Sport

Todd sees depth of challenge

Colin Todd is fast remembering how difficult it is to be in charge of a football team

By MARTIN THORPE
Tue Oct 16 2001 - 01:00

Colin Todd is fast remembering how difficult it is to be in charge of a football team. Two games and two defeats with Derby leaves the side which the former Bolton manager inherited from Jim Smith third bottom of the Premiership.

Tottenham's start was typically storming and only a series of flying saves from stand-in goalkeeper Ian Feuer kept them out.

But on 10 minutes Ledley King, up from the back, produced a surging run and shot which a defender blocked. The ball broke to Christian Ziege on the left and his fierce low cross found Ferdinand unmarked on the far post.

But Derby are capable of scoring goals out of the blue and they equalised within two minutes. Fabrizio Ravenelli was fed by Deon Burton. King seemed to have him covered but the crafty Italian somehow managed to stretch his legs round the defender and, grounded, hooked the ball into the opposite corner.

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But Spurs came back. Feuer saved from Teddy Sheringham, Ziege and Ferdinand while Gus Poyet hit the top of the bar with a header. Then, five minutes from the break, Sheringham played a fantastic ball inside the full back to Ziege, whose goalbound flick beat Feuer's dash from his line.

Tottenham's priority as they emerged for the second half was to score a third goal.

They cranked up the pressure from the start and Derby gave away corners and free-kicks in abundance. Todd brought on Georgi Kinkladze in an attempt to put some pressure on Spurs, it was more about how long Derby could resist it at the other end. Resist they did until the final minute when Poyet's audacious 30-yard lob caught Feuer off his line.

TOTTENHAM: Sullivan, King, Richards, Perry, Ziege, Taricco, Freund, Anderton, Poyet, Ferdinand (Rebrov 87), Sheringham. Subs not used: Keller, Sherwood, Thatcher, Davies. Goals: Ferdinand 10, Ziege 41, Poyet 90.

DERBY: Feuer, Johnson, Higginbotham, Riggott, Mawene, Burley, Murray (Kinkladze 62), Powell, Valakari, Burton (Christie 71), Ravanelli. Subs not used: Elliott, Boertien, Oakes. Booked: Mawene, Ravanelli. Goals: Ravanelli 15.

Referee: M Halsey (Garden City).