BoringOldFan
It's better to burn out than to fade away...
- Sep 20, 2005
- 9,955
- 2,498
A cold night in East London as traffic problems delayed the kick-off for 15 minutes as Pompey’s coach fought its way around the North Circular. But it turned out to be worth the wait – for the home fans.
A first glance at the teamsheet would not have filled Spurs fans with hope. Portsmouth were fielding five players with first-team experience, with Lauren, Mvuemba, Nugent Taylor and the legendary Djimi Traore all starting for the visitors.
Contrast that with a depleted Spurs reserve side. No less than three goalkeepers were missing, with Cerny and Forecast on first team duty and Alnwick on loan to Luton. Add to those O’Hara, Barnard and Daniels (out on loan), Boateng (injured) and Mills, McKenna Barcham and Taarabt (whereabouts unknown) and we had to dip into the Under-18s side to complete our squad.
With the game underway, the first half looked like it might go to form. Matt Taylor fired an early free kick just over David Button’s bar. Summer academy signing Yuri Berchiche was playing at centre back and was injured early on to be replaced by Takura Mtandari.
Spurs tried manfully to contain a lively Portsmouth side who unsurprisingly played with a lot of confidence. Jon Obika lost possession to Arnold Mvuemba who advanced on our goal before sending his shot low past Button’s right hand into the far corner.
Obika almost made amends when a half-cleared corner reached him. A quick turn left two players for dead and his low shot missed the left hand post. Soon after, Routledge sent over a good cross that Pekhart inexplicably failed to convert.
That was Routledge’s one useful contribution in the first half. He wasted a free kick, and when in a great position to score, opted to pass. Not the thing to do when the team is managed by our record one-season goalscorer. Clive Allen leapt to his feet with an encouraging cry of “Shoot for f**k’s sake!”
Simon Dawkins had a good run through the middle but was eventually brought down for a free kick. The half ended with Spurs beginning to come to terms and hold their own against the more experienced visitors.
The second half saw Danny Rose replace Jon Obika and a switch to 4-3-3 with Rose playing wide left and Maghoma, Livermore and Routledge spread across the middle. A Spurs side with two wingers? The idea!
From the off we upped the pace and were first to the ball with lots of hustle. Pekhart managed to concede countless free kicks in his battles without getting booked.
Ten minutes into the half and we were level when Routledge’s corner from the left seemed to hit Troy Archibald-Henville on the shoulder and fly into the far corner. A just reward for all the effort.
Danny Rose made an instant impact. My dislike of Taarabt’s myopic show-pony tricks is well-documented. Now here was a player with pace who gave us width and made good use of the ball. And he could use his right foot as well, as he showed when he picked up Routledge’s pass and sent a low cross in from the right that Maghoma stabbed home at the second attempt.
Special mention has to be made of Wayne Routledge. His second half performance was superb. He played like a man possessed. At one point he closed down Taylor on the byline, dispossessed him, turned and skinned him and then sent over a superb cross to Pekhart.
Another time he beat two men on the edge of the area and crashed a dipping shot against the bar. Next he closed down Nugent in our area, won the ball, beat Nugent and cleared. Then there was the time he burst through the midfield, was fouled, carried on, was fouled again and lost his boot – and still kept possession!
What the hell was he on and can we lay in several kilos of it for the future?
Jake Livermore got a well-deserved goal on 90 minutes when he fought his way into the area and shot home. Riley and Hughton had sound games at full back and young Mtandari played Nugent quite brilliantly in the air and on the deck.
Credit to Clive Allen for turning it around at half time. He made a substitution, changed the formation and tactics and sent the team out with a new attitude for the second half. He got his reward as we turned around the deficit and ended up controlling most of the second half and coming out comfortable winners.
You can read the official report here.
A first glance at the teamsheet would not have filled Spurs fans with hope. Portsmouth were fielding five players with first-team experience, with Lauren, Mvuemba, Nugent Taylor and the legendary Djimi Traore all starting for the visitors.
Contrast that with a depleted Spurs reserve side. No less than three goalkeepers were missing, with Cerny and Forecast on first team duty and Alnwick on loan to Luton. Add to those O’Hara, Barnard and Daniels (out on loan), Boateng (injured) and Mills, McKenna Barcham and Taarabt (whereabouts unknown) and we had to dip into the Under-18s side to complete our squad.
With the game underway, the first half looked like it might go to form. Matt Taylor fired an early free kick just over David Button’s bar. Summer academy signing Yuri Berchiche was playing at centre back and was injured early on to be replaced by Takura Mtandari.
Spurs tried manfully to contain a lively Portsmouth side who unsurprisingly played with a lot of confidence. Jon Obika lost possession to Arnold Mvuemba who advanced on our goal before sending his shot low past Button’s right hand into the far corner.
Obika almost made amends when a half-cleared corner reached him. A quick turn left two players for dead and his low shot missed the left hand post. Soon after, Routledge sent over a good cross that Pekhart inexplicably failed to convert.
That was Routledge’s one useful contribution in the first half. He wasted a free kick, and when in a great position to score, opted to pass. Not the thing to do when the team is managed by our record one-season goalscorer. Clive Allen leapt to his feet with an encouraging cry of “Shoot for f**k’s sake!”
Simon Dawkins had a good run through the middle but was eventually brought down for a free kick. The half ended with Spurs beginning to come to terms and hold their own against the more experienced visitors.
The second half saw Danny Rose replace Jon Obika and a switch to 4-3-3 with Rose playing wide left and Maghoma, Livermore and Routledge spread across the middle. A Spurs side with two wingers? The idea!
From the off we upped the pace and were first to the ball with lots of hustle. Pekhart managed to concede countless free kicks in his battles without getting booked.
Ten minutes into the half and we were level when Routledge’s corner from the left seemed to hit Troy Archibald-Henville on the shoulder and fly into the far corner. A just reward for all the effort.
Danny Rose made an instant impact. My dislike of Taarabt’s myopic show-pony tricks is well-documented. Now here was a player with pace who gave us width and made good use of the ball. And he could use his right foot as well, as he showed when he picked up Routledge’s pass and sent a low cross in from the right that Maghoma stabbed home at the second attempt.
Special mention has to be made of Wayne Routledge. His second half performance was superb. He played like a man possessed. At one point he closed down Taylor on the byline, dispossessed him, turned and skinned him and then sent over a superb cross to Pekhart.
Another time he beat two men on the edge of the area and crashed a dipping shot against the bar. Next he closed down Nugent in our area, won the ball, beat Nugent and cleared. Then there was the time he burst through the midfield, was fouled, carried on, was fouled again and lost his boot – and still kept possession!
What the hell was he on and can we lay in several kilos of it for the future?
Jake Livermore got a well-deserved goal on 90 minutes when he fought his way into the area and shot home. Riley and Hughton had sound games at full back and young Mtandari played Nugent quite brilliantly in the air and on the deck.
Credit to Clive Allen for turning it around at half time. He made a substitution, changed the formation and tactics and sent the team out with a new attitude for the second half. He got his reward as we turned around the deficit and ended up controlling most of the second half and coming out comfortable winners.
You can read the official report here.
