SD, it was van Gaal's first game, it was 7-0, it was in front of 86,500 fans - it's newsworthy. It's not a question of favouritism; it's to do with reporting what people are likely to want to read, isn't it?
Wasn't suggesting it should be ignored, but I don't see it as any more newsworthy than the other games. Allbeit a very impressive performance apparently.
Never forgiven the BBC for the occasion when we were playing that night against one of the Milan teams in the CL and they lead with the build up to Liverpool's game the following evening in the Europa. I think it is biased in favour of the traditional top 4 plus City.
I thought it was a great game and from which King Poch will have learned a great deal to take into the next friendly. Practically two different Spurs' teams either side of the break, Poch was clearly experimenting with systems and pairings. He needs games under his belt to test the abilities and levels of the players at his disposal, and it's good to see that he's being open-minded about who might feature in the coming season, with a lot of our youngsters being given a chance to impress. If he hadn't conceded those two goals, Poch wouldn't be aware of the problems that have been prevalent in the squad for some time, now. Instead, he's seem them and can go about fixing them.
Defoe gave a rather emotional post-match interview: [video=youtube;sGzL1-Ximt0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzL1-Ximt0[/video] He looks pretty choked up, especially at the start.
There was an earth-shattering (to me) alignment of my two favorite sports teams tonight, when the Chicago Cubs invited a Spur to throw out the first pitch. I don't know what it means, perhaps that the Cubs are able to recognize, as I was, that Spurs are somehow kindred spirits. Harry Kane won the competition by default when the other Round 1 winner, Gylfi, moved on to pastures new before the game. I'm glad Spurs took the competition seriously (well, other than allowing Freund to take part--he hit the bar, surprise, surprise). It was important to have someone throw overhand with respectable form, and Kane looks like he did fine, to judge from the pictures. In any case, I won't forget a Cubs logo hanging in Spurs goal, or Harry Kane holding a Cubs jersey on the pitcher's mound at Wrigley Field. A pointless Cubs story. Ferguson Jenkins came up from the minor leagues at about age nineteen and was handed a start immediately. He blew the other team away, pitching a two hit shutout, blowing bubbles the whole time. It was the first start in a half of fame career that saw him become one of only two pitchers to ever win 20 games six years in a row, and the only one to retire with more than 3000 strikeouts and less than 1000 walks. After the game, the manager, Leo Durocher, called Jenkins into his office. Do you know who owns this club, Jenkins," Durocher asked when the pitcher came in. "Uh, Mr. Wrigley." "That's right. And do you know what Mr. Wrigley does for a living?" "He sells chewing gum." "That's right, he sells chewing gum. NOT BUBBLE GUM!!!!!!" Leo Durocher, incidentally, was famous for the phrase "Nice guys finish last," and also for telling players who were planning to strike to protest Jackie Robinson playing in the major leagues. "If you don't want to play with Robinson, you don't have to. But if you don't, I will personally run you so far out of baseball you'll never so much as sell a hot dog at the bushest park in the country."
I guess it's some kind of harmonic convergence, because I was very happy to see Spurs playing like my favorite national team against Chicago. The very aggressive pressing and gung ho style reminded me distinctly of Chile. The Bielsa connection both Pochettino and Chile have was apparent, though maybe I'm exaggerating the resemblance. However that may be, I really liked what I saw. It's going to be tough to get top four with all the top teams strengthening, but Spurs can play attractively and enthusiastically, and I'm encouraged that Poch has made so much progress on both fronts in so little time.
The ceremonial first pitch was forever tainted when the Dodgers had all four Kardashians throw out a first pitch. At the same time. Besides, this tops Harry Kane... [video=youtube_share;wighvyxg5d8]http://youtu.be/wighvyxg5d8[/video]
Lamela individual highlights against Toronto: [video=youtube;_1yMkv6-GII]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yMkv6-GII[/video] With obligatory **** music, naturally.
Just had a bit of a laugh. The Spammers have followed on from losing to Wellington on Wednesday by losing again this time to Sydney FC 3-1. Its only pre season but the knives are out for Fat Sam already. Seems the players think its a bit of a jolly jaunt downunder and aren't putting in! http://www.foxsports.com.au/footbal...iro-scores-brace/story-e6frf423-1227002455218
Continuing to track the story of the century: Harry Kane upheld the honor of Spurs, football players and Europeans in general, getting an eight rating, maybe even a nine, for his first pitch at Wrigley Field. He looked like a pitcher throwing his first warmup pitch, with a nice, easy overhand motion that crossed the plate as a low strike. "Fantastic pitch," can be heard in the background. The Cubs medium blue with white and a dash of red was strikingly similar to the navy and white with a dash of red Kane wore. Well, and yellow.
Alex Pritchard had a second good game in two for Brentford today, as they beat Nice 3-2. He scored twice, with all five goals coming in the first half.
Vertonghen working hard on his fitness for the coming season and not, you know, crowdsurfing at an electro festival in Belgium... [video=youtube;L9sGobGkpjI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9sGobGkpjI[/video]
Pritchard was too good for Swindon and he'll be too good for Brentford. He could have gotten game time with us. I thought that was one of the reasons for having 7 on the bench.
We were told that Pritchard should have been in the league below last season. Spurcat said the club were trying to get a half season loan to Bournemouth last winter. So his development at worst has been put back by one season. Meanwhile ... http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/brentford-v-ogc-nice-psf-26.07.14-1783799.aspx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY8peI4t5Uo Would love to know what his success rate is (I reckon tis very high indeed) .
