Match Thread Vs Heart Of Midlothian

Cracking first half.
Vdv Livermore Kranky and Benny all playing realy well, Defoe still greedy as ever shoots at any chance.

JOB DONE.

Spurs Run Riot

Any hope that Hearts fans had that their team would keep their UEFA Europa League playoff tie alive headed to White Hart Lane is now gone. In fact, it was all gone after 13 minutes. Tottenham Hotspur can play a youth and reserve side without a single first choice player in the second leg if they please, thanks to their crushing 5-0 win over Heart of Midlothian on Thursday night in Edinburgh. The visitors were simply brilliant throughout the match and despite a decent surge to start the second half, Hearts end the match with nothing to show for their efforts.

Rafael van der Vaart got Spurs off to a fast start with his 5th minute goal, nicking the away goal that Hearts simply couldn't afford to give up if they wanted to have a good chance of advancing to the Europa League group stages. It involved a quite a bit of luck, but just as much skill and hard work as van der Vaart combined with Jermaine Defoe before powering his way through defenders, scoring with a class finish after a poor tackle by a hearts defender caused the ball to fall right to his feet.

Defoe then got one of his own eight minutes later, an encouraging sign for all Spurs fans. The England international has been a deadly finisher throughout his career, but showed little to none of that ability last season. After a spectacular run and through ball by Aaron Lennon, Defoe got onto the ball and placed a fantastic close-range finish, completely putting the tie to bed after just 13 minutes.



The squad saved the best goal of the bunch for their third tally, in the 28th minute. In a series of quick passes, Benoit Assou-Ekotto played a long pass up to van der Vaart, who found Jake Livermore. The young central midfielder then played a great one-two with Gareth Bale before scoring, notching his first competitive senior goal in a Spurs shirt. Livermore was immense in the center of midfield all night long, and while he won't be taking a spot away from Sandro, Tom Huddlestone or Luka Modric, he showed in this match that he certainly deserves a chance to take over the fourth choice and second box-to-box place from Jermaine Jenas.

Lennon and Defoe created the last great chance of the half in the 33rd minute, when Defoe put in an excellent cross and Defoe attempted an audacious volley, which he hit off the crossbar. Unfortunately, the linesman correctly flagged for offside, as Defoe was half a step off.

Despite his team's 3-0 lead and the fact that they had the tie in the bag at that point, Harry Redknapp elected to make no halftime subs. Why, we'll never know. With a massive Monday match against Manchester United looming large, some extra rest and minimized risk of injury would have been nice.

Unsurprisingly, the team started the seond half slow and for the opening 10 minutes of the half, Hearts enjoyed their best spell of the match. It appeared they were going to score in the 50th minute when Kyle Walker was badly beat down the right, but he recovered beautifully and showed fantastic speed and skill to get back to the ball and make a vital tackle.

In the 59th minute, Huddlestone entered the game for van der Vaart and instantly made an impact. Combining with Defoe, who provided him with a great setup, Huddlestone ripped a shot from the edge of the penalty area but missed just wide. Just four minutes later, his impact would be felt further.

Hearts defense lived up to every negative stereotype about the Scottish Premier League in the 63rd minute when they were completely caught out by Huddlestone and Bale, who had no problem figuring out their offside trap. Huddlestone played a brilliant ball from a deep position in midfield to Bale, who got onto it and found himself one-on-one with Hearts keeper Marián Kello. The Slovakian international hesitated, allowing Bale to round him easily and put in the fourth goal of the game.

Young winger Andros Townsend entered the game for Bale in the 70th minute, a move that many Spurs fans probably wanted to see at the halftime mark. It didn't take him long to show off his talent, as he was instrumental in setting up Spurs' final goal. Following a Hearts corner in the 78th minute, Townsend played an absolutely stellar through ball down the left for Defoe to run onto. The diminutive striker placed a great cross into the six yard box for Lennon, who finished wonderfully to cap off Spurs' perfect evening.

The return leg is next week at White Hart Lane, and if Harry Redknapp elects to keep the likes of Townsend, Harry Kane, Souleymane Coulibaly and Christian Ceballos out of his lineup, he'll get to hear plenty of moans and groans from his fans. Spurs have booked themselves a place in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League, and must now focus on a very difficult match against Manchester United on Monday.

by Kevin McCauley
.cartilagefreecaptain

Even harry said that Kranky done good !

Tottenham showed no signs of rustiness in their first competitive game of the season as they demolished Hearts in their Europa League play-off first leg.

Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring on five minutes when he slotted in after Hearts failed to clear.

Jermain Defoe and Jake Livermore added similar goals with Van der Vaart involved in good build-up play.

Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon then completed the rout when they scored on the counter attack.

There could have been more goals for Harry Redknapp's side with Defoe also hitting the bar in the first half despite being flagged offside.

But the performance showed that rather than suffering from a lack of meaningful action after their Premier League match against Everton was cancelled because of riots in north London, they had a real appetite to get their season up and running.

The goals from five different scorers came on a night when Spurs were hampered by injury, but they passed the ball around with ease in a dominant display.

It may be stretching it to say the victory showed they would be able to cope without midfielder Luka Modric, who has been linked with Chelsea, such was the lack of bite from the hosts.

Yet the emergence of Livermore, alongside Niko Kranjcar, will give watching supporters reason to think the future is bright.

All evening the hosts struggled to pick up Van der Vaart, who was playing behind Defoe and had a hand in all three first-half goals.

His influence dictated the tempo of their attacks, yet once Spurs had taken a two-goal lead the game was shorn of its edge and gaps appeared all over the park.

Bale had already looked menacing down the left before Spurs went ahead and the goals before the break all began on that flank.

Defoe cut in to play a one-two with Van der Vaart but when the ball bounced off a defender and Marius Zaliukas failed to clear, it dropped to the Dutchman, who calmly finished.

Next it was Kranjcar who found Van der Vaart, and when he slipped the ball to Livermore, the 21-year-old created space for Defoe to prod home.

Livermore then crowned a fine display when he scored his first Tottenham goal, with Van der Vaart again the architect and Defoe playing the final pass.

The first meaningful effort by Paulo Sergio's side came on 38 minutes when Ryan Stevenson cut in from the left and fired wide of the post.

But despite the gulf in class between the two teams, the newly-appointed Portuguese coach will have been disappointed by Hearts' lack of pressure on the ball.

They rallied briefly after half-time when a succession of corners created some cheer for the home supporters who had began the game in good voice.

Twice Michael Dawson cleared, however, and when Andy Driver's goal-bound cross was diverted over by Stevenson, it summed up a miserable night for the Scottish team.

Just after the hour, Bale collected Benoit Assou Ekotto's lofted pass to round Marian Kello and put the second leg next Thursday beyond all doubt.

Lennon then added the gloss when he tucked in Defoe's cross after a smart pass on the counter attack by substitute Andros Townsend.

Hearts boss Paulo Sergio: "In the first half we played like someone buying a ticket to watch the match. We didn't press the ball and if you give spaces like that to Tottenham it makes it difficult.

"We improved in the second and we were more aggressive on the ball. There is a huge difference in quality between the two teams but we should have done better in the first half."

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp: "The first half was fantastic. We moved the ball around quickly and that how I like to see us play. They came out second half stronger but in that first half we could have been even further in front. I just enjoyed watching us play. Niko Kranjcar and Rafael van der Vaart, their link-up play was great.

"You have to be fair and realistic, we have obviously got better quality players who earn a lot more than their players. We go to Old Trafford on Monday and we will see a different game."

that 89 year old said crouch is hes favorite spurs player lol

i thought old people where wise lol

why couldnt sweeney todd be cutting hes hair lol

I told you it would be a tough game and 0-0. Heh what do I know.

That 1st half was some of the best football I have seen us play for years. The passing was awesome, slick, pacey and accurate.
However they were a poor side and didn't close us down at all and things will be so so different on Monday against Utd. But we did score 5 excellent goals and it is a encouraging first game of the season.

Mikey M

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/europaleague/news/europa-league-highlights-hearts-0-5-tottenham-14567/

Hearts 0-5 Tottenham Hotspur


Published Date:
19 August 2011

By Barry Anderson

THIS European tie was billed as David versus Goliath. The reality was
somewhat different. It was actually David versus Goliath's older, meaner
brother, with a few of his burly North London mates backing him up.
Tottenham Hotspur's superior strength, class and skill outshone even the
blazing Tynecastle floodlights last night as Hearts suffered the
heaviest European defeat in their history.


Spurs killed this Europa League play-off stone dead inside half an hour with
mesmerising goals from Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe and Jake
Livermore. Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon added two more after the
interval as the first leg of the Battle of Britain ended with a victorious, and deafening, English roar. The Scottish response barely amounted to a whimper.

Not that Hearts didn't exert themselves or merely gave up. Truth was they
were outclassed by a significant margin. They couldn't get near
Tottenham, who began the match at breathtaking tempo and only eased up
slightly in the second half. Even then, they scored twice without
conceding.

The chasm between the SPL and England's Premier League
has been steadily growing for years, although few expected Spurs to
enjoy such a straightforward evening in Gorgie. This was their first
competitive outing of the season, and they were flying. It was England's
fifth-best side against Scotland's third best but proved to be a hopeless mis-match.

Passing, moving, crossing, shooting, tackling
– Tottenham's performance had everything. Their players looked fitter
than Hearts' by some distance despite the Edinburgh club having six
competitive matches behind them. Yet this was an understrength
Tottenham, believe it or not. Their midfield was makeshift due to a raft
of injuries and their substitutes' bench included two goalkeepers due
to a lack of fit bodies. Luka Modric, if he does join Chelsea, is
unlikely to be missed on this evidence.

Paulo Sergio, the Hearts
manager, spent most of the first half waving his arms in anger in the
technical area as the opposition's imperious performance left Hearts
chasing shadows. While the Portuguese felt he got a reaction from his
players in the second 45 minutes, he bemoaned the lethargic start and
said blame should be apportioned to him for defeats.

"It's hard but the positive for us was the second half," he said. "In the first
half we were on the pitch like someone who bought a ticket to see the
match. We just had our eyes on the ball, we were not pressing at all.
When you let Tottenham touch the ball and run into spaces it's dangerous
for you. We tried to give a different image in the second half. It's a
huge difference between us and Tottenham but we should have done better
in the first half. I think our players are intelligent people and if
they understand what we said at half-time and they try to change it,
maybe they can go home and think if they started like they did in the
second half it would be different.

"I dream about something big,
about giving an excellent night to our supporters and to try to win the
game. If you work hard you don't lose goals. You can work together with a
good aggressive action in defence, then you can finish the game without
suffering any goals. What we did made that impossible. In the first
half people were buying a ticket to see the Tottenham players and I'm
not happy about that. They gave a different answer in the second half.

"In football, you should learn from the mistakes you made. The people who
don't learn maybe aren't going to play too many times for me. When my
team loses I am responsible. Period. But I learned about my players last
night. I learn about them every day. I am seeing positive things in
every one of them and I'm seeing negative things too. It's my job to see
the negative things and improve on them.

"We reacted in the
second half against Tottenham and I believe they are going to do the
same on Sunday (against Kilmarnock). To the fans I just want to say
thanks for their support. They are fantastic."

Tottenham were without a host of established stars for their first competitive outing
this season, including Modric, Alan Hutton, Sandro, Ledley King, William
Gallas and Peter Crouch. You'd never have known they were depleted.
Even their substitutes' bench looked awesome. The appearance of two
goalkeepers on it hinted at dwindling numbers but Harry Redknapp, the
visiting manager, was still able to name Brad Friedel, Tom Huddlestone,
Roman Pavlyuchenko, Sebastien Bassong and Vedran Corluka amongst his
reserves. His starting line-up was even more decorated.

Hearts welcomed back Andy Webster from injury but it wasn't a night the
Scotland defender will wish to remember. It took Tottenham just five
minutes to score as the talismanic Van der Vaart enjoyed an immediate
impact. Defoe initiated a one-two which resulted in a loose ball around
the 18-yard line. Marius Zaliukas attempted a clearance which struck Van
der Vaart on the arm at point-blank range. With those in maroon
appealing for a free-kick, the Dutchman continued and calmly prodded the
ball past Marian Kello, much to Sergio's disgust.

Seven minutes later came the second with Tottenham's powerful, commanding start
showing no sign of abating. This time Lennon was the instigator, playing
a one-two with Van der Vaart and threading the ball through to Defoe.
The striker's control on the move was instinctive and sublime, taking
him clear of Danny Grainger before another impressive finish saw the
ball nestle in the net.

And then came the third, the end product
of another lighting-quick exchange on the edge of the Hearts box. Van
der Vaart supplied Lennon, who laid the ball off to Livermore. He
sprinted into the penalty area, waited for Zaliukas' sliding challenge
and then planted the ball beyond Kello. The tie was as good as over.

Half-time saw the legendary Dave Mackay presented to the Tynecastle crowd, and
how Hearts required his fighting spirit. They managed to muster some of
it and opened the second half far more assertively. A series of corners
produced a couple of goalmouth scrambles as Spurs, for the first time,
looked moderately rattled. A driving run by David Templeton took him in
behind the visiting defence only for Kyle Walker to dispossess him in
the act of shooting. Then normal service resumed as Huddlestone, Van der
Vaart's replacement, exchanged passes with Defoe for a shot which
clipped Kello's fingertips as it flew into the crowd. Bizarrely, the
Italian referee Paolo Tagliavento awarded a goal-kick. As if to atone
for the injustice, Tottenham went and scored again. Huddlestone sent a
loping pass through for Bale on the run, his first touch cushioned the
ball wide of the advancing Kello and his second rolled it into the empty
net.

The fifth encapsulated the difference in pace between the
SPL and England's Premier League. Tottenham substitute Andros Townsend
emerged from defence at lightning speed following a Hearts attack. He
slid a pass through to Defoe, who scampered forward to deliver a driven
cross which Lennon expertly cushioned beyond Kello from six yards. The
entire move took around seven seconds from start to finish.

"I didn't expect that, I thought it would be a really difficult night,"
said Redknapp. "The speed at which we passed the ball made it difficult
for Hearts to stay with us. Our movement and passing was top-class,
that's how I like to see us play. That's how we try to play. The first
half couldn't have gone better. We played with an open team and Niko
Krajcar was fantastic in midfield. He never plays there. Usually I play
him off the left or in behind the front. But he started in a central
position and joined up with Rafa well. He was outstanding."

Withoutsaying Scottish football is miles behind England, Redknapp respectfully
outlined the difficulties facing SPL clubs trying to compete with their
southern counterparts. "It's difficult, resources are compeletely
different," he continued. "It is a different level now for sure. I don't
want to be disrespectful to Scottish football but there is a big gulf
and it's plain for everybody to see now. Every great club had great
players from Scotland in it when I played but it's changed an awful lot
now. There's not many great Scottish players around in all honesty.

"I've watched Scottish football, I don't miss a game if it's on TV. I've seen
good games but there's a difference. Look at the money the players earn
in the Premier League and the transfer fees. There's got to be a gulf,
hasn't there?

There certainly was last night. Hearts came a
distant second to a team in a different stratosphere, where money talks.
Big money.

Redknapp admitted he will blood a number of younger
players in next week's second leg at White Hart Lane. That was about the
only bit of relief Hearts got all evening.

Hearts manager Paulo Sergio has criticised his players for showing too much respect as they suffered a 5-0 defeat by Spurs in the Europa league.

Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe, Jake Livermore, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon all netted for the Londoners in the first leg at Tynecastle.

"When you let players like Tottenham touch the ball and run into empty space, it's dangerous for you.

"We showed them too much respect. They are men like us," Sergio said.

"First half, we were on the pitch like someone who had bought a ticket, with our eyes on the ball, no press at all - it was awful.

"They played as they wanted in the first half.
"We know there's a huge difference between us and Tottenham, but I know we should do better than we did in the first half."

Hearts now face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premier League on Sunday before next Thursday's second leg and Sergio warned his players that those who don't learn from the heavy defeat will find themselves sidelined.

"In football as in life, you should learn from the mistakes you make," the Portugese added.

"It's another opportunity to show that you learn, that you are well prepared for the future.

"People that don't learn are maybe not going to play too many times with me."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was thrilled by his side's display on what was their first competitive outing of the season.




Having thrashed the side that finished third in last year's SPL, Redknapp was hesitant to criticise the standard Scottish football, but the gap in class was enormous.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to Scottish football, but there is obviously a big gulf," he said. "It's plain for anybody to see.

"It is a different level now, for sure - it's pretty obvious. Resources are completely different.

"I've seen some good games, but there's a difference - you look at the money the players earn in the Premier League and the money that's paid in transfers, there's got to be a gulf.

"Listen, we had a good day. We could come here again and it could be different.

"First half we played ever so well and it was difficult for them."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is impressed with the way Hearts' supporters stayed with their team despite the 5-0 Europa League defeat.

Spurs raced into a 3-0 half-time lead at Tynecastle and added two more goals after the break.

"You heard the crowd before the game, there are fantastic supporters here," said Redknapp.

"They were amazing. They kept with their team all through the game and they deserve success here."

Asked about the gulf in class evident in the first leg match, Redknapp replied: "We've obviously got better quality players who earn an awful lot more money than their players earn, that's the way the game is.

"You have to put it all in perspective.

"They came out second half and gave it a go, they started the second half stronger and brighter.

"The first-half was fantastic. We moved the ball around so quickly on the good service.

"That's how I like to see us play, we train like that. To win as we did in the end was great.

"We could've been four or five up at half-time, we missed a couple of great chances to have gone even further in front."

With the tie all but won, Redknapp hinted he will field some younger players in next Thursday's return leg at White Hart Lane.

"Jake Livermore played in midfield, I was pleased with Jake," added Redknapp.

"Andros Townsend came on. They'll play next week and maybe one or two more we'll throw in."

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Uefa Europa League Qualifying

Tottenham Hotspur

Versus

Heart Of Midlothian

At

(agg 5-0), PO, L2, Kick Off @ 20:00

Tottenham v Hearts (agg 5 - 0)

Europa League play-off second leg
Venue: White Hart Lane
Date: Thursday, 25 August
Kick-off: 2000 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live and ITV4


Tottenham are set to rest several first-team players for the second leg of their Europa League play-off after hammering Hearts in Scotland last week.

Spurs, who won the first leg 5-0, will assess Luka Modric's fitness but will hand debuts to Tom Carroll and Harry Kane, and Andros Townsend will feature.

Jamie MacDonald will start in goal for Hearts and Ryan McGowan, Scott Robinson and Gordon Smith will also feature.

Rudi Skacel and Arvydas Novikovas return to the starting line-up.

"We have players who, like Rudi (Skacel), have not played much since the start of the season," said Sergio.

"They aren't playing a lot so it's an idea that I have in my head to play them. I think it would be profitable to give them some rhythm."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp also sees the benefits of using some of his fringe players, especially as he still has a long injury list.

Steven Pienaar (groin), Wilson Palacios (knee), Jermaine Jenas (Achilles), Ledley King (knee), Alan Hutton (knee), William Gallas (calf) and Sandro (knee) are all unavailable, while Modric (hamstring) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) are doubts.

That means striker Kane, 18, midfielder Carroll, 19, and winger Townsend, 20, come into the picture and Redknapp said: "It's a great opportunity for them.

"It will be a great experience for them to play in a European game at White Hart Lane and it will give me the chance to have a look at them up against good opposition."

The winners will go into the draw for the Europa League group stage, which takes place on Friday at 1200 BST.

Provisional Tottenham squad: Gomes, Friedel, Cudicini, Bale, Kaboul, Bassong, Dawson, Corluka, Walker, Assou-Ekotto, Townsend, Huddlestone, Lennon, Van der Vaart, Kranjcar, Modric, Livermore, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Crouch, Kane, Carroll.

Provisional Hearts squad: Kello, Hamill, Grainger, Jonsson, Webster, Black, C Elliott, Driver, Templeton, Obua, Sutton, Stevenson, McGowan, Novikovas, Skacel, Smith, Zaliukas, Robinson, MacDonald, Novikovas, Mrowiec.




Kane is set to make his senior Tottenham debut

so will hearts be playing a secound string

Team to play i think will be

Gomes
Corluka
Bassong
Kaboul
Ekotto
Townsend
LivermoreModric Jenas
Pav
Kane

subs Cudicini Defoe Huddlestone Kranjcar Dawson Lennon cARROLL