[OMT] Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion

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West Bromwich Albion host Tottenham Hotspur at The Hawthorns on Saturday 12th April 2014 (KO 15:00) in the 34th round of Premier League matches of the 2013-14 season.

Albion come into the match in 16th place in the table on 32 points with Spurs in 6th place on 59 points. This will be the 143rd meeting between the two clubs.

Albion were one of the 12 original members of the Football League in 1888 and the first meeting with Spurs, who were then in the Southern League, came in the 1900-01 FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park which Spurs won 4-0 on their way to becoming FA Cup Winners that season.

The teams were drawn together again two seasons later in the first round (today's third round) of the FA Cup and played a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane before Spurs won the replay at the Hawthorns 2-0.

Tottenham Hotspur joined the Football League in 1908 and lost both Second Division matches to Albion that season 0-3 away and 1-3 at home.
Despite those two defeats, Spurs won promotion to the First Division and Albion joined them for the 1911-12 season. Spurs won the first Top Flight match in September 1-0 at the Lane but the reverse fixture in January was abandoned due to fog. Albion won the re-arranged fixture in March 1912 2-0.

Sandwiched inbetween those League meetings, Albion won a 1st Round FA Cup tie 3-0 in January 1912.

Both clubs continued to meet in Division One for the next three seasons until World War One.

The 1920 Charity Shield was contested between Spurs and Albion at White Hart Lane and the Baggies won 2-0.

From 1921 to 1927, the clubs met regularly in the First Division . They then met for three seasons in Division Two from 1928 to 1931 before regaining their Top Flight status from 1933 to 1935.

The clubs were in the Second Division for the 1938-39 season and Spurs won 4-3 at White Hart Lane in the last match before the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939. The season was abandoned with most clubs having played three matches.

Spurs and Albion met twice during the War in the Football League South resulting in a win apiece.

When League Football resumed after WW2, both clubs were in the Second Division and Spurs won the League in 1949-50 with Albion finishing Runners-Up.

The 1950-51 season saw both clubs back in Division One and Spurs did the "double" over Albion, winning 2-1 at the Hawthorns and 5-0 at the Lane, on the way to Tottenham Hotspur's first Top Flight League Championship.

Every League meeting between the two clubs since 1950-51 has taken place in the Top Flight.

The first Football League Cup meeting came in October 1970 with Spurs winning 5-0 with a hat-trick from Martin Peters and a brace from Alan Gilzean. There have been four meetings in the competition to date with Spurs winning three games and one match drawn.

Tottenham Hotspur were founder members of the Premier League in 1992-93 and are one of seven ever-present clubs in the competition.
West Bromwich Albion were promoted to the Premier League for the 2002-03 season and this is their eighth season.

Spurs won both matches in 2002-03 with goals from Christian Ziege, Robbie Keane and Gus Poyet securing a 3-1 win at the Lane while a brace from Keane and a Teddy Sheringham goal saw Spurs win 3-2 at the Hawthorns.

Both matches in the 2004-05 season ended in 1-1 draws, Jermain Defoe scoring away and Keane scoring at home. The clubs also met in the FA Cup fourth round that season with a 1-1 draw at the Hawthornes followed by a 3-1 win at White Hart Lane.

Honours were even in 2005-06 with Albion winning 2-0 at the Hawthorns and Spurs winning 2-1 at the Lane. The 2008-09 season saw similar results with Albion winning 2-0 at the Hawthorns and Spurs winning 1-0 at the Lane.

The 2010-11 game at the Hawthorns in September 2010 resulted in a 1-1 draw. Luka Modric scored Spurs' goal only for Chris Brunt to equalise in the 41st minute.

The reverse fixture at the Lane in April 2011 resulted in a 2-2 draw. Peter Odemwingie put West Brom ahead after 5 minutes but goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe put Spurs ahead. Simon Cox scored the late equaliser.

The 2011-12 game at the Hawthorns in November resulted in a 3-1 win for Spurs. Youssouf Mulumbu's header put the Baggies ahead after 10 minutes but Emmanuel Adebayor equalised 15 minutes later and the teams went into the halftime break level at 1-1. Second half goals from Jermain Defoe 9 minutes from time and a second Adebayor goal deep into stoppage time gave Spurs the three points, even if the score was somewhat flattering in a hard-fought match.

Jermain Defoe scored a goal in the 63rd minute at White Hart Lane to give Spurs the Double over West Brom.

The 2012-13 fixture in August at White Hart Lane resulted in a 1-1 draw with full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto putting Spurs ahead after 74 minutes with a deflected long range shot before James Morrison scored a 90th minute equaliser for the Baggies. Tottenham beat the Baggies at the Hawthorns in February 2013 with Gareth Bale scoring the winner with a stunning 67th minute goal.

The 2013 Boxing Day game at the Lane ended in a 1-1 draw. Christian Eriksen put Spurs ahead after 36 minutes but Jonas Olsson equalised just two minutes later.

Overall, matches played between the two clubs are slightly in Tottenham's favour with 57 wins to Albion's 54 and the remaining 31 of the 142 matches played so far ending in draws.

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Full History of Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion Matches 1901-2014

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They Played for Spurs & West Brom....​

Ossie Ardiles (Spurs player, manager at both clubs)
Gerry Armstrong
Vic Buckingham (Spurs player, WBA manager)
Keith Burkinshaw (Manager at both clubs)
Jesse Carver (Spurs coach, WBA manager)
Freddie Cox (also WBA assistant manager & coach)
Garth Crooks
Wilf Dixon (Spurs asst manager, WBA trainer)
Tom Evans
Ruel Fox
Márton Fülöp
John Gorman (Spurs player & asst manager at both clubs)
Charlie Hewitt
Martin Jol (WBA player, Spurs manager)
Colin Lyman
Tony Parks (Spurs player & goalkeeper coach with both clubs)
Graham Roberts
Arthur Rowe (Spurs player & manager, WBA chief scout)
Danny Thomas (Spurs player, WBA physio)
Steve Walford

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Tottenham Hotspur Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 1993-94 to 2013-14

West Bromwich Albion Premier League Player's Squad Numbers 2002-03 to 2013-14

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Hoping for a good game with 3 points at the end of it.

WBA have been a bit unlucky recently with some of their results so I'm hoping they don't get all the luck back for our match.

If we can carry the Sunderland performance into Saturday then we shouldn't have any problems but this is Spurs and being consistent isn't in our nature.

Any updates on injuries? Any reason why Sandro didn't make it off the bench last night? Is Walker back? Is Lamela alive?

I'd like to see most of the team last night play against West Brom, only a few changes if possible:

Lloris
Walker, Kaboul, Chiriches, Rose
Townsend, Sandro, Eriksen, Chadli
Ade, Kane

 

I thought Lennon had a good game against Sunderland; he even upping his shot count from the normal zero - why drop him?

...I still can't believe Townsend will go to the WC and Lennon will not.

 

Ineffective.

Form over recent months hasn't justified his place in the team either, frustrating because an on form Lennon is unplayable.

 

Both have been ineffective for the record, but Lennon's had a good run in the side as of late so would like Townsend given a go. Between them, they've managed 2 goals and an assist in the league, very poor.

 

WBA need to win this one.
If Spurs do any of the comedy routines of the last 3 PL games, they will get beat.

 

Lennon over Townsend. Townsend came on yesterday and immediately did exactly what i hate about him - Tried to piledrive one in from 40yds when he had about 5 better options

 

Lennon done nothing of note though, I think all of his crosses met the first defender and when he finally tried a shot it was easily blocked. I'm a big fan of Azza but his form of late has been dire. Like I said in the previous post, between him and Townsend, both with over 20 games this season, have mustered up 2 goals and 1 assist between them, a poor return from two prospective England internationals but Lennon has had a solid run of games, I'd like to see Andros given a little run.

 

Townsend seems a bit lethargic of late.
Anyone else think he may not be 100% fit yet, but is still being played ??

 

Townsend needs a goal, as he said it himself "I'm a confidence player" when he was the talk of England and being cast as Englands saviour. If he somehow managed to score a long range strike then it would boost his overall game but maybe he should realise looking up helps, rather then just shooting directly at a defender.

 

Lennon puts in a shift defensively even when he's off form going forward. Townsend can't defend and wastes most of our attacking opportunities to boot. If he learned to look up like Boss said then he could be a very good player

 

Townsend would do well to copy Bale.
Do the basics well/long enough (like skinning players down the flanks and putting in decent
crosses) , and then you can try your hand at hitting worldies from outside the box.

 

Yeah, I thought yesterday was made for him but his final ball just wasn't there. Townsend is really ****ing up his chances of going to Brazil playing like he is though. He's easily the most selfish player I've seen in a Spurs shirt and is suffering from constantly trying to prove himself with something spectacular. I'd play either Sigurdsson or Chadli down the right with Eriksen on the left and Kane and Ade up top to give him the kind of freedom he had last night.

 

Good shout on Siggy. He's a guy who can perform in a few positions and has decent set piece deliveries so I'd like to think sticking him on the right would result in a few decent crosses into the box. Only problem would be that if he's on the right and say Chadli left (would rather Eriksen stay central and drift like he done last night), there's very little pace from midfield for when countering. A LOT of creativity and goal threats though, so evens it out.

 

Eriksen played on the left last night from what I could see, maybe not so much in the second half(I can't remember it, it was just a blur of goals ) but definitely in the first. We can move Eriksen in field if needed but I quite like having him on the left if he plays like he did last night(in the first half at least lol).

 

Five at the back didn't help Lennon last night. He looked for the cross a few times and it was too overcrowded. Settling for the corner is fine in my eyes (if only we knew how to take them).

Would still have Lennon over Townsend, and I'd have someone better than those two if the choice was available.


I really liked Adebayor's after match interview with Eriksen. "Give me more assists and you can have another [man of the match trophy]". For that reason alone, I'd play Eriksen behind Adebayor and drop Sugar Kane.


There's no reason we can't win this one 5-1 too.

 

I know it's hard to believe me saying this, but I also agree on Sigurdsson. He has played well for us recently and deserves a game. I'm intrigued to see how he'd link up with Eriksen too. When both have been on the pitch, we've seemed more dangerous and more creative, IMO.

LLoris.
Whoever is fit. Whoever is fit. Whoever is fit. Rose.
Lennon Paulinho Chadli Sig
Eriksen
Ade

 

I'd switch Chadli and Sig.

Where the hell is Chadli meant to be playing at the moment? Central midfield? I can't work it out

 

He's been a bit like Eriksen, kind of drifting into different positions to find success - which is something I like.

I've always been fond of attacking players interchanging with one another, it allows our players different angles to focus an attack on and also causes opposition defences problems due to having to change who they need to mark and close down.

 

Yeah, those two could swap. However, Chadli can offer more strength in the centre. swapping them frequently throughout the game could work.
Mind you, there's not much point in debating it, Eriksen will be on the left, anyway.