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Stoke Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

chrissivad

Staff
May 20, 2005
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58,072
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Stoke v Tottenham

Venue: Britannia Stadium Date: Saturday, 20 March 2010 Kick-off: 1500 GMT

Coverage: Full commentary on BBC London 94.9 FM, DAB, DSAT & Online; BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, local radio, Final Score & highlights on Match of the Day


For more details on coverage please check out Geez's Live Media Thread Click Here

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Potters entertain high-flying North Londoners


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Tottenham will be looking to cement fourth place in the Premier League when they take on Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.

Three consecutive league wins see Spurs one point clear of Liverpool and two clear of Man City, although Roberto Mancini's side have a game in hand.
The race for the final UEFA Champions League place could not be tighter and Spurs can ill-afford to drop any points at Stoke.
However, Tony Pulis' men are tough nuts to crack, especially at home as Stoke have lost just four times in 15 league outings at the Britannia.
Indeed Stoke have a better record than most in Premier League action against Spurs as they have won two of their three top-flight meetings, including a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane earlier this season courtesy of Glen Whelan's late winner.
Stoke news

Pulis' biggest dilemma is whether to recall Ryan Shawcross from suspension. The 22-year-old was banned for the red card he picked up in his tackle with Aaron Ramsey.
The Potters boss could maintain a settled backline although Shawcross is likely to partner Robert Huth at the back with Danny Collins making way and Danny Higginbotham reverting to left-back.
Whelan, who scored the winner against Spurs earlier this season is a fitness doubt, so Liam Lawrence is on stand-by to return to Stoke's starting line-up.
Should Whelan miss out then Dean Whitehead will switch from the right to partner Rory Delap in central midfield. That gives Lawrence a chance on the right, although he will have to keep a watchful eye on Spurs midfielder Gareth Bale.
Ricardo Fuller could be given the chance to start after Tuncay's reaction to being substituted against Aston Villa while Mamady Sidibe should be given the deep-lying striker job.
Spurs news

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is forced into one change after confirming that Jermaine Defoe will be out for a "few weeks" after tearing his hamstring.
With star striker Defoe on the sidelines Peter Crouch is sure to partner Roman Pavlyuchenko up front, although Eidur Gudjohnsen is also another option for Redknapp.
Bale is certain to continue on the left wing after he caused all sorts of problems for Rovers in last weekend's 3-1 win ahead of the energetic Benoit Assou-Ekotto .
With Aaron Lennon and David Bentley still on the sidelines, Niko Kranjcar should keep his right-wing berth playing in front of compatriot Vedran Corluka

PREDICTIONS

Skysports.com's prediction: Stoke 1 Spurs 1

SKY BET Odds: Stoke 5/2, Draw 9/4, Spurs 11/10

One to Watch: Gareth Bale

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BBC Preview


Stoke's Ryan Shawcross, who has completed a three-match ban for his sending off against Arsenal, is a slight doubt with an ankle problem.

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Potters manager Tony Pulis must decide whether to recall the defender or keep faith with the back four that kept a clean sheet against Aston Villa.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says striker Jermain Defoe will be out for "a few weeks" with a hamstring injury.
Jermaine Jenas (groin) will not be risked despite returning to training.


Stoke
Suspended
: Shawcross (ankle)
Injured: Beattie (knee), Diao (calf)

Tottenham
Suspended: None
Injured: Bentley, Jenas, Lennon & Woodgate (all groin), Cudicini (broken wrists), Defoe (hamstring), Huddlestone (ankle), King (thigh), Rose (knee), Walker (arm)


MATCH PREVIEW

The last time Tottenham won at Stoke was 25 years ago, when Garth Crooks got the only goal against his hometown club. That season Spurs finished inside the top four (behind Everton and Liverpool in third place), so another win in the Potteries would be an encouraging omen for Harry Redknapp's Champions League hopefuls.
The trip to Stoke should provide a litmus test of Tottenham's top-four credentials. Few teams rule the Britannia these days, but title contenders Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all dug deep to claim maximum points there.
In contrast, the chasing pack all fluffed their lines, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa taking just a point at Stoke. Therein lies the difference between the Premier League A-list and the best supporting actors.
Having snatched the points at White Hart Lane in October, Stoke are chasing a first league double against Spurs.
Potters manager Tony Pulis insists he would have no qualms about recalling defender Ryan Shawcross, who has served a three-game ban for his leg-breaking tackle on Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey. Shawcross left the pitch in tears on his last appearance at the Britannia, but can be sure of a good reaction from the Stoke fans.
It will be interesting to see if the same is true of team-mate Tuncay after his temper tantrum last weekend. The Turk stomped down the tunnel after being substituted against Aston Villa, but Pulis says he has no problem with the striker's action


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MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Stoke won this fixture 2-1 last season, in what proved to be Juande Ramos' final league match as Tottenham manager.
• Spurs recorded their joint-biggest away win in top-flight football when they won 6-1 at the Victoria Ground on 15 September 1951.

Stoke
• Stoke won this fixture 2-1 last season, in what proved to be Juande Ramos' final league match as Tottenham manager.
• Spurs recorded their joint-biggest away win in top-flight football when they won 6-1 at the Victoria Ground on 15 September 1951.


Tottenham
• Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe have scored 14 out of Tottenham's last 17 goals in all competitions.
• Spurs have won only one of the nine league games in which they conceded the opening goal.
• They are chasing a fourth successive league win.



LEADING GOALSCORERS
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Stoke
Kitson: 7 goals (5 league - 3 for Middlesbrough);
Fuller: 6 goals (1 league)
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Tottenham
Defoe: 23 goals (17 league); Crouch 10 goals (5 league)
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Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant referees: Patrick Keane & Adam Watts
Fourth official: Chris Foy




MOST RECENT MEETING

Tottenham 0-1 Stoke City (24 October 2009)
Stoke scorer: Whelan 86




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camaj

Posting too much
Aug 10, 2004
8,195
883
I'm hoping Harry plays smart. Worst thing we can do is go out attacking, stoke will just sit back and soak it up. We need to sit back and hit them on the break. Crouch needs to just stand in front of Delap whenever he takes a throw
 

rebrab

Harry Cool
Jun 13, 2008
6,403
22,090
1-1. Hope I'm wrong.

Early stoke long through resulting in a scramble, we equalise later with Eidur (who comes off the bench).
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
I cannot believe we are such favourites to win this one

why?

we've pretty much a whole team out, we lost to stoke earlier this season - they beat us last season up there -

for sure I think we have a decent chance of winning, we do have the better team, are a long way in front in the lge, etc

but I'd have thought all the 3 results were about equally likely -

for us to be rated over twice as likely to win as stoke baffles me I must say

well I'll take it as a vote of confidence by the bookies and the punters and here's hoping their judgement is vindicated

pre-team sheets, I'm going for a draw
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
Oh and the BBC's preview is ridiculous -

Stoke
Suspended
: Shawcross (ankle) - !!!!!!?

Tottenham

Injured: Bentley groin - harry said it was an illness
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
It's a shame that we'll be forced to start with Crouch

He'll add a defensive element against their set-pieces, but they'll be too much of a temptation from our boys just to hoof the ball up to him

We need to dominate possession and play the decent pass-and-move football that we're capable of

Most of the so-called 'lesser' teams in the Premiership are fairly well organised defensively if their game plan calls for it. 'Parking the bus', '10 men behind the ball', call it what you want, but they'll be able to defend the long ball to Crouchy all day if we deploy that tactic

I think we need to play with a desire to win, to score goals, but we also have to have a degree of control and patience about our game. The more possession we have, the more defensive Stoke will be, and in turn the harder they'll be to break down, on account of the lack of space for our forwards

But we have to be patient and persevere - NOT revert to lumping the ball up to Peter Crouch
 

nedley

John Duncan's Love Child
Jul 28, 2006
13,942
28,069
Im confident that Crouch will do well for us today. Im hoping for a modric materclass.

Stoke 1 Spurs 3
 

PT

North Stand behind Pat's goal.
Admin
May 21, 2004
25,468
2,408
Palacios will most likely not compromise on his style but it's almost a given that he'll pick up that 10th booking, leaving us short in central midfield for the Fulham replay and the next two league games.

Nevertheless, with the players remaining, the team pretty much picks itself. It'll be an opportunity for the kids to step up to the plate - the likes of Livermore and Bostock / Mason / Rose.
 

Dan Ashcroft

Manstack vs The Gay Chimney
Jan 6, 2008
6,404
1,147
Would love to see Pav and Gudjohnsen paired. Think their intelligence and movement will be effective against a pressing team that sits deep like Stoke.
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
I have a good feeling for today. We're heading into this game as a form team, and we have a few players who are playing at their very best in the last few games (Modric, Bale, Pavlyuchenko and Palacios). As long as we keep the ball on the ground, because we'll be murdered in the air by this lot, and try to outplay them, I think we'll win this one. Get the ball to Modric, get the ball to Bale, get the ball into the area, GOAL! I reckon we'll turn them over and come away with 3 points.
 

Teemu

Pretty fly for a Tanguy
Jan 12, 2006
3,499
5,406
Rain, shocking northern hoofball football, slight hangover. Looking forwards to this, COYS! My first away game with the Spurs fans as well. I've been to Upton Park with the Wham fans a few times, not a particularly agreeable experience. Even when Stalteri scored in the 4-3 game I didn't celebrate much, mainly because I feared for my life.
 

nicdic

Official SC Padre
Admin
May 8, 2005
41,857
25,919
Palacios will most likely not compromise on his style but it's almost a given that he'll pick up that 10th booking, leaving us short in central midfield for the Fulham replay and the next two league games.

Nevertheless, with the players remaining, the team pretty much picks itself. It'll be an opportunity for the kids to step up to the plate - the likes of Livermore and Bostock / Mason / Rose.

Palacios hasn't compromised on his game since he picked up his 9th booking, and has arguably had his best form of the season. Each week, people say he'll definitely get it this week, and then he doesn't. And, if he does, which I kind hope he does, he'll miss two games not three.

We've definitely got what it takes to get three points today, whether we do or not though, is a completely different question. I'm really hoping for a solid display today and our fourth league win on the bounce.
 

ShelfSide18

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2006
8,386
3,122
Tactics for this game - every Stoke throw in Daws gets a piggy back from Crouchy and stands at the front post to block Delaps incoming missiles. Easy!

A draw is always a good result at the britannia but probably not for the context of our season - those silly 3 home games we lost have really made it necessary to pick up 3 points from games like these.

I reckon we can do it but I suspect a draw. The key players for me are most definitely Wilson and Dawson who have to really dominate and remain strong to everything they throw at us.

Mike Dean as referee encourages me, I think he's one of the better ones about at the moment and I have just about forgotten his display at Bolton a good few years back, the worst display of refereeing I have ever seen.

Come on you Spurrrrrrrrrrrs.
 

chrissivad

Staff
May 20, 2005
51,646
58,072
Heurelho Gomes
22Vedran Corluka
20Michael Dawson
19Sebastien Bassong
32Benoit Assou-Ekotto
21Niko Kranjcar
04Younes Kaboul
14Luka Modric
03Gareth Bale
15Peter Crouch
09Roman Pavlyuchenko

Subs
12Wilson Palacios
37Andros Townsend
17Eidur Gudjohnsen
30Dorian Dervite
29Jake Livermore
34Dean Parrett
27Ben Alnwick
 

TwoSaintsComeMarching

PIMP-tastic
Jul 26, 2008
2,403
454
Heurelho Gomes
22Vedran Corluka
20Michael Dawson
19Sebastien Bassong
32Benoit Assou-Ekotto
21Niko Kranjcar
04Younes Kaboul
14Luka Modric
03Gareth Bale
15Peter Crouch
09Roman Pavlyuchenko

Subs
12Wilson Palacios
37Andros Townsend
17Eidur Gudjohnsen
30Dorian Dervite
29Jake Livermore
34Dean Parrett
27Ben Alnwick

If only we could play with 12 men :)

EDIT: Ah you changed it :oops:
 
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