Slavia Praha v Spurs[R] - UEFA Cup - 14Sept

[pookspur]

sorry if i'm out of place, here, but it's only four days off (and the 'system' isn't exactly firing on all cylinders right now, anyway) - so up it goes!

Slavia will be coming off a Gambrinus League match sunday night away to FK Siad Most, who currently lie 14th (in a 16 team table). Slavia, themselves are presently (going into sunday's match) sitting in 5th, with 9 points from 5 matches.

Spurs coming off their away loss to Man U - albeit a decent performance - and presently stand 15th with only one win from four.

our first europe match since the gut-wrenching UEFA Cup loss to Kaiserslautern back in the fall of '99.

glad ledley's returned, and the back line seems sorted. i like us to control most of this one. no lapses at the back, please, and a little more precision at the finish wouldn't hurt. i'm saying we'll take it back to the lane in good shape, but with the tie still in play. 0-1 to the visitors, maybe?

[DigitalTron]

Glad to see the thread. If Jol is gonna save the players for this game ... we'd better win!

-Digital

[THFC1]

Well done Pookspur for taking on the challenge of starting a match thread. It's all on your shoulders, we lose your to blame, we win your a hero :D

The team for Thursday:

-----------Robbo
Chimbonda Dawson King BAE
Jenas Zokora Davids Tainio
------Defoe Berbatov

If fully fit i would go with Berbatov and Defoe. With Tainio in if fit. The midfield is a big problem without width.

[Colm]

I'm worried about this, hopefully we can get a good result.

[Danners9]

Glad to see the thread. If Jol is gonna save the players for this game ... we'd better win!

-Digital

Who has he saved for this game?

King was coming back from an injury, yesterday was his first game.
Lennon was injured.
Berbatov was injured.
Tainio was injured.
Lee was unfit after his trips to Korea and back.

Yesterday we played the strongest available side.

I hope we win, a 1-2 or 0-1 will do. It's a tough place to go by the looks of things. Fireworks, lots of smoke, quite hostile. Time for people like Davids to use their experience.


For those of us in the UK. This game is on Channel 5 at 6:45pm, 7pm KO.
Home games will be on ITV (one of their channels anyway).

[DigitalTron]

Who has he saved for this game?

King was coming back from an injury, yesterday was his first game.
Lennon was injured.
Berbatov was injured.
Tainio was injured.
Lee was unfit after his trips to Korea and back.

Yesterday we played the strongest available side.

I didn't realize Lennon and Tainio were injured. Berbatov I knew. But with our wealth of midfielders, playing Ghaly was scraping the bottom of the barrel. Subbing out Davids and King sure looked like sacrificing the United game for the Slavia game to me. I don't disagree with the decision actually, since beating an in-form United at Old Trafford is dicey at best, and the Slavia game is really a must-win game. But I was shocked at the Lennon absence ... until I heard he was injured.

Honestly, I am not sure I believe he was injured at all. It's just too convenient. This leaves Lennon--our livewire--fresh for the European tie. Quick players tend to suffer most from weary legs.

Also, everyone has been talking about how Manchester United needs another winger ... and Lennon is the one United rates highest (above Walcott and Downing as a winger), and Spurs have already sold one of their very highest rated players to United--something I just don't see Arsenal doing.

When Arsenal gave up Cole, who wanted out, they got Gallas. When they gave up Reyes, who wanted out, they got Baptiste. Value for value each time, and key players they coveted for a long time and who fit their system. When Spurs gave up Carrick, who wasn't set on leaving, they got nothing but cash.

Sadly, it doesn't yet look like Zokora (crossing fingers that I spelled it correctly that time) can fill the void created by Carrick's departure. He's immensely talented, but our defense is leaky, we lack composure in the center of midfield, and there's a lack of leadership that's quite evident in their play. Hopefully this changes as the team starts to gel with one another.

But, Lennon conveniently kept away from the magnifying glass that is Old Trafford, and kept fresh for the mid-week tie in Europe. If Lennon appears tentative, slow, or doesn't play in mid-week, I'll believe it, but until then, color me skeptical.

-Digital

[KHowe]

Lennon being sold to the big four would be a very sad day for all Spurs fans. I think I'd cry.

[Danners9]

That's all a bit annoyingly conspiratorial. Everyone is reporting knee ligament damage from the England game. So that's it as far as i'm concerned. Everything else is unnecessary scaremongering.

[Danners9]

From the Slavia site:
http://www.slavia.cz/data/splash/Tottdomafoto.jpg

Bring it on!!!

[pookspur]

Most 2-0 Slavia.

by all accounts (that i can understand), slavia looked poor. same lineup as in their last gambrinus league match, which implies that they weren't resting alot of starters. that said, tomas hrdlicka did not play, and he was definitely a starter at the beginning of the season. whether he's been dropped, or is injured, i don't know.

neither side's coming into this one in the best of form.

[DigitalTron]

Most 2-0 Slavia.

Thanks Pook. But just so I'm not misunderstanding this ... "Most" is a team in the same league as Slavia, and "Most" beat Slavia in a recent match? Sorry if I'm being thickheaded, I'm just not used to a team being named like that, so I want to be sure. :D

Danners, that graphic from there site is awesome. Undead in medieval armor ... brilliant! I think I like them already! Win, lose or draw, that's so refreshingly untraditional and evoking. :D

-Digital

[PoshSpur]

From the Slavia site:
http://www.slavia.cz/data/splash/Tottdomafoto.jpg

Bring it on!!!



....they've got a bit of a Mordor-thing going on. We'll bring the one ring and crush them where they stand.

Either that, or ENIC will command that they play rubbish so that we can win. :p

[Danners9]

Supposedly there is going to be a demonstration from the Slavia fans against Enic.

[DigitalTron]

....they've got a bit of a Mordor-thing going on. We'll bring the one ring and crush them where they stand.

With that in mind, I suggest this lineup:

---------------------------------Frodo (Mido)-------------------------
----------------------Gandalf (Keane)---------------------------------

-------------Aragorn (Davids)---------Boromir (Jenas)------Gimli (Tainio)
-----------------------------Legolas (Zokoralas)-----------------------

Merri (Ekotto)----Faramir (King)---Eomer (Dawson)----Pippin (Chimbonda)

----------------------------Elrond (Robinson)--------------------------

Rohirrim (Bench):

Eowyn (Defoe)
Sam (Lee)
Gollum (Davenport)
Arwen (Ziegler)

Bilbo (Jol)

With Elrond, Faramir and Eomer guarding the homelands, Merri and Pippen are free to shuttle back and forth between the homelands and the Fellowship.

Gimli and Legolas can both protect the back and wage war on the front lines, Gimli up close and Legolas with long range arrows. While Boromir isn't always reliable, he can be quite dominant when he's in the fighting mood. Aragorn to lead this bloodthirsty gang taking point as well as coordinating attacks and jumping bladefirst into any fight.

Ahead of the pack we have our wizard, Gandalf, creating magic for the ring bearer. And ultimately, the point of the spear, the ringbearer himself, Frodo.

Now just as things begin to look their darkest, dawn comes and the Rohirrim ride over the hill. First the heroic Eowyn to put a dagger into the heart of evil Sauron's plans, then the brave Samwise to help Frodo go that last mile. While he may scare us at times, Gollum has a crucial role to play as well. Then, just for the fans, Arwen flitting about showing great qualities.

From just outside the battlefield, Bilbo, the cleverest of all hobbits, celebrates his eleventy-first birthday in style ... by taking the ring and disappearing!

-Digital

[pookspur]

Thanks Pook. But just so I'm not misunderstanding this ... "Most" is a team in the same league as Slavia, and "Most" beat Slavia in a recent match? Sorry if I'm being thickheaded, I'm just not used to a team being named like that, so I want to be sure. :D


yes. the club is called FK SIAD Most. 'Most' is a city in the czech republic, near eastern germany. i presume the city is named for some significant bridge in the area, as "most" is czech for "bridge".* that ('most') is the traditional name of the club. "SIAD" is, i believe, a sponsor (dunno what they make/do) for whom investment in the club has meant inclusion of their name - but they're still generally refered to as "most". it's kind of like the club "austria wien". they are technically now "memphis/austria FK", due to memphis' sponsorship - but everyone still just calls them 'austria'.

and, yes, they just beat slavia yesterday in the czech league, which is known as the 'gambrinus liga'.


*at least i'm pretty sure it is. i know it means 'bridge' in most (no pun intended) slavic languages - czech included, i think.

[ox utd]

With that in mind, I suggest this lineup:

---------------------------------Frodo (Mido)-------------------------
----------------------Gandalf (Keane)---------------------------------

-------------Aragorn (Davids)---------Boromir (Jenas)------Gimli (Tainio)
-----------------------------Legolas (Zokoralas)-----------------------

Merri (Ekotto)----Faramir (King)---Eomer (Dawson)----Pippin (Chimbonda)

----------------------------Elrond (Robinson)--------------------------

Rohirrim (Bench):

Eowyn (Defoe)
Sam (Lee)
Gollum (Davenport)
Arwen (Ziegler)

Bilbo (Jol)

With Elrond, Faramir and Eomer guarding the homelands, Merri and Pippen are free to shuttle back and forth between the homelands and the Fellowship.

Gimli and Legolas can both protect the back and wage war on the front lines, Gimli up close and Legolas with long range arrows. While Boromir isn't always reliable, he can be quite dominant when he's in the fighting mood. Aragorn to lead this bloodthirsty gang taking point as well as coordinating attacks and jumping bladefirst into any fight.

Ahead of the pack we have our wizard, Gandalf, creating magic for the ring bearer. And ultimately, the point of the spear, the ringbearer himself, Frodo.

Now just as things begin to look their darkest, dawn comes and the Rohirrim ride over the hill. First the heroic Eowyn to put a dagger into the heart of evil Sauron's plans, then the brave Samwise to help Frodo go that last mile. While he may scare us at times, Gollum has a crucial role to play as well. Then, just for the fans, Arwen flitting about showing great qualities.

From just outside the battlefield, Bilbo, the cleverest of all hobbits, celebrates his eleventy-first birthday in style ... by taking the ring and disappearing!

-Digital
Good read there Digital!:D

[ox utd]

I'm worried about this, hopefully we can get a good result.
Welcome back, Colm. The overly optimistic Colm of the last month or so had me unsettled.....;)

[SpursGlory]

From the Slavia site:
http://www.slavia.cz/data/splash/Tottdomafoto.jpg

Bring it on!!!

Notice the peculiar upside down star... whose team are we playing here? Louie Cypher's? :D I hope we can get an away goal and come back in good shape for a triumphant home leg.

And I second this lineup...
-----------Robbo
Chimbonda Dawson King BAE
Jenas Zokora Davids Tainio
------Defoe Berbatov

which could also work as a 4-1-3-2 with Zokora playing DM.

[Danners9]

What the hell happened there? I posted once and it came out ten times, then deleted one of the reposts and it deleted them all!

It was only about how the star isn't actually upside down because the point would be at the top. The angle of the weapon makes it look upside down ;)

[MartinJol]

Also, everyone has been talking about how Manchester United needs another winger ... and Lennon is the one United rates highest (above Walcott and Downing as a winger), and Spurs have already sold one of their very highest rated players to United--something I just don't see Arsenal doing.

....

But, Lennon conveniently kept away from the magnifying glass that is Old Trafford, and kept fresh for the mid-week tie in Europe. If Lennon appears tentative, slow, or doesn't play in mid-week, I'll believe it, but until then, color me skeptical.

-Digital
Lol! we do have an active imagination don't we? I mean why the hell would united spend 20m (which is what lennon would likely cost) to sign a right winger when they already have Ronaldo? All they need is a left-winger for the future (for when giggs retires) and a world-class CM (hargreaves) and their side is complete.

As for the prague game, I think it will be a very dull game - I predict a 0-0, but we might just nick it 1-0. we finally have our first choice back 4 fit and they looked solid at OT on Saturday - and if it hadn't been for robbo we might well have won that game.