Tottenham at Swansea - Preview

Spurs go to Swansea for a League game for the first time since October, 1982.  The last time that Tottenham came away with a win in a competitive match was in the first season after the Second World War in September, 1946.

Spurs go to the Liberty Stadium for the first time, all other games in Swansea having been played at the club's former Vetch Field ground which they vacated in 2005.  Swansea won promotion last season by defeating Reading in the play-off Final at Wembley.

They have received credit for their style of play under manager, Brendan Rodgers, and have one of the best home records in this season's Premier League, bettered by only the top five clubs.  They are in 14th position in the League with 19 points, having gained 16 points from their nine home matches.  They have suffered only one defeat by the only goal to Manchester United and were unfortunate to miss the opportunity of a late equaliser.  At home they have conceded only three goals, the meanest home defence in the League, so Spurs will have to be at their attacking best to break through a defence which has had to cope with a number of lengthy absences through injury.

Steven Caulker who is on loan from Tottenham will be missing as he is ineligible, having just returned following a time of injury.  His time with Swansea had been beneficial to him as he has been a regular member of the team at the centre of their defence and has been gaining good reviews as he builds up his Premier League experience, having stepped up from Championship football last year.  Swansea have also been without their captain, Alan Tate, with a broken leg but have coped with the necessary re-organisation.  One of their stars has been Dutch goalkeeper, Michel Vorm, whom they signed from FC Utrecht during August - he made his debut in Swansea's first game in the Premier League at Manchester City.  He kept the City strike force at bay for almost an hour with an exceptional performance and has grown in stature and confidence since that match.

Danny Graham has scored six League goals, two ahead of Scott Sinclair who scored a hat-trick in the play-off final to secure Swansea's Premier League place.  The former Chelsea player joined Swansea in July, 2010.  A year earlier, Nathan Dyer, a winger, another product of the Southampton Academy joined Swansea and he has scored two goals this season, the same as Joe Allen the Welsh international midfielder.

Two former Tottenham players who will be anxious to make an impression are Mark Gower and Wayne Routledge.  Gower came through the Spurs youth system but didn't make it into the first team before moving on to Barnet.   He spent five seasons with Southend United before joining Swansea in 2008 and helped them to promotion last season.  Routledge joined Spurs from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2005 but only made five League appearances for the club.  An early injury hindered his progress with Spurs and he had periods on loan with Portsmouth and Fulham before joining Aston Villa in January, 2008.

Swansea's 2011 - 12 Home Record:
Swansea's last home match ended in a 1 - 1 draw with QPR, their goal being scored by Danny Graham.  That goal in last Tuesday's match was only the third goal they have conceded at home this season.

After their tough introduction to the Premier League, Swansea played out two scoreless draws at home to Wigan and Sunderland.  They then won three home games in a row against WBA (3 - 0), Stoke (2 - 0) and Bolton (3 - 1).  Following the close defeat to United, they drew 0 - 0 with Aston Villa and then defeated Fulham (2 - 0).  The win over Fulham being their only win in their last eight matches as their early season form has taken a dip.

Spurs' League Record at Swansea

P  13  W  4  D  3  L  6  For  14  Ag  18

Spurs and Swansea have only met in the top Division on two occasions, in 1981 - 82 and 1982 - 83 in the 1st Division when Swansea won both of their home matches.  In September, 1982 Glenn Hoddle scored a penalty for Spurs as they lost 1 - 2 and the following year Swansea won 2 - 0.

Prior to those matches, the clubs met in the 2nd Division in the years from 1928 until Spurs won promotion in 1950.  Spurs first match at the Vetch Field ended in a 4 - 0 defeat but the following year in November, 1929 they won 1 - 0, with Ted Harper scoring the goal. The following season Harper scored again as Spurs triumphed 2 - 1, Jimmy Smailes scoring the second goal.  

In March, 1932 they earned a point from a 1 - 1 draw when Tom Evans scored with a penalty.  Spurs' good form in Wales continued in March, 1933 with a 2 - 0 success provided by goals from Les Howe and Willie Evans.

That was the end of their success until 1946 when two goals from Les Bennett gave Spurs another 2 - 0 win.  Even in their promotion year of 1949 - 50 the Spurs 'Push and Run' side failed to take any points from Swansea, losing 0 - 1 in April, 1950.

Having triumphed in the east (at Norwich) last Tuesday, Spurs will need to show the same resilient form which has stood them in good stead for most of this season as they travel west to Wales for their final game of 2011.  Gareth Bale will want to make an impression as he returns to his homeland but may not necessarily receive a warm welcome from the home fans, especially as he was born in Cardiff.  

The miserly Swansea defence will be doing their utmost to prevent Spurs getting into their free-flowing style of play so the visitors will be able to take no liberties with Swansea on their first match at the Liberty Stadium.

Preview - Spurs Record at Norwich

Tottenham play catch up again as they travel to Norwich for an evening kick-off at the end of the second set of matches for the Christmas/New Year period.  Norwich have made a favourable impression on their return to the Premier League following an absence of six seasons.

Norwich City were last in the Premier League in season 2004 - 05, a one season sojourn before returning to the Championship.  They won automatic promotion last season as runners-up to champions QPR and are currently the highest of the three promoted teams in ninth position with 21 points.  They've gained 14 of those points at Carrow Road with four wins and two draws.  Their only home defeats have been against Arsenal (1 - 2) having taken a first half lead and WBA who took an early lead and held out for the next 87 minutes.  In their last home match they defeted Newcastle United 4 - 2 with goals from Wes Hoolahan, Grant Holt (2) and Steve Morison.

Norwich started their season with a draw at Wigan (1 - 1) and followed it with a home draw with Stoke City.  Following defeat at Chelsea and at home to West Brom their first win of the season came at Bolton.  They then won their first home game against Sunderland (2 - 1).  Swansea City lost 1 - 3 at Carrow Road and then Blackburn took a point home from a six goal thriller at Norwich.  Since the home defeat to Arsenal they have enjoyed home success against QPR (2 - 1) and Newcastle.  After a difficult start to life in the Premier League they have shown a resilience, an attacking spirit and a work ethic for which they have been rewarded, especially at home.

Their leading goal scorer is Holt with 7 Premier League goals but Morision is close behind with 6.  Anthony Pilkington has four goals.

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John Ruddy in goal has impressed for Norwich, especially when the team earned a point at Anfield in mid-October, thanks to his display.  Tottenham's Kyle Naughton will be missing from the team as he is ineligible while on loan from Spurs, although he is also suspended for five bookings - convenient.  He has established himself as regular in the team and is gaining good Premier League experience which hopefully will be of benefit to him on his return to White Hart Lane. Norwich are a hard working, well organised team who give their all in every game without any 'star' names.  They are making the most of this opportunity in the Premier League and their manager Paul Lambert knows that they must continue in a similar vein throughout the season to avoid an instant return to the Championship, the fate that befell them when they last won promotion.

Tottenham's Record at Norwich
Totenham have visited Carrow Road on four occasions in the Premier League with a record of three wins and a draw.  The last two matches were on Boxing Day and ended with Spurs winning 2 - 0.  In 2004 Robbie Keane and Michael Brown were the scorers, while in 1994 the goals came from Nicky Barmby and Teddy Sheringham.  The previous April, Spurs won 2 - 1 and Sheringham scored again.  The other goal was an own goal.  On Boxing Day, 1992 the clubs played out a scoreless draw.    

The overall League record:

P  24  W  8  D  6  L  10  For  32  Ag  36

As can be seen, Spurs record in the Premier League matches has improved the overall record which is not too impressive.  Matches have been close but Norwich have had the upper hand.  

In August, 1991 a Gary Lineker goal was enough to earn Spurs the points but the previous April Spurs lost 1 - 2, a few days ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.  The most notable aspect of the game was the return of Paul Gascoigne after missing five games following an operation.  Gascoigne was using this game to test out his fitness for the weekend's big match.  That Spurs lost was an irrelevance at the time and that John Hendry scored his first goal on his League debut for Spurs and that Ian Walker and Peter Garland also made their debuts has largely been forgotten.

The first League meeting between the clubs was in season 1935 - 36 in the 2nd Division.  Spurs lost by the only goal of the game on their first League visit to Norfolk in April, 1936.  The following season they won their first League match at Carrow Road - Johnny Morrison scoring a hat-trick in their 3 - 2 success.

Having met in four consecutive seasons up to 1939, the clubs didn't meet again in League football until Norwich won promotion to the 1st Division in 1972 when Norwich won 2 - 1, Martin Chivers scoring Spurs only goal.

Spurs eventually managed a win in March, 1978, their relegation season.  Goals from John Pratt, Gerry Armstrong and Peter Taylor gave them a 3 - 1 win.

On gaining promotion after a year's absence, it took Spurs seven attempts before winning at Carrow Road.  In December, 1994, Tony Galvin and Garth Crooks scored the goals as Spurs won two nil.

Norwich have proved difficult opponents for Spurs teams in the past and the current Spurs team can expect a difficult evening with a team prepared to battle against them in an effort to put them out of their stride.  The good news for Spurs is that Rafael Van der Vaart has recovered from injury and is expected to play.

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.