Four games without a win. No goals scored in four. 3 out of 12 points gained. A hammering in the Champions League. And a shitty little partridge in a pear tree... Being a Spurs fan hasn't been much fun in recent weeks, with players, staff and fans starting to crack under the stress of watching our push for the top 4 fall to pieces. At the start of the season, we had a knack of simply outscoring the opposition, but now that our defence has tightened up (Madrid not included) the goals have stopped at the other end as well. With every drawn game against relegation battlers passing, we're watching our chances of qualifying for the champions league go with them. Now 5 points off the top 4, it can still be done, but we need to start stringing together some wins.I see the Stoke game going one of three ways:
1) We continue to be crap up front and uncreative in the midfield, the defence will hold firm until the 85th minute and Stoke will nick the winner.
2) Both teams defences cancel each other out and it ends up another 0-0 draw.
3) We take out the frustration of the past few weeks on Stoke and absolutely batter them.
Hmmm...
Opposition Fan View
Understandably, they're more focused on their Wembley semi final next Sunday. They, like us seemed to have got caught up in the excitement of a cup competition and have forgotten the bread and butter of the league. They are however well aware that while they sound safe in 11th place, that is only 6 points off 18th and a bad run of form could see them slipping into the relegation zone. As for this game, the majority of them are predicting we will unleash our frustration on them and send them back to Stoke with a 3 or 4 goal drubbing.
Pub Ammo
-Stoke have two wins from their past three matches including a 1-1 draw with Chelsea
-If Spurs fail to score again it will be the first time we've gone five without netting since February 2001.
-Spurs have gone 402 minutes without scoring.
-At WHL v Stoke, there have been just two defeats – including last season – in 35 meetings. Spurs have won 27.
-Stoke have just 10 away points this season, the second worst away return in the league.
-Stoke have lost their last six away games, the worst sequence in the Premier League.
-Spurs have lost just one of their last 25 league matches at White Hart Lane.
-In 14 Premier League matches in London Stoke have never drawn a match, winning three and losing 11.
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| Our PFA Players of the Year nominees |
Lennon, Kranjcar & Corluka are doubtful. Pienaar is struggling and Hutton, Palacios, Kaboul, Woodgate and King remain out. Our PFA player of the year nominees Gareth Bale and Rafa VDV should be in the team. That still leaves us with a bit of a messed up looking team sheet. I'd go for this:
Gomes
Gallas Dawson Bassong BAE
VDV Modric Sandro Bale
Pav Crouch
UPDATE: Kaboul is fit. Gallas replaces Bassong, Kaboul in at right back. Nice.No Hutton or Corluka forces us to use our part time right back Gallas there, and Bassong in central defence. I would like to see Huddlestone make an appearance at some point as well. And I would also like Crouch to pay us back with a few goals. If you're going to the game, don't boo him, it helps no-one. He'll be determined enough to put things right without the boos. As for a prediction, I HOPE we put things right against Stoke, I think we will, but after recent weeks, I just can't be sure...COYFS
p.s. In the vote earlier this week, 45% of you said the main reason we lost against Real Madrid was down to Crouch's red card. 35% said it was because Real Madrid are just a better team. 10% put it down to not buying a striker in the transfer window, while 5% and 2% put it down to missing Lennon and a messed up midfield respectively. New vote just to the right of this paragraph.
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