If anyone had offered the Spurs fans seven points prior to the games against Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, chances are he would have had his hand bitten off. Although the team look jaded at the Stadium of Light - perhaps not unexpectedly, given that they were playing their sixth game in just over two weeks - they stuck to their task and a late Robbie Keane equalizer moved Spurs up one place to twelfth.

The league position does, however, belie the number of points accrued. A total of 32 at this stage of the season is the worst return for the club in more than a decade. More importantly, it is a mere five points above a spot in the relegation zone. The next two games are against top four sides, with one - Aston Villa - desperately needing a win after a downturn in their fortunes, and the other - Chelsea - starting to hit some form. It would not be a huge surprise, therefore, if Spurs remained on 32 points at the end of March.

What was definitely not surprising was that the recent good results were achieved on the backs of a key group of players - the central defenders, midfielders Modric and Lennon, and - in the last two games - Robbie Keane. The Irishman’s last gasp strike meant that their exertions were not undermined by a similarly predictable group of underachievers - Bent, Bentley, Jenas and Pavyluchenko. Among them, these four players have notched up almost 60 international caps, an astonishing statistic based on their performances in a Tottenham shirt this season. Against Sunderland, Bent admittedly provided the cross for Keane’s goal, but this was modest compensation for missing two very presentable chances, one of which was so bad as to be embarrassing for a player who cost the club £16.5 million less than two years ago. If Harry Redknapp were to try to move him on in the summer - something that he surely must be considering - the likelihood of recouping anything like that kind of sum is zero. The same is true of Bentley, who was brought in for around the same amount. According to one British Sunday newspaper, Aston Villa - who were tracking the player before Spurs had the misfortune to secure his signature - are now interested in acquiring him, but for less than half of the fee that Spurs paid out.

Redknapp would no doubt be happy to offload Bentley and his disappointing cohorts at almost any price, especially since he did not sign any of them. Having said that, his own judgment in the transfer market is not exactly infallible. This is, after all, the man who, while manager of West Ham, bought the gloriously named Marco Boogers, who played twice for the club at a cost of almost £500,000 per appearance and whose name became a byword for disastrous foreign signings. During the January transfer window, Redknapp was also reputedly looking at Sunderland’s Kenwyne Jones. Up against Woodgate and King on Saturday, the Trinidadian’s limitations were on display for all to see. In fairness to Harry, the proposed move for Jones was rumored to involve Bent going the other way, so perhaps there was some method in his madness after all.

One player Redknapp did successfully bring back to the club was the worst performer against Sunderland, the team he left in January to rejoin Tottenham. As might have been expected, Pascal Chimbonda was given a rough reception by the home fans and that might be a charitable explanation for his inept display. The news that Alan Hutton is close to returning to full training is very good news indeed, as is the fact that with no more European games or midweek league fixtures through the end of the season, the chances of Ledley King playing every week are greatly increased. Given the deficiencies up front, a strong back four may well be the foundation on which Spurs will cement their Premier League status.