MF’s Spurs Season Review 09/10 – October

October 2009

Bolton 2  Spurs 2

This game was preceded by strange & unfounded rumours that Redknapp was about to resign. The bookies slashed the odds as people speculated about Harry’s impending court case and he was forced to deny several times that he was going to quit. On the pitch, big Tom and Bassong were again our centre back pairing for the visit to a windswept, freezing cold and half empty Reebok. One nil down after three minutes we gained a deserved point through a Croatian double. Kranjcar and Corluka both scored their first goals for the club, a fine volley and a header from a corner respectively. Cudicini was again selected above Gomes, this was though his last appearance of the season. The form of the Brazilian meant he was sat on the bench until his motorcycle accident in mid November put him out for the season.

Portsmouth 1 Spurs 2

This was the first of what turned into many games where Gomes was the difference between points and no points. In particular his flying tip over from a Kevin Prince Boateng deflected shot with the score at nil nil was a sign of things to come. Ledley and Defoe put us two up and all was comfortable until Boateng pulled one back and Jermain lost his rag and stamped on Mokoena for our only sending off of the season. The ten men held out, mostly thanks to more Gomes magic and some shocking finishing from Dindane.

Spurs 0 Stoke City 1

Oh dear. The first of the results that are mentioned when people do a “What if?” on our season. Stoke’s tree trunks went away with a result despite being under the cosh for the full ninety minutes. It was a reminder that we should be grateful not only for the better than average results under Redknapp but also the style of football. This was Jonathan Woodgate’s first game of the season but he took a bang on the head and lasted only 13 minutes before limping off for Dawson. The latter never looked back being pretty much ever present hereafter. We went down to ten men after Lennon took a knock that was to keep him out for a month and we’d used all our subs. Whelan scored the Potters late winner, the same Whelan who’d crocked Lennon earlier.

Spurs 2 Everton 0 (Carling Cup 4^th round)

Goodison was more like a hospital ward than a football club at this point in the season so Harry felt within his rights to give a few of the fringe players an outing. Hutton, Bale, Bentley and Pavlyuchenko all started. Big Tom cracked in a half volley and then Robbie Keane missed our first penalty of the season before turning in the rebound after the mother of all goalmouth scrambles.

Arsenal 3 Spurs 0

A shocking five minutes just before half time undid what had been an ok first half’s work up to then. With Lennon, Defoe and Modric all injured, any cut and thrust we possessed was of the slow and sluggish variety. Crouch played with Robbie who came deep as often as he could to help clog up an already overcrowded midfield. Still, we were frustrating them and the tourists were getting on the backs of some of the home players (come on down Mr Diaby) when a couple of lapses of concentration cost us two goals in a minute. After half time we showed brief signs of a recovery (particularly, in a sign of things to come, after Bale came on) but a moment of farce between lino and ref meant that a third goal was conceded whilst our lads were waiting for a stoppage that never happened and that was the end of that. For third game in a row we finished with ten men as this time Bassong limped off near the end with all the subs already on the field.

The top six at 31^st October 2009  –

P   W   D   L  Pts

1.  Chelsea                            11   9   0   2   27

2.  Man Utd                           11   8   1   2   25

3.  Arsenal                             10   7   1   2   22

4.  Tottenham                       11   6   1   4   19

5.  Liverpool                         11   6   0   5   18

6.  Man City                          9     5   3   1   18

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