Weekly Round-Up and Fulham Preview

Well it’s been a slightly less eventful week in Spursland this week, something that Daniel Levy is probably happy about. Even the transfer news has died a little, with the exception of some silly bugger thinking that we were going to swap Defoe for SWP. Hopefully most of us who trawl the internet for Spurs news have developed radar that can detect the whiff of bullshit from 200 paces.

On the plus side, at least the will he/wont he saga of Curtis Davis has finally been resolved. I would love to have reported that Villa got ripped off after throwing £10m at WBA, but a season long loan “with a view” to a permanent move to the tune of £8.5m sounds like a very good bit of business. I suspect that the player himself didn’t fancy warming our bench all year, and so fair play to him.

The draw for the cup is in, and we are fixed to face the powerhouses of Cypriot soccer; Anorthosis Famagusta (the image is their badge by the way). That, my fellow fans, can only be described as a right result. Even more so for those of us who have yet to go on their holidays.

The Jenas debate rumbles on, and as I am in the pro-Jenas camp (barely) I should like to rally the boo-boys and point out to them that when a player publically declares his love of the club, and states that he wants to stay there for the rest of his career (which could be another 10 years) then in my books he has earned a little respect. We often moan about a lack of loyalty amongst players, but this week both Jenas and Defoe have shown it in abundance so let’s get behind them.

Now, as quickly as SpursClub giveth, SpursClub taketh away and it would be irresponsible of me not to point out that, in actual fact, he is a bit shit at the moment. Jenas is at his best when he is playing one-two’s and/or powering into the box ala Fat Frank, but too often I see him pick the ball up in the centre circle and give his trademark flap of the arms in mock protest that nobody is running for him. This results in either a hopeful yet doomed lob upfield, or a boring pass sideways or backwards. Perhaps being dropped from the England squad will liven him up a bit.

Compare that to the outstanding week that Kevin the Prince has had. One assist and an overhead kick that sailed into the onion bag gives him 2 assists and 2 goals in as many games. This is extremely promising, and although I think that Jol would rather eat his own hat before he dropped Jenas, KPB must surely be knocking on the door. I say give him a chance, but I think we all know it ain’t gonna happen.

And so onto Fulham, and do we dare even contemplate defeat? Losing 2 games in a row at the start of the season wasn’t the disaster it was billed as, but it heaps the pressure on now. Losing 4 out of 5, or if you include the Arsenal game coming up, potentially 5 out of 6 would make grabbing that 4th place a real uphill struggle.

However, on the positive side, Lennon, Dawson and Kaboul could all be back in the fray, and although Fulham have a genuine threat in Healy, I just can’t see us rolling over in such an important game. Keeper Neimi is a major doubt for them, Zat Knight has been sold and both Aaron Huges and Christenval are still missing so their defence could well be shaky. We have a poor record at the Cottage, but the lads have to treat this one like a cup final and I have no doubt that we will come away with three points for only the second time in Premiership history.

Anything less just does not bear thinking about.

Tottenham Hotspur: A Hatchet Job

Recent events at our club have left an air of negativity hanging over WHL that leave me feeling very uneasy and more than a bit disappointed. I can’t seem to shake the feeling and it’s getting to a point where I don’t want to pick up a paper or browse the net because everything I read is just so depressing.

The fact is that the media firmly has its teeth into Spurs, and like a rabid pitbull once they are locked on it takes something sensational to distract them. It’s difficult, but if you can wipe away the bullshit and ignore the disgraceful politicking then perhaps things aren’t as bad as they seem.

Let’s start with The Horrendous Treatment of Martin Jol. As you may recall reading here, Martin is not going anywhere, but that does not excuse the naïve actions of an experienced board who thought they could meet another manager in a public hotel and get away with it. They then went on to insult our intelligence by pretending that it was a coincidence, and since that didn’t wash they now claim that “they have never offered the job to anyone else”, well maybe so, but this smacks of a technicality. Let’s face it – if you’re caught in bed with another woman is it really going to matter to your wife whether you actually had sex or not?

Daniel Levy has subsequently given 2 statements on the club’s website that he thinks will put this all to sleep. The problem is that he continues to play us for fools by giving the type of non-committal answers that would make Tony Blair proud.

However, when the dust settles the stark facts are that nothing has changed. BMJ is still the manager, the board still expect results and maybe, just maybe these meetings actually did help to clear the air. Jol himself has acted with admirable dignity throughout, he has the support of the players and the majority of the fans and so perhaps now it is back to business as usual - I hope so because it's now becoming boring.

The press have not quite finished with Tottenham though. They would have us believe that this whole sordid affair has been the catalyst for a miniature meltdown within the club walls. That Jol and Commoli don’t see eye to eye even though they say time and time again that one won’t buy a player that the other has not signed off on. They suggest that mild mannered janitor Jermaine Defoe has taken the opportunity to throw his toys out of his pram, that Zokora is deemed not good enough despite having played 2 out of the 3 games so far this season and that the entire incident has unsettled the team.

Can anyone explain to me how a bit of managerial wrangling affects a person’s ability to kick a football to one of his teammates? Sure the players may be interested in the gossip, perhaps even concerned and in the case of Robbo, disappointed, but what relevance is that to a sportsman’s performance? If anything we may see a player backlash against United on Sunday as the team try desperately to deliver for their under-fire boss.

Next we have The Berbatov Affair. I just point blank refuse to believe that Jol would request the sale of one of his best players because he got arsey about being substituted. Man U have taken an interest, but then don’t their spin doctors always blow up a media storm for any team he sees as a threat – it’s been Fergie’s tactic for years. Of course in the case of Berba, we are led to believe that they have tabled a £22m bid. Although that may appeal to the more business minded on the board, Daniel Levy is a fan at heart and I cannot see him agreeing to sell – particularly after the week he’s just had!

The press seem desperate for Berbatov to join Man U, probably because they know how lucrative a transfer saga involving Man Utd can be. Just think about how many papers the Tevez deal must have sold. I am more inclined to believe that Berbs is not pissed off with Tottenham, is not “furious” about us not signing Petrov, is not holding a grudge about being substituted and is generally happy to be playing for Spurs. Do the snippets of his personality we have been treated to suggest he is a prima-donna to you?

Lastly we have Robbo’s Big Mistake. The BBC, and particularly John Motson, should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for the way they have carried on. During the England game Motty and serial wanker Lawro just would not stop talking about the first Germany goal and were slagging off Robbo as if he was a complete liability. The fact is that this was their dream scenario – the more observant of you may have noted that Motty had the daggers out while the teams were in the tunnel as he banged on about the “question marks over Robinson’s place as England number one”. So it must have been a dream come true when he let one in after a blunder.

But hang on, what blunder? Surely Robbo was well positioned to collect the cross that he was within his rights to expect. Surely he actually made a fantastic save to tip the miss-kick onto the bar. Surely he cannot be blamed for the inability of the England defence to either react to the rebound, or in the first case to clear the ball properly. And where was the focus on how Lehman let Lampard smash one through a 15” gap at his near post?

So in conclusion I would suggest that, just like West Ham were when they were trying not to get relegated, or Arsenal were when Henry left, or Chelsea were when Mourinho was not winning the title; Tottenham are not in crisis, but are simply the plaything of bored, conniving and possibly pissed journalists at the moment.

What we need is for something new to happen – and I'll tell you this, if Spurs come away from Manchester with three points tomorrow then I can guarantee we will be off the back pages next week and the feeding frenzy will head Old Trafford's way…

Martin Jol: Too Soon for Exit Talk?

I think we can all agree that Martin Jol is having a torrid start to the season. Three points out of nine, with Man U, Fulham and Arsenal to come it is not beyond the realms of possibility to see us on 6 points after 6, I don’t even want to consider less than that!

The press love a good bit of shit stirring, and so BMJ has become the obvious target. Some would say that Sammy Lee at Bolton is in a far more precarious situation, but then he didn’t spend £40m, nor was anyone in their right mind expecting them to challenge for a Champions League spot. Some might even note that Man U have had a worse start than we have, but even if he lost every game from now until Christmas, Sir Alex the Untouchable is clearly in no danger of being ousted so he’s also off the hook.

So it is left to Tottenham to fill the gossip columns, with their never-know-what-you’re-going-to-get performances, their “entertainers” moniker, the fans insistence on playing the Spurs Way^TM and historically sacking their manager the second he ties his shoelaces the wrong way they are an easy target.

But is it fair? No it is not. Is it reasonable? Not really. Hang on – is it even believable? You know, I’m not sure it is. Is it anything other than a grossly over-inflated case of the media dragging a story out of nothing? Well I have to leave that for you to decide.

Against all the odds, the bookies inside knowledge and basically in opposition to every other story about this that I have read recently, I am going out on a limb to say that Martin Jol is not about to lose his job (I may live to regret that!). Of course I have no concrete evidence to support this other than common sense, but whatever tip off the bookies have had about this, I suspect they have been sold a lemon. Jol has gone from 50/1 to 8/15 on to be sacked after "a massive rush of punters" - but surely that is how bookies operate so the question is, what caused the rush - media hype?

I don’t know about you, but I am not a big believer in coincidence, and so when I hear that certain representatives of Spurs were in Spain – in the same hotel even – as the extremely talented Seville manager, then I have to class that as the smoke that rarely materializes without the fire. But I still think that this proves nothing regarding our immediate future.

I put it to you ladies and gentlemen of the terraces, that Tottenham Hotspur were simply contingency planning, as any good business might. I don’t mean for the end of the month, I honestly doubt even the end of the year, but I do suspect that if Mr. Jol fails to deliver any silverware, and/or a place in the Champions League this season, that the board (and by then quite possibly the fans) will have had quite enough thank you very much, and here’s the P45. Did anyone stop to think that they might have been sounding him out for a job next year?

If you as a board member knew it was coming surely you'd have taken care of business in May, not August. If they weren’t planning it then you cannot seriously tell me that the board has decided to sack Jol based on 2 games, when he is missing 5 or 6 key players – that would be madness. Jol may have his flaws, but to sack him 3 games in (one of which we won 4-0), after 2 comparatively successful seasons where he delivered more than any other manager we have had since the turn of the century, strikes me as incredibly unfair.

Ramos as a manager is a huge talent, with an exceptional record at Seville, as such I think we’d hardly be crying into our beer if the unthinkable does happen and the coup materializes in the next week or two – but I just can’t see it. Harry Redknapp is another name touted, but this doesn't strike me as an improvement. Marcello Lippi is apparently the third name on the hitlist, "A motivator rather than a strategist, Lippi is not bound by a rigid tactical approach." cites Wikipedia- whatever that means.

I want to believe the hype about Ramos being the next greatest manager ever, but has anyone stopped to ask what he acheived before Seville? Has anyone even considered why he might want to leave a club that is doing so well, for a club that will sack him if he loses 2 games in a row? Still, you can only judge a man on his recent acheivements, and if he wants it then fair play to him - if Jol is going then we could do worse (read: Harry Redknapp).

So there you have it, inconclusive perhaps but then there’s only a very small circle of people that can tell us for sure what’s happening, and they’re not talking. Football, in the immortal words, is “a funny old game” and stranger things have happened, but one thing is certain, if we get anything from Old Trafford, and then beat the scum next month all will be forgiven. The fans will be happy, the media will move on, Martin Jol will be safe and everything will be right with the world.

Will he get the chance? I love Martin Jol, and Martin Jol loves me, but in the cold light of day if we wake up next to Ramos one morning will anyone really be too disappointed?

Rampant Spurs 4 - 0 Derby

I'll keep this brief, as today I am basing my opinion on the evidence provided by Match of the Day, but the good news is that the "crisis" is over. Yes you could say that Derby were poor and made life easy for us, but that's a perfect chance to roll out the old cliche: You can only beat the team in front of you. The drubbing we have been waiting for finally appears.

What was more satisfying than the 4-0 rout was that at last Jol did what the fans have been waiting for, Hudd played, Routledge played, we stuck to 2 strikers at a time, even Taarabt got a game. And the result? We could have been 6-0 up by half time.

It's nice to be right isn't it!

Huddlestone looked assured and to my mind bossed the game first half, we have a left back at last which certainly helps the balance, for Pete's sake even Jenas looked like he played well! Sure, Derby at home is a different kettle of fish to Man U away, but let's not underestimate the confidence boost this will have provided.

From the highlights it looked like the Tottenham show - anyone at the game want to confirm it was that easy? MOTD didn't show a single decent attempt on goal from Derby.

Even Mystic Meg would have trouble trying to predict the outcome of a Spurs game these days, but this game could tangibly provide a platform to push on from. A decent performance against Man U next week, a win against Fulham and maybe we'll be ready for The Big One, and to quote a phrase, "I'd love it if we beat them, just love it".

Crisp passing, good vision and shabby opposition have at last put us back in our rightful place - above Arsenal in the table. At least for this morning anyway!

Spurs vs Derby Preview

"Tottenham in Crisis" scream the headlines, which just goes to show how the media absolutely love to kick a team when it is down. It is nothing short of amazing (in a predictable way) how a couple of losses at the start of the season provokes discussion about new managers and dressing room rifts - but then over-reactions sell papers and generate website hits, only the naive will believe there's any substance to the stories.

Allow me to offer up a little perspective if I may; we are 2 games in, we are playing with 4th and 5th choice defenders strung along the back line, we are without the jet-heeled one and we are 2 points behind United (which I realise is irrelevant, but it sounds good doesn't it!). These facts may be glossing over the fundamental tactical and technical deficiencies that cost us against Sunderland and Everton, but I feel a severe case of Spursitus coming on - the unexplainable feeling that we are going to go out and absolutely rout the opposition.

Regular readers will have noticed that I have changed my tune somewhat, my disgust and anger after the Everton game has had a couple of days to die down, and for my sins the optimism is back. I can't explain it other than to say that of the three promoted teams, Derby look by far the weakest. The likelihood of 3 defeats in a row, 2 against newly promoted teams is positively negligable. Even the moaners and the pessimists out there must secretly believe three points are coming our way today, and the bookies agree, making Spurs an outrageous 9/20 on for the win. Anyone traitorous enough to back the opposition will be pleased with 6/1 - but should immediately consider going out to buy an Arsenal shirt with their 30 pieces of silver.

Now we have ruled out defeat (or even a draw for that matter) the only question is whether we dish out the drubbing that we are capable of. Well much of that depends on whether Jol has learned his lessons. He will be unable to field what we take to be his "battling" midfield (Malbranque, Zokora, Jenas, Tainio) as Teenu is out with a viral infection, but if he sticks Jenas on the right and Hudd in the middle with Zokora it will still show a disappointing lack of ambition. This is Derby at home we are talking about here, we have to assume we will dominate possession and as such we need the likes of Routledge or Taarabt on the pitch - players who can beat a man and are not simple "sideways and backwards" merchants.

"Jol, learning his lesson - you must be mad" says you. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I think this time he will take action. I can't see Taarabt starting, but I do believe he will go with Steed, Zokora, Jenas and Routledge. Now I like Jenas, but even I'll admit he has been about as effective as a chocolate teapot so far, so I'd like to see Huddlestone start, but what chance of Jol dropping his golden boy?

With Berbatov out, the front line will most likely be Bent and Keane, one or the other of which I feel are bound to score at some point, but at 7/2 and 4/1 respectively to score first I think that's a bit tight. My tip is to wait until the line-ups are confirmed and then to take a punt on Routledge at a much healthier 16/1. My long shot tip for the day is Zokora to open his account at 22/1 - you know it's crazy but I just have that feeling and it won't go away.

The bookies like 1-0 or 2-0 Spurs as a final score, 6/1 seems a fair price, but it's hardly enough to get excited about, those scores are best saved for a scorecast. To be honest, none of the other final score bets look all that appealing. 3-0 at 9/1 or 3-1 and 11/1 might be a tad ambitious.

So, as I am convinced that even our makeshift defence can handle Derby I am going for...

Scorecast: Spurs win 2-0 Routledge to score first @ 60/1

And, because I have this unshakable feeling...

First Scorer: Zokora @ 22/1

Good luck, and Come On You Spurs!

Same Old Tottenham 1 - 3 Everton

dé·jà vu
n.
1. An impression of having seen or experienced something before.
2. Dull familiarity; monotony: the déjà vu of the tabloid headlines.

I kid you not, this is the actual entry on dictionary.com. I can think of nothing more suitable to describe the dismal start to "the best season in Tottenham's modern history" (yes, that was my quote). It would seem as though lessons have not been learned, corners have been reversed around, and us, the paying public, have been swindled by the club and the media into believing that the glory years are returning.

£40m spent, seven wins in seven games during preseason and the result? A 4th striker when we already had 3 quality internationals, and a false dawn perpetrated by the belief that victories over mediocre African sides, lower division opposition and Serie A's equivalent of Wigan made us Champion's League contenders.

Before I get lambasted for being reactionary, let me point out that I am not a boo-boy, nor a West Stand moaner, nor part of the Jol Out Brigade, nor a Jenas hater. I my friends am an optimist and a believer of hype, it is for this reason that today I awake sickened. It is not that we have been beaten in 2 games that hurts, more that we were led to believe that these sides are of the calibre that should be effortlessly dispatched. "In Jol We Trust" goes the phrase so often touted by the internet pundits - I wonder if that trust is misplaced, because the man seems incapable of learning from his mistakes.

So onto the game, and it's a story of same shit, different day. What was the number one touted cause of Saturdays humiliation at Sunderland? It was a lack of creativity. What is the number one reason that Everton somehow had more shots on target at WHL that Spurs? Well it's frigging obvious to all but a moron.

I do not quibble about conceding 3 goals. Yes it made life difficult, but when you are playing with a central defence combo consisting of your 4th and 5th choice centre-backs, and a left-back who is so far down the pecking order that he is not 4th choice left-back, but 2nd choice right-back then you must expect to ship a few goals. What irks me is that we couldn't dominate from midfield forward and play in a "best form of defence is attack" kind of way.

Have the midfield been taking mind bending drugs? It can be the only reason for their continued insistence on playing long high balls into the opposition box. Every man and his dog must realise that players with the control, skill and quality of Keane, Defoe and Berba prefer the ball on the ground. I lost count of the number of hoofs up field that came back our way within 5 seconds. The same goes for Paul Robinson, who seems to have regressed into his bad old ways of humping it long when there's an easy pass to a full-back available.

He is supposed to be our midfield linchpin, and I do have an unexplainable liking for Jenas, but yesterday he was utter shite. Squandering possession frequently, not offering anything going forward and generally looking way out of his depth. He is rapidly becoming the scapegoat and either needs a string of top performances, or a stint on the bench. I rather suspect the latter would be the best option.

Zokora did what he is paid to, so I can't grumble too much there, but look at how we improved when Routledge came on. We had some width, someone who could take on a player, someone for Jenas to pass sideways to, thus encouraging him to stop hopefully lobbing it into the box. Look at how badly we miss Lennon, but Routledge, or even Taarabt are ready made replacements, we don't have to change the system.

Robbie Keane is not a midfielder. For the second game running Jol's way of "keeping his strikers happy" has been simply to play them all. This cannot work, as BMJ so rightly points out, "You can have all the finishing power, but if you don't have the loading systems it's difficult".

So what are you going to do about it then Mr. Jol?

Spurs vs Everton Preview

After the stewards enquiry regarding Saturday's grand balls up, I just can't see Spurs doing anything other that dishing out a hiding to Liverpool's second side. It would seem the bookies agree as they have made us 17/20 odds on for the win. That's a terrible bet mind you; sure I'm allowed to be confident, but how the neutral sees us as that great a shoe-in is baffling.

The first question to answer, as always, is are we going to concede? Well with Micky Dawson being the subject of a late fitness test it could well transpire that we are to suffer Gardener at the back again. If this is the case then I would almost guarantee that one will slip through, but if Daws makes it and Moyles plays his preferred 4-5-1 away from home then I think a clean sheet is on the way. The Daily Mail seems to be of the opinion that Gardener will get the nod, so I am going to plump for a 3-1 home win. The good news is that even on it's own that's worth 16-1.

Onto the first scorer, and here we are faced with the continuing difficulty of predicting who will start. Berba and Bent are fair at 5-1, and I personally think the latter may get the nod ahead of Keano. If Martin has learned from his mistakes we could even see Taarabt at some stage, but if he starts on the bench he is a shady bet at 16-1.

Those looking for a long shot could do worse that Kaboul at 33-1. This boy loves to get forward, has a thunderous right foot and is a menace at corners. He will score, it's just a matter of when.

There has been talk of Berba being dropped for a Keane/Bent partnership - I just can't see Jol doing that so...

Scorecast:

A more conservative 2-1 Spurs win, Berba to score first @ 40/1

Final Score:

3-1 Spurs @ 16-1

First Scorer:

Kaboul @ 33/1

As usual the stake is one British Pound per bet - good luck!

Sunderland 1 - 0 Spurs

With seven wins out of seven in pre-season, was it too much to expect a result against Premiership newcomers Sunderland on Saturday - the answer would seem to be yes.

OK, so let's start by rolling out a few of the more legitimate cliches, sorry, I mean excuses:

• Tottenham are having a minor injury crisis in defence
• Playing away to a newly promoted team on the opening day of the season is never easy
• Playing a team who stick 10 men behind the ball is never easy
• Sunderland ran away with the Championship so they can't be that shabby
• Roy Keane is a good manager who played the right tactics and motivated his men

Well fine. They are all reasonable excuses, yet Martin Jol seems to be of the opinion that the fault lies squarely at the feet of his multi-million pound strike force.

"I can blame the strikers and I felt they didn't work hard enough or move enough. But on the other hand the midfield should have been more creative and they weren't."

Well I'm sorry Martin, I usually don't like to knock you, but this time you leave me no choice. If we are going to field what is commonly known as our "battling" midfield (Tainio, Zokora, Jenas and Malbranque) then it follows that the strikers are not going to have the service to be effective. The buck stops with you for fielding such an unambitious team.

This midfield combo is more what we expect to see when we need to go to Stamford Bridge and get a draw, it certainly isn't what we are expecting to see away at Sunderland. We played large amounts of the game in their half and the key to unlocking a 10 man defence is creativity and flair, not dogged determination and long spells of possession around the centre circle. Both Chelsea and Arsenal won their games with goals scored as a direct result of intelligent runs from midfielders, not with the hit and hope football which I was sure was a thing of our past.

After such a great preseason it's a huge disappointment, but hold it right there - a quick look down the team sheet and perhaps we can see why. Both Taarabt and Routledge were outstanding during the closed season, scoring at will and creating plenty for our boys up front, yet what was the point in blooding them if when the nitty-gritty starts they don't even make the bench? If they are good enough to play the best teams in Africa, why not Sunderland? Surely Jol could/should have predicted the fact that we were going to dominate possession, so why field so many ball winners?

Mr. Jol may have desperately tried to snatch something by trying various combinations of his strikers - and I applaud him for finally making substitutions on the 60th minute rather than the 80th - but I can't help feeling we went there prepared for a battle and hoping to nick something, rather than going there with the express intention of tearing them to shreds.

Defensively we have injury problems - or do we? There's not much we can do about the left-back situation, and to be fair to him Stalteri did not disgrace himself. Chimbonda was ok, but gave the ball away more than he usually does and is an automatic first choice anyway. Kaboul is a man mountain and a tremendous prospect, I have no quibbles with him starting every match. Robbo got off to a good start so that just leaves...

Gardener! Why do we play Gardener when Rocha is 10 times more reliable? Bambi was at fault for their goal by way of some lacklustre marking and an inability to jump properly and proves to us time and time again that he just cannot cut it at this level. He had already got away with several dodgy moments, but predictably could not concentrate for 93 minutes and 10 seconds. Still, perhaps Dawson will be back for the Everton game.

So there you have it. Off to a shambolic start and one caused by an over cautious approach to what should have been a comfortable opening fixture. Slack passing, the wrong team selection and some panicky last minute defending has left my prediction of 9 points from the first 3 games is in tatters, but it's not the fact that we lost that is hurtful, more the feeling that I have somehow been duped by my beloved into thinking she had changed.

SC Season Predictions

After what has seemed like the longest lack of football mankind has ever had to endure, we are finally on the eve of the new season. It has been a very busy, and really rather satisfying closed season for the Spurs with plenty of rumour and intrigue. Plenty of cash has been splashed and there is no doubt that every single signing has been a good one.

Bent has been laughing at those who scoffed at his £16m price tag by banging in almost a goal a game in pre-season, Kaboul has looked like a natural, and I suspect will also bag a goal or two before long. Taarabt has impressed in South Africa (although he really has got to learn how to pass), Robbie Keane is looking like he's up for the challenge of keeping his place, the Prince scored on his debut and even little Waynetta Routledge is looking dangerous. With seven wins on the trot things are looking very positive indeed.

At long last it looks like we have a squad rather than just a team and there is adequate cover in every position, except the troublesome left wing. We can keep dreaming of BenArfa and Quaresma, but don't hold your breath.

There are of course still a few hangers-on loitering around the training ground. Ghaly and Mido must surely have no future, but Murphy seems happy to play in the reserves and can do a job if called upon - let's not forget that magical assist he provided for a Keano goal recently. I will also begrudgingly admit that Gardener is showing signs of improvement (although I still put him as 5th choice CB if everyone is fit). Does this mean the boo-boys will finally be silenced? I doubt it, they can always find someone to moan about over in the West stand.

So what can we realistically expect? For starters I think we can expect to get off to an absolute flyer. Our first 3 games are Sunderland away followed by home ties with Everton and Derby - I think we can look for 9 points from those. The first big test comes at the end of the month when we are away to Man U. The way they are playing, and the look of their squad suggests that if we come away from Old Trafford with anything other than a pasting we will have done well. The Red Devils are, in my opinion, dead certs to retain the title.

Spurs are widely tipped to "challenge" for a Champions League spot. I'd like to go one further than that and suggest that we should be looking to third as our target. Man U and Chelsea are too strong for anybody to dislodge, but whereas before we put ourselves in a "mini-league" with the like of Bolton, Everton and Blackburn, all vying for 5th, I think the time has come to leave those behind and start putting ourselves on a par with Arsenal and Liverpool. I'm not shortsighted enough to say we will trounce them, but I do believe we are every bit as strong as both of them, and all three teams are in with a shout at third.

I am convinced that this season is going to be one of the best in Tottenham's modern history. The team is growing, players maturing. We have a season of European experience that should see us jump the final hurdle and make it into the UEFA Cup final. We have a team capable of beating anyone on their day, so progression in domestic cups is possible, and we have added yet more firepower to a team that scored over 100 goals last season.

I predict that this season we will:

• Come third in the league - yes, that's right, third.



• Get into at least one domestic semi-final



• Win the Uefa Cup

Even if those predictions are off the mark, one thing is for sure, the corner has been well and truely turned!