The Spurs Diaries

Spurs Diaries Update - the season so far.

2007-09-18T21:49:00.000+01:00

The season started and I disappeared. Not, I assure you, because of disillusionment, disappointment or disaffection – or anything else beginning with dis-. Rather, a lack of time and internet resources compounded, ironically, by the fact that the author of these pages now lives a much shorter trip away from White Hart Lane (i.e. in the UK) and therefore cannot see all games televised. Of course that also means that some games will be live “actual” match reports. Anyway. Below are snippets, to remember where we have been – above, hopefully, will follow some proper texts.

So, the season started, hyped up as the season in which Spurs were at the very least going to break into the top four – and thereby prove that the young talent is coming of age and that the transfer fees of the summer were money well spent. Have they and was it? The first six games of the season followed an all too familiar pattern: injuries and insecurities in defence almost, but not quite, balanced by goal-scoring prowess; a glorious win against the team at the bottom; a humiliating home defeat against Everton; a laboured draw away against Fulham; a good, but not good enough, attempt at beating Manchester United and an inability to hold on to a lead against you-know-who. Dejá-vu.

The familiar problems, furthermore, have been joined by speculations and unrest regarding the future of the manager. How many games until he loses his job? Or is the whole situation a rumour spun out of control? Martin remains stoic; those of us who want him to actually have a chance to do something with his (for that it is) team, do the same.

Are there, then, any positives to be taken from the start of a season which has so far yielded four points from six games? Well, we do have what we always have – potential, exciting young players, entertaining football and a Europe season about to commence… And, of course, the stubborn belief that these are still the early days, only the first tentative steps, of a new era. Yup, silly optimism. As ever. Come on you Spurs!

Tottenham 1-3 Arsenal

2007-09-18T21:48:00.000+01:00

Gareth Bale scores a new classic free kick goal and for the remainder of the first half (and a good part of the second) Spurs are in the lead. We are in denial about the rest. And we don’t like Cesc Fabregas much.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lee, Malbranque (Bent 82), Huddlestone, Jenas, Bale (Lennon 69), Berbatov, Keane. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Zokora, Rocha.
Booked: Jenas, Chimbonda
Goals: Bale 15.

Arsenal
Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Silva, Clichy, Hleb (Song Billong 90), Fabregas, Diaby (Rosicky 56), Flamini, Adebayor, Van Persie (Denilson 85).
Subs Not Used: Fabianski, Walcott.
Booked: Sagna, Hleb
Goals: Adebayor 65, Fabregas 80, Adebayor 90

Attendance: 36,053
Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Fulham 3-3 Tottenham

2007-09-18T21:46:00.000+01:00

Some draws feel like draws. Others feel like victories. And some feel, and are, defeats. This game, which Spurs were dominating and winning for most of the time, falls in the latter category. Kaboul adds a goal to the team total of 8 – half of which have been scored by defenders. Dimitar Berbatov opens his competitive scoring of the season; things look bright. But Fulham claw their way back and despite another defender’s goal, from Gareth Bale, the game has not been won. No, defeat (well, a draw) is snatched from the clutches of victory as Kamara grabs a last minute equaliser.

Fulham
Niemi, Bocanegra, Konchesky, Stefanovic, Baird, Smertin (John 79), Davies, Davis, Dempsey, Bouazza (Healy 70), Kamara.
Subs Not Used: Keller, Volz, Omozusi.
Booked: Bocanegra
Goals: Dempsey 42, Smertin 77, Kamara 90

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Rocha, Kaboul, Bale, Malbranque (Dawson 84), Huddlestone, Jenas, Lee, Keane (Defoe 68), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Zokora, Taarabt
Goals: Kaboul 10, Berbatov 28, Bale 61

Attendance: 24,007
Referee: Mike Riley

Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham

2007-09-18T21:43:00.000+01:00

Possibly still high from the fun and games had with Derby, the men in white (along with the rest of us) forgot that where they were and that they were playing under Old Trafford rules. Penalites gone missing aside, however, this was never a clear-cut defeat. Nor a draw, really. Good football by good teams – and a one-man Portuguese clown show. No, not Cristiano, but his compatriot Nani, who tackled, hustled, bustled and pinched people, dived as well as fell over and, of course, added somersault to injury by scoring a winning goal.

Manchester United
Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Hargreaves, Carrick (Eagles 57), Scholes, Giggs, Tevez (Fletcher 77).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Dong, O'Shea.
Booked: Giggs, Brown
Goals: Nani 68

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Rocha (Zokora 83), Gardner, Lee (Taarabt 75), Malbranque, Jenas, Huddlestone, Bale, Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 75).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri
Booked: Huddlestone, Berbatov, Gardner

Attendance: 75,696
Referee: Howard Webb

Tottenham 4-0 Derby

2007-09-18T21:41:00.000+01:00

Steed Malbranque is on fire and the team make cheerful use of the insecure opposition. Three goals after 15 minutes; the must-win game in the buds of a “crisis” became a show. Jermaine Jenas grabs a goal, Darren Bent scores his first competitive Spurs goal and Adel Taarabt comes on to entertain for a while. Against a team which lacked competitive edge and had effectively lost the game after 6 minutes, even a clean sheet was possible. Fun times for the people clad in white. Less fun for Stephen Bywater.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda (Zokora 81), Rocha, Gardner, Lee, Routledge (Taarabt 71), Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Bent, Keane (Defoe 76).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri
Goals: Malbranque 2, 6, Jenas 14, Bent 80

Derby
Bywater, Mears (Griffin 33), Moore, Leacock, McEveley, Fagan, Oakley, Todd (Teale 46), Pearson, Howard, Earnshaw.
Subs Not Used: Price, Jones, Feilhaber
Booked: Griffin, Howard, Moore, Fagan

Attendance: 35,600
Referee: Chris Foy

Tottenham 1-3 Everton

2007-09-18T21:39:00.000+01:00

Younes Kaboul, already a solid presence in defence, is taken off after 18 minutes, leaving Anthony Gardner, erratic at best, teamed up with Ricardo Rocha. A game which has started in the worst possible way is given a comic interlude when Gardner temporarily redeems himself, accidentally nods in an equaliser and, for a few days, becomes Tottenham Hotspur’s top goalscorer of the season. For Everton, Arteta decides to have the game of his life; the Spurs defence crumbles. Defeat is written in the stars and on the score sheet.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Kaboul (Rocha 18), Gardner, Stalteri (Routledge 67), Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque, Keane, Berbatov, Bent (Defoe 61).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone.
Booked: Malbranque, Jenas
Goals: Gardner 26

Everton
Howard, Hibbert, Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott, Osman, Neville, Carsley, Arteta, Johnson, Anichebe (Jagielka 80).
Subs Not Used: Ruddy, McFadden, Nuno Valente, Pienaar.
Goals: Lescott 3, Osman 37, Stubbs 45

Attendance: 35,716
Referee: Mark Halsey

Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham

2007-08-12T14:00:00.000+01:00

With heavy spending comes heavy pressure; whereas a fifth place finish and good cup runs last season felt like some kind of achievement, this season more is expected of Tottenham Hotspur. Not only by fans, but by journalists, pundits and other managers, all of whom agree that Spurs surely are the favourites to break into the big four and upset the hierarchy a little. Pre-season friendlies against South African teams may not be much to go by, but it looked good – the new players seemed to settle into the team with great success and goals were scored left, right and centre.

Given the amount of new talent brought in during the summer, then, the line-up for the first Premiership game of the 2007-08 season was a strikingly familiar one – as recognisable as the problems. The only new features from start were Younes Kaboul and Pascal Chimbonda’s new hair cut. Injuries had ruled out King, Dawson, Lee and Bale, leaving Spurs yet again with Stalteri filling in at left-back and Gardner partnering Kaboul. The former was recognisably erratic, the latter had an impressive game; it was hard to remember that this was a 21-year old centre-half on his first game in the Premier League.

In midfield Steed Malbranque had a great and creative game, but essentially there was little of the pre-season firing power to be seen, despite the fact that Martin Jol deployed all four members of the glorious strike force. Partly this was Paul McShane’s doing; the Sunderland defender seemed to be everywhere at once. But something was missing from the Spurs efforts, unable to fully trouble Craig Gordon more than once.

Spurs carried most of the initiative throughout, gathering up momentum as the game progressed and the ideas clicked better and better, but Sunderland responded by chasing down every ball and managed to close down their visitors attempts quite well. Jol responded by putting more attacking players on, but the team seemed unable to adjust their tactics in order to break Sunderland down. What nice build-ups there were (and there were quite a few) lacked the final shot on target. Sunderland themselves only fully tested Robinson’s ability once before the goal – in both cases the fault lay with Gardner – and never looked the likelier winners. It was a game with plenty of action, just not in front of goal. A goalless draw seemed inevitable – but also the kind of game which can turn by a well-taken chance. And it did, in the 94^th minute, when Michael Chopra neatly finished off a cross by Ross Wallace.

Sunderland
Gordon, Whitehead, Nosworthy, McShane, Wallace, Edwards, Etuhu, Yorke (Miller 57), Richardson (Collins 72), Murphy, Stokes (Chopra 72). Subs Not Used: Ward, Connolly.
Booked: Whitehead
Goals: Chopra 90

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Gardner, Stalteri, Kaboul, Jenas, Zokora (Huddlestone 87), Malbranque, Tainio (Bent 59), Berbatov (Defoe 77), Keane. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Rocha.
Booked: Zokora

Attendance: 43,967
Referee: Alan Wiley

Steed, working hard (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Summer, signings and Squad numbers

2007-08-12T11:58:00.000+01:00

Brief pre-season round-up: it all looked very good. 7 friendlies played, we won all of them and scored 17 goals in the process. The new lads all played some part of it, even if Gareth Bale was soon out injured and Younes Kaboul got kicked in the face early on. He is made of tough mettle, however, and soon recovered. Adel Taarabt, who of course played a little last season, was given the opportunity to strut his stuff in South Africa and Darren Bent has scored freely. We have yet to see the newest hot prospect from Germany, Kevin Prince Boateng, as he only arrived less than a fortnight ago.

The season is on, as is the pressure to turn potential into results. Results and consistency. The first defeat has already been suffered, a blow more keenly felt as Arsenal, the rivals we hope to depose of their top-four place, started their season by fighting back after falling behind to Fulham (who took the lead through a goal by David Healy, confirming the soft spot this author has for him) and winning 2-1. But this is a marathon, not a sprint. And it has begun.

Full squad numbers list for season 2007-08

1 Paul Robinson
2 Pascal Chimbonda
3 Lee Young-Pyo
4 Didier Zokora
5 Younes Kaboul
6 Teemu Tainio
7 Paul Stalteri
8 Jermaine Jenas
9 Dimitar Berbatov
10 Robbie Keane
11 Mido
12 Radek Cerny
13 Danny Murphy
14 Hossam Ghaly
15 Steed Malbranque
16 Gareth Bale
17 Kevin Prince Boateng
18 Jermain Defoe
19 Adel Taarabt
20 Michael Dawson
21 Wayne Routledge
22 Tom Huddlestone
23 Darren Bent
24 Jamie O'Hara
25 Aaron Lennon
26 Ledley King
27 Ben Alnwick
28 Lee Barnard
29 Phil Ifil
30 Anthony Gardner
31
32 Benoit Assou-Ekotto
33 Ricardo Rocha
34 Andy Barcham
35 Dorian Dervite
36 Simon Dawkins
37 Danny Rose

St Patrick's Athletic 0-1 Tottenham

2007-07-14T11:30:00.000+01:00

It was all about the new boys when Spurs travelled across the pond to take on St Patrick’s Athletic in Robbie Keane’s corner of Dublin. Not only Bent, Bale and Kaboul, all of whom started, but also Taarabt, impressing on his second start for the first team. Having beaten Stevenage Borough 3-1 on the Saturday, it was time to take on the current leaders of the Irish Eircom League in a Thursday evening fixture.

A 1-0 win is hardly the comprehensive victory one might have hoped for, but this is the pre-season and an opportunity to try new things and let the team gel into a new whole. A quite sparkling first half was followed by a more subdued second, but all in all Spurs certainly dominated possession and initiative. Cerny didn’t have a save to make, while the St Pat’s keepers, first Ryan and later Clarke, were kept on their toes with several each.

It is of course important to remember that this wasn’t the Premiership opposition that the team will come up against in the coming season, and Martin Jol was only prepared to label the performance as “ok”, but given the short time the lads have been back and in training together, their team work inspires hope. Kaboul, while not exactly busy enough to be properly tested, looked quite solid – especially while playing next to Gardner. Bale impressed, especially in attacking moves forward, and it was hard to believe that this was a soon to be 18 year-old on his first start for new, bigger, club. He was taken off with a (hopefully minor) thigh injury with 10 minutes to go. Taarabt again showed off his confidence, strength and best dance moves and provided much of the attacking impetus from the midfield in the first half. Bent and Keane already look quite comfortable together up front and had a fluidity which seems promising. The finishing was not quite there yet (even if most of the efforts were on target and saved), but the team as a whole played entertaining and attacking football with good ideas.

After a host of decent chances, a neat pass from Murphy was picked up and finished off in trademark Keane fashion, ensuring that the game ended in a victory and not just a display of Irish goalkeeping skills.

St Patrick's Athletic
Ryan (Clarke, 46), Murphy, Rogers (Guy, 46), Paisley (Haverty, 83), Maguire (Frost, 46), Gibson, Brennan, Keane (M Foley, 69), M Quigley (C Foley, 46; S Quigley, 59), Barker (Murphy, 69), Kirby (Mulcahy, 46). Subs: Macek.

Tottenham
Cerny, Rocha, Bale (Ifil, 82), Kaboul, Gardner (Dawson , 46), Taarabt (Maghoma, 46), Murphy (O'Hara, 57), Zokora, Malbranque, Bent (Barnard, 69), Keane. Subs: Robinson, Ifil, Daniels.
Goals: Keane (41)

Darren Bent and Gareth Bale, together for the first time in Dublin (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Transfers

2007-07-14T11:07:00.000+01:00

Another major signing for the team was announced some ten days ago, as Younes Kaboul signed for Spurs from Auxerre. Captain of his country on the U21-level, Younes is a highly rated central defender. He joins Gareth Bale and Darren Bent in bolstering the squad and has already played a full 90 minutes for the first team. Looks like a very good addition.

Departures so far are:

Emil Hallfredsson to FC Lyn Oslo
Reto Ziegler to Sampdoria
Mark Yeates to Colchester United

Younes Kaboul (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Bent signs

2007-06-30T12:59:00.001+01:00

Sorry, couldn't help myself. I have another picture somewhere...

Darren Bent, formerly of Charlton Athletic, has signed a 6 year contract in a transfer deal worth £16.5m. Staggering money, at least for us, and as such occasioning worries about the future of other players. If we can afford to pay so much for Bent, is that because there are imminent transfers for Defoe or Berbatov? There has been no talk of Berbatov going for a while, and The Guardian today reports that Defoe (ever the likelier to depart) will stay. If we for a moment dare to believe that our striking line-up for next season will, in fact, be Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Bent, then we have cause for nothing but celebrations.

Europe next season, plenty of games to be played, and with these four talents there can be some rotation and back-up. Bent is a very good and still young player who really wants to play for Spurs, and as such a most welcome addition to the team. His decision to turn down astronomic wages at West Ham and fit into the comparatively low (comparatively, remember) wage structure at Spurs does him credit. "In my heart of hearts I always wanted to come to Tottenham", says Darren. Welcome.

Ah, here it is...

(Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Fixtures

2007-06-23T13:09:00.000+01:00

Yes, the fixture list. Provisional and all, but still worth a post.

Sunderland away on the first day is tough, but interesting – and should be televised. As should Liverpool at home on the last day, a fixture which I have to admit made me swear a little at my innocent copy of The Evening Standard. The rest of the run-in is impossible to assess now; Reading might be suffering from second season syndrome – or have overtaken us completely, just as Bolton may be a just as strong an opponent as they were this season – or have fallen to pieces due to the departure of Big Sam. On that topic I would think that Newcastle (who despite a crappy season did do a double over Spurs…) are destined for a big revival. I can’t get the image of Sam Allardyce, donning an apron and a broomstick, cleaning up the mess that is Newcastle United like a latter-day, overweight Mary Poppins out of my head. “Just a spoonful of sugar”… Absolutely irresistible.

Playing Arsenal at home reasonably early on looks great, methinks, due to the disarray they seem to find themselves in. Henry’s departure could have strong unsettling effects and even if they sign some big names, Wenger might not have turned it all into a team by mid-September. Oh, allow me my optimism.

The 07-08 Season

Sat Aug 11 Sunderland A
Tue Aug 14 Everton H
Wed Aug 15 Carling Cup 1
Sat Aug 18 Derby County H
Sat Aug 25 Manchester United A
Wed Aug 29 Carling Cup 2
Sat Sep 1 Fulham A
Sat Sep 15 Arsenal H
Sat Sep 22 Bolton Wanderers A
Wed Sep 26 Carling Cup 3
Sat Sep 29 Aston Villa H
Sat Oct 6 Liverpool A
Sat Oct 20 Newcastle United A
Sat Oct 27 Blackburn Rovers H
Wed Oct 31 Carling Cup 4
Sat Nov 3 Middlesbrough A
Sat Nov 10 Wigan Athletic H F.A. Cup 1
Sat Nov 24 West Ham United A
Sat Dec 1 Birmingham City H F.A. Cup 2
Sat Dec 8 Manchester City H
Sat Dec 15 Portsmouth A
Wed Dec 19 Carling Cup 5
Sat Dec 22 Arsenal A
Wed Dec 26 Fulham H
Sat Dec 29 Reading H
Tue Jan 1 Aston Villa A
Sat Jan 5 F.A. Cup 3
Wed Jan 9 Carling Cup Semi-Final (1)
Sat Jan 12 Chelsea A
Sat Jan 19 Sunderland H
Wed Jan 23 Carling Cup Semi-Final (2)
Sat Jan 26 F.A. Cup 4
Wed Jan 30 Everton A
Sat Feb 2 Manchester United H
Sat Feb 9 Derby County A
Sat Feb 16 F.A. Cup 5
Sat Feb 23 Chelsea H
Sun Feb 24 Carling Cup Final
Sat Mar 1 Birmingham City A
Sat Mar 8 West Ham United H F.A. Cup 6
Sat Mar 15 Manchester City A
Sat Mar 22 Portsmouth H
Sat Mar 29 Newcastle United H
Sat Apr 5 Blackburn Rovers A F.A. Cup Semi-Final
Sat Apr 12 Middlesbrough H
Sat Apr 19 Wigan Athletic A
Sat Apr 26 Bolton Wanderers H
Sat May 3 Reading A
Sun May 11 Liverpool H
Sat May 17 F.A. Cup Final

The Under21 Championships

2007-06-23T12:38:00.000+01:00

A competition which has largely gone by unwatched by me; the only game I saw was the only one not featuring any of my Spurs lads. England did reasonably well, however, and it is striking to see such a comparatively strong side of players on this level – most of them with plenty of Premiership experience. The game against Italy, which I watched, was very entertaining and contained some nice football. Perhaps the future of English football is not so dark after all?

Tom Huddlestone reaped praise for his efforts early on, but his absence in the Italy game was said to be a contributing factor to the increased pace of England’s game. Hmm. His sending off in the unpleasant game against Serbia (which has prompted new moves against racism) still baffles me; judging by the composed look of bewilderment on his face upon receiving the card, Tom was similarly affected. Anyone who knows what actually happened, feel free to comment.

After drawing 0-0 with the Czech Republic and 2-2 with Italy, England beat Serbia 2-0 and came up against Holland in the semi-finals. The team came very close to a 1-0 win, but the game ended a draw and had to be decided by a marathon of a penalty shootout. England at any level tend to find penalties problematic, but at 13-12 you’ve done pretty well despite losing. Special mention to Stephen Taylor of Newcastle who played on despite injury and then took, and scored, one of the penalties.

Elsewhere, Paul Stalteri and Canada did not make it past the semi-final stage of the CONCACAF cup, as they were beaten by the USA 2-1.

Sweden 5-0 Iceland

2007-06-10T17:39:00.000+01:00

National Day in Sweden was celebrated with an amusing Euro 2008 qualifier win over Iceland, certainly not a classic game for the brilliance of the football, but entertaining enough for Swedes.

Even if the game could hardly be expected to be played at the soaring pace of Saturday’s, the lads (in a similar line-up, but with Rosenberg replacing the suspended Elmander) started brightly enough and after having controlled most of the play took the lead after 9 minutes. An ambitious shot from midfield by Linderoth, who advanced unchallenged with an ocean of space around him, was blocked by Arason only to be picked up again by Sweden. Wilhelmsson fed the ball to Allbäck, who chipped it into goal. Iceland responded by putting ten men behind the ball and while Sweden retained much of the possession, they increasingly found it difficult to get anywhere. On 37 minutes Iceland decided to open up and push forward after all; mainly inspired by Spurs reserve Emil Hallfredson, who was one of Iceland’s better players until substituted. His great strike was cleared by Nilsson – Gunnarsson then tested Isaksson. Minutes later Sweden increased the lead, Svensson took a shot from a corner kick.

Iceland, unsettled, soon lapsed in concentration and let the Swedes grab a third before half-time. Lovely work from Wilhelmsson and Alexandersson (a great right wing partnership throughout) allowed the latter to lift a ball over the Iceland defence; it found Mellberg who coolly finished with a right-foot volley. It became the decisive goal, which set the Swedish mood to triumphant and daring and the Icelandic to tired and dejected. Sweden after the break were displaying a lot more creativity, taking chances and, it seemed, having fun. A few minutes into the second half, Rosenberg, just onside, got the ball and made a solo run followed by a nice but narrow finish: the ball hit the post and went into goal.

The final nail in the Icelandic coffin came on 50 minutes, when the Swedish players appealed for a handball penalty, were not given one and everybody seemed unsure what was going on. The referee, Alain Hamer, our old favourite from the first Sevilla game, added to his reputation in my book as strange by confusing absolutely everyone. An Icelandic player seemed to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper (in the belief that it had been deemed a goal kick?), it was intercepted by Rosenberg who played around with it and passed it to Allbäck. Allbäck in turn shot it into goal, the goalkeeper watching him do it as the ball was thought to be out of play. Or something. Everybody was flabbergasted to find that the goal counted. The ball had never been out of play at all.

And that was it, Iceland gave up and the rest of the game saw a lot of substitutions which reflected that the game, essentially, was over. Zlatan Ibrahimovic came on for the final 20 minutes or so, but despite the apparent delight of the crowd and the odd little move he failed to add any more gloss on the evening. The best creative moves still came from Alexandersson and Wilhelmsson and crowd and country at that point were just quite happy with anything that happened on the field. The three points had been in the bag for a while. On Friday UEFA awarded the win over Denmark as 3-0 and Sweden now sit happily at the top of group F, three points clear of Spain.

Sweden
Andreas Isaksson, Niclas Alexandersson, Olof Mellberg, Petter Hansson, Mikael Nilsson, Christian Wilhelmsson, Tobias Linderoth, Anders Svensson, Fredrik Ljungberg, Markus Rosenberg, Marcus Allbäck
Substitutes: Rami Shaaban, Max von Schlebrügge, Daniel Majstorovic, Daniel Andersson, Kennedy Bakircioglü, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Rade Prica
Goals: Allbäck (11), Svensson (42), Mellberg (45), Rosenberg (50), Allbäck (51)

Iceland
Árni Arason, Grétar Steinsson, Gunnar Thor Gunnarsson, Ólafur Örn Bjarnason, Ivar Ingimarsson, Theodor Bjarnason, Arnar Vidarsson, Emil Hallfredsson, Brynjar Gunnarsson, Hannes Sigurdsson, Birkir Saevarsson
Substitutes: Dadi Lárusson, Kristján Sigurdsson, Stefán Gíslason, Hjalmar Jonsson, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Matthias Gudmundsson, Veigar Páll Gunnarsson

Attendance: 33358
Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxemburg)

International round-up

2007-06-04T23:13:00.000+01:00

…and a short international round-up of our Spurs players.

Teemu played for Finland, who lost to Serbia 0-2 at home; Paul Stalteri’s Canada drew 2-2 with Venezuela in a friendly; Didier played with the other, slightly more famous, Didier for the Ivory Coast in a 5-0 thrashing of Madagascar.

Our English lads are in the England squad to face Estonia on Wednesday after the friendly against Brazil.

And Dimitar put in a stunning performance and two goals for his country, who beat Belarus 2-0 away. I highly recommend watching the highlights of the game – absolutely marvellous stuff.

The Scandinavian derby drama

2007-06-04T21:17:00.000+01:00

What a spectacular drama! And no, I’m not talking about the mess at the end – I’m talking about the game which preceded it…

For 88 minutes this was some of the most energetically entertaining and interesting football these two countries have managed for a long while, played at a pace which made even me, an observer fully aware how it would end, breathless. On the night I had made a guest appearance in my former job, standing behind the bar in a busy pub and thus reduced to watching the reaction of the Swedes around me rather than getting a chance to see anything on the screen. Sweden, it had been thought ahead of the game, was the underdog and the crowd went from happy to happier to euphoric – and then to subdued to nervous and finally erupted in excited disbelief. Throughout the remainder of the evening I was puzzled by small little acts of solidarity with our neighbours, like the man who came up with a sad face and said “I want a Danish beer”. He was given a Carlsberg and drank a toast. Yes, we really want to beat the Danes – but we want to do it by playing the better football.

The game kicked off and saw Denmark with a few near chances inside the first minutes as a pattern emerged – full pace football from end to end, Denmark with the quicker breaks and more elegant passing, Sweden with the harder pressure and sharper chance taking. As well as defensive slip-ups and heroics on both sides. Gravgaard’s feeble attempt at a defensive header fell to the feet of Johan Elmander who saw his chance, controlled the ball and took a clean and confident finish past Sörensen on six minutes. Dream start for Elmander, undoubtedly the best Swede on the field, who continued to pose a threat. By the time Sweden got a free kick, 21 minutes into the game, both goalkeepers had been forced into plenty of action and play had been distributed evenly on the entire pitch – still with the Swedes looking that bit sharper. Centre-half Petter Hansson took the free kick, from 34 metres, and cannoned a shot (which took a small deflection off Jacobsen) into goal. Manager Lagerbäck sported a priceless smile as he saw the defender score his first Sweden goal. There was nothing of the underdog left when, a few minutes later, Christian Wilhelmsson (also in truly impressive form) ran around Kristiansen and passed a ball to Elmander which the striker back-heeled past Sorensen. 3-0 and cruising, Wilhelmsson and Elmander looking like they could pull anything off.

Denmark continuously tried to explore Sweden’s weaker left side and were eventually rewarded – a Gravgaard pass landed in the middle and Daniel Agger took a shot straight through the legs of a host of Swedes. His shot took a deflection off the post and found the back of the net; Isaksson was chanceless. Denmark manager Olsen saw a chance to turn the game around and made the first of three key substitutions, which eventually turned the game somewhat – Kristiansen, unable to deal with Wilhelmsson, made way for Andreasen and Jacobsen moved to left-back. The game continued at full speed, even when Allbäck fell down injured; the Danes proceeded with their attack and aggression mounted as Elmander decided to break their stride with a tough tackle. His booking means he will be suspended for the next game. A few more chances for either side, most notably a shot from Ljungberg into the arms of Sörensen, concluded the final minutes of the first half.

The second half started exactly where the first had left off, and saw the introduction of rising star Nicklas Bendtner. Despite a bright opening and a good chance early on for the youngster, the next goal fell to skipper Tomasson, who took full advantage of the hole left in the Sweden defence when Mellberg slipped. The introduction of Gronkjaer allowed the Danes to push further up and put more strain on the already hard working Swedish midfielders, who needed, and received, defensive help from the strikers. Elmander continued to be everywhere at one until he was replaced by Rosenberg with 15 minutes to go. Finally, the Danes equalised, with a shot from Andreasen after a corner, and the final 10 minutes were all about Denmark – Isaksson had 5 saves to make. How anyone was still standing, let alone still running at full speed, at this stage is a mystery.

And so we reach the end, Rosenberg falls and remains down in the penalty area. The referees conferred and replays confirmed that he had been heavily punched in the stomach by Poulsen. Herbert Fandel had time to show a red card and point to the spot before receiving a blow himself – from a man who had run onto the pitch and was wrestled away by Gravgaard. The German referee immediately stopped the game, the players left, two more “supporters” came on – security was confirmed to be substandard and the game was abandoned. The Danish supporters stared in disbelief at the screen which read “Sweden win 0-3”.

A result which reflected the game as a whole would have been the 3-3 it looked to end with. A dramatic Swedish win could have been effected by the awarded penalty (Poulsen really should be thoroughly ashamed of himself) and put the game in the history books. But nobody wanted this great game to be abandoned because of bad security and bad breaches of said bad security. Just bad. UEFA have yet to confirm the outcome, of course, but it looks set to be awarding the win to Sweden. And I will just remember this game for the 88 minutes of marvellously entertaining football – skill, speed, tactical manoeuvring, passion and glorious mistakes.

Denmark
Sörensen, Jacobsen, Gravgaard, Agger, Kristiansen (Andreasen 35), Rommedahl, Jensen (Grönkjaer 62), Kahlenberg (Bendtner 46), Poulsen, Jörgensen, Tomasson.
Goals: Agger, 33; Tomasson 61; Andreasen 75

Sweden
Isaksson, Alexandersson, Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson, Wilhelmsson, Linderoth, Svensson, Ljungberg, Allbäck (Bakircioglü 80), Elmander (Rosenberg 74).
Goals: Elmander, 6, Hansson 21, Elmander 26.

Attendance: 42083
Referee: Herbert Fandel

England efforts

2007-06-04T21:15:00.000+01:00

Whenever I watch an England game these days, especially if I haven’t written anything before reading the paper, I feel more like analysing what other people are writing, and how, rather than the game itself. When it comes to Premiership games I usually feel as though I have watched the same game as the reporters (not always, but usually), when it comes to England – not so much. Firstly it seems as though everyone had their eyes on Beckham, intent on scrutinising his contribution and hail it either as the knight (yes, it may happen, headlines already going mad) in shining armour, saving his country – or an utter failure to add to the manager’s many shortcomings. As good old David played well it seems we are going with the former option.

I, of course, was mainly interested in seeing how Ledley got on, and hence had a completely different focus. What I saw of the game was a pretty decent but rather uninspired and somewhat defensive performance which left the strikers a bit alone – and the goal coming from a Beckham set piece. Have we seen this before somewhere? Joe Cole for all his stylish moves didn’t contribute much substance and could have come off sooner – Downing brought more action in. I would have preferred Crouch to Smith, probably for the full 90. Steven Gerrard was a one-man midfield, it has to be said, but I would still like to see him play with a strong holding midfielder (not Frank Lampard) – as it was he had too much defending to do. Jamie Carragher is a waste a right-back, through no fault of his own. He just isn’t one. Shorey did well on his England debut. And Beckham did play very competent football, not just with the set pieces. John Terry was great as, I think, was Ledley. I felt that the two of them played well with each other, covering the ground well and cleaning up nicely. Ledley made the odd (three?) mistake, but was a joy to watch. It can only get better against Estonia, a game which he should certainly (?) be selected to start in. Jermaine Jenas came on for Beckham for the final minutes and had little opportunity to make an impact, but Robbo was on fine form and made some nice saves when he wasn’t reduced to just watching the game – which was most of the time. I look forward to new matches and developments - and for the first time in a few months, so it would seem, do fans and manager...

Wednesday waffle

2007-05-30T20:41:00.000+01:00

There is something rotten in the England national team. And I’m not just talking of the manager’s tactics. It seems as though players get injured to a sinister degree as soon as they come to play in camp England… Conspiracy theory, anyone?

Aaron’s knee isn’t new, of course, and if Ledley’s foot starts being an issue again nobody will be hugely surprised. But they’ve actually managed to injure our normally indestructible Michael Dawson! 58 games in the season, only came off once when he was hit on the head, and has taken more knocks than most – all without injury or complaint. Yet one miserable training session with England and he’s out. Dear, oh, dear.

Alnwick, Huddlestone and Routledge are in the U-21 side, should we worry? Perhaps “Psycho”, ironically, is more careful with his players.

Kevin McCarra, my favourite football journalist, seems to share my feeling about Ledley being an option in a holding role; I will take that as a sign that I am neither utterly delusional nor simply biased.

The Championship play-off final I saw a little of, but not, alas, enough to actually comment. As we all know Derby got the final spot and it will be interesting to see how they do next season. Or perhaps how they do in the transfer market before next season… Sunderland and Birmingham I would back to do quite well.

The “we don’t have enough actual news so we will just fill the papers with transfer talk”-situation is already starting to do my head in (even if the daily, mandatory, Mourinho and Beckham stories remain firmly in place and serve to retain a feeling of comfort and normality) but amidst silly speculation it seems as though Martin is trying to send signals of stability. We have signed a young, talented left-back, like we said we would. And new contracts have been offered to key players, Keane, Dawson, Lennon… as well as assurances that new recruits like Berbatov and Zokora have signed long contracts. More will happen, but not a tremendous amount. Our Egyptian contingent looks set to be reduced severely. I hope we can keep Defoe. And I do hope we don’t sign Nigel Reo-Coker.

Welcoming Wales

2007-05-27T19:07:00.000+01:00

It is an inevitable side effect of the media frenzy surrounding football transfers that by the time one is actually confirmed by club and player it is already old news. But now young Welsh superstar Gareth Bale has actually signed for Spurs. I had some reservations about this, of a rather general nature, regarding players becoming huge stars and being transferred for astronomical fees at too young an age. Moving to a new city, dealing with a tougher division – and doing it with the pressure of such a price tag hanging over your head... Then again, some people mature earlier than others and Gareth, soon 18, may well be ready for the move, one which all involved parties assure us he has thought through. When it comes to his ability consensus appears to be that he is absolutely brilliant and already fairly consistent in said brilliance. My first hand experience of his talent is limited to having watched one Southampton game and one Wales game all season, both of which his team lost – but he was very good in both. And his free kick goal against Derby, available on YouTube, was remarkable. So, I will keep my reservations for now - I’m sure he will be a wonderful addition to our young and developing side and can only wish him the best of luck with the challenges that lie ahead.

Gareth Bale (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

The King Rules

2007-05-27T09:39:00.000+01:00

Yes, the England B-team managed to beat Albania with a margin and the press has decided to be favourable about the effort. Or maybe they just didn’t watch it. All eyes on Beckham, it would seem. (And the games that matter.) B-team or not, they played pretty well and some players took the opportunity to shine in their England shirt. Some, unfortunately, not for very long – Aaron had to come off injured after a mere nine minutes and his injury, ironically, is suggested to have been a factor in David Beckham’s recall. He provided Michael Owen with at least one lovely cross before coming off, but Owen missed finishing it off. Even if Owen didn’t score any of England’s three goals, he played well and inspired a nation by his mere presence. Stewart Downing (who scored two goals) and David Bentley (who ran the show on his flank) were both very good and have, alongside the Spurs players, been included in the England squad. Jermaine Jenas elegantly patrolled the field and filled in for the at times erratic Phil Neville, while it was a pleasure to see Ledley and Michael in the middle of defence. Jermain Defoe did well with his minutes, coming on in his far too familiar role as a late-ish substitute.

With Aaron injured and competition for the other spots heavy, I don’t think we will see any of the lads (apart from Robbo, of course) start the next couple of games – unless, that is, McClaren decides to revamp his midfield and solve the eternal Lampard-Gerrard issue. Because, and I don’t think this is just my Spurs bias, Ledley was brilliant when he was pushed forward to a holding midfielder role. Steven Taylor came on for Gareth Barry to partner Michael in defence (an interesting England pair for the future), but barely had a thing to do. Ledley just ruled, gathered up balls everywhere and cleverly directed them to where they should be. It was stunning, especially for those of us who know and love him as player, of course, but perhaps even good old Steve has been given food for thought. Who needs Hargreaves (who is injured anyway) and Carrick, basically? I, for one, would love to see it at least tried out against tougher opposition (Brazil): Ledley and an attacking Gerrard in the middle with, say Beckham and Joe Cole on right and left respectively. Crouch and Owen (or Defoe?) up front. Flawless plan, surely?

Full England squad: Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Scott Carson (Liverpool), Robert Green (West Ham). Defenders: Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Man United), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Ledley King (Tottenham), Nicky Shorey (Reading). Midfielders: David Beckham (Real Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), David Bentley (Blackburn), Michael Carrick (Man United), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle). Forwards: Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Alan Smith (Man United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

And finally, special mention also to Besart Berisha, of my German club Hamburg, who was brilliant for his country and scored their goal - fully capitalising on the one time Ledley missed a trsdemark tackle...

England B
Carson, Neville (Jagielka 46), Dawson, King, Shorey (Lescott 73), Bentley (Defoe 72), Jenas, Barry
(Taylor 64), Lennon (Downing 10), Owen, Smith (Dyer 64).
Subs Not Used: Green, Nugent.
Goals: Smith 34, Downing 37, 58.

Albania
Beqaj (Hidi 78), Vangeli, Dede, Rrustemi, Haxhi (Ahmataj 79), Bulku, Skela (Hyka 75), Duro (Vrapi 65), Berisha, Muka (Murati 46), Bushi (Sinani 72).
Subs Not Used: Xhafa.
Goals: Berisha 44.

Attendance: 22,500
Referee: Andrea De Marco (Italy)

The B-Team

2007-05-24T21:44:00.000+01:00

The team for England's friendly with Albania tomorrow was confirmed today and comprises four of our lads, notably King and Dawson as the central defensive partnership. It's only a friendly, it's only against Albania and it is, just as friendlies probably should be, only a big training session - but it is still a bit interesting. I may have mentioned it before, but it seems that in a time when the general consensus is that the England team never manages to perform anywhere near the perceived glory of the potential sum of its parts, that superstars like Lampard and Gerrard cancel each other out and that the problem lies embedded somewhere in a complex pattern of managerial feebleness and unrealistic expectations coupled with underachievement, it is interesting to see a different England side. Perhaps all the biggest stars at the same time don't make the best team...?

Full team: Carson, P Neville, Shorey, King, Dawson, Lennon, Jenas, Bentley, Barry, Owen, Smith.

Champions League Final - A question of belonging

2007-05-24T21:22:00.000+01:00

It was a good game, in the end: neither the thrilling repeat of the stunning action from two years ago, nor the dull cancelling each other out that some feared. Just a good game of football and a fairly worthy final. Except, it has to be said, the winners were lucky to be in the competition at all and even slightly lucky to win it. Rafa Benitez, by common consent in charge of a stronger team this time than in 2005, was, ironically, slower in responding as the need for change became apparent. While Milan played well and sparkled in moments of brilliance, Liverpool actually ran most of the show – and perhaps that served to obscure the fact that they were unable to conjure up that final cutting edge and score when in the box. The idea to play wide, and thus bypass Milan’s strong but narrow midfield, was good: Pennant won the battle on his side and severely reduced Seedorf’s contribution by running the ball at goal, Zenden (and later Kewell) less effective on the opposite side. However, neither player managed to get their crosses quite right and gave Kuyt and Gerrard little to work with. On the opposite side Mascherano was giving Kaka problems, but a surge from the Brazilian, stopped by a foul by Alonso, at least yielded the decisive free kick. Pirlo’s kick would have been saved by Reina had it not been for a deflection off Inzaghi’s elbow. Hardly a classic goal, potentially even handball, but Inzaghi celebrated as if the world had just witnessed the second coming of Maradona. By the time Benitez made a decisive change, letting Mascherano give way for Peter Crouch and allowing Gerrard to step back towards the middle, it mainly played into the hands of Milan. Crouch had had little time to make an impact before Kaka utilised the opening left by Mascherano and fed a nice ball to Inzaghi, who showed that he may have been born offside, but when he does manage to stay onside he can score nice goals. A few minutes later Liverpool got a goal back: a Pennant corner flicked on by Agger to Kuyt, who headed it in. The last minutes saw a frantic team struggling to turn the evening into a repeat of Istanbul after all, but the goal remained of the consolatory variety. At least Dirk’s father, ill with cancer, got to see his son score in a Champions League final – my thoughts to them both.

Now there really is only one question left to be solved. Of course, rules in Italy may be different, and Berlusconi tends to view rules as optional guidelines anyway. But, having learnt from the West Ham situation that ownership of players is a problematic issue, in terms of conflicts of interest and third-party agreements - what are we to make of Kaka’s statement, made on a shirt worn under his team shirt, that he ‘belongs to Jesus’…?

AC Milan
Dida, Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski (Kaladze 79), Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Favalli 90), Kaka, Inzaghi (Gilardino 88).
Subs Not Used: Kalac, Cafu, Serginho, Brocchi.
Booked: Gattuso, Jankulovski.
Goals: Inzaghi 45, 82.

Liverpool
Reina, Finnan (Arbeloa 88), Carragher, Agger, Riise, Pennant, Alonso, Mascherano (Crouch 78), Zenden (Kewell 59), Gerrard, Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Hyypia, Gonzalez, Bellamy.
Booked: Mascherano, Carragher.
Goals: Kuyt 89.

Attendance: 74,000
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

In the Dog House

2007-05-22T22:37:00.000+01:00

No, I’m not referring to the stadium. Big day, big game. The first FA-cup final in the beautiful new Wembley. The Dream Final, starring the winner and the runner-up of the league title. Stadium packed to impressive full capacity with fans; hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people eagerly watching on television all over the world. All set for a classic game, a game to remember, full of football of the highest quality from the best league in the world…

I managed to stay awake during the first half because I was standing up, during the second, when a kind man had offered me a seat in a freakishly comfortable sofa, it was increasingly difficult to do so. Looking at the bizarrely congested midfield scenes during the first half I sometimes forgot which team was attacking where; balls were always played backwards – attacks seemed to happen accidentally. 7 minutes for the first half-hearted attempt; another 7 before I realised that Ronaldo was actually playing. The only goal, which, to be fair to Drogba and Lampard, was a lovely one, came minutes before the goalless drudgery had to be ended in penalties. Now, I decided to watch the game partly because, well, you kind of have to, and partly because I hoped to be surprised. But deep down I was so sure that this was exactly what was going to happen that, in planning the rest of my evening, I had allowed extra time. The 90 minutes were up at 5.45 – so I told my friend I would meet her at 7…

Maybe I’m just being mean and bitter – I’m sure that the fans at the stadium had a splendid time – but I haven’t heard the phrase ‘dream final’ in conjunction with this game now that we have seen how it turned out. Whose dream was that again? In fact, so dull was the game that it was immediately forgotten in the media – unlike the unlikely story about José and the dog, which is still running. Mr Mourinho may be the best manager in the world, but what he undoubtedly excels at, on a scale utterly unattainable for his fellow mortals, is making headlines with absolutely nothing. And I’m sure that that is part of his greatness: few people remember to discuss the football played at Chelsea when they can discuss the latest sentence uttered by its manager – the drama and innuendo is better than a reality show. The dog added whole new a dimension and scope to this: The News Quiz on BBC Radio4, a football free zone even during international competitions, couldn’t refrain from mentioning José and his dog. Chelsea Football Club – Big Brother with balls. Boularouz will be voted out of the house next.

No, my dream final, so cruelly denied us, was Spurs beating Watford 5-2 in a thrilling display of attacking football. Even better, thus beating Manchester United! Actually, even being beaten by Man U would have been preferable – and certainly more entertaining for everyone else… Oh well, next season. Next up, the Champions League final, and dear, oh, dear, am I happy that it didn’t end up being between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Some season statistics

2007-05-20T08:58:00.000+01:00

Fifth in the league or ‘best of the rest’, as our dear manager would have it. 59 games. 104 goals by 16 different scorers; the bulk, 63, distributed between our three main strikers, who are all in the top 20 list of the season’s goal scorers. One FA-cup semi-final. One Carling-cup semi-final and one UEFA-cup quarter-final. Unbeaten in Europe until beaten by the cup winners. And top of the Premiership’s Fair Play League.

According to the 06/07 ACTIM stats of the Premiership, and to no surprise for those of us who watch his every move week in and week out, Dimitar Berbatov is our best player; the third best player in the Premiership and part of the ‘team of the season’. Not sure if a person or a computer has counted all this but apparently our wonder has contributed 12 goals, 76 shots, 43 tackles, 31 clearances, seven interceptions, 30 dribbles, 388 passes, 21 crosses and 11 assists in 2,893 minutes of football. The other Spurs players who made it into the top 100 are Pascal Chimbonda (35^th; 8^th among defenders), Paul Robinson (38^th; 8^th among goalkeepers), Michael Dawson (39^th; 10^th among defenders), Aaron Lennon (68^th; 22^nd among midfielders) and Jermaine Jenas (99^th).

Some goal statistics

In all competitions:
30 games in 2006, 45 goals; 29 games in 2007, 59 goals
Scored 104, Conceded 76 = Difference +28
Scored 81% from open play, 7 % from penalties, 1 % from corners and 11 % from free kicks
Conceded 57% from open play, 13% from penalties, 13% from corners and 17% from free kicks

In the league only:
21 games in 2006, 25 goals; 17 games in 2007, 32 goals
Scored 57, Conceded 54 = Difference +3
Scored 75% from open play, 11% from penalties, 3% from corners and 11% from free kicks
Conceded 57% from open play, 11% from penalties, 13% from corners and 19% from free kicks

Simple summary: our goal scoring improved as the season progressed and we are better at open play than set pieces – both scoring from and defending against. One goal from a corner kick all season (unless, as I have done in the stats, we count Angel’s own goal at Villa Park, then it’s two) is just not good enough. Our free kick heroes, apart from Dimitar Berbatov (with his stunning kick against West Ham) and Paul Robinson (with the only slightly accidental goal against Watford) are Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone, who have taken all the remaining free kicks that have hit the target – directly on or with the ball being played in.
Our goal scorers: Berbatov (23), Keane (22), Defoe (18), Jenas (8), Lennon (5), Malbranque (5), Mido (5), Ghaly (3), Huddlestone (3), Murphy (2), Tainio (2), Dawson (1), Davenport (1), Chimbonda (1), Stalteri (1), Robinson (1).

A season of good and bad spells, an overall shaky defensive record balanced by a good scoring record; thankfully we did end the season with a positive goal difference. We didn’t win anything, but the season as a whole was an improvement on last and it can only be hoped that next season will be even better – we certainly seem to be the pundits’ favourites to break into the top four! Work on defending and set pieces, combined with a few relevant signings, should add consistency to our game and allow the development to continue. Attacking flair we already have... Right now the future looks bright.

(Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City

2007-05-17T18:39:00.000+01:00

According to Bill Edgar of The Times, always a source of useful (or just silly) statistics, Manchester City’s 10 home goals of the season mean that they have broken the previous record for smallest amount of home goals in a campaign in the league. In any division. Ever. That's out of 8174 league campaigns since 1888. Despite all their problems in finding the net at all they have actually scored nearly twice as many away from home. So you could really bank on the fact that they would get one in here… All part of the entertainment. As are the sumptuous goals by Keane and Berbatov that we are so blessed with. The build-up to the first goal was a thing of beauty: King passed the ball to Gardner and made a run through the middle while Gardner found Berbatov, who flicked the ball with trademark elegance and uncanny precision back to King. King found Jenas, Jenas lifted the ball over the defenders, Keane swivelled and volleyed in.

Next up came a pass from Gardner, finding Berbatov via a Lennon dummy which sent Richard Dunne sprawling on the ground. It was a wonderful trick, and Berbatov continued the tricks as he tried to send the ball back to Lennon without taking his eyes off the defender in front of him. When the ball was, after all, intercepted, he got it back and smacked it past two defenders and goalkeeper into the corner. The direct route does work…

City came back with some pressure and a goal, the build-up of which had begun with an unfortunate Gardner back-pass. Hamann crossed for M’Penza, who headed in. Michael Johnson headed over an empty goal after Robinson had saved a shot from M’penza and our England goalkeeper had to make another cracking save from a powerful header by Beasley. Defoe, on as a substitute again, could also have added a goal to his name when he stepped up to take the penalty awarded for Dunne’s pushing of Zokora, but not only shot it within Isaksson’s reach – he then fired the rebound over the bar.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Gardner, Lennon (Malbranque 75), Jenas, Zokora, Tainio, Keane (Defoe 81), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Assou-Ekotto.
Booked: Gardner.
Goals: Keane 10, Berbatov 32

Manchester City
Isaksson, Onuoha, Dunne, Distin (Hamann 28), Jordan, Vassell, Jihai, Johnson, Ireland, Beasley (Samaras 81), Mpenza.
Subs Not Used: Weaver, Dickov, Laird.
Booked: Vassell.
Goals: Mpenza 40

Attendance: 35,426
Referee: S Bennet

Celebratory hug between Keane and Berbatov, a regular feature these days (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Tottenham 1-1 Blackburn

2007-05-17T17:47:00.000+01:00

Three games in one week (again) was probably one of the reasons for Martin Jol to give Robbie Keane a rest and Jermain Defoe a long coveted start. Anthony Gardner made another emergency appearance at left-back and Hossam Ghaly made a much talked-about appearance as a substitute. Neither team controlled the game in the first half, a sparring-match more than anything else. There were some nice moves between Berbatov, Lennon and Defoe, of course, but headed efforts from Gardner and Chimbonda were about as close as we got to trouble Blackburn’s well organised defence. When Malbranque had to be substituted, injured by a tackle, after half an hour there was a further loss in fluency. Blackburn had similar problems, but found the target when a lovely cross from Pedersen was headed into goal by McCarthy on 30 minutes.

As the second half threatened to be a repeat of the first, Jol decided that the game needed Robbie Keane after all; the choice between Ghaly, who wasn’t having a great game and Lennon, who was a little, but not much, better, fell on Ghaly, who tore off his shirt, threw it to the ground and stormed off. This added a little drama to the evening, but not of the pleasant kind. The fans were disgusted. (Ghaly has since apologised and been forgiven, but speculations about his future are, predictably, rife.) Again Jol’s attacking substitution paid off and Keane made an instant impact on the game by energising his team mates; Spurs now were truly the stronger side. Some minutes later Keane sent a clever pass to Berbatov, who brilliantly worked the ball around the box and sent a low shot at goal which Friedel only managed to parry. Defoe, the third man in the attack, was in perfect position to tap in the rebound. After that we controlled the game, had several chances and should really have had a winner in injury time when Keane hit the post and Berbatov hit a free kick just over. Oh, well, point taken.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Gardner, Lennon, Zokora, Tainio, Malbranque (Ghaly 29), Berbatov, Defoe, Ghaly (Keane 60).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone, Ifil.
Goals: Defoe 67

Blackburn
Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Kerimoglu (Gallagher 90), Mokoena (Derbyshire 76), Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts.
Subs Not Used: Brown, Henchoz, Berner.
Sent Off: Roberts (90).
Booked: Mokoena, Pedersen, Roberts.
Goals: McCarthy 32

Attendance: 35,974
Referee: R Styles

Charlton 0-2 Tottenham

2007-05-08T12:01:00.000+01:00

You have to feel sorry for Charlton, who, due to this result, have now been relegated and who fought for their lives throughout the game. They displayed passion and commitment and had spells of threatening possession as well as a fair amount of chances, but in the end lacked both cutting edge up front and solidity at the back.

Starting the game with some minutes of near complete possession, Spurs were put ahead by an astounding solo goal by Dimitar Berbatov in the seventh minute: gets the ball at the halfway line, flicks it past El Karkouri, who is unable to get past or stop him and takes his shot at the perfect moment. Unbelievable. See video below.

Charlton, fired up by this, came into the game after about 20 minutes, but were unable to cut through the Spurs defence completely. They tried to expose the soft spot that was left-back (Rocha filling in for Lee), and were nearly rewarded when Darren Bent’s cross found Alexandre Song’s head. The midfielder, however, headed out and Bent had a shot which also just failed to hit target. At half time, Ricardo Rocha, who had picked up an injury, had to be replaced by centre-half Anthony Gardner, recently back from injury. Alan Pardew replaced Song and Marcus Bent with Lloyd Sam and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the latter forcing Robinson to diving save with a few minutes to go.

Spurs continued to pose a threat with elegant play, and Charlton continued to respond in what was an entertaining and clean game – no bookings and few free kicks. Berbatov had ample opportunity to showcase his skill with clever little balls and mazy runs – and also provided the best comedy moment of the game. Apparently forgetting who was playing left back, he sent a ball up the side which would have been excellent for Lennon or Lee, but which was impossible for Gardner to get near. The look of exasperation on the face of the big defender was priceless. A perfect ball to Jermain Defoe, who had replaced Keane with 6 minutes to go, became the final say in the game. The England striker timed his run, got past the defenders and sent the ball in a perfect arch over Carson and into the net. The UEFA cup beckons for Spurs, while Charlton are headed for a season in the Championship

Charlton
Carson, Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Hreidarsson, Zheng (Hughes 84), Holland, Song Billong (Sam 71), Ambrose, Marcus Bent (Hasselbaink 71), Darren Bent.
Subs Not Used: Randolph, Bougherra.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Rocha (Gardner 46), Lennon (Malbranque 60), Zokora, Jenas, Tainio, Keane (Defoe 84), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone.
Goals: Berbatov 7, Defoe 90.

Attendance: 26,339.
Referee: M Halsey

Striking Awards

2007-05-08T11:39:00.000+01:00

Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov have been named joint player of the month for April. They have scored 9 of Spurs’ 12 goals in the month, 8 of which in the five league games, and have done it in such a combined fashion that the award had to be shared. Our strike force is inseparable – quite sweet really. In addition to those two, and Jermain Defoe who has 17 goals in all competitions to his name, Spurs boast 16 different goal scorers for the remainder. We have finally managed to secure a positive goal difference (+2) and have more than 100 goals in all competitions, 54 of which in the league.

Players of the month for April, Keane and Berbatov (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

The Nightmare Final and The Revenge Thriller

2007-05-03T06:30:00.000+01:00

As soon as it became clear that Liverpool was one of the teams in the Athens final we knew that there were only two possible scenarios left – on one hand an all-English, indeed all-North-of-England, final which has had the authorities in Greece and England in nervous trepidation since it became apparent that it was at all possible; on the other hand the biggest revenge drama in European football of the century. Yes, it’s a young century. We now know that we are to be served with the latter, as AC Milan have an opportunity to get back at Liverpool and claim the trophy. Looking at the form of the teams we can expect a cracking game.

Liverpool versus Chelsea was a long, harrowing battle which seemed like it would go on forever until the world stopped. Had the rules been different, say, you have to play until either team scores a golden goal, however long it may take, we might still be watching them now. I had backed Chelsea, simply because of their unnerving ability to close a game down and snatch a goal from nowhere in the last minute. Liverpool, while much more aggressive and creative than in the first leg, also closed down well on their side, however. Terry and Carragher, two draconian defenders placed at opposite poles, fiercely guarding their treasure. Rob Smyth wrote in the Guardian that this was a display of English football at its most… well, English. Basically. Lowest-common-denominator football, reckons Rob, risk-free and defensive. I concur. Even the tough battles for the ball were not very interesting. And since this was in fact a European game it was “like showing an episode of EastEnders at the Cannes film festival”. Quite. Of course, if I had assumed that Chelsea would grind a victory out of this, a re-evaluation of the situation became necessary when the war turned into firing squad execution. Anfield, despite 120 minutes of admirable noise, had been unable to guide their team to scoring another goal, but would surely be instrumental in unsettling even the sturdiest of Chelsea veterans. Especially since Liverpool boast a penalty king in goal. And thus it was that Pepe Reina put an end to a long evening by saving two penalties.

The all-English semi-final was certainly less compelling than the mixed one; Manchester United against Italian teams have been great fun lately. This time, however, they did not so much inflict a sound thrashing than receive one. San Siro, noisy, at times shaking, and the heavens obliging with enough water to fill an Olympic size swimming pool set a perfect stage for entertainment. Players falling over, unable to see the ball… funnily enough Manchester United, who, one might suppose, would be better used to harsh weather conditions, seemed the only ones disturbed. Milan were mighty and did exactly what Man U did to Roma, even if this did not turn into a goal scoring circus: omnipresent aggression and creative cooperation. They seemed to be everywhere at once, never let their opponents pass a ball in peace and were confident in their attacking moves. Even United’s star players were unable to get into the game; Paul Scholes, in an attempt to play clean, was nowhere near it. The role of midfield terrier, so convincingly played by Darren Fletcher lately, was entirely taken up by energy bundle Gennaro Gattuso, who also found time to fire up the audience. So, again I was wrong – I had expected Man U to come through, even if we knew the San Siro game would be tough, perhaps because the images of the previous games were in my head. But things can turn around, this was Milan’s night and Liverpool are up for a hard time. What fun it will be.

Weekend round-up

2007-04-30T22:15:00.000+01:00

Apart from Spurs beating Middlesbrough 2-3 there was also:

Everton 2-4 Manchester United; Chelsea 2-2 Bolton
And for a while United’s title looked misplaced: 2 goals behind at Goodison Park, while Chelsea were 2-1 up at Stamford Bridge. Michael Carrick had inadvertently helped Alan Stubb’s free kick into goal and Manuel Fernandes had tricked Wes Brown and scored a lovely goal despite United dominating possession and play. But individual errors from Everton players soon put United level: goalkeeper Turner caught and released a corner kick, allowing John O’Shea to tap it in, and Phil Neville’s attempt at clearing a ball ended up in his own net. The tables had turned and there was time for Wayne Rooney, ferociously booed throughout, to score after a great effort and for substitute Eagles to cement the win with a neat shot. Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, Bolton had taken the lead with goal from Michalik only to see the lead become levelled and disappear as Salomon Kalou twice headed past Jaaskeleinen. But Bolton equalised, as Kevin Davies headed in a Gary Speed free kick, and Chelsea looked for, but were unable to find, a winner. The race is on, but advantage United.

Manchester City 0-2 Aston Villa
If most teams consider playing at home an advantage, Manchester City must at this point feel the opposite. Having failed to score, let alone win, at home since the 1^st of January, they have won 3, drawn 1 and only lost 1 of their last away fixtures. Despite playing with energy and matching Villa’s attempts, nothing found the goal and Sorenssen was never unduly troubled. Whether because he was getting bored or just because he was looking at the ball and nothing else, the Villa goalkeeper attacked and flattened Darius Vassell from behind, thus awarding City with a penalty. Joey Barton stepped up but fired it over the bar: Sorenssen remained untroubled and Barton must be regretting his harsh open criticism of his team. Surely that wasn’t worth paying for either…? Villa’s goals came from a powerful header by John Carew and a very well taken free kick by substitute Shaun Maloney.

Reading 1-0 Newcastle
The eagerly awaited return of Michael Owen, which lasted 90 minutes but only looked hopefully brilliant for the first part, ended up yielding an offside goal and some nice chances but no more. As Sibierski and Emre both had to be taken off for serious injury, Ameobi also made his return as a substitute. Newcastle looked bright in the early stages of the game, and in the first half Titus Bramble seemed to post the greatest threat to goalkeeper Harper with some deplorable back-passes. But Reading came back and Newcastle looked increasingly disorganised and seemed to have misplaced their central midfield entirely. Beautiful crosses from Solano and Milner found the middle but the Reading defence expertly trapped Owen, Ameobi and Martins offside. A well taken volley by Kitson put Reading deservedly ahead and they continued to press for more goals. If they keep this form up, the UEFA cup spot will come whether Steve Coppell wants it or not.

…and the rest:
Rafael Benitez, with one eye - or possibly both – firmly on next week’s Champions League fixture with Chelsea, had rested several of his key players and Portsmouth saw their opportunity and took it. Benjani Mwaruwari chipped a long goal kick past an advancing Jerzy Dudek and proceeded to head the ball in for their first; Niko Kranjcar, alone on the left hand side, controlled another long ball and nicely tucked it in for the second. Liverpool eventually responded with a corner kick header by Sami Hyypia; Portsmouth 2-1 Liverpool. Wigan were tortured by a rampant West Ham; the win for the Londoners put the teams on level points. Luis Boa Morte caught on to a long goal kick and his touch sent the ball bouncing over John Filan, who had misjudged the ball, and into the net. Yossi Benayoun found the goal mouth wide open as he finished off a wonderful attacking team effort and Boa Morte and Harewood combined to score a third; Wigan 0-3 West Ham. Charlton’s woes deepened after their trip to Blackburn: Scott Carson dropped the ball from Jason Robert’s strike and even if a header by Darren Bent put the visitors level, this was not Charlton’s finest hour. Ben Thatcher was sent off, Hermann Hreidarsson scored a clumsy own goal and a few minutes later it was Robert’s turn to shoot straight through all defensive attempts. A lovely Matt Derbyshire strike from the right in the 83^rd minute sealed the victory; Blackburn 4-1 Charlton. Sheffield United moved a step away from the immediate relegation bottom as a powerful strike by Michael Tonge secured a win over already relegated Watford; Sheffield United 1-0 Watford. Arsenal, ever wasteful with brilliant chances, but creating enough of them to get a few in by sheer statistical necessity, overcame Fulham by scoring two winning goals in the last six minutes. Having gone ahead with a header and seemingly cruising, their game regained urgency as Fulham equalised in the 78^th minute. But an Adebayor strike and a penalty allowed Arsenal to claim all the points and send Fulham deeper into relegation issues; Arsenal 3-1 Fulham.

…elsewhere:
I should add to the Scottish and Italian league title winners of last week that Lyon actually have secured the French Ligue 1 as well. Again. I forgot. Or perhaps don’t care enough? PSV Eindhoven won the Dutch league in style with a 5-1 win. And my UEFA-cup predictions have so far been completely off, as Espanyol beat Bremen 3-0 and Osasuna beat Sevilla 1-0. Of course return legs can change things for the losers who are at home next. Oh, who cares. In Sweden, Malmö FF completely destroyed AIK with a 4-0 home win. Delightful.

Striking Entertainment

2007-04-29T09:42:00.000+01:00

I suppose that, say, Chelsea supporters watching a game which sees their team scoring an early goal might think that the players only need to hold on to that – and could be forgiven for doing so. Their team would be able to hold on to a lead like that. Chelsea often win 1-0. But when we went up after 12 minutes, with some lovely touches by our strikers, I just knew that there was a long way and many goals to go. Yes, the trademark entertainment continues. Even if the defence looked wonderfully improved, with a Ledley King coming back to form, and the offensive play looked convincing, and we were 2 up, and Robbo seemed alert… it was never going to be. Clean sheets are for playing Watford.

So where does this leave us? Well, finally above Reading, for a start. They have to play Newcastle on Monday, but are at home and could very well come away with three points. It’s all still very tight: Bolton’s draw with Chelsea placing them on 55, Everton’s defeat placing them on 54 and Pompey, courtesy of Benitez’ European ambitions (yes, I’m bitter), are on level points with Spurs on 53 but above in the table due to superior goal difference. For a while it looked as though we would find ourselves in the positives again, but at least it’s not negative anymore…

Ok, we still can’t defend set pieces properly but despite that, and despite letting in another goal (very well done by Viduka), the defence looked better. Ledley is a joy to watch, even if he still isn’t fully fit, and hopefully there is still scope for positive development in the last games – we’ll need it. Rocha had some problems, but Malbranque filled in to help very well – his tackle on Johnson, for which he was booked, was a clean effort on the ball. Didier, bless him, did a good job defensively but he just cannot seem to aim a shot to save his life. Jermaine Jenas, who can aim a shot, had another good game as well, great movement and passes. We had an excellent first half but let Boro into the game in the second – they had at least 20 minutes of domination which really tested the defence. Any sloppy pass (of which there were a few then) they turned into an opportunity. When Malbranque had to be more defensive we lost some attacking intent and found it hard to turn the game back. Scoring another goal and holding on was a bit of an effort, but it happened, beautifully, the game turned again, and ended as a job well done. Calm consistent play and an easy win are for other teams.

Berbatov (always our star and fast becoming the pet favourite of all pundits, commentators and journalists) and Keane (also reaping a considerable amount of praise) are amazing together at the moment. Just delicious. Curse over.

Middlesbrough 2-3 Tottenham

2007-04-29T09:19:00.000+01:00

One hundred games in charge of Tottenham Hotspur for Martin Jol, and a good way to celebrate with an entertaining win. Clean sheets are as elusive as ever and defending against set pieces is still an Achilles heel, but the attacking flair was there too and Tottenham march on in the quest for a UEFA-cup spot.

Spurs began the game brightly, with Dimitar Berbatov tormenting the Middlesbrough defence from the start. A few opportunities into the game, Spurs deservedly took the lead: a pass from Malbranque found Berbatov, who, after some marvellous ball control embarrassed his former Leverkusen team mate Emanuel Pogatetz and found Robbie Keane. The Ireland striker, unmarked as all eyes were on Berbatov, coolly tapped in his 20^th goal of the season with an equally sublime touch. Spurs continued to dominate possession with some lovely, fluent, link-up play and Berbatov’s impressive touches combined with Keane’s movement were a continual threat. Middlesbrough’s attempts invariably stumbled on the Spurs defence, visibly bolstered by the return of Ledley King. King and Dawson did well to contain Boro strikers Viduka and Yakubu, who were unable to get close to the goal until the closing minutes of the half. Even when the home team launched an attack, their visitors covered well.

The second half began where the previous had left off: a pass from Jenas in the middle found Ghaly on the right who crossed it to Berbatov on the left hand side of the area. The Bulgarian took a wonderful right-footed volley strike from 25 yards which Schwarzer had no hope of catching. Waking up and smelling the defeat, Boro were piling up more pressure and after some substitutions and changes, most notably switching Stewart Downing to the right, their efforts paid off. Viduka headed in a cross from Downing and forced Robinson to make a spectacular save moments after. This was the beginning of a period of strong play from Boro, visibly inspired by their goal. Downing was testing stand-in left-back Ricardo Rocha, and forced Steed Malbranque to defend more as well. Spurs started looking somewhat insecure and Aaron Lennon was brought on for Hossam Ghaly in an effort to open up the Boro defence further.

With ten minutes to go this idea seemed to pay off as Berbatov, Lennon and Keane combined for a great opportunity, and started to turn the game back in Spurs’ favour. A few moments later it yielded a third goal: Jenas placed a ball perfectly for Lennon’s run on the right flank and the winger crossed in for Keane, who shot in his second of the evening, putting him and on a level goal tally with Berbatov. They now both have 21 goals in all competitions. Middlesbrough refused to acknowledge defeat, however, and kept pushing on, testing the limits of the tiring Spurs defence. Their efforts were rewarded on 89 minutes as a corner kick was headed into the net by Pogatetz, but it remained a small consolation.

Middlesbrough
Schwarzer, Davies (Arca 64), Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor, Cattermole (Johnson 40), Boateng, Rochemback, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu (Lee 70).
Subs Not Used: Jones, McMahon.
Booked: Yakubu.
Goals: Viduka 66, Pogatetz 89.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, King, Dawson, Rocha, Ghaly (Lennon 72), Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque, Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Defoe, Huddlestone, Ifil.
Booked: Malbranque.
Goals: Keane 12, Berbatov 47, Keane 83.

Attendance: 27,861
Referee: L Mason

Man of the Match Dimitar Berbatov strikes again (Image from www.bbc.co.uk)

The Races

2007-04-23T20:33:00.000+01:00

I have been complaining about the fact that Manchester United and Chelsea now seem set to battle for glory on all fronts, but A. we have to await the Champions League semi-finals until we know if either of them make it in that particular competition, and B. at least we still do have a race for the title on. As has been seen before, and as is the case in Scotland and Italy this year, the title can be decided well before the end of the season. With 3 games to go, there is still everything to be decided in the Premier League.

The title is a race, in which anything can happen, between the aforementioned giants; Arsenal and Liverpool are in a sense battling for third and fourth. Everton, Bolton, Reading, Portsmouth and Tottenham are all within 4 points of each other and hoping for UEFA cup spots – should either or all of them go on a bizarre losing streak, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Man City, all within 2 points of each other, might even come up with a challenge. At the bottom of the table we find Watford, the only team which has already lost the fight for survival, but above them are 5 teams, West Ham, Charlton, Sheffield United, Wigan and Fulham, all within 4 points of each other and in fierce combat.

What makes it all more interesting are the run-ins and the fact that the top teams are clocking up a lot of games and injuries.

Manchester United have a long injury list and a tough fixture list: AC Milan (H), Everton (A), AC Milan (A), Manchester City (A), Chelsea (A) – followed by the FA-cup final in May.

Chelsea have less injuries but an equally intriguing fixture list: Liverpool (H), Bolton (H), Liverpool (A), Arsenal (A), Manchester United (H), Everton (H) – and then the FA-cup final.

Added to which could also be a Champions League final for either or both.

For the UEFA-cup contenders it looks as follows:

Everton (54) have Manchester United (H), Portsmouth (H) and Chelsea (A)
Bolton (54) have Chelsea (A), West Ham (A) and Aston Villa (H)
Reading (51) have Newcastle (H), Watford (H) and Blackburn (A)
Portsmouth (50) have Liverpool (H), Everton (A) and Arsenal (H)
Tottenham (50) have Middlesbrough (A), Charlton (A), Blackburn (H) and Man City (H)

On paper, Spurs could quite conceivably end up in 5^th place – but football is rarely like that. Reading have a good chance at getting full points from their remaining fixtures and if Spurs get tired with three games in the last 7 days the UEFA-cup spots could go to Reading, Bolton and Everton. For Spurs having a game in hand may prove to be less of an advantage than a handicap as the final three fixtures have piled up in one week. Because of the closeness in points here, goal difference could very well become an issue, something which would work in Everton’s (+15) favour and help their tricky run-in. Intriguingly, Bolton and Spurs both have a negative goal difference, -3 and -1 respectively.

At the bottom, from the bottom, it looks as follows:

West Ham (32) have Wigan (A), Bolton (H) and Manchester United (A)
Charlton (33) have Blackburn (A), Tottenham (H) and Liverpool (A)
Sheffield United (35) have Watford (H), Aston Villa (A) and Wigan (H)
Wigan (35) have West Ham (H), Middlesbrough (H) and Sheffield United (A)
Fulham (36) have Arsenal (A), Liverpool (H) and Middlesbrough (A)

On paper Charlton and West Ham would seem mainly doomed, with Fulham blessed with a run-in which makes them almost as much so. But again we can never be sure, especially not with the “biggies” getting tired and the relegation candidates fighting for survival.

I don’t even know what to say about all this as predictions everywhere seem futile: the race is on, let’s just put our seat belts on and enjoy!

tottenham hotspur

PFA awards

2007-04-23T17:00:00.000+01:00

The Professional Footballers’ Association unsurprisingly named Cristiano Ronaldo as player of the year, as well as young player of the year – a category which also had Aaron Lennon among the nominees. As it was, Aaron got third, behind Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas.

From a Spurs point of view it was surprising to not see Dimitar Berbatov among the nominees, but he did make it into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, which looks as follows:

Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra (all Man Utd); Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo (all Man Utd) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool); Didier Drogba (Chelsea) and Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham)

Considering various rumours about Berbatov’s future, most of them involving Manchester United, this is a strangely unsettling line-up. Could it come true? Now, I have to say that I don’t quarrel with the forward partnership and can refrain from doing so when it comes to the midfield, but is Man U’s defence really so solid that we cannot think up a better one? Vidic, yes, but Ferdinand? Why not Terry or Carragher? van der Sar over Cech? And Neville and Evra? Really?

Any suggestions of a different Premiership cut and paste dream team?

Weekend round-up

2007-04-22T20:51:00.000+01:00

Bolton 1-3 Reading
A truly remarkable result at the Reebok stadium which saw Reading supplying all goals in the game, despite being dominated by their hosts throughout. Bolton had outmuscled, outwitted and outplayed their visitors from the first minute: Reading were getting precisely nowhere. They did, however, defend quite well, Hahnemann had some impressive saves to make and Bolton did not manage to convert their many chances. Not until Anelka got some help, that is. His cooperation with Thomson was superb, but had his shot found the net without the assistance of Shorey? Doubtful. As it was, Bolton were ahead and cruising until there was 6 minutes of ordinary time left. But a clumsy and entirely unnecessary tackle by Meite on Kevin Doyle gave Reading a penalty and a chance to equalise. The Ireland striker expertly did just that and the goal seemed to create a spark of confidence in a Reading side which had looked lost throughout much of the game. The Bolton defence went from impenetrable to nonexistent within minutes and Doyle was able to score again. A third goal followed, as a lovely cross was headed into the net by Stephen Hunt, unmarked in front of goal. Hunt had had another clash with a goalkeeper, as he ran into Jaaskelainen in a manner which seemed harder than necessary; he was booked for his trouble, but the Finn was not hurt. Injuries had been a problem for Bolton, however: three substitutions due to serious injury in the first half, as Hunt, Diouf and Nolan all left the field in pain.

Manchester United 1-1 Middlesbrough
Another remarkable, and for United possibly disastrous, result was the outcome of the game at Old Trafford which saw Middlesbrough come back to equalise after Kieran Richardson’s early goal had put United ahead. Despite Sir Alex’s fears about his star wingers safety, Ronaldo was on the field – the only player rested ahead of the midweek Champions League game was Ryan Giggs, but even he had to come on in an effort to salvage the situation. Middlesbrough were not so obliging, however, and United had to settle for a 1-1 draw with an added problem of an ill-timed injury to Rio Ferdinand. The draw looked like it could reduce United’s lead to a mere point…

Newcastle 0-0 Chelsea
…but Chelsea failed to catch up as they were held to a goalless draw in Newcastle. Chelsea seem to work well under pressure, perhaps even only working well under pressure? While never overly troubled by Newcastle’s efforts, the visitors failed to step up their own tempo in trademark fashion. Partly thwarted by a solid Newcastle defence and partly by a lack of urgency the Champions never displayed anything near their attacking best, possibly overly confident in their ability to clinch late winners.

…and the rest:
Everton, in fine form recently and pushing for a Europe spot next season, were overcome by relegation strugglers West Ham and lost Andy Johnson to ankle injury. The only goal in the game came early on, as some nice work by Benayoun set up Zamora for a wonderful 20 yard strike past Howard. West Ham 1, Everton 0. Liverpool, unsurprisingly, beat Wigan at Anfield with a double from Dirk Kuyt. The Dutch striker managed to turn and flick the ball, arriving from a Pennant cross, into the net. His second goal also came from a turning move: getting the ball with his back towards the goal he made a nice turn while protecting it and fired it home. Liverpool 2, Wigan 0. At the bottom of the table we find Watford, who, due to their draw with Manchester City, are now confirmed for relegation. Stuart Pearce’s side, conversely, has moved even further away from the danger. Watford 1, Man City 1. Charlton, hoping to climb out of the bottom three and jumpstarting a “great escape”, were only allowed to hope for a few minutes. El Karkouri put his team ahead with a remarkable 35 yard shot which took a few minor deflections on its long way into goal. If there had been an element of fortuitous chance taking about that goal, the equaliser was a thing of beauty: Montgomery made a perfect pass to John Stead, who took an equally perfect shot from the edge of the box. Charlton 1, Sheffield United, 1. Fulham rescued a point with a somewhat surprising draw against Blackburn, whose slim chances for Europe football became slimmer. Fulham 1, Blackburn 1. In Birmingham, Aston Villa were unable to get more than a goalless draw out of Portsmouth, despite considerable effort and a vastly superior number of chances. David James was not to be overcome and finally set his coveted record of Premiership clean sheets (142) with a remarkable display of goalkeeping. He can shave now. Aston Villa 0, Portsmouth 0.

…elsewhere:
In Scotland, Celtic won the Scottish Premier League title with a nervy victory over Kilmarnock. The hero of the day was Shunsuke Nakamura, who scored the winner with a trademark free kick in injury time. Celtic are now champions with 4 games still to play. Likewise, in Italy, the title race is over as a 2-1 victory over Siena made Inter the Serie A champions with 5 games to spare.

…and finally:
Honourable mention to Leo Messi of Barcelona who, in the midweek game against Getafe, managed to replicate Diego Maradona’s famous goal against England in the 1986 world cup. It has been called the greatest goal of all times – now it has a twin. Were they identical? Which was better? Well, it’s all up for discussion. Maradona’s was scored against better opposition, it is said, but Getafe’s players seem to give Messi a little bit more trouble than the English players that time. Anyway, it is a marvellous goal. They both are.

Entertainment...

2007-04-21T23:00:00.000+01:00

I have been going on about honourable defeats, we will soon have to call this type of game something as well. Entertaining draws? But entertaining for whom, exactly? Spurs are the new favourites of commentators and other pundits, that’s for sure. And they go on about Berbatov as much as we do here. (His first effort of the game, when he controlled a ball with his head and seemed to twist and bend himself in order to get it in the right direction was amazing and humanly impossible – had he succeeded it would have been the goal of the year, for sheer athleticism!)

My nerves were in bits, of course. And a game which I had come to expecting the worst (an Arsenal complex?) began with a half which suggested that a win would surely be the outcome, was followed by a second half which again made me feel that nope, defeat it is, and then ended with a spectacular goal which made the draw look like a win. Of course now we really do need to win the rest of the games – even when draws are amazingly entertaining (for whom, again?), with lots of goals and great play, they still only provide a point. And we need to secure at least 7^th place… Steve Coppell has said that he wants to focus on the Premiership and that his side would not be ready for Europe next season, a sensible sentiment and who thought Reading would come so far anyway? But, Steve, would you mind losing a few games from now on?! The surprise win against Bolton has put Reading on 6^th spot, a point ahead of Spurs. We have a game in hand on all of the nearest rivals, though.

Back to our game and what a truly wonderful time to finally score from a corner kick! Almost worth the wait just beacuse it came against Arsenal. Expertly done, Dawson winning the first header and directing it perfectly down to Keane, who then headed past Lehmann. Should he have been better marked by the Arsenal defence? Who cares. I had tears in my eyes. What a goal. Set piece revision obviously paid off. We were cruising and it was a joy to watch the fluidity, the creativity and the strength – even Aaron looked like he had been to the gym, pushing people away!

But then came the second half, with Arsenal piling on the pressure and scoring – intriguingly from set pieces rather from flowing attacks, as is their wont. And now I simply cannot refrain from pointing out that even if we still haven’t managed to beat Arsenal in the league, even if they did end up dominating a lot of this game (as well as pretty much all of the away game...) and even if they have put five goals past us, it has taken some creative refereeing to aid them. An offside goal and two penalties that shouldn’t have been given in the away game and two dodgy free kicks in this one. Now I happen to be very fond of Thomas Rosicky, I think he is a wonderful football player and I fully expected him to inflict serious damage today - but not like this. Please tell me if I’m wrong, but as far as I could see he just dived. I’m not even sure who was supposed to have taken him down. The ensuing, well taken, free kick was kicked in by Toure past Robinson (who, like Chimbonda, should have done better, really). And Toure was challenged by Tom Huddlestone, but oh dear did he make the most of it. Again – well taken free kick and well headed by Adebayor, who had missed his fair share of chances. Now, I’m not really complaining about the decisions as such – stuff happens and they had loads of other opportunities– I just get some little gratification from the fact that they have needed this assistance to score. Loads of opportunities don’t mean goals, after all. We still need to work on the defending against set pieces, though… The defence, while not as strong as it could, and indeed should, be still looked a lot better. The King is back and Rocha actually wasn’t half bad as left-back, considering it is an emergency solution. Chimbonda, however, looks a bit tired – he has played a lot of games and not everyone can be blessed with Michael Dawson’s constitution… Thankfully Jenas is hitting great form to create some balance.

Speaking of which – what a way to end the game! Chimbonda – Jenas – Malbranque – and Jenas scores. With practically the last kick of the match. Yup, injury time game changers. It’s our new thing. Entertainment and all.

Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal

2007-04-21T22:49:00.000+01:00

An exhilarating North London derby, which saw Tottenham open and finish strongly despite letting Arsenal dominate more during the second half. And another entertaining draw, one which left both teams halted in their European ambitions for next season. All points count at this stage, however, and for Spurs it was a triumph to escape defeat against their fierce rivals in the 94^th minute.

Spurs captain Ledley King was back to bolster the defence, allowing Ricardo Rocha to deputise on the left. Arsenal started Cesc Fabregas on the bench, and with no van Persie or Henry had Fredrik Ljungberg partnering Emanuel Adebayor up front. Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov were the front men for the home team, and the latter had a chance after only a few seconds when, in position in front of goal, he managed to control a ball with his head, bend his body and nearly chip it on target. Spurs piled on the pressure and Arsenal only managed to respond with an attack of their own in the 7^th minute. On 10 minutes Adebayor scored without realising that a flag had been lifted for offside on Ljungberg, who had fed him the ball with a nice move.

Both teams enjoyed spells of possession, the home team perhaps even more creative with them than their visitors. Some lovely efforts by the front men and Aaron Lennon came close and Didier Zokora, eager to put a ball past his Ivory Coast friends in the Arsenal defence, made a run and tried an ambitious shot from 30 yards. A skilful attempt by Berbatov yielded the corner kick which put Spurs ahead. Michael Dawson won the ball and nicely headed it down to Keane, who headed it past Lehmann. Clichy, who had lost his man, could only watch. A few minutes later afforded another chance as Keane and Berbatov set up Zokora; the midfielder went for a wide shot rather than passing it back to Berbatov, however, and a later weak shot by Keane into the arms of Lehmann was as close as it got. At the very end of the first half Eboue and Hleb combined nicely to create Arsenal’s best chance, but Eboue’s shot hit the post and Adebayor, free in front of goal, headed the rebound away.

The second half saw an increase in Arsenal pressure, testing the solidity of the Spurs defence as well as the solidity of the goalposts with chances for Toure, Rosicky, Adebayor and Fabregas. Spurs found it difficult to get back in the game and were soon punished for a weakness in defending against set pieces. Rosicky was adjudicated to have been brought down and Fabregas, who had replaced the injured Ljungberg, took the ensuing free kick well. Toure, waiting at the far post and having escaped Chimbonda, was able to tap it in past a bewildered England goalkeeper. 15 minutes later it was time again: substitute Tom Huddlestone was harshly punished for a challenge on Toure and Fabregas again found a good mark for his free kick – Adebayor powerfully headed it into goal.

With 10 minutes to go, Martin Jol made an attacking substitution, putting Jermain Defoe on for Zokora, in an attempt to salvage something from a game that had started so well. Steed Malbranque, who had replaced an injured Teemu Tainio, looked lively and forced Lehmann to a save, but despite considerable effort, the game seemed lost for Spurs. A great chance in injury time came to nothing, but with what was going to be the last kick in the game, in the 94^th minute, Jermaine Jenas came up with an answer. Chimbonda passed the ball from the right, Jenas played one-two with Malbranque and got his 25 yard shot on target. The fans were ecstatic and, as sometimes happens, in that moment, the equaliser felt like a winner.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, King, Dawson, Rocha, Lennon (Huddlestone 72), Zokora (Defoe 82), Jenas, Tainio (Malbranque 60), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ifil.
Booked: Berbatov, Zokora.
Goals: Keane 30, Jenas 90.

Arsenal
Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb (Senderos 90), Silva, Diaby, Rosicky (Julio Baptista 66), Ljungberg (Fabregas 39), Adebayor.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Denilson.
Booked: Lehmann, Diaby.
Goals: Toure 64, Adebayor 78.

Attendance: 36,050
Referee: M Dean

Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane, goal scorers for Spurs (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

Tuesday Thoughts

2007-04-17T08:38:00.000+01:00

Right. NOW we have a left-back problem. It has been mentioned before, there have been doubts about Young-Pyo Lee (who I like) and Benoit Assou-Ekotto (who we haven’t seen that much of yet, really), but now that they are both injured – along with Paul Stalteri – we had to give Phil Ifil the job: Wigan away was his 3^rd Premiership start ever. Pascal Chimbonda had looked uncomfortable on the left; in order to have one strong attacking side it seemed wise to let him take the right. Not that Phil is a terrible football player, but at this stage in the season… he was a poor replacement for Lee. Aaron Lennon, playing on the left against Wigan, did not get as far as he would when linking up with our little Korean, who we have now lost for the rest of the season. Oh well, another challenge to overcome – and the mentality seems to be there. We concede goals, but we score goals, make attacking substitutions and push on. It can still happen. And in the summer there will be set piece revision: defending against as well as scoring from.

Michael Dawson said that “we've got a full week's training now, we won't know what to do with ourselves!”. Darling, apart from getting a little well deserved rest, y’all can practice set pieces. Corners especially. Tottenham Hotspur football club have yet to score from a corner this season; the closest was when Juan Pablo Angel of Aston Villa (apparently on his way to the US) scored an own goal at a Spurs corner kick. Anyway, having a full week to train and prepare has been a rarity this year, and the team has looked strong when they have had one.

Portsmouth, Everton and Reading all won their games over the weekend, which makes the draw against Wigan sting that little bit more. But, as sometimes is the case, after that game a draw ended up feeling like a decent result. Spurs have really found the formula for entertaining neutrals: attacking flair and defensive insecurity. Which means goals. Against a team like Wigan, who also can’t defend and were hungry in attack, the end result is quite spectacular. Any number of goals could have been scored in that game, it is surprising it ended at 6. So, neutrals entertained but fans’ nerves in tiny little pieces. So, who have we got next week…? Yup, looks like another “entertaining” game.

Aaron Lennon, by the way, turned 20 yesterday; no longer a teenager and already one of the most important players for his club and country. Also up for the PFA player of the year award, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. Well done, Aaron.

The FA-cup final will, of course, feature Chelsea and Manchester United after they overcame their opponents in the semis. Credit to Watford, who did their utmost to give Man U a hard time, and to Blackburn, who forced Chelsea into extra time and nearly made it. But these winning machines just will not be stopped. Will the universe implode when they start facing each other?

Wigan 3-3 Tottenham

2007-04-16T07:37:00.000+01:00

Another exhilarating game involving Tottenham Hotspur: great for the neutrals, nerve-racking for fans of both sides. Wigan struggle for Premiership survival, Spurs needed to come back from their harrowing UEFA-cup exit – and come back was what they did, three times. Martin Jol’s men showed great spirit, even if the game was also another display of the defensive frailty that is fast becoming as characteristic of the team as attacking flair. Spurs were in possession of the superior skill and style; Wigan the greater hunger. Had the Latics played like this all season they would not be having relegation worries. The point places them just above Fulham in the table, 6^th from the bottom on 35 points. Spurs slide down to 8^th, below fellow Europe candidates Bolton, Everton and Portsmouth, albeit with a game in hand.

Defending against set pieces (as well as scoring from them) has been a problem for Spurs, and this proved the case again. A free kick within the first minute of the game turned into a peculiar heading circus, the ball bounced off several heads before finally being forced into goal by Emile Heskey. Spurs may have been mentally strong, but weak headers became something of a theme in the game, for the first and second Wigan goal as well as many of their chances. The visitors were not behind for long, however, as Robbie Keane made a nice run, dribbled past his opponents and fed the ball to Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian expertly controlled the ball, found his way around the defenders in the box and finished beautifully with the outside of his right foot.

Wigan had a good attempt from a corner, which was blocked by Robinson – Spurs responded with a similar attempt: Berbatov’s header, however, went out. A lovely attack by Berbatov and Keane ended in a slightly weak shot which was saved by Filan. The clever and elegant attacking moves by Spurs were matched by the direct and effective play by Wigan who, on the half hour, managed to capitalise on another weak header. Dawson’s clearance went to Baines who struck a marvellous half-volley into the far corner from 25 yards. A few minutes later Jermaine Jenas, who was having a very good game, broke free with a one-two with Lennon. After receiving a push from Baines he was brought down by the advancing Filan and awarded with a penalty, which, coolly converted by Keane, put Tottenham level again.

The final ten minutes of the half saw plenty of action, with some elaborate attacks from Spurs and more heading problems on the other side. The pattern of feeble clearances falling to the feet of expectant Wigan players emerged again and the home team looked threatening in the Spurs half throughout. A save by Robison and a misfired header by Kilbane closed the first half; the second continued in the same vein with the two sides attacking in alternation. Another set piece awarded Wigan with the lead again as Kilbane rose to meet Taylor’s corner and headed the ball past Robinson. A free kick from Jermaine Jenas moments later nearly became the equaliser, but Filan pushed it out of the top corner with his fingertips. After a few minutes the visitors did level again, as a long kick from Robinson found Keane who managed to cut through the defenders and fabulously lob the ball over Filon from 30 yards.

The score line stayed at 3-3, but not for want of trying from either team. Jermain Defoe, who had come on for an uncharacteristically anonymous Aaron Lennon, tested Filon, as did Pascal Chimbonda, who was booed ferociously at his old club. Jenas made another nice run, as did Berbatov, in a situation which looked to replicate his White Hart Lane goal against Wigan – this time, however, the defenders did a better job. Wigan also kept the pressure on, forcing Robinson into action – the most spectacular effort being a chanced 40 yard lob volley from Scharner which the England goalkeeper did well to intercept. Both managers seemed somewhat relieved that this exciting contest ended in a point each; the result reflecting a game between two sides bent on attacking and unconvincing in defence.

Wigan
Filan, Boyce, Jackson (Skoko 73), De Zeeuw, Baines, McCulloch (Taylor 40), Landzaat, Scharner, Kilbane, Heskey (Folan 66), Camara.
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Aghahowa.
Booked: Filan, De Zeeuw, Scharner.
Goals: Heskey 2, Baines 30, Kilbane 60.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Ifil, Tainio (Malbranque 65), Jenas, Zokora, Lennon (Defoe 75), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ghaly, Charlie Lee.
Goals: Berbatov 4, Keane 35 pen, 68.

Attendance: 16,506
Referee: G Poll

Dimitar Berbatov scores Tottenham's first goal (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

England, Spain and the battle for Europe

2007-04-13T23:13:00.000+01:00

So, another Europe fortnight over. Next up are semi-finals in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, with two countries dominating the proceedings.

Manchester United’s historical annihilation of AS Roma paired them with Milan, who managed to beat Bayern Munich in Germany, and Chelsea’s Spain victory over Valencia will be rewarded with a semi-final against Liverpool. At least one English team in the finals, then, and my money is on two. In fact, we have been presented with a situation which could quite conceivably see Manchester United and Chelsea battling for the FA-cup and the Champions League as well as the Premiership title. Greek authorities are already in panic about the prospects of an all-English final, especially one between Liverpool and Manchester United which could see crowd trouble erupting as early as the flights from the north-west of England. But despite Liverpool’s form and ability I just do not see Chelsea losing at the moment – and in a different style the same goes for Man U. The only game between them so far this season was a 1-1 draw; what will happen in the subsequent game(s) is anybody’s guess. I’m not even going to venture one. For that reason, and that reason only, I am reluctantly interested; essentially, however, it would be an awful bore to think that this is indeed as good as it gets and these two teams are to dominate everything.

Of course, Blackburn could win the FA-cup and Milan the Champions League. It’s not even strictly speaking a mathematical impossibility that Liverpool could win the Premier League. It’s just highly unlikely on more levels than seem pertinent to dwell on. Needless to say, a Champions League final between Liverpool and Milan, which, unlike Liverpool winning the League, is far from impossible, has been quite entertaining before…

In the UEFA cup, Sevilla knocked out Tottenham, as we all know, and now take on fellow La Liga team Osasuna in the semi, while Espanyol, who beat Benfica, are to play Werder Bremen, the only non-Spanish side left in the competition. Osasuna ended up beating Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on aggregate, Espanyol overcame Benfica 3-2 and Bremen ended up overwhelming AZ Alkmaar 4-1, after their first meeting had ended in a 0-0 draw. My money, had I been of a betting persuasion, is on a final between Bremen and Sevilla – and do forgive me for preferring Bremen at this stage.

A Fairly Honourable Defeat

2007-04-13T10:21:00.000+01:00

"What though the field be lost? All is not lost…"

Well, most of it is, really. This was “our” cup, unlike the domestic ones – the one we actually did stand a chance at winning after a valiant unbeaten run. Small consolation that it was the cup holders who knocked us out. Were Sevilla the better side? Yes. Could we have beaten them? Yes, actually, we could have.

Honourable defeat is fast becoming the catchphrase of the season, much to the chagrin of anyone able to identify the potential in the team. More potential than result, basically. Potential is a bit of a catchphrase as well. Now, I am a patient fan of long-term development in general and like what Martin Jol is doing, hence I can take some comfort in the idea that things have improved and will continue to do so if he is allowed to keep at it. Conducting three quite successful cup runs and suddenly playing a very large amount of games took its toll on this young team; in the greater perspective it is all part of the learning curve. By that logic, next season, or perhaps more realistically the one after that, will see Spurs (as in the current squad) starting to beat the bigger teams and challenge their places. Or it will fall to pieces. Time will tell. We are getting closer. A little more confidence and consistency in the big games and who knows what could happen.

Two things stand out about this game for me. The first is the availability of defenders. It is easy to moan about injuries and make excuses but I cannot help pondering the implications. A right-back on the left, a midfielder on the right, one central defender rushed back from long term injury, the other having played all games of the season… This particular injury crisis struck at the worst possible time. There were mistakes, we conceded a silly own goal and the proper goal by Kanouté was great. But that was it. For a while it looked like we were going to be on the receiving end of a 7-1 beating rather than, as we had hoped, administering one. After the initial chaos and shock, however, the makeshift defence looked better and better and there were no more goals in it for Sevilla, who may of course be forgiven for thinking, quite correctly, that it was in the bag and putting on less pressure. By that time, of course, the damage was done. The return of Ledley King did not become the spectacular raising of a defensive wall we had hoped for, for above mentioned reasons, but what a pleasure to see him play again.

The second, which made this defeat another “honourable” one, was the way the team came back. It truly was a game of two halves, as we have had a few earlier in the season, with the novelty that the second one was the great one. During the famous “slump”, and in certain games earlier in the season (Arsenal away, anyone?), loss of confidence in the face of adversity was at the heart of the malaise. Bright start, concede a goal, then decline and comprehensive, horrible (and possibly muddy) defeat. Today, however, the team came back from the interval, regrouped, swapped positions, scored two goals and could have scored more. In fact, there were enough good chances in the second half to win the game – something which of course mainly adds to the frustration of not winning the game, but also shows development. This wasn’t West Ham, it was Sevilla. The lads, who looked absolutely gutted after conceding two early goals, did not lose it completely and rather than allowing it to become a massacre came back and turned it into an honourable defeat with victory potential.

Call me naïve, I know you will and I often do it myself, but I believe in their ability to start turning the honourable defeats with victory potential into actual victories against the big teams. Until then, this is quite painful. And for all my “looking on the bright side” reasoning, the almost realised potential of everything, the shots that so narrowly became the needed goals, the fact that we could, perhaps even should, really be there now, almost hurts more than having to bow to a far superior team. Were Sevilla the better side? Yes. And despite the injury crisis, despite the dismally chaotic opening, we still could have beaten them.

UEFA cup: Tottenham 2-2 Sevilla (Agg: 3-4)

2007-04-13T10:17:00.000+01:00

In terms of openings the tables were turned: this time Sevilla had the bright start and, just like Spurs did in the first leg, scored before the defenders knew where they were. Steed Malbranque tried to clear Poulsen’s header from a corner but only managed to slice it into the net, putting Sevilla in the lead after only two minutes. The visitors kept piling pressure on and soon added injury to insult when Kanoute and Kerzhakov outplayed the Spurs defence and the former Spurs striker expertly tricked and put the ball past Paul Robinson on seven minutes.

The bewilderment of being 2 goals down, and therefore 4 goals away from victory, was visible in the home team, who spent the rest of the first half looking shell-shocked. The makeshift defence, with a strangely ineffectual Pascal Chimbonda at left-back and a comparatively effective but out of place Teemu Tainio at right-back, did better throughout and denied Sevilla more goals, even as they kept piling on the pressure in the first half. Offensively the team was in utter disarray and a few near chances was as close as it got for Spurs.

Whatever Martin Jol said to his team in the interval had the desired effect: the team were back on track and recognisable as the attacking side which had reached this stage of the competition unbeaten. Spurs piled the pressure on with some nice moves and the substitution of Didier Zokora, who had had a pretty good game, only looked strange for a few seconds. His replacement, Jermain Defoe, scored with what was practically his first touch of the ball, diverting a Keane volley into the net from close range. A few moments later hope really started spreading in White Hart Lane, as Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane set up Aaron Lennon who pushed the ball past Cobeno.

Sevilla responded and Robinson twice denied Puerta, but the second half saw Spurs with the greater amount of chances. As the ball went narrowly out, into post or even into the arms of Cobeno there were no more goals to be found. The display of the second half turned the game into a less one-sided affair than the first half seemed to suggest and it became a more honourable defeat – even near victory – for Spurs than deemed possible. Even under pressure, however, Sevilla prevailed and showed their quality as one of the best in Europe. The Spaniards have a semi-final to work for, Spurs now simply have to work hard for a new chance in the competition next season.

Tottenham
Robinson, Tainio, Dawson, King, Chimbonda, Lennon, Zokora (Defoe 65), Jenas, Malbranque, Keane, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Murphy, Ghaly, Taarabt, Barnard, Ifil.
Sent Off: Tainio (90).
Booked: Dawson, Malbranque, Defoe.
Goals: Defoe 65, Lennon 67.

Sevilla
Cobeno, Hinkel, Javi Navarro, Escude, Puerta, Daniel (Renato 55), Poulsen, Marti, Adriano Correia (Aitor Ocio 69), Kerzhakov (Maresca 82), Kanoute.
Subs Not Used: Javi Varas, David, Luis Fabiano, Jesus Navas.
Goals: Malbranque 3 og, Kanoute 8.

Attendance: 35,284
Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

The Decline and Fall of the Roma empire

2007-04-10T23:20:00.000+01:00

I just love football. No surprises there, I know. But the fact that there are surprises, always, on all levels makes it such an amazing sport. That and a million other things.

7-1 in a Champions League quarter final? When the winning team had actually lost the first leg? Not only that, but three days earlier looked comparatively feeble? Surely not. I wasn’t going to write about this game, I just watched it because it was on the telly and snuggled up in my sofa, eating grapes and fully expecting to be only moderately entertained. The press had expressed scepticism about United’s chances against an elegant Roma side who had defended well throughout the competition; especially a United depleted by injuries and suspensions. Man U may have had the best league season of any team since the 19^th century, but their cup runs have been less spectacular. I fell asleep during their drab first game against Lille. I was getting used to the idea of having Liverpool as the only remaining English side left, and with a shot at winning the whole thing as well. So how the same group of players, albeit deployed differently in terms of starts and substitutions, that were unable to overcome Portsmouth on Saturday did what they did today is anybody’s guess.

But this was just football at its most bizarrely entertaining, not in the sense that there was any suspense left after 20 minutes, but the fact that this is top level European football, that this is supposed to be a battle of equals and that it just wasn’t. Manchester United ruled the field. Roma had a bright few minutes in the beginning and then went into a steady decline. The famous defence was nowhere to be seen and United repeatedly cut through it like a warm knife through butter on a sunny day. Roma’s elegant build-up attempts looked like slow motion compared to United’s quick responses. Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick worked like terriers, collecting the ball and setting it in motion in the opposite direction where Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney and Smith picked it up and charged, uncannily aware of each other’s movements, towards goal. The perfect mix of aggression, fluency and creativity left Roma utterly without answers and towards the end the tormented Roma players looked like they just wanted to disappear. Who can blame them.

12: Ronaldo, lovely work on the right, perfect pass to Carrick – in position, unmarked and ready to place the slightly curved ball over Doni and into the goal.

17: Rooney passes to Fletcher in the middle, Chivu fails miserably in clearing it and Smith cuts right through the defence and fires it in.

19: Fletcher sends a great ball to Giggs on the right side, Giggs expertly crosses into the middle of the box where Rooney is able to run between Chivu and Mexes and tap the ball past Doni.

44: Giggs sends a lovely pass from the centre of the field to Ronaldo who times a great run on the right flank, does a bit of magic to rid himself of defenders and sends a great shot straight past Chivu and Doni.

49: Great effort from Rooney, wins ball and sends it to Giggs, who crosses in towards the goalmouth from the left wing; Smith blocks Chivu while Ronaldo taps it into goal.

60: Ronaldo works magic on the right hand side, crosses over to Heinze who picks out Carrick in the middle, allowing for another powerful shot from far out for the midfielder.

69: Lovely cross from Totti on the right is followed by a sumptuous volley from de Rossi, Roma get a consolation goal.

81: Solskjaer passes to Evra from the right flank, the defender takes a slightly speculative shot which, because that was the kind of night this was, takes a bounce on the post and into goal.

So, basically, after 20 minutes this was already less of a competition than an circus performance. But United kept pushing on, making all kinds of efforts and winning everything – I felt as though I was watching a metaphor for their entire season, something along the lines of having won so much that you just keep on doing it. Psychological momentum and all that. I know I sound like I’m about to pull on a red shirt, but honestly, only the staunchest of Manchester United haters could have helped applauding this performance. Actually, the staunchest of Manchester United haters would have turned off the telly. For those of us who enjoy the game being played with this assertive magical touch it was practically pornography, even when the losing team started giving up.

Oh, and honourable mention to the referee, who had a great game. How nice it is to see an astute referee who actually knows what he is doing and… Sorry, back on that again. Elsewhere, Chelsea did what they do and got a win in Spain. I didn’t see the game but am told that they were good – and that Mourinho did that thing he does and responded with impressive cunning to the situation, again winning a game by tactical adjustments. It’s getting a bit annoying that. And can someone send Steve “I’ll stick to 4-4-2 and the same tactics against any team in any situation” McClaren on an internship with him?

If today was anything to go by, the "goal scoring curse" that has plagued English football over Easter is over. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Manchester United lose to Watford in the FA-cup. Actually it would. But surprises will come. And how wonderful that is.

Easter curses

2007-04-10T10:06:00.000+01:00

I hope we will soon be able to stop talking about curses, but I’ll have one more go. Easter being over my own curse has ended too – a host of nice men with scary machines dug up my sidewalk, found the faulty cables and restored my digital relationship with the world. Well done them. Of course they left without filling up the holes, so the front of the house now looks like a WWI trench…

The misfiring curse of Easter, turning everything upside down, seemed to continue on Monday with Pompey, coming from their convincing win over Manchester United, stumbling to defeat against Watford who managed to score more goals in a game than ever before. Manchester City, picking up their form after a long period of goal scoring difficulty, beat Fulham by 3 to 1 in a similarly bizarre result. Charlton and Reading ended 0-0 as did Newcastle versus Arsenal, who, still cursed, barely got close. The injured Shay Given might as well have stayed in his goal and had a cup of tea. (The Championship, incidentally, does not seem to be cursed – the game between Southampton and Sunderland was an entertaining affair with three lovely goals.) Bolton and Everton did us the favour of drawing, meaning that neither have dashed too far ahead and we are now three points behind Everton with a game in hand.

Injuries to our defenders seems to be the biggest problem (Easter curse as well?) at the moment, which is why a goal scoring spree on Thursday would be even more welcome than usual. Apart from Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Anthony Gardner, who have been joining Ledley King in the physio room for a while, and the fact that Ricardo Rocha is ineligible against Sevilla, we now seem to have lost Young-Pyo Lee, possibly for the season. His consistency and work rate on the left will be sorely missed. So rather than being “merely” a brilliant boost, Ledley King’s anticipated return on Thursday starts looking like a must. Having King back in the middle would enable us to put Stalteri and Chimbonda at right and left respectively and that would calm at least my nerves. Without King, and without even Tom Huddlestone, who would have been a defensive option, we may have to start getting really creative with team selection…

And, once more, we will have a different referee for the next game, right? One that is less dizzy? One that is aware of which sport he is refereeing? Honestly, I would rather have a Spanish referee than that bloke. Ok, rant over. And until Thursday, some potentially enjoyable Champions League to glance at… apart from the nervous worry about the injured lads. It is a blessing indeed (and I am touching all available wood here) that our dear heroic Michael Dawson appears to be virtually indestructible.

Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham

2007-04-10T09:09:00.000+01:00

For Tottenham Hotspur, it was 39 hours after the game in Sevilla and time for another one; the team had stayed and trained in Spain during the Friday before going home. Fatigue understandably being an issue, Martin Jol made relevant changes to his starting XI, with Mido and Jermain Defoe starting up front and Aaron Lennon resting as well. Pascal Chimbonda, versatile as ever, was employed at left-back in place of the injured Young-Pyo Lee. Ricardo Rocha, ineligible against Sevilla, was back to partner Michael Dawson in central defence. José Mourinho, whose team had played in the Champions League, albeit at home, had also made some changes to his midweek team, with Shevchenko and Ballack both on the bench, Claude Makelele back in position and Shaun Wright-Phillips starting on the right.

The latter had a bright start, made a nice run and crossed the ball to Didier Drogba, who just missed it. Chelsea kept the pressure on and forced Spurs keeper Paul Robinson into several saves during the first half, even if this game, in comparison with the previous three encounters between the sides this season, was a subdued affair. A nice run by Hossam Ghaly enabled him to find Teemu Tainio, but the Finn was well blocked by the Chelsea defence. An effort by Frank Lampard was cleared by Michael Dawson and Ricardo Carvalho’s effort on goal was blocked by Robinson. The first half ended goalless and despite Chelsea’s comparative domination it all looked quite open. Neither team was at full speed; the Spurs defence, the busier of the two in the first half, looked solid.

Spurs opened the second half with a nice opportunity for Mido, when Chimbonda’s cross and Ghaly’s head found the Egyptian. His powerful header was, however, saved expertly by Petr Cech. A few minutes later Carvalho managed to find an opening and fired a hopeful but forceful shot at goal from 40 yards, which went past Ricardo Rocha and Robinson to make it 1-0. Chelsea had awoken and Robinson had to save from Mikel soon after; Rocha, again employed to make life difficult for Drogba did a good job with just that as the Ivorian charged towards goal.

Spurs started replying more and more, as the second half became much more energetic than the first. On 65 minutes Jol substituted Tainio with Adel Taarabt, Spurs 17 year old loan signing from Lens, who immediately made his presence known. Mido passed to the Frenchman and his shot was on target but saved by Cech. Dimitar Berbatov, replacing Mido soon after, combined with Defoe to free Steed Malbranque, whose effort was cleared. A free kick afforded the Bulgarian with an opportunity to head nicely towards goal, but again, Cech managed to save, pushing the ball over the bar. Spurs continued to go for an equaliser, with efforts from Taarabt and Berbatov, but to no avail. At 1-0 it was to stay.

Two defeats in 48 hours cannot be said to reflect the performance of Spurs; rather than being a cause for despair and a worry that the team has ended up in another “slump” their play and composure inspire hope for the remainder of the season.

Chelsea
Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Bridge, Makelele, Lampard, Mikel (Joe Cole 83), Drogba, Wright-Phillips (Ballack 71), Kalou (Shevchenko 74).
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Diarra.
Booked: Drogba, Joe Cole.
Goals: Carvalho 52.

Tottenham
Robinson, Stalteri, Dawson, Rocha, Chimbonda, Jenas (Zokora 81), Tainio (Taarabt 64), Ghaly, Malbranque, Mido (Berbatov 69), Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ifil.
Booked: Ghaly.

Attendance: 41,864
Referee: R Styles

Sevilla 2-1 Tottenham

2007-04-10T09:06:00.000+01:00

Peculiar refereeing decisions and disturbing crowd violence permeated that which should have been, could have been and still in many ways was an evening of exciting football. Tottenham opened in the brightest way possible; Dimitar Berbatov taking a shot at goal with a few seconds gone and then setting up Robbie Keane who, when goalkeeper Palop saved his shot, tapped in the rebound and made it 0-1 with 68 seconds on the clock. Spurs kept the pressure on, but also afforded Sevilla an opportunity when a backwards Stalteri header hit Pascal Chimbonda (filling in at centre-half for the ineligible Ricardo Rocha) instead of Paul Robinson and fell to Adriano. The Sevilla midfielder charged towards goal forcing Robinson to make a courageous dive at his feet to take the ball. This he did, with both his hands, but Alain Hamer, Luxembourg’s finest referee, astonishingly pointed to the spot and showed Robinson yellow for arguing about it.

Former Spurs striker Fredi Kanouté, eager to score after the build-up to the game, walked up and expertly converted the penalty. The decision incensed the visiting fans and their agitation about it may have been the spark which prompted police to enter the stands; whatever happened to start it, violence soon erupted and added to the confusion of the game. Throughout the game the referee awarded a surprising number of free kicks, for challenges which seemed perfectly good; Martin Jol spoke of the ‘different culture’ which saw the Spanish players collapsing easily, but even Spurs got a fair few of the free kicks which only managed to achieve disrupted play. As the crowd violence peaked behind Robinson’s goal Sevilla were able to capitalise on another defensive mistake as a corner kick clearance became less of a clearance and instead enabled Alexander Kerzhakov to head the ball in the net on 35 minutes.

After the interval, when the trouble in the crowd had been subdued, the Spurs players regained full focus and put the pressure on. The second half saw some good chances narrowly missing out and at 2-1 it was to stay; by no means a hopeless result for Spurs, who, away goal in bag, stand a decent chance to turn it around at the Lane. We saw Jol’s tactics for closing down Sevilla’s play working well, with Daniel Alves for instance not threatening to his full potential, and considering it took a controversial penalty to secure Sevilla’s win the outcome of this game leaves the next open. All in all, the lads put in an admirable performance, retaining composure in disruptive circumstances and never giving up.

Sevilla
Palop, Javi Navarro, David (Dragutinovic 68), Daniel, Escude, Renato (Marti 60), Poulsen, Adriano Correia, Kerzhakov, Kanoute, Jesus Navas.
Subs Not Used: Cobeno, Duda, Chevanton, Hinkel, Maresca.

Booked: David.
Goals: Kanoute 19 pen, Kerzhakov 36.

Tottenham
Robinson, Stalteri, Chimbonda, Dawson, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon (Malbranque 80), Zokora, Jenas, Tainio (Ghaly 84), Keane, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Mido, Defoe, Taarabt, Ifil.
Booked: Robinson, Tainio, Young-Pyo Lee, Zokora.
Goals: Keane 2.

Att: 32,000
Ref: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com

The misfiring curse

2007-04-08T17:33:00.000+01:00

It was an entertaining weekend of giants killed; Manchester United stumbled to defeat in Portsmouth, Arsenal lost, for the first time at the Emirates - to West Ham United (!) and Chelsea managed to beat the mighty Spurs... ok, slightly facetious with the last one and that was less spectacularly entertaining anyway, but the "curse" of not finding the goal which you, dear readers, have pointed out, certainly seems to have spread. Arsenal have a very bad case of the misfiring curse; they may have outplayed West Ham and had an amazing number of efforts on target but West Ham got their only one in. And that counts. It has to be said though: Robert Green was heroic on an epic scale. (And apart from the microsecond of hesitation at Carvalho's shot, our own Paul was quite heroic as well.)

Portsmouth did Chelsea (well, yes, and themselves) a great favour by beating Manchester United in an amusing fashion, a Man U which also seemed unable to find the back of the net. Well, the back of the opposition net, anyway. After Paul has somewhat redeemed himself and his part in the "Croatia incident" by scoring a "freak" goal of his own and coming back in form, we now have a new pair of own goal culprits to taunt. Gary Neville's club and country partner Rio Ferdinand's miscontrolled ball went back towards an uncomprehending Edwin van der Sar who, not expecting the pass, just calmly watched it roll back into his own goal as if, by some magic, a ball kicked by his own defender could never go that way... Injury time injury expert John O'Shea tapped in a loose ball, but the own goal still meant that no points for Manchester United were to be had from this encounter and IF, just IF, Chelsea grab the title because of this loss the own goal will be historical. It is already hysterical.

Oh, and in Spain even the great Barca were unable to score. Teams that I wouldn't mind inflicting some misfiring curse on, say Everton and Bolton, of course did nothing but score all weekend. Let's hope that this is all part of some freakish Easter bunny voodoo and that, come Thursday, at least Spurs have been cured...

Happy Easter all - I'll be back with more serious stuff actually relevant to Spurs as soon as my internet server has been cured of its curse... a more paranoid person would see a pattern.

Technical difficulty

2007-04-06T12:57:00.000+01:00

No, alas this is not an interesting entry about technical aspects of the game or anything at all related to football. My internet provider has decided that Easter was a brilliant time to have the lines go down, so I shall be off-line for a week - posts to follow when I manage to get back on line...

Whereas I don't want to write reports while in an internet café I feel a strong need to put out my first "referee-rant" ever. Anyone who watched the Sevilla-Spurs game - can you tell me where they found him, why he was there and which sport he thought he was refereeing? Golf? I just don't know. Anyway, still not a catastrophic result for the lads and we can look forward to the next game.

COYS!

Giants, Riots and Davids

2007-04-05T11:01:00.000+01:00

Europe week, and while the main event is of course yet to come, this very evening, the Champions League has been rather entertaining as well...

Liverpool destroyed PSV Eindhoven in Holland, heaping further humiliation on Arsenal by convincingly dealing with the team that kicked the London side out of the competition. As PSV now have to go to Anfield and try to turn around a 3-0, few people will doubt that Liverpool are set for the semi-final. Ok, this is football, miracles happen… but no.

Bayern Munich’s at the San Siro was an interesting game, a clash between Milan’s pace and Bayern’s staunch confidence. Initially, Milan looked like the likelier winners and were in the lead after a nice header by Andrea Pirlo in the first half. Every time I wondered where on earth a Bayern goal was going to come from, despite the impressive flank work of Lahm and Schweinsteiger, they equalised. By the clever chance taking of a defender. Daniel Van Buyten managed to sneak two similar goals past Dida, the second in the 93^rd minute. The Bayern defence had done well against Milan’s attacks, not the least goalkeeper Michael Rensing. Oliver Kahn, true to form, was suspended because of an incident with a urine sample (too horrible to contemplate), and had been replaced by his complete opposite, a sweet, seemingly timid lad who looked about twelve. But not only is Rensing more experienced and less timid than his appearance suggests, he is also very good. So, 2-2, and an interesting second leg to look forward to.

Manchester United, ending up with ten men and furthermore facing twelve men, according to Sir Alex (as he apparently considers German referee Herbert Fandel to be a Roma player), did, if that mathematical analysis is to be believed, rather well to only lose 2-1 in Rome. Paul Scholes, adding to his already impressive number of coloured cards, was sent off for two offences and the Man U supporters were involved in combat with riot police. Will there be more hostilities in the return leg at Old Trafford? Or just more pretty goals from Wayne Rooney, who scored his first in the competition with composure and skill?

Chelsea taking on Valencia at Stamford Bridge was an exciting tale of the Davids and the Goliaths. David Villa and David Silva are both tiny, fast and skilful; the latter’s strike was a real beauty. The Chelsea players, by comparison, looked more forceful than quick and despite dominating possession, especially in the second half, found Valencia’s clever positioning hard to get past. But as we all know, Chelsea just refuse to lose at home, and Drogba eventually secured a draw with a nice header. Joe Cole, up for the award as most missed player of the season – at least in the England squad – made his return as a substitute.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and be nervous about the evening: Sevilla FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur. Anything can happen.

Tottenham 1-0 Reading

2007-04-02T20:45:00.000+01:00

April Fool’s Day, and our Spurs really fooled us into believing that this was going to be an easy win; a forceful start, a convincing display and enough chances throughout to bag at least a handful of goals. But to no avail. The lads had brought all the skill, style and imagination which has recently become their trademark – but not the finishing touch. Despite not becoming the emphatic victory it could have been it was still three points in the bag for Spurs, meaning that the 50^th game of the season became a fifth consecutive league win, moving the team up to 6^th in the table, and – finally – a first clean sheet since October. The goal, furthermore, finally took Spurs goal difference in the league out of the negative – it is now 0...

A few excellent chances for Spurs opened the game; Dimitar Berbatov and Aaron Lennon freeing Steed Malbranque, who hit the bar, a Berbatov assist for Robbie Keane, who hit Marcus Hahnemann, a shot by Berbatov – saved by Hahnemann. Leroy Lita nearly scored for Reading as he headed a cross from Glen Little towards goal, but he, too, hit the post rather than the net. A lovely pass from Malbranque, at his creative best throughout and man of the match, found Keane who had superbly timed his run – but again the finishing was not quite up to scratch and Hahnemann saved comfortably. Robinson’s only truly meaningful save of the game came when a loose ball from a free kick ended up with Dave Kitson who fired a lethal shot towards goal.

A host of varied attacks by Spurs were all closed down by the Reading defence, which also managed to catch the Spurs strikers offside to an unusual extent. The second half was to see two goals disallowed for offside, as well as a frustrating amount of opportunities thwarted. Reading had done their homework and Coppell’s tactics paid off. Some of Spurs missed chances were just that, misfiring, but some were simply foiled by good defending. It is too tempting to praise the Premiership debutants in a patronising way; they are, quite simply, a good side who work well as a team.

A Spurs attack in the final minutes of the first half finally did yield a goal, as Greg Halford was adjudicated to have handled the ball while trying to take it from Keane. Referee Alan Wiley awarded a penalty and the Ireland striker dexterously placed it into the net. The decision was a bit harsh on Halford, Reading’s record signing from Colchester United, who, apart from that moment, had a very good game – displaying, among other things, his fabulous ability to throw a ball. Far. Very far.

An expertly taken free kick by Berbatov, forcing an equally expertly executed save, closed the first half and Hahnemann’s contribution to the match as injury forced him to be replaced by Adam Federici in the second half. The second half resembled the first, with lovely runs from Lennon, amazing ball control from Berbatov, lovely attacking play by Lee, great moves from Malbranque… Federici too had his shares of saves to make, from Didier Zokora, Berbatov and substitute Defoe, who, with his 15 minutes also managed to contribute to the toll of chances missed.

Reading, who were very effective defensively but essentially played with an attacking mind-set, nearly equalised when Lita sent another header just outside of goal. Their never failing spirit meant that the game was open to the very end, an equaliser never looking impossible. Spurs may have dominated the game and deserved the victory, but the missing ‘clinical’ finishing meant that it really could have gone either way.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque (Huddlestone 80), Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 75).
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri, Taarabt.
Booked: Rocha.
Goals: Keane 41 pen.

Reading
Hahnemann (Federici 46), Halford, Duberry, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Little (Oster 75), Harper, Sidwell, Hunt (Doyle 65), Lita, Kitson.
Subs Not Used: Bikey, Gunnarsson.

Attendance: 36,067
Referee: A Wiley

Newcastle 0-1 Manchester City

2007-04-02T20:39:00.000+01:00

The league goal dearth for Newcastle United continues: the team have not scored since the February win over Liverpool. Despite a greater number of meaningful chances, especially in the final ten minutes, none of them yielded a result. Manchester City, also struggling but coming from the second win of the year last weekend, have had similar problems. Similar responses came from the fans, at the half-time whistle, with the score still at 0-0, fans of both sides were unanimous in their booing. Both managers looked tormented.

Of two teams in comparable crises, Man City showed the greater fighting spirit. Newcastle looked lethargic until their visitors went up; Man City, driven by a hard working Joey Barton, tried to create chances. There was still a familiar lack of finishing, but Man City’s new signing, Emile Mpenza, proved his worth again – once hitting the bar and then, with 11 minutes to go, the net. A lovely cross from the young and impressive Michael Johnson, combined with Mpenza’s perfectly timed run became too much for Shay Given, who until then had had little to do.

Newcastle were lacking in imagination as well as spirit, and found the solidity of the Man City defence hard to penetrate. Kieron Dyer’s well timed movements were to no avail. Despite dominating possession, especially through an energetic Scott Parker, and making threatening moves the team did not become truly fired up until after Mpenza’s goal. The introduction of James Milner with 15 minutes to go on the right wing had cheered the fans as well as play, and Newcastle spent the final minutes of the game in frantic attack. Isaksson had a few saves to make and Martins, Taylor, Butt, Carr and Onyewu all saw their attempts misfire. By that time some of the fans who hadn’t fallen asleep had started to leave the stadium, a hurry to get out which was replicated by Glenn Roeder.

Newcastle
Given, Carr, Moore (Onyewu 73), Taylor, Babayaro, Solano (Milner 76), Butt, Parker, Duff, Dyer (Sibierski 77), Martins.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Emre.
Booked: Moore.

Man City
Isaksson, Onuoha (Trabelsi 85), Dunne, Distin, Ball, Jihai, Barton, Hamann (Samaras 46), Johnson, Vassell, Mpenza.
Subs Not Used: Weaver, Corradi, Miller.
Booked: Vassell, Jihai, Barton.
Goals: Mpenza 80.

Attendance: 52,004.
Referee: G Poll

Liverpool 4-1 Arsenal

2007-04-02T20:05:00.000+01:00

A striking hat-trick and a marvellous performance from Peter Crouch left a lethargic Arsenal without answers as Liverpool, eager to reverse the season’s poor record against the Londoners, strolled to a convincing victory.

Liverpool started in style, when the clever cooperation between Arbeloa and Pennant became to much for Diaby and Clichy: Arbeloa crossed into the middle and Crouch was there to meet it, putting his team ahead a mere three minutes into the game. The hosts continued to dominate, forcing their visitors into a reactive mode. Of Arsenal’s slick passing there was little sign and they looked stagnant and lacking in ideas. Fabregas’ attempts to direct the game failed as his team mates seemed reluctant to make any runs. Predictably, Arsenal’s first meaningful attempt was from a corner, which saw Adebayor head the ball over.

Crouch had a few interesting attempts before scoring again, including a bicicleta kick on goal, which was saved by Lehmann and a lovely effort which saw him collect a ball from Pennant and charge towards goal. Had he turned and given it to Gerrard, employed on the day as a second striker, it may even have become a goal. Liverpool’s second came when Crouch expertly headed in a great cross from Aurelio. The England striker made an emphatic display of his scope, creating chances as well as taking them.

A free kick for Liverpool in the second half was elegantly headed in by Agger; similar attempts by Arsenal were saved by Reyna until, at another corner, Gallas managed to push in a ball which Reyna had cleared. The introduction of Rosicky and Ljungberg had fired up the Arsenal midfield, who looked for a while to have regained some fluency. The two substitutes worked hard to breathe life into their team, but to no avail. This was Liverpool’s, and Peter Crouch’s day. With nine minutes to go, Crouch beautifully controlled the ball in a turning move before firing it in with his left foot – a hat-trick reflecting his varied performance: right, left, head. And they say English forwards can't score goals...

Liverpool
Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Pennant, Alonso, Mascherano (Riise 82), Gonzalez (Zenden 69), Gerrard (Kuyt 56), Crouch.
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Fowler.
Booked: Alonso.
Goals: Crouch 4, 35, Agger 60, Crouch 81.

Arsenal
Lehmann, Eboue (Hoyte 82), Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Diaby (Rosicky 65), Denilson, Julio Baptista (Ljungberg 65), Adebayor.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Senderos.
Booked: Diaby, Lehmann, Fabregas.
Goals: Gallas 73.

Attendance: 43,958.
Referee: S Bennett

Back to the Lane

2007-03-30T19:49:00.000+01:00

So, how did international week end up?

England made full use of Paul Robinson and Aaron Lennon, who started both games. Jermain Defoe came on as a substitute in both games and, it has to be said, all but scored the winner agaist Andorra. 0-0 against Israel (with a Defoe goal ruled offside) and a 3-0 win against Andorra was the final outcome for England.
Tom Huddlestone came on as a substitute for England U-21, in their 3-3 friendly draw with Italy at the new Wembley.

Dimitar Berbatov’s Bulgaria only managed a 0-0 draw with Albania, despite a fair amount of efforts on target. Teemu Tainio did not start in Finland’s 1-0 defeat to Azerbaijan due to still struggling with injury. Robbie Keane played in the Republic of Ireland’s 1-0 win over Wales, but was suspended for the subsequent 1-0 win over Slovakia.

In Africa, Hossam Ghaly scored the last goal in Egypt’s 3-0 win over Mauritania and Didier Zokora’s Ivory coast cruised to victory over Madagascar.

Lee Young-Pyo’s Korea were beaten 2-0 by Uruguay, but came back and beat Uzbekistan with the same score line a few days later. Paul Stalteri scored one of the goals in Canada’s 3-0 friendly with Bermuda.

And so, we are finally back to normal, the lads are back in training together – bring on Reading!

(Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

The Return of Zlatan

2007-03-30T07:49:00.000+01:00

In the Swedish media the build up to this game, and indeed the discussion surrounding the entire Sweden campaign, had centred around Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Do we love him or hate him? Do we desperately need his services or is the team better off without him? And so on. The notion that Sweden might lose against Northern Ireland, either way, never seemed to enter into the discussion.

I’m not a huge Zlatan fan, even if I understand people who are. And in this game he reminded me again why I’m not crazy about him and why it seems that whatever he does in his club, and whatever the club does around him, is harder to replicate in the Sweden team. He had an, at best, indifferent game. The Swedish tactics, which never really gained momentum, did not seem to incorporate him very well. Whose fault that was is up for the jury to pass judgment on, but even his arguably hard work up front seemed to be ‘not really what we want from him’, as one of the Swedish commentators put it. Significantly he played no part in Sweden’s only goal, a solid team effort by Svensson and Alexandersson, with a lovely finish by Elmander.

The unfortunate fact then is, that Zlatan’s eagerly anticipated return to his national team also became that team’s first defeat in a sparkling qualification campaign. Why were Sweden bad? They struggled with a pitch which made the ball bounce and must surely have been affected by the electric atmosphere at Windsor Park. Oh yes, and Northern Ireland were actually quite good. The defence was solid and they played a direct kind of attacking football, able to create chances as well as take the ones handed to them by defensive errors.

If Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggles to replicate club form for his country, David Healy appears to struggle with the opposite problem. He may not have had many clear chances on goal, but the ones he got he put away. Mellberg and Hansson going after the same cross, colliding in the air and tumbling down was a comical error and one which fed the ball straight to Healy. His finishing, however, was superb. The second goal, as well as an attempt just before the end, also revealed his predatory instinct and finishing touch. He is now the top scorer of the entire qualification campaign and has netted as many goals (9) as, for instance, the entire England team.

I have published a match report on Sportingo, you can read it here

England, Israel and the definition of shambles

2007-03-25T18:23:00.000+01:00

Having read many, a person with some sense of healthy proportion would say too many, reports and takes on the latest effort by the England national side I am starting to wonder if I watched a different game. What is it about the England side that inspires a brand of journalism which seems to one-sidedly look for faults in the team, almost gleefully writing their every effort off as below the expected standard? 40 years without a world cup trophy? A mediocrity which clashes with the great expectations of a nation which fervently loves its national sport? A mediocrity which proves again and again that an England side is never as good as the sum of its highly-paid parts? All of the above in a demanding mixture which means that football journalism about the England national team is a different genre of writing from football journalism in general? Probably. To do anything but call the performance of yesterday a complete shambles would be a professional error. So England, according to all reports, were unequivocally rubbish again.

Qualifying is starting to look a bit tricky for England, but the sense of impending doom still seems somewhat over the top. As does laying the entire blame on the team’s performance, even if it is another disappointment in a long history of disappointments. What I mean is quite simply that if this had been a league game between, say, Manchester United and Watford the reports would have been different. Man U, the arguably stronger side, with the bigger pressure to win and the larger amount of high-profile international stars with proven abilities, would certainly have been faulted for the inability to find the net. A 0-0 draw after dominating possession, chances and pretty much everything else at Watford would have been called quite pathetic. But somebody would also have picked up on the incredibly defensive play of the opposition and faulted them for not even trying to win the game!

I listened to Israeli football journalist Shaul Adar being interviewed by Danny Kelly of The Times about his national side and their play earlier in the week. Maybe this influenced me, but his predictions were absolutely spot on. He was critical of his team, but spoke from experience when he informed the listener that aside from one defeat (against Croatia and characterised by uncharacteristic play by the team) Israel has not lost at home for 7 years. What he labelled as the ‘most boring invincibility in the world’ takes the form of draws and a something approaching national pride in the fact that ‘Israel can draw against any team’. All this according to him down to a lack of true ambition.

I of course know very little about the Israeli team, but the style of Israel’s performance yesterday proved Adar right in at least this one instance. Apart from early capitalisation on England’s initial disorganisation, as well as a few attempts when England lost the ball, Israel spent the game gradually withdrawing into their own half. At the end it really looked like they were playing 7-2-1 in an effort to hold on to the 0-0.

England were a bit feeble at first, but gradually, especially in the second half, got into the game. Adar had jokingly said that Israel’s left-back was invisible, and even if no names were mentioned, this seemed to be true when Aaron Lennon outran the Israeli defence and was repeatedly able to cross in towards the middle. His elegant crosses, however, came to a halt in the congested penalty area. Should England, with their whooping and telling 68.2 % possession, have been able to unlock and beat a 7-2-1? Probably, but there are two sides to a story and two sides to a football match. If one team appears determined to make it a goal-less draw you might very well get just that.

This is not really a defence of Steve McClaren; there might certainly be things which, done differently could have won the game. Leaving Aaron Lennon on? Starting with Micah Richards or at least adjust to the situation by putting him on a lot sooner? Putting Defoe on sooner – possibly by removing one of the midfielders instead of Johnson and playing an aggressive 4-3-3 with more spirit? I don’t know, and thankfully I’m not the England manager so I don’t have to worry, but I still think that England were less of a shambles than the Israeli’s attitude to the game.

Israel
Aouate, Ben Haim, Gershon, Ziv, Benado, Spungin, Badir, Benayoun, Ben Shushan (Alberman 87), Tamuz (Barda 75), Balili (Sahar 69).
Subs Not Used: Davidovitch, Golan, Toama, Antebi.
Booked: Benado, Ben Haim.

England
Robinson, Neville (Richards 72), Ferdinand, Terry, Carragher, Gerrard, Lampard, Hargreaves, Lennon (Downing 83), Rooney, Johnson (Defoe 80).
Subs Not Used: Foster, Barry, Carrick, Dyer.
Booked: Carragher, Rooney.

Attendance: 35,000.
Referee: Tom Ovrebo (Norway)

Aaron Lennon in his first England start, a great individual performance (Image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

International calls for Spurs

2007-03-23T15:48:00.000+01:00

Back to international week again and the emptying of clubs. Rumour has it that José Mourinho only has a couple of goalkeepers left at home this week – the joys of being Chelsea manager apparently includes simply having a week off when the players are out on duty for their countries… Martin Jol has a few more at home, but most of our first team is also out travelling.

Paul Robinson, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon are in the England squad, trying to qualify for Euro 2008 while Tom Huddlestone, Ben Alnwick and Wayne Routledge are part of the England under -21 squad which take on Italy in the friendly at Wembley. As the first competition to be held in the new stadium there is history in the making. History is of course also made at Croke Park, where the foreign game soccer will be played for the first time as The Republic of Ireland, captained by Robbie Keane, take on Wales.

Dimitar Berbatov captains Bulgaria against Albania and Teemu Tainio joins Finland against Azerbaijan. Didier Zokora as well as Hossam Ghaly and Mido are playing African Nations Cup qualifiers with the Ivory Coast and Egypt respectively. Paul Stalteri and Lee Young-Pyo are playing friendlies with Canada and South Korea.

After having been told daily about Steve McClaren’s fears regarding his England choices’ health, especially concerning Aaron Lennon, it is now our turn to worry and hope that all will go well. Aaron better not come home from England duty with his knee in pieces! Waiting for the lads when they come home is our home match against Reading, the first game in a new congested fixture period: 7 games in 28 days of April including Chelsea, Arsenal and Sevilla twice…

Striking Beauty

2007-03-21T18:31:00.000+01:00

Ending an unbeaten run against Chelsea, in a game of equals, must be considered an honourable defeat. If there was a defence able to close down our in-form strike force it was this one. But despite one defeat, the fact remains that Spurs have finally found a finishing touch – 27 goals in 9 games – and that is a comforting thought after losing out on the FA-cup.

Kevin McCarra, chief football correspondent for The Guardian, recently commented that perhaps ‘Tottenham are the new Arsenal’. Hardly the best way to ingratiate oneself with Spurs fans, regardless of which aspect of the Gunners inspires the comparison, but he did redeem himself somewhat this week by saying that ‘Spurs are the most attractive team in the premiership at the moment, since Arsenal are in the doldrums’. Quite so. And that this is very much due to Dimitar Berbatov is no longer a secret, but the stuff of daily headlines. Female football fans predictably swoon in masses but then again, so do the male ones: I feel better about my covetousness knowing that James Richardson suffers from the same condition…

Mr McCarra’s original point was that Spurs are like Arsenal in that, while attacking with energy and style, ‘they seem to resent the idea that they’re being forced to defend’. The striking lack of clean sheets and the goal difference in the Premiership still in the negative certainly supports the idea that the upsurge in form has more to do with accomplished attacking than a bolstered defence, despite Michael Dawson’s increasingly excellent performances. Needless to say, this is not the doing of one man; Berbatov’s settling into the English game has coincided with the midfield play getting stronger and a more consistent ability to win the ball, retain it and push it forward obviously means that the front men have more to work with. But Berbatov’s ability to read the game, be in the right place, set up his strike partners or finish it off himself has been the pivot in the newfound attractiveness of Spurs. Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane, both very talented strikers in their own right, look even better players for being alongside him.

Berbatov’s performance in the 4-1 against Bolton, which sparked the recent media frenzy around him, epitomised his resourcefulness. Playing alone up front for half of the game in a 10-man team, he seemed to be everywhere, controlling the ball as with a magnet and never stopped creating chances from all angles. He was rightly applauded as man of the match by an amazed press and has risen from relative obscurity to being hailed as the best forward in the Premiership along Didier Drogba. Gone are the days where people sceptically commented that he was a bit too ‘lightweight’ for the English game – but then again, utterly gone are also the days when defenders managed to push him off the ball. The Times published graphics of the first FA-cup game between Chelsea and Tottenham which showed where Berbatov (and Drogba) had touched the ball. They revealed the versatility of his game, his movement and ability both in linking up play from different positions and in finishing in the penalty area. He transpires as the ultimate all-round centre forward – and a 26 year-old still improving one at that.

"Not only has Dimitar scored goals for us, he has been a leader," Jermaine Jenas told the Telegraph, "He has helped in terms of the work ethic we think we should put in - he tracks back, works hard, takes responsibility, and now he is getting his rewards."

The leadership abilities add an important piece to the puzzle. During the ‘slump’ in form, indeed since Ledley King got injured, a lack of leadership on the field appeared to be the main malaise of Spurs. A ‘softness’ which partly had to do with winning the ball, but mainly was a mental one. Cue inconsistent performances. The comprehensive 4-0 beating of Fulham in the cup was a turning point for the team, a game in which direction and responsibility abounded – to the point where the players shouted at each other. Good results breeds a good mood and confidence, and there is not need for shouting at the moment. Instead there is a strong sense of common purpose, visible in team play which was always showed skill but was inconsistent in execution. It is all coming together, the new players settled in, all players settled with each other and natural leadership allowed to flourish. Spurs have rediscovered the art of striking beautifully.

Following in the wake of the sudden mass of attention on Berbatov as the talisman and engineer of Spurs striking capacity are fears among us fans of epic proportions. Do we get to keep him or will he be cruelly snatched away? Is this love affair doomed by the powers that be to end in tragedy, in a ‘fearful passage of their death-mark’d love’, or is it, could it be, a comedy ending in marriage, ‘ever true in loving’? Whichever will be the case, Spurs fans can at the very least live in the moment, take pleasure in the football played by the team and gaze in wonder and amazement at the striking beauty of Dimitar Berbatov.

Celebrations at the Fulham game in February (image from www.tottenhamhotspur.com)

FA-cup replay: Tottenham 1 - 2 Chelsea

2007-03-20T21:48:00.000+01:00

For Tottenham Hotspur this FA-cup will be the one that got away, an opportunity missed when a game that the team had dominated turned into a draw and a replay. For Chelsea these two games became, apart from a continuation of a propitious cup run, further proof of John Terry's importance. The game at Stamford Bridge was characterised by defensive mistakes on both sides, this game, conversely, was won by the team with the strongest defence. Not because either team played defensively, but because neither did. Less erratically entertaining than last week’s, perhaps, but a stunning display of tactical matching and flowing action from end to end.

It was pointed out last week that John Terry could use a recording of last week's game as a bargaining tool in his ongoing salary negotiations; now he can add a recording of this one and the deal is in the bag. Without me -- with me. "£130 000 per week? Certainly sir, and can we also offer you a castle and a small country?" With the England captain back in the middle, Carvalho looked good again, Mikel was great in a holding role in front of them and Diarra and Cole at right and left respectively were much more effective. Where the Spurs strike force Lennon, Berbatov and Keane had last week found holes to play through there was now a wall. On the opposite side things had also improved; Michael Dawson put in a sterling performance, one of his best for Spurs. His colleagues also did well and were helped by effective ball-winning by the midfielders.

The game started brightly for Spurs who dominated possession and had a fluency and width which made Chelsea look congested in the middle. The elaborate attacks forced Cech to make some saves but most attempts, however, inevitably did not make it past Terry and it was increasingly apparent that the moves which had paid off in the previous game where getting Spurs nowhere. Lovely crosses into the middle by Lennon, Jenas and Chimbonda could not find the heavily marked strikers. Berbatov, placed at the very front, saw conspicuously little of the ball as the game progressed – even if he performed his magical moves whenever he did. Cech remained the busier keeper as Chelsea’s shots failed to hit target and the first half ended 0-0.

Chelsea started stronger in the second half, but the first chances fell to Spurs and Cech had more saves to make. Lennon was having trouble with Diarra on the left, but managed to cut through at times – similarly Shevchenko had struggled all through the game to make it past Malbranque on his right. The first time Malbranque lost his mark there was instant punishment as the Ukraine striker curved the ball into the top corner with what for a second actually looked like a misfired pass to Drogba, who was waiting in front of goal. Either way – in it went, Chelsea were ahead and soon doubled their lead. A long ball from Ashley Cole was chested down onto the ground by Drogba and Wright-Phillips took a great shot past Dawson and Robinson. Spurs continued to create fluent attacks and when Berbatov got hold of the ball and cut fully through the centre of defence Carvalho took him down with a challenge and awarded the home team with a penalty. It was expertly converted into a goal by Robbie Keane. Despite frantic efforts by Spurs to the very end it was to stay at 1-2; the Chelsea players, celebrating profusely, now have a date with Blackburn and the Tottenham players were left with the meagre consolation of at least having played very well. But the sense of an honourable defeat affords little comfort when so much hard work yields no result.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Young-Pyo Lee, Dawson, Rocha (Stalteri 84), Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque (Defoe 64), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ghaly, Huddlestone.
Booked: Chimbonda.
Goals: Keane 79 pen.

Chelsea
Cech, Diarra (Ferreira 90), Ashley Cole, Carvalho, Terry, Wright-Phillips (Kalou 86), Lampard, Ballack, Mikel, Shevchenko (Robben 81), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Boulahrouz.
Booked: Diarra, Drogba, Cech.
Goals: Shevchenko 55, Wright-Phillips 61.

Attendance: 35,519
Referee: M Atkinson

A day at the office

2007-03-18T14:11:00.000+01:00

We all know Paul Robinson has a fiercely good shot. Perhaps a bit too good. Often have I lamented the fact that his distribution of the ball in 97,3 percent of goal-kicks are balls so long and hard that they end up with opposition defenders or even opposition goal keepers. I habitually comment that if there was an Olympic sport in kicking a ball as far and fast as possible, Paul would be up for a medal. Sometimes it works, of course, a long ball hitting the right head or foot – twice in one game against Fulham recently – and it shuts me up for a while. And I think I’ll be quiet again now. When he went for the free kick and it looked for a split second as if it had been taken too hard to hit anything but the far post I nearly sighed, only to see it go into the net. A freak goal or the outcome of a very cunning plan well executed? Probably the former, and quite entertaining at that. Even Ben Foster looked more amused than annoyed. What fun the lads will have in the England camp…

We really are scoring “from all angles”, as Jol jokingly put it. Despite having a diminished squad because of injuries and having a tight fixture schedule the lads have really come together as a team and are full of confidence. The ability was always there, but the team spirit seemed to be missing at times. Finally, however, it all seems to fit and we are getting results. And getting results of course boosts confidence and inspires new wins. It was a novel and lovely feeling to be able to afford having the star strike force waiting in the wings, just in case. And very nice, of course, that they were not needed in what must be considered a “routine” day at the office amidst all the cup games. Bringing Lennon on for Malbranque was a rewarded tactical choice because of Lennon’s contribution in the final goal, but it mainly seemed wise in testing Lennon’s knee and forcing Malbranque to rest a little – he was highly energetic throughout and will be needed tomorrow.

Jol’s team selections over the past weeks have paid off in the way that seems to be the intended one, we have a reasonably fresh team of key players to field against Chelsea tomorrow. It is tempting to speculate that only the injuries to Berbatov and Lennon, forcing them off in what were not tactical substitutions, lost us the win against Chelsea a week ago. Then again, perhaps not, and perhaps the cup will be lost tomorrow with John Terry back to sort out his defence colleagues and a rested Drogba hungry for action. We are suffering from defensive weakness at the moment, with Rocha as the only available partner for Dawson – on whose health and reliability all our hopes rest. Ricardo is doing quite well and had a great game against Chelsea last week, all considering that he has hardly had time to settle into the English game, but tomorrow will be tough. Only clumsiness allowed Watford to score yesterday; Chelsea are a threat even against more astute defending. Until Rocha and Dawson are completely settled with each other, or, even better, Ledley King comes back, our best hopes to win the upcoming games will be scoring more goals than the opposition. Attack as defence. And looking back over the last few weeks that does not seem impossible.

Tottenham 3 - 1 Watford

2007-03-18T10:36:00.000+01:00

The sun was shining, but there were no clean sheets out to dry this afternoon. Spurs hoped to secure this increasingly elusive treasure, finally taking their goal difference in the league to 0, but relegation candidates Watford managed to break through and grab a last-minute goal. By that time, however, the result was in the bag and another day at the office over. After a slow start the game came into being and Spurs scorers Jenas, Robinson and Ghaly ensured another victory for the in-form home team.

Like Chelsea manager José Mourinho, Martin Jol had decided to rest some key players for all or some of the game, in preparation for the FA-cup clash on Monday. The feeling was that this was a game that had to be won by as little effort as possible, result more important than performance for Spurs. With strike force Berbatov, Keane and Lennon on the bench and Watford in defence mode the game hardly looked like it was going to be a classic match of beautiful football. The first half was initially sluggish, Watford effective at breaking up Tottenham’s play and trying to capitalise on defensive mistakes by the home team rather than create great chances. Spurs had the better attacking moves, especially on the left side where Malbranque and Lee linked up beautifully, but their efforts where to no avail as nobody came to meet their crosses. The Spurs strikers, Mido and Defoe, where well closed down by the Watford defence and Hossam Ghaly was missing in action on the right.

A nice pass by Lee to Jenas, who fed the ball to Defoe forced a great save from Ben Foster as the England striker made an equally great shot. A few moments later Watford nearly went ahead as a weak back-pass from Pascal Chimbonda, who was not having the best of days, was intercepted by Priskin – but Michael Dawson and Ricardo Rocha blocked his efforts. The crowd erupted in deafening cheers when Keane and Berbatov went for a little warm-up run, but in the end that was all the action required of them. A few minutes before half-time Spurs made it 1-0, as a beautiful cross from Chimbonda was expertly headed in by Jermaine Jenas.

The game came to life in the second half, with the Spurs players looking more comfortable in their positions and their passing. More fluent in attack, the home team tormented their visitors and tested their defensive abilities. Ben Foster had ample opportunity to display his goalkeeping skills ahead of going into the England camp next week. But it was England’s number one who made the evening one to remember after all. Taking a free kick from over 80 yards away, Paul Robinson hit it hard, high and far and the unfortunate Foster had to watch the ball take a bounce over him and into the net. It was all smiles as nobody could quite believe what had happened. Foster good-naturedly said that he would avoid the papers today. Probably wise, but the goal should not detract from an overall great performance by the young keeper.

Mido, struggling to make an impact on a game which was an opportunity for him to make a case for a starting position, missed a great opportunity on 73 minutes. Ghaly, much improved in the second half fed in to Huddlestone, whose powerful shot was blocked by Foster. The rebound fell to Mido’s feet, but the Egypt striker managed to miss the open goal and instead hit Foster’s foot. With six minutes to go Spurs made a display of lovely team work; substitute Stalteri fed a ball to Defoe, who neatly passed it to Lennon. The winger, who had come on for Malbranque (presumably to rest the energetic midfielder) gave the ball to Ghaly, allowing the Egyptian to shoot past Foster.

Spurs were cruising, but erratic defending at the very end opened up a chance for Watford. Chimbonda, deputising at left back for Lee, lost his mark and the ball and Smith passed it in to Henderson, standing alone and unmarked in front of goal. The Watford striker tapped it in to make the final score 3-1. Still without a clean sheet in the league since October, Robinson may be forgiven for feeling that this was a great game nevertheless.

Tottenham

Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee (Stalteri 80), Ghaly, Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque (Lennon 71), Mido, Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Berbatov, Keane.
Goals: Jenas 41, Robinson 63, Ghaly 85.

Watford

Foster, Mariappa, Doyley, Shittu, Powell, Chambers (Kabba 77), Mahon, Williams (Rinaldi 62), Smith, Priskin (Henderson 56), Bouazza.
Subs Not Used: Lee, Williamson.
Goals: Henderson 89.

Attendance: 36,051.
Referee: M Halsey

UEFA cup quarter final draw

2007-03-16T12:53:00.000+01:00

Tottenham are now the only remaining British side in the UEFA cup after Rangers met their fate in Osasuna and Newcastle were knocked out by AZ Alkmaar on away goals. Going into the final stages of the competition are three Spanish teams, including current holders of the cup Sevilla; two German sides, Dimitar Berbatov's former club Bayer Leverkusen and current Bundesliga second place team Werder Bremen; Portuguese team Benfica, Ricardo Rocha's former club and currently second in the Portuguese league and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, also currently on second place in their domestic league.

The draw yielded the following result:

Quarter-final draw

AZ Alkmaar v. Werder Bremen
Bayer Leverkusen v. Osasuna
Sevilla v. Tottenham
Espanyol v. Benfica

(Ties to be played on 5 and 12 April)

Semi-final draw

Espanyol or Benfica v. AZ Alkmaar or Werder Bremen
Bayer Leverkusen or Osasuna v. Sevilla or Tottenham

(Ties to be played on 26 April and 3 May)

Sevilla, currently doing very well in La Liga (on level points with Barcelona in the top of the table), are arguably the toughest test out there, despite having lost a few games throughout the competition. The Spanish title contenders finished second in a group which also saw AZ Alkmaar and Braga continue to the last 16. But Tottenham Hotspur, especially on current form, present a challenge for anyone and this draw brings two of the favourites to win the competition together in what will undoubtedly be an exciting game, possibly a battle of skill between former Spurs striker Frédéric Kanouté and new Spurs hero Dimitar Berbatov.

I'd be nervous if I had any nerves left to be nervous with...

Tottenham 3 – 2 Braga (Agg: 6-4)

2007-03-15T00:18:00.000+01:00

Four down, two to go. So far the hectic fixture list has not taken an undue toll on Tottenham Hotspur, still able to produce exciting games for their fans – most of whom presumably will need pacemakers by the end of the month. Despite conceding two goals, however, this evening Spurs never looked like losing and now cruise on in the UEFA-cup, having won all their eight games.

Martin Jol, faced with an intricate selection situation over the week, started with what was arguably his strongest available side in an effort to secure a victory in the competition which still looks like the team’s best hope for a trophy. Pascal Chimbonda filled in at central defence, due to Anthony Gardner’s fractured leg and Ricardo Rocha being cup-tied, a role he played quite well – albeit in a game which saw most of the action happening elsewhere. Aaron Lennon started on the right and Steed Malbranque on the left with a central midfield pair consisting of Didier Zokora and Tom Huddlestone. Robbie Keane, back from injury, started up front together with Dimitar Berbatov, apparently sufficiently recovered from the emerging groin injury which forced him off ahead of time against Chelsea.

Set pieces have been the main problem for the Tottenham defence and proved to be just that again, first when Tom Huddlestone’s head connected with Luis Filipe's free kick and the ball found its way into the corner of the goal, putting Braga ahead at 25 minutes, and then later again when Andrade smashed a free kick through the defensive wall from 20 yards. By that time, however, Spurs had equalised through some stunning cooperation between Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, the former beautifully holding the ball away from three defenders while the latter ran to the left hand side of the area, awaiting the pass. When it came Berbatov elegantly and with uncanny precision slid it past Santos, making it look so easy.

Spurs continued to dominate possession and closed off the first half with another stunning effort by Berbatov who remained neatly onside when Tom Huddlestone took his free kick, then met the ball, took it down with his chest and kicked in the volley with his right foot from 18 yards. Perfect control in one movement. Santos could just watch, the fans could just cheer and Martin Jol and Chris Hughton hugged, presumably as moved as the rest of us.

The second half started better for Braga, and the equalising free kick goal came on the hour mark. But Tottenham never slowed down and continued to push forward, with Defoe replacing the newly recovered Keane. The winning goal came on 75 minutes; nice flank movement by Lee, who passed in to Malbranque. The Frenchman nipped it across to Berbatov who stylishly lifted the ball over the bemused defenders, allowing the advancing Malbranque to shoot it past Santos with his right foot.

Tottenham

Cerny, Stalteri, Dawson, Chimbonda, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon (Ghaly 81), Huddlestone, Zokora, Malbranque, Keane (Defoe 66), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Tainio, Mido, Taarabt, Charlie Lee.
Booked: Berbatov, Malbranque.
Goals: Berbatov 28, 42, Malbranque 76.

Braga

Paulo Santos, Luis Filipe, Paulo Jorge, Rodriguez (Nem 40), Carlos Fernandes, Frechaut, Madrid, Joao Amaral, Joao Pinto (Cesinha 74), Ze Carlos (Maciel 74), Wender.
Subs Not Used: Dani Mallo, Castanheira, Ricardo Chaves, Bruno Gama.
Booked: Joao Amaral, Joao Pinto, Luis Filipe.
Goals: Huddlestone 24 og, Joao Amaral 61.

Attendance: 33,761.

Referee: Laurent Duhamel (France)

Manchester United 4 - 3 Europe XI

2007-03-14T00:03:00.000+01:00

A night of miscellaneous commemorations it certainly was. Was it also a night to remember? Not as much. The event, co-organised by the European Commission, UEFA and Manchester United was a charity game in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the EEC founding Rome Treaty and the 50^th anniversary of European football for Manchester United. It was also an opportunity for former United legend Andrew Cole to pull on the shirt once more, for new United legend Henrik Larsson to play at Old Trafford one last time – as opposition striker - and for David Beckham to come on the field and thank the fans for their support during what he described as ‘the best time in my footballing career’.

The Europe team, coached by World Cup winning Italy manager Marcello Lippi, comprised a fair few stars even if colourful characters like Ronaldinho had withdrawn. United started with practically their strongest available eleven, as promised by Sir Alex, but the stars of the first half – Rooney and Ronaldo – were replaced at half-time. As were almost the entire Europe team, Lippi fielding his players for the night in two teams. It was a friendly in all senses of the word, smiles instead of tackles and if the referee had remembered to bring a whistle he barely had to use it. If the game in the second half became a bit dull it was still quite sweet to watch all these international stars playing with a ball and each other. The only unfriendly aspect about this friendly was the Manchester fans booing the Liverpool players, very uncalled for.

Manchester United started on a roll against opposition which, for obvious reasons, could never match their tactical togetherness. The scoring began after only a few minutes with a lovely pass from Scholes cutting through the Europe midfield and met by a perfectly timed run by Rooney, who easily put it past the advancing Carnizares. Four minutes later United scored from a corner kick which was converted to a cross after some magnificent work by Giggs, allowing Brown to tap it in. Europe then equalised through a great shot by Malouda from 25 yards. Ronaldo did his best to entertain the audience with his moves during his 45 minutes, partly by foot movement which inadvertently turned into a break-dance act which lost him the ball and partly by scoring with a wonderful free kick and putting the score up 3-1. The free kick came after Pirlo had brought down Park, one of two offences in the game. The second came a few minutes later, when Brown fouled Ibrahimovic in the box and thereby awarded Europe with a penalty. The Swede took the penalty – and sent it full force into the bar. Two fouls, but many more comedy moments. The entertaining first half closed in style as Ronaldo made a nice run in the centre of midfield and crossed expertly to an unmarked Park. The South Korean put the ball in the box for Rooney, who shot it in.

The second half saw Europe initially looking stronger, mainly due to Gerrard as a midfield engine, but both teams lost some of their attacking flair and when they began defending better the action became more restricted to the middle. Paul Scholes nearly gave Europe a goal by some humorous fiddling with the ball outside his own goal: he practically gave the ball to Sweden midfielder Källström, whose attempt at getting it in was saved by 21 year-old keeper Heaton. The ovations and cheers from the home fans when Larsson was replaced rapidly turned into boos as his replacement turned out to be Robbie Fowler. Even if there were some nice individual moves by the players the entertainment slowed down and an attempt by the Old Trafford audience to create some action by a seemingly never-ending wave was about as fluent as it got. Andrew Cole’s accomplished crosses were missed by new recruit Dong, keeping the score at 4 for United, and Europe only got a goal through a penalty (taken by Diouf) awarded for handball by Heinze.

Innocent family entertainment involving superstars and a ball, which was watched by 74 343 people at Old Trafford (along with heavens knows how many more across Europe) and raised 1.25m for charity. From a Swedish point of view it was nice to see not only Larsson and Ibrahimovic, but also Kim Källström get international recognition. And Gianluca Zambrotta is always good value. But essentially this was a night for Manchester United fans to remember and for the rest of us to forget.

FA Cup Semi-final Draw

2007-03-12T14:36:00.000+01:00

The four balls yielded the following semi-final pairings:

Blackburn vs. Chelsea or Tottenham
and
Watford vs. Middlesbrough or Manchester United

To be played on the 14th/15th of April.

An obvious reaction from a Spurs fan is, of course - thank God we didn't get Manchester United at this stage! That is of course highly disrespectful to Middlesbrough, the team which Man U after all will have to beat in order to make it. It is also, of course, assuming that Tottenham will be able to beat Chelsea on Monday - a Chelsea which by that time will most likely have John Terry, and with him organisation, back. I would love an FA-cup final between Tottenham and Middlesbrough, by no means an impossibility. But the immediate thought here, for anyone who isn't an optimistic Spurs fan, is that it might very well end up being a final between Chelsea and Manchester United. So, Carling Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal and FA-cup final between the reigning champions and the new champions? A bit dull, and sorely lacking in amusing upsets.

Then again, this is football, anything can happen and there is time yet - Blackburn against Watford in the final? From a Spurs point of view it is an indication of the refound form of the team rather than the tradition of the team that inspires the feeling that Blackburn in the final would be more of an upset than Spurs. Blackburn did, after all, beat Arsenal - something Spurs have yet been unable to do this season. But the team found its feet again and stayed in the cup; the first game of the current happy spell being the comprehensive FA-cup beating of Fulham - a team which previously in the season had been a stumbling block.

The spring sun shines on our hopes and nothing seems impossible.

Armbands

2007-03-11T23:11:00.000+01:00

Another game to remember – the recent run of rampant form hardly at an end, even if we only came away with a draw. Paul Robinson cheekily commented that he wouldn’t want to be a Spurs fan at the moment because “if you've got heart problems you're in trouble”. Indeed. Jermain Defoe nearly delivered a late winner which set this Spurs fan’s heart on an internal journey. The whole game had, of course, been conducted in a similar fashion. Flashes of brilliance alternating with comical mistakes, great football and never ever a sense that the game had been decided. Exciting football or excruciating nervousness – all depends on your vantage point.

Happy as I am that we did not lose and that, despite conceding three goals, the lads were the better side in a way which only a couple of months ago seemed impossible – the replay is still a bitter pill to swallow. This game could and should have been won by another goal or two in the first half, or perhaps by more organised defending towards the end. As it is the replay on Monday will be the sixth in two weeks, followed by a midweek Euro 2008 qualifier for some of the lads. I’m not of the opinion that replays should be scrapped in order to help teams who are busy in many competitions, quite the contrary, nor do I want to whinge about the fact that we are still in three competitions OR that my team comprises a fair few international stars. I just feel for the lads and worry about their physical health in a very womanish sort of way. Sorry. Can’t help it. Makes me tired just to think about it. The busy schedule make the injuries that we have a bigger problem than they would be otherwise. Horribly Berbatov had to be taken off with a renascent groin injury – we can only hope that he will be back soon. Very soon.

I still marvel at the central midfield action of Tainio and Zokora these days. Gone, it would seem, are the days (again, not that long ago...) when we seemed to be playing without a midfield at times. They were superb, aggressively winning balls and setting up a wall which the opposition had to try to break down. Ricardo Rocha had a great third game for us; if he keeps up this rate of development he should win a starting position soon. He was on Drogba like a leech and made many key clearances.

The significant armbands on the day were the captain’s armband on Michael Dawson, a sight which made me very happy. Captain, vice captain, and even third choice captain were out injured but it felt like a recognition of Michael’s hard work and ability that he was allowed to lead his team onto Stamford Bridge. I can only refer back to what I wrote last week – I’m really impressed with him and think that he would make a great captain someday. Hopefully for Spurs.

Dimitar Berbatov, who would probably be my first choice captain after Ledley King, also wears an armband – but for different reasons. It says “You are not alone” and refers to the international campaign of solidarity with the wrongfully convicted Bulgarian nurses who await a death sentence in Libya. Action has been taken by governments as well as organisations such as Amnesty and The Red Cross, the latter of which recently organised a demonstration in Bulgaria.

The official website of the campaign can be found at:

http://www.nestesami.bg/main/index.php

and more information on the Bulgarian Red Cross website:

http://www.redcross.bg/

FA Cup: Chelsea 3-3 Tottenham

2007-03-11T22:24:00.000+01:00

The spring sun shone as Chelsea clashed with Tottenham in an exciting match which had both sides of fans disbelieving their eyes. A bright first half for Spurs, which ended 1-3, was followed by a tough second half which saw Chelsea come back and equalise to secure the replay neither team really wanted.

Tottenham started strong with superb moves from Aaron Lennon, employed for the day in a central free roles, and were rewarded with a goal just five minutes into the game. A succession of beautiful passes from Defoe, to Lennon to Berbatov ended with the Bulgarian elegantly firing past Chelsea keeper Cech. Spurs continued on the attack and Chelsea’s first chance came from a Frank Lampard free kick which Essien headed just over the goal. Didier Zokora and Teemu Tainio effectively closed down the midfield, Chelsea were getting nowhere. A second excellent chance for the visitors came when right back Paul Stalteri fed a ball to Berbatov who crossed from the right to Defoe, placed in the middle but unable to reach the ball in time.

Ricardo Rocha, on his third start for Spurs, did a good job in marking Chelsea top scorer Didier Drogba and perhaps it was inevitable that only a corner situation would allow the home team to equalise. A somewhat awkward shot by Michael Ballack was put straight into the goal by Chelsea vice captain Lampard who found himself unmarked in front of goal. Some minutes later it looked as if Chelsea’s worst fears had been realised when Drogba landed awkwardly on his foot and needed medical attention. He continued playing but looked somewhat uncomfortable throughout. Half an hour into the game Chelsea’s woes deepened as sturdy midfield action by Tainio and Ghaly fed a ball to Lennon. The young star crossed beautifully in towards Defoe and Berbatov, both waiting on the left hand side of the box, but the irresistible cross was put into the net by Essien before it got that far.

A game which was characterised by marvellous attacking moves also became one of defensive disorder. Michael Dawson, Spurs skipper on the night, nearly repeated Essien's mistake when he went after a cross by Arjen Robben and just about headed the ball in over Radek Cerny’s attempts to save it. Fortunately for Spurs, Stalteri was there to clear it away. Mourinho responded with the first of a series of substitutions which seemed to suggest that attacking resolve is the best form of defence when one’s defence itself is in shambles and Paulo Ferreira was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips. A few minutes later Hossam Ghaly finished off a great run from deep in midfield in style by coolly putting the ball past the advancing Cech, making it 1-3. At this stage the home defenders were simply nowhere to be found and the camera went to the harassed face of John Terry, watching in the crowd. The first half finished off with some near chances for Chelsea as Shevchenko shot over goal and another Essien header nearly found the net. A Drogba free kick straight into the arms of Spurs keeper Cerny closed proceedings before the break.

The second half began with the first of six yellow cards, an indication of the mounting aggression in the game. A free kick taken by Robben and met by Drogba gave the Spurs defence an immediate taste of action. Some minutes later Zokora initiated an attack which forced Cech to save twice as his initial block came back. Chelsea, who had been in curious disarray throughout, with an insecure defensive line, an ineffective midfield and a line of forwards not quite able to open up any space, made some more substitutions and placed Khalid Boulahrouz alongside Ricardo Carvalho. Salomon Kalou replaced Ashley Cole in the final signal that attacking and never say die was the only option left. The reward came on 70 minutes when another corner went via Ballack to Lampard, who thumped the ball into the net.

To this Jol’s only available response was an attempt at defending the advantage; Berbatov had been replaced by Mido due to a re-emerging groin injury and Lennon had been taken off to save his power for the remaining games in a busy week. Anthony Gardner came on as an extra defender, replacing Ghaly, but to no avail. With four minutes to go the champions hammered in the point that they simply will not be beaten at Stamford Bridge. Pretty or not, the team claws its way back, possibly in fear of Mourinho’s reaction to a home defeat. Carvalho cut the ball in to Drogba who headed it from the far post to Kalou. The Ivory Coast forward sharply volleyed it in. Despite fatigue starting to show, Tottenham nearly pulled off a third consecutive stoppage time winner, but Jermain Defoe’s powerful shot hit the bar and an even later attempt by Zokora was saved by Cech.

For both teams the added fixture is bad news, adding to an already busy schedule. Spurs now have to play Braga, Watford and Chelsea at White Hart Lane within a week, the FA-cup replay becoming the sixth game in two weeks, and have to rue the fact that this game could have been won by just one more well taken chance and some sturdier defending. Sheer exhaustion might force next game to be played at a slower pace, but spectators cannot be blamed for looking forward to another sparkling game of football between the two London clubs.

Chelsea

Cech, Ferreira (Wright-Phillips 34), Essien, Carvalho, Ashley Cole (Kalou 64), Diarra (Boulahrouz 57), Lampard, Robben, Ballack, Drogba, Shevchenko.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bridge.
Booked: Diarra, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Kalou.
Goals: Lampard 22, 71, Kalou 86.

Tottenham

Cerny, Stalteri, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee, Ghaly (Gardner 81), Tainio, Zokora, Lennon (Malbranque 76), Berbatov (Mido 66), Defoe.
Subs Not Used: Burch, Huddlestone.
Booked: Ghaly, Zokora, Young-Pyo Lee, Stalteri, Cerny.
Goals: Berbatov 5, Essien 28 og, Ghaly 36.

Attendance: 41,517

Referee: M Riley

Europe matters

2007-03-10T13:20:00.000+01:00

Tottenham's unbeaten run in the UEFA cup continues and coming up is the second leg of the last 16 - at White Hart Lane. Premiership colleagues Newcastle beat AZ Alkmaar 4-2 at St James Park and now have to go to Holland.

The full results ahead of next week's fixtures:

Wednesday, 14 March 2007

Bayer Leverkusen v Lens (agg 1-2)
Osasuna v Rangers (agg 1-1)
Tottenham v Braga (agg 3-2)
Werder Bremen v Celta Vigo (agg 1-0)

Thursday, 15 March 2007
AZ v Newcastle (agg 2-4)
Benfica v PSG (agg 1-2)
Espanyol v Maccabi Haifa (agg 0-0)
Shakhtar Donetsk v Sevilla (agg 2-2)

In the Champions League three of the Premiership sides made it to the quarter-finals; Liverpool knocked out Barcelona despite losing at Anfield, Manchester United scored another goal to secure a win against Lille and Chelsea beat Porto with two goals at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal were overcome by PSV Eindhoven due to a draw at the Emirates and the goalless games between Celtic and Milan finally ended with Milan scraping a goal in added time at the San Siro, kicking the Scottish side out of the competition.

In the draw the English sides managed to avoid each other, creating the possibility of an all-English final.

Quarter-final draw
AC Milan v Bayern Munich
(First leg 3 April, second leg 11 April)
PSV Eindhoven v LIVERPOOL
(First leg 3 April, second leg 11 April)
Roma v MANCHESTER UNITED
(First leg 4 April, second leg 10 April)
CHELSEA v Valencia
(First leg 4 April, second leg 10 April)

Semi-final draw
Roma or MANCHESTER UNITED v AC Milan or Bayern Munich
(First leg 24 April, second leg 2 May)
CHELSEA or Valencia v PSV Eindhoven or LIVERPOOL
(First leg 25 April, second leg 1 May)

Braga 2 - 3 Tottenham

2007-03-09T00:08:00.000+01:00

What a result! Three away goals, a win, a great performance against a very good side... wonderful. Marvellous goals, Lennon absolutely on fire, showing why premiership defenders of all teams generally opt to take him down. Great ball work by Keane and very quick thinking and reacting by Malbranque.

Because I was unable to see the game I was left with reading the BBC text (and seeing highlights afterwards) - a slightly surreal experience. Events sound very clinical - allowing for a very statistical and dry analysis of the action. Dimitar Berbatov terrorised the Braga goal quite a bit, even if he, sadly, did not end up on the score sheet. And according to the accounts we had one central defender. Michael Dawson cleared everything - while Anthony Gardner committed a foul and gave away a penalty... The man needs to work on elegant tackling, methinks. Especially with people who are light on the feet.

We go into the second leg happily and with an advantage, even if we are back to a busy fixture list which will be hard work. The moment of revival came, according to Martin Jol, after finally getting a few days off from cup competitions (courtesy of the Feyenoord fans) - now we have five games in two weeks, of which tomorrow is number three. Chelsea away, a fixture which at the best of times is daunting, but our recent form inspires a budding confidence that the inevitable defeat at fortress Stamford Bridge perhaps isn't, indeed, inevitable. Dimitar Berbatov repeated his philosophy from last time we played (and beat) Chelsea - they are only a football team. It’s 11 against 11. And they don't have three legs. Naive? Well, possibly not.

Jol has some difficult choices to make in selecting his teams for the remaining three games, and I will try to not make it my headache as well. The gaffer knows what he is doing. Surely? And we can only hope that our good spell does not end, in true Spurs fashion, with a home defeat to Watford. It wouldn’t surprise me. But I also know I wouldn’t find it in my heart blame the lads.

Braga
Paulo Santos, Luis Filipe, Paulo Jorge, Rodriguez, Carlos Fernandes, Joao Amaral, Joao Pinto (Maciel 80), Castanheira, Bruno Gama (Cesinha 69), Ze Carlos, Wender (Diego 69).
Subs Not Used: Dani Mallo, Nem, Paito, Ricardo Chaves.
Goals: Paulo Jorge 76, Ze Carlos 81.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Gardner, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon, Tainio (Huddlestone 74), Zokora, Malbranque, Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri, Ghaly, Defoe, Taarabt, Charlie Lee.
Booked: Berbatov, Chimbonda.
Goals: Keane 57, Malbranque 72, Keane 90.

Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Yuri Baskakov (Russia)

Springing

2007-03-04T22:12:00.000+01:00

Today felt like the first day of spring. The sun was shining for the first time in what seemed like months (time is a highly relative concept) and there were smells! My nose went mad with excitement. So I took the bike and cycled the 25 kilometres or so to the pub, the sun shining in my face all the way. I couldn't help smiling at the beauty of the world, and at anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity. Before the game I had a little picnic on a bench in a park, eating a runny kebab with increasingly cold hands. It was lovely. By the time I couldn't feel my feet anymore it was time to go to the game anyway.

I had had daydreams about this game, in which West Ham were going to play just as badly as they did a week ago and my boys were going to play just as well as they did a week ago. In my dream the final score was something like 10-0, with Berbatov scoring at least a hat trick. I also had nightmares, in which this was the game where West Ham finally picked up their form and arose, transformer-style, suddenly becoming the team they could be and hammered (pun almost not intended) us. Reality was somewhere between the two, and the outcome was nerve-racking.

Initially, when West Ham looked very good and Spurs looked a little disorganised I thought for a while that my worst fears had in fact been realised. Two down at half-time... away from home... when was the last time we crawled out of that kind of mess and lived to tell the tale? An injured Steed had left us with an erratic Ghaly and it was reassuring when Tom Huddlestone came on at half time. Tom immediately made an impact with his calm directing of the ball and suddenly the midfield looked like a midfield again. Tainio had been good throughout, working at his tackling best. Jenas, not at his sparkling best, had to be replaced as well (due to injury feelings?) and the combination of Chimbonda and Stalteri on the right was surprisingly effective. The response to falling behind which the team displayed was admirable, and just what we have been missing for a while. Rather than falling to pieces, the team regrouped, adjusted and played on.

Lennon was mesmerising and even if his runs became predictable to the point where four West Ham players started marking him whenever he touched the ball they still found that the only way to stop him was to take him down. 3 bookings, a few free kicks and a penalty were all the result of fouls on Lennon. The second goal was poetry in motion. Berbatov again dazzled with his sublime ball control, collecting it and sending it over the penalty area right at Lennon's feet. Lennon's clever little flick - no idea how he managed it - then found Tainio's feet and Teemu fired his lethal shot straight into the goal. Just amazing.

I also feel a need to praise Michael Dawson a little... Perhaps a game in which the team conceded three goals is not the best time to praise the defenders, but then again, perhaps it is. (One goal was a free kick and the other two were well executed by the opposition, not due to defensive errors.) I don't praise Dawson enough, nor do others. And I think the reason is that it is easy to forget how good he is, or, rather, take his efforts for granted. He has been building a great partnership with the older and more experienced Ledley King, which was attracting attention and praise before Ledley got injured. Ledley out, all of the sudden Michael was expected to step into his captain's shoes and be the stable man alongside Davenport, Gardner and new recruit Rocha. We trusted to him to sort it all out somehow. And Michael, who is after all just 23, has done just that, with increasing confidence in his own ability to marshal the defensive line. It is an impressive and hope-inspiring sight. The way he has handled things in Ledley's absence has been so good that we forget about it. Well, I just wanted to say that I haven't forgotten. Well done, Michael.
(Incidentally he was mentioned on Fighting Talk when, in response to the question - who, when John Terry is out, is the best central defender in England - one contestant said: "you know that lad at Spurs... what's his name... Dawson - he's very good isn't he?")

Ok, back to the game, where Dimitar Berbatov, who of course had dazzled throughout with an unsurpassed elegance, scored from a free kick. And showed that he does that just as skilfully as he does everything else, making it look easy... It was so pretty and I cried a little, as did a West Ham fan sitting next to me, though for opposite reasons. Her sobbing continued until, with 5 minutes of ordinary time and my nerves frayed like a silk scarf run through a blender, I watched in horrified amazement as West Ham scored again! The girl's scream of joy was deafening. Surely that was it - the most hard come by draw of the season. But no, time for more action and again the team responded beautifully to every opportunity. Four minutes into injury time, just after a free kick for West Ham, and with practically all players in the Spurs half, Defoe gets the ball. And makes a run for it, followed by a clean line of team mates. It was timed and positioned like a military operation. They charged across the field and when Green blocked Defoe's shot (which he had also taken past the only defender in place) Stalteri was there to kick in the rebound. The West Ham fan left, in tears, as did the West Ham players on the field. And in the midst of my own ecstatic joy and pride I still felt immensely sorry for them.

West Ham 3 - 4 Tottenham

2007-03-04T20:16:00.000+01:00

This was always going to be a battle. West Ham, desperate to improve from last week's disaster and in equal desperate need for a home win to comfort the fans and try to crawl out of the relegation swamp; Tottenham, eager to prove that their reignited form is here to stay, looking for another away win and points to start climbing the table again. And what a battle it was.

West Ham started strong, forcing Robinson to a save almost immediately, and showed all the determination and skill which had been so sorely lacking from their previous Premiership encounter. Curbishley had made quite a few changes to his side, even if Matthew Upson had to be replaced by Calum Davenport after only 11 minutes. Creative attacking from Spurs forced a couple of brilliant saves from Robert Green, but the first goal fell to West Ham as a cross from Konchesky was forcefully put past Dawson and Robinson by Mark Noble after 15 minutes. Spurs attacking attempts yielded little result as the West Ham players seemes determined to win every ball. Their aggression showed in the six bookings as well. On 38 minutes a West Ham free kick was superbly taken by Carlos Tevez, who had a very good game. His extravagant celebration in the crowd promptly got him booked, but he must be forgiven for the need to celebrate - and West Ham fans were ecstatic.

A list of injuries had limited Jol's choices somewhat and made for some creative re-shuffling as the game progressed. The erratic Hossam Ghaly was replaced by Tom Huddlestone at half time and ten minutes later Paul Stalteri came on to replace Jermaine Jenas, who looked as though he was having trouble. Chimbonda moved up to midfield. The second half opened with some dazzling runs by Aaron Lennon, the second of which was stopped by a Bowyer foul. The penalty was coolly taken by Jermain Defoe, making the score 2-1 and opening for a second half which looked like it was going to be all about Spurs. 10 minutes of great attacking football from Spurs finally rewarded an equalising goal. An amazingly accurate cross from Berbatov on the right hand side found Lennon who cleverly flicked it into the middle where Teemu Tainio was ready to fire it past Green.

West Ham, however, did not give up but created a few chances and Nigel Quashie had a shot at goal before getting injured and helped off the field by Robinson and a West Ham physio. Subsitute Kepa Blanco was dangerous in the following corner. It was to be a game of fouls and free kicks. West Ham took the lead again with a well taken header by Zamora as the result of a free kick on 85 minutes. Two minutes later it was Spurs turn. Adel Taarabt, making his Spurs debut in replacing Chimbonda with 6 minutes to go, was brought down just outside the penalty area and the ensuing free kick was beautifully taken by Dimitar Berbatov to equalise yet again.

The last minutes of this exciting game were a display of frenzied action. West Ham had a great chance when a shot by Tevez went inches outside of goal. A free kick in injury time could not change West Ham's fortunes, as Konchesky misfired. The ball finally fell to Defoe who made a run, accompanied by 3 team mates, to the other side. His great shot was well blocked by Green, but Stalteri was there to fire in the return and draw the curtains on the scoring and West Ham's evening. It was impossible not to feel for the disconsolate West Ham players, who had put on a brave fight for their fans.

West Ham
Green, Neill, Upson (Davenport 11), Ferdinand, Konchesky, Bowyer, Noble, Quashie (Blanco 80), Etherington (Zamora 83), Tevez, Harewood.
Subs Not Used: Walker, Spector.
Booked: Noble, Tevez, Bowyer, Neill, Konchesky, Quashie.
Goals: Noble 16, Tevez 41, Zamora 85.

Tottenham
Robinson, Chimbonda (Taarabt 87), Dawson, Gardner, Young-Pyo Lee, Lennon, Jenas (Stalteri 57), Tainio, Ghaly (Huddlestone 46), Defoe, Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Rocha.
Booked: Chimbonda.
Goals: Defoe 51 pen, Tainio 63, Berbatov 89, Stalteri 90.

Attendance: 34,966
Referee: M Dean

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d49VGZtgNKY

Misfiring

2007-03-04T10:35:00.000+01:00

Great comedy moments of the weekend, which simply must be mentioned...

Cesc Fabregas, in what one must assume was an attempt at showing Mark Hughes once and for all just how to play Barcelona football, elegantly scoring an own goal in such a clever fashion that not even Lehmann managed to block it.

John O'Shea, Manchester United's second choice goal keeper, perfecting the art of finishing off games in style. Nothing really funny about the goal except for the fact that he was the one to score it. In Ireland "a few pints will be sunk over that" ventured John. As if the Irish needed another excuse.

Then there was the fabulous Scholes controversy. No, not the sending off, nor the violent conduct which preceded it. Not even the fact that he had, as so often, gotten away with fouls earlier on and had this one coming. No the comedy and indeed the controversy arises from the revelation that this seasoned midfielder has a right hook as powerful and accurate as that belonging to a little old lady on her third gin and tonic. Shocking.

Carlos Tevez got an ecstatic response from his fans upon scoring a stunning free kick. He then ruined the aesthetic beauty of the event by taking his shirt off and charging into the crowd. Anyone but a loyal West Ham fan would have recoiled in horror at the sight, but the Upton Park faithfuls embraced him. For so long, in fact, that it looked as though he had been lost in the crowd, never to emerge again.

And finally, my own lads supplied a true comedy moment as a throw-in near the opposition goal took longer than the three last goals of the game put together. It took three players (no names shall be mentioned...) four attempts at passing the ball to each other before it finally ended up at its destination and was thrown in. Thankfully, the passing skills improved once the ball was in play again...

Tottenham 4 - 1 Bolton

2007-02-26T19:28:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-24T16:53:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-22T11:12:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-22T10:30:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-19T14:39:00.000+01:00

...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

2007-02-18T20:26:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-11T09:45:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-08T09:28:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-04T22:02:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-04T09:56:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-03T09:15:00.000+01:00

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

2007-02-01T10:47:00.000+01:00

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

Transfer Talk

2007-01-30T15:32:00.000+01:00

Finally, the transfer window is starting close - making squeaky noises of high activity as it slowly shuts. In principle I like it, prefer it to having transfers happening all the time. Sometimes I even ponder the interesting sporting challenge if transfers where only allowed once a year, in the summer. Regardless of what happened in terms of injuries or in-fighting a manager would have to make do with his squad. This, of course, is an experiment currently being conducted with some success at Newcastle United, who have only made a loan deal for a defender so far - despite the fact that the amount of players out for injury at the moment would fill a small hospital. Anyway, it's probably not practical as a rule...

What is, however, driving me to a brink of exasperation usually reserved for, say, playing Arsenal away, is transfer rumours. And the amount of space they are allowed to occupy in the papers. Because I still read everything, only to realise after a long piece that it hasn't actually supplied me with any actual information. I have to read, with mounting terror, that Mourinho may have an interest in Aaron Lennon only to next day find out that thankfully our wonder of wonders has signed a new contract with the club. Being a football fan is enough of an emotional rollercoaster without this sort of crap as well!

Our actual transfers have been as few as the situation has merited, really. At the game against Southend on Saturday a fan in the pub said - as we were watching an elegant move by Ricardo Rocha - 'anyone missing Davenport?'. And I suppose it's fair to say that we sort of didn't. After the recent developments in midfield, and the depths and variations in the squad, perhaps we haven't missed Davids as much as we could have either. The legend is going back to where he began as a legend and will hopefully get more work to do than we could provide him with.

So, Rocha in; Davenport and Davids out. Welcoming Ricardo does not seem to pose an obstacle, he seems just the thing - especially while Ledley is struggling with his foot. But even if we technically won't miss our dear departed much I will still miss them a little bit. As one has to do.

All transfers (so far, there are a few hours left of the window...)
Ricardo Rocha in from Benfica
Adel Taarabt in from RC Lens
Ben Alnwick in from Sunderland

Edgar Davids out to Ajax
Calum Davenport out to West Ham
Marton Fulop out to Sunderland

FA cup 5th Round Draw

2007-01-29T18:46:00.000+01:00

...and so we get the pleasure of another visit to Craven Cottage. Not sure the bruises the lads sustained last time have healed yet. Fulham away certainly wasn't on my wish list, but it could have been worse, of course. This will be another opportunity to show that we can get something other than exhausting draws out of them this season, and perhaps an opportunity for Malbranque to score - in bold defiance of the atrocious booing.

In a rather dull and predictable twist of fate (is there such a thing?) the 'biggies' have all landed home ties against 'lesser' teams. Well, I hope Reading give Man U a good run for their money - and I'm sure they will, bless them; Arsenal are, lets not forget, not even there yet - Bolton looked good yesterday; and Chelsea... well, I suppose this way even Shevchenko might score again.

Chelsea v Blackpool or Norwich
Watford v Ipswich
Preston v Man City
Plymouth v Derby County
Man Utd v Reading
Arsenal or Bolton v Blackburn
Bristol City or Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion
Fulham v Tottenham

Tottenham 3 - 1 Southend

2007-01-28T13:27:00.000+01:00

Rainy day today, but I'm still happy about the classy performance the lads put in yesterday. A very pleasant afternoon and essentially the kind of football that allowed for unusually comfortable watching. At least in retrospect...

Kevin Mitchell in The Observer call the line-up 'virtually a Spurs second team' before lauding their brilliance. Second team seems off the mark, certainly in terms of performance, but I have to say that I missed the strike-force that is Berbatov and Defoe up front. In an afternoon of excellent mid-field action (especially by the dazzling Lennon), full of great crosses to the front two, their finishing touches were at times somewhat feeble. Against a tougher opposition midfield it might have looked quite different, but there seems to be a development in the right direction and a depth and variety in the squad which looks promising.
Jenas had a great first game back, and 5 day old signing Ricardo Rocha revealed himself to be a classy player who seems set to quickly get into the English game. Cerny did well with what little work he had to do; the penalty was a very well taken one, so no fault of his. Zokora was also very active and made some excellent runs. I've run out of adjectives for Lennon in general and his performance yesterday in particular, but a suggestion that he sometimes outruns opposition players because they are simply stunned does not seem far off the mark.
The lads kept Southend under pressure and played lovely passing football, which the opposition found it hard to intercept. Our cup runs continue to impress, even if the prospect of Wednesday is already daunting, considering the experiences of Wednesday last. Danny Kelly wrote in The Times about his childishly irrational fear of Arsenal, comparing the sensation to watching Dr Who as a child: 'The current Arsenal side are my Daleks.' I have to concur. And outclassing Southend at the Lane is not to be compared with coming up against the French foreign legion of Daleks at the Emirates.

Goals: Keane (12), Jenas (50), Mido (76) // Eastwood (69, pen)

Tottenham
Radek Cerny, Michael Dawson, Young-Pyo Lee, Ricardo Rocha, Paul Stalteri, Hossam Ghaly (Steed Malbranque), Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon, Didier Zokora, Robbie Keane (Jermain Defoe), Ahmed Hossam Mido (Tom Huddlestone)

Southend
Darryl Flahavan, Adam Barrett, Peter Clarke, Lewis Hunt, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Mark Gower (Gary Hooper), Steven Hammell, Kevin Maher, Alan McCormack (Luke Guttridge), Lee Bradbury (Matt Harrold), Freddy Eastwood

Beginnings

2007-01-25T11:09:00.000+01:00

Taking a first step into this new blog - more to follow.