Last night’s Spurs-Boro fixture wrapped up with a nineteen-man brawl on the pitch:
A mild game erupted in the closing minutes when Didier Zokora and Boro’s George Boateng were sent off after a set-to by the touchline. A late Aaron Lennon tackle on Boateng had sparked a melee which attracted every player but Paul Robinson.
A footie match and a rugby game for one ticket: what a bargain!
Paul Canniff
Traces of Polonium have been found at the Emirates Stadium. Who knew Vladmir Putin was a Spurs fan?
Damian P.
Check here to see who will face Newcastle and Blackburn, Newcastle and Tottenham in the group stage that will run from October 19 to December 14.
Paul Canniff
We may be only six games into the new season but already the results give us cause to consider the fate of the EPL’s likely lads:
Tottenham
After a dizzying year under Martin Jol that nearly took the Yid Army into the Champions League — with the high of a classic derby against the poilus of Highbury and the low of the final day botulism run — fans were expecting much more at White Hart Lane. Over the summer Tottenham kept Davids and acquired Berbatov but lost Carrick to Manchester United. And the result? 17th in the table, including a right shellacking at the hands of the Scouse. Two wins in hand could in theory take them back up but their form (no away wins, GD -6) isn’t encouraging.
Wigan
Dave Whelan’s boys burst onto the scene with an opening day nail-biter against Chelsea and kept their form to finish midway in the table in their first year of promotion. Their start this year was much less flashy and one wonders what impact the sales of Nathan Ellington and Jimmy Bullard may have had.
Reading
The new Wigan. Their disciplined drive through the Championship has barely faltered, especially when they recently held the Red Devils to a draw at the Madejski Stadium.
Aston Villa
This season’s Cinderella tale, without question. After a player uprising and the humiliating departure of gaffer David O’Leary, there was genuine doubt over the future of Birmingham’s last outpost in top-flight football. But with the arrival of Martin O’Neill and the club’s purchase by financier Randy Lerner, the Villans have escaped the clutches of both the sheriffs and the Grim Reaper. Their current form is encouraging, going undefeated thus far.
Paul Canniff
It seemed to me that Spurs would have been better off if Kevin Kilbane had not been sent off in the 33rd minute of today’s match at White Hart Lane. Lee seemed to have his number and probably would have penetrated from the right side all day long. As it was, I wasn’t overly pleased with the Kilbane start. However, as one of the tv announcer’s mentioned, something happens sometimes to ten-man squads and, whatever it was, it happened to Everton today. They made it to half time with a nil-nil draw, but, still, it didn’t look hopeful for Moyes’ men. Chances were that Tottenham would break them down as the game went on.
But Andrew Johnson started to find his groove in the second half and did some nice work to set up the first goal from an Arteta free kick into the box. A glancing header from the other Everton newcomer, Joleon Lescott, went into the net off of Spurs defender Davenport, but I believe it was Joseph Yobo who was waiting at the far post and probably would have had it. 1-Nil! Could it be?
Some great mid-field work from Leon Osman brought the ball forward on the right to Phil Neville and it was one Steve McLaren call-up to another with a tremendous cross from Neville and a beautiful finish by Andy Johnson. 2-Nil! Unbelieveable!
Tim Howard didn’t need to do much, but did what he had to do when he had to do it. I won’t comment on Martin Jol’s stategy, although the tv commentators certainly had lots of questions; it was a good performance in that respect from Moyes himself.
It took Everton until NOVEMBER 27th to score 5 goals last season and hadn’t hit the 7 points mark until November 6th when a victory brought them to 9 points. Lots of positive things happening in Toffeeland these days. Are Evertonians excited about a better-than-11th-place-finish for 2006-07? You’re frakking right we are! Twenty-one years to the day from their last win at White Hart Lane, Everton goes home with the win.
Mike C.
It was an interesting Opening Day of the EPL’s 2006-07 campaign.
Hulse’s header was a real cracker to open the season, and Liverpool will be disappointed with their day at Bramhall Lane. The penalty was a crap call, not that Liverpool didn’t deserve to share the points on the day. The Blades really hustled, though, and started their season off well. The announcers commented later in the game that Arne Riise’s ankle injury may not have been that bad ~ surprising to me given the way it looked.
Reading certainly hold “comeback of the season” honours, thus far. Kitson, Sidwell and Kita notched the goals to wipe out Boro’s 2 goal lead. I believe Sidwell was Four Four Two’s ‘best player outside the Prem’ last season, so he’s definitely one ot watch this year.
At Goodison Park, the guy Everton acquired to score the goals actually scored the opener 14 minutes in. (How odd!) Mikel Arteta added a penalty and Everton edged out Watford for their first opening day win in five years. [Later: it seems both Merseyside clubs were beneficiaries of bad penalty calls on Saturday, Everton’s being the more egregious, apparently. Oh well, what can you do?]
So, it was win, draw, loss for the three promoted teams.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day for me was Pompey trashing Blackburn Rovers. They had a 2 goal cushion before Neil went off, and Todd’s sending off happened in the 91st minute (so, I don’t think saying that it was a victory “over nine-man Blackburn” quite tells the tale). Could this big win by ‘arry’s boys have been the biggest statement of the young season?
We’ll let Damian report on the solid start by Roeder’s Magpies.
You gotta think Chelsea and Manchester United are more than pleased with the points left on the field by Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs (though I write in the 82nd minute of that game).
Mike C
Paul Canniff
Along with the World Cup, there will, of course, be lots of transfers (both rumoured and actual) to talk about during the summer months. Things are already hopping at the Rumour Mill over at ToffeeWeb.com. Joseph Yobo going, no staying, no going. Diego Forlan to Goodison? Joleone Lescott from Wolves and Cameron Jerome from Cardiff City? Tim Howard as the New Nigel? Zoltan Gera from relegated West Brom. AJ is sort of always looming out there. Recent rumours included the Mancs swooping for Tim Cahill (say it ain’t so) and Moyes going after Spurs target Lomano Lua Lua.
Ah yes, a rich vein of blogging ore. If the rumours can be any indication of what will eventually happen, it at least appears that Moyes has firepower on his mind.
Mikel Arteta rightfully received Everton’s Player of the Year, as well as Players’ Player of the Year Awards this week. Congrats, Mikel! Well-deserved.
Mike C.
Spurs supporter Stephen Pollard extends congratulations to his archrivals for their recent accomplishments:
Congratulations to Arsenal, who by salvaging a draw yesterday against Tottenham have guaranteed a place in next season’s UEFA Cup. That’s quite a performance for a scratch international XI.
No doubt their fans will be licking their lips in anticipation of playing teams of Finnish fisherman and part time Moldovian motor mechanics in the UEFA round robin stage at their new stadium. Enjoy it, Gooners!
Of course, some of us are praying for a shot against Finnish fisherman and Moldovian mechanics…
Damian P.
Arsene Wenger produced a prize example of Gallic demeanour in his attacks on Martin Jol after today’s North London derby, stomping into the tunnel at the close of play. All because two Arsenal players collided with each other as Spurs advanced to a goal:
Referee Steve Bennett said: “I assessed the situation and saw that no-one was endangered and there were no head injuries, and in that situation the game can carry on.”
As noted elsewhere in the Telegraph:
All that happened was that two Arsenal players, Gilberto Silva and Eboue, collided and fell. While referee Steve Bennett correctly checked they were not seriously injured - both were able to look up - Spurs continued to attack down the left and Edgar Davids tried a low cross. Though Arsenal were understandably thin at the back, the irony is that Kolo Toure got close enough to the ball to impart the subtle deflection that took it into the path of Keane, who sidefooted wide of Jens Lehmann.
Fittingly, Arsenal’s next face Spurs at a new venue sponsored by an airline, from whom the Gooners could draw a worthy lesson. The aviation world has found one way to help avoid collisions: use English as a common working language. So crack those ESL books, mes amis!
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