Just two points separate Arsenal in third place and Newcastle in fifth, with Tottenham sandwiched in between. Any two of the three sides can still fill the remaining two Champions League places depending one how results go on Sunday and on paper at least, Spurs would appear to have the strongest claims. Ignoring the fact that Chelsea winning this season’s Champions League final could throw a spanner in the works, it is third place that is all important as it will guarantee automatic progress into the Champions League group stages.

Although I hate to say it, credit must go to both Arsenal and Newcastle for the form they have shown in the latter part of the season. It had looked as though both sides had lost their chance of a top four finish but they managed to close the huge gap Spurs had built up in the early part of the campaign to set up this dramatic climax. Newcastle have arguably the toughest task come the weekend with an away game against Everton, but neither a trip to West Brom for the Gunners nor a home clash with an in form Fulham side for Spurs, are going to be easy.

If Chelsea do manage to beat Bayern Munich, then the team finishing in fourth spot in the Premier League will go into the Europa League rather than Champions League. So basically, Spurs need to win and hope that Arsenal don’t to secure third place. Personally, I think Arsenal will likely draw at the Hawthorns, Newcastle will get something from their game at Everton and Spurs should be able to beat Fulham at the Lane, but who knows! There are bound to be a number of twists and turns on Sunday but hopefully, the football Gods will be on Tottenham’s side this once…

I was at the game on Monday and it was painful viewing. We did have opportunities and enough of the ball to have at least got a point but we just weren’t at the races. Norwich probably thought they were playing at a Canadian online poker site they had it so easy. I really thought we had turned the corner after the results against Bolton, Swansea and Sunderland but this was nothing like the Tottenham that was mounting a realistic challenge for the title just a few months ago. Maybe some of the players had their minds on this upcoming semi final encounter, maybe they are jaded after a long season, or maybe this is the same old Tottenham we have know for the past couple of decades, flattering to deceive.

The one thing that may work in Tottenham’s favour is the fact Chelsea have a massive game at Stamford Bridge against Barcelona just a few days after this match. I’m not saying they will be looking past us but the thought of facing Messi and co with a Champions League final place at stake will likely be a lot more important to the majority of their squad than the FA Cup. None of them are going to want to get injured and this could well prove all important in what is likely to be a tight and nervy contest.

As far as a bet on the game goes, I’d struggle to part with my hard earned cash to back Tottenham on their current run but if I had to have a wager, it would be backing Spurs to win inside the ninety minutes. Alternatively, I might find an internet casino and distract myself from the torture of watching the match and play some roulette or similar!

Although there isn’t much between the two sides as far as their last six games are concerned with Chelsea having taken 8 points to Tottenham’s 7, the Blues definitely come into this match with the upper hand. Chelsea have won two of their last three Premier League games but also have momentum from victories in the Champions League and the FA Cup where striker Fernando Torres rediscovered his scoring touch. If Torres can continue to find the net for the remainder f the season, it will be like having a new signing for Chelsea. Spurs on the other hand look a bit flat and have lost their last three league games. The difficult FA Cup clash with Bolton this past weekend certainly won’t have helped matters.

Spurs do have a chance to pick themselves up on Wednesday night with a home game against Stoke City, while Chelsea travel to the fortress that is the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City. Depending on those two games, there could be a very different feel to Saturday’s match as a win for Spurs and a defeat for Chelsea would give the Tottenham a seven point cushion. As things stand currently however, Chelsea are the strong favourites to take all three points. The Blues were victorious in this fixture by two goals to one last season, and a similar result would not surprise me. I’m hoping Spurs can surprise though and get their season back on track.

Chelsea v Tottenham Head to Head
Chelsea Wins 60
Tottenham Wins 49
Draws 35

Last Season
Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham

Current Form (Last Six Games)
Chelsea DDLWLW
Tottenham WDWLLL

The circumstances surrounding the abandonment of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter final is bound to have some kind of affect on the players but hopefully the positive news regarding Fabrice Muamba in the last couple of days will have gone some way to easing the mental state of the Spurs squad.

While Tottenham might not be on their worst run of the season, they have still only lost one of their last six home games while Stoke have just one win and five defeats from their last six games on the road. Spurs also have a very good record against Stoke in the Premier League, having won five of the last six encounters between the two clubs.

Tottenham v Stoke Head to Head
Tottenham Wins 40
Stoke Wins 23
Draws 18

Last Season
Tottenham 3-2 Stoke

Current Form (Last Six Games)
Tottenham WDWLLL
Stoke LLLWWL

If you fancy a wager on the match, you should check out the Bet365 App and the Mobile Betting Guide.

After a fairly quiet window by their standards – signing trio Yago Falque, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen all on free transfers, let’s take a look at seven players signed for big money during the January period.

7. Andy Reid
Signed from Nottingham Forest for £4 million (2005)

After building a reputation as one of the most talented players outside the Premier League, Reid joined Spurs in a £4 million move in 2005. He impressed on his debut, a 3-1 victory against Portsmouth, but struggled to recapture the form that persuaded Martin Jol to sign him. He made just 26 appearances in 18 frustrating months at White Hart Lane, scoring once in a 5-1 victory against Aston Villa at the end of the 2004-05 campaign. Reid is now back at Forest after spells at Charlton Athletic, Sunderland, Sheffield United and Blackpool.

6. Michael Dawson
Signed from Nottingham Forest for £4 million (2005)

While Reid failed to make an impact at Spurs, Dawson, who joined at the same time, is now in his eighth season at the club. The defender has had mixed fortunes, playing a key role during the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons but then finding himself out of favour when the likes of Jonathan Woodgate arrived in 2008-09 and again when Sebastien Bassong joined in 2009-10. But, it was that season where Dawson really made a name for himself. He found himself back in the side after Woodgate and Ledley King were injured and was named captain when Robbie Keane left for Celtic. He was part of the England’s World Cup squad and was named Spurs Player of the Year. Fast approaching 250 club appearances, Dawson could be remembered as an all-time great.

5. Younes Kaboul
Signed from Portsmouth for £9.5 million (2010)

The first of three players to have been signed, sold and re-signed by Spurs, Kaboul returned to White Hart Lane in 2010. He was said to be a “late developer” by manager Harry Redknapp and that he was “much improved” upon his return to the club. Kaboul was key in the winning goal against Manchester City which secured Champions League football for the first time for Spurs – he crossed in the ball that was parried into the path of scorer Peter Crouch. He later went on to score the winning goal against Arsenal after Spurs trailed 2-0 at half-time.

4. Alan Hutton
Signed from Rangers for £9 million (2008)

Hutton is an example of a big-money signing that didn’t really work out for the club. He was restricted to just 40 appearances during two years at White Hart Lane and was sent out on loan to Sunderland during the 2010 January window. The Black Cats were keen on a permanent deal but were not prepared to pay what Spurs were asking. Hutton joined Aston Villa last summer on a permanent transfer and linked up again with Alex McLeish, his manager at Rangers.

3. Wilson Palacios
Signed from Stoke City for £12 million (2009)

Palacios attracted plenty of attention during his time at Wigan Athletic and he sealed a big-money move during the 2009 transfer window, a period where Spurs were splashing the cash like a “hot tip” fuelled punter at a free bets website. He won Man of the Match in just his second appearance for the club following a battling display in the goalless draw against Arsenal and scored his first goal not just for Spurs, but in English football, against Hull City in August 2009. Palacios was a mainstay in the Spurs midfield during the 2009-10 season but was restricted to just 21 league appearances in the 2010-11 campaign – but made a big contribution to Spurs journey to the quarter finals of the Champions League. He joined Stoke City in a £6 million deal in August 2011.

2. Robbie Keane
Signed from Liverpool for £14 million (2009)

During his first spell at Spurs which lasted six season, Keane scored 107 goals in 254 appearances in all competitions. His move to Liverpool lasted just six months before he returned to White Hart Lane in January 2009. This move prompted an advertisement by Virgin Trains to use the slogan: “A Liverpool to London return faster than Robbie Keane”. He scored four goals in 15 Premier League appearances on his return, including a consolation against Liverpool and six in 20 during the first half of the 2009-10 campaign before joining Celtic on loan in the 2010 January window. Keane then joined West Ham United on loan during the 2011 January window and then Aston Villa on loan during the 2012 window – this time from Los Angeles Galaxy.

1. Jermaine Defoe
Signed from Portsmouth for £15.75 million (2009)
Signed from West Ham United for £7 million (2004)

Jermaine Defoe, Tottenham Hotspur and the January Transfer Window is an irresistible combination and saw big money moves in both the 2004 and 2009 windows. After arriving at White Hart Lane from West Ham United, Defoe scored 64 goals in 177 appearances in all competitions but was sold to Portsmouth during the 2008 January window for £6 million. After just one year at Fratton Park, Defoe rejoined Spurs in a £15.75 million deal and scored against his former employers in a 1-1 draw in 18 January. The striker netted three goals in his first four matches before injury meant for the for the second time under manager Harry Redknapp, Defoe would miss a Wembley final – the FA Cup in 2008 and Carling Cup in 2009. Now in his fourth season since his return, Defoe has scored 48 goals in 106 appearances in all competitions, taking his grand Spurs total to 112 goals in 283 games.

In stark contrast, Harry Redknapp’s reputation continues to thrive not only among Spurs fans, but also football enthusiasts around the globe. Bringing Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor to the club this season only added to what was already an excellent squad of players. Not only have Harry’s player purchases been very astute, he has also helped Gareth Bale become one of the best footballers in the world. He is able to instil a belief in players that Wenger cannot. Another great example of this is Benoit Assou-Ekotto. He was going nowhere fast at Tottenham but Redknapp spotted his potential and gave the former Lens man a chance. Ekotto is now one of the very best left backs the Premier League has to offer.

While the 5-1 cup victory in 2008 was a sign of things to come, the day when the power really shifted in North London was 20th November 2010. Spurs had not won at Arsenal for 17 years. Going 2-0 down before half time would have seen Tottenham sides of old throw the towel in, but this set of players were not prepared to lie down. Winning the game in such a manner gave Spurs a new found confidence and helped enforce the never say die attitude that has seen us become serious title contenders this season.

There are a couple of games during this campaign that really illustrate the difference between the two teams perfectly. Both were defeats, our 2-1 reverse away to Stoke, and Arsenal’s 3-2 loss at Swansea. Admittedly, the game at the Liberty Stadium was very entertaining and all credit to Swansea for playing some great football, but a number of the Arsenal players on that pitch looked like they did not want to be there. It ultimately ended with the man Arsenal fans were hailing as the King a few days earlier, a 34 year old Thierry Henry, turning on them for venting their frustrations.

At Stoke, Spurs were not at their best in the first half. Any team two goals behind at the Britannia Stadium would probably have resigned themselves to defeat. In the end, it was only one of the worst refereeing performances in Premier League history that cost us all three points. Every Spurs player gave their all in that second half to try and get something from the game and even though we lost the match, it is possibly my favourite Tottenham performance of the season. It goes a long way to showing why Tottenham are now the dominant team in North London and why you’d better mind that gap.

Jermain Defoe Blonde

Even the bookies are starting to take our league form seriously as you can now see quotes as short as 8/1 for Tottenham to win this season’s title. I still personally think we have to much to do to overhaul Man City and I’m sure Utd will bounce back after two straight defeats but what has really impressed me this season is our winning mentality. The game against West Brom this past Tuesday night really illustrates that fact. Roy Hodgson had a few injuries to key players and basically set up his team to take a point. They were very hard to break down and until Sisqo scored, it was looking like being one of those nights. In season’s gone by, that is the sort of game we would have ended up losing through a lack of concentration or determination but Harry now appears to have the players instilled with a belief that they can win every game, no matter the circumstances.

Some fans were saying the point against Swansea was a disappointing result but I definitely would have taken a draw before the game. Only one team has managed to go to the Liberty Stadium and win this season and when you consider it was our third game in quick succession, avoiding defeat was a good result. The performance against Norwich was sublime and Gareth Bale showed once again why he is one of the very best players in the Premier League. While one of the positives of us not being involved in the Champions League this season is our excellent domestic form, Bale not being able to show what he is capable of against the European elite is certainly a negative.

Now the January transfer window is upon us, I expect to see Spurs linked with the usual infinite fictional targets. Samba and Cahill are the most realistic names for me but with Dawson apparently set to start against Cheltenham, our centre back injury problems are easing slightly. A number of my close friends are Millwall fans, so it’s nice to see a couple of our younger players being loaned to the Lions. Hopefully it will be a win win situation, with Ryan Mason and Harry Kane getting some much needed first team action, while also helping Millwall stay in the Championship.

This could well be the key month as far as our title hopes are concerned. Homes games against Everton, Wolves and Wigan with a trip to Man City in there for good measure. City have tough Cup games against Man Utd and Liverpool which could well work in our favour. Is January 2012 going to be the month when Tottenham actually sit on top the Premier League? I bloody hope so!

I had to come up with three transfer targets for a piece I was writing for the Metro this week and while I found it hard to think of any players that would better what we already have at the club, a new left back was certainly not on my mind. Carlos Tevez was however and while I knew it was a massively long shot, I didn’t expect Milan to say they were having a nice little chat with him an hour later. I might have to re write that now eh?! Maybe we could do with a top class centre half the right side of 30 to cover our hugely talented but equally injury prone mob. Christopher Samba was my weapon of choice but Gary Cahill would suffice. Oh and I like the look of a chap by the name of Fernando Llorente. Scores for fun if you’re reading Harry, he’d be worth a little bid in Jan.

I’m doing the Paddy Power podcast tonight, it revolves around Spurs and betting, the only two things I know much about…arguably anyway. Spurs’ chances of winning the title is the theme I believe. I feel their quote of 16/1 is on the stingy side, but we are less than half the odds of Arsenal so maybe Paddy has got it about right.

You can listen to my Clive Allen interview at The Fighting Cock website. I couldn’t work out the uploading procedure properly. I will at some point learn how to do it, but at the time I was busy trying to volumise my hair to Assou-Ekotto proportions before visiting my local satay house….

When I arrived at the ground, I met up with an Irish chap called Dave who was doing the PR for the event. Nice bloke who I got the distinct impression was a big Liam Gallagher fan. Along with Dave were Ricky and Flav who are two of the guys from the excellent Fighting Cock podcast. After a bit of small talk, we quickly bonded over our mutual love of Spurs, hatred of Arsenal, and childish sense of humours. Although to be honest, I think they were just were just interested in stealing the questions I’d prepared for Clive Allen as the only one they had come up with was ‘Clive, what do actually do at Spurs?’.

After some impressive keep ball from the Legends during the first ten minutes, Ivory FC took a shock lead. Rob Lee had the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot but put the ball wide. At least I think it was Rob Lee, he looked a lot like Philip Schofield. You can see the video of that miss here. Although you might find the physique of the Ivory FC goalkeeper rather amusing, he made some cracking saves during the game and was arguably better than his opposite number Ian Walker, who still had blond curtains in case you’re interested.

Unfortunately, Clive Allen came off injured early in the first half but it did mean we were able to get out of the cold early in the second half and into a room full of sandwiches to fire questions at the former NFL Europe star. Before we got under-way, an issue arose about us not being able to ask Mr Allen any questions relating to the current Tottenham set up without clearance from the Spurs Press Office. Our super camp friend from Football Fancast completely ignored that and proceeded to ask him two completely unsuitable questions. I’m glad we let him go first because it made us seem much more professional and totally not gay. It turned out ‘The Press’ that I’d heard referred to all day was actually the four of us and considering we had to try and avoid anything too Tottenhamy, I think we did a bloody good job.

Other highlights included Terry Venables wandering round looking like a gangster, Ian Walker ghost handing everyone that wanted photo’s with him and a sense of relief when I arrived home to find out that former Norwich City manager Mike Walker was alive and well. Flav misinformed me that he was brown bread and while I was unsure, I wasn’t brave enough to ask Ian if his dad was still with us.

I was also on with Ian Wright on Saturday afternoon, the Podcast is available here. My excellent segment starts at around the 33 minute mark. It’s not actually that excellent, or an official segment. http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/podcasts/Ian-Wright-on-Absolute-Radio/2011-11-26/

I’m just waiting on the audio from the Clive Allen interview, I’ll post it shortly.

Should probably also mention the Legends lost 2-1. In their defence, I do think the Ivory FC keeper was wearing a fat suit and a few of their players were brought in by El Tel from Argentina or somewhere equally exotic.

Int: So, Harry, tough trip on Saturday, how’s the squad looking?

HR: Yeah, fine. Raffers, he’s the biggest doubt, he’s got a bit of a hamstring, he did it playing for Holland. Surprised us that he was fit to play the other day really, he did well to back fit enough to start, but after about 65 minutes he felt it, a couple of twinges. Felt he was okay, came back yesterday and felt it again yesterday, so he’s struggling a little bit. And Jermain has got a bit of a groin strain so we’ll have to see how he is.

Int: Tell us about the impact that Adebayor and Parker have had on this squad. Is this the best squad you’re had in your time here?

HR: Well it’s a good squad of players for sure, we’ve got some real… I think we’ve got some outstanding players, you know, it’s got a good balance to it. You know, the players we’ve signed in the last year or a couple of years, people like Walker’s come in now and really been looking a fantastic young right-back, you know. Kaboul is playing like the player that I felt he could be when I took him to -Portsmouth and then brought him back here, he’s in great form. Obviously Ledley’s been key at the back as well I think, you know, get Ledley back in. Lost Michael Dawson, who was fantastic for us, but lucky enough Ledley’s been fit. You’ve got people like Gallas waiting to play. It’s a good squad, you know, and it’s a good group of players. Sandro’s a fantastic player, can’t get in the team at the moment. So, you know, we’ve got Premier strength in depth.

Int: Do you have transfer plans for January, or is that too far away?

HR: Not really, I haven’t got anybody I could stand here and say ‘Yeah, we want to get him’. It’s so difficult, where do you play them? You’ve got people, like I say, like Sandro can’t get in the mid-field, he’s in the Brazilian team, so it’s not easy. There’s no one out there I could look at and say… I mean, there’s players but you’re not going to get them, the top players, but I don’t really see where I’m going to improve us too much with the players that might be available.

Int: Reports this morning of David Beckham possibly signing a deal with PSG, is that a player who you’d have like to bring to White Hart Lane?

HR: Well I enjoyed having David here, you know, when he came and trained, and he’s a fantastic professional, great buy, but again it would be difficult, I couldn’t bring David in and say ‘Well you’re going to play every week’ because it would be difficult, you know. I’ve got Aaron Lennon playing well, we’re not short there really, so it would be a problem. Listen, wherever David goes he’ll do well because he’s a top class bloke.

Int: Do you look at Chelsea and the way they’re struggling as a team that perhaps you could replace in the top four, or are they too strong to play this badly for this long?

HR: No, I think Chelsea will turn the corner, you know, they’ll get it right. They’ve got great characters there I think, you know, players that have been there and done it all, won it all, and it’s only a matter of time before they go on a run and pull themselves up the table. At the moment, for the first time in a good number of years, they’re struggling a bit, but I certainly wouldn’t write them off, and I think the young manager will sort it out there and get them going.

Int: Tottenham are priced at 100/1 to win the League, is that worth a few quid?

HR: No, I wouldn’t, no. No, I’d be quite happy for us just to win it, you know, but it would take it, that’s the odds, that’s a realistic figure, but we are probably, 66/1 or whatever the bookies make you, they’re not going to give you them odds if they really think that you’ve got a chance of taking their money. So it would be difficult, but, as I’ve said 10 times just now, it’s not impossible. It’s unlikely, but it’s not impossible.

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