So, the past two months have been a bit...well, I've certainly had better periods in my life. As such, this site fell precipitously down my list of priorities. The last time I checked, it was nestled somewhere between 'Ignored' and 'Forgotten'. However, things have settled down recently. As a result of what's gone down I now have quite a bit of free time on my hands. What better to fill it with than the resuscitation of this site. My ambitions, though temporarily distracted, remain the same.

So, what's been going on in the soccer world while I've been away. Oh, look! Tottenham Hotspur sits at the foot of the Premier League table with two points to their name, while the New York Red Bulls teeter precariously on the edge of making or missing the playoffs. Wonderful. I couldn't even bring myself to watch Tottenham's match against Stoke City. My judgement proved sound, as it turned out. Spurs fell 2-1 to Stoke. Yeah. I couldn't find Stoke City on a map. I'm fairly adept at geography, for those wondering. At this point, I'm just looking for Spurs to avoid the drop and the Red Bulls to achieve their annual first-round defeat in the playoffs. Low expectations are more easily met, I find.

Alright, so I've just about recovered from my trip to Nevada Smiths for the first game of the English Premiership season. Adorned in my 2006/2007 Tottenham Hotspur jersey, I set out with my friend Fuz at 6 AM. We arrived without incident, walking into the bar just after the start of the Arsenal-West Bromwich Albion game. I realized quickly that I'd miscalculated in my choice of wardrobe and our arrival time. Nevada Smiths at the time was filled entirely with Arsenal fans, and I do mean entirely. There Fuz and I were, he in his Manchester United jersey and me in my Tottenham Hotspur jersey, in a bar filled with Arsenal supporters. The unspoken hostility was palpable. We stayed until halftime, whereupon the fatigue that comes with five hours sleep and a trip into the City hit us. We made our way out of the bar and spent the next forty-five minutes recovering on a stoop around the corner. When we returned, we found a much more diverse crowd for the next round of games. We settled in for the Spurs-Middlesbrough game. No, I don't want to talk about it. After the game, we again made our way outside. There we met a Liverpudlian Everton supporter who I can only describe as a thirty-year-old Harry Potter if he drank and smoked. After confessing to smoking a significant amount of marijuana before coming to Nevadas, he showed us an impressive scar that ran the length of the underside of his arm. Naturally, I asked him how he managed that. He confessed that he had gotten it in an altercation with Liverpool supporters back in England. A box cutter appeared and with it came a fourteen-inch gash. Interspersed throughout our conversation, he told any and all Liverpool supporters entering the bar to 'fuck off'. Truly a memorable character. We stayed for the Liverpool-Sunderland game out of a masochistic desire to see Robbie Keane playing for Liverpool. It was as painful as could be expected. He hasn't clicked with Torres the way he did with Berbatov and who knows if they will. Their partnership was truly something special. Our hunger for English football satiated, we found our way to Amore Pizza, just around the corner from Nevadas, where we satiated a different kind of hunger. We somehow wound up on a subway train to Queens, which is, unfortunately, in the opposite direction of our New Jersey homes, not realizing our mistake for several stops. We managed to rectify our error and found our way back to Hoboken and an NJ Transit train for home.

My Final Table Prediction
1 - Chelsea
2 - Manchester United
3 - Liverpool
4 - Arsenal
5 - Aston Villa
6 - Tottenham
7 - Everton
8 - Newcastle
9 - Man City
10 - Middlesbrough
11 - Portsmouth
12 - Sunderland
13 - West Ham
14 - Blackburn
15 - Bolton
16 - Wigan
17 - West Bromwich Albion
18 - Fulham
19 - Hull City
20 - Stoke City

Yes, Robbie Keane's back in England. Liverpool, specifically. Anfield, even more specifically. The transfer of Mr. Spurs to Liverpool is on the verge of completion. The deal appears to be just about done, with Keane agreeing to personal terms up at Anfield. Reports indicate a transfer fee of between £18 and £20 million.

I'm not going to beat around the bush, you can get the details of the transfer at any one of a billion news sites. This transfer sucks. I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a big fan of Robbie Keane. I earlier espoused my doubt that Keane would leave Tottenham Hotspur. It didn't make sense to me. Especially after Keane had professed his love for the club and desire to finish his career at Spurs. Look, he actually said it: “There’s always speculation that I’m going here, there and everywhere but I’m very content with my life and with my time at Spurs, I will continue to play there for as long as I am happy and for as long as I am wanted. It’s good to have a summer off but then I look forward to going back to Spurs next season.” Way back on May 28th. My, how things have changed. We as fans tend to forget that football is a business and as much as we'd like to believe our club's players have the same dedication to the badge that we do, they quite simply do not. Robbie Keane made the mistake of leading Tottenham Hotspur's fans to believe he cared just as much as we did. As a result, it seems there are large elements of Spurs' fan base who want to vilify and demonize a player who gave Tottenham six seasons of faithful service. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to do that. Instead, I'll remember the goals he scored and the way he'd hurtle around the pitch, refusing to give up. Keane went from being a third-choice striker at the club to an unquestioned starter and team leader. He was eventually given the job of Vice-Captain and wore the armband during Ledley King's frequent and lengthy trips to the Physio's table. Then, after achieving such a prominent position at the club, he leaves for greener pastures. Hmm. Keane's departure is a symptom of a larger problem in English football. Namely, the domination of the big four clubs. As I mentioned, playing football professionally is a job. Just as regular people would, in most cases, jump ship if a more successful company offering more money came calling, so too will professional footballers. Though Liverpool haven't won the league in eighteen years, they've won it eighteen times before that. Which is, approximately, sixteen more times than Tottenham Hotspur. In those eighteen years since their last league championship, however, Liverpool have been far from unsuccessful. They've won three FA Cups, three League Cups, and in just the last four years have made it to the Champions League Final twice and the semi-finals once. In that same time, Tottenham have won the League Cup twice, the FA Cup once, and have failed to make much noise in the UEFA Cup. To an employee without much attachment to his employers, the former certainly seems the more tempting option. I'd also like to make note of the caveat Keane added to his declaration of loyalty. Keane said, "I will continue to play there (Tottenham) for as long as I am happy and for as long as I am wanted." I think we may have to recognize the very real possibility that Robbie Keane was simply not a big part of Juande Ramos' plans at Tottenham Hotspur. It seems increasingly likely, given his pursuit of just about every young winger I can think of, that Ramos is looking to implement a five man midfield with with an emphasis on attacking with width. Robbie Keane cannot play as a lone striker. He just doesn't have the skillset. He wouldn't be a particularly effective wide midfielder, either as, 2006 embarrassment of Khalid Boulahrouz aside, he lacks the pace to make consistent forays down opponent's flanks. He would inevitably drift inside, failing to provide the width necessary for Ramos' system to be effective. There's simply no place for Keane in the system I believe Ramos is trying to bring to White Hart Lane. He wasn't wanted anymore.

Yes, he's gone. However, I won't minimize the impact he's had at Tottenham Hotspur. He was a tremendous player and leader at White Hart Lane and that's what we should remember about him. On the bright side of things, it appears that we've gotten the fee for Robbie Keane. A very nice one, at that.

I hate everything.

"I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either. However, when a player's head is turned and their commitment is absent, particularly when they occupy key positions such as that of striker, they become a negative influence in a team dressing room in which they were once a positive addition and influence. This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester Utd and Liverpool respectively.

"Irrespective of the outcome and futures of Robbie and Dimitar, we are continuing to seek to bring in quality, talented players for the future, who want to play in a Spurs shirt."

-Daniel Levy, Spurs Chairman