Downing, Bellamy, Parker. These names fill me with dread but at the same time they could be a necessary evil. Harry’s honeymoon period is well and truly over. Our strikers are shit. Our midfield is shit. Our defence is OK.The build the team round a little Croatian tactic was a good idea, but doesn’t work if your strikers aren’t intelligent enough to play with him. I know he’s small but I’d quite like to see two up top with Modric in the middle alongside Huddlestone. We would be lightweight but it doesn’t matter because at the moment, we aren’t making any chances whatsoever.Harry’s forte is signing decent players on the cheap, how refreshing that would be to see as a Spurs fan. Bentley, Pavlyuchenko, Bent, Boateng are just the tip of the iceberg. It makes me physically sick to think how much these players cost, especially when you think of the decent players that have walked out the door.Our dilemma now is do we sign some equally average players in the hope that they keep us in the league? I personally still feel Harry can get enough out of what he already has to keep us up but we can’t afford to take any chances. Seeing Stuart Downing arrive for 14m+ would likely give me a stroke but it could all be worth it as long as we aren’t playing in the Championship next season.

Merry Christmas everyone. I got a cracking present from the Mrs, the new Spurs Player by Player book, signed for me by one Ricky Villa!I quite fancy us to get a result tomorrow, Hodgson has Fulham playing as a solid unit but I think they will come unstuck soon and it’s more likely to happen away from Craven Cottage. Their home form was always good, there was just a blip under Sanchez. They are yet to win away this season.Team NewsSpurs could be struggling at the back with both Woodgate and King facing late fitness tests. Darren Bent and Jermaine Jenas should be back.Fulham are without Zoltan Gera.Current FormSpurs have won 5 of the last 10 league games but went down 2-1 at the hands of Newcastle on Sunday.Fulham are on their best run of form for some time but they are yet to win away from home this season.Head To HeadFulham have only ever won twice at the Lane in 29 attempts. If they were to win, it would be only the 2nd time in their history they have completed a league double over Tottenham.Other points to noteTottenham have won their last 4 Boxing Day fixtures, Fulham are 0 form 4.ConclusionFulham are managing to go lockdown for 0-0 away from home but there is only so long they can use these tactics and not score before they come unstuck. I fancy Luka Modric to pick them apart tomorrow and Spurs to run out comfortable winners.Best BetsLuka Modric 1st Goal Scorer @ 10/1 with BetfredTottenham to win 3-1 @ 14/1 with BlueSq

The talk both before and after yesterday’s game was of a proposed move by Harry for Matthew Upson during the transfer window.Redknapp is becoming increasingly frustrated with only having Ledley available for one game in two or three and doesn’t rate Dawson as an adequate understudy.I’m not sure what the deal is with West Ham at the moment but it would appear they are happy to sell their stars if the price is right. 12m is a lot of money for a player that has had more than his fair share of injury problems but his quality is undeniable. He always looks in command of the back line and his performances for England have been outstanding.The problem for Harry would be keeping the three of them happy when they are all fit. Woodgate seem to have got past his long term injury problems now and when Ledley can play, there is still nobody better. The other issue is if they were all to go into injury mode at the same time, we would be in serious trouble.I think our first priority should be a decent ball winner in midfield, the same player we have been missing for years but if Matty Upson did arrive in January, I’d be more than happy.

The British press are amazing. According to the Daily Star, Ramos is going to sign both Aaron Lennon and David Bentley!According to most of the rumours I heard, Bentley was one of the main reasons Ramos got the boot. Not only because of his awful performances on the pitch under Ramos, but also for displays of dissent towards the manager in the dressing room. It was him kicking off when he heard he was being left on the bench for the 2nd leg of the match against Wisla Krakow that was the beginning of the end for Wendy.I know Ramos has questions to answer after some of the methods he employed during his tenure at the Lane, but is he really stupid enough to sign a player after that? I think not.As for Lennon, he was another player Ramos used sparingly especially toward the end of his reign at Spurs. Why would he want to sign him?I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s Star, let’s hope for more of the same. Maybe the players he didn’t give squad numbers too could also be on his hit list?!

I felt a little sorry for Juande after his sacking from Tottenham, I feel a little less sorry for him after today, he’s been appointed manager of Real Madrid, in case you didn’t know!”I would like to thank the board for their confidence - I face this job with excitement. It’s everybody’s dream,” he stated.”I hope I don’t let anyone down and that I achieve the successes that this club has set for this season.”In most of my previous jobs I have had short contracts. We came to a quick agreement and I’m delighted.”If I’m happy at the end of the season then I might extend the contract. Both sides are free to see what happens.”So he’s gone from managing a slightly above average Premier League side rooted to the bottom of the table, to running the biggest club in the world and got a good few million pounds compensation in the process.The bloke won us our first trophy for ages (I ain’t counting the Peace Cup) and guided us to a 5-1 victory over Arsenal and we are safe in the hands of Harry now, so I don’t begrudge him a few quid.I knew his last few months at Tottenham couldn’t have been as bad as they seemed. It was a plan all along. My only surprise now is Berbatov wasn’t sold to Madrid. At least his compo can be taken from the money we mugged Liverpool out of with the Robbie Keane transfer.Looks like everyone is happy then except the scousers and Bernd Schuster…

Tonight’s game sees us visit a rejuvenated West Ham at Upton Park. After a shaky period, Ganfranco Zola has got his side defending quite well and they have managed five points from a possible nine in their last three matches.We have been going along well under Harry but after a couple of recent defeats in the League, we could really do with 3pts tonight.A big positive going into the match is Harry’s record as opposing manager when visiting Upton Park. He visited 3 times with Portsmouth and won every game. I know some people pay no attention to these trends but I think I’d rather he’d won three than lost them!Spurs have no new injury worries with long term absentees Alan Hutton and Giovani Dos Santos still missing. Luka Modric may play some part tonight which would be a major boost and Jenas should also be back. I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing!The Hammers’ home record is not great with just one point from a possible twelve since the end of September but like I said earlier, they have looked like they are turning the corner in their last few games.Tottenham have managed just one win in six London Derbies but that win was against West Ham.I could see this being a draw if I’m honest, possibly 1-1. Although West Ham did a job on Liverpool at Anfield, they won’t be using the same tactics at home and I think an open game will suit us. We have a good record in recent times against the Hammers and I’m sure it’s a game Harry will be desperate to win. Let’s hope he can keep that 100% record.

So why not start using him? Gareth Bale can launch a throw in the same manner as Rory Delap and I think we should utilise this part of his game more. I’m not saying we make it a staple part of our play like Stoke but there would be no harm mixing it up a bit with a few ‘Bale Bombs’.Yesterday’s defeat at the hands of Everton was unlucky but we have had our fair share of luck since Harry took over so I’m not going to let it get me down. I just think towards the end of the game we ran out of ideas. Although we had plenty of the ball in the last half hour, we needed to mix things up a bit to break down Everton’s two banks of four down. Bale came on with 20 or so mins to go, there would be no harm getting him throwing a few in the mixer.I’m a bit concerned whether the Bale stat is playing on Harry’s mind now. When Chris Kamara told Harry we hadn’t won a league game Gareth Bale has started prior to us playing Fulham, he laughed it off. Bale hasn’t started either league game since with Harry preferring Benoit Assou-Ekotto. I think anyone would find it hard to make a case for Ekotto being a better player than Bale. He may be slightly better defensively but I don’t think there is an awful lot in it, and Bale is a much better footballer.Let’s hope Redknapp starts using our own Rory Delap more often!

A game Spurs should have a decent chance of winning on current form and more or less qualify for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup in the process.Team NewsAlan Hutton is expected to be out for Tottenham with his long term foot injury. Luka Modric is still out and Vedran Corluka and striker Roman Pavlyuchenko are both cup-tied. Ledley King will also be rested.Current FormSpurs have won 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions, losing only once. Their last UEFA Cup game was a 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.NEC are 8th in the Dutch League and have won 6 of 15 games in all competitions this season but only 2 of their last 7. They won their last game in this competition 3-2 to Dinamo Zagreb.CoverageThe game is live on ITV4, 6pm Kick Off.ConclusionI don’t expect it to be easy but I’d fancy Tottenham to come away with something from this game. They appear to be in a lot better form than NEC and are also playing at a higher level week in week out.Aaron Lennon is on fire at the moment and I’d fully expect him to feature. Harry will probably go with Bent up front on his on, possibly with Lennon in behind with Modric being out of action.I’ll got for a 1-0 Spurs win, Jenas to score.Best BetsSpurs to win 1-0, Jenas first scorer - Scorecast @ 45/1 with Betfred

Darren Bent has a massive opportunity tonight. In normal circumstances he probably wouldn’t get a look in, but with the players that are missing and the form he has been in of late, he could well start for England tonight against Germany. Capello has reportedly spoken with Bent regarding the way he wants him to play which points to him playing at least some part. Bent is quoted as saying “He told me why he picked me and how he wants me to play. I just listened. He told me to play my own game and not try to over complicate things.”I know a number of people are of the opinion that the England stars that have pulled out of the squad either didn’t fancy it or have been told by their respective clubs not to play. I find it quite hard to believe that any player would not want to line up against the old enemy, especially with how well the side has been playing recently. Although saying that, a number of them looked like they couldn’t care less a few months ago but surely any player that can’t get motivated by representing England against Germany shouldn’t be playing the game full stop.A good performance here would do Bent’s confidence the world of good and could also have a positive impact on the rest of Tottenham’s season. Even without Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney and the like, the likely starting line up looks solid enough. The majority of England games where Gareth Barry has played have ended positively so his inclusion is a good sign.It could be the type of game that will suit Bent. England are likely to be under pressure for large periods and will have to play on the break. Bent’s pace and power are probably better suited to a game like this than maybe Theo Walcott or Michael Owen.Frazier Campbell scored the only goal of the game for England’s Under-21’s last night against the Czech Republic, lets hope Darren Bent can continue the Spurs-England striker takeover!

I knew it wouldn’t be long before Heurelho Gomes cost us a game under Harry and it finally happened yesterday at Craven Cottage. I’ve been fighting his corner while most people have been knocking our Brazilian keeper be you cannot defend the indefensible.His save from Jimmy Bullard’s free kick was exceptional but ultimately pointless. What good is a keeper who can pull off the spectacular if he can’t do the simple things? It would be like a striker who scores a pinger every so often but misses a couple of open goals every game.I know he was highly rate before arriving at Tottenham and played well at the Lane when we played PSV in the UEFA Cup but I just find it hard to believe he wasn’t making the same sort of errors week in week out for them.There hasn’t been a game this season where he hasn’t made some kind of mistake and the amount of goals he’s cost us now is completely unacceptable.Harry keeps coming out and defending him to the media which is all he can really do but surely he must be thinking about giving Cesar Sanchez a chance. I know he’s getting on but he isn’t really old in goalkeeping terms. He looked solid enough when he came on against Liverpool the other night and simply has to be a better option than Gomes at the moment.Obviously a keeper will be a priority in January but it will come down to who is available. I can’t see Newcastle wanting to sell Given especially in the middle of the season and that’s even if he fancies a move to London. I really don’t want David James. I know he’s ironed out a lot of the simple mistakes he used to make but you can bet your life if he arrives at Spurs they will suddenly appear again. I hear Blackburn have a good keeper, Paul something or other.Maybe we need to be looking at goal keepers that are keeping the bench warm. There are a number of good keepers not getting a game who we may be able to prise away from their clubs in the transfer window but it’s whether Harry wants to take a punt on someone who hasn’t been getting regular first team football.This is a big decision for HR but I really think he needs to drop Gomes for the next game. What’s the worst that can happen? If Cesar does turn out to be that bad, Gomes can always come back in. Being dropped may knock his confidence but I don’t see how he can play any worse that he is at the moment.