Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion

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Saturday 14th January 12.30pm
Premier League
White Hart Lane​

Six successive victories and things are looking good. Next up? An early kick-off.
Another win would put us 2nd and close the gap on Chelsea to 4 points, temporarily at least. Who's next?
Oh, it's Tony Pulis, managing a club that we really struggle against and can't beat. Great.

West Brom have been doing pretty well this season, as Pulis' influence takes more of a hold.
They've become very hard to beat and are winning most of their games against non-top 6 sides.
Early elimination from both cups has tainted their campaign a little, but they're 8th in the league.
Most Baggies fans would be happy to take that, I think.

Derby put them out of the FA Cup on the weekend, so here's the highlights of that:

I'm sure that everyone remembers this fixture from last season, as it's where everything started to go wrong.
Craig Dawson scored at both ends, putting us ahead before pulling his own side level.
Dele Alli also picked up a ban for violent conduct, as he punched Yacob off the ball.
A game that we largely dominated and should've put away, but paid the price for not taking our chances.

The game at The Hawthorns this season was similarly frustrating and with the same result.
The possession and chances all went our way, but we didn't put them away until we were already behind.
Nacer Chadli came back to haunt us, just ten minutes from time, smashing in after a scrambled corner.
Dele Alli rescued a point in the dying seconds, ensuring another draw between the sides.

We have no suspensions for this one and only Erik Lamela absent through injury.
He's a week away from returning to contention, according to Pochettino.
West Brom don't have any suspensions either and only one possible injury.
Johnny Evans will be assessed on the day, apparently.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Walker, Wanyama, Dembele, Rose; Eriksen, Alli; Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Davies, Winks, Sissoko, Son.
League form: LWWWWW.

West Brom: Foster; Dawson, Evans, McAuley, Brunt; Yacob, Fletcher; Philips, Morrison, Chadli; Rondon.
Subs: Myhill, Nyom, Galloway, Olsson, Gardner, McClean, Robson-Kanu.
League form: LWLLWW.

Referee: Anthony Taylor.

TV: Sky Sports 1.

Lots of players rested for the FA Cup tie, so how many come back in?
Do we go with the system that we beat Chelsea with or switch back to the 4-2-3-1?
Should Kane start, given that his wife gave birth on the weekend?

 

He played nearby - at Wolves

 

GKN please!! And give Davies a 2nd game behind him.

 

A game between a team who regularly score from corners against a team who never score from corners.

Oh dear.

 

So long as he's not breastfeeding the kid, I don't see why Kane shouldn't start!

 

The kid'll starve - he's no Micky Quinn

 

WBA have been an absolute pain in the arse over the past few seasons. Full strength side is a must, despite our trip to 3-point Etihad coming up.

 

West Brom have some updated injury news.
Chadli and Evans aren't fit enough to play, while Brunt and Leko will be assessed tomorrow.

Allan Nyom is currently in limbo, due to a strange situation with the Cameroon national side.
He wasn't selected for the African Nations Cup, but he needs to be cleared to play by his country.
They're dragging their feet, for some reason, which might be due to his reluctance to play in the tournament.

Saido Berahino will also miss out, due to his long-term fitness issues.
He scored twice on Wednesday as West Brom's U23 side played a local derby with Aston Villa:


Looks like he's carrying some weight, but he was heavily involved in all of their attacks.
I wonder if it would be worth making a low bid for him now, as his contract expires in the summer?

 

The finish for the third goal was excellent. He has played with Harry Kane and I presume Harry was in favour of us bidding for him first time around. If he's available for £10m or so, then the main risk is what we pay him in wages, as we'll be able to sell him on for most of that sum, if he doesn't cut it with us.

If he's up for accepting a relatively modest wage to join us and get to have his picture taken with MP in his suit when he proves himself, then I'd go for it. It's a cheaper gamble than going back for another foreign talent and we're never going to be able to afford Morata or someone like that and we need a Kane back-up and Vincent is, at least currently, not it.

 

Back four, please!

Lloris
Walker, Toby, Jan, Rose
Wanyama, Winks
Eriksen, Alli, Son
Kane

Ta.

 

Have had an absolutely **** day at work and am taking buckets of pain killers for my sciatica but you actually made me laugh out loud ... Thanks

 

WBA are a real bogey team for us at The Lane. Going to be a lot tougher than most of the teams, Pulis will probably set them up to contain with the hope of a counter to snatch something.

Hugo
Walker, Toby, Jan, Rose
Wanyama, Dier
Son, Eriksen, Alli
Kane

Vorm, Tripps, Davies, Dembele, Winks, GKN, Sissoko

Still feel Dembele is looking laboured and something just isn't clicking for him, showing a few flashes of brilliance in games but nothing like last season. Feel bad on excluding Kev but with Dier able to play deeper, Trippier being great in his past couple games and Davies also scoring last week, I feel he's the most viable person to give way, very harsh though.

 

I would play the same team that beat the chavs . Yes even 3 across the back against a very boring defensive Pulis team . Not a great Son fan as he seems so wasteful . They will sit back but Rose and Walker will be like permenant
wingers granted with little room , but whatever formation we play space will be sucked dry .
We can easily revert to 442 if no luck and take 1 off from the back 3 and bring on the battering ram that is Sissoko .

Sid in his thermal y fronts , artic long johns , navy blue/white Bobby hat , legs crossed for a stonnking result, A cup of coco , a bowl of ready brek topped with a little splice the mainbrace , all connected in the barn HQ .
Keep it up from a freezing snowy Suffolk .
Sid

 

Biggest change is probably N'Koudou making the bench. Might even be the only change, actually.

 

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Harry KaneVerified account‏@HKane
Me and @KateGoodlandx had our beautiful baby girl this morning, Ivy Jane Kane at 7:30am. Weighing 7.8pounds. Amazing feeling, so proud!

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It's a lovely thing. Who could possibly have anything negative to say? Step forward....Karen Brady. Not Lady Brady, it's pretty clear she's no lady from her response in her Sun column on Saturday:

“Congratulations to Harry Kane for his ‘assist’ in the birth of daughter Ivy Jane . . . but that’s all it was. All the heavy work was done by your girlfriend, Harry — although you might not think so from his tweet that opens ‘Me and @KateGoodlandx had our beautiful baby girl' ."

The lad wins no points from me for strangling the English language — or for good manners.”

Maybe we should accord Brady credit for her achievements? For, whilst Demetri Payet, the team, Slaven Bilic, Simone Zaza, Sofiane Feghouli, Manchester City and your supporters are credited with an assist in turning your club into a total catastrophe and hilarious joke, you deserve immense credit for all that heavy work you've been doing. Keep it up.

 

Graham Taylor.

 

Wonder how long it will take for Brunt to leave something in on Dele, Kane or Walker? Dirty ****!!

 

Chadli catches Rose in the face. Not a foul, for me.

 

Kane should put that away. Nice move and a good cross.