spurs v bolton

Spurs vs. Bolton Preview



I am not going to lie, I am finding it difficult concentrating solely on this game when there'll be so much going on this weekend to impact our season - the players are hopefully better at it than I am - so please indulge me as I steer in and out of previewing our fixture with Bolton at home in this article.

A quick look at the fixtures and, although nothing will be mathematically certain, this weekend will go a long way in deciding who will finish fourth. On Sunday, Liverpool face a difficult game against title-chasing Chelsea and anything other than victory will probably end their chances of finishing 4th. Big 4, Sky 4, Top 4 monopoly broken. Thank goodness! if I had to choose one side to drop out it wouldn't be Liverpool but a change up there is needed nonetheless.

Bigger still is the game at Eastlands where 5th placed Villa take on City (currently 6th, one point behind us and Villa). I am hoping for a Villa win in that one rather than the draw some others want. 3 points for Villa means that no matter what happens at Eastlands on Wednesday, 4th place is in our own hands and no-one else's going into the last game. That is of course, only IF we beat Bolton.

I emphasize 'IF' because Tottenham do not always do what's expected of them. Looking at the league table you may think that's a harsh assessment given that we have won 13 of their 18 league games at WHL. However, when you see that two of the three defeats came against Wolves and Stoke then hopefully you can appreciate my anxiety. I mean put a white strip on those sides and you might as well call them Bolton given their style of play. Infact, I would say Bolton at home is the tougher fixture out of the three.

The difference between this and those games is that this is the last one at WHL this season and with just 2 games thereafter, the players should know there won't be much more time to rectify any lost opportunities. Therefore, (hopefully) there's less chance of the players and indeed the supporters, being flat. Of course, an early goal would go a long way in calming the nerves and increasingly the volume at WHL.

Harry should return to the formulae that won our last two homes against Chelsea and Arsenal with BAE at left back and Bale on the wing. Kaboul will take his place at right back. Despite being fit, King is likely to be rested for the City game in midweek. That's certainly what I would do anyway. Will it be Hudd or Palacios to partner Modric, I don't know but I would go with Palacios. Hudd is the man in form but Palacios's physical characteristics will be needed here. If I was Harry, I would tell Wilson to sit in front of the back four and don't go anywhere near either 18 yard box!

Elsewhere, whether it is worth risking Lennon from the start is another dilemma for Harry. I would say if you can get 60 minutes out of him then do it. Spurs always start games quickly at home and with Bale on the left hand side, we can hope to bamboozle them into submission. Pav and Defoe definitely up front for me. They may not look the part away from home but at The Lane against 'lesser' sides, they'll score goals.

Speaking of goals, without getting too much ahead of ourselves, we may need a lot of them on Saturday. If City and Villa were to draw, then every goal we may concede against City will count as double against us and should they win on Wednesday, we'll go into our game with Burnley out of the driving seat. Mathematically, I think we need to win 4-0 to afford to lose 1-0 at City. I'll just take the win to be honest and anything else is a bonus. One thing's for certain though, the players should not approach this game like they did against Pompey at home last month. If there's goals to be had, they should go for them!

Whatever happens, it's been a great race between 4 very historic clubs which looks like going to the wire. In the past few days forums have been bombarded with rival supporters talking up their side's chances of 'winning' 4th. I just wonder, whoever get's it, what will they do with it? Hire an open top bus and call Downing Street to borrow their red briefcase as the budget's boosted for next year?

Slightly surreal to think that we are essentially supporting our clubs quest for yet more money as realistically it's not going result in another chance of silverware. So in those terms, I would say Liverpool need this the most as they have something to lose. Years of finishing 4th probably means they budget to be in it every year and have a lot of Champions League players on their payroll. They'll miss not being in it. For the rest, it's everything to gain and nothing to lose. For all the talk about City needing this to catapult themselves to the upper echelons of the premier league, I think that's overstated. At worst, it delays the inevitable by one year and I think after waiting decades for success, one more year won't kill them. For Villa and us, it's hard to quantify what this will mean. You can't start spending champions league money and increasing your wages based on one year so are we just hoping for one year at it before City or Liverpool take over? To classify it as a bonus is underestimating it's importance but it would, at best, be one step in a long road to glory and that is titles. If you are going to do it without a Sheikh Mansour, it's going to take time.

I'd definitely take it though, so excuse me if I don't wish opposition clubs the customary 'best of luck' and just go with this........COYS!!

Great post Max!!! but I still want City & Villa to draw