Tag Archives: Tottenham

Maddison, Jones and Quansah out – who will be next to be cut?

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A lunchtime read from me today as work has got a bit on top.

There is pretty much no Arsenal news floating about. The only thing really happening today is players leaving the England squad.

Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah have both been cut. This should not be a surprise. The feeling was always they had been called up to train with the senior team with an eye on life beyond the Euro’s. I do not think anyone could make a case for either to be selected ahead of any player still in.

Then we have James Maddison.

The Spurs player has reportedly stormed out of the camp after being told he will not be going to Germany. “Madders” turns 28-years-oldin November, so you have to think this will be the end of a short England career, that saw him win just 7 England caps.

I always remember Leicester City fans saying that there are 3 James Maddison’s: The one that will be World Class for 1/3 of the season; The one that will be injured for 1/3 of the season; The one that will be average for 1/3 of the season.

He started off this years campaign in fine form. Then got injured. And was poor on returning from injury as Tottenham collapsed. And during this time he was overtaken in the pecking order by others.

You have Cole Palmer with his breakthrough season. And Eberechi Eze who finished the season strongly. Throw in Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, Gareth Southgate has an embarrassment of riches who play in Maddison’s position.

Some will make the argument that Maddison should be in the squad ahead of Conor Gallagher, but this ignores the fact that they play different positons.

Gallagher plays a bit deeper and is an option to play alongside Declan Rice if Southgate opts to go 4231. Maddison can not play as part of a midfield 2.

The option for Southgate was therefore Jack Grealish or James Maddison – and it should not be a surprise he has stuck with Grealish.

In other news, the Manchester City story continues to roll on.

I am keeping my powder dry with it all is there is a lot of mud slinging and mistruths from fans. On one hand you have (foreign) City fans saying they want their management to destroy the Premier League, and acting like they have in depth knowledge of both their lawyers and the rules and regulations. On the other you have equally as uneducated fans throwing all sorts of accusations at City.

What we know is City face 115 charges, and at the same time they have decided to take the Premier League to court over rules which they deem break UK competition law. It will be interesting to see how this all ends.

Lunch is over. I need to get back to work. Have a good Thursdsay.

Keenos

New stadium, same brainless fans

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Morning all. Hacve we all recovered from Sunday now?

What a day. What a result. One of them that will have us on cloud 9 for some time to come!

I was apprehensive before the game. We had not beaten Spurs away in the league since 2014. That apprehension diminished as I had a few beers and saw the line-ups.

Lots of people do “Combined XI’s” before big games. For me, they are up there with half and half scarves and holding cardboard signs begging for players shirts. Just no.

On seeing the line-ups, it was a struggle to see who from Spurs would get into the Arsenal team. Harry Kane is probably the only one. And even that is debatable as he does not have the legs to press the way Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah do.

It was the first time at their new ground, and what a fun experience!

Anyone who went to their old ground will know their wierd fans would stand on a street corner to hurl abuse as we did a right onto Park Lane towards the away end. I never really got it. None of them would do anything, and they would just stand behind the line of police giving it large.

I always wondered whether if the police disappeared, they would as well. Not as easy getting brave when no one is there to protect you.

In their new ground, the away end has moved. And it now makes sense to come up via Northumberland Park, walk west down Park Lane and do a right onto Worcester Avenue.

And low and behold, on the junction of Park Lane and Worcester Avenue were their fans, stood again behind police, singing “where the f**k are Arse-en-al?”

It was all very odd, because anyone doing a right onto Worcester Avenue were clearly Arsenal fans. And we certainly did not walk past trying to hide who we supported!

So their “hard men” have moved from the corner of Park Lane and the High Road to another street corner to welcome Arsenal fans whilst being kettled by police. All very strange.

The ground really was not that impressive when inside. Just the 3 levels of corporate seating! It really is designed to maximise that corporate revenue at the sacrifice of common fans. Much worse than the Emirates.

What I would say is the ground does clear quickly. As the final whistle went, their “big stand” was probably 70% empty. Good effort allowing fans to exit so quickly.

We dominated them. We turned up to their house, shagged their wife whilst they watched on in a corner, and then left without cleaning up after ourselves.

The fact their fans were reduced to attempting to assault Aaron Ramsdale, and throwing obsenities behind the police lines does show how backwards they are. Must be something in the water in Middlesex.

After Manchester City’s defeat, we are now favourites to win the league. I am not comfortable with that.

Up next is the inform Manchester United. City play twice before that game, so the 8 point gap may be just 2 before we play next.

We just need to keep taking it one game at a time.

I will not allow myself to dream. Yet. But for now all my dreams are about Sunday!

UTA

Keenos

The apprehension and excitment of Tottenham away

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Morning all and Happy North London Derby Day.

Tottenham away, a game I look forward too and at the same time dread. Today is my first visit to their new ground.

Not much will beat the nervous energy, the antacipation walking down the High Road. With your mates. Us against them, ready for whatever happens.

But White Hart Lane has not been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years. The North London Derby has massively favoured the home teams over the last decade or so.

We have not beaten Tottenham away since the 2015 League Cup, Mathieu Flamini with those two goals. I was there that night, and what a night it was.

Our last league win was 2014, Tomas Rosicky with the only goal.

Before you think “Keenos is a luck omen, glad he is going today”, they are the only two occassions I have seen us win at their place. Three if you include a FA Youth Cup game when Jack Wilshere pulled the strings!

Since Tottenham ended out 21-game unbeaten run against them in 2008, we have won just 2 of 16 away games at White Hart Lane (or Wembley). Both mentioned above.

And in recent years, the away game against that lot have been where our hopes and dreams have crashed and burned.

Last season, a victory against Tottenham with 3 games to go would have guaranteed us a top 4 place, and finishing above them for the first time since 2016. We were turned over 3-0 with Harry Kane opening the scoring with his customary North London Derby penalty.

2019 is also a North London Derby day that bitterly sticks in the memory.

1-1 and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is bought down for an 89th minute penalty. Our talisman gets up, dusts himself down, and takes tne penalty. SAVED.

And then to add insult to injury, just as Aubameyang looked set to tap into the empty net, Jan Vertonghen makes a last-ditch slide challenge.

Vertonghen had encroached deeply into the area on the penalty but he got away with it. Without that, he would not have been able to make the tackle. And there was no VAR in those days.

Two points dropped, and they ended up being crucial as we finished a single point behind Tottenham, and failed to make the top 4.

So I make no apologies for feeling apprehensive ahead of the game today. Although after a few beers in Islington and that journey to the stadium I will be bang up for it.

It does feel like we are in the middle of our most crucial period of the season.

We have already faced Brighton (A) & Newcastle (H). Both sides in the top 8.

Today it is a trip to Tottenham (5th), followed by a resurgent Manchester United (4th). We then have a tricky away trip to Everton – Goodison Park is never an easy win despite how poor they are.

That is followed by games against Brentford (9th) and Manchester City (2nd).

I have refused to get to embroiled in the title talk. Yes, we are in the race but we are certainly not favourites. The bookied have had Man City odds-on since before the season began. It should not be seen as a failure if Man City overhaul us and we end up 2nd.

If we are still above City after we have hosted them, I might allow a bit of belief to slip in. But even then we have a double header away in the Midlands against Aston Villa and Leicester City.

It is only really in March that it eases up a bit – we have a run of 3 out of 4 games at home , facing Bournemouth, Fulham (A), Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

And then we have the 6 games that will ultimately decide our future – Liverpool (A), West Ham (A), Manchester City (A), Chelsea (H) and Newcastle (A). The only bit of restbite is Southampton at home.

Today is all about getting the 3 points against Tottenham. And I think we will do that if Harry Kane does not get his usual penalty.

We will never hear the end of it if Kane equals, and breaks, Jimmy Greaves goal scoring record against us. But that will never make up for signing their captain for free, 1971 and 2004.

UTA

Keenos