Tottenham's Joy of Winning the Cup 9 (1901)

Tottenham's 1901 FA Cup success saw them become the only non-League club since the foundation of the Football League in 1888, ever to achieve this honour.  Spurs were competing in the Southern League but they overcame League opposition in true 'giant-killer' style to win their first FA Cup trophy.

1901 FA Cup Final (Replay)
Tottenham Hotspur 3 Sheffield United 1

Non-League Spurs Triumphant

1901 FA Cup Winners - Tottenham Hotspur

It had been less than nineteen years earlier that a group of schoolboys who played cricket in the summer had decided to firm a football team to keep themselves active during the winter months.  Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined that their team would make such progress in such a short period of time.  from their humble beginnings in 1882 Spurs' early football was a mix of friendly games and Cup competitions round the London and the south as they maintained their amateur status.

The Football League was formed in 1888 and was the preserve of teams from the Midlands and the north of England.  However, in an effort to improve the standard of football in the south, the Southern League was formed and having turned professional, Spurs joined it in 1896.  Tottenham quickly established themselves in the 1st Division of the Southern League and won  it in their fourth season, 1899-00.  Therefore, it was as Champions of the Southern League that Spurs entered the FA Cup in 1901.

 1901 FA CUP Final (from youtube)

Road to the Final
1st Round v Preston North End (h) Draw 1 - 1  Brown
In 1901, the 3^rd Round equivalent was the 1^st Round and the match wasn’t played until early February due to the death of Queen Victoria.  Spurs were defending Southern League Champions and
their first opponents were the might of the 1^st Division, Preston North End, the team they had so admired that they had adopted their colours two seasons previously and who had defeated them in the same round a year earlier.  Having lost at Preston the previous year, Spurs were hoping for revenge but when the visitors took the lead midway through the first half the prospects were not looking good.  Spurs increased the pressure in the second half but the Preston goalkeeper played exceptionally well to deny them until nine minutes from time when Sandy Brown equalised. 

1st Round (Replay) v Preston North End (a) Won 4 - 2  Brown (3), Cameron
The return of inside forward David Copeland, the previous season’s inspiration, from long term injury just prior to the first game, had been a great boost to the team and they set out for the replay at Preston with another injured player returning, captain John Jones.  In the replay Spurs looked a different side going ahead through player/manager John Cameron and Brown then added another two before the interval.  Preston pulled a goal back but Brown completed his hat-trick and although Preston scored again, Spurs were safely through to the next round – the 'giant-killers' were on their way. 

2nd Round v Bury (h) Won 2 - 1  Brown (2)
No-one could accuse Spurs of having an easy ride in the FA Cup.  Having removed 1^st Division Preston from the competition in the previous round, they were drawn against Bury, the FA Cup holders.  In the previous year’s Final Bury had brushed aside Southampton, Spurs’ rivals from the Southern League.  Spurs had home advantage but 1^st Division Bury took the lead within two minutes, before some of the record crowd of 20,250 had taken their places inside White Hart Lane.  Bury then dominated the game putting Spurs’ defence under constant pressure but after half an hour Spurs managed to score – very much against the run of play.  From a rare foray into the Bury half, winger Tom Smith centred from the right and Sandy Brown scored the goal that completely changed the game.  Spurs were filled with confidence and in the second half there was a complete transformation in the match.  Brown scored a second goal and while Bury recovered to fight back in an effort to retrieve the situation, it was Spurs, the non-League side, who were playing the cultured football and deservedly progressed to the next round.  

3rd Round v Reading (a) Draw 1 - 1  Brown
Reading, the only other non-League team left in the competition but Spurs had lost at Reading in the Southern League in November so although they had defeated League opposition in the previous rounds, this match was not going to be easy and so it proved.  Every Cup winning team has a moment when they could so easily have gone out of the competition and it happened for Spurs at Reading.  A goal down early on to a robust home team, Spurs were struggling to make any impact on the game.  Early in the second half Spurs recovered for a brief period and equalised through winger John Kirwan but then Reading took control again.  Spurs were forced to hang on but when goalkeeper George Clawley failed to hold a shot, full-back Sandy Tait punched the ball clear – a certain penalty.  Everyone saw what had happened except the referee the linesman and when a goal-kick was awarded the 3000 Spurs’ supporters gave a collective sigh of relief and Spurs held on for a replay.


3rd Round (Replay) v Reading (h) Won 3 - 0  Brown (2), Copeland
In the replay the following Thursday Spurs took control after David Copeland had given them an early lead.  Sandy Brown scored two more to give Spurs a comfortable win and so maintain his record of scoring in every round of the Cup.  As Spurs looked forward to a semi-final tie against West Bromwich Albion, the question being asked was - Could this be Spurs’ year to win the Cup?  

Semi-Final v West Bromwich Albion (at Villa Park) Won 4 - 0  Brown (4)

Southern League side, next opponents were 1st Division, West Bromwich Albion at Villa Park while Sheffield United and Aston Villa contested the other semi-final.  Although the game was like a home game for Albion, Spurs took thousands of spectators to the Birmingham venue.

The Spurs’ hero was Sandy Brown who scored all four goals as Spurs won comprehensively. Brown having scored in every round of the Cup had a total of twelve goals in the competition. Spurs were very much the under-dogs and all of the Spurs’ players deserved credit for this performance.  Although the game was scoreless at half-time Spurs had more of the play and from the time that Brown headed the first goal just after the restart from a centre by John Kirwan, there was no doubting the result. He scored twice more in the next twenty minutes – his second from a corner, the third was a shot from thirty yards and the fourth, five minutes from the end, after a passing movement took Spurs the length of the pitch.  

Following a replay Spurs discovered they would be meeting Sheffield United in the Final to be played at Crystal Palace.


Final v Sheffield United (at Crystal Palace) Draw 2 -2  Brown (2)
The non-League 'giant-killers' had reached the FA Cup Final but no-one expected them to win again. An attendance of 114,815 watched as Spurs took on the experienced League team who took the lead after twelve minutes.  Spurs were under a lot of pressure but took control of the game and equalised through Sandy Brown thirteen minutes later, heading in from a free-kick after a foul on Kirwan.
Brown put Spurs ahead five minutes after the interval with a goal which involved all five Tottenham forwards as he fired a shot in off the bar.

However, a dubious refereeing decision gave United an equaliser one minute later.  George Clawley, the Spurs goalkeeper, fumbled a shot but when challenged managed to scramble it clear for a corner as signalled by the linesman.  However, the referee awarded the goal that never was.   From this point the game drifted to a draw and a replay.

Two nights after the Replay, cinematic newsreel shots showed that the ball had not crossed the line and the United equaliser should not have counted.
 
Final (Replay) v Sheffield United (at Bolton) Won 3 - 1  Smith, Brown, Cameron

Only 20,740 were present for the replay at Bolton Wanders ground, partially due to the cost of travel as the railway company had refused to make reduced price offers available to the fans.  Spurs had taken the initiative and took the game to United but they found themselves behind five minutes before half-time.  the United goal had been against the run of play but for the final minutes of the half Spurs had to defend desperately to ensure they didn't fall further behind.  

United's physical approach was making it difficult for the more intricate play of Tottenham but after the interval Spurs continued to dominate and equalised after 55 minutes through John Cameron.  Twice after this Brown had the opportunity to put Spurs ahead but the goalkeeper denied him.  Spurs then went took the lead when winger Tom Smith scored fifteen minutes from time.  Brown ensured victory with a header from the third of three quick corners, with seven minutes remaining.   

Brown had become the first player to score in every round of the Cup, scoring 15 goals.  On the final whistle joyous Spurs fans invaded the pitch and at the presentation, the captain, Jack Jones, received the trophy adorned with blue and white ribbons.  Prior to the presentation the wife of a Tottenham director had attached the ribbons to the trophy, thus starting a tradition that has been maintained to the present day.  

When the team returned to London at 1.00am the next morning, the fans who had been waiting for three hours, gave them a tremendous reception as they paraded from South Tottenham station to the ground.

Tottenham had brought the FA Cup to London for the first time and while they appeared to be making a point for southern teams over their more dominant northern opponents, the Spurs team was comprised of five Scots, three Welsh, one Irishman and three English men, all from north of the Trent.

 
Team: Clawley; Erentz, Tait; Morris, Hughes, Jones (Captain); Smith, Cameron, Brown, Copeland, Kirwan.

Sandy Brown

Sandy Brown had joined Tottenham in the summer of 1900.  He was the only change that manager, John Cameron, had made to the previous season's Southern League title winners.  The leading scorer in that team, Tom Pratt had decided to return to Preston so Brown was signed from Portsmouth who had finished as runners-up in the battle for the Southern League title.  Brown who was from Ayrshire had also played for Preston North End.  He was a prodigious goalscorer but his Tottenham debut saw the team lose at home by three goals to Millwall Athletic.  However, the team and Brown soon found their form, winning the following week by five goals with Brown grabbing a hat-trick.  Through the first half of the season, results were disappointing but there were signs of improvement as the FA Cup approached.

Brown's record of fifteen goals in the FA Cup is a record that still stands and he become the first player to score in every Round.  He played for one more season with Spurs before returning to Portsmouth in 1902.  He scored 96 goals in 113 appearances for the club but he will be forever remembered as the player who scored the goals as Tottenham enjoyed their first FA Cup triumph.

Tottenham Goalkeepers 2011-2012 Friedel, Gomes, Cudicini

Tottenham have had many outstanding goalkeepers throughout their history but the present group, Brad Friedel, Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes are the best they've ever had at the club at the same time.  Anyone of them is capable of producing match winning performances and all three have shown that this season.

Pat Jennings, Ray Clemence, Ted Ditchburn, Bill Brown are all goalkeepers of the highest standing who have been involved in great teams at Tottenham.  During their time they have produced many match winning performances and have enjoyed the success of lifting trophies during their time at the club.  However, the current group of goalkeepers, Brad Friedel, Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes while not reaching the height of excellence of their predecessors, are definitely the best group of goalkeepers that Tottenham have ever had at the club at the same time.  In the days of Jennings, Ditchburn or the others the reserve goalkeeper was merely that, a back-up to be used in an emergency and the number 'one' had little competition for his place.  This, in itself can raise problems, as during Paul Robinson's time as first choice he had no competition for the goalkeeper's shirt.

An example of this problem comes from Pat Jennings' time at White Hart Lane.  At the start of the 1966-67 season Jennings finally claimed the position as his own ahead of the 'Double' winning keeper, Bill Brown.  A few months in to the season, Bill Nicholson allowed Brown to leave for Northampton Town. The next week, Jennings was injured and the 'new' reserve had to play, Roy Brown.  The match was at home to bottom club, Blackpool, but Spurs managed to lose 1 - 3.  Fortunately, Jennings had recovered by the following weekend and that was Roy Brown's only appearance for the club.  Jennings went on to have a long and fairly injury free career with Spurs and take on legendary status for his outstanding performances and contribution to the club's success in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The problem of not having a satisfactory goalkeeper to call upon would not be a problem with the goalkeepers who are currently in the squad.  They have the experience and ability to step in when required and produce outstanding performances as they have shown this year as manager, Harry Redknapp, has used the Carling Cup and Europa League to provide match practice and competition for his goalkeepers.

The arrival of Brad Friedel from Aston Villa during the summer has added competition for the goalkeeper's position.  Carlo Cudicini had seemed content to be reserve to Heurelho Gomes for the past two seasons with an occasional game in a Cup competition or to cover for an injury.  Last season Heurelho Gomes' standards slipped with mistakes coming more frequently and costing the team points.  Redknapp persevered with him but was clearly exasperated with his goalkeeper until finally deciding to omit him from the team for the final few games of the season and bringing in Cudicini.

Brad Friedel

Brad Friedel (40 years) had come to the end of his contract at Villa in the summer and was looking for a club where he would have an opportunity to play regularly.  He had the chance to return to Anfield but Liverpool were wanting him to be their reserve back-up to Pepe Reina.  Friedel wanted more and so decided to sign for Tottenham where he was given a two year contract with the incentive of competing to be first choice goalkeeper.

Harry Redknapp was non-commital as to who would be the first choice goalkeeper.  Gomes started the first competitive match in the Europa League at Hearts but although Spurs won comfortably without conceding a goal, Gomes didn't look comfortable during the short period at the start of the second half when the home side exerted some pressure on the Tottenham defence.  Some of his old problems from last season seemed to be there once again.

The Premier League game at Old Trafford was to tell the full story - Brad Friedel claimed the goalkeeper's position and has now extended his record of consecutive Premier League appearances to 285 matches (as of 8th November, 2011) for three different clubs, stretching back to 2004.  Now, for a 40 year old goalkeeper to concede eight goals in his first two games at a new club, some might have suggested that it was time to retire but not in Friedel's case.  He used his vast experience to set that aside and has now helped Tottenham to their best ever points haul from the opening ten games in the Premier League - twenty two points from seven victories and a draw.

The three points acquired at Craven Cottage in last Sunday's match against Fulham are down to Friedel's match-winning goalkeeping performance.  He made a vital early stop from a corner and in the second half as Fulham attacked continuously for most of the forty five minutes he produced a series of outstanding saves to deny them.  He tipped over a header from Brede Hangeland at a corner, blocked a powerful drive from Chris Baird following a free-kick, dived bravely at Clint Dempsey's feet, saved a drive from Moussa Dembele and in added time blocked and saved in two goalmouth scrambles as Fulham threw everything at Tottenham in a last desperate attempt to salvage a draw from the game.  Even the goal that he conceded was deflected past him, off the back of Younes Kaboul.  He dealt with the pressure  Fulham put on him when they positioned a player in front o fhim for every corner and free-kick.  In the midst of the chaos Friedel brought a sense of calm and authority to the proceedings and Spurs weathered the storm and claimed another three points in a match as Joe Jordan said, 'Tottenham would have lost a match like that when we first came to the club.'  Friedel was rightly acclaimed 'Man of the Match' for his performance which defied his years.

Brad Friedel claimed the first team place and was omitted from the Europa League squad, taking into account his age and to keep him fresh for League matches.  Gomes and Cudicini have been rotated for the Carling Cup and Europa League matches and have also produced outstanding performances in these matches to remind Redknapp of their ability.

Carlo Cudicini

Carlo Cudicini (38 years) has stepped up to the plate in the Europa League games with exceptional performances in the two away matches in Greece and Russia.  With  a very inexperienced team in both games they needed the loyal keeper to produce some outstanding saves to encourage the young players and prevent Spurs from suffering disappointing results in their European campaign.  Against PAOK Salonika the young players performed with confidence and control but it required Cudicini to be at his best with a number of important saves.  He conceded a penalty in the first half but when it had to be retaken he used his experience to stand up and make it difficult for the player who shot wide.  Other crucial saves kept PAOK out and in the final moments as the home side looked for a late winner, he made two outstanding saves to earn Spurs a draw.

Against Rubin Kazan, with none of the first team travelling, Cudicini denied a very strong Russian
team with a series of saves throughout the match and he was only beaten from a needlessly conceded free-kick when Sebastien Bassong made a mistake.  He was 'Man of the Match' and didn't deserve to be on the losing the side.

Heurelho Gomes

Heurelho Gomes (30 years old) is an outstanding goalkeeper who is a mix of the incredible and the unbelievable.  Incredible saves along with unbelievable errors which bring an unnecessary pressure on the whole team.  This was evident to Spurs supporters when he played for PSV Eindhoven against Spurs in the UEFA Cup.  Tottenham lost at home when Gomes was a mix of saves and fumbles but Spurs were unable to take advantage.  Then in the away leg which Spurs won to take the game to extra time and penalties, Gomes was the hero.  He made saves at vital times in the game which denied Spurs the win their performance deserved - a late save that took the game to extra time, an outstanding save in the final minute of extra time and then a penalty save to deny Jermaine Jenas who could have won the penalty shoot out for Tottenham.  Gomes is a goalkeeper who can make outstanding saves but follow it up with a basic error which raises uncertainty in the minds of the defence and invites pressure from the opposition.  He is a confidence goalkeeper and when he loses that it greatly affects his whole game.

On joining Tottenham, Gomes found it difficult to adjust to the demands and pressure of the Premier League.  Any mistake or misjudgement is so often punished in English football that he was immediately under pressure and scrutiny.  His arrival coincided with Tottenham's 'two points from eight games' start to the 2008-09 season and the eventual appointment of Harry Redknapp.  Two blunders in a defeat at Fulham ended Redknapp's unbeaten start as Totenham manager and Gomes' confidence was gone.  The appointment of former Tottenham goalkeeper, Tony Parks, as goalkeeping coach helped to rebuild his confidence and performances.  Restored to the team he helped Tottenham avoid relegation and the next season produced some amazing saves as Tottenham reached the Champions League.  However, he was still the same keeper with rash decisions and mistakes plaguing his performances.

Last season a series of blunders cost Tottenham points as they sought to retain fourth place in the League.  There was the farcical blunder early in the season at Old Trafford where he set the ball down expecting a free-kick, only for Nani to hit it into an empty net.  After a number of confidence sapping performances for the goalkeeper, manager and supporters, Redknapp dropped him for the final three games of the season.  The final agonies which summed up Gomes as a goalkeeper came in two consecutive games.  Against Blackpool at home he saved a penalty but was so hyper after the save that he totally lost control of his actions and rushed out needlessly and conceded another penalty from the resulting corner.  Then in the next match at Chelsea with Spurs a goal ahead, he let a shot from Frank Lampard slip from his grasp and roll towards the goal line.  He dived back and retrieved the ball before it crossed the line but the referee awarded a goal and Spurs went on to lose the match.

Gomes has played on three occasions this year - he was nervy against Hearts and that performance probably confirmed Harry Redknapp in the decision to make Friedel his number one choice.  He than played at Stoke City in the Carling Cup.  The Stoke game is always a difficult match for a goalkeeper with the home team's high ball and set-piece threat.  Gomes doesn't cope well with such tactics but in two hours football he didn't concede a goal as Spurs went on to lose another penalty shoot-out.  His next match was the Europa League home game against Rubin Kazan.  The Russian team were difficult opponents for another young Spurs side but Gomes put in a match winning performance with a number of good saves.  He again showed both sides of his game with good good saves as the Russians proved a potent attacking threat but also some nervy moments where everyone had to hold their breath.  Spurs won and Gomes played an important part in that success.  In his three appearances this season, Gomes has kept three clean sheets.

Tottenham have three top class goalkeepers in their squad and any one of them could be play and be relied upon to put in a very credible performance.  No other team in the Premier League has such quality available to them.  However, it is widely expected that Gomes, the youngest of the three goalkeepers will move on in January as he seeks regular football.  He may return to his native country, Brazil, or to a European league where the pressure on the goalkeeper is not so intense.  A recent article suggests that Gomes is for sale following a break down in his relationship with Harry Redknapp.  they had a fierce row following the match at Old Trafford when gomes claimed that he had been told that he would be first choice with Friedel as back-up.

With Friedel and Cudicini in the senior age bracket, Spurs will have to make a decision in the future about acquiring a younger long term option and that will be a vital decision for the future success of the team.  However, for the moment they will make the most of the experience that the three goalkeepers, Friedel, Cudicini and Gomes, bring to the club.

Tottenham - Comparision with Last Season

(Updated 7th November, 2011)
Spurs opened the 2011-12 season with two heavy defeats but have managed to recover the lost ground to put themselves in a stronger position compared with the same stage of the season last year.

At present Tottenham are sitting in fifth position in the Premier League  with a game in hand on all other teams around them.  The postponement of the opening day fixture against Everton because of the riots near White Hart Lane immediately put Spurs at a disadvantage and this was compounded when their next games were against the two Manchester clubs who made a flying start to the new season.  So when all the other teams had played three games Spurs found themselves pointless and at the bottom of the League.

Now, after ten games Spurs have made a remarkable recovery by accumulating 22 points from seven wins and a draw.  Seven wins in eight games has taken them level on points with Chelsea but with the home game against Everton to be played some time in the future, probably in January.  This is Tottenham's highest number of points after ten games in  the Premier League.  The draw at Newcastle United who maintained their undefeated start to the season, could so easily have been another three points but for an excellent strike for the equalising goal, three minutes from time.  Twice in that game Spurs conceded a one goal advantage.

After 10 games (6 away), Spurs are currently in 5th place with 22 points, having played one match less than everyone else.

Last season, at the same stage (with 5 away games), Spurs were occupying 5th position but with only 15 points and having played the same number of games as those around them.  They had 4 wins and 3 draws.

The comparison of fixtures played shows how Spurs have a 7 points advantage over last season, a credible situation as the most recent fixtures have been against teams who were beaten by Spurs in last season's corresponding games:
 

Manchester Utd (a)   -

Manchester City (h) - 1

Wolves (a) + 2

Liverpool (h)  -

Wigan (a)  + 2

Arsenal (h)  + 2

Newcastle (a)   -
Blackburn (a)  -
QPR (WHU*) (h) +2
Fulham (a)  -

[* QPR in comparison with WHU as relegated team)

This season's results show a positive score of 7 points but to maintain that progress Spurs will need to continue this winning sequence as their next fixture is at home to Aston Villa.  Following that match the fixtures up to Christmas see Spurs visit WBA (Draw**), Bolton (h) (Won**), Stoke (a) (Won**), Sunderland (h) (Draw**) and Chelsea (h) (Draw**).
[** Last season's result]

Manchester City have the advantage at present, United are looking less assured than they did at the start of the season but will overcome that, Newcastle who are currently in third place and undefeated have yet to play any of the top teams.  However, that anomoly will be resolved in the next few weeks as they play City, United and Chelsea.  Tottenham found it difficult against Fulham but were prepared to battle throughout the second half, they will need to maintain a similar work ethic in coming weeks as teams try to deny them the time and space they like to have to enable them to play their intricate passing game.  Tottenham can't afford any slips as Liverpool and Arsenal are also closing in on fourth place.

After the break for the internationals during the next fortnight, every team has a busy schedule up to the end of the year and Spurs have the additional Europa League games against PAOK Salonika and Shamrock Rovers.  These are also games which they need to win to ensure qualification for the knock-out stages in the new year.

Fulham 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3

Tottenham's rear-guard action in the second half, inspired by Brad Friedel, denied Fulham and so maintained their unbeaten run to move level on points with Chelsea in fifth place with one match in hand.  Spurs scored two first half goals through Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.  A late strike from substutute Jermain Defoe confirmed the victory and added to Fulham's anguish.

Tottenham's Smash and Grab Raid at the Cottage

Fulham 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3

Scorers: Kaboul (og)        Bale, Lennon, Defoe

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Sandro), Parker, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart (Defoe), Adebayor.   Subs: (unused) Cudicini, Bassong, Corluka, Livermore, Pienaar.

Brad Friedel - 'Man of the Match'

Tottenham took the three points to maintain their eight game unbeaten run in the Premier League but after holding a two goal interval lead, it required all the expertise of 40 year old, Brad Friedel, to ensure they only conceded one goal as Fulham's second half onslaught threatened to grab at least a point and possibly all three.

It was an unchanged team from last week's win over QPR that Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan sent out, as they continued in charge as Harry Redknapp recuperates following his heart operation.  Vedran Corluka and Steven Pienaar, recovered from injury were among the substitutes.

In the early stages Fulham worked hard, preventing Tottenham from playing at their best and although they had the lion's share of possession, the home side didn't cause Spurs' defence too many problems.  From a corner after two minutes, Spurs had an early indication of the danger Fulham could be from set-pieces as Friedel had to react quickly to save a header at his near post.  After ten minutes, Kyle Walker was released on the right, he got to the goal line and pulled the ball back to Lennon whose cross was pushed out to Gareth Bale on the left.  His powerful goal bound shot deflected off the knee of Chris Baird.

The game continued in a similar pattern with Spurs coping with the limited threat caused by Fulham who caused Friedel few problems.  Spurs played controlled, passing football without ever reaching the levels achieved last week although on occasions they attacked at pace which caused Fulham concern.  Then on 45 minutes, as added time was being announced, Lennon, now on the left, ran at Baird, turning him right and left, and hammered a powerful left foot shot into the corner of the net to double Spurs' lead.

As with last week, a two goal advantage was looking comfortable for Spurs but Martin Jol obviously had a few harsh words with his players at half-time.  They were much more forceful and dominant with their possession in the second half and put immense pressure on the Tottenham defence at corners and set-pieces and with the use of the high ball.  Where, in the first period, Spurs had been able to play the ball out from defence, they had to play it long but it came straight back.  Fulham won a series of corners and eventually, after giving Spurs a few scares, they scored.  On 57 minutes, King rose to clear a corner, but his header struck the back of Younes Kaboul and into the net.  This encouraged Fulham so they piled on even more pressure.

Tottenham's midfield was being over-run, putting the defence under continuous pressure.  Jermain Defoe replaced Rafael Van der Vaart, so he missed the opportunity to score for a sixth consecutive League match.  This failed to lift the pressure and with fifteen minutes remaining Sandro was introduced in place of Lennon.  

Through the second half Friedel was called upon to make a number of vital saves, tipping over from a corner, saving from Dempsey, saving a long range effort from Baird and then in the final minutes it was all hands on deck as players threw themselves in front of the ball to block goal bound shots.  Friedel saved, King put in a crucial tackle, Luka Modric cleared off the line, Parker blocked a shot, Walker blocked the ball in an old-fashioned goalmouth scramble and was fortunate not to concede a penalty as he handled the ball in the ruck.  It was do or die for both sides, Parker could have had a penalty for a push in one of Spurs' few second half forays near the Fulham penalty area.

Then, to add salt to the wound, in the last minute of added time Bale broke on the left and headed for the corner flag.  He won a throw, took it quickly to Emmanuel Adebayor on the goal line who played it back for Defoe to score a third - a smash and grab raid from Tottenham.

Brad Friedel was the Man of the Match - Spurs were fortunate but they managed to hold out against the threat posed by the former Tottenham manager and players - Martin Jol, Bobby Zamora, Danny Murphy and Stephen Kelly - they gave their all but Spurs held on and go into the international break on a high.  Next match is against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on Monday, 21st November at 8.05 pm.  I can't wait as I'll be there, my first Premier League game of the season.

Harry Redknapp has been told by his doctors to take five or six weeks to recover from his heart operation.  If he was watching the second half on television, he might need longer.  I, who have no heart problems, could feel my blood pressure raised after enduring the pounding Fulham gave Spurs in the second half.  Tottenham survived and so did I and I wish Harry a speedy recovery.

The Decline of Bassong at Tottenham

Sebastien Bassong apologised to his colleagues for the elementary error which led to the free-kick from which Rubin Kazan scored the only goal in the Europa League match on Thursday evening and saw Spurs lose their unbeaten record.  The defeat meant that Tottenham slipped from top of the Group A to third place and they will need to defeat the new leaders, PAOK Salonika, in their next match to give themselves a chance of qualification to the knock-out stages as winners of the group.

Sebastien Bassong Apologises for His Mistake

Sebastien Bassong

Ahead of the Europa League in Russia, there was a poignant headline in the London Evening Standard, 
'It Hurts that my Tottenham Career is nearly over.'   
 (Read the full story here)

The headline screamed all that has been wrong with Sebastien Bassong over the past year at Spurs.  He has lost confidence and has clearly given up.  It had all started so well at White Hart Lane for Bassong who joined Spurs in the summer of 2009, following Newcastle United's relegation.  Bassong had been one of the few players to come out of that season with some credit in what had been a terrible year for the club.  His centre back partner, Fabricio Coloccini, had been widely criticised but now as Bassong looks troubled, Coloccini is receiving the plaudits as Newcastle maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

Bassong made his Premier League debut for Tottenham in their opening day win over Liverpool at White Hart Lane, heading the winning goal from a corner and becoming the tenth Tottenham player to score on their debut in the Premier League.  That season he went on to make 28 League appearances and was comfortable in his partnership with the other centre backs, Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Younes Kaboul, as the team finally broke in to the top four and achieved their goal of Champions League football.  He was ahead of Kaboul and only lost his place when King returned for the final few games of the season.

The following year, King and Dawson started as first choice but when they were injured early in the new season, Bassong returned to the team and was involved in of the early part of the Champions League campaign, scoring the first goal in Berne as Spurs recovered from a three goal deficit in the Qualifying Round.  The arrival of William Gallas increased competition for places and Bassong was no longer guaranteed a starting place or of stepping in when someone was injured.  This uncertainty seemed to drain his confidence and when called upon it affected his performances and saw him more often among the substitutes as Dawson, Gallas and Kaboul claimed their places.  In his performance at Blackpool as Tottenham looked to push on towards a second successive Champions League place, his uncertainty was particularly evident as a poor team performance saw Spurs lose 1 - 3.  Returning to the side, Bassong gave away an early and unnecessary penalty to set Blackpool on their way.

Bassong's appearances had been greatly reduced in that second season and there was talk of a possible transfer away from White Hart Lane.  In fact, at the end of August, he appears to have been only a signature away from joining newly promoted Queen's Park Rangers but Tottenham's inability to reach agreement with Bolton Wanderers over the signing of Gary Cahill, saw them decide against his transfer and retain him as cover at Spurs.

Sebastien Bassong comes across as a genuine fellow, he's not brash and when he's relaxed he has a smile on his face and appears very pleasant.  However, on the pitch, he looks as if he's carrying all the cares of the world on his shoulders, he looks tense, nervous, unsure of what to do and so afraid of making a mistake that it affects his judgement and all round play.

Ironically, one of the positives surrounding the young players who have appeared in the Europa League team, has been their confidence and self-belief which belies their tender years.  They have not been phased by the thought that they are playing in the first team or that it's an important European competition or that they're playing with experienced Premier League players and internationals or that that their opponents are internationals.  They have set aside all such concerns and performed admirably with very satisfactory results.

However, Bassong has looked so on edge in his manner and in his play.  Even as captain, he seemed unsure what decision to take when he won the toss.  In the matches he's played, this has led to errors in his passing, putting team mates under pressure with a misdirected pass or one played too short.  Clearances have given the ball back to opponents and maintained the pressure on the Spurs defence. Even basic areas of his game have been affected - his first touch putting him under pressure as happened in the home game against Rubin Kazan.  As the visitors increased their attacking intent in the second half, a ball was passed back to him but he somehow stood on it and was immediately under pressure but managed to rescue the situation with the help of a colleague.

The inevitable mistake from which he couldn't recover occurred in Russia.  As the under-strength  team held out in the second half against the increasing threat of Rubin Kazan, Gallas managed to head a dangerous cross to Bassong who was alone in the centre of the Tottenham area.  He took a touch and then a second but this one was too strong, resulting in the ball getting away from him and as he dived in to retrieve the situation, he brought down the home player.  He was booked and Rubin Kazin scored the only goal from the free-kick.  It was a needless free-kick to concede and Spurs paid dearly for Basson's mistake.  After the game, Bassong apologised to the team but it has been a mistake waiting to happen for some time.  In his general play in Russia, playing beside the experienced Gallas, he had appeared more confident than on some previous occasions but his mistake took away from his overall performance as did a later misjudgement which played young Dean Parrett into trouble and could easily have led to another goal.

Bassong has taken on a persona similar to Heurelho Gomes when he is not playing well.  He seems to have accepted that his time with Spurs is over and is waiting to move on during the transfer window in January.  This attitude is having a telling affect on his play and for a player who started his career at Tottenham in such a positive manner, it is sad to see him so out of sorts with his football and so uncertain and lacking in confidence.  It would appear that Bassong is now among a number of players who have lost the confidence of the manager with little future for them at the club.  Some, like Alan Hutton and Robbie Keane have already moved on, others like David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas have gone out on loan while Bassong and Gomes remain, waiting for their time to come to depart through the door marked 'Exit'.

They Played for Tottenham and Fulham

From past masters Alan Mullery, Cliff Jones, Terry Dyson to today's more recent and less favourably remembered players - Danny Murphy, Stephen Kelly, Bobby Zamora and Simon Davies, they all played for both clubs.  Over the years there have been many other players who have performed admirably for both Spurs and Fulham.

As was the case with Queen's Park Rangers last week, there have been many players who have played for both Tottenham and Fulham, serving both clubs with distinction.

The player who is probably best loved by both sets of fans is Alan Mullery who started his career at Craven Cottage but was transferred to Spurs in March, 1964 for £72,500 as Bill Nicholson endeavoured to rebuild his 'Double' winning squad and replace some legendary players.  Mullery had the unenviable task of trying to fill the boots of Danny Blanchflower and he found it a difficult task in the early days.   the fans were slow to accept Mullery but in time through his hard work he gradually won them over and was part of the 1967 FA Cup winning time.  When Dave Mackay moved on in 1968, Mullery became captain and led them to success in the 1971 League Cup and the 1972 UEFA Cup win.

In season 1971-72 Mullery was out for a lengthy period through injury but when fit he couldn't displace John Pratt.  Mullery asked to go out on loan and returned to Fulham.  However, unexpectedly he returned to White Hart Lane when Pratt was injured ahead of the UEFA Cup semi-finals.  He captained the team in the 1st leg at White Hart Lane against AC Milan which Spurs won 2 - 1 and then led by example in the away game scoring an early goal as Spurs drew 1 - 1.  In the Final against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham brought a one goal advantage to the home game and it was Mullery who headed the goal to increase their lead.  In the process, he knocked himself out but battled on as Spurs held on for the draw which saw them lift the trophy.  Mullery enjoyed the celebrations around the pitch long after thel other players had departed to the changing rooms.  As it turned out, it was to be Mullery's last contribution in a Tottenham shirt as he was transferred to Fulham in the summer for £65,000.

He played for England on 35 occasions but unfortunately became the first England player to be sent off in a full England international in 1968 European Championships.

He played at Craven Cottage for four years and along with Bobby Moore they reached the FA Cup Final of 1975 with Mullery winning the Football Writers' Player of the Year award that season.

An inspirational player he went on to become manager at Brighton, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and QPR.

Cliff Jones ended his career with Fulham having served Tottenham for over ten years.  He was a vital member of the successful Tottenham of the 1960s making over 400 appearances and scoring 176 goals.  In recognition of his service he was allowed to leave for a minimal fee of £5,000 even though he had scored six goals in eight appearances that season.  He had cost £35,000 when signed from Swansea town in February, 1958 but broke his leg during pre-season training.  He joined Fulham in October, 1968 and played for two seasons at Craven Cottage.  A fast, tricky winger who loved to take on his defender and who would courageously dive in where others feared to goal.  for a small player he could jump to amazing heights to head numerous goals against taller defenders.  A true Tottenham legend.

Terry Dyson joined Fulham in June, 1965 having spent eleven years at the club.  After years of waiting patiently he came into the team at the start of season 1960 - 61 and was a regular as Spurs won the League and FA Cup.  He missed out on the following season's FA Cup triumph but regained his place for the next year's European Cup Winners' Cup success when he was one of the heroes, scoring twice in the Final against Atletico Madrid.  He spent three years at Craven Cottage before joining Colchester United.

Ray Evans was a full back with Spurs who made his debut in 1969.  He had come through the youth system but found it difficult to get into the team ahead of Joe Kinnear.  He made numerous appearances in the early 1970s but Kinnear always returned for the crucial matches.  He was a member of the losing UEFA Cup losing team of 1973 - 74 but when Terry Neill replaced Nicholson as manager, Kinnear returned.  Evans went to Millwall and after two years moved on to Fulham where he spent two year before going to Stoke City but he had also played in America during the summer months.

John Lacy was part of the Fulham FA Cup team beside Bobby Moore and was signed for Tottenham by Keith Burkinshaw in the summer of 1978.  Needless to say his signing was overshadowed by the arrival of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa.  He found it difficult in his first season in what was a tough year for Spurs, newly promoted to the 1st Division.  The signing of Paul Price and the development of Paul Miller and Graham Roberts put his place under threat and when he lost his place at the start of the start of the 1981 FA Cup run, he never regained it.  He left for Crystal Palace in the summer of 1984.

Fulham's Current Squad
Simon Davies joined Tottenham from Peterborough with Matthew Etherington and made over 120 appearances before joining Everton in 2005 for £4 million.  He became a regular player and was a member of the team which lost the 2002 League Cup Final to Blackburn Rovers.  He joined Fulham in 2007 and has made over 130 appearances for them.

Bobby Zamora joined Tottenham from Brighton but in eighteen months at the club his chances were limited and he only scored one goal, the winner in a Cup game against West Ham United.  He joined West Ham when Spurs signed Jermain Defoe in 2004.  After four years he joined Fulham.


Stephen Kelly came through Spurs youth scheme and impressed on oan at lower league clubs.  However, on returning to Tottenham, Kelly made only 37 appearances and the lack of first team football saw him transferred to Birmingham City in 2006.  After three years the Republic of Ireland international returned to London with Fulham.

The Fulham captain, Danny Murphy, made 170 appearances for Liverpool and joined Spurs in 2006 after two seasons with Charlton Athletic.  limited opportunities saw Martin Jol transfer him to Fulham eighteen months later.  He has now made over 130 appearances at Craven Cottage and is a very influential player in midfield for the club.

Martin Jol
The former Tottenham manager returned to Premier League football in the summer having been sacked by Tottenham in October, 2007.  He spent a season with Hamburg and then two years in Holland as manger of Ajax where in his first season he missed out on winning the League title by a single point.

Martin Jol arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2004 as assistant to Jacques Santini.  After the unexpected departure of the manager the following October, he became manager and had a great affinity with the club wanting to emulate the success and style achieved by Bill Nicholson.  He managed to take the team to fifth place in the Premier League for two successive years, only missing out on fourth and Champions League football on the first occasion on the last day when his team were struck down by sickness and lost to West Ham. 

However, in the summer of 2007, the Tottenham board were seen in Spain talking to Juande Ramos.  While denying they had approached him to become manager, Jol's position had been undermined and after a poor start to the season, he lost his position and was replaced by Ramos.  It was a very unfortunate situation that Spurs had put themselves in and the removal of their manager was a rather unsavory episode in the club's history.  Jol split the fans, some siding with the Directors who felt he had taken the team as far as he could while others thought he should be given more time.  Obviously, Jol will be looking to his Fulham players to make a footballing statement on his behave and show that he still has much to offer as a manager.

Other players to spend time with both clubs included: Steve Archibald, Tony Parks, Phil Gray, Paul Mahorn and Paul Konchesky.

Older players were Alfie Stokes who had seven years at Tottenham and then went to Fulham for a season.  Harry Lowe spent a season at Fulham after over thirteen seasons at White Hart Lane.  Charlie Walters who was centre half in Tottenham's 1921 FA Cup winning team was transferred to Fulham in 1926 after seven years with the club.  Taffy O'Callaghan who played for Spurs in the 1920s and 1930s had two season with Fulham before the War.

Tottenham's League Record at Fulham

Undefeated in the last seven Premier League, Tottenham cross London to take on Fulham where they will encounter former manager, Martin Jol.  Spurs won at Craven Cottage in the league last year but were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA Cup later in the season.  Fulham have shown recent improvement after a slow start and are progressing well in the Europa League.

Fulham had a very early start to their competitive season with matches in the qualifying stages of the Europa League after entering through the Fair Play League.  This has seen them with a hectic schedule of fixtures since late June putting their squad under pressure.  However, they appear to be coping well and have recorded a 6 - 0 home win over Queen's Park Rangers at the beginning of October and last week won 2 - 0 at Wigan.  This was a good recovery for them after the disappointment of the previous weekend when at home to Everton, Bobby Zamora, formerly of Tottenham, missed an open goal in the final minute to win the game and then saw the visitors take all three points with two goals in added time.  They are currently in 15th place in the Premier League, too many draws being their problem, as it was last season.  They have the one home win and three draws against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers, with the one defeat to Everton.  They are the only Premier League side to take points from City, coming from two goals down to deny the league leaders.  Fulham have scored ten goals and their strikers are starting to find their touch - Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora with Clint Dempsey.  They had a good 4 - 1 home win in the Europa League against Wisla Krakow with Johnson scoring twice on Thursday evening to take them into second place in their group.

With a small squad the players get to know and understand their system of play which makes them a hard working unit which is difficult to beat.  They have a group of players with extensive Premier League experience, goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, the Northern Ireland international defenders, Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird, highly rated defender Brede Hangeland, Steve Sidwell in midfield along with their experienced strike force.  However, the demands of the Europe has seen them lose points immediately after these games and especially the away matches where they have lost at Newcastle, Stoke and Wolverhampton.

Fulham, in recent years signed a number of former Tottenham players and still have Stephen Kelly, Simon Davies, Zamora and Danny Murphy as regulars in their team, although injury has again restricted Davies.  Martin Jol strengthened his strike force with the signing of the Coast Rican, Bryan Ruiz from FC Twente.

Last Premier League Game at Craven Cottage
Last season Tottenham completed the 'double' over Fulham, winning 2 -1 at Craven Cottage and 1 - 0 at home with Gareth Bale scoring the only goal.  The away in mid-October was marked by controversy over Tottenham's second goal.  Fulham had gone ahead after thirty minutes but Roman Pavlyuchenko responded to equalise within a minute.  In the second half, Tom Huddlestone scored the winner but it seemed that it might be disallowed as William Gallas was in an off-side position in front of the goalkeeper when the shot was struck.  However, after some confusion, the goal stood and Tottenham had again won from a losing position, a feature of last season's results.  It was a hard fought victory and what will be required again to bring success to Spurs on Sunday.

League Record at Fulham (inc. PL)

P  32  W  12  D  12  L  8  For  49  Ag  43 

Premier League Record at Fulham

P  10  W  2  D  3  L  5  For  12  Ag  15

Prior to Fulham's return to top flight football in the Premier League in 2001 after an absence of 33 years, Spurs had a good record at Craven Cottage, having only lost on three occasions in 22 visits.  However, since establishing themselves in the Premier League, Fulham have clawed back much of Tottenham's advantage gained in the earlier years.  In 2001 Spurs won 2 - 0 with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Gus Poyet but since that last year's win has been their only other League success.

Recent Away Record against Fulham
Oct, 2010  PL  Won 2 - 1  Pavlyuchenko, Huddlestone
Mar. 2010  PL  Draw 0 - 0
Dec. 2009  PL  Draw 0 - 0
Dec. 2008  PL  Lost 1 - 2  Campbell
Harry Redknapp had taken over as manager in October and this was their first League defeat.  A horror show from Heurelho Gomes gifted Fulham the opening goal when mishandling a routine shot by  Simon Davies in the first half.  Johnson added the second with twenty minutes remaining.  On loan signing, Frazer Campbell scored with ten minutes left having replaced Darren Bent.  It was his only League goal for Spurs but it was too late. 
Sept. 2007  PL  Draw 3 - 3  Kaboul, Berbatov, Bale
A match Tottenham had won with a comfortable 3 - 1 advantage after an hour.  Fulham pulled a goal back through Dempsey and then an equaliser in the final minute denied Tottenham and manager Martin Jol.
Jan. 2007  PL  Draw 1 - 1  Chimbonda
A late equaliser from full back Pascal Chimbonda salvaged a point for Tottenham.
Jan. 2006  PL  Lost 0 - 1
A game which looked to be heading for a scoreless draw was decided in the final agonising minutes for Spurs.  Michael  Dawson had been sent off  for a second bookable offence with fifteen minutes left.  Fulham then scored the winner from a free-kick in the final minute.

Tottenham, having sent a very young squad to Russia, will be looking to continue their good League form with all the first team players available.  If everyone is available, Spurs are likely to select an unchanged team with Rafael Van der Vaart hoping to set a new Tottenham record by scoring in six successive Premier League games.  The fitness of Ledley King will be the usual late decision and if he is unavailable, Sebastien Bassong will have to step in with William Gallas suffering a recurrence of his injury in Russia.  This will be a difficult match for Tottenham - it is a London derby, their former manager, Martin Jol, will be wanting to prove a point against his former employers and there will probably be three former Spurs players in the Fulham team - Zamora, Kelly and Murphy all wanting to put one over their former club.  Fulham also have Dempsey and Johnson who invariably do well against Tottenham so the defenders will have to be alert to the danger.    

Harry Redknapp may be absent, leaving Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan in charge, as he recovers from the heart surgery which prevented him from travelling with the team to Russia.  Everyone wishes him a speedy recovery but he needs to be sensible and take sufficient recovery time as prescribed by his doctors. 

Rubin Kazan 1 Tottenham 0 (Europa League)

Tottenham's young team lost to a single goal from a free-kick early in the second half.  Spurs lost their unbeaten record to a strong Russian team who are now level on points with them.  The young players, again, looked comfortable on the ball and especially in the first half worked very hard to deny and frustrate the home side.  In attack, even with Defoe and Pavlyuchenko, Spurs failed to test the goalkeeper or create any real goal scoring opportunities.

Rubin Kazan 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Scorer: Natcho

Team: Cudicini; Fredericks, Gallas (Parrett), Bassong, Townsend; Falque, Livermore, Carroll, Pienaar; Defoe, Pavlyuchenko (Kane)  Sibs: (Unused) Gomes, Stewart, Nicholson, Pritchard, Lancaster 

Tottenham sent out a team with none of the players whop beat QPR at the weekend.  William Gallas returned from injury to captain the side and Steven also had his first game of the season after an operation.  Gallas and Bassong were the experience in central defence with Ryan Fredericks and Andros Townsend as fullbacks.  In midfield Jake Livermore and Tom Carroll were in the centre with Falque and Pienaar on the wings,  Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko had the experience up front.

As in previous Europa League matches Spurs started in a composed and controlled manner, keeping the ball and using it to good effect in defence and midfield.  They, again, found it difficult to be creative in the last third of the pitch, the final ball either going astray or being cut out.  They managed to keep Rubin Kazan at bay although the two young full backs who were being asked to get forward regularly as well as defend were finding it difficult against two good wingers with defenders also willing to attack.  Carlo Cudicini made a number of good saves and interceptions to keep the home side out.  

In the second half the Russians started much more positively and pushed Spurs back who were now finding it much more difficult to keep the ball in a controlled fashion.  Often Tottenham clearances were being picked up by Rubin and putting Spurs back under pressure.  Cudicini continued to put in a calming and commanding performance with more important saves.

In the 55th minute the hiome side were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Spurs area.  Unfortunately, it was a needless free-kick to concede - Gallas had cleverly cleared from a dangerous cross and the ball fell nicely to Bassong in the centre of the penalty area to clear.  His first touch was too heavy and as he lunged to try to clear he brought down the home player.  Rubin Kazan's top scorer, Natcho scored giving Cudicini no chance.  It was a careless goal to give away and from that time the home side put Spurs under increasing pressure which they were struggling to deal with.

After 70 minutes, Gallas had to go off injured, Livermore dropped into defence and Dean Parrett joined Carroll in central midfield.  The two young players found it difficult to deal with the home side pressure as they found more time and space.  A few minutes later, Harry Kane replaced Pavlyuchenko who had contributed little and had been flagged offside too often.  Kane brought more to the game but it was Cudicini who continued to keep the Russians out.  Twice from free-kicks near the Russias' box, Spurs were defending desperately as the home side broke quickly after Spurs had given the ball away.

In the final minutes as the home side were looking to hold on to their win, Spurs tried to build some pressure but again the final ball was lacking.  

The young players acquitted themselves well and it was unfortunate that the goal came from a defensive mistake by an experienced player.  Cudiicini was man of the match for his string of saves and his commanding performance.  Tottenham will now look to beat PAOK in the next game and then win in Dublin to secure qualification to the knock-out stages.  Some of the first team regulars may have to add some more experience and guile to a team that has failed to score a goal in three of the five games they have played.

Cudicini was outstanding, keeping Spurs in the game and avoiding a much heavier defeat.

Fredericks and Townsend both had a difficult night defensively and were asked to do a lot of work by having to attack down the wings.

Gallas used all his experience well and had a good game.  It was unfortunate that he has suffered another injury.  Bassong had a better night overall but his loss of concentration and poor touch gave away the free-kick from which the goal was scored.  he almost made a similar mistake a little later when he gave a poor pas to Parrett in central midfield.

Falque, Pienaar and Carroll worked hard in midfield and had good control in the first half but after the interval struggled to keep a grip on the home side as they increased the pressure.  Falque tried to be creative and in the second half, Defoe had the ball in the net from his cross but the referee had blown because, as everyone knew, the winger had taken the ball out before he got his cross in.  Carroll played well in the first half but found it much more difficult to be an influence after that.  Pienaar did well to last the full game having been out with an injury but he contributed little to the game.  Livermore played well both in midfield and defence although on occasions he gives the Ball away to easily.  Parrett found it difficult to get to the pace of the game especially as the Russians were playing with a greater confidence having taken the lead.  He and Carroll were being asked to do a very difficult job against a very good Russian team.

Defoe and Pavlyuchenko offered little threat and were disappointing.  They, and particularly Pavlyuchenko, were both offside too often which stopped Spurs when they were trying to get forward.  Harry Kane who came on for the final fifteen was more prepared to run and take on defenders than either of his two more experienced colleagues.

Tottenham have taken a gamble by playing a weakened side throughout the Europa League campaign.  Up to this point they have got away with it but they knew they were facing a very strong Russian side and will be satisfied to take only a one goal defeat when it could have been a lot worse had Cudicini not performed so well.  

As PAOK beat Shamrock Rovers to head Group A, Spurs who are in third place on goal difference behind the Rubin Kazan, they now know what they have to do in the final two games to secure qualification and preferably as Group winners.

Van Der Vaart Scores in Five Successive Games

Rafael Van der Vaart's goal against Queen's Park Rangers at White Hart Lane was his sixth goal for Tottenham in the last five games.  Scoring for the fifth successive League game equals the club record for the Premier League era held by Teddy Sheringham and Robbie Keane who achieved it twice.  Van der Vaart will be looking to increase the record at Craven Cottage on Sunday against Fulham.

Rafael Van der Vaart's Record:

Five successive matches for Spurs since his early return from injury and Van der Vaart has scored six goals as Tottenham extend their unbeaten run.  Injured in the defeat to Manchester City at White Hart Lane, it was expected that Van der Vaart would be out for some considerable period of time.  This led to his omission from the Europa League squad, much to his annoyance, but at the time a quite reasonable decision as it appeared that he would miss most of the pre-Christmas campaign.  However, an unexpectedly early return to fitness following a visit to a specialist in Germany, saw Van der Vaart start the match against Wigan and an early goal from him set Tottenham on the road to victory.  He has since scored in the next five games and is playing with great confidence and composure.  It was only the exceptional performance of Paddy Kenny, the Queen's Park Rangers goalkeeper, which prevented him from scoring more than once on Sunday.  Kenny had to make a save in the opening minutes and made a number of saves in the second half.

Sept. 2011 PL v Wigan Athletic (a) Won 2 - 1  Van der Vaart, Bale
Scored after three minutes.

Oct. 2011 PL v Arsenal (h) Won 2 - 1  Van der Vaart, Walker
Scored opening goal after 40 minutes.

Oct. 2011 PL v Newcastle United (a) Draw 2 - 2  Van der Vaart (p), Defoe
Nerveless performance to score opening goal from the penalty spot after 40 minutes.

Oct. 2011 PL v Blackburn Rovers (a) Won 2 - 1  Van der Vaart (2)
For the fourth successive game he scored Tottenham's opening goal after 15 minutes.  Added a second in the 53rd minute after Rovers had equalised before the interval.

Oct. 2011 PL v QPR (h) Won 3 - 1  Bale (2), Van der Vaart 
Scored Tottenham's goal after 33 minutes, reacting quickly when a deflected shot came to him on the edge of penalty area. 

Robbie Keane's record: 

Robbie Keane managed to score in five successive League games on two occasions for Tottenham.  He first achieved it in January/February, 2004 and repeated the feat in February/April, 2007. 


Jan. 2004 PL v Birmingham City (h) Won 4 -1  Dalmat (2), Davies, Keane 

                 PL v Leeds United (a) Won 1 - 0  Keane
                 PL v Liverpool (h) Won 2- 1 Keane (p), Postiga 
                 PL v Fulham (a) Lost 1 - 2 Keane (p)
Feb. 2004 Pl v Portsmouth (h) Won 4 - 3  Defoe, Keane (2), Poyet  

Feb. 2007 PL v Bolton Wanderers (h) Won 4 - 1  Jenas, Lennon, Keane (2) 
Apr. 2007 PL v Reading (a) Won 1 - 0  Keane (p)
                 PL v Wigan Athletic (a) Draw 3 - 3  Berbatov, Keane (2) (1p)
                 PL v Arsenal (h) Draw 2 - 2  Keane, Jenas
                 PL v Middlesbrough (a) Won 3 - 2 Berbatov, Keane (2)

** Keane missed a number of matches with injury during this sequence so they are not five consecutive Tottenham matches but five successive games in which he played. 

Teddy Sheringham's Record:

In season 1993 - 94 Teddy Sheringham scored in five consecutive matches under manager Ossie Ardiles.  He sustained an injury in the next match at Manchester United which kept him out until near the end of the season.  The team then struggled against relegation and only survived following Sheringham's return in April when he scored another four goals to bring his total for the season to 13 from 17 (2) League appearances.

Sept. 1993 PL v Chelsea (h) Draw 1 - 1  Sheringham

                  PL v Sheffield United (a) Draw 2 - 2 Sheringham (2)

                  PL v Oldham Athletic (h) Won 5 - 0 Sheringham, Sedgley (2), Durie, Dozzell

                  PL v Ipswich Town (a) Draw 2 - 2 Sheringham (2)

Oct. 1993 PL v Everton (h) Won 3 - 2 Sheringham, Anderton, Caskey 

  ** Sheringham scored 9 of Tottenham's 17 goals in the opening 10 games of the season underlining his importance to the team

Pre-Premier League

Garth Crooks is the last Tottenham player to score in 6 consecutive games achieving that in season 1984 - 85, scoring six goals in matches played in December and January.

Other players to have achieved this feat in Tottenham's 129 year history are: 

Bobby Smith (Aug. - Sept. 1960) [12 goals] Div. 1 'Double' Season

Alfie Stokes (Jan. - Mar. 1957) [8 goals] Div. 1

Willie Evans (Dec. 1935 - Feb. 1936) [8 goals] Div. 2

Johnny Morrison (Oct. - Nov. 1935) [10 goals] Div. 2

Leading the way, however, is Jimmy Greaves who scored in 7 consecutive games at the start of season 1966 - 67.  He scored 8 goals in that sequence from August to October.

Greaves' longest scoring sequence is 9 games in February - April, 1962 when he scored 11 goals.  This was his debut season for Spurs having joined from AC Milan for £99,999.  He marked his debut in November, 1961 by scoring  a hat-trick against Blackpool at White Hart Lane as Spurs recorded a 5 - 2 victory.

Rubin Kazan v Tottenham Hotspur (Europa League)

The fourth match in Group A of the Europa League tales Tottenham to Russia for the return game with Rubin Kazan.  Tottenham head the group with seven points while Rubin Kazan have four points, one behind PAOK Salonika in second place.  Tottenham who have used squad members and young players for the Europa League campaign will be looking to get something from this match while the rest of the squad remain in London to prepare for Sunday's London derby against Fulham.

Tottenham's Russian striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the all important goal against his compatriots at White Hart Lane to earn the three points for Spurs.  It was a hard earned success with the visitors unfortunate to leave without any reward so Spurs are well aware that they face a very difficult game on Thursday evening.  Qualification for the knock-out stages is very much on both teams' mind as they know that PAOK are waiting to take over top spot if they win in Dublin and Spurs lose in Russia.  In a very close group all three teams will be hoping to take one of those qualification places and preferably first place which improves the prospects for the draw by avoiding teams who have dropped out of the Champions League.

Not Travelling to Russia
Tottenham have announced that Harry Redknapp will not be going with the team as he has to undergo a minor op.  Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan will take charge of the team for the Europa League game.

Brad Friedel and Rafael Van der Vaart have not been registered for the Europa League competition so can't play unless they are included in the revised list after January.  Few, if any, of the first team regulars will be making the long journey - Ledley King needs his week to recover while the rest will be focused on preparing for the game against Fulham.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto, according to Twitter, isn't making the trip - 'spending the week training at Chigwell'.

Sandro has not travelled, neither has Assou-Ekotto, Walker, Bale or Modric. (plus other first team players).  Giovani is also out, having picked up an injury.



It was a very young Spurs XI side which lost 1 - 2 to Crystal Palace at Spurs Lodge so presumable some of the players who normally turn out for that team will be on the flight to Russia.  may not play but could be on the bench or just travelling for the experience.

Travelling in the Tottenham party
Jake Nicholson has announced on Twitter that he is included in the party to travel to Russia as has Dean Parrett.  

Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and Bassong have also been included in the party.

Latest Squad News:

 Gomes, Cudicini, Gallas, Bassong, Waller-Lassen, Stewart, Barthram, Livermore, Townsend, Pienaar, Fredericks, Carroll, Nicholson, Parrett, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Falque, Kane, Lancaster, Pritchard. 

None of Saturday's team have travelled to Russia.

A young team with experience coming from squad players who haven't played many matches or are returning from injury can be expected to make the long journey to Kazan.  Heurelho Gomes who starred in the game at White Hart Lane or Carlo Cudicini who put in an excellent performance in the draw in Greece with crucial saves in the final moments of the game will take up position in goal.  It is worth noting that in the three matches Gomes has played this season, at Hearts, against the Russians and at Stoke in the Carling Cup, he has not conceded a goal in normal play.  The defeat on penalties has been their only loss since the disastrous start to the Premier League season.  With the rotation of the goalkeepers it would be Cudicini's 'turn' but I feel he could possibly get selected for the calm he brings to the defence over the spectacular of Gomes, especially in a potentially hostile environment.

Injury has caused problems in defence with first team players having to make up the numbers.  Ledley King having returned on Sunday will again rest. The return of William Gallas is a possibility although they may not want him to travel so far after being out with a long term injury.  However, it is expected that he will make the trip and will start beside Bassong.   With Vedran Corluka injured.  Danny Rose who played well in the first game is apparently out, Andros Townsend will presumably be his replacement at left back while a younger player could make his debut at right back.  Ryan Fredericks who played against Hears or Kevin Stewart is a possibility as is Jack Barthram who has played in that position for the Spurs XI team and in the NextGen series competition.  Whoever is called upon, it will be a real test of their character and footballing ability.

As Sandro is not included in the party, Jake Livermore could be in central midfield with Tom Carroll deservedly getting another game.  He has been the outstanding player from among the inexperienced players who have come into the team for the Europa League campaign and has gained recognition for these pwerformances by being called up for the England Under-21 side.  Steven Pienaar has also recovered from injury and is expected to make his first appearance of the season and will bring much needed experience to the starting line-up.  Either Yago Falque or Harry Kane could play on the left of midfield in th eabsence of a more experienced alternative.  Falque would bring pace and skill whilwe Kane would work hard for the team in what will be a testing game.  Jermain Defoe and Pavlyuchenko who can not get into the first team because of the play and goal scoring form of Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael Van der Vaart in recent weeks, will start and again try to impress on the manager that they should start every game. 

This will be a very difficult game as Spurs found out in the home match.  Then Harry Redknapp had to bolster up the team with the introduction of Kaboul, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Luka Modric to ensure they held out to take the three points.  It is unlikely that such experienced back-up will be available on Thursday.   The bench will consist of  a number of young players like Dean Parrett and Jake Nicholson but if they perform as others have done before them, they will display great composure, endeavour and application in the Europa League with no shortage of skill.  The one area where their game has been lacking has been in scoring goals so if that continues to be the case in Russia it could be a very long and difficult night for the inexperienced team, especially if Rubin are more clinical in front of goal than they were in London.