Echo of Glory -- Tottenham Hotspur

A great summary of the current squad and a nice insight on some of the futures these players may have.

September 2020

TRANSFERS, YOUTH PROMOTION, RESULTS

Bill Nicholson | Echo of Glory

Transfers

Entering the summer, we the Tottenham Hotspur board, comprised of Chairman Daniel Levy, Operations and Finance Director Matthew Collecott, Executive Director Donna-Marie Cullen, and Director of Football Administration and Governance Rebecca Caplehorn, with the expertise Technical Performance Director Steve Hitchen had provided a transfer budget of £13,000,000.

In addition to player transfers, this budget would cover the hiring of staff. The board was in charge of hiring members of the scouting, medical, and coaching teams across the Youth Academy, the Development Squad, and the First Team.

Placed in charge of identifying targets and players to sell was Head Coach Bill Nicholson. Chairman Daniel Levy was responsible for negotiating terms with other clubs.

− Argentinian goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga (aged 28), with his contract expiring in 2022, was sold to Mexican club CD Cruz Azul for £4,000,000 initially, with the fee potentially rising to £5,000,000. He arrived from Southampton in 2017 for £2,500,000 (a £1,500,000 to £2,500,000 profit) and went on to make 22 appearances in our colors. We wish Paulo all the best in the future.


− English left-back Danny Rose (aged 30), with his contract expiring in 2021, was sold to Italian club Cagliari for £4,000,000. He arrived from Leeds United in 2007 for £1,000,000 (a £3,000,000 profit) and went on to make 156 appearances in our colors, scoring 8 goals. We wish Danny all the best in the future.


− English right-winger Jack Clarke (aged 19), with his contract expiring in 2023, was loaned to English club Middlesbrough. We wish him luck and look forward to his return next summer.


Head Coach Bill Nicholson had his thoughts on the window:

- The board backed Jose earlier in the summer, so we were a bit strapped on cash when we tried to enter the market. Hence, no incoming players. Instead, we invested some of the money to improve our Youth Recruitment. As for the first team, we’ll work with what we have.

- I would have liked to clear some more room in the squad. I had listed Dele, Winks, and Lamela, but each case was a bit peculiar. It seemed clubs were priced out of a move for Dele, Winks rejected multiple clubs that put in an acceptable offer, and Lamela garnered little interest. They’ll get a chance to impress me now. If they take it, they may remain at the club.

Academy Promotion and Contract Renewal

This month, we had a contract renewal for Davinson Sanchez until the summer of 2024 (it was due to expire in June 2022).

Here are Bill’s thoughts on the extension:

- I had thought that if we brought in another center-back, Sanchez might have a tough time getting a spot in the team. A couple of things happened: we were unable to bring in a center-back and Sanchez performed really well in training.

- This new contract should give some comfort to Davinson, but he should be reminded that there is still work to be done. We will not stop our search for a center-back. He should be determined to start for the squad, and if he does not put in the necessary effort, his situation could reverse once again. Time to repay the faith.


In addition to Davinson’s renewal, youth academy prospect Rodel Richards (19 year old striker, currently on loan at Colchester) has impressed enough on loan to be placed in the Senior Squad upon his return by Head Coach Bill Nicholson. With Troy Parrott, and Rodel Richards in the Senior Squad as U21 academy prospects, our pipeline between the academy and the first team is growing stronger. We admire Bill for his focus on promoting youth, and look forward to seeing these two play for Spurs in the future.


Bill Nicholson on Rodel’s promotion:

-The lad has put in good work at Colchester thus far, and our scouting team as well as our Head of Youth Development Dean Rastrick see him as a potentially useful player. Why not give him a shot on his return? Give the Spurs’ boys a chance to impress the Tottenham faithful. He’s one of our own.

Results

Before we touch base on results, let us remind the supporters of the expectations of the board:


It is expected for us to qualify for Champions League via our Domestic League competition, to reach the Semi Final of the Europa League and the FA Cup, and to not worry about the Carabao Cup.

The first month had a tremendously congested fixture list. With COVID-19 postponing the start of the season, the FA, the EFL, and UEFA had tried to keep the scheduling for Carabao Cup and Europa League intact. The clubs’ agreed to this, but it resulted in a very punishing schedule for the squad. Already, before the start of the season, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg suffered a 2-week injury. How will the team fare without him?

Premier League Matchweek 1: W 6-1 vs. Crystal Palace

A massive 6-1 home victory to start us off vs. Crystal Palace. Dele and Kane each had a brace, while Lamela and Bale rounded off the victory. It was a complete game, the only thing missing being a clean sheet, which ended almost immediately after we scored our 5th goal. The team turned off for a moment, but bounced back to score a 6th. Really entertaining stuff, and 2 players who were transfer listed really came through for the team. Dele started the match, and Lamela came in as an impact sub.

There was a little spice in this match, as Bill Nicholson in his pre-match presser was asked how they’ll deal with the experienced Palace players, to which he responded “we’ll run circles round those old farts”. Hodgson did not know how to respond to the blatant disrespect, but Nicholson’s premonition came true.

Some interesting results from that weekend:

Man City 0 : 0 West Ham at the Etihad

Everton 1 : 1 Burnley at Goodison Park

Southampton (10 men) 1: 1 Man Utd at St. Mary's

West Brom 0 : 0 Wolves at the Hawthorns

Leicester 0 : 2 Arsenal at King Power Stadium

Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round: W 2-1 vs. Unversitatea Craiova (ROU)


We were pitted against Romanian side Universitatea Craiova (the one and only) and nearly suffered a shocking defeat at home. We started with an experienced side and were completely dominant, but wasted our chances. They scored in the 77th with an easy ball over the top, to put Ofosu one-on-one with the keeper. It was embarrassing defending, and we were spared our blushes with two goals at the death, one by the returning Gareth Bale (two goals in two games ay?) and one from the backup striker Carlos Vinicius. I let the team have it afterwards, but job done.

Interesting results that round:
CSKA Sofia (BUL) 2 : 2 (p) APOEL (CYP) at Stadion Balgarska Armia

Sumqayit (AZE) 1 : 0 Aberdeen (SCO) at Kapital Bank Arena

Apol. Limassol (CYP) 2 : 2 (p) Dun. Streda (SVK) at Tsirio Stadium

Puskas Akademia (HUN) 5 : 2 Dinamo Moscow (RUS) at Pancho Stadium

Sporting Lisbon (POR) 1 : 0 Motherwell (SCO) at Jose Alvalade Stadium

Osijek (CRO) 2 (a.e.) : 1 Maribor (SVN) at Stadion Gradski vrt

Premier League Matchweek 2: W 2-1 @ Burnley


We were more in control this game, but I was still not happy with how close it was at the finish. The players are expected to win comfortably against this sort of opposition, and we tried to stay true to the “Spursy” moniker. That will not slide under my watch. With Wood getting sent off in the 63rd, we made it 2-0 in the 64th, but they should never have scored. Very disappointed we did not get a clean sheet, but we deserved the 3 points here. Kane added his 3rd goal of the season.


Interesting results that week:

Man Utd 2 : 0 Leicester at Old Trafford

Wolves 2 : 2 Chelsea at the Molineux

Carabao Cup 3rd Round: W 5-1 vs. Crystal Palace


Shortly after facing Palace in the Prem, we drew them in the third round of the Carabao Cup. Once again we were home, once again we smashed ‘em, this time 5-1 (STILL NO CLEAN SHEET). Lamela had a brace (really turning it around since being transfer listed), and Bale had a marvelous game, scoring and setting up 2.


Interesting results from that round:

Ipswich 2 : 0 Burnley at Portman Road Stadium

Peterborough 2 : 0 Newcastle at Weston Homes Stadium

Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round: W 2-0 vs. SonderjyskE (DEN)


This was more like it. Finally, a f***in’ clean sheet against some s**t opposition. Bergwijn and Vinicius were on the scoresheet, and the result was never in doubt. Fun part about this game was the debut from left-back Dennis Cirkin, who had a very positive first game and kept a clean sheet next to some experienced defenders. Well done lad!


Interesting results that round
AEK Athens (GRE) 2 : 3 Beitar Jerusalem (ISR) at Main Olympic Stadium

Alanyaspor (TUR) 1 : 1 (p) Basel (SUI) at Bahcesehir School Arena

Rostov (RUS) 2 : 2 (p)Maccabi Haifa (ISR) at Rostov Arena

St. Gallen (SUI) 3 : 1 APOEL (CYP) at Kybun Park

Bodo/Glimt (NOR) 2 : 0 BATE (BLR) at Aspmyra Stadion

Rijeka (CRO) 4 : 1 Malmo FF (SWE) at HNK Rijeka Stadium Rujevika

SK Rapid Vienna (AUT) 0 (p) : 0 Slovan Liberec (CZE) at Allianz Stadion

Besiktas (TUR) 1 : 2 Willem II (NED) at Vodafone Park

Shamrock Rovers (IRL) 2 : 3 LASK (AUT) at Tallaght Stadium

Premier League Matchweek 3: W 2-1 vs. Leeds United


This week, we setup differently. Leeds likes to commit a lot of bodies forward, so the thinking here was to switch to a counter-attacking style. What I am not happy about is that we did not create more chances on the counter. Our xG was down, and we were not breaking with pace. They however, only had one chance early in the game which they scored. From then on, it was a matter of can we take a chance. Alderweireld off a corner, Son off a beautiful counter, and we steal it at the death. Did we deserve it? I think so, their chances were meaningless. While I want to play the most attractive brand we can, we need a mixture of Silk and Steel in our tactics. The Champagne style of Pochettino and the gritty, mud and no glory style of Mourinho. This will bring us glory. Also, it was nice to give Harvey White a debut here.

Interesting results that weekend:

Everton 1 : 0 Wolves (10 men) at Goodison Park

Leicester (10 men) 4 : 1 Southampton at King Power Stadium

Monthly Recap

I mean, results wise this is brilliant. I was disappointed with our first Europa League fixture, but other than that the performances have been pleasing. We need to secure the defense a bit (only one clean sheet from those fixtures?), but those were games we needed to win and we did. Looking to build momentum from this and push on.

In terms of the starting lineups, Lloris has been playing in the Prem, with Hart playing in the cup ties. Hart has the only clean sheet, but neither have had too much to do, nor have they had the opportunity to make mistakes.

Reguilon has been our Premier League starting left-back. Davies has started the cups, but needed a breather for the Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round. It was nice to give the nod to Dennis Cirkin for a lovely debut (with a clean sheet). Dier and Sanchez have been our main center-back pairing in the Prem, with Alderweireld coming in for the cup ties thus far. Hopefully we’ll be able to hand opportunities to Rodon and Tanganga (some sub appearances have occurred), but only if the conditions allow for it. Aurier and Doherty have been rotating frequently at the right-back spot, all depending on who is more fit.

With Hojbjerg injured, our main duo has been Sissoko and Ndombele in the center. Sometimes, we change our midfield triangle to be more defensive (see the Leeds game), in which case we have moved Dier to defensive midfield. In that circumstance, it was nice to give a debut to Harvey White, who played solidly in Pierre’s absence. With that defensive triangle, you might see Lo Celso also dropping into a deeper role to help connect the defense with the forwards. With an attacking trio, we have mainly seen Dele in the number 10 role, although this is due to Lo Celso lacking necessary fitness. Dele, to his credit, has really impressed this month, scoring goals and providing assists while being on the transfer list. He’s playing for his future here, and I love it.

Our forward three has generally been Bale on the right, Son on the left, and Kane as our striking talisman. Kane and Bale in particular have been prolific, Kane scoring 3 and assisting 1, Bale scoring 1 and assisting 3 (solely in the Prem). In cup ties, Bale is getting minutes on the left wing, Moura has been coming in, Lamela has surely impressed as both a sub and a starter, and Bergwijn has had time out on the left. Lamela has been performing better than Moura, and may take his spot as Bale’s backup on the right. Vinicius has done well, scoring in a couple of matches as Kane’s understudy.

October: What to Watch For

Players: I am hoping to see some action from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. He should be returning in early October. If we can bring in Tanganga, Rodon, or Whiteman for first team opportunities, that would be great.

Premier League: After a rather straightforward fixture list in September, we start having a few more difficult matches in October. Ahead of us, we begin with a tricky fixture at the Molineux against Wolves. After fixtures against Aston Villa and Fulham, we also have a big home fixture to end the month vs. the reigning champions, Liverpool.

Europa League: After two easy draws in the Europa League (we almost botched it against that Romanian team, ay?), we received a nightmare draw for our final Europa League Qualifier – at the San Siro vs. Milan (ITA). Could not have wished for a worse team to draw, but we will believe that we can win. We will go there and attack, and we expect to make it to the group stage.

Carabao Cup: An easy 3rd round victory brought us a kind 4th round draw: away to League One opponents Peterborough. We have to be wary though. They took a Premier League scalp (Newcastle) in the third round. We cannot give them any breaks. I want to win everything, even if the board doesn’t.

This concludes our monthly report. If you have any questions, please contact us @SpursOfficial on Twitter.

Both players departing permanently provide little surprise whereas Clarke's move to Teesside for the remainder of the season will be an important one for his development. Hopefully he can be given game-time to enable him to show what caught the attention of Spurs in the first place.

Do or Die in San Siro

We're here on October 1, new month, new set of fixtures, and to kick us off we have to beat Milan in San Siro to reach the Europa League Group Stages. This is our first real test as manager. Expectations from the board have us going to the Semi Final of this competition, but this one fixture can easily knock us out.

In addition to this pressure, with limitations on foreign player spots, Erik Lamela had to be left out of the squad. Not only that, but he has picked up an injury that will see him out for 5-6 weeks. Can the squad cope without Lamela, and with the pressure of a one-game elimination?

Bill Nicholson:

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I just want to say, I am not going to answer any questions today. All I have to say is we are going for the kill. We are Tottenham.

We setup to attack and we suffocated them. It was a brilliant performance -- away Clean Sheet and an overwhelming number of chances. I only wish we scored more!

Since this was an away fixture against Milan, the usual Europa League squad was tinkered with. Lloris started, Dier and Sanchez were the two center backs, and Sissoko and Ndombele took their places in the midfield. But what makes me proud is that we did not have to rely on Harry Kane. Carlos Vinicius scored the sole goal of the game on the stroke of half time. It was wonderfully taken. He has really stepped up when called upon. The only thing I am worried about is the form of Lucas Moura. He has had a couple of starts, but has failed to impress at each turn. If he wasn't worried about his place, he should be now.

Interesting results from that round:
Rangers (SCO) 0 : 1 (ae) SK Rapid Vienna (AUT) at Ibrox

LASK (AUT) 2 : 2 (p) Viktoria Plzen (CZE) at Waldstadion

Maccabi Haifa (ISR) 2 (ae) : 1 Sporting Lisbon (POR) at Sammy Ofer Stadium

Rijeka (CRO) 5 (ae) : 4 Steaua Bucharest (ROU) at HNK Rijeka Stadium Rujevica

Galatasaray (TUR) 2 : 0 Standard Liege (BEL) at Turk Telecom Stadium

PSV (NED) 3 (ae) : 0 Granada (ESP) at Philips Stadium

Group Stage

We are through! Time to see what our Europa League group looks like:

Group I
Tottenham (ENG)
Young Boys (SUI)
Willem II (NED)
Qarabag (AZE)

After a tough draw against Milan, we were rewarded with an easy group. We will be looking to top the group, whilst giving times to the youngsters who deserve it.

Other Interesting Groups:
Group A:
AZ Alkmaar (NED)
Basel (SUI)
Antwerp (BEL)
Ludogorets (BUL)

Verdict: Not a lot of heavy hitters, but AZ, Basel, and Antwerp will be competing for those top 2 spots. I predict AZ and Basel.

Group B:
PSV (NED)
Arsenal (ENG)
Zorya (UKR)
PAOK (GRE)

Verdict: PSV and Arsenal will go through, but it will be fun seeing those teams facing each other.

Group D:
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Lille (FRA)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Partizan (SRB)

Verdict: This here is probably the group of death. Those top 3 squads are competitive clubs who will go after each other to secure one of those top two places. I predict Dinamo and Leverkusen.

Group F:
Real Sociedad (ESP)
Leicester City (ENG)
AA Gent (BEL)
Maccabi Haifa (ISR)

Verdict: Sociedad and Leicester should be going through here, but their matchups will be fun to watch. Look out for Maccabi Haifa, who had 2 impressive victories in the qualifying stages.

Group G:
Villarreal (ESP)
Ferencvaros (HUN)
Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Molde (NOR)

Verdict: Villarreal should advance, but Red Star and Molde will be battling it out for that second spot.

Group H:
Feyenoord (NED)
FC Kobenhavn (DEN)
Rijeka (CRO)
VfL Wolfsburg (GER)

Verdict: Feyenoord and Wolfsburg are my predictions to escape the group, but watch out for a confident Rijeka, who had a couple of impressive victories in the qualifying rounds.

Group J:
CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Sparta Prague (CZE)
Wolfsberger AC (AUT)
Hoffenheim (GER)

Verdict: Interesting draw here, I see CSKA advancing with either Sparta Prague or Hoffenheim behind them.

Group K:
Roma (ITA)
Galatasaray (TUR)
Lokomotiva (CRO)
Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)

Verdict: Roma and Galatasaray should advance, but those matches will be fun to watch.

Group L:
OGC Nice (FRA)
Braga (POR)
Celtic (SCO)
SK Rapid Vienna (AUT)

Verdict: This is probably the most competitive draw in terms of all four teams being reasonably well matched. I expect Nice and Celtic to advance, but would not be surprised to see any combinations of these teams advancing.

Thank you for joining. Look forward to a November update soon!

October 2020

RESULTS + INJURIES

Bill Nicholson | Echo of Glory

Injuries

This month, the club had encountered quite a few injuries. Erik Lamela sprained his knee ligaments, which will sideline him for 5-6 weeks. Tanguy Ndombele (in mid-October) strained his hamstring, sidelining him for 2-3 weeks. Additionally, Serge Aurier suffered a pulled calf and was sidelined for 7-10 days.

Could the side cope? Here's what our boss had to say:

-This is what we have a squad for no? If players cannot come in and do the job, do they deserve to be here?

Do they?

Results

Premier League Matchweek 4: W 4-2 @ Wolves


This was a great result. It was our first real tricky fixture in the Prem, going to the Molineux trying to get a positive performance and 3 points. Under Mourinho, we may have tried to go for a conservative approach, with the aim being to snatch the win. Not under Nicholson. This match was a shootout in which we created the better chances and finished them.Up 4-1 before a 91st minute 2nd goal from Neto, the result was never in doubt. Reguilon in particular was fantastic, scoring a goal and providing two assists.

Some interesting results from that weekend:

Fulham 1 : 0 Chelsea at Craven Cottage

Leeds United 2 : 0 Man City at Elland Road

Aston Villa 0 : 0 Everton at Villa Park

West Ham 2 : 2 Leicester City at London Stadium

Carabao Cup 4th Round: W 1-0 @ Peterborough


Pre-match there was a lot of fire coming from Spurs headquarters. This game was scheduled during the international break! Because of this, Spurs were left without most of their first team squad.

The poor chap, David Hytner, from the Guardian who had to interview Nicholson that day...

Bill Nicholson, Tottenham Head Coach:

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You're going to sit there and honestly question me about the match as if it were normal? Does Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, or any other club have to have their match scheduled during the International Break? What a f**kin' joke the FA and the EFL is for this debacle. Fine me my f**kin' salary you d**k 'eds. You've mad a mockery of the sport with this scheduling.

Because of the absences from his first team, Nicholson was forced to start Dante Cassanova, and Malachi Walcott from his Development Squad (both players whom he had not wanted to make the step just yet), whilst his bench was comprised of Adam Hayton, Jez Davies, Dane Scarlett, Yago Santiago, and Maksim Paskotski from the Development Squad.

Additionally, youngsters Alfie Whiteman, Japhet Tanganga, and Dennis Cirkin were forced to start.

And still Spurs won! A clean sheet from the young defense, a goal from backup Carlos Vinicius, and overall job done. You cannot expect dominance with a team that young. We would have liked more goals from our front line (being Lucas, Lamela, Bergwijn, and Vinicius), but we will take the promising performances from our youngsters. Solid defense from our future won it this time around. Ecstatic!

Interesting results that round:
Chelsea 2 : 3 West Brom at Stamford Bridge

Everton 1 : 1 (p) West Ham at Goodison Park

Premier League Matchweek 5: W 2-1 vs. Aston Villa

Not happy with the performance from this match. We were not at the races for most of it but pulled ahead via a Son Heung-Min goal early in the second half.

How we conceded was atrocious. Villa broke on the right side, but had not committed any bodies into the box. A low cross comes in, and Dier, with no one around him, roofs it into our net. Own goal, 1-1, game on. Completely unprofessional, and is the sort of mistake that we have been accustomed too. He will hear about this after the match.

Luckily, we are growing a knack for winning it at the death. Steven Bergwijn was substituted on and snagged the winner for us in the 89th minute. I love that we keep fighting through the end of the match, but I hope we do not rely on this method to win.


Interesting results that week:

Chelsea 2 : 2 Liverpool at Stamford Bridge

Europa League Group Stage: Match 1 -- W 2-1 vs. Young Boys (SUI)

Again, our performances are dipping. It is not a good sign, and some change will be made behind the scenes. We took a 2-0 lead in this match thanks to goals from Bale and Vinicius (two loan stars really making a case to be purchased permanently), but we took our foot off the pedal. Young Boys score in the 80th minute, and now we have to sweat out the victory in the last 10 minutes. This is all too familiar for Spurs fans, but while I'm here, we will not lose those matches. I won't allow it.

Alfie Whiteman started his second game this month in goal, although he did not have much to do today.

Premier League Matchweek 6: W 1-0 @ Fulham


This was a better performance. Hojbjerg was able to get a start in the Prem after coming back from injury, and he scored in the first minute! It was a terrific strike from 30 yards out. The rest of the game, neither team really threatened, but we did not sit back to defend. We tried to push the pace, but could not find a second. Nevertheless, we had a clean sheet and Hojbjerg had returned for us. Very pleased.

Interesting results that round
Arsenal 2 : 2 Chelsea at the Emirates

Leicester 1 : 2 Brighton at King Power Stadium

Europa League Group Stage: Matchweek 2 -- W 2-1 @ Qarabag (AZE)


Not good enough. First half, we were manhandled. They scored in the 27th minute, and we could not register a shot on target. We struggled to offer anything in possession, and honestly seemed to be a pathetically weak team..

"Gaffer went at us at halftime" said a stunned Carlos Vinicius. For the first time at Spurs, Vinicius was having an underwhelming game. Lucky for him, to his left a certain Steven Bergwijn took Nicholson's fire and produced. He bagged a brace in the second half to win the game for Spurs.

"89th minute against the Swiss lads and now a brace to win it for us in Azerbaijan. He's on a roll." -- Nicholson.

And in fairness to Spurs, the second half was completely different. Qarabag finished the game with 2 shots on target, both coming in the first half. Possession was dominated by Tottenham, xG was 2.16 to 0.33 in Spurs' favor. The second half was indeed decisive.

Premier League Matchweel 7: L 2-1 vs. Liverpool


Going into this game, Nicholson's Tottenham had matched a club record by winning 13 consecutive games in all competitions. Win this one, against defending Premier League Champions Liverpool, and they'd have the record and really be considered title contenders.

There were antics from the FA and the EFL again though.

Bill Nicholson:

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It's always Thursday and Sunday for Europa League squads in the Prem! How is it that all of a sudden we have a Thursday game and a Saturday game in the Prem for no reason! The broadcasting is absurd, and Liverpool are being handed a ridiculous advantage. A bunch of wazzocks are running the schedule right now, and I don't know how you w*nkers could possibly be asking questions as if this is just another pre-match routine. It is asenine. Bunch of tosspots trying to throw the title to Liverpool. Klopp always gets to complain and gets preferential treatment from the refs, Fergie walks in and the refs nor the FA can touch him, and Spurs? What are we the dogsh*t to you? Absolute trammel, shocking.

The result was a pretty boring one to boot. We made a change to the midfield triangle to help pressure their midfield and stop the flow of the game. It did that, but the game only had 3 chances -- the 3 goals.

"The lads played poorly on under 48 hours rest. I can't blame them. It's a shame, because Liverpool were quite drab. Congratulations are in order for Mr. Hoffman, hope you enjoyed the result" -- Bill Nicholson.

Two fines over the course of a month, Nicholson is certainly making enemies at the top.

Interesting Results that Weekend:
West Brom 2 : 0 Southampton at the Hawthorns

Chelsea 3 : 0 Manchester United at Stamford Bridge

Everton 1 : 2 Arsenal at Goodison Park

Newcastle 1 : 1 Leicester City at St. James' Park

Monthly Recap

I cannot complain for anything except for the fixture schedule. The Peterborough match and the Liverpool match simply showed corruption in the FA. Sadly, we were not able to beat the club record 13 game win-streak.

Injuries hit us hard, but so far we have coped. Aurier should return within a week now, while Ndombele and Lamela still have some work to do.

I am proud of the impact that Whiteman has had during his two starts. Additionally, Rodon has been making substitute appearances, Tanganga started a few games and helped with a clean sheet, Cirkin has certainly made an impact at left-back, and Harvey White has now found a few Premier League starts under his belt (against Leeds and Liverpool!).

Very impressed with Steven Bergwijn this month. Additionally, Bale and Vinicius continue to impress when called upon.

Top Performers: All Competitions

Serge Aurier: 6 GS, 2 Subs, 5 Assists, 2 Yellow Cards, 7.4 Avg Rating

Sergio Reguilon: 7 GS, 1 CS, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 1 Yellow Card, 7.1 Avg Rating

Gareth Bale: 9 GS, 5 Goals, 5 Assists, 7.2 Avg Rating

Dele Alli: 8 GS, 1 Sub, 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 1 Yellow Card, 7.1 Avg Rating

Harry Kane: 7 GS, 1 Sub, 5 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Yellow Card, 7.1 Avg Rating

Erik Lamela: 2 GS, 4 Subs, 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 7.4 Avg Rating

Ben Davies: 5 GS, 1 Sub, 1 CS, 2 Assists, 1 Yellow Card, 7.3 Avg Rating

Carlos Vinicius: 7 GS, 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 7.5 Avg Rating

Dennis Cirkin: 2 GS, 1 Sub, 1 CS, 1 Assist, 1 Yellow Card, 7.3 Avg Rating

November: What to Watch For

Premier League: A first defeat in the league is followed up by a tough November. We have Arsenal, who are in 3rd in the Prem, at the Emirates, followed by Manchester United, who are 5th in the Prem, at home, and ending with Southampton, who are 17th in the Prem. Southampton will be fighting for their lives, and are much more talented than results have shown. It will be a difficult month, and without Ndombele, Lamela, and Aurier in the beginning, will we be able to get the necessary results?

Europa League: Our home and away fixtures against Willem II from The Netherlands. Aiming for 2 wins here to clinch a spot in the knockout stage.

This concludes our monthly report. If you have any questions, please contact us @SpursOfficial on Twitter.

A good start to the season in spite of scheduling issues and the odd underwhelming performance. Enjoyed the format of this update - nice work.

November 2020

CONTRACT RENEWAL + DEMOTIONS + RESULTS + INJURIES

Bill Nicholson | Echo of Glory

Contract Renewal

After facing an uncertain future, Ivorian right-back Serge Aurier had fired Tottenham to a strong start in the league, and had the second most assists with 4 (along with an additional assist in our cup competitions). Due to this form, Serge Aurier was rewarded with a contract until 2024. Here is what the boss had to say:

Serge has certainly been flying, and has welcomed the competition from Matty. He deserves this deal, but must remember this is still a competition for the top spot. Lose momentum, and his future may be up in the air again. It's up to him to continue this run.

Demotions

Sadly, as much as we want to promote our youth talent, sometimes they must be put back in the Development Squad in order to improve. In two cases this month, it was easy to do this because the players were out on loan.

"I have made the decision to put Jack Roles and Rodel Richards back in the Development Squad. This is not to say that they cannot have an impact in the Senior Squad when the return on loan, but they need to know that we are keeping track of their progress. Depending on their performances, they could fluctuate between the Development and the Senior Squad. Such is the jump to the next level that we need to be completely honest with these lads, as difficult as it is. It's time to put in the extra effort. It will be a tough fight for them, no doubt."

Injuries

This month, the club was blistered with injuries. Davinson Sanchez spent a few weeks on the sidelines, and towards the end of the month, Serge Aurier was injured again, this time with a groin strain, that would keep him out for up to 3 weeks, while Giovani Lo Celso suffered a pull groin as well that would keep him out for up to 1 week. This was on top of Tanguy Ndombele and Erik Lamela trying to fight back to full fitness.

Could the side cope?

Results

Europa League Group Stage: Matchweek 3 W 3-0 @ Willem II (NED)


This was an easy victory for us. Bale gave us the lead in the first half, and we were unlucky to only be leading 1-0 going into the break. Nevertheless, it was time for me to fire up the lads. They had to know that they had to put the result to bed. That was exactly the case.

Carlos Vinicius continued his excellent run of form in the Europa League with a second half finish, and substitute Son Heung-Min (how's that for squad depth) rounded off the result with a superb goal in the 80th minute. Good result gave us 3 wins out of 3 in the group.

Premier League: Mathweek 8 L 2-0 @ Arsenal


This was abysmal. Last match against Liverpool, I bemoaned the scheduling and attributed it to the team's poor performance. No excuses this time, and it hurts all the more that it was at the hands of damn Woolwich.

Bill Nicholson:

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I have to apologize to the fans. The team performance was terrible. But do not lash out at the players. Lash out at me. This is my fault, my tactical decision was completely incorrect.

Let's dissect that a bit. With Ndombele forced out with injury, and with an away game at the Emirates, Nicholson decided to set up his team similarly to how he went against Leeds. Harvey White had another start at defensive midfield (getting some time in the big games), but the shape was far too defensive. Arsenal, unlike Leeds, have more discipline in their approach. The sit and counter game was not going to work as well, at least not with 2 defensive midfielders. That was the misread by Nicholson here. Not helping were poor performances from Doherty and Dier at the back, but Nicholson refused to blame his defense.

Bill Nicholson:

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Tactically, our forward line and defense were so disjointed. We could not move the ball out! I cannot blame Steven (Bergwijn) or Eric (Dier) or Matty (Doherty) for their performances. They were under immense pressure and had little help. The responsibility lies on me.

After settling on a new formation vs Liverpool (which did not help them en route to a 2-1 defeat), questions are starting to be asked about Nicholson's decision-making. After a good run of form during an easy fixture list, did he become overconfident?

Hopefully the international break could help Nicholson and co. recoup after two defeats on the trot.

Interesting results that round:
Liverpool 0 : 0 Manchester City at Anfield

Wolves 0 : 1 Leeds United at the Molineux

Southampton 2 : 0 Chelsea at St. Mary's

Manchester United 1 : 1 Everton at Old Trafford

Premier League Matchweek 9: W 1-0 vs. Manchester United


Thrilled with this. It was exactly the result that was needed after 2 defeats vs. the Big 6. Despite the tight scoreline, United rarely threatened in this match. Nicholson reverted to the 4-1-2-3 formation that he played against Liverpool, although this time it worked.

Solskjaer's United were unable to counter properly against Spurs. Harvey White (another huge start for him) played well at defensive midfield, with Hojbjerg and Lo Celso in front of him. Harry Kane scored the lone goal in the first half, but it was enough. The midfield were in control, and the defense handled everything that was thrown at them. Serge Aurier returned and looked in good form defensively. Big result this was after two disappointing defeats in the league.

Interesting results that week:

Manchester City 3 : 1 Arsenal at the Etihad

Everton 7 : 3 Southampton at Goodison Park

West Brom 7 : 2 Sheffield United at the Hawthorns

Chelsea 0 : 1 Leicester City at Stamford Bridge

Europa League Group Stage: Match 4 -- W 3-0 vs. Willem II (NED)


Another good performance here, and we start to pick up momentum again. 12 points out of 12 in the Europa League is big. We qualified for the knockout stages early. This will allow us to play some youngsters as we try to finish top of the group.

Happy with another clean sheet here, especially given that youngster Joe Rodon was able to earn his first start of the season. Vinicius was man of the match, as he bagged a brace, one of which was a stunning volley in the 9th minute.

Premier League Matchweek 10: W 2-0 @ Southampton


This was another solid performance from the squad. Southampton were a little fragile after a 7-3 thrashing to Everton the week before, so it was our time to step up and claim 3 points.

We stuck to the same formation that overcame Manchester United, and it worked out well. Early on, there were one or two scares from balls over the top, but Vice-Captain Hugo Lloris has been in fine form. We scored early and first, and took control of the midfield.

No surprises were sprung in the starting lineup, but Southampton were very abrasive. During the first half, both Giovani Lo Celso and Serge Aurier had to come out. This allowed Harvey White to get another half of Premier League football under his belt, and this was his best performance yet.

Son scored early, and Kane scored in the 54th minute. In the lead-up to the second goal, it was the youngster White he stopped a Saints move and sprung us on the counter. Really proud of the performances he has put in, especially since he has been called to play in big games.

Interesting results that round
Manchester United 3 : 0 Manchester City at Old Trafford

Aston Villa 4 : 0 Wolves at Villa Park

Leicester City 1 : 1 Everton at King Power Stadium

Arsenal 0 : 0 Crystal Palace at the Emirates

Monthly Recap

The Arsenal defeat was a low point, but I am proud of the way the squad responded. Out of 5 games in all competitions this month, we have kept 4 clean sheets. We bounced back against Arsenal and beat United. We will still be hunting for the title.

I am proud of the impact that White has had. He allows us to move Hojbjerg a bit forward (for added security) and he has shown great maturity in big matches.

Carlos Vinicius also continues his outstanding form. Pretty soon I'll be forced into purchasing him for next season.

Top Performers: All Competitions

Serge Aurier: 8 GS, 3 Subs, 1 CS, 5 Assists, 7.3 Avg Rating

Sergio Reguilon: 10 GS, 3 CS, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 7.1 Avg Rating

Gareth Bale: 12 GS, 1 Sub, 6 Goals, 6 Assists, 7.2 Avg Rating

Dele Alli: 9 GS, 1 Sub, 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 7.1 Avg Rating

Harry Kane: 10 GS, 1 Sub, 7 Goals, 2 Assists, 7.1 Avg Rating

Erik Lamela: 2 GS, 4 Subs, 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 7.4 Avg Rating

Steven Bergwijn: 7 GS, 9 Subs, 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 7.0 Avg Rating

Matt Doherty: 10 GS, 4 Subs, 6 CS, 1 Assist, 7.0 Avg Rating

Ben Davies: 7 GS, 1 Sub, 3 CS, 2 Assists, 7.3 Avg Rating

Joe Hart: 6 GS, 3 CS, 7.1 Avg Rating

Carlos Vinicius: 9 GS, 1 Sub, 9 Goals, 3 Assists, 7.5 Avg Rating

Dennis Cirkin: 2 GS, 2 Subs, 1 CS, 1 Assist, 7.3 Avg Rating

December: What to Watch For

Premier League: We have a jam-packed holiday fixture list, but hopefully come out of this unscathed. Though we start with a tough home fixture vs. Leicester, we have a run of four reasonable games before facing Chelsea away in a big derby at the end of the month.

Europa League: We finish up the Group Stage with an away fixture against Young Boys (SUI) and a home fixture against Qarabag (AZE). Hoping to finish top of the group and give some game time to youngsters.

Carabao Cup: We have a tough quarter-final draw here. We will be away against Leicester City, looking to progress. Considering we won in the 4th round (yes against Peterborough) with a team of youngsters, we will have faith that we can go on to win this cup. Tough draw, but at this stage there are only good teams. We have to beat the best to be the best.

This concludes our monthly report. If you have any questions, please contact us @SpursOfficial on Twitter.

Ignoring the loss to your North London rivals, it has been another decent string of results for Spurs. Glad to see Aurier's performances meriting a new contract. He has proven himself this season and certainly regaining a lot of plaudits after initially being tipped as one that would likely be departing the club rather soon.

Interesting will be keeping an eye out. I am intrigued by what tactic you are using as I do feel like we are underrated on this year's game.

You've started well here it seems, and with Kane dependable, it's those around him who you have got playing well that is helping you out massively. Bale, Bergwijn and Vinicius in particular going forward have really taken a load off Kane, something Spurs have struggled with for years.

December 2020

Bill Nicholson | Echo of Glory

Academy Promotion

After a couple of months in the Development Squad, Bill Nicholson has promoted youngster J'Neil Bennett to train with the Seniors.

Bill Nicholson:

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He's a good lad, he trains hard, and he deserves this opportunity.

Bennett is a speedy youngster who can play on either wing. He's excited to be training with the senior team, but knows he has to keep up his impressive training form.

J'Neil Bennett:

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I'm really grateful to the gaffer for giving me this opportunity. I know I have to keep my head down and work hard. Others have been promoted only to be demoted shortly thereafter, so it is up to me to keep a diligent work ethic.

Results

Europa League: Group Stage 5 -- L 2-0 @ Young Boys (SUI)


Terrible. We came into this match looking for a win so that our youngsters would get some playing time in the last Group Stage game. A win here would have secured top spot in the group, so this loss hurts. In terms of how well we played, we merited a draw, but we could not score. Our defense was again worrisome, with simple balls over the top unlocking our whole schema. Much work to be done on this front.

Japhet Tanganga got a start here next to Toby, but he looked a bit shaky against the Swiss side. Hopefully it was a fluke. We have one match left, and we need a result to secure top spot of the group.

Premier League Matchweek 11: W 3-1 vs Leicester


Great result here. We lined up in a variant 4-3-3 with Ndombele and Lo Celso both playing a bit deeper, alternating who would surge forward. After a troublesome game against Young Boys, Nicholson decided to stick with youngster Japhet Tanganga in his starting lineup, and it paid off. Tanganga was solid at the back.

The brilliance of this game, however, belonged to Gareth Bale. Another game with a goal and an assist in the books. He is absolutely flying this season. The only downside was we couldn't keep a clean sheet, as Cengiz Under scored a consolation goal in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half for Leicester. In the end though, I am thrilled with this result.

Interesting results that round:
Everton 3 : 3 Sheffield United at Goodison Park

Burnley 1 : 0 Arsenal at Turf Moor

Europa League Group Stage 6: W 3-1 vs. Qarabag (AZE)


Another brace from Vinicius in the cup, another goal from Gareth Bale, and we finish top of the group. Vinicius was our man of the match, doing a great job spearheading the line. After a disappointing outing against Young Boys, it was good to see our loan man doing the work to seal our top seed.

In terms of prospects, Tanganga had received the past two starts (one in Europa and one in Prem), so Joe Rodon took his spot for this game next to Alderweireld. The two played well together, but again the backline has been undone by route-one football. It needs to stop, and if it can't, we might need to enter the market in January.

Premier League Matchweek 12: D 1-1 @ Sheffield United


This was really disappointing. While we weren't at our best, I felt we deserved the 3 points for this one. First half was really strong, Kane got the lead for us while Bale had a goal disallowed for offsides. However, the second half was more tightly contested, and they scored a goal near the death to steal a point.

Beginning to worry a bit about Sonny's performances. He was poor here against the Blades and has not been near his best. Additionally, this is another game where we should have kept a clean sheet, but it has fallen apart. It might be time to analyze the options we have in the market given our financial constraints.

Interesting Results:
Liverpool 4 : 0 Wolves at Anfield

Brighton 2 : 1 Everton at Amex Stadium

Leicester 2 : 1 Manchester City at King Power Stadium

Premier League Matchweek 13: L 4-2 vs. Brighton


Shocking defending. Absolutely abysmal. Brighton are Spurs' bogey team without a doubt. At home, they completely outplayed us. Hugo Lloris let in a howler. Ndombele had a miserable game. It seems reality is crashing down on us, and I need to sort the ship. My methods are going to be constantly in flux as I try to sort out an identity of champions for this club. I have inherited a Mourinho and Pochettino squad that I am trying to convert into a Nicholson squad. It will take time, I will still be aiming for trophies whilst doing so.

Interesting results that round
Chelsea 6 : 2 West Brom at Stamford Bridge

Wolves 0 : 0 Arsenal at the Molineux

Crystal Palace 0 : 0 Leicester at Selhurst Park

Premier League Matchweek 14: W 2-1 @ Newcastle


A turn in fortune here. We were far superior to Newcastle, but things got hairy. These defensive displays cannot continue. After leading 1-0 via a goal from Son in the first half, Bale scored early in the second to make it 2-0. The game should have been put in cruise control, but Eric Dier was undone in the midfield by Saint-Maximin that allowed him to go one-on-one vs. Lloris and score. Why Dier was so tight in that area of the field baffles me. Still, we showed nerve to hold on to this 2-1 victory away, given our poor run of form.

Interesting Results:
Sheffield United 5 : 1 Crystal Palace at Bramall Lane

Manchester United 3 : 0 Wolves at Old Trafford

Chelsea 0 : 0 West Ham at Stamford Bridge

West Brom 1 : 1 Everton at the Hawthorns

Carabao Cup Quarterfinal: L 3-0 @ Leicester


Well, what's to say. It has been a tough month for this group of lads, and this was bottom. The defense has just been getting pounded, and even with an experienced side lined up for this match, we were dreadfully flat. The front three and the midfield were woeful.

After the match, the gaffer went home without saying a word. The next day we showed up into training at 8:00 AM. We did not leave until 11:00 PM. I will not tell you what happened between, that's for us only. -- Harvey White

Interesting Results that Round:
Manchester City 0 (p) : 0 Liverpool at the Etihad

Premier League Matchweek 15: W 5-2 vs. West Brom

Smashed 'em. The fact that they scored two was a testament to how leaky our defense has been this past month. Our attack, however, received my message.

Going out to attack, we had 5 different goalscorers on the day. Ndombele, Dele, Kane, Sanchez, and Doherty all contributed. This is where our team shows its mettle. Bouncing back from a horrid display at Leicester (albeit with a backup squad) with a 5-star performance was immense for our confidence.

Interesting Results:
Everton 2 : 0 Chelsea at Goodison Park

Aston Villa 1 : 1 Manchester United at Villa Park

Fulham 0 : 0 Arsenal at Craven Cottage

Wolves 0 : 1 Southampton at the Molineux

Premier League Matchweek 16: D 2-2 @ Chelsea

If you were to ask me if I would take a point at Stamford Bridge, I would have snatched your hand. But this one hurt.

We were well in control of the match. After going down close to half time, we responded quickly in the second half with a quickfire double from Kane and Bale. We were creating the chances and controlling the game, and it seemed we would come away with 3 important points.

After instructing the team to waste time and to keep possession whilst playing more defensively, however, Serge Aurier had an absolute howler. Why he is taking our throw-ins anymore is beyond me, but he did in the final minute of stoppage time. We were high up in their half, and instead of launching it to the corner, he threw it right to Chelsea so that they could counter. They scored in the 95th minute to steal a point. After rewarding Aurier with a new contract, I am already having regrets. That said, we played well, and deserved more from this.

Interesting Results:
Arsenal 1 : 2 Liverpool at the Emirates

Leicester 2 : 1 Wolves at King Power Stadium

Fulham 0 : 0 Arsenal at Craven Cottage

Wolves 0 : 1 Southampton at the Molineux

Calendar Year Awards

Gareth has been immense for us this season. In 18 starts and 2 substitute appearances in all competitions, he has scored 10 and assisted 8. He has truly returned to form here, and it has deservedly given him the Welsh Player of the Year award for 2020. It's the first bit of individual plaudits that we have received, so I am looking forward to pushing on on this front as well as for team honors.

Injuries

A couple of injuries occurred this month, but nothing overwhelming considering the packed schedule:

Gedson Fernandes -- Out 4-7 weeks, broken wrist
Sergio Reguilon -- Out 2-5 weeks, sprained knee ligaments

Sackings

With the holiday fixture list came the first sackings of the season. In Spain, a highlight for the Spurs faithful was that Sevilla sacked Julien Lopetegui after the club fell to 15th in La Liga, and hired the magician Mauricio Pochettino.

In the Premier League, after runs of poor results, Cystal Palace (19th) and Wolves (17th) fired Roy Hodgson and Nuno Espiritu Santo respectively. Neither have hired a replacement yet.

Monthly Recap

This has been my toughest month in charge. With what should have been a relatively easier holiday fixture list (I was only concerned about the Leicester matchups and the Chelsea game going into December), we piled up some poor results.

The Young Boys defeat was incredibly disappointing, even though it was inconsequential for our Europa League seeding. That defeat started a wave of inconsistency, culminating in the embarrassing draw to Sheffield and the tepid display against Brighton. Rock bottom, however, was the humbling 3-0 defeat at Leicester in the Carabao Cup Quarterfinal. This was the first piece of silverware we were knocked out from, and as I was fighting for everything, I was ashamed. The backup squad did not take their chance, but they will certainly learn from it. I was very much encouraged by the upturn in performance in our final 2 fixtures, but something will need to be sorted out about our defense come January.

Top Performers: All Competitions

Sergio Reguilon: 13 GS, 1 Sub, 3 CS, 1 Goal, 3 Assists, 7.1 Avg Rating

Gareth Bale: 18 GS, 2 Subs, 10 Goals, 8 Assists, 7.2 Avg Rating

Harry Kane: 17 GS, 1 Sub, 10 Goals, 3 Assists, 7.1 Avg Rating

Erik Lamela: 4 GS, 5 Subs, 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 7.3 Avg Rating

Carlos Vinicius: 12 GS, 1 Sub, 11 Goals, 4 Assists, 7.4 Avg Rating

January: What to Watch For

Premier League: We have an interesting schedule ahead of us for January. First match of the month is against West Ham at home, followed up by a home game against Everton and an away fixture against Manchester City. At the end of the month, we have a tough game against Leeds at Elland Road. Will be a test of our character.

FA Cup: We follow up our home game against West Ham in the league with an away fixture against them in the FA Cup. We are looking to make the semifinal of this competition (as per the board's instructions), so we will play this one tough.

This concludes our monthly report. If you have any questions, please contact us @SpursOfficial on Twitter.r.

Not the greatest of months that in a month you really could have solidified second place with wins over Brighton and Sheffield United. However, December and the number of games you have to play is always tough. There is still a reasonable gap between you and 5th which is the main thing.