Tottenham Hotspur (a) Premiership
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Date: Wednesday 29th January 2003, 7.45pm Venue: White Hart Lane Conditions:
Calm, dry, bit nippy.
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| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 - 1 | Newcastle United |
| Half time: | 0 - 0 | |
| Score Sheet: | ||
 Jenas (90)
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Teams |
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Keller Gardner Carr King Richards Bunjevcevic Poyet Sheringham Anderton Keane Davies |
Given O'Brien Dabizas Bramble Bernard Kerr Dyer Jenas Robert Bellamy Shearer | |
| Substitutes: | ||
| (36) Doherty for Keane | Solano for Kerr (61) | |
| Subs not used: | ||
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Sullivan Taricco Acimovic Freund |
Harper Elliott LuaLua Ameobi |
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| Bookings: | ||
| None |
Bernard
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| Sendings off: | ||
| None | None | |
| Referee: David Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill). Only
moderately annoying tonight, refusing to give Bellamy any free kicks when he was
obviously being impeded in the first half. Was sufficiently refreshed after his harrowing journey all the way from North London to spot the offside flag and rightly deny Poyet yet another goal against Newcastle. |
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| Attendance:
36,084. Highest crowd
of the season at White Hart Lane and over 200 more than were here for the
corresponding fixture last season. For the second season running, this fixture saw the largest proportion of toon fans sitting in their seats, and as a consequence it took most of the game for those singing geordie sympathisers to be joined in vocal harmony by the rest. People still went barmy at the end though. Spotted in the upper tier of the away end was ex-Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, a native of Wolverhampton but the MP for North Tyneside is an adopted black and whiter. |
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Goal |
Half time: Tottenham 0 Newcastle 0
90 mins With time running
out, the unlikely figure of Titus Bramble started the move that led to our goal.
He broke out of defence down the Newcastle right, making it to the edge of
the box where Bellamy took over and forced a save from Casey Keller.
First to react was Jermaine Jenas, who bundled the loose ball over the line
wrong -footing Keller before celebrating with Bramble in front of the Toon section at that end of the ground. The youngster had missed a similar
chance a few moments earlier but was on hand to claim his fourth goal in
five matches, all in 2003. 1-0
Full time: Tottenham 0 Newcastle 1
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We Said |
Sir Bobby said:
"The first half was even but they
did nothing to disturb our defence. We played comfortable football in the
first half and needed to push on. When we did so, we got more penetration
and the winner. Spurs could not handle the pace in our side.
"They simply couldn't cope with Kieron Dyer in midfield, he was
everywhere and kept breaking into the box. Then there was the pace of
Craig Bellamy and Laurent Robert, while Jermaine Jenas kept getting into
the area.
"He should have won the game before he did as he missed a very good chance, but he kept his confidence, kept going and he got his reward. And I was extremely pleased with Titus Bramble. He came into the side, played his first game in months and did very well. The same goes for Andy O'Brien, who has never played right-back before for me but did superbly there."
"To win 1-0 at Tottenham and keep a clean sheet is a huge result for us. We are second to Arsenal and that is quite wonderful. We didn't need any more motivation than to know we would go above Manchester United and in behind Arsenal in that sandwich.
"I cannot see Arsenal being
overtaken because they are in full stride, but Arsenal, Manchester United
and Chelsea all still have to come to Newcastle, so it will be
interesting."
Alan Shearer added:
"What happens until the end of the season is in our own hands. Last
night's was a very good performance and a massive three points for us. You
cannot underestimate what those three points mean to us.
"I thought we controlled the game in the second half with the chances we created and their keeper Kasey Keller had to make some fine saves.
"And, to be fair to our defence, Shay Given only had to make one save all night and the rest of their half chances only came from little scrambles.
"The longer the game went on the more we looked like scoring and that's exactly what happened.
"The previous night both Chelsea and Southampton had picked up maximum points and we had clubs breathing down our necks.
"We were under a lot of pressure not to lose against Tottenham and while a draw would have been OK the fact we got all three points was absolutely fantastic.So too was the spirit in the team and the will to win right up to the end.
"We are a very fit side and we have got pace in our team with Kieron Dyer, Jermaine Jenas and Craig Bellamy and we can keep this going for the full 90 minutes. And what about Titus Bramble and the way he powered forward from the back in injury time?
"I was screaming for him to get back because at this stage I would have happily settled for a point but the three points were excellent for us.
"It was a great time to score even though they had a volley right near the end which might have gone in. We have played a game more than Manchester United but all we can do is keep on going and that's exactly what we will do."
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They Said |
Hoddle joined Sam Allardyce in boasting about his fancy new computer - and just like Sam it did him a fat lot of good:
"I've never been as disappointed
this season, not even the home defeat by Middlesbrough. To have a goal
chalked off - a legitimate one as well - is hard to take.
"We've shown it
to the officials and they agree it was a goal, but there is nothing they
can do. It would have changed the complexion of the game and we didn't
deserve to lose.
"To lose the game at the death was a real kick in the teeth. We could have averted the goal on three different occasions.
"We won't know how Robbie (Keane)
is until later today. He is having a scan on his ankle and we hope it
won't be long term. We are still looking for strikers and Robbie's injury
hasn't changed that."
"(The Poyet effort) was definitely onside. I thought that during the game and I've now watched it back on our laptop in the dressing room and to me it's not even a difficult decision.
"It has cost us big time. It changed the complexion of the game and I believe it affected us as well, because we had a stranglehold on the game.
"We weren't at our best, didn't have enough creativity for my liking, but we came out of the traps in the second half, upped a gear, played with more guile and that goal came at the perfect time for us.
"If we'd have gone 1-0 up* I'm sure we would have gone on to win from there so to have it chalked off, well, I can't explain how disappointed I am.
Then we gave the goal away right at the death and we deserved better than
that.
*Poor old Glenn, in so much of a quiver that he seemed to think
Poyet's disallowed effort was in the first half - it wasn't.
The London Evening Standard were less charitable to the Cockerels
however:
Such is the paranoia running
through the club at present, from the director of football downwards, that
it is extremely doubtful that anyone will now have the good grace to
explain to their paying customers why on earth they allowed Sergei Rebrov
and Les Ferdinand to leave before they had signed any replacements.
So far the wage bill has been reduced by the exits of Stephen Clemence, Tim Sherwood, Ferdinand and Rebrov, with Steffen Freund also due to go in the summer.
The only newcomer has been the loan
signing of Japanese World Cup star Toda - a defensive midfielder who is
better known back home for an array of rather ridiculous hairstyles and
bad-boy reputation than his football. It is scant consolation for fans who
already pay some of the highest prices in the Premiership to watch their
team.
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Match Stats |
Tottenham v Toon in the Premiership:
It's official - White Hart Lane is our lucky London ground!.
2002/03: Won 1-0 Jenas
2001/02: Won 3-1 Acuna, Shearer, Bellamy
2000/01: Lost 2-4 Solano, Dyer
1999/00: Lost 1-3 Solano
1998/99: Lost 0-2 No scorer
1997/98: Lost 0-2 No scorer
1996/97:
Won 2-1 Ferdinand 2
1995/96: Drew 1-1 Ginola
1994/95: Lost 2-4 Fox 2
1993/94: Won 2-1 Beardsley 2
A third away win of the season then, our first double of the campaign, a
third successive clean sheet and an unbeaten Premiership start to 2003
maintained.
150 Premiership appearances now for Solano, including those
as sub, this being his 10th callup from the bench.
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Waffle |
Although the two quickest Premiership scorers, Shearer and Ledley King were playing, we had to wait until the final seconds of normal time for the youngest player on the pitch to notch the only goal. Recent scoring sensation Jermaine Jenas sent us soaring into second place, gaining two points on leaders Arsenal who were held to a draw at Anfield.
With Caldwell and Hughes late withdrawals through illness, Bobby beefed
up his defence, playing with a fat back four of Bramble and Dabizas
in the centre and right-back O'Brien along with Bernard in his usual left
back slot.
This forced combination worked after some early scares and Bramble and
Bernard were the pick of the bunch in a whole-hearted and committed
display from United (Robert excluded again.) For Titus in particular,
praise is due on his return to senior action after a three month absence
through injury.
He made light of his absence and despite having only two mediocre reserve
games under his belt, showed good timing in the tackle and the stamina
that was ultimately to lead to a 90th minute breakthrough.
Spurs will point at the loss of Keane through injury in the first half as
the turning point, the Irishman unable to demonstrate the scoring form
that brought a hat trick in his previous home game after being the victim
of a hard but legitimate Bramble tackle.
We reached the break having only rarely threatened Keller's goal,
principally through a Bernard run and shot, but looking relatively
comfortable against an unimpressive Spurs side. Bellamy had looked
dangerous on occasion, but failed to gain free kicks in dangerous
positions when he appeared to be held back on two occasions.
As he had done against Liverpool, Bobby opted to include Brian Kerr on the
right flank to try and stem assaults on our defence down that avenue, and
the Scotland U21 midfielder couldn't be faulted for his effort or
application.
By contrast the usual occupant of our left side seemed at odds with his
hard-working colleagues, several times only making half-hearted challenges
for 50/50 balls - someone should tell him them's the ones that get you
injured....
Certain fans are now firmly of the opinion that NUFC.com don't like
Robert. Untrue. Seventy six times he's played for us and your
correspondent has been to every minute of every one, including reserve and
friendly games. Not even Sir Bobby has been to them all.
We've never met the man, have no reason to suspect he's got any unsocial
habits or wouldn't stand up on a bus to give a pregnant woman his seat,
were he ever to use public transport.
If I didn't like the geezer I
wouldn't stand and clap him every time he sauntered past me to take a set
piece. I wouldn't expend my energy, strain vocal chords or wave my arms
around like a demented tic-tac man in exhorting him on to greater efforts,
not shouting abuse at him or booing. We want him to succeed. Honest.
No, what we don't like about him is that he's letting his team mates down.
Everyone is contributing at present and it's wonderful to see. Brian Kerr
would admit himself that he isn't the greatest player in the world, but he
tries. He fluffed passes in this match and was caught out of position, but
he tried to compete and appeared to share the team ethic that Robert
doesn't demonstrate often enough.
Foreigner abroad syndrome? Language barrier? Maybe, but recent football
history is littered with imported talent who overcame that obstacle.
Claudio Ranieri, Luca Vialli and Nobby Solano to name but
three.
Just over a year ago we wrote "he's the very worst type of
sportsman - one who is content to be rewarded and who can play, but
chooses not to. A well remunerated waster."
Now the object of derision that day was actually Marcelino but
most of those sentiments remain the same in respect of Robert. The
argument is now becoming a well-rehearsed one. I don't want him to be
David McCreery, a terrier of the tackle. I want him to show to the public
his undoubted special talents.
I want him to make other fans jealous of what we've got. I don't want him
to pagger long range efforts into the crowd and walk away like he doesn't
give two hoots. I don't want him to waft his leg near a loose ball then
turn away in the face of an approaching opponent like a startled rabbit.
He's not a bairn, he's a highly paid international footballer who is
almost 29 years old. If he isn't doing it now, when is he going to do it?
Sounding like your grandad for a second, Tony Green had been retired from
football two years by the time he was that age.
Back to the match and after Spurs had a Poyet effort ruled out for offside
they seemed to crumble, and that let off caused us to redouble our
efforts.
Bellamy should have done better with an effort from inside the box that
Keller stopped, then Jenas followed up a Shearer shot by curling the
rebound agonisingly wide of the far post. But then JJ was on hand to
secure a second successive win on the Seven Sisters Road, and just as he
had on our last London trip, score a vital late goal.
So, not a classic but light years ahead of the circus clown acts witnessed
at Bolton and Wolves. Dare we say that we showed some maturity and
restraint in notching up another one goal victory? Not our style at all
really, but a welcome change.
Biffa