It has turned out to be such a strange season, that even after we playing at our best, beating teams for fun, winning at shite hart lane, keeping clean sheets more than any other teams, scoring more than anyone else – we are going to end up second! Man City just can’t lose can they?
Fulham can do us a favor, they can restrict Pep to a draw or win against them. I have zero confidence in Tottenham beating City and West Ham can’t go through them on the last day at Etihad. If something can happen, it’s today. Lets hope the gods favors us and Fulham and we get to see for once the sad face of Pep Guardiola. We have one of ours play for Fulham, Bernd Leno, who has promised that he will give his 100% to stop our competition.
There has been some happenings while I was missing. Jorginho signed the contract for another year, Mikel was full of praise for him and it basically confirms it’s time for Thomas Partey to go. I don’t believe Mikel wants to keep two 35 year olds to fight for one place when Declan Rice is a starter. If I was you Mikel, I would sell Thomas for whatever money we can get, and go into the market for a DM understudy to Rice/Jorginho.
Bayern did us dirty in the quarters. Saka was denied a clear penalty. Harry Kane got away with an elbow on Gabriel which should have been red. They weren’t so furious then about refereeing, but when it happened to them against Madrid when the offside whistle was blown a bit too early, all hell broke loose. Mr Tuchel, Karma is a bitch.
Next year’s kit has been leaked, and I am disappointed to say the least. Last season was best of Adidas, both Red and White, and the black ones were great. This season, the third kit was a standout and home one was fine too. I think I might skip the next season’s if the leaks are true.
A belated Happy Birthday to Dennis Bergkamp, you happened when I was playing cricket as 10 year old but looking back, I would have loved to see you play live. A gentlemen, a magician, red through and through.
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Fabrizio reported that we are monitoring the young 18 year old Ajax centre back Jorrel Hato. He has a deal till 2028 and he will be an investment for the future. We most certainly need a third regular CB to rotate with Saliba and Gabriel without hampering our game play. White/Tomi are CB but we haven’t seen them play there, and we don’t know if they will turn out to be equally good. If it costs us 10 odd million, I would say go for it.
Sacking news have started about Pochettino. He talked about an interview, the content doesn’t really matter but if the manager comes out and talks about it, either he is fearful he will be sacked, or he knows he will. Chelsea has just moved from a billionaire russian who managed to win things to a billionaire american who can’t make things happen. Loving it.
Right, and Ten Hag just can’t stop talking about us can he?
Tony
Its not the FA its the PL and the big clubs want City brought to heel – if they’re not Newcastle will start throwing money round like confetti. That would leave 2 CL places for Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham to contest etc – they won’t have it.
Oh the dilemma the spud’s fans must be feeling tonight.
They want CL that’s hanging by the thinnest of threads, but they won’t want us to win the league because they made it happen for us.
The banter of us thanking them very mutchly would be priceless. Obviously, their recourse would be we won it for you, but they would be hollow words drowned out by our hysterical laughing.
A chant from our faithful of we thank your spursy, we do……… when playing them would be pure gold for me. Little things and small minds and all that.
I wonder what the Spuds will be really wishing for tonight? Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
If it were the other way round, I’d say fcuk the CL, we do not want them winning the league because of us. I’d rather the Europa league.
Marc
Fair comment when you look at it that way. I would love to see them relegated with a 5 year TW ban of can only sell. I would imagine most of their stars have release clauses if relegated.
One can dream…..
Guess this sums the mood up for some Spuds’ fans:
“Tottenham’s clash with Man City has tickets available in the MAJORITY of all blocks – as match-going fans offer theirs up due to worst-case scenario of helping Arsenal move towards the title
Tottenham host Manchester City in the Premier League on Tuesday night. A Spurs win or draw will see Arsenal in the box-seat to win the title on Sunday
Of course Spurs fans want their team to lose vs City if it stops Arsenal from winning the league! Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13416415/Tottenhams-clash-Man-City-tickets-available-MAJORITY-blocks-match-going-fans-offer-theirs-worst-case-scenario-helping-Arsenal-title.html
A bit of suggested new that Old Trafford could be moved to London. How could that ever work?
This is funny:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13415839/Arsenal-FIREWORKS-Man-City-hotel-Tottenham-Pep-Guardiola.html
Norg “We need to shed quite a few players from the senior squad”
this is an all-too-familiar refrain during MA’s time here…some of the issues were obviously inherited, whereas others were self-inflicted, due in large part to our oftentimes questionable recruitment and wage practices, including those raises he gifted to everyone he mistakenly deemed re-up-worthy…these missteps have left us wanting in some positions, like up top, where we don’t have any real depth out wide or a clinical Striker, and wage bill bloated in others
for example, as of right now we have 3 LBs, none of whom are starter material, and a RB who, if he wasn’t injured, appeared destined to be shoehorned into the LB position for the foreseeable future…of course, the above numbers don’t even include Tierney and Nuno, who are both still functionally on the books, as we’re undoubtedly subsizing their wages while on loan, and actually LBs
it just makes me wonder why we didn’t do our due diligence from the off and target only those who aced the profile test, instead of leaning into this revolving door policy made up half-measures and/or stop-gaps, just like with the Keeper position…this nonsensical merry-go-round is especially baffling considering MA’s tactical desire to both play out from the back and deploy an inverted backer
now maybe just maybe Timber is the chosen one, but he lasted all but 1 match before his season was put on ice, which doesn’t fill me with the utmost of confidence (even though I do rate him as a “RB”)…which once again begs the question, why didn’t we actually spend the necessary funds on a readymade LB and stop all this fucking around…ironically, if we had done so, we would have spent considerably less
to further complicate such matters, MA doesn’t rotate with any regularity, so you end up with a bevy of players who don’t see the shop window enough to maintain, let alone boost, their respective values…as we’ve seen in the past, this can likewise effect one’s ability to bring in players in a timely fashion, as oftentimes incoming moves will be shelved until outgoing players have been sorted
all that said, this window should be a rather intriguing ride, as I’m very interested to see whom will be sold, and at what price, whom he will target and what positional upgrades he will prioritize…not to mention, this could be a rather tricky transfer period to navigate with the Euros and the Copa on the summertime docket…Cheers
Today I rang Ron – an old friend and Spurs supporter. What do you want? was his first question to me – not how are you. After the banter he said he would be going tonight with his son. Being realistic he said – we haven’t got a chance if we play like we have done since you lot whipped us. He is expecting a 0-4 score line.
He has high hopes for next season if big Ange is still there and Levy hasn’t sacked him. He also thinks a big chunk of the club will be sold to a US consortium.
TRVL
There are several players that were perhaps bought for the future but clearly are not of the right calibre. Because of the wage structure they will be hard to shift unless they are ‘written off’ the books. Stan doesn’t like that type of gamble.
I mentioned my friend Ron – we chatted about new players as well as tonight. ESR came up in the conversation – quite a hot topic at WHL apparently. Would he?
Norg-after all that has happened here, I would imagine that ESR’s chief concern will be getting some assurances about playing time…that said, I very much doubt he will find his way to the Spurs unless they’re offering above ask and based on the Ramsdale’s valuation, that should be somewhere in the region of 100M…being sarcastic of course, but I’m sure it will boggle the mind regardless
Hoopah,
Much credit to the owners who have been patient and wise. Not so much for spending, as they were trying to turn around a failing business that was in Europa league, with a champions league wage bill.
That was just owners as business men, being practical.
They knew that continued failure could lead us to midtable, many years of irrelevance or worse.
They made a choice in Arteta that has clearly been a winner. Every team in the world is tracking Arteta.
Even his assistants will become wanted by other clubs, and we’ll lose some of them because clubs will want some of the Arteta philosophy.
Ridiculous gooners that wanted him out will always have to wear that shame as his career progresses.
The City charges will not go away as pundits are bringing it up with regularity, plus didn’t the government consider to have a person monitoring PL activity as well as being determined to make sure that no ESL repeat will be there in the future. The papers report that an October date has been set for hearings with perhaps a 2025 decision.
Cheeky sod Spud fans on my various football related WhatsApp groups offering up tix at under FV to any interested gooners. They really do mean this not wanting to win bullshit, I thought I was just lol-age on their part at first.
Signed up for an 8 a side at The Hub this eve to to ensure I wasn’t sucked in, commitments come first. I’ve no doubt staff there will be keeping tabs as we play and any good news will filter across to the pitch.
For the first and last time, Come On You Spurs!
Aitcho
Sky have interviewed a few fans outside the ground and they were more interested in getting 4th than worrying what we do. They don’t want us to win it but they don’t want to cut their noses off to spite their faces.
Difference between fans who attend and fans giving it large on the internet.
I should point out that if City get 2 goal in front I’m changing the channel.
I turned over once Liverpool went 2-1 up last night so I’ll be ready to clutch at any straws I can find.
COME ON YOU RIP ROARING MARIS PIPERS!
Jack D,
In fairness, early days of Tets were grim. The football got worse while he learnt on the job or at least refined his strategy along the way. People wanting him out then is understandable.
It took a lot of nerve to keep him after we dropped out of Europe but perhaps that season of effective downtime ended up being useful. Take a step back to move forwards, etc.
People still wanting him out now is plain bone headed.
Spurs don’t exactly look keen to compete at the moment
People still wanting him out now is plain bone headed
Hi Aitcho
With a philosophy like that, how the actual fuck did you get censored on Le Grove (RIP).
Asking for a bone-headed friend.
Minute watch 26 and counting… Very nervously.
Mate
Being pro Arteta in that way suggests you’re taking this Spurs supporting malarkey a little too seriously… It’s only til 10 pm tonight right?
with Spurs working hard who will tire first? Will Pep unleash Grealish in the second half?
KP—in related news, I just kicked myself out of my own house and I’ll not heistate to call the authorities if I find myself on the premises again
this has been a good watch…it’s clear that the Spurs have come to get a result, just not sure if they can provide 90+ minutes of that sort of effort…an outstanding performance from their Keeper could help immeasurably, as he’s already turned away what should have been a goal by Foden
I’d gladly swap my panini sticker of Arteta by the way for one of the following
Klopp
Amorim
Gasperini
Patrick Vieira
And, err, Neil Warnock.
I sense from the crowd reaction that even Spud fans are changing their tune about getting a result.
Fuck’s sake
Spurs are even more pissy abouty at the back(y) than we are.
Kroenke
Tony Pulis
Fat Sam
Arry Redknapp
The list is endless!
as I’ve said all along, if you have the courage and tactical know-how, City can be had if you counter with pace and numbers…several times already the Spuds should have produced something on the break but they were always stymied by their poor first pass…it’s highly unlikely that you will ever dispose of City with a poor man’s version, which is why MA was all gaga over our late season draw, so if we want to topple Pep we need to adopt the kind of tactics that he’s been known to struggle against
I don’t know about any of you but I’ve got this growing fascination with numbers as the season has gone on. Counting down the seconds in my mind as we defend leads, working out percentages as to how long is left in the game, guessing added time etc.
I really hate but cannot stop watching games these days and doing mental arithmetic. It really puts the khybosh on enjoying games, esp the second halves. I think this one could be the same. I think our N London ‘friends’ 🤮🤮🤮aren’t doing too badly.
Spurs need a win (not a draw) to stay in CL contention right? That worries me because they could go gung-ho and get fucked on the break.