Consent Preferences Spurs Odyssey Preview - Leicester v Spurs - 11.05.02
Spurs Odyssey Banner

Over 25 years of archives at Spurs Odyssey

Main Page
News and views from Paul Smith, and links to the interactive features of the Spurs Odyssey Site. [more..]
Features
Articles, reports, views, opinions, comments and other features all related to Spurs. [more..]
News

Match Reports
Preview Leicester v Spurs, 11.05.02

Hare is Brian Judson's preview of the game


Full Record of Spurs -v- Leicester City

Premier       Pl  W  D  L   For- Ag Pts
Home           7  3  1  3   10 - 9  10
Away           6  1  1  4    6 -13   4
======================================
Total(Prem)   13  4  2  7   16 -22  14
======================================
Football Lge
Home(Div 1)   29 13  6 10   64 -46  34
Away(Div 1)   29 16  4  9   53 -54  40
======================================
Total(Div 1)  58 29 10 19  117 -100 74
======================================
Football Lge
Home(Div 2)    7  3  3  1   12 - 7   9
Away(Div 2)    7  4  1  2   14 -13   9
======================================
Total(Div 2)  14  7  4  3   26 -20  18
======================================
Total(Prem)   13  4  2  7   16 -22  14
Total(Div 1)  58 29 10 19  117 -100 74
Total(Div 2)  14  7  4  3   26 -20  18
======================================
Grand Total   85 40 16 29  159 -142 104
======================================

And so to the conclusion of another footie season! Leicester City have, of course, already been relegated to the Football League so we should be able to witness the debut of Jamie Redknapp this week. (Ed's note:- I do not think that dispensation has been or will be given for Redknapp to play) There will be those who will take some feeling of satisfaction of seeing Ian Walker between the posts of a relegated team. I never rated Walker but appreciate that succeeding Erik Thorstvedt must have been difficult for him as Erik The Viking was a very popular goalkeeper once people accepted that Erik was not out of the same mould as his predecessor, Ray Clemence.

Tottenham have been blessed by a number of good goalkeepers since the advent of Ted Ditchburn. Before Ditchburn, Tottenham had never had a really superb goalkeeper. But since then we have seen Bill Brown, Pat Jennings, Ray Clemence and Erik Thorstvedt. There are others who were courageous, such as Milija Aleksic, who suffered some horrible injuries (anyone remember a certain Mr Hoddle playing in goal?) and there have been some awful goalkeepers (make your own nomination but I am sure Barry Daines or Mark Kendall will figure high in the list!).

Leicester were a very good side in the 1960s and were unlucky to be around at the same time as some other good sides. They have never won the Championship and have frequently shuttled between the top two Divisions, accompanying Tottenham in their downward plunge in season 1934-35. There was also the famous occasion when Leicester City were the final obstacle to Tottenham completing the first League and Cup double of modern times in season 1960-61. Those of us who saw that Final will remember that Spurs were not at their best and were fortunate that it was Leicester's len Chalmers who was stricken by injury on Wembley's lush turf rather than Tottenham.

This will be the last match to be played at Filbert Street before Leicester move to their new ground. It is a sad co-incidence this is happening as they are about to be relegated to the Football League, particularly in view of the fact that football has been hit by the demise of ITV Digital, which means that the balmy salad days of improbable salaries are now coming to an end. I am sure Leicester will be back in the Premiership but whether it is a swift return or a long one depends on how Micky Adams reacts to the challenge.

Leicester began the season with Peter Taylor as their manager in succession to Martin O'Neill. Leicester had been fortified by the squad O'Neill had constructed but he began to process of derailing that success by whisking away some of the components of that squad to Celtic. The momentum took a while to slow down but it was obvious during last season's run-in that Leicester had run out of steam. They made an awful start to the season with Walker unhappy about being cover for the ageing Flowers but Walker eventually replaced Flowers when the latter player was injured. Walker, along with some of the squad, has declared he wishes to remain with the club despite its relegation. Obviously, he is mindful of the fact there will be fewer vacancies for a goalkeeper next season and that the only way out for him is further down the pyramid.

Despite Spurs well-known problems, they have improved slightly over their performance under their previous manager, who is now a TV pundit for Sky and once again free to eulogise about the other team in North London. None of us want to be reminded of the history they look set to create (as I write these lines before a certain fixture in Manchester tonight). But I feel sure that we will see further progress next season.

And the outcome of the final match? Spurs to record another away win, surely? I am not so sanguine about that. In the final match of our last relegation season, we beat Leicester City 2-0 at Tottenham, a result that heralded problems for Leicester the following season. I think we will do well to achieve a 1-1 draw as Leicester will be keen to sign off on a cheerful note for their supporters.

I hope everyone has a lovely summer. If your country is going to the World Cup Finals, I hope you do well (except if you play England!). Hopefully, I'll be back in August with some more previews.

Cheers, Brian

· Current Form

Top of page | Back to Fixtures and Results

Last season's match
Read the full report of the corresponding fixture from last season here
Statistics
Fixtures, appearances, current league table, form guide, reserves fixtures, and Spurs Honours. [more..]
Archives
Find match reports, appearances, goalscorers and features from previous seasons. [more..]
Pick of the Week
Every week we select a Spurs related site from the whole world wide web and highlight it in this section. [more..]
Links
View a comprehensive list of links to other Spurs related sites. (With a few extras) [more..]
About this site
· Overview
· History
· Contributors
Contacts
Site Owner
· Paul Smith

Search Now:
In Association with Amazon.co.uk

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Full details van be found via the Spurs Odyssey Privacy Policy