Spurs - A Journey

I would be very happy with that month, in my eyes if you swapped the city win and everton loss around then you wouldn't be as worried! Next month could be an unbeaten one

2016-07-12 13:03#235170 ninjaskill : Good first month especially the win over City

I'm very happy with the start just a tad disappointed in the Everton result but it was a tough fixture. I've got more points than i thought i would've had so that's the positive to take into next month

2016-07-12 13:36#235174 BeanyUnited : I would be very happy with that month, in my eyes if you swapped the city win and everton loss around then you wouldn't be as worried! Next month could be an unbeaten one

I am happy with the start I've made I've just seen your comment on the next page when I sent my first reply so sorry if I'm repeating myself lol. That's true i just think if i won Everton than I would have got 3 extra points and who knows if that will count for anything at the end of the season.

Looking forward to next month hopeful of a good start in Europa League will stand me in good stead and hopefully kick on in the league and accumulate more points in the next few months

September Review

13/09. West Ham (A) (TV) Drew 1-1 Tomkins (OG) (24), Pedro Obiang sent off for West Ham (46), Payet (88). Theirs nothing like a passionate London derby straight after the international break where it has to be said all the players that were on duty came back with no injury concerns. In my mind I thought their were a possibility we could nick a win in this one and after 25 mins we were a goal up after a shot from Kane which was going well wide took a deflection off Tomkins and nestled in the bottom corner leaving the keeper no chance. Then just after half time West Ham were down to 10 men after a reckless challenge on Eriksen from Obiang luckily Eriksen got to his feet but the ref showed a straight red to Obiang who walked off the field in disgrace. Now with my team 1-0 up and an extra man for the whole of the 2nd half i decided to press for a 2nd goal to wrap the game up but it wasn't to come and then disaster on the 88th minute West Ham caught me on the break and Payet nodded the ball home from a far post cross. I've never been so angry at the final whistle that 2 points slipped away against 10 men especially when it was against our rivals.

17/09. Fenerbache (A) EL (TV) Lost 2-1, (Nani (31) , Markovic (35). Kane (19). My first group game was against a tough Fenerbache team and it all started so well when Harry Kane netted after 20 mins but we could only hold on for 10 mins when former Man Utd winger Nani smashed up a rocket in the top corner for the equaliser then just 5 mins later my defence just stood still to let a through ball from Nani to Markovic who went through one on one with Lloris before slotting it past him to take the lead. In the 2nd half I changed to a 4-3-3 tactic but we couldn't break them down again to get an equaliser.

20/09. Newcastle (A) Lost 3-1 (Sissoko 17, 67), Doumbia (28), Lamela (42) This game was in front of TV cameras too and i felt quietly confident about the occasion, we were playing a Newcastle side who in my opinion will be around mid-table throughout the season so i was optimistic of our chances but in the first 20 mins i realised that it was going to be tougher than i thought when Sissoko gave Newcastle the lead then just 10 mins later things went from bad to worse as Doumbia made it 2. I was so angry at the players and I made sure they knew about it. Lamela pulled a goal back just before half time so i thought then we were back n this match so i gave my lads a confidence building team talk at half time but it fell on deaf ears as Sissoko scored his 2nd of the game our defence didn't learn from the first goal he scored as yet again Sissoko headed home from a far post corner.

23/9. Blackburn (A) Capital One Cup 3rd Round. Won 1-0. Lamela (33) My first cup tie of my managerial career, this was a game i thought that we were by far the stronger team and i realised from the start that i underestimated Blackburn and their style of play luckily for me we sneaked the game 1-0 with a quality goal from Erik Lamela to put us in the next round.

26/9. Chelsea (H) PL. Drew 2-2. A tough first competitive home match again in front of the TV cameras in a fierce rivalry steeped in history. I knew before the game that Chelsea will be one of our challenges for top 4 come the end of the season so to get one over them so early in the season could give us an edge but we started very poorly conceding 2 goals in the first half hour with Hazard (7) and Falcao scoring (26) and that's how it stayed until the 59th minute where Vertonghen pulled one back then we equalised when Son got the goal in the 66th minute. We pushed on for the winner but it stayed 2-2.

September Review

I was gutted about the West Ham result even though it was a point gained but it should've been all 3. Fenerbache were to be a tough one but when we went 1-0 up i had high hopes but once again our defensive frailties came and conceded a worldy by Nani and then poor defending lost us the game. Very disappointed with the Newcastle result i though we had far better players but yet again they underperformed which i need to cut out otherwise I'm in for a long season ahead. The Blackburn cup game was just a case of nick a goal then hold out and that's what I did. Deep down against Chelsea I thought we could win being the home team until the 8th minute when Hazard scored and then I had to change tactics to be more attacking at 2-0 which worked a treat in the last half hour which made me wish I'd have done it sooner but happy with the way the team came back into it in the end...

Poor month by Spurs standards. But the players will still be getting used to the tactics. Atleast you've got through the Capital One Cup and a point away to Chelsea is never a bad thing. Keep it going

2016-07-13 13:04#235214 TheLFCFan : Poor month by Spurs standards. But the players will still be getting used to the tactics. Atleast you've got through the Capital One Cup and a point away to Chelsea is never a bad thing. Keep it going

It was a poor month but West Ham and Fenerbache were 2 tricky away matches and we failed to hold on to the lead against Fenerbache and the Newcastle game were just poor it was just one of them game to forget. I want a good cup run, a trophy at any level is a good thing and good to have on your CV.

Thanks for reading

October Review

01/10. Malmo (H) EURO Cup Group G Won 5-0 LAMELA (3), ALLI, DEMBELE. Going into the Malmo game i was fairly confident of getting a result. We started off with 2 goals in the first 10 mins from Lamela. I then knew we would have no problems in getting 3 points in this game it also helped with them having Lewicki sent off at 2-0 down, after that i wanted to make the players have as much freedom as they want and we took advantage of that extra man with Alli and Dembele adding their names on the scoresheet wrap up Lamela smashed in his hat-trick to complete the rout.

04/10. Swansea (A) PL (TV) Won 3-2 Fernandez OG (21), LAMELA (27), KANE (55). Paloschi (36), Besic (49)
As we headed back to league action we had a tricky tie up at Swansea. i decided to keep the same team that romped home against Malmo. We strolled the first half hour going 2-0 up Fernandez headed past his own keeper and then Lamela fired us 2 up just 5 minutes later. Then old habits die hard we failed to man mark Paloschi from a corner and he guided the ball home to make it 2-1. I just wanted the half time whistle to come and it did with us 2-1 up. I gave an half time team talk trying to keep the team calm but it fell on deaf ears just 5 minutes into the 2nd half as Besic equalised then I'm going to be honest i thought we'd crumble but the team fought hard and Kane managed to put us back in front after a counter attack defending a corner and with Lamela racing forward to form the counter attack he threaded the ball through to Kane who smashed the ball in the far corner to put us 3-2 up. Then i decided to make sure everyone had defensive duties to do and be more solid and cautious when making decisions and we held out for 3 away points in Wales.

17/10. Palace (H) PL Won 1-0 WIMMER (57)
The winning streak continued against a solid Palace team which showed in their defensive doggiedness to not concede. I was weary of their counter attacking threat though and i made sure before the game I reminded the defenders not to lose concentration at any point which i thought they followed the game plan to perfection and then Wimmer got the decisive goal in the 57th minute which then i knew that i didn't need to push men forward so we held back and soaked up the pressure to take another 3 points.

22/10. Young Boys (H) EURO Cup Won 3-0 KANE (38), LAMELA (79), CHADLI
Now we're on a roll I felt I've got a settled team for the first time in my Spurs career and it's showing in the results at the moment a good solid 3-0 victory over a decent Young Boys team who never really got going and my team took full advantage.

25/10. Bournemouth (A) PL Won 3-0 KANE (14,70), DEMBELE (40)
Next up we travelled to Bournemouth who's stock as a football club is rising every season but nothing was going to get in our way in this match and it showed just 15 minutes in when Kane got the better of the last defender to fire home an unstoppable shot past the stranded keeper, then it was Dembele who rose highest form a corner to nod home the second and Harry Kane wrapped up the points in a fine footballing display to send the Spurs fans home with smiles on their faces.

28/10. Hull (A) Capital One Cup 4th Round Lost 5-2 CHADLI (28), KANE (40). Keane (12), Meyler sent off (15), Dawson (22), Akpom (53,55), Maguire (65)
I chose to pick my strongest team against Hull thinking this would be a cake walk for my players but far from it inside 12 mins Keane rifled home a volley to put Hull 1 up then i got my hopes up as 3 minutes later Meyler seemed to elbow Walker in the face only yards away from the referee who branded a straight red and an early bath for Meyler. Hull changed tactics but I decided to stick to my stay solid tactic for the time being which came back to haunt me near enough straightaway as Dawson powered home a 2nd for 10 man Hull and leave my plans in tatters. I decided this time just push everyone up onto attack mode with nothing to lose it made for a very interesting remainder of the game as Chadli and Kane pulled it back to 2-2 before half time we really had our tails up for the 2nd half or so I thought. Just as things were settling down we got smashed with not one but two sucker punches by the same man Akpom we never learned our lesson on marking him and paid the price TWICE in quick succession and if that wasn't enough Maguire rifled home a volley with still 25 minutes left to wrap up the game for 10 man Hull. Me and the players were shell shocked and i locked the team in the dressing room for an hour after the game letting the know what i felt about that 2nd half performance. Are the players up for it anymore? Only time will tell..

October Thoughts
This was the best month of my managerial career so far by a mile despite the Hull game we had a 100% record against some tricky teams and before the Hull game we kept clean sheets in 4 out of 5 games which meant that we're building a solid defensive unit which will be good for us going forward. I'm disappointed in going out of the Capital One Cup because I wanted a good run in that but it wasn't to be. Theirs still plenty to play for and I'm willing for a good winning run soon to push us up that table..

Good month after a not so great September. Hopefully you can keep up the form into November

Yeah hopefully mate. Things are starting to click tactics wise and players are starting to find their form

November Review

01/11. Norwich (H) PL Lost 4-1. DEMBELE (35). Naismith (10), Mbokani (34,44,77)
After 5 wins in the last 6 heading into November my hopes were high but a thumping at home against Norwich brought me back down to earth whether it's over-confidence with this team i don't know but just when i think we've cracked it a result like this smacks me a cross the face. A hat-trick from the in form Mbokani did the damage..

05/11. Young Boys (A) EURO Cup Drew 2-2 LAMELA (27,76). Gerndt (39), Horau (52)
I needed to pick my team up and fast for the trip to Switzerland everyone's heads were down after what happened against Norwich but i gathered the players round and told them to keep believing in yourself and the results will pick up.. We started the game well with a goal from Lamela inside the half hour mark but Gerndt equalised just over 10 mins later. Still I had faith in my team going into the 2nd half but they scored against the run of play Horau being the finisher..... By now the players confidence were shot I needed something to gee them up and thank god we got it... It was that man again Lamela with the equaliser i dread to think where would be in the league without him in the side to rescue a point for us. How crucial will that be in the context of the group?

08/11. Man Utd (A) PL Lost 3-1. KANE (23). Depay (2), Schweinsteiger (77), Martial (90+1). Off to Old Trafford next where I knew that Spurs had a poor history their in recent times but i didn't let that ruin our preparation for the game.. Inside 2 minutes though my thoughts were soon realised when Depay opened the scoring I don't know whether my defenders were still trying to get in the game i don't know but they just seemed to switch off and against these calibre of players we're going to get punished and punished we were.. Lucky for us we had Harry Kane to equalise after 25 mins but to be fair it was the only clear chance we had all game and after the break we sat back and had to defend and hold out but failed to do so conceding 2 in the last 15 minutes to lose another Premier League game heading into the last international break of the year.

21/11. Liverpool (H) PL Lost 3-1. SON (Pen 11), Sturridge (70,78), Skrtel (77)
As the players returned from international duty fresh with optimism going into the winter months ahead my thoughts were to start afresh and galvanise an underperforming team i tried to do that in this match against Liverpool and we started brightly when Lamela got brought down for a penalty which Son cooly slotted home to take the lead and then we looked confident on the ball and didn't seem under any pressure for large parts of the game until the 70th minute where Sturridge let loose in behind the back 4 and fired past the stranded Lloris then worse was still to come when Skrtel darted an headed from an in-swinging free kick straight in the far corner "Oh no" I thought to myself "Here we go again" and i was right Liverpool were right on top at this point and our defence just buckled under the pressure when Skrtel fired the Reds in front then just less than 60 seconds later it was 3-1 and all but over when our back line tried to play offside but Sturridge beat the trap to score his second of the game and Liverpool's third to wrap up the points.

26/11. Fenerbache (H) EURO Cup Won 2-0 LAMELA (54), ALLI (59)
By now i was in uproar about the league season so it was nice to have a break and get back into european action and I found our players had less pressure on them for some reason and it showed when our defence were like a rock which i haven't seen for 4-5 games and the attackers played with freedom. It did take 54 minutes to break the deadlock through Lamela but I knew that I only needed one goal and i was right. Alli scored another just 5 minutes later to wrap up the points in a fairly easy win against a tough team.

29/11. West Brom (A) PL Drew 2-2 Rondon (18,59) CHADLI (15), KANE (83)
We ended the month travelling to the Midlands to play a decent West Brom team hoping to end this disastrous run that we are on in the league and we got our noses in front early on when Chadli rifled the ball home but the lead lasted 3 minutes when Rondon equalised for the home side so i let the players know not to rush anything and take our time that seemed to go well until the 60 mins mark when the same man popped up the head his second of the game, by now the home crowd were going wild so i was thinking of a plan to get this equaliser i pushed 3 up top and went for it and we finally got the equaliser 7 minutes from time when Kane lashed the ball home from just outside the 18 yard box... They were one word to describe that moment.... RELIEF!

November Thoughts
A frightening November to be fair with only the Fenerbache game only being the noteworthy performance we don't seem to be playing quality against the so called lesser teams in this division as seen in the Norwich game we need to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off because we have a busy couple of months ahead including the January Transfer Window being open so stay tuned and let's hope i can turn my fortunes around..

December Fixtures
Arsenal (H) PL
Malmo (A) EURO Cup
Sunderland (A) PL
Leicester (H) PL
Watford (A) PL
Stoke (A) PL
Watford (H) PL

December Preview
I have a London Derby to look forward to in December and the last EURO tie of the group which i am already through to the next round. I'm expecting to get 3 points at a struggling Sunderland team but with my form at the minute I'm hoping for anything against surprise package Leicester this season.. Watford and Stoke are always tricky away games and i finish off the year against Watford again this time at home..

Well.... That month was brutal But! Spurs aren't well known for making things simple, keep it up mate!

I know mate terrible month the Norwich result shook me up to be fair and we never really recovered after that match.

I'm looking forward to the transfer window and try and bring in players to shake things up a bit.

Thanks, you never know what could happen with this team

December Review

After every December and January months I will keep you in tune with the transfer rumours going on around the club as well as keep you up to date with football matches in order as they happen.

"I don't particularly like the transfer window myself because it only gives us a certain amount of time to do business and sometimes rushed deals seem to happen so I'll see what the next month will bring and i will be scouting round for players to freshen up my squad and also maybe offload some players who aren't in my first team plans."

5th Dec 2015
I've heard this morning in the rumour mill that Yahoo Sports printed a column saying that Juventus are lining up a move for Tottenham Danish attacking star Christian Eriksen. He could be allowed to leave the club for £31,500,000. He arrived from Ajax for £10.25M in 2013.
Finney issued an "hands off warning." I did that because I feel that keeping a player of Eriksen's calibre is essential in building a strong squad..

Matchday 15.
Spurs 4-0 Arsenal. Kane (2), Lamela (2)
It was also Matchday it was just a small matter of a London derby which we all got really fired up for and it was amazing to see walking out of the tunnel a packed White Hart Lane with white everywhere for the match against our biggest rivals. I looked everyone of my players in the eye before kick off and they were well up for it and the build up was as tense as the match itself but we soon found our stride when Harry Kane put us in front after just 7 minutes the crowd went wild for our main man. From then on nothing was going to stop us after we bombarded the Gunners goal with shots from everywhere and midway through the first half Lamela scored a second goal I couldn't believe my eyes on how well the players started and the opposition was stunned into silence. We took the 2 goal lead into the half time break where I sat the players down in the dressing room trying to keep everyone calm and reminding them their is still another half to play so "Keep your heads". As the 2nd half started their was no need for me to worry as we continued where we left off in the first and before you knew it Lamela scored his second and our third, the players and fans alike were in dream world. By now the Arsenal players started to fade but suddenly a silly lunge by Eric Dier on one of the Arsenal player earns him a straight red card and an early bath. He walked past me to go down the tunnel and so I had red steam coming from me i couldn't believe how silly he could be especially at 3-0 up. Fortunately for us Arsenal had no answer to our 10 men and eventually we grabbed a 4th goal it was that man again Harry Kane with his second with just 5 minutes left on the clock. At the final whistle everyone embraced in a huddle in the middle of the pitch minus Eric Dier who was watching from the bench after his sending off.. This could be the turning point in our season to win so easily against your biggest rivals and even with a man down carry on regardless and score another goal was just quality shown in the team as a whole and not to mention the clean sheet which i demand of them first and foremost... Hopefully we can kick on now and who knows where we'll end up come the end of the season..

6th December
Pressure building on The Professor as Kyle Walker looks to force a move away from Tottenham

The day after the Arsenal game and I heard that one of my players Kyle Walker is planning on forcing a move away from White Hart Lane in order to play first team football so i sat him down and had a quiet little chat to smooth things over. I would love to keep Walker with us even though he isn't getting in the first team as yet because the players are playing so well he will still have a big roll to play if needed.

7th December
The professor targets Everton's 33 YO Jagielka in which Martinez had no comment on

The press have got wind on scouting Everton's Phil Jagielka but he is 33 Years old so i think i will look elsewhere for a defender of some sorts.

I sat down in front of the TV to watch the FA Cup 3rd round draw one of the biggest weekends in the football calendar. I'm going to be honest i wanted an easyish draw to ease my way into the competition but then we got put up against oil rich Man City it was at home so that was a bonus but it couldn't have got any tougher could it?

We had a European tie in Sweden against Malmo to look forward to so it was time to plan for that, even though we were through i still wanted top spot so a win was needed because we were 2 points behind Fenerbache and hope other results go our way...

10th December
Malmo 1-0 Spurs
Europa League 6th game but qualified in 2nd behind Fenerbache (15pts) on 10 points and 3rd place Malmo (5pts) Young Boys 3pts. We got into the Malmo stadium in Sweden with no pressure cos we were through but still we wanted to end the group stage with a win and hopefully nick top spot but we didn't do neither as Malmo took an early lead and defending in numbers for the reamainder and try as we like we just couldn't break them down.. Even though we lost it didn't matter because Fenerbahce won their match against Young Boys so we wouldn't have finished top anyway.

13th December
Sunderland 0-1 Spurs. Lamela (75)
Onto the Sunderland game I thought we gave a good account of ourselves considering we got off the plane on Friday and only had training Saturday morning to prepare for a long coach ride to the North-East to play at the Stadium of Light.. I just gave my players a briefing before kick off not knowing whether they were up to the job but I shouldn't have feared my lads played awesome. I even gave Trippier his debut in the 55th minute to get his first piece of Spurs action after waiting so long in the reserves. Our defence were like a rock again all game and then BANG! Lamela headed in a winner from nowhere with 15 mins left. My lads held on and I was worried that the players will jade near the end but they never did. Another 3 points heading towards a busy xmas schedule.. Things are looking up!

The next day we drew Dnipro at White Hart Lane in the EURO Cup First Knockout Round 1st leg. I'm confident that we should progress further in this years competition after that tie.

16th December
I'm hearing on the grapevine that Spanish club Valencia are stepping up the chase for Spurs winger Erik Lamela. However it is believed that they will have to table a bid the region of £22m to prise him away from White Hart Lane. I'm making this categorically clear that it will take an amazing offer to let him speak to other clubs. Anyway I had a match at home to Leicester to prepare for so onto that game we go...

Premier League
Spurs 2-2 Leicester. KANE (42, 47). Vardy (10), Fuchs (38)

Before the game they were transfer rumours everywhere so i had to keep everyone focused and not get too embroiled in the situation so i set out my stall to not concede early which lasted the whole of 10 mins when top scorer in the Premier League Vardy fired home which put us on the back foot straightaway and worse was still to come as Leicester piled on the pressure and managed to steal a 2nd when Fuchs latched onto a Drinkwater pass and fired passed keeper Lloris.. Now we've been here many times before this season and in front of our home crowd we needed a lift and we got it just 4 minutes later when Harry Kane pulled one back but the best was yet to come again Kane was in the thick of the action when a good team build up play involving all the team finished off with Kane again getting the equaliser and now we were pushing men forward to get the winner but it didn't come but in context of the match it was a very good point earnt.

19th December
Kyle Walker-Peters (RB) is out for 4 weeks with a dislocated jaw after landing heavily in training jumping up for a header with Vertonghen in a training match which is unfortunate for us because i was willing to use him in the hectic Christmas schedule so i made a call and wished him a speedy recovery..

20th December
Premier League
Watford 1-1 Spurs (TV) Amrabat (10), SON (51)

We were Live for the trip to Watford on the back of the point against Leicester. I wanted to make sure the players were not focussing too much on Christmas because we still had a game of football to be played.. In the first 10 minutes surprise, surprise we were 1 down.. I decided to wait for the half time whistle to decide on what i should do... I changed tactic to a 4-3-3 from a 4-5-1 and that seemed to make the difference because we were playing more attacking and Son equalised just 5 minutes into the 2nd half which showed that i was correct in making that decision which is what I'm paid to do... The crowd then got behind us and we pushed men forward but Watford are a very well organised unit and we just couldn't break them down again but we got a point which is better than nothing at all...

23rd December
Reports are circling in the media that Spurs are considering a 12,250,000 bid for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson.
Given that Wilson is happy at Bournemouth it is by no means certain that he would want to leave or the club let him go.

I'm not sure whether to keep track on Wilson because i don't think he is what we need at the moment but we'll see what develops and Wilson is "flattered" by the interest coming from Spurs.

26th December
Premier League
Stoke 4-2 Spurs. Bojan (7), Afelley (36), Mame Diouf (42, 76). KANE (26, 89)

The Boxing Day battle at Stoke was brutal.. It's the famous saying "Could we do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke." In our case it was a cold Boxing Day in Stoke and it's fair to say my players just weren't up for it. It showed in the first 7 minutes when former Barcelona man Bojan put Stoke infront. Fortunately for us Kane managed to steal a equaliser but then just 10 minutes after that we failed to clear a corner and Affeley rifled home to put them back in front... By now I was telling my players to stay calm but it wasn't good enough and I knew it. Just before half time Diouf made it 3 so that was my half time team talk out of the window... I needed to galvanise the players but "How after conceding goals like we did?" In the 2nd half we sort of steadied the ship defensively we were more tight and battled more as a team but showed nothing going forward.. Then Diouf again made the game safe making it 4-1... We managed to get a consolation through Kane but it wasn't good enough and at full time i let my players know that...

28th December
Premier League
Spurs 1-1 Watford CHADLI (73), Amrabat (1)

Onto the match against Watford the team just had 1 full days rest so i decided just to give them a light training session in the morning leading up to the 2nd match in 8 days against Watford.. We knew each other pretty well and knew each other's games inside out and it showed when Amrabat scored for Watford in the first 40 seconds, we just never got out of the blocks and lacked concentration... We managed to get it together and put Watford under pressure by going forward in numbers it was only in the 73rd minute when finally we found a breakthrough with a Chadli goal to equalise and push on for the winner but Watford was stubborn and we had to settle for a point.

1st January
Premier League
Spurs 2-1 Southampton (TV). ERIKSEN (44), DEMBELE (46). Rodriguez (75)

New Year's Day fixture was in front of the TV cameras and we were at home to Southampton who have got a very good team set up with them now... At the start of the game it was just nip and tuck and both teams were just finding each other out and it wasn't until just before the break when Eriksen broke the deadlock to give Spurs fans a good half time break... As the 2nd half started I just got into my seat in the dugout and we scored a second goal as Dembele side footed past an on rushing goalkeeper. We were 2-0 up and now cruising I made a few changes to stay solid at the back but that's when we got put under more pressure to soak up we lasted until the 75th minute where the Saints pulled one back with Rodriguez getting on the scoresheet but my team held firm and managed to get a well earned victory to start 2016.

JANUARY REVIEW

It's the first day of the transfer window so i decided to have a look around to see who i could sign to improve my squad and Sadio Mane's name cropped up the Southampton winger the £30million rated player so i decided to throw caution to the wind because i like to get all my signings done early so they can settle in as soon as possible so i decided to make a £40m for Southampton winger Sadio Mane.

2nd January
Southampton got back to me straightaway and accepted the £40m offer that was on the table so now winger Sadio Mane will begin contract talks with the club.

4th January
LIVERPOOL MAKE WALKER OFFER

Liverpool have made a £5.25m bid for Kyle Walker so i rejected because Walker is an important 1st team member of my team.

MANE ACCEPTS SPURS CONTRACT TALKS
Sadio Mane accepts contract talks bringing joy to the Professor and now has put in an application for a work permit.

5th January
Southampton's 23 YO winger Sadio Mane has been granted a conditional British work permit which allows him to join Spurs in a £40m deal subject to conditions the transfer may eventually rise to £52million and the deal has been completed and Spurs manager has made his first major signing of his tenure. He was Southampton's top scorer with 9 goals in 20 apps so far this season and he hopes to get among the goals with his new club. A Southampton supporter spokesman is disappointed with his departure due to the players recent good performances.
Although they are pleased that the club may financially benefit from any future sales of Mane.

6th January
MANE COMPLETES SPURS MOVE
Southampton's Sadio Mane is officially on his way to Spurs who parted some £40million in order to land the 23 year old which could rise to £52million. I know it's a big gamble spending so much on one player but i really believe that he will be a big success for us and lead us in the future...

Spurs splash out record transfer for Mane, the previous record was £26.5m for Erik Lamela from Roma.. I'm confident that Mane will become a big part of any future success we have together...

9th January
SPANISH GIANTS BARCELONA MAKE LAMELA OFFER
I got news from my chairman that Barcelona have put in a £16.5m offer for Erik Lamela however the transfer fee could rise to £20.5million which i rejected because Lamela is a big player for us and it would take a silly offer for me to even consider selling him... I had an important FA Cup tie to prepare for tomorrow so all the transfer talk got put to one side for a moment..

Jan
10th. FA Cup 3rd Round.
Spurs 2-2 Man City. Kane (26), Eriksen (55). Nasri 59,86) (TV)

It's the FA Cup 3rd round a big event in the English football calendar and we were up against one of the toughest teams we could've played in Man City. I set up my team to attack because in a cup game I'm a believer in not to hold anything back and the match ended up being end to end all game and attacking wise was unbelievable first we had Harry Kane nodding us in front after 25 mins then in the second half Eriksen made it 2, i thought then that we had them and was wondering who we would draw in the next round but just 5 minutes Nasri pulled them right back into the game... We sensed that the fans were nervous so I decided to make changes to steady the ship and calm everyone down but that didn't work as with just 5 minutes of normal time remaining Nasri again glided home an equaliser that took the game to a replay... Me and the players were gutted to let a 2 goal lead slip at home but as for the tie itself we were still in the cup so we need to pick ourselves up for the replay because it isn't over yet..

13th January
BARCA MAKE OFFER FOR CHADLI
Barcelona came back again this time to make an offer of £16.25m for Nacer Chadli however the transfer may eventually rise to £20.5million which i rejected point blank because he is another first team player who I can build the team around...

16th January
BARCA MAKE THIRD OFFER FOR SPURS PLAYERS IN SPACE OF A WEEK
Barcelona came back for a 3rd time with an improved £21m offer for Erik Lamela which could rise to £26m which i rejected and in turn gave Lamela a new contract to fend off more interest in the attacking midfielder..

We had a Premier League game to prepare for too facing Man City, the fixture list always seems to throw up some scenarios and this is one facing the blue side of Manchester 3 times in 10 days. Anyway we have to deal with what's in front of us and if our last battle was anything to by then the fans are in for a treat...

Premier League.
Man City 2-2 Spurs. Nasri (69), Y.Toure (76). Kane (Pen 21), CHADLI (35) (TV)

The match was in front of the Sky cameras and in front of a packed Etihad Stadium I told my players before the game just forget about letting a 2 goal lead slip in the first game against them because this is a new start and the players listened with intent.. The match was stalemate in the first 20 mins and then Chadli bombed forward only to be tripped by Kompany in the penalty area the referee pointed to the spot and showed Kompany a yellow card because he wasn't the last man City had men over covering... Harry Kane stepped up to take the penalty against his England counterpart Joe Hart and with ice in his veins slotted past the keeper sending him the opposite direction we were 1-0 up. I was up in my technical area shouted instructions to the players to keep playing like they were doing and on the 35th minute Chadli popped up with a second goal to put us in a commanding lead just like in the first match against them.. I thought surely lightning couldn't strike twice could it? As we headed to half time their was no sign of City getting back into it so I felt confident going into the second half... The teams came out for the second half I gave the team the talk to just make sure we hold on and if we do the basics right we'll win.. But that didn't happen and for some reason we froze and it wasn't until the 70th minute when Nasri pulled a goal back that was then I made a triple substitute to hold the game out but it wasn't enough as City pushed men forward in droves and eventually we cracked when Yaya Toure set off from the centre of the pitch and just kept running forward eventually let a strike loose that gave Lloris no chance and City equalised giving me something to ponder knowing yet again we let a 2 goal lead slip against the same team so it was obvious that we are not learning by our mistakes.. We held on for the draw but yet again "we" as a team failed to capitalise on a commanding lead against a top team...

Just a quick mention to Chadli he had the match of his life today with an 9.8 rating the best of any player in my time as manager so far... Maybe he is gearing up for a move to Barcelona knowing that they have scouts watching him... Will i manage to fend off Barcelona's advances and keep one of my best players? Or will they make an offer too good to turn down?.. We're halfway through the transfer window and I've done well in keeping my top players so far....

Transfer Window Part 2
19th January
BARCA WON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER TO SPURS STARS
Barcelona make a second bid for Nacer Chadli in the region of 20.5m bid for which may rise to £26m which once again i rejected stated he is going nowhere..

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe maybe interested in securing the services of out of favour Spurs GK Michel Vorm. I wouldn't mind if a bid came in for him to be fair I would prefer him off my books as an unused GK.

20th January
The next day I walked into my office and found out that Liverpool have made a £7.75million bid for Kyle Walker which could rise to £11.25m which i rejected because again i like to keep the young squad together because i know that we could go onto great things..

I had a 3rd round replay to prepare for in Manchester and that was where my attentions turned to..

FA Cup 3rd round Replay
Man City 3-1 Spurs. Lloris OG (37), Sterling (45+1). Augero (50). Son (65)

Things just quite didn't go to plan in Manchester. I think after throwing a 2 goal lead away just 4 days before played on the minds of the players and it showed with hesitation from our goalkeeper Lloris who is normally good at concentration bundled the ball into his own net after been under pressure challenging for the ball... Things didn't get better just before the break when Sterling scored the 2nd and sent them cruising into a 2 goal lead at half time... The second half kicked off in the same vain as the first with City on top and just 5 minutes into the half Aguero scored the third and theoretically wrapped up the points... My team were out of the cup at this first hurdle, Son managed a consolation but it wasn't to be our day and it was City going through to the 4th round.

21st Jan
Barca bid again for Spurs player
Barcelona make a £27m bid for Lamela which could rise to £33.5m

I was getting a bit fed up of Barcelona unsettling my players putting in bid after bid i was no way inclined to sell any of my best players to anyone so as soon as this transfer window shuts the better.. I then decided to offer Lamela a new contract to scare of Barcelona for good so I offered Lamela a new 4 year deal worth £115 a week (£27m in total)

23rd Jan
Lamela gets new 4 year £115k a week contract (£27m altogether)
I was over the moon to tell the press the news before the game with Everton that i will be tying another one of my best players down to a long contract. Erik Lamela after being courted by Barcelona for a few months now decided his loyalties lie with Spurs to the joy of everyone including the gaffer...

Premier League
Spurs 0-1 Everton. Baines (Pen 90)

After all the pre match build up surrounding Erik Lamela's situation at the club we had a game to prepare for at home to Everton and it's always tough against a well drilled team such as this so before the match i prepared the team the correct way and worked on how to stop the forward runs of the attacking players. I thought it worked a treat and we knuckled down and worked hard for each other as a team but just as I was settling for 0-0 we conceded a penalty following an handball from Walker it was a dubious decision but the referee pointed to the spot... Leighton Baines stepped up Nd he rarely misses and he side footed into the bottom right hand corner cool as you like... Once again all our hard work counted for nothing with a lack of concentration cost us the points.. Overall we need to be more ruthless and I'm doing everything to make sure that one day it will all click into place...

2nd Feb
Transfer window closes
The only real transfer rumour on deadline day to be of any relevance was that Watford boss Quique Flores is all set to spend the bulk of his transfer budget on CM Ryan Mason who is valued at £9.5m but that never came to anything. Obviously I had press at the training ground all day which I sent my coaches to speak to them because I was on my way to Birmingham for the match with Villa but really in my mind i was never actively looking to bring anyone in and i wouldn't make a rush decision like that anyway...

Premier League
Aston Villa 0-1 Spurs. KANE (12)

As we arrived in a snowy Birmingham i felt something positive in the air. Villa were on a poor run of form winning just 2 out of the last 10 so I was positive of the 3 points and my team bounced of the positivity from me as straight from the kick off we attacked with intent and in the first 15 mins we managed to get a goal through Harry Kane after a darting run from Chadli he slid it through to Kane who buried the ball in the bottom right hand corner we were 1-0 up and pushing on for more. As we bombarded the Villa goal we managed to hit the post twice and then the crossbar but try as we might we still couldn't get the second goal but in the end it didn't matter and we were happy to take a clean sheet and 3 points back home with us.

6th Feb
Premier League
Spurs 2-1 vs West Ham (H) MANE (35), DIER (44). Moses (53)

A massive London derby was next on the horizon and battles between Spurs and West Ham have always been fierce. The game started fast with tackles flying in everywhere I don't mind that from my players as long as they're hard but fair.. It took until the 35th minute for a goal which we got through Mane after a long ball from Walker from defence Mane latched onto the ball kept his composure and sent 30,000+ fans into raptures and then the best was yet to come just before half time Dier made it 2 after he headed home from a corner.. "What a time to score" I thought to myself and my half time team talk was made a lot easier after that... West Ham started the second half all guns blazing which we expected I was confident in my team until Moses pulled a goal back after a mix up with the 2 centre halves brought him clear on goal and then lashed home leaving Loris stranded... It was 2-1 with still 3 quarters of the half to go so I decided to make a bold tactic and went with 1 up front and everybody behind the ball and it frustrated the West Ham players so much that they were making fouls all over the place... Eventually the full time whistle blew and we beat our enemy 2 goals to 1..

7th Feb
Kieran Trippier facing uncertain future after recent spat with The Professor about not playing regular football
The day after the derby win I had Kieran Trippier in my office demanding a first team place and i thought to myself "I'm not having any of this" after just winning the London derby a player then bangs on my door demanding a first team place. Let's just say they were a few choice words being said and to be fair i did put Trippier on the bench for a few games but in truth i just had better options in his position..

13th Feb
Premier League
Spurs 0-1 Newcastle (H). Vertonghen (OG 14)

As we entered the stadium before the game European places was in touching distance. I thought lucky to be fair because it's been a tough first season as Spurs manager with a lot of ups and downs. We just needed that bit of consistency and steal one of them European spots at the end of the season... We played a Newcastle team who were mid-table but only 6 points behind us so they knew a win today and they'll be right back in the thick of it. We started brightly hitting the crossbar after just 2 minutes and in all fairness that was the only shot inside the first 10 minutes but it wasn't to stay that way after 15 minutes Jan Vertonghen headed a back pass to Lloris but to his horror it went over his head and landed in the unguarded net.. It was a body blow for him and most importantly the team, But that didn't put us off our gameplay we carried on with attacking intent but shot after shot the Newcastle defence got in the way of and unfortunately for us the game stayed 1-0...

17th Feb
DOUBLE SPURS INJURY BLOW
I couldn't believe training today when Lamela pulled up with a groin strain and Ryan Mason had to stop with a twisted ankle.. It is believed that Lamela will be out for 2-3 weeks and Mason out for 3-4 weeks. I thought that's just my luck heading towards the run-in and also the start of the EURO Cup is tomorrow.

18th Feb
Euro Cup 1st Knockout round 1st leg
(TV) Spurs 3-0 Dnipro. Eriksen (2), Dier (14), Chadli (63)

The EURO Cup kicked off again after the winter break and as we head into the knockout phase of the competition the 3rd place Champions League teams also enter the fray to make it just that bit tougher to win.. We started the knockout stages at home to Dnipro. It could've been a lot tougher it had to be said so we'll take that draw and it worked just as I had planned in the first couple of minutes when Eriksen latched onto a loose ball and triggered the ball home, then just as Dnipro were finding their stride we scored our second through Eric Dier that really knocked the duck off Dnipro. After them 2 goals the rest of the match were a stroll in the park so to speak. We rounded off victory with a third just after the hour mark through Morracan Chadli. I was very satisfied with the way all the team played and to take a 3-0 lead to Dnipro I could actually rest some first team players in the return leg because in theory i can't see us conceding 3 away from home even with no pressure on us.

19th Feb
Spurs Jan Vertonghen signs 4 year deal
28 years old Vertonghen signs new 4 year deal worth £16m. A supporters spokesman says they're delighted with the news that one of the best players are staying with the club.
Vertonghen is delighted to be working under The Professor due to his admiration for him and is looking towards a bright future ahead..

Premier League Table (After 26 games) The Race for Europe
4th. Chelsea 45pts
5th. Man City 43
6th. Man Utd 43
7th. SPURS 40
8th. Bournemouth 39
9th. Leicester 39
10th. Newcastle 37

UPCOMING FIXTURES
Feb
25th. Dnipro (A) EURO Cup 1st knockout round 2nd leg
28th. Chelsea (A) PL
March
2nd. Swansea (H) PL
5th. Crystal Palace (A) PL