Captain Carr could stay on

Pleat, buoyed by the 3-0 win over Coventry, will go to Manchester refusing to compromise on his attacking policy. That could lead for an entertaining afternoon against Kevin Keegan's side. "It will be a difficult game at Manchester but I am not a defensive-minded-person. I've always tried to go forward and will continue to do so. That's my attitude but then I realise that it is vital for the self-confidence of the defence to keep a clean sheet, as we did at Coventry.

"We didn't allow them many goalscoring opportunities but I thought the way in which the midfield protected the defence was first class."

Pleat hopes to have striker Bobby Zamora back in his squad after missing the trip to Highfield Road with a stomach complaint.

Former Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli has told Spurs today they must contact him if they are interested in his services as a possible successor to sacked Glenn Hoddle.

Vialli has been out of football since leaving Watford but says he is ready to talk if Spurs want him.

"I am available to talk to anyone. Obviously I need to get the right offer and I want to work for the right club and the right people.

"It is important for me to have some understanding with the directors and the chairman and to pull in the same direction. I'm lucky because I can manage in Italy and in England. I keep an eye on what is happening in football and hopefully one day I will be back on the bench managing a team.

"I'm available and I think everyone in football knows that. If Spurs think I could be the right man, I will be content to sit down and talk about it."

Tim Sherwood today urged the club to forget about foreign coaches and appoint a British manager who could put the smile back on the faces of the players. The midfielder quit Spurs for Portsmouth in January after a massive fall out with Hoddle. Numerous foreign coaches including Raddy Antic, Guus Hiddink, Klaus Toppmoller and Philippe Troussier have already been linked with the vacant post. But Sherwood said: "I would like to see a British manager go in there.

"There is nothing complicated about football management. You need to keep your players fit and get a good team spirit going. They have the players at Spurs to comfortably finish in the top six and a new manager would not have to spend any more money."

Meanwhile, Keegan has defended David Seaman who made another blunder during their 3-2 win over Lokeren.

"I'm not trying to make excuses but the lights could have been a problem. He didn't know whether to stick or twist because the ball was coming down right on the edge of the penalty area. You would have to say it was a poor goal to concede defensively and David apologised at half-time."

The home supporters were not prepared to give Seaman the benefit of the doubt and gave him ironic cheers for the remainder of the game.

Keegan expressed his disgust at the treatment and also took the unusual step of criticising them for booing his side off the pitch at half-time. He added: "They booed us off and I find that terribly disappointing."

Man City v Tottenham, City of Manchester Stadium, Sunday, 4.05pm (Live on Sky Sports 1)