Blackburn Rovers

Tottenham Hotspur beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 this afternoon to climb to 14th and away from relegation—for the time being.

The verdict will be: must do better.

For, with Paul ince's side one goal and one man down after 40 minutes, Spurs should have run riot in front of their supporters.

Instead, the fans endured a nervous afternoon that proved that all is still not well at The Lane.

Blackburn came into the game hoping to end a streak of seven league matches without a victory but any hopes of piling the pressure on their relegation rivals vanished within minutes.

Such was the dominance that Tottenham—in particular Aaron Lennon—enjoyed in the opening minutes, the home side should have put Blackburn to the sword even before Marin Olsson's 40th-minute sending off for a second bookable offence.

Spurs, playing with Pavlyuchenko and Bent up front, set off on the front foot and went ahead after nine minutes when Lennon dispossessed the hapless Olsson, sprinted to the byline and pulled the ball back for the prolific Pavlyuchenko to curl his effort past ex-Spurs stopper Robinson into the far corner from eight yards out.

Minutes later, Bentley curled a free kick invitingly towards the penalty spot. Fortunately for Rovers, Pavlyuchenko could only direct it onto the outside of the far post with a flicked header.

Despite Lennon's energy and skill, Blackburn threatened to equalise several times as a result of their direct approach. Christopher Samba could not make contact when in front of goal and Gomes' erratic handling continued to cause a defensive headache for Ledley King and Johnathan Woodgate.

The plan was to surround Gomes in the goalmouth from setplays, firing the ball at him with venom. Where Jimmy Bullard and Paul Konchesky succeeded in executing this plan a week ago, Blackburn's Pedersen and Emerton failed.

Gomes dropped such a set-piece shortly before Spurs took the lead. He then had Woodgate to thank for heading away Emerton's lob when the Australian's run caught the keeper in two minds. But Blackburn barely tested him thereafter as fans behind his goal cheered his every touch.

Lennon capped a sensational half of football from a personal point of view by tricking Martin Olsson into a wild lunge on the right touchline, leaving referee Howard Webb with an easy decision to book the player for a second time.

Ince looked to consolidate his team after the break by reverting to a 4-4-1 formation with Man Utd full-back Danny Simpson replacing the ineffective Benni McCarthy.

Infuratingly for Harry Redknapp, Tottenham relaxed and drifted into cruise control as their passing became sloppy and their movement predictable. Instead of taking advantage of a profitable situation, the home team passed the ball sideways and backwards. 

England hopefuls Huddlestone and Jenas lacked purpose, Lennon was deprived of possession and Bentley misfired time and again. The introduction of FraizerCampbell sparked some life into the proceedings but, with five minutes left, he improbably glanced a header wide from Bentley's centre.

Jenas and Rovers substitute Andrews' spat over an innocuous tangle brought each player a yellow card and the game petered out.

Three points and a clean sheet for Spurs, more worries for Paul Ince.

Full Time: Tottenham 1-0 Blackburn

Scorer: Pavlyuchenko 9'

Ratings:

Spurs - Gomes 5;Corluka 6, King 7, Woodgate 7, Assou-Ekotto 5;LENNON 8, Jenas 5, Huddlestone 6, Bentley 4;Pavlyuchenko 6 (Campbell 5), Bent 5

Blackburn - Robinson 6;Oijer 6, Samba 6, Nelsen 6, Olsson 3; Emerton 6 (Derbyshire 5), Mokoena 5, Andrews 5, Pedersen 5 (Treacy 5); Santa Cruz 5, McCarthy 4 (Simpson 6) 

Referee - Howard Webb  7 

This afternoon could be one of the most important in Tottenham's recent history as they bid to retain the top-flight status they have for so long taken for granted.

Spurs come up against a Blackburn side woefully out-of-sorts at White Hart Lane this afternoon, and anything but a win will send the alarm bells ringing again. Especially in light of the insipid performance at Fulham last weekend that reminded Harry Redknapp that there is a lot of hard work still to be done.

In such a competitive league, it is vital that any team avoids successive defeats, as we have seen that three points won or lost can be the difference between finding yourselves in contention for Europe or looking anxiously over your shoulders at a possible relegation scrap.

The big difference in Tottenham's play, until the no-show at Craven Cottage, has been a sense of purpose and freedom in their attitude to offensive situations. The midfield players have linked up more effectively with the front players who, in turn, have re-discovered their goalscoring touch.

Huddlestone has showed that he is a players of substantial calibre and Fraizer Campbell could soon be in contention for the next round of senior Euro 2010 qualifiers: he has four goals in his last three appearances. Darren Bent, a half-time substitute in England's impressive victory in Berlin, is proof enough that goals will get you places under Capello's watchful eye.

Redknapp will be wary, however, that other players need to start contributing goals—Bent has scored nearly half of the team's goals in the competition.

Tottenham's problem remains their defensive frailties, a real concern when you look at the investment that has been made into recruitment in this area. In Ledley King's continued absence, their first-choice defensive line cost chairman Daniel Levy an astonishing £40 million. Yet they continue to leak more than 1.5 goals per game.

One area opposing managers have targeted is set pieces. This has been a thorn in the side of Redknapp's team. Tottenham concede more goals from corners than any other side in the League. Paul Ince will look to Roque Santa Cruz and Christopher Samba, real aerial threats, to capitalise on this.

Gomes' misgivings are much talked about but experienced British players like Hutton, Dawson, and Woodgate are not without blame. two clean sheets in 13 games is not top-half of the table form.

In fact, Gomes ranks as Tottenham's second best player behind Jermaine Jenas this season according to the respected statistical engine The Actim Index.

While the Brazilian stopper's handling is poor, this factor would not have been so decisive to the outcome of several matches if players such as Zokora, Dawson, and Hutton didn't continue to commit silly fouls in dangerous areas.

Spurs will need to be more savvy in this aspect of their play against a physical Blackburn team. They will also need to be quicker out of the blocks than they have been this season. They, like Blackburn, have scored more league goals in the last 10 minutes of league matches this season than in the entire first-half.

Both sets of fans can expect a nerve-wrangling afternoon. The home fans should have the last (late) laugh here though.

Prediction:

Tottenham 3-2 Blackburn

Key battles:

Johnathan Woodgate v Roque Santa Cruz  

The Spurs defender needs to show authority and composure against a prolific Paraguayan who will threaten most defenses he faces.

Heurelho Gomes v Himself

Will we see Jekyll or Hyde. Gomes could win or lose a tight game with a brilliant save or moment of madness.

Probable teams:

Spurs (4-4-2):

Gomes;Corluka,Woodgate,King,Bale;Bentley,Huddlestone,Jenas,O'Hara;Campbell,Bent

Subs from: Sanchez, Hutton, Gunter, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Zokora, Ghaly, Lennon, Pavlyuchenko

Blackburn (4-4-2):

Robinson;Ooijer,Samba,Nelson,Warnock;Villanueva,Andrews,Mokoena,Pedersen;Santa Cruz, Roberts

Subs from: Brown, Simpson, Khizanishvili, Olsson, Tugay, Roberts, McCarthy, Derbyshire  

It is 13 games into the season and Blackburn sit in the relegation zone. Should the alarm bells be ringing for Rovers fans?

Paul Ince was a bit of a surprise appointment at Ewood Park. After a hugely successful season at MK Dons, winning the Football League Trophy in March and the League Two title in May, Ince was hot property.

The general consensus, however, seemed to be Ince wasn't ready for the Premiership. Leicester City came in for Ince and he was widely expected to sign up at the Walker Stadium.

He knocked them back however, and just a matter of days later shocked many by being the man to take the helm at Blackburn.

Taking Ray Mathias with him, he looked to improve the squad for the forthcoming season. He was met by a mini-exodus however. Brad Friedel jumped ship, and David Bentley was sold on to Spurs.

Ince bolstered the squad with winger Vince Grella, Keith Andrews, and Chilean Carlos Villanueva. He replaced Friedel with Paul Robinson, a solid signing.

Overall, it looks clear that the squad has diminished in terms of quality. Andrews may have just scored his first international goal, but I'd be be surprised if many have even heard of the others.

Was this down to Ince's lack of knowledge of the higher-end transfer market? Mathias would hardly have brought a knowledge of top-flight football.

Look at the result, it looks as though Rovers should get ready for a season of struggle. It begs the question, was Ince the right man?

There are other candidates that could have done the job. Gary Johnson and Sam Allardyce are just two names of the top of my head.

It's great to see a manager learn his stuff at lower league level, but perhaps Blackburn should have left Ince to learn his trade for a bit longer.

Martin Fulop:7: Some great saves and has done well in the absence of Craig Gordon.

Anton Ferdinand:6.5: Was solid and tidy at the back despite a yellow card for dissent.

Nyron Nodsworthy:7: Solid game in which he intercepted many of the Blackburn attacks.

Danny Collins:6.5: Kept the left side relatively safe.

Phil Bardsely:6.5: Got forward well. Overall solid effort.

Steed Malbranque:8: Never stopped running and was by far Sunderlands best player.

Kieran Richardson:7.5: A good game from a man who keeps improving. Must be close     to England Selection

Teemu Taino:6: Did not get involved enough and it was no suprise to see him subbed.

Dean Whitehead:6: Tried to get involved but did not really fire.

Dibril Cisse:7: Showed strength and balance and scored a great goal.

Kenwyne Jones:7: Made up for a uneventful first half with an excellent second half in which he scored a superb goal.

Substitues

Dwight Yorke:5.5: Came off the bench but failed to make an impact.

Andy Ried:5: Uninvolved in his time on the pitch.

Grant Leadbitter:5: Not enough time to spark anything.

Sunderland got their revenge on Blackburn for knocking them out of the Carling Cup four days ago in style.

A terrific 2-1 win that see Sunderland out of relegation zone and hopefully gets them back on track. The win now puts confidence and belief back in the players and fans, and takes a lot of pressure off Roy Keane.

In a match which saw two former players face off in either dugout, Roy Keane and Paul Ince were both hoping to revive their seasons. With Blackburn yet to win a Premiership match since September, the Blackburn team was eager for a win.

But it was Paul Ince's boys who hit off first with center back Christopher Samba heading in the opening goal. It was a shaky first half for Sunderland and Blackburn could have easily had a couple more but Sunderland enter the second half full of life and it was their danger men who provided the answer. Kenwyne Jones and Dijbril Cisse, the two Sunderland strikers, scored great second half goals to enlighten Sunderland's season.

Jones' solid header hammered off the bar for Kieran Richardson to follow up only to see it prodded away by Paul Robinson. Unfortunately for Robinson, the ball fell back to Jones and with an open goal he coolly touched it in.

Cisse showed great balance and strength as he got passed Khizanishvili and calmy slotted it passed Robinson for the winner.

Blackburn now dropped to a disappointing 18th, while Sunderland shot up to 11th. Hopefully Sunderland can keep going and finish in a solid spot.

What the Managers Said

Paul Ince:  “In the first half we should have been three or four up. I’ve had a go at them because I’m upset annoyed and angry. The second half was diabolical.”

Roy Keane: "Last year I had rumours about players in nightclubs, players were saying this, and it seems to happen in the North East. I think on Friday people were very bored because there was no logic to this nonsense."

Sunderland are currently sitting a very disappointing 19th, but a win against stricken Blackburn could see them surge up the table and revive their season and avoid relegation.

With a team with the likes of Kenwyne Jones, Dibril Cisse, Craig Gordon, Kieran Richardson and many more talent players you would expected Sunderland to be contesting for the fifth and sixth place, plus with a manager like Roy Keane its hard to think how their season looks in the bin at such an early stage.

Their form guide is disappointing: L-W-L-D-W-L-D-D-W-L-L-L. There are a few starts, but they lack consistency and have a drawing problem but with Kenwyne Jones and Dibril Cisse finding form and both being exceptionally talented strikers they have the ability to make Sunderland incredibly dominant upfront.

Both strikers are tall and very quick plus they are both blessed with superb balance and a threatening shot, they will need to bring their best performances against Blackburn with their solid defence of Christian Samba and Ryan Nelsen.

The Sunderland midfield is usually solid, strong and reliable with the likes of Steed Malbranque, Kieran Richardson, Teemu Taino and Dean Whitehair all putting up good performances. Kieran Richardson has found him self in fine form and I feel he could be the key to the Sunderland revival.

The midfield will need to be steady and put good balls, crosses and chips through to Jones and Cisse.

The defence has been the problem for Sunderland; they lack sufficient communication and concentration, they must make sure against Blackburn that they do not get lapses in concentration and keep Roque Santa Cruz and Jason Roberts quite and uninvolved.

A win to Sunderland will enlighten the team with the confidence they need and it will lift pressure of Roy Keane but it wont be easy. Blackburn will be extremely eager to snatch this victory in front of a home crowd.

Blackburn are yet to win a premier league game since September and having just snared a win in the Carling cup against Tottenham four days ago they will be full of confidence.

A tough challenge for Sunderland but its just the thing they need to revive their season.

Giovanni Trapattoni may have surprised many with his squad selection for the Republic of Ireland's friendly against Poland later this month, but don't expect this writer's jaw to drop at the inclusions and exclusions.

The main shock must be the inclusion of Blackburn's Keith Andrews at the expense of Sunderland playmaker Andy Reid. Whilst Reid had missed the recent game against Cyprus, general consensus had been that the Mackem's man would regain his place against more serious opposition.

It's not to be, but boy what a replacement. I'm a huge fan of Keith Andrews, having followed Milton Keynes Dons since Wimbledon first controversially moved to Milton Keynes (which is a topic for another time altogether).

I think it's great to see a midfielder like Andrews rebuild his career at a lower-league club and gain recognition for the graft. The Irishman spent six years at Wolves as a youngster, and by the end of his spell there was a first-team regular, and wore the captain's armband for one game, becoming the youngest captain at Molineux for a hundred years.

He moved on to Hull City for a season, but an injury plagued spell saw him sold on to Martin Allen's MK Dons for the 2006-07 season. In the two years he spent in Milton Keynes, he was club captain and shades above his teammates the whole time.

The go-to man in midfield that created and scored goals aplenty, Andrews went from good under Allen to great under Paul Ince, when the England legend took the reigns at the Dons. A great season for Keith saw him win the League Two Trophy, the Football League Trophy, and the League Two Player of the Season award.

It was no surprise that when Ince went to Blackburn, Andrews followed. The born-again Irishman has been a permanent fixture so far this season, and his stunner against West Brom netted Rovers a tidy point.

He's hit solid form in the Premiership for the first time, and surely that means he can do a job for Ireland. The Irish aren't blessed with midfielders at the moment, so maybe Andrews' tendency to find that beautiful pass from nowhere could be the element they need.

Either way, it's a great advert for all the lower league footballers out there. Just look what can be achieved.

Nicolas Anelka helped himself to two goals against Blackburn Rovers this afternoon to send Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League on goal difference ahead of Liverpool.

The Frenchman struck in both halves and could have scored his second hat trick in a week, but was denied by a combination of some questionable refereeing and Paul Robinson.

Without Joe Cole, and Didier Drogba, the onus was on Anelka to lead the line and produce a performance.

Within minutes of the kick-off, he could have had a penalty. Keith Andrews’ woeful back pass was seized on by Anelka, who rounded the on-rushing Robinson and then stumbled with the goal at his mercy.  Replays suggested there was minimal contact, and Chris Foy waved away the Chelsea players’ protests.

Anelka then had two headers saved by Robinson as Chelsea sought to take the lead.

Blackburn almost went in front midway through the first half, but Cech was equal to Carlos Villanueva’s curled effort, tipping it wide for a corner.

Anelka then forced Robinson into a good diving save from a shot inside the box.

The weather was wreaking havoc, with puddles slowing the ball down and making it hard to keep possession of the ball.

After dominating for virtually all of the first half, Chelsea took the lead in a comic fashion. Bosingwa ambled forward and hit a speculative shot that hit the thigh of Anelka and trickled over the line with Robinson stranded.

The former England keeper might have been able to prevent it from going over the line, but he made no attempt to and Chelsea had the lead they deserved.

There were some doubts as to whether the game could continue, but after a half time inspection the players returned for the second half with the rain subsiding into a drizzle.

The opening stages of the first half saw Blackburn cause some problems for Chelsea and Jason Roberts could have levelled matters after turning John Terry, but Cech managed to keep his effort out.

But then Anelka delivered a sucker punch to Blackburn’s hopes of getting anything out of the game. Lampard slid the ball through to him in the box and Anelka dinked the ball over the onrushing Robinson to put the result beyond doubt.

Lampard almost scored a goal of his own minutes later, but Robinson managed to tip his swerving free kick onto the crossbar.

Anelka was sent through to complete his hat trick towards the end, but this time Robinson denied him.

On the day that he turned 60, Luiz Felipe Scolari has been given the perfect present after Tuesday’s shocker in Rome.