In short, Survival Sunday means absolutely everything for Tottenham Hotspur. A win against Fulham at White Hart Lane will, at the very least, make Spurs favorites to once again earn Champions League. A draw or a loss, however, could mean more than just those “Spursdays Thursdays” I’ve often joked about during the current campaign. Failing to earn Champions League football could mean the beginning of the end of this particular Tottenham squad, one that, back on January 1, was actually thought by some to be real title contenders. The 2011-12 Tottenham roller coaster docks for good on Sunday.

Let’s hope for a safe stop.

What Survival Sunday means for Tottenham Hotspur: The table

Manchester City and Manchester United clinched spots one and two in the Premier League table awhile back. Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle United will be playing for third and fourth place. The Gunners enter Sunday as the team with total control of their destiny. They are on 67 points. Spurs are on 66 points, and Newcastle are on 65.

What Survival Sunday means for Tottenham Hotspur: Possible results

A Tottenham win at home coupled with either Arsenal losing to or tying West Brom (Arsenal and Newcastle are both away on Survival Sunday) would guarantee third place for Spurs. Things get interesting, however, when you consider the possibility of Arsenal and Tottenham finishing the season level on 67 points. Arsenal currently have a goal difference of +24, while Spurs have a goal difference of +23. If Arsenal lose 1-0 to West Brom AND Spurs tie Fulham, the teams would finish level on points and goal difference. Arsenal would then earn third place based on total goals scored (maybe, but more on that in a bit). Assume for a moment, however, that Arsenal lose by two goals on Sunday AND Spurs tie Fulham. Both teams would be level on points, but Spurs would have the goal difference advantage.

To summarize, a Tottenham draw on Sunday isn’t a guaranteed disastrous result for Spurs; unless Newcastle win.

What Survival Sunday means for Tottenham Hotspur: If Spurs don’t win

A Tottenham-Fulham draw would put Spurs on 67 points. This means Tottenham would need Arsenal to lose by two goals or more to jump up to third place. That wouldn’t happen, however, if Newcastle went on to defeat Everton, as Newcastle would then be on 68 points. A Newcastle draw coupled with a Spurs loss would earn Tottenham fourth place based on goal difference (barring an historic collapse from Spurs, one that resulted in them getting shelled at home).

What Survival Sunday means for Tottenham Hotspur: Summary

A Spurs win guarantees them a fourth place finish, and could result in them finishing in third if Arsenal draw or lose. A Spurs tie could land them in either third, fourth or fifth place depending on the Newcastle and Arsenal results. A Spurs loss guarantees them a fourth place at best finish, and they’d go down to fifth only if Newcastle defeat Everton.

My head is starting to hurt.

One final significant note. A fourth place finish will only earn Tottenham, Arsenal or Newcastle Champions League if Bayern Munich defeat Chelsea on May 19. A Chelsea win on that day will relegate the fourth place finishers to Thursday night Europa League matches.

What Survival Sunday means for Tottenham Hotspur: Overall

Fans of City, United, Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle all have reason to scoreboard watch on Sunday. Only if Tottenham fail to beat Fulham does the day change from exciting to “I may be minutes away from an emotional collapse” for Spurs supporters. Those in the United States have access to all “meaningful” Premier League games taking place on May 13. A full TV schedule for Survival Sunday can be found here.

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Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/survival-sunday-means-tottenham-hotspur-193400499--sow.html

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric decided not to wait until this coming Saturday’s Champions League Final to stir up rumors regarding his future. Depending on what takes place this weekend in Munich, it could once again be one rough summer for Spurs and the team’s supporters.

Sources such as The Telegraph reported on Thursday that Modric could look to leave Spurs this summer if Tottenham are again without Champions League football next fall. According to the reports, Modric told the media “I will decide about my future after the Euros. I will make the decision where to continue my career. I’m ready for the big tests.”

This news is hardly a surprise. Along with Modric, Gareth Bale and Benoit Assou-Ekotto both recently made similar comments regarding their desires to play in Champions League, although Assou-Ekotto did later admit that he is currently loyal to Spurs regardless of what takes place this weekend. What is a bit of a head-scratcher, however, is that Modric chose to make such comments before this Saturday.

Chelsea will take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final on May 19. Bayern Munich are favorites to win the contest, largely because the match will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. Were Chelsea to pull off one final stunning victory in the competition, however, they would steal the Premier League’s fourth and final spot in next season’s Champions League. That spot currently belongs to Spurs, who finished fourth in the EPL table.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy told supporters in his end of the season address that Spurs do not intend to lose their star players this summer regardless of what takes place on May 19. Levy and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp made similar comments last August when Spurs were stuck with Europa League fixtures. The two remained true to their words, as Spurs held onto Modric despite both the player’s desire to join Chelsea and the Blues offering £40m for the midfielder.

Spurs cannot truly begin to make plans for the summer until the conclusion of Saturday’s Champions League Final. A Bayern Munich victory that allows Tottenham to back into next season’s competition could help silence Modric and other players on the squad, and also allow Spurs to bring in the talent needed to keep everybody happy. Such acquisitions could be the difference between Spurs routinely enjoying European football, and a Tottenham team that leaves fans wondering where it all went wrong.

Modric has been linked with a potential move to new league champs Manchester City, and the player could force a transfer following Saturday’s result. A Chelsea win in the Final that’s followed by Modric submitting a transfer request could make things complicated, but Levy and Redknapp must, if faced with such a scenario, first look into moving Modric to a big name team located out of the country. Losing Modric would be harsh enough.

Having to see him on the opposite end of the pitch multiple times in one season would merely be a reminder of the season that wasn’t for Spurs.

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Article source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/spurs-fan-luka-modric-could-again-look-leave-211500865--sow.html

According to The Daily Mail, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis plan to present van Persie with two options when they meet on Wednesday to discuss his future with the club:

Stay, or stay longer.

As in, van Persie can either accept a new deal, which would likely afford him wages of £130,000 a week for three years, along with a £5 million signing-on fee.

Or, he can play out the final 12 months of his current contract and shop his services freely thereafter.

In essence, Arsenal plans to go all-in on van Persie (on its own terms, of course) while also testing his commitment to the club. The wounds opened by the sales of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy are likely still fresh in the hearts and minds of Gunners’ brass after another season without silverware that was derailed, at least in part, by last summer’s shakeup.

The loss of a talismanic talent like RVP would probably push Le Professeur and his associates at the Emirates Stadium into scramble mode once again and, in turn, jeopardize the pursuit of the club’s first trophy since 2005.

Of course, such a hardline stance is not without its perils. The refusal to sell van Persie, the PFA Player of the Year and leading goalscorer in the English Premier League, means that Arsenal may lose him for nothing rather than using him to bleed millions in transfer fees from one of the umpteen powerhouse clubs that are rumored to be after him.

It’s also entirely possible that the ultimatum will upset the notoriously moody van Persie and serve as the festering point for a melodrama that could consume the entire side in its chase for glory.

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Then again, the Gunners can take some modicum of comfort in the no-nonsense approach that North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur took in its dealings with Luka Modric. Harry Redknapp and Daniel Levy refused to sell him to Chelsea and, after an early-season tiff, were able to coax some fabulous football out of the cranky Croatian.

But while Wenger and Gazidis will be the ones proposing the options to van Persie, it is they who will have no choice in this matter. They must keep van Persie at all costs, as much to chase silverware in one regard as to stave off the wrath of angry, title-thirsty Gooners in another. For them, it’s as much a matter of victory as it is one of job security.

And when there’s that much on the line, with such an important player hanging in the balance, the riskiest option is also the only one worth choosing.

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Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1184811-arsenal-fc-gunners-smart-to-take-risky-stance-with-robin-van-persie

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Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1182085-arsenal-fc-end-of-year-awards-for-arsene-wengers-gunners

Via the Daily Mail:

And it is understood Van Persie, who currently earns a basic wage of £70,000-per-week, will be offered a new three-year deal worth around £130,000-per-week—eclipsing the pay packages of Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. Van Persie will also be offered £5 million signing-on fee if he pledges his future to the club.

By offering Van Persie a £130,000 weekly wage, almost double what he’s getting now, the club has shown their desire to spend the money necessary to win trophies.

However, the decision to sign is going to come down to the Dutchman’s willingness to commit to a club that hasn’t won silverware since the 2005 FA Cup.

Supporters have grown tired of the club allowing many of its big name players to leave and thus making it difficult for manager Arsene Wenger to have the talent needed to win silverware.

After seeing stars such as Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy leave Arsenal for big spending clubs over the past year, Van Persie will probably want assurance from the Gunners management that it will spend the necessary amount to field a squad capable of winning trophies before he puts pen to paper.

After receiving a lot of criticism from fans about letting those players leave and not replacing them with the same level of talent, the Gunners need to make a strong effort in the summer transfer market to prove to top-tier players that the club is serious about winning.

Players won’t want to come to Arsenal, or stay when their contract is up, if they know the club won’t make the financial effort needed to compete with the big spenders. Like it or not, you have to spend big in the transfer window to achieve Premier League and Champions League success.

The last three clubs to win the Premier League—Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea—have all spent a lot of money on transfers in recent seasons.

If Arsenal want to regain the throne of English football, they must spend more money to bolster the squad, and giving Van Persie a massive contract is a good start.

The Gunners have made a strong effort to keep Van Persie at the Emirates and offer him an enormous salary by club standards, and it’s up to the Dutchman to believe that Arsenal will show that same financial strength in the transfer window to end the club’s trophy drought.

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Article source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1184006-arsenal-fc-offering-robin-van-persie-a-record-contract-shows-desire-to-win