Throughout Saturday's 2-1 victory at Stoke City there were chants of "Spurs are on their way to Wembley". The words were made famous 29 years ago with a catchy pop song to mark Tottenham's 1981 FA Cup final appearance.
Entitled "Ossie's Dream", it paid homage to Osvaldo Ardiles, their hero, although it was Ricky Villa, his Argentine midfield teammate, whose mazy run and finish - one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all-time - sealed a thrilling final replay against Manchester City.
The side now have a couple of Croatians in Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar who provide the magic in midfield. They have made the prospect of winning a ninth FA Cup a realistic one as they prepare to host Fulham in their quarter final replay at White Hart Lane tonight.
Following his performances at Euro 2008, Tottenham knew what Modric could offer. A season in England has helped him adapt and toughen up to cope with the physical rigours of the Premier League.
His countryman, Kranjcar, first joined Portsmouth in 2006. Ridiculed for being overweight, the son of Zlatko Kranjcar, the former Croatia and Al Shaab coach, the schemer took time to settle. But he flourished at Fratton Park under Harry Redknapp and joined the manager at Spurs when the chance arose at the start of this season.
"Some of his performances have been unbelievable," said Redknapp, who will strengthen his midfield next season with the signing of Sandro from Inter Milan, it was announced yesterday.
"He was brought up in a football family so Niko knows the game.
"When I signed him for Portsmouth, I asked Slaven Bilic [the Croatia coach] about him and he said he was one of the most talented players anywhere. He said, 'Come here and see Luka too', and what a fantastic footballer.
"It's a country that produces great technical players; Robert Prosinecki and Davor Suker. It produces that type of players. They are skilful, but great professionals, too.
"They work hard and never give you a problem."
In this campaign, they have certainly justified Redknapp's faith and praise. Modric has come back strongly from a broken leg he suffered in August, while Kranjcar has provided consistency and class across the midfield as injuries limited Redknapp's options.
His winner against Stoke, his seventh goal of the season, kept Spurs in the hunt for the coveted fourth Champions League spot. Fulham should beware of this twin threat.
After their exploits in the Europa League, knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk and, memorably, Juventus, Fulham have established their own cup pedigree. But Roy Hodgson, the manager, does not want lows to follow such highs.
"Whatever happens now, it will be results that condition people's judgement on us," he said.
"If we have a good end to the season and win some more games, people will say they put the Juventus game behind them.
"If we don't they will say it was the Juventus game that ruined them. That's football."
The Cottagers have yet to score a goal in three games with Spurs this season. The initial cup tie finished goalless, as did their match on Boxing Day. However, Tottenham won the league game at White Hart Lane in January 2-0.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
Spurs v Fulham, 11.45pm, Aljazeera Sport +3 & +5
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Honeymoonish
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
