Good afternoon.
Nothing earth shattering I have to say. a.bola.com the Portuguese site ran a speculative piece yesterday suggesting that come January Andrè Villas-Boas will try to resurrect the deal to bring João Moutinho to The Lane. An interesting turn of phrase from the author, describing the situation on transfer deadline day night as…
“a negotiation that left the British on the brink of a nervous breakdown, after being forced to cancel a pre-enrollment Moutinho sent to the Premier League, just hours before the close of the transfer market in Western Europe.”
Also it supports the notion that there was a deal desperately trying to be hammered out and not a sinister work of fiction as purported by Robby Boy whatsisname from TopSpurs.com and others unable to cope with reality which is in the main, normally quite a humdrum business.
Today the player has issued the following in relation to the move…
“The market has already closed. Not worth talking more about it, I’m just focused on FC Porto and not on speculation. This club gives me all the stability to show my football”
This is what you’d expect from a professional footballer and I guess leaves the door open for ‘another go’ in January. The issue here is third party ownership. As I said on the last HHH, if you were buying a house – and we all know what a completely thankless grind that can be- and then just as you agree a deal a third party pops it’s head around the door in Harry Enfield ‘only me!’ style, telling you they own 15%, odds on it’s Game Over. Do Not Insert New Coin To Continue. Go Home.
Andy
I’ve no doubt that Levy plays VERY hardball , he has no other choice….
I dont believe we were ever getting Moutinho , I think we were being used as a bargining chip in a transfer game between Porto AND Zennit
I agree he strikes me as a very astute business man, ertu he has big balls and plays with them frequently.
Just like we all know how other team’s players play,I like to believe that all the major teams CEO’s know how each of the other CEO’s play too. They will have their tiffs and fall outs from time to time, but its a willing buyer slightly less willing seller’s market most of the time. And to coin the phrase “business is business” Tactics and bargaining chips will be played along the way but at the end of the day an agreement is reached and a deal is done. Only those in the purple circle will know what really happened that night and in the weeks leading up to it.
yeah that wouldnt surprise me!
I was on holiday in Vietnam during the last dark days of the window. My info com from the local kids the next day.Shocked to see 2 under armour Spurs shirts amongst a sea of Chav and city shirts. Emblazoned on their backs Moutinho and Keane !!! Through me somewhat.
….threw
Perhaps you missed the third shirt
Ist………Moutinho
2nd………Keane
3rd……..To join Spurs
Harry Hotspur,
So for the second time in a matter if days you have bad mouthed me. Not only that but you are also mis-quoting me. What I said was either the Moutinho fiasco was either A. Poor stewardship by Levy in that despite it being proclaimed that he was our number 1 summer target, and despite the window being opened for three months, he failed to address the third party agreements and thus failed to conclude the deal, thus seriously impacting on our season or B. It was a smoke screen, which given the many big names we have been linked with over previous windows who failed to arrive all the way back to the infamous “letter from Rivaldo” wouldn’t be that surprising. I also said I hope it was the former and something can be sorted in January as I would love to see Moutinho down the Lane. Either way Levy poor dealings in the transfer market this summe have had a detrimental impact on our club in my opinion. So in future if you do decide to quote me, get your facts right. However when have facts ever got in the way of a good story hey Harry?
Not too many blatant “facts” in that lot either though Robby….
which is the point I tried to make earlier, in that we can conjecture and hypothesise all we like, its only Levy/Porto and those closely involved that know exactly what went down.
I;’m up for the latest conspiracy theory as much as the next bloke but really….smoke screens? for what alteria motive? I see no evidence of a Dynamo like rabbit out of left field???
Robby,
Please, you did say it could nave been a smokescreen. I’m telling you it wasn’t.
Sorry, I’m not telling you, yet another source is: the player.
You clearly have problem distinguishing between ‘bad mouthing’ and having the bleedin’ obvious pointed out to you.
I quoted you twice and the second time you were even wronger than you were the first time.
There may be some (god help them) out there by 1300 words of conjecture but one sentence from the player makes you wrong.
Unless of course he was captured by Levy & Co.’s sinister crack team of highly trained black ops Tuna fish, taken to a secret lair beneath a remote and extinct volcano and injected him with a ‘fib telling serum’.
Which can’t be ruled out.
By your logic.
Harry Hotpsur,
Are you a bit dense? And why are you so quick to defend Levy? Unhealthy. 1300 word blog as you say, with a paragraph about Moutinho. For the third time I did not just say it was a smoke screen, I said it was either poor stewardship OR a smoke screen. If your now saying quotes from the player mean that it was not a smoke screen, than fair enough, it’s must be the former: poor stewardship by Levy. I have deadlines all the time at work, I work in business, I assess balance sheets and financial accounts, I am often involved in complex financial transactions, if I fail to meet a deadline, I have not done by job properly. This is the same as Levy. Over three months to conclude the deal and he failed to do it. My main gripe with the summer transfer dealings is that I think our squad is worse than at the end of last season. I am particularly annoyed with the VDV sale, but I feel every area of the pitch except for goalie, is worse and very short of cover. Levy as a Chairman has decimated a squad which finished 4th, 5th, 4th. You keep asking me questions now answer me one Are you honestly happy with the summer transfer activity? If you are, then fine, I think your wrong and we can agree to disagree. However stop personally bad mouthing me from behind a computer screen. It’s the sign of a coward. I am in the Coach and Horses on the High Road every other weekend, normally two hours before kick off. So we can continue this discussion man to man anytime you want.
So you want to introduce me to a man in a pub?
What is wrong with you?
1. You’re guessing Levy is a poor steward – I say you can’t possibly know (nor can I) as neither of us are privy to what went on.
2. The smoke screen is also a punt which we now both know was wrong.
I’m not really looking for a bloke, but I will let you know.
think you lost the argument there, robby :-(
Caddy shack, how have I lost the argument exactly? Harry Hotpspur failed to answer my direct question, did we have a good summer transfer wise or not? He made a couple of extremely unfunny play on words, stewardship and steward and a homosexual reference for some unknown reason. I have not lost the argument in anyway. A 1300 word piece and he keeps on about the “smokescreen” as if that is the only thing I said. Is he now trying to pretend that the club has not had a convenient habit of linking itself to high profile players and then failing to land them. It is not even a conspiracy, from Levy’s point of view in makes sense to link the club to high profile players, as it drives interest in the club and thus bottom line profit. What about Willian? A 11.8 million bid for player valued at more than 19 million by his club. If that is not a smokescreen what is? Embarrassing. So ascertaining that Moutinho might be smokescreen is hardly the thoughts of a conspiracy fearing nutter, even if in this case it is not. Answer the question HH in your opinion was summer 2012 a good transfer window? One word is fine.
Robby, the ‘homosexual reference’ as you put it was made in response to you threatening to duff me up ‘man to man’/ Do forgive me if I offended you further by trying to make light of you acting like a playground bully.
I do not ‘keep on’ about the ‘smokescreen. I’ve mentioned it along with your criticism of Levy & Co as they were the two central points to your essay.
Again, the player has not turned around and said, ‘Tottenham who?’ so there was a negotiation and it was not as you suggested a diversionary tactic.
Again, you can harp on all you want about who came and who went but you are guessing! You simply do not know. Not because of any shortfall on your behalf, very few people do know. You, me and most people were not privy to went on.
And can I just add, you have clearly been ‘troubled’ by the fact I called you out on this business. Well, that’s not my fault. You published a piece that was guesswork. I didn’t make you hit publish. Also you have done your level best to divert attention from the core elements I was pulling you up on. I’m not funny. I’ve got bad feet or whatever…
Lastly you made a bizarre comment about me hiding behind a keyboard. This is I guess you implying I was trolling or being abusive. For calling you a clown, I unreservedly apologise. It was in truth to sort of flush you out. Nothing personal. I’m sure we’ve both been called worse.
Lastly, threatening to duff up people you don’t know is a touch well, ‘Raoul Moat’ but each to their own.
IMO he lost the argument when he expressed his annoyance at the sale of the most substituted player in the 2011/12 Premer League season. :blink:
In all fairness, Harry, you do get extremely offensive at the drop of a hat. Over the net… I think Bobbys’ point is that you wouldn’t be like it up the pub, or face to face. Seems he may be right, lol.
“continue this discussion anytime you want man to man” That was my exact wording. At no point did I offer to “duff you up”. Yet again mis-quoting me. You do seem to have a problem with reading. I geniunely would be happy to have a discussion with you anytime. I have difference of opinions with fellow Spurs fans all the time and we often debate them in the pub. That is if you attend White Hart Lane regularly, not tyring to slur you hear, just wondering. You are probably a lot more pleasant in the flesh. As for calling me a clown, yes your right I have been called a lot worse. But publicly stating this on your blog, a long with another pop at me a few days later, especially from a fellow Spurs fan and blogger, I find a tad rude. I don’t think I am being hyper sensitive here. Maybe I am old fashioned. We clearly have a difference in opinion, which is fine, but why be offensive in the first place? That is your failing not mine. Yet you still fail to answer my question as to whether you are happy with the summer transfer activity? Yes or no? That was the ultimate premise for my blog in the first place, I am not happy, it appears you are.
I’m a bit confused here. I read both blogs and I think your whole point is flawed HH. Firstly RB said it was either of 2 things- I don’t think anyone could disagree with that. Secondly, and most importantly, how exactly does the player confirming that talks were in process between the clubs prove in any way that Levy was seriously trying to sign him? It’s not hard to get involved in talks, and it could quite easily be part of a not too elaborate smoke screen. So, whether it was or not is not important or known, but your argument that the players comments prove this either way are ludicrous!
Levy ‘I’m offering you the chance to play for Spurs, and you’re haggling over a few miserly million?’
‘Sr Levy..It’s not a few..it’s five million..pounds..not Euro’s that’s in question’
Levy ‘OK, I ‘ll reduce our asking price by 5m again then, satisfied now?’
‘Sr Levy, you no know understand this haggling, do you?’