In the end the better team won the match and deservedly claimed the final Champions League spot by finishing fourth in the Premier League.

Crouch goal enough to beat Man City

Tottenham Hotspur, under Harry Redknapp, have looked a quality side this season and this is just reward for their – and his – hard work. At the risk of coming over all hypocritical following yesterday’s article lambasting clubs for targeting a fourth place finish, Sporting Fare is well pleased for Spurs and Harry. And at the bigger risk of angering Manchester City supporters, we’re equally pleased they didn’t qualify for the Champions League.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way. As we said in yesterday’s piece, the fact that a club with the amount of money City have aimed only for fourth grated on us. You aim low, you get low. City, as many Manchester United fans will take great joy in telling you, consistently find a way to fail, so it beggars belief that targeting anything but the title is deemed worth the risk.

Mark Hughes was sacked because the club’s billionaire owners felt he wouldn’t take the club up to fourth. Mancini was then presumably hired to deliver just that. He’s failed – will he get the boot too? Time will tell, though it would be harsh on the Italian. At the end of the day, the squad put together by Hughes wasn’t good enough and Mancini could only work with what he had. He certainly hasn’t had enough time or opportunity to put his own mark on it.

But stop for a moment. Was the appointment of a relatively green coach in Mancini all that ambitious in itself? Surely a club with the riches of Manchester City could have attracted a bigger, more successful and more experienced manager? It smacks of settling for second best.

Spurs, on the other hand, are aiming high. Their sights are now firmly set on grabbing third from bitter rivals Arsenal and you can bet next season Harry will have his men shooting for the stars – the Premier League title and the Champions League. So let’s leave Spurs to celebrate for now.

Where does this leave City? With no Champions League football they will be hard pressed to attract football’s biggest names. No matter how much money you offer, that fact will always be a consideration – except for the real mercenaries in the game, and they are unlikely to be the sort you want to sign to help you achieve your aims (see Robinho for example).

Spurs will now have the money – and the appeal – to strengthen their squad. Manchester United, Arsenal and without doubt Chelsea will all add players after the World Cup to increase their grip on the top three spots. City will find it difficult to match them in the transfer market.

Yes, they will no doubt spend big again in the summer but will the quality of players they are able to bring in be good enough to overhaul the likes of Tottenham et al? The evidence so far suggests not and they are going to find it more and more difficult each season.

Their Arab owners may begin to question the wisdom of their investment as well and if they decide to pull out City will find themselves sliding to the wrong end of the table.

Last night’s result was a bitter blow for a club aiming to become one of England and Europe’s best – but we can’t help feeling they didn’t aim high enough when it mattered. They will pay a heavy price for that lack of ambition. Around £200m so far and counting in fact. It may take another £200m based on what we’ve seen this season.

Back to Harry Redknapp. Sporting Fare are huge fans of his. It’s great to see an ‘old school’ manager doing well and Harry, at 62, has waited a long time to pit his not inconsiderable managerial skills against the best in Europe.  As he said himself:

“I know I’m good at my job. You don’t last 1,100 games in management if you’re a mug. People didn’t keep me just because the chairman liked me. Most of them actually probably didn’t like me.”

Thumbs up for Redknapp

Very true, and many don’t like him. But you can’t dismiss his achievements. We’re looking forward to seeing how he does in the Champions League.

Redknapp, along with Wenger, Ferguson and Hodgson, is a good example to young up and coming managers. Managers like Mancini for example. They would do well take note of how these managers go about their business, there’s a lot to learn.

Not least that if you don’t aim for the very top you’ll never reach it.