Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa: Match preview

Afternoon Ladies and Gents, its been a long time since I blogged. Tonight sees my first visit to the Lane in the month of November and my first visit underneath the floodlights, having missed European football this season. There’s something special about evening games, the flood lights, the spring in your step as you go to work, realising the evening will direct you towards the Mecca that is The White Hart Lane.

The pre-match city is boozing at Liverpool Street. Even more so is the anticipation that this Spurs team could be on the brink of something special, if we have the ability to sustain the momentum we have built since those late August capitulations to the Manchester clubs. That humiliating walk from the Lane after being beaten by the two bob nouveau riches of Manchester City and having to see their pitiful fans do that stupid manoeuvre where they all turn their backs and jump on each other like the Northern Neanderthals that they are seems like a long time ago. The arrivals of Adebayor and particularly Scott Parker added to a prolonged run of games from the King that is Sir Ledley have revitalised our side, even Luka seems to have found his mojo again, after his summer dalliance with London’s fourth best supported football club. On occasion our football has been a joy to behold, played at electric pace with an infusion of flair, is what we expect from Spurs but at other times we have been dangerously close to caving in after conceding a goal and some results have come through a combination of good fortune more so than good play ( Fulham and Blackburn to name but two). But lets enjoy these good times and today sees us with the opportunity to climb to third in the table above Newcastle and Chelsea. The pessimist in me, knowing Spurs all to well knows this could be precisely the moment when we balls things up in a way only Spurs could but my more pragmatic side tells me that this Spurs has a new found inner belief that should see us through against inferior sides and collect the points.

This brings me on nicely to tonight’s match where we welcome Aston “Bland, Drab and Boring ” Villa- the world’s most boring football club from the world’s most boring city, Birmingham. Being a Londoner, its no surprise I have an extremely low opinion on Britain’s second city, actually I have an extremely low opinion on anything that is outside London to be perfectly honest. But nowhere encompasses dreariness and boredom quite like Birmingham and Aston “Bland, Drab and Boring” Villa represent England’s second city in a nutshell. Lets be honest even their fans sound boring with their incredible dire Brummie drawl,

“My name is Roger, I druuuuver a truuuuck, support the Veeelah”. Seriously, snore off. Their fans might bang on about them being one of England’s most successful clubs, and to be fair they do have a point, even though they won most of their trophies back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth but that doesn’t stop them from being the most boring football club in the world and looking like a Poundshopper version of West Ham.

However tribal banter aside, they have a team that can park the bus and get a result tonight. In Shay Given they have one of the Premierships best goalkeepers and one who no doubt is capable of having a blinder of a game against us. Up front with the pace of Ablonghor ( or however you spell it) and the finishing skills of Darren Bent ( who I felt was harshly treated both by staff and fans in his spell here) we could come under pressure. And Emile Heskey is one of those players who probably will play well against us whilst being undeniably rubbish for the remainder of the season. Anyone doubting me, just remember Shola Ameobi scored against us this season with a cracker. This is Spurs we are talking about.

So I am fearful, We at Spurs are at our worst when our expectations are high, we tend to come crashing down. I’m expecting a nervy night tonight with a lot of probing but perhaps not as many chances as we’d like. Patience might very well be the key.

It seems we have a clean bill of health, with even Harry back on the bench. Given Rafa’s recent hamstring troubles, I’d rather start with him on the bench (inspite of his record against Villa) and a front two of Adebayor and Defoe. Other than that I’d expect us to stay pretty much unchanged.

My prediction for tonight: A nervy 2-1 to the Spurs and that’s me being optimistic

COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!