Fooking Doncaster, Spurs' squad depth and Peter Crouch is a stretched Luka Modric

So we spanked Donny last night and it would seem that I am now fully engulfed by a sensation of hypocrisy. For many years I've barked about Sky's Super Force Four fielding weakened sides in the league cup; the devaluation of a major tournament! Oh the arrogance! Oh the insult! Ban them from the game I say! Only for my entire being to be consumed with a feeling of dread, the kind of dread that one feels when in the company of a new lady friend (or man friend I can only assume) and you just know you need to let one go.

I'll explain this bizarre sensation and how these two things are linked, in my psyche at least. You first think, maybe I can sneak it out, I'll cough at the same time to disguise any noise and I don't think it'll be a smelly one. Okay, okay I'm just going to walk over here toward the bookshelf...I'll pretend I'm picking out a DVD for us to watch, or pull out a pretentious book to lend her. The Times Culture supplement recommended this one, I didn't understand most of it, but it looks good on my shelf when work people come round. Especially to that pretentious twat Phil. No, no darling you stay there, I'll be with you in a minute. Ok here we go, I can slowly feel it making its way through me. Oh Christ no, I can feel a slight burn coming through me now, please don't say, no, its wet.

How this ties into my thoughts about the Carling Cup are tenuous at best, poorly veiling my attempt to crack a toilet themed joke in a Spurs blog under the pretence of it being constructive. But here goes. Sometimes you don't want to let things out, but sometimes you know you just have to. Much like the wet fart in the presence of my imaginary girlfriend (you can breathe a collective sigh of relief any ladies reading) I can't help but admit, I don't care that much about the Carling Cup. So much so, aside for the defensive line, I was happy to see the second stringers have a run out. This is terrible for many reasons:-

1) By saying I don't care about the Carling Cup displays an indifference about Spurs winning and losing. As a fan, it is my duty to care about Spurs winning and losing.

2) Winning a cup is only ever an inherently good thing, ultimately.

3) By saying I don't care about the Carling Cup means that I think Spurs are currently on course for bigger and better things; potentially being whipped up in the current crop of DO-WE-NEVER-FAKIN-LEARN hysteria as brought about by our early season form. Which is both a sign of naivety and pre-meditated arrogance.

I'm sure there are many more reasons, but these are the main ones to my mind. Firstly in my defence, I think the fact I can spot these negatives does something for me. Secondly, I'm sure I wasn't the only one having vile images of Bassong and Corluka being stretchered off after 26 and 57 minutes respectively. Only for us to line up against Birmingham with a defence consisting entirely of right backs that are subsequently turned in and out by James McFadden and Kevin Phillips...

Our league form is impressive, yes I know only three games have passed, but its impressive none the less. The reason we can know this form, or more, the results are impressive is when you look at it this way. You could just so easily imagine us having lost at least two of these three games and not been that surprised about it. This to my mind is a mark of progress. It remains to be seen whether the players are just coming out of the blocks, all guns blazing, only to peter off into mid-tableness come Christmas time or whether this is the start of something different. The manner of our three victories is what is most encouraging to my mind and whatever the case, we need to ensure that we can keep our league form going for as long as possible, to do this we need to keep our best eleven fit. Something that Mr. Redknapp seems to concur with if last night's line-up was anything to go by.

My reasons for seeing the second string given a run out don't just wade through the plains of potential-injury-to-stars anxiety. It lets us see and lets everyone else see, that Spurs in fact, do have a very strong squad (I like those little emphasis words in bold, have you noticed that?) I'd be more than comfortable to stick that eleven out in the Premiership, week in week out and be comfortable of a mid table finish. Obviously football isn't played on paper as the old cliché goes, but you know where I'm going. The second stringers playing well does several things -

1) Gives the entire club confidence, keeps the winning momentum going

2) Puts pressure on the first teamers to keep on performing

3) Lets us see that players like Gio Dos Santos and David Bentley still actually exist and when all is said and done, are actually good footballers

I'll start to wrap this up as I'm waffling, pretty much been doing it from the start but you're still reading. I'm not blinkered enough to think Spurs are going to win the league (oh god, but what if we did?!? WHAT if we DID?!?!) or even finish in the top four (I do secretly hold hope on that one, but I'll wait until after United and Chelsea to make better judgement). Given the strength of this league now, finishing sixth would be a major achievement and we need remember that. What comes with early season form like this, is a feeling that all eyes are on us and if we don't surprise everyone then we have failed. This is not the case and its important to remember this.

To say I 'don't care' about the Carling cup sounds abrasive and without thought, but I feel it is a box we've ticked for the time being and whilst we have a chance albeit a slight one, that we could achieve something in the league this season I'd like to push for it. We don't have a Rooney, Torres, Lampard, Fabregas type out and out world class player in my mind (few are pushing close, but lets be real) but we do have a very, very strong squad. Strongest I've ever known it in fact. Given that I'm relatively young still it doesn't say much, but still... Who knows where the season will take us, it's certainly shaping up to be interesting.

Lastly I'll address the last point of the title.

Playing around in Photoshop with a picture of Luka Modric, when his face was stretched into a bizarre elongated shape, I noticed he resembled Peter Crouch. There's no particular reason for me to share this with you aside for it being somewhat amusing. To me at least...I'll get me coat.