Three Things: Tottenham vs. West Ham

LONDON -- With Andre Villas-Boas' firing fresh in the memory, Tottenham couldn't prevent another embarrassing defeat, this time in the Capital One Cup. Here are three quick things fromSpurs' 2-1 defeat vs. West Ham:Meet the new boss, same as one of the old bossesChange of manager but no change of fortune as Tottenham Hotspur topple out of the League Cup. By the end of this match, Sam Allardyce was left smiling rather than the Spurs crowd that has endured such an uncertain time of late.It wasn't the first time in the evening that the West Ham manager seemed to be enjoying himself, either. Early on in the first half, Allardyce let out a loud and knowing chuckle as he looked across the dug-out. There was caretaker Spurs boss Tim Sherwood, vigorously shouting at his players as if he'd been doing it for years.There was certainly something familiar about thisnew Tottenham side, even if you had to go back a year or two to realise what it was. For all inevitable and understandable comparisons with Villas-Boas, this Spurs performance -- if not the end result -- had much more in common with Harry Redknapp's time at White Hart Lane. That was perhaps inevitable given that Sherwood initially came in under the current QPR boss and assumed an increasingly important role under him.Sherwood opted for a high 4-4-2, with the two wingers occasionally playing so high up that at times, it looked like a 4-2-4. Initially, it was as if the replacement boss seemed a little too desperate to end the recent goal drought. Although his bold approach led to an early flurry of chances in front of a fervent crowd, it didn't take West Ham too long to figure out how to just stand off and frustrate. These were always the limitations of Redknapp's approaches too. An attempt at old-fashioned excitement isn't always the most exacting way to attack in the modern game.Some of Tottenham's more recent troubles also continued as it still took 67 minutes to get a proper shot on target. Sure, it was the opening goal, but even that needed to go in off the bar and didn't really lead to a new departure. Spurs' struggles in attack continued after the West Ham comeback.In the end, Sherwood himself is going to have to go back to the training ground. It still feels like integration, and someone figuring out the best way to arrange all of these forwards, is the key to unlocking this team.Forward thinking from West HamYou wouldn't quite say the levy broke for West Ham United, but a certain weight -- and wait -- was lifted. After so many weeks of so few goals --just one in their last three matches -- Allardyce's side scored twice in one game for the first time in three weeks and just the seventh time this season.That the double arrived in the space of five minutes so late on made it all the sweeter, as is the fact that this is the second time this season that they have come to White Hart Lane and put more than one past their local London neighbours.