Category Archives: Previews - Page 2

Slippery Stoke

Posted by on October 22, 2009 11 comments

As I do with most home games against any teams outside the top few teams in the Premier League, I’d expect victory for Spurs against Stoke. Tony Pulis has done wonders firstly to get his club into the league and secondly, turning them into a formidable top flight side.

While Stoke are renowned for their home form, they have also been a lot more solid on the road this season than they were last. Other than the 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool in their first away outing of the season, Stoke have managed to three draws and a win from their four away fixtures since.

It seems like Pulis has decided to take a negative approach to away games and who can blame him? With the winning habit they have at home, just a few points on the road will ensure Stoke’s Premier League survival sooner rather than later.

The problem with taking this approach at the Lane is Spurs ability to score freely. We always come out the blocks with all guns blazing at home and an early goal completely ruins a lock down game plan for the opposition. The longer the game goes without a Tottenham goal, the better for Stoke. They are always dangerous of nicking something from set pieces and we will need to be solid defensively.

This is a key game for Spurs prior to the Arsenal next weekend and for me it’s the sort of game that suits us. I’d fancy a 3-0 or 3-1 score line that can keep us up with the pace at the top of the table and ensure that confidence is high before going to the Emirates.

Pompey

Posted by on October 16, 2009 2 comments

While they have some very average players (including a few of our cast offs), almost anything can happen in tomorrow’s game against Portsmouth. Although Harry might get some love from his old fans, I’d expect Spurs to be on the receiving end of a seriously hostile reception.

The Portsmouth fans could really carry their players through 90mins and with their win at Wolves, the return of Avram Grant and the arrival of Ali Al Faraj, the players and the club as a whole are bound to be in a much more positive frame of mind than they were a few weeks ago.

Jamie O’Hara isn’t allowed to play which is probably a positive as far as we are concerned but David James is back after injury. Defoe is likely to play against his old side after recovering from injury and Ledley could also be back.

We have a good record against Portsmouth in recent times, having only lost once in nine games. On form, you’d be hard pressed to bet against a Tottenham victory but with all the history and the fact Pompey have some stability for the first time this season, it’s unlikely to be straightforward.

I’ll still go for Spurs to nick it but I can envisage a right old game tomorrow afternoon.

Crouch Starts Tonight and Woodgate

Posted by on October 14, 2009 2 comments

It doesn’t look as though Peter Crouch’s lack of games for Tottenham is affecting his World Cup chances an awful lot. Capello is starting the big man against Belarus tonight alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor in the absence of Wayne Rooney.

I’ve always expected Crouch to be in Capello’s World Cup squad because he gives the Italian options. When Crouch has started for Spurs this season he’s always delivered and I’d certainly fancy him to be on the score sheet tonight against an unspectacular Belarus side.

I’m not sure how this will effect Harry’s plans against Portsmouth at the weekend. I fancied him to start Defoe and Crouch against their old side but he may not be inclined to start Crouch again Saturday if he has a tough game tonight. That being said, Robbie Keane will also be in action for one half of the Republic of Ireland’s game against the Czech Republic.

A good bit of news on Jonathan Woodgate. He managed to come through a behind closed doors friendly unscathed yesterday so there is an outside chance he could be on the bench for Saturday’s game. I thought he’d be out for a lot longer to be honest so fingers crossed he can get back to full fitness as soon as possible, it will give the side a massive boost.

The Bolton

Posted by on October 2, 2009 5 comments

Toughie. I wouldn’t fancy Kevin Davies big frame in my face for ninety minutes and I doubt Michael Dawson will either. This is the sort of game we’d get turned over in pre Harry. Even with him last season they bashed us up at the Reebok but he’s had time to make the side a bit more resilient since then.

I think it’s a game we can easily win. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us go up there and play Bolton off the park, score 3 or 4 and Keane and Corluka having their favourite tipple of Pimms by 5pm.

Equally possible is this scenario; Bolton get the early advantage with their physical presence, score 1 or 2 from set pieces and we end up chasing the game.

It will be interesting to see how Gary Cahill performs against his supposed suitors. He looks some player at the moment but quotes of £20m from the ever reliable Tabloid journalists are fucking ridiculous quite frankly.

After a couple of unlucky 1-0 defeats early season Bolton are on a good little run of only one defeat in five games and that was a game they played very well in against Liverpool. They impressed me in that they took heart from that performance even though they got beat and have won three since.

This is a game where I’ll be hopeful of a win but would take a draw. It may be that we can hit them on the break with devastating effect but I’m not sure how much we can soak up pressure from this Bolton side without them scoring. I hope you’ve got a winning game plan worked out Harry, because I bloody haven’t!

Chelsea

Posted by on September 18, 2009 11 comments

Unlike the Utd game I’m not going into this one full of optimism. Nothing to do with last week’s result though, just the fact I think going to Stamford Bridge is a much tougher proposition. I’ll be delighted to come away with a point. A defeat won’t be the end of the world.

Chelsea are playing like a well oiled machine at the moment. They have looked comfortable in most of their games thus far and still have a couple of gears to go. It just seems like they are able to find a goal when required.

The positive thing for us Spurs fans is our recent record against the blues. We’ve not lost to Chelsea in our last four meetings with them and we are also the last team to have beaten them in the Premier League, although that was at the Lane.

Harry’s been quoted as saying he doesn’t plan on sitting back;

“We can’t go there and nullify them for 90 minutes – we haven’t got the players to do that. I have attacking players who like to play and express themselves.”

Chelsea’s record at Stamford Bridge is quite simply awesome. Even when they play badly at home, they still normally win. The fact we are going there with an attacking approach is a positive for me. Like Harry says, I don’t think we have the personnel to go there and try and lock down for a point. Our best opportunity of getting something out the game is to score a goal. More than one would be nice!

Like I said earlier, I’ll be pleased to get anything from this game but if we do lose I won’t lose any sleep over it. We have a nice looking run of games coming up against Burnley, Bolton, Pompey and Stoke before Arsenal away at the end of October. If we are still sitting in the top 6 come the Arsenal game, I’ll be more than happy.

The Fear Factor

Posted by on September 11, 2009 15 comments

Tottenham are probably better equipped to beat Manchester United tomorrow than they have been at any point in the last ten years. I have no doubt Spurs are more than capable of beating Utd at White Hart Lane on Saturday and I think they just might.

Personnel aside, the difference between the current Tottenham squad and those of years gone by is belief. This current crop of players actually believe they can beat anyone. We may have had our ups and downs over the last few years, and some players have come and gone and come again, but the fear that used to mean we could never get anywhere against the top four clubs in the country has now gone.

On current form, Spurs should be the favourites going into this game. Based on history and reputation they are not, but if you look at the actual results and analyse the performances on the pitch so far this season, Spurs have outperformed Utd. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing Man U off and it’s asking a lot for Spurs to continue the 100% record against the current Premier League Champions, but as far as I’m concerned, there is a very good chance of us doing just that.

The two games this season that have really stood out for me have been the first and the last. Think back to when Liverpool were awarded their penalty. The Tottenham sides of years gone by would have fallen apart at that point and very likely lost the match. The current side didn’t panic, took the game by the scruff of the neck and got another goal to ensure the three points.

A similar story could have unfolded against Birmingham. A goal around the 75min mark for the visitors would often have seen past Spurs sides get nervy and concede a scrappy late goal to lose the game. Instead, we kept going and found a winner. While you can say it wasn’t a great performance, in my eyes it was. The difference between the top four Premier League sides and us in the past has been our inability to win games that we might not have dominated or even deserved to win on the balance of play. We now seem to have overcome this failure.

Under Harry, Tottenham play with a new confidence and the fear factor that has been holding us back for so long appears to have almost disappeared completely. Obviously the quality players he’s added to the squad have helped, but the mental aspect of the game is just as important. Win, lose or draw tomorrow, I’m just happy in the knowledge that the players on the pitch believe they can do it.

Anyone else hate Internationals?

Posted by on September 4, 2009 35 comments

These International breaks drive me mad. Settling down in front of the racing and Soccer Saturday just isn’t the same without some Premiership action, specifically without Spurs.

I really have very little interest where International football is concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I support England in their matches but I just don’t have the same passion for them as I did when I was younger. The period under McLaren where most of the players looked like they couldn’t give a feck was the final nail in the coffin for me.

While it’s nice to see the Spurs players doing well for their countries, I just don’t have any enthusiasm for it unless there is a major tournament going on and I’m generally just worried about one of our players returning from duty with a nasty injury.

Probably the only thing I am interested to see is whether or not Aaron Lennon can take his improved form for Tottenham onto the International stage. He’s certainly good enough to be a permanent fixture in the England side and his distribution should only get better from here on in. I’d imagine Capello will give him at least a half so lets hope he takes his chance.

Defoe seems to be the player everyone is talking about in the build up to the game after his brace against the Dutch and his superb form for Tottenham at the start of the season. I’m not having a pop at him but I think he’s that type of player that thrives on the attention and I’ll be surprised if Jermain doesn’t get himself on the score sheet again.

Who should start?

Posted by on August 28, 2009 13 comments

The Tottenham team has pretty much been picking itself in the league since the opening game of season, but after some good performances from the fringe players at Doncaster on Wednesday, do any of them deserve to start at the Lane against Birmingham tomorrow?

It’s a hard one for Harry Redknapp because on paper, Birmingham at home should be an easy 3 points. Obviously nothing should be taken for granted but it must be tempting for him to give Crouch, Pavlyuchenko or Bentley a game. Is it worth tinkering with a winning league side though? Other than having to shuffle the defence when Ledley needed a rest against Hull, it has been the same set of players in all three league victories.

Personally, I’d struggle to know what to do if I were in the manager’s shoes. The only real obvious one would be starting Crouch in place of Keane but even that’s a difficult move with Keane having started the season very confidently and being team captain. Bentley’s been in the dock today so I’m not sure it’s the right time for him to be starting and Pavlychenko has just enlightened us on his desire to leave.

The fact we don’t have another game for two weeks when Man Utd visit the Lane means Harry doesn’t need to rest anyone but he may choose to give those who are likely to feature for their country next weekend a breather.

Not exactly sticking my neck out but whatever the eleven Redknapp decides on, I’m confident of all three points tomorrow. Let’s hope Steven Carr doesn’t come back to haunt us!

Doncaster, Defoe, Dream Team and D-Day

Posted by on August 13, 2009 5 comments

I wasn’t too interested in last night’s International so went and played some golf very badly in a thunderstorm instead. I wished I’d stayed at home to see little Defoe’s brace. From the highlights, it looked as though England made some silly mistakes but showed very good fight and team spirit to pull it back and come out the game with a 2-2 draw. I’m delighted Jermain made the most of his chance and it should give him a lot of confidence going into Sunday’s match. I know a lot of you will disagree but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Defoe start Sunday’s game on the bench because he could have a huge impact in the latter part of the game if things are as tight as I expect them to be.

Not the easiest draw for our opening Carling Cup fixture with an away trip to Doncaster but it could have been worse. Sean O’Driscoll’s side play some nice football and it should be a very entertaining game. They have started the season with a point at Watford and a win away at Notts County in the first round of the Carling Cup. We should have too much for them even at the Keepmoat Stadium and I’m sure Harry must have this trophy in mind as a realistic target again.

With Liverpool only a few of days away now, my nerves and excitement are increasing in equal measures. The pessimist in me says I’d be happy with a draw but I can honestly see the game going either way. If we play to our potential, there is no reason why we can’t take all 3 points. Tottenham’s front line is certainly stronger than Liverpool’s now and the fact we have a number of options will make it difficult for their defenders. The negative for us is the fact it’s a new partnership at the back with Bassong and King. They will have their work cut out keeping Fernando Torres at bay but knowing we have goals in us should give them the confidence to play a composed and solid game.

Our Fantasy League for this season in association with Expert Betting Advice is open for business. It always gets a lot of participants and it would be nice to get a few more Spurs fans on board. Should be a good crack.

Go here to register:

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Once you have chosen your team, click on leagues then enter the following code to join the EBA League:

534369-119079

Liverpool

Posted by on May 23, 2009 2 comments

Probably the biggest game of this season as far as the board are concerned with the money that will be generated next but is it a match that is as crucial to Harry Redknapp? He has been quoted in the press as saying the Europa League could be a distraction and he’d prefer to concentrate on our league position next season.

I have no doubt Redknapp will be doing his upmost to get a result at Anfield but I also don’t think he’d be disappointed to come away without a victory. It probably won’t matter in any case if Fulham can continue their fine form.

Steven Gerrard has been talking up this game as if they should put on a right show for his fans and him only being two goals off Anelka and Ronaldo means he’ll certainly be wanting to get on the score sheet.

Personally, I’d be very happy to see us sneak in the Europa League. The new format gives the competition a bit more prestige and I think it’s important for a club like us to be consistently playing European football even if it is at the lesser level.

Everything points to a Liverpool victory however. It’s six years since Liverpool ended a top-flight season with defeat and Spurs have lost three of their last four last day away league fixtures. We have also only won once at Anfield in the Premier League.

Tomorrow should be another interesting close to the season anyway, especially where the bottom of the table is concerned. Now we have all the transfer rumours to look forward to and as Spurs fans, that is probably our busiest part of the year!