The Most Important Game of Tottenham's Season

The Fulham game was like losing my virginity all over again. The performance was, apart from some occasional half hearted forward thrusts, a flaccid and desperate disappointment. Yet, when it was all over (slightly earlier than expected) I was flooded with the same relief and confidence I felt all those mont...sorry...years ago.

Liverpool and Hull had placed doubts in the mind of many a Spurs fan over our ability to last the season. On one hand there was our inability to break down 'park the bus teams', tapping gently and feebly on their windows rather than smashing Bentley's porsche into the side and mugging every terrified pensioner on board. Then there was the criticism we lacked the mental strength to take on the top teams, utterly devoid of the belief and confidence needed to get a result. Fulham has not changed either of these factors. We still spend much of our time against these types of opposisiton looking as clueless and panicked as Sol Campbell in a brothel.

However, Tuesday's game was an enormously reassuring experience for a packed White Hart Lane. Finally, the curse of Gareth Bale was lifted. The monkey that has clung onto his back for so many games can now return to its seat in the Upper West stand, next to the rest of Gareth's siblings. Bale was excellent yet again and the way he took it in turn to applaud every stand at the final whistle showed just how much the result meant to him. He has the fitness and pace to sprint up and down that left flank like no-one else. He also is strong and useful aerially for someone who (hopefully) still has a lot of growing to do. Yes, his positioning and defensive decision-making can be dodgy but many people fail to remember he's still only 20; such mental elements rely on gametime and experience, neither of which he has been blessed with. The real reason I like Bale though, is that the opposition are scared of him. He is capable of lifting the entire tempo and atmsophere of a game with one run and the prospect of Lennon and him galloping down their respective wings makes me feel good in my special area.

I would like to say (as many of the papers incorrectly reported) that Bentley had a cracking game and has put himself back into contention. In truth, watching him was rather like watching your club-footed child playing sport; you are caught between desperately wanting him to do well and screaming 'take that f*cking special case off'. All his desperately ineffectual flicks and spins would be great fun if we had been 5-0 up but they often put his team members under pressure and were greeted with howls of derision from the crowd. He put a few decent balls in but his free kick was lucky, his pace is laughable and he just doesn't look capable of fitting into the team. £10 million from Wet Spam will do nicely. Whats that Mr Sullivan? 10 quid and a pair of Zola's used undies? You sir have yourself a deal!

It gives me even greater delight to inform you that both Sergeant Wilson and Luka put in the kind of performances we have not seen of late. Palacios was back to his best; charging around bellowing Honduran war chants and felling the Fulham midfield with tackles that would have had the Conquistadors rowing desperately back across the Atlantic, pantaloons round their dainty ankles. Modric, who is still settling back into the team, also looked like the old Luka we all know and love. He was the heartbeat of the midfield; dinking delicate balls forward, cutting inside and generally causing trouble with every touch. Perhaps even more encouraging was the understanding that was evident between him and Bale. Stories abounded of Gareth finding a banana in his locker before the game alongside a note scrawled in poor English saying 'we can be friend??' Bale, utterly perplexed, scanned the dressing room and noticed little Luka strapping on his size 4 boots, giggling shyly and hiding under his fringe; something beautiful was born.

It wasn't all good news. Defoe has begun to get frustrated in a way that not even Katie Price can remedy, having wild pop shots in his attempt to break his apparent 'goal drought'. Crouchy is always a useful outlet but for God's sake someone buy that lad a gym membership, get him bicep curling the team oranges...anything!! It continues to astound me that this caricature we use as a 'target man' could be outjumped and pushed off the ball by some of the vertically challenged gentlemen you often (accidentely) come across on specialist adult sites. King was imperious at the back again as was Dawson, but the latter's distribution was dire. Stick to heading it Daws, and if I see you trying to play one more impossibly Beckham-esque cross field ball, I'm going to rip out your knees and give them to Ledley.

All in all, it was an unspectacular and competent performance which in many ways could define our season. Not only have we put breathing space between us and Liverpool but players who are integral to our team, seem to have recaptured the form we require of them to suceed. One game is one game, and this is Tottenham. Anything can happen from here but the signs are positive. Can we make the Top 4?? Probably not, but after the last few games I was starting to see our name engraved onto a shiny plaque saying "7th place". Bring on Birmingham and Villa.

In'ArryWeTrust