“We often get football teams flying to European games, and it’s always interesting to see how they behave. Without doubt the rudest was Spurs. They were going to Prague a couple of years ago, and they were all very impolite. None of them said thank you for anything. One player in particular, a striker, sat with his headphones on and refused to take them off, and none of them would lift their window blinds for takeoff and landing.
It’s a lonely existence between the sticks at Old Trafford
With Edwin van der Sar on the verge of retirement and Ben Foster happily playing himself out of the team, it looks like Fergie will soon be on the market for a new keeper. Spoiler correspondent Chris McKenzie rounds up five goalkeeping gaffes Sir Alex might want to keep in mind while deciding who he’ll hand gloves to next…
1. Massimo Taibi vs. Southampton (1999)
On the most part, Manchester Utd fans are thankful that Taibi only ‘enjoyed’ a short spell with them during the 1999/2000 season. Despite only playing a handful of games he will always be remembered for somehow managing to let a feeble Matt Le Tissier shot slip through his legs. In the space of seconds Taibi challenged the idea that Italian keepers were the safest pair of hands between the sticks.
2. Fabian Barthez vs. Arsenal (2001)
In this clash of the titans, Barthez’s attempt at a simple goal kick ended up as a comical back-pass to an Arsenal player. Fair enough if it had been Martin Keown bearing down on goal, but it was Thierry Henry - the one player you don’t give freebies to.
However, their ingenious ruse is still winning fans amongst the robbing community in the south-east. According to Essex police, career crims have been lining up to pilfer from Essex’s finest, with a spate of identical ‘away days’ burglaries breaking out. Hide the Baby Bentleys!
With the 2008/09 campaign finally over, The Spoiler continues to take a look back (part 1 is over here in case you missed it) at the season’s finest goals and our nominations for the ten greatest efforts. Surprisingly, only two strikers make the list…
#10: Fernando Torres - Liverpool 4-0 Blackburn, 11/04/09
Would Liverpool’s season have ended in league glory had Fernando Torres managed to avoid injury? We’ll never know - but surely fans would’ve been treated to more gems like this. Nonchalantly foregoing the traditional practice of actually checking where the net is before hitting the ball, the number 9 scores a spectacular striker’s goal.
Dave Whelan might be a bit of an egomaniac and have an unhealthy obsession with Sir Alex, but he definitely knows how to give supporters value for money. Attention-seeking research by ING Direct has revealed Wigan fans have most reason to smile ‘in the current climate’ after paying out a relative pittance on season tickets to see their team triumph (well, they were fighting for 7th until a few weeks ago) in the Premiership.
Second in the value league are Blackburn, who charge just £200 for their cheaper annual passes. In contrast, some Spurs fans will have shelled out near to £2k for the privilege of watching their beloved team being given a shoeing by Hull, Stoke and West Brom at various points in the season.
Has your team’s performance been worth your hard earned coin this season? Thoughts below and see the list after the jump…
How close can Tottenham get to their north-London rivals?
One month ago, you would have been laughed out of any pub in the land for suggesting that Spurs could overhaul Arsenal in the league. Now, with Harry Redknapp working miracles at the Lane, and Arsenal disrupted by the Gallas saga, it is possible that Spurs could finish the league above the Gooners. Arsenal only have an eight-point lead on Tottenham (both sides have played 14 games), with more than half of the season left to run.
Before you spit out your tea/coffee/lager in disgust and reach for your keyboard, we said possible, not probable. We’d rate Spurs’ chances of finishing above Arsenal at about 5%. So it’s a very slim hope for Yids - but there is at least some hope where before, in the Ramos era, there was none.
What do you think the gap between the two clubs will be come the end of the season? Vote below or leave us a comment…
Loading ...