- Jul 27, 2004
- 24,868
- 11,368
- Staff
- #1
[SIZE=-2](thanks to Evolution for the banner)[/SIZE]
Two weeks of no Premier League almost made me forgot how badly Spurs have been performing. The only problem is the Chelsea supporting ****s in my office taking great delight in reminding me where we are in the League. Hopefully today is the day where them team actually plays as one and we get the win we so badly need. One piece of good news is that big Al is back in training so we might be seeing him in the side soon.
ray:The Official Site Team News:
Alan Hutton has returned to training ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash at Stoke City.
The Scottish international has missed the first two months of the campaign with a foot injury sustained during pre-season.
But Gilberto is a doubt for the trip to the Britannia Stadium after a medial ligament sprain.
Meanwhile, the Club's medical staff will continue to assess the fitness of Roman Pavlyuchenko after his ankle injury.
Skysports.com Preview:
Tottenham go in search of their first win of the season against fellow strugglers Stoke, live on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday.
Stoke have been praised for some spirited displays this season but Tony Pulis will be disappointed with his team's haul of four points.
Since claiming a creditable draw against Liverpool, the Potters have lost to Chelsea and Portsmouth to slip down the table.
They will hope to match fellow promoted side Hull by springing a surprise against Spurs but Pulis faces a number of selection dilemmas.
Liam Lawrence is unlikely to play after suffering a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury, while defender Andy Davies is also expected to be out.
Abdoulaye Faye is also struggling to be fit after picking up a knock on international duty.
Ricardo Fuller will be a late arrival back after playing for Jamaica but the Sunday kick-off could convince Pulis to risk the striker.
Pressure
Spurs have made progress in the Uefa Cup and Carling Cup but in the Premier League they have not been able to find any form in their opening seven matches.
They are bottom of the table with just two points and have not scored in their last three matches.
The pressure has been gradually building on manager Juande Ramos all season and speculation suggests that time could be running out for him to turn the club's fortunes around following the shock defeat at home to Hull last time out.
Many of the players have been away with their countries over the past fortnight and will hope Spurs can make a fresh start after the international break.
Ramos must wait to assess everyone's fitness before settling on his side but one man who is definitely out is Roman Pavlyuchenko.
The Russian striker had to be replaced by Darren Bent in the first half against Hull after suffering an ankle injury and remains sidelined.
Bent is likely to start alongside Fraizer Campbell if Ramos opts for a 4-4-2 formation but more changes can be expected after another disappointing display.
David Bentley will hope to earn a recall, while Giovani Dos Santos could also be given a chance and Ledley King may come back into the defence.
Possible starting XIs
Stoke: Sorensen, Griffin, Cort, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Amdy Faye, Delap, Olofinjana, Tonge, Kitson, Fuller.
Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Bale, Bentley, Zokora, Jenas, Modric, Bent, Campbell.
Interesting Stats:
Them
Not won in five Premier League games; claimed just one of the last available 15 points.
Won just one of their last 17 top-flight matches, losing 15 of them.
Not conceded in the Premier League earlier than the 25th minute.
Us
Playing the second of back-to-back fixtures against promoted clubs; already lost 0-1, home to Hull on 5 October.
Picked up just two points from their opening seven games, matching their return from the start of the 1912-13 season.
On that occasion, 96 years ago, it took 13 games to register a first victory. They lost nine games and drew three of their opening 12, until they beat Newcastle 1-0 at home on 23 November 1912.
Derby, who were relegated with a Premier League record low points total of 11, had four points by this stage last season; twice as many as Tottenham have.
3
Right, that's enough fuel for this fixture, don't forget to check [thread=37787]Geez's Media Coverage Thread[/thread] for watching and listening options.
COME ON YOU SPURS!
[SIZE=-4]Lots of information courtesy of the BBC and SkySports[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-4]Don't forget to head over to SC's live chat during the game. For more info click the links below.[/SIZE]
http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?page=sc_chat
http://embed.mibbit.com/?server=irc...ity&settings=8f877fda3b59f0190c39e4e1e0db2551
[SIZE=-4]Lots of information courtesy of the BBC and SkySports[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-4]Don't forget to head over to SC's live chat during the game. For more info click the links below.[/SIZE]
http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?page=sc_chat
http://embed.mibbit.com/?server=irc...ity&settings=8f877fda3b59f0190c39e4e1e0db2551
:wink:
