The curse of Old Trafford

We are cursed men. Every time we have the misfortune of playing at Old Trafford, something goes awry. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of yesterdays farcical second goal, how long has it been since we've had an ounce of luck up there? 21 years, that's how long and it'll have to be at least 22 until we finally break said curse. The various indignations are getting too lengthy to make mention of. That might sound a little bit self-pitying but a win-less record this long has that effect.



Let's first look closely at the second goal. Here's this blog's account of events (feel free to disagree):

1) Nani goes into the box. Kaboul tugs on his shirt a little bit but nothing close to the amount he would have had to for Nani to go down in the way he did. It was a marginal decision and could have gone either way. Those sorts of penalties have certainly been given before and it wouldn't have been a massive surprise had it been given again. Mark Clattenburg bravely turns the appeal down.

2) Nani, in his fury that his penalty demands went unrewarded, handballs whilst he's on the ground. Gomes picks up the ball from him and beckons for his team to push up so he can clear. He assumes, because of the handball, that a free-kick has been given. United and Spurs players alike filter away from the Spurs goal except for Nani who is slowly getting back up from his sulk on the floor. It should be made clear that no whistle has been blown and the ref has not indicated that it's a free kick. He has simply walked off.

3) As Gomes readies himself to launch the ball forward, Nani runs up, looks around for confirmation from either his team-mates or the ref himself and puts the ball into the back of the net despite a desperate and confused dive from Gomes. He looks up again, unsure whether his goal should be allowed to stand and then runs off celebrating, no doubt mentally praising himself in his head for his ingenuity. Spurs are furious.

4) The assistant referee puts his flag up, a little late, it must be said. He's signalling to the ref that the goal should not be allowed to stand. Gomes and a few other Spurs players make their way over to him to protest but the assistant confirms to them that he is aware of and agrees with their complaints. A few Spurs players also talk to the ref but he beckons them away. Assou Ekotto encourages the Spurs players to back off the ref before they get booked. Bale and Gallas are among the more livid characters.

5) The ref confers with the assistant. Despite Spurs players having been told to back off, Man Utd captain Rio Ferdinand wades in and barracks both men with his opinion. He is not told to leave nor is he told to even be quiet. The ref overrules the assistant and awards the goal. Spurs captain Luka Modric registers a further complaint to the ref and is booked for his trouble.

Farce, no? It's a sickening way to concede, regardless of the state of the match. It's easy to place blame in situations like this and the various pundits and scribes will have their say in the coming days. Patrick Barclay from The Times has already made his feelings clear that Clattenburg wasn't to blame and that the goal was perfectly legitimate. Annoyingly, it looks like this one is purely down to a matter of opinion and not actual laws of the game.

It is the opinion of this blog that, yes, Spurs and Gomes should have played to the whistle and not assumed it was a free kick. It's a fundamental rule in football and one that is taught at all levels of the game. Having said that, the referee's approach to the situation isn't entirely blameless. Technically, he's done what he believes is correct in keeping with the rules. But a little more common sense could and should have been applied. Clattenburg's decision was highly ambiguous in that he didn't signal to either team what was happening. He denied the penalty request and then moved away from everyone without speaking. He could have been clearer in his communication with both teams - he could have indicated to Gomes or another Spurs player that it was not a free kick.

Also, the sporting nature of goal has to be called into question. In any situation, where a player runs from behind the keeper to poach the ball and score it flirts closely with the idea of fair play. Robbie Keane did it for Spurs in 2002 or 2003 against Birmingham and it was mischievous then also. Put simply, it's just not cricket. Nani, despite being within his rights to do so, committed an act of gamesmanship. Without wishing to over-emphasise the point, it's typical Man Utd and typical Old Trafford. Put it this way: you wouldn't see the same thing happening at the other end of the pitch and it being allowed to stand, would you? Maybe that's the thing that those who claim innocence in the situation should consider. Would it have happened against Man Utd?

It should not be forgotten, however, that the goal did not cost Spurs the match. They had played reasonably well in the game and had matched their opponents for most of it. Unfortunately, they had very little by way of a cutting edge up front. They did not look like they were piling on the pressure for an equaliser or that they were on the verge of scoring. Sure, the goal killed off the game but it shouldn't be argued that Spurs lost as a result of it.

On his Twitter account, Rio Ferdinand later claimed that it was indeed a handball from Nani but that Spurs should have played to whistle. Effectively, he's admitting they got away with it but because Spurs assumed it was a free kick that makes it alright. He also deflected some of the heat he was getting from Spurs fans for his berating of the ref by claiming Tom Huddlestone did the same thing at Fulham weeks ago. But the below video shows that although Huddlestone does make his way over to the ref and assistant, he is a) accompanied by a Fulham player and b) the level of his protests are insignificant compared to those of the England captain at Old Trafford.



It's certainly an event that'll have people talking for a while and it'll do nothing to dispel any negative opinions towards Man Utd from Spurs fans.

Feeling aggrieved? Need cheering up? Feel free to let it all out in the form of a comment.

We played for the glory

The reputation of modern day footballers has been dragged through the mud more times than Benoit Assou Ekotto has taken an unnecessary risk on a football pitch. Bobby Smith, the top scorer from our 1961 double season, neatly underlines the situation with the following quote: "Today they play for the money. We played for the glory."

Up until 1961, the maximum wage rules meant Bobby and his record-breaking team mates could only earn as much as £20 a week and the above quote sums it up - the squad that brought Spurs' greatest ever season played for glory and glory alone, not like the so-called stars of today who play for their enormous wage packet.

This eye opening line is now immortalised by the good people at philosophyfootball.com with the launch of a fantastic new t-shirt, on sale for a limited price until the Inter Milan game next Tuesday. It can be found and purchased here. Do it. Do it now.

Man Utd v Spurs: A glamour fixture

Ah, Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur. One of English football's real 'glamour' ties. Two teams with bags of history who, more often than not, play the game with unmatchable style and flair. Should be a cracker, no? Especially now that Spurs are a great deal closer to the top of the pile than they have been recently, a position their opponents have revelled in for the better part of two decades.

Spurs and United are invariably linked these days, be it on the football pitch or across the boardroom table. Plenty of money and a fair number of players have switched hands between the two clubs. Teddy Sheringham, Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov: United have a history of nabbing players once they've proven their talent with us, though it must be said we do make them pay the price, literally. Carrick was sold on for a hefty £16 million having been bought for a fraction of that figure and Berbatov cost around £10 million but was prised from us for a figure three times that.

Now, if you go for the rumours, they're currently after a bunch of our best players. The untouchable Sir Alex has made his admiration of Luka Modric very public, Aaron Lennon has been touted as a future Red Devil (when he's form, that is), Rafael van der Vaart was a United target shortly before he came to us and now they've decided they have a legitimate claim on Gareth Bale. Being on the receiving end of all this poaching does make one feel slightly resentful towards our friends in the north and it doubtless adds a touch of spice to what is already a tasty fixture.

Games between the two teams are the stuff of legend, as Goal.com have today pointed out. Do you remember the 4-1 New Years Day win in 1996? Chris Armstrong tearing it up against the odds? Magical stuff. Invariably, however, when we travel to Old Trafford, things go awry. Our last win up there was in 1989. In case that doesn't sink in, that's 21 years ago. Hardly a record to instill fear in the Stretford End. Of course, we can always take the moral high ground and blame the ref if things go wrong:

2005 - Pedro Mendes' last minute winning goal of the century chalked off because the linesman didn't see it go the seventeen miles over the line it actually did. Fury.

2009 - 2-0 up and dominating at half time, United given a farcical penalty to get back into the game and then proceed to rip us to absolute shreds as we collapse in true Tottenham style over the indignity of it all.

The reputation United had during the 90's and 00's was one of a team who always got their own way. They'd be given added on time that didn't exist if they needed a goal. They'd have goals against them disallowed for non-existent reasons. If Fergie wanted something, the officials would bow down to him to make sure he got it. It's probably the reason they're not very popular with opposition fans who grew up during this time. Add to that the fact that they appear to assume they can take our players if and when they choose and you're left with some serious N17 indifference towards Old Trafford.

What can we expect from this weekend's game then? We rarely beat Man Utd and, when we do, it's at home so there seems precious little to be hopeful about. Still, Spurs are nothing if not optimistic. We take to the self-proclaimed 'Theatre of Dreams' one of our strongest teams in years and surely they won't be so naive and arrogant as to completely write us off, regardless of statistics. It's also not the worst time to face them - they've been as inconsistent as us this season and West Brom's marvellous 2-2 draw there two weeks ago is inspiration to the rest of the league that Old Trafford is anything but a fortress these days.

They do still, however, have a raft of impressive players. Berbatov is finally playing something like how he was when he was at his best at Tottenham and Javier Hernandez looks to be a precocious talent and capable of the odd goal out of nowhere. The evergreen Paul Scholes will provide a stern test for Tom Huddlestone in the middle of the park and you never want to rule out Ryan Giggs, who has a special penchant for a goal against Spurs.

So, do we really hate Man Utd? Sure, they've become annoying foes when it comes to transfers and we never get the breaks against them on the pitch but one always gets the sense that there's a mutual respect between the sides. Sir Alex is generally quite complimentary of us in the press - surely he'd rather see us in the top positions than of Man City - and he has a very healthy relationship with Harry Redknapp. As mentioned earlier, United v Spurs is traditionally an exciting fixture and has produced some wonderful moments going all the way back to Jimmy Greaves' wondergoal as part of a 5-1 win in 1965.

Both teams have produced some of the finest players to ever grace the English game: Greaves, Best, Hoddle, Charlton, Lineker, Law, Gascoigne, Beckham, etc. And there's a hint of those past masters in the lineups of the two teams to this day. Predicting a result on Saturday is tough - predicting an entertaining game is a much safer option.

Forlan, the answer to our prayers

Hands up who wants a new striker at the moment? Bet most of your arms are reaching skywards, even you mischievous, difficult ones at the back. Put simply, ever since little Defoe was taken as a casualty of war (international duty), our 'strikeforce' has mustered an earth-shattering two Premier League goals. Two goals. One more than one goal. Five less than the seven scored by Florent Malouda. The stats certainly make for unpleasant viewing.

Many fans have been up in arms at our failure to land a striker during the transfer window and as we continue to rely solely on the boy Bale and the godlike van der Vaart, it looks more and more as if they have a point. Crouch, for all his Champions League hijinx, has been truly dire in front of goal domestically. Pavlyuchenko has the honour of grabbing both the previously mentioned goals but from the distance he scored them from, even Postiga could have stuck 'em away. And Keane, the poor old thing, has all the ability and desire of an aging racehorse these days. It'll be off to a happier place soon, Keano, we promise.

Without wishing to state the darn obvious, we need a man who can regularly stick the ball away, even when playing like trash. Defoe is usually that man, yes, but it's good sense to have two, in case one of them is crocked. Like now, for Pete's sake. Who should have we signed? Bellamy? Dzeko? Cavani? Heskey?! Forlan? Interesting that you should mention the last one. Having publically flirted with the idea of bringing the Uruguayan back to the Premier League during the summer (we made an enquiry but were put off by the £25 million price tag), it seems the World Cup star is readying himself for a possible January transfer back to good old Blighty.

A lovely little exclusive on Goal.com reveals that Forlan is keen on a move to either Spurs or Liverpool (or anyone else with a decent reputation willing to stump up the funds). The player who flopped so disappointingly at Manchester United is apparently desperate to prove himself in England, having become such a riotous success in Spain. And due to his age (31) and his desire to leave, his previously inflated fee is set to come down to a more recession-friendly figure, something in the region of £15.

It does look like Spurs and Liverpool would be the obvious front-runners. We desperately need a new hitman to either partner Defoe or play by himself in Europe. Liverpool, due to their current plight (not laughing, honest), need one perhaps even more than we do. It's hard to see the Mancs wanting him back, especially in light of their recent striker fiasco. You never want to rule out their blue and very rich neighbours when it comes to a transfer race but, in the words of a tiring parent to an overly-greedy child, don't you think you've have enough now? They've enough strikers to sink a battleship. You know, if that's what they wanted to do.

If you were a proven goalscorer who's conquered Spain, shone on the world stage and was desperate to right the wrongs from your time in England, which club would you choose? Struggling, cash-strapped, former giants with little morale and an impatient fanbase? Or improving, financially secure, former giants with reasonably good morale, Champions League football (for now) and a marginally less impatient fanbase? Don't know about you but this blog is reasonably confident that N17 could appear a tad more tantalising than Merseyside, even more so if we make it out of this Champions League group.

Picture it: Forlan and Defoe up front, supplied by Bale, van der Vaart and Modric and all of their attacking wiles. Not to mention Lennon and Huddlestone, if they could be squeezed into the side. It's got the potential to be a signing to solve a high percentage of our problems. Best not to get too excited though. We've all been through this kind of drawn out transfer saga one too many times before.

Thoughts? What chance do we have of landing him? Where would he play? Just how many goals could he score? The mind boggles.

The evolution of Gareth Bale

From superstition to superstar, the rise and rise of our Welsh wing wizard is nothing short of remarkable. The game of football loves a player who rises from obscurity and overcomes his shortcomings, especially if that transformation occurs over a short amount of time. For our Gareth, his 2010 has been a tale of incredible fortunes and lifelong memories. And, to think, he was on the verge of being shipped out to Birmingham on loan last January. Fate, it seems, had different ideas.

Bale's reputation prepares to hit the stratosphere

Bale arrived in 2007 with a hefty price tag and equally heavy expectations on his shoulders. He was the next great hope: for a club that predominantly brought English (or British), he represented the chance of a better tomorrow. Known for his deadly left foot, he was a teenage sensation, the first the club had had its hands on since Aaron Lennon. He wasn’t exactly expected to make the Earth turn around him but, as ever with young, big-name signings, a glorious career at the Lane was predicted. After all, Spurs had reportedly beaten off the advances of both Manchester United and Arsenal to land the kid’s signature. A sign of Tottenham’s expanding stature? Time would tell.

Things started out nicely for Bale. An impressive debut showing in the Old Trafford cauldron spoke of a kid with a tremendous temperament but it was his next few games that really opened eyes to his precocious talent. A thrilling run and finish against Fulham preceded a blistering free-kick opener in the North London Derby as Spurs fans got to intimately know their newest teen sensation. However, there were immediate issues. Both these goals were scored in games that Tottenham failed to win – that would become more of a problem in the coming years. And Bale had also failed to confirm himself as either a left back, as some expected, or a dashing winger, a question mark that continues to rear its troublesome head to this day.

Injury put paid to his progress and it would be a full two years before his next proper crack at the first team. The injuries accounted for a lot of his time out of the side but, in the sporadic appearances he made during that time, he looked lost. The heralded defensive capability was shot to pieces and, though the cultured runs and left-footed crosses were still occasionally on display, he looked a shadow of the player we had forked out so much money for. Juande Ramos didn’t seem to be in the slightest bit interest in him and by the time Harry Redknapp had arrived, the winless run was only getting longer. Though it was viewed in some quarters as a joke, to Bale it was a real problem. The bare facts told painted the full picture: he had failed to win a single league game during his time at the Lane.

Redknapp, perhaps aware of his growing anxieties regarding this statistic, removed the Bale ‘curse’ by bringing him on in a 5-0 rout of Burnley. With the winless burden no longer on his shoulders, there was hope that the real Gareth Bale would subsequently stand up. It wasn’t an instant improvement. But with regular left back Benoit Assou Ekotto set to miss out for a whole month, Redknapp made it clear that Bale’s opportunity would come. It was two and a half years since he joined and if ever he was going to make an impact in Lilywhite, it was now.

From then on, Bale’s career has taken off. Solid performances from left back came in January, improvement and a move to the wing followed in February and by March he was one of the most talked about players in England. Tearing up the left wing as if it were his dominion, he earned rave reviews from those supposedly in the know. On reflection, it was no surprise when he scored the winning goals against both Arsenal and Chelsea in the space of four days, erasing any scars from that painful winless run.

He’s begun this season as he ended the last one: as one of the focal points of the Tottenham attack and richly admired from plenty of potential suitors. His double salvo at Stoke went pretty much unnoticed by Joe Public but it single-handedly won Spurs the game. Now, with a historic San Siro hat-trick to his name, his star, previously travelling at a slightly above-average height, has gone supersonic.

The permutations of his virtuoso display in Milan are vast and don’t make for the prettiest of reading for Spurs fans of a sensitive disposition. If you believe what you read in the press, it’s now only a matter of where Bale decides to go when he leaves us. As if they weren’t already, the world’s best clubs are now hot on the heels of the Welsh speedster and, from the general tone of the media of the last four days, Spurs have little chance of holding on to him. Admittedly, they could be right. Bale has the world at his feet. He isn’t quite world class yet – he’s 21, for goodness sake. But if you wanted a model of how you’d want a player at 21 to be, you’d present our Gareth. He has world class potential and the rudiments of an all time great - a Giggs for the modern era. Many seem to believe that such talent comes with the divine right of one of the superclubs to get their hands on him and there’s every chance Bale and, more importantly, his agent may also see it that way.

Keeping him certainly looks a tall order for Spurs right now. The past losses of Carrick, Keane and Berbatov whilst in their prime has inevitably led to fans fearing the worst. Bale could fetch big bucks and the big boys will all be willing to part with as much cash as they can muster in order to secure his services. Surely, however, from the admittedly bias perspective of a Tottenham fan, Bale has a great chance of developing at a decent lick right here at White Hart Lane. A Champions League finish again this year might just be enough to keep him but even if that doesn’t happen, he could do a lot worse than to stick around. As mentioned, he’s still incredibly young. Believe it or not, he’s still developing as a footballer. He’s already a gigantic fan favourite and another couple of years could etch his name into folklore.

Put it this way: he could stay with Spurs, get better at football, repay the faith shown in him for a little while, become one of the club’s all time legends and maybe help the side get even better as a result. Sure, it’s not exactly the fashionable choice for many of today’s young superstars but it’d represent an incredibly heart-warming show of loyalty from a player with so much to choose from. He may even end up winning the trophies that many departing players claim they crave so badly.

It’s alternative route for him, if nothing else. He could leave in the summer, become a slightly smaller fish in a much bigger pond and stagnate as a result (see Carrick and Berbatov). Then again, he could just as easily leave and win everything his talent ultimately deserves.

Whichever direction Bale’s stellar career takes, it’ll be fascinating to watch. From the boy who was seen as a curse to one of the world’s finest left sided players and he’s currently seen strutting his stuff in the Lilywhite of Tottenham. If he is to leave, one hopes he is given the best possible advice and leaves for the right reasons. It’d be such a shame if he were to depart with the ignominy of some of his predecessors. Of course, it’d be gloriously romantic if he was to stay and become the next Ginola or Hoddle. But instead of panicking over whether he’s leaving or not, it might make good sense for us Spurs fans to simply sit back, watch and enjoy this phenomenal talent while he makes a meal out of the latest right back to try his luck against him.

His future’s not ours to see but his present certainly is. We should be thankful for that, at least.

Were Tottenham wrong to sell Darren Bent?

Forgive the lull in regular posting. It's an international break and with it comes very little salient news. But it's always best not to go too long without talking about something Spurs and with the England game on the horizon and various fans pondering our shortcomings this season, thoughts may have drifted to the title question.

It's always easier to look back in hindsight and say that something should or shouldn't have been done. But the plain facts make for eye-opening reading. This season Tottenham's strikers have been responsible for just one league goal out of a possible seven. Teams that we should have been putting at least two or three past (Wigan and West Ham) managed to shut us out completely. Plainly said: our strikers just aren't doing the business at the moment.

Things are going rosily for Mr Bent, on the otherhand. Omission from this summers England squad was probably a blessing in disguise and he has begun the campaign as he left the last one - scoring for fun. He's also notched his first England goal and, though it's difficult to say that he looks at ease on the international stage, he's certainly in everyones good books. So did we make a mistake in getting rid?

Bent's two years at White Hart Lane were largely disappointing. Signed for a hefty £16 million in the summer of 2007, he was initially the fourth choice striker behind Berbatov, Keane and Defoe. JD went on his year-long 'loan' to Pompey but still Bent found his opportunities limited. His second season saw him step up the list and he responded with 17 goals in all competitions. But he never looked convincing and though 17 goals was impressive, it was nowhere near his best.

We sold him on for around £10 million after two years, 77 games and 37 goals. Sunderland was a happy destination for him and he's since been banging them in for laughs. Happily, though, we spent last season doing something similar. Few tears were shed at Bent's departure and even fewer were shed when Defoe put five goals past Wigan in a single game. A prolific JD, supported by key contributions from Crouch, Pavlyuchenko and the midfield, is clearly firepower enough.

But Defoe is out for a longer than comfortable time. And, try as he might, Crouch will never be a natural, regular goalscorer. Pav's as consistent as a Spurs away win and Keane's mind is surely at another boyhood club at present. Bottom line? We don't have a regular finisher. A Defoe or a Bent. We're relying on goals from van der Vaart and Bale and it isn't going to get us very far. Difficult as it may be to admit right now, we could certainly use a predator of Bent's ability, someone who can scores the ugly goals as well as the aesthetic ones and who can provide a reliable threat in front of the net.

Personally, this blog thinks we did the right thing selling Bent when we did. He was never fully settled with us and was highly unlikely to have reached the heights he had reached at Charlton or he has at Sunderland. He's found his level - he'll do wonders at a lower mid-table club with fewer expectations. At Spurs, unfortunately, he was always going to be measured against Berbatov and Keane, who were, at the time, prolific.

But it doesn't hide the fact that we may have a few more barren weeks until Mr Defoe gets himself back and it highlights the fact that we urgently need another striker.

The forum is open...

England recalls for Spurs trio

Look at that, Tommy Huddlestone is back in the England squad and for fans of his early season displays, it's about time too. His omission from the last squad was seen as a slap in the face but the big man is back in contention - the lack of other central midfielders in the squad means a possible appearance.

Little Lennon's back too, although it's ironic that he's been chosen on the back of an indifferent start to the season, one where he's found himself confined to the bench in recent weeks. Still, one gets the sense with Lennon that it'll just take a bit of confidence to get him back to his best. Who's to say he won't get that on England duty? And if Capello's feeling generous, he might even get on the pitch ahead of Shaun Wright-Phillips - but let's not wish for too much, eh.

Even Crouch seems to have played his way back into Capello's good graces, having seemingly offended him somehow in South Africa with the complete lack of minutes he was given. In hindsight, however, that was no bad thing for Crouchy's career. With Rooney's fitness in doubt and Darren Bent lacking experience, don't be surprised to see our beanpole striker make an appearance at some point. And, if he is to be kept on the bench, at least it's not Emile Heskey that's holding him back. It will, unfortunately, be Kevin Davies (!).

Hudds. Lennon. Crouch. Whatever next? A recall for Jenas, perhaps? Madness.

Rafa can make Defoe's absence fly by

It's not entirely unreasonable to suggest that Rafael van der Vaart holds the key to Tottenham's fortunes in the coming weeks and months. With star striker and chief goalscoring threat Jermain Defoe out of action for the foreseeable future, there remains a distinct lack of firepower in the attacking regions of Spurs' line-up. Crouch and Pavlyuchenko are both able triers (at times) but don't score regularly enough to fill the void created by Defoe. Enter Rafa. His heroic, all-action displays against both FC Twente on Wednesday night and Aston Villa this afternoon suggest that, although he isn't the same mould of player as the erstwhile Defoe, he has the power to hold sway over the opposition defence and either provide or score himself the goals we so badly need.

In three home games for the club, he's already notched up four goals and it would have been five had his penalty against Twente not been so spectacularly saved. And it's not just the goals he scores that make him such an integral part of our side. He's provided assists for Luka Modric and Peter Crouch and is the man chiefly responsible for the buzz that reverberates around Spurs whenever they're going forward. Just a month into his Tottenham career, van der Vaart is already accomplishing brilliant feats. There's no saying what the limit on his genius is.

Wednesday was a momentous evening in the recent history of the club as we hosted a Champions League group game for the first time in almost half a century. It was an occasion where our biggest players simply had to deliver the goods and deliver he certainly did. He produced a display that encompassed nearly every possible emotion attributed to football. Joy, euphoria, hope, despair, agony - and that was just his first half penalty miss.

Whenever Spurs went forward with intent, he was at the forefront. Constantly running and moving off the ball, he achieved as much when he wasn't in possession as he did when he was. As the game went on its raucous path throughout the first half, van der Vaart was a beacon of extra quality. His touch, his passing and his movement were simply on a different plane of existence from everyone else on display, including Tottenham's finest. Those from afar had wondered whether Spurs would have the necessary quality to dine out at Europe's most prestigious table and there was van der Vaart, dressed to the nines and dazzling everyone in attendance with his sublime table manner. His first half penalty was well struck - much more powerful and forceful that his Wolves effort. But the Twente keeper, perhaps energised by the fact that his team had manage to delay the penalty by a good minute or so, produced a truly superb, full length dive to his right to keep it out.

But, like all top players, van der Vaart wasn't to be finished. Soon after half time, Huddlestone's typically teasing ball was cushioned down from the heavens by Crouch and the Dutchman produced a gorgeous chest-down and shot on the turn to fire Spurs into the ascendency. It was a goal dripping in sentiment - the first strike of a potentially enjoyable home European campaign, the possible beginning of a beautiful relationship between Spurs and their new Dutch maestro and the first step on our route to victory that night.

It wasn't all sunshine and flowers for van der Vaart, however. Visibly frustrated following his penalty miss, he had gone into a tackle with reckless abandon and earned himself a booking. And he seemed to forget about the fact he was on thin ice as he then went in slightly too hard once again, bagging himself another yellow and a subsequent sending off. It wasn't the most intelligent thing seen on a football pitch and he seemed to instantly regret the decision. A penalty miss, a goal, a red card and a display full of endeavour - it's safe to say he will have had less action-packed nights.

Spurs went on to cruise it, thanks to some generous penalty decisions from the ref and some impossibly casual penalty taking from Pavlyuchenko. Dubious the penalty decisions may have been but, in the opinion of this blog, only the final decision - the Pav shot against the arm - was incorrect. Bale's late fourth was a rich reward for his superlative display up and down the left wing. Had van der Vaart not been so involved in nearly everything that happened for much of the game, Bale's performance would surely have merited greater mention.

4-1 it ended and if it wasn't perhaps a fair reflection on the game, it was a scoreline that continued Tottenham's good start to the competition and van der Vaart had more than played his part. Today saw the visit of Aston Villa, desperately hoping to re-establish themselves as one of the 'best of the rest'. It was also another opportunity for Spurs to prove that European hangovers aren't going to be a problem this year.

Once again, Rafa ran the show. After Villa's opener - a combination of Bassong's inability to shrug off a resurgent Emile Heskey (!) and Hutton's failure to beat Albrighton to the resulting cross - Spurs were once again under the eightball. But rather than subsiding to a limp and unsuccessful attempt at a comeback as offered against Wigan and West Ham, they fought back. Heavy pressure towards the end of the first half resulted in a Pavlychenko cross being knocked down by, you've guessed it, Crouch and nodded in at the far post by, you've guessed it, van der Vaart. This was to be no repeat of the insipid displays that have plagued the season thus far. This was ours for the taking.

And take it, they certainly did. Van der Vaart, in his now customary role as playmaker extraordinaire, was almost everywhere, buzzing around the park, striving to make the breakthrough. His drag-back control inside the box from Bale's pass was to die for and only a sliding challenge from Richard Dunne stopped him making contact. But he wasn't to be halted for much longer. Lennon, on at half time for the lackadaisical Pavlyuchenko, sent over a cross and Crouch, for the millionth time this week, brought it down. Van der Vaart shaped to smash it, sold Dunne an obscene dummy and then lashed it high into the goal before rushing to accept the acclaim from the buoyant home crowd. Truly, it was an exceptional effort and one to add alongside his midweek volley in his rapidly growing pantheon of glorious goals.

A fine win and, yet again, we're catapulted back up to the kind of league position that's acceptable to the fans that have just started to get a bit uncomfortable with how things were going. Despite the poor form we've showed this season at times, we've only ever been one win away from getting back to the top and it's vital we don't slip too far away from that position. Van der Vaart's form is crucial to this plan. With no Defoe, Spurs don't have an out-and-out goalscorer. Rafa's unlikely to fill this gap all by himself but the more goals he can provide, the less Defoe's absence will be felt. He can also assist, as proved, and he seems to already have a telepathic relationship with Crouch. If the big man can start contributing more in the league as a result of this, we'll be alright on the night.

So, not to burden the man too much, but van der Vaart is literally responsible for keeping us high up in the league and punching above our weight in the Champions League. Good luck sunshine. Questions still float around though. Can he play with Modric? Should be play behind the lone striker or as part of a 4-4-2? Has anyone seen Sylvie van der Vaart down the Lane yet? And just who was that old woman that he hugged in the crowd after his first goal today?