Julian Finney/Getty ImagesClint Dempsey's return to Craven Cottage is one of the many points of intrigue as a motivated Fulham welcome in Tottenham this weekend.

The very first lesson youngsters are given when they swop school books for soccer boots with that initial apprenticeship into the game -- son, you have got to be prepared to look after yourself. I don't mean in terms of diet, discipline and health. Let bigger boys sense you can be intimidated on the pitch and you might as well go home. Hard luck stories don't win you much respect in football. They certainly won't win you any trophies. Welcome to the school of hard knocks.

- Dempsey: Not 'appreciated' at Fulham

On Wednesday night, Fulham, with resources depleted and a miserable run behind them, manned up at Chelsea to claim a good point at the Bridge. But as Whites fans drifted off into the chilly night, we all somehow left with the bittersweet feeling that here was another opportunity missed to claim our first win on this ground since 1979. Even our Chelsea blogger here at ESPNFC felt in the last 10 minutes only Fulham were likely to score. It completed a miserable November for the side that has seen us sink back into the mid-table pack. Just three points gained from a possible 15 and no maximum now from six.

A review of the month where our early season optimism got eroded week after week reveals how the holes blown into the good ship Fulham during the transfer window saw us sinking below the waterline. We started the month very lucky to nick a point off Everton but pushed Arsenal all the way at the Emirates. While a supine performance at Stoke was always on the cards, the one result that hurt was Sunderland. A mixture of rank defending, dreadful luck and one aberrant lunge from the skipper left us on the wrong end of a 1-3 scoreline. Confirmation of just how weak this Sunderland team is came with their next two results -- walloped by West Brom and held by the bottom feeders, both games played at home. In the final analysis come May, that Sunday match may well be seen as our Blackburn away moment from last season, because I think Sunderland could go down.

Any chance the winless run will end with the visit from Spurs? It's a tricky one. From a difficult week lets accept there was precious little attacking flair from either the Stoke or Chelsea games. Can we get into this Tottenham team, or will we freeze at the sight of Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale tearing down the flanks? It should be a more comfortable ride for the centre backs with Emmanuel Adebayor suspended, but Jermain Defoe is in fine goal-scoring form -- I would wager a few bob on him scoring -- and the sidebar issues around this derby suggest our former idols will want to raise their game a notch. Both Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey are still to entirely win over the Spurs crowd, though Dembele has been battling a hip injury. Can you imagine the irony, and despair, should Dempsey provide the match winner? And did you know Spurs have won all eight games where Dembele has been involved?

After a flaky start to the season when questions were being asked about Andre Villas-Boas, recent results suggest to me that Spurs have the best claim on a top four finish in light of the state of flux apparent at Chelsea and Arsenal, while both West Brom and Everton cannot sustain their strong starts with limited squads. I had hopes into autumn that Fulham, too, might step into this vacuum. Now we look for effective reinforcements in January just to climb back into the top half.

As for calling Saturday's game, we cannot keep trusting Dimitar Berbatov to find the spark. This is another game where I think we may have to settle for a point. Spurs have certainly had the whip hand over us in recent encounters. They will let you play your game, but I sense Martin Jol will be tempted to reign in his cavalier approach again, as he did the other night. The preference for Giorgos Karagounis over Kerim Frei to start at the Bridge revealed caution, and facing the wing prowess of Spurs, expect more of the same. Tottenham arrive on the back of victories over West Ham and Liverpool. Fulham have forgotten how to win. It will take a monumental effort from more members of the team than just Berbatov to reverse that trend. The bookies have Spurs to win and they usually get it right. To conclude, after some rather unfortunate and ill-advised comments to the London papers, the reception given to Mr. Dempsey will be worth the admission money alone.

There was a time when we used to wring the cockerel's neck for fun, but presently this is a good time to meet Fulham. If November was miserable, our six games up to the start of January may too provide a mixed bag and more teeth gnashing. Anyone looking forward to the 15^th and the trip to QPR yet?

Twitter@fulhamphil

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