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· See the current injury list for all Premiership Teams
The following is our record against Fulham in the FA and Football League
Cups. The details are:
FA Cup Round Venue Result
1908-09 2 H 1-0
1983-84 3 A 0-0
3R H 2-0
1997-98 3 H 3-1
FL Cup
1981-82 4 H 1-0
1999-2000 4 A 1-3
2001-2002 4 A 2-1
The last time Spurs played Fulham in a Cup match, on 29th November, 2001, there was a special Spurs Talisman present. That was the occasion when I had the good fortune to sit near the one and only Ricky Villa. How Spurs need such an individual to spark a return to winning form against Premiership opposition! Spurs won that night, 2-1, with goals from Sergei Rebrov and a late winner from Simon Davies. Davies was signed in January from Everton, and is not cup-tied, so could play against his old team this Sunday.
Spurs haven't met Fulham too many times down the years in Cup competitions, but there have been three meetings in the last ten years. In 1999, Spurs were the losers by 3-1 in a League Cup game, when Hayles, Collins and Horsfield made sure that Iversen's 44th minute equaliser was worthless. Spurs compounded their Cup misery that month, when they lost 6-1 at Newcastle in the year when the FA Cup started early for Premiership teams, and Manchester United still didn't enter!
Our last FA Cup game against Fulham was on 5th January, 1998. Fulham had yet to arrive in the Premiership, but they knew they stood a chance against a Spurs side that was involved in a season-long battle against relegation. The Fulham side included present manager Chris Coleman that day, but it was Spurs who made it through to Round Four, with a 3-1 win and goals from Clemence, Calderwood and an own goal by Fulham keeper Maik Taylor, after a header by Spurs debutant Garry Brady. Spurs were not having the best of luck with injuries at that time, with rookie striker Paul Mahorn replacing David Ginola before half-time, and Ian Walker having to make way for Espen Baardsen. Jurgen Klinsmann was playing only the second match of his second sojurn with Spurs, and did not get on the score-shteet for another 12 days, with a vital winner against West Ham.
Garry Brady made a good impression in his 9-game Tottenham career, and was signed by Newcastle, where he only played 9 more games. After brief attempts at Norwich and Portsmouth, Brady disappeared back to his native Scotland, where he currently plays for St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership. Brady is now 35. Paul Mahorn can of course state as a claim to fame that he has played as Jurgen Klinsmann's strike partner, but he soon faded to non-league level.
I note that the BBC pre-empted this element of my preview with the article here:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/6358941.stm. Great minds think alike, I suppose!
Spurs are in desperate need of a Talisman, who can get their season going again. At the moment, it is boring and depressing to remind you that we have yet to beat meaningful opposition in 2007. But who is there available, who can lead us to success in the remainder of the season? Ledley King is out till we don't know when, and even he has never been perceived by the fans as a great leader on the pitch. Robbie Keane is Captain in ther absence of Ledley, and having tried a rallying call on the official site this week, we must assume that Robbie is going to get the nod over Jermain Defoe (who may be suspended anyway).
Jenas will be suspended this week due to five bookings, but he is not a leader of men anyway. Some have said that Edgar Davids could still do a job. At least he was inspirational, if nothing else after the early part of his first season. I personally think that the release of Edgar was a correct decision, but there have been some mysterious activities on the transfer front, such as the near last-gasp exit of Mido, with no replacement apparently in the offing. There are so many issues that suggest all is not well in the Tottenham camp, and after last week's defeat, I felt there was a significant lull from the Official site.
The bottom line is we are short of a natural leader, and we must rely upon a talisman of talent to carry us forward. Aaron Lennon must play, and so must Dimitar Berbatov, who we know to be oozing class. Can he be a Talisman in the mould of Villa, and can Spurs salvage some pride from the season with a further Cup run, either in the FA Cup, or the UEFA Cup?
On present form, the answer is a clear "No"! A determined Fulham side will stand in our way this week, and they will present another physical battle, that our boys a) do not relish and b) struggle to elude.
Everyone connected with the club desperately needs a win not just on Sunday, but in at least one of the two Premiership games to follow at Everton on Wednesday, and then at home to a Bolton side who will be rested after their Cup exit this week.
There will be a full contingent of Spurs fans in the away stand on Sunday, but I am not confident that we'll be smiling at the end of the day. We could do without the extra game, but I have a feeling that this will be a 1-1 draw, and more expense for the fans, who will need to fund a replay at The Lane on 28th February.
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