Palacios is Plan 'A'....and 'B'

Spurs fans. Hard to please. Apparently one or two of you have been a little critical about Wilson Palacios of late. Ignoring jet-lag and the fact we've also been without Luka Modric, our dip in form has apparently been aided by our midfield enforcers lack of bite and lacklustre passing. So say the fabled football message boards.

Ok, he's not at the level he was at the start of the season and when he first signed for us. But let's not get too carried away with the negatives. Without him - we will struggle. A 70% Wilson is better than having no Wilson. Let's not forget how easily we've got bullied by lesser teams in the past. He is imperative and probably the most definitive signing we've made with regards to our intent to progress in the right direction. Unlike Zokora he has actual purpose. Zoko, for all his heart and athleticism, had no clear direction - other than running very fast in a very straight line (which I personally loved to bits). But for all his charm his touch and passing was non-existent and he failed to stamp any type of authority over that space between the back-line and the midfield. Wilson does. He is concrete compared to Zokora's feathers.

Our Prem record with him in the team reads as follows:

P19 W12 L3 D4 PTS39 (this might not be spot on by the way...read comments)

His impact is undeniable, no? Although credit obviously to the gaffer for team selection and motivation.

Expect him to be around the 70% mark again this weekend against Pompey thanks to International duty. After that, with Modric two weeks away from a possible return, and the distinct possibility that we'll be signing another DM in Jan, things will even out to a more comfortable level which will allow us to rest Palacios more often.

We have a Plan B when Modric isn't fit.

We don't quite have one when Wilson is unavailable. For the moment, he's the masterplan. Plan A and Plan B. Thankfully buying Cotton wool between now and January is not restricted by the footballing authorities.