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This preview was written by Brian Judson

Full Record of Tottenham Hotspur -v- Coventry City

Prem            Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag  Pts
Home             8   2   2   4    10-13   8
Away             7   3   1   3    10-10  10
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Total (Prem)    15   5   3   7    20-23  18
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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)    15   5   3   7    20-23  18
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     79  35  22  22   130-101 105
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There have been signs this season that Coventry may at long last be developing into a side that may one day challenge for honours. Manager Gordon Strachan is developing into a shrewd tactician and has quietly made some very shrewd investments in the transfer market. Whilst most of the transfer publicity has fallen on Robbie Keane, because he is now the most expensive teenager in UK football, Coventry have also bought other players including Hadji and Chippo, two very elegant midfield players, who are also capable of scoring goals.

Unlike our anonymous North London neighbours, Coventry City (with Wimbledon) can truly claim to have spent many years in the top strata of football without suffering relegation at all. Coventry were promoted to the old First Division as long ago as the end of season 1966-67, when their manager was a certain Jimmy Hill. On the eve of their first ever match in the top flight, Hill sensationally quit Coventry City to become a TV pundit with ITV's 'The Big Match'. Regular viewers of the 1970s will remember the occasion when he volunteered to be a linesman at a match at Arsenal when the referee had to be replaced as there was no fourth official in those days.

For much of their time in Division One and the Premier league, Coventry have struggled to stay in top flight football. There will be few who will forget how on several occasions, Coventry have surprisingly won last day matches to survive for another season. In recent years they seem to have made a habit of it, particularly when they beat us 2-1 at Tottenham and almost all the other results went in their favour to ensure they stayed up.

This season, however, Coventry have rarely hovered near the relegation zone. It is manager Strachan's ambition to see Coventry end the season as one of the top 10 clubs. Coventry last achieved a top 10 placing as long ago as 1988-89, when they finished 7th.

Like all Spurs fans, I try not to remember the occasion when Coventry won the FA Cup in May 1987. I still have not summoned up the courage to watch the tape of that horror (for us!) show. And it all began so well, didn't it? If only the game could have ended in the third minute!!!!!!

Earlier this season, we beat Coventry at Tottenham, 3-2. At that time, Coventry were low in the table and looking as if they were going to have to participate in this season's relegation struggle. Spurs dominated the first half of that match and should have gone into half-time with the game sewn up. As it was, Steffan Iversen had given us a 7th minute lead after 'Morry' Taricco had provided a deep cross for him. We did not add to our lead until Iversen nodded on the ball from which Chris Armstrong added to our lead early in the second half. Leonhardsen quickly added a third after being put through by Iversen and Tottenham then switched off. But Keane struck back in the 54th minute to reduce the arrears and Chippo added a second in the 74th minute to provide Spurs with an edgy final quarter of an hour as Coventry sought to get back on level terms.

Last season, we drew the corresponding away fixture 1-1 on Boxing Day and drew the return game 0-0. Sol Campbell and John Aloisi had been the respective goalscorers in the Boxing Day game. The goal-less draw between the two clubs was only the second between us at White Hart Lane. The only other goal-less draw between us at Tottenham had been in a Division 2 match as long ago as August 1937.

Coventry City were originally elected to the Football League in the summer of 1919 when the Football League expanded from 40 to 44 clubs. Their first ever match in the League was against Tottenham, at Highfield Road, as Spurs had just been demoted by a rigged election that saw our anonymous North London rivals promoted despite finishing only 6th in the pre-war Second Division table. We won that first match, 5-0, and went on to race away with the Second Division title with a the then record number of points for the whole of the Football League. Coventry spent much of their time in the lower echelons of the League until Jimmy Hill was appointed as their manager in 1961. He took them from the Fourth Division to the First Division in six seasons.

So how will we fare tomorrow? This fixture is a very unpredictable one. Some games can be marvellous to recall whilst others are as flat as a pint of beer that has been watered down in its barrel. But Spurs have been playing well in many away matches this season and are quite capable of snatching the points if only we can maintain our concentration for the whole of the ninety minutes. It is possible that Les Ferdinand may feature at some point of the match after coming through a midweek reserve team run-out but is likely to start the game on the bench. With Iversen still out, we will probably have to rely on Chris Armstrong up front. Leonhardsen also came through the same midweek reserve team match. There is little doubt we have missed him whilst he has been absent from the team since the goals have almost dried up because of the lack of creativity. I suspect that he may figure from the start of the game as Spurs badly need the points if they are to succeed in attaining the stated objective of a top six finish for the season.

Much will depend on how we approach this game. If we buckle down to it, we are quite capable of winning this match. I think we can do so and back us to win 2-1.

Cheers, Brian

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