This preview was written by Brian Judson

Full League Record of Spurs -v- Southampton

Premier        Pl   W   D   L   For-Ag  Pts
Home            6   4   1   1    13-5   13
Away            6   1   2   3     6-8    5
===========================================
Total (Prem)   12   5   3   4    19-13  18
===========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 1)   22  13   4   5    52-28  38
Away (Div 1)   22   6   8   8    25-35  24
===========================================
Total(Div 1)   44  19  12  13    77-63  62
===========================================
Football Lge
Home (Div 2)   14   9   3   2    41-12  21
Away (Div 2)   14   2   5   7    12-17   9
===========================================
Total(Div 2)   28  11   8   9    53-29  30
===========================================
Total (Prem)   12   5   3   4    19-13  18
Total(Div 1)   44  19  12  13    77-63  62
Total(Div 2)   28  11   8   9    53-29  30
===========================================
Grand Total    84  35  23  26   149-105 110
===========================================

This is a game that we ought to win! Southampton have made their worst ever start to a season and have already fallen behind the bulk of the League at the bottom. It looks like being a long, cold winter for the Saints, who have one of the most likeable and friendliest managers in David Jones. Most managers become hard and cynical but, so far, Jones has remained a friendly guy, despite the misfortunes his team have experienced this season.

So, on the face of it, Tottenham have only to turn up to win the game! Not a bit of it! All too often in both the immediate and distant past, Spurs have confronted teams on the bottom rung of the table and have fallen over. The classic example was in season 1957-58. In December 1957, they crashed 4-1 at home to Leicester, then the current 22nd team in the old Division 1. On February 1st 1958, Spurs lost to Sheffield Wednesday, 2-0, at Hillsborough, who had since taken out the lease on 22nd position. And on March 15th, Spurs played Sunderland, who had then taken on the lease of 22nd position, and lost 0-1 at Tottenham.

It is unlikely that we can take the points for granted. But are Southampton as bad as the table suggests they are? They sold Kevin Davies to Blackburn Rovers during the summer. It was Davies whose goalscoring talents had taken Southampton to their highest position for years last season. In his place, they purchased a number of players including our former player, David Howells, and that ancient warhorse, Mark Hughes. By all accounts, none of the new people have gelled in the team. Southampton also seem to be using Matt Le Tissier as a supersub as Jones has obviously reached the conclusion Le Tissier is not a 90 minute player.

I have been puzzled by the enigmatic Le Tissier. On his day, he can be a brilliant match winner but all too often he is out of form and a shadow of himself. One wonders why he never made the break from Southampton to play for a bigger club. His talents are stifled by the claustrophobic atmosphere engendered by the compact grounds of the Dell. He has never reached his full potential. Was he frightened of making a move from being a big fish in a small pond? Loyalty is all very well and something to be congratulated about but Le Tissier should have put his career first and loyalty to Southampton second if he wanted to achieve honours other than caps won from selection by England.

Spurs' defensive frailities were again on display against Brentford in midweek and Southampton could not overcome Second Division Fulham. So this suggests the likeliest outcome of this match is a high scoring score draw. I very much hope I am wrong but with Ferdinand and Armstrong woefully out of form, it is very difficult to see where our goals are likely to come from. Let us hope Stephen Carr can unleash some more chips over the goalkeeper now he has opened his career goalscoring record against Brentford!

Cheers, Brian

· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats

Follow @spursodyssey