I will be streaming the game here tonight, KO is at 8PM GMT…just follow the link below, bookmark it and come back at KO (or just before, make sure you get a seat!)

Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley: Carling Cup Semi Final, Live Stream

My prediction for tonight is a 3-0 Tottenham win, hopefully sealing our route into the final. Which is looking like another Cup tie against Manchester United. We will see, but in the meantime, COYS!!

You can find a good pre-match preview over at BBC - here’s the team-news link

Kieran Westwood has been the subject of strong speculation from the West Midlands that he is due to leave Coventry with Tottenham apparently interested in the former Carlise goalkeeper.
Figures of £4-5 million have been reported.

Harry Redknapp has indicated that he intends to tie up deals early on in this window and the upcoming week should provide fans with more knowledge on these situations.

Two goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and one from Luka Modric helped Spurs on their way to their first win in five games.

Spurs started with with both Darren Bent and Pavlyuchenko up front but the former picked up an injury midway through the first half and was substituted by Fraizer Campbell.  The striker on loan from Manchester United linked up to greater success with his Russian teamate, Pavlyuchenko who displayed one of his best showing in a Spurs shirt to date.  The striker was full of energy and determination and caused all sorts of problems to the away defence throughout the evening.

The performance of Luka Modric was also particularly encouraging, considering his switch back into a more conventional midfield role to adapt to the 4-4-2 formation employed by Redknapp for this fixture as a kind of experiment.  Baring in mind Luka’s recent form, few would have argued his ability to adapt to this more responsive role and he duely delivered, providing a performance right up with Roman.

The match facts pretty much sum up the game. The Spurs goalscorers displayed their worth to the team tonight and it was a sure sign they are really beggining to adapt to the English game.  The 3-1 scoreline also was a fair reflection of a dominant Spurs performance with credit to Wigan’s courage and determination also.

After a goaless first 45 minutes with not much to shout about, Spurs came out after the break, with the extra edge in a tight match.  Fraizer Campbell’s energy caused problems and after being put through by Pavlyuchenko, the loanee was tripped by Wigan keeper Kingston to which the referee rewarded Spurs a penalty.  Pavlyuchenko calmly placed the ball into low into the corner, sending the keeper the wrong way.  This was a typical display of the Russians confidence on the night.

Spurs had their moments at the back, the space in Tottenham’s midfield was evident as Wigan were able to roam forward on various occasions.   Spurs did defend solidly at the back however and not much got through.  However Woodgate was forced to make a marvellous interception to prevent a Wigan equaliser.  Spurs almost scored a wonderful second when the omnipresent Pavlyuchenko crossed masterfully onto the head of Fraizer Campbell who was spectactually denied by Kingston.

Spurs looked the more likely to score as the match leaned towards its conclusion and the home side doubled their advantage when Jamie O’Hara unleashed a fierce strike which rebounded off the post and into the path of Modric who adapted well after clumsily falling over as the ball hit the post, to head the rebound into the vacant net whilst on the floor with the keeper stranded from the earlier shot.

Spurs were comfortable after making it 2-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining and Pavlyuchenko again came close and Harry Redknapp appeared to plan to rest a couple of players towards the end as Hossam Ghaly appeared to be stripping off for a return to the Spurs team, 20 months after infamously throwing down his shirt in reaction to being substitued by Martin Jol.  That didn’t go down well with the Spurs faithful back then and the home fans delivered a chorus of boos to the Egyptian midfielder as he prepared for his introduction tonight to which Redknapp responded by keeping him on the bench.

Tottenham layed back in the last five minutes and were punished when some lacklustre defending lead to an opening for Henri Camara who fired a low shot beyond Gomes to set up a tense finale at White Hart Lane.

Despite the jitters from the home fans, the players responded well and Pavlyuchenko showed his class once more as he latched onto a loose ball to fire home from 20 yards to round-off a near perfect performance for the Russian striker to provide a desirable climax for the home fans.

Player Ratings:

Gomes: 7 - Another assure display, no change is required in the goalkeeping department, the Brazillian truly appears to have found his feet, or rather his hands.

Corluka: 6 - Mixed display from Charlie, frustratingly losing the ball at times, getting forward well on other occasions.

Dawson: 6 - Nothing special from Dawson, a little bit of lacking judgement against a Wigan frontline who appeared to favour attacking the full backs.

Woodgate: 7 - Calm figure in the defence, couple of crucial challenges.

Bale: 7 - Got forward well, did his job defensively.

Zokora: 7 - Really fine display from Didier, great distribution of the ball and looked assured.

Bentley: 6 - Much more determined than in recent games but really lacks the pace which Lennon offers and crossing is a mixed bag.

O’Hara: 6 - Frustrating performance from Jamie, proving our need for a left winger, the lad is simply a central midfielder, not a wide player, determined showing otherwise and a nice strike to set up the second goal.

Modric: 8 - Covered the pitch very well, linked up with all players around him, creative, clever and on the scoresheet.

Bent: 5 - Injured early on and didn’t really link-up favourably with Pavlyuchenko early on.

Pavlyuchenko: 9 - Best display for Spurs so far. Determined, Confident and two goals.

Subs:

Campbell: 7 - Much better display from Fraizer, unlucky not to score and linked up very well with Roman.

Lennon: N/A: Had one touch!

Granted I didn’t expect to get anything at Fulham - they’ve got a better home record than Chelsea and all in all I don’t think a point there would have been that bad… IF we could have done the business against the other two.  The loss to the Baggies really did disappoint me though, I bet it ruined a lot of football betting coupons and I don’t think anyone expected that.  The referee had a howler and Assou-Ekotto’s red didn’t help things but I still feel we should have beaten them.  At Newcastle again the soccer betting odds had us down as favourites but frankly, on that day anyway, Spurs just weren’t good enough.

It all leads to the fact that we need to buy in January, and we need to buy quality.  I would like too see Bellamy at White Hart Lane, I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea and can be a bit of a risk but I watched West Ham against Portsmouth and he was the difference.  He caused trouble down the wing all day long and I think with him on the left and Lennon on the right, Spurs could finally look as dangerous as they should do.

A decent striker also has to be high on the agenda.  I’ve defended Bent before but I’m not sure he’s good enough now.  To be fair against West Brom he was offered almost no support, they kicked him at every opportunity and once we went down to ten men he had to lead the line virtually single handed - but if your striker has to do that, do you want it to be Darren Bent? I don’t think I do anymore.

Looking ahead to January we’ve got Wigan and Bolton away and Stoke and Portsmouth at home.  All these ties are winnable but should we lose a few we’ll be in the relegation battle to the end, there isn’t really any question of that in my eyes.  So a dismal Christmas has set us up for a very nervy New Year! Lovely, I’m just hoping Harry can pull off some of his trademark miracle signings in the transfer window.

..more on this as it develops!

COYS!

———————–

To get all the Spurs transfer rumours from the upcoming January transfer window, stick your email in the box below and they’ll be delivered to you straight away!

I never complain about referees - I haven’t done that for years but this guy was scary.  He’s a poor referee and I’ve seen him make a mess of so many games

Don’t hold back Harry.

The trouble is, that although yes, the referee didn’t help, it was another very poor all round performance. Pav missed out and Bent looked (once again) out of his depth against a West Brom defence…not a good sign. For me Bent has to be one of the main players we need to be rid of in January, but I do not know how we will be able to recover any of the £16m we paid for him. I’d take Carlton Cole as a part exchange at this rate

Back to Harry’s remarks, it is thought that the FA are to let Harry off and not charge him, this from The Independant:

FA disciplinary chiefs have studied Redknapp’s remarks and although the case is viewed as being borderline, are expected to decide against any charge unless further comments come to light

We all saw the same game as Harry and I think it is pretty fair to say that he has a point. The sending off was very harsh and was a case of (as MOTD put it) the referee knowing the rules, but not knowing the game. The push on Dawson that Harry also references was a push yes, but in my opinion and people may not like this, was not a hard push and neither warranted the reaction of Dawson which was quite simply over the top.

Signs are worrying as far as I am concerned, it’s just a shame that it’s not called the Premier League Cup as we would probably be performing a whole lot better - as it would seem with all the other Cup competitions.

Criticism

There is a suprising amount of criticism already mounting on Redknapp (as can be seen here from Harry Hotspur). I think to sack, or even consider sacking him, at this stage would be outrageous. Everyone knows that building a team takes time, take Newcastle as an example. They have had 4 managers I think in this single calendar year alone and it’s not really put them in good stead.

Harry needs the support of the players, the board and most importantly, the fans. I think with all that behind him, we will us take big steps to a top half finish

COYS!

—————————————

If you have enjoyed reading the thoughts of myself, or the other writers here at Come On You Spurs, then stick your email address in the box below to get regular updates - COYS!

COYS!!

Zokora is naturally flattered to be linked with a club like Real Madrid:

It’s fantastic to be associated with Real Madrid as they are one of the biggest club sides in the world

He says that he is happy under the guidance of Harry Redknap however, and describes his situation as “Win, Win”…which for me is a slight concern as I wouldn’t want to see him go, yet a comment like that suggests that he is considering the move.

With the recent move of Diarra from Pompey to Madrid however, I would think that the move is unlikely.

I will keep you all posted with any more transfer rumours - it is pretty much sure to be a busy period with Harry in charge!

COYS!

BetNOW.co.uk are currently offering a great deal to all my readers - they are giving you a completely free, no-deposit necessary, £3 bet. All you got to do is text the word ‘onyahead’ to 89000. Easy as that, and good luck!

——————-

If you have enjoyed my posts over here at Come On You Spurs, then stick your email address in the box below to get regular updates direct in your inbox:

On a more serious note it worries me that Spurs still don’t seem to be coping with the loss of Berbatov and Keane - fair play they were both great forwards but to replace them with the untested Pavlyuchenko and youngster Frazier Campbell was just madness in my eyes.  A decent striker has to be Harry’s number one target, I’ve been impressed by Darren Bent this season but he isn’t the most prolific hitman in front of goal and I feel that’s what is really needed, someone to bury the chances.  If Michael Owen decides not to sign an extension at Newcastle he would be my top choice, he has a frankly ridiculous goals to game ratio (around the one in two games mark) and with his contract nearly up Harry could get him on the cheap.

Another worry is Jonathan Woodgate, if his back injury is going to keep him out for a substantial amount of time another centre-half is a must, especially with Ledley King’s permanent fitness problems.  Without King and Woody the back four can look a bit dodgy to say the least and replacements have to be high on the agenda.  Matthew Upson at West Ham would be a good signing in my eyes, he did well for England and if Capello rates him that’s good enough for me.

Well I’ve got this far without mentioning keepers but I’ve got a bit of renewed optimism in Gomes now, keeping a clean sheet against Man United is no mean feat and he pulled off a couple of decent saves.  I think the striker and centre-half positions are more important myself but if Harry could bring in a world-class keeper it would be an added bonus.

I’m going to finish off with a bit of a look ahead to this Sunday’s trip to Newcastle.  It’s never an easy place to go and they made light work of Portsmouth last weekend but I fancy Spurs to take all three points there.  Since Harry took over Spurs have drawn at Arsenal, beaten West Ham and Man City and lost at Fulham on the road and you can get some decent soccer betting odds on Spurs beating the Toon.  With Owen and Martins in their side Newcastle are always capable of getting a goal or two but my football betting tip for the game on Sunday is for Spurs to nick it 2-1.

Ratings:

Gomes: 8 - Starting to really hit form now, ive noticed hes speaking english in his interviews now, commmunication with the team must be improving. Couple of great saves and some very important interceptions too.

Corluka: 7 - Starting to feel the lad could be buy of the season, he’s been solid for the most part this season.  Making the loss of Hutton seem forgettable.  Adopted well to Centre back early on.

Dawson: 8 - I’m usually the first to slate the guy, but he had a cracking game today, the tackles were well timed, passing could be better but at least he didnt take any risks.  The tactics helped his style of play.

Woodgate: Can’t really rate, hope the injury isnt too bad.

Assou-Ekotto: 6 - Another professional performance, keeping Bale out the team (Probably because of the Bale Curse).

Zokora: 7 - Adapted well to RB, would be foolish to sell him, he’s been superb under Redknapp, very versatile player.

Lennon: 7 - The form player at the moment and another good display, could have been better though, i feel he was a little naive to take on the defence in the opening 20 mins.

Jenas: 6 - Effective but not a major impact perhaps influenced by injury.  Hope its not too bad.

Bentley: 6 - Looked up for it, came very close on a couple of occasions, some decent balls in the box, but very hot and cold at the moment.

Modric: 6.5 - Played well when he was on the ball, the 7 rating evades him because of the lack of link-up play with the sole striker, he needs to play right off the forward, like Keane did, he has the ability, perhaps the tactics meant a deeper role but he obviously has talent and showed it, but i want to see him be further up the pitch. 6 is quite harsh, lets say 6.5.

Pavlyuchenko: 6 - Obviously he was going to struggle in this position against one of the best defensive sides in the league. I noticed that he did lose his marker a few times but playing him in this system is very tough task.

Subs:

Huddlestone:  6 - I wanted to see him start (and he effectively did) but i wanted him and Zokora, Jenas, Modric, Lennon and Bentley to start as well, happy it turned out that way after 10 mins. Looks a lot more mobile, some very encouraging closing down from him too.  Not too many long passes from him though.

Bent: 6 -  No major threat, United easily dealt with him with the offside trap.

O’Hara - Not enough time to make real impact.

We certainly tend to be up for the games under our rivals, unbeaten against United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham now.

Newcastle will be a very intriguing game, I predict either a goal fest or a 1-0 snatch for Spurs! Both sides on form, both remain just above the relegation zone.