NEWCASTLE AWAY

Poor old Harry. Mugged by a brood of trouser-tugging Spanish thieves while his best mate stood by, either terrified or in on the plot. And worse, it seemed like an utterly pointless trip. If you know Diego Forlan's on £100,000+, and you're aware Levy won't stretch to that, why waste a jolly on a Spanish Cup game? We've not got long before January's done and we're into battle with three strikers he's more than happy to flog and another without a league goal.

And it'll be a right old battle today. Andy Carroll's absence is a decent fillip, mainly because you'd like to think the happily married Gallas-Dawsons could handle Ameobi's presence, Best's half-decent form and Lovenkrands' veteran wiles. Plus, Younes Kaboul's least favourite footballer, Chiek Tiote, also sits out through suspension. Karma perhaps after shamelessly kicking our boys for 90 minutes at Christmas. But despite those two key omissions, Newcastle will fight, scrap and be ferociously roared on in the type of away challenge we often shirk. Not today, please Tottenham. We need a Villa away-shaped show of strength and some ruthlessness.

With my new favourite player (read this) reportedly crocked today, we might see our new No40 from the start, with Bale replacing Benny at left-back. It'd be interesting to see how Bale handles life back in his less glamorous origins, but faced with a wandering Joey Barton at right wing, he wouldn't exactly be facing a Nani or Walcott down there. Plus, Pienaar might just freshen things up. Remember, Van der Vaart and Gallas aside (both or whom have faced various absences), this team hasn't had any reinforcements for a while. The South African's directness could spark fresh drive, not to mention some renewed determination by some potentially threatened by his arrival (that's you, Aaron). Also, Bale and Pienaar bombing down a wing together does sound incredibly appealing.

Jermaine Jenas' unlikely evolution into fan's choice will be tested against his old club today, should Wilson's injury prove serious. Away from White Hart Lane's unforgiving standards, Palacios is less edgy, but I've been clamouring for a Jenas-Modric partnership since JJ improbably reinvented himself as our Player Most Likely To Win A Slide Tackle. He commonly endures stinkers up against the jeering St James' mob (remember that open goal miss a few years ago), and it'd be a lovely day to shut 'em up.

PREDICTION: You scan the two potential line-ups today, and quickly realise we have to win this one. Chelsea go away to Bolton on monday and we need them back in fifth and bloody edgy. Whoever plays up front today with Rafa (I personally want the VdV-Defoe Tiny Man Axis given a shot. Let us see if we really can become the Homeless Man's Barcelona) has got to score, particularly if our 11 goal midfielder is sat back guarding the right wing today. And I'm going to be confident. I think we'll win 0-2. Rafa and Defoe please, football Gods.

Any predictions? Leave them below.

THE WEAK LINKS

There was one good bit on Sunday. With about 20 minutes left, Patrice Evra desperately hooked a ball clear and his punt only found the unopposed Dawson-Gallas wall. We were 0-0 against Manchester United with plenty of time left and they didn't have one man up front. And for some reason, I felt very proud. Spurs will probably always go to Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge a bit petrified, but at home and with all our best players, we really can go toe-to-toe with anyone these days. They're just as frightened of us as we are them. But of course, we've still got a few weak links...

PETER CROUCH 

"He serves a purpose. You just have to accept his limitations." I've defended him with this lily-livered excuse throughout the season. And yes, yes, he's made six or seven of Rafa's goals. But enough's enough. He's scored one league goal in a team with Modric, Van der Vaart, Bale and Lennon providing the bullets. He can't shoot accurately from anywhere beyond six yards. I'm starting to get really irritated by that goofy "Oh God, I've missed another one!" smile smacked across his chops everytime he guides a header wide. And when he starts, we're reliant on magic from Van der Vaart or Bale for goals. 

You can't operate as a top four side without a confidence that your only proper striker is reliable for a goal every other game. Games like Sunday, against defenders of Vidic and Ferdinand's proficiency and steel, require a physical striking force. Don't possess that? Then you better be a deadly goal poacher. Peter's neither any more. Premier League defenders have him sussed. It might be time to replace Darren Bent up in Sunderland, Crouchy. 

Disturbingly, Andy Carroll is looking the perfect fit for this team, but right now, I'd settle for grudgingly handing Sevilla full whack for 30-year-old Luis Fabiano and forgetting all about the moody bastard's total disinterest in us last summer.

ALAN HUTTON

He's certainly better. Two Hutton moments in particular highlight his improvement. His cool, measured cross for Crouchy's early effort against United was light years away from that panicked attempt at a cross which ballooned over the bar in the Inter home game. However, I still don't think he's good enough for this team. Despite a consistent run of games together, he and Lennon have failed to strike anything up, to the point where Aaron and Charlie's previous relationship looks telepathic. For every slaloming run, there's a couple of wayward dribbles that gifts possession back to the opposition, he's not a streetwise, hungry defender, and he has a nasty habit of not bothering to block crosses. Villa's current star man Kyle Walker might be Stephen Carr's true right-back heir next season. Oh, who am I kidding. We'll sign Glen Johnson eventually.

BENOIT ASSOU-EKOTTO

Now, I'm a staunch BAE apologist. I was oddly livid when Alan Hansen stuck the boot in after the Everton game (the Cliffs Notes: "Can't defend and not much better going forward") and I've argued before he's one of the division's most underappreciated footballers. And his partnership with Bale is invaluable, too. But it's his ability that makes his failings all the more irritating. He just doesn't really give a shit. 

Granted, he freely admits his lack of passion - remember, this is the guy who Redknapp admitted doesn't know Tottenham's opposition until he turns up at the stadium - but that doesn't really make it more palatable. When he's on form and the team's playing well, his breezy attitude isn't a concern: his ridiculous penalty area risks come off, we all sigh, "Oh, Benny!" and cast him as this team's cult hero. But when things fall flat, the team's conceded at home and he's attempting nutmegs when a Michael Dawson hoof is required... Well, the fact he's not willing to put in an extra 10 per cent starts to annoy a bit. Care more, Benny! You'd be amazing if you could generate some interest in the game that pays you thousands a week! And we wouldn't have to consider Gareth Bale at left-back...
 

WILSON PALACIOS

Poor old Wilson. His travails have been well documented on this blog, and there have been a few signs that he's returning to something resembling the rugged, coat hanger-shouldered midfield warrior we all fell for. But we've outgrown Wilson's primal abilities. Lassana Diarra can get about the pitch and kick people. But he can also spray a pass 25 yards and won't feebly concede possession in the centre circle five times per half. Our gaudy midfield deserves some high level protection. And Wilson simply fails to offer a premium service. 

HEURELHO GOMES

Slightly controversial, perhaps. But I'm getting a bit fed up of him now. It's a bit like ditching a hot-but-poisonous girlfriend. I feel ready to settle. I want my goalkeeper to offer reassurance, not fleeting thrills. Every time my phone beeps/cross comes in, I'd like to feel calm, not endure momentary panic. Mark my words: he's got something really stupid in his locker. And it's coming.

Am I being entirely unfair? Or not harsh enough? Who else isn't up to scratch?

EMPLOYEE No40

My good friend Chris Thomas (follow him on Twitter here) very kindly wrote the blog a little piece on Steven Pienaar. And it's my pleasure to put it up... 

PIENAAR: WHERE WILL HE FIT?
"So, after all the to-ing and fro-ing - and an apparent last-minute attempt to hijack the deal by our favourite west London rivals - Steven Pienaar is on his way to the Lane.
The South African international announced on his official Twitter account (@therealstevenpi): "To end speculation I am going to Spurs. I've had brilliant years at Everton and it will always be a special place in my heart."
As mentioned already on these blog pages, the deal is an astute one by Harry Redknapp as he seeks the top-quality midfield support that the likes of David Bentley, Niko Krancjar and Jamie O'Hara just aren't capable of providing.
However, one Everton fan warns us that his best may be behind him: What Spurs fans can expect from Pienaar: an Evertonian's view.
A lot of attention has been placed on Pienaar's to "offer something different" to the speedster tendencies of Messrs Lennon and Bale, but nobody has yet raised the possibility of him being a first-team regular.
Now, don't get me wrong - Bale and Lennon have both been in decent form this year (although non-believers will continue - unfairly - to use the Inter games as benchmark for our favourite Welshman), and nor would I necessarily call for either of them to be dropped. But...
... it's long been said by Redknapp that he sees Bale's long-term future at left-back; so could we see Bale move back into defence and Pienaar slot in on the left side of midfield?
Personally, I'm not convinced of Bale's defensive qualities as yet and think this "threat from deep" propaganda is something of a fallacy. And I'm certainly not in the camp of a certain Mr Alan Hansen who has bizarrely insisted on chastising the criminally under-rated Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
However, I (despite my long-held wishes) am not the manager, and it will be interesting to see when - not if - our esteemed leader trials a Bale-Pienaar double act on the left.
Although I like watching (albeit sometimes through my fingers) the almost Kamikaze set-up to our XI, I can't help but feel a Lennon-Modric-Jenas-Pienaar midfield could be one that allows Modric even more freedom to join the dots in the final third.
All in all, I see it as a solid, sensible transfer-window signing... with bigger (and better) names to come in the summer. COYS."

JANUARY

Some clubs allow January to waft on through, content with their lot and ignoring the tabloid pressure for knee-jerk reinforcements. Alternatively, there's the Spurs way. Which this January involves harbouring the world's most famous footballer on a glorified work experience scheme, frothing up the nation with plans to knock down the Olympic Stadium seconds after 2012's Men's 4x100 metre relay, and bidding for Phil Neville. And in between all that, playing a fair few games. Let's break it all down.

BECKHAM
 I freely admit: seeing Becks haring around in his No77 bobble hat and giggling during warm-ups with Jonathan Woodgate (nice of Becks to adopt Woody tribute hair to gee up my favourite invalid, too) has left me my heart all aflutter. But I don't want to read any more news stories documenting our e n d l e s s struggle to convince LA bastard Galaxy to let him play around 10 games us. They're clearly not up for it (and the stubborn Yanks are well within their rights), so please let it go now. Despite Sir Les' reservations, the players all seem thrilled to have their new mate simply train with them, and, besides the intrigue and initial excitement factors, the 35-year-old may have struggled to create much of a ripple on the pitch anyway. Let's just put him to good use while we do have him...

"David: today, you're going to spend another six hours with Aaron."

SIGNINGS
As I type, Sky Sports are reporting we've nudged back into pole for Steven Pienaar. Good. If we're being mature, nabbing a £3million, 28-year-old high level Premier League performer who can play multiple positions should figure above using the Beckham timeshare for a few weeks. Fingers crossed it all goes through (although if Chelsea weren't able to meet his wage demands, I worry. Unless Chelsea really aren't able to swing with the financial big boys any longer) as the more you think about him, the better a potential addition he becomes.

Our squad is commonly complimented on its depth. And a lot of our squad looks great on paper. But the value of many of our back-ups - and therefore the benefit of having such an apparently deep squad - becomes negated for a couple of reasons.

1. Some of them play in positions where their rivals are among the first names on the clean sheet. You can't play Robbie Keane if Rafael van der Vaart is fit. Nico Kranjcar doesn't figure if Gareth Bale and Luka Modric are available. David Bentley was always behind Aaron Lennon.

2. So few of our back-ups are particularly versatile. Bentley's a specialist right-winger, Keane's incapable of playing anywhere besides the second striker, tiny Giovani has to be hidden out of the way on a wing, Wilson Palacios and Sandro are one-dimensional central midfielders and Kranjcar has to be allowed the sort of creative license you can allow if Modric and Van der Vaart aren't about. Only Jermaine Jenas (erratic), Jamie O'Hara (perennially injured) really offer the versatility to play in more than one position.

3. Most of the players who help make-up our much-admired depth are - or in the case of Bentley and Keane, were - miserable. So, say Harry is peering over at the bench during a close game looking for a spark. In the first half of the the season, he's had an out-of-synch, rusty and unloved Kranjcar, a miserable Keane in search of the mojo he lost on Merseyside, a lazy Russian, or a beanpole who's scored once in the league all season. Not to mention the emasculated midfield general parts of the crowd have rounded on, a green Brazilian or the Mexican he's desperate to flog. We're only really able to keep our vast wealth of centre-backs all happy because they take turns in picking up injuries or red cards.

Most all sound like fantastic options off the bench, and all are very sellable assets. But for the reasons explained, they're not adding an awful lot to the squad at the moment. Which is why Pienaar would be such a good signing. He's able to play in several positions effectively. If Bale, Lennon or Rafa are out, he becomes the automatic choice to replace any of them them (meaning even if he's not first choice in a specific position, he'd rarely miss a game). This means he wouldn't slip into the place Kranjcar and Keane find themselves in: lacking  match practise and unfit. And, most importantly, he's very good. If we do sign him, suddenly we'd be able to drop Lennon for a game or two and not worry about Bentley, or Nico being inferior replacements.

Elsewhere, we're obviously still groping around for a striker. Keane being allowed to leave would suggest incoming movement, too, but who? All the obvious leads seem to have dried up. Carroll's a no-go, something tells me Redknapp's not sold Suarez is capable of leading the line solo, Benzema was a pipe dream even before Higuain's injury at Madrid, the Fabiano rumours are awfully quiet, and, well, who else is there, really? I personally think Harry's ready to enter the business end of the season with just three strikers in rotation, because he knows Van der Vaart is always going to essentially be the second forward anyway. We just all better hope Defoe's capable of both complimenting Rafa, and scoring goals without a "big" partner.

STRATFORD
I'm still not really sure how I feel about all this. I'm not a North Londoner, I'm from Orpington, Kent, so I can't pretend to have any real ties to Tottenham, the area. Apart from, of course, 17 years travelling up to the home of my football club and respecting Tottenham as where my club is based. But in an ideal world, of course I don't want us to move from N17.

Statford's only five miles down the road, but the rising animosity around the move feels far too poisonous for Levy not to realise what he's risking. The nation seems against our plans. The rage amongst fans is bubbling away. And Levy needs to appreciate that we, as fans, would have to spend the rest of time hearing rival supporters dismissing our club as "Stratford Hotspur". Not to mention Arsenal crowing forever more about being the only club in North London. I appreciate saving the club £200m - money which I'm sure Levy will try and convince fans would be spent on keeping Gareth Bale and squad investment, etc - is an enormous factor. Eventually, the fans will be presented with this ultimatum: Stay at White Hart Lane and not have any money for new players, or move to Statford and hang with the big shots. And then some fans might spend an extra few seconds weighing it all up...

FORM
The Everton result was a disappointment, but we looked like a side running on fumes. Grinding out three wins with increasingly workmanlike performances over Christmas was clearly going to catch-up with the side at some stage, but thanks to Chelsea's continued woes, it's as you were going into the United game tomorrow.

But we're owed a real humdinger. It's a while since we've wowed with our attacking verve (although the Villa game showcased some fantastic counter-attacking), and after battling Chelsea without Van der Vaart and some weary legs, a refreshed, Rafa-inspired side should have us really showing our pedigree against the big boys again. Still, I fancy a 1-1 draw. They'll score first, but a second-half onslaught should be enough to bag an equaliser. Defoe to finally get his season up and running. COYS.

FULHAM AT OURS. OH, AND BECKHAM *SCREAM*

Suddenly, no one's that interested in a must-win fixture against the scrappy posh types. Instead, we're all starting the year giddy about a potential two month visit from a 35-year-old soccer celeb. 

Oh, but it'd be good, wouldn't it? Seeing Becks in our lovely home strip with an exciting new hair do, nestled under Gareth and Rafa's arms after showing an adoring Aaron how to square a simple cross for Jermain to tap home. I've already started wondering what squad number he could have (7 belongs to Lennon and Carlo has his new favourite 23. 10 if Keano buggers off sharpish? I reckon he'd take 33. It's a plum number out in the States) and a glance at the fixture list reveals we face Manchester United at White Hart Lane on 16 January. Lord, it'd be like when Klinsmann returned against Arsenal.

But enough childish New Year excitement. The rightfully-wary Galaxy may not endorse another European loan spell after his five month injury absence last year, and while we look to be his most attractive suitors (with an added "it's what Granddad would've wanted" sentimental appeal), there's nothing to say Beckham won't eventually reject the chance to soil his United legacy by playing for another English side.

Personally, I still think Harry's entirely right to be interested. His stay would galvanise a team riding on the crest of a wave. That wonderful outpouring of joy at Villa Park spoke volumes about the togetherness in this squad: they all seem to genuinely get on. And the chemistry feels perfect. In Bale, they have a humble superstar. Van der Vaart thrives on being the big fish in a slightly smaller pond. Luka seems to understand how achieving his goals with a team who afforded him his break would count for more than skipping a few levels at a bigger club. Defoe and Crouch have both said they never want to leave. Huddlestone, Lennon and Jenas are big pals (just check Twitter: it's quite sweet). And I don't think chucking a veteran universally recognised as an incredible trainer and a player almost every one of the current squad would want to learn from into that mix can really pose any threat to team unity.

But back to reality for a minute. I'm slightly concerned that our confident lot might consider today's opponents a little too easy for them. "We can do 'em with 10 men, letalone 11," they might be scoffing over their chicken and pasta. But Fulham's maiden away victory at West Brom might have them pumped up and shackle-free. And after slogging through over an hour's worth of 10 man defending in the space of two days, our un-rotated team could come into today a bit leggy. It certainly feels like one of those afternoons where a pint-sized magician will have to nudge things along.

On the other, vastly more positive, hand, it feels like we're due to hand someone a proper thrashing. Catch fire early and Fulham could crumble. Bale looked nicely possessed once more against Newcastle, and if he skips past unlikely goal hero Chris Baird within the first five minutes, I'd expect a drubbing. Particularly if one of our forwards can finish a few of things off.

PREDICTION: 3-1 Spurs. I think we might have to be patient today. Fulham will be dogged, while we might be dog-tired. But the feel-good factor buzzing about N17 will hoist us further up the rankings, eventually. Rafa, Jenas and a centre-back to all notch, while I wouldn't be at all surprised to see slap-headed irritant Andy Johnson break his nine year barren run today. Come on you Spurs.