EPL: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Blues Win Thanks to Gomes and Controversy

Two controversial goals from Frank Lampard and Saloman Kalou were the difference between winning and losing and seeing their title challenge end for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp's side had taken the lead against the run of play when Sandro scored a screamer from fully 30-yards before the latest in a long line of howlers from Heurelho Gomes allowed the Pensioners back into the game.

Frank Lampard's speculative shot, right on the stroke of half time, was straight at the haphazard 'keeper who allowed the ball to squirm through his hands and between his legs to agonizingly roll towards the goal. Gomes then dived to save the ball before it rolled over the line only for the linesman to rule that a goal had been scored. Television replays then proved that the goal should not have stood as the whole of the ball did not cross the goal line.

To rub salt into Spurs' wounds, Kalou then popped up to score an offside goal to win the game, keeping up the Blues' hope of catching Manchester United but also condemning the Lilywhites who now have virtually no chance of finishing in the Champions League positions.

Spineless Arsene Wenger is Turning Arsenal into a Version of Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal's tilt at the title has ended yet again, although the Gunners did hang in for longer than most predicted. However, the same old questions now need to be answered, the most prominent being: Why does Arsene Wenger not see what everyone else does?

EPL: Tottenham Hotspur 3-3 Arsenal: Spurs Win North London Derby After Draw...

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal served up yet another game of the season contender as they drew 3-3 in the North London Derby at White Hart Lane tonight. With both teams desperate for all three points a draw was the last thing either Arsene Wenger or Harry Redknapp had wanted.

However, the Spurs manager will be the happier as his team fought back from 3-1 down to draw level before dominating the rest of the game with Wojciech Szczesny coming to Arsenal's rescue as he repelled Tottenham attack after attack.

Tottenham Fight to Save Their Season After Real Madrid Hammering

Tottenham Hotspur's season stands on a knife edge following their 4-0 hammering away to Real Madrid in the Champions League midweek. Qualifying to the Semi-Finals of the Champions League is an impossible task but finishing in the top four is still within their grasp...

Tottenham Hotspur Beats AC MIlan to Qualify For Champions League Quarter Finals

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the Last Eight of the Champions League after drawing with AC Milan at White Hart Lane tonight. The Lilywhites, 1-0 up after beating the Rosseneri at the San Siro, held their austere counterparts to a 0-0 and are now just four games from a scarcely believable Wembley final.

Steven Pienaar's Move to Spurs Means The End of the Road for Aaron Lennon

Despite Chelsea making a last ditch, £6 million, 11th hour bid for Steven Pienaar's services, it now looks very likely that the Everton midfielder will be winging his way to Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp has been tracking the South African midfielder for some time and his impending arrival at White Hart Lane should by all accounts speed up the exit of Aaron Lennon from the club...

Harry Redknapp and Danny Murphy: Misguided Or Malicious?

Within the space of a couple of days, both Harry Redknapp and Danny Murphy issued extensive comments about two of the hottest topics concerning the English footballing world at the moment, the financial situation at Liverpool and dangerous tackling respectively. But were those comments genuine attempts at voicing their opinions or just misguided attempts at something else completely?

Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs Qualify for the Champions League

Tottenham Hotspur will head into Europe's Premier Cup competition for the first time since 1962 after they beat high spending Manchester City 1-0 at the Eastlands. The match was essentially a playoff for the final English placing in the Champions League next season.

Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the game as the man-of-the-match latched onto Martin Fulop's messy clearance to head the ball home with just eight minutes remaining.

The 1-0 win was thoroughly deserved by Harry Redknapp's adventurous side as they took the game to the home-side right from the off. 'Arry signalled Spurs' intentions with a brave team selection that included the returning Aaron Lennon and the injury prone Ledley King.

Lennon's inclusion meant that Spurs went with two out and out wingers on either side of the pitch, sending the message to everyone that Spurs were there to win the match and not to play out a draw that would have given them the advantage going into the final games this weekend.

City on the other hand were strangely subdued, and one must figure that the Italian fearful mentality of Roberto Mancini dictated the tempo his team were to play at.

While Spurs attacked and probed and got men forward at every opportunity, Manchester City played with two deep defensive midfielders and seemed happy to let the Londoners force the flow of the game.

Ex-Tottenham 'keeper Fulop made a number of brilliant saves to deny Spurs and at one stage the Blues goal was leading a charmed life. Crouch hit the post with a diving header, King had a goal disallowed for pushing, Defoe went close only to see Fulop's finger tips deny him, and Gareth Bale fired inches wide after a deft header from Crouch.

In reply, City barely troubled Heurelho Gomes, and when he was eventually called into the action the Brazilian was equal to anything the Citizens could muster.

In the end, City's game-plan and shape went out the window completely, and the more disciplined Spurs side took over. David Bentley, on for the dog tired Lennon, released Youness Kaboul who was let free by some abysmal defending by Craig Bellamy.

The deputising full back's cross was too hot to handle for Fulop and his parry sat up nicely for Crouch to nod home and send Spurs into Europe.

For Tottenham it is the next chapter in a remarkable story. In October 2008 when Redknapp took over they were rooted to the bottom of the table with an under-performing team. Less than 18 months later and they will be one of three London teams that will play in the Champions League next year.

The Spurs boss has built an exciting team, one of the few sides who use a traditional 4-4-2 with two attacking wide players. They have a goalkeeper who has gone from zero to hero and who is regularly linked with moves to the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus.

A midfield that combines silk and steel in equal measures with the likes of Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone growing with every game. Luka Modric is a class act who will garner attention from every major club and the two wide "diamonds" of Lennon and Bale are good enough to frighten any defence.

Spurs contain quality all over the pitch and with one or two extra signings could consolidate their stay in the top four.

That very much depends on progressing towards the group stages of the Champions League, and if they do they will have the financial and motivational tools to hold onto their very best players.

As the travelling Spurs fans broke out into Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur one could not help to feel for Manchester City's fans who had expected so much after their massive spending.

This defeat to Spurs has knocked their plans back, but they will end up in the top four sooner rather than later so it is up to Spurs to take advantage while they can and make hay while the sun shines.

Speaking after the game an obviously happy Harry Redknapp spoke gushingly about his young side, which included eight English players.

"Most people probably thought we'll come here and take a point but I picked the most attacking team you could ever wish to see," he told BBC Sport.

"We came here to a hot atmosphere and got at them and we deserved the win."

Redknapp added: "It's fantastic. It's been a terrific season for us, we've played some great football and we deserve it.

"I thought maybe the goal wasn't going to come and we'd go to Burnley with the extra point in the bag, which would have been a good situation, but this is perfect to finish it here today. It's just perfect for us.
"Crouchy was top class and led the line and he deserved the goal," he added.

"I also think Jermaine Defoe had his best performance away from home for some time.

"Finishing fourth is something that gives me a lot of pleasure. It's great for the club and it is nice to have finally done it after coming so near in the past.

"I think to finish third would be asking a lot but fourth is a great position for us.

"We'll have to have a look in the summer and see where we can improve if we have to, but we've got good players here. I think there might be eight boys in the preliminary squad for England."

Asked about centre-back Ledley King, Redknapp said: "What a player, he's got to go to the World Cup, but Michael Dawson as well—the two of them tonight were just fantastic. You've got to put them in your squad."

Eighteen months ago Spurs were on the verge of relegation, today they sit on the edge of playing in the Champions League and contributing more players to Fabio Capello's England squad than any other team.

Happy days indeed.

Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Bigger Than the Champions League Final

Spurs travel to the Eastlands tomorrow to take on the financial might of Manchester City in a match that promises to be one of the highlights of the season, and is almost certainly more important than the Champions League Final for a number of reasons.

When the two teams met last December it was Spurs who triumphed after a brace from Niko Krancjar and a neat finish from Jermaine Defoe gave the White Hart Lane outfit full points. The 3-0 defeat signalled the end of Mark Hughes' time in charge at City, and he was soon replaced by Italian schemer and fashionable scarf wearer Roberto Mancini.

The former Inter boss has continued the early good work set in motion by Hughes and, now, as expected, City stand on the brink of Champions League qualification.

Only Harry Redknapp's over achieving Tottenham team stand in their way of a potential £60 million, European and Premier League domination.

For those of you who think that will hardly be the case think again.

In the space of just 24 months Manchester City have spent something in the region of £200 million and trebled their wage bill. That has guaranteed them a challenge at the top four, should they progress one further then they will consolidate their position and spend again.

This game represents a turning point in many futures, for not only Tottenham or City, but for the other challenging teams in the league.

Victory for Spurs will push City's master plan back a year or two, while the money they could gain should take them further ahead of rivals Everton, Aston Villa, and maybe even Liverpool.

Champions League qualification for Manchester City would almost certainly see them sign better players and it is conceivable that they would surpass Arsenal and become viable title challengers with Chelsea and Manchester United.

It is a game with many destiny's on the line, but back to the match.

Both teams have goalkeeping problems.

Shay Given is out with a dislocated shoulder, which will see the Donegalman return to action next September or October. Huerelho Gomes damaged his groin, with only one minute remaining in the 1-0 win over Bolton at the weekend, and is a major doubt for the clash.

It means that both sides could potentially have reserve team goalkeepers between the posts in the biggest match either club has had in years. City's problems saw them bring in former Spurs 'keeper Martin Fulop on loan from Sunderland after they exploited a loop hole in the FA's rules governing goalkeepers, while Tottenham will probably have to make do with young Ben Alnwick.

The ex-Sunderland shotstopper joined the Lilywhites in January 2007 and has yet to make his first team debut at Spurs.

At the back both teams are likely to be without influential defenders. Jolean Lescott is out with a hamstring injury while Spurs will be without Vedran Corluka, long term absentee Johnathan Woodgate, and most probably Ledley King.

One of the best defenders in the league, King suffers from acute knee problems and can only play every six days. Whether he will take the pain and suffer through the City match remains to be seen, but it would be the ideal calling card to Fabio Capello who is sure to be in attendance.

City are at full strength in midfield where as Spurs will miss their infulential Croatian Kranjcar.

Tottenham will have the advantage as far as defence and midfield is concerned. They are a better unit at the back—Youness Kaboul has come in for Corluka without breaking stride,  Michael Dawson has progressed into a real candidate for South Africa, and Benoit Assou-Ekotto is the only real weak link at left full.

Roberto Mancini's men have lacked a certain creative spark through the middle this year, and it is likely that he will bring Shaun Wright-Phillips in at right midfield in an effort to expose the Cameroonian.

However, that could be tempered by the fact that Gareth Bale is certain to start in left midfield for Spurs, and one would think that Mancini's Italian mentality might take over and go with a defensive player instead of the nippy winger.

The middle of the park is where the battle will be won and lost. Patrick Vieira will almost certainly start with Gareth Barry and possibly Nigel De-Jong.

It will be interesting to see if Redknapp starts with Aaron Lennon or if he'll keep the winger on the bench. It might be a gamble worth taking as there will be no point worrying about the match on Sunday if City win, however if Spurs can keep it tight and take a draw the advantage swings to them.

Harry Redknapp should counter City's midfield by dropping Luka Modric to the bench and starting with the highly combative duo of Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios. If Spurs do go with this midfield pairing then expect City to hit their forward line early and quickly.

At the moment City have one of the most formidable strike-forces in the league with Carlos Tevez in fantastic form. He will be making his 100th Premier League start and needs just one goal to reach the magical 50 milestone. Craig Bellamy is ample backup to the Argentinian and is a handful for any defence, while Emmanuel Adebayor is a brilliant as he is contrary. If all three are on form then City can blow any team away.
Contrast their form with the attacking players of Spurs who seem to have gone off the boil at the most important time for the club.

Peter Crouch has been in and out all year, Roman Pavlyuchenko seems to be playing at a good level, but his finishing boots have deserted him, and Jermaine Defoe looks bereft of confidence.

Add everything together and it makes for a highly intriguing and entertaining match.

Both sides like to play football and the game will boil down to the individual battles all over the pitch.
Both teams will look to exploit each others defences. Bellamy and Pavlyuchenko will drop deep giving problems to the centre halves and centre midfielders causing confusion as to who should pick up who.
If Spurs can push on from the middle with Huddlestone, who can shoot from anywhere, this will make City's defenders follow their counterparts leaving gaps for the lightning quick Defoe to expose. The exact same can be said for City and Tevez, but Dawson is a better defender than Toure and the difference between winning and losing could be a fine line.

The game is almost too tight to call, but Spurs have that little bit extra through their team that could make the difference.

It is worth noting that of Spurs eight trips to the top eight teams in the league they have yet to win. However, Spurs have won 11 of the last 12 fixtures between the two clubs.

Home advantage for such a huge game cannot be underestimated and City will start as slight favourites for a match that will award the winning team more money than the Champions League Final and will shape the league for years to come.

Morrissey and The Smiths; Writing About Tottenham Hotspur All These Years?

 

For the first time since the Champions League was introduced in 1992, Tottenham Hotspur stand on the verge of qualification. Just three games remain, Bolton, Manchester City, and Burnley. 

Win all three and Spurs will be entering virgin territory. Lilywhites fans can be forgiven for uttering a few words while looking to the skies above. It would seem that Steven Patrick Morrissey had already written the very prayer that most Tottenham fans will be uttering over the next ten days.

For those of you who don't know, Steven Patrick Morrissey is better known as Morrissey, or the lead singer to The Smiths if you will. The Manchester based band were, and still are, one of the most important and influential bands of all time.

That's not just my opinion, it is the opinion of respected magazines like Rolling Stone, NME, Q, and even the BBC.

BBC said the Smiths were "one of the most influential figures in the history of British pop", NME went one further by declaring Morrissey the "most influential artist ever" in a 2002 poll, topping The Beatles, while Rolling Stone stated that his "rejection of convention" in his vocal style and lyrics is the reason "why he redefined the sound of British rock for the past quarter-century". 


In short Morrissey was a genius when it came to writing Lyrics. 

For those of you who don't know, The Smiths were formed in 1982 when the 23 year old Morrissey met John Maher for the first time. A prodigious guitar player and songwriter in his own right, Maher and Morrissey instantly hit it off. 


Friends were added to the lineup and in 1983 they released their first single, Hand in Glove.

It was not a commercial success but it did garner the attention of one John Peel. The highly respected BBC Radio 1 DJ championed the cause of the young outfit and from there they went from strength to strength.
Being a Spurs fan you can look back and see the irony in their song titles, and one would think they were almost written directly for the North London side.

"This Charming Man," ignoring it's original intent, could refer to the endless succession of managers and next big things that have walked through the doors at White Hart Lane over the years. "What Difference Does It Make" is an obvious one for the end of almost every season.

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" needs no explanation...

Before we come to "That Joke Isn't Funny Any More" and the iconic "Panic".

Each one an anthem for Spurs in it's own right, before we finally come to the 1984 classic..."William, It Was Really Nothing"...yes you're reading that right.

In case you're wondering, "William, It Was Really Nothing" is about a man who becomes involved in a loveless marriage, something every sports fan can attain to at one time or another...

But that's not the song I want to talk about. No the song I'm referring to was the B-Side to that very single.
Before we go on I must explain to our younger readers that before CD's we used to have something called Cassette Tapes, and before that we had Records.

Large black things that were about the same size as dinner plates with around five or six songs on each side. Singles were smaller and only had one song on each side, they were about six inches in diameter and were the backbone of the charts.

The A-Side was the real single which received all the airplay, but the B-Side was, if you were lucky, a little gem of a song that was often better that the main one.

The B-Side to "William, It Was Really Nothing" is one of those classics. A beautiful little song called "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want."

It's the perfect song for every fan who has pleaded with the sporting God's to give their team a break. So for once in my life, Lord knows that this would be the first time, please, let me get what I want...

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want , by The Smiths
Good times for a change
see, the luck I've had
can make a good man
turn bad

So please please please
let me, let me, let me
let me get what I want
this time

Haven't had a dream in a long time
see, the life I've had
can make a good man bad

So for once in my life
let me get what I want
Lord knows it would be the first time
Lord knows it would be the first time

I guess if Spurs fans gain Champions League qualification, and it's a big if, then "Everyday Will Be Like Sunday" for a while.

Spineless Arsene Wenger Is Turning Arsenal into a Version of Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal's tilt at the title has ended yet again, although the Gunners did hang in for longer than most predicted. But the same old questions now need to be answered, the most prominent being: Why does Arsene Wenger not see what everyone else does?

As with any problem, there are a number of places to start—Is it Arsene's tactics, the players, the board, the lack of money?

Easiest place to begin is the current squad.

Arsenal has not improved enough on last season. Last year, they finished on 72pts; this year they have 71pts with three games to go. However, the Gunners title challenge was predicated on Chelsea and Manchester United's dropping of needless points, rather than their own radical improvement.

Only one player of substance joined the club last summer—Thomas Vermaelan for £10 million. Since coming in, the previously unknown Belgian international has gone on to have a fabulous debut season, but his arrival was only one baby step in the right direction.

That is because Wenger stuck with a few players who have always had questions surrounding them. The goalkeeping situation immediately springs to mind.

Since David Seaman left Arsenal in 2003, they have not had a top class 'keeper. Jens Lehmann might have been the man in goal in 2004, but he did make his fair share of mistakes in that amazing season and as the years went by, those mishaps became more and more common.

His replacement, Manuel Almunia, was another step backwards. The Spanish 'keeper simply is not good enough to win a league. He makes far too many mistakes, and it is amazing that his career at Arsenal has lasted for so long.

His current rival, Lukasz Fabianski, or "Flappyanski" as Gunners fans are beginning to call him, has enjoyed a torrid time as the net-minder on the few occasions he has managed to take to the pitch.
So if the goalkeeper problem is so obvious, then why hasn't Wenger brought in someone good?
It's not like there are no other good 'keepers out there.

Another problem is the centre of defence. Sure, Vermaelen has been good, and William Gallas has probably enjoyed his best season in an Arsenal jersey, but the flaky Frenchman is liable to self destruct at any moment.
As a good manager, Le Prof should be guarding against this by bringing in a player of stature.

Sol Campbell, but for his few man-of-the-match performances, is not the answer. Last season, Richard Dunne was allowed to leave Manchester City for a measly £5 million, and he is exactly the kind of player the Gunners need.

Then there's central midfield...

Many Arsenal fans feel there is nothing wrong with the current central midfield set-up. Alex Song is improving, Cesc Fabregas is brilliant, and whoever else slots in can play with the best of them.

Problem is, Song offers very little going forward, Fabregas offers very little going back, and the extra body offers very little when the chips are down.

Before I go any further, Cesc Fabregas is a fantastic player, a joy to watch, and one of my favourite players.
But...in building the current Arsenal team around him, Wenger has been forced to go with a five-man midfield.
Up until 2004, Le Prof usually played 4-4-2. The year after the Invincibles won the league, Cesc Fabregas became the main player in central midfield. Since then Arsenal have moved to 4-5-1 to cover his deficiencies.
It is also worth pointing out that Arsenal have not won a trophy since Cesc became the lynch-pin of the team.

For the bigger teams, Arsenal have become easier to play against. They are often out-fought in the critical area of central midfield, and that is one of the vital reasons why Arsenal are not challenging for titles.
They need to bring in a central midfielder who can do everything. An old fashioned player who can tackle, pass, shoot, and head the ball.

Song and Fabregas share these roles between them, and their partner—be it Samir Nasri, Denilson, or Rosicky—only provides support in one direction. It is such a critical area of the team, and Wenger has an eye for great midfielders.

Vieira and Petit were one of the best partnerships of the modern era, so it again begs the question, why hasn't Arsene tried to sign a similar player?

Up front, Arsenal only have one good striker. Robin van Persie is streets ahead of Niklas Bendtner, or Eduardo, or even Carlos Vela for that matter. They need to bring in a new forward badly. They won't win the league until they do.

One other problem that this current Arsenal team suffer from is that they are virgins.

They have never won anything, because they don't know how to win anything. They lack the nous, experience, and mentality needed to get over the finishing line. One competition that now deserves to be really looked at and treated with respect is the League Cup.

Back in the '70s Brian Clough took over a Nottingham Forest team that had never won a thing. During the time, there was a cup called the Anglo/Scottish Cup, the most disrespected trophy in football.

It was such an awful competition that nobody took it seriously, except Clough and Forest.

They went on to win it in 1977. That first win provided the foundation and desire to go on and win other trophies. Forest went on to win the League in 1978 and 1979, the League Cup in 78 and 79, the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, and the European Super Cup in 1979.

In short, a trophy that meant nothing provided the springboard for the most successful period in Nottingham Forest's history. Arsene Wenger and Arsenal could learn a few lessons from this alone.

Perhaps the biggest problem between Arsenal and winning the league is Arsene Wenger himself.

To win any league, the Champions must by flexible and pragmatic. Tactics must be changed on a whim to suit the occasion. In this aspect, Arsenal are unyielding.

In every season, there comes a time when the game plan has to be changed, and a new approach to the puzzle must be looked at. Arsenal do not change, no matter the opposition. Be they playing against Wigan or Stoke or Barcelona, the Gunners use the same game plan every time. In football, one size does not fit all.

Part of the reason for this is Arsene Wenger's faith in Cesc Fabregas, the 4-5-1, and the style of play they use. He has a beautiful philosophy on the game, and will not change it for anyone. It means that Arsenal will play their flowing game that appeases so many, because they and he have a certain expectation to live up to.
Fabregas deserves to have the team built around him, but Wenger must find the right players.

In 1958 the great Bill Nicholson took over as manager of Tottenham Hotspur. It was an announcement that surprised football.

He was known as a deep thinker on the game and had his own football philosophy, but he was not what you call a household name as far as management was concerned. A very similar figure to Arsene Wenger.
Nicholson had his own philosophies and beliefs and had great time for new scientific approaches to training and tactics. He revolutionised English football with this new approach he instilled in Tottenham.

Within a couple of years, Spurs went on to win the double—the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup—and challenged for the league every season. They only finished outside the top four three times over the next decade.

Tottenham Hotspur and good football became synonymous with each other, just as Arsenal and good football have done so since Arsene Wenger took over.
The problem that Spurs have is that history has dictated that Spurs play a certain way, which has resulted in them winning very little and not even challenging for years. Countless managers at Spurs have refused to become pragmatic.

While the same level of expectation is now bearing down on Wenger, and he won't go against his new beliefs, they have not won anything for the last five years. Le Prof too now believes that the game must be won a certain way.

In football, time moves quickly, far too quickly for some.

In 2004, not one person watching football would have said that the Gunners would win nothing for the rest of the decade. In 1990, nobody in their right minds would have said that it would be that last time that Liverpool would win the league.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger are at a crossroads.

Le Prof has dithered with this experiment for far too long, and the club have accepted finishing in the top four as the height of their ambitions. Bringing money into the club through the Champions League has become the No. 1 goal for the every year, not winning trophies.

Wenger has to recognise that he has failed with this team, accept it, and move on to get their title challenge back on track. It only needs minor tweaking, and not a huge amount of spending.
Four players and Arsenal could win the league.

He needs to buy his team a strong spine; the one they currently have is too weak to win the title with.
A club with the modern history of Arsenal should not be waiting for their rivals to decline, they should be forcing them to decline, strangling the life out of them when the opportunity arises—just as Manchester United have done to Liverpool.

Arsenal should be doing that to United and Chelsea—and winning the English Premier League on their own terms.

Football is a simple game.

Le Prof is a genius of a manager. Surely he can figure this out?

First Arsenal, and Now Chelsea, Super Spurs Go Marching on Towards Fourth in EPL

While volcanic ash from Iceland reduced flights all across Europe, high-flying Tottenham Hotspur picked up their second significant win in a week by easily beating current Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

With Manchester United having beaten Manchester City 1-0 in the lunchtime kickoff, Spurs duly returned the favour and beat the Red Devils' title rivals as they moved back into fourth, two points ahead of City.

Spurs swept the Premier League leaders aside with a performance of sheer brilliance and it was only an 92nd minute Frank Lampard effort that put any kind of gloss on the game for Chelsea.

Goals from Jermain Defoe, his 30th of the season, and the in-form Gareth Bale had given Spurs a two-goal lead before John Terry was sent off for a selfish, arrogant challenge in the corner as Bale threatened to break clear. The English international mouthed the words "that's the second time I touched the ball" to the referee. In truth, Terry could have received three or four yellow cards today, such was his wayward defending.

Defoe and Pavlyuchenko were superb up-front and their partnership bordered on telepathic, as one chose the perfect moment to drop deep while the other occupied the Blues' defence.

With the two forwards dropping off into the inside-right and inside-left channels Chelsea were exposed, as Tottenham always seemed to have a spare man through the middle and their play, both on and off the ball, was simply outstanding.

It left Terry and Alex stranded time and time again as they struggled to follow their opponents. Both players were more than aware of their lack of pace against Spurs' most potent threats.

To say Tottenham dominated the game is an understatement, and the manner of their last two victories will have many pundits reaching for their thesauruses to describe the breath-taking nature of their play.

The energy levels shown from Tottenham were incredible. To a man they ran their hearts out and put Chelsea off their game thanks to a high-tempo, high-level, closing-down game. None more than the phenomenal Gareth Bale, who put in twice the average work rate of a normal player.

It left the Blues rudderless, as they simply did not know what to do with the ball when they eventually did have time on it. Chelsea's lack of creativity from central midfield stifled their play as much as Spurs' good defending.

In a tight game, having leaders and players who can create something from nothing is crucial, and today Chelsea were lacking in both departments. Frank Lampard is a phenomenon at coming on to the ball and there is no one better than him in the English game at arriving late in the box and scoring from nothing. But he is not the man to turn to when the chips are down, his range of passing is average at best while he is by far the best midfielder Chelsea have available to them.

To win any game you have to first win the battle, and central midfield is always the most important part of the field to win. Today, Tom Huddlestone and Luka Modric did everything right, just as they did against Arsenal.
They out-battled, out-fought, and most importantly, out-thought Chelsea's entire midfield time and time again, releasing Gareth Bale, David Bentley, Defoe, and Pavlyuchenko to great effect.

Meanwhile the disinterested Didier Drogba barely received a pass from any of his midfielders.

In defence, Michael Dawson was once again immense, and he shepparded Drogba throughout the match, leaving the Ivorian striker little more than a spectator.

When Chelsea did briefly get into the final third they crashed upon a glass wall of which their was no way through.

While at the opposite end of the pitch, Spurs ran amok.

They really should have wrapped the game up and won by three, four, or even five goals before Frank Lampard's late consolation.

Chelsea were rattled by Spurs, and as their game plan went out the window they resorted to giving away needless free kicks, as Deco picked up a yellow card for himself in a particularly petulant challenge on Huddlestone.

Prime evidence that the hulking youngster was bossing the game over his international peers, Luka Modric's intelligence was there for all to see and the little Croatian's passing was sublime as he picked the ball up in tight situations and spread it wide time and time again.

With players like Huddlestone and Modric willing to take responsibility in tight situations Spurs look like a completely different team. Opponents are never given a rest, because they have to remain vigilant at all times. If they don't then these two can cut a team open with one swift move.

Such was Spurs' dominence even the Chelsea fans acknowledged them somewhat unknowingly when they started singing "Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. We're going to Wembley, que sera, sera." This was after just 20 minutes...

One of Tottenham's biggest criticisms over the years is the lack of a mental aptitude for the game. Today it was Chelsea's players who shirked the responsibility and honesty needed to win the game, while Spurs denied everyone the chance to write the expected headlines by producing their best performance in years.

It has moved them two points clear of Manchester City with both sides having four games left. City travel to the Emirates next week while Spurs make their way into the lion's den that is Old Trafford.

Having dumped Arsenal out of the title race on Wednesday, Spurs allowed their North London rivals a glimmer of hope by beating Chelsea today. Next week they take on Manchester United, and a win either way will have a huge say in the destiny of the title.

Beating Arsenal and Chelsea will mean very little if Spurs do not travel to Manchester and keep their performance levels high.

Victory is not imperative against United, although the three points would be more than welcome. No, Tottenham and Harry Redknapp's main task will be to keep the momentum going, to play well at Old Trafford, and to keep the resounding manner of their recent performances going strong.

There are only four games to go for Spurs this season: away to Manchester United next weekend, home to Bolton a week later, then another trip to Manchester when they take on City in what will be one of the league's most important matches of the season, and finally Burnley at home.

Taking three points from United will be incredibly tough, but so was taking six points from Arsenal and Chelsea.

However, if Spurs can keep the momentum going there is no reason why they cannot take a maximum of points from their remaining fixtures.

Manchester City remain in pole position to finish fourth, but Spurs have only lost once in their last 10 league games, and qualifying for the Champions League is very much in their own hands.

Redknapp's Gamble Comes Off As Spurs End Arsenal's Season with 2-1Win Over North London Rivals

Arsenal's title challenge was ended at White Hart Lane tonight as a superb Tottenham Hotspur side beat the Gunners 2-1. A wonder goal from Danny Rose and a slide rule finish by Gareth Bale were enough for Spurs with Niklas Bendtner scoring an 85th minute goal that was a real case of two little too late for Arsene Wenger's side.

With the two teams both coming off the back of devastating defeats within the last week the opening 15 minutes were always going to be key.

Arsenal were thoroughly brushed aside and embarrassed by Barcelona in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League while Spurs suffered an equally demoralising defeat at the hands of Portsmouth in the FA Cup Semi Finals.

Having a longer break, Arsenal were the fresher side, but it was Spurs who set the early tempo. As in every North London Derby, the play was fractious, every tackle was merciless, and the game moved at 100 miles an hour.

The Gunners almost took the lead in the first minute through the returning Sol Campbell, whose every touch was booed, after he latched onto Samir Nasri's corner with his knee but Heurelho Gomes was equal to the effort.

The pace was being set by the home side who closed down every Arsenal player whenever they even came near to the ball. Harry Redknapp taking a leaf from Pep Guardiola's coaching manual of closing down as high up the pitch as possible.

Tottenham began to get on top and forced a succession of corners, all taken with supreme venom by Gareth Bale, his vicious whipped crosses caused all kinds of problems in the heart of the Arsenal defence.
One of his inswingers forced Manuel Almunia off his line and the Spanish 'keeper did brilliantly to meet the ball with a fist to clear.

However, Broadway Danny Rose, making his first appearance of the season met the clearance with a volley of incredible beauty and the ball tore into the Arsenal net past the despairing Almunia to give Spurs a much deserved lead. It was a wonder-goal that comes but once a season, similar to David Bentley's famous effort against the same opposition last year.

This match is always one of the Premier Leagues jewels of the season and it has been many a year since both side had so much on the line. Arsenal's feint title hopes were dependant upon a win, while Tottenham's outside chance of making it into fourth place was in threat of becoming another let down in a season that had threatened to be so successful only two days before.

However, it was Spurs who looked the fresher side and they pushed Arsenal away from any area of danger through brilliant high tempo defending and closing down.

One of Arsenal's biggest criticism's this season is their penchant to overplay the ball, and they were guilty of the same crime on more than one occasion tonight.

Ledley King, making his return to the Spurs lineup for the first time since the middle of February was immense as he marshaled his back four superbly in the first half. How his lack of fitness was going to tell in the second half when Robin van Persie would make his expected entrance would be anyones guess.

But while he was at his best the Gunners were powder-puff up front and lacked any sort of cutting edge.
Arsenal on the other hand lost their best defender, Thomas Vermaelen through injury and all of a sudden the Gunners two central defenders were Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell, neither the greatest of defenders at this late stage of their career or endowed with any kind of pace.

Rose made way for ex-Arsenal youth David Bentley as the second half got under way. The game following the same pattern as the first as Spurs closed down the Gunners at every chance.

Barely a minute into the second period and the excellent Gareth Bale added Tottenham's second goal of the game with a cool finish into the bottom right hand corner of the goal after Jermain Defoe had put him through.
Arsenal's title chances were gone unless Arsene Wenger made immediate changes and Theo Walcott made his way onto the pitch in place of the anonymous Bacary Sagna.

His first action of the game was to cross tamely as David Bentley cleared.

The game moved towards the hour mark, with Spurs still enjoying their deserved two goal lead. Roman Pavlyuchenko and Defoe provided the out-balls for Tottenham time and time again and Walcott's introduction was negligible at best, much like the rest of the Arsenal team.

Amazingly, the Gunners had yet to force Gomes into a save, such was Spurs superb defence.

Jermain Defoe made way for Eidur Gudjohnsen as Spurs went 4-5-1 leaving Pavlyuchenko to force the tempo as the lone striker. At the same time Robin van Persie made his much anticipated entrance, the Dutchman having 20 minutes to save the Gunners' season.

He was struggling to get the ball though as the quite brilliant Luka Modric was dictating the ebb and flow of the game despite Samir Nasri enjoying far more possession. Time and time again the Gunners build up was too slow and the little Frenchman was the main culprit, always needing to make an extra pass where swift penetration was needed.

His choice of passes were questionable throughout the entire night, and if the ball did not seem to pass through the eye of a needle he was not happy with a simple out. The Gunners had just far too many similar type players in midfield and badly missed the influential Cesc Fabregas.

With ten minutes to go Heurelho Gomes was forced to make his first real save of the game when he reacted brilliantly to van Persie's superb scissors kick after he had controlled the ball with his chest. From the resulting corner Tomas Rosicky fired at goal but a severe deflection took the ball wide.
Arsenal finally beginning to look like title challengers.

Gomes was forced into action moments later as he saved brilliantly yet again from van Persie.
Spurs' goal was living a charmed life as Arsenal finally kicked into life and with only five minutes to go Niklas Bendtner forced the ball home from Theo Walcott's cross after van Persie put the winger into space.

A quick break from Pavlyuchenko could have wrapped the game up as his through ball found Modric in the centre of the Arsenal 18 yard box but a brilliant intervention by Sol Campbell forced the little Croatian to fire wide.

Campbell and King were both superb as they stifled the oppositions attacks and it is a crime of time that the two players never got the chance to partner each other in the same team.

As the game moved into time added on Arsenal were striving for a goal that would leave their title tilt still breathing while Spurs reached for the crash cart and tried to force an extra ounce of energy into their sapped legs.

The Gunners were to have no reprieve though as Spurs saw the game out with a superb defensive display that was built on the foundation of Ledley King and Michael Dawson.

The match was a real case of one manager who gambled on a key players fitness, King, and one manager who took the game for granted and refused to gamble on his key player, van Persie.

Spurs were by far and away the better side until the Dutchman was introduced to the party and his influence was there for all to see.

When push came to shove Harry Redknapp recognised that this match was a make or break game and gambled on it, there was no point in worrying about Chelsea on Saturday if his team did not take full points from Arsenal.

While Arsene Wenger thought the result was a foregone conclusion. Leaving his beat available player on the bench in preparation for the trip to Wigan on Saturday which has been made meaningless by this defeat.
Arsenal's season is over.

Spurs, Manchester City, and Liverpool will now battle it out for the right to finish fourth, and this win against all the odds has set up a great end to the season for the white and blue half of North London.

Relegated Portsmouth Beat Spurs, Set Up Fairytale Cup Final With Chelsea

Just over 24 hours after being relegated to the Championship, Portsmouth pulled off the most unlikely of results and beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Wembley after extra time, goals coming from Frederic Piquionne and ex-Spurs star Kevin Prince-Boateng.

It was fitting that the winning goal came Boateng's right foot as the young German fired home the final nail in the coffin of Harry Redknapp and Spurs from the penalty spot with just three minutes to go from a pulsating 120.

Piquionne had put Pompey into the lead after he latched onto Boateng's lofted free kick, following Michael Dawson's inopportune slip in the six yard box.

It was a fully deserved win for Avram Grant's side as they Spurs all the way in a real end-to-end game that brought the best from both 'keepers. While Spurs tore into Pompey from the off, the recently relegated side fought back to leave their ex-managers side on the ropes as the sides headed towards halftime.

The second half was almost a mirrored image of the first with Portsmouth dominating the early exchanges before Spurs came strongly back into the game.

With nothing between the two sides as the game headed towards extra time, it took the wrong footing of one of Spurs' best players on the day, Michael Dawson, to gift Piquionne with a goal-scoring chance. The French striker had received close attention all day from the defender chasing a ticket on the plane to South Africa and it was a cruel way to lose the lead.

Portsmouth's fans had cheered every pass, every tackle, every run, and every block that their team made on the day and they took every opportunity they had to boo their ex-players, of which there is a sizeable contingent at Spurs.

Not only is the current Spurs boss, Harry Redknapp, the man who brought Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008, there. But he has also raided the South Coast club for some of their best players. Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, Niko Krancjar, and Younnes Kaboul have all joined Redknapp at Tottenham over the last 18 months.

It was therefore somewhat ironic that the man that Redknapp deemed as little more than a troubled makeweight scored what was effectively the winning goal.

Kevin Prince-Boateng did not enjoy the best of times under Juande Ramos or Harry Redknapp, and when the Spurs boss sold him to Portsmouth he would have never figured in his wildest dreams that he would be the player to ruin Tottenham's chances of getting to the final.

The attacking midfielder has been one of Portsmouth's best players in a disastrous season for the club. He has maintained a high standard while many of Pompey's players have struggled under the weight of administration. When Avram Grant took over the full running of the club he signalled that hope way the key.

To Read Portsmouth's FA Cup Shawshank Redemption, click the link.

Stating that the fear of relegation was holding them prisoner but that the hope of an FA Cup Final appearance could set them free.

To win the game in the manner that they did is the stuff of dreams, to win it over your ex-manager and ex-players is right out of a fairytale.

As the final whistle blew, Portsmouth's fans literally turned the air blue as Pompey jerseys and scarves soared high into the Wembley sky. By that stage there were precious few Tottenham fans left in the arena, and as Harry Redknapp choked back his disappointment and hugged his friend Avram Grant, it was Pompey who could look forward to the final.

To have the game against Chelsea, Grant's ex-employers who sacked him after losing the Champions League Final to Manchester United, is just another chapter in a season like no other.

Karma?

Tottenham Cruise Past Pompey, as Redknapp Takes a Subtle Pop at Rafa, Man City

Tottenham Hotspur cantered to an easy 2-0 win over Portsmouth in their FA Cup dress rehersal yesterday, giving Spurs a five-point advantage over their nearest rivals in the battle for fourth.

However, on the eve of the game, Harry Redknapp, the Lilywhites' manager, had a subtle dig at Rafael Benitez and Manchester City over their extravagant spending.

The result was never in doubt. It was always going to be a case of by how many Spurs were going to win by. In the end, the affair was settled by two first-half goals, first from Peter Crouch and then from Niko Krancjar.

For their part, Tottenham never had to get out of first gear and after the first goal went in, the game took on something of a procession. Pompey were abject and one begins to wonder if the slow dawning of relegation and all it entails has finally hit them.

It only compounded matters for Portsmouth that two of their ex-players scored while the win for Champions League chasing Spurs was orchestrated by their old manager.

Redknapp left Pompey for relegation-threatened Tottenham in October 2008, and has since turned them into one of the best sides in the league.

On the eve of the match, Harry Redknapp had a very subtle dig at Rafael Benitez and Manchester City for their garish spending over the last five years and this season, respectively.

Under Benitez, Liverpool have spent £210 million in six seasons while Manchester City have spent almost that figure alone since Sheik Mansour took over in 2008.

In his 26 years as a manager across almost every division and six clubs, Harry Redknapp has spent £208 million and re-couped an incredible £230 million. To read his transfer and career history click here .

The Spurs boss maintains that there are real bargains out there and that all clubs and managers have to do is take a little time and analyse the transfer market properly.

His adroit dealings certainly make Redknapp look like one of the better managers operating today.

Redknapp said: “You can find players. There are some out there. I took Kanu off the park when I was at Portsmouth. He was not playing. He was training on his own.

“He didn’t have a club four days before the league started. I didn’t have a second forward.

“I am sitting there and thinking ‘Where has he gone after he was a free at West Brom? They said that he had gone nowhere, so I tracked him down and got him in.”

“Its not about spending lots of money. Its about spending the money on the right players," he added.

“And there are players. When I took Kanu, people who worked with me said ‘He’s finished Harry, you can’t take him. I said ‘no’ and I took him and he did fantastic for us.”

Niko Kranjcar is a prime example of Redknapp's eye for a bargain. Less than a year after Portsmouth turned down £13.5 million for him from Arsenal, Spurs were able to sign the player for just £2 million after he refused to sign a new contract at the South Coast club.

He has gone on to become on of Tottenham's most important players this season, and has been instrumental in their climb towards fourth place.

As the league stands, Spurs are five points ahead of Manchester City who have a game in hand, and seven points clear of Liverpool.

The two Northern clubs remain favourites to finish in fourth as Tottenham have the hardest possible run in, including three games against Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United in the space of 10 days.

By firing the most elusive of opening shots, Redknapp is indicating to his team that they will have to fight against everybody and that everything is against them as they strive to finish as high as possible.

There is also the small matter of an upcoming FA Cup Semi-Final against Portsmouth at Wembley to deal with, and should Tottenham overcome them they will be all set for one of the greatest finales to their season in a long time.

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Harry Redknapp's Transfer History, 1984 to 2010: The Best Record in Football?

Harry Redknapp is recognised as being the best English manager in the game today. He has always had a reputation of being a wheeler dealer. However, does he have the best transfer record in English football?

Between playing and managing, 'Arry's career has lasted over 40 years. With a playing career that lasted for 15 years and 276 games combined and a managerial career that has seen him manage in almost every division, Redknapp has seen everything the game has to offer.

Now in the twilight of his career, 'Arry is managing the biggest club of his career, Tottenham Hotspur, one of the great sleeping giants of English football.

Strangely enough, Redknapp began his career at the Spurs when, as an 11-year-old, he was brought to the club by chief scout, Dickie Walker. The love affair didn't last too long though, as West Ham snapped the promising youngster up at 15 and away from Bill Nicholson, who was just beginning to mould one of English football's greatest sides.

For the vast majority of his career, Redknapp was employed as a winger. An honest, skillful, industrious player, he played 149 times for the Hammers after making his debut at 17. From there he moved to Bournemouth for four years before a one game pit stop at Brentford, and then finally on to the NASL and the Seattle Sounders.

It was here in Seattle that Harry found the taste for management, acting as assistant manager for three years before becoming Bobby Moore's right hand man at Oxford United.

His first job in management was at Bournemouth, but he only got the job at the second attempt. Despite being the clubs assistant manager, he was overlooked when David Webb moved on to Torquay.

However, with the team floundering at the bottom of Division III under the new manager, Don Megson, the club was forced to act and they sacked their new manager handing the inexperienced Redknapp the task of saving the club.

Not only did 'Arry save the Cherries, but Bournemouth pulled off the biggest shock of the FA Cup when they dumped Manchester United out.

Redknapp had pulled off two major coups in only his first season as a manager.

Even then he had an eye for a player, and his very first signing was to offer one of the game's great journey men an in road into football, Steve Claridge.

Amazingly, between 1984 and 1992, Harry Redknapp only signed 19 players for Bournemouth and spent a massive £1.12million, but earned £1.77m during the same period.

Many of the players he signed were making their first forays into professional football. Looking back we can see that Redknapp had a keen eye for potential.

Steve Claridge, Sean Teale, Gavin Peacock, Efan Ekoku, Jamie Redknapp, Vince Bartram, and Jimmy Quinn are just a few names who all went on to bigger and better things after Bournemouth.

In 1987 the Cherries romped home as Division III Champions, but only lasted in Division II until 1989, when they were relegated.

In the summer of 1990, Redknapp was in Italy, watching the World Cup with friends when he was involved in a car accident which killed five people. A passenger in the vehicle, Redknapp was badly shaken and escaped relatively unscathed, only losing his sense of smell. He decided to take a break from football in 1992.

However, sometime later he returned to the fold in the guise of Head of Youth Development at West Ham.

In 1994 he was coaxed back into football with West Ham, who were struggling in the newly formed Premier League. Redknapp and Frank Lampard Sr. had been working tirelessly in the youth ranks at the Hammers and following Billy Bonds' resignation in August, they were promoted to first team affairs.

Again Redknapp went to work in the transfer market, except this time he augmented his work there with the internal promotion of some of the brightest talents in English football.

Between 1994 and 2001 at West Ham, he signed 58 players for the Hammers, spending £52.09 million, bringing £77.01 million into the club.

Again his work in the market can be judged by looking back at some of the 58 players he signed in that seven-year period.

Mark Rieper, John Hartson, Eyal Berkovic, Stan Laziridis, Steve Lomas, David Unsworth, Paulo Di Canio, Marc Vivien-Foe, Jermaine Defoe, and Igor Stimac are all prime examples of good signings during his West Ham years.

Young players like Mike Marsh, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, and Joey Beauchamp all broke into the team under Redknapp too.

Of course there were some spectacular failures too, but they were few and far between. The two worst signings are Paulo Futre, who barely kicked a ball in anger for a whole season as one of the highest paid players in the league, and Florin Raduiciou.

It is worth knowing that at this time both of these players had huge reputations and initially looked like great deals for the club, however, the reverse was to be the case.

Both players commanded wages of something like £2.5 million a season on top of huge signing on fees, and are real examples of foreign signings that just did not work in England.

Those five-and-a-half years in charge at the Irons, Redknapp guided them to finish 14th, 10th, 14th, eighth, and a brilliant fifth.

Considering the resources available to him at West Ham these results were superb, but again Redknapp was vilified with being a wheeler dealer and a risk taker; it is only now that we can look back and see how much of a profit he actually made in his dealings.

He was unceremoniously sacked in May 2001 after he spoke to a fanzine over the signing of a new contract with the club, the club's chairman was extremely unhappy over comments Redknapp made at the time.

He was not out of work for long and he moved to Portsmouth as Director of Football in the summer of 2001.

Ironically, Redknapp took over as manager of the Division I club and guided them into the Premiership as Champions in 2002, replacing West Ham.

In just two years at Fratton Park, 'Arry signed 41 players for £7.65 million and sold 41 players for £5.4 million.

Redknapp resigned as manager of Portsmouth in November 2004 in dispute over the owner, Milan Mandaric, bringing in a Director of Football to the club.

Even though Redknapp only spent two years at the club, he did manage to bring in some real quality, namely Dejan Stefanovic, Lomano Lua Lua, and Yakubu.

He then made the controversial move down the coast to local rivals Southampton. Redknapp had been brought in as a fire fighter, with the job to save the club from almost certain relegation, which he was unable to do.

In just one season at the club he signed eight players for £2.57 million, but sold 18 players for £16 million as he began a clear out at the club.

That did not last too long though as Harry resigned after Southampton brought in England rugby manager Clive Woodward in a technical role at the club. Many felt that the rugby supremo was being lined up to learn from the wily old manager before replacing him.

A couple of weeks later, Redknapp was back in charge of Pompey who were hurtling out of control towards the second tier of English football.

However, there was to be a big difference at Portsmouth this time around. Alexandre Gaydamak, had just taken over, had made huge sums of money available to Harry in an effort to establish Portsmouth as a force in the Premiership.

Pompey finished four points above relegation that season ('05-'06), but the next ('06-'07) they finished a club record ninth. That was followed up the following season with another record season when Pompey finished eighth ('07-'08)

The club was on the crest of a wave and also won the FA Cup in 2008.

That was the beginning of the end, though, as Alexandre Gaydamak stepped down from the board and withdrew his backing, and all of a sudden Portsmouth were in trouble.

Backed up with Gaydamak's money, Redknapp was given permission to spend, and spend he did. £68.3 million left the club in just two seasons with only £29.07 million coming in while Redknapp held the reins.

As with his previous record, players of a high standard were brought to the club for cheap prices.

Niko Krancjar, Sulley Muntari, Glen Johnsen, Papa Bouba-Diop, and Jermaine Defoe are very good examples of Premiership players who were brought in to aid Portsmouth's cause.

It is worth noting that although Redknapp's time in charge of Portsmouth ended in a deficit of some £40 million, the club has since gone on to sell many of the players he signed while he was there, giving the club a staggering £103,940,000 million in sales in just three years. A massive profit of around £30 million for the struggling club.

In October 2008 Harry Redknapp took over relegation bound Tottenham Hotspur after Juande Ramos' ill fated reign.

Again 'Arry was quick out of the blocks as far as the transfer market is concerned, and re-signed Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane as well as bringing in Wilson Palacios to bolster midfield.

The new signings worked a treat as the Spurs roared up the league and only missed out on Europe on the final day of the season following a defeat at Anfield to Liverpool.

Last summer saw Tottenham strengthen their squad substantially by adding Peter Crouch, Niko Kranjcar, Sebastian Bassong, and Kyle Naughton to their ranks giving the Spurs a squad depth capable of challenging for Champions League positions.

As it stands, Tottenham are in a four-way fight to the death with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Aston Villa for the last Champions League qualifying position.

Harry Redknapp has had a remarkable career, over 1,000 games as manager, placing him in an elite band of men to achieve that rare milestone. While he has never managed a club that has challenged for trophies, he has become one of the best managers in the game through sheer hard work.

One thing that has really stuck with him throughout his career is his reputation for spotting a bargain.

Certain parts of his reputation are unfair, as he has had more successes than failures, and when you sit down and look at his transfer record over his 26 years as a boss you find that he has spent £208.23 million and recouped £230.37 million.

A quick comparison with Rafael Benitez has the Liverpool manager spending £210 million since 2004 and only accruing £125 million in the same period.

While in almost 24 years at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson has spent £392.44 million on 89 players and made some £244 million by selling 216 players in that same time.

Arsene Wenger's record is quite impressive given the rewards he has managed to bring the club during his 13 years in charge.

Le Prof has brought 86 players to Arsenal at a cost of £220 million, and he has sold 162 for £194 million. A brilliant record, you'll agree, to almost break even after 13 long years.

Given the resources available to Ferguson, Wenger, and Benitez, it is little wonder that the three clubs are constantly challenging for the top three positions in the league.

Redknapp's record stands up for itself, a quite excellent record in the transfer market since 1984. He has never had the opportunity to manage a club with the resources to challenge for the title, but with Daniel Levy's backing you get the feeling the club would rather challenge than sit in mid-table.

Spurs' fans will be hoping that Redknapp manages to work some magic in the transfer market. He'll have to if they are going to make that huge step up and actually challenge for the Champions League positions, and maybe even the league someday.

Tottenham Hotspur Dispatch Stoke, Take Vital Lead in Race for Fourth

Tottenham Hotspur traveled to the Britannia Stadium, a graveyard for many teams, and after a professional display, beat Stoke City 2-1 to cement their place in fourth with eight games to go.

Spurs had set down a marker in August, signaling their Champions League ambitions by winning their first four games of the season. That was the last time that Spurs had taken maximum points four games in a row...

Now that the race for fourth is entering its final straight, a win over Stoke at the Britannia was going to be vital if they wanted to have a say. Win and Spurs would move four points ahead of rivals Liverpool, and five ahead of Aston Villa.

Looking at Tottenham's fixture list with games to play against Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal coming up and anything less than a win would leave Spurs' hopes of finishing fourth an uphill challenge.

As expected, Stoke's main weapon was Rory Delap's long throws, and all of their forward attacks in the first half were from the arms of the Irishman.

However, this Spurs side are extremely big, and led by the excellent Michael Dawson, they dealt with these set pieces quite easily.

Tottenham for the most part were very patient, keeping the ball for long periods of play, forcing the home crowd to boo every pass in an effort at putting Spurs' players' concentration off.

Roman Pavlyuchenko was forced off midway through the first half after jarring his knee in a tackle with Abdoulaye Faye.

The Russian forward is the most in-form striker in the English Premier League at the moment, and it was a real blow to Harry Redknapp when he limped off, to be replaced with Eidur Gudjohnsen.

A professional Spurs saw out the half despite a set-piece flurry from Stoke, and then started the second half in spectacular fashion.

Peter Crouch's perfect lobbed pass found Gudjohnsen in yards of space as he raced into the Stoke box and he fired high into the net to put Tottenham in front.

It was Gudjohnsen's first Premiership goal in over four years. And it meant that Stoke now had a large hill to climb if they wanted to have a say in this match.

That hill became a mountain for Stoke minutes later, when Dean Whitehead was unluckily sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

Luka Modric had flicked the ball past the ex-Sunderland midfielder who could not get out of the way and the little Croatian smashed into him.

Stoke have always been linked with a physical approach to the game, and it is something that many struggle to understand.

While some feel that it only encompasses the Potters kicking teams, it is in reality as scientific as any other approach to the game.

Under Tony Pulis, Stoke have become an incredibly tough team to beat. They harry every player, mark supremely tightly, and generally choose their challenges well. The exception to the rule being Ryan Shawcross' poor challenge on Aaron Ramsey.

Spurs went in search of a second and really pressured Stoke, but all that good work was undone when Benoit Assou-Ekotto pulled Dave Kitson over in the box and gave away a penalty.

Ex-Tottenham player Matthew Etherington, doing his late call up chances for England no harm,fired in the equalizer from the spot.

Minutes earlier, Spurs had been wondering how many goals they were going to win the game by, and in the blink of an eye they were level, battling a fervent Stoke.

It summed their season up perfectly. While Spurs have improved leaps and bounds under Redknapp, they still have that incredibly soft underbelly and lack concentration when it is needed most.

All of a sudden, ten man Stoke were on top and all of Tottenham's frailties looked like being exposed.

Just when Harry Redknapp and Spurs fans everywhere began to scratch their heads at what looked like another one of those days, Niko Kranjcar popped in to score a fantastic goal.

The goal combined everything that has always been associated with Tottenham over the year. Power, pace, pin point passing, and intelligence.

Benoit Assou Ekotto made amends for his dreadful defending by powering down the left, his run left the Stoke defence very flat-footed, and his pin point pass to Gudjohnsen was laser like in precision.

But just as everyone expected the Icelandic international to latch onto the ball, he dummied it perfectly and left it for the onrushing Kranjcar to score.

The dummy caught every Stoke player out and made the job of scoring all the easier for the brilliant Croatian.

For the first half of the season, Spurs were overreliant on Aaron Lennon. The phenomenally quick right-sided midfielder was in the form of his life before a groin injury robbed Tottenham and England of his services.

His importance and the lack of penetration on the left, had left Spurs as an easy team to neutralise. But a combination of injuries has all of a sudden left Spurs with possibly the best left-side combination in the Premier League.

For all too long, Gareth Bale was a player who threatened to become a good one. He is blessed with every attribute a leading player would want, but lacked that vital spark. However, since Christmas, something has changed.

With Assou-Ekotto and Bale on the left, Spurs possess two players who are excellent defenders, but who are also brilliant going forward.

Today, Bale and his Cameroonian teammate caused Stoke all kinds of problems, leaving many to wonder what Spurs will be like when Lennon eventually returns from injury?

In the end, Spurs had to endure a late onslaught, and you know what? They actually knew how to handle the situation. It was a very important win for Spurs, who have the toughest of remaining fixtures when it comes to all the teams going for fourth place.

A fourth win in a row for the first time since August and Spurs are now in the driving seat to finish fourth.

This win leaves them four points ahead of Liverpool who travel to United tomorrow, five points ahead of Villa and Manchester City, who they have yet to play.

Are Spurs finally growing into a good team? We will see in eight weeks' time...

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Can Spurs Catch Arsenal And Finish 3rd In The Premier League?

Spurs strengthened their grip on fourth place in the English Premier League with their 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. But is it too late for the Lilywhites to launch a bid to catch Arsenal and finish third?

Looking at the gap between the two teams at the moment you would have to say that the chances of Spurs pulling off a third placed finish were unlikely. However, the two teams have yet to meet and given a swing of two results it is perceivable that the White Hart Lane outfit could achieve the impossible.

Currently the Gunners find themselves in a slightly similar position to their North London rivals in that they need the two teams above them to drop points if they are to win the title. With that being said, what is to stop Arsenal from dropping the same number of points?

Arsenal as has been well documented have, on paper, an easier run in than their two title rivals. But there are a few tricky fixtures as many of the teams they are yet to play are in the middle of the battle to avoid relegation.

They also take on two teams who are chasing the Champions League positions in Spurs and before they take on Manchester City in what promises to be a spicy game considering what happened at the Eastlands earlier in the season.

The Gunners coasted into the Quarter Finals of the Champions League after demolishing a poor Porto team at the Emirates. You can only ever beat what is put in front of you and Arsenal cruelly exposed the difference in class between them and their Portuguese opponents.

Given the right opponent, they could progress to the Semi Finals, but a lot depends on the luck of the draw and avoiding Manchester United, Chelsea, and Barcelona.

As far as their league run is concerned, they have Hull, tonight, (a), West Ham (h), Birmingham (a), Wolves (h), Spurs (a), Wigan (a), Man City (h), Blackburn (a), and Fulham at home on the last day of the season.

One thing to factor in at this stage is that if Spurs beat Fulham in their FA Cup replay at White Hart Lane then the Spurs fixture will be moved to the final week of the season.

Looking at these games in a worst case scenario for the Gunners and they could take between 16 and 19 points, and that is being generous. Best case scenario and they will go unbeaten, claiming between 19 and 21 points.

Spurs need them to lose at least three games, before beating Arsenal too. Meaning that Tottenham will need the Gunners to lose four times from nine games. A distinct impossibility at this late stage.

Spurs also have a good run in, but they do have three huge fixtures in the space of three weeks right in the middle of their run in.

Stoke (a), Portsmouth (h), Sunderland (a), Arsenal (h), Chelsea (h), Manchester United (a), Bolton (h), and finally Burnley away.

From those games it is easy to see Spurs win every game bar the ones against the big three. Their record away to the big four is abysmal, having not won since 1993 against Liverpool, United, Chelsea, or Arsenal.

Their home record is better and given the right conditions, full points are attainable against the Gunners and the Blues, but it would be a tough ask.

Best case scenario has Spurs taking at least 19 points from 24.

Do the math and even with Spurs doing as well as you would hope and Arsenal doing as bad as could be expected, they will not catch the Gunners for third.

The race for fourth though, is very much in their own hands. Games in hand mean very little at this stage of the season and points on the table are all that count, so Aston Villa's and Manchester City's excess of matches to play should not be over estimated.

Looking at Tottenham the club has over achieved so far this season. While many expected them to be fourth placed contenders, few actually expect them to finish there and as the league table stands Spurs are four to six points ahead of their predicted points tally at this stage of the season.

Bookmakers had Spurs down to finish the season on between 55 and 59 points, currently they sit fourth on 52 with eight games to play, five of them highly winnable.

Before the win over Blackburn Harry Redknapp had set his team a target of 19 points to finish fourth. An achievable target.

Third place is out of bounds for this season, but fourth is very much in their own hands.

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English Premier League Finances 2010, Every Single Clubs Financial Report

Portsmouth are on the verge of becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration, and if many fans fears are to be believed Pompey may not be the first to go.

Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all under the heavy weight of massive debt. Such is the level of debt in the Premier League that it makes up 56% of all the debt in European football, some £3.5 billion.

The really shocking indictment of that ludicrous figure is that the traditional top four Chelsea, United, Liverpool, and Arsenal own almost £2 billion of that total figure. Meaning that just four clubs own 36% of all the debt in Europe.

It is something that Michel Platini and UEFA are trying to clamp down upon. There has been one of these English teams in every one of the Champions League Finals since 2004.

Obviously UEFA feel that the EPL teams enjoy far greater freedom to run into debt, and that the EPL as a management body are happy not to police the sector as it brings much more coverage to the league.

Here are the annual accounts for every single Premier League team.

Read them and weep...




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Harry Redknapp: His Transfer History 1984 to 2010, The Best Record In Football?

Harry Redknapp is recognised as being the best English manager in the game today. He has always had a reputation as being a wheeler dealer. However, does he have the best transfer record in English football?

Between playing and managing, 'Arry's career has lasted over 40 years. With a playing career that lasted over 15 years and 276 games combined with a managerial career that has seen him manage in almost every division, Redknapp has seen everything the game has to offer.

Now in the twilight of his career, Redknapp is managing the biggest club of his career, Tottenham Hotspur, one of the great sleeping giants of English football.

Strangely enough, Redknapp began his career at Spurs as an 11 year old when their Chief Scout, Dickie Walker, brought him to the club. The love affair didn't last too long though as West Ham snapped the promising youngster up at 15 and away from Bill Nicholson who was just beginning to mould one of English football's greatest sides.

For the vast majority of his career, Redknapp was employed as a winger. An honest, skillful, industrious player, he played 149 times for the Hammers after making his debut at 17. From there he moved to Bournemouth for four years before a one game pit stop at Brentford, and then finally on to the NASL and the Seattle Sounders.

It was here in Seattle that Harry found the taste for management, acting as Assistant Manager for three years before becoming Bobby Moore's right hand man at Oxford United.

His first job in management was at Bournemouth, but he only got the job at the second attempt. Despite being the clubs Assistant Manager, he was overlooked when David Webb moved on to Torquay.

However, with the team floundering at the bottom of Division 3 under the new manager, Don Megson, the club were forced to act and they sacked their new manager handing the inexperienced Redknapp the task of saving the club.

Not only did 'Arry save the Cherries, but Bournemouth pulled off the biggest shock of the FA Cup when they dumped Manchester United out.

Redknapp had pulled off two major coup's in only his first season as a manager.

Even then he had an eye for a player, and his very first signing was to offer one of the games great journey men an in road into football, Steve Claridge.

Amazingly, between 1984 and 1992, Harry Redknapp only signed 19 players for Bournemouth. Spending a massive £1.12million, but earning £1.77m during the same period.

Many of the players he signed were making their first forays into professional football. Looking back we can see that Redknapp had a keen eye for potential.

Steve Claridge, Sean Teale, Gavin Peacock, Efan Ekoku, Jamie Redknapp, Vince Bartram, and Jimmy Quinn are just a few names who all went on to bigger and better things after Bournemouth.

In 1987 the Cherries romped home as Division 3 Champions, but only lasted in Division 2 until 1989, when they were relegated.

In the Summer of 1990, Redknapp was in Italy, watching the World Cup, with friends when he was involved in a car accident which killed five people. A passenger in the vehicle, Redknapp was badly shaken and escaped reletively unscathed, only losing his sense of smell. He decided to take a break from football after the '91-'92 season.

In 1994 he was coaxed back into football with West Ham who were struggling in the newly formed Premier League. Redknapp and Frank Lampard Sr. had been working tirelessly in the youth ranks at the Hammers and following Billy Bonds' resignation in August, they were promoted to first team affairs.

Again Redknapp went to work in the transfer market, except this time he augmented his work there with the internal promotion of some of the brightest talents in English football.

Between 1994 and 2001 at West Ham, he signed 58 players for the Hammers, spending £52.09 million, bringing £77.01 million into the club.

Again his work in the market can be judged by looking back at some of the 58 players he signed in that seven year period.

Mark Rieper, John Hartson, Eyal Berkovic, Stan Laziridis, Steve Lomas, David Unsworth, Paulo Di Canio, Marc Vivien-Foe, Jermaine Defoe, and Igor Stimac are all prime examples of good signings during his West Ham years.

Young players like Mike Marsh, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Rio Ferdinand, and Joey Beauchamp all broke into the team under Redknapp too.

Of course there were some spectacular failures too, but they were few and far between. The two worst signings being Paulo Futre who barely kicked a ball in anger for a whole season as one of the highest paid players in the league, and Florin Raduiciou.

It is worth knowing that at this time both of these players had huge reputations and initially looked like great deals for the club, however, the reverse was to be the case.

Those five and a half years in charge at the Irons, Redknapp guided them to finish 14th, 10th, 14th, 8th, and a brilliant 5th.

Considering the resources available to him at West Ham these results were superb, but again Redknapp was villified with being a wheeler dealer and a risk taker and it is only now that we can look back and see how much of a profit he actually made in his dealings.

He was unceremoniously sacked in May 2001 after he spoke to a fanzine over the signing of a new contract with the club, the clubs chairman extremely unhappy over comments Redknapp made at the time.

He was not out of work for long and he moved to Portsmouth as Director of Football in the summer of 2001.

Ironically, Redknapp took over as manager of the Division 1 club and guided them into the Premiership as Champions in 2002, replacing West Ham.

In just two years at Fratton Park, 'Arry signed 41 players for £7.65 million and sold 41 players for £5.4 million.

Redknapp resigned as manager of Portsmouth in November 2004 in dispute over the owner, Milan Mandaric, bringing in a Director of Football to the club.

Even though Redknapp only spent two years at the club, he did manage to bring in some real quality, namely Dejan Stefanovic, Lomano Lua Lua, and Yakubu.

He then made the contoversial move down the coast to local rivals Southampton. Redknapp had been brought in as a Fire Fighter with the job to save the club from almost certain relegation, which he was unable to do.

In just one season at the club he signed eight players for £2.57 million, but sold 18 players for £16 million as he began a clear out at the club.

That did not last too long though as Harry resigned after Southampton brought in England Rugby manager Clive Woodward in a Technical Role at the club, many felt that the Rugby supremo was being lined up to learn from the wily old manager before replacing him.

A couple of weeks later and Redknapp was back in charge of Pompey who were hurtling out of control towards the second tier of English football.

However, there was a to be a big difference at Portsmouth this time around. Alexandre Gaydamak had just taken over and made huge sums of money available to Harry in an effort to establish Portsmouth as a force in the Premiership.

Pompey finished four points above relegation that season ('05-'06), but the next ('06-'07) they finished a club record 9th. That was followed up the following season with another record season when Pompey finished 8th ('07-'08)

The club was on the crest of a wave and also won the FA Cup in 2008.

That was the beginning of the end though as Alexandre Gaydamak stepped down from the board and withdrew his backing, and all of a sudden Portsmouth were in trouble.

Backed up with Gaydamak's money, Redknapp was given permission to spend, and spend he did. £68.3 million left the club in just two seasons with only £29.07 million coming in while Redknapp held the reigns.

As with his previous record, players of a high standard were brought to the club for cheap prices.

Niko Krancjar, Sulley Muntari, Glen Johnsen, Papa Bouba-Diop, and Jermaine Defoe are very good examples of Premiership players who were brought in to aid Portsmout's cause.

It is worth noting that although Redknapp's time in charge of Portsmouth ended in a deficit of some £40 million, the club has since gone on to sell many of the players he signed while he was there, giving the club a staggering £103,940,000 million in sales in just three years. A massive profit of around £30 million for the struggling club.

In October 2008 Harry Redknapp took over relegation bound Tottenham Hotspur after Juande Ramos' ill fated reign.

Again 'Arry was quick out of the blocks as far as the transfer market is concerned, and re-signed Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane as well as bringing in Wilson Palacios to bolster midfield.

The new signings worked a treat as Spurs roared up the league and only missed out on Europe on the final day of the season following a defeat at Anfield to Liverpool.

Last summer saw Tottenham strengthen their squad substantially by adding Peter Crouch, Niko Kranjcar, Sebastian Bassong, and Kyle Naughton to their ranks giving Spurs a squad depth capable of challenging for the Champions League positions.

As it stands, Tottenham are in a four way fight to the death with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Aston Villa for the last Champions League qualifying position.

Harry Redknapp has had a remarkable career, over 1,000 games as manager, placing him in an elite band of men to achieve that rare milestone. While he has never managed a club that have challenged for trophies, he has become one of the best managers in the game through sheer hard work.

One thing that has really stuck with him through out his career is his reputation for spotting a bargain. Certain parts of this reputation are unfair as he has had more successes than failures and when you sit doen and look at his transfer record over his 26 years as a boss you find that he has spent £208.23 million and re-coupled £230.37 million.

A quick comparison with Rafael Benitez has the Liverpool manager spending £210 million since 2004 and only accruing £125 million in the same period.

While in almost 24 years at Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson has spent £392.44 million on 89 players and made some £244 million by selling 216 players in that same time.

Arsene Wenger's record is quite impressive given the rewards he has managed to bring the club during his 13 years in charge.

Le Prof has brought 86 players to Arsenal at a cost of £220 million, and he has sold 162 for £194 million. A brilliant record you'll agree, almost break even after 13 long years.

Given the resources available to Ferguson, Wenger, and Benitez, it is little wonder that the three clubs are constantly challenging for the top three positions in the league.

Redknapp's record stands up for itself, a quite excellent record in the transfer market since 1984. He has never had the oppurtunity to manage a club with the resources to challenge for the title, but with Daniel Levy's backing you get the feeling the club would rather challenge than sit in mid table.

Spurs' fans will be hoping that Redknapp manages to work some magic in the transfer market. He'll have to if they are going to make that huge step up and actually challenge for the Champions League positions.














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