FREE PATREON PREVIEW: Spurs vs Leeds 11/05/2026

0:00Experience a membership that backs what you're building with American Express Business Platinum. Unlock over$3 ,500 in business and travel value annually with statement credits on select purchases from brands like Dell, Hilton, and Adobe, and other benefits. American Express Business Platinum. There's nothing like it. Based on total potential value of statement credits on select purchases and other benefits, enrollments required, monthly and other limits and terms apply. Learn more at americanexpress.com slash business dash platinum. Hello, everybody. what you're about to hear is one of the Patreon preview pods that I thought given it is a Monday night fixture I'd stick out on the main feed to give you a taster so if you like this and you want more of this type of thing come to patreon.com slash RTR pod and yeah join in the fun with extra pods and ad free pods and all that sort of thing

0:57well that was a bizarrely conflicting game of football I can't lie despite all my grandstanding and my grown up posturing before the game where I was in the weeks leading up to it saying the only thing that's important is Tottenham and the three points and all that as the game started unfolding I'm sat there thinking I'd take a draw here actually kind of back us to get more points than West Ham if they only get a point here and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

1:37Obviously, that is a good result for Tottenham. There's no hiding away from that. It's a good result for Tottenham. It's a good result for our best interests, for us staying in the Premier League. It is disgusting seeing Arsenal celebrate though, isn't it? It's vile. It's vile thinking about Mikel Arteta being a Premier League winner it's vile thinking about the the countless times they've gotten away with those type of challenges on the goalkeeper I mean I'm sort of in the camp the the grown-up camp where it doesn't really matter how many times they've done it if that goes to if that's gone to VAR VAR are looking at it it was a foul on Rea I think the wider point the wider context of that goal in particular is that there were about three or four different fouls from Arsenal players on West Ham players at the same time so again why is VAR just honing in on that one challenge why is it not looking at the wider context when you're watching a you know the replay five six seven times how many times it did in slow-mo from various different angles.

2:54How is it that you're missing, you know, Gabriel pulling a shirt, Declan Rice with his arms around somebody, Trossard pushing another player? It is kind of preposterous. But, you know, it's good for Spurs. It's horrible seeing Arsenal do that. But it was inevitable. however it has come about as I was saying to Sean the other day on the pod Arsenal were going to win the league at some point they were going to it's been 20 odd years now it's probably overdue if anything isn't it can we say that I think it's given the amount that the club spends and has spent down the years the sort of positions it has taken up in the league They've generally always finished in the top three for the last 20-odd years, barring the odd blip.

3:54So it's quite remarkable that it's taken them this long to do it.

4:02The scant consolation we can have here is that they're doing it in the most unattractive, unremarkable way possible. if that's what it takes to grind out a Premier League title if you're not Manchester City or whatever nowadays then you know I don't know would I want that for Spurs? I don't know it's easy to sit here and say I'd never want to see Spurs do that but if we were in Arsenal's position right now I don't think we'd be complaining dare I say we might have those quiet moments to ourselves as I know several of my friends who support Arsenal do right many of them do acknowledge that it's not the nicest way to play football that this isn't really you know how they would want to do it but they are doing it um and I guess we just have to hope that they're not the sort of team that can build a dynasty as they keep saying off the back of this and that this is a one and done kind of thing you know they won the league and then they can just disappear off again that the wheels come on come off of all of this and they're gonna look silly for giving Arteta a 20-year contract or whether it is that you know has been has been alleged um but this is you know this is supposed to be a preview about Tottenham and Leeds I have waited until after this game because you know I didn't want to sit there and do a preview that was me basically saying, well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the West Ham versus Arsenal game.

5:42We've got this position, like, you know, as most of my previews are, but at this time, we're blessed with the fact that Spurs are playing on the, you know, the Monday night fixture. So we have a wider context to discuss our game in. and it's obviously made a bit more comfortable by the fact that West Ham haven't won their game. If Spurs do win tomorrow, again, it's not done. It isn't finished at that point. but you would like to think you would like to think we are we've got one foot in the Premier League staying in the Premier League you can start to maybe maybe think about what the club does next season in terms of trying to be serious trying to be a serious outfit with somebody like Roberto De Zerbi in charge of us we've seen how quickly you know I think one of the one of the big things I'm always jumping on here right me hyperbole one of the big things I'm always jumping on is this idea of timelines and I think I don't think it's always incorrect to imagine our timeline and how long it takes for a team to turn from an also-ran.

7:27So if you imagine the Arsenal that Arteta took over to now, what are we talking? It's been seven, is this seven years? This is his sixth or seventh season I think 2019 he took over but you know whatever um so this is 25 26 so this is probably his sixth season I reckon six years to go from banter club that was still decent enough right still invested a fair bit of money similar you know it's hard to make the comparison because we are threatened with relegation this season. I think there's certain considerations the Premier League has changed and all that type of thing in that time, in those six years.

8:23I think it's changed immeasurably really, the Premier League. But let's just say in a loose sense, Spurs are fairly reminiscent of the team that Arteta took over in Arsenal. a team that's had a lot of money chucked at it but doesn't really have much of a plan transfer spending has been roughshod it's been disorganized it's a bit all over the place you've got a squad of players that don't really feel like a team and there's definitely more talent there than the output is showing. I mean, it's even more pronounced in this instance, I would say. And you think about what he's done, he's been ruthless with, you know, big names, big players on big wages, Aubameyang most probably notably in the early days.

9:17But there's been more as that's gone on.

9:25and you think well six years six years to go from that from where we are now to being a side closer or going one step further than Pochettino managed with Spurs that's quite a lot of buy-in isn't it that's quite a lot of time it's quite a lot of time to sit and wait and hope and go through cycles of different players and pin your hopes on this player and actually that player ends up being good and you know all that type of thing right and that's kind of the joy of the journey isn't it that's all part of it I kind of feel like I've done that bit quite a few times now down the past few years I'd sort of quite like to just skip to being really good and I guess the point I'm sort of trying to make here is that a bit of a curveball on this could be Roberto De Zerbi the turnaround the turnaround since he's come in as our gaffer has been just totally remarkable I really don't think I've I've ever seen anything like it because I don't I don't put this down to just being like a new manager bounce or something like that I don't see it that the players are suddenly oh well that's what they were trying to do all along but now they're actually more focused because they're a bit happier or whatever it feels like the guy actually has us playing football which is a sort of nebulous point to make i i appreciate that but what i'm talking about is that the fact he's managed to implement a clear structure um that he has a specific way of playing and he actually has the players knocking the ball about a lot was said that we aren't going to see proper Deserby ball.

11:18It was going to be probably a bit more agricultural, right? He was going to do what it takes to stay up and probably play sort of long ball football and all that type of thing. But I'm not seeing that. Look, I can't sit here and say I know exactly what Deserby ball is, but from all the things I've heard in terms of a team that presses high up the pitch, a team that commits bodies forward, so if we compare it to thomas frank we're talking about thomas frank who is somebody that would be reserved that would want to press at all times but also play with caution um try not to lose the ball in difficult areas try not to lose the ball or try not to commit too many players forward so if you do lose the ball you're going to be exposed at the back all that type of thing whereas you've got deserve who is committing players forwards he is being proactive he is being front footed look at that Villa game and then when we do lose the ball there's that high press there's that press all over the pitch get back get the ball back win the ball back at all costs and then play the ball out of danger don't just hoof it knock the ball about look for your teammates pass pass pass pass pass crisp clean passing but I think you know it felt like the team wasn't actually capable of do we have the profile you know that was the conversation wasn't it that most of the podcasters all had and not even that you know just people in the ground people in the stadiums i was just trying to make the point not like the podcasters are the enlightened ones i mean we all are obviously um but i just mean it more like when you listen to all of the different spurs podcasts they'd all be making the point that well what type of football can we realistically play with this squad that you know is has been uh the prioritization when building this squad has been on physicality has been on strength and speed and whatever physical attributes as opposed to technical ones hence we lack the ability we lack the ability to play the ball about yeah we had madison and then we had siemens but without them we we don't have any natural ball players.

13:42We don't have any way to progress the ball. So on and so forth. But I think already he's disproving that. You know, the most sort of notable example of that is Jao Pelinha, who was nothing short of a revelation against Aston Villa. Connor Gallagher, also particularly good in that game. not so much for his say technical ability although that was very very good as well but for his endeavor um was yeah astonishing um and so i guess it does make me wonder it does make me wonder how quickly spurs could be back in the mix to being a proper team because you take another look at the side don't you take another look at the players that you have available to you and think, well, next season, if we've got Kulisewski back, when we've got Madison back, when we've got Kudus back,

14:47so on and so forth. We had a couple of top draw players into this team in summer. We've been told that there's money available. We've been told that they want to approach this in a different way now. Yes, I know, narrator's voice and all that sort of thing. I know we've been told this before by Enoch, and there's plenty of examples of war chest talk and all that type of thing, right?

15:18But maybe, maybe, just maybe, they will have learnt their lesson this time. And all it took was nearly getting relegated. If we do add a few more, I know, and again, I know, So if, if, if, if, if, if we had this player, if we had a bit more of this, if we had more of that profile, then maybe we'll be all right. But maybe we won't be. Maybe we will still get relegated this season. Maybe we will have to face an exodus of players. Maybe we will be pushed even further back down the road. maybe we will be having to think about building a team around Mikey Moore and Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvau again you know that's the that's the sort of that's the future I've not wanted for Spurs and I've resisted the I've resisted the sort of what I think is and look you know I don't mean to be confrontational about it but I do think it's the kind of cheaper law of it I think it's a a copium escape goat.

16:26I think to sit and suggest that Spurs getting relegated is actually the better option. I just, I've never bought, I think it's just totally false. And I think it just ignores the reality, the financial reality of that situation. And it's just not something I want to think about. I don't want to think about Tottenham in the EFL. I don't want to think about us losing our ever-present sort of status in the league. I don't want to think about, you know, not having proper big games next year. Because what is it in the EFL? What's your biggest game? Wrexham, you know, the fanfare and all that crap around that.

17:12I just don't, I just don't fancy it. I don't fancy a year on hold, you know? you never know what's going to happen in life you know that's the other thing right I think this is one of those things sorry this is a bit bleak but as I've gotten a bit older I'm like you know you don't have an infinite amount of time right I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here for and I want to see Spurs do something serious really you know I mean you can never be guaranteed that but I'd at least like to think they'll be in a better position to do that than where they are right now you know um because you don't always have 10 years to sit about and wait again and i just i feel like all of this really has been an exercise in in sitting back and waiting hasn't it we knocked on the door with pochettino and we were told no no no wait until everyone's do you know what the amount of times speaking about podcasts and stuff the amount of times I've heard the expression jam tomorrow this season I've never even heard that before in my life never heard that expression before ever in my life until this season and now people can't get enough of saying jam tomorrow I don't want jam tomorrow I want it now I want a big splodge of it all over my toast and all around my mouth, all around my face Piggy wants his jam

18:44Leeds is a funny one isn't it I know they've got a few injuries don't they but with the West Ham result today they are I think I'm correct in saying they're mathematically safe now so

19:03will that just sort of take the edge off of it for them a bit they are one of those teams that like to give it a bit to Spurs. I don't really buy ever sort of the idea that a team is going to not be actually asked unless I have an agenda to prove, unless I want to say that Arsenal or Leicester or whoever have cheated because the other teams didn't care, right? But when it's against Tottenham, I don't want to believe that well not that I don't want to I don't believe that teams would turn up professionals would turn up to a Premier League match and actively think oh I don't care anymore I don't want to win these are all people who are competitive to a fault but

19:58I just wonder if subconsciously there's a there's a rest there's a resting like there's there's a rest to the anxiety that they've all probably felt that would have powered them on um in a game like that when they now know that they're safe they now know that they can't go down there probably isn't quite that same hunger to come and to come and get one over spurs like that added bit of hunger i think there's still always going to be a level of residual hunger there to get a result at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to be the team that bloodied the noses of Spurs and whatever all that sort of thing all that main character syndrome stuff but when you think about the sort of spirit that as I've been going on about that Deserby has instilled into our lot the incentive that we have to put you know considerable daylight between ourselves and West Ham now

21:06you just kind of feel like this should be ultimately look it's a game that Spurs should win and if they don't win then it's only right that their Premier League survival their Premier League status is in jeopardy it really is quite as simple as that isn't it Daniel Farker Daniel Farker was ill when he during his press conference the other day but I think they've got I think they've got a few players missing so Noah Okafor yep is going to be out Pascal Struke might be available on Monday. Gabriel Goodmanson will be out. Ilya Gruev. I don't even know. Do you know what? I don't even know who any of these names are.

22:10Is it significant or not? I couldn't tell you. If I sat here and I said to you, Bob Bobmanson is out. I don't know. That's probably quite good for Spurs, isn't it? um Pete Porkchops is out as well um quite decent um I'm sort of trying to think of like names on the fly but you know John Brown is missing as well

22:42John Brown

22:48we um yeah I don't know I don't know enough about Leeds other than that they aren't very good really don't say that don't say that before we play them grow up um

23:08never really enjoyed this fixture though never really enjoyed playing against Leeds it's probably because when I was younger they were still really good they weren't like really really good like they were in the 70s or whatever but they were still good you know Champions League semi-finalists Kiel, Viduka, Radaby Alan Smith some really really decent players Rio Ferdinand Aaron Lennon and so I guess in my head I've always sort of had the feeling that Leeds are a big club and they are a club that can that can show up um but whether it's something to do with like waving white flags or something our sort of lily white brethren they also tend to have that you know thing about them that people would say is spursy when it's about spurs um leads leads falling apart again and all that

24:21they do have a habit of what is it snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and all that so the point is that it's right to pay respect to your to your opposition i guess in a way um but i always think a lot of this stuff is overstated you can't say that you can't think that before you play them don't say this don't say that i mean really they they're not very good are they neither are we and i know that's an important consideration in all of this but they're really they're not very good and in the past few games we have been very good i mean wolves wolves we were okay bright and i think we were very good if i'm honest and Villa we were very very good I know Villa were fairly poor but we were still very good guys this is some expert analysis isn't it

25:32I'm just sort of I'm trying to see their their past few fixtures Burnley they just beat Burnley obviously lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup, drew away at Bournemouth, beat Wolves 3-0, won away at Manchester United. They're a decent side. And as Baker was saying the other day when I had him on, they do have a remarkable defensive record. They're a decent side. It's not going to be an easy game. But I do think really we should be better than them. And I do think that it is it is significant that they're now safe. I think it is significant.

26:22But we'll see, won't we? Spurs have won eight of their last nine Premier League games against Leeds, including the last five in a row since a 3-1 loss in May 2021. After winning three of their four away league games against Spurs, between 1997 and 2001. See, this is the sort of era I'm talking about. Leeds have now lost each of their last six visits. Following victories over Wolves and Aston Villa, Tottenham are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since February 2025. Jesus, that is bleak. Since the start of December, only six teams have picked up more Premier League points than Leeds United, who have got 32.

27:13And only Man City, Man United and Bournemouth have lost fewer games than Leeds. They've only lost four games. I mean, that's pretty incredible. In their four games under Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs have won possession in the final third, 5.3 times per game on average. That's the most of any manager with 4 plus games at a single club in the Premier League this season and much higher than they managed to do under both Thomas Frank 3.7 and Igor Tudor 3.8. Leeds have scored 3 or more goals in 8 different Premier League matches this season. The most by a newly promoted team since Leeds themselves did so in 2020-21 under Marcelo Bielsa.

28:0210 times a record in a 38 game season. Leeds are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games 1-3 drawn 3 and have already had a 7 game unbeaten run this season from December to early January. The last newly promoted team to have two runs of 7 plus unbeaten games in a season were Middlesbrough in 98-99. I mean this sort of stuff you know it is kind of interesting but it also doesn't actually mean anything that's what I always tell myself and I'm not I'm not trying to be some nihilist I'm not you know I've had that a bit I've had this guy and sorry if you're listening to this I've had this guy who keeps going on to me on YouTube saying football doesn't actually matter it's it's you know it's totally irrelevant it doesn't mean anything to anybody's lives you're just addicted to uh you know a cheap glamorized product basically which yes i think is partly true that latter part um but in terms of like it doesn't mean anything it doesn't matter it's i don't know i don't i just i don't buy into any of that sort of thing you know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that right people like stuff people like things that aren't always good for them it's easy to say yeah you only like this thing because it's glossy and over publicized and all that type of thing but we also like fast food, don't we?

29:48We just need comfort. We need some comfort away from all the horrors. The horrors in the woods. The night is dark and full of terrors, right? We just need those little things to cling on to. We need those pockets of hope. I think this is where Adam Curtis would say, I'm going a bit Keir Starmer there. Well, look, they do have quite similar voices. Adam Curtis, because you've got Adam Curtis there who would be talking about blah, but then you've got Keir Starmer here who will be saying, come on, Arsenal, you have won a game of football. I'm not doing politics, but that's sort of Bear Balmer he's got the Bram Badunde thing he points with his thumb like David Cameron did see all the politics ITK Andrew Myer and that are saying that Starmer's going this week so we'll see what was I going on about well yeah nihilism and all that yeah you know Adam Curtis would say something like well I think we've lost the capacity I'm not going to do stupid voice anymore we've lost the capacity to be hopeful in the real world this is why he talks I've heard him say this about nostalgia we've lost the capacity to envision a better world going forwards so we've we've kind of retreated back into nostalgia we've retreated back into primarily an era from say the mid to late 80s to the say the early 2010s you've got maybe a 20 yeah a sort of 25 year period i reckon and there's probably a bit of a slider a 25 year period where the world felt hopeful at least in the west let's say let's let's be let's be western centric about it in the west where the world felt hopeful it felt like good things were coming for everybody that the the world was finally you know we'd put the second world war and all that sort of behind us and we were building a more peaceful prosperous inclusive whatever world right and it gets harder and harder to cling on to that sort of vision at times like this doesn't it at times like this this is what everyone says now isn't it at times like this

32:48are we all dooming a bit too much do we all contribute to it i don't think so really it's easy to do that it's easy to say it's on us isn't it the people but i'd sooner point the finger at The decision makers and the billionaires. The techno feudalists. Who are siphoning all the money out of everything. This is taking a tumble isn't it? This is taking a tumble. But still. We need football. For all its sins. For all our sins we need it. We need that thing because. although the jeopardy is great and although the you know the feeling it will have upon us is is profound and it's not like i haven't been totally totally miserable all this year with spurs being the way that they are and was totally losing my ass a few weeks ago when it it pretty much looked like we were going right before tudor left and everything yeah i think we were all really at least 90 % of us at least 90 % of the Spurs fans I know who I was talking to about it were readying themselves for relegation and life in the championship and what it was going to look like

34:11you know it's horrible it's horrible not in the stomach at all times not sleepless nights but you know definitely definitely when the ween would wake me up in the night

34:25you sort of you're in the survival mode of like looking after the baby and stuff but also you're just there thinking fucking Tottenham fucking Tottenham how are you doing how are you doing can't you just make it a bit easier you know right the year they win the title just finish 12th you know if we've got to suffer the humiliation of them winning something and us being crap. Can't our level of crap be a 12th place finish? No Europe for Spurs this year after they, you know, got all excited about winning the Europa last year and all that type of thing. Now Arsenal in the Champions League final. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

35:10It's horrible. It's horrible.

35:16But now it, you know, I'm not saying, look, I am, I'm definitely aware that it's not done yet. I'm definitely aware that we shouldn't be, you know, counting any chickens or anything like that, right? Chickens, Tottenham, chicken badge, all that sort of thing, right? We shouldn't be doing that.

35:48but also i'm not going to grandstand about it and i'm not going to pretend that i don't feel a hell of a lot more hopeful now than i did a few weeks ago i think that's fine to say isn't it i think that's more than fine to say and if you don't think it is then go ahead and cancel me all right when i don't cancel don't cancel the patreon um but like can't just can't to say you know that i'm not very good i don't know yeah i mean um yeah i mean it sounds to be a big game doesn't it white heart lane under the lights is always pretty special um a monday game eight o 'clock is a bit of a bummer but again everybody has been instructed to wear white i think there's going to be flags or a tifo or something like that at the game there's like a wrap on the like a visual wrap we're not getting somebody out to inspire Spurs onto victory by wrapping, it's going to be like a graphical wrap in the players tunnel with all the sort of all together always messaging some images and stuff like that, I think it's THFC Flags who've been working on that with the club so that's pretty sweet just a good strong atmosphere hopefully and Spurs can just get that bit closer to safety that wee bit closer to safety and I as I do in these sort of the preview pods a lot of the time I do like to do a prediction I'm not always consistent with it actually but I do think that Spurs are gonna win and I think I think it might be quite a pretty win actually

38:00I've just like in my head it's just you know like when you if you ever sort of the the victim of a card trick and somebody says think you go with the first go the first number that comes into your head yeah and i think most people always statistically say like seven of diamonds or something like that i don't know jack of hearts or something but think of a card think of a card any card and then you know whatever right now i'm thinking of three nil to tottenham i said it thinking of 3-0 to Tottenham that's just kind of I don't know that's just what me waters are telling me I think 3-0 to Spurs I think we get that bit closer to safety and we can hope that still Arsenal have they still got to play Arsenal have got I think it's Burnley yeah they've got Burnley

39:05and then they've got Palace so maybe you know maybe Burnley maybe as they did against Aston Villa today maybe they could be the Kingmaker maybe they could just just maybe do something quite mad and stop them but whatever it doesn't matter try and block them out right now it just matters about Spurs it matters about Spurs staying up in this bloody division and having more horrors and nightmares next season perhaps but also perhaps actually being good. We're a competent and talented manager at the helm. Helm. Thank you everybody for the support. As always, it is appreciated.

40:04yeah working on some sort of interesting stuff in the background at the moment that I'm just trying to get a handle on whether I make as a podcast series or if I try and film some stuff but yeah like a not Spurs Wipe again but sort of leaning into that side of things again if I can find the time and if I can find the mental capacity and if I can find any help from any of my friends who work in production or anything like that that want to lend me their talents then maybe I can bring something to life but we'll talk about that more in summer let's just get there first um thanks for listening and I'll do a studio pod on Tuesday.