Cronky

That may well be the ugly truth. I like the 4-3-3, but I don't think it suits either Owen or Martins. We switched to 4-4-2 to accommodate Owen, and we looked less effective.

I thought the midfield did okay. It will improve when Barton is back, and possibly Emre as well. But they weren't all that bad. The weak link for most of the game I thought was Viduka. It's very important in a 4-3-3 that the central striker can keep hold of the ball and / or win a few headers. When the ball was on the ground he was very slow off the mark and the centre backs invariably got there first. He was beaten easily in the air and had to resort to trying to get free kicks. It's nonsense to suggest that the service to him wasn't there. He was too easily beaten to the ball, both on the ground and in the air.

I disagree totally about Martins. He'd completely disappeared from the game in the second half.

We looked better with Shola. Viduka needs to be sent to a health farm for a month, lose half a stone, and work on his sharpness. Zoggy was so frustrating. He got into some good positions, and then wasted them. The new lad should improve things there. The passing needs to be that bit better, and I think Barton will make a big difference there. We have to be realistic. Villa were a tough side, and at about the same stage of development as us. At least we kept our concentration and spirit. That was the sort of game that we'd have lost 0-1 or 0-2 in recent times.

I think the formation looks good. I wouldn't change it. Zoggy doesn't use the ball well, and Butt's passing isn't great, but there are better players waiting to come in, so long term it's not a worry. I don't know why people are picking on Carr again. He's doing okay.

Tough opponents, but at least we're creating chances. Viduka isn't winning anything in the air. If it carries on at 0-0, swapping him for Shola would be a good idea. I fancy us to score second half, but I'm a bit worried about our lack of strength in the air at the other end. Rozenhal looks really classy but he doesn't look the greatest in the air. Ultimately, DM might be his better position.

I can't see that the Dof / Coach system can work unless it's clear that one or the other is in charge and the other one is working to his directions. I'd have thought that the one in charge has to be the coach / manager, because he's the one who has to produce results on the field. If the Dof is a kind of alternative authority who's answerable to the Chairman rather than the Manager, then you're bound to get this sort of trouble. It also gives the Chairman scope to interfere on the football side.

Is anyone else starting to wonder how much say Curbishley has over which players are coming to the club? I get the impression that he's a spectator while the new owners run around trying to buy any player that becomes available. As for Bellamy, he's a very selfish young man. Curbishley might not be the right one to handle him.

Bit of a silly and pointless statement by Keane. Every now and then he likes to live up to the image of Mr Outspoken.

No knee jerk reaction. I agree the first choice team and the squad are both stronger than last season but there are too many side issues going on which is pulling everyone in all directions. Comolli reckons Taarabt should be getting involved, Jol won't pick him because Comolli won't sanction signing SWP, Comolli not interested at £17m (which is what Chelsea want), and so it goes on. There are fit players in the squad who could make up a balanced team but with the infighting, the most lopsided teams are being sent out. The friction has got to the dressing room and the lack of fight/effort/interest in the first 2 matches has been there for all to see. On paper, Spurs' fit players should have been good enough to have seen off Sunderland and Everton. The reality was that Spurs were secondbest in almost every department of the game in both matches and deservedly lost both. Between now and the end of October there are 9 league matches Derby h Man Utd a Fulham a Arsenal h Bolton a Villa h Liverpool a Newcastle a Blackburn h If we can't beat Derby tomorrow, there is little likelihood of winning any of the others. Personally, if we lose to Derby I think Jol could be gone on Monday even though he was told he had 3 matches to produce 'significant improvement'. Well that's interesting. If the manager isn't in charge like he should be, then there's no way that the club can succeed. That's been the story of Newcastle United over the last four seasons. Taarabt looks an exceptional talent, and I'd assumed that he was injured. If internal politics are keeping him out, that's a serious problem.

Number three is bullshit. as much as it pisses you off when the opposition does it, you have to admit it is a very effective tactic of ensuring three points. The ball is in play. If the opposition want it, come and get it. Shearer was the master of it. I don't think your point about whether it's the opposition or your own team is relevant. If the tactic is penalised, then everyone would be equally better off in the long run. The whole thing seems to be getting out of hand, because players are now getting better at it. They're able to waste a couple of minutes now while the ball gets hacked out about half a dozen times. They're also starting to do it not in the last minute, but when there's about five minutes to go. To me, it just doesn't look like football, and it's lousy to watch. The only argument against as far as I can see is whether it's not possible for refs to distinguish that tactic from other forms of play. You wouldn't want the ref to blow up the second an attacker took the ball anywhere near the corner flag in the last few minutes. But I think in practice it's quite easy to spot when a player is deliberately blocking the ball in that position with no object in mind other than wasting time. Whatever, it's worth a go, surely. You can't say that it's something that's really worth preserving for the good of the game. Are you seriously serious? It's called possesion. It's allowed. Keeping the ball. There's is no way you could penalise this, even if you wanted to. I don't see the problem. It's perfectly easy to distinguish between keeping possession by blocking the ball at the corner flag, and all the other ways of keeping possession. It boils down to whether you're happy to see this tactic continuing, and whether you think it's fair. No to both, as far as I'm concerned.

Number three is bullshit. as much as it pisses you off when the opposition does it, you have to admit it is a very effective tactic of ensuring three points. The ball is in play. If the opposition want it, come and get it. Shearer was the master of it. I don't think your point about whether it's the opposition or your own team is relevant. If the tactic is penalised, then everyone would be equally better off in the long run. The whole thing seems to be getting out of hand, because players are now getting better at it. They're able to waste a couple of minutes now while the ball gets hacked out about half a dozen times. They're also starting to do it not in the last minute, but when there's about five minutes to go. To me, it just doesn't look like football, and it's lousy to watch. The only argument against as far as I can see is whether it's not possible for refs to distinguish that tactic from other forms of play. You wouldn't want the ref to blow up the second an attacker took the ball anywhere near the corner flag in the last few minutes. But I think in practice it's quite easy to spot when a player is deliberately blocking the ball in that position with no object in mind other than wasting time. Whatever, it's worth a go, surely. You can't say that it's something that's really worth preserving for the good of the game.

I reckon we'll really see the difference between the old and the new regimes if we achieve a bit of success (ie top four) Before, we reached a certain point through spending money, and then were unable to push on because it was all spent. Once the upward momentum starts to falter, it's difficult to recover, as we discovered twice. If Allardyce gets us into the Champions League, I think he'll get more money, and not just a pat on the back.

Great stuff, but I can't see how they'll succeed. Ultimately they were relegated because the Premiership failed to punish West Ham properly. It's the Premiership who ought to be sued.

No-one likes diving, but let's face it, it's often difficult for a ref to spot. If they get pressured to be more strict, then I think you'll see people getting booked who haven't dived. It already happens now and then. Three areas where I'd like to see refs more strict - 1 - Getting penalties re-taken when the keeper moves off his line. It happens 80% of the time, but for some reason, refs no longer enforce the rule. 2 - Giving free kicks for obstruction when defenders block attackers when the ball runs out of play. Sometimes the defenders are nowhere near playing distance of the ball. 3 - Attackers who deliberately take the ball to the corner flag to waste time should be penalised for unsporting behaviour or whatever it's called now. This would mean a re-interpretation of the existing law, but it's long overdue.

Berbatov only looked half-committed tonight. At least Defoe really looked like he wanted the ball and added a bit of energy. Bent is not a Tottenham player.

Richard Keys should just put a Tottenham scarf on and have done with it.

Great game, really enjoying it. AJ is looking good. Spurs are showing some nice moves up front, but the back four are disorganised and they're not getting any protection from the midfield. Everton are getting through at will. Moyes always has them looking positive, in attack and defence.

The deadline for the buy out clause has passed. Can't remember exactly what it was, but it wasn't August 31st.

A good manager would have got rid of Shearer when his decline first set in, and given Shola the chance to develop much earlier. No manager would have got rid of Shearer until Shearer called it a day himself. No good manager would accept the job under those conditions, and that's why we ended up with Souness and Roeder.

A good manager would have got rid of Shearer when his decline first set in, and given Shola the chance to develop much earlier.

Three Mancunian magistrates will decide that. Personally, I wouldn't fancy my chances.

Not necessarily. Barton strikes me as the sort of person who always thinks he's in the right. I think he's up against it here. When you consider that the witnesses will be his ex-colleagues at Man City I don't think there will be many rallying to his support. If he's hoping to argue that it was self-defence, he won't get much back up.

This is an older debate than the Luque one. He can be clumsy, we can all see that, but he can also create problems for the very best defences through his strength and good footwork. You have to assess the overall package and not just over-react when he loses control of a pass that a smaller player would keep. One thing that bothers me a bit at the moment is he looks bigger than ever now. He looks like he's been working on the weights and looks more heavily muscled. That might affect his stamina, and it was noticeable that he seemed to be blowing a bit in the Sampdoria game. Hopefully, it's just a lack of match-sharpness.

Which club chairman once publicly advocated post-match violence? I've asked this one before. PLEASE somebody have a guess this time.