HUMBLE JOSE won’t take any credit... but that was Dele back to his cheeky, England best

HE will not take any of the credit because he is so, so humble, of course.

When a sprinkling of the away support acknowledged him in song long after the final whistle, he acknowledged it with mock sheepishness.

That well- documented humility will prevent Jose Mourinho from suggesting he has had some sort of immediate, transformative effect on Tottenham Hotspur.

And let’s face it, West Ham were – for three-quarters of this odd match – utterly dismal, with a keeper who must have won some sort of competition.

But, as he pointed, and shouted, his approval towards Dele Alli in the celebratory wake of Spurs’ second, Mourinho would have been giving himself a familiar, mental cheeky h k b best, back b k to his h England standard, back to his roaming, adventurous, creative norm.

Call it coincidence, if you like, but to not give Mourinho any sliver of credit for Dele’s contribution would be churlish.

Just as it would be to not give him any credit for Tottenham’s first Premier League away win since January 20.

Again, the caveat has as to be that West Ham, for r large swathes of the game, were insipid, half- committed ted and, overall, a tactical al joke.

But Mourinho had a plan – he always does

– and it worked.

Take Tottenham’s third goal. In the first half, it had been evident t the often-maligned Serge ge

Aurier h had been given a licence to bomb forward from the right- back position whereas Ben Davies had been told to hold his station at left-back.

Sure enough, just after the break, Aurier careered into opposition territory again and sent over the cross from which Harry Kane, with a crushing inevitability, beat the truly

ERIK THORSTVEDT is a man who knows a thing or two about Tottenham turmoil. And, according to the big former Norway and Spurs keeper, bringing in Jose Mourinho for the sacked Mauricio Pochettino just shows how crazy the modern game has become. Thorstvedt, 57, was at the club for Terry Venables’ shock move upstairs to take on the role of chief executive, shortly after guiding Spurs to the FA Cup back in 1991. Looking at the axing of Pochettino, Thorstvedt said: “I didn’t think it was going to happen. If the sacking was only because of the results, it’s incredible really. “The down-turn hasn’t just been this season, it goes a little bit further back. But I think he would have been able to turn it around. He will a massive name for Tottenham fans forever. “It amazes me how quickly things can turn and this is a prime example. “A Champions League final – and now this. We’re going to remember his time as the happy days. “There has been stability, consistent top-four finishes, the ground, the training ground – the joy that has been there for the fans has been incredible. “Now a manager that Tottenham fans have been trained to hate is in charge. And we’re going to start hearing Mourinho songs coming from the stands. It’s so strange. “It will be fascinating to see how it plays out. I don’t know if it’s going to end well, because it rarely does with Mourinho. “But maybe there’s a trophy in the cabinet before that all happens.” Indeed, it’s now almost 12 seasons since a trophy, and with Spurs having already blown their League Cup and Premier League hopes this season, Thorstvedt added: “The best chance would have to be the FA Cup – that’s what Mourinho must target.”