What a difference a new face makes. Less than a month in the Tottenham job and the Arsenal-supporting, former West Ham and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has single-handedly picked the football's laughing stock up, given it a well needed shake and sent it back out into the hostile waters of the Premier League with clear instructions on how to swim and not sink.
Redknapp's arrival to steady a ship disappearing without a trace under Juande Ramos has produced results that point to top four form, not that of a club languishing near the bottom.
Proof of Redknapp's coaching strengths can be readily identified in attack and midfield. After spending £14million (Dh 80.7m) on Roman Pavlyuchenko, deemed 'too similar' to a misfiring Darren Bent by the previous regime, the Russian has responded with two crucial goals, the latter the winner against Liverpool, after being set up by his 'too similar' strike partner.
Redknapp rarely plays the two together from the start, but once the game has opened up it is noticeable Spurs finish games much stronger and look more threatening with both on the field.
Under Ramos Spurs looked lightweight in midfield.Redknapp has installed the formidable Tom Huddlestone as his midfield general to enable Luca Modric to be moved further up the field, where he is far more damaging.
Redknapp's first appearance at White Hart Lane produced the desired effect. The Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been on borrowed time with the fans and was in need of a quick return on his latest investment. He got it.
Redknapp's ability to galvanise an under-performing team yielded immediate results as the club registered their first Premier League win of the season with Bent and Pavlyuchenko both on target against Bolton.
That result lifted expectations that with Redknapp at the helm, relegation for the first time since 1978 would be avoided. The next match raised expectations that this season could spring more ups than it has downs after all.
Pulsating, thrilling - editors exhausted every superlative to describe the 4-4 draw against Arsenal at fortress Emirates.
The Spurs substitute Aaron Lennon, brought on to stretch a tiring Arsenal defence, gained a point with virtually the last kick of the game.
It didn't matter that our winless league streak against the Gunners was extended, what we saw on the pitch was Redknapp's brand of entertaining football mixed with his own indefatigable knack of upsetting the bigger teams.
Last weekend saw the welcomed return of another trait that had been missing - luck, the good kind - as Spurs rode theirs against a table-topping Liverpool side with the help of the woodwork and a Jamie Carragher own goal to win 2-1.
But it would be a grave injustice to attribute Redknapp's influence on the team to luck. He is doing a magnificent job with the same group of players Ramos had.
He has the same headache of nursing the club's best player, Ledley King, through the season with dodgy knees limiting him to one game in three.
But Redknapp has instilled a winning belief and mentality to his charges that has also seen them get their Uefa Cup campaign back on track following Thursday's 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb. The players play with poise and purpose and with a game plan that, so far, is being carried out to the letter.
As long as the players keep carrying out those instructions, expect to hear the cockerel crowing loud and proud over this suburb of north London for some time to come.
@Email:sluckings@thenational.ae
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Company%20profile
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now