At last! After eight league games, the worst start in the club's history, doom, gloom, and despair, we've got a win!. Well, finally today, I did see Tottenham win in the Premier League. Thank God!Of course, all the talk prior to the game was about the managerial change. Correction - changes.
It was widely accepted that it was only a matter of time before the changes would take effect. Fans beginning to publicly voice their discontent after the Udinese game, and not just with the customary booing. One player after another expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation.
All of a sudden, with Harry Redknapp appointed, there was no doubt in my mind we'd win.
Having read that Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe were to take charge, it came as a bit of a surprise to see Redknapp taking a seat in the dugout. A good sign though. Clearly not the sort of person who wanted to sit high up in the stands and watch from afar.
Also surprising, and even more so, Ledley King starting. Hang on a second..... I thought he could only play once every ten days? Now here he is starting his second in three days. Beggars belief. Should he turn out against Arsenal and/or Liverpool in the next week the questions over what on Earth was going on behind the scenes with the previous regime will be most perplexing.
Sadly it seemed that we were opting for one up front again, this time with Pavlyuchenko starting. With Bale out, BAE filled in at left back, and Huddlestone started, sitting just in front of the back four.
When we won an early corner top quality delivery! Didn't come to anything, but finally, finally a hint of the quality he displayed at Blackburn.
We didn't have to wait too much longer for another Bentley ball. This time from open play in a pretty deep position on the right wing. Inch perfect and who should happen to be on the end of it but our sole centre forward. GOAL!
It looked almost like slow motion. For a minute I wondered whether Pav had been offside, but no queries over the finish. Easily beating the defender to the ball - probably helped by the amount of time Bolton afforded him - and directing the header in off the post.
Unreal. Spurs a goal up in the Premier League! How long since that happened?
While we dominated the half we weren't without our own shocks at the back. A terrible lobbed back pass from BAE who appeared not to be looking at who was around him, neatly over the head of King, dropping short of Gomes, and somehow we escaped. No doubt the commentators will go on about the dodgy keeping. I reckon they've got it in for Gomes and in time it wouldn't come as a surprise to see one of two things happen.Real positives in the first half were (leaving aside the fact we were ahead and had dominated possesion) that Bentley was delivering decent service (although he did overhit a few as well), Modric was playing where he should and beginning to pull some strings, and, wait for it, even BAE was having a good game! Yes, you read that right, even BAE was having a good game!
So when we went in a goal to the good there were no complaints. Roll on the second half.
Ten minutes in, a red card. Just like on Thursday night, but this time not for Spurs! A really poor tackle by Gavin McCann on Huddlestone and a second yellow following the one he picked up in the first half for hauling back David Bentley. Actually, there should've been a second yellow for Bolton in that first half for a foul on Hutton during the same passage of play as well!
Ten men to play against and a good half hour or more to go, surely there was no way we were going to let this one slide?
With twenty minutes or so to go Pav was withdrawn and Bent sent on in his place, soon followed by Lennon, who took up a position on the left wing.
Lennon and Bent had good chances to double our lead. Lennon's was a long range attempted curler that went well wide, although I suspect he was actually offside. Bent showed his pace and a decent first touch to push the ball down the left channel of the box before getting a shot off that Jaaskelainen turned over the bar, possibly with his head! Particular credit for the Bent chance must go to Modric. An excellent piece of play with an overhead as he faced his own goal, a quick turn, a bit of pace, and good touch and a great ball into the channel for Bent.
Modric then helped create the second. Another Spurs attack culminating in the ball dropping to Modric on the edge of the Bolton box, knocking it up for himself on the half volley before firing it goalward. A good save by Jaaskelainen, but instead of turning it wide he succeeded only in keeping it on the pitch and Bent showed an excellent turn of pace to beat both keeper and defender when starting a yard behind both. He was clearly clipped by Jaaskelainen and a penalty was duly awarded.
Surely not? A red card for the opposition and we've been awarded a penalty?!
Bent picked himself up and converted, firing low and hard to Jaaskelainen's right. Two-nil! Game, for all intents and purposes, over.
Real positives in the first half were (leaving aside the fact we were ahead and had dominated possesion) that Bentley was delivering decent service (although he did overhit a fair few as well), Modric was playing where he should and beginning to pull some strings, and, wait for it, even BAE was having a good game! Yes, you read that right, even BAE was having a good game!
So when we went in a goal to the good there were no complaints. Roll on the second half.
Ten minutes in, a red card. Just like on Thursday night, but this time not for Spurs! A really poor tackle by Gavin McCann on Huddlestone and a second yellow following the one he picked up in the first half for hauling back David Bentley. Actually, there should've been a second yellow for Bolton in that first half for a foul on Hutton during the same passage of play as well!
Ten men to play against and a good half hour or more to go, surely there was no way we were going to let this one slide?
With twenty minutes or so to go Pav was withdrawn and Bent sent on in his place, soon followed by Lennon, who took up a position on the left wing.
Lennon and Bent had good chances to double our lead. Lennon's was a long range attempted curler that went well wide, although I suspect he was actually offside. Bent showed his pace and a decent first touch to push the ball down the left channel of the box before getting a shot off that Jaaskelainen turned over the bar, possibly with his head! Particular credit for the Bent chance must go to Modric. An excellent piece of play with an overhead as he faced his own goal, a quick turn, a bit of pace, and good touch and a great ball into the channel for Bent.
Modric then helped create the second. Another Spurs attack culminating in the ball dropping to Modric on the edge of the Bolton box, knocking it up for himself on the half volley before firing it goalward. A good save by Jaaskelainen, but instead of turning it wide he succeeded only in keeping it on the pitch and Bent showed an excellent turn of pace to beat both keeper and defender when starting a yard behind both. He was clearly clipped by Jaaskelainen and a penalty was duly awarded.
Surely not? A red card for the opposition and we've been awarded a penalty?!
Bent picked himself up and converted, firing low and hard to Jaaskelainen's right. Two-nil! Game, for all intents and purposes, over!
