The Spurs Pies 2007/08 Season Review: September
And so we move onto September, a month that saw points thrown away, an embarassing derby day defeat, and the start of our glorious Carling Cup victory.
Saturday 1st September
Premier League - Fulham 3 Spurs 3
When what should have been a routine victory over a poor Fulham side turned into an epic tale of comebacks and missed chances, Martin Jol must've known once and for all that only a miracle would save his job. An awesome performance from young Gareth Bale was the only real positive to come from a game that saw us throw away what was both a 2-0 and 3-1 lead, with Diomansy Kamara earning a point with his first league goal for his new club, a ridiculously acrobatic overhead kick deep into injury time.
Saturday 15th September
Premier League - Spurs 1 Arsenal 3
And so, with the club stuck very much in the Premier League doldrums, with only a solitary win over Derby to our name, the thing we needed least of all was a visit from our high flying neighbours to rub salt into our gaping wounds.
Alas, fixture compilers rarely consider such circumstances, and so it was that a rampant Arsenal side visited White Hart Lane seeking their fourth successive victory in all competitions. They found out without very much difficulty, despite going behind to a Gareth Bale free-kick.
That we managed to hold the lead for some 50 minutes was a feat in itself, but when Emmanuel Adebayor levelled the scores, there was to be only one outcome. A magnificent Cesc Fabregas strike was bettered in injury time by Adebayor, and, as much as it hurts, the scoreline probably still flattered us.
Monday 17th September
Board again linked with Ramos
In the wake of such a result, it was inevitable that speculation would once again rear its ugly head, and so it was that Juande Ramos again emerged as the favourite to take over from an increasingly isolated Jol.
Tuesday 18th September
Ramos confirms interest in Premier League
And a day later, whilst in town to take on Arsenal with Sevilla, Ramos confirmed that he did indeed harbour ambitions to manage in the Premier League. That his side was promptly beaten 3-0 by Arsene Wenger's side clearly did little to dampen Daniel Levy's ardour for the Spaniard.
Thursday 20th September
UEFA Cup - Spurs 6 Anorthosis Famagusta 1
It takes a very special sort of spin to turn a 6-1 victory into a negative result, but the press managed following this thrashing of Cypriot part-timers Anorthosis, choosing to focus on the increasing tension between Jol and Jermain Defoe. Defoe had been limited to a half-hour cameo in which he scored two goals, one an exquisite chip, and afterwards Jol hinted that the striker was still someway below both Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov in his pecking order. Clearly, Jol's eventual successor Ramos shared his opinion, for Defoe was soon on his way to Portsmouth.
Friday 21st September
Spurs linked with Mourinho
In the wake of Jose Mourinho's shock departure from Chelsea, the Spurs board proved once and for all that they are nothing if not utterly incompetent by immediately shifting their focus from Ramos to the newly unemployed Portugese.
It's this incident more than any other in the Jol saga that underlines just how clueless the powers that be at our club are. After weeks and weeks spent pursuing Ramos, their heads were so easily turned by the new girl on the block. For one reason or another, almost certainly linked to Mourinho's pay-off from Stamford Bridge, nothing came of the rumours, but there was more than enough evidence to damn both Levy and his cohorts.
Sunday 23rd September
Premier League - Bolton Wanderers 1 Spurs 1
Another poor result against another poor team, and whilst in light of our previous record at the Reebok, a point may have seemed like progress, in reality any decent side would have made light work of a side struggling terribly under Sammy Lee's leadership. The less than strenuous nature of our midweek match meant there should have been no excuse for tired legs, yet fitness certainly seemed to be an issue for both sides as they fought-out a terribly leggy draw.
Tuesday 25th September
Board issue another denial
Yet more reports force the board into yet another denial, again published on the official club site, which at this point was approaching Stalinist levels of selective reporting. The denial did next to nothing to extinguish the growing flames, and within a month, the board's stance would prove to be as ridiculous as we all long suspected.
Wednesday 26th September
Carling Cup - Spurs 2 Middlesbrough 0
As poor as Jol's league start may have been, he managed to keep our cup runs decidedly on track, and he followed the 6-1 UEFA Cup victory with a serviceable win over what was, to all intents and purposes, a Middlesbrough reserve side. From a Spurs perspective though, the most important team selection of the night came from Boro manager Gareth Southgate, who chose to rest his central defensive star Jonathan Woodgate. Little did anyone know at the time just how important that seemingly insignificant decision would prove to be.
Friday 28th September
Jol in defiant mood
Following yet more speculation, Jol finally decided to speak out, and in characteristically boisterous tones, he stated that the board would live to regret their decision should they sack him. He also stated that even Mourinho, the Special One himself, could not have done better over the last two seasons.
Saturday 29th September
Levy admits an 'element of truth'
Finally, after over a month of po-faced denials, our fearless leader was forced to go on the record and admit that the constant rumours did contain "an element of truth". It was all but the final nail in Martin Jol's coffin, and suggested the only detail yet to be decided was the execution date. Spurs ended the month still stuck in limbo, with struggling league form combining with uncertainty to ensure a rather miserable autumn for anyone who cared about the club.
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