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· Last Season's Corresponding Game - 3-1 to Spurs
· This Season's Away Game - 2-0 to Spurs
· Last Season's Spursometer - 70%
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 16 2004-5
· Spurs won at Blackburn, while Portsmouth beat West Brom at Fratton Park
Full Record of Spurs -v- Portsmouth
Prem Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 2 2 0 0 7 - 4 6
Away 3 1 0 2 2 - 3 3
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Total (Prem) 5 3 0 2 9 - 7 9
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1) 13 4 6 3 27 -22 14
Away (Div 1) 13 3 5 5 14 -22 11
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Total(Div 1) 26 7 11 8 41 -44 25
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Total (Prem) 5 3 0 2 9 - 7 9
Total(Div 1) 26 7 11 8 41 -44 25
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Grand Total 31 10 11 10 49 -51 34
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Last Six Premiership results:-
Spurs
Man Utd 1-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-1 Arsenal
Bolton 1-0 Spurs
Spurs 1-1 West Ham
Wigan 1-2 Spurs
Spurs 3-2 S'derland
Portsmouth
P'tsmouth 1-2 Charlton
S'derland 1-4 P'tsmouth
P'tsmouth 0-2 Wigan
Liverpool 3-0 P'tsmouth
P'tsmouth 0-2 Chelsea
Man Utd 3-0 P'tsmouth
Pos P W D L F -A GD Pts
4 Spurs 15 7 6 2 19-12 7 27
19 P'tsmouth 15 2 4 9 11-23 -12 10
· The fact that Arsenal and Man City lost and that Bolton only drew on Saturday means that Spurs remain in fourth place, even before they play their game on Monday night! Therefore, we have a wonderful chance of consolidating our position, and depending on results (Liverpool don't play next week), we could even go third or higher next week!
All the pre-match hype surrounding this game will be about one man - Harry Redknapp. Redknapp seems to have the knack of falling out with people as quickly as a squad of paratroopers can fall out of plane. Harry, bless him, quit Portsmouth on 24th November last year, and within two weeks, signed for Pompey's sacred enemy - Southampton - on 8th December. He said he couldn't understand the hatred generated by that move, making the point that he had done so much for Portsmouth, but on the 24th April this year, our Harry found out just what a mistake he'd made when he received a venomous reception at Fratton Park on the day that his old team beat his new team 4-1, to help the Saints on their way down to the Championship. Now Harry says he does realise what a mistake he made, and whilst he looked very sheepish at the press conference on Wednesday, when his appointment was announced, it seems that he is only too glad to be back. Harry has another week before he has to face his own fans in a winnable fixture against West Brom. (The team that Portsmouth played on the last day of last season, and by losing ensured that The Saints were relegated!)
Portsmouth were mid-table when he left, but now Redknapp inherits a side minus the likes of De Zeeuw, Berger and Yakubu, each of whom moved on in the summer. Portsmouth are now firmly esconced in the bottom three, after a dismal run of 4 consecutive defeats. In fairness the last three have been against the top three in the Premiership, but now they face a side that will be battling to consolidate fourth place, after the week-end fixtures. Thus the three points will be as vital to Spurs, as for Pompey, who will remain in the relegation zone, even with a win.
This is the first return fixture of the season, and we returned from the south coast on 13th August with a very welcome three-point start to our season, thanks to goals by Jermain Defoe and an Andy Griffin own goal. The presence of ex-Newcastle defenders Griffin and O'Brien does not seem to have stabilised the Pompey defence, which also boasts Stefanovic and Matthew Taylor, who is the club's top scorer this season with three goals. It's no surprise that Redknapp has got on-loan striker Vincent Pericard back early from Sheffield United, although he has only scored a couple there. Harry says he will also give Laurent Robert a chance to prove his worth to the club. Portsmouth do have LuaLua up front, and perhaps Pompey's big problem has been a lack of midfield application and creativity.
In the corresponding game last season (February 5th this year), Mido had a cracking debut scoring two goals to help Spurs on their way to a 3-1 victory. Andy Reid also made his debut on that day, and did impress. These players have enjoyed differing fortunes, as Reid struggles to make even the 16, whilst Mido is currently ahead of even Jermain Defoe on the team sheet, with Robbie Keane winning a place in the last three games. Mido is our top scorer with 5 goals, ahead of Keane and Defoe.
Defoe is the only reported injury problem for Spurs, with a slight hamstring strain, but he is likely to be available for selection in this Monday night SKY game. It is Spurs' last home game before Christmas, and surely the fans will be sent home happy, before a testing trip to Middlesbrough next Sunday? I'll go for a 2-0 to Spurs, and hope to see Teemu Tainio on the score-sheet. Tainio was deservedly voted man of the match by most people, after a dominating midfield display against Sunderland. Teemu is strong all over the park, made vital defensive interceptions, makes incisive threaded passes, and had a couple of decent scoring chances himself. We love him!
· Did you know? Eddie Baily (Bill Nicholson's number two during his managerial reign) is one of Spurs' highest scorers against Portsmouth, with a total of 5 against this opposition. Eddie was helped by his hat-trick in our 1950-51 Championship season, when we beat Pompey 5-1 at White Hart Lane. Eddie was one of those intereviewed for White Hart Lane Legends Volume One (Details here)
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