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	<title>TottenhamBlog.com &#187; Match Review</title>
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	<description>The Spurs News Blog That Expects The Worst And Is Rarely Disappointed</description>
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		<title>Spurs 0 Wigan 1: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/30/spurs-0-wigan-1-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/30/spurs-0-wigan-1-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:19:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tottenham hotspur v wigan athletic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=2546</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[They scored their one goal, but we just forgot to hit our nine. Harry Redknapp has stated that this defeat wasn&#8217;t due to a Champions League hangover. I don&#8217;t think that our players were tired from the midweek shenanigans, but it certainly seemed to have left the crowd subdued. The atmosphere in the stands was [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/30/spurs-0-wigan-1-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/" title="Permanent link to Spurs 0 Wigan 1: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/500px-Wigan_Athletic.svg_1.png" width="500" height="500" alt="Post image for Spurs 0 Wigan 1: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back" title="Spurs 0 Wigan 1: Weve Got Our Tottenham Back" /></a>
</p><p>They scored their one goal, but we just forgot to hit our nine.</p>
<p>Harry Redknapp has stated that this defeat wasn&#8217;t due to a Champions League hangover. I don&#8217;t think that our players were tired from the midweek shenanigans, but it certainly seemed to have left the crowd subdued.</p>
<p>The atmosphere in the stands was as muted as the performance on the pitch. I don&#8217;t think though that this mindset is anything to do with a sense of entitlement and belief that teams like Wigan should be swept aside. Before the game my mates and I were expressing doubts over whether we&#8217;d win. They hadn&#8217;t got a point yet, after all. Who better to play in that situation than Spurs?</p>
<p>Can you imagine Scum fans saying that? Of course not. We might be in the Champions League, but it&#8217;ll be a while before we can approach any game without caution. The old Spurs mindset is alive and well.</p>
<p>On the pitch what we lacked was invention, or to put it another way, Luka Modric. They were sitting back and making sure that their defence wasn&#8217;t as full of holes as last season and we had no answer to the sheer weight of numbers. It was the same old story of last term, when we failed to break down Stoke, Wolves and Hull.</p>
<p>I can&#8217;t help but think that we&#8217;d actually do better in these situations with one less striker and one extra midfielder. Transfer deadline day is almost upon us and we have still not rectified the fact that we are outnumbered in midfield, in practically every game we play.</p>
<p>We had one decent chance in the first half, when Defoe&#8217;s shot was pushed away. Most of our attacks came down the left hand side, with Gareth Bale looking impressive once more. </p>
<p>I think though that we&#8217;re in danger of becoming over-reliant on Bale. Aaron Lennon kept popping up on the left and the reason was that very little of our play was coming down his right flank. Bale is currently in much better form that Lennon, but that&#8217;s not going to change unless we make sure to vary the way we attack. </p>
<p>In the second half Redknapp brought off Crouch for Pavlyuchenko, with Bale dropping to left back and Kranjcar on the left of midfield. Though the intention was to give us more attacking thrust, it actually had the opposite effect. Bale wasn&#8217;t half as involved as he&#8217;d been, while Kranjcar looked rusty. </p>
<p>As we pushed forward to make a breakthrough, holes started to appear at the back. First they missed a sitter, before volleying over the bar. When Wigan&#8217;s third chance presented itself, they were not so wasteful. Hugo Rodallega was given far too much space down the right and his drilled shot found it&#8217;s way past Cudicini.</p>
<p>It was a poor effort from the goalkeeper, who appeared to have crisp packets attached to his wrists, rather than hands. Cudicini hardly covered himself in glory with his performances for Spurs prior to his motorcycle accident, so it&#8217;s little surprise that he made this blunder. He&#8217;s not going to come back from that sort of incident as a better player and it&#8217;s obvious that he needs to be replaced as Gomes&#8217; backup.</p>
<p>After that goal went in, we should have been given a penalty for a handball in the box, but that&#8217;s clutching at straws. Kranjcar tested the keeper and Kaboul missed a sitter with his head, but we really should be creating more chances.</p>
<p>The result is a setback rather than a disaster. We just can&#8217;t beat teams that don&#8217;t want to attack, but as we haven&#8217;t really improved our squad over the summer, why wouldn&#8217;t we be experiencing the exact same problems of last season.</p>
<p>All eyes will be on Sky Sports News for the next couple of days. If we don&#8217;t get the right player(s) in, then we can&#8217;t really expect to progress.</p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&#038;videoid=106375779" style="font: Verdana">Tottenham Hotspur v Wigan Athletic</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=106375779,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=106375779,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&#038;friendid=471533663" style="font: Verdana">Don</a> | <a href="http://vids.myspace.com " style="font: Verdana">MySpace Video</a></font></p>
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		<title>Spurs 4 Young Boys 0: Champions League, We&#8217;re Having A Laugh</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/26/spurs-4-young-boys-0-champions-league-were-having-a-laugh/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/26/spurs-4-young-boys-0-champions-league-were-having-a-laugh/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:23:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[champions league]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tottenham hotspur v young boys]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=2524</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well that went pretty well didn&#8217;t it? It threatened to be the sort of match where the longer we went without scoring, the more the pressure would build upon us. Fortunately we scored within five minutes, as Peter Crouch rose to a looped Gareth Bale cross and headed home. That settled us down in a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/26/spurs-4-young-boys-0-champions-league-were-having-a-laugh/" title="Permanent link to Spurs 4 Young Boys 0: Champions League, We&#8217;re Having A Laugh"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/cl.jpg" width="350" height="400" alt="Post image for Spurs 4 Young Boys 0: Champions League, We&#8217;re Having A Laugh" title="Spurs 4 Young Boys 0: Champions League, Were Having A Laugh" /></a>
</p><p>Well that went pretty well didn&#8217;t it?</p>
<p>It threatened to be the sort of match where the longer we went without scoring, the more the pressure would build upon us. Fortunately we scored within five minutes, as Peter Crouch rose to a looped Gareth Bale cross and headed home.</p>
<p>That settled us down in a match that had a distinctly unfamiliar feel to it. I felt a bit like a naive yokel in the big city for the first time. What was that pompous music at the start of the game? Who were those blokes standing by the goals holding truncheons? And why couldn&#8217;t we buy any beer?</p>
<p>All of these frankly unnecessary changes to the normal match routine will become familiar in time, as we took control of the game and booked our place in the Champions League proper. It was all over at by half-time, as Defoe raced through and scored. Both he and the crowd waited a while before celebrating. Defoe, because he&#8217;d used his hand to control the ball and us, because he&#8217;s normally offside.</p>
<p>Crouch headed home our third goal in the second half from a Bale corner. This game demonstrated just why we should keep the big man at Spurs. Foreign defenders just don&#8217;t know how to handle him. His England record proves that, as do his statistics in European competition. Having picked up the ball and converted a penalty to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-0, Crouch&#8217;s figures in European competition stands at 21 goals in 45 games.</p>
<p>Now all we have to do is sit back and enjoy the draw today. There are some fans who want us to get the easiest games possible, which would probably mean being drawn against Lyon, Panathinaikos and MSK Zilina. The majority of people that I&#8217;ve spoken to though, want the European giants. We could get Real Madrid and Inter Milan. This is how it&#8217;s always meant to have been.</p>
<p>Spurs playing the cream of European football. We&#8217;ve always known that a club with our support should enjoy such challenges, even if others have mocked us as having ideas above our station. </p>
<p>The season starts here people. Let&#8217;s draw some big guns who will provide some memorable nights at White Hart Lane and go about signing the couple of players that we need to make us even better.</p>
<p>Come on you Spurs!</p>
<p><object width="480" height="264"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xekox5_tottenham-hotspur-v-bsc-young-boys_sport?additionalInfos=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xekox5_tottenham-hotspur-v-bsc-young-boys_sport?additionalInfos=0" width="480" height="264" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xekox5_tottenham-hotspur-v-bsc-young-boys_sport">Tottenham Hotspur v BSC Young Boys Bern</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/gigimorales">gigimorales</a>. &#8211; <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/gb/channel/sport">Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.</a></i></p>
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		<title>Stoke 1 Spurs 2: Bale Saves The Big Day</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/23/stoke-1-spurs-2-bale-saves-the-big-day/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/23/stoke-1-spurs-2-bale-saves-the-big-day/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:18:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gareth bale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stoke v tottenham hotspur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=2499</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Being invited to a wedding is always an honour, but if it falls on a Saturday between August and May then it has the potential to cause a disaster. Wedding venues have to be booked months in advance these days, making it a huge gamble for a football-loving groom to name a date during the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/23/stoke-1-spurs-2-bale-saves-the-big-day/" title="Permanent link to Stoke 1 Spurs 2: Bale Saves The Big Day"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/454px-Gareth_Bale_July_2010.jpg" width="454" height="599" alt="Post image for Stoke 1 Spurs 2: Bale Saves The Big Day" title="Stoke 1 Spurs 2: Bale Saves The Big Day" /></a>
</p><p>Being invited to a wedding is always an honour, but if it falls on a Saturday between August and May then it has the potential to cause a disaster.</p>
<p>Wedding venues have to be booked months in advance these days, making it a huge gamble for a football-loving groom to name a date during the season. That&#8217;s the main reason that I ended up getting married on a Friday in September, but my Shelf season ticket holder mate took a chance some months ago, when he named Saturday 21st August as his wedding date.</p>
<p>When the fixtures were announced during the summer, the first thing that I did was to text him with the words &#8220;lucky boy&#8221;. Instead of the nightmare scenario of Arsenal at home of the 21st, we were instead playing Stoke City away.</p>
<p>I was more confident about my mate&#8217;s fortunes than Tottenham&#8217;s, when the big day came around. Stoke away from home is always a tough challenge and with only Peter Crouch available up front, I was worried about our attacking options.</p>
<p>As I was at the wedding, I didn&#8217;t have to watch what seems like an extremely nervous and tense second half on the frustrating medium of Iraqui Goals and was instead regularly sent updates via text.</p>
<p>Being told that Bale had scored both our goals scarcely did justice to what I saw, when I eventually caught up with the highlights. The first was one of the silliest Spurs goals that I&#8217;ve seen, since that ball bounced off Jason Cundy an flew about 60 yards into the Ipswich net. Stoke&#8217;s defence somehow managed to hit it straight at Gareth Bale in quick succession. Still, at least when the ball strikes Bale in the face you know that it&#8217;s not going to spoil his good looks.</p>
<p>The second was an absolutely brilliant strike that will go down in Spurs folklore. The technique to get that high in the air and still strike the ball cleanly, is a difficult trick to pull off. Few players in the Premier League would be up to it and as Harry said after the game, there&#8217;s not a club in the world that wouldn&#8217;t want a player as talented as Bale on their books.</p>
<p>Bale had a great second half of last season and with a full term now ahead of him where his place in the team is pretty set in stone, he really should be aiming at getting into double figures. In a game where it looked like we would be struggling for goals, Bale stepped up and provided them. Carry on doing that and our problems up front (injuries and inadequacies) won&#8217;t prove so acute.</p>
<p>The highlights also showed that the ball was clearly over the line when Crouch got in the way of a Stoke shot, but I&#8217;ve got only two words for that: Old Trafford. Until football does the right thing and sorts out video replays, we&#8217;re left in a situation where fans can only rely on karma to smooth things out over a period of time.</p>
<p>Four points is a pretty impressive start to the season when the games are Manchester City at home and Stoke away. We&#8217;ve now got a nice run of fixtures that in theory should see us notching up plenty more points.</p>
<p>For the Shelf-side groom, his big day was made even better for Tottenham&#8217;s result. I&#8217;m sure that there are many married Spurs fans who have had their wedding day ruined by Tottenham&#8217;s previously hopeless antics, so he can count himself lucky.</p>
<p><object width="480" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xeixbi_stoke-city-v-tottenham-hotspur_sport?additionalInfos=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xeixbi_stoke-city-v-tottenham-hotspur_sport?additionalInfos=0" width="480" height="265" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeixbi_stoke-city-v-tottenham-hotspur_sport">Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/gigimorales">gigimorales</a>. &#8211; <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/gb/channel/sport">Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.</a></i></p>
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		<title>Young Boys 3 Spurs 2: Fake Plastic Pitches Should Be Banned</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/18/young-boys-3-spurs-2-fake-plastic-pitches-should-be-banned/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/18/young-boys-3-spurs-2-fake-plastic-pitches-should-be-banned/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:44:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[young boys v tottenham hotpur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=2478</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yes, we started off playing incredibly crap. Yes, they took full advantage and yes, they looked much fitter and sharper. However, you can&#8217;t tell me that the result would have been the same if the match was played on grass. The modern artificial pitch looks a lot more realistic that the one that Luton used [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/18/young-boys-3-spurs-2-fake-plastic-pitches-should-be-banned/" title="Permanent link to Young Boys 3 Spurs 2: Fake Plastic Pitches Should Be Banned"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/plastic.jpg" width="416" height="300" alt="Post image for Young Boys 3 Spurs 2: Fake Plastic Pitches Should Be Banned" title="Young Boys 3 Spurs 2: Fake Plastic Pitches Should Be Banned" /></a>
</p><p>Yes, we started off playing incredibly crap. Yes, they took full advantage and yes, they looked much fitter and sharper. However, you can&#8217;t tell me that the result would have been the same if the match was played on grass.</p>
<p>The modern artificial pitch looks a lot more realistic that the one that Luton used to play on and the ball no longer bounces 10ft into the air when it hits the deck, but it is still discernibly different to a normal pitch. We just weren&#8217;t able to keep possession as we adjusted to the surface, with our players showing a lack of control akin to Wayne Rooney at the World Cup.</p>
<p>Young Boys were naturally extremely comfortable and knew exactly how to pass the ball on the surface. They hit the post in the opening minutes, before scoring three in quick succession against our flat-footed defence.</p>
<p>Kudos goes out to Harry for reacting to the onslaught quickly and bringing on Huddlestone for BAE in the 35th minute. That move gave us more numbers in the centre with Modric tucking in from the left and the Hudd himself dictating play.</p>
<p>We slowly began to force our way back into control of the game and grabbed a lifeline through Bassong&#8217;s bullet header from a corner. Things continued to improve in the second half, as we grabbed plenty of possession in our search for a second goal.</p>
<p>By throwing men forward we did leave ourselves exposed at the back and Young Boys came perilously close to making it 4-1 on a number of occasions on the break. One gilt-edged chance was created by our own Wilson Palacios, whose sloppy pass put one of their players clean through on goal, only for Gomes to fortunately deflect it out of danger.</p>
<p>Palacios&#8217; passing in general was shocking last night. You would blame the pitch, but for the fact that his distribution gradually declined as the season went on last term. If he wants to be a regular starter in our side, he needs to sort this out and fast.</p>
<p>Another one who couldn&#8217;t put a foot right (until he actually did) was Roman Pavlyuchenko. Has there ever been a more frustrating player? If he was just useless I could understand him. Spurs have had plenty of useless players over the years. Instead he alternates between abject haplessness and looking extremely talented.</p>
<p>His thunderbolt of a shot within the last ten minutes made it 3-2 on the night and put us right back in the game. It was a great goal from a player who had a lousy match and he may well have been substituted, had Modric and Defoe not both limped off.</p>
<p>Whether or not the pitch has anything to do with those injures, I don&#8217;t know. It probably doesn&#8217;t help though and Redknapp admitted to basing his team selection on the fact that he felt certain players were likely to get injured on the surface.</p>
<p>On the beautiful grass of White Hart Lane, I would expect us to win. Having been 3-0 down, to pull back a couple of away goals without reply was a brilliant result and showed character. Even a 2-1 win at home will see us through.</p>
<p>Harry has mentioned that artificial pitches shouldn&#8217;t be allowed for Champions League games and he&#8217;s absolutely right. The home team always has a big advantage, but that advantage becomes huge with most of the travelling team haven&#8217;t ever played on a competitive match on a plastic pitch.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s thank our lucky stars that things didn&#8217;t turn out as badly as they could have and that we have a great chance now to progress. After all, as the match commentator said last night: &#8220;Young Boys don&#8217;t do clean sheets&#8221;.</p>
<p><embed src="http://rd3.videos.sapo.pt/play?file=http://rd3.videos.sapo.pt/roOIv86n30svaOzMjvjE/mov/1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" width="400" height="350"></embed></p>
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		<title>Spurs 0 Manchester City 0: I Don&#8217;t Heart Joe Hart</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/15/spurs-0-manchester-city-0-i-dont-heart-joe-hart/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/15/spurs-0-manchester-city-0-i-dont-heart-joe-hart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:25:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tottenham hotspur v manchester city]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=2462</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We beat Manchester City yesterday in every respect, save for the rather important matter of scoring a goal. That was down to one man &#8211; Joe Hart, who made a string of top saves. Hart&#8217;s brilliant display was all the more frustrating for the fact that it made Fabio Capello&#8217;s decision not to pick him [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/08/15/spurs-0-manchester-city-0-i-dont-heart-joe-hart/" title="Permanent link to Spurs 0 Manchester City 0: I Don&#8217;t Heart Joe Hart"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/473px-JoeHart_Augsburg.jpg" width="473" height="600" alt="Post image for Spurs 0 Manchester City 0: I Don&#8217;t Heart Joe Hart" title="Spurs 0 Manchester City 0: I Dont Heart Joe Hart" /></a>
</p><p>We beat Manchester City yesterday in every respect, save for the rather important matter of scoring a goal.</p>
<p>That was down to one man &#8211; Joe Hart, who made a string of top saves. Hart&#8217;s brilliant display was all the more frustrating for the fact that it made Fabio Capello&#8217;s decision not to pick him for the World Cup, all the more baffling.</p>
<p>Disappointing as it is to draw a game that you could have won, this was one of the more encouraging 0-0 draws I&#8217;ve seen. We ripped apart a very defensive City side with ease in the first half, before gradually running out of steam in the second. Not every team has Joe Hart in goal and our performance suggested that we won&#8217;t be having to endure many goalless displays this season.</p>
<p>Pulling the strings in central midfield was Luka Modric. I had thought that he would prove to be too small to thrive as a central midfielder, but he&#8217;s proving that if you&#8217;re good enough you&#8217;re big enough. Modric isn&#8217;t going to win a huge number of 50/50 tackles, but his positioning ensures that he intercepts the ball regularly. Yesterday Modric was Ossie-like, which is high praise from a Spurs fan.</p>
<p>Bale also started this season as he ended last term, with another energetic display in which he gave the pacey Micah Richards a rather torrid time. The pick of the bunch though was Benoit Assou-Ekotto, who gave an assured display in defence, which included a brilliant tackle on the little bloke with the big fat mum.</p>
<p>In my preview of the game I speculated that City&#8217;s new team might need some time to blend together. On the evidence of yesterday&#8217;s performance it might take a long time. Their short arsed attack lacked presence, whilst the midfield was entirely made up of defensive players. Perhaps they should think about signing that James Milner bloke.</p>
<p>They will get better of course, but then so will we, which could be a frightening prospect for a lot of teams. Aaron Lennon for example still hasn&#8217;t hit the form that saw him made him such a threat pre-injury and Tom Huddlestone&#8217;s passing sometimes looked rusty. We know that those players can perform better and when they do, we&#8217;ll be even stronger.</p>
<p>The flaw in our team remains up front, where our strikers look just short of the mark. They will score against the lesser teams, but are too often found lacking against the best defences and can only play in tandem with one another. Bruce Forsyth had no idea how prophetic he was being when he used to say &#8220;you get nothing for a pair&#8230; not in this game.&#8221;</p>
<p>I&#8217;m still confident that we&#8217;ll be able to bring in another striker though. Whether he&#8217;ll be any good or not is another matter, but you can only hope. In the meanwhile we switch our attentions to the Champions League and pray that Young Boys aren&#8217;t so adept at keeping us at bay as Young Hart. </p>
<p><font face="Verdana" size="1" color="#999999"><br/><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&#038;videoid=106223389" style="font: Verdana">Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City</a><br/><object width="425px" height="360px" ><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=106223389,t=1,mt=video"/><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=106223389,t=1,mt=video" width="425" height="360" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&#038;friendid=546435397" style="font: Verdana">Jone</a> | <a href="http://vids.myspace.com " style="font: Verdana">MySpace Video</a></font></p>
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		<title>Burnley 4 Spurs 2: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/10/burnley-4-spurs-2-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/10/burnley-4-spurs-2-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 May 2010 10:29:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[burnley v tottenham hotspur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=1939</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So 2-0 up against a team that is already relegated and it seems just a matter of how many goals we&#8217;ll win by. By the end of the game we&#8217;ve lost 4-2. Welcome back Tottenham&#8230; we&#8217;ve missed you whilst you were gone. The players really did have the minds on the World Cup/Champions League/summer holidays [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/10/burnley-4-spurs-2-weve-got-our-tottenham-back/" title="Permanent link to Burnley 4 Spurs 2: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Luka_Modrić_spurs.jpg" width="132" height="340" alt="Post image for Burnley 4 Spurs 2: We&#8217;ve Got Our Tottenham Back" title="Burnley 4 Spurs 2: Weve Got Our Tottenham Back" /></a>
</p><p>So 2-0 up against a team that is already relegated and it seems just a matter of how many goals we&#8217;ll win by. By the end of the game we&#8217;ve lost 4-2. Welcome back Tottenham&#8230; we&#8217;ve missed you whilst you were gone.</p>
<p>The players really did have the minds on the World Cup/Champions League/summer holidays in that second half. Fair enough I suppose. They&#8217;ve already done far more than was expected of them.</p>
<p>Having said that, you can&#8217;t imagine Chelsea or Manchester United doing the same thing in similar circumstances. We&#8217;ve come a long, long way, but there is still a long way to go. It takes time to create a culture at a club, where winning becomes second nature and losing is something that can&#8217;t be stomached.</p>
<p>If we want to look at areas of the squad that we need to bolster for next season, this game showed some up. Alnwick for example, doesn&#8217;t look as if he&#8217;ll ever be remotely commanding enough to warrant being our second or even third choice goalkeeper.</p>
<p>The goals were pretty much all down to ball-watching from our full backs. For Kaboul that is somewhat forgivable considering that he&#8217;s not really a right back and we have to make sure that we&#8217;re not in the same situation next year, with him as our only back up to Corluka.</p>
<p>In the case of Benoit Assou Ekotto, it&#8217;s more troubling. He&#8217;s had a decent season and is generally solid enough, but whilst he&#8217;s quite possibly the most improved player at the club, that improvement came from a starting point of being considered quite hopeless. I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll be looking for his replacement in the summer, but if we&#8217;re to progress, then it wouldn&#8217;t surprise me if he were to be jettisoned sometime in the not too distant future. He&#8217;s not and never will be top class.</p>
<p>Once again it was also a game when we struggled to find a balanced partnership up front that would serve us well away from home. Our goals came from midfield and we need more of a contribution from that area next season. Modric&#8217;s strike was probably his best for the club and he needs to get in those positions more often and hit the ball like he did yesterday, rather than his normal scuffed efforts. If Bale ends up playing a full season for us, then there&#8217;s no reason to think that he couldn&#8217;t hit double figures.</p>
<p>Perhaps it&#8217;s a good thing to end the season on a slight downer. It will after all, remind Harry of the frailties that still exist within the side, though I&#8217;m sure he&#8217;s already got them noted.</p>
<p>The defeat couldn&#8217;t take the gloss off what has been a great season. It&#8217;s not often that a World Cup can be viewed as a distraction, but I for one can&#8217;t wait to get the quarter-final loss on penalties out of the way and get back to the serious and enticing prospect of watching us improve even further next season.</p>
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		<title>Manchester City 0 Tottenham 1: Final Thoughts</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/06/manchester-city-0-tottenham-1-final-thoughts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/06/manchester-city-0-tottenham-1-final-thoughts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 May 2010 13:45:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manchester city v tottenham hotspur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=1920</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve all seen the game and read about it again this morning, so there&#8217;s little point in going through a blow-by-blow account of the match. I will say this though. We were the better team and the only one creating the sort of chances that could win the game. Ledley was magnificent, Crouch deserves his [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/06/manchester-city-0-tottenham-1-final-thoughts/" title="Permanent link to Manchester City 0 Tottenham 1: Final Thoughts"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ledley_King.jpg" width="286" height="285" alt="Post image for Manchester City 0 Tottenham 1: Final Thoughts" title="Manchester City 0 Tottenham 1: Final Thoughts" /></a>
</p><p>We&#8217;ve all seen the game and read about it again this morning, so there&#8217;s little point in going through a blow-by-blow account of the match.</p>
<p>I will say this though. We were the better team and the only one creating the sort of chances that could win the game. Ledley was magnificent, Crouch deserves his moment as a hero considering all the stick we give him and Younes Kaboul on the rampage down the right flank against Craig Bellamy, was curiously reminiscent of Jonah Lomu bulldozing his way through Tony Underwood. </p>
<p>So we&#8217;ve finally achieved the holy grail that we&#8217;ve been chasing for the last five years. What now? If City had got fourth then they would have gone on a major spending spree and bought every world class player available. We don&#8217;t have the kind of resources to do likewise, nor would it be in our interest to disrupt what has become a very good team.</p>
<p>Because that&#8217;s what we are &#8211; a team. City are a hastily assembled collection of quality players and unless they give a manager the time and space to create some cohesion between those stars, they will never equal the sum of their parts.</p>
<p>What we need to add to the mix are just a few finishing touches, to add even more quality, to what is already a quality squad. Gomes needs some decent back up and unless we consider that one of the Kyles is good enough, we also need another right back.</p>
<p>Our midfield could maybe do with one new face and if that face comes attached to someone who can score some goals, then so much the better. Goals are also a problem up front. None of our strikers are really top class and bringing in someone that could lead the line as Berbatov once did for us, should be our absolute priority and where we should spend the bulk of our funds.</p>
<p>Ultimately though, it would be disruptive to make too many changes and on the evidence of this season, it&#8217;s not something that we need to do.</p>
<p>But the transfer sagas and planning for next season, are for tomorrow. Today we should just enjoy what the team has achieved and start thinking about those possible foreign away days next season. </p>
<p>By the way, the 2010/11 Champions League final is being played at Wembley. Convenient&#8230;</p>
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		<title>Spurs 1 Bolton 0: Dull Efficiency Is Alright By Me</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/03/spurs-1-bolton-0-dull-efficiency-is-alright-by-me/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/03/spurs-1-bolton-0-dull-efficiency-is-alright-by-me/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 12:46:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tottenham hotspur v bolton wanderers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=1897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As end of season games go it wasn&#8217;t a classic, but we didn&#8217;t go to White Hart Lane on Saturday to be entertained. For we are now in the unusual position of being in the results business and though our beloved Tottenham looked nervous against Bolton, what mattered was that we managed to eke out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/05/03/spurs-1-bolton-0-dull-efficiency-is-alright-by-me/" title="Permanent link to Spurs 1 Bolton 0: Dull Efficiency Is Alright By Me"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Huddlestone.jpg" width="314" height="500" alt="Post image for Spurs 1 Bolton 0: Dull Efficiency Is Alright By Me" title="Spurs 1 Bolton 0: Dull Efficiency Is Alright By Me" /></a>
</p><p>As end of season games go it wasn&#8217;t a classic, but we didn&#8217;t go to White Hart Lane on Saturday to be entertained.</p>
<p>For we are now in the unusual position of being in the results business and though our beloved Tottenham looked nervous against Bolton, what mattered was that we managed to eke out a 1-0 win and kept hold of fourth place.</p>
<p>If the overall performance wasn&#8217;t vintage Tottenham, the deciding goal by Tom Huddlestone certainly was good enough to be remembered. Those that remember Hot Shot Hamish from Roy of the Rovers, will recall how his powerful shot was strong enough to send opposing goalkeepers hurtling into the back of the net, along with the ball. Huddlestone strikes a football in much the same way.</p>
<p>It was rather embarrassing for myself when The Hudd unleashed his 20-yard thunderbolt, for the fact that I was loudly bemoaning the pointlessness of short corners to anyone that would listen, just as the ball got moved across the area for Huddlestone to give us the lead. </p>
<p>Up until that point we&#8217;d been nervous and the goal didn&#8217;t settle us down. Bale once again looked like our most threatening player and Huddlestone and Modric combined well again in the centre of midfield, but our strikers have picked the worse possible time to lose their mojo.</p>
<p>Neither Pavlyuchenko or Defoe looked threatening, with the Russian particularly anonymous. It was a major surprise when Defoe, rather than Pav, was chosen to be replaced by Peter Crouch. Does Harry stick with these two against City? It&#8217;s a big decision.</p>
<p>The best player on the pitch though was Kaboul, who gave a performance that left everyone scratching their heads and wondering what might have been against United, had Harry not dropped him to the bench. Not only was he completely uncompromising in defence, but he also was great going forwards. I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;ll be seeing any more BAE-at-right-back-experiments before the end of the season.</p>
<p>It was Kaboul who blocked Bolton&#8217;s best chance on the line. They didn&#8217;t threaten too much, but with the margin at just 1-0, we could never settle down and the second half was spent locked in nervous apprehension. It was a relieved White Hart Lane that heard the final whistle and could settle down to enjoy the final home game festivities.</p>
<p>Dawson got the player of the year award, Bale was the young player of the year, while Danny Rose was awarded the &#8216;made up award for scoring against Arsenal&#8217;. I was impressed actually that the players were willing to do a lap of honour through torrential rain, especially considering how soaked I got during the short walk from the ground to the pub.</p>
<p>That rainy walk was spent thinking and talking about one thing; the City game. Do we play it safe and go with the same starting XI, or does Harry start tinkering again? Lennon looked lively when he came on and I guess we&#8217;re all hoping he&#8217;ll start, though if he doesn&#8217;t, he&#8217;s a pretty potent weapon from the bench. There&#8217;s also the little matter of whether Ledley&#8217;s knee actually explode if he were to play again on Wednesday.</p>
<p>What&#8217;s great is to end the season with games that not only mean something, but with our destiny safely within our own hands. Win against City and we qualify for the Champions League, draw and we just need a win at Burnley. You can&#8217;t say fairer than that and it&#8217;s all we could have possibly hoped for back in August.</p>
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		<title>Manchester United 3 Spurs 1: Not A Disaster</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/04/26/manchester-united-3-spurs-1-not-a-disaster/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/04/26/manchester-united-3-spurs-1-not-a-disaster/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:47:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manchester united v tottenham hotspur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.tottenhamblog.com/?p=1795</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In many ways this was a depressingly familiar conclusion. We performed pretty well and with ten minutes to go, a draw looked like a result that we deserved. Then United hit us with a couple of late sucker punches and we end up losing by a rather comprehensive margin. Those expecting a flowing game of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a class="post_image_link" href="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/04/26/manchester-united-3-spurs-1-not-a-disaster/" title="Permanent link to Manchester United 3 Spurs 1: Not A Disaster"><img class="post_image alignnone" src="http://www.tottenhamblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Ledley_King.jpg" width="286" height="285" alt="Post image for Manchester United 3 Spurs 1: Not A Disaster" title="Manchester United 3 Spurs 1: Not A Disaster" /></a>
</p><p>In many ways this was a depressingly familiar conclusion. We performed pretty well and with ten minutes to go, a draw looked like a result that we deserved. Then United hit us with a couple of late sucker punches and we end up losing by a rather comprehensive margin.</p>
<p>Those expecting a flowing game of football with plenty of chances, would have been disappointed with the first half, with neither side really threatening. What did look a threat though (to us unfortunately) was the sight of Assou-Ekotto masquerading as a right back.</p>
<p>Some have said that Harry should have retained Younes Kaboul after reasonably impressive performances against Arsenal and Chelsea, but surely the point is that we should have retained some actual right backs in our squad instead of sending them all out on loan. Then there&#8217;s Kyle Walker, who may have had a bit of a stinker away at Sunderland, but is at least at home in the position.</p>
<p>Instead we were left with BAE is an accident waiting to happen and happen it did in the second half. Berbatov made one of those runs turning off the shoulder of the defender, which he used to do so often for Spurs, but seems to do so rarely for United. As he jinked and turned within our box, Assou-Ekotto made a rash tackle and gave away the penalty that Giggs cooly converted.</p>
<p>At that point I figured it could be game over, because we hadn&#8217;t looked cohesive going forward. Playing Defoe and Pavlyuchenko together is something that we can get away with at home, but on our travels against the best teams, we need to be able to hold the ball up better and drop back to link play between the attack and midfield. Neither of our starting strikers looked dangerous and they combined to fluff a great chance early in the second half, where we really should have tested the keeper.</p>
<p>Gudjohnsen had come on for Defoe just before the United penalty and with the further introduction of Lennon, Harry reshuffled his pack to great effect. Bale had been kept in check by the pace of Valencia and Rafael on United&#8217;s right flank, but looked more of a threat as he was pushed up to the left of our midfield.</p>
<p>We started to really control the play and got our reward when King rose well to head home an equaliser, with 20 minutes remaining. At that point it seemed like the momentum was with us and we were at least on course for a draw, but you can never rule United out and before long they were back in front.</p>
<p>Nani&#8217;s goal was a great finish, but poor from our perspective as Bale failed to track his run. We then added to our woes as Wilson Palacios became the latest out-of-position-right-back to clumsily give away a penalty, allowing Giggs to make it 3-1.</p>
<p>It was a disappointing result, but there were positives to take from the match. Had we had a proper right back available, then who knows what might have been. We were beaten, but by no means outclassed and let&#8217;s face it, had we been offered 6 points from the last 3 games, someone would be standing around with a bloody stump where once was his right arm.</p>
<p>Other results helped to calm the mood. City picked up a decent draw at Arsenal, but still trail us and must now play the rest of the season with a keeper from the Faroe Islands (sadly not the bloke that wore the bobble hat). Villa&#8217;s win saw them go level on points with us, but I see that as a positive, as it will mean that they will be fully committed when they face City next week. Finally, Burnley&#8217;s relegation ensures that on the last day of the season, we will be facing a team with absolutely nothing to play for. Life could have been sweeter, but it&#8217;s still pretty sweet.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s Bolton next up, in the last home game of 09/10. A win will see us going into the season&#8217;s last week firmly situated in fourth place. You couldn&#8217;t ask for much more than that and destiny remains within our own sweaty grasp. </p>
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		<title>Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1: Spurs Consign Arsenal To Further Failure</title>
		<link>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/04/15/tottenham-2-arsenal-1-spurs-consign-arsenal-to-further-failure/</link>
		<comments>http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2010/04/15/tottenham-2-arsenal-1-spurs-consign-arsenal-to-further-failure/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:23:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dan Fitch</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Match Review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the north london derby]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tottenham hotspur v arsenal]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[When my wife gave birth a couple of months ago, we we going to call the baby &#8216;Aaron&#8217; if it were a boy. Instead our baby was a girl and we unwittingly still managed to name her after a Tottenham legend. We called her &#8216;Rose&#8217;. If I were Danny Rose I would announce my retirement [...]]]></description>
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</p><p>When my wife gave birth a couple of months ago, we we going to call the baby &#8216;Aaron&#8217; if it were a boy. Instead our baby was a girl and we unwittingly still managed to name her after a Tottenham legend. We called her &#8216;Rose&#8217;.</p>
<p>If I were Danny Rose I would announce my retirement this morning, safe in the knowledge that things could never get any better in my career. It would be the football equivalent of J.D.Salinger polishing off The Catcher In The Rye and then promptly putting his typewriter up for sale on eBay.</p>
<p>What a way to endear yourself to the Spurs faithful. Indeed, I am harbouring a warm glow for all our team right now. After the apathetic performance at Wembley, there was no better way to prove that our team do have a bit of backbone than to beat The Scum.</p>
<p>Kudos must also go to Tottenham&#8217;s twelfth man &#8211; the White Hart Lane crowd, who collectively created a raucous atmosphere that ensured that the intensity on the pitch never abated. At first we were more preoccupied with the sport of bating Sol Campbell than the actual football match, but then Rose scored his wonder-strike and we actually started to turn our attentions to the game.</p>
<p>What a strike. I think it&#8217;s fair to say that the goal was one of the greatest, if not the best goal, ever scored in a North London derby. Just when you were expecting the cleared ball to be looped back into the box in hope, Rose decided to prove that he has an eye for the unexpected and smashed a perfectly hit volley towards the net and past the scrambling Arsenal keeper.</p>
<p>Many a quizzical eyebrow was raised at the sight of Rose&#8217;s name on the team sheet and it&#8217;s fair to say that goal aside, the experiment of playing Rose on the right wing didn&#8217;t really work out, with the youngster being replaced by David Bentley at half-time. The strike will at least ensure that Rose gets more opportunities and hopefully they&#8217;ll come on the left wing, where he feels more at home.</p>
<p>Having taken the lead, we sat back as Arsenal controlled the possession. They had so much of the ball that it seemed like they had to score before half-time, but they tended to go round in circles and failed to create meaningful chances. 1-0 at the break.</p>
<p>The second half had hardly kicked off when Defoe&#8217;s turned infield from the left wing and played a perfect defence-splitting ball, that the waiting Bale calmly slid into the net. Quite what Bale was doing lurking around on the right side is anyone&#8217;s guess, but after waiting a cautionary few seconds to ensure that he wasn&#8217;t offside, White Hart Lane went into party mode.</p>
<p>It was another great game for Bale. The other day I read Harry saying that Bale was the best left back in the country. I don&#8217;t disagree on current form, but it made me laugh considering that until a couple of months ago Harry clearly didn&#8217;t even think that he was the best left back at Spurs. Bale&#8217;s rise has been incredible. Earlier this season there was speculation that he would join Notts Forest and yet now he&#8217;s the most important attacking element of the team.</p>
<p>At 2-0 up we started to play as if we really believed in ourselves. I&#8217;m not normally a fan of Luka Modric in the middle, but against Arsenal&#8217;s powderpuff midfield, he was able to boss the game. He always wanted the ball and used it intelligently. His performance reminded me a bit of Ossie Ardiles and praise doesn&#8217;t come much higher than that.</p>
<p>Shame on me also for questioning whether we should bring back Ledley King, in yesterday&#8217;s preview. The bloke doesn&#8217;t play in weeks and turns in a performance like that. It&#8217;s just a shame that he won&#8217;t be available on Saturday to slip Drogba into his pocket. </p>
<p>Heurelho Gomes was another who gave a great performance as Arsenal brought on Van Persie and stepped up their efforts to get back in the game. The Brazilian made three brilliant stops, one of which was from a header by Sol Campbell and was therefore the most important. Eventually he was beaten when Theo Walcott finally put in a half decent cross, presenting Bendtner with a chance that even he couldn&#8217;t miss.</p>
<p>That goal ensured that most Spurs fans have very short fingernails this morning. You were just waiting for them to hit us with the sucker punch and earn a moral victory, but it never happened. Dawson, King and the boys remained strong and we saw out a long overdue victory.</p>
<p>Today the sun is shining and it&#8217;s once again a great day to be a Tottenham Hotspur fan. Harold Wilson said that a week is a long time in politics. We&#8217;ve now proved that four days can be an eternity in football. Come on you Spurs!</p>
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