Harry Redknapp hailed his side’s character after they came from behind to secure a 4-4 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates this evening

Tottenham took an early lead in the game and speaking to Sky Sports after the game Redknapp admitted the game had been a classic. He said: “It was amazing, I thought we started great. You know we kept the ball, passed the ball, got a great goal from David Bentley and then we conceded from a set play.”

Arsenal then roared into a 4-2 lead before two late goals from Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon sealed the draw and the Spurs boss paid tribute to the character of his side. Redknapp explained: “Great character from the players, fantastic to come back and score two late goals like that was magnificent.”

The draw follows on from last weekend’s win against Bolton and the former Portsmouth manager confessed that things were going well for his new side. Redknapp said:  “It’s been a good week so far. We had a great start on Sunday and today we showed the character needed to come back was fantastic.”

Despite claiming an impressive point, the result leaves Spurs still bottom of the Premier League yet Redknapp insisted he was happy with the draw. He said:  “It was a great result for us. You would always take a point, especially in the situation we are in.”

Tottenham now face league leaders Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Saturday and the Spurs boss admitted his side can go into the game with confidence. He concluded:  “The dressing room is buzzing, the lads are up and we know we can give Liverpool a real game on Saturday.”

Arsenal's pacey wingman Theo Walcott says he cannot wait to zip down the lines at the Emirates Stadium this evening as he will be up against fellow Brit Gareth Bale.

Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale will now much about each other's game as they used to train and play together during their Southampton days.

Since then they have moved on to two of the most successful clubs in English football, although one is enjoying more fame than the other.

While Walcott has put in some assured performances for club and country, Gareth Bale on the other hand has never won a Premier League match with Tottenham Hotspur. All of Spurs' league wins have come when Bale has been absent.

Walcott has said he is relishing the chance to come up against his former team-mate in tonight's north London derby.

"I’m sure he’ll get everyone’s confidence up. I get messages from Gareth all the time and I’m looking forward to it," Theo told the Telegraph.

"Hopefully, deep down, he isn’t looking forward to it. I’ve never played against him. It will be a big challenge – he’s one of the best left-backs and he could play left wing as well.

"A lot of people are surprised about Tottenham’s start, the amount of money they’ve spent and the players they’ve got. Obviously there has got to be something going on in the background, they have so many world-class players," he said.

"I’ve been lucky to come into an Arsenal team that’s doing well. It’s difficult when a team’s struggling to find your top level, but they will find their form, I’m sure."

Arsene Wenger has criticised Tottenham Hotspur's decision to axe manager Juande Ramos, insisting that the Spaniard was not given a fair chance...

Ramos was replaced by Harry Redknapp, the former Portsmouth manager, at the weekend after Tottenham had failed to procure a single win in their first eight games of the season.

It was a highly disappointing end to a tenure which many believed would see Spurs succeed in their long-held ambition to challenge for Champions League places. Last season's Carling Cup win was supposed to be a stepping stone to greatness - but, alas, it was not to be.

Despite the Lilywhites' dreadful form, the club's board have received harsh criticism from some quarters for sacking Ramos so soon into his his first full season at the helm. Wenger is one of those critics.

Patient

"I don’t think he’d have been sacked if he had only arrived at Tottenham in July," the Arsenal manager said in The Sun. "But the fact is he arrived in the middle of last season and people were less patient with their league position.

"What sometimes happens in this league is when a team doesn’t go for Europe and wins the Carling Cup, they suddenly switch off.

"Without anyone noticing, slowly you lose results. And then, if you don’t start the next season well, which is what happened to Ramos, his environment slowly lost confidence in him."

Ramos arrived at White Hart Lane with a sterling reputation after winning back-to-back UEFA Cups at Sevilla, and Wenger is not the only one who is confused by the Ciudad Real native's failure in the Premier League.

"I am very surprised it didn’t work for Ramos and I feel sorry for him because I rate him as a coach and as a man," he said.

"It takes time to get your ideas through. I understand Tottenham have to make decisions but you would want anyone to be given more than eight or nine games."

Different Direction

Damien Comolli, the Spurs sporting director, was also relieved of his duties after taking much of the blame for the club's transfer blunders over the past few summers.

Ramos was less than sympathetic towards his former colleague, however, insisting that he (the manager) had no say in the signings of David Bentley, Giovani Dos Santos, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Luka Modric and Heurelho Gomes.

Tottenham have opted not to replace Comolli for the time being, drafting in Redknapp - a traditional English manager - to oversee all team affairs.

Wenger is interested by the appointment: "Now they have gone a completely different way and done away with the director of football because they were suddenly convinced it doesn’t work for them.

"Only time will tell whether Harry Redknapp will be a success."

Spurs claimed their first win of the season at the weekend, but the odds will be against them when they take on Arsenal in the North London derby this evening.

Rafael Nadal has revealed that he would like to see Real Madrid try to sign Karim Benzema to boost their attacking capabilities in the next few seasons.

The tennis superstar was asked which French player he would most like to see play for his beloved Merengues in an interview with L'Equipe and admitted that there was more than one name he would consider. BUt after considering a list of players that would slot into the majority of the continent's best club sides, Nadal picked out Benzema as the player that could add the most to Madrid. "If I was to choose to sign one French player out of, say, Benzema, Ribery or Gourcuff then I would, without doubt, sign Benzema," he told the French newspaper. "I like Ribery a lot, he is a great player, but I know less about Gourcuff." Nadal admitted that he was also a fan of Samir Nasri, who chose to join Arsenal in the summer after several clubs showed an interest in signing him. "Another player who is very good is Nasri, who is young and looks like he will become better and better. I like him a lot too," the tennis ace added.

Fifa have today revealed the nominations for their World Player of the Year award.

3 players are in the running for the accolade, which is voted for by international captains and managers, with the award winner revealed on January 12 at a ceremony in Zurich.

All of the players listed are currently playing their football in Europe, with the English Premier League heading the nominations with 10 representatives.

Spain’s La Liga has 8 players nominated, while there are just 3 listed from Italy’s Serie A.

Germany’s Bundesliga and the Russian top-flight complete the nominations with one player each.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently won the FifPro player of the year award, is the current favourite to win the accolade.

However, he can expect heavy pressure from the likes of Iker Casillas, Fernando Torres, Lionel Messi and Kaka, who won last year’s award.

Full list of nominees for the Fifa World Player of the Year award:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, Togo), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, Russia), Michael Ballack (Chelsea, Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain), Deco (Chelsea, Portugal), Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, Spain), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan, Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain), Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil), Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England), Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich, France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal), John Terry (Chelsea, England), Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid, Holland), David Villa (Valencia, Spain) and Xavi (Barcelona, Spain).

Brazilian players have dominated the history of the award with 8 winners since its inception in 1991. Barcelona have been the most successful club, having had 6 winners playing for them when picking up the trophy.

Following his outburst at the weekend, Sergio Ramos’ long term future at Real Madrid could be in jeopardy as the club reconsiders his status within the squad.

The rightback stirred up a controversy at the weekend when he revealed during an interview that he is currently unhappy with his football at Real Madrid due to coach Bernd Schuster’s playing system.

Although the player and the coach have ironed out their differences and made their peace, it appears that the Los Blancos hierarchy are not quite done with the issue.

According to Radio Marca, the first action that the club have taken is to suspend all on-going negotiations to offer Sergio Ramos a life contract at the Bernabéu. The Madrid board had promised the player the same type of deal offered to the likes of Casillas, Guti and Raúl and an agreement was supposed to be signed immediately after the close of the summer transfer market back in August.

The arrangement, however, failed to materialize and talks resumed between the two parties but it looks as though the deal could be off completely now following events at the weekend.

It is also believed that Madrid have removed the ‘indispensable’ tag from the player’s squad status. The club were vehemently adamant in the past that Ramos is not for sale at any price but they are now reportedly willing to sit down and listen to offers. And they are even ready to start taking bids as early as the winter transfer window.

Iker Casillas:

"Setting foot in this stadium is very special. Being able to play here is a dream I had ever since I was a kid; playing on a pitch that has hosted such great footballers. That dream has become reality, and now I play on a pitch that takes centre stage every weekend."

"My best memory is every time I came as a kid, but I will never forget what it was like setting foot on the turf for the first time. I had won the European Premier Nike Cup with the youth team and we had to make an appearance. It felt amazing, and it's when I said that I would someday be back."

Ramón Calderón congratulates the Santiago Bernabéu on its 60th birthday

Real Madrid President Ramón Calderón wanted to join in the festivities to pay tribute to the already legendary Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Ramón Calderón knows how important the Santiago Bernabéu has become over its sixty years of history. The President still recalls an event that forever changed his life. "I have great memories of recent victories, but what I will never forget is the first time I visited the stadium with my father and grandfather. I couldn't have been more than 11, and it was a match against Osasuna which Real Madrid won two nil."

Calderón also has fond memories of his first visit to the Spanish capital."Madrid amazed me. I came from a small town in the province of Palencia, and the atmosphere around the stadium was so exciting that it's something I haven't forgotten in close to fourty years."

"Those of us who are Madridistas have shared great times here and it truly is a temple for Merengue fans," added the President.

"I would like to thank all those who helped make this an 'Elite Stadium', which now allows us to host a Champions League final. We've asked for the 2010 final and have a good chance of getting it. It would be a magnificent way to top of these sixty years of history."

Real Madrid 3-2 Athletic Bilbao

Football returned to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium with an encounter between two classic sides of the Spanish league. The match lived up to expectations and to the achievements of both Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Bernd Schuster came up with an offensive line-up. Robben returned to the starting eleven and Van der Vaart, Sneijder and Gago took on midfielder duties. Heinze took Fabio Cannavaro's spot as centre back with Pepe and Marcelo played as left back. Míchel Salgado flanked them on the right wing. Higuaín played as a striker with Raúl due to Ruud van Nistelrooy's suspension.

The first minutes indicated that Real Madrid would end up dominating the match. Sneijder came close from scoring with a 50-metre shot. Five minutes later, Higuaín scored from a cross by Robben, but the goal was disallowed due to a non-existent offside. Athletic also tried their best and left back Balenziaga became their strongest man in attack and Salgado cleared a cross of his that was clearly looking for Llorente inside the box.

The match slowed down and Real Madrid failed to find a clear way to reach Iraoz's goal until Heinze found Sneijder between Athletic's lines and served him the ball. The Dutchman didn't falter in the one-on-one against the Basque keeper and scored from a beautiful crossed shot with his left foot before the 15-minute mark. Bilbao didn't loose face and looked for an equaliser with long passes. Llorente came close to netting a header, but Casillas' incredible reflexes saved the day.

Athletic grew impatient and the Madridistas, guided by an all-powerful Gago and an omnipresent Sneijder, began to hurt them in defence. Higuaín penetrated into Athletic's ranks and, after leaving two defenders behind, passed the ball back to Sneijder, whose subsequent hit one of the posts.

The Whites finally found the way to hurt Bilbao and HIguaín tried to score his team's second strike with a beautiful lobbed shot that wasn't on target. Real Madrid played their best football during thoise minutes. Gago's playmaking skill was latent, Sneijder did what he wanted with the ball and Higuaín dominated inside Athletic's area, as proven by the team's second goal. Sneijder served the ball to Van der Vaart, who in turn passed it with his heel to Raúl, who distracted the defenders before assisting Higuaín to score.

The fans started to relax and to enjoy their team's lead, but a fast, confusing and messy play in which Iraola fell on the ground in pain distracted the team, alowing Etxeberria to defeat Casillas. The Whites' beautiful game gave way to Bilbao's imprecission and straightforward football. Eventually, just before half-time, the Basque's scored again thanks to an unfairly awarded penalty on Llorente.

Real Madrid played much better at the start of the second half. Higuaín had a chance with a crossed shot. Heinze tried to score one minute later, but his shot hit the crossbar. In the end, Higuaín scored the victory goal thanks to a brilliant pass from Gago, who saw his run way back in midfield.

Athletic grew powerless against the Madridistas, who wanted to finish them off with another goal. Guti and Diarra came on for Van der Vaart and Raúl -respectively- to freshen up the team's attack. Llorente came close to scoring an equaliser in the final minutes, but in the end Real Madrid won the game. They haven't lost at the Bernabéu in more then one and a half years...

Real Madrid 3-2 Athletic Bilbao

Football returned to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium with an encounter between two classic sides of the Spanish league. The match lived up to expectations and to the achievements of both Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Bernd Schuster came up with an offensive line-up. Robben returned to the starting eleven and Van der Vaart, Sneijder and Gago took on midfielder duties. Heinze took Fabio Cannavaro's spot as centre back with Pepe and Marcelo played as left back. Míchel Salgado flanked them on the right wing. Higuaín played as a striker with Raúl due to Ruud van Nistelrooy's suspension.

The first minutes indicated that Real Madrid would end up dominating the match. Sneijder came close from scoring with a 50-metre shot. Five minutes later, Higuaín scored from a cross by Robben, but the goal was disallowed due to a non-existent offside. Athletic also tried their best and left back Balenziaga became their strongest man in attack and Salgado cleared a cross of his that was clearly looking for Llorente inside the box.

The match slowed down and Real Madrid failed to find a clear way to reach Iraoz's goal until Heinze found Sneijder between Athletic's lines and served him the ball. The Dutchman didn't falter in the one-on-one against the Basque keeper and scored from a beautiful crossed shot with his left foot before the 15-minute mark. Bilbao didn't loose face and looked for an equaliser with long passes. Llorente came close to netting a header, but Casillas' incredible reflexes saved the day.

Athletic grew impatient and the Madridistas, guided by an all-powerful Gago and an omnipresent Sneijder, began to hurt them in defence. Higuaín penetrated into Athletic's ranks and, after leaving two defenders behind, passed the ball back to Sneijder, whose subsequent hit one of the posts.

The Whites finally found the way to hurt Bilbao and HIguaín tried to score his team's second strike with a beautiful lobbed shot that wasn't on target. Real Madrid played their best football during thoise minutes. Gago's playmaking skill was latent, Sneijder did what he wanted with the ball and Higuaín dominated inside Athletic's area, as proven by the team's second goal. Sneijder served the ball to Van der Vaart, who in turn passed it with his heel to Raúl, who distracted the defenders before assisting Higuaín to score.

The fans started to relax and to enjoy their team's lead, but a fast, confusing and messy play in which Iraola fell on the ground in pain distracted the team, alowing Etxeberria to defeat Casillas. The Whites' beautiful game gave way to Bilbao's imprecission and straightforward football. Eventually, just before half-time, the Basque's scored again thanks to an unfairly awarded penalty on Llorente.

Real Madrid played much better at the start of the second half. Higuaín had a chance with a crossed shot. Heinze tried to score one minute later, but his shot hit the crossbar. In the end, Higuaín scored the victory goal thanks to a brilliant pass from Gago, who saw his run way back in midfield.

Athletic grew powerless against the Madridistas, who wanted to finish them off with another goal. Guti and Diarra came on for Van der Vaart and Raúl -respectively- to freshen up the team's attack. Llorente came close to scoring an equaliser in the final minutes, but in the end Real Madrid won the game. They haven't lost at the Bernabéu in more then one and a half years...