For all the credit that Stevenage are due and will get, Spurs put in a disappointing performance at Stevenage and will now have an unwelcome replay at The Lane.

From the minute Harry Redknapp picked his team it was never going to go well. The England manager-elect decided to pick a team and formation to combat the strengths of Stevenage. If Spurs were the League One side we’d all accept that as good management. As it is, Spurs are the technically superior side and should have played to their own strengths not played down to their opponents level.

On the pitch the team compounded the managers failings with a sloppy performance full of naïveté.

From Michael Dawson’s first long ball aimed at strikers who were physically outmatched by Stevenage’s centre backs it was clear that Spurs fans were in for a long afternoon.

With manager and captain setting the tone the whole team was poor in possession, constantly misplacing passes. To Redknapp’s credit he obviously realized this and through the first half bellowed at his team to keep hold of the ball.

However keeping the ball was only half the battle. Without the rested Modric and injured van der Vaart, Gareth Bale was allowed the free role he hankers for. Despite his dynamism and forceful running with the ball he’s nowhere near the creator that Modric or Rafa are and Spurs lacked a cutting edge.

With Niko Kranjcar warming up at half time it was to be hoped that Redknapp had realized the folly of his 3-5-2. Alas it wasn’t to be. At least until 15 or so minutes into the second half. When Kranjcar was introduced it meant Bale being forced into a wing role with Niko starting from the opposite flank. The Croat instantly showed more incisive passing than had been seen for the previous hour and a bit but even so there was to be no breakthrough.

Spurs truly only looked like themselves when Redknapp was forced to take Danny Rose off – once again effective going forward against lower opposition but clearly not good enough to make it as a Premier League left back – and bring Lennon on. Lennon instantly threatened and created a couple of openings in the few minutes he had on the pitch.

Yes Spurs had the ball in the net from Saha but the referee and linesman were unfortunately competent and correct for once in ruling Parker offside.

Spurs attention will now turn to next weeks North London Derby. That is a game where Spurs must play to their own strengths rather than lowering themselves to match weaker opponents.

COYS

Stuart Watts

THFC1882 brings you a quick FA Cup preview of Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Stevenage.

During their non-league years Stevenage often hosted a pre-season friendly with Spurs. Now The Lilywhites visit a side who are chasing promotion to the Championship.

It’s the FA Cup and all bets are off with regards to divisional standings. The Cup may have lost some of its romance over the Premier League era but there always remains the chance of an upset to evoke memories from it’s golden era.

Stevenage are a physical side and will look to ruffle the feathers of their Premier League visitors. Spurs will need to be much sharper than they were last time out in the Cup at Watford. Spurs got away with a poor showing that day and cannot rely on luck and poor finishing every time.

It’s over a week since Newcastle were handed a proper beating at The Lane and a week until Spurs visit arch rivals Arsenal for the North London Derby. With that in mind Harry Redknapp doesn’t need to stress about players being overworked. That said however there are surely one or two who will be rested and not risked before the massive Premier League clash. Ledley King, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Emmanuel Adebayor are those most likely to be given the week off. Coming back from injury, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe will be keen to get 90 minutes under their belt. This game also represents a good chance for Jake Livermore to start and continue to show his impressive development this season. Louis Saha may get an opportunity to build on his two goal full debut and see how he plays alongside Defoe after impressing in his partnership with Adebayor. Ryan Nelsen is likely to make his first start in the centre of defence after impressing in training.

Stevenage won’t roll over and let Spurs have it easy but I fully expect Spurs class to show and to run out 4-0 winners.

COYS

Stuart Watts

THFC1882 welcomes another guest post by Anthony Lombardi, this one may have some foaming at the mouth:

WHY SPURS NEED ARSENAL TO BE BETTER

As Arsenal succumbed to a humiliating 4-0 Champions League thrashing by AC Milan at the San Siro, a rather surprising thought came to me:

Should we really be celebrating the demise of Arsenal Football Club?

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have been rivals since the Gunners moved to North London from their South London birthplace over a century ago. This rivalry was born through proximity and the infamous FA vote of 1919 that relegated Spurs and promoted Arsenal to the First Division. The rivalry despite the importance to those involved, historically has been fairly amicable, with the winners gaining only bragging rights.

The north London rivalry may lack the Religious connotations of the Glasgow derby, or the national identity of the Barcelona/Real Madrid derby, however for those involved it remains the important game of the season.

Over the last few decades there have been great moments for both sets of fans to savour.

For Spurs there was the Gazza Wembley freekick, the 5-1 demolition in the Carling Cup semi final and the Emirates comeback after being 4-1 down.

Arsenal meanwhile has the 1-0 revenge at Wembley in 1993, the Thierry Henry wonder goal at Highbury and winning the league at White Hart Lane.

When Bruce Rioch made way for Arsene Wenger in 1996 it started a period of north London domination for the Gunner. The Frenchman oversaw a stratospheric rise for Arsenal, whilst Spurs continued on a trajectory of mediocrity. The White Hart Lane faithful had to endure Arsenal facing off against Europe’s elite, the Double wins and The Invincibles.

The Gunners even made it to the 2006 Champions League final, Wenger’s Holy Grail. This final is a measure of how good a team Arsenal boasted, down to ten men against Barcelona for a large proportion of the game, it was only two late Blau Grana strikes that sunk them. It was a tough period to support Spurs.

The start of this decade however, a major shift hit North London.

Arsenal lost key players due to their age, ambition or discontentment with the club. Gifted individuals such as Henry, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas left in search of trophies, glory or money. Whilst Wenger’s promising youngsters failed to develop, his youth system that he had ploughed so much time and faith into crashed around him.

In order to remedy the issues with his youth players, Wenger delved into the transfer market, without success. The players purchased to fill the gaps have either been sub standard or after initially impressing, have faltered badly.

It was a situation that the Emirates faithful were originally inclined to give Wenger time to address, but after Wednesday’s  mauling, time may be in short supply. Arsenal face a season defining set of fixtures over the next four weeks.

Whilst Arsenal’s power has eroded, Tottenham Hotspur have finally started to realize that they are a major team again. There has been plenty of false dawns, but now under manager Harry Redknapp they boast a team of youthful exuberance, mixed with experienced heads and an incredible technical ability.

This season Spurs are synonymous with graceful attacking football, their players revered in the same manner as Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and Henry once were.

With Spurs finally ready to challenge at the top of the table, it is therefore a shame not to see their closest rivals pushing alongside them. The most powerful matches are those which appeal to a world wide audience. For the North London Derby to be considered important globally, both teams must be at the top.

The Manchester derby was once only important for the residents of the city, now it is almost the title decider and therefore a global attraction. Last weekend saw a derby which failed to ignite a spark of interest out side the Black Country: Wolverhampton Wanderers versus West Bromwich Albion. Had it not been for the 5-1 score line and the sacking of Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, the fixture would also have passed most of England by also.

The demise of Arsenal, as Twitter and Facebook revealed on Wednesday night brings great joy to the millions of Tottenham fans around the world, but surely the purest joy would be beating, over the course of a season, a great Arsenal team?

To see the current Spurs team go toe to toe with Wenger’s finest would be a true measure of who rules North London.

Spurs may well finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1994/1995 but it is a hollow victory. The Gunners are a misfiring and badly put together outfit. Tottenham go into the 26th February fixture as clear favorites, despite the game taking place at the Emirates, this is a measure of far Arsenal have fallen.

Come back soon Arsenal, some possibly great games await.

COYS

Anthony Lombardi ( Check out Anthony’s blog here and  follow Anthony on Twitter @ARLombardi )

Yesterday was a tumultuos day for fans of Tottenham Hotspur. First came the news that Harry Redknapp had been cleared of charges of tax evasion and he emerged from court to a hero’s welcome. Then in the evening came the news that Fabio Capello had resigned as England manager. Redknapp of course was instantly installed as the favourite to take over by fans, media and players alike.

This heralding of the Spurs boss as the only man that could possibly take over the reigns of the national team has caused many Spurs fans to hurl abuse at those doing so. As if it’s come as a surprise that he’s the front runner for the job? Redknapp has been the leading candidate for well over a year now and most Spurs fans must have realised that if he was cleared of the tax charges then he would be off in July to take over from the already quitting Capello.

Harry is a proud Englishman and has said before that it would be very difficult to resist the call to lead his nation. Although surely he wouldn’t have expected Fabio to call time on his run in the job just four months before a major tournament. It’s clear to see why Spurs fans are spitting blood over the likes of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand championing Redknapp for the job. Spurs are flying high, 3rd in the league and are still to have a major say in the title race. The whole squad clearly relish playing for Redknapp and his laissez-faire approach to tactics. The mood around White Hart Lane hasn’t felt so positive for years, so it’s understandable that no-one wants the apple cart upset. However it is also inevitable that this call for Redknapp would come from all quarters, and it seems to some that a lot of the bile being spouted about ‘tapping up Harry’ is a little embarassing. Let’s not kid ourselves, Redknapp himself hardly has a clear conscience when it comes to expressing interest in ‘top, top players’ who are under contract at other clubs. Perhaps this is a case of ‘people in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones’.

Regardless of your opinion on whats being said right now, it’s clear that there is no Spurs fan who wants Redknapp to leave at this moment. Even those that dislike the man’s personality can see that he’s clearly doing something right in terms of getting results and that for him to leave at this stage could be disastrous. What is looking like Spurs best League finish since 1990 could turn into a collapse and slide down the table.

The most likely scenario with regards to the England job is that Stuart Pearce will take charge of the friendly versus Holland at the end of the month while the FA try to convince Redknapp to take the job on after he’s completed the season with Spurs. Daniel Levy is no mug and must surely be looking at this as the most likely scenario and with recent goings on has probably already got a few contingency plans up his sleeve anyway. He’ll also be able to bag some compensation from the FA into the bargain.

Of course Redknapp could decide that he doesn’t care to take on the poisoned chalice of the England job. Preferring instead to have another crack at the Champions League with Spurs and trying to deliver the Lilywhites first League title since the glorious Double winning side of 1961. There are those that say that he could be concerned about the pressure after his recent heart operation and yes the England job does come with pressure in spades. Is it much more pressure than managing Spurs while having a huge court case hanging over him? Only Harry can decide that. Surely one of the biggest considerations for Harry is that as he approaches 65 (next month) this is likely to be his last chance to take on what is hyperbolically called ‘THE BIGGEST JOB IN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT’!

Whether Redknapp chooses to continue his journey with Spurs from ’2pts8games to Europe’s top table’ or decides to take on the job of managing his nation remains to be seen. If he chooses the former then Spurs will be on the search for a new manager, but that is the subject for another blog! One things for sure when Newcastle visit The Lane at the weekend there will be rousing choruses of Harry Redknapp’s name being sung from the Spurs faithful. Not many would have thought that possible at the end of last season or the very beginning of this.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

THFC1882 present a match report by Anthony Lombardi

Liverpool and Tottenham: Both Clubs Fail to Dare and To Do.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur drew 0-0 at Anfield, in a tight Premier League encounter that neither team wanted to lose, or seemed determined enough to try and win.

The hosts seemed happy to limit the visitor’s options in attack and try to nick a goal through a moment of brilliance or luck. Unfortunately for the Reds, their starting 11 had both of these in short supply.

As both sets of supporters drifted off after the final whistle, there was no doubting the happier of the two. The Liverpool faithful have now had to endure eight home draws this season, a record that for a team aiming for top is well below par.

Tottenham came into this encounter shorn of Redknapp’s presence, due to adverse weather conditions at John Lennon airport, as well as key first team players. These factors clearly affected Spurs who lacked the swagger and style that has come to symbolize their 2011/2012 season

The White Hart Lane outfit has exposed countless teams this year by stretching them across the pitch. Lightening fast wingers Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon have forced teams to double up on them, leaving Luka Modric and Rafa Van der Vaart to expose the extra space. Last night however, with Bale central and Modric and Niko Krancjar offering no penetration wide, Liverpool were able to play narrow close the space, forcing Spurs into a long ball game.

Liverpool, who despite certain deficiencies in attack, are blessed with a wonderful centre back pairing in Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. These two kept Emmanuel Adebayor and later Louis Saha in check for the entire game. Ably supported by Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly, the Reds back four was tested only once in 90 minutes, when a long ball sent Gareth Bale through one on one with Pepe Reina, who saved well from the Welshman..

The Reds will without doubt return to training today knowing that had they been braver and technically better in the final third, they could have claimed the two extra points. Target man Andy Carroll, who over the last few weeks seemed to be returning to his Newcastle best, was once again wasteful in and around the area. The £35 Million striker won his fair share of headers and on occasion caused some problems for Michael Dawson and Ledley King, but when a great chance fell to him, he blazed it into the Kop. Champions League qualification, League titles and cups are earned on the ability of striker to convert a half chance, unfortunately for Liverpool, Carroll doesn’t look like that kind of striker.

With 25 minutes left on the clock, the game threatened to peter out, disappointing the capacity crowd and the millions of Sky viewers, but fortunately, Liverpool have their own headline maker, Uruguayan Luis Suarez.

Returning to the side after serving his 8 match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, Suarez was given a heroes welcome by the Anfield crowd, however, that was the highlight of his cameo. There is no doubting his ability or his commitment to Liverpool. With the ball he is has the skill to attack off either foot, and off the ball he is a man possessed hassling and harrying the opposition defenders. Last night though he reminded us why we haven’t missed him in 2012.

First there was the kick to Scott Parkers midriff long after the whistle that earned him a yellow card, then there were the on existent penalty claims, the screaming and histrionics. These may be accepted in South America, but as he found out when he called Evra a certain word, that is no defense in this country.

Redknapp and Dalglish will have a lot to ponder this week as their teams prepare to face Newcastle at home and Manchester United away respectively. With Chelsea and United sharing a point this weekend, there was a chance for both clubs to close the gap on the team above, but perhaps the biggest worry for both managers will be their teams inability to adapt over 90 minutes.

The Tottenham bench, for the first time in years looked lightweight. After the January departures of first team squad players and the loaning out of promising youngsters, the Spurs coaching staff had no real game changers to work with. This matter will be addressed once players return to fitness, but as last night proved, if Plan A doesn’t work, the Plan B is shaky at best.

Across the technical area, the same thought should have been settling on Dalglish.

In the early part of 2011, the legend reconstructed a stifled Roy Hodgson team in to a free flowing attacking unit. Maxi Rodriguez, Dirk Kuyt and former Red Raul Meireles were all grabbing goals both home and away. A Championship winning run of results reignited the hope within the club that Liverpool would once again be challenging rivals United at the top, but Dalglish’s masterplan has crumbled around him.

The purchases of Stuart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have failed to sparkle, each player has lost the attacking vigor that earned them the big price tags. Whilst captain and Talisman Steven Gerard, has become a shadow of the man that dragged his team to FA Cup and Champions League finals.

Perhaps it is time for Dalglish to give up on his summer experiment and revert back to his 2011 tactics, otherwise another year outside the top 5 beckons.

On reflection a draw was perhaps the fair result, but there remains the nagging thought for both set of fans, that had their club and manager believed, they would be two points better off today.

COYS

Anthony Lombardi (visit Anthony’s blog here and follow him on Twitter @ARLombardi )

THFC1882 brings another new guest writer. Football blogger and Spurs fan (obviously) Anthony Lombardi previews Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Liverpool:

Liverpool v Tottenham: The Fab Four and Beyond.

This Monday Totteham Hotspur faces Liverpool at Anfield in a clash that is set to have far reaching effects across the top of the Premier League.

Man City’s failure to collect any points on Tuesday and the London duo of Arsenal and Chelsea being held by lower opposition has reignited both clubs seasons. Whoever claims the three points will be well on their way, whilst the losers may well have to Let It Be for the rest of this season.

For the last decade both clubs have had to endure life in the shadow of their fierce rivals, but now a change is sweeping across these sleeping giants. Liverpool’s victory over two legs against Man City, followed by knocking United out of the FA Cup has given fresh hope to a season that threatened to go off the boil. Spurs meanwhile have cruised to a 12 point gap over North London rivals Arsenal and once again find themselves back in the title race.

When the pair met in September, Spurs strolled to a 4-0 victory that was unfairly overshadowed by Liverpool’s two red cards. The Lillywhites, in the first 20 minutes at White Hart Lane played the type of football that has ignited the belief within the club and perhaps even in Luka Modric who grabbed the first goal with a spanking right foot drive. That result propelled Tottenham into a run of form that only some dubious refereeing decisions have stopped on occasions.

The North London club’ season started in tumultuous fashion, with riots disrupting fixtures and supposed player discontent filling column inches. However, under manager Harry Redknapp’s positive guidance Tottenham, have built a team spirit that promises to deliver them their best Premier League finish since 1990.

The Tottenham boss has kept to relatively the same starting 11 in each Premier League game, choosing instead to use squad and youth players in the Europa League, Carling and FA Cup. Redknapp may have sacrificed participation in two of these cups but there is no doubting that come Monday evening the Spurs starting 11 will have played rather less football than their counterparts.

In Liverpool’s last home game, the Reds rode out 2-1 winners against arch rivals Man Utd, however, despite the magnitude of this victory, Spurs can take heart from certain points.

The Champions were given an incredible amount of space in central midfield as the Reds sought to deny Man Utd space in behind them. In nullifying the speed and directness of Danny Welbeck and Antonio Valencia, United’s central midfield were given time and space, but they were unable to use it.

With Liverpool likely to counter act the speed of Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker and Aaron Lennon in similar fashion, Spurs will need to be creative in central midfield. The London club will need Modric and if he is fit, Rafa Van der Vaart orchestrating and creating in front of Liverpool. The duo will seek to commit players before slipping in teammate.

However, should Liverpool seek to shut out Tottenham, they run the risk of disappointing the home crowd and having to chase the game should Spurs break through. This season Spurs have been at their most threatening when one nil up and attacking on the break.

Since being destroyed at White Hart Lane, Liverpool have regrouped defensively and are now only a consistent striker away from Champions League qualification. Had they been sharper in front of goal against supposedly weaker opposition, then this clash would have been a direct head on battle, for the right to challenge the Manchester duo.

Manager Kenny Dalglish, who signed a full time contract hours before these two met at the back end of last season, faces some positive, but difficult selection decisions on Monday.

With Uruguayan Luis Suarez finally available again after suspension, one of Dirk Kuyt and Andy Carroll looks set to miss out. Dutch forward Kuyt, recently returned to scoring ways with a goal against Man Utd and a strike against Wolves on Tuesday. Carroll though shouldn’t be quickly dismissed. Against United last week, he finally started to look like the powerful striker that earned the huge price tag and his goal against Wolves with have boosted his confidence.

The forward that Dalglish selects will immediately give us an insight into his game plan. If he employs Carroll he will be going for the victory. Should he select the hard working Kuyt, a player more disposed to tracking back, then he will be searching to keep it tight and look to strike later in the game.

There are however, two attacking options that should not be discounted. Spurs striker Jermaine Defoe and Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy, both possess speed and the instinctive ability to score a goal from out of nowhere. The duo may start on their respective benches, but there is no doubt that if the game remains goalless, both managers will use what they hope is their trump card. Defoe of course may be struggling for fitness, if so, it could be a quick return to Merseyside for Louis Saha and the chance to get one over on his former city rivals.

It is difficult to see where the three points will go, but with Chelsea hosting Man Utd the day before, winning this fixture will give the victor a huge boost.

The team that scores first in this fixture should go on to win it. Should Spurs draw first blood and force Liverpool to seek out an equalizer, Bale’s ability to expose the space left behind the Reds defence will become a major factor. Whilst Liverpool are past masters at defending a lead.

Either way, Anfield will be intriguing viewing this Monday.

COYS

Anthony Lombardi (visit Anthony’s blog here and follow him on Twitter @ARLombardi )

The news broke this morning that the FA had finally taken some action over the John Terry racism affair. Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy with immediate effect. Of course the inadequate FA fell short of suspending him from playing for his country and it’s unlikely that Terry will be big enough or self-aware enough to remove himself for selection. It’s horribly hypocritical that the FA haven’t suspended him from duty, Lee Bowyer and ex-Spur Johnathan Woodgate were suspended from international duty whilst awaiting and on trial for their part in a racist assault.

With Terry gone from the job though, the talk is now of who will succeed him. It’s thought that Capello’s own line of succession goes Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Through form and fitness or both it should be noted that these three stalwarts of the ‘Golden Generation’ should no longer be shoo-ins for selection, let alone the captaincy. Of the remaining options the only players seemingly guaranteed selection are Joe Hart and our own Brylcreem boy, Scott Parker.

Hart may well be the future, he’s sure to be England number one for a good ten years or so, form and fitness allowing. However he’s still young and has no experience of captaining a club side, let alone taking on the pressure job that is the England captaincy.

Which leaves Super Scotty. He’s captained many of his club sides, even wearing the Spurs armband already in his first season at the club. Over the last 12 months or so, Parker has established himself as a key player in the England side and is seemingly undroppable at the moment. His high calibre week in week out performances in Spurs impressive run to 3rd place and title contention would seem to have only cemented that place. Scott is sure to be one of the first names on Capello’s team sheet for the Euro’s in Poland and Ukraine. Should he now be thrown the armband too?

As a short term measure he is clearly the best option and lets face it, Capello will be leaving after the tournament so he’s not exactly in it for the long haul. Parker although short on caps when compared to someone like Ashley Cole, has never fired a gun at a work experience guy and must therefore be head and shoulders above the Chelsea man. Super Scotty is massively respected inside the England dressing room and unlike so many of the ‘bigger’ names, has no baggage, no media whoring ways and is not a trouble magnet.

There are downfalls to being named England captain, the increased expectation and scrutiny from the public and media can cause some to crumble under the pressure. Parker however doesn’t seem likely to succumb to the pressure, or as mentioned before, court trouble to further increase the spotlight on him.

All in all, Scott Parker for England captain seems the only sensible and logical choice available to Capello at the moment. He would wear the armband with pride and give it back the dignity that Terry has stripped it of. The nation as a whole could be proud of having a true gent as it’s leader on the pitch once more. Spurs could be proud that their man is the one to lead out an England team at a major tournament.

Fabio Capello, the ball is now in your court.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

So another transfer window comes to a close. This unlike many others was surprisingly quiet, mainly due to clubs now having to take into account UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Another reason for the quiet was our gaffer’s appearances in court seriously restricting his ability to go on Sky Sports News every five minutes and tell the world which ‘top top players’ he was looking at.

So here’s a quick round up and reaction of the transfers from deadline day or Jim White Day as it’s become known:

Roman Pavlyuchenko has returned to Russia, going to Lokomotiv Moscow for around £8m. Super Pav has looked like he’s wanted out for some time and it was only a matter of a club meeting Daniel Levy’s valuation to grant him his wish. Many Spurs fans have rejoiced at his exit and it’s easy to see why. However what shouldn’t be forgotten is that he scored 42 goals for the club in 114 appearances (43 of those as sub), a strike rate that’s better than 1 in 3 and given the amount of times he came off the bench his goals per minute record stands up there with some of the best in the last few years of the Premier League. Sure he was sulky and lazy and infuriating but he also saved our skins on a number of occassions with crucial, late goals.

His replacement as striker that doesn’t play often is one of the real surprise moves of the window, Louis Saha swapping Everton’s treatment table for the one at Spurs Lodge. Saha is 33, seriously injury prone and has only 2 goals in all competitions this season (from a lot more games than Pavlyuchenko got for Spurs). It’s a strange move. As I wrote in the match preview for our game with Everton early in January, on his day he can be dangerous but those days are getting fewer and farther between. Harry Redknapp of course has a great record of coaxing the best out of aging players though, so if anyone can get Saha scoring again it’s Harry.

Stalwart of Tottenham Hotspur’s 09/10 defence Sebastian Bassong has gradually fallen further and further out of favour at The Lane and has been shipped out on loan to Wolves. Ouch. Bassong was frustrated by a lack of playing time and was clearly now Redknapp’s 5th choice centre back. He’s been itching to move away since the end of last season. This will be a good opportunity to put himself in the shop window for a permanent summer move.

In what is the most baffling of transfers, Vedran Corluka has been allowed to go on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. Obviously Charlie has been frustrated by Kyle Walker’s emegence as a top class right back and the big Croat needs to play to ensure his place at the Euro 2012 finals with his national team. However, his departure means that there is now no cover for Walker at right back. It was obvious that as soon as Charlie was on his way to Germany that Kay-Dub would pick up an injury. And so it came to pass last night. If Walker is out for any length of time then either Younes Kaboul or Jake Livermore will be shoehorned into the full back slot. This just isn’t good enough. Kaboul has been Spurs best centre back all season and moving him will weaken the centre of defence and it’s also a position he clearly dislikes. Jake Livermore is growing as a ball winning midfielder but looks a little lost at full back, as proven when Wigan scored from a move down the flank after he was shifted there last night.

A late move came through to warm the heart last night, Steven Pienaar has returned to Everton. It’s only a loan but it must be hoped that a permanent move can be arranged. That may sound harsh on Pienaar but he’s never looked a Spurs player and has just been a wages drain for the last 12 months.

A move that is still pending is the signing of Ryan Nelsen. The 34 year old Kiwi has been released by Blackburn and seems certain to get a 6 month deal at The Lane. A proper Redknapp signing if there ever was one. Coming in as 5th choice centre back he’ll likely do a job if needed but is hardly a long term fix.

Overall in this window, the right back situation aside, the squad is about the same strength it was before and the first eleven remains unchanged.  They’ve served us well thus far this season and we must hope they can continue their fine form through to May. Pav and Bassong clearly weren’t that keen on staying at the club and Saha and Nelsen (assuming he signs) probably can’t believe their luck in landing the moves they have and will look to prove they belong at a top four club and silence the doubters, myself included. It’s a shame that Junior Hoillett couldn’t be signed as I still feel that the squad lacks depth and competition on the wings. He’s out of contract in the summer and it would be surprising if Spurs weren’t in the race to sign him, however other clubs with less restraint on wage limits may pip Spurs to his signature.  The right back situation is concerning but if Walker can recover quickly it shouldn’t leave Spurs too short and The Lilywhites can continue the charge for the FA Cup and also look to have say in the title race yet.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

THFC1882 presents guest writer Kenny Palmer’s report of Tottenham Hotspur versus Wigan:

A man of the match performance by Gareth Bale against obliging opponents Wigan helped reignite Spurs title challenge, as they now sit just five points behind the Manchester clubs following the leaders City’s defeat to Everton. The Welshman’s two goal brace capping an exceptional personal display and a perfect response from the team to Friday’s poor performance against Watford in the FA Cup.

The only change in the line-up to the team that faced Manchester City in the last premiership game was Niko Kranjcar coming in for the injured Aaron Lennon. It’s a puzzle as to why the Croatian international has been so rarely used this season even from off the bench when he started the season so brightly before picking up an injury.

An early run from Gareth Bale from the left wing position proved to be a statement of intent of what was to come from the Welsh Wizard. With Wigan not pressing the ball the Spurs midfield dominated possession an ideal game for Niko Kranjcar to start as he seamlessly interchanged good passing movements with Modric, Parker and Bale in his free role. As against Spurs last opponents at the Lane Wolves, Wigan retreated to their own half and defended in numbers making it hard for Spurs to break them down.

Tottenham’s best effort in the opening stages was a shot from just outside the D from Luka Modric after some good build up play. Bale and Kranjcar continued to swap flanks to create openings. Younnes Kaboul was unlucky not to score with a powerful header from a corner which was cleared off the line. Benoit Assou-Ekotto was seeing a lot of the ball from the left with Bale floating inside. Unfortunately his decision making was poor and delivery inconsistent despite finding himself in good positions high up the left wing.

The inevitable breakthrough for Spurs came in the 25th minute. Luka Modric floated an exquisite pass from the left midfield position, possibly the pass of the season, onto the chest of Gareth Bale who timed his run to perfection and dispatched it to the left of Al Habsi’s goal. A worrying sign for Spurs soon after was the sight of Rafael van der Vaart going off and being replaced by Jake Livermore, possibly another hamstring injury which the Dutchman has been plagued with this season. The change didn’t stop the team’s rhythm as they were soon two ahead after Modric’s drive from just outside the box, another goal in successive home premiership games following on from his equaliser against Wolves. A criticism of the midfielder is that he doesn’t score enough goals for a player of his ability. His tally is now three in the league this season.

Spurs controlled the first half against a poor Wigan team. Brad Friedel was not tested at all.

Gareth Bale started the second half in similar vein to the first. On 48 minutes he broke down the right wing and put in an excellent cross with his right foot to Emmanuel Adebayor who should have scored with the header. The Togo internationals industry and work rate cannot be questioned in the game but quality wise he took his poor performance against Watford into this game straying offside on numerous occasions and lacking sharpness in the box. The signing of Louis Saha to the end of the season should put pressue on the Manchester City loanee to up his game and maybe rested as he has played all league games when available since signing.

Inevitably after a poor first half, Wigan started the second half vastly improved, taking the game to Spurs. Moses had a good effort on fifty two minutes and Ledley King had to make a great tackle in the box to stop a Wigan attack soon after. With Wigan pressing more Spurs play became sloppier with stray passing. Gareth Bales second, spurs third coming somewhat unexpectedly finding space on the left he shot across the box alluding Al Habsi into the net.

Kyle Walker departed late on having picked up a knock replaced by Sandro himself returning form injury. It is hoped it’s nothing serious as with the club allowing Vedran Corluka out on loan to Bayer Leverkusen they have no cover at right back.

Wigan’s good play was rewarded on eighty minutes with a goal from James McCarthy. The relegation strugglers should have had a second when Connor Sammon could not convert a ball flashed across his path. The closing stages of the match were illuminated by the man of the moment Gareth Bale. Released by debutant Lancaster a great run right from the right was saved by Al Habsi with the crowd willing him on to score and get his hat trick. A final trademark run in injury time this time from the left resulted in a shot wide. The Welshman’s two goal haul now takes him onto nine goals as the team’s top scorer in the premiership along with Adebayor. Following on from his performance against Norwich he once again excelled in his free role, a constant threat in the final third, be it from crosses from either flank, surging runs from deep or his powerful shooting. On current form he’s arguably the Premier League’s best player.

With the early season momentum gone from a faltering Manchester City and United having to negotiate tricky games against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively in their next two fixtures Spurs are firmly back in the title race.

Injuries to VdV, Adebayor & Walker tonight will undoubtedly test the depth of the squad particularly as the departures of Corluka, Bassong, Piennar and Roman Pavlyuchenko have weakened the squad with only the injury prone Louis Saha coming in. February’s challenging games against Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal will tell us more.

To Dare Is To Do!

COYS!

Kenny Palmer (follow Kenny on Twitter @KennyPalmer )

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THFC1882 welcomes back guest writer Kenny Palmer with a preview of Tottenham Hotspur versus Wigan.

A week is a long time in football, as Spurs two contrasting performances highlighted. Heroic in defeat against Manchester City earning plaudits for the character they showed in coming back from 2-0 down to level the scores before losing to an injury time penalty. They were then abject in victory against championship strugglers Watford in the FA Cup producing the most shambolic, disjointed performance in Harry Redknapps reign as Tottenham manager. A game in which only the goalkeeper Cudicini, defenders Michael Dawson, Younnes Kaboul, Kyle Walker and midfielder Jake Livermore can claim they played well.

Emmanuel Adebayor was particularly poor a fact he acknowledged after the game. His performance produced such a level of knee jerking it probably registered on the Richter scale in North London! The Togo international has been a pivotal part of Tottenham’s success this season leading the line and linking play. His industry and hold up play was greatly missed at the defeat to City at the Etihad Stadium. It was one bad game nothing more. Just as the darlings of the Spurs Twitter sphere Benoit Assou-Ekotto, whose decision to smash the ball up field rather let the ball run out of play for a Tottenham throw in and run the clock directly led to Spurs conceding the penalty against Manchester City and Rafael van der Vaart are allowed a bad game without opprobrium Adebayor along with all Spurs players deserves that right as well.

Tuesday’s opponents Wigan, who prop up the bottom of the league, provide the perfect opportunity for the team to put three points on the board before a challenging run of away games in February against Liverpool and Arsenal sandwiched in between a home game against a vastly improved Newcastle. Wigan come into the game on a dreadful run of form, they have not won a premiership game in their last seven matches. Their last win an away victory against West Brom in December. They have the distinction of the second worse defensive record in the premiership shipping forty three goals and the least potent attack scoring a paltry nineteen goals this season.

Roberto Martinez’s team will probably start with the same formation that played against the defeat to QPR. Hugo Rodellega a lone striker ahead of a five man midfield. The goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi a potential summer target of Spurs, who has been excellent this season can expect a busy evening in store. Wigan despite being bottom will still try to play an open brand of football. Wigan’s main threat will be the mercurial Victor Moses who they will do well to keep in this transfer window with his direct dribbling and shooting.

A hugely improved performance is expected from Spurs after the dreadful display against Watford. That game hopefully ended any notion that Luka Modric can be deployed from the flanks and influence a game. As the team’s best player he has to always be played in his best position central midfield!

Gareth Bale who missed the Watford game is the main injury worry but should be fit to start. With seven goals and seven assists he has been crucial to the team but has created a conundrum. Deployed as an orthodox left winger he is arguably one of the best in world. But his game has developed this season in a free role in which he is encouraged to come inside. Against Norwich he was devastating; in the first half against City it was less productive. But once positioned back to the left wing position in the second half he scored a stunning goal and produced a cross which Defoe was unlucky not to convert.

Redknapp is likely start with the same team that played against City with Adebayor coming in for Jermain Defoe or Rafael Van der Vaart. The Dutchman has been off the boil of late producing another anonymous performance against Watford despite the goal, Dofoe would be unlucky not to retain his place in the team. He has an excellent scoring record against them most notably his five goal haul in the 2009/10 season.

Prediction

Spurs still have a five point lead over fourth placed Chelsea and are looking to consolidate third. I fully expect Spurs to put the defeat to City, which effectively ended their title challenge, behind them with a comprehensive win 4-0 to Spurs.

COYS

Kenny Palmer (Follow Kenny on Twitter @KennyPalmer )

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THFC1882 presents Adam Nathan’s report of Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to Manchester City.

They are two time-old clichés, but not only is it a funny old game, it’s also one heck of a rollercoaster following Tottenham Hotspur. After a drab first half, the second period against Manchester City yesterday afternoon pretty much had it all. Having gone two down and looked like potentially being on the end of another Nasri-inspired hammering, a little bit of luck and an awful lot of drive saw us fire our way back on level terms, and probably look the most likely winners with twenty minutes of the game to go. What followed was a period fraught with tension from both sides, with some of it spilling over illegally-both Joleon Lescott and Mario Balotelli will feel extremely fortunate to step out onto the Anfield turf on Wednesday night-but more importantly manifesting in errors, all of which performed by players in mud-spattered white shirts. No sooner had Bale and Defoe conspired to miss one of the chances of the season, Ekotto, Parker and King all made uncharacteristic mistakes that saw a ball start in our left back position, have a brief soiree into the Manchester City midfield before looping, bouncing, and ricocheting out for what all Spurs fans hoped was to be a Manchester City corner. Sadly, Howard Webb’s arm correctly pointed to the penalty spot, and with practically the last kick of the game, Balotelli was able to dust himself down and slot the Etihad stadium into raptures.

Whilst the moment itself was depressing enough, Spurs fans will be further saddened this week when thinking back to all three City goals, which, with a touch more concentration in some areas and desire in others, probably would have been averted. With all that said, if this was to be the acid-test for Harry Redknapp’s men, they certainly passed as far as the performance was concerned. Unlike in August, the lilywhites matched their hosts from whistle to whistle, and will hope that as the season continues, they don’t have to face such heartbreak on any other occasions.

In terms of the first half, I’m not going to waste too much of your valuable time by talking about it. Ultimately, it was cagey and both sides were pretty flat. Milner did an excellent job marshalling Bale when he drifted inside which really halted our attacking progress, and Van Der Vaart spent a lot of time in a more central area than attacking, which left Defoe isolated. As always, people are split on the performance of the Duutchman, but in truth-and I am biased because I think he’s great-I felt that he was the only one of our players who was moving the ball around with intelligence. Yes, a lot of his passes were from side to side, but if you want to play possession football, you need players like that who just keep the ball ticking over. I daresay that if Modric and Parker had shown the same desire to be on the ball and use it quickly, we may have been able to leave Rafa in a more attacking position. In addition, Van Der Vaart ran the highest number of yards in the first half, and the more I watch him, the more of a leader I can see in him; say what you like, but he has carried us through so many games since joining, probably more than anyone else in the squad, and to give him the amount of criticism that he receives not only seems laughable at times, but ungrateful. Our whole club ethos revolves around players like Van Der Vaart, and whilst Modric and Parker are seemingly able to escape with below par performances on an all too regular basis at the moment, it never ceases to amaze me how often anything less than a perfect team performance is always blamed on Rafa.

And breathe.

In terms of the second half, it seems futile now to go through the moments that determined the mach in too much detail, so I’d rather look at the connotations, and perhaps what we could have done differently. In terms of the positives, I was really impressed with the efforts of Defoe up front, who was well rewarded with a goal that was indicative of his performance; not the prettiest, but earned through grafting and anticipating errors from the opposition backline. Naturally Bale’s goal is one that will be showed over and over again, and it’s no coincidence that it was created in one of the rare moments in the match where Lennon actually attacked a full back and created space as a result. The more I watch the speedy winger against good teams, the more let down I’m beginning to feel. I’m not sure if it’s a mental issue that still hangs over him after the World Cup, but if I were an extremely fast winger, the thought of my man being booked after 10 minutes would have me licking my lips; as it happens, Lennon didn’t take Clichy on once for the rest of the game, which was a real shame. I’m just starting to wonder if he’s got the bottle for the biggest games anymore.

In terms of the goals we conceded, I think there are two ways of looking at them, depending on the way you’ve been talking about the team this season. If your focus has always been on getting into the top four and giving it our best shot, then we were a bit sloppy in the main and thoroughly capitalized on by clinical finishing by the Citizens. If, however you have been talking us up for the title as many of the journalists have done recently, then you probably have to highlight a number of individual errors for all three goals that handed City the points. I know this sounds harsh, but sadly there are no concessions when you are in your first title race. Unlike getting free banking for a new business in your first year, in the Premier League it doesn’t matter if it’s your first or twentieth title race, the circumstances are the same. Having seen all the goals again, I couldn’t help but thinking how furious Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or an early 2000s Arsene Wenger would have been with their teams had they given up such soft scores to their opposition. For the first, Silva has no right to get away from Bale and Modric, who seem to give up chasing him, Parker wasn’t in the position you’d expect from a defensive midfielder and of course, perhaps more lethally, Kyle Walker let Nasri run completely free to finish emphatically. For the second, Bale really has to win the ball at the near post from the corner-albeit it was excellent work from Dzeko-and on another day Parker may have won the battle with Lescott at the back post to prevent the latter from bundling the ball in.

The third goal, irrespective of timing and context, was the most disappointing thing to give up. Firstly, Ekotto could probably have let the ball run out for a throw, but in keeping it in, he simply has to send his clearance down the line. In aiming for Defoe’s head, he handed possession straight back to City, and with our midfield rushing out at the time, left a big gap between them and the defence, which is exactly where their forward ball landed. I’m inclined to point a finger at Parker here and say that the ball should have landed on his right boot, but I’m cautious about being too harsh on him; I do believe that footballing wise, Sandro is a better player, but to ignore Parker’s influence on the team mentally would be harsh on him to say the least. He has turned our season around, but it just doesn’t overly surprise me that he has put in his two worst performances this year against the top class midfields of Chelsea and Manchester City. Overall, I do think we should have done better for the goals, but I don’t think anyone ‘cost’ us any of them, or the game for that matter. We were just punished by the most clinical Premier league team I’ve seen since Mourinho’s Chelsea.

The only things left to talk about are the Defoe miss in the last minute and, sadly, refereeing decisions. As for the chance, I personally believe that Bale should have slipped Defoe in as soon as possible and give him a one-on-one with Hart. This isn’t to say that what he did was wrong necessarily, but if I was coaching a defender in a two-on-one situation, I would urge him to send the attacker with the ball wide, and if possible, make him cross it. Both Lescott and Bale did their jobs very well, and I am hesitant to blame Defoe for not getting there in time. From what I’ve seen of Jermain over the past seven years, I reckon he’d trample over his grandma if it meant scoring a goal, so I certainly don’t think it was a lack of effort. I just think it was one of those moments that confirm it’s just not going to be your day.

As for referees, I don’t actually blame Webb for not seeing the incidents on Kaboul and Parker. Ultimately, I blame the game. If you run a business where your employees are incapable of doing their job, you have to go to whatever lengths possible to make it easier for them. Until television replays are used, or there is one man watching the game on a screen and reporting to the ref, as in the majority of other sports, I almost find it pointless to chastise the referee for incidents that they only get one view of. None of the Spurs players appealed for red cards on either occasion, and they had as long as Webb to have a look at it. It’s really annoying, but I’ve popped too many blood cells and wasted too much precious oxygen bemoaning refs recently, when in reality, the reasoning is that they are not able to do their jobs with the game being as fast as it is currently. If you’re reading this Sepp, get your head out of your backside and sort it out, because it is killing the sport.

Overall, I think we’ve all woken up today wondering what might have been. To be behind, come back, nearly win and then lose it like that is stuff that even the nightmare goblins in your head wince at when you drift off to sleep, and to see it happen like that will take some getting over. With all that said, the lads showed an incredible amount of spirit to get back into the game; heck for thirty five minutes they really did play like potential title winners. In order to clinch the hallowed crown, they will have to turn thirty five into ninety five on sixteen more occasions this season. Do they have the talent? On the basis of yesterday, undoubtedly yes. Will they be able to put that ability into practice? That remains to be seen. Whatever happens, we are still ten points clear of fifth and everything is shaping up for a memorable run-in and celebration of some sort in May.

COYS

Adam Nathan (follow Adam on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/#!/adamdnathan)

THFC1882 welcomes another new guest writer. I’ve been wanting this guy to write for the blog for ages and finally he’s found the time. Here’s Adam Nathan with his preview of Tottenham Hotspur’s crucial visit to Manchester City.

Spurs travel to the Etihad on Sunday to face perhaps their fiercest competitors for the Premier League Title in Manchester City. Much has and will be made of the importance of this game in the context of both sides’ seasons; a Spurs win or draw would be enough to cement their credentials as potential champions come May, whilst a victory for the hosts will only confirm that Roberto Mancini’s ‘noisy neighbours’ are perfectly set to claim the league crown from their bitter rivals on the other side of town.

In the world of Sky Sports that we are compelled to live in, it would be understandable to see the game as make or break for our hopes this season but in truth, it is important to remember that nothing, even elimination from the battle for top spot, can ever be confirmed in the middle of January. With a tough run of fixtures to come, Spurs’ fans will be praying for a positive result to kick-start the New Year that has yielded good results but perhaps not the same performance levels as the first half of the season. A defeat would of course be a major set-back, but only a terminal one if the team are unable to bounce back and show their qualities as the season draws to a close.

Games are never won on precedents, but Spurs will take heart from the fact that Eastlands has often proved to be a successful location for them, especially when the odds have been with the Citizens. In the past years, Fredi Kanoute, Darren Bent, Robbie Keane, Steed Malbranque, and of course Peter Crouch have chipped in with winning goals in games that Spurs would have been delighted with a point from. Whilst this Manchester City side represents a completely different challenge to any of the teams featuring Danny Mills or Elano, the travelling support will hope that another man in white can make himself a hero this weekend. With that said, the hosts undoubtedly hold the bragging rights in the duel at this stage, having clinched their Champions League place against us in this fixture last year, in addition to the ‘oh-why-can’t-i-forget-it-already’ hammering that they dealt us (well, a team that wore the same colour shirts as us anyway) in August.

As for team news, Spurs are expected to be without Gallas and Sandro once again as they continue to recover from their torn calf injuries, although Ledley King may make a surprise, and extremely welcome return. Up front, Adebayor misses out through ineligibility, with Roberto Mancini exercising the ridiculous rule that, although he isn’t good enough to play for him, he is far too good to play against him. Agreeing with Arsene Wenger isn’t something I can usually stomach, but on the loan player issue, he does have a point.

For Manchester City, influential captain Vincent Kompany misses out again through suspension, serving the third game of Chris Foy’s redemption present to us, whilst the Toure brothers are away with the Ivory Coast at the African Nations. Latest injury reports would suggest that Micah Richards and Mario Balotelli will be fit for the clash.

As for team selection, it has been a fascinating week to be a part of social media. Whilst everyone will expect Jermain Defoe to start, which in truth he probably deserves after a string of good performances this season, there have been a lot of calls on Twitter and the forums to start with Van Der Vaart up front instead. There is certainly a lot of mileage to this idea, and is probably what I would go with on Sunday afternoon if I was in Redknapp’s shoes. Defoe has proved me wrong a number of times this year and is probably as complete a player as he will ever be, but my worry is that, whilst he is good in almost every attribute, he is exceptional in none. As a result, he becomes exactly the type of player that Joleon Lescott thrives against. Rafa may not have the pace of the England man, but his positional sense and movement are fantastic. Far from me to ever compare us to the greats of Barcelona, it would be interesting to see how we played with Van Der Vaart dropping off ala Messi with Lennon and Bale playing on the shoulder of the last men, positions that Pedro, Villa and Alexis benefit from on a weekly basis. In addition, we would have space for another defensive midfielder, and whilst Livermore is no Sandro, he certainly impressed with disciplined performances against West Brom and in his real acid test against Cahill and Fellaini last Wednesday.

The return of King would of course be a huge boost, but if he plays, it must be next to Younes Kaboul, who for my money has become the best defender at the club this year. King is still a wonderful player, but having seen the Chelsea game where he was partnered with Gallas who is less able to sweep up in behind, we looked a bit of a mess at the back. King and Dawson has always been an excellent pairing, but in my opinion one of the centre back positions is Kaboul’s to lose at this stage of the season.

Gareth Bale will of course start, but his positioning must be sorted out. Redknapp definitely has a point that Bale can be explosive when playing through the middle, but that tactic is more likely to work when it comes as a surprise as opposed to being the norm. Against West Brom, Everton and Wolves we looked very congested as the Welshman spent far more time inside than out on the wing, and in truth created far fewer chances than usual. When thinking back to the wonderful performances we put in against Aston Villa, QPR and Bolton with two orthodox wide players, it would be folly to consider that system obsolete. For me, Bale should spend the majority of time out wide and occasionally drift inside, especially when we are on counter attacks. We will see a lot of possession on Sunday but also spend large portions of the game defending; when we do have the ball in attacking areas it is essential that we make the most of it; with Bale out wide I feel that is more likely.

It is difficult to predict how Manchester City will line up, but their defence is likely to be the area of greatest interest to us. With Micah Richards being fit, Mancini may line up with him partnering Joleon Lescott at centre back, thus sparing the at times hapless Savic, but he may fear that Zabaleta doesn’t have the pace to compete with Bale out wide. Personally, I find that Bale seems to find it easier to play against brawn than brain-see games against Glen Johnson and Phil Neville as examples of that-so I’d rather see Richards in his usual position of right it with Savic central, although he will of course offer plenty going forward. Going forward, it is always difficult to predict how City will line up, although Mancini’s moans about lack of depth clearly have foundation; after all, he may only have three twenty five million pound players warming the bench, as opposed to the usual five or six. I expect Barry and De Jong to sit in front of the back four, with Milner, Aguero, Silva and Balotelli operating in the forward positions. When you put it like that, it’s actually a bit scary.

In conclusion, it is impossible not to be extremely excited about the game. Many a pundit will label it as a true test of our ambitions and ability, but in truth, I think that is just over-hyping a bit game in mid-January to attract bigger TV ratings. For me, whilst it would of course be damaging to our title ambitions if we lose, I don’t really see this as a game where our players should feel any pressure whatsoever. At the start of the season, I would have been sectioned for predicting the league table to look like it does at this stage of the season, and that is a huge credit to the players and coaching staff that have worked so hard to turn this into a wonderful year so far. Getting a win tomorrow would be the stuff that fantasies are made of, and I would be delighted with even a point, but with ten home wins out of ten this season, City rightfully go into the game as favourites. It is of course a results business, but a negative one tomorrow would do nothing more than make us less likely to win the title. Even to write that makes me feel dizzy, and personally, I seem to look south rather than north when studying the table, with the distance between us and fifth of far greater importance to me than the one separating us from the summit. Without wanting to sound too pessimistic, I will be delighted with a good performance tomorrow and waking up on Monday morning with a gap between us and fifth place of at least nine points. With that said, we do have every chance of making a real statement to the rest of the league tomorrow. If we can combine intelligent, patient play with some of the electrifying pace we have displayed this year, Spurs fans may be dreaming on Sunday night of one hell of a party on Tottenham High Road in the middle of May.

COYS

Adam Nathan ( @adamnathan on Twitter )

With just two weeks of the January transfer window left, Tottenham Hotspur yesterday made their first signing. Iago Falque’s loan from Juventus was made permanent for a fee rumoured to be around £1.5m. The young Spaniard was immediately sent out on loan to Championship club Southampton. Falque showed glimpses of quality when given chances in the Europa League campaign and his time at Southampton is surely to help him settle into life in the English leagues. Southampton play nice, attractive football and their manager Nigel Adkins seems happy to have Falque on board for their push to the Premier League. Opinions are divided on whether Falque is going to be a big star and questions have been asked as to why Juventus have offloaded him without ever using him. That said, Juventus have previous in getting rid of talented youngsters who then come good, so that may not mean too much.

In other news Spurs must continue to look for a winger who can offer back up and competition for Bale and particularly Lennon. Junior Hoillett is still the number one target but his father (and agent) today said that he can’t see Junior leaving in January. This blog has been calling for Spurs to snap up Hoillett since the summer and if a deal can be done then he would surely add more depth in an area that really needs it. If Hoillett isn’t available then three other names have been mooted as possible targets. Firstly, Arjen Robben for over £20m. A move for the fragile ex-Chelsea man seems a non-starter all the way and seems nothing more than made up paper talk. Equally unlikely is a loan move for Juventus’ Serbian wide man, Milos Krasic. Krasic made a massive impression in his first season with Juve last term but has been sidelined for much of this term. Even so, sources close to Juve suggest that any loan move for him is unlikely. His team mate, Dutch international Eljero Elia is slightly more likely but again it’s an outside bet. Elia is extremely quick and full of tricks but can be inconsistent. Basically, with these options looking long shots, let’s just get the Hoillett deal done and put this one to bed!

At the back, Spurs seemingly endless search for centre backs continues. Now that Cahill has gone to Chelsea, Chris Samba is still top target. Although QPR are apparently favourites to take him off Blackburn’s hands. This blog see’s no need for Samba (or anyone else), Younes Kaboul, Ledley King and William Gallas are all better players than Samba while he’s probably on a par with Dawson and Bassong. Not to mention that Steven Caulker will be returning from loan at the end of the season. Any move for someone like Samba would surely hamper Caulker’s development. Of course King and Gallas fitness is always called into question, but even so, unless Bassong really pushes for a move it would seem a senseless addition.

In other news, Jermain Defoe is today linked with a £10m move to Liverpool. Unless Spurs bring in a big name then this seems way off base. Redknapp would hate to be left with just Adebayor and Pavlyuchenko as options and the supposed move for Loic Remy has been rubbished by Remy himself as well as Marseille coach Didier Deschamps. Defoe may well be desperate to get more first team action in a bid to make the plane to Poland and Ukraine with England for the Euro’s this summer but it looks like he may have to continue to bide his time on the bench at White Hart Lane and hope that Spurs take the FA Cup seriously.

Sadly no one seems to be taking any interest in Steven Pienaar, so it appears he’ll still be at The Lane come February 1st too.

It would be expected that as per usual Spurs will leave their business until the last minute in search for a bargain, so don’t fret too much before then!

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

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THFC 1882 present Kenny Palmer with a report on Tottenham Hotspurs latest match.

After Wednesday’s victory against Everton which propelled Spurs to just three points behind leaders Manchester City the team went into the game with expectations of going joint top with a victory over Wolves.

In the lead up to the game the team was heavily feted by the press even usurping Manchester City as the new media darlings. Inevitably this being Spurs they were brought back down to earth with a bump by Mick McCarthy’s industrious Wolves who held Spurs to a 1-1 draw.

The only change from Wednesday’s fixture was a not totally fit Scott Parker replacing the impressive Jake Livermore. While Wolves opted for the inform Steven Fletcher ahead of the hard working Kevin Doyle.

Tottenham started the game slowly with no real tempo to their play allowing well drilled Wolves to get men behind the ball and frustrate Spurs.

A consequence of Wolves conceding a lot of possession and not pressing Spurs in their half was it enabled Michael Dawson to make sweeping cross field passes from the right to Assou-Ekotto to break forward from the left back position to not much success.

Younes Kaboul also had a lot of time to surge forward Beckenbauresque style creating an opening on 18 minutes which Adebayor could not make more of. Spurs 1st real clear opening was a shot from outside the box Modric on 20 minutes.

Completely against the run of play Wolves took the lead on 22 minutes from a corner. The corner was headed on by Roger Johnson and converted from close range by Wolves inform striker Steven Fletcher. Brad Friedel has been excellent in goal for Spurs this season but he is loath to claim balls in the air from corners unlike his predecessor Heurelho Gomes.He could take some pressure off the defenders by trying to claim more balls and being more commanding in the box.

Wolves should have extended their lead when Dave Edwards found himself in space coming in from the left but missed the target with his shot.For much of the first half Spurs dominated possession but found it hard to break down an extremely well organised Wolves. Adebayor had the ball in the net on 44 minutes but was disallowed for offside.

Spurs started the second half brightly with Bale ballooning a good opportunity over the bar on 47 minutes. Not too soon afterwards Spurs could have been 2-0 down but Friedel saved well from Emmanuel Frimpong.

The breakthrough for Spurs came in the 50th minute when a shot from outside the box went under the keeper. This goal seemed to bring Spurs to life. With Adebayor failing to get on the end of an excellent Lennon cross.

A sideshow to the game was Arsenal loanee and pantomime villain Emmanuel Frimpong, who inevitably picked up a yellow for a foul on Bale in the first half and should have picked up a red after another foul.

The Wolves manager Mick McCarthy taking the sensible precaution of replacing him with Stephen Hunt. The resultant free kick wasted by VDV. What has been evident in recent games is Spurs inability to capitalise from dead ball situations. Corners have been particularly poor on many occasions failing to pass the first man and free kicks not working the goal keeper.

Bale was less of a threat from his floating inside position. One of the best sights in English football is Gareth Bale powering down the left wing delivering an accurate cross into the box at pace. Spurs missed his penetration from the orthodox left wing position.Jermain Dofoe came on for Aaron Lennon on 73 and managed to work the keeper with a good shot from outside the box. The game ended without any breakthrough.

Spurs are now perceived as one of the top teams by opponents so will have to find more guile and creativity when trying to break down opponents who put men behind the ball.

A patently unfit Scott Parker was poor today conceding possession with sloppy passing.Wayne Hennessey the Wolves keeper was not overly extended by the Spurs forwards.

Aside from Jermain Defor Spurs did not possess an impact player off the bench who is a real goal threat. Blackburn’s forward Junior Hoilett who can play anywhere across the forward line and who is a transfer target is such a player who would make the difference. The pursuit of his signature may be stepped up in the coming weeks.

After the hype about Spurs pretensions in the build-up to the game maybe the draw is no bad thing as it will now dampen expectations.

Despite the draw Spurs are still 6 points ahead of 4th placed Chelsea and only 2 points behind leaders Manchester City who they play next Sunday in a game which will be a true barometer of whether spurs are genuine title contenders or are going for a top four position.

Not exactly after the Lord Mayor’s show, more consolidating top four.

COYS

Kenny Palmer (Follow Kenny on Twitter @KennyPalmer )

THFC1882 presents another guest writer. This time it’s a guy I’ve known on Twitter for a while and he’s always got something to say on our beloved Tottenham Hotspur. It gives me great pleasure to present Kenny Palmer with a preview of this weekend’s game:

Wednesday’s victory over Everton in the postponed game in hand from the start of the season has left Spurs level on points with Manchester United and 3 off leaders Manchester City. The win also took Spurs 8 points clear of Chelsea in 4th and a further point ahead of North London rivals Arsenal in 5th. Mind the gap!

Saturday is the 3rd of successive home games. Any side managed by Mick McCarthy is always competitive illustrated by their narrow defeat to Chelsea and a well-earned draw against Arsenal at the Emirates. Despite the good performances against Arsenal and Chelsea Wolves still find themselves languishing in 16th position and just a point ahead of 18th placed Bolton in the relegation position. They have won just two of their last 18 Premier League games and have gone 17 games without a Premier League clean sheet which bodes well for Spurs who have scored in the last 19 games.

Wolves normally line up with a 5 man midfield when at home so expect a similar formation on Saturday at the Lane. Arsenal loanee and Mr. T look alike Emmanuel Frimpong will form a combative central midfield alongside Karl Henry. Wolves will look to unsettle Spurs with some robust tackling so it is hoped the game is officiated by a strong referee. Mick McCarthy will probably start with the hard working Kevin Doyle as the lone striker and bring on the in-form Steven Fletcher late in the game. Creativity will come from the flanks from the industrious Jarvis and Adam Hamill. Fletcher is Wolves main goal threat with 5 goals in his last six Premier League starts. Spurs old boy Jamie O’Hara is out injured; Wolves other main injury doubt is Roger Johnson who has been woeful since his move from Birmingham.

Spurs come into the game brimming with confidence after Wednesday’s impressive victory over Everton. The game saw the Premier League return after injury of Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon. Dawson was excellent putting in a consummate defensive performance marshalling the defence superbly. His return should quell the calls to go into the transfer market for Christopher Samba. This would be a needless signing, along the lines of Steven Pienaar, as Spurs are more than adequately covered at centre back with the consistently excellent Kaboul, Bassong contributing and Gallas and King to return.

Wednesday’s game was also notable for Jake Livermore’s’ solid performance in central midfield more than adequately deputising for the injured Scott Parker and Sandro. Even if fit I expect Redknapp to rest Parker for the upcoming titanic game against Manchester City on the 22nd. I expect Redknapp to go with the same team that won against Everton although Redknapp may be tempted to rest van der Vaart, who played the full 90 minutes and bring in Defoe. Van der Vaart had an exceptional game on Wednesday combining craft; we saw a full range of his passing ability and graft, yes graft a continuation from his WBA performance adding a facet we weren’t aware he had in his game. Defoe would be a more than able replacement, scoring 4 goals in five Premier League appearances against Wolves and would be confident scoring against a somewhat static central defensive partnership of Roger Johnson and Jody Craddock.

Prediction

This is uncharted territory for Spurs, six points better than anybody over their last 18 matches. Dare we dream? The team Redknapp has assembled has eclipsed Burkinshaw’s Cup team of the 80’s and Pleats 86–87 team of nearly men. The form Spurs are in has brought optimism and expectation, which is unusual for Spurs fans. A win will put Spurs level on points with Manchester City. Spurs go into the game having gone unbeaten in 9 home games and kept clean sheets in 5 of the last 6. I’m going for a similar score line to when the teams last met at the Lane 3-1 to Spurs!

To echo the sentiments of Younes Kaboul and Aaron Lennon post match against Everton: Keep the run going!

COYS

Kenny Palmer (Follow Kenny on Twitter @KennyPalmer )

Follow the blog on Twitter (@THFC1882dotcom) and ‘Like’ us on Facebook, click the links on the right hand panel.

Tottenham Hotspur tonight moved level on points with second placed Manchester United after a performance of patience and high quality.

Everton turned up at The Lane as many teams now do, to sit deep and try and frustrate Spurs. It’s to the credit of Harry Redknapp and his team that they didn’t get frustrated and saw the opposition off to seal the points.

Spurs played good possession football throughout yet struggled to create openings early on as Everton shut down the wings by doubling up, particularly on Bale.

It was from the wings though that the opener came. Benoit Assou-Ekotto has had a couple of poor outings recently but was back to his cool best tonight and it was he who launched a crossfield pass for Lennon. Spurs jet heeled right winger may have been slightly fortunate to beat the first defender but from then on looked sure of his purpose as he jinked inside and slotted past Howard with his left foot. It wasn’t the sweetest of strikes but it left the Everton keeper wrong footed.

Van der Vaart, in imperious form all night, went close with a curled effort and Adebayor should have done better after a fast break move but it remained 1-0 at the break.

Everton started the second half with a burst of enthusiasm but once Spurs had shaken off the half time cobwebs, the slick possession football resumed.

More often than not van der Vaart was at the heart of things, dropping into space and playing pinpoint pass after pinpoint pass. He was ably assisted by Modric who again looked top class and capable of creating space where none existed. Bale had something of an off night, maybe Phil Neville really does have his number?

It mattered not though as his left wing partner Assou-Ekotto provided the moment of genius for Spurs second. The ball broke to the coolest left back in football 30 yards out and he took a touch to set himself before launching a 30 yard rocket past Howard. It may have taken the slightest of deflections on the way through but no one is taking this goal away from Benny.

Spurs were never really in danger of losing this one. Friedel didn’t have a shot to save and the back four remained untroubled for the most part. Dawson and Kaboul dealt easily and efficiently with any Everton attack that got past the half way line but the majority of the keeper and defenders night was taken up recycling possession. Jake Livermore put in his best performance yet for Spurs. Scott Parkers absence wasn’t felt as Jake easily won the majority of his duels and linked defence and attack with ruthless efficiency. Adebayor had a frustrating night in front of goal but as always worked hard and always looked to bring his team mates into play.

Spurs tonight looked like the title challengers they must now be considered. It was the kind of performance that we’ve all seen Manchester United put on time again as teams look to defend and minimize damage.

Look out Manchester, North London’s finest are closing the gap. They’ve also opened a much bigger gap on their London rivals.

That’s how you deal with a game in hand!

COYS

Stuart Watts

So the Premier League season is finally here, it’s Tottenham Hotspur’s opening game versus Everton……….

That’s how the preview for this one should have started, but the unfortunate and unseemly rioting of early August put paid to Spurs opening fixture. Now this is the game in hand it’s vital that Spurs get maximum points if they want to be taken seriously as title challengers. Everton though are one of the trickiest teams in the league to get a result against, despite some major inconsistencies, this is never a fixture I feel confident about.

Everton currently sit 11th in the table, and 11th in the form table. That seems about right for the squad they have, despite the delusions of grandeur that some of their fans seem to have. They come into this fixture with injury problems for several key players, Cahill, Rodwell, Jagielka and Hibbert all seem sure to miss out as do Leon Osman and Seamus Coleman. Danger men for the visitors will be Tim Howard, one of the Premier League’s most consisitent goalkeepers who’s now added scoring to his repertoire! In all seriousness, he shouldn’t offer a threat to Brad Friedel’s goal but could well frustrate Spurs attackers. Ahead of him Leighton Baines is one of the best full backs in the country and is also a well known danger from set pieces, Spurs will hope not to give any silly free kicks away around the box. American international Landon Donovan, currently on loan from LA Galaxy might be Everton’s biggest attacking threat and it will be important that the defence keep a close eye on him. Louis Saha also shouldn’t be discounted, on his day he is a lethal finisher, though his ‘day’s’ appear to be getting fewer as time goes on.

With most of the first team rested for the FA Cup win over Cheltenham, Harry Redknapp’s team shouldn’t be too hard to predict, central midfield being the major exception. Brad Friedel should return in goal, with Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto resuming full back duties. One question for Harry, is who to partner with Younes Kaboul at centre back. Gallas is unavailable while Ledley King is also likely to be missing. Most people’s saviour Michael Dawson made a succesful return from injury at the weekend, however this blog still maintains that he’s not as good as most think and he could be a risk agianst Premier League opponents after such a lengthy lay off. Sebastian Bassong would be the sensible choice. Never thought that sentence would make it into the blog! In midfield Bale, Modric and van der Vaart seem no brainers, it’s the other slot that is up for grabs. Scott Parker could yet return from his knee injury but if not then Jake Livermore should get the nod to offer a bit of bite against a well drilled and hard working Everton midfield. The other potential options, Niko Kranjcar and Steven Pienaar just don’t offer enough ‘tackley-ness’ for the job. Aaron Lennon returned from injury on Saturday but again may not be risked from the start, his pace could offer an effective weapon from the bench. If Lennon does start, Harry could take a gamble that has paid off for Holland boss Bert van Marwijk recently. Playing Rafa as a holding midfielder! It seems mental, but he has shown effectiveness on a couple of occasions for the Dutch national team and no one can fault his work rate or will to win and get stuck in. That said, Harry is unlikely to take that gamble. In form Jermain Defoe and Emanuel Adebayor should both feature up front again.

Prediction

Spurs really have to win this one, doing so would put them level on points with second placed United and open an 8 point gap on 4th placed Chelsea. It won’t be easy, David Moyes’ team rarely rolls over and surrenders, but the quality in Spurs line-up should shine through. 2-0 to the Lilywhites for me!

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter)

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THFC1882 returns from it’s Christmas and New Year break. Whilst we were off, Tottenham Hotspur collected 7 points from Norwich, Swansea and West Brom, happy days. Today, the FA Cup 3rd round was the focus and we have a special guest reporter for you. Here’s Danny Carrier from the Camden New Journal with his report:

This was the chance for Harry Redknapp’s fringe players to step up to the plate and show what they could do – as well as give Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon some much needed game time to get their match fitness back.

It meant we were treated to the unlikely central midfield pairing of Niko Kranjcar and Steven Pienaar, and while you would worry where the tackles were going to come from, in this thrid round tie their guile, speed and vision were far too much for Cheltenham Town of League Two, and the lack of bite went unnoticed.

And while you’d expect a comfortbale stroll against lower league opposition who offered plenty of effort but were caught short in the quality stakes, those with points to prove didn’t hide.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, so often criticised for his work rate, knitted things together, while Niko Kranjcar underlined what a class act he is: Harry’s request for a centre midfiled shift was met and at times he looked from a different planet than the League Two huff-and-puffers around him. The same has to be said for another fringe player, who will leave this January if an acceptable bid comes in: Gio Dos Santos had his best game in a Spurs shirt, and was instrumental in the opener.

Speaking after the game, Harry Redknapp said he was pleased with the performacnes of those who do not normally get a look in.

“Games are never straight forward and this might not have been easy, but we stuck a couple of chances away and always looked cofmfortable,” he said.

And he praised his side for their professionalism.

“There were a few players out there who needed games under their belt – Steven Pienaar, Niko Kranjcar, Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon – and they all did marvellously well.”

He also joked that he had told Jermain Defoe that his opener was being given to Gio Dos Santos, after the poacher helped it over the line as it was going in.

“Defoe swore it was going wide,” said the boss. “We’ve told him we’ve taken it off him.”

In a midfield muddle caused by Cheltenham’s cramming tactics, the craft and guile of Kranjcar came to the fore. He was instrumental in the opener, on 20 minutes. His instinctive ball out left to Dos Santos cut the Cheltenham defence in half and the Mexican did well to stride goalwards and then beat the keeper with a classy lob. As he turned to celebrate, Defoe, the goal poacher, slid in to make sure. His was the final touch and it was Defoe’s name on the score sheet – but this was the out-of-favour Mexican’s goal all the way.

It had been coming: from the off, this second string side were far too good for their guests. Pavlyuchenko set the tone on 10 when he jinked himself some space after good work by the lively Lennon on the right. Dropping a shoulder he sent his marker one way and then curled a lovely effort on to the roof of the net. Spurs continued to build up a head of steam and with Dawson and Bassong marshalling things at the back, when poor Cheltenham did get forward they lacked the competence to get round Tottenham’s internationals. The closest they came in the first period was a long ranger on 20 from midfielder Russ Penn, but his hasty swipe sent the ball skywards where it as gleefully caught by the crowd behind the goal.

Yet for all of Tottenham’s possession, a tendency to over elaborate when approaching the Town box meant the game wasn’t safe until the 42nd minute. However, it was worth waiting for: the second came in the shape of a super team goal. Steven Pienaar, enjoying his run out in an unaccustomed central role, flipped the Town defence backwards with a neat reverese pass out to Defoe. The striker, perhaps aware that he had already pinched a goal from the toes of a team mate, strode forward and drew the keeper – before uncharacteristically squaring the ball for his strike partner Pavlyuchenko to tap home from close range.

The second period saw more of the same: Spurs pressing when the mood suited them, and the back four that inlcuded Jake Livermore as a full back more than capable of keeping their visitors at arms length.

The third, which the sell out crowd helped by £5 deals for kids were calling for, came at the death. Dos Santos tee’d himself up on the edge of the D and his shot took a deflection to spin in. It was all he deserved.

Before the final goal, Pavlyuchenko had gone close with a header, and then tried an audacious, Hoddle-esque lob, while Defoe also tested Town keeper Scott Brown on 56. Brown earned his performance fee with a double save from Kranjcar and Dos Santos on 71, and it was partly down to his heroics that the score line was kept sensible.

So job done and a fourth round draw to look forward to. Redknapp was content with his charges, but admitted the man of the match, Dos Santos, would in all probability not be here for later rounds.

“Gio needs to play, get fit and train hard,” he said.

“In all honesty I expect he will move on in the transfer window. We had a big bid for him in the summer from Italy but he did not want to go there. He was keen on a move back to Spain. But he is an international so the offer has to be right for us before we sell.”

His potential transfer will not undermine this squad – as Redknapp pointed out, he could field eight internationals against Cheltenham, and his current first XI are flying. He will be looking forward to the fourth round draw tomorrow.

COYS

Danny Carrier ( Follow Danny on Twitter @dannycarrier )

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This isn’t going to be overly analytical of the game, THFC1882 is about to go on it’s Christmas holidays! Before that though we take a brief look at Tottenham Hotspur versus Chelsea from The Lane.

On the balance of play both sides will have been satisfied with a point. Spurs again struggled with a formation lacking in shape. With no like for like Lennon replacement all roads led to the left wing. At first this worked and Spurs dominated the first half. Bale, returning from injury, was the provider of an early goal for Emmanuel Adebayor. At that stage with White Hart Lane buzzing Spurs should have run riot. However they failed to turn possession into chances. Howard Webb then predictably stepped into the role of provider for Chelsea. He awarded a soft free kick near half way and then failed to call Ashley Cole for handball before his cross for the equalizer. Apparently there is some doubt as to whether it was a handball but being right in line with play in the East Upper it looked clear to me. Even so King and Ekotto should have played to the whistle and may have prevented the goal. Webb also should have dismissed Bosingwa for a cynical and vicious foul on Bale but again failed in his duties.

Chelsea started the second half on fire but like Spurs in the first rarely threatened to actually score. Spurs meanwhile had to replace van der Vaart with Pavlyuchenko and this caused even more imbalance. That wasn’t helped by a typically dire Pav performance. Spurs gave the ball away too much in the second half and gave Chelsea too much room on the ball. Bale also faded in the second half, missing a great chance, blazing a first time shot over when he had time to control the ball.  The Lilywhites did however have the best opportunity to clinch it in the closing minutes as Pav – his one useful moment – fed Adebayor, his shot beating Cech but pantomime villain John Terry slid in to stop it on the line.

Spurs go into Christmas in third and the highest placed London club, a fine achievement. It’s obvious that a winger must be purchased to provide depth and competition. I’ve been calling for this since the summer and it belies belief that no one at the club saw this need. Junior Hoillett should be top of our January shopping list.

All told though it’s been a great start to the 2011-12 season and Spurs fans can tuck into their turkeys as the pride of London.

THFC1882 is now taking a well earned Christmas and New Year break. We’ll be returning to action for the FA Cup tie with Cheltenham! Obviously we’ll be hoping for maximum points from Norwich, Swansea and West Brom in the meantime!!

I’d like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year!!

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea, Thursday 22nd December 2011, 8pm Kick off, Sky Sports 1 & HD1

Spurs are used to playing on a Thursday night this season. Of course the previous fixtures have been in the Europa League, now the Premier League are getting in on the action too. This game is huge for both clubs. It’s 3rd versus 4th and a Spurs win would open a gap of five points with a game in hand on their London rivals. It would also leave the Lilywhites only two points behind second placed Manchester United, with that game in hand on them too. Heady times at The Lane. For years Chelsea called it ’3 point Lane’ though that hoodoo has now been broken and Spurs go into this as slight favourites with the bookies. So why am I so nervous?

Chelsea have, by their recent standards, had an up and down season and for much of it young manager Andres Villas-Boas appears to have been on the verge of the boot. Their defence, something they have built previous title wins around have looked all at sea on many occassions and they have attracted criticism from all quarters. Meanwhile up front Villas-Boas has, like Ancelotti before him, struggled to get Drogba and Torres to play together. In recent games this has seen the £50m Spaniard sidelined with Drogba leading the line while Sturridge and Mata offer assistance. Assistance being the key word for Mata. With seven assists this season, he’s second in the Premier League in that statistic. The former Valencia man was always likely to end up in London this season, first Arsenal then Spurs appeared to be leading the race for him before he finally ended up at Stamford Bridge. Similar in style to his compatriot David Silva, Mata drifts across the front finding space between the lines of defence and midfield, probing for an opening. He’s also not shy to have a crack himself and is probably the biggest threat to Spurs on Thursday night. Of course Mata has yet to come up against Super Scotty Parker and if anyone can stop him running riot between the lines, it’s Parker. Sturridge and Drogba are also both on form and will need to be watched carefully. It must be hoped that Ledley King is again available as he is one of the few defenders in the League who can keep a rampaging Drogba at bay. Chelsea’s midfield is likely to comprise Lampard, Romeu and Meireles. Increasingly marginalised this season, Lampard seems to thrive when written off and has often proved a handful against Spurs, he as much as anyone will be ‘up for it’ on Thursday. Meireles has flitted in and out of form all season but can be a powerful presence on his day. Meanwhile Romeu has started to show the class that you’d expect of a La Masia graduate and is forging a role as a key player for Chelsea this season. At the back, Chelsea’s real weakness this season, Villas-Boas may have a decision or two to make. David ‘Playstation boy’ Luiz may be fit to return which would allow Ivanovic to resume duties at right back and dropping Bosingwa. John Terry picked up a knock on Saturday but is likely to do all he can to make this game, while Ashley Cole will complete the back four. In goal, one time ‘best keeper in the World’ Petr Cech has looked increasingly unsteady this year and it must be hoped that he continues his downward spiral on Thursday.

For Harry Redknapp there is already the certainty that Aaron Lennon will be missing, with no other out and out right winger in the squad Redknapp will have to try and find the right balance to beat Chelsea. After missing Sunday’s win over Sunderland, Gareth Bale may make a return on the left, if he does then whichever right back Chelsea go with will be in for a torrid night, as neither can live with the Welshman’s pace. There is a fear that Redknapp will play Bale from the right, allowing Modric to continue roaming from the left flank, this rarely suits Bale and players are always happier in their favoured positions. Another decision for Redknapp regards Sunday’s goal hero, Roman Pavlyuchenko. Assuming Bale is fit, starting Pavlyuchenko would mean dropping one of Sandro, van der Vaart or Adebayor. Sandro is a powerhouse who will be vital in helping Parker combat Chelsea’s equally powerful midfield. Van der Vaart was arguably Spurs best player in the second half against Sunderland and with a solid midfield of Parker and Sandro screening, he can roam free of the right wing, much as Mata will for Chelsea, and create havoc between the lines. His passing was sublime against Sunderland and will need to reach the same levels to unlock Chelsea’s defence. Adebayor meanwhile has given Spurs a new dimension up front this season and even when not scoring has worked his socks off to unsettle defences. His presence against Terry is essential. So with all due respect – and thanks for his goal on Sunday - to Pav, he should be again consigned to the bench for this one. There will also be decisions to be made at the back. Younes Kaboul is available after suspension but after Gallas’ performance against Sunderland may not be able to walk back into the team. Much will depend on whether Ledley King’s knee can take a second game in four days. The rest of the team, Kyle Walker, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Brad Friedel picks itself.

Prediction

After predicting a 5-0 walkover of Sunderland, it’s clear that my prediction-o-meter is off base at the moment. This game fills me with huge nerves and may well hinge on the inclusion – or not – of King and Bale. With those two in the line-up Spurs have a far greater chance of success, obviously. I’m going to hope they are in and go for a 2-1 Spurs win and that would be the perfect Christmas present for all Spurs fans!

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

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