Matchday 6:Tottenham Hotspur vs. Southampton [R]

[The Double]

Saturday, the 20th of September


Tottenham Hotspur FC
vs
Southampton


Home Fixture-Saints@The Lane


As They Stand
Tottenham-Played 5, 4 Points
Southampton-Played 5, 9 points


TEAMtalk-Spurs (http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/News/Team_News/0,1562,46,00.html)

Official Spurs Site (www.spurs.co.uk)

Soccernet-Spurs (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/team?id=367&cc=5901)

BBCSport-Spurs (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/default.stm)


Post line-ups, play by plays, opinions, predictions, frustration etc.

How is the new Matchday thread lay-out?

[Danners9]

Glenn Hoddle is hoping to have Wales international midfielder Simon Davies back to face Southampton as he battles to keep his job at White Hart Lane.

Davies missed last weekend's defeat at Chelsea with a slight thigh strain but came through a reserve match this week along with Gus Poyet (wrist), who is also likely to be back in the squad.

Robbie Keane (ankle), Christian Ziege (thigh) and Ledley King (hamstring) are Hoddle's main injury worries at the moment, but none of them are expected to be long-term absentees.

Rory Delap is not expected to make his comeback from an ankle injury for Saints.

The Ireland midfielder lasted 55 minutes of a reserve match in midweek before being substituted with tight calves and is targeting Wednesday's UEFA Cup date against Steaua Bucharest for his comeback.

St Mary's boss Gordon Strachan is without four more players for the trip to London.

Striker Marian Pahars is out for another two weeks with a groin injury and fellow forward Agustin Delgado faces another five weeks on the sidelines with his back problem.

Fitz Hall should be back next week after his broken toe but Darren Kenton faces a month-long battle to regain his fitness after a thigh injury.

Tottenham (from): Keller, Carr, Richards, Gardner, Taricco, Davies, Redknapp, Ricketts, Anderton, Postiga, Zamora, Kanoute, Dalmat, Konchesky, Bunjevcevic, Poyet, Acimovic, Doherty, Marney, Hirschfeld

Southampton (from): Jones, Dodd, Lundekvam, M Svensson, Le Saux, Fernandes, Oakley, Marsden, McCann, Phillips, Beattie, Ormerod, A Svensson, Telfer, Higginbotham, Prutton, Niemi

[sendorange]

No question that we should bring in Konchesky and Dalmat. They're both top class and will make a very big (and positive) difference to the shape of the team.

Keller
-
Gardner
Richards
Doherty
-
Konchesky
Carr
-
Dalmat
Redknapp
Ricketts
-
Postiga
Kanoute

I we think we can definitely take them. Just need to show some guts and defensive concentration, there's no doubt our ability on the ball and going forward should be enough to break them down.

From my lineup above it's entirely likely Hodd may start Bunje for Doherty, Anderton for Rohan and Zamora for Postiga. The first two I hope he doesn't, but Zamora and Postiga should get a half each.

It's a strong team we'll have out there, regardless of injuries, we should win regardless of how well Southampton are doing. They're not ManYoo or even Man City. This is a mustwin and could make a huge difference to all this pressure talk. Beat Southampton and Coventry and it could give us the liftoff to go on a run.

[dashiel]

halftime: tottenham 0 : 2 southampton

if this result stands, i'm guessing hoddle will be sacked by monday.

[comme]

1:3 now, Beattie (2) and Phillips for them, Kanoute for us. Completely unacceptable, the time has come now to give Hod the push.

[jumhed]

What is good though, is that on Friday night I transferred Postiga out of my Fantasy Football Team and replaced him with Beattie. I am a tactical genius.

Actually, my brother phoned me up nearly in tears after the game. 'Do you think Hodd should go?' he asked. 'Not yet.' Said I.