Spurs to miss out on Champions League?
by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football shirts.

It has been a fantastic season for Tottenham Hotspur, with the club's quest for UEFA Champions League football so far removed from so much of their Premier League record. Understandably, this has led to a marked increase in sales of Spurs shirts.

However, just like a few years ago when Spurs Champions League bids literally hit the skids at West Ham on the final day of the season, I fear that Spurs are going to come up short in their bid for fourth spot.

The weekend defeat to a Darren Bent inspired Sunderland has left Tottenham needing a lot of points from a very difficult run in. Not only do Harry Redknapp's men have to take on all three title contenders Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, but a crucial tie with Manchester City at the Eastlands Stadium awaits.

On the plus side, City themselves have a difficult run in as they travel to the Emirates as well as facing a home tie with wounded city rivals United.

One threat which is largely being written off is that of Liverpool. Despite being four points outside the top 4 having played a game more, my opinion is that Rafa Benitez men are more than capable of taking 15 points out of 15 from their remaining fixtures. That would leave them on 70 points, meaning Spurs would need a minimum of 12 points from their remaining 6 games to topple the Reds.

Given the fixture list, this seems unlikely. A further distraction comes with the weekend FA Cup clash against Portsmouth. With Harry's old club on the brink of collapse, this should be a formality for Tottenham, but this provides the further distraction of a final to look forward to.

All in all, despite how much I want to believe otherwise, I just feel Tottenham are destined to miss out on Champions League this season. However, things are definitely heading in the right direction at White Hart Lane and next year we can be ready for a real push!

Written by Danny Watson, a sports writer who blogs about football shirts.