My thanks are due to Brian Judson who wrote this match report:-
Saturday, August 23rd, 1997
FA Carling Premiership
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (1) 1, DERBY COUNTY (0) 0.
Tottenham Hotspur : Walker; Carr, Scales, Calderwood, Edinburgh; Howells,
Sinton (sub Neilsen, 76), Ginola (sub Dominguez, 34), Clemence;
Ferdinand, Iversen.
Substitutes *NOT* used : Baardsen, Mabbutt, Fox.
Booked : Edinburgh, Nielsen.
Goakscorer : Calderwood.
Derby County : Poom; C Powell, Stimac, Lausen, Eranio; Dailly, Hunt (sub
Solis, 72), Van den Laan (sub D Powell, 72), Carsley; Ward, Burton (sub
Sturridge, 60).
Substitutes *NOT* used : Hoult, Rowett.
Booked : Eranio, Laursen, Carsley, Stimac.
Referee : M J Bodenham (East Looe).
Attendance : 25,886.
Tottenham won this match, which is something most Spurs fans were
grateful for as they left White Hart Lane. However, much of the football
on view from both sides was fumbling with far too many players
over-kicking the ball, thus losing possession to the opposition. Spurs
players seemed to feel as though they were strangers to each other,
making repeated mistakes and being caught in possession of the ball
frequently. It was a messy, unsightly game and one that few will want to
recall in years to come.
Following an annoying 10 day break for World Cup matches that England
were not involved in, Tottenham returned to White Hart Lane for a home
game with Derby County. Having lost their first two matches, it was vital
Tottenham extracted something from this match if they were not to be
dogged by a season's struggle against relegation, particularly in view of
the bright start Arsenal have made to their season. The usual long litany
of injuries were included in the pre-match reports and included the
colossus that Sol Campbell has become in the Tottenham defence. Despite
treatment, his knee injury had not responded and he was forced to miss
the match. Surprisingly, Calderwood was preferred to Mabbutt but, perhaps
in the light of events, it was probably just as well that he played.
Derby had comfortably survived their first season in the Premiership,
finishing 12th. They had been regarded as one of the favourites for
relegation but had seldom been in trouble. Jim Smith had strengthened his
squad during the summer months but surprisingly, in view of the problems
given to the Tottenham defence in the corresponding match last August,
Sturridge was initially confined to the bench.
The opening half hour was so awful that I am sure most of the spectators
must have wished they had stayed at home to enjoy the sunshine. Certainly
I have rarely viewed so many players demonstrating perfectly how *NOT* to
play football. Their first touch was awful. Too many laid the ball off
too early or too late or were caught in possession. Walker's upfield
kicking towards the Edmonton end was atrociously poor, quite often
leaving Ferdinand and Iversen stranded in no man's land.
But it does have to be said of Derby that their tackling was very crude.
It was obvious their intention was to preserve their goal and snatch a
point. I felt that Mr Bodenham should have stamped on some of the crude
tackling at a much earlier stage than he did. Certainly, Stimac clattered
into Ginola at every opportunity without even receiving a finger waving
from an official who seemed to be semi-detached from the mayhem
surrounding him.
The spectators were becoming visibly restless when Stimac clattered
Ginola yet again. Ginola needed lengthy treatment and jogged around
clutching his shoulder for some minutes afterwards. He showed no
enthusiasm for playing after that and was seen pleading to be
substituted. In the end, Ginola was called off in the 34th minute and
Jose Dominguez appeared on the touchline.
Once Dominguez came on, he soon had the fans roaring approval as he
buzzed around like an angry wasp, running rings around the Derby
defenders. Derby quickly put three defenders around him as soon as he
received the ball but he was too quick for them, spinning round and round
until the Derby defenders banged into each other, leaving the way to goal
open like the parting of the Red Sea in times past.
As the referee looked at his watch, Dominguez won a free kick. Sinton
took the free kick and a blur of white bulleted into a packed penalty
area to head the ball home. When the congratulations had faded, we found
Calderwood grinning broadly at the bottom of the pack. There was scarcely
time to restart the match before the halftime whistle echoed.
The second half was a huge improvement on the first half but still too
much football reminded one of the pinball wizard rather than push and
run. But the goal had worked wonders for Tottenham's confidence and had
gnawed at Derby's during the interval.
Tottenham, with Clemence, Sinton and Dominguez as chief tormentors,
started to put passes together that suggests that Dominguez may well be
the player we have been looking for for a very long time. He seemed to
bring out the best in those around him, particularly in the very young
Clemence, who seems already to be a fixture in the Tottenham team. It is
hard to realise that Clemence has only broken into the first team this
season as his play and approach is so mature.
Derby tried to change their approach by sending on three substitutes
including Sturridge, with half an hour to go. But Tottenham's tails were
up and the crowd roared every time Dominguez received the ball. It has
been a very long time since I have felt a roar of anticipation generated
by the presence of one player. Probably the last player to evoke a
response like that was Gazza in 1990-91 .......
Right at the end, Spurs could and should have increased their lead.
Injury time seemed to go on for ever. Something like five or six minutes
must have been added by the referee to the game. And then Dominguez was
sent flying in the penalty area. Howells stepped forward to take the kick
and ballooned the ball over the bar.
So, not a game to remember, apart from Dominguez's debut. The smallest
player to represent Tottenham since Phil Holder in the 1980s, he may well
be the smallest player ever. Yet he has a heart that is as strong as Dave
Mackay's or Alan Mullery's, charging everywhere, trying to lift those
around him.
On Wednesday evening we entertain Aston Villa, who are rock bottom of the
League. Hopefully, Dominguez will start the game and help us to beat a
team that seems to have had the indian sign on us for far too long.
Cheers, Brian
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