The Chances of Survival for Clubs Promoted to the Premier League

by Paul Yarden on 08/03/10

What are the chances of survival for clubs newly promoted to the Premier League?
If past performances are anything to go by, slightly more than half the newly promoted clubs will survive their first season in the Premier League. Of the 50 clubs promoted since the advent of the Premier League in season 1992-93, 26 of them have lived to fight another season in the Top Flight of English football.
There has been only once instance of all three promoted clubs being relegated the next season. That was in season 1997-98 when Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace finished in the bottom three places after having been promoted the previous season.
By contrast, there has also only been one season when the three promoted clubs all survived their first season in the Premier League. Season 2001-02 saw Blackburn Rovers finish in 10th place, Fulham finish in 13th place and Bolton Wanderers finish in 16th place.
The best performance from a newly promoted club was in season 1993-94 when Newcastle United finished in third place and also in 1994-95 when Nottingham Forest finished third. Ipswich Town managed a fifth place finish in 2000-01.
There have been a total of 12 Top Ten finishes for newly promoted clubs to the Premier League, the most recent being Birmingham City's 9th place finish in season 2009-10.
Here are the finishing positions of every newly promoted club in the Premier League from season 1993-94 to 2009-10. Teams in red were relegated:

1993-1994	Pos
NEWCASTLE UTD	3
WEST HAM UTD	13
SWINDON TOWN	22

1994-1995	Pos
CRYSTAL PAL	19
NOTTM FOREST	3
LEICESTER CITY	21

1995-1996	Pos
BOLTON WAND	20
MIDDLESBROUGH	12

1996-1997	Pos
DERBY COUNTY	12
SUNDERLAND	18
LEICESTER CITY	9

1997-1998	Pos
BOLTON WAND	18
BARNSLEY	19
CRYSTAL PAL	20

1998-1999	Pos
NOTTM FOREST	20
MIDDLESBROUGH	9
CHARLTON ATH	18

1999-2000	Pos
SUNDERLAND	7
BRADFORD CITY	17
WATFORD	20

2000-2001	Pos
CHARLTON ATH	9
IPSWICH TOWN	5
MAN CITY	18

2001-2002	Pos
FULHAM	13
BLACKBURN ROV	10
BOLTON WAND	16

2002-2003	Pos
MAN CITY	9
BIRMINGHAM C	13
WEST BROM ALB	19

2003-2004	Pos
PORTSMOUTH	13
LEICESTER CITY	18
WOLVES	20

2004-2005	Pos
NORWICH CITY	19
WEST BROM ALB	17
CRYSTAL PAL	18

2005-2006	Pos
SUNDERLAND	20
WIGAN ATHLETIC	10
WEST HAM UTD	9

2006-2007	Pos
READING	8
SHEFF UNITED	18
WATFORD	20

2007-2008	Pos
SUNDERLAND	15
BIRMINGHAM C	19
DERBY COUNTY	20

2008-2009	Pos
WEST BROM ALB	20
STOKE CITY	12
HULL CITY	17

2009-2010	Pos
WOLVES	15
BIRMINGHAM C	9
BURNLEY	18

2010-2011

NEWCASTLE UTD

WEST BROM ALB

BLACKPOOL

Full details of the finishing positions in the Premier League from season 1992-93 to 2009-10 available here:
http://www.myfootballfacts.com/PREMIER-LEAGUE-LADDERS-1992-2010.html

Mexico 1970 - The Greatest FIFA World Cup of Them All?

Every football fan has their own particular favourite FIFA World Cup Finals competition but the consensus is that the tournament held in Mexico in 1970 was the greatest of them all.

What was it about Mexico that made it so special? Perhaps it was a combination of factors which included an England squad defending their trophy widely regarded as even better than the team which won the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. Then there was the exotic location and for many the first chance to see the matches live on TV in colour. Add to the mix some very good teams from Italy, West Germany, Uruguay, Peru, the Soviet Union and the host Nation, Mexico. Then there was the fact that as the competition had just 16 qualifiers, there was none of the meaningless matches we have today for the first two weeks where the dross is eliminated.

But above all there was Brazil. A Brazil who played the game with such flair and style that they are quite rightly regarded as the greatest football team the game has ever seen. There was Pelé & Rivelino, Jairzinho & Gerson, Tostao & Everaldo and if Brazil’s defence wasn’t quite up to the standards of their midfield and attack they also had one of football’s best ever full-backs in team captain Carlos Alberto.

The first phase saw the elimination of Belgium and El Salvador from Group A, Sweden and Israel from Group B, Romania and Czechoslovakia from Group C and Bulgaria and Morocco from Group D. The four Quarter-Finals then offered-up a mouthwatering feast of football.

Uruguay and the Soviet Union had a closely fought match which was resolved three minutes before the end of extra time when Espárrago put the South Americans into the Semi-Final, despite Soviet protests about the cross which led to the goal going out of play. Italy, who only managed to score once against Israel & Sweden in the group stage, had a comfortable win over their Mexican hosts 4-1.

Brazil beat Peru in the all South American Quarter Final 4-2 and the last match was between the old enemies England and West Germany. Alan Mullery and Martin Peters put England two goals up and most people watching on TV thought that was pretty much that. Alf Ramsey decided to substitute Bobby Charlton and bring-on Colin Bell instead and while many consider this to have been a blunder the truth was that Charlton was exhausted and there was little option. In any case, the Germans could do nothing but attack and they got a goal back through Beckenbauer and their equaliser came with 8 minutes remaining through Seeler. Extra time was played and striker Gerd Muller won the game for the Germans and England were on their way home.

The Semi-Finals saw one of the most astounding matches in World Cup history as Italy and West Germany played a thriller which went to extra time with the Italians winning 4-3 in a match dubbed “The Game of the Century”. Brazil booked their passage to the Final with a solid 3-1 win over Uruguay.

The Final itself was probably one of the most talked-about and analyzed games in football history as the skill, artistry and rhythm of the Brazilians overcame the tactics and flair of the Italians 4-1. Brazil’s goals came from Pelé, Gerson’s thunderbolt from outside the box, Jairzinho’s close range effort and the icing on the cake from Carlos Alberto at the end of a move in which no less than 9 Brazilians had been involved.

FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification Competition

The first Nation to qualify for the 2010 World Cup was South Africa, once their bid to host the competition was accepted by FIFA on 15th May 2004 in Switzerland. Traditionally, the World Cup holders also used to get a free ride to the next tournament but this has changed in recent years and Italy entered the European qualification rounds, along with 52 other Nations. A total of 203 nations from around the world entered the qualification competition chasing the 31 available places.

All seven previous FIFA World Cup winners (Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Brazil, England, Argentina & France) will be present in South Africa, so any football betting will be bound to feature one of those teams as favourites. Of the teams that have so far failed to win the World Cup, Spain and the Netherlands must rank among the teams most fancied.

The 53 European (UEFA) countries were split into eight groups of six teams and one group of five with the winners automatically booking their berth to South Africa. The best eight runners-up from the nine groups played-off against each other to give a final quota of 13 qualifiers. Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and the Netherlands all went through as group winners. France, Portugal, Greece and Slovenia all won their play-offs.

There were also 53 African (CAF) countries and with South Africa already confirmed as hosts, the other 52 teams battled for the 5 more spots available. After a complex series of qualification groups, the eventual successful nations of Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) emerged.

South American (CONMEBOL) qualification took the form of the now traditional single group with all 10 countries playing each other twice for the four automatic berths and one play-off place. Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina finished as the top four teams. The play-off place went to Uruguay, who would later beat Central America’s Costa Rica and join the other four South American teams in the Finals.

35 countries from North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) competed for the three automatic places and one play-off spot for South Africa. After a complex series of eliminators, six nations emerged to play in the final group decider. The United States, Mexico and Honduras all gained automatic qualification with Costa Rica finishing fourth and later losing the play-off to South America’s Uruguay. El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago finished at the bottom of the group decider.

The 43 entrants from Asia (AFC) had to first negotiate their preliminary rounds before the 10 top nations formed two groups of five for the final group stage. The top two from each group were rewarded with automatic entries to the World Cup Finals while the third placed teams in each group held a play-off to determine the fifth Asian qualifier.
Australia won the first group with Japan second and Bahrain third. The second group was won by South Korea with North Korea second and Saudi Arabia third. Bahrain won the play-off and had to face the winners of the Oceania zone for a place in South Africa.

The 10 nations which made-up the Oceania (OFC) zone had been weakened by Australia’s decision to play their football as part of Asia, so there was no guaranteed place for the winner, as there had been in previous FIFA World Cup competitions. New Zealand won the group stage and then faced Bahrain in a final play-off, which they won.

Preview: Hull City v Tottenham Hotspur

Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull
Wednesday 19th August 2009, Kick Off 20:00
Premier League, Match 2

COMMENT:

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Hull City for their first away Premier League fixture of 2009-10 fresh from an impressive 2-1 win over Liverpool while Hull suffered an opening day 2-1 loss at Chelsea. Both teams met recently in the Barclays Asia Trophy Final, which Spurs won 3-0 with a brace from Robbie Keane and one from Aaron Lennon. The corresponding League fixture last season also resulted in a 2-1 Spurs win with Lennon & Woodgate grabbing the goals.

The two teams had very contrasting starts to last season, with Hull City riding high while Spurs were rock bottom. Eventually, Spurs recovered under Harry Redknapp to finish in 8th place while it was touch and go for Hull's Premier League survival right up until the last game of the season.

Spurs should be favorites for the win on Wednesday night and if they do manage to grab all three points, it will be the first time since season 2005-06 that they will have a 100% record after the opening two matches. Season 1994-95 was the only other time that Spurs had 6 out of 6 points in the Premier League.

Ledley King is very doubtful to start, so Sebastien Bassong will probably be partnered in central defence with Vedran Corluka with either Alan Hutton or Kyle Naughton as right back.

Jonathan Woodgate and Michael Dawson remain injured and Jermain Jenas is still doubtful, meaning Tom Huddlestone will probably partner Wilson Palacios in central midfield.

Any two from Spurs four strikers could start, but I fancy Harry to give the nod to Peter Crouch with Robbie Keane as his initial partner.

SPURS TEAM NEWS:

Harry Redknapp has confirmed that Ledley King will miss Wednesday night's trip to Hull in the Barclays Premier League.

The central defender's continued knee problems means he cannot play three games a week but he will come back into contention for Sunday's derby at West Ham.

Otherwise, it's a case of 'as you were' for Harry as he prepares for the trip to Humberside.

Jonathan Woodgate (groin) and Michael Dawson (Achilles) are both out although Woody is already running again.

Meanwhile, midfielder Jermaine Jenas (calf) is still doubtful after missing the opener against Liverpool.

MARK LAWRENSON'S PREDICTION (BBC):

Hull know that against a side like Tottenham, who will be aiming for the top six, a point would be a good result.

They were a bit unlucky to concede so late against Chelsea and they troubled them when they were allowed to.

Tottenham struggled away from home last season, I expect that to improve with Sebastien Bassong looking good on his debut and I think they can come away with a point.

Verdict: Hull City 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur


PREVIOUS MEETINGS:

12-Jan-1907 F.A. Cup 1 27,033 H D 0 - 0
17-Jan-07 F.A. Cup 1 Replay 18,000 A D 0 - 0 (Abandoned after 10 mins of Extra time, result stood)
21-Jan-07 F.A. Cup 1 2nd Replay 20,000 H W 1 - 0 Chapman
26-Sep-08 Division 2 12,000 A L 0 - 1
30-Jan-09 Division 2 21,000 H D 0 - 0
12-May-12 Tour - N L 0 - 2 (Match played in Brussels, Belgium)
25-Dec-19 Division 2 40,008 H W 4 - 0 Grimsdell (pen), Cantrell, Bliss (2)
26-Dec-19 Division 2 28,000 A W 3 - 1 Cantrell, Dimmock, Bell og
27-Mar-26 Friendly - A L 0 - 5
06-Oct-28 Division 2 28,737 H W 4 - 1 Scott, Osborne, Elkes (2)
15-Apr-29 Division 2 4,139 A D 1 - 1 Harper
21-Dec-29 Division 2 9,103 H D 2 - 2 Harper (2)
26-Apr-30 Division 2 6,396 A L 0 - 2
02-Sep-35 Division 2 25,603 H W 3 - 1 McCormick, Howe, Hunt DA
09-Sep-35 Division 2 9,616 A L 0 - 1
07-Apr-50 Division 2 66,889 H D 0 - 0
10-Apr-50 Division 2 38,345 A L 0 - 1
20-Feb-54 F.A. Cup 5 46,839 A D 1 - 1 Bennett
24-Feb-54 F.A. Cup 5 Replay 52,934 H W 2 - 0 Walters, Baily
04-Oct-77 Division 2 10,966 A L 0 - 2
26-Mar-78 Division 2 36,913 H W 1 - 0 Perryman
24-Jan-81 F.A. Cup 4 37,532 H W 2 - 0 Archibald, Brooke
15-Apr-88 Friendly - A L 1 - 2 Walsh
08-May-92 Friendly 9,994 A W 6 - 2 Barmby (2), Hendry (2), Turner, Samways
24-Jly-2004 Friendly 13,316 A D 2 - 2 Defoe (2)
05-Oct-08 FA Prem 36,062 H L 0 - 1
21-Feb-09 FA Prem 24,742 A W 2 - 1 Lennon, Woodgate
31-Jly-09 Asia Trophy Final N W 3 - 0 Keane (2, 1p), Lennon (Match played in Beijing, China)
19-Aug-09 FA Prem A
16-Jan-10 FA Prem H




LAST TIME WE MET...

Monday, 23 February 2009

Hull City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Jonathan Woodgate's 86th-minute header lifted Tottenham to 14th with a valuable victory at the KC Stadium.

They went ahead with a superb 20-yard effort from Aaron Lennon, who found space following a short corner.

But Hull looked dangerous in an entertaining first half and Michael Turner slid in to equalise after Spurs keeper Carlo Cudicini fumbled a corner.

Both sides hit the woodwork but when a draw looked certain, Woodgate rose to head in Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross.

A year ago, Woodgate headed the winner at Wembley as Spurs lifted the Carling Cup.

In his 50th appearance for the club, he scored a goal that while not quite as crucial, could be hugely important in their battle for survival.

Five years ago this weekend Hull were losing at home to Torquay in the fourth tier of the English leagues, but having been in the top half of the table for much of their debut season in the Premier League, they are now embroiled in a multi-team relegation scrap.

The warning signs were evident for Spurs in the opening moments when Andy Dawson's inswinging corner from the right caused anxiety in the six-yard box, and set pieces remained a constant problem for the visitors.

Dawson found himself in the book within the opening seven minutes for two crude challenges on the pacy Lennon, but though Hull looked the more dangerous it was Spurs who took the lead with the first moment of genuine quality.

Ironically it stemmed from a set play, as Luka Modric worked a short corner with Robbie Keane and found Lennon on the edge of the area.

The diminutive winger had time to line up a shot, but his curling effort into the narrow gap available to the left-hand corner was exquisite.

Hull came right back, however, and Cudicini had to be alert to rush out and block with his legs to deny the charging Kamil Zayatte.

But the Italian goalkeeper flapped badly at another inswinging corner from the right, and after the ball ricocheted off Wilson Palacios, Turner slid in ahead of Ledley King to apply the finishing touch.

Spurs looked the more comfortable in possession but Hull were the more purposeful, with Daniel Cousin's volley dipping just over and an unmarked Sam Ricketts glancing a header wide.

Harry Redknapp had looked increasingly agitated by his team's failings and they would no doubt have felt the force of his frustrations as they emerged with more intent after the break.

Keane broke down the left and crossed for Palacios to hit a fierce volley heading straight for the corner, only for former Tottenham defender Anthony Gardner to block with his head.

A Modric free-kick was headed against the top of the bar by his compatriot Vedran Corluka but much of the second half lacked fluency.

It was not until midway through it that Hull tested the Spurs goal, Zayatte breaking free to glance another inswinging corner from the right against the outside of the post.

Woodgate's superb leap settled it, he had to leave the field shortly before the end with blood streaming from above his eye, but that endeavour helped to end a run of four away defeats and gave Spurs a key win.

For Hull it was a 10th league match without a victory and only four points separate them from 17th-placed Stoke.

Hull manager Phil Brown:

"I'm not worried about relegation. That's the wrong word. It's always been in the back of our minds.

"We can't lose games like that. We've got to learn the little details we need to pick up on.

"But I believe we have enough ability and character in the camp to get through this poor spell."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp:

"We've got to play Monday and Thursday and we've got a cup final on Sunday. It's ludicrous.

"It showed why I rested players. People should understand that is why I do my job and that is why they do their job.

"They made it difficult in the first half, they worked their socks off and were always a big threat at set plays.

"But in the second half we created the better chances and were the better team and it's a terrific result for us."

Hull:

Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Dawson, Marney, Ashbee, Zayatte (Geovanni 87), Kilbane, Garcia (Manucho 79), Cousin (Mendy 67).

Subs Not Used: Myhill, Doyle, Barmby, Halmosi.

Booked: Dawson, Ashbee.

Goal: Turner 27.

Tottenham:

Cudicini, Corluka, Woodgate (Dawson 89), King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon (Zokora 87), Jenas, Palacios, Modric, Keane, Bent (Pavlyuchenko 72).

Subs Not Used: Gomes, Bentley, Huddlestone, Chimbonda.

Booked: Modric.

Goals: Lennon 17, Woodgate 86.

Att: 24,742

Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).

BBC Sport Player Rater men of the match: Tottenham's Aaron Lennon and Hull's Michael Turner

Pre-Season 2009-10 Review & Liverpool Preview

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR PRE-SEASON REVIEW & LIVERPOOL MATCH PREVIEW

Spurs have been relatively quiet in the summer transfer window so far with Peter Crouch re-joining the club from Portsmouth for a reported £10 million, the Sheffield United pair of Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker joining the club for an estimated combined total of £10 million and Arsenal youngster Anton Blackwood coming on a 'free'. Sebastien Bassong signed from Newcastle United for an estimated £8 million.

Didier Zokora and Chris Gunter left Spurs for an estimated combined total of £10.4 million with Ricardo Rocha released, Fraizer Campbell returning to Manchester United after his season-long loan spell. Around a dozen youngsters were released by the club. Darren Bent was sold to Sunderland for a total fee of £16.5 million.



The first three pre-season friendlies all resulted in Spurs wins: 3-0 away to Exeter City, 3-0 away to AFC Bournemouth and 4-0 away to Peterborough United giving Harry's squad a solid start to the new season.

Spurs compete in the inaugural Wembley Cup against Barcelona and Celtic. First up was the game against Barcelona which resulted in a very creditable 1-1 draw but the match against Celtic resulted in a 2-0 defeat for Tottenham.

Spurs continued their pre-season matches by winning the FA Premier League Asia Tournament in China beating West Ham United 1-0 in the semi-final and Hull City 3-0 in the Final. This was followed by a 2-0 friendly defeat against South China in Hong Kong on 2nd August.

The only home friendly Spurs played was on 9th August against Greek Champions Olympiakos, which resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win for Tottenham with goals from Pavlyuchenko, Corluka and Defoe.



The 2009-10 season gets underway for real with a rare opening Premier League home game against Liverpool followed by two away fixtures at Hull City and West Ham United - the two teams Spurs beat in China in July.




Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool at White Hart Lane in the first Premier League match of season 2009-10 on Sunday 16th August 2009, Kick-off 16:00.

Spurs finished 2008-09 in 8th place, while Liverpool finished as runners-up to Manchester United who equalled Liverpool's English record of 18 League Titles.

The two teams met three times last season with Spurs winning their home League game 2-1 and beating Liverpool at White Hart Lane 4-2 in the League Cup. Liverpool won the reverse Premier League game at Anfield 3-1 in the last match of the season.

PREVIOUS MATCHES:

26-Dec-1894 Friendly - H W 3 - 0 Hunter, Payne jnr, Payne snr
12-Apr-95 Friendly - H W 6 - 0 Wilkinson, Laycock, Hunter (2), McElhaney (2)
13-Nov-1909 Division 1 22,000 H W 1 - 0 Middlemiss
26-Mar-10 Division 1 15,000 A L 0 - 2
29-Oct-10 Division 1 12,000 A W 2 - 1 Minter, Humphreys
04-Mar-11 Division 1 25,000 H W 1 - 0 Minter
11-Nov-11 Division 1 23,000 H W 2 - 0 Minter, Middlemiss
16-Mar-12 Division 1 15,000 A W 2 - 1 Newman, Mason
02-Nov-12 Division 1 15,000 A L 1 - 4 Minter
08-Mar-13 Division 1 20,000 H W 1 - 0 Middlemiss
29-Nov-13 Division 1 21,000 A L 1 - 2 Cantrell
04-Apr-14 Division 1 19,800 H D 0 - 0
31-Oct-14 Division 1 12,000 A L 2 - 7 Clay (pen), Bliss
06-Mar-15 Division 1 12,000 H D 1 - 1 Minter
25-Mar-21 Division 1 40,000 A D 1 - 1 Blis
28-Mar-21 Division 1 35,000 H W 1 - 0 Smith
22-Oct-21 Division 1 31,593 H L 0 - 1
29-Oct-21 Division 1 25,000 A D 1 - 1 Dimmock
04-Nov-22 Division 1 35,068 H L 2 - 4 Clay (pen), Grimsdell
11-Nov-22 Division 1 29,000 A D 0 - 0
29-Mar-24 Division 1 22,000 A L 0 - 1
05-Apr-24 Division 1 22,470 H D 1 - 1 Grimsdell
13-Dec-24 Division 1 25,604 H D 1 - 1 Hargreaves
18-Apr-25 Division 1 12,000 A L 0 - 1
24-Oct-25 Division 1 29,952 H W 3 - 1 Osborne (3)
06-Mar-26 Division 1 26,355 A D 0 - 0
11-Dec-26 Division 1 26,640 H L 1 - 2 Blair
30-Apr-27 Division 1 15,756 A L 0 - 1
17-Dec-27 Division 1 21,234 H W 3 - 1 Osborne, Elkes (2)
28-Apr-28 Division 1 31,780 A L 0 - 2
23-Sep-33 Division 1 33,080 H L 0 - 3
03-Feb-34 Division 1 30,809 A L 1 - 3 Hunt GS
15-Dec-34 Division 1 24,688 A L 1 - 4 O'Callaghan
27-Apr-35 Division 1 15,613 H W 5 - 1 Bolan, Hunt DA, Evans W (3)
06-Sep-50 Division 1 39,015 A L 1 - 2 Medley
05-May-51 Division 1 49,072 H W 3 - 1 Walters, Murphy (2)
01-Dec-51 Division 1 51,342 H L 2 - 3 Walters, Bennett
19-Apr-52 Division 1 36,898 A D 1 - 1 Duquemin
10-Sep-52 Division 1 49,869 A L 1 - 2 Baily
15-Sep-52 Division 1 37,319 H W 3 - 1 Groves (2), Harmer
12-Sep-53 Division 1 47,535 H W 2 - 1 Ramsay, Walters
23-Jan-54 Division 1 43,592 A D 2 - 2 Walters, Lock og
12-Apr-63 Division 1 54,463 A L 2 - 5 Jones, Dyson
15-Apr-63 Division 1 53,727 H W 7 - 2 Jones (2), Saul, Greaves (4, 1pen)
27-Mar-64 Division 1 57,022 H L 1 - 3 Norman
30-Mar-64 Division 1 52,904 A L 1 - 3 Mullery
28-Nov-64 Division 1 41,198 A D 1 - 1 Greaves
12-Mar-65 Division 1 50,760 A L 0 - 1
09-Apr-65 Division 1 28,441 H W 3 - 0 Saul, Low, Gilzean
18-Sep-65 Division 1 46,925 H W 2 - 1 Clayton, Gilzean, Greaves (2)
01-Apr-67 Division 1 53,135 H W 2 - 1 Greaves (2)
06-May-67 Division 1 40,845 A D 0 - 0
04-Nov-67 Division 1 47,682 H D 1 - 1 Jones
09-Mar-68 F.A. Cup 5 54,005 H D 1 - 1 Greaves
12-Mar-68 F.A. Cup 5 Replay 53,658 A L 1 - 2 Jones
29-Apr-68 Division 1 41,688 A D 1 - 1 Greaves
19-Oct-68 Division 1 44,122 H W 2 - 1 Greaves (2)
21-Dec-68 Division 1 43,843 A L 0 - 1
16-Aug-69 Division 1 50,474 H L 0 - 2
07-Oct-69 Division 1 46,518 A D 0 - 0
10-Oct-70 Division 1 44,547 H W 1 - 0 Peters
06-Mar-71 F.A. Cup 6 54,731 A D 0 - 0
16-Mar-71 F.A. Cup 6 Replay 56,283 H L 0 - 1
17-Apr-71 Division 1 46,363 A D 0 - 0
04-Sep-71 Division 1 50,124 H W 2 - 0 Chivers, Peters
18-Dec-71 Division 1 43,409 A D 0 - 0
25-Nov-72 Division 1 45,497 H L 1 - 2 Chivers
06-Dec-72 League Cup 5 Replay 34,565 H W 3 - 1 Pratt, Chivers (2)
25-Mar-73 UEFA SF (2L) 46,919 H W 2 - 1 Peters (2)
31-Mar-73 Division 1 48,477 A D 1 - 1 Gilzean
10-Apr-73 UEFA SF (1L) 42,174 A L 0 - 1
22-Sep-73 Division 1 42,901 A L 2 - 3 Chivers, Peters
04-Dec-73 League Cup 5 48,677 A D 1 - 1 Peters
08-May-74 Division 1 24,618 H D 1 - 1 McGrath
07-Sep-74 Division 1 47,538 A L 2 - 5 Perryman, Chivers
22-Mar-75 Division 1 34,331 H L 0 - 2
23-Aug-75 Division 1 42,729 A L 2 - 3 Jones, Duncan
13-Dec-75 Division 1 29,891 H L 0 - 4
18-Sep-76 Division 1 47,421 A L 0 - 2
09-Mar-77 Division 1 32,098 H W 1 - 0 Coates
02-Sep-78 Division 1 50,705 A L 0 - 7
22-Nov-78 Division 1 50,393 H D 0 - 0
17-Nov-79 Division 1 51,092 A L 1 - 2 Jones
08-Mar-80 F.A. Cup 6 48,033 H L 0 - 1
29-Mar-80 Division 1 32,114 H W 2 - 0 Pratt, Hoddle (pen)
06-Dec-80 Division 1 39,545 A L 1 - 2 Archibald
25-Apr-81 Division 1 35,334 H D 1 - 1 Hoddle
13-Mar-82 League Cup Final 100,000 Wem L 1 - 3 (a.e.t) Archibald
03-May-82 Division 1 38,091 H D 2 - 2 Perryman, Archibald
15-May-82 Division 1 48,122 A L 1 - 3 Hoddle
21-Aug-82 Charity Shield 82,500 Wem L 0 - 1
27-Nov-82 Division 1 40,691 A L 0 - 3
30-Apr-83 Division 1 44,907 H W 2 - 0 Archibald (2)
12-Nov-83 Division 1 44,348 H D 2 - 2 Archibald, Hoddle (pen)
10-Mar-84 Division 1 36,718 A L 1 - 3 Stevens
02-Jun-84 Tour/RSSC - A L 2 - 5 Thomas, Falco (Royal Swazi Sun Challenge in Swaziland)
09-Jun-84 Tour/RSSC - A D 1 - 1 Brazil (Royal Swazi Sun Challenge in Swaziland)
12-Oct-84 Division 1 28,599 H W 1 - 0 Crooks
31-Oct-84 League Cup 3 38,690 H W 1 - 0 Allen C
27-Jan-85 F.A. Cup 4 27,905 A L 0 - 1
16-Mar-85 Division 1 43,852 A W 1 - 0 Crooks
28-Sep-85 Division 1 41,521 A L 1 - 4 Chiedozie
03-Dec-85 SSS Cup Gp. 14,855 A L 0 - 2 (Screen Sport Super Cup)
14-Jan-86 SSS Cup Gp. 10,078 H L 0 - 2 (Screen Sport Super Cup)
02-Mar-86 Division 1 16,436 H L 1 - 2 Waddle
11-Oct-86 Division 1 43,139 A W 1 - 0 Allen C
22-Mar-87 Division 1 32,763 H W 1 - 0 Waddle
28-Nov-87 Division 1 47,362 H L 0 - 2
23-Apr-88 Division 1 44,798 A L 0 - 1
17-Sep-88 Division 1 40,929 A D 1 - 1 Fenwick
26-Mar-89 Division 1 30,012 H L 1 - 2 Fenwick (pen)
29-Oct-89 Division 1 26,550 A L 0 - 1
21-Mar-90 Division 1 25,656 H W 1 - 0 Stewart
04-Nov-90 Division 1 35,003 H L 1 - 3 Lineker
11-May-91 Division 1 36,192 A L 0 - 2
18-Dec-91 Division 1 27,434 H L 1 - 2 Walsh
21-Mar-92 Division 1 39,968 A L 1 - 2 Stewart
31-Oct-92 FA Prem 32,917 H W 2 - 0 Nayim, Ruddock
08-May-93 FA Prem 43,385 A L 2 - 6 Sedgley, Sheringham
25-Aug-93 FA Prem 42,456 A W 2 - 1 Sheringham (2, 1pen)
18-Dec-93 FA Prem 31,394 H D 3 - 3 Samways, Hazard (pen), Caskey
26-Nov-94 FA Prem 35,007 A D 1 - 1 Ruddock og
11-Mar-95 F.A. Cup 6 39,582 A W 2 - 1 Sheringham, Klinsmann
22-Mar-95 FA Prem 31,988 H D 0 - 0
26-Aug-95 FA Prem 31,254 H L 1 - 3 Barnes og
03-Feb-96 FA Prem 40,628 A D 0 - 0
02-Dec-96 FA Prem 32,899 H L 0 - 2
03-May-97 FA Prem 40,003 A L 1 - 2 Anderton
08-Nov-97 FA Prem 38,006 A L 0 - 4
14-Mar-98 FA Prem 30,245 H D 3 - 3 Klinsmann, Ginola, Vega
10-Nov-98 League Cup 4 20,772 A W 3 - 1 Iversen, Scales, Nielsen
05-Dec-98 FA Prem 36,125 H W 2 - 1 Fox, Carragher o.g.
01-May-99 FA Prem 44,007 A L 2 - 3 Carragher o.g., Iversen
03-Jan-2000 FA Prem 36,044 H W 1 - 0 Armstrong
09-Apr-00 FA Prem 44,536 A L 0 - 2
19-Nov-00 FA Prem 36,036 H W 2 - 1 Ferdinand, Sherwood
22-Apr-01 FA Prem 43,547 A L 1 - 3 Korsten
22-Sep-01 FA Prem 44,116 A L 0 - 1
27-Apr-02 FA Prem 36,017 H W 1 - 0 Poyet
26-Oct-02 FA Prem 44,084 A L 1 - 2 Richards
15-Mar-03 FA Prem 36,077 H L 2 - 3 Taricco, Sheringham
27-Aug-03 FA Prem 43,778 A D 0 - 0
17-Jan-04 FA Prem 36,104 H W 2 - 1 Keane (pen), Postiga
14-Aug-04 FA Prem 35,105 H D 1 - 1 Defoe
01-Dec-04 League Cup 5 36,100 H D 1 - 1 (a.e.t) Defoe (Spurs lost 4-3 on pens)
16-Apr-05 FA Prem 44,029 A D 2 - 2 Edman, Keane
10-Sep-05 FA Prem 36,148 H D 0 - 0
14-Jan-06 FA Prem 44,983 A L 0 - 1
23-Sep-06 FA Prem 44,330 A L 0 - 3
30-Dec-06 FA Prem 36,170 H L 0 - 1
07-Oct-07 FA Prem 43,986 A D 2 - 2 Keane (2)
11-May-08 FA Prem 36,063 H L 0 - 2
01-Nov-08 FA Prem 36,183 H W 2 - 1 Carragher o.g., Pavlyuchenko
12-Nov-08 League Cup 4 33,242 H W 4 - 2 Pavlyuchenko (2),Campbell (2)
24-May-09 FA Prem 43,937 A L 1 - 3 Keane
16-Aug-09 FA Prem H
09-Jan-10 FA Prem A




JERMAIN DEFOE ON LIVERPOOL:



Jermain Defoe quickly set his sights on Liverpool after one of the biggest nights of his life on the international stage.

The striker maintained his fine form in pre-season with both goals as a second half substitute as England came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Holland in Wednesday night's friendly at the Amsterdam Arena.

It was his biggest night for the Three Lions since grabbing a goal in a World Cup qualifier against Poland back in September, 2004 and means he's scored four of England's last five goals having bagged numbers four and five in the 6-0 win against Andorra in June.

But speaking after returning to England on Thursday, ‘JD' had already turned his attentions to our huge opening weekend fixture against the Reds at the Lane on Sunday.

"At that level every game is difficult anyway but when you play against top nations, the likes of Holland, Brasil, Argentina, it's always fantastic to get on the scoresheet and to get two goals was great for me," he said. "I was buzzing, as you could imagine.

"As soon as I woke up this morning I thought ‘yes, I'm ready for Liverpool' and I'm looking forward that game. All I want to do now is help us get off to a good start to the season.

"I always feel sharp in pre-season and that's been the one of the best parts of my game, working a yard of space and getting my shots off, so I've always had that even when I was younger but in terms of fitness and strength, I don't think I've ever felt this good.

"Maybe it's because I'm getting older and maturing as a player, I feel much stronger. I just want to keep that going and help the team get off to a positive start against Liverpool.

"It's such a big game for everyone, especially at this early stage of the season. The lads can't wait for it and we all feel it's game we can win.

"We're at home, we know the fans will be right behind us and it's all about our belief. We want to make a good start and we're after the three points."


HARRY LOOKS FORWARD TO LIVERPOOL

Harry Redknapp was impressed with the performance as we toppled Olympiacos 3-0 in Sunday's final pre-season friendly.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vedran Corluka and Jermain Defoe bagged the goals in the second half against the Greek champions at White Hart Lane.

Peter Crouch - who went close twice in the first half - and Sebastien Bassong made their Spurs debuts while Ledley King came through his first 45 minutes of the summer.

"It was another step up and I was well pleased with how we played," said Harry.

"It was a good performance and result against a good side who had a big result in the Champions League (beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0 on aggregate) last week.

"I was particularly pleased with how we moved the ball around, our movement and all the strikers are looking sharp, so that's ideal for us.

"We have four strikers and they are all top players. Jermain scored, Pav scored, Crouchy was terrific for us in the first half and we all know what Robbie's about."

So the build-up to next Sunday's mouth-watering opener against Liverpool at home in the Barclays Premier League now starts in earnest.

"It's a tough one to start with but a great game to look forward to," added Harry. "Liverpool are a fantastic team but we're in good form as well. I'm sure it will be a terrific game."

SEBASTEIN BASSONG:



Sebastien Bassong will be available for selection for our Premier League season opener against Liverpool on Sunday.

The defender was handed a two-match suspension after being sent off whilst playing for Newcastle United against Fulham last May.

However, given he served the first game of his ban against Aston Villa on the final day of the previous campaign as a Newcastle United player, it meant the suspension continued to apply to Newcastle United games and was therefore satisfied when his former club visited West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the Championship season on Saturday.


PETER CROUCH:



Peter Crouch says he feels sharp and ready for the big kick-off after a promising debut on Sunday.

The striker played the first half of our final pre-season friendly against Olympiacos at the Lane and now has Liverpool in his sights on Sunday.

Although he was left frustrated in front of goal by a couple of near misses, Crouchy impressed with his all-round play and, naturally, his aerial ability.

"It was one of those days in front of goal I suppose but I was pleased with my performance," he said.

"It was my first 45 minutes of pre-season and it was good to get it out of the way. It's all about fitness and I feel sharp and ready for the season."

Crouchy started up front with Robbie Keane in a goalless first half before Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko took over in the second half and bagged a goal each in the 3-0 win, Vedran Corluka the other scorer.

"I've played with Roman, Robbie and Jermain in training and they are all fantastic players," added Peter. "We've four strikers battling it out for two spots, healthy competition and that has to be good for the club."


LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS:

Jamie Carragher looks set to be fit for Liverpool's opening Premier League clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

The centre-half sparked fears that he would miss the start of the season when he limped out of Liverpool's pre-season friendly with a twisted ankle, but local media reports suggest that Carragher will be fit to face Spurs.

He will be partnered by either Martin Skrtel or Daniel Agger, who have suffered with hanstring and back problems respectively. The Liverpool Echo claims that 'Rafa Benitez is hopeful either Skrtel or Agger will prove their fitness in time to face Spurs'.

Carragher's return will banish nightmares of youngsters Martin Kelly, Daniel Ayala or Mikel San Jose being forced to line up against Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.

Unsurprisingly, Steven Gerrard is also expected to be fit despite pulling out of England's friendly international with Holland.

TEAM NEWS

Steven Gerrard is doubtful for Liverpool with a groin injury but both Jamie Carragher (ankle) and Martin Skrtel (hamstring) should feature.

New signing Alberto Aquilani is unlikely to play before September as he recovers from an ankle problem.

Tottenham's Jonathan Woodgate is recovering from groin surgery while fellow centre-back Michael Dawson is out with an Achilles injury.

Sebastien Bassong could make his debut following an £8m move from Newcastle.

Tottenham

Suspended: None

Injured/unavailable: Bale (knee), Dawson (Achilles), Woodgate (groin)

Liverpool

Suspended: None

Doubtful: Carragher (ankle), Gerrard (groin), Skrtel (hamstring) Injured: Agger (back), Aquilani (ankle), Aurelio (knee), El Zhar (knee)


MATCH PREVIEW

Liverpool face an early test of their title credentials with a trip to White Hart Lane, where Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League since last November.

The Reds suffered only two league defeats last season, the first a 2-1 reverse at Spurs that lifted Harry Redknapp's side off the bottom of the table.

Though Liverpool gained revenge on the final day, the damage had already been done, with a first league title since 1990 eluding the Reds despite 10 wins from their last 11 games.

Nine years after leaving White Hart Lane without a first team appearance to his name, Peter Crouch could make his Tottenham debut following his move from Portsmouth.

Like team-mate Robbie Keane, he will be hoping to prove a point to Rafael Benitez after being deemed surplus to requirements during a spell at Anfield.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Last season's 2-1 defeat is Liverpool's only loss in their last 10 league games against Tottenham.

• Spurs also beat the Reds in the fourth round of the League Cup on 12 November 2008.

Tottenham

• Spurs are chasing a seventh successive home league win. They are unbeaten in their last 11 top flight games at White Hart Lane. Everton were the last side to take maximum points at Spurs, winning 1-0 on 30 November 2008.

• Spurs made their worst start to a top flight season last year. When Harry Redknapp took over at White Hart Lane at the end of October, Spurs were bottom of the table with two points from eight games. They picked up 49 points from the remaining 30 matches to finish eighth.

• Tottenham's last hat-trick against the Reds was scored by Jimmy Greaves, who scored four at White Hart Lane in a 7-2 win in 1963.

Liverpool

• The Reds have won 10 and drawn one of their last 11 league games.

• Liverpool's tally of 77 league goals last season was their best since 1990/91.

• A win would make Liverpool the first team to reach 5,000 points in the top flight of English football.

• Jamie Carragher has scored only three Premier League goals since making his debut 11 years ago. He has also scored three own goals against Tottenham (two at White Hart Lane).

LEADING GOALSCORERS LAST SEASON

Darren Bent: 17 goals (12 league), Roman Pavlyuchenko: 14 goals (5 league)

Steven Gerrard: 24 goals (16 league), Fernando Torres: 17 goals (14 league)

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Phil Dowd

Assistant referees: Mike Mullarkey, Simon Beck

Fourth official: Stuart Attwell



LAST TIME WE MET...

















Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Liverpool ended their campaign with a comfortable win in which Sami Hyypia appeared as a substitute late on in his final appearance for the Anfield club.

Fernando Torres headed in Dirk Kuyt's cross for the opener in the first half.

Alan Hutton unluckily deflected a shot from Kuyt to make it 2-0 before Robbie Keane briefly silenced the home crowd when Liverpool's offside trap failed.

Yossi Benayoun made sure of the win, however, as Liverpool finished second and Spurs had to settle for eighth.

There was almost a fairytale ending for Finnish defender Hyypia, when - after a decade of service for Liverpool - he nearly scored a 36th goal for the club in his 454th appearance.

Rising majestically to fire a header at the Spurs goal, the Bayer Leverkusen-bound 35-year-old forced Heurelho Gomes into a scrambling save.

Liverpool started and finished the game strongly, while Spurs were generally outclassed and never looked like getting the victory they needed to give them a chance of scraping into the Europa League.

Benayoun was the most industrious player early on for the Reds and he fired over from close in after Kuyt had headed down a corner from Fabio Aurelio.

Torres was quiet initially but sparked into life after 27 minutes when he surged through from midfield and found himself clear just outside the box, only to see his attempt to steer a shot wide of Gomes thwarted by a challenge from Jermaine Jenas.

In making the tackle, Jenas injured himself and was unable to see out the half in his 150th appearance for Spurs. David Bentley eventually came on for him, but by then Spurs were a goal behind.

An error by Benoit Assou-Ekotto allowed Steven Gerrard to Dirk Kuyt down the right, and the Dutch international had time to switch to his left foot to pick out Torres at the far post.

The blond striker rose with perfect timing to elude his marker Hutton and powered in a header which rattled off the underside of the crossbar and into Gomes's net.

It was Torres's 50th Liverpool goal, and he has reached the landmark in fewer matches than some high-profile Liverpool strikers of yesteryear, such as Ian Rush, John Aldridge, Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen.

Spurs did carve out one half-chance just before the break as Jermain Defoe beat the offside trap to race clear but Pepe Reina managed to block him on the right-hand edge of the penalty area.

The early part of the second half saw Tottenham continue to make the Liverpool defence work, with Luka Modric brought down by Daniel Agger, giving the visitors a tasty free-kick from the edge of the D.

Gareth Bale took it from a central position but Reina palmed his strike down in front of him, with no Spurs players able to get to the rebound in time.

Liverpool woke suddenly from their siesta and turned on the heat once again. Gerrard, twisting and turning in the Tottenham box, unsuccessfully claimed a penalty when his cross struck Vedran Corluka's outstretched arm.

Martin Skrtel's deflected shot went narrowly wide but soon it was 2-0 as the energetic Kuyt exchanged passes with Benayoun before rifling in a shot which would have gone wide of the post - but deflected in off the unlucky Hutton.

Xabi Alonso forced a save from Gomes and shots from Gerrard and the newly-introduced Albert Riera flew wide as Liverpool continued to press.

Unexpectedly, Keane gave Spurs brief respite by springing the offside trap and shooting past Reina.

However there was to be no twist in the tale, as Benayoun shrugged off the attentions of Ledley King to grab Liverpool's third. Moments later, Hyypia was sent on to a mass standing ovation for the final few minutes.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez:

"I was trying to keep Sami [Hyppia] on the bench until the last minute but I couldn't because the fans were pushing me. Working with Sami for five years I know he is a fantastic professional and hopefully he will do the same in Germany and then come back to us.

"Clearly he will have a position with us in two or three years if we're still here. But it's a little bit emotional and a little bit sad today.

"We knew it was important for the fans that we finished the season really well. When it's the last game it's difficult to keep working hard but I was impressed with [Javier] Mascherano who just kept running."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp:

"It's been a hard season but it's terrific for us to finish where we have. Today we conceded some sloppy goals but it was a typical end-of season game.

"Our away form hasn't been good enough this season but you look at today, we brought in a couple of lads who don't play regularly and it shows us what we need next year if we're going to push up and close the gap on teams like Liverpool.

"It was nice to see Sami Hyypia come on. He got an unbelievable ovation from a fantastic club and its supporters."

Liverpool:

Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Aurelio, Mascherano, Alonso, Kuyt (Riera 66), Gerrard (Hyypia 84), Benayoun, Torres (Ngog 78).

Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Lucas, Insua, Degen.

Goals: Torres 31, Hutton 64 og, Benayoun 81.

Tottenham Hotspur:

Gomes, Hutton, Corluka, King, Assou-Ekotto, Modric, Zokora, Jenas (Bentley 40), Bale (Bent 78), Defoe (Pavlyuchenko 70), Keane.

Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Gunter, Campbell, Chimbonda.

Booked: Corluka.

Goals: Keane 77.

Att: 43,937

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Liverpool's Sami Hyppia