Pleat puts faith in youth

Gus Poyet, Darren Anderton, Milenko Acimovic and Goran Bunjevcevic look favourites for the chop, following on from the departures of Steffen Freund, Ben Thatcher, Les Ferdinand, Teddy Sheringham, Steffen Iversen and Chris Perry over the last six months.

Pleat said: "We are in a good contractual position to clear out players signed two or three years ago in the hope we would get success quickly.

"In hindsight, that policy has not worked out. We hope the team will become younger and more athletic.

"The day-to-day running will not really change. There will just be a little more responsibility for certain people. But I think that whoever comes in (as the next full-time manager) will be in a good position to build a team."

Joining the exodus of established figures could be Stephen Carr, who just happens to epitomise the new breed that Pleat is looking for. The Republic of Ireland full-back came through the ranks at White Hart Lane before his wholehearted displays established him as a crowd favourite.

But, with 18 months left on his contract, Carr's future at the club is uncertain and there are fears he could walk out for free when his deal expires.

Pleat said: "He has 18 months to go. He knows we would like him to stay. We feel he is playing confidently and competently for the team. We will continue to talk but we will not vilify anyone who does not sign when we want them to.

"I would not panic about any one player. We have two other right-backs, Stephen Kelly and Phillip Ifil, who are doing very well."

Spurs have won seven of their 12 games since Pleat took over - four in the Premiership and three Carling Cup triumphs - but some fans have been critical of the manner in which the team have performed.

The former Luton and Sheffield Wednesday manager suggests this is unfair. He said: "I believe this group of players will go forward rather than backwards.

"Of course the performances have been sporadic this season but only the top teams, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, play consistently well each week.

"All the other teams beat each other. What we have to do is get into fourth, fifth and sixth position, which are open this season given the demise of other clubs."

As a man who has an association with Spurs that spans three decades, Pleat is acutely aware of the high expectation level among supporters at the Lane.

The club have only won one trophy since 1991 - the Worthington Cup success at Wembley under George Graham in 1999 - and the gap between Spurs and neighbours Arsenal is in danger of stretching into a chasm.

Pleat probably only has five months in which to play catch-up before Levy decides on a permanent successor to Hoddle. But a place in Spurs folklore beckons if he can arrest the decline.

He said: "Since the inception of the Premier League, we have not matched up to the history and tradition of this club. I am sorry to say we cannot even begin to equate the current team with the doublewinning side of 1961.

"The first group of people who are able to get Tottenham back into the top six clubs, where they belong, will be revered at this club.

"Robbie Keane often says to me, 'God loves a trier.' We can only do our best and that's what we will be doing."