I'll be 100% as soon as possible

fans seem to think players are robots and that they are permanently fit. They aren't. Georges-Kevin N'Koudou wasn't training, gym work is no the same and eventually we had to ask permission from Marseille if we could let him train with us as he hadn't had a pre-season thanks to their failure to resolve things on their side until the end of the window.

Moussa Sissoko was another. He was not interested in playing Championship football and Newcastle United tried to force him to by putting a high price on his head and turning down all offers. he didn't feature in any of their four Championship games, not even being on the substitutes bench so that when he joined Spurs, he wasn't match fit as he confirmed to the Evening Standard.

"I can't tell you a date when I will be at my peak level, but my fitness is becoming better with every game, and I will work at the training ground to be 100% as soon as possible. 

"I came here to help them [win silverware] so I hope we have a great season and finish top of the league. They played very well all last season. 

"What qualities can I bring to this team? My power and my strength. I have a lot of energy. Everyone knows I like to run forward, so maybe this is something I can add."

Reporters, who should know better, were predicting him starting with news that Erik Lamela was going to be rested against Stoke. Such talk was lunacy, he only started training with us on Wednesday and the system is new to him. You don't pick it up in 5 minutes.