MF’s Spurs Season Review 09/10 – November

November 2009

Spurs 2 Sunderland 0

Another stuttering performance, blame for which could arguably be placed at the manager’s door. Harry tried to fit square pegs into round holes again as once more Robbie, Crouch and Defoe all started. Palacios played on the left side of midfield with Kranjcar and Bale on the bench. That we got away with it was mostly due to the returning Darren Bent’s profligacy and further proof that Heurelho Gomes was a keeper from the top drawer. His penalty save after Bent’s Greg Luganis impression was one of three he saved from the Sunderland forward during the season and in this game proved to be the turning point. Huddlestone scored a second for us shortly after the penalty miss, Robbie Keane had put us in the lead early on after a Crouch knockdown.

Spurs 9 Wigan 1

An extraordinary Sunday afternoon at White Hart Lane as Harry abandoned any tactical chicanery and played everyone in their usual positions. Robbie was left on the bench, ostensibly due to emotional turmoil after Thierry Henry’s basketball antics during the week. All sorts of records were equalled and broken as Lennon, Defoe and Kranjcar tore apart the left hand side of Wigan’s defence time and again whilst Martinez watched idly from the bench and made no obvious attempt to change things down that side. Defoe got five and Crouch, Kranjcar and Lennon were our other scorers. The remaining goal was a rebound off the back of Kirkland’s head after a Bentley free-kick. Amazingly it was only 1-0 at half time.  It was all too much for Jonathan Woodgate, this was his last game of the season.

Aston Villa 1 Spurs 1

Robbie was again left out and so the absence of King & Woodgate meant Dawson was skipper. He it was who deservedly equalised an early Agbonlahor effort. Donning the captain’s armband seemed to make him grow as a player and he certainly led from the front here, his volley over Friedel was the culmination of virtually non-stop second half pressure from us. Defoe didn’t find quite as much space as the previous weekend but he still nearly won the game as his late shot from the edge of the box went just wide. Despite the odd stutter we were picking up points regularly. Liverpool had already lost 5 games so a vacancy in the top four started to look a real possibility.

The top six at 30^th November 2009  –

P   W     D   L  Pts

1.  Chelsea                            14   12   0   2   36

2.  Man Utd                           14   10   1   3   31

3.  Tottenham                       14   8     2   4   26

4.  Arsenal                             13   8     1   4   25

5.  Liverpool                         14   7     2   5   23

6.  Aston Villa                      14   6     5   3   23

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