To Russia with Love...??

The return match between Tottenham and Rubin Kazan was played live on ESPN at 6:00am on Friday morning here in New Zealand, which gave just about enough time for me get up, watch the first half, shower at half-time, watch the second half, and head off to work before 9:00am. In reflection, I am not sure why I bothered...?  I knew that this would the Spurs Europa League 'B' team playing away from home in the far distant Russian hinterland, in a game in which the result was less important than previous games, as long as we didn't get spanked... But for some reason, I put some money of a Tottenham win, (because of the good odds), and watched anyway.

The first 20 minutes was an object lesson in keeping the ball from Spurs, the Ruskies hardly got a look-in, but even with all that possession we did nothing with it, just endlessly recycled the ball around the midfield & defence. Suddenly and with little warning, the game sort of opened up and the Russians started to apply some serious pressure on our decidedly second string defence. In particular, the playmaker Kasaev look very very dangerous, along with Natcho and Ryazantsev, and if it was not for a fine series of excellent saves from the age-defying Cudicini in the Spurs goal, we could have been 3 or 4 down by half time.

My season long disappointment with Roman 'the Pavlova' Pavlyuchenko contiued, as he spent the first 45 minutes running around aimlessly, only to make a half-hearted effort to poke a foot out at a great cut back from Defoe, the solitary opportunity Totteham had in front of goal. I know he scored a corker in the home leg, but he needs to at least look like he is trying, he can't keep drifting through these games.... He made Obafemi Martins look industrious....!

The irony of the whole game was that this time it was Rubin Kazan that scored from an excellently taken free-kick, from an almost identical position from where Pav scored in the home leg. This time it was Natcho who stepped up and neatly curled the ball over the wall and into the corner of the net, past a stranded Cudicini.

From that point on, it was all Rubin Kazan, and if it had not been for the single-handed heroic's of Cudicini in goal, the Ruskies may garbed a handful of goals to help with their goal difference. He pushed away Ryazantsev's shot and kept out a Karadeniz header before instinctively stopping Nelson Valdez's rasping effort. To add insult to injury, (or in this case, injury to insult), Gallas went off injured half way through the second half, replaced by Parrett, who had 20 minutes he would most likely like to forget.

At the final whistle I was glad that Tottenham had only lost by a single goal as it could have been so much worse. The result was bad enough, but when the stats showed that Spurs never had a shot on goal, it felt very disappointing. Looking on the bright side, we have POAK at home next, and I bet we will have a far stronger team on display for that match. This will be followed by an away game with Shamrock Rovers, which may end up being a dead rubber, but if not, expect to see a full strength team making their way to Ireland.

On a night where the keeper was our best player, it was a game that only die-hard fans will remember, and one we should really try and forget.

My player ratings are:-

• Cudicini - 8.5 - World-class goalkeeping display. Saved us from embarrassment
• Gallas - 7.0 - Our strongest defender who played well enough before going off injured
• Parrett - 4.0 - Useless, like a dog chasing a paper bag....
• Bassong - 6.0 - Mediocre performance with far too many mistakes
• Livermore - 6.0 - His best move was tackling the pitch invader, not direct enough
• Townsend - 6.0 - Never really got going, no penetration on the wing
• Pienaar  - 7.5 - Our best out-field player, that has to say something....?
• Fredericks - 5.5 - Some promise, but needs more time before his next start
• Carroll - 6.0 - Good individual skills but always looks a little out-of-his-depth
• The Pudding - 2.5 - Lazy, Lazy Lazy. Needs a good kick in the arse or a transfer
• Kane - 5.0 - Not enough of a run out, but did at least put some effort in
• Defoe - 5.5 - Lonely and lost up front, and forced to come too deep
• Falque - 6.5 - Lively and at least wanted to take the ball forward