Premier League - Wigan hold toothless Tottenham

Eurosport - Sun, 21 Sep 17:32:00 2008

Tottenham's poor start to the season continued as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Wigan at White Hart Lane.

FOOTBALL David Bentley Wilson Palacios Tottenham v Wigan Premier League 2008 - 0

In a match full of commitment but lacking in genuine quality, Titus Bramble and Emerson Boyce emerged as the most impressive figures, thwarting a Spurs front line that only looked threatening following the introduction of Aaron Lennon as a second half substitute.

The key moment of the match came in the 64th minute, almost immediately after Lennon's introduction. The winger turned sharply in the Wigan area and went down under slight contact from Birmingham's Maynor Figueroa, but the referee turned down the huge appeals from fans and players alike.

Wigan did well to weather a spell of Spurs pressure throughout second half, and even finished the stronger of the two sides in a hectic final few minutes.

Despite a somewhat apprehensive feeling pervading from the capacity crowd at White Hart Lane, the Tottenham players began confidently, dominating the possession in the early stages, though without ever genuinely threatening Chris Kirkland's goal.

Summer signing Roman Pavlyuchenko was the first to get a sight at goal, though he saw his volley on the turn deflected wide after he was played in by Darren Bent.

A flurry of set pieces at both ends gave both sets of fans sporadic moments of hope, though this inevitably turned to frustration at repeated poor delivery, with David Bentley and Jason Koumas the culprits.

Bent was the first to carve himself out a genuine chance after winning possession well inside the Wigan half, though after gaining a lucky break off Titus Bramble he could only fire a low shot straight at Kirkland.

Amr Zaki was present with a similarly inviting chance moments later after lovely interplay from Paul Scharner and Wilson Palacios on the right, though the Egyptian drilled his snap-shot well over the bar.

As the half went on so Wigan began to gain a foothold in the game, with Emile Heskey at the centre of their best attacking moves. It was off his delightfully cushioned knock-down that Scharner fired a rasping volley that Heurelho Gomes did well to tip round the post three minutes before the break.

Pavlyuchenko, who was somewhat of a peripheral figure through the first half, was withdrawn, and replaced by Frazier Campbell, who fared marginally better.

The first 15 minutes of the second period passed off far too quietly for the liking of both the Spurs management and fans, and coach Juande Ramos responded by replacing the disappointing David Bentley with Lennon.

No sooner had the winger received the ball, than he was terrorising Figueroa with direct running that finally created a feeling of optimism and energy around the ground.

Both he and the Spurs fans were dismayed to see his penalty appeal on 64 minutes turned down, though it will long be debated as to whether the contact made by Figueroa on Lennon was enough to warrant a penalty.

The hosts had to wait another ten minutes for their next clear-cut chance to come about, but when it did, it was their best of the match. A long ball out of defence was flicked on by Bent to Campbell, who laid the ball off perfectly into the path of Lennon, who dragged his shot agonisingly wide of the post from the edge of the area.

Campbell then chipped an inviting ball into the box for Bent, but once again Bramble was there to clear the danger.

The noise instead the stadium escalated to a crescendo as the Spurs faithful cried out for a winner, but it was Wigan who finished the stronger of the two sides, and they may even have won it if substitute Olivier Kapo had managed to direct his header under the bar when left unmarked in on the edge of the six-yard box.

As it is, Wigan will take confidence from another fine performance, while the Spurs fans look to the Carling Cup tie at Newcastle with their side still bottom of the Premier League table.

MF / Eurosport

Comment 19 - 38 of 38

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  1. I'm an Arsenal fan, but I am very sad to see Spurs struggling like this - our two local derbys are the most fun each season in my opinion. I know it's still early season, but unless Ramos quickly gets a grip of what Premiership football is all about and how it is utterly different to continental football, then I can't see how things can improve for you because you're in real danger of being too many points behind everyone else. Not having the local derbys next season, after having them for all my lifetime (minus one silly seventies season), is unthinkable to me. SO SORT IT OT SPURS!! (Oh, and neither you nor Arsenal have played any of the big clubs yet, so that's all square so far you fans who seem to think it isn't, and the Carling Cup isn't exactly a major trophy if you're honest, more a second-tier honour, but well done for beating Chelsea to it anyway.)

    From Danny Dare, on Mon 22 Sep 8:42PM

  2. Spurs are going to have to change managers very soon, a slump like this is hard to get out of once your in it, I'd just hate to see them in the championship with the likes of Burnley, Port Vale, Shame..

    Up the Hammers great win saturday

    From KCUFTHEU, on Mon 22 Sep 11:48AM

  3. JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH .. MAYBE SPURS GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY IN LEAGUE ONE ..

    From azhanm, on Mon 22 Sep 10:22AM

  4. are arsenal too uninteresting to be given a site of their own so the trolls trawl other sites? still,they've not had to play a proper game,yet,so they've got all this time for their imaginations to wander. they,re full of @#$% and lager.

    From nick, on Mon 22 Sep 9:45AM

  5. Lets face it we are badly struggling.......but come on Arse fans get real,its all pretty football against the rubbish?? The reason you've not won anything for a while is because your just not good enough yourselfs!!

    From Wayne, on Mon 22 Sep 8:59AM

  6. wolf2102. you are a perfect spurs fan for whom carling cup is the ultimate silverware and is happy that even if you are at bottom now, you will end up somewhere 14th or 15th in the league.

    From Hamad, on Mon 22 Sep 8:40AM

  7. comment #30 creative joke, borderline offensive but very funny.

    From football4life, on Mon 22 Sep 6:00AM

  8. ITS JUST 5 GAMES. SPURS WILL FIND FORM VERY SOON. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE ARSENAL WON ANY SILVER WEARS. BUT LAST SEASON WE GOT SILVER. WHAT DID ARSENAL GET 0. SPURS 4 LIFE

    From Winston, on Mon 22 Sep 1:31AM

  9. cheerio cheerio cheerio sorry just getting ready for may. bye spurs, sent this on the man city pompey post too trying to get everyone involved waving spurs down.

    From stubateman13@..., on Sun 21 Sep 10:36PM

  10. Osama Bin Laden sent out a new video to prove he was still alive, in it he said SPURS were rubbish recently.

    Britsh intelligence dissmissed it saying: ''That could have been recorded anytime in the last 8 years''...

    From mick.nunwa@..., on Sun 21 Sep 9:30PM

  11. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA TOTTEN@#$% AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

    From thejackoss, on Sun 21 Sep 9:01PM

  12. im really impressed by wegan fc dis season.....they are playin somr guud football dis season and hopefully they can continue dis till da end maybe they can reach somwhere with dis kind of squad....all da best wegan

    From meena.melad, on Sun 21 Sep 8:27PM

  13. Spurs deserve everything they get. Atleast the board do. If you're going to sell your best assets then what do you expect. Anyone with half a brain could see that they were going to struggle this season. But not even i could envisage them lying at the bottom after 5 games.

    From JONHBOY, on Sun 21 Sep 7:59PM

  14. being a lifelong gooner, its great seeing us up at the top again. But l dont really get any satisfaction from seeing spurs at rock bottom. Its the worst spurs team l have ever seen. Last season they had some really good players in Berbatov, Keane and even De Foe. So ok they got a lot of dosh for them, but the replacement buying has been terrible. I really do feel for the spurs fans, they are a passionate lot, and over the years l have been to white hart lane on many occasions and seen some brilliant games.. I love the banter with real fans. But at this rate they will be playing in the lower divisions, and that will be sad. This guy Ramos only came to London coz of the money...no other reason. Now it seems he is homesick ! He is very rapidly destroying Spurs. they need to get rid of him right now. He has no idea about football in the premiorship. ....

    From gunners192, on Sun 21 Sep 7:21PM

  15. ithink spurs are the better side but their manager does'int know how set their squad he solled babertov the one of the best strikes in premiar and defoe i thnk they should fire him out he bought some new players but he does'int use them so they is use to buy some new players and i think on january he should buy some good and expririence striker from MDUDUZI

    From Washington, on Sun 21 Sep 7:05PM

  16. hope that spurs out-of-luck wil be running this season.hahah.what a shame. GUNNERS4LIFE!

    From mewwiz, on Sun 21 Sep 6:49PM

  17. i think should put dos santos in first lineup he will improve in premier leage

    From Washington, on Sun 21 Sep 6:49PM

  18. the only champions league they'll be playing is the championship league ! ha ha ha ha :)

    From kacak, on Sun 21 Sep 6:23PM

  19. spurs fans shouldn't be too worried. in the championship games are easier. well, easier than wigan is hard, but i'm sure you'll find at least one team down there which is worse. HAHAHAHAHAHA

    From Tommi D, on Sun 21 Sep 6:05PM

  20. it would cost me £100 to watch spurs play with me travel,id rather put it in the bookies on spurs to lose id b quids in.

    From baz u, on Sun 21 Sep 6:03PM
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