Spurs

[Scott Brehaut]

After winning tonight they are level on points with Man U and three behind City.

What do people think the chances are of Spurs maintaining their title challenge?

[Southampton Gull]

Absolutely love watching them play. Never been a fan of them as a club but really admire the football they've been playing the last few seasons. I'm not sure they can cope a whole season at the very very top but it would be refreshing if they could. I absolutely detest the Chelski's and Abu Dhabi City's of this world so would love to see them do it.

[Scott Brehaut]

Yeah, there is something refreshing about the way they play.
Eight clean sheets this season, which is the same amount they kept in the whole of last season.

I would love to see them maintain this run, and I think in Harry they have as good a manager as any, for all his twitching and (alleged) tax dodging

[stevegull]

I think a lot of the neutrals would like to see them do well.

They play football the right way and they are steadily building into a top side. Rather than just buying a team an 11 year old would buy if he was given £200 million to spend.

Also, did any of you hear those comments from Mancini in midweek, where he claimed his squad wasn't big enough? He's living in a different world!

[AustrianAndyGull]

I don't see why they can't. I don't personally think they will though as they can be a bit erratic away from home but they have sorted this out this season to some degree. If they can keep the consistency of beating lower half teams away instead of dropping points then yes, they can do it. I don't want to write off Man Utd as Fergie has seen it all and done it all a million times but IMO they have looked really, really poor on many occasions this season. Those last minute equalisers / winners which they are famed for aren't coming any more and Rooney isn't worthy of being compared to Messi let alone be labelled a world class player. One great game every six or so is not my idea of world class. Man City can disappoint on occasions but their squad is so strong that they have to be favourites. Man City for me with Spurs in second. Agree Scott, Harry is a great manager, real old school but has moved with the times. Shame is son is a bit of a girl though with an obsession for foundation and excruciatingly tight fitting suits AND even more excruciatingly morose punditry.

[stevegull]

I don't see why they can't. I don't personally think they will though as they can be a bit erratic away from home but they have sorted this out this season to some degree. If they can keep the consistency of beating lower half teams away instead of dropping points then yes, they can do it. I don't want to write off Man Utd as Fergie has seen it all and done it all a million times but IMO they have looked really, really poor on many occasions this season. Those last minute equalisers / winners which they are famed for aren't coming any more and Rooney isn't worthy of being compared to Messi let alone be labelled a world class player. One great game every six or so is not my idea of world class. Man City can disappoint on occasions but their squad is so strong that they have to be favourites. Man City for me with Spurs in second. Agree Scott, Harry is a great manager, real old school but has moved with the times. Shame is son is a bit of a girl though with an obsession for foundation and excruciatingly tight fitting suits AND even more excruciatingly morose punditry.

Rooney has never got back to that Euro 2004 player we all saw. His passion and endeavour has been coached out of him.

[Gulliball]

Rooney has never got back to that Euro 2004 player we all saw. His passion and endeavour has been coached out of him.

This is an absolute pet hate of mine. What on earth is "passion" on a football pitch?

The countries that are better than us at football are better than us because they produce better footballers than we do. Spain could probably field 4 sides that would beat the best England has to offer.

Very slowly we're starting to realise this and change the way we bring through youngsters, reducing the sizes of pitch so that the emphasis is on skill, movement and technique rather than pace and power. In no other country in the world would "passion" be something they want in a footballer.

It's cliched rubbish, on a par with the stories we get every 4 years about players singing the national anthem.

[Southampton Gull]

It's cliched rubbish, on a par with the stories we get every 4 years about players singing the national anthem.

That comes under pride and I have no doubt whatsoever that the majority of our players have less pride in playing for their country than a lot of other nationalities. Don't confuse pride with passion.

[Gulliball]

I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that at all. The correlation between success on the pitch and singing the national anthem is zero. They're two totally seperate issues. You could select the 11 proudest men in the country, but if they're not good enough footballers then they won't win anything.

Whether Man City or Man Utd win the league, it will be a team of 11 mercenaries there for the money. The squad at Norwich will have much more pride in their club having come up together and having a closer connection with the fans, but Man City will finish 1st and Norwich somewhere near the bottom.

If the same footballers that played in the last world cup replayed the tournament again, but with everybody singing the national anthem, then the results would be exactly the same. We'd still have lost to Germany, because they're a much better side.

[Southampton Gull]

How does your argument have any bearing on what I said?

[cambgull]

I'm not so sure Gullible, I think that passion breeds determination and determination mixed with ability means winning and goals and such-like.

Our best players are not good enough to win England a world cup purely based on skill, the only way we have any chance is when the players are so determined to win that they will throw their bodies on the line to win. You only have to look at Uruguay in the last world cup to see that.

[tktufc91]

Before I supported Torquay, I was a keen follower of Spurs (and still am) mainly because my dad supported them. Some of the football they have Played this season has been different class.

February will be the month where Spurs title credentials will be tested. I think they play Liverpool and Arsenal away and play Newcastle and Man U at home.

[happytorq]

I still don't buy this "Harry Redknapp is a great manager" stuff. He's fairly competent, true, but tactically he's pretty limited and some of his purchases have been....highly dubious, at best. (although I thought Pavlyuchenko was a great buy at the time, heh).

I don't dislike Spurs; I'd like to see them do well just to make the Prem a little bit more interesting, although I do find it odd that they're so quick to laugh at Arsenal when the Gooners were the team on top (for about 15-20 years) until very recently,

[Gulliball]

How does your argument have any bearing on what I said?

From your initial post, I took it that you were saying that 'pride' makes a difference to a players performance, which I don't believe is true at all.

[Southampton Gull]

No mate, I was distinguishing between passion and pride, not the end product.