More Than Half A Page Of Scribbled Lines

I suppose its fitting that given how things have panned out for Spurs so far, the first draw since the opening day of the season should be a game that could have finished with any score you like to imagine. It could have been a 6-3 home win, it could have been a 6-3 away win. It could have been a 7 all draw. In the end both teams had to settle for a point.  The match was bookended by Mats Hummels, Roma's German centre back with the highly illustrious career mostly behind him. At 35 years old, he moved to Rome in the summer but has barely kicked a ball. I assume he was signed by the then coach Daniele De Rossi, the club legend inexplicably sacked at the start of the season. His replacement Ivan Juric had a bit of a 'Nuno' and was fired a couple of weeks back and replaced by everyone's favourite Italian Uncle, the now 73 year old Claudio Ranieri. A rusty looking Hummels gave away the penalty for a foul on Sarr in the fifth minute that Sonny converted but then eight-eight ...

I'm beginning to suspect that as a fanbase us Spurs supporters must have broken quite a lot of mirrors and trod on a fair few spiders over the last few years. The footballing Gods wouldn't even allow us 48 hours to bask in the euphoria of the seasons best performance at the home of the champions on Saturday evening before stunning us with the news that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had fractured his ankle. He's subsequently had surgery and faces a 'significant' time on the sidelines. 'Venom' doing his Club Christmas hospital visit a month too early This is a scenario that I personally had been dreading. Back on August 23rd I posted a blog  7 Days Left, Is There Still Work To Do?  . Included in the list of priorities at number two was the following:- At this point I have to make it clear that this is no slight whatsoever on Fraser Forster. He's been a really good signing as a short term back up or to rotate in what are in the modern game refered to as lowe...

Occasionally in life things happen that are quite difficult to comprehend. You can use the fact that around 71 million Americans recently voted for Donald Trump in the US election or 'Shuddap You Face' by Joe Dolce kept 'Vienna' by Ultravox, one of the great records of the 1980's of off the top of the UK Singles Chart as examples. Blimey lads, cheer up!! However, whatever your knowledge of history, music, politics or sport you'd be hard pressed to find something more unexpected than a Spurs 4 nil win at the Etihad on Saturday evening. All the ingredients were there for a thumping home win. Their legendary manager had just signed a two year contract extension despite losing four consecutive games for the first time in his career, their much missed defensive midfielder being celebrated for winning the Balon D'Or, four regulars returning to strengthen their team up against an opponent shorn of their International centre backs, with three full backs in the back ...

It seems like its been quite a while since the sobering home defeat to previously without a League victory Ipswich. Being Tottenham Hotspur though barely a day, let alone a week, can pass without some kind of newsworthy event appearing on social media, Sky Sports News or even in the fast dying old media form, newspapers. After what feels like a hundred years, the FA finally got around to coming up with Rodrigo Bentancur's punishment for his comments made during an interview in Uruguay, albeit in his eyes 'sarcastically' about Sonny's racial heritage. In their infinite wisdom they decided that seven games would suffice and that the player would need to attend a course to educate him as to why it was wrong to do this in the first place. Sometimes just saying 'Sorry' isn't enough Now, he's a 27 year old who's been around professional football all of his adult life. An experienced international who's played in Italy as well as England. He isn't A...

In a sense, to put my impressions down on yesterdays match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be a waste of time and effort. In the main that's down to the fact that I've done it all before. Anyone that happens upon it and reads it will have read it all before, even if they've never seen anything written by me and certainly anyone that was there or watched it by whatever means they were able to, would have seen it all before. Ipswich arrived at the game having aquitted themselves quite well so far for a newly promoted team that two seasons ago were playing in League One, without actually picking up a victory that would be their first in the top division for twenty two years. Having checked on the fixtures and league standings on Sunday morning I realised that a home win plus a victory for Newcastle at Forest (not completely out of the question) and a draw in the Chelsea v Arsenal game (quite likely) would mean Spurs going into the International break remarkably in third...

Going to the RAMS stadium in Istanbul to face Galatasaray in a European competition is always a tricky ask of any side, let alone a Spurs side short of half a dozen players that could possibly have started the match. This however doesn't completely excuse the first half display which being kind could be described as disjointed. Some of the social media reaction at half-time would be a lot more cutting and direct. Ange was in a difficult position selection-wise for several reasons. Not least the mounting injury list, but also the close proximity of the next Premier League fixture against Ipswich. For once, the International break which follows immediately after is quite welcome with regard to this. He went with Forster in the nets, a back four with just one first choice Porro. Dragusin, Davies and Gray made up the quartet. Bissouma was the only remotely defensive midfield selection, sat in behind Burgvall and Maddison who both turned out to be equally ineffective. Captain Son and Jo...

When in the ninety-sixth minute James Maddison bent a free kick around the Aston Villa wall into the net that left keeper Emi Martinez rooted to the middle of the goal to put Spurs 4-1 up yesterday manager Ange Postecoglu stood on the touchline and politely clapped. This applause was similar in its manner to the way that you might as a teacher clap as the Headmaster introduced a local councillor to open the School Fete. Maddison makes it 4-1 This was by no means a slight on Maddison, who he cuddled father-like at the end of the game. He'd actually applauded in the same way when Solanke had made it 2-1 with a sublime finish following some beautiful build up play starting with Ben Davies and going through Pape Sarr, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski. It was more to me that a week after watching the side do basically exactly the opposite of what he'd asked them to do, this week his message had got across and they'd carried out his half-time instructions to the tee. Solanke ...