Cronky

I was impressed from the get-go, when he took the trouble to shake hands with the stewardess. He seems a well brought-up young man.

For sure, they have a great squad, but I don't see any leaders. They'll be up there again, but I don't think they'll bridge that gap between No4 and No1.

It was my outrageous pessimism that pushed it over the line. That's how these things work.

I'm pretty sure there's a problem. It looks like Forest are going to try and block the Gibbs-White / Spurs transfer, but I'd have thought that the best that they could achieve is a delay rather than an outright victory. However, if they can jam things up in the courts, then that may be all it takes for Spurs to look elsewhere. They may not have any legal route to block the Elanga transfer, but maybe they can delay things by not forwarding paperwork or notifications and the like, all in the hope that we might lose patience and sign someone else. Losing both players would be a disaster for them.

Indeed, but I don't think the Forest owner would be particularly afraid of a shitstorm.

Well I'm not 100% convinced that it's all over. The delay is much longer than usual and I'll be relieved when we have an official announcement. The potential problems I can think of are firstly the issue of the last minute change of agent. That was supposed to be sorted but maybe there's still an issue. My more serious concern is with Forest. Spurs have apparently activated Gibbs-White's release clause. I don't think Forest would have anticipated losing both players, and maybe they're wanting to pull out. That would be difficult if only because they'd have a very discontented player on their hands. I'm all set to delete this post if I find it's all changed in the time that it's taken to compose it.

That first half reminded me of that Brazil v Germany semi-final in the World Cup in 2014. Brazil were up against the best side in the world, but pride and status meant that they had to go toe-to-toe rather play with appropriate caution. The same thing seems to have happened with Real. Doue looks destined to be one of the all-time greats.

The more I find out about this player, the more I like him. Apparently Rangnick rated him highly and didn't want him to go. He thought he had a very good attitude to his self-development as a player. The fact that he worked so hard to develop a remarkable degree of two-footedness must bear this out. I think he'll be a big success. Being fast as a cat will also help, of course.

I've just had a look at his Youtube highlights reel. I was surprised to see how two-footed he is. He's stronger on his right, but he doesn't mind cutting inside and shooting or passing with his left. That's a very significant upgrade on Almiron or Murphy.

Lovely!

I think it should be possible to play Isak and DCL together, if the situation demands it. Isak can play wide or as a number 10.

I hope we sign him. I think we overplay Isak, and towards the end of the season, he seemed to be saving himself. Isak is an unusual shape for a footballer, and I seem to remember reading that he has a specialist physiotherapist of his own, as a result. Genetically, he looks very much East African Nilotic to me, and they tend to be long-distance athletes rather than sprinters or footballers. With all the extra fixtures, I could see DCL starting a few games, and not just being a sub or acting as a replacement if injury strikes. When fit, DCL is a class act. Eddie has a good record of restoring careers that have stalled. This could be another one.

Quite a few things in your post have surprised me. From what I've read, Garnacho is on his way out. I'm not sure what you mean by his attitude, but for whatever reason, it doesn't look like Amorim has favoured him, and he is a player with some ability. On the occasions that I saw Mainoo last season, he wasn't playing that well. Seeing as he was playing in a team that looked very unsure of itself, that's not too surprising. I don't think I've seen Diallo as a defender. To me, his strengths look better used further forward. Your final sentence is the one that really took me aback. 15th in the league and no trophies and all the genuine fans think he's good? You're all in de-Nile.

If I was a Man U fan, the main thing that would bother me is the way in which their good young players - Garnacho and Mainoo in particular, but I suspect Hojland too - have gone backwards over this last season. Mbeumo is a very good player, but he's going to reduce the chances for Diallo. Ratcliffe's arrival has cast a cloud over the club. He's made a poor choice of manager, who he now feels obliged to stick with.

If you want something done, give it to a busy man.

That's what I'm wondering. If a club in our kind of aspirational mode loses a player to one of the big six, then at least its possible to shrug one's shoulders and not take it personally. If you lose a player to a club that you think of as being on a similar level to yours, then it's more of a slap in the face. These big businessmen don't like losing. They may be tempted to jerk us around.

Quansah is going to Bayer Leverkusen. Earlier this week, we were linked with Tapsoba, one of Bayer's centre backs, so there could be a connection. He looked good on a Youtube scouting mission.

That was the first game I've watched in this tournament and I was very impressed by the standard of play. I've made the point here before that I think players are maturing earlier, and that was the thought that struck me again tonight. It was a close game against tough opponents but the lads stuck to their task well.

It's just dawned on me that, in the final stages of the League Cup, we played nearly 5 hours of football against the best two teams in the country, and conceded only one goal - against Liverpool, during stoppage time. Our manager sure knows how to organise a defence.

That's interesting, I didn't know that. Ange always seemed to be alone on the touchline. I can't remember seeing him in conversation with another coach, exchanging ideas, and I'm not aware of any particular sidekick / mentor who has worked in close partnership with him. Clough had his Taylor, Ferguson relied on a series of assistants, and of course Eddie has his Mad Dog. Things started off well at Spurs, but when problems arose, I wondered whether he had anyone to turn to for advice or to bounce ideas off? He's been a big fish in a number of smaller ponds, and maybe he's used to being smarter than those around him or those in opposition to him. The Premier League, of course, is different.

I don't think it is, but in order to adjust to the Premier League, he needed to reassess his ideas, go on a learning curve and adapt. He didn't seem willing to do that, and reacted badly to criticism.

I was quite taken aback by its savagery. I'd have thought that the Sports Editor would have got him to tone it down. I also think he got it wrong in essence. I don't think Ange has a false image that he's created for himself, as I think is being implied. I think he's a bit thin-skinned, and stubborn when it comes to dealing with criticism, or even advice. He's struggled to live up to his own ideals, but I don't see him as a phoney.

I thought our best attacking football came towards the end when we had a front six of Rogers - Bellingham - Jones ; Madueke - Eze - Gibbs-White. They showed some good combinations. I'm not sure about Madueke though, but Eze is a real talent. He seemed to flourish with the extra responsibility.

Saka looks completely out of sorts. Only one of Rice and Gallagher should play. There's no blend in the midfield at all. Walker way past it, and even at his peak I thought he was a bit overrated.

Frank has shown he's got ability, but the pressure of being Spurs manager is a step up. I think I'd have gone for Iraola. I sense there's an extra streak of toughness in his make-up.