Riverside trip up first for Ramos

By: Gary | June 16th, 2008

There was an air of similarity about this morning’s Premier League fixture announcement for Spurs.

Surprise, surprise next season will begin with an opening day away trip in Juande Ramos’ first full season in charge.

This will be the fourth season in succession we have kicked off our season on away soil, while Arsenal were therefore gifted with a fourth straight home opening fixture. This may sound like sour grapes but I do not think I was alone in hoping that this time around would see us start the season in front of our very own White Hart Lane faithful. Especially after last season’s fiasco at the Stadium of Light.

Michael Chopra struck the games only goal deep into stoppage time to puncture all of our start-of-season optimism.

After first day defeats to both Bolton and Sunderland in the last two seasons, I cannot help but fear the worst as we prepare to travel to the Riverside on August 16.

Do not get me wrong, I am not trying to put a down beat on the season before it has even begun but starting on the road once more only seems to dawn misery.

Bur just maybe things will be different under the stewardship of Ramos this term. Here’s to hoping for a better result this time round…

It’s not all bad on the fixture front though. Second up is Sunderland, at home, and I have a feeling a feeling this early season meeting should have a very different feel to it, as we play the Black Cats in our own back yard.

Our other early campaign home games, see us up against Aston Villa, Wigan and new boys Hull. A set of games which on paper could bring eraly fruits to our season.

It is fair to say our start to the campaign is far more appealing than how we end the term. Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool are our final three away games. A trio of ties which could see us end on a downer.

I have never been one for analysing fixtures too far, and as the old cliche goes, let’s take it one game at a time.

But although the fixture list may not have shocked us today, hopefully our early season form will, bucking the trend that has seen us sink to the wrong end of the league ladder in both of the last seasons.

61 days and counting…

COYS