Raider Fan 365

Stephen Bergwijn So 11.00pm on the 31st January 2020 will be a time and date remembered with infamy.  .  No not Spurs failing to sign a striker but rather the UK's myopic departure from the EU.  In that context Tottenham's failure to land a striker is wholly insignificant.  But this was still a progressive transfer window for Spurs. Jose Mourinho has strengthened the team with the arrival of Gedson Fernandes to bolster midfield,  Stephen Bergwijn to augment our attacking options and signed Giovani Lo Celso to a permanent deal.  Tottenham Hotspur have also parted ways with two disgruntled performers, Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose whilst the emergence of the dynamic Japhet Tanganga is effectively a new signing. So it was not perfect. We do not have that elusive second striker. But perhaps Jose can integrate Troy Parrott into the first team yet.  Significantly Parrott did not depart on loan. 

Man City (H). Probable Loss, Possible draw. Enough said.  O points  Aston Villa (A). Probable Win, Possible Draw. If we play to our potential we should have enough class to earn our third away win of the season.  3 points   Chelsea (A). Probable Draw, Possible Loss.  A  London derby as we put in an improved performance against our West London rivals.  1 point   Wolves (H). Probable Draw, Possible Loss or Win. Wolves are a formidable outfit this season and will be difficult opponents in this March fixture.  1 point   Burnley (A). Possible Loss, Draw or Win. We beat Burnley 5-0 at Tottenham Stadium. They will be looking for revenge. Tough game to predict as all three results could occur.  0 points   Man Utd (H). Probale Win, Possible Draw.  Jose's first signature win against an inconsistent Man Utd team. We are overdue a home win against these guys.  3 points   Total 8 points   In summary we have some challenging fixtures ahead which will go a long way to determining how

So the Daily Telegraph reports that the Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck and Tory Peer Lord Mann believe antisemitism at Stamford Bridge and other football grounds is aided and abetted by Tottenham fans using the Y word to describe themselves.  I am going to make this brief as defending the Y word has been argued before.  Spurs fans use the Y word as a term of attachment, belonging, connection.  Opposition fans use the Y word in a derogatory manner in order to insult Tottenham Jewish fans and non Jewish fans alike.  It's not complicated.  So while I commend Bruce Buck and Lord Mann in their efforts to fight the scourge of antisemitism in football,  they would be better advised to focus on opposition fans' and their longstanding, deep-rooted, intolerant behaviour. Finally, the reporting of this story in the Daily Telegraph on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is more than a little poorly timed. COYS

So Christian Eriksen is no longer a Spur. Our most creative player of the past 5 years, and perhaps beyond, has joined Inter Milan.  He gave us hours of joy and we gave him an iconic song.  But I do not lament Eriksen's departure as in reality, performance wise, he left 14 months ago.  @Thespurspoet sums up Eriksen's transfer and the transition to Giovanni Lo Celso with great poignancy. Good luck Christian but it's now Gio's time. COYS

Spurs in action against fellow 1993/94 strugglers Manchester City  Tottenham Hotspur are not exactly having a great season. We are struggling for consistency, confidence and lack a cutting edge.  Yet we occupy 6th spot in the league, play in the 4th round of the FA Cup this weekend and await Leipzig in the last 32 of the Champions League. Crisis? What crisis? In 1994 we were in crisis. In fact we were in total meltdown. In the Premier League's second season we were very nearly relegated.  7 consecutive league defeats between January and March consigned us to a dog fight of a relegation battle. Ossie Ardiles' first season as manager started off brightly with 5 wins and 3 draws from his first 10 matches but a combination of injuries, brittle confidence (sound familiar?) and inexperienced management resulted in an astonishing slide down the table.  A victory at Boundary Park against Oldham in the penultimate match of the season secured our status in the Premier League

A win is a win.  3 points is 3 points.  A masterful performance from Giovanni Lo Celso.  But it was another insipid performance of error strewn football from Tottenham Hotspur.  A quick glance at Lo Celo's stats illustrates the accomplished endeavours of the Argentinian.  • Touches: 77 • Passing Accuracy: 84% • Key Passes: 3 • Crosses: 2 • Long Ball Accuracy: 100% • Duels Won: 20 His efforts stood out in what was an otherwise uninspiring night for Tottenham against the bottom placed club. But we won. We are now just 1 point off 5th, 6 off 4th and a towering 11 off relegation (yes until we get to 40 points I'll be looking over my shoulder).  We go on. The FA Cup is up next on Saturday which hopefully will see the team play with more freedom and confidence and despite our disharmony we are still in the Champions League race and competing in two cups.  COYS

Without wishing to be alarmist, I'm going to sound the.....eh..... alarm.  Tonight's match v Norwich is beyond pivotal. We are currently 9 points off 4th and a mere 3 points off the more attainable 5th.  At the other end of the table we are a single figure off the relegation zone - 8 points.  A win would propel us back into top 4/5 contention and also effectively quash any nerves about sliding down the league in the other direction.  Jose Mourinho professes confidence that the team will click tonight, a view he must profess as manager. I, on the hand, have about as much confidence in Tottenham Hotspur these days as I have in Piers Morgan wearing a "I love Meghan tshirt".  That being said if we play to our potential and our false 9s start playing like actual centre forwards, then a confidence boosting win should be our reward.  Otherwise I will press the alarm button....again. COYS

A draw away from home against an ebullient Watford side is no disgrace. Our performance contained the good, the bad and the ugly. We could have won it at the end but we could have lost it midway through the second half. However the match was representative of our recent struggles. And by recent I mean the last 12 months.    Our transfer policy in recent years has been hideous. Consequently we have an imbalanced, discordant, under committed and incoherent squad. That's on Poch and/or Levy. The way we are set up to play is also hideous. That's on Jose Mourinho. Champions League qualification for next season is now almost impossible.  Europa League qualification is still possible but very unlikely given our form.  Relegation battle avoidance is now our principle objective.  This season cannot end quickly enough.  COYS

"I love Tottenham, I love the people at Spurs. It is my club, and it always will be" - Martin Jol.  During his tenure from 2004 to 2007, Martin was the manager that made us believe again.  He was the manager that got us back into Europe and he was the manager that finally beat Chelsea.  Today Martin Jol turns 64. He was fired unceremoniously at half time in a UEFA Cup match, an undeserved and cruel ending to a managerial reign that brought self belief, resilience and Gareth Bale to Spurs.  In 2020 Tottenham Hotspur are the richest club in London, were runners up in the Champions League and have qualified for the Champions League three years in a row, and knockout stages two years in a row.  And Martin Jol set all this success in motion. Happy birthday Martin.  COYS

Japhet Tanganga on debut v Liverpool  So after defeat to Liverpool we now lie a forlorn 9 points adrift of 4th place.  We are also a too close for comfort 9 points away from the relegation zone. We deserve our league position. If I am honest,  I think it actually flatters us slightly on the basis of most performances this season.  Qualification for next season's Champions League appears to be as realistic as VAR disallowing a Liverpool goal.  Our next two matches are Watford (a) and Norwich (h). If we don't get 6 points then it becomes very clear cut.  No Champions League football for Tottenham next season. 

1. Jose Mourinho is our manager. We have a proven winner as manager (albeit he has never managed a club in such flux as Tottenham, including Manchester United). 2. We play Norwich and Watford after Liverpool. These two games are ideal opportunities to get some points. They will also be a strong indicator of the current confidence levels and performance status of our team  3. There are still three weeks left in the January window 

It is time to win the FA Cup and I am selecting a strong team to face Middlesbrough.  Denis Cirkin gets a debut at left back while Kyle Walker Peters gets a chance to impress on the other flank.  Cirkin is a stand out performer in the U19 side and has been training with the first team in recent weeks.  I would include the likes of Parrott, Tangana and Skipp on the bench. Spurs should seek to prioritise the Cup and end a staggering 29 year wait to lift the famous trophy  

Fellow Tottenham fans we are not playing well.  This is the understatement of the decade, albeit a decade only a few days old.  Jose has yet to put his stamp on the team. By stamp I mean signing a player or two (or perhaps ten?) Seriously, Jose has yet to implement his philosophy on this team. That will come in time. But it will take a preseason coupled with some astute signings.  So fellow Tottenham fans this season is in essence a write off. Our squad comprises want away players, aging players, out of form players and some class players. Our squad needs an overhaul of major proportion. This cannot be done alone in the January window where historically teams are loathe to sell midseason.  So buckle up and settle back for more disappointment between now and May. The objective is damage limitation and at best double our points tally to 60.  But roll on the preseason and season 2020/2021