Agreed. Spurs's first two games were a write off. They are not representative of how Tottenham are now. Spurs were a shambles for the first 180 minutes of this footballing season. If Spurs were to play City and Utd now, there is every chance they'd get a win against Utd and would be very close with City. Those two results obviously won't disappear, however since then, Spurs have conceded just 8 in 11 games and have scored 28 in the process scoring at least 2 / game. It would be inaccurate to include those two games when comparing the defensive stats of Spurs 2012 and Spurs 2011.
And Ledley. In regards to tweaking the team to stop Stoke, I wouldn't. Though Kaboul is going to be needed at his very best at set pieces with the support of Friedel, Ledley (hopefully), Bale, Ade and Walker - all are either very good or decent in the air. We'll also need Scotty to put in another typical display. But as I said I wouldn't change anything, our form is too good to change around. I think Stoke will probably be more worried about containing (or trying to should I say ) our attacking threat. Our midfield and strike force is enough to make any team concerned, yet when we have two fullbacks who also bomb it up the pitch more than most teams wingers it makes us so deadly when the ball is in our possession. I think our pace and technical superiority will ultimately prevail, though the aerial threat from Stoke combined with their decent play which they don't get credited for, will definitely make it a good match. I'm going to the Britannia for the first time on Sunday so I'm definitely buzzing for this one. Going for 2-1. Lennon and Luka with the goals.
As a Stoke fan there are 2 teams at the moment who i am dreading to play, you & Man City. So guess what we have you on Sunday & Man City away on the 21st, why am i dreading it?. Because you are the 2 teams with absolute quality all over the park. Yes, you should be wary of our set peices, but apart from that we create nothing, you should dominate our midfield easily (ours is basically still championship standard) & with your pace & freeflowing attacking football, you should be too fast & creative for our defense. I only hope you do not have your shooting boots on, otherwise i can see nothing but a comfortable Spurs win.
Over our last few games we haven't really had our shooting boots on, although we've still been scoring plenty some of the missed chances have been sitters. I'm always wary when we travel to Stoke. You always have a well drilled side, who if given the lead do not give it up easily. Is Palacios still struggling for fitness? Last time we had Stoke fans on the Spurs board most were confused as to why Delap and Whelan were keeping him out of the team but I think he's had a couple of injury problems since joining you.
Palacios has had a couple of run outs in the europa, but he still looks a bit hefty, unfit & was blowing out of his arse in the first half, but from the little glimpses we have seen (if we can get him Stoke fit), he is miles & miles ahead of our current midfield
The players didn't really have their shooting boots on against Bolton, believe it or not. Jaaskelainen did very well with some of the chances, but he should've been given no chance against quite a few others. I hope that they're a little sharper at the Britannia. I wonder if Everton's fits about Stoke's marking on set-pieces might help us out? They've highlighted something that might cause us trouble, so I hope that the officials were watching and taking notes. The Scousers' loss might be our gain.
Cheers for the comments Mighty Huth. Though as the others have mentioned our shooting boots haven't been fully laced so to speak. The goals scored from chances created have been pretty poor in fairness. It's just because we're still winning (mainly by decent margins too) people don't really realise, without sounding too big headed, we really could have hit 7/8 against some teams this season. Though against Bolton, Jaaskelainen put on a goal keeping lesson and any other day, similar shots would have found the back of the net.
Jesus SoS if you do get your shooting boots on, then i predict 5 or 6 for you Lets just hope it's a great (boring) game for the tv.
I can see another "Wigan Novermber 2009" happening soon I really can, but not against you lot especially at the Britannia. I just can't wait to get there, a lot of guys I know who've been there before have said it's one of the best away days for atmosphere and beers so I'm definitely looking forward to it.
I agree totally HBiC - but I stick to my qualitative view that Gomes would concede fewer goals than Friedel behind an identical defence. Almost none of the games that Gomes played last year had King or Kaboul who have been excellent this year and none had Walker or Parker. I do agree that Gomes makes ludicrous mistakes and our defence looked more nervous with him around but if he actually stops more goals I can live with that.
I hate Stoke. For no other reason than i dread playing them. Especially at the Brittania, which seems (i've never been) to be a pretty intimidating atmosphere. People moan about the Delap throw, but for me it is a thing of beauty. He is the ONLY player in the league capable of such devastating throw-ins. Others might be able to get the distance but it is the corner/free kick like trajectory that is the speciality. I've always liked Etherington. I've never understood why we got rid and then spent years without a lefty. Crouch, hmm, well he's destined to score isn't he? Jones on his day is unplayable, will his day be sunday though? Like SoS says above. Stoke don't get the credit for some of the decent stuff they play. If this was at home i'd be confident of a win by 2 (or more). As its away i'd bite your hand off for a 1 goal win but would also say that a draw isn't the end of the world.
I don't think we can really determine whether Gomes would or wouldn't concede more goals than Friedel. Personally I prefer Friedel but if Gomes cut out the mistakes, I have no doubt in my mind that he'd be one of the best in his position, problem is, he's not exactly a young player with ages to learn (although most keepers do seem to blossom in their 30's). Gomes could pull off saves that no other keeper could produce let alone Friedel, yet when you allow blunders like Chelsea/ Madrid/ Fulham and many other occasions happen, it counteracts the positives. Gomes is a risk - You either get an amazing keeping display or you're left in the sh*t. Friedel guarantees stability. May not produce out of this world saves but definitely pulls off good ones and also very reliable when it comes to the "easy" side of goal keeping. Personally I prefer stability when it comes to the goal keepers position.
"batter them with the pace you have." Got to agree with the Gooner about this. From the other team's POV, Spurs have really frightening speed, especially as it runs through most of the squad. Bale, Lennon, and Defoe are all among the fastest players in the Prem. But what's really scary is watching Kaboul outrun Abonlahor, or Ade running down, I think, Bent. But if it were up to me: I might suggest fewer speculative passes. Passing sideways and backwards to keep possession, the way Kranjcar tends to do, rather than passing forward to no one, as the whole team does from time to time, would be a good idea. I would add Sandro and subtract Lennon. Partly due to it being Stoke away, and partly because I think Sandro should play regularly and start at least occasionally. As well as the team has played, in the toughest game, perhaps (other than the two early games agains the Mancs), Sandro played and was very important.
We have to play to our strengths and that is 4-5-1, lots of width, parker running all day long and modric and vdv linking up with ade - no point worrying about stoke and their "anti football" as if we play our game we will get chances. Stoke are going to come into some form and we're due a loss so ill be honest and won't be shocked if we lose this game but then again if we're the real deal this season then lets go there and win.
Well Harry 'stuck', as pretty much all of us agreed he should. It didn't work, in the second half he 'twisted', but too late, though an appalling ref only made it so. Our slim chance of the title has gone and I'll be supporting City on Monday.
It was, but I can't blame Harry, except that he is too easy on refs who are against us, and too quick to criticise refs who help us. Though to be fair to Harry, so far it's worked this season, but today a scandal of the highest order. Disgusting, disgusting reffing and assistant reffing. Foy was appalling last season at Stoke, where he let them kick us all over the park, especially Gomes. I hate him, I hate the lino(s), I hate Stoke, I hate their fans, and when they eventually get relegated, I will drink a long celebratory lager or two. Stoke are a disgrace to football, so are their fans, so is Pulis and so is Foy. I will fight to stay alive long enough to toast their demise, please let it be soon
Just saw on MOTD, the commentator say after Stoke went 2-0 up, who could have predicted this? Well, anyone who's watched us this season struggle against headers, crosses and high balls in general could have, to be honest. It was hardly a major surprise against the 'Kings' of those areas, although in the end we deserved all three points.
Yep, even I who obviously am not an Arsenal fan thought that day you lost when Van Persie (IRRC) got sent off was one of the sickest days in the history of British football, Indeed what happened to you was worse than what happened to us today, because if I remeber correctly you had a player injured too. Stoke simply kicked you from pillar to post that day in an appalling display of fouling, cheating and thuggery. I have many reasons to see if I can make another twenty years on this planet, and one of the biggest ones will be the hope I see this disgrace to football and stain on our game back to their rightful place in the lower tiers of football. The great thing is they've only won one trophy in over a hundred years, I hope they never win another one as long a football is played on our (un)fair planet.
