Tweet
GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times BST)To get involved, please useor text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide). (Not all contributions can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate)
2013: Kolo Toure is encouraging referee Steve Bennett to book Benoit Assou-Ekotto for a foul on Adam Johnson. The ref's not really interested in the Man City defender's opinion.
2010: Brilliant, brilliant skill from Carlos Tevez as he darts between two defenders on the left, but Heurelho Gomes bundles the ball behind for a corner which comes to nothing. Tevez looking very dangerous.
2008: Typically rampaging run from Carlos Tevez. He picks up the ball in the centre circle, surges past Michael Dawson and then gets goal-side of Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the box. As the Spurs full-back is falling, Tevez's shot thwacks him in the head and he needs a bit of treatment.
2007: Craig Bellamy takes his time getting up after challenging with Younes Kaboul on the halfway line. He's flexing his knee, but looks ready to carry on.
2005: Craig Bellamy cuts in from the left and plays it in low for Gareth Barry, who hits a first-time shot well wide.
2004: Fairly hectic start. "It's like a cup match already," reckons Lawro on BBC 5 live. Gareth Bale chests the ball down and lifts it over Pablo Zabaleta before hustling to the edge of the box where he's crowded out.
From anon via text: "Cheesy. Can't stand it. Me and the wife are off down the curry house for a meal. I am leaving the phone at home. If Spurs win I will sit and watch the recording."
2002: And now at Eastlands.
2000: They're under way... at Fulham-Stoke.
BBC Sport's Phil McNulty at Eastlands: "Manchester City make a habit of providing a full-on build up to their big games this season - and none have been bigger than this. Eastlands has just been treated to a rousing operatic version of Man City's Blue Moon anthem. All slightly surreal but went down a storm with the locals."
1958: Harry Redknapp and Roberto Mancini shake hands. "Good luck," says 'Arry. Heurelho Gomes is giving some last-minute instructions to Ledley King, who is starting his second game in five days.
1957: After all that, I've started to feel a bit nervous myself. Here come the teams. The atmosphere is IMMENSE.
1955: I've learned that the singer was Martin Toal, a British operatic tenor based in the north-west of the UK. This is irrelevant really... We're on to Blue Moon now, the City scarves are in the air. How are the nerves?
1952: With NINE minutes to go until kick-off, the crowd at Eastlands are treated to a rendition of Nessun Dorma by a singer I don't recognise. Some Spurs fans don't seem to be loving it...
1948: The Man City players are just heading town the tunnel after the warm-up... These are heady times for football fans aren't they? There's tonight for a start, the Football League play-offs, Sunday's Prem climax, Fulham in the Europa League final, the FA Cup final, the Champions League final... and then... the World Cup. Actually too exciting.
From Leroy_1 on Twitter:"MASSIVE game in the Prem tonight. Personally I'm hoping neither Stoke nor Fuham win because I'm a Blackburn fan..."
1944: It's like a contest between City and Spurs fans for (a) how nervous they are, and (b) how little faith they have in their teams. More breaking news from Eastlands: Roberto Mancini is wearing the scarf.
From Zoe via text: "Cheesy, surround sound on, wine poured, game on... aarrrggghhhh. Please City... for once... please."
1939: Wish people like Man In Black (see below) would stop ruining the fun with their accurate information... Meanwhile, the big news from Eastlands is: there is light rain.
From Man in Black on 606"Why are people saying the fourth-placed team will play Champions League football next year? It gets them to the qualifying round."
1934: Peter Crouch starts in the league for the first time in six games. Big chance for him to impress Fabio tonight. According tooptajoe,Crouch and Jermain Defoe have managed to score 28 goals in the 30 matches that they have started together in the Prem.
BBC Sport's Phil McNulty at Eastlands: "Harry Redknapp knows a win here tonight will secure Champions League football for Tottenham - and his team selection reflects it as Aaron Lennon starts. The atmosphere around Eastlands reflects the importance of the occasion and Manchester City's fans will be boosted by the news that Carlos Tevez starts, despite rumours of an injury."
1930: TEAM NEWS Fulham v StokeFulham boss Roy Hodgson reverts to his first-choice XI after resting several players in Sunday's win over West Ham. Tonight's team is the same one that beat Hamburg in the Europa League six days ago, with the exception of Bobby Zamora. The Cottagers' top scorer is sidelined with an Achilles injury, so Clint Dempsey plays in an unfamiliar lone striker role. No such team-juggling for Tony Pulis. The Stoke manager names an unchanged line-up, right down to the seven substitutes.
1929: TEAM NEWS Man City v TottenhamManchester City make only one change from the side that started against Aston Villa on Saturday as Gareth Barry returns from injury to replace Patrick Vieira. Tottenham bring in Aaron Lennon in for David Bentley and Peter Crouch for Roman Pavlyuchenko, while Heurelho Gomes starts in goal and Gareth Bale is on the left of midfield. Ledley King starts his second game in five days.
From Neil via text: "Dear Caroline, I'm so nervous I want to wake up in the morning and Spurs are fourth, tell me it'll all be OK. I really hope Spurs win and we crack the top four at last. Man City = danger, Spurs = poor on the road. It's tense."
1927: TEAMS Fulham v StokeFulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Davies, Dempsey, Gera. Subs: Zuberbuhler, Baird, Okaka, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Dikgacoi.Stoke: Begovic, Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Fuller, Sidibe. Subs: Simonsen, Lawrence, Pugh, Diao, Sanli, Collins, Moult.Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
1925: TEAMS Man City v TottenhamMan City: Fulop, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge, Adam Johnson, De Jong, Barry, Bellamy, Tevez, Adebayor. Subs: Nielsen, Richards, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Santa Cruz, Sylvinho, Vieira.Tottenham: Gomes, Kaboul, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale, Crouch, Defoe. Subs: Alnwick, Bentley, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Palacios, Gudjohnsen, Bassong.Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)
1923: Also going on tonight:a testimonial game for Tony Carr, who has run West Ham's youth academy for more than 30 years.Not just any testimony game. A testimonial game featuring Di Canio, Joe Cole, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, Lampard, Terry, Zola... I recommend gollowingBBC Sport's Frank Keoghon Twitter for more news on that.
1920: Not sure the history between these two clubs means an awful lot when you consider that City are a rather different beast these days, but here goes: Spurs have won 18 of the 25 Premier League meetings, including the 10 of the last 11 and the last three. However, Harry Redknapp's record in Manchester isn't good: he has won only once in 21 Premier League visits, including 18 defeats.
1916: I think I can safely say that I have never seen so many texts/606 messages/tweets for a midweek game before. And not all of them are about Fulham-Stoke either. Keep 'em coming and I'll get as many as I can in...
From Dan on 606:"Marton Fulop looks a great big weak link in that team, I really do worry about him. I bet Harry will be telling them to have a go from range early on and try and unsettle him. I can't believe we have two of the best keepers in the league and yet it all rests on Sunderland's number three. Guess money don't buy us everything. How about we get Buffon as third choice for next year?"
From benality on 606:"I'd like Spurs to win and get fourth spot, simply because City will inevitably get their chance within the next few years."
1910: ...And then of course, there's Fulham v Stoke, which seems unlikely to herald a fundamental shift in the landscape of English football's elite, but nonetheless could be crucial in the battle for 10th.
1908: Right, here's definite team news: Gareth Barry in for Patrick Vieira. Ledley King and Heurelho Gomes start for Spurs, as do Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch.
1905: No definite team news yet. But the rumours are that Heurelho Gomes is fit to start for Spurs, and Gareth Barry will come back in for City, replacing Patrick Vieira.
1902: And if you're in any doubt as to how HUGE this game is, here's some words fromBBC sports correspondent and all-round clever man Dan Roan:"It seems we do indeed stand on the brink of a fundamental shift in the landscape of English football's elite. Perhaps the era of 'Big Four' domination is over. The recession and Uefa's determination to tackle over-spending may well combine to ensure a less predictable, more balanced competitive environment." Crikey...
From harrytotherescue on 606:"I have never been so nervous over a Spurs game. No fingernails, can't eat dinner 'cos my guts are in knots, and I'm about to fall off my seat cause I'm so close to the edge. And it's not even kicked off yet. COME ON YOU SPURS!"
From Smithers in Ilkley via text: "Typical City would be to beat Spurs convincingly then lose against West Ham on Sunday. Let's hope we'll finally recover from Cityitis. Come on City!!!"
From BoisterousCitizenTom on 606:"Re 1851: No, it's not going to be a draw, it can't be. This is our year, City to win either 2-1 or 3-1, with Adebayor grabbing a goal."
1856: Spurs boss Harry Redknapp says there's no pressure on his side. "We didn't go into the season expecting this. The only team expected to break into the top four would have been Manchester City." City boss Roberto Mancini responded: "There is no pressure. It is a football match, not a war." However his programme notes tell a rather different story: "All our players want to be in Champions League and so do I. This game now becomes the most important game for this club for many years." But no pressure though, right?
From Southern Goliath on 606:"Incredibly nervous, but also excited. Come on you Spurs! We must take the next step if we want to progress. We may not get a better chance."
1851: Apparently not, because here it is: Manchester City v Tottenham in a showdown worth somewhere between £30m and £60m (depending on your media of choice). Spurs will clinch fourth if they win. City will only need to match Spurs' result on the last day of the season if they win. As always in these situations, I'll say this: it's going to be a draw isn't it?
1845: Hang on a minute... I thought the Premier League hadrejected the idea of a play-off for the Champions League?
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
2013: Kolo Toure is encouraging referee Steve Bennett to book Benoit Assou-Ekotto for a foul on Adam Johnson. The ref's not really interested in the Man City defender's opinion.
2010: Brilliant, brilliant skill from Carlos Tevez as he darts between two defenders on the left, but Heurelho Gomes bundles the ball behind for a corner which comes to nothing. Tevez looking very dangerous.
2008: Typically rampaging run from Carlos Tevez. He picks up the ball in the centre circle, surges past Michael Dawson and then gets goal-side of Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the box. As the Spurs full-back is falling, Tevez's shot thwacks him in the head and he needs a bit of treatment.
2007: Craig Bellamy takes his time getting up after challenging with Younes Kaboul on the halfway line. He's flexing his knee, but looks ready to carry on.
2005: Craig Bellamy cuts in from the left and plays it in low for Gareth Barry, who hits a first-time shot well wide.
2004: Fairly hectic start. "It's like a cup match already," reckons Lawro on BBC 5 live. Gareth Bale chests the ball down and lifts it over Pablo Zabaleta before hustling to the edge of the box where he's crowded out.
From anon via text: "Cheesy. Can't stand it. Me and the wife are off down the curry house for a meal. I am leaving the phone at home. If Spurs win I will sit and watch the recording."
2002: And now at Eastlands.
2000: They're under way... at Fulham-Stoke.
BBC Sport's Phil McNulty at Eastlands: "Manchester City make a habit of providing a full-on build up to their big games this season - and none have been bigger than this. Eastlands has just been treated to a rousing operatic version of Man City's Blue Moon anthem. All slightly surreal but went down a storm with the locals."
1958: Harry Redknapp and Roberto Mancini shake hands. "Good luck," says 'Arry. Heurelho Gomes is giving some last-minute instructions to Ledley King, who is starting his second game in five days.
1957: After all that, I've started to feel a bit nervous myself. Here come the teams. The atmosphere is IMMENSE.
1955: I've learned that the singer was Martin Toal, a British operatic tenor based in the north-west of the UK. This is irrelevant really... We're on to Blue Moon now, the City scarves are in the air. How are the nerves?
1952: With NINE minutes to go until kick-off, the crowd at Eastlands are treated to a rendition of Nessun Dorma by a singer I don't recognise. Some Spurs fans don't seem to be loving it...
1948: The Man City players are just heading town the tunnel after the warm-up... These are heady times for football fans aren't they? There's tonight for a start, the Football League play-offs, Sunday's Prem climax, Fulham in the Europa League final, the FA Cup final, the Champions League final... and then... the World Cup. Actually too exciting.
From Leroy_1 on Twitter:"MASSIVE game in the Prem tonight. Personally I'm hoping neither Stoke nor Fuham win because I'm a Blackburn fan..."
1944: It's like a contest between City and Spurs fans for (a) how nervous they are, and (b) how little faith they have in their teams. More breaking news from Eastlands: Roberto Mancini is wearing the scarf.
From Zoe via text: "Cheesy, surround sound on, wine poured, game on... aarrrggghhhh. Please City... for once... please."
1939: Wish people like Man In Black (see below) would stop ruining the fun with their accurate information... Meanwhile, the big news from Eastlands is: there is light rain. From Man in Black on 606"Why are people saying the fourth-placed team will play Champions League football next year? It gets them to the qualifying round."
1934: Peter Crouch starts in the league for the first time in six games. Big chance for him to impress Fabio tonight. According tooptajoe,Crouch and Jermain Defoe have managed to score 28 goals in the 30 matches that they have started together in the Prem.
BBC Sport's Phil McNulty at Eastlands: "Harry Redknapp knows a win here tonight will secure Champions League football for Tottenham - and his team selection reflects it as Aaron Lennon starts. The atmosphere around Eastlands reflects the importance of the occasion and Manchester City's fans will be boosted by the news that Carlos Tevez starts, despite rumours of an injury."
1930: TEAM NEWS Fulham v StokeFulham boss Roy Hodgson reverts to his first-choice XI after resting several players in Sunday's win over West Ham. Tonight's team is the same one that beat Hamburg in the Europa League six days ago, with the exception of Bobby Zamora. The Cottagers' top scorer is sidelined with an Achilles injury, so Clint Dempsey plays in an unfamiliar lone striker role. No such team-juggling for Tony Pulis. The Stoke manager names an unchanged line-up, right down to the seven substitutes.
1929: TEAM NEWS Man City v TottenhamManchester City make only one change from the side that started against Aston Villa on Saturday as Gareth Barry returns from injury to replace Patrick Vieira. Tottenham bring in Aaron Lennon in for David Bentley and Peter Crouch for Roman Pavlyuchenko, while Heurelho Gomes starts in goal and Gareth Bale is on the left of midfield. Ledley King starts his second game in five days.
From Neil via text: "Dear Caroline, I'm so nervous I want to wake up in the morning and Spurs are fourth, tell me it'll all be OK. I really hope Spurs win and we crack the top four at last. Man City = danger, Spurs = poor on the road. It's tense."
1927: TEAMS Fulham v StokeFulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Davies, Dempsey, Gera. Subs: Zuberbuhler, Baird, Okaka, Nevland, Riise, Smalling, Dikgacoi.Stoke: Begovic, Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Higginbotham, Delap, Whelan, Whitehead, Etherington, Fuller, Sidibe. Subs: Simonsen, Lawrence, Pugh, Diao, Sanli, Collins, Moult.Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
1925: TEAMS Man City v TottenhamMan City: Fulop, Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge, Adam Johnson, De Jong, Barry, Bellamy, Tevez, Adebayor. Subs: Nielsen, Richards, Onuoha, Wright-Phillips, Santa Cruz, Sylvinho, Vieira.Tottenham: Gomes, Kaboul, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale, Crouch, Defoe. Subs: Alnwick, Bentley, Jenas, Pavlyuchenko, Palacios, Gudjohnsen, Bassong.Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)
1923: Also going on tonight:a testimonial game for Tony Carr, who has run West Ham's youth academy for more than 30 years.Not just any testimony game. A testimonial game featuring Di Canio, Joe Cole, Rio and Anton Ferdinand, Lampard, Terry, Zola... I recommend gollowingBBC Sport's Frank Keoghon Twitter for more news on that.
1920: Not sure the history between these two clubs means an awful lot when you consider that City are a rather different beast these days, but here goes: Spurs have won 18 of the 25 Premier League meetings, including the 10 of the last 11 and the last three. However, Harry Redknapp's record in Manchester isn't good: he has won only once in 21 Premier League visits, including 18 defeats.
1916: I think I can safely say that I have never seen so many texts/606 messages/tweets for a midweek game before. And not all of them are about Fulham-Stoke either. Keep 'em coming and I'll get as many as I can in...
From Dan on 606:"Marton Fulop looks a great big weak link in that team, I really do worry about him. I bet Harry will be telling them to have a go from range early on and try and unsettle him. I can't believe we have two of the best keepers in the league and yet it all rests on Sunderland's number three. Guess money don't buy us everything. How about we get Buffon as third choice for next year?"
From benality on 606:"I'd like Spurs to win and get fourth spot, simply because City will inevitably get their chance within the next few years."
1910: ...And then of course, there's Fulham v Stoke, which seems unlikely to herald a fundamental shift in the landscape of English football's elite, but nonetheless could be crucial in the battle for 10th.
1908: Right, here's definite team news: Gareth Barry in for Patrick Vieira. Ledley King and Heurelho Gomes start for Spurs, as do Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch.
1905: No definite team news yet. But the rumours are that Heurelho Gomes is fit to start for Spurs, and Gareth Barry will come back in for City, replacing Patrick Vieira.
1902: And if you're in any doubt as to how HUGE this game is, here's some words fromBBC sports correspondent and all-round clever man Dan Roan:"It seems we do indeed stand on the brink of a fundamental shift in the landscape of English football's elite. Perhaps the era of 'Big Four' domination is over. The recession and Uefa's determination to tackle over-spending may well combine to ensure a less predictable, more balanced competitive environment." Crikey...
From harrytotherescue on 606:"I have never been so nervous over a Spurs game. No fingernails, can't eat dinner 'cos my guts are in knots, and I'm about to fall off my seat cause I'm so close to the edge. And it's not even kicked off yet. COME ON YOU SPURS!"
From Smithers in Ilkley via text: "Typical City would be to beat Spurs convincingly then lose against West Ham on Sunday. Let's hope we'll finally recover from Cityitis. Come on City!!!"
From BoisterousCitizenTom on 606:"Re 1851: No, it's not going to be a draw, it can't be. This is our year, City to win either 2-1 or 3-1, with Adebayor grabbing a goal."
1856: Spurs boss Harry Redknapp says there's no pressure on his side. "We didn't go into the season expecting this. The only team expected to break into the top four would have been Manchester City." City boss Roberto Mancini responded: "There is no pressure. It is a football match, not a war." However his programme notes tell a rather different story: "All our players want to be in Champions League and so do I. This game now becomes the most important game for this club for many years." But no pressure though, right?
From Southern Goliath on 606:"Incredibly nervous, but also excited. Come on you Spurs! We must take the next step if we want to progress. We may not get a better chance."
1851: Apparently not, because here it is: Manchester City v Tottenham in a showdown worth somewhere between £30m and £60m (depending on your media of choice). Spurs will clinch fourth if they win. City will only need to match Spurs' result on the last day of the season if they win. As always in these situations, I'll say this: it's going to be a draw isn't it?
1845: Hang on a minute... I thought the Premier League hadrejected the idea of a play-off for the Champions League?
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.