All Aboard! - The Managerial Rollercoaster

[Werrett]

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Clement Secures Win Against Former Club

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One word: Pride. This is what was on the line when we faced my former club, they've got a fantastic squad and we were always going to be put to the test but we came out on top. We had a few players missing from the squad, the likes of Kampl, Kane and Barkley but the replacements stepped up to the plate when it mattered.

Shaqiri found the only goal of the game when he cut inside from the right before firing low to Tim Krul's left, a wonderful goal and one that saw us take the 3 points.

Carlos hit the bar in the 2nd half for Newcastle and having scored 8 in 9 appearances this was a lucky escape for us, but we played well and grew into the game as it developed.

I'm extremely pleased with the win, although I have nothing but love for Newcastle the 3 points are extremely valuable for my new side.

Christian Eriksen had to go off with a knock after 25 minutes or so but he's not picked up an injury, so he should be back in the squad for our game against Olympiakos. Paulinho will probably miss out through a thigh strain.

One of my favourite players, managing Shaqiri is definitely an exciting prospect.​

 

[Seano]

Is that due to the fact that you're an Arsenal fan? I wanted to stay but things happened and I decided I'd move on, the aim was to go abroad but sadly this wasn't possible and so I ended up at Spurs! Hopefully you'll still give the story a chance.

Yeah basically haha! I still really like your style - i wish i had the patience to do my story like yours. Maybe in the future!

Don't worry i'll follow the story, i'll just be hoping North London remains red

 

[Werrett]

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Wilfried Zaha; The Star of the Show

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A great performance saw us take our 3rd consecutive win in the UEFA Champions League against Greek side Olympiakos at New White Hart Lane. A couple of players were missing for us in this game, Paulinho picked up a thigh strain against Newcastle and Jetro Willems still hadn't fully recovered from a toe injury.

We played very well in this game, we moved the ball well but more importantly we looked much more solid at the back, something we've been looking to build on all season.

The first half was quiet, not many chances to comment on but after 65 minutes I chose to bring on Wilfried Zaha for Xherdan Shaqiri, the English winger looked fantastic as the injection of pace proved too much for Olympiakos to cope with. The first goal was fantastic, Wilfried picked the ball up on the left hand side before cutting inside and running at the Greek defence, this was followed up by a brilliantly placed shot which nestled into the bottom left hand corner. He then doubled the lead 3 minutes later when he took the ball around Roberto before placing the ball into the open net. A wonderful performance and a massive 3 points, qualification is now all but certain.

Kevin Kampl hobbled off after 82 minutes but seems to be okay to play against Hull at the weekend, Ross Barkley will miss out after picking up a groin injury, he's estimated to be out for around 2-3 weeks.
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We now find ourselves in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout stages, but we know the job isn't done yet, we still have tough away trips to Greece and Russia, but we're confident.

Since my arrival at Tottenham Wilfried Zaha has been fantastic, he's probably been the best winger at the club and can hopefully continue to do well.

4 goals and 4 assists in 10 appearances from the 25 year old so far, he's definitely deserving of some more starts, although he has proved to be a fantastic impact substitute, a steal for £5.5m!​

 

[Werrett]

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6 of The Best For Tottenham

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Entertainment at it's finest! We headed to the KC knowing that our opponents currently sit at the head of the table, Finnish manager Sami Hyypia has done brilliantly with the Tigers and has built a team capable of playing some extremely comfortable Football.

However, our very good run of form proved to be too much for our opposition as we played with confidence right from the start, Hull City struck the post after 9 minutes when Abel Hernandez's shot skipped past Hugo Lloris only to bounce off the foot of the woodwork. This was a definite wake-up call as we then managed to come into the game, moving the ball well..Strecthing the play, we were lovely to watch and this was shown when Richairo Zivkovic latched onto a Christian Eriksen ball before rifling the ball past Jason Steele into the top left hand corner.

Other first-half goals from Xherdan Shaqiri, William Carvalho and Wilfried Zaha saw us head into half-time with a 4-0 lead. Defensively we looked comfortable and Hull were unable to handle our impressive free-flowing Football.

The second half began quietly, Hull were clearly rattled from the opening 45 minutes and we weren't required attack any more so instead we opted for a bit of possession play.

The final 20 minutes saw us bag another two goals, Richairo Zivkovic scoring his 2nd of the game before central defender Tomas Kalas directed Eriksen's corner past Hull City's goalkeeper, a fine header from the Czech International saw us finish with a 6-0 win. Our biggest win of the season so far!

All 6 of our goals came from inside the Hull City penalty area with Wilfried Zaha's effort being the furthest from goal. I'm extremely pleased to see us break teams down inside their own area as it means we aren't having to rely on long shots to find the back of the net. Zivkovic is starting to look like a proper #9, scoring goals from inside the 6 yard box, as a poacher should!

Eriksen has been outstanding so far this season, 2 goals and 5 assists so far but his build up play has been pivotal in our recent run of form.

It's been a long time since we last tasted defeat, 9 wins in our last 10 has seen us climb to 2nd in the Barclays Premier League.​

 

[Werrett]

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Scrappy Victory at the Britannia

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An away victory at the Britannia saw us progress into the Quarter-Finals of the Capital One Cup, Craig Dawson put the home side in the lead from a corner before Swiss International Xherdan Shaqiri found the equaliser on the stroke of the 27th minute.

The game went flat after the equaliser, lots of rough tackles and scrappy battles for possession which eventually saw the game go into extra time. It was here that we found the winner, Wilfried Zaha got the beating of the left-back down the right hand side before whipping the ball across the face of the 6 yard box, Dutch striker Richairo Zivkovic managed to get a toe on the ball to convert the cross into the bottom right hand corner. A fine piece of play.

Stoke had a lot of shots on our goal, 29 is a lot more than I'd like to concede but a lot of these were from range albeit the goal from roughly 8 yards out. Our defence held tight and the Potters found it very hard to break us down which ended up with them having to resort to trying their luck from range, a great performance which saw us dig deep to pull out the win.

We've been drawn against Queens Park Rangers in the Quarter-Finals of the Capital One Cup, having avoided the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea we'll certainly be looking to progress from this round.

The rest of the draw is as follows:

Chelsea vs. Leicester

Fulham vs. Manchester City

Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Tottenham vs. QPR
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[Werrett]

October 2018 - 100% Record​

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Results

A perfect month, October proved to bring everything I wanted it to. We managed 3 league wins to help fire us back into the top 4 as well as reaching the Quarter-Finals of the Capital One Cup while remaining on course for qualification from our Champions League group.​

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Our 100% Premier League record in October see's us climb from 7th to 4th with a game in hand over the teams above us. Newcastle United and Hull City remain above us despite our victories over them but I'm happy to see us back in UEFA Champions League contention. 1 defeat in 9 games is also a pleasing statistic, especially as our defence is far from the best in the league.

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What's this? A personal award?

Our impressive month was acknowledged by the FA as I was named Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month, 10 goals scored in 3 games and only 2 conceded, I definitely feel that things are beginning to come together here at Tottenham.

My second ever Manager of the Month award with my last coming in February 2016, I'm delighted!

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How About Next Month?

Some big games to come in November with the first being my first ever North London derby..Nothing will win the fans over more than a home win against our fierce rivals. Elsewhere we also have to play Liverpool in the league as well as tough away trips to Greece and Russia..Those games could decide whether we'll win the group or not.
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[Seano]

Number 20 was a bit off target

 

[Werrett]

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My First North-London Derby

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This was a game I desperately wanted to win, but ultimately it wasn't to be. We were the better team by a long-shot and created a lot of opportunities while dominating our rivals, but sadly our lack of clinical finishing cost us in this game. Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain found the net with Arsenal's only shots on target with Carvalho pulling one back for us late on. We had chances to equalise late on but Harry Kane's darting run led to nothing as his shot whistled over the crossbar.

It's a big defeat and I'm hoping it won't affect us in the long run, with a big month ahead of us we can't afford to drop points in important games, so I'm hoping we'll bounce back strongly from this.

Arsenal now move up to 2nd in the table while we drop down to 5th, but it's still early days.​

 

[SamPeters]

Some great results there and unlucky against Arsenal!

 

[Werrett]

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Defeat for Tottenham in Greece​

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The game against Olympiakos was a big one, a win here would have secured our progression to the knock-out stages but we had to settle for a defeat..We didn't play well and although we dominated the ball we failed to take our chances when we created them, in contrast to our opponents who found the net twice from their three shots on target.

Zivkovic kept up his impressive scoring record after pulling a goal back for us but we failed to find the equaliser late on, despite an onslaught of chances.

Barcelona's victory against Krasnodar now means that we sit level on 9 points with Barcelona while the other two teams both have 3 points. Qualification looks secure but the fight for top spot continues.​

 

[Werrett]

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Late Equaliser at Anfield​

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The draw here was a pleasing result despite the late equaliser from Davy Klaassen, we didn't deserve to win this game and before the match I'd have taken a 2-2 draw without a doubt. 3 goals in 9 minutes saw the 2nd half explode into life early on, Scouse Right-Back Jon Flanagan opened the scoring when he fired home from just inside the 18 yard area before William Carvalho poked home Christian Eriksen's cross in the 58th minute. We took the lead when Swiss International Xherdan Shaqiri cut inside from the left hand side before curling the ball into the bottom right hand corner, a lovely finish from the former Bayern man as the away fans jumped for joy.

With only 5 minutes to go the 3 points were taken away from us when Davy Klaassen latched onto Jordan Henderson's through ball, a lovely pass from the Liverpool vice-captain that set the Dutchman up on a plate when he slid the ball under Hugo Lloris, a cool finish and one that earned a valuable point for the reds.

Liverpool are a good side and ultimately I'm very pleased with how we played. It's been a tough couple of weeks but we'll now be looking to get back to winning ways in the weeks to come.​

 

[Werrett]

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Xherdan Shaqiri - The Flamboyant Winger
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An inspired performance from our Swiss winger saw us take a 3-1 victory at home against fellow London based club Fulham. The Swiss International bagged a brace but was denied the hat-trick when his late penalty was saved by the Cottagers shot-stopper, an almost perfect performance from the winger.

Wilfried Zaha was also amongst the scorers as our task was made easier following Fernando's red card late on, the former Manchester City man scything away the feet of Kevin Kampl and seeing red for his efforts.

Hopefully this can see us return to winning ways.

Shaqiri's 7th and 8th goals of the season were vital as we look to keep up our fight for a top 4 finish.​

 

[Seano]

Keep up the good work mate. First chance you get , get out of Spurs

 

[Werrett]

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We've Qualified for the Knock-Out Stages​

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A fightback from 2-0 down saw us claim qualification for the next stage of the UEFA Champions League, we weren't at our best in this game but I'm very happy with the players spirit and will to fight for the point. Shaqiri picked up his 3rd and 4th goal in 2 games as he helped bring us back to level terms after being 2-0 down, shortly after this Richairo Zivkovic struck the woodwork as we came close to taking the lead.

Sadly Krasnodar striker Ari was allowed too much space in the box as he fired home past Lloris at the 2nd time of asking, a disappointing goal to concede as we looked to be back to our shameful lack of defending.

Barcelona loanee Alex Grimaldo fired himself into the hearts of the Spurs faithful as he equalised in the 88th minute following an impressive piece of build up play. Qualification was secure!

Sadly Barcelona were able to cruise past Olympiakos meaning we've slipped 2 points behind the Catalan club, the game against them at New White Hart Lane in the coming weeks will be a massive fixture, it's a game we have to win if we want that top spot.

Tottenham's first Champions League campaign since 2010/11..The fans will certainly be delighted to have reached the knock-out stages. Hopefully as happy as me, the lads have been fantastic.​

 

[Werrett]

Keep up the good work mate. First chance you get , get out of Spurs

Haha, depends how well I do here..Gotta win some trophies in England at some point!

 

[Werrett]

November 2018 - A So-So Month​

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Results

By no means the best month but it was a far from easy one, we were unlucky against Arsenal and Liverpool but deserving of the defeat to Olympiakos. Despite those early defeats we still managed to qualify from the group stage and picked up a good 3-1 win over Fulham, definitely something to build on.​

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Despite the tough month we've moved up to 3rd in the table, it's been a great start here at Tottenham and I'll certainly be hoping it continues. Champions League solidity is definitely something the club needs, for money and for the fans. Being above my former club isn't exactly a bad thing either!

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How About Next Month?

December is always a tough month, we have a lot of games to play which will test the strength and depth of our squad. The month starts with the big match, a tie against Barcelona that will decide whether we go through as the top team or runner up. Our premier league fixtures against Leicester, Derby, Norwich, Villa and QPR are much bigger than they look..These are the games we need to win so December is definitely a month that may make or break our season.

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47 goals in 20 games since I took over, we've certainly been fantastic at finding the net and with improvements to our back-line I don't see why we can't challenge for the top 2 spots.

No surprises here, 3 league goals in 3 appearances saw our Swiss winger claim the Barclays Player of the Month. The Swiss International also scored 2 goals in Europe to see him find the net 5 times in the month of November, a fantastic 4 weeks from the former Bayern man.
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[Werrett]

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Our final game of the Champions League group stage saw us take on Barcelona at New White Hart Lane, this game would decide the fate of the group with Barcelona only needing to avoid defeat to claim top spot.

Sadly for us they did just that, we were overpowered by the Spanish giants as goals from Neymar and Piqué saw us having to fight from 2-0 down, something we simply couldn't manage.

The Catalan club showed throughout the 90 minutes just why they're the best team in Europe as they held strong defensively and denied us any goal-scoring opportunities. We had a good deal of possession but failed to make it count, so it's 2nd place for us. But still a great feat to qualify in our return to the UCL.

Barcelona's attacking trio were outstanding as Brazilian Striker Neymar claimed a goal and an assist, he truly was unplayable on the day.

Here's a look at the final standings of our group stage, our loss to Olympiakos proved to be a vital one but I'm pleased with our total of 10 points. Not bad at all!

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[Werrett]

Lacey Completes Tottenham Takeover​

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News has surfaced today that Businessman Marvin Lacey has completed a £477 million takeover of Tottenham Hotspur, having bought the club from former Chairman Daniel Levy. It is believed that the takeover had been under much speculation for the past few months but a deal has finally been pushed through for the change of owner at New White Hart Lane.

As a result of the takeover Tottenham Hotspur have severed their link with Spanish Giants Real Madrid as the new owner looks to take on a change of strategy at the club.

Rumours have it that Lacey has no plans to replace current Manager Paul Clement but is instead looking to float the club on the stock market with a view to make a possible profit on the London based outfit. Since the takeover Tottenham Hotspur have become a public limited company which has helped raise £25.5m income, but it is believed that a loan in the region of £255m has been taken out to help with the day-to-day running of the club.

This is just another step in the change that is taking place at Tottenham Hotspur, certainly exciting for the fans.

As for me personally I'm excited, Daniel Levy has been a great Chairman at the club but a change of approach is never a bad thing, finance wise the club has taken a huge rise with Lacey being such a successful business tycoon and if the projections are anything to go by then life at New White Hart Lane could soon become very exciting.

Daniel Levy's reign as Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur comes to an end after 17 years, the Businessman first took charge at the club in 2001.​

 

[Werrett]

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Tottenham Secure Away Win

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A good performance here from the boys, we allowed Leicester to have a lot of chances on goal but fortunately they only managed to find the net once, former Southampton man Jay Rodriguez putting the Foxes ahead after 10 minutes, a poor start from us as we looked to pick up 3 points at the King Power.

William Carvalho equalised from the 12 yard spot after Harry Kane was flattened by the Leicester defence inside the penalty area, a lucky break for us as we looked unlikely to score before the event.

A quickfire double in 4 minutes saw us quickly take a 3-1 lead after Paulinho and Xherdan Shaqiri both found the net in the 60th and 64th minute, a great passage from us as we quickly tore down the wall that was Leicester City's defence, especially pleasing due to the solidity of their defence throughout the hour before we took the lead.

A great away performance and a deserved 3-1 win.

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Lacklustre Spurs Scrape Past County

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A poor performance from us here but luckily we managed to find the net late on through Barcelona loanee Alex Grimaldo, an unlikely source but a great goal nonetheless.

Despite being the home team we didn't make much of our possession, we had a lot of shots but a lot of these were snatched shots as Derby quickly piled bodies behind the ball in an attempt to keep us from scoring.

Mason Bennett opened the scoring for Derby County as the Rams broke on a counter-attack down the left hand side, a lovely bit of play saw the left-winger skip past Kyle Walker before whipping a ball across the face of our goal, only for it to be tapped home by the Englishman.

10 minutes into the 2nd half we found an equaliser through Wilfried Zaha, a brilliant strike from the penalty spot that cannoned past the Derby shot-stopper, we were back on level terms but playing far from our best.

With the game looking set to end in a draw we forged one last attack, the ball was floated into the box by Wilfried Zaha but headed away by the Derby defence, however the ball only fell as far as Alex Grimaldo who hit the ball first time from 10 yards right into the top left hand corner, a lovely strike from the Spanish defender and one that secured the 3 points for us.

As you can see we had a lot of shots..Very unpleasing that we only managed 2 goals but creating chances it at least a positive sign, we'll look to improve over the coming weeks.​

 

[xJamieWilliams]

This story is getting better and better!