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Camden New Journal - CROW by RICHARD OSLEY and PIP WROE
Published: 18 December 2008

Spurs’ new home will prove as successful as Big Sam at Rovers

TO White Hart Lane and Tottenham’s plans for a new stadium. Anybody who saw the artist’s impression of the new development might have already made up their own jokes about the pale imitation of a big steel and glass building with a red trim found at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road. It is already known in some parts as Emirates Lite.
The masterplan suggests Tottenham’s attempts to recreate Arsenal’s glittering success which has left Spurs in the shadows for decade after decade.
Be warned, previous attempts to copy the template haven’t quite worked out as planned:
1. The intelligent foreign manager. Arsenal got Arsene Wenger. Spuds got Christian Gross, Jacques Santini and Juande Ramos.
2. The astute global scouting. Arsenal got Cesc Fabregas. Spuds got Kevin-Prince Boateng.
3. The club shop. Arsenal sell DVDs about a team that went the whole season unbeaten. Spuds sell DVDs about a team that got a draw at the Emirates.
Of course, it’s fair play to Tottenham for trying to get out of the awful conditions at the Lane.
This is a stadium where Sky and Match of the Day still has to film replays from behind a white pole.
Just as long as the dreamers behind it all
know the new stadium will be just right for
Chas ’n’Dave’s next European tour rather than hosting Bruce Springsteen.

BLACKBURN Rovers have embarrassed themselves.
If a Premiership team sacks their manager, one thing is guaranteed. Sam Allardyce will get off his sofa, mute Sky Sports News, grab his phone and declare an interest in his “dream job”. So far this season he’s dreamt of managing Newcastle, Portsmouth, Sunderland and now Blackburn.
Fortunately for Big Sam, his desperation is matched by the Blackburn board, who have cleverly forgotten his time at Newcastle that propelled him to the sofa in the first place.
Allardyce needs to play it cool like Alan Curbishley and Graeme Souness do when they’re on the sofa, which they often are.
Meanwhile Harry Redknapp’s bluntness continues to be a wonderful thing. When asked what he did to turn round our season he replied: “Nothing much”. When quizzed about motivating Roman Pavlyuchenko, Harry told the Russian’s translator: “Just tell him to run around a bit”. When asked how far Spurs are from a top-five finish, he said: “We’re well short of that.”.
Although he may be lowering our expectations, he himself shows he has high standards. Unlike at the Emirates, where Wenger’s acceptance that a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough was a positive result, confirming suspicions that for 2009 the Gooners will be at home studying for their international baccalaureates.

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