S15E67 - Tudor, Togetherness and a Fight to Stay Up

19 Mar 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 21 chapters

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Podcast Summary: The Fighting Cock - S15E67 - Tudor, Togetherness and a Fight to Stay Up

Podcast Title: The Fighting Cock (Tottenham Hotspur Podcast) Episode Title: S15E67 - Tudor, Togetherness and a Fight to Stay Up Hosts: Flav, Alex, Cal, Jon, Ricky, Spooky, T Release Date: (not specified in the transcript) Patreon: [Support on Patreon](http://bit.ly/2uECfa3) Twitter: [Follow on Twitter](http://bit.ly/2wleG6z) Facebook: [Like on Facebook](http://bit.ly/39bN7LM) Instagram: [Follow on Instagram](http://bit.ly/3ae2GCx) YouTube: [Subscribe on YouTube](http://bit.ly/2I31iH7) NordVPN Deal: [Exclusive Offer](https://nordvpn.com/thefightingcock)

Episode Overview In this episode, the hosts discuss the renewed sense of hope among Tottenham Hotspur fans following two encouraging performances from the team. They analyze the impact of new manager Igor Tudor, the importance of team spirit, the contributions of young players, and the upcoming crucial match against Nottingham Forest.

Key Themes and Discussions

  1. Renewed Optimism
  2. The hosts express relief and excitement about the team's recent performances, suggesting that the match against Atletico Madrid may have been a turning point.
  3. There's a focus on the feeling of togetherness among players and fans, rekindling belief in the club’s ability to stay up in the league.
  1. Igor Tudor's Impact
  2. Tudor's influence is noted as pivotal in lifting team morale.
  3. His apparent rapport with key players like Romero is highlighted as essential for creating unity within the squad.
  1. Fans' Engagement
  2. The discussion emphasizes the mobilization of fans ahead of the Nottingham Forest game, promoting an atmosphere of support.
  3. The phrase "Show up, sing up, stay up" captures the spirit of this fan initiative.
  1. Analysis of Young Talent
  2. Archie Gray:
  3. Recognized as a standout performer; the hosts predict he has a bright future at the club.
  4. His versatility and recent performances are seen as central to the team's successes.
  • Mathys Tel:
  • The hosts acknowledge his raw potential and desire to take risks on the field, despite some inconsistency in decision-making.
  1. Philosophical Reflections on Football
  2. The conversation touches on the emotional rollercoaster of being a football fan, contrasting the joy of close victories with the numbness of previous disappointing seasons.
  3. They discuss the significance of "jeopardy" in football and how it enhances the emotional investment of supporters.
  1. Upcoming Matches and Strategic Thoughts
  2. The episode gears up for the vital match against Nottingham Forest, which is framed as a six-pointer.
  3. The hosts agree that winning the match is crucial to building momentum and distancing themselves from the relegation zone.

Key Takeaways

  • The atmosphere surrounding Tottenham Hotspur has shifted from despair to cautious optimism, largely attributed to recent performances and the arrival of Igor Tudor.
  • Unity between fans and players is emphasized as critical for the club's survival this season.
  • Young talents like Archie Gray and Mathys Tel are seen as pivotal for the team’s future success.
  • The psychological dimensions of supporting a football club are discussed, highlighting the highs and lows that come with the territory.

Conclusion With a reinvigorated sense of belief and unity, the Fighting Cock team stands behind Tottenham as they navigate a challenging period. The upcoming matches hold significant importance for both fans and players, with the hope of staying in the Premier League at stake.

Up the Spurs!

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Reflecting on Recent Matches

1:20 to 3:50

The hosts analyze recent games, discussing feelings of pride and momentum despite mixed results.

“I mean, yeah, Liverpool result was all right, but this one was good.”

Emotions in a Relegation Battle

3:50 to 6:00

Discussion on the emotional rollercoaster of being in a relegation fight and the importance of fan engagement.

“I just kind of thought after Forest, we've got a nice three-week gap.”

The Impact of Recent Performances

6:00 to 8:00

The hosts reflect on the changing dynamics within the club and the renewed sense of hope among fans.

“And it's completely changed the way that I feel.”

Building Unity Among Fans and Players

8:00 to 10:10

Discussion on the efforts to unify fans and players through a public statement and collective support.

“post game because i'm just like i'm now really invested in this battle to like stay up so it is making me feel something.”

Looking Ahead to the Nottingham Forest Game

10:10 to 14:01

Anticipation and preparations for the upcoming crucial match against Nottingham Forest are discussed.

“football is a microcosm of, of, of existing.”

Building Momentum for Sunday

14:01 to 15:04

Learn about the atmosphere and expectations surrounding the upcoming game.

“But I'm just feeling that everyone is all in together at the moment.”

The Importance of Team Unity

15:05 to 16:33

Discusses the significance of the players' arrival together and fan support.

“Just on that, you mentioned about the bus and stuff and greeting a bus.”

Analyzing Recent Performances

16:34 to 18:52

Reflections on the team's recent matches and their implications for future games.

“And one of the ways would be definitely not having to do two legs against Barcelona and should we beat them two legs against Arsenal and should we beat them win the Champions League?”

Changes in Team Dynamics

18:53 to 20:16

Examines the transformation in team morale and strategy after recent games.

“And actually, we've made slight improvements again in this Atleti match.”

Turning Points and Influential Figures

20:16 to 28:00

Discusses key moments and player influences shaping the team's season.

“It's just like, for me, go in there and just beat them because, you know, they're rubbish.”
Show all 21 chapters

Team Dynamics and Player Relationships

28:00 to 28:50

Discussing how player relationships and management strategies impact team performance.

“When he came over, do you see he was beaming, smiling, and he was sort of playful with him.”

Media Scrutiny and Fan Reactions

28:50 to 30:40

Analyzing the impact of media criticism and fan reactions on team morale and performance.

“It was unusual for him to be on the bench, but if he was suspended or he'd gone off injured or whatever, he would be that guy that was in the dugout with him as well.”

Supportive Environment for Players

30:40 to 33:50

Exploring the importance of a supportive environment for player development and performance.

Archie Gray's Potential and Role

33:50 to 38:55

Highlighting Archie Gray's potential as a key player for Tottenham and his development.

“And the performances last night demonstrated it.”

Assessing Mattis Tell's Performance

38:55 to 42:00

Evaluating Mattis Tell's contributions to the team and his potential for growth.

“like one of the top players in the Premier League in this position and people will be like oh yeah shit this guy's amazing.”

Young Players with Potential

42:00 to 43:19

Discussion on young players' potential and development at Tottenham.

Challenges and Strategies for Success

43:20 to 46:04

Exploring Tottenham's strategies for signing young players amid challenges.

“You think of when Camoli was first around and these players that would come in and eventually, you know, we had our method of let's sign the best young English players, try and get them together.”

Hope and Expectations for the Team

49:14 to 54:18

Discussion about feelings of hope regarding the team's performance.

“Imagine she just out of nowhere went, oh, just listen to this one.”

Football Analogies and Life Lessons

54:19 to 56:00

Using historical war analogies to discuss resilience and football.

“So I'm taking something even if it's just that.”

Comfort and Masculinity in Attire

56:00 to 56:47

The hosts discuss the notion of comfort in clothing and challenge modern masculinity.

An Unusual Spurs Viewing Ritual

56:48 to 58:55

A listener shares a humorous and embarrassing story about a unique ritual during a Spurs match.

“Is that what happens with you, Sean, when you don't wear...”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Tavi Duran:This podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network.

0:04James Johnson:Tottenham Hotspur means everything to us. It always has. Generations of us, families, friends, strangers brought together by the same badge, the same humanity, the same pride with one job to support our team. Time for reflection comes later. Right now, we're in the running with big games ahead. so to our team our players our coaching staff our team behind the team our club we're not going anywhere we are with you from the atmosphere in the stands to the belief in the streets to the roar the players walk out into for every remaining minute of this season we are right behind you will be there for every step and will be your 12th man throughout you will hear us to every single player wearing our shirt we walk out with you we remain behind you whatever may come we can't control what happens on the pitch but we'll provide everything you need of it we believe in you.

1:12James Johnson:This is our club. All together. Always. Come on, you fucking Spurs! It's the fighting. It's the fighting. Cock!

1:30Tavi Duran:It's the fighting. It's the fighting. Cock! Come on, Ternum!

1:42James Johnson:Hello, boys. Finally. I mean, yeah, Liverpool result was all right, but this one was good. I saw a... There's a game called Phil McNulty. I don't know if you know about him. It reminds me of someone who might have been in the wire back in the day, but he's a journalist for BBC and he said there's only... I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was like only sort of spurs could win a game like this but also just lose it and i'm like this is the wrong energy because in this family something is bubbling something's bubbling at the club we're all buzzing we all understand even even uh javi simmons came out and said obviously disappointing that we didn't go through but this is building blocks momentum no excuses that kind of thing so yeah i feel good i feel i don't i forgot that football could actually be like oh shit this is oh no it can be good it can be fun we can't be proud of the team by god am i proud of this team

2:44Tavi Duran:john earlier earlier this week on the pod you read out i don't know if it was a tweet or like a comment from someone when they were like i'm hoping that we win the game 2-0 and go out like 2-0 perfect right and that is basically as soon as you guys read it out i was like that is exactly like that is exactly the mindset that i'm in which is that i really really wanted to win the game but i also was conscious that if we stay in the competition and win the tie that will cause us a

3:16James Johnson:lot of other problems what about playing barcelona twice some miracle we get through that then have

3:21Tavi Duran:to play arse to win the semi-final no no thank you no good can come from this so in my mind this was like a real simple case of like just win the game on the night because then you basically have you've you've got a win right you've you've lost the war but you have won the battle it's the real quiz yeah and that is the real quiz and then you are basically going draw win and you can build on that and you know not just result wise but like that performance in the manner of the way that the game went which was there was also some really um disappointing moments that we could have easily gone all right well we're definitely not going through now so let's just give it up but they what the players wanted to win the game as well because they were still battling even though they knew they couldn't get through the tie those are all good signs along with the stuff that we saw in the liverpool game that's just made me feel so much better like from liverpool game to this moment right now i feel better than i have all season basically so that's good yeah apologies

4:23James Johnson:use the sound outside if you can hear that i am um sweltering in my office i'm physically cooking and the window has to stay open so apologies uh sean i missed you earlier when do you fancy your podcast later and you went what what after spurs of one what with a degree of positive legitimate positivity yeah go on then i'll do it how did you take last night yeah that is great

4:46Flav Bateman:i wanted to win and go through to be honest i wasn't there was no no part of me that like wanted to win and go out. I just kind of thought after Forest, we've got a nice three-week gap. I wanted to get through, to be honest, but it was just good to, it was good to just enjoy a game of football from start to finish. It was, it was genuinely good and yeah, proud of them. It was, yeah, it's just an alien feeling. In a way, just, just, Just hearing the way that the crowd are all engaged now, it's just a million miles away from what I thought it was going to be before the Liverpool game. I've sort of been like, no, we're done, we're gone.

5:38Flav Bateman:All of a sudden, because I was always sort of caviting that with the mountain isn't that high. What we actually need to do to stay up isn't impossible. but I just don't see an ounce of positivity. You know, you're trying your best for a glimmer of light and it just didn't seem to exist. And now it is. And it's completely changed the way that I feel. You know, we could easily go into the Forest game on Sunday, turn up, shoot ourself in the foot again. But I don't even want to think about that. It's just all I wanted was a glimmer of light to hold on to. and we've got it. So I'm fully on board with him.

6:22Flav Bateman:Really happy.

6:23James Johnson:Yeah. Just ride the wave of positivity at the moment, really, isn't it?

6:27Tavi Duran:Yeah. You know what, as well, just to add on to this, remember, I don't know, it must have been a few weeks back now, Flav, but someone, again, reminded you of a question they'd asked where they were saying, would you prefer the numbness of being mid-table and just not caring and being checked out, or the sort of like pain and like sort of feelings of a relegation battle and when you were asked the question originally you said oh yeah relegation battle and then when someone reminded you of that you're like no absolutely not this is hell yeah i actually understand what that question means a bit more now we're we've been in this situation and are starting to see that we might be able to fight our way out of it i haven't been this invested in not just us but like the league and like other games that are going on for like a couple of years i've just i've just got to a point where i realized basically that i didn't really care that much and not in a in some ways i cared a lot right and i had to kind of distance myself from the just nothingness of what we were doing previously but this like this last few weeks where it's been real lows and i've really felt that but it's it's sort of in a weird way it's like galvanized me to be more excited about like every result matters like everything that's happening around us like the dynamics of the club are really important they're like i never watch uh like pre-match news conferences post match i literally watch the 90 minutes and turn it off i've been like watching eagle tudor talking post game because i'm just like i'm now really invested in this battle to like stay up so it is making me feel something.

8:08Tavi Duran:And it's sort of like, you know, Sean was alluding to there this Sunday against forest. You know, there's a lot of work been done by Billy T and others to like, you know, put some thought behind the fans getting together to, you know, sing and show up and do all this stuff to kind of bring us together. That, that is a positive out of what's been quite a negative season, but I do feel like a lot more sense of like every single minute and every single game matters. and it's been a like there's been large swathes of the last couple of seasons where i just it doesn't matter i just don't i didn't i realize now how much i didn't care at the time and that i think is like one of the if i had to take some positives it's definitely got me more engaged in like what's actually happening again and hopefully we can get out of it and it will

8:58James Johnson:definitely be worth it then i think i think like you're definitely right like they're being jeopardy whether that be qualifying for the Champions League or the Europa League or whatever it might be, or being in a Europa League final or the quarterfinal against, was it Bode Glimps or whoever it was, Frankfurt, there needs to be jeopardy in football. I'm not, I can't say that I wouldn't happily exchange mediocrity and feeling nothingness for, because it isn't, that's hope. Like going into Bode Glimps and hope that we get to a Europa League final for the first time since 84, that's hope that's a positive feeling generally hope is a positive now it's like it's a bit like fear like like foreboding like uh that my world might crumble around my ears i i don't mind doing a little bit of it if we if we survive i would absolutely hate it if we go down but i appreciate that like in terms of like you know life is about i don't mean to be such pseudo philosophical here right?

9:59James Johnson:But life is about feeling something, whether that be good or bad. And we'll all go up and downs in our lives and things will happen. And, you know, we'll have to deal with bad news and we'll get great news and all that stuff. That's part of being alive. And this, you know, football is a microcosm of, of, of existing. And so we're, we're in this situation that, that an existential situation where we could potentially feel a lot of pain and have to consider how our relationship with a football club and and and that's why like this week we've been working with a lot of people to put together a statement that's gone out and you might have heard i read it out before the jingle ran of this podcast if people don't know they're not on social media um i would say we it's not we ain't the fighting cock it's a collection of people that decided or thought that there may be some sort of positive impact in producing a statement that the players can read the fans can read as well but the fans know it already um but the players can read and know that that in this moment regardless of you know the what we think of the ownership and all the decision making that went before and the lack of activity in january right now all of that needs to be put to the wayside and we need to get behind the football club and moreover get behind the players because we know that the players have been impacted by the stuff that they've read online and there is an argument that you know they should that that shouldn't affect them they should be professionals they should be able to do what they they do before they sign for spurs but the reality is they're human beings and they are going to be impacted by a relentless flow of negative feeling which was rightly placed because this season has been so bad and it cost so much to even enter the stadium but we put out this statement and um like the the players have bought in like you they're they're retweeting it they're liking it they're they're um you know posting it on the instagram stories they've read it they see it And so there seems to be this uniform approach to this game on Sunday against Nottingham Forest.

12:20James Johnson:Like we were speaking briefly, Sean, before we started recording about it. What are your thoughts?

12:27Flav Bateman:Yeah, I mean, what seems to be gathering pace at the moment is exactly what we've needed. And it's what I had big doubts about us. when you look at lots of theories about our fan base in terms of like you know um tourists sort of filling the stadium and maybe even just having a good few years of having a good side and then it kind of drops off it's all the it's all a recipe for having like a bit of a soft fan base spoil if you want to say it's always ridiculous to call Tottenham fans spoil when because we're always going to compare ourselves to the teams that really are spoiled like Man City and Chelsea and whatever but compared to the rest of the football league we we are really and um I doubted our capability of pulling something together that Everton did a few years ago and it's that type of thing that you really do need to do in moments like this and I just didn't think we could do it I didn't think that the squad had the belly for it.

13:38Flav Bateman:I thought they're up against squads like West Ham, Forest, Eats, people who are more, they sign for those clubs kind of thinking one of our things we need to do is stay in the Premier League. The ones that are at our club haven't signed up for that. So when they find themselves in that situation, it's quite easy for them to just talk to their agents, line up deals elsewhere and distance themselves from it. But I'm just feeling that everyone is all in together at the moment. I think it's going to be a hell of an atmosphere on Sunday. I think you're going to see people lying in the streets. I know that the plans are in place for that, you know, gathering around the bus.

14:21Flav Bateman:This whole just dialogue between the fans and the players that's being implemented at the moment, I just think that it's going to give us the best chance. And, you know, every single game for weeks and weeks now I've gone into just being like, we're going to lose. We're going to turn up. I'm now sort of thinking on Sunday, I just don't think we are going to. I think we're going to go into there really, really fired up. And of course, you've got to take your chances. You've got to not make your mistakes at the other end. So it's no foregone conclusion. but I think we're really, really our favourites on Sunday and I've got a good feeling about it.

15:05Flav Bateman:And it's a nice place to be.

15:08James Johnson:Just on that, you mentioned about the bus and stuff and greeting a bus. So this is something that's been put together, which is about essentially show up, sing up, stay up. And this is about everybody being on the high road at 11.30 on Sunday morning, Sunday the 22nd, this Sunday, and creating an atmosphere for the team coach to drive into and appreciate exactly how important this is they know how important it is on a professional level what they're going to see on sunday is what it means on an emotional level to support us so be there on the high road it's driving past the brick layers um at about 12 45 to 1 p.m players due to arrive at that time they're all on the bus they're not driving in their sports cars they're not you know finding their way in this isn't individuals entering the field of play as it has been previously this is them together in one vehicle one symbolically that's important on the bus and they're going to see how important it is to us and how together we are and so make sure that you are on the high road at 11 30 a.m and support what is going to be a monumentous effort from the players and so i hope and and believe so then we go on to last night and the reason why we'd be able to say this is because a lot of these plans were put in place before last night's game happened john right we were it was in the hope like that you know winning two nil and going out was a bit tongue-in-cheek I'm with you I think we're all with you Sean in that deep down we all wanted to win that tyre when Tell had an opportunity on the left-hand side to square it to I think it's grey I can't remember who's in the in the centre which would have put it 2-0 all of us would be hoping to get through the tyre it's not it was only it was almost like tongue-in-cheek about that because so much of the fear of supporting Spurs at the moment is about going down so you look at how do you sort of ameliorate that situation?

17:15James Johnson:And one of the ways would be definitely not having to do two legs against Barcelona and should we beat them two legs against Arsenal and should we beat them win the Champions League? How do you put it like that? That would probably be the greatest season I've ever had. We had the opportunity to do it. We fucked it up. Anyway, but the point is that performance last night gave us so much. I was so encouraged and so happy by it. John?

17:39Tavi Duran:Yeah, mate. like just to echo what you're saying there like when the game was on i was like let's try and go through right you can't help it but now we've seen that result um and the performance and stuff it's yeah it's a good outcome and yeah it's mainly the performance for me like i said it was really encouraging like we needed to build on the momentum from liverpool like going to anfield and getting a point is one thing if we then got tanked in that game it's like i know it's a different competition but psychologically it's like ah okay maybe we haven't turned a corner but now it's like back-to-back performances and yeah okay we didn't get through the tie but if you're just looking at based on you know 90 minute games like we won the game and that's two decent sides yeah sure you can argue about like Liverpool's form and Atletico aren't you know what they were a few years ago blah blah blah don't care they're still two of the better sides in Europe right They beat Barcelona 4-0 this season.

18:35Tavi Duran:Demonstrated by where they are in the Champions League, like how far they've got. So that can only be a positive thing. And if you just look at the players' performance in those games, there's just way more energy, way more application, the movement. We honestly look like a different team in these last two games. And actually, we've made slight improvements again in this Atleti match. So for me, it's a case of we really now do have a building block to build from. And if you can keep players like Archie Gray playing the way he's been playing, then we are going to beat a lot of teams that are left in this season.

19:19Tavi Duran:So yeah, I know this is probably the most obvious thing to say, but it is really just like each game as it comes. And this Forest game is as big as it gets because obviously it's like a double whammy. right it's like essentially an old-fashioned six-pointer so this if you win this one then it gives us like basically you know the balls in our court and we're in much more of a controlling position which is a good place to be so we'll see yeah father or should i call you steve since it's a new year maybe we should start cooking fresh with fewer smoke alarms this time your cooking's

19:52Flav Bateman:improving but i can see the stress in your eyes anna's mom used this blue apron assemble and bake thing during our play date pre-chopped ingredients over 40 grams of protein and just one pan to clean up she just tossed it in the oven and boom plating like she's got followers so go to blueapron.com steve make 2026 the year you win dinner blue apron get 50 off your first

20:10Tavi Duran:two orders plus free shipping with code stir 50 terms and conditions apply visit blueapron.com

20:14James Johnson:slash terms for more sean have you got anything to add to that yeah i think i think if we if we put Forrest to bed I think that's probably that it's it puts four points between us and them

20:29Flav Bateman:we've got a much better goal difference than them but it's more about the the momentum it's what it does to them you just dunk their heads underwater and you just move move on from it we've got that three week gap that's just what I want you know I've heard people will be like oh you know a draw is not the end of the world. It's just like, for me, go in there and just beat them because, you know, they're rubbish. Like, let's not give them any respect. Like, you know, we haven't displayed, you know, much this season ourselves. But, you know, you're talking about our teams that we've played against, like, Atletico and Liverpool and, like, you could talk about their form.

21:12Flav Bateman:We're not competing with them. We're competing with Nottingham Forest. We're competing with West Ham. You know, we don't have to be the Harlem Globetrotters to get out of this situation. We've just got to be better than them. And surely we can be better than them. You know, the last two games have proven that we can. You know, some of the play last night, as I say, the tell one, yeah, of course he should have squared it. But you look at the one-touch football that got him away there. That's unreal. You know, Chavi was purring all night. You know, Archie Gray again. Just playing a bit of one-touch football, a bit of get your head up, and just forget about this scared football that we've played for so long, where everyone gets the ball and they're taking an extra touch, which means they're getting pressed more.

22:09Flav Bateman:No one's showing for it. All of a sudden, tails are up. Players have got options. and they're the confidence to just pop it first time. And that's where it is. That's where the key is, is to tap into that confident style of football.

22:26James Johnson:Right, but a week ago, we didn't even think we could ever put that performance together. Like, you know, a week ago, we were slipping all over the place against Atletico Madrid, you know, and the balance of the tie was, we were cruelly done, I think, because in terms of play, we were the better team. if you remove the massive mistakes we made, I think the first leg was maybe 55 % to 45 % in their favour in terms of quality. Yesterday, it was much more weight in our way. And without those mistakes, we probably would have gone through or at least taken it through to penalties, something like that.

23:03James Johnson:So it was almost like a week ago, we didn't dream of this confidence. Now we saw what we saw against Liverpool. And then we saw that performance yesterday. day and there's individual performances i want to talk about but it feels like they've bought into igor tudor and the reason the most sort of obvious part of that is the display but subtly you saw romero sitting right next to tudor after he came off did you notice that there's also the story that he had a word with tudor that um you know in order to take kinski ski off either to save him or to save us whatever it might be if that story is true but the fact that Romero is sat right next to him means a couple of things in my opinion and I might be reaching here I don't know but it's been reported or if you it's been rumored that Romero is by far the most influential person in the dressing room by some players they they're wary of him or maybe wary like they fear him or respect him respect is probably the better kind of thing to what I'm trying to say is that he has the year of the dressing room like he is the most influential person he's our captain for a reason and players are listening to him Igor Tudor is I'm assuming here right but Igor Tudor has looked at him going I need him on board and how do I get him on board is by giving him my ear I will listen to what he says how how do I turn this dressing room around from an unconfident bunch of prima donnas, not saying that that's what they are, but what we saw on the pitch, players that were giving up that didn't believe in it, to what we saw in the last two games against good opposition that was a collective unit who wanted to fight and produce quality.

24:54James Johnson:And I think Igor Tudor, based on the fact that we're just sitting together, I've never seen our captain sit next to our manager and them whispering into each other's ears that he's obviously gone to him going how do i get this dressing room to work for me because i'm only here for 10 games 10 more games or eight more games nine more games whatever it is and he's gone to the most influential person in the room and said work with me that's what it feels like

25:18Tavi Duran:i'm gonna speculate on something here um based based on like sometimes you you just get a feeling for something when you like look at it like you take a couple of steps back and i think we're all now if we get out of this most people will look at the liverpool game and go that was the turning point but i actually think that atletico madrid mental night that was the turning point because sometimes you need this like adversity to like reach a certain point or for it to become so drastic that you almost use that as a like way to like propel yourself out of it or you can change the dynamic of a dressing room because it was you know like kind of a shocking performance in some ways especially that first half and how you react to it the players are expecting well you know he's pretty stern guy he's been shouting us all week in training and he just flips on his head right and he's like i'm really proud of you that was really good like we had this you know the pitch was a nightmare you know kinski i had to take you off because you know it was just a really difficult situation everyone made a big thing of oh we didn't give him a handshake no one saw what happened in change room no one saw what happened all week afterwards like we don't know that he didn't manage that situation really well feel personally attacked by what you just said by the way sorry i did bang bang the drum about that handshake yeah but personally like this is the thing right is i was saying it the other way right which is like he's managing the team he hasn't got time to like shake everyone's hands when they're coming off the pitch and just because he didn't do it in front of everyone doesn't mean in the change room or training this week he's been in his ear and like talking to him and bigging him up and I wonder if that relationship that he's speaking about with Romero there was an element of like he said he needs to come off and he made that decision quickly and that you know that built a bit of trust there and also like I think it got lost in that game but we were pretty decent in that game outside of that chaos 20 minutes or whatever it was the second half was like much improved and actually we could have got something there And I wonder if basically after that game, Tudor used the negative attention in his favour because it was completely like night and day from that game to Liverpool out of just nowhere.

27:34Tavi Duran:And so it can't just be, oh, the players just decided, all right, now we'll give it a go. I think something happened or something clicked or they decided to be like, let's draw a line under this. Like, we can't carry on like this. Let's try something different. because I even thought Tudor's demeanour on the sideline against Liverpool was really different. Remember when he came out and he grabbed all his name, Dixon, and everyone was like, oh, he thinks it's Arnie Slott, yeah? When he came over, do you see he was beaming, smiling, and he was sort of playful with him. Yeah. And he seemed sort of happy, whereas previously he's been misery guts on the sideline and looking really dour.

28:14Tavi Duran:so I just wonder if there was like it was the straw that broke the camel's back that first leg that has actually turned the tide for this team and since then it's gone on to do better things so we'll maybe never know the answer to that but whatever's happened something has definitely happened and his relationship with Romero is definitely a big part of that

28:37Flav Bateman:I'll buy into that yeah it's like the captain sitting with the manager It's something that Ronaldo did a lot of. He saw him at Portugal and at different times at Real Madrid. It was unusual for him to be on the bench, but if he was suspended or he'd gone off injured or whatever, he would be that guy that was in the dugout with him as well. But it's good management, really, if that is what he's done. He's kind of identified, look, we're in this dire situation where we can't bring in new players. You know, we've got to get on with each other. You know, let's identify Romero as someone and let's all get in there together.

Read the full transcript

29:23Flav Bateman:But I think going that first leg, yeah. I think the fact that we were unlucky, really. I mean, you can sort of maybe point the finger and just say that the preparation and not sort of knowing about the pitch, like okay you can maybe talk about that but in reality we've let three goals in with three slips which is quite freakish but it didn't stop the media really really um coming down us like a ton of bricks and it kind of that does put everyone in the team and the squad and the management and everyone in the same boat if they can sit there in that dressing room and be like we know what this was this wasn't us bottling it this wasn't this this this was a slip um this was three slip trigger slips but like they can sort of pull together and just be like yeah that creates that classic siege mentality and we're all together and we're gonna go out and fight this because as i say it's the the media's been doing my night in as well to be honest because they're so they're so wide of the mark and like they so everyone wants to chirp in with their opinion when like Tottenham becomes the team to talk about because of the situation that they're in and they want to chirp up and go oh it's it's because of this player or they should have got this manager in or if this happens the crowd's gonna go this and that and the other I've found most of the stuff over the last two or three months whenever an event has happened the reaction of the fans and or the or whatever has all been quite predictable you know everything is there's a reason why things happen they don't know because they don't watch it as closely as we watch it so like they they don't get why fans have been booing at halftime at different times or they don't and but now everyone wants to talk about it so it's pissed me off as well and i can just imagine that within within that dressing room they've got to be directing that anger at the rest of the league the media and for a while they were directing it back at the fans and that's where it was yeah because and i just feel like that it's now they've got that separation where it's like no the fans are with us we're with the team and you feel like there is that everyone's looking in and they do want they want nothing more than for us to just they hated it when we equalized uh again against liverpool like you know it's as when when that happens gary neville

32:13James Johnson:saying it'll be good for the premier league if tottenham go down because we don't we don't want teams like coming up from the league to in what world would tottenham osberg going down be good for the premier league you're talking out your fucking ass so like by by his own definition then

32:30Flav Bateman:Man United going down would be even better like surely that's the ultimate that's the ultimate one of like so yeah so for the benefit of the Premier League do you want them to go down and it's like oh well no we don't fancy that and it's just like it's just rubbish and as I've I've got the hump with them but it just makes me back the team more so it's it does feel like a backs to the walls

32:55James Johnson:situation we're all 100 % the players backs to the walls the supporters backs to the walls, everybody's backs to the walls. And this is not to say like, you know, this is a sort of movement in order to get them behind the team and meeting the bus on the Tottenham Eye Road and like applauding them into the stadium, giving them belief that we're all with them, right? Some people are going, well, you're letting Enoch off the lick, off the, you're letting Enoch off the, what am I saying to say? Hook. Hook. Yep. And, you know, that's not what this is about right now. Now, the time for reflection is in the summer.

33:29James Johnson:The time for blame to evaluate what went wrong this season is then, not now. Right now is about what's in front of us. And what's in front of us is something that we can solve and we can do if everyone's together and it just feels like we are. And the performances last night demonstrated it. And I want to talk about a couple of them. Archie Gray is going to be an absolute fucking superstar for Tottenham. I felt it in the months preceding this moment. I'm giving myself too much credit. Maybe the weeks, maybe a month. I've started to see that Archie Gray is a player. Last night, it was like a coming of age thing.

34:15James Johnson:And it wasn't over the top. It wasn't like he did anything. It wasn't like Xavi Simmonds scoring that goal. it was the work that went in that enabled javi simmons to show his quality and all of that was actually great that build-up play where he got in front of his midfielder he played an outside of the foot pass not for the first time that night either and they were able to build and simmons was was given space in order to hit that shot into the corner just after conceding as well which shows a mentality that again i didn't think we'd we'd see i thought it was over when they equaliser for we give it a go and all that is down to archie gray his industry's got to play in midfield and we've all got to believe what a player this kid is mate he right now is honestly

35:03Tavi Duran:a complete joke what he's doing like he's now demonstrating i think for a long time people forgotten that he's like he's basically never played in his best position he's literally never played there until recently he's played right back center back left back he played six a few times but his best position is what we're seeing now which is like and more of a number eight and as soon as he's playing there he just looks unbelievable like it's making a huge difference to him there's also something that i think harry brooks talks about as well which is like it's not just a tactical thing it's the environment that players are allowed to play in and that's what sort of determines how they play which is why you can see you know really skillful players be really disciplined and sort of change the way they play see like Jack Grealish at Man City versus Jack Grealish Aston Villa same player played in a different way right because the environment was more about control and keeping possession at City than it was at Villa right I think it's the same thing now the players just seem like they've been given more of a license to use their own initiative and be more creative and try a few more things and have the environment that allows them to be more you know trusting of each other and that's why you get more movement right if you create a system in an environment that's very much like you go here when he goes there and then you go there if that person doesn't make that run you don't know what to do because you're so used to just being given like an instruction and it did feel like we'd got so rigid with that way of playing that players forgot how to just play off the cuff and just link up with each other and have that more sort of relational style of football and that's what I saw last night is a lot of players just basically vibesing off each other seeing like I'm just going to ping this into his feet and see if I can get it back.

36:44Tavi Duran:And it just, like, I haven't seen us play as many balls through the middle of the pitch like that for ages. Like, to the point where sometimes watching us, I genuinely would be like, I don't know how teams score goals. I don't know how you create chances in football because we made it look impossible to move the ball through the middle of the pitch. And he was just at the heart of everything good. And it's not just like he's a talented player. He's also got the emotional intelligence and attitude of a much more experienced senior pro. And that's the most important thing we're getting from him.

37:19He's had like 130, maybe more.

37:22Tavi Duran:He's had 70 caps for us already. He's played 70 times for Spurs. 74 caps. You know, you read a lot of stuff and you go, that's probably not true, but I'll just say it. 74 appearances for Spurs, I read today. I'll be able to find that out.

37:36James Johnson:But he had 100 for Leeds before he joined Spurs. I mean, it wouldn't surprise me.

37:41Flav Bateman:Yeah, 70 is well feasible because last season, obviously we went to the final Europa League. So he probably played 45, 46 games last year. And then this year he's had to play nearly every game. Yeah.

37:56Tavi Duran:So either way, it's a lot of games. And I said ages ago, not because they're the same type of player, because I actually think Gray is like maybe technically ceiling is better, but I saw a lot of similarities in the story arc between Archie Gray and Jordan Henderson and what happened with them in a sense that they came from clubs, you know, in sort of lower positions. They went to a big club with a big reputation, but under a manager who, you know, didn't get the best out of them, right? Which is what Henderson had with Hodgson when he went to Liverpool. And a lot of people were writing him off, not going to make it, not good enough, blah, blah, blah.

38:27Tavi Duran:But given time and given the right conditions and a better manager, like in Klopp, in Henderson's case, he really got the most out of him and he captained them to a league title in a Champions League, right? And I'm not saying that Archie Gray is the same type of player. I would love it if he got the same results for us as Henderson did for Liverpool. But I see the arc being the same which is that we're going to clock on to the fact that this kid's amazing earlier than the rest of the footballing world. But in the next couple of seasons he will become like one of the top players in the Premier League in this position and people will be like oh yeah shit this guy's amazing.

39:00Tavi Duran:Like he has got it.

39:02James Johnson:Sorry, he's played 129 senior appearances for, in his entire career. He played 52 for Leeds in 2023 to 24. And for Spurs, he's somewhere between 70 and 77. There you go. Wow, that's amazing. He's played 30 games this season. So next season, he'll have had 100 appearances for Spurs already. And it was those moments, like the moments that he's had. He had moments in possession in midfield, but recently had moments in clutch moments where he's having to deliver balls. or, you know, there was a game, there was a moment against Liverpool where he got the ball on the outside and Richarlison was waiting and he had the ball with space and I was like, this is going to be a quality ball in.

39:45James Johnson:We might not score from it, but it will be a dangerous ball in. It was, it was just an inch over Richarlison's head. The kid is magic and it takes, you know, like, and I'm not comparing them, but Jamal is evident immediately because of the team he's playing in and the scenarios that he's given, you know, the space he's given and he's always going to be incredible, right? But with Archie Gray, he's playing out of position. He's playing right back for Leeds in the championship. He's playing in midfield sparingly at Spurs. He's having, in a kind of chaotic season, he's playing where we don't have any defenders.

40:24James Johnson:He's playing centre-back for Tottenham at 18, 19 years old. Left wing back, right wing back. Just give it to Archie Gray or do a job. He's a child in reality. And he just consistently performs in a system that's not suited to him. And now, and I think it's clear that he can't do anything other than play in midfield if we want to get the best out of this squad. He's going to run it. He really is. I can't. It was a great, great signing. And I think a lot of criticism of Lange is going to be played out in the next 12 months. but he'll be one of the ones that will look back and go, yeah, you got that right.

41:03James Johnson:I think. Sean, what did you make of Mattis Tell's contribution? His cross for Mawani's goal?

41:13Flav Bateman:Yeah. I mean, I've always felt like Mattis Tell has got something about him. Like I've always, and it's, it's, it's almost like disguised something about him. Like if you're, if you're judging his overall performances of what he's what we've actually seen him do and judge his 90 minute performance it hasn't been good it's um but i've just seen enough glimpses here and there like i mean i think it was at liverpool earlier in the season when he when he caught one on the volley a beautiful it was just coming over the shoulder and he caught it on the volley and he's just had a few a few nice little moments he's always looking to get his head up and shoot I like it I think he's got a good connection like a lot of lots of his shots the other night were actually quite tame but I've seen him seen him connect with the ball and you just I think that there is something in him but then at the same time he just does get tackled all the time and he does his decision making is is all over the place so it's a it's a typical it's a typical sort of tottenham player where it's like for every bit of potential you see there's there's also a flaw that you see at the same time but yeah i certainly prefer him to some of the other players i just think he doesn't

42:42James Johnson:hide he's like he just wants a ball he wants to go at the players he just he's not afraid and i know that he has limitations definitely has he's like rough he is rough but what is who unless you're an absolute world-class player you're going to be rough at 21 like 24 is where clubs like you know liverpool and tottenham would generally you know look at buying a player because the upside is all there and he's three years off that i don't know i just i just think there might be something in this sort of model not that we should abandon it completely you know because it hasn't worked thus far but it might be something in this model of finding these young players that have massive you know upsides like bear of our like gray like tell like odabare and on top of that actually buying fucking players at least that can actually do something each season but if you've got this clutch of young players that are going to grow into themselves tell included if you can convince these guys to stay if we're as bad as we have been that there's something there like tell like you're right he's decision making when he got into that after that brilliant sort of you know bit of play which Simmons passed it into him and he had acres of space and all he had to do is push it across and he chose to shoot at a keeper from an angle that's bad decision making that's something that he probably won't do again

44:09Flav Bateman:so yeah I think yeah I mean like if if you look at us during like Enix sort of time Our only real method of bringing in players that's actually bore any kind of success is buying the youngsters. You think of when Camoli was first around and these players that would come in and eventually, you know, we had our method of let's sign the best young English players, try and get them together. And then you're hoping that they can all sort of flourish together. And they did to varying degrees. when we actually have splashed them you know splashed a bit of money on players that's where we've tended to go wrong and it all comes back to our gripe with the owners that isn't going to go away they're um you know the the caliber of player that they're going to sign is always going to be the same ideally we want them to be gone and someone else to be in place and start actually behaving like a big and a proper club but if you're having a different conversation of what you do under these owners i think that buying the young players and continuing to do it obviously you're going to have you're going to have for three or four years of of sort of catching up and then they'll they'll develop to different levels the next ones will start to come through and it It could be something that ends up putting us back up into the sort of top five of the league with a bit of luck.

45:44Flav Bateman:We don't want to be in. We want to be able to buy here and now players. But if we're unable to do that, this is the only way that's going to really work for us. We've got to change that though, don't we? We do. And I do, as much as you sort of feel like, you know, Aleppo never changes its spots, but surely, you know, coming this close to relegation, whether we get relegated or we don't, surely it gives them enough of a kick up the ass that they need to make wholesale changes, but they didn't do it in January.

46:20James Johnson:So eventually pressure should be put on them like in a big, big way. And I think that, you know,

46:30James Johnson:Venkatesham has said, and it's written, it's printed in material that's produced by the football, club the wage structure will be sorted that spending on the squad will be sorted and they can't just i mean if they if they do nothing in to move us forward but buy a few more prospects and maybe one player that improves the team in in in the summer then we are banging trouble now lots of people probably think that that's exactly what they'll do already but there's something to

47:01Flav Bateman:revisit in the summer i think but but like you can break the wage structure by paying conor gallagher 200 grand a week if that's to be to be believed yeah you know what we want to do is pay big wages for proper players and at this moment in time if if i had a son who was sort of 21 22 or i was who was a that next big thing as a footballer i would not be advising him to go to tottenham because of how much of a mess it is. So there is a big, they've got a lot of work to do in that situation. If they want to bring in the bigger and better players, it isn't quite as simple as just pay a little bit more money.

47:45Flav Bateman:Eventually it will be, but in the short term, it's almost like you're going to have to prove yourself over a sustained amount of time and start showing that you're going in the right direction. Then these players would be open to come in and join the project.

48:02James Johnson:That's a great time to remind everybody that we are backed by NordVPN. Go to nordvpn.com forward slash the fighting cock to get a two-year plan and get four months off that plan. There's no risk with NordVPN. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee. The link is in the description below. And what you can do with the NordVPN is watch sports wherever you are in the world or watch TV shows that are geo-locked. I think like WrestleMania comes out 24 hours after what we get it in this country. So, um, if that is the case and you want to watch stuff the way you can't usually watch it, then North VPN is the one.

48:42James Johnson:And always, I think the big seller, the reason why they still back us, and it's been like three or four years now is the men out there that can't access the details, the information they want to access deep down because they're responsible parents and they have kids. But it doesn't have to be that way. NordVPN will get you round those parental locks and the wife will never know. The link's in the description below. I hope my wife isn't listening to this. I'm pretty sure after 14 years, she's not going to be listening. Even if it did.

49:15Tavi Duran:Imagine she just out of nowhere went, oh, just listen to this one. It's so annoying. Maybe we should have sex more.

49:21James Johnson:Yeah, exactly. Keep you busy. I've got time to listen to this. There's decent questions from our lovely patrons. if you go for John Moon says out of the current squad who are the top three that you that you would drag into the bathroom and let him finger you while whispering until I die Archie Gray is my number one no absolutely not he's 20 years old you weirdo Romero

49:55Tavi Duran:Romero is going to be so aggressive that's not going to be a thing he's going the full way that's fine then

50:08James Johnson:Dennis Cregan says don't want to sound like anything is guaranteed at this point it's just so nice to feel some hope it can't be overstated how completely lost and hopeless it was don't know if we'd even score I didn't know if we'd ever even score a goal let alone get a point we'll likely still be nervy or drop plenty of points but it's so good to feel that it's actually possible again up the spurs how far have we dropped to the point where that is the case and I understand exactly what you're saying John I went through that period feeling absolutely hopelessness that nothing all I can do is watch and see it unfold and every every worst fear I might add would be outplayed will be played in

50:52Tavi Duran:front of me yeah but that's that's the thing isn't it's like I was saying right at the beginning which is like it was out of a sense of duty I was watching the games but as as the defeats were coming in and we were just sliding down the table I was just feeling like numb to it all and it was just like this is awful like we're only going in one direction and what we were all hoping for was that at some point there'd be a reaction or when Tudor came in I think we're all hoping for a new manager bounce and then when that didn't happen it's like we've lost four on the bounce suddenly like god this is this is happening like we're just we're dead in the water here and it has taken something very small, which is this, like the Liverpool result and the performance, more importantly, like to see something from the players and then followed up with this Atletico thing.

51:34Tavi Duran:How quickly it's now like, okay, now I can see how we could win games where we couldn't even see that before. And so it does make you think, okay, now I can see a world where we win enough games and we get enough points to stay up. And that's all you need. You just need a little bit of hope that something can happen and that you can do something in order to get back into the mix. So that's what this is.

51:57Flav Bateman:Yeah, it's true. You've got to be on the roller coaster. Being like, staying off of it is no fun. People kind of do it, I'll talk to football fans and whatever, or even Tottenham fans that I know who let all their real thoughts on Tottenham out in the group chat where they're surrounded by Tottenham fans. But then when they're out and they're surrounded by other fans, the seat belt's on it's all like nicey nicey let's let's let's not predict a win let's kind of or i even have mates who like will beat someone and then they don't want to give it to them too much because it can come back around and what boring life that is get on the roller coaster if you're above arsenal let them know about it because you're going to spend years below them so when you are on top get those digs in get those digs in and that's what I do and it's like you've just got to fire it out to them all the time and then you do have to take it back the other way it's better than just not being on the roller coaster and then in terms of just watching the team and the up and down or whatever it's like if you go and watch your team and they win 5-0 every week yeah it's going to be fun and when you eventually win the league that's going to be a great day but you do that for enough seasons it will get boring like the nil nil draw is boring if if you can have a game where you've been like losing and you get that last minute equalizer even if it's against the team that you didn't want to draw against you get that moment and there's those Those moments is what being a football fan is all about.

53:44Flav Bateman:You've got to gather those moments. So I'm taking something out of this season. It is that thing of no more apathy. I give a damn. I really give a damn. I'm looking forward to Sunday. I'm planning my weekend around it. It's just like this is a big thing. This is forest at home in March. It shouldn't mean anything, but it does. and it's way better than just the season being done and dusted in March and you don't give a damn. You're not even watching the game. So I'm taking something even if it's just that.

54:25Tavi Duran:Yeah, I mean, think about it like this, right? Think about in the Second World War. You know I love a war analogy, Flav. Like we were previously Neville Chamberlain, right? That was Thomas Frank just, you know, appeasing the baddies. Just like, oh, they're really good actually, carrying around his little Arsenal cup, you know, all that sort of stuff. and then we've realized that, no, this is bad. We're going to get relegated, right? We're going to get done in. So we've brought in a man like Winston Churchill, a.k.a. Igor Tudor, right? It's not gone well at the beginning. We were getting smashed up at Dunkirk, had to retreat, right?

54:55Tavi Duran:But then we've gone back. It's the Battle of Britain. That was Liverpool, right? Showed a bit of fight, you know, showed a bit of fight, managed to get something going. And then, you know, we battled against adversity, and then suddenly we've seen a little bit of something, right, and the people get behind it, and Britain turns it round. Would you rather that or Switzerland? Just didn't even, didn't do anything. Just on the sidelines doing nothing. It's incredible, mate. Yeah, it's really nice. I'd rather live in Switzerland for sure. What I mean is in this analogy, you want a bit of something, don't you?

55:26Tavi Duran:Like imagine then, like all the granddads, all of our granddads had amazing war stories, right? You said about your granddad Bill, telling him about getting his leg blown off and all that. the Swiss equivalent of Grandad Bill's going, oh yeah, one day I tripped over when I was milking a cow. Who cares? No one cares. We haven't got any good stories. Yeah, but they don't care

55:46James Johnson:that you don't care. That's what Switzerland is. They don't get scared about anything. They just quietly enjoy their life.

55:52Tavi Duran:Neutral on everything.

55:53James Johnson:Yeah, but I don't want to hear you bring up fucking war analogies at all, John, because you get home and you put on silk pyjamas so you feel comfortable. Real men like me wear jeans until they go to bed my granddad wouldn't have put on a pair of fucking pajamas in fact he did he actually had the full length pajamas my granddad's yeah you know the ones but the but the point is he wouldn't have just made himself as comfortable as possible and the real problem with this world is all you men out there who immediately get home and put on a pair of tracksuit bottoms because it's comfortable stay in your jeans be real men you know who'd

56:31Tavi Duran:agree with you Igor Tudor I bet he wears jeans every day and he sees the players and he's like you lot make me sick so when he's finished keeping us up I'm going to employ him to like just tell me not to wear jeans around the house

56:46James Johnson:I love the idea of Igor Tudor just sleeping naked like he just takes everything off every piece of fibre on his body all off I need to concentrate I don't need any distractions I don't need a t-shirt nothing

56:58Flav Bateman:skid marks on the sheets yeah Yeah, he doesn't care.

57:02James Johnson:Is that what happens with you, Sean, when you don't wear... No, I didn't think about that.

57:07Flav Bateman:I'd get a roast in if I left anything on his cheeks.

57:10James Johnson:Oh, no. So I was actually... When Sean was doing that really sort of poetic, rising sort of speech then, and John also sort of moved it towards another angle of that in terms of British wartime, I was sort of debating whether or not to read this out. but given the fact we've sort of descended into skids on sheets I think I'm safe. So Jacko says, a few weeks ago you had a question about weird habits, rituals while watching Spurs and I thought I'd have mine. I was at university in 2009 when Spurs thrashed Wigan 9-1. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I was in my dorm and watched us go one lap into halftime.

57:48James Johnson:I was a bit bored. So I did as many young men do and I started to have a wank, albeit a bit disheartedly.

57:58James Johnson:the football was still playing on my TV and the second half kicked off just as I was about to finish. Just as I was about to finish, Defoe scored second and distracted me enough to step back from the brink as I celebrate.

58:19James Johnson:He's cocking his hand and going,

58:20Flav Bateman:oh my God, what's going on? Defoe scored second. He's really on the roller coaster.

58:26James Johnson:accelerated but I quickly resumed choking the chicken again just as I was about to finish the post scored another then another came in a few minutes later and then another and another each time coinciding with me reaching the edge and I was starting to feel like a wizard with a very unique wand for a couple of matches after that I was watching alone I would fond myself to try and recreate the spell but alas I never could anyway hope you enjoy my story about me masturbating after boys. Jesus. Oh, God, what a way to end the Fight Club podcast. Unless you've got a wanking story to add. Otherwise, let's end.

59:05James Johnson:Yeah, no. I think that's topped it, hasn't it? Go and follow Sean Cray on Instagram, on Twitter, or X. And, you know, tune in to his amazing battle. When are you next battling, Sean?

59:20Flav Bateman:Jonas Hicks. Who are you up against? he's a guy from pen game called who is Orion could you beat him up yeah oh yeah yeah yeah he's probably a gooner so yeah if I can catch him

59:36James Johnson:if I can catch him yeah no just go in there and you like choke him out like in front of everybody and that's your bar that's it

59:42Tavi Duran:yeah just don't say anything just go I haven't prepared anything for this battle but just know I could smash you up and that's really what counts. Yeah, I'm harder than you. Yeah, yeah. So say something.

59:54James Johnson:John has this philosophy that it doesn't matter how intelligent someone is in front of you, if you can beat them up, you win.

1:00:01Tavi Duran:That's a perfect example. We saw it recently, that twat interviewer trying to mug off Igor Tudor and then Tudor just put his hand on his shoulder and fucking finished him because he was like, you know, like he's just resting his arm and he could feel the weight and he's like, what are you doing? Yeah.

1:00:19James Johnson:what did you end badly for you yeah what did you make it actually like that interview because i like my i i after the final whistle against liverpool i i drove to the office and um recorded the five statements we do after as close to the final whistle as we as we can on patreon and when i came back in my wife was like you've got to see this interview this is so cringeworthy and i'm like oh my god what's he got you just said like just don't be a dick we've had a good performance please don't dig out someone don't attack anybody and i'm watching oh my god no he's nailed this he got judo it's the sky sports reporter he's the dick

1:00:56Flav Bateman:yeah it was it was it was just muggy and it's um and it's it's something i always dislike about interviews anyway i feel like half the time they're not there to actually they're not they don't give a damn about the actual let's ask a question that people want to hear if they're just baiting someone into a reaction and i just you know i heard jim white talking about it and he's just like oh you know that's what interview is about you know you're trying to get a headline it's just like well actually from a listener that's not what it's about at all i'm quite interested in a bit of insight from a manager not just you trying to get him to to bite back at you All of a sudden, it's rage baiting in that media form.

1:01:44Flav Bateman:And yeah, it's completely muggy. It was out of order. And yeah, but he'll keep doing it because they're ordered to do it.

1:01:54James Johnson:You saw sort of a personal part of Igor Tudor, didn't you? You saw him be human as opposed to this mad fucking, is he Croatian? Yeah, Croatian. Mad Croat. Can you say that? Is that right? Yeah. Croats, isn't it? Is it?

1:02:11Tavi Duran:I just want to check. I mean, I've said that with so much confidence.

1:02:15Flav Bateman:Yeah, to be honest, near enough every, I was going to say nearly every Croatian I know ends in itch, but they actually don't. I can figure loads. I'm pretty sure he is Croatian. Yeah.

1:02:26Tavi Duran:He's definitely Croatian. It's just whether or not we can call him a Croat. I think it's... Yeah,

1:02:31Flav Bateman:Croat's good. Is it? Sean, what is your authority

1:02:35James Johnson:on this, mate? Because I don't want to get cancelled. I can't, I can't just, my entire career depends on what, I can't, but I need.

1:02:45Flav Bateman:I'm a Tottenham fan. I've supported loads of Croatians. That is not enough.

1:02:50James Johnson:All right. I'm the Spurs. Come on. Let's go.

1:03:21James Johnson:We're the fighting cock and we don't give a fuck

1:03:23Tavi Duran: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 Ha ha! Fighting cock and we don't give a shit Everybody knows flat baits and prick We could get a sticky in the mini sucking willy When you're getting grilly yeah you gotta bang the milly Bang bang!

1:03:41Tavi Duran:Ha ha! F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G Cock Cock Cock Cock Cock Bang bang!

From the publisher

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We finally feel something again.

After months of numbness, Spurs put in back to back performances that actually give us belief. We talk about why the Atletico result might be the real turning point, how Igor Tudor seems to have flipped the mood inside the dressing room, and why this suddenly feels like a team again.

There’s love for Archie Gray, a look at Mathys Tel’s raw potential, and a bigger chat about why jeopardy might be exactly what football needs to matter again.

Plus, the Forest game looms, the fans are mobilising, and for the first time in a long time it feels like we’ve got a chance.

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