MIKE McKINLEY: Spurs cockerel needs to start crowing, and fast

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn. Well, in that case our cockerel wants to start crowing in the new day pretty darned quickly, because I really don t fancy it getting much blacker than this. For someone who tries to always see the crumb

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

Well, in that case our cockerel wants to start crowing in the new day pretty darned quickly, because I really don't fancy it getting much blacker than this.

For someone who tries to always see the crumbs of comfort in even the worst Spurs displays - and let's face it, even at the best of times you're never that far from a shocker- it is starting to become crushingly bleak.

Yes we still occasionally manage to find a team even worse than ourselves - thank you, Newcastle - but generally there isn't much to be even remotely optimistic about. And it's hard to see where the spark of revival will come from.

At least in recent years the strikers have always looked capable of recovering from slow starts and serving up some magic, but with respect to the current crop, sorcery doesn't look to feature too greatly in their armoury.

For a team as notoriously fragile as us, starting at the back and grinding out some dull but precious one-nils doesn't even seem to be an option. Which means we need to find another footballing gear pretty soon, and start looking like we might at least threaten the opposition defences once in a while.

Maybe it will take just one good result, and what could be better than to entertain a newly promoted side, still coming to terms with the Premier League and learning all about the gulf in class.

So here's to the visit of Hull, who fit the bill nicely and arrive fresh from a trifling win at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road.

Oops.