· Brian Judson's Preview
· Last Year's Game - Poyet bright debut
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Week 2 2001-2
· Some more recent fixtures at home to Villa
M'brough 2 1 A. Villa
A. Villa 0 1 Leeds
Leicester 2 2 A. Villa
A. Villa 2 1 Southampton
Chelsea 1 3 A. Villa
A. Villa 0 1 Liverpool
Arsenal 2 1 Spurs
Spurs 1 1 West Ham
Bolton 1 1 Spurs
Spurs 1 0 Liverpool
Le'ster 2 1 Spurs
Everton 2 2 Spurs
Pos P W D L F -A GD Pts
9 Spurs 1 0 1 0 2- 2 0 1
15 A. Villa 1 0 0 1 0- 1 -1 0
One young man who may be looking forward to this game more than most is Aston Villa's Peter Crouch. Still only 21 and yet to prove himself as a Premiership player, Crouch was allowed to leave Tottenham (under the management of "The Predecessor"), when he had hardly established himself as a reserve player. Spurs got just £60,000 for him, when he joined QPR 2 years ago, but then got a share of the £1,500,000 that Portsmouth soon paid. At Fratton Park, Crouch was a regular scorer, and Graham Taylor invested some £4.5 million late last season.
So why will Crouch be looking forward to this game? He would love to score a senior goal at the Lane of course, where he has played in the Youth Cup four seasons ago. Most Spurs fans don't know him of course, and he may get abuse over his lean tall figure. Don't be deceived though. Crouch has good ball skills, but funnily enough he is not that great a header of the ball, although he has a great advantage to start with! I'll allow him a goal, provided we get two, as I expect.
These days, one season's fixtures seem to replicate the last, and it is only the order that is different as last year we played Villa at home before travelling to Goodison Park. The opener was aboring 0-0, when Villa were sharp, due to Inter-Toto action (last year they succeeded - not this), whilst Glenn Hoddle probably played that first game too cagily.
It's too early to guess who might be fit to play this week. I would hope to see Acimovic start, although Simon Davies would be upset if he had to give way, after his wonderful strike for Wales last night. The team will probably be much the same as last week, although we must hope for news by Saturday afternoon of that intrepid new striker signing for us!
I think there is much wrong with Villa this season, and really do think they could struggle under Graham Taylor's leadership. I might even have a fiver on them to go down! My prediction? 2-1 to Spurs, with Redknapp to almost break the net with a free kick!
