Tottenham v Newcastle

Tottenham had to thank ..go on guess ...yes Gareth Bale again for getting the only goal of the game to secure all 3 pts against West Brom at The Hawthorns ..the 1-0 win maintained their 4th spot in the table and kept them on course for a Champions League place .



Newcastle upset the odds as they stunned Chelsea 3-2 at St James Park , it was new signing Moussa Sissoko who made the headlines as he scored twice on his home debut ..the winner coming in the 90th minute , he had earlier hauled Newcastle level at 2-2 and manager Alan Pardew said afterwards..`a unbelievable games , wasnt it" . The win moved Newcastle up into 15th place in the table .

This will be a tough game, France have looked good lately especially in that win over Chelsea. I still back us to beat Les Bleus as you have to at home butim under no impression that this will be easy.

I agree with Big Jono. Newcastle's excellent, and typical for them, business dealings mean that they are undergoing a renaissance, and will impress us all, obviously we can't expect points, against Spurs.

I've predicted elsewhere a 3-2 win for Spurs, which is an indication of how impressed I was with the Magpies recent signings. I'm going to the match, and while results are all that matter from now till the end of the season, I'm expecting to be royally entertained. Two teams here who are rarely involved in boring games!

Adebayor is on his way back from Africa and should play upfront so I'm going for Spurs to just win against Newcastle.

Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle.

Did you know that Newcastle have lost each of their last three Premier League trips to White Hart Lane without scoring a single goal.

Any more comments or predictions?

Newcastle have a great team now, and should stay up, but they'll have to get points from elsewhere, as I'm sure that TOTTENHAM will win. 2-0 to Spurs.

Line ups

Tottenham:
Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Naughton, Dembele, Parker, Lennon, Holtby, Dempsey, Bale.

Subs: Friedel, Vertonghen, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Livermore, Sigurdsson, Adebayor

Newcastle:
Krul; Debuchy, S.Taylor, Coloccini, Santon; Cabaye, Perch, Gutierrez, Sissoko; Gouffran, Cisse.

Subs: Harper, Yanga-Mbiwa, Anita, Tiote, Marveaux, Obertan, Shola Ameobi

HT

Tottenham 1-1 Newcastle

Bale 5'

Gouffran 24’

FT

Tottenham 2-1 Newcastle
1-0 Bale 5’
1-1 Gouffran 24’
2-1 Bale 78'

Spurs go up to 3rd place after another magnificent display from Gareth Bale

Any comments on todays result?

Up the Spurs! Where would we be without Gareth Bale? Not only did he score two fine goals, the headed the ball out of defence four times in the first half! Delighted with the win, but Lordy we need to sort out the striking situation. Dempsey and Adeybayor are decent players, but they just ain't good enough. AVB is growing as a manager, and I hope he can see that we need to acquire some fresh blood up front if we are serious about challenging Man U, Man C, and Chelsea. However, I'm not complaining too much, we were third for 90 minutes!

Adebayor IS good enough - he just needs to be motivated. Think Rio and Vidic said that he was the toughest striker they have faced. Dempsey is a is decent player and a great option off the bench. He's scored some important goals for us already.

Bale is obviously the main man but the team is now almost set up for him. He takes a lot of shots now, much more than he used to, so its natural that he will end up scoring a lot more. Lets not overlook Lennon and Dembele's contribution either. Right now Bale is deservedly grabbing the headlines but earlier in the season it was Defoe. The truth is it really is a team contribution, regardless of who ends up sticking the ball in the back of the net.

Is there a better counter attacking team in the PL? We are lightening fast on the break!

I hope you are right Johaldo8, but I've watched Adeybayor and Demsey closely on the TV and live at the matches this season and I hate to disagree but they ain't producing the goods. If you are a striker, nothing else matters apart from sticking the ball in the back of the net. Adeybayor and Dempsey lack agression (or is it confidence?) in the penalty area. Dempsey will NOT attempt to 'skin' a defender and always opts for a pass. Adeybayor is another who will NOT turn and strike in the penalty area - why? because he doesn't have the frickin' mobilty to turn and strike! Big man, who you would fancy with the head, but guess what, he doesn't score many with his head! So what does he have to offer?
Enough said, I am delighted with the form Spurs have shown up till now, AVB was a gamble that has paid off. If we can keep Bale for another season I'll be as happy as a pig in sh*t, COYS!

well ...according to ..NickKIELCEPoland , even if Gareth Bale was not playing for Spurs someone else would be scoring the goals for them .

I completely disagree mate.

I don't give a flying fluck who scores, as long as the players on the pitch are making the right decisions i.e. passing to the right man at the right moment, rather than shooting non stop, as Defoe likes to do. He is a very selfish player, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but he frustrates me every bit as much as Adebayor and Dempsey can, as he makes a lot of greedy decisions, when teammates are better placed.

All I will say is, be careful what you wish for!

Of course!

RVP was sold in the summer, and Arsenal were truly a one man team last season. Suddenly, Theo and Giroud have stepped up to the goalscoring plate.

Remember when Cristiano Ronaldo scored 42 goals for Manure, and then was sold?

Life goes on.

Good win, needed the 3 points to keep the pressure up on those around us. Need to carry it on now with some more

Yep, Nick from Poland has a lot of opinions, most of which I disagree with. I'm not saying Spurs will die if Bale leaves, but you would have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to realise he would leave a big hole behind if he left. If we can get another player to step up to the plate, then great, but right now none of our attacking players are doing it. I'd love to see Dempsey, Ade or Defoe for that matter take the headlines away from Bale. What is encouraging for me is that the midfield and defence look so strong right now. We create so many chances, but it is only the Bale man converting them.
BTW United sold Ronaldo, but now they have RVP putting them away - no problem with selling a class player if you are going to replace him with class. Arsenal have looked like they could do with him back a few times this season, and maybe that is why they are in fifth place in February. Mind the gap Gooners!

Yes, they would - but very likely not as many.
You were the one that said that Man U would be mid-table if they hadn't bought van Persie. That was when I pointed out to you that they would have fewer goals if they hadn't bought van Persie, but some of his goals would have come from elsewhere.

Shall we worry about Bale leaving if and most likely when it happens? I'm just sick of all this "Bale is leaving" chat to be honest mate.

Yes, I totally agree with you about the look of our team. From the goalkeeper to the attacking midfield, we look very strong. We are probably just a striker light. But if Defoe is fit and Adebayor captures his form from last season, then we will be formidable!

Things are going along nicely. But I certainly think it's premature to be reminding the gooners to be minding the gap! We blew a 10 point lead last season - this one is only 4!