Tottenham Hotspur Pre-Season Matches - 1960s Style

Spurs completed their pre-season preparation with a 2-1 win over Atletico Bilbao at White Hart Lane thanks to two goals early in the second half from Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.  This season has seen the club visit South Africa where they won the Vodacom Challenge, playing three games against Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs.  They also defeated Brighton and Hove Albion in a friendly which marked the opening of the south coast club's new stadium.  These matches were used to provide match practice for the senior squad while a number of Spurs XI games were played to improve the fitness of the younger members of the playing squad.

This has been a much less active series of games compared with recent seasons which have seen the club visit the Far East, USA, Europe and the UK.  In the summer of 2004, new coach saw Spurs play a massive 12 games in the weeks leading up to the season which was not ideal preparation for a new season.  Last year, Harry Redknapp found the amount of travelling involved in the trip to the United States to be a hindrance to his preparations.

However, looking back over the years it can be seen that clubs preferred to prepare over a shorter period and much closer to home in their build up to a new season and the number of games they played prior to the start of the season was greatly restricted compared to modern day trends.

In the 1950s and 60s the only opportunity Spurs supporters had to see the team playing before the first game of the season was in the annual 'Public Trial' game - 'Whites' v 'Blues' played between the 1st team and the Reserves at White Hart Lane on the Saturday prior to the start of the season.  On occasions these games could be quite feisty affairs and frequently raised more questions than answers for the manager as the reserve players endeavoured to make a point about their non-selection.

In fact, on the Saturday before the start of the 1960 - 61 season after three weeks training Bill Nicholson watched as the reserves drew 4-4 with the soon to become famous 'Double' team.  In that game, watched by 11,677 spectators, the full strength team of Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay et al took a 4-1 lead mid-way through the second half but such was the determination of experienced players like Tony Marchi, Tommy Harmer and Terry Medwin and a young prospect called Frank Saul that they scored three quick goals to draw the game.  Cliff Jones had given the 'Whites' the lead from a hotly disputed penalty and Mackay doubled the lead before half-time.  Terry Dyson added the third before Medwin pulled one back for the 'Blues'.  Les Allen increased the lead but then Saul and Jimmy Collins (2) levelled the score.  Saul obviously impressed the manager as he made his League debut a few weeks later as replacement for the injured Bobby Smith in the derby match at Highbury when he scored as Spurs won 3-2 to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

This had been the customary preparation throughout the 1950s and it was only in the mid-1960s that changes occurred in the preparations teams made.  In the two seasons following the 'Double' success Spurs had the privilege of playing in the Charity Shield game, the official curtain raiser for the new season.  In 1961 they defeated and FA XI and the following year they took revenge on Champions Ipswich Town by winning 5-1 at Portman Road.

To this point there had been no pre-season friendly games played at home or abroad.  It was more customary for clubs to undertake extensive overseas tours at the end of the season and in the 1950s Spurs had twice visited North America on lengthy tours while at the end of season 1959 they visited USSR.  The first pre-season friendly that is recorded is in August, 1964 when Spurs went to Holland and lost 2-3 to Feyenoord - their only pre-season game.

August 1965 saw the introduction of a short tour to take part in a two day tournament in Spain.  Spurs won the Costa del Sol trophy after defeating Valencia 2 - 1 and then Standard Liege 1 - 0 in the Final.
The following year they returned to defend their trophy and retained it with victories over Malaga and Benefica, both 2 - 1.

In 1967 Spurs had the Charity Shield game at Old Trafford but a week earlier they went to Hampden Park to take on European Champions, Celtic and drew 3 - 3.  Strangely, the game against Manchester United ended with a similar scoreline but even more strangely, Pat Jennings was one of the Tottenham scorers that day.  Pre-season matches were now becoming more high profile and so it was to continue in the coming years.

For the next four years, a game against Glasgow Rangers became a regular feature of the pre-season fixture list and while rarely does anything memorable occur in such matches, the 1968 game against Rangers at White Hart Lane saw the debut of a young centre-half signed for £5,500 from non-league Chelmsford City.  Peter Collins scored twice in that game and although his career was ended prematurely through injury he will be remembered for the part he played in the successful 1971 League Cup campaign when he replaced the injured Mike England.  In 1968 Spurs also played in Austria while the following year saw Spurs renew acquaintances with Hearts, their Europa League opponents in ten days time.  In the mid-1950s the two clubs had participated in a short-lived Anglo-Scottish floodlight competition which lasted for a number of seasons.

The 1970 pre-season saw Tottenham also return to Spain to play in the Palma de Mallorca Tournament but there was no repeat of their previous success in Spain as they lost both games by a single goal to Cologne and Atletico Madrid.

In the years that followed the number of matches played remained at three or four.  It was in the mid to late 70s that saw additional games played with an increasing number overseas.  The tendency then became to take the players away to a foreign training camp where a number of games were played against local sides before returning to participate in more high profile games in the final weeks of preparation.

Every club does it differently and every manager has his own ideas on the best way to prepare but nowadays a club like Tottenham will include a tour to a destination where they can try to heighten their profile and create a new generation of supporters who will improve the financial standing of the club through increased sales of club merchandise.

At the end of the day pre-season results are meaningless, it's the result on the opening day of the season that really counts and how the team progresses from that point.  On occasions Spurs have gone through pre-season games with an unbeaten record with players scoring for fun but when the real games started their form has been poor but at other times the reverse has occurred - a poor pre-season run is followed by an exciting start to the new season.

Tottenham Players from the Milk Cup to Watch in Season 2011-12

Tottenham Hotspur have a policy when competing in youth tournaments like the Northern Ireland Milk Cup of sending a squad of mixed age players where many will be facing opponents who are older than themselves.  This allows the young Tottenham players to test themselves against players who may be physically stronger and have more experience than them.  The objective is not to win the tournament at all costs by sending out a team with the best Academy players in that age group which Tottenham Hotspur have available but to see how the young players cope and develop while facing bigger, stronger opponents.

The Milk Cup has an Under-17 age limit for boys born on or after 1st January, 1994.
  

Speaking after the Final against South Coast Strikers to the THFC Official web-site, Assistant Academy manager, Brian Klug, acknowledged that Spurs had involved younger players in the tournament.
   

"It was an even game and a good test against a strong team that included Under-17 internationals and reached the final two years ago.  Overall, it's been a good tournament for us. We're by far the youngest team in the Premier section and the lads have come out of it with a lot of credit." 

After the hard fought victory over Cherry Orchard, the previous evening he commented,  

"Cherry Orchard were made up mainly of Under-17 players, whereas we fielded two Under-15s, so we have to be happy."

Five of Spurs 18 players had played in the 2010 tournament - Oliver Modeste, Freddy Champion, Victor Zapata-Caicedo, Kenneth McEvoy and Samuel Smith - and it was obvious that they had benefitted from another year in the Academy set-up.   They were stronger and much more confident and involved in the play, taking greater responsibility in the team.

Kenneth McEvoy caught the eye for two reasons last week - a photograph on the club web-site which made him look uncannily like Gareth Bale and then on the same evening, he scored the two excellent goals which enabled the team to defeat Co. Fermanagh.  The first was a strong header from a free-kick while the second was a lovely solo effort as he cut in from the right, beating three men before powering his shot past the keeper.  

These goals and the style of them made life at the Milk Cup more difficult for him because he became a marked man whom the other teams knew was a danger.  In the Milk Cup he played mainly on the right side of midfield using his pace and strength to run at defenders to create goal scoring opportunities for himself and others.  In the opening match against Otaga he showed his creativity by providing crosses from the right, one of which caused a defender to put the ball into his own net.  Against South Coast Strikers it was his run that brought about the penalty from which Spurs equalised as the defenders up-ended him in the penalty area.  On other occasions he was unceremoniously brought down as defenders endeavoured to stop him from creating any further danger.  In the final he appeared to have been given a more forward role as he played alongside Zapata-Caicedo who had played as the lone striker in previous matches.

Freddie Champion is a hard working midfield player with good control and passing skills.  He captained the side, playing in a central midfield role although all the midfielders covered right across the pitch.  He could get forward as well as cover in front of the defence.

Oliver Modeste played on the left side of central defence and was very composed and commanding in his play.  He has good control and a good range of passing both long and short.  He is very capable of picking out a pass from open play or a free-kick to the lone striker.  He covered well in defence and his heading was good although he isn't the tallest of defenders.  He was always looking to receive the ball in order to start the team playing again.  The defence looked much more secure when he was playing.

Dominic Ball started all five games in the tournament, the only Spurs player to do that - his only rest was being substituted for the final eighteen minutes in the third match.  He scored twice in the opening match and put Spurs ahead in the Final against South Coast Strikers with a delightful curled free-kick.  He then scored the first penalty in the shoot-out to put Spurs on the road to victory.  A strong player, with pace, he played across the midfield and was equally comfortable pushing forward into the penalty area as he showed with his goals against Otaga or playing in front of the defence and carrying out defensive duties.

Of local, Northern Ireland interest, Dominic and his older brother, Matthew were both playing in the competition this year.  Dominic is eligible to play for Northern Ireland as his mother was born in Belfast and his brother represented his country in the Elite Section.  On the first evening when Dominic scored his two goals, Matthew scored the opening goal for Northern Ireland as the Under-19 side drew with Denmark.

Dominic is a confident player who confidently took the penalty he won in the match against Otaga and stepped forward to score in the penalty shoot-out in the final.  Hopefully, Northern Ireland will be represented by the two Ball brothers in the not too distant future. 

Ruben Lameires is a very skilful and confident player.  He has quick feet and was a constant threat to the opposition.  He played on the left but was given freedom to roam across the pitch and with his quick control and turns he was frequently brought down by defenders.  

He created a number of the goals during the week - setting up Ball to progress into the area for the penalty on the opening night and the fourth came from a rebound from his shot which had been blocked.  In the second game his free-kick was headed home by McEvoy to start Spurs' recovery and in the third game he confidently scored the penalty as Spurs drew level against South Coast Strikers.  In that game he was a constant threat as he teased the defenders with his skills.  In the fourth game he was made Captain and was given a more central role which increased his involvement in the game.  He scored the first goal in the opening minutes shooting in off the post after a forward run past defenders had taken him into the penalty area.  He dictated much of the play through that game and also had the responsibility for taking most of the corners and free-kicks.  The final game was perhaps the one where he had least influence but he still worked hard and covered back to defend when the Strikers were putting Spurs under increasing pressure in the second half.  He also stepped forward to score the third penalty of the shoot-out.

He is a lightly built player but has bundles of confidence and enthusiasm and is a very skilful player.

Grant Ward started as an attacking full back playing on the left.  However, as the games progressed he as often moved forward into midfield where his hard running and shooting was more effective.  In the final game he started in midfield and was constantly looking to get into a position to shoot at goal and his running from deep was a feature of his and the team's play.   Throughout the tournament he frequently got himself forward, even from full-back, into a shooting position only to be thwarted by the goalkeeper, the woodwork or a defender's last ditch block.  He runs with pace and he tackles back to cover danger and works hard with good inter-passing.  He was the fourth penalty taker in the Final and he scored confidently.

It will be interesting to see watch these players in the Academy team this season to see if they can progress as players from the 2010 Milk Cup squad have done in the season past - Laste Dombaxe, Daniel  Day, Ramil Sheriff, Kevin Stewart, James Yeboah, Lee Angol, Ronnie Hawkins and Alexander McQueen.

To keep further up-dated with the progress these players and all of the Academy players take a look at Wind's excellent blog: http://windycoys.blogspot.com/

Tottenham U-17s Finish 5th in NI Milk Cup 2011

The last week of July is the traditional date for the Northern Ireland Milk Cup to be held in venues in the towns around the North Antrim coast - Coleraine, Ballymoney, Portrush, Portstewart, Limavady and Ballymena.   It is a youth tournament which has grown dramatically since its early days and now attracts teams from all across the world.

Spurs sent a young squad to play in the Premier Section (Under - 17s) of the Northern Ireland Milk Cup competition.  Spurs have won the competition twice - in 1990 and 1996, but last year was the first time they had competed for a number of years.  Last year's team won their opening two games to qualify for the Q/F which they lost.    In the play-offs they lost to Porto on penalties but won their final game to finish 7th.

As always the competition started with a parade of participating teams through the town of Coleraine.

The draw was made today by that 'legendary' former Spurs 'star' Gerry Armstrong decreed that Spurs would play:
Mon. 25th July: v Otago (NZ) at Limavady Showgrounds.
Tues. 26th July: v Co. Fermanagh at Ballymoney
Wed. 27th July: v South Coast Strikers (USA) at Ballymena Showgrounds.

Tottenham Hotspur U-17 Squad:
1. Billy Grainger (g/k)
2. Grant Ward
3. Reuben Lameires
4. Dominic Ball
5. Kodi Lyons-Foster
6. Oliver Modeste
7. Freddie Champion (Capt)
8. Emmanuel Sonupe
9. Victor Zapata - Caicedo
10. Leeroy Maguaraushe
11. Kenneth McEvoy
12. Daniel Akindayini
13. Liam Priestly (g/k)
14. Samuel Smith
15. Thomas Gardiner
16. Roman Michael-Percil
17. Kolade Nathan Oduwa
18. Connor Ogilvie

Five of the players included in the squad, were part of last year's team in the competition - Freddie Champion, Oliver Modeste, Samuel Smith, Victor Zapata-Caideco and Kenneth McEvoy.


Monday, 25th July v Otago (NZ) at Limavady Showgrounds (7pm KO)

Won 4 - 0 Scorers:   Ball(2) (1 pen), Oduwa, Opp. o.g.

Spurs made an impressive start to the competition.  Dominic Ball scored twice in the first half - the first a shot into the roof of the net following a cross by Zapata-Caidedo and the second from the penalty after he was brought down following a good pass into the box from Lameires.  In the second half, a defender turned a cross from McEvoy into his own net and Oduwa scored the fourth after more good work from Lameires, left him to knock the ball home.

Team: Grainger, Michael-Precil (Sonupe), Gardiner, Modeste, Ward (Ogilvie); McEvoy (Oduwa), Smith, Champion, Ball, Lameires; Zapata-Caidedo (Akindayini)


Goals v Otaga at 5.35 (from BBC website)

Tuesday, 26th July v Co. Fermanagh at Ballymoney (8pm KO)

Won 2 - 1 Scorer: McEvoy(2)

Spurs came from a goal down at half-time to win with two goals from half-time substitute Kenneth McEvoy in the last ten minutes against the local County side.  The first was a strong header from a free-kick on the right taken by Ruben Lameires while the second was a solo effort as he cut in from the right to beat three men and score with a powerful shot.

Team:  Priestley, Lyons-Foster (Michael-Precil), Modeste, Ogilvie, Ward, Maguraushe (McEvoy), Champion, Ball, Oduwa (Lameiras), Zapata-Caidedo (Akindayini), Sanoupe (Smith).

Goals v Co. Fermanagh at 5.40 (from BBC Milk Cup website)

After the opening 2 matches of the Milk Cup, Spurs were one of 7 teams on 6 points.  Spurs were 4th with a goal difference of +4 and in a position to qualify for the Milk Cup semi-finals.

Wednesday, 27th July v South Coast Strikers (USA) at Ballymena Showgrounds (6pm KO)

Lost 1-2 Scorer: Lameires (pen)

Going into this match Spurs were 4th in the league standings after two wins and needed a win with some goals to be certain of qualification for the semi-finals if the top Milk Cup competition. South Coast Strikers had 4 points following a draw and a win.

After a lovely, warm sunny day the rain arrived as forecast at 6pm just in time for the kick-off and so was played in a typical wet Northern Ireland evening under grey skies and constant light rain. Fortunately for us, Ballymena Showgrounds is one of the few grounds used for this tournament which has a stand to provide cover for all spectators. Prior to the game the local 'unbiased' announcer treated us to his record collection of Spurs favourites - 'Nice One Cyril', 'Tottenham Tottenham' and 'Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur'.

Team: Grainger; Michael-Percil(Akindayini), Gardiner (Modeste), Ogilvie, Ward; McEvoy, Champion (Capt), Ball(Sonupe), Smith(Lyons-Foster), Lameires; Zapata-Caidedo(Oduwa)

South Coast Strikers started the more quickly, denying Spurs time and space and the pressure paid off early as the Spurs defence struggled to play the ball out from the back, gave it away and SCS went ahead with a powerful shot after a few minutes. This encouraged the team from USA and they maintained the pressure on the Spurs players who were looking to play McEvoy into a dangerous position but the ball was often misplaced or cut out by the quick American players who often threatened on the break. Shortly after the goal, Zapata-Caidedo had a chance to get clear but a poor first touch let him down. The Spurs defence was often vulnerable to a ball down the centre with no-one taking responsibility.

Play continued in a similar vein with Spurs struggling to get into their opponent's half but after about 20 minutes Spurs came more into the game - Lameires had a shot straight at the goalkeeper and then McEvoy ran at pace into the area and was brought down. Penalty awarded and Lameires showed great self-confidence and stepped forward to score from the spot. Lameires was causing difficulties for SCS with his quick footwork and pace as well as his eagerness to be involved. Just before half-time Ward had a shot saved by the goalkeeper when with more power he might have scored.

Spurs were much sharper in the second half and with increasing pressure were often playing with the two full backs pushing forward and only leaving the two central defenders at the back. Lameiras was a constant threat and both he and McEvoy were being treated harshly by the strong SCS defenders. From one free-kick for a foul on himself, Lameires had his shot save by the goalkeeper. Then Ball picked up a poor clearance in central midfield but shot wide when through on goal.

After this constant Spurs pressure SCS suddenly came into the game and had a shot over on the break. Oduwa replaced Zapata-Caidedo who had offered little threat and immediately had a good shot on the turn, saved by the goalkeeper. In quick succession SCS had a goal disallowed for off-side, a shot over and a goal. Spurs had been doing so much attacking that they had got dis-organised at the back and got caught again with too few defenders back as SCS picked up a poor clearance and attacked at pace to score after an hour.

Spurs tried to get a goal back but couldn't get the break they needed - Ward moved into midfield and had a couple of shots, one over and one against the bar, but the goal wouldn't come. Defenders managed to get a block at a vital moment and in a final late effort Oduwa shot over.

Spurs have missed out in qualifying for the Milk Cup semi-finals but will be in the 5th-8th play-offs where their goal will be to improve on last year's 7th place finish.

McEvoy and Champion who played in this competition last year have grown in confidence and ability in the past twelve months. Ball looks a strong, capable player and Lameiras is a lightly built player with quick feet and pace who is keen to be involved. Ward was busy throughout, especially going forward.

Like the Tottenham PL team, they play passing football from the back to create space and to release their Gareth Bale lookalike Kenneth McEvoy who has good pace, strength and ability.

Goals from Match vSCS at 5.20 (from BBC NI milk Cup website)

After this round of matches Spurs had slipped to 8th in the Premier Section.  With 6 points and a positive goal difference of 4 they would compete in the Globe Section play-offs for 5th - 8th position.

Thursday, 28th July  v Cherry Orchard (Ire) at Broughshane (7pm KO)

Won 4 - 3  Scorers: Lameires, Gardiner, Akindayini, Opp. o.g.

What a game! After going two goals up in the first five minutes, it looked as if it was going to be a matter of counting the goals against the team who had been thumped 7-0 by Bolton in the previous game. A third followed late in the half but Orchard from Dublin scored just before half-time with a header from a corner.

In the second half Spurs scored a fourth - game over, but it wasn't as Orchard playing with a strengthening wind on their backs built up the pressure on the Tottenham defence with a sequence of high balls, corners and free-kicks. Spurs succumbed and conceded two in two minutes, game on again with about ten minutes remaining. Fortunately, Spurs re-organised and held out under a constant barrage of high balls into the box. Spurs now play tomorrow in the play-off for 5th and 6th in a re-match with last night's victors, South Coast Strikers from USA at the Coleraine Showgrounds at 1.30pm.

Team: Grainger; Lyons-Foster, Gardiner, Modeste, Ogilvie; McEvoy (Smith), Sonupe (Zapata-Caicedo), Lameires (Capt), Ball, Oduwa (Ward); Akindaylini (Michael-Percil)

In the picturesque setting of Broughshane, the Best Kept Large Village in Northern Ireland, it was a cool summer evening as Spurs kicked off, playing up the slope with the slight breeze behind them. It was a completely different game from last night when Spurs took time to get into the game - this time they were two ahead after five minutes as Cherry Orchard stood back and let them pass the ball around. The first came from Lameires who was playing in a central midfield role and was much more influential in the game. He picked up the ball outside the penalty area, beat a couple of men and scored with a fierce shot from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later, Oduwa played in a dangerous cross which missed the waiting Akindayini but an Orchard defender, under no pressure, sliced it into his own goal. It all looked too easy as Cherry Orchard seemed overwhelmed. Spurs continued to enjoy the majority of the play but gradually Cherry Orchard worked their way into the came with dangerous high balls into the box from free-kicks and corners. Spurs survived and Grainger made a good save from a free-kick, pushing the strong shot up and catching it on the way down. Spurs continued to create chances with Akindayini looking dangerous and they went further ahead after being awarded a free-kick as McEvoy was brought down. The ball was played into the box but as the goalkeeper was challenged for the high ball he dropped it and Gardiner bundled it home after 33 minutes.

Just before half-time Cherry Orchard managed to get on the score-sheet heading in from a corner.

in the second half Orchard were more assertive and looked more dangerous putting the Spurs defence under pressure using the strengthening wind to their advantage. A header was cleared off the line for a corner and then a dangerous ball from the corner had to be cleared to safety. Spurs re-gained their composure and continued to be controlled in their play but were finding it more difficult to clear their lines because of the wind. However, they worked their way forward and Ward had a good long range shot just wide. A long free-kick in to the box by Modeste was headed down and Akindayini scored, a goal he deserved for his hard work as the lone striker.

Surely, that would give Spurs a comfortable win but Orchard threw everything into the game and went for it. They had shots over and wide but then they got a cross in from the left, Granger blocked the shot with his legs but had no chance from the rebound. Two minutes later a curling cross from the right was headed home and with ten minutes left it was looking as if penalties could be a possibility. However, Spurs held out without too much difficulty although Grainger was booked for time wasting and an indirect free-kick awarded inside the box but it was cleared.

Victory ensured that the Spurs' team would finish higher than their counterparts did last year as they take on South Coast Strikers in the Globe Section Final to decide 5th/6th places.


Friday, 29th July v South Coast Strikers at Coleraine Showgrounds (1.30pm KO)

Draw 1 - 1 (Won 4 - 2 on penalties)  Scorer: Ball

Team: Grainger; Michael-Percil, Gardiner, Modeste, Ogilvie; McEvoy (Oduwa), Champion, Ward, Lameiras, Ball; Zapata-Caicedo (Akindayini)

Spurs fielded what would appear to have been their strongest team knowing that they would have to put in a good performance against a hard-working and pacy American team. As usual they played with a lone striker although McEvoy did play further up to support Zapata-Caicedo today. The midfield 4/5 is a very flexible formation will all of the players inter-changing and playing right across the pitch. The central defence is much more secure with Modeste playing and both full-backs got forward on the wings.

On a sunny afternoon in Coleraine Spurs started strongly and took the game to the South Coast Strikers not giving them the time to close them down as they had been able to do in the previous encounter on Wednesday evening. Spurs were obviously up for the game and determined not to be dominated by the other side's pressure. Today, it was the SCS players who were struggling to get to grips with the game. Spurs were lively and having most of the play but had to be alert to speedy counter-attacks from SCS. Zapata-Caicedo was working hard and had a shot over, Ward was working hard in midfield and looking to get forward to shoot at goal.

it was a close game with Spurs edging the possession and control but failing to get a break-through with SCS defenders managing to get in important tackles. Spurs almost went ahead with a fluke goal when a SCS defender sliced a clearance back towards his own goal, his keeper tried to kick it but missed completely but the ball bounced over the bar for a corner. Spurs were keeping the SCS goalkeeper busy but Grainger was also active coming for crosses and through balls.

Spurs finally got their reward when awarded a free kick on the left centre of the box, Ball curled a lovely shot into the net after 27 minutes. Spurs continued to press to half-time.

SCS started brighter in the second half, determined to pull back the goal. They started to run at Spurs and the defenders had to be alert. Modeste was cool under pressure and midfield worked hard to cover. Both sides were working hard to create goal scoring chances but the final pass was cut out or shots blocked. SCS final drew level after 45 minutes with a run and shot from midfield giving Grainger no chance. Chances at both ends with Spurs working hard in defence - Grainger made a good save when a cross was headed back across him towards the goal. SCS had a goal disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper and as time wore on both sides were looking for the winner - Ward and Oduwa had shots but no goals came, so the game went to penalties.

Ball scored first for Spurs, SCS missed, shot over (1-0)
Modeste had good shot saved, SCS scored (1-1)
Champion scored, SCS scored (2-2)
Lameires scored, Grainger saved SCS penalty (3-2)
Oduwa scored - (Spurs won 4-2 on penalties)

Spurs deserved the win as they had endeavoured to play a passing game throughout the competition.

A young team, they worked hard and showed a high level of skill and composure even under pressure.

Grainger played confidently and made a couple of important saves, including in the penalty shoot-out.
Modeste played with composure in central defence and had good control and passing.
Champion worked hard and has progressed since last year.
Lameires is an exciting player with quick feet and skills but will work hard to defend as well. Not as influential in the game today but has great confidence.
Ball is a strong player, works hard and has an eye for goal - lovely free-kick and three goals in the week.
McEvoy has good pace and control, is dangerous but often had to cope with three defenders around him.
Ward is a hard-working midfielder/full back with a powerful shot and an eye for goal.

The players were a credit to Tottenham Hotspur, finishing a very worthy 5th in the Milk Cup with the Globe trophy in the White Hart Lane trophy cabinet.

Van der Vaart Double Gives Tottenham Success in South Africa

Vodacom Challenge Trophy
Orlando Pirates 0 Tottenham Hotspur 3

Van der Vaart scored twice and Jermain Defoe got a third against Orlando Pirates as Tottenham won their first pre-season game in South Africa and secured the Vodacom Challenge trophy.  Having lost to Kaiser Chiefs a week ago and drawn against Orlando Pirates in mid-week, Spurs were looking to go one better and secure a win against the Pirates to boost their pre-season morale.

On Tuesday evening Spurs started the brighter of the two teams but today it was the Pirates who made the quicker start keeping possession well and running at Tottenham with pace but without causing Gomes any difficulty.  When Spurs had the ball they made limited progress and often conceded possession easily.  However, Van der Vaart came to the rescue with another goal direct from a free-kick, just as he had done on Tuesday evening.  This enabled Spurs to go into half-time with the lead and then early in the second half as Pirates constantly looked to catch Spurs on the break a pass from Assou-Ekotto released Van der Vaart who got into the penalty one on one against the goalkeeper. His shot was blocked by the keeper but Van der Vaart was quick enough to recover and lift the rebound over the keeper and in to the net.

The game looked over and with the introduction of Gareth Bale for Luka Modric, Spurs were much more lively and dangerous as an attacking force.  He had a goal disallowed for offside immediately after coming on and created a further chance which went begging. Then the Pirates were awarded a penalty for handball against Bassong.  Gomes dived to his left but the ball went to the right and hit the post and went across the goal to safety.  Gomes was then called upon to make a couple of important saves before Defoe secured the win with the third goal following a run and cross by Bale.

Spurs have secured the Vodacom trophy for the second time following a similar score line against the same opponents in 2004.

Spurs have used this trip to improve the fitness of all the players in the squad and in coming matches we will get a better indication of who is likely to start in the first game against Everton in three weeks and who is surplus to requirements and will be moving on either as a loan deal or transfer.

This game showed that as last season, all the best that is Tottenham comes from Van der Vaart and Bale, without them Spurs' play would be rather mundane.  Now, with all the transfer rumours that are rife we just need some of them to become full transfers to strengthen the team and ensure that the best players want to stay and be part of what should be an exciting seasson at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham's Pre-Season in South Africa.

Saturday, 16th July: Tottenham 0 Kaiser Chiefs 1
Tuesday, 19th July:  Tottenham 1 Orlando Pirates 1

Gareth Bale a constant threat
fot Tottenham

The early pre-season games are all about players getting some match time and building up their fitness but Spurs first two matches in the Vodacom Challenge in South Africa have also shown that Tottenham's problems from last season have not gone away.

No Goal Strikers:
The strikers remain unable to score or even create a goal-scoring opportunity for themselves.  The performances of Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko have all been very poor - their first touch is heavy, they can neither beat a man with pace or skill, their link-up play is non-existantand and throughout the two games not one of them has looked like scoring a goal.  The nearest any of them has come to putting the ball in the net was Crouch's header that was well saved by the Kaiser Chief's goalkeeper.


Conceding Goals:
Once again Spurs have illustrated their inability to keep a clean sheet.  On Saturday, a late breakaway from a Spurs' corner saw them concede an injury time goal to lose the match.  In the second game Brad Friedel flapped at a shot with his right hand in Gomesesque style at the end of the first half and only succeeded in waving it into the net to present the Pirates with an equaliser. The rampaging fullback had hit a powerful shot but Friedel should have done so much better.  Spurs don't need another flapping goalkeeper.  On Saturday Cudicini didn't look overly confident or impressive in nets and we've Gomes to come on Saturday.

Reliant on VDV and Bale:
Both games, once again, clearly illustrated that without Bale and Van der Vaart this Spurs team would be lacking any attacking threat.  Bale was a threat on the left in both games, looking to score and also create for others.  Van der Vaart was less creative but scored the goal against the Pirates from a free kick on the edge to the penalty area, lifting the ball over the defensive wall and into the goal.  Without this threat Spurs would be toothless.  Modric, in spite of the transfer rumours, played with enthusiasm and show wonderful passing as he created space for others, changing the direction od the play.  He was captain for the game and showed no signs of being disinterested or not wanting to be involved.

Shop Window Players:
The players who are surplus to Spurs requirements and are in the transfer window haven'y done anything in the two games to attract buyers or to persuade Harry Redknapp that they deserve another chance to establish themselves at White Hart Lane.  The list is long - Robbie Keane, David Bentley, Alan Hutton, Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlychenko, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Bassong and Jermain Jenas.  Not all of those players will be leaving but in order to create room for new signings in the 25-man Premier League squad, some of them will be off to new clubs before the beginning of September but on their preformances from last year and now in pre-season, it could be difficult to move them on.  Their performances have been lack-lustre and wouldn't be encouraging to any prospective buying club, their wages are high and Totenham are looking to recoup considerable fees for them - all of which is delaying the selling process.

Pre-season has not brought anything to encourage Spurs supporters - there has been no new signings to improve the quality in the squad and to rectify the obvious deficiencies in the team, transfer rumours persist about Luka Modric and the early games have not brought any joy.  The best performances have again come from Bale but others need to raise their game while Kyle Walker looked accomplished as he attacked from right back in the second half against the Pirates. 

It will be interesting to see who comes and who goes in the next four weeks leading up to the opening Premier League game against Everton at White Hart Lane on 13th August and most importantly who makes the team for that vital match.

In Search of Alan Gilzean (a book by James Morgan)

Alan Gilzean signed for Spurs in mid-December, 1964 and made his debut in a home game against Everton. He scored his first goal for the club a week later on Boxing Day as Spurs achieved their first and only away win of the season at Nottingham Forest. Two days later he scored his first League goal at White Hart Lane when Spurs defeated Forest 4-0 in the return match. This was the game which saw me become a Spurs supporter and so following the team closely through the rest of the 1960s and early 70s, I am familiar with Gilzean’s successful career at White Hart Lane.

However, what of Gilzean before and after his Tottenham days? I knew that Gillie had signed from Dundee for a fee of £72,500 and that he had already played for Scotland before coming to Tottenham and that after retiring in 1974 he had played in South Africa before returning to manage a transport business and that his son, Ian, had been a young player at Tottenham. Beyond those few basic points very little was known of Alan Gilzean who while at the club was ‘The King of White Hart Lane’.

In the summer of 2005, into this vacuum came some internet rumours of Gilzean being down and out and living somewhere in the west of England but no-one knew for certain whether this was true or not but with the immediacy of the internet, rumours very quickly become fact. There was much disappointment and sadness among Spurs’ fans that one of their ‘legends’ who had brought such enjoyment and success to the club, could be living in hardship.

It was at this point that James Morgan, a sports journalist with the The Herald newspaper in Glasgow, set about trying to establish the truth of the matter. Morgan is a Spurs’ supporter and Alan Gilzean was his late father’s favourite player and he had frequently heard of Gilzean’s talent and contribution to Spurs’ success. His early research into Alan Gilzean yielded little, even Hunter Davies ‘The Glory Game’ shed little light on the subject, leading the author to feel that Gillie had become the forgotten man of both Scotland and Tottenham.

Morgan’s research has been extensive and he used his numerous contacts as a journalist to speak to former friends, colleagues and acquaintances of Gilzean in his endeavours to discover the truth. Everyone whom he spoke to regarded Gillie highly – in awe at his talent as a player and of his generosity as a person. His former colleagues recounted many stories of his playing days both north and south of the border and they regretted having lost touch with him and asked the author to pass on their best wishes to Alan if he managed to track him down.

Today, many sporting biographies detail the sensational lifestyle of a celebrity sportsman to shock the public and grab a striking headline for the newspaper serialisation. James Morgan has written this book about Alan Gilzean as a fitting tribute to the private man who displayed an exceptional talent as a player for Dundee, Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland.

‘In Search of Alan Gilzean’ covers his life from his youngest days in Coupar Angus in Scotland where he grew up and played football for the local team. It discovers the difficulties of combining National Service in the army with a developing football career. It details his successful career with Dundee when Gilzean was a vital member of the team that won the Scottish Championship in 1961- 62 and then was their star player as Dundee took European football by storm to reach the semi-final of the European Cup, only to lose in controversial circumstances, something all Spurs’ fans can relate to with their club’s experience against Benfica a year earlier.

Gilzean progressed to the Scotland team but suffered first with the selectors’ preference for players from the two Glasgow clubs while he was with Dundee and then their opposition to Anglo-Scots during his years at Tottenham. In total he made 22 appearances for his country and scored 12 goals but with a professional career spanning fifteen years in top flight football in Scotland and England, he surely deserved many more.

Gilzean arrived at Spurs following a protracted transfer saga as Bill Nicholson considered his suitability as the player to replace Bobby Smith. It was perhaps the two goals that Gillie scored for a Scotland XI at White Hart Lane in John White’s Memorial game that finally persuaded the manager to go ahead with the transfer. Gilzean immediately hit it off with his strike partner, Jimmy Greaves, who described him as ‘the greatest player I played with’.

Alan Gilzean was an adaptable player with an outstanding ability to head the ball both to score and to create chances for his team. He was a goal-scoring inside forward with Dundee but he played as centre forward for Spurs to support Greaves and when Martin Chivers arrived in 1967 he again adapted his style to play alongside the strong running centre forward. The arrival of Ralph Coates at Tottenham in 1971 suggested Gillie might be on his way out but he continued to be a part of the Tottenham team which won the UEFA Cup and a second League Cup to add to his earlier FA Cup success.

Gilzean seemed to improve with age and he grew in popularity among the fans as his partnership with Chivers and Martin Peters developed to such an extent that he was an important part of Spurs' creativity as his delicate headers created many goals for himself and his two colleagues.

His eventual departure from White Hart Lane in 1974 meant that Gilzean slipped off the football radar. Not for him, the corporate, hospitality work that many retired players have now become involved with. He moved out of football circles to retain his privacy and so became largely forgotten by all but a few ardent fans. Morgan discovered that many in Coupar Angus, his home town, had never heard of Alan Gilzean and the local council had done nothing to mark his contribution to Scottish football. The ‘forgotten man’ of Scottish football has only recently been inducted into both the Dundee and the Scottish Football Association’s Halls of Fame due to pressure from James Morgan who put Gilzean’s name forward as a worthy recipient for the award.

Many books have been written about Spurs since the 1950s and this book is a worthy addition to that collection and a fitting tribute to a Spurs great. Many players who have contributed much less to the Spurs' cause have had books written about them so it's good to have Gilzean's contribution marked in this way.

The author did a great job weaving the past detail of Gilzean's career with his search for the great man and his struggle to keep his emotions as a Spurs’ supporter in control was clearly evident as he met some of his past heroes for the first time so that his journalistic endeavours would be rewarded.

Many rumours and stories existed about Gilzean’s career and his life after football and Morgan has endeavoured to find answers for them and as one reads the book there is the constant temptation to turn to the final chapters to discover if the search was successful.

Why did Alan Gilzean so dislike Bob Wilson, the Arsenal goalkeeper? The comparisons with Dimitar Berbatov are considered. Did Morgan meet up with Gillie? Those are some of the issues and questions you will have to read the book to find out about.

While Alan Gilzean has spent the last thirty six years avoiding the spotlight in order to maintain his privacy, perhaps this excellent book by James Morgan will demonstrate to him how highly he is regarded by those colleagues whom he played with and by those supporters who sang his name every week from the terraces and that if he were to return to White Hart Lane he would receive a rapturous reception.

A place awaits Alan Gilzean in the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame – a true legend of White Hart Lane.

Michael Dawson’s Wembley Jinx Continues

Michael Dawson's Wembley Injury (from Metro.co.uk)

In the past playing at Wembley Stadium was often regarded as the pinnacle of a footballer's career when the only opportunity to tread the hallowed turf came through a Cup Final appearance or an international match. However, in this modern era there are so many games at the stadium - internationals, FA Cup semi-final and finals, League Cup finals, the Community Shield, Football League play-offs, random minor Cup finals and even pre-season tournaments, that to make an appearance there is not so highly regarded and for the top players it is common place.

However, for Michael Dawson, Tottenham's Player of the Year for last season, the new Wembley experience must be something of a disappointment. Over the past three seasons he has had five opportunities to play there but they have not been as memorable as he would have hoped for and if he were a superstitious person he might be starting to feel that the place is jinxed as far as he is concerned.

September, 2010 – First England Start
With numerous injuries to his central defenders Fabio Capello selected Dawson to play in the opening game of the European Championships against Bulgaria. He had a comfortable first half in an in-experienced defence and he covered frequently for the over-adventurous, over-lapping full-back, Glenn Johnston. In the second period as Bulgaria increased the pressure as they tried to level Jermain Defoe’s early first half goal, Dawson’s international inexperience showed as a headed clearance fell for a strike on goal and he was not just as controlled as when playing for Spurs. However, Dawson was ensuring England held their advantage but just before the hour as he went into a tackle he fell awkwardly and seriously injured his knee. It was immediately obvious to everyone that his injury was serious as the medical staff rushed to his aid. He departed the Wembley pitch on a stretcher in obvious pain with an as yet, undiagnosed injury. He will miss next week’s international and latest rumours suggest that he will be out for a lengthy period of time which is a major concern for Spurs.

Taking into account his previous difficulties at the new stadium, Michael Dawson is certainly not enjoying the Wembley experience.

2007-08 Carling Cup Final
Having helped Spurs reach the Final against Chelsea, appearing in four of the five games on the road to Wembley, including the famous 5-1 semi-final victory over Arsenal at White Hart Lane, Dawson cruelly missed out on the final through injury. Two weeks before the final, he sustained an injury early in the league game at Derby County and was sidelined for a month. However, as the team celebrated their stirring extra time success over Chelsea, Dawson showed his character and his pleasure for his colleagues and the club as he watched from the side-lines with a great smile, obviously enjoying the moment and not being overwhelmed by his own sense of disappointment at not being in the team that day.

2008-09 Carling Cup Final
Twelve months later as Spurs endeavoured to retain the trophy, Michael Dawson made it on to the pitch, partnering Ledley King in central defence. This time he played his part as the defence held firm against the strike power of Manchester United but after extra time the match remained goal-less and Dawson could only watch helplessly as United took the game on penalties. Another disappointment at Wembley for Dawson who had again played in four of the five games on the way to the final.

2009-10 F A Cup Semi-final
Spurs were looking good for another FA Cup final appearance, their first since Gazza and the 1991 success over Nottingham Forest, especially as they were playing Portsmouth whom they had defeated twice in the Premier League and who were facing relegation and were in serious financial difficulty. However, the match didn't go as Spurs would have hoped and Portsmouth displayed much commitment and determination and were proving difficult opponents. With no goals after ninety minutes the match went to extra time and looked to be heading for a penalty decider when the highly criticised Wembley turf played a crucial role in proceedings. Unfortunately, it was Michael Dawson who was to suffer as he slipped at a vital moment when he was about to clear the ball in the centre of the penalty area. The ball fell invitingly for Portsmouth who accepted the gift and went on to secure a two goal victory. Once again Dawson was left to rue his Wembley experience.

August, 2010 - England Debut
After enduring a long summer in South Africa, without getting a game at the World Cup, Michael Dawson finally made his long awaited England debut. Having appeared in a number of England squads, Fabio Capello gave Dawson his first full cap as a second half substitute for John Terry in the friendly against Hungary. In the early moments of the half Dawson looked nervous but with the game goal-less he was settling into the match when he moved to intercept a through ball but missed it allowing Hungary to progress into the penalty area. As the England defence covered the attack, Dawson recovered to try to make amends and when a deflected shot came across the goal, Dawson stretched to clear and prevented it from crossing the line. It was a close call but then the French referee's assistant decreed that the ball had in fact crossed the line and a goal was awarded. Television evidence shows that the ball didn't fully cross the line but Dawson had made the initial mistake which had allowed Hungary to create the goal scoring opportunity. Of course, he was wearing the England shirt with number '13'. Fortunately, as it was a friendly international and as England recovered to win the game, the press didn't make too big an issue of Dawson's blunder on his debut and hopefully he will have the chance to add to his international appearances in the future and avoid being a 'one-cap wonder'.

A great former Spurs stalwart, Gary Mabbutt, endured Wembley heartache before being able to enjoy the sweet taste of success at the stadium. Mabbutt had appeared at the ground on a number of occasions both for Spurs and England - he actually made his Spurs debut in the 1982 Charity Shield defeat by Liverpool. Howver, his greatest disappointment will have been the memory of the own goal which enabled Coventry City to wn the FA Cup in 1987. In extra time a cross came into the Spurs area, the ball hit Mabbutt on the knee and looped over the reach of Ray Clemence. Spurs had been clear favourites and it was the first occasion that Spurs had suffered defeat in an FA Cup final. David Pleat's team had come so close to success in all three competitions but in the end had fallen at the final hurdle. It was not until 1991 that Mabbutt avenged this disappointment when he held aloft the FA Cup as captain of the victorious Spurs side who had overcome many difficulties both on and off the pitch to secure their trophy and possibly the very existence of the club. Ironically, it was as Mabbutt challenged for the ball from a corner that Des Walker headed into his own goal to put Spurs ahead.

Hopefully, Michael Dawson will make a full recovery from this injury and in the not too distant future he will be able to set aside his Wembley disappointments and have some exciting memories to tell his grandchildren in the years to come.

William Gallas of Tottenham Hotspur

Gallas - Spurs new signing
Photo: from Daily Mail

Welcome, William Gallas of Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs fans would never have expected to be saying or reading that and for some it is just too much to accept. A former Chelsea and Arsenal player playing for Spurs – what will they do when he is presented to a packed White Hart Lane at the Champions League qualifier on Wednesday evening – boo, cheer, jeer or ignore him?

William Gallas, a former Arsenal captain is a Spurs player – accept it and move on. For too long Spurs fans have been their own worst enemy – hidebound on hating Arsenal and anything to do with that club rather than supporting Spurs and accepting something that could be beneficial for the further development and progress of Tottenham Hotspur.

Gallas isn’t the first player to move from Arsenal to Tottenham but he is certainly the most high profile – a former captain who has also played for Chelsea. How we loathed him when he was a member of those teams as they have got the better of Spurs for much of the past decade, how we detested him as he celebrated scoring vital goals against us, how we jeered him as a member of the Chelsea and Arsenal teams which lost 5-1 in those fantastic League Cup semi-finals at White Hart Lane, how we mocked him when he had his sit-down strop and cried in the pitch at Birmingham a couple of years ago – but that’s all in the past – he’s a Spurs player now. He knows what’s happened in the past, he knows our feelings about him as an Arsenal player and he’s still prepared to sign for Tottenham.

Previous players to move to Tottenham from the near neighbours have brought little to the club – Laurie Brown was a defender who occasionally tried to play as a striker and for some reason Bill Nicholson thought he could play a part in the rebuilding of the ‘Double’ team – a task that was beyond his capabilities. David Jenkins was a reserve who was swopped for Jimmy Robertson and remained a reserve at White Hart Lane. Rohan Ricketts was a young player who didn’t make the grade at Arsenal or Spurs while Jamie O’Hara and David Bentley a former Arsenal player signed from Blackburn Rovers have failed to become big players at either club. Bentley’s goal at the Emirates in the 4-4 draw is possibly the greatest contribution any of those former Arsenal players has contributed to the Tottenham cause. So, from a Tottenham perspective nothing good has ever come out of Highbury or The Emirates and that includes the two former managers, Terry Neill and George Graham. What were the Tottenham directors thinking about when they appointed Neill to replace Bill Nicholson? Even Graham’s Worthington Cup success wasn’t enough to win over the Spurs faithful.

However, over the years the Highbury clientele quickly took to the former Spurs who made the journey south – Jimmy Robertson, Willie Young, Steve Walford, the legendary Pat Jennings and Sol Campbell. The greatest hostility surrounded the defection of Campbell and continues to this day but all had greater success with Arsenal than any of the players who made the opposite move.

When I first read of Harry Redknapp’s interest in signing Gallas who was a free agent having turned down Arsenal’s offer during the summer, I wasn’t impressed and presumed it was just media talk. However, as the rumours persisted and the manager became more determined in his comments about signing the player, it became obvious that this was going to happen especially as the Spurs defence could not rely on a season’s contribution from either Ledley King or Jonathan Woodgate due to their continuing injury problems.

And so it has come to pass and Spurs have signed Gallas. His background, with Arsenal and Chelsea connections, may not be as Spurs supporters would want but the club has signed a player with vast experience in the Premier League, in the Champions League and internationally on the world stage with France. He is a versatile player who can play along the back four and he is a winner who has known success at club and international level. He may be nearing the end of his career but he has shown he is still capable of performing at this level and his experience will be of great benefit to the Spurs defenders. Michael Dawson, Vedron Corluka, Sebastien Bassong and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are all prone to errors when under pressure and they will look to learn from Gallas who has been there, done it and has the t-shirt.

In previous seasons there were rumours of Spurs trying to sign former Arsenal players, namely Emmanuel Petit and more recently Patrick Vieira. Neither of them did I want at Tottenham. I e-mailed the club to tell them of my dissatisfaction at the suggestion that they would sign Petit. He had snubbed Tottenham Hotspur previously in a most unsatisfactory way by going straight from a Tottenham interview to sign on at Highbury. To have signed him would have been unacceptable and when Vieira wanted to return to the Premier League, in my opinion, his best days were clearly past him and he would have brought little to the Tottenham cause.

However, with William Gallas, it is different as he can bring something to strengthen the team and assist in the improvement of the players around him. Remember how Ledley King developed and benefited from playing beside the experienced Noureddine Naybet earlier in his career and Spurs infamous ‘soft-centred’ defence has since become a great deal tougher. Gallas has spoken wisely in his first interview about wanting to play for Tottenham and what he hopes to achieve with the club. He deserves the support of the fans for his brave decision to travel up the Seven Sisters Road to Tottenham, especially as he has experienced at first hand the Spurs supporters’ hostility to all things ‘Arsenal’.

All around the football world players have signed for clubs which are the bitterest of rivals and they have been accepted by both sets of supporters. Tottenham fans can step away from their past narrow, parochial view and move forward into a broad new world by accepting William Gallas as a Spur and how appropriate it would be to show that acceptance and support when he is introduced to the crowd at Spurs most important game in decades as they strive to reach the group stages of the Champions League for the first time and make it a true Glory, Glory European night under the lights of White Hart Lane.

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,

Tottenham Hotspur Champions League Qualifier

Tottenham Learn Lessons from the ‘Double’ Team

Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham Hotspur team 2010 did their utmost to emulate Bill Nicholson’s great ‘Double’ winning team in their first foray into European football’s top club competition for forty nine years. Unfortunately, it was not one of that team’s outstanding performances that they tried to copy but rather one of their poorer and most surprising defeats.

In season 1961-62 as reward for winning the 1st Division title for the second time in their history, Spurs took part in the European Cup, the fore-runner of today’s Champions League, which had been in existence for only six years and had been the preserve of Real Madrid who had won the first five competitions.

13th September, 1961
European Cup (1st Round 1st Leg)
Tottenham were drawn against Polish champions, Gornik Zabreze with the first leg away from home. In front of a hostile 90,000 crowd Nicholson played his full strength ‘Double’ winning team and to their horror they were three goals behind at half-time. In the opening seconds the home side hit the bar and then were gifted the lead after eight minutes following a defensive error leading to an own goal. Gornik attacked at will and Spurs made numerous errors and went further behind on twenty minutes. Mistakes continued and a third goal came just before half-time. Two minutes after the interval, having failed to learn from the earlier mistakes, Gornik were presented with their fourth goal. The hostility of the crowd increased with Tottenham’s robust tackling which saw their team reduced to ten men as one of their players wentoff injured.

Twenty minutes from time the Tottenham revival started with the battling Dave Mackay making a run and cross that enabled Cliff Jones to head a goal to reduce the arrears. Four minutes later Mackay created a second with a cross that Bobby Smith knocked down for Terry Dyson to score. With no substitutes in those days Gornik Zabreze were reduced to nine men when their young centre forward went off injured twelve minutes from time.

As Spurs left the pitch to booing and whistles, the Zabreze coach said that they had played many foreign teams but this Tottenham side was the hardest he had ever known. However, Bill Nicholson was confident Spurs would overhaul the Zabreze miners in the second leg at White Hart Lane. Desmond Hackett in his match report for the Daily Express wrote: ‘This was Super Spurs reduced from champs to chumps in ninety uneasy minutes.’

Team: Brown; Baker, Henry: Blanchflower (Capt), Norman, Mackay; Jones, White, Smith, Allen, Dyson.

17th August, 2010
Champions League (4th Qualifying Round 1st Leg)
After waiting so long this was Spurs’ opportunity to make a positive start towards the new world of the Champions League group stages. But what a start – inside four minutes Tottenham had seen Young Boys of Berne hit the post with Heurelho Gomes beaten, had Benoit Assou-Ekotto booked for tripping and conceded a goal which encouraged the Swiss team and their vociferous supporters to even greater efforts. Unable to settle on the artificial surface the Spurs players were tentative in their passing, unsure of their movement and looking in some disarray. This increased after thirteen minutes when a defensive error from Michael Dawson allowed the Berne striker through on goal to finish coolly past Gomes. After half-an-hour Spurs were three down when the defence was caught out by a through ball and Gomes had no chance. This was not in the script as perceived by the Spurs faithful many of whom had anticipated a safe passage past the ‘no-hopers’ from Switzerland. However, it was very much in line with the copycat performance of events in Poland forty nine years earlier.

Harry Redknapp introduced Tom Huddlestone before the interval and this brought an element of control to the Spurs play and for the first time in the game they weren’t chasing around hopelessly but started to exert some pressure in the match which resulted in a number of corners ahead of the break and from one of them Sebastien Bassong atoned for this defensive short-comings by heading the first Spurs goal.

The second half showed Spurs with more control but despite early possession they were unable to add to their goal tally. The Swiss continued to be dangerous on the break and could have increased their lead but this time, fortunately for Tottenham, they were not as clinical in their finishing. Then with seven minutes remaining Roman Pavlyuchenko who had experience of playing on a similar artificial surface with his former club but had had a very poor evening in Berne, received a pass from Robbie Keane and hammered an unstoppable shot inside the goalkeeper’s near post. Now, only a goal down Spurs settled for what Harry Redknapp described as a ‘great defeat’.

Team: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson (Capt), Bassong, Assou-Ekotto (Huddlestone); Dos Santos, Palacios, Modric (Kranjcar), Bale: Defoe (Keane), Pavlyuchenko.

Lessons Learned
In 1961 against Zabreze Bill Nicholson was unable to make any immediate change in personnel as no substitutes were permitted but he realised that for the away European Cup games he couldn’t afford to play the same style of football that had brought the ‘Double’ team such success in domestic competitions. In future away ties he introduced Tony Marchi as an extra defensive security. He had played football in Italy and his experience played a vital role in Spurs future progress.

Harry Redknapp was fortunate that with a bench of experienced players he had the opportunity to try to correct the failings identified early in the game against Young Boys. Huddlestone contributed greatly to the control that Spurs took of the game after his introduction and the other changes saw the manager work with a narrower midfield rather that the more extravagant wide players of Giovani Dos Santos and Gareth Bale. With Luka Modric and then Nico Kranjcar on the left of midfield they came inside much more and allowed Bale to attack from defence.

The Outcome
In 1961 the return leg introduced the football world to one to the first of those great ‘Gory, Glory European Nights’ at White Hart Lane. In an electric atmosphere, Spurs hit the bar inside thirty seconds and took the lead on nine minutes with a Danny Blanchflower penalty. Cliff Jones terrorised the Gornik defence and scored a first half hat-trick in seventeen minutes but the visitors also managed to grab a goal to keep their hopes alive. Before half-time Bobby Smith scored and Spurs were 7-5 ahead on aggregate. In the second half Smith added his second, Terry Dyson scored number seven and John White completed the scoring with a minute remaining to make the score 8-1 for Tottenham.

Having followed the 1961 script so closely for the away match, it is to be hoped that Tottenham 2010 will get their lines right in a similar fashion next week to ensure the club make it into the lucrative group stages of the UEFA Champions League and that the fans don’t have to wait another forty nine years to experience competition at the highest level in European football.

Spurs in Switzerland

Tottenham Hotspur face Swiss opponents, Young Boys Berne, as they strive to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history.  Spurs supporters will of course point out that their club did appear in the European Cup, the fore-runner to today's Champions League, in season 1961-62 when they were unfortunate to lose in the semi-final to Benfica.

This is only the second occasion in all their European ties that Spurs have been drawn against a team from Switzerland.  The previous meeting with a Swiss club was in 1973-74 in the 1st Round of the UEFA Cup when Spurs played Grasshopper Zurich.  The aggregate win was 9-2 in Spurs' favour which suggests a very comfortable passage for the north London team but this could not be further from the truth as Spurs endured a very difficult evening in Zurich for the first leg.  It was the goalkeeping talent of Pat Jennin which kept Spurs in the game as he produced save after save.  Spurs took an early lead from a Martin Chivers' header but then Grasshopper created chance after chance only to be thwarted by Jennings.  On the half-hour Ray Evans added a second for Spurs, very much against the run of play.  Just before the interval the home side finally beat Jennings from the penalty spot to reduce the arrears. 

In the second half Jennings continued to deny the Swiss with a succession of outstanding saves and then Chivers scored his second while Alan Gilzean added two more to add insult to injury and produce a quite extraordinary score line.

Team: Jennings; Evans, Knowles, Coates (Holder), England, Beal; Pratt, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Neighbour (Gilzean).

The second game was much more comfortable - Mike England, Martin Peters (2) and an own goal ensured a 4-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

Team: Daines; Evans, Knowles; Pratt, England, Beal; Gilzean, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Coates

Previous visits to Switzerland have included a tour in 1966-67 following Spurs FA Cup success.  The second game of the tour saw then play Young Boys Berne.  Spurs won the three games they played:

FC Zurich - Won 2-0 Robertson (2)

BSC Young Boys - Won 3-2 Greaves (2), Bond

FC Servette - Won 4-1 Greaves (2), Venables, Saul

In season 1957-58 Spurs went to Basel to play a match against the Swiss National XI.  They won the game by 5-4 with Bobby Smith scoring four goals and Dave Dunmore getting the fifth.

In May, 1914 Spurs undertook an end of season tour of Germany, Italy and Switzerland.  Two games were played in Switzerland - a 6-0 win over Zurich and a 3-0 success against St Gallen.

The next tour that the club undertook was eleven years later when they played seven games in Switzerland in May, 1925.  Again they were successful in each match:

v Basel Old Boys Won 3-0

v Zurich Young Fellows Won 2-0

v Wintherthur Won 4-0

v Lausanne Won 6-1

v La Cheux de Fonds Won 8-1

v Berne Won 5-0

v Basel Won 1-0

In March, 1955 Spurs played FC Servette in a friendly at White Hart Lane.  They had a 5-1 victory with goals from Gavin (2), Brooks, Duquemin, McClellan.   

Players from Switzerland:

Spurs have had two players from Switzerland on their books in recent years - Ramon Vega and Reto Ziegler. 

Ramon Vega

Vega made 64 appearances for Spurs and was a member of the Worthington Cup winning team in 1999 which defeated Leicester City 1-0. He scored 7 goals in his four years at White Hart Lane. He went to Celtic on loan and then signed for Watford after being released by Tottenham.

Ziegler was a young player who made 23 League appearances, scoring once, under Martin Jol and is now playing for Sampdoria.  Both players represented their country in full internationals.

Tottenham Hotspur 0 Manchester City 0

Saturday, 14th August, 2010

Tottenham Miss Chances to Turnover City

The early lunch time kick-offs matches tend to lack the atmosphere that is generated with an afternoon or evening start.  Whether they're too early in the day for fans and players alike, I don't know, but add the additional matter that it was the opening day of the season so you usually finds both sets of players testing each other out tentatively and cautiously.  So to be told that this game between Spurs and City ended goal-less, one's immediate thought would have been 'Boring.'  (in fact, when I told an enquiring Chelsea supporter the score - that was his first thought)

However, this couldn't be further from the truth as both sets of fans were up for the game and both sets of players set to with an endeavour and energy that belied the fact that it was a hot, humid August day and pre-season training was only just completed.  It was a match that Spurs should have won by a clear number of goals and would have done so had it not been for Joe Hart.  The newly selected England 'number 1' was all that stood between Spurs and a landslide victory or to put it another way, Hart was all that prevented the expensively acquired City team from suffering an opening day defeat of some magnitude.

During the ninety minutes, Heurelho Gomes made one comfortabe save while Hart rescued City on a number of occasions and Gareth Bale hit the post in the first half.  Spurs started the better and put City under immediate pressure with their midfield quartet, Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Luka Modric and Bale, controlling the game and creating opportunities for themselves and for the strikers, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch.  On numerous occasions Hart was required to make vital saves to keep his side in the game.  Twice he denied Defoe and also saved a 25-yard drive from Huddlestone.  It was a matter of when would Spurs score but throughout the game it wasn't to be.  In the second half, Hart saved shots from substitute Palyuchenko and in added as Spurs put together a good move on the right, Pavluchenko fired in a cross towards Keane and as the ball was blocked it dropped in the centre of the penalty area to Bale who should have scored but fired wide.

On another day, against a different goalkeeper, Spurs would have won.  It's two points dropped from spurs view, especially as they have reaped points so abundantly from City in past years, but forCity it's like a win so little have they taken from Spurs over he past decade.  As long as the top teams take points from each other as Liverpool and Arsenal have just done, this result confirms that Spurs are carrying on from where they finished last season and there is certainly much to look forward to in the next nine months.  If a clinical goal scorer could be acquired before the close of the transfer window then Spurs might not suffer so many frustrating afternoons as today proved.

'Results on the first day of a football season are no guide whatsoever to how a campaign will pan out.' - Jim Holden (Daily Express)

A very positive start from Spurs - now it's that very important Champions League qualifying game against Young Boys, Berne on Tuesday evening.

Echoes of Glory 1960-61
At half-time Spurs paid a fitting tribute to the 'Double' team. Players from the team or representatives of the former players and manager were introduced to the crowd at half-time to mark the 50th anniversary of the satart of that famous season, 1960-61, when Spurs won the League and FA Cup double.

Those present were Peter Baker, Maurice Norman, Mel Hopkins, Dave Mackay, Cliff Jones, Les Allen, Terry Dyson and Terry Medwin.  Tribute was paid to the 'late' Bill Brown (goalkeeper) - Ron Henry who was too ill to attend was represented by his son, the 'late' John White was represented by his wife and Bobby Smith had intended to attend but was unwell.

The 'late' Danny Blanchflower was represented by his son who carries out the FA Cup while the 'late' Bill Nicholson's daughter brought the Football League trophy to the proceedings.

All received a tremendous reception from the fans most of whom stayed during the interval to watch the tribute.  It was quite a moving experience and brought a tear to the eye.

Team: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Dos Santos), Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; Defoe (Keane), Crouch (Pavlyuchenko).  Subs: Cudicini; Kaboul, Palacios, Bassong.