Spurs 2-1 Chelsea

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on April 17th, 2010

In the space of a few days, Spurs have beaten not only beaten third place Arsenal 2-1, they’ve today beaten Chelsea 2-1. Fantastic!

Chelsea’s performance today was quite shocking, they looked like what they are, a team of over-the-hill players. Sure, they threatened, but Spurs were more than a match for them with a work-rate that a Premiership winning side would be proud of.

Michael Dawson was his usual self, dominating whatever or whoever came into his path – how come he isn’t first choice for England at centre-half I’ll never know! But the whole defence and midfield stood firm, making sure Chelsea had no time and space to create chances.

Once again Gareth Bale raided down the left hand side of midfield and got behind their right-back Paulo Ferreira on several occasions, one time it looked like we should have been given a penalty when the Welshman was brought down, however, it wasn’t long until we got a penalty after John Terry handballed a David Bentley cross. Jermain Defoe didn’t miss this time!

Just before half time Bale not only charged by Ferreira, he scored after cutting inside on to his right foot and firing into Petr Cech’s near post. It was such a fantastic goal, and just shows how Bale is getting better and better.

In the second half we had plenty of chances to go even further ahead, for example Defoe through on goal but couldn’t find a way passed Cech. Bale too one-on-one with Cech, but he fired wide. Same too for Roman Pavlyuchenko, but again wide. No joy!

Even after Chelsea were down to ten men following John Terry’s red card, they still looked like they could conjure up a goal, and they did after Frank Lampard tapped home a Michael Ballack cross, thankfully it was late too late and Spurs got back to where they belong, fourth place!

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Spurs 2-1 Arsenal

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on April 14th, 2010

So happy that Spurs managed to pull off an outstanding 2-1 win over Arsenal. Sure, it was a tough game with Arsenal having lots of possession, but for most part of the game, they failed to break Spurs down.

The opening goal was just fantastic, Danny Rose got on the end of an Almunia clearance and volleyed home from 30-yards out. Admittedly, I was shocked to see it go in, but a good kind of shocked!

Rose was a surprise starter in place of David Bentley, but with goals like that, hopefully he’ll have more chances in the Spurs first team.

The second half started and soon after Gareth Bale had put us two-nil up. Jermain Defoe with a beauty of though ball found Bale in the penalty area, who just tucked the ball home. How Bale ended up in a striking position I’ll never know, but the Welshman is so full of running, you can expect him to appear anywhere on the pitch at any time!

Of course, even being 2-0 up the game was never over, especially against a side like Arsenal. They pressed and pressed and eventually got their goal through Bendtner, this despite some wonderful goalkeeping from Gomes.

Thankfully they failed to get the equaliser with Gomes and our defenders standing firm. Michael Dawson was his usual solid self after the disappointment of the weekend, also Ledley King was outstanding considering how long he’d been out injured.

All in all, a wonderful victory that puts the horrors of Sunday to the back of one’s memory.

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Tottenham Hotspur 2009/10

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on July 19th, 2009

It has been quite some time since my last post, a lot has happened. The main thing is that Spurs managed to avoid relegation to remain a Premiership club.

Now it’s the close season and all the talk is about transfers. So far, the only signing is an ex-Arsenal youngster called Anton Blackwood. Ricardo Rocha has been released, and Didier Zokora has left for Sevilla.

At present there’s plenty of talk on who could be coming to the Lane. Ashley Young, Peter Crouch, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar are a few being bandied around.

There’s also a lot of talk on who will exit the club. Tom Huddlestone, Darren Bent, David Bentley to name a few.

I think the present squad is pretty good. We’ve got two very good goalkeepers. The defence is strong, although a new experienced centre-half would be a useful addition to act as cover with Michael Dawson. With Zokora’s departure, a new defensive midfielder would be a good idea, as we’ve only got Wilson Palacios who can play there. Of course, as always, a left winger would be great, but, well, let’s not hold our breaths. Upfront is an area which is up for much debate. We’ve got four quality strikers, however there’s question marks on whether they can play together.

I think with a few new additions we should be more than capable of qualifying for Europe next season, especially if we can maintain our excellent home form. That said, we must keep Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King fit, as without them, our defence becomes too vulnerable. Also I hope Aaron Lennon can continue improving his game, as he most certainly shone last season.

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Woodgate and Bentley get England call-ups

Posted by Stevio in England on August 17th, 2008

England manager Fabio Capello has called up Jonathan Woodgate and David Bentley for the friendly match against the Czech Republic on Wednesday at Wembley.

Full squad is as follows: James (Portsmouth), Robinson (Blackburn), Hart (Manchester City), Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Johnson (Portsmouth), Woodgate (Tottenham), Upson (West Ham), Walcott (Arsenal), Barry (Aston Villa), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Beckham (LA Galaxy), Gerrard (Liverpool), Carrick (Manchester United), Downing (Middlesbrough), Bentley (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United), Defoe (Portsmouth), Heskey (Wigan).

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Ferdinand on Bent

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on August 16th, 2008

Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand reckons Darren Bent will help Tottenham break into the top four by playing upfront on his own.

Ferdinand said: “Darren just needed a little bit of time.

“He was Charlton’s top striker but at Tottenham he found himself behind Berbatov, Keane and probably Jermain Defoe too.

“Darren needs some loving, he needs an arm put round him and to be told he’s No1.

“That’s what’s happened now and we’ve seen the results during pre-season.

“Tottenham have got the right manager in Juande Ramos and they’ve got a good team.

“If Berbatov leaves, they’ll need another striker, but they’ve definitely got an opportunity to break in – especially as Darren’s used to playing up front on his own.

“He did it at Ipswich and he played that way for a long time at Charlton.

“Darren can definitely do the job for Tottenham, it’s just a case of having the right players around him.

“As long as they’ve got someone else in the team who can add goals – and Jermaine Jenas and Luka Modric will definitely score a few – I think Spurs are in good stead.”

On other recent signings, he added: “I’ve seen him at close quarters and Modric has really impressed me.

“A lot of people said he would be too lightweight for the Premier League but I’ve seen him take a few knocks during pre-season and he’s got up and got on with it.

“He looks like he’ll be a good acquisition for the season.

“Bentley’s also a quality player and Blackburn’s loss is definitely Tottenham’s gain.

“He wants to prove himself and become an England regular, so I’m expecting good things from him.”

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Spurs 5 – 0 AS Roma

Posted by Stevio in Videos on August 11th, 2008

Spurs had a very good 5-0 pre-season win over AS Roma at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Darren Bent and David Bentley scored twice to beat the Italians.

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Bentley on Spurs move

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on July 31st, 2008

New Spurs signing David Bentley has spoken following his ‘dream’ move to White Hart Lane.

Bentley said: “First of all I have to earn my right to be at this football club, a club that is in my heart. My aim is to have fans come and enjoy watching me perform for the team I’ve dreamed of playing for.

“I’d love to be an entertainer like [Paul] Gascoigne. I desperately want that. But I know I have to start off by earning the right.”

The 23-year-old revealed that Spurs missed out signing him as a kid.

He said: “No one from Spurs scouted me at all, though I lived just up the road. All my mates gave me some stick when I went to Arsenal but I have to say it was a great environment to grow up in.

“I was coming through at the time of the Invincible team, which went an entire season unbeaten in 2003-04 and set record after record.

“I just wanted to play regular first-team football. It has never been about money with me.

“No one forced me to leave but Blackburn offered me what I wanted – a real chance to play.

“Once I knew Spurs were in and interested – I’ll be honest and admit I thought I’d never end up here – there was only ever going to be one team I’d sign for.

“I was trying my nuts off to get here. Every day I was going through it, on the phone, trying my hardest to come here.

“My friends are all season ticket holders and they were on the phone to me every day. It has been an emotional time for me.

“All my mates, the Tottenham boys, loved it, absolutely loved it when I signed. They all have Tottenham tattoos up their arms and down their legs. They’re mad fans.

“They kept phoning to tell me ‘You’ve got to come to Tottenham’. I told them ‘I want to but they don’t want me’.

“It means the world to come here. My head and all my passion will be channelled into doing well for Tottenham. My mates are buzzing now – just like me.”

On competition for places, he said: “I’m excited by our strong midfield. I want to play with top players. Look at [Luka] Modric and [Giovani] Dos Santos, [Jermaine] Jenas and [Aaron] Lennon.

“I feel I can do a job in most places. Last season I played in central midfield, up front and on the left but I played the majority of the time on the right.

“It’s whatever is the manager’s decision. They’ve given me the No 5 shirt. I’ll play centre-half, too, if they need me!”

The England international has also revealed that he was a fan of Spurs legend Paul Gascoigne when he was younger.

“Gascoigne was my favourite player growing up. The first football top I ever got was a Tottenham shirt with his name on the back.

“Gazza was great, a footballer who enjoyed his football, enjoyed his life and just played with that freedom. A lot of players looked up to him.”

He added: “I can still see Gazza scoring at White Hart Lane with no boot on! He ran through and put the ball in the bottom corner. That’s my best memory of him.”

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Ricketts: Bentley in for tough time

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur on July 31st, 2008

Toronto FC winger Rohan Ricketts, formerly of Spurs and Arsenal, says new signing David Bentley will be in for a tough time when he goes to the Emirates.

Ricketts told The Sun: “I played with David in the same Arsenal side that won the FA Youth Cup. We go back a long way and we have stayed good pals, so I’m really pleased for him that’s he’s signed for a big club like Tottenham.

“Of course, Arsenal fans won’t like it at all and I’m sure that when he goes back to the Emirates they’ll give him a really rough time. I remember when I first went back to Arsenal with Spurs.

“The fans booed me every time I touched the ball and I copped some really bad flak because the clubs are such rivals. The same will happen to David and I’m positive the Arsenal fans will get on his back.

“But at the end of the day, the club didn’t want him so I’m sure he won’t care. He’ll just get on with his job and not let it affect him.

“I can understand why he left Arsenal because he wasn’t getting regular football. He had competition from the likes of Robert Pires and Freddy Ljungberg, who were world-class.

“A player of David’s quality must play first-team football and Arsenal just couldn’t deliver that.

“The fans should understand that. I was in the same boat. As a young player at a club like Arsenal, they have the luxury of picking the very best and some of us had to move.

“Now he’s good enough to play for Arsenal but it’s their own fault for letting him go. He’s just trying to broaden his horizons and better himself. There’s nothing wrong with that.

“It’s a great move for him because Spurs is a club with a bit more potential than Blackburn. They will be pushing for a Champions League spot, which is what a player like David Bentley needs.”

He added: “I was a year or two older than David but I remember the first time I saw him playing in a trial game for Arsenal.

“You could see he was head and shoulders above the rest of the lads. He was an exceptional kid, he had something about him and he’s gone from strength to strength.

“Technically he’s possibly the best player in England right now.

“And if he’s given a free role, he could be the class player we’ve been missing. He could fill the void England have had since Gazza played.

“But while Gazza was more of a direct player, David is better at bringing other players into the game. Yes £17m is a lot of money but David Bentley is good enough to warrant that fee.”

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Bentley completes Spurs move

Posted by Stevio in Transfers on July 30th, 2008

Spurs have announced the signing of Blackburn Rovers winger David Bentley.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Blackburn Rovers for the transfer of David Bentley.”

A press conference is scheduled for 10.00am BST tomorrow.

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Blackburn: No set price for Bentley

Posted by Stevio in Tottenham Hotspur, Videos on July 21st, 2008

Blackburn Rovers have denied putting a £17m price tag on reported Spurs target David Bentley.

Blackburn chairman John Williams said: “Contrary to speculation in the media, we have not put a price on David’s head because we don’t work like that.

“The situation is we have had two bids for David, both of which have been rejected.

“However, if we got a bid that was in line with current market values, then we will refer it to our manager Paul Ince. It becomes a football decision after that.

“As I’ve said all along, we are under no financial pressure to sell because David is only one year into a four-year contract.”

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