UEFA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (Shakhtar win 3-1 on aggregate)

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Ah well, we all knew it was going to happen really. I mean, even with the most optimistic of optimistic minds, the chances of overturning a two goal deficit? Slim at the very best, and with the promised - expected changes - it was always going to be a tough task.

We broke with tradition and paid a visit to Rudolphs before the game. A couple of warm-up beers, and as we got into the stadium the team news was..... well, certainly not a shocker. Although seeing Huddlestone walk out as skipper..... that confused even me! I exchanged messages with John by the power of the mobile phone and I thought he was pretty spot on saying O'Hara would've been a good shout to skipper the side. I just don't think Tommy has what it takes.

Clearly this was one of the least experienced Spurs squads of recent times, although to call it a bad one would be unfair considering we'd hardly seen any of them play for any length of time! It still felt wrong though. European competition and the feeling that we just weren't trying. Didn't sit well.

The teams emerge - notice the very small travelling contingent!


The travelling support from Donetsk was small. To be expected, and when the game actually got underway there was some neat Spurs possession early on. It didn't last too long mind. After a shocking dive from one of their players early on - that the ref was going to give! - the first meaningful shot came from Shakhtar but went wide.

The tempo of the early part of the first half was set early though. Inexperienced looking defending presented Donetsk with a really good chance from the left, and that was something that was going to be repeated a lot.

Only five minutes in and we were just too easy to cut apart. Even another couple of minutes of decent Spurs possession wasn't enough to get us into our stride. It took a fantastic tackle from Palacios to break down one of their attacks. He emerged with the ball and was upended. Shockingly so, but the ref signalled his intention early on by waing play on. It was to get worse.

Another Shakhtar move showed that they were finding it all too easy to move the ball forward. Luckily for us, rather than opt to play the ball into the acres of room on the right, the lad had a pop and Gomes pushed it around for a corner.

Time and time again our inexperience was showing. Shakhtar looked very comfortable in possession and we just couldn't get any meaningful possession after the couple of early periods. It was all too easy. Boys against men almost. Weymouth's 9-0 battering when they had to resort to playing a load of teenagers at the weekend sprung bizarrely to mind as I remembered the previous evening's South Today bulletin! Odd, but that's kind of how the game seemed to be going. Maybe not the scoreline, but the lack of experience was very telling.

Three more Shakhtar chances followed. The first where we were sliced open again, Gomes pushing the ball around for a corner, when it was probably going wide. Then from the resulting corner, an easy flick that could've ended up in an own goal, only for it to be saved by the man on the line. We didn't learn and the resulting corner was once again flicked on all too easily.

As the half wore on it looked as though our formation was getting rather odd too. Bale seemed to be playing in a free role, coming inside a lot. Not that it really mattered all that much. Our problems were much further back on the pitch than left wing!

The ref continued to give poor decisions, waving play on when we had a clear push on the edge of the box.

With half an hour gone, something changed. Not exactly dramatically, but slowly and surely, the tempo changed.

Obika created a great chance for himself with a lovely pull down, firing the ball in from the left, just wide. Another chance came from a corner from a loose ball. The ref, however, continued his rather odd officiating. Two clear fouls, one a likely penalty, not given. Now, a pen at that stage of the game would quite possibly have really turned things around. The ref was really not endearing himself to the White Hart Lane faithful!

Obika than showed more promise, shooting wide when he seemed to lose his balance somewhat.

Until this stage Huddlestone had been largely..... well, mediocre at best I would suggest. Better than his performance froma week ago, when he was actually awful, but still only mediocre at best. Then, out of nowhere he pulled out a spanking good ball, sixty yards to release Gareth Bale crossfield from a free kick. Bale, however, had to come inside and his shot was saved. It was a terrific opportunity actually.

Before the whistle blew we had another couple of decent chances. One for Palacios, deflected wide. Then another that their keeper saved low down.

It was odd. Half an hour it had taken, but finally we seemed to be settling down. I put it down to the inexperienced squad, the inexperienced players, managing to get to grips with things. For the first half hour we had been off the pace and showed our inexperience by being badly positioned and unable to cut out the Donetsk threat. Then it seemed to start clicking, and not only were we getting more of the ball, we were also starting to create chances.

Promising, but it still didn't inspire confidence that we'd overturn the deficit. It was..... better, and as the half-time whistle blew, at least my hopes of managing to avoid defeat at home in Europe were a bit closer to being made a reality!

The second half started in awesome fashion. Seconds in Obika was inches away from converting, just failing to connect as Bale pulled the ball back across the line after being released on the inside left channel. What a start to the second half that would have been!

Obika was really showing a lot of potential. Adding to the chances he'd had in the first half, he had another from a Campbell knock down. OK, it was a bit weak, but the lad was getting himself into the right positions, and he was getting shots away. Not something we've seen much of this season from any of our strikers!

A free kick fired wide


Then, finally, the turn in the game was complete. Gio belted it high into the net and even the keepers touch wasn't enough to divert it! GOAL! Yeeeeees! Finally, we'd scored in the tie, and the reality was that it was well deserved. It had come from another decent Spurs attack, the ball breaking to Gio as it came from Campbell on a ball played across. The truth of it was that Campbell had been horribly fouled, but Gio took full advantage in any case.

With plenty of time still on the clock, maybe, just maybe there was a chance of getting back into this game. Before the match I'd speculated that with nothing to lose, maybe we'd throw absolutely everything at it. It had taken half an hour, but with the change in tempo - in our favour - and with a goal back, there was a half chance.

Initially the signs were good. Bale released Gilberto - yes, really, Gilberto! - with a diagonal ball that the Brazilian fired across the six yard box. Sadly, no connection.

Then, following the first half penalty that wasn't given, another. Another penalty not given, and this one was right in front of me, and as blatant as they come. Two players converged on Campbell and both probably fouled him. Incredibly, the ref waved play on - again! Unreal. That was a chance to level the tie! So frustrating, and on the night, probably well deserved.

Still, we created chances. Not as many as I'd have liked - we seemed to take our foot off the gas a bit, but Obika had another - just too slow on the turn to get a decent shot off. He looked a bit hesitant, a bit off the pace. With a bit of first team experience, I bet he'd have snaffled it up.

Sadly, we didn't keep the pressure going. For some reason we seemed to start relaxing. With the game there for us to have a real crack at, we seemed to..... I dunno..... just ease off. Bizarrely, Palacios was very slack not once, but twice. The second time it allowed Donetsk to get a low shot away that Gomes saved.

Our chances by now were few and far between. Gilberto - of all people - made a superb run to get on the ball and cross, but there was nobody there to connect. Nobody busting a gut sufficiently to get on the end of it. It was disappointing, but seemed to reflect the tempo of the late stages of the game.

Really though, the game was gone. A patient move by Shakhtar saw them slip the ball in one the left, Gomes saving the shot.

We seemed to go three at the back with Bostock thrown on, but it didn't really help.

Gomes saved low from a cross on the right, and sadly, Bostock didn't really get himself into the game as he has in the past. After a couple of miscued bits of play on the ball, a really poor bit of play on the left by him saw the ball break to Shakhtar and a low shot meant it was game over. Into the far corner, and the few travelling supporters celebrated. I could only shrug my shoulders as the Spurs fans turned and began to head for the exits.

The full time whistle wasn't far in sounding and we left, disappionted, but not surprised.

It had been a mighty ask in the first place, and after a first half hour where we just weren't in the game - different classes you'd have thought - we gave it a good go. Having really begun to turn the tempo of the game around, it was massively disappointing to get a goal back, and then seemingly take our foot off the gas.

Sure, two poor pen decisions went against us, but somehow the urgency didn't seem to be there.

The conspiracy theorist in me even had an inkling that Palacios had suddenly became utter cack as the half wore on, as if to gift them possession. That's unfair, but I couldn't help it.

On an evening where Obika showed great promise, made us all wonder what the hell we were doing taking Fraser Campbell on loan..... where O'Hara had had a real go at driving us forward..... where Gilberto had had his best game (probably ever!) in a Spurs shirt..... none of it was enough.

The capitulation in Donetsk a week before and the lack of first team experience had cost us.

Over the two legs the tie was probably more evenly poised than the aggregate score suggests. Two years ago, even a year ago, we'd have been looking forward to another European trip. Not this time out.

Amongst the many questionable decisions in this tie, the choice of Huddlestone as captain ranked low down the list, but still caused some confusion. Sure, he'd been better than in the Ukraine, and he'd belted a couple of very decent passes, but to say his performance was 'majestic'? No chance.

So, the end of the European campaign for another season, and earlier this year than in the previous two. Its a sorry state of affairs. I wish there was more to come, but I know there isn't. Being deprived of the chance of re-acquainting myself with a couple of titty bars in Moscow is a bitter pill to swallow! Ah well. That's the way it goes! At least now I won't have to listen to Redknapp bang on about too many games, and Europe not being a priority. After Sunday it'll only be the Premier League left. No excuses after that!

So, onward to Wembley. Until this morning, I'd been thinking we had no chance, but you know what? The closer we get to the game, the more I believe. The more I want to believe. What's the point of going to Wembley without belief? Its going to be a tough, tough game. Tougher for us, I think, than last season, but you've got to go for it!

I'll be setting off early tomorrow. Back at Wembley second season running. How good it would feel to win again. To get ourselves back into Europe again. To say we beat Chelsea one season in the final, United the next. That would be quite something.

Last season, as I stood there with the teams coming out, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Being at Wembley, with that one game between you and a trophy..... between you and Europe..... that's what its all about. Tomorrow, when I stand there at Wembley again, I don't think anything will have changed. The buzz will be there. The desire, the passion, the will to win. Every Spurs fan there will feel it. I hope the players there will too!

Come on you Spurs!