Even those among the White Hart Lane faithful who demand that Glenn Hoddle or some exotic foreign name should fill George Graham’s overcoat come the summer would scarcely begrudge the Spurs stalwart that belated march of glory, should the club survive their semi-final against Arsenal.
Yet Pleat, who had to resign for what may be described as “nonfootballing reasons” 14 years ago, is clearly not entirely certain whether he has been blessed or cursed by the dramatic and controversial turn of events that saw Graham dismissed nine days ago. Ambivalence permeates every pore, when discussing his own position – that of director of football-turned-manager – and that of the club’s future.”You talk about the glory,” he retorts, “but there’s a little thing in the back of my mind which tells me that this could all turn on its head for me. Some new manager may come in here, want a clean sweep and say ‘This is the way it’s got to be. Sorry’.”We will see if they protect me then – like they protected George Let’s hope they would do. This is a position I’ve got to enjoy and make the most of for the good of the club.

But I’m in an invidious position.”The “they” refers to the club’s new owners Enic, whose choice of six weeks before the season’s end and three weeks before the FA Cup semi-final to depose Graham has not met with universal approval, even among the Scot’s detractors. But Pleat analyses the departure of Graham thus: “I think the owners had something in their minds, maybe not then, maybe for later, but it [Graham's alleged attitude] brought it all forward. Sometimes if you take someone on you may not be in as strong a position as you think you are.”If it ultimately means the parting of the ways, Pleat will be philosophical. As well as Spurs’ disposal of him in 1987, a year in which the club came third in the League and were defeated FA Cup finalists, he also departed Sheffield Wednesday after they had finished seventh in the old First Division. “We all have terrible things that happen in our lives, when you get a bad hand, or you think somebody has turned you over, but you have to get on with life,” he says.Next Saturday, the north London rivals meet in a Premiership game at Highbury.

The visitors’ team will be essentially Graham’s and when they meet again the following Sunday, Pleat concedes that he will be “taking a semi-final team out by default”. “Nobody should think they’re clever enough to impose anything different in two or three weeks,” Pleat says. “But we may vary acouple of things for the semi-final.”You discern that, although there was mutual respect between him and Graham, Pleat would have “varied a few things” in the last two and a half years had he been in charge. No direct criticism, just suggestions, such as his view of David Ginola’s deployment.

“Unlike at Arsenal, it’s always been about characters and charisma here – the Tommy Harmers and Danny Blanchflowers.. Waddle, Ginola, Gascoigne. You almost think there’s been an ethos here of individual above team, which you know can’t be right. The trick is to combine that individual within the team.”I honestly feel that, in Ginola’s time here, if the team had been good enough to ferry him the ball when he’s played wide, it would have been fantastic. The problem was that when he was either instructed to come infield to help defensively, or he came in because of his own boredom, the team lost shape.

If we couldn’t get him the ball he became an advantage to the other team.”Earlier in the season, the outcome of both the forthcoming derbies might have been regarded as a virtual formality; now, with the strutting progress of Spurs’ junior contingent, they are both franked with exciting possibilities. Pleat had his influence on the projection of Ledley King and others. “George said to me that he didn’t want to be in a position where he had to throw kids in,” recalls Pleat ” ‘Why?’ I told him. ‘I think you should throw them in and see if they’re good enough’.” At least the hands-on approach of the new executive vice-chairman, David Buchler, has released Pleat from his role of contract negotiator and player procurer.”I’ve always accepted it as part of my role. But I’m pleased that I’m out of that for the next few weeks when we’re at a very late stage of discussions [with Darren Anderton, Les Ferdinand and Sol Campbell].” Would that trio be Tottenham players next season? “I’m hopeful, but of course the world is Sol’s oyster. You don’t know how it’s going to develop but at the moment they’ve got closer to talking about figures than has been the case in the past.”He accepts, though, that Campbell may still follow his England colleague Rio Ferdinand, and take that radical step – to the North-west or to Europe. “Moving clubs is like a new marriage without courting first,” he warns.