GlastonSpur

You're right that no one seems to want 4th. Spurs have been lucky in that our faltering in recent weeks has been matched by the clubs around us. Following our loss to Arsenal I would not have predicted - looking at the fixtures and games in hand for other clubs etc - that Spurs would since have regained 4th place. I'd say that Spurs fans are: Generally pleased with our position in the table right now (it'd be hard to be too critical wouldn't it?), especially as contrasted with our disastrous start to last season, but .... * Cursing the 3 points dropped to Stoke at home (we battered their goal, but just couldn't get it in the net and were caught by a sucker punch) and thinking 'if only'. * Really wanting Modric back (our performances have definitely tailed off since his injury). He's back in light training (not full training) and may (?) be ready again after the international break. * Really wanting Harry to stop messing around with trying to shoe-horn Keane + two other strikers into the team in a 4-3-3 caricature. Modric's return will stop this for sure - we play best in 4-4-2. * Knowing that we have to make hay whilst the sun shines from here onwards. Our opening third of the season was quite difficult in terms of fixtures (played 4 times against last season's top 4 teams), and our fixtures in the last games of the season are really tough - so we need to be well ahead of the chasing pack before then if we are to have any chance of 4th. * Hoping that we are still well in the race for 4th come the start of the January window, so that Levy will be encouraged to open his chequebook (he should be able to, given record profits and a net gain of 5.5m in transfer spending in the last window) and back our chances to the hilt. I'd also say they are: * Pleased with how Gomes has settled down and showed his true class during this 2nd season. * Still very concerned about the unsettled nature of our CB partnerships (King in, King out, Woodgate in, Woodgate out etc) ... could see Harry spending big on a quality CB this January. * Hoping Palacios will return to his earlier form - he's been well below par for the last few games, perhaps due to the impact of the confirmation of his brother's murder (he had been kidnapped and held to ransom). * Wanting some of our youth prospects - Naughton, Bale, Dos Santos - to be given more chances to play. * Wanting Bentley to be sold, provided we can get a decent amount. In the immediate future I'm expecting Spurs to beat Wigan in the next match, to nicely set up our key game away to Villa in the next fixture. It's a cliche, but the games between the clubs in the race for 4th - Villa, Man. City, Liverpool and Spurs - will be crucial.

Just a few tiny inaccuracies concerning your "Chequebook" tag: 1) It's not 'spend', that counts, it's net spend. The net spend in the last 16 months (i.e. including the summer window of '08 onwards) is not 'almost 150m' - it's 44m. 2) Harry was not in charge until after the summer window of '08. 3) The net spend this last summer (09) was not a net spend at all - it was a net gain of 5.5m 4) Spurs have announced today profits of 33.4m for the 12 months til June 30th 2009. Based on the above, it'd be more accurate to call him Harry "Record Profits" Redknapp.

Following on from feedback, the club has made some changes to the plans during the recent consultation period, with the single tier "Kop" stand being the biggest single change. Obviously I'm biased, but I think the design now looks fantastic. The club has stayed true with it's promise to listen and learn, making sure that the fans are close to the action, with the sound being acoustically reflected down onto the pitch and all with the aim of making it a really intense atmosphere in which to play and watch the game. Given the associated development of housing, a hotel, a supermarket and so on, I have a lot of confidence that Levy can pull this off without crippling the club debt-wise. With an application for full planning permission having been submitted, things are really moving on apace ... exciting times ahead for Spurs fans.

True. 3 times in the last 9 months in fact Still, doing it at Anfield would be a much tougher challenge.

Good luck - I'd actually like to see Villa win this one, or at least get a draw and cause Liverpool to drop 2 points. I don't think that's likely though, unfortunately, but you never know.

A Dunne deal for Spurs More than one Spurs ITK is saying it's a done deal, subject to a now-arranged medical. A decent, Prem-experienced CB to provide further cover in case King's predictions of a full recovery for next season don't materialise. A solid signing to strengthen Spurs' defensive options - I'm happy with this. No 100% guarantee to be true (the health warning with all ITK info), but I'm reasonably confident it'll prove correct.

It may have escaped your notice, but: 1) Bent has been mentioned many times in this transfer speculation thread as a possible Villa target 2) Defoe has been mentioned many times in this thread as a possible Villa target 3) Defoe's departure from Spurs may, for all I know, hinge on Bent's arrival 4) I responded to a post by a Villa fan about Bent For all these reasons, what I've said is not 'none Villa ... shite' and so is probably (I'm guessing) of interest to at least some of the posters on this thread - yourself obviously not included.

We did pull out once the price went over a certain level. I have no other information to relay on this.

Spurs did make an offer for Young, but pulled out of the bidding after it passed a certain threshold. Various Spurs ITKs said this at the time. You may not consider this to be proof, but short of a written description by Daniel Levy as to what happened there is never going to be any absolute proof. Villa valued (or wanted) Young more than us and so were willing to pay more - end of story really.

ITK = In the Know 2 years left on contract.

A usually reliable Spurs ITK has just said that Villa have offered 8m for Defoe. I presume this an opening offer. My own opinion on this - and it's just an opinion, not information - is that Spurs won't sell Defoe unless and until Bent is signed, and then will want significantly more than 8m (assuming that Spurs decide to sell at all and that Defoe would be willing to move). Anyhow, for me it confirms one thing: Villa are definitely interested in Defoe. Make of it what you will.

I'm part of part of an elite squad - code-name: Berbatov - tasked with gathering secret info. for Spurs concerning all Prem. club. Every comment on this board is filtered by me, then sifted and analysed by teams of skilled cryptographers and pyscho-linguists and painstakingly cross-matched to tens of thousands of other info. sources : a veritable goldmine of valuable info. for Daniel Levy and Martin Jol as they plot our coming world domination. All my posts - including this one - are skilfully designed to extract additional nuggets from unwitting respondees. Even now knowing this won't help you avoid the trap.

You need to remember that we are almost certainly selling Mido this summer. So even if Bent arrives, a replacement for Mido will likely be needed - given the demands of another campaign on four fronts next season. This is of course unless Defoe stays (which is still quite possible BTW). In any case, most sensible clubs take steps to develop possible fall-back plans in case their preferred options don't bear fruit. 95% remains the case with Bent, so in that respect I wouldn't read much into an enquiry (not a bid) about Smith.

Why is it condescending? All I've said is that Zokora is not crap (as alleged) and with Jenas in CM as well there is no obvious place for NRC in our starting central midfield - and therefore that I don't think Spurs will be after him. Or am I supposed to think that NRC should displace Zokora or Jenas just because Villa are after him? Every team has weaker areas they want to strengthen (ours is LM, but not especially CM). If you want NRC then I guess CM is one area where Villa wish to strengthen - simple as that.

Zokora has had a reasonably good season for Spurs - not great, but OK overall. However, this has been only his first term in the Prem and most (not all) players take some time to adapt. His performances during the 2nd half of the season were certainly better than the first half and most Spurs fans can see his talent and potential and think he'll be much better next season. I imagine Jol thinks the same. As for Reo--Coker, there are conflicting ITK reports as to whether or not Spurs are interested. If I had to guess I'd say we're not, since I doubt he'd want to come simply as a squad/cover player and there seems no obvious place for him in our starting XI. If this is correct, and if Barton goes to Newcastle, then it seems Villa will have little real competition for NRC. It sounds like a definite runner to me.

I was asked this question when I made the original post and so I gave my reasons then. You could track back in the thread and read them if you wish. Since then one or two further reasons have arisen, but if I mention them this is likely to attract hostile responses, rather than much reasonable (and on-topic) discussion, so it's better that I don't. This is not spurs-talk so if you are so confident that Bent will sign for you how about if he doesn't you get banned from the site? A wager of sorts? OK

I was asked this question when I made the original post and so I gave my reasons then. You could track back in the thread and read them if you wish. Since then one or two further reasons have arisen, but if I mention them this is likely to attract hostile responses, rather than much reasonable (and on-topic) discussion, so it's better that I don't.

Just a slight correction: I didn't say the deal was 95% done, I said that I was 95% certain he'll sign for Spurs (this remains my view) - there's a difference between the two things. However, we are now around 2 weeks further on from my earlier posting, and I believe there's a good chance that a deal may be publicly announced sometime before the end of next week. Here's hoping that my moving to correct a slight misrepresentation of what I previously said won't attract any great degree of hostility .

I've edited much of this post. Myself and most other Villa fans really couldn't care less who spurs have signed and how great they are. There is a thread in OT for you to do the five fingered Spuds shuffle if you so wish - ahamaad Anyhow, back on topic, of all the rumoured/possible signings for Villa so far, who do Villa fans regard as the most likely signing - regardless of whether or not the player concerned is rated by the fans?

Just a small factual correction: In terms of defenders we've also signed Younes Kaboul (centreback, French U-21 captain). It's not been announced officially yet because the La Ligue season doesn't finish until this weekend.

OK. I've tried to keep the focus on players/issues that are relevant to Villa, but which also happen to relate to Spurs ... but anyhow I'll maybe post again in a couple of weeks to compare notes on what has happened - or not happened - re. players that both Villa and Spurs fans are interested in. Before I go, did I tell you about the HUGE signing that Spurs are ..... oh, never mind :winkold:

Normally I wouldn't expect Villa fans to be interested in who Spurs are signing or not signing, but it just so happens this time around that both clubs seems to be interested in signing a lot of the same players (at least going by some of the players that have been mentioned in this thread), not to mention a seeming Villa interest in Defoe. This being the case I've thought you might be interested in the occasional outside view/info/comment. I haven't run down Villa, in fact I think you have a very good chance for top 7 (and maybe higher) next season, but I can't help it if Spurs end up signing a player or two that Villa fans would like. I'm sure Villa will end up signing a player or two that Spurs fans would like.

I'm assuming that by 'traffic' you means NewsNow and the like. What I'm telling you about Bent is not based on this - the traffic follows the event, not the other way around. We'll soon find out if your 'bollocks' comment is justified. As for Barnes in January, a deal was in place for him to go to Spurs, but Derby tried playing fast and loose at the very last minute (almost literally) and tried to bounce the club into paying more than had been agreed. Daniel Levy (Spurs chairman) refused and the transfer window snapped shut. Since then the arrangement has been resurrected. Again, call it bollocks if you wish.

I agree with this - Defoe is a very good striker. Bent is not better, just different in style and with a different mix of abilities. The reason Spurs want him is because he'll able to play effectively with either Berbatov or Keane, whereas a Keane/Defoe partnership doesn't work that well, so when Berby is injured we're a bit stuffed. If Villa bid for Defoe and he signs for you (no real idea how likely that is) I reckon Villa fans - including the doubters - would end up being well pleased with the goal-scoring results.

Almost certainly wrong on the first count, and probably (not definitely) wrong on the second I'm afraid. Bent is signing for Spurs - will likely all be finalised within next 7 days. I said a while ago in this thread that I had 90+% confidence of this happening - that's now increased to 95+%. Fee agreed with Charlton and terms agreed with Bent - all subject to medical and (in my opinion) no last minute arrival of a bid from a top 4 club. Without checking I'm not sure if Giles Barnes (Derby) has featured in this transfer thread previously, but if so you can very likely scrub him off the list of Villa 'possibles' because the word is he's a done deal for Spurs unless Derby get promotion via the play-offs.