Great Tottenham Video

Great Tottenham Hotspur Video

The Spurs Promo video which was removed from its original site, Vimeo, has been saved for us by Youtube - enjoy it while you can!  Unfortunately, it has now been removed from Youtube due to a copyright by the FA Premier League.


So as not to disappoint, here is a video of some of Tottenham younger players singing, Stand By Me, with Andros Townsend, Tom Carroll and Oskar  Johansson as lead vocalists.


X-Factor here they come!

Congratulations to the Youth team - FA Youth Cup success beating Stevenage 2 - 1.  Early goal from Shaq Coulhirst but as Spurs dominated the first half chances, he missed a penalty when Jack Munns was brought down.  In the second half Stevenage equalised but in the fourth minute of added time, Souleymane Coulibaly scored the winner.

Spurs meet Cardiff City in the next round in Wales.

Team: Spurs U18s (4-1-2-3): Granger; Barthram, Ekong, Stewart, Modeste; Ball; Munns, Lameiras; McEvoy, Coulibaly, Coulthirst (Ward, 44).

Stand By Me sung by Tottenham Hotspur

To Dare is to Do!

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Come on You Spurs!

When Has This Happened for Spurs?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eddie Baily

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

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

Tottenham 1 Sunderland 0

Spurs regained third place in the Premier League after a hard earned victory over Sunderland with a goal from substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Sunderland 0

Scorer: Pavlyuchenko

Team: Friedel; Walker, Gallas, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Pavlyuchenko), Parker, Sandro (Livermore), Modric; Van der Vaart (Rose), Adebayor.  Subs (unused): Cudicini, Bassong, Kranjcar, Pienaar

The Return of 'Super-Pav' (for a few seconds)

Roman Pavlyuchenko

The announce of the teams brought good and bad news for Spurs.  The return of captain, Ledley King, was greeted enthusiastically by spectators but the absence of Gareth Bale following a training ground injury was a major disappointment.  The absence of Jermain Defoe from the list of substitutes through injury also reduced the manager's options.  Sandro returned to the team in central midfield beside Scott Parker with Luka Modric playing on the left.

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Sunderland boosted by the appointment of Martin O'Neill and last week's win over Blackburn Rovers were just outside the relegation zone but have a very good defensive record and as would be expected from any team sent out by O'Neill they were very well prepared and organised, working extremely hard to deny Spurs the time or space to place their usual game.  Without Bale Spurs had lost the pace and drive on the left side of the team as Modric drifted in towards the centre from his starting position.  This put added importance on the play of Aaron Lennon and after a slow start just as Spurs began to take advantage of his pace, Lennon had to go off with an injury after half an hour.  The appearance of Roman Pavlyuchenko as his replacement was unexpected to say the least and his early non-contributions to the game before half-time didn't exactly endear him to the supporters.

Brad Friedel was the busier of the two goalkeepers with the best of his saves being in the first half when he dealt with a free-kick from Larsson.  The nearest Spurs came to a first half chance was a shot from Benoit Assou-Ekotto which Van der Vaart deflected wide and when the goalkeeper punched a dangerous Parker cross into Pavlyuchenko and it rebounded wide in the final minutes of the half.  Spurs had failed to get a shot on target during the opening forty five minutes - the first time that's happened since August, 2008.


Losing both wingers meant Spurs needed to rethink their approach and after the interval, the two full backs pushed forward more to provide pace and create width.  Sunderland had been encouraged by their first half performance and were still competing fiercely and keeping the pressure on Spurs.  The game was going from end to end but neither side was creating any clear goal scoring opportunities.  Rafael Van der Vaart started to have a greater influence and was to be the creator of the opening goal although it was a strong forward run by Kyle Walker after fifteen second half minutes which seemed to be the inspiration for a lift in the Spurs play.

Sunderland had almost worked a chance in the Spurs area but Sandro got back to clear the danger and then following a short period of play where Spurs followed Sunderland's example and harried and hounded their opponents which allowed Modric to pick up a free ball inside his own half and move forward before passing to Van der Vaart who with a lovely reverse pass released Pavlyuchenko to finish from the edge of the penalty area, shooting across the goalkeeper.


This relieved the tension around White Hart Lane and Spurs should have added to their score.  Van der Vaart with another exquisite pass sent Emmanuel Adebayor free into the area but the keeper blocked his shot but when it fell to Modric in front of goal he shot over the empty net.  Van der Vaart displayed the full range of his talent with a beautiful cross field volleyed pass from right to left to set Assou-Ekotto free.


Sunderland tried to find an equaliser but Bendtner shot wide and Friedel saved a dangerous cross in the final moments of added time.


Spurs overcame last week's defeat at Stoke but the absence of Bale and Lennon was a big loss to the team.  They managed, however, to score the important goal which lifts them to third ahead of Chelsea who could only draw at Wigan on Saturday.  The next fixture is on Thursday against Chelsea so it's to be hoped that Bale and Defoe will be available as the busy Christmas period is not a time to be struggling with injuries.  A win in that match would consolidate Spurs hold on third with a game in hand. 

Shamrock Rovers v Tottenham Preview

Spurs know that qualification to the knock-out stages of the Europa League is out of their hands.  Even if they gain a five goal advantage over Shamrock Rovers in Dublin, they must rely on PAOK Salonika defeating Rubin Kazan in Greece.  The question is will Harry Redknapp set out to achieve that big win and hope that PAOK can assist Spurs or has he accepted that elimination is inevitable.

Harry Redknapp to Send a Team to Win by Five?

Shamrock Rovers have put up a gallant fight throughout their European campaign this season and done the League of Ireland proud.  Unfortunately, they have failed to gain any points from their five matches but they created a few scares alomg the way.  They took the lead early in the second half at White Hart Lane and only three goals in five minutes after an hour saw Spurs take the three points.  In their games in Greece and Russia, they drew level after conceding an early goal and at no time were they outclassed and always showed total commitment.  Rovers were backed by an enthusiastic group of supporters and the team will be ensured of their full support on Thursday evening in their Tallaght Stadium in Dublin.

Shamrock Rovers record in Group A of the Europa League:

v Rubin Kazan (h) Lost 0 - 3

v Tottenham Hotspur (a) Lost 1 - 3

v PAOK Salonika (a) Lost 1 - 2

v PAOK Salonika (h) Lost 1 - 3

v Rubin Kazan (a) Lost 1 - 4

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Only in the last match where defensive laps cost them dearly have Rovers struggled to make a match of it.  In their first match at home to Rubin Kazan, they were stunned by an early goal which gave the visitors control of the match.  Two second hald goal secured the victory with Rovers unable to take advantage of a penalty awarded to them.

In Greece, they conceded another goal early in the first half but drew level at the start of the second half before PAOK secured the points with the winner on the hour.  In the return match in Dublin, PAOK scored early and added two more before half time but Rovers early second half response wasn't enough to spark a revival.

In Russia, Rubin scored early but Rovers equalised immediately.  The home side scored ten minutes before half time and two goals in the first fifteen minutes of the second secured victory which puts them in a strong position to qualify at the expense of Spurs.

Shamrock Rovers finished their season as Champions and this match against Spurs could be manager, Michael O'Neill's last in charge as he is one of the front runners for the vacant Northern Ireland managerial post.  The manager and the players will want to bring their European campaign to a close on a high and the scalp of Tottenham would be some prize.

Tottenham's View?

What will Tottenham's position be with regards to this game?  Have they accepted elimination from the competition and are they relieved as they chase the greater goal of Champions League football?  The unfortunate defeat at Stoke will have added to Redknapp's concern as will Chelsea's victory over Manchester City, making Sunday's match against Sunderland another must win game.

Redknapp has been able to justify sending out weakened teams throughout the Europa League by pointing to the amazing League run the club has achieved since the end of August.  He rested his first choice players and relied on the young players and squad members - a situation which worked successfully as the youngsters showed great composure and endeavour in those earlier matches.  Unfortunately, a defensive error in Russia saw them fall to defeat and that was compounded by a home loss to PAOK who have now qualified for the latter stages of the competition.

I know many will differ from my view on this and suggest that Harry should send out a young team with no thought of trying to qualify as the chase for league position and Champions League football is all that counts.  I would like, however, to see the strongest possible team sent out looking to gain that five goal advantage and then see what happens in Greece.  The cynics will say that PAOK and Rubin will play out a no chances taken draw to allow both clubs to progress.  I would rather that we give it a go and try to put ourselves into a position to qualify should PAOK deny Rubin the point they require.  At least that would show a respect for the competition and that we're not a club who has given up on all Cup competitions.


A strong team is available to the manager.  Brad Friedel, Rafael Van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor are obvious absentees as they haven't been registered for the competition.  They can be replaced with squad and younger players.  Younes Kaboul is also available as he is suspended for Sunday's game after last weekend's dismissal.  Along with either Sebastien Bassong or Jake Livermore, he could play in central defence.  Jermaine Defoe and a motivated Roman Pavlyuchenko should start but it is in the selection of players for the other positions which will indicate the team's intent.

If the team are to score goals then players like Kyle Walker, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon need to be in the team from the start.  If they were to start, it would show the team's intent - that they are looking to score goals.  If, however, the team consists mainly of the squad players, Harry Redknapp is taking the decision to forego any opportunity of reaching the next stage as such a team is very unlikely to have the creativity or firepower to achieve the required result.  


Some will say that the players need to be rested in preparation for the weekend's game but on this occasion they should be able to cope with the additional match, having had such a light match load since the start of the season with most having exemption from most of the Cup games.  There is a busy schedule ahead in the coming weeks but continued participation in this competition should be the goal in Dublin on Thursday.


On previous visits to Ireland Spurs have recorded high scores in European competitions and the team which scored five against Hearts in Scotland in August could give a repeat performance in Dublin.  Then, it depends on what happens in Greece but at least Spurs could say they had done all that they could to ensure qualification but it wasn't enough on this occasion because of matters that weren't in their control.

Stoke City 2 Tottenham 1

Tottenham's unbeaten run came to an end at Stoke in a game where Spurs struggled defensively to cope with the home side's tactics but in the end were denied the opportunity of a comeback by a poor performance from the referee.

Stoke City 2 Tottenham 1

Scorers:  Etherington (2)                Adebayor (pen)

Team: Friedel; Walker, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto (Bassong); Lennon (Defoe), Parker, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart (Giovani dos Santos), Adebayor.  Subs (unused): Gomes, Corluka, Sandro, Pienaar

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Tottenham's unbeaten run was ended by two goals from former player, Matthew Etherington, and the team's inability to cope with the home side's high ball tactics from throw ins and set-pieces.  The fact that Stoke were assisted by a poor refereeing performance from Chris Foy sounds like sour grapes but his leniency to their style of play and his blind spot for offences in their penalty area gave them a considerable advantage in the second half when Spurs were in command.

The only change in the team saw the return of Rafael Van der Vaart in place of Jermain Defoe.  Ledley King was still absent through injury.

Stoke started very quickly with a high pressure game giving Spurs no time on the ball and constantly harrying them.  As against Fulham, Brad Friedel had to make a sharp save in the opening minute to prevent Spurs going behind as Assou-Ekotto's headed clearance from a throw in fell to Etherington.  Unfortunately, Spurs didn't learn from this and were under constant pressure with defenders failing to clear the ball properly as they were having to simply kick it away as Stoke gave them no time to play it out as they usually like to do.  Often the ball was going out for throw-ins and Spurs weakness was immediately highlighted as the pressure built up on them.

In the past Spurs have had additional taller players in the team, Vedran Corluka and Peter Crouch, which eased the pressure but on this occasion they were struggling as a team and were now finding it extremely difficult to cope with former player, Crouch.  They stood off him and let him play the ball as he wished and Spurs paid the penalty after thirteen minutes.  Crouch had seemed to handle the ball as he controlled it but looked to have been shepherded away from danger by William Gallas.  From close to the line, at the near post, however, he managed to squeeze the ball between Friedel's legs, and it reached Etherington who scored.

Stoke continued to dominate and the Spurs defenders were under constant pressure and continually gave the ball away.  When they did get the ball to their midfield players, they found themselves surrounded by a the hard working Stoke players and lost the ball or gave it away with poor passing.  Spurs only forward progress was a couple of long range efforts which were saved comfortably.  It was on the half hour that Spurs started to exert some pressure and Aaron Lennon who switched to the right got a chance to take on Jonathan Woodgate who brought him down.  Woodgate was booked.  This heartened Spurs and they had much more possession and control but were unable to create any clear cut chances as Stoke were quite content to have all eleven men back behind the ball.  Another Spurs attack was stopped when Woodgate floored Scott Parker but the referee just allowed play to carry on as Spurs were in possession and took no further action against the Stoke defender.

Just as it seemed Spurs had enough control to get to the interval with no further mishaps, Stoke broke and from another throw in, Walters headed on and Etherington was following up to score his second, two minutes from half-time.

Harry Redknapp brought on Sebastien Bassong for Assou-Ekotto and replaced Lennon with Defoe.  Lennon was unfortunate to be taken off, Van der Vaart would have been more deserving of being replaced.  Stoke started as in the first half but Spurs were somewhat more composed and gradually started to gain possession and started to put the Stoke defence under pressure.  Bale was causing problems with running from deep and as Spurs built up a momentum, there was some encouragement for them.  On the hour after a period of sustained pressure, Luka Modric took the ball into the area and was brought down.  A penalty - Emmanuel Adebayor scored, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Spurs were now in the ascendancy but good goalkeeping by Thomas Sorensen who saved from Parker and poor refereeing by Mr Foy and his assistant, kept Stoke in the game.  Spurs should have had another penalty within four minutes of the first when Kaboul was pulled down as he went for the ball at the resulting corner.  After this mayhem, Kaboul was booked for protesting.  Another hectic spell of Spurs pressure saw Defoe claim a penalty, Kaboul have a shot cleared off the line by Shawcross' arm and then an Adebayor goal in the follow up disallowed for off-side, which he wasn't. 

Sorensen saved from Van der Vaart and Modric and then in a rare break, Kaboul fouled Walters and was sent off for receiving a second yellow card with ten minutes remaining.  This took the impetus from Spurs and it was only at this point that the referee warned Stoke about taking so long over throw-ins and set-pieces.  Rather late as they had been doing it all afternoon to disrupt the flow of the game.  Even the five minutes of added time didn't make up for it.  In the closing minutes Stoke could have increased their lead when Shawcross was left unmarked at two identical corners - Friedel saved the first while the second went over after hitting the bar.

The refereeing situation is best summed up in a report from SB Nation:

'Knowing that Chris Foy wouldn't dare give Spurs another penalty so quickly, Stoke began fouling in the penalty box, breaking up attacks by simply barging players off the ball or kicking them quite hard. Foy and his crew were completely unable to cope, and lost control of the match entirely. There was one ten second spell where Tottenham were denied two penalties, a Stoke red card (Ryan Shawcross elbowed the ball off the line) and had a completely legitimate Adebayor goal disallowed for offside. It was, as they say in the business, a complete farce.'

Spurs run was bound to come to an end and this match with Stoke was where it was most likely to happen.  No one player was at fault, rather it was the team.  They were clearly unprepared to cope with Stoke's high intensity play and their use of the high ball.  They failed to cope with Peter Crouch, something I would have expected Spurs to have been able to do having played with him for two seasons.  The former Tottenham players were obviously well motivated for the game but it was disappointing that this was the match Etherington managed to score his first goals of the season and that Stoke scored their first goals of the season from throw-ins.

Spurs have coped with Stoke's tactics in the past two seasons but were clearly unable to do so today.  The team will now have to regroup and show that they can overcome this setback and start another run through Christmas and into the New Year.

They Played for Spurs and Stoke

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

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

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

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

Peter Crouch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spurs Record at Stoke City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

League Record at Stoke (inc. PL)

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

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

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


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


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

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


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


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

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

Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game

Glory, Glory is synonymous with Tottenham and Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game is a new book to be published in early March, 2012 by the newly formed Spurs Writers Club.  This is a book about Spurs, written by Spurs supporters for Spurs supporters.  Pure nostalgia, reminiscing about that moment when Tottenham became an integral part of your life.

Last chance to pre-order:

Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game

It's a question that everyone gets asked.  Why do you support Spurs? 

Pre-Order Here (Code LH1)

For some there's the long tradition of the family supporting Spurs and there was simply no choice.  For others, there are less obvious reasons but everyone can remember that moment when they caught the Tottenham bug or in my case Tottenham caught me.  It may be a particular match, a wonder goal, a super save or an incident from a game watched as a child and it is this idea that the Spurs Writers' Club taps into in their first book.  That moment, we've all experienced, when it registers, 'I'm Spurs'.

The Spurs' Writers Club is the brainchild of esteemed writer and former Chief Football writer with the Daily Express, Norman Giller, who is contributing to the book and editing it.  Norman,  has had 91 previous books published, including 20 with Tottenham legend, Jimmy Greaves.

The Spurs Writers' Club sees forty five Spurs writers and bloggers from around the world coming together to contribute to Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game, the first in a planned series of books about Tottenham Hotspur.  With the current success that the club is enjoying, we are extremely optimistic of a 'Glory-Glory' moment from this season as the subject of out next offering to the Spurs supporting public.  The group of writers is wide ranging in age, able to reminisce from the 'Push and Run' era of the 1950s, through the 'Double' years to the 1990s.  Experienced writers have joined forces with student journalists and every level in between to produce a book that is alight with the 'Spirit of Spurs'.

Here is an ideal opportunity to become part of this exciting new project as an Associate Member.  

Anybody who agrees to buy the book before the publication date of 17th February, 2012 will become an Associate Member, and will have their name printed in the book.  They will be entitled to get the NEXT book at a huge discount, will have their name on our website, and will be invited to contribute to future books.

The pre-publication price is £10.00 (plus £2.95 p&p), a reduction of £5.00

To buy a copy of Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game now, go to the SWC website:

To Buy Now Click Here: Tottenham The Glory-Glory Game

 Please use Code: LH1

Scott Parker on his time at Spurs

Scott Parker was a signing which not only caused disagreement between the manager and Chairman but one which did not find total approval among supporters.  However, since his arrival at the end of August Spurs have gone on an undefeated Premier League run which has lifted the club to third place and Parker is rightly receiving credit for his part in that transformation.

Scott Parker - leading by example

Harry Redknapp was adamant that he wanted to sign Scott Parker last summer but the season started with Parker turning out for West Ham in the Championship.  It was only as the transfer period drew to  close that the two clubs came to an arrangement and Spurs signed last season's Footballer of the Year for a fee of £5 million.  Many fans were not overly enthusiastic about the signing as Parker, now aged thirty one, had had previous opportunities to sign for the club but had always ended up elsewhere.  Many, like the Chairman, thought he was too old and that his best days were past him.  Parker, has however, proved all the doubters wrong with midfield performances that had Harry Redknapp recalling the 1960s when that Spurs legend, Dave Mackay reigned supreme at White Hart Lane.

Many new players arriving at Tottenham take a long time to settle but Parker managed to settle from day one as was shown in his debut against Wolves and has gone on to develop a very effective partnership with Luka Modric which has brought a control and strength to Tottenham's midfield.

Speaking after Saturday's win over Bolton, Parker acknowledged that he has settled quickly into his new club.

Parker who captained the side in the absence of the injured Ledley King said, "I needed to hit the floor running when I came here in the summer.  I needed to make a good impression and feel I have done that."

Since his arrival Spurs have enjoyed an unbeaten sequence in the Premier League, winning a record sixth consecutive Premier League game and equalling their best run, undefeated in eleven matches.  Parker, like Emmanuel Adebayor, have yet to experience defeat since arriving at White Hart Lane and Spurs are now third, only two points behind Manchester United with a match in hand.

Parker continued, "I don't think I've played in a team that plays better football than this one.  There are some very good players, not just in the team but in the squad.  There is a lot of pace and we have got a consistency to our game.  When you are up there you need to grind out results even when you are not playing well.  We have done that, especially last week at West Brom and before that at Fulham where we didn't play well but got three points."

"On our day we can beat anyone.  Confidence is the key."

Parker is a combative midfielder who enjoys a battle and reminds many older observers of a cross between Mackay and Alan Mullery.  He is a presence in the centre of the field, covering for other players, winning the ball and passing it on to Modric but also prepared to get forward himself.  He harries players, putting them under pressure and forcing mistakes as happened with Gary Cahill on Saturday.  He also inspires those around him to follow his example and work harder as has been witnessed by Adebayor's willingness to come back and fight for the ball, especially helping out in the away matches where Spurs have found themselves under pressure.

Scott Parker has proved a very important part of Harry Redknapp's plan for this Tottenham team and while he may not always lead the team out on to the field, his performances have been as of a captain.

Spurs 3 Bolton 0 - Spurs Up to Second

Tottenham with their sixth successive Premier League win move up to second place in the Premier League following a three goal victory over Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur 3 Bolton Wanderers 0

Scorers: Bale, Lennon, Defoe

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

Tottenham Go Second (at least for a short time)

Tottenham had a convincing win over Bolton to record their sixth consecutive Premier League win, a record for the club.  The score could have been so much more as Spurs had 25 goal attempts with sixteen on target as Bolton had to play for over 70 minutes with ten men following the harsh sending off of Gary Cahill for a foul on Scott Parker who captained the Spurs side in  the absence of Ledley King. 

Harry Redknapp made two  changes from last week's team with Luka Modric returning in place of Sandro and  William Gallas starting his first Premier League game of the season as King had taken a knock in training.  Rafael Van der Vaart and Roman Pavlyuchenko returned to the substitutes bench following injury.

Spurs started brightly with quick passing and movement in an open game with Bolton looking to attack when the opportunity presented itself.  In the opening five minutes Bolton had a chance from a free kick but Cahill headed over.  Then on six minutes Spurs went ahead from a Modric corner with Gareth Bale flicking the ball in after meeting it at the near post.  Bale ran to the crowd and held up his red boot as a tribute to his Wales manager, Gary Speed who died last weekend.

Spurs 1 Bolton 0

From this point on, the match was a lengthy catalogue of  chances spurned by Tottenham with the occasional foray by Bolton. 

9 min: from a Bale cross, Jermain Defoe flicked it wide.

18 min: the crucial point which made Bolton's task even more difficult when Gary Cahill was sent off for a foul on Parker who had pinched the ball from him, just inside the Bolton half.  It was a harsh decision considering Parker was so far from the goal.

22 min: a Modric pass to Parker who shot over.

23 min: a cross from Aaron Lennon but Defoe had his shot saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.

While Tottenham had all the possession and chances, it was so nearly level after twenty five minutes when Kyle Walker dived in on Chris Eagles on the right.  Eagles continued across the field and his shot was blocked by Younes Kaboul but it looped high in the air over Friedel who got back to tip it over for a corner.

28 min: Emmanuelk Adebayor had a shot saved.

32 min: Bolton gave the ball away to Bale who shot over from a good position.

33 min: Jaaskelainen saved from Bale, the ball fell to Lennon who passed to Defoe and his shot was saved as well.

36 min: Spurs broke and a lovely ball from Bale to Adebayor but he shot wide.

38 min: Defoe just failed to reach a dangerous cross from Modric.

39 min: Lennon broke quickly and crossed but Adebayor's shot was saved.  Tottenham had had 7 shots on target to this point

40 min: Eagles had a shot saved by Friedel

42 min: Lennon chased a through ball but the goalkeeper collected it just ahead of him. Friedel saved a Bolton free kick and then Parker shot over.

44 min: Mark Davies shot straight at Friedel.

45 min (+1): Bale broke on the left but his cross was missed by both Adebayor and Defoe.

In the second half the match proceeded in a similar vein with Spurs creating dangerous situations every couple of minutes.

47 min: Walker attacked on the right at pace.  He gave the ball to Lennon who crossed to Modric but his shot was blocked by Defoe.

49 min: Spurs again broke at pace following a Bolton corner.  Walker passed to Adebayor who moved it on to Defoe who found Lennon.  The winger came in from the left to score on his 200th start for Spurs.

Spurs 2 Bolton 0

55 min: A lovely ball from Modric found Benoit Assou-Ekotto moving into the box at pace.  He was brought down for a clear penalty but not awarded.

56 min: Corner by Modric to Bale to Walker who shot over.

60 min: A corner after Walker charged forward which Modric took.  Bale again met it at the near post and flicked it on for Defoe to score Spurs' third.

Spurs 3 Bolton 0

62 min: Modric again caused problems for Bolton and Parker shot over.

63 min: Adebayor just failed to intercept a poor back pass.

64 min: The goalkeeper tipped over a Modric shot.

65 min: Bale just missed the ball at the near post from another corner.

66 min: A pass from Modric to Parker who had his shot saved low to Jaaskelainen's right.

68 min: Long range shot from Bale was saved.

69 min: Bolton broke and Kaboul cleared for a corner.

71 min: Assou-Ekotto passed from the left to Modric who turned and shot wide with the goalkeeper beaten.

Van der Vaart came on to replace Lennon.

74 min: Kaboul headed over a Bolton free-kick to concede a corner.

76 min: Van der Vaart had space and found Defoe who took an extra touch and from wide on left he hit the post.

78 min: Van der Vaart gave the ball away and Bolton had a shot blocked.

81 min: From a corner and Bolton got a header which Modric cleared at the back post.  It was too easy for Spurs and some of their passing got casual giving the ball away.

84 min: Jake Livermore replaced Parker.

85 min: Stat for previous five minutes - Tottenham 100% possession.

Spurs were content to keep the ball while the crowd wanted another goal but it wasn't until injury time that another chance came when Adebayor passed to Defoe and his shot was saved with the follow up cleared off the line.  There was a final charge by Bale but the ball got caught between his feet and came to nothing.

Never have I seen a team create so many chances, at will, with the defending team at a complete loss as to what to do about it.  If Spurs had been move clinical in their finishing they could have matched their win over Wigan two seasons ago.  Spurs now move into second place ahead of Manchester United until at least 7.25pm, unless Aston Villa can produce a good result.

Not unexpectedly United won by a single goal so Spurs return to third, two points behind them but three points ahead of Chelsea and with that all important game in hand against Everton.  So, it's off to Stoke next Sunday to try and improve on our VERY impressive Premier League record:

W W W W D W W W W W W

Friedel, Parker and Adebayor Boost Spurs

Brad Friedel

On Saturday Spurs will look to set aside the disappointment of the second team’s Europa League defeat to PAOK Salonika and focus on the main objective for the season, the Premier League.  By five o’clock, Tottenham with a win over Bolton at White Hart Lane would be sitting in the giddy heights of second as Manchester United have a late kick-off against Aston Villa.  It would probably only be a short sojourn there but who in their right mind at the end of August could have seen Spurs with such an opportunity by the beginning of December, especially after the disastrous start they had to the season.

The August transfer deadline at the end of the month is often criticised as a distraction with three matches of the season already gone and on many occasions players signed in those late, late deals take considerable time to settle into their new team.

Tottenham’s summer transfer activities, however, provided a boost to the team that has seen them recover from the most difficult of starts and commentators and supporters are now asking the inevitable question, ‘Can Spurs actually win the Premier League?’  That such a question is doing the rounds is down to the impact of the three players, including two who joined in last minute deals, who signed last summer.

Brad Friedel
Brad Friedel at forty years of age continues to defy his age and uses all that experience to bring a calming presence and authority to the goalkeeping role which in turn brings order to the defence.  He got off to the worst possible starts, particularly for a goalkeeper, by conceding eight goals in his opening two games but he knew not to dwell on such setbacks and kept a clean sheet in the next two games.  His true value was seen in the hard earned victory over Fulham where Spurs spent the entire half defending but he produced outstanding saves when required and remained unflappable throughout, having the time to smile at some of the things that were going on around him.  He was equally unbothered last weekend when West Brom’s Gareth McAuley tried to nudge him over the line as he caught a high ball under the crossbar.  He’d had to deal with that sort of activity before and wasn’t phased by it.  It’s not often that signing a forty year old is seen as strengthening a team but in this case it has and if he keeps going to the end of his two year contract with the club he will overtake Jimmy Cantrell as the oldest player to appear in League football for Spurs.

Scott Parker
Scott Parker has brought a work ethic to central midfield that has been absent for some time.  He goes about his work, up and down the pitch, winning the ball, carrying it forward when necessary or simply passing it on to someone else.  This has been very effective and even in his debut it was evident that he was going to be an important part of the team, giving Luka Modric the freedom to express himself creatively, knowing that there was cover behind him.  Parker has been likened to Dave Mackay, quite an accolade to receive from your manager but he is probably more a combination of Mackay and Alan Mullery as he bustles around in midfield like a throwback to the1960s.  The ‘bargain of the season’ is a label that he has already been given and certainly he has justified Harry Redknapp’s determination to sign him even when the Chairman seemed reluctant.

Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor’s arrival on loan from Manchester City has provided the team with a focal point in attack and it has been used very effectively as Spurs undefeated run takes them up the Premier League table and into serious contention for a Champions League place.  Last Monday week, Adebayor’s two goals took Spurs up to third and the two against West Brom ensured that they retained that position.  If Adebayor had been clinical in his finishing in those two games, his goal tally could easily have reached double figures.  He had nine shots on target last Saturday against Albion, more than any other player in a Premier League match in the past five and a half seasons.  His contribution to the win at The Hawthorns didn’t just centre on those goals scoring opportunities as he worked very hard for the team, tracking back to win the ball on many occasions.  He was also the provider for Jermain Defoe’s goal with a deft back heel to release him into the Albion half and strike for goal. 

Unlike Friedel, Adebayor got off to the best possible start with a debut goal and then scoring twice in the home win over Liverpool which would ensure that he won over the Tottenham support. He then went six games without scoring but he contributed to the team’s success with ‘assists’ in a number of the matches.  He has played with a smile and certainly seems to be enjoying his time at Tottenham.  It was a bold move by the manager to take on a player of obvious talent but who in the past has had his temperamental side which would have made some managers wary, but Redknapp’s has previous for that sort of enterprising transfer.

Luka Modric
One further ‘non-transfer’ piece of business during the summer has also played it’s part in Spurs rejuvenation and it is Daniel Levy who must receive the plaudits for that.  His obstinate refusal to sell Luka Modric to Chelsea even in the face of constant media stories and doubts by his manager, has shown that Spurs are no longer a selling club and was an encouraging message for the likes of Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart who have been able to display their full range of skills knowing that they have the strongest possible team around them.  While Modric may not have performed at his best so far, his very presence at the club has been an encouragement to everyone.

It’s exciting times at White Hart Lane with every player wanting to be part of the successful team that even when someone is out injured, they appear to be recovering more quickly in order to reclaim their place in what has been the best start to a season in fifty years.