White Hot Lines

30.4.2000

  Tottenham have been linked with an £8 million double bid for Wimbledon's midfielder Jason Euell and defender Ben Thatcher.  It is thought that in the summer, the bid will be made regardless of whether or not the South London side are relegated.

  David Ginola has revealed in an Observer interview that he feels that he should have had a more high profile career playing for the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United - the top clubs.  He went on to say that he loves England and will move into the countryside when he finishes his career.
  Spurs have also been linked with Denmark's 25 year old midfielder Brian Steen Nielsen, who plays for AB Copenhagen.  The £2.5 million rated player is also being chased by Derby County, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Manchester City, Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers.  However, at 31, he would not seem to fit in with Tottenham's policy of recent and planned signings.

  Gilles De Bilde, the Sheffield Wednesday striker is rumoured to be the target of a £3 million bid from Spurs.  The player is likely to move on if the club go down and they will have to sell to raise funds for strengthening the squad, so the Dutch international is likely to be one of the more bankable assets. 

   Spurs are also reportedly going to bid for Jordi Cruyff who has not been able to establish himself in the Manchester United first eleven.  The 26 year old can play in a variety of positions (wing, upfront or midfield) and would be available free, which would appeal to Tottenham greatly.  The move would also suit the player who wants to stay in the Premiership to finish his career.

  John Scales is interesting Charlton Athletic and Everton as he seems set to leave White Hart Lane in the summer now that his contract will not seemingly be renewed.

  Bad news for Spurs as Wimbledon lose 3-0 to Bradford City.  John Hartson is sent off and even worse says after the match that if Wimbledon go down then a dozen of the players will want to leave.  "I don't want to play in the First Division" the ginger Welshman added. NO, please, NO !!
Arsene Wenger was interviewed after his side's game at Goodison Park yesterday and had a very croaky voice.  He is believed to have had a little frog in his throat.

29.4.2000

  Tottenham drew 1-1 with Derby County today at White Hart Lane. Their equaliser came very late thanks to a goal by Stephen Clemence.  For a match report click here.  For reaction click here.

  Spurs representatives were reported to be in Kiev today to try and sign Dynamo Kiev's striker Sergei Rebrov.  Tottenham were ready to bid £10 million, but the Ukranian club wanted £12 million.  This is a move to show Sol Campbell that Spurs are ready to stage a real challenge for honours.

  Leeds United are supposed to be weighing up a £12 million bid for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the summer. Solskjaer is a player Tottenham have been keen on for some time.

28.4.2000

  GG has had a consultation with a Harley Street specialist and he was flummoxed by the illness.  It was not possible to state what the Spurs boss was suffering from, but it is thought that it might have a serious effect on his ability to coach the side on a regular basis.  

  In a shock move Manchester United have taken a leaf out of Tottenham's book by using the club medical to put a stop to the purchase of a dodgy striker.  Ruud van Nistelrooy's £18 million transfer now looks to be consigned to the history books as he will be out of the game for 8 months after worsening his knee ligament injury.

  Tottenham will make a bid for Wimbledon's right elbow/left back Ban Thatcher in the summer if he decides to leave the club.  Liverpool and Sunderland are also watching what happens to the Wombles in the last few games.

  Simon Davies could start his first match for Tottenham, replacing the suspended Steffen Freund. Stewart Houston said that the youngsters who have made the bench have been training with the first team for six weeks and if they get an opportunity to play, he will encourage them to enjoy themselves.  Reserve midfielder Mark Gower is also in the squad.

  Middlesbrough appear to have snuck in first in a bid to take Christian Karembeu to the Riverside Stadium.  The North East club, awash with money since NTL purchased shares in the club, have allegedly had talks with the players representative in a Paris hotel after France's ,match on Wednesday.  Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs were all keen to take the international midfielder from Real Madrid.

27.4.2000

  Tottenham have announced that they have formally appealed against the £150,000 fine for failing to control their players in the match against Leeds United at Elland Road on February 12.
  Links indicating that Neil Sullivan, the Wimbledon goalkeeper, to Spurs could be wide of the mark as he has hinted that he is close to agreeing a move to a "mystery" foreign club.  That will be Arsenal then !!

  Frank Lampard Junior has said that he is happy at West ham United despite the rumours of him attracting interest from Aston Villa, Leeds united and Tottenham. He did add that he would not like to see the team broken up as players might have to be sold to make additions to the squad.

  The row with the Norwegian FA over access to their players has been defused by Tottenham.  It is claimed that a representative of the Norwegian FA was denied permission to attend Spurs Lodge to see Iversen, Leonhardsen and Baardsen and monitor how they were playing.  However, Tottenham insist that the request was denied only because of the pattern of games Spurs had and that the matter has now been resolved, before the Norwegian FA made a formal complaint.

  GG has been given extra time to explain his comments about Mr. Wiley and his assistant referees in the home game against Middlesbrough, when he claimed they "incompetent".  Because of his recent illness, the FA have said they will not expect his response until he returns to work.

  Gary Doherty will train with the first team for the first time since his move from Luton Town tomorrow.  He did play in the Republic of Ireland's 0-1 defeat by Greece last night, but flew back from Dublin this morning and will meet his new team-mates on Friday. 

  Both Mauricio Taricco and Luke Young are making good progress with their injuries sustained against Leicester City last Wednesday.  Young,  who it was claimed yesterday would not play this season could be considered for the match against Derby County on Saturday, according to the club's official website.
  Les Ferdinand has been talking about the latest operation he is having on his ankle.  he describes it as a "tidying up" operation, not as major as the last one, and he will be on crutches for about a week before he will be able to walk again.  He is hoping for a good summer and pre-season, so that he will be raring to go at the start of the new season.  Sound familiar ?

  Ruel Fox has issued a come and get me plea to clubs interested in his services.  The player has not been part of the first or reserve teams since he refused to go on loan before transfer deadline day and is expecting a stampede of clubs to be beating their path to White Hart Lane to sign him up, even though he has one year left on his Spurs contract.

  SoccerUpdate have a story saying that Tottenham have had an £11 million bid for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused, but may return with an improved offer.

26.4.2000

  Luke Young has an injured rib from the match at Leicester City and will miss the remaining three games of the season.  He might miss the European Under-21 championship for England, but will take it easy over the summer to be ready for the start of next season.

  It was revealed that Gary Doherty could cost Spurs £2 million depending on the number of appearances he makes in a Spurs shirt.  He will not be able to feature until after the summer as he signed after the transfer deadline.

  Steffen Iversen played in Norway's 0-2 defeat by Belgium today.

  Dagbladet, A Norwegian newspaper, has said that Tottenham are bidding for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the wake of Ruud van Nistelrooy's delayed transfer to Manchester United.  Steffen Iversen was quoted as saying "Tottenham are interested in Solskjaer. It would be good to play with him."  However, despite being quoted as saying that clubs know what he stands for, the Red reserve has said he is happy at Old Trafford and that the Dutchman is a good addition to the squad as the club wants to move forward.  Meanwhile, Steffen has said that any deal involving a swap with Sol Campbell must not take place as it would be stupid and he believes that Sol will stay if Spurs give him a good contract and enough reasons to stay - a hint at the signings that need to be made.  In Iversen's opinion, a defender, two midfielders and a striker.

  Allan Nielsen missed Denmark's friendly against Sweden tonight because of injury.

  Soccerupdate has an unsubstantiated link about Les Ferdinand being a summer target for Southampton, which I hadn't heard elsewhere.
  Gary Doherty made his full Republic of Ireland debut tonight when he came on as a substitute in the country's friendly against Greece at Lansdowne Road.

25.4.2000

  Tottenham have completed the £1 million signing of Luton Town's Gary Doherty.  The player isn't sure however where to play.  He feels he is best at the back, but Tottenham may choose to play him up front - he wants someone to tell him where he is a better player.

  Two 14 year old players are set to cost Tottenham £500,000 each as the club boosts it's youth set-up today.  Michael Malcolm of Wycombe Wanderers and Owen Price of Charlton Athletic will become the costliest players of their age when Spurs have to fork out the cash to compensate their clubs to cover the development of the youngsters.

  Martin Edwards, the Manchester United chairman, has said that the signing of Ruud van Nistelrooy has left the Old Trafford coffers empty.  He intimated that if Sir Alex Ferguson wants to buy again, he will have to sell first and the likelihood is that it would probably be a striker.  The fact that Teddy Sheringham wants to move on in the summer will be of little help as he is going on a Bosman, so there may be some exits before new recruits can be brought in.  He said that the chances of a big money swoop for Tottenham's Sol Campbell were unlikely.

  David Pleat confirmed that Allan Nielsen will remain at Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the season.

  Besiktas are hopeful of signing Les Ferdinand in the summer.  The Spurs forward was on loan there in 1988/89 and a return would please the fans.  However, until the result of his latest operation is known, no firm bid has been made.

  Stephen Carr has had to pull out of the Republic of Ireland squad to face Greece in a friendly tomorrow, but Gary Doherty has been included in the senior squad for the first time.
  Norway's assistant coach, Harald Aabrekk, has not been allowed into Spurs Lodge to monitor the progress of the Norwegian players likely to play in Euro 2000.  This would not come as a big surprise to most Spurs fans as the ban on anyone watching training has been in place since the days when they trained at Mill Hill.
  Spurs Reserves drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest at St. Albans tonight.  It looks as though they will not now win the Premier Reserve League South.  Neale Fenn scored for Spurs.

24.4.2000

  Les Ferdinand has another operation scheduled on his Achilles tendon.  The Spurs player has missed large chinks of this season because of the injury and the previous op has failed to remedy the problem.  It is expected that he would be fit for the start of next season should the surgery be successful and Les himself is battling back - not thinking of giving up.

  Allan Nielsen may be staying at Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan after all.  The hierarchy at Wolves spoke to Tottenham about retaining the Danish international after his return from mid-week international action and were given cause for hope.  A firm decision should be made in the next few days.

  Spurs have issued an official denial that Glenn Hoddle is being lined up as a replacement for George Graham.

  The move for Gary Doherty is not yet complete.  The player has passed a medical and was at the ground last Thursday having talks, which led to him sitting in the Director's Box on Saturday for the game against Wimbledon.  His manager at Luton Town -Lennie Lawrence - has said that if terms are not agreed and Doherty has not signed, then he will return to Luton to play.  Lawrence is helping Doherty with the deal and wants to ensure that he gets a fair contract.

  Spurs are to join Leeds United and Arsenal in the chase for the 18 year old Norwegian Azad Karadas of Brann Bergen.  The striker, who has a Turkish background, is also being pursued by two Turkish clubs.  He says that at the moment he is happy at Brann, but would like to play abroad one day.

23.4.2000

  Andy Cole has been identified by many newspapers today as one to make way for Ruud van Nistelrooy and obviously, Tottenham have been linked with him along with Chelsea and Aston Villa.  £10 million seems to be the going rate for the striker.

  Another report in the Sunday Mirror links Tottenham with a summer move for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, saying that they will not be looking at a swap deal for Sol Campbell, but will be happy to match the £12 million Manchester United could be asking for the Norwegian striker.
  As part of the clear-out to make way for Solskjaer and to pay Sol Campbell the wages to tempt him to stay At Tottenham, the Sunday Mirror also reports that David Ginola could be on his way to West ham United or Fulham as at 34 he would not feature in GG's long term plans and he is already using him sparingly in Spurs' matches.

  Tottenham are also said to be favourites to get Carl Cort for £5 million from Wimbledon.  The lanky England Under 21 striker failed to impress yesterday, but Spurs as well as Leeds United, Leicester City and Arsenal have been trailing the youngster for many months.
  Rumours, which have been boringly doing the rounds for a few months now, have been reported in the Sunday papers.  Allegedly, it works like this ... (i) GG goes to Chelsea where he replaces Gianluca Vialli, who is back off to Italy to manage Sampdoria or Juventus.  To replace GG, Sir Alan Sugar brings in Glenn Hoddle.  or  (ii)  GG fails to do the business in the first few months of next season and Glenn will be free of his Southampton obligations by November, so he can walk straight into White Hart Lane as the new manager.  You can make up your own endings to these stories if you like ... I'll believe it when I see it.

  It looks as though Allan Nielsen will be recalled from his loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers because of the injury problems have suffered in midfield.  The Wolves manager Colin Lee was hoping to extend the loan to take the Dane Nielsen through to the play-offs. 

  Steffen Freund has said that Tottenham need to make signings in the summer and keep Sol Campbell to ensure they do not have a mid-table finish again next season.  He said that losing Sol would be like losing the heart of Tottenham and that mid-table is not good enough for a top London club like Tottenham.  Meanwhile, the Sunday Times say that Sol will stay until the end of his contract at July 2001.  They say that he does not feel that he is the man to fill the gap in the middle of their defence and will wait until he has more options when he will be approaching a Bosman.

  David Pleat was interviewed on Radio Five yesterday and said that the club plan to bring in at least two top name players in the summer and continue to invest in young players too.  The Sunday Tines hints that one player will be brought in from overseas to convince Sol that Tottenham mean business. 

  The Sunday People states that Sam Hammam is being invited to invest in Tottenham and that Sir Alan Sugar is willing to let him be the front man for the club.  This comes after Sugar has had a lot of flak for his handling of finances and bringing Hammam in from Wimbledon will mean another football man on the board.
  Spurs have been further linked with Titi Camara of Liverpool who looks certain to leave the club in the summer.  Blackburn Rovers are keen, but Camara would like to stay in the Premier League, so Spurs or Leicester City are his preferred destinations.

  Valencia have proposed that Atletico Madrid give them first option on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as they are losing Claudio Lopez in the summer and need a replacement.  Spurs had long been linked with the former Leeds striker.

22.4.2000

Spurs beat Wimbledon 2-0 today with goals from Armstrong and Anderton. For a match report, click here. For reaction, click here.
  Andy Cole has been linked with a move to Tottenham following Manchester United's signing of PSV Eindhoven's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.  Spurs are also linked to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nicky Butt - all of whom are put into the mixer for a swap deal for Sol Campbell.
  Spurs will play QPR on August 5 for Danny Maddix's Testimonial match at Loftus Road.

21.4.2000

  Tottenham have increased their offer for Wimbledon's Ben Thatcher to £6.5 million in an attempt to wrench him from the South London club.  Apparently, he would have made up £5 million of a £12 million swoop for the 24 year old defender and Hartson, but when the forward failed a fitness test the double deal was off.

  Titi Camara has said that he would like Celtic to come and rescue him from his Anfield hell.  Having fallen out of favour since the signing of Emile Heskey, the striker has said he would like to move on.  A rumour recently linked Tottenham with the Guinean and this announcement might make Spurs think about a serious move for him.

  Jimmy Hill has interviewed the Tottenham Hotspur Director of Football, David Pleat on the Sky Sports website.  Click here to go to the page.

20.4.2000

  Spurs are set to sign Luton Town's highly rated Republic of Ireland Under 21 striker Gary Doherty.  A fee of £1 million has been agreed plus add-ons depending on his progress and the formalities are to be tied up when he has passed a medical (that's the end of that signing then !!) and agreed personal terms.  Doherty is 20 years old and 6'2" tall.

  Ian Walker has urged Tottenham to make Sol Campbell an offer he can't refuse to keep him at the club.  If Sol did leave, then Walker thinks it would be the same old story of the club getting somewhere and then losing it's best players.

  George Graham has been ordered to rest at home after being released from hospital.  The Spurs boss will leave team matters to Stewart Houston after it was revealed that he will meet specialists next week to discuss his illness.

  Stewart Houston was pleased with Matthew Etherington's performance after coming on as a substitute in yesterday's match against Leicester City.  He said he could have scored one before he set up David Ginola's goal in the last minute.

19.4.2000

  Tottenham beat Leicester City 1-0 tonight with a last minute goal by David Ginola.  Stewart Houston had been hoping for a scrappy 1-0 and that was exactly what he got.  For a  match report click here. For reaction click here.

  Steve Perryman's Shimizu S-Pulse team won the Asian Cup Winners Cup last week and in August they will face the Asian Club Champions in the Asian Super Cup to decide who will represent the continent in the World Club Championship next year.

  David Ginola has said he would like to see a limit on overseas players in European leagues.  He feels that it would restrict the opportunities for youngsters to make the grade and also went on to add that in recent years English sides have done better in European competition.  While saying it is not necessarily because of the foreign players in the Premier League, he pointed out that five years ago the gap between English and German, Spanish and Italian sides was much bigger.  What he failed to mention was that a generation of English footballers had been denied European football because of the ban following the Heysel tragedy.

  Steffen Freund will be missing from Tottenham's side when they face Derby County on 29 April because of suspension.

  David Pleat has revealed that Sol Campbell was the subject of a £17 million bid by Manchester United.  Following their exit from the Champions League tonight and the brittle state of their defence in the match against Real Madrid, they will no doubt make strident moves to secure the services of the Spurs captain.  However, on the evidence of the match he would be better off joining Real.

  Spurs fans snubbed the game against Leicester City with many tickets being returned, but this was not a demonstration against recent form, but because the date falls on the first day of the Jewish festival of Passover.  Well, that is what the report said ;-)

  Najwan Grayeb, the Aston Villa defender, has lost his case against Spurs for damages after Tottenham failed to sign him in the summer.  FIFA came down on Tottenham's side when they claimed that the player had failed a medical.
  Spurs are sending Alton Thelwell and peter Crouch to IFK Hasselholm on loan during the summer.  This marks an agreement between the two clubs after Tottenham had bought Jon Jonsson and are arranging to bring fellow youngster and forward David Eek over from the Swedish club.  This mirrors the arrangements Spurs used to make for their young players in the early 1980's when many promising youth players (Paul Miller, Garry Brooke, Pat Corbett among them) all went to Sweden and benefited from playing in a different system.
  Ruel Fox is finding it very hard to understand why he is not being allowed to play - even for the Reserve side.  He claims that GG has refused to give him a  good reason for his banishment and he feels he still has a lot to offer Tottenham.  However, Tottenham may not feel the same way.

18.4.2000

  Tottenham's on loan midfielder, Allan Nielsen, is back in the Denmark squad to face Sweden in a friendly on April 26.

  Wimbledon's Jason Euell is still determined to leave Selhurst Park and Tottenham look set to sign the England Under-21 striker should he depart.  As expected Leeds United are also mentioned in the same sentence as are Arsenal.

  George Graham looks set to miss being in charge of the Tottenham side that visits Leicester City tomorrow.  He is said to be in good spirits after leaving hospital and he was looking forward to getting back to work, but has been ordered by his doctor to rest after his short spell having tests.

  Police have warned Spurs and Leicester City fans that they are risking arrest if they racially abuse Muzzy Izzett following the killing of two Leeds United fans by Turkish supporters recently.  Once again it is the Police bolting the stable door after Everton fans abused the Leicester City midfielder, who has Turkish family.

  Sylvain Wiltord, the French international striker at Bordeaux, has said he will quit the club in the summer.  He has been linked with Tottenham before, but clubs like Arsenal, Juventus, Leeds United and Middlesbrough have been mentioned as possible buyers.
  Not sure where this one came from, but on SoccerUpdate, Spurs have been reportedly linked with Chris Coleman of Fulham.  This could be very old news as Tottenham were interested in the Welsh centre-half when he was on the brink of leaving Crystal Palace some years ago.

  Stewart Houston has said that he expects his players to produce an upturn in results towards the end of this season because of their professional pride.  Uhhhh ??  While Martin O'Neill has urged his Leicester City side to use the match as a "launch pad for an end of season flourish".  Those spare tickets for the match will fair be snapped up with fighting talk like this !!

  FIFA have appointed a referee for the South Africa v Lesotho World Cup qualifier this weekend who was killed in a road accident last November.  Would anyone care to make up their own punch lines to this story ??
  A young Spurs reserve side lost a friendly at Norwich City today 0-1.

17.4.2000

  Stewart Houston has said that Tottenham must bring fresh blood in to the side in the summer and GG has four big name stars in mind to increase the size and quality of the squad.  He hopes that the transfer fund held by Alan Sugar will be big enough to bring them to White Hart Lane and show the world that Tottenham are an ambitious side.

  Tottenham are watching the situation at Atletico Madrid very closely as the Spanish club are now four points away from safety with only five games to play.  Added to that top striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was sent off in Saturday's match against Malaga.  Despite being linked with Hasselbaink, Spurs are also watching Santiago Solari and Radek Bejbl as possible transfer targets.  both midfielders, Bejbl is available on a Bosman at the end of the season.

  Brian Moore has conducted an interview with Cliff Jones which can be accessed by clicking here.
  On the wall of the away team dressing room today was a picture of Steffen Freund with his fists clenched (possibly from the programme for the match) stuck up with a piece of binding tape.  Are Aston Villa players all big fans of the German or were they trying to wind themselves up with Steffen as their target ??

16.4.2000

  A demonstration took place outside the main gates at Tottenham after yesterday's match to show some fan's reluctance to continue with Sir Alan Sugar as Chairman.  About 150 people were involved according to newspaper reports and Sugar was said to have mockingly applauded them from the offices in the main stand.

  Liverpool have revealed that they came in with a bid for Sol Campbell just before the transfer deadline, but it was turned down by Spurs. They are expected to be back in the summer should Sol not sign a new contract.

  Mohammed Kallon, currently on loan at Reggiana in Italy, is said to be interesting Spurs.  The Sierra Leone striker, 20, would cost around £3 million from Inter Milan.  Middlesbrough are also watching the situation.

  Stewart Houston has said that he and GG are not sure if Alan Sugar will fund the transfer spree that is needed to take Tottenham to the next stage of their progression plan.
  Paul Gascoigne could play in Justin Edinburgh's testimonial at Portsmouth on May 9th (kick off 7.30 p.m.) if he regains his fitness before then.

15.4.2000

  Tottenham lost 2-4 to Aston Villa at White Hart Lane today.  Their goals came from Steffen Iversen and Chris Armstrong.  For match reports click here. For reaction click here.

Spurs were allegedly watching Croatian striker Evica Mornar of Standard Liege, until he got sent off in a Belgian Cup game for kicking out at an opponent.
The £2.5m-rated Standard Liege striker got a five-match ban and Spurs have not been in touch with his club since.
  One of Wimbledon's co-owner's has said that they will not sell their big stars in the summer.  These include John Hartson, Carl Cort and Ben Thatcher - all who have been linked with moves to Tottenham.
  A message on the Spurs Interactive Message Board hinted that Alan Sugar and George Graham would both be leaving the club in the summer when a new consortium took over the club.  GG would be replaced by an amazing appointment apparently !!  Now when I thought about who would amaze me I sprung to the conclusion it would be Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, but that would be unbelievable, so a manger who would amaze me would have to be Jimmy Krankie, Paul Daniels or Tony Blair !!
  Former Spurs defender Colin Calderwood suffered a broken leg when he fell awkwardly in the match against Birmingham City today.

14.4.2000

  George Graham has not been well and will miss tomorrow's match against Aston Villa.  He has joint inflammation and fever, which came after an announcement that the Spurs boss had influenza.  He may miss the rest of the season as a course of steroids is needed to help him recover, which could take a  month.  It has been revealed that he has battled on despite the chronic pain of rheumatoid arthritis to ensure Tottenham reached enough points to avoid relegation.

  Over 2 million shares in Tottenham Hotspur plc have changed hands this week fuelling a rumour that a takeover of the company is on the cards this summer.  It could be big investors moving their money around, but the news has sparked speculation that a new owner could be in the throes of assuming control at the club.

  Simon Davies, Matthew Etherington, Anthony Gardner and Dave McEwen are all included in the Tottenham squad to play Aston Villa tomorrow.

  Tottenham have reportedly made a £2.5 million bid for Julius Aghahowa of Nigeria and Esperance of Tunisia.  The 19 year old forward impressed Graham in the African Nations Cup where he got a runner-up medal, but he wants to play in Europe and Malaga, along with Paris Saint Germain are also chasing the youngster.  His club may try to hold on to the player unless someone coughs up £4 million for him.

  Ian Walker has been putting in extra hours with goalkeeping coach Hans Segers to try and improve his criticised form of late.

  David Hirst has blamed the current troubles at Sheffield Wednesday on Tottenham's Director of Football, David Pleat.  He castigates Pleat for his sale of players and tactical talks which "blinded with science".  Pleat has responded to these allegations by saying David Hirst was riddled with injury and didn't like the fact that he had to be sold, along with other players who had been at the club too long.  The name calling has abated for the time being and handbags are being prepared for the boys.
  Spurs are being linked with Swedish prodigy Kim Kallstrom of BK Hacken.  The 17 year old midfielder has been on trial with Spurs and has also trained with PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and Udinese, but could be swayed in Tottenham's favour by the presence of Johnathan Partin and Jon Jonssen, who have played alongside him in the national youth side.  The player is already six feet tall and has scored 10 goals in 38 league games for his club.
  John Gregory, manager of Aston Villa, has defended George Graham against the fans rage at Liverpool last week.  He said that they should remember that the club was heading for relegation before he arrived and he also won the Worthington Cup.  Gregory went on to add that the demand for instant success puts pressure on Chairmen to sack managers who get stick from the crowd.

13.4.2000

Spurs will play Fulham on Tuesday 1st August for Simon Morgan's testimonial match.

  Chelsea have been fined £50,000 for a brawl in the tunnel after their game against Wimbledon and Denis Wise fined £7,500 for insulting behaviour.  This comes the day after Tottenham have appealed against their £150,000 fine for a similar incident on the pitch.  It seems the FA are saying that it is alright to have a fight, as long as it is out of sight in the tunnel !!

  Meanwhile Leeds United have been warned by UEFA about the conduct of their players after four were booked in the UEFA Cup semi-final first leg in Turkey last week.  If more than three players are booked, clubs can be charged with failing to control their players ... sound familiar ????

  24 year old Wimbledon defender, Ben Thatcher has been linked with a £5 million move to Tottenham again.  He has failed to re-sign for the South London side and despite a litany of ankle injuries, GG seems keen to bring him to White Hart Lane.  

  Both Spurs and Everton have been linked with Sheffield Wednesday's 20 year old midfielder, Alan Quinn who is rated as being worth £3 million.  It is thought that he will leave Hillsborough should Wednesday be relegated at the end of this season.  David Pleat was manager at Wednesday when Quinn was brought over from Ireland in the first instance.

  Tim Sherwood is back in full training and could be fit to return to the first team against Wimbledon on 22 April.
  Espen Baardsen could be allowed to leave on two conditions.  Firstly that Jesper Christiansen, who is on loan for the rest of the season, continues to impress and secondly, that the fee received is right.  David Pleat said the Danish Under-21 keeper is just one of many they have looked at.

12.4.2000

  A report is linking George Graham with the manager's post at Celtic.  It appears that the second club in Scotland at the moment may be trying to tempt GG back home, but seeing as how he moved to London from Leeds to be nearer his family I don't quite see him moving further North now.

  Gordon Banks has expressed doubts about David Seaman in the run in to Euro 2000, but has also said he doesn't fancy David James or Ian Walker.

  Tottenham are to appeal against the £150,000 fine imposed for their part in the brawl at Elland Road in the Premier league match against Leeds United. 

  According to TeamTalk, Oyvind Leonhardsen will have tests on his injured "heal".  He may well miss Saturday's visit of Aston Villa, but does hope to be back for the Wimbledon match though.

  Stephen Carr is in the Republic of Ireland squad to face Greece on April 26.

  AC Milan are thought to be ready to bid £10 million for Sergei Rebrov and it has been revealed that the Italian club have first option on the player.  Spurs had been interested, but it is considered likely that he will pair up with his former Dynamo Kiev strike partner, Andrei Shevshenko.

11.4.2000

  Tottenham Reserves drew 2-2 with Leicester City Reserves at Clarence Park tonight.  They took a 1-0 lead through Luke Young and had to come back to grab a late equaliser from Mark Gower.

Espen Baardsen has told GG that unless he gets first team football he wants to quit White Hart Lane.  This comes at a very inopportune time as Spurs have young Danish keeper, Jesper Christiansen on trial.

  David Pleat has dismissed news of an offer being made for Sheffield Wednesday's Alan Quinn.

  TeamTalk reports that David Pleat (talking about academy boys) informed a seminar in Zurich that "I don't think we should impose education on these boys. Only one out of 10 has enough brains to become successful academically.  Even the foreign kids speak better English than these guys. Education is wasted on them."
  Oyvind Leonhardsen is looking to return to action this weekend. He hopes a fitness test on Thursday will be positive or he may have to wait to play in the last few games of the season to prove his fitness for Euro 2000.

  Barnsley are looking to take John Scales to Oakwell if he gets a free transfer from Tottenham this summer.  With no contract talks planned, Scale could attract Dave Bassett, his former boss's attention.
  Former Spurs striker John Duncan was sacked as manager of Chesterfield today.  The side are almost certain to be relegated form Division Two and Duncan has been the target of the fan's abuse since the team has slumped to the foot of the table.

10.4.2000

  Allan Nielsen has said that he would be happy to stay at Wolverhampton Wanderers after his loan spell has ended.

  Sol Campbell has said that George Graham is still the man to lead Tottenham forward despite the poor current run.  The Spurs captain said that nobody like losing and Ian Walker backed up the England man by saying GG had been trying to lift spirits despite another lacklustre defeat - this time at the hands of Liverpool.

  GG wants Sol Campbell to make a commitment to Spurs before Euro 2000.  The England centre-half has repeatedly said that he will make his decision after the end of the season and he has also opened up about his feelings about Tottenham in an interview in the Sunday Times.  He felt that there was too much red tape at the club and he didn't know where the problem lies, but he did think that GG should get the backing he needs. He again said he was a London boy and if Spurs did well, he did well.  He went on to add that there is not a big gap between Spurs and the top sides, so the club needed to close it rather than let it get wider.

  Gooner Carl Cort has said he would rather play for them than Tottenham.

  Other names being bandied about with Spurs in mind are Geoff Horsfield (Fulham) and Constantin Galca (Espanyol).

  Jesper Christiansen of  Odense BK is set to have his second trial spell at Tottenham for a few days training.  The goalkeeper could well feature in tomorrow's reserve fixture at home to Leicester City.

9.4.2000

  Spurs lost to Liverpool this afternoon 0-2.  This is the first game Tottenham have lost by more than one goal this season !!  Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington both came on to make their debuts in the match, but this did not stop the chants of "Graham Out".

Spurs have been linked with a £3 million move for Liverpool's Titi Camara.  The Guinean international was on trial at Tottenham at the start of season 1998-99, but Spurs did not sign him from Marseilles, when they could have had him for £1 million.  He may leave Anfield because of the lack of opportunities to play now that they have Fowler, Owen and Heskey to play up front.  Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers are also interested.

  GG is looking to bring Alan Quinn to Tottenham from Sheffield Wednesday.  The 19 year old attacking midfielder would cost £2.5 million and the deal would take place in the summer.

  Spurs have also been linked with a move for Henning Berg of Manchester United, who may have trouble playing in the first XI there next season.
  Allan Nielsen is interesting Lecce of Italy, but the stumbling block could be the expected £5 million asking price.

8.4.2000

Mario Jardel, the prolific Brazilian Porto striker, has been offered to Spurs for £12 million.  The Portuguese side are desperate to cash in on the 26 year old "goal machine" before he can leave on a Bosman at the end of next season.  He would certainly look to be the calibre of player the fans are looking for Tottenham to sign, but his fee would be a record for the club and his wages could also have the management reaching for an oxygen mask.

  David Ginola has revealed that his grandfather nearly died as a result of Gerard Houllier calling the Spurs winger "a war criminal" after France lost to Bulgaria in the qualifying group match for World Cup 1994.  There has been a feud between the two ever since and on the eve of Tottenham's visit to Anfield, Ginola has again explained that he will never forget what the former French national team manager did to him and his family.

  GG has said that he is not worried about throwing the youngsters into a match or two before the end of the season.  He continued that they have al showed a willingness to learn in training and he wants to pick up some points before the end of the season, so is happy to play them while major singings are yet to materialise.

  Football Planet has an item linking Spurs with a move for Leicester City's  Muzzy Izzet.  The London born midfielder has yet to sign a new contract with the Midlands side, although a place for the Foxes in Europe could sway him to re-sign at Filbert Street.

7.4.2000

   Espen Baardsen has reportedly said he wants to talk to GG about his future after failing to break into the first team.  The Norwegian keeper has interested West ham United, Wimbledon and Southampton as he has been kept on the bench by Ian Walker.

  22 year old striker, Frederic Kanoute (currently on loan at West Ham United) looks set to join the East London club after turning down Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool's reported keenness to take the young French striker from Lyon.  Media Monitor said that the club has never inquired about this player.  "Who is he anyway ?" we heard them say.

  Steffen Iversen has said that he is looking forward to contract talks in the summer to extend his current deal.  With two years to run, he is hoping to stay at the club for as long as possible.
  Carl Cort looks set to stay at Wimbledon and disappoint Tottenham who were keen on the £8 million rated England Under-21 striker.

  GG has complained about the absence of first team players because of injury for long periods of this season and they could have turned some of the one goal defeats into points for the club.  He was determined not to use this as an excuse though, even though he did bring up the subject in the first place !!

  The referee in Monday night's match against Middlesbrough was "nervous" according to GG and under the glare of some of the refereeing hierarchy, so the Spurs manager said he should not have blasted Mr. Wiley in public.

  Dave McEwen, Anthony Gardner, Matt Etherington and Simon Davies are all in the squad for Tottenham's trip to Liverpool on Sunday.  The only absentees due to injury are Tim Sherwood and Oyvind Leonhardsen.

  A strange report on Soccerupdate has linked Tottenham, West Ham United and Fulham as likely destinations for Davor Suker in the summer.  Having said his biggest disappointment for Arsenal this season was not scoring against us in the first match and that he would definitely do so in the return at Highbury (which he didn't !!), I can't see him moving across North London, can you ??

6.4.2000

  Hugo Leal, the Atletico Madrid midfielder, could be on his way to Spurs this summer as he has fallen out of favour with new boss, Raddy Antic.  With the Spanish club in financial trouble, they could be willing to sell the 19 year old.

  Rumours about the signing of Patrik Pothuiizen from NEC Nijmegen have proved unfounded with the 27 year old sweeper moving to Vitesse Arnhem.

  The French midfielder, Christian Karembeu will be leaving Real Madrid in the summer and Spurs and Chelsea were the two English clubs interested in him a little while ago. He appears to have made the Premiership his destination, but if he cannot fix himself up with a club here, he will try Italy again.  Arsenal may enter the hunt as they could require a replacement for Petit, who looks on his way out.  Would they pay his taxi fare do you reckon ??

  Simon Downer, the young Leyton Orient defender, looks likely to be cashed in on by his club in the summer and Tottenham are amongst the front runners for his signature.  The Romford born 17 year old is being tracked by Arsenal, West Ham United and Wimbledon, but Chris Hughton was watching him again this week and although no bid had yet been made, Tottenham are obviously keen on the player.

  Les Ferdinand has said he will look to get a second, third and even a fourth opinion on his Achilles tendon injury before he goes under the knife.

  Alan Sugar's mobile phone number has been published on the Internet and he has been receiving abusive calls, which the Police are investigating.  Some people have already been charged and we wonder what response you would get from Sir Alan should you ring him.  From what we have heard, not a very welcome one !!

5.4.2000

  Ian Walker has admitted he is unlikely to go to Euro 2000 with the England squad.  Kevin Keegan, who hasn't spoken to the Spurs keeper since the last squad was named, appears to be going with David Seaman, Nigel Martyn and Richard Wright.

  Both Ghent (his club) and Media Monitor has reported that the club has not approached any Belgian clubs about players, which tend sot indicate that we will be singing Ole Martin Aarst soon.  Sorry, that should have read that Spurs can't be Aarst bound. Or vice versa.

  Tottenham's game at Old Trafford will see them face Manchester united without Dwight Yorke.  The striker will be away on international duty for Trinidad and Tobago.

  GG has found an unlikely ally in the shape of 1970's controversial referee, Clive "The Book" Thomas.  The former Welsh official said that refs making the jump from Nationwide League to the Premiership should undergo an intensive training course to bring them up to speed on the top division's pace and style.  He also recommended that refs and managers talked to each other after games to break down the wall of silence building up between them.  His suggestions followed Graham's criticism of referee Alan Wiley on Monday night.

4.4.2000

  George Graham will be asked by the FA to explain comments he made about rookie match referee - Alan Wiley - following last night's match against Middlesbrough when he called him incompetent.

  Ole Martin Aarst of Ghent in Belgium has been the focus of Tottenham's attention and appears to be on his way to White Hart Lane.  The top scorer so far in the Belgian League with 24 goals in 29 matches, his club have said that Spurs have been in touch with the player keen to make the move, but they are not in a hurry to sell and the deal will probably take place in the summer.

  Ian Walker has become the target for the boo-boys after last night's 2-3 defeat by Middlesbrough.  He said he knew that as soon as he made a mistake they would be on his back and would not remember what he had done in the rest of the season.  Whilst he did make mistakes last night, he also made a couple of excellent reflex saves to deny the North-East side.

  Les Ferdinand's season seems to have ended prematurely after he broke down in training on Tuesday and will need further surgery to rectify his injury.  however, Portsmouth could be interested in buying the striker should be be edged out by summer signings.

  Oyvind Leonhardsen is depressed about being injured again - his heel injury keeping sidelined for at least another week, so missing a match against his former club Liverpool.
The man who hit the female Leicester City fan at Wembley at the Worthington Cup Final last season has been bailed to appear at Brent Magistrate's Court on a charge of Actual Bodily Harm.  He must not go within 500 metres of a football or sports stadium half an hour before or after an event is being held.
  Patrick Kluivert has said that he would like a move to London.  This has alerted Spurs and Arsenal to the availability of the Dutch Barcelona star.  It is highly unlikely that he would come to Tottenham as he has already turned down the club once, when he left AC Milan.
Rivaldo has shattered the dreams of English clubs, including Tottenham, by saying if he leaves Barcelona he will move to an Italian team.  This is thought not to rule out Chelsea though.
  Spurs Reserves drew 0-0 with their Coventry City counterparts tonight.

3.4.2000

  Tottenham lost 2-3 at home to Middlesbrough tonight.  They took the lead through a Chris Armstrong goal and then scored a late David Ginola consolation. Click here for a match report.

  Alex Ferguson reckons he has made two bids of £17 million for Sol Campbell, but they have both been turned down by Tottenham.
  Tottenham's chief scout, Charlie Woods is to reunite with his former Ipswich Town boss, Bobby Robson, at the end of the season.

  Spurs have once again been linked with Norwegian Ole Martin Aarst of Belgian side Ghent.  He is said to be available for £1,5 million in the summer.

  GG has blasted the rumours that Pierre van Hooijdonk says he wants to play for Spurs.  The manager said he was building a side at Tottenham and did not want to bring in potential problems which may harm the team.

  Parma are favourites to sign Sergei Rebrov  for £12.5 million according to the Planet Football site, unless Spurs step up their interest in the Ukrainian striker.

David Pleat has denied two transfer rumours that cropped up over the weekend.  He said he had been at Old Trafford at the weekend and was impressed with all the Manchester United players, however, no move has been made for Andy Cole.  He also said the club were aware of Alan Mahon, the Tranmere Rovers midfielder, but were not making a move for him at this time.

2.4.2000

Tottenham are supposedly looking to make an £8 million offer for Andy Cole of Manchester United in the summer should the Northern club buy Ruud van Nistelrooy from PSV Eindhoven.  The People have alleged that GG has raised the subject with Alex Ferguson already and rumours from Holland hint that the prolific Dutchman has indicated that united are rapidly becoming his first choice destination.  It is said, however, that Cole may be tempted to go abroad for a couple of years should he leave Old Trafford.

  Alan Mahon of Tranmere Rovers seems to be the subject of a £1 million battle between Spurs and Celtic in the summer.  The 21 year old midfielder is not signing a new contract with his club and is available for a knock-down fee quoted above. 

  It is alleged in the Sunday Mirror that Rosenborg have offered Tottenham £6 million to buy back Steffen Iversen.  His former Norwegian club are desperate to replace John Carew who is heading for Valencia and offered a player swap deal, but GG has said that Iversen is still young and has plenty of potential which he wants him to realise at Tottenham.

  Sol Campbell could be ready to return in tomorrow's match against Middlesbrough.  If he does not respond to treatment, then John Scales will continue in his place.

  George Graham has nominated Roy Keane as his Player of the Season.

  Christian Karembeu is likely to leave Real Madrid in the summer and has been said to prefer a move to London in the Premier League.  Spurs have been linked with the French midfielder before and could renew their interest on this latest news.

  Tottenham's links with Mark Viduka look like ending in failure after a report  reckons Bayern Munich are planning a £9 million swoop for the Australian striker.

1.4.2000

  Sportal have an exclusive interview with Mauricio Taricco and you can find out what he says by clicking here.
  Atletico Madrid are in such dire straits that they may accept a bid of around £3.5 million for Juninho.  Middlesbrough obviously are the favourties to sign the Brazilian midfielder, but as Tottenham were in for him when he left Boro last time, they may enter the chase once again, especially now the fee is much reduced.

  Reports indicate that Martin Laursen is interesting Arsenal and Chelsea.  The 22 year old Danish international defender at Verona had been linked as a Spurs target some weeks ago.

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