Let us know what you think at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

The Tottenham Way.  Just the mention of that phrase should be enough to send a shiver down your spine, as it does mine. 

Tottenham fans should be schooled in the Tottenham Way; fathers should try to explain it to sons, fans should scour on-pitch moves for the signs of it, and players for the ability to create it.  It should be something aspired to at all times, rather than merely on occasion.           

From the Push-and-Run side through to the Double Winners; from Burgess and Harmer through Blanchflower, Mackay, White and Jones; consider Chivers, Hoddle, Ardiles, Waddle, Gascoigne, Sheringham, Klinsmann, Ginola, Keane, Berbatov, Lennon and Modric for that matter.  Tottenham have always had players who can play with the ball.  The press and other fans may label us as fickle supporters, but when it comes to those names, what they did and what they were about, we have memories as long as elephants.           

The Tottenham Way is part of who we are, of what our club is.  It is that special extra element that comes into play when discussing the merits of a Tottenham side; that is it not enough just to win, you must win well too.  Because, for Tottenham, it's about doing things in style, doing them with a flourish.  It's about going out to beat the other lot, and not waiting for them to die of boredom, isn’t it ?  And this makes our club special, because there are only a handful of clubs whose fans require them to play in such an entertaining way, whilst providing the wins, something which has not always been true of our neighbours down the Seven Sisters.           

All of which brings me to Peter Crouch.  But first of all, it’s cards on the table time.  I dislike Crouch, and I’ve done so since he first emerged on my radar.  To me, he lacks the technique that should be required at the very highest level.  I don’t doubt he is an effective player, but he lacks physical strength, pace, finesse or clever interplay that I ask from a Tottenham player, especially of a forward one.  His biggest asset, of course, is his height, something which he uses to his credit very well.  But that, as far as I can tell, is it.  And yet somehow, he plays for England.  I have grudgingly come to appreciate that he does possess some worthwhile qualities since I have seen him play for Tottenham, but that does not mean he should play for Spurs.           

The early part of his career shows just what a journeyman he was.  Spells in the second tier with QPR and Portsmouth were followed by a few years at Aston Villa, yet it was at Southampton where he shot to prominence.  That was followed by three seasons at Liverpool, where he shined in the cameos he was given and established himself as an England International, before he returned to Portsmouth and now Tottenham.           

Let’s briefly consider those spells at Southampton and Liverpool, which have forged his reputation as a top Premiership player, and an England International.  At Southampton, Redknapp arrived at the club in the first half of the season and put Crouch into the side, which at the time was deep in the relegation battle at the bottom of the league.  Whether he saw something in training or lucked upon it in matches is a moot point, but Crouch became the focal point of Southampton’s side.  Initially he was used as a target for long balls, and as a means to threaten to opponents who pushed forward, but Crouch quickly developed the knack of scoring goals in this style of play.           

Even so, they were relegated, and Crouch, at this point emerging as an England International, left for Liverpool.  Although initially struggling at Liverpool, he did establish himself within their squad, scoring goals, and generally being a nuisance.  But let us not forget that Benitez’s Liverpool are fundamentally a workmanlike side with a couple of flair players, Gerrard and Torres, bolted on.  This, then, is what we have bought; not a thoroughbred ball-player, but an effective workhorse.           

Yet we knew all that already.  The main problem I have with Crouch in the Tottenham side is not him, per se, but what the rest of our team do around him when he plays; namely, that Crouch presents an obvious and inviting target for long balls.  The amount of times our defenders lump the ball up-field towards the looming head and shoulders of Crouch near the opposition penalty box is ridiculous.  Yes, he wins a lot of free-kicks, and yes, he causes a nuisance to our opponents, but our play dissolves into long balls, quick movements, and flick-ons.  Where is the build up ?  Where are the passing movements ?  They go out the window.           

Of course, what cannot be forgotten is that in the modern Premiership game speed is king, so there is a necessity in speedy play.  I can also accept that there is an element of directness in the modern English game than perhaps is palatable for the football purist, however, that does not mean Tottenham shouldn’t persist in playing the game in the right way.  We all appreciate that winning is perceived to be more important these days than playing well, although Arsenal have succeeded in marrying pacy football to the Tottenham Way.  As you are no doubt aware, success, these days, is measured not in trophies, but in league position, but there is still a place to thrill, and there is still a place for fresh silver in the cabinet.  None of us can, boast about our club’s balance sheet in the school yard, office, or pub, after all.           

Against Leeds this was brought to a head.  Crouch started next to Defoe, and the plan appeared to be to pelt crosses into the box for Crouch, or pump balls forward for flick-ons from Crouch for Defoe, or knock downs for oncoming midfielders.  Any attempts to utilise the passing skills of Modric, Kranjcar, or Jenas seemed to go by the wayside.  For the first seventy minutes, our Plan A was unsubtle, and seemed more appropriate to our rivals from League One, than a side with supposed Champions League aspirations.           

When Pavlyuchenko came on, that immediately changed, and Tottenham began to play with some movement and desire to retain the football.  Better chances were created, the game swung back in our favour, and the players began to link up again; Tottenham showed signs of fluidity once more.           

In fact, every time Crouch plays, Tottenham’s play dissolves into this direct game.  Keane started the season in form, as did Modric.  At that point we played with the smallest attacking quartet of anyone, and were free-scoring and brilliant.  But when Modric got injured, and Crouch scored consistently after coming off the bench and in early-season League Cup matches, Crouch came into the side, and with that Keane went off the boil.             

To me that is probably because Keane was forced to do all the running for the immobile Crouch, dropping off and dragging his markers out as much as it was due to his form taking a dip.  In fact, since Modric has returned, the Croatian hasn’t found his early season form either.  Only Defoe, Lennon and Kranjcar have continued to shine in the side since Crouch has played, and all three were playing well at the start of the season anyway.           

I like Redknapp, and I respect him as a coach.  And although he got his Portsmouth and West Ham sides playing football, there is a world of difference between that and playing in the Tottenham Way.  Fans of other clubs, by and large, perhaps wouldn’t even dream of complaining about this, as we do in general play well, but to me that isn’t enough.  Some would say our traditions weigh us down, but I believe rather that they should inspire us, like a beacon in the night, to play in the right manner.  My greatest fear is not that we might fail playing in the Tottenham Way under Redknapp, but that we might succeed playing these long balls to Crouch, that that method of play might be proved to be effective and vindicated, and his position within the Tottenham team be secured. 

Because should that happen, then the Tottenham Way might be brought to an end for good, and that, believe me, would break my heart.

Is Crouchy one of your favourites ?  Or is Plan A nothing more than Route 1 ?  Let us know what you think at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

To the football fan in the summer transfers are a bit like cigarettes to a smoke; you spend all season saying to yourself you don’t need any, but by May you start to think maybe you need one or two.  For the first few weeks of the summer you can cope fine and resist the urge.  But then the rumours come along, and every morning as you do the web rounds you vainly search for news of your own club.  Who’s leaving, but more importantly who’s coming.  At this point the outlandish deals surface, and you begin to dream, as though somehow your feckless but beloved club could ride into enemy territory and steal out a great prize.  And then Man City buy all the players you liked the look of, and you start to panic. 

That’s the point where you reach the most desperate moment, searching for any rumour you can find like a quitter vainly breathing smoke.  In this state some very unattractive deals seem to hold some promise, and all the while you’re watching over the fence as your rivals seem to calmly go out and bring in whomsoever they choose, your manager seems to have either gone on holiday or decided that international  class forward was worth the bother.   

And then before you know it you have twenty-four little hours left, a wad of cash in your pocket, a handful of players you don’t want, and a list of targets which one month before wouldn’t have even popped onto the radar.  And at every door you knock on, cap in hand, the price is doubled or trebled.  And then the door slams shut, the fans must go transfer cold-turkey for another six months, and everyone looks at their squad, and imagines the players they missed out on and says; ‘what if ?’ 

So far we’ve been totally frustrated this summer.  Now we have a month left, pre-season is well underway, and the only significant move is Didier Zokora’s transfer to Seville.  It’s no good Harry coming out and saying we were in for Barry and Santa Cruz; you can’t field a team of players who nearly signed. 

Whilst Real Madrid have gone off and signed a who’s who of World Football, Manchester City have come out to do business in a much less high-profile, but no less efficient way.  People can question the ambition of Barry and Adebayor all they like, but they forget that City could outbid anyone.  They will one day soon reach the Champions League, and once they do they will be unstoppable.  Getting in on the ground floor sounds like a wise decision to me.  Who, after all, would question Barry if he had a Championship medal or two in a few years time ?  Not Steven Gerrard, title-less at Liverpool after a decade, that’s for sure. 

Manchester City’s signings have had a knock-on effect.  Our forays into the market have been rebuffed, but you have to ask yourself just how attractive a proposition we are.  We’re not in Europe, and although we have a good side we clearly don’t have all the pieces for the puzzle.  Manchester City seem to have stolen a march on us, and Villa and Everton both showed last season that they are capable of grabbing a top four spot if one of the big four has an absolute clanger.  Are we really in a position to tempt the Santa Cruzs or the Gareth Barrys of this world to the Lane ? 

That thought bothered me for quite some time.  If good players don’t see our club as an attractive proposition and our tempted by our rivals we are in danger of slipping back into the arms of mid-table.  But then I realised something; when Arnesen, Santini and Jol first came to the club they began a policy of signing young British talent.  Players from the lower leagues were brought in and given the chance in the Premier League.  Players like Carrick, Dawson, Robinson and Defoe were brought into the club.  This was rightly praised by everyone, but more importantly it was the catalyst that drove Tottenham forward; the youthful British core set us apart, and following that young players such as Lennon and Bale chose to come to Spurs to progress, believing the club to be a promoter of young talent. 

Comolli did a lot of destroy that.  Berbatov, Zokora, Chimbonda, Rocha and Modric were all his signings, and regardless of the success of those players they did not fit into the young and British catagories which had propelled Spurs so dramatically forward.  Each big name signing from abroad diluted the English contingent in the club, so that what now remains is a shadow of the side at its peak. 

So is our chase for Crouch, enquiry for Joe Cole and brief flirtation with Stewart Downing really the right way to go ?  I can’t think of a signing more under-whelming than Downing would have been.  I have never understood what the fuss was about, and I’m sure that at White Hart Lane he would have swiftly become a target of crowd hatred.  Crouch, on the other hand, is a much more difficult man to decide on.  He would score goals for us, I don’t doubt that.  But to me he’s not what a Tottenham player should be.  In fact he’s not what a footballer should be at all.  He doesn’t look like a footballer or have a footballer’s poise, but more pertinently on the Tottenham front I want my forwards to do more than score goals.  Spurs play the game in the right way, we are upholders of the light; therefore the forwards we field should also have a verve and brilliance about them.  That is why I loved Berbatov and Keane; it wasn’t just their deadly goal-scoring, it was their link up, as though their entire footballing lives they had been searching each other out, liking soul-mates, in a footballing sense.  It was beautiful, and I want to see that again.  Crouch won’t give me that.  He’s just a tall bloke who isn’t particularly good in the air.   

I would literally jump for joy if Joe Cole signed for us, because he is a man who wouldn’t look out of place in the lilywhite shirt at all.  But then you have to wonder if he is willing to drop down from a position in or around the Chelsea side to the Spurs team.  And more to the point, if Chelsea did agree a fee with us, would his head be turned by the inevitable approach by Manchester City ?

That’s why this Sheffield United deal is taking up most of my interest.  Here are two full-backs who could go on to great things.  Bringing them in and building them up will inject that youthful ambition back into the team.  Here’s hoping that is the first of a number that give young, potential players their chance at the lane, because if we are going to once again climb the table and fight for position with City, Villa and Everton then these young players are the best way to do it.

Let us know what you think  of Richard's transfer hopes at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.  Do you win anything with kids ?

Of the strikers at Spurs, who would you keep and who would you let go ??  Let us know what you think at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

I can't imagine that anyone would disagree with Richard's article, but let us know what you think the club could do to best remember the most important man in the club's history at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

Speak to most Spurs fans, and they will give you more or less the same response about the League Cup final.  They were disappointed, yet proud of the team.  To run the champions so close at least showed we can compete with the best.  It goes without saying that if we took that work ethic and will to win into every game until the end of the season we would finish very strongly indeed.  Everton, in fact, have based their success around that hard working style – there is no reason why shouldn’t do so in the future. 

Six players in particular can walk away from that game with their heads held high.  Aaron Lennon, who tormented Evra throughout the game, Luka Modric, who is increasingly making a greater and greater impact on English football, Jamie O’Hara, who gave everything for the club, Didier Zokora, who ran himself into the ground throughout, and Michael Dawson, who suffered cramp in extra time but who battled for every ball and was the main reason why Manchester United could not break us down. 

Five players who you could build a side around.  Five players who gave their everything in the final for the cup, five players who didn’t shirk from what was required.  Cramp on Palacios, Keane and Woodgate and it looks like finally, after years suffering without Carrick in the midfield, we are rebuilding the spine of our side well. 

But I want to talk about Dawson in particular.  Lennon will get the plaudits for the cup final, and deservedly so, but Dawson’s place in the team and his subsequent perform was well deserved for a player who has never complained about his lot at Spurs, and always done his best when called upon. 

When he arrived from Nottingham Forest in January 2009, it was largely assumed he was a player brought in as part of the protracted Andy Reid deal.  Reid failed to establish himself, but Dawson slowly came through, becoming the first-choice partner for Ledley King.  And the following season, where Spurs were within ninety minutes of the Champions League, he was brilliant.   

But then King was injured and Dawson struggled on his own at the back.  Gardner played there initially, but when he got injured it was the start of Zokora, Huddlestone, and Chimbonda playing at centre-back with him.  Who wouldn’t have struggled with that ?  The defence leaked goals, it became a chronic issue, no matter what Dawson did, and slowly his form dipped. 

By the time Ramos arrived, Dawson was a nervous wreck, and the Spaniard did little to boost his confidence.  Woodgate’s arrival pushed him out of the first eleven, and when he did come in, he looked very shaky.  And the crowd started to get on his back.  He was linked with Newcastle over the summer, but the move never materialised, and he stayed at Spurs. 

But Redknapp’s arrival has reinvigorated him, his confidence back to where it once was.  Presumably Harry has told him to do what he does best; play like a traditional English centre-back.  I think Ramos asked him to do more than he could.  Dawson isn’t able to keep ball in the same way that Woodgate and King can, but he will fight and battle for every ball, a bit like John Terry. 

What is most interesting is that he was so heavily linked with a move away, and yet now he has firmly established himself in the centre of our defence.  I used to worry about who would come into to replace King, but now I feel he should be retired.  What impedes us most defensively now is the constant chopping and changing of our defensive line-up.  It can’t help anyone if the four defenders and goalkeeper are altered every week, and a settled back line makes a tighter defence.  Perhaps retiring King is the summer is what is needed?  Then we could leave Woodgate and Dawson to it, and allow them to develop their relationship?  I certainly don’t think that idea is as blasphemous as it was a year ago. 

And this is a case in point; Dawson was a player we could have got rid of, but either due to luck, lack of interest or suitable offer he has stayed at the club and established himself.  I think we are too quick to cast off some players, and this showed us how close we could have been to make just such a mistake.  Let us not forget that Keane was on the cusp of leaving us for Everton, Chimbonda and Defoe have been deemed surplus in the last twelve months only to be re-signed, Malbranque shipped to Sunderland after his best season, Murphy not given a run in the side, Mendes and Davis both sent to Portsmouth before having the chance to establish themselves, and Lee and Stalteri pulled out the side despite both being integral in the season where we almost grabbed fourth.   

And how many promising youth players have we seen sold off without being given a chance?  Barcham and Barnard spring to mind, both players who we fantastic for the reserves, and weren’t given the chance in the first team.  I remember both players being brilliant against Arsenal reserves in 2005 when the reserve team would the Southern Premier League title, eclipsing Bendtner for the opposition. 

To my mind, players like Bentley and Bent have had their chance and failed to take it.  Bentley was given the position on the right-wing, and Lennon has totally eclipsed him, whilst Bent has failed to find favour with three different managers, failed to adapt to five different strike partners, and failed to make himself first choice upfront.  Neither of them are right for the club and neither deliver enough consistency to justify their price tags, although getting a decent fee out of an interested party will be a difficulty. 

Instead it is talk of Bale, Gunter, Dos Santos et all leaving that concerns me.  These players have got potential, and they show plenty of flashes of it.  The big four regularly deal out their youngsters around the Premier League and Championship, so I don’t see why we can’t do the same.  Bale is having a poor time at Spurs at present, although his potential isn’t up for question.  He would certainly benefit from playing out of the media glare that surrounds White Hart Lane, and at a less demanding club, such as Wigan, he should get the run of games to make him consistent.  I really don’t see why we don’t do that; we have plenty of young players, all of whom could benefit from decent loans to improve their games.  And it is certainly better than having a Dos Santos or a Bale returning to our club in five years team in a Chelsea shirt and running rings round us because we sold them too soon, without giving them a chance.

Will Spurs capitalise on the potential among their players.  Or will they flog them off to get a quick return on them ?  Let us know if you think we can win anything with kids, by e-mailing us at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

History is against us.  Not only are Manchester United the form side in the country and the Champions of England and Europe, boasting a deadly attacking line up including the FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, they also have the best defence in the country, that hasn’t conceded a goal in the Premier League since Clement Atlee was last in office.  When you add into the mix that Tottenham are a shambles, that our attack will consist, at best, of Bent, Pavlyuchenko and Dos Santos, it’s no wonder the bookies have us at 2/1 outsiders. 

Yet there’s more.  The last team to retain the League Cup was Nottingham Forest in 1990, and before that Liverpool in 1984.  Indeed, since Liverpool’s successes three teams have fallen at the last hurdle having succeeded the season before, those being Arsenal, Chelsea and Luton.  What that means is that the League Cup is incredibly difficult to retain.  Since 1990 all of the present top five have won the League Cup and none of them have managed to retain it.  And we are hopeful of doing so with the woeful Darren Bent upfront ! 

What particularly annoys me these days about the League Cup is that whenever one of the so-called big four reaches the final there is always talk of something greater that season, as though the chance to win the League Cup is about as rewarding as winning the Community Shield.  There are only three major English trophies, and there once was a time when winning any one of them would have been cause for celebration.  Now Manchester United disrespect them and all their rivals by talking about a quadruple, just like Chelsea did last season.  And Chelsea got what they deserved by such talk last year; absolutely nothing. 

A trophy is a trophy, and that should be the point.  If your club is fortunate enough to win more than one trophy in a season then you should be absolutely thrilled.  They shouldn’t just see them as some consolation prize because the club failed to win the Premiership title.  Just ask Arsenal fans.  Those of them over the age of twenty-two, who can remember the days before Wenger, would surely take a League Cup if offered one. 

You would end the devaluing of the cup competitions at a single stroke by giving the winners of both competitions a Champions League place.  It is exactly the type of bold strategy which would reinvigorate both cups, as more and more teams field weakened sides and crowds dwindle.  It would force the likes of Arsenal to field a full strength side, it could open up the chance to grab a place in the elite, and it would make the cup final hell-for-leather, so that once more, the winners of the trophies get the accolades they deserve.  Of course, it will never happen, but the fact of the matter is that clubs would rather finish eleventh than risk their Premiership status to win a trophy, because finishing eleventh earns you more money. 

Nevertheless, the cup final.  And more to the point, how do you beat the currently best side in the world ?  Redknapp has a reputation as a bit of the specialist in knocking out Manchester United from cup competitions (he has done so with three different clubs) and Tottenham do have a reputation for rising to the occasion in cup finals.  But do we have any right to be confident ?  Well, although our forward line does look both questionable and threadbare, our defence still liable to concede the odd horror goal, a first-choice keeper who is susceptible to the odd gaff and a midfield lacking balance and any real drive or creativity (apart from Modric), we still have ... um … well … nothing much at all really. 

There isn’t a single reason for us to be confident.  They are better than us man for man, they have more experience than we do across the board, they have a settled and successful side.  To be honest, they should beat us quite comfortably.  Yet we do have Modric, Palacios and Pavlyuchenko and we are capable, on our day, of beating them.  But it needs to be our day if we are to win on Sunday. 

You can’t play a containment game against Manchester United, it won’t work.  But it isn’t rocket science, you just have to work very hard.  I was at Reading vs. Bristol City on Saturday and what struck me was how hard working Bristol City were.  Reading are a very good side in that league and they were made to look ordinary because Bristol City fought for every ball, were well organised and worked especially hard.  Reading couldn’t break them down or get into their rhythm, and they were beaten because of it.  That kind of attitude for us on Sunday will go a long way, and will be the bedrock upon which we have to launch our attempts to retain the trophy.

Hard work and Tottenham in the same sentence ?  Will it ever happen ?  Let us know what you think at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

We are fast approaching, what Alex Ferguson described as, squeaky-bum time.  This is not the time for recrimination, this is not the time for us to question who is to blame for this mess, or doubt those we have playing for, and in charge of, the team.  It is the time to get behind them, because we have thirteen matches left to save our skins. 

Relegation won’t be what it was in 1977.  Back then the club shed a number of older players who had been at the club for a long time, they blooded a number of youngsters, including a young Glenn Hoddle, and ripped up the Second Division, a brief wobble leaving them third in the standings when the title was not beyond them. 

These days there is a damn sight more to worry about than just losing a few players, and our club is a wholly different animal.  In our current first team squad we have twenty-plus international capped players, a number of whom will wish to leave the club should we be relegated.  Yet more than that, the club will lose a hell of a lot of revenue.  Although they will get parachute payments on being relegated, they stand to lose somewhere between £30m to £50m a season.  That is a huge amount to lose.  Further revenue will be lost because of a drop in sponsorship, lower ticket prices, reduced attendances and smaller transfer fees being received.  Make no mistake, relegation would break our club financially. 

And other big clubs have fallen foul of the relegation trapdoor.  Leeds went down with huge debts, yet they lost even more on arrival in the Championship.  Forest, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday have all sunk, like Leeds, to the third tier of English football as their finances took a further turn for the worst.  Southampton are in such a bad financial state that in the summer they sacked Nigel Pearson and hired an unheard of Dutch manager and his assistant for the same money in place of him.  And then announced the reason publicly.  Charlton are bottom of the table and certainties for relegation, Norwich, Derby, Sheffield United and Palace are all struggling too.  All recent Premier League clubs, all struggling in the second tier. 

If we go down we are in big trouble, and the size of our club just compounds things.  Let’s be honest, who amongst us wouldn’t expect, demand in fact, an instant return to the top division.  And more than that, plenty of us would expect a title challenge with the kind of breathtaking football that the push and run side were capable of.  Yet how can you expect that to happen when upwards of fifteen members of the first team squad will leave, that those players who come in will be bought for a fraction of the price and the rest will be youth and reserve players coming into the team for the first time.  Those players wouldn’t be used to playing in front of a big crowd, and like Wednesday and Leeds before us, home form would dip, as our own team are intimidated by our crowd and can’t perform. 

Yes, relegation is a big issue, and one that for every Spurs fan should be terrifying.  I don’t want to sit in White Hart Lane next season and watch Blackpool beat us at home.  I have enough problems accepting home defeats to the likes of Everton, let alone a no-mark seaside town whose entire history surrounds one cup final and one player.  We must not go down; the only route to recovery is to stay in the top flight, hold on to our best players, and build a side around them. 

So, a minimum of thirteen league games and three cup games remain.  Let’s get the cups out of the way first.  Shakhtar Donetsk are a decent side, they have been bankrolled into Dynamo Kiev’s biggest rivals in the Ukraine, and they have an extensive experience in the Champions League.  Being as we are struggling in the table and the players we have registered in the UEFA Cup, I expect Redknapp to forget about this competition.  If we progress it’s a bonus, but I’m not expecting to progress beyond this round. 

The League Cup is a different kettle of fish.  A one off match with silverware and European qualification is a fantastic opportunity.  And whilst it’s against Manchester United, we did manage to beat Chelsea last season, and our team does tend to raise itself for the big games.  I think Redknapp will go for this, yet like the UEFA Cup, we can’t expect to win this competition because Manchester United are such a good side.  Yet if we do, and grab another piece of silverware and another season of European football, it would be a fantastic achievement.   

The league, however, is something we can’t fail in.  With away games at Hull, Sunderland, Villa, Blackburn, Man Utd, Everton and Liverpool, and home games against Middlesbrough, Chelsea, West Ham, Newcastle, West Brom and Man City.  Chelsea apart, all of those home games are winnable.  Equally, we must make sure we pick up points at Hull, Sunderland, and Blackburn, as they are the sides around us and we can’t allow them to get away from us. 

On the fact of it, that would be enough to see us clear.  Yet those five wins and three draws would leave us on forty-three points, which wouldn’t give us much breathing space.  And when you remember that I am an optimist when it comes to these predictions, and the fact that our side is struggling for a reason, we might well be in it until the last moment.  Man City, Newcastle and West Ham might present a more difficult prospect than we can expect, and we play Middlesbrough just a few days after playing the League Cup final so that could be difficult too. 

May is particularly tough, because we will be playing a desperate for the points West Brom side, a European chasing Everton, a resurgent City, and a title chasing Liverpool.  In effect, after the West Brom game we have to be clear of the drop zone.  That is a big, big ask. 

Redknapp has done some canny business in the window.  Palacios looks a superb player, although I only saw him against Arsenal and we know what to expect from Keane too.  I think the side he put out against Arsenal is his strongest XI, although Gomes might be marginally better than Cudicini.  And they played well too, bossing large parts of the match against Arsenal.  The only disappointment was that we couldn’t win the game, although it is still early days for the side and the match at least served to show that we can, should we have the desire to do so, go on and survive in the league.  And eighteen more points would be enough for that. 

Will Spurs live up to Richard's plan ?   Will we suddenly start winning matches and if so, why didn't we do it before  ? Let us know what you think at mehstg@blueyonder.co.uk.

I tend to agree with Richard's report except I don't share his optimism on getting out of trouble.

I feel we lack confidence in front of goal.  If you look at Bent's miss against Portsmouth and Modric against Arsenal, had we taken them we would be on 29 pts now instead of 25. 

Also our total lack of defending for 90+mins - again against Wigan, Newcastle, WBA, another 3 pts chucked.  We could have easily been on 32 pts now but because of our own mis-doings we are no

Our lack of goals this year is very worrying - bear in mind we got four in one match and it looks even worse, with our lack of goal fire, against Man Utd who have only let in 10 goals in the Premiership I think it will take more then a miracle to beat them in the carling cup final (maybe on penalties will be our best chance), but in 90 mins forget it !  Though I think of Wimbledon 1988 and Sunderland 1973, so upsets can happen but very rarely.

We have to play to our full potential against Hull and Middlesbrough and a minimum of 4 pts from those two games.

Prediction for the end of season
Relegation = WBA, Stoke, Boro with Spurs finishing fourth or fifth from bottom

adam