Ramos Regime Shows Early Promise

Spurs on the rise
Juande Ramos is already making a good impression at Tottenham after just a handful of games in charge of the North London side. A convincing 4-0 win over struggling Wigan Athletic on Saturday may yet provide the vital confidence boost that their season requires to turn things around. Off the pitch there is talk of an NBA star wanting to buy the club and pump in his Yankee dollar, and on the pitch Paul Robinson has kept 3 clean sheets in his last 4 games. Things are looking decidedly rosier these days at White Hart Lane and the supporters will be mightily relieved that the unexpected early season crisis is finally subsiding.

Only last week, faced with the task of dispatching a woeful Hapoel Tel Aviv side in the UEFA Cup, Spurs, despite leading for most of the game, had the look of a depressed and miserable team, with some players (namely Dimitar Berbatov) looking totally fed up. Such was the fragility of their confidence and the extent of damage done in and around the club in previous weeks they could not enjoy their football, despite dominating over weak opponents. At the weekend Tottenham’s confidence grew immeasurably as their game wore on against Wigan and ‘hallelujah’, Berbatov decided he wanted to play. When he is on his game there are few better at link-up play and close control. His performance was reminiscent of the kind that made him fans favourite last season, and which had brought him 23 goals in a season.

Consistency has been a problem for Spurs, with the exception of the excellent Robbie Keane. Jermaine Jenas turned a performance of the highest quality against Wigan, the like of which unfortunately he produces once in a blue moon. On the day there was no answer to his powerful, direct running and ability to take passes into his path at speed. If he could replicate this form more regularly, Tottenham and indeed England’s fortunes could be improved.

Faith Healer
New boss Ramos has steadied the ship well and the acquisition of Gus Poyet from Leeds Utd was a clever move. Poyet was a popular figure during his Spurs days and will still know many of the staff at the club. Allegedly he is also translating for Ramos, while the Spaniard improves his English. It will be interesting to see who Ramos brings in during the January transfer window, if he does spend then others may be forced out. Spurs accumulated a large squad under Martin Jol. At this stage Ramos is getting to know his players and has first concentrated on restoring battered confidence. After the Wigan victory he praised Robinson as ‘irreplaceable’, ‘I think he’s one of the best keepers in the Premier League and he’s the No1 in England. I have no doubt that if he carries on the way he has recently he’s irreplaceable for us. I count on him 100%.’ This was heartfelt praise for Robinson who will have appreciated the manager’s public backing. A nice bonus too for Ramos was the scoring return of Darren Bent. Bent’s form so far has been woeful and it has affected his confidence badly - his goal proved not only to Ramos but to himself that he is good enough.

While Martin Jol has not been forgotten by the White Hart Lane faithful, the club are now moving into a new era. Leaving behind the stigma attached to the tail-end of Jol’s reign has proved a difficult transition. Chairman Daniel Levy admitted making mistakes in his courtship of Ramos but asked fans to support the manager, ‘We have made the changes, popular or unpopular, as we felt they were necessary or right. Please lend us your support as we move forward together.’ Realistically, Spurs fans should now be delighted with the appointment and looking forward to developments under the Spaniard, who had a great record in Spain and is regarded as one of the most sought after managers in Europe. He will be provided with funds to build the squad further and his reputation is of a standing which will attract players of high quality. Current rumours surrounding the return of Freddi Kanoute however, seem unlikely and are more likely excitable tabloid-talk.

3 Point Specialist on Horizon
Finally, a brief glimpse into the future for Spurs offers further optimism. NBA star Steve Nash, a lifelong fan, revealed recently that he would like to buy the club when he finishes his playing career, ‘I’d like to be an owner, Its something I could do for the rest of my life after my little window of popularity dies.’ Nash’s appointment would be a great PR move and inevitably generate interest from the US. Last year he was named in Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world and Nash has also twice been awarded the prestigious NBA Most Valuable Player prize. However, any approach from Nash would be in the form of a consortium, as he says he cannot finance it alone, ‘Of course I would like to own Spurs, but I haven’t got a spare £300million.’ He is far from hard up though, while the media and commercial attention he receives would provide the main benefits of any association. Nash is reported to have earned over £50 million in his career and the NBA icon made friends with several in the football community on the way, including Damien Comolli, Alessandro Del Piero and Thierry Henry.