Bill Shankly, the former Liverpool manager, once remarked that Tottenham is not a club which wins trophies, it loses them. Harsh but fair. Since their last title 50 years ago, Spurs have won the F.A. Cup five times, the League Cup four times, two UEFA Cups and one European Cup Winners' Cup, a poor return for a club of its stature.
There is guarded optimism at White Hart Lane that the glory days could soon return. Spurs are seven points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, playing the most exciting football in the Premier League. Harry Redknapp is the people's choice to succeed Fabio Capello, but realistically he knows England is unlikely to win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. At Spurs, if he can keep the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric he has an excellent chance of success at club level.
In the 2-0 win at Norwich in midweek, Spurs played some stunning attacking football coupled with a tactical adaptability that Redknapp is not always credited for. When right winger Aaron Lennon is fit, Spurs use a 4-4-1-1 formation, their midfield quartet of Lennon, Scott Parker, Modric and Bale a mixture of pace, power and precise passing. In front of them, Rafael van der Vaart plays just behind Emmanuel Adebayor, the pair scoring a combined 15 league goals.