JOE JORDAN admits that the ex-factor will be very very interesting on Saturday, but Tottenham s first team coach isn t interested in Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole or wannabe popstars...

By Ben Pearce

JOE JORDAN admits that the ex-factor will be "very very interesting" on Saturday, but Tottenham's first team coach isn't interested in Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole or wannabe popstars.

Instead Harry Redknapp's right-hand man is looking ahead to "another chapter in the story of Tottenham and Portsmouth coming together", as no less than 10 protagonists prepare to face their former clubs.

Redknapp, Jordan, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar have all quit the south coast for north London in the past year, and Tottenham's assistant manager Kevin Bond has also had two stints at Pompey - both under Redknapp.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was a Lilywhite until the end of August, while Younes Kaboul and Michael Brown are also former Spurs.

Jamie O'Hara is currently on loan from Tottenham to Portsmouth, but is unable to play this weekend under the terms of the agreement.

"It's amazing, the number of people who used to be employed by Portsmouth and have moved to Tottenham, and vice versa. It all shows just how quickly things change in the world of football," said Jordan.

"Who would have thought a year ago that there would be so much movement between the two clubs. It's very very interesting, and this weekend will be another chapter in the story of Tottenham and Portsmouth coming together.

"There's a good chance that one of those players will have a big say in the result, it wouldn't surprise me at all."

Given that five of the 'ex-players' who are likely to be involved are midfielders or strikers, there is certainly a good chance of someone scoring against their former employers.

Spurs fans will be pinning their hopes on Defoe, Crouch and Kranjcar, but Jordan admits that Boateng will be a threat for the hosts.

"I watched him play recently for Portsmouth and he's had a better month," said the 57-year-old. "He's getting involved in the middle and is really making Portsmouth tick."

Last season Jordan was in the home dug-out at Fratton Park, as Redknapp's Portsmouth beat Tottenham 2-0 and helped to condemn the struggling north Londoners to their worst ever start to a league campaign.

The pair soon jumped ship to aid Spurs' recovery and, having watched Portsmouth lose their first seven games this season, Joran believes that Paul Hart's basement boys can draw inspiration from Tottenham's survival.

"We beat Tottenham last year with Portsmouth, when Spurs were going through a sticky spell. They only managed two points from eight games, and now this fixture at Fratton Park is coming round again, we're both at eight games again and now Portsmouth have only got three points - so they're actually doing a bit better than Tottenham were!" said Jordan.

"They really are incredible circumstances, but I think Portsmouth can take certain assurances from what has happened. They can see that we got out of it at Spurs last season, and that a bad start isn't the be all and end all.

"I've got a lot of friends down there, in the backroom and medical staff, and it was a fantastic chapter in my life, but at Tottenham we want to show the consistency that will allow us to progress, so we want to win for our own reasons.

"You've got to be looking to win all of your games, home and away, and that has been Harry's philosophy for as long as I can remember. We may not have won at Bolton recently but we showed a resilience that we might not have had away from home last season, so that was another encouraging step.