Yesterday's Mirror featured a cartoon that summed up perfectly the current hyperbole surrounding Harry Redknapp's arrival in
Pitched perfectly in the context of a truly historic
Such has been the extent of Redknapp's impact since his move to White Hart Lane that perhaps McCain could have done far worse than employ his services to revive his ailing campaign. After all he knows a thing or two about quickly reviving the fortunes of causes whose best days are long gone.
Yet the joke, and the image of Redknapp as some magical Houdini figure, raises some serious questions.
Just how big an impact on a clubs fortunes can a man have in little over a week? The proof seems to be in the pudding: 7 points from 3 games, two historic comebacks and improved performances from star players who looked lost until he arrived.
If Harry has had a big impact since he left the south coast to replace Juande Ramos, it's by doing the little things. There have been no sweeping changes to formation or personnel - at least not in terms of the playing staff. Instead Harry's approach as been to restore shattered confidence and to employ players in their natural positions. No square pegs for round holes here.
But is that all it takes? Are the players really that fragile that a simple arm round the shoulder or a rub on the belly are what it takes to get them going? Perhaps Ramos' most significant problem was a personality clash with his squad. Maybe the player struggled to relate to his aloof and detached nature.
One thing is for certain, if the players looked like they were running through mud under the Spaniard, then they look as if they would run through brick walls for Harry. And it's not just the players. Optimism is sweeping through the fans; remarkable given that, despite the last gasp win against
The idea of that continuing is hard to fathom, but not impossible. If anything Harry's next challenge is to check the player's confidence. Recent results are deceiving because, for vast swathes of both the Arsenal and the
Not that Redknapp is known for over confidence. He is an arch realist who rarely mixes words - an approach that will win back fans who were disgruntled by Ramos' propensity to avoid post-match press conferences.
But what of his approach to the Uefa Cup? One criticism levelled at his predecessor was that he seemed to prioritise European games over success in domestic football by saving resting key players for midweek games. Too often Ledley King would be sorely missed on a Saturday afternoon.
Under Redknapp, those days are over. King will play when he is fit to play and rest when his knees can't cope, regardless of the competition. In the long term the challenge Harry faces is to resolve this issue, which has shattered attempts to build solid foundations in our defence.
On the backdrop of an ever changing back four, it is hardly surprising that Heurelho Gomes, the Brazilian goalkeeper bought for big money from PSV in the summer, has struggled to find his feet in English football.
Harry is unlikely to drop the error prone goalkeeper for this evening's game, which is possibly a reflection of how little he trusts his understudy Cesar as well as his determination to stand by his under-fire number one.
Yet Redknapp is completely correct to allow Gomes the chance to prove himself. It is refreshing that in his first training session our new boss handed squad numbers to players previously frozen out of Ramos' regime. Ok, you might not rate some of them but it is only fair for players such as Kevin Prince-Boateng, Hossam Ghaly and Adel Taarabt, to be given the chance to show what they can do.
The same can be said for the precocious John Bostock. It was reported in the national press yesterday afternoon that the former
Redknapp has made a superb start to his Tottenham reign, beyond even his optimistic expectations. Yet he knows there is significant work to be done before he can claim to be our saviour.