· Last season's game - Spurs 1 Bournemouth 0 - 14.10.17
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premier League on Matchday 19 2017-18
· See the current injury list for all Premier League Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Full league history - Spurs v Bournemouth:-

Premier     Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag  Pts
Home         3   3   0   0     8-0    9
Away         3   2   1   0     9-2    7
========================================
Total(Prem)  6   5   1   0    17-2   16
========================================
Grand Total  6   5   1   0    17-2   16
========================================

Last Six Premier League results:-

Spurs      -    WLWWWW
           
Spurs      3-1    Chelsea
Arsenal    4-2    Spurs
Spurs      3-1    S'hampton
Leicester  0-2    Spurs
Spurs      1-0    Burnley
Everton    2-6    Spurs

B'mouth    -    LLWLLW

B'mouth    1-2    Arsenal
Man City   3-1    B'mouth
B'mouth    2-1    Hds'field
B'mouth    0-4    Liverpool
Wolves     2-0    B'mouth
B'mouth    2-0    Brighton

Pos          P  W  D  L   F-A   GD  Pts
3. Spurs    18 14  0  4  37-18  19   42
8. B'mouth  18  8  2  8  27-28  -1   26

A meeting of two coveted managers

Spurs fans are sick and tired of how our manager has virtually already been transferred to Old Trafford by the media. For the record, my belief is that Mauricio Pochettino has signed up to the "Project" at Tottenham which involves settling in at our new stadium as soon as possible in 2019, and to bring us trophies and Champions League football on a consistent basis. I also happen to believe that the presence of Ossie Ardiles within the Spurs set-up is an influencing factor. Ossie still lives in Hertfordshire - I believe in the same house he moved into back in 1978 when he arrived in England. Ricky Villa used to live next door, but still visits Ossie, Spurs and England regularly. The Argentine connection must have a positive influence on Pochettino, and whilst we also have to accept that nothing is forever, my fervent hope is that Poch's involvement in the "Project" goes on for a good while yet!

Eddie Howe is very highly regarded as Bournemouth's manager. Now 41, Howe has managed since 2008 now, although he had a gap period as manager at Burnley where things did not work out. Howe seems to have an affinity with Bournemouth, having been a player there as far back as 1995/96, and Bournemouth certainly have an affinity with Howe, who after all is achieving great things with what is a small club, currently in their fourth Premier League season, and surely looking good for a fifth. Maybe it's about time they built a second tier around the Vitality Stadium! Howe is also spoken of as a candidate for bigger clubs one day, and even as a future England manager.

The "Cherries" had a great start to the season and were top six until late November, before they had a run of 6 defeats in 7 games. They returned to winning ways though on Saturday at home to Brighton when 21 year old David Brooks scored both their goals. Brooks was signed in the summer from Sheffield United, and has surely been their best addition. They also made a record signing of 24 year old Colmbian midfielder Jefferson Lerma from Levante for £25 million. Lerma has made 14 Premier League appearances, and is a bit of a card magnet having already served a one match suspensiom for 5 bookings earier this month. Lerma scored an own goal for Arsenal in November, conceded the free kick which led to Arsenal's second goal and did hit the post for his own team later in the game. He seems to carry mixed blessings!

It is 60 years ago now since league football was played on Christmas Day. Christmas 1958 was not a happy one for Spurs, despite it being less than three months after Bill Nicholson's amazing first game in charge when we beat Everton 10-4. The fact is that at Christmas, we were struggling near the bottom of the table, and we lost at Upton Park on Christmas Day (2-1), then even worse, 4-1 at home on Boxing Day.

In 1958 Bournemouth were playing in Division Three. They did have a day off on Christmas Day, but lost 3-1 at Colchester on Boxing Day. You might like to know that 110 years ago, in our very first Football League season, we played Oldham away on Christmas Day (lost 1-0), and then at home on Boxing Day, when we won 3-0. Our goals were scored by Vivian Woodward, Billy Minter and Bert Middlemiss. Nowadays the British transport system closes down for Christmas (except for buses and tube on Boxing Day), leaving fans to their own devices to get to and from games. This fan will be driving to and from Wembley from Chesterfield.

Bournemouth have been carrying three long-term injuries for a while now. Lewis Cook suffered an ACL knee injury early this month, and will miss the rest of the season. Dan Gosling hasn't played for a month, and also suffered a knee injury, but will apparently not be out for too long. Former Spur Adam Smith suffered a cartilage knee injury in mid-November and coule be out till late February.

Former Spur Jermain Defoe was this week presented with a 2008 League Cup winner's medal for his contribution to our run. Jermain had transferred to Portsmouth before we played in the final and beat Chelsea. Jermain, now aged 36, has not made a Premier League start this season.

There will no doubt be more rotation by the manager after Sunday's 6-2 win at Goodison Park. Dele Alli and Moussa Sissoko face late fitness tests following that game. Dele had a tight hamstring and Sissoko suffered a "knock". Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen, Victor Wwanyama and Mousa Dembele remain out, but it would appear that Serge Aurier is available. I envisage both full backs being rotated, and perhaps Toby Alderweireld being rested having played our last 6 games. That puts Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth at centre-back. There will be plenty of attacking flair in front of the defence, whoever plays, and I am taking Spurs to win 3-0.

Match referee Chris Kavanagh is another official relatively new to Spurs. The only time we have seen him in the middle was for our away win at Brighton in September. Mr. Kavanagh is a regular on the Premier League circuit these days, and this will be his 21st such game of 2018. He has recently had charge of the Merseyside Derby, and Arsenal's defeat at Southampton.

· "It was Twenty Years ago today!" - on Boxing Day, 1998, we drew 1-1 away to Coventry. A certain centre-half scored our goal.

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