Pleat back to make a point
By a quirk of fate, something this country's football fixture list delivers so often, David Pleat's first league match as caretaker boss since the departure of Glenn Hoddle was away to Manchester City - the scene of one of his greatest managerial triumphs.
It was in 1983 when Pleat oversaw Luton Town's 1-0 victory at Maine Road to preserve the Hatters' top-flight status and consign City to the drop. The scorer that day - a certain Raddy Antic, the man tipped by many to replace Glenn as Spurs boss. On the afternoon in question, Pleat was understandably so delighted at the full-time whistle he raced onto the pitch - who can forget the dreaded beige suit - showing his own footwork frolics by skipping a jig towards his players, beginning with Antic. Whether Spurs' director of football could be soon reunited with Antic remains to be seen, but Pleat could have been forgiven for repeating events of 20 years ago after his side defended doggedly to move out of the bottom three and get a welcome away point. The circumstances were hardly as dramatic - in fact, much of this contest was anything but enthralling - but Spurs will take more than the point they gained from the City of Manchester Stadium. Their confidence will also grow a little from this result. Pleat admitted as much when he said that, despite being poor in possession, he was pleased with his team's resolute display after being 'very much on the backfoot'. 'I can't fault the players' effort, although we weren't very good technically,' he said. Chairman Daniel Levy has now returned to the UK and will, no doubt, sit down with Pleat and the board of directors over the next few days, possibly weeks, to discuss who succeeds Hoddle. When Levy broke off his honeymoon to announce the decision last Sunday night, he cited an 'unacceptable lack of progress and any visible sign of improvement' as reasons for Hoddle's departure after two-and-a-half years. Spurs' dismal tally of 22 points from 23 Premiership matches in 2003 before this game speaks volumes, although if the man-management of Hoddle had been better, he may still be in a job. One suspects he remains a gifted coach. Injuries to key players also bedeviled him. Frederic Kanoute was an example of that when he fell victim in his first training session. Another problem was that he never got a chance to see his summer signings settle. Two of deadline day deals to secure Paul Konchesky and Stephane Dalmat on loan seem astute moves. The Special K partnership between Kanoute and Robbie Keane, once both are fit, will be a hit and it is ironic Hoddle never got a chance to pair these two in attack from the start of a match. Easy as it is to say now though, it was clearly a big mistake to let George Graham go. The Scot was vilified for his approach, which produced results but not always the pretty-pretty football the Spurs fans crave, yet he never got a fair crack of the whip due, largely, to his Arsenal connections. For his attacking mentality, the man in the City dugout this afternoon, Kevin Keegan, would probably be the ideal choice for the Spurs faithful. And Keegan was disappointed his side failed to climb into the top four after counting the ones that got away. After 12 minutes, a former hero in the red half of north London, Nicholas Anelka, gave an early warning of his top-class ability with a shot which flew just wide of the post. Soon afterwards, he capitalised on a poor Anthony Gardner header but Kasey Keller saved his first-time shot at the second attempt, although perhaps the striker didn't realise he had more time. The Spurs defence had to remain vigilant, particularly with Michael Tarnant's dangerous deliveries. City continued to get a close-up view of Keller. After 22 minutes, Paolo Wanchope shot straight at the American after an Anelka back-heel split open the visitors' central rearguard. Just before the half-hour mark, City were left to reflect on two of the best chances of the match. Keller deserves much credit for tipping away Steve McManaman's shot when he seemed a good bet to open his City account. Then, the resulting corner evaded the American shot-stopper and Anelka poked the ball only for Steve Carr to make a goal-line clearance. At the other end, Kanoute remained lively while another former Gunner, David Seaman, had to keep out Darren Anderton's deflected free-kick. In first half injury-time, Wanchope should have given City the lead - although he appeared to get the ball stuck under his feet - but Keller again deserves credit. City remained the likely side to break the deadlock and put Spurs under a sustained spell of pressure immediately after the re-start. But, for all their possession, dogged defending ensured chances remained at a premium. The exciting Shaun Wright-Phillips curled a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box. Wanchope couldn't find the net from a tight angle after another Anelka back-heel - referee Neale Barry playing a good advantage when Wanchope was held back by Dean Richards. Anelka again forced Keller into a good save with a powerful drive but there wasn't much else of goalmouth incident to write about. Indeed, had Keane connected properly with an injury-time overhead kick, we could have been talking about another game when a side regretted failing to convert their opportunities. So, ultimately, an away point and midweek Carling Cup victory at Coventry means an encouraging seven days for Tottenham. And once the powers that be sit round the table, they may well want to consider a suggestion from the Insider who feels the best option may to be to persuade Pleat - an able manager himself - to take charge for a extended period until such time that Martin O'Neill may be persuaded to head south. Stranger things have happened!Quote of the match (Kevin Keegan): 'We've created enough chances to win two or three games today. Spurs were fortunate to get a point.'
Man of the match: Steve Carr - made skipper by Pleat and, while rarely had a chance to get forward as he likes, he was a dependable presence and made a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Anelka.
Moment of the match: The final whistle - it really was hard going towards the end.
Moan of the match: The constant interruptions from the tannoy announcer - however valid - were similar to a trip round your local supermarket!
