Tottenham want to be considered a 'top-four' club so the plans for their new stadium are definitely a step in the right direction.
Spurs will rightly assess their progress by their performances against the Premier League's top sides but that is not the whole story; if you want to be considered alongside the best you have to have a ground that measures up too.
Points to prove: Redknapp is aiming to finish above Arsenal in Premier League
Chelsea's ground may not be big enough but it still holds over 42,000 so White Hart Lane's capacity of 36,000 or so simply isn't sufficient.
Moving from Highbury to the Emirates has made a huge difference to the way Arsenal go about things and Spurs could do a lot worse than follow the example set by their North London rivals.
If you are going to build a stadium then you have to make sure you have a team that's good enough to continue to attract supporters - old and new. That's the only way to go.
It's no surprise that Harry's got Spurs playing with a confidence and a swagger and a belief that they didn't have 12 months ago.
Andy Gray
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Arsenal v Tottenham
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Arsenal laid out a huge amount of money on their stadium but they were confident they could fill it and had a team that was good enough to give them longevity in that respect. And that's what's happened.
Tottenham should be saying 'we need to build this stadium, we need to fill it, so that means we need a top team, full of top players' and back it up with a sound financial plan.
Experience
In Harry Redknapp they have the right man at the helm. Daniel Levy says appointing Harry was the best decision he's made as chairman - and I'm not going to disagree with him!
I don't think Tottenham were as bad as their position indicated this time last year. They were a bunch of very good players who were suffering from a huge lack in confidence and who had a manager they couldn't really communicate with.
Daniel Levy gave them an English-speaking manager who knows the game, knows a player when he sees one and has massive experience.
It's no surprise that Harry's got them playing with a confidence and a swagger and a belief that they didn't have 12 months ago.
When Harry got the offer he must have thought 'wow - what an opportunity for me to manage at a really big club that has a few bob to spend'.
He's certainly got the best out of Jermain Defoe and the banned striker will be missed on Saturday. There are those players who enjoy playing for a certain manager and Jermain is one of those. He enjoyed playing for Harry at Portsmouth - he really gave him his head and encouraged him to play.
Jermain knew he was going to be picked pretty much every week and the same is true now at Tottenham. When as a player you have a manager who believes in you and you know it, it helps unbelievably to give you a swagger about your play.
Can Harry do the same for David Bentley? I don't know. David is a disappointment as things stand, in my opinion. At Blackburn he showed us exactly what he was, which is a really talented footballer, who had a chance of playing at the highest level consistently but he's lost his way.
Whether it's down to the bright lights of London or whether he is not focused enough on his sport, I don't know, but he's a bigger and better player than the one we are seeing at the moment.
He had a fabulous opportunity when Luka Modric got injured to put himself in the spotlight and nail down a spot on that left side but he hasn't. Yes, David has talent but he wouldn't be the first player with talent to underachieve if he doesn't get it back. I sincerely hope that he does. He's just lost his way.
Balance
There's been plenty of talk about player behaviour this week and in one interview Peter Crouch revealed Harry has clamped down on the amount his players go out. If Harry has gone down that road - or adopted a zero tolerance policy - then that's his prerogative.
There's a balance between treating players like adults and treating them like children. Should players be allowed to go out and let their hair down at times? Absolutely. I don't see what's wrong with that or how you would restrict that.
Players are human beings - they like to go out for dinner with their partners or their mates of a weekend when they haven't got a fixture. I also believe that they shouldn't be getting into trouble and getting their pictures in the paper for the wrong reasons.
The right reason is results on the pitch and I think Spurs, like several teams, have a shot at qualifying for Champions League football this year because the 'big four' are not going to have things all their own way this season.
If Spurs - or Manchester City and Aston Villa - have the belief to put a run together then they are in with a shout, particularly given the way Liverpool have started.
Tottenham might have more experience in their squad than Arsenal but I don't agree with Robbie Keane's view that they have greater depth.
After looking at the Arsenal side that played Liverpool in the Carling Cup this week, I think they have a really good squad there. It may be a young squad but it has depth.
Arsene Wenger has repeatedly said 'I don't need to buy players - can't you see why?' and the 2-1 win at the Emirates underlined that.
Arsenal are unbeaten in the league at home so Harry does face a tough challenge. But all Spurs have to do is think back to last year when they were heading for an embarrassing defeat and suddenly the whole game turned on its head in the last few minutes.
If we get a game that's half as good as that one on Saturday then we will be very lucky.
Comments (12)
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Mark Cooper (Arsenal fan) says...
How can spurs fans honestley think that they are a top four side. I watched the game on saturday and the quality of the arsenal team compaired to spurs was apparent. Spurs game plan was when they got the ball launch it up to crouch with keane and jenas or whoever getting the knockdowns.They clearly miss Defoe and Lennon only two players so how can Keane say they have a stronger squad.
Posted 08:24 5th November 2009
Mr Jagdev (Arsenal fan) says...
How exactly do Spurs have more experience in their squad? Every Arsenal player has represented his country at International level,some at under 18's,19's level etc.Nearly all have Champions league experience.They've only ever experienced finishing in the top four of one of toughest leagues in the world. I could go on by making ref. to our superb efforts in the champs league last year and so far this season or our semi final in the carling cup with our youth team but I think my points pretty clear now... It goes without saying that winning the Carling Cup is a huge achievement,especially for a club at Spurs' level!However any experience gained from that is only comparable with Arsenal's second team,which is mostly made up of teenagers. Not quite sure how anyone can suggest spurs have more experience then Arsenal.One of the most laughable comments i've read in a while.
Posted 09:42 1st November 2009
Cathy Ross (Arsenal fan) says...
Well done to the "young under experienced team" Don't write us of yet Mr Gray. Arsenal have alot of young talent yes we could do with some older and experienced players but at the end of the day it's Arsen who makes the decissions and it shows that he has faith in his team.
Posted 14:31 31st October 2009
Tony Dean (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
This game is going to be a cracker, im not going to get all biased and say we are goig to win it but we have a good chance to do so. Arsenal are a good team not great, not as great as they were when Henry was playing for them and Vieira just to name a few! With Lennon, Defoe and Woody out we are going to struggle. Top four? why not? Liverpool are not firing this season at all, and i have serious reservations about Man City, but the final season table will tell us what we need to know. Come on you Spurs.
Posted 11:30 31st October 2009
Luke Brobyn (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
Today's match will be the true test if we can nick 4th spot. I have to agree on the bentley issue, he has lost his way and needs to knuckle down, rememeber his love of the game and not the media coverage.
Posted 11:16 31st October 2009
Craig Bland (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
I totally agree with Andy about Bentley losing his way, but i dont think this is down to "the bright lights of London". When Bentley was at Blackburn he was just one of a handful of top players, arguably there best, but now at Spurs he is just one of many. For many years the media has touted him as "the new Beckham" and that is not the case, he is in his own right a quality player and does not need to try and match/copy what Beckham has done. It has also not helped his case that Lennon has improved, and been in fantastic form this season, but with a bit of luck this time he will get his head down, concentrate on his football and take this rare chance he's been given. I also think Spurs have something that Arsenal do not going into tomorrows game, fighting English spirit! Yes, Arsenal have the best youth players in the league and some exciting foreign talent, but how many of them understand the importance and history of this famous fixture?? How many have the battling spirit to give it there all over 90mins or until they cannot physically continue?? In my eyes, from what we learnt in last seasons game, not many!! I'm not convinced Spurs will finish in the top four this season but i know that the next few years we will become one of the regular big teams. The plans for the new stadium look fantastic, with seating closer to the pitch than any other modern day ground and with acoustic arrangements to rebound the crowd noise back onto the pitch it will be a much feared place to come! All in all with Redknapp at the helm, and life long fan, levy in charge i think there's some exciting times ahead for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and all its supporters!!
Posted 03:32 31st October 2009
Stamford Guna (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
sure spurs has it to take them into top four.They just have to believe in themself and every player should give their hundred percent on the pitch.then results will come.When playing top teams they must be more agresive and quicker in their passing and attacking..Harry rednapp must buy world class defenders,and not depent all the time on injury prone defenders.buck up spurs.our glory days will be back under harry rednapp.
Posted 00:43 31st October 2009
Andy Kendog (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
I honestly believe that the big four will be the top four come the end of this season. I'm getting tired (even though i'm a spurs fan) of the hype surrounding our potential, with players claiming we can break into this and that, win cups and even challenge for the league eventually. Lets start consistently meeting our goals before we get excited just because we've spent a few million (as always) and have strung a few decent results together. At the end of the day we have to start beating the big boys to start competing with the big boys. The main talent of these spurs players and coaching staff is football. So less speeches on breaking into the big four, and more results that make us part of the top four!!
Posted 19:09 30th October 2009
Chibu Akin (Arsenal fan) says...
I think harry has done a good job by bringing spurs to the position they are today. it's all looking juicy, but trust spurs, when the real premiership start they will surely go back to where they belong. i strongly support the argument that some teams are in the premiership to win it, some play for champion league place, some play to maintain their premiership status while some play to avoid relegation. Spurs with all the money they invest yearly on players alone, i think is enough to play for that trophy and not play to overtake a neighboring team. believe it or not spurs have an edge over arsenal but they lack the know-how.
Posted 18:38 30th October 2009
Pelmel Bonda (Arsenal fan) says...
I like the part that Andy has brought out concerning Bentlley. He is a good player no doubt, but that has gotten to his head too much that he thinks every other individual should see it. The truth is, he has misplaced his priorities somehow. He did too much talking than playing to a extent where he thought the media has done it for him on the pitch even at England level during the Steve McLaren regime. Lost it! Much as Redknap has a rejuvenated Spurs, there is still a lot of effort to be made to really beat us at home. The possibility is there yes, but the reality is that Arsenal will not squander that chance especially after throwing away two points at Upton Park. Relying on Keane and Crouch is not gonna win them games, these are not consistent players though experienced. That's one thing that will kill them esp. after losing Modrich. Pavlychenko is good but not good enough because he has been out of the game for sometime to play well in this league. All in all, Arsenal is winning this game although I have always thought we need an anchor in Song's position and a killer top man to partner Van Persie. The rest we are done! " Once a gunner, always one!"
Posted 18:15 30th October 2009
11gunners Admin (Arsenal fan) says...
this arsenal is squad is much much better than this spurs side. true that they have improved a lot since last season but so have we. and as far as depth is concerned. some please show him Merida's tapes when he brushed Liverpool aside. this arsenal just lacks a quality defensive midfield. nothing else....
Posted 17:28 30th October 2009
Antony Brisden (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
Being a Spurs fan I've got to be honest and say a top four finish for us is sadly not going to happen soon. I think Harry is a great manager, and great guy but honestly can't see him getting us a top four place. The top four are there on merit and large bank accounts. United & Chelsea are the best two teams in the league, with Liverpool & Arsenal third & forth. I'd love to topple the gunners and nick a champions league spot, but realistically our squad isn't good enough. Harry does a good job with the players & funds he has, but his buys are always not quite what it takes to push that bit further. Don't get me wrong he's a top bloke, but I think he plays safe with buys and doesn't take many risks, plus we don't get a bit influx of players from the youth system with Harry, unlike Sir Alex & Wenger. But I can't complain, at least we're in a better position than recent years and there's always the cups! come on you spurs
Posted 17:21 30th October 2009
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