I'd say Liverpool - not for financial reasons though.
The transfer destalibized the club causing serious ructions between the manager and board causing Benitez to gain control of all signings which was pretty disastrous as events turned out and in any case the signing of Keane wrecked their season. The money they wasted on him would have been better spent on a player who could fit into their system. As it was they sold the player at a loss and had a poor season once Torres got injured.
At the time we resigned him, Redknapp saw it as key to get his winning attitude back into the dressing room. He knew the club inside out and the players had the utmost respect for him. Our Premiership safety was far from secure at that point. So in that respect, it was a good signing and job done. That £12m kept us up and ultimately got us Champions League football.
He was a big favourite of mine in his first spell. Would always be one of my first names on my team sheet but unfortunately, for me, and for a very large proportion of the Tottenham supporters, he neve done himself any favours the way he jumped ship to Liverpool as soon as one of the bigger clubs came in for him.
However, since he came back, he was never the same player. His confidence was shot to pieces (Benitez has to take the majority of the blame for that because the way he was treated at Liverpool was a joke). His work rate wasnt there and it appeared to most of us that his legs had gone. The early burst of pace was never there on his return. Also, for years, the way Spurs were set up tactically, most of the play used to go through Robbie Keane, in the hole...just like Sheringham before him. We'd been set up like that for years. Pleat, Santini, Jol, Ramos and Harry has all lined up the same. Darren Bent, like Defoe had paid for price as the out and out goalscorer never fitted into the system.
When Keane went, Harry changed it. Everything went through Modric...and with it has come some relative success unlike in the previous years. Huddlestone is capable of unlocking defences, as is Bale and Lennon. Since January last year (when Keane went to Celtic), Spurs have played some of the most attractive football that I can remember in my lifetime. Its made a huge difference. Then of course vdV has been thrown into the mix too. If any of you have seen him play, his work rate is something else (quite frightening considering he never had a pre-season and doesnt look remotely match fit - he looks at least a stone overweight at the moment) and puts Keane to shame.
So not even taking the Dublic golf-trip fiasco into account, Keane's time at Spurs has been up for quite a while. Its ironic we're crying out for a goal-scoring pacey striker thats capable of playing at the top of a 4-5-1 now when we had one of the best in the league in that position and never played the game to his strengths.
Then of course vdV has been thrown into the mix too. If any of you have seen him play, his work rate is something else (quite frightening considering he never had a pre-season and doesnt look remotely match fit - he looks at least a stone overweight at the moment) and puts Keane to shame.
...............
I saw him play a lot when he was at Hamburg, he was unfit and over-weight then, but always put a shift in.
That's the good news, the bad news is that he'll get restless in a season or two.
[cite]Posted By: dylanthedog[/cite]that last sentence - Keane or Bent?
What do you think? Keane has never played in a 4-5-1.
[cite]Posted By: uncle[/cite]If he's over 30 and his legs have gone....Surely a target for west ham in january.
Wouldnt surprise me at all TBH. There were rumours at the end of the last transfer window that he'd been offered a move there, initially on loan but he turned it down. For the sake of his career, I dont think he can be so choosey now.
[cite]Posted By: BlackForestReds[/cite]...the bad news is that he'll get restless in a season or two.
I agree. If Spurs dont requalify for the CL then the bigger boys sare going to come sniffing around the likes of Bale, Modric and VdV. Thats football.
Appreciate your comments Johnboy, though I was referring to the second spell. On a serious note, do you think the 12 mill could have been spent on someone else to better effect, or did he really galvanise that super Harry team beyond his playing contributions?
On a slightly different tack, Harry seems quietly confident you can challenge the other three for top spot. Is this realistic, is he having a psychological dig at them or is it part of his excellent motivation skills for his own squad? Would like to hear your thoughts.
[cite]Posted By: Floyd Montana[/cite]On a serious note, do you think the 12 mill could have been spent on someone else to better effect, or did he really galvanise that super Harry team beyond his playing contributions?
When Harry resigned him, we was still deep in trouble. We needed a leader out there every week and it made a difference when Keane played. There was no issue when Ledley King was fit but when he wasnt, we had a problem. Huddlestone & Dawson was still young and relatively inexperienced, who else was there to wear the armband? To that effect, Keane was ideal to bring in and his enthusiam rubbed off on the team and played a huge role in keeping us up. So no, I dont think that money could have been spent better elsewhere.
Come forward in time 2 years to now, the squad is more experienced, King still skippers the side when fit but Dawson, Huddlestone and more recently Gallas has led the team out.
[cite]Posted By: Floyd Montana[/cite]On a slightly different tack, Harry seems quietly confident you can challenge the other three for top spot. Is this realistic, is he having a psychological dig at them or is it part of his excellent motivation skills for his own squad? Would like to hear your thoughts.
To be fair to Harry, we've had an awful lot of injuries this season (to the likes of Dawson, King, Defoe, Huddlestone and Gomes) so we've literally had the spine of the 09/10 CL qualifying team ripped out but we're still only 6 points off the top of the table. We've definitely got the never-say-die winning attitude which we've never had before.
We still lack a bit of know-how. We need to learn how to see games out (eg Yesterday against Brum). We still start games too slowly (eg Young Boys away, Inter away) but then at home, if a team come to play football, we'll have a go at them (Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal last season, Inter this), but if a team comes to park the bus (Wolves, Hull, Stoke last season, Wigan this) we tend to struggle to break them down. [option to add Charlton here in the FA Cup, circa Jan 2011 ;-)] But we've now put to bed that god awful run of 1,000,000 games without a win away to the old guard top 4.
I think the next transfer window is going to be key. Although Dawson and King are nearly back to fitness and Huddlestone and Jenas wont be too far away, dare I saw we are short of options up front. That was plainly obvious when Defoe was out for 3 months. Crouch and Pavlyuchenko, despite running their socks off for us, dont seem to be a long term solution. I think Harry will move for a forward, especially if Keane does go. Ideally, someone who can actually take a bloody penalty lol.
We've got a good side. We play football. If they believe, anything is possible. If the wins against Arsenal from 2-0 down, Inter at home and the way we killed off Liverpool in injury time last week dont give them confidence to achieve their goals, I dont know what will. Dont forget, the year will end in a double 1 too from January ;-)
Comments
I think that honour belongs to Anelka.
Or Kanu.
The transfer destalibized the club causing serious ructions between the manager and board causing Benitez to gain control of all signings which was pretty disastrous as events turned out and in any case the signing of Keane wrecked their season. The money they wasted on him would have been better spent on a player who could fit into their system. As it was they sold the player at a loss and had a poor season once Torres got injured.
He was a big favourite of mine in his first spell. Would always be one of my first names on my team sheet but unfortunately, for me, and for a very large proportion of the Tottenham supporters, he neve done himself any favours the way he jumped ship to Liverpool as soon as one of the bigger clubs came in for him.
However, since he came back, he was never the same player. His confidence was shot to pieces (Benitez has to take the majority of the blame for that because the way he was treated at Liverpool was a joke). His work rate wasnt there and it appeared to most of us that his legs had gone. The early burst of pace was never there on his return. Also, for years, the way Spurs were set up tactically, most of the play used to go through Robbie Keane, in the hole...just like Sheringham before him. We'd been set up like that for years. Pleat, Santini, Jol, Ramos and Harry has all lined up the same. Darren Bent, like Defoe had paid for price as the out and out goalscorer never fitted into the system.
When Keane went, Harry changed it. Everything went through Modric...and with it has come some relative success unlike in the previous years. Huddlestone is capable of unlocking defences, as is Bale and Lennon. Since January last year (when Keane went to Celtic), Spurs have played some of the most attractive football that I can remember in my lifetime. Its made a huge difference. Then of course vdV has been thrown into the mix too. If any of you have seen him play, his work rate is something else (quite frightening considering he never had a pre-season and doesnt look remotely match fit - he looks at least a stone overweight at the moment) and puts Keane to shame.
So not even taking the Dublic golf-trip fiasco into account, Keane's time at Spurs has been up for quite a while. Its ironic we're crying out for a goal-scoring pacey striker thats capable of playing at the top of a 4-5-1 now when we had one of the best in the league in that position and never played the game to his strengths.
...............
I saw him play a lot when he was at Hamburg, he was unfit and over-weight then, but always put a shift in.
That's the good news, the bad news is that he'll get restless in a season or two.
Aston Villa to finally get their man?
Charlton and Kanu.
What do you think? Keane has never played in a 4-5-1.
Wouldnt surprise me at all TBH. There were rumours at the end of the last transfer window that he'd been offered a move there, initially on loan but he turned it down. For the sake of his career, I dont think he can be so choosey now.
I agree. If Spurs dont requalify for the CL then the bigger boys sare going to come sniffing around the likes of Bale, Modric and VdV. Thats football.
On a serious note, do you think the 12 mill could have been spent on someone else to better effect, or did he really galvanise that super Harry team beyond his playing contributions?
On a slightly different tack, Harry seems quietly confident you can challenge the other three for top spot. Is this realistic, is he having a psychological dig at them or is it part of his excellent motivation skills for his own squad? Would like to hear your thoughts.
When Harry resigned him, we was still deep in trouble. We needed a leader out there every week and it made a difference when Keane played. There was no issue when Ledley King was fit but when he wasnt, we had a problem. Huddlestone & Dawson was still young and relatively inexperienced, who else was there to wear the armband? To that effect, Keane was ideal to bring in and his enthusiam rubbed off on the team and played a huge role in keeping us up. So no, I dont think that money could have been spent better elsewhere.
Come forward in time 2 years to now, the squad is more experienced, King still skippers the side when fit but Dawson, Huddlestone and more recently Gallas has led the team out.
To be fair to Harry, we've had an awful lot of injuries this season (to the likes of Dawson, King, Defoe, Huddlestone and Gomes) so we've literally had the spine of the 09/10 CL qualifying team ripped out but we're still only 6 points off the top of the table. We've definitely got the never-say-die winning attitude which we've never had before.
We still lack a bit of know-how. We need to learn how to see games out (eg Yesterday against Brum). We still start games too slowly (eg Young Boys away, Inter away) but then at home, if a team come to play football, we'll have a go at them (Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal last season, Inter this), but if a team comes to park the bus (Wolves, Hull, Stoke last season, Wigan this) we tend to struggle to break them down. [option to add Charlton here in the FA Cup, circa Jan 2011 ;-)] But we've now put to bed that god awful run of 1,000,000 games without a win away to the old guard top 4.
I think the next transfer window is going to be key. Although Dawson and King are nearly back to fitness and Huddlestone and Jenas wont be too far away, dare I saw we are short of options up front. That was plainly obvious when Defoe was out for 3 months. Crouch and Pavlyuchenko, despite running their socks off for us, dont seem to be a long term solution. I think Harry will move for a forward, especially if Keane does go. Ideally, someone who can actually take a bloody penalty lol.
We've got a good side. We play football. If they believe, anything is possible. If the wins against Arsenal from 2-0 down, Inter at home and the way we killed off Liverpool in injury time last week dont give them confidence to achieve their goals, I dont know what will. Dont forget, the year will end in a double 1 too from January ;-)
[apologies for the essay!]