Spurs lose, deal with it

Tottenham 1 Utd 3

No knee-jerking here. You can browse away to any of the other blogs or message boards where no doubt one or two are slitting wrists thanks to this firm kick in the balls we got from United today. It was a predictable result, although I jokingly told friends earlier in the week that we would boss the game for 89 minutes then concede – a nod at that late late Tevez equaliser a couple of seasons back. Last year Modric should have won it in the final seconds. This time round, ironically doing superbly well coming into the game, we failed to match the tenacity of prior encounters at the Lane. At least the last two encounters where we deserved more than we got. Historically, we never beat Utd. And history repeated itself again. And today, we got what we deserved.

We were well beaten. Comfortably beaten. This was, is, the difference between a Top 4 side and the rest. Don’t fret, we are still on course for a Top 6 finish. But until we get that elusive CM who can dominate the midfield and also learn to live without the magic of Modric, we will continue to suffer in games like this. Games where we don’t quite get hold of the ball because the players opposing us are a little bit more accomplished. More polished and disciplined. 4 straight wins and instead of frustrating Utd we try to play football. And pound-for-pound that isn't the best of ideas. Especially as there is no one who can dictate the tempo in our side with Luka looking on from the stands. Tactically, we were a little too open. I guess the teams attitude was, why not? We are playing well, so take it to them. But if it's not quite 100% with balance, structure and selection then it can appear a little naive. Were a good side, just not great. Not yet.

Regardless great start, Defoe inside a minute. That got a fair few wet no doubt. Not that it was all Utd up until their equaliser. We had an opportunity or two, but the way they countered you knew they would find a way back. Tragically, from a free-kick (Giggs) and then Anderson from outside the box thanks to the clearance that found his feet. Earlier, Berbatov should have scored, thankfully squandering his efforts. It was ominous. You could smell the rancid stink of defeat against a side that, Christ, I’d love us to beat just once in a blue moon.

Half-time, good full blooded entertainment. End to end football but more missing from our performance than from theirs. Utd the more comfortable and dangerous with the ball with us not quite on top of our game. Untidy in places. Lennon not in the game as much as he was v Croatia during the week. The rest not quite clicking, although we did manage to produce some decent efforts.

Second half, on comes JJ for Palacios (yellow carded, tired from international duty). BAE with some great work, Keane should have scored. Block from Vidic. Yellow cards start to flow. Brilliant passage of play, Jenas shot, Foster saves. From the corner, Crouch headers the ball onto the bar. Game not as free flowing as it was in the first half but there are odd chances here and there.

Then we get a traditional seasonal Scholes red card.

Now can someone in the Spurs side take the game by the scruff of the neck? Answer to that is no. But that has just as much to do with the class of the opposition. Even with 10 men.

Berbatov off, Carrick on. We start to see more of the ball but Rooney has a shot saved onto the bar. Then Hutton comes on for Corluka. Still no scruffing of the neck. Evra has an effort that finds the side netting. Kranjcar on for Keane. But still nothing changes in our favour.

Also, worth noting that Crouch will never win a free-kick. It’s because he’s tall. Ask any ref, that if you’re taller then there’s no way you can be fouled due to your hight, thus it’s always your own fault. It’s undeniable logic, right? Quite.

15 mins left and it’s all gone flat. United score a third, all too easy, with Rooney beating Hutton followed up with a nutmeg on CC. Game over.

I can’t be harsh on anyone today. It just didn't work and Harry will go away knowing this. Lennon was contained by Evra. Defoe didn't see enough of the ball, with Huddlestone lacking bite and bullishness. Palacios obviously not 100% and a likely candidate for a red thanks to his tired legs, so losing him gave us another preview of what it’s like to face a Top 4 side without him. JJ not too shabby when he came on. In comparison to one or two others. Fact is, Utd are what they are because they bide their time, they play patiently and when they get their chances they are ruthless. Totally professional, painstakingly good. Basically, they're f**king annoying c**ts. Three point c**ts. Harry not able to force any changes tactically, as there was no true creative force in our ranks. And players didn’t pull together tightly enough to plug that hole.

Although worth noting that Keane on the left doesn't work and it proved to be the case leaving Huddlestone all alone (with no Keane dropping deep to help out when he plays up front). JD and Crouch did not drop deep. They don't do that.

Utd were well worth the points but the frustration from our perspective is that we made it a little bit too easy. It’s a shame we played them and now have to face Chelsea next because you get the feeling the side need to adjust a little with not having Luka in the side. And two lesser teams would have been more accommodating. But alas, the fixture list doesn’t give a shit. And neither should we look for excuses. We have a squad, it’s still not perfect. But we are working towards it. It’s the reaction and the response from this result that will be more telling that the performance on the day. Push that hype aside. And start working those £50K per week bollocks off.

Like I said. No knee-jerks. Would have been nice to steal a point, but on the day – not good enough.

Onwards.

COYS.

Same old Tottenham, always winning

Tottenham 2  Brummies 1

You wouldn’t have blamed one or two people from knee-jerking had there been only 94 minutes of play at the Lane this afternoon. Had it finished 1-1, we’d have heard a moan or two about our lack of edge in a game where Birmingham did their very best to not only frustrate but also take a professional point back to the midlands. We’ll always have days like this. When our play isn’t quite polished and we struggle to step up a gear. Happens to every team. Usually (go back to pre-Redknapp) we’d have lost this game based on that on-going quintessential Spurs problem where our heads dip and the plucky away side steal in for all three points. It’s been a while since that’s happened but looked a possibility for parts of the second half. Up until the 94 minute.

The knee-jerk that would have covered off our inability to edge ahead and consolidate our lead. After the 95^th closed, the actual conclusion on the afternoons performance was more positive and about how this is the type of thing the ‘big teams do’. Win when they are far far from their best.

Let’s go back to the first minute and kick-off.

Can we live with the hype? Best start to season since the early sixties, wonderfully ironic compared to last year’s worst ever start. Haven’t lost at home since Everton beat us last November. This was always going to be a tricky game, and I wanted us to be tested for it. Whether that be the opposition taking the game to us and taking the lead or simply frustrating us with men behind the ball. It was the latter. And boy did they frustrate.

Same team that started away to West Ham, saw us dominate the opening 10 minutes possession. But you sensed there was a lack of sharpness. Plenty of play from the left-wing saw us cause the Brummies some early worries. Keane shot, Defoe in the way. Modric having plenty of success down that flank.

Birmingham countered, O’Conner with a volley easily saved by CC in goal. This was the story of the first half. Ball mostly at our feet, not quite finding a way through, and having to deal with the odd counter.

There was no shift in tempo. Even though Modric was having plenty of success against Parnaby. One passage of play was almost Hoddlesque, allowing the ball to do the running, getting away from his man on the left and finding Lennon, who’s shot was cleared. Lennon in the mood, greedy, but in the mood.

Larsson shot thankfully wide. Sloppy defending from us allowing him in with a chance. At the other end, Defoe’s turn to be greedy, shooting wide when Keane was the better option.

Ominous, that oh so familiar rude word was doing the rounds in my head. Where’s the opening goal to help settle the nerves? Not that we were overwhelming nervous, but you’d think getting into the positions we were we’d have slotted one away by now. Going on the general sharp movement and ruthless finishing of previous weeks. Possession was there. Composure wasn’t.

Birmingham’s plan was to defend deep, counter, and nick one. Dangerous, but if they allowed the game to open up, we might be more fruitful. They even gave us a helping hand, giving the ball away often. But no punishment forthcoming for the men in Lilywhite (and yellow streaks).

Too many loose touches from Keane and JD. Huddlestone lacking that extra spark we know he can produce. A shot here, a run there. That word ominous was getting a little louder.

The test was now upon us, 30 minutes into the game. Could we avoid the frustration building up and seeing Birmingham turn it to their advantage? Could we adapt and find another way through? Let’s face it, teams will not come to WHL and bend over for us. The key here is simply this: Patience. For all their stubbornness, we still crafted the better chances. Modric coming close with a curling shot. But for every 3 or 4 chances we had, Birmingham replied with half of one.

Half time, and no swagger.

The test got a little tricky cometh the second forty-five. Off went King (groin tweaked) on came Hutton. Bit of a shuffle in defence. What you don’t then want to see is Lee Carsley head towards goal dangerously (wide) and McFadden almost scoring not long after the half has begun.

And if the double scare wasn’t enough, Moddle went off with an injury. More on this later.

Plan A wasn't working and its main instigator had hobbled off. Time for Plan B. Crouch. Its a little more traditional this. Altogether a different kind of threat. Ping the ball to his head. Simple, right? With Luka off, the next 45 and some would be a preview of what life is like without him in the side (if he was out injured for a while).

Still no spark. Birmingham grew a little in confidence. Half a chance, Keane pulled back the ball but Defoe made a mess of controlling it. Crouchie is fouled on the edge of the area, not given. I guess that’s something we’ll see a lot of. Expect refs to give plenty against him. Tallism that is.

Another Lennon run, should have released JD early, didn’t and Stevie Carr cynically fouled him. Hudds freekick attempt to bulldoze the wall summed everything up.

Then a scare. Penalty shout. Was it? Wasn’t it? McFadden clipped, although Palacios had his hands up already with the Blues player a tad off balance. Personally, not a pen. But then I would say that.

Nearing the 60^th minute mark, and this was now officially an unsettled performance. The test was not just unnerving, but our attempt to get through it was stagnating. Teams, as I’ve already said, will aim to frustrate us and hope to steal in with a breakaway goal.

But then we were blessed with a good omen. Crouch header, Hart save. Then a BAE cross, Crouch nodding it back across the goal, cleared away. Still a bit untidy, but the pressure turned up a little on the opposition. Plan B perking up.

Defoe then had half a chance, a sort of messy version of the overhead kick. Crouch was looming, had the ball been left. Huddlestone was quiet creatively. Missing Moddle big time at this point. Games like this where we don’t click are the exact type of games where we need to nick a goal and take all three points.

Crouch header from another sweet Keane (who improved as the game went on) cross hit the sodding bar. Followed up by a JD effort resulting in a corner. Then another Crouch header, cleared off the line by Carsley. Crouchie was getting closer and closer.

That slight tempo change evident now.

Another cross, this time Lennon nearly finding Crouch who couldn’t quite get his head to it. Birmingham wasteful in possession. It was time to make the breakthrough. And it came. Crouch heading (yes, heading, would you believe it?) the ball across the goal, beating Hart to make it 1-0. All from a free-kick. Simple. 72 minutes. Plan B works when Plan A is busy having treatment.

Now, let’s close the shop.

Close the shop. Lock it up. Bring down the shutters. Park a bus in front of it. Deck it out with a Romulan cloaking device.  Just close the sodding thing!

Three minutes later, Birmingham equalise.

Did we close the shop? Yes. But Hutton decided to sleep-walk to the front door, unlock it, and  leave the door wide open while the shopkeeper inside was asleep at the till.

This was Spurs of old. Dither, wait for each other (CC and Hutton failing to communicate or take responsibility) and the deflected ball fell into the path of Lee Bowyer who tapped it in for 1-1. Shocking stuff. Why wasn’t it cleared? Cudicini wasn’t at his best today (far too many moments where he failed to command his area). Hutton is prone to these sorts of things. Combine the two, and we have ourselves a gift. At least Alex McLeish did.

The test had now evolved, asking the question: Can we show bottle and determination and re-take the initiative and reclaim the lead?

JD trotted off, Pav his replacement. 10 minutes left and we are struggling to overcome the Brummies. Question remainign unanswered.

Benitez caused a bit of panic in the penalty area, O’Conner should have scored. Tidy passing ending with a thankfully tidy pass into the side netting.

WAKE UP TOTTENHAM.

Six minutes left. Goodbye 100% record? The game was turning into an example of why we don’t quite have that Top 4 mentality and will need to raise our games if we have aspirations to claim a top 6 finish.

Brummie free-kick, Roger Johnson should have scored and should have won it. Suddenly the value of a point had most wanting the final whistle to be heard.

Final minute.

What was going through your mind? No knee-jerking from me. Just a gentle reminder that there are some weak links in the squad and that the mental strength is not quite fully charged for a real surge forwards. It’s an off day, one where too many players were off form. With Modric off injured, nobody was able to quite grab the game and shake it to its foundations. At least it’s a point gained if you compare it to last time out (where we lost home and away to Birmingham couple of seasons back).

Then we had a 5^th minute of injury time.

Oh. Wasn’t expecting that. Carr slips, immediately cancelling out Hutton’s dithering, and we break. Pav finds Lennon who cuts into the box, shifts to the right of two defenders and shots...and scores.

Holy crap. 95^th minute winner. 100% record retained. 12 points. 4 game. Delirium.

Let me take you back to something I said early in this review of the game:

This is the type of thing the ‘big teams do’. Win when they are far far from their best.

We did not play well from the start, and I don’t think it would even be far to suggest we can’t play without Modric pulling the strings. It wasn’t a great performance and Birmingham had a bit t to do with it, with or without Moddle we made hard work of it. And if Hutton had cleared it, we probably would have picked up the points without the necessity of injury time dramatics.

But credit for looking for it and pushing forward, be it Carr slipping.

Days like this will not be uncommon, and expecting to win every game with an avalanche of goals is simply fantasy.

Dug deep. Bided our time. Adapted play after injuries. Scored from the tactical change. And embraced luck with the returning gift that saw us take all the points (although Lennon had far more to do than Bowyer). We punished them and 64% possession, 14 shots on goal says we edged it just a little bit. I still wouldn’t blame them for being gutted....I mean, 95^th minute...ouch. I guess when you play for a draw...

Importantly, it takes us into the Utd and Chelsea games with max points so if we match last season’s efforts against them, we can all smile that little wider. If we continue in the same vein, then start to polish that open bus for the parade.

Missed O’Hara today (can he be re-called?). Reckon he would have been useful out there, in what was a sluggish second half. Harry (yesterday) claiming we are not close to signing anyone, not sure I quite believe him. We should be in for someone. Simply because we’ve loaned out Jamie and got rid of KPB. CM cover is required.

I’m not going to go rate the players. Like I said, low-key day for most. Modric (was superb 1st half) has a ‘nasty injury’ to the calf and King might be out for a bit with groin trouble. This is the quote that best not come back to haunt us:

“If we lose Ledley and Modric, with Michael Dawson and Jonathan Woodgate already out, the squad is a bit short.”

Harry, I refer you to the previous quote about not being close to signing anyone. I hope you're blagging it mate. Don’t want us to be blaming squad depth if we deplete further. Others have to take responsibility and (cue broken record) we need to add another player to the squad – because it’s not just Modric we need to worry about. Lose Palacios and we are shagged.

Back to Moddle. He has broken his fibula. Damage? Two/Three months sidelined. If correct, that’s devastating news. It’s almost a certainty we would need to bring a player (Petrov?) otherwise we might be left wanting...literally. If we don't, Gio might have to impress, but I expect Keane to slot in there – which is not something I want to see personally. Still waiting on the official word. But don’t expect it to be good news. Textbook, hey? We’re going to find it tough without his magical boots. He's the brains.

Harry seems to be downplaying it (saying it's a kick to the calf). Slaven Bilić suggesting it's as serious as noted above.

JD should be ok. Ledders defo out of the England squad.

As for his match assessment, Redknapp reckons we battered them. Statistically, we did. But don’t think it was quite in the realms that Harry described it. Birmingham seemed content to park the bus. We couldn't quite roll them over.

If we start playing like this every week and riding our luck, I’ll be concerned. Still think it was an off day, and the injury to Luka has deflated me. I guess we should still bask in the glory that is 4 from 4. We are on the up with Harry. And I like it. Let’s hope we do good between now and the end of the transfer window.

COYS

Another day, another win

300 days in charge of Tottenham has seen Harry Redknapp claim a (over) 50% win record. Add to it our best start to a season since 1960 and you begin to wonder what Sky Sports News will do next. My money's on an interview with a Spurs fan who's had plastic surgery to their face, including the addition of sagging cheeks, to look like 'arry. Looking at the table this early in the season is completely redundant. But that doesn't mean we can't smile about our perfect start. Just hold off having any work done to your face.

Yet another win against West Ham United (we always beat them) made it three out of three. Not the most sexy of games, was it? There was me predicting a pretty game of football with plenty of free flowing play and triangular movements and instead it was far more physical with Zola's men direct and in our faces from the start.

Was it a good performance? Under the circumstances, yes. We didn't play as well as we could. Determination was there but the usual fluid movement and passing was laboured at times. Third game in around eight days, hot summers day…can we use these as excuses? Sometimes you don't quite get out of the starting blocks with pace and you have to adapt to an opposition who may lack the same type of quality you possess but stick in enough effort and guts to cause problems.

Keane dropped deep which meant we shaped up 4-5-1, leaving JD up on his own. Not sure if this was intentional (or a consequence), but it did allow us plenty of wing-play when mounting attacks, although we didn't quite make the most of this with Lennon not receiving the ball as often as he should have. Defoe was a little subdued, Modric not the threat he can be and wasteful with passes and a couple of efforts on goal (one of which he should have scored). But this was probably more to do with the lack of sustained support from the midfield. Hudd and Wilson not moving as freely as the two previous games. Tommy lacking his usual quarter-back qualities. No pinging balls. Didn't quite control the tempo.

BAE was caught out a couple of times, as well as Corluka. Bassong did well alongside King - who misplaced a pass or two and was worked hard by Cole, but again showed his undeniable class. Wasn't an easy afternoon.

Regardless of the fragmented performance, it's important to highlight something we are not blessed with too often watching Spurs. Not at our best, we still restricted them and pressed hard and towards the end of the game we played sensible controlled football rather than attempting anything stupid i.e. giving the ball away needlessly. We worked our socks off to get the ball back when we were not in possession. Tired as out, but we had a little bit left in the tank (whereas WH seemed to be spent by the end) - but it was job done. Grafting out hard fought wins like this are as pleasing as wining 5-1 away.

As for the game details, we had the best of the chances. Moddle should have scored after some great play from Aaron. King hit the post. All a bit frantic in the first half, plenty of long balls to Cole who managed to bully King and Bassong, keeping them constantly busy. Keane playing very deep and Huddlestone and Palacios with a lot of work to do defensively. West Ham mixing it up, kicking us all over the pitch and hitting us on the counter. Second half starts and they go 1-0 up. Goal out of nothing, brilliantly taken turn and shot from Cole. And then it's 1-1, a goal out of nothing. Cole brilliantly assisting by finding JD who smacked the ball past Green. Oops. As the game progressed, we got more of a stranglehold on it and Lennon made it 2-1 with a cut inside (aided by a fall from Spector) to unleash a cracking left-footed shot. Green beaten again. Saw out the rest of the game professionally.

Should mention the referee. Have I missed something with Clattenberg? I thought he was balding? Anyway, two penalty decisions (handball and a pull on Bassong) ignored as well as failing to dish out a second yellow for a WH penalty shout that looked like a dive and also turned a blind eye to one or two tasty tackles. Seriously, where did that hair come from? I must have him mixed up with someone else.

Untidy, frantic, messy, disjointed. And still three points to take back home with us. Daniel Levy, wet boxer shorts in the post for you. The pessimistic amongst you might highlight that we beat the same three teams in the corresponding fixtures last season. We did. But not in the same fashion. It's a rejuvenated Spurs side with a far clearer structure and strategy. What a difference to the depression we faced this time last year.

Brummies at home next. We are bound to get unstuck soon. Hopefully not in this game. We've got Utd and Chelsea to follow so we'll know a lot about ourselves after September ends. If we get through it with damage limitation to the max, we might be in a very good position to push ourselves into contention, much like Villa did last year. I'm still realistic. We are good enough for 6th and possibly 5th (depending on how City progress). What may help is an addition or two to the squad. Be it before the window shuts shop or in January. Something extra, just in case. Hate to say it, but lose Wilson or Luka and we might struggle. But enough of the what if's. At the moment it's all about the in the bag.

3 games, 8 days. 9 points, 3 games.

The DVD will be great.

8th spot is the new 4th

Tottenham: Not good for your health.

One moment we are high up looking down at everything, anticipating – dare I say excited. And then it begins and we find ourselves heading downwards with dizzying speed, my heart in my mouth and my gut pushed up somewhere into my head. Why do I put myself through this? When will the nightmare end? The twists, the turns. The agony and screams. The ups and downs.

It’s a rollercoaster ride.

Literally. The Colossus ride at Thorpe Park. Which is where I spent most of Sunday (making it back for the final 15 minutes of the football). But not a minute went by without thinking about how we were getting on up at Anfield.

I’ve seen extended highlights of the game and considering the players missing due to injury along with one or two Keystone cops on ketamine performances best illustrated by the lethargic Corluka – I don’t want to read too much into it. Proper end of season get it over and done with football. Shame really, as Fulham lost to Everton so we might have sneaked into Europe but then again, I’m not crying over the fact we didn’t.

Three consecutive years of European football ended probably at Blackburn when we lost 2-1 and along with West Ham, the only London clubs without a passport to the continent. Talking of which, we finished above them, which is no reason for an open bus parade, but still hilarious if anything for the fact that at one point we were so far behind that one happy Hammer bet me £100 we would not finish above them.

As for the game, the missing players illustrates that we have plenty of work to do with strengthening the squad so that the balance is not lost on such occasions. Harry once more recycling the fact that we might need to sell to generate more funds for players.

Bent, Pav, Bentley, Huddlestone, Zokora....a few that are being constantly linked with moves away. It all beings soon. You ready for it?

Keane scored our only goal, and decided not to celebrate. Which resulted with applause from all sides of the ground. Disaster signing or not, that was classy. By disaster, I mean for Liverpool. I don’t agree it was a mistake for us to get him back. Those early performances on his return were vital ones. And he'll back to his normal self after a break in the sun - one that this summer will not include any phone calls from Rick Parry.

So that’s that. Two points from eight games. Ramos and Comolli sacked. The Bale jinx. Bentleys form. Harrys appointment. 4-4. The climb up the table. Our home form. Keane and JD returning. Wilson. Laughing in the face of relegation. Touching distance from Europe. 8^th. The end.

I'm happy, if only because of the mess we found ourselves in at the start of it all. In the grand scheme of things, it's been a wasteful season and once more a transitional one. Let's just pray to the footballing Gods that next season is a little more gentle in the way of any unwanted hiccups and that we sustain a 7th - 5th spot from the start of the season. Would be nice to enjoy the season from start to finish.

We won’t even have to time to recover from this one, with the summer transfer window almost upon us.

Another rollercoaster ride no doubt. Close your eyes and hope for the best.

Spurs 2 City 1 - Sunshiiiiiiiiiine in North London for the Lilywhites

Quintessential game of two halves this. First forty-five we were irresistible. Huddlestone in sublime form, pinging the ball around majestically, getting stuck in and giving us a subtle nod that selling him in the summer might be a regretful action. The formation (not the expected 3-5-2 that sort of worked for a point up at Everton) was working a treat at the Lane. Pav and JD upfront, Keane out ‘the wing’ as a Lennon understudy. Hudd and JJ in the middle of the park. No Bale and Hutton. A 4-4-2 that morphed into a 4-3-3 with Keane pushing forwards from the right.

Defoe had an effort smartly saved by Given. A Pav shot from the edge of the box came close. City had nothing in the way of a response as Huddlestone marshalled the midfield in that wonderful chest pumped out manner that he treats us to now and again. So no surprise that JD scored from a Tommy assist. Wonderful cross, exactly where Defoe wanted it, and he aptly finished with a cheeky back-heel. 1-0.

It was at this point I noticed a Liam Gallagher look-a-like in one of the executive boxes, offering out the Spurs fans in the Shelf-side, which turned out to be.....well, Liam Gallagher, obviously. Cue five minutes or so of some first class banter including a chorus of ‘Can we write a song for you’  and 'You’re just a shit Chas’n’Dave’. Liam took it well, laughing and applauding. I still think the moment, at the start of it all, where he stood there in a Jesus pose and signing to one fan ‘I’ll see you outside’ and then doing the same thing to around 10,000 Lilywhites was hilarious. Although he managed to piss off a fan in the exec box to the right of him and was told off in the second half when he re-appeared from inside the exec box to goad everyone when City made it 1-1.

Talking of which, what a disappointing second half.

I guess at 1-0, it’s not that much of a difficult task for Mark Hughes to bollock his players and have them start the second forty-five with a little more urgency and energy. When do we ever score a second killer goal at the Lane? There was a fine moment in the first half that saw the impressive Huddlestone dink the ball into the box for Keane to brilliantly control it, but then fail to connect. Something he did a few times in the course of the game. The “bloke who sits next to me with loads of sound-bites” noted that Robbie has the look of a player that can’t wait for the summer months to kick in. A player with a broken heart having seen his Anfield dream implode rather quietly. He does work hard, and it’s something many of us seem to miss or just ignore, because his final product isn’t the Keane of old. Re-energising is the name of the game for our Robbie. Defoe was lively, and Pav was...well, I’ll come back to Roman later.

The point is, we didn’t get a second goal which might have made things far more comfortable in the second half. Corluka took over at centre-back with Woodgate off, and Hutton coming on into the right-back position. Our shape was lost.

We were gradually over-run by City’s midfield and there was no great surprise when Benjani headed down for Bojinov to fire home the equaliser, sending the City fans and Liam wild.

Ominous stuff. Where was the tactical change from Redknapp? Why was it not enforced earlier in the game? Bugbear for many Spurs fans is that Harry doesn’t change things quickly, and lingers on for a bit. When the changes did happen (Zokora came on for JJ and Campbell on for Pav) things changed for the good.

Roman is a player I’ve defended on several occasions this season. He’s tired/not fully fit/struggling to settle in England is the usual commentary you’ll get from me and others. But sadly, maybe this is all wishful thinking that he will somehow improve next season. It has that air or Rebrovesque doom about it.

He scores goals. Not as many as Bent does, who is almost certainly on his way. But other than that, he’s a bit of a soft touch. Apologetic with his mannerisms. Falls over far too easily, has a worrying first touch and as illustrated by the easy chance he had in the second half (which then led to his substitution) which he fluffed wide, Roman seems to be more average than a player who is out of form. Maybe I’ve been infected by a knee-jerk virus, but I heard the name ‘Raziak’ mentioned half a dozen times on Saturday and have noticed other bloggers use the not so endearing term to describe our £14M striker.

Best move of the game was his sulk down the tunnel, which Harry joked about post-match. Bent and Pav out? Could see us make Campbell a permanent signing if he’s far cheaper than the £7M Wigan were set to pay. The fourth striker should be a young and hungry kid who is willing to sit on the bench. Which means, we just need another forward to come in to give us a more than decent trio (that will obviously include Keane and JD).

I’m sure it will all take shape in the next few months. Let’s not forget our young player of the year Jonathan Obika. It’s time academy players got their chance to shine for the first team.

Ok, side-tracked, back to the game. Campbell’s relentlessly running resulted with Micah Richards falling over him and bringing him down for a penalty that Robbie Keane had no problem slotting away to win it for us with around 4 minutes of normal time left. Liam nowhere to be seen. City fans heading for the exit, something that's a tradition in recent years when visiting the Lane for a league match.

No second goal from open play then, but who cares. We probably deserved all three points for that first half display.

Our home form has been stunning.

P22 W15 D6 L1 F41 A18

Sixteen games unbeaten in all competitions (Everton the last team to win at the Lane back in late November). And to add to that, the fewest league goals we’ve ever conceded at the Lane, in a season. Boring boring Tottenham.

It's not perfect, but credit to Harry and his management. White Hart Lane is no soft touch.

Fulham look set for the Europa League, which they might struggle with considering it’s an additional 17 games or so. We’ll have to concentrate on the Prem, which isn’t too bad of a priority. And leaves us with no room for excuses.

So that’s it. Players waved their goodbyes. Ledley King didn’t look too impressed when the home fans sang ‘If Ledley’s going clubbing, so am I....’ . Lennon won our player of the year award, which he is more than worthy for after a blistering return to form.

Will Gomes still be here next season? Can we swap Jenas for Ireland? Will Harry sign Barton? Why does Bentley never get a game for us even though he's fit and scoring goals for the reserves? Is the first-half Huddlestone worth keeping when compared to the second-half version? Where was Arsenal fan Noel? Questions, questions...

Onwards to Anfield now. Might stick a few bob on Keane scoring the winner in front of the Kop.

3-5-2 + one sub = 0-0

Everton 0 Spurs 0

Wasn’t a great game, was it? Started well, dropped off the pace, Everton had the better of a dour second half. Happy with the point in the end. All pales into insignificance with Wilson Palacios absence from the squad due to devastating family reasons.

I don’t particularly feel the necessity to analyse the performance in microscopic detail or read too much into Harry’s tactics and lack of early substitution(s). We have a side that has been in fairly decent nick recently. We are far from being a soft touch (excluding the issues experienced at Ewood and OT), and lacking keys players at Goodison we played well enough to come away with a point.

Ok, Harry doesn’t always seem to react to how a game is or might develop. Sometimes you need to think ahead and change formations/player positions. It’s a weakness, more so because we don’t have the quality in depth to dominate games on the strength of the starting line-up. But even the strongest sides sometimes need aid from their manager to change things, and mix it up a little.

But complaints aside, what else do we expect when lining up in a 3-5-2 formation? We did get a point out of it. Even if we didn’t appear to ‘go for the win’ which is something we tend to do often at Goodison Park and with Fulham trouncing Villa, we should have been more on the offensive, especially in the second half. Which is where the ‘why didn’t Harry change it?’ question crops up.

But then this was against a side who have been top 6 for most of the season, with three of our top players missing. In the pouring rain. In a game that was far from great.

Sorry, I just can’t be that critical. Regardless of all the Lets Finish 7th fanfare. It was a crap match, with several players under-performing. Not that much any manager can do when the standard of the game is lacking quality.

Our forward line is not sparkling. JD is back from injury and is doing just fine (shame the season ends in two games) but is not at his sharpish best. Keane isn’t his usual self and hasn’t been for a while but isn’t half as bad as he looks. People tend to dwell on the hands in the air moaning than some of the more gritty work he does. But a forward should be forward more often than not rather than playing from midfield. Can I tell my deeper than Linda Lovelace joke again?

As for Pav forever struggling to start a game and Bent out injured – it’s not a perfect unit. We haven’t done badly recently, so once everyone is in tip-top shape and competing things will improve tenfold. More on this in a second or two.

Our midfield had no panther or greased lightning. Luka had a quiet afternoon. Sure, a substitution would have possibly given us something different (obviously) far earlier than when Roman came on in the 81^st minute as Everton were controlling the game and looked the more likely to score. But it’s all well and good to sit here in hindsight and suggest that, I don’t know, bringing on Bentley or the youngster Rose or maybe even Campbell might have made a significant difference. I equally might have backfired. People need to relax on the knee-jerk that Harry doesn’t make tactical changes when required to help change the course of the game.

Had we shifted back to a 4-4-2 and made two changes there is no guarantee it would have made a difference. Same goes had we started the game with 4-4-2. I’m not disputing Harry has to be more pro-active, but this is just a single 90 minutes. Had, for example, Defoe scored we’d be revealing in Redknapp’s genius. I know he's been guilty before, but again, it's something I prefer to place aside until the start of next season, post-transfer window.

If we want to step up, there are fundamentals that need fixing.

The midfield.

The balance has to be redefined a little. Spoke about this in the Conundrum series. It’s either going to be a left-winger with Modric moving to central midfield or we buy a more dominating box to box player to replace the inconsistent Jenas.

Far too much running before walking. We have some good players at Tottenham. We have one or two who are great. We need to consolidate and improve on some key positions. This is nothing new. Been here before plenty of times. We should have bought the right type of players last summer, and failed to do so which resulted with the departure of Ramos. Harry has the perfect opportunity to spend wisely as there is no need to overhaul the squad.

We need botox. Not plastic surgery.

Great to see Bale back and playing well today. Huddlestone struggled. Hutton needs the fresh start a new season will bring. Hope to have Aaron, Benoit and Wilson back for the City game.

We are 8^th. Above West Ham. Which should keep the people that worry about that sort of stuff content.

Spurs 1 WBA 0 - Another one-nil, another three points

What a pulsating 45 minutes. Exhilarating stuff. Had me on the edge of my seat, salivating. I was truly memorised. But enough about my journey home from the game sat opposite a gorgeous twenty-something brunette with eyes that would melt the heavens. A couple of hours earlier I found myself witnessing a frustrating afternoon’s football in our penultimate home game of the season.

It was an awkward, average, lacklustre performance. Little movement, plenty of backs to the ball moments. But still good enough to see off WBA who for all their attempted efforts to play tidy looking football lacked any punch and only had chances when we were more than inclined to allow them to bypass our defence. They did come close to scoring on more than one occassion. Thankfully Gomes (and the woodwork) was on top form to help us to a 6^th successive home clean sheet (boring or what?).

This is the type of game (against a club fighting for its top flight life) that could have been tricky and although we were not exactly on-song, we were not exactly under any real prolonged threat. Team cohesion was a mess at the best of times. But to win, 1-0, and not play great is something I will quite happily take. Although during the course of the game I did find myself momentarily infected by the despondency and knee-jerking that was spreading around WHL faster than swine flu in a Mexican pig farm. Shame on me.

Pav started up front with Robbie Keane and it seems that with Darren Bent out and possibly on his way out, we have a new recruit to the School of the Much Maligned. In parts, he did ok. Not £14M’s worth of ok. But still ok. He holds up the ball, shields it and lays it off very well. Perfect foil for a player of Defoe’s ilk. It’s a shame JD was on the bench for most of it.

Pav does still struggle when he has time and has to aim and shoot at goal. As the chap next to me (he's a paragon of soundbites which I'm happy to plagiarise) pointed out - why does Jenas not have a crack anymore when it comes to free-kicks? We all know it’s one of the things he’s pretty useful at. Pav’s effort was poor considering the gap in the wall that was begging for a toe-poke thunderbolt. Our Russian star also had another effort ballooned over. But at least he gave it a go and I know we are all hoping that the excuses concerning the fact he is rusty/injured/tired prove to be the case when we see a fully refreshed Roman blitz the Prem next season.

Robbie Keane on the other hand needs to spend 90 minutes on the bench as he’s lost a little fire from the belly. Although kudos to his undeniable method-acting abilities, showed off when an awful first touch saw the ball leave the field of play by about 5 inches but still we all had to endure Robbie giving us all a confused look, surveying all before him pondering how and why the throw was given to the opposition. Marvellous disassociation.

Did you hear the booing when Roman was subbed late on for Defoe and the follow-up song in support of the Russian? Seems one or two would have preferred to see Robbie Keane taken off. Moody atmosphere all round today, with loads of complaints and shrugs of disappointment. We had below par performances from some of the players, but ffs, get a grip. It happens.

Talking of which, Keano was out done by a virtuoso humdinger by Corluka who at one point in the second half seemed to waddle* forward like an escapee from a fat farm. Damn it, I just can’t help being hypocritical. I’m conflicted. Still, he did charge forward in the first half, laying off a pass that Jenas lapped up for our goal. And that's all that matters, right?

Out of interest, feel free to contact me if you have a clue why Pascal Chimbonda was re-signed. Honestly, if you have photographic evidence that he’s actually still in the country I’m willing to pay a tidy sum for it. Someone emailed me a photo of a man in a bar in Goa who might or might not be Pascal. Need something more conclusive tbh.

Another player who had an off-day was BAE. Ok, that’s unfair. He recovered after a shabby first half, but not to the standard he’s spoilt us with in recent months. Not quite an off-day, more like a half-day. But it’s all forgivable because it was against a WBA who really had to win and give it their all. We let them push forward with intent too often. And it didn't help that our players got in each other’s way (almost colliding on occasions), but we created enough chances to win the game by a far greater margin. But like most home games in recent months, 1-0 will do.

I would have much preferred us to swagger and swoon around the pitch giving the fans and our special guests (Mackay, Jones, Smith and co) something to crow about at the final whistle. It’s forgivable because if it was a quality side we might have suffered. But then against quality sides we tend to up the tempo by default.

Even so the game did have its moments and there were some great touches and moments of vision, just not polished enough with the final ball. Modric was (rub your eyes and scratch your head!) a little off-key with some of his passing, but was still one of our better players. Lennon was menacing. Once (if) he gets his composure sorted in front of goal, he’s going to be some player. I hope the club can see the potential in Aaron and goal-scoring. He could easily get us 15 or more if he learns when to shoot and where to aim. He can score, we’ve seen him place some wonderful shots, but he seems to suffer a little when he has to much time to think about where exactly he needs to place the ball.

Well done to that man Gomes and his reflexes. Couple of belting saves. Worst keeper in the Prem ever, hey Hansen?

Palacios was the man though, blink and you see him on the right, blink again and he's over on the left. He was practically everywhere, biting and niggling away, winning tackles. He showed the type of tenacity the rest of the side should have had. Wilson also knows when to commit yellow-card fouls that benefit the team, although it’s a dangerous game to play. But I’m not complaining. No really, three points another clean sheet. I’ll take this for now as we continue to push forward after half a season spent walking backwards.

The goal that won it was the first effort that was placed with precision and pace towards goal. JJ the man of the moment. JD also scored in the second half, but it was deemed offside. Which it wasn’t. Which was a shame.

As for Jenas, it was another one of those Marmite days out for him. He's still a curious conundrum that remains unsolved.

WBA now look doomed. And with City (superior goal difference) and West Ham winning, and Wigan and Fulham still in the mix – I don’t think 7^th will happen based on the final three games of the season. Think West Ham will make it. We’ll have to all move to Mars if that happen.

/rolls eyes so hard they pop out of my head.

Additional: My Spurs/Barca double won through. What a game at the Bernabeu. Madrid spanked out of the title race by a stunning away day decimation from the Catalans. Liquid football.

*Stolen from the chap who stands next to me

Utd 5 Spurs 2 - I hate football

At 2-0 up I muttered the immortal words: "If Spurs don't win from this position, they will never beat United". Oh how the Gods unzipped and showered me with their irony.

It was going so well. Bent getting in amongst them to control and hit for the first, Modric the second from a Lennon cross. In at half-time, two up. And playing well. With confidence. We took our chances with relative ease. Surely we can hold onto it if the same ineffective Utd returned for the second? Sadly that didn't happen. The Utd of a few months back started to turn the screws having decided to turn up for the second 45 mins, but still we sat at 2-0 to the good. All the way up to the 57th minute when the Gods pulled their pants down completely, turned around and unloaded an almighty number two. Penalty to Utd. Did Gomes get the ball? Did he get the player? Was it a penalty? If it was, then why did Howard Webb not dish out a red card too? Having seen it a couple of times on replay, it wasn't clear cut by a long long way. But why should that stop the ref from giving them a route back into the game? The sooner we get refs into our fantasy football sides the better. They would score a bundle of points with their assists. But it was still only 2-1. Let's not collapse Tottenham. Don't collapse. What do we do? We collapse quicker than Stephen Hawking attempting to snowboard down the side of Kilimanjaro.

Still, you can’t deny Utd as an attacking force. And softer pens have been given in the past. But let's not linger too much on that one single incident. Let's move onto the 'laying down for them' bit.

And boy, did we lay down for them.

Confidence gone. Almost akin to something of prior seasons when our backbone turns to jelly just because the opposing team suddenly have belief. Yes, we are 2-0 up against the mighty Man Utd. So what? Push on, attack, force a third. Don't be dumbstruck by the occassion.

Far easier for us to allow that one decision, to knee-jerk us to a spanking.

Where was that little bit of leadership and composure? Not sure at the moment I want to start having a dig at our players (because I really can't be bothered on the back of this result). But at full pelt, Utd are impossible to defend against. More so if that much needed leadership and composure is non-existent.

Rooney, 67, Ronaldo 68, Rooney 71. 3-2.

The Gods had obviously feasted on a curry late yesterday evening.

When Berbatov casually, apologetically, bundled the ball for a 5th I momentarily died a little inside.

I hate football. Hate it.

If Spurs don't win from this position, they will never beat United.

Spurs 1 Toon 0 - Breaking the hearts of the Geordie nation

There was no goal glut in the end. Instead we enjoyed a rather comfortable home performance, with the usual unwanted bonus of nervy late moments you associate with Spurs. But in truth, Newcastle was neither menacing nor cohesive enough to ever cause anything near sustained pressure. A spurned Nolan shot and Martins kicking high over the bar, the only moments I sighed relief. A nail in the coffin, our job done as one of their opponents in the ‘Let’s Relegate Newcastle’ campaign. The smugness of Shearer is disappearing faster than a pint of Brown Ale in a Newcastle pub.

Pre-match I was a little surprised. No Roman in the starting line-up or the bench. I’ve since heard it was due to a back complaint. So Bent got the nod again, with the undroppable-no-matter-how-quiet-he’s-been Robbie Keane partnering him up-front. King’s knees flared up in training, so Michael Dawson started and in central midfield Jenas failed to shake off the hamstring injury he picked up against West Ham which meant Tommy Huddlestone would get his chance alongside Palacios. Hutton and Defoe both on the bench. It’s nice to see so much quality in depth. Something we had at the start of the season, without the confidence that’s required to gel it all together.

Newcastle had Martins, Smith and Viduka on the bench. Owen up-front and to be honest I’d be hard-pressed to remember the rest of them.

Only took two minutes for something to happen. A Bassong tackle on Darren Bent that possibly warranted a red card. If it had happened 30 minutes into the game or at some point in the second half, then he would have got his marching orders for sure. Not to worry. We dominated possession and created chances with relative ease, resulting in a Bent goal at the second time of asking after Harper saved his initial cross-come-shot. 1-0 up and the much maligned Bent does the only thing he does…and that’s score. Do we still want rid of him? Yes, of course we do. He’s still one-dimensional. But for now, I have no problem being a hypocrite and celebrate his goals. We spent the rest of the match attempting to get the second, which in the end eluded us.

It’s actually a frustrating problem. It cost us three points at Blackburn and it might have cost us a couple against Newcastle. We have a stupendous home record this season (under Harry, not Ramos) with one defeat (against Everton), possibly one too many draws, but only 9 goals conceded overall. 13 is the ‘record’ low goals against at the Lane achieved back in the 60’s. Only Liverpool this season have conceded less goals on home turf. Fortress White Hart Lane? The flip side to this is the fact that we haven’t scored that many going forward. Boring boring Tottenham. So what exactly is the problem? Well, I’m not sure there is one. Other than maybe attempting to walk the ball into the back of the net. Couple of occasions yesterday found us on the edge of the area with the players passing the ball around like a hot potato – all afraid to have a crack. Our general play is fine, but just needs stepping up just a tad in the way of final balls and that ruthless killer instinct.

We should not have gone into the final 10 minutes biting our nails. In the end, Newcastle lacked the composure to take any of their half-chances. Lady luck doesn’t always lift her skirt up and playfully wink at you. With Alan Shearer changing formations more often than Mike Ashley likes to appoint new managers, not only are Newcastle a mish-mashed squad of players, they also appear to lack any understanding in the way of responsibility, leadership and spirit. No miraculous away day for the Toon army this time. No shock 1-4 win. It never looked like happening for them anyway. This isn’t the soft-touch Spurs of old.

Dawson and Woody were commanding at the back. BAE enjoying a relatively easy afternoon. Corluka, clumsy with his passing at times, but otherwise fine. Had to slot into the centre-back position when Dawson was stretchered off with an ankle injury that might well end his season (hope it isn’t too serious). This all meant we welcomed back Alan Hutton who was pretty a-ok on his return. One or two excellent crosses played in with pace, one to the head of Bent who was a little unlucky not to get fully behind it for what would have been a certain second.

We also got to see Jermain Defoe in cameo mode. Still a little way off from being completely match-fit, but who cares. He’s back and will almost certainly score a goal or two before the season closes. Martins had that one effort that had Shearers heart-in-mouth, Viduka…can’t remember if he did anything of note. Although both him and Martins did improve Newcastle going forward, and as they pressed late on, looked more of a team than they did in the previous 80 minutes. Alan Smith was his usual dirty self.

Only thing Newcastle bemoaned was a tackle by Woodgate on Martins. But since when is ‘winning the ball’ a clear penalty shout? Jonathon Pearce thought otherwise on Match of the Day 2. The BBC also opted to cut out the Bassong foul. In fact, the editing of the match was a complete joke. All very complimentary towards Alan Shearers side. Worth noting we had around twenty-two attempts compared to their eight. But you’d think the game was equally matched if you hadn’t seen it live (at Spurs or on Sky). Skys commentary, by all accounts, was as expected with Andy Gray co-commentating. Conspiracy I tells ya, it’s a conspiracy! Those pesky Arsenal and West Ham journos strike again! Down with this sort of thing!

And what of the enigma Huddlestone? Palacios return makes such a massive difference to the side I have to once more call on Harry to look for a young(er) understudy so that we don’t miss him too much when he’s out, suspended or otherwise. He gave Tom time to show-off his sublime passing range. Although to be fair, even I would have time on the ball against Newcastle United. It’s the type of game where you find yourself thinking maybe, just maybe, Tom does have a future as a first-team player. But the reality is, it wasn’t a top performance against top side opposition. It was a good performance against poor opposition. Add pace to an opposing midfield, and he’ll struggle. It’s worth mentioning he was in hospital this past week with a swollen neck (glands?) so well done regardless of the usual question marks we like to throw his way.

Robbie Keane was once more on the quiet side. Run around, waved his arms. But not too much of anything else. Hopefully his game will pick up again with JD back. He does appear to look a little too comfortable in the starting line-up. Lennon did well in-front of Fabio, but there’s no doubt he needs another step up in the way of all-round play. It will come.

So, after all the hype and the banter, we have possibly ended Newcastle United. Their three remaining home games take on monumental importance. They cannot afford to lose any of them. It’s not quite end of days for the Geordie nation just yet. I’m just glad it’s them down there and not us.

Talking of which, we are now left with two winnable home games (WBA, Man City) but away trips to Man Utd, Everton and Liverpool. Plenty of minutes for Harry to continue the rejuvenation of the team.

Those relegation worries seem a million miles away now. You remember…two points from eight games, innit.

Spurs 1 West Ham 0 - 'Tottenham Relegation Party' officially binned

For a London Derby this was more drib-drab than ding-dong. Pretty football in places, but otherwise no real intensity or tempo to the game. It was 'Safe from relegation' v 'Happy with a point'. Was actually bored an hour into it. Still, deserved to win on the basis of having more shots on goal. Apart from a tame second-half Di Michele shot (more composure and he would have scored), and couple of efforts in the first half...there wasn't much in the way of a threat from Zola's men.

And up until the Pav for Bent substitution we didn't really carve out much ourselves. No Palacios, and if there was ever a better advert that Spurs need to fork out for a young understudy with the same type of DM qualities, then this was it. Jenas appeared to be exposed, with no Wilson by the side of him. Almost like a young lad at the fairground having lost his father in the crowd. He seemed uncertain where and what to do without assured protection and confidence. No rollercoaster ride for Jermaine today.

What also lacked in abundance was dictation of tempo. Huddlestone started the game in the middle of the park. I should have guessed he'd be preferred to Zokora after Harry's comments to the press, complimenting Hudds 'quarterback' qualities. This was an opportunity for Tom to shine. Or if you're more cynical, the perfect 'shop window/increase value' showcase with the summer edging that little bit closer.

It was no Superbowl performance. But it wasn’t a bad effort. Tom's superb passing was evident as always along with his sweet strike of the ball. And he got forward more in the second half after Zokora replaced Jenas. Zoko's work rate allowed Huddlestone to roam a little more. Not sure if this was a tactical decision or one forced by injury to JJ, but either way - it worked a treat.

Hudd wasn't that shabby himself with defensive duties either and although it was no masterclass he showed enough to warrant a start alongside Palacios. He'll never cover more ground than Jenas does, but with Wilson protecting him he might find himself with far more time to ping balls and disguise passes to his heart’s content. We’ll have to wait and see if he gets the opportunity.

Bent, having performed admirable in recent games was back to his comfort zone, touching the ball once every twenty minutes. He came close with a header, but did little else. But that’s his game. Don’t get involved, but have a chance or two and sometimes score.

Lennon was also ineffective. Loads of running but no final ball and should have scored late on. It’s difficult to assess this. Has he been found out again? Much like two seasons back when he was tightly marked out of games? Or has his form simply dipped a little? Which happens, which is why I refuse to go all knee-jerky and suggest his England performance has gone to his head or that he’s been ‘found out’. He got himself into decent positions yesterday, maybe didn’t turn and run into space for Corluka to play him in as often as previous games but on an afternoon when the skies were grey and dark – so were one or two performances down on the pitch.

Keane spent most of the match deeper than Linda Lovelace. He was poor. And there was no moneyshot forthcoming.

The two obvious positive stand-outs were Gomes and Modric. No surprise with the latter - he oozes class. By no means a vintage performance, and took a while to settle in what was an untidy game early on. Created, always involved and hardly wasteful. Also set the goal up for Roman. Gomes was assured and confident. And didn’t falter when coming for crosses.

Prior to the introduction of Pav, I had this unnerving feeling that we would not score. ‘Just one of those afternoons’. And the longer the game goes on the more ominous it begins to feel. Then on came our Russian forward and the difference in class between him and Bent was evident almost immediately. Thanks to Guss for his kind midweek words.

Just a little touch of class was needed and it come with a wonderful finish. He actually looked good holding up the ball and linked well with the midfield. He got involved. Which is what you want from your forwards to do. It was a committed performance and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t start next weekend against Newcastle.

Even though the game was drib-drab in parts and lacked the usual blood and thunder of games of this ilk, I can’t complain about Harry’s tactics and selection or the performance as a whole. We were not bang on it by any stretch of the imagination, but you never felt West Ham (apart from one or two moments) ever had the capacity to brush us aside. Pretty passing, but also clumsy at times. Was impressed with Collins at the back and Noble in midfield. They were however, very much missing the touch of Carlton Cole up front (who would believe that sentence would ever make an appearance in a match analysis?).

Zola and Clarke should be applauded for the job they’ve done at Upton Park. Considering the players sold, they’ve not done too bad with the players they’ve been left with. As for Europe, Man City probably have the best chance to finish 7th based on the fixture list. We have to win our remaining home games, as the away days left are just a tad daunting. How would West Ham cope with the Prem and Europe if they managed to sneak it depends on how much money they have to spend on players in the summer. It could be too much for them. As for us, I wouldn’t say no to Europe, but then will probably change my mind again tomorrow. Would like the Prem to be a priority next season. Would be nice to spend it in 6-5th place from the start rather than struggle with another mess like this one.

Before the game kicked-off I told the chap next to me that I expected us to win. He agreed. When you have multi-million pound players in your starting line-up against a side that has to field a loanee and a Bosman with an academy player coming off the bench, you have to fancy your chances.

The day was complete when Redknapp reminded everyone about Two Points, Eight Games© in the post-match interview. Delighted. Our home record has been rather outstanding. Sure we haven't quite hit the giddy heights of last seasons ridiculous goal frenzy, but we are not conceding many at the Lane. Fortress WHL? We can only hope.

Something else that should not go without a mention was the penalty shout in the first half from the home support when it looked like a Claret and Blue defender handled in the area. Cries of handball rang out around the Lane and the West Ham fans lapped it up, shouting ‘Handball!’ every time a player touched the ball (something that began at Man City). It's the type of cheek you can’t help but smile at, even if it’s coming from the Green St lot. If it wasn’t enough that we went 1-0 up, the footballing Gods decided to stick a cherry on top and late on when there was a similar incident in the Spurs area and West Ham fans screamed ‘Handball!’ in desperation – a cue for us to spend the remainder of the game dishing it back at every given opportunity. There were still shouts after the game, in the streets outside and on the train’s home.

Triffic.

Blackburn 2 Spurs 1 - How did we manage to lose this one then?

Up against the hoofing anti-football of Sam Allardyce, for the sake of all things beautiful, we had to win. Unfortunately, the ugly won.

King (4 games on the trot) and Bent started, unchanged side. Hail consistency! Wasn't a tidy game by any means when we were in possession, but we played in some clever balls, Modric involved as often as possible. Got ourselves into some tasty positions first half. But we remained comfortable. All the way through to the second half and up until the final 20 minutes. Where it all went wrong.

Should have had this wrapped up in the first half. 1-0 up from a Keane penalty. A controversial one at that. Although at a stretch you could argue Givet leaned forward and didn't try to move his arm away. At a stretch. In all honesty, it wasn't a clear cut penalty and the referee struggled with consistency through-out the game (not giving Rovers a pen earlier for a handball by Corluka) - so no surprise when he ignored his assistants lack of flag waving and gave it. Not that I complained much.

There was more hilarity when Keane didn't quite place the whole of the ball on the white pen mark, which is fine, if you look at how most players take corners nowadays - placing the ball right on the edge is legal. One nil half-time. Job half done.

If only.

Second half saw us create more chances, none taken - but nothing overly decisive in the way of a killer killer pass. Nothing anywhere near ruthless. Gomes didn't have anything to do for 65 minutes or so. But the longer it went on, that horrid mist of ominousness began to cloud my confidence that all three points were safe.

Wilson, already on a yellow, got a second and his marching orders for basically pulling out of a tackle. He did not swing his leg, he pulled away to avoid committing the foul. But the ref decided it warranted a yellow and off he went. And you just knew that at 1-0 up and down to 10 men that things would go from bad to worse. It's the curse of mentioning 'Europe' one to many times in the past couple of weeks. That mist was now engulfing all hopes of sitting in that 7th spot, for a couple of hours at the very least.

And so, it went to shit. Rovers, galvanized pushed forward. We switched off and got sloppy. Gomes saved well from Warnock. But then cometh the 82 min, Rovers made it 1-1, and then 2-1 in the 89th.

Shocking stuff. Messy defending. Far too easy for Rovers. Final whistle, Diouf does his detestable best to rub it in. No Match of the Day for me.

I'll keep my final analysis simple.

First half was all good, just no second killer goal. Woody and King great at the back. Bent playing well. Lennon quiet but just doing enough to keep things ticking. Palacios involved, Modric not quite magical but effective. Second half, Lennon quieter. Palacios unlucky. Bent's positioning evaporated like a fleas wet fart in the Sahara desert. Still no second goal. Bad ref decision (to make up for the one that gave us a 1-0 lead). Team structure gets messy. Blackburn only have to get the ball into the box for our defenders to lose concentration where its needed. The End.

Blackburn are shit. Diouf and Allardyce. They make little attempt to play football. They are shit. We were not sharp or bang on form. But still possessed enough quality on the ball to win comfortably. We just didn't really have the application to do so. Disappointing as it is, and ironic that we could have gone 7th - but in the grand scheme of things, its a learning curve and a reminder that we have to be a certain bite to our play whether its against Chelsea or Rovers. The ref didn't help matters, but at the best of times, they don't tend to.

41 points is safety territory. It will have to wait another week.

Mark this one down to a footballing hangover. Learn from it, stuff West Ham next week.

I'll leave you with this gem from Allardyce:

"Doesn't matter how you win as long as you win"

There you have it people. It's not about playing football on the ground, pinging it around to feet, flowing pushing forward with style. It's just about winning. Touch.

Spurs 1 Chelsea 0 - It’s so quiet, it’s so quiet, it’s so quiet....over there

When I heard the game was delayed because of a suspect vehicle in the Park Lane, I thought maybe Harry had parked a bus. Typical that our first 3pm Saturday kick-off since forever didn’t take place till 3:30pm. But who cares anyway? Sun was shining. And the delay allowed me to tuck into a cheeky burger pre-match.

Excellent performance. I don’t care that Chelsea were sloppy at times. We competed and created and deserved the points. What we have at Spurs is a team. One that works hard and one that has players in the right positions with a complete understanding of what their responsibilities are, individually and as part of a unit. It’s taken some time to get here, and there is no doubt it can improve further. Just makes a mockery of some of the concerns we had in recent months. Confidence breeds more confidence which leads to self-belief and good form. Form that reflects the quality we do possess rather than a shadow of it which saw as falter so pathetically early in the season.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a team of square pegs slotted into square holes. Rejoice at the simplicity.

And it’s no surprise that it's coincided with the arrival of Wilson Palacios. Lost to Bolton on his debut, but since then we’ve remained unbeaten. Sure, his distribution wasn’t great today and it’s definitely an area that requires improvement, but Wilson’s work ethic is quite simply outstanding. His positional sense and strength in shielding the ball allows other players to go about their business knowing that the Panther is primed for attack if any of our forward play breaks down. Modric is the obvious benefactor of our new midfield enforcer.

And as for Luka, yet again we find ourselves with a brilliant player, one that’s imperative to any sustained progress we plan to make from now into the start of next season. Juventus and his agent can go take a running jump.

First half saw us have a couple of chances, both from Robbie Keane, both efforts well saved by Cech. Chelsea’s efforts equally dealt with at the other end. It's plain to see this is not the unstoppable, unbeatable Chelsea crafted by Jose. It’s a great feeling to know at half-time that there’s every chance we can beat them. One league win in thirty-eight games (that’s nineteen miserable years) and it’s Chelsea who don't quite look to have the better of Tottenham.

Second half, with Chelsea knowing about Utd’s loss away to Fulham, most would have expected a storming start from them. One with intent and purpose.

Instead, Bosingwa decides to play his way out of the penalty area rather than allow the ball to go out for a goal-kick. Messy passage of play sees it cleared, but only as far as Woodgate's head. Seems Football First and MotD both over-looked the (under-stated) header to Lennon, who dinked and crossed superbly for Modric to strike a cracking ball beyond the reach of Cech into the corner. Great play from Woody. Great play from Aaron. Great play from Luka.

His performance deserved that moment. Could have added a second when Lennon again crossed for again for him, this time Luka hitting the shot into the ground allowing Cech to collect with ease.

As expected, Chelsea far more forceful in possession after going 1-0 down and there was a moment when I almost conceded that we would need a second goal to win this because surely Chelsea would equalize. Almost did too. Staggering Gomes saved from John Terry. Match-winning stuff from the Brazilian. Then we countered, breaking with Lennon released out on the wing, only to then see him balloon the ball into the crowd. Had he zipped in a composed cross Bent or Jenas would have it 2-0. Heart still in mouth.

Chelsea continued their pressure in the 4 minutes of injury time. Plenty of nervous incident.

Anelka effort saved Lampard corner, Alex heads it into the ground, oh no no no, off the bar, phew, Gomes flicks it away Ball out of play,
Keane tells the fans to hold onto the ball Malouda effort,
another corner, Ballack turns and shoots, blocked off the line

Final whistle.

Still unbeaten against the ‘Top 4’. Our defensive record this season remains impressive (compared to last season’s antics). Unbeaten in six games. Three points from a European place. Nine points from the bottom three. Highest league position since August 2007, which is actually depressing coming off two successive 5th spot places, but it wouldn’t be Tottenham if there wasn’t a transitional period slotted in every couple of years. And just in case you’ve forgotten, we only had two points from eight games when Harry took over.

Surely this warrants a DVD release-party on an open-bus, paraded on Tottenham High Road?

Match Ratings:

Gomes – 8.8 – Has come back to reclaim the number one jersey, and has done so with some solid performances. Yeah, we know what he is prone to doing (spilling the ball, missing punches) but he’s cleaned up the calamity and is pretty solid between the sticks. His save from Terry was fantastical. He blocked almost everything else, apart from the Alex header, but even lady luck flirted with the Brazilian today. Lovely.

BAE – 8.6 - The perfect illustration of a player coming back from injury, playing through the hard times and continued to be selected allowing him to find consistently good form. Not the greatest defender or attacking fullback, but bloody reliable and dare I say.....good. He's come along way from the liability tag most bestowed on him.

Corluka – 8.6 – Man City sold this player...why? Looks half-asleep, but plays like a lucid dream: Always in control. Defended well, attacked even better when supporting Lennon. Anyway back for Hutton?

King – 9 – Can only play one game per week. Anyone who has any doubts about him should be declared clinically insane. A colossus at the back for us. Quite content with his one game every seven days if Dawson can cover with the type of form he has shown recently.

Woodgate – 8.8 – When you have a rock playing alongside a colossus, its happy days. King and Woody are an exceptional pairing at the back. Reads the game superbly. Touch wood (oh the pun, the pun) he has escaped major injury concerns and has also been a model professional for us. Something that some people said he'd fail to do when he made his move from Boro to London.

Jenas – 8 – Frustrating at times. Makes you wonder why the generosity with the 8/10. Misplaced passing aside, he worked his socks off. Looks to play the forward ball and was mentally on the level required, rather than sitting by a corner pin rocking backwards and forwards very slowly. He can thank Wilson for the new founded spirit. When JJ puts in this type of shift, it's easy to see why some might under-rate his effort but if you watch the game, he doesn't stop running. And in games like this, anything less is unacceptable.

Palacios – 8 – Distribution nowhere near perfect, but the man has adamantium in his bones. Completely unbreakable. And this is Wilson on about 75% of what he can do. Against top tier opposition you need someone who not only has grit but excels physically. He didn’t look out of place up against Essien (a far more complete midfielder), Ballack and Lampard. Fantastic buy, and I no longer shrug with disapproval at the hefty price tag.

Lennon – 7.9 – Quiet(er) performance today, but you can’t help but believe something good is going to happen when he runs with the ball. As seen with his assist to Luka for the goal. Having signed a two-year extension that will keep him in Lilywhite till 2014, I’m hoping Levy understands the importance of a ‘just say no’ policy to the likely bid(s) from Liverpool or whoever else in the summer. He's agreed to an extension. He has publicly stated he is happy at Spurs. It’s impossible for him to leave the club. I just feel the need to state this out loud via words in a blog article. He can not leave the club.

Modric – 9.2 – Playmaker, creative midfielder, magician. Cracking goal, cracking performance. We have ourselves a brilliant midfielder who will get better as the team continues to improve. Dictates the tempo for us. It’s ridiculous that some believed he was too lightweight for the Premiership. Hoping to see a lot more goals from the little man next season.

Keane – 7.9 – Worked hard and as Harry pointed out, came deep (we all know how good he is at that) to support the midfield and link up play. Not his day in front of goal, but did exactly what was required, just without the polished touch.

Bent – 7.9 – Played very well. Effort was stupendous. Might have lacked a touch here and there and sometimes displayed weak decision making, but hassled the Chelsea defence relentlessly. When he plays like this, you can’t fault him too much. And I’m not going to be critical just because I don’t see him at the club next season. He is not right, from game to game, as a first choice forward, IMO. But he can do a job. It's just that for the fee we signed him for, he should be first choice. Which is why I expect us to cash in on him cometh the summertime.

Redknapp – 9.5 – Balanced side, no unnecessary tinkering going into the game. Got the players up for this and tactically was spot on.

If we continue to improve, then I hope to see us boss the minutes after we go up a goal - against any opposition. When we're under pressure, we sometimes don't make it easier on ourselves by putting our foot on the ball and slowing the pace down to suit us. But this is a general observation. Chelsea are not exactly going to make any game comfortable for the opposing team.

It's just gone 2am, and it's pitch dark outside. Sun is still shining though. COYS.