Tottenham Hotspur has had a week that many who consider themselves soccer fans would not like to remember.

Although they came out on top in a 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday, Tottenham left the stadium feeling uncomfortable, after spending a good portion of the match receiving anti-Semitic chants from a small portion of West Ham supporters.

These anti-Semitic chants come days after Tottenham took a trip to Rome to face Lazio fora Europa League match, which came with a large amount of anti-Semitic abuse and one Tottenham fan being stabbed in a confrontation at a local bar in Rome shortly after the match.

West Ham fans were reportedly found chanting “Viva Lazio” throughout a portion of the match, and were also found mocking the gassing of Jews during the Holocaust.

The Football Association, along with West Ham United, plans to look into these chants and  punish those found guilty, which could involve lifelong bans from the grounds.

But the questions still remain: Why is Tottenham such a common target? Why has the abuse increased now? And why do these types of chants still exist in today’s game?

Being from the North London area, Tottenham has a large Jewish fan base. And being one of the oldest clubs in England, founded in 1882, their fans have gone through many years in which anti-Semitic abuse was sadly common.

Tottenham supporters joined together to nickname themselves “Yids,” not because their rivals called them this, but because they believed that accepting the name would take the negative connotations out of it, and later help stop the unnecessary abuse. Other fans disagree with taking the nickname as their own; many believe that accepting it would lead to more and even worse abuse from rivals.

It is not just Tottenham that are receiving abuse from their rivals.

Other well known rivalries have led to harsh abuse over the years. For example, Liverpool and Manchester United are always having issues: some Liverpool fans reference the Munich Air Disaster in their chants, and some Manchester United fans can be found chanting about the Hillsborough Disaster.

The reason why such racial and anti-Semitic abuse has increased in recent weeks is not quite clear. There is always tension between fans, and with international championships like the UEFA Champions League underway, teams from different countries travel to one another, and often travel straight into the firing line of racial and anti-Semitic abuse that goes far beyond the soccer pitch.

Something that has made soccer into the beautiful game that everyone has come to know and love, is that the long histories that each club has with its fans is well known by all. Although hooliganism has decreased a considerable amount in the past couple of decades, many of the older supporters from past generations have left a somewhat disfiguring impression on modern day supporters, and on what they consider to be morally correct actions. This explains how many of these chants and songs have stood the test of time, and are still used today.

Unfortunately, much of the old ways of being a fan have found their way into modern day. Even though the racial and anti-Semitic abuse is considered wrong and immoral, it is still used and could be considered common banter. In the end, we as supporters need to look at ourselves and ask if it is necessary. Only then will supporters who choose to chant these insults realize all they’re doing is hurting their own club, and themselves.

Image Courtesy : Tottenham Hotspur

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The international break is here and the English Premiership is off for a week’s break. In all honestly though no one wanted that to happen, such has been the excitement we have enjoyed since the resumption of the world’s most popular league – especially this past weekend.

Here are a couple of points:

• The Mighty Gunners of North London

I am super excited about the Gunners, so much so that I’m ordering a brand new replica jersey… I will admit I was thrilled to see Song leave Arsenal. I have nothing against him, he’s a wonderful talent and I truly believe he will go on to reach great heights at Barcelona. But to me Song was one of the main reasons for Arsenal’s downs last season.

It’s still too early to go around claiming vindication but the early signs are encouraging.

Yes, the season is only three games old, but the midfield of Arteta, Diaby and Carzola is looking scrumptious. Their performance against Liverpool was simply outstanding. They nullified Liverpool’s midfield and were able to set a platform for one of Arsenal’s finest league wins in recent seasons. The Gunners did ride their luck a bit; there were a couple of penalty shouts that could have easily gone the other way on another day, but after 90 minutes there was no arguing who was the better team.

Diaby. Well, what can you say? He was amazing.

When he arrived at Arsenal seven years ago from Auxerre he was said to be the new Vieira. This, however, never really materialized because he was unable to consistently play in his favorite position – frequently being deployed on the wing or further forward – while injuries also hampered him greatly.

Although he showed glimpses of his immense talent he was never settled so was never a nailed down player.

Thankfully Diaby’s back to full fitness and, based on Sunday’s evidence, could be Arsenal’s most important player in their quest for silverware.

I really believe Arsenal can challenge for the league title this season.

That midfield trio of Arteta, Diaby and Carzola is comparable to any in the league and the defensively the team suddenly looks pretty solid.

I’m happy with Jenkinson. He’s not the most refined player, but he has won me over in the last two games – games which have not been easy tasks, and have posed different challenges.

In dealing with the physical threat of Stoke and then the pace and guile of Raheem Sterling against Liverpool, Jenkinson has shown he can be a resourceful option at rightback. He’s still nervous, yes, and this coupled with his relative lack of technique means he’s prone to mistakes in possession. Nevertheless, I would like to see him get an extended run in the team.

The Mertesacker-Vermaelen combination also deserves to continue at the heart of Arsenal’s defence. Despite shaky moments from each against Liverpool, both were generally outstanding. I felt they complimented each other well, and Vermaelen’s all-action style is well-matched by Mertesacker’s composed approach.

It’s often pointed out that the most effective centreback partnerships are ones which comprise of differing personalities; the cool guy and the crazy guy – for example Carvalho and Terry, Ferdinand and Vidic, Pique and Puyol.

You would hope this partnership is given a chance to flourish because so far it hasn’t let the team down.

Upfront there remains a slight worry in terms of where the goals will consistently come from. But, for me, the most important thing is to keep this group together. Fingers crossed then that Arsenal doesn’t suffer any injuries over this international break.

• The Paul Scholes Conundrum

There’s still no convincing explanation why Paul Scholes doesn’t start more often for Manchester United.

Scholes himself has frequently said he wants to play more. Ok, he is 37, so maybe he can’t play every game, but he should be used as much as possible.

There are perhaps games where Scholes won’t be suited; a Stoke perhaps, who are more physical and where his tackling would be called into question more often. Maybe a Newcastle away too on the evidence of their victory over United last season which was underpinned by a frenetic pace and direct approach.

Probably against such styles you would require more mobility, stamina and force in midfield.

But otherwise it’s clear that Scholes should play every game. He changed the game on Sunday against Southampton.

United looks like a much different team when Scholes is on the pitch. His passing range is remarkable, and what’s more, he always seems to pick the right pass. That’s what makes him special. Scholes also brings a sense of calm and direction to the team, and because he’s been a midfield guru from his youth, he knows all the tricks of the trade.

Scholes should be played in his favored role as the creative fulcrum, not as at Everton where he was the deepest of United’s midfielders.

Scholes in my book is key to whether United will compete this season.

• Swansea Splendour

Swansea are the story of the league so far. Continuing on from they left off under Brendan Rodgers, the Swans are third and flying after three games.

Apart from their lofty ranking Swansea are also an illustration of how English football has evolved in the last ten years – the passing and technique-based football, with a sprinkling of tactical discipline.

You could see it with Southampton (against United) as well while teams like Wigan and Fulham have an emphasis on quality possession at the core of their philosophies.

There’s a place for the other side as well as Carroll showed brilliantly with West Ham, as Stoke does so effectively and as the variation Newcastle and Everton have to their strategy.

It just makes the Premiership that more intriguing because there are so many different styles.

It also means this will be the toughest season yet. Year on year this league is getting tougher and tougher. There is no side you can say are obvious favorites for relegation, nor can you say playing a certain way will guarantee success as opposed another style.

Southampton may be pointless after three games, but they were five minutes from beating Man United and gave City a real fright on the opening day of the season.

• Liverpool…

While Rodgers’ old team is going great guns, his new team–Liverpool–has some problems.

First, I believe they’ve tried to change things a bit too quickly. Rodgers has attempted to revolutionize Liverpool’s style into a technique-based, meticulous one. It doesn’t completely suit all the players at his disposal, for example Gerrard. Stevie G is a world-class footballer, full-stop. However, Liverpool’s new style more often than not entails measured build-ups while Gerrard is an explosive player, always looking to add tempo. At times this means he’s not on the same wavelength with the system, as evidenced by a couple of personal errors so far on his part.

Most of Liverpool’s transfer activity also hasn’t made sense.

One thing that’s a blessing is Suarez is now the undisputed main man and there’s no distraction of Carroll (even if it’s still a bit of a blunder not to have had a replacement for Carroll in place). A three-man midfield with Gerrard supporting Suarez is Liverpool at their best, something akin to the deadly Torres-Gerrard combo of 2008-09.

The only problem, though, is that Suarez is not a prolific scorer. This puts pressure on Liverpool’s other attackers to find the net, and if you look at the team-sheet there are no other scorers except for Gerrard. At the moment I see Borini as a bit of a weak link. Both he and Sterling are not goalscorers, but Sterling offers sharp penetration, which Borini hasn’t done so far.

Liverpool needs someone out-wide who can score. This is where an Afellay might have been an option, and is what Kuyt used to do.

Signing Owen would have helped too. It might have meant changing the system a bit, but Liverpool would have had the goal threat they are missing.

Other parts, though not yet perfect, are fine. Without Lucas, Liverpool lacks a presence on the defensive side in midfield. Nevertheless, the midfield group as a whole has real quality, and with Shelvey lately making himself a good option, it is likely going to serve Liverpool well.

The defense and keeper are also proven Premiership quality.

However, it will take some time for Liverpool to be transformed into a winning team that also plays to the manager’s philosophy.

• AVB and Spurs…

Another man of change is Andre Villas-Boas; the man tries to change things too much whenever he lands. He looks to be repeating the same mistakes he made at Chelsea. The jettisoning of Dawson, for example, makes little sense. He has been one of Tottenham’s best defenders over recent seasons and he understands the club. Vertonghen, has been thrown in the deep end.

Although Tottenham endured a poor finish to last season under Harry Redknapp they did finish fourth. The previous three seasons the Spurs have finished 4th, 5th and 4th, a pretty incredible sequence. This is the standard that’s been set by Harry’s superb work and, sadly, I feel the Spurs have taken a step back so far.

That’s not to say AVB will not have success at White Hart Lane. He may well achieve it, but it’s unlikely to be this season.

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After a week filled with the usual stars shining, cross-town rivals Manchester United and Manchester City sit at the top of the standings while Liverpool and Chelsea battle for third and fourth place.

Not coming as a surprise, due to all of the drama surrounding Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger, the usual top tier team is sitting in 17th place. Along with this, Tottenham sits in last place after three weeks, the lowest the team has ever been in the standings in the last couple of years.

Aston Villa 0:0 Wolverhampton

Coming off of an easy 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers last week, Aston Villa went into this week eager to get another three points to keep them in the middle of the standings.

However, it was not the case after a drawn out 90 minutes of play leaving both Villa and Wolverhampton scoreless. Aston Villa controlled the second half of play, but were unable to capitalize on chances against an unwavering Wolverhampton defense.

Wigan Athletic 2:0 Queens Park Rangers

A very hard-fought battle between two evenly matched teams was altered by the foot of Wigan’s Franco Di Santo, who scored one goal in each half to give his team the win. Queens Park Rangers didn’t go down without a fight, with Adel Taarabt hitting the post twice in the first half that could have given the new boys to the English Premier league the draw.

Chelsea 3:1 Norwich City

Being the clear favorites against the newly promoted Norwich City, Chelsea showed their superiority with a well thought win. Norwich City showed signs of upsetting the powerhouse from Stamford Bridge, when Grant Holt scored in the 63^rd minute, Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario made an amateur mistake that almost equalized the two teams at two goals apiece, and Didier Drogba was knocked unconscious in an aerial effort against Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.

However, Frank Lampard scored a penalty kick after Ruddy was given a red card and thrown out of the match to double the score. Finally, Juan Mata scored on his debut in the 90^th minute to secure the win.

Blackburn Rovers 0:1 Everton

Out of all the matches this weekend, Blackburn versus Everton was one of the most entertaining. Blackburn’s goalkeeper Paul Robinson and Everton’s goalkeeper Tim Howard kept both teams in the match, making amazing saves throughout. Blackburn missed two penalty kicks in the match, which were costly mistakes that wouldn’t be seen until a penalty kick was given in injury time to Everton.

Mikel Arteta went to the spot and fired home to give Everton the win.

Swansea City 0:0 Sunderland

Two teams without wins this season were unable to capitalize on their chances to add another draw to both teams record. The best chances came from Swansea’s Danny Graham and Sunderland’s Asamoah Gyan, who both miscalculated attempts that were either saved or went wide of goal.

Swansea, who have yet to score their first Premier League goal this season, have their next chance against Arsenal next week.

Liverpool 3:1 Bolton Wanderers

Liverpool makes a great move to third place this weekend after goals from newcomers Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam help secure the win. Martin Skyrtel also scored in the 52^nd minute to contribute to the Liverpool victory. Bolton’s Ivan Klasnic scored the only goal for Bolton in injury time, stopping the possible clean sheet for Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina.

West Brom 0:1 Stoke City

Confusion between West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster and center-back Gabriel Tamas led to Stoke substitute Ryan Shotton sneaking in and scoring a late goal in the final minutes of the match to steal away three points away from a game that should have ended as a draw.

Work from Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, and West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster kept both teams in the game. However, Stoke came out of the game with the win.

Tottenham Hotspur 1:5 Manchester City

Tottenham found their way to the bottom of the table this weekend, after failing to defend against a stronger Manchester City offense. Edin Dzeko scored four goals helped by Samir Nasri, the newcomer from Arsenal who made his debut with Manchester City Sunday.

Younes Kabou scored the final goal for Manchester City, taking them to the top of the standings, just behind their rivals Manchester United due to goal difference.

Newcastle 2:1 Fulham

Newcastle lengthens their unbeaten streak with two goals from Leon Best. American star Clint Dempsey scored the only goal for Fulham, but it was not enough to secure the win.

With a club that is having a lot of non-soccer related drama, including the confrontations between management and Joey Barton and Nile Ranger being arrested, Newcastle show signs of survival in the Premier League with this win against Fulham.

Manchester United 8:2 Arsenal

With a final score that you would expect at the end of a match versus a bottom-ranked Premier League team, Manchester United ran over Arsenal taking them once again to the top of the Premier League. Wayne Rooney came out of the match with a hat-trick, and also securing his 150^th goal in the Premier League.

Newcomer Ashley Young also scored two goals, while Danny Welbeck, Nani, and Ji-Sung Park scored to give Arsenal the biggest loss it has ever had with manager Arsene Wenger.

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The city of London has been witnessing devastating scenes of violence and pain stretching from the northeast to south. For the first time is three decades the city of London was burning.

On 4 August Mark Duggan, 29 was shot dead by police in Tottenham, he was a passenger in a mini cab and was shot after an apparent exchange of fire. Duggan, a father of four, died of single gunshot wound to the chest.

Next day, late noon, around 300 people gathered outside the tottenham police station shouting “we want justice” for Mr. Duggan and his family. Later in the evening there was a mutation in the attitudes of the people of London that marked the eruption of most violent protest against police action in the UK, as bottles thrown at the two patrol cars close to the police station, both vehicles eventually torched.

Collin Sparrow deputy senior investigator for the independent police complaints commission said that the “organization’s complex investigation would for sure take four to six months to complete.” Sporadic spread of looting and destruction in the UK reached Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Midlands in the last two days, leading the situation to become increasingly difficult for the police to control.

An owner of information technology equipment seller in Broad Street, Wolverhampton, said that “he felt like he had a heart attack when he was looted”.

Although there were occurrence of widespread looting and smashing of shops, cash machines and burning of vehicles in Birmingham and Liverpool, the events in London were definitely much larger in scale than in other cities of the U.K.

With rising instability and amid burning fire in the UK, Prime Minister cut his vacation short and landed in London. He said that events of the last three days were ‘criminality’ pure and simple and that he will do everything to restore peace and stability in Britain’s streets.

According to police a total of 26 officers were injured, three patrol cars were torched and dozens of shops, buildings, banks and council offices were damaged and plundered so far in U.K

In Nottingham, a police station was firebombed, around 10 police cars were set alight and 90 people were arrested; and in Manchester a number of cloth shops were set alight, masked youth threw bricks at offices and a sports shop was looted.

These are not race riots or cultural riots; these came to surface as result of the expanding gloom in Britain, where economy is struggling to recover fully and drastic spending cuts, in a bid to reduce debt burden and deficit. One European study claims that about 17 percent of Britain’s Youth can be classified as NEET, Not in Employment, Education and Training, according to reports the areas of Tottenham in London is deprived area.

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Two weekends ago, a riot in Tottenham followed a peaceful protest over the police shooting of Mark Duggan. The violence escalated in the streets of London and soon spread to other cities around the British country. The spectators looked in shock as young British people acted out in complete anarchy.

As England deals with the aftermath of the worst street riots in decades, musicians react on London riots on Twitter. Musicians M.I.A., Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, Example and many others, made statements about the situation on their personal Twitter accounts.

Kapranos, the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand, asked the Prime Minister to do something about all these riots and widespread looting. He said, “Where the fuck are the Bullingdon boys? What’s wrong you cunts? Would you only end your holidays if it were Fortnum & Mason being looted?”

M.I.A brewed contention with a riot-sympathizing tweet “I’m going down to the riots to hand out tea and mars bars.”

Example, with humor and frustration said, “All these Nandos on fire? That’s some over cooked chicken wings. Pull the army of Afghanistan and stop all this bullshit now please,” before adding, “If you’re gonna set fire to any house in London please make it the Big Brother house.”

Moreover, as Spinner previously reported, a Sony warehouse where thousands of records were stored for many indie labels was burned to the ground (on Tuesday 9 Aug), undoubtedly affecting independent music throughout Europe.

“What music fans can do to show their support for the indie label community, and help them survive this disaster is to buy a digital download of an album from any one of the digital retailers in the UK, as well as going to their local record store while stocks last,” the Association of Independent Music has stated in a press release (via NME).

In the face of continuing violence several artists have now taken to the streets in an effort to help clean up London. ”At the Bethnal Green clean up, nice to see so many people ready to help in the community!” pop songstress Kate Nash tweeted about helping out.

Scroobius Pip, poet and musician, simply posted, “This is Britain punching itself in the face. Repeatedly”

The fact is that many theories have been posited about the underlying causes of the riots in England — from moral decay to excessive consumerism. According to criminologists, the reasons for the riots are many, including social exclusion, welfare dependence, spending cuts, weak policing, racism and opportunism.

The situation in England has been reflected in foreign publications, from Europe, Asia, Middle East, U.S. to Africa, all of which try to explain what exactly happened in the streets of London and other cities, and why. Anthony Daniels in the New York Daily News said:

“The riots in London and elsewhere in England have confirmed what I long knew and have long preached to my disbelieving but totally unobservant countrymen: that young British people are among the most unpleasant and potentially violent young people in the world.”

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It has been a dramatic weekend in Tottenham, north London, where the gathering of around 300 people in the streets turned into an overnight riot that saw petrol bombs being thrown at police while vehicles and building were set ablaze.

The Daily Telegraph could report that 26 police officers were injured, at least one of them left with serious head injuries, while 42 people have been arrested. According to the London Ambulance Service, a total of 10 people had been treated and nine were admitted to hospital.

A gathering of around 120 people had earlier Saturday staged a march from the local Broadwater Farm area to Tottenham police station in protest of the death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan who was shot by police in a gun fire exchange on Thursday. A friend of Mr Duggan told news media that marchers had wanted “justice for the family” and “something had to be done.”

“This guy was not violent. Yes, he was involved in things but he was not an aggressive person. He had never hurt anyone,” said the 53-year-old marcher.

Another member of the original protest, Vanessa Robinson, said the demonstration outside the police station had begun peacefully. She told the BBC that the situation had then turned into “absolute chaos.”

What police officers described as ‘missiles’ were thrown at the police station and what appeared to be young, mask-clad people began to throw petrol bombs, bricks and anything they could get their hands on off the street at officers who were attempting to calm down the masses.

In the early hours of Sunday local time, many rioters had moved to the nearby retail park where they were seen looting shops. Sky News reporter Simon Newton, who was at the scene, said he saw youth wheeling out televisions and bagfuls of clothes. Police were not in the area.

During the violent escalation, two police cars and a double decker bus was set on fire. A branch of Aldi supermarket was also torched and Sky News believes the looters had targeted shops in the aftermath. Also residential areas were disturbed.

Local politician David Lammy made a statement on his website that said “We already have one grieving family in our community and further violence will not heal that pain.”

Mr. Lammy appealed for calm while the investigation takes place. “The Tottenham community and Mark Duggan’s family and friends need to understand what happened on Thursday evening when Mark lost his life. To understand those facts, we must have calm.”

In another statement, Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne, of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said “I understand the distress that the shooting of Mark Duggan has caused to his family and in the community and that people need answers about what happened to him.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mayor of London Boris Johnson said to the BBC: “Violence and destruction of property will do nothing to facilitate [the IPCC] investigation and we urge those involved to respect the rule of law.”

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