Friendly Wednesday 25th July 2001 |
Portsmouth
2 Tottenham 5 -
Friendly - Wednesday 25th July 2001
Weather : - Warm, sunny Portsmouth: Flahavan, Crowe, Vincent (Edinburgh 68), Hiley (Gnohere 63), Moore, Miglioranzi (Harper 56), Bradbury (Panopoulos 68), O'Neil, Crouch, Quashie, Pitt (Brady 56). Spurs: Sullivan, Carr (Leonhardsen 45), Ziege (Taricco 45), Doherty (Bunjevcevic 81), King, Bunjevcevic (Perry 45), Anderton (Poyet 45), Freund (Sherwood 45), Davies (Clemence 45), Iversen (Rebrov 45), Sheringham (Ferdinand 45). I have seen a complaint on a Pompey web
site to the effect that Spurs only sent a second rate team last time
they played a friendly at Fratton Park, to the disappointment of the
home fans, who have been starved of top class football for so many
years. Well, tonight, they can have no grievance, as they saw not
one, but two high class sides wearing the lilywhite and blue.
While England under-21 defender was away signing for Charlton for a
reported 3 million pounds, the remainder of the first team squad had an
outing before taking a week's rest before playing at Reading next
Wednesday. Portsmouth were totally out-classed in both halves,
and the only thing they had to shout about was the two headed goals by
lanky Peter Crouch. It was a shame to hear some Spurs fans calling
him a Tottenham reject, but this young man has been transformed from a
£60,000 sale to QPR this time last year to a million plus player this
summer, and I suspect that most of the Spurs faithful did not follow his
progress through the youth and reserve side. I for one was pleased
to see him testing Bunjevcevic, Doherty and Perry to the full.
None of the defence mastered him and they will of course be facing a
certain Niall Quinn in the forthcoming Premiership season. Late in
the second half, Hoddle took the tiring Doherty off, and gave
Bunjevcevic another go at Crouch, after the youngster had reduced the
deficit to 5-2! The game became punctuated by Pompey's substitutions, but Poyet had a good 1-2 with Rebrov, then missed the goal with his shot. Leonhardsen was lurking beyond the back post, and could only hit the side netting. Leo played right wing-back, and with the departure of Luke Young, there is a vacancy for full back cover again. Clemence forced a good save from Flahavan, before Justin Edinburgh entered to generous applause from home and away support. A gorgeous build up of one touch passing football (plenty of that from Spurs tonight) featuring Clemence, Poyet, Leo, and finally a cross from Poyet on the right led to Sergei's second goal - this time a diving header. 5-1 to the visitors! Spurs eased off the gas, and that second goal from Crouch again followed a cross from the right, headed back across the disgusted Sullivan. A man like Crouch needs a defender in front and behind him, and maybe one to nobble his ankles! Paul Smith
|