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· Away fans! Find a hotel near the ground here!
· Last Year's Game - 5-1 to Spurs
· Last Year's Spursometer - 79%!
· This season's game at Villa Park - 1-1
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 23 2004-5
· Spurs lost at home to Chelsea, while Villa beat Norwich
Full Record of Spurs -v- Aston Villa
Prem Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 13 6 4 3 19 -14 22
Away 14 1 5 8 9 -19 8
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Total(Prem) 27 7 9 11 28 -33 30
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1) 47 25 6 16 99 -77 62
Away (Div 1) 47 17 11 19 72 -75 48
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Total(Div 1) 94 42 17 35 171 -152 110
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Football Lge
Home (Div 2) 2 1 1 0 4 - 3 3
Away (Div 2) 2 0 1 1 1 - 3 1
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Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 5 - 6 4
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Total(Prem) 27 7 9 11 28 -33 30
Total(Div 1) 94 42 17 35 171-152 110
Total(Div 2) 4 1 2 1 5 - 6 4
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Grand Total 125 50 28 47 204-191 144
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Last Six Premiership results:-
Spurs
M'brough 3-3 Spurs
Spurs 2-0 B'mingham
West Brom 2-0 Spurs
Spurs 2-0 Newcastle
Man City 0-2 Spurs
Liverpool 1-0 Spurs
Aston Villa
A. Villa 0-2 Man Utd
A. Villa 4-1 Everton
Fulham 3-3 A. Villa
A. Villa 0-0 Arsenal
West Brom 1-2 A. Villa
A. Villa 1-2 West Ham
Pos P W D L F -A GD Pts
4 Spurs 22 11 7 4 31-19 12 40
15 A. Villa 22 6 7 9 26-32 -6 25
It is a match that has been mentioned on more than one occasion, whenever this site previews the Villa game at White Hart Lane, but this year demands reference to the 5-5 draw that took place 40 years ago on March 19th at White Hart Lane. Spurs had been 4-1 up at half time, and increased their lead five minutes after the break, when Jimmy Robertson scored with a diving header. Laurie Brown had scored Spurs fourth, but he was to suffer terribly, at the head and feet of Tony Hateley who scored four of Villa's five goals. Gilzean and Greaves had scored Spurs' first two, and Frank Saul headed a third goal. Hateley had given Villa fighting chance before Brown's goal. As Brian Judson has stated on this site before, Villa might have even won 6-5, but for a Mullery clearance off the line, after Deakin had rounded Pat Jennings.
Spurs of course scored 5 goals in the corresponding game last season, in a scintillating performance that registered 79% on the "Spursometer". The "K" men were tops for Spurs, as Kanoute (2), King and Kelly all scored. Andy Reid scored his first (and only) goal for the first team on that day. Villa were quite woeful to be honest, and Simon Davies played a blinder. Spurs, with two games left to play, had a great chance to qualify for the UEFA Cup, but deep disappointment was to follow at Middlesbrough the following week.
Villa's start to this season was poor, as they managed only 2 wins in their first 12 games, and they have lingered just above the relegation zone for too much of the time. Their recent form has been better though, with only two losses in 10 games. Both of these were at home (to Man Utd and last week to West Ham). David O'Leary's side have been finding the net more too, scoring 4 against Everton on Boxing Day, and two days later 3 at Fulham.
Overall though, goals have been hard to come by for Villa. Milan Baros, signed from Liverpool last August is the top league scorer with 5, and he has been supported by several team-mates. Steven Davis - a young Northern Ireland International - has scored 4 from midfield. Liam Ridgewell has some rotten memories as a defender this term, but he has scored 3 goals, two of them at Fulham on 28th December.
Villa have featured in the news this week, as the club mentioned by Sven-Goran Eriksson during the now famous journalistic sting by The News of the World. Veteran Doug Ellis still holds the chair, but there have been talks about a potential take-over that perhaps might one day allow the sort of investment on players that David O'Leary craves.
Villa have not lost in 6 away games, and their projected form for the remainder of the season puts them back in the top half of the table. Spurs will be anxious to take all three points to hold onto fourth place in their first home game of 2006. After a decent showing at Anfield, Jol's men still have to reward the home fans for their perseverance in the face of F.A Cup embarrassment and a lack of even one Cup game at White Hart lane this season.
Mido will be in Africa now for at least two weeks, so it looks like Rasiak will get another chance. He scored another good goal for the Reserves on Monday night, but has a long way to go before the fans are convinced he is worthy of the Premiership.
Paul Stalteri is suspended for this game, following his red card last week, so I expect Kelly to step in at right back. Michael Dawson is a slight doubt, but probably will be okay, as will Edgar Davids and Tainio, who were both susbstituted last week, following their returns from injury.
· Did you know? that on 20 January 1896 Aston Villa became a limited liability company. They were originally founded in 1874 by a group of young men associated with Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel.
Provided Spurs play as well as they did at Liverpool, and can be more ruthless in the box, they should win this one. I'll predict 2-0 to Spurs.
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