TV
Sky Sports 1 - (live coverage)

For coverage in all parts of the world, check here and here.

Radio :  
BBC LONDON 94.9FM (London area only), Digital Radio (London area only) &  Sky Channel 0152  (live coverage)
Commentary may be found on
>   BBC Radio Five Live (live coverage)  606/939 MW
>  TalkSport (DAB or 2589 MW)
>  Absolute Radio  (1215 AM/MW)

If available on BBC radio, it can supposedly be heard in these countries on these stations ...
Australia (Melbourne) SEN  -  116 AM  Live Transmissions: TWI, Saturday. 12.45 & 15.00 matches
Australia (Sydney)  Radio 2  -  1611AM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 12.45 Match
Singapore Media Corp Radio  -  93.8 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
South Africa  SABC (Radio 2000)  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
Uganda  Radio 1 (English) 90.0 FM, Radio 2 (Lugandan) 87.9 FM  Live Transmission: TWI, Saturday, 15.00 Match
North America (USA, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean)  Sirius Satellite Radio  Live transmission: Saturday - 12.45, 15.00 (TWI) & 17.15 (BBC) Sunday - 14.00 & 16.05 (BBC) Mon, Tue, Wed - Various times (BBC)

Internet :
www.spurs.co.uk   Live webcast  - subscribers only
BBC London - http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/25/12/live_commentaries_feature.shtml click on link to "Listen to Tottenham Hotspur live commentary" on top right hand menu.

  2  Kyle WALKER
  5  Kevin WIMMER
  4  Toby ALDERWEIRELD
  3  Danny ROSE

15  Eric DIER  (  8  Ryan MASON  75)
19  Mousa DEMBELE

11  Erik LAMELA  (  7  Heung-Min SON  85)
20  Dele ALLI   (22  Nacer CHADLI  90)
23  Christian ERIKSEN

10  Harry KANE

Unused subs: 
13  Michel VORM
16  Kieran TRIPPIER
29  Tom CARROLL
33  Ben DAVIES
 

25  Craig DAWSON    
23  Gareth McAULEY
21  Jonas OLSSON
  6  Jonny EVANS     

  8  Craig GARDNER
  5  Claudio YACOB
  7  Darren FLETCHER  (c)

29  Stephane SESSIGNON  (30  SANDRO  90)
14  James McCLEAN

33  Salamon RONDON

Unused subs: 
40  Alex PALMER
44  Tyler ROBERTS
45  Jonathan LEKO
  4  James CHESTER
17  Ricky LAMBERT
10  Victor ANICHEBE
 

What turned out to be a disappointing draw for Tottenham, which may have ended the chances of a title win, saw the side struggle in the second half after a scintillating display in the first 45 minutes. Having seen off the new Stoke City last week, WBA were the old Stoke, with Pulis in charge.

The same Spurs team took to the pitch to face West Bromwich Albion, who were without Saido Berahino, who missed out the game, not even being on the bench. I know Alex Pritchard couldn't play against his parent club, but I wasn't aware of a new ruling that prevented Berahino playing against his next club.

With the game kicking off, Tottenham immediately looked at home on the ball. Passing the ball confidently, Albion were chasing white shirts and didn't mind too much how they stopped them. It took three minutes for Yacob to trip Dele Alli over and this was to lead to a flashpoint later in the game. From the free-kick, Eriksen beat the wall, but not keeper Boaz Myhill, who dived right to push the ball wide as it looked like it was heading inside the post. When there was another foul by the same player on Alli three minutes later, the ball eventually was worked out to Dele on the right and he instinctively slipped a pass into the penalty area for Harry Kane to run onto and hit a shot across the keeper. The ball rebounded off the inside of the post and out, with the big screen replay showing Myhill got a touch to it on its way.

Having made a couple of good saves, Myhill then messed up dealing with a dipping cross from Walker and was lucky to get away with punching it weakly as he dived to save it. Tottenham's pressure brought a few corners, but nothing clear cut came from them. They went closer when Sessignon brought down Rose from behind and Eriksen fired in the free-kick that skimmed off the top of the bar with 13 minutes gone.

Spurs were passing the ball intuitively and almost psychically, such were the flicks that left the WBA players floundering and Kane got away in the left channel in the box and his shot at the near post brought Myhill into diving action again. Another free-kick, some 40 yards out, saw Eriksen bend it in from the just right of centre position. The ball went into the six yard box right in front of the goalmouth and Jan Vertonghen went diving in, but the ball evaded him. It got squashed under defender Craig Dawson and the ball squirmed out towards goal, going in through Myhill's legs. It was an odd way to take the lead, but who cares how they go in ?

The remainder of the first half saw Tottenham take the ball to West Brom. Dembele produced a marvellous tight turn to turn away from two players, leaving Darren Fletcher and James McClean running in the complete opposite direction, as Spurs kept building towards their goal, but failed to produce too much for Myhill to deal with. A couple of corners followed, but nothing came from them, while at the other end Yacob was taking wild shots at anything that dropped his way, when he wasn't taking cheap shots at Dele Alli. A WBA corner dropped to Fletcher, but his effort hit a Spurs defender and the sting was taken out of it for Hugo to collect it easily.

The half time stats showed Spurs had 72% of possession, but only two of twelve shots on target. Myhill had looked a little unsure and the failure to test him might have come back to haunt had Albion had anything about them. But despite Micky Hazard's rallying call at half-time, it was the visitors who stepped up their game in the second half and Tottenham failed to really get going again.

Attacking the Park Lane end, WBA kicked off and forced a corner straight away, which Olsson dived in to head wide. Then Tottenham forced a couple of corners, but again there was no end result, although when they launched another attack, Alli flicked the ball down the left for Eriksen to break away. His early square ball to Erik Lamela near the penalty spot saw him put a shot across Myhill and he was unlucky to see the ball come back off the post and Evans got to it just ahead of Harry Kane.  The bal ran between McClean and Walker and neither pulled out in a crunching tackle.   Evans was the villain a minute later, when he fouled Lamela and got a yellow card, despite his inexplicable protestations and from the free-kick Jan Vertonghen almost got on the end of Eriksen's dead ball cross.

West Brom were trying to break through and when Gardner stood up a cross to the near post, Rondon should have done better than head the ball wide when unmarked.  Eriksen fizzed a shot just wide after Alli set him up and then Dawson got forward for the Baggies to put a shot wide across goal.  McClean was the pantomime villain, as he tried to get into the game, but his attempts to foul Spurs players saw him not even up to that, while he was alone under a high ball with Walker come way from him, but slipped and allowed Kyle to make a raid up the right wing. 

When an Eriksen free-kick was cleared, Mousa Dembele, who had another majorly influential game, pulled a shot across goal and a few feet wide of the goal.  Myhill had to be alert when Alli's ball over the top saw Christian on the break, but the keeper got there first; diving out to head the ball amid moans about the height of Eriksen's foot !!  Kane had a shot wide, but then West Brom broke on the right and Hugo had to be alert to get a hand to Rondon's shot and tip it over the bar.  What we all feared happened next, with the corner coming in high and Dier getting caught under Dawson's leap, while Lloris didn't get there with his punch and the Albion defender headed the ball into the net to level his own goal of earlier in the match.  Dier stayed down and had to leave the field shortly after with concussion, but the damage was deeper than that for the side, who hadn't looked a shadow of that of the first half.

As Spurs tried to get back into the game, Eriksen put a free-kick high over the bar, while Sessignon put a shot wide at the other end.  The WBA midfielder had a better chance soon after, but could only hit the side netting.  The last five minutes and five added minutes passed by with the two teams battling to keep possession, but no clear cut chances could be made and the final whistle blew on the draw and possibly on Tottenham's title challenge.

The chorus of "We Love You Tottenham" showed the fans (well, those who were left) were right behind the team, even though it looked like this result had given Leicester City an unassailable gap to be bridged.  The season didn't turn on this result and the team should be proud of what they have achieved.  I certainly am proud of the way they have played this season.  A winning mentality and a consistency almost anathema to Tottenham Hotspur, but something that can be carried forward into what looks to be a bright future.

COYS

Davie G - Hoddesdon