THREE POINTS FURTHER UP THE MOUNTAIN

This season is going to be a bit like climbing Mount Everest in Flip-Flops; a long hard slog. Our meat and drink is three points. This we achieved today due to that little bit of quality. Stoke where their usual awful selves and deserved nothing from the game. That they got a goal was down to poor defending on our part. Another two for the Captain sunk Stoke and we played keep ball for the last stretch of the game. This was met with Ole's from the less than full Emirates today. But three points is three points. That's what matters right now. It takes us up to seventh and in the region of where are aspirations are; the second tier of the League. Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs making up the front runners.

Talking of Manchester, there was some mention made at the Emirates today as the goals rolled in at Old Trafford. To me this extraordinary result was as meaningful as talking about La Liga or Serie A. So far away are City and United from us that a result between the two seems almost meaningless. That's the reality. Our first job is to get in amongst Liverpool, Sp*rs and NUFC at the moment; the upper echelons are , sadly , currently out of our reach.