Not earing there Spurs

Is this what 70 million pounds gets you? That's what Tottenham Hotsphur fans will be asking themselves this evening after they watched there team simply outclassed by Aston Villa.

Many pundits are concentrating to much on the players they have lost rather than the players they have got, the blame shouldn't go for getting rid of them it should go to the players who are certainly capable of putting out a poor performance.

Juande Ramos, as great a manager as he is should shoulder some of the blame as well. Firstly he should start off by learning some English. I know football is a language in itself and all that bollocks but he should show some commitment to his job. The way he approaches games like he did tonight show to me that he another manager who would rather succeed in Europe than in the league.

For British clubs especially this is the wrong way of going about it, all things should start at home. The team Ramos put out tonight showed that plain and simple. Playing two holding players at home is a complete mystery to me. They are two very immobile players at that as well, in Didier Zokora and Tom Huddlestone. Starting with Darren Bent on the left was a complete waste of his ability, fortunately for him after Villa scored inside five minutes he was moved inside to partner Roman Pavlyuchenko.

The team lacked any real balance with Modric and then Jenas playing on the left the team looked out of sorts and never a threat for the dependable Luke Young. Aaron Lennon has really not impressed me since he burst onto the international scene at the 2006 World Cup. He really had a good chance to make that England right hand side position his own and his form since has really dropped.

Everything I watch him play I think of what might have been had he kept his head down and worked at his game. Unfortunately now he keeps his head down far to much on the pitch, and he can't cross the ball to save his life

Villa were everything that Spurs weren't tonight. Organised, balanced and a threat going forward. With Young and Reo-Coker on either side they look solid and attacking, and with Agbonlahor and Careew up top, two of the most made for strikers in the Premiership they troubled Spurs at regular intervals.

For me the biggest gulf in the two teams was at the back. Spurs wisely spent plenty of money on there back line. Vetran Corluka is a fine signing along with there other two right back but it really wasn't what they needed. They have a number of fine defenders at the club. Alan Hutton, who is injured at the current time is a fine right back, and Jonathan Woodgate who for me should be given a proper England go now he is fully fit is a brilliant defender. However put any of them together in the spurs defense and they look like lost school boys.

Obviously if i knew what the problem was I wouldn't be writing this blog every week, but I really can't put my finger on the reason why all these great players can't gell together. One reason i can indtify is that the back four is almost always different every game. Something that does not help the defenders gel is chopping and changing. Ledley King is the main reason for this, you never know if the guy is going to be fit or whats going on. For me they either need to go with him for every game, or none of them. he won't help the back-four stick together if he comes in every three games and mixes it up.

Not going to lie when he's in the team they look far stronger at the back. But it's when he isn't for a few games that they struggle, its not that they are bad defenders they just need games together to get used to each other.

Villa on the other hand are doing exactly that, and you can already see the back for that Martin O'Neil thinks is his first choice. That is so important for a team and this for me is the reason Villa will do better this season than they did last term.

There squad is stronger and for me they look formidable going forward and at the back. They conceded four goals in a match in four seperate occasions last season and I can;t see a repeat of that this time round.

They for me are the only team who could break into the top four. They haven't lost any of there vital players, and have bought in some super one's to bolster what was the thinnest squad in the league.

Think about it they finished sixth with a very small squad, add eight quality players to that equation and you have one hell of a side.

O'Neil is building one top side at Villa Park and guess what he's being allowed to do by one of the best owners in the Premiership, Andy Lerner. Mr Ashley take note, this is how you run your football club.