Spurs 0 - 1 Madrid: Inevitable

Tom Huddlestone was picked ahead of Sandro and for the first 20 minutes it didn’t look a great decision. While Huddlestone’s incisive passing can bring the other attackers into play and get things going you still have to face that trio of Xabi Alonso, Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira. Huddlestone is not the most mobile of combative at the best of times and he’d only played the game against Stoke on the weekend after a five-month lay off. About halfway through the first half he settled down and a lot of the play went through him.  

We needed a performance from Gareth Bale and he was central to the action from the start. Within the first 7 minutes he’d dived in the box and created a chance that genuinely should have led to a penalty. Bale took the ball past Sergio Ramos, hit a cross-cum-shot that Iker Casillas parried and Xabi Alonso kicked Luka Modric’s ankle. Jim Beglin reluctantly admitted it might be a penalty, but then again he openly condones fouling.

The four-goal deficit was always going to be too much to overhaul, but if we were going to have a stab at it we needed to bury every decent chance. In the 27^th minute we got our first decent one when Huddlestone sent Aaron Lennon on his way and he picked Roman Pavlyuchenko out on the penalty spot. Pavlyuchenko should have buried it with his laces, but he chose to sidefoot it and it went well over. Later he had a free header from about 9 yards and put it over the bar too. I’ve spent too much time defending Peter Crouch to lay into Pavlyuchenko when he makes a mistake, but I do hope those that seem to think he is the answer to all our problems if only Redknapp would pick him noticed his poor finishing.

The final penalty shout was the most ambiguous. Pavlyuchenko went down a split second before he made contact with Albiol’s leg, but had Albiol definitely left it there. It didn’t make any difference really and the last hurrah was a beautiful goal that was ruled out. Luka Modric was offside when he headed Pavlyuchenko’s cross back to Bale who volleyed it in.

Real Madrid’s aggregate victory wasn’t really threatened and Cristiano Ronaldo made sure they won on the night too. Heurelho Gomes was the Spurs Show’s player of the season last year and I agreed with them, but he has regressed hugely since. Ronaldo’s speculative effort stung his palms and looped in. The same thing happened against Chelsea and it’s hard to argue against claims that Gomes is no more than a good shot-stopper rather than a rounded and reliable keeper.

Van der Vaart’s swivel and curling shot would have been a nice full stop on the thoroughly enjoyable campaign, but it went over and we went out with our heads held high even if it wasn’t quite a blaze of glory.

The Spurs fans were loud on the television going through the full repertoire in the last 20 minutes including choruses of ‘there’s only one Paul Gascoigne/Gary Mabbutt’. It was two good performances against one of the best teams around.

Madrid Build-Up

29^th November 2010 – At Camp Nou Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0 with a performance that is immediately recognised as one of the greatest of all time. Xavi and David Villa get on the score sheet, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta are instrumental. Pep Guardiola watches his team dominate possession at an unprecedented level. They pass the ball wonderfully and tear apart their fiercest rivals. Seven of the starting 11 won the World Cup four months earlier. The opposition are no schmucks – Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho, Mesut Özil, Iker Casillas. Europe’s most feared coach Jose Mourinho in charge and powerless to stop the force of nature that is the Catalan club.

That’s all Tottenham have to do tomorrow night – match Barcelona’s five-goal win and we’ll go through. Gareth Bale believes it can be done. This is the same player that grabbed the ball out of the net and ran to the halfway line with it when we were 4-1 down to the European Champions. I admire his determination and optimism even if I don’t share it.

The tie was always going to be difficult, but when Peter Crouch got sent off it became nigh on impossible. Failure to pick up Emmanuel Adebayor aside we didn’t play too badly, but Real Madrid were too good. Even without the extra man their quality in every position is undeniable.

Roman Pavlyuchenko, after an impressive performance as provider against Stoke City, will probably replace the suspended Crouch. Whether Harry Redknapp will pick Tom Huddlestone or Sandro I don’t know. I suspect William Gallas will get the nod over Younes Kaboul, but these things will make little difference to the outcome.

It’s over. A wonderful adventure comes to an end tomorrow night at White Hart Lane. This season has been the most enjoyable for a couple of decades and when the final whistle goes and the Champions League adventure ends we’ll have our heads held high.

Spurs 3 - 2 Stoke: Back To Winning Ways

Tom Huddlestone returned to central midfield after a five-month absence. Sandro’s emergence during Huddlestone’s injury promises much for the future, but his battling spirit wasn’t required in a home game against inferior opposition. At the other end of the spectrum Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko were both picked to match the height in Stoke City’s defence and while Crouch won lots in the air, including two goals, Pavlyuchenko turned provider was excellent link up play. Quite why the TV kept cutting to Jermain Defoe on the Spurs bench I don't know.

Aaron Lennon wasn’t in the squad because the virus that made him a last minute casualty at the Real Madrid game persists, but it was odd to hear Harry Redknapp say he didn’t know whether Lennon was at the ground or not. Lennon used his twitter account to make it known he wouldn’t be made a scapegoat and Redknapp, on TalkSport, was unsure who was trying to make him one in the first place. Rafael van der Vaart played on the right in his stead.

Watching Stoke City you get the impression they practice obstruction in training as often as other teams practice passing or dribbling. Tottenham on the other hand moved the ball about quickly and gracefully from the word go. Asmir Begovic in the Stoke goal, whose non-transfer to Spurs earned the club £1 million, wouldn’t have been surprised by the first goal. Only 11 minutes had been played, but it was already on the cards. Crouch towered over Ryan Shawcross to head in Pavlyuchenko’s cross.

Seven minutes later Luka Modrić picked the ball up from Pavlyuchenko, ghosted into the area, past Robert Huth, and slipped the ball under Begovic. It was beautiful, more a performance piece than merely scoring a goal, from the best player at the club. His lack of a nomination for PFA Player of the Year is scandalous and I hope the football writers won’t make the same mistake.

When Matthew Etherington left Spurs in 2003 I thought we were losing a player with a lot of potential, but while he’s had some good patches of form over those eight years he’s not become anything more than a mid-table player. For a moment today we saw the very best of him when he got past Michael Dawson and outpaced a not-fully-fit Tom Huddlestone before slotting the ball past Heurelho Gomes at the end of a run that started at the halfway line.

It wasn’t long before Peter Crouch had his second, another Adebayoresque header at the end of a beautiful move involving Van der Vaart, a delicious Benoit Assou-Ekotto floated pass, Vedran Ćorluka and finally a cross from Huddlestone. Crouch really enjoyed scoring the goals, doubling his league tally in the process, and going some way to rectify the disastrous red card at the Bernabéu.

The fifth goal of the half came when Kenwyne Jones stole the ball from a dawdling Bale and a few touches later he had the ball in the top corner with a marvelous left-foot belter. After the break Jones knocked the ball past Assou-Ekotto and shrugged him off way too easily. Gomes tipped his shot into the path of Jonathan Walters who couldn’t quite guide it in, hitting the post with the goal gaping.

In the 94th minute Tom Huddlestone kicked Jones to halt a potentially dangerous run. He was booked and there were suggestions, on twitter at least, that he might've 'taken one for the team' to prevent Stoke’s first goal, but personally I can't really get on board with that kind of thinking.

Beaten By An Arse... Real Madrid 4 - 0 Spurs

As the second half started Glenn Hoddle said he 'ad a feeling about Spurs' chances, but a goal and a man down you'll forgive me for not sharing his optimism.

Tottenham Hotspur ought to be familiar with Emmanuel Adebayor. Prior to tonight he'd scored 8 goals in 9 games against us. Adebayor is 6 foot 4, so it’s curious that Jermaine Jenas was the player tasked with marking him. Heurelho Gomes and Luka Modrić made a hash of stopping his header going in.

Peter Crouch picked up the first of two bookings in the eighth minute for inexplicably diving into a challenge with Sergio Ramos. The tackle on Marcelo ten minutes later wasn’t really dangerous and a lot of refs might’ve let him get away with it, but even Jose Mourinho’s consolatory pat on the shoulder doesn’t change the fact that leaping in with your studs up is against the rules.

A Ramos diving header almost made it’s way to Adebayor and with a couple of minutes of the first half remaining Michael Dawson was lucky to get away with a two-handed block in the area from Ángel di María’s volley. It may have deflected off his knee, but normally it’s only John Terry that gets away with raising both hands like that. 

No personnel changes until half time, Jermain Defoe coming on for Rafael van der Vaart who was struggling up front by himself. He’d been hoping to play 90 minutes against his old club, but he finds that difficult enough when he has ten teammates. He was booked for kicking the ball away earlier in the game. It would be nice if he would exercise some self-control every now and then.

Defoe did okay, but chances were few and far between and Real Madrid’s defence and midfield protection is top draw. They pressed, Spurs defended deep and in the 57^th minute William Gallas found himself with two players to pick up, one of them Adebayor who headed in his second. Much of the pre-match focus was on Cristiano Ronaldo and he did get on the scoresheet with a volley from a Kaká cross (Gomes might’ve got down quicker or used his legs), but they’ve got so many other quality players. Di María was very good and scored the goal of the night spanking his strike into the top corner.

The Gareth Bale backlash in gained some force since his nomination for PFA Player of the Year (and Young Player of the Year) was announced. While the accolade may not be deserved (Modrić has been much more consistent) it's a little harsh to say he hasn't performed in the league and there's little allowance made for the fitness issues he's contended with in recent months. Tonight his impact was minimal although a quick throw which Van der Vaart caught on his chest with the intention of volleying goalwards would've been wonderful if it had paid off and he hit the side-netting after picking a up a fantastic diagonal ball from Michael Dawson. Perhaps more crucially Aaron Lennon got ill at some point between the warm up and kick off and was replaced with Jermaine Jenas.

There’s no shame in losing to a side as good as Real Madrid, and even though the four-nil hammering is basically game over even with 90 minutes at White Hart Lane to play, I can’t say I’m disappointed with the players who put in a decent performance.

Wigan 0 - 0 Spurs

With Aaron Lennon on the bench and Gareth Bale out injured you’d have though Niko Krancar might have got a game, but no, regardless of proving he is a genuine goal threat he sits on the bench every week. Jermaine Jenas, Sandro, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart made up a narrow midfield. But the midfield wasn’t the problem, it never is this season. Jermain Defoe left his 100 goals t-shirt at home this week and rightly so, he didn’t come close to scoring. Neither did Roman Pavlyuchenko. When Peter Crouch came on he had a couple of headers, but none of them really tested Ali Al-Habsi in the Wigan goal, and as usual he had a lack of support and found himself isolated up front.

Fresh injuries at the back meant Sebastien Bassong had to play, but it didn’t cost us even when Wigan’s attack came to life in the second half, and he actually made a great block when it looked like a certain goal.

Conor Sammon, a second half Wigan sub, could have won it, but Heurelho made a good save from close range. Victor Moses and Charles N’Zogbia also came close.

A return of three points from a run of four games against the current bottom four is pretty dismal. Chelsea and Manchester City’s results are becoming less and less relevant if we can’t beat the mediocre opposition in front of us. 

Spurs 0 - 0 West Ham

With every week that passes, the last few anyway, we look increasingly likely to finish where we currently stand - in 5th place and heading for Thursday nights on Channel 5. We're still in contention, hardly cut adrift regardless of the result of Manchester City against Chelsea, but the margin for error in the final stretch of the season has shrunk to almost to nothing. Today's goalless draw is one the games we'll look at at the end of the season if we don't finish in the top four.

We bossed the game from the word go playing some really good football in the sunshine and hitting the woodwork three times. In the third minute Michael Dawson hit a delicious strike from the edge of the box against the bar. Jermain Defoe and Luka Modrić put shots wide, Rafael van der Vaart went close with a half-volley from a corner, and Aaron Lennon, cutting in from the left, beat Rob Green and hit the inside of the post. The rebound came out to Defoe and with an open goal in front of him he missed the target, the ball coming off his heel.

Carlton Cole had a one-on-one that he made a complete hash of, then forced a save out of Heurelho Gomes in the first minute of the second half. Vedran Corluka was having a dismal game in terms of passing, but he was linked up well with Modrić to create a chance for Defoe, another one which he missed from inside the 6-yard box, hitting the ball straight at Green's legs. To be fair it did involve swiveling and a limited amount of time, but he ought to have put at least one chance away today. I couldn't see it from all the way at the top of the north stand, but on television a t-shirt was visible through Defoe’s lilywhite jersey prematurely celebrating his 100th goal for the club. Despite all the chances it's still 99, and more importantly just one point.

West Ham's full-backs kept our wingers relatively quiet. Bale isn't at full fitness yet and the tactic of swapping him and Lennon back and forth didn't make a great deal of difference.

Mark Noble's overhead kick was close and Demba Ba had a good effort. Roman Pavlyuchenko came on for Van der Vaart and was lively having a couple of decent speculative efforts and with five minutes to go Green somehow tipped Bale's free-kick on to the bar. He was tremendous when we lost at Upton Park too.

With 29 games gone our three strikers (four if you count Robbie Keane) have contributed 11 goals. It doesn't matter if you have the best midfielder in the division (Modrić was excellent as usual) if you're getting nothing from the forwards.

In other news Bale has signed a new four-and-a-half year contract. 

Spurs 0 - 0 AC Milan - A Job Done Alright

I've been so spoiled as a Tottenham fan over the last 18 months that last night (knocking AC Milan, European giant and Serie A champions in waiting, out the Champions League) was a bit anti-climactic.

The attacking outlet Spurs needed to be victorious on the night, Gareth Bale, was missing. He was only fit enough to play 25 minutes at the end where he didn't have much of an impact. He was joined on the bench by Ledley King. One hopes his shock inclusion was an indication of improving health and not just a consolatory selection for our best player of the decade having cruelly missed out on the Champions League proper so far.

With Steven Pienaar on the left Milan could afford to double up on Aaron Lennon on the right and nullified his, and the team’s, attacking threat. Spurs defended deep all night, but it was hardly Barcelona-Arsenal. Milan weren’t nearly as good as Barcelona and we at least created a number of chances.

In the first half Rafael van der Vaart had a couple of speculative efforts and was dragged to the ground in the penalty box, but got nothing. Milan came very close when William Gallas had to clear a Robinho shot that had ricocheted off Benoît Assou-Ekotto’s head off the line. Alessandro Nesta’s 70 yard pass along the ground reached Alexandre Pato without interception (Gallas expecting the midfield to have dealt with it), Heurelho Gomes rushed off his line forcing Pato wide, but Robinho failed to convert his square ball. Pato emerged as their best attacking player and had an effort saved when Zlatan Ibrahimović put him through.

In the first minute of the second half Lennon crossed to Peter Crouch and he headed across the box to absolutely no one. It was evidence of the lack of support he was getting and it was no surprise when Van der Vaart was substituted 20 minutes later. Still, Crouch perhaps ought to have been more aware of his surroundings and at least attempted a header toward goal.

Clarence Seedorf played deeper than he did in the first leg and was excellent, orchestrating Milan’s attempt at a comeback and dominance of possession. Milan finished the game with a couple of good chances – Pato shooting inches wide from the edge of the box and Robinho blasting over from a similar distance.

It was another excellent defensive performance from Tottenham. Gallas and Michael Dawson were very good, but they owed so much to the man of the match, Sandro. He was ubiquitous in central midfield intercepting everything and playing an excellent short passing game. You get the feeling he could be a big player for us.

There was an overwhelming sense of relief at the final whistle even if it did seem a bit inevitable after the win at the San Siro. It wasn’t much of a spectacle, but what a result.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 Tottenham Hotspur 3: Strikers come to life as defence goes to sleep

After twenty minutes Kevin Doyle nipped in front of Heurelho Gomes and headed in a Nenad Milijaš cross. It was poor from the keeper, although the failure of William Gallas or Michael Dawson to marshal and mobilise the defence was no surprise.

Ten minutes later Jermain Defoe took a couple of steps and from 25 yards out whipped the ball round Christophe Berra. It hit the back of the net before Berra knew what had happened. Within five minutes Defoe had a second. After a quick Spurs break he had the ball on the left wing and when he got it back from Luka Modrić on the edge of the box he curled a stupendous shot past Wayne Hennessey into the top corner.

Defoe has been out of form and not scored nearly enough goals this season, but it is ridiculous that anyone could regurgitate the stat that he hadn’t scored in the Premier League for 10 months with a straight face. He has scored in the FA Cup, the Champions League and the World Cup in that time, a period that silently includes three months of non-playing time and another three months of injury.

The lead didn’t even last until half time, Alan Hutton demonstrating his capacity for calamity once again, pulling Milijaš down on the edge of the six-yard box with only Gomes between the Wolves player and the goal. Astonishingly Hutton wasn’t sent off and Doyle buried the penalty in the bottom corner.

As soon as the second half got going Jermaine Jenas got a vital touch a Benoît Assou-Ekotto ball over the top sending it into Roman Pavlyuchenko’s path. Despite a heavy touch he hammered a cracking shot past Hennessey into the roof of the net.

Milijaš hit the post with a shot along the uneven ground that Gomes got his fingertips to. Wolves players kept popping up in the area, too often unmarked, but they constantly missed the target.

Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon came on and added an edge to the midfield. Bale looked a little rusty, but still managed to create a handful of chances and force Hennessey into a close-range save. Sandro, who was excellent, capitalised on a mistake in the Wolves defence and laid off a very scorable ball for Defoe, but he the best he could do was hit the post.

With ten minutes to go Milijaš ‘s free-kick went sailing toward Gomes, Richard Stearman was also in the vicinity, Gomes got more of the player than the ball before it went in, but the referee gave a freekick in the keeper’s favour. If anything it was Gomes who’d committed a foul.

Luck like that should serve as a reminder of how easily a lead can slip, but we didn’t learn and Wolves equalised in the 87^th minute. Matt Jarvis hit a cross into the box and despite the fact that Assou-Ekotto and Dawson have played together more times than I care to count Steven Fletcher got in between them and headed in.

Blackpool 3 - 1 Spurs

With Alan Hutton mysteriously missing from the squad and Vedran Ćorluka out after Mathieu Flamini’s violent challenge the Spurs back four underwent another change in personnel. William Gallas can do a job at full-back, but if there is an alternative to playing Sebastien Bassong surely it must be used. In the first minute he dwelled on the ball putting the defence under pressure and in the 18^th he needlessly kicked DJ Campbell in the box to give away a penalty. It was a calamitous effort, even by Bassong’s standards. Charlie Adam whipped his spot-kick to the left and beat Heurelho Gomes.

Spurs had two efforts cleared off the line in the first half. The first came when Richard Kingson came charging toward Defoe getting a hand to Defoe’s dink, which sailed over him and was dipping in before Craig Cathcart headed it on to the bar and out. The second was from another Defoe effort. Aaron Lennon chipped the ball toward the back post, Kingson could only parry, Roman Pavlyuchenko laid it off to Defoe and his strike was cleared by Alex Baptiste.  Steven Pienaar also had a deflected shot go narrowly over.

Blackpool broke with a devastating counter attack that left the Spurs defence shell-shocked and another goal in arrears. Campbell ran with the ball, gave it to Sergei Kornilenko who back-heeled to Beattie. Beattie crossed and Campbell, who’d got in front of Gallas, volleyed the ball in from a few yards.

Commentators and pundits love a bit of juxtaposition and insisted on contrasting the glamour of the San Siro with whatever ring-ding little ground Blackpool play at. There was still hope – Spurs are comeback kings this season and Blackpool were in similar position against Manchester United and came away with nothing.

Our first move of the second half was quick and elegant – Luka Modrić running with the ball, passing it between two Blackpool players to Lennon who hit the byline and crossed for Pienaar. Rather that bury it with his laces Pienaar got very little on it, although a late arrival and a bad pitch may have contributed to his feeble side-foot.

Lennon was our best player leaving defenders panting in his wake. He put a ball on to Pavlyuchenko's head, unmarked on the penalty spot, and another at the back post later in the game, but both times Pavlyuchenko only gave Kingson elementary tests. Modrić cut inside and put a curling shot over the bar and Defoe and Niko Kranjčar struck low crosses across the face of goal in quick succession. In the 72^nd minute Baptiste cleared yet another one off the line, this time a Modrić lob. The Blackpool goal might as well have had a forcefield around it. 

With ten minutes to go Blackpool put the game to bed with a shambolic third. Benoit Assou-Ekotto impressively muscled a Blackpool player off the ball in the box, but rather than lamp it into the stands he casually knocked the ball into Brett Omerod's path and he tapped it in.

We got on the score sheet in the last minute of stoppage time. Pavlyuchenko got hold of Crouch's header, took it on his chest, let it bounce and spanked a deflected shot into the net. It was the only one of his potshots that went anywhere near the goal.

Missing the opportunity to go third is disappointing, but it was still only three points at stake and if at the end of the season there are only a couple of points in it I won't be looking back at this result as the one that cost us. Our mid-season form has been very good all things considered and last night was a bit of a freak result.

What’s worrying is that the complete impotence of the strikers. The midfield has played so well this season that we’ve gotten away Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and Crouch misfiring, but there’s only so far you can go with the forwards making such a small contribution. Which makes the decision not to pick Kranjčar all the more odd. With a lack of goals in the team you’d think the man that scored the winning goals and our last two league games (and how!) would be the first name on the team sheet. From Kranjčar’s point of view it must be the final straw. It’s one thing being behind Gareth Bale in the pecking order, but if you can’t get in the team on current form and with Bale out its time to move on.

Genaro Gatuso 0 - 1 Joe Jordan (or Milan 0 - 1 Lillywhites)

All the match previews focused on one key factor – Tottenham’s injury-hit midfield. It’s the strongest area of the team and with Gareth Bale and Tom Huddlestone out and Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modrić at half fitness it looked like we were going to the San Siro trying to keep the score down. With Jermaine Jenas suspended Redknapp finally had to put some faith in Sandro. He partnered Wilson Palacios with Aaron Lennon on the right and Steven Pienaar beating Niko Kranjčar to the left midfield spot, Redknapp opting for the hard-working South African over the thunderbolt-hitting Croatian. Van der Vaart played off Peter Crouch and half of the defence that got hammered last time they visited Milan (William Gallas and Benoît Assou-Ekotto) were joined by Vedran Ćorluka and Michael Dawson.

We should have been awarded a penalty in the first minute – Alessandro Nesta leaning into Pienaar’s shot and stopping it with his arm. It was the start of a fantastic quarter of an hour for Spurs, bombarding the Milan goal and playing good passing football too, with Ćorluka and Lennon getting a lot of joy out wide. A period of dominance punctuated by Christian Abbiati’s injury. He went off with concussion after clashing with Crouch.

At the start of the second half Van der Vaart picked up the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the area, swiveled and sent a delicious chip narrowly wide. Substitute keeper Marco Amelia had tipped his shot over in the first half. Alex Pato replaced Clarence Seedorf at the break and eventually Milan found some rhythm. On 50 minutes Mario Yepes rose highest from the melee and forced Heurelho Gomes to palm the ball away from the top corner. Gomes made an even better save ten minutes from another Yepes header.

In the interim Mathieu Flamini sent Ćorluka off on a stretcher with his ankle strapped up after a two-footed lunge that somehow only got a booking, and Rino Gattuso got Joe Jordan round the throat on the touchline. He pushed Crouch shortly after, but got away with that too. He eventually got booked for a late tackle and will miss the second leg, but that doesn’t absolve the officials who had a very poor game.

Gallas moved to right-back and we saw, for the first time since the 9-1 victory over Wigan, that glorious sight – Jonathan Woodgate taking the field for Tottenham Hotspur. He blocked a Flamini shot as Spurs defended deep and for the first time in the match got a little sloppy.

But the Milan attack was uncharacteristically blunt and up against a defence playing out of their skin. With ten minutes left we got a well-earned winning goal. Modrić, who came on for the excellent Van der Vaart with a third of the game left, played a quick ball to Lennon after Sandro’s interception and Lennon had his very own Bale moment galloping up the pitch, hurdling a Yepes tackle and squaring to Crouch who tucked a side-footed shot into the bottom corner. Lennon is due some recognition. Seen by so many as quick, but without a final ball, on the same level as Theo Walcott, when he’s actually much more consistent than he gets credit for. Tonight he showed on the biggest stage what he is capable of. As for Crouch, well, his contribution to the successful Champions League run is as big as anyone’s and he caused Milan all kinds of problems last night. If anyone dares chant ‘super Pav’ next time Crouch is playing in his place, turn round and give them a clip round the earhole from me.

Sandro made a sliding tackle on Zlatan Ibrahimović with five minutes to go, one of many vital stops in a fantastic performance. His partnership with Palacios looked potentially calamitous, but they were combative, energetic and they passed the ball well. Sandro could be a big player for Spurs and his season starts here. There were understandable concerns that he might be out of his depth, but let’s not forget that he has won the South American equivalent of this competition.

The referee added a paltry four minutes and halfway in Dawson and Palacios let a dangerous ball bounce, Dawson then getting in the way of Robinho’s shot. Ibrahimović’s overhead kick a minute later hit the back of the net, but he’d pushed Michael Dawson before the strike.

After the final whistle Gattuso continued his ill behaviour, ‘very shameful’ Gallas said, hitting Sébastien Bassong and going back to ex-Milan Joe Jordan and head-butting the man. It prompted an angry outburst from Graeme Souness in the studio calling Gattuso ‘a little dog at best… go get the ball, scuffle around’. He said Gattuso was past his sell-by date and wouldn’t last ten, no five! minutes alone with his former teammate. Gattuso apologised saying that Jordan was busting his balls throughout the second half. Flamini also apologised to Ćorluka for that appalling tackle. When asked if Flamini should have been sent off he replied, ‘He should have been sent to jail’.

The job isn’t finished yet, but with so many players due back optimism abounds. A victory at the San Siro. Astonishing stuff. A superb performance all across the team. There’s no doubt about it, Spurs are one of the best teams in Europe.

Sunderland 1 - 2 Spurs

For once, when Redknapp talked about being down to the bare bones he was only mildly exaggerating. The whole of the first choice midfield was out except Aaron Lennon who started on the bench. Having played 20 minutes for Brazil against France midweek Sandro partnered Jermaine Jenaas, with Steven Pienaar and last week’s goal hero Niko Kranjcar out wide. Roman Paylyuchenko and Jermain Defoe played together up front, with neither looking particularly dangerous.

William Gallas was on the sidelines changing his boots (for the second or third time) when Sunderland got the opening goal 11 minutes in. Keiran Richardson, inexplicably linked to Spurs last week, whipped a cross in for Asomoah Gyan. He took a touch, turned and buried it in the bottom corner. The commentators seemed to think Gallas had wandered off not interested in the game, on the touchline changing boots like a Super Sweet 16 trying on different outfits, but he clearly had a problem and someone should have filled in in his absence.

It was not an entertaining match, typified by Spurs’ equaliser. Michael Dawson wandered away from his marker, Titus Bramble (now captaining a team in the Europa League spots would you believe), and headed Pienaar’s corner towards goal. Gallas got in front of Craig Gordon, let the ball run through his legs and subsequently Gordon’s.

Sunderland started the second half the better side, but didn’t give Heurelho Gomes much of a test. Spurs also played some decent football and just before the hour, Sandro, who had a very good second half, broke away down the right putting in a cross which John Mensah headed away. Kranjcar arrived to hit a right-footed volley into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

With 10 minutes to go Richardson hit the bar with a deflected punt, but ultimately all three points went to Spurs. Steve Bruce is always incredulous when his team don’t get any points, but the fact is they weren’t’ clinical enough and were punished. One of the stats of the season is how many points Tottenham have recovered from losing positions. It currently stands at a staggeringly impressive 19.

Spurs 2 - 1 Bolton

Michael Dawson returned from suspension and replaced Sébastien Bassong as the only change to the team that beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Wednesday. Bolton Wanderers may play better footballer under Owen Coyle, but they still seem to have the attitude ‘why just take the player when you can take the man as well?’

In the third minute William Gallas became the second Spurs centre-back to try a Cruyff turn without success in a week. Luckily we weren’t punished. After five minutes Gary Cahill bear-hugged Jermain Defoe just outside the box. Rafael van der Vaart swung a free-kick in and we won a fortuitous penalty in the aftermath when Kevin Davies fell on the ball with his arm, stopping Vedran Ćorluka’s poke. Van der Vaart’s penalty was confident and out of Jussi Jaaskelainen’s reach.

Two minutes later we got a second penalty, which Van der Vaart scored, only for a retake to be ordered. Wilson Palacios and Defoe had encroached. Van der Vaart went left again – wide this time. Lennon had burst into the box and gone down under a Sam Ricketts challenge. The replays were not conclusive, but it looked to me like Ricketts got neither the man nor the ball.

A lovely move finished with an offside goal. Benoit Assou-Ekotto made a run from the left-back position to just outside the area where he hit a splendid pass to Van der Vaart, who crossed and Defoe headed in, but he was a yard off. Bolton’s most notable efforts of the first half were Johan Elmander’s header against the crossbar and Daniel Sturridge’s shot at the side netting at an angle he was never going to score from.

A couple of minutes into stoppage time the referee pointed to the spot for another penalty, but the decision was quickly reversed when he saw the linesman’s flag. Peter Crouch knocked the ball down to Van der Vaart and he struck the ball against Cahill’s hand. Crouch was correctly adjudged to have been offside.

Van der Vaart went off at half-time with a thigh strain (he’s only completed 8 of the 20 games he’s started this season) and was replaced by Steven Pienaar. Ten minutes later the team briefly lost its shape at the cost of a Bolton goal. Dawson’s soft clearance was dismal and Mark Davies picked up the ball and charged at him. He ended up on the floor, Assou-Ekotto was somewhere near the centre circle slowly jogging back when Davies’ pass found Sturridge on Bolton’s right. Palacios and failed to catch up with him and Sturridge made it two goals in two games with a shot straight at Heurelho Gomes that somehow went underneath him.

Pienaar had a good game even if his challenge on Cahill should have resulted in a penalty (to add insult to injury Cahill was booked for diving). He linked up well with Defoe seeing his shot saved from close range and Defoe hit the side netting after impressive exchanges. Jenas struck the post with a free-kick (he’s quite good at them, remember?).

I always had the feeling we would get a winner and we finally did a minute and a half into stoppage time. Niko Kranjcar came on for Palacios in the 78^th minute and his goal was superb. He picked up the ball from Roman Pavlyuchenko, another second-half substitute, cut inside Zat Knight and hit a belter from 30 yards, right into the top corner.

When Kranjcar started making noises about leaving early in the season I thought it mighty short sighted. The only thing standing between him and a place in a potentially successful Spurs team is Gareth Bale. That’s quite an obstacle, admittedly, especially with Bale playing all but 49 minutes of European and league football this season before the Newcastle game two Saturdays ago. New boy Pienaar has been preferred and we may well have lost Kranjcar, but the Werder Bremen bid came to nothing. He would have been foolish to leave (what’s the hurry? It isn’t a World Cup/European Championship year), his chance was never that far away and yesterday he took it with both hands.

Arsenal became the first team to lose a four-goal lead in Premier League history. I say this not because they’re our local rivals, but potentially rivals to a top four spot. In the past making up 6 points on Arsenal has been beyond our capabilities, but we’ve won two league games in a row against them and if we make it three and they continue to show fragility they could find themselves battling Manchester City, Chelsea and ourselves for Champions League places.

Blackburn 0 - 1 Spurs

Ledley King (groin), Younes Kaboul (knee) and Luka Modrić (appendicitis) underwent operations at the beginning of the week and Steven Pienaar (concussion) and Alan Hutton (who knows what) were ruled out late on, but on the positive side Jonathan Woodgate was in the squad for the first time in a over a year and was joined on the bench by new signing Bongani Khumalo.

The system was very similar to the home game against Blackburn: two central midfielders (Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios), two up front (Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe), a left-winger (Aaron Lennon) and Rafael van der Vaart nominally on the right, but free to roam, though not as much as he did at White Hart Lane.

The only goal of the game came after three minutes when Van der Vaart lofted a ball in to Crouch in the box and he towered above Christopher Samba and headed in. Blackburn created more chances in the first half, Crouch clearing a Junior Hoilett shot from a few yards out and Heurelho Gomes tipping a bouncing volley over the bar from the same player. David Dunn also put a couple of long-range efforts wide, while Tottenham created little.  

After half-time Spurs tightened up and threatened to score a second. Lennon ran 70 yards with the ball and laid it perfectly into Defoe’s path, but Paul Robinson got down low and made a good save. Still, Defoe probably should have scored. Robinson made another good save, from a 20-yard Lennon strike shortly after.

Míchel Salgado whipped a cross in and Gomes made a cracking save from Diouf and Gomes kept a Morten Gamst Pedersen free-kick out after Vedran Ćorluka had foolishly brought down Hoilett, Blackburn’s best player on the night, on the edge of the box.

In stoppage time Samba had a free header, but an unwitting Jenas got in the way and Gomes made a good catch, as he did throughout the game. It was three points well earned with a lot of good performances, especially from Van der Vaart who did a lot of the work Modrić normally does.

Woeful Misery: Fulham 4 - 0 Spurs

The only half of football in the Jol-Ramos-Redknapp era that compares to that is the first half against Inter Milan. We conceded four and were down to ten men then too, but Craven Cottage isn’t the San Siro and Fulham aren’t the European champions.

Ten minutes in Michael Dawson took a poor touch and under pressure from Andy Johnson passed the ball to Clint Dempsey. Dempsey charged into the box and Alan Hutton used his arm, leg and hip to bring him down. Danny Murphy consummately dispatched the spot-kick.

Three minutes later Dawson dawdled, Moussa Dembélé mugged him as he tried to make a turn and Dawson grabbed hold of his shirt just before Dembélé fired a shot at Heurelho Gomes. Another penalty was awarded and Murphy scored again. Dawson was sent off either for being the last man or for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity – both were true. Dawson was inept and cheated and we were punished for both.

With Tom Huddlestone out of the Milan game and beyond it’s vital that Sandro becomes something more than a novelty – a Brazilian international on the Spurs bench. Today he was given a rare opportunity, but it only lasted a quarter of an hour. He made way for William Gallas immediately after Andy Johnson had left him on his backside. The ball ended up with Dempsey and he should have scored, as should Dembélé minutes later.  

A midfield previously described by the commentator as ‘fluid’ was shapeless and offered little protection to a shambolic defence or support to a focus-less attack.  The inevitable third came when Benoît Assou-Ekotto gave away a cheap corner and made a pitiful attempt to challenge Johnson when it was taken. Johnson flicked the ball to the back post, Sébastien Bassong wandered toward the action leaving Brede Hangeland unmarked with an open goal. In stoppage time Dembélé got Fulham’s fourth. He picked up the ball inside our half and ran past Bassong without the need for any trickery. Gallas backed off on the edge of the box and Dembélé put the ball in to the bottom corner. 

I left the pub at half-time, which I very rarely do. The match was over. An absolute disaster. The second half would be damage limitation and nothing more. Aaron Hughes heading against the bar was the most significant action. Four nil to Fulham.

It was a defensive horror show and the honeymoon period is most definitely over for Harry Redknapp, but I’m not going to get into that now. The Champions League campaign distracts from humiliation in both domestic cups. What matters more than anything is the league. We go to Ewood Park on Wednesday with Dawson suspended and Kaboul in surgery, but hopefully with a brand new striker.

Newcastle 1 - 1 Spurs

Jermain Defoe replaced Peter Crouch as expected, Jermaine Jenas came in for Wilson Palacios and injuries to Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Heurelho Gomes (shoulder) meant Harry Redkapp had to make a couple more changes. Steven Pienaar made his debut on the left-wing and Gareth Bale was moved to left-back. Ten minutes in Bale went off with a back injury and Sebastien Bassong took his place.  Its been giving him gyp for the last few weeks and he’s going to see a specialist.

I spent most of the first half watching a stop-start stream with the resolution of a Sega Master System game, but thanks to the Spurs4Life forum I finally got a good one going.

In the 28^th minute Cudicini watched a cross drift over his head and Leon Best smacked it against the bar. In first half stoppage time Rafael van der Vaart flicked Pienaar’s ball to Defoe. Despite having a moment to take a touch Defoe hit it straight at Steve Harper from 12 yards out. 

Around the hour-mark Danny Guthrie floated a long ball into the box, Fabricio Coloccini stepped past Alan Hutton catching the ball on his chest, let it bounce and fired past Cudicini. It was a fabulous goal from the defender, but it was alarming how easily a player not renowned for ball skills took Hutton of the game reaffirming how weak a link he is. Cudicini’s wrists, both of which he fractured a year ago, weren’t strong enough either. He flapped at a cross later in the game. Why he was offered a new contract is beyond me. Surely Stipe Pletikosa has more to offer.

Aaron Lennon moved over to the left wing and forced a good save from Harper at his near post after. Lennon’s new position would prove fruitful later on. Newcastle should have double their lead in the 69^th minute, Joey Barton’s long through-ball evading Michael Dawson and finding Peter Løvenkrands whose shot was pitiful. Cudicini made a diving save from Shola Ameobi that probably looked better than it was and Luka Modrić rattled the bar with a shot from 20 yards.

In the 91^st minute Crouch flicked the ball on to Defoe, he gave it to Lennon who cut inside Mike Williamson and Danny Simpson and buried his shot in the bottom corner. It was a cracking goal. At the San Siro when Bale pulled the score back to a hopeless 4-1 he grabbed the ball straight out the net and ran back to the halfway line with it, but Lennon and co were in the corner celebrating when they ought to have been looking for a winner. It didn’t come.

Man U 0 - 0 Spurs

Manchester United have the best centre-back partnership in England and owe the point they earned today to the pair. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić won yesterday in the air and while they’ve ridden their luck to remain unbeaten with over half the season gone they are still incredibly hard to break down.

Jermain Defoe returned from suspension against Charlton last week and scored two goals, but Harry Redknapp made the odd decision of picking Peter Crouch (who is in mediocre form) ahead of him. Even stranger it took Redknapp 78 minutes to bring Defoe on.

Both sides started brightly, Wayne Rooney skipping past William Gallas and shooting wide as early as the second minute. After eight minutes Luka Modrić shook off a shirt-pulling Darren Fletcher, played the ball wide to Alan Hutton whose cross found Crouch, but his shot was wide.  Shortly after Modrić made a run along the byline, but his square ball was blocked by Ferdinand.

Rooney had a shot saved and Rafael van der Vaart headed into the side-netting from a Gareth Bale cross.

Michel Carrick and Rooney came close early in the second half, but Spurs dominated possession. Crouch wasn’t winning anything in the air and Bale and Van der Vaart were less incisive than usual. Despite having a lot of the ball a goal didn’t really look like it was coming even when United were reduced to ten men. Rafael was booked in the first half for a lunge and with 16 minutes to go he clipped Benoît Assou-Ekotto’s heels curtailing a Tottenham counter attack. Its difficult to say whether it was deliberate or not, but like the farce of the Nani goal in the away game it probably didn’t have much bearing on the result.

Defoe finally got on the pitch replacing Wilson Palacios. Jermaine Jenas has been in far better form this season, but he’s no holding midfielder and the decision to play Palacios proved wise. Aside from a couple of wayward long-range efforts he had a good game.

As the match fizzled out Van der Vaart put a curling shot inches from the top corner and in the final seconds an Assou-Ekotto interception stopped Rooney from having a go at a winner.

Spurs 3 - 0 Charlton

Harry Redknapp sent out a stronger team against League One Charlton than he did for the League Cup game against Arsenal.

Carlo Cudicini, Benoît Assou-Ekotto, Sébastien Bassong, Michael Dawson, Vedran Ćorluka, Niko Kranjćar, Wilson Palacios, Sandro, Andros Townsend, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Jermain Defoe

Poor old Assou-Ekotto never gets a break.

The game wasn’t broadcast anywhere in the world, so there was no live stream and it was the first game I’ve missed this season.

Luka Modrić came on at half time and by all accounts changed the game. Within a few minutes we were one up, debutant Townsend putting the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards. The youngster impressed in pre-season friendlies and for England under-19s.

In the 58^th minute Defoe skipped past a number of Charlton defenders including Gary Doherty and slid the ball past Rob Elliot. He got a second two minutes later after another mazy run.

In the fourth round we travel to Fulham. While it’s one of the harder draws we have positive FA Cup memories at Craven Cottage. Last year we got a nil-nil draw there in the quarter-final and beat them in the replay and in 2007 we won 4-0 with superb goals from Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov.

Everton 2 - 1 Spurs

The away fans at Goodison Park are shoved underneath a stand where you can’t see the rest of the stadium and gave four poles obscuring myour view. The tickets warned against persistent standing, but the ancient wooden seats are not suitable for persistent sitting.

Harry Redknapp made a number of like-for-like changes. William Gallas, Jermaine Jenas and Peter Crouch replaced Sébastien Bassong, Wilson Palacios and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Two and a half minutes in Gallas stood off Louis Saha and his weak shot somehow evaded Heurelho Gomes and found its way into the bottom corner. One down is a position Spurs are used to coming back from this season and seven minutes later we pulled level in familiar fashion. Crouch nodded an Alan Hutton cross across the box and Rafael van der Vaart headed in.

Gareth Bale and Benoît Assou-Ekotto played second fiddle on a flank dominated by Seamus Coleman, but Everton’s forward line, Jermaine Beckford in particular, couldn’t convert their chances.

The first half ended brightly for Spurs – Van der Vaart came close with a speculative overhead kick and a free-kick and Crouch had the ball in the net after Bale’s turn of pace and ball across the box. Unfortunately Crouch had strayed offside.

The half-time entertainment was a bizarre moneymaking exercise. A digitally animated Everton mascot played out a penalty shoot out with a Spurs equivalent – the results based on how many £1-a-go texts were sent.

On the hour, Bale, who’d been scythed down by Phil Neville, was replaced by Niko Kranjcar. Kranjcar struggled to have any kind of impact on the game. It would be unfair and unrealistic to expect him to go straight into the team and win the match singlehandedly. It looked like someone would have to, because as a team we lacked ideas and looked tired. Four games in a week and a half (two with 10 men) finally taking its toll.

Coleman shot straight at Gomes after an excellent run and Van der Vaart came close getting a shot away with the ball under his feet. Crouch has a fantastic effort. He won the ball, got it back from Van der Vaart and a couple of step-overs later cut inside and forced Tim Howard to save a good strike.

But Everton’s winner was deserved. With a quarter of an hour to go Saha got a shot away despite Assou-Ekotto and Michael Dawson in front of him. Gomes parried and Coleman, who’d reacted quicker than Jenas, headed in the winner.

The match ended on a bit of a sour note for me, having to listen to Spurs fans shouting expletives at their own players. Criticism is fair enough, but calling Crouch, who incidentally was one of our best players, a ‘piece of shit’ and worse is shameful. It was our first defeat in 12 games, but I suppose that was lost on some people. 

Spurs 1 - 0 Fulham

For all the quality attacking players on the pitch we found it very difficult to break Fulham down. The decisive moment came three minutes before half time when Gareth Bale got his head on Rafael van der Vaart’s freekick and diverted it past Mark Schwarzer.

Roman Pavlyuchenko is hardly unlocking defenses at the moment and we struggled to conjure anything other than speculative efforts - Bale and Benoît Assou-Ekotto had shots parried. There was some nice football played, Van der Vaart and Luka Modrić nutmegging Danny Murphy and Aaron Hughes respectively.

Vedran Corluka came on when Alan Hutton went off injured and played a lot of very good balls to Aaron Lennon. Unfortunately Lennon had his worst game of the season misplacing most of his passes and blowing our best chance at a second goal with five minutes to go. Lennon ran 70 yards with the ball, but rather than square it he had a shot easily blocked.

Fulham applied a lot of pressure in the second half, but the application of pressure alone does not get you anything. The only time they came really close was when Michael Dawson cleared the ball a couple of yards from goal with Andy Johnson waiting to pounce.

The win completed a trio of victories over the festive season. Early in the season too often we were coming out of games like this with a draw and if we don’t sign a decisive striker in the transfer window the same thing will start happening again.