result of rushing (or being rushed) back to fitness. This is bad news for a left side already stricken with crisis--B A-E is definitely out for the season leaving only Lee as a true left back. If we had a solid LM or LWM, this might be less of an issue but Steed is out of position on the left. It's not that I think that Steed is doing a bad job, quite th... More About: Knock
Spurs take all three from Man City, with a little help
2007-12-10 15:46:00 With the help of a little divine intervention and an excellent shot from the little Yiddo who came on as a sub, our beloved Spurs took three points from yesterday's match against Man City at the Lane. Though we gave up a goal to Bianchi from a corner, I would say after watching the replay of the match last night that we defended better on the whole--that's not to say that there weren't a few moments of terror. Kaboul was back in the lineup and did not commit any howlers, let's hope this is the beginning of a streak--he tends to wander out of position a bit, pushing forward often; maybe he is trying to be all things to all people. But Kaboul and Dawson both held the line, generally cleared the ball well and marked with purpose. Of course it says something about the state of our defense when we are breathlessly celebrating competence, on the other hand competent defense is something to celebrate--particularly in light of our last several matches. We thus managed not to surrender a...
Man Citeh
2007-12-08 16:48:00 Tomorrow we face Sven and Man City looking for just our third Premiership win--and Ramos' first, in a preview of the upcoming Carling Cup quarter-final. BA-E, Bale and Gardner are all out--along with Rocha and Leds, who both seem to be on the verge of returning; Chimo and Lee both face late fitness tests but are likely to be available (hopefully, for G-d's sake we can't afford another injury in the back). Will we see Kaboul today? Again, the build up to kick-off includes tele-novella like twists and turns in regard to who will be in the back 4. Keano is out as well--his (unjust) 3 match ban begins tomorrow, so it seems likely that Berbs and Bent will start up front. The Sky Sports preview mentions that we have dropped a total of 19 pts from a wining position which might be the most depressing statistic I have ever read. [sighs] However, one stat that is in our favor: City have the worst away record in the Premiership with just one win. The situation remains the same: if we can de...
But we're through
2007-12-07 17:52:00 Yesterday, like so many match days lately, was initially characterized by defensive calamity. I can still see the ball skidding across the wet pitch, past the nearby feet of 3 defenders, then a jump-cut to the ball in the back of the net--some would credit a howler to Michael Dawson, but the blame should be placed on every Spurs player on the pitch, except Robbo who did his best in an impossible situation. So our defensive woes continue, though Robbo is looking more and more confident in goal; but alas we were rescued by a calm and composed Berbs, who scored a deserved penalty after Jenas (who looked good in his first game back) broke through on goal and was tackled from behind. We are through to the knock out stage, that's the good news, though our seeding will be determined by the upcoming Getafe/Anderlecht tie. Yesterday's performance was not a pretty one, it was as muddy as the pitch really.Apparently, the Anderlecht supporters were tossing objects onto the pitch--one of them ...
Away at Anderlecht
2007-12-06 17:14:00 First, by law I believe (the universal unwritten law that all Spurs fans must abide by), I must mention the history of today's match-up: 23 years ago we traveled to Brussels to play the first leg of the UEFA Cup finals against Anderlecht which resulted in a 1-1 draw setting up a dramatic second leg at the Lane--Graham Roberts' late equalizer, Tony Roberts' heroic save in the PK shootout and Tony Parks whose right foot finally guided the way to our second helping of European glory. [sighs with pleasant nostalgia]Out of the misty past and into the cold present: We are currently top of our group and can seal a spot, and good seeding, with a win today. Conversely, Anderlecht could win the group with a win so it goes without saying that they be motivated by more than history. Kaboul will not be in the lineup today, supposedly he is being rested (and not going out on loan, according to Juande) which raises the question of who will start along Dawson as the other CB, Chimo? Perhaps we w...
Leds is on his way back
2007-12-05 16:21:00 Leds, Rocha and Dorian Dervite (French lad signed a while back, supposedly he's the bee's knees) all featured in the recent reserve match against Fulham (BBC Sport article here, ESPNsoccernet article here). King completed 45 minutes which is a good sign, but it does not mean that a return to first team football is imminent; but some progress is better than none, the glass is half full, and so on. The articles I have read have not mentioned a time table for Rocha or Dervite, but I would imagine that Rocha, whose injury seems to be a bit less serious (but not a gentle knock for sure), will be fit soon rather than later. It will be nice to have another CB to choose from. However, even if Rocha makes a speedy recovery and Leds continues to progress I still think that we need to buy a CB this January and I still think that it is time to consider selling Leds. Solid, competent, fit and experienced--these are the qualities that I would be looking for in a CB this January, not the flavor ... More About: Back
FA denies appeal, Keano banned for 3 matches
2007-12-04 18:45:00 In an effort to maintain their remarkably consistent support for poor officiating the FA have denied Keano's appeal to have Sunday's red card overturned and upheld his 3 match ban--which means he will miss premiership matches against Man City and Portsmouth and the Carling Cup 1/4 final match against Man City. I suppose if Defoe really wants a chance to prove himself, he has it now thanks to Phil Dowd & Co.; the fact remains, though, Keano's absence will be felt--especially now when we are just a point or two above the drop zone. Its not so much that our attacking will suffer--any manager would love to have the quality of Bent, Berbs and Defoe to choose from--but Keano brings some intangibles onto the pitch. Without his passion, leadership and his composure I fear there will be something of a vacuum; given our season so far, this is not something that we can afford especially against two premiership sides that are performing well--in two matches that we need points from. Som... More About: Matches , Banned , Appeal
Keano and Spurs to appeal
2007-12-03 19:31:00 Apparently Spurs are set to appeal Keano's shocking red card yesterday to the FA--issued by Phil Dowd, who was responsible for at least one other controversial red card in recent weeks (not to mention a career filled with questionable judgment). It was not a good tackle, and yes, Keano's spikes were showing just a bit, but in the end it was clear that no malice was intended--it was a Robbie Keane tackle, not a Roy Keane tackle. The tackle deserved a yellow card, but an ejection and a three-match ban?--seems a bit strong to me. This seems to be a general trend in English football: more bookings, more cards. To some extent this is a good thing, cracking down on cheap shots and intentionally dangerous play is something that surely everyone would support. But not every hard tackle deserves a booking, there has to be some consideration of the fact that football is a physical game and that tackling is an essential part of it. There will be reckless challenges, but they do not deserve th... More About: Appeal
He picked a lousy time to return...
2007-12-02 19:32:00 Well, I'm back--surely someone noticed I was gone? No? No one? It seems that much has happened in my absence: a draw with West Ham (and a shit penalty by Defoe), an inspiring win against Aalborg coming back from two goals down, news that Riquelme turned us down to return to Boca, and finally today's loss to Birmingham.The thought of Riquelme in a Spurs kit is tantalizing, I have always thought that he plays the beautiful game beautifully and am considering staying up until 2am to watch him make his debut with Boca against Lanus--the joys of a graduate student schedule, I literally don't have to be anywhere for most of the week. But alas, a Riquelme move to the Lane was not in the cards and so we can only daydream about what might have been.But let's take our heads out of the clouds and talk about todays match, which, of course ended in disaster with former Scum player Sebastian Larsson putting in a cracker in injury time making it a 2-3 final. Yes, the officiating was complete s... More About: Time , Return
4-0.
2007-11-12 04:58:00 Let's get this out of the way first; yes, Wigan are a shit side and upon that can be added the managerial confusion ensuing after the dismissal of Hutchins (sounds familiar...). So to recap: Wigan are shit and, like nearly all of our opponents in the last five matches, they are a side that we should beat easily. Today we beat Wigan easily. But as I watched, I felt reason to take heart in our performance aside from the obvious thrill of a 4-0 win. First there was the clean sheet. We have conceded only one goal under Ramos thus far, and though this will almost certainly change, Robbo seems to be in much better form--today on the rare occasions that he was called upon to act he did so with confidence and little fuss--and our back line seemed to be more physical in their marking and attuned to each other's movements--with the exception of Kaboul and Dawson in the first half who could not seem to decided who should mark who. More importantly, our midfield defended very well. I have sai...
Another day, another win and another clean sheet
2007-11-09 05:05:00 Say what you will, but a win is a win and a clean sheet is a clean sheet. Everyone who has anything to do with footy analysis and or commentary has been saying that our performance, our effort was poor today, but it is worth pointing out that we did in fact win and that we did not allow any goals which is a good performance in my book. In the past three matches we have allowed only one goal and scored five--again, doesn't seem that bad to me. It is true that we have not been playing Manure, Barca and the Brazilian national team, but we are wining and not losing and that is a good thing. Our confidence is creeping back, we have effectively turned our European campaign around, advanced in a domestic cup, and now all we have to do is perform well in the league and we'll be in good shape. How's that for optimism?It was interesting to see Paul Stalt in the starting eleven, when was the last time you saw that? Chimo was in the center this time, some would say that he was out of positio... More About: Clean , Sheet , Shee
Another day, another win and another clean sheet
More articles from this author:2007-11-09 05:05:00 Say what you will, but a win is a win and a clean sheet is a clean sheet. Everyone who has anything to do with footy analysis and or commentary has been saying that our performance, our effort was poor today, but it is worth pointing out that we did in fact win and that we did not allow any goals which is a good performance in my book. In the past three matches we have allowed only one goal and More About: Clean , Sheet , Shee 1, 2, 3 |
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