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Full League Record against Sunderland
 
Premier       Pl   W   D   L    For-Ag  Pts
Home           8   7   0   1    19 - 8  21
Away           8   3   2   3    12 -10  11
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Total(Prem)   16  10   2   4    31 -18  32
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1)  37  14  12  11    57 -45  42
Away (Div 1)  37   8  11  18    31 -60  29
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Total(Div 1)  74  22  23  31    88-105  71
==========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 2)   1   0   0   1     2 - 3   0
Away (Div 2)   1   1   0   0     2 - 1   2
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Total(Div 2)   2   1   0   1     4 - 4   2
==========================================
Total(Prem)   16  10   2   4    31 -18  32
Total(Div 1)  74  22  23  31    88 -105 71
Total(Div 2)   2   1   0   1     4 - 4   2
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Grand Total   92  33  25  36   123-127 105
==========================================

Last Six Premiership results:-

Spurs
 
Chelsea    3-0   Spurs
Spurs      5-0   Burnley
Bolton     2-2   Spurs
P'tsmouth  1-2   Spurs
Spurs      0-1   Stoke
Arsenal    3-0   Spurs

Sunderland

Burnley    3-1   S'derland
S'derland  5-2   Wolves
Man Utd    2-2   S'derland
S'derland  1-0   Liverpool
B'mingham  2-1   S'derland
S'derland  2-2   West Ham

Pos           P  W  D  L   F-A  GD  Pts
5 Spurs      11  6  1  4  21-17  4  19
8 S'derland  11  5  2  4  20-17  3  17

Question:- How many Sunderland players will be up for this Saturday's game at White Hart Lane?

Answer:- All of them!

Question:- Which of those players will be especially up for the game?

Answer:- Darren Bent, Andy Reid and Steed Malbranque, all of whom were rejected by Spurs. Then there are Frazier Campbell and Marton Fulop (if selected). Campbell was a loan player with us last season, but he has only had two league starts this season. With Kenwyne Jones suspended for this game, Frazier may get a chance. Fulop hasn't had a game since August though, and of course Craig Gordon is the number one keeper.

Darren Bent was our top scorer last season, and heads the chart for Sunderland this term. One of those goals might have been in off a beach ball (Liverpool), and there might have been a penalty or a deflection or two, but Darren has done well, and he stands just two goals below the top Premier League scorer so far this season, with 8 league goals to his name, behind only Torres and Drogba. Darren didn't seem to have his scoring boots on last week in the exciting 2-2 draw against West Ham, but I suspect he will score against us on Saturday.

Andy Reid has been in pretty good form this season too, with two league goals to his name. he scored a good free kick last week to set The Black Cats on the road to recovery after West Ham had taken a two goal lead. Reid has also scored two goals in Sunderland's Carling Cup campaign, which came to an end (on penalties) against Aston Villa. Favoured Midfielder Lee Cattermole will be out for another two months with a knee injury.

Another incentive for Sunderland this Saturday is the fact that a win would take them above Spurs. It's been a good season so far for the Wearsiders, managed since June by Steve Bruce, who has had the backing of some financial investment thanks to Niall Quinn's ability to round up some investors. Sunderland's away form hasn't been so good, with defeats at Stoke, Burnley and Birmingham, but they got a good point at Old Trafford.

Bruce has been a bit of a wandering minstrel in his management days, starting at Sheffield United in the nineties, then having brief spells at Huddersfield, Wigan and Crystal Palace, before settling at Birmingham for a good five years. He went back to Wigan before being drawn to the North-East, where he was born.

Sunderland won their first Premier League game at The Lane last year in the second game of Spurs' disastrous start to the season. Jenas scored the Spurs goal. Darren bent became the first Spurs striker to score a goal in our third game at Chelsea.

Spurs of course need to win this game to put an end to a two-game scoreless and pointless run. Once again the team owes us fans for failing to beat Stoke two weeks ago, and for not putting up a good enough show last week at the other place.

In our October form guide this week, we pointed out that skipper Robbie Keane had been voted Spurs worst play in three of our five games of the month. I thought about running a poll to ask if he should be dropped this week, but I think the result would be too predictable, whereas I suspect Harry will start with Robbie and the returning Jermain Defoe. The publicity says that Aaron Lennon will not be available this week, but the Physio Room site suggests otherwise. Bassong is definitely out with his hamstring sustained so late in last Saturday's game, so it is any two from Ledley King, Woodgate and Dawson to start this game.

Spurs might owe us a win, but of course that is no guarantee of such achievement. We will certainly need a win to stay in fifth place, with Man City at home to Burnley and Liverpool and Villa having clearly winnable games. I'll take us to win quite emphatically, with Bent scoring for the visitors, and will go for 3-1 to Spurs!

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