[NoSkillz]

Sat. September 2, 2023

Barclays Premier League
Dover (1-1-0, 4 points, 4th) vs. Tottenham (0-1-1, 1 points, 13th)
Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover, UK

Betting Odds: Dover: 6-4 (Favourites) Draw: 2-1 Tottenham: 13-8
Past Meetings: 5W 4D 2L

Last year, Tottenham were bought out by an oil tycoon who dumped a whole bunch of capital into the club but then they proceeded to royally flop, finishing an embarrassing 10th and out of continental competition. They are off to a rough start again and you can tell they are a club in transition, with too many older players making too much money. They have started the process of getting younger and they were HUGE spenders again in the transfer market, sending £55 million to Bayern Munich for two players: 26 year old Cameroon striker Jean Junior and Uruguayan fullback Christian Sosa. Junior is a very fast and talented forward that we’ll have to keep an eye on today. Veteran midfielder Gareth Bale is still around too but at 34 years old, he’s got very little left in the tank despite making a ludicrous £160,000 per week!

We are coming off a dominating performance against Fulham and I decide to keep four goal man Paul Moses in the starting lineup. How could I possibly take him out after that performance? I do go back to GK Ingo Wilke and MC Andrea Rocca. Jose has two assists in as many games but he’ll be on the bench to start. Control mentality at home.

Dover: 4-4-2 Control
GK - I. Wilke
D - R. Gaucho, C. Contreras, R. Hamon, S. Loucif
M - A. Bamba, N. Cairney, A. Rocca, G. Bolis
S - P. Moses, Chiquinho
Bench - Rafinha, S. Nasri, Jose, G. Fanfoni, H. Cruz, G. Allan, S. Andrea

Spurs come out in a flat 4-4-2 as well, with old friend Gerardo Escobar up front along with new signing Jean Junior. Aaron Flynn is in goal. We need a better performance in front of our home supporters today.

12’ - We have possession and it looks like a nothing play, as Rocca gets the ball up to Moses. From just outside the area, he cuts right and lets go with a VICIOUS shot that goes right into the top corner of the net on the far side, past the outstretched Flynn and our young wonderkid strikes again! Incredible shot! DOVER GOAL 1-0

14’ - Off the ensuing kick, Escobar avoids a tackle from Rayane Hamon and walks in on goal. His shot is stopped by a diving Wilke but the rebound pops right to Jean Junior. He shoots but Claudio Contreras is there to block the ball and kick it to safety. WOW. We are super lucky there!

22’ - Our defence and midfield are letting Spurs control play and Stanley Hermsen walks right in and rips a blast that forces Wilke into a spectacular stop.

28’ - Chiquinho embellishes on a tackle and is given an unsportsmanlike yellow card.

30’ - Rocca with a rocket from distance. It’s aimed at the top corner but Flynn makes a brilliant stop. We get a corner that is cleared and Tottenham send a long ball up field and Jean Junior is behind the defence. He shoots low and it’s IN but the assistant’s flag is up. Offsides! NO GOAL!

HALFTIME - A drab match. We hold 54% of possession but they outshoot us 6-6 (3-2 on target). We’ve generated very little here today. I offer encouragement to the team in the dressing room. Lets score one more guys!

53’ - We are in complete control to start the second half and Spurs have already been handed two yellows in the first five minutes. We send a long ball up to Chiquinho and he’s in the area and taken down! PENALTY! Their defender gets a yellow and it’s Neil Cairney stepping up. He scored on an incredible ten out of eleven penalties last year and this is his first of this season. Cairney usually goes right and that’s the goalkeeper’s guess but our star midfielder changes it up and goes left and it’s an easy goal! DOVER GOAL 2-0

55’ - Escobar gets past Contreras and shoots but the effort is weak and Wilke makes the save.

58’ - Chiquinho is making me nervous out there with his yellow card so I pull him out and bring in Shanon Andrea.

66’ - Similar to Moses’ goal earlier, Spurs have an innocent looking possession in our end and it’s Jean Junior getting the ball. He’s at least five yards outside our area but he turns and fires and his blast curls past Contreras, past Wilke and into the far corner of the net. THAT’S a special goal and Spurs pull to within one. TOTTENHAM GOAL 2-1

67’ - Immediately off the ensuing kick off, we move down field and there is a great chance as Bamba’s cross comes to Moses and his shot is off a diving Flynn and sitting near the goal line. Spurs clear back to centre but we head the ball back up field and it comes to Neil Cairney. He takes the first touch off his chest and just fires a shot toward goal and it’s off a diving Flynn and INTO THE NET! WOWOW! What a rocket blast from Cairney, his second of the game and we strike back immediately! DOVER GOAL 3-1

76’ - Escobar dances past Hamon again and his shot is wide. I’m not pleased with Hamon’s game today. He’s looked awful in the highlights.

Out comes Andrea Rocca and in comes Jose.

86’ - I take out Rayane Hamon and bring in Saber Nasri.

Solid enough.

Dover 3 - 1 Tottenham
Goals - Neil Cairney 2 (8.9), Paul Moses (7.5)
Assists - Rayane Hamon (7.0), Andrea Rocca (7.0), Chiquinho (6.9)
Man of the Match - Neil Cairney
Other Dover Notables - Salim Loucif (7.1), Claudio Contreras (7.1), Renato Gaucho (7.1)
Attendance - 19,524

We held 56% of possession and a 19-13 (6-6 on target) shot advantage. Cairney was excellent.

-- Liverpool are at the top of the heap with a perfect 3-0-0 record after knocking off defending champion Chelsea away. Arsenal also win. United win on Sunday over Wolves.

-- Manchester United manager Jurgen Klinsmann has been to watch both of our last two games and he’s evidently interested in Claudio Contreras, Chiquinho and Gianluca Bolis.



International Update

-- We have 25 (!!) players called up for international duty. Gaining caps are Hans Briers (Belgium U21), Emmerson Harvey (England U21 - one assist) and Andy Broomes (England U21), Lyubomir Kunchev (Bulgaria U21 - one goal and one assist), Rafael Ramirez (Mexico U20), Rafinha (Brazil U20), Marcel Quade (Austria U21 - one assist), Zoltan Bardi (Hungary - THREE goals), Saber Nasri (Tunisia), Paul Moses (England - one goal), Graham Allan and Neil Cairney (Scotland), Manuel Perez (Mexico), Salim Loucif (Algeria), Chiquinho (Belgium - one goal), Giorgos Gesios (Greece), Mwemere Mutesa (Rwanda) and Arsene Bamba (Ivory Coast). Also, midfielder Jose got his first ever call up from Brazil and earns his first official cap, playing well in a 4-1 win over Slovenia. Congratulations to Jose!

-- The goal by Moses is his first ever senior level goal for England. Congrats to the youngster!



Barclays Premier League Team of the Week

-- Neil Cairney once again makes the Team of the Week in the Premier League.




Dover U18 Update

-- The young kids beat Oxford 3-0, with goals coming from Phil Whitbread, Jim Ryan and Pete Smith.



Champions League Odds

-- Barcelona are the favourites to win this year, with 3-1 odds. The other main contenders are Manchester United (4-1), Sampdoria (15-2), Atletico Madrid (9-1), Real Madrid (901) and Bayern Munich (9-1). Two years ago we were 33-1, last year we were 20-1 and this year we move up to 18-1.



Dover Reserves Team Update

-- With most of our players away on international duty, I field a team filled with U18 prospects but we still win 3-0 over Blackburn Reserves. We get goals from Sean Woolley, Norberto Vazquez and Gary Archer.



Next Up

-- We head to Old Trafford to take on league powerhouse Manchester United.