Looking Forward

BURNLEY (Away)

Worthington Cup Round 3

Wednesday 6th November 2002

Burnley did very well last season in their first season back in the First Division. Finishing in a play off place was denied them on goal difference and they had to let Paul Gascoigne go as a result.  Then the ITV Digital fiasco hit them hard and they struggled to find form when the current season began.  However, a recent 12 match unbeaten run was ended by leaders Portsmouth 0-3 at Turf Moor, then the Clarets lost 5-6 at lowly Grimsby Town and then last weekend they went down 1-3 away to local rivals Preston North End.  Their defence had looked all at sea, so there might be some joy for Tottenham to attack them down the flanks.  Not sure if Matthew Etherington played against Burnley when on loan with Bradford City last season, but he will need to make them count if he starts.  

For my liking, I would put either Rohan Ricketts or Jonathan Blondel in the side for this match, as they have been consistently playing well in the reserves and it would be an opportunity to test them out in the heat of battle.  Both are the sort of players that Burnley will not have come across in the Nationwide and they could produce a devastating effect on the home team.  I am not suggesting that we take the game lightly, as Hoddle said that Spurs will approach it as professionally as a Premier league match.  It is just that sometimes, a different type of player can make a big effect on the match.

Burnley do have some players with some top level experience.  Ian Moore, the striker was with Forest, while Gareth Taylor had a spell at Manchester City.  Even Mitchell Thomas is still there, albeit on the transfer list !!  The one star in their side, not counting the Greek keeper, is winger Glen Little, who has a neat turn of pace and a trick or two to beat players.  He also has a really good shot on him.  Spurs will need to pay close attention to him.

However, Spurs should be more than a match for the Lancashire side.  I don't think that there will be a lot in it, as Spurs will have to be on their mettle to make sure there are no slip ups.  A 0-0 draw there in the same competition a few years back (that saw Carr's debut) should tell them that.  However, it will be a test of the side's determination to do well in all competitions and they should be strong enough (even with the current crop of injuries) to overcome the Turf Moor side ...

PREDICTION : -   Burnley  1   Tottenham  2  

For more information on the opponents and their history, including full result history of matches between the two teams, click here.

Tottenham : -  Keller; Carr, Perry, Gardner, Bunjevcevic; Davies, Clemence, Poyet, Etherington (Anderton 60); Iversen (Doherty 81), Ferdinand (Keane 46)
Unused subs : - Hirschfeld, Acimovic

Tottenham -  White shirts, Navy blue shorts, Navy blue socks with black turnover.

Tottenham - Poyet 18

Tottenham -  Carr (unsporting behaviour) 13, Bunjevcevic (foul) 72

The introduction of Clemence, Iversen, Ferdinand and Etherington was meant to rest some of our first team regulars.  What happened was Clem was caught out in his lack of match fitness (and that was not just leg fitness, but mind fitness too), Ferdie lasted 45 before getting injured, Matty got crocked after a few attempts to kick him out of it and Iversen ... well, he was just himself.

But they all started well, with the Burnley goal under pressure and the goal coming eventually from Gus' head.  The corner from Carr had some pace on it and Poyet met it well enough to leave the defenders standing and the keeper diving too late.  He had almost done that earlier, but managed to catch Iversen's header between his legs and just be in front of the line.  Etherington was tearing up the right back and Davies was getting the ball in from the right.  The only problem was that Les and Ivo failed to finish the chances they made.  It was the same for Robbie Keane in the second half, but the lack of a natural goalscorer is becoming a necessity.  Keane gets into good positions, but his touch let him down twice when he chipped over the diving keeper but wide and then when he tried to lob the ball over Beresford, with the keeper right on top of him.  

Burnley realised that hero Glen Little would have been a good player to have in the team and it took half an hour to get him into the action and from there Burnley didn't look back.

Spurs just could not adapt their game to count the threat of one player.  Sad, but true and therefore, Burnley deserved everything they got out of the match.  Their attacking was not slick nor continuous, but they did not resort to route one and they kept the ball on the floor.  Their first after the break, came when Blake steered his shot past Keller with the aid of a deflection.  The same player nearly wrapped it all up with a rasping drive that bounced out off the woodwork, but that was after they had gone ahead.  Another corner and another header unopposed, which beat Kasey on the line.

Spurs had the chances to get back into the match, but too many crosses failed to beat the first man and were easily cleared.  Too many players were content to play within themselves and the missing players made their absence felt.  Freund's willing work was missed in front of the back four, while Redknapp's guile and industry was noted as not being there !  There were almost as many players missing as members of the crowd, so many empty seats were there.

What Hoddle and Gorman must think of the side, who, at 1-0 up at half-time, went down and out of the Cup by the end.  There was a final flourish at the end of the game for Tottenham, but by then it was too late.  The introduction of Gary Doherty up front was a desperate and frightening move.  Although not entirely at his peak fitness, he came on and ran around, but his first touch is still heavy, while he moved around quite well, I am sure his future lies in defence.

But this is what we are reduced to.  The seriousness of Hoddle's approach must be questioned, although he did say he was trying to win and that was why they were locked in the dressing room afterwards, thrashing some things out.  It all goes to show that although our squad is getting better, the club is still not in a healthy enough condition to opt out of playing our first choice team and still go through a cup round, such as this.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : - CHRIS PERRY

Peter O'Hanrahanrahan

Spurs had started looking very good.  Etherington was getting on the fullback down the left wing and even though he was producing little he was forcing West into rash challenges and also managed to strike a ball that bobbled just over the bar, when he meant to cross it.  Tottenham could have gone ahead through Ferdinand and Iversen (whose header was caught between the keeper's legs very close to the line), before Poyet stole in to head a Carr corner powerfully past Beresford.  Iversen had two more good chances to nick a goal in the first half, neither of which hit the target with any conviction.  Les was pout through by Poyet and could have done better when trying to round the keeper and chip it over his diving body.

Burnley were up against it and their sole effort of note came from Taylor, who got the ball as it dropped just over Gardner's head and volleyed across the six-yard box with no-one there.  It was the culmination of about 10 minutes since Little had been brought on to stem Tottenham's domination of the game.  And it worked a treat for Burnley.  For some reason, Spurs stopped playing the way they had begun and started giving the ball away and chasing shadows.

The home side pressed towards the end of the half and started the second like a steam train.  Blake who got onto a knock down by Taylor and his shot was well baulked by Gardner at the near post.  Shots flew in on goal and over, as Tottenham were put on the back foot by good attacking play by the Clarets.  However, Poyet did manage to get a long range shot in that skidded off the turf more than Beresford thought and he was grateful to grab it to his chest.

The goal for Burnley had an air of inevitability about it.  The ball was played in from the right to Blake on the edge of the box and he had got a yard to fire in a shot that came off Anthony Gardner and deflected past Keller.  I'm not sure if the touch made any difference as Burnley deserved to be on level terms.  It nearly didn't last for long as Robbie Keane could have restored the lead immediately with a dink over the keeper, but it went way wide.  Two other one on ones he had, each was spurned.  I thought that was what we bought him for ?  His best effort was reserved for the last minute, when a stunning volley from 25 yards cracked against the crossbar and flew off the woodwork and into the crowd.  It was the hardest chance he had and the one that came closest to going in !!

By then Tottenham were chasing an equaliser themselves.  62 minutes in and just like Tottenham's goal, Steve Davis arrived on cue to head home from a corner.  A carbon copy and poor defending by Gus, who was with the scorer, but failed to get a telling jump in on him.  The damage could have been worse, as Blake also hit the post as Tottenham left wide open spaces at the back and twice got caught playing the ball across the front of the defence, when it was intercepted.  Late on, one of these gave Little the chance to beat Keller from an acute angle, but Kasey denied him and was happy to find the ball bouncing off Taylor into his hands.

Spurs failed to get through this round because Burnley played very well for longer in the match than Spurs did.  Spurs failed to cope with one simple substitution and that tactical failing was seized on, with Little preying on Bunjy at left back, who looked all at sea.  Keane's misses exacerbated the situation, but the failure to take our chances when we were in the ascendancy cost us dear again.

So, no return to Cardiff in Spring.  Even the consolation of other Premiership teams crashing out had no solace.  They will all be concentrating on the League as well now.

Kevin Mendament