Spurs Online

Tag: premier

  • What’s the point?

    What’s the point?

    Preview:

    With both the manager and players fully aware Ange is out of the door come end of the season it is clear neither have any interest in the remainder of these league games. I would be pissed if I was one of the other Premiership teams, as they are effectively throwing the games now. This comes form a manager who claimed he would never deliberately lose a match. What a fraud!

    Fixture:

    Friday 16th May, 19:30

    Aston Villa Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On:

    UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League

    Optus Sport

    Result: 2-0 (Villa Win)

    E. Konsa (59′)

    B. Kamara (73′)

    Match Report:

    We lost! 21st defeat in league.

    In Ange’s words: “we looked like we were fatiguing and then the game just got away from us.”

    Fair dinkum mate!

    However if we look at the starting 11….

    Kinsky: 39 games played this season 24/25

    Spence: 33 games played

    Danso: 27 games

    Davies: 27 games

    Reguilon: 6 games

    Gray: 44 games

    Sarr: 53 games

    Moore: 22 games

    Odobert: 21 games

    Sonny: 45 games

    Tel: 33 games

    Fatigued eh? Hmm.

    Lets look at the Villa starting 11:

    Martínez: 52 games played this season 24/25

    Cash: 37 games played

    Konsa: 49 games

    Torres: 33 games

    Maatsen: 44 games

    Kamara: 41 games

    Onana: 33 games

    Rogers: 53 games

    Asensio: 36 games

    McGinn: 48 games

    Watkins: 53 games

    So, notice anything? More bullshit excuses from Ange.

    Anyway, as the title states, what’s the point?

    Roll on Wednesday!

    COYS!!!!!!!!

  • Spurs March On

    Spurs March On

    Preview:

    Spurs are marching on in Europe but it’s ChangeforTottenham who have organised the next march before the Palace game, hopefully the fans will get behind them!

    Fixture:

    Sunday 11th May, 14:15

    Tottenham Hotspur Vs Crystal Palace

    Premier League

    Available On:

    Astro Premier League 3

    Hub Premier 3

    Optus Sport

    Sky Sport NZ 5

    Result: 0-2 (Palace Win)

    E. Eze (45′, 48′)

    Match Report:

    Listen to Audio on Spotify

    Congratulations to Ange for setting another record this season with his 20th league defeat of the season and now officially the worse ever Spurs manager in history. Well done mate, I knew you could do it!

    So it’s been a really strange end to this Premiership. All season we have been struggling with injuries and unable to play our best team. We were promised it would get better once these players returned yet now they have we still don’t see our so called best eleven on the pitch. 

    We are now told these games don’t matter and 19 or 20 defeats is irrelevant, this comes from a manager that still gives the fans grief for not wanting to see Arsenal lift the title last season. He was quite happy to throw the match against Liverpool though right?

    The fans seem just as confused as the players I think and who can blame them after such a crazy season. The half time walkout against Palace was cancelled as it was decided by the fans that it was more important to get behind the team. Ok that sounds fair I guess, but then the fans also say that these results in the Premiership no longer matter as the Uefa cup is the only competition that’s important now. 

    Is it just me or does that sound a bit contradictory?

    Personally I think all the games matter and for me these games are a missed opportunity for the best eleven to find some form and consistency, which we have been lacking all season.

    Everyone seems petrified at the thought of us losing players to injury but that’s football, it happens, you cannot wrap these players in cotton wool. Despite all the precautions we have lost Bergvall and Maddison anyway for the remainder of the season and Kulusevski limped off against Palace.

    As it stands we are approaching one of the biggest games of our lives without form, without confidence and without a creative playmaker.

    I think some fans need to remember what the protests are about and differentiate between supporting the team and the protests which are against the CLUB. It is possible to do both. We all want to see the team succeed and we all want to see glory in Bilbao, but that doesn’t mean we are not still pissed off with the clubs poor management.

    Have you ever considered maybe the players want to see the fans protest too? Afterall they are desperate for success but it is difficult for them to speak out while they are under contract from the club! Perhaps then it is up to the fans to speak out for them? I am sure the players wouldn’t have minded the fans missing that embarrassing performance lol.

    Anyway that’s my grumble finished. As for the Palace game, 8 changes were made from Thursday and oh yeh we got battered at home again. Half time was 1 nil and could have been two or three had it not been for VAR and a very fortunate handball. The second half started quickly with a Palace tap in and another defeat was imminent. We were terrible, but it’s ok right these games don’t matter. What’s another defeat lol.

    Son was introduced after 57 minutes who desperately needs some minutes to prove his fitness before the final. That was about the only change Ange could make as the bench was largely made up of the players Ange wanted to rest. Smart!

    It was a poor performance and I can barely recall a single chance on goal for Spurs, people will use the excuse of a pending final on the 21st but if that’s the case then how come Palace appeared unaffected by there pending final on the 17th?

    Of course if we win in Bilbao it’s true these defeats will be forgotten. Some fans have even suggested Ange would deserve a legend status but I think that would be an insult to the real legends at this club. He certainly would have earned his place in the history books though, right up there with Ramos. Do you remember him? Funny how no one mentions his name but everyone talks fondly of Poch, a man with no trophies at Spurs. What does that tell you?

    Entertainment Value: 2/10

    I like the Palace team but I don’t even know what I’m watching anymore with this Spurs team. We are now 17th and some fans are talking about legend status, what an absolute joke.

    Standout Players: Be serious!

    Next Match: Away to Villa on Friday.

    As Savva (FHTV) rightly pointed out following the Palace defeat, in Ange’s Churchill speech (very moving lol), he talks of using the next two league games as preparation for the final. What preparation did we see against Palace with the 8 changes made? What preparations can we expect against Villa?

  • Best of a bad bunch?

    Best of a bad bunch?

    Preview:

    With West Ham equally as terrible as ourselves this season who is going to finish top of this London derby?

    Fixture:

    Sunday 4th May, 14:00

    West Ham Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On:

    Astro Premier League

    Optus Sport

    Result: 1-1

    W. Odobert (15′)

    J. Bowen (28′)

    Match Report:

    Listen to Audio on Spotify

    Watch Video on YouTube

    Watch Video on TikTok

    A game described by all fans as lacklustre and boring, the attitude being shown towards these remaining premiership games is appalling in my opinion. 

    It shouldn’t matter what position we are in the league or what European fixtures we have in wait, those players should be playing for pride if nothing else.

    The only people who appeared to be smiling at the final whistle where the two managers who had that look on there face that said, “yes at least we didn’t lose again”.

    If that is the best our B Team can produce then there are a lot of players who need to go along with this manager come end of season.

    Spurs scored early on when Tel pressed his defender, forcing an error and then provided the assist for Odobert who couldn’t miss. Despite going a goal up though it was no surprise to see us concede a goal only 15 minutes later with a simple little pass behind the defence. It was a clever finish from Bowen but you would expect Vicario to do better. Next time keep ya legs closed mate! To be fair he pulled off a good save in the second half.

    With the game level at 1 a piece neither team or managers looked interested in changing this scoreline and Spurs made just the single change in the second half with Mickey Moore getting a rare appearance off the bench.

    It’s hard to find any positives about this game, I’m not a fan of West Ham’s pitch I will say that, it looks so narrow and at times the match resembled a kids match (not for first time this season), with all the players constantly compacted down one side of the pitch. 

    Without an intelligent midfielder nobody was trying to distribute the ball across the pitch and Odobert was starved of the ball for much of the game.

    There’s not a lot more we can say about this game really other than that it was a missed opportunity to climb a position in the table following Utd’s defeat to Brentford. There goes another 3 million Levy!

    Entertainment value: 3/10

    No idea why I gave it a 3, maybe a point for each goal and an extra one for the bubbles:)

    Standout Players: Not this week lol

    Next Match:

    So, it’s all about Thursdays game now and whoever is braving the weather and making that trip, make sure to take your long johns lol. 

    But the big question is can we do it? Yes I think so, I believe we’re going to Bilbao, we might lose on the night in Norway but I think we will hold it to a single deficit and our two goal cushion from the first leg will be enough.

    Good luck boys! COYS!

  • The title is theirs!

    The title is theirs!

    Preview:

    There’s no question Liverpool will be celebrating their title success this week and they have been by far the most consistent team this season. At least it’s not the Gooners!

    Fixture:

    Sunday 27th April, 16:30

    Liverpool Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On:

    UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event

    UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League

    Optus Sport

    Result: 5-1 (Liverpool Win)

    D. Solanke (12′)

    L. Díaz (16′)

    A. Mac Allister (24′)

    C. Gakpo (34′)

    Mohamed Salah (63′)

    D. Udogie (69′ og)

    Match Report:

    Spurs took an early lead but it made absolutely no difference as the result went the way we all expected.  It was a game of boys versus men, tactics versus angeball, a well drilled team versus headless chickens, spirited versus defeated, organisation versus pure chaos. 

    Going to Liverpool is never an easy fixture but the lineup showed little intent of getting anything from this game with Anges thoughts clearly on Thursdays semi final. Was he justified, is it acceptable to play such a weak defence?

    I don’t think so personally, I don’t think starting a game at Anfield with Danso and Davies is smart on any level especially when you have both first choice centre halves available on the bench.

    Mind you, to be fair it doesn’t seem to matter which players we play at the back these days, the opposition just walks past us. Liverpool replied with 2 quick goals relatively unchallenged to take the lead. After just 25 minutes it wasn’t even a question of whether Liverpool will be lifting that trophy, it was just a case of how many goals we were going to be humiliated by this time around.

    By the time the third goal went in from a corner set piece with another unchallenged shot, I was already thinking it was time to put a movie on and just destress. After all, another hour of this was going to be torture. I was glad I had the TV on mute and couldn’t hear those scousers celebrating their ‘stroll in the park’.

    Listening to the watchalong from WeareTottenhamTV made it slightly more bare able but even Sim and Bens optimism was not going to cut it today. I think they’ve been listening to too many of Anges brainwashing interviews to be honest.  Nothing against those guys but lay off the Ange pills! I recommend you go cold turkey from all Ange interviews and clear that shit out of your system:)

    When your team goes in at half time 1-3 down and you’re relieved it’s only 3 goals, you know it’s time for change. But we know we are stuck with Ange for at least a couple more weeks yet. If he’s still in a job after the defeat to Bodo then we are in trouble!

    So the second half kicked off, yes I’m still here, I’m a Spurs fan, a sucker for punishment lol. Ange made a couple of changes in midfield with Kulu and Sarr coming on for Mads and Gray. These changes appeared no more tactical than the starting lineup with this game being treated as purely a workout for the lads before Thursdays game. A workout! For Liverpool this was a stroll!

    Making a change of my own I’m afraid Sim and Bens optimism had to get the chop and in came Mr Happy himself Gary Neville. It didn’t help, Liverpool were passing it through our defence like it wasn’t even there and the corners were mounting up. Bollox to it I’m gonna put on Expressions Oozing, I need a laugh! Wow this game is so poor even Expressions is speechless 😂

    Well I lasted 15 minutes of the second half but after the fourth goal I’d seen enough. I don’t care what you say, I couldn’t take anymore, it’s embarrassing and it’s unacceptable no matter who’s in the lineup. I would call it a joke but I ain’t laughing, Enic clearly have no shame allowing this to go on.

    I don’t need to listen to Anges post match interview, I’ve heard it all before. The fact is we are 3 games away from lifting our first trophy in 17 years, our first European trophy in 40 years and I cannot find any excitement right now. I was planning on going to Bilbao, I’ve said all season I would go but that motivation has gone. I’m considering heading to London to watch the final in the Stadium but I don’t really feel like giving Enic a penny of my money either.

    Entertainment value: 1/10

    For Liverpool this game will go down in history as the day they won the Premier league title in front of their home fans. But for Spurs fans this will be remembered as the day Ange rolled over to have his belly tickled by Slot. Who’s a clever boy!

    Standout players: Pass

    Time for change

    #Angeout

    #Levyout

    #boycotttottenhamstadium

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  • A rebuild that works!

    A rebuild that works!

    Preview:

    Chelsea is up next and they are showing exactly how a rebuild is done. You see Levy, it doesn’t have to take 25 years!

    Fixture:

    Thursday 3rd April, 20:00

    Chelsea Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On:

    UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event

    UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League

    Optus Sport

    Result: 1-0 (Chelsea Win)

    E. Fernández (50′)

    Match Report:

    With just a single win at Stamford Bridge in our last 40 attempts, of course the focus was never going to be on the result but rather the level of performance.

    Could Ange turn this team around? Are the players still behind Ange? Are the fans still backing Ange ball?

    Well as most would have predicted (no prizes there) it was another under par performance with a 1-0 defeat that perhaps deceives the eye. The difference in class was clear to see and at the end of the game a 1 nil defeat actually felt like a bit of a result for us!

    Looking at the lineup it was about as good as we could have hoped for in all fairness, with the only missing player worth noting being Kulusevski. Besides him this was Spurs at full strength, yet Spurs were nowhere near the levels of Chelsea. Chelsea are by no means the finished article right now and have been struggling for form themselves as of late, but top teams know how to grind out results. 

    The fact is the Tottenham players were doing their best, but too many of these players are just not in the same league as the top teams and that coupled with questionable tactics, means players are being found out week in week out. Until we have a chairman that is willing to invest in top class players we cannot expect any more of our team, this is what Levy has brought us to because he simply does not understand football and is more concerned about his spreadsheets and profit margins.

    Tottenham have been heading in the wrong direction for some time and it has to be said these problems started well before Ange Postecoglou came onto the scene. The problems were already visible when Mauricio Pochettino was at the club when the team was neglected for the new stadium build. It’s been a steady decline since and not even world class coaches like Mouruhno and Conte could stop the rot, so what chance does Ange have with no experience of top flight football?

    Fans may be distracted with the hope of glory in Europe this year and may feel Premier league results are irrelevant now with nothing to play for. This may be true but what is more important is this set of players discover their form and get some momentum going. Form is not something you can just turn on when you feel like it, it comes from putting a string of decent results together, gaining confidence and that feeling of invincibility. It is fair to say Spurs have not had this feeling for quite some time. Since Ange took over Spurs have won 36 of his 73 games in charge with just a 49 per cent win percentage.

    So, how bad is it?

    • It is Spurs’ most number of defeats in a single season since the 2008/09 season.
    • Spurs are on course to finish in our lowest Premier League place in history, which was previously set in the 1993/94 term when we ended up in 15th.
    • Spurs could also finish the season with our lowest ever points tally, which was previously set in the 1997/98 season, with just 44 points under Christian Gross.
    • It means that Postecoglou is on course to become the worst Tottenham manager in our Premier League history.

    Entertainment Value: 6 / 10

    Based on Chelsea’s performance as Spurs were crap.

    Standout Players: It is hard to pick out players at the moment, no player really deserves a special mention so I will have to give it to young Mikey Moore (un used Sub), nice to see him back in the squad 🙂

  • We must be sustainable says Levy

    Tottenham’s Daniel Levy preaches the same message again to the fans, which I am sure has gone down well 🙂

  • Training Exercise

    Training Exercise

    Preview:

    With nothing to play for in the league I expect rotation and hope for opportunities for the youngsters.

    Fixture:

    Sunday 16th March, 13:30

    Fulham Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On:

    Astro Premier League 2

    Hub Premier 3

    Optus Sport

    Sky Sport 3 NZ

    Result: 2-0 (Fulham Win)

    Rodrigo Muniz (78′)

    R. Sessegnon (88′)

    Match Report:

    I don’t care what you say, only in ‘Ange World’ does a midfield of Bentancur, Bissouma and Gray make any sense. Gray has waited patiently all season for this opportunity and that’s his reward, being teamed up with those two numpties.

    There was a time when we only got to see our 2nd string of players in Uefa cup matches, now it has reversed and we get to see them in the Premier league fixtures instead which tells you everything you need to know about our dire league position this season.

    Once again we start with Mads and Bergvall on the bench in Kulus absence and once again it doesn’t work, surprise surprise! Of course the result hardly matters and we shouldn’t criticise him for squad rotation after everything that’s happened to the players this season. But I don’t think there’s any excuse for not playing a single creative midfielder, that’s just fu$%ing stupid!

    Sure at half time Ange makes changes but when you start with such a lacklustre lineup you are chasing the game from the start. We went out with a negative team setup and consequently we got what we deserved from the game. 

    Was we unlucky with the penalty claim on the Bergvall tackle? Maybe we had a claim but didn’t Fulham have a claim in the first half?

    Was it fate Sessegnon came on and scored Fulham’s second to seal the game? When we are relying on players like Davies in the back four you’re always going to concede sooner or later and let’s be honest, it was poor from Davies!

    Clearly Van de Ven still isn’t 100% fit so I suspect we won’t be seeing him on the pitch again for another month! But what was more disappointing was the absence of young Mikey Moore who didn’t even make it on the bench. I don’t know if he was unavailable, maybe he had homework, I don’t know and am too fed up to even do my research.

    But I would like to see these remaining Premier league games used to rotate the young players and continue the development of players like Moore because at the end of the day, it’s all about next season now and how much experience these players can gain between now and then.

    Does Ange care about next season? I am guessing not, I expect he knows he’s got very slim chance of being at Spurs next season.

    The commentary said the Spurs players looked jaded after Thursdays midweek game, yet only 3 of those outfield players had started In Thursdays game. The pundits may easily be fooled but the supporters know better. This wasn’t a jaded performance, this was just another sub par performance that was of no surprise to any of us.

    Ange has been a very lucky boy this season, had it not been for ALL the injuries he wouldn’t be in a job still, I am sure of that! But his luck is running out and so are his excuses…what have we had so far…

    • The players don’t play enough (last season).
    • The players are over played! (this season).
    • We cannot cope with injuries.
    • The players have fatigue.
    • It’s just where are are!
    • And in Fulham’s post match interview he even used the WIND as an excuse I shit you not!

    I’ve had enough, bring back Ossie!

    Entertainment Value: 4/10

    Standout Players: No one stood out in this poor game but Romero was probably the key difference, once he left the pitch Fulham found space to score 2 goals (both from Romero’s side).

  • “Last night was a reflection of where we are”.

    “Last night was a reflection of where we are”.

    Preview:

    They were the words of Ange following the defeat to AZ. If that’s the case we may as well give Bournemouth the points now!

    Fixture:

    Sunday 9th March, 14:00

    Tottenham Hotspur Vs AFC Bournemouth 

    Premier League

    Available On:

    UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event

    UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League

    Astro Premier League 2

    Bein Sports English 1

    Optus Sport

    Peacock Premium

    SuperSport Premier League

    Result: 2-2

    M. Tavernier (42′)

    Evanilson (65′)

    P. Sarr (67′)

    Son Heung-Min (84′ pen)

    Match Report:

    When you look at the lineup you know 2 things straight off.

    1. Ange has absolutely no interest in using Gray in midfield and is delusional if he thinks the likes of Danso and Bissouma should be picked ahead of anyone let alone Gray.
    2. With Kulu out injured and Mads and Bergvall on the bench we were going to lack any creativity from the midfield.

    With most players available for selection now we have quickly shifted from the excuse of injuries to “it’s where we are”. Yes mate, unfortunately we can all see where we are!

    So kick off began:

    20 Seconds…

    It took Bournemouth all of about 20 seconds to see where we are, when Romero passed the ball straight to Evanilson and Vicario was forced into action pulling off a great save. 

    4th minute…

    Just a few minutes later Bissouma loses possession in front of goal and Vicario pulls off a double save this time to keep the score level.

    6th minute…

    It’s not until the 6th minute when Spurs manage something half decent themselves as Spence plays a nice through pass for Odobert who has all the time to put a decent ball into the box. Unfortunately that’s as far as it gets!

    14th minute…

    When Johnson breaks away down the wing in the 14th minute there looks to be a real chance for Spurs as he uses his pace to get past his man. With no one in the box to fire in a cross Johnson tries to cut in and beat his man again on the inside but it all goes horribly wrong. Perhaps that’s why we never see him try this normally!

    17th minute… 

    Johnson releases Porro who puts in the cross but it goes to the goalkeeper who parries it away and now a Bournemouth counter is on. Within moments Bournemouth were on the half way line with 3 against 3! With one quick pass that quickly materialises to Romero finding himself up against 2 men to defend. Romero does pretty much all he can do and brings down Kluivert on the edge of the box to stop the attack.

    19th minute… 

    We lose possession on the half way line but this is only the start of more comical defending. When the ball goes all the way through to Vicario there looks to be no problem, right? Haha, in typical Angeball style, Vicario goes short to Romero which looks fine at first. Romero, with all the time in the world, decides to pass straight back to Vicario. Yes I Know, it makes no sense. Now Vicario is under pressure for absolutely no reason at all other than stupidity. Vicario just manages to scramble the ball away before being dispatched and now Bournemouth are on the attack again!

    20th minute… 

    Spurs do manage to go on the counter themselves though with Bentancur breaking away. He brings the ball into the Bournemouth half and has Johnson and Porro available to him. Johnson cuts in and Porro goes on the overlap leaving a simple through pass for Bentancur to make. He fails to find anyone with the pass!

    41st minute… 

    Spurs find themselves with all the space and time on the half way line and Porro has options ahead of him with 3 white shirts providing Spurs with opportunity to make a decent attack. Instead Porro passes direct to Bournemouth’s full back who now has all the space he needs to attack himself. With Porro out of position he is able to run down the wing unchallenged and by the time Porro gets anywhere near him he is already in a position to look for the cross. The cross is absolutely inch perfect, beating Danso and Spence. It’s a great cross and a nice finish from Tavernier.

    1 nil to Bournemouth!

    44th minute… 

    But if things couldn’t get more comical one of my favourite moments was when Bissouma picks up the ball in Bournemouth’s half but his first time touch is so poor he somehow dribbles the wrong way with the ball, back to his own half. Eventually losing possession on the half way line he is forced to bring down the Bournemouth player to stop yet another self inflicted Bournemouth attack. Bissouma receives a yellow card for his efforts. For this I am awarding Bissouma with “funniest moment of the match”! Well done mate.

    HALF TIME… 

    Ange makes 2 changes with Bergvall and Son replacing Bissouma and Johnson. Bissouma was having a stinker of a game and I would say he looks like a player that has lost interest in either playing for Ange or playing for Spurs altogether. 

    Something I have also noticed about Anges peculiar team selections is the fact that he has picked on more than one occasion Bergvall and Maddison to play together in an away fixture, when I would expect us to start with a more reserved midfield. He did this against AZ and I even recall him doing it  against Galatasaray back in November when Bergvall had next to no experience. We lost that game course. 

    Yet here we are in a home fixture against Bournemouth and with Kulu out injured, we find both Mads and Bergvall starting on the bench. Make sense of that if you can! I don’t understand how a midfield consisting of Bentancur, Bissouma and Sarr makes any sense at all for a home game when we have those 2 players available for selection.

    51st minute… 

    Bournemouth go on the attack again and Kluivert has miles of space to run into, he puts it away with ease. But the linesman’s flag goes up and there is an offside at the start of the play. We’ll take it! We are at home to Bournemouth and we are hanging in lol.

    54th minute… 

    Now it’s Spurs turn to form an attack and Bentancur finds Sarr who moves it quickly onto Sonny. In this position you know there’s only one thing on Sons mind and that’s curl it into the far corner. He makes some space to get the shot away and it looks close! It brushes the post and it’s just wide.

    61st minute… 

    After an hour of play I was beginning to think another 1 nil defeat would be a good result for us here. After all this is where we are! Not even the introduction of VDV and Mads gave me any optimism for a better result. But with Mads and Bergvall both on the pitch the midfield was beginning to resemble a midfield at least.

    63rd minute… 

    Mads and Bergvall link up with Spence and Sonny down the left flank, Mads makes a nice one-two into the box. Sarr comes into the box late and is wide open for the shot, he looks certain to score. Unfortunately the shot that followed resembled something I would expect to see at your local pub team. He completely scuffs his shot and the ball goes a mile wide.

    65th minute… 

    Moments later Bournemouth are on the attack again and an easy pass through releases Evanilson who calmly slots it away with a chip over Vicario. This time the linesman’s flag stays down.

    It’s 2 nil to Bournemouth! 

    66th minute… 

    When Son lays it across to Bergvall there doesn’t appear to be much on and that’s maybe what Bergvall was thinking because he cracks it from 30 yards catching everyone off guard. The goalie looks beat, but it rattles the post! Fabulous effort though.

    67th minute… 

    When Sarr picks up the ball on the half way line we have 3 white shirts going forward with him. A through pass to Odobert looks the obvious choice but instead he decides to cross it into the box with only Solanke in the box! Incredibly, the cross is so far off the mark it finds the back of the net. A superb strike lol but the lack of celebration tells us all we need to know about that attempt.

    It’s now 1-2 to Bournemouth.

    69th minute… 

    More self-inflicted pressure at the back after a slow back pass from Bergvall and Vicario scrambles back to save his blushes. 

    73rd minute… 

    Bournemouth, you guessed it, attack again. 3 versus 2 so it’s the standard defending setup from Spurs. Bournemouth break into the box with ease and get away the shot. This time Vicario can only watch as it hits the post! Don’t know how but somehow we are still hanging in!

    82nd minute… 

    Ok so we have highlighted just how many times Spurs try to play out from the back and put themselves under this self inflicted pressure and quite often even concede a goal! Well this time it actually works so lets enjoy it!

    Vicario plays it out to VDV, who finds Son and quickly plays it off to Spence. Spence plays a simple pass to Mads and now we are in Bournemouth’s half. Mads plays a quick through pass releasing Sonny who has continued his run. Son gets into the box and the goalie makes the decision to come out but Son beats him to the ball. It’s a Penalty! 

    Crazy moments from Kepa but we don’t mind, Sonny can bring us level:) With a low in confidence Son stepping up I have to say I was a bit nervous but wow, it’s a cheeky one as he just ‘dinks’ it into an open net with Kepa diving to his left. That just rubs salt into the goalie’s wounds, I love it!

    It’s 2-2, don’t ask me how!

    Final minutes…

    With 5 minutes remaining, Spurs have available both Scarlett and Tel on the bench for a final substitution but instead Ange opts to bring on defender Udogie. That probably sums up the feelings towards this unexpected draw. So two-all it finished as incredible as it seems.

    Did we deserve it? Not a chance.

    Will this give the team confidence before Thursday’s big game? I doubt it!

    Are we near the end of this whacky experiment ? I really hope so:)

  • It’s only City!

    It’s only City!

    Fixture:

    Wednesday 26th February, 19:30

    Tottenham Hotspur Vs Manchester City

    Premier League

    Available On:

    UK TV – TNT Sports

    Optus Sport

    Peacock Premium

    Result: 0-1 (Manchester City Win)

    E. Haaland (12′)

    Match Report:

    Looking at the lineup I cant say it gave me much confidence. With Kulu on the bench, Spence dropped for Porro and Udogie, Gray back in centre half position and a front line that was teaming up for the first time.

    It almost felt like Ange had looked at the coming fixtures and thought bollox, lets not bother with this one! I am guessing that Ange was hoping a quicker front three would be more of a threat on the counter in a fixture we always expect to be open. And of course, it was!

    It didn’t take long for City to score with a goal coming from very little effort on there part to be honest. Dans-no was so far out of position you would have thought he was playing striker in those opening minutes. When Danso does finally get back he is caught out completely ball watching and nowhere near his man who ultimately sticks it in the back of the net unchallenged. To be fair its an improvement on last weeks game when Danso was sat on the floor for the Ipswich goal.

    If that wasn’t enough of a concern, Porro was getting run ragged by Doku and it made me wonder how Spence would be managing against him? After half an hour we could be three goals down with one way traffic offering no way out for Spurs. How City had not scored more at this point is incredible and the only question to ask was can we hold onto this 1 nil loss til half time!

    Both Porro and Udogie were struggling down the flanks and Danso was resigned to wrestling his man down to the ground to stop City’s relentless attacks. It was poor, but not a surprise. After all we weren’t playing Ipswich or Brentford, this is a top 4 side and despite City’s struggles it was clear which side was in the top half of the league table.

    Something had to change because City were being allowed to play how they wanted and Doku was given so much space you could have got a jumbo jet down that side. Despite this, we know from watching City this season if you put them under enough pressure they can crumble. A bit like Spurs lol.

    After half an hour of attacking from City they looked to be finally taking a breather and a couple of fouls provided free kicks in some useful positions for Spurs which provided some half chances, but at the very least eased the pressure off the Spurs defenders. Minutes later we did it!! The half time whistle went and we were only a goal down, that was a positive for the first half.

    No changes at half time but Spurs did come out looking a bit more lively. With Bentancur struggling with the pace, Bergvall still learning his trade (I don’t think he’s being played to his strengths but who is in this system), the reliance was on Mads to produce some magic in that midfield which had been largely overrun in the first half. But for every positive play we managed, City looked equally dangerous on the attack too.

    However it was Spurs who made the best chance to score with Porro putting in a low cross in the 55th minute and Odobert looked a certain on the far post to find the equaliser. The chance was missed but Spurs were growing into the game. As Spurs grew in confidence City looked more willing to sit back and try hold onto the one nil lead. Not like the City of old but we weren’t complaining as the pressure mounted on City now.

    On the hour mark Spurs made 4 changes with Spence, Kulu, Sarr and Son all coming on. Spence made an instant impact creating a great chance for Sarr but another chance felt wasted as he scuffed his shot wide. It was one way traffic in our favour with corner after corner and with City happy to sit back, it felt like we still had a chance of rescuing a point at least.  

    Despite such an open game and chances coming our way, nothing was ever clinical enough in the final third growing to frustration amongst players and fans! With only ten minutes remaining it was clear Ange was ready to throw in the towel as Timo came on for one final roll of the dice.

    Johnson made a couple of excellent runs down the right and although his first cross went behind Kulu, the second cross finds Son who forces a save from goalkeeper Ederson. That was the chance! Spence looked a constant threat, Kulu was trying to make a nuisance of himself but time was running out. Now 4 minutes into injury time Haaland scores but there appears to be a handball? The referee rules the goal out and despite some VAR confusion the decision is no goal!

    Before City could even digest what was going on Spurs were quick to go straight up to the other end only for Sarr to head over the bar from just a few yards out. It could have been 2 nil, it could have been 1-1, it finished 1 nil. Confusion at the end with VAR but it looked like handball in my opinion and made no difference to the end result.

    Did we deserve a draw? Probably not as City sat back for most of the second half and we were still unable to find a way past a struggling defensive unit. But what is for sure is the damage that was done in the first half hour of the game. 

    Ange Postecoglou said after the game, “In the second half we dominated in all the areas but missed a goal to get something out of the game.”

    Yes mate! We dominated a team that was happy to sit back and win the game. Yes mate, we didn’t score and we lost, he’s learning the rules at least:)

    A defeat for Spurs but at this stage of the season it really doesn’t matter in terms of our position. What does matter is getting more players back from injury and finding some consistent form that’s been lacking for the last 2 seasons.

    I’m not optimistic at this stage. Time for Change? Somebody call the A-Team!

  • Roll on the Tractor Boys

    Roll on the Tractor Boys

    Fixture…

    Saturday 22nd February, 15:00

    Ipswich Town Vs Tottenham Hotspur

    Premier League

    Available On…

    Optus Sport

    USA Network HD

    Result: 1-4 (Tottenham Win)

    B. Johnson (18′, 26′)

    O. Hutchinson (36′)

    D. Spence (77′)

    D. Kulusevski (84′)

    Match Report:

    Despite the disappointment of 2 cup exits in February Tottenham have managed to record 3 consecutive victories in the Premier League, moving them safely away from any relegation threat.

    Playing at Portman Road, Ipswich came out swinging early on and could have gone 2 or 3 goals up very quickly had it not been for a goal line save, a shot off the crossbar and some quick reactions from Vicario. But it was Brennan Johnson who continued his goal scoring form this season as he bagged a brace giving Spurs an unusual 2 nil lead after only 26 minutes. Of course this did not last, not even till half time as Hutchinson pulling one back for Ipswich following some very poor defending. Spurs simply switched off, something we are all too familiar with.

    It was a lifeline for Ipswich and it meant for some very nervous defending in the second half. At times it looked like we wanted to throw it away with Ipswich becoming more dominant again, a complete breakdown in the Spurs shape and a lack of activity on the sideline gave to concern. Nevertheless we managed to weather the storm, perhaps fortunate Ipswich lacked any real firepower to trouble even a less than impressive defensive display.

    With less than 20 minutes on the clock Spurs woke up and it was last week’s man of the match Djed Spence who found the back of the net giving Spurs that vital 2 goal margin. That seemed to take the wind out of any Ipswich comeback hopes and after Dane Scarlett headed the ball on, Kulusevski curled in a wonderful goal into the bottom corner in off the post. A 1-4 victory probably flattered us a bit and there’s no doubt this is a Spurs team that is still not firing on all cylinders just yet.

    It’s been a difficult month but a victory against Man city would be a nice way to end it. With players returning from injury we are going into the final few months of the season with the hope of a single trophy now, Uefa cup glory in Bilbao! However if you listen to Ange’s recent interviews you can see that is not where the focus lies, like all the previous managers at Spurs he has been well drilled and priority for the board remains climbing the league table to ensure future European qualification next season. This is why the cabinet is empty!