Great post! I love these half term reports.

Unfortunately though, this kinda spoils my optimism because I don't see us getting those points this time. We're simply not good enough away from home. It would be too optimistic to think it will suddenly revert to last season's form. When you add in that we are in two extra cups compared to last year and we only had one FA cup game last year it might be too much to ask to get great league form too....

I think I would be happy with 5th/6th at this stage as long as it got us UEFA cup again. Hopefully we can nick a cup as well.... Beating Arsenal even once would make a big difference to how I look back on this season.

Our away form is terrible this season. Our team just isn't consistent enough due to all the injuries we keep getting.

We are too one dimensional without decent wing play, so lets just hope we sign a left winger in January and recall Routledge as cover for Lennon.

Can't disagree much on this half term report by BoringOldFan. In fact just shared with office colleagues weeks ago that by game to game comparison with last season, spurs is generating the same results, though the league position is not promising.

Cannot be denied that more cup matches this term has affected the league performance. With 3 cup matches in january (fa cup & 2-leg semi-final of carling cups), would be more happy if spurs can maintained the 11 points that generated from last season in the next 6 epl matches. Additional 1-2 points would be a bonus.

Since we have come so far in the Carlings Cup, it is a better & realistic chance to bring in the glory this season. It has been a long time since the last trophy that won in 1999, 8 seasons ago...

I think part of the problem this year is that some of the other teams have vastly improved and although we improved our squad were not seeing that as results on the pitch yet, a lot of teams yo yo in the league everton are a prime example it seems they have a good season then a bad one, blackburn and west ham also struggling this year. it appears our players arent quite ass focused as last year or have the same team work ethic.

I think there's a good chance we can have a better 2nd half of the league season than the 1st, although it is beginning to look extremely hard for us to make it into the top 5. Partly because of other teams improving, mainly bolton and Portsmouth but principally due to our disturbing trend of leaking so many goals away! Clearly, King is struggling badly with injuries and our squad is generally going to be severely tested over the next month or so. It's amazing that even with our huge squad, especially our enormous number of midfielders, that injuries are really starting to take their toll. If both Keane and Defoe are out, I'm not sure Mido will make an effective partner for Berbatov. Overall though, despite yesterday, things are looking good and there is a much more exciting rest of season in prospect (still in all comps) than for many years. On a lighter note, seeing as its Christmas, here's a festive themed Robbie Keane song. I can't see it being a terrace chant but you can sing at church!
(to the tune of o little town of bethlehem)
O Robbie Keane of Tott-en-ham
How brightly do you shine?
Such dazzling skills, you could play for Brazil,
your first touch is sublime.
You are a Yido through and through,
We love to watch you play.
The Irish kids follow the mighty yids
To see who he'll next slay!

good article. I particulary like these posts and specifically the 6-6-7 approach. I feel it put the season much more into perspective, and gives enough games in each block to spot trends.

I think one thing that is worth pointing out, is the number of injuries we have had this season. It was a little before this that our squad settled down last year, and it was pretty consistantly the same players used for the rest of the season. This year the sqaud has had very little time to settle into a true rythm. I can hardly think of any games this year when I'd consider that we had our best 15 fit to pick from, and on the rare occasion when we had a top 11, some of those playing weren't fully fit.

This is where you see the advantage of the big squad, but even our squad has looked stretched at times, and more so now, going into one of the most crucial parts of the season.

Interesting that we're level on points with last season against the same opposition (i'm assume relegated teams were replaced by promoted teams).
One thing that strikes me is that to get into the top five or six you do need to win significantly more points away than you drop at home. right now we have won 6 points away, and dropped 5 at home. thats only 1 better... and we have Manure, Scum and Liverpool still to come to the lane, so unless our away form dramatically picks up i can't see us getting above 55/56 points!

good points, but of course the counter point is that we have ALREADY played Manure, Scum and Liverpool away, so should have easier away games in the second half of the season.

So it kind of swings both ways, tougher home games, but easier away games. Frankly given our home form I'd prefer that combination ... I think we can pick up points from those home games, and win some of the easier away games we will have in the second half of the season.

Not sure we can match last years total though... we'd need to put together a really good run.

In my opinion we had a great run last Christmas, but then had a bad run, and lost some games (villa, Sunderland) that I think ultimately cost us 4th spot. Though we had a great run at the end of the season and nearly (oh so nearly) made it anyway.

Didn't we draw with Sunderland away and beat them at home? And we drew both games with Villa last season! But I'd agree that we lost forth spot last season rather than the Goons winning it if you see what i mean?

It'll be 5th again, I expect. But surely it's worth mentioning that the cup performances are already miles, miles up on last season's!

both were draws that we should have won (slaughtered villa but nothing would go in, and conceeded a late stupid goal to Sunderland in the dying minutes of the game) so it was 4 points thrown away.