Sending a Message
Some of the messages being sent aren't very positive, to be fair, but there's no lack of conversation around the Men's team at the moment. On the Women's side, we've had farewell messages to and from a club legend on her departure.
In this issue: Bournemouth recap | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane | Pub chat
For better or worse, both teams are back in action this weekend. Spurs Men enter the FA Cup fray against a difficult opponent, Aston Villa, albeit with home-field advantage. Spurs Women have to wait until next week for their FA Cup campaign to start, but get a preview of the opposition, Leicester City, in league play first. That was always going to be an interesting double-header, but it's been made doubly so by the fact that Ashleigh Neville has swapped sides. I am not emotionally prepared to see her play in another shirt, but it's happening.
I'll round out this issue with some bonus bookmarks for the weekend.
PL MD 21 | Bournemouth 3 - 2 Tottenham
Evanilson 22', Kroupi 36', Semenyo 90+5' | Tel 5', Palhinha 78'
Well, I did predict that Bournemouth would score goals. It's just frustrating that the pivotal one was scored by a player who is now on his way to Manchester City. He stuck around on the coast long enough to put the dagger in the result, and still had time to sub out of the game to a standing ovation from the home crowd. Demoralizing, truly.
But as I remarked to my friends at the Tottenham Depot in our post-match chat, it's good that we can still feel disappointment about this team, and we aren't totally dead inside. Yet. There's still time for that this season if it gets much worse.
The strange thing is that in the midst of all these frustrating results, we've still seen some interesting moments. João Palhinha scoring his second overhead kick of the season certainly qualifies, but I think Mathys Tel's determination to make an impact despite his lack of opportunities also counts.
The players don't seem to be giving up, even though they would be right to be just as frustrated as the fans about how the season is going, not least about the continually deepening injury crisis. Just when you think relief is coming soon, new injuries occur. In the second half of this game, we lost Lucas Bergvall and later Rodrigo Bentancur to muscle injuries with unclear prognoses for a return timeline. The midfield contingent is extremely constrained at the moment, but every area of the lineup has seen extended absences.
While acknowledging the limitations of the squad from a physical standpoint, I have to question if Thomas Frank is doing enough to compensate through tactics—but also in coaching the intangibles and fostering patience from the fanbase. This was not even close to the worst performance of the season, but nevertheless followed the trend of lacking the mettle to close out a result. We had an early lead and a late equalizer and blew both. The squad, despite many examples of individual brilliance, lacks harmony and is becoming increasingly disconnected from the fans. It’s all starting to feel uncannily similar to the José Mourinho seasons to me.
And yet, the overall situation feels more akin to the mood post-Antonio Conte's sacking, when it was difficult to see how things would get better since we weren’t an attractive prospect for players or for a new manager. Although I still believe it was the right decision to move on from Postecoglou last summer because he’d taken the team as far as he could, it must be acknowledged that he rejuvenated spirits at the club when he came in with his charismatic (in every sense of the term) leadership. In contrast, Frank has been a void of charisma.
I think that’s the source of most of the fanbase’s current distress. Where is the hope that the cycle of dysfunction will stop?
If you compare our results so far to the identical fixtures from last season (excluding the games against relegated/promoted teams), we are actually at exact parity to last season on earned points. But let’s recall where we ended in the table that season (as if we could forget). It’s not good to be on track for the same finish. And the schedule isn’t going to get any easier in the near future.
I wish I could still feel hopeful about the fact that we’re still alive in the Champions League and the FA Cup (perhaps only until we actually begin that campaign this weekend—it could be over at first asking), but unlike the one bright spot under Ange last season, I don’t have any trust in Frank to salvage the cups. We don’t even have that outlet of tempered optimism to carry us through the rest of the season.
The season isn’t over, but it feels like it is already in many regards. We can't afford too many more results like this one against Bournemouth. It will probably take a minor transfer miracle to turn things around, because the club doesn't seem to have the stomach for another mid-season manager change at the moment.
Notable & quotable:
• Mathys Tel has scored a goal in half of his Premier League starts this season; he is also our joint second-highest scorer in the PL alongside João Palhinha and Micky van de Ven with three goals apiece.
• Thomas Frank was providing cold comfort after the game:
No matter how painful it is, it's still a good performance. It's a good away performance, and one that gives us something to hang on to. But, of course, you need some points as well.
Transfer talk
• I already talked at length about Ash Neville when her transfer to Leicester City was first rumored, so I won't repeat myself, but that permanent transfer is now confirmed. If you do want to hear more, check out the latest episode of N17 Women.
I would caution y'all not to watch any of the goodbye content on Spurs' socials unless you are in a place where you feel comfortable crying! The one below really got to me.
Here is Martin Ho's full statement on Ash's legacy at the club:
Eight years. One badge. Countless memories. Ash leaves this football club as more than a player, she leaves as an icon, a leader, and a true fan favourite.
Her commitment, bravery and consistency have defined an era. Week in, week out, she represented this club with honesty, intensity and pride, setting standards on and off the pitch and inspiring those around her.
Ash’s journey here is one that will always matter. She helped shape the identity of this team and leaves a legacy that will be remembered long after the final whistle.
As she takes the next step in her career, she does so with the respect, gratitude and best wishes of everyone connected to this football club. Thank you, Ash.
• Oliver Irow is going on loan to Mansfield Town in League One for the remainder of the season.
News from around the Lane
• The club is launching a campaign to commemorate Spurs Men's 1901 FA Cup victory, 125 years ago this April, when we became the first and only non-league team to win the competition. The campaign kicks off tomorrow with the team wearing special 1901 edition kits to mark the anniversary in our third round matchup against Aston Villa.
Another cool initiative from the campaign is the launch of The Spurs Legacy Cup, a tournament for local grassroots teams.
• Spurs lost a club legend this past week, as Martin Chivers passed away at the age of 80. There are some lovely tributes from his former teammates here.
• Pretty cool update from the Men's loan army: Luka Vušković won a fan vote for Bundesliga Player of the Season for the Hinrunde (German term for the first half of the season). He beat out Harry Kane in the final bracket matchup, no less. He also won the Bundesliga Goal of the Year for this beauty. It's starting to feel like a reverse "don't get attached to a loan player" situation where we fans of the parent club need to be concerned about him coming back... Regardless, this has been a great season for Vušković's development.
• Spurs Women have now been added to the WSL's trial of allowing fans to drink alcohol at their seats. This applies to all of the remaining home matches.
Pub chat: Bonus bookmarks
• The Guardian has a nice interview with Martin Ho, checking in at the halfway point of the season.
Tom Garry
He's keeping a balanced perspective on the progress achieved so far on the pitch:
You can’t change everything in five months; it takes time. And I want to do that in small steps whilst evolving the playing group and the infrastructure around me to make sure it’s more sustainable for now and the future, for younger players, for the players that are here.
I also thought it was interesting for him to note that although he never doubted the ability of the playing squad, he did have concerns coming in about how they would be able to bounce back mentally from such a difficult campaign last season.
• This article was from a while back, but still worth a share. I know WSL kickoff times have been a big source of frustration for all of us, whether you're on my side of the pond or a regular matchgoer at Brisbane Road.
Matt Hughes
As usual, broadcast decisions are driving the conversation. But it's fair to assume that some of the factors limiting viewership are also driving down attendance at games, like fixture clashes with a club's men's team or grassroots football participation taking precedence.
• It's hard to disagree with anything in this op-ed from Suzy Wrack on the women's football calendar.
Suzanne Wrack
I believe these issues are exacerbated by the fact that a league like the WSL has poor competitive parity, with a clear top 4 (though Spurs are obviously trying to challenge that), below which there isn't much interest for neutrals. That in turn means international football retains a lot of the general audience and gets prioritized over club football. It's a vicious cycle born from the international game being much more prominent initially in the women's game, while domestic league infrastructure lagged behind. I agree with Wrack that there may need to be some bold changes to adjust the balance, but I also think we are learning too many of the wrong lessons from men's football.
• I wrote previously about my frustration with the qualifying criteria for the new Women's Europa Cup competition, but it seems that it has completely flown off my radar since it was announced; I had no idea the competition had reached the knockout stages, nor did I have any clue where it could be streamed.
Sophie Downey
Well, it turns out you really can't watch it reliably, since there isn't a centralized broadcast deal. Teams are responsible for providing a stream, much like we see for the group stage of the Women's League Cup in England. The upshot is that it doesn't get much viewership at all. It feels like UEFA is fumbling this attempt to expand European competition in the women's game, but we'll see what learnings they take from this season's underwhelming (or at least underwatched) edition.
Up next:
January 10 | Spurs Men vs Aston Villa
Team news — Cristian Romero suspended following his charge from the FA; Mohammed Kudus out until after the March international break with a quad tendon issue; Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur both being assessed but out for this match
January 11 | Spurs Women vs Leicester City
Team news — All new signings are available for selection; Cathinka Tandberg and Olga Ahtinen expected back at the end of the month; Charli Grant also still out and could return at the end of the month or in early February; Ella Morris back on grass and in some parts of training
This is the first double Spurs weekend in a while, so brace yourselves.
COYS
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