BOSSY... No-nonsense Jose back to business with

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR’S proud motto reads: ‘To dare is to do’.

Mauricio Pochettino showed them how to dare. Jose Mourinho will show them how to do.

That was the instant reaction in the East End as the latest instalment of the Portuguese’s Premier League soap opera began like all good stories – with a bang.

The main theme – that there was no hangover from the Pochettino era – was evident from the minute the visitors strode confidently into a two-goal halftime lead.

But, of course, the sub- plot was provided by Mourinho who has arrived in N17 with questions of his own to answer.

Has he lost his edge? Could he recover from the fall- out from Old Trafford? Is he, at the age of 56, still in tune with modern-day football?

Gambled

The only conclusion to draw following what can only be described as a highly- satisfactory personal afternoon out was: Yes.

Spurs big- wig Daniel Levy has gambled that what happened in Manchester was no reflection on a richly-decorated football manager who had taken over a confused club at a difficult time.

And so it was decided that this ubersuccessful individual, boasting charisma by the bucketload, would be charged with the responsibility of taking over from such a beloved figure as his Argentine predecessor at a high cost.

But if that’s pressure, then Mourinho brushed it off with about as much difficulty as his side did against the Hammers who looked like they, more than anyone, had fallen for the hype that the big man was back in town.

Mauling

After a mauling that should have been far more embarrassing than the above scoreline suggests, the manager’s pre-match checklist had ticks running right down the page.

Win away from home in the Premier League against despised rivals for the first time in 11 months, earning goodwill from a sceptical support-base?

Tick.

Work out what is wrong with Dele Alli and get him firing on all cylinders again?

Tick.

Transform players who were lacking in belief, confidence, direction and know-how.

Tick, tick, tick.

By the end the only other ticking