TRADITIONALISTS down "The Lane" might not agree, but Jacques Santini is settling in quite nicely at Spurs.

They might not be playing with the swagger that has been the hallmark of Tottenham teams down the years, but two defeats in 10 games suggests the phlegmatic Frenchman has not been fazed by the Premiership.

In fact he has already ruffled a few feathers - drawing bitter criticism from new Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho, for the negative tactics that earned a scoreless draw at Stamford Bridge and stirring up a hornets' nest when he took exception to referee Peter Walton appearing to get a bit too cosy with Manchester United players during the half-time interval at the recent White Hart Lane clash.

He actually went as far as to bring into question the Football Association's decision to replace Steve Bennett, who was originally scheduled to take charge of the match.

"I know that the best referee in the Championship was due to be here today and I am not happy with the decision to appoint this referee," he said. "I am also not happy with a lot of decisions by the referee today but I respect the referee because he is the man on the pitch and I am not saying this is why we lost."

Not the best way to win friends and influence people when you are new in town. But the way Spurs have started the campaign suggests Santini, who was previously coach of the French national team, does not care whether he is liked or not.

Thirteen points from 10 games is an amazing haul for a team that has played so long in the shadow of north London neighbours, Arsenal, and has at least given them something to shout about at White Hart Lane.

The fact that they have not scored more than one goal in any of those 10 games and conceded only four tells its own story and suggests Wanderers will not have it quite as easy next Saturday as they did in the same fixture last season. Then a 1-0 scoreline was a poor reflection of the total dominance of a match, in which Kevin Nolan claimed the winner, but Jay Jay Okocha dominated the game and the headlines, hitting the woodwork three times.

And they can expect an equally tough test when the teams meet again four days later at the Reebok in the Carling Cup.

Thanks to Santini, whose philosophy appears to be win first and entertain later, Tottenham are no soft touch these days. The irony is that, in Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe, they have two of the Premiership's liveliest strikers who have so far found it difficult to express themselves.

But the Frenchman is in no rush.

He is getting to know the Premiership and, on the evidence so far, he seems to like what he sees.