Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United

PNP to do the usual when he is ready.

 

want me to ask the nice man who does the gooner threads

 

Pre-match stuff (provisional) ...

That is one seriously Spurcat-approved haircut.

Sadly the actual talking has the feel of a press secretary
having to defend the latest antics of Trump.

 

Won't be playing
Vincent Wanyama (knee)
Erik Lamela (unspecified muscle injury)
Juan Foyth (thigh injury)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (groin injury)
Harry Winks (fitness)
Josh Onomah (fitness)
Danny Rose (Poch's foot wedged firmly in his backside)

If I was going to hazard a guess, based on our playing 433 in pre-season, we'll be lining up something like...
Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Eriksen, Dier, Alli; Moura, Kane, Son

The bench would be interesting, though, as Skipp and Amos are likely to be in the squad - although Danny Rose is a very different proposition...

 

rose will be sat in the middle of the bench so it don't see saw up when he sits at one end.

 

My team

gk
World cup winner

defence
WC semi finalist x3 plus Davies

midfield
Eriksen, world cup semi finalist x2,
slayer of Germany and Moura

Upfront
world cup semi finalist

 

bench
columbian wc player
world cup semi finalist x2
4 well hungry youngsters

 

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Saturday 11th August 12.30pm
Premier League
St James' Park​

The start of a new campaign sees a mixture of the familiar and the unknown.
White Hart Lane has been replaced by The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but we're still visiting Wembley.
The 17/18 season is in the past, yet we're starting the season at St James' Park.
The transfer window has closed and... well, I think I'll leave that one alone.

I think it's safe to say that things in Newcastle also have that sense of the old and the new.
Rafa Benitez lead them back into the Premier League and successfully kept them out of the relegation battle.
It wouldn't be the Mike Ashley era Geordies without some controversy though, so things since have been tense.
The goateed Spaniard has made a noise or two not being backed in the transfer window.
I think that we can probably empathise. He's done well and he'd be a massive loss, if he were to walk.

The opening game of last season saw us make an identical trip and we made a meal of it, unfortunately.
A lacklustre pre-season seemed to have done little to prepare us for the campaign and we huffed and puffed.
Things were ultimately decided on a piece of rank stupidity from Jonjo Shelvey.
While attempting to rile up Dele Alli, he managed to upset himself and was quickly dismissed for it.
His target opened the scoring shortly afterwards, before Ben Davies killled it off with a second:

The match at Wembley was the penultimate game of the season and it was another struggle.
Both sides wasted opportunities to score in the first half, though the defences were largely on top.
Harry Kane broke the deadlock shortly after the break, though and it was enough to take the points.
Shelvey made some telling passes from a deep role, as he looked to make up for his mistake in the first game.
It wasn't to be, as some good sights of goal went to waste and we made the Champions League, again:

Wanyama, Lamela, Foyth, Winks, Onomah and Carter-Vickers are all ruled out through injury.
The late returnees from the World Cup all face an assessment tomorrow.
Lejeune misses out for the hosts, while Dubravka and Diame face tests, but should be fit.
Neither side has any suspensions.

Lineups for each side's last league game:

Spurs: Lloris; Walker-Peters, Alderweireld, Dier, Rose; Wanyama, Sissoko; Moura, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane.
Subs: Vorm, Sanchez, Foyth, Davies, Alli, Son, Llorente.

Newcastle: Dubravka; Manquillo, Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett; Murphy, Diame, Shelvey, Kenedy; Perez; Gayle.
Subs: Darlow, Yedlin, Hayden, Haidara, Merino, Ritchie, Joselu.

Referee: Martin Atkinson. Only reffed one of our games last season, which was the 1-1 at Watford.

TV: Sky Sports.

How do we go about this one, given our current, slightly strange situation?
Stick with what we know or make some changes and freshen things up?
Did anyone do enough in pre-season to earn a start or a place on the bench?

 

I was just writing it, FFS!

 

MERGE THEM, MOFO, < rcl >

 

I would, but the comments would go in chronological order and ruin it!
Edit: See?

 

Time to redo my prediction...

 

Hugo
Aurier (), Dave, Jan, Davies
Dier, Alli
Lucas, Eriksen, Son
Kane

Vorm, Tripps, Toby, KWP, Amos, Dembele, GK

 

Vorm/Gazza
KWP, Toby, Ser Davos, Davies
Amos, Moura, Sissocko, GKN
Son. Llorente

 

I think we have to brace ourselves for this first game. Newcastle will be better prepared than us and their very astute Manager (I used to think he was crap when at Liverpool but I know better now) will make sure they take full advantage. If we win it will be through a magic moment from one of our stars but I think we will do well to draw.
On the other hand the players might feel liberated by the cooler conditions after weeks of draining heat, and go on a goal fest.

I think that covers all possible outcomes except defeat and that of course I won't talk about.

 

Why Aurier?

I’d be tempted to put Skipp in that squad, too. No signings? **** it, play the kids. What better way to show the confidence we have in them, because that’s clearly why we didn’t sign anyone, right?!

 

Fixed

 

It's inevitable. Full pre-season, Tripps just returned. Aurier will get the nod for the next week or two.

Lol take it you've taken the "no signings" stuff badly, mate?

 

Yeah true! Would much rather see KWP though.

No, I was being serious, as sarcastic as it may have come across!
I was very wrong this time last year about KWP’s inexperience. I’m all for the youngsters getting a start. Especially anyone who occupies the CM role, seeing as we didn’t sign one.

 

True, so would I.

Funnily enough there was a poster who said before Aurier's signing that they'd be happy with KWP as back up, I wonder who that was...

Amos may well get the nod to be fair, Poch was saying as so a couple weeks back. Still think Dier will start, Dembele likely won't be fit enough so I think we'll throw Alli there, the one thing we can generally rely on Alli being is very fit, even without a pre-season.