With Martin Kelly set to make his senior England debut and everyone remembering the club has
more than just a new managerial hire to worry about, it's been a surprisingly busy day of Liverpool
news after most of the week has seen a single-minded focus on questions over who would replace
Kenny Dalglish and whether the fans could trust Fenway Sports Group's judgement in the matter.
The dread anticipation of the Doomsday Scenario was hideous, elongated as it was over several
weeks as first the semi-final and then the season's final day played out. Goals and sendings-offÂ
that weren't, the bitter tease of a former Spurs keeper throwing three goals into his net, yet
another rearguard action, all of this involving not just any club, not just one rival but both of
our bitterest enemies.
Earlier this week I received formal notification that Tottenham Hotspur PLC is proposing to
de-list its shares and become a private company again. As a shareholder, I've been kept fully
informed even though the postage on the thick wad of legalese cost twice as much as the value of my
holding. I have one share, literally a share holder, so that's very sweet of them, although as a
responsible shareholder I feel disappointed and concerned that the board have wasted this expense
on schmucks like me for whom it makes no difference.
"This is a club with a history in European competition and people throughout the world—at
least our supporters—yearn for European nights. That's our first goal." —John Henry
Since arriving at Liverpool, John Henry and the rest of the Fenway Sports Group team have hardly
put a foot wrong, immersing themselves in the club's history, bringing back a legend and giving him
the support he needed to turn things around, and showing a willingness to invest in the playing
staff in a way that hasn't been seen at the club in the Premier League era.
Liverpool's nightmare season has finally come to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa,
meaning we miss out on European football after finishing 6th in the league.
The 10/11 season will be remembered by most Liverpool fans for finally getting rid of Hicks,
Gillette and Purslow, along with the long awaited return of King Kenny as manager.
Ian Ayre has expressed his delight at the news Kenny Dalglish has been appointed the permanent
manager of Liverpool, and also gave an update on the new stadium.
Tribalism is the essence of being a football fan. United in support of our obscure object of
desire, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, we pledge everlasting love and set aside other
relationships in preference to the one that truly matters. We have our colours, our temple of
worship, our rituals. At games or out and about, I strike up conversations with perfect strangers
because they are navy blue and white.
Ten days ago the Football Supporters Federation, the country's largest representative
organisation for football fans, published the results of a nationwide survey of club charters,
documents that set out standards of customer service. Clubs were graded according to a number of
criteria, including accessibility, timeliness, quality, complaints procedure and contact
details.
Every manager has to prepare for the future as well as the present, and Kenny Dalglish has been
back at Liverpool for a few years now, first in a capacity overlooking the academy and as a club
ambassador, so knows which of our youth players can make the step up to the first team. Given that
Gerrard and Carragher could have retired in 5 year's time, what do you think our squad would look
like?
Politics. All down to politics, as this blog has been saying for a while. The BBC has 'learned'
that West Ham will win the Olympic Stadium bidding process. In the language of politics, it's a
leak from a sound source, otherwise the BBC would not have gone so big on it. It will happen.
Rejoice, [...]
There's so much going on at the moment with regards to the new stadium, political spin left,
right and centre. Even Pele's talking about it. This afternoon Daniel Levy wrote an open letter on
the official site which unless you're blind confirms the boards first choice is moving to
Stratford.
A few seasons ago Tottenham Hotspur proudly celebrated 125 years of history. In 8 days time a
decision will be taken that could shape its destiny for the next 125. It will be taken behind
closed doors, by people eminent no doubt in their field but who are wholly unknown to the the
public, who [...]
Being a football fan in the 21st century is an increasingly complex undertaking. The essence of
game is mercifully unchanging, that heady brew of sweat and toil, undying passion and exquisite
skill which creates this uniquely thrilling and involving spectacle. Over the last, say, twenty
years, most fans have grappled with different tactical formations [.
Liverpool lost 3-1 at Blackburn Rovers this evening, with Steven Gerrard getting on the
scoresheet but also missing a penalty towards the end of the game.
Sobering times for Liverpool fans – a season ago, we were celebrating how Kenny Dalglish, with
the mantle of Messiah, seemed to effortlessly restore us back to form, after Woy's charges suffered
5 defeats in the last 8 league matches. But before you bring out the white robe and sandals for the
King, even after the victory at Ewood Park this week, Liverpool's run of 6 defeats in 9 is
comparable to Hodgson's record, which means for 2 seasons in a row, we've been talking –
sacrilegiously – about the infamous 1954 season, the last time Liverpool were relegated (and 1 of
only 3 occasions it has happened).
According to a report in The Telegraph Fenway Sports Ground have made the long awaited decision
to build a new stadium on Stanley Park.
The report claims that the owners have decided to go with the original architects AFL, which
means the plans which former owner Tom Hicks had selected from Dallas architects HKS have now been
scrapped.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012. A new milestone in Earthquakes history.
The San Jose Planning Department voted 6-0 to deny an appeal to the proposed Earthquakes stadium
near the Mineta San Jose International Airport. After almost 10 years of [hard] work, the Quakes
are closer than ever to realizing a dream of having their own stadium.
The Montreal Impact selected Bobby Burling in the expansion draft yesterday. Head coach Jesse
Marsch played with Burling on Chivas USA from 2007 to 2009. Marsch played as a defensive midfielder
and Burling played as a defender while on Chivas USA. As such, Marsch was happy to select Burling
during the expansion draft.
It's been a while since I've posted and I'm sorry for that. I've started a new school year and
it's pretty demanding so most nights I've been studying with little time to sit down and write up a
post. Up next for the Quakes is a home game against Sporting KC. Sporting is on top of the Eastern
Conference at this point in the season while the Quakes are still fighting for the 10th and last
playoff spot.
While Palo Alto and Stanford Stadium hosted an impressive 4th of July fireworks show, albeit on
July 2nd, the match itself also had its share of fireworks. The Quakes came off as a bit more
feisty and had the majority of fouls on the night, resulting in Bobby Burling picking up 2 yellows
and being forced out of the game.
Yesterday, March 3, the Earthquakes began the 12 week process of demolishing the old FMC building
near the San Jose Norman Y. Mineta Airport that will become the site of the future stadium. To
commemorate the occasion there was a little ceremony with members of the organization and city
taking part.
Being in the Champions League's been great, hasn't it? The comeback against Young Boys, van der
Vaart's all-emotions performance against Twente, Bale vs Inter, winning in Milan, all of it. If we
are to fail to make it next season, it'll be a real shame to have to resort to Thursday nights on
ITV4 in the Europa League.
It's been a manic, surprising and very entertaining few days in my life, so much so I've not
been able to write about my beloved Spurs or mention 4-4-2 once. I did of course manage to watch
the Bolton game but there's very little point in me going into that now, especially as that's been
superseded by more bickering and handbag waving between Levy and Brady.
Spurs versus Manchester United remains one of the classic encounters in any season. Lacking the
blood and thunder of London derbies against L'arse or Chelsea, nevertheless the tension is palpable
and the air crackles with excitement and energy in the early exchanges. On such days, matches are
won or lost in fleeting moments, where the [.
Why do Spurs have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot? I'm all for positive thinking and
the press will always ask you questions like, "do you think you can beat United on
Sunday?", but it's how we answer those questions that seem to help opposition managers with
their team talks.
I Hope West Ham Win! Not something you'll hear a Spurs fan say everyday, and I
know there are plenty of you out there that are all for the move to the Olympic Stadium but there
are a lot of us that don't want to. While you may think this is just another anti Stratford blog
update it's more than that and I hope even if you're very pro moving, you'll appreciate the
possibilities of what I'm about to say.
No match report from the 3-0 cup win against Coventry. I missed this game and can't concoct a report from 29 seconds of ITV highlights. Instead, the second in a series of articles about what it meansto bea Spurs fan. Martin Cloake is ajournalist and prolific author of books about Tottenham Hotspur.
Currently, Siena lie second in Serie B, eight points ahead of third placed Novara. The club are
also only one point away from the summit, and it seems that promotion to Serie A is easily within
the club's grasp, barring any late season catastrophe. The club are somewhat fittingly preparing to
build a new stadium featuring an odd characteristic: it's partially underground.
One of the problems we've faced with regards to the new White Hart Lane or Olympic Stadium
argument is mixed messages from all parties. It's been hard to understand exactly what's going on
from one day to the next. It's fair to say Spurs haven't been forthcoming with answers and it's
hard to see how they can be without potentially putting one of their options in jeopardy which is
something from a business perspective they're unlikely to do.
