1 Chelsea 16 23 39
2 Man City 16 19 36
3 Man Utd 16 12 31
4 West Ham 16 8 28
5 Southampton 16 12 26
6 Arsenal 16 9 26
7 Newcastle 16 -4 23
8 Swansea 15 3 22
9 Liverpool 16 -3 21
10 Tottenham 15 -3 21

I generally like speaking to football fans. Proper ones, who know about football. Not necessarily West Ham fans, who thrive on gloating and hatred, but real devotees who understand the nuance and politics and technicalities and subtleties of the game we all love.

And the consensus among these fans, genuinely speaking without point-scoring is: something’s not working at Spurs.

The question is: what is that ‘something’?

And how far is ‘something’ from ‘everything’

Obviously the whole team, but what is the cause of the malaise? And why can no-one within an organisation with a multi-multi-million pound turnover, work out why? Or rectify it. Make it better. Or make it go away, as most Spurs fans feel at present.

This afternoon we play Swansea at the Liberty. And we’ll pick a team that may (Everton, Arsenal) work, or may not (Crystal Palace, West Brom, Newcastle and too many others to list). It seems fairly random. Were it up to me I’d put a bunch of our home-grown kids in the team on the basis that they could really do no worse than our current ‘stars’. But allegedly, Daniel Levy and Damien Comolli will not allow that, as the stars cost so much money.

And therein lies the root of the malaise; that Pottechino is not allowed to pick ‘his’ best team because we have an interfering chairman and fucking useless ‘director of football’ who must at all times have the final word. Thus taking any autonomy away from the manager, reducing his power and yet leaving him to take the full flack from the press. He did a wonderful job at Southampton last year, which is why we spent millions terminating several contracts and paying off new ones in order to get him.

THEN LET HIM FUCKING MANAGE, is what I’d like to say to Messrs Levy and Comolli. Though really, I’d like Comolli gone. He is soooo surplus to our requirements and does way more harm than good.

With Man United’s continuing resurgence, the top 3 places in the table look pretty much sorted. Which makes the fight for that most precious of 4th slots all the more important.

West Ham won’t last, of that there is no doubt. Southampton, Swansea, punching well above their weight and again, it will end. Newcastle are running on vapour and Liverpool are the only team to currently makes Spurs’ spending and playing policy look good. Which leaves Spurs and Arsenal. And quite frankly, after the Goons struggled last night to thrash the Geordies 4-1, I think 4th slot is ours for the taking.

We just need to win.

NOW.

Happy Sunday? Ask me in 2 hours

A xxxx