Following the 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns, Harry Redknapp expressed a measure of satisfaction with Spurs' league form to date, in light of his observation that "we've already played some great teams". Which "great teams" would these be exactly? Man. City - a bit like Spurs - have had what could best be described as a mixed start to the season, while Stoke, Wigan and Saturday's opponents West Brom are all surefire bets to finish in the bottom half of the table.

With Spurs hanging on at the end, a draw against West Brom will not be viewed as a terrible result, especially at a ground where the club has had little success in recent years. Having said that, five points from these opening four games is not an acceptable return for a team aspiring to another top four finish. Looking at the fixture list before the season started, many Spurs fans would surely have hoped for twice that number of points at this stage.

There are, of course, a number of mitigating factors, most notably the injury list. Woodgate and King have their well-documented problems and have now been joined on the treatment table by Dawson and Defoe. Spurs also lost goalscorer Modric after half an hour against West Brom, but fortunately his knock does not appear as serious as was originally feared. He may even be fit to face Werder Bremen in Spurs' opening game in the group stages of the Champions League. The team's involvement in this competition is perhaps another reason for the indifferent start in the Premier League, with the manager having to look to the resources of his squad as games start to come thick and fast. It was, therefore, slightly worrying to hear Harry say after Saturday's match that "we did seem to run out of steam a bit". Worrying in the sense that, following the opening day draw against Man City, he also reflected that "we just suddenly ran out of a bit of steam". A head of steam is what is now required if Spurs are to progress in the league as well as three cup competitions.

In fairness, two players were making their debuts at the weekend. Gallas looked off the pace, picked up a booking and was at fault for West Brom's equalizer. Presumably sharpness and fitness will come as he gets more games, as he surely must in Dawson's absence. Van der Vaart - undoubtedly the bargain buy during the frantic last few days of the transfer widow - slotted in well and showed glimpses of his undoubted class. Having a player of this quality, who has accumulated 85 caps for Holland at the age of just 27, is an enormous boon for Spurs as they embark on their first ever Champions League campaign.