By Dave P
November 26 2004

On Sunday, as we all know we play Middlesbrough at home in the premier league at a time when results have not been coming our way. If ever there was a need to get some points on the board it is now. The next few weeks - or reasons to be optimistic

On Sunday, as we all know we play Middlesbrough at home in the premier league at a time when results have not been coming our way. If ever there was a need to get some points on the board it is now.We have lost our last six league games and are in danger of equalling our worst run of seven successive defeats. We have not won at home since beating Birmingham in August. Our last league win was at Everton at the start of October. Our only wins since then have come in the Carling Cup at Bolton and at Burnley (mind you we did score seven times in those two games.

We have only beaten Middlesbrough once in the last 13 attempts and that was three years ago. Hasslebaink has a habit of scoring against us and 'Boro this season currently lie in 4th place having scored 19 goals so far this season. Of their 14 games they have won seven (four of them away) and lost three so they are by all reckoning a very good side.

So we should not be too surprised if we fail to get anything from this game. Other fixtures this weekend are Southampton v Palace and Birmingham v Norwich so it is quite possible for two of them to go above us so things do indeed look bleak so why reasons to be optimistic.

Well for a start this has been a somewhat traumatic season for everyone at Tottenham. A new system (Director of football + 1st team coach) has been introduced at the club. The father figure of Tottenham passed away, and this must have had an effect on everyone at the club, and then the new coach decided to jack it in at very short notice after having seemingly steadied the ship in the early stages of the season. Up steps Martin Jol to take the reins only to find the side he puts out (not sure how much say he actually had in choosing it) going 3 goals down by half time. A spirited fightback saw us unlucky not to claim something from the game. This was then followed by a comfortable win against lesser opposition in the Carling Cup and then 44 and a half minutes of dominance over the countries top side. The rest of that game saw us behind but never dead. Any other side but those lucky south london Pikeys would have panicked and we would have taken something out of it. Next came a disruptive international break followed by a tricky monday night fixture at a ground where the hosts had not lost this season. 45 minutes of fairly even combat, Ten minutes of dominance and then a superb piece of individual skill against the run of playconsigns us to another defeat. One point though - I bet the number of teams that only lose 1-0 at Villa Park will be counted on one hand this season.

Six defeats on the trot then. But is it fair to call it six defeats for the current setup. After all, Jol has only really been in charge for 2 and a half of them. And there was that win at Burnley in the middle.

So should we be that worried if we do not get a win (or even a draw) against Boro. Whilst our league position would say otherwise I think not. The international break coming when it did could not have helped Jol in his moulding of the side to his way of doing things so it will be interesting to see what happens this weekend after a full weeks training together. If things do go awry slightly on Sunday there's a tantalising Carling Cup game soon afterwards to display a level of 'bouncebackability'. And then there is the last five games this year. All against weak opposition (Blackburn, Citeh, Southampton, Norwich and Palace).

I for one will not be too upset if we do not win on Sunday. I want us to of course but it may be a tall order against the likes of Zenden, Hasslebaink and Viduka but so long as we put in a decent show I have every confidence that the next few weeks will see us turn the corner ready for the challenges of the new year (along with three or four new signings). Everton, Man United and Chelsea, the Fa cup and a carling Cup Semi final.

Lets get 100% behind the boys on Sunday and lets not think about 7 defeats (by my reckoning it'll only be 3 and a half really anyway). Keep the faith and think positively. We know we are moving in the right direction and that it will take more time so one more defeat would not be that disastrous in the long term.