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Last week Harry Redknapp was mooching about outside the dressing rooms of Hull's KC Stadium trying to fill that awkward hiatus between the pre-match team talk and kick-off when he popped into a little kit room for a cup of tea. There he stumbled upon a flip chart outlining Phil Brown's key points about the game and could not help but notice No1: "Nice v Nasty".
"They were nasty and we were nice, that was how he saw it," Redknapp says. "That is how teams have seen Tottenham over the years. When I was at Portsmouth we used to batter them. Teams would get into Tottenham's faces. Now, we are getting stronger."
There is one very good reason for that and it takes the form of a strapping Honduran whose shoulders are so broad he looks like he is wearing American football kit. Wilson Palacios, signed by Redknapp in January, is a crucial cog in the machine, which now functions so efficiently that Tottenham have enjoyed a start in direct contrast to the misery they encountered this time last year.
Redknapp is delighted with the impact Palacios is having. "He has been terrific for us," the Spurs manager enthuses. "The crowd love him because he gets after it, he loves a tackle, he wins balls. He is a powerhouse. If you were a midfield player, he would not be top of your list to play against because I don't care how good you are, he ain't gonna let you play. When he is after you, he really is after you – not in a nasty way but in an aggressive way. He is a Graham Roberts type, who was the last one we had here like that." Roberts, incidentally, left White Hart Lane nearly a quarter of a century ago.
That is a considerable length of time to be without a renowned physical presence in midfield. In correcting this major omission in the Tottenham line-up, Palacios provides the ballast that allows the more dainty players to perform with freedom. "Palacios is giving us that, they know he is going to be in there putting his foot about and as strong as anybody. That is important," Redknapp adds.
Everyone at the club is full of admiration for the way Palacios conducts himself, particularly in the aftermath of a horrific family trauma. His younger brother, Edwin, was found murdered in Honduras towards the end of last season, 19 months after being kidnapped. It is hoped Wilson can rebuild his life in a positive way through his football.
"He is just the most lovely boy you could ever wish to meet," Redknapp says. "He has always got a smile on his face. His English is not all that clever at the moment, we are working on that with him. He is a simple man, he comes from a humble background. He had five brothers, obviously lost one, they were all top players in Honduras while his dad was a coach. He just loves being here and really appreciates the chance to play for Tottenham. He is just a smashing guy, a terrific character."
It is, in many ways, a quirk of fate that he is playing in the Premier League at all. As an established player in Honduras, he was sent abroad for trials at the time of his 23rd birthday to find a European employer and his summer tour – from Serbia via France to England – appeared to be at an end when Arsène Wenger decided he could find no room for Palacios, despite feeling that the player had something to offer. It was only a chance phone call made by Steve Bruce, who was looking for a midfielder to take to Birmingham on loan, which transformed his fortunes.
"They put him on the train to Birmingham, off he went, and Steve took him. He was very lucky. He was probably heading back home once Arsène wasn't going to take him," Redknapp muses.
Today he will do his utmost to ensure that Tottenham are not as accommodating as Gianfranco Zola might have hoped of a Spurs team visiting Upton Park. The heir to Graham Roberts will see to that.
"They were nasty and we were nice, that was how he saw it," Redknapp says. "That is how teams have seen Tottenham over the years. When I was at Portsmouth we used to batter them. Teams would get into Tottenham's faces. Now, we are getting stronger."
There is one very good reason for that and it takes the form of a strapping Honduran whose shoulders are so broad he looks like he is wearing American football kit. Wilson Palacios, signed by Redknapp in January, is a crucial cog in the machine, which now functions so efficiently that Tottenham have enjoyed a start in direct contrast to the misery they encountered this time last year.
Redknapp is delighted with the impact Palacios is having. "He has been terrific for us," the Spurs manager enthuses. "The crowd love him because he gets after it, he loves a tackle, he wins balls. He is a powerhouse. If you were a midfield player, he would not be top of your list to play against because I don't care how good you are, he ain't gonna let you play. When he is after you, he really is after you – not in a nasty way but in an aggressive way. He is a Graham Roberts type, who was the last one we had here like that." Roberts, incidentally, left White Hart Lane nearly a quarter of a century ago.
That is a considerable length of time to be without a renowned physical presence in midfield. In correcting this major omission in the Tottenham line-up, Palacios provides the ballast that allows the more dainty players to perform with freedom. "Palacios is giving us that, they know he is going to be in there putting his foot about and as strong as anybody. That is important," Redknapp adds.
Everyone at the club is full of admiration for the way Palacios conducts himself, particularly in the aftermath of a horrific family trauma. His younger brother, Edwin, was found murdered in Honduras towards the end of last season, 19 months after being kidnapped. It is hoped Wilson can rebuild his life in a positive way through his football.
"He is just the most lovely boy you could ever wish to meet," Redknapp says. "He has always got a smile on his face. His English is not all that clever at the moment, we are working on that with him. He is a simple man, he comes from a humble background. He had five brothers, obviously lost one, they were all top players in Honduras while his dad was a coach. He just loves being here and really appreciates the chance to play for Tottenham. He is just a smashing guy, a terrific character."
It is, in many ways, a quirk of fate that he is playing in the Premier League at all. As an established player in Honduras, he was sent abroad for trials at the time of his 23rd birthday to find a European employer and his summer tour – from Serbia via France to England – appeared to be at an end when Arsène Wenger decided he could find no room for Palacios, despite feeling that the player had something to offer. It was only a chance phone call made by Steve Bruce, who was looking for a midfielder to take to Birmingham on loan, which transformed his fortunes.
"They put him on the train to Birmingham, off he went, and Steve took him. He was very lucky. He was probably heading back home once Arsène wasn't going to take him," Redknapp muses.
Today he will do his utmost to ensure that Tottenham are not as accommodating as Gianfranco Zola might have hoped of a Spurs team visiting Upton Park. The heir to Graham Roberts will see to that.