Source: Daily_Mail
Des Kelly: Harry Redknapp's Spurs magic puts ball in Daniel Levy's court
At this stage of the season it is customary to delve into the newspaper archives and dust off the 'Why Tottenham Have Failed Again' comment piece. And to be fair to all concerned at White Hart Lane, the club have gone to extraordinary lengths over the years to make that a blessedly straightforward exercise. [LNB]Just scatter words like embarrassing, underachieving and shambles throughout the article, snipe at the incumbents cowering in the front row of the directors' box, accuse them of having the backbone of a chocolate ?air, measure Spurs' shrivelled stature against their neighbours Arsenal and it's usually job done, roll on summer, someone pass me the suntan cream. [LNB]But now look at what's happened? Suddenly, those players are no longer cast as overpaid wasters stumbling out of nightclubs. [LNB] Party time: Now Spurs players really can celebrate with their heads held high after achieving top four status[LNB]They are successful footballers stumbling out of nightclubs. The hierarchy is in genuine danger of being considered astute. [LNB]And the road ahead seems sprinkled with gold, or a few glints of silverware at the very least. What on earth could possibly go wrong now? [LNB] More from Des Kelly... Des Kelly: Goodbye, good riddance! Rafa must leave Liverpool now03/05/10 Des Kelly: If Torres is to stay, the Kop must be united for Chelsea clash30/04/10 Des Kelly: Why did we flop in Europe? Look who spent the money...09/04/10 Des Kelly: Why Keane says we've seen the last of Roy of the Ravers 02/04/10 Des Kelly: Going drown... it's Admiral Sullivan and his sinking ship26/03/10 Des Kelly: Muhammad Ali was a hero but Tiger Woods is just pants19/03/10 Des Kelly: Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho IS the Real deal12/03/10 DES KELLY: The latest Fathers 4 Justice hero, is a real comic character05/03/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Well, this is Tottenham, so nothing should be ruled out at this stage. Once they have finished deservedly slapping one another on the back the club face a fateful decision; one that will show us what chairman Daniel Levy and his backers are really made of. [LNB]The question will be whether Spurs can move to the next level and establish themselves as genuine top-tier contenders every season, or whether they consider this the limit of their expectations? [LNB]Because it is worth remembering that Tottenham have not qualified for the Champions League yet and they most certainly have not banked £50million, or any other figure being bandied about in the wake of their victory over Manchester City. [LNB]All the fourth-place finish presents them with is the opportunity to play a qualifying tie. Win that, of course, and they can pull their chair up to the big boys' table and count the money. Lose and they are back on Five on Thursday nights with Liverpool, Aston Villa and City. In short, they will have gone nowhere very much. [LNB]If you think that is a pessimistic view, it pays to consider the clubs Spurs might face in that key qualifying clash. There is the French side Lyon, among the biggest spenders in world football this season and recent Champions League semi-finalists. As 'qualifying' ties go, that is anything but a foregone conclusion. [LNB]Magic man: Redknapp celebrated Spurs' success at Eastlands[LNB]Then there's Ajax, run by ex-Spurs boss Martin Jol, or Sevilla, Sampdoria, Werder Bremen, Porto, CSKA Moscow, Olympiakos, or an all-British kerfuffle against Celtic. Most opponents would be considered 'awkward' at best, others truly hazardous. [LNB]So what should Levy do at this point? Does he gamble now and spend big to strengthen the squad in the summer? Or does he keep hold of the chequebook, fearing he might not get enough on his return if Spurs fall at the first Champions League hurdle? [LNB]The club have the second highest net spend in the Premier League this season, trailing behind only Manchester City on that score, so it's not as if the board has been withholding funds for a credible challenge. But the nature of the game at the very top is 'enough is never enough'. [LNB]Back in 2001, I recall Levy and Co announcing their 'five-year plan', which involved an invasion of Europe and regular encounters with the likes of Real Madrid. [LNB]Those boasts sounded preposterous when the club were stuck in 14th or flirting with relegation and hiring and firing a succession of managers like Jacques Santini, Jol and Juande Ramos. But now the 'five-year plan' is almost in place, having become a nine-year plan along the way. That 's what a good manager can do for a board. [LNB]COMMONS TOUCH FOR RAFA Rafa Benitez is still undecided about his future at Liverpool. [LNB]I have an idea. He should go into politics. [LNB]He can make their cockamamie pronouncements look like prescient business forecasting. [LNB]But if my experience of directors is correct, I suspect that the view in the boardroom right now will be that Spurs are pretty much where they should be. For all the public praise directed towards Harry Redknapp, privately they will be muttering it was relatively easy for any worthwhile coach to pull away from the dead men, considering the resources at their disposal (maybe Roberto Mancini has a view?). [LNB]True, but this belittles the scale of the manager's impact. It also creates a mindset where there is immediate talk of 'consolidation' and 'taking stock'. [LNB] In his court: Daniel Levy must decide whether to stick or twist in Tottenham's Champions league bid[LNB]One headline on Friday said: 'Levy plays down transfer talk'. That's fine if it means Spurs plan to stop selling players, as they have in the past with the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick. To be anything more than grateful visitors to the Champions League they will not only need to keep their best, a process they have begun by handing Gareth Bale a new contract, but also land a true, world-class star who can be mentioned in the same breath as Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo. [LNB]If 'playing down transfer talk' means a moratorium on new arrivals to help pay for the new training ground and the stadium planned for 2012, then it might be an idea for fans to make the most of this Champions League campaign. [LNB]After all the plans, all the empty boasts and disappointments, this is Spurs' glorious chance to finally break through. Let us hope they seize it.[LNB] Lampard's answer to fan abuseThe last time that Frank Lampard rolled up at West Ham, a section of the crowd decide to serenade him with a chorus of: 'You've got no family.' [LNB]These morons could not decide whether the taunts were about his mother's recent death, his very public split with his wife, or both. [LNB] Just Frank: Good guy Lampard received the warm reception he deserved at Upton Park this week[LNB]Either way, the justification offered for this putrid abuse was that the player had left the club for Chelsea - eight years earlier. [LNB]So it marks Lampard out as a man of character that he did not shirk from returning to Upton Park this week in honour of West Ham academy director Tony Carr's 37 years of service. [LNB]The midfielder even pulled on the Hammers colours. I think they call it class. It's probably because he comes from a good family.[LNB] The Glazer family claim they have turned down a £1.5billion offer to buy Manchester United from 'an unnamed Middle East suitor'. Really? [LNB]If I sound sceptical it's because that's twice what the Americans paid for the club. And since they've been scrambling to cover debts with secured bonds, it seems an attractive sum in the midst of a global financial crisis. [LNB]Amazingly, this mystery offer materialised just as the Red Knights were finalising their rival bid, which is around £300m less. [LNB] Laughing stock: The Glazers 'rejected' a £1.5bn takeover bid for Manchester United[LNB]I'm sure that's just a coincidence. But the Glazers say they are determined to resist offers for 'the best house at the top of the hill'. [LNB]If it's that easy to get unsubstantiated claptrap in the papers can I put on record that I have just refused a massive offer for my apartment at the top of the hill from an unnamed Middle East investor. I haven't, of course, but it should keep the price up.[LNB] Kamara is write on'Unbelievable, Jeff!' Kamara has a new book on the way[LNB]My friend Chris Kamara sent me a text this week asking me to read his new autobiography - Mr Unbelievable - and recommend it if I felt so inclined. [LNB]Well, if you want a glimpse into the dark side of Kamara, the depression, the suicidal thoughts, the obligatory sob story involving drugs, bad parents and a preposterous personality disorder designed to sell the newspaper serialisation rights (remember John Prescott's 'bulimia'?) then you will be disappointed. [LNB]This book has... none of it. [LNB]It's exactly as you'd expect larger-than-life Kamara to be - full of entertaining anecdotes and knockabout fun. [LNB]Very believable, in fact, as anyone who knows him will testify.[LNB] I'd pay to see football yobs TaseredThis column is never afraid of championing new trends from across the Atlantic. [LNB]But I cannot recall embracing an innovation with the same enthusiasm as the American spectator sport known as 'Tasering'. [LNB]When a fan interrupted the ball game between Philadelphia and the St Louis Cardinals, the 44,000 crowd jeered as this pitch invader eluded the stewards. [LNB]So a fat cop gunned him down. [LNB] New sport: A fan gets the Taser treatment after running onto the field before the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals[LNB]Living up to the maxim that an obese policeman is twice as likely to shoot, the out-of-breath officer zapped him with 12,000 volts from his Taser rather than bothering to give chase. [LNB]I'd have paid good money to see the scumbags throwing punches at Crystal Palace players on the Hillsborough pitch a few days ago receive a jolt of electricity. And a teeth-chattering Taser would have worked wonders on the Luton Town thugs who threw bottles and coins at the York City players last Monday, too. [LNB]Hell, I'd even Taser ugly streakers. [LNB]It's not 'cruel'. It's not inhumane and barbaric like bullfighting, or badger baiting. These people have a choice. [LNB] Taser them: Yob fans, like those at Sheffield Wednesday last Sunday, should be punished[LNB]They can decide to stay precisely where they are meant to be, off the field of play and in the grandstands. Or they can run on to the field and play a game of 'shock the monkey'. [LNB]Either way, it would provide some immensely satisfying sport for the rest of us. [LNB] Harry rewards brilliant Bale with new £10m Spurs deal to ward off Man UnitedPICTURE SPECIAL: What happened to Tottenham's booze ban, Harry? Redknapp's men celebrate Champions League qualification with night out in LondonRio boost for Man United as Ferdinand leads star turn out for Carr testimonialNo deal: Glazers reject Red Knights £1.5bn bid to buy Manchester United [LNB]
