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Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion
White Hart Lane, Tottenham. 27th March 2006 8.00pm.
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Match
Preview
Result Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion
Scorers Robbie Keane (68)
Robbie Keane (pen 89)		 Curtis Davies (21)
Attendance 36,152
Teams 4-4-2

20 - Michael Dawson (GK)
3 - Stephen Kelly
26 - Ledley King
16 - Young-Pyo Lee
1 - Paul Robinson
23 - Michael Carrick
5 - Edgar Davids
28 - Jermaine Jenas
25 - Aaron Lennon
18 - Jermain Defoe
10 - Robbie Keane		 4-3-3

(GK) Tomasz Kuszczak - 29
Martin Albrechtsen - 14
Curtis Davies - 19
Paul Robinson - 3
Ronnie Wallwork - 24
Steve Watson - 16
Jonathan Greening - 8
Andy Johnson - 10
Jan Kozak - 13
Nathan Ellington - 22
Nwankwo Kanu - 25
Substitutes 12 - Radek Cerny (GK)
30 - Anthony Gardner
8 - Danny Murphy
6 - Teemu Tainio
15 - Ahmed Mido		 (GK) Russell Hoult - 1
Neil Clement - 6
Junichi Inamoto - 33
Kevin Campbell - 21
Zoltan Gera - 11
Substitutions A Mido for S Kelly (59)
D Murphy for E Davids (85)
T Tainio for A Lennon (89)		 J Inamoto for J Kozak (63)
K Campbell for N Kanu (82)
Z Gera for N Ellington (85)
Yellow Cards None Jonathan Greening (32)
Tomasz Kuszczak (88)
Red Cards None None
Referee C Foy (St Helen's)
It was another night of heartbreak for Baggies fans as a dreadful mistake in the dying minutes of the match at White Hart Lane cost the team what would have been a well deserved point. A brilliantly crafted goal from Robbie Keane had cancelled out Curtis Davies' first half header before an awkward back pass from Robinson was miscontrolled by Tomasz Kuszczak. Jermain Defoe pounced and the Pole in Goal brought the England striker down allowing Keane to grab his second goal of the game from the penalty spot and send Albion home with nothing to show for their efforts.

It was a bitter blow that Albion did not deserve having kept Spurs at bay for the vast majority of the game, but as they found out against Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks, effort and hard work will count for nothing in the Premiership if basic errors cannot be cut out.

I should be able to say that if Albion show the same passion, commitment and quality of football between now and the end of the season, they should survive, but if they continue to make basic errors, it will be a very tough job.

The evening had all started so well. Robson did what most Baggies fans hoped by started with Kanu and Ellington up front, although it was a surprise to see Andy Johnson recalled to the starting line-up as Wallwork's midfield partner. Jan Kozak was preferred to Inamoto and it was a pleasure to see Zoltan Gera take his place on the bench.

It was an excellent performance from Albion as the team gelled together superbly and everyone did their jobs well until that fateful moment. Kanu and Ellington were superb up front with the Nigerian's ability to keep possession under pressure simply astounding at times. The Duke looks like a different player now - the nervous, mistake-ridden performances of a few weeks ago look ancient history as he looked comfortable on the ball and linked up superbly well with Kanu.

At the back, Albrechtsen and Robinson coped reasonably well with the Spurs wingers although Lennon's pace and trickery did cause Alby one or two problems. But when they did get in behind, Davies and Watson cut everything out, although their jobs were probably a little easier thanks to Jol's decision not to recall Mido to the starting line-up.

It was the midfield that stood out for me, or at least three of them. Kozak didn't offer the strength or determination required, although he was good on the ball, but the other three were all excellent. Wallwork continued his good form and Johnson, for the second time this season, came in and did a brilliant job - between them they gave Davids and Carrick little or no opportunity to play.

The star of the show, however, was Jonathan Greening. He was the architect of most of Albion's good things and gave both full backs a torrid time. His link up play with both Kanu and the Duke was excellent and his cross for Davies' goal was magnificent.

If there is one criticism of Albion, it is that they allowed Spurs back into the game after dominating the first hour. One could argue that it was Spurs that upped their tempo, but there was perhaps a tendency for Albion to drop a little deeper. The home side had been restricted to a couple of shots in the first half, which Kuszczak saved well, but they started to play the ball around well.

Robson did the right thing in replacing Kozak with Inamoto just after the hour mark, and Ina did look both more of an attacking threat and more committed defensively.

Little blame can be attached for Spurs' first goal, which was a wonderful piece of football, but both Robinson and Kuszczak must take their share for the second. It was an ill-advised back pass in the first place as Spurs had always pressured the ball and Defoe was too close, but then Tommy should have cleared first time. The only saving grace is that Kuszczak escaped with a yellow card - with Kirkland out for the season, a red would've been catastrophic.

Gera had come off the bench just before the winner and showed some good touches. A header late on was so nearly a fairytale equaliser,

So Albion returned home with nothing to show for their endeavour and second-placed Liverpool due at the Hawthorns on Saturday evening. With Birmingham hosting Chelsea and Portsmouth travelling to home-specialist Fulham earlier in the day, the form book suggests that Albion will still be in 17th spot at kick-off. Given Albion's record of not having so much as scored against Liverpool in the Premiership, let's hope that is the case.

There are signs that Albion have the ability to hold on to that coveted 17th position, but they are not being converted into results just yet. Liverpool will be another touch ask, but that is followed by a fixture that is looking more and more important - at Villa Park.



Marks

Tomasz Kuszczak - 6 - Two great saves in the first half; one dreadful mistake.
Martin Albrechtsen - 7 - Decent performance.
Curtis Davies - 8 - Great goal, much improved display.
Paul Robinson - 7 - Good game bar his mistake at the end.
Ronnie Wallwork - 8 - Another excellent performance from Ronnie.
Steve Watson - 8 - Solid game; in the right place at the right time more often than not.
Jonathan Greening - 8 - MOM. Bang on form at the moment - long may it continue.
Andy Johnson - 7 - Did everything that was asked of him; good performance.
Jan Kozak - 5 - Never really looked the part on the wing.
Nathan Ellington - 7 - Led the line well; excellent link up play.
Nwankwo Kanu - 8 - Classy display; superb on the ball and worked hard.


Junichi Inamoto - 7 - Good performance hat should win his place back.
Kevin Campbell - 6 - Did OK.
Zoltan Gera - 6 - Great to see him back.

Bryan Robson - 8 - Only the choice of Kozak was debatable; otherwise I cannot really fault Robson. If only I could say the same about all of the players..



Jon Want, 28th March 2006.

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