Redknapp & Spurs join the elite

COYS!

Note: I predicted on Phic McNulty's blog post (the one where he showed his foolish nature by backing Liverpool for the league :D :D :D ) that Tottenham would be the club to break in to the top 4 and 'Pool would be the club to drop out.

Just call me "Magic 8 Ball"...

Don’t like Spurs but good to see an English manager doing so well with a good group of English players

Of course this is just the beginning - it looks like we'll be seeded, but we could still be unlucky like Everton.

I have to give some praise to Daniel Levy too, I know he's made some mistakes (in particular the Jol/Ramos fiasco) but he acknowledged them and moved quickly to bring in Redknapp, and more importantly has somehow managed to keep us financially safe while investing in our squad and planning for the new stadium. White Hart Lane isn't big and our owner gives us no money at all, so Levy has really had his work cut out for him over the last few years. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want an owner who'd actually give us some funds (not necessarily Sheikh-level spending, but Lerner-level would be nice), but I'd hate to see Levy go.

Congrats to the management and the team and my fellow Spurs fans, you have all been heroes this season.

"The sprightly 63-year-old..."

I thought "sprightly" was reserved for octogenarians! Since when does 2-years shy of normal retirement age make one an "elder statesman"? I make that still in the prime of working life.

Congratulations to Spurs and Harry Redknapp (and that's coming from a Saints fan!). Good to see that a team with a large contingent of English players is the first to break the so called 'top four' stranglehold.

I didn't see the game last night but by all accounts Ledley King was awesome again. He MUST go to the World Cup, especially with concerns over Rio's fitness and Terry's form. The games will be far enough apart for him to recover inbetween. Just thing how good he would have been, but for the injuries, best centre back ever? Sadly we'll never know.

P.s Well done Fulham and good luck for 12th May, only one more game to go!

Well done Harry and Tottenham! Although I do think they won't make it to the group stages, as much as I'd love to see them do it!

Ewww, McNulty and his premoderation...

Having a distaste for Arsenal and especially Man City, I was chuffed for Spurs. I just hope they don't end up like Everton and fall at the qualifiers.

It's also worth noting that 3 teams form London are now in the Champions League.

I'm disappointed for Man City. Them in the Champions League would have been "Box Office"! But in the end Spurs are a better team to watch and it's great to see a bunch of talented English players led by an English manager at the highest level in Europe.

im no spurs fan, but im delighted that they got in to the CL, god knows what would have happened in Man C would have gotten in, they would have prob spent the annual budget of a small country in the summer (they still might)
Arry is a great charachter, great manager and unlike most managers has a bit of personalilty.

Well done spurs, and well done harry.

The Premier league is the ultimate meritocracy when it comes to managerial talent. If you're not getting the results, you're out. And look at the top teams - Man U, Arsenal, Spurs - amanged by these guys in their sixties.

It's a sharp comment on modern society's decision to appoint managers to important roles - say - being Prime Minister because they look telegenic.

Fair play to Mancini, tho. He's no mug (despite his youth). He won Serie A with Inter and he's only had a few months at City. They would be foolhardy to sack him.

Phil McNulty | 00:34 UK time, Thursday, 6 May 2010

"No need for that yet, Harry. Not now you're set to become only the sixth Englishman to manage a team in the Champions League."
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Another one being Sir Bobby Robson. A man who had more honesty, integrity and class in one finger than Redknapp has ever displayed during his entire life. Yes Tottenham have achieved...but only relative to their outlay on transfers in the last 10 years chasing a trophy or a higher league finish. You may argue that Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa have all spent big too...well they have simply underachieved.

I will not laud Redknapp, who unlike your Sir Bobby Robson and Roy Hodgson has only ever achieved moderate success on the back of big spending on foreign...often "proven" players.

He even refuses to accept any responsibility to the plight of Portsmouth who operated vastly out of their small stadium stature. Yes this can be attributed to poor mis-management above him, but surely with his "1,100 games in management" he may have identified that problems may arise.

An average manager, a good "wheeler,dealer" friend of the media - everybody loves a Del Boy?, a less than impressive person.

I'm sure Darren "my missus could have scored that" Bent would agree. She must be some footballer considering Bent has plundered 20+ premier league goals this season in a struggling side.

@ Comment 3 - Spurs owner = Joe Lewis, considerably richer than Randy Lerner. His investment in the Club is certainly there, just not necessarily as public as some others. He backs the Club to the hilt. Yes - we're not saddled with debt, because we have a good management structure in place, but he certainly doesn't hold the Club back.

A massive congratulations to Spurs for getting through to the CL. Though not a Spurs fan (Utd) I've enjoyed watching Spurs play some great football and with lots of English talent on view it's great to see them doing well.

As Phil points out there are some people who will be delighted in the fact City didn't make it (mainly my fellow Utd fans) and I'll admit I'm not disappointed. It'll only postpone the envitable for another season in my opinion but will give Utd time they need to sort their own house out (hopefully). There is a side of me that wanted City to do well though to further highlight the need for change at Old Trafford so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


I take my hat of to Harry and his boys though and just hope you get a kind draw!

Best of luck!

J

'ARRY FOR ENGLAND!

Spurs fans should thank Sir Alex for giving them the money to build a good squad, and Rafa for being worse than ever.

Spurs will easily qualify for the group stages, and treat the League Cup with disdain like the other Champions League teams, quite rightly too.

Apart from the F.A. Cup this is really the first time Harry has done anything of Note in the Premiership as far as I can recall. MY point being if you stick at it long enough, you become good at it. Your points about British managers however admirable, are frankly not up to scratch. Hodgson and Rednapp are the only two English managers in a decade to have done anything. That speaks volumes. It is not their success that shows the quality of management, it's the lack of sucess of others. Bruce, Ince, Laws, Dowie, Hughes,Allerdyce, Where are the likes of Venebals and Graham?
I would imagine if you look at the Results of City, They were going nowhere under Hughes, They were playing High Scoring draws consistently. Mancini at least as brought some steel to their defence and I do think Hughes could not have done that. However Mancini has to get players like Tevez and Bellamy playing for the team and not for themselves.
Harry on the other hand has a decent organised squad. Don't forget he was ready to get rid of Gomez and some other players. Some players he got rid of are doing well aka Bent. So for me the Jury is out. He is not the 6th English manager in the Champions league either, he has to qualify yet.

Im actually glad Man City didnt get into the Champions League, every single big money signing they have done the players have just went there for the money, long contracts and thats it. A complete mis match of supposed 'big' name players that cant actually play together.

Its great to see no matter how much money you have you cant buy success.

Congratulations Tottenham on a great season and a great manager.

5. At 09:00am on 06 May 2010, Mauroshampoo wrote:
Congratulations to Spurs and Harry Redknapp (and that's coming from a Saints fan!). Good to see that a team with a large contingent of English players is the first to break the so called 'top four' stranglehold.

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Nope, Everton did it a couple of seasons back and almost got relegated the following season. To break the stranglehold consistency is required and you don't get that in a season.

I really hope that Spurs get into the group stages and do well, they play decent football, their team is made up of a core of top British players complemented by only a handful (but a very good handful) of foreign players and course you got Redknapp at the helm. I'm a Liverpool and although it is bitterly disapointing to unceremoniously drop out of the Champs League, Tottenham are worthy replacements. Hopefully their inclusion will breath new life in the Champions League and maybe allow (along with future financial regulations) for a more open Premiership where the same teams don't always finish up top. Hopefully paving the way for teams like Villa, Spurs and fingers crossed a resurgent Liverpool to reguarly compete with the current top 3. Good blog as usual Phil, cheers.

Phil it's great that Spurs are 4th but that does not fully warrant them a place in the qualifiers. I mean they are likely not to be seeded and could face a tough tie from the 4th placed teams in Europe's stronger leagues.

Remember Everton in 2005?

After all the hysterical nonsense coming out of the City camp this was a fitting conclusion. They have made progress, but have discovered that large amounts of oil money, a chump for a chairman and deluded support is not sufficient to elevate them into footballs elite.

Over the years United and Liverpool have earned that right with action on the pitch, so this was a good result for football. Well done Harry and good luck Spurs.

I'm really pleased for Spurs. I'm a Man United fan but I have respect for Redknapp and I like what he's done at Spurs. It's good to see them in the top competition in Europe again.

As for Man City, I hope this shows that sacking the manager is not the best course of action and that all managers need to be given time to achieve. Would Mark Hughes or Sven have done any worse? Probably not, but some consistency in management might have meant they'd have done better.

At #12: Who exactly are the 6 Phil mentioned? In terms of British managers i'm racking my brains and can only think of Fergie, Sir Bobby, Bruce Rioch at Aalborg a couple of seasons back, maybe Roy Hodgson at Inter?, and of course Roy Evans at Liverpool and South Wales' very own John Toshack at Real Madrid.

Was impressed with the Spurs line-up and confident that this side could get a result. Superb performance, particularly second-half. Every player turned up and Harry's tactics were spot on. Good to see you giving Daniel Levy credit, Phil. Yes, he made mistakes but don't we all and he's certainly put things right, got our house in order financially and the future definitely is looking good. This squad is excellent and with just a few add-ons could mount serious Champions League challenges for some time to come. What a difference from 18 months ago! Certainly a very happy time to be a Spurs supporter. Finally, don't UEFA have a rule about restricting the number of teams from one city competing in the Champions League in the same week or did I dream that? Three sides from London could cause them a headache!

Can people please stop saying that Spurs are in the Champions League. They are not. The 4th place gives you a chance to qualify.

And yes well done Spurs. In the 2nd half you were the better team. It is crystal clear that City need a playmaker like, a Fabregas type. Opposing teams with good defences keep a clean sheet at Eastlands. vs united 0-1, vs everton 0-2, vs liverpool 0-0, vs Spurs 0-1. Too many blanks at home.

What Spurs need is.... Torres

CONGRATULATIONS SPURS, you deserve your place in Europe next season.From eighteen or so months ago when Harry Redknapp took over the team they they
were down in relegation trouble,now fourth in the league. That's an incredible achievement from a manager who's bought well,brought in a great team spirit and made Spurs one of the very top teams again.Ledley KIng again proved,if fit,he is without doubt the best defender in the British game, no wonder Capello wants him at the World Cup.Crouch and Defoe have really proved their worth this season,as have players right through the squad.This squad has great potential o do even better than they have already.Manager of the season surely between Harry and Roy Hodgson @ Fulham,for me it's HR for a season where Spurs have been outstanding and last night was the icing on the cake.One thing though as an Arsenal fan please don't take third from us this weekend.WELL DONE !

My prediction is that Manchester City will overtake them in the premier league next season so their involvement with the Champions League will be a very brief one indeed.

This is rather shoddy journalism. Spurs have NOT qualified for the Champions League. They have qualified for the qualifiers. There is no guarantee of getting into the actual competition.

Did Everton ever play in the Champions League after finishing 4th? No, they lost out to Valencia. Please get the facts right and I hope the Spurs fans aren't in for a nasty suprise when they realise they may still have to play Lyon or Ajax for the right to qualify.

@13 - Our gross debt is actually 80m. Joe Lewis is wealthy but hasn't given us anything (though at least he won't let us fail), it's Levy who has made the most of our turnover by controlling wages.

Lerner on the other hand has handed O'Neill net funds of over 90m in the last few years for transfers; in fact they made a 47m record loss last season but are in no trouble thanks to him. I'd love it if Lewis could back us for once, but in reality we won't be able to spend much for the next year or so if you look at the interim report.

We're walking in a Harry wonderland :)

Been watching Spurs since 1959 and this is as good a team as I've ever seen.

Now we just need a small favour from Fulham on Saturday, and our cups will definitely be runnething over :) :) :)

even as a spurs fan who went last night i dont buy into this harry is the messiah talk....

he has got very lucky with pav and bale who were both discarded early season , also helps that everybody in the media loves you

also harry doesnt no how to use a computer....

believe that you believe anything

As an Arsenal fan you'd probably expect me to say someting nasty about Spurs or for me to eat sour grapes but I've never belonged to those mindless idiots who hate a team just because they are Spurs (apart from Man U of course :-)). Seriously, I watched the game last night and thought Spurs were excellent and deserved to win. Congrats to Spurs - really. Even a Gooner knows good football when he sees it. I couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of the style and attitude of the Spurs players last night. Arsene Wenger could learn a lot from Arry Redknapp instead of moaning about the referee!

I may be signing my own death warrant as a football fan by writing this but sometimes you do what you think is right no matter what.

I don't hate opposing teams and, if they do something really outstanding, then it doesn't demean you to say: 'Well done'.

Spurs came into the run-in this season with a fixture list which said, if they came through it in fourth place, well, they had really, truly, completely earned the right to their shot at greater things.

My team, in the past 4 years, dropped down like a domino set when faced by such fixture lists. Spurs raised their game, three times out of four and got 9 points against their four biggest competitors.

Harry Redknapp's worked with scraps for decades. He's sold an entire England team at West Ham and he's wheeled and dealed his way around the South Coast. I don't know the truth behind Portsmouth, but the buck stopped with the Board. End of. They sign the cheques. So now he's got the chance to work with top players, he seems to be making a fine job of it. Enjoy it Mr Redknapp, it's been a long time coming and you get what you work for in this life. Usually........

Now I don't want to hear Arsenal fans coming out with rubbish about this. Our neighbours worked hard for what they got and it's not us they nicked it from. You want to rant and mouth off about this, go ahead. But all you'll look like is a bunch of sad idiots for whom hatred is a way of life. Forget it. And focus on how our team needs to get better instead.

You want to know why I'm saying this? Because I sat on a tube train a few years ago with a couple of Spurs fans. It wasn't their finest time, and they could see me in an Arsenal shirt. Did they start attacking me? No. Did they mouth off at me? No. Did they, in fact, do anything other than say that they hoped that, one day, that their team might do something like my team did? No.

And so I said to them, in the spirit of generosity which they had initiated: 'Well. Look at Chelsea. They didn't win the League for 50 years. Maybe 2011 will be your year........'

I don't know whether it will. But my train journey was more enjoyable in my eyes talking to people like human beings than screaming like scum and wrecking the tube train to boot.........

And again thank you for the £40m City for buying Toure and Adebayor.

Some people just talk. Some people predicted Liverpool to win the title and Arsenal to drop put of the top 4. People thought Wenger was mad to sell those 2 players to City. Actually we were challenging for the title before the Wigan defeat just recently.

With Chamakh coming and possibly a goalkeeper and a defender, we are going for the title again next year. It's going to be exciting to read the predictions again for next year.....

Congrats to Spurs from an Arsenal fan. They have played some catchy football under Redknapp this season and I look forward to seeing them in the CL next season. What I dont like is the fact Phil McNulty uses this an opportunity to defend Hughes's corner. Man City have looked a lot better defensively (not yesterday of course) under Mancini despite the fact that it was Hughes that bought Toure, Lescott, Barry, Adebayor and Bridge, all of whom have had a less than impressive season.

What I dont also understand is that the media alternates between English and British when they like. If this is the English Premier league, why then should we treat a Welsh or a Scot(ch) as a 'homegrown' player/manager but the Italians are johnny foreigners?

Last night there was a match played. Spurs won and will play in the CL. We cannot make any other conclusions in black and white. I hate it when the media says either the future is bright or the future is doomed.

There has to be some middle-ground.

This season has seen two great teams emerge with success both managed by English managers. I mean of course Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson,neither in their first flush of youth but both superb in man management and tactics.Both having teams that produce great football played in the right spirit. London can be so proud of what they have achieved this season and both deserve manager of the year.They've produced success without the mountain of money some others have spent, but have brought in players who enhance and add such quality to the respective teams.Spurs also have on the field more English born players than almost anyone in the league in most games,For me, as an Arsenal fan,having to admit how good this team are is tough but Harry Redknapp for me is without doubt manager of the year with Roy Hodgson runner up.Great managers both and a credit to their clubs and to football worldwide of how important man management is in gaining success.

28. At 09:37am on 06 May 2010, SingSling wrote:
Did Everton ever play in the Champions League after finishing 4th? No, they lost out to Valencia. Please get the facts right...
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Yes, please do get the facts right, because I think you'll find it was Villareal, not Valencia, who dumped Everton out of the Champions League.
Well done Spurs - thoroughly deserved!

@28-You might want to check the facts yourself before you accuse others of shoddiness, Everton lost out to Villarreal not Valencia. I'd fancy Spurs to beat Lyon or Ajax over two legs anyway, so bring it on.

collie21 wrote:
"Apart from the F.A. Cup this is really the first time Harry has done anything of Note in the Premiership as far as I can recall. MY point being if you stick at it long enough, you become good at it. "
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Yep, there's a word for it - Experience.

Redknapp has lots of that - he started at the bottom in management like countless others, but is one of the few who has risen to the elite - because of his talent.

And his teams are always great to watch (compare that to Roy Hodgson's teams).

He's hasn't won much because he hasn't yet had charge of a club with winning potential (clubs have to be mega rich to win things these days).

Great to see Redknapp get some top-level European experience next season, might come in handy if he's in the right time and place when the England managers job becomes available in the future.

As an Arsenal fan this is quite pleasing. Tottenham have closed the gap on Arsenal by virtue of an improvement of their team and a decline on Arsenal's part. If Wenger has seen what his supporters has seen all season, he will know that he has to drastically improve his squad if he wants to keep Arsenal above Spurs. Both first XIs are great but Arsenal's second XI are obtuse. Most Gooners won't take being behind Spurs too lightly but that is what will happen if Wenger doesn't sort it out and strengthen because rest assured, Spurs will.

So well done Spurs. Welcome to the Top 4.
And it does look like London is now the home of top Football and not the North West anymore doesn't it?

@ 28 everton went out to villareal. if your so bothered about facts get that right

@ 12, tomefccam:

You know Harry Redknapp the person then do you? Met him enough times to judge him? You miserable little man. Bobby Robson has nothing to do with this blog, God rest him.

Fair play Harry - great job, and a superb team performance! Beating Arsenal and Chelsea was the real turning point, but at the end of the day it was all down to this game and the lads did the business.

The qualifiers will be tricky, but I think that over the 2 legs we'll get there, regardless of the opposition.

And best of luck Fulham and Hodgson in the EL final.

Well done Tottenham ... I am a scouser but I am pleased for them. Strikes a good blow for football that success cant be bought by the rich and ruthless. I'm also pleased for Redknapp, Crouch, Defoe and all the other honest hard workers in the game.

Lets all point and laugh at Man City and their money mercenaries. Bet Tevez most of all feels like a complete idiot now and he should.

Cant wait to see why rubbish bluedefence is going to come up with today.

being a hammer fan,congrats to spurs for getting 4th spot,but you still have to qualify for the CL.Its good to have 3 london tams in there,but will any of them still be like manue,once again the summer is going to be full of who is going to buy who,and i suspect spurs will be paying out alot of money to bring players to white hart lane,just so that their european dream dosn,t die early on into the new season.
lets see if i,m right.but once again,i could be wrong.
congrats again anyway.

Well done Spurs 4th on Merit and wow won't robbo be chufed having tipped them at the start of the season.

POST 23
Exactly what I was thinking who are who are these 6 Englishmen to have managed in the CL? of the ones you named 3 wheren't English. if its Brits then then there are more than 6 since 1992. In fact I'm calling you on that one Phil since 1992 I don't beleive there have been 6 Englishmen manage in the competition. If its since the European cup 1955 then fair enough but I thought there would be more Englishmen that. Either way I suppose this highlights how good of good Harry has done.

As a Spurs fan I am obviously delirious. I do feel City's pain, knowing what it is like to live in the shadow of your neighbours.

I think your money is both a blessing and a curse, as though it can attract players it will not attract those players that want to play for you as opposed to the money you can pay them. Players like Tevez, Bellamy will always go that extra mile. But I think you know which of your players are more money minded.

Also you will find it harder to get rid of your under performing players who will be happy to sit on lucrative contracts.

Harry Redknapp struck the latest blow for English management's older generation by completing the transformation of Tottenham Hotspur from fallen giant flirting with relegation to Champions League qualifiers.
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I thought I was reading the UKIP website for a minute

In the end City paid the price of bad management - they should have got Mancini in the sunmmeer, buy the players he asked for and let him get on with the job. Or else stick with Hughes until the end. Buying a bunch of players at random just because they are available and British, and then prachuting in a manager mid season it's not the way to go about it.

Anyway I bet you Spurs won't get past the qualifiers, Arry's record in Europe is dismal and since Platini got in the qualifiers are harder than they used to be (remember Celtic - Arsenal?)

8. At 09:04am on 06 May 2010, Joe Lee wrote:

'It's also worth noting that 3 teams form London are now in the Champions League.'

....what has that got to do with anything??!!

Congratulations to Spurs, I hope they sail through the qualifiers

28 SINGSLING.

Are you kidding?

'Did Everton ever play in the Champions League after finishing 4th? No, they lost out to Valencia. Please get the facts right'

It was villareal. How can you get the team wrong then demand people get their facts right? Good knock.

28. At 09:37am on 06 May 2010, SingSling wrote:
This is rather shoddy journalism. Spurs have NOT qualified for the Champions League...Did Everton ever play in the Champions League after finishing 4th? No, they lost out to Valencia. Please get the facts right and I hope the Spurs fans aren't in for a nasty suprise when they realise they may still have to play Lyon or Ajax for the right to qualify.

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Seeing as you are so keen to get the facts right you should have known that Everton went out to Villareal that year, not Valencia. That's a real fact. Practice what you preach eh?

Deserved from Spurs. Run-in of tough games, last night and against Chelsea and Arsenal has sealed it.

@ Sing Sling 28, Egg on your face mate, "No, they lost out to Valencia. Please get the facts right ". Problem is mate Billarreal put Everton out of the CL. Next time either checks your facts before type or don't be so predantic

Why is it that the moment a manager announces he "wants to continue", one gets the feeling they actually won't? And congrats to Spurs and good luck reaching the group stages. It would be some tie if we ever get to play them in CL.

Anyway, Phil, what's all this "British managers are good" touchy-feely impression? It sounds awfully defensive... Why generalize? Plenty of British managers still blew it this season, and plenty will in the next one - and a few good ones will be successful. Let's get over the sacking of Hughes, shall we. The success of Redknapp at Spurs surely does not prove that sacking Hughes at City was wrong, so why do I feel you are trying to prove a point there? Bigger names got sacked over indifferent results, and not because they were British. Hughes will get his chance to vindicate himself, I'm sure - maybe with a smaller European club?

You must know yourself City is very different from, say, Fulham. Fulham's owner just wants to HAVE a traditional, top-tier club. One gets the feeling he views that as an achievement in itself, and is really proud of it. He made himself in Britain, and having the club is part of it (much like trying to relaunch Punch I would say - hardly done as a scheme to gain profit). On the other hand, City owners want worldwide succes and fame through football, just having a club is not what they aim for. Being big is. Inevitably, There Will be Blood before (if ever) it can be achieved. Some punching, too, probably.

6 English managers in CL group stage

Sir Bobby Robson (Newcastle)
Ray Harford (Blackburn)
Phil Thompson (Liverpool when Houllier was ill)
Stuart Baxter (AIK Solna)

Add Steve Mclaren should he stay with Twente and Redknapp.

I agree entirely with your remark...

"Redknapp is so often damned with faint praise..."

I am not a Spurs supporter, but in my humble opinion Harry is one of the two best home-grown managers in the UK, and I do not include Mr Ferguson in those two.

Well done, Spurs. This season, the club assembles a balance team: (i) reasonably good GK, (ii) good defense: e.g. Dawson out-tackled John Terry in derby match; (iii) a mix of defensive (e.g. Palacios), offensive (e.g. Bale) and creative (e.g. Modric) in midfield, and (iv) options in attack: tall, short etc.

Felt a little disappointed with Arsenal and Liverpool though. Arsenal's form fluctuated throughout the season: (i) unreliable GK, (ii) not enough cover for defense: after Vermallen and Gallas were out, oldies like Silvestre and Campbell to fill in? (iii) w/o Fabregas, the midfield could pass all day but not enough penetration, (iv) missed Van Persie upfront: Bendtner despite scoring some goals were not in the same class.

As for Liverpool: (i) solid GK but couldn't do much if the defense wasn't coordinated, (ii) Carragher is not the player he once was a few seasons ago and Glen Johnson attacks better than defense, (iii) w/o a fit Gerrard, just not enough creativity in midfield, and (iv) w/o Torres, the centreforward options are non-established player like Ngoc, El Zhar etc?

Congrats to Spurs, but qualifying for CL is also a poisoned chalice as Wenger and Arsenal have found especially in a World Cup/Euro Championships year. The qualifiers are effectively at the end of pre-season training but only weeks after the end of the World Cup.

Hence a dilemna: if England do well in the WC do you rest the English players so they actually get a break over the summer, or do you play them knowing that they may need a mid season break later on? Wenger often opted to rest the likes of Gilberto Silva, Fabregas etc but the qualifiers were often nervous affairs.

Other commendable efforts from some other EPL teams: (i) Fulham, making it to the Europa Cup final, (ii) Everton, making steady climb after a disastrous start, and (iii) Birmingham, a mid-table finish?

Even though I support Arsenal, I wanted Spurs to beat Man City to 4th, because (as Phil mentioned) the spending would have been crazy, and ruined some of the spectacle. It may just be delaying the inevitable, but hopefully for at least another season, they won't be throwing money at anything that moves...

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English Managers in the Champions league are;

Stuart Baxter (AIK Solna)
Ray Harford (Blackburn)
Bobby Robson (Barcelona & Newcastle)
Phil Thompson (Liverpool when Houlier was ill)

You could potentially count Howard Wilkinson with Leeds but he didnt make it through the qualifiers but if Harry is managing in the champions league but only the qualifiers he would be the 6th.

@54 - Stuart baxter is scottish ....

Sir Bobby Robson - Newcastle & Porto
Howard Wilkinson - Leeds
Ray Harford - Blackburn
I'll give you Phil Thompson but .....

Didnt reach the group stages, but manged qualifiers, as harry will have to do - Tony Mowbray (Celtic), Steve McLaren (Twente)

so only 3 really, 5 if you count qualifiers and 6 if you bend the rules!

@61 - leeds did make it through in the first season 92/93, but were eliminated by Rangers

Brilliant result and a brilliant performance, City simply couldn't deal with our attacking team. Bale and Lennon always looked dangerous, and Crouch's hold-up play was second to none. Modric also didn't look overshadowed by larger, stronger opponents, and in my view was the best midfielder on the pitch. And at the back all 5 of them were faultless, especially Ledley and Daws, City had no answers to us.

Onwards and upwards, and let's hope for Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Munich in the group, we'll give them all a seeing to ;) GET IN THERE SPURS!!!

Noisy neighbours silenced by Spurs :D

Nice blog Phil

Who was the last English manager to take a club into the Champions League?
Well done to Spurs. It's very good for football that Man City haven't reached the Champions League. I think Liverpool still pipped them to the 'Underachievers of the Season' award though.

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This is what being a fan is about.

For years us spurs fans have been derided for having ambition. We were constantly put down by the other bigger clubs. Never given a hope and contiunally being labelled DELUDED!!

Told we would never make 4th place, no chance of making the champions league.

Deep down Im sure many of us never gave up hope and weve all been rewarded.

Well done harry, spurs, levy everyone at the club this is one of the most exciting weeks for us in a very long time.

Just shows money cant buy you everything!

Well done Spurs, you earned 4th place and good luck next season.

City gave it a good go and its our best season for years, we will strengthen in the summer and come back stronger next season.

pretty sure keegan managed newcastle in the champs league as did robson.

roy evans at liverpool

ray harford at blackburn

howard wilkinson at leeds

Why is everyone saying well done on 4th and that we haven't qualified properly? Lets not forget we can still finish 3rd!

I don't like Spurs, mainly because I'm a Derby fan and they screwed us with Huddlestone and Rasiak.

I'm also always baffled how they make such good profits, White Hart Lane isn't that big, their fanbase can't be that big outside London, they nearly always spend big (though admittedly sell big aswell), can someone enlighten me?

I don't buy into this anti-Chelsea and anti-Man City stuff, just because they have a rich owner. As if only the historically big teams deserve to be rich, thats just boring. It's great that someone can suddenly come into the mix and potentially shuffle things up.

I read the other day that Platini has scheduled measures to limit club spending related to turnover in a few years, but I think thats rubbish to be honest, cos then you'll only have Man Utd, Real, Barca dominating and it won't be possible for someone (like City have now) to become a contender. He's only doing it cos he doesn't like the Prem anyway, it's only English clubs that are getting bought by the mega rich and he hates it.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Think it might be time for a touch of realism. In the 16 months leading up to November 2009 Tottenham spent £150m. This is more than any of the "Big Four" and second only to Man City. It's pretty rich, then, of Redknapp to labour the point before the game that all the pressure was on City. With expenditure like that, both those two teams should be in the top four without question. Tottenham have merited 4th spot above Man City based on their football, I don't question that, but I don't understand why there haven't been higher expectations of Tottenham given their astronomical spending.

Good blog Phil.

SPURS are a great team with several excellenr players spread all over the pitch under a great manager.

But it must not be forgotten that the job is now only half done and they still have to qualify for the knockout stages and then only the job is done. Let us hope that this scenario does not become like the Everton scenario in the past.

Go SPURS GO . . . .

PS Nice to see the biaased media, Spurs fans and those non Mancunians who follow that team from Stretford gloating, well pride comes before a fall, we are going in the right direction, have zero debt and a limitless budget.

Mark my words this is just a small set back.

72. At 10:55am on 06 May 2010, Dean_Sturridge wrote:
I don't like Spurs, mainly because I'm a Derby fan and they screwed us with Huddlestone and Rasiak.

I'm also always baffled how they make such good profits, White Hart Lane isn't that big, their fanbase can't be that big outside London, they nearly always spend big (though admittedly sell big aswell), can someone enlighten me?

I don't buy into this anti-Chelsea and anti-Man City stuff, just because they have a rich owner. As if only the historically big teams deserve to be rich, thats just boring. It's great that someone can suddenly come into the mix and potentially shuffle things up.

I read the other day that Platini has scheduled measures to limit club spending related to turnover in a few years, but I think thats rubbish to be honest, cos then you'll only have Man Utd, Real, Barca dominating and it won't be possible for someone (like City have now) to become a contender. He's only doing it cos he doesn't like the Prem anyway, it's only English clubs that are getting bought by the mega rich and he hates it.
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Good post.

the truth is Spurs have made operating losses over the past few years but this has been covered up by players sales i.e. Berbaflop and Keane.

IF they qualify for CL they wont have the squad to compete and will fall away in both comps i.e. PL and CL, IF they spend big they will have big debts AND they need to find £500m for a new stadium.

Spurs should enjoy their day in the sun but I have a feeling they will have the same outcome as Everton a few years back.

I'm happy for Spurs purely for the fact it makes the PL more competitive. This season has been one of the best I can remember and I think it will only get better. Man Utd declining due to alleged money problems and a reluctance to even attempt to fill the hole left by Ronaldo's departure, Arsene Wenger's reluctance in not paying over the odds for a player (something i personally agreed with till a point), Chelsea's aging squad and Roman Abromovich's decision not to re-invest a load of money, Liverpool massively declining due to poor purchases etc., Villa bridging the gap to an extent, Spurs earning money and reputation through the Champions League (if they qualify), Birmingham getting mid table, Newcastle coming back up and their fantastic supporters coming back (always love an away tie at St James' Park), Fulham winning the Europa League and Man City spending a fortune on players and all the drama and mercernaries involved, Everton's steady rise and the acquisation of players like Rodwell and Gosling who have massive potential. All of this will make next season incredibly interesting although the gap is increasing between the top 9 and the bottom 11 I'm beginning to feel like the Top four is beginning to be broken and the playing field is becoming more even between clubs in the league especially if/when Ferguson retires it is certainly going to be interesting.

Let's get one thing straight. Everton went out of the CL not because they lost to Villareal, but because of an absolutely outrageous decision to disallow an Everton goal by Pierre-Luigi Collina, who funnily enough retired soon after the match....

/end conspiracy theory...

Why exactly do Spurs deserve 4the spot? and it is ONLY 4th spot and a CHANCE to qualify for the Champions League proper. In a season where nobody wanted to nail down the title and 4th spot, spurs have put together a run that has seen them squeeze home. Their 2 standout results in their season have been the home victories against Arsenal and Chelsea. But Wigan have beaten both teams at home aswell.

The measure of a good team is there ability to win away at the big boys and their record against the big 4 teams, and i am still counting Liverpool in there, and i am not a liverpool fan! is


W 0, D 0, L 4, F 1, A 11

City and Villa have both won away against the big 4 this season, so in my opinion they deserve it more. But Spurs are there and it is an achievement.

Spurs fans will think that my comments above are rubbish, but lets get serious now. Will potential transfer targets believe that spurs can achieve 4th spot regularly? and will they believe that Harry Redknapp is the man to lead them?

His policy of buying up every english player can not continue because very few have Champions league experience. His idea of playing 4-4-2 away from home will not work in the CL and Harry himself has only had one very short and embarassing european campaign with Portsmouth. So while you are right to celebrate, do not revert to classic Spurs mentality and think your big time before you actually are.

Typical from you Phil, another blog about Man Utd and Liverpool......sorry the forum just doesnt feel right without this usual comment.

Good blog, good result for the prem.

Pretty sure Tottenham have spent a fortune by the way, I do not have time to go and search for stats, but defoe,crouch,pav,modric,bale,hutton and loads more were not cheap. Good board too.

ps. Yes - Ledley for WC and no to the other, I would rather have Les Dawson

I Thought Damien Comolli was a big a twerp as everyone else.....but look at the current squad and the players signed by Comolli -- Bale, Gomez, Bentley, (Kabul 1st time), Bent who was Sunderlands player of the year, Modric. Quite amusing really that many of them were in fact decent players but it got Harry Redknapp to turn people like Bale into the player he now is......

Well done to spurs, now just don't do what both Newcastle and Everton did and fall at the first hurdle and not make the group stages.

I would just like to say congratulations to Spurs and Harry Redknapp. A fantastic manager. I am really looking forward to seeing them mix it with the big boys in the Champions League.

I would like to add as well that I do not agree with your comment Phil about people being jealous of MC. I have got no problem with a team spending big money on players if they can but there is a time and a place. It was just ridiculous the money MC were going to pay to try and sign Kaka when they were still a mid table club. Get in the CL and then you have a right to bring the best players to your club not before.

#25 #28

So let me get this straight. If you are in the qualification stage of the Champions League tournament then you are not actually in the Champions League?

By using that logic all those teams that register to play in the FA Cup and have to go through the qualifying rounds have actually not entered the FA Cup?

Sounds crazy to me or are you just a little bit bitter that Spurs have qualified?

#76 It's more that just a small setback. You had a chance and failed to take it, a home.

I accept though that you will be back splashing the cash. Just pleased that you won't now have the choice of Torres etc.

Well done Spurs.

#71. At 10:53am on 06 May 2010, rufus69 wrote:

Why is everyone saying well done on 4th and that we haven't qualified properly? Lets not forget we can still finish 3rd!

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With Fulham putting out a reserve team against Arsenal on Sunday as they have a cup final next week I would suggest that you have indeed finished 4th.

The spending will continue but they will have to try a little bit harder to attract their top targets and may find that some, such as Liverpool's Fernando Torres, have been pushed beyond their reach by this setback.
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Phil, some of this nonesenseis repeated so often in the pappers that somehow it looks like the truth.
Well, here is the truth. Torres plays for Liverpool. A club that is having major problems, and about to get worse. No Champions League for Torres next yeat if he stays there by the way.
Torres plays for money (thanks for Assou Ekotto btw for his courage in speaking the truth about these football pros) otherwise whe would have been in Madrid near his parents, siblings and friends, helping his boyhood club do better - not wet windy and cold Liverpool. Nowhere will he get more money that at City, sorry. I am afraid he might be playing for city next year!
Professional football players play for MONEY. Can we get the message through please!

U14237738 wrote:
"Of course this is just the beginning - it looks like we'll be seeded, but we could still be unlucky like Everton."

Seeded ??? You have to have some pedigree in Europe to be seeded, you have to earn ranking points. Last season Fiorentina, Celtic and Athletico Madrid were unseeded in the last round of qualification and had between 40 and 42 points each. Arsenal had 106 points and thus were seeded. Spurs will be unseeded and will most likely get a very tough draw like AC Milan.

I really hope they dont mess it up but last season both Harry and Martin O Neil decided that concentrating on the League was more important than a run in the Uefa cup. Experience in this tournament is crucial and currently Tottenham have none. Fingers crossed for them, the only English looking team representing England next season

Yes, Spurs have only qualified for the knockout stages, but if it is so unimportant, why was everyone else busting a gut to get there ??. I Suppose there is the very remote possiblity they could finish 3rd !!

This is not gloating over but elation at the achievement. No disrespect to City but they have just started pushing for the Champions League places whereas we have been disappointed ever since those 2(!) 5th placed finishes. I think with their money for better or worse City are now serious players up there and good luck to them, but we will enjoy the euphoria whilst we can and hope to push on further (although that will be even more hard work - and I can not take too many more games like last night!)

#80. At 11:15am on 06 May 2010, FootyDJ wrote:

Why exactly do Spurs deserve 4the spot? and it is ONLY 4th spot and a CHANCE to qualify for the Champions League proper.

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They deserve 4th spot as they acquired more points than those teams below them - that is how a league works!

80. At 11:15am on 06 May 2010, FootyDJ wrote:

City and Villa have both won away against the big 4 this season, so in my opinion they deserve it more. But Spurs are there and it is an achievement.


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I guess this is where my opinion differs from yours, but I always felt that the team that ends up with the most points deserves it more.

The flipside to your argument would be that Vill and City have dropped more points against weaker sides, so do teams that drop loads of points against weaker sides deserve anything.

The league table doesn't lie.

Fair play to 'Arry Redknapp and his staff, the turnaround at Spurs since they all arrived is increidble.

But why is everyone taking it for granted that Spurs will definitely be playing Champions League football next season?! They still have to qualify. Everton showed us this a few seasons back.

Although I would like to see a new team representing our little island, part of me wants to see them fail, for the way they were all celebrating after the final whistle last night. I suppose it's all part n parcel of modern day football when teams finishing 4th in a league count that as being successful!

I would just like to say my post #78 is optimistic for Fulham ;) its just good to see someone taking the Europa seriously from England.

6 English Managers,

could be wrong but wasn't it

Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson (Newcastle)
Bruice Rioch (Alsinborg) excuse the spelling
Roy Hodgson (Grasshoppers or FC Zurich)
Steve Mclaren (FC Twente)
and now Harry ??????

on a side note Congrats to Spurs on a great Season.

to the poster who said Hrry and Roy are the only english managers to have done anything in the last decade, Steve McLaren won the League cup and qualified for Europe (only 6 points behind the Champions league spots) with Boro. No easy feat.

88. At 11:24am on 06 May 2010, fabulousRedsReds wrote:
The spending will continue but they will have to try a little bit harder to attract their top targets and may find that some, such as Liverpool's Fernando Torres, have been pushed beyond their reach by this setback.
____________________________________________________________________

Phil, some of this nonesenseis repeated so often in the pappers that somehow it looks like the truth.
Well, here is the truth. Torres plays for Liverpool. A club that is having major problems, and about to get worse. No Champions League for Torres next yeat if he stays there by the way.
Torres plays for money (thanks for Assou Ekotto btw for his courage in speaking the truth about these football pros) otherwise whe would have been in Madrid near his parents, siblings and friends, helping his boyhood club do better - not wet windy and cold Liverpool. Nowhere will he get more money that at City, sorry. I am afraid he might be playing for city next year!
Professional football players play for MONEY. Can we get the message through please!

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!

At last THE TRUTH!

Ok, so whats the appeal of the Premier League?

“Its gotta be the histree and tradishion of clubs like Yernited and Pool, no ones gonna wanna play for City, what have they won? Lol!”

And so it go’s on.

So why did Ronaldo leave Madeira, why did Fabregas leave Barcelona, why do these players from exotic regions of the world choose dark and dismal England to live and work?

Manchester my home town, a small cold wet northern provincial city, same as Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle etc etc

London, an over crowded, grid locked city but also damp and cold for seven months a year.

Whats the attraction?

MONEY!

'Think it might be time for a touch of realism. In the 16 months leading up to November 2009 Tottenham spent £150m. This is more than any of the "Big Four" and second only to Man City. It's pretty rich, then, of Redknapp to labour the point before the game that all the pressure was on City. With expenditure like that, both those two teams should be in the top four without question...I don't understand why there haven't been higher expectations of Tottenham given their astronomical spending.'

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Just to explain for you but Spurs are run as a genuine business, and a profit-making one at that. Berbatov bought for 10.9 million, sold for 30.75 million, Carrick bought for 2.75 million, sold for 18 million also to United, Keane sold and bought back at a profit etc etc. You must see, surely, unless you are so myopic, that there's a difference between having to balance your books and a side who can afford to a) loan a player worth 32 million (and likely make a huge loss), and b) in general operate on immense losses, as there's no write-off; the sky's the limit in terms of all debt and loss overuled by oil money.

That's the business side of things. On the footballing side, there was one unified team on the field last night, one side who play the game the right way and deserved their win. Doubtless Man City will continue to rise, but this Spurs side are superior to them and have their just rewards, in the form of a well-run outfit and a good footballing one.

'Their 2 standout results in their season have been the home victories against Arsenal and Chelsea. But Wigan have beaten both teams at home aswell.'

To explain, as perhaps you are new to the game, Spurs also beat a lot of sides Wigan failed to beat at home and away, as well as those victories against 2 of the best 3 sides in the Premiership...which is why they're 4th and Wigan are in the bottom 5. Just to explain, really quite simple.

'The measure of a good team is there ability to win away at the big boys and their record against the big 4 teams'

Man Utd lost games against the big 4 away last season and won the title. It's actually how teams perform against the so-called 'weaker' sides - a mentality in itself that leads to ruin - which defines the League. Arsenal, a decent though not outstanding team, failed I believe because they suggested their run-in was 'easier' than their competitors. They've lost these 'easy' games.

'Will potential transfer targets believe that spurs can achieve 4th spot regularly? and will they believe that Harry Redknapp is the man to lead them?'

Who knows? But you have to start somewhere. It's all rhetorical - what if the stars fall from the sky? What if what if? Spurs are in the qualifiers and have a shot. That much can be stated plainly.

'City and Villa have both won away against the big 4 this season, so in my opinion they deserve it more.'

Villa were also beaten at home by Wigan who Spurs beat 9-1. Does that make them deserve it more too?

'But Spurs are there and it is an achievement.'

First decent thing you've said all day! (possibly in the small time you've followed football?) Leave it at that.

Firstly, congratulations to Spurs. You earned your CL place with attractive, fearless, attacking football, which unfortunately I think passed us by against United at home and Arsenal away.

Not grabbing the bull by the horns is a criticism of Roberto Mancini (possibly he was looking at other results and didn't expect Spurs to beat both Arsenal and Chelsea), but again last night it was evident that we're still a little short in a few areas, which isn't his fault. He's largely had to play with the players Mark Hughes left him, which, for all the money the latter spent, he left us bare in central midfield, which might explain the hoof ball we'd played at times and saw us surrender leads at home to Fulham, Hull and Burnley. I don't think this would have happened under RM.

I agree with #35, a lot of sports journalism paints things black and white. If we are to believe them the future for Spurs is a bed of roses and City have been stopped in their tracks because of one game, but in fact this is City's most successful season in the Premier League, and while I would have liked to have qualified for the CL, progress has been made with players we've had to pay over the odds for from clubs who haven't been repulsed enough to inflate the asking prices or reject or use the money. We are going to finish 5th or 6th, not far behind Spurs, having played some great football at times. I think next season will be even more competitive but I'm looking forward to seeing the new, improved City#Mancini in the mix again!

Congratulations Spurs and Harry. I dont like Spurs either but well done. Have to say though that if Spurs dont qualify for the Champions League (and you STILL DO need to qualify) it will be slightly funny.