Regardless of how many West Ham United fans that may have been rejoicing about today’s news that the club’s Olympic Stadium dream is set to become a reality in the 2016/17 season, for Tottenham Hotspur supporters, it represents a very bitter pill to swallow indeed.

Superficially of course, the sight of seeing one of your London rivals handed a 99-year lease on a shiny new stadium – not to mention one that they once looked to acquire themselves – is enough on its own to merit a feeling of seething frustration.

Furthermore, the painful irony that all taxpaying Spurs fans will be in some small way funding the £60million that the government has fronted up to help turn the stadium into an arena fit for football has not been lost amongst the Lilywhites’ support.

But perhaps the most prominent feeling of distress isn’t within the potential benefits that West Ham will reap and to some extent, already have, out of the Olympic Stadium conversion. It’s more the pressing reality upon how desperately the club has to get their own stadium development under way.

There will be undoubted bitterness – not just amongst Spurs fans – but perhaps the greater footballing public, upon how a football club plying its trade in the richest professional league in the world, has just received a £60million foot-up from the taxpayer to help convert a stadium they already shelled out £428million to build in the first place.

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Given the economic realities the country is facing up to, on face value Spurs supporters are going to find it hard to stomach the notion that while they struggle to find an estimated £400million for their own development project, West Ham are going to provide a mere initial £15miillion towards the conversion cost and a further £2million annual rent on the Olympic Stadium.

From a taxpaying perspective, the intricacies of the tenancy most certainly do concern those on the white half of North London, but from a sporting one, it matters very little to fans as to quite how successful they are. Because regardless of how many seats they do or don’t fill or how successful the implementation of retractable seating may or may not be, it’s not going to help them build their stadium any quicker. And that’s where the real issue lies.

Should West Ham United’s move to the Olympic Stadium be completed on schedule for the 2016/17 season,  theoretically, the same campaign would also herald the full completion of Tottenham’s Northumberland Development Project. When The Mirror reported that the tender was set to go out for the main stadium element back in September, whispers were abound that the club may even be set to move into the partially completed structure for the 2015/16 term, with the completion date for the following season.

But as we head towards the end of the 2012/13 season, while the adjacent development to complete a supermarket, commercial and educational space towards the north of the stadium is well under way, not a single brick has yet to be laid on the stadium itself.

The onus within North London is that it is a matter of when, as opposed to if the stadium gets underway. But with Tottenham MP David Lammy recently stating that chairman Daniel Levy suggested Christmas as the earliest possible start date, hopes of a summer start already seem somewhat optimistic.

The complexities upon getting what it essentially a small regeneration project of the ground, ensures that the timescale for such a scheme is always going to require a level of patience that is something of an alien commodity within a sport that waits for no man.

To gauge an idea of quite what Spurs are looking to devise, you only need to look at the three years it is going to take West Ham to move into a stadium that’s already been constructed, once conversion has been completed and the several miles of red tape overcome.

By the same note, Tottenham are looking to build a new stadium on the footprint of their current one, make serious renovations to the surrounding infrastructure as well as dig up anything between £300-£400million to make it happen. If it felt like it took an awful long time to devise such a development, then putting it into practice is a completely different beast altogether.

But while the impatience that resides amongst some quarters of the Tottenham support towards the stadium project is unjust, the ever-growing financial chasm between themselves and the gentlemen in red down the road serves as a painful reminder to just how desperately the Lilywhites need to increase their matchday revenue.

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There is little more either Levy or anyone at Spurs can do to try and speed up the stadium development process, but with West Ham now set to be rehomed before themselves, it might not just be Arsenal that will give them cause for concern.

The Hammers might have to share hospitality revenue with the London Legacy Development Corporation, but with ticket revenue set to go straight to their own coffers, there is real capacity for them to start making some serious gains in the capital. They might not be able to sell out 54,000 seats as it is, but with their new stadium on the doorstep of one of the most well connected transport hubs in Europe, the capacity for growth is unprecedented.

Should work not begin till the New Year, the best Spurs can perhaps hope for in terms of making their own strives towards matchday revenue, now looks like an entry into a semi complete White Hart Lane for the 2016/17 campaign. Any later, and the race to play catch-up with those around becomes increasingly more difficult.

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Darren Bent has indicated that he is keen to depart Aston Villa at the end of the season in order to secure first-team football.

Bent has been largely restricted to substitute appearances for Villa this season under boss Paul Lambert and the 29-year-old has admitted he may be forced to move on to pastures new at the end of the campaign.

“It is about playing and, at my age, I can’t have another season like this one,” he told the Daily Star. “Time is running out.

“I’m not really one of these guys who wants to sit there, not do anything and get paid.”

Bent has two years left on his current deal at Villa Park and it has been reported that the club are keen to recoup a “large portion” of the £24million they paid for his services in January 2011.

However, the likelihood is that Villa will have to accept a significant loss on a player who is clearly out-of-favour under Lambert and has barely featured since the turn of the year, with his last Premier League start coming in the home defeat to Newcastle in January.

Bent’s chances at Villa Park this season have been restricted by Christian Benteke but the forward believes he could have developed a deadly partnership with the Belgian star had he been given more opportunities over the course of the campaign.

“He was a big guy and it looked as if the partnership would form,” he added. “But it’s not meant to be. I don’t quite know why.”

It remains to be seen who will come in for Bent in the summer but the striker’s comments are likely to alert a number of potential suitors given his impressive scoring record in the Premier League.

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Fulham have been linked with Bent in the past but any move from the Cottagers could depend on whether or not they can keep hold of Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked with a switch to Russia in recent weeks.

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He’s had a terrible season at Spurs, frustrating the fans with his poor performances, yet without Emmanuel Adebayor on Wednesday night, Tottenham probably wouldn’t have got a point from their match with Chelsea. The Togolese striker scored a stunner to level the scores at 1-1, before his delicate back-heel assisted Gylfi Sigurdsson to equalise for the second and last time just minutes before the full time whistle.

A rare, superb display by the forward, scoring his seventh goal in all competitions for Spurs this season. And yet such a great performance can frustrate so many fans. Tottenham’s faithful will be asking why he doesn’t play like that every week. Often criticised for being lazy and uninterested most of the time, Adebayor looked like a man proving a point at Stamford Bridge. With AVB supposedly looking to bring in a new striker in the summer, maybe Adebayor was proving he still has what it takes at White Hart Lane, or maybe he was just desperate to get into the Champions League. For whatever reason, the former Arsenal star was on top of his game

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A professional performance from a man who has been completely unprofessional at Tottenham all season. The forward struggled from the off this campaign, scoring his first goal in November against Arsenal before getting sent off. After getting his third goal in all competitions by the second day of 2013, the majority of supporters weren’t too upset to see him jet off to the African Cup of Nations. Adebayor appeared four times for Togo, and although he only scored once, he played much better than when wearing the white of Tottenham.

And yet when he came back, Manu was still struggling in a Spurs shirt. He upset Tottenham fans instantly, with his delayed return from the African Cup of Nations. With Jermain Defoe out injured, Spurs needed Adebayor. But he was still in Africa, where he claimed there was no travel arranged for him to return, after he was asked to meet the Togo President with the rest of the team. Supporters may have forgiven him eventually, but they were still frustrated with his performances when he returned. Knowing he was a good player, it was difficult to give an explanation as to why Adebayor was failing to make a positive impact.

But the chant “He scores when he wants” seems to be appropriate when it comes to Adebayor. A temperamental player, the draw against Chelsea showed Spurs fans he still has the quality they saw when he first joined the club. And yet the fact the Togo forward decides not to play with the same energy or desire in all of Tottenham’s matches, let alone score goals such as on Wednesday night, has left Spurs supporters in pain.

Never looking hungry, or energetic, Adebayor has been a frustrating player to watch. Chelsea fans may suffer from seeing Torres struggle to score, but at least they see the Spaniard try hard to get on the score sheet. But with Adebayor, there appears to be a lack of drive, and just the occasional piece of magic which makes most Tottenham fans keep the faith with the former City forward, before once again letting them down with a string of goalless, effortless matches.

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After he demanded such high wages when Spurs made his loan deal permanent, you would expect the striker to work hard to remind the club why they pay him approximately £100,000-a-week. Instead, Daniel Levy watches his money trudge along the pitch, with no desire to bust a gut. And then when everyone starts to question the striker, once every one or two months, he plays closer to his 100% talent, to ease supporters’ woes.  And then the cycle loops, ending disappointment with one brief, yet quality performance, before reverting back to his normal, lazy state of disinterest. He may well have been crucial in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, but if the club are serious about becoming a Champions League team, they are best off chucking the man sucking up their wages, and bring in a hungry, energetic forward instead.

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Alex Ferguson’s final season with Manchester United has often been talked about as one of his finest campaigns, largely because he captured the club’s 20th league title with a squad who, against previous squads, would not be deemed the strongest.

It was Ferguson in the dugout who strengthened the weaknesses in this United team, giving them the necessary mental tools to overcome their shortcomings. It’s the aura he exudes and the expectation he places into his team. You could go a little way into arguing that Ferguson was one of the few managers in world football who could have turned this group into champions, regardless of the quality surrounding them in the league.

After such a long time in charge, the transition to Ferguson’s successor will obviously be important. There is comfort in the fact that Ferguson is ‘moving upstairs,’ but it is absolutely fundamental for future success that David Moyes is offered full control to shape the playing squad and ethos of the club in his own image. Fortunately, that image isn’t too dissimilar to what we’ve come to know under Ferguson.

It’s a new era in the history of Manchester United and it needs to be treated like one. There is always a fear that any club experiencing difficulty could simply revert back to what they know best as a means to sail out of stormy waters. There will be a presence over Old Trafford and over Moyes’ shoulder that only adds weight to the expectation. It’s not an exploration of the idea that it would be best if Ferguson removed himself completely from the club – there is actually plenty of good that can come from this, look at Barcelona, Bayern and Ajax – but it is an acceptance that inadvertently the old manager may ‘get in the way’ of the new man in charge.

What you’d like to see is Moyes come in and make changes in areas where he feels essential. That means pulling up parts of the squad that may not be seen as long-term components of the team and enforcing his authority to the fullest extent. That includes having all the freedom to bring in his coaching staff, rather than having those left by the previous manager forced upon him. There should be no comparisons where comparisons aren’t necessary. How much will it undermine Moyes if the shadow of Ferguson continues to hang over him through the unnecessary and potentially damaging talk of years of gone by?

There should be a sense of excitement rather than trepidation. Manchester United and Ferguson wouldn’t have chosen Moyes if they didn’t believe him to be up for the job. The lack of silverware doesn’t matter, just as it didn’t to Barcelona when Pep Guardiola took over. This is a job that has been highlighted and treated as something exceptional. Yes, it is an exceptional club that wants to maintain its incredibly high standards in football, but this remains simply a football job like all others.

It’s important to remember that Moyes was appointed in an act that went against the grain. There was little to no chasing of European-classed managers and those with experience in the Champions League. Specifically, United chose not to go for the short-term option and rather opted for a man they’d prefer to be in place for many, many years. And while Moyes and Ferguson have plenty of similar approaches to the game, it’s not to say that Moyes can run United in exactly the same manner as Ferguson. It means allowing the new manager to make changes on the pitch and behind the scenes which he feels will bring long-term stability under his stewardship. This is no longer Alex Ferguson’s team, and that is the most important factor to remember.

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Barcelona midfielder Alex Song is believed to be considering leaving the Nou Camp in search of regular first-team football, according to reports from The Mirror.

The Cameroonian left Arsenal last year to join the Catalan giants, but has struggled to force his way into the starting XI on a regular basis.

Midfield trio Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Inesta are seen as the club’s first choice trio and are backed up by the likes of Cesc Fabregas.

This has seen Song spending most of his time at the club on the bench, leading to speculation of a Premier League return.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham have all been linked with the enforcer, and could make winter moves if his situation is still bleak at the turn of the year.

Song has made just one start during Barca’s opening seven games of the 2013/14 campaign, which was forced due to an injury suffered by Busquets.

He is desperate to get his career back on track, with a move away from Spain thought to be the best option.

United and Arsenal are said to be very keen, with both sides looking at adding a deep lying midfielder to their ranks.

Spurs are also watching the situation, and could move to beat their rivals to his signature.

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Should Alex Song return to England?

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While Manchester City continue to wipe the floor with anyone who visits the Etihad, their away form in any competition remains a worry for Manuel Pellegrini.

The Chilean manager will be aware of the pressure he faces to win a trophy in his debut season at City and he will have noted the Capital One Cup as one piece of silverware he has every chance of lifting.

But he his players face an in-form and high-flying Championship side in Leicester City who will have already dispatched Premier League Fulham, and they’ll be confident of an upset at the King Power Stadium.

But where will the key battles be on the field between a team desperate to prove themselves against top-flight opposition ahead of a possible promotion and a City side struggling on their travels?

Kasper Schmeichel v Costel Pantilimon

 The former Manchester City keeper failed to impress the management during his time at the Etihad and, after five loan spells, was sold to Notts County in 2009. Since then the 27-year-old Dane has proven to be one of the best shot stoppers in the Football League, and he’ll be eager to prove City that it was a mistake to allow him to leave the club.

Pantilimon has had his first sniff of first team football for City in recent weeks, after Pellegrini dropped Joe Hart, and he won’t want to give his first team spot up easily.

It’ll be a battle between a former Manchester City understudy and a current one, which should prove interesting. Either way, with Leicester looking good for promotion to the Premier League, Schmeichel will have plenty more chances to prove a point.

Anthony Knockaert v Jack Rodwell

 Jack Rodwell’s time at City has been a frustrating one, plagued with injury and having to compete with some of Europe’s best midfielders for game time.

But the Capital One Cup gives him the perfect opportunity to show manager Pellegrini that he can be an important asset, although he will have to deal with a French attacking midfielder who is improving with every game at Leicester.

Knockaert is becoming an influential member of Nigel Pearson’s side as they chase promotion back to the top-flight and could provide Rodwell and City with a number of problems if he is given the time and space in front of the defence, with his ability to hit the target from long range a real threat.

Lloyd Dyer v Gael Clichy