Premier League - Old boys return to haunt sorry Spurs

Eurosport - Mon, 29 Sep 12:23:00 2008

Rock-bottom Tottenham Hotspur had more misery heaped on them by two ex-players as Portsmouth beat them 2-0 at Fratton Park.

FOOTBALL 2008/09 Premier League Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe scores a penalty past Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes - 0

Pompey strike duo Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch both scored against their former employers to end their own side's terrible run of heavy defeats and move into the top half of the table, though they will now miss key player Lassana Diarra through suspension after he was sent off late on.

Midfielder Glen Little - making his Portsmouth debut after being plagued by injury since his summer move from Reading - was a constant threat and he won a free-kick on the right wing that Spurs captain Jermaine Jenas subsequently handled to concede a soft penalty on 33 minutes.

Defoe - who scored 64 goals for Spurs during his four years at the club - stepped up and fired his spot-kick clinically into the bottom corner. Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes went the right way but the strike had him beaten.

The 25-year-old also had a hand in partner Crouch's goal. He set up full-back Armand Traore whose fierce shot was saved by Gomes but the ball kicked up to Crouch - who spent two years at White Hart Lane as a trainee - and he nodded into the net for his first Portsmouth goal.

Portsmouth's French midfielder Diarra - who turned down a summer move to Tottenham - was highly influential yet again. However, he is now facing a suspension after his wild lunge on Benoit Assou-Ekotto earned him a second yellow card and a sending off in the final few minutes.

Defoe had the ball in the back of the Spurs net as early as the third minute, after he latched on to Crouch's flick-on and finished past Gomes one-on-one. However, the flag was already up for offside against him.

Tottenham will feel aggrieved that they did not have a penalty of their own in the second half. Aaron Lennon - a half-time replacement on the left wing for the ineffective Gilberto - fired a cross in from the by-line that Diarra blocked with his raised hand. Referee Mike Dean didn't see the handball and awarded a corner to Tottenham.

Tottenham had the majority of possession throughout the match and had plenty of shots, but they failed to create many clear-cut opportunities, with a misfiring David Bentley unable to supply lone striker Roman Pavlyuchenko with any decent service, leaving the Russian isolated for most of the match.

Darren Bent replaced Pavlyuchenko - rather than come on to partner him - with less than 20 minutes remaining, and although he managed to get a couple of shots away he could not drag his team back into the match.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport

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  1. What makes me laugh is that most spurs fans know the type of players and we need and what team to pick. Why pay someone £4.5m in wages when Daniel Levy could ring up a fan of his choice to pick the team... it couldnt be any worse! We could then appoint Stevie Wonder as Football Director as Commolli hasnt a clue!
    Its a great job at Spurs, you get paid loads of money, fail to get results, then get paid more money to leave, while the people at the top keep their jobs!
    Wouldnt be surprised if Jurgen Klinsmen has been tapped up, or Steve Marclaren could be a top contender if Ramos goes he has the potential to relegate us!!!

    From adrian.edwards22@..., on Mon 29 Sep 3:21PM

  2. i think spurs are just @#$%. i hope they end up like leeds

    From codonnell95, on Mon 29 Sep 8:43AM

  3. A Toothless performance against an average side which has leaked 10 goals in the last 2 games.
    We cant even put them under any sort of pressure!!

    From Wayne, on Mon 29 Sep 7:48AM

  4. It seems to me that Spurs have the parts (players) but not the glue that sticks them together... After a sparkling pre-season, there is an air of utter mediocrity and incohesion about their performances in the Premier league. Maybe they do need to go down to the Championship to rediscover that football is a TEAM game. Mind you, i don;t think the owners did anyone any favours by getting rid of Jol after a succession of poor results. I thought Jol was a decent manager but as always in this fickle, money-mad industry, the powers that be have only short term foresight. Ramos has the credentials but perhaps not the credibility to mould a team... They look atrocious, frankly, even in the win over Newcastle - BOTH teams looked like they didn't belong on the field!

    From oyster250, on Mon 29 Sep 7:48AM

  5. to all you spurs fans who thought you were better than newcastle, your just as b****y bad, you southern monkeys haha!!!!

    From Richard F, on Mon 29 Sep 3:38AM

  6. I think that the departure of Berbatov and Keane shows us that Tottenham have relied on just a few players for far too long. Now that these players have departed to new pastures the whole scenario is different.

    From sappercommando25, on Mon 29 Sep 3:14AM

  7. The one consolation in that even though the mighty Arsenal lost at home to Hull - who - city is that Spurs have been xxx for years and continue to be - relegation looms I hope

    From trevorodell123, on Sun 28 Sep 11:26PM

  8. graham taylor said spurs shall be in the top 4, 18 months after ramos took charge. no wonder he was sacked as england manager.

    From Ismail, on Sun 28 Sep 11:16PM

  9. championship football is what bentley wanted but i dont think he ment div 1

    From steven a, on Sun 28 Sep 10:54PM

  10. championship football is what bentley wanted but i dont think he ment div 1

    From steven a, on Sun 28 Sep 10:53PM

  11. no matter who buys spurs, you are a middle placed team at the best. You should stop trying to chase Arsenal because you will never be as good as them. Arsenal have not left the top 4 for 11 years and Tottenham have only seen the edge of 4th once. You need to humble yourselves and send an emisary to Arsene Wenger to give you the template of Arsenal's success. I heard spurs fans shouting about winning the Carling cup last season. You need to cover your faces in shame. Of all the trophies on offer, Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup you are shouting about the Carling Cup. Grow up and join the big boys.

    From Pastor kay_crm, on Sun 28 Sep 10:43PM

  12. im a spurs fan i tink were doing absulutly @#$% we need to start putting in sum top performances prety quick, we got da players so y aint we gelling yet, it will @#$% a big investor will come like da man cities and den we can buy some heavy plyers real heavy beter than berba

    From gillam85, on Sun 28 Sep 10:23PM

  13. Are spurs breaking into the top four like this, what a suitable position for spurs, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahah

    From tony, on Sun 28 Sep 10:01PM

  14. dominate possession but no clear chance on goal; make stoke n hull look like dangerous attacking flair teams ! Toons ? Cartoon more like !! Spammers ? always talk about doing better than spurs, but achieve - nothing. But results like this, pahh - fans were in amazing voice

    From ispurs, on Sun 28 Sep 9:54PM

  15. Spurs & newcastle should merge they'd be called Magpurs. With there best player in action i'm sure they would not finish bottom only 2nd from bottom. LOL Both teams should get relegated. All the teams in the premiership should do their best to put spurs and Newcastle out of their misery by relegating them before next year. That way some of the players would be up for transfer in Jan. LOL

    From The Joker, on Sun 28 Sep 9:43PM

  16. what's spurs and a toothpick have in common - they both have two points

    From GhostHunter, on Sun 28 Sep 9:09PM

  17. what's spurs and a toothpick have in common - they both have two points

    From GhostHunter, on Sun 28 Sep 9:04PM

  18. If only we could bring back Norman, Mckay and Blanchflower. And of course Greavsie

    From Ken F, on Sun 28 Sep 8:51PM

  19. hahaha cheers spurs your making us baggies look like a champions league team right now ahahahaha

    From ErikS, on Sun 28 Sep 8:41PM

  20. Tıll Spurs start putting some hard work ın there going to continue to struggle.Today Jenas captain what a joke.Points out of 10: Workrate 2:Ability 2:Arrogance 10:Poser 10:
    Leader 2:Till he realises he's not good enough to lace most of the Prems top forwards boots the better.C'mon Ramos Spurs are a lot better than this,put them back where they should be in the top half of the table,you can't afford to carry duck eggs like Jenas anymore.Good luck Spurs you've allways been a good footballing side,get back on track.

    From tonyclapp504, on Sun 28 Sep 8:38PM
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