Looking Forward

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Premier League

Monday 17th April 2006

I have not had a whole lot of time available for a match preview, but with United on a run of unbeaten games and Spurs doing well in keeping hold of the fourth place, the game has some vital importance for both sides.  A win for Spurs will end United's hopes of catching Chelsea at the top of the table, while defeat for Tottenham will see the chasers catch up on them.

With an array of players playing on top form, United come to White Hart Lane in confident mood and Spurs will be defending a good home record with only one defeat this season, so something has to give.  Spurs lack the ability to kill games off at the moment and even if they get a goal ahead of the visitors, it will be nip and tuck as to whether they hold onto the lead.  They are perhaps better chasing a game at the moment, although not after letting in three at Newcastle !!

Van der Sar has proved an inspired signing by Ferguson, as he has looked a much better keeper than at Fulham, while Tim Howard has looked a good replacement when he has been called upon to keep goal.

With a defence of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Mikael Silvestre and Nemanja Vidic, it is a tough nut to crack, but the pace of the Tottenham forwards (Defoe and Keane) could pull them about, leaving holes to be exploited.  Vidic is still adapting to the English game and seems to be giving away free-kicks and picking up cautions easily, while Rio likes to go forward and could be caught out by his old team-mate Defoe.  Both Neville and Silvestre have a desire to overlap and again, this leaves room to nip behind them if we can break quickly.  Gabriel Heinze is just coming back from a bad injury too and if he gets on, he is a classy player.  Strong on the ball and in the tackle, he also knows how to knock players of the ball and make life hard for them generally.  New signing Patrice Evra also looks a strong lad, but again, like Vidic, he is getting used to playing in the Prem, so might be used sparingly.

John O'Shea started as a defender, but seems to get in the team as a midfield ball-winner these days, where he will play alongside Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Ji-Sung Park.  It is a formidable midfield, with the pace and trickery of Giggs and Ronaldo complementing the hard work of Park and O'Shea.  Gerard Pique is one for the future, but has made his mark already with a couple of outings in the first team, while still there for another four weeks is Quentin Fortune, who has been injury hit, but will be allowed to leave in the summer.  Both have a strong appetite for hard running, but also have a good touch and range of passing, so will need to be shut down if they get on the pitch and on the ball.

There is an array of talent to call on in attack, with Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis Saha in that department.  Rooney and van Nistelrooy are the most likely to start, with Solskjaer still coming back form long term injury and Saha carrying an ankle injury that has kept him out of the last match.

While our home run has gone on for a long stretch, I think meeting United in this form might be a bridge too far and with the games running out, I fear that this might be one that we gain little from ...

PREDICTION : -  Tottenham Hotspur  1    Manchester United  2

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

TV :  
Sky Sports 1 - Live coverage
Match of the Day  -  Monday  22.23-23.50 (highlights)
Sky Sports 1 - Monday - 20.25  -  Football First (full game for digital viewers from 20.25) ... highlights if selected as a featured match from 22.15
For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here.

Radio :  
BBC LONDON Radio 94.9 FM (live coverage - London area only) & Sky Channel 0152
BBC Radio Five Live (live coverage)  606/939 MW

If available on BBC radio, it might also be heard in these countries on these stations ...
Australia (Melbourne) SEN  -  116 AM  Live Transmissions: TWI, Saturday. 12.45 & 1500 matches
Australia (Syndey)  Radio 2  -  1611AM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 12.45 Match
Singapore Media Corp Radio  -  93.8 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
South Africa  SABC (Radio 2000)  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
Uganda  Radio 1 (English) 90.0 FM, Radio 2 (Lugandan) 87.9 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Carribean)  Sirius Satellite Radio  Live transmission: Saturday - 12.45, 15.00 (TWI) & 17.15 (BBC) Sunday - 14.00 & 16.05 (BBC) Mon, Tue, Wed - Various times (BBC)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
Planet football - http://play.www.planetfootball.servecast.net/downloads/sky/spurs-pl04-kean0.ram (free - only available when match is on) ... link has not been working in recent weeks and therefore no guarantee it will operate.

Robinson

Stalteri
Dawson
Davenport
Lee

Lennon (Barnard 79)
Jenas
Carrick
Davids (Murphy 72)

Keane (c)
Defoe

Unused subs : 
Naybet
Kelly
Cerny
 

Van der Sar

Neville (c)
Ferdinand
Vidic
Silvestre

Park
O'Shea
Giggs
Ronaldo (Brown 90)

Rooney
van Nistelrooy

Unused subs : 
Howard
Evra
Heinze
Saha

Jenas 54
 

Rooney 9
Rooney 37

   
Stalteri (foul) 90    

   
Vidic (foul) 51   

Spurs had United on the back foot for the first fifteen minutes, but the clinical finishing of Wayne Rooney and the way the goals were created spelt out some pointers to be heeded as Spurs strive to make the next step in their progress.  The movement of the United players showed Tottenham how important it is to put in a lot of effort and for them to pass the ball well to keep possession.  A spell leading up to half-time demonstrated how this aspect of their game can kill time and take the steam out of a side. 

Spurs could have been two up before Rooney had got United's first.  Aaron Lennon, who Tottenham once more failed to get the ball to often enough, got past Silvestre easily and his low, driven cross was touched towards goal by Defoe, but the ball slipped agonisingly put of Robbie Keane's reach and beyond the far post by inches.  That was with just two minutes gone and then four minutes later, Carrick hit a long free-kick from the left to the far post, where Michael Dawson came in to stretched out a long leg to volley the ball, but he couldn't get sufficient contact on the ball to beat van der Sar's point blank save.  Then from our corner, United went into the lead.  Van Nistelrooy broke on the left and was allowed to progress and play the ball down the line to Ronaldo, who produced a simple ball across the six yard box for Wayne Rooney to steam in to slide home at the far post.  Mistake number one punished.

Ledley King's absence did not seem to be too  much of a problem, as Michael Dawson played alongside Calum Davenport, making his first start, who himself looked assured and good on the ball.  Both even got the chance to go into the attack at the end of the game, as Spurs pushed for a late equaliser. 

The opportunities kept coming for Tottenham, as they opened up United with ease.  Defoe and Keane worked the ball well on the right and Robbie's low ball in was just behind Jermain, who couldn't find a way to get a shot on target.  Then Davids and Carrick played in Defoe, who made a yard for a shot that van der Sar kept out with a dive.  Dawson had another chance on 29 minutes similar to the earlier one, when Neville headed the ball up in the air and Daws latched onto it, trying a difficult volley as the ball dropped and van der Sar came out to close him quickly.  This forced the Spurs man to shoot over the top.

The Korean War between Park and Lee had been going the Tottenham man's way, keeping Park from getting the ball in too often from wide and he also got his body in the way as Park shaped to shoot from the edge of the box.   However, that turned around with 36 minutes gone.  Having played the ball against Park out wide on the Tottenham left, Lee then got the ball under control and wandered into his own penalty area, where he dithered on the ball and was bundled off it by Park and it fell to Rooney, who took his time in picking his spot to beat Robbo from a couple of yards out.  Mistake number two punished.

At half-time, hardly had Tottenham played a better 45 minutes, but gone in 0-2 behind.  It was an example of how Spurs have failed to take their chances of late and it has cost us.  For some, there are echoes of the old saying that winning games when you have not played well is the sign of a good sign (which was true of United in the first half), but for us, it might have been interpreted as when you are playing well, you have to make the most of it.

After the break, it was much the same, but with fewer clear-cut efforts from Spurs.  Not that Halsey helped our cause.  I am not sure what he was trying to achieve today.  Neither did he let the game flow, nor pull players back when they had fouled, with Vidic and Ferdinand consistently fouling Spurs forwards without receiving appropriate punishment.  When Carrick picked the ball up in his own half and ran at the United defence, he was eventually dragged down on the very edge of the area by Vidic, while Park who had twice tugged his shirt in the run got away with it.  Vidic got a yellow, but that was the only punishment, as Rooney was first out of the wall to block Defoe's shot, with Halsey appearing to say that because Jenas had dummied to take the shot, the United forward was allowed to be closer than ten yards when the ball was played !!

Jermain battled away well against much bigger defenders and when he broke through Ferdinand and Vidic could not prevent him getting a lob on goal, which van der Sar got a touch on and Vidic pulled the crossbar down to make sure the ball went over the top.  It only delayed what had been coming, as from the corner Vidic headed the ball against Ferdinand and the ball went towards goal where Jermaine Jenas was stationed to prod home from a yard out.

That was after 52 minutes, but United were still keen to take the game to Spurs and when van Nistelrooy was played through four minutes later, he looked dangerously offside.  He took the ball on, round Robinson and as he looked like he would slot it in from the left, Michael Dawson appeared to slide in and prevent him scoring.  Having seen Edgar Davids give a lot over the first hour, Jol replaced him with Danny Murphy, who has a good scoring record against Man U, but didn't look likely to add to his personal tally.

Rooney shot wide, Dawson fired a header from a Carrick free-kick wide and perhaps Tottenham's best effort from Keane, who hit a shot through a crowd from a corner, but van der Sar was behind it and caught it cleanly.  As Spurs pressed for the leveller, pushing the defenders forward, they left themselves a bit open at the back, which was exploited by Rooney, who fed Neville to hit a low cross for van Nistelrooy to smash against the post from a couple of yards out.  That was about it apart from a last minute yellow card for Stalteri for dragging down Rooney, but it was Spurs who finished the stronger.  Davenport almost got on the end of a long ball, forcing van der Sar to concede a corner with Ferdinand and Vidic dithering and from the corner, Robinson came up to add to the attack, but got nowhere the ball.

So, the game ended in defeat, but it was a really good match, with Spurs playing their full part.

Carrick had a game where he was everywhere, but nto everything came off.  Some fans give him unmerciless stick, but he is a player who always wants the ball, never hides and is never afraid to try something that might open up the opposition defence to provide the chance to score.  His prompting of the play sets the tempo for our game and the only criticism that could be aimed at him is that his shots could be better directed and his set-pieces played in to the box with a bit more pace on them to make the job of our players attacking them that much easier.

While it would have been a major disappointment to lose this match, we still have to beat the top three or four sides to move upwards.  While that gap may be closing, there is still a way to go until we get there.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : -  ROBBIE KEANE

Purcell Cole

It's been a while since I contributed, but I am still reading the site most days and was very interested in everyone's views especially after this weekend.  Thought it was about time to put my two pennies worth in (not that its worth that).

I have to start by saying that what ever happens between now and the then of the 7th May.

This has been a fantastic season, no ifs no buts. It's been the best for many a year.

The style we have played at times has been great, sometimes not so great, but we have battled when we needed too, which has been most un-Tottenham like.

The credit for this has to go to all involved at the club, from the Chairman to all the staff and all those in between mostly the management and players.  We the fans also should take credit for this, we have always backed the team (apart from a mindless few on Monday for a couple of seconds).

Do not doubt our part week in week out.  It was great to be part of the crowd that automatically turned on the boo boys and great that the cheering of Lee was spontaneous crowd moment, and gave just the right tone.

The chairman has to be given credit for backing Jol all the way, some of the players been brought in have added to the squad and some the jury is still out on.

The most high profile this season was Davids and his legs and fitness and as such his touch have deserted him over the past few months, but his contribution at the start of the season has given us a platform to build on.

Sure the time maybe would have been right to wind down a couple of matches ago, but if he does stay next season then his experience in Europe will be a major benefit.

Now to the full backs - Lee has not been as consistent as I am sure we would have hoped, but up until Monday he was starting to play better.

Attacking wise, he was starting to make better decisions and defensive getting better.  It could be said that this was not much needed to improve, but to be fair he is trying to settle in a new country and sometimes these things take time.

On a practical note, he is far too much right footed and has become easier to play against.  Maybe he should have a go at right back !

On that subject, Stalteri has had what could be called a very mixed season. I've got to say that he deserved to be dropped.  He cost us a few goals and the art of taking someone out of a team is timing, as we are all expert after the event.

However, since then his attitude has been first class, no moaning, knuckled down played better, scored a goal.  He may not be the long term solution, but fair play he has come back stronger and played better.  But we at very least need cover as Edman going maybe was an error, but he wanted to go and play and there are about four other Swedes at Rennes.

Wayne Bridge has been the long term target according to the papers and it is properly true.  Fine ... he is a good left back and would improve the team.  I do think we missed a trick by not buying Paul Konchesky when we had the chance, as Charlton wanted £2m and Pleat offered £1.5m.  Again he has some faults, but what player doesn't.  He has improved a lot playing regular Football and was desperate to come to Spurs.

In terms of players already at the club (sort of) Reto Ziegler should be given a chance he was bought long term to be a left back, maybe it's time to give him a chance.

At right back, the pickings are a little slimmer, my knowledge of continental right backs may not be what it should be but if I had to buy an British full back that maybe available I would go for Luke Young, ex-Spurs and still a big Spurs fan.

The heart of the defence has been awesome with Dawson and King.  Gardener still give me the shakes (6ft 4, jumps 5ft10) and to be honest is not really at out standard.  Davenport was great on Monday and I hope a few games run to the end of the season will provide him with confidence that his ability deservers.

Midfield is OK, Jenas has come on and I hope proving some doubters wrong, Tainio when fit gives us legs, Carrick has been excellent, on small criticism would be the set play delivery ... too many floated free kicks rather than whipping them in.  

Lennon has been a revelation and a real bonus.  I hope that Routledge comes back and starts to play to his potential as well next season.  I also hope that Huddlestone comes along as well.

Up front Robbie Keane has been marvellous, and a credit to himself.  Defoe needs more games and his goal scoring touch will return he has the ability to get us many more goals.  Mido overall has been a plus, needs to work on that right foot, but his ability in the air provides us with a different option ( still would have like Fredi to have stayed as well).  Maybe we need another striker and as mentioned a full back or two. 

With qualification for the UEFA Cup almost mathematical assured we need to improve on the squad next year and push on.  If the UEFA Cup qualification was the achievement we measured our season by the we have achieved this and more.

I know that this will be strange to some of you, but I felt so much pride for our team on Monday not one person was moaning as I walked from the ground, there is an air of optimism around us along with expectation.  We are starting to develop confidence and that could be the Spur to us getting used to qualify for Europe and the Champions league.

Come on you Spurs….

Paul Lamoureaux

For once, I was proud of the Spurs crowd ... well a large section of them.  The usual whingers are the ones who I always feel ashamed of associating with the club.

When Lee made his gaff ... and we all thought he had been fouled at the time ... those who booed him when he next touched the ball should be singled out by the club and not allowed back.

Whether or not he was guilty of giving the goal away and however disappointed we all were, in my view he did not deserve to get booed.  So, it was with a certain degree of heart-warming that the next time he got the ball, the bulk of the Tottenham crowd cheered and clapped to encourage him.

The reaction against the booers was quick and almost tipped over into aggression, but perhaps this season is signalling a seas change in Spurs fans attitudes.  Fickle might be a thing of the past and the majority seem right behind the team. 

So, to those who constantly whinge and moan, please stay at home, where you can yell at the TV in peace and leave the supporting of the team to us.

Sterling Performance

Disappointing to read Sean Jackson's 'obituary' on LYP - and seemingly all other foreigners.  Stalteri, too, was hammered on the various knee-jerk Tottenham message boards.  Carrick (remember his errors) and others (Keane, King) have got off lightly when they foul up. This selective scape-goating has to stop.

We win, draw and lose as a team: you, me, MJ, Stalteri and LYP.  Case in point: I was in Barcelona a week or so ago and managed to get a ticket for the second leg CL game v Benfica.  After 5 minutes Ronaldinho missed a penalty.  Within a minute Barca forced a corner which Ronaldinho went across to take.  The whole
ground stood and roared his name: what a shame our crowd couldn't do the same for Lee.

Agreed he plays out of position (he's right footed, not two footed) but that's not his fault. That's where the boss plays him: MJ has to take some responsibility.  Also agree that it is bizarre to see all our left footers leave the club permanently or on loan - this has to be addressed in the summer.

But please, can we stop getting on players' backs over errors: of course we're all frustrated but it's better to swallow that frustration and roar them on.  Lee knows what he did and you can bet his first clearance v Arse on Saturday will be long and high.

Stalteri took his demotion to the stiffs without protest, came back and scored.  Didn't see many of the message board know it alls give him anything but grudging credit for that. Stand up and stick up for the team, warts and all.

That extra 10% we need could come from the following:

1. Robinson has to stop hoofing the ball high into the opposition half when Keane and Defoe play together - all it does is give the opposition a chance to build from their own half. It's exasperating to see it happen game after game. Roll the bloody thing out to the wings or short to Carrick/Jenas and go from there.

2. Free-kicks: we don't seem to have clue. Please do something about this.  Also it seems to take forever to actually take the kick - seemed like a decade had passed before Defoe took the one v Man U yesterday.  A couple of simple nifty routines e.g. Carrick lines up to cross  but rolls it into Lennon/Stalteri bursting in from the right.  This could be done quickly and keep the game flowing.

3. Throw-ins: how many times did we give the ball away yesterday. I don't know whether there is such a thing as a throw-in routine but we need some.  Too often there is no obvious target and the receiver is so often under pressure almost immediately. Sort it out...

4.  Sign Cahill (Everton) - he's got everything Davids has plus youth and goals

Looking forward to checking 3 points out of the Library before it closes for business.

Keep it together

Peter Lis

What your match report failed to mention was the impact Lee Barnard made when he came on.

Replacing the tiring Lennon, Jol moved Keane back into midfield and the reserve striker came on alongside Defoe.  It gave Spurs a more physical presence up front and his first involvement was to get fouled by Vidic, who had a mediocre game (I am being generous) and probably wasn't expecting someone to challenge him in the air for the ball.  His touch was good and he got stuck in (on Gary Neville's leg) and looked a whole lot more mobile than Mido does.

While not advocating Barney as the answer to all our striker problems, he does offer a different option and he might be a useful player to bring on when we have to use the two little 'uns in attack.

As for our full backs, I think Sean is right.  We do need some competition for those places as Jol doesn't seem to rate Kelly and there is no-one in the reserves ready to come through just yet.  Bridge seems to be the one the papers keep pushing, but who for right back ?  Ifil has been out on loan getting experience and I think he might be given a go, as he should be about the right age to start fulfilling his potential.  Buying someone in for that position might be more tricky, unless Jol has someone from his Dutch past up his sleeve.

In midfield we missed Tainio and although Davids did put in a lot of work, not all of it was productive and his touch and passing looked a little off, but I did enjoy his multi-step-overs in front of Neville !!  Perhaps we need someone with a bit of bite and again Comolli and Jol need to look for the right person during the summer.

I think as a team we are nearly there and with a few tweaks we will be able to challenge in the top four for some years to come.  It's all progress and it has been a really good season wherever we happen to end up.

Mick Potter

I hate to keep dragging up the past but feel I must do so today, in the hope that Martin Jol or somebody connected to him reads these pages.  I said before Xmas last year that Spurs had a massive problem to take care of and that it related to Paul Stalteri and Lee Young-Pyo.  Fairly passable as squad members, no more than that, those two players have found themselves in the first team but hopelessly out of their depth.  With the January transfer window looming, at the time, I urged Jol and Comolli to do something about it, to strongly pursue a proven, English left-back, either Wayne Bridge or Matthew Taylor. At the same time, I said lets enquire about Glen Johnson, a proven Premiership defender or maybe even Hatem Trabelsi, a genuine
top class right-back with contract issues.

What happened ? F**k all, that's what.  Oh, except signing another two midfielders that have subsequently barely featured.

Among the catalogue of disasters that followed, draws with Wigan, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Middlesboro, defeats to Liverpool, Fulham, Chelski, Newcastle, and now, Man Utd.  Our three featured full-backs (Stephen Kelly included) have all had a huge hand in those afore-mentioned set-backs.  Surely Jol has noticed this, 'cos the fans certainly have.  I'm not the only one, as a couple of the boys at work have asked me about the left-sided players we have in reserve.  Funny that our best left-sided options, Rodrigo Defendi and Reto Ziegler, are both out on loan when they've actually been needed many times this year.  An outside possibility would be trying Andy Reid at left-back, as he's a toiler and a natural left-footer.  After today, who can really laugh at that suggestion ?  Kelly has had his chance on both flanks and failed miserably, Marney is too unfit and Johnnie Jackson doesn't inspire much confidence.  Marcel McKie has disappeared off the radar, while young Charlie Daniels is lacking experience.  Unless we recall Ziegler from Wigan, there really is no option but to stick with LYP.  Shame. 

Stalteri is equally inept but in different ways, such as his desperately poor attacking capabilities.  The Canadian appears to lack a cross and has a poor range of passing, evident today in the way  he constantly played the ball too far or too short, if not to a ManU player than to no one at all.  Alternatives ?  Very few, it
would seem, as Kelly is shot on confidence and Marney unfit.  I like Phil Ifil, but it looks like Jol doesn't.  The boy has been farmed out to Millwall but only seems to play one in five games, which is no good to Spurs.  Enough of all that.

Today, Spurs entertained Man Utd and had to make do without our inspirational skipper, Big Leds, the tenacious midfield play of Tainio, and the match-changing capabilities of Mido.  It turned out that Gardner was injured too, giving a terribly long-overdue debut to Calum Davenport, a very good defender with unlimited potential, judging by the way he had Van Nistelrooy in his pocket all game.  He also stood up well to the physical threat posed by Rooney and could hardly be blamed for either goal.  Apart from his goals, Rooney didn't pose the threat expected of a £30m player, which goes to show that Dawson and Davenport formed a nice little partnership that could well last to the seasons end.  The pair also looked dangerous
at set-pieces and Dawson could've bagged himself a brace before half-time.  Defoe was especially guilty of some slack finishing, as he too could've grabbed a couple of goals.  All this before Utd even opened the scoring. It was a really soft goal to give away, a real sucker-punch, as Spurs had dominated up to then and just forced a save from Eddie Van Der Sar.  Utd countered with great speed and, with Spurs defenders still tracking back, Van Nistelrooy was allowed to find Cristiano with a pass, who in turn found an unmarked Rooney, to slot home for 0-1.

Spurs didn't let their heads drop and looked for a way back, with Davids rampaging forward ineffectively.  I'm not sure but think we might've had another chance before the moment of sheer idiocy and ineptitude displayed by one Mr LYP.  Somehow, the ball found it's way to LYP, who was faced with Gary Neville and Park Ji-Sung, came through one challenge, and had a chance to clear but inexplicably took the ball into the danger area, was robbed by PJS, and the waiting Rooney pounced to make it 0-2.  Unbelievable.

Why, oh, why did Daniel Levy force this hopeless sack of shit on Jol ?  Everyone knows that the board wanted a Korean player to try and land that big sponsorship deal with LG Electronics.  We had a perfectly adequate left-back in Erik Edman, ably supported by Ziegler, and there was no need to upset the balance. When it comes to Premier League football, you simply cannot fit square pegs in round holes, otherwise you get a 29-year old Korean making a schoolboy error.

I'm no xenophobe, hell, half my family hails from South Africa !  At the same time, I'm getting sick of seeing Carlos Kick-a-balls coming into this country, taking the piss out of every football fan in the land.  Bringing in players like Jose Dominguez, Ramon Vega, Paulo Tramezzani, Moussa Saib, Roger Nilsen, Sergei Rebrov, Willem Korsten, Goran Bunjevcevic, Milo Acimovic, Kasey Keller, and Helder Postiga has done Spurs plenty more harm than good.

It's sad that this is still going on at the club, albeit to a lesser extent.  With all the quality English players on the market, I'd very much like to see Spurs cancel their interest in foreigners, unless they're thoroughly proven talents like Tainio, Mido and Davids.  Not only will it be good for Spurs, it will further strengthen our claims to be the saviours of British football.  Even now, before the market reopens, Spurs are capable of fielding an all-English side, although with Keano doing so well, we don't need to.

That second goal really knocked the stuffing out of us all, especially the other ten boys on the pitch that weren't responsible for LYP's almighty mistake.  We managed to get to the interval 0-2 down, when it might have been 6-2 to us. 

The second half began with Utd having a pop before Spurs went up the other end to score, Jenas making his one decent contribution of the day, 'cos he did little else.  Giggs, of all people, bossed Jenas and Carrick in the midfield battle and fully deserved his MOTM award, as he was often the architect of ManU's good work. Carrick had started well but once United denied him time and space, became increasingly ineffective.  His passing became erratic and he was getting shrugged off the ball, but then so was Davids.  The ageing Dutch maestro, a surprise inclusion, started well enough but was partly at fault for the first goal, losing Cristiano. He did precious little until being replaced by Murphy, who made an immediate difference, helping to keep possession.  Funny thing is that Utd improved after we scored, tightening up the defence and looking dangerous on the counter. Van Nistelrooy hit the post during one of those attacks, so the detractors will be saying we were lucky not to have lost 1-3, even though we should've had four goals by then.

On a brighter note, Lee Barnard finally made his first top-flight appearance for Spurs but, sadly, didn't see much of the ball and failed to make impact.  In the end, our best wasn't good enough against the very best of opposition and we'll have to improve dramatically to do Arsenal this Saturday.  They have Terry Henry and we don't...simple as that.

Top Man: Calum Davenport

Sean Jackson