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Match Report: Man City 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

January 23rd, 2012 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Jan, 23 2012
2 Comments »

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)

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Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

January 9th, 2012 Posted in Articles, Match Previews, Premier League
Jan, 09 2012
8 Comments »

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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Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Sunderland

December 19th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Dec, 19 2011
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It wasn’t pretty. On a cold December Sunday afternoon, Tottenham Hotspur saw off a resilient Sunderland to record a 1-0 victory and get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Winning ugly is the sign of champions. Not getting carried away here, I’m not suggesting Spurs are going to win the title, there’s a chance of it, but Manchester City are a scarily good outfit and their neighbours are impossible to write off. That said, there’s no reason that with these kind of wins that Spurs can’t be up there and should certainly be looking at the top four come the end of the season. For years, United and more recently Chelsea have had this ability to win when not playing well, to grind out three points despite not firing on all cylinders. Yesterday wasn’t the first time that Spurs have pulled it off this season and Harry Redknapp is to be credited for instilling a steely resolve into the squad.

The first half was certainly ugly, shorn of the electric Bale and the Modric/Parker axis broken up with Luka nominally on the left wing the side looked unbalanced and there was little in the way of fluidity. Aaron Lennon’s pace was used a couple of times before he picked up a hamstring injury that is likely to sideline him for some time. With the two lightning wingers out of the side, it highlights the one area of weakness in our squad, Townsend, Falque and Rose are clearly not considered good enough to take their places at the top level. Junior Hoillett or Xherdan Shaqiri or both even, should be at the top of ‘Arry’s Christmas list for a January move. Despite the lack of cohesion and width in the first half, Spurs always seemed in control, only for Sunderland to have the two best chances of the half. First Larsson put a low cross into the box that just eluded Richardson then Larsson had a good free kick palmed away by Friedel. Spurs best chance fell to Sandro, a beautiful reverse pass from van der Vaart – something he was to repeat a number of times in the second half – put the Brazilian through but he scuffed his shot wide.

Into the second half and Spurs livened up, van der Vaart and Modric had obviously been given licence to roam freely, Sandro and Parker providing cover for them and also allowing the full backs to maraud, providing width. Still though it appeared that Sunderland may just stand up to the attack. Too many balls bounced off of Adebayor and especially Pavlyuchenko to frustrate the home crowd. Just as it seemed that this would be one of those days, the magic happened. Super Scotty Parker did what he does, winning the ball in midfield and feeding Modric. Luka’s incisive pass found van der Vaart and the Dutch master played a beautifully weighted reverse ball in for Pavlyuchenko who didn’t need to break stride as he rifled it low into the corner past Keiren Westwood. It was as true a strike as you’ll see and Pav knew it was in the minute it left his boot. Super Pav does it again. Spurs searched – in vain – for a second and still weren’t at their flowing best, although there were some extremely slick passing moves, van der Vaart was at the heart of them all. Being freed of the right wing he’d been pegged to after Lennon’s departure clearly cheered Rafa up and the ability to roam meant he was a threat that Sunderland struggled to pick up. He set up the hard working Adebayor for an excellent chance – another reverse ball – that Westwood did well to save, only palming it into Modric’s path for a sure fire second. But Luka somehow contrived to sky it into the Paxton from 1o yards with an open goal.

‘Old’ Spurs would have suffered for this, but not this team. Parker and Sandro patrolled the midfield dutifully, tackling and intercepting at will. Behind them, William Gallas had his best game of the season, giving a masterclass in defending against first Conor Wickham then the hapless Bendtner. Alongside him calm as ever, Ledley King did what he always does, turns up, puts in an excellent performance and goes home. Neither Walker or Assou-Ekotto had their best games but both did enough to help contain Sunderland in front of the unflappable Brad Friedel. No disrespect to Gomes but the team just seems so much more assured with Mr USA between the sticks, shame that he’s already over 40 and that Spurs may need to replace him next season. Sunderland showed heart to attack for the last ten minutes but in all honesty it never felt like they had much chance of seriously threatening to score, Bendtner will do that to a front line.

It wasn’t sexy, glory-glory football, but it was three very important points that see’s Spurs in third as they approach a massive game with Chelsea on Thursday. That’ll do for now.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom )

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Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland

December 16th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Previews, Premier League
Dec, 16 2011
2 Comments »

Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland, White Hart Lane, Sunday 18th December, 3pm Kick off

So on Thursday night Spurs European adventure for this season came to an end, despite a 4-0 win at Shamrock. The perceived wisdom is that this is a blessing in disguise and can leave Harry Redknapp and his team to concentrate on getting Spurs back into the Champions League. Still, the Europa League could have been very winnable and would look nice in our trophy cabinet. Never mind it’s not to be and now attention turns to the first of two tough home fixtures before Christmas.

Sunderland are the visitors on Sunday and with new manager Martin O’Neill at the helm are fresh from a last gasp win against Blackburn. A new manager often revitalises a struggling team and O’Neill certainly seems to have lifted Sunderland already. Although the value of a win against Blackburn should surely be questioned. Spurs meanwhile will be looking to put last weeks defeat to Stoke behind them and will attempt to set off on another winning run to carry on the push for Champions League qualification and the possibility of a title challenge.

Sunderland will hope that Nicklas Bendtner is available and the crueller Spurs fans will too. The self proclaimed ‘best striker in the world’ can on his day dent any defence, but has thus far through his career more often threatened row Z than opposition keepers. Besides his fitness concerns Bendtner, along with club captain Lee Cattermole was arrested for criminal damage, it will be interesting to see how fiery Irishman O’Neill deals with the pair. If Bendtner’s not fit or able to start then the young Conor Wickham is likely to retain his place as the lone frontman. It’s a lot of responsibility for the teenager but he’s certainly not lacking in the physicality department and has shown flashes of the quality that made him a target for ourselves and other big clubs. Sunderland’s two biggest threats are likely to be Stephan Sessegnon and Seb Larsson. Sessegnon arrived last season from PSG and is a lively and tricky player who is prone to bouts of indifference. Hopefully he’ll not be up for a cold Sunday afternoon at The Lane. Larsson is in this blogs opinion a massively underrated player who has been unlucky to not move to bigger clubs than Birmingham and Sunderland. His delivery from open play is excellent whilst his dead balls can be lethal. Benoit Assou-Ekotto will need to maintain his concentration throughout in order to keep the Swede in check.  On the other flank Kieran Richardson is a player who’s always promised a lot yet rarely delivered on his potential, if he has a blinder he could trouble Kyle Walker but Kay-Dub must rate his chances of winning that duel. Sunderland’s midfield, if without Cattermole, is likely to be David Vaughan and Jack Colback, they are workmanlike and will put in a good ‘shift’ but in all honesty Super Scott Parker and Luka Modric should by rights win that battle. At the back Sunderland will likely have O’Shea at right back and Bardsley at left back, which is odd because they are left and right footed respectively. Maybe ‘inverted’ full backs are the new cool thing to have in football and O’Neill sees himself as a trendsetter? Between them will probably be Wes Brown and Titus Bramble. Adebayor will like his chances against that pairing and keeper Keiren Westwood could be in for a busy day.

Spurs biggest worry for the line-up is at centre back. This year Younes Kaboul has been phenomenal but after Chris Foy’s Stoke nightmare is now suspended for this match. Ledley King also remains a doubt but Redknapp has not ruled out a return for his skipper. If King doesn’t make it then Gallas and Bassong are likely to form a defensive partnership that could have Spurs fans worried. Both have had limited opportunities this season and have yet to look anywhere near their best, here’s hoping it’s a case of needs must and they come through. Brad Friedel will continue his run of consecutive Premier League games and there is no reason to suspect that Walker and Assou-Ekotto won’t return to their rightful full back positions. With no other fitness worries the midfield four doesn’t need to be messed with, Lennon, Parker, Modric and Bale are all on form and are all more than capable of tearing Sunderland apart at will. Ahead of them, Emmanuel Adebayor will continue to offer a figurehead who is capable of troubling the best defences in the world, the only question will be, who with? Fresh from his goal against Shamrock there will be the usual clamour for Defoe and a good old fashioned 4-4-2. Defoe of course can be a lethal finisher but clearly Rafa van der Vaart offers more to the team and it seems nonsensical to not start the World Class Dutchman. Whichever Redknapp goes with, it will be a tough ride for Sunderlands defence. Options from the bench should be enhanced by the return of Niko Kranjcar and maybe Pavlyuchenko. Andros Townsend will hope his thrilling performance at Shamrock will get him a place on that bench too.

Prediction

It may be a cliche but there really are ‘no easy games in the Premier League’ and this certainly won’t be one of them. O’Neill will ensure that Sunderland fight all the way and will hope they can contain Spurs. The home side meanwhile will believe that last week’s result was a blip and that this game should see a return to ‘business as usual’. I think Sunderland will frustrate but can see 2 or 3 being scored in quick succession if Spurs get one and I’ve also got a feeling that a team are due a proper ‘kicking’ at The Lane this season. I’m going for 5-0 Spurs to set us up for Chelsea’s arrival on Thursday.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

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Match Preview: Stoke v Tottenham Hotspur

December 9th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Previews, Premier League
Dec, 09 2011
1 Comment »

THFC1882 welcomes another guest writer on board. This time it’s Glen Bocking. Glen is an Essex boy but now lives in Stoke so is handily placed to attend this game. Glen’s first Spurs memories are the ’91 FA Cup semi and final! Great start to his Spurs watching! Glen’s favourite player of all time is Erik Thorsvedt, closely followed by Darren Anderton. His favourite current player is Michael Dawson. Anyway over to Glen for the preview of Tottenham Hotspurs visit to Stoke:

So, we take our fantastic run (wwwwdwwwwww in case you hadn’t heard) to ‘The Brit’, home of Stoke City, one of those grounds that always gets referred to as a ‘tough place to go’ and where visiting fans are generally happy to say ‘I’ll take a point’ etc etc etc.

But, given our recent run, should us Spurs fans just adhere to aforementioned standard visiting fan sound bite? Sure they are a tough team to play at their gaff but can their slow and cumbersome CM partnership and equally slow and cumbersome back line cope with the pace that we can put in front of them? Is Matty Etherington going to give their left back enough help with Lennon and Walker charging at them, likewise with Pennant and Wilkinson against Bale and ‘disco’ Benny?

I’m really not so sure to be perfectly honest, sure enough their wingers are decent and shouldn’t just be left to their down devices but other than that what do they really have to scare a team on the sort of run that we’re currently on (aside from the obvious threat that is Rory Delap’s high school javelin like throwing ability), their central midfield pairing of Delap and Whelan is not a patch on Parker and Modric. Stoke absolutely will not have come up against a team playing the kind of football we are at the moment and will have to go some in order to stop us, their highly regarded crowd will certainly be up for it and I’m sure the ‘apprentice’ Tony Pulis would love to put the mockers on our recent run and get one over on his old ‘master’ ‘Arry.

Danger Men

Sorry Stoke fans but this is a lot easier to pick for your team than Spurs, Crouch against his former club (where it all ended a bit acrimoniously if the papers are to be believe) is always one to watch out for, don’t give Whelan space to hit a shot from distance as he is half decent, aside from that it’s really a case of not giving them easy throw-ins where Delap can free his arms and don’t allow Pennant or Etherington to get a running start at our fullbacks

Now to Spurs danger man, erm…. Where do I start, it could be anyone couldn’t it? Modric is just pure class as we know, Lennon is showing the sort of form we all know he can (keep it up son), Bale has added a new dimension to his game, having a trick to get past defenders whilst also drifting inside on occasions thus making it hard for him to pick up, and what about the revelation that is Kyle Walker… while positioning is not yet one of his better assets, he has the pace (and then some) to recover when he caught out by a ball over the top. Also, with Bale now starting to drift infield more than we’re used to, Benny has used this to rampage forward every now and again, delivering a half decent cross or a ball to Lennon or Walker out on the right, he’s also no slouch getting back.

 Tactics/Team News

Neither team is going to spring a massive surprise in terms of tactics, we all know pretty much who is going to play (fitness allowing) and we all know how Stoke will set up and how we’ll play. Stoke will work hard as usual and their crowd will cheer all throw-ins as if they’ve just got a penalty (how many goals have they got as a direct result of a Delap thrown in lately anyway?) whereas we’ll look to carry on the fast pace stuff we’ve trotted out game after game after game.

For me the biggest decision for either manager will be ‘Arry’s choice about who to play up front, surely he won’t dare to leave Rafa out for a second game in a row will he? Rafa has come out in the press this week and says he fully understands the reasons for him being on the bench, which is all very good but you get the impression that now he’s had a week to rest his dodgy hamstring and an extra week of training with the team that he fully expects to be starting on Sunday, will the gaffer risk annoying Rafa by leaving him on the bench again? I think he should but I fully expect him to be lining up alongside the in-form Adebayor. Of course the only other bit of team news is a collective Spurs fans prayer that Ledley (he’s better than John Terry) is fit and recovers from the ‘minor knock’ he took in training.

Key to the game

I think the key to the game lays on the flanks, if we can push their wingers back more often than they can do so to ours then I think we’ll swarm all over them, aside from the route one stuff Stoke are ‘famous’ for, all of their creativity comes from Pennant and Etherington, stop them and I think we stop Stoke City.

Prediction

This is the part I dislike very much, I’m not one for predictions as it generally ends up with you looking like a fool or being blamed for a defeat in a game you should have won, that being said I’m going for a conservative 2-1 to Spurs and for the run to keep going for another week. This and the fact that living in Stoke as I do will mean for a much nicer day at work on Monday than if they win, although if Stoke lose then certain fans of theirs I know will invariably blame it on the ref as it’s always his fault if they lose….

 COYS

Glen Bocking (follow Glen on Twitter @gb2point0 )

Don’t forget, the Spurs Writers Club has launched and our first book – The Glory-Glory Game – will be published in early 2012, you can get your name in the book by preordering now!! Here’s the link don’t forget to enter code (SW1) in brackets next to your name on the order form. More info can be found here or on the website!

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Match Preview: WBA v Tottenham Hotspur

November 24th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Nov, 24 2011
2 Comments »

Saturday 26th November 2011, 3pm Kick-off. The Hawthorns.

It’s a rare Saturday 3pm Saturday kick off for Tottenham Hotspur this week. Not that the game time should faze Harry Redknapp’s dazzling Spurs side, on the face of it, not much could or should at the moment. Eight wins and one draw from the last nine, 25 points from 27 and after thrashing Aston Villa 2-0 on Monday night, up into 3rd place in the Premier League. With a game in hand. Truly outstanding form at the moment from this Spurs outfit. Heady times for supporters of the Lilywhites.

What may faze Spurs is a propensity to underperform at The Hawthorns. Spurs have won only one out of five attempts in the Premier League away to West Brom, losing two and drawing two. Redknapp’s good friend Roy Hodgson is also famed for constructing difficult to beat sides and it certainly won’t be an easy ride for Spurs. West Brom are 10th in the league currently and should not be underestimated. They were at home last time out against Bolton and grabbed a 2-1 win, although this followed successive defeats to Spurs rivals for top four, Arsenal and Liverpool. With Peter Odemwingie still sidelined – he tormented Spurs twice last season – Hodgson will look to Shane Long and Zoltan Gera to provide their main attacking impetus. Yousouf Mulumbu is also a forceful presence from midfield and it will be interesting to see him up against the unbeatable Super Scotty Parker. Winger Jerome Thomas could also prove tricky, with three goals from six games against Spurs in the Premier League he clearly relishes these games. At the back, Albion have a fairly settled back four, Reid, Olsson, McAuley and former England hopeful Nicky Shorey in front of Ben Foster. They form a reliable while not outstanding unit, if the Spurs front four hit top form then it could be a rough ride for West Brom’s back line. Manu Adebayor against Olsson could be a real physical battle to watch out for.

It seem’s unlikely that Harry Redknapp will make any changes to the Spurs line-up. There’s no need really is there? Every single player was at the top of their game on Monday night and will surely look to continue that this weekend. Brad Friedel had little to do against his old club and if Spurs play to their potential this could be repeated again on Saturday. Certainly if Younes Kaboul has anything to do with it. Kaboul tops the Premier League for headed clearances with 79!! His head must be made of stone! Alongside Ledley King, Kaboul grows and grows with each game and even his previous harshest critics are beginning to accept and appreciate the talent that he has always – in the view of this blog – had. Either side of the King/Kaboul axis, Walker and Benny will look to continue the form that see’s them rated as two of the best full backs in the league. On Monday night Aaron Lennon looked back to his electrifying best, if he maintains that, teams trying to double up on Bale will find themselves in serious trouble as Spurs now have an outlet either side. There’s not much to add about the Modric/Parker partnership that hasn’t already been said, it’s a joy to watch them work at the moment. Ahead of them Rafa van der Vaart had an excellent game against Villa without troubling the scorers. Not that it mattered with Adebayor rediscovering his scoring boots with a superb bicycle kick and the easiest goal he’ll ever score.

Prediction

It would be easy to get carried away with Spurs form and see this as a game that they will steamroller through. On paper of course that may well be true, but as any long standing Spurs fan will tell you, this is just the kind of game that could see the Lilywhites come unstuck. However this team looks different. They are a slick, cohesive unit who look to have great team spirit and unity and a huge amount of faith in each other. I’m going for Spurs to continue their good form with a 3-1 win.

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

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The Odds (from Oddschecker.com at 1630 on 24/11/11)

Tottenham Hotspur win: 10/11

Draw: 13/5

WBA win: 3/1

My prediction (Spurs 3-1): 14/1

First Scorer (Spurs players)

van der Vaart/Adebayor: 9/2

Defoe: 6-1

Bale: 13-2

Assou-Ekotto: 50-1

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Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Aston Villa

November 22nd, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Nov, 22 2011
3 Comments »

THFC1882 presents Rob’s guest report on last nights action:

Tottenham Hotspur team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Modric (Sandro, 89), Parker, Bale; Van der Vaart (Defoe, 69); Adebayor

Goals: Spurs – Adebayor 14, 40.

Harry Redknapp was welcomed back to the lane last night with a wonderful all round dominant display against a weak and abject Aston Villa side that apart from five minutes at the start of each half were never in the game.

Before the action got underway, members of the 1st and 4th Battalions of the Rifles regiment led the teams out on Tickets For Troops night at the Lane. The British Legion also received a cheque for £40k at half time from the sales of the poppy shirt Spurs wore against Fulham which is a great effort for a very worthy cause.

Spurs showed true class during the game and there were magnificent displays from all but in particular Modric, Bale and Adebayor ran the Villa team ragged all night and I’ll doubt you would see a better display from a centre back than how Kaboul played. Yet I walked away from White Hart Lane with something missing, when surely I should have been buzzing and singing we’re going to win the league. Don’t get me wrong it was a truly awesome display as we played keep ball and never let Villa settle or mount a challenge but maybe it was too easy for me and I was expecting the Jekyll and Hyde performances we have showed on occasions this season. It could be that I live on my nerves and felt uncomfortable with how calm Spurs made me last night but in any case the fact is that Spurs are a brilliant footballing team and showed the country how dangerous they are becoming.

Harry had the luxury of naming an unchanged team as Van der Vaart was passed fit. Aston Villa put out six defenders in their team with Hutton seemingly playing on the right wing and Chris Herd in centre midfield. How Stephen Ireland and Charles N’Zogbia didn’t make it into the team let alone get on the pitch is unknown to me. They feared us and rightly so.

For the first five minutes Spurs started slowly and Villa had the possession and they were looking to get at us. The usual outcries from the stands as a pass was misplaced or someone didn’t make a run were heard. That didn’t last long though as after that almost insignificant period of play was over the rest of the half was all Spurs.

We started to keep possession very well, something we did all evening, and Villa were being moved from side to side as we looked to carve them open. It didn’t take long for that to happen as Assou-Ekotto spread a glorious ball out to Lennon on the right, he skinned Warnock with ease and sent in a perfect cross for Adebayor to bullet a header in the back of the net from about 8 yards out. Well that was what should have happened but didn’t, as the big man didn’t connect properly and it drifted wide. He like the rest of us couldn’t quite believe he missed it. It wasn’t long before he rectified that miss though and what a goal it was. Just before it Kaboul thought he himself had opened the scoring as his shot from the edge of the box after a corner was deflected inches wide. From that resulting corner, the ball was deliberately floated to Bale on the edge of the box, he volleyed it into the ground and it looped up perfectly to Adebayor all alone on the 6 yard box, who spectacularly bicycle kicked it into the net. Why score the easy ones eh? From then on in to the half time whistle, Villa couldn’t get a real touch of the ball as Spurs played around them, as there players were mere spectators to the delicious football that was going on. Van Der Vaart tried his own spectacular effort after a neat corner routine with Lennon but hit the side netting, then Rafa tried to play in Adebayor with a superb ball over the top that the Togo man reactively tried a first time volley but didn’t connect properly and it went wide. Adebayor returned the favour and sent Van Der Vaart through and he saw Given off his line and tried the instant chip but that went over the bar. Villa’s only chance of the half came around the half hour mark as Heskey found room in the box but was reluctant to shoot and tried to play in Bent but because of his indecision the cross/shot evaded everyone and went well wide.

Spurs deserved a second goal for their efforts and it duly came on 40 minutes. Modric started the move as he shifted the ball out to Bale. Bale turned on the afterburners and breezed past Cuellar, as he had done all half and whipped in a dangerous cross that somehow evaded both Collins and Given and left Ade with a tap in from one yard out. His two goals a complete contrast. The half time whistle went with us very good value for our lead and another half of football to drool over.

2-0 at half time? Now where have a heard that before? This time though we built on and backed up our first half display. Villa had their five minutes at the start of the half with Bent having a header saved but once we woke up again the pattern of the first half returned with us almost toying with Villa at certain times. After all it’s very difficult to get back into a game of football if you don’t have the ball! Spurs passed the life out of them whilst making chances that really should have been taken.

The first of these chances came when Modric received the ball and turned and burst forward. Is there a better midfield player in the league with his back to goal? I doubt it. He then played an exquisite ball through for Adebayor, who look at tad offside, to run on to clean through on goal. Given didn’t commit himself and Ade put the ball wide when he should have completed his hat-trick. Kyle Walker then tried his luck from 25 yards out from a corner routine but his shot was always curling wide. Spurs continued to press for a third goal and the irrepressible Bale went on a run down the middle of the pitch, touched the ball out to Adebayor on the edge of the 18 yard line and his side footed curler went agonisingly wide. As he hit it I thought it was in. Breath-taking stuff! Adebayor had one last chance to complete his hat-trick after a goal mouth scramble but Given spread himself to deny him. Parker and Defoe, on for the trying Van Der Vaart, tried their luck from distance but their efforts went over or wide of the target.

The final whistle went and we made it 8 wins out of the last 9 games and climbed to third in the table. A fantastic night at the office. Aston Villa went home having been show how to play the beautiful game but their minds had probably been gone a while as they looked disheartened and uninterested for a lot of the game. Maybe I am doing Spurs a disservice though.

Spurs are growing as a side without doubt. We have the best all round midfield in the league, Sir Ledley is grooming Kaboul well and their own partnership is developing. Rafa and Ade are gelling as an attacking force and we have one of the best squads that we have ever had. Harry has also got them playing with such freedom and style but has also installed determination, self-belief and a winning mentality. So why have I got my cautious head on? Answers on a post card. For the time being though I will enjoy the ride we are on for however long it lasts.

COYS

Rob (follow Rob on Twitter @essexlad13 )

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Match Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa

November 19th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Nov, 19 2011
1 Comment »

THFC1882 present another guest blog. It’s Rob again with his preview of Monday nights return to action

Monday 21st November 2011, White Hart Lane. 8pm Kick off Live on Sky Sports 1HD & 1

Another International break is over and we can get back to the important domestic business once again. What an International break it has been for Tottenham Hotspur’s  players though! They obviously took their confidence from our league run onto the international stage as there were Man of the Match performances from Super Scotty Parker and Kyle Walker (on his debut no less) for England, Modric for Croatia as they qualified for Euro 2012 and Bale for Wales. Even Corluka scored! If this was an Orange advertisement it would probably say the future is bright, the future is Spurs! The only down side was van der Vaart limping off for Holland with a hamstring strain.

On Monday night we welcome Aston Villa to the Lane, for what is usually an entertaining game between the 2 sides. I can still remember the 4 all draw against them four years ago when we came back from 4-1 down to claim a draw with a last gasp Kaboul equaliser. We have, in fact, only lost one of our last eleven games against the West Midlands club at home and we are undefeated in the last five league games against them, winning three of them. Last season we did the double over them as both result were 2-1 in our favour or as I like to call it Rafa Van Der Vaart 4 Marc Albrighton 2 as both got all their respective teams goals.

Within Villa’s ranks they have two old Spurs boys and one that is also on loan from us, Alan Hutton, Darren Bent and Jermaine Jenas. The latter is unable to play for them due to the Premier League rules preventing loaned players playing against their parent club. Bent and Hutton will take their place in the opposition’s line-up and I am sure they will get a good reception from the Tottenham faithful even though they have both been very vocal about their time at Spurs and, in particular under Harry Redkanpp, since they have left. Many still feel that Bent didn’t get a fair crack of the whip whilst with us, especially under Harry, and how useful would it have been to have him still in the squad last season, as he has always scored goals wherever he has been, including ourselves when given the opportunity. We also have to thank them for helping Kyle Walker develop quicker whilst he was on loan last year and I am sure Kyle views his time at Villa Park as an important phase in his career. Villa are currently sitting 8th in the league and whilst they haven’t quite clicked yet under their new manager Alex McLeish, who was installed after his predecessor Gerard Houllier was forced to give up the post with heart problems, he certainly has installed more steel into the side as they have only lost twice form their eleven games this season. They made a good acquisition in the summer by getting Shay Given to replace a certain Brad Fiedel and Gabby Agbonlahor is seemingly back to his scintillating best. If he has recovered in time to play from the hamstring injury that he picked up on England duty he will be their main threat to us. One player with bags of talent that Villa signed in the summer is Charles N’Zogbia. Whilst at Wigan he showed how good he can be, but up until now he has not repeated that form for his new club. If he does on Monday then Kyle Walker will be in for a tough night. Sillian Petrov is also in good form and loves to shoot from long range so we will have to be wary of that threat.

Whilst the International break was in full swing the news broke about Harry Redknapps impending court date. Whatever the outcome of that trial may be the talking about it is best left to the future and all I hope for is that Harry has recovered enough from his operation to take back the reins and be on the side lines on Monday night. Apart from the possible enforced absence of Rafa, who Joe Jordan rates as having a 75% chance of playing and Corluka who has an ankle problem, the rest of the side will be the same that took to the field at Craven Cottage two weeks ago, as all our other international players reported back fit. So I would imagine that Jermain Defoe will get his chance to shine in the side as I hope they won’t take a chance on Rafa, considering his problems this season with hamstring injuries. That means once again the spine of the team will be King Ledley, Scott Parker and Adebayor. Of course losing Van Der Vaart is a massive blow, especially in the form that he is in, but the squad is much stronger this year. Defoe would get in most teams first eleven and is himself in good form and we still have Modric, Bale and Lennon to be the creative force of the team as well as score some goals as they have been doing recently. Unfortunately Michael Dawson has suffered another setback in his recovery from his Achilles injury and could need another operation to clear up the problem which would keep him out long-term. Tom Huddlestone won’t be back until around Christmas and William Gallas is still recovering from a calf muscle strain he suffered on his own comeback from injury.

Prediction

Aston Villa are in a transitional period and in truth, whilst they are a difficult opponent, they aren’t anything special (famous last words) and I can see Spurs continuing their best ever start to a Premier league campaign and making it eight wins from nine games. Villa’s run of only two victories from their last nine games and the fact they haven’t won away from home this season back this up. Spurs have a real chance here to continue their momentum into a very winnable stretch of games leading up to the new year, with us only playing one other top four side, Chelsea, during this period. It won’t be a stroll in the park but I am going for the same score as in our previous 2 games and a 3-1 victory. Of course my little boy will be predicting his usual ten all draw!

COYS

Rob (follow Rob on Twitter: @essexlad13)

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Match Preview: Fulham v Spurs

November 5th, 2011 Posted in Match Previews, Premier League
Nov, 05 2011
1 Comment »

THFC1882 presents a guest preview of Spurs visit to Fulham by Ciaran Griggs:

Premier League; Craven Cottage; Sunday 6th November; 1600 KO. Sky Sports 1/HD1

Before getting into detailed discussion about the likely lineups, tactics and outcome of yet another Sunday afternoon Spurs match, let’s get one thing out of the way first. Yes, Martin Jol is an ex-Spurs manager and yes, he was genuinely liked when at Spurs. Reading some of the tweets and Spurs comments from earlier this year though, you would think that he had taken us into the Champions League. He came close, but he didn’t achieve it. Coupled with that, when he left Spurs the team were an approximate 500 stone overweight, with 498 of those being Tom Huddlestone. Much like some advice I was given regarding girls many years ago, NEVER GO BACK. So can we move on now? Excellent.

Typically a tough match for us, despite the suggestion of recent results, Fulham are a team that swing through many peaks and troughs of form in a given season. For many years they are a team that are capable of beating the “big” teams quite comfortably at home. Equally, they have it within themselves to be demolished by a “small” team on a Saturday afternoon. So which Fulham team is likely to turn up on Sunday afternoon?

Fulham come into the match after a fairly average league run of 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats, including a credible 2-2 draw with Man City and a crushing 6-0 win over Premier League new boys QPR, our defeated opponents from last time out. Spurs on the other hand come cruising into the match with 5 wins and only a solitary draw marring our recent impressive record. Recent displays by the Lilywhites have been impressive and our front five is beginning to gel into a unit that is genuinely the envy of most of the other clubs in the Premiership. Which team wouldn’t be concerned about lining up against Adebayor, Van der Vaart, Bale, Modric and Lennon?

Fulham have a new front man for the fans to adore in their pre-season acquisition, Ruiz. A player that many Spurs fans coveted when he was signed, he scored plenty in the Dutch league but hasn’t yet fired in quite the same way in the Premier League. Fulham’s most dangerous player is likely to be their excellent attacking midfielder, Clint Dempsey. Dempsey has a proven track record of scoring in the Premier League, and his goal threat shouldn’t be discounted. Thankfully no Spurs fan is expecting a Rob Green-esque incident now that we have our own Mr Dependable, Brad Friedel between the posts.

Typically for a Jol side, Fulham play a fairly attacking team, going with a 4-3-3 last time out with Dembele, Johnson and Zamora spearheading their attack. Danny Murphy, an ex Spurs player, pulls the strings in the midfield. Though he is some way off his form of two seasons ago, Murphy still has the ability to hit a defence-splitting ball for his 3 strikers to chase down. If only we had a combative central midfielder to snuff out the Fulham threat…

Despite the absence of our own manager, Harry Redknapp, due to minor heart surgery (get well soon H!), the expectation is that Spurs will continue to line-up with a very attacking version of 4-4-2. Our defence should include The King in an unchanged back 5. In fact, the Premier League 11 pretty much picks itself at the moment. The back 5 and front 5 are anchored together by the new lynchpin of the Spurs side, the Duracell bunny that is Scott Parker. He gets more and more praise by the week and for this writer, that makes absolute sense. He gets better week on week and the confidence that gives the team is spreading. As Gareth Bale said after the QPR match last week, the knowledge that Parker is there to mop up allows our front 5 to attack with freedom and zest. The Lennon and Bale combination for the third goal last week was one of the best goals Spurs have scored in recent times, a combination of quick passing, excellent movement and a wonderful finish. With Modric pulling strings (and seemingly enjoying himself!) and van der Vaart in a brilliant patch of form, we have much to be expectant about as Spurs fans. Given Fulham’s midfield are relatively slow, I expect us to try and exploit the wings, using Bale and Lennon to stretch the Fulham defence. Bale and Lennon have been guilty of playing too centrally at times this season though I think a large part of that was a lack of confidence and form. Both are evidently “up for it” again so expect to see width. With Fulham stretched we have 2 possible angles of attack – hit the bylines and ping crosses for Ade to attack or cutting the ball back inside for our smaller, more mobile attackers to latch onto, a technique that has contributed 2 of Van der Vaart’s more recent goals.

I can’t see any reason to see anything other than a continuation of Spurs excellent run of form, with a 6th league win in 7 games on the card. Let’s also remember that whilst Fulham played a relatively strong side in their EL win over Wisla Krakow in midweek, we sent our kids and fringe players to Russia to see out a 1-0 defeat. Spurs are fresh and I expect to see some late goals as we win this away fixture 3-0.

COYS

Ciaran (@LordFIMM on Twitter)

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Is Dawson Actually That Awesome?

March 15th, 2011 Posted in Articles
Mar, 15 2011
20 Comments »

If there’s one thing I love about Twitter is it’s ability to start a full scale debate from one person’s tweet. At approximately 10.30 this morning a Spurs fan, Kevin Jones, said “As a welshman I’m not bothered but Michael Dawson is not an England captain”.

What has followed in the last hour has seen Michael Dawson’s ability to not only be England’s captain but also Spurs captain come into question. There are those who believe his abilities are somewhat limited and if it wasn’t for the constantly injured duo of King and Woodgate he wouldn’t even be in the Spurs side. Some say the returning Kaboul has shown he’s better than Dawson when he gets a run of games under his belt.

The one thing I was surprised about were the amount of people who held a similar opinion to mine. It’s an opinion I’ve mentioned before in this blog, on twitter and face to face during the pre-match Bell and Hare drink, that Michael Dawson isn’t as good as we spurs fans give him credit for. Now, based on the response from those that frequent twitter during their working day that sentence will have you nodding your head in agreement or frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog, making the assumption I’m actually a gooner in disguise.

Let me make this very clear before I start. I like Michael Dawson a lot. He’s the Graham Roberts of the current side, albeit I’d expect Roberts to think he was better, and he was. As the season was coming to a conclusion last year I was standing on the terraces along with every other spurs fan, clamouring for Awesome Dawson’s inclusion in the England world cup squad or even the team. His performances were very good each week and he constantly gave 100% for the team. However, it’s his commitment to the cause that I believe gets us fans behind him more than his ability.

Just look at Pavlyuchenko. If he gave the same commitment Dawson does, there wouldn’t be the split opinion on whether he’s any good or not. If there’s a 50/50 challenge there’s no one in the Spurs team we’d want more going for it. We know he’ll put his head where others won’t put their feet and his body is on the line whenever it’s needed. He’s the first and last line of defence if asked. However, I’d give even more commitment to Spurs than Dawson does if asked to. That doesn’t mean I’d be good enough (if you’re reading Harry, there’s no harm in giving me a shot just in case).

The one thing that lets Dawson down is his positional sense and concentration. When it comes to the simple things he’s a master but anything else he often falls short. For some reason when he plays alongside an experienced defender like Gallas or King he reverts back to a little kid and seems to need to be told where to stand and what to do. Last season he was seen as the veteran defender in his partnership with Bassong and he performed exceptionally. There’s the argument that he hasn’t had a settled partner for most of this season (since he’s returned from injury) but it’s fairly obvious now that it’s him and Gallas. Maybe it’s the clown (sometimes) behind them that doesn’t install confidence on him?

The point is when, or more likely if, every spurs central defender was fit, Michael Dawson wouldn’t even be first replacement. He’d be behind King, Woodgate and Gallas and quite some way behind them. He’d be fighting it out with Kaboul for a place on the bench and with Kaboul’s superior use of the ball as well as flexibility as a right back he’d probably lose that fight. Of course, that’s all theoretical because King and Woodgate should both have their contracts ended this summer to remove them from the wage bill and Gallas probably won’t be with us any longer than next season so the future is Dawson and Kaboul. Unless of course we sign another defender. A Gary Cahill for example would put pressure on Dawson in my opinion.

The type of game Dawson is fantastic in is against the likes of AC Milan. Against Wigan and Wolves he’s not so great. As strange as that sounds it’s because against a Milan or an Arsenal the defence is going to come up against a lot of pressure so concentration is key for 90 minutes which when he knows that’s what he has to do he will. It’s also very tight which means little room for small, jinking strikers to run into the penalty area. When there’s not so much pressure on the defence Dawson has a tendency to fall asleep and hump the ball long at every given opportunity. Look at his performance against Fulham in the cup this season. It’s the perfect example of poor positional play and a lack of concentration.

It’s very hard to get across what I’m trying to convey. Do I hate Michael Dawson? No. Would I drop him? No, but only because at the moment there isn’t a replacement. Do I worry when I see him in the starting line up? No, but do I think there’s better out there for my club, including others already available for selection? Yes.

As a result I can see both sides of the argument. Michael Dawson is a good player. Not great, but good enough. A captain should always be the first name on the team-sheet and while he probably is at the moment that’s more down to circumstances than ability, and regarding the initial tweet, in my opinion Michael Dawson isn’t good enough for the England team, let alone to be England captain.

Let me leave you with this thought, if Michael Dawson was so good wouldn’t other clubs be interested in signing him?

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