Spurs 2023/24

[Silas Loom]

Davies solving our CB crisis, Kulu in astounding form, Vicario pulling off saves which should not be physically possible, and Biss being Biss. If it wasn’t for the suspensions we’d be fine losing a player or two each match, doesn’t seem to bother us too much.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Biss is a great player on his day, but he's been off the boil for a bit and that's not the first time he's been a bit ott in a tackle. It's probably the one position where we have a ready made replacement in Hojbjerg (or Skipp), just makes the bench a bit thinner for 4 games.

Kulusevski is in fine form at the min though, whether through the middle or out wide. 3 more points, over to you fellow title challengers.

 

[jerry spuds]

So agree about Biss. Off the boil for a while IMO. Kulusevski been class all year. As for Ben Davies. The lad has been infected with Brazilian/Argentinian/Dutch juju. What a player.

 

[stavros]

As for Ben Davies. The lad has been infected with Brazilian/Argentinian/Dutch juju. What a player.

Joe Allen was often called the Welsh Pirlo. Is Davies the Welsh Baresi?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Joe Allen was often called the Welsh Pirlo. Is Davies the Welsh Baresi?

Left footed, plays full-back and centre back. The Welsh Maldini.

 

[stavros]

Left footed, plays full-back and centre back. The Welsh Maldini.

Yes, I realised after posting that Maldini was a better comparison.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Arsenal, Villa and Newcastle won. Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd all dropped points, not a bad weekend all told.

Big gaps starting to appear - top 3, us and Man City, top half euro chasers, lower mid table, and the bottom 3. Started the weekend 3 points adrift of top 4, now only 1; were 3 points clear of 6th, now 4. Liverpool play Arsenal next, so someone is dropping points; up to us to beat resurgent Everton to make the most of it. Villa are home vs Sheff Utd so will win easily, Man City don't play for a while (come at a good time for them to have a bit of a reset).

39 - Arsenal (20)
38 - Liverpool (21), Aston Villa (16)
37
36
35
34 - Man City (20)
33 - Spurs (12)
32
31
30
29 - Newcastle (15)
28 - Man Utd (-3)
27 - West Ham (-1)
26 - Brighton (3)
25
24
23
22 - Chelsea (2)
21 - Fulham (-3)
20
19 - Brentford (0), Wolves (-8), Bournemouth (-9, 1 game in hand)
18
17 - Crystal Palace (-8)
16 - Everton* (2)
15
14 - Nottingham Forest (-13)
13
12
11
10
09 - Luton (-15, 1 game in hand)
08 - Burnley (-20), Sheff Utd (-31)

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Merry flipping Christmas fellow Spurs (and in the spirit of goodwill of the season, to fans of other clubs who read this thread - yep, even Arsenal).

Villa unexpectedly dropped 2 points. Creaking Newcastle dropped all 3. Awful Man Utd shat the bed once again, nothing for them. Liverpool vs Arsenal to come in a few minutes.

Not plain sailing, but 3 points for us vs an Everton side in very good form. Hanging on a bit (OK a lot) and not doing the "close a game out, keep it tight" thing at all well, but once again we started at 100mph and this time did enough.

Season only 1 game away from the halfway point, and we're unquestionably in the title race. Do I think we'll win it? No, but it's fun being in the conversation and it's fun being involved in fabulous, entertaining games of football.

 

[Silas Loom]

“Fabulous and entertaining” wasn’t quite what I thought about the last 60 minutes of that game, to be honest. Horrible ordeal to watch and we were incredibly lucky to get away with it.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

“Fabulous and entertaining” wasn’t quite what I thought about the last 60 minutes of that game, to be honest. Horrible ordeal to watch and we were incredibly lucky to get away with it.

Fabulous and entertaining was more a general comment over 18 games than just today tbh. We usually look like scoring, most of the time we also look like conceding. But it's always worth watching

 

[Cerberus]

Fuck me - still recovering. Just off the tube and into a pub near Warren Street. Only half way home but felt I needed a few beers to calm down.

The enormous sense of relief at the final whistle was palpable! Effectively our second string - half hobbling, the other half knackered - clung on there.

Credit to Everton - they came to play and not defend. Thought we looked slightly devoid of ideas today and very sloppy with the ball.

Won’t complain. Another 3pts with half a team yet to return.

 

[ska invita]

COYS




Man City are sure to get their form back and overtake us, really need Villa to eat more lasagne for hope of a top 4 finish...if Villa wobble it is definitely possible

 

[Silas Loom]

How do we get a CB in January who is good enough to solve the current defensive crisis but who won’t mind being back-up to Romero and VDV when both are fit? Short-term loan from a league with a completely different calendar?

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

How do we get a CB in January who is good enough to solve the current defensive crisis but who won’t mind being back-up to Romero and VDV when both are fit? Short-term loan from a league with a completely different calendar?

A CB in January is an absolute given. Todibo (French lad, don't know all that much about him but a good reputation and he's rapid) has been mentioned a lot, and today I've seen Joe Gomez from Liverpool in the rumours section.

Davies has been superb as an emergency CB and Ashley Phillips has a huge future, but neither is really the answer in the here and now - so we're effectively a squad with only 2 real centre backs and that's unsustainable. In their absence we can't keep putting out a pair of full-backs.

Gutted about last night's result - a win and we would have been in spitting distance of the top of the table. We looked makeshift though, and massive credit to Brighton they honed in on our weaknesses and exploited them ruthlessly. Really impressed by them, and worth noting that they were missing a few big players too.

Half time for the season (barring City's postponed game with Brentford from their trip abroad and the aborted Luton-Bournemouth match). Even with regrets about dropped points from winning positions (Wolves, Villa, West Ham) not disappointed with where we are in relation to the top - didn't expect to be mixing with City, Liverpool and Arsenal at the start of the season, so to be where we are is ahead of schedule. What's slightly worrying is that we haven't put the teams below to bed yet - West Ham look very decent, Man Utd and Newcastle have been poor but both could put runs together with new players (Man Utd) or returning players (Newcastle).

42 - Liverpool (23)
41
40 - Arsenal (18)
39 - Villa (15)
38
37 - Man City (22, game in hand)
36 - Spurs (11)
35
34
33 - West Ham (3)
32
31 - Man Utd (-4)
30 - Brighton (5)
29 - Newcastle (12)
28
27
26
25 - Chelsea (2), Wolves (-4), Bournemouth (-5, game in hand)
24
23
22
21 - Fulham (-8)
20
19 - Brentford (-3, game in hand)
18 - Crystal Palace (-9)
17 - Forest (-12)
16 - Everton (-1)
15 - Luton (-13, game in hand)
14
13
12
11 - Burnley (-20)
10
09 - Sheff Utd (-32)

 

[Cerberus]

Well here we are then. Last game of another bizarre (even by Spurs standards) calendar year - Conte’s rant, Stellini, Mason, Ange!

Feels like we are running of fumes today. More players out than fit. High flying Bournemouth appear favourites here. Solanke might must have a field day v our 4 FB’s….

We’ve all been hanging on for the January TW - will baldy back Ange? Will be get a CB in straight away? How many injured players will we see return next month?

The season so far has been intriguing - moments of incredible drama, amazing football punctuated (punctured?) by self sabotage and cruel luck.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

We're going to struggle in January. Sarr and Son have been 2 of our few constants, and both are off to international tournaments. Meanwhile Man Utd will be greatly improved, as their goalkeeper is off to an international tournament.

Left without much fanfare, but huge gratitude to Hugo Lloris for a wonderful Spurs career. One of the best keepers we've ever had - certainly the best in my time watching since 1987 (I gather Clemence and Jennings were quite handy before that though).

Bournemouth today - I can pick an 11, but not much more besides. Rumours are that Ashley Phillips will be in at the deep end instead of playing 4 full backs.

Vicario; Porro Phillips Davies Udogie; Skipp; Sarr Lo Celso; Johnson Richarlison Son.

Subs: Forster, Royal, Hojbjerg, Veliz and some kids - Donley, Dorrington maybe?

 

[Silas Loom]

Alfie Dorrington was in my daughter’s year at school. She is eagerly awaiting his first appearance. Me too, of course, but I’d prefer it to happen in the 85th minute of a game we are leading 12-0.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Alfie Dorrington was in my daughter’s year at school. She is eagerly awaiting his first appearance. Me too, of course, but I’d prefer it to happen in the 85th minute of a game we are leading 12-0.

Looks a cracking player at U21 level, well over 6ft at 18 he's certainly got the physical attributes to be a good CB. Maybe he can come on and score the 13th at a set piece!

 

[Cerberus]

Would love to see Philips today - hope you are right Zapp.

And yes, thanks Hugo - a legend given his longevity, appearances, captaincy and ability (last few years aside!). Beats Erik the Viking in the list, perhaps even Clemence. Didn’t see Big Pat (or Ditchburn for that matter…I’m not that old) but accept that Jennings remains #1

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

I only caught the very tail end of Clemence's career, so to judge him against Hugo would only be like comparing Vicario with the past 2 seasons of Lloris.

Erik Thorstvedt was one of my early heroes - I met him when I was 11, from his 6'6" he made a great play of not being able to see me all the way down there then creased up laughing. Mind you, he must have been in a great mood, we'd just beaten Norwich 4-0 (Lineker 3, Howells) and Gazza was back from injury earlier than expected (a week or 2 before we faced Arsenal in THAT cup semi-final). Legend, but Hugo still takes it for me.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Bentancur's back!!!

4 full backs though...

 

[Cerberus]

Quite the ripple of surprise here (WHL) when the teams were announced…Hope Bentancur hasn’t been rushed back.

As for the 4 full backs - Solanke licking his lips. Hope our forwards have their shooting boots on (& not their offside ones..)

 

[Silas Loom]

Quite the ripple of surprise here (WHL) when the teams were announced…Hope Bentancur hasn’t been rushed back.

As for the 4 full backs - Solanke licking his lips. Hope our forwards have their shooting boots on (& not their offside ones..)

I hope that you have a season ticket. I’d hate to think of this game being a poster’s eagerly awaited Christmas treat.

Edit with second half hindsight: suppose you probably left quite happy. Not our greatest performance though.

 

[Cerberus]

I hope that you have a season ticket. I’d hate to think of this game being a poster’s eagerly awaited Christmas treat.

Edit with second half hindsight: suppose you probably left quite happy. Not our greatest performance though.

Haha…yeah ST holder here. I wouldn’t have fancied that being ‘gifted’ to me. Rather, I feel as if it ‘earned’ - all of us, fans, players, manager. Rode our luck again but as I might have said before, we are due some given the ridiculous injury situation.

Heard there was another game on this afternoon too. Not sure how that finished….

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

Happy new year Spurs. Not sure where this is all going to end up, but it's a hell of a ride...

 

[ska invita]

Happy new year Spurs. Not sure where this is all going to end up,

5th of course. how long have you been a spurs fan

(coys)

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

5th of course. how long have you been a spurs fan

(coys)

I'm still in the "it could be 1st" stage before the inevitable disappointment!

 

[Cerberus]

I’m in the “do we have enough points to avoid relegation” camp…

And yes, it’s some ride at the moment.

Happy New Year and COYS

 

[ska invita]

Also... Chelsea....questce qué cest are u?

 

[tommers]

I'm still in the "it could be 1st" stage before the inevitable disappointment!