· Brian Judson's Preview
· Last Year's Game - Leeds 2 Spurs 1
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 33 2001-2
· Some more recent fixtures
Last Six Premiership results:-
Leeds
Leeds 1 0 West Ham
Leeds 0 3 Newcastle
Man Utd 2 1 Leeds
Leeds 2 3 M'brough
Liverpool 3 1 Leeds
Charlton 1 6 Leeds
Spurs
Spurs 4 1 Sunderland
Spurs 1 1 Fulham
West Ham 2 0 Spurs
Spurs 2 3 Liverpool
Bolton 1 0 Spurs
Spurs 2 1 Birmingham
Pos P W D L F-A GD Pts
8 Spurs 32 13 7 12 45-45 0 46
14 Leeds 32 11 4 17 44-46 -2 37
Brian's preview documents the changes since we last played at Elland Road pretty well, and the troubles that Leeds have had are well documented for all to know. However, it is worth noting that when we visited them in November, 2001, Leeds were top of the league; David O'Leary was manager; Robbie Keane played for them; and the players also included Rio Ferdinand, and Lee Bowyer. Bowyer and Woodgate played against us in the home game this season.
Now Spurs are 6 places and 9 points above Leeds, but their dramatic 6-1 win at The Valley last week augurs well for a side temporarily managed by Peter Reid. If they can have a good run-in, he must fancy his chances of keeping the job, whereas there was a possibility that he could manage two relegated Premiership sides in one season!
How has that change been acheived? Reid has put Kewell back on the left wing, and played Viduka and Smith up front. As Brian has suggested, the players have been allowed to play a more natural game, rather than try to play to Terry Venables' sometimes convoluted tactics. Despite their indifferent form, even in recent games, Viduka has scored 7 goals in 4 games, with a hat-trick against Charlton. He leads their score chart with 13 league goals, and Kewell is only one behind him.
Spurs have won both their home games against Leeds since we met at Elland Road, and in November, Robbie Keane scored a quite spectacular goal to acerbate the pain for Leeds fans watching another one of their favourites in a different shirt. Robbie will be up and raring to go in this fixture, but Spurs are still missing too much to bother this resurgent Leeds side. Sadly, I also have to predict a Leeds win.
