Tottenham Hotspur and Shamrock Rovers meet for the first time in the Europa League Group stage
Zack Baun Jersey at White Hart Lane on Thursday evening. Spurs will turn again to their younger players to overcome the League of Ireland side for whom it will be their chance of a lifetime.Some Tottenham supporters will disregard this match simply because their team is facing the minnows in Group 4 of the Europa League and it doesnt compare favourably to last seasons Champions League group matches when Inter Milan came calling at White Hart Lane. However, for Shamrock Rovers, this is the game they were hoping for prior to last months draw. Rovers werent able to fill their 8,000 Tallaght Stadium for the visit of Rubin Kazan in their first match but they will be bringing 4,000 fans acro s the Irish Sea and will be expecting many more supporters in the ground when Irish
Taysom Hill Jersey supporters, resident in England, make their way to Tottenham. This match and the return in Dublin in December are the highlights of their Europa League campaign.Tottenham will rely on their younger players, supported by members of the squad who are not getting regular playing time in the Premier League. With a North London derby against Arsenal on the horizon, Harry Redknapp will be resting as many senior players as po sible as he looks to build on the excellent recovery his team has made with three succe sive wins following two defeats against the might of Manchester. With the Premier League game as his priority he will hope that the younger players will produce another performance full of enthusiasm, skill and endeavour as they have done in the two previous matches. One area which will have caused him concern will be the lack of goals so he will be hoping that this will be an opportunity for those players to get among the goals. It will be an opportunity for exciting young prospect, Harry Kane, to get more first team experience and for Giovani dos Santos and Yago Falque to take on a goal scoring role.Shamrock Rovers will be well prepared by their experienced management duo of Michael ONeill and his a sistant
Caleb Benenoch Jersey , Jim Magilton. ONeill started his career in England at Newcastle United where he played with a young Paul Gascoigne before moving to Dundee United, Hibernian and Wigan Athletic. Magiltons career began as a trainee at Liverpool but unable to make the first team he went to Oxford United, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town where he spent many years. ONeills first experience as manager was with Brechin City whom he left in 2008 to move to Shamrock Rovers. Magiltons appointment at Rovers is a temporary post following his time as manager at Ipswich and Queens Park Rangers.
Shamrock Rovers have a squad of players who have gained most of their experience in the League of Ireland but since qualifying for the group stages
Nick Vannett Jersey of the Europa League, Michael ONeill has strengthened his squad with the acquisition of four players, including the former Tottenham player, Rohan Ricketts. He has also put his knowledge of Scottish football to good use with the signing of defenders, Jim Patterson (Dundee United) and Craig Sives while striker, Gary Twigg signed from Brechin City. The goalkeeper, Ryan Thompson, has played international football for Jamaica and has experience of football in America.Shamrock Rovers are coming towards the end of their League programme which ends in October. Their win on Sunday against Bray Wanderers in which Ricketts scored his first goal
New Orleans Saints Home Office for the club since joining at the beginning of September, took them to joint top of the Airtricity League with Sligo Rovers with one match in hand. Their last League defeat was at Derry City in early July and they have now gone undefeated in their last eight games with seven wins and a draw. They have had a busy schedule since their European campaign started with Champions League qualification games. They defeated Flora Tallinn (Estonia) 1 0 on aggregate before losing 3 0 to FC Copenhagen over two legs. They then dropped in to the Europa League play-offs and drew at home with Partizan Belgrade 1 1 but won 2 1 after extra time in the second leg. This succe s made them the first team from the Republic of Ireland to reach the Group stages of any European competition. They lost their first game to Rubin Kazan by 3 0, conceding an early goal to Obafemi Martins, the former Newcastle United striker.This match will be like a Minnows against the Giants Cup tie for Shamrock Rovers with the minnows wanting to put one over their more experienced rivals. Every player will be ready to give their all on this occasion so Tottenham will need to avoid complacency to ensure there are no upsets especially as Redknapp will be fielding a weakened
Wil Lutz Jersey team, although one which could include at least six full internationals.
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