Cartilage Free Captain

Welcome to the latest installment of the EFL Championship roundup, where your hoddler-in-chief takes a look around the second tier in the English football pyramid.

For this month’s roundup I am going to look at three different football clubs suffering from three horrible managerial choices they recently made. A couple of these faces may not surprise you:

Coventry: First up is Coventry, who seemed to forget what a shambles of a club it was before Mark Robbins took over. Robbins brought the club to the doorstep of the Premier League just a couple years ago before losing to Luton Town in the playoff final. A year later, and without Victor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hammar, he nearly did it again.

Coventry have massively struggled this season and are currently in 16th place, 12 points adrift of sixth. Playoff hopes are virtually zero. But instead of sticking by their manager, Coventry cut bait and sacked Mark Robbins on 7 November.

His replacement? None other than Frank Lampard, coming off horrible spells at Everton and Chelsea. Will this work out any better? No, because I don’t think Lampard’s a better manager than Robbins.

Hull City: It was shocking to me that Hull City parted ways with Liam Rosenior at the end of last season. Hull had one loss in their last seven games and Rosenior brought them up to seventh in the table (a position they should not have been in given their squad).

Again, like Robbins, Hull let him go.

They brought in a maanger named Tim Walter (never heard of him) and a tonne of random players. At the same time, they lost two of their best players in Jean Michael Seri and Oscar Estupinan.

Where are Hull City now? 22nd out of 24th and currently looking for a manager.

Plymouth Argyle: It’s actually kind of surprising Plymouth Argyle are sticking by Wayne Rooney for now. While the first two clubs made mistakes in sacking Robbins and Rosenior, Plymouth are making a mistake by keeping Rooney.

It was a bizarre appointment from the start. Argyle are not a good club, so it was strange on Rooney’s part to accept something where he will likely not succeed. Argyle have won two games in their last 10 matches across all competitions and sit 21st in the table, just above Hull City.

He responded with their lastest drubbing (a 4-0 loss to Bristol City) by briefly taking responsibility before slamming his players. Plymouth have a -20 GD !!!

I’m not sure where it goes from here, probably somewhere between 22nd and 24th. Who knows, maybe he won’t even be around long enough to find out.

EFL Championship Top Six:

EFL Championship Bottom Three:

Fitzie’s track of the day: Submarine, by L’Imperatice

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): Spurs’ injury woes have ‘blunted their edge’ with no respite coming

Bonus from The Athletic ($$): What Tottenham can expect from Tamworth

BBC on what being ‘Spursy’ means to Tottenham fans

Surprise! The third round of the FA Cup was drawn today, and Tottenham Hotspur were drawn away at non-league side Tamworth FC, with the match taking place the weekend of January 11, 2025.

Tamworth, located in the English midlands, is one of the lowest teams left in the competition, as they currently play in the Vanarama National League, after winning and promoting from the National League North Division last season. Tamworth is currently 16th in the league and got here by defeating Huddersfield Town in round 1, and Burton Albion (in extra time) in round 2.

Tamworth play at The Lamb Ground, which seats 4,963 (with just over 500 seated). Here’s a picture of their ground.

OK, this is awesome, and for several reasons. First, it’s (at least in theory) one of the easiest draws in the competition — Spurs are four divisions above the Lambs, and it means even with an away fixture Ange Postecoglou has the flexibility to play some children or deep, deep reserves and feel decently confident about progressing to the fourth round of the competition.

But it’s awesome for another reason — matchups against lower league clubs are super fun. Remember the away trip to Marine FC during COVID? That was one of the most fun matches I’ve ever covered, and not just because we managed to get Cartilage Free Captain’s logo on the back of Marine’s shorts. This isn’t quite that big of a mismatch (level 5 on the pyramid vs. level 8) but it’s still a minnow hosting a white whale in the minnow’s puddle, and that rules. Everyone loves a good David vs. Goliath match in the Cup, and even though Spurs are in the Goliath role it’s definitely one of those potential Magic of the Cup, Innit™ matches.

Just for fun, here’s a video of Tamworth manager Andy Peaks reacting to the draw. Big lol!

The FA Cup gate receipts are traditionally split between the clubs, and when big mismatches like this happen in the FA Cup it’s pretty standard for the big visiting club to let the smaller club keep the whole of the receipts. When minnows are drawn away at Premier League clubs, the split gate from that one match can sometimes be transformational, equal to or more than an entire year’s revenue. And also this is a match that due to the interest will likely be picked up for television coverage, so although they won’t get a ton of matchday revenue, they’ll still get a fat TV check.

So away at Tamworth in January? Yes. YES. This unreservedly rules. BRB, I’m going to go see about sponsorship options and maybe start a GoFundMe. (Not really. But maybe?)

There’s a lot of cool things about soccer, but one of the coolest is when goalkeepers are pulled all the way to the opposite side of the field for a late set piece to give the attacking side a one-man advantage. It’s even cooler when they, very rarely, manage to score an important goal.

That’s exactly what happened to young Tottenham Hotspur keeper Josh Keeley, who is currently on loan at League One side Leyton Orient. Hosting National League side Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup this past Saturday, the Mighty O’s found themselves deeeeeeeeep in extra time down 1-0 and with a last-gasp free kick from the corner of the box. Keeley was pulled, and managed to head in the most improbable of goals to pull his side level with virtually the last play of regular time.

It’s hard to find decent video of the goal, but this video taken from the stands and posted to X is the best I can do. You can still see it if you squint.

The Magic of the Cup, innit? Orient would go on and score a 120th minute winner in extra time to secure progression to the next round of the Cup.

Keeley hasn’t been a regular for Orient this season, but according to FBRef he’s made 11 appearances for the O’s this season, letting in 12 goals to go with 24 saves. Considering Orient are a bad team this year (21st in League One) it’s not surprising he’d be facing a high volume of shots, and when you’re a 21-year-old keeper, any first team experience is good experience.

And now he has a goal to add to his resume. Whatever else happens this season, he’ll always have that, and it rules.

Last week we noted that 18-year-old South Korean phenom and future Tottenham signing Yang Min-hyeok was nominated for a couple of significant awards at the conclusion of the K-League season. Over the holiday break, the K-League had their awards ceremony, and Yang was awarded the Young Player of the Year award, along with a place in the K-League Best XI for the recently completed 2024 season.

Tottenham Hotspur commemorated the awards on their socials this morning.

The K-League isn’t exactly a top tier world football league, but this is still pretty impressive for a kid who only just turned 18 and who is playing in his second season of professional football. Yang had 11 goals and 6 assists for Gangwon FC and was considered a “shoo-in” for the Young Player of the Year award. Yang was also, notably, nominated for the overall MVP award, but he lost out to veteran keeper Jo Hyeon-woo.

It’s already been announced that Yang will be joining Tottenham for training and acclimation purposes very soon (if he isn’t there already) ahead of his formal signing when the January transfer window opens next month. I’d advise fans to temper their expectations for Yang — while he plays in a position of need for Tottenham, who are experiencing an injury crisis on the front line, the jump from the K-League to the Premier League is MASSIVE. I’m not saying that we might not see him play a few minutes here and there, but he won’t be added to the Europa League roster unless there are other player departures, and it’s much more important that he works on adapting to life in England and becoming besties with Son Heung-Min. A reasonable expectation for Yang is that we don’t see him at all this season, and depending on his acclimation and training he could even head out on loan next season. He’s one for the future, and that’s fine.

On the other hand, maybe he hits the ground running and cooks. And if Yang can cook, so can you!

Tottenham Hotspur didn’t do a ton to assuage jittery supporters on Sunday, earning a tepid 1-1 draw against Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Brennan Johnson scored a typical back post Brennan Johnson Goal™ to put Spurs up in the second half, but Fulham captain Tom Cairney blasted in an equalizer at the top of the box before being sent off for an awful foul on Dejan Kulusevski. Spurs, who looked tired and ropey all match, couldn’t muster enough offense up a player to get past a bunkered Fulham defensive line and the match ended as a 1-1 draw.

It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

If you’re on mobile or found this via AMP and the survey isn’t appearing below, her

Tottenham Hotspur had a shaky performance yet again as the side saw its London Derby match against Fulham end in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

With the lineup coming out and Dominic Solanke not in the squad — sent home after feeling ill — and Dejan Kulusevski on the bench, Spurs were looking for a way to get some chances without the two who have provided the most work in the squad.

Neither side seemed to control the ball throughout the first half, as shaky passes, poor possession play, and an inability to break down a defensive side in the end produced only a few moments.

Fulham they were able to get the Spurs’ defense open as they broke down the press, and for a majority of the chances they believed to have had, but Ben Davies came in clutch in multiple instances as the 10-year-veteran for the side put his defensive skills on display — as he rocked a black eye.

With questions about how Fraser Forster would slot in with Vicario out, Forster stood tall between the sticks as he made himself big on multiple Raul Jimenez chances and kept the striker out of the scorers sheet for the entirety of the match.

Spurs had early chances from Heung-min Son in the first minute as his shot hit the chest of Bernd Leno, and another opportunity he had, he couldn’t get out from under his feet in time.

The other big chance for Spurs came on a James Maddison free kick. Having a goal already from set pieces this year, Maddison tried to go for the spectacular with a low shot that was nicked away by the wall as the shot narrowly missed the post.

Spurs opened the scoring in the second half as Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson connected yet again. Struggling to keep possession and play strong balls, Maddison had the ball 25-yards out and put in a ball for Werner on the left wing. Taking a few touches and dragging the defense into his path, Werner lifted a perfect ball to the edge of the 6-yard box for an open Johnson to open his foot for a first-time volley and a 1-0 lead.

Rarely scoring first at home this season, Spurs had to go on the defensive shift, but a mistake in defense again allowed Fulham to get the goal they had been looking for all game long.

Club captain Tom Cairney equalized the match with a first-time shot from just inside the box, and the open space allowed Cairney to hit a curler to the far post that left Fraser just diving and watching the ball spin into the back of the net.

Tying the game, Cairney was eventually shown a red card after VAR ruled he had studs entirely on Kulusevski’s calf during a foul in play.

Sensing the advantage and the crowd coming alive to back the boys for a winner, Spurs failed to break down the back 5 Fulham resorted to.

With that, a draw was the final result, and the home crowd voiced its displeasure in the side as Spurs dropped another possible three points in the second half.

Consistency has yet to be shown for the side as the next visit to Bournemouth is on Thursday.

It’s now December, and we’re into the festive season! And that means even MORE FOOTBALL, as Tottenham Hotspur kick off a busy month in a match against cross-town rivals Fulham.

You never quite know what to expect when Spurs play the Cottagers, with some perhaps surprising results in recent years; and combine that with the Lilywhites’ consistent inconsistency and anything could happen in this match.

There’s injuries aplenty for both sides which adds to the uncertainty: Fulham are missing the likes of Joachim Andersen and Harrison Reed, while Spurs’ absentees in both the forward and defensive lines are well documented, supplemented by Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension. Anything could happen here. Let’s see what will.

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Fulham

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Time: 8:30 a.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA or UK. Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Peacock

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They’re bad and they get us in trouble. Violators will be warned or banned.

We have rules against “relentless negativity.” Nobody likes a Negative Nancy. Don’t knee-jerk and post outlandish or hurtful things just because you’re frustrated.

Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Thanksgiving Day football hasn’t always been kind to Tottenham Hotspur. In fact, the last time Spurs played on Turkey Day in 2021, they lost 2-1 to Slovenian side NS Mura in Maribor. This time around the results were a little better, though it was still a rather disappointing 2-2 draw against AS Roma in the Europa League. Son Heung-Min converted an early penalty before Evan Ndicka leveled for the visitors, and Brennan Johnson continued his hot goal scoring form late in the first half.

On balance, Tottenham outplayed Claudio Ranieri’s men, but they couldn’t find a match-clinching third goal despite numerous chances, and former Bayern & Dortmund man Mats Hummels bundled home an injury-time cross to give the Romanistas a late draw.

A disappointing result to be sure, as a win would’ve cemented Spurs as firm favorites to finish in the top 8 of the Group Stage standings and earn an eventual bye to the Round of 16. Here are three things we learned from Thursday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What a stupid match

Spurs fans shouldn’t be surprised by this result. While it’s been a while since we’ve been in the Europa League, we have plenty of experience with European fixtures that are entertaining, but utterly ridiculous affairs. I don’t think anyone would say that Spurs were at their best against Roma, but they put out a pretty strong starting XI and did manage to put up 3.74 xG against a side that hasn’t won in their last five matches and is on their third manager of the season. Spurs struggled with Roma’s high press for decent chunks of the match, but once they figured out how to get past the first line of the press there was acres of space in behind, and Tottenham looked very dangerous on the counter. In that sense, the story of the match was more about how Spurs just weren’t clinical enough with their finishing — they hit the woodwork a number of times, had another cleared off the line, and should’ve had at least three goals if not more.

That said, their inability to put the match away could’ve been a lot more costly. Roma are struggling this season but they have some impressive offensive talent in Hummels, Paulo Dybala, and Stephan El Shaarawy. Roma had three goals called back for offside violations in this match and dramatically added to their own xG (2.52) when they started pouring men forward late. Hummels’ injury-time goal was unfortunate (and extremely stupid) but it’d be hard to say that it wasn’t deserved, as Roma had been pushing for a goal for quite a bit of time at that point.

So it was a pretty dumb game. Two points dropped to be sure, but we have seen worse results in this competition past years and sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to goal. And at least they didn’t lose!

Get used to sweating on Fraser Forster

The big storyline coming into this match was Spurs’ starting keeper, Guglielmo Vicario, injuring his ankle in the big win over City at the weekend, one which required surgery and which will keep him sidelined for months. That puts Tottenham’s Europa League and Premier League future in the Jack Reacher-sized mitts of 36-year old reserve Fraser Forster. And that’s scary, because while Forster is an experienced pro and a good shot stopper, in a lot of ways he’s everything Vicario is not — big, slow, relatively immobile, and uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, all things that makes Spurs fans super nervous in an Ange-Ball system that demands nimble keepers who can sweep up behind a high defensive line.

Forster’s performance against Roma was something of a mixed bag. It was not a poor performance by any means — he made five saves against a pretty furious late Roma attack, including a couple that were pretty outstanding stops. He also displayed some quick reactions, including bundling away an ill-timed back header from Pedro Porro.

But it was clear that Forster was not as comfortable in this system as Vicario. He played decently well out of the back but there were some nervy moments and a lot more mid-range passes from the box than we’re used to seeing from Googly Elmo, and while he got down to make a few smart saves, he often seemed glued to his line. And he also got beat four times, though three of them were called back for offside.

So not a poor match by any means, but also not one that will settle Spurs fans too much as they get ready for a very busy holiday fixture period with Forster in goal for much of it. You have to wonder though how Big Fras will handle opponents who are decidedly better than Roma in the upcoming weeks, because while his performances this season are probably not worthy of the initial panic from supporters after Vicario’s injury, the weaknesses are glaring, and fluttering nerves will likely be the norm until Elmo gets back, or Spurs fortify their keeper ranks in January.

Spurs are still favorites for top eight

Thursday’s draw dropped Spurs — just barely — out of the top eight in the Europa League “Swiss Model” group stage standings. They’re currently 9th on goal differential with 10 points from five matches, but only three points from the top spot. This means they’re still in a good position overall. The top eight in the standings get an important pass to the Round of 16 and avoid having to play a home-and-home playoff to qualify for the next stage. A win would’ve put Spurs in the drivers’ seat, but they’re still in a good position overall.

People much smarter than me (i.e. Joel Wertheimer) have crunched the numbers and suggest that 16 points is the magic number needed to be assured of a top eight finish. Spurs have three remaining matches — at Rangers (Dec. 12), at Hoffenheim (Jan. 23) and home to Elfsborg (Jan. 30). Of those three, Rangers at Ibrox will present the biggest challenge, as they are currently one spot ahead of Spurs and level with them on points. Hoffenheim and Elfsborg are currently both in the bottom 12 and face crashing out of the competition altogether. Two wins will be enough to earn Spurs the bye, and five points might also do it with some favorable results. But even if Spurs don’t finish top eight, they’ve done enough to make the playoff round. Even if Spurs don’t win at Rangers there’s no need to panic.

Dismantling Manchester United away. Humbling West Ham. Dominating Aston Villa. A historic conquest at Manchester City. The highs for Tottenham Hotspur over the past two months have been oh so high — yet the lows during that span have been about as low as can be with losses to two relegation candidates and taking zero points after leading Brighton by two. The WLWLWLW pattern over these seven matches suggest frustration is coming on Sunday, and it is hard to disagree.

Fulham is a decent side, just one point behind Spurs, but there is no doubt that Tottenham should be taking all three points here, especially at home. It obviously has not worked out that way though, and instead this just feels like it could be another wasted opportunity to potentially jump into the top four. Winning consecutive league matches for the first time since September should not feel this difficult, but here we are.

Tottenham Hotspur (t-6th, 19pts) vs. Fulham (t-9th, 18pts)

Date: Sunday, December 1

Time: 8:30 am ET, 1:30 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Peacock (US)

The Cottagers have taken seven points from their past four matches, but have not taken down any big six sides this year, losing to both Manchester clubs (and also losing to Villa). That does not preclude them from the upset on Sunday, as far worse teams have beaten Spurs recently, but Fulham has not exactly looked like giant killers this year.

Aside from that League Cup loss early under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have generally fared well in this matchup with a 6-1-1 record in Fulham’s last four seasons in the top flight. The London sides split home and home last season, with Heung-Min Son and James Maddison scoring in the 2-0 win at the new Lane. The reverse fixture was an inexcusable 3-0 beating in West London that came on the heels of the 0-4 masterpiece at Villa Park.

Depths of despair

Even if Tottenham stops being completely dumb against terrible competition, it is going to be tough to climb up the table going forward without Guglielmo Vicario. The loss of the excellent goalkeeper is the most devastating injury to date, despite both starting center backs missing time, and Spurs’ depth is really going to be put to the test. As the draw to Roma showed once again, the defense has been anything but reliable, and pivoting to Fraser Forster is not going to help with that.

Vicario has been excellent this season, ranking fourth in post-shot xGA compared to actual goals conceded. Forster has (thankfully) not had to feature in the league thus far, but has been rough when called upon in Europe, allowing five goals through three matches. Just as limiting is his ability with the ball at his feet, as Spurs will not be able to play the same out the back as with Vicario, and probably cannot be as aggressive in front of him either. This is a giant step down.

Embrace the approach

There are plenty of theories as to why Tottenham continues this maddening roller coaster, whether it be random chance, lack of focus, or perhaps a response to opposing playing styles. Dejan Kulusevski seemingly confirmed the latter following the win at the Etihad, noting that City’s desire to come at the defense with the ball allowed Spurs to spring forward, while also being able to rest a bit and pick their moments to attack.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of opponents do not play this way, so Tottenham’s success this season depends on its ability to finally find a solution against low blocks. Wolves certainly had no issues pummeling this defense to the tune of four goals last weekend, so the opportunity is here for Spurs. Again, it is not my expertise picking lineups, but whether it is Brennan Johnson or Kulusevski out wide, someone needs to find a way to pick a lock and help break this terrible alternating streak.

good morning!

Here’s another reminder that it’s Black Friday (not that I’m encouraging you to participate in it).

Why should you anyways? It’s just shopping, right? And there were so many alleged deals to be had before we even arrived at this point in the calendar.

Nevertheless, I write.

I participated in Black Friday once when I was in high school. I went out with my mom and my sister to the local mall before 6 in the morning (I think) and stopped to get a donut on the way.

The donut was the most enjoyable part of the day. Not that the day was bad, but the donut was just very good.

I don’t think I got too much. Maybe just a sweater that didn’t even amount to being a good deal in the end. I wore it for a long time though - a good seven or nine years I had it. Talk about bang for your buck.

The lines were too long though.

I understand why people do it. It can be fun if you approach it in the right way. You gots to get them deals. And with Thanksgiving finally out of the way, us Americans can finally get ready for the holidays. Deck the halls, ring the bells, hear hear, rebel yells.

If I have to participate in Black Friday again this year I think there are only two items that I would be interested in pursuing. First, a pair of sneakers since mine are pretty trashed. Second, a pair of tennis shoes since mine are long worn out. And maybe, maybe, a pair of running shoes if there’s a great deal (like under $50 for a pair of Kinvaras, though I doubt it).

All that’s to say, I don’t have much planned.

Keep your shopping bags and give me my donut.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Nomad, by Clairo

And now for your links:

Emma Hayes says she’s got her mojo back

The Times ($$): A book review on the story of the penalty kick

From this weekend:Marta and Orlando Pride win first NWSL Championship