Juande Ramos, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, may have been in his job for four months, but he already appreciates the history and culture of the club. He also empathises with the desires of the supporters, who have been starved of success since their 1-0 triumph over Leicester City in the Worthington Cup final in 1999.

“What would a win [against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final tomorrow] mean?” he said. “It would be absolutely magnificent, particularly because it would bring tremendous happiness to the club, who need a trophy. It’s been a while since they’ve played in a final and lifted a cup. Also, the excitement and hunger of the fans would be satisfied if we won a trophy.”

Indeed, Tottenham and their fans need a trophy. Ramos understands perfectly the disillusionment felt at White Hart Lane during years of underachievement. Yet while playing down his role since succeeding Martin Jol, he does see signs of improvement and hope for the future.

“It’s tremendously satisfying that people are happy with the work we’ve done, the progress we’ve made,” Ramos said. “We’ve made our position in the Premier League a lot healthier than it was and we’re having very good runs in the cups.”

Of one matter he is certain. Tottenham will have to play better against Chelsea than they did in the 1-1 draw at home to Slavia Prague on Thursday night. After a nervy display, they scraped into the last 16 of the Uefa Cup 3-2 on aggregate.

“If we play like we did against Slavia, then we are not going to win very often,” Ramos said. “We’ll have to improve to beat Chelsea.”

Ramos, who has lost only one of 12 cup matches since arriving in North London, is almost certain to retain Paul Robinson in goal at Wembley. Robinson, after a ten-match absence, replaced Radek Cerny against Slavia.

“I found out I was playing just before the game,” Robinson said. “I had an inkling I’d be in the team. The manager took me out of the firing line, has given me a chance again and, hopefully, I can recapture the form that put me where I was.”