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We're looking a lot better since Ted Lanso took over
(Since planning an 1882 event isn't the same as a match thread…)
It must be terrible being second choice all the time. The best slice of pie never comes your way (literally and figuratively), and you're forever in the shadow of another, more formidable presence. I wouldn't know how it feels, since I follow the best club in the world, Tottenham Hotspur.
But I understand that when you do find yourself forever in someone's shadow, the best course of action is to strike out in a completely different path. If your older brother is running your crime family, you enlist in the Army, for example. It's hard to get noticed if you're only the second best mafioso among your brothers. And when that is the case, it's easy to lose your head striving for more, thereby getting
So the Nomads from the south looked at our style of glorious football and decided that they would specialise in dreary, dire football. "1–0 to the something something" becomes their best known (and only) song, while we talk of how "even failure has an echo of glory in it".
The same is true in one of the best cities in Europe, Barcelona. There FC Barcelona carries the love of the city and of the region. We've all heard the "més que un club" stories, where the socios by the hundred thousand would gather in Camp Nou to use matches against Real Madrid as proxy battles against the Franco régime's repression of all things Catalan. FCB stood for a marginalised language, a banned flag, a discouraged identity. And every goal against the crown-sporting clients of the government was a notch to the good for a city with a strong tradition of democracy and anarchic syndicalism.
So what can Barcelona's second club do to get out from that shadow? Go all in with the oppressors, of course. Whereas FCB embodied the Catalan identity of the city, RCD Espanyol has spent most of its life as "Real Club Deportivo Español", a completely Castilian name for a club hundreds of kilometres from Castile. Only twenty years after the demise of Franco did this club embrace its local roots and change its name to "Espanyol", and even so, they use a debased version of "Esportiu"—"Deportiu"—to maintain the rich, royal, collaborationist tradition of the initials "RCD".
And, yes, I said royal. A crown adorns the Espanyol badge, the same crown against which the culers sang as their club soiled the arrogant white kits of the proxies of fascism.
In this summer of discontent aimed squarely at that becrowned club in Madrid, let's not forget that tonight's opponents decided to become more Real Madrid-like just so that they would be able to get out from under the shadow of their more formidable neighbours. And they failed.
The match begins at 17:30 BST, and it is an 1882 joint, so tune in to ITV4 to hear your best internet zoid mates from Block J sing for 90 + 3 minutes (or -3 since they'll be so pissed they'll miss kickoff. That's right. I said it.
).
Over here, the match begins at 19:30 EEST, and for those American supporters on the Eastern Seaboard, it begins at 12:30 EDT. As mentioned above, those in the UK (and those with UK proxies) can watch on ITV4. In the US, it will be on beIn Sport en Espanyol (ha!) and on TV3 Catalunya. For your local listings, please consult:
http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/851772/tottenham-hotspur-vs-espanyol/
I have no idea whom we'll be starting, but I predict a brace from Soldado and several knee-jerk posts in this thread about how we face a CB crisis, and, no, that's not a reference to little Charles.
Incidentally, if you're eager for a complementary Soldado song to the one @
Flav
sang for us on our Apple-branded mp3/podcast players, I recommend this, to the chorus of Abba's "Fernando":
He's a Spanish goal machine
A sight unseen
Soldado!
(Repeat)
Though we never thought that we could lose,
Coz we're Spurs
If he had to score again,
He would, our friend, Soldado!
It must be terrible being second choice all the time. The best slice of pie never comes your way (literally and figuratively), and you're forever in the shadow of another, more formidable presence. I wouldn't know how it feels, since I follow the best club in the world, Tottenham Hotspur.
But I understand that when you do find yourself forever in someone's shadow, the best course of action is to strike out in a completely different path. If your older brother is running your crime family, you enlist in the Army, for example. It's hard to get noticed if you're only the second best mafioso among your brothers. And when that is the case, it's easy to lose your head striving for more, thereby getting
shot while fishing in Lake Tahoe.
The same is true in one of the best cities in Europe, Barcelona. There FC Barcelona carries the love of the city and of the region. We've all heard the "més que un club" stories, where the socios by the hundred thousand would gather in Camp Nou to use matches against Real Madrid as proxy battles against the Franco régime's repression of all things Catalan. FCB stood for a marginalised language, a banned flag, a discouraged identity. And every goal against the crown-sporting clients of the government was a notch to the good for a city with a strong tradition of democracy and anarchic syndicalism.
So what can Barcelona's second club do to get out from that shadow? Go all in with the oppressors, of course. Whereas FCB embodied the Catalan identity of the city, RCD Espanyol has spent most of its life as "Real Club Deportivo Español", a completely Castilian name for a club hundreds of kilometres from Castile. Only twenty years after the demise of Franco did this club embrace its local roots and change its name to "Espanyol", and even so, they use a debased version of "Esportiu"—"Deportiu"—to maintain the rich, royal, collaborationist tradition of the initials "RCD".
And, yes, I said royal. A crown adorns the Espanyol badge, the same crown against which the culers sang as their club soiled the arrogant white kits of the proxies of fascism.
In this summer of discontent aimed squarely at that becrowned club in Madrid, let's not forget that tonight's opponents decided to become more Real Madrid-like just so that they would be able to get out from under the shadow of their more formidable neighbours. And they failed.
The match begins at 17:30 BST, and it is an 1882 joint, so tune in to ITV4 to hear your best internet zoid mates from Block J sing for 90 + 3 minutes (or -3 since they'll be so pissed they'll miss kickoff. That's right. I said it.
).Over here, the match begins at 19:30 EEST, and for those American supporters on the Eastern Seaboard, it begins at 12:30 EDT. As mentioned above, those in the UK (and those with UK proxies) can watch on ITV4. In the US, it will be on beIn Sport en Espanyol (ha!) and on TV3 Catalunya. For your local listings, please consult:
http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/851772/tottenham-hotspur-vs-espanyol/
I have no idea whom we'll be starting, but I predict a brace from Soldado and several knee-jerk posts in this thread about how we face a CB crisis, and, no, that's not a reference to little Charles.
Incidentally, if you're eager for a complementary Soldado song to the one @
Flav
sang for us on our Apple-branded mp3/podcast players, I recommend this, to the chorus of Abba's "Fernando":He's a Spanish goal machine
A sight unseen
Soldado!
(Repeat)
Though we never thought that we could lose,
Coz we're Spurs
If he had to score again,
He would, our friend, Soldado!
Walker is a fucking beast. If he ever cuts down on the mental mistakes, he'll be magnificent.
IF Bale stays I think i'd rather him play RW rather than in a CAM role, purely because when he does play there we tend to base our style of play around him and I think Soldado woudn't benefit from this system, much prefer him on that wing where he can slide balls across the six yard box..
I still think Holtby's the answer to our lack of creativity, from what I saw of the u21 tournament he has great vision, I just think he maybe overtried last season and that side of his game suffered as a result..
I still think Holtby's the answer to our lack of creativity, from what I saw of the u21 tournament he has great vision, I just think he maybe overtried last season and that side of his game suffered as a result..
Spurs with corners 2012/13: 72 points
Spurs without corners: 101 points
N.B. Sources may be unreliable
Without corners the pitch would be a big circle.
:lennon:
I love him & he can use any of my orifices in whatever way he pleases
Dont want to sound like a bastard, but we are looking alot better without Scott Parker.
I cant wait until we have a fully fit squad.
I cant wait until we have a fully fit squad.
Why does Lennon never get in the England team and is instead kept out by James Milner? I appreciate Milner is a more defensive wide player but Lennon does put a shift in to get back and more importantly, why the fuck do we need to play a defensive wide midfielder against teams like Scotland?
Obviously Milner won't play now so I look like a knob but I really find it astonishing how Lennon rarely gets a call up.
Obviously Milner won't play now so I look like a knob but I really find it astonishing how Lennon rarely gets a call up.
Rose is left sided version of ... Kyle Walker. Pace for days, physicallity ... and the ability to make a hash out of seemingly simple situations.
For me the biggest problem I saw today is that we still have a glaring hole at CAM. I like Siggy, but feel he's more dangerous on the wing. We need that sub six footer with excellent touch and vision. We're strong in the back and in CDM and now strong in the attack, but there's just not someone there who can link it all up. If Holtby can do the job when he returns, that's great. But Siggy cannot do it and if we're to have a far smoother fight for top four or even have a shot at the title, this must change.
All in all, quite pleased with a lot of what I saw. I am extremely relieved to see Dawson back, and it was so good to see Kaboul and Sandro out there. To any of you who were at the game and were a part of the fantastic return welcomes you gave to those guys, well done. Huge touch of class that personified why I love this club so much and why players love to play for us. Feel Paulinho will be immense for us, and was extremely impressed with Chadli's improvement on last week. Hate to harp again, but feel with a more imposing presence in threat at CAM, Chadli can get into a more attacking position and he can do some nasty things in the future.
We need that creator. With that addition I feel we could go toe to toe with anyone in Europe.
All in all, quite pleased with a lot of what I saw. I am extremely relieved to see Dawson back, and it was so good to see Kaboul and Sandro out there. To any of you who were at the game and were a part of the fantastic return welcomes you gave to those guys, well done. Huge touch of class that personified why I love this club so much and why players love to play for us. Feel Paulinho will be immense for us, and was extremely impressed with Chadli's improvement on last week. Hate to harp again, but feel with a more imposing presence in threat at CAM, Chadli can get into a more attacking position and he can do some nasty things in the future.
We need that creator. With that addition I feel we could go toe to toe with anyone in Europe.
