KRANNERS vs MODDERS

What a predicament Redschnapps finds himself in. In recent weeks Nico Kranjcar has been simply phenomenal. When he is playing like this he's just about the complete midfielder, quick on the ball, hard to dispossess, sublime passing, cutting through balls, silky tricks, hard work, tough tackling, tracking back, scoring goals (and what a goal that second one was). The boy has demonstrated every one of these qualities - I think there's a good arguement to suggest he's been our best player in something like 4 of the last 5 games. Talent and consistency - God help us!

Old 'Arry has come out singing his praises on numerous occasions, the end result must surely be that Krancjar is undroppable. With Modders on the brink of a full return, is someone set for disappointment? I thought Modric had a cracking cameo against Wolves and looked, from my lofty position in corporate hospitality (which was bloody brilliant by the way), like he was taking up a central position.

However, while I think this is probably his best position, it's no secret that Redknapp likes two strong fellas in the middle. Huddlestone and Wilson have developed a good partnership, and Harry doesn't look like dropping either of them any time soon. But can Kranjcar really keep Modric on the bench for much longer? Lennon, Palacious, Kranjcar, Modric. I think we'd score at least 5 every time we play! But is it too lightweight?

I don't know the answer, but I'm posing the question. How can you accommodate someone in Kranners' form and someone of Modders' ability - and does the answer spell the end for Jenas and/or bench time for The Incredible Hudd?

OUR BOYS AND THE WORLD CUP

The England based shenanigans of this international break have been about as interesting as watching Dannii Minogue read the Lisbon Treaty. However the good news is that my personal dream is still alive: A World Cup final against Maradonna's Argentina in which Becks becomes England's most capped player and gets the assist for Rooney's 92nd minute winner - a bundled effort which television replays show to be a blatant handball. "Forty years of hurt" wiped away in an instant. Put your money on it now!

There are a few bits and bobs of news involving our boys, so here's a summary in case you missed it and/or can't be arsed to research it yourself:

• Croatia are out. From a selfish perspective this is triffic news. Modders stays out of the shop window, all 3 of our boys get to have a nice long holiday and there's one less team capable of beating us at next year's tournament.
• Crouchy is on fire. His first goal last night was hailed, rather comically, as an "incredible finish" by one over enthusiastic commentator. However you see it though, he's looking like good business at £9m. For me he has to go to South Africa. Is by far the best of the "other options" but probably doesn't have the rumble bumble of Heskey/Cole - and Capello likes a bit of rumble bumble.
  
• Lennon got subbed. You'd have to have been stuck on Uranus to not know he's in the form of his life, so no surprise here. The wily Italian obviously knows what he can do. I'm glad he came off and I'm certain he'll be on the plane next summer.
• Defoe got rested. Don't know what's going on with his hand, I can only imagine his exclusion was by mutual consent, but not playing last night will be good news come Saturday as he will unleash hell on his old club.
  
• Honduras got through. Which, assuming they don't get drawn in our group, gives us a splendid underdog to root for during the group stages - bless them.
• Pav is nervy. He only got half an hour against Germany at the weekend, but didn't even make the bench for Azerbywhatsit last night. Can't see him being too happy about that. He'll want to leave and I for one don't blame him. "You need 4 good strikers" is a load of old cobblers that came out of Man U winning the lot with Cole/York/Sherry and Solskjaer. None of the current top 4 have 4 top strikers so how we ever planned to keep that many happy is a mystery to me. It has to be 3 and a kid.
  
• Bobby K shouted and pointed his way the play-offs. Standard.
• Bassong went all the way to Cameroon to sit on the bench. He could still miss out if country-I've-never-heard-of Gabon beat Togo, and the Macaroons slip up against bottom side and perennial ball hoggers Morocco. Those fixtures seem to have been postponed.

So there you have it, put that info away in a box and forget about it until Christmas when the draw happens. We have bigger fish to fry - starting with a stinky old trout on the South Coast this weekend.

I predict a rout.

MANYOO HOODOO

We do struggle against Man Utd don't we? It's becoming a very boring hoodoo. Sure, they're a good side - they're a very good side, but we've played and beaten good sides so why not them? I'm almost certain we'll make a better stab at it at Stamford Bridge next week, even though on paper that's the tougher match.

We were superb for the first 20 minutes on Saturday. Hustling and bustling the top teams is exactly how to beat them. They don't like it up 'em you know! However, Wilson got booked, we perhaps tired a little and slowly the inevitable started to happen. Still, I can live with losing this game - I could have lived with it even better if we hadn't conceded against 10 men. That annoyed me somewhat.

Harry tells us we learned a lot when we played Barca in preseason. Movement, possession and patience were apparently what the boys took from that game. Perhaps we need another lesson because for the first time this season I think we got a little over excited. We gave the ball away far too cheaply due to all and sundry lumping it up to the big fella whenever they were remotely under pressure. That's not the beanpole's fault though, God bless him. It's just a direct result of him being on the pitch. It's fantastic in the last 15 minutes, not so great for the other 75 though.

Jenas did alright when he came on, but Hudd and Jenas holding the fort against this level of opposition? It looked ambitious to me. This was example #1 of why we should have bought another DM in August. They were running us ragged through the middle. Where's that Jamie O'Hara when you need him?

I thought the ref had a good game. He could have blown up every 2 minutes at one point in the first half, but he let it flow and the result was a cracking display of real men playing aggressive football. How Palacious even made it to half time is beyond me! I'm taking some consolation in the fact that we didn't limply roll over.

With the benefit of hindsight maybe Krancjar should have started and Pav should definitely have come on at half time - he's banging them in for fun for his country at the moment. Although Corluka had performed his usual trick of looking a bit slow and lazy, he had nonetheless done a decent job of marking Rooney out of the game for long periods, so I'm not really seeing how the introduction of Hutton was supposed to provide the platform for us to go on and win it. In the end it had the opposite affect unfortunately. I think Harry got the key decisions wrong I'm afraid.

Chin up though chaps, would rather be brought back down to earth by the champions rather than by a bunch of newly promoted herberts. We're still in good shape, a few of the walking wounded will be soon be donning the shirt again and, unlike last week where Harry probably had about 2 fit players to shout at, this week we'll have 6 days on the training ground to prepare for our next, equally massive test. A good result there and we're right back on track.

Up the Spurs!

SPURS: ONE DOWN, NINE TO GO.

As a long suffering Spurs fan I am used to "turning corners", going through phases of "rebuilding", 3 year strategies, 5 year strategies, transitional seasons, food poisoning and so on - in fact, if you can think of a good reason as to why we haven't been in the Champions League yet then we've probably heard it. So I'm now wondering if this current footballing utopia Spurs find themselves in represents the fruits of Levy's labour. Is this the culmination of that 5 year strategy, have we finished transitioning, or have Levy and co just shuffled the deck and finally got lucky? Is this the direct result of us doing away with the roundly bemoaned Director of Football system or is it just Harry's genius? I want to believe that this has been meticulously planned, but it doesn't really feel that way does it?

Anyway, who cares how we got here, the point is we're here now, and I think we're here to stay. Look at the way we slapped Liverpool down when they thought they were back in the game. Look at the way we ground out that fightback against the Hammers. Look at the never-say-die attitude that earned us the win against Birmingham. Look at the way the second string sailed through the potential banana skin of Doncaster. There feels like there's quality all over the pitch, more importantly there feels like there's quality throughout the squad. Arguably our most important player breaks his leg, we move Keano to the left bring on a striker and boom, we win the game. That my friends is the old cliche of "strength in depth" firmly at work.

If, as seems likely, we sign Krancjar then that only helps us. He is a quality player in a shite team. You only have to see how he plays for his country to realise that. His dead ball delivery is superb, he's creative, a good passer and an all round good egg. Having him gives us competition for places and backup for anywhere across midfield. It might also make it more difficult for anyone to prise Modders from our grasp next summer!

Hear me out here, I'm going to come out of the closet and say something that has been niggling away at me for a week or so: I think we can win the league. No, seriously I do. I'm not saying we will win the league, Man U and Chelsea remain overwhelming favourites, but I definitely think we have just as much chance as Liverpool and more chance than Man City. If you believe we are capable of finishing in the top 4, then by very definition we have a shot at the title because we will be there or thereabouts in terms of points.

I suppose its too early for that kind of loose talk, but I just wanted to get it out. Truth be told we will go on a bad run sooner or later, everyone does. How long it lasts and how we respond to it will be interesting. Keeping Wilson fit is also essential, it's the one role we don't seem to have any proper cover for. However, August is done, and if Harry doesn't get Manager of the Month then I'll eat my hat. Five games, five wins. One month down, 9 to go.

Two massive games in September that many people will be using as the litmus test to see whether they also dare to believe. What would be enough to convince you? Two points, 4 points, one win and a loss? For me it would be remaining unbeaten. If we can have a bloody good go at Man U at home and shut up shop at the Bridge then surely that niggling little thought will manifest itself in more minds than this tiny one.

TOTTENHAM FOR THE TITLE!

Not my words, Alan Hansen's. Yes, that's right, Hansen and his equally Spurs hating com padre Lawrenson both tipped Spurs for the title on MOTD last night. OK, I know they were taking the piss, but the urge to get carried away is gnawing at me like a plump little rat gorging on Champions League cheese. A similar performance against the Spam on Sunday and I'm going to find it difficult to avoid being as smug as Lineker was on that famous couch (good on you Gary, keep that Spurs flag flying).

I'm not really one for ratings, but here are a list of what I might call "notable observations based on my viewing of a surprisingly good quality stream"...

Hutton: Looks like a proper old fashioned right back. No poncey step overs here.

Corluka: I'm worried. I like the lad but am I the only one who thinks he's a bloody liability at centre back? Some good stuff but some other stuff that, on another day, could have had dire consequences.

Bassong: Good, if a little shaky, must be wishing for Ledley to get fit.

BAE: Bastard.

Wilson: When he plays well we win. I think it's as simple as that. Set himself apart from other DMs we've had in living memory with a superb goal and a couple of crafty backheels. Unbelievable.

Hudd: Him and Wilson look the business. Defensive enough to allow his mate to roam forward, and creative enough to pull something from nowhere when we're buggering about in the middle. Jenas, were you watching?

Keano: Hot and cold. Good assist, good goal, some good passes but why oh why oh why does he refuse to pass to JD? THAT is why this partnership doesn't work.

Defoe: Currently the best striker in the league.

You may feel that its a bit strong to have a pop at a few of them when we win 5-1 away from home. Don't mistake this for moaning - I'm over the frigging moon. All I'm saying is that it looks very much to me like there's even more to come from this lot. And that is incredible to say.

We won 5-1 and we still have another gear to move up into. Let's hope we keep our foot on the accelerator, keep the revs in the red and Mirror Signal Manoeuvre our way to glory (excuse the naffness of the car analogies, but once I started I couldn't stop).

So here we are sitting at the top of the table. It was only a week ago I was writing a list of my targets for the season - one of which can now be ticked off the list - the administering of a 5 goal drubbing. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Hansen's book and add the Premier league title to my requirements!

Wouldn't that be insane.

INFLATING THE HYPE BUBBLE

Something feels different about Tottenham this year. I've been pondering it for a couple of days now and I think I know what it is. This could possibly be the first August in as long as I can remember where [nearly] all the faces in lily white looked familiar. The usual "sell 8 players, buy 10 players" policy has been reigned in - and don't we look better for it? It appears as though we've built a team, and now we're just tweaking it here and there and actually giving them all a chance to grow together. About time too.

Dare we hope that Sunday's performance against Liverpool is a taste of things to come? Tottenham Hotspur were, to a man, magnificent. I have read a few "wasn't a great game" comments - well maybe I was more pissed than I realised because I thought it was bloody brilliant! I concede that I could have been over-excited mind you.

Despite what you saw, you may be surprised to learn that Tottenham won, not because they outplayed Liverpool, but because I managed to convince a Scouse supporting friend of mine to watch the game in his "unlucky pub". It did take me most of the morning, but I gave it 110% and eventually got my tactics spot on by ridiculing his nonsensical superstitions. He damn near got up and left at half time which brought out a world class save from the Spurs Club keeper - from there on in the result was never in doubt. Can't see him falling for it again though.

Contemplate Wilson Palacious for a moment: Back in January £14m for a player who had not long since cost Wigan £1m seemed like a questionable bit of business. I mean, we knew he was alright, but £14m? Eyebrows were raised, but is there anyone out there now who thinks he's worth a penny less than double that? On his day the boy is immense, even off his day he's better than most. My only remaining worry for this season is that we have yet to secure the services of an understudy. Two weeks and counting...

BAE, wondergoal and all, continues to inexplicably annoy me. Maybe I need to just let it go. Bassong was superb, playing alongside the miracle of modern science that is King Ledders will show him what being a proper centre half is all about. Looking forward to seeing him alongside Corluka tomorrow as no doubt Ledley will be given the night off.

Anyway, it's not worth going through the team man-by-man, my rating for each of them: Triffic.

Wouldn't be right to get out moan free, so here are two very, very minor ones.

1. Defoe and Keane. They played well enough, but were they a partnership?
   
2. The Beanpole. Cue longballs from defence - even when not being pressed. God help us if that happens constantly when he gets a full 90.

Three points tomorrow would put us in dreamland. Looks doable on paper but Hull, despite being widely tipped to go down, are no mugs at home. I think we'll see Hutton so that Charlie can move into the middle. I'd love to see Pav up front with Defoe - even if it's just to prove that Keane isn't undroppable. Apart from that, more of the same please.

Talk of the top 4 is still a bit premature, but if we do have any pretensions on breaking it then away days at Hull are exactly the sort of game we need to be winning. Confidence is up, we're playing well, I think we'll do it - 6 points from 2 games all sounds rather nice.

Follow that with a result against the Spammers on Sunday and the hype machine is going to explode...

SPURS TORTURE FANS

I sometimes wonder why some people even bother to follow football. For these eternal pessimists to have settled on Spurs as their team baffles me even more - are they glutton for punishment, or is it chicken and egg?

We're still a week away from the big kick off and already I've read all sorts of online tripe:

• Crouch is shit
• Bassong is shit
• Levy is a muppet
• The squad is shit
• When are we selling Jenas
• Too many right backs
• No left winger
• Keane is a git
• Shouldn't have sold Bent
• The kit makes me puke

Culminating in some miserable bastard writing this uplifting piece for TopSpurs - a site that I'm not sure has ever run a positive Spurs story.

I have a mate I play golf with who is forever duffing the ball 3 yards or slicing it into the trees. It makes him so angry that by the 12th hole he's throwing his clubs around, banging them into the ground, effing and blinding and generally getting the right hump. But there he is, week in week out on the 1st and ready to go.

My question to him is "Why bother?". My question to the habitually moaning Spurs fan is the same. Of course everyone is entitled to the occasional gripe, the odd player who they don't rate, the bemoaning of a lack of effort. I'm as guilty as the next man. But come on people, you've got to see the glass as half full sometimes! I think we've had a good summer, we've won some pointless Asian Trinket and signed some pretty bloody decent players. No, none of them are the next Kaka, but they're pretty bloody decent all the same.

Anyway, I don't support Spurs because I expect them to win the league, bring home silverware every year, play in the Champions League or even win on a regular basis. In fact, now I've written that I'm not sure why I do support them, but goddammit I love this club!

For me we are positioned perfectly to take the pain with the pleasure. Big enough to attract players you've heard of, but not quite attractive enough for world superstars. Talented enough to play Chelsea off the park one day, but slack enough to lose to Burnley the next. It's a rollercoaster ride that fuels optimism, and whether you realise it or not, optimism is what keeps us coming back for more.

I saw something on the box a while ago that suggested if you were in the business of kidnapping and torturing people, the single most effective way of controlling them is to give them hope. Apparently in such situations the victim will do just about whatever you want just so long as you can maintain the fiction that their ordeal will soon be over.

I know how they feel.

Tottenham have been feeding us hope for as long as I can remember. Over time I, like many of you, have come to terms with this. Hold the front page: Tottenham aren't going to win the league. So what? If that bothered me I'd go support someone who will - and what a disgusting little sheep that would make me.

No comrades, the glory we crave comes these days only with some very dubious, oily strings attached, and the puppet master needs to be able to measure his worth by the billion, nothing less. A fact that Man City and Newcastle between them will undoubtedly prove to us all.

This begs the question, what tangible targets would I like to see us achieve this year? I guess that comes down to what, come next May, is going to have given me that warm "I love the Tottenham" feeling. Some ideas:

1. Beating the Woolwich Wanderers - ideally at theirs
2. Battering someone 5-0 - even if it is Birmingham
3. Mugging any of the Big 4 with a last minute winner
4. Finishing above the Spammers - because it annoys them
5. Seeing one of the kids 'make it'

League-wise, finishing in the top 10 is the bare minimum, top 8 acceptable if disappointing, top 6 good, top 4 would be great and a trip to Wembley would be a Brucey Bonus... but now I've slipped back into torturer mode.

Pass me the waterboard.

BENT PUBLICLY HUMILIATED

I see the powers-that-be have decided to add public humiliation to the crimes they have committed against Darren Bent.

I feel sorry for the poor bastard really - bought in for a huge sum after choosing Spurs over several other suitors and then largely ignored by successive managers. Ridiculed by Harry for missing an open goal that his wife could have allegedly scored and more recently deliberately not included in his "4 top strikers" comment (even though he is technically still a Spurs player). On a plane, off a plane, a medical up north, oops, not a medical. He had every right to twitter his ickle heart out if you ask me.

Directly from the official site:

I appreciate that transfers are seldom straightforward and are often complex. However, after a long period of waiting following my withdrawal from the plane to China, I had become incredibly frustrated by the time these things take and I posted inappropriate comments on my Twitter site.

I allowed my emotions to get in the way of my better judgement. I regret my actions and did not intend to offend Daniel Levy or anyone with the nature or the content of my posting.

Like him or loathe him he has been dignified throughout until finally losing his rag a little - and now this.

I'd have told them to stick it.

WINNING WITH KIDS

One of my big hopes for the forth coming season is that we start seeing more of the young guns. Tottenham have quietly been buying up some of the country's finest young talent for several years now and while it is only natural that some are not going to make it, it would be bloody criminal if none of them did. It looks to me like we have enough quality at this level now to certainly start seriously thinking about giving these kids a run out.

There seem to be a handful who are knocking on the door, and perhaps a few more who are merely waiting in the corridor. Livermore, Rose, Bostock and Dervite look certs to be warming the bench on a regular basis this year and if even one of those lot stakes a claim for the first team I'd be delighted. Parret and Archibald-Henville are probably not so certain to wow us just yet, and I can see them joining Obika and Taraabt by going out on loan.

Then we have Bale and Naughton - they will be getting more than a sniff by the looks of it, maybe Gio, assuming we don't sell him. Naughton seems every bit as good as Blades fans were telling us, and I would really love for Bale to finally live up to his billing as every time I the monkey boy play I can't help raving about him to whoever is listening (but perhaps that's mostly to do with my irrational hatred of BAE). Dos Santos is already adored by large numbers of the faithful. They're all good players and I wish them well, but they're not proper academy boys are they?

There's nothing we love more at Spurs than a local lad done good. That's why we refuse to send Ledder's to the knackers yard, that's why the whole sorry Sol Campbell affair still hurts so much, and that my friends is why I'm so excited by the prospect of Jake Livermore.

OK, so I may not have seen enough of him to establish whether he really is all that and a bag of chips, so indulge me if you will. But just the thought of this lad staking his claim by banging in a brace at home against the scum sends shivers down the spine - and who has he got in front of him, Jenas, Huddlestone? He has to fancy his chances.

If all goes well for him, this boy could be future captain material. A few years from now how great would it be to see a product of the academy captain of the club, bossing the midfield, the beating heart of Tottenham Hotspur. A player who would, to coin a phrase, "run through brick walls" for the shirt. The distant strains of "Nice one Cyril, nice one son, nice one Cyril...." drifting over the Park Road... Hmmm, wouldn't it? Oooh, lovely. Jumpers for goalposts and all that... marvellous. Did you know his middle name is Cyril?

I'm sure some of you will tell me I'm over egging his omelette, but one good season and this is the weight of expectation he'll have to deal with - might as well join the party early.

CRISIS SCHMISIS

Looks like the transfer market for those of us lower down the money tree could be spluttering into life. Not that anything concrete is happening of course, it just seems to me that we're putting more irons into fires.

The best bit of news this week is... all of it! The fact that Harry is starting to throw us a bone about what's happening is coming as a welcome relief to me as the sheer volume of spurious reporting was starting to drive me insane. Beckham - forget about it, Hangeland, forget about it, Young, forget about it. Vieira, gone cold, Crouch, to expensive, Huntelaar, silly wages. I know Harry isn't exactly renowned for being Honest Joe when chatting to the press, but even just confirming we have made enquiries is good enough for me at the moment. Anyway, surely he's only saying what we all thought about these names, and if it results in the press being more imaginative then I'm all for that.

It seems as though the goal posts have moved a little. All that talk of Downing and Young has dissolved, and sports journo's up and down the country have suddenly run out of left wingers to link to us. I don't even think we need one - stick that in your pipe and smoke it! Modders is the current apple of our eyes and Bale and O'Hara are certainly competent enough to do a job there if need be. Maybe we might also get a look at Rose at some point, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

I'm not really buying all this "defensive crisis" nonsense either. King might not have trained, but I was under the impression that he hasn't for ages. When he plays he's still immense so you can expect his to be the first name on the teamsheet against Liverpool. Woody is going to have his groin "looked at" - which doesn't sound overly serious and, although Dawson is out, Corluka is fine and Chimbo is capable. Should we need to break glass in case of emergency we have the boy Dervitte and Big Tommy Huddlestone - a player I actually prefer at CB.

Can anyone explain to me how we're going to sell Spurs as a proposition to a world class CB with that lot potentially all fit by September?

Bent is breaking his balls to be the big fish at Sunderland, and my ongoing suspicion is that the deal is done. The only hold up is probably that Levy doesn't want to risk a repeat of his "sell all our strikers" cock up and will wait until we get someone nailed on before contracts are exchanged.

Crouch (pictured)? Huntelaar? Yes either will do. I can see Defoe and Keane jumping for joy if the Beanpole arrives. Keano thrives on the kind of flick ons and sneaky through balls that Crouchy delivers on a regular basis, and a workable partnership with JD is a historical fact. You know what, I wouldn't really be gutted if we get neither and sell Bent. I liked what I saw of Obika and as 4th choice then it's not too risky.

Huntelaar might be good, truth be told I've only really seen his YouTube montage, and everyone looks world class on those. My only reservation on this one is that 12 months from now we'll all be getting extremely angry with Man City/Chelsea/Man U for waving £30m in our faces. Huntelaar will be coming for the money and the platform, and I don't think that helps us.

All is oddly quiet in terms of holding midfielders, which is strange as by my calculations it's the only position we absolutely positively have to recruit for. Poulsen, 29, Danish international, Juve reject, £5m? What are we waiting for?

Anyway, that's my take on this week's goings on. I'm off to brave the thunder and make my way to Wembley for the Barca game.

How I'd love to be saying that in May instead of July.

BONKERS!

Followers of the summer madness that revolves around Tottenham will have noticed over the last few years that if anything things are getting progressively madder. This year has so far been the maddest of them all and has seen us linked with the usual parade of 'wonderkids', unobtainable superstars, continental nobodies and thirty-something hasbeens - culminating in what at least appears to be a fairly solid looking story about us signing the long serving, iconic ex-captain of our most hated rivals.

I have a theory on all this. I'm wondering whether the Spurs insiders have a new tactic in the annual media war? Could it be that they have become so annoyed by leaks and mis-information over the years that they are now deliberately leaking a huge number of tip-offs so that any real activity is lost in the sea of bullshit? I don't know - that's just my own little conspiracy theory I thought I'd share with you there, it's certainly something Harry is capable of devising!

Being addicted to NewsNow, I have noticed a trend. A story materialises on a small site and sometimes never gets mentioned again. However, occasionally someone higher up the food chain decides it has legs and it starts to make it into the national papers. It's not exactly beyond the boundaries of possibility to assume journalists from these publications scour the community sites of Premiership clubs looking for ITK stories to run. Of course, it's also a given that dubious agents will leak deals to them for a few quid and a boozy lunch - and/or deliberately exaggerate interest in their client to bump up any potential fee.

This week alone we are expected to believe that we have turned down £14m for Bent (really, when a fee of £19m has apparently been agreed for in-demand Huntelaar? Bite their bloody arm off Levy!), that we are about to blow £10m of our precious kitty on 2 kids from Sheffield, who we'll promptly give straight back to them (I thought we weren't buying kids?), and then there's Patrick Viera...

Now, I'm no knee-jerk, foaming at the mouth Arsenal hater. Sure I like to see them suffer, and I'd love us or Man City to take 4th spot off them next year, but truth be told I don't really give a toss about them. I don't have anything against Bentley because of his past - jeez, I'm not even really that much of a Sol hater! He made his choices but he handled them badly. However, I think it's safe to say that there are a significant number of people out there who feel slightly more... let's say 'passionate' about the subject. I'm talking about the people who wouldn't even buy a Panasonic TV because it has Viera written on it - God only knows their reaction to him pulling on the shirt.

In actual fact it probably wouldn't be a bad move. We need an experienced DM who has a bit of fight, a winning mentality and fully understands that he's not going to play every game. Viera fits that bill. Been there, done it, bought the t-shirt as they say - and has a cabinet full of medals to prove it. He'd probably play about as often as Zokora did - as understudy to Wilson, or along side him in the middle in away games against the likes of Everton and Stoke. We could do a lot worse - and in truth I'm struggling for a shortlist of realistic targets with whom we could do a lot better.

Nonetheless, if this one is more than just paper talk then it represents an enormous gamble for Harry. The WHL boo boys are not known for their tolerance and a fair proportion will be just itching to write off the lanky goon before he's even kicked a ball for us.

It may be akin to spending a pound and expecting to win the lottery, but just consider if you will the ramifications of Viera rifling in a 25 yard last minute winner at the Emirates next season and tell me that alone doesn't make him worth a punt?

Transfer Reality Check

What with the rumour mill going absolutely insane, I thought I'd introduce a dangerous concept: What about if we don't sign 10 new players this year?

Just for a second let's ignore all the paper talk and look at the messages coming directly from the club. Harry stated at the end of the season that he was looking to bring in 3 players. He has also suggested since then that the Arabs have nicked 2 of those in the form of Barry and Santa Cruz. More recently we have been told that we are not going to be buying players for the sake of it and that any arrivals must 'improve the squad' (as opposed to making us worse one presumes). So a report I read recently suggesting that "every player but 3 are available for sale" seems about as likely as Macaulay Culkin sending flowers to the Jackson family.

We have been linked with everybody from second rate youth keepers to world superstars in the last month, but it's still looking quiet on the Western Front. I don't think Harry is in any rush whatsoever, and based on our end of season run in I think he's right not to be. I actually think the current squad is one of the best we've had in years.

In a way we need to be encouraged by the lack of activity. Letting the big guns lay out all their millions on the cream of the crop is good for teams like Spurs who, if we're being honest, are second tier these days. As players come in to the Champions League outfits, the current incumbents are likely to start to get very edgy about their first team prospects, and in a World Cup year might be more tempted to consider their options rather than sit on their fat contracts. This year I actually think that waiting until August could be a good thing for us because when the league kicks off these newly marginalised players might start scrambling for the exit doors - at which point playing for Tottenham might not seem such an awful proposition after all.

Strikers:
I believe we'll only sign a striker if we sell one, and I think the only one likely to be sold is Bent. Robbie Keane playing for 3 clubs in 12 months? I can't see it, and Pav will not be sold for the simple reason that we won't be able to get anyone better than him. I'm convinced the boy is class, and with a bit of a break and a decent pre-season I think we're going to see him explode - I'd love to see that blossoming partnership with JD re-established. Hiddink rates him highly, and that's a pretty solid referral.

So if Bent is out, who's in? Not Bellamy that's for sure, so we can relax about that. Whoever we buy will be a way down the pecking order and Mr. Angry won't like that. Also, I can't see us getting another shortie. I actually think these Berg rumours have substance as a young bloke like him might not be too unhappy about a bit of squad rotation. However, if Levy dicks about over the fee for another month we'll undoubtedly lose out to Hamburg.

If it's not him I'm certain it will be another big man, Crouch or Carew? I'd be distinctly underwhelmed, but ultimately unsurprised - hardly significant improvements are they?

Verdict: A strict one out, one in policy.

Midfield:
All except Lennon are up for sale - what bollocks. Wilson is obviously going nowhere and nor is Modders. I'd also be hugely surprised if we sell Jenas - in fact, to round off this set of bold statements I'd also be surprised if we sold Bentley. Can you see Levy taking a £10m hit on him after one season? I'd kind of like Bentley to stay - he's a good player and if he can turn it around it would be like a new signing. I want to see the best of him in a Spurs shirt and that hasn't happened yet (apart from that goal).

Harry is surely after another tough tackling CM. He does like to play with two tough guys in the middle and now Zokora has gone a new CM/DM type player must be a nailed on cert. I wouldn't be surprised to see Huddlestone go too. He's got talent certainly, but I heard he's a lazy trainer and I suspect that gets Harry all twitchy. Prime suspects are currently Cattermole, Veloso and Cana, but most of this looks like agent bullshit or rehashed stories to me. If I must pick one then Cattermole appears the most "Harry like" signing but I expect the list of candidates to grow over the next couple of weeks.

On the left I think we can forget about Young and Robben and any number of nobodies touted as "the best left midfielder in France". I'm absolutely convinced Downing will be a Spurs player before long, and what's more I don't think that's a bad thing. He's a club captain, has a great left foot, is a fantastic passer of the ball, decent at dead balls etc. I think that where we are at the moment, Downing is as good as we can hope for - four England managers in a row have seen something they like about him so he can't be that bad! Obviously I'd prefer Joe Cole, but I expect he'll want £80k a week and experience tells me Levy won't go for that.

Verdict: Downing's a yid plus a mystery tough guy.

Defence:
Talk of Heinze seems to have evaporated, which is a shame as I think he'd have been a superb signing to bridge the gap until BAE and Bale mature. However its not disastrous as we're OK in this department. Hutton, Charlie, King, Woody, BAE, Bale, Chimbo, Dawson, Gunter - let's face it, we have plenty of cover for anywhere across the back 4. Can't see Harry spunking £10m on a back up for King (read: Bassong) when we already have Corluka and Dawson.

Verdict: Experienced LB wheeled and dealed if one pops up - don't hold your breath.

By my reckoning that makes Downing, a DM you've probably never heard of, a striker you won't be pleased with and maybe a left back past his prime. Try to control your excitement!

I suppose we're used to seeing mass comings and goings every summer, but breaking that habit and letting the team develop would be no bad thing. So even if we do end up signing nobody trouser-bulgingly exciting, take some comfort... we weren't exactly too shabby at the end of last season so would it really be a disaster to kick on with what we have now plus a couple of "squad" players?

Madrid: Everything Must Go!!!

No matter how hard I try to ignore them, there's always one summer transfer rumour that gets me daydreaming. I usually try assocciate most transfer news with something freshly squeezed from a dog's ring piece, as countless summers have taught me to manage my expectations. However, talk of Tottenham rummaging around in Real Madrid's bargain bin has me staring out the window for sustained periods, grinning like an idiot. I even saw photographic evidence of Levy in Madrid! Is it a hoax? Did he fly there for a tour of the Bernabeu just to boost season ticket sales?

Huntelaar. Robben. Heinze. Just think about that for a second. A proper left back for the first time in years. Robben causing havoc down the left in the same way Lennon does on the opposite flank. Huntelaar up front banging them in for fun. Would he be better with Defoe or Keane, will we sell Pav, surely Bent has gone. I see Veloso is available, he'd be a good Jenas replacement. Too much work to do to think about this now - who cares, think about it anyway!

Back down on planet Earth I have to snap myself out of this dream by asking myself why the hell any of these world class footballing superstars would take the inevitable pay cut and join mid-table Tottenham, who don't even have any Europa League action to offer. After all, there must be a host of clubs around Europe interested. As much as I love my Spurs, we have to accept that top, top players are going to either Champions League football or a massive bundle of cash.

Potential is the only answer I can come up with. A new stadium in the pipeline, a squad of decent internationals requiring a sprinkling of stardust, a huge fan base, 'Arry's charm? All good selling points but are they enough, or will this affair be a re-run of Eto, Rivaldo et al? Let's just hope we find out before August 31st this time.

Unfortunately potential doesn't do much for a person's trophy cabinet or their bank balance, but even if this deal goes south, you have to take heart that at least the chaps in charge are targeting the right kind of players. Quality, proven internationals with experience at the highest level are exactly what we need to push on.

Here's hoping...

DUTCH COURAGE

Three, yes three good performances in a row and it's tempting to think that tomorrow is going to be 3 points in the bag. Tottenham may not look invincible in the way Man U do, but they look onehelluva better proposition against Sunderland tomorrow than the shower of shite they've been in recent weeks.

On Wednesday Spurs were, to a man, magnificant. The movement, the energy, the creativity and the passing were a joy to behold. The passing in particular was extremely gratifying, 10 passes here, 15 there - nothing too wasteful, hopeless long balls kept to a minimum. Have this lot finally got the hang of it, has the penny dropped that this game is so much easier when you push and run? With Robbie Keane pulling the strings it was as if he hadn't been away. He provided us with what we've been missing for a while; namely an eye for the clever ball through the middle.

One swallow may not make a summer, but what about 3 - the people who make up these sayings need to be more specific, I want to know if I can break out the bubbly yet! It looks very much like it's job jobbed for Harry Houdini, it would take a catastrophic collapse for us not to manage 9 points from 11 games. Jesus H. Christ, we may even creep into the top half if we carry on like this (perhaps 7th is a bit ambitious though Aaron). The season is in it's home stretch, we look a good bet for safety and the only thing left for us fans to get excited about is the question of whether we can keep repeating these kinds of displays until mid May. Then roll on next August and the customary hyped up promises of top 4 finishes.

Oh call me fickle if you will but a couple of pints at lunchtime on a Friday and I'm a bundle of joy! It's easy to get carried away isn't it? Regular readers will know I obsess about the performance, not the result. That's because it's entirely possible to nick the odd result when playing badly, but consistancy is what you need to "do a Villa", consistancy is what will keep us up and consistancy is what will stop me pulling our hair out and shouting profanities every other week. Maybe we're getting there.

At 5pm tomorrow we'll have a much better idea. If Spurs can pull off 4 good displays in a row then that's case closed, we'd officially be back to being as good as we were last November, or last January, or whenever we were good... I can't quite remember. The boys look confident, they seem happy, King is back. Put your money on an away win for the mighty Tottenham. How bloody exciting!

In other news, internet chit-chat this week seems to have been dominated by talk of clear outs, I can't really get my head around this. Is another mass exodus and a raft of fresh faces really what this club needs? And think about this; with no European football and a crappy league position do you think we are going to be able to attract BETTER players than we already have? Take Bentley for example, the boy is a good player who's having a tough time of it. We need to get behind him instead of slagging him off. He wants to play for us, he's young and he's on a long contract (and at least he had the balls to stand up and take that penalty, which is more than can be said for some). A bit of patience would be more productive than a torrent of vitriol. Bale is in the same boat. BAE however can do one, but then again I have an irrational hatred of him, come on, I'm allowed one aren't I?

That's just my opinion mind you, if your "one" is Bentley then that's up to you - personally I think there are more suitable candidates.

I suspect we'll have just 3 summer targets, a left back, a left midfielder and a replacement for Bent. I believe everyone else will stay. Oh, maybe a goalie I suppose, I can't tell whether Harry actually likes Gomes or whether he's just saying he does. Boro' look good for the drop, and if that happens I think you can be almost certain that Downing will at last "earn his spurs" (I hate that phrase, how lazy!).

Anyway, I digress. Its all about tomorrow, so get down your local dodgy boozer or fire up Iraq Goals and roll on 34 points!

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Spurs are out of Europe, well... we all knew it was going that way didn't we? It wasn't that scoring 2 goals was unthinkable, more that not conceding one seemed unlikely, and in the end it was those crazy goals on their manor that saw us off and not a weak surrender from our reserve outfit as many had predicted. I don't think we would have conceded if we weren't pushing so hard at the end and I was actually rather impressed with much of our play. It was like watching a completely different team from the one that served us the dross I endured on Monday. Oh, hang on, it was a completely different team!

If these lot were the second string then several of them should be knocking on Harry's door today and asking him what else they have to do to get a promotion. I felt that half a dozen players did themselves no end of good out there and put up a super effort as underdogs against ex-Champions League fodder. There has been talk of devaluing the competition, but the consolation is we get to have a good look at a few unfamiliar faces.

For the delicate petals amongst you, I realise it seems crazy that I can moan about Monday's win and celebrate last night's loss, but it's a funny old game and important as results are at the moment, that's not what this post is about. I'm talking about the mid to long term outlook, the 5 day forecast, the bigger picture. It's a picture that has shown the first team lumber disjointedly to a mixed bag of performances, mostly poor, since Harry's honeymoon period ended abruptly on December 13th. Yet last night the reserves put on a show that actually got the blood pumping in places it hasn't pumped for weeks.

Quick passing, urgency, creativity and self belief were in attendance and I felt we could drag them into extra time all the way up to the point that they killed us off. The crowd were rocking and the players had their tails up. We didn't look content to knock it around the centre circle, we didn't result to long ball after long ball out of defence, we even had something vaguely resembling a final ball. This lot look comfortably good enough to get us promoted from the Championship next season. (Alright, calm down - that was a joke!).

My verdict:

Gomes - 6
Better but not great, will need to improve if we are to survive - and soon. Thought he'd turned a corner before his injury, hopefully he can turn it again.

Gunter - 6
Caught out of position a few times but recovered well (except possibly for their goal!). Likes going forward, decent defender, has all the ingredients of a solid pro.

Shimbomba - 7
To be honest I find him a bit of a flapper and an uneccesary risk taker at centre half, but no cock ups this time so mustn't grumble.

Thudd - 8
Captain Cool looked composed and seemed to relish the armband. So refreshing to have a CB who can spray measured, accurate passes rather than hoof it to the other defence. Would like to see him play here more often as he starts so many good moves.

Gilberto - 4
One decent run and a couple of tidy passes I suppose, but up there as a contender for the worst player ever to wear the shirt. Loses the ball up field and refuses to break into a sweat to recover his position. Looks nervous and disinterested. Reckon that's his lot.

Bale - 7
Good passing, intelligent running and even looked strong when covering for Gilberto. If only he'd break his balls a bit more when not in possession he'd be automatic first choice ahead of my personal hate figure BAE.

O'Hara - 5
Not bad, not great. Decent enough considering he hasn't played in a while

Wilson - 7
He really is looking like the real deal. The DM we've been waiting for he injects drive and passion into our midfield. Hopefully no one else has noticed.

Gio - 8
Splendid goal with the left peg, tidy passing, kept the ball, found space, mostly avoided dead ends. Bentley and Lennon should be worried. Selling him would be a massive mistake. Could have earned a cameo on Sunday?

Obika - 7
Looks like a good prospect, strong, eager, full of running, not afraid to have a crack. Deserved a goal. Hope he isn't one of those players who need 5 chances to tuck away 1, but wondering if he's already better than Bent...

Campbell - 5
Couldn't find a key to unlock the defence, fell over quite a bit. Not a long term answer, Fergie can have him back.

The only one who stands to start on Sunday is Gomes, but it will be interesting to see who Harry goes for on Wednesday against Boro'. For me Bale is possibly the only one who has a shout (I'm not superstitious) - hard to remember he's not even 20 yet!

Ups and downs come with the territory as a Spurs fan, and while the team has been looking decidedly shaky, it seems to me as though the squad looks quite promising.

SAME SH*T, DIFFERENT DAY

Hoorah, we got another 3 points last night, by Harry's calculations that means we need another 4 wins to hit the magic 40. As if talk of reaching 40 points wasn't depressing enough, we actually have to go on and win one third of our remaining games to do so - including ties against each of the current top 4. Based on the evidence provided by last night's mediocre performance then it looks like it's going to be squeaky bum time for another couple of months.

Tottenham were, yet again, rubbish, well ok maybe not anger-inducingly rubbish, but definitely distinctly average. How I yearn for a really good performance. I crave flowing moves, intelligent running, clever interplay. I'd currently settle for more than half a dozen passes in a row, a few more decent attempts on goal and the immediate cessation of long balls out of defence. Watching Tottenham is getting more and more like watching Championship football, we just don't knock it around like we used to.

Why our players struggle to find the kind of time and space on the ball that the opposition so frequently have against us is a conundrum. Unfortunately Harry hasn't got a clue either. I can only hope that he gets as frustrated as me by all the terrible decision making and hopeless passing. The players have been conditioned to believe they are in a fight, but fighting and playing intelligent football don't have to be mutually exclusive do they?

Whilst I am obviously delighted that we managed 3 points against a newly promoted team, I refuse to paper over the cracks of yet another disjointed performance. I personally am failing to see any significant progress from any of the other dross we have been served up over the last couple of months. Ask yourself this, on 80 minutes who did you think was going to win? The only difference this time is we managed to grab a late winner rather than the more traditional late loser.

My verdict...

Cudicini - 5
Failed to inspire confidence and seems to have been taking cross handling advice from Gomes.

Corluka - 5
Mistake for their goal, but I still like him

Woody - 8
Blood, guts and the winner

Ledders - 6
Was he playing?

Assou-Akkoto - 4
He finally put a cross on someones head, well done it only took 20 odd games. Gives the ball away far too often and always tries to go long when a short pass inside is the better ball. Drives me crazy.

Lennon - 7
One of his better days, but still loves a dead end. Passing is poor/unimaginative/not quick enough. Taarabt has more skill in his little finger, unfortunately his passing and decision making is even worse. Nice goal.

Jenas - 6
Also one of his better days, which isn't really a massive compliment. Tiring of his exasperated arms out gesturing when he gets the ball in the centre circle. Gained one bonus point for not making me shout.

Modders - 5
Should have been pulling the strings, but wasn't.

Palacios - 7
Not quite the all action display we saw against the goons, but still ticked the right boxes. Rapidly becoming a personal favourite.

Bent - 5
I have been a long time supporter of Benty. Running out of patience.

Keane - 4
Was he playing? Missing Berba (aren't we all).

Are this team capable of playing better football than this? I think they are, but how much longer do we have to wait before they gel? 45 minutes against Stoke is all we've had to be proud of for way too long. Next Wednesday we host Boro' in what is another 'must win' game. Tricky away ties follow against Sunderland and Villa before a home tie with resurgent Chelsea - I don't fancy too many points from that lot.

There's the welcome distraction of a cup final this weekend (welcome for me anyway, Harry doesn't seem so keen). If on Sunday we give the ball away as cheaply and as frequently as we did last night then we're going to get battered. However, perhaps a good result and/or performance against unstoppable United will be the catalyst that brings these lot together and gives them a bit of belief.

It might not be very realistic, but I need some small ray of sunshine to believe in...

European Football: What is all the fuss about?

I really don't know why we've been so obsessed with qualifying for Europe for all these years. The format of this competition just seems to drain the excitement right out of it. I mean, what are we now, the last 32, last 16? I don't even know but it seems like we've played about 20 games so far. It appears as though I'm not the only person who couldn't give a toss anymore as Harry Redknapp thoughtfully decided for us that 3 points against Hull on Monday are more important than continuing in a competition we have been busting our balls to get into for the last 10 years. If we don't get those points I'm going to be more than a little upset.

Much was made of his decision to field his second string, but it didn't look much like a reserve team to me. I was under the impression that Gomes, Huddlestone, Dawson, Chimbonda, Jenas, Zokora and Bentley were all first teamers - at least they have been in the not-so-distant past. No, I don't think the team sheet was too shabby, but the tactics were definitely unambitious. Maybe playing for a draw looked like the sensible option at the time, after all it was away from home, on a crappy pitch and with a glut of 'more important' games on the horizon perhaps he thought we could take a draw and then nick it at The Lane. The plan has backfired.

In what was for most part a rather tedious affair, Tottenham's trademark collapse in the last 10 minutes cost us yet again. A 2 goal deficit looks too much to claw back against a Ukrainian side who are no mugs. Michael Dawson, ever the optimist, believes otherwise. "We knew coming to a place like this they would have a lot of the ball but we're disappointed. It's going to be an uphill task - but we still believe we can do it."

Well Michael, I beg to differ. Is there anybody out there who really believes we can keep a clean sheet next week? No, not much chance of that I'd of thought. Even letting in 1 goal means we'd have to stick 4 past them and I suspect our strongest team would struggle to do that, let alone the rag-tag mish-mash of reserve players and kids that will no doubt constitute the starting XI next Thursday.

"I gave one 17-year-old (Dean Parrett) his debut and might have four 17-year-olds next week," said Redknapp. "When we play the second leg it will only be half as strong as this side." Oh, ok, so that's that then. Ever struggled to get a ticket? Well next Thursday's game is for you.

"The magic of the UEFA Cup" isn't something you hear people saying very often, and for good reason. The ridiculous qualifying procedures, the excessive group stages and the unnecessary home and away legs for each of the knockout stages means that this competition just rumbles on and on and on. Unfortunately the powers that be have missed the opportunity to make significant changes and turn it into something genuinely exciting.

The Europa League, as it will be known from next season, will mean teams playing even more games to get to the knockout stages than they have to now. What UEFA should have done is expand it to include 64 teams and then just had a one legged knockout competition all the way to the semi-finals. That would add a bit of magic as we might be treated to some pulsating winner takes all cup ties and plucky underdogs having a right good crack at it. So what actually have they changed?

"The new name heralds major changes to the competition, which will have a new 48-team group stage with centralised marketing of broadcast rights, a presenting sponsor and an official matchball in addition to centralised sponsorship from the knockout stage and a new logo and visual identity."

What a load of old bollocks.

Robbie Keane: Tottenham Saviour?

Little over a week ago I absolutely convinced myself that Robbie Keane would not be a Spurs player again. I just couldn't see Liverpool squandering a few million quid, in the process admitting they had made a very expensive mistake, and I couldn't see Keano himself swallowing his pride, coming to terms with his Anfield nightmare and scampering back to White Hart Lane with his tail between his legs. With the current insanity at Spurs at the moment I should have known better!

I'm happy to have been wide of the mark on that one, but let's face it, admitting you are wrong is a very difficult thing to do, even more so when it has to be done so publicly. Yet such admissions are implicit throughout this bizarre deal. Liverpool are admitting they were wrong to spend £20m on him just 6 months ago (and it's too easy to be dismissive of that figure, but what an almighty balls up that turned out to be), Spurs are admitting they were wrong to sell him (I know they say they didn't want to but they did) and Keano himself is admitting he was wrong to go there. A quite astonishing u-turn on three fronts in an incredibly short time frame.

Anyway, the Red side of things may smack of internal wrangling and the percentage of jump versus push may be debatable but one thing is for sure, we have got ourselves a top quality striker on the cheap. If there's one thing this club need right now it's more pointing and shouting. Keano has proved he is a 20 goals a season man, but he's also a fighter, a motivator, hugely respected and by all accounts a popular figure in the dressing room.

What he brings us is what we have been missing for a while, trickery and intelligence in the final third. Huddlestone's quarterback trick is tidy without being spectacular, Lennon's running into dead ends or poor delivery is frustrating, Jenas is a sideways and backwards merchant, Zokora couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, Defoe is more predator than provider and although Modders and Pav have shown flashes, neither look like they have Berba-esque ability to turn a game on their own.

OK, so Keane is no Berbatov, but he is a very clever player. He makes the right runs, he finds space, he can turn people inside out and he has feet quick enough to put other players through on goal without telegraphing it the way we do at the moment. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if him and Pav make a better partnership than Defoe and Pav. With Defoe's unfortunate accident it looks like he has the best part of 3 months to prove it.

I know there will be a few people out there that can't forgive and forget, but Keano has class, fight and league experience by the bucket load. With Defoe out for 10 weeks we would have been left with just Bent or Campbell to play alongside Pav for what could be Spurs' most important few months in the last 30 years.

My thoughts: Robbie Keane could be the signing that keeps us in the Premiership.

You Don't Have to Be Mad To Work Here... But It Helps!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, being a Spurs fan may not reward a person with endless silverware and top of the table drama, but by god there's never a dull moment. Like the plot in a badly written soap opera, events down at the Lane recently once again leave me shaking my head in disbelief. Although, perhaps disbelief is the sensible course of action judging by some of what is circulating at the moment.

The latest story to fall out of the arse of someone 'in the know' is that Spurs have tried a last ditch attempt to sign Sunderland's bruising striker of limited talent, Kenwyne-Jones. Hardly breaking news you might think, but today's twist is that we have tried to throw £20m at them! Twenty-million-pounds. On what footballing planet is a player of Kenwyn Jones' ability worth twenty-million-pounds??? I mean, he's ok, and perhaps I would have been delighted if we had done a straight swap - him for Bent, but should we really be breaking the club record for someone like him when we have Pav, Defoe, Campbell and Mr Mardybum? I'm afraid someone creative (yes, like Berbatov) is what we need, not another battering ram. Anyway, after moaning about it to anyone that would listen, Sunderland have finally shoved a stack of money, a new contract and a pen under his nose. Utter insanity narrowly avoided!

The alternative strikes me as equally loopy, today's other big "news" is that we'd like to have Keano back. Now, ordinarily I'd have rubbished this as a non-starter, but as we have already spent £18m on two players we owned this time last year a person has to at least consider the possibility.

Now I don't mind our Robbie. He was a great servant to the club, scored plenty of goals and certainly could not be accused of lacking passion. Although the more immature amongst us were upset by the manner of his departure I think holding a grudge against him is a bit silly. However, Bent, Defoe and Keano joined by Pav and Campbell all fighting for one, possibly two starting places? We couldn't keep 3 of them happy last time, I doubt we would keep 5 happy now - and is Keane really about to swallow his pride and risk swapping the Liverpool bench for the Spurs one? No, fortunately I think I've just talked myself out of entertaining the remotest possibility of this ever happening.

A bit of stroppiness on Carling Cup day means Shimbomba probably won't get a wander round the pitch at half time tonight, but he's a decent player so his return is hardly a slap in the face. With any luck he'll slot straight into left back and stay there until we eventually sort that shit-storm of a position out in the summer.

Cudicini is an unbelievable signing, "I had to quit Chelsea to save my career" he said. Well at 35 I'd have thought it a bit late for that sentiment, but if he defines sitting on a different London bench as career saving then who are we to grumble?

Actually, when you step back from the hype regarding our league position, it has been really a rather good couple of weeks for Tottenham. We booked a place at Wembley, played 40 minutes of outstanding stuff against the best team in the world, signed a quality, versatile defender for half the amount we sold him for, The Best Second Choice Keeper In The League, a 20 goals a season England international and a combative box-to-box midfielder that Madrid, Man U and Citeh wanted. I'm not convinced that's the end of it either as Harry seems determined to trade Bent for someone... anyone!

Knock a few past the Potters tonight and then take three points off eminently beatable Bolton on Saturday and all of a sudden things are looking much, much brighter.

Talk of Stuart Getting me Downing

Why are Daniel Levy et al so obsessed with Stuart Downing? I mean he's no donkey I suppose, but if he's worth over £15m then so is... erm, David Bentley! The player obviously does a lot of work that your average Joe just doesn't notice because Spurs seem desperate for him, Boro' refuse to let him go under any circumstances and a succession of England managers have been convinced that he's the best left winger in the country. I just don't see it myself.

Anyway, the good news is that Boro's hilarious faux disgust at another club legitimately offering a vast sum of money for a distinctly average player seems to have done enough to rebuff our advances yet again. Thank God for that. Money may talk but surely the powers that be at Boro' would look like complete dingbats if they let him go now they've thrown all their toys out of their pram.

Anyway, I don't think we need him. The other night Jamie O'Hara showed glimpses of what I really hope is things to come. For me this boy has the potential to become a key member of the team. He can pass, shoot, tackle, take a player on and is clearly committed to the shirt. Just look at how he was shouting encouragement to his team mates, really revving people up. You could see what that second half performance meant to him at the final whistle. I know he gets a bit of stick every now and again on the message boards, but people need to remember he's still developing. Teams are rarely made up of 11 superstars, every team needs it's grafters and journeymen. I believe academy graduate O'Hara could be the beating heart of Tottenham for years to come - future captain material no less.

And let's not forget the impending return of Giovanni (when did we stop calling him Dos Santos by the way?). Much has been made of whether he will a Spurs player for much longer, but he is already a fans favourite and 'Arry has shown he's not one to flog a perfectly good player for no reason. I'm hoping that the little smiling Mexican is the main beneficiary of our failure to land Downing. I think he's already proved he can cut it with the big boys, he has all the flair and running of Lennon but with a bit more end product. I'd love to see him on the comeback trail getting half an hour here and there over the next few weeks.

So all this talk of handing Boro' the remains of our transfer kitty is getting on my nerves. Sometimes, not often mind you but sometimes, I wish we'd just give our existing players a fair crack of the whip.