United V Spurs(Premiership) Sunday, February 4, 2007 [R]

[Father Ted]

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versus

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White Hart Lane
Sunday, February 4, 2007
16:00 GMT
11:00 EST

US TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Current Form (last 6 Premiership games)
United: W W D W L W
Spurs: L W L D L D

Top Goal Scorers(Premiership)
United:
Cristiano Ronaldo 14
Wayne Rooney 10
Louis Saha 8

Spurs:
Jermain Defoe 7
Dimitar Berbatov 6
4 with 2 goals

Injuries
United:
None

Spurs:
Mido back 31st Jan 07 doubtful
D Berbatov groin 31st Jan 07 very doubtful
L King foot no return date very doubtful

Suspended
United: None
Spurs: Ahmed MIDO

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Manchester United
17 April 2006 - Ref: Mark Halsey
Spurs scorer: Jenas 53
Man United scorers: Rooney 8, 36

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Manchester United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
9 September 2006 - Ref: Mike Riley
Man United scorer: Giggs 9

HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
Home and away
League: Spurs 35 wins, United 68, Draws 36
Prem: Spurs 3 wins, United 20, Draws 5

at Spurs only
League: Spurs 25 wins, United 22, Draws 22
Prem: Spurs 3 wins, United 9, Draws 2

Other Trivia
If he plays, ROONEY will be making his 200th club career appearance (Everton and Manchester United).

Michael CARRICK made 75 appearances and scored two goals for Tottenham, before his £18+m signing for United last July. In two seasons at White Hart Lane, the England International made 64 Premiership appearances, in which both his goals scored were netted.

Goalkeeper Paul ROBINSON is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Tottenham's Premiership matches this season.

Spurs have managed only four clean sheets in this League campaign.

Spurs are pressing for a first win in five Premiership matches.

United boast the longest goalscorers list in the top division - 15 different players.

Spurs have not won in 11 Premiership meetings with United, since a 3-1 home victory on 19 May 2001, when a brace from Willem Korsten and a Les Ferdinand goal made it a victorious end to the season.

[Joelzinho]

Lets go!

[SirManchester]

This will be an incredibely difficult game. Not only because it's away, but despite Spurs' recent game outcomes, they've been playing their best football of the season, and have looked more and more motivated. Their previous result against us should also encourage them to play with more confidence.

We need to score, we need to apply pressure and keep it going til the whistle blows, even after we get a lead.

[Invincible]

Yeah I think this is gonna be a slugfest. I hope we dont score one then throw on friggin Silvestre and O'Shit hoping to "kill the game off" :rolleyes:

[benni...]

Father Ted should make the match threads more often, win lose or draw, thats really good format.

[50 Euro]

Agree with benni...nice work FT.:)

I'd be quite surprised if we don't see:
-----Rooney-----Larsson-----
Giggs-Scholes-Carrick-CRon
Evra---Rio---Vidic---Gary

[GrodZilla]

Agree with benni...nice work FT.:)

I'd be quite surprised if we don't see:
-----Rooney-----Larsson-----
Giggs-Scholes-Carrick-CRon
Evra---Rio---Vidic---Gary

I sure hope that is what we'll see anyway...

But I don't like that winless run they have against us. It makes me feel they are due a win, let's hope that they are not. It will be a very hard game, however we are the better team, we are better in pretty much every position and with Carrick - Scholes in the middle, Roon and Ron finally looking like they are in form at the same time and old boys Giggs and Larsson lurking in the background wew really couldn't ask for a better set up.

[benni...]

No Berbatov (possibly), no King, and no Mido? This isnt good for Spurs.

[Ronaldo07]

VDS

Neville Rio Vidic Evra

Ronaldo Scholes Carrick Giggs

Rooney

Larrson

i put Evra in there because i think hes better at dealing with Lennon then Heinze, and Heinze didn't really impress me the other day, seemed he was half-assing it, there was one time in the 2nd half a player went past it so easy and he didn't even bother to chase him, just stopped.. perhaps he was tired but it dissapointed me that he didn't show he wanted it enough when given the chance.

[Rooney#8 II]

There may be no Aaron Lennon aswel, as apparently he is yet to shake of an illness. There new CB Ricardo Rocha could make his Premiership debut, as there is no Ledly King, and he had a shakey game against Arsenal the other night, but I do remembaer him having a good game against us at OT, when we played Benfica. And as someone mentioned before, Berbatov is out. All good news for us really, as we have everyone fit.

[StrikerCW]

Come on boys, give me a birthday present! Let's go 9 up!

[listen_up_fergie]

Chelsea will most probably cut the gap to 3 points before we kickoff at White Hart Lane, unless Charlton manage to stage an unlikely upset.
Spurs away will be a tough game, and it will be important for us to get all three points. Any slip up by us will only boost Chelsea's confidence, and if the gap is down to three points then the championship race is wide open.

[Sapphire]

The Spuds always make me very nervous.

[Invincible]

If Lennon wont be playing I'll feel 100 times better. He'll absolutely torment our team all game if he plays.

[Vermont Red]

If Lennon wont be playing I'll feel 100 times better. He'll absolutely torment our team all game if he plays.

Lennon v Evra wouldn't concern me too much. Lennon v Neville could bother me. At least until Neville kicked him a few times.

[benni...]

Lennon's quality and production takes a massive dip when he plays on the left, so it wouldnt bother me as much. His end product is still suspect, but he's growing. Im not really worried about him, because I feel Evra can take advantage of his lack of defensive awareness. Make him tired.

[Vermont Red]

Lennon's quality and production takes a massive dip when he plays on the left, so it wouldnt bother me as much. His end product is still suspect, but he's growing. Im not really worried about him, because I feel Evra can take advantage of his lack of defensive awareness. Make him tired.

Plus, Lennon is not an opponent who can out-physical Evra and I doubt that Lennon would have a meaningful advantage, if any, in pace.

[Dark Savante]

Anyone feel Ted has raised the bar for Matchthreads?

Spurs are a handful at home. They attack and really give it their all against the so-called big clubs.

They beat Chelsea at home and they should have beat Arsenal in the CC after going 2 up, but bottled it. What they encourage, and what we love, is an open team who play kamikaze football. Spurs don't have the overall quality to play two-pace, so they'll give it everything they have for 60,70 and then they will tire. If we score before they are burnt-out, they will commit even more to attack.

Their penchant for giving the ball away right when they've brought everyone up could play into our hands. Their midfield really is commited to attack.

Lennon, Malbranque, Huddlestone, Zokora/Jenas offers absolutely no protection for a backline without King and this really could be a game where we go into overdrive. Scholes and Carrick will thrive if this becomes a game of 'who's the best CM' lol. The best thing about their wings is that they offer one-way threats only. Against a midfield like ours it really is a do-or-die way to play. Their left side is weak, their right strong. Two ways to go about that - attack it with our fastest players Evra & Ronaldo or occupy it by leaving Giggs there who guarantees Chimbonda stays home.

I'd worry more about Lennon if Evra wasn't there and Berbatov was playing. Ultimately, he'll have to be fantastic to get change against Evra and deliver well. I think he'll get or the other, not both. What will be abnormal for Lennon as well, will be being pushed back by a superior flank. He rarely faces that and often has it all his own way. I think he'll be dead on his feet by 75 if he plays.

Huddlestone is slow. I wish we had a runner to swarm him. He's also extremely low on stamina when forced to chase. This lends itself to 1-touch and it also means Zokora will often have to be his legs, which in turn takes him off his game as he will have to cover for Huddlestone.

Rocha is new to the league and we should really put Saha on him and welcome him to English style CF's . Shame Luis won't start..

If Henrik gets the nod we should flash crosses across Robinson. He has been shite this season and is flapping a lot on crosses and he is slow to get to ground on low drives...

this is curious game. If Spurs get the goal(s) in the early stages where they are all bluster it could be torrid. If we get 1 or 2 in that time, we could really put them to the sword. I hope our quality tells, it'd be great to murder them. What a message that'd send out. Although a scrappy win is OK, as long as we get 3pts, it'll have been an exceptional day out.

[FIFARay007]

Great job Father Ted! The bar has been raised.

2-1 good guys

Rooney and Larsson

[bestbecks]

This is a tough must-win game for us. That is all am I going to say because of my fear of jinxing a possible Man Utd victory.