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Carrick
cuts down struggling Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur 3
vs.
Sunderland 2
White Hart Lane,
Dec. 3rd 2005
There’s always a danger that games against a team
that are rock bottom can become potential banana skins and for a while today,
Spurs nearly choked on theirs. It was not that Sunderland
provided stern opposition, although they did show plenty of spirit, they were
invariably let down by their own incompetence.
Spurs did begin brightly and
caused some moments of panic, although if you were to be uncharitable you
could say that Sunderland
panicked themselves. Spurs knew the value of winning
this encounter, as they seek to end their European exile, but in their
efforts to strike first, they left a couple of gaps at the back. A hopeful
punt up field by the visitor’s resulted in what can best be described
as generous free-kick. Dawson
did make contact with Jon Stead, but it appeared to be a legitimate attempt
to defend. From the resulting free-kick, Dean Whitehead scored with a
stunning effort. So somewhat against the run of play, the visitor’s had
the advantage.
For Spurs, it was a setback, but
not quite the mountain to climb that maybe a more organised
team would’ve presented. Spurs eventually drew level inside the last
ten minutes of the first period. Stalteri picked up the ball and Sunderland
appeared content to leave Robbie Keane unattended on the flank,
so when Stalteri passed to Keane he had the time and space to slot the ball
across the goalmouth for Mido to slid and score. Mick McCarthy would have
been disappointed that neither of the two covering defenders were able to
clear the ball, but credit to Mido for being ready to pounce.
More defensive shortcomings led
to Spurs going ahead after just five minutes of the restart. Mido managed to
get his head to a ball that was heading towards the general direction of the
Sunderland penalty area and as Danny Collins and Ben Alnwick
contrived to clatter into each other, Keane was the benefactor, although it
still looked like Keane ‘assisted’ the ball over the line with
his hand. The luck of the Irish!. Now that Spurs had taken the lead, through
good fortune, they stepped things up a notch. They had been the team most
likely throughout this encounter, but now had regained their swagger,
especially in midfield where Carrick’s influence was ably supported by
the tenacious Tainio. Spurs were now passing confidently and being positive,
where previously there appeared some inhibition.
But still Sunderland
came back to equalise, more from Spurs appearing to
switch off. A clumsy and lofted clearance should still have not caused too
much discomfort, but the ball was returned for Le Tallec,
on as a sub, to fire into the bottom corner of the net. Dawson and King will
not have enjoyed seeing their lapse of concentration replayed on the big
screen. Maybe on another day Spurs would have faltered from this point, and
surely Sunderland
should have been galvanised by achieving parity,
but again they were to squander their position, albeit from a harsh decision
from referee Walton. As Keane received a ball in the area, the ball was
flicked up and appeared to hit Gary Breen more
in the midriff than his hand. Having benefited from his own hand earlier,
Keane looked to be about to benefit from the hand of Gary Breen.
Keane then squandered an opportunity to put Spurs back in front, and whilst
his effort gave the goalkeeper a chance, Alnwick
still had to produce a good save to keep the ball out. Alnwick
had a bits and pieces game, making several good agile saves (including the
spot kick), but also seemed ill at ease with his defensive partners. For
their part they could not be certain when Alnwick
would be coming or staying and it led to a couple of questioning comments
from Breen.
Sunderland’s
optimism from that penalty save was not to last. With less than a quarter of
an half left, Carrick’s corner was cleared to Tainio, who promptly fed
the ball back to Carrick. With Sunderland
bracing themselves for a cross, it was left to
Carrick to guide in the winner from a narrow angle. In so doing Carrick
scored his first goal for Tottenham, and it was a sublime finish for a player
who was on top of his game today. There was to be no comeback by Sunderland
and Spurs deservedly won this match, although Martin Jol may be concerned at
the goals conceded. On the positive side, he will know that there is still
more to come from his team and once the balance of the side is right, Spurs
will prosper.
Davids
goal enough to beat determined Wigan
Wigan
Athletic 1
vs.
Tottenham
Hotspur 2
JJB
Stadium, Nov. 26th 2005
Tottenham
earned a hard fought three points against a Wigan side
that do not know the meaning of giving up. Martin Jol’s
thoughts would have been about a comfortable afternoon after an
early Robbie Keane goal, but Wigan kept going and
certainly don’t look ready for an early return to the
Football League.
When
you are a compact and hard working team, the thing that often let’s you
down is individual errors, and it was within the first ten
minutes that such a moment occurred. Tainio had picked up the
ball on the left and plugged forward what was hoped to be a
through ball to Robbie Keane. De Zeeuw made a hash
of controlling the ball and Keane should be praised for being on
hand to round the keeper and slot home. A body blow for the home
side, but not one that left them on the ropes. In fact Paul Jewell’s
side seemed galvanised by their
plight.
Wigan
tried to up the tempo, especially the hard working Kavanagh.
But whilst Wigan were creating pressure
with a succession of corners and long range shots, nothing seemed to trouble Paul
Robinson too much. But Spurs were not just sitting back in their own half, as
Keane continued to pose a threat to the Latics
rearguard. In Fact Spurs had two shouts for fouls in the home
team’s penalty area, as first Ledley King appeared to be held at a
corner, and then Keane looked to be held back by Henchoz. But neither were deemed worthy of punishment by
the referee.
The
second half began with Wigan still seeking to pull
level, and Spurs for their part were playing at times too deep. Unfortunately
for Robbie Keane, his strike partner Mido was having the
proverbial stinker, and was not proving an able foil. Defoe, seated on the
subs bench, must have been pulling his hair out. Wigan were
lacking any real cutting edge, and whilst Spurs did appear to have a comfortable enough
grip of the match, last week’s late goal by West Ham would
suggest the insurance of a second would be welcome. It came with a little
under a quarter of an hour to go. Stephane
Henchoz obviously did not want his centre back
partner
De
Zeeue to feel like it was his error early in the
match that was decisive, so added a rash moment of his own. Henchoz had drifted up field and was looking to nick the
ball off Robbie Keane, but missed his opportunity and Davids
picked up the loose ball. Davids, beginning his run from inside
his own half, sprinted away from Henchoz and as he
approached the edge of the Wigan box,
Mido peeled away, but rather than slipping the ball through continued himself
before unleasing a shot into the bottom corner of
the goal. Spurs now had the luxury of a two goal cushion, after
the Dutch international’s first goal for the club.
Spurs
were approaching their third away league win of the season without too much
worry, but minds must have started to drift as Dawson appeared
to let a ball go which he probably should have committed to,
which resulted in Jason Roberts firing in a shot from a tight angle which Paul
Robinson did well to palm away, only for Wigan’s
Lee McCulloch to have a simple tap-in, with Stalteri in a poor
position to react. When the board went up for FOUR extra minutes Spurs must
have thought back to the late late equalisier West Ham scored one week earlier. But apart
from one moment of tension, Spurs were able to see off the clock
and give Martin Jol a vital win in what was his 50th
competitive game in charge. Spurs certainly seem to be going in the right
direction and Martin Jol will hope to continue his Tottenham
revolution, whilst Paul Jewell will continue the evolution of
Wigan Athletic. On today’s showing Wigan seem capable of surviving in
the top flight and Spurs continue to get good results in games
they may have lost last year, but will need to improve on their
goals per game ratio. The
January sales are approaching and both teams may well seek to improve
their squads.
Tottenham heading in the right direction
Tottenham Hotspur 2
vs
Everton 0
White
Hart Lane, October 15th 2005
It may
only be nine games into the season, but for both of these teams this fixture
was important in terms of indicating
how their respective seasons may pan out. Sometimes games featuring teams at
opposite ends of the table can spring surprises, but today would not be one
of them. Especially as Spurs had Ledley King passed fit for the match.
Everton’s
tactics early on seemed to be founded on high levels of industry
and organisation, as well as keeping Spurs from the
ball. Spurs were a little slow to start and it needed a smart but not
difficult save by Robinson from Everton’s McFadden to wake the home
team up just after the quarter hour mark. Carrick and Lennon were starting to
exert some pressure on the Everton rearguard. Carrick may still have time to
send out a message to Sven-Goran Eriksson, about
his midfield qualities, whilst Lennon on his current form could even get a
call-up to one of the few friendlies that England
will play before next summers World Cup.
Spurs best two chances
of the first half fell to Dawson,
back in the side after shaking off his recent injury. Dawson
used his height to first test Nigel Martyn, who
denied the Spurs defender with a top class save, and then had another effort
cleared off the line by Valente. Everton boss Moyes would have been disappointed by the lack of
challenges to the aerial threat posed by Spurs, and the second half would
only confirm his side’s inability to deal defensively with heading
opportunities.
Everton had passed well
enough and aimed to frustrate Tottenham in the first 45 minutes, but by the
hour mark the home team were one nil to the good. Spurs seized on a poor pass
by Yobo and Stalteri, after a run down the right
side, laid the ball back to Jenas who hit a quick, accurate cross that
allowed Mido to despatch the ball past Martyn. Five minutes elapsed before Spurs doubled their
advantage, this time Defoe clipping the ball into Jenas, who headed
clinically into the far corner. With confidence fully restored, Spurs were
now pressing the visitors back. Carrick was controlling the game from the
middle, and Jenas seemed to be
enjoying himself, after a somewhat slow start to his Spurs career.
To be fair
Everton’s main problem is scoring, and as if to highlight the current
gulf between these two teams, Jol was able to bring on Robbie Keane with ten
minutes to go. What would David Moyes give for a
striker of Keane’s energy?. At present he has to field a
one-dimensional ageing forward in Ferguson,
and a young injury prone forward in Beattie. What pleases one boss will
infuriate another, so whilst Jol would have been very pleased to see Spurs
creating good headed chances (scoring two from four), Moyes
would be disappointed that all the work of the training ground seemed to be
left there.
Confidence is key to many
a successful side and on Saturday it was noticeable that after Spurs two
goal’s they regained their swagger, yet Everton seemed to unravel. Jol
believes that his Spurs can get better and with Robinson, King and Dawson
excelling, he has a solid base on which to build. Moyes
realises that he needs Everton’s fortunes to
turn sooner rather than later, but with Chelsea
going to Goodison next weekend, the winter nights
may start to feel even colder. Spurs
have now moved into second place in the League, and whilst teams with games
in hand may catch them, they have given themselves a sporting chance to
qualify for Europe. If Spurs
can hold it together and still be in the hunt come next March, then the Spurs
faithful could be dusting off their passports in readiness for a European
Tour.
Drawing on the
positives
Tottenham
Hotspur 0
vs.
Liverpool 0
White
Hart Lane, Sept. 10th 2005
Liverpool,
last season’s Champions League winners, came to White
Hart Lane with aspirations
of establishing themselves as a top three team. Spurs for their part had
aspirations of a consistent level of performance that would see them finish
in the top six.
Both teams were fielding debutants for the first
time in the Premiership. Liverpool’s
being Peter Crouch and Spurs were Rasiak, Lee Young-Pyo,
Jenas and Lennon. The game started reasonably cagily as both teams were
searching each other out. Eventually it was Spurs who created the first real
chance. Defoe had a curling effort just go past Reina’s
post, although the big screen reply suggested the keeper got the faintest of
touches. It wasn’t long before Reina was in
action again, as he came to meet a cross by Defoe, which bounced near the
penalty spot, and as a Spurs player was hovering, Reina
seemed to bottle the cross. Liverpool
managed to clear the danger.
The game was really springing into life, and
Spurs caused more uncertainty in the Reds penalty area, with King nearly
getting his shot away, but again Liverpool
were happy to concede a corner. Crouch tried to get Liverpool
going, but his header drifted over. Cisse was
lively, but not accurate, and his few opportunities went harmlessly into the
crowd. Spurs nearly scored after a
David’s free-kick. The Dutch midfielder unleashed a 25 yard shot that
was parried by Reina and Rasiak returned a header
that clipped the crossbar. The first half ended with Spurs having been the
better side, and especially Carrick, who gave the kind of midfield
performance that was so sadly lacking for England
in midweek.
The second half began and it was Liverpool
who stepped up the gears. Cisse was first to test
Robinson with a long range effort that was parried away. John Arne Riise was in especially good form, and he was to have the
kind of game that on another day may have brought greater reward. His first
effort was a rasping floor cutter of a shot, which Robinson did well to read.
This obviously was to become the order of the day as later on Riise hit another shot, which cracked the Spurs crossbar
and bounced in front of the goal line. And as if not to be outdone, Carrick
fired one in for Spurs, which Reina blocked, but
the advancing Defoe was rightly ruled offside, which might be a blessing as
he scuffed his shot.
In fact, this exciting encounter was a
mouth-watering battle of two strong midfields. Liverpool’s
trio of Gerrard, Riise
and Hamann, were trading toe-to-toe with Davids,
Carrick and Jenas. A lot has been made of Spurs apparent plethora of midfield
players, but with Davids again picking up another booking, Jol may well need
his midfield reserves. Another reassurance for Jol will have been the return
of club captain Ledley King, who put in a very creditable show on his first
outing of the current season. In addition, at the other end Carragher performed well to limit Defoe’s chances.
The home crowd thought they had a new hero as
Rasiak scored with a header, but unfortunately, for him and the crowd,
Carrick’s corner had crossed the line before coming back in. And in one
of the more bizarre twists of the season, Liverpool
had a goal ruled out for a similar reason.
Crouch headed home a Gerrard corner that had
also gone over the line first, but Crouch was also guilty of climbing all
over the back of Gardner,
so it probably wouldn’t have stood anyway. The game ended nil-nil, but
it was one of the more entertaining varieties, and showed that both teams are
making progress.
Spurs
see off ‘Boring’ Boro’
THFC 2
vs
Middlesbrough 0
White
Hart Lane, Aug. 20th 2005
Two games, two wins and two clean sheets. All this will
make Martin Jol a very happy man, especially as his side enjoyed some fortune
too, against a Middlesbrough team who did create
several better than average chances. However, the overall display from
Tottenham probably deserved the spoils on the day.
Spurs started brightly and enjoyed good possession in the
early stages. They also had Edgar Davids making his Premiership bow, and he
looked up for the task from the off and was soon involved in some crunching
midfield action. Davids may well be the lynchpin for Spurs this season, but
Carrick will need to step up to the challenge of playing alongside such an
experienced player. In the first half it looked like Carrick was already
reaping dividends, as he benefited from some space created by Davids, to
unleash a rising effort above Schwarzer’s
crossbar. It may take a little while for Davids and Carrick to sort out who
stays back, when the other forays forward, but it is surely a conundrum that
Jol will sort out eventually. He may also be given that time, should Tainio
continue to perform so consistently. His tireless running and commitment has
already gone down well with the White Hart Lane
faithful. Whilst Spurs appeared to be in control of the first half, it was
mainly due to Middlesbrough’s negative
tactics, which at times infuriated the Spurs fans, and at half time they
certainly let the Boro’ Manager and his players know what they felt.
The second half began with an early chance for
Boro’, with Boateng doing well to stay
onside, before lifting the ball onto the roof of the goal. But almost as
quickly as people were thinking that Boro’ would release the shackles
of their dour first half effort, Spurs took the lead. With Sven-Goran Eriksson watching from the stands, it was
inevitable, perhaps, that Defoe would create a moment of class that would
show that maybe forty-five minutes in the friendly against Denmark in
midweek, was not nearly enough. Defoe picking up the ball inside the
Boro’ half, and sprinting on before unleashing the kind of shot that
sucks your breath away. Eriksson remained unmoved in the stand, not even a
polite appreciation was forthcoming, which seemed a bit uncharitable. It was
another England
player that was shining in this match. Installed as Captain in the absence of
Ledley King, the England goalkeeper Paul Robinson was having the kind of game
that would only make it harder for the error prone David James to reclaim the
number one jersey. And Robinson needed to be in top form as Boro’ did
have a couple of very creditable opportunities to get on the score sheet,
although one or two of the chances would be viewed as misses. Having said
that, it was two stunning saves from free kicks, that showed Robinson in his
best light. The Spurs number one was having a good day at the office, whereas
his opposite number would soon find out that his day would be one to forget.
The game was getting more stretched and Boro’ had
changed their tactics in an effort to get something from the match. Even
though Boro’ had made some positive substitutions, it was still a game
that Spurs seemed to have a slight edge in, as Davids and co., where still
exerting themselves for the cause. A
one nil lead is never quite enough, and it was fifteen minutes left that
Spurs could sense victory. The ball worked its way to Mido, who sent away
something more akin to a pass than a strike at goal. Yet somehow, Schwarzer let the ball squirm underneath his grasp and
into the net. Maybe if the Australian stopper had been English, the watching
Eriksson may have considered him for the next England
friendly. It was to prove the decisive moment, as Spurs held on for yet
another two-goal win, which left them at the Premiership summit, even if it
might be a shortlived affair. Last season Jol saw Spurs create and
fritter away the kind of chances that Boro’ made for themselves, but he
would feel that his player’s efforts maybe deserved a little rub of the
green. He would also have been pleased to see Davids get a good game under
his belt, especially as the challenges ahead will only get more demanding.
Boro’ for their part can get better, but will not win any admirers if
they continue to spoil the way they did in the first 45 minutes.
Spurs left singing in the rain after
opening day win
Portsmouth 0
vs
THFC
2
Fratton Park,
Aug. 13th
2005
On the first day of the season,
you would expect both teams to be a little rusty, but the unusual sight of a
torrential downpour, in mid-August, it was the Spurs faithful who stood a
fair chance of getting rust. In the end, the Spurs fans went away singing in
the rain.
The fact that Spurs achieved an opening day
victory was more down to their determination to defend staunchly, than an
electric performance upfront. Portsmouth
had plenty of possession in the first period, and was putting the Spurs
rearguard under some pressure. Pompey put in lots of decent crosses, yet
their efforts lacked the punch upfront that a decent striker would provide.
For their part, Spurs were without several first team players, most notably
Ledley King and Edgar Davids. In Davids absence, it was Tainio who provided a
bit of steel in the middle of the park, and it looks like Jol may have a more
than useful player here, which may be crucial, depending on how many games
Davids does end up playing.
The first real effort for Spurs came to Routledge,
but he appeared to rush his shot, and generally, he did not seem that
settled. Having played in the Premiership last season, you would hope that he
did not have stage fright, but maybe he realises
expectations are higher at Spurs than his previous employers. Therefore, he
still has time to improve.
Spurs needed to be alert as Lua
Lua and Laurent Robert, tried to spark life into
Portsmouth’s attacks, but with Dawson impressive and ably supported by
Gardner and Stalteri (Edman had a poor game), the
visitors were not going to be easy to break down. It was defending at the
other end, which would lead to the games opening goal. Andy Griffin, in attempting to dampen
Mido’s possible chance, slid the ball past Westerveld
and into the Portsmouth
goal. Spurs had nicked the advantage.
From the fortunate end to the half, Spurs were
able to build, and in the early stages of the second half, seemed to be more
confident and purposeful. With Stalteri, having a steady debut, able to get
forward more and Carrick imposing himself in the middle. It was actually Mido
who did the trick, by threading a ball down the left channel, which Defoe ran
onto and then rounded Westverveld. Defoe then hit
his shot away before the Portsmouth
defence could get back. With some 25 minutes left,
this second goal seemed to knock most of the stuffing out of the Portsmouth
team. Although Robinson, who had a solid game in the trying conditions, did
well to smother the one last chance Pompey had in the last moments.
Whilst Portsmouth
already look like a team destined for a battle against the drop, Spurs can
feel confident that they can get better. Jol will know more than anyone that
this was not necessarily a top-notch performance, but the importance of
getting a win early on, will allow some of the newer players a chance to
relax and gain in confidence. In addition, with Davids still to come in, the
hope is that Spurs can be in contention for a higher finish in the league,
and hopefully European competition next season.
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