A stroll down Whitehart Lane - WWSM: 2008

[BYU 14]

Well, life in the lower leagues was not kind; I lost my job at Millwall for pissing off the FA, then got fired at Scunthorpe for giving the board an ultimatum, then couldn’t get a job offer above Blue Square Premier due to my volatile nature So now I am back with my favorite EPL side, a new tactic that I built specifically for Tottenham’s strengths and I have high hopes for Europe and an EPL title run, so with that….C’mon you Spurs!!!!

07/07/2007
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy welcomes me to White Hart Lane, assuring me that I can rely on the full backing of the club's board.

The board wants the team to be a challenger for the Premier Division title by the end of the two year plan. I have signed a deal until Jun 2009 worth $37,500 per week.

Tottenham Hotspur are celebrating a proud moment in the club's history this season, with the London club having been founded in 1882 - exactly one hundred and twenty-five years ago. Levy has urged me to use my new appointment to ensure that the proud traditions of this club are upheld.

Club Report
Assistant Coach Gustavo Poyet believes we have a team which should achieve a top half finish in the Premier Division but thinks there are areas of the squad could always be improved. He is concerned that there is no adequate cover available for the goalkeeper.

Poyet is concerned that if our first choice right midfielder Aaron Lennon receives a long term injury, then it is doubtful that our current backup Kevin-Prince Boateng will be able to cope with the responsibility of replacing him. Keeping in mind I plan to play a 4-1-4-1 formation I will give Keane some play in Lennon’s spot as Aaron will start the Season on the shelf with a Knee injury.

Expectations
The minimum expectation is that the team qualifies for the EURO Cup through participation in the Premier Division this season.

I tell the board that I believe continental qualification should be possible. As a result, my transfer budget for this season has been set at $48.5M with a payroll budget at $1.7M p/w. We are currently spending $1,217,909 per week on salaries.

[BYU 14]

07/08/2007
Looking to shore up the staff I immediately fire Perry Suckling and Clive Allen and bring on Alex Thurgood and Mark Howard, both significant upgrades. In looking at the club, I feel I have enough in the cupboard to reach my goals, so despite the big transfer budget, I will strand pat for now.

As of today, the club has sold 8824 season tickets for the upcoming season. The board expects the club to sell another 16100 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 24900 in total.


07/11/2007
Geoff Scott has reported that goalkeeper Tommy Forecast has sustained a damaged shoulder during a weight training session. It is likely that Forecast will be out for between 2 weeks and 3 weeks while he is treated. He was set to start the year in reserve anyway to get some seasoning, so no harm to the first team.

07/17/2007
Juventus are interested in buying Dimitar Berbatov. I basically laugh in their face.


Geoff Scott has reported that reserve goalkeeper Lee Butcher has suffered a damaged heel after jumping to challenge for the ball during a training session today. It is likely that Butcher will be out for between a week and 2 weeks while he is treated.

Friendlies
07/17/2007 - Vaduz 0 Tottenham 4
07/20/2007 - Locarno 0 Tottenham 6

Two weak European sides give us a good glimpse of what our tactic should look like in full force, though I don’t put much stock in the 10 nil aggregate overall. Berbatov scores 4 goals between the two matches, while Bent and Kaboul add 2 each.

07/22/2007
The following Tottenham Premier Division matches have been chosen for live television coverage.

Sunday August 26th 2007 - Tottenham v Liverpool
Sunday September 2nd 2007 - Tottenham v Sunderland
Sunday September 16th 2007 - Fulham v Tottenham
Sunday September 23rd 2007 - Tottenham v Birmingham
Saturday October 27th 2007 - West Ham v Tottenham
Saturday November 24th 2007 - Arsenal v Tottenham
Saturday December 1st 2007 - Tottenham v Chelsea

A good array of games here, with the London derbies against West Ham, Arsenal and Chelsea sure to draw big ratings.

As of today, the club has sold 15409 season tickets for the upcoming season.

The board expects the club to sell another 9500 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 24900 in total.

The groundskeeper asks for alterations and I keep the pitch as is (wide and average length) to accommodate our creativity and pace.

[BYU 14]

Friendlies
07/23/2007 – Zurich 1 Tottenham 2
07/26/2007 – St Gallen 1 Tottenham 1

A bit stiffer competition as Zurich has a solid side and St Gallen plays us like it is the UEFA cup final, bullying our midfield and generally being disruptive. This worries me as the one concern I have is how we will cope with a physical team during league play. Berbatov scores in both fixtures and is looking very natural in my new tactic, with 6 goals through 4 matches.

07/27/2007
Man Utd have been made 7-4 favorites to win the English Premier Division title this season.

The rest of the main contenders are priced at: 2-1 - Chelsea, 2-1 - Liverpool, 5-2 - Arsenal, 33-1 - Tottenham and 33-1 - Everton.

Based on our odds, the bookmakers believe that we definitely have the quality to mount a serious title challenge and that no matter what happens, will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Might be a good time to drop a hundred quid on spurs….

07/30/2007
As of today, the club has sold 18830 season tickets for the upcoming season.

The board expects the club to sell another 6100 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 24900 in total.

Friendly
07/31/2007 – Tottenham 4 AFC Wimbledon 0

Our final friendly and only home appearance of the pre-season, sees us dominate non-league side Wimbledon. Kaboul and Berbs score 2 each and I am salivating with the threat we are going to have both on the attack and off of set pieces (Where all of Kaboul’s goals have come)

[BYU 14]

Assistant coach Gustavo Poyet has reminded you of some important dates in the month ahead:

8.1.2007 - Tottenham Reserves v Stevenage (Friendly)
8.3.2007 - EURO Cup Second Qualifying Round Draw
8.11.2007 - Newcastle v Tottenham (Premier Division)
8.15.2007 - English League Cup First Round
8.15.2007 - Tottenham v Middlesbrough (Premier Division)
8.16.2007 - EURO Cup Second Qualifying Round
8.18.2007 - English League Cup Second Round Draw
8.18.2007 - Norwich Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s
8.18.2007 - Wigan v Tottenham (Premier Division)
8.19.2007 - Under 18s Cup Second Round Draw
8.21.2007 - Watford Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s (Under 18s Cup)
8.22.2007 - Tottenham Reserves v Reading Reserves
8.22.2007 - England v Germany (Friendly)
8.25.2007 - Tottenham Under 18s v Chelsea Under 18s
8.26.2007 - Tottenham v Liverpool (Premier Division)
8.29.2007 - English League Cup Second Round
8.29.2007 - Tottenham Reserves v Birmingham Reserves
8.30.2007 - EURO Cup Second Qualifying Round
8.31.2007 - End of transfer window

Bonuses
I promise the players' representative to pay out a higher than normal collective squad win bonus this season.

As a result of the agreement, the players will be paid a total of $7.75M to be shared among the squad on a pro-rata basis if they manage to win the Premier Division.

The collective bonus for cup competitions will award the players a total of $1.4M to be shared among the squad if they win a cup.

In continental competitions the collective bonus will award the players a total of $2.6M to be shared among the squad if they win the trophy.

Should the team fail to win a competition, the bonus will be scaled down depending on the final position.

08/03/2007
Liverpool and Milan both enquire about Berbatov and I slap both down, though Berb’s claims to be intrigued by the Red’s interest. Hopefully not the start of an attitude issue.

08/06/2007
As of today, the club has sold 23032 season tickets for the upcoming season.

The board expects the club to sell another 1900 season tickets in the following weeks, taking the number of season ticket holders for the upcoming season up to around 24900 in total.

2008 First Team side
With away day to Newcastle looming to start the season, I make my final cuts to the reserve side and our opening roster will look like this.

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Age	Value
Radek Cerny	GK	6'3\"	187 lbs	31	$2.1M
Paul Robinson	GK*	6'3\"	196 lbs	27	$6.25M
Pascal Chimbonda	D R*	5'11\"	154 lbs	28	$6.75M
Chris Gunter	D R	5'10\"	156 lbs	18	$6.25M
Ricardo Rocha	D C*	6'0\"	176 lbs	28	$6.25M
Younes Kaboul	D C, DM*	6'3\"	191 lbs	21	$9.5M
Alan Hutton	D/WB R	6'1\"	160 lbs	22	$15.25M
Gareth Bale	D/WB/M L*	6'0\"	165 lbs	18	$8.75M
Gilberto	WB/M L*	5'11\"	171 lbs	31	$2.4M
Tom Huddlestone	DM*	6'2\"	156 lbs	20	$6.75M
Didier Zokora	DM	5'10\"	154 lbs	26	$8.5M
Teemu Tainio	M RLC	5'9\"	152 lbs	27	$7.75M
Steed Malbranque	AM RLC*	5'8\"	160 lbs	27	$8.5M
Kevin-Prince Boateng	AM C	6'1\"	189 lbs	20	$9.75M
Jermaine Jenas	AM C*	5'11\"	160 lbs	24	$9M
Robbie Keane	F C*	5'9\"	169 lbs	27	$14.25M
Darren Bent	ST	5'11\"	160 lbs	23	$31.5M
Dimitar Berbatov	ST*	6'2\"	174 lbs	26	$20M
* = Current projected starters

There are several first team players that will open the season in the reserves due to injury including Lennon, Michael Dawson and Ledley King. This places us a bit weaker on defense than I would like to start, but I am hopeful my strategy of playing a quickfire counter attack stylle will cover that weakness.

[BYU 14]

08/11/2007 - EPL League Match

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Steed Malbranque		Gilberto
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

St James Park - Drizzle 84 degrees
	Newcastle	1	-	3	Tottenham
	5	Shots			12
	3	On Target			6
	2	Off Target			6
	48%	Possession			52%
	4	Corners			5
	14	Free Kicks			23
	16	Throw Ins			20
	20	Fouls			9
	3	Offsides			5
	68%	Passes Completed			69%
	13%	Crosses Completed			22%
	80%	Tackles Won			96%
	60%	Headers Won			53%
	1	Yellow Cards			0
	0	Red Cards			0
	Love (32)				Berbatov (16)
		Man of the Match			Bent (85)
		Malbranque-Tottenham			Huddlestone (90)
		Attendance: 51,155

A splendid display by MOM Steed Malbranque (8) who hit on 25 of 30 passes and chipped in 2 assists to pace the attack. Rocha and Kaboul (both 8) were a combined 10 fo 10 on tackles from the Centre back spots and Kaboul also won 9 of 12 headers and had two goals dissallowed on corners due to fouls. Laying odds now he gets 10-12 goals from set pieces this season. Berbs (8) was again spectacular, opening the scoring and keeping the Magpies on their heels all day before being substituted for Bent (8) who tallied the winner. I also can't say enough about Robbie Keane (8) playing out of position on the right wing for the injured Aaron Lennon. It is going to be hard to go with a 3 striker rotation when Lennon comes back, so if Keane continues to perform he will stay there, Lennon will move to left wing and Malbranque can go inside. It is nice to have so much flexibility.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benítez was seen at St. James' Park during our win as speculation in the media suggests that Benítez may well have been taking a closer look at Dimitar Berbatov who he is rumored to be interested in signing. He should have saved the train fare.

08/14/2007
Final sales figures for season tickets. The ticket office has confirmed that the club has sold 23499 season tickets for this season.

[BYU 14]

08/15/2007 - EPL League Match

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

Whitehart Lane - Dry 68 degrees
	Tottenham	2	-	0	Middlesbrough
	17	Shots			1
	10	On Target			0
	7	Off Target			1
	49%	Possession			51%
	4	Corners			1
	24	Free Kicks			17
	17	Throw Ins			12
	13	Fouls			21
	4	Offsides			3
	74%	Passes Completed			66%
	30%	Crosses Completed			0%
	84%	Tackles Won			95%
	59%	Headers Won			44%
	2	Yellow Cards			5
	0	Red Cards			1
	Berbatov (9, 43)				None
		Man of the Match
		Berbatov-Tottenham
		Attendance: 35,602			Tuncay - Red (90)
Dimitar Berbatov (9) opens the home season in style as he runs wild on 'Boro putting 5 shots on target and netting two on equally superb assists from Chimbonda (8) and Robbie Keane (8), who has another great match playing out of position. Keane personifies what you are looking for in a captain with his unselfish play and tireless effort. Other stars include Jermaine Jenas (8) who orchestrates the midfield flow to the tune of 58 of 69 passes and a team leading 3 tackles. The attack is flawless overall as we pepper Mark Schwarzer (8) while Robinson (7) barely breaks a sweat in goal for us. 08/17/2007 Nine of our players have been called up for international duty. Match Date: August 22nd. Bulgaria: Dimitar Berbatov Wales: Gareth Bale Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane England: Jermaine Jenas and Paul Robinson Scotland: Alan Hutton France: Pascal Chimbonda Finland: Teemu Tainio Norway: Dag Alexander Olsen The call ups take 8 first team players, so it will be pretty quiet around Whitehart Lane for a few days after we get back from our away V Wigan tomorrow.

[BigDPW]

I will be watching... Up until this year I have always played with Spurs. Now I am trying out lower leagues and have managed Stevenage Borough to League 1 in 2 years... COYS!!!

[BYU 14]

08/18/2007 - EPL League Match - Away to Wigan

Starting lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Allen Hutton		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

This looks like our best 11 with who we have a vailable at this point, in fact when Lennon gets back it may be tough for him to rest his job back from Keane, who as exceeded expectations as an attacking Winger, just by demanding so much attention from the opposition

JJB Stadium - Dry 59 degrees
	Wigan	0	-	2	Tottenham
	6	Shots			7
	3	On Target			4
	3	Off Target			3
	50%	Possession			50%
	4	Corners			0
	29	Free Kicks			16
	14	Throw Ins			21
	10	Fouls			27
	6	Offsides			2
	70%	Passes Completed			67%
	17%	Crosses Completed			0%
	61%	Tackles Won			89%
	59%	Headers Won			48%
	3	Yellow Cards			5
	0	Red Cards			0
	None				Berbatov (2, 77)
		Man of the Match
		Berbatov-Tottenham
		Attendance: 19,088
Berbatov (9) is the difference in an otherwise dead even match as he gets us off to a flyer in the 2nd minute, then salts the game just prior to being subbed out for Bent. Wigan played hard for the home fans and restricted our chances for the most part. I also had to tone down the attack due to the abundance of yellow cards, which were being passed out like government cheese at a homeless shelter on this day. Kaboul (7) and Hutton (7) played well on the back line with 15 and 19 interceptions respectively, though Kaboul was not as dominant in the air as usual going 17 of 28 in headers. Jenas was again solid as the midfield general going 42 of 50 on passes, an incredible percentage, and chipping in an assist as well. We are off to a great start and still missing three key players. Next up will be our first test against one of the big four as we get Liverpool at home after the short international break.

Geoff Scott has reported that central midfielder Daniel Hutchins has suffered a pulled hamstring after chasing the ball during the match against Norwich Under 18s. It is likely that Hutchins will be out for between 3 weeks and a month while he is treated.

08/21/2007
Dimitar Berbatov was selected in the English Premier Division Team of the Week. Anything less would have been a travesty as Berbs is shredding EPL defenses early on.

08/22/2007
Your assistant coach Gustavo Poyet has reported back on the Tottenham players involved in today's international matches:

Finland 0 - 0 Kazakhstan (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-seven-year old midfielder Teemu Tainio gave a solid performance for Finland in this match.

Denmark 2 - 1 Republic of Ireland (Friendly)
Twenty-seven-year-old striker Robbie Keane didn't have the best of games for Ireland and was eventually substituted.

Scotland 3 - 0 South Africa (Friendly)
Twenty-two-year-old right-back Alan Hutton did well for Scotland before eventually being substituted.

Bulgaria 2 - 1 Wales (Friendly)
Twenty-six-year-old Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov got himself on the scoresheet for Bulgaria before he was later substituted.
Gareth Bale also played in this match.

Not a bad showing, with Berbs continuing his hot hand at the international level. I like what Taino is giving us as well.

08/24/2007
The transfer deadline for English clubs is in one week. We may look for some midfield help still.

Milan and Real Madrid inquire about Berbatov, I hate Madrid and tell them to F** off and give Milan a 50 Mil price tag.....They promptly withdraw their inquiry.

[BYU 14]

08/26/2007 - EPL League Match - Home to Liverpool

Starting lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

No real shakeups again as if it is not broke don't fix it. This is our first match in bad weather, so I will be curious to see of the tactic is still effective.

Whitehart Lane - Drizzle 77 degrees
	Tottenham	0	-	0	Liverpool
	11	Shots			8
	3	On Target			4
	8	Off Target			4
	45%	Possession			55%
	2	Corners			4
	22	Free Kicks			12
	16	Throw Ins			16
	9	Fouls			16
	3	Offsides			6
	67%	Passes Completed			71%
	33%	Crosses Completed			21%
	64%	Tackles Won			71%
	50%	Headers Won			58%
	1	Yellow Cards			3
	0	Red Cards			1
	None				None
		Man of the Match
		Robinson-Tottenham
		Attendance: 36,244			Finnan - Red (78)
Sloppy conditions and our inability to put shots on target contributed to a less than thrilling draw V the Red's as Berbatov (7) was kept off the scoresheet for the first time all year in any competition. Robinson (8) was our savior today as he made two key saves, one of which was at point blank range on the end of a Fernando Torres (7) strike to preserve the clean sheet. Nobody else really stood out on either side, though all four of our back line players had double figures in interceptions as Liverpool looked unsuccesfully to play the long ball in the rainy conditions. My biggest disappointment in this one is that we could not take advatage of the Reds being a man down for the final 12 minutes. 08/31/2007 I have decided to splash the cash on LOSC's Jean II Makoun. The deal bringing the twenty-four year-old Cameroonian defensive midfielder to the club costs us $22,000,000. Makoun made 143 league appearances for LOSC during the 6 years he spent at Stadium Lille Métropole. We are not really weak at the DM position, this just makes us stronger and allows me to transfer list Zakora. I can also play Huddlestone more on the MC position with leads late in the game as his passing will help with possession.

[BYU 14]

09/01/2007
Assistant coach Gustavo Poyet with the important dates in the month ahead:

9.1.2007 - English League Cup Third Round Draw
9.1.2007 - EURO Cup First Round Draw
9.1.2007 - EURO Cup squad registration
9.2.2007 - Tottenham v Sunderland (Premier Division)
9.5.2007 - Tottenham Reserves v Birmingham Reserves
9.6.2007 - England Under 19s v Israel Under 19s (U19 International)
9.7.2007 - Bulgaria Under 21s v England Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
9.8.2007 - Crystal Palace Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s
9.8.2007 - England v Israel (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
9.10.2007 - England Under 19s v Russia Under 19s (U19 International)
9.11.2007 - England Under 21s v FYR Macedonia Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
9.12.2007 - Chelsea Reserves v Tottenham Reserves
9.12.2007 - England v Russia (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
9.15.2007 - Tottenham Under 18s v Reading Under 18s
9.16.2007 - Fulham v Tottenham (Premier Division)
9.17.2007 - English FA Cup Second Qualifying Round Draw
9.19.2007 - Portsmouth Reserves v Tottenham Reserves
9.20.2007 - EURO Cup First Round
9.23.2007 - Under 18s Cup Third Round Draw
9.23.2007 - Morecambe Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s (Under 18s Cup)
9.23.2007 - Tottenham v Birmingham (Premier Division)
9.26.2007 - English League Cup Third Round
9.29.2007 - English League Cup Fourth Round Draw
9.29.2007 - English FA Cup Second Qualifying Round
9.29.2007 - West Ham Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s
9.29.2007 - Man City v Tottenham (Premier Division)

Training
Gustavo Poyet has decided to give me some feedback on how training has been going over the past month.

The following players have trained well over the past month:
Tommy Forecast (Strength)
Lee Butcher (Tactics)
Tomás Pekhart (Attacking)

The following players have failed to impress in training during the past month:
Dimitar Berbatov (Defending)
Darren Bent (Defending)
Simon Dawkins (Defending)

Not really going to cry about Berbs and Bent as long as they keep doing what they are paid to do and that's ruffle the onion bag!!

Euro Cup
I have to register players for the Euro Cup (6 must be England trained players, 3 of them from the squad)

We will play FC Twente in the EURO Cup First Round.
The first leg will be played at White Hart Lane on Thursday September 20th 2007.

Our match vs Blackburn is rearranged for Sunday October 7th 2007 due to a scheduling conflict with the second leg of the EURO Cup match on Thursday October 4th 2007.

Carling Cup
We will play Liverpool in the English League Cup Third Round.
The game will be played at Anfield on Wednesday September 26th 2007.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool actually played each other in the final of the League Cup back in 1982, with Liverpool lifting the trophy on that occasion. This is a tough draw, especially on the heels of our scoreless match at home. I will hope for dry weather and for a more open Liverpool attack to play into our counter game more.

Board summary
To summarize, the board is satisfied with my coaching of the team.
This has been underlined by the fans' belief that your leadership is getting the best out of Dimitar Berbatov. We recorded a loss of $1.74M last month, which I need to curtail as I do not want to be cash strapped 2-3 years down the line. To best do this we need to win our Cup matches and I will probably be very tight in the transfer windows.

Current EPL Table

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Man Utd	5	5	0	0	14	1	13	15
2nd	Chelsea	4	4	0	0	9	2	7	12
3rd	Fulham	5	3	1	1	11	5	6	10
4th	Tottenham	4	3	1	0	7	1	6	10
5th	Birmingham	5	3	1	1	9	7	2	10
6th	Man City	5	2	2	1	7	3	4	8
7th	Arsenal	4	2	1	1	8	3	5	7
8th	Newcastle	5	2	1	2	8	9	-1	7
9th	Liverpool	4	1	3	0	3	2	1	6
10th	Reading	5	2	0	3	5	8	-3	6
11th	Aston Villa	5	1	2	2	4	6	-2	5
12th	Derby	4	1	1	2	3	4	-1	4
13th	West Ham	4	1	1	2	2	6	-4	4
14th	Bolton	4	1	1	2	3	9	-6	4
15th	Blackburn	3	1	0	2	3	4	-1	3
16th	Wigan	4	1	0	3	2	7	-5	3
17th	Sunderland	4	1	0	3	1	6	-5	3
18th	Portsmouth	4	0	2	2	4	7	-3	2
19th	Everton	5	0	2	3	0	3	-3	2
20th	Middlesbrough	5	0	1	4	2	12	-10	1

Very happy with our position to start as we have a new tactic and are still missing key players. The squad is confident right now and anything lost on our draw with Liverpool will hopefully be regained when Sunderland visits Whitehart Lane in our first September fixture.

Squad Stats

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Age	Value	Apps	Gls	Ast	MoM	Pas	Tck	Drb	Sh T	Av Rat
Radek Cerny	GK	6'3"	187 lbs	31	$2.1M	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Paul Robinson	GK*	6'3"	196 lbs	27	$6.25M	4	-	-	1	26%	-	-	-	7.25
Pascal Chimbonda	D R*	5'11"	154 lbs	28	$6.75M	3	-	1	-	64%	1.33	0.33	-	7.33
Ricardo Rocha	D C*	6'0"	176 lbs	28	$6.25M	4	-	-	-	63%	3	-	-	7.25
Younes Kaboul	D C, DM*	6'3"	191 lbs	21	$9.5M	4	-	-	-	65%	2.25	0.25	-	7.25
Alan Hutton	D/WB R	6'1"	160 lbs	22	$15.25M	1	-	1	-	53%	3	-	-	7
Gareth Bale	D/WB/M L*	6'0"	165 lbs	18	$8.75M	4	-	-	-	55%	2.69	0.27	-	7
Gilberto	WB/M L	5'11"	171 lbs	31	$2.4M	1 (2)	-	-	-	67%	0.76	-	-	6.67
Tom Huddlestone	DM	6'2"	156 lbs	20	$6.75M	0 (4)	1	-	-	69%	1.96	-	-	6.5
Jean II Makoun	DM*	5'8"	149 lbs	-	$22M	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Didier Zokora	DM	5'10"	154 lbs	26	$8.5M	4	-	-	-	86%	0.81	0.41	-	6.25
Teemu Tainio	M RLC*	5'9"	152 lbs	27	$7.75M	3 (1)	-	-	-	89%	3.74	1.56	-	7
Steed Malbranque	AM RLC*	5'8"	160 lbs	27	$8.5M	4	-	2	1	78%	0.8	0.8	-	7.25
Kevin-Prince Boateng	AM C	6'1"	189 lbs	20	$9.75M	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jermaine Jenas	AM C*	5'11"	160 lbs	24	$9M	4	-	1	-	83%	3	1.75	-	7
Robbie Keane	F C*	5'9"	169 lbs	27	$14.25M	4	-	1	-	81%	0.5	2	-	7.5
Darren Bent	ST	5'11"	160 lbs	23	$31.5M	0 (3)	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	6.67
Dimitar Berbatov	ST*	6'2"	174 lbs	26	$20M	4	5	-	2	67%	-	0.29	61%	8.25

* = Current projected Starters

Of course Berbatov is the teams top player at this point as he looks to resume his scoring streak after being stymied by Liverpool. Keane is also very impressive, since he has played out of position all Season. In fact the only real disappointments have been my Defensive Midfielders, which is why Makoun is here and why Zokora is transfer listed.

[BYU 14]

09/02/2007 - EPL League Match - Home to Sunderland

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Jean II McKoun
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

McKoun is set to make his Spurs debut, no other changes from our recent lineups as this group is building some good chemistry.

Whitehart Lane - Dry 68 degrees
	Tottenham	4	-	1	Sunderland
	15	Shots			5
	6	On Target			2
	9	Off Target			3
	55%	Possession			45%
	4	Corners			1
	31	Free Kicks			10
	16	Throw Ins			7
	9	Fouls			26
	1	Offsides			6
	70%	Passes Completed			63%
	28%	Crosses Completed			7%
	60%	Tackles Won			76%
	53%	Headers Won			57%
	1	Yellow Cards			5
	0	Red Cards			0
	Keane (10				Leadbitter (64)
	Jenas (21)	Man of the Match
	Berbatov (45)	Keene-Tottenham
	Kaboul (66)
		Attendance: 35,208

Keane (8) nets his first of the year, putting home his own missed penalty after a great save by Sunderland Keeper Craig Gorden (6). It is a match even more lopsided than the score indicates as Leadbitter (8) was the only Sunderland palyer that did anything and his goal was nothing short of spectacular, driving in a cleared corner with force from 30 yards that no Keeper in the EPL could have saved. The team effort is so dominant that only Robinson (7), McKoun (7) and Rocha (7) don't rate an 8 in form. Kaboul's first competitive goal for the club comes from a corner as expected as he wins 9 of 10 headers and chips in 19 interceptions as well. Bale, Keane and Chimbonda garner assists and Tainio is 44 of 53 on passes.

I am approached by a journalist from the News of the World after the game "Jean II Makoun gave a solid performance for Tottenham today. Are you happy with your new signing?" He asks.
I indicate I am pleased to see Makoun make his debut and I believe he will become a great signing for Tottenham and leave it at that, as he was not spectacular, but also had only 1 day to train with the club before the match.

09/02/2007
International Call-ups
Twenty-three of your players have been called up for international duty.
Match Dates: September 6th and September 10th.
England Under 19s: Troy Archibald-Henville and Danny Rose
Spain Under 19s: Yuri Berchiche
Match Date: September 7th.
Republic of Ireland Under 21s: Terry Dixon
France Under 21s: Younes Kaboul and Adel Taarabt
Match Dates: September 7th and September 11th.
Czech Republic Under 21s: Tomás Pekhart
England Under 21s: Tom Huddlestone, Jamie O'Hara and Ben Alnwick
Match Date: September 8th.
Ivory Coast: Didier Zokora
Cameroon: Jean II Makoun
Sierra Leone: Radwan Hamed
Match Dates: September 8th and September 12th.
England: Jermaine Jenas and Paul Robinson
Republic of Ireland: Robbie Keane
Wales: Gareth Bale and Chris Gunter
Norway: Dag Alexander Olsen
France: Pascal Chimbonda
Scotland: Alan Hutton
Finland: Teemu Tainio
Bulgaria: Dimitar Berbatov

This will be a two week break for internationals and pretty much half my total squad is involved, so I give those that aren't a few days off.

09/08/2007
Gustavo Poyet has reported back on the Tottenham players involved in today's international matches:
England Under 19s 2 - 0 Israel Under 19s (U19 International)
Eighteen-year old centre-back Troy Archibald-Henville gave a solid performance for England in this match.

Andorra Under 21s 1 - 2 France Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-one-year old towering centre-back Younes Kaboul gave a solid performance for France in this match.
Adel Taarabt also played in this match.

Bulgaria Under 21s 0 - 0 England Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-year old midfielder Tom Huddlestone gave a solid performance for England in this match.

Georgia Under 21s 0 - 2 Czech Republic Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals) Eighteen-year old young striker Tomás Pekhart gave a solid performance for Czech Republic in this match.

Geoff Scott has reported that defensive midfielder Sam Cox has suffered concussion after a late tackle during the match against Crystal Palace Under 18s. It is likely that Cox will be out for around 6 days while he is treated. He is a future star at a crowded position.

09/12/2007
Gustavo Poyet has reported back on the Tottenham players involved in today's international matches:

Scotland 3 - 1 Lithuania (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-two-year old strong full-back Alan Hutton gave a solid performance for Scotland in this match.

Holland 5 - 1 Bulgaria (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-six-year-old Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov did well for Bulgaria, playing the whole match and creating a goal.

Somalia 0 - 5 Cameroon (African Nations Quals)
Twenty-four-year-old industrious midfielder Jean II Makoun did well for Cameroon, playing the whole match and creating a goal.

Slovakia 1 - 1 Republic of Ireland (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-seven-year-old striker Robbie Keane will be disappointed with his performance for Ireland. Despite playing the entire match, he never really got going.

Serbia 3 - 1 Finland (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Twenty-seven-year old midfielder Teemu Tainio gave a solid performance for Finland in this match.

Wales 2 - 2 Germany (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
Eighteen-year-old left-back Gareth Bale did well for Wales before eventually being substituted.

Sierra Leone 0 - 3 Uganda (African Nations Quals)
Eighteen-year-old striker Radwan Hamed didn't have the best of games for Sierra Leone and was eventually substituted.

England Under 21s 1 - 0 FYR of Macedonia Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals) Twenty-year-old central midfielder Jamie O'Hara didn't have the best of games for England and was eventually substituted.

Tough match for Berbs, not much for Bulgaria after him.

Geoff Scott has reported that goalkeeper Radek Cerny has suffered a stubbed finger after awkwardly catching a ball in training today and is day to day. If he can't go I will have to brgin Forcast up to back up Robinson.

Scott also reports that central midfielder Teemu Tainio has suffered a facial injury following an accidental collision during the match against Poland. No word on the severity.

09/14/2007
The Tottenham vs FC Twente EURO Cup match on Thursday September 20th 2007 has been chosen for live television coverage. Extra revenue is always good!!

[BYU 14]

09/16/2007 - EPL League Match - Away to Fulham

Starting lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Michael Dawson		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Jean II McKoun
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Steed Malbranque		Gilberto
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

Had to do some minor shuffling due to Tainio's injury moving Malbranque inside and Gilberto up from fullback. This will also signal the season debut of Michael Dawson and possibly Lee Young-Pyo if is brought on as they have both finally been cleared for play post injury.

Craven Cottage - Showers 82 degrees
	Fullham	1	-	2	Tottenham
	11	Shots			7
	4	On Target			3
	7	Off Target			4
	50%	Possession			50%
	6	Corners			2
	25	Free Kicks			27
	13	Throw Ins			18
	20	Fouls			18
	7	Offsides			7
	67%	Passes Completed			62%
	22%	Crosses Completed			15%
	76%	Tackles Won			92%
	55%	Headers Won			50%
	2	Yellow Cards			1
	0	Red Cards			0
	Bocanegra (4)				Berbatov (20, 82)
		Man of the Match
		Berbatov-Tottenham
		Attendance: 25,481
The pitch at Craven Cottage is a quagmire and it creates problems early as Kaboul (8) slips attempting to clear a free kick and Bocanegra (8) buries it. Fulham ouplayed us badly early and it was a heroic effort by Berbatov (8) that drew us even midway through the first half. Beyond his run we had no sustained offense at all until about midway through the second. Stretching the passing lanes, Jenas (8) threaded a beautiful long ball to Berbs, who split the Fulham defense and buried it top left corner out of the reach of Antti Niemi (6) for the winner. Fulham pressed on till the end and it took an incredible save by Robinson (7) to secure the win in the closing moments. Right now we are riding Berbatov's shoulders and sit in 3rd place as both Man U and Chelski have yet to drop points through 6 matches. Behind us sit the other half of the big four, as Arsenal stands 4th with 13 points and Liverpool 5th with 12.

09/19/2007
Dimitar Berbatov was selected in the English Premier Division Team of the Week. At this rate, Berbatov could make a serious run for player of the year.

[BYU 14]

09/20/2007 - Euro Cup 1st roung leg 1 - Home to FC Twente

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascal Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Michael Dawson		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Jean II McKoun
MR		MC		MC		ML
Robbie Keane		Jermaine Jenas		Steed Malbranque		Gilberto
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

Gilberto will move up to wing with Tainio still out and Dawson will get another start at DC. A good win at home will allow to rest some players on the second leg hopefully.

Whitehart Lane - Dry 68 degrees
	Tottenham	2	-	0	FC Twente
	18	Shots			2
	9	On Target			0
	9	Off Target			2
	44%	Possession			56%
	4	Corners			2
	17	Free Kicks			12
	15	Throw Ins			15
	10	Fouls			15
	2	Offsides			2
	74%	Passes Completed			80%
	31%	Crosses Completed			9%
	69%	Tackles Won			78%
	42%	Headers Won			65%
	0	Yellow Cards			1
	0	Red Cards			0
	Gilberto (16)				None
	Berbatov (23)	Man of the Match
		Gilberto -Tottenham
		Attendance: 34,773
Gilberto (8) paces Spurs scoring his first club goal and securing MOM starting at left wing again with Tainio still out due to his injury suffered in international play against Poland. Berbatov (8), again gets on the scoresheet with his first goal in cup play. Other stars if the match include Jermaine Jenas (8) 48 of 60 passing (5 key) and an assist, as well as Kaboul (8) with 19 intercaptions, 9 or 10 headers won and an assist of his own. This sets us up in great shape for the away leg as an away goal would mean Twente would need to score 4 to advance, something I don't see happening, and we can certainly net 1 on the road. I am approached by a journalist from a national newspaper: What is your reaction to FC Twente's disallowed goal? (off sides) Would it have changed the game? I tell him I believe that the referee made the right decision and bid him good day. Chasing me down he then asks about Dimitar Berbatov leaving the club, asking me if I think I can keep him at Whitehart Lane. I tell him that Berbatov will definitely be staying and this time ask him to sod off. 09/22/2007 I praise both Berbatov and Kaboul in the papers for their recent form. Kaboul is gracious and hopes to continue his run, while Berbs comes off as a bit of an arrogant ass, indicating that hs is indeed on top of his game and playing as well as anybody in England at the moment.. Our Carling Cup match with Liverpool on Wednesday September 26th 2007 has been chosen for live television coverage. A top quality derby with both teams top 5 and coming off a recent scoreless draw. 09/23/2007 - EPL League match - Home to Birmingham Starting Lineup GK Paul Robinson DR DC DC DL Pascal Chimbonda Younes Kaboul Michael Dawson Gareth Bale DM Tom Huddlestone MR MC MC ML Robbie Keane Jermaine Jenas Teemu Tainio Steed Malbranque ST Dimitar Berbatov Tainio returns as we look to get our most successful lineup back on the pitch, with the addition of Huddlestone, who has not been stellar off the bench, so we will see how he does in the starting 11. Whitehart Lane - Dry 84 degrees Tottenham 2 - 0 Birmingham 11 Shots 3 6 On Target 0 5 Off Target 3 49% Possession 51% 5 Corners 0 17 Free Kicks 16 20 Throw Ins 13 12 Fouls 17 4 Offsides 0 77% Passes Completed 74% 4% Crosses Completed 16% 90% Tackles Won 78% 55% Headers Won 55% 1 Yellow Cards 2 0 Red Cards 0 Tainio (54) None Bent (77) Man of the Match Tainio -Tottenham Attendance: 36,125 Teemu Tainio (8) returns form injury and promptly lifts us out of our first half doldrums and takes MOM in the process. Beside the goal Tainio was perfect (55 or 55) on passes and looked as though he had not missed a minute. Gareth Bale (8) led the backline adding an assist and denying the wide ball on day on our left flank. The reason for our sluggish first half was the play of Berbatov (6) who had his worst game of the season, putting 3 of 6 on target, but none with any authority at all. It is clear that as he goes, Tottenham goes and I eventually subbed him for Bent (7) in the 70th minute, who perked our attack up a bit and added the clincher. Loans We loan Simon Dawkins to Brentford and Chris Riley to Rotherham to get them some experience. 09/24/2007 Teemu Tainio was selected in the English Premier Division Team of the Week. A nice honor for your first game coming back from a busted up mug.

[BYU 14]

09/26/2007 - Carling Cup 3rd round - Away to Liverpool

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Radek Cerny
DR		DC		DC		DL
Alan Hutton		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Aaron Lennon		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Robbie Keane

I give Berbs the day off, as well as Robinson and Chimbonda. Still a fairly strong side with Keane moving to Striker and Lennon taking the start on the right wing.

Anfield - Dry 51 degrees
	Liverpool	2	-	1	Tottenham
	13	Shots			15
	10	On Target			9
	3	Off Target			6
	46%	Possession			54%
	5	Corners			2
	17	Free Kicks			17
	21	Throw Ins			13
	16	Fouls			12
	1	Offsides			6
	63%	Passes Completed			64%
	25%	Crosses Completed			26%
	66%	Tackles Won			100%
	56%	Headers Won			47%
	3	Yellow Cards			0
	0	Red Cards			0
	Kaboul OG (47)				Makoun (81)
	Riise Pen (65)	Man of the Match
		Reina - Liverpool
		Attendance: 31,667
A high energy match that shaw both side generate plenty of chances, with neither especially successful at applying the finish. With the Reds tallies coming on a penalty and a costly own goal by Kaboul (6) you could pretty much say we gave them the match as we were superior in nearly every facet of the game. Makoun (8) finally showed his wares as he appeared to at last be comfortable in our tactic and Malbranque (8) was strong on the left wing. We suffered on the right side however as Hutton (6) and Lennon (fouled 5 times) was mugged every time he got the ball. Ricardo Rocha (7) was money at the back, winning 15 of 15 headers. An early exit from the Carling Cup was not quite what anyone wanted, but it was a tough draw and will keep us a bit fresher as we are still in the Euro Cup and have the FA cup still to come.

Again I am approached by a journalist from a national newspaper:
"Jean II Makoun was outraged that Liverpool were awarded a penalty today. Did you feel it was a penalty?" Remembering an old friend from Milwall, I keep my mouth shut..

09/28/2007
The FC Twente vs Tottenham EURO Cup match on Thursday October 4th 2007 has been chosen for live television coverage. I will not be changing styles despite our 2-0 aggregate lead coming in. There will be some changes to the first team, but we will still be looking to win and if that fails at least get an away goal.

[BYU 14]

09/29/2007 - EPL League Match - Away to Man City

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Paul Robinson
DR		DC		DC		DL
Pascual Chimbonda		Younes Kaboul		Michael Dawson		Gareth Bale
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Aaron Lennon		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Steed Malbranque
			ST
		Dimitar Berbatov

Pretty much our normal first team outside of Lennon getting the start over Keane at right wing.

City of Manchester Stadium - Downpour 95 degrees
	Manchester City	1	-	1	Tottenham
	15	Shots			8
	8	On Target			2
	7	Off Target			6
	53%	Possession			47%
	8	Corners			5
	25	Free Kicks			21
	6	Throw Ins			9
	17	Fouls			18
	4	Offsides			7
	74%	Passes Completed			63%
	16%	Crosses Completed			15%
	76%	Tackles Won			84%
	57%	Headers Won			56%
	3	Yellow Cards			3
	0	Red Cards			0
	Benjani (23)				Chimbonda (11)
		Man of the Match
		Robinson-Tottenham
		Attendance: 47,068
We discover what type of conditions don't fit our style well as City peppers us in a torrential downpour, made all the worse by the exceedingly hot temprature. Robinson (8) holds up well against the onslaught in a MOM performance, but gets little help up front as Berbatov (6) is held to a single off target shot. Our only goal comes off of a corner and in addition to netting the lone Spurs tally, Chimbonda (8) plays well in the back with 16 interceptions and 3 tackles. Makoun (8) also has a fine game winning 7 of 7 tackles, 32 of 41 passes and 10 interceptions. He is really starting to find his place. I am worried about Berbs as he seems to have hit a slump, earning a form of 6 for the second time in 3 matches. Infact outside of the last 3 games he had only earned a form of 7 once in his first 7 competitive appearances.

[BYU 14]

10/01/2007
Assistant coach Gustavo Poyet stops by to go over the important dates in the month aheadand provide his training report:
10.1.2007 - English FA Cup Third Qualifying Round Draw
10.3.2007 - Tottenham Reserves v Aston Villa Reserves
10.4.2007 - FC Twente v Tottenham (EURO Cup)
10.6.2007 - Tottenham Under 18s v Ipswich Under 18s
10.7.2007 - Tottenham v Blackburn (Premier Division)
10.10.2007 - Fulham Reserves v Tottenham Reserves
10.13.2007 - English FA Cup Third Qualifying Round
10.13.2007 - England v Estonia (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
10.15.2007 - Jacques Maghoma's loan finishes
10.15.2007 - English FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying Draw
10.16.2007 - England Under 21s v Azerbaijan Under 21s (Euro U21 Ch'ship Quals)
10.17.2007 - Russia v England (Euro Ch'ship Quals)
10.20.2007 - Arsenal Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s
10.20.2007 - Tottenham v Reading (Premier Division)
10.24.2007 - West Ham Reserves v Tottenham Reserves
10.25.2007 - EURO Cup Group Stage
10.27.2007 - English FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying
10.27.2007 - Tottenham Under 18s v Fulham Under 18s
10.27.2007 - West Ham v Tottenham (Premier Division)
10.28.2007 - Under 18s Cup Fourth Round Draw
10.29.2007 - English FA Cup First Round Draw
10.30.2007 - Crystal Palace Under 18s v Tottenham Under 18s (Under 18s Cup)

Training
The following players have trained well over the past month:
Aaron Lennon (Set Pieces)
Jonathan Woodgate (Defending)
Michael Dawson (Defending)

One player in particular failed to impress in training during the past month:
Teemu Tainio (Set Pieces)

Premiership Table

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Man Utd	8	7	1	0	19	2	17	22
2nd	Chelsea	8	7	0	1	21	7	14	21
3rd	Tottenham	8	6	2	0	16	4	12	20
4th	Arsenal	8	5	2	1	17	4	13	17
5th	Liverpool	8	4	4	0	7	3	4	16
6th	Birmingham	8	4	1	3	12	11	1	13
7th	Man City	8	3	3	2	11	6	5	12
8th	Newcastle	8	3	3	2	10	10	0	12
9th	Fulham	8	3	2	3	15	12	3	11
10th	West Ham	8	3	2	3	9	8	1	11
11th	Reading	8	3	2	3	9	11	-2	11
12th	Blackburn	8	2	3	3	9	11	-2	9
13th	Bolton	8	2	3	3	7	12	-5	9
14th	Aston Villa	8	2	2	4	7	15	-8	8
15th	Portsmouth	8	1	3	4	7	12	-5	6
16th	Everton	8	1	2	5	2	7	-5	5
17th	Derby	8	1	2	5	5	14	-9	5
18th	Middlesbrough	8	0	4	4	5	15	-10	4
19th	Sunderland	8	1	1	6	4	17	-13	4
20th	Wigan	8	1	0	7	4	15	-11	3

Things are shaping up now as we sit sandwiched between the big four and one of only three EPL side without a loss. Still very early but I think we are confident and playing well enough to stay around this position all year, which will mean a spot in Europe next season. Birmingham is probably the early surprise sitting in 6th spot, while Everton is woefully underachieving at this point.

Squad Stats

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Age	Value	Apps	Gls	Ast	MoM	Pas	Tck	Drb	Sh T	Av Rat
Radek Cerny	GK	6'3"	187 lbs	31	$2.1M	1	-	-	-	14%	-	-	-	6
Paul Robinson	GK*	6'3"	196 lbs	27	$6.25M	9	-	-	2	30%	-	-	-	7.22
Jonathan Woodgate	SW, DC*	6'2"	178 lbs	27	$9.25M	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pascal Chimbonda	D R*	5'11"	154 lbs	28	$6.75M	8 (1)	1	2	-	67%	1.49	0.5	-	7.22
Ricardo Rocha	D C	6'0"	176 lbs	28	$6.25M	7	-	-	-	64%	2.29	-	-	7.14
Younes Kaboul	D C, DM*	6'3"	191 lbs	21	$9.5M	10	1	1	-	63%	1.9	0.2	-	7.3
Alan Hutton	D/WB R	6'1"	160 lbs	22	$15.25M	2 (1)	-	1	-	55%	2.57	1.03	-	6.67
Lee Young-Pyo	D/WB RL	5'9"	145 lbs	30	$4.4M	0 (1)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
Gareth Bale	D/WB/M L*	6'0"	165 lbs	18	$8.75M	10	-	3	-	55%	1.38	0.32	-	7.1
Gilberto	WB/M L	5'11"	171 lbs	31	$2.4M	3 (4)	1	-	1	69%	1.07	0.27	-	7
Tom Huddlestone	DM	6'2"	156 lbs	20	$6.75M	1 (7)	1	-	-	74%	0.89	0.3	-	6.38
Jean II Makoun	DM*	5'8"	149 lbs	-	$22M	5	1	-	-	84%	2.65	-	-	7
Teemu Tainio	M RLC*	5'9"	152 lbs	27	$7.75M	7 (1)	1	-	1	89%	3.25	1.13	-	7.25
Aaron Lennon	AM R	5'5"	138 lbs	20	$11M	2 (2)	-	-	-	73%	-	0.5	-	7
Steed Malbranque	AM RLC*	5'8"	160 lbs	27	$8.5M	10	-	2	1	77%	0.95	1.05	45%	7.3
Jermaine Jenas	AM C*	5'11"	160 lbs	24	$9M	10	1	4	-	82%	2.4	1.5	29%	7.3
Robbie Keane	F C*	5'9"	169 lbs	27	$14.25M	9 (1)	1	3	1	80%	0.69	2.19	40%	7.4
Darren Bent	ST	5'11"	160 lbs	23	$31.5M	0 (6)	2	1	-	80%	-	0.81	50%	6.5
Dimitar Berbatov	ST*	6'2"	174 lbs	26	$20M	9 (1)	9	-	3	58%	-	0.62	54%	7.6
* = Current projected starters

Finally getting up to full strength as a squad with only Ledley King still out among first team players. The biggest challenge at this point will be getting enough minutes to keep everybody happy. The good side to this is that the competition to get on the pitch will be keen, which will make everyone work harder.

10/02/2007
Paul Robinson, Pascal Chimbonda and Jean II Makoun were selected in the English Premier Division Team of the Week. Our best showing of the Season.

Kaboul named EPL Young Player of the Month for September
Press Release: Younes Kaboul has wowed the fans at White Hart Lane this month with some outstanding performances. The 21 year old central defender has played consistently well in the last month. Kudos to to Younes, who was probably our biggest pickup of the off season, he still has some years to improve as well.

Board confidence update:
To summarize, the board feel you should be performing slightly better in your role as head coach. Their biggest disappointment is the team's poor performance in the Carling Cup. One positive to draw on however was Tottenham's 2 - 0 English Premier Division victory over Middlesbrough which pleased the fans. The club made a profit of $2.44M last month.

Unbelievable that we are unbeaten in league, hold a commanding position after the first leg of the Euro Cup and are packing the Lane and all the board remembers is a 3rd round Carling Cup loss to the Reds away. A tough draw for any team in the prem!!

[BYU 14]

10/04/2007 - Euro Cup 1st round leg 2 - Away to FC Twente

Starting Lineup

			GK
		Radek Cerny
DR		DC		DC		DL
Alan Hutton		Younes Kaboul		Ricardo Rocha		Gilberto
			DM
		Didier Zokora
MR		MC		MC		ML
Aaron Lennon		Jermaine Jenas		Teemu Taino		Gareth Bale
			ST
		Darren Bent

Start a few guys not normally on the first team, as I feel we will be able to hold Twente off and advance, while keeping some of our key players fresh.

Arke Stadion - Breezy 78 degrees
	CF Twente	1	-	1	Tottenham
	17	Shots			8
	7	On Target			4
	10	Off Target			4
	45%	Possession			55%
	4	Corners			4
	18	Free Kicks			12
	16	Throw Ins			16
	23	Fouls			16
	3	Offsides			6
	68%	Passes Completed			71%
	40%	Crosses Completed			21%
	81%	Tackles Won			71%
	73%	Headers Won			58%
	4	Yellow Cards			3
	0	Red Cards			1
	Huysegems (55)				Bent (63)
		Man of the Match
		Huysegems - Twente
		Attendance: 13,220
Twente cam out determined in front of the home fans, who were rabid for such a small (By EPL standards) number. Despite the fact that we controlled position, they generated more chances and kept us off balance with physical play in a scoreless first half. After conceding the first goal to Huysegems (8) it looked like it would be a battle to hang on, but Darren Bent (8) answered in style 8 minutes later to give us an insurmountable advantage over our scrappy hosts, as we glide home with the 3-1 aggregate victory. On to the group stage!!! Money talks We are awarded $220,000 for playing in the EURO Cup, $90,000 for beating FC Twente and $875,000 for making the group stage. This is why Europe is such a sweet deal, well over a million dollars for brushing off a Coca-Cola Championship caliber side. Of course it only gets tougher from here out. 10/06/2007 Three of our players have been called up for international duty. Match Dates: October 10th, October 12th and October 14th. Spain Under 19s: Yuri Berchiche Republic of Ireland Under 19s: Terry Dixon Czech Republic Under 19s: Tomás Pekhart We have some decent young talent in the pipeline in these guys.