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In a fairly wide-ranging first press conference as Tottenham manager, Andre Villas-Boas rejected the opportunity to play down expectations, instead agreeing with former boss Harry Redknapp that the foundations are in place to challenge for the title. It was also encouragingly noticeable that, in contrast to his arrival at Chelsea in which he swiftly made it clear that he was keen to overhaul the side that he inherited, the Portuguese tactician spoke about building on the work of his predecessor. He said: "We have to try to put Tottenham on the road for titles...Last year the squad started extremely well. The belief was there and the margin was there for Tottenham to win the title. "If we are able to take the squad to the levels of ambition we want, it is something we can think ...

[u]Match Odds [/u] Despite not winning at White Hart Lane between 1985 and 2006, Everton have a superb recent record against Tottenham, Opta stats reveal. They have lost just once in the last eight league matches between the two and just once in their last five trips to White Hart Lane. Everton won three of the other four in north London by the way. Damning stats that make you instantly come to the conclusion that the Toffees are great value at 7.2 to win the match. The problem with historical stats is just that, they don't necessary reflect the here and now. Spurs are a far better team this year than at any stage of that five-year study and Everton are perhaps at their lowest point. If it's not financial problems meaning they have to sell their best players (Mikel Arteta, Yakubu) ...

Talking to Kay Dyson the other day brought home just how long it has been since Tottenham won the league. Her husband Terry, who remains the only player to have scored a hat-trick for Spurs against Arsenal, was a member of Bill Nicholson's double-winning side, but unsurprisingly few are old enough to truly remember either his achievements or those of that 1960/61 vintage. Sadly, many of the players themselves are struggling on that front. "Some of the old double-winners still do signings and that," said Dyson, "but unfortunately there are only a few left now that still have all their faculties intact". Hopefully for Spurs fans, they will soon no longer have to delve back into the black and white archives of Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay and Cliff Jones or turn to the fading memories ...

The news today is that Chelsea are lining up a bid of £27 million plus Daniel Sturridge to lure Luka Modric away from White Hart Lane. The Betfair market is undecided whether he will still be a Spurs player when the transfer window closes; it's pretty much evens the pair. There are plenty of reasons why Tottenham should reject the bid and tell Chelsea they have no intention of selling such a key player to a rival club. For all of Gareth Bale's early season form, flashes of brilliance and unprecedented hat-trick at the San Siro it was the little Croatian who was alongside Michael Dawson their most consistent player over last year's campaign. He provides that vital link between defence and attack and has what football pundits like to describe as a great footballing brain, seeing things...

Harry Redknapp has been very vocal about his intention to not only keep Luka Modric at White Hart Lane but also bring in several big names to make the Croatian feel happier about staying and boost their chances of a Champions League return, and progress appears to be being made on both fronts. The Tottenham boss had already expressed an interest in Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi and if the Daily Mail are to be believed, the Italian international isn't the only player that he is hoping to lure from the east coast of Spain in pursuit of a top-four finish [4.6]. The Mail report that Valencia winger Juan Mata has emerged as an ambitious target for Spurs, with Redknapp supposedly trying to persuade chairman Daniel Levy to part with £21 million to sign the Spanish World Cup winner, ...

The North London derby isn't a fixture that really needs the ante upped, but with Tottenham needing a win to draw level on points with fourth placed Manchester City and Arsenal after an away victory to keep in touch with Manchester United at the top of the league, this encounter is likely to be even more keenly fought than normal. Harry Redknapp is without the injured Alan Hutton, Ledley King, Wilson Palacios and Jonathan Woodgate, but Steven Pienaar could return after a period out with a groin strain. Peter Crouch is also available again having been suspended for the Champions League game against Real Madrid. Arsenal are likely to have Manuel Almunia, Denilson, Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen missing with injury, but Alex Song should start after featuring as a substitute against...

When your team wins a penalty, it is normally a signal for some type of rejoicing to take place. Whilst no side is ever guaranteed to convert all of their penalties, you would expect the majority of spot kicks to fly into the back of the net. Whilst a penalty being awarded isn't quite as good as a goal, it's certainly the next best thing. This is true of course, unless you support [b]Spurs[/b]. When a penalty is awarded at White Hart Lane you hear the normal amount of cheering, but then something very strange occurs. Slowly, it collectively dawns on the crowd that rather than this being an opportunity for Tottenham to score, it is instead more likely to serve as an opportunity for another player to completely humiliate himself. Most supporters know exactly who their penalty taker...