The Strutting Cockerel - Its steady as she goes.....

September 2025

There's nothing like stringing a few positive results together and being given good news about the club, to draw us kicking and screaming into yet another false sense of security. That must be the case, coz we haven't won that much over the past 17 years and yet suddenly its 'Bring it On', from the faithful (have a listen to Gomez's version - superb!). This time (dare I say it) more than other false dawns, this team feels different! The doom-mongers, prophet pundits and lemmings e.g. social media pariahs, roll out the 'Spursy' label when their oh, so limited vocabulary hits a brick wall. They don't have a word to eulogise over Spurs when we play the positive football only we can and stand for! This season we will not be 'Spursy'. Its so far so good - we can resign the doubters to their insignificant pigeon holes and plough on - this season will be different!

Burnley

A little light resistance from Lancashire's chapter of the claret and blues was returned with interest by some pretty decent interplay between Mo (love that shortened derivative) Kudus and our own 'inked' cockerel that struts, 'Richy' Richarlison. His second goal was a great strike. Who says goal of the season can't be won from our first game? A professional 3-0 win but importantly, the signs are, we're developing a team 'spine' Vic, Cuti, MVdV, Palhinho, Sarr/Benty and Richy- one we'll need (to strengthen) to put in more and better performances.

Citeh

We've now won something like 7 from 11 against the blue mooners - and thoroughly deserved this away win . Right from the off we adopted the 'FCP' (Full Court Press in Basketball terms) during key periods of the game - just long enough each time that we didn't knacker ourselves out, but importantly, it told Citeh there was no way through playing the way they were. Palhinho was tremendous, and as you might expect, Vic needed to be on hand (or 'hands on') to save the day (!) a couple of times. Richy's assist to Johnson was just about as pinpoint as it gets. With Citeh's weak link (Trafford) exposed, by a woeful error, ol' Pally put our second away with aplomb. Fast coming up on the rails as my new favourite player is Djed Spence, who did every thing right this game. He's a proper defender. For me he has the edge over Udogie (see later) and can play left or right. He just has (Note: all our 11 did this in the City game) an ability to get his body in the right position to defend an attack - does enough to put his opponent off running into danger zones and very nearly always(!) wins the ball. Plus, he's excellent playing wing-back on attack. This was a really good all-round team performance. Maddison and Kulu must be green with envy and chomping to get back playing - that's what we want!

Bournemouth

And as if by magic, we undo all the good work from the week before by getting done like a kipper! Whats that?- well B'mouth did to us what we did to City the week before. We could and should have lost this game 2/3 -0. Our under par performance felt like every Spurs player on the pitch was acting out their role in slow-motion for 70 minutes. Almost 'playing the game by numbers'. We were seriously out of the running! I prophesied 18 months ago - to look out for Semenyo - and I stand by this - Eze was a target we were never going to get in the summer - Semenyo could have been prized away from Bournemouth IMO. A fuel injected shot of adrenaline after 70 mins saw us come alive, as the wind had gone out of the sails of the red and blacks, but it was too little too late! If it wasn't for Vic, this could have been TF's first come to Jesus moment! Not that he didn't accept we were well beaten behind the scenes. He would have learned loads from his players lack of performance in this game.

Villareal

OK, so we made hard work of putting the third highest ranked (by UEFA co-efficient) opposition in our CL group stage, to bed. It was also our first proper look at all the forward signings during the game. The overriding one-word description for what we delivered was 'dogged'. It wasn't pretty, Villareal were dangerous at times and we were exposed in the same way as during the Bournemouth game. The Spaniards played though us to their No.10 and left winger who seemed to have acres. Porro, you are not and never will be a Centre Back! It's the same trait as I bemoaned Davies showed 6/7 seasons ago - why do full backs think they need to narrow the space they mark to inside the 18yd box when there are players doubling-up unmarked outside them. Is it his top 2 inches that goes missing or are our coaches just not picking up this fundamental and oft repeated play. Pedro - do YOUR job and do it well (which he does mostly), don't arbitrarily form a 3-man CB back line with MVdV or Cuti for 5 minutes. On the positive (and although he hasn't fully clicked yet) Xavi is going to be a hell of a player. Moreover, you get the feeling he likes our club. One of our few attacking forays very early on - indicated we were 'up' for this game, and saw Bergvall deliver a pacey cross their keeper spilled into the net. Apart from a long range effort from Mr Duracell (Pape Mate Sarr) we didn't achieve much more. Being 'up' for the game was not what we were! A below par showing from Richy means the backbone I mentioned earlier, might need a different leader of the line.

Wet Spam

Yeah well....An easy win against an opponent who really should know their place! What planet were the officials on for Cuti's disallowed goal??? Hamish was at the London Stadium watching - and in typical Girvan deadpan style said - 'you watch, this is going to be chalked off'. No way, I type via our WhatsApp thread - 'yep you watch'. Nope - bollox nothing in that.....Moving swiftly on and I owe him a pint...One of the most pleasing skills on show was the fact we can now take corners! Xavi from the right and Mo from the left, plonk! right in the danger zone. At last, no more Eriksen not beating the first man (that'll please Blackman!), no more Son searching out satellites one kick and submarines the next, No, good old fashioned stick it in the 6yd box corners! Boom. Referencing more old fashioned stuff - what about these long throw-ins? Ahhh, the memory (and YouTube vids) of cuzzie-bro Chivers launching a dolly onto Gilzean's head 50-odd years ago. Brings tears.....Back to the game, and it's hats off to the Duracell bunny, Bergvall's pinpoint header from Cuti's unbelievable 40yd diagonal ball (you beauty!) and MVdV's lash into the net. Could've been another couple had we not switched down a gear or two. According to the Boy Girvan, at the end, there were more Spurs fans (in the worst football stadium in the EPL) than there were Irons fans. On having given up the Boleyn ground for this soulless rotunda that you need to take a bus to, just to get to the pitch, I have sympathy with Hammers fans. On everything else Pffff. Sod 'em. (and to think Mr Levy entertained that we move into the Olympic Stadium Urggghh! Thankfully, some really nice City bankers said 'Here Danny Boy, have we got a deal for you....'

And lastly, Brighton.

Another of our bogey teams beginning with the letter 'B'. I was half expecting we'd give the Seagulls a right smacking. We're about due an annihilation. I quite like Brighton as a team - I didn't quite like they scored 2 goals before we did - both defensive mistakes. Having said that, we started the first half with some really decent interplay. We moved the ball well, like we were playing to a plan, with a structure and all was good. But for their first goal - who was out of position? This time our other full back Udogie. He'd gone walkabouts - like an aborigine on his OE. And I like Udogie. OK, I'll let him off this once - but Oh no, again and again, forward forays kept drawing his presence to the left or centre of midfield. Frank heaped praise on Destiny for his 'engine' - mostly referencing his forward play - and believe me he covered acres. But the easy ball for Brighton was to Minteh who just stood or ran into the space our left back should have been occupying. Their only genuine threat came down our left hand side. If I can see it (one or two Bloggers I trust, also referenced it) why can't the THFC coaching side - or is it their management style - to ignore, possibly deny anything negative in public, but roast the player behind the scenes? - only time will tell. Brighton's second, was our 3-man defensive balls-up. Richy remained prostrate on the ground a week after the ref had decided he wasn't fouled, Bergvall, making the schoolboy of all schoolboy's errors - never pass like a damp squib into the midfield when you're under pressure, and Vic who waived a hand at the ball like he was the Fairy in a Peter Pan Pantomime. Brighton was our 5th league game. Despite my nit-picking it was our mo, we played some really attractive Spurs-like football - stuff we can be proud of. Our uplifting attack led to both our replies which were down to relentless drives towards their goal. We didn't look dangerous directly in front of goal - we looked ominous around the goal area.

I want to see this aspiring backbone perform to its best week after week. I like Richy - he's scored 3 goals so far - but for me he's not a killer No.9 (please, please, please prove me wrong!). I want to see RKM given a run - lets see what he can do. TF needs to sort our left side, make a decision and stop tinkering - and like soon. Johnson may need to be the sacrifice coz he isn't going to dethrone Kudus any time soon and offers nothing on the left for me.

I like Odobert - although he feels a bit lightweight only having played the once so far. If we can get him to perform to Kudus' level it will be an interesting proposition - having 2 out and out wingers. Xavi has to be our 'go to' No.10 - that was obvious when he came on against Brighton. Things started to happen right away. And Spence can rotate or take the place (whichever) of either/both Porro and Udogie - assuming no injuries.

The very fact I'm wading though the squad members, positioning them like it was a game of chess means I've got my Spurs back - well, an EPL team that's playing as I would hope and expect a Spurs team would play anyway.

This season is going to be different! And in a good way...........

COYS!

Richard