IN RECENT DAYS I’ve realised that Spurs have a young defence and that Ledley King, their best defender, isn’t playing.
Alan Pardew has said he will field a strong side, and Arsene Wenger has said, naturally, that it’s better for West Ham to win their last game before playing in their FA Cup Final against Liverpool, and that the Hammers will have six days to recover.
We hear everywhere, and read everywhere, that West Ham fans hate Tottenham and want to beat them.
So it could be a lot of pressure on a Spurs team that is not used to pressure.Sure, they have been fourth since December 3rd, but the emotional and financial consequences of this climactic match are huge. Much bigger than the Spurs players are used to.
Martin Jol has said it’s the biggest game of his career.
Will Edgar Davids get sent off ? Will Defoe misfire against his old club?
We don’t know. All we know is that if Spurs are winning 1-0 in the 89th minute, and West Ham get a penalty, and Teddy Sheringham takes it, the ball will go over the bar and out of the ground to put Spurs in the Champions League.That much we do know. That much we can be sure about.
The rest is just guesswork and waiting. Spurs could play well and win and pass the test, or they could play badly and win, or they could bottle it and lose or West Ham could play them off the field.It’s football, we don’t know what will happen.
Ultimately, Spurs don’t have to handle West Ham, they have to handle the event, the situation. That’s why I think they just might bottle it.
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PREMIERSHIP TABLE
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1. Chelsea 37 91
2. Man Utd 37 80
3. Liverpool 37 79
4. Tottenham 37 65
5. Arsenal 37 64
6. Blackburn 37 60
7. Newcastle 37 55
8. Bolton 37 53
9. West Ham 37 52
10. Wigan 37 51