Gomes is biggest liability as Tottenham try to make sense of their season

Harry Redknapp may not have achieved anything at the level of what the Tottenham Hotspur board and supporters demand, but he will at least restore a human touch to a club that is forever plagued by change and crisis, dodgy decision-making and disillusioned fans.

The European-style coaching system, suggested by the hugely unpopular and now departed sporting director Damien Comolli, was the reason a “desperate” Daniel Levy offered Juande Ramos just about as much money as he could have dreamed of. Such a system, however, has never worked in England and although Ramos is a good coach – despite claims from El Mundo’s Antonio Felix that “Ramos isn’t a great coach” and Sevilla’s success was due to the club being “well-run… sometimes that may be even more important than the coach” – his chances of success in north London were always small.

He delivered a stunning Carling Cup victory and that rare piece of silverware ensures Ramos’s place in the memories – if not the hearts – of Spurs fans and confirms Levy’s gamble was not a complete failure. The former Sevilla coach also saves face and shouldn’t be short of job options upon his return to Spain.

The abolishment of the failing strategy late on Saturday night and the entrance of a diligent but very English manager is an admission of failure amongst the hierarchy, ranging from the silent assassin Comolli to king of the castle Levy.

Redknapp has complete power – and surely his first action must be to rid of arguably Ramos’s worst signing, goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. One wry commenter suggested the Brazilian was an improvement on predecessor Paul Robinson as he actually came out to meet crosses, but Gomes looks like a professional conman who has duped Tottenham into paying him a handsome wage. He offers no communication with his defence, constantly flattens team-mates in order to half-heartedly punch an incoming ball and constantly seems to be daydreaming, as his ridiculous antics against Udinese demonstrated.

Robinson would have proved a far safer option. Even 37-year-old reserve Sanchez Cesar would do better.

Redknapp’s job is to recruit a world-class goalkeeper in January, for every top four pretender needs a top stopper. Perhaps he will be able to tempt David James to join him – the England number one would undoubtedly relish another opportunity with a top club – while reserves like Carlo Cudicini or Ben Foster are excellent options.

Gomes continues the stereotypes of poor Brazilian goalkeepers – though Dida is still the leader in that category – and although a decent shot-stopper, is more in the class of a club who expect to be around the bottom three rather than one who find themselves there without logic or reason.

Tottenham look set to ignore the credit crunch and give another manager money to spend. Redknapp is more prone to hunting for bargains but spent well when Portsmouth were taken over by billionaire Russian owners. Along with James, the likes of Lassana Diarra and Niko Krancjar will be targeted; both have previously stated a desire to play for a bigger club.

Yet Tottenham already have enough talent on their books to avoid spending big in the next transfer window. If Aaron Lennon can emerge from his malaise and David Bentley is given the time and belief to recreate his fantastic Blackburn form, their midfield will be strong once again. Up front, Darren Bent is a fragile species and Roman Pavlyuchenko still appears less than Premier League quality, while Giovani Dos Santos, criminally talented, has been criminally underused.

The White Hart Lane faithful will not witness a relegation this season and Spurs could even salvage a Uefa Cup place. But entering the top four seems an unreachable target – not just for them, but for any wannabe Champions League entrant. Instead, fifth should always be the objective and if one of the elite suffers a poor season – as Liverpool did in 2005 and Arsenal a year later – then that will be their time to pounce.

It may get worse before it gets better, though, with matches against Arsenal and Liverpool over the next six days. Yet over the long-term, the only direction for Harry, the man who loves an against-the-odds relegation scrap, is upwards.