With Spurs in crisis, Martin Jol’s continuing success in the Bundesliga - where his Hamburg team is flying high - seems to rub razor-like shards of salt into a fresh weeping wound. Not that any of that could stop Franz Beckenbauer having a dig over the weekend.
“I don’t know the exact circumstances of what happened at Tottenham but it’s hard to believe any team would not want Martin Jol as coach. He is doing a fantastic job at Hamburg. Your loss, if you like, is our gain. It’s another huge victory for German football over you English!”
And, depressingly, Jol’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes isn’t the only thing making Germans look better than us at the moment. Remember You Bet!, the former teatime abomination hosted by Matthew Kelly? The Germans have a version of that called Wetten, dass…?, and it looks brilliant. While ours featured the likes of Capes, Fashanu, and Bruno Brookes as the big-name celebrity guests, the Germans get to enjoy Sylvie van der Vaart (above), fancy dress icon Karl Lagerfeld, and a severely bosomy Salma Hayek falling out of her top (after the jump).
Why Ramos should take his vote of confidence with a pinch of salt
Tottenham have released a statement on their official website insisting that everything is fine and they would never in a million years consider replacing Juande Ramos with Mark Hughes.
The Club largely refrains from making statements of this nature unless absolutely necessary in order to set the record straight in light of wholly inaccurate reporting.
An article on the back page of this morning’s Sun newspaper reports that the Club has made an offer to Mark Hughes to take over as manager during the forthcoming international break.
This story is completely untrue and without foundation and the matter is being discussed with the publication.
Spurs gaffer’s self confidence failing to match performance
With Spurs currently performing worse than the Premier League most rubbish entrants (Derby), few people are praising Juande Ramos’s abilities. The one exception to this, is Juande Ramos himself:
“The pressure is very high at the moment, but this is my job. I have been a coach for 20 years and I understand the situation - very well,”
I am sure if we win in the next two or three weeks it will be ‘Ramos is the best in the world’.”
The Spaniard has an excellent record in his home country (two promotions, two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and a Copa del Rey) and has of course won the Mickey Mouse Carling Cup over here, but he has also failed to improve on Martin Jol’s excellent work (the Dutchman is currently top of the Bundesliga with Hamburg) and has been criticised this season for questionable team selection and tactics.
So, is he a good manager undergoing a tough spell? Or is he, you know, actually a bit rubbish? Let us know with a comment and vote below.
Being such a devout Christian, Kaka usually does everything possible to shy away from controversy but even he couldn’t resist a dig at Jose Mourinho after AC Milan triumphed 1-0 in the Milan derby.
The former Chelsea boss was adamant that his team deserved a point from the game and also took a swipe at Serie A leaders Lazio. He said:
“I saw two teams tonight and neither one deserved a win more than the other,” before adding: “When I look at the table, with all due respect, I don’t look at Lazio, Napoli or Catania. I see that we are ahead of Roma, Juventus and Milan.”
Kaka, whose compatriot and polar opposite Ronaldinho scored the winner with his first goal for the club, bit back by saying:
Winless Spurs prepare for more misery in the North East
A year ago, Newcastle caretaker Chris Hughton was assistant manager of a Tottenham team that had achieved consecutive fifth-placed finishes before being sacked with Martin Jol. Tonight his former club visit St. James’ Park in the Carling Cup with the two worst teams in the Premier League in 2008 both desperate for a win. Our friends at Chickendinner have compiled seven reasons why Hughton will be having the last laugh tonight:
1. Newcastle have won the last five clashes between the two sides both home and away.
2. Spurs have won on just two of their last seventeen visits to St. James’ Park.
3. The last three times that the two clubs have collided in cup competitions, the Magpies have been the team that have progressed.
Remember when Tottenham won the Carling Cup all the way back in February? You know, it signalled a new dawn for the North Londoners, where their fancy new Spanish manager was supposed to mastermind their assault on the big four? No?
With Spurs sitting pretty at the bottom of the Premier, the only side without a win, notions of Champions League success and general optimism seems like a hazy memory. Meanwhile, former gaffer Martin Jol is having a whale of a time at SV Hamburg - the undefeated side are currently two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
The statistics suggest the Lilywhites were more fortunate with the Dutchman at the helm (his 45.2 per cent win rate is a little healthier than Ramos’ 41.3), but are they actually better off? A stronger squad, silverware and a healthy ambition says yes, but three victories since February and one point from the last fifteen says no.
While Tottenham warm up Stoke’s place in the relegation zone, their fans may be less than delighted to hear of the progress of their most successful Premier League manager in Germany: Martin Jol’s SV Hamburg are currently equal on points with Bundesliga leaders Schalke, and have netted eleven goals in four games.
Reportedly, Hamburg’s Martin Jol politely enquired as to whether Liverpool would part with Dutch striker-turned-winger Dirk Kuyt, but was left petrified, alarmed and severely shaken after Rafa Benitez mentioned the £16m price tag. With no new wingers arriving, he will be needed again at Anfield, so a transfer looks unlikely.
Benni McCarthy to Blackburn
McCarthy doesn’t match any of Roy Keane’s three transfer target requirements (played for Manchester Utd, played in the Championship, comes from Ireland) yet a £7 million offer for the South Africa is being readied.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Keane wants another striker and Santa Cruz has stolen Benni’s thunder, but Ince may want to keep hold for now
The big news sloshing around the enormous snazzy Spoiler offices this Friday morning is that back in the days before Carlos Queiroz became the coach at Manchester United, Ferguson and his honchos were interested in getting Martin Jol on board. He ticked all the right boxes, and was this close to getting the job, until Ferguson decided that he was just too bloody fat!
The Scot was adamant that his players wouldn’t be able to take a fat man seriously, and that he would ultimately
