| S |
|
57.28% |
| P |
|
63.67% |
| U |
|
55.2% |
| R |
|
59.33% |
| S |
|
55.5% |
| = |
|
58.21% |
Form Guide for the season
P W D L F-A GD Pts
38 14 9 15 45-45 0 51
+16 Cup Matches
Pos:- 8th
· May 2009 figures
· Last season's figures
Season 2007-2008
August 2008 - 55.62%
Spurs' disastrous start to the season began with 2-1 defeats to two teams that would feature in the long term relegation fight. (Middlesbrough and Sunderland). For the second year running, Darren Bent was the first striker to score a goal for Spurs, although we had to rely upon the opposition for our actual first goal of the season. Bent's goal in a well-deserved draw at Chelsea has to be the "moment of the month" for August, although the chance arose due to a Modric challenge on Lampard, who had the last touch of the ball running to the Spurs striker.
September 2008 - 52.4%
Juande Ramos was prioritising the UEFA Cup, and Ledley King was being held back from league games. Thus another month passed without a league win, and Spurs ended the month holding up the table. We did manage to beat Wisla Krakow at home in the first round of the UEFA Cup, but of course, Ramos had failed to even register some players who might have played a part in that competition. We had also signed players who were illegible, such as Corluka and Pavlyuchenko! Our league cup run began with victory at St. James' Park, where Pavlyuchenko started his run of scoring in every round until the final. However, perhaps the most memorable moment was the ovation that Jermain Defoe received when scoring against us from the penalty spot in our defeat at Portsmouth.
October 2008 - 55.16%
Ramos's days were numbered, as Spurs made that historic worst start to a league programme since the sinking of The Titanic. An own goal in Poland saw us through to the group stage of the UEFA Cup, where we then lost our first game in Udine in a pitiful performance which was to be the last under Ramos's management. Other low points were a home defeat to Hull (who had also beaten the gooners at The Emirates), and defeat at Stoke. Harry Redknapp was not formally in charge for Spurs' first league win against Bolton, but the Redknapp revival started with that miraculous come-back at The Emirates, where Aaron Lennon's dying seconds equaliser gave most Spurs fans their "glorious moment of the season"
November 2008 - 61.125%
"I just told him to f***ing run about a bit!" Those were the magical motivational words spoken by Harry Redknapp to Roman Pavlyuchenko who came on at half-time in the league game against Liverpool and scored the last minute winner that gave the bottom club a win against the then league leaders. That has to be my moment of the month, despite seven other games which included two UEFA Cup wins, and a second win over liverpool - this time in the League Cup, which featured two more Pavlyuchenko goals. Darren Bent continued his good scoring form with both goals in our first away league win at Manchester City. On the down side, there was a dismal defeat at Fulham, which heralded the mass criticism of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, and another home defeat against Everton. The "We love you Gomes" chant was first heard at NEC Nijmegen, and many times over the rest of the season. Spurs ended the month in 16th place.
December 2008 - 59.42%
We hoped for at least seven points in the three games at Christmas which would have drawn us well away from the bottom, but managed only one point in a poor 0-0 at home to Fulham on Boxing Day. Twice more we lost to sides who would be relegated - Newcastle and West Brom. Wins in the Carling Cup and the draw at home to Spartak Moscow failed to lift the gloom, as we went into the New Year still fearing the drop. No Spurs striker scored this month in a league game, although both Pavlyuchenko and Bent scored at Watford. The high point of the month had to be the 2-0 win at Upton Park, and specifically Ledley King's first league goal in three years.
January 2009 - 57%
An eight-match programme this month saw us claw our way higher in the table, thanks to poor results for other bottom half teams, and primarily a draw at home to Portsmouth, and a win at home to Stoke, both of which included goals by Jermain Defoe who had been dramatically re-signed from Portsmouth. Wilson Palacios and Carlo Cudicini were the other significant signings in January (Robbie Keane arrived on transfer deadline day early in February), with the return of Pascal Chimbonda remaining something of a mystery to most Spurs fans. A weakened side went out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford (to Man Utd's cup side), and Spurs made it to the Carling Cup Final by the skin of their teeth - or rather late goals in extra time by Pavlyuchenko and Defoe. It's the first leg of that semi-final that gives me my moment of the month, and that is for Jamie O'Hara's second half performance, where he had a hand in all four of the Spurs goals. Burnley gave us a first half scare with a fifteenth minute goal, and of course went 3-0 up at Turf Moor. One of the Burnley fans sadly collapsed and passed away in all the excitement, but perhaps he will smile down on his team's efforts in next season's Premier League.
February 2009 - 56.5%
The start of the month heralded another dramatic return to Spurs by Robbie Keane, who was immediately installed as team captain, due to Ledley King's inability to play every game. Keane's return was all the more important due to Jermain Defoe's injury which might have seen him out for the remainder of the season. For all the criticism that Keane gets from certain Spurs factions, he did lead us on a six-match unbeaten run which finally enabled us to forget any relegation worries. There were only 4 matches in February, during which Harry surrendered progress in the UEFA Cup for league survival. We drew again against Arsenal, but perhaps the turning point and the crucial moment in the league battle came with Jonathan Woodgate's late winner at Hull.
March 2009 - 69.2%
Perhaps rather ironically, following Keane's appointment as Captain, Ledley actually went on to play all 90 minutes (120 in the Carling Cup Final) of 11 of our last 13 games of the season. Those last games included 7 clean sheets, which helped Spurs to gain the best home defensive league record in terms of goals conceded (10), and gave them a chance of matching the previous best league record of clean sheets. We performed well against Man Utd, but lost the Carling Cup on penalties. By the end of the month we were in the top half of the table. We beat Middlesbrough convincingly, with Keane's first of five goals after his return. Most importantly, we beat Villa on their patch, and then Chelsea at home, with my personal moment of the season - a fine goal by Luka Modric.
April 2009 - 59.75%
Incredibly, Spurs were in the reckoning for a UEFA Cup place, but ultimately the run-in we had feared would scuttle those chances with the April defeat at Old Trafford, and last day defeat at Anfield. 1-0 wins over West Ham and Newcastle meant that we would have our best performance against London sides for a long time, and that no team would be able to perform a league double over us. The win over West Ham gave us our second league double, incidentally. Spurs also got better results over the course of the season against top four sides. Wilson Palacios was unfortunate to be sent off at Blackburn, where disappointing defeat followed. The high spot of the month was without doubt holding a two goal lead at half time at Old Trafford, only to be dissipated by the second half revival of the home side reminiscent of that 5-3 result at White Hart Lane in 2001.
May 2009 - 55.5%
Even though we were still in the race for Europe on the last day of the season, there was little excitement about the football this month, with a narrow win over West Brom, a clean sheet at Goodison Park and a 2-1 win over Man City, which included Jermain Defoe's clever flicked goal from a powerful Huddlestone cross. After Torres scored in the 31st minute in the last game of the season, Spurs' hopes of Europe were dashed. However, the context for this season will always be to remember how bad it was at the start (Did you know we only had two points from eight games? !!), and how well we did in the end
Spurs Odyssey Awards
Spurs Odyssey was invited by THFC to submit its nominations for the following categories, and following the criteria given (which according to my calculation excluded Aaron Lennon from the Young Player award), voted as follows:-
Player of the Season - Aaron Lennon
Young Player of the Season - Jonathan Obika
Glorious moment - Aaron Lennon's equaliser to make it 4-4 at Arsenal
Team Player - Jonathan Woodgate
Most improved player - Benout Assou-Ekotto
Check out the player grades for the season below. Those who have finished with higher than 6 points are above the line of mediocrity.
...if you want to remind yourself of the matches played during this season, 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 9 years!
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