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· Last Year's Game - 1-1
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 1 - 2007-08
· NEW! - See the current injury list for all Premiership Teams!
Full Record of Spurs -v- Middlesbrough
Prem Pl W D L For- Ag Pts
Home 13 5 5 3 15 - 15 20
Away 13 3 5 5 15 - 20 14
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Total(Prem) 26 8 10 8 30 - 35 34
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Football Lge
Home(Div 1) 25 15 4 6 62 - 40 36
Away(Div 1) 25 3 6 16 25 - 52 13
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Total(Div 1) 50 18 10 22 87 - 92 49
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Football Lge
Home(Div 2) 1 0 0 1 2 - 5 0
Away(Div 2) 1 0 0 1 0 - 3 0
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Total(Div 2) 2 0 0 2 2 - 8 0
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Total(Prem) 25 8 9 8 29 - 34 33
Total(Div 1) 50 18 10 22 87 - 92 49
Total(Div 2) 2 0 0 2 2 - 8 0
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Grand Total 77 26 19 32 118 -134 82
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Last Six Premiership results:-
Middlesbrough
M'brough 2-2 Man Utd
Spurs 1-1 M'brough
M'brough 0-1 Bolton
S'derland 3-2 M'brough
M'brough 2-0 P'tsmouth
M'brough 8-1 Man City
Spurs
Blackburn 1-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-1 M'brough
Wigan 1-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-1 Bolton
Reading 0-1 Spurs
Spurs 0-2 Liverpool
Final Positions
2007-08
P W D L F-A GD Pts
11 Spurs 38 11 13 14 66-61 5 46
13 M'brough 38 10 12 16 43-53 -10 42
It's been a long (and not too hot) summer but the Premier League is back at last! We've been able to watch our first team squad in pre-season friendlies for three weeks, but there is nothing like the cut and thrust of a real league game.
Despite the loss of Robbie Keane (and perhaps that of Dimitar Berbatov by the time this game is played), Spurs can say their squad has been strengthened by the arrival of Heurelho Gomes, and midfielders Luka Modric, Giovani Dos Santos, and most recently David Bentley. All are likely to make their debuts on Saturday, and the Spurs team will feature no more than just five of those who took part in this game last November.
On that occasion, Darren Bent scored to give Spurs the lead in the 35th minute. Bent and Defoe had started ahead of Berbatov and Keane, but were replaced by the two first choice strikers after 57 minutes. By this time, former Spurs Luke Young had equalised. This was Young's one and only league goal in Boro's colours. He has now moved on to Aston Villa. The Boro crowd that day was 25,625, and with 3,800 ardent Spurs fans making their wway to Teeside this week-end, Middlesbrough have been doing their best to rattle up the home support.
Thus for the second successive season Juande Ramos's first Premier League game in charge of Spurs will be at The Riverside stadium. In addition to the new signings, Ramos can be heartened by the return from injury of Gareth Bale, and perhaps also Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who have both been impressive in pre-season, but may be competing for the same left back position. Whether or not Berbatov remains a Spurs player this week-end, the impressive Darren Bent may play in front of a five man midfield, who will be well-equipped to provide the bullets for Bent to fire home.
Boro will no doubt give a "traditional" welcome to their former defender Jonathan Woodgate, who will relish this game.
Whether or not Gareth Southgate can be said to have strengthened the squad that struggled to lift itself out of last season's relegation zone is another question.
Apart from Luke Young, Boro have let Mark Schwarzer go to Fulham; George Boateng go to Hull; Rochemback to Sporting; and Lee Cattermole to Wigan. They have signed 22 year old French midfielder Didier Digard from Paris St. Germain, and a 20 year old wingman/striker Marvin Emnes from Sparta Rotterdam.
Borough were though buoyed in January by the acquisition of Alfonso Alves, who scored a hat-trick in Boro's end of season 8-1 annihilation of Manchester City, and six in all in his 11 league appearances at the end of the season. This was the second time that Alves had featured in a game where 9 goals were scored, as he scored 7 of Heerenveen's 9 goals in a Dutch game last October.
Southgate also has former gooner Aliadiere, and Turkish International Tuncay to call upon in attack, with former Spur apparently Mido doubtful for this game. Arca and Pogatetz have been recovering from injuries too.
I have found four instances of Spurs' first away game of the season being against Middlesbrough. On August 31st 1927, 1921 cup-winning scorer Jimmy Dimmock scored a penalty for Spurs, but we were beaten by 3-1 thanks to goals by George Camsell, John McKay and Owen Williams. Sadly, both clubs were relegated at the end of that season, with Boro finishing below us.
When League Champions Spurs travelled to Ayresome Park on August 18th 1951, it was their first game of the season. Over 44,000 watched this game, and Spurs lost it 2-1, with Les Bennett scoring our only goal.
Spurs had better fortune in another first league game of the season on August 29th 1981. We won 3-1, with goals from Ricky Villa, Glenn Hoddle and Mark Falco. Spurs finished fourth that season, and of course won the FA Cup again, whereas Middlesbrough were relegated from the top flight in bottom place.
Finally on August 22nd, 2000, after beating Ipswich 3-1 at home, we travelled to The Riverside. The game ended 1-1. Oyvind Leonhardsen scored in the 41st minute and Mark Summerbell equalised for Boro in the 59th minute. Due to the departure from Middlesbrough of goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer there are no representatives from either team that will be present on Saturday.
Spurs have had a very successful pre-season, beating some high profile sides, culminating in that drubbing of Italian League runners-up Roma. Our defence will face a stronger and more determined test this week, and is likely to be without right back Alan Hutton, who has been absent with an ankle injury for over 2 weeks. Juande ramos's side will attack in numbers though, and I feel that an away win will result on this occasion. I'll go for a 3-1 victory.
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