The UEFA Cup
Glory Glory Spurs Roll On
Berby a headache for Bayer
Nov 23, 2006 [Ssn 06/07]
Leverkusen 0
Tottenham H. 1
US TV: live on Setanta

Fans of Tottenham Hotspur, whether glued to satelite TV or hunched over computer feeds from Deutschland or Guandong, erupted in that kind of unique ecstasy that's only attained when the beloved Lilywhites score a classy (36th minute) goal on the European stage.

This goal was to prove hugely significant.

It not only won the game, but sends the London club through to the group stages and into the really important bit... the final knockout phase. Bring it on!

It was a beautiful build-up from Spurs through the middle and then forward right to Aaron Lennon whose shot was parried by the keeper and then exquisitely poached by our new-found Euro hero, Dimitar Berbatov.

Berby had gone back to his old stomping ground and sunk the very club and fans that had worshipped him, yet they still had the class to give him a standing ovation when he was subsituted by Martin Jol.

"Berby is the King of Europe Tottenham's gonna do it again They can't stop him The boy is Tott'n'm He plays at White Hart Lane. Oi!"

In the second half Tottenham created at least three more golden opportunities to increase the margin.

Robbie Keane tried to walk one in, and then had a shot saved at point blank range.

In the last seconds, Mido's close range shot rebounded off the keeper, while Keano screamed for the pass which never came. Had Mido not been selfish, surely a second for Spurs. But strikers instinctively pull the trigger if they see a chance, so perhaps Mido can be excused.

In any case, the whistle blew and Tottenham's 100% record in this year's UEFA Cup remains. Wunderbar.

Pre-match: Two players who haven't exactly blown us away in the Premiership have been having a ball in the UEFA Cup. If Hossam Ghaly and Dimitar Berbatov prefer to turn it on in Europe, so be it, coz the Spurs fans are loving every minute of our return to the international club limelight and the team has really excelled in this particular tournament so far.

The fact that our success in the UEFA Cup may have affected our uninspiring league performances (bar Chelsea) seems to be par for the course when you look also at Blackburn, Newcastle, Boro and a host of other English teams who have been in UEFA's second level club contest whilst struggling at home in the bread and butter games.

Time to slip into your lederhosen, slap your thighs, suck on a bratwurst, and down a stein (so to speak --Ed.) as the merry band of Spurs hit a town near you to celebrate being back where we belong.

Please check back for more on this match in the unfolding days.

The UEFA Cup
Brillatov
Glory night for super Spurs
Nov 2, 06 [Ssn 06/07]
Tottenham H. 3
Club Brugge 1
by Rob Francis
White Hart Lane, London N17
UK: ITV4. USA: Live p2p streams
UEFA Cup group tables

Live European football at historic White Hart Lane - that's the way it should be, and Tottenham Hotspur, in our traditional all white European strip, sit proudly atop the group with the knockout phase tantalizingly within our grasp.

The Lane faithful were treated to a rewarding display of surging,

Some Belgians had split loyalties

team-oriented football with the requisite dose of individual star power, most notably in the form of the unselfish and very talented Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian sharp-shooter scored an exquisite brace to deliver a glorious night when the mighty whites provided north Londoners with the goals they crave.

High levels of buffering made it a little frustrating to watch on live stream, and the picture quality left something to be desired compared with the fine Gauangong streaming against Besiktas, but better than no video at all. Additionally, the excellent Spurs support could be heard, and adding to the atmosphere was a Belgian visiting contingent not afraid to exercise their own vocal chords. Plus the commentary was in English.

The opener, scored by Brugge, was only too clear to see, a brilliant individual strike that, despite our own quality finishes, merited goal of the game.

Rare that I didn't want a game to end. Berby was the biz. 100% record in UEFA Cup. Scum couldn't score last night, we got three.    Nutter

Berby's equalizing volley, assisted by a Chimbonda nod, came during a particularly bad buffer attack (powers-that-be striking back?). 1:1 at the break.

Tottenham started in style after the interval, and a cooly taken goal by Robbie Keane in the 64th minute, provided by Berbatov's pass, put the Lilywhites ahead. Lennon could have wrapped up the win minutes later, but chipped wide from a tight angle.

A quality Spurs build up marshalled by Hossam Ghaly culminated in a fine Berbatov header to put Spurs beyond the reach of Club Brugge.

For younger Spurs fans who have never experienced those Euro glory nights before, this match was probably a magical taste of what, in the knockout stages, will be even more intense and atmospheric.

SPUR OF THE MOMENT: Dimitar Berbatov
A shining example of what a Tottenham Hotspur player should be. A team player who unselfishly sets up others, and an individual star who provides the kind of magic that wins matches and thrills the supporters.

Pre-match: By December 14 we'll know whether Spurs go through into the big time knockout phase of the competition, and this match will play a large role in that outcome.

Being back in a European competition is even more fun than many of us thought it would be, and the reason is that, for all its imperfections so far displayed, we love our team and our manager at the moment (except for the moanie pseudo-fans, who never change). That's the difference between this time and the last ill-fated time we got in. Long may this time last.

If we can make it into the knockout stages, I think we can say the club has done a very good job. Anything beyond that, brilliant, but we're a growing team and realism is required.

Until Spurs got into this season's UEFA Cup, the group stages of these Euro contests seemed to most of our fans a waste of time. It has to be admitted though, when your own club is in them, they seem kinda cool, because you have a chance to stretch out and enjoy the football without the sword of Damacles hanging over you, the way it is during a knockout round.

Yes, of course we would love to get into the final, and it's definitely not out of our reach, but we've come a long way already under Martin Jol, so let's take each game as it comes, and enjoy our Euro tour for as long as it lasts, home and away.