After 16 games last season, Spurs had almost exactly the same record as this year - Won 7, Drawn 3, Lost 6. We did have a goal difference of +2 as opposed to -2, and we had also scored five more goals, with just one more conceded.

Therefore, one is tempted to ask - Where is the progress this year?. We stand 8th in the league table, as opposed to 7th last year, and bearing in mind the fixtures seem almost to replicate themselves year by year these days, it is interesting to compare our results of this year against last year.

Last Year:-

Won           Drawn     Lost

S'hampton     Villa	Blackburn
S'derland     Everton	Chelsea
Derby	      Arsenal	Liverpool
Newcastle		Man Utd
West Ham		Leeds
M'brough		Charlton
Bolton		

This year:-

Won	      Drawn     Lost			
Villa	      Everton	Fulham
Charlton      Chelsea	Man Utd
S'hampton     B'm'ham	M'brough
West Ham		Liverpool
Blackburn		Sunderland
Bolton			Arsenal
Leeds

Naturally from year to year there will be some differential in individual results, but with one or two exceptions, we are usually beating teams that we would be expected to beat, whilst still failing to impact upon the top teams. Last year, we were not expected to beat Newcastle at St. James' Park, and that fixture on December 29th will be a big test, coming at the end of Christmas week and in the middle of a sequence of three out of four games being played away from home. (We travel to Southampton on New Year's Day)Although they are suffering a horrible dip in form, perhaps we can say that our victory over Leeds comes as a bonus.

The improved result at home to Chelsea this season, is negated by the terrible show at Highbury. Let us hope that revenge will be sweet in two weeks time! Last year we lost badly at Charlton when we had hopes of going second, and Sunderland away this year must be a comparable disappointment. We gave away a two goal lead away to Fulham this year, and failed to compete at Blackburn last year.

What is the point of this article? Well, for my part, I am somewhat worried. The "Spursometer" shows a disgusting level for this November, against a figure of 63% last year, which itself was a deterioration after a great October when Glenn Hoddle won his first Manager of the Month award at Spurs - repeated in August this year.

At this time last year, we had a chance of going up to second, whereas this year, we are struggling to maintain our place with the challengers for a place in Europe. This month we have five more big tests, three of which are "toughies" (Arsenal (H), Man City and Newcastle (A)), whilst the West Brom and Charlton games are in the category of "expected to win". Realistically, I have to say that 9 out of 15 points would be a result, but that is the minimum that will be required if we are to go into 2003 with real hope of Europe.

During the summer, Glenn Hoddle imported Jamie Redknapp, Milenko Acimovic, Jonathan Blondel, and then Robbie Keane arrived just before the closure of the August transfer window. Redknapp had a great influence in the early part of the season, but has been on the bench in recent games, whereas Anderton has been favoured. Acimovic does not get a look-in, whereas the older Poyet is Glenn's obvious first choice. Although Blondel appears on the 2003 Official Club Calendar, and therefore would appear to represent the future of Spurs, he does not get the nod from Hoddle at the moment. Robbie Keane needs youthful and energetic support in the front line, and the next part of Hoddle's plan must be to let the "Old Codgers" move on, putting more vigour in the Lilywhite shirt of Tottenham Hotspur FC!

After 21 games last season, Spurs had 31 points from 21 games, and were seventh in the league. I want to see more than seven points from our next five games, and I want to see progress this season! (Still, things could be worse. On 2nd January 2001, Leeds were top of the table with 41 points! At least we are holding our own!)

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