Keane also dispatched penalties as confidently as Berbatov did

That week was coincidentally the only one where Wenger talked some sense ("ze talking is done on ze peetch..."). See, you CAN hate someone while respecting them ;)The loss did do some good for Spurs. It highlighted what was still wrong with Spurs' squad and the way in which Harry was selecting his players. But the recent trashing of Wigan has actually shown some patching up of things. Still, I have some advice for our Gaffer which I consider to be very sound.So grab yourself something to help you stay up; it's a long one! ;)1) MAKE KEANE TAKE A BREAK:Pre-Liverpool, Keane was Spurs' striker-to-beat in terms of goals and also assists. He never wanted to stop scoring and adapted to whichever striker was playing alongside him. Whether Keane was sharing the frontline with Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe or Dimitar Berbatov, he created a unique, dynamic partnership with each.

Keane also dispatched penalties as confidently as Berbatov did. These partnerships created and successfully converted many goals which rocketed Spurs up the league table under Martin Jol to secure two Fifth-Place finishes on the bounce. One of them narrowly missed out on the much-coveted, hallowed, exalted, praised and honoured "Fourth-Place" due to uncontrollable circumstances (literally ;D). That weekend would still, to this day, be difficult to WIPE from the squad's minds (sorry, but it does sound funnier as time goes by).

However, disaster struck, just as Spurs were finding their feet after the worst league start in history, Keane had what is now surely considered by him to be a 'brainfart' and decided to sign for his boyhood club (I'm splitting my sides), Liverpool. At Liverpool, Keane's was undeservedly wasted on the bench in my opinion. I don't know if this was an intended part of Benitez's patented 'Rotation Policy', but Keane was regularly kept out of the starting lineup due to 'tactical reasons'; just like when Rafa substituted Benayoun 20 minutes into a match for Voronin for 'tactical reasons'; or left Gerrard out on the bench against Birmingham City on Monday night for 'tactical reasons', which only resulted in a less-than-deserved 2-2 draw because of a dodgy penalty call. This lack of playing time may have contributed to his severe plummet in form on his return to Spurs.There was a rhythm he had through regular starts for Spurs that enabled him to be in top goalscoring form during every game which was disrupted, partly due to Rafa's attitude towards letting him start or even play the full 90 minutes. His return to Spurs made me split my sides at the thought that this club, with a manager who didn't treat him the way he deserved, could possibly be the one he was waiting to play for all his life; because that's also how long he was waiting to make a start and play a full game there! On his return to Tottenham, his style and form just fell apart at the seams. He wasn't scoring the goals, or keeping the ball long enough to create chances for others.

Harry had often played him on the left wing which wasn't making things any easier, but even when placed directly in front of goal, he was lacking the killer instinct that Defoe has retained since coming back from struggling club Portsmouth (double-take can be made here).Every game without Keane scoring makes the 5-0 game against Burnley and the 2-0 game against Sunderland increasingly anomalous. Keane went on to epitomise his problem by taking a feeble penalty against Everton in their recent League Cup tie. Goals mean points; and what do points make! (PRIZES!!!) I do have to say though, There is no doubt in anyones mind that Keane has the leadership to carry the team through when The King is away. However, THAT is the only thing keeping him in the squad at all, and my good books.