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Preseason is in full swing, and it’s one match after another - which is exciting, because football! Youth! Goals! Transfers!

Tottenham Hotspur’s second “official” preseason fixture is away at Queens Park Rangers, and early London derby to get the juices flowing. QPR have struggled since their relegation from the Premier League in 2015, becoming somewhat cellar dwellers in the Championship. It’ll be a good test for this young Spurs side, however, who’ll be hungry to prove themselves and continue the form from the match against Hearts.

There should be a good showing from the academy group once more, with it still being too soon for the senior internationals to rejoin the group. Expect some interesting defensive pairings once more, and some exciting cameos from some of Tottenham’s youngsters.

COYS!

Lineups

How to Watch

Queens Park Rangers vs. Tottenham Hotspur (friendly)

Loftus Road, London, United Kingdom

Saturday, July 20, 2024

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. UK

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

Streaming: SPURSPLAY

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!

WE GOT OURSELVES A REAL FRIDAY AFTERNOON TRANSFER BOMBA! According to Argentine outlet TyC Sports, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are negotiating a swap deal that would send Giovani Lo Celso +£19m to the midlands in exchange for midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

The Argentine National Team became champion of the 2024 United States Copa América after defeating Colombia 1-0 in the final. One of the keys to Lautaro Martínez’s great goal that won a title was the sub entry of Giovani Lo Celso, who provided an assist. The Tottenham midfielder is close to changing teams in the Premier League and could emigrate to Emiliano Martínez’s Aston Villa.

Spurs and the Villains are in negotiations and a swap will soon be agreed: Jacob Ramsey, 23, would move to the London team while the former Rosario Central would go as part of the payment to Birmingham, in addition to a sum of £19 million. If confirmed, the two-time American champion will no longer share a squad with Cristian Romero but will do so with Dibu and Emiliano Buendía.

Whoa! Jacob Ramsey’s name has come up as a player of potential interest over the past few weeks. We wrote about him when the rumors first popped up back in June — he’s young, English, and can play across the midfield line, but is coming off an injury-plagued season where he only played about 850 minutes. At the time, I expressed skepticism about adding Ramsey, and I will admit to still being a bit skeptical — Ramsey still feels a bit like a giant box with a “?” on the side, but he’s apparently well-liked by Johan Lange (who knows him from his years at Villa) as well as Unai Emery, and maybe that’s the most important thing.

Interestingly, that previous article about Ramsey discussed a possible Lo Celso + £20m swap, but that Villa weren’t interested. It makes me wonder what’s changed now — is it Lo Celso’s performances at the Copa America? Has Ramsey decided he wants to move? Are Villa still hard up for cash after the PSR deadline? Who knows!

Ramsey does seem like a player who has a large upside, and we’re getting him for kinda cheap when including a player who no longer wants to play for us and who has only completed nine 90-minute matches for us in the past five years. If this is real (and we’ll wait for further confirmation), then maybe it’s a good deal after all?

I bet you got used to being able to watch Tottenham Hotspur’s friendly matches for free on the internet, right? Well sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not the case for tomorrow’s away friendly between Spurs and QPR at Loftus Road.

After confirming with a source at CBS, I can let readers know that there are only two ways to watch tomorrow’s match and that’s either via SpursPLAY, Tottenham’s in-house premium streaming service, or QPR+, which is Queens Park Rangers’ premium streaming service.

If you’re a SpursPLAY member, you’re all set. Fire up the ol’ computer box or cellular smart phone and get to watching. If you want to subscribe, a SpursPLAY annual pass is £45 (£35 for season ticket holders and One Hotspur members).

Far be it from me to tell you to buy a SpursPLAY pass. If you don’t have or don’t want to buy a SpursPLAY subscription, you can buy a short-term pass to watch QPR’s coverage of the match for £12, which includes the last three of Rangers’ remaining preseason matches.

While it’s not confirmed, I was told that at least two of Spurs’ remaining friendlies (likely including at least one of the Bayern matches) will be streamed in the USA on Paramount+/CBS Sports Golazo Network, though it’s not yet clear which ones.

And no, links to illegal streams are still not allowed here. Sorry.

How to Watch

We haven’t had a ton of positive transfer news from Tottenham Hotspur Women lately, so here’s some! The club announced today on social media that midfielder Drew Spence has signed a new contract that will keep her at Spurs through the 2025-26 season.

Spence signed an initial two year deal with Spurs in June of 2022, but she was not one of the players announced to be leaving the club earlier in the summer, so I wondered what was up with her. Drew’s been in and out of the side the past couple of years, mostly due to injury, and at 31 she’s no longer a spring chicken. She came back into fitness towards the end of last season and provided some big performances late. What she provides Tottenham is great deal of experience and physicality in the center of the pitch, along with the occasional banger of a goal.

Drew’s extension, however, does make me wonder about Grace Clinton. That news has been very quiet (although most everything has been quiet with regards to Spurs Women right now), so there’s a part of me that wonders if extending Drew means Grace is off the board?

But that’s a tomorrow problem. Spence may or may not set the world on fire but she’ll be an important cog in Robert Vilahamn’s Spurs machine for the next two seasons, and that’s good.

Kia ora.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about video games. I used to play a lot; I play a lot less now as I get older. Part of that is shifting priorities; part of it is time; and a small part of it is at times I find modern video games exhausting.

Sometimes, I long for the simplicity of the old days, where you could switch on a console or insert a disk, enjoy some blissful escapism for an hour, then continue about your day. Games nowadays are an experience; one which I often love but one that takes so much more effort and energy.

I’m a 90’s kid. That, plus growing up in New Zealand where the early consoles weren’t available meant I missed the early gaming boom. My childhood next-door neighbor had a Playstation, on which we spent hours playing Crash Bandicoot; and my uncle had a Nintendo 64. Eventually I got one of my own, which I still have.

I still dust it off sometimes and go back to my favorites. Ocarina of Time & Majora’s Mask, Goldeneye & Perfect Dark, Super Mario 64, Wave Race, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - all these hold a nostalgic place in my heart, and I honestly still love to play.

If I go back even further, I have more fond memories in the PC realm: Myst, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Star Wars: TIE Fighter and Rebel Assault 2; hell, I had Wolfenstein 3D on floppy disk, if you even know what those are.

All this to say: some of those games still give me joy to this day, and not just the memories. Playing them too. What were some of your favorite games, and memories around gaming growing up?

Matty’s track of the day: Fifty-Fifty Clown, by Cocteau Twins

And now for your links:

Long watch: Alasdair Gold talks about Spurs, the match at Hearts, and who might be available for the remaining preseason fixtures

Atletico Madrid are also interested in purported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Conor Gallagher, according to Matt Law at the Telegraph

Sky Sports Transfer Center, where Lyall Thomas mentions Spurs’ links with Eze, as well as Leicester City interest in Oliver Skipp

Kia ora.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about video games. I used to play a lot; I play a lot less now as I get older. Part of that is shifting priorities; part of it is time; and a small part of it is at times I find modern video games exhausting.

Sometimes, I long for the simplicity of the old days, where you could switch on a console or insert a disk, enjoy some blissful escapism for an hour, then continue about your day. Games nowadays are an experience; one which I often love but one that takes so much more effort and energy.

I’m a 90’s kid. That, plus growing up in New Zealand where the early consoles weren’t available meant I missed the early gaming boom. My childhood next-door neighbor had a Playstation, on which we spent hours playing Crash Bandicoot; and my uncle had a Nintendo 64. Eventually I got one of my own, which I still have.

I still dust it off sometimes and go back to my favorites. Ocarina of Time & Majora’s Mask, Goldeneye & Perfect Dark, Super Mario 64, Wave Race, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - all these hold a nostalgic place in my heart, and I honestly still love to play.

If I go back even further, I have more fond memories in the PC realm: Myst, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Star Wars: TIE Fighter and Rebel Assault 2; hell, I had Wolfenstein 3D on floppy disk, if you even know what those are.

All this to say: some of those games still give me joy to this day, and not just the memories. Playing them too. What were some of your favorite games, and memories around gaming growing up?

Matty’s track of the day: Fifty-Fifty Clown, by Cocteau Twins

And now for your links:

Long watch: Alasdair Gold talks about Spurs, the match at Hearts, and who might be available for the remaining preseason fixtures

Atletico Madrid are also interested in purported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Conor Gallagher, according to Matt Law at the Telegraph

Sky Sports Transfer Center, where Lyall Thomas mentions Spurs’ links with Eze, as well as Leicester City interest in Oliver Skipp

Tottenham Hotspur got their 24/25 preseason underway with an away trip to Hearts in Scotland, crushing the Edinburgh side 5-1 in a dominant performance.

Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the first, with a tidy finish off a James Maddison square ball, before Hearts equalized early in the second as Emerson Royal gave the ball away in his own box. From there, though, it was all Spurs, with Will Lankshear, Mikey Moore, Djed Spence, and Ashley Phillips all getting on the scoresheet.

Here are my top 10 talking points from the match.

Boy, I have missed Ange-ball - and it was in full flow here. Often, you can see extreme tactical experimentation in preseason, but this was fullblown Ange-ball. The standard 4-3-3 setup, inverted fullbacks, and aggressive movement and pressing were all on full display, and it was encouraging to see how quickly the team have settled back into the tactics following the break.

Maybe it’s the way things go in Scotland; maybe Hearts just wanted to leave their mark. But you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a regular season match from the way Hearts dived into tackles. A heavy challenge on Dejan Kulusevski started things off early, before James Maddison was absolutely clattered in what was possibly a red card challenge. Hopefully he suffers no ill effects.

With the majority of Spurs’ center back cadre still on holiday following international duty, and Ange Postecoglou opting not to involve youth team players too early, it was an interesting looking defensive pairing to start the match. Oliver Skipp and Archie Gray started at the back, with Gray looking comfortable but Skipp perhaps less so. They did enough, however, to keep Hearts scoreless in the first half. It was maybe a slightly more “normal” pairing in the second, with Emerson Royal and Ash Phillips stepping in, and funnily enough, they were the ones to concede, with a terrible Royal giveaway playing creator for Hearts’ solitary goal.

It was Spurs fans’ first chance to see Archie Gray in action, albeit at the unfamiliar position of center back, and he was impressive. Showing composure on the ball beyond his years, he was calm, organized, and intuitive out of possession, while displaying impressive passing range in possession, as a lot of Spurs’ attacking moves started with him at the back. One to watch this season.

Or not. While Manor Solomon made his return from a long injury layoff last season, starting the match, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Richarlison, and Pape Matar Sarr were all missing from the squad. The former three all had injuries at the end of last season, so are potentially still working on their rehabilitation; the unknown is Sarr, who as far as we didn’t have any issues. Maybe he picked up a knock?

Kyosuke Tagawa probably hates the sight of Brandon Austin after the Englishman made two phenomenal saves on Tagawa shots at point-blank range. The first was pure reaction from Austin as he stretched to tip a close-range header over the bar following a set piece; before Tagawa found himself in behind the Spurs backline, hitting a ball from the right goalwards... only for Austin to deny him yet again with a sprawling stop.

Though you sometimes see a conservative approach in preseason matches, not so today. Ange changed out the entire first XI at halftime, before making further substitutions later in the match, ensuring the majority of the travelling squad saw the pitch. From what I could tell, only midfielder Nile John and winger Yago Santiago didn’t get minutes.

Can we fix him? Questions around both ability and attitude have abounded around Djed Spence, but he was perhaps the surprise package today, looking completely at home in Ange’s attacking setup. His pass for Will Lankshear’s goal early in the second half was brilliant, and he made good attacking runs, being rewarded for doing so when he got on the end of a Timo Werner cross for a goal of his own. Maybe we need to watch this space?

This match was a huge showcase for the Spurs academy, with a number of youth side involved. Tyrese Hall continued on his positive display from the post-season fixture against Newcastle; Mikey Moore looked sharp and scored a brilliant goal following a mazy run; and Ash Phillips was assured at the back and bundled in a goal of his own. It was Will Lankshear, though, who really looked the part, bullying defenders and scoring early in the second half across the keeper with a true striker’s finish. Could he contribute to the first team this season?

Look, this is exciting and all, but it’s preseason - and even though Hearts finished third in the Scottish Premiership last season, they clearly aren’t a particularly good side (at least by Premier League standards). Let’s not put too many expectations on the team and some of our young players based on a single match played at a pace that was definitely below Prem level.

Screw it, we’re gonna win the league.

After two years working with Tottenham Hotspur’s academy, one of Spurs’ all-time best scorers is moving on. Jermain Defoe announced today via social media that he has left his role as a youth coach with the club as he seeks new opportunities in coaching.

It’s not uncommon for Tottenham to give chances to former players as they take their first steps into football management, and Defoe is just the latest one to take advantage of the club’s generosity in helping develop a new generation of coaching talent. After a couple of. years cutting his teeth with Spurs’ youngsters, it sounds like he’s ready to take the next step, likely as an assistant coach in another club’s first team setup. Defoe doesn’t state where he’s heading to next, but I would imagine if he’s leaving Tottenham he probably has at least one offer, and has likely already accepted another gig. We’ll probably find out soon enough if that’s the case.

Defoe is seventh on the club’s all-time scorers list with 143 goals in 362 appearances and is considered a club legend.

Tottenham Hotspur Women haven’t made many waves in the transfer window thus far, with their only real move being making Sweden defender Amanda Nildén’s loan from Juventus into a permanent signing. Yesterday, the club finally broke the seal on new additions, just ahead of the team beginning preseason training ahead of the 2024-25 WSL season. Spurs announced the signing of England U23 international defender Ella Morris, from Southampton, on a three year contract.

Morris isn’t a name Spurs fans (including myself) will be super familiar with, but she’s a highly regarded young defender who came up through Southampton’s youth system and has played the past two seasons for the Saints in the FA Women’s Championship. She’s already made 114 first team appearances for the Saints at age 21, scoring 14 goals.

In her first interview since joining, Morris said she’s excited to join Tottenham, a club she describes as “ambitious.”

“I’m very excited to be here, it’s a big Club with big ambitions so I’m excited to get started and meet everybody. The training ground is pretty amazing and the staff here are incredible.

“I spoke to Robert and Vicky [Jepson], the style of football they want to play is really exciting and that’s something I want to be a part of. The girls seem amazing as well, so I’m excited to get going with them.

“It’s my first time moving to a new club so I’m looking forward to being in a new environment, meet new people and throw myself into the deep end, hopefully make some friends for life and learn as much as I can from my teammates.”

Since joining Spurs, head coach Robert Vilahamn has worked to create a squad of talented and young players who can adapt to his high pressing and progressive tactics. Morris looks like a player who can fit into that structure, even if it’s not clear yet whether she becomes an instant starter. Morris is clearly coming in as one of the replacements for the departed Shelina Zadorsky and Asmita Ale in the defensive corps, both of whom officially left the club this summer.

More importantly however, she’s NOT another blonde ponytail on a team full of them, meaning she’ll be more easily identifiable in the back line on grainy FA Player streams! (Think of the bloggers!)

Looking forward to getting to know her and watching her play. Welcome to Tottenham, Ella Morris!

good morning!

That’s right, fitzie is going back to the Motherland for a solid week. What are the plans? Not sure yet! We’ve got some unstructured time on this trip.

A trip to see Spurs vs Hearts though? Don’t count on it.

I would love to go back to White Hart Lane, but I’m not sure if time will allow for that this time. Which would be a shame since I had to sell my tickets to Spurs vs Chelsea back in November. There’s always next time, right?

Anyways, before I take a short trip to Yately from London, I do hope to go back to some of my favourite spots. Of course I’ll go to Sister Ray and Reckless Records, the many Caffe Neros and pubs as well.

From there, I’ll be making my way back to DC via Iceland. And this time I’m taking advantage of the stopover programme. Puffin tours, whiskey distillerys, lagoons and some beautiful landscapes hopefully await me. I will report back.

I’m also so grateful to escape this heat. DC has been unbearable. It’s broken heat records for, what, two days in a row now?

As some of you have probably guessed by now, this means you’ll have some substitute hoddlers-in-chief in the next 10 or so days. So treat them well!

Fitzie’s track of the day: Dedicated Follower of Fashion, by The Kinks

And now for your links:

Alasdair Gold ranks the Spurs players following the Euros and Copa America