Jermain Defoe was back in to the starting eleven replacing Robbie Keane, leaving Paul Robinson deputising as captain. Spurs began brightly, laying siege to the on the Middlesbrough goal. Boro were without new strikers Aliadiere and Mido and looked toothless in attack.

Brad Jones In Stoppable Form

Spurs were wasteful with gilt-edged opportunities in front of goal, Jenas and Defoe coming closest to breaking the dead lock. Schwarzer’s understudy Brad Jones demonstrated form that could have the Australian keeper looking over his shoulder.

Second Half Goals & Clean Sheet The Perfect Tonic For Confidence At Spurs

The Tottenham defence still looked suspect from set pieces but they managed to hold up and keep a confidence boosting clean sheet. Gareth Bale broke the deadlock in a controversial move Aaron Lennon appeared to be in an offside position but was deemed not to be by the referee, paving the way for Bale to run round Jones before putting the ball in the goal. Crowd favourite Tom Huddlestone added the second ensuring Spurs name was entered into the hat for the draw. Huddlestone headed the ball past Jones after Lennon carved out an opportunity to cross having beaten Rochemback on the right flank.

Spurs look certain to make the UEFA Cup group stage, as they take a five goal lead in to the away leg in Cyprus. Manager Martin Jol will want this victory I the first European fixture will help to kick start this season in the same manner as it did last year.

Kaboul Opens Spurs European Account

The home side opened their European account after just five minutes a well worked set piece. Tom Huddlestone’s corner kick and Pascal Chimbonda’s dummy run allowed Kaboul to score with his head from six yards.

Three Goals In As Many Minutes

The Cypriots fought hard through the first half and kept Spurs at bay, it seemed that if they got a lucky break they could continue Spurs frustrating start to the season, the referee denying Darren Bent a stonewall penalty. However the worry was dispelled when Spurs took advantage of another set play, this time it was Keane who put the corner in the box Chimbonda knocked the ball down for Dawson to stab the ball in to the back of the net.

Two minutes later it was the turn of the strikers to get on the score sheet, Assou-Ekotto squared the ball to Keane who flicked the ball into the air with his right foot and volleyed home with his left; the shot was scuffed but it rolled past the Famagusta keeper.

A minute later Darren Bent scored his first UEFA Cup goal for six years, when he scored for Ipswich as a 17 year-old. The £16m striker proved his worth by being quick enough to take advantage of a defensive error. He latched on to a misguided back pass, holding off a defenders challenge long enough to steer the ball into the empty goal from the tightest of angles.

Defoe Demonstrates His Worth To Tottenham

Jermaine Defoe replaced Robbie Keane just after the hour mark, with his first touch of the game he played a delightful chip from twenty five yards over the goalie in to the waiting goal. He scored a second and Spurs sixth on the night when he created a little space and drove the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal from the edge of the box.

Defensive Confusion Costs Spurs A Clean Sheet

The visitors did manage to get a valuable away goal, although it was scant consolation. Tottenham introduced Welsh defender Gareth Bale for his first European appearance when the visitors were waiting to take a throw in. The speed of their play caught the Tottenham defence off guard. In the ensuing mix up Zlogar managed to toe-poke the ball through a gap in the defence. Radek Cerny who had little to do while deputizing for Paul Robinson, managed to get a hand to the shot but failed to stop it crossing the line.

Martin Jol’s position as Manager of Tottenham Hotspur has become even more uncomfortable over the weekend, following his sides defeat at the hands of local rivals Arsenal.

Bale Becomes Spurs Legend After Scoring Free-Kick Against Arsenal

Things were looking up for Spurs who were able to name Bent & Lennon in the squad for the first time in weeks. The home side started brightly and Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov was brought down on the edge of the box, from the resulting free-kick Welsh youngster Gareth Bale appeared to surprise the Gunners goalie whipping a left-foot free kick in to the bottom corner of the goal much to the delight of the home fans. Bale was brought to White Hart Lane with a reputation of being a free-kick specialist, a reputation that appears to have been as justified as much as his transfer fee.

Another Long Range Goal, Another Capitulation

Spurs failed to capitalise on the opportunities that were gifted to them to increase their lead further will Keane, Berbatov and Bent missing one-on-one opportunities. Spurs were also looking fragile when under pressure from the Gunners attack. Arsenal got back in the game through a stroke of good fortune, referee Mark Clattenburg made Fabregas retake a wasted free-kick because he was distracted by the stewards doing their job on the sidelines. Arsenal seized the opportunity, Adebayor taking advantage of poor goalkeeping by Paul Robinson to guide home the free-kick.

Fabregas was soon on the score sheet himself for the fifth time this season when he struck from all of twenty-five yards as he stood in acres of space in front of the Spurs defence. His blistering shot flew in to the goal past an outstretched Paul Robinson.

Adebayor Seals Victory With Goal Of The Month

With Spurs fans wondering who will be their new manager could be after seeing their side fall to pieces again following Martin Jol’s substitutions.  Arsenal rubbed salt in the wound, Adebayor created his own space, flicking the ball away from Dawson only to volley it past Robinson. Who must have been wondering what he had done wrong in a past life to have inflicted such a bad run of luck, he has had more goals scored past him from out side the box than any other keeper in the Premier League.

Following the poor start to the season Spurs fans will be hoping to kick start their season with a win over bitter rivals Arsenal. Spurs have had a lot to cope with in the first month of the season. They have had a congested treatment room, a boardroom embarrassment as well as the poor run of results. Although it has not been all bad news the players have closed ranks and put on a few good performances apart from a few lapses in concentration and playing some players out of position.

Wenger Signs New Deal Keeping Him At Ashburton Grove Until 2011

Arsenal are buoyant, second in the Premier League on the same points total as leaders Liverpool, and this week the commander in chief Arsene Wenger put pen to paper on a new deal keeping him at Ashburton Grove for another four years. There had been speculation that the Frenchman would leave at the end of the season at the end of his contract after ex vice chairman David Dein left at the end of Last season.

Injured Spurs Players Ready For Arsenal

Tottenham will also be in good spirits as they have a few of the walking wounded passed fit to take part against the Gunners. Anthony Gardener, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Aaron Lennon and £16m striker Darren Bent will all be available for Saturday.

According to under fire manager Martin Jol, Darren Bent is ‘in good form’, Lennon will provide attacking menace on the right flank to match Bale on the left, finally giving Spurs some balance in midfield. The more difficult decision is which two to play in the central midfield roles. Jenas & Huddlestone seem to provide the mobility and defence splitting passes that link up the play from defence to attack. Although Jol likes to play Didier Zokora who often lacks the killer ball and can get caught out of position in the play.

The game is a must win for both teams which could lead the game to being a tense, hard fought nil-nil draw, rather than the free flowing footballing spectacle that both teams could make it.

Football has changed massively over the last ten to fifteen years from being a sport to being a multi-billion pound industry. With such huge finances at stake the pressure to get results is similar to that of running any other global business. Yet those CEOs have the ability to run their business as they see fit, spending money and making cut backs diversifying.

Football: Entertainment Business or Results Business?

Business is all about growth and improving efficiency, Martin Jol has done just that. He has taken Spurs from mid-table mediocracy to Fifth in the Premier League in his first full season. In his second season he repeated the same feat, this time he added three lengthy cup runs. Each extra home game played was worth around £1m to the club in additional revenue, which saw the share price rocket last season.

Martin Jol Has Improved Both Performance & Results

This season so far he has not greatly improved on last years performance, but after five games his authority has been diminished by a disgruntled board who are more short sighted than the customers of specsavers. If there is direct comparison to last season the performances are greatly improved and although the points are the same from the same fixtures the goals scored and goal difference is improved significantly; even with all of the injury problems especially those to key players King, Dawson, Kaboul, Lennon and Bent.

Results Comparison 2006/07 v 2007/08

2006/07 Spurs 0 v 2 Everton
2006/07 Reading 3 v 1 Spurs (Championship Champs)
2006/07 Fulham 1 v 1 Spurs
2006/07 Spurs 3 v 1 Watford (Playoff Winners)
2006/07 Man Utd 1 v 0 Spurs

2007/08 Sunderland 1 v 0 Spurs (Championship Champs)
2007/08 Spurs 1 v 3 Everton
2007/08 Spurs 4 v 0 Derby (Playoff Winners)
2007/08 Man Utd 1 v 0 Spurs
2007/08 Fulham 3 v 3 Spurs

Same Points Better Performances

2006/07 Pld 5 W1 D1 L 2 F5 A7 -2 Pts 4
2007/08 Pld 5 W1 D1 L 2 F8 A7 +1 Pts 4

Give Jol some scope or rope, but allow him to do his job if he fails to improve then it is time to look elsewhere. Five games in a season of nearly sixty game season is not enough to remove a manager from his post, fifteen or twenty would be a more accurate guide, with still enough scope to allow the new man to rescue the season and prepare their assault on the next season. However with the support of the players in the dressing room and the fans in the stand, Martin Jol will have to make some huge tactical mistakes to stop him improving on the results of last season. So far Martin Jol’s men have played the Champions off the park losing to a deflected wonder strike from Nani, thrashed hapless Derby County. Drew with Fulham by virtue of a nasty deflection and a hit and hope effort in the last minute. The Sunderland result was also unfortunate Chopra striking the winner deep in injury time. The only game where Spurs were bad was the Everton game and even then they were only momentary lapses from a makeshift defence.

There is no doubt that the best is yet to come from the Class of 2008, all we have to do is watch and see.

The draw for the first round of the UEFA cup took place on Friday, with staff and fans of the home nation clubs waiting with baited breath to find out who they have to overcome if they are to make it to the moneymaking group stage of the tournament.

UEFA CUP SEEDING

Tottenham Hotspur were seeded in the draw after their successful run in the competition last season. The holders Sevilla could face Salzburg should they fail to win their postponed fixture against AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League. The game was postponed due to the tragic death of defender Antonio Puerta.

British Team Fixtures

Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv

Sammy Lee takes his Bolton Wanderers side to Macedonia to play Rabotnicki for the first leg, Blackburn Rovers also have an away fixture for the first leg of the first round. Rovers play Greek side Larissa. Tottenham have a home game against Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus, the fans could catch a little winter sun on the away trip, which could be their last if their form doesn’t pick up. Everton and Aberdeen both play teams from Ukraine. The toffees play Metalist Kharkiv while the Scottish side play Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Those with the hardest preparation for these fixtures will be the match commentators who will have to learn the pronunciations of the players names to avoid sounding silly on the night.

Full Draw For The 2008 UEFA Cup First Round

Midtjylland v Lokomotiv Moscow
Groningen v Fiorentina
Rabotnicki v Bolton Wanderers
Sevilla/AEK Athens v Red Bull Salzburg
Nurnberg v Rapid Bucharest
Everton v Metalist Kharkiv
Zenit St Petersburg v Standard Liege
Bayer Leverkusen v Uniao Leiria
Villarreal v BATE Borisov
Sion v Galatasaray
Atletico Madrid v Kayseri Erciyesspor
Bordeaux v Tampere United
Panathinaikos v Artmedia Petrzalka
Sparta Prague v Odense
FC Zurich v Empoli
Sochaux v Panionios
Rapid Vienna v Anderlecht
Pacos de Ferreira v AZ Alkmaar
Sampdoria v Aalborg
Spartak Moscow v Hacken
Hammarby v Braga
Larissa v Blackburn Rovers
Mlada Boleslav v Palermo
Dinamo Zagreb v Ajax
Rennes v Lokomotiv Sofia
Brann v Club Brugge
Bayern Munich v Belenenses
Aberdeen v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Heerenveen v Helsingborgs
Toulouse v CSKA Sofia
Hamburg v Litex Lovech
FK Sarajevo v FC Basel
Austria Vienna v Valerenga
AIK Solna v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Aris Thessaloniki v Real Zaragoza
Dinamo Bucharest v Elfsborg
Tottenham Hotspur v Anorthosis Famagusta
Lens v FC Copenhagen
Getafe v Twente
Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski v Crvena Zvezda

2008 UEFA First Round Fixture Dates

The first leg matches will be played on the 20th of September and the second leg fixtures will be two weeks later on the 4th October.

Looking for the UEFA Cup First Round Draw?

The UEFA Cup first round draw takes place later today and the English clubs involved will find out who they must over come if they are to make the group stage.

Having had a successful UEFA Cup campaign last season Spurs will hope they are seeded to help them avoid some of the bigger teams in the draw.

Blackburn Rovers made the draw after beating MyPa from Finland, Everton will hope that they have a more successful time in Europe this time round, having been dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle last time round.

Sir Alex Ferguson has stated his support of Martin Jol in his position as Tottenham Manager following all of the media speculation surrounding the Dutchman’s position.

All week there have been innumerate reports in the press linking Europe’s elite managers with the managers job at White Hart Lane. Many of the reports have stated that Jol is under pressure following another poor start to the Premier League. Members of the Spurs board are alledged to have met with Sevilla coach Juande Ramos about bringing him to the Lane. A move it seems will not happen this summer, however next summer the Spaniard will be free from his commitment to Sevilla. Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello has been linked to the role as has ex-Spurs Striker and Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Jol takes his Spurs side to Old Trafford at the end of his most turbulent week in charge of the Londoners, to play a Manchester United team who have yet to win a game this season. Some points from the fixture would give him some welcome relief from the media onslaught and put the focus on Sir Alex.

United are without captain Gary Neville, Rooney and Ronaldo for the game on Super Sunday, however they may be able to play Louis Saha for the first time this season to help ease their striker crisis. Spurs could play Gareth Bale for the first time in the Premier League and will hope that Robbie Keane can turn his surefire shooting for his country in to goals for his club.

After a poor start to their Barclays Premier League campaign Spurs needed to get back on track against Derby County. After two straight defeats to Sunderland and Everton the home support were restless, they had booed the players off the pitch at the end of the home defeat against Everton.

The home side took just three minutes to open their account against their newly promoted visitors and Jenas palying a quick freekick to Malbranque who put the ball in the back of net and ran to the bench to celebrate with Didier Zokora. The Frenchman doubled his tally after six minutes and Jermaine Jenas made it three on 15 minutes when he finished a 40 yard run with a neat finish past Bywater.

Darren Bent made it 4-0 with 10 minutes left when a Chimbonda header was not cleared properly and he scrambled the ball over the line.

The win should put an end to the speculation surround Martin Jol’s position as Manager, after all the hype in pre season about Spurs becoming a top four club the media were quick to call for Jol’s head when Spurs started badly. But they started badly last season and in the same fixtures last season Everton at home (0-2) and Away to Championship winners from the previous year (Reading 3-1) they have better goal difference this season from the same point total. More importantly after three games Spurs are a point ahead of the Champions and there are few calls for Sir Alex Ferguson to tender his resignation at Old Trafford.

Having spent big this summer Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol looks intent on trimming his wage bill. So far the Dutchman has signed five new players and had a couple return from loan spells, which would have significantly increase the wage bill as would the improved contracts offered to key players during the closed season. However so far only fringe players have left the Lane.

There appear to be plenty of suiters for some of the higher paid squad players Mido and Ghaly were both linked with moves to Birmingham, which would have delighted the Spurs backroom staff. Much needed revenue for players that would miss a large portion of the season while on duty at the African Cup of Nations that takes place in the middle of the season. However Mido’s deal broke down over personal terms, and Ghaly was almost a Birmingham City player but was sent packing when he allegedly complained about the training and the Blues squad.

Danny Murphy is another player who could move to new pastures, he has been blighted by injury and off the issues and has not managed to make the impact that was expected of a ‘Champions League’ player. He has also been linked to a midlands club that play in Blue, as well as a move Wigan, which he may prefer as it would take him closer to his North West roots.