Tottenham Hotspur FC - A Brief History |
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High Treason and Silverware
For the 2007-08 season, Tottenham announced an all-white kit. The away kit is all navy blue, while the third kit is all yellow. There is also a shirt to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary, which features white and sky blue halves and was worn for just one game, against Aston Villa at home on October 1, 2007, the closest game to the anniversary. The score was 4-4; Spurs were 3-1 down at half time, but in the last 22 minutes Spurs scored 3 goals with Younes Kaboul scoring in the last minute.
At half-time around 50 of the Spurs legends came onto the pitch to an ovation. Despite their ambitious off-season transfers (reported not to be approved by the Dutchman Martin Jol) their season started in disappointing fashion, with the club near the relegation zone, and a defeat at home to rivals Arsenal.
Martin Jol's position as manager was seen to be insecure after a well publicised meeting between club officials and the then-Sevilla boss Juande Ramos. Chairman Levy then issued a statement publicly backing Jol.
Following continued woeful form, on October 25, during a UEFA Cup match with Getafe CF it became apparent that the game would be Jol's last in charge. During ITV4's live coverage of the game, it was reported that Martin Jol had tendered his resignation before the match which was accepted by Levy. Subsequently, it became clear that Jol was actually going to be sacked by Levy following the game, which Jol found out in the course of the game through the reaction of Spurs fans to a news leak from someone within the Club. During the Getafe game many Spurs supporters voiced their support for "Big" Martin Jol. After the match a board statement confirmed Jol and Chris Hughton had left the club. It also claimed that the move was at their request.
Development coach Clive Allen and youth team boss Alex Inglethorpe took temporary charge of the first team. Gus Poyet, the former Spurs midfielder, had been linked to Ramos in an assistant-boss role. The media and fans were critical of the Board, Levy in particular, at the way that events were handled. Certainly, the widely reported first approach of Ramos by the board, and subsequent comments of directors in the media did nothing but publicly undermine the manager and the team from just a couple of games into the 2007-08 season.
It was confirmed on October 27 that Spaniard Juande Ramos had signed a contract with Tottenham to become head coach running until season 2010/2011, with Marcos Álvarez also joining him at Tottenham. Ramos resigned as Sevilla FC coach despite having signed a contract until the end of the season with the Spanish club and after more than two months of competition. Also announced on October 29 was the appointment of former player Gus Poyet to the coaching staff as one of two first-team coaches alongside Marcos Álvarez, working under head coach Ramos.
On 18th December 2007, Tottenham beat Manchester City 2-0 in the quarter-final of the Carling League Cup with goals from Jermain Defoe and Steed Malbranque, despite playing for the majority of the game with 10-men against a team that was unbeaten at home all season. They went on to draw 1-1 with Arsenal in the first-leg of the Carling Cup semi-final, with a goal from Jermaine Jenas. On December 24, it was announced that Tottenham had reached an agreement with Cardiff City for the transfer of Chris Gunter for a reported fee in the region of £3 million.
Robbie Keane achieved 100 goals for Tottenham on January 19 in the Premier League 2-0 home win over Sunderland by scoring in injury time in the second half. Robbie then reprised his erstwhile and signature handspring, somersault and 'gun-slinging cowboy' goal celebration to the delight of the fans.
On January 22 2008 in the The Carling Cup semi-final 2nd Leg, Tottenham defeated arch rivals Arsenal 5-1, their first victory over their North London rivals in nearly nine years. It is regarded as one of the biggest victories not only for Spurs itself but especially for their fans. The 6-2 aggregate result meant that Spurs went on to the final at Wembley Stadium to face another London rival, Chelsea. On January 27 2008 Spurs went out of the FA Cup Fourth Round to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Tottenham took the lead through a Robbie Keane goal but eventually succumbed to Manchester United who had goals from Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo and the 68th minute sending off of Spurs centre-back Michael Dawson to thank for their victory.
In the final week of the January 2008 transfer window, it was announced that Tottenham had reached an agreement with Middlesbrough F.C. for the transfer of Jonathan Woodgate for a reported fee in the region of £7 million to £8 million and with Rangers F.C. for Alan Hutton for a reported £9 million fee. Despite rumours of a deal for Gilberto da Silva Melo falling through after two failed medicals, he officially signed with Spurs on January 31, and will be the first Brazilian to represent Spurs at first-team level. A deal for Tiago Mendes collapsed.
Also during the transfer window, it was reported that Jermain Defoe was sold to Portsmouth,with the fee reported to be between £7 million and £12 million, although it subsequently emerged that the deal was only on an initial loan basis due to time constraints. Wayne Routledge was sold to Aston Villa for £1.5m, Anthony Gardner was loaned to Everton and Paul Stalteri loaned to Fulham.
Following the close of the transfer window, Tottenham played Premier League holders Manchester United, on the February 2 2008 where Dimitar Berbatov put Spurs ahead after 21 minutes. Spurs held the lead until the last kick of the game in the 94th minute where Carlos Tevez' shot deflected off Michael Dawson and levelled the score. The goal was given as an own goal, but Spurs were praised for their much improved defensive performance.
Spurs won their first silverware for 9 years with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final on February 24, 2008 (the first to be played in the new Wembley Stadium). Didier Drogba scored the opener for Chelsea. Dimitar Berbatov scored the equaliser from penalty spot after a handball from Wayne Bridge and Jonathan Woodgate head the winner in extra time to seal the win.
The win ensured Spurs will play in the UEFA Cup for the third consecutive season. On Easter weekend Tottenham got a very important 3 points in an attempt to catch up West Ham in the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Darren Bent opened the scoring before Jamie O'Hara secured the points. However, Spurs' attempts to push for a top-10 finish were dented after a 4-1 reverse at White Hart Lane to Newcastle United on the 30th March, their heaviest home defeat of the season. Four consecutive 1-1 draws followed, before Spurs rounded off the season with a victory at Reading and a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool, finishing 11th in the Premier League.
2008-2009
On the 26 April 2008, Tottenham announced that they had agreed a deal with Dinamo Zagreb for the signing of Luka Modri?, subject to a medical and the granting of a work permit. Modri? had also been linked with a move to Newcastle United, and had previously been linked with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. The £16.5 million fee equals the club record paid for Darren Bent. On the 30 May 2008,
Tottenham announced they had reached an agreement with John Bostock to join the Club, though Crystal Palace rebuked this by stating, on June 5th, that "no agreement has been reached for the services of the 16 year old", The deal was eventually completed on the 10 July 2008, when a tribunal declared an acceptable value.
On June 6, 2008, Tottenham Hotspur FC agreed a deal to sign Giovani Dos Santos from Barcelona on a five-year contract for an initial £4.7m and rising to £8.6m depending on appearances. On the 26 June 2008, Tottenham reached an agreement to sign Brazilian Goalkeeper Gomes from PSV, The transfer was completed on the 12 July 2008. On 18 July 2008, the Club issued a press statement on behalf of Daniel Levy saying that both Manchester United and Liverpool had been reported to the Premier League over comments their respective managers had made which were seen as unsettling both Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane with a view of enticing them away from Spurs.
The Story Continues...
COME ON YOU SPURS !