NOV 2 — Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has made himself look rather foolish. Speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s north London derby, the Republic of Ireland international claimed: “If you look at the last four or five years, Arsenal have always got ahead of us slightly. But now I think it's certainly even and if you look at the squads, I think that our bench is probably a little bit stronger than theirs.”

Keane was left to eat those words after Arsenal’s 3-0 convincing victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday demonstrated they are still miles ahead of their near neighbours. Even though Spurs were reasonably successful in stifling their stylish opponents for the opening 40 minutes, Harry Redknapp’s side were always on the back foot and it was a question of when, not if, Arsenal would open the scoring. And after two defensive errors in the space of 90 seconds handed the Gunners a 2-0 half-time lead, the game was over.

Statistics offer plenty of evidence to refute Keane’s assertion: it’s now 10 years and 21 games since Spurs were able to savour a league victory over their arch enemy. Furthermore, since Arsene Wenger’s appointment as Arsenal manager in 1996, the Gunners have gained seven major honours (three Premier League titles and four FA Cup trophies), while in the same time period Tottenham can point to just two triumphs in English football’s least prestigious competition, the League Cup.

The continuing gulf in class between the two sides can in large part be explained by another statistic: in the 13 years since Wenger’s arrival in north London, Tottenham have employed no less than nine different managers, none of whom has been in place for more than three years.

There’s no doubt about it, Tottenham have the potential to become a huge club. In the Eighties, inspired by the mercurial talents of Glenn Hoddle, they were as attractive and popular as any team in English football aside from Liverpool, and enjoyed more than their fair share of success in cup competitions. Spurs can draw on a rich heritage, a large and passionate global fan base and a self-esteem boosting tradition of playing football in the “right” way — but they are still a long way from loosening the rigid grip that the “big four” of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have exerted on the Champions’ League places for the past decade.

To give themselves a realistic chance of climbing back into those upper echelons, Spurs badly need a period of managerial stability; with changes at the helm occurring so regularly over recent years, it’s hardly surprising that every step forward has been followed by another step back. Each new incumbent brings with him new ideas, new players, new backroom staff and a new style of play; time for adjustment is essential, and real success can only be achieved over a long-term period. Chopping and changing the manager every two or three years has to stop — current boss Harry Redknapp is a knowledgeable and experienced manager, one who is more than capable of developing a squad capable of challenging for major honours. But he has to be given more time than Tottenham have afforded their managers in recent years.

Tottenham don’t have to look very far to find the example they need to follow: the continuity provided by Arsene Wenger’s long-term stewardship of Arsenal has helped widen the divide between the north London rivals. The Gunners have gone without silverware since their FA Cup triumph in 2005, but there’s no question of sacking Wenger — and neither should there be. The Frenchman has been given time to redevelop his squad following the departure of key players such as Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and Dennis Bergkamp, and there’s every sign that Arsenal’s patience with their manager will soon be rewarded.

With a beautifully free-flowing team based around the subtle, silky skills of Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin, surely it won’t be long before Wenger’s side end their trophy drought. Occasional defensive frailties may prevent the Gunners from attaining the consistency required to win the Premier League, but they’re certainly good enough to win any of the cups — including the biggest prize of all, the Champions’ League.

The irony is that Wenger honed his managerial skills in the late Eighties at Monaco, where he built a title-winning team around the creative genius of none other than Hoddle, who had by then been allowed to leave White Hart Lane. Without Hoddle, Wenger may not have achieved the same level of success at Monaco, and may therefore never have earned the opportunity to join Arsenal. Something for Tottenham fans to ponder!