PlayTheGame

In terms of points earnt during matches the player was involved in, you’d have been better off with Mario Melchiot than Pascal Chimbonda, Garry O’Connor than Robbie Keane.

What can we expect to change under Jol’s replacement, Juande Ramos? Well, it’s almost inevitable that results will improve. You look at the talent in Tottenham’s squad and figure that even if the top four is out of the question now, the top half should still be possible.

A week ago you might have been able to pick up Tottenham players cheaply in a transfer. Now, managers will want to hold on to the likes of Lennon, Berbatov and Robbie Keane in the hope that Ramos – whose Seville team were attack-minded – will inspire an improvement.

But a defence that conceded 21 goals in 10 Barclays Premier League games under Jol this term? Will Ramos be able to improve that? Seville conceded ten goals in seven La Liga fixtures under Ramos this season. His reputation for producing entertaining football suggests that making Tottenham tight will not be his priority or area of expertise, but perhaps it should be.

Tottenham might not stop shipping goals until January, when Ramos – if he is wise – will buy a defensive midfield player to shield the back four and a centre back, assuming that Ledley King is not fit.

If you can find an owner in your league who doesn’t rate Ramos, or is at the end of his tether with Tottenham, then it may still be worth doing a deal. As everyone knows, teams usually experience an upsurge when a new man arrives, and the fixture list from now until Christmas is the stuff of Ramos’s dreams. Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Birmingham City… Even if performances improve only slightly, results could alter dramatically.