Are there really opportunities in Tottenham?

I was a bit surprised when British Prime Minister David Cameron said there were opportunities in Tottenham on television last night. Whenever I go there, I am surprised how little the place has changed over the years. Let's hope Spurs will be able to build its new stadium at White Hart Lane, which might give the area a bit of pep.

Football economics defy the laws of gravity!!

The economics surrounding football clubs here in England & Wales and in Europe are perhaps a contradiction in terms. I think the word "economy" is derived from a Greek word for housekeeping. I don't believe Real Madrid was thinking of its profit & loss account when it shelled out a tonne of cash for Kaka and Ronaldo (let's call it £130m for the two players). I hope Man Utd took straight cash rather than the instalment deal it got for Beckham)
I suppose their market values went down following their lacklustre World Cup
performances. Let's hope the Spanish team wins the European Cup so that it can make some return on its investment.

However, in their way stand the mortal enemy FC Barcelona as well as clubs such as Inter Milan and Manchester United. The draw for the next stage of the European Cup is being held in Monaco tonight. The lure of a Wembley final would be pretty big for the four English clubs in the draw. It would be virtually a home fixture for Man Utd and Chelsea. Hopefully the pitch would be sorted out by then.

Apparently, when Tottenham Hotspurbooked their passage last night, the north London team hit a £20m jackpot. For the first time the capital is putting up three contenders for this competition. I have a shameful admission to make. Although a Cockney Red, I am a bit schizophrenic in supporting Spurs about 49 pct of the time. It was good to see Crouch bagging a hat trick but I suppose a tougher European defence would have countered two of those goals. Although we did not get the robot dance, which celebrated those English goals.

Poor old Martin Jol!!

I was surprised at the Bank holiday weekend to read that Martin Jol was not in full charge of Spurs' transfer purchases. The North London club buys players like confetti
and they seem to have four of everything. The club has been unlucky with injuries but
they appear to lack creativity in midfield while the defence seems to sink goals.
I feel sorry for UK Chancellor Alistair Darling, who apparently will have a lower
tax take due to lower-than-expected City bonuses. We will have to wait for his
first budget to see if he has the capacity to surprise.

Postscript: We have since said goodbye to Martin Jol and now have Juan de Ramos buying players like confetti. Last night's (15/9/08) match against Aston Villa was a disappointment going down 2-1 at White Hart Lane.