Spurs are on their way to Burnley

Last updated : 09 November 2004 By Tony Scholes

Robbie Keane
In a week when former Tottenham manager Bill Nicholson died it was somewhat appropriate that we should be paired together in the draw, Spurs’ glory years coincided with ours and it would be perfect if we could give everyone a reminder tonight of those great games in the days of Bill Nick and Harry Potts, of Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy Mac.

It’s a different Burnley today, and a different Spurs as well. In fact it’s a different Spurs than just a week ago with a change of manager. Jacques Santini decided to pack it in last week after just four months or so in the hot seat.

There’s been mention of personal problems in France, of him having difficulties working with Frank Arnesen and Martin Jol, but Clarets Mad can exclusively reveal that the former French national coach has done a runner because he didn’t fancy a trip to the Turf.


It is something of a strange set up at Tottenham (no longer Tottingham without Argentinian World Cup winners) who appointed a Sporting Director and a First Assistant (what sort of job titles are they?) before bringing in the Head Coach (manager). It was always doomed to failure and it looks as though they haven’t learned from the Pleat/Hoddle days.

Three is now down to two with Jol taking over the hot seat whilst Arnesen presumably gets on with directing sport.


There have been suggestions that Spurs have been somewhat negative this season. “Boring, boring Tottenham,” has been heard but we know all about that and it usually comes after a good result from a manager whose team weren’t good enough on the day to break you down – for Royle read Mourinho.

They made a decent enough start to the league season and were unbeaten in their first seven games but they have failed to maintain that sort of form and in the six games since have lost all but one, the solitary win coming via a fortunate 1-0 victory at Everton.


Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Charlton was their fourth successive league defeat and the 3-2 scoreline could have been much worse as they had trailed 3-0 to Alan Curbishley’s team.


Their cup form has been better and they find themselves in the fourth round. Spurs have won cups in the past without ever leaving London but ironically they seem to playing their Carling Cup campaign in the north west this time round.


There were at Boundary Park in the 2nd round (I wonder what Santini made of that place) and won 6-0 before going to the Reebok and a 4-3 extra time win against Bolton in the last round.


Click HERE to see all Spurs’ results this season.

As the draw was made they were still playing at the Reebok but it just seemed so inevitable that it would be Spurs.


It’s another cup tie for some Burnley fans, a chance to claim another Premiership scalp for others whilst for many who remember the days of the sixties it is another opportunity for us to wallow in nostalgia – click HERE to recall some of the meetings of the past.


Martin Jol believes the game tonight will be about passion rather than tactics and is a coach who is taking the tie very seriously indeed. Like David O’Leary in the last round he is expected to name as strong a side as possible.

That will not include Goran Bunjevcevic who is out after having surgery following Saturday’s game against Charlton. Bunjevcevic, who was mercilessly murdered by Glen Little two years ago suffered acute compartment syndrome.


Erik Edman, Anthony Gardner, the delightfully named Thimothee Atouba and Sean Davis will also be missing. Davis will probably be happy about that, he would get anything but a warm welcome after trying to rip Tony Grant’s leg in two when we played Fulham in the FA Cup two seasons ago.

Spurs are travelling up this morning and are bringing a seventeen man squad with Jol claiming it will be their strongest starting eleven.

They will select from: Paul Robinson, Kasey Keller, Noe Paramot, Noureddine Naybet, Ledley King, Simon Davies, Pedro Mendes, Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Keane, Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe, Michael Brown, Reto Ziegler, Michael Carrick, Edson Silva Sousa, Mauricio Taricco, Johnnie Jackson.

Now onto Burnley and it is basically impossible to even start trying to guess the team. I suspect that both central defenders, John McGreal and Frank Sinclair, have been ruled out and that prompted the urgent rush to bring in 18-year-old Gary Cahill from Aston Villa. He’ll probably partner Michael Duff in the centre of defence.


We know that Ian Moore, Richard Chaplow, Danny Coyne and Jean-Louis Valois are ruled out and as well as McGreal and Sinclair we could also be without Graham Branch, and James O’Connor is cup tied, in a match that really is one too far for our beleaguered squad.

If none of the injured players make it we could be lining up: Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Michael Duff, Gary Cahill, Mo Camara, Richard Duffy, Micah Hyde, Tony Grant, Mark Yates, Amadou Sanokho, Robbie Blake. Subs: Paul Scott, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.


Last time was two years and three days ago when the Clarets came storming back on a Glen Little/Robbie Blake inspired night to win 2-1 after falling behind.

Gus Poyet gave Spurs the lead and that prompted Stan Ternent to replace central defender Mark McGregor with Glen Little and it turned the game on its head. We were superb and it was Steve Davis who headed the winner after Robbie Blake had hit a stunner to equalise.

Even so it could have gone to extra time but Marlon Beresford, with us on one of his month long deals, made a stunning save from Robbie Keane.

The teams looked somewhat different to those who will play tonight – they were:

Burnley: Marlon Beresford, Dean West, Mark McGregor (Glen Little 26), Arthur Gnohere, Graham Branch, Paul Weller, Steve Davis, Tony Grant, Lee Briscoe (Paul Cook 90), Robbie Blake (Dimitri Papadopoulos 85), Gareth Taylor. Subs not used: Alan Moore, Ian Moore.

Spurs: Kasey Keller, Stephen Carr, Chris Perry, Anthony Gardner, Goran Bunjevcevic, Matthew Etherington (Darren Anderton 60), Stephen Clemence, Gus Poyet, Simon Davies, Steffan Iversen (Gary Doherty 81), Les Ferdinand (Robbie Keane 45). Subs not used: Lars Hirschfeld, Milenko Acemovic.Doyle.

Previous 20 Seasons

Season

Div

Ven

Result

Att

Scorers

1993/94

LC

h

0-0

16,844

.

..

a

1-3

20,614

Eyres

2002/03

LC

h

2-1

13,512

Blake Davis

Click HERE to see all our results against Spurs, needless to say starting with a cup tie which was in 1906.