Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur preview
Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur: preview and mood check
Leeds United head into Saturday lunchtime against Tottenham Hotspur after a defeat that has left the mood flat, and on Puppy Love, the weekly roundup on The Square Ball, Dan Moylan, Michael Normanton and Rob Conlon try to lift it. Dan opens by walking through every fixture of the weekend and predicting each result goes Leeds United's way, which Michael points out is just describing what he hopes will happen.
The case for optimism is built from what the hosts can find. Spurs have only really beaten Coventry, Crystal Palace (who had a man sent off) and a Chelsea side they almost never beat away, so Michael refuses to believe they have gone from poor to good. Dan notes they lost 3-0 at Brentford on the opening day and that Leeds play a similar way. They pick at Archie Gray at right back, the keeper, Andy Robertson's age, and agree Leeds were good in spells against Bournemouth, Arsenal and Brighton without holding it. Rob wants "a hit of madness" after weeks of tight results, saying fans are "like junkies that have gone cold turkey". Team news is a worry: James Justin went off holding a hamstring and Joe Rodon is called up by Wales. The hosts wonder if the Wales trip is wise. Okafor starts if fit. Dan wonders whether Ilia Gruev's expiring contract will be renewed, and the others recall his shrug of an interview last season.
They also take in the under-21s' loss at Hartlepool, with Rob enjoying spotting familiar names turning up for non-league opposition, and a tangent on James Maddison, Richarlison and Cristiano Ronaldo's letter.
The TSB+ ratings are bleak: nobody reaches a six, Tarik Muharemović tops the match at 5.88, Daniel Farke scores below every starter and referee Michael Salisbury gets 0.64. Dan reads out likes and dislikes from listeners, including a Stokes joke about Jason Wilcox and a butter-knife-in-a-steakhouse line.
Villain of the week goes to Roma's manager for ruining a perfect week of results for the Propaganda crowd. Hero of the week, in a bleak week, goes to Brenden Aaronson's new puppy Otis, which Dan campaigns for. Dan then points listeners to the Phil Hay episode on The West Stand.
