| S |
|
55.55% |
| P |
|
66.11% |
| U |
|
58.33% |
| R |
|
61.11% |
| S |
|
53.88% |
| = |
|
58.99% |
Form Guide January 2008
P W D L F-A GD Pts
9 3 3 3 13-11 2 4
5 Cup Matches
Pos:- 11th
· December 2007 figures
· Last year's figures
January 2007
The most memorable event of January and the season so far was of course the 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal at White Hart Lane on Tuesday 22nd that gave us gloating rights for a long time to come, despite anything gooners and their fans might say about their "kids". That victory was a fantastic result, and performance, and we look forward immensely to Wembley and Chelsea on February 24th.
It could be argued that the month of January was all about that two-legged semi-final tie, which Spurs dominated at home and away. It was only a rebound off Walcott after all that gave Arsenal the draw at The Emirates.
Cup matches have dominated the month with 5 of the 9 games being in the domestic knock-out tournaments. Only one of our three defeats came in a Cup and this was last week's 3-1 at Old Trafford. The scoreline did not tell the true story of the game which was changed radically with the sending off of Michael Dawson.
Our other defeats were on New Year's Day at Villa Park, where a second half tactical swoop on the home side nearly paid off, but was thwarted by a late winner, and Spurs' weakness at set pieces. To lose at Stamford Bridge was predictable, but again we performed reasonably.
The month was memorable for other reasons too. Firstly there was Juande Ramos's assertiveness in dropping Paul Robinson after his mistake at home to Reading, when he carried the ball over the line. Robbo has yet to make it off the bench in 6 games since, and sat one match out completely for paternity leave.
Ledley King is being utilised economically, but has been quite immaculate in each of the four games he has played, including those two semi-final games. Hopefully, Ledley will get to lift up the Carling Cup in February. Jonathan Woodgate made a great debut on Wednesday night at Goodison Park, and I look forward to seeing him beside Ledley - perhaps in the first game of the month against Manchester United.
Such a pairing would be a little hard on Michael Dawson though. He has been part of the core of the Spurs side, having started 8 games along with Lennon, Jenas, Malbranque and Berbatov. Robbie Keane has played a part in all 9 games and was our top scorer with 4 goals this month.
Spurs have used 5 different players at centre-back this month, with Tom Huddlestone making his mark for the first time in that position for the first team. 22 members of the squad have played an active part in the 9 games, and there was also a debut for former Cardiff full back, Chris Gunter, who will face stiff competition now that we have also signed Hutton and Gilberto.
Jermaine Jenas had a starring role in the games against Arsenal, scoring in both legs, and Jamie O'Hara continues to establish himself in a quality squad with 5 more starts and 2 substitute appearances.
It is very sad to be losing Jermain Defoe, who has scored 8 goals for us this season from just 8 starts in all competitions. It is only too understandable that Jermain wants to go somewhere where he will get games, and of course we wish him well. Jermain played an active part in 7 of our games this month, and significantly, Spurs third striker - Darren Bent - was nowhere to be seen. Bent needs to become more prominent in the closing part of the season.
February will be less onerous, with just 5 scheduled games. Three of those will be Cup matches, and if we win just one game this month, against Chelsea, we will all be very, very happy to say the least!
Don't forget to check out the cumulative appearances and grades for the squad below.
...if you want to remind yourself of the matches played during this month, then See the Fixtures page here. By working your way back through the previous month's figures, you can review the performances over the last 7 years!
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