Weather permitting (and the signs are looking good at this stage that the game will go ahead, despite snow over most of Britain this week-end), there is going to be a hot atmosphere at Anfield tomorrow night, when Liverpool host Spurs. Apart from the PA-encouraged Anfield anthem "You'll never walk alone", the home fans are going to be giving massive cheers to Luis Suarez, returning from his 8 match suspension following the incident with Patrice Evra.......
......Suarez played in both Liverpool's last two defeats against us, and hasn't had a competitive game since Christmas, so who's to say he is going to walk straight back into the starting line-up, and why should Spurs fear him? Spurs need fear no individual, and no team on their current form. However, this is going to be a tough game. The atmosphere and the play should be exciting, with goals at each end. I fancy it will end in a 2-2 draw..........more........
This was a tough game with both sides battling it out in the middle of the park with neither getting on top. The game was end to end with some good approach play but not many final balls to trouble the keepers. Saying that the lanky Ngoo had a couple of good chances in front of goal, and Liverpool had the best player in Sterling. Liverpool prevented Spurs from playing their fluent passing game mainly by giving away free kicks. With chances at a premium it was Spurs that took the one that counted.
Spurs now have to wait for the winner of the last quarter-final between Barcelona and Ajax next week. The semi-final is expected to be played at a neutral venue, but that could change.
.......... Read Ray Lo's full report here...
Spurs have since withdrawn from the tournament. See the report for full details
Spurs Odyssey Match Report - Spurs v Wigan - 31.01.12
It was cosy for Spurs, and Gareth Bale made hay with two goals against a Wigan side which came to play football, but once again suffered defeat to remain rooted to the bottom of the table. It was a more than satisfactory night on the football field for Spurs, who gained ground on Manchester City, who lost at Everton, and also widened the gap between us and fourth placed Chelsea, who scored a last minute equaliser to draw at Swansea. Many Spurs fans were dismayed by the transfer deadline day action by Spurs though, as substitute Pienaar went back to Everton on loan, Corluka went to Bayer Leverkusen on loan, and Bassong also departed on loan to Wolves. Pavlyuchenko is going for a fee back to Russia. The replacements of Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen do not excite Spurs fans, although their task will be to under-study and play as much first team football as have those departing.........more........
Spurs Odyssey Match Report - Watford v Spurs - 27.01.12
Spurs became the first team to go through to this year’s fifth round of the FA Cup, thanks to Rafa van der Vaart’s 42nd minute goal, but Watford and their connections can hold their heads high, thanks to a performance that made them look like the pedigree team from the Premier League and made Tottenham look like the Championship strugglers. On this performance, one wonders why Sean Dyche’s Watford are sitting in 18th place in the lower league. Harry Redknapp made the dash from Southwark Crown Court to pick the team, but perhaps he left his inspiration behind. Spurs fielded a stronger team than I expected, but perhaps Harry and his team knew what a tough contest lay ahead.......... ....more...
Here is an article written (on 24.01.12) for Spurs Odyssey by a qualified refereeing expert, who must remain nameless:-
The views of the average Spurs fan on Howard Webb are well known. It is natural that fans view incidents from a biased perspective. Hopefully here I can redress some of the balance both for Webb and referees in general.
Firstly, fans need to accept that they are biased. It doesn't mean they're wrong but if you cannot recognise your own bias then there is no hope of sensible discussion. Secondly most fans don't know the laws. They have an idea, more or less, but the details are, understandably, not always fully understood. I don't think there is a problem with that, as long as fans again recognise shortfalls in their knowledge.
The problem for referees comes partly in the fact that fans have long memories - at least in terms of when they are wronged. Dodgy decisions in their favour or against the opposition tend not to linger in the memory and thus the vitriol directed to those who 'wrong' a club is not matched in praise of those who make equally questionable decisions in their favour. That's the nature of being a supporter.
Having come back from a seemingly certain losing position to level the scores at 2-2, in a drama-filled second half at The Etihad, Jermain Defoe missed a “Gazza-like” golden opportunity at the back post after Gareth Bale’s cross, before Ledley King committed a suicidal foul upon substitute Mario Balotelli in the very last of four minutes of added time to concede a penalty that Balotelli put away with a nonchalant hesitation in his run-up to deceive Brad Friedel. Not many Spurs fans in the stadium were aware, but TV viewers were very much aware that Balotelli should have been sent off for stamping on Scott Parker’s head earlier in the game. Balotelli only came on after 65 minutes, and did get booked for a foul on Assou-Ekotto, so he had a rather eventful day.
City fans don’t care about how they have come to be in this position of favourites for the title, or any mischievous antics of their £200,000 a week stars. They are crowing about this win and their position at the top of the league. I have to say though that they did not look like a title winning side, being fallible at the back, and susceptible, in particular when Jermain Defoe got a quick goal back, after Spurs had gone two down. To a certain degree, the “nasty days” are back at Man City, as there were elements of hostility towards Spurs fans as we left the stadium. Maybe Moss Side has simply moved a little...............more...
