EYEWITNESS: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 BIRMINGHAM CITY 1

The press box frenzy is fuelled by the fact you can hear the radio commentators chattering excitingly from around the grounds, spouting the news into their big fuzzy microphones of the desperation taking place across the country: Blackpool going a goal behind to Manchester United (greeted by cheers by the Brummie masses in the Park Lane end), followed five minutes later by an equaliser and a period of silence by the Blue hordes...Blackburn doing a number on Wolves and sticking three past them by half time...Wigan having a crack at Stoke but failing to beat the deadlock... It's grand theatre, and what ever criticisms there are about our heavily indebted national sport, with it's awful superstar role models and dodgy owners, it's financial doping and the way it lines the pockets of Rupert Murdoch, it will never lose it's allure.

 

Spurs needed three points: while the Europa League seems abit like a wooden spoon, it's a competition we could blood the kids in and still go some distance.

 

Then there was the added fact that some of this team are playing for their futures. After a week of public grumbling, Jermain Defoe looked particularly keen and Danny Rose was clealry up for showing that left back was now his spot.  

 

Yet despite the fact they were motivated, the first half was a microcosm of the season: oodles of possession and the odd chance, but nothing clinical when it counted. Ben Foster made a great save from a Luka Modric pile driver and was at full stretch when Younes Kaboul fired in a cross cum shot.

 

Otherwise it was probing stuff with no real end product. At the other end, desperate Birmingham were at their best when Cameron Jerome streched his legs but with Ledley King marshalling things it was a case of nothing more than huffing and puffing.

 

It seemed, as the radio commentators made clear, that this state of affairs suited Birmingham. As things stood sat half time, they were safe. Then, two minutes after the break, Danny Rose made in roads down the left and his scooped ball spun invitingly to Roman Pavlyuchenko., The Russian, who may well go in the summer, lazily looked up and placed a delectable bender past Ben Foster's left hand.

 

It was exquisite, a perfect peice of execution from 25 yards, and set the radio commentators away again checking the stats and buzzing their colleagues up and down the coutnry to see if the goal would make any difference to next year's Premiership fixture list.  It did: poor Birmingham - they were suiddnely back in ther bottom three and there was an air of malacious glee as the home fans chanted 'down with the West Ham' at the sold out away end.

 

Things got even worse for our guests on 57, when Blackpool took an unlikely lead at Old Trafford after being a goal down. Alex Mcleish began pacing like a caged tiger, his swept back ginger wisps getting sweaty, yet failing to gee up his players. Though in desperate, desperate straits they simply could not get hold of the ball. 

 

News then came of a United equaliser against Blackpool (cue screams from the radio boys), and suddenly Birmingham upped their game as the away fans transmitted the news that things might not be lost. A scramble on 63 saw Sandro make a rather hasty clearence, and for a moment it looked like there may a wobble coming.

 

But Birmingham still seemed to lack the nous: McLeish's egging on just made them play too hastily and Curtis Davies was just one of his players who answered him back as he berated them for knocking it long in desperation. Then another goal at Old Trafford for United gave Birmingham more hope again, and the fans began chanting - 'we need to score one more, we need to score, one more...' They got it: out of the blue, on 78 Craig Gardner struck the sweetest of drives from the edge of the box and it was one a peice. This topsy turvy day had switched again and the Brummie commentators behind me coated me in spit as they freaked out.

 

The theatre continued as poor Birmingham heard with just three minutes left that a Stephen Hunt goal for Wolves at Blackburn again changed the complexion and they went back in the drop zone courtesy of a single goal. You couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

 

Then, as they pressed forward, with just a minute left off stoppage time, Pavlyuchenko scooped home a winner and it was definitely all over: it's a cruel game this, and as the stewards and police stood in fronnt of the Birmingham supporters, and the Radio Birmingham commentators gave their listeners dead air for a moment, I felt bad for the loyal Brummies who had had the joy of winning the Carling Cup in February and then slumping extraordinarily from then on in.  

 

So did the Spurs fans - they applauded the visitors and sung 'you beat the Scum 2-1' at them in solidarity for this cruel experience.

Cudicini, 6: Little to do. Unsighted for the equaliser.

Kaboul, 7: Strong in the tackle, good going forward.

Huddlestone, 7: Vintage Hudd. All nips, tucks and 50 yard balls on a plate. Sub: Kranjcar

Lennon, 7: A great performance to end the season on.

Modric, 8: As ever, our Croatian wizard showed he is ahead of the rest. 

Crouch, 5: Was in a daze after Curtis Davies smacked into him early in the first half, and had to wobble off. Sub: Pavlyuchenko, 8: Two goals. What more can you ask for?

Defoe, 6: One run at the start of the second half saw him burst past one, two, three, four and then five Blues. Sadly his goal bound shot took a wicked defection of an outstretched leg. It would have been goal of a season.

Dawson, 7: Strong as an ox, never beaten.

Rose, 8: What a relevation since coming into the side. Lead everyone a merry dance going forward - he kept getting fouled - and was never taken on when defendijng. 

King, 8: The King is back.

Sandro, 7: Has shown real maturity.

 

Subs: Gomes, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Palacios, Kranjcar, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto

 

 

Gomes: Must improve his concentration. Has great talent but lets himself down by mucking around at the back of the class.

Corluka: Let us hope the close season gives him the chance to properly recover at last from the injuries in both ankles: it has meant his lack of pace has been even more pronounced. Yet he is steady and reliable when called on.

Hutton: Had a great spell mid-winter but seems to have been frozen out after his poor performance followed by rumours dressing room moodiness after the FA CUp defeat at Fulham. Currently injured, but I suspect he may be shipped out in June.

Bale:  Pass the superlatives. From a jinxed player who didn't taste a league victory in two seasons to the world's best left winger, all in 12 months. His back injury slowed him at the turn of the year but watching him in full flight is one of the best displays of athleticism in the game today.

Kaboul: When he is in the team he looks a real prospect, but with Gallas in the middle, he may have to be content with a full back spot, which is a little out of position.

Huddlestone: Has missed so much of the season, and this means we've been full of what ifs as he should be the heart beat.

Lennon: When he wants to get motroring, he is unplayable. Yet he sometimes failed to get round the back when a give and go was on, and there were rumours that he was not cutting the most popular of figures in the dressing room.

Jenas: A bit part season, but I recall his shows in the early group stages of the Champions League when his passing was excellent. Shame he can't get in the side often enough to show that he is worth a strating place.

Pavlyuchenko: He gets stuck in when he gets the chance, he links play well, and loves tro turn and shoot...but Harry has never seemed really convinced, and too many question marks are against his name in terms of who he should play alongside and whether he can genuinely ever hit 20 in a term. However, when called on, he does his job well, and links things nicely, and while we need a goal scorer next term, meaning he may well be sold, I am less critical of his contribution this season that those in certain sections of the terraces.

van der Vaart: The Dutch maestro has taken us up a level. Even the downside of his fiery, tempestuous character which means he sometimes loses concentration is part and parcel of his will to win.    

Palacios: The emergence of Sandro has underlined his defiencies, such as distribution. But he was immense in the away victory against AC Milan.

Gallas: He had a challenge to prove to fans that he was a good signing. Has proven that and then some. With no Ledley or Woodgate, Gallas has been a senior figure and a talisman for the younger players. 

Modric: Player of the season by a country mile. Consistently brilliant. Wonderful skill married with gargantuan effort. Would get into any starting 11.

Crouch: Not enough goals for a forward, but showed in Europe that he can be a real handful for defenders not used to his unique style. He has made us a little one dimensional at times - but VDV seems to like playing off him.

Defoe: Score. Score. And then score more! This natural predator had his season horribly interrupted by injury but since coming back has only shown in fits and spurts his undoubted talent. Those two marvellous goals against Wolves showed what he can do - we need that every week, not just against weaker teams.

Dawson: Another player we missed for some time through injury, but since he came back in early Spring, he has been a true oak in the middle of the defence. Unflappable and always up for it. 

Kranjcar: When he plays he does brilliantly - think of that wonderful last minute winner against Bolton. Harry arguably should have given him a run in the team at the turn of the year when it was clear we were suffering from fatigue. He'll be off to a first XI - and veyr best of luck to him, he's been a joy to watch. 

Cudicini: Had a handful of games but always looks classy. Been a stiff at Chelsea and now here, when he could have been a first choice elsewhere. When you see his name on the sheet, it gives no cause to worry, unlike some teams I can think of when it comes to back up keepers...

Rose: Has had a run in the side at the tail end of the season and at left back has been a revelation. He'll be in the 25 for August.

King: He's only got one knee, but he's better than John Terry - as they say. And to have him back in the last two games when we thought we'd never see him play again brings joy to the heart.

Sandro: A new hero. Tough tackler with an eye for a pass, this young man has pure class written all over him. He has a big, big future at the Lane.

Assou-Ekotto: A series of barnstorming performances have shown him to have been one of the more astute of Martin Jol's signings. A very good terms work. 

Pienaar: After joining in January, he has yet to have really shown what he can do and where he could fit in the team. We'll see after the close season.

  

2. The monumental sing song, starting at Stansted, as we went to see our boys take on Inter Milan. The pilot said to much cheering that he'd like to welcome on board all those from White Hart Lane - cue raised duty frees to go with the voices. 

3. Inter Milan back at the Lane: the result - 3-1- - showed we belonged at this level, and the atmosphere like nothing else.The walk to work the following day where Kentish Town Road seemed to be full of people in shirts and scarves with sore throats still makes me grin.

4.  Every time Luka Modric has tocuhed the ball.

5. Ledley reappearing at the end of the season.

6. Bale's volley against Stoke.

7. The utter chaos when Crouch smacked in the winner against AC Milan.The hairs on the back of my nbeck stand up whilst typing this. It was that good.

8. Is it wrong to say Birmingham's winner against our dear friends in the Carling Cup? Yes it is. But I don't care.

9.  Huddlestone's goal against Arsenal - great to see him back in action after missing him for most of the season - and what a way to say hey guys, I'm back.

10. Chas and Dave's last ever gig at the 100 Club last weekend. At the interval I clambered on stage and led a rendition of Oh When The Spurs... The whole place went ballistic and I lived the dream.

1. The Gomes fumble against Chelsea, and the goals that weren't. We were well in control and Sandro's goal should've been a historic match winner. Gertcha.

2. Being thrashed by Fulham away in the cup. I had to drag a friend, who shall remain nameless, all the way there as their hangover after a big Friday night was too atrocious for them to walk sensibly on their own. The tubes weren't working and the traffic a nightmare (we jumped in a cab at Victoria). 4-0 down at half time in a competition we should have had a real go at winning. They cursed me.  

3. Our forwards. My dad keeps going on about how Bobby Smith and Jimmy Greaves would smack in 35 each term, no fuss or bother. This year we've been frequently delicious, but lacked a goal scorer to make the front spot berth their own, and that has been a major, major failing.

4. Our inability to beat teams that we are light years ahead of in terms of talent. One point out of six against Blackpool. One point out of six against West Ham. I could go on but it is too depressing.

5. Harry being unable to keep Niko Kranjcar and Sebastien Bassong happy. The pair are brilliant but haven't had a kick. They will no doubt move on, and I will genuinely miss them: but, like Adel Taarabat, they will grace another Premiership side. Good luck to both of them.