Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley

please log in to view this image

Sunday 18th December 4pm
Premier League
White Hart Lane​

The victory over Hull was a much-needed midweek boost, but we need to kick on here with another win.
The performance was met with a mixed response, despite the fairly emphatic scoreline.
We certainly weren't firing on all cylinders, so improvement is certainly achievable.
With Arsenal and City facing each other, we'll have the opportunity to close the gap on at least one side.

Burnley will be looking to put some distance between themselves and the relegation battle.
Dyche's side sit in 13th position, but they're within touching distance of the sides down to 17th.
His teams always work hard and they'll take advantage of sides who don't match that hunger.
Their scorelines are a bit erratic, as a result. They're beatable, but you can't just turn up and expect it.
They do struggle somewhat on the road, though. Six losses and a draw, so far.

This is our second consecutive game against a side that was promoted last season.
As such, there was no equivalent fixture last season.
The campaign before that saw us face each other four times though, to make up for it.

The league game at the Lane saw much of the action squashed into 15 minutes of the first half.
Kane put us ahead from a Chadli cross, following a controversial offside decision and a quick free-kick.
Things looked to be going smoothly, but Ashley Barnes had other ideas, firing home from 25 yards.
Erik Lamela liked the look of it and he scored his first Premier League goal in response.
Both sides spurned chances after the break and it finished 2-1.

The reverse fixture was a virtual non-event, after a fairly bright start for the home side.
Ings failed to take advantage of an early chance and things seemed to fizzle out after that, for some reason.
Quite a strange one and it seemed to puzzle both managers.

The FA Cup ties between the two sides seemed to generate more excitement.
A 1-1 draw at Turf Moor meant that a replay at the Lane would separate the sides.
Burnley took full early advantage of a much-changed home side, racing to a 2-0 lead in 8 minutes.
Sordell opened the scoring after 3 minutes, running onto a long pass by Kieran Trippier.
A deflected Wallace free-kick put them further ahead shortly after that. Things looked bleak.

The travelling fans must have had flashbacks to the League Cup semi-final at Turf Moor, though.
Their side crumbled and threw away that lead, conceding to Paulinho with barely 10 minutes gone.
Ettiene Capoue leveled it up just before the break and the momentum had switched entirely.
Vlad Chiriches put us ahead with a header from a corner and Danny Rose finished it off.

No suspensions for this one and we only have one more fixture before the cut-off date for 5 yellows.
Lamela is still not quite back from injury, while Janssen and Dembele will be assessed late on.
Burnley have no suspensions either, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson is their only fitness doubt.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Walker, Wanyama, Rose; Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen; Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Davies, Trippier, Winks, Onomah, N'Koudou, Son.
League form: DWLWLW.

Burnley: Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Arfield, Marney, Hendrick, Boyd; Gray, Vokes.
Subs: Robinson, Flanagan, Tarkowski, Defour, Kightly, Bamford, Barnes.
League form: WLLLWL.

Referee: Kevin Friend.

TV: Not televised.

Should we stick with three central defenders for this one or switch back to our usual system?
Did Sissko do enough to keep his place and did Winks' efforts from the bench earn him a starting spot?
Does anyone need to be rested or dropped and is our bench balanced well enough?

 

England's Number One .

Always good to see Robbo back at the Lane.

 

I wonder if he'll have another sing along?

 

Paul Stewart

 

I'd forgotten Paul Stewart played for Burnley.

 

Burnley remain the biggest overachievers in English football.

The smallest town with a league team. Former champions who still punch above their weight on relatively small gates and without sugar daddy backers.

 

That really is an incredible bit of footage.

 

Back in our double season Burnley were big rivals. I remember their chairman Bob Lord, a butcher I think. I enjoyed going to their ground which although partisan, were friendly and nice. We went for one match and stayed a week touring the beautiful countryside! Burnley were a side to be reckoned with in the late '50s & early 60's and our opponents in the 1962 cup final which we won thankfully, 3-1. Fixtures with them were always a bit nerve wracking!

 

Stupid question but why are we playing at 4pm on a Sunday if we ain't live on TV?

 

Getting ourselves used to it again with the Ropey League in the not too distant future!

 

We requested it to Burnley supposedly to spread the fixtures out a bit. Burnley agreed. I believe there was a mention of it on the OS a few weeks ago.

 

Cheers Spurcat

 

United winning, combined with some tasty parallel fixtures (City v Arsenal, Mersey derby) makes this a must win.

I hate it when we have must wins...

 

Things are getting tight, should be an interesting second half to the season

 

Time Poppickers , for some balance and rhythm in our performance . Wagamama has been our
best summer signing by a distance but maybe he's play stifles us in and attacking sense .
Nobody has looked good playing deep beside him . Dembele has been a shadow of last season .
I understand the Winks love in but being honest I haven't seen enough yet to feel he any better than
a 59% Dembele . At the moment I see more another Mason , Huddlestone than a Modric .
I would bring back Dier in the holding position for this game , Wagamama to the bench and see if any
style returns .

Sid enjoyed a few hours yesterday at Southwold christmas fair . 7 cases of St. Peter's Golden Ale (brewed 5 miles away ) , were purchased for the joy of our Festive holiday makers . Suffolk raspberry gin a little present for her indoors and an abundance of mistletoe . That evening we went to swing Christmas concert with the bbc band at Snape Maltings , more James Last than sadly Duke Ellington but still a good night out .The season of goodwill is nearly upon us .
Keep it up ,
Sid

 

Am going today...have been to 2 premier matches this season and we have won both without conceding and have scored 4.
Desperately need a win today so COYS!!!!

 

Goes with the territory.
The more you seek to compete for the bigger prize, the more "must win" games
there are.

 

Are you saying that winks, mason and huddlestone are all similar players ?

Don't get that I'm afraid.