Onwards, this beast of a team, onwards...

Hoping for three points tomorrow and a month that won’t end with yet another last second dramatic go on then why not transfer deal to Tottenham. Although if it did it would be the norm and fairly acceptable practice in the Spurs universe. And hardly anyone will scoff if it turns out to be another player of similar ilk to the Dutch maestro, our galvanising force behind our sparkling resurgence from the dark days of two points eight games. Hopefully Daniel Levy will spare a thought for Jim White on Sky Sports News and have our consolidation signings done and dusted well before the deadline to avoid his head from exploding as he eats the camera and pulls himself out of the television and into your living room.

Blog awards and some other bits and pieces looking back on 2010 will follow in early January. It’s been ridiculous these past twelve months. Heart strings pulled and plucked all over the place. Gone, it appears, are the constant lulls of pain and hurt. The shrugs of despondency when the realisation that yet another transitional season is upon us. What we have now is altogether a different experience. A renaissance.

We play with style. With spirit. With belief. We have world class players and ones that aspire to be. We’ve taken back the copyright, no longer clown princes but Kings of the Lane, and entertainers – domestically and abroad where we’ve injected the premier European competition with plenty of glory glory football.

And then there’s the glue. The sticky stuff. No, no, I’m not talking about excitable nights in watching  DVDs. But rather the glue that keeps it all together. This sustained progression, this onwards journey. Our soundbite happy gaffer. Bless him. And of course the supporters who for once - when we finally do have players of quality and a unit of players playing for each other, the badge and the support – we all manage to keep our feet firmly on the ground (be it with plenty of jumping up and down), enjoying every second of it. And why not. After so many years of false dawns, messiahs coming and going, internal politics and failed continental experiments – we flirt, genuinely flirt with the top tier as it seductively lifts its skirt up at us, panties on show, restrained salivating, first base no longer enough.

So, onwards may this majesty of THFC continue. We’re by no means the finished article. We have a lot of work to do. But in pure footballing terms, we have our Tottenham back.

Some bum slapping now. Massive thanks to:

teh trunk, Chris Toy at Studs Up, All Action No Plot, Who Framed Ruel Fox?, Spurs Musing, Windy, Tottenham On My Mind, thfc1882, Football Filter, NewsNow, iFanshare, enemy Republik of Mancunia and new kids on the block False10. Also all the Spurs fans on Twitter and the girls and boys of Facebook and all the new Spurs bloggers that have lost their blogging cheery this past year. And lest we forget the heathens at Glory Glory. If I've forgotton you, your cheque bounced.

Happy new year. To dare is to get very drunk.

Spooky recommends...All-conquering Englishman spurs his way across Europe

Capital Punishment by Kris Mole - Ebook available here

extract:

Having blagged his way into a Barcelona FC press conference...

"My fantasy interview was cut short by someone entering the room talking on a mobile phone. I turned to see who it was and couldn’t believe my eyes. Xavi, all 5’7” of him (he’s a littl’un) was standing beside me having a chat to someone, probably his girlfriend, telling her he would be home for dinner soon and could she make sure there were a few San Miguels in the fridge. He glanced at me with a look that said,

“Who the **** are you?” and I nodded a greeting his way. He then looked down at the cockerel on my chest and sighed the kind of sigh that I knew meant, “If only they would put in a bid for me. I would love to play for Spurs one day.”

He finished his conversation and left me alone once again."

The next three games

No win in three in the league. All eyes on Harry and his selection. All eyes on our erratic Lilywhite troops. Get it wrong and we might find ourselves below mid-table. Get it right and it's one step back onto the path we want to be swaggering down. More like John Travolta. Less like Charlie Chaplin. And definitely no Harold Lloyd hanging off the hands of a clock high above.

The tag, THE BIGGEST GAME IN OUR HISTORY EVER, is one I've used in jest many times over recent years for games that on paper are hardly glamorous but the result (in our favour) nothing less than imperative. Historically, if my memory serves me correctly, we've turned up every time (apart from once, possibly twice). This is not quite 2points8games territory. But because of the nature of our lack of sustained domestic consistency and end product, we are now 90 minutes away from what I would constitute a crisis.

A crisis of faith.

Now hold on a second, I hear you shout out in anger, calling me a hypocrite and contradictor. You keep banging on about how we're going to finish fourth again. And yes, I still believe that. Devils advocate hat is firmly on head.

Losing one game doesn’t automatically write off our season. But when that one game is the third on the trot and is number five overall (theoretically) then you would have reason to question my optimism. I'd begin to question it. Self-doubt would slowly creep back into my clouded thoughts.

Momentum takes you upwards on the back of confidence and belief and just stuff clicking into place naturally and instinctively when you win games.  Where is the momentum going to come from? Are we waiting to sign said momentum in the January transfer window? Are we really struggling that much for some oomph? Or is all this yet another throw-away episode in the dramatic life of being a Tottenham fan, all a bit exaggerated and over the top, what with everyone around us being just as erratic. That and the frustrating fact that we all know what we are truly capable of when we do wish to turn up (Spurs 3 Inter 1). For me that's the new improved Spurs. What we appear to be watching sporadically in the league games is a window to the past. The version we need to brush off once and for all. Box it up, stick it in the loft.

So when are we going to step up?

I'll make some suggestions. Three simple suggestions.

Sunderland, Lane.
Blackburn, Lane.
Scum, the swamp.

Three games. Nine points.

There's this fallacy that Harry only works best when he's fixing a problem someone else has left behind. Hence the sterling recovery from the Ramos debacle. However, a debacle that many believed was always recoverable passed on the fact we always had the players, we just didn't have someone to instil the required desire and effort. Harry did just that. Got them organised. Wasn't the miracle everyone tagged it with, however what he then achieved was near enough one considering the money and managers we have thrown at attempting to progress. Down to bare bones, but even if Harry used that as a ready made excuse, the players didn't even acknowledge it. Superb man management, no?

He deserves the credit even if he makes the most of it with his self-hype. And in lapses of support where some have questioned his tactical astuteness, he has time and time again proved he can win games and adapt strategically. Perhaps the learning curve is one that takes slightly longer than other 'world class' managers. And sometimes we are left wondering why the team isn’t quite sharp enough or motivated. He's not perfect but he's not stupid either. I promise.

There's no room for complacency. Or are we back to arguing over prioritisation of challenges (with CL winning it seems)?

The point here is that what with the vdV and 451 conundrum and the various key injuries, rather than attempt to be overly clever or experimental we need to reclaim some of the back to basics fighting spirit. Backs up against the wall mentality. Harry keeps citing the importance of fourth spot. I'd like to refer you to the evidence. It's somewhere here, give me a second. Nope, can't quite find it.

Harry has to get everyone on it, eye of the tiger. We are not bare bones, so it shouldn't be that tricky to achieve. Right?

If we are genuinely lacking in depth in terms of fluidity when having to replace first team players with 'reserves' and if this is suddenly a problem when it wasn't so much one last season or the season before after Harry took over - then batten down the hatches. Either the players struggle to perform having been benched for a while or their personal motivation isn't at a decent enough standard to replace missing stars. January is still (just under) two months away. We can't postpone the games and play them after we sign a forward.

What to do? Run around a lot and kick it in the net.  Win, any which way, but if I'm going to be picky, win with style and get the momentum going. No more half-baked attempts at 'getting stuck in'. I know what you're thinking, 'how can we boss games if we lack the rhythm when missing players?'. Fact is, we've had something missing even when we've had the players available.

It's probably more a question of commitment and intensity. A lack of. It's not the biggest game in our history ever. But it's important in terms of changing direction. Crisis? Don't be silly. But if we wish to aim high, then drawing a game should be labelled a crisis. Defeat - a disaster.

Two home games, nothing less than six points. Am I asking for the moon on a stick? No, no I'm not. I'm asking for our players to show their true colours. Brilliant white. Not p*ss stained yellow.

I want two solid, focused performances before the away trip to The Stench. How we manage to beat Sunderland and Blackburn with the obvious to all redundant no cutting edge inept strike force (lol), well, that's not down to me. My job is to scream and shout till my lungs burst. Harry's job is to do the same pre-match in the dressing room, on the touchline during and…just plenty of hugs and congrats at the final whistle.

We need to be complete in terms of intent, all the possession in the world counts for nowt if we don't stick those chances away.

COYS with pomp and gritted teeth. And a little prayer. With or without Rafael. Pressure is on.

Glory Glory night, N17, invite only, bring a (some) bottle

Dear Mr Levy,

Here we are, looking forwards again rather than looking back. Let's talk football and leave the conspiracy laced debate for next time we return from Old Trafford where no doubt a United player will score a brace during the half-time interval and Clattenburg/Webb/appeasing FA ref-bot will allow both goals to stand on grounds of enthusiastic punctuality. Then book Ledley King for dissent. Even though King hasn't travelled up there due to injury. Then award a penalty whilst Richard Scudamore touches himself in those private of places whilst David Dein continues to orchestrate proceedings from the shadows.

Sorry, did I say 'let's talk football'? Lets.

Inter, at the Lane. Glory Glory night. On when the Spurs go marching in. Ticker-tape and plenty of oohs and aahs. We hope. It's what we've worked so hard for. Looking back at our home Champions League matches, even though we beat Young Boys and Twente it felt like we plucked and plucked with plucky effort to get ourselves through the games (actually the YB victory was far more comfortable than the roller-coaster that was the Twente game). We've not been assured. The away games have been testament to that. In fact, we've failed to be 100% at any stage this season regardless of the competition. We lack that bit of extra something with regards to testicular fortitude.

Let's not look too far forwards just yet in terms of January and the re-opening of the window.

In the present, yes we have injuries. Yes we have a conveyor belt of a defence. Yes we are still attempting to adapt to 451. Yes we don't truly have a certified full-on forward to best the formation. And on top of all this scratching of heads is that although we have players of majestic quality that can win games with individual pomp we don't quite have the cohesive flow through the team, top to bottom. The signs are there but we keep taking the route to a dead end.

It's all a bit Blu Tack instead of Super-Glue in terms of sustainable fixed focus. Have a word with Harry please. Can you perhaps replace all mentions of To Dare is to Do littered around the Lane with Two Points Eight Games?

So far this season we've had a good half here or there. Plenty of decent movement, but a distinct lack of goals - no cutting edge, no ideas outside of  giving the ball to vdV and letting him galvanise offensive play or just giving the ball to Bale and moving that box of Kleenex a little closer as the beast runs rampant.

That's not to say it's completely emo-Spurs, sad eyes, reading out poetry about the bottomless pit of despair. This is hardly Ramos or Santini. Or even the worst of times under Jol. Crisis? There is no crisis. Just cryogenics as we find ourselves frozen in time. The world of tomorrow awaits.

We are what, 30%, 20% away from it clicking into place and working. The players we do possess for selection at the time of writing are more than capable of waking up and shaking themselves into the mentally powerful frame of mind - as seen last term in the push for fourth. We have it in us which is what's so frustrating. I don't buy all this 'Spurs over-extended themselves last season' nonsense. We fought for it. We need some of that fight back in abundance. And goals. Plenty of goals.

And it's up to the management and the players to prove that the thrill of the chase is not better than the catch. Last season is gone. We should be hungry for more. Have we not got more at stake this time round?

We are a team, a unit. I keep saying this every week and it's now about five games away from becoming an ominous cry for help and thus changing my tune, from a skipping whistle to a groan and moan. Wiping sweat from your beautiful bald head week in and week out as you look down from your directors box is something I wish not to witness. We have to reclaim the swagger. Not give a f*ck about the opposition in terms of respect. Turn the tempo up. Otherwise the stuttering will turn to stalling. And you'll have to wear a wig to hide your uncontrollable erupting sweat glands.

Easier said than done they tell me. Turning up the tempo. Not wearing a wig. I've not quite lost all my hair yet.

So what about the group game and our visitors?

I know this is Inter and some expect them to play ultra-defensive counter-attacking football and double up on Bale. But it's far more likely they will come out and attack attack attack after the comparative ease they walked through us in the San Siro. They'll have plenty of belief and confidence to do the same again. So how about just scoring one more than they do?

Don't be afraid. Don't hold back. Play emotive sweeping football and play too our strengths. Retain possession, do not concede early, hassle them in midfield and please for the love of all things Lilywhite - be clinical in and around the box. The home crowd will have to play their part in all this too.

Is that asking too much?

It's still not quite right in the league is it and it's a mix bag of heart-stopping football in Europe. Yes, it's a learning curve and we are learning plenty about how to shape up in the premier of competitions. But let's learn from the lessons dished out and play to an equal standard in both the CL and the bread and butter of the league.

Momentum from this game if we win it could prove to be priceless. And you must agree, January will be easier to do business if we are heading towards the knock-out stages and sitting in 5th/4th.

No Gomes. Cudicini concentrate please. vdV might be back. Huddlestone also. Modric is on the verge of exploding into form. Bale has been contained in recent games so hopefully he'll adapt quickly with having to cope with fourteen men marking him. But if they do double up on him (or worse) then someone elsewhere on the pitch has an advantage if another someone else is quick enough to play that first someone in. Lennon continues to improve which is important.

Concern about Kaboul in central defence who has that annoyance of switching off for a costly second far too often. Gallas still has to prove his worth to the side. Crouch will probably start, but call me crazy, I keep having visions of Pav doing very little other than being in the right place at the right time to plant the ball expertly into the net - something he can do. Does little else. But he has a habit of notching the goals. Regardless, no lumping the ball up to Crouch. And no calamity, no margin for errors. If we're going to go down, let's go down in a blaze of glory and not with clowns shoes on our feet.

That reminds me. You reckon the policy of buying young English players with sell-on value still rings true with Jenas?

No? Okay.

You'll be in agreement that the key for this game comes in the shape of Tommy Huddlestone's feet and the pumped out relentless chest thumping of Rafa van der Vaart (please be fit). Desire and clinicality the essential ingredients.

I've not forgotten about Luka. Much like Tottenham this season, we await his arrival.

Harry has to use his smarts in the same way he has used them in some of the key battles (i.e. Arsenal at the Lane, Spurs at Eastlands) and instil that never-say-die attitude we have not lost since that famous 4-4 at the Emirates.

Back to basics for our simple creatures proudly soaking in the Champions League theme music with cockerels on chest.

But let's not underestimate Inter. Champions of Europe. The game is not going to be influenced just because we approach it a certain way. We've got to react to their tactics. They've got enough about them in terms of quality to strangle the life out of the game and take the emphasis away from us and dictate. Which is why we have to have balls the size of melons.

I know that the Bremen home game and Twente away return is where our qualification will be won or lost. And some of the faithful have quietly whispered that losing to the Italians will not be a disaster. I disagree. A point will be decent. A win, fantastical. But it's far more than that isn't it Mr Chairman? Let's remember what this club is all about in terms of it's traditions. We might not have a massive haul of silverware but if you take any random Bill Nicholson quote you'll have your answer in terms of what it means to be a Spurs fan.

Glory. Even if said glory is 90 minutes in length.

I want a performance. I want a statement of intent and end product. I want the emotion. I want the swashbuckle. I want a DVD. Damn it, it's almost Christmas and I want frigging Box Set! It's more than just Champions League this. It's more than the three points on offer. It transcends all of this. You know it. I know it. We all know it.

Wakey wakey. Rise and shine. Cock-a-doodle-dare is to do do do.

My spine is tingling. My head buzzing. Rediscover yourself Tottenham. Want it. Shout out that you want it. Then prove that you want it. Then don't let anyone stop you from taking it. You'll get more than a cuddly toy for your endeavours.

Otherwise, what's the point?

Heart on sleeves. Heart on sleeves.

So good luck. Wish the lads all the best. And let's hope the night does not end with me handcuffing myself to the West Stand gates again, naked (obviously) wearing an original Chirpy mask (the face he had prior to his self-indulgent plastic surgery) in protest of whatever excuse I can think of at the final whistle. If Jenas plays, I'll use that.

Yours Sincerely,

Spooky

15 Points, 8 Games...please

What a crock. The one time the FA give us an opening day home fixture they give us Liverpool. Man Utd get a newly promoted side at OT. Chelsea get Hull at Stamford Bridge. We get Liverpool. Still, we managed to ride our luck last time out at WHL and steal all three points, so hopefully a balanced confident side should be able to compete. We hope. I'm only really complaining in jest. I'm grateful for it. We all at Tottenham would like to thank you (the FA) for the privilege. At least Arsenal have been sent up to Everton for their opener. It's a minor miracle. But alas one that is dashed when you glance at the scums first 5 home games. That pesky fixture list mainframe does it again!

Obviously I can't post the the list in it's entirety or in part here because of intellectual copyright reasons (ridiculous) but I'm sure you won't have trouble finding it on a site that can afford a license. Nice little earner that for the bigwigs at Soho Square.

Only games I'm interested in at the moment are the opening eight for the simple fact that I challenge Harry Redknapp to avoid a repeat of the Ramos collapse of last season. Two Points Eight Games© must never be repeated. Never, ever. And here's the super-eight that will have many sweating through the summer nights in anticipation for the big kick-off:

Home - Scousers (Elite Four)
Away - Tigers (Almost got relegated)
Away - Spammers
Home - Brummies (Newly Promoted)
Home - Champions (Elite Four)
Away - Russians (Elite Four)
Home - Suicide Squad (Newly Promoted)
Away - Megson's lot

So, we've got ourselves three of the top four sides in our opening eight games. Does David Dein still have security access to the FA Headquarters? The voice in my head is telling me something about us doing pretty well against the 'big' teams last term out. So maybe the games we should be more concerned about are the ones against Hull, West Ham, Birmingham, Burnley and Bolton - one side almost went down and two have just come up. If we have any true intention to push forward with intent then we need to be ruthless. Absolutely no bloody fuck ups.

Prediction time:

Lane - Scousers - D - 1 point
Away - Tigers - W - 3 points
Away - Spammers - W - 3 points
Lane - Brummies - W - 3 points
Lane - Champions - L - 0 point
Away - Russians - D - 1 point
Lane - Suicide Squad - W - 3 points
Away - Megson's lot - D - 1 points

15 Points, Eight Games. Lap that up Mr Ramos (I've had rum for breakfast). My prediction is based on the assumption that we start confidently, something we rarely do because of some in-built mental mechanism that automatically switches off the whole Spurs collective rendering them as soft as a lemon mousse (which ironically is what our new home kit will look like).

Worst (acceptable) case scenario is Chelsea dick us away from home and Bolton beat us (which they always manage to do). That would give us: 13 points. But it's all just impossible to really know at this point. Like last year I will not be getting carried away if we thrash Barcelona at Wembley (like we did to Roma at WHL).

Harry Redknapp has to buck the trend. It's that simple. No more believing the hype. It's time to create hype off the back of hard work, determination and spirit. We would like something back in the way of hope. It's been a while since the giddy heights of 2006.

As for the back end of the season? We've got Arsenal and Chelsea at the Lane and then Man Utd away followed by Bolton back home and finally Burnley away.

Brutal finish to go with the tricky start.

COYS.

Spurs v City: 3-5-2 will do

If we don't let any in, then its record-breaking time down at the Lane. Nine conceded all season long. It's a far cry from the never-ending goal glut at both ends, during the course of last season. Now if only Harry could fine-tune the offensive line and overcome our reluctance to score a second goal and add more on top, then we could have a tasty home record next season that will help in abundance with a sustained push for the giddy heights of 5thish.

Lennon is out. BAE fit to play. King, detoxed and seeking redemption. City do not have Robinho available (which is a shame, because he's dire away from home). Win might see us take 7th (depending on what Fulham do, and some people would actually prefer to see Fulham beat Newcastle). Who cares as long as we see out the season (at home) with a lovely three points, a clean sheet and two or three in the onion bag.

Not since 2003 have we tasted defeat against City (Prem wise) at WHL. Might well be a Cup-tie type of game, as a loss for Hughes side would mean 7th spot is an impossibility going into the final game of the season. Probably render our chances as null and void too if we end up with zero.

Harry, bless him, has dropped another Two Points© mention into his pre-match interview. If we managed to steal 7th, expect a Redknapp special DVD release with a holographic cover, move it ever so slightly and you can see him go from serious face to joyful twitch.

Back on the European question (do we want it or not?) I guess the argument is around whether it interferes with league form when involved in Europe. And also, whether you value silverware and history books more so than a 4th spot and involvement in the Champions League. Basically, no Europa League means - in theory - we can go full pelt for 5th spot or higher. It's theoretical. And in reality, would you not want Spurs involved in all competitions possible? If we qualify, we should be aiming to win it. By the way, I'm just throwing out all these opinions for the sake of discussion - as personally, I'm still undecided. I don't think you can prove statistically that being in the UEFA Cup (or any version of it) impacts league form negatively. Unless you have a manager who prefers not to play his best players in the league and saves them for Europe.

Back to the game, will be interesting to see how the midfield lines up once more without Wilson. Does Hudd get another game to prove his worth? He might be more comfortable at home in a game where football is likely to be played (and allowed to flow). Chances our Harry will once more field a 3-5-2 formation - which might be more than enough for a home game - with Hutton and Bale allowed to run havoc on the wings (we need something from either side, with Aaron out).

I say run havoc, because it would be nice to see a system that places a hefty amount of emphasis on these two positions work and work well. Gareth had a decent game at Goodison. Would be grand, just grand, if that jinx was ended tomorrow.

Zokora is also fit and available which might answer the Hudd question. A Jenas - Zoko - Moddle threesome would be plenty frolicsome and would allow for energy, tenacity and spark.

I hope one out of three is enough.

Going backwards for a moment, don't expect the Charlie - Woody - Ollie Reed combo to change and looking towards the frontline, I'd like to see Defoe and Pav up front. Keane on the bench. But expect (much like last week) to see Robbie start.

A couple of kids on the bench would be a nice end of season preview for next year. Rose, Bostock maybe even Townsend. Any one of many would be cool. Just nice to have a wildcard on the bench.

As for Chimbonda and Bentley. One we've hardly seen the other we might never see.

Let's not forget Ledley King. Let’s just forget the week he's had.

Enjoy the day out people.

2-0 Spurs.