What the papers say: Tottenham

[Far Canal]

sportinglife.com

Tottenham 1 Reading 0

By Adrian Curtis, PA Sport

http://tinyurl.com/yvdyj3

A controversial first-half penalty earned Tottenham a hard-fought victory over Reading and moved them up to sixth place
in the Barclays Premiership.

Reading defender Greg Halford was harshly adjudged to have handled inside the penalty area six minutes before the interval
and Robbie Keane scored the decider from the subsequent spot-kick.

The win was a boost for Martin Jol's side, who face Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final on Thursday.

Spurs dominated the game and but for the first-half heroics of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann would have won by a much bigger margin.

Tottenham were unlucky not to take a second minute lead when they carved Reading's defence open with a slick four-man move.

Pascal Chimbonda's long ball was nodded down to Aaron Lennon by Dimitar Berbatov and when the England winger
laid the ball into the path of Steed Malbranque, the French midfielder's shot cannoned off the outside of the post.

Seconds later Keane was denied a certain goal by the brilliance of Hahnemann.

Bulgaria striker Berbatov was again the architect of the chance when he chested the ball into the Irishman's path.

However, Keane's volley was superbly saved by Hahnemann at point-blank range.

In the 11th minute it was the turn of Berbatov to be denied by the Reading goalkeeper when he pushed away the striker's effort.

But the visitors hit back moments later when Leroy Lita's firm header struck Paul Robinson's left-hand post.

Keane wasted another chance to put the home side in front in the 19th minute when Malbranque had again put him in the clear.

This time Keane tried to chip the ball over the Reading goalkeeper but his execution left a lot to be desired and Hahnemann comfortably dealt with it.

Moments later Tottenham defender Ricardo Rocha collected the game's first yellow card for a foul on Lita.

The subsequent free-kick almost brought Reading an opening goal but Dave Kitson's powerful shot was superbly saved by Robinson.

Tottenham's approach play was often far too intricate and Reading continued to deal with the best the home side could muster.

Time and again Jol's side wanted to make one pass too many and their attempts to find a way through the Reading rearguard
were thwarted by their own over-elaborate ambitions.

Spurs finally took the lead in controversial circumstances in the 39th minute.

Halford was adjudged to have handled the ball just inside the penalty area - a decision disputed at length by his team-mates.

But Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Keane despatched the penalty easily to put the home side in front.

Spurs almost made it two just before the break when Berbatov drove a free-kick over the defensive wall and towards the
top corner but once again Hahnemann was equal to the task as he flung himself to his right.

The American's exploits in the opening half had obviously left him with an injury as he failed to appear for the second period
and was replaced by Adam Federici.

Tottenham continued to be the dominant force and Aaron Lennon deserved better following a 60-yard run in the 51st minute.

The England winger appeared to have run out of ideas when he reached the edge of the Reading penalty area but his low drive
flashed wide of the far post with Berbatov unable to provide the required touch.

In the 64th minute, Berbatov wasted a glorious chance to increase Tottenham's lead when Lennon put him in a clear scoring
position with a clever pass.

The Bulgaria striker, one of the successes for Spurs this season, fired wide of the target to the dismay of the home fans.

In the 68th minute, Spurs wasted a further chance when Malbranque sent a rising drive just wide of Federici's right-hand upright.

Federici demonstrated his own agility with a fabulous save to deny Berbatov in the 76th minute as Tottenham failed to take their chances.

The England striker Jermain Defoe, on as a replacement for Keane, then wasted two glorious opportunities in the final 10 minutes
as Jol's side were made to hang on for all three points.

Tottenham (1) 1 Reading (0) 0

Tottenham Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Young-Pyo Lee,Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque (Huddlestone 80), Berbatov,Keane (Defoe 75).

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri, Taarabt.

Booked: Rocha.

Goals: Keane 41 pen.

Reading Hahnemann (Federici 46), Halford, Duberry,Ingimarsson, Shorey, Little (Oster 75), Harper, Sidwell,Hunt (Doyle 65), Lita, Kitson.

Subs Not Used: Bikey, Gunnarsson.

Att: 36,067

Ref: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

STAT ATTACK
Spurs.......Reading
7 Shots On Target 3
11 Shots Off Target 3
7 Fouls (Conceded) 6
5 Corners 7
1 Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0

[Adrian's Fool]

Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 Reading (0) 0

Reading have shown conclusively this season that they are no soft touches, but their reputation only made the manner of this defeat more galling. Their pain at White Hart Lane was inflicted by a highly contentious first-half penalty, awarded by referee Alan Wiley when the ball sprung off Robbie Keane's thigh and barely feathered the hand of Greg Halford, making his first start for the club. A softer touch you could not wish to see.


On target: Robbie Keane scores Spurs' winner from the spot
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/04/02/sfgtot02.xml

Spot of luck gives Spurs the upper hand
By Oliver Brown

Ironic cries of "handball" greeted every Tottenham move in the second half, while Steve Coppell surveyed the scene with a thunderous stare. The Reading manager might have been expected to describe the penalty as the standard misfortune of a smaller club, but this cerebral character knows better than to express mere indignation.

"On the replay, it's difficult to isolate," he said. "There was almost a secondary movement [by Halford], but I think that was involuntary."

It was suggested, too, that this 'double motion' had persuaded Wiley to change his mind, but Coppell chose to widen the debate, calling instead for a more qualified judgment by referees on handball incidents.

"The ball is smashed into a player from a yard away, it hits him on the hand and a penalty is given. There should perhaps be some guidance given to referees, because there are different interpretations." Halford later reinforced his manager's view, claiming that the contact was "ball to hand, rather than hand to ball".

Among Reading's laudable characteristics is their refusal to portray themselves too strongly as victims - a quality no doubt instilled in the players by Coppell, who did not allow the penalty to cloud his perspective on this match.

"We have come an awfully long way - bearing in mind that I look upon Tottenham as a top-five team, on the verge of becoming one of the top-four teams," he said.

"I look at the depth of their squad, the stage, the theatre. There have been times this year when we have deferred to the more senior teams but here I thought we had a real go. If we play like that on a consistent basis, we won't go too far wrong."

It was Martin Jol who once unwisely argued that if Spurs could not beat a team such as Reading, there had to be something seriously wrong.

But after the clubs' second encounter of the season, that view has been stripped of credibility. Coppell is in his element when emphasising the homespun nature of his modest team, but this belies the potent blend of grit and guile with which strikers such as Leroy Lita and Kevin Doyle go about their work.

Jol believed Spurs deserved their win on chances alone, but this was to overlook the remorselessness of Reading's second-half assault.

After Keane had dispatched the defining spot-kick, there was scarcely a moment when the home side looked comfortable against such a counter-punching style.

The Dutchman went as far as to say the penalty was one that "maybe five out of 10 referees won't give", and did briefly acknowledge Reading's threat.

"Sometimes they put seven or eight players in the final third and they look dangerous up front," he conceded. "You don't always see it in the Premiership."

Reading toiled gamely but their makeshift midfield was hardly a match for a player of the calibre of Steed Malbranque, whose low centre of gravity enabled him to surge forward at will.

Match details
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Robinson; Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Lee; Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque (Huddlestone 80); Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 75).
Subs: Cerny (g), Stalteri, Taarabt.
Booked: Rocha.
Reading (4-4-1-1): Hahnemann (Federici h-t); Halford, Ingimarsson, Duberry, Shorey; Little (Oster 75), Sidwell, Harper, Hunt (Doyle 64); Kitson; Lita.
Subs: Gunnarsson, Bikey.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
Man of the match: Steed Malbranque (Tottenham).
Att: 36,067


Well this is all very nice but it is one of those times when I definitely think I was watching a different match.... and didn't Copps describe the penalty decisions as "little Reading" syndrome???

plus we hardly had a chance in the second half ... then he seems to change his mind in the last paragraph. journos, eh?

[el_presidente]

"Makeshift midfield"?? Those 4 play every game!

[Irvinchangeyaname]

No mention of the penalty we should have been awarded???

[papereyes]

No, because it wasn't really a penalty.

The only justification would be that "if they got it, then so should we".

Oh.

That doesn't make me feel better.

[willz_royal]

there were 2 penos we shouldve had

[Huntley & Palmer]

To be fair to the Spurs defender, Chimbonda was it? He fell onto the ball rather than handballed it, though of course you could say much the same for Halford who just happened to find the ball at that awkward point between waist and arm when defending

[PieEater]

Wiley was just inconsistent, IMHO neither handball incident was a pen, but if you give one you should give the other. There was a foul for a slight nudge by Doyler but it was OK for Lita to be tugged to the ground by Dawson and Berbatov to clatter into Ivar.

[VOR]

For once a good, balanced press report that reflects our counter-attacking ability but also the fact that Spursch had the better of the game. Of course it wasn't a pen but look at the shots stats; they could have been 3 up after 10 minutes.

So why all the whingeing?? Two pens we should've had? Another case of Cyclops syndrome?

[SpaceCruiser]

Of course it wasn't a pen but look at the shots stats; they could have been 3 up after 10 minutes.

So? Doesn't mean anything.

[RoyalBlue]

For once a good, balanced press report that reflects our counter-attacking ability but also the fact that Spursch had the better of the game. Of course it wasn't a pen but look at the shots stats; they could have been 3 up after 10 minutes.

So why all the whingeing?? Two pens we should've had? Another case of Cyclops syndrome?

Maybe - but one penalty we definitely should have had. The pundits on MOTD were unanimous that if the Halford incident was a penalty then Dawson's handball was far more deserving of a spot kick.

[Dirk Gently]

For once a good, balanced press report that reflects our counter-attacking ability but also the fact that Spursch had the better of the game. Of course it wasn't a pen but look at the shots stats; they could have been 3 up after 10 minutes.

So why all the whingeing?? Two pens we should've had? Another case of Cyclops syndrome?

Maybe - but one penalty we definitely should have had. The pundits on MOTD were unanimous that if the Halford incident was a penalty then Dawson's handball was far more deserving of a spot kick.

That's not to say that they thought that either should actually have been given.

[readingfc_4_life_and_beyo]

Of course it wasn't a pen but look at the shots stats; they could have been 3 up after 10 minutes.

So? Doesn't mean anything.

Nor does complaining. The match is over.

Hence why he is putting a point forward to discuss.

[Mr Angry]

timesonline

Tottenham clean up thanks to Keane
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Reading 0: Jol’s men stay on course for European place

Russell Kempson
Tottenham Hotspur secured a fifth successive league win yesterday and eased themselves into sixth place in the Barclays Premiership. Victory did not come easily — and only after a controversial penalty award shortly before half-time — but a place in Europe beckons for the second season in a row.

On Thursday, Tottenham continue this season’s continental adventure when they travel to Spain for the first leg of their Uefa Cup quarter-final against Seville. They are in fine fettle — bar their recent FA Cup exit against Chelsea — and can be expected to trouble the cup holders.

Having scored goals for fun recently, it is also good news for Martin Jol, the head coach, that his side have tightened up at the back. As Reading drew a blank, though not for the want of trying, it was the first time in 21 matches that Tottenham had not conceded a league goal.

“Clean sheets have been a problem this season,â€

[Mr Angry]

Daily Mirror on-line

TOTTENHAM 1-0 READING
Mike Walters 02/04/2007
More Football
Have your say: Football forum
PAUL ROBINSON will head for Seville, a city famous for its oranges, as Tottenham's darling clementine after his first Premiership shut-out for SIX months.

Incredibly, the England No.1 had not managed one in the league since October until Reading drew a blank at White Hart Lane. That is probably a comment on Spurs' enduring soft centre more than their keeper's handiwork.

Robinson's season has been a bizarre mixture of bobbles, brickbats and even scoring against his England rival Ben Foster from 85 yards, but nothing was more peculiar than his 20-match run without a successful blockade.

Apart from one excellent reflex save to thwart Dave Kitson after 22 minutes, and ushering England Under-21 striker Leroy Lita's early header against the post, he was not extended unduly yesterday.

But Robinson wasn't going to turn up his nose at a minor triumph like Spurs going sixth in the table - and nor was Martin Jol. The Tottenham boss said: "Clean sheets have been a problem for us all season. Last year we did well in that respect, but we are playing in a different style now which tends to leave us a bit open.

"We should have had one in our last game against Watford until Pascal Chimbonda switched off with a minute to go when we were 3-0 up, but I'm not complaining." Spurs go into Thursday's UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg against holders Seville in good heart and only seven points behind Arsenal, with bragging rights along the Seven Sisters Road at stake later this month. But they were pushed all the way by Reading, the Premiership's surprise package.

For bargain hunts, especially in Ireland, the Royals manager Steve Coppell's record in the cheap-as-chips department is unrivalled - and in an entertaining scrap, his collection of car-boot cast-offs gave Tottenham's Harvey Nicks mob as good as they got.

Steed Malbranque set the tone by clipping the near post with an angled shot after two minutes, Robbie Keane was foiled by Marcus Hahnemann's instinctive save with his legs and Dimitar Berbatov was thwarted by the American keeper's expert geometry in narrowing the angles.

But while they scored high marks for artistic impression - and Spurs fans aren't going to like this - Jol's men played like Arsenal, passing the ball to death with little end product.

Reading, without a win for two months, refused to be star-struck and they should have drawn first blood after 12 minutes when Lita's header rebounded off the post from only five yards.

Then Robinson, fresh from keeping a clean sheet against the full might of Andorra, denied Kitson with his thrilling reflex save.

For all Tottenham's nifty footwork and party tricks, it took a controversial penalty six minutes before the break to separate the aristocrats from the M4 riff-raff.
Greg Halford, the £2.5million fullback making his Reading debut, inadvertently cradled the ball when it ricocheted off Keane's knee in an innocuous skirmish.

Referee Alan Wiley, who had a perfect view, appeared to respond more to Keane's appeal than his own instincts and found himself surrounded by a posse of remonstrating visitors.

It was the sort of decision with which Premiership referees are increasingly fuelling the persecution complex of 'smaller' clubs without balancing the books.

Later in the match, as Reading chased an equaliser, Wiley would ignore plausible claims for a reciprocal spot-kick when Didier Zokora went mountaineering with Kitson as his step-ladder.

As it was, Keane buried his penalty beyond Hahnemann, who failed to reappear after the interval because of a hip injury - but his replacement, Adam Federici, proved equally difficult to beat.

Aussie Federici made one stupendous save from Berbatov, leaping high to his left and clutching the £10.9m Bulgarian striker's shot two-handed where fingertips looked the likelier option.

"Federici's save was like that advert on the telly where the goalkeeper has glue on gloves," gasped Coppell. "I was expecting him to tip it round the post if he got there."

Jermaine Jenas and substitute Jermain Defoe, who could have had a hat-trick in his 15-minute cameo appearance, both had goals disallowed for offside.

Defoe was robbed by Wiley's wonky application of the stupid rule about interfering with play, but he should have buried a yawning chance to polish off plucky Reading four minutes from the end.

[Mr Angry]

Independent on-line

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Reading 0: Coppell hurt by harsh call as Reading pay penalty
By Mike Rowbottom
Published: 02 April 2007
There was only one question to be asked of the visiting manager, Steve Coppell. How did he view the penalty given six minutes before half time - for a handball by debutant Greg Halford - which effectively decided a match in which Tottenham stretched their run of Premiership wins to five and lifted them to sixth place?

Now Coppell will never be one of life's ranters, but his pained reply made it clear that he felt the side he brought up in such style from the Championship last season had been badly done by.

The incident occurred after Lee Young-Pyo's throw-in from the Spurs left had reached Robbie Keane just inside the box, and the Spurs captain, in turning, had cannoned the ball unwittingly up to his marker's arm. For a moment the lanky Halford - signed from Colchester in January for a club record fee of £2m - looked as if he was trying to get rid of something extremely sticky and nasty but could not manage it.

Keane, an opportunist in all, raised his hand and opened his mouth. The referee, Alan Wiley, seemed to hesitate, then gave the penalty, triggering an aggrieved outburst from six Reading players who gathered in front of him. Keane dispatched the penalty with his usual sang froid.

Halford himself maintained that he felt it had been a case of "ball to hand rather than hand to ball", adding: "The referee said the ball had changed direction purely because of hitting my hand. But it leaves a bitter taste."

Coppell said: "When I first saw it I thought the ball had spun up and hit him on the hand, and it was a really harsh decision. Having seen the replays, it was almost as if there was a second movement, as if Greg panicked when the ball hit him. But there was never any intent.

"Nowadays you see penalties given after balls are smashed at people from a yard away. I think there has to be some sort of guidance for referees. If you raise your arm and the ball hits you, then yes, 100 per cent a penalty. But sometimes it is just unavoidable. Would that decision have gone against Manchester United at Old Trafford? Well, that is the paranoia of all smaller teams - we would say no way.

"It's unfortunate for Greg that this game will be remembered for the penalty he gave away, because I think he did really well. But I am really pleased with what my players produced. In some games we have deferred to more senior teams but today we had a real go."

That they did, and Spurs could not afford to have any spare thoughts directed towards Thursday's away leg of their Uefa Cup quarter-final against Seville. After the home side had started strongly, with Steed Malbranque hitting the post after two minutes and then forcing a fine save from Marcus Hahnemann after 11 minutes, Reading reminded everyone why they have enjoyed such success as a cross from Glen Little offered Leroy Lita a clear header on goal which he directed against a post.

After the penalty had tipped the match Tottenham's way - the admirable Reading fans responded with a loud burst of "1-0 to the referee" - the visitors strained even harder, although they remained vulnerable to swift counter-attacks initiated by Malbranque and Aaron Lennon which created three chances in the last 15 minutes for the substitute Jermain Defoe. Excruciatingly, he failed to convert each one, finally blazing over the bar when Lee's pass offered him a free shot.

The Spurs manager, Martin Jol, maintained that the penalty had not been decisive, pointing to the fact that his side had created 15 chances to their opponents' handful. As for the validity of Mr Wiley's 39th-minute decision, he remained diplomatic. "I think it was a penalty. Maybe five out of 10 people would agree."

Goal: Keane pen (41) 1-0.

Tottenham Hotspur: (4-4-2); Robinson; Chimbonda, Dawson, Rocha, Lee; Lennon, Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque (Huddlestone, 80); Berbatov, Keane (Defoe, 75). Substitutes not used: Cerny (gk), Stalteri, Taarabt.

Reading: (4-4-2); Hahnemann (Federici 46); Halford, Duberry, Ingimarsson, Shorey; Little (Oster 75), Harper, Sidwell, Hunt (Doyle 65); Lita, Kitson. Substitutes not used: Bikey, Gunnarsson.

Booked: Tottenham Rocha.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).

Man of the match: Malbranque.

Attendance: 36,067.

[SpaceCruiser]

his collection of car-boot cast-offs

I really do take offence to that. It shows the level of ignorance the author of that article shows, as if saying that our players are not that good. But then what do you expect of a scraggy little gutter paper like the Mirror.

[RoyalBlue]

his collection of car-boot cast-offs

I really do take offence to that. It shows the level of ignorance the author of that article shows, as if saying that our players are not that good. But then what do you expect of a scraggy little gutter paper like the Mirror.

You really are too sensitive! I thought that overall it was a pretty complimentary report as far as we were concerned. Very definitely came out in our favour re Wileys decisions on penalties. Summed up Wiley's reaction to Keane's claim perfectly in my eyes. He clearly responded to the appeals rather than what he had seen with his own eyes and his hesitation emphasised that.

And if you know what you are looking for you can get some cracking quality bargain buys at car boot sales just as Sir Steve does in the transfer market.

[Behindu]

'Defoe was robbed by Wiley's wonky application of the stupid rule about interfering with play, but he should have buried a yawning chance to polish off plucky Reading four minutes from the end.'

What on earth does that mean ?

Is sticking the ball in the back of the net not considered interfering with play in LaLa Mirrorland ?

[SpaceCruiser]

his collection of car-boot cast-offs

I really do take offence to that. It shows the level of ignorance the author of that article shows, as if saying that our players are not that good. But then what do you expect of a scraggy little gutter paper like the Mirror.

You really are too sensitive! I thought that overall it was a pretty complimentary report as far as we were concerned. Very definitely came out in our favour re Wileys decisions on penalties. Summed up Wiley's reaction to Keane's claim perfectly in my eyes. He clearly responded to the appeals rather than what he had seen with his own eyes and his hesitation emphasised that.

And if you know what you are looking for you can get some cracking quality bargain buys at car boot sales just as Sir Steve does in the transfer market.

Leroy Lita, Greg Halford and Seol are hardly car boot cast-offs. Neither was Graeme Murty, come to that.