Match report: Spurs 2 WBA 0 (heads rising)
We’ve won, time to celebrate, the league is ours… ok, only joking—the first step on the ladder to rehabilitation. One result after three straight defeats doesn’t mean sod all. Next up will be Everton in the FA Cup and City in the league. Then we can make some sort of judgement. But we did win and leapfrogged Chelsea and Aston Villa. Three points behind Liverpool in fourth place (five points behind Leicester Titty in third); so, still all to play for, that is for a top-four spot. And Kane is back from injury. What more can I say?
To be honest, I missed the first goal as I was getting myself a glass of wine. This wasn’t the first time this happened. Now my Spurs Whatsapp group keep asking me to go and get a drink so that we can have more goals. And before you know it, I am an alcoholic. A piss artist that can predict goals through the power of drink. Oh well, at least it will help the team; as for me, decline and fall (where have I heard that before?)!!
Let us cut this chatter and go straight to the game:
Harry Kane, yes him, who was supposed to be out for several weeks, made a speedy return from injury to solve our scoring problems and pile more misery on the Albion. Jose Mourinho had suggested that the ankle injury would sideline Kane until next week, but Clarke Kent Kane ripped his mild-mannered clothes off and came back ahead of schedule to help stop our losing streak. What a guy, what a hero… you’ve got to admire anybody that takes his clothes off, gives us a quick flash of his potentials, to put the wrongs of Spurs to right.
Yes, we had failed to score in both matches Superman Kane had missed, but he took Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s through ball into his stride to slot home our first goal and break Sam’s stubborn rearguard teams resistance early in the second half. Four minutes later his partner in crime Son scored our second.
It was superman Kane’s 13th Premier League goal of the season, taking him ahead of strike partner Son (nice one!). Well, for all of four minutes, until he, himself, the Sonny man, sealed our victory after a strong finish from a Lucas Moura’s pass. God, we are magic when we are hot (and have Kane).
This victory moved us up two places to seventh, four points off the Champions League spot, although that position could change later on Sunday with Chelsea and Liverpool playing catch up.
West Brom (do we care?) remains 19th and 11 points behind 17th-placed Burnley despite an improved defensive display.
To be fair, they did score twice, but both goals were offside. So there!
My thoughts on our glories victory (don’t laugh all at once!)
“Glorious victory”? It was only struggling Albion for Christ sake, and we only managed two goals. I did say to a friend of mine –half in jest – that we would win by 7. Luckily I added the “jest” bit, otherwise people would have thought madness had taken hold.
Remember those glories days when we had topped the league, then, before you could say Jack Spratt, we dropped to ninth, seven points off the top four, we were drifting. Then like good old Clarke Kent coming to the rescue Kane returned, took his clothes off, produced his undergarments to give us a boost and before you knew it, Bob’s your uncle and Aunt Fanny was celebrating a joyous goal.
Since Kane become a regular in the 2014-15 season, we have won 56% of Premier League games when he has been available but, and here is the “but,” just 41% without him. Our average goals-per-game figure drops from 1.9 to 1.2 with him out of the side.
As you observant fans will see, we failed to score against Brighton and Chelsea during Harry Kane’s brief spell on the sidelines (that information is just for those that might have been hibernating the last couple of weeks!). Oh, and we won’t mention the Liverpool game, where he did play (our secret!) but didn’t score…
During Mourinho’s reign – our win ratio in the league has dropped from 51.4% with him in the team to 30% without, losing five of the 10 matches he has missed, while both points and goals per game slip from 1.8 to 1.1. All exciting stuff, but what are we going to do about it? We can’t keep expecting him to be there all the time. Even Clarke Kent took a break from Superman and rested up!
Kane’s goal was his 20th in all competitions for us this campaign – a milestone he has passed in his past seven seasons.
So, all down to Kane… but if we don’t improve, don’t start winning trophies there will be no Kane, and then where will we be? And if Kane leaves the flood gates could just open up. Just a warning!
Anyway, what did the wise one say about all today’s excitement? Speaking to BBC Sport, Mourinho said, “I’m not used to losing three matches in a row, and Tottenham is the same, so we have to admit that it was not a week where we felt very, very comfortable, but I was very positive because of what the players showed in this game. I knew that they would. I think we played very well, but I’m speaking about the mentality the players brought to the game. The players are together, the players want to win, they are committed, and today they went to the pitch only with one thing in their mind, and that was to win the game. This was the thing that pleases me more, the way the players approached it.” Fine words, but… and yes, there is always a but…, over to you, Jose!
The stats
West Brom have failed to win any of their past eight Premier League games on Sunday, losing seven times.
We, Mourinho’s Bulldogs, have lost just one of our past 27 Premier League home games against promoted clubs (W24 D2), going down 3-1 against Wolves in December 2018.
Only in 2016-17 (14) has Son scored more goals in a single Premier League campaign than the 13 he has netted already this season.
Harry Kane has now scored in 13 of his past 15 Premier League appearances against newly-promoted opposition (14 goals) including each of the past six – the first player to manage that since Mohamed Salah between January and December 2018.
Only Callum Wilson (40%) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (38%) have scored a higher portion of their team’s Premier League goals this season than Kane and Son, who have both netted 13 each (13/36 each – 36%).
Substitute Dane Scarlett (16y & 320d) became our youngest player to appear in the Premier League.
What’s next for us (more goals and wins I hope)?
We visit Everton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday (20:15 GMT) before travelling to leaders Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday (17:30 GMT).
So, there you have it, my optimistic self is back… how long that will last… well, that is down to Mourinho and his team.
Best Regards, Glenn
COYS!
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”