Over the summer we have been treated to a sugary wedge of Tottenham Hotspur PLCs slick marketing campaign regarding the new stadium and all the marvellous add-ons that we will be able to gorge on… albeit in three or four years time. The cynical among us might say that all the hyperbole about our new home is a convenient distraction piece, but not to be even a little bit excited and impressed with the stadium plans would make you … well… a bit stupid. It will be a few years before we reap the financial benefits and until then expect to see a lot more kids from our academy making their débuts. Accept this situation or cry in to your replica shirt – that’s the way it’s going to be for a while. Or maybe even rejoice and treat it as an opportunity for something glorious and truly unique to take hold – the choice is entirely yours.

There were no academy débutantes in the side at Old Trafford but for long periods of the game it looked a bit like a televised training session at Hotspur Way, such was the lack of intensity on show. Spurs started the brighter of the two teams, Erkisen getting in behind the United back four/five on the end of a delightful Harry Kane scoop only to flick the ball over Romero’s goal. Then Nabil Bentaleb misplaced a lazy pass and Walker was unlucky to have his otherwise decent performance blemished by a pretty rubbish own goal. After that United dominated for a short period before the game fell into a sixty minute lull, the recording of which could be shown to induce sleep in manically skittish inpatients.

There was no high press from Poch’s side for most of the game, and there was virtually no incisive attacking movement from Tottenham outside the first and last ten minutes. We weren’t poor, but we weren’t great either – a lot of passing in safe parts of the pitch which United were happy to let Spurs do – and we resorted a little too often to diagonal long balls. Kane cut an increasingly lonesome figure as the game went on – I’m not even going to bother commenting on what type of player we need to buy before the end of the month as even Baldini can probably see that.

In the same fixture last year we were 3-0 down at half time and Spurs looked like a bunch of crazed zombies, shuffling around without organisation or purpose. In the two league games at Old Trafford between the teams prior to that, Spurs were victors – a victory at Old Trafford in my lifetime is as rare as a decent Arsenal ‘keeper and should not be dismissed out of hand. That’s Spurs of the last few years, up and down, inconsistently brilliant and consistently frustrating. Our style under Pochettino has yet to really poke its grubby head above the soiled parapet and the see-saw continues, game by game and season by season. There is absolutely no value in trying to extrapolate the season’s trajectory from one performance so let’s take it one game at a time, shall we? Which brings me nicely to Stoke

This Stoke side under Hughes are not the same as they were under Pulis; they pass the ball short and prefer patient build up play, they no longer use long ball and look to run at defences with greater frequency. All this should play into our hands as we have a better team of ballers than the oppo and should be able to beat them at their own game. It’s probably a bit too soon for Stoke’s new signing, Xerdhan Shaqiri, to piss all over our strawberries – but don’t rule it out.

We are short of a bit of creative quality but its far from all negative, Dele Alli could well be a regular starter before long and help to give us more attacking impetus, the early signs are that he seems to have the hunger and balls to match to his raw talent. I hope he gets more game time against Stoke but I’m sure Poch will ease him in to the side gently, my amateur enthusiasm will no doubt be thwarted by our more patient Argie tactician.

Stoke City beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at the Lane last season, we owe them one. Let’s smash some Potters.

COYS

PS: Bye bye, Bobby Soldado, we will always wonder what could have been for you in Lilywhite. Also, just seen that Spurs are going to sign Clinton N’jie. Never heard of him, but fully expect him to be mincing around in a Chelsea shirt come midday tomorrow.