Ratings V Spurs

[mrkikiet 0]

I shouldn't read The Sun, the standard of reporting is total shite but I'm disgusted with Mark Irwin's report today.

i also saw that and considered emailing him but then thought he'd just get excited about having provoked a response.

[MattM4 0]

I usually used to get the Sun on a monday after we'd had a good win, simply because i might have some nice photos of our lot.

[Dr Gloom 19931]

Given 10 - my man of the match. martins gets the plaudits but we would have been 4 or 5 down by half time if it wasn't for super shay

 

Nobby 7 - has to keep carr out of the side. best right back we've had in years.

 

Taylor 5 - struggled to cope with defoe and berbatov

 

Ramage 4 - shicking distribution from the back and doesn't close men down in the box quick enough. you would see john terry standing off berbatov for his goal like ramamge did

 

Huntingdon 7 - assured performance from the youngster. coped well with lennon. can't remember him getting skinned too many times. made one well timed challenge and one juicy foul

 

Milner 5 - same old story. good approach work; poor final ball.

 

Butt 7 - Great job as midfield anchor

 

Pattison 4 - I didn't notice him all game apart from his wasted header chance. easy to forget he was playing.

 

Dyer 6 - Came in to the game in the second half but is more of a threat out wide or as a striker, than in centre mid where it can be too congested for him to pin his ears back

 

Le Sib 7 - another solid performance from a player none of us wanted at the club. the only man on our books that can play with his back to goal

 

Martins 7 - poor movement again from someone with such electric pace. but who cares when he can turn a game by firing in a 30 yard rocket and setting up the winner with a cute through ball

[luckyluke 1]

So Taylor was at fault for not making Defoe MORE offside than he already was?

 

 

 

When Malbranc passed to Defoe, Defoe WAS offside - but, had Taylor stepped up for the original pass over the top then Malbranc would very likely have been offside. FACT

Responsible for not making Defoe more offside?

 

As much as he's on the wind up (for a change) he has a point. The offside was marginal IMO, if the line was better then it would have been blatant and probably given as such.

[Guest stevieintoon]

This wank.

 

Tottenham 2 Newcastle 3

 

By MARK IRWIN (aka wank)

January 15, 2007

 

 

SOMEONE dial 999. There has been a mugging and the suspect was wearing a green shirt.

 

Scotland Yard last night issued a photo-fit of a small athletic Irishman and named him as Shay Given of Tyneside.

 

Cops appealed for 35,942 witnesses to the audacious robbery as shell-shocked Spurs were left dazed and wounded by the smash-and-grab raid.

 

To make matters worse for the victims, Newcastle’s winner was scored by a player who might easily have been sent off for his part in an angry half-time bust-up.

 

Nicky Butt secured the most unlikely victory of his long career with his first goal of the season.

 

Yet the former Manchester United and England enforcer could have picked up a second yellow card for a prolonged ruck with Spurs defender Pascal Chimbonda.

 

It all kicked off seconds before the break when Given took exception to a late challenge from Chimbonda and ran to give the Frenchman a piece of his mind.

 

Butt got involved in the fracas as the teams left the field and received a slap across the face for his troubles.

 

The Newcastle midfielder responded with an angry shove on Chimbonda, who wisely beat a hasty retreat as James Milner tried to restrain his fuming team-mate.

 

Yet even a yellow card could not stop Butt, who raced down the tunnel looking to exact further revenge on his assailant.

 

Referee Steve Bennett saw it all yet decided to take no further action against Butt.

 

Instead, he calmly waited for the coast to clear before entering the Spurs dressing room to add Chimbonda to his collection of bookings.

 

If only Newcastle had shown half as much fighting spirit during the preceding 45 minutes, maybe they would not have needed miracle-worker Given.

 

How the Geordies reached the interval on level terms they will probably never know.

 

Mind you, they have become so reliant on their Republic of Ireland keeper they probably take his heroics for granted these days.

 

 

 

 

 

No wonder they had dropped into the relegation zone while he was recovering from his horrific stomach injury — a torn bowel — earlier in the season.

 

Yet even with golden Given doing the work of five men, sparkling Spurs still seemed to have far too much for Glenn Roeder’s injury-ravaged team.

 

Aaron Lennon and Steed Malbranque ripped the visitors to shreds down the flanks and even Teemu Tainio was made to look like Zinedine Zidane by toothless Toon.

 

Jermain Defoe glittered in front of England boss Steve McClaren while Dimitar Berbatov was in majestic form alongside him.

 

Yet for all their overwhelming dominance, Spurs still could not finish off a Newcastle team who never know when they are beaten.

 

Given had already pulled off two magnificent saves from Defoe and another from Malbranque by the time Spurs took a 14th-minute lead.

 

Malbranque was given the freedom of White Hart Lane down the left flank and Defoe timed his run to perfection to turn in the Frenchman’s low cross from close range.

 

Yet just when we were waiting for the floodgates to open, Newcastle pulled themselves level with their first attack of the game.

 

Milner’s deep free-kick picked out Paul Huntington at the far post and when his header came back off Antoine Sibierski, the 19-year-old lashed the rebound in off the heel of Paul Robinson.

 

It was not the first time this season England keeper Robinson has been beaten at his near post.

 

Unfortunately for Spurs it was not to be the last time, either. Robinson’s ponderous reactions were in stark contrast to Given’s at the other end as he continued to keep Spurs at bay.

 

 

 

DEF TOUCH ... Jermain Defoe slides Spurs' opener to reward their early pressure

 

 

 

Lennon and Berbatov were next to test the Newcastle stopper as the shots rained down on Given’s goal — a staggering 24 attempts in all.

 

Yet Spurs refused to panic and finally regained the lead their overwhelming dominance deserved in the 54th minute.

 

Newcastle thought they had got away with it again when Tainio’s thunderbolt was blocked on the line by Nobby Solano.

 

But Berbatov was on hand to slam home the rebound and now it seemed just a question of how many Martin Jol’s men could rattle home against their UEFA Cup rivals. But Newcastle simply refused to lie down and die.

 

There seemed to be little danger when Kieron Dyer threaded a pass through to Obafemi Martins on the edge of the penalty area in the 72nd minute.

 

Yet even though Spurs had plenty of men between the ball and the goal, Martins still managed to squeeze a stupendous left-footer around Michael Dawson, beyond Robinson and into the top corner of the net.

 

Roeder could barely keep the look of astonishment from his face. But even better was to follow for the Toon boss.

 

One minute later Martins turned provider with a pass to Butt, free and unchallenged inside the Spurs penalty area, and he lashed a low shot across Robinson’s dive.

 

It was a huge injustice — and there was one more twist of the knife to come for Spurs.

 

With everyone up in desperate pursuit of an equaliser, substitute Robbie Keane slammed a shot at goal and the ball struck Solano on the arm and flew to safety.

 

It was hard enough trying to beat one keeper. To have two was just too much.

 

DREAM TEAM STAR MAN - SHAY GIVEN (Newcastle)

 

Tottenham: Robinson 6, Chimbonda 7, Lee 6, Dawson 7, Davenport 7, Lennon 8, Huddlestone 5, Tainio 5, Malbranque 7, Defoe 8, Berbatov 7. SUBS: Keane (for Malbranque, 75min) 5, Zokora (Tainio, 79) 5, Ghaly (Davenport, 88) 5. Not used: Cerny, Gardner. Booked: Chimbonda. Goals: Defoe 14, Berbatov 54.

 

Newcastle: Given 9, Ramage 5, Taylor 6, Huntington 6, Pattison 6, Solano 5, Butt 4, Milner 6, Dyer 4, Martins 6, Sibierski 5. Subs not used: Harper, Edgar, O’Brien, Carroll, Troisi. Booked: Ramage, Solano, Butt, Huntington. Goals: Huntington 16, Martins 72, Butt 73.

 

m.irwin@the-sun.co.uk

[luckyluke 1]

To say their penalty shout was blatant beggars belief.

[Bombadil 0]

I can't stop laughing at the fact he gave Butt a 4! How bitter can you be?

[MattM4 0]

I can't stop laughing at the fact he gave Butt a 4! How bitter can you be?

I try to laugh... but can't tbh. Absolutely pathetic.

[Shearergol 0]

I thought Sibierski was poor - was I watching the wrong match? Lost the ball pretty much every time we needed him to hold it up

[Guest stevieintoon]

I can't stop laughing at the fact he gave Butt a 4! How bitter can you be?

I try to laugh... but can't tbh. Absolutely pathetic.

I've been emailing the prick all day at m.irwin@the-sun.co.uk. No reply yet.

[Shearergol 0]

Does anyone know what ratings The Sun gave?

[Baggio 0]

Does anyone know what ratings The Sun gave?

 

Newcastle: Given 9, Ramage 5, Taylor 6, Huntington 6, Pattison 6, Solano 5, Butt 4, Milner 6, Dyer 4, Martins 6, Sibierski 5. Subs not used: Harper, Edgar, O’Brien, Carroll, Troisi. Booked: Ramage, Solano, Butt, Huntington. Goals: Huntington 16, Martins 72, Butt 73.

[Smitheh 0]

Newcastle: Given 9, Ramage 5, Taylor 6, Huntington 6, Pattison 6, Solano 5, Butt 4, Milner 6, Dyer 4, Martins 6, Sibierski 5.

 

 

Joke tbh

[Shearergol 0]

[luckyluke 1]

Quite a range there tbh.