Spurs:- A new force in English Football?

The recent win over London rivals Arsenal has re ignited speculation, that amid the furore surrounding the recent plight of Chelsea and lavish spending of Manchester City, that a new contender may come in the form of Tottenham Hotspur to take the Premiership title.

Tottenham, have, since Harry Redknapps appointment when they languished at the bottom of the table, with a mere 2 points from 8 games... gone from strength to strength. Involvement in the Champions league has given them renewed confidence and vigour from playing, and out muscling Inter Milan. Although, it has to be said, that toils of the Champions league, combined with a smaller team (in comparison to the likes of Manchester United etc) may have initially taken its toll, and as such, Spurs have suffered a number of defeats against considered weaker opposition.

Being treated to wins over Inter Milan, and more recently rivals Arsenal, will serve only to wet the appetite of most fans, increasing expectations and ambitions.

Success so far, can generally be apportioned to skill in Redknapp as manager and cumulative effects of a number of world class purchases and revelations. The acquisition of Van der Vaart and extraordinary form of Gareth Bale has helped to catapault them to Champions league group success and put their quest for a top four premier league finish back on track. Gareth Bale, particularly, is considered to be on another planet, with managers falling over themselves to give praise.

Spurs, unlike some of their competitors, namely Chelsea in previous seasons, play some beautiful attacking football, which is so often missing from the game, where managers through defensive tactics and formations often attempt to stifle a games creativity, in order to grind out a result. As such, their appeal may be utilised, and force in not only as a domestic english football team, but in creating an international, globalised brand, which would allow them to compete with the likes of Manchester to acquire a greatly increased fan base, both in SE Asia and USA and tap into a wealth of prosperity.

The rise of Tottenham Hotspur, has with itself, been seen aligned to the fall of Chelsea, whom in my eyes, have taken a step backward this season. Chelsea, have shed a number of players, most notably, 'Deco' and 'Ballack' and the like in reducing their wage bill, without bringing much fresh talent and youth into the set up. They are an ageing team, particularly in comparison with the likes of Arsenal, and as such, there needs to be focus on their Youth team and Scouting network, in identifying talent at an early age, which allows managers and coaches time to mould the player to fit the team. Manchester United, too are not as strong as they once were, with the Glazers in financial difficulties, and loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Perhaps, we may well have a new force in English Football, and one which can contend with the traditional top four teams. It is essential for the entertainment value of the premier league, that it remains to be unpredictable and surprising, and thus the rise of Spurs as a possible title contender can only be seen as a positive thing.