For 26 years of my Spurs supporting life I was a fit and mobile, but sometimes inebriated Tottenham fan. Everything changed for me in September 2004 when I stupidly broke my neck on a night out in Plymouth.

This incident would prove to be serious and of life changing magnitude. The vertebrae at the base of my neck had dislocated causing a spinal cord injury that has left me paralysed from the shoulders down.

Adjusting to this new way of life does not happen overnight, but I was determined to maintain two passions that mean so much to me. My love, responsibilities and interaction as a father for my son James (aged 8 at the time) and my adulation for Tottenham Hotspur.

The road to recovery was long and arduous and it would mean spending eight months at Salisbury spinal unit in Wiltshire. Despite this, I still endeavoured to keep in touch with what was happening at the Lane.

The management team of Jacques Santini, Martin Jol and Frank Arnesen were newly installed during the summer of 2004. I can remember hearing of the death of the true Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson in October and listened to live commentary on my digital radio of many Spurs games, including the dramatic 4-5 North London derby at White Hart Lane on November 13.

Along with the fantastic support from my family and friends, this passion for Spurs kept me going and I yearned for a return to some live action at the Lane. This desire was realised for the last game of the season on May 14, 2005. Our opponents would be Blackburn Rovers.

Plymouth Spurs members club knew of my predicament and had purchased a disabled/carer ticket for my first Tottenham match to be viewed from this new perspective.

The 703 Club was our favoured pre-match location before my accident, so it was decided that we would meet up with everyone there before the game. On reaching the entrance to the 703, I came across my first obstacle. The threshold of the doorway prevented the wheels of my heavy chin control wheelchair to roll forward.

I tried numerous times to get inside, but with no success. By this time a few of the regulars who were inside enjoying a pint came over to me, grabbed hold of the bulky mechanical wheelchair and lifted me in. This was just another example of Spurs solidarity that has been expressed many times since.

At 3:30 PM (4pm kick-off), we left the 703 to find our place in the Park Lane disabled section. It was fantastic to be back at the Lane once more, to regain that familiar feeling of excited anticipation, energy and passion that I had experienced so many times before, but had missed during my time in hospital.

That was five years ago and I have been back at N17 (and away) many times since that day in May 2005. Now that I am watching games more often, (Bronze member) I am realising that there are many good points and bad points to being a Spurs supporter in a wheelchair.

In total, there are 92 places for Tottenham wheelchair users and their carers at White Hart Lane. There are 24 low level in the South Stand (underneath the away support), 56 low level in the North Stand and 12 upper tier in the North Stand. The majority of these 92 places belong to season ticket holders.

I have now been fortunate enough to experience all sections, including the North Stand upper tier, which is by far the best place to view Spurs games as a wheelchair supporter. Unfortunately, the Park Lane lower tier (disabled section) is very close in proximity to the away support. For some this might not be a problem, but it can be very annoying if the result is not going our way. Having said this, those moments when Tottenham score at the Park Lane end and the player celebrations are just in front of us can be exhilarating.

What I do appreciate is the friendly and cooperative communication with the disabled ticket office when endeavouring to purchase home match tickets at WHL. However, because of the lack of wheelchair places, this is not always a successful task.

Purchasing disabled away match tickets seems to be an easier option and because of this, I have enjoyed games at Derby County, Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa.

When I have been successful with home match tickets, I also appreciate the visit from the Disability Liaison Officer, who attends all areas for the disabled on the day of the match, to make sure everyone is happy. This personal contact does make me feel wanted and important to the club, which I certainly did not feel when I was able bodied.

Another perk that I noticed in 2008 and 2009, was the availability of Carling Cup final tickets. While thousands of loyal Tottenham supporters missed out on these momentous occasions, I was successful in getting a ticket at Wembley for both finals.

There are 310 places for wheelchair users and their carers at Wembley Stadium. This of course does not guarantee a ticket, but helps considerably with the disabled demand. The facilities at Wembley and the elevated, panoramic positions for wheelchair users, are the best around and makes the match day experience even more enjoyable.

The prospect of a new Tottenham Stadium has been well documented and the initial designs do indeed look fantastic, but I am sure that it is the disabled Spurs supporters who are the most eager for a change.

I endeavoured to get a wheelchair place for the last home game of the season against Bolton Wanderers, but the crumbs available for Bronze and Lilywhite members meant that I was unsuccessful and once more reliant on a returned ticket.

Even though it will be a sad day when we finally leave White Hart Lane, I for one will welcome the new stadium and the luxury of getting a home ticket with greater ease.

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It has been confirmed that either Spurs or Fulham will face Portsmouth on April 11th in the FA Cup semi-final.

Should Tottenham get there, it means that the North London derby, which is currently scheduled for April 10th, will have to be rescheduled.

Our fixture list around this time already looked tough, with Arsenal on the 10th, Chelsea on the 17th and Manchester United on the 25th, but if we make the semi final we could be looking at that game on the 11th, Arsenal on the 14th and Chelsea on the 17th. If that doesn’t already sound bad enough, consider that Arsenal would be going into the game on the 14th, having had a week of rest following their Champions League quarter final.

I’m sure that if it comes to rearranging this game, we will be campaigning for it to be later on in the season, somewhere between the Bolton and Burnley games. If Arsenal make the semi final of the Champions League then they will be in action on either April 20th and the 21st and then again, on either April 27th and the 28th.

Essentially, there is bound to be some dispute over when this game gets played, unless we balls up our game against Fulham (which is always likely). If we were to get our way and the North London derby were to take place very late in the season, with Arsenal chasing the title and us possibly still in the hunt for fourth, then things could get very messy indeed.

Everyone and their dog are currently reporting the news that Wilson Palacios has admitted that he has his heart set on a move to Real Madrid. Whilst it would be preferable if Wilson had kept his ambitions to himself, I don’t think that it’s something that should cause us major concern.

I’ve already read views from Spurs fans claiming that this admission is disrespectful to both the club that pays his wages and the supporters that cheer him on. As I’ve already said, it would have been better if Wilson had kept schtum, but foreign players do tend to be a bit looser tongued than their English counterparts. I don’t think though that this statement means that Palacios doesn’t have any loyalty towards Tottenham.

All it means is that he’s ambitious player that wants to get to the very top. Shouldn’t we welcome players like that to our ranks? I don’t recall many critiques of Palacios’ lack of loyalty when he happily walked out on the Wigan fans that adored him, when we came knocking.

The simple fact is that until we are regularly winning trophies, competing in the Champions League and playing before a huge sold out crowd every week, our best players are always going to be on the lookout for pastures new. Even if we do achieve all that, there’s still the possibility that our stars will want to join the likes of Real Madrid. Manchester United are hardly starved of success, but that didn’t stop Ronaldo wanting to leave them.

It’s frustrating of course, because how do you reach that level when your best players are constantly being cherry picked? We looked to be assembling a decent side a few seasons ago, but then Carrick went to United. We buy Berbatov and he and Keane formed a deadly partnership before both leaving two seasons later.

I guess it’s a case of taking two steps forward for every one step back. We have to invest the cash we receive from transfers wisely. This hasn’t been the case with a lot of our purchases, but Palacios was money well spent.

The reason that it doesn’t bother me that he’s made this admission, is that I can’t imagine Palacios not being totally committed, even if he did fancy a transfer. Unlike Berbatov, who sulked and refused to play when United came calling, it’s hard to picture Wilson not continuing to give his all.

In fact, considering that Real Madrid are pretty well stocked in defensive midfielders at the moment and have shown no interest in buying him, it means that Palacios will need to bust a gut if he’s to one day earn his dream move.

This can only be good news for Tottenham. If Real Madrid or any other giant of the football world want to buy Palacios, it will be because he has been playing consistently well for Spurs (probably better than he has performed this season). He signed a five and a half year contract just over a year ago, so anyone that wants his services will have to pay big money for the privilege.

So as long as he gives us his all in the meantime, I for one won’t begrudge Palacios if he eventually earns his move to Madrid. Just as long as we continue to progress whilst he’s here and don’t replace him with that Zokora bloke from Sevilla.

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As the World Cup build-up gathers pace and the media take aim at their final squad selections, it seems to me that regardless of our consistent existence outside of ‘the big four’, it is in fact Spurs players who could play the biggest role as England look to finally conquer their second World Cup. If Rooney’s not there, it simply must be ‘Operation Tottenham’ as the offensive alternative.

Following Crouch’s brace against Egypt in the recent friendly victory, the national media are now wrestling with the answer to who should play partner to Rooney, England’s great white hope. Calls for Crouch have obviously become more apparent and justifiable since that game.

Yet, what if England’s Plan A, namely Rooney, gets injured either before or during the campaign? It’s a distinct possibility given his history, his current fitness, his style of play and the number of games he has left to play. If Rooney gets injured the Heskey vs Crouch debate surely disappears, and in fact what then would happen is an all Tottenham front two, Crouch and Defoe.

The two are very much used to each other’s game and do offer the variety required at International level. And even if most of the Spurs supporters (myself included) prefer Pavlyuchenko to Crouch, that’s not to say it’s inconceivable that his contribution could be at the heart of a successful England campaign.

England are rightly one of the favourites for this year’s competition and the prospect of seeing our strikers lead the way in the charge of the white brigade would be an interesting and fulfilling sight for surely any Spurs fan, even an Irish one like myself. As per usual I’ll be stuck with the quandary of supporting Spurs players within the context of an England team, so let’s just say I won’t quite be as fervent as normal in my support of Tottenham.

That said, it would still be great to see our players reaching such great heights and would continue to increase our stock as a top European side with the Spurs attack line bathing in the limelight, even if we as a club still need to do something notable in an actual European competition to confirm this.

As much as I wouldn’t want to see Rooney injured, it would be a proud and fantastic sight to at least see our players make inroads at the ‘business end’ of the national team. Although the top club prizes will once again be contested by the usual Mancunian and West London suspects, Spurs’ strikers could yet have a say in the biggest competition of them all.

A draw away at Fulham isn’t a bad result, certainly not this season (just ask United), but a semi final draw against Portsmouth is a cracking result. Wembley is within our grasp – and not just for the semi.

This is the best chance we’ve had to get a real piece of silverware (that can’t be scoffed at) for years. To win the FA Cup you need a bit of luck, a spot of pluck and some good performances. We’ve done what has been required so far without having to be spectacular, though we have taken a slightly scenic route in doing so.

But as long as you’re in the hat for the next round, you’re doing alright and another trip to Wembley is on the horizon. The draw should inspire the players and hopefully, complacency will be kept at bay. We’ve still got a job to do, but Fulham at home and Pompey at a ground we’ve not lost at in 90 minutes, is more than doable.

A lot of fans are wondering about the battle for 4th place as well. With the injuries becoming more than just a nuisance and replay after replay in the cup, our fighting on both fronts has become a little stretched. Now let me make it clear, I want us to give it a shot at both. What’s the point otherwise? However, I’ve seen fans on various boards, blogs and websites saying that 4th should be the priority, perhaps at the expense of our cup run.

To be honest though, if you look at the fixtures we have and the fixtures our rivals for fourth have, we are most certainly not the favourites. Our record against Chelsea, United and A*senal in the Premiership speaks for itself, though the two derby games are at home and are therefore winnable. Who says we can’t go to Old Trafford and get at least a point? Stoke away is tough, as is City away, but the rest are games we’d expect to win.

Looking at it this way, and the bigger picture as a whole, it is well within the realms of reality that we will not finish 4th, perhaps not even 6th. We will give it a go but six points dropped against Wolves, three at home to Stoke and certainly four points dropped against Villa, might be where we lose the race for the Champions League.

I would love to be in that competition and watch our lads march out on a Tuesday or Wednesday night against Europe’s elite but I’m gagging to see us lift the cup. We’re Tottenham – we are the FA Cup, it’s our trophy and it’s about time we took it back. If we reach the final we’ve basically won it (nine FA Cup finals, eight wins says it all). So let’s go for both. We must make the most of the opportunity that has presented itself.

This was a fantastic time to be a Spurs supporter. There was a wonderful blend of style and courage in the team. Graham Roberts and Paul Miller provided the guts and determination, Hoddle and Ardiles could twist, turn and pass the ball majestically, while Crooks and Archibald would score goals for fun. Even though everyone in my hometown of Falmouth seemed to be supporting Liverpool, I just could not understand why they did not love Tottenham Hotspur.

1984 became a transitional time for Tottenham. Keith Burkinshaw, our no-nonsense, straight-talking manager from Yorkshire would be leaving Spurs at the end of the season. He might have seemed dour and dull, but he was responsible for bringing back the glory days at White Hart Lane.

Burkinshaw oversaw promotion from the old Second Division, the radical signing of Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricky Villa, two FA Cup’s (1981 and 1982) and now had earned a fitting finale in the shape of the UEFA Cup Final second leg at the Lane.

The first leg in Belgium finished 1-1. Paul Miller gave Spurs the lead after 58 minutes, but Anderlecht equalised from Morten Olsen with five minutes to go. That away goal by Miller gave Spurs a slight advantage. However, nothing is guaranteed and it would be far from easy in the second leg at White Hart Lane.

So on Wednesday May 23rd 1984, I caught the train to London to see what could be the biggest game of my life. The pre-match atmosphere in and around White Hart Lane was electric. I know this sounds like an overused cliché, but this was truly momentous. I had heard others speak of the special European nights at the Lane, but only now did I understand exactly what they had meant. Standing on the Shelf Side, with the old floodlights beaming down on to the green pitch, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. There was nowhere else in the world I would have preferred to be, than this place at this time.

I briefly contemplate the idea that Anderlecht might retain their cup. The previous season (1982/83), Anderlecht had beaten Benfica 2-1 on aggregate to win the trophy. On this occasion, there would be no Perryman, Hoddle, or Clemence in the Spurs side, but I tried to keep positive about our chances.

This positivity stayed with me until Anderlecht break away and score in the 60th minute with a confident finish by Alex Czerniatinski. The Belgian fans are now sensing victory and the Spurs supporters are sensing defeat and despair. Various half chances come our way, but none of these are converted. On 77 minutes, Keith Burkinshaw decides to bring on Osvaldo Ardiles in place of centre back Paul Miller. Surely, our Argentine legend could give us that extra thrust that we so badly needed.

In the 82nd minute, a corner is awarded to Tottenham. Some idiot from the Park Lane end throws an empty beer bottle on to the pitch. Graham Roberts picks up the missile and throws it safely to one side, before gesturing to suggest that whoever threw it was a complete lunatic. The corner was finally taken and fell to Ardiles… It had to be, surely… But unbelievably he hits the crossbar!

That is our golden moment wasted, but before I am given the chance to cry into my scarf, the ball is crossed in again. Graham Roberts controls the ball with his barrel-like chest, stumbles forward in the penalty area and then taps the ball into the Belgians net with his right foot.

For the next few moments I couldn’t see very much. Those moments of ecstasy resembled a mosh pit. Arms and legs, loose change, programmes are scattered everywhere in the melee. The feeling of delirium soon subsides and I find myself back with the jittery sensations of nervousness that I experienced before Robbo’s equaliser.

The game progressed into extra time and the thought of penalties entered everyone’s mind. With no Ray Clemence in goal, this prospect seemed daunting.

Finally, the whistle blew for the end of the game and it was decided that the penalties would be taken at the Paxton Road End. Up until this time, I had not experienced this scenario before. Of course, since 1984, we have become very familiar with the disappointment associated with penalty shootouts.

First to step up for Tottenham is captain Graham Roberts and his penalty is executed with no signs of nerves whatsoever. The same could not be said of Anderlecht’s first. Tony Parks, the rookie Tottenham goalkeeper from Hackney, dives to his left to palm away the feeble shot. A tremendous sense of expectation reverberates around the stadium, but I knew there was still a long way to go.

It was now the turn of Spurs centre forward Mark Falco, who slotted away his spot kick with no problems. Anderlecht’s second is converted, then Gary Stevens steps up to make it 3-1 to the Spurs. The Belgians’ third penalty is scored, before Stevie Archibald, the resilient Scotsman, holds his nerve. Anderlecht netted their fourth for 4-3. If Spurs could convert their last penalty, Tottenham would win their third European trophy.

Danny Thomas was the man chosen to make it a clean sweep for Tottenham. The pressure iss unbelievable. Future happiness is reliant upon this one spot kick. I will sell my soul to the devil for one more successful penalty. Danny steps up… it’s saved… A terrible feeling sweeps over me. I feel sick, I cannot speak, but the other Tottenham supporters show more courage than myself. All of the home fans inside the stadium start chanting, “There’s only one Danny Thomas”. This chorus clarifies to me why being a Spurs supporter is so special.

Arnór Gudjohnsen (father of Eidur) would take the last of the five Anderlecht spot kicks. This penalty had to be converted for the Belgians, or Spurs would win the cup. The pressure on this man was immense. Some players are able to ignore all distractions and concentrate on one thing; hitting the back of the net. I hoped and prayed that this burden of responsibility would get the better of him.

Gudjohnsen steps up to strike the ball and shoots… In one complete movement, the young Tottenham goalkeeper Parks, saves the shot, lands on the ground, rolls and rises to his feet with the style of a gymnast.

At this moment, I couldn’t control my anxiety any more, as my eyes filled with tears of pride and joy. Complete strangers surrounded me and I hugged everyone within a two-metre radius. Even after the celebrations, the lifting of the trophy and the ceremonial lap of honour, I did not want to leave this spot, even if it meant missing the last train from Paddington back to Cornwall.

Eventually I reluctantly walked away, with my heart still racing in top gear. The Tottenham High Road is completely gridlocked with supporters and traffic, with horns beeping and choruses of, “We Won the Cup”.

I know whatever happens in the future, this feeling – this ecstatic experience, will be with me for the rest of my life.

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Fulham at home and then Portsmouth in the semi. This is Tottenham Hotspur we’re dealing with here, so absolutely nothing is guaranteed, but every Spurs supporter will have given out a cheer when Ginola drew out Chelsea to play Aston Villa.

If we’re to capitalise upon this situation, then we must create more chances than we did at Craven Cottage. We had a lot of possession, but it was Fulham that forced our goalkeeper to make the better saves.

I’ve never been of the opinion that Crouch and Pavlyuchenko could work as a partnership and I wasn’t proved wrong on Saturday. They’re too similar and as a combination, lack pace and movement.

We would have been better off playing Pavlyuchenko as a lone striker and matching Fulham’s five man midfield. That would have given Luka Modric more license to do what he does best. I think he can play in the centre of a three man midfield, but it asks a lot of him to play as one of two.

Luckily for Luka, Wilson Palacios produced one of his best performances for a long time. He was disciplined and won the ball back for us on so many occasions. When we had possession though, we struggled to carve out opportunities against a well organised Fulham.

Gareth Bale had a pretty decent game down the left, but it’s fair to say that his move to midfield saw him create less mayhem than he normally manages from left back. The full back positions have the most space in the modern game and when we have less injuries I hope that Bale returns to the left of our defence.

I was pleased with a draw and the opportunity to take Fulham back to the Lane, but must admit to thinking that Harry could have changed things round a little bit sooner in an effort to win the game. Yes, he had a lot of kids on the bench, but he also had Gudjohnsen and Defoe. With Pavlyuchenko and Crouch not really gelling, switching things around seemed a pretty obvious ploy, but we left it too late.

The replay on the 24th March will do me fine though. Fulham may work hard and get men behind the ball, but they also give you the opportunity to play. Hopefully, our side should look a little stronger in terms of personnel in a couple of weeks time and will have enough to progress to the semi finals.

What could possibly go wrong?

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While Fulham away from home is by no means an easy draw, it’s not like being drawn at Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, which would allow thousands of Spurs fans to confirm to their spouses that “yes”, we can go on holiday on the week of the FA Cup final.

With United, Arsenal and Liverpool all out, the route to Wembley is not looking as difficult as normal, especially when you consider that these days, you get to play at Wembley in the semi and don’t even have to make the final.

But like getting a really noticeable spot on your face on the day of a date with that girl you’ve always fancied, something was always going to come along to make our goals a little more difficult.

On this occasion it’s an injury crisis. The other day I posed the question of just who will Tottenham play in midfield against Fulham. We’re still no nearer to knowing, but since writing that piece, there’s now the additional problem of whether Jermain Defoe will be fit.

If Defoe is absent, perhaps it will give us an opportunity to strengthen our midfield. Harry may well give Crouch a game alongside Pavlyuchenko after his heroics for England in midweek, but the likes of Gudjohnsen, or Modric playing just off the striker, would give us more numbers in a potentially unbalanced midfield.

What’s guaranteed is that our bench is going to look like a scene from The Bash Street Kids. This will be a tough game for any youngster to try to prove his place in the first team, but a performance tonight could be the launching pad for a Tottenham career. Not a bad incentive, should they get a chance.

Another thing that is guaranteed is that the travelling Spurs support will make so much noise, that you’d think that the game was at White Hart Lane. With Fulham’s neutral section sure to be crammed full of Yids, it’s going to be a cracking atmosphere in the rickety old stadium.

As was the case when drawn away at Bolton, a draw would be a good result in terms of our progress in the FA Cup, but a fly in the ointment to our chances in the Premier League (especially with our current injury problems). I’ve got to the point though where a trip to Wembley (actually, make that two trips) is fast becoming far more appealing than the prospect of finishing fourth, before losing in the qualifying section of next season’s Champions League.

Despite the high risk of failure and all that is against us, I for one can’t wait for tonight. Come on you Spurs!

I have a confession to make; a terrible, shameful confession. I was born in N1. Not an awful lot I could have done about it obviously, but I still feel the shame. Thankfully my Dad was an enlightened soul and supported THFC. As a kid he would escort me to the odd game with a season ticket borrowed from my wealthy uncle in Enfield. The same sadly, cannot be said for the rest of my family who, to a man, woman and child are staunch supporters of the Arse.

Once upon a time, pre-Wenger, that really didn’t matter, not when it was ‘Super Spurs’ providing the glamour ,verve and occasional FA Cup victory. Let’s face it all the Gooners were good for was boring the pants off opposing teams and winning the double. It was never about trophies, we could piously assert; it was all to do with aesthetics.

So when George Graham’s ‘boring boring Arsenal’ won the league, I knew I could hold my head high in the Green household, safe in the knowledge that I was keeping the flame alive for lovers of the beautiful game.

Now I don’t know whether it was coincidence, but the arrival of the myopic Frenchman happened at pretty much the same time as the gentrification of Islington. Seemingly overnight, the Balls Pond Road became desirable (okay I’m exaggerating a tad) while N17 remained resolutely downmarket. Life mirrored sport, as our stock plummeted and theirs soared.

And then there were the players; Bergkamp, Henry, Viera, Overmars, Petit…bought seemingly just to inflict maximum collateral damage on our beloved club. And who did we have in our ranks to vanquish this fearsome foe? Bunjevcevic, Rebrov, Doherty, Berti and…Nielsen. ..It was like pitting a Maserati against Del Boy’s three wheeler; there was only going to be one winner.

As the years passed and we suffered more false dawns than a cockerel with a crack habit, the antagonism from N1 evaporated, to be replaced by something far worse; they started to patronise us. They knew they were infinitely better, they knew they were the artists and we the artisans. Deep down we knew it too, even if we refused to publicly acknowledge the fact.

These were the truly fallow years; while Arsenal played champagne football we had to be content with a dour Worthington Cup victory over Leicester City – orchestrated by gorgeous George Graham no less – before the failure of Hod the Messiah to guide us to the Promised Land. Gross, Santini, Graham; let’s face it, we couldn’t sink any lower.

And then suddenly with the appointment of big Tony, the pendulum started to swing back. Who can forget the ecstasy followed by the agony of 2005/2006 when we came within a poisoned pasta of breaking up the Premiership cartel? For the first time in aeons, I witnessed genuine fear in the eyes of Arsenal supporters, as man for man we finally looked their equals (the players not the supporters).

Par for the course, we somehow contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by declaring that only a top four finish was good enough. Exit the man who had guided us to successive top five finishes. There was a depressing symmetry to the manner in which Jol was appointed and then discarded, but then PR has never been a strong point at the Lane.

And all the time my relatives revelled in the ongoing soap opera that is Tottenham Hotspur…

Now, post-Ramos, there are signs that the beast is stirring, but in true Tottenham style, we still seem to veer from the sublime to the goddamn awful in the space of 45 seconds never mind 45 minutes.

Let’s be honest here people, the tag line to this site sums up the mind set of Tottenham supporters perfectly: ‘The Spurs News Site That Expects the Worst and is Rarely Disappointed’.

In 2007, Lloyds Pharmacy conducted a survey of stress levels amongst Premiership fans. You won’t be shocked to hear that we came out on top. Along with Man City supporters, we must be the largest collection of masochists anywhere in the world. I wonder if the red and white faction of my family would have stuck with it through thick and thin the way I have over the past twenty odd years? Somehow I doubt it…

No Spurs season is complete without at least a couple of major injury crisis. The worst kind are the type which concentrate on a certain position, while leaving the rest of the squad intact. This results in at least one player floundering around as a square peg in a round hole, while a bunch of 19 year old youth players sit on the bench wondering when they’re ever going to get a game, if the manager won’t pick them even when down to the bare bones.

Such a scenario is likely to occur on Saturday in our vital FA Cup match against Fulham and it’s fairly self-inflicted. It always seemed folly to try to make it through the season with just three recognised central midfielders and now the inevitable has happened and two of them have got injured at the same time.

The only good news is that our remaining fit central midfielder is not Jenas, but Palacios. With O’Hara out on loan at Portsmouth (and cup-tied anyway), Harry will now have to shuffle his pack or give youth a chance alongside Wilson.

Against Everton we finished the match with Kaboul alongside Palacios in midfield, but with the big Frenchman cup-tied, we won’t have this option against Fulham. Neither will we be able to move Corluka from right back to the centre, as the only cover we have for him is the aforementioned cup-tied Kaboul and the equally cup-tied Kyle Walker. Meanwhile, the on-loan Alan Hutton and Kyle Naughton will be watching the game on television.

The obvious option is to play either Modric or Kranjcar with Palacios, but even this isn’t as simple as it first looks. Lennon is out for six weeks and Bentley missed the Everton game with injury, so we might well need Modders or Kranjcar to cover the right of midfield. At the risk of overusing the word ‘meanwhile’ – meanwhile, Kyle Naughton will be in action on Saturday for Middlesbrough away at Cardiff.

We could bring Rose in on the left, or even on the right if we want to say ‘to hell with it’ and play everyone out of position. If one of the Croatians is to partner Palacios, I’d prefer it to be Kranjcar. I just think that Modric is too physically weak to play there, although I suppose if he’d going to get away with it against anyone, then Fulham aren’t exactly bully boys in midfield.

Then there is Gareth Bale, who has been in brilliant form when marauding from left back. He could be pushed further forward on to the left of midfield, with Assou-Ekotto returning to the left of defence. Personally I think that Bale is at his most effective when attacking from a full back position and it will be easier to mark him if he’s pushed further forward, but it would be interesting to see him and BAE in tandem.

Finally there is the option that would leave me the most surprised, were Harry to take it up. We’ve some talented young central midfielders at the club such as John Bostock, Dean Parrett and Jake Livermore, who has returned from his loan to Peterborough. I’d expect them to be chosen as an option from the bench, rather than in the starting XI, but with Jenas and Huddlestone likely to be out for some time, one of these lads might get called upon eventually.

Whilst I could see some logic in the scrapping of our reserve team and giving our fringe players a chance on-loan, it’s at times like this that we have to question the decision. Reserve team football may not prepare a player for the Premier League in the manner of regular first team football elsewhere, but it at least stops players who are needed for cover, from growing incredibly bored and losing their match fitness.

Harry, it’s over to you.