Today’s result saw Tottenham up to 14th place with 28 points. Not quite out of the Relegation scrap yet, but hey… it was a little bit uplifting to get a win in the league after our miserable result against Shakhtar.

Lennon scored the first goal 17 minutes in, followed by Michael Turner pulling one back for Hull. The game stayed level all the way until Woodgate scored the winner in the 85th minute.

Darren Bent got the start that he so desperately pleaded for, and did absolutely nothing to prove his worth. Wilson Palacios continued to impress me, and Keane again looked motivating but still hasn’t scored since his return.

Cudicini started over Gomes once again, despite reports stating that Gomes is still the teams #1.
There’s a big surprise…

Our game against Sunderland has been postponed, so we face ‘Boro next. Hopefully we can take some momentum from this win into it.

Let’s be honest… for anyone who saw the Uefa cup game today would have to agree that the two goals for Spartak Moscow in the first half were entirely on the fault of our backline. Gilberto’s brain fart on his first appearance under Harry let Artem Dzyuba sneak in a cheeky nut meg on Gomes. Then a little later on in the first half we got caught on a counter attack and our backline was left on it’s heels and Dzyuba snuck another one past Gomes in a 1v1 situation.

At the half it appeared that the side that most notably bore ManU’s Nemanja Vidic, Boroughs Emanuel Pogatetz, and our very own Roman Pavlyuchenko, might have been a bit too much for our experimental lineup.

Our starting 11 in the first half was made up of Gunter, Zakora, Dawson, and Gilberto in the back. Bently, O’hara, Huddlestone, and Bale in Mid. and Modric sitting in behind Campbell. Needless to say it wasn’t working for us, so Harry made the decision to sub Lennon in at the half to drop Bale back to defense and Lennon taking his position up the right wing.

The second half began much as most of the first half went with Spurs dominating possession all over the field, only this time the back seemed a bit more tidy. Then in the 67th minute Luka Modric met with a cross by Lennon in the box and rifled it into the back of the net. Ending his current goalless slump and making it 1-2, giving Spurs fan’s a glimmer of hope that we’d take at least a point from this match.

We continued to move the ball around well over the next few minutes when Tom Huddlestone met with a Cross sent into the box by Gareth Bale to make it 2-2 in the 74th minute.

Overall i would have to give the Man of the match to Jamie O’hara. He was all over the place and his close control was absolutely top drawer. In a close second would be Modric, only thing hindering him was his constant fading in and out during the second half. And on a second note Gomes’ continued mistakes may be overshadowing his past great clean sheets, this all begs the question on whether or not Harry will go looking for another keeper in window, what do you all think?

Elsewhere in the Uefa cup bracket we Saw Nec Nijmegen beat Udinese 2-0 which takes them through in third place right behind us with Udinese leading the group. Should be interesting to see who we draw in the Knock out round.

But in more important news we have a very important match with Newcastle this sunday, and the fact that we are tied with them in the table means we have to get a win away. And as previously stated The window opens up in two weeks, Who do you think would be a good purchase for Spurs this time round?

With Gareth Bale having played a solid game against Zagreb, it’s a little baffling what Harry sees in BAE. Hopefully our Welshman will get his start next week and put BAE permanently on the bench.

So basically, I didn’t get to watch the game today as a result of my busy schedule, but I guess I didn’t miss much. A shaky backline to say the least with Dawson (who I’ve never been excessively keen on) and Woodgate in the middle and Corluka (thumbs up) and Assou-Ekotto (thumbs slightly less up) on the flanks. However I have to scratch my head at the midfield, to say the least: What the fuck is Giovani doing on the bench, after what he showed against Newcastle? Especially since he came on for Zokora to add offense on 57 minutes, but all along Juande should have known it would have been more beneficial to have Dos Santos on the pitch. Pav also played 73 minutes.

So, looks like there’s not much for me to say. Premier League match report is here, Spurs one is here.

Next fixture is the second leg against Wisla on Thursday. Let’s not fuck it up! Always keep it real readers, COYS and see ya later.

Attendance: 20,352 at Fratton Park
Goals: Defoe (PK) 33, Crouch 68
Spurs: Gomes – Corluka, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto – Bentley, Jenas, Zokora (Giovani 57), O’Hara, Gilberto (Lennon 45) – Pavlyuchenko (Bent 73)
Portsmouth: James – Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Belhadj – Little (Utaka 61), Hughes, Diarra, Traore – Crouch, Defoe (Kaboul 89)

Nothing like swooping in and grabbing the player you want right off the bat. If you missed it, Tottenham Hotspur have signed Dinamo Zagrab and Croatian Attacking Midfielder Luka Modric for a fee reported to be around 15.8 million on a five year deal, though many sources report the fee will climb a bit over the 20 million pound mark once a few clauses pay out.

So there you have it. We’ve begun to address the need for a few quality midfielders with Modric. He has the ability to play both on the left as he does with Dinamo Zagreb or in the middle as he does with Croatia. Odds are he will be playing in the middle for Spurs, where we need help desperately.

Modric pointed out Juande Ramos as the main factor for coming to Spurs. “I am very lucky and proud to be here in London at Tottenham. I am also happy that the coach Juande Ramos wanted me, it is the most important thing that the coach wants you as a player. I want to show that I have the quality for Tottenham and the English Premier League and help the club achieve big results.”

Spurs beat out Newcastle United for the signature of the 22 year old as well as a few other, as yet, unnamed teams (Chelsea?). ” It is right that many clubs in England were interested in taking me, but my favourite from the first meeting was Tottenham because I am a big fan of coach Ramos.”

There you have it. Spurs have yet again splashed the cash in hopes of breaking into the Champions League. Is Modric the answer? Well, he may be part of the answer as Spurs midfield is definitely the area of need. Now for a new tackling midfielder and left wing! COYS!

P.S. I’m not going to touch our fourth lackluster 1-1 draw in a row… Though I was upset with the play of Jenas in particular… Funny that news of Modric’s signing came the same day as yet another disappointing outing by Jenas…. hmmmmm

-The pitch at the JJB was just unacceptable Saturday. I have parks around the block from me that have a better quality playing surface. Still, Wigan have created a bit of a stronghold there making it surprisingly difficult for visiting teams to walk away with many points. I just wonder how much of that is created by their sub par pitch?

-Gus Poyet had made mention after the Middlesbrough draw a couple weeks ago that Spurs needed to take advantage of their chances and develop a bit of killer instinct when they are already up a goal. Well, they failed to add to the scoreline again Saturday. What ever happened to the team that couldn’t stop scoring but had a tough time stopping other teams? Remember the horrid defense on set pieces? Well, Juande, with some help from the arrival of Jonathan Woodgate and Alan Hutton, has remedied that ill. So why now are we struggling to put the ball in the back of the net with any regularity?

-Aaron Lennon looked great Saturday. It’s been awhile since he’s looked that confident and impressive overall. It seemed ridiculous that rumors of his departure had started circulating, after all, how many players are there (that Spurs could realistically acquire) that could be a drastic improvement?

-Spurs don’t have a single player (active/Gareth Bale) that can put a free kick on goal. The opportunities are wasted as soon as they’re given.

-Samuel Eto’o has been linked to Spurs… which means he’ll sign an extension to stay at the Nou Camp for four more years in a week or two.

COYS!

Saturday’s game at the Lane against Middlesbrough was somewhere in between. I like to look at it like this: was a 1-1 draw at the Lane a good result for Brough? Yes, I’d say it was. They came to the Lane, not the easiest place to play, went down a goal and walked out with a point. How about Spurs? Should we have taken all three points against a team below us on the table when we’re at home? Yes. Saturday’s draw showed yet again that this team is in cruise control. Here are a few issues I had:

- Was our goal a nice piece of work out of Berbatov, flicking the ball over his head and to the other side of the box where Lennon was waiting? Or simply a bit of luck as the pass fortuitously found Lennon who wasn’t even able to complete his intended pass to Keane. The ball found it’s way into the net but not in the most stylish of fashions. To me the goal was created just as much out of luck as it was skill.

- Opportunity would come here and there for Spurs who would be unable to capitalize on their chances for the rest of the game. Berbatov, upon failing to further Spurs lead more then once, would be all smiles. He doesn’t seem to care all that much at this point when he fails to take advantage of his chances, unlike earlier in the season. It got me to thinking: How many times has Berbatov spoiled wonderful chances this year, hitting the cross bar or post or perhaps just sending the ball over the goal all together, when Spurs have been in control with a lead, only to see that lead disappear? The team ends up with a draw, like Saturday, or a loss. He’ll be off somewhere this summer and, if the cash is right, it might not be a bad thing. He’s class, but his shots aren’t always as clinical as they should be.

- Still, it was the combined effort of Berbatov and Keane that allowed Spurs to attack Middlesbrough as the midfield looked terribly disappointing.
* Lennon caused some problems but still couldn’t complete a cross. Was subbed for Bent in an effort to claim 3 points.
* Malbranque was non existent all game (was there a shoot out going on?) then was subbed for Huddlestone who allowed Downing about 5-7 yards worth of space to shoot for the equalizer.
* Jenas got just enough of his head on that shot for it to carry into the goal and away from Cerny, and to be honest it was the only touch he had all game that was even marginally memorable.
* Zokora had a nice run that amounted to nothing but he did his part…. still trying to remember what that is exactly.

There was little life in the squad and, from my point of view, even less disappointment on the faces of the players after getting a result that should be considered less then positive. There’s no pressure on the players aside from playing for a spot on next years squad, so one would think that the overall play would improve. That just hasn’t been the case. The result was what the team deserved. Spurs controlled the first half, got a goal and then failed to add to their lead. Middlesbrough came out in the second half, and got the equalizer so to be honest the score was an accurate representation of the flow of play. That being said I suppose I’m just hoping for the flow of play to start going Spurs way a bit more often during this last month. COYS!

The irony of it all, is that Spurs have had a terrible season compared to Saturday’s opponents, yet it is Rovers stewing over a season ended in disappointment.

Right from the summer months, Rovers have enjoyed more success than the North Londoners. But Spurs have had the last laugh.

Let me explain…

Blackburn spent peanuts on an impressive Roque Santa Cruz while Spurs threw millions on Darren Bent who cannot hold down a regular starting slot.

Blackburn can thank centre-back Samba for another solid season. Instead Spurs blew £8 million on a Frenchmen Kaboul who looks horribly out of place.

Blackbun fans have seen David Bentley flourish while Aaron Lennon has failed to progress anywhere near his full potential.

Blackburn have Brad Friedel as reliable as ever between the sticks while Spurs have a suspect Paul Robinson.

Blackburn are in harmony with boss Mark Hughes while Martin Jol was swiftly shown the door after an awful start to the league campaign.

Blackburn’s consistent run of form looked as if it would be rewarded by a UEFA Cup slot while Spurs’ hopes of a top four finish were laughed off by North London neighbours.

Yet, it is Spurs who can walk away with a very big grin on their face after a very lucky season.

A Carling Cup victory far more satisfying than Rovers’ Cardiff win over the whites in 2002.

Automatic entrance back into Europe left hopes of Rovers making the cup through the league dashed. Then, as Mark Hughes’ men eye a possible Intertoto Cup route, Spurs roll into town to earn an undeserved 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

Two points lost leaves Aston Villa in full control for sixth spot and Rovers missing out on a European Tour.

A blatent penalty claim denied Rovers maximum points.

Rovers must be sick of Spurs, for they deserve far more than a side who have gone about their business this season in all the wrong ways.

Rovers deserve more, but Spurs have fallen on their feet! Saturday showed that: we may not be so lucky next season.

Holy crap! That was awful, just plain awful. You remember when you were a kid and your folks would make you eat some vegetable that just smelled about as bad as possible? Like it was harvested from your old gym teachers shorts after a week straight of continuous wear? Yet there was nothing you could do about it. You knew you were about to experience the taste equivalent of listening to the Kevin Keegan album you see on this page. It was going to be unpleasant, and no amount of nose plugging would stop the horrific taste of that item from hitting your taste-buds and starting the chain reaction of grossness. Well Spurs gave us the football equivalent yesterday. Yuk.

Why bother rehashing the steaming hot cup o’ crap that we all saw in it’s full splendor yesterday? I know I’m not. But I do have a question. Outside of a real top class header by Darren Bent, how can the team, or at least the ones that participated in yesterday’s crap sandwich, go out and play a game knowing that Ramos and Poyet are analyzing each and every move that every player makes right now, and drop such a massive stinker?

“We’ve got to look at ourselves – just because we can’t get relegated and we can’t really go any further forward doesn’t mean to say we can put in performances like that.” A little knowledge from Jonathan Woodgate, but it really does say it all. The lads are mailing it in, Europe is locked up, and the team can’t really move up or down all that much, so why bother? Well, I’ll tell you why. This summer players that were once viewed as the foundation pieces of what Tottenham were building to will be shipped out quicker then you can say “4-1 defeat at the Lane to the Magpies”, that’s why they should have bothered. Lack of heart will equate to a one way ticket out the door. It’s going to be an interesting summer.

COYS!