Stretty News spoke to Tottenham blog editor Harry Hotspur ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It’s our first away trip of the 2023/24 campaign and Erik ten Hag will be demanding better form on the road this time around.
Tottenham are now being managed by former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, so we caught up with the editor of theboyhotspur.com to discuss all things Spurs ahead of the game.
Tottenham appointed new Postecoglou as manager during the summer. There’s a big challenge on his hands, but how do you think his first season will go in the Premier League?
Harry Hotspur: “What we’re looking at with Ange is, and I do not mean to be patronise here, is very basic, unsophisticated form of football.
“It’s quite a ‘cooperative way of playing’, lots of short, fast passing, think perhaps of 5 a-side on a full size pitch.
“Spurs players are averaging an extra 200 passes a game.
“Few if any long balls and not much in the way of aerial action unless defending that sort of thing.
“This has been a successful strategy in lower divisions.
“I expect the 2-2 result against Brentford to be the template, it’s silly boys’ air hockey.”
What’s the general feeling among Tottenham fans about Daniel Levy?
Harry Hotspur: “I’d say 10% which is comprised of tourists and teenagers think he must be okay because the stadium is so amazing.
“I’d say the other 90% have had enough, and want the club to be about football again, and not go-carts or Beyoncé.
“But to skew those percentages, much of the 90% genuinely thought demolishing White Hart Lane was a good idea, because they are stupid.”
Tell us about Tottenham this summer: incomings/outgoings?
Harry Hotspur: “Incomings: insufficient as ever. Outgoings: charity shops would refuse most of our deadwood.
“Levy had to hide over €200m worth of players on loan deals, because he bought junk.
“What club operates like this?”
Which United player, if any, would you like to see at Tottenham?
Harry Hotspur: “Living or dead, so I’ll take dead, George Best, please.”
Prediction for Saturday’s game?
Harry Hotspur: “You were terrible against Wolves. We were clumsy against The Bees. You should win, but if you don’t buck up, a draw is definitely on the cards.”
*Pro tip: shoot on sight at Vicario, he’s absolutely shocking*
Which players should we watch out for?
Harry Hotspur: “The goalie for laughs, and for footballing ability, probably Maddison.”
What do you think of Manchester United a) the club; b) the team; c) the fans and d) the manager?
Harry Hotspur: “Perception, eh?
“You are where most clubs are heading. Debt ridden and emotionally destitute.
“As a brand; lots of boxes ticked in the Deloitte Money League, as a football club we’re talking about expectation versus reality and so that’s not so good.
“Fans are fans, they want to win.
“The last one answers it all. Hire a guy who appears to know what he’s doing, and let him get on with it.
“Big clubs are so political everything gets diluted and people only mention core beliefs, etc when negotiating for advertising revenue.
“One thing I would say; Ferguson built a dynasty of achievement, but he left you a burnt out car. The amount of internal interfering that has gone on has been surreal.
“Starting again means from scratch, and Old Trafford will need to get shot of all its grandees if it is to ever revisit the high times again. As I say, hire a guy who appears to know what he’s doing, and let him get on with it.”
Expectations for the season ahead?
Harry Hotspur: “ENICs ambition is to secure some class of European football so they can sell more seats. In footballing terms, this club has no ambition.”
All-time Tottenham cult hero and why?
Harry Hotspur: “Blimey, Teemu Tainio. Because he was made of the right stuff.”
Favourite Tottenham XI from players you’ve seen?
Harry Hotspur: “I saw us win cups in 1980s so any Spurs XI that won silverware in that era.
“I’ve not time for players that don’t lift trophies, those players are losers.”
What happens now Harry Kane has gone?
Harry Hotspur: “ENIC banks all the money and the directors all go and live in Argentina. I can’t see a more likely scenario.”
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It’s worth pointing out Harry Hotspur is the most acerbic and self opinionated of all the fan sites. He continually states that anyone who disagrees with his rhetoric is stupid. He does not represent 90% of fans. Building a stadium, karts and Beyonce generates revenue for the football club. Commercial success is critical to all clubs that don’t have a Todd Boehly or sovereign state ownership. These are the ramblings of a madman. I don’t think Spurs have had a very effective selection policy but you only have to look at Everton to see how spend first is a dangerous approach. The premier league is very difficult to compete in without external funding. Arsenal have spent huge sums at great risk, it’s a poo or bust approach which could fail spectacularly. Even United are experiencing the challenges of paying high prices and big wages and balancing the books. There are many ultimately more intelligent fans than Harry Hotspur, every one in fact. Asking for Harry Hotspurs view from the opposition is a little like asking Kier Starmer how he’d run an economy, he’d tell you everything that’s wrong, but won’t have slightest clue what he would do to tackle it. I do agree that United were awful against Wolves, so if you want to make yourself feel better, ask HH for his view. He’s a first class idiot.
I’ve got to say, if you could have found anyone who speaks less for Spurs fans than this imbecile, you would have had your work cut out – unless the point of the article was to paint a picture of misery among Spurs fans.
There are plenty of other Spurs blogs where you could have got a balanced and informative view of the club and its supporters.
“Few if any long balls and not much in the way of aerial action unless defending that sort of thing”.
Udogie, Kane, Skipp and Romero have all scored headers under the new manager.
“I’ve not time for players that don’t lift trophies, those players are losers.”
You could have interviewed a 6 year old Arsenal fan and got a more honest view of Spurs.
The Spurs fanbase may be divided on many matters, but there’s one issue they’re all agreed upon, and that’s that this Goy Hotspur guy is an utter tool.
Cult hero, and he didn’t choose Harry Kane. Nuff said, really. I think every mature fan from every club would forget rivalry to respect Harry Kane. And their manager, whose name I won’t try to spell after a bottle of wine, did a pretty good job at the Glasgow club who aren’t Rangers, tho it pains me to say it