Former Arsenal striker doesn’t believe in backing up his opinions

John Hartson started writing a weekly column for thelondonpaper this year and has gradually built a reputation for spewing random nonsense that could see him offered a job on Match of the Day in the future. His article yesterday helped him climb even further up the Crap Pundit League although he still has some work to do before breaking the Big Four (Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Mark Bright and Mark Lawrenson). Here are some of the highlights, accompanied by The Spoiler’s own punditry on the punditry:

“Harry Redknapp says he needs four players to turn Spurs into a top outfit and it reminds us of what a shambolic job former boss Juande Ramos did.”

If it was really Ramos and not Damien Comolli who decided that Spurs didn’t need any left wingers this summer and could afford to sell their two best strikers, why was the Frenchman also sacked and why have the club ditched the director of football system?

“I think he does need to spend an awful lot of money.

Spurs won’t leave the relegation zone with this man in the team

Here’s a quick word from our friends at chickendinner, who have uncovered some alarming information about the wing-nack at Spurs who really isn’t helping things:

Harry Redknapp’s biggest mistake this weekend wasn’t sticking with Heurelho Gomes against Fulham, it was restoring Gareth Bale to the starting line-up. The Welsh left-back has now played seventeen Premier League games for Spurs without tasting victory.

It’s also worth noting that Tottenham’s other Welshman, Chris Gunter, has also yet to record a league victory. Is a certain nation sending bad karma to a certain north London team?

For more Premier League vital statistics, visit chickendinner

The players who form the backbone of the top flight

On Wednesday, we brought you the Pepe Reina-free Big Four XI, and today it’s time to look at the best of the rest. The likes of Jo and Luka Modric have been excluded as we’ve yet to see how they adapt to Premier League football. Plus, there’s no Dimitar Berbatov because we’re assuming he’s off to Old Trafford, or maybe the Nou Camp.

Shay Given (Newcastle)
Why Given over James, Friedel and Howard, you ask? Well, the other three can always rely on their defence for support which is a luxury that the Newcastle goalkeeper has never been blessed with. The Irishman is the only man this century to twice wear the number one jersey in the PFA’s Team of the Year.

Gareth Bale (Tottenham)
The young left-back was one of Spurs’ only solid performers at the start of the last campaign before an injury in December ruled him out for the rest of the season. The Welshman also boasted an impressive scoring record with three goals in nine domestic starts.

Richard Dunne (Manchester City)
Despite his error last night, the Irishman is one of the best defenders