In short
This episode of the Fighting Cock podcast (Tottenham Hotspur) centers on a recent Spurs match (vs Crystal Palace) and the state of the team and fanbase. Guests discuss the away end atmosphere, arguing it felt like a “spark” after a bleak period, with fans getting behind the players from minute one despite wider frustration and animosity around manager Frank (and club figures).
Key claims
Spurs’ system is too conservative (defending “like it was the 92nd”), making them easy to cut open, and midfield balance is wrong; Paulinho’s impact as a substitute was praised, while Paulina’s criticism is framed as system-related. Notable examples include Mateta causing problems early, Odeber/“Odebeir” coming on and hitting the post as an outlet, and the late inevitability of pressure without scoring. They debate whether Thomas Frank should be given more time, citing January fixtures and the lack of clear alternatives.
Guests
Sean Cray (debuting; “battle rapper”/“geyser battle rapper,” Spurs fan from North London; mentions being a long-time listener and a viral “jam tarts” line) and Ben (co-host; Spurs fan, born 1998).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOIntroducing Sean Cray
1:56 to 4:10
Meet Sean Cray, a debut guest and battle rapper sharing his Spurs story.
“Well, she's actually a Great Street crip from California.”
Sean's Jam Tart Revelation
4:10 to 6:15
Sean shares a memorable rap line that references Tottenham's culture.
“been spurs all your life from north london yeah 100 yeah i mean i was the oldest of three brothers So I never really had a brother like leading me into it.”
Sean's Spurs Journey
6:15 to 8:20
Sean discusses his lifelong support for Tottenham and key moments.
“The away end, I want to start with this, really, because I thought the support yesterday was some of the...”
Reflections on Spurs' Playing Style
8:20 to 10:20
Discussion on the evolution of Tottenham's playing style and its impact.
“I think like lots of animosity towards Frank, but also the higher figures at the club on the eve of January which could kind of almost make or break the season or help recover it in sort of some way.”
The Atmosphere of Away Games
10:20 to 12:20
Exploration of the emotional experience of Spurs' away supporters.
Optimism Amidst Challenges
12:20 to 13:20
The panel discusses the potential for a turnaround in Spurs' season.
Looking Forward to Matches
14:00 to 15:00
The hosts express their renewed excitement for attending matches despite recent struggles.
“I mean, we've somehow still got the best away record in the Premier League after not winning for two months, which is funny.”
Analyzing Recent Performances
15:00 to 16:00
Discussion on the team's performance, focusing on individual player impacts and overall gameplay.
“and stuff but yeah it was really good yesterday the sport so do you want to say something Sean?”
Midfield Struggles and Tactical Issues
16:00 to 17:00
Exploration of challenges in the midfield and tactical setups affecting the team's performance.
“tottenham these days you know you know if if we had a player that could sort of pick out a nine from midfield, then the nine wouldn't trap it anyway.”
Individual Player Evaluations
17:00 to 18:00
The hosts evaluate specific players, discussing their roles and contributions to the team.
“It's just they've been asked to be way too conservative.”
Show all 31 chapters
Understanding Fan Perspectives
18:00 to 19:00
The hosts contrast fan reactions to players, showcasing differing views on player performance.
“but he just kind of felt, he felt like they were so much more dangerous than us.”
Defensive Issues and Team Vulnerabilities
19:00 to 20:00
Discussion of the team's defensive weaknesses and how they have affected match outcomes.
“yeah well don't say that on Twitter mate why?”
Midfield Dynamics and Player Pairings
20:00 to 21:00
Analysis of midfield dynamics, focusing on player pairings and their effectiveness in games.
“I think he can be really valuable for the squad for the rest of the season.”
Coaching Strategies and Player Utilization
21:00 to 22:00
The hosts critique coaching strategies and the effective utilization of players in various roles.
“because it's kind of like he's getting the full blame for something that ain't his fault.”
Evaluating Recent Changes in Tactics
22:00 to 23:00
Examination of recent tactical changes and their implications for player performance and team success.
“The problem is that his limitations as a footballer get exposed when there's no outlet for him to just recycle the ball to.”
Youth Development and Future Prospects
23:00 to 24:00
Discussion on the importance of youth development and the team's future prospects with younger players.
Coaching Critiques and Fan Sentiment
27:00 to 28:00
Hosts discuss fan sentiment towards the coach, focusing on criticism and debates about his future.
“They're calling this a battle for the fans.”
Evaluating Thomas Frank's Performance
28:30 to 30:38
Discussion on criticisms and support for Thomas Frank as Tottenham's manager
“because generally the vast majority of the information I add when compiling this with Fan Narrative, it's all about Thomas Frank and him not being right for the football club.”
Fan Perspectives on Frank's Future
30:39 to 33:36
Hosts share their thoughts on whether Frank should continue as manager and upcoming fixtures
“You don't want to watch your own football club.”
Transfer Window Insights
33:37 to 36:18
Discussion on potential transfers and the club's needs for the January window
“Like he's, yeah, I mean, they're like a match made in heaven, them two.”
Debating Player Ratings and Overrated Players
36:19 to 39:09
Hosts discuss the valuation of players and whether they are overrated by fans
“Natural left-back will be sore even now in the summer.”
Richarlison's Performance Review
39:10 to 42:08
Analysis of Richarlison's recent performances and the hosts' mixed feelings about him
“But I've got to say, I have no issue with him starting for Spurs at the moment.”
Evaluating Spurs' Striker Situation
42:08 to 43:40
Discussing the performance and potential of Tottenham's strikers, particularly Richarlison and Kolo Mawani.
“He's the most Tottenham player ever, isn't he?”
Comparing Striker Qualities
45:11 to 47:26
A detailed discussion comparing the qualities of Spurs' strikers and their impact on the team's performance.
“But he's got something like his chance conversion is up there with some of the very best in European football.”
The Impact of Player Mentality
47:27 to 49:53
Exploring how player mentality affects performance and team balance at Spurs, with references to past players like Bale.
“I think it's almost like when Bale came here and it was a tune-up for Wales.”
Speculations on Future Transfers
49:54 to 54:48
Discussing potential player transfers to Spurs and the implications on the squad dynamics.
“I would, mate, I would do backflips for that.”
Challenges of Integrating New Players
54:49 to 56:00
Highlighting the challenges new signings face when joining a struggling team like Spurs.
“And I mean, it's like when you were saying about joining a functioning team, like you look at Sonny, for example, when he came, did he come 2016, would it have been?”
Evaluating Player Potential at Spurs
56:00 to 57:19
Discussion on the potential impact of players like Grealish and Tell on Spurs.
“And it can just, and I just feel, with Savino, I don't know.”
The Challenges of Player Integration
57:20 to 59:10
Exploration of the time required for players to adjust and thrive in a new environment.
“A bigger business comes and brings him along and says, right, how long will it take feasibly for that person to move to the new business and be able to get up to working at their optimal rate of output?”
The Gamble of Signing Young Talent
59:11 to 1:02:36
The risks and rewards associated with signing young players and the Spurs' transfer strategy.
“There was this book I read called How to Win the Premier League, and it's basically about a data approach to football.”
Concerns About Club Ownership and Future Signings
1:02:37 to 1:04:40
Discussion on the potential issues with Spurs' ownership and their ability to attract top talent.
“I just think they're biting off more than they can chew.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01Sean Kray:The world moves fast. Your workday? Even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work. Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps you use. Helping you quickly write, analyze, create, and summarize. So you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more at Microsoft.com slash M365 Copilot. Score more with the college branded Venmo debit card and earn up to 5 % cash back with Venmo stash. Got paid back? With the Venmo debit card you can instantly access your balance and spend on what you want.
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1:00Sean Kray:Protein is now at Starbucks and it's never tasted so good. You can add protein cold foam to your favorite drink or try one of our new protein lattes or matcha. Try it today at Starbucks.
1:30Cock, a camel, shut down! Hello, welcome back to the Fighting Cock podcast, Tottenham Hotspur. Well, we won a game of football, and we're going to talk about that. But before we do, we have to introduce Sean Cray, who's making his debut on the podcast. Also got Ben. How you doing, mate? All good? Yeah, good. Good, thanks, mate. How are you? Yeah, you're all good. Good, good. Sean, how are you?
1:52Sean Kray:Yeah, I'm good, mate. A very, very long-time listener, to be fair. you messaged me and say you said i've been listening since you're recording in a pub we're talking about the first two or three episodes of the fighting cop yeah i mean oh it might not you might not have been recording in the pub then i it was a bit it was a it was good about 18 months in yeah yeah yeah mate of mine he asked for a little shout out was uh paul glover he was the one who put me onto the fighting cop well thank you paul for doing that uh so i i would describe you sean as a geyser battle rapper is that fair that's the no that's what i go by yeah uh and you came up with a line recently i jam tar can you can you just you don't have to do it all but just read it out just have some context what because you're you're on stage right and this come up in my for yp and i'm looking at it and then and i'm like you're up against what i I'd imagine it's the American lady.
2:53Sean Kray:Yeah. Well, she's actually a Great Street crip from California. So that's why I went down the whole like that trying to mimic the gangster kind of route. Yeah. So, yeah. I said, so what do you think the coffin ain't big enough? Or you're too thick to fit in? I jam tarts in a box like Mr. Kipling. So good. And then when the crowd sort of settled down, I said, oh, you didn't get that one. Yeah. I didn't believe that you would. but take it from me love it was exceedingly good ended up going off more than the jammed tarts bit to be fair mate i mean as a as an american woman she's sitting there she hasn't got fucking foggiest what you're talking about brilliant not a clue and uh it's uh it's gone a bit viral now hasn't it you've had robbie williams contacting you about it yeah yeah yeah a few people just um yeah took me by surprise to be honest no bars mate that's class i love mr kepling i'm a big fan i'm a big fan mr kipling yeah so what's your number one mr kipling festive bakewell no you have one of them i'll make that so good bakewells are terrible no but festive one they're so nice festive bakewell i don't know get on it um so sure now how long you've been you've been spurs all your life from north london yeah 100 yeah i mean i was the oldest of three brothers So I never really had a brother like leading me into it.
4:20Sean Kray:My dad was actually West Ham, surprisingly, but he never forced it on me because he grew up in Highbury and his dad really sort of tried to force Arsenal on him and he didn't like it. And it was a bit of a kickoff in those days. So then by the time I was growing up in Enfield, I just said like you know everyone at school supports Tottenham that's who I want to go with and he said you make your choices so yeah terrible choice terrible terrible choice the first game I remember properly watching was the FA Cup semi-final 95 when Amakachi tore us apart forever it's such a like bad like way to support a club but yeah you would learn everything you needed to learn about our football club on that day like yeah can we do this can we get through to a final is there you know we were only four years since winning it right the fa cup yeah yeah is there a way and daniel amakachi we got battered but we got battered but i ended up going to bed just dreaming about klinsman's goal like yeah and uh it's about as top them as it gets well that the great thing about that era was like we we were playing a kind of brand of football that some of us just dream of now like you was at the game yesterday ben yeah and one of the major issues about it despite winning was the style of play but back in 94 i don't think you might even remember this ben when do you remember when were you born i was born 98 right so you absolutely won't remember this because you didn't exist but he so so we uh we were managed by lzr someone must have told you though yeah managed by lzr dealies we signed five forward players in one summer like imagine that right Dumitrescu well we had five forward players leading the line we didn't sign five we saw in Klingsman Dumitrescu we had Ander and Sherinham and Barby Barby and like in terms of like playing football in a certain way it was mad it was like Ange ball but kind of even more mental than that yeah I was always aware I was always aware of it but it was when we got Ange and in those kind of first few months that's when like my old man would pipe up and be like this is like our dealers yeah that would be it would be like harked back to that kind of time under under ang a lot with like my old man like his mates and stuff when we go so i sort of became more aware of it through that right it was terrifying but we played we in a way that it was just we're gonna score more than you and that was that and it's kind of the juxtaposition to where we find ourselves now where it's almost like, don't hurt me, and hopefully we can hurt you.
7:06The away end, I want to start with this, really, because I thought the support yesterday was some of the... It's always good, away from Spurs away, supports class, it's world-renowned. But yesterday was especially good. When we were previewing the game with Ricky, we were talking about what the vibe might be because there seems to be a shift in the Spurs fan base that booing ain't going to get it done, right? It's not this sort of negative approach around what we were experiencing and the hating of Daniel Levy and the kind of movement against the ownership and the administration of the football club.
7:37It's something that's been kind of current in the Spurs fan base. But it does seem to be the shift in recent weeks going, we've got to get behind them in some way. Did you feel that yesterday? Yeah, definitely. I was a bit the same as you. I didn't really know what to expect necessarily. Like, you know, I go away a fair bit and we always get behind the team no matter what. but you wouldn't necessarily, you'd forgive fans for being a little bit miserable at the moment. And, you know, it's one of those games after Christmas where it's just everyone's a bit like, you just don't really know what it's actually going to be like.
8:09But I thought the away support was amazing yesterday. I think that was the best away end I've been in all season at a time where we've kind of gone through the most difficult part of what has been a fairly miserable season so far. I think like lots of animosity towards Frank, but also the higher figures at the club on the eve of January which could kind of almost make or break the season or help recover it in sort of some way. Obviously, there's all the stuff about Paratachi. Just the backdrop of the game is probably the most, I guess, miserable people have probably been going into it, especially off the back of Forrest away a few weeks ago too.
8:41But the away sport was brilliant. Like, absolutely brilliant. Like, got behind the team from minute one. I'm really glad it came through. There was a lot of people saying it. There was also, like, a lot of, like, it was just good fun as well. Like, it wasn't just about getting behind the team to a lot of Bilbao chants that were kind of coming back and stuff as well and I'm glad that kind of that legacy still lives on a little bit uh because you know it's been it's been a sort of dire season so far so I'm glad you know we've always got that you know so but it was great the away end was absolutely quality yesterday and although it wasn't necessarily a performance that matched that you know I think you could tell the players and the manager appreciated like when they came over at the end and I thought yeah I thought we were it was really good it was really good my dad didn't say the word for like 15 minutes in the first half right just sitting there and i kept glancing at him again is he is he alive let alone like he's had a big couple of days right we've had the family round and whatnot and then and after a while i was watching it we weren't saying much and he just went this is terrible this is certainly my dad's really confident like really positive generally around spurs yeah this is terrible where are you at sean what where are you do you have a violent opinion here
9:54Sean Kray:do you know what it feels like is you know when like a kid's being bullied or tormented or whatever and they go through that quiet stage the head goes down you know they're they're taking the taking their ribbons and then all of a sudden something triggers them and they've you know they've got tears in their eyes and they're just like go on head let's be having you come on i'm here and it's like it's almost like that it's kind of like it's got so bad that all of a sudden it's triggered something off in the fan base that was that was the only thing i was taking from it last night i was saying to my mates i was like it's just loud in that end because it's and it ain't been like that for a long while i don't go to so many away games these days this year i only went to uh city away yeah and it was obviously a good result but there was something missing like in the in the stands like you know it was a brilliant result but it weren't i've been to man city so many times over the years and i've really really gone mental when we scored and it's been scenes it was just it's just off like it's just a little bit toned down from what it used to be and i just feel like something needed to sort of trigger it off because i was years ago i was at that for that villa park game when harry kane scored the uh the deflected and i remember the mood before we was all drinking in this marquee and everyone was chucking beers around and it was almost like things have got bad to the degree that you're like you're making your own fun yeah yeah yeah and you go you go there and he scored that goal and he came and and i just remember we came bouncing out of that stadium and it's just sometimes when you go down to those lows you find something and it sparks and it turns around so quickly that it's a couple of players a little bit of good feeling and it can turn around and hopefully we're on the cusp of something like one of the best atmospheres i've ever been a part of was was wigan spurs wigan right at home we had i think it was at the the one day ramos run and we drew nil nil while we're gonna home it might be i might be getting my dates wrong right and there was nothing going on no hope and suddenly there was just this pocket of noise i was sitting in block 35 30 34 maybe in part lane and there was just this sort of noise that was sort of building this sort of like rhythmic sort of chanting um it might even be my thing y 'all i don't know what it was and um and uh and and it sort of started to grow and grow we had maybe an opportunity but and then it just there was just this sort of spreading of atmosphere and it's hard to sort of pin it down like why is this happening now but it definitely happens in times where things aren't going right in the pitch and everyone's like you said make your own fun remember actually why you follow your football club and it ain't to be guaranteed a win certainly not when following in Spurs but it's something different about our club that you might not get elsewhere and it's I think that it felt like that yesterday and it felt like that a little bit the other day at home as well I can't remember we played yeah Liverpool Liverpool's the only game I've actually missed this season but there was a lot of people that were coming out and saying especially when we were even 2-0 down like the fans really and that came through on the telly as well to be fair you felt that they were really getting behind the players and I do think there's maybe a little bit of a bite back to some of Frank's comments off the back of the Chelsea game still lingering there in terms of who's a proper fan and all that kind of stuff um and maybe that's still a little bit raw and the fans are kind of determined to show that they are behind the team and all that and I think maybe yesterday as well like I said earlier it was the first game back after Christmas people hadn't seen their mates in like a few weeks who they go with and stuff and it was just like right this is what we do it for kind of thing and like you're right Sean it's like me and my mate George who I go away with a lot it's like we always just say anyway the best part of the day is never the football it never is and it's just about connecting with those people and I do think you're right in the sense that you find that again when it's when you're kind of at your lowest almost and to be fair I'm quite glad we've got I'm going Brentford on New Year's Day and it's like I'm actually looking forward to that now it's like I'm looking forward to going again and just like not just because we've won and it's like oh my god we could be turning the corner whatever it's just like I'm looking forward to actually going and feeling that and being behind the team and kind of, yeah, remembering kind of why you do it because it's been so bleak.
14:24I mean, we've somehow still got the best away record in the Premier League after not winning for two months, which is funny. So it's been all right on our travels so far this season. But yeah, you're right, Sean. Like even I was at City at the start of the season. It was like, I don't know whether, I mean, the first goal that we scored, there was a long VAR check, which sort of took the sting out of it a little bit. And then that anxiety, because they were on top of us and whatever. and I think it was good towards the end of the game because it was like start of a new era lots of like Thomas Frank's Blue and White Army and stuff I mean that's all kind of disappeared now and I don't know like it has felt like something's been missing a little bit this season maybe that just is the style of play and stuff but yeah it was really good yesterday the sport so do you want to say something Sean?
15:07Sean Kray:yeah no I just agree to be honest it's something something needed to sort of spark it up but it's one of those ones where there's not an awful lot on the pitch that's really like really, really excites you. You know, when like players of the past where like the board fizz out to certain players and you just kind of think he's just got the edge. There was a little bit actually with Odebeer yesterday when he ended up hitting the post and you just kind of looked and you thought he's got the edge on him and he's one of the players that actually can hit a ball. it's like there's there's other ones where it's like i don't even i don't this doesn't even like warrant my heartbeat getting up because someone else you know like colo muani is like running through and it's like or you know the there's just there's so many kicks in the teeth watching tottenham these days you know you know if if we had a player that could sort of pick out a nine from midfield, then the nine wouldn't trap it anyway.
16:15Sean Kray:There's parts of that, Sean, there was parts of that first half, which is definitely your, it changed when Odebeck came on because it felt like there was some sort of invention to what we're doing and there's an outlet against tired legs, you know, a tired Palace side as well, who've got some really good players, but a couple of, Deveni is useless. I know he's young. I know he's like, he's come from out of nowhere from Scotland. He is nowhere near a Premier League footballer. But we're up against, and Kline, who's like 39. He could even be well into his 40s. So there was an opportunity for Odebeir to come on and do something.
16:52And he really did. And that was the outlet. But it felt like for a lot of parts of that first half, we get the ball and there's no point, like you said, it's not even worth a raised heartbeat because we are not going to be able to get an opportunity to be excited because of the system, because of this fucking, if it isn't Paulina and Bentoncourt, it's Gray and Bentoncourt, it's not their fault as players. It's just they've been asked to be way too conservative.
17:19Sean Kray:This is it. It was like the 55th minute and we were defending like it was the 92nd. And it was kind of like, it felt like it was inevitable. It's just, obviously the goal never came. They had a couple of close ones and luckily they did end up sort of fatiguing and we ended up nearly getting goals at the other end. But you just can't help thinking that if you're setting up like that week in, week out, you're going to lose more than you end up winning. Yeah, you're asking for trouble. Absolutely. Like, you know, Mateta was giving us all sorts of grief and it was like, but he just wasn't able to sort of turn around and actually score.
18:01Sean Kray:but he just kind of felt, he felt like they were so much more dangerous than us. It's so funny you talk about Mateta, right? And it's how different fans react to their own teams. Because I do another podcast called Football Between the Lines with a geezer called HLTCL on Twitter, right? And he's a big, big Palace fan. And I was going, we're talking about the game, and I went, Mateta was a bloody handful. He was just causing us nightmares. And he went, he's shit. He's absolute shit. You can have him. And I was like, what are you on about? I don't want him, don't get me wrong. I'm not sure he's the answer for us either, but he definitely isn't shit and wasn't shit yesterday.
18:41It didn't quite work for him, but he caused Danzo problems big time. Especially first half. There was a couple of times where he just pinned him and then spun him and then played the ball out wide. And it just felt like, I didn't see it back, but even when Danzo got booked in the first few minutes, it didn't look like there was a load of contact, but it was Mateta again causing him problems getting him behind him spinning him and it was like this could be a long long day yeah in the first five minutes they cut us open completely didn't they through the middle of the pitch every single time it was just like so for a team that doesn't sacrifice anything really from a defensive point of view like unlike we did with Ange to make us better going forward we are so easy to play against it's unbelievable like we're so easy to cut open second half defended well really well we defended our box second half well I thought but it was just like you said Sean that kind of inviting of the pressure you're asking for trouble really there against a team that play midweek as well Palace they've got a lot of injuries and stuff at the moment they're so depleted but we just gave them that bit of confidence and it kind of only really it took it to like the 75th maybe minute for that to sort of go away and to be fair Frank's changes I thought made a difference I thought Paulinho in the middle of the pitch just helped break things up he was one man of the match Paulinho?
19:52yeah well don't say that on Twitter mate why? I don't know People just hate him. People just hate him, don't they? No, I mean, I thought, if you use Paulina in that way, I think he can be really valuable for the squad for the rest of the season. Like, coming off the bench and just breaking things up. Yeah, he was great. We had our wanker in midfield. They had theirs and Will Hughes and we had ours. Fucking hate Will Hughes. He's a scumbag. I hate him. But yeah, Paulina came in and we were winning battles. We were competitive suddenly in midfield. Yeah.
20:19Sean Kray:We have a squad where we've got very few good players in it that you actually look at it and you say, They're good. You know, Van der Ven is good. I think Palina is good. He's just a specific type of player. Yeah, yeah. You know, if we found ourselves in a situation where we had a creative team with dangerous outlets or whatever and then you clonked him in there, I think he'd do a great job. I used to love him at Fulham. It's times that we went over to Craven Cottage and he absolutely battered us. We couldn't live with him in that midfield. And it's like, yeah, so people getting on his back does me nothing a bit because it's kind of like he's getting the full blame for something that ain't his fault.
21:06It's more Frank's problem, I think, than Paulina. I think you're right. I do think that, I feel like his impact on the team has diminished over the course of the season. But definitely at the start when Frank really fancied him and liked him, it was nothing really wrong with Paulina's performances at all. it was more just the fact that he was playing him alongside Bentoncourt and we need a bit more of a box-to-box or someone a bit more brave in there alongside him. Bentoncourt might be the problem, might be a part of the problem. I think, yeah. Frank's system is the problem. If he's not going anywhere, if we're going to start playing 50-50 football, which is what it seems like he wants us to do, and they've got Will Hughes in midfield just being everywhere, causing problems, winning balls, then as soon as he just wilted into nothing when Paulina came in.
21:57So if we are going to play this one where it's about dueling and testing football, which then having Paulina is important. The problem is that his limitations as a footballer get exposed when there's no outlet for him to just recycle the ball to. Yeah. Fenton Corr isn't that. I think Archie Gray could be. I wouldn't mind seeing an Archie Gray-Paulina double pivot if we have to fucking have one. What was going to say, Sean?
22:21Sean Kray:yeah no no that's absolutely right as i say if he's if he's got someone alongside him that can do the jobs that he can't do you know not every player is a complete all-rounder i remember years back like uh us having a midfield that was scott parker and uh and modric and scott parker looked like an absolute world beater in there he won player of the year yeah this is what i mean and like effectively what he did was break up and roll the ball to Modric and let him do the magic and it's it was it was only once Modric went and then he started thinking oh I've got to kind of try and do a little bit more that's when he got exposed because certain players to be in the Premier League and be elite at what you do is hard to do it's even harder to be a complete not every player can be Gerrard like it's you've got things that you're you're great at and Palina is that and you should have with the money that we've spent enough of a squad that there's certain games that you don't play him and it don't have to be oh he's been dropped you know you're at home to a team that you're supposed to have the ball he can sit that one out yeah but then there'll be plenty of games in the league where you need him and he can just be I just think he's been used poorly but yeah I do agree with that like you look back at like you go back to like the Wolves game for example and you're playing Paulina and Bentoncourt I think it was in a double pivot with Jarry Simmons on the left and then Bergvau in the 10 it was like we're playing Wolves at home it was like it shouldn't be about like you're going to have 75 % of the ball it shouldn't be about winning duels it shouldn't be about that you don't need two like cement mixes in the middle of the pitch it doesn't make sense there's been other games like that as well like Fulham playing two up top with Richarlison and Mewani leaving your most creative player on the bench and playing Paulinho and Gray in midfield.
24:08And it's just like, all it is about is just like, go down the line, try and put a cross in the box. And if that doesn't work, then try and do it again. It's just, it's that approach. And I think that mentality that is causing us problems. And, you know, I do think that the only, the one thing I would say about Frank recently is that at least in all of the negative stuff, at least we've seen a bit of continuity with the team. Like at least Archie Gray is getting a run of games, which is something that we've been asking for. At least he feels like he's found something that he can go, right, this is my template.
24:37This is how we're going to line up. I mean, it's not great, but at least there was so much chopping and changing prior to the last month or so. He feels like he's given players more of a consistent opportunity now that maybe did deserve it. There's also other areas of the team which he can't rotate, which are causing us problems. I think at fullback, Poro had another really poor game yesterday. But the problem is that we can't drop him or can't take him out because we've got no left back and Spence is having to play in a position that don't suit him whatsoever and his limitations on the ball are so exposed over there and it just makes for this real sludgy mess of a footballing team when you're trying to move the ball up the pitch it's just yeah a lot there's a lot of just there's still so much wrong but at least like like Gray for example at least he's getting a run now yeah this is it I mean and
25:27Sean Kray:it's that thing of like supporting the side as well if you've got if you've got Archie Gray and you've got Bergvau and that it's so much easier to get behind you know if if if they're finishing 10th in the league you know it's it's easier to get behind that than when you've got players that are kind of like approaching 30 that are playing in there who look like they're playing within themselves and they're looking to go elsewhere so if if you're going to be sort of back in a great he ain't good enough yet and like birdvale ain't ain't good enough yet like but i'd prefer to see them in there than some of the other players you know but yeah pedro poro like you say he was the space that in kate like in ketia was looking like i think neymar or something like at times but luckily luckily like he was crossing like in ketia like because but i just thought The amount of times that he was ripping around the back, I'm thinking he's got to be something wrong there with Pedro Borough.
26:27I mean, yeah, some games, he does have a semi-decent defensive performance. And then you look at his delivery, obviously he's cross, essentially made the goal for great to score his first ever goal in pro football. And his cross in for the disallowed Richarlison's first goal was impeccable. But he needs, I don't know, It's too late to make him anything else other than what he is. Defensively, it's an issue. I wanted to focus a little bit on how... K-pop Demon Hunters, Saja Boys Breakfast Meal and Huntrix Meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi?
27:06It's not a battle. So glad the Saja Boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day. It is an honour to share. No, it's our honour. It is our larger honour. No, really. Stop. You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side. And participate in McDonald's while supplies last. Nothing brings people together quite like Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games. From NBCUniversal's iconic storytelling to the innovative technology across Xfinity and Peacock, Comcast brings the Olympic Games home to America, sharing every moment with millions. When Team USA steps onto the world stage, people aren't just watching.
27:50They're cheering together. This winter, everyone is all on the same team. Comcast, proud partner of Team USA. Start your day with Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal. The instant oatmeal ready to help you tackle whatever your day brings. Like wrinkling your toddler into their car seat. That was fun. Coaching your sixth grader's soccer team. Go girls! and carrying all the groceries in one trip. Try Quaker Protein instant oatmeal, granola and bars. Great taste and a good source of protein. Quaker, bring out the good. I don't know whether or not we're being fair on Thomas Frank because generally the vast majority of the information I add when compiling this with Fan Narrative, it's all about Thomas Frank and him not being right for the football club.
28:42actually like the the franking versus frank out uh survey gets done every single game now and it's just every slowly edging towards everybody being frank out he's on it's something at 73 now 26.1 still want him in and i was just wondering if as spurs fans we've been too critical because i'm just really read this out based on this is the general feeling from the fans not just of Tottenham but how Palace fans feel about Glasner as well because I was shocked to read some of this. Anyway Thomas Frank on Spurs fans heavily criticise Frank's negative defensive sets up calling it anti-football and the most inept negative manager in our history that's a bit harsh.
29:27Many label it boring and unacceptable with calls of Frank out due to backward passing and parking the bars off to score him. Some defend it as pragmatic for results noting he played that perfectly against Palace's possession they didn't really ever threaten us to be fair um and then uh and then on on palace this just blew me away uh opinions are mixed uh this is on glasner who's just one of the fa cup fans praised early pressing but slammed the lack of ruthlessness and fading energy calling glasner utterly clueless and suggesting fire glasner before he walks counter view see him as a superior manager being hampered by squad depth and fatigue from congestion blaming over tactics it's just mental how reactive fans are about their own clubs and i was wondering are we being a little bit too harsh on thomas frank and he should be given more time you're frank out ben i can see it on your face
30:19Sean Kray:are you frank out do you know what like if you were saying would i pull the trigger with frank right now yeah i know because only because of the simple fact that who you're bringing in and it's just going to be I think we're going to be safe I don't think we're going to go down I think that we're I think the whole squad is in disarray at the minute and I just don't think that pulling the trigger now is a good idea but do I want to see him start next season no like so he's he's he's one of those ones I can get my head around sort of pragmatic football at times the thing that does my adding with him is the fact that he keeps going at fans like you know you you are not doing a good job mate like you've you're you're upsetting people you're ruffling feathers and then you want to keep poking the bear as well you know and he might say oh you know i'm i'm being candid and i'm and i'm answering questions honestly and that like you're doing a job you know i can't go into work and just speak honestly like you've got you you need to you need to tell the line you know your Tottenham manager bloody well talk like it yeah and it just so that it's that side of it that winds me up he's um but I mean the football does wind me up as well because as I watching them week in week out this season it's um it is it's so hard to support it's so hard to get excited for anything i get a feeling when i remember that we're playing tomorrow or we're playing tonight and i think oh no like you know psg comes up in the champions league and you're thinking that should be you know if that was if that was villa or someone like that who was all sort of i've got i've got psg coming up that night you'd be absolutely buzzing for it like you know you think of champions league games of the past you you you're you're planning your day around that night.
32:20Sean Kray:Now, I don't even want to watch it. It's a problem, right? I'm not proud of my team. You don't want to watch your own football club. I was thinking about, I was so glad we didn't play on Boxing Day. I had a lovely Boxing Day. I had a lovely Christmas Day. Spurs couldn't come in and somehow fuck it up for me, which was great. But like you say, there has been a shift. Where are you, Ben? Are you out? Very similar, to be honest. I don't want him to start next season based on what we've seen right now. I don't really want him to be managing Tottenham right now based on what we've seen this season.
32:55But the reality is that they're not going to make that change and there's no one really out there. Do you believe he can get it right? Do you believe he can turn this around and start getting results and playing a bit better? I mean, he's not got a better opportunity than the next handful of games. When you look at it, we've got Brentford, we've got West Ham, we've got Burnley, we've got Sunderland, and we've got... There's one more. Bournemouth who are in disarray at the moment themselves there's not he's not going to get a better opportunity to build some momentum than in January and I get it it's difficult game come thick and fast injuries might prop up and all that kind of stuff but you know if you can get through that and have a decent January in the market as well and add some quality to this team that's kind of obviously missing too which is you know not just on him but then then maybe but as we sit right now you know yesterday was a really you know good win an important win just to kind of round off the year in actually a positive manner but there was nothing there that made me further convinced even though we were missing a few key players and stuff that made me convinced that he could turn it around I don't see it I'd want him to I'm not one of them you know I think there was a lot of obviously when you're at the game you're not reading Twitter through the whole thing but I saw a lot of people making tweets like there was this kind of sentiment there were almost people a bit gutted that we scored and a bit gutted that we won because they wanted him to be sacked I think that's just like embarrassing and then people going at Frank for like any tiny little thing is a bit draining as well at the moment as much as he's not inspiring me and I do think any time he opens his mouth at the moment he's not that's why my dad was booing when we scored that's what I thought I was doing yeah he wondered why he's sitting in the front room just going boo no mate if any part of you doesn't matter what the situation is wants us to lose a game of football then you're a fucking moron yeah he's not going anywhere at the moment because Venkatesham's coming in the summer that it was his guy as well as Levy's kind of last last involvement I think that was was Levy's guy.
34:44Like he's, yeah, I mean, they're like a match made in heaven, them two. It does scream Levy, but I think, but Vinay probably, you know, at that point as well, a bit of a yes man maybe to Levy as well. But I also think that, you know, Levy was, Vinay was at Arsenal as well, wasn't he? During the Arteta period and I think he was quite key in giving Arteta time and he's quite influential and it does my head in when people use Arteta as kind of the yardstick for these kinds of situations because as much as I fucking hate that team, Arteta had to deal with like the situation that he found himself in was not really that similar to this whatsoever like he inherited a real real mess at Arsenal and I'm not saying that Frank didn't inherit a team that finished 17th or anything like that obviously it wasn't great what he picked up players influential players that were damaging they had to get rid of it was a lot a lot more stuff off the field I think that he had to deal with and almost rebuild an entire kind of football club I think and it makes me sick to give him that kind of praise but it just really annoys me when oh you've got to give him time because look at Arteta at Arsenal that's used not just in that's not just like Frank's not just judged through that it happens with other managers throughout in other projects across the league or in other countries or whatever but it really annoys me that but I do think because Vinay was there through that I think they'll look at it through that lens and kind of say look let's give him a bit of time here they'll give him another window obviously and this window is going to be very interesting to see what they do and what that looks like there's some Alistair Gold quotes this morning about That's right.
36:11I had the wave structure and all that. He said, the base analyst at Gold, left wing is a priority next month as he's potentially adding a midfielder and a centre-back. Natural left-back will be sore even now in the summer. If Spurs move for a striker, the club are one of many sides across Europe, i.e. in Samu Agahawa. Yeah. He good, has he been? He's right. He's at Porto. He was at Atletico. He was the one I think that was going to go to Chelsea or he was involved in some weird FFP deal with Chelsea and Conor Gallagher a couple of years ago and he's at Porto. He's doing okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
36:47I mean, that does worry me slightly that they're still so... They see the left wing as the biggest priority. And don't get me wrong, I think our left wing does need an upgrade. I like Odeber and I like Tell, but I still think in terms of improving... That is a foundation that can obviously be improved upon. It's Adam Morton. Adam Morton, they should be saying. Yeah, it's a midfielder. Throw in the kitchen sink. And also the fact that they can go like, oh, yeah, we might leave a left back to the summer. We've not signed a left back in like two years. That has been really damaging to our team. And you look at Jed Spence, and I think Jed Spence from a defensive point of view, again, yesterday, I thought he'd done okay.
37:19I didn't think he had a bad game. Yeah, you did. But in possession, it hurts us so much. And I love a doggy, and I think our attacking balance and the dynamic is a lot better when he's in the team. But you can't rely on him. And to not sign a left-sided defender, if we ignore it again this January, I don't know exactly, but it feels like it's going to be like four windows maybe since we last signed one. And that was Van der Ven and a doggy coming in in the same summer. It's not, that's a real, that has to be done in Jan. And I think a pass first, Wharton type midfielder absolutely has to be the priority to take this team up a level rather than a left winger.
37:54Big money though. The,
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37:59Perattachy was at the game. I was like, what is he in or is he out, this fucker? What's going on with him? I reckon they just give him the chat. I think he'll go at the end of the, I think someone said it in the group chat. made a good point about the fact that it's like we stuck by him during that time when he was getting done for whatever at Juventus. And it's like, I think they'll say you can go after the window, maybe. It might be agreed and he just helps us through January and then he goes. I mean, it's an absolute mess. I mean, I think Paratig's time at Spurs has been a little bit overrated, but the fact that he came back in the summer, Spurs made such an effort to try and get him back.
38:29And now he's going six months in to go to Fiorentina, who are languishing near the bottom of Serie A. It's like, how bad is that? the control isn't it it's just you he'll have the level of responsibility that then contention has and they probably you might see that as an alluring plus all the i guess all these contacts and abilities um answer this question for me sean um i've heard flav ask continually if we overrate our own players and just wanted to chime in with a couple of points i think everyone overrates their own club players yeah we get our value from the transfer market of a player so you can say we overrate someone like Bergvold but his value is set around 40 million euros so he looks like a 40 million pound player do you think we overrate the team
39:12Sean Kray:do we think it's better than it is I certainly don't there's I certainly don't I mean yeah my opinion of of our first 11 as it stand is is low um I think I think someone like Romero for example I think I think he's a good I think he's a good defender but I do think he gets overrated like he's he's at a higher level but he gets overrated like I mean for there's it's one of those ones where he's got different sides of his game that are elite but I actually felt a little bit more comfortable with Dan so yesterday the way the game was panning out I felt it was less likely that he was going to cost us the game or cost us a goal but then at the same time you can't build attacks the same way with Danzo as you can with Romero but I do think that he gets spoken about as if he's slightly better than he is and there probably is a bit of that yeah I think everyone I think everyone does because you everyone's got that natural kind of stance of trying to be positive on every player until you get fed up and then you completely turn on them and then you probably go a little bit too far the other way like you know like a Richarlison for example I felt you felt like he did all right yesterday but I you know I didn't go around shouting it from the rooftops so many so many because you've gone after him already so I've had so many I've had so many messages going you're going to apologize for Charlison and I'm like I I don't absolutely...
40:53First off, no, obviously not. I'm going to stick by what I said. Double down. Double down. Don't bet down, double down. But I've got to say, I have no issue with him starting for Spurs at the moment. I think his application, his desire, and I know both those goals were offside, but he finished both of them. And the second one, it wasn't even... The first one, it weren't even him. I just... He's like the least of our issues. so yeah well I'm not going to dig him out I don't think I want to apologise yet I don't think I did go after him a big way I hated his guts I couldn't even look at his face for a bit but now I'm like I quite like his hair
41:35Sean Kray:It wasn't that great of a performance like you know he won a few headers and whatever there were still lots of times that I felt for the size of him he should impose himself a lot more He did great for the goal though Sean No, no, no. He did some good things. As I say, yeah, he got up and helped it on for Gray. He did, yeah. He did a lot of good things. Yeah, but he's certainly not going to come out and apologise because you just know full well that it's just going to come back to the very next game. He's the most Tottenham player ever, isn't he? He does just make you fall back in love with him as quickly as he makes you fall out of love with him.
42:17To be fair, I do think since the last international break, it feels like, maybe, or since that Man United game where he thought he'd scored the winner and then they went and equalised, and there was a lot of chat around him during that kind of period, and I thought it was terrible in that game. But I think since he's come back, I think since the Arsenal game, I think he's actually been pretty good and pretty consistent. And I think that it's, you know, I do think that you're right, Sean, in the sense that yesterday, there were times where he could have held the ball up a little bit better. And I do think we just accept that that is a limitation of his.
42:45And it makes the striker situation actually quite interesting. But he was up against, you know, three tough centre-halves, well, two tough centre-halves in the choir and Gahit. And also, our entire game plan was just to try and lump the ball up to him. So it's like you can't really blame him necessarily for losing the odd one or not getting the better of that battle because he was our only real outlet. And I thought that's the one thing during his time at Spurs. no matter how sometimes his body language might piss you off and you know his lack of quality might piss you off like you've never really been able to question his application or his work rate and that was something that you know attracted people to him when he was at Everton and all those kind of things and he just he does give a shit and to be fair like that first goal even though like you said it wasn't him that was offside that's what he's good at if you put the ball in the box he comes alive and he can make that little bit of movement and you know just there to finish off a chance but we have feelings about him right but if you look at his statistics that are not, there's no emotion attached to your stats, right?
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45:04Start your spring with low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot. Exclusions apply to HomeDepot.com slash price match for details. Sure. But he's got something like his chance conversion is up there with some of the very best in European football. And you're like... And when he starts games for Spurs, he does intend to score. Like, there was that stat that was going around, I think it was after the Brentford win where it was like, was it, I can't remember, I might butcher it, but wasn't it like 16 goals in his like last 20-cent starts? Yeah, it's just like, And he scored twice since then. Yeah. He didn't score yesterday, but yeah, he wouldn't.
45:37But he scored against Liverpool, didn't he? Has there been another game since then? Can't remember. But it's a weird one with the striker situation because I think when you look at Kolo Mawani and in some of the games Mawani has played up front, you can clearly see that he's got more quality than Richarlison. Like he's a bit cleaner. His link-up plays better and all that kind of stuff. He just looks like a better footballer. Out on the left, you don't really see as much of that. And I thought he had a poor game yesterday. He did okay in a few big moments. This is not his position. He's a nine.
46:05But this is why I don't understand it. I think he looks at Kola Mawani almost and sees, right, you are one of our better players. I mean, that doesn't say loads about the squad right now, but he looks at him and plays him on the left over, over the bear, over Tell. And it almost feels like he needs to get him in the team because he's got experience and he has just got that bit of quality. But I just think it's almost a bit harmful to one, the balance of the side, but also Mawani probably as an overall package, even though I think he's better in most aspects of the game than Richarlison, just doesn't offer what you need your striker to do as much.
46:37And that is put the ball in the back of the net. And that is a very useful habit that Richie does actually have. So it's a really weird situation. And when Odebeir comes on on the left-hand side yesterday, I think the thing I liked about Odebeir was that he played like a player who had had a bit of a rocket up his arse. I think that's one thing with Odebeir. It's like we've always said that there's definitely talent there and there's definitely quality. but it's almost like have you got that like have you got the balls have you got that fuck it give me the ball I'm going to make something happen he's a bit too timid often as a winger which you just I don't think that's almost unacceptable to be like that but yesterday he played like a player that's playing with a point to prove and I really I really rated that whether he can convert it into something more consistent and substantial is remains to be seen but I think he should probably be starting on that left hand side over Kola Mawani at the minute but it's almost like Frank wants to get him in the team because he can just rely on him because he's a bit experienced and you know he's been around the block it's a really weird one our striker and
47:31Sean Kray:left-wing situation I think I think what I think with Mouane is I think he's got loads of the things that Richarlison lacks but one of the things I just feel like he's had a very bad injury he's here on loan I don't think he sees his future here I think he sees himself elsewhere in the summer you know he's normally he's normally he'll get picked for the France squad at times and it's kind of like he wants to stay fit and he wants to he wants to play his career elsewhere come the summer I in my opinion and I think he's playing like that I think he's you look at say we say Richarlison like he gives a shit and oh the bear did yesterday I just don't think Mouane he does.
48:21Sean Kray:I think it's almost like when Bale came here and it was a tune-up for Wales. It's almost a bit of that and that's why I wouldn't play him personally, even though I do think he's a far better player than Richarlison. Yeah. I mean, Bale was going off Bale as well, wasn't it? So it's just like, we were all so desperate to see him play, but I get what you mean. It's like you'd rather invest the minutes in a player that you actually feel like the future might be and has got more to offer over time, like an honourable or a tale or whatever. Yeah, it's weird. It's such a shame that Bale was during COVID times.
48:57Sean Kray:I was just singing about him the other day. My time of supporting Tottenham, just that period of his last season at Tottenham, first time around, it's like that was when I was going the most, like the home games, the away games. And that was just, I guess it was the age I was at the time as well, was just peak, peak time. So when he came back and for it to be under Mourinho's reign during COVID. Mourinho pulling him off at Emirates because he refused to double up on, what was his name? The Scottish left back. Oh, Tierney. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He refused to come and double up on Tierney because he's bloody Gareth Bale.
49:37Sean Kray:That was the moment where I was done with Mourinho. But yeah. Yeah, mate, it would have been a shame, was it? That kind of, it was a waste, weren't it? Because the way he would have been celebrated. And he did have some like proper magic moments even even during lockdown it was uh it was a shame um they had a question here uh from i'd let matters have my son uh and he says he got absolutely destroyed on reddit for asking this question um but given the backlash makes me horny i thought i'd ask it here would you take any of city's players realistic targets knowing that there is even the tiniest of potential that will weaken their side of squad and help arsenal win the league i know people will think this is small club mentality and if we had an opportunity to do something special which at this stage is not looking likely then i wouldn't even consider answering this question i don't say i don't care if people say to ignore arsenal i hate them so much any chance of helping them is difficult one for me i mean yeah if you was like if they were saying you can have my like marmusha been linked for Spurs.
50:44Yeah. I would, mate, I would do backflips for that. Yeah, he's class. He's class. But what if Harlan gets injured and they've got no number nine and then Arsenal win the league? Like, people don't understand how terrible that would be. Yeah. What are we going to do with Marmush? What would we do with him? What would we do? Oh, what? We might finish seventh as opposed to 12, but Arsenal win the league. Who gives a fuck? So you're saying we should go for, what doesn't hurt them? Oscar Bob doesn't hurt them. Or Savino, yeah. Savigny doesn't hurt though. Savigny's been alright for them recently though coming off the bench.
51:16He actually has. Alright, leave them alone then. Leave them alone. Bob? I think they buy Savigny then it opens up Savigny. Yeah, yeah. If they buy Savigny. If it's one in, one out like that then it's, yeah. I can't believe. I don't know how you feel about it, Sean, right? Firstly, what is your answer? Would you hurt them in any way if it meant Arsenal in the league?
51:33Sean Kray:Well, if you saw the way that I cheered Buendia's goal against Arsenal a couple of weeks ago and then Oli Watkins' goal against Chelsea. so I've invested in Villa as well and I hate me and Ben fucking hate Villa but I cheered I cheered that Bendia goal like it was Spurs scoring for sure yeah oh 100 % yeah so I'm fully invested in whoever wins it instead of Arsenal you can't grow up you can't grow up in North London and not feel that way I do not give a shit and the other question would be like Savinia really looked like he wanted to come to Spurs in the summer. Why? Surely he could go anywhere.
52:17Why is Savino going, yeah, I want to join Spurs? What is he fucking thinking? Like Xavi Simmons, right? When he spoke to, he goes, oh yeah, I spoke to Thomas Franken. I was convinced that this is the right. How do we keep doing this? Like, just look at the evidence. Look at the club we've been over the last 15 years, right? It ain't, no, 10 years. You've got to be mad, but we still managed to convince him to come. Savinho would be, I like him a lot. Yeah, I think that's definitely something there. Yeah. I think Savinho would...
52:46Sean Kray:It's good. Go on, bro. No, go on, Sean. It's fine. Yeah, he's an exciting one, but yeah, he's... I don't know. I don't know if I'm convinced. I was sort of thinking it in the summer as well. I just don't know if I'm convinced. You know, you do feel like when you're going to go out and do, what are they talking about, 70 million? Yeah. Yeah. And I just don't think he's quite there. and a player can come come to the club and kind of step up a little bit when they become the main man but I just don't I think we'd be frustrated with him I don't I just don't quite think he is there Have we got enough patience as a fan base to deal with him?
53:25This is the problem I think he's one of those players you could say this about any signing to be fair but I think it'd be a different story if he was coming into like a functioning team whereas it's like we'd be spending a lot of money on him in January with a lot of more there'd be more expectation on him in January than there probably would have been in the summer you know because I think people would have looked at it and gone look we're investing the talent here we've done some other decent business so far he had a good first season at City now his stock has kind of declined a little bit I think you know if we were looking at 60 million or whatever I think that still would be an overpay for where he's at now I don't think his stock has declined anywhere near as much as people have necessarily made out he's not had a great season but I think he's kind of got it back a little bit recently I think one of the reasons why he probably wanted to come twice in the summer was game time for the World Cup.
54:08Because when you look at City and the fact that that Cherky, Foden and Doku, I know Doku's injured at the moment, which is probably why they're going for Semenyo. That is such an almost impossible front three behind Haaland to kind of break into for Semenyo. But he's had minutes off the bench here and there recently and looked okay. I just think from a Spurs perspective, I'd be excited by him as a player being at my football club, but it's just the situation that he kind of almost walks into and it's like we'd be expecting a lot of him and we're so dysfunctional at the moment. How do we even get the ball to those kind of attackers to make something happen?
54:44It's like that's why if you're going to spend that kind of money, go and spend it on a midfielder for me who can actually make us play through the lines and connect the defence to the attack because we've got good attackers that, you know, I don't think Odebe is as good as Savinho really but I think I'd rather almost save the money on a winger, invest it in a better midfielder to actually give those attackers more of a better platform to actually thrive because there is some quality in that front line that's already there.
55:08Sean Kray:Yeah. And I mean, it's like when you were saying about joining a functioning team, like you look at Sonny, for example, when he came, did he come 2016, would it have been? 2015, 16, yeah. I remember Sonny in his first few games having little, odd little wobbles and odd little things where you kind of thought we were doing well, but you kind of were like, oh, I don't know. And then all of a sudden he had time to find his feet and he went on to become what Sonny became. If you come and, if you spend the big money on a Savino or like when we've just done it on a Xavi Simmons and everyone pins all of their hopes on you, you can't afford it because you have those little wobbles, which are almost inevitable, especially when you come in from like German league to the premier league, you, you, you go into heaven and automatically you feel the, you feel the fans are on your back.
55:59Sean Kray:Like everyone's raising their eyebrows, they're questioning you. And it can just, and I just feel, with Savino, I don't know. I was thinking in the summer, I wanted us to go in for Grealish, to be honest. I felt like I would have loved us to have like got him in on loan. Because I just think he would have come in and I'm not saying he would have been the answer to all of our problems. But I think he would have been a guarantee to come and perform. whereas like some of these other players I just think I just don't know I just don't know if you know they're good players but whether they're actually going to come in hit the ground running because we're just not in the we're not in a day and age where we give to players this time it's and I just feel like Xavi Simmons is one of those who could have been could have been brilliant still might be brilliant for us but I just feel like it could be one of these ones that rumbles and rumbles along and he just never quite clicks and he ends up being like, oh, he could have been a player.
57:00Sean Kray:Because you could see he's good. Well, so many of these players leave Spurs and do become the player. I think that's going to happen with Mattis Tell. I really do. I know he hasn't convinced anybody, but I'm convinced there's a player in there. And I think that when given the right environment, he will thrive. If we buy another left-sided forward or a striker, then he's done. I can't see a world where he offers anything really or we'll get an opportunity to prove that he can offer anything unless there's a mad injury crisis and he must be really frustrated at the moment i saw this thing online the other day and there's a guy who works in big business and obviously when um when you reach a certain level it's about who you can bring in and how quickly can they work to the level at the point that you wanted to recruit them and you can apply this to managers and players as well so imagine that a person who's working in an office environment and he's working at 100 % of his productivity, he's working, doing incredible things.
58:00A bigger business comes and brings him along and says, right, how long will it take feasibly for that person to move to the new business and be able to get up to working at their optimal rate of output? And the average in big business is 2.2 years and you can that it was making a direct reference to managers and players in football is because so much shifts that's not within their control the resources that they had previously isn't there their working relationships and understanding of each of who they're um who they're working with isn't the same and it takes time so when we say something very sort of dismissive as he needs time to settle in or you know he's he's getting used to the league which is a really kind of reductive way of talking about how long it takes someone to assimilate into a club's culture and then perform on the pitch the lottery of signing a player is is is incredible really it doesn't matter how good a player you're thinking of bringing in if the culture isn't right and I'm not sure it is we don't know it's hard to pin down what culture is at Spurs and any football club, then most players will struggle.
59:11There was this book I read called How to Win the Premier League, and it's basically about a data approach to football. And they said the metric for them to understand whether or not signing has been successful is how many games have they played in the following two years? Nothing else. How many games did they play for the club? If they played more than 50 % of the games for the club, then that was considered a successful signing. Madden it. Yeah. And what do you think Tell's at now? I mean, he was burning money wasn't in the Champions League squad. He's had, he was in it for the last game. He's had a handful.
59:475 % with 10, I could actually tell you. I was getting, 15, I'd say. Yeah, I reckon around that. Like, he's had a, it makes me annoyed a little bit because I do think that, I understand why some Spurs fans don't want to, you know, I think it, some of these, 17%. Yeah. Yeah. I understand that some Spurs fans don't have the patience for these youngsters and I think it's a bit of a by-product to the fact that we've not bought proven talent at the right time and I think that frustration is kind of, you know, people project that frustration through saying that these guys aren't good enough or whatever but when Tel's come on for the most part of the season, he has, there's something, you can see it, you can see that there is a player in there, saw that against Slavia Prague when he came on, Man United, he comes on, gets a goal, Leeds, he starts the game up front, gets a goal and it's like, it doesn't, And I'd love a journalist to sit down in the next press conference and ask Frank about Tell.
1:00:41And that will probably get some, you know, it's not really always worth listening to what managers say, but I'd love to know what's kind of gone on there because it feels like he's had opportunities, done well, but never really been consistently rewarded. A bit like Odderbeard to an extent, but Odderbeard's had more than him. So it's a really funny one because I think I'm with you, Flau. You can see something with him.
1:01:00Sean Kray:but we just we always seem to have these players on our hands though like it's you know like it's a it's a tell or it's an older bear where it's kind of like they could be good but like you know we're talking about comparing uh frank with arteta when he came in at arsenal i like one of the biggest advantages of arteta is the fact that the uh the club and the way that they're going out targeting in players, paying the money, getting it done, getting it done early. You know, if you'd have had Arsenal's kind of backing in the summer behind Thomas Frank, we'd have gone Morgan Gibbs-White, Eze, probably Wharton.
1:01:40Sean Kray:And all of a sudden, you're looking at them, all three of those could have flopped, but your gut says they probably wouldn't. And it's kind of like they're the signings that Arsenal kind of make, whereas every time we're going Xavi Simmonds right very very good player I've seen him look good but he's got that big adjustment to do we're talking about Savio coming and it's like again he's another one where I'm just like does he beat his man but then he doesn't quite finish it off he's almost like a nearly one we end up with Kolo Mouane coming in on loan and it's just like when you're taking these gambles all the time it's it's very rare that we sign someone where we're like he is gonna be mustard and then it's it's always like he could be and that's that's that's been the model of the club for for quite a long time now and you know we we had a little spell where a lot of those could players did and they did at the same time and they collectively became a good and dangerous side but then we refused to kind of back them up we had that summer where we didn't sign anybody and it's like then you you go on and on and on and you're signing these players all the time where you know they should have gone for Mane at the start of the summer and then they end up with Sissoko and it's like it's just I won't of a word said against this okay sorry oh he wasn't sadio mardi was he and it's like it's one of those and it's it's just for years and years and years and then it's ended up they've come unstuck now and it's all well and good levy's gone and we're gonna they're all talking about you know we're gonna start spending the proper money but i'll believe it when i see it like because this this lewis family that's in charge now they worry me because you know if if it was joe lewis himself you'd kind of be like do you know what he's like he's made all this money for himself it's the it's the kids of the guy who's done who's who's made all the money and they always worry me because it's like they they're trying to make a name for himself and And it sort of worries me that Paratici is now off and Levy's already gone.
1:04:10Sean Kray:He was obviously forced out. I just think they're biting off more than they can chew. And it might surprise us, but it worries me. It worries me the times ahead and are they going to start signing proper players? Are the players going to actually come to us? There's certain players that have turned us down now recently where you're just like, you might be able to spend the top player money, but can you actually attract them to come to the club? Because it's a bit of a mess at the minute. Yeah. I mean, we don't know is the answer to that. And previously you would say, no, we're not going to be able to attract them.
1:04:48Money has been an issue. The sort of wage limit that we're willing to spend has been an issue. Players want more money and they can get it elsewhere until they go elsewhere. We know that was an issue. So what has been said is, yeah, we're going to sort this out. so let's I mean it doesn't mean anything until we see it as you say Sean I think we're gonna have to wrap there but what's the debut if you want to go and follow how do you find you on Insta Sean is it Sean underscore Cray on Insta isn't it
1:05:16Sean Kray:yeah Sean Cray yeah S-E-A-N yeah and is it just Insta or anywhere Instagram TikTok I've been doing a bit on Twitter recently as well but yeah and you know where to get Ben he's everywhere alright cheers lads cheers
1:06:05We're the fighting cock and we don't give a fuck Like a top drawer whore when she don't see box Everybody wanna come and run it but they're funny Like a dummy in the barbie of your mommy Fighting cock and we don't give a shit Everybody knows flat bait's a prick We can get a sticky in the mini sucky willy When you're getting grilly yeah you gotta bang the milly Fighting back
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1:07:07Sean Kray:The comedy movie event of the year, Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice. Now streaming only on Hulu and Disney+. Time to party. That's a great attitude. It's a time-traveling, ass-kicking movie event. You sound insane. Starring Vince Vaughn, James Marston, and Asa Gonzalez. I thought you were a clone. Well, clones aren't real, dummy. And time machines are super grounded in reality. Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice. Rated R. Written and directed by Ben David Grabinski. Only on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for Bumble subscribers.
From the publisher
We finally won a game of football, so obviously we’re going to overthink every second of it. Sean Kray makes his Fighting Cock debut with an elite Mr Kipling bar, Ben’s fresh back from the away end, and we try to work out why the vibes were so good even when the football was… not. We get into Frank’s setup, the constant fan backlash, Odobert actually giving us something to latch onto, and whether we’re being too harsh on the manager or not harsh enough. Plus: Porro stress, Palhinha discourse, Richarlison redemption arc (sort of), and what we actually need in January.
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