thfc1882.com

Spurs blog

Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea

December 23rd, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Dec, 23 2011
4 Comments »

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 )

, , , , , , , ,
Read More

Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Sunderland

December 19th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Dec, 19 2011
No Comments »

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 )

‘Like’ this blog on Facebook, click the link on the right hand panel.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More

Match Report: Shamrock Rovers 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur

December 15th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Europa League, Match Reports
Dec, 15 2011
1 Comment »

Tottenham Hotspur went to the Tallaght stadium needing a Lyon type turnaround to make it through to the knock-out rounds. From his team selection, including only choosing four subs, it appeared that Harry Redknapp wasn’t really counting on the results going Spurs way.

As the game got started it was clear that Shamrock would try hard and run around a lot. It also appeared that the Spurs players seemed to believe that they were just plain better than Rovers and would win without trying too hard. Fact is they are better than the Rovers boys but no one ever won a football match just by turning up. Except Scotland in Estonia in the 90′s, even that was eventually declared null and void and they drew the replay!! Spurs rarely looked in danger, unless they created it for themselves, but also rarely looked too threatening either. Giovanni made one jinking run into the box and pulled the ball back for Defoe who’s shot was blocked. Sandro also made a couple of dashing runs but again there was no end product.

Spurs really came alive when Redknapp made some tactical switches. He moved Giovanni out to the right, with Pienaar going central and Townsend moving to his natural left wing. Pienaar it was who got the breakthrough, having a hopeful effort from the edge of the box deflected past the keeper and into the corner of the net. There was a conspicuous lack of celebration though and it had to be questioned whether the players seemed bothered. A few minutes later and Andros Townsend who had already had a couple of tricky bursts down the left combined with Defoe before curling the ball over the keeper into the top corner. It was a beautiful effort, on his wrong foot, and Townsend rightly looked delighted. Spurs looked a lot livelier after that and it was Townsend again who provided the key. Flying down the left flank and whipping the ball across for Defoe who had got across his marker, the England striker swivelled on the ball and had his shot deflected past Shamrock’s keeper for a third that with PAOK leading Rubin left Spurs hopes considerably higher than ever heading into the second half.

The second half though soon showed the harsh reality of football. Five minutes into the half news filtered through that Rubin had equalised with their 10 men at PAOK, so whatever Spurs did would be irrelevant if it stayed like that. Rovers looked a little more determined in the early parts of the half and at times stretched Spurs. Harry Redknapp’s men meanwhile huffed and puffed but rarely looked like causing any more bother to the scoreboard. Sandro hit the post as a pass meant for Defoe went astray, hitting the keeper and going for a corner. Jake Livermore was lucky not to see red, seeming to haul his man down when clean through but got away with it. Spurs continued to have efforts but there were lots of determined Shamrock blockers at every turn it appeared. Bafflingly with fifteen minutes left and Spurs still needing goals and a PAOK winner, Defoe was taken off and replaced by young Harry Kane. The youngsters potential shouldn’t be underplayed but surely Spurs should still have been going hell for leather for the five goals in the hope of a PAOK assist? Falque came on for Assou-Ekotto with minutes left and within seconds had three shots, one hitting the post. As time wore on it was Shamrock in fact who looked more likely to score, Cudicini pulling off a sharp save and a couple of other efforts going wayward. Then with it seeming dead in the water, Harry Kane showed why he’d come on, turning in Townsend’s nod back for his first Spurs goal. Townsend proving to be the pick of Spurs performers tonight. Still Greek assistance was needed. It wasn’t forthcoming, nor was Spurs fifth.

Spurs Europa League campaign is over for this year, I’m sure Harry Redknapp will be delighted to get this tournament over and done with. It really is a shame that he and many Spurs fans treat the competition with such disdain. The game is about glory, it says so at The Lane, and glory comes from winning trophies. This trophy was very winnable for Spurs and winning is a habit that we should be getting into. The whole Thursday/Sunday argument holds no water either, how is it any different from Wedneday/Saturday or Saturday/Tuesday in the Champions League? Thats right, it’s not.

Anyway, it’s now back to Premier League business on Sunday, with the first of two massive home games, revitalised Sunderland visiting before London rivals Chelsea rock up on Thursday. I guess it’s okay to play Premier League games on a Thursday right?

COYS

Stuart Watts ( @THFC1882dotcom on Twitter )

, , , , , ,
Read More

Match Report: Stoke 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

December 11th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports, Premier League
Dec, 11 2011
10 Comments »

THFC1882 presents Glen Bocking with a report of Tottenham Hotspurs visit to Stoke.

So…. The ‘run’ is over, that game away fans always refer to as being a tough game has ended in defeat, quite how Spurs lost though is another matter altogether.

For pretty much all of the 1st half and a decent chunk of the 2nd half it’s fair to say Spurs were the better team, aside from 2 set piece goals, Spurs spent the 1st half pretty much camped in Stoke’s half.

Aside from the odd foray into Spurs half Stoke were on the back foot, once the 2nd goal went in from a throw-in (not Delap) Stoke sat back and invited us on to them.

The 2nd half kicked off and the expected bombardment never happened!
Spurs, perhaps buoyed by our recent run, seemed to sit back and almost expect things to just open up in front of us but it never materialised, the team just sort of plodded along for the 1st 10 minutes or so, then something seemed to kick in and the team realised that if they didn’t get a move on then they might actually lose, and a get a move on they did, for 10 minutes or so we laid siege to the Stoke goal.

In the end all we could muster was a 62nd minute penalty which was tucked away expertly by Adebayor (surprisingly Rafa didn’t take it), after that we went for the jugular but a (deserved) 2nd yellow and subsequent red card for Kaboul all but ended things and the team disappointingly seemed to accept that the game was gone and so it drifted to full time without so much as a murmur (aside from a nice ovation when Palacios came on).

It’s easy to say the same old things us Spurs fans day when we lose, Rafa dropped too deep (he did), Bale and Lennon spent too long on the ‘wrong’ side (they did) but take away a couple of set pieces and we did OK, but alas it wasn’t enough and the run is over so let’s start a whole new one again next weekend against Sunderland shall we!

On a side note I have to say how disappointed with some of my fellow fans I was at the reaction Crouch got when he walked down the tunnel at the end, I was never his biggest fan but he surely didn’t deserve to be abused like he was at the end! Lest we forget that nights such as those against Inter Milan home and away were enjoyed in large thanks to his winning goal at Manchester City, I’d like to think us Spurs fans are better than that.

COYS

Glen Bocking (follow Glen on Twitter @gb2point0 )

Follow this blog on Twitter and ‘Like’ it on Facebook, just click the buttons on the right hand panel.

, , ,
Read More

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!

Follow this blog on Twitter and ‘Like’ it on Facebook, just click the buttons on the right hand panel!

 

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More

Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 3 Bolton Wanderers 0

December 4th, 2011 Posted in Articles, Match Reports
Dec, 04 2011
No Comments »

THFC1882 presents Siva’s guest report on yesterdays action:

Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (van der Vaart 72), Parker (Livermore 85), Modric, Bale; Defoe, Adebayor

Goals: Bale 7, Lennon 50, Defoe 61

Well that was easy. 3 points on the board, again. I could get used to this winning every week business.

As I said in the preview getting a win was always the minimum expected before Bolton arrived.  There was a nice calm around WHL before the game, hearing people speculating if other teams might drop points this weekend to help us consolidate 2nd/3rd. was nice.  Everyone came to the game ready for a comfortable home win, and that’s exactly what they got.

Even the news that Ledley wasn’t playing couldn’t jolt people, ‘we can beat Bolton without Ledders’ was the general opinion.  With Defoe starting in place of VdV we were set up for goals.  However, before the game began, there was a very touching minutes applause for  the recently passed Gary Speed. So much has been said on this over the last week by wiser people than me, so I’ll leave it at that.

As we started the match we were nice and bright, a few signs of intent brought us our first corner. There was some fear that VdV’s absence might hurt us from set pieces, especially corners. Its not clear if Modric’s attempt at a corner was scuffed or sneaky but either way, Bale ran ahead of his man and managed to get a toe poke on the ball at the near post and in she went! 1-0 after 6 minutes! Bale had ‘RIP Gary Speed’ stitched into his boots, he took one off and showed it to the Bolton crowd which was a nice touch to their former player and Bale’s former International manager.

Long admired Tottenham target Gary Cahill had a chance to show Harry Redknapp and the Spurs faithful what he was about, sadly he didn’t get much time after the goal to show us what he could do in terms of defending.  Adebayor and Parker chased the ball down from our right midfield all the way to the other side, and as Cahill mis-controlled the ball, Parker picked his pocket and was away. Cahill logically committed the professional foul that would save his team. Parker was on the half way line there were at least a couple of covering defenders and an obvious yellow was required. However Stewart Attwell could find himself reffing in the Conference North next week as he produced a red card as harsh as you’ll see. I sit at the front of the East Upper so had a great view, everyone around me was bemused and/or laughing. Luck is on our side it seems.

As the first half progressed, Jääskeläinen, the Bolton keeper proceeded to have one of those halves that show why they are worth their paycheck. A string of close range instinctive saves kept the score down to 1. With a marauding Bale in the mood to cause havoc it was an odd 30 minutes, no goals but the intent was there.

The half died towards the end as Bolton slowed the ball down trying to get in to their dressing room still in the match, the crowd got a bit restless when we started to do the same but cheers and applause all round when the whistle was blown.

The second half was a decent showing from Tottenham and was as relaxed as I’ve seen us play this season. Lennon scored a great goal, finishing off a sweeping break from Walker on the right who fed Defoe in the centre, the ball finally made its way to Lennon who checked and dummied a couple of times, found some space and drilled into the corner to make it 2-0, game over.

Just 10 minutes later it was 3.  A near post flick on from Bale after another short Modric corner, found Defoe lurking under the bar. He showed good body strength and athleticism to turn his body to the ball, a classic instinctive poachers finish.

The game died when VdV came on and as stated in the preview should never play in right midfield.  He was almost operating as a central sweeper just to get the ball.  When he is in that free role he is as good as they come, but it felt like Harry put him on to keep him happy. 3-0 up against a tired, demoralised Bolton side, why not let him rest for a week and save the hamstring? Give one or two of the bench players a go? Eventually the game petered out, like the first half we spent ages just passing the ball between our back line happy to save energy.

Ultimately we all went home happy with the 3 points in the bag.  The shocking red card decision clearly helped us, but I saw enough of both sides to say confidently that 11 vs. 11 would not have ended in a dissimilar way. Bolton almost played to not get thrashed in the second half, which may not have been the same with 22 on the pitch.

Man of the Match:  Gareth Bale was excellent first half and actually made an impression on the right when switched in the second.

Chant of the Match: “KABOUL KABOUL, KABOUL is on fire!”

Moan of the Match: Ade had an average game. First half he lacked a bit of luck with his runs. But he definitely seems to lower his work rate when we go a couple up, but then again all he’s tasted is 10 wins and a draw since he joined us…!

Stat of the Match: We have officially won 6 games in a row in the Premier League for the first time!

How far can we go this season is anyone’s guess on this form and now we are all but out of the Europa League we can fully concentrate on finishing in our highest ever Premier League position.   Premiership beware Tottenham Hotspur are coming to get you!

COYS

Siva

Follow this blog on Twitter and Like it on Facebook, click the buttons on the right hand panel.

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More

Match Report: WBA 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

November 27th, 2011 Posted in Match Reports, Premier League
Nov, 27 2011
No Comments »

THFC1882 present a writing debut from Twitters @Brettsayid reporting on yesterday’s match:

West Bromwich Albion 1 (Mulumbu 10 ) Tottenham Hotspur 3 ( Adebayor 26 , 90, Defoe 81 )

Line ups : WBA – Foster , Reid , Olsson, Mcauley , Shorey , Brunt , Mulumbu , Morrison , Thomas , Gera ( sub , Cox ) Long ( sub , odemwinge )

Spurs – Friedel , Walker , Kaboul , King, BAE , Lennon , Sandro (sub, Livermore), Parker , Bale , Adebayor , Defoe .

With our two creative players unavailable for our game today at the Hawthorns ( Modric – virus , van der Vaart – hamstring ) Spurs came away with three very hard earned points and deserved them for putting in a 90 minute shift .
The first half was not very comfortable although Spurs did play there attacking build up style open game that we are accustomed to witnessing this season so far .
The first ten mins of the game saw West Brom take the game to us and Brad Friedel was soon to be picking the ball out of his net , when Mulumbu drifted in-between two defenders to head home the opening goal of the game , Steven Reid delivered the perfect cross for any team mate to nod home , even Darren Bent would have finished this one.
Spurs were struggling a little in midfield, Sandro looked very late and sluggish with his reading of the game and he paid the price, picking up a yellow card on 21 minutes for a clumsy challenge. Aaron Lennon was very static up till this point of the match and it took Kyle Walker to smash the ball against the advertising boards to send the message across, it worked too. Lennon then after some very well worked build up play on the right cut inside the penalty area and forced his way infront of left back Shorey to earn Spurs a penalty.
Adebayor stepped forward to take the pen for spurs and had a slice of luck when keeper Ben Foster dived to his right to parry the effort but he was able to get to the rebound first and poke home to level the scores .
Spurs were still working on winning the midfield battle and Sandro was again in the thick of controversy, he tackled a player from behind which led to a free kick to the Baggies, and also saw the second booking of the game, luckily for us it wasn’t for Sandro but that of goal scorer Mulumbu who waved an imaginary card to try and have our man removed from the field of play. Such a cowardly act was shared by the WBA boo boys and ref Kevin Friend was being accused of being a cheat and ” don’t know what your doing ” chants . Jermain Defoe tried hard to get involved in the game and had an effort blocked before half time, as van der Vaart’s replacement he really needed to do better, which was to come .

Half time – WBA 1 Spurs 1

The second half started with no changes although Bale and Lennon did exchange wings, this proved to be a very influential move. Kyle walker and Bale worked up a great understanding and it brought both wingers into the game more, it also saw our midfielders Sandro and Parker overpower the opposition and drive us on to win the game.
Spurs had at least 8 chances to score in the second period , even Sandro having an effort on goal. Jermain Defoe, Adebayor, Parker all taking aim but notably Adebayor missing the easier of the chances, although Ben Foster was there when called upon when the opposition needed him. There was one excellent build up in play started with Bale driving inside the right wing laying it into Adebayor who exchanged a one two with Defoe but the finish was lame and straight to the keepers palms. Chris Brunt picked up a yellow for chopping down Bale who went on a marauding run through the middle of the park and both strikers were on runs and awaiting a goalscoring opportunity.

Jake Livermore came on for Sandro who really had run his cause, and had done very well in the second half. Jake was very comfortable to sit and break up play which lead to Scotty Parker driving us on and looking every bit the boss as he has since putting on the Spurs shirt.
It took until the 81st minute for Spurs to secure the game with a great finish by Defoe from the edge of the box, which beat Foster to the bottom of his right corner.
West Brom bought on Odemwingie for Shane Long who gave Younus and Ledders a good game but not enough to put them out of there stride.

Spurs then allowed the home side to come onto them and played a good counter attacking game . Defoe and Bale both could and should have finished the game off, however in injury time Bale broke down the right and unselfishly lay the ball inside to Adebayor to net the winner and lead Spurs into a tenth unbeaten game streak, nine being wins . How good it is to be a Spurs fan right now .

Man of the match – Scott Parker

COYS!

Brett

, , , , , , ,
Read More

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 )

Follow this blog on Twitter, ‘Like’ it on Facebook – click the buttons on the right hand panel!!

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

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More

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 )

Follow this blog on Twitter and Like it on Facebook – click the buttons on the right hand panel!

 

 

 

, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More

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)

Follow this blog on Twitter and ‘Like’ it on Facebook, click the buttons on the right hand panel!

 

 

 

 

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More
Older Entries
Newer Entries