Match Thread: Watford v Tottenham Hotspur

Match Thread 2
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WATFORD 0 v 1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Rafael van der Vaart - goal 42 mín. 0:1
Lee Hodson - caution 89 mín.
Attendance: 15.384

The Hornets welcome the Spurs who are making a short journey from north London. History does not show well for the hosts in cup games against the visitors and with their superior position.

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WATFORD

• The Manager – Sean Dyche

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“We were unlucky to be 1-0 down at half time as we had put in a good performance in the first half and kept the ball well. By the time they got the second it was a scrappy but even game. They are a strong and powerful side and they have a column which says zero home defeats this season for a reason. They have good players and it was always going to be a tough place to come.”

“We tried a different way of playing and we did well in the first half but goals change the momentum. After their second goal Birmingham made a better fist of it but there was no lack of effort from my players.”

• The Hornets

Stephen McGinn continues his recovery and his absence is almost one year now. Martin Taylor is now injured with a broken toe after recovering from his brocken collar bone, is he fragile? Carl Dickinson is now the undisputed leader in the bad boy list with six cautions

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Marvin Sordell: something to prove ​

Tonight's team:

Scott Loach
Lee Hodson - caution 89 mín., Adrian Mariappa, Nyron Nosworthy, Lloyd Doyley
Troy Deeney, John Eustace (c), Prince Buaben, Mark Yeates for Sean Murray - 67 mín.
Matthew Whichelow for Joe Garner - 80 mín., Marvin Sordell

Substitutes: Jonathan Bond (GK), Carl Dickinson, Mark Yeates, Chris Iwelumo, Craig Forsyth, Ross Jenkins, Matthew Whichelow.

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Update on the Hornet's latest statistics

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

• The Manager – Harry Redknapp

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"We want to go there and get a result, play well and come away with something.”

“It just proves to me that we're as good as anybody. They weren't better than us today, we were so close and looked the more likely team to win. I'm delighted with the players. It just shows how far we have come and where we can go from here. We've got a good t We've been beaten 3-2 here knowing we shouldn't have been beaten. It should be very easy to pick them up. They've proved to everyone today that they're good enough to play against Man City.”

• The Spurs

Currently Spurs have a team in the doctors room that could hold its own in the Championship as it is. Vedran Corluka and Jermaine Jenas have bad achilles injuries and David Bentley has a knee injury, Tom Huddlestone does not play because of his ankle and calf injuries are affecting William Galllas and Sandro Raniere Guimarães Cordeiro.

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Emmanuel Adebayor: Spurs leading scorer this season

Tonight's team:
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Carlo Cudicini
Kyle Walker, Younes Kaboul, Michael Dawson (c), Danny Rose
Scott Parker, Aaron Lennon for Luka Modric - 46 mín., Jake Livermore
Rafael van der Vaart - goal 42 mín., Steven Pienaar for Jermain Defoe - 80 mín., Roman Pavlyuchenko for Emmanuel Adebayor - 90+2 mín.

Substitutes: Brad Friedel (GK), Aaron Lennon, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Sebastien Bassong, Niko Kranjcar, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Steven Pienaar

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Update on Spurs latest statistics


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Who will win?

Current form Watford with no league wins this year are looking a poor opposition for the visitors. The cup win against Bradford City is the high mark of this year and even the end of that game was a bit lucky to escape with a third goal for the visitors cancelled for offside. Five goals scored and 12 conceded is not good reading. Tottenham’s first four games in 2012 have produced seven goals scored and one lost. They have three wins and one draw but all these games were played in White Hart Lane. The fifth and only game away from White Hart Lane so far this year was Sundays visit to Manchester to play against City where the Spurs lost 3-2 to a penalty after five minutes of injury time

Akureyri's Prediction: 2:1 The heart says a home win and it will be David beating two Goliaths if that occurs. This game will be is a stage for Marvin Sordell to show how good he is. The head says Spurs will put out a reserve team and win by a rast. History does not show well for the hosts in cup games against the visitors and with their superior position Spurs should return home with a place in the fifth round, but this is Watford who will always do the unexpected.


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There is a history Tottenham and Watford have not encountered each other many times. Twelve matches in north London, eleven in Watford and one at Villa Park. The games in Watford have delivered less for both teams, with two wins for the locals, six for the visitors and three draws, against eight home wins and four away in north London. The first cup game in Watford was a 0-1 win for the Spurs in 1975 the second a 3-6 victory for the visitors in 1994, the third another home defeat is detailed below. Both these were in the League Cup. The only FA Cup games have all been in north London or Birmingham and Watford are still to get anything more than being second of two. The thing about these teams is there will be goals, in all matches 84 of them, probably in the Watford end.

The last match: Watford РTottenham Hotspur 1:2 Tamas Priskin gave Watford an early lead only for Roman Pavlyuchenko to equalise with an injury time penalty before the interval. Darren Bent scored the winner with 14 minutes remaining. Tottenham just had the better of possession but they out shot the hosts and won more corners by 2:1. Watford won the cautions race with JobiMcAnuff and Tamas Priskin doing their best and a reply from Benǫt Assou-Ekotto.
The teams:
Watford: Loach, Mariappa, DeMerit (Doyley 58), Bromby, Jenkins (O'Toole 78), Harley, Williamson, McAnuff (Hoskins 83), Bridcutt, Smith, Priskin. Substitutes not used: Lee, Robinson, Bangura, Henderson
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Zokora, Lennon, Jenas, O'Hara, Pavlyuchenko, Campbell (Bent 65). Substitutes not used: Cesar, Bale, Bentley, Huddlestone, Gunter, Boaten

skál/skål/cheers/salut

Don't forget
The Hornet's Nest
Drop in for some match chat.
Travellers may want some information about Watford.


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I will not explain a rast again

 

I wish you luck Ak, I know how much work you put into the threads. Can somebody just delete somebody elses thread?

 

I feel so sorry for you AK. We all love your match threads. I will find the culprit and make sure that he or she is punished to the full extent of the law. I suspect we should be asking a man about a dog though.

 

in theory only mods can delete the threads, but even so other mods should be able to see that its been deleted and re-post it if need be.

 

I have a note at my home and when I have delivered Little Ak to her scouts I will replace what is here now.

 

Thanks for the info Dan (never happened in Norway's Day LOL)

 

Bummer

 

haha, well could you use your contacts to maybe bring the person who removed it to justice??

 

I go to my home now and will work on this when I arrive.

 

Nice one AK. We owe you one!

 

Absolutely gutted for you Ak. There's only a few people that could have deleted it, and i'm sure someone would know if they deleted the thread. I'm sorry this happened Ak, and thanks so much for starting again. Would you like it to be an article again when you're done?

 

Perhaps 'arry's lawyers were onto the mods and it was taken down for fear of the consequences should he be found not guilty.

 

Yes, but is better described as a concrete pit full of green slime....

 

Luckily I make the thread as a word document so is a cut/paste, except the pictures and formatting.

 

Sorry to hear your post got deleted Ak, but as I didn't but my opinion on the game on the first thread so I will put it on the second! I haven't been on not606 recently, but quite frankly the last three games we have been pretty woeful, and have deserved to lose to Portsmouth, Reading and Birmingham. We seem to really lack creativity, and there's no doubting we miss someone of the class of Kightly, who is now starting in the Premier League with Wolves. It also seems like Sod's law that as soon as we sign Nosworthy we seem to have turned pretty poor defensively, and i think we miss the influence of someone like Martin Taylor, but it appears he will be out for some time.

Subsequently, I have little hope for tomorrow's game, but maybe this is a chance for us to turn the corner. With very little pressure on us, we might actually put a decent performance in. With Tottenham having a great season, they will undoubtedly be resting key players tomorrow. We will play on the backfoot, but if we play Deeney and Sordell up front we will have pace when we counter. Ideally I like to see us play a 4-3-3 with Wichelow playing left-midfield but I don't think that will happen. Just as long as Forsyth doesn't play!

Going with head over heart, I'm going for a 2-1 Spurs win after we take the lead. But when I predict a win many a time we end up losing so lets see what happens. COYH!!!

 

can't see us getting anything out of this - but then again, do giant killers ever? As long as it's not a capitulation like at Stamford Bridge a couple of seasons back - we looked like rabbits caught in the headlights.

 

If we do score quickly we could be in trouble as Spurs will get angry, just like when Tamas scored against Chelsea.

 

Despite the last article being mysteriously deleted - I still think Watford can win this if they show passion and belief. This is a one off game and we are at home - we have decent players like Sordell who I do believe can give Tottenham's defence a torrid time. Mapp's at the back with Nosworthy are a solid pair and Hogg adds quality at the back. Eustance can command the mid field and I rate Forsyth - I never know why others knock him.

Overall I want to see Watford win for the sake of Football - I get so fed up with Premiership sides run more as businesses rather than a football team and no doubt Tottenham players dive as much as the rest of the premiership - so I hope we don't forget that we mustn't sneeze anywhere near their players for fear they spend the next 10 minutes rolling about on the ground whilst the rest of the team assault the ref until he sends off the phantom sneezer and awards a free goal. After all they are all paid a £million's a minute and how dare a minion from the lower leagues sneeze near them.

 

yellotoyou.....a really good post that sums up my feelings about business over football.

Will we ever get our game back?

 

Hi Oldfrenchhorn - i think there are a lot of people who follow football who think the same - it's such a shame the likes of the BBC and MOtD in particular don't listen - they're too wrapped up in Man U/City etc. and turn a blind eye to real football (warts and all) - hence we loose the Football League Show.