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"It was Twenty Years ago today!"
article published April, 2018, but first written in 1998 by the late Brian Judson
Full Record of Tottenham Hotspur -v- Coventry City
Prem Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 5 1 0 4 6-10 3
Away 6 3 0 3 9-9 9
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Total (Prem) 11 4 0 7 15-19 12
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Football Lge
Home (Div 1) 24 14 6 4 50-30 39
Away (Div 1) 24 8 10 6 33-30 29
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Total (Div 1) 48 22 16 10 83-60 68
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Football Lge
Home (Div 2) 8 6 2 0 18-5 14
Away (Div 2) 8 2 1 5 9-13 5
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Total (Div 2) 16 8 3 5 27-18 19
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Total (Prem) 11 4 0 7 15-19 12
Total (Div 1) 48 22 16 10 83-60 68
Total (Div 2) 16 8 3 5 27-18 19
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Grand Total 75 34 19 22 125-97 99
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Spurs -v- Coventry City is usually a fixture where Coventry come to White
Hart Lane desperate for points in their annual survival battle against
relegation. In most seasons since Coventry gained promotion to the old
Division One at the end of the 1966-67 season, Coventry have usually
figured in the last day excitement at the bottom of the table. I have
lost count of the number of occasions on which this has happened. The
most recent occasion was that of last May when Coventry beat Tottenham at
White Hart Lane and then heard that Sunderland had lost their match to
ensure Coventry's continued survival in the top division.
Only Coventry City, Wimbledon and Barnsley can boast they have never been
relegated from the top division. Barnsley, of course, are unlikely to
survive this season, which is sad, given they have played football the
way it should be played, by and large. Coventry have, usually, played
entertaining football but have never really done well in the League. As
this season has seen them achieve their highest position in the League
for some time, one would have expected some of their squad to be
suffering from nose bleeds given the rarity one has seen Coventry riding
so high in the table.
For that, a lot of the credit must be given to Gordon Strachan, their
manager. Strachan first came to view as a player with Aberdeen when Alex
Ferguson was manager there. Strachan followed Ferguson to Old Trafford
but soon found his chances limited and left for Leeds. As he came to the
end of his playing career, Strachan moved to Coventry when Ron Atkinson,
known to many as Big Fat Ron, signed him as a player-coach. When Atkinson
was sacked last season with Coventry seemingly doomed to relegation,
Strachan was appointed manager. It is to his credit that Coventry have
survived and achieved a great deal of progress this season.
Tottenham have traditionally stumbled in their home fixtures against
Coventry City. If, as expected, we have lost our game at Chelsea on
Saturday, we *MUST* win this game if we are not to be sucked back into
the mess at the bottom of the table. Coventry are the sort of team we
should *always* beat. They are not a team that should frighten anyone,
although, of course, our defenders should be watchful regarding the
predatory Huckerby, the gangling Dublin and the scurrying Whelan.
It is difficult to forecast how this game will go as these lines are
being written a few days before Spurs play at Chelsea. Much depends on
the outcome of that game because if we lose heavily, morale will be low
and Coventry can cash in on that. But, being a Spurs fan, I have to feel
some optimism and I feel that Tottenham *CAN* and *WILL* win this match,
possibly by 2-1. There'll be plenty of nervy edgy moments but I'm sure
that Spurs can win, particularly if Moussa Saib plays. I have a feeling
that, with a little bit of luck, Saib is going to make an impact on
Tottenham's fortunes in the not too distant future.
Cheers, Brian
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