Every Game is a Big Game

If Tottenham want to be considered a big club, they must start acting like one.

Every game Tottenham Hotspur play is a big game. That is the level they are at now. Every match they play will be scrutinised and analysed like never before. If you want to be a top club in England and Europe this is the price you pay, and Daniel Levy, Mauricio Pochettino and the players need to realise that quickly.

We can take a look at the rotating of players for Champions League fixtures later, but firstly let's go back to the summer and the recruitment and selling policy.

Pochettino has always stated that he ideally wants players with Premier League experience, however Spurs let two player's leave the club who have heaps of that experience Pochettino craves. Now Ryan Mason and Nacer Chadli are not world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination, and some will say that the club received a good price for the pair of them, but in this day and age of the Premier League being the land of milk and honey, the difference between receiving £5m extra here or there is irrelevant. What Spurs lost in the summer were two players Pochettino could trust to do a solid job for him week in week out when required.

In the squad Mason and Chadli were replaced by Georges-Kevin N'Koudou and Moussa Sissoko.  One player with zero Premier League experience, and one who has played in the Premier League but to no great success.  Now Sissoko is a player who was mocked by his own fans and other supporters whilst at Newcastle...but he did have a good Euro's.  However if Spurs were desperate for him then his asking price was always £30m, and they could have bought him straight after Euro 2016 to integrate him properly. But no, Spurs waited until deadline day and needed another player for the squad, after selling Mason and Chadli and Sissoko was signed for that £30m.  Is Sissoko better than Mason? Not in my opinion.

Now we move to Vincent Janssen who after two good seasons in Dutch football was signed to be Harry Kane's back up/alternative.  Janssen was a gamble at £18m. Surely now was the time to make a statement, back in the Champions League with money to burn after the TV deal. Spurs could offer Champions League football, the Premier League and all it's trappings and being based in London.  But no, Spurs again too busy caught up in this project missed their chance.  I won't be too harsh on Janssen, but he doesn't look ready at all to being for a club which is trying to win the league, which Spurs surely are trying to do.  Yes Janssen tries hard, and he looks like he's trying hard, but he looks a fish out of water. I fully expect him to be somewhere on loan this time next year.

Now the befuddlement of our Champions League campaign.  Firstly Wembley, yes it's lovely seeing 90,000 fans at a "home" game. But these weren't home matches, they were played at a neutral stadium.  Immediately our home advantage was tossed away, and over the years I've seen plenty of European nights at the Lane were we've intimidated and beaten better sides on paper...Porto 92 and Inter 2010 spring to mind immediately.  However the club in their wisdom saw the £ signs over what would actually benefit the footballing aspect of the club.  As Keith Burkinshaw once said "there used to be a football club over there".

With that home advantage eradicated the two home games played so far were on a level playing field. The first game against Monaco, the occasion got to the players and they were out-played by the better side.  Would that have happened at White Hart Lane...highly unlikely. The second match against Bayer Leverkusen in front of the highest attendance for an English club for a "home" game, Spurs were terrible.  Really bad. This is partly due to Spurs being too reliant on Harry Kane. Yes he's a great player, but he can't do it all on his own. Kane was unavailable, so Spurs had the inconsistent Son and the afore-mentioned Janssen.

Which led to a must-win game in Monaco to continue our Champions League game, now yes the game came in a tough run of fixtures.  However the league title cannot be lost nor won in November, but you can be knocked-out of the Champions League in November.  It was inexplicable that Spurs went into that game with only one of the best defence in the Premier League playing in it.  You do rest our best players in key games. As I said before at this level every game is a big game.  Spurs got their just desserts last night, Pochettino should have seen from the 1st meeting that Monaco were now mugs, and could not take liberties with his team selection.

The Champions League campaign has been a shambles from start to finish, from the giving away of "home" advantage to the poor recruitment in the summer, to the rotation policy during the competition.  If Spurs are going to treat the Champions League as an afterthought when they finally achieve to qualify, what is the point in qualifying at all?

An Interview with ... James White

James White has a presence.  You see him in central midfield, and he imposes himself on the game.  His size is a contributory factor, but don't be lulled into thinking that's the only part of his game.  He has great technical ability, and to coin that old football phrase, he has great feet for a big man.  Along with a number of his team-mates, he has had a huge influence on Concord's rise over the last few seasons, and has always caught of eye of the so-called bigger clubs.  What made him stay at Concord when the big clubs came calling seemed a good place to start our chat...

You turned down Dover and Dartford last summer to stay at Concord Rangers, what is the team-spirit like at Concord which makes it such a hard place to leave?

I did, there were a number of factors involved for turning down both clubs, but the main point was that everyone involved at Concord puts 100% into the cause which creates a great vibe around the club.  I really do compare it to a Sunday league team spirit in the sense we are all mates, if you come here thinking your bigger than the club then you will get found out quickly.

A number of your team-mates started off at professional clubs, however you never did. Did you have trials at professional clubs?  Do you think your size may have put some clubs off?

Believe it or not I actually was signed by Southend at youth level to play on the left wing (obviously for my pace!) and then moved into centre mid, playing there for four years.  The game is always evolving and there are always so many changes at that level.  Michael Kightly was there at the same time, and he's now a Premier League player, but I was sadly let go.  I was also involved with Arsenal, but nothing really happened there.  Looking back I think that speed is key to progress through the ranks at a young age and that wasn't really my biggest asset.

Opposing fans look at the size of you  and (don't take this the wrong way) think look at that lump in midfield, little do they realise you have great technical ability and have a great range of passing

There will always be fans (people) that stereotype certain individuals in football. I am a lump and will never change from that build, however I hope that people can see over the past few seasons that there is more to my game from a technical stand point which is the part I love.  I got labelled this at Dartford on a number of occasions, which being honest helped my decision not to go back.

Talking about Concord, how far do you think the club can go in the non-league strucure....is the Conference League achievable?

I think Concord have shown that they're here to stay.  People say that Concord are over-achieving and have caught out other teams in the league, however I think if you show a level of consistency (league and cup) then you deserve to be where you are.  The Conference is definitely achievable for the club and will be another target for sure.

I notice you work in the City, sum up commuting if you can!

I cannot stand the commute! I think the rail companies are taking full advantage that there isn't really any other option to get up to the City/Canary Wharf.  I pay £377 a month to get to Canary Wharf, so have the over ground and under ground, and in the summer it can get quite intense!
Myself and Joe Gardner (who works in the building along from me) are normally late to away games in midweek due to the travelling.

What do you do to pass the time the time on the train...read, surf the net, sleep?

I'm quite boring really, I'll read the paper in the morning, and sleep on the way home.

Did you always want to work in the City, or did you want to something else when you were growing up?

My dream was always to be a pro-footballer like most kids, but it was installed to me at a very early age that you need to have a back-up.  My Dad has always been in the City as a trader which fascinated me, so suppose this was something that I naturally followed.

Growing up a number of your team-mates have told me they played computer games, were you a FIFA or Pro-Evo kid growing up?

I was a Pro-Evo man when I was younger, but over recent years I've switched to FIFA.  I have the games but don't really play them too much. I don't really have much time.  I would rather watch TV.

So you have the remote for the evening, what are you going to watch?

I'm a big fan of the documentary channels, I love stuff like Deadliest Catch, Storage Hunters, Wicked Tuna, Fast n'Loud and American Pickers.

None of the reality TV stuff like Towie?

Nah my girlfriend will watch that, but she'll record it and watch it when I'm at football.

Do you support a football team?

I'm a Spurs fan, always have been.  It's been fun growing up having an Arsenal fan as a best mate!

I feel your pain, I'm a Spurs fan as well.  Looking back over time, who do you think has been one of Spurs best players in the last 10 seasons?

I'd go just a bit further back then that, I was a huge fan of David Ginola as a kid.

If you could pick one current Spurs player to play at Concord, who would it be and why?

It would have to be Christian Eriksen - me and him would pop it!!

*This interview took place before Danny Cowley's departure to Braintree*

"There's only one Micky Hazard"

Micky Hazard is like most Spurs fans,he bloody loves the club.  Obviously Micky had the great honour of playing for this wonderful club, so I chatted to him about his memories and what he thinks of the current side.

I started at the very beginning to find out how a North East lad settled into London life.

You moved down from Sunderland as a 16 year old in 1976, how did you find that?

I found life very very tough at first, I had never been away from my family and here I was in London at the age of 16 all by myself, scary.  I ran home on six separate occasions, but Spurs always persuaded me to come back and eventually offered me a deal to go home to Sunderland every ten days.  That certainly proved to be a great move as I settled during the following year and stopped pining for home.

When you went into the 1st team squad, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa joined after the 1978 World Cup.  What was the atmosphere at the club when they joined?

The whole place was buzzing, they had just won the World Cup and they were now playing at White Hart Lane, truly amazing.

What did you learn in training and matches from the pair of them?

Training with them was awesome, and I was desperate to show them just how good I was, however it wasn't easy against World Cup winners.  I quickly picked up on how to behave on a football pitch and how to think about the game.  Ossie taught me ways to defend without having to tackle, but by reading the game ahead so to position yourself correctly to intercept or nick balls from your opponent, it was a total education watching them train and play.

You started both the Final and the replay of the 1982 FA Cup Final, what did it mean to you playing in the final at Wembley?

Playing at Wembley was just stuff of schoolboy dreams growing up, but all of a sudden it was reality.  Walking through the tunnel all suited and booted was just everything I dreamed it would be.  Then playing on the hallowed turf...just wow, amazing!  Then winning the cup just capped off an amazing day.

Talking of the final, a big thing for Spurs are the Chas n'Dave songs!! Did you enjoy singing on them?

Hahaha did I enjoy singing with Chas n'Dave....no! I was very shy and although I could sing, I was very embarrassed to sing in front of the others, but it was brilliant experience and I can always say I've had a top 5 hit! Haha

The side were very consistent in this period of time, and qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1984 qnd won it.  That cup run had some excellent ties against Feyenoord, Bayern Munich and the semi final against Hajduk Split.  What did it feel like to score the winning goal in the home semi final?

To score the winning goal in any semi final is amazing, but to do it at White Hart Lane in front of our own supporters was a memory never to be forgotten.
It was a direct free kick and I curled it into the corner, and as I celebrated the goal, Danny Thomas celebrated with me and knocked my contact lense out of my eye! Luckily we found it and I left the pitch to put it back in, as I came back onto the pitch the sound of the fans singing "One Micky Hazard" echoed around the ground.  That was a moment in time, specially reserved for me.  It was a truly unbelievable reception.  Fantastic.



The final was a magnificent occasion, however how important was getting a draw away to Anderlecht? Were the team gutted to concede the late equaliser (first leg was 1-1)?

We should have won that game comfortably in Anderlecht, we played really well and yes we were truly gutted to concede that late goal, we should have been at least 3 up.
The home leg was very very nerve wracking, but we played well with a young side. Remember, we had no Glen Hoddle, Stevie Perryman, Ray Clemence, Garth Crooks, Ossie Ardiles or Alan Brazil.  We did amazing to win it, in what was Keith Burkinshaw's last game in charge.

What was the atmosphere in the Lane like that night?

I truly believe that the fans inspired us to victory that night.  During the penalty shoot out, when Danny Thomas missed his penalty, the cheer they still gave him, inspired Parksy (Tony Parks) to save the next decisive penalty.  It then led to amazing celebrations, oh to go back and savour it all again!

During that penalty shoot out, were you due to take one after the 5 selected had taken theirs?

I was due to take the 5th one but was suffering with cramp when Keith had to put the takers into the referee.  I had recovered in time, to witness Danny's miss, and was ready to take the 6th one.

How did you feel at the time, were you nervous or confident?

I was not nervous at all, this is why you're a professional footballer for moments like this.  I was ready to win the cup for Spurs, but Tony made that great save, and another Glory Glory night was chalked up...COME ON YOU SPURS!

What was your greatest performance in a Spurs shirt?

I would have to say both legs of the UEFA Cup Final, to look within yourself and find your best form when the pressure is at it's greatest, when nothing else will do, that is so satisfying to achieve.  All the big stars were injured and I had to dig deep inside myself, and in my opinion due to the enormity I rank both games as my best ever in a Spurs shirt.  I'm a very very proud man.

You left in 1985 to get more regular first team football.  Do you regret leaving, or was it the right thing to do?

I totally regret leaving.  Spurs and I were made for each other, their beliefs were my beliefs, their  motto was my motto, to dare is to do (Audere est Facere).  There was a chemistry between us, a chemistry that could never be broken.  I still regret it to this day.

Returning in 1993, would you have come back if Ossie Ardiles wasn't the manager?

I would have walked back to the Lane no matter who was in charge.  It did help that it was Ossie in charge, as he played the game the way I believe it should be played.

I remember your performance against Liverpool in 1993, you were a calming influence in centre midfield and inspired the team to come back to draw.  Was this your role, some experience in the middle of the park?

Yes I was the experienced player now, and I loved every minute of that responsibility.  However a couple of operations put paid to a great start I had, and I couldn't find my best form on my return.  Sadly then my hero Ossie was sacked.

Moving to modern times, Spurs have been a consistent presence in the top 6/7 in the league.  We've had some great experiences in Europe, won cups etc.
What players during this time have excited you?

It's always a rollercoaster supporting Spurs, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Players that have excited me over the years are fairly obvious.  Dimitar Berbatov was a super player who was very elegant and graceful, he used to score some amazing goals.  David Ginola was very exciting when in full flow, Gareth Bale the same, he always used to score with some wonderful strikes, which were worth the entrance fee alone.
Then we have the emergence of another hero this season, Harry Kane.  Something we always have at Spurs, despite the rollercoaster, is that we have footballers you would pay to watch.  Long may it continue.

What players have reminded you of your playing style?

Luka Modric was very similar to me in terms of his control and passing, I was maybe a better dribbler than him, but he was a super player, who I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

I agree, looking back, I think he is the player we miss the most.  Just look at him at Real Madrid, doesn't look out of place at all.

In your opinion what does the future hold under Mauricio Pochettino?

The future looks bright, we have some quality youngsters coming through and add this to some of the big buys we have, and it's a recipe for success.  In my opinion we are one or two players away from being a top draw side, if Pochettino is given time he is the man to guide us back to the glory days, he's made a very good start.

You seem to be a big fan of Social Media, especially Twitter.  Is this something you enjoy, the interaction with fans?

Yes I'm a fan, so why shouldn't I interact.  For me I think the fans are the game and players should interact more than they do, as without these fans we are all nothing.

Speaking as a fan, what would be your all-time Spurs X1?

Tough one...here we go...

Pat Jennings - Simply the greatest goalkeeper of all time

Steve Perryman - A very good player who was the best Captain I ever saw

Cyril Knowles - A great defender who loved to attack, and was great at it

Mike England - A commanding centre back who won everything in the air, and could play on the ground

Ledley King - Read the game so well, and was so calm and composed on the ball.  Another great Captain.

Glen Hoddle - Simply pure GENIUS, no more needs to be said. AN AWESOME TALENT

Ossie Ardiles - A great reader of the game, a great playmaker who inspired everyone around him

Dave Mackay - A winner.  The most complete player in Spurs history

Chris Waddle - Outstanding footballer who worked his magic week in, week out, scored goals and created plenty

Jimmy Greaves - The greatest goal scorer in our history. Scored every type of goal from worldie to tap-in

Steve Archibald - Superb player who was razor sharp, and scored lots of goals

What a team!
Of course they can only be managed by Bill Nick!

If I spoke to a Spurs fan on the street, and I said "What kind of player was Micky Hazard" what would you hope they would say?

Hopefully they would say... exciting, entertaining, skilful, talented and loved watching him play, and more importantly loyal.

Micky many thanks for your time it's been a pleasure

No worries Chris. Thank you.