Thursday, November 22, 2007

Ledley King Back In Training With First Squad

With speculation rife over 'the truth' in relation to King here's some snaps taken today which indicate... well, he's doing some light training at least. Rumours schmumours vary from all his injuries have been for different ailments and there's no need to fret. (Just don't expect him answer if you shout 'Oi, Lucky'). The grimest is that there are 'arthritic' problems and he will only ever play for limited spells....























All pictures copyright Sportimage Ltd 2007


















34 comments:

Anonymous said...

who is the person in the 6th picture and was Adel at training or is he still on the missing list

Anonymous said...

I wonder what Ledley's real condition is. Is he being retained as a figurehead, or does he still have a serious career left in him? A little while back there were rumours of his retirement. As much as I'd like to see him back I'm ambivalent whether he represents our future or our past.

Sorry to go on about the England match, Harry, but I just want to get a few things off my chest.

Watching England was like watching Spurs during the last days of Jol. You almost wanted Spurs to get slaughterd every time they played, just to bring forward the inevitable axeman's blow. We all knew it was coming; we just wanted it sooner rather than later.

Likewise England. McLaren was always the wrong man for the job. His protracted demise has been painful, and he has taken the team down with him. There's relief that he's gone, but anger at the wasted years - with and without Sven. Nothing's changed. The short-sighted, money-grasping donkeys who govern the sport have to question their own lack of vision. But, of course, that would require them to have qualities they appear, for the most part, to lack.

As for the players, you have to laugh, or else you'd weep. Carson's blunder is the stuff of Robbo legend, only better. I'm delighted for Robbo, as it spreads the load. I like Robbo - his form has been kak, yes, but he's earnest. And he has improved a little of late. Young Scott Carson, of course, made up for his hilarious bungle by making 'a great point-blank save' - which was actually just a ball hitting him around the face, it seemed to me. Not particularly classy, but the hyperbolic commentators love that sort of redemptive bullshit. Bridge was a scream, especially when he grabbed the ball as he fell over. 'If I can't play with it then no one can!' Ooooh and, post-match, Gerrard declared how, having done all the hard work to draw level, the team went looking for a 3rd and got caught on the break. Hard to fathom what game he was recalling, as he and his fellow 'lions' all effectively parked themselves or went into reverse after Crouch equalised. Why do our icons have to be so disingenuous? This is also the man who dissembles falling in or around the penalty area. Last night, for example.

So, chuffed as I am that McLaren has been given the (lucrative) flick, the players weren't up to the job. Nor are English players generally at this point in footballing time. But you can't isolate what takes place on the pitch from what happens off it. And that means in our culture, nationally.

The UK is no longer a manufacturing country. Most of our manufactured goods originate abroad. Instead, what used to be the manufacturing centre of the world now offers service industries and consulting. And that, funnily enough, is just what the Premiership has become - a football service industry. It provides the facilities for the wonderful spectacle it offers - the players, the teams, the skills, the excitement, the atmosphere, the corporate entertainment (oh, mustn't forget that). Problem is, we as a nation no longer manufacture players. They're perfectly adequately manufactured abroad, thank you very much - and cheaper, too - so we'll import them. We just produce the conditions for them to entertain us and generate cash.

Because it's all about the money. It's all about materialism and the aquisition of wealth. And the chumps who earn 150k a week, pull on an England shirt, flail around in it for 90 minutes, then return to their trashy nightclub to blow thousands on tacky entertainment are products of their time. They all exist in the corroding context of a rampant capitalist economy. They've lost sight of the oh so beautiful game, and all they can see is the glamour of worthless trinkets and celebrity.

So when the shout goes up that there are too many foreigners in the game it's right. But for the wrong reasons. And we only have ourselves to blame.

There. Chest lightened. Apologies for the length, but no sermon intended. Looking forward to our win against the pikeys at the weekend - our first 'home' match at Upton Park, eh?

9.37 Anon

Harry Hotspur said...

No sermon. Welcome comment.

Anonymous said...

6th picture is KEANE isnt it?????

Anonymous said...

Who (out of shot) is Senor Ramos giving the 'double-eye poke' in image 10?

9.37 Anon

Anonymous said...

No 6 is Keano.

Anonymous said...

I think it's great news that Ledley's fit enough to do the okey-kokey (image 3). 'He puts his left leg in, left leg out...'

9.37 Anon

Anonymous said...

why are the pictures so small? doing my eyesight no favours. where's me monicle ?!

Anonymous said...

just a reply to the 'sermon':
I agree about Carson's save, he was saving his face, not the ball!
also Gerrard was talking crap. they SHOULD have been looking for a 3rd goal- as we saw from the beginning of the match, you can't just defend because that's too risky- you need to score goals- always try to win, even if you only need a draw. they definitely weren't looking for a 3rd, they sat back- the commentators said it too

Anonymous said...

Harry your one of the finest Jiz monkey's I've ever met

Anonymous said...

Great to see Ledley training but I would be more concerned about when he actually puts on the shirt again or if he will ever. On the England performance on qualifying, the problem seems to me, from an outsiders point of view, is that the players play for themselves and don't have a team ethic. Too much money & too much ego.

Anonymous said...

Once we pulled it back to 2 a piece, should have shut shop & bought on hargreaves. I wouldn't usually suggest going for the draw, but it was such an obvious choice with our defence playing so badly & the hard work done in pulling it back... Least we're rid of that effing donkey.

Harry Hotspur said...

Dannyboy:

Your monicle must've fallen out after JJ's last 2 goals, mate...

Anonymous said...

This is one of only a few Spurs sites I will post on; it's a small oasis of different opinions and 'news' among the sh - -e that is regurgitated from the Daily Mail across most message boards. The subject is KING Ledley and the sermon.
Let me go in reverse order. Mr anonymous sermon is pretty much on the money(no pun intended) but his arguement does not delve deep enough. Anyone who caught Craig Johnson's interview on Sky Sports would know what I mean. It is worth a look if it's running on the SKY web site (and to plagarise HH, I never thought I would write that!)
KING does have a calming influence at Spurs and there are so few loyal players in the game, that I would be sad if he were forced to retire early. If he does have some arthritis, this is the likely outcome, although a certain Irish center back who played for Aston Villa carried on at the top level for years with this disease in his knees - but by all accounts he took a lot of self medication too, and I can't see Ledley doing that.
So we wish the KING well and as can be seen from the fiasco that was England on Wednesday, it's not just the Spurs team that need him fit and playing.

Anonymous said...

Harry, we all know that whenever an anonymous makes a complimentary comment about this site that it is in fact YOU, you underestimate the intelligence of Spurs supporters....you idiot!

Harry Hotspur said...

959:

Well done. you have found me out. The jig is well and truly up.

I admit to all of the hits (over a mill) and posting all the comments ever made (even the nasty ones in a double bluff type sketch).

I bow to your super slueth skills and will now delete this blog, red faced, never to write again.

Unknown said...

The "sermon" has radically raised the bar on this site and really puts the heat on HH. Does HH have an opinion on English players and Levy's insistence of signing young English players? I haven't heard Levy mention his transferm policy for a while and wonder whether players such has The Thud, Routledge, Reid (Irish,used to be part of the dying Empire) Daws, Bent... I think the list goes on but we no longer can claim to have any England stars. Since the death of Lennon, Defoe, Robo, King it really has taken the spice out of our beautiful curry. Paul Phillips is an interesting appointment and hints towards a new stadium, I just hope that our new site is no further out of London, it already takes me hours to get to the lane from belsize, and it would kill me to get out to Enfield. I have completely changed my opinion on the stadium. Previously I was obsessed with the history of WHL, but I now realise renovations would remove any memories of the Lane. A new staduim based on the Allianz Arena and the Real Madrid stadium. To build a staduim bigger than the gooners would really put the impetus on Spurs and would go=ive us the largest club stadium in London.

Anonymous said...

Thanks of that Harry, still stealing other peoples news I see.
This was posted by a blogger on vital yesterday lunchtime

Harry Hotspur said...

103: welcome to the advanced school of ambulance chasing.

Presumably you're the same class of moron who berated me for getting injury info off the official site?

Oh, and I'll email Jonathan and tell him he had an exclusive at last....

Anonymous said...

Calm down Harry, you need to get off your fat arse more, that way you won't get so agitated when somebody questions your second hand journalism

Still enjoy your site though

Anonymous said...

8.24

"certain Irish center back...took a lot of self medication"

Love it !!


Ledleys no alky like McGrath

Anonymous said...

Nice sermon anon, and interesting comment Franglo, just to try and correlate these points though, surely Sky, and that crazed lunatic Murdoch, are really the root of the problem, its his money, well ours actually indirectly, thats paying these feckless wonders to prance around like movie stars on 100k a week, thats tempting all the overseas players to the premiership, thats slowly killing our national team?
Re Ledley, fear the worst, I get my home game tckets from him, paying tickets, allocated through my brothers who play footie with his birds brother, tenuous link I hear you cry, true nevertheless, and the word is that he is crocked, never really be right again, maybe good for a few games here and there, sorry....Florida Pete.

Anonymous said...

Hello George.

My take on the England fiasco is that the problem is multifaceted. Pffft. No, seriously.

We had a manager who apparently had 'a problem' deciding who to play in goal. A autistic donkey with a bag over it's head would have made a more informed choice than McClaren.

I'm not going to pretend that I knew Carson would be rubbish, although Dannyboy's spirit guide WAS firing on all cylinders that night...

Rather all you had to was open any bloody newspaper in the land or the Barclays site and check the fantasy football stats.. Green was ranked number one and Calamity was number three.

Why even consider Robbo? Beyond me.

Then there's anon 9.37's 'flash w*anker syndrome' theory.

England, my England. What Stephen Fry called the Sunny Delight Generation. A sorry Isle of call centre managers.

I totally agree. Except these footballing perfumed ponces are head to toe in Prada and Wrigleys Extra. Which is to say I think that most of the current England squad don't actually give a monkey's. I think Gerrard cares, but I'd be hesitant to add to his name.

On Lennon, I think news of his death may prove to be just a bit previous. I believe JR has a job for him.

On the stadium, I have emailed what plans I have out. All indications are that the thing will be built where we pretty much are and as soon as this is fleshed out I'll start to have an opinion.

Anonymous said...

2.42

I am very calm.

As calm as you are patronising, anyway...

Anonymous said...

Oh and George, 'it takes me hours to get to the Lane from Belsize Park, going out to Enfield would just kill me'- some people travel 100's of miles, nay thousands to get to a game, buy a fuckin pushbike you lazy tosser...FP

Anonymous said...

So sick of the people coming on here with accusations of second hand news. Piss off back to the depths of Vital hell whence you came. People are trying to have a serious conversation here. Go on the Harry.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, leave harry alone, who gives a t0ss if any comment has come from another site? The fact that is is here just saves me trawling through the rest of the crap that is on the other sites..

Lots of precious, wanna be journos here?

Anonymous said...

Harry, can i bounce an idea of you on here?
Hows about this for a solution to the england problem?
We do not have a head coach for the national setup - before you immediatly say i am talking bollox - listen:

It is not a full time job for somebody - they dont have to scout and train the players week in and week out so:

Hows about at the beggining of a draw for the next competition - all the ENGLISH LEAGUE managers vote on three people to work together as a coaching department. They will see the players week in and week out anyway and know what they are capable of.

They then decide together what system and formation would be best for england to play. Each player is then chosen not on reputation but on who is best for the formation played.

TThe only four garunteed players in the side would be the keeper, two centre backs and captain (if different) everybody else trains and competes week in and week out.

This would do the following things:

KEEP LEAGUE MANAGERS FOCUS ON ENGLISH PLAYERS IN THE DOMESTIC SEASON
and
STOP THE FA FROM MAKING LUDICROUS OUT OF DATE DECISIONS BASED ON HOW MUCH REVENUE THEY GET FROM SPONSORS
and
ALLOW ENGLAND PLAYERS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES EVERY WEEK AND ALLOW THE COACHING SETUP THE FREEDOM AWAY FROM THE PRESS TO DO THEIR JOB.
and
STOP THE SCENARIO WHERE IF YOU DO A SHIT JOB (ALA GINGER BALLS) YOU WILL GET PAID A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR IT.

Rant Over
TA

Anonymous said...

A Quango? Brilliant mate.

Anonymous said...

Have to agree with anon 3.25 about the person from Belsize Park.

How on Earth does it take you hours?

You must be going via Brighton.

I'm in Marylebone & get to the Lane in an (easy) hour.


Anyway, best of luck to Ledders; top player & top man. Leads by example on & off the pitch.

The King of WHL.

COYS!

Anonymous said...

Can't help but think that against Croatia, England got just exactly what they deserved. So, in a spirit of positive thinking, here's ten reasons why I'm ecstatic that England won't be at Euro 2008:

1. We won't have to wait till the inevitable quarter-final exit from the tournament in the summer for a new manager to replace the recently departed, useless, ginger incumbent. We can get it sorted now, and the new man can have some meaningless friendlies to get the team to gel out of sight of the media while no-one can bear to look at them.

2. We can watch, and enjoy the tournament in the summer.

3. If, say, Spain are playing Italy, and it's been a great game, and it's 2-2 at half time, the TV people will be obliged to comment on the game actually taking place in front of them, and entertain us with their considered opinions on the match. Not go to a pre-filmed ten minute interview with an England player, and discuss what this 2-2 result might mean in the context of our next game in a different group against Belgium.

4. Ian Wright can just f*ck off for the next two years at least.

5. We don't have to embarrass ourselves with all those stupid little flags on our cars (which, by the way, increase drag on your vehicles making them more expensive to drive and cause more pollution) and succumb to some form of mass hysteria and extreme hyperbole for the six months leading up to the tournament. We also don't have to be made to feel like losers unless we've gone 'over there' and helped lay siege to whichever unfortunate town we happen to be playing in this week.

6. Women don't have to pretend to be interested and spend the whole month pissing all the men off by asking questions like "Have they won yet?".

7. Those fat gluttons in charge at the FA might finally realise that no-one cares how much money the web development team at Nestle is willing to pay for their Club Wembley box, and not one single member of the public will ever congratulate them for increasing their corporate turnover. All we want is a team which is run like a professional outfit and plays - and competes - as such.

8. We don't have to watch the tabloid media and every single witless little celebrity comic make front-page news out of how much money the retarded examples of human vermin who pass for the "Wives and Girlfriends" of the England team can blow on useless designer junk using the money of the footballer they happen to be shagging while making prats of themselves in naff wine bars. Yes girls, we know you won't feel complete till you've got your presenting job on the latest reality TV show on late night satellite telly, but you know what? You just look like like worthless, stupid, parasitic sluts and you give British people - specifically, British women - a bad name. And you distract the players from the job in hand. This is a football tournament. It's nothing to do with you. Go home.

9. If Wayne Rooney breaks his foot, catches cold, or gets out of his car at a funny angle over the next six months, it doesn't necessarily have to be front page news.

10. Someone at the FA might just realise that it's more important to have an effective team than to have your most famous players in the side and hope they do the business. I don't care if fat Frank Lampard's face does net them £500,000 when it's on the side of a Carlsberg multipack in Sainsbury's - he's not an effective member of England's midfield and hasn't been for years now - so regardless of how good he is for branding purposes, he shouldn't be in the side. Simple but true.........Pete the Yid

Anonymous said...

I wish to say something.

Earlier I made a coruscating attack on the England team, the coach (as was), and the cultural, political and economical forces that have worked to leave the national side in the abyssmal state it is.

In my indignation, I confess that I failed to see the bigger picture. Yes, it is a disaster of seismic proportions that England failed to reach the tournament. Yes, the failure speaks volumes about the parlous state of our football players and the asses who govern their sport. But, in my outpouring of indignation, I overlooked the essential point of the whole catastrophe.

Because, in the cauldron of debate that will boil from now until Euro 2008, we can all tentatively begin to hope that - should we decide to watch the competition, with England absent - we may not (just MAY not) have to suffer quite so much of the 'hilarious' Ian Wright polluting the TV sets with his own particular brand of idiocy.

For this I apologise.

9.37 Anon

Harry Hotspur said...

Pete the Yid.
Thanks for the post mate, genuinely excellent stuff.
Please, do call again.

Anonymous said...

9.37

You're tip top mate!