Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013/14

[EJG1980]

Could have been worse.

Frustrating evening. I thought we started very well and were in full charge of the match for the first 35 minutes, but we paid the price for not capitalising on that and only scoring one goal. Then they hit the sucker punch equaliser and we didn't seem to be able to raise our game again after that, couldn't quite get going properly in the second half. Shame about Chadli's shot that hit the bar and bounced down the wrong side of the line, could have been different if we'd re-taken the lead from that.

Ah well, I thought it would be tough and tight and it ended up that way. We can definitely go to Italy and get the win we need, but I expect another close encounter.

Big morning off the pitch this morning: the Judge in the appeal case against the CPO we need to build the new stadium is announcing his verdict.

[fallenangle]

Yet again today : could have been worse. Certainly better than a loss as so easily could have happened. Good attitude to keep trying right until the end but I prefer it if they didn't let the opposition score in the first place.

[EJG1980]

Looking at it before the match I would have been disappointed with a draw and dropping points in the chase for the top four. Looking at it when we're two nil down with ten minutes to play... and I was dancing with joy at salvaging a point

We actually started fairly well, great early shot from Bentaleb forcing their keeping into a great save and Kane was very unlucky not to put us one up too. Then they score with their first meaningful attack and we went right off the boil. Our passing got worse as the game went on, we just couldn't seem to get going. I thought Eriksen coming on at half time might spark us into life but he was suffering from the same malaise as the rest of the team.

After we went two down we did slowly start playing a little bit better, and once Rose scored we really started pressuring them. Right near the death Eriksen hit a shot wildly over and I thought that was going to be that, but we had one more attack and thankfully Song decided that rugby tackling* Kane in the box was a good idea! Even then we had the extra drama of Kane missing the penalty but getting the rebound.

Great to see the never say die spirit of the team again, but as you said, it'd be nice to get a few more wins where we don't need it. Hopefully the way we snatched a point at the death will feel like a win to the players and give them a nice psychological boost going into the two massive games in Florence and at Wembley. What a week we have coming up!

* Reading a couple of match reports now and both say that the Song challenge on Kane was a 'nudge' and 'the slightest pressure'. Looked like he was all over him from where I was, but I was at the opposite end of the ground so it must have been a combo of optical illusion and over excitement

[EJG1980]

Gaaaahhhh. I don't mind losing matches, but to lose a match pretty much because you shot yourself in the foot three times, picked up the mangled foot, and handed it to your opponent on a plate... as I said, gaaaahhhh. I'm going to have nightmares about Soldado, Fazio and Vertonghen tonight.

Not the best preparation for the cup final, but hey, maybe we're getting that kind of stuff out of the way now so we can put on a flawless performance on Sunday! The nerves are kicking in for that match now, I won't have any nails left by 4PM on Sunday.

[fallenangle]

Just seen the two goals and Soldado's........whatever it was. Can't agree more - we lost it through stupid mistakes and could have gone on much further in this competition methinks.

Yes, just hope Spurs are at their best for the final because I think they'll need to be. As long as they give a good account of themselves I'll at least be satisfied whatever the result.

COYS.

[EJG1980]

Gutted, but it was always going to be difficult to lift the cup against the team expected to win the league.

I thought we played pretty well, kept the ball decently, but Chelsea's defence was very well marshalled and we lacked the cutting edge needed to get past them. Didn't quite have the extra bit of attacking sparkle we needed on such an occasion.

And luck wise it wasn't quite our day either, big deflections for both Chelsea goals and it was a bit of a blow for them to score right at the death in the first half after we'd put in a solid display. A shame that Erkisen's early free kick couldn't have been a few inches lower, a boost like that at the start could have been what we needed to make it a different match.

Ah well, proud of our young team for getting to a final, a shame it wasn't our day but I'm sure those players will learn from this and become better players from this experience. One day, in the not too distant future, I WILL go to Wembley and see us win

Now let's have a real go in our remaining league matches and see where we end up!

[fallenangle]

The game played out as I thought it would: Chelsea stifling our most dangerous players, Eriksen and Kane, with the result that Spurs had barely a handful of serious goal attempts and that includes the free kick. They had a bit of luck with both goals but once that first one went in I just knew that was it.

Pity but we played well enough most of the time and that was the minimum I was hoping for. Spurs kept going right until the end even though they must have known it was pretty hopeless against Chesea's well organised defence that was good to see.

Just hope the disappointment isn't going to affect their next Premiership game because now a top six finish has become even more important.

[EJG1980]

Kane and Bentaleb both said (I'm paraphrasing) that losing that cup final was the worst feeling they've experienced in football and it's made them all the more determined to be successful with Spurs so they don't have to go through that again. We should be okay if the whole team can take that attitude onto the pitch in the remaining matches of the season, if they can use the disappointment to spur ( ) them on rather than let it get them down.

Sad to hear that Dave Mackay died yesterday. Obviously a fair bit before my time (I was -12 when he last played for Spurs) but I've heard plenty about how good he was from my Dad whenever he's talked about our team from the 1960s. A rousing end to the season, full of fighting spirit, would be a good tribute to him.

[fallenangle]

My father, half-Scottish, was a bit of a fan of Dave Mackay too initially because of his Scottish international appearances. For some reason I could never understand and I don't remember him ever explaining he was a lifelong Derby County supporter and that's where DM went after Spurs and later did a stint managing the club too. That was when they were a top flight team.

Sad that he's gone but good to read and hear the tributes being paid to him.

Edit

Looked liek a good game today against Swansea from the highlights on MotD. Lots of chances and three great goals and an incredible last minute save from Lloris. But yet again we do all that good work and end up having to put all men to the pumps because we let them back in the game.

It would also just have to be Gyllfi Sigurdsson, the player Spurs should never have sold, who scored their second goal.

[EJG1980]

Yup. First half was okay, but in the second half we dominated the match and were in total control, could easily have been four or five one up, but if you don't take the chances you can let in a sloppy goal and end up biting your nails for the last few minutes. I could have kissed Lloris after he made that save!

All the goals were excellent but I'd give goal of the match to Chadli. The timing to connect with the ball when jumping a few feet in the air, and to hit it with such a delicate touch to guide it into a spot where the keeper couldn't save it.... beautiful. It's a clich?, but people would be raving about it if a bigger name player had done it.

Ten goals now this season from Chadli. He (understandably) has had a dip in form over the past month or so since he returned to the squad after his father's death, but hopefully that goal will see him back to his best. If he can end up with 13-15 goals he'll have had an excellent season.

Anyway, great to get back to winning ways, just what we needed after the disappointment in Italy and then at Wembley. Let's hope it's the start of a great run until the end of the season. QPR up next, three points needed again to keep the points total ticking over.

Oh, and, really glad that the Gomis incident was nothing serious. It was a horrible few minutes where everyone was have flashbacks to the Muamba situation, but thankfully it's all turned out okay.

[fallenangle]

For want of nothing better to do I ended up turning to ITV4 to see the Spurs versus Chelsea Youth Cup semi-final first leg. It turned out to be a pretty decent game to watch with Spurs managing a 2-0 win. That should set up the second leg to be a good game too but I'm not sure if they're going to show it on ITV4.

Always interesting to see some of the players who might be making it into the main squad just a few years down the line - the future looks promising on this evidence.

[EJG1980]

With a new stadium to pay for on the horizon and Poch as manager, I definitely think we're going to see more players making it from the academy all the way into the first team. It can only be helpful for the future of the club if we can get a steady stream of decent players coming through.

Second goal last night was a lovely counter attack and cool finish from Kazaiah Sterling. Lovely to hear when the coach was speaking afterwards that his preparation for the match was a full day at school, made me feel very old The other goalscorer, Josh Onomah, seems to be highly thought of. I remember he came on for 15 minutes in the FA Cup replay against Burnley and didn't do too badly.

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Edit: Just watched today's match on a dodgy stream (weird that I got tickets fairly easily last time but this year it went to season ticket holders only, no idea why it was extra popular this year).

First half was so-so, we were on top most of the time without looking that great (aside from the first ten minutes where we looked very lively). QPR weren't very good but we had some lapses at the back that they really should have scored from. Then, as the commentator was saying that teams like QPR need to take those chances or they'll be punished, Kane pops up to put us in the lead.

Second half we were much brighter; passing it quickly, more inventive, deservedly went two goals ahead and it should have been more. But even at two ahead we should have seen the game out comfortably... so Sandro of all people sticks one in and it's a nervy last fifteen minutes when we really should have just been calmly winding the match down. Although, to be fair, it was a superb hit from Sandro, so maybe I shouldn't be too harsh on us.

QPR were very unlucky not to get a penalty just after they scored, looked like a clear handball from Bentaleb, arms way above his head, but the ref didn't give it. So thankfully we held on for the three points but it should never have been so nervy. We do need to get better at seeing out games without giving away something sloppy to let the other team back into it. Quite similar to what happened against Swansea.

Still, back up into the top six and right in the mix for the CL spots. The team do deserve a lot of credit as that was their fourth game in ten days, and two league wins in a row after the disappointment in the cups is excellent, a vital six points. Now we finally have a week of rest before the game at Old Trafford next Sunday. Fingers crossed for our third win in a row up there

[fallenangle]

Ironic that the last two guys to score goals against us were both 'unwanted' ex-Spurs players.

Good win yesterday but, as you say, another very nervy ending where we let QPR back into the game and could easily have had those two penalty calls go against us as well. The Lloris one I think was just leading and trailing legs catching each other, 50/50 blame, but the, no doubt, accidental, Bentaleb handball did defelect the ball off target and those sort of cases often go against the defender nowadays.

[EJG1980]

3-0 down after 35 minutes, we're all over the place I'll just be happy if this doesn't get any more embarrassing at the moment!

[fallenangle]

God yes, just switched on BBC5 Live whilst I'm online, hoping for good news.........now I'm really depressed. I'd like to hope it is going to change in the second half but from the sound of it there's not much chance of that.