Tottenham 4 - 1 Bolton

Again I am unable to actually produce some kind of report of this astonishing game - maybe I should just leave that ambition aside entirely and write panegyric to the brilliance of Dimitar Berbatov instead? Perhaps one more attempt: next week's game I should be able to cover.

Ok, so what happened? Basically, the Carling Cup Final happened. At the exact same time. Was anyone interested in a league game between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers? Well, five of us were. And the staff found a little telly in a corner for us, bless them. But there were still hundreds (you know, many) people there for the other game, which was shown on all the other screens and at a very high volume. It can be a bit surreal to watch a game with no volume at all. It can be even more surreal to hear the commentary of something else. But incredibly loud commentary, accompanied by the cheers and boos and general noise of hundreds (ok, a lot) of Chelsea and Arsenal supporters, of a game which apparently was very exciting is the most surrealest of all. At times even I, renowned for not taking my eyes off the screen, had to look over. For the goals, for John Terry's horrible injury, for the bizarre punch-up at the end. Needless to say, the five of us made some noise as well. Quite a lot, actually. There was so much to be happy about.

Despite the revival of last week I had been a little worried that Bolton might be too heavy a test too soon. Silly me. The first 20 minutes of this game were just amazing - reminiscent of the way we played against Newcastle at home, but with the difference that the lads scored three goals and never wavered for a second. The team play, the passing, the understanding between the players - a solid defence (any little slip-up Rocha, who will settle in given a few more games, might have made was covered by the magnificent Dawson), a steely yet elegant midfield, Aaron Lennon being Aaron Lennon, Keane spot on and Dimitar Berbatov playing like the god I am increasingly convinced he is. We'll get back to that. Anyway, if I had been able to make notes I could perhaps give more of a report than a giggling review, but as it is... I can't even remember Bolton - I think they were the dudes in red running around somewhere.

Bolton get a corner, Keane, positioned at the post gets the ball in the chest - it looks as though he handles the ball out of the goal. Honestly, I'm still not sure whether he did or not, I'm leaning towards not, but at the very least he was a bit clumsy to wave his hands about rather than let it go in. As it was he was sent off and Bolton got a penalty, which they put in the net. We of little faith actually got a bit nervous. What was going to happen? Would this invigorate Bolton and break the confidence of our lads? And this, of course, is where things got even more amazing - and interesting, with some kind of analytical perspective. The team, which in the depths of a "crisis" - two weeks ago - prompted journalists and experts to write long analyses of just what was so horribly wrong, which did lose confidence, which was lacking in leadership, which lost not only the ball but all initiative against Sheffield United, that team just continued as if nothing had happened. I still think that neither crisis nor invigoration were as bad or as spectacular as people with a very short memory suggest - but something has happened.

Spurs played the entire second half with ten men and, honestly, it was nearly impossible to remember that that was the case. No loss of either confidence or ball. I don't remember if Bolton had many chances, but I know we had a good few. And got another goal. Essentially the man who made the game, who created the goals, who made it look as though we had 12 men rather than 10, was Dimitar Berbatov. We all know he is good. We all love him. But his performance yesterday was out of this world. He collected, controlled, passed, distributed, created - he was everywhere, won everything and probably dazzled the Bolton defence into their apparent stupefaction. We were all flabbergasted; I, for one, nearly moved to tears of joy and movement at the beauty of it all. For a while I wondered if we were just a bit biased, wondered if people would fail to notice his effort - seeing as his name wasn't on the score sheet - but thankfully not. He was Man of the Match, after the game and in the papers and Martin Jol seemed to have to restrain himself from going on a praising rant. True to his nature Dimitar was sweetly modest about the whole thing and happy about the way the team had played beautiful football and as a team at that. Aren't we all.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon, Zokora (Stalteri 90), Jenas, Tainio (Malbranque 67), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Mido, Defoe.
Sent Off: Keane (36).
Goals: Keane 11, Jenas 19, Keane 22, Lennon 90.

Bolton
Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, Faye (Teymourian 25), Gardner (Pedersen 63), Giannakopoulos, Nolan (Vaz Te 76), Campo, Speed, Diouf, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Walker, Tal.
Booked: Diouf, Meite, Gardner, Campo.
Goals: Speed 37 pen.

Attendance: 35,747
Referee: Graham Poll

A tale of two Alans

Charlton 4 - 0 West Ham

This is a tale of two Alans.

Alan starts his career at WH and ends it at C, where he eventually becomes manager - remaining for 15 years. During that time C play at the UP ground, later to become the ground of WH. In the early stages of Alan's career as manager he signs Alan as a player. Later on Alan follows in Alan's footsteps and becomes a manager, eventually ending up at WH. Alan leaves C, and when, some months later, Alan is sacked by WH Alan is offered that job - returning where he began. When the C job becomes available, who steps in but Alan - also returning to his former club. As we enter the scene both have been in their current jobs for a couple of months, struggled, and now have to play against each other in a dramatic showdown...

Of course it all just became a football game. And an entertaining one at that - especially for Charlton fans, of course, but also for the neutral observer. I have to confess to not have followed Charlton very carefully this season, the most outstanding memory of them being when my own dear boys destroyed them 5-1, but watching them today surprised me - their performance seemed to belie their league position. Relegation? This team? They played as a close-knit team, with passion and imagination and finished off their goals beautifully. West Ham, conversely, played like a group of people who have barely met before. They were feeble and disorganised and looked very much like the work in progress which, considering how many new players they have, they arguably are. A second half increase in tempo and aggression yielded some more chances than the dismal first half but neither goal nor result.

Charlton, dominating possession from start, immediately had the first chance. West Ham's responses and attempts at attempts inevitable failed on feeble passing and a lack of positioning which Charlton had in abundance. On 23 minutes a cross from Marcus Bent was converted into a goal by a well-taken shot by Ambrose, who, due to the fact that the defenders were focusing on Darren Bent, was unmarked. The West Ham defence was again poorly positioned as a great run on an empty left flank by Jerome Thomas, at the end of which he outwitted Calum Davenport, yielded a lovely goal on the half-hour mark. A shot by Nigel Quashie was saved by Carson and a feeble kick by Tevez could not make it past the Charlton defence. In the middle, cameroonian Alexandre Song had a very good game, appearing to be everywhere at once and winning balls elegantly. The third goal of the first half came from an intelligent cross from Hasselbaink (who had come on for the injured Marcus Bent) which Darren Bent placed in the back of the net.

The second half saw Carson becoming the busier goalkeeper, but looked comfortable under pressure. A neatly taken free kick by Carlos Tevez forced a just as neat save from Carson and minutes later a header from Davenport was also blocked. A very similar situation arose with 10 minutes remaining; a Tevez corner was headed on target by Davenport but saved by Carson. Charlton immediately snatched the ball and cut through to the other side where West Ham had not reassembled its defence. Ambrose crossed to Thomas and the midfielder elegantly put the ball past defence and goalkeeper.

Oh, and Gollum was there - having lost the ring he has now become a football club owner. Poor Eggert, right now owning West Ham looks about as much fun as a trip to Mordor.

Charlton
Carson, Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Thatcher, Ambrose, Holland, Song Billong (Faye 85), Thomas, Marcus Bent (Hasselbaink 35), Darren Bent (Zheng 82).
Subs Not Used: Randolph, Rommedahl.
Booked: El Karkouri, Song Billong, Diawara.
Goals: Ambrose 24, Thomas 34, Darren Bent 41, Thomas 80.

West Ham
Green, Dailly, Ferdinand, Davenport, Konchesky, Benayoun, Mullins (Newton 72), Quashie, Etherington (Harewood 46), Tevez, Cole (Blanco 59).
Subs Not Used: Walker, Pantsil.
Booked: Konchesky, Quashie.

Attendance: 27,111
Referee: R Styles

Barcelona 1 - 2 Liverpool

Since I actually did see this game, I might as well do a little report. It is interesting to note how many Swedes take an interest in Barcelona; even if the pub showed four games this was the biggest one and it was referred to as "the Barca game". There are many Liverpool fans here as well, and shirt-clad people were probably 50-50, but the neutrals leaned towards Barca.

It was an energetic game, a clash of different styles of play. Liverpool started strong, then spent the rest of the first half trying to get in Barcelona's way - and not really doing well at that. Barcelona played with great elegance (the first "bicicleta" kick came within the first minute), and were especially apt at gracefully taking the balls from the feet of their opponents and keeping it. Their passing at this stage of the game was vastly superior. The attacks kept coming from the home side and on 13 minutes a wonderful cross from Gianluca Zambrotta was expertly headed into the net by Deco. Barca kept dominating the first half, even if neither free kicks nor attacks found their way past the Liverpool defence.

Reyna was not only the busier, but also the more competent of the two keepers. On 42 minutes Victor Valdés's clumsy goalkeeping awarded Liverpool with a goal. When Craig Bellamy headed in a cross from Steve Finnan, Valdés caught it inside his own goal and then dropped it onto the feet of Dirk Kuyt who shot it in again, for good measure. Bellamy, to whom the goal was attributed in the end, celebrated with a golf club movement... If there was still any animosity between him and John Arne Riise there was no evidence of it on the pitch; the bruises were not visible and their cooperation in scoring Liverpool's winner was excellent. Having played with much more confidence in the second half, Liverpool finally settled the score on 75 minutes. A wonderful cross from skipper Gerrard was headed badly by Kuyt, but a hesitant Barca defence effectively gave the ball to Bellamy, who elegantly passed it to the unmarked Riise, enabling the Norwegian to kick it forcefully into the net.

An injury to Mohamed Sissoko, who had been very busy throughout, meant the introduction of Boudewijn Zenden for Liverpool and Bellamy had just been replaced by Jermaine Pennant. Barcelona put on Eidur Gudjohnsen for Saviola, but to no avail. Liverpool had risen to the occasion and could claim the victory.

Everton 1 - 2 Tottenham

Alas, this is even less of a match report than usual. Not because I plan to go on a rant about the brilliance of my boys and the joy of beating Everton away after having been beaten by them at home early in the season. Which I no doubt would. No, it is because I was unable to see the game at all. In Sweden in general, and in my favourite pub - Sir Toby's - in particular, all the games can be seen on television; the game against Sheffield United was, surprisingly, not shown by Swedish Canal Plus, but the lads in the pub managed to find an Arabic (!) channel which had it on. English commentary and all. Now that, friends, is a great sports bar...

Last night, despite the piling up of Champions League fixtures, I know they would have put it on somewhere for us but because I now live a train ride away (it used to be a 10 minute walk), and because there was a fierce blizzard going on, I decided to stay in my home town. The prospect of defying an onslaught of snow that late in the evening was not very appealing. I did walk into town here, however, on the off-hand chance that the only sports bar here could be persuaded to let me see the game... but to no avail. The Champions League took precedent and the pub was absolutely packed with Swedes eager to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Chelsea in general and Barca v. Liverpool. In the end I opted for Barca - Liverpool, and it was quite entertaining. Small consolation for missing the only truly important game, but anyway. Good news were waiting at home when I had survived the trip - the bus nearly drove off the road, one man fell over when we disembarked and after I had helped him get up (we were in a big pile of snow) I promptly collided with a sign post which was hidden in a cloud of snow. All of which seemed comical (and I suppose it was) when I saw the result.

I suppose I could go on a small little general rant, based on the newspaper reports which suggest that we outplayed Everton for most of the game and truly deserved the win. And I'm familiar enough with the movements of the lads to be able to happily imagine what the goals looked like simply from description. I would still be cautious about declaring the "crisis" over and see this as conclusive evidence that we weill win all our games from now on - partly because I don't think the "crisis" ever was too bad and partly because consistency does not come from 2 wins in a row... But if the lads keep up this kind of work, if the "steel" which we lacked earlier really is here to stay, then the only way is up. Interestingly, the next fixture will bring this to the test: the Trotters are exactly the sort of team which would trot all over us in the soft mode. On Sunday we will need all the steel we can muster but all of the sudden I look forward to this game with more happy expectation than nervous apprehension... Bolton - bring it on!

FA Cup 6th Round Draw

...oh, brilliant. A trip to Stamford Bridge. I suppose the dreamed-of home game against Plymouth was never going to happen. In a way it's good for the cup that Plymouth and Watford got each other, but why oh, why could not Arsenal and Chelsea have played it out at this stage? A lot more fun for everyone else. IS the draw fixed?

So, we're up against Blue opposition - remind me, when did Chelsea actually lose a game at Stamford Bridge last time? Based on the evidence of yesterday, of course, I would like to be happily optimistic - and we have after all beaten Chelsea once this season. (Remember, remember the fifth of November!) But somehow it seems that a draw at the Bridge, followed by a narrow win at the Lane is the very best scenario we can realistically expect. And in view of all the other games that have to be played, as well as the fact that beating Chelsea would probably only yield another horrid cup semi-final against Arsenal, it looks somewhat bleak.

Oh, nevermind. Let's bring out the war paint and stay positive - just like yesterday. We CAN beat anybody on our day. Come on you Spurs!


Full draw:

Middlesbrough or West Brom v. Manchester United or Reading
Arsenal or Blackburn v Manchester City
Chelsea v Tottenham
Plymouth v Watford

FA Cup: Fulham 0 - 4 Tottenham

After a couple of weeks of bad results and finding in the papers and elsewhere various takes on the "Spurs crisis", after worrying too much about what on earth needs to be done, after wanting to go out and protest that surely a few lost games do not constitute a crisis and that we need faith in the development of the team, in our manager and in the ability which is, after all, there THIS was exactly what was needed. Crisis, anyone?

I haven't even written anything since last week's mud-wrestling contest with Sheffield United, mainly because I have been working on a "defence" of the manager and the team - you know, the whole "lets have faith in long-term development, we are a young team with a new manager, and look how long it took Ferguson to get his team sorted" kind of thing. I was going to conclude in a similar way to the previous match report - that the most pressing thing on the agenda for the team is to learn to bite back, to go for the ball, take it off the opposition and then pass it around nicely, when appropriate. To learn to adjust, take any chance and go for it. And above all to keep at it for 90 minutes. It is too early to say that the team has completely turned around, but this was a convincing display nonetheless. Arguably, having the mid-week off (due to the UEFA-cup bye) allowed for some productive tactic revision as well as rest.

Last time Spurs played Fulham at Craven Cottage - just a month ago - our midfield was pushed off the ball, this time they pushed back. Didier Zokora and Teemu Tainio were steely and aggressive and made some marvellously clinical tackles. No hole in the midfield today! General aggression seemed to spill over as Michael Dawson, marshalling the defence passionately, and Paul Robinson had a "disagreement", as Robinson pushed Tainio for being in the way and later told Mido, who nearly managed to head in an own goal, to f* off. I'm not thrilled about internal spats, but perhaps it was indicative of the most important thing, the unwavering passion which meant that the lads went for every ball and attacked and defended with the same verve. Fulham played well, Tottenham Hotspur played better.

After an energetic start, the first goal came just on 6 minutes - a long ball from Robinson, headed by Mido and superbly shot by Keane straight past Lastuvka. Fulham attacked and looked dangerous at several corners, but the Spurs defence prevailed, even when at times it looked a little insecure. Mido's efforts at defending can only be deplored and actually forced Robinson to saves, but England's no. 1 was on the ball throughout. Two Fulham players, Diop and Queudrue, were booked for bringing Aaron Lennon down and our wonder of wonders also showed how invaluable he is, even when bullied off the ball.

The second goal, at 68 minutes, was a nearly comical reprise of the first one - another Mido header and a well taken volley from Keane, again straight into goal. Berbatov came on for Mido with 17 minutes to go and immediately showed what he is capable of when he gets the ball. Dribbling past the Fulham defence, his first shot hit the post and he then managed to get control of the rebound and elegantly put it in. The final goal came on 90 minutes; Keane flicked the ball into the box where Berbatov, cleverly remaining onside, chipped it ever so softly over Lastuvka and into the net. A microsecond of stunned silent wonder ensued before players and fans started to celebrate.

Flying wing movement, sturdy midfield movement, crafty defending at the back and beautiful finishing up front. I have a vague feeling that it looked bit shaky at times, but today my memory is highly subjective and entirely biased. For unbiased and balanced match reports, read the Guardian or something. My boys were great. It was moving.

Fulham:
Lastuvka, Volz, Christanval, Knight, Queudrue, Radzinski (Dempsey 67), Diop, Smertin, Davies, Helguson (Montella 62), McBride (John 62)
Subs Not Used: Warner, Bocanegra
Sent Off: Montella
Booked: Diop, Queudrue.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Gardner, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon (Ghaly 83), Zokora, Tainio, Malbranque, Keane, Mido (Berbatov 73)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Rocha
Booked: Gardner, Keane.

Goals: Keane 6, 68, Berbatov 77, 90.

Referee: M Halsey
Attendance: 18,655

Sheffield United 2 - Tottenham 1

On the first day of this season I was visiting some friends in Ireland. The only game I saw that day, alone in a strange and reasonably empty pub, was Sheffield United v. Liverpool. I expected Liverpool to win, of course, and was therefore pleasantly surprised by the fight that Sheffield put up. After a while, the whole pub ( the other 15 people or so) started cheering on Sheffield United, simply because of sympathy for this newly promoted underdog. An underdog with a bite. They ended up with a well-deserved draw. Well-deserved, certainly, for spirit. Their next fixture took them to White Hart Lane, where they lost 2-0, but as we saw yesterday the spirit is still there. (Incidentally, they have to go to Liverpool next time.)

For 15 minutes or so, Tottenham outplayed Sheffield United, who weren't able to get much of the ball. Nice passing and a brilliant run from Jermaine Jenas secured a goal after 2 minutes. But the underdog bit back again, and for most of the second half United dominated possession, steely and aggressive play leading to several chances. At corners (of which they had a good few) they looked dangerous - and inevitably equalised from one as Rob Hulse headed in on 27 minutes. In the second half Spurs came back and tried to fight for the ball, but to little avail. Teemu Tainio's somewhat clumsy tackle gave Sheffield a penalty, which was well taken by Jagielka, and at 2-1 it was to stay - a goal by Rocha being disallowed. Putting all four strikers, Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Mido, onto the field did not help and despite some good chances, Tottenham did not strike again.

Before the game I had been watching rugby in the pub, or at least tried to watch rugby. I don't really know the sport very well and there is just too much of big men shoving each other in muddy piles on the ground for my taste. So I harped on to my friends about the aesthetic beauty of football. And then my team played Sheffield United... and it's back to muddy piles again! Well at least the mud. And some of the shoving. And the realisation, for the umpteenth time, that my lads just aren't tough enough against sides that go for the physical approach. Of course, in a way, I prefer the lovely football that they are playing at the moment - or at least play when the opposition let them - to any other tactics. But if it is going to work with any sort of consistency they have to learn to fight as well as pass nicely. Play their game even when the opposition won't let them. Toughen up and bite back.

Sheffield United
Kenny, Geary, Jagielka, Lucketti, Armstrong, Kazim-Richards (Fathi 72), Tonge, Montgomery, Stephen Quinn, Hulse (Bromby 90), Stead.
Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Webber, Nade.
Booked: Montgomery, Tonge, Bromby.
Goals: Hulse 27, Jagielka 62 pen.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Tainio (Defoe 63), Malbranque (Mido 73), Keane, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri, O'Hara.
Booked: Rocha, Defoe, Chimbonda, Jenas, Keane.
Goals: Jenas 2.

Attendance: 32,144
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

International efforts

It's international week, and the players have been involved in all kinds of efforts.

Like the curious "friendly tournament", hosted by Cyprus, which Dimitar Berbatov's Bulgaria won. Lee Young-Pyo and South Korea beat Greece 1-0, Didier Zokora with Ivory Coast beat Guinea 1-0 and Robbie Keane could lead his country to a (late) victory over San Marino, securing the 3 points that Ireland sorely needed for their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Mido played for Egypt as his country cruised to a comfortable friendly victory over Sweden in Cairo. Not the most spectacular of games, but a good effort from a very active Mido. Egypt never looked like losing.

Tom Huddlestone and the England U21 squad came back from 2 goals down to draw with Spain, while the senior England squad lost against their Spanish opposition. Out of our 4 players originally called up for England duty only Jermain Defoe made it onto the pitch, and only for 20 minutes. The home defeat was booed by the fans at Old Trafford, and booed in the papers today. It WAS a rather patchy performance, but also one that looked like it was supposed to be just that. You don't win games by changing players and tactics every 15 minutes - but friendlies perhaps don't have to be won. If Steve McClaren had been dead set on winning the game he would have played it differently. Instead, each change looked like an experiment and the whole game looked like a training session. As such, it can be hoped and even expected that McClaren was able to see what he needed to see, learn what needed to be learned and that the newer players got some experience - albeit in this patchy way.

Gerrard in the middle and Lampard on the left side; Lampard in the middle and Barry on the left; Crouch with Dyer; Defoe and Crouch with Dyer behind; Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right; Joey Barton on the right, Stewart Downing on the left... and so on. I lost track of all the changes and formations - arguably the game could have been won by confusing the Spaniards. And with Rooney and Lennon playing their 15 minutes or so maybe it would have been.

Essentially, the only thing that looked like a makeshift solution - Phil Neville at left back - was also the one that lost the game. Ferdinand headed out a cross from David Villa, only to see it end up at the feet of Iniesta. Iniesta, unmarked by Neville (who had positioned himself too close to Ferdinand in the box and could not get his man in time), shot the ball beautifully past defence and goalkeeper.

Joey Barton made an energetic display of his first 15 minutes as an England player and Gareth Barry looked quite good, replacing Gerrard after half time. The Times wrote that Shaun Wright-Phillips has hardly been prepared for international football by sitting on the bench at Chelsea, but I would like to add that he did show how much of a waste it is to have him warming a bench anywhere. He was quite a presence until he was replaced by Defoe with 20 minutes to go. Defoe found it hard to make an impact, as did Kieron Dyer - who did have a good shot in England's explosive first minutes. Ben Foster looked good in goal, Woodgate a little insecure in front of it. Needless to say, I would have loved to see Michael Dawson get a few minutes in, but it was not to be.

All in all, and seen as an experimental training session, I thought it was an interesting display. The fans at Old Trafford, hoping for a victory, could hardly be expected to agree.

Tottenham 0 - 4 Manchester United

I almost wish I could say that they outplayed us, that they deserved to win - instead this is another instance of "we actually played every bit as good, sometimes better, and we still lost". Lost without managing to score a goal - taking our current goal difference down to a horrible -7. The first half was a joy to watch, as it would be when your team outplays the top team in the league. The second half much less so, with United scoring another 3 goals and Spurs attempts going unrewarded. Michael Dawson had another great game and it is a joy and a relief to have Berbatov, the heart and soul of our attack, back again.

Before the second half commenced the cameras showed Ricardo Rocha greeting Portugal team-mate Christiano Ronaldo cordially. I think that is nice and entirely acceptable - the fans in the stadium possibly did not. And perhaps it was lucky that Rocha stayed on the bench for the duration of the match.

Below is an attempt at an only slightly biased match report.

Tottenham started out strong, attacking nicely and displaying some fine passing as well as taking the ball from the feet of United's players. Malbranque outplayed his opponents on the left, brilliantly crossing to Defoe and Berbatov who each had a shot. Man U, always dangerous at corners, were nearly rewarded by a shot from Ronaldo, which was, however, stopped by Didier Zokora. The Portugese continued to look dangerous, calling upon some classy defensive work from Dawson and Gardner. A header from Carrick forced a save from Robinson. On 25 minutes Dawson took a hit in a clash with Rooney, but was able to resume play. Despite the chances for United, possession continued to rest with Spurs and a wonderful shot from Berbatov nearly went in - had it not been for van der Sar saving with his fingertips.

A foul by Gary Neville on Pascal Chimbonda turned into a free kick, and should have become a penalty as Neville pulled Chimbonda to the ground just outside goal. It was, however, a day of somewhat inconsistent refereeing which saw a clumsy tackle by Gardner on Larsson go unpunished and a doubtful penalty claim by Ronaldo rewarded instead. A booking on Larsson for foul on Chimbonda seemed unmerited, while Paul Scholes, who could have been sent off for at least two bookable offences, remained unbooked and instead scored a goal. The penalty, well taken by Ronaldo, closed a first half which had not given any indications that Tottenham were going towards another home defeat.

The second half saw an invigorated Manchester United take more control and immediately be rewarded with a corner. In a series of corners and chances it became near impossible that nothing should find the net; the first corner was saved by Berbatov (increasingly useful in those defensive situations), a shot by Vidic was saved by Robinson, who had to make another save soon after as Carrick headed towards goal. Ultimately, a corner taken by Carrick and headed into goal by Vidic became to much for the Spurs defence.

A few minutes later the clever team-work between Larsson and Ronaldo allowed the winger to cross for Scholes who put the ball past Robinson. Tottenham boss Martin Jol responded by a double substitution: Keane on for Defoe and Ghaly on for Zokora. Spurs regained some control over the game, finding their passing feet again and a cross from Huddlestone, in combination with a great run and shot from Berbatov forced a great save from van der Sar on 63 minutes. Rooney and Ronaldo were both taken off to be replaced by Saha and Park. After 10 minutes of flowing attacks a cross from Ghaly and a well-taken header by Berbatov was again blocked by the Holland goalkeeper. Immediately after this Ryan Giggs, making a great run to a Saha cross, cut through the defenders and shot past Robinson who had gone too far out of his goal and was unable to do anything but watch the ball hit the net. Giggs was soon after replaced by John O'Shea.

On 82 minutes Keane cut through on the right, with a cross from Huddlestone, and nearly put it past van der Sar who dived at the forward's feet. He managed to save the ball, but sacrificed his nose in a collision with Keane's knee. As the goalkeeper walked off the pitch, with a medic holding his nose, there was some confusion as to who would replace him, United having already made all possible substitutions. Ferdinand first donned the green shirt, only to then hand it to O'Shea. The Republic of Ireland defender's goalkeeping skills were put to the test as he was forced to make two saves. Disappointingly, Spurs were unable to get even a consolation goal out of an afternoon which had seen some great chances and performances.


Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Young-Pyo Lee, Dawson, Gardner, Lennon, Huddlestone, Zokora (Ghaly 56), Malbranque, Defoe (Keane 56), Berbatov
Booked: Chimbonda, Keane

Manchester United
van der Sar, Neville, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo (Park 68), Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (O'Shea 80), Rooney (Saha 64), Larsson
Booked: Vidic, Rooney, Larsson
Goals: Ronaldo 45 pen, Vidic 48, Scholes 54, Giggs 77

Referee: M. Clattenburg
Attendance: 36,146

Fulham 2 - 1 Newcastle

I said earlier that I would probably do better writing match reports of games not containing Spurs, and decided to put it to the test. Putting my preference for Newcastle United aside I tried to watch the game at Craven Cottage with neutral and observing eyes - as well as making notes. I also figured I could hardly do worse than the Swedish match commentator who, in reference to the vocal Toon Army, donning kilts and t-shirts in defiance of the weather, said that 'well, maybe Scottish people have more subcutaneous fat'. Scotland??

The game at Craven Cottage slowly turned into a thrilling affair, in which a rampant Fulham broke down Newcastle's defences and claimed the victory. What had begun as a battle between equals eventually became a one team show. However, Newcastle didn't go home without first letting Obafemi Martins work his magic to claim a well-deserved goal.

It was an active game from the very beginning - even if the first half was more of a tackling show than anything else - and it the pace at the high speed at which it continued throughout. Fulham's first chance came on 8 minutes after a free-kick was rewarded for handball, but in the even midfield battle that was the first half Newcastle had the more interesting chances. The physical nature of Fulham's game was giving Damien Duff problems on his flank, but no more so than allowing him to cross beautifully to Dyer who shot just outside the post on 17 minutes. Magpies skipper Scott Parker had a very good game, checking the midfield work of Brady, Davies and Brown and took a wide shot at goal. Fulham created some nice flowing attacks, but were unable to get past the defence, visibly strengthened by the arrival of "Gooch" Onyewu.

The only booking in a tough first half, where possession was hard come by, went to Bocanegra for a foul on Martins. Newcastle's strategy of trying to get long balls up towards Martins invariably failed at the hands of the Fulham defence, and forced Martins to play deeper than usual. Tellingly, the next chance for Newcastle was a cross from Duff towards Milner which was almost put away. Had it been a goal there would have been an element of comedy to it as the shot which Duff picked up had taken an unforeseen deflection off the head of referee Dowd.

Fulham's best chance in the goal-less first half came from a shot from Wayne Routledge, which was just over the bar - possibly helped over by Magpies goalkeeper Steven Harper. This was immediately followed by a chance for Newcastle, when a Milner corner was almost put in by first Taylor and then Parker. Just before halftime a shot from Martins was saved by Lastuvka.

In the second half play sharpened up, and became less a battle for each ball and more of passing and attacking - mainly done by Fulham. Invigorated by a goal just 3 minutes into the second half, in which an unfortunate back pass from Butt was picked up by Helguson and beautifully controlled shot long, between the defenders and over Harper, Fulham played with imagination and spirit. Four minutes later a header from McBride forced a save from Harper and the ensuing corner forced another one. A free kick for Newcastle immediately afterwards nearly equalised, as James Milner's strong shot went just outside.

In the first substitutions of the game Sibierski came on for Duff at the same time as Diop came on for Volz, who had taken a few hits - among others an accidental knee in the groin from Titus Bramble. Bramble was later booked for a foul on Helguson, and was lucky to not be sent off as his felling of Helguson really should have merited red. The ensuing free kick took a deflection off the wall.

Fulham's attacking kept increasing and had another reward as the giant Diop dribbled around Carr and simply pushed Onyewu out of his way. Onyewu, at 6,4 hardly of a slender build himself, could only watch as Diop crossed the ball to Brian McBride's feet, allowing the US forward to tap the ball past Harper to make it 2-0 on 72 minutes. A few minutes later a shot from Helguson was saved by Harper, but Fulham seemed increasingly unstoppable - to the delight of the home crowd at the Cottage.

Some lovely passing by Parker and the introduction of Nolberto Solano for Dyer didn't manage to turn the game around for Newcastle who were reduced to responding to Fulham's moves. It is to the credit of Newcastle's defence that the opposition goals stayed at two. This pacy match stayed at full speed to the very end, and in injury time the away fans were rewarded with a spectacular goal from Martins even if by that time it was too late to change the inevitable outcome of the game. Alone, against two defenders and from an awkward angle Martins twisted around and took a shot which the nonplussed Lastuvka had to watch going in. Obafemi Martins works his magic. Again.

Fulham
Jan Lastuvka, Carlos Bocanegra, Philippe Christanval, Franck Queudrue, Liam Rosenior, Moritz Volz (Papa Bouba Diop), Michael Brown, Simon Davies, Wayne Routledge (Clint Dempsey), Heidar Helguson, Brian McBride (Vincenzo Montella)

Goals: Helguson, 49; McBride, 73
Booked: Bocanegra

Newcastle
Steve Harper, Titus Bramble, Stephen Carr, Oguchi Onyewu, Steven Taylor, Nicky Butt, Damien Duff (Antoine Sibierski), Kieron Dyer (Nolberto Solano), James Milner, Scott Parker, Obafemi Martins

Goals: Martins, 90
Booked: Butt, Bramble, Milner

England calls

Steve McClaren has called up Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe as well as England's no. 1 Paul Robinson for his squad to face Spain in a friendly at Old Trafford next week. Stuart Pearce has called Tom Huddlestone, Ben Alnwick and Wayne Routledge (loaned out to Fulham) for his U-21's squad.

It might be my bias but I actually believed that Tom might be called into the first team already - there seems to be some consensus that he is the 'next big thing' - but undoubtedly that time will come. He is, after all, only 20 and has to compete with Lampard and Gerrard in central midfield. Aaron Lennon, at 19, isn't even the 'next' big thing - he's already there. As he has displayed with growing confidence this season, he can play equally well on the left as on the right, something which McClaren might be considering.

The full squad: Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Ben Foster (Manchester United, on loan at Watford), Chris Kirkland (Wigan). Defenders: Gary Neville (Manchester United), Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Real Madrid, on loan at Middlesbrough), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Micah Richards (Manchester City). Midfield: Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Newcastle), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Joey Barton (Manchester City), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle). Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Andrew Johnson (Everton).

Carling cup semi-final

This is not a pipe. It is not a match report either.

Essentially I think I would do better writing match reports on games that do not involve Spurs, because that means I can watch with a little detachment and employ some kind of analytical perspective. Take my eyes off the game and make a note here and there, even. As it is, the more important the game is, the more nervous I become. Nervous and utterly incapable of any action beside staring.

My greatest fear was a reprise of the game we played against Arsenal in early December, when, having started out strongly and dominated the game for 15 minutes or so, the lads seemed to lose all heart and - in my memory, at least - barely knew what to do with the ball when they got it every now and then. As I watched the game (which I came to fully expecting a defeat) all I could hear in my head was Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and I felt I was watching a massacre: 'into the valley of death rode the six hundered'. Graham Poll was the person who 'blundered', as the opposition got a marginally offside goal allowed and both penalties were questionable. But that was somehow easier to bear than watching my dear boys being thrashed in open play. Imagine then my surprise upon reading in the paper that whereas Spurs were called 'lightweight' (by Matt Dickinson of The Times) there was no indication that a neutral viewer felt that they had watched a comprehensive beating.

Even I know that what happened yesterday was not a comprehensive beating, and while Arsenal increasingly dominated the game - especially in mid-field - this was a game which either side could have won. It was a similar experience in the sense that I came to the game expecting to lose and got my hopes up only to have them tumble down again. But the 'travelling sickness' that has infected the team this season seems to be abating: essentially this was a battle of equals. Still a young Arsenal side, but again with plenty of first team regulars (especially after the introduction of both Rosicky and Fabregas). Disturbingly, this game (as was the case with the first leg of this semi-final) seems to have been lost tactically: when Dimitar Berbatov was taken off injured last week and the formation was altered to acommodate this change we lost penetration and control. This week, without the option of Berbatov up front, Jol opted for Defoe and Keane together - a pairing that did not seem to make much with the rest of the team's play. Tellingly a goal only came after Mido had been introduced in the box.
In a way it could be a symptom of the reliance on Berbatov's flexibility, as well as his partnership with Defoe, which the team seems to have developed of late. When the mid-field played as though he was there precious little happened. However, this was mainly a game lost in the mid-field. Jenas, who had a brilliant return to action against Southend, was no match for Abou Diaby and Gilberto Silva and was repeatedly forced to pass the ball backwards rather than launch an attack. Needless to say, Aaron Lennon, out sick, was missed.

Let's hope that as a young team in progress this has been another learning experience. Let's also hope that we get Berbatov back. Soon.

Our man of the match was undoubtedly Michael Dawson, at his sparkling best, sticking head and feet out to save balls in all kinds of places.

Arsenal
Almunia, Hoyte, Senderos, Toure, Traore (Clichy), Denilson, Diaby (Fabregas), Silva, Adebayor, Aliadiere, Walcott (Rosicky)

Tottenham
Robinson, Assou-Ekotto, Gardner (Rocha), Dawson, Chimbonda, Ghaly (Huddlestone), Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque (Mido), Defoe, Keane