Gary Lineker article from Sunday Telegraph

yiddo

From the Sunday Telegraph. A bit rose tinted but still a good read.

Spurs to break big four's grip

By Gary Lineker, Sunday Telegraph



So Tottenham finally get to Cardiff in the FA Cup — just typical of their luck that the final has been moved to Wembley. Spurs take on Cardiff City of the Championship at Ninian Park in the third round today and after many seasons of cup disappointment at White Hart Lane this could well be their season.

If there is one club that is going to break the monopoly of the 'big four' in the FA Cup this time around, it will be Tottenham. The trophy has gone to Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool for the last 11 seasons, but if Spurs can negotiate this tricky game in Cardiff, I see no reason why they can't push the whole way and be the first club to lift the famous trophy at the new Wembley.

The competition has been dominated by the big four clubs for quite some time now — Everton were the last team other than one of them to win it and that was back in 1995. Many smaller clubs have tried to upset the odds in that period, but the likes of Millwall and Southampton have predictably fallen at the final fence.

A good West Ham team came close last season only for Liverpool's Steven Gerrard to intervene with the goal of the season late in the game, keeping the tin cup in the clutches of the elite.

If any club are going to challenge that hegemony this season I believe it is Tottenham. They have a terrific FA Cup record, having won the competition eight times and there is a real sense that Spurs have always been a cup side. I was part of the last Tottenham team to win this trophy back in 1991 and that still gives me many fond memories.
advertisement

Martin Jol's team have looked good at times, but their league position is not quite what they will have hoped for and their erratic form has left them outsiders in any race for the fourth Champions League spot.

However, their style of play — as always seems to happen with Tottenham teams - is better suited to knockout football. Spurs have been really impressive in the UEFA Cup and I think they could go very far in that competition. They have also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup where they will take on either Liverpool or Arsenal. In fact, in cup matches this season they have played nine matches and won them all.

It looks like the team have a real belief that, on their day, they can beat anyone. They proved that in that dramatic win over Chelsea back in November before the champions had started looking vulnerable. While it is a young side, there are plenty of players in it who can win you a game and after struggling to score in the early stages of the season the goals have begun to flow.

Obviously a big part of that has been the partnership of Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov. At the start of the season Jol kept rotating the attacking partnerships and I don't think it gave any of the combinations time to gel.

But now that Defoe and Berbatov, with Robbie Keane injured, have been given a run of games together they have developed a decent understanding and given defences problems.

While the strikers have finally found their footing it still looks like a work in progress in midfield. Losing Michael Carrick to Manchester United was a big blow and with Edgar Davids not playing many games this term that is quite a big task for a club to deal with. Fortunately Tom Huddlestone has stepped into that holding position and looks an excellent prospect. He has real vision, great passing and is a strong physical presence.

It is great to see Spurs bringing players such as Huddlestone through, giving young British players a chance. The club have decided on a policy of buying young players and giving them opportunities. While that does not work for some — and there has been a high turnover at Spurs in the past few seasons - it does mean that some prodigious talents are being allowed to blossom. Aaron Lennon has shown how quickly a player can develop at White Hart Lane and I'm sure Huddlestone will follow the same route.

The most crucial player to Tottenham is Ledley King. He has had such problems with injury this season and it must be really frustrating for him. When he plays, Tottenham are a much better team and, while Michael Dawson has done well, he does have a tendency to dive in. When King plays, Spurs are a far more stubborn unit.

They will need to be on their guard against Cardiff today. Dave Jones's team have struggled to maintain their strong early-season form and have slipped down the table: they have gone from leading the Championship to eighth. However, as we all know the FA Cup brings out the best in teams and being at home will instil belief in the Cardiff players. Ninian Park is an intimidating ground and Spurs' young players will be put to the test. If they pass, they could be going all the way to Wembley