Spain vs. England - The Return!

[Stretch Mouthstrong]

Some of the older members may remember when myself and Alberto did this quite a while back.

Well we're giving it another go!

That's right, but this time the teams will last for longer, and it won't be so much of a competition as a double-update; although there will still be a bit of friendly banter i'm sure

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The first team we will be is; TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

We'll choose the other teams at a later date..

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So then, before the updates begin, a short introduction and brief history of this wonderful, illustrious club

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB

ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP

Tottenham Hotspur are a London-based Premiership club, and are the first club to acheive many honours; such as winning the double (F.A. Cup & League in 1961), the only team to win the F.A. Cup whilst being a non-league club (way back in 1901), the first ever team to win the UEFA Cup (in 1972), and the holder of the fastest Premiership goal (Ledley King in 9.7s vs. Bradford in 2000).

Last season (2005/06) Tottenham finished a club Premiership record 5th under Martin Jol, who has now left the club to be replaced by Alberto Vallejo and Harry England, citing personal reasons. The new manager's will be looking to maintain this 'success' and take Spurs to bigger and better things, especially by beating local rivals Arsenal.

Last season's player of the year Robbie Keane scored 16 goals; the highest of any Tottenham player, although new signing Dimitar Berbatov looks to beat this tally. He joins the club at White Hart Lane for £10.9m, just £100k short of club-record signing Sergei Rebrov (£11m).

Last season's club top scorer and player of the year

In terms of breaking club records, the new managers will find it difficult to break the highest attendance and highest victories. With a capacity of just 36,240- and a record attendance of 75,038 (vs. Sunderland [F.A. Cup] in 1938)- this record is set to stand, at least for the forseeable future.

White Hart Lane

Highest wins include a cup win of 13-2 over Crewe Alexandra in the succesful 1960/61 campaign, and a league win of 9-0 against Bristol Rovers in 1977.

Record losses also look to stand for a long time, with a decent squad now, it's near impossible to see the team losing 7-0 (like against Liverpool in 1978) or 8-0 (vs. FC Köln [now Cologne] in the 1995 InterToto Cup).

The highest scorer of a season could possibly be broken with the right signings, as people look to beat Martin Chilvers' 1971/72 record of 42 in a league season.

The magical campaign of 1960/61 brought with it benchmarks too though, with the most wins in a season coming from the club, with 31 (from a possible 42). Also in this season came the most consecutive wins from the beginning of the season, a record-breaking 11!

The successful side of 1961

So can I or Albert break any of these long standing records, good or bad? The first updates will be hopefully next Tuesday, but in the meantime, feel free to ask any questions or stuff

Also, sorry for lack of colour, but I thought i'd run out of characters..

[DIRed16]

Mwahahaha. We're back! Looking forward to begin!

Side note -- I chose the team, not Harry

[Stretch Mouthstrong]

Me and Albert are both writing July now, so it'll be up in a minute

Before that though...

The Squad
Paul ROBINSON - 26yo - £2,800,000
Marton FULOP - 23yo - £1,700,000
Radek CERNY - 32yo - £1,200,000 (Loaned IN)
Rob BURCH - 22yo - £810,000
Benoit ASSOU-EKOTTO - 22yo - £2,600,000
Michael DAWSON - 22yo - £2,200,000
Ledley KING - 25yo - £7,000,000
Paul STALTERI - 28yo - £2,300,000
LEE YOUNG-PYO - 29yo - £1,600,000
Anthony GARDNER - 25yo - £2,500,000
Calum DAVENPORT - 23yo - £2,500,000
Dorian DERVITTE - 17yo - £1,300,000
Philip IFIL - 19yo - £660,000
Edgar DAVIDS - 33yo - £2,100,000
Didier ZOKORA - 25yo - £7,100,000
Danny MURPHY - 29yo - £4,100,000
Jermaine JENAS - 23yo - £8,400,000
Teemu TAINIO - 26yo - £3,800,000
Aaron LENNON - 19yo - £3,400,000
Reto ZIEGLER - 20yo - £3,200,000
Hossam GHALY - 24yo - £2,400,000
Andy REID - 25yo - £6,000,000
Wayne ROUTLEDGE - 21yo - £3,100,000
Jamie O'HARA - 19yo - £1,700,000
Tom HUDDLESTONE - 19yo - £2,000,000
Jermain DEFOE - 23yo - £9,900,000
Dimitar BERBATOV - 26yo - £10,000,000
Robbie KEANE - 25yo - £6,200,000
Lee BARNARD - 21yo - £1,600,000

Don't forget Alberto has his in € not £

[Stretch Mouthstrong]

I'm going to make this update easier to read than my much more detailed solo update

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Friendlies arranged:

A v. Tenerife (July 5th)

A v. Cercle Brugge (July 12th)

A v. Galatasaray (July 19th)

"I've set up some challenging friendlies to hopefully check out some players and formations. Hopefully these will give me a good indication of what I need."

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A v. Tenerife

(22,457 @ Campo de Tenerife)

Robinson

Stalteri - King - Dawson - Young-Pyo

Lennon - Jenas - Zokora - Davids

Keane

Berbatov

Final score: 2-2 (Blanco og, Berbatov)

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Signings:

Joao Moutinho - £2.6m & H. Ghaly - Sporting CP

Luisao - £6m - Benfica

Sales:

L. King - £14m

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A v. Tenerife

(29,042 @ Jan Breydelstadion)

Robinson

Zokora - Dawson - Luisao - Young-Pyo

Joao Moutinho

Jenas - Tainio

Berbatov

Keane - Defoe

Final score: 1-6 (Berbatov 2, Defoe 2, Keane 2)

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Signings:

Kerlon - £700k & D. Murphy - Cruzeiro

R. Julio Cruz - £5.4m & L. Barnard - Inter Milan

T. Gravesen - £2m & A. Reid - Madrid

Sales:

R. Burch - Released - Free Agent

P. Ifil - Released - Free Agent

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A v. Galatasaray

(21,719 @ Ali Sami Yen)

Robinson

Zokora - Dawson - Luisao - Young-Pyo

Joao Moutinho

Jenas - Gravesen

Julio Cruz - Berbatov - Defoe

Final score: 0-0

[DIRed16]

I'm going to try my old style (though improved). The one I used to have in my first, first updates. Also, I've used a conversor to put the amounts in pounds instead of €uros.

So here it goes!

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July 1st
Alberto Vallejo arrived today at White Hart Lane with much to do. Brett Hargreaves and Mark Croft were signed as his Assistant Manager and First Team Coach.

3 friendlies were also arranged. Tottenham will play an Argentinian tour against Independiente (5/7), Rosario Central (12/7) and Estudiantes La Plata (19/7).

July 2nd
R. Madrid's Italian manager, Fabio Capello, announced today his desire of signing striker Dimitar Berbatov. Rumors say Fabio Capello would make an offer of £23,000,000 to sign the bulgarian player.

July 3rd
Tottenham's midfielder Andy Reid is not in Vallejo's first team plans. At least that's what Reid's agent, David Hayes says. While Vallejo has said no word on this issue yet, Hayes stated to be "already working to find a team in which Andy can play and find himself in home"

Glasgow Rangers' manager Paul Le Guen affirmed today that "my top priority this summer is signing Robbie Keane. I know he wants to come, and we want him to be here with us." Rangers offered £2,500,000 for the striker.

July 5th
It's official. Dimitar Berbatov will leave Tottenham after R. Madrid's offer was raised to £24,500,000. The player will wear no. 28. Vallejo stated that "Dimitar wanted to leave, we thought the offer was pretty good and we just sold him. There's not much more to talk about"

This transfer was completed just two days after Keane's transfer rumors to Scotland began running through internet. According to several newspapers, Spurs fans are currently concerned about their team's forward force.

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MATCH DAY!
Independiente vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
My Starting XI:

Robinson
Stalteri King Dawson Ekotto
Jenas Zokora Davids Tainio
Keane Defoe

Result: 0-5
Scorers: Keane, Murphy, Keane, Keane, Barnard
Injuries: Defoe (6 days), Barnard (3 days)
Vallejo's Comments: "Nice match. The Argentinian Tour begins pretty well, and Keane shows why I must not sell him!"

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July 6th
Robbie Keane will stay at Tottenham... at least at the moment. Spurs rejected today Rangers' £2,500,000 offer

The Sun talked today about Tottenham's interest in a Spanish striker. Diego Tristán may be the chosen one, though the newspaper also mentions Albert Luque, playing at Newcastle, and Fernando Fernández, at Betis

July 8th
Not Tristán. Not Luque. Not Fernando. He's even better. The Sun today's paper talked about David Villa being close to sealing a 3-year contract with Spurs. There has been no word from either Valencia, the player or Tottenham, though fans are already celebrating the transfer.

July 9th
Le Guen sent today a new offer for Irish striker Robbie Keane, this time consisting of £4,500,000. "He wants to come, so Robbie's transfer shouldn't even be an issue. Vallejo should take our offer and let the young player leave". Rangers awaits an answer.

July 12th
Rangers' offer for Tottenham's player Keane was rejected again, though this time Le Guen may not want to keep fighting for the Irish striker. Keane himself denied any contact with any team and stated that his only interest is fighting every day for his team.

David Villa is Tottenham's new star. The player finally signed a contract which will keep him at London for the next 3 years. Valencia accepted Vallejo's offer of £16,000,000 and 25% of future sales. The Spanish striker said little to the press, as he yet has to improve his english, but he still confessed to be "terribly happy"

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MATCH DAY!
Rosario Central vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
My Starting XI:

Robinson
Stalteri King Dawson Ekotto
Jenas Zokora Davids Tainio
Keane Defoe

Result: 1-5
Scorers: Defoe, Villa, Keane, Keane, Keane
Injuries: -
Vallejo's Comments: "Great match, with all my strikers scoring goals everywhere. Ekotto didn't play so well and may be dropped from first team plans. Ziegler, however, is showing some potential."

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July 13th
Vallejo brought home more than just David Villa during his days at Spain to secure Valencia striker's transfer. His bid for Ismael Urzaiz of £1,600,000 was accepted, and the experienced striker took a flight to England with Villa.

Urzaiz arrived at Bilbao in 1996, playing 367 matches and scoring 115 goals since then

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MATCH DAY!
Estudiantes vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
My Starting XI:

Robinson
Stalteri King Dawson Ziegler
Jenas Zokora Lennon
Keane
Villa Defoe

Result: 0-1
Scorers: Keane
Injuries: Ziegler (2 months)
Vallejo's Comments: "Guess who was the best? Yes, you guessed right. Keane gets it. Incredible tour for our irish captain. This match could have had a bigger result, but their keeper played pretty well. "

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July 20th
Negociations for Arsenal's defender Gaël Clichy have begun. According to The Sun, Tottenham would be willing to pay up to £1,500,000 and Reto Ziegler for the youngster.

July 20th
Lee Young Pyo and Teemu Tainio will leave, Vallejo confirmed today. The South Korean left back is close to signing a 2-year contract with Bolton Wanderers. Tottenham would recieve £2,500,000 according to some sources.

Tainio's negociations are not that easy, however. While the midfielder requested a 5-year contract earning £30,000 a week, Everton's last offer was of £25,000. Both parties are to end up with a deal, however, as Everton has been searching for a left winger and Vallejo has no intentions of keeping the player.

July 25th
Gaël Clichy finally signed a contract with Tottenham, that will keep him in London for 3 years earning £20,000 a week. Vallejo paid for his transfer £1,600,000 and Reto Ziegler's rights.

Lee Young Pyo and Teemu Tainio are no longer Spurs' players. The defender was transfered to Bolton Wanderers for £2,750,000, while the midfielder finally reached a deal with Everton, signing a £28,000 contract. The player was transfered in exchange of £6,500,000.

July 30th
According to The Sun, Vallejo's targetted Barcelona's players Oleguer Presas and Thiago Motta; and R. Madrid's left back Roberto Carlos. While little is known about this possible transfers, rumors say the three of them are close to signing for Tottenham.

[DIRed16]

I'm not what I used to be on LMA, so don't expect too much from my Tottenham. I've "spanished" it up, so it should be fun to see how they do.

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August 1st
Oleguer Presas in exchange of unhappy Andy Reid- This is Spurs' new transfer, strengthening the defence.

Vallejo brought some more out of his home country. His £1,200,000 bid for Spanish League Two Málaga legend Fernando Sanz. The player, 32, signed a 3-year contract and will probably retire at London.

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MATCH DAY!
Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Aston Villa
My Starting XI:

Robinson
Oleguer Dawson King Clichy
Lennon Jenas Murphy Davids
Keane Defoe

Result: 2-1
Injuries: -
Scorers: Keane, Keane / Ángel
Channges: Villa, in for Keane (m. 49)
Vallejo's Comments: "We should have won for more, but unfortunately, it was Sorensen's day. I'm happy with Keane though, he's keeping up his form!"

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MATCH DAY!
Newcastle United vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
My Starting XI:

Robinson
Oleguer Dawson King Clichy
Lennon Jenas Murphy Davids
Keane Defoe

Result: 0-1
Scorers: Keane
Injuries: -
Changes: Villa in, for Defoe (Half Time); Urzaiz in, for Keane (m. 61)
Vallejo's Comments: "To be completely honest, I'm still happy with Keane's form, but he's the only one working to score here. I'm expecting more from Defoe!"

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MATCH DAY!
Everton vs. Tottenham Hotspurs
My Starting XI:

Robinson
F. Sanz Oleguer King Clichy
Lennon Jenas Murphy Davids
Keane Defoe

Result: 0-5
Scorers: King, Defoe, Keane, Keane, Lennon
Injuries: -
Changes: Villa in, for Defoe (m. 49)
Vallejo's Comments: "Fernando Sanz was finally able to play his first match, and surprisingly came second to MOM after, guess who, Robbie Keane. Incredible win. And we could have scored even more!"

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MATCH DAY!
Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Bolton Wanderers
My Starting XI:

Robinson
F. Sanz Oleguer King Clichy
Lennon Jenas Murphy Davids
Keane Defoe

Result: 1-0
Scorers: David Villa
Injuries: -
Changes: Urzaiz in, for Keane (Half Time); Villa in, for Defoe (Half Time); Dawson in, for Oleguer (m. 82)
Vallejo's Comments: "Bad match for Robbie and Jermaine. David Villa saved the day!"

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August 31st
And today, the transfer window ended, but Vallejo was able to finally seal more deals.

He once again played a swap. Barça's youngster Andrés Iniesta moved to England while experienced holland international Edgard Davids returned to the team he was loaned to back on January 2004.

But that wasn't all. Vallejo, who confessed to be a Getafe's supporter, decided to try Spanish striker David Güiza at England. The deal consisted of £1,500,000 and the rights of Didier Zokora.

[Stretch Mouthstrong]

Thanks for all the comments...

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Signings:

C. Caçapa- £2.5m & C. Davenport - Lyon

Sales:

T. Tainio - £3m - OGC Nice

D. Dervitte - End of Season - Sheffield United

A. Gardner - £910k - Leeds United

P. Stalteri - £1.4m - West Bromwich Albion

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H v. Aston Villa

Premiership Game 1

Robinson

Zokora - Luisão - Dawson - Cacapa

Joao Moutinho - Gravesen - Davids

Defoe - Julio Cruz - Berbatov

Final score: 3-0 (Berbatov 2, Julio Cruz)

- - -

Signings:

-

Sales:

E. Davids - £1m - Boavista

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A v. Newcastle United

Premiership Game 2

Robinson

Zokora - Luisão - Dawson - Cacapa

Lennon - Jenas - Joao Moutinho - Gravesen

Julio Cruz - Defoe

Final score: 0-3 (Lennon, Luisão, Julio Cruz)

- - -

Signings:

Manu Sánchez - £5m - Málaga

O. Etto - £2m - NK Dinamo Zagreb

P. Huntingdon - End of Season - Newcastle United

Sales:

-

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A v. Everton

Premiership Game 3

Robinson

Joao Moutinho - Luisão - Dawson - Cacapa

Jenas - Zokora - Gravesen - Manu Sánchez

Berbatov

Julio Cruz

Final score: 0-1 (Own goal)

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CEFA Cup Round 1 draw:

Tottenham Hotspur v. HNK Hajduk Split

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H v. Bolton Wanderers

Premiership Game 4

Robinson

Zokora - Luisão - Dawson - Cacapa

Jenas - Zokora - Gravesen - Manu Sánchez

Julio Cruz - Berbatov

Final score: 3-0 (Julio Cruz, Berbatov 2)

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Injury:

M. Dawson - Torn Hamstring - 3 months

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Signings:

Pepe - £3m - FC Porto

Sales:

Lee Young-Pyo - End of Season - Inverness CT

R. Keane - £8m - West Ham United

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Some notes about my updates:

Opposition colour:

• Green (won)
• Orange (drew)
• Red (lost)

Transfers:

• All prices stated are including clauses
• When clauses are activated/paid fully, I shall include it in my update

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, as we currently don't have any!

[Racewinner]

Good updates - hope you get more comments, I've not been getting any recently either.

[Stretch Mouthstrong]

I would just like to say sorry for my sh*t updates, but the forum decides to ruin them for me

Like, it puts in lines, takes out lines, changes the fonts and sizes of stuff, so it's really not 'What You See Is What You Get' at all..

[Racewinner]

Originally Posted by Stretch Mouthstrong

I would just like to say sorry for my sh*t updates, but the forum decides to ruin them for me

Like, it puts in lines, takes out lines, changes the fonts and sizes of stuff, so it's really not 'What You See Is What You Get' at all..

Same thing happened with me when I centered my updates so I changed them to 'Align Left' and I don't get no where near as many problems.