The following timeline is entirely fictional and something that I made up in my head. I did not invent the time machine. I have no desire to invent the time machine. Here is Part I.
April 15: Liverpool defeat Chelsea in the other FA Cup Semifinal. They will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final. Tottenham's league match against Aston Villa is moved to May 9.
April 16: A report emerges that David Moyes will leave Everton in the summer if he is not given money to spend in the transfer market. All of the rags instantly link him to the soon to be vacant Tottenham Hotspur job.
April 18: Tottenham travel away to play Bolton at the Reebok Stadium. At this point, they know that their manager will be gone soon, that they're not dropping out of the top four and that they are in the FA Cup final. They check out entirely. Bolton stun a completely unfocused Tottenham side and defeat them 2-0, giving them a tiny bit of life in the race against relegation. We are still six points ahead of Chelsea. Sandro starts ahead of Scott Parker in this game and does not play well.
April 21: Harry Redknapp must have got to the boys in training and in the locker room. In their match against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, Spurs look like they know that this game matters. They're the much better side in a 3-1 away win. Scott Parker was re-inserted into the starting XI for this match and performed well. Sandro appears to have lost his place to Parker.
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Arsenal draw at the Emirates. Tottenham are mathematically locked into a top four place as Arsenal cannot pass them. Chelsea are eight points back and Spurs will clinch third with a win in their next game.
April 28: Tottenham defeat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 in an ugly game. This result puts Blackburn six points behind 17th placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. They are all but mathematically relegated. Wigan Athletic are seven points behind Wolves and are mathematically relegated. Bolton are three points behind Wolves. QPR are safe.
April 29: Lucas Leiva's rehabilitation from a serious knee injury has been miraculous. For one month, he has been training. He's played in three reserve games for Liverpool. Rumors swirl that he will be able to play in the FA Cup final.
May 2: The Guardian reports that Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City have entered negotiations over Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor wants to stay and will take a pay cut to sign permanently with Spurs, but will not fit exactly into Spurs' current wage structure. The Guardian report implies that both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale will be handed new contracts that pay them £90k per week. All three players will make this wage and it will be Tottenham's new wage ceiling, says the report.
May 5: The FA Cup Final, Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool. How Liverpool beats Chelsea and gets to this match, nobody knows. After getting to the FA Cup final, they nosedive in the league. They're locked into seventh place, behind Newcastle.
Tottenham have 60 percent of the possession and look like the better team throughout the game. They find a goal just before the stroke of halftime on a great team move. Luka Modric finds Emmanuel Adebayor with a great 30-yard pass, and he flicks it into the path of Gareth Bale with his first touch. Bale steps up and takes a rip from 20 yards, hitting a laser past Pepe Reina. Spurs go into halftime up 1-0.
They're not negative in the second half by any stretch, but certainly a bit more conservative. Spurs control possession again and Liverpool don't look terribly threatening. Spurs push a bit for a second, but Liverpool's defense and Pepe Reina plays well. A 1-0 win appears to be on the cards.
Then, in the 89th minute, Modric fouls Steven Gerrard 30 yards from goal. Gerrard steps up and hits a magical free kick into the back of the net, rescuing his team from peril once again. At 1-1, the teams head to extra time. No one scores in extra time and the match goes to penalties.
Spurs are normally terrible at penalties, but somehow make all five of theirs in the shootout. Liverpool's second penalty taker, Luis Suarez, blasts his over the bar. Tottenham's fifth taker is 80th minute sub Louis Saha, and his penalty clinches the FA Cup for Spurs. It is their first FA Cup since 1991.
May 8: Spurs play a mixed first and second team against Aston Villa. Unsurprisingly, there's a post-cup hangover. Also unsurprisingly, Alex McLiesh's tactics are negative. The match ends in a 0-0 draw.
May 10: Ledley King signs a new one-year contract at his current wages with a club option for the 2013-2014 season.
May 13: Tottenham cannot move up or down from third place. In Harry Redknapp's last match as Tottenham manager, he plays a youth/reserve team and benches his entire first XI. The starting XI against Fulham is:
Cudicini; Rose, Khumalo, Nelsen, Kaboul; Kranjcar, Luongo, Livermore, dos Santos; Saha, Lancaster
They draw Fulham 1-1. Cameron Lancaster scores his first goal for Tottenham. Bolton are relegated along with Wigan and Blackburn.
May 14: Though Spurs have gained a reputation for doing business at the last minute, Daniel Levy makes it clear that he is not screwing around. Reports circulate that a deal is close for Emmanuel Adebayor. Meanwhile, Bill Kenwright grants Tottenham permission to speak to David Moyes about their vacant manager position.
May 18: David Moyes is introduced as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur. No one is overly thrilled or disappointed. Most fans preferred a manager with Champions League experience, but there's no denying that Moyes has done very well to keep Everton in the top half with minimal resources, getting them to fourth place on one occasion. Fans are content with the choice, and very happy that Levy has made his move in May.
May 21: The transfer of Emmanuel Adebayor to Tottenham is agreed. Spurs pay £10 million and Adebayor is reported to be on £90k per week with escalators for goals scored and progression in Champions League. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale would be offered similar deals later in the summer, which they would ultimately accept.
The transfer rumors start, but they won't come to fruition until after the Euros. Tottenham are still linked to Eden Hazard and Leandro Damiao, though neither seems realistic. They're expected to sign Junior Hoilett on a free transfer and Christopher Samba for next to nothing. Other players heavily linked to Spurs include Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Oscar Cardozo and Tim Matavz.
Who signs? That's up to your imagination.