One last push: A look ahead to Spurs vs Sunderland

Seeing the pictures of the victorious Chelsea players (and John Terry) on Thursday morning brought to mind the 1976 Yvonne Fair classic, It Should Have Been Me. Wigan’s leg weary capitulation on Tuesday means that come Sunday evening we’re liable to be whistling that tune under our breath once more after the Gooners visit St James’s Park and we host Sunderland.

Alan Pardew has already given the Barcodes powder puff defence all the excuse they need to put in a towel-under-the-arm-which-way-to-the-beach performance and fold like a deckchair when faced with any sort of challenge; anything other than an emphatic away win would be a major shock. For our part, just in case the impossible turns out to have occurred in the north east, we of course need to beat Sunderland.

To say that the Wearsiders have had a poor season probably doesn’t do justice to the mediocrity their fans have had to suffer. The 3-0 win at Newcastle will presumably be the highlight of a campaign where it sounds like Danny Rose is close to a player of the year trophy. Notwithstanding his remarkable debut Rose is a man that I personally assumed would never don a Spurs shirt again so this turn round in his reputation is more than a little surprising. AVB’s distrust of just about everything currently left-back related means that he might have a future at WHL after all.

Di Canio’s eccentricities have been somewhat subdued of late, but it’s only a matter of time before he starts frothing at the mouth and something barking mad emerges. Sunderland fans are unlikely to have a quiet few months ahead of them.

As for us, we’re unlikely to see many surprises in team selection I’d have thought, it’s still important that we get our side of the job done, just in case Steve Harper decides to be the anti-Fulop and stop everything fired at him rather than help it on its way. Dembele will start if he’s fit, probably in place of Parker. Lennon will be on the right with Sigurdsson and Dempsey fighting it out to support Bale and the apparently (and in all probability only temporarily) rejuvenated Adebayor.

There is a reasonable possibility that this game will be the last time we ever see the wonder that is Gareth Bale in a Spurs shirt. It’s not a pleasant thought but if there’s enough paper and agent talk then it’s liable to become a self-fulfilling prophecy that he’ll leave this summer. When rather than if.

The 2-1 loss at Newcastle seems a long time ago, please let the Geordies bookend their season with home wins.

Cup Final referee Andre Marriner is in charge. For the last time this campaign, COYS.

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