Sunday 17 July 2011

Luka Modric Saga

Luka Modric signed for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 April 2008. He signed a 6 year contract from summer 2008 for a fee of £16.5 million. Many believed he would struggle in the Premiership due to his size, and this was proven during his first few games for the North London club.

As soon a Harry Redknapp took over, he played Modric in a role he was more familiar with. He was put in a more attacking role, either in the centre of the park or on the left, where he would drift inside on occasions. This role saw Modric show his true abilities and use his footballing abilities more effectively. Modric scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against Spartak Moscow during the UEFA Cup group stages on the 18 December 2008. He finally scored his first Premier League goal against Newcastle United in Tottenhams' next match, just three days later.


On 30 May 2010, Modric was awarded with a new six-year contract, that runs until 2016. Modric said after the deal; "Tottenham Hotspur gave me my chance in the Premier League and I want to go on to achieve great success here with them. Yes, there have been enquiries from other big clubs, but I have no interest in going anywhere. Last season's Top 4 finish was an indication of where we are as a Club and I feel I can continue to improve and go on to achieve everything I want to at Spurs" - Source Tottenham Hotspur Website 


This summer, Chelsea have made two offers for the Tottenham star, both being rejected. Chelsea believe to value him at most £30m, way off the valuation Daniel Levy has of him. Numerous rumours have come out of Modrics' anger of Levy rejecting these offers, even rumours of him handing in a transfer request.


How much of a loss will it be if Modric did leave Spurs? For a player who is seen in such high regard by football critics, the number of goals he scores or assists he creates are very low. Since joining Spurs, Modric has played 118 games for the club, scoring 12 goals.


However, there are other stats that you cannot ignore:


2001 - Total Number of passes attempted by Modric in Premier League last season, (4th Overall)
85 - 85% of pass completed in Premier League last season (3rd Overall)
66 - Goal scoring opportunities made via Modric (joint 2nd within Tottenham Team)


Despite his goals and assists figures, he is a highly influential player in the Tottenham team. It will be a huge loss, but not catastrophic if he left the club. I do not believe him leaving is a bigger loss compared to when Carrick left. We have strong midfielder's in defence (Sandro) and in attack (Bale, Lennon, VDV), with these players still able to attract other big players to join Tottenham.


It is an interesting topic this Modric saga, probably the biggest this transfer window. I fully believe Daniel Levy will stick to his word and reject all bids for Modric. At the end of the day, he still has 5 years left in his contract, unlike the scenarios of Carrick and Berbatov. 


What this saga has proven is that the only real sources of information is the official Tottenham Website and a video footage of Modric talking about this issue!!

THFC Summer Transfer Window 2011

So....last season we finished 5th.....season before we finished 4th....

Since qualifying for the Champions League, we have made two stand out signings...Rafael Van Der Vaart and Brad Friedel. This isn't the same Tottenham from a few years ago! Crazy transfer windows, loads of signings, huge amounts of money being spent! What has happened???

There is one big reason, but not the only reason. We have far too much 'deadwood' in our team. We had the biggest team in the Premiership last season, some football critics even going as far as saying we had the best 'bench' in the Premiership. To be able to add players into this team, we must first get rid of some of these players. This will not only free up places in our 25-man squad, but also reduce our wage bill. By reducing our wage bill, we will be able to increase wages to attract bigger stars to our club.

Who can we say is 'deadwood' within Tottenham? In my opinion the list is huge. Jenas, Bentley, Dos Santos, Keane, Hutton, Naughton to name a few. There are players in our team who are earning over £40k per week, who are not in our 1st team, and it is a necessity that these players get sold this summer.

THFC is strong financially, however, not at the level of both Manchester teams, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool. We cannot afford to keep these players out of our 25 man squad, but still pay their wages. Most of these players are in demand, however, Levy is a businessman, I would drain every penny out of the teams who wish to acquire their services. These will either be good business for us, or it can backfire, with us stll having these players come 1st September.

The transfer window has a long time to go. We shouldn't worry too much about the other teams around is from spending. We have a strong backbone (if Modric stays) and only a few changes are necessary for us to challenge for the top 4. Patience is a virtue

Why Blog about THFC?

I have been a Tottenham fan since birth, going to my first game at the tender age of 6 years old. I have lived a mere 15 minute walk from WHL since 4 and have always looked out of my window on match days watching dedicated fans make the short walk to the stadium. Also had my dad getting annoyed at fans for parking in front of our driveway!

My dad wasn't a big Tottenham fan, he never went matches. The first time I went to a match was with my Uncle, a North Stand Upper season ticket holder. Soon enough, I stopped going matches with him, due to his finance issues. I always struggled going to matches after this, due to my lack of income. However, I still managed to find enough money to be a Tottenham Hotspur member since the age of 12. Over the years, I followed my favourite team; all the ups and downs, smiles and frowns.

Finally I managed to get a part time job, and most of the money I earned from this was spent on going to Tottenham matches by myself. I saw in North Stand Lower for my first game and I fell in love with the atmosphere. Being alone, I did not have to worry about swearing (an issue my uncle had with me when I went with him!) People always used to say 'Why go to football matches when you can have a better view by watching it on TV?'. I never had an argument for this, till I started going to matches. A match day experience can never be beaten by TV.

Last two years, I have gone to every home gay, including cup competitions. I am still a Bronze member, quite a long way off to be offered a season ticket any time soon. Have been to a few away games, but not as many as I hoped for. Next season it is my aim to do an 'away game tour' with my close Tottenham friends. I predominately sit in South Stand Lower, quite close to the away fan section, however, I have sat in East stand lower a few times as well. When I finally do get offered a season ticket, I would love my seat to be in either of these two areas.

Anyway, my ramble is over about my life as a Tottenham fan. But why have I decided to start blogging about my favourite team? I follow a range of facebook pages, as well as a range of twitter accounts who talk about Tottenham. What annoys me is that a majority (NOT ALL) do not understand football!

As a football blogger, you must look past your emotions when writing. You must look at the facts and not make facts of your own. This is my aim and I hope you all follow the blogs I create. Please feel free to critisize or appreciate what I write!!