Andre Villas-Boas has been appointed the Manger of the Month award for December after guiding Spurs to four wins in six games.

Reflecting on a festive run of success which even the headiest optimists would have baulked at predicting, resulting in Tottenham beginning the new year in third place in the Premier League, Villas-Boas said: "It's been an excellent December for us and we've managed to put ourselves in the kind of position we want to be".

Off the back of a couple of seasons which delivered both the delight of attractive, winning football and the pain of fluctuating results, Villas-Boas should be commended for delivering the kind of consistency in performances and results that Spurs have craved even at the best of times in recent years. The tightness of the defence seems to be growing at an exponential rate, squad harmony and understanding is steadily improving, and AVB's rotation policy over the past month has seemingly delivered that elusive combination of stability and rest for key players.

All in all, an award that seems well deserved, even if at the very least for proving to his doubters that he can temper his ambitious and progressive ideals with decent short-term squad chemistry, and one which will surely inspire some measure onfidence and optimism going forward for the Tottenham faithful.