Why are Daniel Levy et al so obsessed with Stuart Downing? I mean he's no donkey I suppose, but if he's worth over £15m then so is... erm, David Bentley! The player obviously does a lot of work that your average Joe just doesn't notice because Spurs seem desperate for him, Boro' refuse to let him go under any circumstances and a succession of England managers have been convinced that he's the best left winger in the country. I just don't see it myself.Anyway, the good news is that Boro's hilarious faux disgust at another club legitimately offering a vast sum of money for a distinctly average player seems to have done enough to rebuff our advances yet again. Thank God for that. Money may talk but surely the powers that be at Boro' would look like complete dingbats if they let him go now they've thrown all their toys out of their pram.
Anyway, I don't think we need him. The other night Jamie O'Hara showed glimpses of what I really hope is things to come. For me this boy has the potential to become a key member of the team. He can pass, shoot, tackle, take a player on and is clearly committed to the shirt. Just look at how he was shouting encouragement to his team mates, really revving people up. You could see what that second half performance meant to him at the final whistle. I know he gets a bit of stick every now and again on the message boards, but people need to remember he's still developing. Teams are rarely made up of 11 superstars, every team needs it's grafters and journeymen. I believe academy graduate O'Hara could be the beating heart of Tottenham for years to come - future captain material no less.
And let's not forget the impending return of Giovanni (when did we stop calling him Dos Santos by the way?). Much has been made of whether he will a Spurs player for much longer, but he is already a fans favourite and 'Arry has shown he's not one to flog a perfectly good player for no reason. I'm hoping that the little smiling Mexican is the main beneficiary of our failure to land Downing. I think he's already proved he can cut it with the big boys, he has all the flair and running of Lennon but with a bit more end product. I'd love to see him on the comeback trail getting half an hour here and there over the next few weeks.
So all this talk of handing Boro' the remains of our transfer kitty is getting on my nerves. Sometimes, not often mind you but sometimes, I wish we'd just give our existing players a fair crack of the whip.
