What is so hard for the media, other footballers and the England coaches to understand about Ledley King and his most productive natrual position? The man has shown over several seasons that he is one of the top centre backs in Europe and easily one of the most accomplished defenders in the English game, regardless of nationality, and yet the “big club” obsessed media can’t see beyond the end of their Chelsea and Manchester United obsessed noses when it comes to picking England’s centre backs.

No-one can honestly tell me that Ledley King has been inferior to Rio Ferdinand over the past three years and keep a straight face, even top “prankster” Rio himself would be unable to suppress a smile if he actually heard that one being mentioned in a conversation and yet time and again we see England’s most overrated defender playing for his country in his natural position and England’s most unsung defender sitting on the bench or even worse being made to fill in for Owen Hargreaves or whichever other “water carrier” flavour of the month is unavailable in midfield.

Even today we’ve heard Paul Robinson mentioning his club captain as a possibility to step in for Hargreaves in the England midfield and as I was reading it I had to stifle the scream of indignation that was building up inside me. How can we ever expect the general public to open their eyes and begin the clamour to install Ledley in his rightful place alongside John Terry at the heart of England’s defence when even his Spurs teammates are saying he should be used out of position in midfield.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see a red shirted clogger like Wes Brown given a go at centre back before King and if so, that would be a complete scandal. Forget bungs, start looking at other managers in English football with even worse (fore)sight than Arsene “Myopia” Wenger.

I really couldn’t believe my eyes and ears as I flicked on Sky Sports News yesterday and saw Portsmouth assitant manager Tony “Donkey” Adams braying on about some hellish act of injustice that had been perpatrated against his new club by a damnable foreigner from Africa who obviously hadn’t been introcuded to how things worked in this bright new world of premiership football.

It’s not unlike Donkey Adams to come across as a pretentious prick at the best of times so I can slightly overlook that, my disregard for the man goes back many, many years as he symbolises all that is wrong and crooked with professional football and has done for a lot longer than the time Didier Zokora has spent on English shores.

I’ll admit that Zokora did go down rather easily under Pedro Mendes challenge but he wasn’t the first this season and he won’t be the last and to sum it up, he won Spurs a penalty which, when converted, won us a much needed three points. Job done as far as I’m concerned. Every other team does it so why should I condemn our own when they do, at the end of the day I’m a football fan second and a Spurs fan first, my overriding concern for the game falls into a distant runners up position over my need to see Spurs succeed. Hypocrite? No more so than the Donkey Adams or so it seems.
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If Harry Redknapp thinks that the worst insult that can be dished out to Judas Campbell is a thinly veiled dig from Tottenham’s Egyptian striker Mido about Campbell being the “easiest defender he’s ever played against” then he may wear the same kind of expression on his face tomorrow at White Hart Lane as Mary Whitehouse would at a skin flick being shown on BBC1 after the 5 o’clock news.

Mido’s timing mightn’t have been great some say (including ‘Appy ‘Arry) as all he has to do for a teamtalk is pin the newspaper clipping up on the wall to get Judas all fired up and ready for action. I disagree. I see a young player getting a chance to show that he really listens to what the fans are concerned about and even though it is years since that fateful day there are few incidents that wind Tottenham fans up more than S*l Campbell’s lies and deceit and subsequent move to the Goons.

Other fans of other clubs can’t understand the level of dislike and in many cases hatred for the man and that’s for one simple reason: it’s never happened to any other club the way it happened to Spurs.
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So Martin Jol says that despite missing out by a whisker last season on a top four Premiership place and then adding some ?20m+ of talent to his squad over the summer he doesn’t believe that Spurs will be able to break into the top four of the Premiership for another two years?

Talk about a warcry, it sounds more and more like Mr Smooth and Sophisticated in front of the media is suddenly getting a bit of fear about the expectations he’s created at White Hart Lane and with our worst Premiership start likely to continue against pacesetters Portsmouth, Jol is getting the excuses in early for a return to the midtable finish that is potentially on the cards.

I can understand a coach being realistic about his side’s chances but to downplay our ambitions and give the players, most of whom need a kick up the arse at the best of times, an excuse to play for 6th/7th/8th for another two years is inexcusable. We need a confident, ambitious coach who will stop at nothing to achieve the club’s aims of regaining our place back at the top table and I won’t hear any rubbish excuses for why we can’t for two more years when we spend a fortune on new players and have one of the most complete squads (barring a few exceptions) in a decade.
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Today is the last day for one lucky winner to get their hands on a signed copy of Alasdair Gold’s brand new football book “Ode To Jol - A Spurs Fan’s Diary”.

Ally Gold is a former State of the Game columnist and one of the funniest football writers I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with in my time running this site.

To get involved just move over to the Ally Gold competition thread on SOTG Forums, register as a member (it’s completely FREE and only takes a few seconds) and have a read through the few rules for entering.

Basically we just need you to sign up as a FREE registered member of our forums and you will be entered into a draw TODAY (30th September at 5pm) to win “Ode To Jol” , whether you are a Spurs fan or not, Ally Gold’s “Ode To Jol” is well worth a read for any football fan.

Check out the Amazon.co.uk reviews and availability now for Alisdair Gold’s “Ode To Jol”:

and then enter the State of the Game competition to win your own signed copy!

It mightn’t have been quite a “watch out or you’ll be sleeping with the fishes” style warning but nevertheless Spurs boss Martin Jol has laid down the law to international managers, and England boss Steve McLaren in particular, that he will not agree to any of his players playing for their country at all if they haven’t been fit enough to pull on a Spurs jersey.

Spurs injury woes have been growing over the past few weeks as Aaron Lennon broke down in training, Dimitar Berbatov was injured on international dutywith Bulgaria, Jermain Defoe was injured this week and captain Ledley King also broke down in training after recently returning from a long term injury which kept him out of the World Cup reckoning.

It’s mainly Defoe and King that Jol has warned McLaren about using as he doesn’t want any outside influences to ruin Spurs chances of getting their experienced Premiership performers fit and back in the side as they now look to buld on their UEFA Cup win over Slavia Prague.
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Stephen Duke is a Tottenham Hotspur fan originally from North London but now living in Tel Aviv in Israel

In between eating Palestinian children and plotting to take over the world, I?ve found space in my diary to head for my favourite pub in Tel-Aviv and enjoy the attractions of the English Premier League?s ?football connoisseurs?. At the beginning of August, I had high hopes. Spurs pre-season results had been promising; we?d signed quality players to strengthen the team and aside from Carrick?s departure and the visible absence of a man in the mould of Karl Marx there was a genuine belief that that this year we would push on from last year and once more dine from English Football?s top table. So why is it that six games into the new season I?m wondering whether the only dish on the menu is humble pie with a side dish of hat?

Whilst the Pavlovian response of many Spurs fans is to man panic stations at the first sign of trouble, the rocky start to this season is hopefully both temporary and short-lived. No doubt the ?Sack Jol? contingent amongst Spurs fan will be building the gallows or sharpening the guillotines should we get the wrong result either on Thursday against Slavia Prague or on Saturday against Pompey. However, the majority of fans seem to have kept faith in Jol and for good reason.

Martin Jol worked wonders with our team last season and whilst the football wasn?t always inspiring stuff, our form was consistent. Admittedly the displays so far haven?t followed in smooth progression from last season?s form but this has as much to do with the introduction of four new players and injuries in key positions as it does with the skill of the coach. Perhaps this is also down to the World Cup interrupting pre-season but even this is only half the story.

Its clear that Spurs main problem so far this season lies in midfield and there is one reason for this. Over the summer Spurs lost their key player. We knew the sale of Carrick would upset the balance but it also appears to have affected the confidence of the midfield. Overnight the club have had to find a whole new style to their play. We no longer have a player with international experience at the heart of our midfield who possesses the ability to control the pace of the game, break up opposition attacks and who rarely squanders possession. Its was obvious that it would take the team time to adjust to this new reality. If we want to blame anyone for this situation then its Carrick because he gave the club little choice but to sell him. It is certainly not the fault of Martin Jol.

Naturally, under these circumstances, Jol has chosen to rely on experienced players to help get the team through a difficult transition. Those who think a first choice midfield in these circumstances should consist of three twenty-year olds (Ziegler, Huddlestone and Lennon) plus a 24 year old with no Premier League experience probably also believe that Pompey will finish in the top four or that Arsene Wenger really is a paedophile. Of course Huddlestone is the closest player we have to Carrick but it is sensible to let Zokora find his feet before thrusting Huddlestone into the limelight. It would be further recklessness to play the inexperienced Ziegler alongside him.

Finally we come to Jermain Defoe. Despite Defoe promising during the early stages of his career to be the next Michael Owen, he appears to be content with turning into the new Darius Vassell. If one player could be said to epitomise our football club it has to be Defoe. All that promise and yet one disinterested performance after the other leaves the fans scratching their heads. He does have a lack of quality service to complain about but that doesn?t explain the collapse in his game since January 2004 (clue: the time when most Premier League defenders had played against him twice). A run in the team may yet bring a return to form but if time and excuses are running out for anyone the first candidate is Jermaine Defoe.

So let?s stick to the reality. Jol hasn?t turned into a bad coach overnight. Ajax didn?t want him last year because he?s no good and he?s still shown enough ability to turn things around and get our team back up the league and I?m still confident that this is exactly what he?ll do.

Don’t forget about the latest competition from State of the Game where one lucky winner will be getting their hands on a signed copy of Alasdair Gold’s brand new football book “Ode To Jol - A Spurs Fan’s Diary”.

Ally Gold is a former State of the Game columnist and one of the funniest football writers I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with in my time running this site.

To get involved just move over to the Ally Gold competition thread on SOTG Forums, register as a member (it’s completely FREE and only takes a few seconds) and have a read through the few rules for entering.

Basically we just need you to sign up as a FREE registered member of our forums and you will be entered into a draw on the 30th September at 5pm to win “Ode To Jol” , whether you are a Spurs fan or not, Ally Gold’s “Ode To Jol” is well worth a read for any football fan.

Check out the Amazon.co.uk reviews and availability now for Alisdair Gold’s “Ode To Jol”:

and then enter the State of the Game competition to win your own signed copy!

I should have known it was going to be a difficult weekend. It all started for me on Wednesday evening. In London on business, I decided to go to White Hart Lane to get the new Spurs shirt?s as they are not currently available in the North East. Although getting to Seven Sisters tube was fine, the train to WHL was problematic, mainly because I needed the toilet! Not been too familiar with the station, I had to ask four train stations guards where to go and it ate up about 10 minutes. When I eventually got to WHL at 5:31pm, the stores had all shut a minute a go! Back to Seven Sisters and a tube into Oxford Circus. Guessing which exit to take, I came out on the John Lewis side.

I tried there, House of Fraser, Footlocker and numerous other shops on my way up to Marble Arch. Nothing. Back down the other side and I finally secured the away shirt at JD Sports, which was right next to one of the other exits for Oxford Circus! Back on the tube to Kings Cross to the Hotel, well that was the plan. Somehow, I missed the stop and as I was on the Victoria Line, I end up at Highbury! With my Spurs shirt in hand, I quickly get across the station and back to the Hotel. A three-hour pilgrimage for a shirt my fianc?e describes as ?weird?!

As it approached 12:45pm on Saturday, I sat proudly displaying my new Spurs top and hoping for a decent performance. I did not expect a win but a draw would be a bonus. I had already checked the team line ups and noted that it was Keane and Defoe up front. They could not get past Grimsby last season in the Cup so I was very concerned however, I have faith in Martin! To be honest, I thought it was a very good game and that Tottenham were playing very well. There were chances, not too many clear cut, but chances. When Murphy whipped the ball in and King rose, it was one nil and I was screaming with delight. Well, that is what I expected. No connection and the ball goes out for a goal kick. It was tense and 0-0 at half time was good by my estimations. The first ten of the second half were key and again, we did not concede. Then football was summed up in about one minute. Davids screams into the box and squares it for Jenas. GGGooooaaaallll!
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Another Saturday, another capitulation, another raft of excuses on internet messageboards about why Spurs fans should sit tight and just suck it up after another game of missed chances and broken dreams.

Liverpool at Anfield hasn’t ever been an easy game and there were no Tottenham fans going into this one today thinking anything otherwise. Personally I shocked Liverpool fans on the forum by offering my objections pre-match to Martin Jol and his long term tenure as Spurs head coach and with every game that passes I feel my opinion being vindicated. Not that this makes me smug or happy I might add, the crisis (and it is now a crisis) at Spurs this season has been heartbreaking after the moves we made to regain some semblance of respect last season and shows no sign of being broken.

The Jol supporters only have the old story of “there’s no one to replace him” left as their only defence of his start this season and in that they do have a point. Chris Hughton would be the caretaker until a new manager was found and as I feel he is as much of the problem as Jol’s inability to put together a workable system then he’s of no use to us either.
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