Carling Cup build up - Interview with spooky

In preparation for Sunday's Carling Cup Final, I've had a quick chat with spooky, a fellow blogger who is reaching moderate levels of infamy amongst his fellow Yids for his satirical (we think) letters and posts to Daniel Levy, chairman at Tottenham Hotspur. Not afraid to call a spade a c**t, how does spooky feel as the game draws closer?

First of all, you're an absolute bastard for getting tickets for Sunday. I found out today that if I'd logged on to the net last night after 11pm, I'd have been able to get two tickets but they've since gone. Gutted, I tell thee.

So how important is this match to you? Redknapp obviously thinks it matters more than the UEFA Cup...

spooky: It's a Cup Final, even if it isn't a proper Cup Final. It's important because we are at Wembley and its pretty horrid to lose (even if we have rather apologetically got there). Doesn't fill me with pride like last seasons run. And as for Harry, he sees this as an opportunity to claim silverware, so he can double it up with the 'miracle escape from relegation with a bare bones squad' and call SSN up to discuss it in more detail. We had to rest everyone on Thursday because any injuries would have made it more difficult than it already is to overcome Utd. Ironically, a strong team might have won through.

Winning the UEFA Cup = UEFA Cup football next season
Winning the Milk Cup = No European football next season

It's all a distraction anyways. Premier league games are playing out like miniature Cup finals at the minute. At least that's what my heart is telling me.

From our side, we have no clue who to expect in certain positions. Darron Gibson has been promised a starting place, sigh, and Anderson played 45 minutes of a reserve game yesterday and is expected to feature at some point. We expect Welbeck to play up front, maybe with Tevez or Rooney. The backline maybe picks itself due to injury though. Who do you expect to start for Spurs on Sunday? Can Campbell play, or is he ineligible?

spooky: Dawson and Woodgate I hope. Not sure how fit King is, so its all dependent on the injections his knee gets prior to Sunday. Corluka will probably play. And possibly BAE. Any variation won't do much in scaring the Utd frontline. If that frontline includes first teamers. Campbell can't play. He has hardly figured this season for us. Looks a livewire when he cameos but not in our plans it would seem for the all important league games.

Regardless of the team selected, I can see our lot 'turning up' and having a go because its a Cup final. Expect Bentley to have a stormer.

Hahaha, I crack myself up, I really do.

If you do win on Sunday, can you see it having a knock-on effect and having the impact to finally push you away from the relegation battle? Surely you fall into the clichéd category of “Too good to go down”?

spooky: Last time out, it had the opposite effect and the players stopped playing all the way up to Ramos exit and Redknapp's arrival. We do have the quality to see us safe, I don't expect us to re-visit the bottom 4 or 5 positions now. However, the fundamental problem at Spurs remains the culture of failure that Carrick mentioned when he left us for your lot. Spurs shouldn't need a Cup Final to inspire them. In fact, they will probably not bother that much if they win it because, you know, we'll be Milk Cup double winners, innit. Open bus parade time.

Much of our title aspirations this year and over the last couple of years has been helped massively by Michael Carrick, a player who doesn't seem to get as much animosity as our newest Spurs old boy, a player I used to refer to as a gormless Geordie but who is now much improved and one of my favourite players at Man Utd. How do you think he has done since his move?

spooky: He's done good. Model professional. Unlike Berbatov was pretty much up front and honest about things, and as much as it hurt for him to point out what we all knew but chose to ignore, he left because he had to. And he has been proved right. In a dream world all these players would still be at Spurs and we'd have a splendid side, but in reality, they know to shift on out.

Even off the back of two good seasons under Jol, he felt there wasn't something quite right at the club. Sums it up. Of course, others will just tell you he left because he wanted instant success which Utd could offer him.

Modern day footballers are never going to remain loyal if there's a better offer on the table.

Like I said, he's done good. But at Spurs, the illusion would make him even better as he'd orchestrate play from midfield. We got less of the world class and more of the ordinary down our way at the minute.

Lastly how do you think the rest of the season will pan out for both teams? Are the bookies right that we're set to dominate the world? Will shrewd 'Arry do the business yet again?

spooky: Utd will win the title. Not sure about the Champions League, although English clubs will probably share the final again. Utd v Liverpool just for larks.

Us lot will survive to once more grace the Prem next season, where I expect Harry to last till around Christmas before we appoint our next messiah.

You can read more from spooky on his own blog at www.dearmrlevy.com or by clicking his link in my blog list on right!