Laboured Brentford and passive Tottenham see in the new year with a whimper at the Gtech
- By Yann Tear at the Gtech Community Stadium
- 31 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Premier League
Brentford 0
Tottenham Hotspur 0
It's a mere 78 years since the Bees last beat Spurs at home. That's one that must remain on the bucket list for now after the drabbest of New Year's Day encounters.
This Thomas Frank derby will not live long in the memory, with the freezing conditions further sapping the life from a hopeless contest.
Brentford had the better of it but were unable to crack a disciplined Tottenham rearguard and the visitors seemed happy to adopt a passive approach for the most part.
It worked for them in the weekend 1-0 win at Crystal Palace but a repeat seemed a long way off this time.
Chants of 'Boring, boring Tottenham,' rang out several times. Interestingly, not just from the home end either as away fans offered the same chant.
In the end it was stalemate between Frank past and Frank present.
There was warm applause for the former Bees boss just ahead of kick-off - albeit a little muted - as the Dane wandered a little sheepishly onto the turf to acknowledge the fans who used to dote on him. It felt strange to see him in the away dug out after so any years on the other side of that halfway line.
He has already overseen a win against his old club so should be reasonably pleased with the outcome on his return to the Gtech - but his safety-first approach tonight may not have earned him too many new admirers. There were a few boos of disenchantment.
Kevin Schade looked as if he might give the occasion a lift early one when he poked home from a yard at a corner after Guglielmo Vicario had parried a shot. But the German was clearly offside. And that was about it for a dreadful first half.
It got slightly better after the break. Jordan Henderson's first-time cross was perfect for Vitaly Janelt but Vicario kept out his header. Michael Kayode wriggled his way to the byline with that chaotic loose-limbed way of his but Igor Thiago fired his cutback miles over.
Vicario was booked for time wasting but he need not have bothered. A game that continued to meander towards its forgone conclusion already felt like a waste of everyone's time.
Bees: (4-3-3) Kelleher - Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Henry - Yarmoliuk (Jensen 80), Henderson, Janelt - Lewis-Potter, Igor Thiago, Schade (Nelson 80)
Spurs: (4-3-3) Vicario - Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence - Bentancur, Joao Palhinha (Tel 80), Gray - Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert (Kolo Muani 67)
Attendance: 17,141
