Spurs’ talented trio may not be denied a second time

Press, 14 May 1981, Page 32

Spurs’ talented trio may not be denied a second time

By

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE

Golfers say that the only thing better than a round of golf is another round of golf. Whether the same can be said for another English Cup Final remains to be seen when Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City return to Wembley tomorrow morning (New Zealand time) for some unfinished business.

The first exhilarating encounter ended in the early hours of Sunday morning, with the famous Wembley ground resembling a battlefield, littered by crampstricken, weary players, and the score balanced at one goal each. The ordinary time and the extra time of the first match produced a great struggle. If it was, at times, more a clash of charging elephants than a scenario of flashing rapiers, that did not mar the hundredth final as a spectacle nor undermine its role as English soccer’s annual showpiece. Manchester did what it had to do — what it was ideally equipped to do: stifle Tottenham’s midfield expertise. It is now history how well it succeeded, with ruthless efficiency. The question now to be answered is whether City can do the same job again. It is thought that Tottenham, having suffered once and survived, will have worked out the counter to these tactics for the replay. That answer begs one question: City has now succeeded twice with the same tactics. It had just as effectively destroyed the menance of Ipswich Town’s two magnificent Dutchmen, Muhren and Thijssen, in the semi-finals and Spurs did not learn from that lesson first time round. The outcome of tomorrow morning’s replay may well rest on whether'Tottepham’s manager, Keith Burkinshaw, has now found the counter to City’s tight marking, sharp tackling, and defence in depth.

Most British commentators, who had made Tottenham favourite for the first

match, appear to have unchanged minds. They still believe Spurs have the match-winners in mid-field, in Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, and Glen Hoddle, and that this highly talented trio will not be denied a second time.

They may be right. Manchester might well have shot its bolt when the cruel own goal by Tommy Hutchison, who had earlier headed City into the lead, allowed Spurs a second chance.

Ardiles, himself, is convinced that Manchester will not be able to put the same stranglehold on him and his mid-field colleagues. “Nerves played a part in the first match,” he said this week. “We will not be affected in the same way in the replay.” City appears to have suffered far more than Tottenham from the physical effects of the first match. On Tuesday, it had six players under treatment, with Gerry Gow, the player who did most to upset Tottenham’s rhythm, the most doubtful with a strained groin. • Other City players in trouble were Dave Bennett, the captain, Paul Power, the hero and villain, Hutchison, Tommy Caton, and Kevin Reeves. Spurs had three on the physiotherapist's table, Graham Roberts, the substitute. Garry Brooke, and Tony Galvin.

At least, the cup this time will find an “owner” until next May. If the scores are still level after extra time, penalty kicks will decide the outcome, for the first time in the history of the competition.

It has not been a popular decision.

The Manchester City manager, John Bond, would have

preferred an extra time of 15 minutes, and if one side had still not won by then, that play would go on until one side did score.

The procedure is commonly known as “sudden death.” Bond cannot have considered the matter as carefully as he does most things connected with soccer. If the first match had gone on any longer we might have had the hilarious situation of the last player still standing dribbling around writhing bodies and scoring the winning goal. And that might have been a long, lingering death. Footnote; Still Tottenham to win, by 3-1.