17/12/06: City 1 Spurs 2Updated: October 3rd, 2007
Okay, now’s the time to be worried.
We’re just three points off the relegation zone and coming up are three tough games - Bolton (H), Sheff Utd (A) and West Ham (A) - in just seven days.
And as if our lightweight strikeforce wasn’t of enough concern (with five goals between them in 63 hours of Premiership football) the situation appears to have taken a turn for the worse.
Samaras has just played his worst ever game in a City shirt, Corradi and Pearce are only talking through the media, and Dickov still looks like he could go a full season without a goal.
Right now, our transfer dealings in January look like they could decide our season. Yet despite being at least three players short of a quality team we’re looking as likely to shed players than sign them next month.
As well as the prospect of Corradi’s “holiday” becoming a permanent one, the reports that Chelsea want Micah won’t go away, Distin will soon be free to talk to other clubs and Trabelsi can leave whenever a better offer comes along. But unless this mystery investor materialises it’s looking like yet another transfer window where we’re rummaging around in the bargain basement.
Last week I came across an online wishing well called Wishmaking.com, that’s run by a City fan named Mark. Maybe now’s a good time to give it a try.
It has to bring us more luck than Beanie.
~ Pearce’s post-match interview
~ Getty Images photos
~ Latest Premiership table.
Match stats
Sometimes the stats just don’t give an fair indication of the sheer awfulness of a performance. These are one such set of figures.
The stats (below) are compiled from the live commentary and differ slightly from Sky’s stats:
Match reports
City 1 Spurs 2 (MEN)
Utterly dominant in a first period in which Huddlestone and Dimitar Berbatov both ought to have put the game out of reach, the visitors had to cling on to claim their valuable win.
Pearce plays down talk of unrest as angry City fan storms the barricades (The Guardian)
City slid from ordinary to dire to inept, with a number of players seeming not to be trying, notably Georgios Samaras. Not surprisingly he did not last beyond half-time.
Frustration for Pearce as City fold (The Independent)
City did not as much lose their proud home record as surrender it gift-wrapped.
Huddlestone’s laconic grace lifts travel blues for Spurs (Daily Telegraph)
“We didn’t play today,” Pearce admitted. “That performance in the first half was unacceptable. When I walked down the tunnel at half-time I was pleased it was only 2-0.”
Pearce finds no place to Hyde (The Times)
City had only conceded one goal during an eight-game unbeaten sequence at home going into this match, but, for the first 45 minutes at least, appeared determined to let Tottenham Hotspur run up a cricket score. Haphazard defending, even poorer passing and a masterclass in anonymity from Georgios Samaras, the striker, allowed Tottenham the freedom to do as they pleased.
Spurs end away-day blues (Daily Mail)
City were abject for long periods and Tottenham could have been five up by half-time.
Dire first half costs City (BlueView)
City’s fightback was ultimately too little too late after a pathetic first 45 minutes when Spurs were allowed to totally boss the game.
Man City 1 Tottenham 2 (The Sun)
City were deservedly booed off by their own fans at half-time as their unbeaten home run threatened to go up in smoke after an awful opening spell.
Imperious then submissive Spurs (A Spurs Odyssey)
The truth really though is that City did not cause us too many problems in the second half, but Spurs just failed to carry on where they left off. The two goal half-time lead was the least they had deserved, and the level of superiority really demanded at least a three goal lead.
Season-on-season table
After losing this fixture 2-0 last season City actually pick up +1 in goal difference in the season-on-season table (below).
Biggest turnaround this week was Charlton’s 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool. Last season Charlton won the fixture 2-0.
The table compares results to the corresponding fixtures from last year, and works out the final points and goal difference if all the remaining fixtures had the exact result as last season.
(Results against last season’s relegated clubs - Sunderland, West Brom and Birmingham - are compared to Sheff Utd, Watford and Reading respectively)
Here are the next three fixtures with the results from last season:
(H) Sat Dec 23: Bolton (lost 1-0)
(A) Tue Dec 26: Sheff Utd (won 2-1)
(A) Sat Dec 30: West Ham (lost 1-0)
Player ratings
Ratings come from (in order): MEN, The Times, Sky and Sky Your Rating.
Weaver: 6, 5, 6, 5.8 (av: 5.7)
Richards (Ireland 30): 4, 4, 6, 5.8 (av: 5.0)
Dunne: 6, 5, 6, 5.3 (av: 5.6)
Distin: 5, 5, 6, 5.2 (av: 5.3)
Jordan: 6, 4, 5, 5.2 (av: 5.1)
Trabelsi: 5, 5, 5, 5.3 (av: 5.1)
Barton: 6, 7, 7, 6.8 (av: 6.7)
Reyna (Dabo 69): 5, 3, 7, 5.7 (av: 5.2)
Vassell: 6, 4, 6, 6.1 (av: 5.5)
Dickov: 6, 7, 6, 5.8 (av: 6.2)
Samaras (Onuoha 45): 3, 3, 5, 4.8 (av: 4.0)
Subs:
Ireland (Richards 30): 6, - , 6, 6.0 (av: 6.0)
Onuoha (Samaras 45): 5, - , 6, 5.6 (av: 5.5)
Dabo (Reyna 69): 5, - , 5, 5.1 (av: 5.0)
Subs not used:
Isaksson, Miller.