Comments for Dispatches From A Football Sofa

Comment on I Hate Tottenham Hotspur: A Confession by joel priest

joel priest — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:52:54 +0000

Kev I would take the fa cup and champions league final over our season! I am forever being reminded how our cupboard is bare by friends (although take not utd fans I will be enjoying mocking you for the next 12 months!). I think di matteo is the key for you guys, someone young, fresh, at thome at the club and loved by all. He has some potentially world class players such as ramires, lukaku etc. So once the old guard are replaced I think it will be title time again for you guys.

Comment on So I Married A Football Blogger by Nina Theoharis by elliott

elliott — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:26:50 +0000

This was much more positive than I feared. Blogger power couple alert!

Comment on So I Married A Football Blogger by Nina Theoharis by Jim Dimond

Jim Dimond — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:42:08 +0000

Great article, and loved the family picture!

Comment on So I Married A Football Blogger by Nina Theoharis by SimonJ68

SimonJ68 — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:56:24 +0000

Excellent

Comment on I Hate Tottenham Hotspur: A Confession by Kevin McDougall

Kevin McDougall — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:09 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree with the title of this post ;-)

I’d still be happy with a top 4 finish Greg. Yes, expectations were raised and Spurs played some of the best football for a period but that’s the ebb and flow of football. You can still look forward with optimism for next year and build build build and be happy that the golden period of this month gave you enough points to stay in the top 4.

@joel – You are right, it’s like Arsenal season was the reverse of Tottenham’s in that you had a terrible patch were you played some of the worst football – out of character for Arsenal. Without that period you could have been serious contenders, RVP’s performances this year should have been enough to carry any club to the championship. Greatest season/poor season? I think the jury is still out on that one.

As for Chelsea. Lowest finish in the Abramovich era, unstable direction and leadership. Is it time for Chelsea fans to start asking questions about our owner and the way he runs the club? I’m pretty sure there be a queue from Stamford bridge to Harrods of potential new owners if Roman decided to sell up. All we want is a little stability.

Comment on I Hate Tottenham Hotspur: A Confession by joel priest

joel priest — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:09:48 +0000

I think us north londoners will forever be in the will we won’t we predicament! Our seasons are almost in reverse to the point where wenger is hailing 3rd place his greatest achievement. Some would laugh at that but if you look at the facts its not far off.

We never spend big, always play squad players and yet still we have ended up a head of the big spending clubs such as spurs, liverpool and chelsea.

I will hold my hands up and admit I was furious with wenger come october and called for his head. But time, and a few good results is a great healer.

Great read mr T once again!

Comment on Out Of The Shadows: Arsenal and Me by Greg

Greg — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:34:55 +0000

You’ve prompted me into responding to a comment (which I rarely do) seeing as you’ve put six years onto my age. I started supporting Spurs in 1986 and yes, although we may have been more aesthetically pleasing than Arsenal at that time, one of the clearest memories I have is THAT win at Anfield in ’89. Whether it be Graham or Wenger, the vast majority of my Spurs life has indeed been under Arsenal’s shadow on the trophy front. Hence, the original post. If I only had seen a time, when we were regularly ‘outgunning’ them. Us younguns, eh?

Comment on Out Of The Shadows: Arsenal and Me by diran

diran — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:45:28 +0000

I largely like your writing in these blogs, Greg, but your memory seems rather bizarre for someone who sounds an early 40 year-old, and so around the same age as myself. I’m 43, grew up in Wood Green, and have been a devoted Spurs fan since around ’72/ ’73. You give the impression that Spurs were in the shadow of Arsenal in your youth – that they were usually beating us – but this is not true. Aresenal won nothing between ’53 and ’70, and then in the 70s and 80s, both teams had roughly similar success, be in in derbies or in the Cup/ League generally, with Spurs edging it in terms of success and more than edging it in terms of glamour and quality of football. We won the UEFA Cup ’72 and ’84, runners-up in ’74 (when the UEFA Cup wa seriously something), 3 FA Cups etc. We were regularly beating the European trophyless Arse. It was only from ’89 onwards that Arse began up some notches while we, because of our financial troubles of the field (Scholar’s ill-advised investments etc), declined.

I don’t know why you’d want to talk Spurs down – it’s like Harry Redknapp does too often (an Arse fan, btw).

The Arse were a famously stodgy, unattractive side for a century (Chapman’s defensive ‘M’ formation’ etc), also ‘Lucky’ – an establishment team with friends in high places that eased their path in all sorts of ways. We were always beautiful,and successful ’til the 90s. No reason to be envious of them.

I’m a writer, btw, and am currenty writing a sports-centred memoir that will come out with ‘Little-Brown’. Lots of Spurs, in there, and cricket and everything else. I’ll give you a holler when it comes out…

Comment on I Believe In Miracles: Why Spurs Will Win The Premier League by CallMeSpits

CallMeSpits — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:52:41 +0000

I just came to say Hello!

Comment on I Hate Tottenham Hotspur: A Confession by MrTinkles

MrTinkles — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:46:50 +0000

Good one – as always mate!
I love your musing on how a football club can seem to have a real organic living quality.
Of course, I know this cannot be so but it sometimes seems so much like it that I wonder if there is a yet to be discovered branch of psychology that is relevant (perhaps Issac Azimov’s “psychohistory” does work for smaller groups when they happen to be football clubs) and explains how we seem capable of “behaving” in the same way so damn often. Surely such a behaviour suggests life?
Another characteristic of sentience is the ability to frustrate and yet inspire love…and that is why I shall be back believing next September…as will you…
Come on Bayern!!!