It's Lucky For Spurs When The Year Ends In, Umm, Eight

So, congratulations then to Spurs, who beat Chelsea 2-1 in yesterday's League Cup final at Wembley. I've noted on here before that Spurs have had more false dawns than more or less any other club, but this time there seems to be a real belief that they can go on to crack the Big Four, though it seems likely that it will be the decisions that the club makes now rather than those that they have already made that will shape whether this becomes a reality or not. This was just as significant a result for them as the 5-1 win over Arsenal in the semi-final was. This was not a Chelsea youth team that they were playing - it was the full first team (complete with both Lampard and Terry - pragmatism seems to have finally got the better of Avram Grant's desire to keep his players fit for the remainder of the season, or whatever else had been going through his mind for the last few days or so), so there were no excuses to be had for Chelsea losing. On the day, they were outplayed by the better team. I wouldn't be feeling too sorry for them, though. They're likely to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the very least, along with the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and in their more fanciful moments they can still believe that Arsenal and Manchester United will slip up in the Premier League to the extent that they can win that, too.

Juande Ramos, of course, has continued his record of winning every cup final that he has ever contested as a manager but whilst this is a significant achievement, the real work remains to be done. He may already have brought a piece of silverware to White Hart Lane, stabilised them in mid-table and turned Jermaine Jenas into something approaching a real footballer, but he has yet to convince anyone that he will be able to keep Dimitar Berbatov beyond the end of the season, and the vultures will also be circling for the likes of Aaron Lennon and Jenas. Spurs still have as much to do to finish in the top half of the Premier League as Chelsea have to do to win the league this season, but they have at least guaranteed European football again next season (which, in the long term, may prove to be the most significant after effect of yesterday's result) and Ramos will have taken at least a small step towards convincing the more ambitious of his players that there is more to Spurs' ambition than finishing seventh in the league.

What was most satisfying about Spurs' win yesterday was the manner in which they achieved it. This no one-off fluke victory. They outplayed and out-fought Chelsea from more or less the very start, when Robbie Keane was played in by some outstandingly sloppy Chelsea defending and should, in all honesty, have scored a goal that would have been Wembley's quickest for a good time to come. They were sharper and quicker to the ball, and it would have been something of a travesty had Chelsea hung onto the lead given to them by Paul Robinson's lack of positioning at the free-kick that curled past him and in to give Chelsea the lead. There was an element of luck to both the penalty that levelled things up and the winning goal that counced off the top of Jonathan Woodgate's head and in. Ultimately, though, Spurs did more than enough to warrant the victory - now, can they go on to lift the UEFA Cup as well?

Carling Cup Final Preview

The end of the season starts here, with the League Cup Final on Sunday afternoon between Spurs and Chelsea. On paper, this should be a comfortable win for Chelsea, but Spurs don't often lose cup finals (even though they lost their last one, a League Cup Final against Blackburn Rovers in 2002), and the news that Avram Grant still seems to think that John Terry and Frank Lampard still aren't fully fit might count in their favour too. I should add that, although I understand the reasons for doing it, it still feels wrong that there should be a cup final of any sort this early in the season. It would be nice if they could shunt it all back a month or so, but I can't see it happening any time soon.

Spurs' recent history against Chelsea is one of occasional flashes of brilliance punctuating considerably longer periods of being outplayed, throwing leads away and generally doing everything they can to make life as easy as possible for their nouveau riche London rivals. The rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea will never be as intense as that between Spurs and Arsenal (though conversely it has a tendency to be even more poisonous when it does raise its head - this week's revelation of anti-semitic threats made against Avram Grant may or may not have helped the atmosphere at Wembley in this respect, though it should at least help in stopping "Spurs are on their way to Auschwitz" chants, which would be a start), but these two sides meeting at Wembley is a potential headache for the police. There was trouble before both of last season's FA Cup quarter-final matches between the two teams, and I can't imagine that there won't be some group of Stone Island clad hominids somewhere that won't think that this is a great excuse to "kick off".

Spurs and Chelsea have only ever met once in a cup final before, in the FA Cup in 1967. The year after the England's World Cup win had been a peculiar one in the league. Manchester United won the championship, with Nottingham Forest appearing from nowhere to finish in second place behind them. United, fired by Dennis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best, won it at a canter, with three games to spare. The FA Cup had a similarly disjointed feel to it. It could be argued that Spurs' place in the final was due as much to the luck of the draw as anything else. They didn't play another First Division team until the semi-finals, and they needed replays to get past Second Division Millwall and Birmingham City. The final itself was a bit of a let down. There was more or less nothing between the two teams until Jimmy Robertson gave Spurs the lead just before half time, and a second goal from Frank Saul mid-way through the second half more or less killed the game as a contest, although a late Chelsea goal though Bobby Tambling gave Spurs a nervy last five minutes.

In more recent times, the omens for Spurs are more mixed. In 2002, they beat Chelsea 5-1 in the second leg of the semi-final to seal their place in Cardiff, and their win against them at White Hart Lane last season was their first against them in the league for years. However, they threw away a two goal lead at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup last season and Chelsea won the replay at White Hart Lane. Juande Ramos has (with the exception of an ill-deserved defeat at Old Trafford in the FA Cup) turned them into a formidable cup team, and the knowledge that qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup will be dependent on them winning this match or winning this year's UEFA Cup may just prove to be the inspiration that they need to grind out a result on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea have bigger fish to fry - they still have a theoretical chance of winning the Premier League (though Manchester United and Arsenal are probably too far away in the distance for it to be a realistic aim) and have an excellent chance of making the quarter-finals of the European Cup. The key question could be how much damage Chelsea can do to Spurs in a competition that they don't really care that much about.

Anyway, in anticipation of the Chelsea steamroller proving yet again that most Premier League related football is more or less a foregone conclusion, here's a look back to an altogether more innocent time - the 1967 FA Cup Final, courtesy of Pathe News.

One Night In Heaven

It will probably prove to be a false dawn. It was when they did the same to Chelsea at the same stage of the League Cup in 1999 (they didn't even manage to win the final that year). However, Spurs supporters might be allowed a moment or two to wallow in their own crapulence after a 5-1 victory over Arsenal last night which booked them their first visit to the new Wembley stadium and really, seriously called into question the strength in depth that Arsene Wenger has (or, rather, doesn't have) at his disposal.

I noted on here a couple of weeks ago what a crucial match this would be for Tottenham Hotspur FC. Spurs have some sort of psychological block when it comes to playing the big clubs which has been enormously damaging when it has come to the club taking that critical Great Leap Forward towards challenging seriously for a Champions League place. You can count their league victories over Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United over the last ten years on the fingers of one hand. This morning, though, Spurs fans might just be waking up with the belief that Juande Ramos has got it in him to take their club to the next level.

It wasn't merely the 5-1 scoreline, but the performance itself. This wasn't Spurs vs Arsenal Youth. Arsene Wenger simply hasn't got the excuse that he put out his weakest possible team. This was an Arsenal team featuring a number of established players, but their performance as a team coupled with a confident, assertive Spurs performance made them look like youth team players. Jermaine Jenas, who scored the first goal and forced the second out of Nicholas Bendtner with a tremendous free kick, put in his best performance yet in a Spurs shirt (leading one to believe that Ramos could succeed at something critical for Spurs, considering their transfer policy over the last three or four years or so - getting players to actually fulfil their potential). In true Spurs tradition, there was a heart in mouth moment just before half-time, when Dimitar Berbatov was put through on goal and hit the outside of the post. It was typical Spurs that, two goals up and completely out-playing the opposition, one's mind should turn to the inevitable comeback at such a point.

The moment that finally settled the nerves came three minutes into the second half, when Keane added the third goal. It was at this moment that one could finally start to relax a little. This Arsenal team, playing this badly were not going to be able to get three goals back if they played all night and into this morning. There was still time for a brief chest-tightening moment when Adeabyor pulled one back at 4-0, but Malbranque's last-gasp fifth goal was nothing less than Tottenham deserved on the night, and over the two legs. We can now await with interest the result of tonight's other semi-final between Everton and Chelsea, and with the scores tied at 1-1 after the first leg, I wouldn't bet against Everton getting a win to take themselves to Wembley too.

As ever, though, it is critically important to sound a note of caution. After all, Spurs are the undisputed kings of the false dawn. As recently as last year, Spurs were 3-1 up at Stamford Bridge in an FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea with Jermaine Defoe through on goal against Petr Cech. He missed, the match ended up 3-3 and Chelsea won the replay at White Hart Lane. Equally significantly, Spurs beat Chelsea 5-1 in a League Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane in 2001, but lost 6-1 at home to them in the league shortly afterwards, and went on to lose the final against Blackburn Rovers. My mind, however, automatically drifts to Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch", and the League Cup semi-final between Arsenal and Spurs in 1987. Spurs were 2-0 up on aggregate when Arsenal's travelling support suddenly and unexpectedly got behind their team, being rewarded with a late, late winning goal from David Rocastle to send them to Wembley for the first time since 1979. Hornby credits it as being one of the most crucial results in the history of Arsenal Football Club - it swept the weight of expectation that had crushed all Arsenal teams since the 1971 double-winning team and instilled the self-belief that would lead them to champsionship victories in 1989 and 1991. It's probably too much, in this day and age, to hope for the same thing to happen with Spurs. However, the morning after the match, it feels like a result of equal significance. All they have to do now is go to Old Trafford at the weekend and knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur's Psychological Block

So, I got in from work last night at about 9.00 and switched on the television to watch some of the League Cup semi-final. Spurs were winning 1-0 and were completely outplaying Arsenal in every area of the pitch. "Aha", I thought to myself, "I know exactly how this is going to finish up", and so it came to pass. I watched about twenty minutes of it, and wandered off to potter about, doing other things, and when I checked back for the full time score, there it was, as predictable as the changing seasons: Arsenal 1-1 Spurs. Spurs had missed a mountain of chances, and then Theo Walcott had fluked an equalizer in off the outside of his ankle. So, it's all back to White Hart Lane for the second leg in a fortnight, and then the pressure will really be on.

The last time that Tottenham beat Arsenal was 1999, and the psychological block that Spurs now have is one of the biggest in English football. One gets the feeling that Arsene Wenger could dress eleven penguins in Arsenal shirts and put them out onto the pitch against Spurs, and the penguins would still nick it in extra time. This has become something of an obsession for Spurs fans. Draws against their biggest rivals are already celebrated as if they are wins, and one suspects that Spurs are not going to be able to take their "great leap forward" and seriously challenge for a place in the top four until they have beaten Arsenal. This doesn't seem to be case in terms of other derby matches. Everton beat Liverpool as recently as 2006, and Manchester City have won notable matches against Manchester United over the last three or four years, so what it is it with Tottenham?

The obvious thing to say is that Arsenal have obviously had a better team than Tottenham for the last fifteen years or so. Every time that Spurs have looked like turning a corner and building a team that is actually capable of doing something, they've managed to make a mess of it, somehow. I rather suspect, however, that this particular block runs a little deeper than this. In Tony Cascarino's autobiography, "The Secret Life Of Tony Cascarino", the former Chelsea striker talks candidly of his periodic crises of confidence and the voices in the back of his head telling him that he was going to miss when he was running through on goal. Spurs' players give the impression of playing like a team of Tony Cascarinos whenever they play against Arsenal. It's there in the performances of late. Spurs led 2-0 in last year's League Cup semi-final first leg, yet failed to hold onto the lead, ended up pegged back at 2-2 and then lost the second leg. Earlier this season, Spurs matched Arsenal ball for ball at Ashburton Grove, missed a penalty at 1-1, and lost 2-1.

In a fortnight's time, Spurs have a golden opportunity to at least go some of the way towards breaking the hex, and they'll have another one when they play Arsenal at White Hart Lane in the Premier League later on this season. It's not overstating the case to say that Tottenham Hotspur need to beat Arsenal in a competitive match, perhaps more so than they need to win a major trophy at the moment. Until they do, the "Cascarino Effect" will continue to fester in the back of the minds of everybody at White Hart Lane, and they will continue to be unable to challenge for any major trophies. To that extent, English football needs Spurs to beat Arsenal, if only to open competition up a little in the Premier League.

Here We Go Again, Then

Deja vu is a strange feeling, isn't it? You might be forgiven a double dose of it this week, as the League Cup reached the quarter-final stage. Still, the four matches brought about considerably more than twice the entertainment that "Super Sunday" did last weekend, even though we're not really supposed to care about it very much. Everton had already dumped West Ham United out of the competition, but this week's three ties brought up three tempestuous matches which can only lead the casual observer to believe that, once out on the pitch and playing, every match still matters to the modern professional footballer.

On Tuesday night, Tottenham Hotspur put in one of their best performances of the season to end Manchester City's unbeaten home record with a 2-0 win at the City of Manchester Stadium. Jermaine Defoe had given Spurs an early lead, but Spurs were reduced to ten men when Didier Zokora was harshly sent off (Steed Malbranque, for the record, did deserve to go for a considerably worse tackle a few minutes later. With Defoe withdrawn after the sending off, Spurs tried to soak up everything that City threw at them, but they were still reliant on a newly resurgent Paul Robinson, who made one absolutely stunning save from Darius Vassell. Spurs tried to nick a second on the break, and achieved this with eight minutes to play when Steed Malbranque broke away and scored a second goal.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's kids were given a night off the homework to play out a similarly (though somewhat less surprisingly) bad tempered 3-2 win at Blackburn. They seemed to have the game all sewn up at 2-0, but managed to get themselves pegged back to 2-2 thanks to the very seasonally named Roque Santa Claus (ho ho ho, indeed). Denilson got himself sent off, and it looked as if they might be heading out of the competition, but a late goal in extra time saw them through. In tonight's Battle Of Half Of The Giants Mixed With Some Fringe Players And A Couple From The Reserves (as I presume Sky billed it), Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 with a massively fluke-tastic goal from Frank Lampard and a second from Andriy Shevchenko being enough, and Peter Crouch getting himself sent off for an uncharacteristically nasty tackle.

The draw for the semi-finals was made this evening too, and Arsenal will play Spurs, while Chelsea play Everton. Will the Arsenal kids be good enough to beat Spurs over two legs for a second year in a row? Well, there's a question. If Juande Ramos has turned Spurs around in the way they he appears to have done (six wins and just one defeat in his first ten games), they just might. If not, prepare for a battle of attrition between Arsenal and Chelsea (who will surely beat Everton over two legs) in the final next year. Manchester United's players, meanwhile, were using their time off "wisely" by having a massive piss-up in Manchester which has ended with one of their reserve players, one Johnny Evans, being arrested and bailed on suspicion of raping a 26 year-old woman. Is this what the clubs mean when they go on and on about the "need" for a mid-season break?

Welsh Rare Bits

I knew that I should have taken an hour out last night to put something up on here, because I've now got enough material to last me for the whole of this week. So, coming up this week: another report from AFC Wimbledon, who provided us with another splendid afternoon's entertainment on Saturday afternoon against Billericay Town last weekend, the all-important question of whether Tottenham Hotspur have turned an important corner over the last eight day or so or whether this is yet another false dawn in that particular corner of North London, and only team from Brighton with any chance of winning anything this season.

First up, though the Carling Cup Final, played yesterday afternoon at the Millennium Stadium. Arsenal's young boys finally ran out of gas against Chelsea's older and more experienced team. I will have to grudgingly concede that Arsenal's younger team have set this cup on fire this season, to the extent that it's perfectly valid to ask whether their more experienced players would have done any better. Certainly Jose Mourinho's reaction at the end of the match indicated that the so-called "Special One" (his words, not mine) was placing quite a lot of importance in this competition, which says a lot for what Manchester United have done to the rest of the Premiership this season.

The back pages, of course, were taken up with the massive fight that broke out at the end. The rest of the world has been discussing whose fault it was, who deserve to be sent off and who was unlucky. I'm not going to get involved in this "debate", largely because I couldn't give a toss. What I would like to add would be that it was pleasing to see two teams reverting to their stereotypes so easily. I have occasionally wondered what a pantomime would be like if it the baddies had to take on another set of baddies, and now I know the answer. It's very good entertainment indeed. I would suggest, in future, that if Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger want to do away with cup replays, they simply parachute a boxing ring onto the centre spot and let them fight it out. Last man standing wins. Of course, the suspicion is that this would give an unfair bias to Chelsea - at least it will so long as John Terry is fact. Terry confirmed my growing belief that he is filled with reinforced concrete yesterday afternoon by surviving having his head kicked clean of his shoulders. The situation went from him starting to turn blue on the pitch (taking club loyalty a shade too far, there) to being back at the hotel a mere couple of hours after the match had finished to join in the celebrations.

I'll write a full eulogy for the Millennium Stadium when we can be sure that it's the last major English match to be played there, but it's certainly a shame that it went out in something of a state of chaos, with thousands of supporters stranded on the trains and motorways after an accident on the M4 and a points failure at Newport. Now, everybody that lives in this country knows what the trains can be like, and I would point out that we all know that they run a reduced service on a Sunday, so what the hell were the Football League doing, playing a major final with 70,000 travelling supporters in Cardiff on that particular day of the week? It has been pointed out before that getting into and out of Cardiff on a Sunday is a uniquely cheerless experience. We could all see the large number of empty seats inside the stadium. Further brownie points should be knocked off for not even countenancing the concept of putting the kick-off time back to allow more people to arrive. Clearly an orderly kick-off time for Sky TV is more important to the Football League than actually allowing the people that had paid vast amounts of money for tickets to actually see what they'd paid for. Still, at least (with a bit of luck), it will serve as a timely reminder ahead of the Olympics and any World Cup bid that this country needs billions of pounds to be spent on its transport infrastructure.

So, that's one cup down, and there are still three to play for. I have just one further question: with Chelsea and Arsenal playing in next season's Champions League, would the other losing semi-finalists from this competition, Wycombe Wanderers, qualify for next year's UEFA Cup if Spurs qualify by some other means? They should at least get a run in the Intertoto Cup for their troubles - and, after all, starting off in Europe in the middle of the summer hasn't done Newcastle any harm this season, has it?