Tag: Tottenham Hotspur

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tottenham Statement, It’s a Con, Weather, Honesty, and Connection

    (Riding on any wave, that is the luck you crave)

    Tottenham isn’t playing this weekend, so I have nothing to say about them this week. Oh, I will have something to say, but not at this time.

    What if I told you that no one knows anything? That knowledge, true knowledge, is unattainable. If all of that is true, then do you think that real estate seminar really has secrets to share with you? It’s a con.

    Sweater weather means I also need warmer socks.

    Friends don’t let friends become Alex Jones-types.

    Somedays, it’s hard to get the thoughts organized enough to share them. But what I do know is that Elastica was an underrated band.

    (Remember to like, share and comment. Not just on this blog, but in life, too.)

  • Son Showed Up

    So, you remember how I said on Friday that Son needed to show up if Tottenham was going to have a successful season? Well, only one person read that blog, so the odds are that you didn’t know that I said that, but I’m not going to hold that against you.

    But let’s be honest about that match between Leicester and Tottenham; Spurs were up 3-2 by the time Son came in, so it wasn’t like the game was on the line. I hate to think that Conte is playing mind game with his team, but it did kind’a feel that way. Son didn’t get the start for this game, and when he did come in, he looked like he had a chip on his shoulder. His first goal, a right footer from outside of the box that curved into the right corner was just brilliant. The way Son stood on the field, soaking in the roar of the crowd, and having his team mates congratulate him, it was like all that pressure was coming off his shoulders. Then his goal eleven minutes later off the left foot to the left corner was like a mirror image of the first. You could tell the man was having fun again with that one; smile was back on his face; all was right in the world. THEN, two minutes later, he gets his third goal of the day – completing the hat trick.

    I like Son. I think he’s a lot of fun to watch, and he’s a very competitive man. He wants to be out there and he wants the ball. I think it helped that Spurs didn’t need any of those goals to win the match, which allowed Son to just play his game. But like I said on Friday, if Tottenham wants to go deep in the Champions League, and if they want to win the Premiere League, Son has got to be out there scoring goals.

    Bottom line; I just might know what I’m talking about when it comes to Tottenham.

    (I know I just impressed you with my knowledge of football, so be a good lad and share the love with a like, comment or a share. It would help me carry on.)

  • ODDS and ENDS: Tottenham Lost, TNF, and Setbacks to Working

    (Yo Momma Jokes Welcomed!)

    Yeah, I know that Tottenham lost to Sporting CP in the Champions League. I also know that this is the Group Stage, and there is a lot of football left to be played in the tournament. And I know that Spurs were due to lose a match at some point this season. But it was the way that Tottenham lost: two goals at the very end. Now, as is the theme with my football coverage, I know nothing about Sporting CP, but what I do know is that they were the much better team in that match. Tottenham looked tired and conservative. They had some good chances with Royal and Richarlison especially, but again, where was the Son/Kane connection? And Hugo Lloris can only do so much for this team, which gets me back to my original point of that, this team crapped out at the very end. It reminded me of Spurs teams past who were very aggressive in the first half, only to be beaten in the final ten minutes of the match. Yes, it was one match, but the way this team has been playing – finding ways to not lose – might be coming to an end, leading to more losses. The Son/Kane duo is the key, and until they become a treat on the pitch again, this team could start floundering.

    Thursday Night Football – I can’t get over how much it feels like a money grab on the backs of the players. But I like watching Ryan Fitzpatrick. So, I’m torn.

    And then there is the big setback, or maybe it’s an opportunity. We were not selected for the free after-school program at my daughter’s school. It’s a lottery system, so the students selected at random, but we were counting on the kid getting in. For a very simple reason, the after-school program would give me the ability to go and get a job. The kid would be in school from 8:30 to 5:30, and between me and the wife, one of us would be able to drop the kid off, and the other could pick her up. In that situation, I could re-enter the world of full-time employment, and work a normal 9-5. I know I am not the only parent at the school that was counting on their kid getting into this program, as I know many parents are still trying to get back on their feet after Covid, and childcare is still hand to find, and when you do find it, it’s terribly expensive. I’m trying to Zen about the whole thing. For one, I get to spend more time with the kid, which is truly a gift. Second, this could be an opportunity. I don’t know how it’s an opportunity, but I feel that if I keep saying that, over and over again, then I just might manifest an opportunity out of thin air.  Anyway, setbacks are part of life, and we have to find a way to keep moving forward.

    (Hey you! I need your help. I need you to like this blog post. In fact, like it, share it, and leave a comment. If you just read this post, then you know I need a job, so engage with me so I can generate some funds. I promise, it won’t make baby Jesus cry.)

  • ODDS and ENDS: The Queen, and Tottenham Updates

    (Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!)

    I don’ think there is any way to avoid this story, which is that Queen Elizabeth has died. And I don’t think the story should be avoided. In a world history sense, a head of state has died, will be mourned and buried, and a new head of state will be put in place, through a very long and old ceremony. A Ceremony that doesn’t happen very often. The Queen was of the World War II generation, though just barely, and as of such knew and participated in a world of empires and colonies. For that reason, I understand why there are people out there who have no intention of mourning her. (I am not surprised that Irish Twitter is behaving in that way.) For me, as an American, I have found the British Monarchy odd and fascinating. I fully believe, as all good Americans should, that there is no need for a monarchy, and cannot understand why a nation keeps a family in ceremonial power though they serve no functioning constitutional purpose. (I guess that makes me a pragmatic America.) Yet, as an American, I understand that there wouldn’t have been a US if not for a UK and that monarchy. But at the end of the day, I can’t shake the acknowledgment that the Queen was someone’s wife, and someone’s mother, and grandmother, and great grandmother.

    Yes, Tottenham Hotspur has yet to lose a match, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to complain about the team. On Wednesday, Spurs kicked off their Champions League campaign against Marseille, and I noted earlier that I know absolutely nothing about Marseille other than they are from France. But I was able to easily watch the match live on Paramount+ while my kid was running around the playground. (You hear that Peacock?!?! Take a lesson from Paramount+ and learn how to stream matches live!) What I saw was Tottenham starting off shaky again, but holding it together, again. Thank god for the Richarlison pick up from Everton during the off-season, as he was the only player showing some life out there. I apricate the win, but I’m beginning to get nervous for Son. For the past couple of seasons Kane/Son was an unstoppable team on the pitch: If Kane wasn’t scoring then it was Son, and vice versa. Hell, Son was tied with Salah last season for the Golden Boot in the Premier League. But, thus far, Son has had seven appearances and 0 goals. I was looking forward to this Saturday when Tottenham played against Man City, to see if Conte was going to make more of an effort to get Son involved, but with the Queen’s passing, all matches this weekend have been postponed. Just going to have to wait another week and wonder.

    (Yo! I see you! And if you want to help me out, then take a moment to like this blog, or share it, or leave me a comment about how Dejan Kulusevski is the real difference maker this season for Spurs. All would be apricated.)

  • Sports and Autumn

    Chelsea fired their manager, Thomas Tuchel, this morning. A little surprised, but Chelsea is having a pretty rough start to their season. Their loss yesterday, in the group stage of the Champions league, didn’t help, but still, it’s just the group stage. I would have thought if they didn’t make it out of the group, that that’s when I would have fired Tuchel. This is the one aspect of the Premier League that I don’t understand: you can be a manager with a winning record and still get fired. In the US, you have to lose first, then get fired.

    Enough of Chelsea!

    Today starts Tottenham’s Champions League campaign! Spurs will be taking on Marseille, and… I know nothing about Marseille, other than that it’s a city in France. The match is on at 3pm today on Paramount+, and there is a slight chance that I will be able to watch it. (If it rains today, I will be watching. If the skies are clear, I will be at the playground with the kid.) I’ll see how it goes.

    As for sports, the fantasy football league that I play in is about the start up. I haven’t paid any attention to what is going on in the NFL. And I really haven’t paid any attention to what the Dallas Cowboys are up to. The only thing I head this summer is that the Eagles should take the division, and that the JETS and GIANTS are BACK! Mind you, the local NYC sports news always says this about the JETS and GIANTS every year. Don’t worry, the press gives up on the JETS after the third game, and then they dump the GIANTS about half way through the season.

    The older I get, the more I enjoy the rhythm of sports leagues being rolled out in the Fall. The ramping up of both of the footballs, and the winding down of baseball. Basketball will start soon enough, and I again will flirt with following the Knicks. (My New York friends will talk me out of it.) In one sense, it gives me something to do on the weekends when it starts getting too cold and rainy to go out. I never really thought of myself as a sports fan, but since I moved from Texas to NYC, sports has given me a way to stay connected with friends and family. It’s an easy conversation I can have with people, and it’s also an easy excuse to send an old friend a text message, or when I talk to my dad, we can complain about the Cowboy’s O-line.

    I wonder if any of this sports watching will pass on to the kid? Right now, she finds it boring, but every now and then, she curls up with me and watch what I’m watching. Sometimes she asks questions, most of the time she doesn’t. Maybe what she’ll take away from sports is that it’s a chance to hang out together.

    (Speaking of which! If you are enjoying this, please take a moment to like, share of comment on this blog! I hear it helps needy people like me!)