Krul result is no need for Spurs to hit the alarm button, yet

MAN the lifeboats, pull the emergency cord and take up your allotted panic stations immediately.

Spurs have lost at home again and no matter the performance, the number of chances or the opposition keeper, we must be at crisis point.

Why? Because this is what football fans do.

In the grand scheme of things, Spurs lost 1-0 to Newcastle and are three points off second place but you would be forgiven for thinking the banks had crashed.

The frustrated and popular outcry is that this profligacy in front of goal can not go on and something has to change.

And those clean-and-efficient 1-0 victories that started our season are now being painted as a barren wasteland of goal-starved good-fortune.

Those who praised the arrival of Roberto Soldado are screaming for Jermain Defoe, and even Emmanuel Adebayor, to get a chance.

This is despite the fact that everyone spent last season panning Manu's attitude, and despite the fact that Defoe scores for fun until he reaches the Premier League squad and, as against West Ham, he curls up in a ball like a hedgehog.

The nail-biters do have one thing right, this can't go on. But change is not the way forward, change is the cause - patience is the way forward.

Spurs' display in the first half against the Toon was nervy, reserved and verging on impotent - certainly lacking verve and urgency.

But the second half was driven and creative with an abundance of well-worked chances that either weren't finished well enough or somehow clipped Tim Krul's outstretched appendages and bounced clear.

We had 31 shots. 

Some of those we're a waste of time, possession and ticket/Sky TV money.

But some - like Soldado's first-half header from a Christian Eriksen free-kick, Jan Vertonghen's header that rattled the woodwork, and the clever Townsend-Soldado-Defoe move that led to Paulinho's must-score chance late on - were inspired.

In flashes- albeit all too rare - Spurs' football is a joy to watch. It just needs an end product. The longer these players play together, the better it will get and the goals are bound to come. 

If they don't, and come christmas we're languishing around 14th, then panic permits will be issued.

But this is an unpredictable season where anyone can beat anyone at anytime. Newcastle, more than anyone, have proved that.

We just hope the performances in front of goal turn before the fans do.

Spurs v Sheriff is more important than some think

TONIGHT is the very reason many folk question the size and worth of the Europa League. 

Spurs host not-quite-Moldovan FC Sheriff in their fourth consecutive game against European minnows having already clocked up three straightforward victories and heaven knows how many air miles.

The crowds will start dwindling as fans realise they only need to work out the channel number for ITV4 in order to watch it at home with a beer (UEFA rules prevent sale of alcohol in the ground for Euro games).

But, regardless of your take on Europe's second tier, it's nights like this that can ultimately help us towards sustaining a Premier League challenge.

That sounds bonkers, but bare with us... after the 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham, Mousa Dembele highlighted the importance of raising our performances for the "small games".

Bad choice of words, but he's right.

It's all very well if we can go out and hold Chelsea to a draw or beat Manchester United but if the first team is not motivated for every single game, no matter how easy it is on paper, then there is no point in fighting on four fronts for trophies.

Even the Champions League can be a squad-juggling exercise as clubs play a similar number of games to us.

So if that is our aspiration, we need to be well used to the workload. 

But most importantly, our football is nothing like the finished article just yet. Any chance to refine it in a real-match scenario should be welcomed.

While AVB tries to get the new players used to his ideas, it is vital that games like tonight are treated the same as any others, so that his controlling style becomes second nature.

There is also a fair bit at stake tonight. Jermain Defoe can break Martin Chicers' Euro goals record and we can make the knockout stage with a win - and that should all be ample motivation to see off Sheriff.

Will AVB's comments come home to roost?

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS last week pointed a finger at Spurs fans claiming the tense atmosphere made it easier to play away from home.

The fans upped the ante for the repeat fixture against Hull in the League Cup on Wednesday but it made very little difference. 

While we took an early lead, the team again sat back and found themselves having to come from behind to draw before winning 8-7 on penalties.

We face Everton this afternoon and Spurs fans are all hoping that AVB's chickens aren't about to come home for a good roosting session.

Whatever happens at Goodison Park, it shouldn't be seen as make or break - we don't have a particularly good record up there lately anyway.

But after two unconvincing displays at White Hart Lane and AVB's verbal rocket still ringing, a lot of supporters will be thinking, "Come on then, show us what you can do away from home."

And it hardly helps that Arsenal are sitting pretty five-points clear at the top when many of us were swept away in the "shift-of-power" talk at the start of the season.

New Toffees boss Roberto Martinez likes his teams to attack, so at least we should not come up against a 6-4-0 wall of defenders.

Even penalties have a habit of deserting us at Everton, although at least now we seem to have a team that's more than capable of taking them!

Lay off Lamela - his time will come

WILD west imagery littered Friday's Press after "deputy" Jermain Defoe shot the Sheriff and rode out of town having drawn level with Martin Chivers' Euro goals record. 

But while the media were polishing their puns and lauding the achievement of our  "top gun", fans and forums were already training their crosshairs on a new target - Erik Lamela.

And we'd like to state our message loud and clear... Lay off him.

The impatience of some supporters goes too far at times as football gets caught up in the immediacy of modern-day life and a sensationalist media.

The Argentine is so far a victim of the high expectations that come with being our club-record signing.

And of our recent penchant for old-fashioned forwards flying at breakneck pace at opposing defenders.

And of the excitement and success that his countrymen Ossie Arsiles and Ricky Villa brought to North London in the 1980s.

So it is no surprise that 35,000 Spurs fans hang on the new man's every flick and stepover. 

But don't forget that Lamela, still only 21, has come in under a massive price tag without a word of English in his vocabulary.

He is having to adapt to new surroundings, a new culture and, crucially, a new style of football.

While Roma may have employed him in a similar 4-2-3-1 formation, the Italian Serie A is nothing like as physical as the English football and they do not use the wings to quite the same effect as Spurs.

That is clear in the way Lamela has been dropping deep and drifting inside to collect possession.

The demands of the Premier League are a learning curve with which even Gareth Bale and Luka Modric took time to get to grips.

And it is not easy to master a new way of playing when the good form of so many others is keeping Lamela out the side.

But anyone who saw the forward's input for Roma in the last few season will know what Lamela is capable of.

Lamela scored 15 in 33 games last season, so he certainly knows where the goal is.

And, watched closely when he does play, it is clear we are dealing with a truly special talent. 

Andros Townsend may be hogging the headlines - and the right midfield spot - but Lamela's posture, awareness and close control make it clear he has it within him to be a cut above.

He just needs time to settle and find his place - it will be worth the wait.

Adebayor's miracle mystery tour

Emmanuel Adebayor was once the miracle worker of football but ahead of his expected comeback tonight he has become Tottenham's man of mystery.

The striker once told the Daily Telegraph that he was unable to walk as a child - until the sight of a football rolling past a church door got him to his feet and he never looked back.

Whether or not you believe the story, it's impossible to deny that football seems to be watching over him.

Adebayor has survived crossing the North London divide and numerous fan revolts as his popularity dived at both Arsenal and Manchester City.

He also endured the altogether more sobering gun attack on the Togo tour bus at the 2010 African Nations Cup, an ordeal in which a good friend was killed and the Spurs man was forced into temporary international retirement.

The enigmatic forward has not yet been seen by fans this season after AVB made him train with the development squad on his September return from compassionate leave following the devastating news of his brother's death.

Many fans feel Adebayor is a one-season wonder wherever he goes - arriving in a blaze of goals and glory only to get bored quickly and angle for another move.

The past summer brought intense rumours he was on his way out but the man himself says he had no intention of leaving Spurs and is determined to get his career back on track this season.

He said: “I decided with my manager, even before the start of the transfer window, that I would not leave Tottenham and that’s what I did. I have never thought of leaving Spurs."

At the back end of last season, Manu was starting to hit form and, on his day, opposing defenders find him unplayable. 

In May's 2-2 draw at Chelsea he was back to his best - holding up play, protecting the ball, tracking back and scoring a terrific long range effort.

Andros Townsend and certain other star performers were left in London for tonight's visit to FC Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova, so Adebayor will be in no doubt that the fact he was on the plane reflects badly on his position in the squad.

Should he feature, it will be the first step of a journey back to the first team that seems longer than ever. 

And with Roberto Soldado, Jermain Defoe, Eric Lamela and Christian Eriksen giving Spurs a wealth of attacking riches, it looks like Adebayor needs another miracle if he is to again come out on top.

Still, given what he has come through so far, you would be brave to bet against him.

Townsend success has Spurs in credit

ANDROS TOWNSEND, Tottenham and England. Sounds good doesn't it - but how much credit do Spurs deserve for his recent rise to prominence?

Many will argue that it is in spite of Spurs that the flying winger has finally hammered down the first-team door and swiftly gained an England call-up.

Townsend was sent out on loan nine times on his search for a starting place at White Hart Lane.

And, to some, that indicates a lack of faith in his ability and an unwillingness to give him a chance - until Townsend's form gave manager AVB no choice.

But look more closely, and it begins to look like sensible man-management - verging even on genius.

Spurs have long seen the value of the loan market. So much so that, in 2009, they announced their withdrawal from the reserves league.

This meant that promising young players would get first-team football in competitive environments. 

The club could also tailor the loan to suit the player, ensuring the style of the club they arrived at would benefit their development.

It also meant we no longer had to maintain - and pay for - a full second-string squad of players, many of whom have no chance of succeeding at Spurs. 

Townsend started with League One spells at Yeovil, Leyton Orient and MK Dons in 2009-10.

Progressing to Championship level, he went to Ipswich, Watford, Millwall , Leeds and Birmingham before Harry Redknapp have him his first Premier League stint at QPR last season.

It's a gradual progression over which the club has control and the result is that Townsend finally arrived back here ready for the first team and with a wealth of experience under his belt.

And Townsend is not the only beneficiary of this coaching technique, Harry Kane and Tom Carroll share seven loan spells between them and both are already well-established at Under-21 level. 

As far as credit goes, you only have to see Andros' attitude towards Spurs to see that he does not feel hard done-by at the club.

He previously said: "I have been at this club since I was eight and I am a Tottenham fan, so my main objective is to try and force my way into the team."

Add to that the fact the 22-year-old has just penned a new four-year deal and it is easy to see that Spurs are very much doing something right.

Are Spurs developing an international hoodoo?

What is it with international breaks? They seem to bring out the worst in us.

Before Spurs' shocking 3-0 home defeat to West Ham, our last lacklustre performance and disappointing result was against Arsenal (before they got good).

That too was on the brink of an international gap, which meant stewing on an adverse result for a fortnight.

But why the dips in form before national games?

We've been racking our brains for three days now - that's how long it takes to gather reasonable thoughts after a result like Sunday's.

Had we clicked "publish" any earlier, this article would have been top heavy with four-letter cuss words and dogs abuse levelled at everyone from complacent midfielders to the head of police at White Hart Lane.

Three days' wait may have resulted in a more acceptable thought process but it hasn't landed on an answer.

Maybe the impending break with their international buddies drives players to distraction - like at school, when the excitement over holidays rendered the last few days of term a write-off.

Or, in the case of our England contingent, does the mere thought of the national team turn any previous good form to dust? 

The message from the club seems to be complacency. 

After the match, manager Andre Villas-Boas diplomatically referred to the result as a "wake-up call".

We'll know who he thinks needs waking up as they won't start against Aston Villa next Sunday.

We've got sympathy for Jermain Defoe, as he played his way into the starting line-up and failed to fire.

His critics will use that as ammunition to say he can't cut it in the Premier League side.

But in reality, a passive midfield - and the lack of his puppet master Lewis Holtby pulling the strings - probably didn't help.

The line-up was not the problem, so much as the attitude.

Mousa Dembele insisted that to be champions, you have to motivate yourself for the "small games". 

Frankly, that perspective stinks. For champions, there are NO small games.

With two weeks to think about it, maybe that will have sunk in by the time we're back in action.

Defoe's goals must be rewarded to maintain healthy competition

SPURS fans may have got the hitman they wanted in the summer but the selection process has to be fair or motivation will become an issue.

Roberto Soldado scored four goals in his first three games since arriving for £26million in the summer but his impact has waned in recent weeks.

That is not to deny his quality on the ball or in bringing others into the game - his awareness to set up Gylfi Sigurdsson's goal against Chelsea on Saturday was right out the top drawer.

But Jermain Defoe now has six goals in three cup starts and has to be banging loudly on the door for a Premier League return.

Many Spurs fans had written him off from having any sizable impact on the new campaign, so loud were the calls for TWO new out-and-out strikers. 

But the arrival of Soldado and his immediate success seems to have jogged our England hitman into life. 

And the manner of the strikes is just as impressive as the number.

Defoe's reputation is for explosive, powerful finishing but his goals this season have shown far more composure and maturity.

From a placed effort against Dinamo Tbilisi to delicate a chip versus Tromso and selling Aston Villa's keeper a dummy.

Not to mention a cheeky header earlier in that same game - the Londoner is starting to look a more complete striker than ever.

He has hit similar early peaks in the past, scoring five in the first five games of the 2009-10 season, including a hat-trick in a 5-1 away win over Hull.

That season, Defoe went onto score 17 Prem goals and last season he hit four in the first five games. 

But for some reason, he still failed to hold down that No 1 striker position.

However, with Soldado brought in, Defoe is clearly playing for his place and that is exactly what we all want.

But that determination to fight tooth and nail for a spot on the weekend will soon disappear if it becomes evident that a step up is out of reach.

Besides which, there is a lot of pressure on Soldado and he too needs protecting as he settles in.

The negative statistics are starting to creep into the frame for the Spaniard; no goals in four games, no league goals from open play.

Some will argue that the figures are warped in Defoe's favour as it is easier to get goals against weakened League Cup sides and Europa League minnows.

If that is the case, then give Soldado a chance to rediscover his shooting boots against Anzhi this Thursday and let Defoe loose against his former club West Ham on Saturday.

Competition for places is what we had lacked until this season but, in order to keep everyone at the top of their game, those on the sidelines need to know that those on the pitch are not untouchable.

Give Defoe a shot on Saturday and this rate he'll take it in style - and it could force Soldado to rediscover his scoring form as well.

Villas-Boas' new habit is more than welcome at Spurs

TOTTENHAM'S reliance on late goals and 1-0 wins were not the only trends highlighted by Paulinho's 93rd-minute winner against Cardiff.

Since Andre Villas-Boas' arrival in summer 2012 we have won all eight Premier League games against newly promoted opposition.

To the outsider, that does not sound too impressive, but Spurs fans know it is all too significant.

Soccer scribes and pundits are still questioning how we did not score more of our 29 attempts on goal on Sunday. 

But Spurs' most irritating problem in recent years has not been our failure to kill off the division's minnows early on but a failure to kill them off at all.

And more often than not, that has resulted in heartache come the end of the season.

In Harry Redknapp's three full seasons in charge - not including the season he arrived to steer us clear of relegation, it would be unfair to count that - we managed just six wins in 18 games against Premier League debutants.

The season we qualified for the Champions League, we took just seven points from Burnley, Wolves and Birmingham collectively.

We repeated that feat the following season in 2010-11. So despite reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, we could only take one point off Blackpool all year.

And it's not just under Redknapp that we have been plagued by these lower-league lapses.

Martin Jol took us to the brink of a top four finish in 2005-06, missing out on the final day having only won two games against Prem new boys Sunderland, Wigan and West Ham.

Obviously, circumstances always play their part and these games are never as easy as they sound. 

But just say we had taken all 18 points from divisional new boys as a matter of course, we'd have finished 3rd in 2011-12, unaffected by Chelsea's European Cup win, and runners-up to Manchester United in 2009-10.

In fact, we would have qualified for the Champions league for five of the last eight seasons.

As chance after chance went begging on Sunday, the press was edging our early top-four credentials towards the bin marked Not Yet Ready.

And, before Paulinho's last-gasp backheel broke Bluebirds hearts, the words "same old story" were forming in the frontal lobes of fans and writers alike.

But Villas-Boas' encouraging back-to-basics trend indicates that this is anything but the same old Spurs.

Lamela has to wait as the old guard state their case

WE all went to see our record new signing Erik Lamela but what we got was a master class from some of our forgotten talent.

Jermain Defoe, Sandro and Mousa Dembele all shone in another patient

and organised performance as Spurs swept unthreatening Tromso aside.

Defoe now has four goals in two European outings and must be back in contention for an England spot at the two vital October World Cup qualifiers.

The staunch competition for a Spurs starting place seems to be having the desired effect because both Defoe's instinct and his finishing were razor sharp as he put the Norwegians to the sword.

His two goals came from short through balls that left him little time to think. The first he dinked over the keeper, the second he slid calmy into the corner.

It was a welcome sight for Tottenham fans, who have become accustomed to seeing the White Hart Lane favourite opt for power above accuracy and fire countless gilt-edged opportunities straight at a keeper.

But if Defoe continues to show the sort of composure he did against Tromso then he'll be pushing Roberto Soldado every step of the way to lead the front line.

And he'll be soaring up the scoring charts in the process.

Sandro's impact on Thursday night was of a different nature, but still impossible to ignore.

For years, Spurs fans have rued the absence of a "midfield general". 

Well Sandro is that general and he's marching off to war (if you don't get that reference, then you need to do your homework).

The Brazilian has filled out since last season's injury but it has made him no less mobile.

Equal parts power and grace, the part-Spartan, part-battering ram swung around the middle of the park winning every ball and not once surrendering possession.

The fans have even taken to calling "Beaasst!" when he charges into a challenge and it is no coincidence that Spurs have not conceded this season while Sandro has been on the pitch.

Mousa Dembele, meanwhile, never charges - he glides. His close control has come on in leaps and bounds and the way he makes the ball do all the work is a fine example for younger Spurs generations. 

He has grown up a lot since his debut season last term but he still shoots from distance too often - and too inaccurately.

His possession play and movement will win him more than his fair share of starts and, if he can nail that final ball, then he can be every bit as dangerous as the rest of them.

Lamela, the man we all came to see, wasn't bad either.

The Argentine showed glimpses of wizardry, a turn of pace and got a clever assist for Defoe's opener.

He may not have raised the roof - but you sense it is only a matter of time.

Spurs' Norwich win down to hard work, not just creativity

YOU'LL do well to find a Tottenham article that didn't focus on Christian Eriksen over the weekend.

And well they might. The Dane came in to provide some creation in midfield and two goals from open play swiftly followed.

However, anyone who saw the 2-0 win over Norwich will have noted that individual hard work played just as big a role as creativity - particularly in the latter stages.

Protecting a lead, the final 20 minutes are often somewhat of a concern at Spurs. 

Apprehension sweeps the crowd like wildfire and panic spreads from player to player like an airborne epidemic.

Simple passes become stray balls and defensive positioning begins to look like a freeforall.

But on Saturday Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen remained firm and focused and Danny Rose put in as robust a last quarter as you are ever likely to see from a left-back.

Sandro sat on the bench for the best part of 80 minutes but, bang, he was straight to the top of his game when he came on - chasing, harrying and switched on to all runners and potential hazards

Even light-footed sub Erik Lamela chased back and mucked in, winning the ball in the final minutes.

It wasn't a case of being first to every ball but more a case of, "If second to the ball, win it back anyway."

Of course, Spurs fans will still hail Eriksen's performance - he had a blinder.  

Roberto Soldado had been looking increasingly isolated before we found somebody capable of linking the play between the frontman and our solid midfield.

But while the invention and style may be the cake's icing, or the cockerel's doodle-doo, it all has to be underpinned by concentration and unwavering work rate from every player in the side.

Countless times in the past we've done the difficult bit and got our noses in front only for a keeper to make a howler, the midfield to fall asleep or the attack to stop pressing.

Then we're left ruing dropped points that, like May just gone, would prove vital come the end of the season.

Creativity might win you games but it's the groundwork that wins titles and, without that focus from the first minute to the last, regular trophies and top-four finishes are a pipe dream.

Until our tenacious display on Saturday, Norwich had scored nine goals in their first four games of the season. But we reduced them to just a single shot on goal for our fifth clean sheet in six games.

It might only be a start, but it's a bloody good one.

Don't underestimate Spurs legend Chris Hughton

Spurs fans always have time for club legend Chris Hughton but we could soon be sick of the sight of him.

We host his Norwich side on Saturday afternoon hoping that our old player and coach does not continue his good run of form against us. 

Hughton was unbeaten over three meetings last season and the pressure is rising for Andre Villas-Boas to break that trend this weekend.

Just three games in, Norwich at home is billed as "a must-win game". As if, somehow, any dropped points could cause the club to ditch the new stadium plans, flog off the assets and call it a day.

True, if we want to be competing for a top-three spot then it is the sort of game we should he winning. 

But presuming we're entitled to three points does a massive disservice to the plucky Canaries, and Tottenham favourite Hughton.

As left-back, coach and No 2, Hughton gave us 27 years of dedicated service.

He played 398 games for us between 1979 and 1990, winning the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 as well as the UEFA Cup in 1984.

Hughton served under ten different Spurs bosses including Ossie Ardiles, George Graham, Glenn Hoddle and Martin Jol.

It was only right that, having more than overpaid his dues, he tried his hand at full-time management.

Arriving at Norwich last summer following stints with Newcastle and Birmingham, Hughton took the club to an 11th-placed Premier League finish.

His Canaries side twice held us to 1-1 draws in the league and knocked us out the Capital One Cup. 

On the face of it, that's not a good return for a "must-win" game but when you look at some of Hughton's other results it brings some perspective.

He masterminded 1-0 wins over Arsenal and Manchester United and ended last season with a 4-0 Carrow Road win over West Brom and a 3-2 away victory at Manchester City.

Hughton has worked with polar opposite styles and temperaments. He has seen good and bad, successes and failures, kings of men and lords of idiots.

With this melting pot of experience it should come as no surprise that he can mix it in management, or that he has the tactical know how to flick between gameplans. 

Norwich are just as capable of hammering a team out of sight as they are of grinding out a result against top opposition.

In fact, at 54 years old, it would be little surprise if Hughton went on to become one of the top flight's star gaffers in the coming years.

As for Spurs, we're hardly in a bullish mood having used up all our bull in a frustrating 1-0 loss at Arsenal - where the usual pre-match guff talked us all into believing we had won the game before kick-off.

With the international break in the way our raft of new players have hardly had a chance to settle let alone gel together.

We all feel like a win would set our season back on track after a rowdy transfer window. But this Norwich side will be no pushover.

Hughton will always be welcome at White Hart Lane, we would just prefer it wasn't in the away dugout.

Talking about my generation... Spurs fans' first-game memories

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club celebrated its 131st birthday last week, so we asked a number of Spurs supporters from different generations to give an account of their first-ever Spurs game.

Here's what they came back with...

Spurs 1-1 Wolves - FA Cup 4th round, Jan 1996  By Taxi For Maicon

It was freezing and, to put it kindly, Spurs were genuinely terrible. We were right at the back of the upper shelf - although the  lower north-east corner was to become home until Paxton Road was expanded.

I remember panicking during the week, firstly that it would get called off over snow, and secondly that Chris Armstrong would play (this was totally unfair as Chris Armstrong did well for Spurs, scoring 48 goals in 141 games, but I was a huge Jurgen Klinsmann fan and unless his replacement was, well, Jurgen Klinsmann, then I was always going to be an unfair critic.)

Anyway, Dean Austin misplaced a backpass for their goal and I'm pretty sure Clive Wilson brought us back to 1-1. Don't quote me on that, as my memory is terrible.

The rest of it is hazy other than my dad refusing to "stand up if you hate Arsenal", getting top-class chips from a chippie on Tottenham High Road and playing Sensible World of Soccer when I got home.

Spurs 5-1 Oldham - League Division Two, Oct 1977  By Hounslow's Finest (via Ja606.com)

We were in the players bar after the game as the bloke I went with's niece was married to Neil McNab.

We came out of the ground in Neil's wife's Austin 1300 (how times have changed).

We went up that season to Division One after finishing third behind table-toppers Bolton and  Southampton.

My 35 years of watching spurs has cost me loads of money, my fringe and a good few wind ups from my mates but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Spurs 5-1 Crewe Alexandra - FA Cup 4th round, Jan 1961 By ThePieKing (via Twitter)

We parked up at Wingate trading estate, which isn't there any more. I think it has made way for  the development of the new stadium.

I remember it being full. Around 60,000, mostly standing although funnily enough I was sat down.

Cliff Jones and Dave Mackay were among the scorers but my lasting memory from the game is Bobby Smith hammering a shot wide from close range.

The ball arrowed straight into the crowd and hit someone down the front. It looked nasty and there was some sort of commotion - maybe a stretcher, but I can't be sure.

We never did find out if they were OK afterwards.

Bolton 2-2 Spurs - Premier League, Oct 2009 By LancslassinLdn (via Twitter)

Living up north, we didn't get to many home matches, and started going to the Lancashire away games.

We waited by the coach before and after the game and Peter Crouch was doing well for England at the time, so he stood out.

Afterwards, my partner pointed out one of the Spurs youngsters stood away from the crowd - it was Gareth Bale.

He was tiny! He hadn't played and nobody really went over for his autograph and he was picked up by two people, probably his parents. 

Who would have thought he would become the world's most expensive player!

Spurs 2-1 West Brom - Premier League, March 2006 By Spurs boy (via Ja606.com)

Curtis Davies opened the scoring and we left it late to get back in the game.

Robbie Keane chipped an equaliser and then Mido scored only for it to be disallowed as Jermain Defoe had been brought down in the box seconds beforehand. 

Mido was furious! Keane scored the pen.

Arsenal's Ozil move doesn't put Spurs in a Mes

SMILES. Smug smiles. That's about all you'll get from Arsenal fans this week. 

But it's not just because they've signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid and finally spent some money, it's also because they think they've got Spurs fans rattled.

What's worse is that some of us are proving them right.

Until Ozil's deadline-day Goons switch, our chairman Daniel Levy owned the transfer window but it seems sharing the limelight with our old foes is just too much to bear.

And the irony that it would never have happened without Gareth Bale's Real move makes it all the more cruel.

Well, sorry, that doesn't wash with us. 

On Sunday morning, we were like a boy racer revving his new car at the lights. We were nailed on for fourth place and it was sure to be at Arsenal's expense. 

By Monday evening (yes, that's a long time to be at the lights but just go with it) they rolled up with a Lamborghini and our balls wilted.

What did everyone expect? Arsene Wenger would just sit by and let us speed off into the distance? Hardly.

We've heard it all from Spurs fans this week. "We still need a left-back, why didn't we get Ozil?" and most deluded of all "that was a poor deadline day for us."

All of it is ridiculous.

There's no denying that Ozil is one of the best players in Europe. In the past five seasons, he has created more chances and made more assists than any other elite player in the continent.

But it helps when the man you are passing the ball to is Cristiano Ronaldo.

The simple matter is the German playmaker would never have come to Spurs. He has to perform against the best and we cannot offer Champions League football.

Arsenal's need in the transfer window was much different to ours, they know they already have a squad capable of regularly finishing in the top four, so it only needed a respray. 

But one signing won't win them the title and it does not take away from what we did in the market.

In Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen we have two of Europe's most renowned young talents. Add to that a reinforced midfield of Paulinho and Etienne Capoue. 

It's a lot of players to gel in very little time but the previous squad had proven three years in a row that it could not keep pace for the whole season and enough was enough.

True, none of the new guys are proven in English football but it shows major ambition and if even four of our seven signings live up to their massive potential then it gives us a fighting chance of withstanding another late-season collapse.

If it's Premier League experience you're after then look no further than Danny Rose, one of last season's key left-backs on loan at Sunderland.

What's more he's English, he's prepared to fight for his place and refusing to sell him on could yet prove to be one of our best moves of the summer. 

The other option was Fabio Coentrao, and even Manchester United failed to prise him from Real.

The view that we are typically shrewd on transfer deadline day is a myth as well.

In the last seven of them, the only real coups have been Hugo Lloris and Rafa Van Der Vaart. And Rafa only because we were in the Champions League.

Other than Clint Dempsey - who replaced Rafa with limited success last summer - our ONLY other deadline-day signing since 2010 has been Louis Saha.

The real crux of the matter, which has jilted folks' perspective, is that we lost the North London derby at the Emirates. 

We didn't create much but it's a game that we've lost 5-2 for the past two seasons, so it's an improvement.

We have never been this consistently close to Arsenal since the Premier League began.

Yes they are still in front but it's not Spurs who have 17 straight top-four finishes to protect.

It's not us who are crying over not winning a trophy for eight years.

And it's not us who had to sing "spend some f**king money" on the opening day just to get some transfer activity.

Frankly, it's not us who should be rattled, it's them.

Taxi for Bale... or should that be limousine?

GARETH BALE the promising prodigy is a thing of the past. Will Bale the galactico please stand up?

Seeing Real Madrid unveil the world's new most expensive player hammered home what we've known for weeks - his Tottenham days are done... Taxi for Bale!!

Yet you can be sure it wasn't a taxi that took him from Madrid airport to his new theatre stage, those days are done as well. 

A limousine is more like it, although if the reported contract he is on is accurate, Bale never needs to be driven anywhere again.

Between private jets, helicopters and yachts, his feet only have to touch the ground when he's playing football. 

And his new employers would probably prefer it that way because, when Real pay that sort of money for someone, they aren't just buying a footballer but investing in a superstar.

The confident well-preened young man out there speaking Spanish and doing tricks in the middle of the Bernabeu was no longer the wide-eyed youth whose every touch bore more potential than the last.

It was GB11, the brand - a globally public figure expected to appeal to millions of fans and generate squillions of euros.

Former managers and mentors all say Bale is a homeboy at heart and will not be blinded by the bright lights or sell out to celebrity.

But, like CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) and DB23 (David Beckham) before him, Real expect his entertainment value and image rights to more than pay for his astronomical transfer fee.

The sky is no longer the limit for Bale mark II, it's the minimum requirement.

There will still be Spurs fans annoyed at the way the transfer saga played out. 

But the groundswell of opinion is that the man responsible for all the great memories, the amazing goals and the explosive excitement deserves his crack at the bigtime.

The innocent lad who found his feet in front of the White Hart Lane crowd and grew into one of the finest Premier League talents has more than earned his dream move - especially when you look at the rack of replacements he has effectively paid for. 

And if that means Bale has enrolled in a future of backwards baseball caps and personalised sportswear then so be it.

He'll still be welcomed back at Tottenham and, if he does remain a homeboy, then there'll probably still be Spurs fans waiting for autographs when his yacht sails back up the Welsh coast.

So, for one final time... Taxi, well, private jet for GB11.

North London derby nostalgia - our top four moments

IT'S that time of year again. The North London derby brings nerves and excitement bubbling to the surface as if it were your A-level results, graduation or wedding day - except, of course, it's far more important than that!

Taxi For Maicon looks back at our favourite moments from recent clashes. It's been said a number of times that top five isn't good enough, so here's our top four...

4. Aaron Lennon - March 2013

Andre Villas-Boas' debut season had yielded some good results - not least our first win at Manchester United since before dinosaurs roamed the earth.

The organisation of a side getting used to AVB's tactical nous was clear to see but would it hold up in the pressure-cooker atmosphere? 

The answer was a resounding yes as the very same pass in-between the Gunners' centre-backs caught them out twice in three minutes at the end of the first half.

First Gareth Bale and then Aaron Lennon beat the offside trap to ensure we got our own back for the November thumping at the Emirates.

3. Rafa Van Der Vaart - April 2011

The Dutchman relished derby day and he embodied everything Spurs stands for - style, raw passion and undoubted entertainment. Oh, and he was a bit injury prone, eccentric and unpredictable - we're suckers for all that.

VdV secured his place in derby nostalgia when he "shushed" the Arsenal fans after his first goal in a 3-3 draw at the Lane. 

Then, after his second goal to complete the comback from 3-1 down, he quite literally wrestled the ball off Wojciech Szczesny after an evening-long battle with the pole.

2. Danny Rose - April 2010

One of the best debut strikes in Spurs history. We had just lost at Sunderland and had a nightmare run coming up against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United as our fight for fourth looked doomed.

At home to the Gooners, youngster Rose was drafted in at left-back as injuries took hold. And, as Manuel Almunia punched out a 10th-minute corner, he lashed a 25-yard volley through a crowded box and almost took the keeper's head off as it flew into the net.

Spurs went on to win 2-1 and beat Chelsea the following weekend before ultimately qualifying for the Champions League with a 1-0 win away at Manchester City in our penultimate game.

1. Younes Kaboul - November 2010

Two-nil down at the Emirates. Same old story as it had been for the last 17 years as we'd consistently failed to win at Arsenal.

But goals from Gareth Bale and a Rafa penalty had hauled us level with 20 minutes remaining and we were all starting to think, "Hang on, we could do this."

With five minutes left, we were ready to settle for a draw until Younes Kaboul met a free-kick from deep and glanced his header into the bottom corner. 

Another record broken and a huge hoodoo off our back, so hopefully we won't have to wait so long for another victory at the Emirates...

Roll on 4pm tomorrow! Come on you Spurs.

Spurs must heed flood warning as they splash the cash

Changes are no longer afoot - they are here. It's easy to get overexcited when your team is making big signings but Spurs are getting into dangerous territory.

Too much more cash-splashing could flood the dressing room and past experience tells us it'll ruin more than just the tilework if the floor falls through.

With Erik Lamela's arrival from Roma imminent, our summer spending is set to outstrip even Manchester City's. And all sources - including manager Andre Villas-Boas - indicate that we ain't done yet.

But it is not the cost of this rapid recruitment that is the concern - we all know where the money is coming from after all - so much as the sheer turnover of players in a squad that cannot have expected this level of upheaval.

Gareth Bale was always going to cause some summer waves following such an impressive season but, having finished fifth by just one point, surely it was a case of signing a replacement then strengthening one or two positions - mainly up front.

Instead, there have been wholesale renovations with William Gallas, Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore, Scott Parker, Steven Caulker and surely Bale all heading out and four so far coming in.

Argentine forward Lamela, 21, would make five but then we can supposedly expect deals for centre-back Vlad Chiriches and Ajax playmaker Christian Eriksen to be announced "within days". 

Add to that the links with Manchester United's Javier Hernandez and Real Madrid left-back Fabio Coentrao and it's all getting a bit silly.

In the last few years, a goalscoring box fox of Hernandez' quality is exactly what we have needed but that would make 10 new additions - and nearly all of them will expect a starting place.

AVB then has the unenviable task of juggling the egos and settling them into a first-team that - like so many others in the football world - is only allowed 11 players.

The last time the revolving door span so quickly was summer 2008, under Juande Ramos. 

Luka Modric, Gio Dos Santos, David Bentley and Heurelho Gomes - among others - arrived before the season started.

They were followed before the transfer deadline by Vedran Corluka and Roman Pavlyuchenko as the spending topped £104m.

More than 10 first team players including Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane, Younes Kaboul, Paul Robinson and Steed Malbranque were shipped out.

What followed is the single biggest horror show I have witnessed as a Spurs fan and "two points from eight games" became Harry Redknapp's mantra for the next three years as he came in to steady the ship and steer us away from the bottom of the table.

We were stung the previous season as well, when a turnover of 12 players, including the club-record £16.5m signing of Darren Bent, led to a run of one Premier League win in our first 12 games.

So, you see, we have previous for these mass overhauls and they don't always go to plan. It's no coincidence that in four seasons of relative calm we've now finished 4th, 5th, 4th and 5th.

But it's hardly panic stations yet. We've only completed four signings. And, unlike some in the past, they are quality players.

Paulinho would strengthen any midfield and we've been waiting on a goalscorer like Roberto Soldado for years.

Nacer Chadli fills the gaping hole on the left-wing and Etienne Capoue adds a more defensive option to what looks like a regular five-man midfield.

Lamela's £25m arrival sees us veer towards luxury but seems necessary to add excitement to a frontline now lacking one of the world's most explosive players.

And, but for Romania captain Chiriches,  we're hoping that is where it stops.

Otherwise it won't be long before that dressing room needs re-tiling.

Hugo Lloris fits like a glove and is key to Spurs' good start

THREE wins in a row for Spurs and our new centre forward is already centre stage but it's also three clean sheets and Hugo Lloris is very much our unsung hero.

The keeper has been in inspired form so far, coming to the rescue on numerous occasions against Swansea and Crystal Palace.

France captain Lloris made a terrific fingertip save to deny Pablo Hernandes a late equaliser on Sunday and twice stopped the Eagles in the final few minutes last week, thwarting Damien Delaney and then Kagisho Dikgacoi.

But it is not just his shot-stopping that is proving so important to Spurs. 

The Frenchman commands his area and organises his defence. He is fast becoming one of our biggest assets and one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers.

He is quick off his line - for crosses and one-on-ones - can mix it in a busy penalty area and is not afraid to throw himself in harm's way.

At this stage last season we had one point, having let leak a late goal two matches in a row to lose 2-1 at Newcastle and draw 1-1 with West Brom at the Lane.

We may have needed two penalties to secure six points this term but we have defended the lead on both occasions and Lloris has been key to closing games out.

But the gloves didn't always fit so snug. When the £11million man arrived from Lyon last August, his position was immediately shrouded in speculation.

Brad Friedel had been a fine servant for just over a season and new boss Andre Villas-Boas was not about to unceremoniously ditch the veteran stopper for no reason.

The tabloids roared that Lloris felt insulted at being on the bench and wanted to go home to France.

In reality, a 40-year-old Friedel was never going to win the battle as the long-term option and it was only a matter of time until Lloris, 26, made the No 1 shirt his own.

We have had some good keepers in recent years but all have had their flaws.

Paul Robinson managed several years of solid service but had a knack of being beaten all ends up from 25 yards. 

Friedel was consistent but only arrived in the twilight of his career.

And Heurelho Gomes was rightly known as "the octopus" for his long arms but was only ever one bonkers decision away from KO'ing his own player or throwing the ball in his own net.

Add Neil Sullivan, Kasey Keller and Ian Walker and it's a very long time since Spurs have had such a consistent and all-round performer between the sticks.

Unlike many of his predecessors, Lloris remains calm at set-pieces and switched on for the full 90 minutes - that breeds confidence in the back four.

It is testament to the Frenchman's influence that we hurtle into the last week of the transfer window looking to strengthen almost every position but his.

That's because, after three wins built on three clean sheets, there are very few keepers out there who can do the job better than Lloris.

Tbilisi was Boom Town for Dinamo man Andros

OUR away support may have witnessed a goal rush in Tbilisi on Thursday but one Spurs fan who really struck gold was Andros Townsend.

Anyone who plays down our wings in the coming weeks will be saddled with the pressure of filling you-know-who's boots.

Yet it is not overplaying it to say that Townsend's performance in the Europa League qualifying first leg has altered the landscape of his whole career.

Prior to the game the winger, 22, was considering his options having been turfed out on loan a whopping NINE times.

The most recent of those was a successful stint at QPR in the second half of last season.

His performances reportedly impressed  a host of Premier League clubs and, with Tottenham's recent exodus of British players, Townsend looked next on our homegrown scrapheap.

The player himself admitted this week that if first-team football was not an option at White Hart Lane then he would have to move on, which put Swansea, Everton and West Brom on red alert.

But then came the Dinamo game - a goal, two assists and a man of the match display that will have thrust him to the forefront of Andre Villas-Boas' thinking.

It was exactly the sort of reaction that boss AVB would have been looking for. Townsend grabbed his chance by the scruff of the neck and shook it till its pockets were empty.

Certain recently departed Spurs players - without pointing fingers - have rarely taken opportunities in such devastating fashion.

And if, as seems to be the case, AVB is replacing some of his restrictive, two-dimensional players with more agile and adaptable alternatives, then Townsend could hardly have better proven the flexibility of his own game. 

His goal in Tbilisi was basically a foot race - explosive pace with a great finish from distance. 

It was skill, rather than speed, to beat the defender before crossing for Paulinho then a cutback with his wrong foot to feed Roberto Soldado for 3-0.

Townsend's performance ticked every box and, if he can make a habit of it against better opposition, then he'll soon find himself on every team sheet.

Never mind Willian or Bale, Levy is Spurs' best player of the summer

CAN Daniel Levy fight off Chelsea's bid to land our target Willian?  Don't put it past him, as this transfer window is turning into his finest yet.

At Taxi For Maicon, we have often maligned the chairman as saga after saga ruined the start of seasons and came back to bite us on the Arsenal  - but this time it looks like he is coming up trumps.

It was always going to be a difficult window but Levy has put the fans at ease over the sale of our prize asset. We're all now more focused on new - and future - signings. 

It hardly takes a genius to figure out that, with the extra cash we're threatening to splurge, Gareth Bale is on his way to Real Madrid - selling Steven Caulker, Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker just doesn't generate the sums being talked about.

True, we're a wealthy club AND there was a big Premier League broadcasting deal but the board has a new stadium to finance and you don't see Stoke or Norwich  throwing extra money around like us.

We had already spent £60m this summer but if Brazilian midfielder Willian arrives this week and Roma's Eric Lamela follows then our spending will smash the £100m mark.

Bale's departure had the potential to tear the heart out of the squad while branding the words "selling club" on to  the sign above the front gate.

But the chairman has played it right every step of the way, proving that he has learned valuable lessons from the late-window departures of Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric.

In each case the pre-season was disrupted and we were left struggling to sign replacements at 11.55pm on deadline day.

This time round Paulinho was secured early in the summer and followed up with Soldado in good time. It has settled the supporters' nerves and showed prospective targets that we still mean business.

Any squad disruption was nipped in the bud and "injured" Bale was hooked out of the first-team as Real speculation began to swirl around our Enfield training complex. 

Now if he does leave, any hole in the dressing room has already had time to heal.

Levy has a reputation for quibbling over the odd million quid and missed out on Joao Moutinho from Porto when last year's window slammed shut on his fingers. No such problem now.

Paulinho for £16m, then Soldado for £26m. Yet he still gets to practice hardball over Bale's move to Real. And therein lies the chairman's trump card.

In delaying the Bale deal, Levy has been able to spend the winger's transfer fee before other clubs hold us to ransom.

Willian has supposedly passed a medical and Roma forward Eric Lamela is also a big-money target. If Spurs had sold Bale for a world-record fee, then rest assured all of these signings would have cost far more.

Newcastle stung Liverpool to the tune of £35m when the Reds wanted Andy Carroll to replace £50m man Fernando Torres.

Levy brought in Franco Baldini came in as our technical director in June. Those who remember Jacques Santini and Juande ramos will know that this continental structure has failed for Spurs TWICE before.

But in the modern-day game - of transfer fees that sound more like the budget deficit and of contract battles that could be turned into epic Hollywood movies - maybe we're beginning to think Levy is right.

Big teams need big arrivals. And big arrivals are a big job, not a sideshow for the guy who already has to design the tactics, coach the players and manage a happy dressing room of inflated egos.

Levy's approach to this difficult window has to be applauded as it has given us the best chance possible of progressing to the next level - with or without Gareth Bale.

Does the Palace result change the look of life after Bale?

LIFE after Gareth Bale is still a talking point rather than a reality.

But was  a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace enough to show that our season is in good hands with or without the Welshman?

Spurs have a terrible record on the opening day and had only won two of their last 12 curtain raisers going into Sunday's match. 

So at least the first hurdle is cleared and points are on the board - but should Spurs fans have expected more?

We spent nearly £60m on a host of world-renowned internationals - next to Palace boss Ian Holloway's £6.5m on Dwight Gayle, who was playing in the Conference North two years ago - why did we have to rely on a penalty to beat the Premier League new boys?

Well, based on the performance, it's all down to luck really. We had some great chances that could have seen us 2-0 up by  the break and four or five by the end.

First half, the hosts defended well but we controlled the game and never looked likely to concede. 

We surrendered possession lightly a few times as our new look midfield found its passing range but nothing to worry about as the new boys looked right at home.

Roberto Soldado was sharp. He helped tee up Mousa Dembele in the first half and Gylfi Sidurdsson in the second - either chance could easily have found its way in.

The Spaniard was also composed to score the winner from the spot early in the second half - and that's our first Premier League penalty in over a season.

Nacer Chadli was unfazed filling Gareth Bale's boots on the left-hand side and Paulinho picked the ball up deep and drove us forward.

And Danny Rose looked sprightly on his return from loan at Sunderland.

Unlike the start of last season when we endured a few limp performances, this time round we arrived with intention.

Sigurdsson nearly scored a stunning first-half snapshot that Julian Speroni was at full stretch to tip over and sub Jermain Defoe should have done better when he charged through the Eagles defence only to drag his shot wide.

It hardly sent a message to the Premier League, unlike Manchester United's 4-1 win at Swansea or City's 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle last night.

But there was enough talent on display to calm the nerves and show that "life after Bale" may yet be a time of excitement, rather than cause for concern.

Levi's hardball stance has never been harder - and with good reason

THE PRESS are saying that Daniel Levy values Gareth Bale at upwards of £100million. The neutrals are saying that is too much for anyone - but are they all gloriously missing the point?

Maybe Levy just has no interest in making this process easy for the Spaniards.

Real have not exactly gone about their business in a civilised manner. They have  refused to take no for an answer, unsettled their target and gone back on their word.

Levy has umpteen reasons NOT to do business with them. And the impression is that he would sooner walk away from the deal and keep our star player .

Yet Bale's desire to leave may be forcing his hand and, if our chairman does have to play ball with these cowboys, he is now bound to play with the hardest ball he can throw.

When we sold Luka Modric to Real last summer, the deal came with handshakes, smiles and an unprecedented "goodwill agreement", meant to benefit both parties.

At the time, Spurs claimed: "The partnership agreement will see the two clubs working together in respect of players, coaching, best practices and commercial relationships."

But it seems Real have translated that as:  "Spurs will bend over and allow Madrid to penetrate as and when they please."

Frankly, it's a joke. We've gained nothing from said agreement other than years of disrupted pre-seasons.

If word is to be believed then Los Blancos - or Los Wankos - haven't even finished paying for Modric yet, so quite why anyone would expect Levy to sign away another asset without cash up front is anybody's guess? 

And can Real afford cash up front for Bale? Can they buggery.

Levy is said to have met Real president Florentino Perez in Miami, Florida, this week but a deal is reported to be a long way off. 

Madrid are in the US for a warm-up tournament and Levy has supposedly rebuffed a family holiday over there to get it sorted out.

Spurs owner Joe Lewis, who owns a house nearby, is bound to be either a phone call - or just a long boardroom table - away, so these negotiations are not going to be easy for the suitors.

They have openly courted Bale for the last few weeks, with club media rag La Marca, club ambassador Zinedine Zidane and even manager Carlo Ancelotti - who should know better - sticking their oar in to turn his head.

This offer should have come at the start of the summer. And it wouldn't surprise if Levy is angling for one more year and a quick sale next summer.

After all, the late-window sales of Dimitar Berbatov and Modric knocked our early season form so heavily that he can't want to flirt with all that again.

But if hardball is the game, and Real want their man immediately, then Levy is well within his rights to smash them out of the park.