Tottenham Veterinary strikes again. Roberto de Zerbi will not be able to turn to Mo Kudus for the run-in as the Ghanaian looks to be done for the season. This is what happens when you don't invest in a proper medical staff at the club. How many times do our players experience setbacks in their recovery? Yet another stain on Daniel Levy's legacy. We will have to hope that our remaining shit forwards who have produced nothing this season somehow deliver if we are to avoid relegation.
Spurs will start the day in the relegation zone, the latest we have been in the relegation zone in a season since 1977. This is the legacy of Enic and Daniel Levy.
For what it's worth, here is the team: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher, Bergvall; Kolo Muani, Solanke, Richarlison. Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Danso, Palhinha, Xavi, Bissouma, Tel, Spence, Sarr.
HT 0-0. A rare first half comes to a close with us not losing for a change. Brobbey has absolutely bullied our defense, and has got Vdv and Romero booked. Porro also booked stupidly for dissent, which comes as no surprise as the Spaniard has been a donut all season. As usual our forward and midfield have offered little quality in attack, and as the half wore on, they were dominating the middle of the park.
1. Start brightly 2. Concede 3. Collapse The second of our established three step process now completed.
Romero off in tears with what looks like a serious knee injury. He was pushed into the gk by Brobbey, who was on a yellow, but the twat ref didn't send him off.
FT 1-0. Gallagher, who was dreadful like many others, at fault for the goal, a lackluster effort closing down his man, and now 14 without a win. The three stooges (Lange, Vivienne Lewis, and My Cousin Vinai) looking on from the director's box.
I'll say it again, in my 45 years following the club, this is the worst forward line I have ever seen. Solanke, Richarlison, Muani, and Tel are absolutely dreadful.
If only Romero could get that upset about relegation. We're reffed differently, it's happened way too many times. Opposition comes out aggressive, we respond and get cards. That tw*t Pat Nevin on BBC waves off a pretty clear cardworthy tackle as 'Brobbey being Brobbey' when everyone knows Romero gets a red for the same thing. It doesn't stop us from being shite but it sure adds to the frustration
I'll see your 'worst forward line ever' and raise you a 'worst midfield ever'. If they've looked slightly less shite over the last few weeks, it's only because we're bypassing them going forward. This squad sucks ass, front to back.
This is the third manager who didn't play with a proper no 6. I don't know what Gray is, but he is not a 6. Why is Palhinha on the bench? What am I missing here? This is the third manager who tried to play Bergvall as a left-winger. What am I missing here? This is the third manager who didn't play with a no 10. What am I missing here? This is the third manager who watched us get overrun in the first half and did nothing to change it at halftime. What am I missing here? This is the third manager who waited until the final minutes to bring on Xavi. What am I missing here? All these managers, whatever club they were at, whatever the league, they played the same system every game, and played their players in their proper positions. Then they come to us and change the formation every game and play everyone out of position. What am I missing here?
From the mouth of Johann Lange: 'We didn't buy anyone in January because we didn't feel there were any players better than what we currently have". He was offered Lookman, Duran, and Diaby, and turned them all down. But he signed Souza, who was not even in the squad today.
Generational talent Lucas Bergvall: Passes completed: 7 out of 10 Successful dribbles: zero Ground duels won: zero Aerial duels won: zero Fouls conceded: four
Since Johann Sebastian Flange joined as director of football on October 9th, 2023, our record is 100 played, 32 won, 18 drawn, and 50 lost. What a brilliant appointment by Daniel Levy, and we have supporters who want him back as chairman.
This has to be deliberate. There's no way that every manager just plays the players out of position every game without wanting to lose.
The only explanation I can think of is Lange is telling the managers in the hiring negotiations that they have to play the young players, because we have seen iterations of Gray/Bergvall/Sarr from all 3 managers now, and they just keep playing them, out of position (whatever their position is), loss after loss after loss. The Danish Pastry is so delusional that he thinks these players will eventually come good and he will look a genius. There is a reason why Villa got rid of him. We are going down in flames with this guy.
When Brobbey wiped out Romero, I immediately knew he would retaliate and get booked for it. Probably the last time we see him in a Spurs shirt. Fine, he can be first out the door. The soccer gods have decided that Spurs will go down; so be it.
Sunderland coach Régis Lebris summed us up perfectly in his post match comments: We still have room for improvement in the final third, we can be a bit more clinical, a bit more efficient, but the opponent wasn’t strong enough to beat us so I wasn’t too worried we didn’t get a second goal.
Richarlisson, Solanke, Tel, Odobert, and Muani have played in a combined 113 PL games, and between them have scored 16 goals, a rate of 0.14 goals per game. The brilliant businessman Daniel Levy purchased them for a combined 200 million pounds. I guess that's why the geezer was being paid 6 million quid a year...
Speaking of South America, Spurs remind me of the Gabriel García Márquez novel, Crónica de una muerte anunciada (Story of a Death Foretold), a story that starts with the death of the main character, and then recounts how he came to die. Since we are going to need to generate funds next season, the club should create an Amazon-type series called Crónica de una relegación anunciada.
"Many years later, as he faced relegation, phillyspur was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover Spurs." With apologies to GGM