Tottenham 1 Stoke City 1

It took an injury time goal from Rafael Van der Vaart to rescue a point for Spurs after Stoke had taken the lead fifteen minutes from time.  The dropped points mean that Spurs are now in fourth place behind Arsenal who won at Everton.  Late goals by Manchester City hindered Chelsea's assault on fourth and a Champions League place - they are now five points behind Spurs. 

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Stoke City 1

Scorers:   Van der Vaart                     Jerome  

Team: Freiedel; Walker, Kaboul, King (Nelsen), Assou-Ekotto; Kranjcar (Defoe), Parker, Modric, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Saha (Giovani)  Subs: (unused) Cuducini, Rose, Sandro, Livermore

A stunning goal from Rafael Van der Vaart in the second minute of added time earned Spurs a point against Stoke and brought to an end their run of three successive Premier League defeats.  It was a moment of rare class and precision as Gareth Bale's cross was met by Van der Vaart who headed into the net, getting in front of the Stoke defenders who to that point had blocked everything that Spurs had put before them.

Spurs started with four changes from the team that faced Bolton in last weekend's abandoned FA Cup tie.  Brad Friedel returned in goal, Younes Kaboul and Ledley King were in central defence while Niko Krnajcar replaced Jermain Defoe.  Stoke were captained by Peter Crouch who was returning to White Hart Lane for the first time since his summer transfer with Wilson Palacios who also started.  The biggest surprise in the Stoke team was the absence of either of their long throw specialists, a tactic which caused Spurs such problems in the game in December.

Stoke started the brighter with Jerome firing in two shots from distance.  Spurs then took control of possession as they did for most of the evening as the statistic of 71% possession over the game illustrates.  In the first half Spurs threat on goal came from a Van der Vaart shot which was just wide and then Luka Modric had two efforts across goal which also passed wide.  Kaboul had a header from a corner which hit the bar after half and hour but Louis Saha was adjudged to have blocked off a defender - quite ironic as Stoke are past masters of such tactics.  Late in the half Saha tested the goalkeeper with a powerful effort but it was saved comfortably.

Defoe was introduced at half-time for Kranjcar and initially seemed to bring some urgency to the team as Bale had a shot deflected for a corner but that quickly faded and for all Spurs possession they weren't really threatening the visitors defence.  Stoke defended in depth with defenders throwing themselves into tackles to block and deny Spurs any sight of goal or the time to create an opening.  

Stoke were always looking to get onto a knockdown from Crouch who constantly provided the outlet for them.  As Spurs built up the pressure with more men pushing forward in attack, Stoke broke at pace to try to take advantage.  Van der Vaart shot wide, Bale's dipping shot hit the bar with the goalkeeper beaten. 

Immediately after this, with fifteen minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a free-kick on the left.  Huth won the ball in the air and a fortunate deflection off another Stoke player enabled Jerome to touch it past Friedel for Stoke's tenth away League goal of the season.  Spurs were staring at a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time since November, 2004 and Stoke were determined to hold on to their led.  In response to this setback, Bale's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper but Van der Vaart was unable to reach the rebound.

Into injury time and for the first time this season Spurs scored a late goal to salvage something from a lost cause (any other late goals had just consolidated victory).  Bale's excellent cross fizzed on to the head of Van der Vaart who arrived at the near post ahead of the defenders.  The point gained wasn't enough to hold onto the third place which Spurs have filled since their win over Aston Villa in November but it increased the gap over Chelsea whom they meet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

A memorable season which has promised so much is slowly slipping away from Spurs.  The team, at the moment, seem incapable of rousing themselves to a performance akin to the flowing football that they produced earlier in the season.  The loss of Aaron Lennon to injury has restricted their options and is making it easier for opposing teams to marshal Bale's marauding runs.  Lennon's presence wide on the right, stretched defences and created more space for Bale while, in Lennon's absence, Bale is more prone to roam away from the left wing.  With Lennon and Bale wide on the wings, Spurs are at their most effective and Lennon also contributes defensively to allow Kyle Walker to attack on the right.

Tottenham had 18 attempts on target last night but only scored once, Stoke had two for their only goal.  In the past three games Spurs have had 68 attempts on goal for just two goals - a major cause for concern.

A lack of imagination and urgency in the January transfer window has left Spurs squad short, hit by injuries, Saha and Ryan Nelsen have failed to provide the quality which was needed to take the club that step forward and consolidate on what was then a chance of the title rather than what has now become a scramble to hold on to fourth and Champions League qualification.

This has been a season of many distractions - it started with the Luka Modric saga and the Tottenham riots, there has been the Redknapp court case and the possibility of him leaving at some point for the England manager's role.  At this point the team and manager seem distracted - the team lack inspiration on the pitch and Redknapp seems to have have lost that motivational impetus for which he is highly regarded.  Tottenham teams have so often lacked a player to lift the team on the pitch and that once again seems to be the case.  Rooney, Van Persie, the Chelsea '3', Gerrard and Tevez have all done it in the past and more recently for their teams but Spurs lack that player to step up and lift the team at a time of difficulty.  In last night's only positive, Bale and Van der Vaart combined at the death to rescue a point but it came just a little too late. 

Once again, the next two games against Chelsea and Bolton in the FA Cup are crucial games for Spurs season.  Someone needs to shrug off the disappointments of the past weeks and step up and put themselves forward as the player to lift the team.
 

Spurs Home Record against Stoke City

After three consecutive defeats in the Premier League Tottenham are looking to get their season back on track by retaining third and the Champions League place it assures.  Having shown recent defensive frailties, the team Spurs would least like to face in such circumstances is Stoke City.  That, however, is exactly what the football fixture computer has decreed for the men from White Hart Lane.

Stoke City are always a difficult side to play with their high energy and forceful style, both defensively and offensively.  Their use of long, high ball tactics are always a source of worry for Spurs and in the first half of the match at the Brittania Stadium in December it was such play that caused Spurs to be two goals down at the interval.  Spurs recent defensive errors and poor marking at set-pieces will be an encouragement to Stoke who prosper at all set-pieces, including throw-ins near the penalty area, with their tall defenders making life very difficult for the defending team.  Former Spurs players, Peter Crouch and Matthew Etherington, will again be looking to do well against Tottenham.

Spurs' greatest motivation for a win, however, will be the way in which they were denied the opportunity to make a fighting comeback after the interval at Stoke and so lost their long unbeaten run as numerous questionable refereeing decisions went against them.

Last Meeting at White Hart Lane:

Apr. 2011  PL  Won 3 - 2  Crouch (2), Modric
Peter Crouch scored twice as Spurs won their first League game since mid-February.  All five goals were scored in the first half with Spurs two ahead through Crouch and Luka Modric within eighteen minutes.  Etherington then ran from the half-way line to pull one back for Stoke after twenty seven minutes.  Crouch scored his second eight minutes later, only for Stoke to score again, four minutes before the interval.  Relief for Spurs to have the win but it didn't mark the start of an exciting end to the season as Spurs struggled to beat teams in the lower regions of the League.

Home League Record against Stoke:

P  36  W  28  D  6  L  2  For  80  Ag  30

Premier League Record against Stoke at White Hart Lane

P  3  W  2  D  0  L  1  For  6  Ag  4

As can be seen, White Hart Lane is not Stoke favourite ground, with only three wins in thirty nine previous visits.  

Previous Games in PL:

Oct. 2009  PL  Lost 0 - 1

Stoke defended in depth with their reserve goalkeeper, Simonsen, who was only drafted in at the last moment, having a match to remember.  Spurs had many opportunities to score but as time wore on they ran out of attacking ideas and with four minutes left Stoke snatched the win. The only other home defeat was in February, 1975 when Stoke won 2 - 0.

Jan. 2009  PL  Won 3 - 1  Lennon, Defoe, Dawson

In their first League game at White Hart Lane since October, 1984, Stoke were three down after twenty five minutes.  Spurs dominated the first half with Aaron Lennon scoring after eight minutes. Jermain Defoe added a second after twenty one and Michael Dawson scored the third four minutes later.  In the second half with over half an hour remaining Stoke pulled one back.  Carlo Cudicini made his Premier League debut for Spurs.

Previous Meetings:

Oct. 1984  1st Div.  Won 4 - 0  Roberts (pen), Chiedozie, Allen, C. (2)

It was Peter Shreeves' first season as manager.  Glenn Hoddle and Clive Allen returned to the Spurs team against bottom club Stoke.  Within six minutes they had combined with Allen putting Spurs ahead.  A few minutes later John Chiedozie scored after a good run and shot.  Stoke were reduced to ten men before the interval and in the second half, Allen scored his second with Graham Roberts scoring a late penalty after a foul on Mark Falco.  The four goals brought Spurs total of League goals at White Hart Lane to 19, from five matches, more than any other team in the four divisions of the Football League.  This is Spurs largest home win over Stoke.

Mar. 1984  1st Div.  Won 1 - 0  Falco (pen)

Spurs were without Hoddle and Steve Archibald but did all the early attacking.  Late in the first half they had their reward when Falco scored with a penalty awarded for a handball offence.

May, 1983  1st Div.  Won 4 - 1  Brazil, Archibald (3)

Oct. 1980  1st Div.  Won 3 - 2  Hughton, Archibald, Taylor (pen)

Mar. 1978  2nd Div.  Won 3 - 1  McAllister, Lee (2)

Oct. 1972  1st Div.  Won 4 - 3  Pratt (2), Gilzean, Coates

They Played for Spurs and Wigan

Wigan Athletic are currently the youngest club in the Premier League having been formed in 1932.  They were elected in to the Football League in the summer of 1978, replacing Southport and over the years eventually gained promotion to the top flight of English football in 2005.  With such a short history, not surprisingly, there have been only two transfers negotiated between the two clubs and both have been from Wigan's Premier League era.

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Pascal Chimbonda

Pascal Chimbonda played in Wigan's successful debut season in the Premier League and was included in the PFA 'Team of the Season' for 2005-06.  He had joined the club from Bastia for £500,000 the previous summer and after just one season he joined Spurs in August, 2006 for a fee of £4.5 million.  He made his debut against Manchester United the next month and was a regular at right back and played in the Carling Cup winning team against Chelsea in 2008.  He made 65 League appearances for Spurs and scored three goals.

He was transferred to Sunderland in July, 2008 for an undisclosed fee but returned to Spurs the following January for a fee in the region of £3 million having only made 13 appearances at the Stadium of Light.  His second Tottenham debut was at Bolton Wanderers at the end of January when he made an appearance as a substitute.  He made another substitute appearance in the next match and the only League match he started in his second period with the club was in a 1 - 1 draw at Sunderland in March.  He started both UEFA Cup matches against Shakhtar Donetsk when Harry Redknapp fielded understrength teams.

In August, 2009 he moved to Blackburn Rovers for a fee thought to be around £2.5 million where he stayed for eighteen months.  Since then he has had short spells with QPR and is now with Doncaster Rovers.

Wilson Palacios

Wilson Palacios joined Spurs in January, 2009 for £12 million having joined Wigan the previous January after spending six months on loan with Birmingham City.  He made his debut in the 3 - 2 defeat at Bolton and worked hard to strengthen the Tottenham midfield as they battled to ensure Premier League survival in Harry Redknapp's first season as manager.  The following August Palacios scored his first goal in Premier League football against Hull City.  That season he helped Spurs qualify for the Champions League and played his part in the Spurs success in that competiton the following season.  His controlled midfield display in Italy against AC Milan alongside Sandro where Spurs secured a single goal victory was one of the highlights of his time with the club.  His opportunity to play regularly was being restricted with the development of Sandro and last summer he moved to Stoke City for a fee of around £6 million.  He made 86 League and Cup appearances for Spurs, scoring once.

Gareth Bale in UEFA.com 'Team of Year'

Gareth Bale, the Tottenham Hotspur and Wales international and current PFA Footballer of the Year has received another accolade by being named in the prestigious UEFA.com's 'Team of the Year'.  He described being included in the team as a 'special honour'.

Gareth Bale - Tottenham's Super Star

Gareth Bale - selected in UEFA.com 'Team of the Year' for 2011

Liverpool have Steven Gerrard, Manchester United have Wayne Rooney but it's been a long time since Spurs have had a player of such stature who is capable of turning a game with a moment of brilliance.  Now, however, they have Gareth Bale's and his inclusion in the UEFA.com 'Team of the Year' is another step in the remarkable turnaround for the young player since his arrival at Tottenham.  A little over two years ago there were rumours and suggestions of him leaving Spurs as he struggled to live up to the high praise which accompanied his transfer from Southampton in  May, 2007.

Bale, then eighteen years of age, was another player from the successful Southampton Academy to make the step up to a Premier League club and cost Spurs £5 million with the potential to double with appearances and success.  His initial appearances in Martin Jol's side were encouraging.  He made his debut in August, 2007 at Manchester United in a single goal  defeat and a week later scored his first Tottenham goal in a 3 - 3 draw at Fulham when he received the ball from Robbie Keane to race down the left wing and score - a sight which through time would become the norm for watching Spurs fans and opposing defenders.  He scored with a free-kick in the north London derby with Arsenal and then scored in a Carling Cup tie against Middlesbrough giving him three goals in the first four matches he had started for the club.

Spurs' overall results, however, were poor and Juande Ramos replaced Jol in October but in only his second game for the new manager Bale was injured in a Premier League game against Birmingham in December and was to miss the rest of the season.

At the start of the next season Bale alternated between left back and the left side of midfield but the team was struggling and Bale's performance at Stoke in October, 2008 summed up perfectly his own time with Spurs and the club's situation at the time.  The club were bottom of the Premier League with two points and the 1 - 2 defeat in their eighth League match was to be  Ramos' last game in charge in a Premier League match.  In the seventeenth minute, playing at left back, Bale gave the ball away with a poor pass out of defence and as he tried to retrieve the situation he committed a foul to concede a penalty and was dismissed as Stoke scored their opening goal from the penalty spot.

As Bale started his three match suspension, a new manager came in and Bale found it difficult to reclaim his place as Harry Redknapp's team battled to avoid relegation with Benoit Assou-Ekotto playing regularly at left back for the rest of the season.

As season 2009-10 commenced Bale was recovering from surgery during the summer and had an unenviable record weighing heavily on his young shoulders - he had never played on a winning Spurs' team in his two years at the club.  That burden was eventually lifted at the end of September, 2009 when he appeared as a late substitute in Spurs' 5 - 0 win over Burnley - after a record twenty four Premier League matches without a win.

Assou-Ekotto continued to hold the left back position and there was talk that Bale might go out on loan while some clubs were considering putting in a bid for the young player during the January transfer window.  However, an injury to Assou-Ekotto was to give Bale his opportunity for an extended run in the team.  When Assou-Ekotto returned to fitness after a two month absence, Bale moved to left midfield with Luka Modric playing a more central and as the end of the season approached with Spurs looking to grab a Champions League place, Bale scored in consecutive wins at home over Arsenal and Chelsea.

Gareth Bale was now an established member of the Spurs team which played in last season's Champions League and he had established a good understanding with Assou-Ekotto on the left wing. In the first Premier League away game at the Brittania Stadium Bale had a point to prove and did so in style with the two goals which earned Spurs the three points.  He set aside the ghost of his previous problems at Stoke and provided the winning goal with a wonderful left foot volley.

It was at the San Siro Stadium against Inter Milan that Bale announced himself on the world stage.  With Spurs Champions League campaign looking doomed as they faced a four goal deficit with only ten men after thirty five minutes it was Bale who restored some pride for the team with a second half hat-trick with goals of unbelievable quality.  He ran at the Inter defenders with pace and left them floundering on three different occasions as Spurs staged a remarkable comeback to lose by only one goal to the reigning Champions.  By the end it was the Inter fans who were baying for the final whistle.

In the return game a fortnight later as Spurs won 3 - 1, the lasting memory is of Bale once again racing from his own half, down the left wing as chants of "Taxi for Maicon" rang from the White Hart Lane stands with the Inter defender lying prostrate on the ground.  The Inter defender and his colleagues failed to prevent Bale putting in a perfect cross for Roman Pavlyuchenko to score Spurs' third goal of the evening in the final minute.  Then, he had just repeated what he had done less than thirty minutes earlier when Peter Crouch had scored the second goal.

There was now no way that Bale would be leaving White Hart Lane - he was a vital part of the team that Harry Redknapp was developing to challenge the top four teams in the country.  It wasn't easy for Bale as defenders looked for ways to prevent him having an influence on the game and at times he was subject to heavy tackles and finding two or three defenders waiting in his way.

As last season drew to a close the high expectations and number of matches took their toll on all the players and Bale was finding it more difficult to be as effective as he struggled with niggling injuries.  His season finished early following a heavy challenge against Blackpool but refreshed at the start of this season he has shown added qualities in his game by playing from the right as well as the left and by having more freedom to play across midfield.  This was best illustrated against Norwich City over the Christmas period when he scored the two goals which kept up Tottenham's title challenge.  The first came as he supported Emmanuel Adebayor almost as a second striker in the penalty area and the second was the result of  a powerful run from the halfway line to out pace the defenders and lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

At present, much of what is good about Spurs often centres around Gareth Bale.  He has scored seven goals this season and has numerous assists as the team have risen to third position in the Premier League with 46 points from their last 19 matches.

Bale appears to be a very settled young man and he is always the last Tottenham player to leave the pitch at White Hart lane as he acknowledges the supporters on all sides of the ground before leaving the field.

Gareth Bale has played a leading role in the revival of the Wales international team and it is widely expected that he will appear in the Great Britain football team in the London Olympics later in the year.


UEFA.com 'Team of the Year'
It is the first time a Spurs player has made it into the Team of the Year since its inception in 2001 and Bale is the only Premier League player in the 2011 team and becomes the first Welshman to named.
He was up agains the likes of Lille's Edin Hazard, Manchester United's Ashley Young and Chelsea'a Juan Mata for the left midfield position.

Gareth Bale was quick to praise his team mates at Tottenham for the part they played in him receiving this accolade.  Luka Modric was also on the shortlist in central midfield and Gareth is one of only three players not based in Spain's La Liga to make the cut.

When Has This Happened for Spurs?

When have Spurs ever benefited from refereeing decisions in a game to such an extent as happened against Stoke last weekend?  In almost fifty years of supporting the club I can't think of any examples.

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Now that the win over Sunderland has restored our equilibrium, I've been thinking about that loss at the Brittania Stadium and if there has ever been a similar example where Tottenham have been the benefactors of such a display of refereeing where so many mistakes went in our favour and handed us victory on a plate.

Stoke had a number of decisions which went in their favour, courtesy of referee Chris Foy and his assistants:

• Peter Crouch clearly handled the ball in the lead up to the first goal
• Younes Kaboul was dragged down as he jumped for the ball at a corner
• Shawcross handled the ball on the line from Kaboul's shot
• Emmanuel Adebayor's disallowed goal was two yards on-side
• William Gallas was fouled as he went to for a tap-in
• Another handball from a Defoe shot
• Kaboul's dismissal from two soft yellow cards with the second coming when the Stoke player advanced from an offside position
• Woodgate could have had a second yellow card in the first half for a foul on Parker 

Now some will say, "Move on - get over it," and I have but it's out of interest that I ask the question.

When have Spurs ever benefited from refereeing decisions in a game to such an extent as happened against Stoke last weekend?

Every team has been gifted a win where an offside goal was allowed or an undeserved penalty awarded or a crucial decision went in their favour but I'm thinking about times when it appeared that almost every decision was favourable and resulted in a Tottenham win.

It's appropriate to raise the topic a week on from the Stoke game as I was reminded when I was reading 'Vertigo' by John Crace at the weekend that our next opponents, Chelsea, had favourable decisions at Stamford Bridge last season which gave them the three points - the Lampard shot which Heurelho Gomes allowed to slip past him but recovered only for the goal to be awarded and then, their winning goal was offside.

It is undeniable that against Stoke, Spurs found themselves into a difficult position because of poor defending in the first half but the refereeing decisions prevented them from making a comeback and possibly winning the game.  It is also true that if Gomes had dealt properly with Lampard's shot - basic goalkeeping - then Chelsea wouldn't have had the boost of going in level at the interval and that his mistake was the cause of Spurs' downfall.

Our selective 'Spurs' memory always allows us to remember the mistakes that have gone against us while deleting those which were favourable but I can't remember any occasion when Tottenham benefited in such a dramatic way when winning a game since I started following them in 1965.

The one occasion that I do know of when they did have the advantage of poor refereeing which enabled them to win a game was as far back as April, 1952, a few months before my birth.  Spurs beat Huddersfield Town 1 - 0 at White Hart Lane thanks to a goal similar to the one Blackburn scored last month from a corner where Pedersen dribbled into the penalty area having been the only player to touch the ball.  His cross was then finished off by Junior Hoilett. 

Eddie Baily

In Spurs game Eddie Baily who later became Assistant to Bill Nicholson at Spurs, took a corner but the ball struck the referee and rebounded to Baily who crossed for Len Duquemin to head the winning goal.  The goal should have been disallowed as no other player touched the ball before Baily played it a second time.  Despite much protesting from the Huddersfield players the referee was unmoved and his decision stood giving Tottenham the two points for the win with Huddersfield suffering relegation at the season's end.

If anyone can suggest examples of occasions when Spurs wins have come about through controversial decisions by the officials, I would like to know about them. 

They Played for Spurs and Stoke

Stoke City currently have four former Tottenham players in their squad with three of them moving directly from Spurs to the Brittania Stadium.  Previously, it was less common for direct transfers to occur, more often the players appeared at both clubs at some period in their careers.

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As with QPR and Fulham, the Stoke squad contains a number of former Spurs players.  In the preview for the game against Stoke, I mentioned the importance of those players to Stoke's current team.

Matthew Etherington joined Spurs in a joint deal with Simon Davies from Peterborough United on New Year's Day, 2000.  He was valued at £500,000 but failed to establish himself during his three years at the club.  He made 51 League appearances for Spurs (28 as a substitute) - scoring once in the League against Everton and twice in the Cup.  He joined West Ham United in August, 2003 as part of the deal which brought Fredi Kanoute to Spurs.  In January, 2009 he joined Stoke and has helped the club become established in the Premier League, reach last season FA Cup Final and compete in the Europa League.  One of the reasons for Stoke's disappointing performance at Wembley against Manchester City was that Etherington had rushed back from injury and was not fully fit.

Jonathan Woodgate has had his career blighted by injury at Leeds United, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Middlesbrough and Spurs.  He joined Spurs from Middlesbrough in January, 2008 for £7.5 million and became an instant hero when he scored the winning goal against Chelsea at Wembley in the Carling Cup Final.  That was the highlight of his time with Spurs as he was often out injured and only made 49 League appearances.  He played only 15 minutes of football in his final eighteen months at the club.  Much time was spent undergoing operations and treatment in an effort to resolve his injury problems.  Since joining Stoke he has appeared in nine Premier League matches but has sat out the midweek Cup and European games.

Peter Crouch

Peter Crouch started his career with the Surs youth team but moved on to QPR and then appeared for a number of clubs including Portsmouth (twice), Aston Villa, Southampton and Liverpool before following Harry Redknapp from Fratton Park to rejoin Tottenham in July, 2009.  He made 73 League appearances for Spurs but only scored twelve goals although it was his goal against Manchester City in May, 2010 that guaranteed Spurs their first season of Champions League football.  Ironically, it was his own goal a year later in the same fixture that took City in to the Champions League.  It was in Europe that he was most effective when foreign defenders failed to cope with his height and as with England he scored more frequently, scoring 22 international goals from 42 appearances.  His early sending off against Real Madrid brought Spurs Champions League campaign to a disappointing end at the quarter final stage.  He joined Stoke at the end of August for a fee of £10 million.

Wilson Palacios has struggled with injury since joining Stoke last August.  Spurs received about £6 million for the player who had joined them from Wigan in January, 2009 for £12 million.  He made 65 League appearances and scored once against Hull City.  In his final season he appeared less frequently in the team as Sandro became more accustomed to English football and competition for places in central midfield became more intense.

Garth Crooks is the last player to move in the opposite direction, coming to Tottenham in the summer of 1981 to join up with Steve Archibald in a striking partnership which would take the team to two FA Cup successes.  He became the forgotten man of the 1981 Cup win as Ricky Villa's goals in the semi-final and final overshadowed his contribution to the success.  He signed for £650,000 and moved on to West Brom on a free transfer in August, 1985, having had a period on loan with Manchester United.  He scored 48 goals in 125 League appearances for Spurs and 27 Cup and European goals in 57 appearances.

Ian Moores joined Spurs from Stoke in 1976 as they battled against relegation.  They failed to avoid the drop but Moores helped the club gain promotion the following year.  He scored a hat-trick in the 9 - 0 demolition of Bristol Rovers but the following season, after two years with Tottenham he joined Leyton Orient.  Following his retirement he went into coaching but sadly died after illness at the age of 43.

Other players who have played for both clubs but not consecutively, are:
Jimmy Robertson scored in the 1967 FA Cup Final win over Chelsea but joined Arsenal eighteen months later and then had five years at Stoke after a time with Ipswich Town.

Ray Evans came through the youth system at Spurs but in the early 1970s struggled to establish himself in the team ahead of Joe Kinnear.  He made 133 League appearances at full back but in January, 1975 signed for Millwall.  He joined Stoke in 1979 after two years at Fulham.

Tony Parks, the current goalkeeping coach with Spurs and hero of the 1984 UEFA Cup Final win made two appearances for Stoke in 1992.  He came through Spurs youth system but in eight years with the club he made only 37 appearances.  His big moment came in 1984 when Ray Clemence was injured and he had the opportunity for an extended run in the team which took them to the UEFA Cup Final penalty shoot-out success.

Gary Brooke who was substitute for the 1981 and 1982 FA Cup Finals had a loan period at Stoke later in his career after leaving White Hart Lane.  Brooke came through the youth system and was a hard tackling midfielder with a powerful shot.  A serious car accident threatened his career and restricted his appearances for Spurs.

Paul Stewart and Paul Allen who played in the 1991 FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest both played for Stoke after leaving Tottenham.

Gerard McMahon, a young midfield player who made a few first team appearances following his transfer from Glenavon in Northern Ireland for £100,000 joined Stoke for £450,000 in 1996 after two years at White Hart Lane.

Hans Segers who came to Spurs late in his career as goalkeeping cover and then coach, had time with Stoke in earlier days.

Two older players who played for both clubs - Joe Brough, a half back, who made two appearances for Spurs in their first season in the Football League in 1908.  He joined from Stoke City having had a season with them and moved on to Port Vale in 1909.

Charlie Wilson was a centre forward who played for Spurs from 1919 to 1922.  He then had six years with Stoke after signing for them in 1925.  He scored 27 League goals in 55 appearances for Spurs before joining Huddersfield Town.  In his time with Stoke he scored 110 goals in over 150 League appearances.

Spurs Record at Stoke City

Tottenham face a difficult task in their visit to Stoke City as they seek to extend their impressive Premier League record, undefeated since the end of  August.  Both clubs have experienced Europa League football this season and while Spurs are on the verge of going out at the Group stages, Stoke have qualified for the knock-out stages.

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Stoke are eighth in the Premier League with 18 points although there is a gap of five points to Liverpool in seventh.  Stoke are undefeated in their Europa League group games but have suffered the problems of maintaining their form in League matches following European travels, especially with defeats at Sunderland (0 - 4) and Bolton (0 - 5).  However, both clubs have had a free week so there can be no excuses and Stoke have an impressive home record with wins over Liverpool, Fulham and Blackburn.  They also drew with Chelsea and Manchester United at the Brittania Stadium but their two home defeats have been at the hands of QPR and Newcastle United.  Last weekend they enjoyed a single goal success at Everton with defender Robert Huth scoring early in the game.  Spurs know the difficult task they face having already played Spoke in a goalless match in the Carling Cup with Stoke winning the penalty shoot-out.  Spurs must again be prepared for an aerial bombardment, something they have coped with quite comfortably in the past two seasons, recording wins on both occasions.  In those matches, Peter Crouch was  a useful aide in thwarting Stoke attacks at throw ins, corners and free-kicks but on this occasion he will be another target for the Stoke missiles.

Stoke have a number of players who have provided their goals this season, Kenwyne Jones and Jonathan Walters are joint top scorers with six each.  Jones has only one League goal but four in Europe and a Carling Cup goal.  Walters who thought he had scored late in last season's game has four goals in the League and two in Europe.  Crouch has contributed five with three in the League and two in Europe.

Stoke's team has the potential to contain four former Spurs players.  Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and Jonathan Woodgate joined during the summer while Matthew Etherington joined from West Ham in 2009 after spending six years with the club following his transfer from Tottenham.  Palacios has had little opportunity to impress since his transfer due to injury which he has recently recovered from but Woodgate and Crouch have been regulars in the side.  Woodgate has overcome the problems which so restricted his playing time at White Hart Lane and is part of a powerful, experienced defence in front of goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen who was injured last weekend but is expected to recover.  Etherington who scored in last season's game at Tottenham, has been an important player for Stoke, helping them to become established in the Premier League and reaching last season's FA Cup Final.

This will be a very difficult match for Spurs who will need to be prepared to match Stoke's hard work ethic and stand up to their powerful play.  However, Spurs have the players in Gareth Bale, Rafael Van der Vaart and Aaron Lennon to create problems for the Stoke defenders but it will require the same intensity of performance which saw them through difficult times at both Fulham and West Brom.

Tottenham's Premier League Record at Stoke
The clubs have met on three occasions at Stoke in the Premier League.  Spurs have won the last two with Stoke gaining the upper hand in the first match in October, 2008.

Oct. 2008  PL  Lost 1 - 2  Bent
This was the first meeting with Stoke in top flight football since season 1985-85 and the match summed up Gareth Bale's early days at Spurs and the abysmal start Spurs had to the 2008 - 09 season but it was also a turning point as Juande Ramos had departed and Harry Redknapp arrived before the next weekend's game.  Spurs were a goal down and a man down after eighteen minutes.  Gareth Bale was sent off after making a mistake and then conceding a penalty in trying to rectify the error.  Surprisingly, Darren Bent equalised within seven minutes but Stoke scored a second shortly after the interval.  Vedran Corluka was stretchered off after sustaining an injury and his replacement, Michael Dawson was sent off in the final minute. As if Spurs hadn't had enough, eleven minutes of added time was played as Spurs finished the day with '2 points from 8 games'.

Mar. 2010  PL  Won 2 - 1  Gudjohnsen, Kranjcar
After a scoreless first period, Spurs went ahead in the opening minute of the second half.  Eidur Gudjohnsen who had replaced Roman Pavlyuchenko scored his first goal for the club.  An Etherington penalty brought the game level but Nico Kranjcar restored Spurs' advantage with a great strike following a Gudjohnsen dummy which created the space for him.  Spurs remained in fourth place as they battled for a Champions League spot.

Aug. 2010  PL  won 2 - 1  Bale (2)
Bale set aside the ghost of his previous indiscretions at the Brittania Stadium and proved the match winner.  All three goals came within eleven minutes of each other during the first half.  Bale scored from close range after Crouch had headed on Lennon's cross after nineteen minutes but Stoke equalised six minutes later following a corner.  He restored Spurs' lead with a wonderful left foot volley after half an hour to give Spurs their first win of the season.

League Record at Stoke (inc. PL)

 P  36  W  11  D  9  L  16  For  40  Ag  49

Memorable Matches
The previous meeting in the 1st Division in March, 1985 had seen the game settled in Spurs' favour with a goal by former Stoke player, Garth Crooks.  

The previous season, a Mark Falco penalty had earned Spurs the three points.


In October, 1980, Spurs won  3 - 2 with Chris Hughton, Steve Archibald and Peter Taylor (pen) scoring.


All of the results since their first away meeting in the 2nd Division in April, 1920 have been quite close.  On that occasion Spurs won 3 - 1 on their way to promotion as Champions after one season in the lower Division following Arsenal's unscrupulous dealings to gain a place in the top flight ahead of Tottenham when the Division was increased in size after the 1st World War.   Spurs legend, Jimmy Seed and that old man again, Jimmy Cantrell (2) providing the goals.  

In those days clubs met on successive weekends and the previous Saturday, Spurs had won 2 - 0 at White Hart Lane through goals from two other Spurs legends for their earliest days, Jimmy Dimmock and Arthur Grimsdell.


The largest win that Spurs have enjoyed at Stoke came early in September, 1951.  Spurs had won the 1st Division title the previous year for the first time and won 6 - 1 after a shaky start to the new season.  At the beginning of the month they had lost 2 - 7 at Newcastle but recovered to dominate Soke with goals from Alf Ramsey (p), Sonny Walters, Les Bennett, Les Medley (2) and Sid McClellan.  At the end of the season Spurs finished as runners-up, behind Manchester United, while Stoke avoided relegation by one place.


Although their first League meeting wasn't until season 1919-20, Tottenham and Stoke have been linked since Spurs entry into the Football League.  Spurs played in the Southern League and although they had turned professional in 1895 and won the F.A.Cup as a non-League club in 1901, the club had not applied for a position in the Football League.  However, at the end of 1907-08 season they resigned from the Southern League and applied for a place in the Football League but were not voted into the League, a major problem for the club.  However, in mid-June, 1908 Stoke City resigned their place in the Second Division for financial reasons, creating an opening which Spurs were able to fill, being elected to the Football League at the end of the month.  Stoke, however, further added to the confusion when they tried to change their decision on resigning.

A tough match can be expected as Stoke are inclined to raise their game when faced with top opposition, always making it difficult for them.  The latest team news is that Bale and Jermain Defoe are doubtful with injuries, Ledley King may not have recovered from the problem which kept him out of last week's match and Sandro is still doubtful.  On the bright side, Rafael Van der Vaart has recovered from the hamstring injury which has troubled him for the past couple of weeks.  It's at this time of the year as injuries start to take their toll that the depth of the squad will be tested so hopefully any of the players who come into the team will be fully committed now that an opportunity has arisen for them so enabling Spurs to continue with their ascent of the Premier League table.
 

Stoke City 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Saturday, 21st August, 2010

Victory Over Stoke Highlights Progress Made by Tottenham and Bale

Gareth Bale - two goal hero

The win at Stoke City was an important victory for Spurs as it displayed their newly-found appetite to battle away from home against difficult opponents. It was vital to get their first Premier League victory after their encouraging performance against City a week ago and before the early season optimism wavers through pressure and doubts when results don’t go as expected. The battling display showed that Spurs are focused on campaigning on all fronts and not just being selective in the matches where they turn on a performance.

This match was set up for a Spurs’ failure sandwiched as it was between the two European qualifiers against Young Boys of Berne and in previous seasons it would have done. All the ready-made excuses were there – tiredness after travelling to Switzerland, injuries following the disappointing defeat on the artificial pitch, resting players ahead of the vital return game next week, the players distracted by the importance of the next match and Stoke are a big, strong, direct and difficult team to play against – especially at home.

Two years ago, in Stoke’s first season back in top flight football, Spurs and Gareth Bale limped away from the Britannia Stadium battered, bruised, disillusioned and defeated in what turned out to be Juande Ramos’ last league match as Tottenham manager. It was their lowest point – bottom of the league, three points adrift and as Harry Redknapp continually reminded us throughout the remainder of the season – “Spurs only had two points from eight games when I took over.”

As a team, Tottenham were in disarray, the players had lost all confidence and it was impossible to predict where the next win would come from and although it was only October, Spurs looked like a team destined for relegation. In his report on the match Matt Lawton wrote in the Daily Mail, commenting on Tottenham - ‘From the boardroom to the boot room the place is in a shambles; a sorry excuse for a football club that actually fooled itself into thinking it was on the verge of breaking into the top four of the Barclays Premier League.’

As a player, Gareth Bale was struggling as were quite a number of his colleagues. Early in the first half against Stoke Bale was caught in possession on the edge of his penalty area, conceded a rash penalty as he tried to redeem the situation and was sent off. He had yet to win a game in Tottenham colours and after an encouraging start to his Spurs’ career he was struggling to overcome the injury that had curtailed the previous season. On his comeback he was finding it extremely difficult to re-find the form that had had a host of clubs interested in signing him from Southampton. He was struggling to meet the demands of the Premier League and it was so bad that there was media speculation over how long he would remain at the club.

Twenty two months on from that depressing day, Spurs have made tremendous progress under Harry Redknapp who was unexpectedly appointed just ahead of the following weekend’s match against Bolton Wanderers. It brought Spurs’ first win of the season, although Clive Allen was officially in charge for the game. Over the two season’s Redknapp has moved the team forward. His priority in that first season was to avoid relegation and that was achieved although there were hiccups along the way. He has brought in players to strengthen the team, even if at the times they seemed unusual – including re-signing a host of former players – Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Pascal Chimbonda and Younis Kaboul. Last season the manager built on that to secure fourth place in his first full season in charge and Spurs’ highest ever finish in the Premier League has brought the team to the verge of Champions League football.

Redknapp now has a squad of players which has made it possible for Spurs to rotate players and play an under-strength team which has had the organisation and ability to give a good account of itself and take three points away from home. The team for the match against Stoke was a selection that took account of injuries and the need to preserve players for the forthcoming Champions League tie. It did not fill one with confidence so shorn, was it, of important players but they played together as a team and earned their success. The football wasn’t pretty to watch but having gained the initiative in the first half all the players worked hard after the interval to preserve their lead and get the win. In previous years that would not have happened – in the past the team would have eventually succumbed to the pressure and taken nothing from the match. Never before have Spurs been in a position to field weakened teams and still win matches. In the pre-season matches it was clear that Spurs had an array of talent available as they sent out a different team for each half and both were able to give a satisfactory account of themselves against top class opponents. It is pleasing that that has now been carried forward into the league games and will enable Spurs to compete at all levels this season. Spurs showed such consistency last season that with additional European games it was going to be difficult to achieve such levels this year but the team have shown that they are capable of producing a result against difficult opposition on the weekend following the European competitions.

If Gareth Bale thinks back to that early match in his struggle for fitness and form in 2008, he will be doubly delighted at the result against Stoke and his contribution to it. From a player surrounded by doubts he has become the most exciting left sided midfield player currently playing in the Premier League. Since getting back into the team early in the year he has displayed the talent and skill of which he is capable. To date, teams have been unable to find a way to cope with his pace and direct running to score and create opportunities for the team. His two goals were at either end of the spectrum – for the first, he was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time as the Stoke defender’s clearance hit him in the face and rebounded into the goal. The second showed his ability to strike the ball perfectly with his left foot. He met the sublime cross from Aaron Lennon and dispatched the shot past the goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. No goalkeeper would have saved that shot.

Bale is an integral part of Spurs’ newly acquired belief and resilience under Harry Redknapp. He is a member of an exciting team and if successful I mid-week against Young Boys there will be further opportunities for Tottenham, Redknapp and Bale to test themselves at the highest level against top class opposition. It will be an interesting challenge.

Team: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Walker), Huddlestone, Palacios, Jenas, Bale; Crouch.  Subs: Alnwick, Naughton, Bassong, Kranjcar, Rose, Livermore,

Spurs in History - 1st August

1st August, 1992

Glenavon 0 Spurs 1 (Pre-season Friendly)

Little of note occurred on this day, bringing me to a match arranged as part of the transfer of Gerard McMahon to Spurs. Terry Venables as chief guest opened the new stand that the club had just built and Spurs set about winning the game with a goal from Vinny Samways.

A good passing movement between Nayim and Durie sent Samways clear and with just the goalkeeper to beat he side-footed home.

McMahon played against his old team mates and went on to make twenty League and Cup appearances for Spurs (including 8 as substitute), scoring once before being transferred to Stoke City.

Spurs in History - 17th June

17th June, 1908

Tottenham Hotspur Join Football League

Spurs were playing in the Southern League and although they had turned professional in 1895 and won the F.A.Cup as a non-League club in 1901, the club had not applied for a position in the Football League.

However, this close season they resigned from the Southern League and applied for a place in the Football League but were out-voted, Bradford Park Avenue replacing the bottom club, Lincoln City who had four votes more than Spurs.

On this day, Stoke City resigned their place in the Second Division for financial reasons, creating an opening which Spurs were able to fill, being elected to the Football League at the end of the month.

Spurs in History - 6th April

6th April, 1968

Spurs 6 Southampton 1 (1st Division)

Spurs had four consecutive home games from mid-March to Easter and won all of them. They scored 16 goals, conceding only two. This was the third of the victories, having previously overcome Stoke City (3-0) and Burnley (5-0) which included Jimmy Greaves 300th League goal.

The goals against Southampton were scored by Alan Mullery, Jimmy Greaves (2) (1 pen), Martin Chivers, Cliff Jones and an own goal. The final game in the sequence was a 2-1 victory over Leeds United on Good Friday. They then lost the next two away games, including the return against Leeds in mid-week before returning to winning ways at White Hart Lane.

Talking of Mendes' 'Goal'

A Final Thought on that Mendes ‘Goal’
[Things do even themselves out - eventually!]

Article for CaDD – April, 2005

Eddie Baily Goal Wrongly Awarded Against Huddersfield in 1952

The old football adage goes that ‘things even themselves out over the course of the season.’ In many cases this will be true – close calls for off-side, a goal given or disallowed or a penalty awarded for or against. However, this season Spurs have suffered on a number of occasions with decisions that have obviously gone against them but as yet with eight games remaining there has been no sign of similar harsh decisions going in their favour.

The Mendes ‘goal’ at Old Trafford is the obvious one, harsh penalties were conceded at home to both Chelsea and United and at Bolton, but two obvious penalties were missed in the Cup defeat at Newcastle. All of these awards affected the outcome of the games, depriving Spurs of points in the League as well as possible Cup progress. If we accept the common view that such occurrences balance out during the season then Spurs are in for a very productive climax to the season.

A goal at Highbury awarded before the ball goes into the penalty area because the referee was certain it would beat the goalkeeper or a penalty when Kanoute is tripped near the corner flag because he fell so gracefully or a referee will take pity on Defoe and give a penalty because the defender looked as if he was going to trip him, these would help to balance out the injustices that have befallen Spurs this year. Sadly, such occurrences are unlikely.

Perhaps, in the case of Mendes disallowed goal, the wrong will not be righted in a season – it might be more like a lifetime. Having supported Spurs for forty years I can not recall any occasion when something similar occurred either for or against Spurs. However, just three months before I was born Spurs benefited greatly from a referee making a serious mistake.

On Wednesday afternoon, 2nd April, 1952 Spurs were at home to Huddersfield Town who were bottom of the table fighting against relegation while Spurs as defending Champions were in fourth position. The game attracted the lowest attendance of the season, 22,396 and was playing out to an uneventful and dull scoreless draw when Spurs were awarded a corner in the final minute. The referee took up a position nearer the corner flag than the goal and when Eddie Baily took the kick the ball hit the referee and rebounded to him. Baily immediately played the ball a second time, putting in a cross which Len Duquemin headed into the Huddersfield goal. The referee awarded a goal which brought uproar from the Huddersfield players and officials but even after consulting the linesman, the referee stood by his decision.

The referee had made a serious mistake as Baily should not have played the ball twice without another player touching it. Huddersfield should have been awarded a free-kick from the position where Baily played the ball for the second time.

At first, the Huddersfield players refused to re-start the game but there was no mass harassment of the referee and although everyone knew there had been a mistake the result had to stand. In the next programme, Spurs commented on the incident, ‘The referee’s decision is final, and even if we have been the gainers in this instance there have been previous cases in which we have been the sufferers.’

At the end of the season Huddersfield were relegated by three points and while the point they lost that day did not relegate them mathematically, an extra point from that game may have inspired the players to greater efforts in the final six matches of the season. Spurs went on to finish second behind Manchester United and ahead of Arsenal on goal difference so Spurs managed to put one over their North London rivals as a result of that game.

Many people accused Roy Carroll, the United goalkeeper, of not admitting that the ball had crossed the line but on that day in 1952 the Spurs team included such well respected players as Bill Nicholson, Ron Burgess, Eddie Baily, Len Duquemin and Sonny Walters but none of them suggested to the referee that he had made a mistake. In football you have to take what you get and take the rough with the smooth.

The consequences of the Mendes ‘goal’ are still unknown – will Spurs miss out on the financial bonanza of Europe by two points, will they be unable to attract top quality players because they can not offer European football, will Mendes who would have become an overnight hero at the club quietly return to Portugal at the end of the season or will technology be introduced to assist officials in these decisions? Only time will tell but it would be good to see Spurs getting some of the close decisions going their way in the important games in the coming seasons.

Seven years on those questions can be answered - and all responses are in the negative. The non-goal didn't have any bearing on Spurs position and Europe in 2005.  Technology was talked about in the immediate short-lived aftermath of this game and in spite of further errors by referees including England's defeat by Germany in the EWorld Cup Finals, they are no nearer using technology to assist the officials.

Spurs have suffered quite frequently this season, 2011 - 12, as they make a title and Champions League challenge.  Emmanuel Adebayor had had three goals disallowed for offside when clearly onside and the decisions affected the result of the match, referee Foy had a nightmare at Stoke costing Spurs their unbeaten record and the crucial game against Manchester City was decided by a last minute penalty, won and scored, by a player who should have been sent off for dangerous play and has since been suspended for four matches which is of no benefit to Tottenham who now find themselves eight points adrift of City at the top of the Premier League table.