Something is happening behind the scenes that Pompey that is worth a great deal more headscratching than what it’s generating at the moment. The club’s present footballing situation is a nightmare, and after rumours that players and staff have not been paid, the financial situation cannot be much better. But what is even more bizarre is that the Premier League club is displaying very little ambition.

Rewind back to the start of the 2008/09 season. Harry Redknapp was at the helm and Portsmouth were sitting comfortably in the top half of the table, having recently won the FA Cup. The Pompey faithful were expectant of another good season and they were rewarded in the initial stages when their side qualified for the EUFA Cup. It was the first time a Portsmouth team had ever played in the group stages of a European competition. At Fratton Park Pompey went 2-0 up against AC Milan, before a fantastic free kick from Ronaldinho galvanised the Rossoneri to come back to a 2-2 draw.

Since then, there has been nothing of substance for Pompey fans to cheer. The club is languishing in last place on the premier league table, and have not qualified for any European competitions. A lack of ambition is there for all to see. Since Paul Hart took the managerial reins, Portsmouth have won a paltry 6 games out of 25 yet he seems to have one of the safest jobs in the premier league. Quality players have gone out of Fratton Park and have been replaced by average players such as Frederic Piquionne and Steve Finnan. The average attendance at Fratton Park is 18342, the second lowest in the premier league, and fans do not look at all hopeful of what Portsmouth can achieve this season.

Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Djimi Traore, Sean Davis, David Nugent, Niko Kranjcar, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Sulley Muntari, Lassana Diarra, Jermaine Pennant, and Lauren have all recently left the club, bringing a nice cash windfall to the tune of £78 million. They also received £5m from Tottenham so that Harry Redknapp could join the faithful at White Hart Lane.

Since January 2009, Pompey have only actually spent money on Nadir Belhadj (£4.5 mil), Hayden Mullins (undisclosed), and Angelos Basinas (undisclosed), having got Aaron Mokoena for free from Blackburn. Rather, they have tried to patch up their side with short term loans such as Pennant, Piquionne and Aruna Dindane.

The August 2009 stories of players not receiving wages on time are even stranger, when this £70 million windfall is taken into account. A lot has been made of the incompetence of the owner, Sulaiman Al-Fahim, but surely debts of £70+ million could not have been incurred that quickly?

Remember, this is not a side that has enjoyed a long life in the premier league and has slipped down a division and now struggles to retain the same income, such as Southampton, but a side that recently peaked and won its first major trophy in 58 years.

As a supporter of Liverpool, I was wowed as much as anyone when Portsmouth reached the FA Cup final in the 2007/08 season and received the small town cult status that has been bestowed upon Burnley this year, and Hull City last year. A series of behind the scene problems has riddled but hopefully Portsmouth can still return with a vengeance.

Seven goals, seven minutes of added time, seven players from the Big Four in the team of the week. Yes, the big boys claimed back their rightful place at the top of the Premier League table last week, the pretenders of Manchester City & Tottenham slotted firmly into their place. Wins for Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool & Arsenal meant it was a good week for the star names, as well as a few lesser ones too.

The Men In Form

When Arsenal splashed out £10m on a Belgian defender who was struggling to reach the 6ft mark, one or two eyebrows were raised. How would Thomas Vermaelen handle the physical element of the Premier League? Would he compete aerially? Is a Belgian ever really any good? The answer – on all three counts it seems – is a resounding “Yes!”. Vermaelen picked up a whopping 19 points at the weekend thanks to his clean sheet, coupled with two lovely goals. It takes him third on the defenders list, with 34 season points, and his value is rocketing skywards. Sign him up if you can.

Ashley Cole doesn’t share the same sort of affinity with Arsenal these days of course, his murky move to Stamford Bridge and the frighteningly egotistical revelations in his autobiography pretty much severed his ties with North London. Not that Chelsea mind of course, Cole is currently in the form of his life across town, his second goal of the season, allied to some clean sheet and bonus points, promotes the England left back to second in the defenders chart with 40 points – reassuringly for Fabio Capello it is the England right back, Glen Johnson, who sits atop that particular table. But then, does Don Fabio play Fantasy Football?

And how about a bit of nostalgia? Every year people take a long hard look at Manchester United’s squad, and come to the same conclusion. “Sooner or later they will have to strengthen that midfield, cos Giggs (and Scholes) can’t go on forever”. Every year they are wrong. Last season’s PFA Player of the Year is in sparkling form right now, adding three quality assists in the Manchester derby on Sunday, and picking up a richly deserved man-of-the-match award. Approaching his 36th birthday, Giggs is still running the show at Old Trafford like a seventeen year old. Long may it continue.

The Men to Avoid

Spare a thought meanwhile, for Giggs’ supposed contemporary, Michael Carrick. The former Spurs and West Ham midfielder was a model of self-improvement during his first couple of seasons at United, but has found himself firmly out of favour this term. A missed penalty at Burnley is his only notable contribution so far in this campaign, unless you count the 30 seconds added on for his late, late substitution on Sunday….

Likewise Emile Heskey. Indispensable for England, indistinguished for Aston Villa. Heskey has played just 116 minutes this season, picking up a paltry 4 points. His value is dropping fast, and with Gabby Agbonlahor and John Carew impressing each week, his chances look like being even more limited as autumn approaches winter.

Staying on the England theme, how about Joleon Lescott? Manchester City may have moved heaven and earth to persuade Lescott to swap royal blue for sky blue, but they don’t appear to have papered over the cracks in his game as effectively. Three more conceded by Lescott’s defence on Sunday means the former Wolves man has just five points to his name this season, from four games. At £7.1m, Lescott looks a bit heavily priced too.

Bargain Hunters

Peter Crouch (Tottenham) – Ok, so he hasn’t featured as much as he would have liked so far this season (that will probably be written on his gravestone come to think of it). But Crouch was in dazzling form netting a hat-trick in the Carling Cup in midweek, and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp knows he can’t rely on his little and littler strike-force of Jermain Defoe & Robbie Keane every week, so expect Crouch to enter the side at some point. Probably this week at home to Burnley actually. At £7.1m, Crouch represents a better bet than most similarly priced forwards – think Jo at Everton, Kenwyne Jones at Sunderland or Benni McCarthy at Blackburn.

Michael Kightly (Wolves) – Not many players in the current Premier League system have experience of playing non-league. Michael Kightly does, having been plucked from Grays Athletic by Wolves boss Mick McCarthy. He repaid him pretty comprehensively too, the nippy wide player was inspirational as Wolves romped to promotion last year, but a metatarsal injury has sidelined him since April. He is back now though, and keen to grasp his chance in the big time. Expect the diminutive Londoner to terrify more than a few defences this season, and expect him to represent excellent value at £5.4m.

James Collins (Aston Villa) – Some people, including me, wondered where this lad got his reputation from at West Ham. I’d never noticed anything special about him, that’s for sure. But Martin O’Neill liked him, and he has slotted in nicely alongside fellow newboy Richard Dunne in the centre of Villa’s defence. No goals conceded in both games since his arrival says it all, and with him costing just £4.6m, Collins could be a sharp piece of business for any manager.

Fixtures

Portsmouth v Everton
Birmingham v Bolton
Blackburn v Aston Villa
Liverpool v Hull City
Stoke City v Man Utd
Tottenham v Burnley
Wigan v Chelsea
Fulham v Arsenal
Sunderland v Wolves
Man City v West Ham

A quick skim of the fixtures shows Liverpool should have a home banker against Hull City, load up on Gerrards and Torreses if you can, and expect clean sheets to finally arrive for Carragher and co. Tottenham too should find Burnley a more welcoming guest than Manchester United were to White Hart Lane, whilst Chelsea should prove too strong for Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic side. Arsenal have a chance to show their mettle with a trip to Fulham, and Manchester United will need to show theirs as they travel to Stoke. Manchester City complete the weekend’s action, with a home clash with West Ham.

My Team

Still going solid, all things told. Cesc Fabregas did his job as skipper with a late goal, whilst all three of my strikers performed well, including a goal for Darren Bent on his first outing for my side. Steven Gerrard picked up an assist, as did Emiliano Insua, whilst my decision to start Joe Hart proved inspired, as he was keeper-of-the-week with 8 points.

Just the one change this week, in comes Sylvain Distin of Everton to strengthen my defence. Kevin Foley’s drop to £3.9m precipitated this move, but Everton are resurgent and Distin will be integral to their improving defence. His fall in value (from £5m at the start) has worked to my advantage.

Football Media League

Jon Eggert Hallson is showing no sign of relenting at the top of Soccerlens’ league, his Handavinna side clung to top spot with a fine week – inspired by Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba & Ashley Cole. Behind him it is the battle of the Corrigans as Colin (Hats Off FC) and Dermot (Nil Satis XI) occupy second and third place, whilst a special mention must go to Greg Stark and his Ipswich Down side, who amassed 88 points thanks in part to having the likes of James Milner, Louis Saha & Gareth Barry amongst the bigger boys.

My side, the Baroque Social rose, salmon-like to 28th spot thanks to a solid week, but sit 56 points off the leaders. Wild card time anyone?

Tuesdays have never been so exciting. Even the institution that is the UEFA Champions League and the subsequent “Champions Tuesdays” fanfare it precipitated hasn’t managed to turn a day of boredom and wistful gazing towards weekends past and future into anything more than a filler day.

Seasoned office conversationalists agree on very little- the Euro, Jordan, the eternal cheese versus egg debate- yet most manage to reach a gruff compromise when it comes to naming the most banal day of any week. Tuesday.

Because it works like this. On a Monday you have weekend tales to tell, and in a strange way it can be nice to see people you haven’t seen for an entire two days again. You might even have a new shirt and tie from your weekend excursion to Gap. Wednesdays, well they tend to have office five-a-side in the evening, so the day can be spent picking and re-picking teams, as well as poring over the midweek football coupon.

Thursdays, well they are the start of the weekend these days aren’t they? And there are the five-a-side stories to embellish also. And the Friday feeling, twenty years after the PR department Crunchie tried and failed to, simply cannot be explained. You take that tie off and throw on the new polo, you plan a few drinks in a low-quality alehouse, you talk incessantly of plans for the weekend as if they are of great importance, and the work seems secondary somehow. Phones do not need answering, customers do not need serving, and the clock seems to be in on the act, ticking faster than normal.

Tuesday, by contrast, has nothing going for it. Sure you can chat about the Champions League action, but that only really helps fans of a couple of clubs (or the purist, but since when do they have office jobs?), you can maybe dissect a Monday night game (though SKY and ESPN seem reluctant to utilise this Premier League invention). Tuesdays drift by with nothing to discuss, nothing to enjoy, nothing to anticipate.

Well not any more. This week sees the most exciting time of year condense itself into….a Tuesday! Yes, the transfer window is slamming shut a day later than originally scheduled, due to an unforeseen Bank Holiday which will undoubtedly lead to a pile up of paperwork in the Premier League’s admin department, with most staff off parading round Notting Hill in hula skirts. So the 31st August deadline becomes the 1st September one. The Monday night deadline becomes the Tuesday teatime one.

And boy are we excited. Not as excited as Sky Sports News of course, that would be impossible, but excited nonetheless. Already sensible, grown men are preparing their phones for endless texts to news institutions offering dubious tip-offs. “Marouane Chamakh just arrived at my taxi rank looking for Shenley Training Centre, whatever could it mean?”

Some managers love the last few days of the deadline, Harry Redknapp is like the gambler who takes a jackpot out of a fruit machine- or twelve points from twelve- only to go after that repeat chance and throw another couple of million at a promising young full back.

Tony Pulis’ scout appears to have set up home in the North East and is attempting to relieve both Middlesbrough and Sunderland of all their players- expect Danny Collins and perhaps Kenwyne Jones to appear in a sentence beginning with “Stoke bid” before 5pm on Terrific Tuesday.

Paul Hart too, should be a busy man, Portsmouth’s squad quality may have plunged depths low enough to make Alain Perrin cackle, but he added four new faces on Friday. All of them rubbish. Expect a few more to fatten out the numbers over the next few days, with the last two remaining good players- David James and Niko Kranjcar- likely to leave.

Arsène Wenger is a lot more sensible of course, but still capable of a little deadline day indulgence. Andrey Arshavin was the (tedious) story of the last window, Lassana Diarra was snaffled on deadline day a couple of years back, Denílson a year previously. This year, he may decide to keep his credit card in his wallet after a useful start to the season, though if you ask most he should be scouring the aisles marked “Goalkeepers with goalkeeping ability” and “Strong tall centre midfielders”. Whether he will remains to be seen, Wenger is nothing if not loyal to his charges, but expect plenty of player sightings in and around St Albans this week.

Sir Alex Ferguson is another who is publicly sceptical of deadline day, though that didn’t stop him performing a Bronx-style kidnap on Dimitar Berbatov this time last year in a bid to stop the Bulgarian from taking his languid, chain-smoking, hair-flicking style to Manchester City. This year he has claimed a disinterest in further strengthening the Champions’ squad, though early signs suggest they may need a little fine tuning, perhaps in midfield. Looking round the pool of talent available however shows there are little obvious solutions to such a problem, particularly with Arjen Robben swapping white for red and Real Madrid for Bayern Munich this week.

Rafa Benítez meanwhile is turning over couches all over Merseyside as he looks to stump up enough cash to add in a bit more depth and quality to Liverpool’s squad. Sotirios Kyrgiakos may have been added, but at £2m represents the goo at the bottom of a barrel of sweets in terms of signings, and with the likes of Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin showing little sign of covering for Gerrard and Torres consistently, a new forward option is patently needed. One wonders whether loan moves for the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen or Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be feasible.

Manchester City seem to have quietened down a bit since they managed, via Joleon Lescott, to dismantle/galvanise (depending on who you listen to) Everton’s team spirit. Lescott & Sylvinho may be the end of Mark Hughes’ summer spending, but with City struggling to turn dominant possession into commanding wins, there may be a sneaky signing or two to arrive at Eastlands, even despite Pep Guardiola’s insistence that he holds little or no interest in signing Robinho.

And speaking of Everton, they are finally in a position to spend a bit of cash. But like the lad who has been out of work for so long that when he finally gets a paycheque, he spends it on needlessly costly designer clothes, David Moyes is taking risks in the market. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov cost £10m from Lokomotiv Moscow, whilst Sylvain Distin cost £5.3m from Portsmouth, both made a winning debut against Wigan yesterday. Reports suggest that perma-frown Scott Brown of Celtic, Johnny Heitinga of Atlético Madrid, and Ever Banega of Valencia will follow them into Finch Farm over the next few days, though Moyes’ forte has always been the capture and polishing of lesser known, hungrier players. His new policy will be under firm scrutiny over the coming months.

Elsewhere down the division, West Ham will be looking to sell before buying. Their latest raid on Serie B has been completed with the capture of Alessandro Diamante from Livorno (jury hasn’t even turned up yet on this one), but the likes of Carlton Cole, Matthew Upson and James Collins are all sure to be linked away as Gianfranco Zola attempts to balance the books, with an FA fine and potential ban for crowd disorder expected to add to the financial constraints at Upton Park. The Hammers have already turned down a bid for Upson from….Fiorentina?!!…but will be bracing themselves from bids from the likes of Villa &, of course, Spurs.

Phil Brown at Hull will be busy, and not just in the mirror either, as he looks to add low quality Sunderland players to his squad. Paul McShane looks a done deal, now if only we could get Daryl Murphy too, we would be certain to go down. Benjani may represent a better signing, though the fact that he was last seen carrying Emmanuel Adebayor’s luggage through the lobby of the Manchester Hilton may count against him.

Sunderland themselves are hatching a sneaky plan of their own, buoyed by Lee Cattermole’s decent start at the club, Steve Bruce is looking into a plan whereby every player who has a 6/10+ performance for Wigan over the last two seasons arrives on Wearside for big money- Maynor Figueroa and, cough, Titus Bramble the latest to be linked. Which is handy, because Roberto Martínez is adhering to a similar policy himself, with a sign in the DW Stadium reading “Wanted: Players. Must have Swansea/Spanish roots”. Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez could soon be joined by Ferrie Bodde, Angel Rangel and John Toshack at Wigan (suppose it’s either that or bring back Amr Zaki and his ego?).

Which leaves the quieter clubs, Bolton, Blackburn, Villa. Villa should add to unfortunate Richard Dunne to their ranks before the close, whilst both Gary Megson and Sam Allardyce will no doubt be maximising the filter option on Football Manager in a bid for cheap/loan signings. The Lancashire clubs in particular appear in dire need of some investment, even if Bolton’s just comes in the kit department.

So make the most of this week boys (and girls, there is no reason why girls can’t love a bit of transfer action), enjoy the moment, this Tuesday may be one of a kind. Terrific, tasty, tantalising……tedious. Wait and see.

Get all the latest premier league transfers and transfer news from Europe here.

Before Newcastle’s game with Spurs today, a black & white clad fan was asked to give her partisan opinion on the chances of Alan Shearer achieving what he has claimed would be “the biggest achievement of my career”. Her response was probably not as insightful as you might (or might not) have expected, but it was hard not to let the mind wander upon hearing it.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he put his boots on and picked himself before the end of the season.”

It isn’t the first time this “humorous” sentence has been uttered, and it probably won’t be the last, but in terms of relevance it will not have carried much more than it did today upon the Magpies’ tame 1-0 surrender to Spurs. Oh how this side craved a Shearer.

Actually, I am being a little harsh on Newcastle’s forwards. Whilst another zero in the goals-for column may suggest a problem with firepower, the presence of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins, and even Alan Smith on the field at the final whistle should, in theory, be enough to dispel any doubts about Newcastle’s propensity to score goals.

But since when has “in theory” been anything more than a two-word excuse for failure? The fact is that since Shearer’s arrival, only teenage forward Andy Carroll has managed to find the back of the net. With Geordies speaking of winning their three remaining home games (a bold claim considering they have won just four all season), this patently has to be addressed.

The return of Martins & Viduka will be a major fillip for Newcastle even if, just as today, they are fit enough only for a half hour burst. The burden of responsibility has hung on Owen’s shoulders for too long this season, and the simple fact is that he cannot do it on his own. He isn’t eighteen and fleet footed any more.

Yet the real problem need not be the lack of goals, nor even the defensive insecurity that has followed Newcastle teams around like a seedy stalker for the best part of two decades. In truth, the three fixtures Shearer’s side have faced since he elbowed his way into the managerial hot-seat could not have been much tougher.

Chelsea at home is never an easy task- it is almost tempting to suggest a trip to Stamford Bridge is a more appealing prospect given their current defensive woes in West London- whilst visits to two solid home sides in Stoke & Tottenham are unlikely to yield chances. Indeed, only Liverpool have conceded less goals at home than Harry Redknapp’s side, and with the smell of Europa Liga (it will never sound right will it) football in their nostrils, Spurs were always likely to boss this particular fixture.

But there are issues that do need addressing by Shearer and his players. The Carroll equaliser at Stoke aside, it is hard to remember too many clear chances fashioned by Newcastle. It took eighty five minutes here, with Martins collecting Ryan Taylor’s cross on his chest but firing over on the stretch. Before that, hope had predominantly come disguised in the form of woefully-delivered set-pieces- Taylor & Damien Duff competing for honours in that respect- and hopeful long range efforts.

In the Sky Sports studio sat Rob Lee, a loyal servant over a decade on Tyneside and a provider of many a midfield goal. Lee is a great friend of Shearer’s, one of the people who first allowed the talk of his “wicked sense of humour” to reach the public domain. How his old chum must yearn for a midfield runner in his mould in this current side.

Instead, today he had Kevin Nolan & Nicky Butt. To the untrained eye, Nolan looked a shrewd piece of business by Newcastle in the January transfer window. At Bolton he had spent the best part of a decade chipping in with his share of goals and assists from midfield, impressing his managers enough to earn himself the captaincy at the Reebok.

But further inspection reveals that cracks have been appearing in his game for roughly three seasons. Before the start of this season, FourFourTwo magazine asked a fan of each English club to name the one player they would “happily drive to their next club”. The Bolton fan’s response to this was “Kevin Nolan- but only after I had bumped the suspension up.”

This might be crude, unfair even. But even given the hypocrisy of a pie-eating armchair fan deriding a professional athlete for their physique, the truth is unavoidable. Today, against the energy of Wilson Palacios and the strength and composure of Tom Huddlestone, Nolan looked a has-been. And he is only 26.

Gone are the midfield raids of his early Bolton days, gone are the well-timed bursts from deep which drew comparisons with Steven Gerrard during his teenage years. Gone even is the energy which saw him cover some serious yardage even during his poor games. Gone it seems, are his best days.

Alongside Butt, Nolan offered little by way of creativity or thrust, and comprehensively lost the midfield battle against the two stars of the show in Palacios & Huddlestone. Whilst Butt can point to age and the fact that, to be honest, going forward has never been where his qualities have lain, Nolan it seems has only himself to blame. His fitness looks questionable, and as a result his quality is suffering.

The same could also be said of Damien Duff, although to be fair the Irishman had some mitigating circumstances considering the lack of a natural left back in the side today, which meant he spent the most part firefighting against the raiding Aaron Lennon. Duff was one the most exciting wingers in the Premier League- and I include Ryan Giggs in that assessment- prior to his switch to Chelsea, and even at Stamford Bridge his performances impressed sufficiently to convince Jose Mourinho he was worth a key role in two Premiership-winning campaigns.

But since those days, he has suffered with injuries, confidence-crises and a lack of support. Currently, Duff is a shadow of a player. The once terrifying dribbles from the left flank have given way to an ineffective, buck-passing type of game whereby responsibility is shifted as soon as possible by relieving oneself of the ball with a first time pass, whilst his goal tally has been reduced to a farcical level (5 in 77 for Newcastle).

The sale of James Milner to Aston Villa in August may have put £12m in the bank account, but it also effectively removed any threat from wide areas, something which a free transfer- Peter Lovenkrands- is unlikely to provide in anything other than sporadic fashion.

With Jonas Gutierrez’s work-rate and desire taking him down more blind alleys than a new-boy cop currently, and with only Danny Guthrie- tidy but hardly effervescent- in reserve, Newcastle have a serious problem creating chances, with the likes of Owen dropping deeper and deeper in a bid just to put boot on ball.

A lot of burden has been assumed by Ryan Taylor at right back, which says it all really. His free kicks, crosses and long-throws are just about the only things that enable Newcastle to get the ball into the penalty area with any threat, unless Martins can conjure something from nothing.

It says a lot for the state of the midfield that a lot of neutrals suspect the return of Joey Barton from injury may be pivotal in Newcastle’s season. And few Geordies would like to admit this, but envious glances must be cast to rivals Sunderland, who can call on Steed Malbranque, Kieran Richardson & Andy Reid to unlock doors for their strikers.

Of course it is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom a defeat, and the subsequent four-point gap to safety, and Newcastle could easily have snatched a decent point here, but there are some painful truths being learnt by the interim’s interim at the moment.

It isn’t a Shearer he needs, it’s a Rob Lee. Hell, a Keith Gillespie would do right about now…..

Luiz Felipe Scolari shed some insight into his situation at Chelsea right before he was given the pink slip by Roman Abramovich on Monday. He admitted that he had no relationship with his players off the pitch, and took several players (their initials are D.D. and F.M.) to task for not playing well. Oh, and he believes that Robinho would have solved all his problems.

By the way, Chelsea are hemorrhaging funds, and that doesn’t include Scolari’s expected £7.5m buyout. Hmm… They paid Mourinho and Grant a combined £23 million. That’s £30.5m for their last three managers. You know who they could have gotten for (almost) that amount of money? Here’s a hint, he plays at Manchester City, he really wanted Kaka to come over, and he scored one of the sweetest goals you’ll ever see against Italy, this past Tuesday.

It will be a tense weekend in the Beckham home, and not because Becks’ alleged former paramour is pregnant. L.A. Galaxy is expected to decide on Friday if they want to sell their prized asset to A.C. Milan. Becks, for his part, seems to be shunning the Milan night life, much to Posh’s happiness.

The ageless Ryan Giggs has signed a new contract with Manchester United. Hey, if he keeps scoring them like this, then he’s a steal as far as I’m concerned.

Sven Goran Eriksson got the dreaded vote of confidence from the Mexican Football Federation as he continues to be linked to Portsmouth. By the way, one of his assistant coaches slapped U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk after the U.S. defeated Mexico on Wednesday. Stay classy Mexico!

Unsettled Tottenham striker Darren Bent is upset and he isn’t going to take it anymore! No truth to the rumor that Harry Redknapp asked for that vow in writing.

Virgin Airlines has capitalized on Robbie Keane’s misery. That ain’t right.

Louis Saha hopes to be back, this weekend, for Everton’s F.A. Cup tie with Aston Villa. In other news, it’s showing in Hell and Godot finally showed up.

Want to know way more about Andrei Arshavin than you ever wanted to?

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has effectively shown Gilberto the exit door after publicly declaring that the Brazilian international has no future at White Hart Lane.

This follows a disastrous performance against Spartak Mowcow in the UEFA Cup on Thursday in what was his first appearance for Spurs under Harry Redknapp but it already seems to be his last match for the north London club.

Speaking to The Sun, Harry Redknapp said quite bluntly:

“I don’t really think he has a future here. The boy doesn’t want to play here, he doesn’t feel confident playing here. I think he was happy to come off at half-time.”

Gilberto was signed in January on a free transfer in spite of failing a medical. So far he has managed to feature in only six Premier League matches and has been nothing short of a flop in the Premier League.

Thanks to the British tabloid the News of the World, we now know all about Tottenham Hotspur’s crush on England internationals Owen and Cole.

According to the notorious tabloid, revived (well, sort of revived) Premier League side Tottenham are eager to reinforce their attackline in January by signing England internationals Michael Owen and Joe Cole from Newcastle United and Chelsea respectively.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp previously managed Joe Cole at West Ham United in the first few years of this century. Cole then moved to Chelsea in 2004 and is said to be happy at Stanford Bridge.

It has now been reported that Redknapp wants to re-embrace Cole, this time at White Hart Lane. After reviving the White Lilies, Redknapp now aims to bring some exciting and entertaining football to north London.

Spurs have also been linked with the Newcastls striker Michael Owen. Owen’s contract at St. James’ Park ends at the end of the season and he is free to talk to other clubs next month.

Spurs have been linked with a number of players in the past few weeks and Harry Redknapp himself has admitted that he would sign a couple of players at least in January. Could Cole and Owen be those players?

Eddie’s out of town for the weekend, so you guys are stuck with me! Let’s get to the latest batch of transfer rumors.

No Loaner for Alex

Chelsea have rejected a proposed loan deal for their defender, Alex, to PSV Eindhoven. Alex was reported to have formally requested a transfer earlier this week, only for Chelsea to issue a denial on their website.

Analysis: Alex knows he won’t get too many chances with Terry and Carvalho in front of him, but considering the health of those two, Chelsea can’t afford to let him get away. Should be interesting to see how this plays out. The immovable object or the irresistible force.

Newcastle Target Upson

West Ham’s Matthew Upson could be headed to Newcastle for £8 million.

Analysis: Joe Kinnear is keen on the England international, and West Ham’s financial difficulties could play into his hands. Newcastle need to bring in some quality players, especially if they lose Owen, Ameobi, Martins, or Butt.

Kranjcar Pledges Loyalty to Pompey

Arsenal target, Niko Kranjcar, has stated that he won’t be leaving Portsmouth. It’s been reported that Arsene Wenger was preparing a £12.5 million bid for the Croatian playmaker.

Analysis: Kranjcar would be a natural replacement for Rosicky, who makes Owen Hargreaves and Louis Saha look like iron-men. With Portsmouth’s new owners coming in, maybe they’ll be able to hold on to some of their top players.

Drogba To Stay… For Now

The long-running Didier Drogba saga got some clarification as the Ivorian striker stated that he has no intention of leaving the club in January. Of course, the summer is another story.

Analysis: With the way they’ve been looking at other strikers, Chelsea have been acting like they’re resigned to losing Drogba, if not in the winter, then definitely over the summer.

New Deal for Evans

Manchester United defender, Jonny Evans, will sign a new 5-year contract in January that will pay him £50,000 a week.

Analysis: Evans has established himself as a reliable understudy to Ferdinand and Vidic, and should only get better.

Ramos to Move for Lennon?

New Real Madrid boss, Juande Ramos, has expressed an interest in signing his old winger, Aaron Lennon, from Tottenham. It will cost them, though, as Spurs have placed a £20 million price tag on him.

Analysis: That seems like a lot for someone who has struggled, at times, to get into the starting lineup at White Hart Lane and should struggle to get into the Real Madrid lineup. Then again, it could just be Juande Ramos’ way of stirring up trouble with his old club.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has dismissed all press reports suggesting that Russian international striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was on the club’s want-away list, insisting that the player was very much in his plans.

The 13 million pound signing from Spartak Mowcow has been in indifferent form since his arrival at White Hart Lane and there has been incessant reports linking Pavlyuchenko with a move out of north London.

But Redknapp has dismissed all those rumours and has stubbornly claimed that the Russian shall remain on board at Spurs after January.

“That is absolute rubbish. I have got two strikers available tomorrow, Fraizer Campbell can’t play as he can’t play against Manchester United and he has a calf strain. The two strikers I have got here are Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko so how can I be offloading anybody? He [Pavlyuchenko] is a quality player and I don’t know where that report has come from.”

Pavlyuchenko has scored six times for Spurs since Harry Redknapp was made the new manager of Tottenham. His game has taken a lift with the former Portsmouth boss in charge and it appears that the Russian shall play on for Spurs.

Good for Tottenham fans!

A sense of realism and admittance of mistakes by the Tottenham board in October has lead to the most inspired move by them since the appointment of Bill Nicholson. After eight games and sixteen points into his reign as Tottenham manager, the appointment of Harry Redknapp is fast becoming the signing of the decade let alone the season.

Despite being in the bottom half of the table and the visit of champions Manchester United looming at the weekend, the signs are positive for a Spurs team considered genuine relegation material under the now Real Madrid Manager Jaunde Ramos and the Daniel Levy devised structure involving a Director of Sport in Damien Comolli.

The change of management structure and the first English Manager appointed since Glenn Hoddle in 2001 has seen Tottenham move away from the bottom of the table after the worst start in their history.

Levy whom in 2006 was voted the most popular chairman in London must be given credit for acting swiftly and decisively in bringing in the right man for Tottenham, at the right time and letting him take control. With the initial tests of a North London derby and the first win against a top four side in two years secured, the next test for Redknapp will be his recruitment in the January window.

This time last year Damien Comolli and Jaunde Ramos were working in tandem to bring in new players to move the club up the table. Working together was something that was missing with Ramos’ predecessor Martin Jol who claimed his requests for players and the positions that needed strengthening were ignored by Comolli and lead to his dismissal a few months later. The signings of Chris Gunter from Cardiff , Middlesbrough’s Captain Jonathan Woodgate and Rangers flying fullback Alan Hutton for a combined fee of £20m brought a lot of optimism to the fans and faith in the new set up.

The signings of Hutton and Woodgate, who would score his first goal for the club to win the Carling Cup against Chelsea, were large factors in Spurs’ first trophy for nine years. This allowed time for Ramos, as the team limped to the end of the season after a cruel exit from the Uefa cup a few weeks after Wembley. Time that in hindsight he scarcely deserved when looking at his record at the point of dismissal. A handful of Premier League wins in the ten months of 2008 would bring about the Spaniards demise. His lack of communication and ability to understand the demands of the Premier League is in stark contrast to that of Redknapp with 15 years Premier League experience and the ability to make teams competitive with minimum financial backing at West Ham and Portsmouth.

With net spend in the summer of £5m and a compensation package to the former set up totalling £10m, the increased revenue brought about by increased ticket prices and TV money should allow Redknapp to be competitive in the transfer window, Manchester City notwithstanding. Defoe, Diarra, Johnson at Portsmouth, Dunne of Manchester City and Greene, Parker and Upson at West Ham are all realistic targets especially the trio at West Ham not being cup tied for Europe. Parker having turned down Tottenham on three occasions would be the Woodgate signing for this year. The first genuine competitive midfielder the club has had since Graham Roberts moved north of the border twenty years ago.

If this signing followed up with a sound replacement for the error prone Gomes and the continuing fitness of King Spurs not only could avoid relegation but in the second half of the season challenge for the sixth place and possible second year out at Wembley in the league cup.

Redknapp will need to prove he is as good with money as he is without. It will also show the Tottenham fans and the football world what his plans for the future of Tottenham are. A big name centre back will see the beginning of the end of Ledley King’s Tottenham playing career. The signing of Defoe will raise question marks over Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Both of whom will have their futures considered in January and the summer.

January and the following five months will also prove to the outside world that Redknapp is a manager of genuine substance and not just the cockney wheeler dealer that he has been perceived as since his West Ham days. A perception that has seen Redknapp overlooked for the top jobs in the country including the England Managers job. A role deemed worthy of Steve Mclaren after less than a third of Redknapp’s time in the Premier League. The ‘Harry Houdini’ reputation will be enhanced but it will the competitiveness of Tottenham against the big four and the middle weight sides of Villa and Everton that he will want to be judged on. Tottenham travel to Utd, Liverpool, Villa and Everton while entertaining Chelsea and Arsenal before the end of the season.

The success of Redknapp’s moves in the forthcoming window will go a long way to defining both his Tottenham’s reputation within the league. The title of team most likely has been passed onto Villa and Everton. Now, if Tottenham are to regain that fifth place spot and challenge the top four, then Harry will need to make signings as inspired as the Tottenham board’s in October.