The first date with destiny for Hutton, a Spurs legend in the making

Finally, the resistance was broken down and, instead, Hutton will play only his third game for Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea in front of 90,000 supporters as Wembley Stadium hosts a terrific capital derby clash for a Carling Cup Final.

That might not have been part of his short-term plan because he fancied a CIS Cup Final and sorely wanted a SPL medal with Rangers, but it will surely seem like a damn good idea if the £9million man takes his first galloping strides towards becoming a Spurs star by lifting English silverware this evening.

It is a route along which one prominent fan firmly expects Hutton to travel, having sought out the favourable reaction to his first two performances and being well aware from his own Spurs heroics of the esteem in which players who bring success to the club are held.

This one just happens to be a former Tottenham, Rangers and Chelsea defender who will be the leader of a 53-strong supporters' bus leaving White Hart Lane bound for Wembley early this afternoon.

And Graham Roberts believes he could be making the return journey hailing the 23-year-old as a club legend in the making.

Hutton, who played in a friendly win for Rangers over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in pre-season, has so far debuted in a 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United and followed up with another assured display as Derby were beaten 3-0—just a few weeks on from preferring to plant his pride in Govan for at least the rest of the season.

But confident Roberts expects this to be the day when Hutton will be hit by the reality that his move makes sense and sampling victory will at last mark the first day of the rest of his career after a whirlwind month.

"When you win a Cup in England it's just a bigger thing altogether," insisted the ex-Ibrox favourite. "I know Alan said that he'd miss out on a League Cup Final in Scotland but this is a greater game to play in — Wembley for a London derby Cup Final. It's a pressure match but I'm looking for him to emerge as one of the star players.

"I think this is the best chance Spurs have had for a long time to win something and then kick on to have a very successful time of it. You have to be a special player to play for Tottenham and their supporters and I think Alan could become one of the favourites. I've got good friends I speak to every day who are on the Supporters' Trust and they absolutely love him already.

"He's obviously going to find it a lot tougher and harder and he has got a lot of learning to do. It's a lot more difficult than the SPL when you're playing against quality players every week. In the SPL, you are not.

But I think Alan's got the head for that. Alan has a great future at the club. I think he has the ingredients to become a Spurs legend."

The ingredients within the playing staff's cafeteria, however, have been the ones under scrutiny since the man who sanctioned the purchase of Hutton arrived at the club.

Juande Ramos and his coaching team broke through fascination to the point of outrage with the discovery of the eating habits and fitness levels of the squad they inherited from Martin Jol. So amazed with the average buffet on display was Marcos Alvarez that the fitness expert took pictures of the food served up.

Who ate all the paellas? Well, it has been noted that Tom Huddlestone and Paul Robinson have been among those to shed significant pounds from the alleged 16 stone that the squad as a whole was accused of carrying in excess weight.

"From what I've heard, the manager is fantastic and very disciplined," reports Roberts. "He doesn't like players drinking, they're all on very strict diets, they're not allowed sauces on their pasta or meat. Everything is written out for them to follow. I t 's mighty impressive and professional.

"It makes you wonder what all the other managers have been doing that this needed to happen at Spurs. I've always said that we've lacked fitness over recent years and it has cost the team results. Now Spurs look a really strong, fit side that is young and athletic. Alan fits that bill."

Young, lean and athletic, then, Hutton is the identikit footballer for the Ramos era but as a professional there remains some pruning to undergo and that could be the making of a career by maximising his potential, according to Roberts.

This afternoon's sponsors product is not expected, by Ramos, to pass the lips of Spurs players on an average week as the Spaniard clearly has similar views to a former Hutton coach, Paul le Guen, on the idea of athletes consuming alcohol.

"What they don't want is lads coming in and being a bit like Charlie Nicholas in years gone by with the champagne lifestyle, drinking and girls," Roberts said. "They'll want Alan to settle down and this manager doesn't want his players drinking. He has told them that.

"There's a time for drinking— it's when you win trophies. I'm told by the players that the first time they were allowed to go out since he has been there was after beating Arsenal.

"He has got a strict regime. If you're getting paid handsomely, around £30,000-a-week, then you can abide by the rules. I think Alan came into a different category at Rangers for a while. He was out drinking and went a bit off the rails.

"Of course, in Scotland he'll never be allowed to forget the story about the row with the nightclub bouncer when he went through the old "Don't you know who I am?" routine.

"But it might not be long before Alan can turn round and say that he's the most professional Scottish player in the game because Spurs have got the right regime for making him into just that."

It was only two years ago that Roberts was Clyde manager and he saw Hutton go through more downs than ups as a young Rangers player suffering from a confidence relapse on comeback from a broken leg.

The Englishman always suspected that Hutton was a class act but one holding back from showing his true ability. Thankfully, the talent burst through under the right guidance and Roberts is eagerly anticipating even better to come.

"I actually felt that in some games he was going through the motions," asserted Roberts. "He didn't really give 100 per cent. I always felt he could do more and maybe that's why le Guen wanted rid of him.

"I guess he has proved a lot of people wrong already, then. I think someone had to give him a kick up the backside, though. Maybe it was Walter Smith or Ally McCoist telling him: 'There's a career for you here and a great living out of the game if you want it.'

"Walter got the best out of him at Rangers in the last year or so—and that made him worth £9m—whereas le Guen couldn't give him away. Now Alan will learn an awful lot very quickly again in this environment and under this manager and it will be great to see how he responds."