Football FanCast columnist Matt Wright reflects on Zokora's new contract

If there was such a thing as a curse at Tottenham Hotspur, then surely it must be the No.4 shirt. Not only has it been some 14yrs since someone scored wearing it, but for me it has blighted us with some of the worst players ever to play for our great club.

Freund, Toda were painful at the best of times, but their successor Didier Zokora is certainly up there alongside them. I nearly choked on my lunch when tuning on to the Spurs website and I saw that the Ivorian had signed a new contract at the club; am I missing something here? We get rid of quality like Malbranque and then offer someone like Zokora a new deal; it beggars belief quite honestly and why I don't want to question our leader Juande Ramos, I just wonder what was the thinking behind it.

I know a lot of Spurs fans who champion the efforts of Didier Zokora and like Freund before him, appreciate he runs around like a headless chicken, makes mistimed tackles and ill disciplined in the way he hurtles forward. At the end of the day enthusiasm and effort is one thing, but sheer quality is another. If you ever needed proof how bad he is then look back to last season and how we were completely overrun. A top class holding midfielder doesn't leave huge gaping holes exposing the defence - his brief is to protect them and he fails miserably.

So why has he been offered a new deal? Apparently he is versatile. I personally cannot understand why he is playing full back, especially when you have the likes of Gunter on the bench and up until a couple of days ago Lee; we just seem to like putting square pegs in round holes. I can only imagine that Zokora must be the best trainer at the football club, because his performances on the pitch certainly don't merit constant selection.

So am I being harsh on Zokora or do others share my dislike? I feel that if we want to grow as a football club, then we need to rid the club of average players. Didier is certainly in that bracket and we are never going to be a force, while he is marshalling the midfield. Rewarding him with a contract must go down, along with Jenas' as the worst bit of business of the summer and I pray and hope that the signing of Miguel Veloso goes through before the Monday deadline, because I don't think I can go through another season of Zokora and Jenas. One is bad enough, but the two of them is a bit much to take.