I Believe!

That's right. I believe....love is the answer. And I love the Tottenham Hotspurs right now. They are playing such fantastic football right now. I really believe that they are destined for Champion's League Football next year.

Alright, I realize that the last time I posted on here I said it had been a while, and that was 2 months. This time its been about a year and half since that one. I'm sorry. I've actually had a lot of changes in my life. Since the last post I moved to Hawaii and got more in touch with more natural beauty instead of the technology end of things. You are what you are surrounded by I suppose.

Anyway, back to the point at hand. Come on you Spurs!!! They look amazing right now. I am having one of those "You know how I can tell you are a true fan" moments. I am re-watching Tottenham beat Chelsea, which I just watched 2 days ago. And I'm still getting excited about all of their chances. I just love watching them play football this season.

There's so much I want to talk about, so I'm going to try to post on a few topics, but here are a few ideas of what I'm thinking: 1. Gareth Bale is the next Ryan Giggs. He's fucking awesome. And imagine how dangerous we can be with him on the left, Lennon on the right, Modric and either Huddlestone or Palacios in the middle. What a midfield. 2. This can very well be a turning point in Spurs history. First the Danny Rose goal against Arsenal. Then beating Chelsea the very next game. I'm not saying its a wrap, but I believe. 3. Harry Redknapp is a genious! Plain and simple. 4. Michael Dawson is one of the most underrated defenders. Plus with the addition of Bassong, we have a solid defense. I don't care if King and Woodgate are always injured...we have one of the best defenses in the league.

Question??? Will this be a turning point in Spurs history?

Any other ideas would be much appreciated. I really hope that I stick with this blog now, cause I love talking about Tottenham, and it would be awesome if other people liked what I had to say.

White Hart Lane in Brooklyn

I know it has been quite a while since I last posted.  To be honest, I have been a bit down.  I lost my job, it was the middle of the winter, not much to smile about.  You know what brought me out of it...TOTTENHAM!!!

I just had a fantastic day at a bar called Floyds in Brooklyn.  It is probably my favorite place in all of NYC now.  Evidently it is NY Spurs home for watching the games.  Aside from the one game I have gone to, I have never seen so many Tottenham fans together.  Even though we lost to United, I had such a fantastic time and I truly felt like I was at home and with family.  

You know, I have been to see the Yankees, Knicks, Rangers, and none of that really compares to a shitty Brooklyn bar that has screaming wannabe Brits (myself included) drinking at 11:30AM each game-day.  I think that is because you feel like you are part of the culture.  When you go to a Yankee stadium, the grandeur of it all is amazing.  But part of me feels like it is a cop-out because there are so many tourists who just want to see a game.  I was with die-hard fans of an average team in the Premiership, about 3000 miles away from where they were playing, and the chants were all in good form, everyone was sporting team colors, and we were on the edge of our seats the entire time.  Do you think they watch Yankee games huddled in a crappy bar in London, forget about it.

I also found out about NYSpurs.  A Tottenham supporter's club for fans here in NYC.  You better believe I will be seeing those guys again, which should make for some interesting posts.  All in all, even when you are down in the dumps, Tottenham can still pull you out of whatever funk you are in.  

From the newest member of the Yid Army (just learned that chant). 

Come on you spurs!!!

I love this team.  Not that I would ever give up hope and I would completely support Tottenham if that played in the Championship, or any league for that matter.  They are playing so fantastically.  Beating Liverpool 2X in a season!  Wow!  It just proves the resiliency of this team and how much difference a coach who the team believes in can make a difference.  

Which brings me to my topic for this post.  While I was completely confident that Tottenham was going to come out of this funk, what if they did not?  Of course I would still support them, but that would suck.  And I don't say that lightly (I am not allowed to at work).  If the Spurs played in the Championship I would barely ever get to watch them.  We don't get any of those games on any of the channels.  I don't even think we get any at the bars in NYC.  

I love the fact that teams are completely held accountable for playing well.  If a team finishes at the bottom of the league, why shouldn't they go to the league below.  Their should be a standard of play that is in the top league in the world and who are we to decide who upholds that standard.  And why shouldn't a team who is playing amazingly in the Championship be able to play with the big boys?

I think that this is such a fantastic part of the Premiership and European football.  It makes such great underdog stories.  I know that any team can play any other team in England in the Carling and FA Cup, which is also amazing.  But to have teams that one year are in what Americans would think of as the minor leagues, and the next year, battling with the best teams in the entire world is such a motivating factor.  

This is also a testament to the loyalty of the football fans in England.  Footy fans truly put the saying "through thick and thin" to the test.  People have followed the same team for generations and they truly do love their teams.  That is one of the main aspects of the culture of football that I like so much.  

OK.  I guess this is as good a time as any to wrap this up as I can go on for hours with most of these topics.  

Already out of the relegation zone.  Sitting pretty in 16th.  Top 10 here we come.  

New Era

OK.  Well I just watched a fantastic game of football where the spurs were able to win against Liverpool.  Imagine that, the team at the bottom of the table beating the top team in the league.  What a difference a week can make.  So, I figured this would be a good time to post some new thoughts.

As for being able to fire a manager at any point, why not?  I mean, I can understand that players need to have some security for contracts as they can get injured and no one can play their best every day.  But a manager is completely different.  Their sole job is to make sure that the team executes as they should.  If a team is not doing well, especially when they have potential (example: finishing top 5 2 years in a row), you can't expect to fire all your players and hire new ones.  But you have to be able to change something.  The coach is the logical choice.  Ramos was running the team poorly, and as you can see, they do have potential.  

I am not saying that a team should not have loyalty to their managers, because they should. However, it should only be given when it is due.  Ramos was coach for all of half a season.  Someone like Sir Alex should absolutely be given loyalty from Manchester.  He is a knight after all.  I love Redknapp.  Jamie used to play for us Spurs, and there is some history there.    From what I am told, their was a bit of a language barrier for Ramos and the team.  (It would be a whole other post to talk about the fact that a coach does not need to speak the same language as most of the players on their team).  

Well, I guess the moral of the story is that managers should be up for review at all times.  That comes with the territory.  Hey, as long as Tottenham keep on winning, they can have anyone manage them.  Welcome Harry and the new era of Tottenham football.  

In Shock

Well, what a pleasant surprise to wake up to seeing Spurs one up over Bolton and seeing them close out a nice 2-0 win at home.  When I was reading the game commentary on Skysports, (I can't tell you how much I love cheering on my team from reading a slowly updated game summary) I was in a bit of shock.  The initial posts said that Spurs fans were in a bit of shock and confusion before the game.  I checked my sources and what do I see...not only are we winning a match, but we are winning a match under a new manager, Harry Redknapp.  

This is something that you do not see as often in American sports.  I am not saying it is a good or a bad idea to be able to sack your manager, but it must be difficult for the players.  Especially in a sport like football, where every manager has a distinct style of play, and they cannot take time-outs or have an offense and defense that they can speak to throughout the game.  

It is going to take me a little while to collect my thoughts on this aspect of the game.  Regardless, congrats to all us Spurs fans for the first win of the season.  Only took 9 games, but a win is a win.  May it be the first of many more to come this season.  And a warm welcome to Harry Redknapp.  Perhaps you are the change we need for us to act like the team that we have the potential to be.  

COME ON YOU SPURS!!!

Frustrating Start

We can't even beat Stoke?  Its Stoke.  They weren't even in the Premiership last year.  This team is so frustrating.  All the potential in the world and its being somewhat wasted.  

My take is that they never should have gotten rid of Berbatov and they should have kept either Keane or Defoe.  But it comes down to something even before that.  Jol should still be our coach.  That crazy Dutchman knew how to manage this team.  No knock against Ramos.  He is a good coach and all.  I just think Jol was the right man for Tottenham.

I still have faith that we will turn it around and not get relegated this year.  But from last year's predictions of breaking the impenetrable top four, to now having 2 points from 8 matches, something is terribly wrong.  The last thing I would want is to have Tottenham be relegated and have the games that I can watch from across the pond go from few to none.  

Same team, different year

OK.  So I know that this blog is supposed to be about how much I love the sport, which I truly do, one problem I have with the premiership is that the same 4 teams finish in the top 4 every year.  

I am watching (hopefully) the Tampa Bay Rays and the the Philadelphia Phillies about to start competing for the World Series.  That is amazing.  Don't get me wrong, being a Yankees fan, I love watching the Yankees when they win the Series year after year.  But it is refreshing to know that in any given year, any team can bring it together and do something miraculous.

When was the last time you saw any team besides Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, and Liverpool not finishing in the top 4?  Not since I have been watching the sport (I know that hasn't been for very long, but long enough to understand).  I think that it is BS that when everyone had the highest expectations for Tottenham, they were saying that they would break the top 4 that year.  Why shouldn't the highest expectations be that they should win the Premiership.  

Now don't get me wrong.  This is not all bad.  It is very nice to know that a few games every season, when 2 of these 4 teams meet, you are about to watch an amazing game of football.  You never know that with baseball.  In fact, I can almost guarantee that at some point in the game you will try to shut your eyes and take a nap.  

Still, I think this is somewhat disheartening for football fans.  I know there is much more than winning, but its fun to watch your team win.  One positive to take from this, one of my few arguments against the sport, is that it is a true testament for its fans.  There is such loyalty to your team in the Premiership.  It doesn't even matter if your team drops into the Championship, League 1 or 2, you still love and cheer for them just as much.  Maybe it is enough to watch your team play against the best teams in the world?