Poka, Pav
It has been one hell of a busy fortnight in the world of Tottenham Hotspur – and not a whisper of any of it from The Boys From White Hart Lane. For shame.
So, in a desperate attempt to catch up - and stay relevant – TBFWHL is taking a look back at 14 days in which Spurs stumbled into the fifth round of the FA Cup, re-entered the title race after a brief remission and brought in a couple of battle-hardened veterans at the expense of a cult hero.

Amidst all the loan deals away from White Hart Lane yesterday there was one permanent departure and it came in the shape of Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko who has departed for Lokomotiv Moscow for a fee in the region of £7.5m.

It had been an unhappy eighteen months at the Lane for Pav, punctuated by occasional match winning strikes against the likes of Birmingham last season and against Sunderland a few weeks ago, where his solitary goal could yet prove vital in the course of the season.

Yesterday we looked at the possibility of new arrivals at White Hart Lane and the general consensus was that we were due for a quiet day. Later in the evening, reports suggested that Vedran Corluka was a target for Bayer Leverkusen and they seem to be gaining momentum this morning.

At the start of the month, Harry said that the Croatian would definitely not be leaving but after omitting him from the cup games where much of the fringe side appear, it may well be that Charlie is on his way.

The transfer rumours involving Spurs are very slowly starting to spark into life with stories that Roman Pavlyuchenko could be the first and possibly only departure from White Hart Lane this summer.

Yesterday, Pav's vocal agent Oleg Artemov claimed that Spurs had extended the Russian's contract until June 2013.

While Loic Remy may not be available until the end of the season, if you believe PSG's new manager Carlo Ancelotti, there are a number of options this month in the striking department for Spurs to consider.

Big spending PSG attract a lot of attention at the moment and when quizzed about possible targets, Ancelotti gave reporters a list of names that are supposedly being touted around clubs by their agents.

The most vocal of football agents Oleg Artemov has been touting his client Roman Pavlyuchenko around this week with Anzi the latest Russian club to be linked with the striker.

"At the beginning, Roman absolutely ignored Anzhi," Artemov told the Russian press.

"He wasn't against going back to Russia, but not to the Makhachkala-based team, but Pavlyuchenko is tired of the uncertainty and the lack of match action.

What has two thumbs and couldn't be more desperate to leave?Hold tight comrades, this is the serious shit now. Rejuvenated Sunderland came to the Lane on Sunday with a cunning plan to further derail our campaign after the damage inflicted by Corporal Pulis' Stoke Taskforce the week before (ably assisted by rear gunner Foy, it must be said).

When Aaron Lennon limped out of yesterday's action on 27 minutes, it must have been tempting for manager Harry Redknapp to look at the midfield alternatives he had waiting on the bench.

Either Niko Kranjcar or Steven Pienaar could have been a more obvious choice but Harry's positive move of putting Roman Pavlyuchenko on the pitch was to eventually pay off.

As soon as the QPR takeover was announced in the summer, a host of Spurs players were linked with a move to West London. Ultimately, none of these transfers materialised but it's inevitable to see further stories emerge as the January transfer window approaches.

Spurs fans will be no stranger to Roman Pavlyuchenko's agent Oleg Artemov who has been very vocal about his client's next move in recent weeks.

Two of Tottenham's current strike force were in the news this weekend as the January transfer window rapidly approaches. While more stories surfaced concerning the possibility of a permanent move for Emmanuel Adebayor, the manager himself came out and stated his view on a possible departure for Roman Pavlyuchenko.

In August I wrote an article asking if Harry Redknapp could solve our striker crisis from within, rather than investing in a new forward. At the time, we had the option of selecting either Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko to play alongside Rafael Van der Vaart, who enjoyed a superb debut season in a Tottenham shirt.

Roman Pavlyuchenko has been ruled out of tonight's game with PAOK as a freak training injury is set to see him endure a spell on the side lines.

Yesterday, manager Harry Redknapp said after Pav's knee problem came to light,

'It doesn't look very good. He just banged it on Andros Townsend's head.

Typically, the weekend's press contained many rumours linking Newcastle United to various players, some of which I provide a summary of in this article. Amidst the rants of Llambias and the mutterings of discontent or otherwise about the stadium renaming, there was also a healthy serving of transfer speculation on the weekend.

Spurs: Cudicini; Fredericks; Gallas (Parrett); Bassong; Townsend; Falque; Livermore; Carroll; Pienaar; Pavlyuchenko (Kane); Defoe

Tonights game at Central Stadium was always going to be tough for Spurs, no matter which team had been picked. Rubin Kazan have some experienced heads from Russian League and European football and they showed it with a commanding performance against a Spurs team that had a mix of youth and experience.

It's not entirely clear why, but if you read the papers today it seems as if QPR are emerging as the front runners to sign Roman Pavlyuchenko when the transfer window reopens in January.

The Pav situation is getting a little tiresome and as our most vocal of players when he isn't featuring in the first team squad, the Russian has been bemoaning his lack of first team action once again.

A 33rd minute pile driving free kick from Roman Pavlyuchenko secured the narrowest of 1-0 wins for Spurs against a determined Rubin Kazan side last night. The win puts Tottenham two points clear at the top of the group and has almost guaranteed their qualification for the next phase of the Europa League.

Roman Pav-erage-lachenko once again temporarily silenced his critics and showed why he is the most frustrating Spurs player in the history of the game. Month after month of mediocrity with flashes of quality few and far between. And last night brought us one of those flashes, and was swiftly followed up with his latest mood swing in his post match comments.

Tottenham Hotspur Harry Redknapp has refused to assure Roman Pavlyuchenko that the Russian striker is a part of the long-term plans at White Hart Lane and in fact, the Spurs boss has hinted that the player's persistent wish to be sold may be granted in the near future.

Pavlyuchenko, 29, has made only two substitute appearances in the Barclays Premier League this season and although Redknapp hopes that the Russian continues to showcase his talent in the Europa League when Rubin Kazan pay a visit tonight, the gaffer has made it clear that he expects more.

A couple of swap deals could be on the cards this January with both Roman Pavlyuchenko and Heurelho Gomes being used as potential bait to bring new faces to the Lane.

While Pav has only featured as a fringe player this season, Gomes has been reduced to third choice goalkeeper after some high profile errors towards the end of last season.

Stop me if you've heard it before but the stories in the newspapers and over the web today are full of reports that Roman Pavlyuchenko wants out of the Lane in January.

Pav hasn't been given the game time that he has craved so far this season but when he has appeared, his performances have been lacklustre to say the least.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has told Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko to ‘show more fight' after some listless performances so far this season.

While Pav is one of only three recognised strikers at White Hart Lane, new arrival Emmanuel Adebayor has quickly settled into a first choice partnership with Jermain Defoe which has left the Russian consigned to the bench.

The selection of a child in Tottenham's lineup added fuel to the suggestion that Redknapp wasn't too bothered about the Carling CupFredi Kanoute, Michael Brown, Jermaine Jenas, Pascal Chimbonda, David Bentley, Jamie O'Hara and now Roman Pavlyuchenko and Massimo Luongo. It's just as, if not a little bit more, depressing a list as Pearce, Waddle, Southgate, Batty, Vassell, etc.

Here we go then, I didn't see the match, no streams, instead wasted almost three hours of my life listening to paint dry on the radio. Here are the highlights, they're worth watching if only to see Pav's woeful penalty.
As always, get watching before it gets taken down.
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As last season began to draw to a close, it seemed as though Roman Pavlyuchenko would be the first player to leave White Hart Lane this summer. Despite leading the scoring amongst our three regular strikers, Pav was very vocal in his desire to leave for a chance of more regular football.

All that seemed to change following his two long range strikes against Birmingham City on the last day of the campaign.

While it may not have been the case at White Hart Lane for a while, transfer deadline day usually springs a whole host of surprises and while it seemed likely that there would be no more strikers leaving the club this summer, could that be about to change?

After Robbie Keane finally left for LA Galaxy earlier this month, it seemed that Crouch, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko would all remain alongside new arrival Emmanuel Adebayor.

You may have noticed that every transfer window, Pav has something to say about whether he is staying at Spurs or is leaving the lane. Below you will find the definitive chronological time line of genuine Pav related transfer headlines from Sky Sports. ITK rubbish, or the ramblings of a split personality mad man?

Most Spurs fans would agree that 90% of the transfer talk this pre-season has been about which striker should leave and who we should bring in up front. But could Redknapp defer this ‘crisis' by getting the best out of what we already have?

I think it is important that we do strengthen up front regardless of what our current strike force can offer.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko revealed that he was "shocked" at the way Russian teammate Yuri Zhirkov was treated in front of yesterday's home crowd in Moscow. The home crowd booed the former Chelsea player all match, disappointing Pavlyuchenko.

"I was frankly shocked. I do not know why these people come to football.

As he prepares to unveil French winger Gabriel Obertan as the newest (and most likely the fastest) member of his Newcastle United squad, Magpies boss Alan Pardew is also working to sign a reliable scorer up front.

Pardew, who has publicly backed unsettled midfielder Joey Barton to stay on at the club, is now reportedly close to acquiring the services of Tottenham's unsettled striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Earlier this week, Roman Pavlyuchenko had declared his concern that he would be the victim of Spurs desperate hunt for a new striker and that he would be the first Tottenham player out of the door this summer.

Despite openly declaring that he was happy to stay at the club and that his ‘heart' was at Tottenham, Pav had this to say about the situation,

"I feel comfortable here.

Having given your verdict on the player of the season, it's time to have your say regarding your favourite goals from the last campaign.

As you would expect from Spurs, there were some stunning strikes and many of our goals from 2010-11 featured on Match of the Day and Sky's regular competitions, but which of these really stands out?

Thumbs up if you'd probably score more goals than CrouchUltimately, it all comes down to goals. In 2009/10, we scored a lot of them and were able to finish fourth as a result. In 2010/11, we couldn't hit the proverbial barn door with a banjo. End result? No fourth place. Disappointment.
So it seems that this area of our game is the one that is in most urgent need of reform.

It's a tale of two strikers in the transfer columns today with one player insisting he has no intention of joining Tottenham while another has given the first indication that he may stay at the Lane despite issuing ‘want away' signals for most of the 2010-11 campaign.

Dimitar Berbatov had been linked with a possible move away from Old Trafford with a return to Tottenham being cited as a real possibility.

Of the four main strikers at Tottenham, Roman Pavlyuchenko finished the season as far and away the leading scorer this season. Despite a decent record, the Russian played sporadically and only came off the bench yesterday after an injury to Peter Crouch.

Harry Redknapp acknowledged Pav after the game as a ‘great striker of the ball', but the two goals will leave some supporters scratching their heads as to why he wasn't used more often this season.

That's it then. All over for another season and what have we got to show for it this time around? A 5th place finish in the league, quarter final exit from the Champions League, 4th round exit in the FA Cup and 3rd round in the Carling Cup. That's the cold, hard stats of the season.

Harry Redknapp may be looking for a new centre forward but Spurs' former striker Freddie Kanoute is one player who won't be returning to White Hart Lane. Kanoute is leaving Sevilla at the end of the Spanish season and Spurs have been seemingly linked to him since the day he left North London.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have had the privilege to witness some truly outstanding football in the 2010/2011 season. The outstanding talents of Bale, Modric, and Van der Vaart now grace the Spurs line up, terrorising the opposition with their skill and ability, as opposed to the days of average players like Postiga, (Michael) Brown, and Ghaly.

It seems that everyone on this website has been able to spot Spurs' attacking deficiencies for months, but they've only been highlighted in recent weeks because the likes of Bale and VDV haven't been scoring the goals that should be coming from the strikers.

We go into tomorrow's game having not scored in the last four so where's the next goal coming from?

Defoe was inconsolate after being denied a cameo in The Only Way Is EssexWant to know why we didn't beat Blackpool last night despite firing the most number of shots at the opposition since the sinking of the Belgrano? Here's why:
Jermain Defoe: 13 league games, 0 goals.
Roman Pavlyuchenko: 18 league games, 6 goals.

Although the January transfer window is well behind us, there has been talk this week of the possibility of Roman Pavlyuchenko leaving the club before the end of this season.

Last week Pav hit out at Harry Redknapp over his lack of first team chances: "The way I see it, the manager just doesn't trust me and it doesn't matter if I play well, score goals or try my best in training nothing will make him change his mind about me.