Parrett gets played

Redknapp has chosen academy player Parrett to start in the Ukraine tonight. 

Dos Santos and Campbell get a rare start up front while Chris Gunter starts at right back and Chimbonda (who hopes to impress after his penalty miss last season, plays on the left). 

Meanwhile temperature at the pitch is -4 oC

Spurs: Chimbonda’s redemption

Chimbonda has been out of favour with Spur’s fans ever since he stormed down the tunnel during the Carling Cup final at Wembley last year after then boss Ramos substituted him before full time.

Because he returned to Spurs in Januray after a disapointing six month spell at Sunderland where he failed to settle, he is ineligible for this year’s Carling Cup final and so the UEFA cup could provide a chance (maybe his only chance) to repair his relationship with the fans.

It was of course Chimbonda who sent Spur’s crashing out of Europe last season when he missed his penalty against PSV Eindhoven.

Harry Redknapp however has long rated the french full back, who was chosen in the Premier League team of the year back in 2005-06. Redknapp has always supported Chimbonda as an attacking full-back who has the ability to play pretty much anywhere across the back four and still push forward.  But in our last Premier league match against Arsenal two weeks ago and Chimbonda’s first since his return, he was more than disappointing. 

Meanwhile, there are also rumours floating around that an acadmey player may be given his first team debut in the Ukraine tonight.

Spurs: six wins to stay safe?

Harry Redknapp thinks Tottenham Hotspurs need to win six more Premier League games in order to avoid relegation.

But where are those eighteen points going to come from?

Defoe is out for the next 5 games at least which means our striking options are still a huge concern depsite his, and Keane’s return to the Lane.

Fortunately Pavlyuchenko will only get better with time as he settles into the English league –  he has looked impressive at moments, with superb long balls and Berbatov style touches. And Darren Bent to0 looks like he’s finally on the up (finally), although it is yet to be seen how long this will last.

The midfield certainly looked stronger against Arsenal on Sunday than it has in recent games. Man of the match Palacios had an awesome game, and certainly added the steel to Spurs style that Redknapp so desperately wanted.

If Bentley finally comes to form we will have some great wide options too (he could certaintly do with a little fitness training having looked sluggish since his arrival to the Lane). In contrast, on the other wing, Lennon is looking on top form, so if Bentley up’s his game we could once again be formidable out wide in attack.

Cudicini has also fitted in without any problems and looks like a fine asset. With Gomes competing for his number one shirt the standard of our keeping can only improve (something that has been so tempermental in recent seasons) a solid keeper bodes well for a more solid team.

We will always create chances and so we must try to keep clean sheets if we are to indeed win six games (by no means an impossible feet, by the way).This is not to say our back four hasn’t been performing. Woodgate and Dawson have been class acts since Harry Redknapps arrival (and indeed, even under former boss Ramos). And with Chimbonda back (as long as he doesn’t play like he did against Arsenal) we should have a sturdier defence.

Alan Hutton however is still sidelined with long term foot injury.