The Engineer dismantles Spurs grand project

The word crisis can often be overused in a football context and no one would deny that life occasionally throws up a proper crisis to put football in particular and sport in general in its proper perspective. However, for Spurs fans everywhere, it would be pretty hard to escape the feeling of a crisis developing at Tottenham in the aftermath an absolutely wretched afternoon at Eastlands.

The last time Spurs suffered such a heavy defeat, John Major was still British Prime Minister, a French professor was in charge of Arsenal, a German driver was dominating Formula 1 and the German football team were beating us at Wembley. Clearly some things haven’t changed. So humiliating was this defeat that by the end of this miserable afternoon, even City fans, perhaps out of sympathy couldn’t bothered to do their now familiar Poznan celebration anymore and were reduced to clapping saves and tackles by the Spurs players.

It’s bad enough that we went into the game as one of the lowest scorers in the premiership, (albeit with the most amount of shots at goal, which in itself does not reflect particularly well on our strikers’ shooting accuracy) at least we could take pride in having the second best defensive record in the premiership. We’ve mastered the art of defending, counter attacking, our away record has been outstanding and Spurs fans were quite happy to sing, ‘one – nil to the Tottenham’ (admittedly through gritted teeth), all the way to the Champions league. Except, someone forgot to tell Pellegrini and his City slickers.

City coach, Manuel Pellegrini was affectionately nicknamed, ‘The Engineer’ during his time in Spanish football because of his studious approach to the game and the methodical way his teams are set up to play football. His team are the highest scorers at home in the premiership by a country mile and in Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo (more on him later), they had one of the form strike partnerships in the country, maybe even in Europe. The Engineer certainly dismantled a Spurs team that has not functioned particularly well in recent weeks.

The rot set in for Spurs as soon as the match kicked off. Hugo LLoris, kicked lazily to a city player and his initial save, although decent was not decisive enough to clear the danger. To give him his due, city winger Jesus Navas still had a lot to do but improvised brilliantly to chip Lloris from a tight angle. Spurs wingers, Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend could do worse than watch clips of how a speedy winger can bring variation to an attack. Spurs recovered but never really looked threatening despite dominating possession yet again. City’s attack, with their tails up were all over Spurs from then on and by the time Sandro was pictured being sick on the pitch, most Spurs fans probably felt the same way.  

Speaking of City’s attack, Aguero’s class was already well known to premiership watchers. I was more intrigued by the shoot out between the two Spanish strikers, Negredo and Soldado. But for Messi and Ronaldo, these two have would be the biggest noises in La Liga as they have been the top scoring Spanish players for the last two seasons. Both were sold to English clubs last summer, Soldado for £26 million and Negredo for £23 million.  On the evidence of what we have seen so far this season and especially yesterday, it is fair to say that City have got far better value from Negredo than Spurs have had from Soldado.

Soldado scored almost 60 goals in two seasons with Valencia, a pretty impressive tally. However, careful analysis of his record shows that almost all his goals have come from inside the six yard box. He has not looked mobile and able to create chances for himself. Negredo on the other hand has looked very mobile, agile and able to get involved in the build up play. In addition, he is good in the air and able to create chances for himself. Admittedly, it helps if you have the class of Aguero, Jesus Navas, an inspired Samir Nasri and a buccaneering Yaya Toure rather than an ordinary looking Lewis Holtby, an underwhelming Lennon, a strangely subdued Paulinho and a player in Erik Lamela who talented he might be is still adjusting to life in the premier league.

Another issue arising from this and recent performances is the lack of creativity in this side. Tottenham have dominated possession in every match they have played this season. That takes some doing in the frenetic world of premiership football and should be respected. However, almost every game has exposed an alarming inability to manoeuvre the ball creatively into dangerous goal scoring positions. By not scoring goals, the defence is under increased pressure not to concede. When goals are conceded, everyone is under increased pressure to score which then exposes the defence even more and the vicious cycle is continued from match to match as pressure builds. The irony is if Spurs could just fix this and score more goals, they appear defensively sound enough despite yesterday’s aberration to defend leads and pick teams off on the counter attack. This is the conundrum that Spurs Manager Andre Villas Boas has to fix pretty quickly as the pressure intensifies.

In AVB’s defence, although this was his 50^th match in charge of Tottenham (some celebration!), it was effectively only his 12^th match in charge of His own team in only his second full season in charge. Last season, he took Harry’s team, minus star midfielder Luka Modric and took them to within a point of the promised land of the Champions league with a record points tally. He is now constructing a brand new team and as yet, no one has risen up to take the over mantle of match winner or game changer from Gareth Bale. However, as AVB will know too well, a manager is only as good as his last good season. The premiership is an unforgiving coliseum. More successful managers than AVB such as Carlo Ancelloti, Roberto Mancini and even Harry Redknapp have bitten the dust and AVB still has a lot to prove as manager after his miserable spell as Chelsea boss.

With Arsenal, Chelsea and both Manchester clubs in the mix, Liverpool stirring again and even Southampton punching above their weight, qualification for the Champions league while building a new team and establishing a new playing identity was always going to be a challenging task. The sick feeling felt by Spurs fans come from expectations being unrealistically high in a way that England footballers approaching a tournament know only too well. This was as a result of over £100 million being spent in the summer transfer window.

In spite of this poor run, AVB deserves time, even if the mad scramble for Champions league places can sometimes skew the judgement of chairmen and fans that ought to know better. The history of the premier league shows that stable long term management will give better returns in the long run. The open nature of this season means that a few results could put us back in the title race. Then again, we may not even make the Europa league unless we win a trophy. Either way, let AVB, the man with the project plan, lick his wounds and get on with it. That’s out best hope.   

So its Manchester United next. I’m off to the betting shop to place a bet on Spurs losing Six – Nil. If they do, I will win big, if they don’t, it will be an improvement. Either way, I will feel a lot better than I do today. The tribulations of being a Spurs fan.

AVB needs more goals to keep Spurs juggernaut flying

This match, more or less typified Tottenham’s season so far.  Spurs fans don’t know whether to laugh or cry right now. It depends on if you are a glass half full or half empty person. A point at Everton is more than Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea managed and not many teams will have fruitful trips to Goodison park. The bottom line is Spurs are firmly in the mix for a top four finish. Even though Spurs have not scored enough goals, I don’t think that AVB is setting up spurs to be defensive, nor is their play actually defensive as they consistently dominate possession.

Watching the match unfold, a familiar pattern has now emerged to spurs play. An increasingly impressive back four, with Sandro providing an impressive shield in front of them as they pressed high up into the opposition’s half. In midfield, Dembele, Holtby, Eriksson, Lennon, Townsend and Lamela, offer AVB enough forward players to attack opponents through the middle and also in the wide areas.  Paulinho, for my money the most consistent of the summer arrivals so far also offers a goal threat and gets himself into some promising positions. However, the forward players have just not quite gelled yet.  The fact that Lamela has openly admitted to struggling so far and Eriksson has also been inconsistent show that the attacking part of the equation is still a work in progress. That there is much scope for improvement in spurs’ forward play should offer a lot of encouragement for spurs season.

In the circumstances, AVB is quite right to focus on results. Spurs have a tradition for playing swashbuckling football and fans demand that as a mere minimum, however they no longer have a monopoly on style, even in north London. Tottenham fans however have a new reality. Champions League football is the new sexy football.  The late goals conceded last season ultimately cost a Champions league place and Andre Villas Boas will argue that if he gets Tottenham to the Champions league, his approach would be completely vindicated.  

Lone striker, Roberto Soldado has had a mixed start to his first season in English football. He sure knows how to take a penalty and his record in Valencia suggests he is suited to playing as a lone striker. However, he does not strike me as someone that likes being involved in the build-up play. He is a striker whose first or second touch tends to be a shot towards goal.  Jermain Defoe is more mobile, dynamic and has evolved his game to be more involved in the build-up play. There will always be an understandable clamour for Defoe whenever spurs are struggling to score goals because of his record. However Soldado is better suited to the 4-2-3-1 formation that AVB favours and so should be allowed to develop his game by playing regularly.  Defoe still has plenty to offer spurs and in a season where there are hopefully many games to play, Defoe will get his fair share of games.

Hugo Lloris should have been substituted after his collision with Romelu Lukaku.  I trust that AVB would never put results before a player’s welfare. I also trust the judgement of the Tottenham team doctor, Dr Shabaaz Mughal, who was among the heroes that saved the life of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba when his heart stopped beating during an FA Cup match at White hart lane in March 2012. Many may applaud Lloris’s bravery after being concussed. However, three things swing the argument for me; Lukaku, who is a big, strong guy, himself had to go off, his knee strapped and packed with ice shortly after the clash. Secondly, a second incident could have aggravated the situation. Finally, with ten minutes to go, we had a decent back up in Brad Friedel. All things considered. It was undoubtedly risky, it was the least pragmatic option and it was unnecessary. A decision that that puts a player’s welfare first should not be any of these things.

Travel savvy Spurs restore confidence with classy win at the Villa

This was no thriller at the Villa, but the Spurs faithful would not mind one bit. AVB’s boys needed a good performance and result after their last outing against West Ham. Aston Villa did not hand Spurs victory on a plate. However, Tottenham never looked like losing this match. The only questions were whether they would score the goals needed given their relatively poor scoring record and whether keeper – sweeper Hugo Lloris would give supporters another heart in mouth moment.

In the circumstances, Andros Townsend (more on him later) rounded off a dream week by scoring direct from a cross and gave a strong all round performance. Roberto Soldado also looked sharper than he has recently as he clinically finished off a slick Spurs move, scoring his first premier league goal from open play in the process. Other players to impress were Kyle Walker who linked well with Townsend down the right flank, Lewis Holtby who was busy in the creative role as Eriksson was left out. Sandro protected his back four with bristling aggression and Paulinho cruised through the game without breaking sweat. It was also good to see Vlad Chirices start a premiership game. Undoubtedly, the Romanian international will get roughed up in the premiership in the coming months as he adapts to the English game, however, given time and space, he has intelligent ball distribution skills that can only enhance Tottenham’s possession play.  

So as we approach the first quarter of an interesting season, Andre Villa Boas, who turned 36 last Thursday, can reflect on the fact that despite defeats to West Ham and Arsenal, his team have made their best start to a premiership season. That start has been necessary because despite being one of the most open seasons in premiership history and some surprising early results, the main protagonists (Manchester united excepted) have moved menacingly to the top of table. No prizes are won in October, but you can put yourself in contention and create good momentum going into November and December.  Spurs have the joint second best defensive record in the premiership. That is a solid foundation and deserves credit. However, they also have the joint fifth worst scoring record in the premiership. That needs to improve as some teams already have a goal difference buffer that is almost worth an extra point and Spurs will probably need to break their premiership points record again to be sure of champions’ league qualification. Still, the squad looks strong, has great potential and there remains much room for optimism.

It’s been a quite remarkable six months in the life of young Andros Townsend.  May 2013 must seem a life time ago.  Back then, he had come back from his ninth loan spell, he was charged by the FA with a breach of betting rules, given a three month ban (suspended till 2016). Aaron Lennon was ahead of him in Spurs first team, Gareth Bale was not going to be sold. He had voluntarily withdrawn from the England under - 21 squad for the ill - fated European championships and he faced a battle just to get back in the under - 21 squad, never mind the senior England squad.

Given the array of midfield talent that pitched up at Tottenham over the summer, Andros had every right to worry about his Tottenham future. However, he has raised his game brilliantly and he is now a realistic contender for a place in the England squad for the world cup in Brazil. For Spurs followers, there is something really heart warming about seeing a proper home grown player (Andros has been with Tottenham since he was eight) coming through the ranks and succeeding at the highest level. His maturity in the spotlight, especially over England Manager, Roy Hodgson’s comments was very impressive. Well done Andros. Long may it continue.

A word on Roy Hodgson, who bravely gave Andros Townsend his big chance against the better judgement of some, including Spurs coach AVB. Roy Hodgson is not racist and there was nothing inappropriate about his comments. He would have made the exact comment if Gareth Bale had been playing instead of Andros Townsend and no one would have batted an eyelid. That settles it for me. I actually find it quite endearing that in the middle of a tense game, Roy Hodgson sought to lighten the mood in the dressing room by joking and Andros Townsend had it right when he stated that he took it as a compliment. He got the context and it should never have even been a story. To paraphrase a legendary sports journalist, ‘enough of that crap. Let’s get on with the football’.

Big Sam Decks Andre the Young with Tactical Masterstroke.

We have had better Sundays at White Hart Lane. Tottenham did not play badly, but losing three nil at home to anybody is an embarrassing score line. However in the midst of the customary wailing and anguished gnashing of teeth that is the lot of a Spurs supporter, after an embarrassing defeat, West Ham deserve credit for the way they set about dismantling their more fancied opponents. Ravel Morrison impressed in a way that bodes well for both West Ham and England. Big Sam Allardyce did a Mourinho and played with no recognised centre forward packing his midfield to deny Spurs time and space. Big Sam has regularly opined that if his name was a more exotic sounding Sam Allardici, he would have a higher profile and bigger clubs chasing him given his achievements. Big Sam is not everyone's cup of tea as a manager but 'the British one' does have his admirers and in his usual understated manner,  he will no doubt use his weekly newspaper column to explain further why his tactical outmanoeuvring of the more celebrated Andre Villas Boas is evidence of his managerial brilliance. Again.

Our Andre and his troops meanwhile must now lick their collective wounds during the international break as the climax of the world cup qualifiers take centre stage for the next two weeks. One of the signs of a great team is its ability to recover from a setback like Sunday's. Spurs must regroup in the way that (through gritted teeth) Arsenal responded after a disastrous home result against Aston Villa back in August. Ironically, Spur’s next match is against Aston Villa.

AVB has much to ponder during the international break. There is no sense of crisis at Spurs, but some amber lights are flickering. In defence, Jan Vertongen seems to be feeling the effects of missing most of pre-season. He is too good a footballer to be suffering second season syndrome, but he just has not been his usual composed self so far this term. Given that he has spent most of his international career at left back and covered the position many times for Ajax, perhaps he should play there in place of the right footed Kyle Naughton while Danny Rose recovers. Kaboul or Chirices can partner Dawson in the centre to give the back four a more natural balance and Vertongen is less exposed as he recovers sharpness.  Someone needs to get in the head of Kyle Walker to rediscover the right back of last season before he suffers the indignity of losing his England squad place to Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson.

In midfield, AVB must hope that Etienne Capoue returns quickly and stays fit for the rest of the season. The man is a beast and Tottenham’s best defensive midfielder. AVB also needs Aaron Lennon fit as an alternative to offer width along with Andros Townsend when the centre is congested. Speaking of Andros Townsend, some West Ham fans chanted, ‘You’re just a cheap Gareth Bale’ every time he got the ball. With no ‘Bale out of Jail Card’ to call on anymore, Townsend is indeed a cheap version (free in fact as he came through the youth system).  He has however progressed a lot over the past year, has put himself on the fringes of the England set up and in time, might just proof a very useful alternative rather than a poor man's Gareth Bale. AVB also needs his midfield to be more adaptable. West Ham disrupted Spurs flow by having an extra man in midfield and rotating forward leading duties, while Spurs still had a back four with no recognised forward to pick up and did not adjust accordingly.  

Attack is the area of most concern. Six league goals is the lowest goals ratio of the top 15 in the premiership. It is simply not good enough in a season when goal difference may decide the fate of teams. As unpalatable as it may be for many Spurs fans who would have been happy to see him sold in the last transfer window, A fit Adebayor with something to proof may be really crucial to our hopes, an effective plan B if you like. It is great that he is back training with the first team and the sooner he comes back, the better Spurs prospects.

In spite of this set back, there are many reasons to be optimistic, Spurs had the joint best defensive record until Sunday and even now still have the third best defensive record despite Sundays’ aberration. The squad looks strong and able to handle a full season’s rigours. In addition, Tottenham have dominated possession in almost every game this season, averaging 58 per cent. A team that keeps the ball longer in theory have a better chance of scoring and winning games. This is really where AVB’s boys are still a work in progress. There are plenty of good footballers at Spurs and in spite of their first really bad result of the season, they’ll be fine.

The Y word. Tottenham fans have done brilliantly to reclaim the term from abusive fans and in so doing, diffuse some of the uncomfortable  tension that often dominate football some football grounds,  Nevertheless I strongly feel that it is time to consign the use of the term to history. To the extent that black footballers would not be expected to call themselves the N word or display shirts showing this on the football pitch, a term, no matter the context, that has no place in mainstream society should not be allowed on the pitch. Ultimately it is a supporter’s prerogative what they call themselves and good luck to the Met Police trying to prosecute. However, if Spurs supporters stopped using the term, it would be easier to identify and prosecute those fans who use the term as an abusive gesture as today’s society is far less tolerant of abuse. Let’s move on. On and off the pitch.

When Andre met Jose............................ again

The build-up to this high noon showdown at White Hart Lane was unsurprisingly less about Tottenham against Chelsea and more about Andre Villas Boas against Jose Mourinho. Journalists ravenously peeled away at the carcass of a broken relationship between two marquee managers, hoping for an explosive media skirmish. AVB to be fair was quite composed, honest and open in his answer. However, he also betrayed his true feelings in this response, "our break up happened because I was ambitious to give him extra, I felt I could give him much more. But Jose didn't feel the need for somebody near to him or in another position as an assistant, and because of that it was decided that it was time, after Inter Milan, to continue our careers apart." Or “Jose’s record speaks for itself but I am very proud of what I have achieved” code for “Jose did not value me enough but I have proved myself as a manager. Just look at my record”. This was more than just another game for AVB, he wanted to beat this Chelsea team and Jose Mourinho knew it.

Jose Mourinho for his part normally loves pre-match hype as they invariably focus on him and his Machiavellian sense of theatre rather than his players. However, he was clearly irritated in the build-up to this match, refusing point blank to answer questions about AVB, the pre-match handshake was the sort normally reserved exclusively for Rafa Benitez, his old Liverpool adversary and if Chelsea had somehow scored the winner, I half expected him to go sprinting down the pitch as he famously did nine years ago when his Porto side scored late to knock Manchester united out of the champions league.  Jose was not confident he could win this match, but he damn sure did not want to lose it. Not to this Tottenham. Not to Andre Villas Boas.

In the first half, Spurs played some fantastic football. Eriksson played a part in yet another goal, scored by Sigurdsson who is responding to all the midfield arrivals by playing really well and scoring. Kyle walker set up an attack with a delicious back heel that almost ended with another goal by Paulinho. Dembele shimmied, twisted and generally swaggered his way through the first half. There was real purpose and energy about Spurs play and one sensed that Mourinho, looking distinctly unimpressed in the dugout was relieved to get to half time with only one goal in it.

Jose then pulled off the tactical masterstroke (who would have thought of that?!) of bringing on Juan Mata for the second half. He improved Chelsea’s play to the extent they dominated until Fernando Torres got sent off. Torres was unfortunate to be yellow carded a second time but his cynical foul on Jan Vertongen earlier and subsequent attempt at gouging was nasty and deserved a red card on its own. Despite a late flurry from Spurs, 1-1 it finished. Honours even and no manager lost face.

On reflection, Chelsea were beatable on Saturday. It just needed better finishing, which brings me to Senor Roberto Soldado. His goal scoring pedigree is unquestioned; however, he has yet to score from open play this season. While after six games, it is too soon to make a judgement, it is already apparent that he is not the type of striker to create his own goal scoring chances. Might he benefit from a couple of games on the bench while Jermaine Defoe, with the world cup in his sights is unleashed? Also a fired up Emmanuel Adebayor with a point to proof (either to spurs or potential buyers) brings a very potent alternative to Spurs attack. I don’t get the impression he has been a disruptive influence and even If he eventually leaves, he is still a Spurs’ striker right now and I hope AVB gives him a chance and does not cut his nose to spite his face on this.

If the transfer window had shut on 22^nd August 2013, Willian Borges da Silva would have turned out for Tottenham against Chelsea. It didn’t and one week later, he was signed, sealed and delivered in blue. Jose Mourinho enjoyed using his press conference to admire his own audacity in hijacking the transfer and to taunt Tottenham and no doubt AVB in particular. Spurs signed Christian Eriksson and got on with it. Willian was conspicuous by his absence on Saturday. Willian old son, you’re welcome at the Lane anytime. We promise you a warm welcome. The sort of welcome reserved for Mr. Sol Campbell.

Jose Mourinho has had far more to say about Tottenham this season than at anytime during his first tenure at Chelsea. From mocking Spurs over the Willian deal to, “Tottenham are the champions of the transfer window” or “Tottenham are a big title contender” To paraphrase a famous Portuguese coach Jose himself might know very well, He's worried about us, he's always talking about us - it's Tottenham, Tottenham, Tottenham. He is one of these people who is a voyeur - he likes to watch.

Enjoy the view Jose, Spurs are coming after the top four again and we supporters would really, really love it if we finish above your Chelsea. I suspect a certain Andre Villas Boas will be quite pleased too. 

Spurs have another reason to love Wales

One nil to the Tottenham does not sound er very Tottenham does it? The best defence in the league so far, one goal conceded in eight competitive games. Tottenham managers are not supposed to do defensive discipline. Even George Graham left his famous defensive discipline at the other end of Seven Sisters Road and had the decency to serve up a few goal fests just to satisfy Tottenham’s thrill seeking faithful! No, AVB is not your typical Tottenham manager. The man with the Project Plan seems to be striking a fine balance between making Spurs hard to beat and playing attractive football. The winning goal, a delightful cross from the outside of Lamela’s foot followed by a sumptuously flicked back heeled finish from Paulinho summed up this side perfectly. A goal made in South America, scored by an English team, built by a very European coach.

It may sound clichéd, but this was not your typical defensive, one nil smash and grab raid. Spurs dominated possession, carved out many chances and but for goal keeper David Marshall, Cardiff were on for a heck of a hiding. This, the same Cardiff who gave Manchester city a bloody nose three weeks ago and just the type of game Spurs of old could be trusted to make a mess of. The same is true of the other one nil wins this season and when they lost, Arsenal looked more like the away team, finishing the match with seven defenders on the pitch as they clung on desperately. Spurs have been creating chances and have had more shots at goal than any other team in the premiership. Someone is going to get a real trashing at some point in the season. I would love it if the unfortunate team were Chelsea next week. Just Luv it!

Spurs have now made their best start to a season in five years and although nothing is won in September, it is a decent platform. In the first six games of last season, they did not keep a clean sheet, dropped five points in the first three games and conceded damaging goals in the last 15 minutes of those games. Their opponents were Newcastle, WBA, Norwich, Reading, QPR and Manchester United. They missed out on a 4^th place by a point, 3^rd place by three points and 2^nd by six points.  At least six to eight points were dropped against West Brom, Norwich, Fulham, Stoke and Wigan. Spurs seemed determined not to make the same mistake this time even without Senor Bale.

One of most impressive, yet overlooked aspects of last season was how often Spurs finished games as the stronger side, winning games in the last minutes and salvaging draws from losses. This was no accident after the indifferent start to last season. I remembered an interview around December in which William Gallas talked about how AVB tweaked the team’s training to focus on the last 15 minutes of games in order to cut out the late goals. The headlines were understandably hugged by the ‘most expensive one’ and when he did not score, the team mostly struggled. Spurs have continued the strong finishing pattern this term and it bodes well for the rest of the season, especially given that this is a team still getting to know each other and developing a playing style.

It is noticeable that Hugo Lloris has had a few excitable moments recently. He was quite marginal against Tromso in midweek and again against Cardiff in dashing to make clearances. AVB's preferred style of pressing up the field means that Lloris plays almost as a sweeper. He is undeniably a great goalkeeper and seems to relish the sweeper role. However, he needs to be careful not to push his luck too much or he could find himself taking an early bath.

A word on Vladimir Chirices. Romanians will be able to live freely in the UK from January 2014 under the terms of the European Union treaty. So why on earth did it take the home office almost three weeks to grant a work permit to a Romanian international when non European players have had it issued in a day? The Tromso match would have been ideal to make his debut and build crucial match sharpness ahead of tougher tests. Maybe we should send Franco Baldini to sort out future work permit hearings. He gets things done.

AVB’s grand project gets lift off.

I headed for White hart lane on Saturday excited but nervous.  It really did feel like the season was just started.  The early skirmishes had seen Tottenham pick up two scrappy wins and lose the north London derby. Norwich had become the type of team spurs had struggled to beat, even with Gareth Bale as their champions’ league ambitions had faltered on the back of dropped points to the likes of Norwich, Stoke and Fulham.  Ah Gareth Bale. In the last 20 years of following Spurs, many really good players have left against the fans wishes. However, only three players have been so truly great for spurs that the phrase, “build a team around him” could be applied. Sol Campbell, Jürgen Klinsmann and Gareth Bale.  Players so consistently brilliant, that they gave the crowd a lift just by being in the starting line-up.

 

It is undeniable that the loss of Campbell set back the development of Tottenham, he was replaced by Goran Bunjevcevic.  A talented player who struggled with injuries while Campbell went on win trophies.  Likewise, Klinsmann’s departure when he left to win the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich while we were left with Chris Armstrong, an honest willing professional who did a decent job in the circumstances, but you get the picture. In the seasons following the loss of both Klinsmann and Campbell, expectations were significantly lower and the extent of Spurs ambition was a decent cup run and giving the other lot down Seven Sisters road a bloody nose.  However, in the last three seasons, Tottenham had become serious challengers for the champions’ league places, losing out during the last two seasons by a single point. This is why the loss of Bale was so significant. With the potential to mortally undermine any champions league ambitions for the foreseeable future.

And yet, expectations were not only of a champion’s league push, but a title challenge. Yes unlike 1995 and 2001 when massive players left for next to nothing, a world record 86 million pounds was delivered to the lane and promptly spent, with some change on 7 really good players. Still, without Bale, was this optimism wildly misplaced? Would the taunts of the N5 lot ring loud again? Who will drive this team forward? Step forward Andre Villas Boas. The project manager has a plan.

It is fair to say that the arrival of AVB had a mixed reaction at best. A bit like Roberto Martinez at Everton. Trophy winning pedigree tainted by a whiff of failure. However, in getting the best out of Bale and marshalling Spurs to a record points tally, often showing astute tactical acumen along the way, he endeared himself to the Spurs faithful and crucially the trust of Daniel Levy. So much so that when AVB requested a technical director, something Levy had previously dispensed with, Levy granted him his wish and the well-connected Franco Baldini pitched up. In so doing, Spurs transfer policy went forward by several notches. Between Levy, Baldini and AVB, they managed the seemingly impossible feat of raising expectations and optimism despite selling their biggest star. Even the hijacking of the deal to sign Willian has become a mere footnote in a truly unforgettable transfer window.

So the ‘project’ started afresh on Saturday and the early signs are promising. Christian Eriksson looks a proper Spurs player with his close control and ability to see a pass. Big things are expected on Erik Lamela once he settles in and Roberto Soldado really does come alive in the penalty box (as befits a man who scored all 24 of his La Liga goals last season from inside the box). Tougher tests await and Cardiff on Saturday will tell us a bit more about spurs prospects this season. Still the project looks to coming along nicely and the project manager has every reason to be content.