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August 2012
Best start for years on two fronts!
In terms of football, Spurs made their best start to a season for 4 years, by winning all four of their games, and also not conceding a single goal. Bear in mind, this review takes no account of the first match in September!
In terms of transfer activity, Spurs have surely also had their best summer since the supposed halcyon days of Frank Arnesen some 9 years ago. This despite the final departure of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Bale took no part in Spurs' pre-season after the Swindon friendly in mid-July, which was Spurs first friendly, and the last chance to see Bale in a Spurs shirt. He scored in that game too, so those who made the trip to The County Ground were blessed indeed.
It wasn't long though before the alarm bells started ringing in the marathon transfer saga began, only to be concluded one day before the window slammed shut.
Personally, I bear Gareth Bale no malice, and wish him all the best for his future career. We got loads of money, and he's getting a massive salary. I do worry about how the move will work out for him, but thank him for all the goals and excitement he has given us, particularly in the last three years.
Despite Bale's individual brilliance, and undoubted match-winning skills, there were plenty of times, even last season, when I looked for him on the pitch because I wasn't seeing him involved in some sequences of play. I do firmly believe we will be more of a team with the new men in place.
Spurs have been astute, and it has been widely accepted that Daniel Levy and new Technical Director Franco Baldini have strengthened the squad despite the loss of Bale. Spurs sheld out for the world record transfer fee, and not only bought seven top class players, breaking their own transfer record three times, but balanced the books too! Baldini has surely been a definite upgrade to the Spurs ability to attract top players!
For the record, here is the final tally of our summer transfer activity:-
IN:- Erik Lamela (Roma, £30m), Roberto Soldado (Valencia, £26m), Paulinho (Corinthians, £17m), Christian Eriksen (Ajaz, £11.5m), Vlad Chiriches (S Bucharest, £8.5m), Nacer Chadli (FC Twente, £7m), Étienne Capoue (Toulouse, £9m).
OUT:- Gareth Bale (R Madrid, £86m), Steven Caulker (Cardiff, £8m), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, £6m), Tom Huddlestone (Hull, £5m), Scott Parker (Fulham, £2m), Massimo Luongo (Swindon, £400,000), John Bostock (Royal Antwerp, F), Jack Bartram, Nathan Byrne (Both Swindon), Jack Munns (Birmingham). LOANS Benoît Assou-Ekotto (QPR), Tom Carroll (QPR), Grant Hall, Alex Pritchard, Ryan Mason (All Swindon), Tomislav Gomelt (R Antwerp), Bongani Khumalo (Doncaster), Jake Livermore (Hull), Adam Smith (Derby).
RELEASED:- David Bentley, William Gallas.
Erik Lamela made a substitute debut in that September 1st game, but we have yet to see Vlad Chiriches and Christian Eriksen in action in a Spurs shirt. First impressions on all the players we have seen have been excellent, and it is a shame that Capoue has suffered an injury (at Arsenal on Sunday), but good news he will only be out for a month.
My view is that, once fit, Capoue and Sandro will be brilliant in front of the defence, thus allowing Paulinho the licence he already seems to crave to get forward.
The team have scored highly on your ratings in August, and I am sure they will gel quickly after this International break. I can't wait to see them back in action (on a Saturday), when Norwich will be our visitors on September 14th!
P.S. - Hugo Lloris was your player of the month!
...if you want to read reports of the matches played during this season, then links are on the Spurs Odyssey Fixtures/Reports page here. By working your way back through the previous month's figures, you can review the performances over 13 years!
