Top dog in North London: Arsenal or Spurs?

Going all the way to Villa Park to watch what I consider average football, despite my passion for Aston Villa just wasn't worth a whole day, so you could say I have a soft spot for Arsenal - which is pretty much why I'm writing this.

A lot has been said of late about the Spurs revival and today I've read that Lee Dixon is supporting Wenger as manager by saying his position is safe, but is it?

I don't think you'll find many that don't think Martin Jol is a good manager. What he has done at Spurs in such a short period of time is all good. He has had some serious backing but it doesn't matter how many players you bring in if you can't get them in the right frame of mind and get them all playing good, passing, controlled football together.

Martin Jol has done this and as a Villa fan I only hope that one day we get a manager to do the same because despite what many other supporters think we actually have some decent players.

The important thing to remember here is that Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, have always played this controlled football that Martin Jol is now bringing to Spurs and he has proven over several years that he's not that bad in the transfer market also.

Losing Viera was a big blow for Arsenal but they do have young Francesc Fabregas who I rate as a massive prospect and they've also got Robin Van Persie who I'm convinced under Wenger will become the next big thing.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Ledley King do a Sol and move to Arsenal. Although I'm not his biggest fan as I don't think he's actually found his best position, despite what Eriksson might think, he'd probably fancy more success in red than white.

Looking at Spurs and as an Aston Villa fan there are quite a few players I'd like to see at Villa Park, I think they are going to crumble. Maybe that's because that's what Spurs have done for so long and I may be proven wrong this season but I just don't see them keeping it up to sustain a real push for Champions League football or domestic success - although I think it will it come and probably a lot sooner than I'd like (i.e. before we get rid of David O'Leary).

So who are the top dog's in North London? I think we'll see at the end of the season it will be Arsenal and if they keep Wenger for next season and they go out and spend wisely in the summer we'll see Arsenal remain top in North London for some time to come but many an Arsenal fan may be worried about the vacant position at Real Madrid.

If Madrid come calling and they really want Arsene Wenger, despite how safe his position is (or should be) then I suspect they'll get him which would open the door for Spurs in North London.

In my humble opinion it just goes to show how vitally important the manager is and how many of us fail to see the impact they do have on how the team performs week in week out.