Pompey misery as Spurs start to show Ramos spirit

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Some need to be reminded just where the club was when Harry Redknapp returned and there was no shame in surrendering an unbeaten home run to this revitalised Spurs side.

Talk of European football at Fratton has always been glib and no manager is more realistic than Redknapp, well aware that what has been achieved this season has been extraordinary.

"We have been punching above our weight," said the frankest boss in the Barclays Premier League.

"When I came back here I reckon I inherited the worst Portsmouth team in 50 years. We were going to get relegated, so the fans can't complain about where we are now."

They will, of course, as is their right but it still needed a performance of physical strength and organisation, climaxed by a fine Dimitar Berbatov goal for Spurs, to break Pompey's confidence.

Juande Ramos came to this country with fine credentials and after 11 games and only one defeat, his imprint is beginning to show on Tottenham.

They played here with a briskness, resolution and conviction which suggests the Spaniard is getting his message across.

Jermaine Jenas, who was the side's heartbeat, said: "Not winning away had become a bit of a monkey on our backs. But we came here with a game-plan and executed it well. There was no lack of concentration, as there has been at key times. A lot of good sides have left here without a win.

"We did it the right way. The football was entertaining, but as a unit we are more compact. There are fewer gaps opening up and we are a lot stronger."

It is not always simple to explain how a new coach can change things so quickly, but Ramos seems a man with purpose who gets what he wants. "There is the feeling things have changed," said Jenas. "The wheels are starting to turn and we are looking up rather than down.

"It is difficult to say how the new manager is different. You can't just put a finger on it. Martin Jol was a good manager and did well for the club. What this gaffer decided was he needed to strengthen us up, not just defensively but as a team. We are a club that belong in Europe so that is the minimum target. This manager also belongs in Europe, with his record of winning the UEFA Cup the past two years."

If Europe is considered a must at Spurs, it remains no more than a fantasy for Portsmouth who, in Redknapp's words, 'never played, never got going' in this game.

"It was one of those days," he groaned. "We never passed it and they were much the better team — no doubt. That was the worst of the season. It has to be because the only teams to have beaten us were Arsenal and Chelsea. We have been on a fantastic run."

Kanu, who has proved an exceptional alternative for Redknapp when coming on in the second half of matches, was in Nigeria at his father's funeral. "He was a big loss for us today because he is the one guy who can hold things up and bring others into the play, let others get up and join him," said Redknapp.

But he had no real complaints, pointing out that any team which can start with £27million worth of striking talent and still bring on Jermain Defoe has strength in depth.

'I thought at the start of the season Spurs would finish fifth. They are still capable of going on a run and getting right up there,' he said. Pompey's focus now must be to ensure there is no downward spiral, with Liverpool and Arsenal their next two opponents.

At least they will confront their problems. Central defender Sylvain Distin said: "It was a collective problem today. We didn't retain the ball well and there was not enough movement."

Indeed, the movement that impressed was all Tottenham's. Senor Ramos seems to be settling well and perhaps speaks better English than he is letting on. When I complimented him in Spanish on his wristwatch, he responded in English: "You like it? It's from sunny Seville." Spurs can look forward to sunnier times.