Author: coys91

Battle of the Minds!
Fixture…
Sunday 16th February, 16:30
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Man Utd
Premier League
Available On…
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
Optus Sport
SuperSport Premier League
Result: 1-0 (Tottenham Win)
J. Maddison (13′)
Match Report…
The return of some key Spurs players proved to be the difference today in what was an important win between two giant clubs uncharacteristically scrapping for points at the bottom of the table.
It was one of those performances where you can interpret how you want, if you are a glass half full person you will look at the chances we created and say we could have won by more. However if you are more on the half empty side of things then you will have seen the gaping wide holes at the back and the chances Utd created without any great difficulty.
I’m trying to be fair and appreciate both opinions but you can’t ignore the fact we were up against a side struggling so much they are even below us in the table following that result. In Ruben Amorim’s post match interview he was asked about the result and his answer was clear, “they scored and we didn’t”. It may sound like stating the obvious but he is right, both teams had chances but only one was clinical on the day.
Don’t get me wrong, it was huge to get the three points and great to do the double over Utd this season (triple with the cup), but they are a struggling Utd side, with injuries of their own and a manager under even more pressure than Ange right now! You could spend all day dissecting Utd’s problems, their ageing midfielder Casemiro and defender Maguire, and striker Garnacho who obviously hasn’t been to specsavers.
Despite their struggles, Utd were still able to create far too many chances against us and had it not been for some heroic goalkeeping from Vicario, it could have been a different story. Nevertheless we have to acknowledge the flip side and when we had the ball, we did look dangerous, creating our share of opportunities as well.
Maddison was in the right place at the right time to silence his critics, who correct me if I’m wrong may have been aimed at Roy Keane the gob s£@te who in all fairness needs putting in his place! Djed Spence received the Man of the Match award and I don’t think too many people will argue with that one but it was the return of Vicario and Maddison that made the difference in my opinion in this close encounter.
Of course there was further positive news with Johnson, Odobert and Udogie all returning from injury and available on the bench. Whatever you may think of these players, the fact is we need them to bolster the squad, especially if we wish to dream of the impossible!
February 17, 2025
Antonin Kinsky
New Signing: 5th January 2025
Position: GK
Name: Antonin Kinsky
Age: 21
Nationality: Czech Republic
Transfer: Permanent
Value: £12.5m
Status at previous Club: Hailed as the greatest Czech goalkeeping talent of his generation, but was initially sent out on Loan. On his return to his club Slavia Prague, he conceded just one goal in his first nine league matches of the 2024–25 season.
Out of Europe’s top 10 leagues, Kinsky ranked top for save percentage (83.3 percent), goals conceded per 90 minutes (0.37) and clean sheets (12, joint with Diogo Costa) after setting a new Slavia record of keeping 12 clean sheets in 19 games and conceding just seven times.
Other reported interest: Scouted by Chelsea but no other clubs reported.
Previous Clubs:
Slavia Prague – 2021-25
MFK Vyškov (loan) – 2022-23
FK Pardubice (loan) – 2023-24
Player Stats:
Appearances – 123 games played across all leagues / cup competitions
Goals Conceded – 130
Clean Sheets – 40
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Summary:
Based on first impressions I’ve only given Kinsky a 7 out of 10 but I do think he has the potential to grow as we need to accept he is young and the fact that he has come into a Spurs team during an incredibly difficult period. If we take those into consideration then I think it would be fairer to say he is worth at least an 8 out of 10.
The Goalkeeper position is usually where we find the player gets better with age as they gain experience and confidence. For just 21 years of age he is not lacking any confidence and he was certainly thrown in at the deep end making his debut against Liverpool in the Semi Final 1st Leg, where he kept a clean sheet.
In fact he managed to keep a clean sheet in his next game too (ok it was Tamworth) so it was a pretty solid start. Since then we have seen a few erratic moments from him, especially with the ball at his feet but with such poor defence it would be harsh to be over critical. Time will tell whether he will replace Vicario but I suspect he will be number 2 choice once Vicario returns from injury.
February 14, 2025
ENIC’s Transfer Stance
In the January transfer window Spurs signed 3 first team players and 3 academy players too. Keeping it brief, for Danso I’ve already read reports from the fan base, “he did ok” or “not too bad”. I think this is where we are at now with our expectations, as he has done little to impress me so far and why would he considering he was a third choice signing after the other defenders rejected us. For Tel, if you get past all the hype, he was just an out of favour youngster who nobody else was willing to take a gamble on. Maybe he will come good but I am not buying into the hype and will believe it when I see it. And then there’s Kinsky, well his erratic performances so far have certainly been entertaining, he fits in well doesn’t he!
So as another transfer window closes let’s take a look at Enic’s transfer stance.
It’s no secret Enic has not been interested in those big name signings we all dream of. With over 20 years of transfers the data is very clear on that. In fact Levy himself has always admitted Tottenham would not break their wage structure to bring in any superstars.
So where has that left us?
I doubt any Spurs manager under Enic will say they were ever fully backed in the transfer market yet Spurs have always maintained their aspirations of European qualification each year. Some may argue Enic has enlisted new players to achieve just that and nothing more. In the 24 years since Enic’s reign began we have managed a top four finish 8 times and qualified for Europe a total of 16 times. 16 out of 23 doesn’t sound too bad but at the same time Spurs have never looked capable of achieving anything greater than that if we’re honest.
Over the years we have become accustomed to signing mediocre players from unknown teams from a land far far away. I believe it was Danny Rose who pointed out that you needed to Google these players names who Enic were signing just to find out who they were. More recently Romero has also spoken out of his frustrations on Spurs transfer policy and we all remember Contes speech in regards to the clubs lack of ambition. In fact both Conte and Mourinho suffered the same fate after questioning the quality of players in the Tottenham squad.
So what is the logic behind Enic’s transfer policy?
Well if we say a world class player would cost in excess of 100 million, Enic have opted instead to buy 4 or 5 average players for the same kind of value combined. You might ask why would they buy 4 or 5 average players if they can buy a superstar for the same price. Well, the key difference between these players is the superstars wage demands.
Even with 4 or 5 of these average players on the books it still costs considerably less on the wage bill compared to that of a world class player. Whether you agree with Enic or not, that is their policy and not even the brand spanking new stadium with its incredible additional revenues seem to make any difference when it comes to Enic’s transfer stance. You would be a brave man to argue against Levy when it comes to finances and clearly he has built a sustainable model.
However, my only counter argument would be the commercial value that comes with a world class player, does that not counter the players additional wage demands? I really don’t know the answer to that but you only have to look at Sonny to see what a player can be worth to the club globally. When you sign a Ronaldo or a Beckham, that commercial value with merchandise and sponsorships etc must be worth a fortune and so I wonder why Enic have not been a little bit braver in the transfer market now that they have the resources to pursue these options if they wish.
Regardless of what I think we have continued to see relatively unknown and unproven players that offer potential to develop into something greater. Sure, sometimes this works, if you buy 20 unknown players eventually one of them is going to come good. I wouldn’t call that good scouting or particularly useful if you are trying to build a successful football team. But every now and then you are going to get lucky.
So what happens when we do get lucky?
Well we sell them of course for a tidy little profit. Now in all fairness Levy doesn’t necessarily want to sell these players and more often than not he has no choice but to cash in before losing them on a freebie (his wallet is still stinging from Sol Campbell). The problem we face is that when we do find ourselves with a world class player, they want to win things in their career and unfortunately that just doesn’t match with Enics current model. Any top player knows that if they want to win things they have no alternative but to leave Spurs because you’re not going to win trophies with 20 average players who you need to google.
We have seen these top players come and go over the years as they do their best to carry a bunch of nobody’s but their efforts always come to nothing as the cavalry never arrives to back them up. Kulusevski is the latest victim to this since Kane passed on the ‘baton’. Eventually these players grow weary of Enic’s long term plan and seek a move away as let’s be fair, a footballer’s career is relatively short and so you can understand why a player may not be so patient to wait for this long term plan that Enic have adopted for the last 24 years.
There are several players on that list who chose to leave Spurs to achieve their dreams, Walker, Carrick, Berbatov, Bale, Modric, Eriksen and of course last but not least Harry Kane. With the exception of Kane (let’s hope that changes this season for him) they have all gone on to win majors including league titles and even champions league success whilst Spurs of course have won none, so their moves were justified they could argue. You cannot begrudge a player for having ambition and if Tottenham don’t match this ambition the inevitable will keep on repeating.
So with such a transfer model how can we expect to ever build anything?
I would say after 24 years it is clear we cannot. This could be one of the reasons why we are now seeing Levy back Ange and provide additional time to turn things around (beyond what we’ve previously seen with other managers) and promote more of our academy players. This appears to be a change in strategy from the top and we have seen several signings in recent seasons to build a stronger academy.
Players including Archie Gray (paid 40 million aged just 18 years), Lucas Bergvall (paid 8.5 million at just 17 years old), Min-hyeok Yang (paid 4 million aged 18 years), Ashley Phillips (2.3 million aged 18 years), Alfie Devine (500k when aged only 16 years), Vuskovic (paid 11 million when he was just 16 years old).
In the latest transfer window we have seen the acquisition of 3 more academy players in the names of Dan Batty, Luca Furnell-Gill and Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny which emphasises the ongoing strengthening of the youth setup.
We know clubs like Chelsea and Man City have achieved great success by acquiring world class players but it doesn’t have to be the only way to achieve a successful team. Clubs such as Ajax have been famous for developing young players and maintaining high levels over the decades. If it’s done correctly it can work there’s no doubt.
The question is, are Levy and Ange the right men for the job?
It’s ok buying these young players but if they are not developed correctly we may never see the rewards on the pitch, at least not in a Spurs shirt. Lets use Alfie Devine as an example, he signed for us back in 2020 aged just 16. Like a lot of youngsters there was much hype and excitement around him but the most I have probably seen of him has been in an England shirt U19/20. Despite becoming the youngest player to have played for Tottenham in a senior game at the age of 16, we have seen very little of him since.
However, he is now on his 3rd loan spell and currently enjoying his football in the Belgian Pro league. These 3 loan spells have brought in approx 10 million to Spurs which is a pretty good return on the transfer of 500k when he was signed from Wigan. So in Enic’s eyes, does this make Alfie Devine a success story? This is my concern, are we being led up the garden path once again or is this investment in youth players a genuine attempt to build something long term on the football pitch?
Sure, at the moment we are seeing the likes of Gray and Bergvall getting a very good run out but don’t forget, before all the injuries they were both sitting on the bench week in week out getting very few minutes. We have seen so many young players join us in recent years but they have all struggled to get game time in a Spurs shirt, with most being loaned out before finally offloaded for good. At present we have the likes of Bryan Gill and Alejo Veliz loaned out because they couldn’t get game time at Spurs. Jack Clarke was another young player that had to leave Spurs to get an opportunity in a first team, resurrecting his career now at Ipswich. Juan Foyth struggled for opportunities too but that 10 million investment gave Enic a return of over 30 million in loans and a transfer. So is this youth development really a new and improved football model to bring us more stability on the pitch for years to come? Or is it simply another business model that Enic are more than happy to profit from?
With our current injury list our younger players are getting a lot more opportunities but how much will they learn and develop under Ange’s current system. Will they benefit in future years from this time under Ange or will it do more harm than good? It is frustrating because we know Spurs have the resources and foundations to achieve great things in the world of football, not just off it but potentially on it too. But under Enic’s current transfer strategy we may never see these come to fruition.
February 10, 2025
Need the Magic back!
Fixture…
Sunday 9th February, 17:35
Aston Villa Vs Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup – 4th Round
Available On…
UK TV – BBC 1
IRE – Premier Sports 1
Result: 2-1 (Aston Villa Win)
J. Ramsey (1′)
M. Rogers (64′)
M. Tel (90’+1)
Match Report…
Well there was little magic from this Spurs outfit but for a spark late on after a lovely curling cross from Kulu and a nice finish from Tel.
This 90th minute goal was only ever going to be a consolation though after Villa took an early lead in the 1st minute when Ramsey was left clean through on goal and Kinsky was less than impressive with his save attempt.
Most people will point the blame to Porro for the goal as it did come from his side with him nowhere to be seen. Of course this is a fair argument and many of our goals have been conceded this way all season but if your 2 centre half’s choose to mark the same Villa player then it is inevitable their will be a spare Villa player on the far side. It doesn’t seem to matter which centre half pairing we have it is the same defensive mistakes being repeated so once again that can only point to Ange’s no clue football.
Kinsky was kept pretty busy for most of the game with Spurs constantly being found out at the back and it was a matter of time really before Villa found the back of the net again. This came following a failed clearance from Porro which left for an easy tap in and this will only add further fuel to the growing Porro critics.
Personally I like Porro when he’s going forward but it’s fair to say he’s not the best defender in the world lol and the fact that Ange hasn’t identified him as a defensive liability yet is beyond me. He would be better suited as a right forward with someone like Spence playing behind him at full back providing cover, in my opinion.
Kinsky is another player that looks under pressure at the moment after some difficult games but despite the early goal when he should have done better, for the most part he was pretty solid against Villa and at times he kept us in the game with a glimmer of hope.
But it was another poor performance from Spurs and when Ange decided to replace Moore with Bissouma at half time you knew the writing was on the wall. Gray was once again played out of position with the lineup making as much sense as the lineup did against Liverpool.
The players and coach looked as clueless as each other and confidence is clearly low, as the Spurs players spent more time chasing the ball around the pitch like lost school boys. In fact WeareTottenhamTV made a good point that by the time the BBC had finished showing the replay of a Villa shot, Spurs had already lost possession of the ball again from the goal kick and were back under pressure. Despite this onslaught Ange chose to make just the 2 substitutions in the game which showed you even he couldn’t be arsed anymore.
One small positive was Tel who worked tirelessly for the team and he got his reward with a goal late on, whereas it was reported that Son on the other hand had only managed 16 touches of the ball the entire match, which included missing a sitter early on in the game.
The score finished 2-1 to Villa and now all eyes are on the Uefa cup draw, as if we actually have a chance!
All credit to Ange though, he identified the players were over played and exhausted and after the last 2 matches Ange has found the solution, thus reducing their fixtures. Well done Ange!
February 7, 2025
Semi-Final 2nd Leg
Fixture…
Thursday 6th February, 20:00
Liverpool Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Carabao Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg
Available On…
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
UK TV – Sky Sports Football
UK TV – STV Scotland
IRE – UTV Northern Ireland
Bein Sports English 1
Result: 4-0 (Liverpool Win 4-1 Agg)
C. Gakpo (34′)
Mohamed Salah (51′ pen)
D. Szoboszlai (75′)
V. van Dijk (80′)
Match Report…
A tactical f@%k up and another semi final to forget!
Without even a single shot on target Liverpool ran out comfortable winners to put it mildly. We can only be grateful to the Reds team who took pity on us mid game and opted to play the remainder of the game with both legs tied together and hands behind there back. Even with this unified waddle from the reds they still managed to score again from a headed corner in which new signing Danso forgot his feet are actually allowed to leave the ground. Was a semi final really the right time for his debut? Archie was doing quite fine in that role.
On a night we got to witness all three of Levy’s new January signings, players who wikipedia have labelled under the category unknown and ‘proceed with caution’, they were not enough against a Liverpool side who in all fairness never got out of second gear. Not even the overhyped El Tel who apparently was in huge demand the world over was able to get anywhere near the reds goal. Maybe there’s a reason why he was just a bench warmer in the Bundesliga!
After starting the previous four games for Spurs, Richarlison took great offence in being asked of a fifth consecutive start and in response demanded an early hot bath with his favourite rubber pigeon in the 45th minute. Sarrs performance was division 2 standard, Bissouma was even worse and at fault with the opening goal with such a poor pass I suspect he was distracted by Richi splashing away in the bath. Once again, Bentancuur failed to deliver in the big games which leaves us without a single reliable holding midfielder. On top of this Ange chose to drop Bergvall, our only match fit creative midfielder, maybe that explains the zero shots on target! What do you think Ange?
Sonny simply looks broken at this stage of the season and would be more fitting in a home for the elderly. My 96 year old nan with dementia has more clue of what’s going on than Sonny right now, she probably moves quicker too. The poor guy looks lost and it’s a sad way for him to end his Spurs career but I’m sure the shareholders won’t mind.
More substitutions were made in the second half but it was so hopeless by this point they are not even worth mentioning. The players had absolute no belief from start to finish and in a cup game where you are only 90 minutes from a cup final, the difference in the mentality of these two teams couldn’t have been bigger. It was men versus boys and this performance was beyond embarrassing, it was an absolute joke. No belief and no conviction, probably our worst performance of the season although obviously there’s a lot of contenders there.
Kinsky made me nervous from the very start of the game and I wasn’t surprised to see him concede a penalty. From what I have seen of Kinsky since joining Spurs I suspect this is another signing that was meant to fill a hole like it was just a quick bodge job with zero attention to detail. Just get the hole filled said odd job Levy!
Every season teams around us in the Premiership get better as the league gets even tougher and you simply cannot expect to blag your way into the top 4 with a few half arsed signings anymore. The Tottenham ownership have recognised more than anyone over the last 20 years that football has evolved, it’s just a shame they haven’t understood that it’s changed on the pitch too. We have got too many players on the books who think it’s ok to turn up against the likes of Brentford where it’s easy to look good but then disappear against the top 4 sides. If we don’t buy players who believe they are good enough to be in a top 4 side then we will never be a top 4 side.
It’s alright sticking three goals past a bunch of Swedish elf’s and edging out a sub par Brentford, but it was obvious from the first minute Spurs do not have a winning mentality for the big occasion. And this is what happens when you keep buying average players who don’t believe they are good enough to get into a top team. Instead these players sign for Spurs for an easy wage where they find themselves surrounded by like minded players and staff!
One word: Shite!
February 3, 2025
New month, fresh start?
Fixture…
Sunday 2nd February, 14:00
Brentford Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Available On…
UK TV – Sky Sports Main Event
UK TV – Sky Sports Premier League
Bein Sports English 2
Optus Sport
More Info…
connect@spursonline.net
Result: 0-2 (Tottenham Win)
V. Janelt (29′ og)
P. Sarr (87′)
Match Report…
With Dragusin now out injured and Van de Ven too unfit to manage another game this week, it meant Davies partnered Gray in the middle with Porro and Spence at full back.
Bergvall was also rested and instead Ange opted for the 2 holding midfielders of Bissouma and Bentancur. This reshape gave Spurs a much better base to control the game from the back and be patient with building up their attacks. Going forward we lacked a bit of creativity with only Kulu offering support to the forwards Moore, Sonny and Richi.
Nevertheless the team looked controlled and it was Spurs that were able to open the scoring on the 29th minute when another curling corner from Sonny found the back of the net via an own goal from Janelt. Slightly fortunate perhaps but we must be due a bit of luck and I don’t have any sympathy for a defender who’s not got his eyes on the ball when the ball is sent into the box. That’s modern defending for you 🙂
Moore was also unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty after great work from Richi allowed Moore to get through on goal, but the referee decided two hands directly in the back of Moore sending him crashing to the floor was a completely legal and acceptable challenge. That’s the modern game for you 🙂
I almost expected Spurs to fall asleep and concede before half time but we were able to hold onto our 1 nil lead. A half time substitute saw Bergvall come on for Moore which probably made sense allowing for a stronger midfield to help maintain control of the game.
Brentford attempted to apply pressure and managed over 30 crosses but the Spurs players never seemed panicked. On 68 minutes, Bissouma who looked steady in that holding position was replaced by Sarr, whilst Scarlett was also given another substitute appearance when he came on to replace Richi. Scarlett couldn’t add to that magical moment on Thursday evening but Sarr got in on the action instead with a nice counter goal and a wonderful through pass from Sonny.
It capped off a professional performance and an important win to stop the rot. Before the game Jamie Carragher had predicted Tottenham would lose the match by 2 or 3 goals so it was good to see the lads prove him wrong! The win takes Spurs up to 14th and with 2 wins and 2 clean sheets, this was just what the players needed before that season defining semi final against Liverpool this Thursday.
COYS!!
January 31, 2025
Ange hung out to dry?
Let’s be honest, we are all scratching our heads as to how and why Ange is still in a job at this moment. Ange Postecoglou led Tottenham Hotspur to their worst half-season since 2008/09 and it’s only gone from bad to worse since then. If these levels of performances continue then Ange could be setting a few more records before the end of season that he may not want on his CV.
How is it, a relatively unknown and unproven manager in top flight football is being given so much time when other managers in the past have not. Even the legendary Glenn Hoddle was only given 6 games by Daniel Levy before being shown the door in the 2003/04 campaign.
Some may argue Ange is being given the benefit due to the extreme number of injuries this season, but isn’t he partly responsible for those injuries? The sheer number of hamstring injuries certainly raises questions about his training methods, football tactics and lack of squad rotation earlier in the season.
If we are looking for answers, then maybe this January transfer window gives us a better clue as to what may be happening behind the scenes. Even by Daniel Levy’s standards, it seems inconceivable for Spurs to be entering a transfer window in such a time of crisis and yet nothing appears to be developing in either a change of coach or additional players to help ease the injury problems.
There is absolutely no doubt Ange is up the creek without a paddle right now, he has said it in his own interviews, he needs players, he needs help! In fact Ange went as far to say that Tottenham (and Levy indirectly), “were playing with fire if we don’t bring anyone in”. By this he means relegation, it’s that simple, Ange himself is making no light of the situation so why is the club so quiet when everyone else is crying out for answers.
As far as I am aware no one at the club has come out to publicly back Ange in this moment of crisis and maybe Ange himself has even realised by now he is well out of his depth for this job. It may be the kinder thing to just put him out of his misery, with only his pride perhaps stopping him from walking. Yet if Levy wont publicly back Ange, but doesn’t want to sack him or help him in the transfer market, has Ange been hung out to dry by Levy?
If so, then what is going on at this club? What we do know from the appointment of Ange Postecoglou is he was more than likely not the first choice, some believing even that he was Tottenham’s 6th choice. We know several managers came out publicly and snubbed the job after what they had seen prior with the likes of Conte, Nuno and Mourinho. Since Poch was given his marching orders for failing to produce miracles, it has been a bit of a merry go round at Spurs and it seems finding a replacement may not be that easy.
Any top managers that may be interested in the job would most likely not be available until the end of the season if they are already in employment. Not only will a lot of high profile managers not be interested in such a position, but ideally Tottenham needs to find a replacement coach who is willing to carry on the work of rebuilding this squad with the youth development that has already been put in place.
We know not all coaches are keen to go down this line as there is little reward for them to invest the time in players that cannot deliver trophies within a 2 year span, as a coach is well aware that 2 years is most likely his own life span at the club. So the alternative option may be another unknown, unproven manager who is willing to take the risk, which makes this proposition of switching managers less appealing at the moment.
This puts Spurs in a difficult and very dangerous position, to hold out until the end of the season. Sure they could sack Ange Postecoglou and replace him internally but other than Ryan Mason, who is there that you would trust? We know Ryans previous spells as caretaker manager were hardly inspiring and so in this time it would be deemed far too risky for Levy, not to mention embarrassing.
For me the logical answer is to wait until the end of the season to replace Ange Postecoglou but with whom I have no idea. If Daniel Levy is to take this route then Ange has to be backed in this transfer market, even with short term loan deals to help us get over the line! There must be an abundance of players available on loan and let’s face it they don’t have to be that good, just injury free would be nice. A couple of experienced veteran players would be good to help balance the team that’s currently packed with youngsters.
The fact that Daniel Levy seems unwilling to invest in players for Ange when they are facing a crisis only strengthens the argument that Enic are contemplating a replacement come the end of the season. As Ange said, Enic are playing with fire and may well come to regret this. I really hope not but we can’t ignore the fact we may be discussing one of the biggest relegation upsets in football’s history by May.
Would that be the end of Levy?
January 31, 2025
A bunch of Elfs!
Fixture…
Thursday 30th January, 20:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Elfsborg
UEFA Europa League – League Stage
Available On…
UK TV – TNT Sports 2
IRE – Premier Sports 2
More Info…
connect@spursonline.net
Result: 3-0 (Tottenham Win)
D. Scarlett (70′)
D. Ajayi (84′)
M. Moore (90’+4)
Match Report…
The biggest news of the night should have been the confirmation of Van de Vens return but that was soon to be overshadowed. Young Mikey Moore was also given another start alongside Richarlison and Son up front.
Spurs started brightly and Sonny showed plenty of trickery, beating his man on more than one occasion to get to the bar line and make the cross. Both Richarlison and Van de Ven had half chances with headers but it was Moore and Sarr who had the best chances of the half, forcing good saves from the goalkeeper.
Davies, playing on the left side this evening enjoyed the freedom of the inverted full back role to push forward and join the strike force on several occasions, leaving me to wonder what he could have done with that role in his younger days. But for all Tottenhams possession it was a deadlock at half time and Spurs were going to have to be patient to open the scoring.
At half time 3 substitutions were made by Spurs which were clearly planned and explains why Sonny was so lively in the first half, with Kulu coming on in his place. On came Dragusin, with 45 minutes deemed enough for Van de Vens return. Also back from injury was Bissouma who replaced Bentancur. Some sensible squad rotation in preparation for what will be another huge game for Spurs on Sunday.
Spurs started the second half relatively quiet and on the 52nd minute it was Elfsborg who came close to taking a shock lead with an overhead attempt just going over the bar. In all fairness it was probably their first attack on goal in the match. Moments later Porro burst into the box to provide a cross for a diving Bergvall, only to be denied by the goalkeeper once again.
However on 66 minutes Tottenhams injury problems continued with Dragusin hobbling off after only 20 minutes. Dane Scarlett was brought on with a rare appearance which meant a complete reshuffle with Davies coming into centre back with Gray.
With a reshaped front line too it was Kulu who provided a wonderful cross and after only 3 minutes on the pitch it was Scarlett would you believe who broke the deadlock in his first game for Spurs this season with a fabulous leaping header.
In the 80th minute another academy player Ajayi was given an opportunity in place of Richi who had worked hard for the team but never really looked like scoring. It was a night for the super subs because after only 4 minutes on the pitch Ajayi dribbled the ball forward towards the box and made a superb one two with Scarlett before striking it into the bottom corner like it was just another kick about at the park! What a debut and what a moment for the 19 year old.
If you thought that was special young Mikey Moore, determined not to be left out of the limelight made a solo effort from something out of the books of Messi, dribbling the ball forward from near half way line into the box and slotting it home effortlessly. That’s 3 academy players all scoring their first goals for Spurs and just what the fans wanted to see.
At 17 years and 172 days old, Moore has become the youngest English player to score in a major men’s European competition, breaking Jimmy Greaves’ record (17 years 245 days), set in October 1957. For Moore, that’s now 2 assists and 1 goal this month, not a bad return after a lengthy layout.
The final score was 3 nil and it was a professional performance with Tottenham controlling the game from start to finish. It might have only been Elfsborg but after such a poor result against Leicester it was good to see them bounce back. It also meant a guaranteed qualification spot in the Europa League.
It was a great result with a positive attitude from the players and the return of some injured players was excellent news too. But it was the young academy players who stole the show and will be giving the fans a buzz all the way home. Maybe there is hope yet!
COYS!!
January 31, 2025
Levy’s Legacy
After 24 years in charge of our great club it is logical we ask ourselves what has Daniel Levy achieved at Tottenham Hotspur and what will his legacy be? Of course as soon as we talk about this, many will likely jump to the same answer and I guess it’s difficult not to as we now boast a 60,000 plus state of the art stadium, where beers fill from the bottom!
There’s no denying it is a fantastic stadium and we can all see the brand that is being created around it, attracting a global market with its International fan base, world famous music gigs, NFL matches on the world’s first dividing, retractable football pitch, premium boxing events and of course let’s not forget the formula race track.
It seems there are no limits as to where Daniel Levy can take this football club, at least off the pitch. But shouldn’t a chairman of a great football club, one of the richest in the world in fact, be judged on how we succeed on the pitch?
Let’s look at the facts, in 24 years Daniel Levy has achieved one trophy for Spurs. Yes that’s right, I will repeat that just in case you think it is a typo, Daniel Levy has delivered just a single major trophy in his reign as Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur.
If we compare this to the major clubs in the English league, since Daniel Levy’s reign began Liverpool have won 20 trophies, Man Utd and Man City have won 26 trophies respectively, Chelsea and Arsenal both boast 22 trophies. The numbers do not lie, Daniel Levy’s single trophy to his name which was a League cup back in 2008 is pretty grim!
So with that in mind, I ask you again, what will Daniel Levy’s legacy be?
Well in that time the club have appointed 12 full-time managers which means a managers lifespan at Spurs is approximately 2 seasons. Incredibly this is also the average for any top flight manager in the Premier league although it used to be 4 years prior to 2012. We have seen numerous staff come and go during this time from technical directors, head of scouting, academy development and we now have my personal favourite, a managing director sport, currently held by Scott Munn. I have absolutely no idea what this role entails and I wonder if this is part of Tottenham’s evolution to the next level, or whether he has been simply enlisted to form another safety buffer around the impenetrable Daniel Levy. Another fall guy perhaps for Daniel Levy to shrug his shoulders and say, “well, it wasn’t my fault!”.
Despite such a poor record on the pitch over the last 20 years, Daniel Levy is the highest-paid director among the Premier League’s current 20 clubs. Reports suggest Levy was paid £3.581million last year, up from £3.265million the previous year. The Spurs chairman also received a £3 million bonus back in 2019 upon the completion of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a stadium that was over budget and experienced multiple delays.
When this stadium project was first announced the Spurs fans were reassured that it would have no impact on the team’s development and future transfers would not be affected. Despite these promises Spurs became the first club in Premier League history to not sign anyone since the creation of the summer transfer window. In fact, thanks to Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur has the current record in the Premier League of 512 days without a single signing. That is one record I do not expect any club to beat for quite some time!
It was a record that halted everything Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino had built in those years running up to another season of “almost”, where an unlikely league title was actually in our sights and an incredible champions league run fell short of only 90 minutes.
Since then we have seen further top class managers come and fail with questions being asked not only of these managers but also of Daniel Levy and Enics responsibility. Each time a manager fails we hear calls for “Levy out”! How many times have we seen these calls from the stands? Is this something we would expect to see from a successful club?
We have heard all of the excuses from Daniel Levy over the years and I could list them all for you but at the end of the day that’s exactly what they are, excuses. Every club can give their excuses for challenges they face on and off the pitch but a successful club does not let that distract them from their ultimate goal of winning trophies.
Daniel Levy has earned himself a reputation as one of football’s toughest negotiators and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described negotiating with Levy over the transfer of Dimitar Berbatov as “more painful than my hip replacement”.
Unfortunately this reputation has perhaps done Spurs no favours over the years with many clubs and agents unwilling to even entertain Tottnham Hotspur in transfers whilst Daniel Levy remains at the helm. It seems the days are long gone when we can attract world class players like Gazza or Gary Lineker and Jurgen Klinsmann to the club.
For those too young to remember, let me explain those for you. Paul Gascoigne joined Spurs in 1988 and was arguably one of the most exciting players the world had seen since Diego Maradona had set the world alight in Mexico 86 (maybe I’m a little biased). Gary Lineker joined Spurs in 1989 from Barcelona and was the current England no1 forward receiving the Golden Boot in Mexico 86. Jurgen Klinsmann joined Spurs in 1994 and was the no1 forward for Germany lifting the World Cup in 1990. Acquiring these players was not only immensely exciting but they were major statements to the world that Spurs were here to compete with the best!
If you look at how this compares with our more recent signings the gap couldn’t be bigger. When Richarlison joined us in 2022 he was backup striker for a struggling Brazil team, with previous clubs including Everton and Watford. When Dominic Solanke joined us in 2024, his last senior call up for England was back in 2017, with his club form faltering at Chelsea, Liverpool and Bournemouth. It is believed even the appointment of Ange Postecoglou was Tottenham’s 6th choice on their list of potential managers, as Tottenham’s failings under the world’s best managers was evident for everyone to see. This manager role at Spurs has now become a poisoned chalice with only the brave or stupid willing to take on such a position
So where does that leave us?
Before Daniel Levy took over from Alan Sugar in 2001, the previous 20 years had seen us win 5 major trophies including the Uefa cup and FA cup. Whilst those figures are hardly remarkable in comparison to the achievements of the other major clubs in England, that still equates to a major trophy every 4 years. We never really challenged for any league titles during this time but Spurs were always a team that were quite capable of going on a successful cup run with exciting players that included the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Chris Waddle, Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa to name a few!
Under Daniel Levy we now average a single major trophy in over 20 years. Since our distant glory days Spurs have become better known as Spursy. In fact it was Tottenham fans themselves who first coined the phrase Spursy, describing a “brand of skilful but flaky players who could never quite deliver”.
In Levy’s own words, “Over the last two decades we have been in 14 semi-finals, made it to six finals and only won one of them. It must be our hope that we are soon celebrating a trophy win.”
This is Daniel Levy’s legacy.
January 28, 2025
Its a Must Win!
Fixture…
Sunday 26th January, 14:00
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Leicester City
Premier League
Available On…
Optus Sport 3
Bein Sports English 1
Astro Supersport 2
Hub Premier 1
SuperSport Premier League
More Info…
connect@spursonline.net
Result: 1-2 (Leicester Win)
Richarlison (33′)
J. Vardy (46′)
B. El Khannouss (50′)
Match Report…
Well I said it was a must win but I didn’t say it would be easy. When is it ever easy with us? As expected, it was a tough relegation fight with little separating the teams in the first half, but for a touch of extra class up front for Spurs to edge the battle.
In the 33rd minute a wonderful cross from Porro allowed Richi to head in from close range for a 1-0 lead. Spurs looked for a second goal and Son was unfortunate not to score when hitting the bar from the edge of the box.
The second half kicked off and it was yet another classic Spurs example of us switching off, losing the intensity in our game and allowing Leicester a free pass in front of goal. With just a minute on the clock Vardy scored with his 10th goal against Spurs. Moments later Porro hadn’t learnt his lesson and gifted Leicester a second goal with the sort of poor passing we have become accustomed to all too much under Ange. In a blink of an eye we find ourselves 2-1 down purely through our own stupidity.
Let’s face it, if a team is struggling, they want to come to Spurs, if a striker can’t buy a goal, they want to come to our stadium. We’ve seen it time and time again so it was no surprise to see Spurs crumble this way in the second half.
The Spurs players looked shell shocked with a “here we go again” feeling echoing around the stadium. We are playing a side that has only scored 2 goals in their last 7 Premier matches and have lost all 7 of those matches. Here we are 2-1 down looking rather desperate now to salvage even a draw from this game.
Ange made some changes and on comes Moore for Richi and Reguillon for Sarr, allowing Gray to move into midfield. Spurs push forward and chances are created, Porro hits the bar and then wastes a second opportunity when he selfishly goes for goal himself.
With the clock ticking it’s hard to see how this Spurs team can find their way back into this game and it looks to be another day Spurs regret not being more clinical with their earlier chances when the game could have been killed off. Have Spurs ever killed a game off? I’m not sure that’s even in Spurs vocabulary!
With just 15 minutes remaining it’s all Tottenham but they cannot break down this Leicester defence showing a lack of quality in the final third. As the minutes painfully count down, Spurs efforts look only more desperate and the writing is on the wall. We are looking at a home defeat against a struggling relegation team whose manager looks more clueless than Ange, or perhaps not.
Spurs continue to attack in all fairness and corner after corner the balls are swung in but without Richi on the pitch it’s hard to see where any header is going to come from at this point. Leicester are happy to do what Spurs should have done when taking the lead, they defend deep with numbers and it’s going to take something special to break them down now.
4 minutes into injury time and Ange decides to bring on Lankshear. His actions seem as desperate and hopeless as the atmosphere within the stadium. Not for the first time this season Spurs have been their own worst enemy and have thrown away another lead that will only ask more questions of what the hell is going on at this club?
Fair play to the loyal Spurs fans who keep turning up to support the team, week in week out. Going to home matches in that beautiful stadium must feel a bit like being told you are going to be picked up in a limo for your wedding only to discover Mr. Magoo is behind the wheel.
1 win in 12 Premier games now, it is what it is as Ange would say. What are you doing Levy? You are aware it’s January? Do something before it’s too late! We may be 90 minutes away from a cup final but we’re also just 8 points above the relegation spots.
I’m sure if Ange was put in charge of a school team they could do very well, they might even win something in their second season, but this is the Premier league and he is completely out of his depth with his lack of tactical knowledge. Sooner or later Ange has to go and Mr Levy will have to concede he has made another almighty error of judgment in his managerial recruitment.
It wasn’t that long ago Ange would complain our poor results were down to a lack of game time due to no European football. Now Ange tells us the poor results are down to the players being tired. Personally I have heard enough of the excuses.
Sean from “Spurstalkshow” summed it up well this week when he said “I think there’s 3 teams in the league worse than us”.
Well, one of those sides just beat us! That’s about all we can say on this current Spurs form.

January 24, 2025