Many Tottenham fans came to cheer Glenn Hoddle, the Southampton manager they want to see installed in place of George Graham at White Hart Lane, but must have gone home wondering how either of them could restore the old glory days.

On a chilling afternoon both bosses drew a dismal blank from a scrappy Premiership encounter, although it was ex-Arsenal chief Graham who had to absorb most of the verbal derision at the end.

Southampton had the better of the first half in which only the saves of Ian Walker, standing in for suspended Neil Sullivan, kept alive Tottenham's unbeaten home Premiership record this season.

Spurs, who lost the injured Les Ferdinand in only the 20th minute, were on top after the break but although midfielder Ledley King's header deserved a goal instead of hitting the bar, it all ended up in a big fat zero.

Ferdinand's disappearance left Spurs desperately short of focus and firepower up front with the ever-willing but slightly-built Sergei Rebrov joined by substitute Dave McEwen, once of Dulwich Hamlet and making only his third senior appearance.

The pair were continually bullied out of the action by the big Saints defenders and goalkeeper Paul Jones, having needed to stop Sol Campbell's header in only the third minute, was not troubled again until after the half-hour mark.

Having been happy to see Rebrov's dipping drive - from Ferdinand's nod-on shortly before the veteran striker's exit - just clear the bar, Jones stretched to push away Stephen Clemence's shot after the wing-back was splendidly set up by the little Ukrainian's clever head-flick.

By contrast Walker was in regular action at the other end, blocking an early cross-shot by Tahar El Khalej with his knees after the impressive Wayne Bridge's lofted cross completely undressed the home defence, beating away a blast by Saints' other Moroccan Hassan Kachloul and then rescuing red-faced Gary Doherty, whose slip let in the normally-clinical James Beattie.

Walker also foiled Kevin Davies, who had earlier failed to convert Kachloul's penetrating cross at the far post and really should have buried his second opportunity having slipped in behind the Spurs rearguard.

But sheer attrition kept Tottenham going in the second half and Southampton were rarely able to build on the firm platform they had established in the opening 45 minutes.

Claus Lundekvam and Dean Richards were both called upon to make crucial interventions when McEwen and then Luke Young threatened in the early stages of the second half and the crossbar got in the way when King looped a header over Jones from Rebrov's left-wing cross in the 64th minute.

Graham was encouraged enough to send on substitute Oyvind Leonhardsen to provide a bit more subtlety in place of Steffen Freund's bullish graft in the last quarter hour.

Belatedly, too, Hoddle sent on nippy Latvian striker Marian Pahars but he never had time to impose his silky touch.

Teams:

Tottenham: Walker, Freund (Leonhardsen 77), Campbell, Perry, Anderton, Ferdinand (McEwen 21), Rebrov, Doherty, Young, Clemence, King.

Subs Not Used: Segers, Thatcher, Davies.

Southampton: Jones, Dodd, Lundekvam, Richards, Oakley, Draper, Davies, Beattie, Bridge, El Khalej, Kachloul (Pahars 83).

Subs Not Used: Moss, Marsden, Rosler, Soltvedt.

Booked: Richards.

Att: 36,095

Ref: C Wilkes (Gloucester).