Stoke 0 Tottenham 0 (aet) (Spurs Lost 6-7 on pens)

Carling Cup Exit on Penalties for Spurs

Stoke and Tottenham made numerous changes for this game but neither side could find a goal so at the end of 120 minutes it went to penalties.  Both sides missed early on but then it progressed to 6-6 until Tottenham debutant had his shot saved and Tottenham were out.  The harsh reality of Cup football for a young player.

Team: Gomes; Corluka, Kaboul, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Carroll, Sandro (Luongo), Livermore, Giovani (Townsend); Van der Vaart (Defoe), Pavlyuchenko. Subs: Cudicini, Kane, Cabalios, Falque

Gomes returned for Carling Cup

The Tottenham team contained only two of Sunday's starting line-up - Younes Kaboul and Benoit Assou-Ekotto, while Heurelho Gomes returned for his first game since playing at Hearts in the Europa League.  Sandro made his first appearance following his return from injury and Tom Carroll had the opportunity of further experience with another full game.  Stoke had former players, Wilson Palacios and Matthew Etherington in their starting line-up, while Peter Crouch was among the substitutes.

This match between two sides who have had a busy opening schedule this season, never reached any great heights but was an opportunity for some of the squad players to get match practice.  Stoke started the better and Crouch made an early appearance following an injury to Jones.  Tottenham withstood Stoke's high approach and came more into the game before and after half-time.  However, neither side created many goal scoring opportunities.

Gomes had a few difficult moments but the game went into extra time and then penalties.  Tottenham have a poor record in this and so it proved again as they exited the competition at the 3rd Round stage for the second consecutive season.

Penalty Shoot-Out
Stoke 1 - 0
1 - 1 Defoe

Stoke miss - hit bar

Tottenham miss - Pavlyuchenko (missed target)

Stoke 2 - 1

2 - 2 Townsend

Stoke 3 - 1

3 - 3 Corluka
Stoke 4 - 3 (Crouch)
4 - 4 Kaboul

Stoke 5 - 4 (Etherington)

5 - 5 Livermore

Stoke 6 - 5

6 - 6 Carroll

Stoke 7 - 6

Tottenham miss - Luongo (saved)

The penalty kick shoot out was the usual lottery and no blame can be laid at the young player who missed the final penalty.  Massimo Luongo making his first appearance replaced Sandro after seventy minutes.  With the penalty shoot-out progressing so far, neither goalkeeper getting a chance to pull off a save, it was a high pressured situation for such a young player who saw Stoke keeper, Sorensen save his shot.  He is th esecond young player to discover the harsh realities of senior football with a penalty kick saved - Harry Kane suffering the same fate in his debut against Hearts at White Hart Lane.  The other penalty miss was by Roman Pavlyuchenko who shot high and wide - described by the Talksport radio commentator as, 'The worst penalty kick he had seen.'

Massimo Luongo is an eighteen year old who has been playing for the Academy team.  He was signed last January and is half-Australian/half-Indonesian and has been very impressive for the U-18s and especially in the Next-Gen series match against Inter Milan which Spurs won 7 - 1.

Tottenham's record in the penalty shoot-out is poor.  They have only won by this method on two occasions - 1984 UEFA Cup Final and an FA Cup 3rd Round replay against Peterborough in 1994. .  Since then it has been disappointment every time including the 2009 Carling Cup Final at Wembley against Manchester United.

An early exit from the Carling Cup will give the Spurs squad a break in their hectic pre-Christmas fixture list to allow for recovery from injuries and knocks which occur during games.  At least this defeat wasn't as humiliating as the exit from last season's two Cup competitions.  However, the Carling Cup always represents a competition that a team like Tottenham might just be able to win.

Tottenham Hotspur's 25 - Man Premier League Squad

The Premier League requires each club to submit a list of 25 players by 2nd September who will be their squad for the coming season although changes can be made during the January transfer period.  Of these 25 players, no more than 17 can be overseas players (not 'home grown') with the other eight being players who have been registered with clubs associated with the FA and FA of wales for three seasons prior to their 21st birthday.

Players at the club who are Under 21 can also be registered and are eligible to play.

The players included in these two lists are available to play in the Premier League, the Carling Cup and FA Cup competitions.  The decision was taken to cover the situation where clubs were playing weakened teams in the Cups and in some selected League games and in the past two seasons both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackpool were fined for this offence.  However, from this season that problem will not occur as a manager can decide what is their best team for each game according to the needs of the club.

Tottenham Hotspur - 25 squad players (Home grown players in blue)

1 Friedel, Brad
2 Gomes, Heurelho
3 Cudicini, Carlo
4 Assou-Ekotto, Benoit
5 Dawson, Michael
6 Gallas, William
7 King, Ledley
8 Kaboul, Younes
9 Bassong Sebastian
10 Corluka, Vedran
11 Lennon, Aaron
12 Livermore, Jake
13 Huddlestone, Tom
14 Modric, Luka
15 Kranjcar, Niko
16 Bale, Gareth
17 Pavlyuchenko, Roman
18 Defoe, Jermain
19 Van Der Vaart, Rafael
20 Cordiero, Sandro
21 Adebayor, Emmanuel
22 Pienaar, Steven
23 Dos Santos, Giovanni 
24 Alnwick, Ben
25 Parker, Scott 

Of the nine players listed as 'home grown', only Ledley King and more recently, Jake Livermore have come through the Tottenham youth Academy.

Tottenham Hotspur - Under 21 players (Contract and Scholars)
Angol, Lee(M)
Archer, Jordan (G/k)
Ball, Dominic (M)
Barthram, Jack (D)
Bostock, John (M)
Bush, Mason (M)
Byrne, Nathan (D/M)
Carroll, Tom (M)
Caulker, Steven (D)
Champion, Frederick (M)
Coulthirst, Shaquile (S)
Day, Daniel (D)
Ekong, William Paul (D)
Falque, Yago (M)
Fredericks, Ryan (M)
Gardiner, Thomas (D)
Granger, Billy (G/k)
Hawkins, Ronnie (M)
Jansson, Oscar (G/k)
Kane, Harry (S)
Lameiras, Ruben (M)
Lancaster, Cameron (M)
Lassen, Jesse Waller (M)
Luongo, Massimo(M)
Mason, Ryan (M)
McBride, Paul
McEvoy, Kenneth (M/S)
McQueen, Darren
McQueen, Alexander Luke
Michael-Percil, Roman (D)
Miles, Jonathan (G/k)
Modeste, Oliver (D)
Munns, Jack (M)
Nicholson, Jake (M)
Obika, Jonathan (S)
Oyenuga, Kudus(S)
Parrett, Dean (M)
Pritchard, Alex (M)
Ranieri, Mirko (G/k)
Rose, Daniel (M/Fb)
Sheriff, Ramil (D)
Smith, Adam (D)
Smith, Sam (M)
Stewart, Kevin (D)
Townsend, Andros (M)
Walker, Kyle  (D)
Ward, Grant (D/M)
Yeboah, James (D)
Zapata-Caicedo, Victor(S)

The list includes the latest signings - Brad Friedel, Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor but one surprising name included in the 25-man squad is goalkeeper Ben Alnwick.  He is the fourth goalkeeper in the squad behind Friedel, Gomes and Cudicini and his last appearance in the team was in the final game of season 2009-10 against Burnley in the 2 - 4 defeat.  Since then he has been out on loan at lower League clubs.

Of the players listed in the Under - 21 group, Kyle Walker would be expected to play a major part in the 1st team this year, with many expecting him to oust Vedran Corluka from the full back spot.  Also Andros Townsend has had a few appearances in the Cup competitions while Ryan Fredericks, Tom Carroll and Harry Kane made their debut in the Europa League game against Hearts at White Hart Lane last month.

Some of the players are already out on loan, Steven Caulker at Swansea City, Ryan Mason at Doncaster Rovers, Jonathan Obika with Yeovil Town,  Nathan Byrne at Bournemouth, Adam Smith at MK Dons, Oscar Jansson at Bradford and Mirko Ranieri in Italy.  For that reason it is surprising that Caulker is included in the Tottenham list as he will also be listed with Swansea where he is on a season long loan and clubs can not recall a loanee from a Premier League club.

Some names have been omitted, Souleymane Coulibaly signed from Siena, Cristian Ceballos who had been with Barcelona and Laste Dombaxe.  The first two have been highly rated young signings while Dombaxe made an impressive start with the Academy team last year before sustaining a serious injury which kept him out for the last weeks of the season.

Carling Cup Semi-Final

It Never Really Looked Like Happening for Spurs

Arsenal 3 Spurs 1 (aet) [1 - 1 after 90 minutes]

While we all made optimistic noises that it was only half-time and that Spurs could still win the 2nd leg of the Carling Cup semi-final at the Emirates Stadium to become the first visiting team to win there, in reality, on the day it never looked like happening.

At no point during the two hours did it feel that Spurs had the upper hand and were really putting Arsenal under such pressure that they would be able to re-gain the advantage in the two-legged tie.

Spurs' opportunity had gone a week earlier when Berbatov, the scorer of their goal, went off injured. At that point Spurs were one goal ahead and putting the Arsenal defence under such pressure that they were in considerable disarray - so much so that from the free-kick shortly after Berbatov left the pitch, Baptista conceded an own goal. That unfortunately was as good as it got for Spurs.

The re-organisation when Robbie Keane came on, while the Spurs' management maintain it was 4 - 3 - 3, in my opinion, it became 4 - 5 - 1, with Defoe as lone striker and Keane wide on the left, gave Arsenal time to re-group. While Spurs continued to have the better of the first half, this change allowed Arsenal to get back into the game and where they had looked ragged, they started to settle and made some forays on the Spurs' goal from which they could have scored.

However, after half-time Arsenal came out and took control and could have won the game - Spurs had lost that early dominance and momentum and were glad to hold on for a draw. As Arsenal brought on players with greater experience, Spurs had no response.

Similarly, in the second leg, while Spurs competed all round the pitch, they didn't look like taking the initiative - it was all about holding on and not giving Arsenal anything. Robbie Keane missed an early scoring opportunity when through one - on - one against the goalkeeper but didn't look like he was going to score.

Spurs' cause was not helped by the continuing absence of Ledley King, and Berbatov and then Aaron Lennon who took ill just before the game, so close to kick-off that he had to be included on the substitutes' list even though he would not be able to play. Spurs' game was all about containment, even though a draw would not take them through because of the away goals' rule. When Arsenal scored late on in the game it looked as if it was all over but Spurs did rally and for a few moments one wondered if Mido was going to become the unlikely hero. It is well known that Spurs had been trying to sell him during the January transfer window and he has been pilloried incessantly by supporters but he managed to score to level the game and in the final moments another shot just went the wrong side of the post. It wasn't to be!

After that, in extra time Spurs were a spent force although it was Spurs' usual unforced error against a top side that brought about their demise. Arsenal went ahead with the last kick of the first half of extra time when new signing Rocha tried to head a ball that was inches from the ground. He had come on to replace Gardiner and his missed clearance fell nicely for Arsenal to take the lead.

After that although a second Spurs' goal would have taken the game to penalties, they never looked like getting it and another Arsenal goal confirmed the defeat.

Spurs still have a long way to go and while they competed and gave it everything, apart from the opening quarter at White Hart Lane, they never looked like progressing to play Chelsea in the Final at Cardiff. Spurs can't afford to play wthout their three top players - King brings solidity to the defence, Lennon brings pace and creativity to the midfield and Berbatov brings a touch of class to the strike force. Elsewhere, while they were fully committed - the Spurs' players came up short - too many couldn't make any impact on the game - Keane and Defoe rarely had a sight of goal, Jenas and Zokora who had looked so pacy and energetic against Southend at the weekend just couldn't raise their game when faced with higher class opposition while Ghaly and Malbranque were mostly anonymous. The defenders stood firm but those around them were unable to give them relief from the Arsenal pressure which eventually bore fruit.

Spurs are still in the FA Cup and UEFA Cups but if there is to be any success and silverware adorning White Hart Lane this season, they will need to have all their best players recovered from injury and available because the others just aren't capable of raising their game to sustain a challenge at the highest level when faced with the top teams.

Spurs haven't won a League game since Boxing Day and need to put together a run of results in the Premiership to lift them from their current mid-table position, to be able to challenge for European place next season - that starts with this afternoon's game against Manchester United, no easy task following the disappointment of the mid-week defeat.

A Hero Needed

‘Come On You Spurs’ – Give Us A Hero!

The lyrics of Paper Lace’s 1974 anti-war song, ‘Billy Don’t Be a Hero’ remind us of the great loss of life brought about by war and the grief brought upon family and friends. A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to leave the area with an Army contingent passing through the town, and go with them to fight. She laments,

"Billy, don't be a hero! Don't be a fool with your life!
"Billy, don't be a hero! Come back and make me your wife!"
And as Billy started to go, she said, "Keep your pretty head low!"
"Billy, don't be a hero! Come back to me!"

The song goes on to describe how Billy is killed in action in a pitched battle after volunteering to ride out and seek reinforcements. In the end, the woman throws away the regret letter notifying her of Billy's "heroic" death.

Football is only a game and the heroics achieved over ninety minutes on the pitch are as nothing compared to the bravery of soldiers prepared to give their lives in the line of duty – but on Wednesday evening as Spurs make their second visit to the Emirates Stadium – the one thing their game is crying out for is a hero to keep his head high and while all around are feeling the pressure, he will come through and show his true worth to the team. It’s a long, long time since Spurs have had a player who has risen to the occasion and produced an outstanding display against all the odds and when it has really mattered.

The top teams have players who are all capable of producing top-class performances when it really matters. The current Liverpool team doesn’t stand comparison with the teams of previous generations but they have won the FA Cup, the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the biggest prize of all, the Champions League. Why? They have Steven Gerrard who has time and time again risen to the occasion, produced an outstanding performance when everything has been going against Liverpool and pulled them through – the Champions League Final, three down at half-time, in last season’s FA Cup Liverpool could have gone out in the opening round at Palace but for Gerrard and then in the Final itself, two outstanding goals with the spectacular goal at the death to snatch victory from West Ham and take the game into extra-time and eventual success. In fact, such was his influence on Liverpool winning the Final that the DVD for the Final is called ‘The Gerrard Final!’

The major difference between Spurs and Liverpool at the moment is one player who can produce amazing performances which lift the players around him and produce results above what they deserve. If only Spurs could find such a player but with their pay structure at the club they’ll never get a player of Gerrard’s caliber. However, at the moment there is a great need for one of the current players to step forward and take that mantle and make themselves a hero and what better place to do it than the Emirates Stadium – they would become an instant ‘Legend’, remembered for years to come.

In summing up last week’s 1st Leg match a radio commentator stated that at two nil Spurs had a great chance but by the end it had gone. There was an opportunity to really put one over Arsenal and make the 2nd Leg academic but it wasn’t taken. The departure of Berbatov with injury changed the game but there were enough experienced players on the Spurs’ team who should have been able to take control and dominate the game for Spurs but they didn’t and it cost them dearly – they bottled it.

Now at 2-2 for the second game on Wednesday, Spurs have it all to do. With the away goals against them Spurs can’t let the game drift and hold on to what they’ve got because in terms of reaching the Final at the moment they don’t have anything. Spurs will need to be positive against probably the Arsenal young team who will greater experience among the re-enforcements, waiting to be called upon if necessary. This is where Spurs need every player totally committed to the cause but sometimes even that isn’t enough. There have been numerous occasions in recent seasons when Spurs have given it everything, put up a fighting, gutsy performance but lost to a late goal or some other hard-luck story. To take that step to the Carling Cup Final it will need a player to really shine – be dominant, take the goal scoring chances that are presented – we’ve had enough of being the nearly team, the unlucky losers, it’s time for Spurs to strike out for glory.

Spurs have had players in the past who achieved such heights – Gascoigne and his contribution in the 1991 FA Cup being almost single-handedly responsible for getting Spurs to the Final and nobody will forget that semi-final goal! A decade earlier, Ricky Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at Highbury and then in the Final replay he was able to shake off the disappointment of the first game and scored the goals to bring the FA Cup to Tottenham. Graham Roberts in the UEFA Cup Final when all looked lost led from the front, scored the equaliser and stepped up to dispatch the first penalty in the nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out. If supporter message-boards had been around in Martin Chivers’ day he would have been criticised endlessly but in big games, he produced the goals – two in the League Cup final of 1971 and another ‘double’ against Wolves in the UEFA Cup semi-final. Jimmy Greaves, Dave Mackay, Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen Klinsmann, 1994 FA Cup semi-final excluded, were all able to show their worth – we need a player of that ilk in the team today.

Who will raise their game and take that chance to be the ‘star’ and become a hero?
If Spurs win, all eleven players will be heroes but there is a need for someone to up their performance when it really matters and inspire those around them to greater heights. It’s all very well to score the goals against Southend or Villa, or to perform lesser teams - it keeps all of us happy, but when the trophies are being handed out the question that has to be asked is, ‘Where were your goals against the best?’

The top players have that star quality and will do it in the vitally important games. Spurs’ need for a new hero on Wednesday is critical. Step forward and take that opportunity now. Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Lee, Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Defdoe, Keane or whoever is selected, your chance to be immortalised in the history of Tottenham Hotspur awaits you.

Carling Cup Preview

Carling Cup Semi-Final (2nd leg)

January, 2007  Arsenal v Tottenham

At 2 - 0 in the 1st leg, Spurs had a chance but now they’ve got it all to do. The draw probably means that the Arsenal youngsters will be entrusted with reaching the Final, although I’m sure there’ll be a number in reserve to help out if required.

At least Spurs go into the game knowing exactly what they have to do. With the away goals against them I really can’t see Spurs getting through with a draw – so quite simply Spurs need to become the first away team to win at the Emirates Stadium. It is possible and Spurs showed in the home game that they can cause havoc in the Arsenal defence and were able to deal with the Arsenal attack through the first half. It was only when Spurs played deeper after half-time that they allowed Arsenal to take control.

To win Spurs need to:
· show the level of commitment that was experienced in the early part of last Wednesday’s game and maintain it throughout. They have managed that on a number of occasions against Arsenal in the past few seasons – all of the last three home games and at Highbury last April – and Arsenal didn’t like it. Spurs must sustain it for the full game – not just the first half or for the first hour but for the full ninety minutes plus.

· ensure that their own mistakes aren’t the cause of their downfall. Against the top teams Spurs have let individual errors spoil the team performance and those mistakes have been punished. Every player needs to be in control and concentrate throughout the match to eliminate such problems. It will be difficult enough to win without presenting them with gift wrapped opportunities.

· take whatever goal scoring chances that are created – a ruthless spirit to clinically finish off a team and give them no second chances. The loss of Berbatov affected the course of the first game but Defoe and Keane are capable of scoring against anyone – now is their chance to prove it.

· be inspired and believe that they can win whatever happens during the game – not to be put off by a decision that goes against them or an early setback. This needs leadership from someone on the team – Spurs need a ‘hero.’ It’s a long time since Gazza inspired Spurs to the FA Cup win in 1991, another ten years to Ricky Villa’s inspired goals in the FA Cup semi-final and Final, another ten to Martin Chivers’ goals in the League and UEFA Cups but Spurs need someone to step forward and lead by example so as to inspire those around him and lift everyone to a better performance. Who could be the inspiration? Anyone – even the most unlikely of candidates could do it -Ronnie Rosenthal did it against all odds with his hat-trick against Southampton in 1995.

Situation vacant – become a Spurs hero, a Spurs ‘legend’ inspire the team to victory at the Emirates Stadium and take Tottenham Hotspur to the Carling Cup Final.

COYS

Carling Cup Preview

Spurs v Arsenal Preview
Carling Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg

Now that all the wrangling about tickets and prices has been resolved, it’s time to look at this much awaited match which throws up a number of dilemmas:

Should the heart or the head rule when assessing the game?

Which Arsenal team will turn up – their Carling Cup youngsters or their Champions League side?

And more importantly, which Spurs side will appear? – the one that battled with pride and passion against Chelsea and that has imperiously swept aside all that Europe’s best UEFA Cup teams could throw at them or the side that has shown so little enterprise away from home and brought such fear and lack of ambition to their home game against Liverpool that for an hour they tried to contain and ultimately paid the penalty.

Only if Spurs show passion, determination, commitment – all of those words – will they achieve any success against Arsenal. They showed none of them at the beginning of December when making their first appearance at the Emirates Stadium. They must not make that mistake again.

Many criticize Martin Jol for his failure to get the tactics right but on occasions he has shown an awareness and got the tactics spot on – in Europe, home and away, both games against Arsenal last season, against Chelsea both last season and this, at Old Trafford on a couple of occasions – the team has been well prepared and up for the game. He certainly needs to get it right on Wednesday night and that should mean getting among the Arsenal players to deny them time and space, to put them under pressure and on the back foot so that Spurs can dictate the tempo of the game.

Spurs’ overall record in League Cup semi-finals isn’t great, although no-one will ever forget the 5-1 defeat of Chelsea in 2002. Spurs have reached 11 semi-finals and progressed to the Final on five occasions, winning three of them. They have met Arsenal in two previous semi-finals and on both occasions went out to late goals.

In 1968, a late goal at Highbury in the 1st leg gave Arsenal the advantage and a late equaliser at White Hart Lane gave them a draw and aggregate win.

In 1987, David Pleat’s team won at Highbury with a Clive Allen goal and another Allen goal gave Spurs a first half lead in the 2nd leg. Arsenal scored twice in the second half, the winner coming in the final minutes. A third game saw Allen put Spurs ahead again but when Arsenal scored their second in the last moments of the game, it was the first time they had been ahead on aggregate over the three games – a great opportunity missed by Spurs.

Spurs haven’t beaten Arsenal in the League since November, 1999. Goals from Iversen and Sherwood gave them a 2-1 win but in a number of those games Arsenal were relieved to take away a point while Spurs felt they had deserved more. The fight that was shown in those games is what is needed – Arsenal don’t like teams that get among them as Bolton, Fulham and Sheffield United have shown to good effect – so Spurs need to find that inner resolve to compete and give Arsenal nothing. If they can find that inspiration and commitment, accept whatever goal-scoring chances are on offer and get a little rub of the green, then Spurs could set themselves up for a very interesting return game in a week’s time.