DYCHE’S NOT A DOUBTER

THE critics are lining up to put the knife into Jose Mourinho’s time at Tottenham, but Sean Dyche will not be joining the queue.

The Burnley boss remains a big fan of the Portuguese and his long list of managerial achievements.

He has yet to get the better of Mourinho in nine attempts but a Clarets win tomorrow would make it six defeats in seven league games for Spurs, deepening their crisis.

“Jose has his share of people who question what he has done at various clubs,” said Dyche (above). “But guys like him have done amazing things with teams at amazing levels for years, so I have nothing but respect for him. “That goes out of the window when the whistle goes. At pitchside everyone is fighting to win, but there is never a lack of respect.”

A win at Tottenham would be Burnley’s first since 1973. They had not won at Arsenal or Liverpool since 1974, but both of those have been put to bed this season. “Those experiences help,” said Dyche. “But the last one doesn’t guarantee the next one. It always comes back to performance. “If you think you’ve got it sussed, you haven’t. And if you think one game is easier than another, it’s often not.”

AITOR KARANKA will use Birmingham’s finest hour to try to inspire his side’s relegation fight.

They tackle QPR today on the 10th anniversary of their historic 2-1 Carling Cup final Wembley win over Arsenal.

Karanka looks to harness the energy of first-team coach Craig Gardner, who was in that team, to motivate his side, just two points clear of the drop zone.

The Blues boss said: “He is always speaking about that but it’s nice to have someone who was here then. It can be used as a positive on Saturday.”