Tottenham's expensive rebuild begins with familiar collapse

LONDON, Aug 22 : Tottenham Hotspur's lavish close-season spending failed to disguise familiar shortcomings as they opened their Premier League season with a 3-0 drubbing at Brentford on Saturday.After successive 17th-placed finishes and a last-day escape from relegation in May, a spending spree that is set to go past £300 million ($409.08 million) was supposed to have the North London club challenging the elite.On the evidence of Saturday's performance, however, Spurs first need to focus on closing the gap on teams like humble Brentford - the brilliantly run West London club who outplayed them at a rocking Gtech Community Stadium.Brentford offered another example of what continuity and smart recruitment can achieve, Keith Andrews' side looking cohesive and confident despite operating on a