Spurs/Arsenal Champions League Spot?

[Karlos]

As I said earlier I could not give a **** if Spurs won a trophy or not I wanted Robbie Keane to be playing Champions League football as I think most Ireland supporters should have been. Arsenal have no Irish players in their 1st team squad so it was not within my interest for them to qualify for the Champions League.


Maybe it's just me Neil but I've noticed a sudden change in your stance on Spurs. For the last few weeks/months you have been claiming to be a Spurs fan quite openly, just reading back on some of your posts over the last few weeks shows that.

It appears to me that your trying to distance yourself suddenly from even wanting Spurs to win a trophy but now instead claiming that your just a Robbie Keane fan. It's all a bit confusing to be honest. Don't know why but that's what it looks like and you continue to throw out the 'i don't know how an Irish person can....' nonsence. :)

[NeilMcD]

Sorry Karlos how is it nonsense to want an Irish player to be playing Champions League football over a player who is not from Ireland if I am an Ireland supporter first and foremost. I have a soft spot for Spurs but it does not effect my moods or anything. I got caught up in the chase for Champions League largely to do with Robbie and Andy Reid and Stephen Kelly but especially Robbie as I feel he deserves to be playing Champions League football. But my support for Ireland will always come first and as I said if the roles were reversed and Arsenal had 3 Irish players i would have hoped that they would qualify for the Champions League next season. I am not so sure you would be the same.

[Karlos]

I am not so sure you would be the same.

I wouldn't be, there's no need to wonder, you can be sure about that. Arsenal are my club of choice and the club I want to see do well in their foreign league and european competitions regardless of who their opposition is especially as players (irish or not) come and go from all clubs.

Only a hypocrite could spend 20 years of their life supporting a team to suddenly turn around & hope they fail because their opposition have one real Ireland first team regular playing.

[geysir]

A stray cat could pick out 4 lines of text from my 20 something posts on this & convieniently leave out every single quote I used. Profoundly logical, eh?

After going to all the effort of actually finding my posts, it's a pity you ignored 99.9% of the actual content. :)

If your selective use of quotes to highlight my lack of 'logical argumentation' is the benchmark for 'logical' debating, then there's something really really wrong. :rolleyes:
I'm enjoying this.
I would say that you demonstrate different standards. E.g. for what Arsene says, a proper standard of interpretating his off the cuff quotes in context.
But would you say that your benchmark reached the same level when it came to supporting your allegation that Jol lied? A support that contained a mish mash menage of Jol quotes taken way out of context that only the meanest of interpretations could support your allegation.
Or was it so obviously so badly construed on purpose so that there could be only one conclusion that you were taking the p!ss? A well concealed surprising parody that Arsene sometimes springs on us. :)

[NeilMcD]

Fair enough and thats personal choice as I pointed out in another thread and nobody should have a go at you for that either. But I do think your posts in relation to the incident with kicking the ball out of play and with sly digs against Spurs as a club should take into account that you are an Arsenal fan first and foremost. I dont see Arsenal as a rival but you clearly do see Spurs as a rival that is the crucial difference. I like Arsenal and as I said if they were playing anybody else other than Barcelona I think I may go for them as Henry is a great player and so is Fabregas etc.

Would you be the same if Spurs were in the Champions League Final.

[Karlos]

Would you be the same if Spurs were in the Champions League Final.

I'd have to be honest and say no. Spurs are a bitter rival and always will be. Having run the gauntlet of the seven sisters road after a derby on numerous occassions, I just couldn't bring myself to support them.

However had you said Liverpool or any one of the other 21 teams then the answer would be yes as it was last year for me with Liverpool and will be tomorrow in the UEFA with Boro.

[Karlos]

I'm enjoying this.
I would say that you demonstrate different standards. E.g. for what Arsene says, a proper standard of interpretating his off the cuff quotes in context.
But would you say that your benchmark reached the same level when it came to supporting your allegation that Jol lied? A support that contained a mish mash menage of Jol quotes taken way out of context that only the meanest of interpretations could support your allegation.
Or was it so obviously so badly construed on purpose so that there could be only one conclusion that you were taking the p!ss? A well concealed surprising parody that Arsene sometimes springs on us. :)

tut tut, by the time of that Jol quote your refering to, I thought you would have been firmly aware that the tongue was well stuck to the cheek. :eek:

The other full sensible quotes from Poll, Bruce, Warnock, Wenger, Carrick are there for all to see. :)

[NeilMcD]

I'd have to be honest and say no. Spurs are a bitter rival and always will be. Having run the gauntlet of the seven sisters road after a derby on numerous occassions, I just couldn't bring myself to support them.

However had you said Liverpool or any one of the other 21 teams then the answer would be yes as it was last year for me with Liverpool and will be tomorrow in the UEFA with Boro.


Again this puts into context your comments regarding the incident in the derby match. You were commenting on it as a Supporter of Arsenal and hater of Spurs. I was commenting it on a person with a soft spot for Spurs and someone who admires Arsenal for the style of football that they play.

I would not let a petty local feud between 2 English clubs stop me from wanting an Irish man to win a Champios League Final.

[NeilMcD]

Sp*rs made this claim in today's Eng.Indy........will post up a link later.
There's no chance of Reid/Kelly playing in the CL regardless, as they're both likely to jump ship over the summer.


You dont know what is going to Happen with Reid and kelly so that is not fact. They may or may not stay but they played on Sunday so they are part of SPurs so there was a chance that they would have played Champions League football next season.

as for the piece in the Indo here you go, not one quote from Spurs. Just speculation by the reporter. You will be doing well to find a quote from Spurs saying they are seeking a replay.


Spurs may seek replay of final game to defuse controversy
By Jason Burt
Published: 09 May 2006
Tottenham Hotspur are considering making a plea to the Premier League for Sunday's match against West Ham United to be replayed. Eight players, and two support staff, fell ill before the game, which Spurs lost, ending their hopes of finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions' League.

Remnants of a lasagne dish eaten by the players at the Marriott Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, on Saturday evening were being examined yesterday by environmental health officers. Initially it was feared that the players had suffered food poisoning. Test results are not expected before Thursday, although suspicion has switched to some form of airborne virus or viral gastroenteritis. Colin Perrins, the head of environmental health for the local borough of Tower Hamlets, said: "There are a number of lines of enquiry that are being investigated, one of which is food poisoning."

Spurs officials, who were notified of a problem at 5am on Sunday, had tried to get the game delayed for 24 hours, but their request was refused by the Premier League. They were eventually offered a two-hour delay to help the players to recover but Spurs' medical staff wanted longer. The club, fearing that they could have points deducted if they did not fulfil the fixture, decided to go ahead. Their head coach, Martin Jol, later said that some players had been throwing up in the dressing-room minutes before kick-off.

Six of those affected - Michael Carrick, Michael Dawson, Edgar Davids, Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon and Teemu Tainio - started the match, which was lost 2-1, letting Arsenal leapfrog Spurs into the lucrative fourth spot, a result that could cost the club £10m in revenue.

Spurs may take legal action against the hotel, if it is found to have been at fault, or even the Premier League. The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, is understood to have canvassed the opinion of other club chairmen and to have received sympathetic responses.

Spurs believe that playing the game again would be an option, a move favoured by the club's supporters' trust. However, the Premier League said last night that there was no mechanism in its rules for the game to be played again.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering making a plea to the Premier League for Sunday's match against West Ham United to be replayed. Eight players, and two support staff, fell ill before the game, which Spurs lost, ending their hopes of finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions' League.

Remnants of a lasagne dish eaten by the players at the Marriott Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, on Saturday evening were being examined yesterday by environmental health officers. Initially it was feared that the players had suffered food poisoning. Test results are not expected before Thursday, although suspicion has switched to some form of airborne virus or viral gastroenteritis. Colin Perrins, the head of environmental health for the local borough of Tower Hamlets, said: "There are a number of lines of enquiry that are being investigated, one of which is food poisoning."

Spurs officials, who were notified of a problem at 5am on Sunday, had tried to get the game delayed for 24 hours, but their request was refused by the Premier League. They were eventually offered a two-hour delay to help the players to recover but Spurs' medical staff wanted longer. The club, fearing that they could have points deducted if they did not fulfil the fixture, decided to go ahead. Their head coach, Martin Jol, later said that some players had been

[NeilMcD]

[QUOTE=gonzo]Sp*rs made this claim in today's Eng.Indy........will post up a link later.
QUOTE]


You are wrong they did not make the claim its the reporter. Once again ignorant comments.

[NeilMcD]

How do you know, you are making allegations about spurs without one shred of fact. You are relying on a journalist to back up your view even though there is not one quote from a Spurs source in the piece. You should learn how to read a paper properly before you make allegations on forums.

[Stuttgart88]

Chill Neil :)

Speaking of selective quoting I remember Ian Hislop complaining about a selective (mis) quote.

In reviewing a book by Anne Widdecombe he wrote something like "this book is crap, but compared to the turgid crap that Edwina Curry writes, this book is a joy to read".

In the next edition of Widdembe's book the back cover read "A joy to read" - Ian Hislop.

I thought it was funny anyway.

[klein4]

As for banter I dont believe the forums are the place for banter in my view. Its a place for intelligent debate on footballing issues. I have banter with my mates and brothers and work colleagues. I dont come in here to have banter with strangers.
:D :D
Classic McD!!

[geysir]

Chelsea take note, with their Spackman & Speedie Gates and all that.
I don't get it, need a translation.

[Stuttgart88]

Don't they have parts of the ground named after Speedie & Spackman. Gates, or stairs, or exits or something like that? True legends of the game alright.

Have I hit your weak spot?

[NeilMcD]

:D :D
Classic McD!!
Classic Klein, does not have the intelligence to make a serious comment so would rather sneer at others and play the hurler on the ditch or the cynic. Which is the role of the ignorant.

[Karlos]

as for the piece in the Indo here you go, not one quote from Spurs. Just speculation by the reporter. You will be doing well to find a quote from Spurs saying they are seeking a replay.



Some of these jorno's are the same ones that wrote all about the Spurs goal at Highbury with great delight. I'm not going over this again but I didn't listen to them then and I'm not listening to them now. This piece is as accurate (i.e. not very) as the piece posted up by you from Clive Tlysdly (sp?) after the Highbury game

You have to take everything they say with a pinch of salt hence why I won't use them to back up an argument.

[NeilMcD]

I am not listening to them either. Tlysdly's (sic) piece was an opinion piece and not a new piece and there is a difference. Also I was not posting up his piece to back up a view. I just posted up a few pieces by different journalist. I was not saying they were correct or that I agreed with them I was just posting up views that were held in the media thats all.

But to be saying that Spurs are asking for the game to be replayed without 1 quote is ignorant and stupid to the extreme. Then to say you saw it in the English Indo which again does not have any quotes and is just speculation re-affirms the ignorance.

[klein4]

Classic Klein, does not have the intelligence to make a serious comment so would rather sneer at others and play the hurler on the ditch or the cynic. Which is the role of the ignorant.
"lies made baby jesus cry"......yes neil "todd flanders" mcD....:rolleyes: :D
hurler on the ditch? I already said spurs were not good enough to get into europe and that arsenal are havin a p*ss poor season by their own standards and that even a champions league win wont paper over the cracks. Arsenal should be challenging for the title not battling out with spurs for a consolation prize.

[Karlos]

Again this puts into context your comments regarding the incident in the derby match. You were commenting on it as a Supporter of Arsenal and hater of Spurs. I was commenting it on a person with a soft spot for Spurs and someone who admires Arsenal for the style of football that they play..

I've not once denied my passion for Arsenal Neil. My agenda has been always out on the table as my longer post explained after the said game at Highbury. Others have not been so forthcoming with theirs.




I would not let a petty local feud between 2 English clubs stop me from wanting an Irish man to win a Champios League Final.

petty local feud maybe but walking away from WHL (and at Old Tafford for the FA Cup Semi) on more than one occaision seeing fans been attacked and children intimidated will never endear me to Spurs regardless of who is playing for them.

Don't get me wrong every club has scum bags but I've had the pleasure of being face to face with these ones on far too many occasissions.

[geysir]

Don't they have parts of the ground named after Speedie & Spackman. Gates, or stairs, or exits or something like that? True legends of the game alright.

Have I hit your weak spot?
No my weak spot is much lower than my brain :)

[NeilMcD]

I've not once denied my passion for Arsenal Neil. My agenda has been always out on the table as my longer post explained after the said game at Highbury. Others have not been so forthcoming with theirs.




petty local feud maybe but walking away from WHL (and at Old Tafford for the FA Cup Semi) on more than one occaision seeing fans been attacked and children intimidated will never endear me to Spurs regardless of who is playing for them.

Don't get me wrong every club has scum bags but I've had the pleasure of being face to face with these ones on far too many occasissions.


I am sure you could find incidents of Arsenal fans acting terribly also.

[NeilMcD]

"lies made baby jesus cry"......yes neil "todd flanders" mcD....:rolleyes: :D
I already said spurs were not good enough to get into europe .


Another ignorant quote as spurs easily qualified for Europe. They qualified about 3 games ago when they drew with Arsenal. That was the first time in 22 years I think that they qualified through the league for Europe. Of course they would have done so in 1987 if English clubs were not banned from Europe.

[Karlos]

I am not listening to them either. Tlysdly's (sic) piece was an opinion piece and not a new piece and there is a difference. Also I was not posting up his piece to back up a view. I just posted up a few pieces by different journalist. I was not saying they were correct or that I agreed with them I was just posting up views that were held in the media thats all.

.


Firstly I apologise, I wasn't inferring you were quoting journo's. It does read like that but that wasn't my point. Was highlighting why 'I' never quote journo's.

I appreciate that you were only posting up the views of others. Tylsdly if i remeber correctly did make a claim that Wenger refused to shake Jol's hand. Had he used the quote from Jol he could have shown everyone that this was not the case. It was incredibly inaccurate reporting (even as an opinion piece) and in my opinion is as bad factually as this peice with little or no substance about Spurs.

[Karlos]

I am sure you could find incidents of Arsenal fans acting terribly also.

I'm sure I could find them but the fact is I've never witnessed any. Every club has a scum element. I've been 100 times more often to Arsenal than I have to White Hart Lane yet I've come across more trouble on 3 visits to the Lane and one to Old Trafford against Spurs than all those other. That's a fact & hence why I don't like Spurs.

[klein4]

Another ignorant quote as spurs easily qualified for Europe. They qualified about 3 games ago when they drew with Arsenal. That was the first time in 22 years I think that they qualified through the league for Europe. Of course they would have done so in 1987 if English clubs were not banned from Europe.
yeah cause the UEFA cup is where its at baby! enjoy watching them great games against the cream of eastern european football! not good enough to finish in the top 4. FACT!

[NeilMcD]

Yeah I agree with you there Karlos but there is a slight difference in an opinion piece rather than a news piece where someone is supposed to be reporting on news as fact. As an opinion piece he is entitled to use quotes as he likes. We then as the reader can make a judgement call on whether we like his opinion or not. Whereas on a news piece there should be no opinion and it should just be the reporting of facts.


In relation to Arsenal and Spurs fans. I do believe because you are an Arsenal fan walking away from a derby match you are more likely to see Spurs fans acting up then you are to see Arsenal fans acting up. Fans usually behave terribly to rival fans. Therefore you are more likely to see incidents of the Spurs fans causing trouble. If you went in a spurs jersey you would be likely to see the opposite of what you saw.

My view is that there is a scum element in all clubs in England which is hiddent away and not reported by the media. Spurs are no different to Arsenal or to Man Utd or LIverpool in this regard.

[NeilMcD]

yeah cause the UEFA cup is where its at baby! enjoy watching them great games against the cream of eastern european football! not good enough to finish in the top 4. FACT!


I never said it was a great competition and I probably wont watch the games to be honest unles there are a few Irish players playing in it. You said they would not qualify for Europe you were clearly wrong!!!. You have now changed your post to say finish in the top 4. That is not what you said though. Fact.

[Stuttgart88]

Lads this is getting riduculous.

I agree with Klein in that Arsenal should be aiming higher but in the context of the local rivalry, Sunday was fascinating I thought.

As a lifelong Arsenal fan, though Ireland comes first by a long way, and being from Ireland I can't get involved in the local rivalry thing as much as, well, the locals. Doesn't stop me appreciating it though. As it happens I like to see the Irish at Spurs do well, but it wouldn't ever stop me supporting Arsenal over them or any English club team, just because of that angle.

By the way, The Telegraph is suggesting that Daniel Levy is petitioning the Premiership club chairmen to have the game replayed. They also suggest that Asian betting may be a motive for sabotage.

Technical / medical question: how exactly does one go about contaminating food (or the air) with the virus in question? Seriously, can it be done so precisely? I remember the All Blacks complained of the same thing prior to the '95 WC Final in Sth Africa.

Also, my own personal experience of food poisoning is that you can't even stand up while you have it, let alone play football.

[Marked Man]

A stray cat could pick out 4 lines of text from my 20 something posts on this & convieniently leave out every single quote I used. Profoundly logical, eh? :rolleyes:

After going to all the effort of actually finding my posts, it's a pity you ignored 99.9% of the actual content. :)

If your selective use of quotes to highlight my lack of 'logical argumentation' is the benchmark for 'logical' debating, then there's something really really wrong. :rolleyes:

I'm not saying there wasn't other content; I'm just saying you were whinging. The quotes I gave prove it.

[geysir]

Also, my own personal experience of food poisoning is that you can't even stand up while you have it, let alone play football.
Maybe the 3 bottles of wine added to the effect.

By the way, The Telegraph is suggesting that Daniel Levy is petitioning the Premiership club chairmen to have the game replayed. They also suggest that Asian betting may be a motive for sabotage.
Technical / medical question: how exactly does one go about contaminating food (or the air) with the virus in question? Seriously, can it be done so precisely? I remember the All Blacks complained of the same thing prior to the '95 WC Final in Sth Africa.

Harder to prove a negative than a positive. ALL Blacks had strong suspicions (the water bottles, I think) but couldn't prove that it was sabotage.
Spurs case might have been helped if they were dropping down all over the pitch and being carried of by stretcher. It's just one of those freaky things, though it wouldn't happen to a team under Brian Kerr's meticilous management:)

[Roadend]

I never said it was a great competition and I probably wont watch the games to be honest unles there are a few Irish players playing in it. You said they would not qualify for Europe you were clearly wrong!!!. You have now changed your post to say finish in the top 4. That is not what you said though. Fact.
I watched the two Middlesbrough 2nd leg comebacks in the UEFA cup, better than any CL game I saw this year.

[DmanDmythDledge]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/4755491.stm

[NeilMcD]

Mr Dave Richards
Chairman
The FA Premier League,
30 Gloucester Place
London
W1U 8PL

9 May 2006

Dear Dave

Re: Protest and request for the match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur FC on 7/5/06 to be replayed

As you are aware, Sunday could have been a momentous day for our Club and our fans. It was the first time since the inception of the UEFA Champions League that we were in a position to qualify for European club football’s most prestigious competition. After such a successful League campaign, the excitement and expectation of our fans was simply enormous. Our match at West Ham was effectively a Cup Final.

However, we believe that our chances of success were significantly reduced by the exceptional circumstances brought about by the sudden illness of the majority of players in our First Team squad in the early hours of Sunday morning. In being given no viable option to postpone the match other than a 2-hour delay to kick-off, our players were denied the possible opportunity of competing in the Champions League, while our fans have been left with a sense of suspicion and injustice at the way subsequent events unfolded.

We contacted the FAPL early on Sunday morning and, after a series of conversations, the FAPL called for the England Team Doctor and the FAPL Company Secretary to attend our Team Hotel to assess the situation. We believed that the FAPL were examining the situation in good faith and were seeking to obtain all relevant information before coming to a decision. Indeed, in those early conversations the FAPL’s Chief Executive had given us every reason to believe the match could be postponed to allow our players some extra time to recover from a lack of sleep, vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.

At this time, myself, Board members and other key decision makers joined the players at their hotel. Whilst waiting for the opinion of the England Team Doctor, who was yet to arrive at our Team Hotel, I was contacted from a distance by the FAPL and told that we had to play the game that day or suffer the consequences. This, by implication, may have meant a significant loss of points and the denial of participation in any European competition – a situation I could not sanction. This threat was made by the FAPL despite the fact that West Ham United, acting honourably and fairly as would be expected from that club, had consented to the postponement of the match provided that any re-match did not interfere with their FA Cup Final preparations.

The FAPL’s Chief Executive then said he would consider the match being delayed to later on Sunday evening, but unfortunately the Police would not sanction a kick off time beyond 5pm. Our medical staff advised that a delay of at least 3 hours would be necessary to have any impact on the players and therefore it was Martin Jol’s view that, in the absence of a postponement or a much later kick-off, we had no choice whatsoever but to proceed to play at 3pm. What puzzles us is why the FAPL were prepared to sanction a 4 hour delay but not a 24 hour delay. If the integrity of all matches kicking off at the same time was your primary concern, why sanction a delay of any kind?

Our next issue was team selection. Martin Jol and his staff, having originally selected their squad of 17 players for the match, were then left in the invidious position of choosing between starting the match with their original 17 players, 10 of whom were feeling very unwell, or drafting in Reserve Team players, the majority of whom have not played for the First Team this season or are untried and untested at First Team level. In any case, having ended their season, our Reserve Team players were scattered across various parts of London and the South East, would not have been prepared to play in a Premier League (or any other) match at such short notice and would rarely, if ever, have played together.

This was an impossible position for our coaching staff to find themselves in on the morning of what was our most important match for many years. Playing a make-shift, inexperienced and ill-prepared team in such a high profile game could have turned the match into a farce, resulting in an embarrassment for the players, the coaches, the Club, our fans and the Premier League competition as a whole.

To add insult to injury, the FAPL’s announcement that our game would not be postponed was made live on Sky TV from the pitch side at Highbury. In light of the obvious sensitivities and the competition for 4th place between Arsenal and Spurs this was, to say the least, an unfortunate choice.

We simply do not understand why the FAPL failed to appraise itself of all of the facts before turning down our request that the fixture be postponed under rule E 13.4. We were surprised that the FAPL’s Chief Executive did not make the short journey from Highbury to the Team Hotel at Canary Wharf to assess such a serious issue first hand. We also fail to understand why the England Team Doctor, having been sent to the Team Hotel, was not even consulted before an announcement was made (in fact, he did not even arrive at our hotel before the decision was made or even before our players had to leave the Team Hotel to travel to Upton Park for the match). As a result we played the game with players who were unwell but who were desperate not to let their fans and colleagues down. Clearly, our governing body put us in an impossible situation and gave a significant advantage to Arsenal in competing for that 4th position.

With this in mind we contacted those Premier League Chairmen and Chief Executives we were able to locate to establish what fellow members feel is an appropriate way forward given the unorthodox decision made by the FAPL prior to receiving objective information on the situation. We now have confirmation from a majority of Premier League clubs that they would support a replay and in similar circumstances would expect the game to have been postponed. This is a gesture made by fellow clubs which supports the Charter’s aims of running a professional league in a manner in which all of its member Clubs are treated equally and in a professional, fair and objective way. Additionally, from comments made by Sepp Blatter in the media in the past 24 hours, even FIFA would support the idea of a postponement provided the match was played on or before 15 May 2006.

We therefore formally request that you order that the game be replayed.

It is regrettable that we have been put in this position, but we feel let down by the FAPL’s abdication of its responsibility to consider the request for a postponement fairly and after due consideration of all relevant factors. Where such significant commercial and competitive interests are jeopardised it is only reasonable that our governing body ensures we play on a level playing field and supports us by making decisions based on the facts of the situation which has to include all relevant information. We feel sure that the FAPL, along with most reasonable minded people, would not have wanted such a controversial outcome to the final day of the Premier League season. Furthermore, the FAPL was inconsistent in its approach in being prepared to consider the kick-off to be delayed but not allowing the match to be played on a different day.

Finally, whilst our primary concern here is for our own Club, the situation we find ourselves in highlights what could have been an even bigger issue for a Club facing relegation from the FAPL. Similarly, it is hard to believe that, faced with an identical issue on the morning of a Champions League Final, a club would not seek a postponement (with the opposing team consenting) and that, given the importance of such an occasion, such a request would not be granted by UEFA in the interests of fairness and good sporting practice. In our view, and regardless of the outcome of our case, the FAPL’s decision making process and lines of communication in such a situation need thorough and urgent review in order to ensure that no other club is similarly disadvantaged in the future.

Yours sincerely

DANIEL LEVY
Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur

[Stuttgart88]

Dear Dave,

As you know Sunday could have been a momentous day for Spurs. Instead, we shat ourselves and lost.

Yours, Daniel.

Arsenal should ask to replay the WBA away game, or any others they'd like to have replayed.

Actually on reading the letter in full, I really think the reference to SKY's announcement from the Highbury touchline is totally irrelevant and lacks in dignity. He does make some fair points though, not least about the England Team Doctor not being consulted despite being summoned.

[klein4]

didnt the Ireland team get beat twice by namibia in the rugby one time due to food poisoning? great article about it in tribune one time by Neil Francis. Very funny. You cant be much of a fan of Spurs Neill if you wont watch their UEFA cup games seeing it is their first time in europe for so long? what if they were to play shels? they have a couple of Irish internationals on their team;) No doubt you would have been down in your local watering hole with your spanking new spurs jersey on if it was the champions league! Irish people are so silly when it comes to their football. was the last time they played in europe the time they won uefa cup?
anyway given the season is over and the all important 4th and 5th place that every ambitious team aims for has been decided is it not time this thread was put out of its misery............????

[NeilMcD]

I knowl I am not much of a spurs fan dont pretend to be either. I am an Ireland fan first and foremost and then a football supporter after. that. I have seen Shels Bohs and Pats in Europe. Also its the first time they are in Europe since 1999 but its the first time they have qualified through the league for Europe since 1982/83. They won the Uefa Cup in 1984. Any Irish team that plays in Europe I would cheer for ahead of a foreign club. If Shels Bohs, Cork Derry played Spurs in Europe I would cheer for the Irish team. I dont own any spurs jerseys that fit me.

[NeilMcD]

Dear Dave,

As you know Sunday could have been a momentous day for Spurs. Instead, we shat ourselves and lost.
.


To be fair Stuttgart I think its a pretty serious thing when a group of players all get food poisoning and no other guests at the hotel got food poisoning. Its not a nice experience and I dont think Spurs performance was anything to do with nerves etc. If you saw the game you would see that Dawson Keane Carrick and Lennon all looked terrible and liked they had just seen a ghost. The Pro Zone stats are there to prove it had a huge effect on Spurs performance.

[Stuttgart88]

Was only taking the p1ss Neil.

Anyway, Spurs did have one fully fit player doing everything to help them win: Teddy Sheringham :)

[NeilMcD]

Gonzo you have missed the point entirely. YOu could not provide any quotes to support your claim. It was just speculation. Just cause the speculation turns out to be what happens does not make it any more that pure speculation at the time. I wait for words from the horses mouth or in this case a letter from Daniel Levy. When that happened I put it up on the thread. You on the other had were prepared to go by a reporter in the Independent that was saying that spurs were going to ask for it to be replayed but he had no quotes to back it up.

[klein4]

Gonzo you have missed the point entirely. YOu could not provide any quotes to support your claim. It was just speculation. Just cause the speculation turns out to be what happens does not make it any more that pure speculation at the time. I wait for words from the horses mouth or in this case a letter from Daniel Levy. When that happened I put it up on the thread. You on the other had were prepared to go by a reporter in the Independent that was saying that spurs were going to ask for it to be replayed but he had no quotes to back it up.

it would be interesting alrite to see what Ruud has to say on all this.......

[Karlos]

I don't want to comment too much on the Levy complaint except to say that their is some valid points made as well as some wild assumptions & irrelavant comments.

The one thing I do want to comment on though is the timing of the letter. There is absolutely no reason why Spurs couldn't have lodged an immediate formal complaint before the game was even played or at the very least indicated they would be making it. It certainly would have held more credibility if they had done so and not 48 hours after the event. I don't believe for one minute that had Wigan managed to defeat Arsenal on Sunday that Spurs would still be handing this letter in. The circumstances suit Spurs to go down this route.

Finally puting my biased hat back firmly on (and making no apology for it), I must say I got a really good chuckle on hearing Daniel Levy commenting on 'the interests of fairness and good sporting practice'. :)

[geysir]

Finally puting my biased hat back firmly on (and making no apology for it),
I thought that hat was glued on full time :)

[NeilMcD]

[QUOTE=gonzo]You are some 'paragon of virtue',
QUOTE]


Why thank you, I am glad you have seen the light.

[klein4]

yeah but he was right. so in a way you should apologise, its not like you are talkin amongst your mates. he may be offended and really you should apologise for doubting the veracity of his comments when it was ll over all the papers.
apologise neilll!!!!!

[NeilMcD]

*************************************
The point I was saying that there was no proof that Spurs were about to ask for the game to be replayed. Gonzo did not offer any proof other than a newpaper article that failed to have a single quote from a Spurs source in it. Just cause it then turned out to be true does not make a single difference the point is it could easily have not been true. When reading papers people should look for quotes from reputable sources before saying something as fact.

Moderator: Post Edited, Please refrain from personal attacks. Warning sent!
pete

[klein4]

Go **** yourself you **** stirring *******. .
ah very mature....
I think you will find you implied that he was talkin sh*te about something when in fact he was on the money about it. and rather than admit that you just kept blathering and tried to change the subject.

btw please save your personal abuse for when you are out with your brothers/mates/work colleagues.:D

[Poor Student]

Neil and Klein, surprise surprise.:rolleyes: Klein, will you stop winding him up and Neil, will you stop rising to his bait? Thanks children.

[Karlos]

I thought that hat was glued on full time :)

It's pound shop glue, I have to re-apply it every once in a while! :D :)

[klein4]

Neil and Klein, surprise surprise.:rolleyes: Klein, will you stop winding him up and Neil, will you stop rising to his bait? Thanks children.
children? and you are the essence of maturity when you resort to childish name calling? I wasnt winding anyone up. so save your condesending attitude. honestly the whole feckin thread has been one long row between the arsenal "more lawndon than the lawndoners themselves" fans and the "I dont really know if I could be classed as a spurs fan but they always have my good wishes" brigade(of one!!!!) So you can hardly blame me for OTHER(!!!!!!!!!) people resorting to name calling. and seeing as it has been ME who was getting abuse and it didnt particularly bother me I dont see what the problem is other than you want a big round of applause for being a moderator. congratulations on that one.:rolleyes: