Whatever you do Spurs fans, just don't mention the "D" word

It's here. That wave of enthusiasm is building again, just like it did last year, and I’d forgotten just how absolutely brilliant it feels. 

The moment Ander Herrera's deflected strike hit the back of the net against Chelsea on Sunday, the mood changed. 

As 70,000 Manchester United supporters celebrated a victory that reignited their top-four hopes, the expression on the faces of thousands and thousands of Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham followers said one thing: "F**k."

To Spurs fans, it represents just a small window of opportunity. But for our London neighbours, the realisation that this title race might not be done yet was enough to spoil their weekend. 

And it was quickly followed by a crushing sucker punch...  Spurs are still in the FA Cup. 

In the space of a few seconds, we had gone from Wembley semi-finalists to fighting for the Double. It seems a ridiculous notion at this stage - but you will be hard-pushed to find a rival fan who can take it in good humour.

"Don't mention the D word" I said jokingly in a post-match message to a fellow Spurs fan. His response was beautiful. 

"It's happening mate, believe."

A lot of folk may still be trying to keep their feet on the ground but, if you're lucky enough to have inherited Tottenham as your team I encourage you to forget your feet, forget the ground and start clutching at as many straws as you can. 

Even if you can't bear the thought of calling it wrong or you just don't want to tempt fate then, at the very least, try to enjoy the next three days. 

For that time, and possibly beyond, we are unlikely “Double contenders”. And our rivals absolutely hate it. It is their worst nightmare. 

The jokes, the banter and the backbiting have turned to straight faces and silence. This is the worst it could get. And it will last until at least Saturday evening. 

One West Ham fan in our office now won't talk football, an Arsenal fan is cancelling Sky. The Chelsea fans...? Well, there are no Chelsea fans but you can rest assured they are sh*tting themselves and trying to work out where best to hunker down if their doomsday scenario actually comes to pass. 

I'm just smiling. It really is a beautiful time to be a Tottenham fan. For the next few days, anything's possible. All those years we’ve watched Arsenal lift titles and trophies while our season was falling off the tracks, this is a taste of what it felt like from the other side. 

So make the most of it.

I don’t mean be a dick about it. It is, after all, a delicate situation. It always is with Spurs. So I’m just saying you have to take the opportunity to breathe it in and enjoy it. Apart from anything else, this group of players have earned the right not to be lumped in with generations of underachievers. 

All Spurs fans know in their heart of hearts that we are still a long, long way off turning around this four-point gap and coming out on top. It would take a miracle. But then what's the harm in believing in miracles?

To Dare is to Do? Do it, I dare you.

How Tony Pulis had Spurs pegged from the start

Tony Pulis knew how to get to Tottenham right from the off. And it wasn't by winding up Dele Alli, doubling up on Harry Kane or by putting 11 men behind the ball.

We all knew West Brom would come to frustrate us and we all knew how good they are at it.

But the first victim of their stifling strategy was not Mousa Dembele's driving runs from deep midfield, nor Danny Rose's link-up with Erik Lamela – and it was not Kyle Walker bombing on down the right.

It was the fans.

White Hart Lane kicked off the evening in good spirits but West Brom set their stall out early.

They took far too long over every throw-in, goal kick and free-kick, letting a few more seconds tick down whenever the occasion arose and pushing the ref to, but never beyond, the limit.

Credit to our players, they weren't fooled and our slick passing game opened up the Baggies time after time. 

Christian Eriksen was agonisingly close with two free-kicks - either side of Kane's effort that Boaz Myhill somehow pushed onto the post. 

But the home support was starting to play into Albion's hands. Huffing and puffing, booing and jeering every carefully crafted stoppage or set-piece delay that Pulis' side was getting away with. 

The Spurs faithful were not directly criticising their own but, once the agitation was flowing, you could see it start to affect the side. 

Spurs players already had every reason to be a bit nervy - Leicester's 4-0 win over Swansea on Sunday meant this was basically win or bust.

With that in mind, a bit of calm from the terraces would not have gone unappreciated. Especially seeing as this side have risen to the task and proven themselves again and again.

Timewasting tactics are schoolyard stuff but Pochettino's blue n white army of followers fell for it - hook, line and absolute stinker. 

We all ask players like Alli to keep their heads in the face of such situations then we all lose ours at the first sign of bother - effing and jeffing with an irrational fear that, somehow, the Baggies might be able to waste the whole game away before we got our noses in front.

When Craig Dawson diverted Eriksen’s free-kick into his own net just after the half hour the damage may already have been done. 

The reaction was that of relief rather than elation and the lads went in at half-time to muted applause rather than all-out encouragement.

Prior to this we had conceded one goal in four games. A 1-0 win would have done just fine. There was no real reason to believe that West Brom should be able to seriously trouble us at the back.

Still we worried, fretted and bit our nails and the lads came out for the second half a shell of the team we have known in recent weeks. 

Apart from a few shining lights in Toby Alderweireld and Dembele, the nerves were taking hold and the tension was rising in the stands - until eventually Dawson got the equaliser we had all been fearing since his own goal at the other end.

It was job done for Pulis and probably job done for Leicester. 

But devastating? Gut-wrenching? Miserable? Not at all. And we certainly did not bottle it.

At the end of January, 12 games ago, we were fourth – five points behind Arsenal who were top of the pile. 

Anyone who thinks we bottled it has an admirable sense of ambition - but no sense of perspective.

Going forward we will no doubt all look for progression from this young team that has showed so much promise. We will all hope they can use this season as a platform and learn from the experience.

Next season we will look for them to demonstrate the composure of title challengers, rather than title hopefuls.

And really, as fans, we should be looking to do the same.

Spurs face long road to follow Dortmund model

IF Dortmund are the blueprint then Tottenham now have a brutal indication of just how far there is to go. 

People can point fingers at the manager, the line-up and the fitness levels all they want but there was nothing that a few changes would have helped in last night's 3-0 drubbing at the Westfalenstadion - this was men versus boys. 

Our lads were outpassed, outpressed and outworked by a slick, efficient and endlessly fit Dortmund side that could have been out of sight by half-time.

It might feel like scant encouragement but this is the side that Spurs aspire to emulate - with possessive-yet-potent attacking football, homegrown talent and even a huge behind-the-goal kop. 

Who knows, maybe even reasonable ticket prices!

A bigger concern has to be the poor reflection it casts on the current status of the English game.

Yes, we are all enjoying a fantastic and unpredictable season in which any one of four, maybe five, teams could still lift the title.

Yes, we've had some incredible stories, upsets and seen some brilliant goals. 

But should a team second in the Premier League really be so comprehensively outclassed by their Bundesliga equivalent?

You certainly wouldn't back Leicester to give German leaders Bayern Munich a run for their money either.

Seeing our big sides flounder makes entertaining viewing but this was the biggest indication yet that those who have replaced them at the top this season are not raising the bar, just making the most of an opportunity.

On the night it was a painful defeat but at least those on the pitch, the bench, sat in the stands and watching on the box now have a yardstick.

This is what can be created if we stick on the path we have started. 

Mauricio Pochettino's squad are 18 months into a philosophy that Dortmund have had drilled into them since 2009. 

Their boss Thomas Tuchel joined last summer and is continuing the hi-octane, high-pressing work introduced by Jurgen Klopp seven years ago.

Interestingly enough, Tuchel also managed Mainz shortly after Klopp, quickly surpassing the now-Liverpool manager's success.

Where Klopp got Mainz promoted, Tuchel took them into the Europa League.

Where Klopp took Dortmund to back-to-back league titles and the 2012-13 Champions League final, Tuchel has them again chasing down Bayern at the top and they must now be favourites for the Europa League.

It all comes together for one nasty bump back down to earth for Spurs but an impressive lesson to go with it. 

The improved fitness levels, the demanding pressing game and the flowing attacks can all go up a notch. Our players now have first hand experience of it. For some, it will be an encouragement, for others a kick up the ass.

If this Dortmund side is a glimpse of where hard work and a well-drilled philosophy can lead you, then we should be very excited about our chosen path.

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.

If Nacer Chadli fits the current Belgian trend then we're onto a good thing

White clouds gather and again the pendulum swings in the great Real-Bale back 'n forth.

Bored, I think is the correct word.

The question bugging Taxi For Maicon at the moment... "Is there any limit on the number of Belgian players one side can field?"

Our most recent arrival - Nacer Chadli, a £7million acquisition from Steve McLaren's Dutch former employers FC Twente - joins last year's signings Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele. 

Not to mention - although I'm just about to - that we were linked strongly with Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke.

It would seem we are trying to buy up the whole team. But why Belgians? Well, in case you hadn't noticed, as a footballing nation they are pretty good of late.

They are leading World Cup qualification group A on 19 points, 3 ahead of Croatia and yet to lose a game. 

And it hasn't gone unnoticed. Most bookies have them as sixth favourite to win Brazil 2014 - that's better than England and level with 2010 finalists Holland.

So in buying Belgian, it looks like we're onto a good thing - although we're hardly ahead of the curve.

Belgium is rapidly becoming a go-to nation for Premier League scouts. Apart from our three Flemish imports, loads of Belgium's latest international squad play at our top clubs. Here is a rather useful list to paint a picture: 

Marouane Fellaini (Everton), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Kevin de Bruyne (Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)

Working out whether or not Belgium are embarking on a path to football domination, however, is not why you're here. You want to know why we signed Chadli...

We first came across him during our 2010 Champions League run, when he played against us twice for FC Twente - and scored twice. 

The 23-year-old got Twente's only goal in a 4-1 drubbing at White Hart Lane, then scored an impressive free-kick in the return fixture, a 3-3 draw in Holland.

Not only can he play on either flank but he's a bona fide two-footer. Of his 23 Eredivisie goals in the last two seasons, he has bagged 11 with his right and 8 on his left.

Of course, the fact he has come from the Dutch league is always worth taking into consideration, such is the difference in standard.

His former Twente boss Co Adriaanse dubbed him "the new Bryan Ruiz" - in England, that's not a huge compliment (Ruiz is that Fulham striker who never scores any goals).

But there have been some genuine Eredivisie gems that have taken to the Premier League straightaway - Fellaini, Luis Suarez and Vertonghen, to name three.

Chadli seems to have all the hallmarks to succeed at Spurs. But with Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Lewis Holtby in our ranks, there is no reason to think the Belgian will be thrust into the starting eleven before he's good and ready.

And if we have to bow to Real's financial force and sell Bale NEXT YEAR, then with any luck we'll have a settled winger ready to step in and soften the blow.

A final taxi call for Spurs' Champions League fall guy

MANCHESTER CITY defender Maicon has completed a move to Italian club Roma to end his Premier League nightmare.

The attacking right-back has never really been the same since Gareth Bale tied him up in knots during our 3-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan.

Having adopted the unfortunate full-back for the title of this fanzine, it seems only fair that we now bid a fond farewell to a man who played such a key role in one of the greatest nights of Tottenham's recent history.

Just in case you have forgotten, let me refresh your memory...

It was a crisp, tense European Tuesday night in November 2010 at White Hart Lane. The visitors had just pulled a goal back to halve the deficit and the home faithful held its collective breath as a neap tide of attacks battered our weary, and all-too-often wobbly, defence.

From nowhere, a Younes Kaboul interception set Gareth Bale flying down the left wing. Three touches and a pinpoint cross for Roman Pavlyuchenko to tap home sent Paxton Road absolutely bonkers.

Spurs had breathing space - 3-1 up against reigning European champions Inter Milan. But where was Maicon - the so-called best right-back in the world - during all this? Nowhere to be seen, that's where.

He was left gasping for air and scraping dust off his teeth in the wake of Bale's devastating dart down the wing and the Spurs fans duly rubbed his nose in it by singing Taxi For Maicon for the umpteenth time and sealing the song's place as the soundtrack of the season.

**********

It completed a torrid few games for the Brazilian, he was also turned inside out in the second half at the San Siro. We lost 4-3, but the Welsh winger announced his arrival on the European scene and Maicon's fortunes began a steady descent. Did Gareth Bale really ruin his career?

Firstly, you have to ask whether Maicon was ever as good as all the press and pundits claimed.

After winning the Brazilian title with Cruzeiro in 2003, he secured a move to Monaco before arriving at Inter. He won four consecutive Serie A titles, plus the Champions League and a host of minor honours.

At international level he has 66 Brazil caps - no mean feat when you're competing with Barcelona's Dani Alves - and they've brought him two Copa America wins, and two Confederations Cups.

Then there's the personal feats: six appearances in different Team of the Year line-ups, a World Cup Man of the Match award and UEFA Club Defender of the Year award for 2009-10.

So, yes, it could easily be argued that he was at the very top of his profession. Yet, strangely, the trophies, the form, the accolades, all dried up at the same time.

Maicon's appearances for Inter plummeted during the 2010-11 season, making a total of just 38, compared to 51 the previous Champions League-winning year. The following season was even worse, playing just 28 games and notching a meagre four assists - the lowest in his six-year Inter spell.

He was dropped from the Brazil squad in 2011 and has not featured since, there are no individual awards post-2010 and in a disastrous stint in Manchester last year his presence graced the first team on just 13 occasions.

The reasons behind Maicon's mysterious downfall from benchmark to bench-sitter could of course be explained by niggling knee injuries, or even managerial instability - he had four different managers in his last two years with Inter.

But there's a nagging feeling that the trauma he experienced at the hands of Bale on November 2, 2010, may have damaged his confidence beyond repair.

In Rome - the home of once-mighty soldiers and fallen emperors - Maicon will be in good company. And, while we wish him all the best in rediscovering his form, we can't help but raise our collective voice for one last time... TAXI!

Spurs must wait to cash in on Bale, regardless of money

Real Madrid's expected cat-and-mouse pursuit of Gareth Bale has not materialised this summer but it has been mooted that any bid close to the rumoured £85million would be too good to refuse.

But where would that leave Tottenham? Flush with cash? Maybe. Moving forward, not so much.

The possibilities for a club earning a lump sum that size are dictated purely by circumstances and,  in Spurs' case, the timing of any transaction would be crucial.

Having finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League, we are not an attractive proposition for Europe's top players.

Signing the quality striker we need will be difficult anyway, without having to explain to them why we let our best player leave.

A well-publicised kitty of close to £100m would make matters even worse. 

Just look at Liverpool, who were forced to pay Newcastle £35m for Andy Carroll having scooped £50m from Chelsea for Fernando Torres. 

And now Napoli, who will have to pay well over the odds to prise target Gonzalo Higuain from Real now that everyone knows they have £55m from the sale of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Reds had no choice but to cash in on Torres, so clear had he made his intention to leave.

Bale has expressed no such desire to leave North London - as yet. He wants Spurs back in the Champions League, he gets on with manager Andre Villas-Boas and he even spearheads the promotional campaign for the new kits.

Real regularly claim that spending huge sums on the world's best players pays for itself because of the money generated through sponsorship, shirt sales etc. So while we have one of these rare breeds in our ranks, it would be sensible to take advantage of his ever-rising stock - starting with the playing squad.

We may not be able to offer top European football but the pulling power of Brand Bale can counteract that to some degree. His stature in world football is growing rapidly and his presence has already helped to secure the signature of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho in a £17m deal.

One thing is for sure - if we do not make the top four next season Bale, the clamour for his signature will be unbearable. But, at 23, he is still going to be worth big money next summer and he is on a long-term contract, so the board need not rush into anything.

We can continue to rake it in from replica shirt sales and sponsorship deals, all the time increasing the profits from his £10m move from Southampton in 2007. And in the meantime, using his presence to bring in two more big names now would pay dividends if it propels us into the top four.

Whatever we spend in the next six weeks would easily be covered if and when Real make a bid next year and being able to offer - hopefully - Champions League football would increase the quality of the Welshman's replacements.

Selling Bale now, regardless of the size of the bid, would be counter-productive to the squad and the ambitions of the club, not to mention bad for business in the long run. Keeping him another year at least gives us the chance of cashing in when we are in a stronger position to move forward.

The game of cat and mouse is sure to intensify as the transfer deadline approaches but if we can keep hold of our asset then come next summer you never know, we may be more cat than mouse.

Finding a cure for the Bernabeu Blues

Scared to look at the papers today? You bet! And with good reason. Peter Crouch will wish he had pulled an Aaron Lennon and chickened out before kick-off because the cut-throat wordsmiths all have their pen-knives out and the logically challenged striker gets a deserved verbal kicking.

I don't blame Crouch exclusively for what happened last night. In fact, his sending off forced us to play with the ball on the ground and build from the back, rather than just lumping the ball forward. The way we dealt with the remainder of the first half was admirable but with only 10 men, fatigue was bound to set in and, for that, Crouch has to shoulder some responsibility.

The morning after the night before, and our recent results can no longer be twisted into having one eye on a glory, glory night; now they just look like a bad run. Sky Sports continues to play that advert for the road to the Champions League Final at Wembley but suddenly the feeling of involvement has all but evaporated. The season goes on regardless, and we need an almighty dusting down session before the Stoke game at the Lane on Saturday.

Games thick and fast, that's what suits Spurs best, right? Ten-day breaks between games certainly haven't seemed to work. We do relish our chances as the underdogs, however, and after this rotten run of results we are certainly underdogs to get back into the Top 4.

The European adventure has felt all along like we were flying by the seat of our pants; prevailing despite injuries and unfamiliar gameplans and still proving our worth on countless occasions. When you live on the edge, sometimes you fall off with a bump.

The rest of the season is now going to be about character; what's done is done and it is up to those who have played badly or made mistakes to dig in and find that something extra. I wouldn't say that the Champions League is a total lost cause - if any Spurs team can overturn this sort of deficit, it's this one - but it's unlikely. Very unlikely.

For now, we're going to have to put up with the sneers and the jibes. Men versus boys, finally found out, simply not good enough; you know, that sort of thing. The best tonic is a good performance and more importantly now a good result.

But there is another cure for the Bernabeu Blues:

On opening a Christmas card from my girlfriend, what should fall out but a copy of Spurs v Inter Milan. Immediately I stuck in it the DVD player and rewatched the game in its entirety. I then watched the highlights and then homed in on what I've come to call Bale's goal, watching it over and over. I watched it again last night.

Of course, we all know it wasn't Bale who applied the finishing touch but that third goal against the Champions League holders is as much the Welshman's as anyone else's.

From Younes Kaboul's interception, the touch to Bale, the quick thinking as he knocks the ball past Maicon and the audible gasp of crowd anticipation as he gives chase, the perfect ball across the box, again the crowd volume soars as 35,000 realise we're actually going to beat Inter Milan, Oh When The Spurs Go Marching In and Andy Gray stating "I have never, ever, seen a player do what he does." The whole thing constitutes a wonderful moment that sums up our season in Europe.

Nobody realistically expected us to win at the Bernabeu, yet everybody knew we might just get hammered. Next time you see an advert for the Wembley final, or a negative newspaper column, don't look back to last night, because it's not the sum total of what we've achieved along the way.

True glory may be out of our reach for the time being but being a football fan is as much about glorious moments as glory itself, so before you turn your attentions to Stoke and our end of season run-in, take some time to reflect on what we've done along the way. You won't be disappointed.

The irrational thought processes of a modern football fan

In the modern world, twelve days without a football match can only mean one thing - it must be summer, the close season. Nothing to play for, no poor records to worry about or good records to uphold, no injury concerns, just sun, clear skies and...

Wait, what's that? It's the middle of the season? You've got to be joking?

No I'm not joking. It is day eight of Spurs' 12-day break between games and, with only our loss at Blackpool to concentrate on, my mind is going into meltdown. We lost to Blackpool, for heaven's sake, that must mean we're terrible, doesn't it? We've lost it, we have no hope of fourth place and we're going to lose all our best players and our manager.

If I could step back and take a breath, I would see that it will all turn back and forth a few more times before the season is out but, having had so long to week to stew over our last result, my ability to process rational thought has ceased.

Basically, it's a form of cabin fever, and I'm sure other Spurs fans must be feeling it - forced to look elsewhere for kicks, on Sunday evening, folk stood foolishly outside their glass houses, throwing stones in the direction of our neighbours, Arsenal.

Jokes and insult filled forums and fanzines as Spurs fans fell about laughing at the Gunners' misfortune to have lost a cup, the final of which they stumbled into and, come the end of the season, they aren't going to care about.

Then yesterday, I'm sitting comfortably in my front room watching the Oscars highlights, when I flick channel to see Chelsea launch a brick into our patio doors, cracking our window of opportunity looking out over fourth spot and handing the bragging rights straight back to the now-realistic title challengers, Arsenal.

When I was younger, I'd come up with all manner of weird and wonderful reasons and explanations that proved Tottenham were better than their league position suggested.

It worked like this... In 1998, Spurs beat Newcastle 2-0 which meant that by default, because Newcastle had beaten Barcelona earlier that season, we were better than Barcelona. Add to that, the fact that Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-0 in March 1998, and Real went on to win the European Cup, then Spurs must be better than the European Champions.

Experience tells us this logic is flawed. But that doesn't stop us applying similar rules week in week out . Only a few weeks ago even the papers screamed, "If Spurs can beat AC Milan in the San Siro, they can beat anyone."

Today, this simple logic, improper as it may be, is working heavily against me. It is telling me that if Wolves can beat Blackpool, and Manchester United moreover, then they can make short work of us.

If our last game had been the 1-0 victory over AC Milan, then I'm sure that by now we'd all be convinced we were on the cusp of an extended spell of European domination, but it had to be Blackpool didn't it.

There are still four days before our match at Wolves on Sunday, by which time we'll most likely be convinced of impending relegation, possible administration and all in training to attend tryouts for FC Hotspur of Tottenham?

Sorry, but this is the football season, and twelve days is too long.