Two former Tottenham Hotspur favourites lead Fulham into a trio of matches against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton, where good results for the Cottagers could be a huge boost for Spurs.
With Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions league hopes seemingly hanging by a thread, they could be forgiven for rueing the fact that the team that will face all three of their rivals over the next couple of weeks is a Fulham side that have little left to play for this season.
However they might be able to hope that two former White Hart Lane favourites can do them a favour, with Martin Jol and Dimitar Berbatov being given a perfect chance to help Spurs out as they take on Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton in their next three matches.
Berbatov scored the only goal in Fulham’s recent win at White Hart Lane, and is enjoying a late season purple patch that Spurs fans will hope extends over the coming weeks.
With 40 points already accumulated, the most Fulham can reasonably aim for is 8th place in the league, with West Brom currently four points ahead of the Cottagers, but Jol might feel that their fixtures gives him a chance to help Spurs achieve the Champions League qualification they were cruelly denied under his leadership.
In 2006, Spurs went into the final day of the season in fourth place under the Dutchman’s leadership, before “lasagne-gate” saw ten players fall ill and Spurs eventually lost 2-1 at West Ham to allow Arsenal to overtake them.
Two fifth place finishes under Jol, and his genial demeanour, meant that he will always be remembered fondly at White Hart Lane, having been ruthlessly dispatched by the board when they brought in Juande Ramos.
Berbatov’s past is slightly more chequered with Spurs, but the two of them were integral to helping Spurs change from being a mid-table side into a team capable of consistently challenging for a Champions League place, and Tottenham fans will be hoping they can now give their team a helping hand in this year’s top four battle.
image: © nicksarebi
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