Cartilage Free Captain

Welcome back to Part 2 (Electric Boogaloo) of my journey to and through the Sydney Super Cup, talking through what the tournament and trip was like from a fan perspective… but also from having access a fan might not usually have. Part travel blog, part human-interest piece, part fan boy experience; here’s what it felt like as a fan walking into the press box and seeing Spurs play for the first time. Hopefully you enjoy.

Check out Part 1 here, if you haven’t already.

Sydney FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur

So there I was: in the press box ahead of Tottenham Hotspur kicking off against Sydney in what would be my first live Tottenham Hotspur experience. Worth It had taken a 17-11 lead into the second leg against Not Worth It. I admired the view and sneakily took the photo you saw in the previous piece; I felt like a total fish out of water, and taking photos like a tourist would have cemented that status. In front of me were sitting a number of journalists and club media staff.

I stood awkwardly behind all of them, as my understanding was that each spot (there are rows of desks in the press box, with plug points and cabling slots for individuals like myself to set up) was set aside for a specific person; but I also noted that there weren’t any names on any of the chairs or desks, and so I just kind of milled around until I picked up the courage to ask a friendly Australian whether or not the seats were reserved. I probably looked like a stalker. They were not reserved, so I needn’t have worried.

I took a seat and realized two things: one, I was seated behind a handful of very well-known Spurs and Chelsea football journalists from the likes of BBC, The Athletic, and Football London; and two, I was extremely hungry.

You see, the press rooms are catered, and I left very early to make sure I got there on time - just in case there were issues (I’m extremely glad I did that). The problem is that by the time I got into the press room, most of the food was gone. 0-1 to Not Worth It as my stomach rumbled.

As I prepared for the match, getting logged in to the backend of the site and starting to get engaged in the comments, updating the lineups, etc, I gave a smile and nod to a couple of the journalists. They all were chatting amongst themselves, with no club loyalties getting in the way of friendships. I’m quite introverted and am aware of the reputation that certain fan-run sites and/or aggregators have amongst actual journalists so was reticent to introduce myself properly, outside of a couple of interjections here and there. One journalist referenced the match back in Auckland, saying it was a record crowd for a football match in New Zealand; I corrected him, saying it was a record crowd for a men’s football match in New Zealand (several matches in the 2023 Women’s World Cup had a higher attendance). Let’s call that a cheeky tap-in for Worth It to even up the scores.

What was fascinating though was the amount of discussion around football news: transfers, injuries, and the like. I overheard breaking news before it was even official: Danny Welbeck to Chelsea was confirmed; it was mentioned that Dejan Kulusevski was back in training. Little tidbits and morsels flew past me like I was in a food fight. Oh, that’s right. Food. I shift awkwardly in my seat to try hide my stomach rumbling. The joy of my surroundings is quickly offset by the pangs, and it’s now two apiece.

The players are out now training on the pitch. There’re some questions around the midfield shape and structure, before I see Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray standing in the center of the pitch together, pinging long passes to the corners. That must be the starting double pivot. It’s my first time seeing the players in the flesh and I’m still trying to mentally process it; Mathys Tel is rather a large human being, and he stands next to Manor Solomon who looks tiny in comparison. The players return to the sheds.

Soon enough, though, it’s time for the prematch proceedings. Duel of the Fates rings out around the ground which is a nice touch and really helps the reality start to sink in as the players walk out. There’s a countdown, and the referee blows for kick-off as the crowd roars. Worth It has gone up 5-2, as my fandom scores a quickfire hat-trick.

I won’t rehash the entire match report; you’ve already gone to the trouble of not reading that. Nobody does, after all. There’s a couple of things about watching in the press box, though. Firstly, you’re not really supposed to be cheering for a team. You are there to work, and it’s a little unprofessional if you are cheering, chanting, etc. Secondly, the Allianz press box has slidable windows at the front, so despite this, you can’t really help being caught up in the atmosphere around the ground - which is electric. What is disappointing, however, is that the stadium is probably only 3/4 full (if that), and there is a very parochial home crowd in attendance. That support I saw out in public earlier in the day hadn’t really materialized.

I didn’t have time to be disappointed by this, though, as Mathys Tel lined up a free kick. He couldn’t, could he?

He could.

My first Spurs goal, and it’s an incredible direct free kick, right into the top corner.

I do my best to not scream as that’s two knocked in by Worth It. There is absolutely an exclamation through the press box though, as all are stunned by the quality of the strike. Wows and gasps and claps and headshakes are all present as I once more try to process what is going on before me.

It’s hard to describe how surreal this is; it’s kind of like going to the Grand Canyon, for those who have had that experience. You step out and see it for the first time, and it almost doesn’t look real. It’s like you’re staring at a painting, but something beyond what you could imagine.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

My existential crisis is not helped by a deep-seated feeling that I am absolutely not supposed to be there; but I am there nonetheless.

Sydney soon get one back; it’s a calamity of errors at the back. It hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm. I’m just happy to be there. That’s when, late in the second half, the talk of a possible penalty shoot-out filters through the press box. A penalty shoot-out in a friendly? Surely you can’t be serious. A few of the journalist shake their heads. I would normally be in agreement with them, but a direct free kick AND a penalty shoot-out in my first live Spurs football experience? I’m on cloud nine, which is also the number of goals scored by Worth It, with the score now 9-3.

Luca Williams-Barnett steps up to take the first penalty. He’s only 17, and boos rain down. It’s a panenka. Have I had a stroke? 10-3. Joe Lacey hits the post. Surely it’s Spurs’ match from here. 11-3. Jamie Donley doesn’t quite strike his attempt cleanly enough, however, and the shootout is back on level terms once more. 11-4. Martin Dubravka makes a stunning save on Alexandar Popovic. 12-4.

Dane Scarlett slots the final penalty and it takes everything within me not to cheer and applaud as Spurs win. They won!!! It’s 15-4. Unbelievable. My first Spurs match and it’s a win.

Oh, wait, I’m supposed to be working. I hurriedly put together the finishing touches on my match report as I notice the other journalists quickly packing up and rushing out of the press box. I watch the general direction in which they go, but I haven’t quite finished yet, so can’t follow. I’m soon done, though, and go down to explore. I eventually find the press room down the hall, and realize I have missed the bulk of the press conferences. There’s a late charge by Not Worth It, as Unfamiliarity With One’s Surroundings knocks in a goal to reduce the deficit. I poke my head in the door and listen in as Roberto De Zerbi wraps up his press conference. All the journalists head back to the writing area at the back of the press box, discussing De Zerbi’s comments on Lucas Bergvall, which I’ve missed - apparently RDZ wants the Swede to stay!

I quickly search around online and find a video of the press conference. Phew. I try to quickly skip through the key points, but ruffle around in my bag for my headphones so as to listen clearly to this thick Italian accent without disturbing the other journalists (who are all already listening to their own recordings on headphones themselves). I’ve forgotten my headphones, and it’s now 15-6, with a goal to Not Worth It courtesy of my memory.

I struggle and strive with my phone against my ear to listen to the recording. I write a couple of words, stop, pause, rewind, write a couple more, until I’m pretty sure I have the quotes exact. I skip through a couple of other parts of the video, jot down a few more key points, finish writing my piece on De Zerbi’s press conference (of which I missed the vast majority but am now up to speed) and click Publish. I’m the last one left in the press room, and it’s now after midnight. 15-7.

The Aftermath

I head outside of the stadium. It is freezing. Remember, from my last piece, I’m only wearing a blazer (well, not only, you sickos - you know what I mean). I see Alasdair Gold, Elias Burke, and Dan Kilpatrick waiting for what I assume is a taxi, and momentarily consider going up to them and introducing myself properly, but I’m exhausted, they’re probably exhausted, and the adrenaline has worn off just enough to not take the edge off my social anxiety. Good one.

I head to the train instead, and get a message on the masthead Slack: the quotes on my press conference piece aren’t showing up. For crying out loud. My laptop is out of battery packed away in my bag as well, AND I don’t have the link to the Wordpress backend in my phone. 15-8, as the home team really needs to sort out their defense.

Dustin is on the case, though; he sends me the link (he can’t fix it himself thanks to Real Life™ getting in the way) and I get things sorted. Thanks for making those quotes invisible to everybody due to nothing but an extra indent, as Wordpress Formatting knocks in another goal for Not Worth It as I realize once again I still haven’t eaten since around 2 pm. I know there’s a McDonalds in the center of the suburb near to where my friend lives; surely that will be open. Most McDonalds are open 24/7 nowadays, right? Come on, it’s 2026.

Not in Randwick, Sydney. 15-9. Damn it.

I do a quick search. There’s a pizza place open until 2 am, and that is it. 4.4 stars on Google. It’ll do.

The peri-peri chicken pizza when it is finally ready is cromulent at best, but I am starving and demolish most of it. 16-9. I walk down the street, take a bus, followed by another walk back to my friend’s apartment in the freezing cold. 16-10, and I stumble in the door at 2 am. My body clock is still on New Zealand time, so really, it’s 4 am. Exhaustion rises above the defense to knock one in from a set piece conceded by Time Zones. 16-11.

I hit the bed and realize I am still buzzing. What have I just witnessed? Arguably a dream come true, via an avenue most fans will never experience. As I come to terms with this, my brain and heart soar - it’s cheesy but it’s hard to find words better suited. There will be no comeback by Not Worth It, with a flurry of late goals from joy and sleep. It’s 20-11, with a deserved victory yet again by the home side.

Did you really think it would go any differently? Well, we do follow Spurs, after all.

Check back in tomorrow, where I’ll talk through my experience talking with fans in Sydney… and running into the team.

Please accept my apologies, hoddlers. But I have to do a second running hoddle this week.

And this is also my third post this summer on running water bottles. It’s hot out there, and I bought the Nathan 14oz handheld soft flask to keep me hydrated and fresh on all my runs. I was excited to have something that would get lighter the more I would drink out of it.

After a couple months of running with this bottle, I would like to offer my review. The short answer is: I HATE IT! I HATE THIS WATER BOTTLE. I HATE LOOKING AT IT. I HATE DRINKING OUT OF IT.

Now, please see the reasons below for why I hate this stupid thing.

Sweat: The bottle claims to be moisture wicking, but the sweat actually clings to the fabric that wraps around the bottle itself. Firstly, the fabric makes your hand warmer than it should be. But the sweat becomes a serious problem because you should be washing the outer part after every single use (and by this I mean throwing it in the washing machine). Who has time to run the washing machine every single use for a bottle? You can go a run or two without doing this, but then you have to breath in the stench while you drink out of it.

Putting together: And then you have to put this stupid thing back together. I have wasted way too much time struggling with this. There are two different points at which the detachable outer has to connect with the bottle itself. It’s annoying to squeeze it in there and it takes too much time. I count the miles I could have completed by the time I’m done.

Weight distribution: Yes, it gets lighter the more you drink it, but that’s not the best thing because the weight of the water becomes unevenly distributed. This makes it awkward to hold when there is a noticeable different in weight with the bottom and the top, so it becomes more of an effort to hold it.

Gripability: And that leads to my next problem. It isn’t the easiest bottle to hold. You want the bottle to slip easily into your hand without requiring an effort to squeeze it and have that added stress with the grip. A relaxed hand is good for running. But there isn’t a single way to make this easy to hold.

Squeezability: Water bottles should be easy to drink out of. This one isn’t. It’d be nice to be able to simple squeeze the thing and have water come out. But not. You have to bite down on it to loosen the nozzle for the water to come out. This is very inconvenient, especially so during the summer. There’s no way for me to squeeze water on my neck or wrists if I’m trying to cool off, so the next best thing is the hose by the beach volleyball courts.

I’m back in the market for a running water bottle. I don’t know what direction this journey will take me, but I hope it frees me from the hell that is the Nathan 14oz handheld soft flask water bottle.

Rating: 0.25 out of 5 Fitzies

Fitzie’s track of the day: Here’s The Thing, by Sports Team

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$):“Roberto De Zerbi interview: ‘Tottenham need to bring in top players to be competitive’”

Alasdair Gold: “Roberto De Zerbi admits he sent angry text to Tottenham transfer target and gives Kulusevski update”

BBC: “Infantino sorry for errors but stays Fifa president”

The Guardian: “‘Dream come true’: Eva Olid delighted after being named Manchester United’s new head coach”

ESPN: “Wrexham make Preston captain Ben Whiteman 2nd summer signing”

The Northern Echo: “Delano Burgzorg and Kaly Sene set to leave Middlesbrough”

Another young player is out the door on loan! While it hasn’t (yet) been confirmed by the official club account, Alasdair Gold of Football.London is confirming that 18-year-old Irish striker Mason Melia is heading to Championship club Lincoln City on a season long loan with no purchase option or obligation.

The Lincoln City Imps are a fun club with a long history in the Football League. As recent as eight years ago they were playing non-league football in the fifth division on the English pyramid, but have steadily climbed the ladder more recently. They won the League One title last season to promote to the Championship for the first time since 1960 — a significant achievement for a club that has a ground that seats only 10k fans. In the process they went 29 games unbeaten to close out the season, last losing in November of 2025. They also gave Chelsea a game in the EFL Cup, losing 2-1, and they

I’ve got an online buddy who’s an Imps fan and he’s pretty excited about not only a season in the second division, but also about this loan. Apparently Lincoln City don’t really have many established strikers at the club and played a bunch of wingers and attacking midfielders up top last season, so there’s a decent chance Melia will get significant minutes there. Dropping an 18-year-old into the Championship in his first loan since playing in the League of Ireland is both a little harrowing and also represents how strongly Spurs think about his ability. Not sure how much noise Lincoln City will make in the Championship as a newly promoted side, but it’ll be fun to find out!

We reported on this a couple of days ago, but it appears Mikey Moore’s great German adventure is on! Several reporters including Sky’s Michael Bridge are reporting that Spurs and FC Köln have come to an agreement to send Mikey to the Bundesliga on loan for the season.

My understanding is that this is a “dry” loan, meaning that there’s no purchase obligation or option — Mikey will get a full season of German football and then will return to Spurs next summer. No word on a loan fee, but I presume there’s something small in there about that as well.

This is a good next step for Moore. He’s had his loan to Rangers where he did well, but didn’t sparkle a ton in Tottenham’s preseason fixtures on tour in New Zealand and Australia. That’s not a terrible thing but it probably indicates he needs a little more time in the oven. Spurs have been pretty careful with Mikey’s development, which speaks well to how much they like him and think he’s going to be an impact player for Tottenham in the future.

Cologne is a nice city and a pretty good club, and he’ll get to go up against some really good teams in the Bundesliga, and also, equally importantly, a whole bunch of not-very-good teams, also in the Bundesliga. It’s an important next step for him after showing that he can, at minimum, hang in Scotland.

I know we currently still don’t have any healthy right wingers at Spurs, but I’m glad that we’re not throwing Moore in the deep end this season, or worse, keeping him around to sit on the bench and not play. This is a good loan. Hopefully he crushes it there.

Ashley Phillips has yet to make his professional debut for Tottenham Hotspur, and now it looks like he probably won’t. Michael Bridge of Sky Sports is reporting that Middlesbrough is currently in active negotiations to sign Phillips in what will probably be a permanent deal, not a loan.

We don’t know the fee yet, but we know that Phillips is already established at the Championship level. He’s spent the past two seasons on loan with Stoke City where he became a regular in the back line, and he was on loan at Plymouth Argyle before that. He’s clearly a good option in the second division and while I expect he’ll eventually make the leap to Premier League footballer, for now this feels like an expected move.

Boro are making moves in the transfer window and are clearly angling for a promotion push this season. They’ve already signed Will “BIG WILLY LANKS” Lankshear this summer and it seems like Spurs and Boro have a good enough relationship that they’re coming back to the well. Boro made the promotion playoffs last season but lost to Hull City in the final at Wembley.

Considering Spurs only spent £2m to sign Phillips a couple of years ago and that the central defense situation is pretty locked down right now, selling Ash makes a ton of sense. I suspect this will be a fee in the £10-12m range or so which would represent a pretty good ROI for a player that Spurs essentially house-flipping. That would be a pretty substantial fee; Boro’s transfer record is £17m. I’d also expect a Rafi Moersen sell-on/price matching clause in there as well. But we’ll find out eventually.

FINALLY. After weeks of negotiations with broke bois Inter Milan, finally it looks like we might be getting a serious move for Cuti Romero from a club that makes a ton of sense. Fabrizio Romano (sigh) is saying that Atletico Madrid is readying a bid for Cuti, and that the player is wanted by Atletico manager Diego Simeone.

Now, Atletico doesn’t have a ton more money than Inter Milan does and that’s reflected in what Romano is reporting about Atletico’s expected bid. No matter what happens, Cuti’s likely to leave Tottenham for less money than we think is proper, and we’ll probably just have to live with that. But the difference appears to be that Inter was trying to low-ball Cuti on his wages, and that might not be the case at Atleti.

Honestly, Atleti feels like an ideal place for Romero to land. He’ll be a perfect fit for Simeone’s tactics, and he’ll make the team better. Romero is on record (through misleading questions in interviews) as saying he’d love to play in Spain after spending the rest of his non-Spurs career in Italy, and this is probably the best Spanish team he could go to (non-Barca/Real edition).

Sounds like nothing is official, which tracks, and Romano says Atleti needs to raise the funds for his transfer through sales, but since we’re all resolved to Cuti leaving this summer, I’d like him to go somewhere where he fits. Atletico feels like a much better fit than Inter, and I’d rather this move happen.

As most of you know, Cartilage Free Captain, or rather, yours truly was on the ground in person to experience Tottenham Hotspur’s preseason tour of Sydney as they took part in the aptly named Sydney Super Cup.

This presented a rare chance for many fans to get up close and personal with the team that they love. Though this is the third time Spurs have made trips to Australia in four years (the most recent being against West Ham United in Perth and Newcastle United in Melbourne), it was the first time in a decade the Lilywhites had made an appearance in Australia’s most densely populated city.

Once on the ground, I had the idea to write up a bit of a summary of the trip, but from a slightly different angle. Here at Cartilage Free Captain, we are not journalists; we are fans. But we always try and write from a balanced, factual, and analytical perspective. As such, at times we try and remove the fan angle from our writing in order to deliver you, our readers, the best analysis money can buy. Or rather, the best analysis you can get for free. We like to think we’re at least on par with the Metro.

But like I said, we are massive fans - and so I thought: why not let my flag fly a bit? What has this tournament and trip been like from a fan perspective… but also from having access a fan might not usually have? So this piece (and two to three others that will follow in a series this week) are being written from that point of view: part travel blog, part human-interest piece, part fan boy experience. Maybe that’s of interest to you; maybe not!

But I plan on talking about the trip; about fans I talked to in Sydney; about my experience as a fan walking into the press box and seeing Spurs play for the first time. Hopefully you enjoy.

Getting there

Now, I’m not going to go too in depth as to the details of my trip - I do want to focus on the Spurs-related elements. But I did think it could be fun to talk about my experience (read: misfortune) travelling overseas to get to see the team we know and love, for your amusement as much as anyone else. The referee blows for kick-off in the match of Worth It vs. Not Worth It, with the home side heavy favorites. Editor’s note: please be aware that this is very much (mostly) in jest - I am hugely grateful to Dustin and to Spurs for getting to experience this!

I left my house at 4:30 am local time, with the local temperature a balmy 28 °F. Not Worth It took an early one goal lead. After an almost 4-hour flight (which in all honesty is not too bad) I landed in Sydney, with my first port of call getting my phone / data sorted. I had things all lined up to load in an esim with a particular travel plan, and was in the process of purchasing this when the site crashed… after charging my card. Not Worth It is up 2-0.

I head to the kiosk of the Telco business, where I spend over half an hour trying to get it sorted. They then offer to sell me a certain deal with more data (that I didn’t need) for twice the money. Thanks for that. Telco knocks in a double, and Not Worth It leads by three. I tell them where to shove it and end up through some technical wizardry managing to sort it myself, before getting a pretty decent coffee and donut nearby. We’re now at 1-3 with a goal against the run of play.

I then get on the wrong bus. In my defense, it was the same route number, at the same time, at the same stop (it was just going the other way: there’s a loop at the airport that means both directions hit the same stop, and the one I was supposed to be on was running late). 1-4. I realize this reasonably quickly though, note that the bus will be stopping near a train station and get off there, just to see the bus I was supposed to be on depart on the other side of the street. Two saves by the keepers on either side keeps things at 1-4.

There’s a train leaving in 5 minutes. I’m still kind of dressed for 28 °F, and lugging a large suitcase. In Sydney it’s around 70 °F. After rushing down a couple of flights of stairs and up a couple more to get to the platform, I realize I’ve made another mistake: I’ve confused the train number and platform number. I quickly correct said mistake, and make it to the train just in time; albeit sporting a heavy sweat. We’ll call this 1-5, though it did go to a VAR check.

I then doze off on the train. While doing so I accidentally close out of my Google Maps session and wake up in a tunnel with no GPS signal. I think back to the initial route I queried, and note that the train has just departed the stop at which I was supposed to disembark. Feeling tired and frazzled, I get off at the next one instead, only to realize that the previous route I remembered was based on catching the original bus, not the updated route, and I got off the train four stops too early. I have to wait 10 minutes to get BACK on the same train. It’s a hat-trick for Sydney Public Transport, all assisted by my own stupidity and tiredness as Not Worth It takes a mammoth 1-7 lead.

After the latest train ride, I hop on another bus, and finally get to my friend’s apartment… on the fourth floor of an apartment building with no elevator. I’m hot, tired, and with a too-large suitcase. 1-8. I get to see my friend though for the first time in over a decade, and his partner (who is absolutely lovely) makes me a fantastic coffee and I finally relax. Two goals for the Power of Friendship, and it’s 3-8.

Leading up to the match

The next day is the day of Spurs’ first match in Sydney, a friendly against Sydney FC. I do some prewriting to prep for the evening’s events, before heading out into the sunshine. It’s a beautiful day, so I decide to head to the beach and do the Coogee to Bondi walk along the coast. It’s incredible weather, and the route (being a reasonably popular tourist attraction) has a fair few people walking along it. I regret not bringing a change of clothes so I could for a swim, that’s how nice it is. I wade in at the Bondi end to my knees regardless. The home side has got a couple back, and the score is at 5-8.

What surprises me (and surprised me through the trip, honestly) is the amount of Spurs fans I see out and about, with probably about a dozen seen just on this outing. Most of the kits are newer ones, and unnamed, though I see one or two older kits, a Kolo Muani away from last season, and a solitary Chelsea kit. Ugh. 6-8, though slightly tainted by a rough foul in the buildup on a Worth It player.

A few recognize the black kit I’m wearing from last season (Bergvall on the back) and nod their approval, with one going as far to exclaim, “Go the Spurs!” It’s very nearly an own goal, but blocked at the far post by a vigilant defender. Come On You Spurs is the correct vernacular, though I would have accepted Up the Spurs as well. Bloody Aussies.

I get to the ground, Allianz Stadium, nice and early. My contact in the Spurs accreditation office has gone oddly quiet over the last few days, so I want to make sure I have plenty of time in the event of mishaps. I head to a security checkpoint under the stadium on the western side; I try to tell him I’m from Matty from Cartilage Free Captain, but there’s a fair bit of noise, we’re separated by glass and the microphone / intercom is rubbish. After a momentary back and forth, he just hands me a green all-access wristband. 7-8, as the home side scores after an atrocious error at the back by Not Worth It.

The pitch is less than 20 yards away; I could run on if I wanted. I’m on a mission though. Nothing’s well signposted in this area, and after a couple of false starts, I find the elevator up to the third floor. I wander around looking confused, as I don’t actually really know where I’m supposed to be; this is noticed by a couple of stadium staff who note that I was supposed to pick up my accreditation at a window next to the box office. Ah.

They’re very kind though, and it’s just a momentary annoyance. I head down and back outside where it has got very cold and windy, and go along to the accreditation window I completely missed on my way in. I explain who I am (Matty Flatt from Cartilage Free Captain / SBNation / Vox Media) and the man on the other side of the window says, “You’re not on the list.”

It’s a late goal by the away side, in what could be the killing blow. 7-9.

Now the gentleman I’m talking to is very kind, and very patient. He asks who my contact is, I say the Spurs accreditation office, he makes some calls. He asks if I can call them; them being Spurs. I check the time in London, and think I might be in luck: it’s just after 9 am. A brief phone call and I’m informed the Spurs phone line doesn’t open until 10 am. Slackers. I reference the email trail between my contact at Spurs and the man behind the window makes some more calls.

Eventually he asks to clarify what kind of accreditation I should be under; I say I believe it to be written press, but given we’re a fan-run site, we could have been logged under Content Creator. He gives me a Content Creator pass, says if I have any issues to come back to him and we can chat further, and directs me towards Gate 8. I head to Gate 8. There are ticket scanners there, for which I don’t actually have a ticket. The security there clarify that the Content Creator pass doesn’t have access via that gate (which is the gate by which I access the elevators to the press box) and tell me to go back to the accreditation window. 7-10.

At this point, I’m feeling a little frustrated, but more anxious. I’ve flown a long way (at my own cost), left my wife and two daughters at home in New Zealand, only to potentially not be able to experience the very thing for which I travelled. I go back to my friend at the window (who I reiterate was very kind, and very patient) and he takes some screenshots of my email exchanges with Spurs. He makes more calls. It’s extremely cold now, and the wind has picked up, with me only having a blazer to provide warmth. 7-11 with bad club communications scoring a hat-trick.

After approximately another 20 minutes in the cold, he beckons me over. They have found my record; apparently an email somewhere along the way had got stuck in somebody’s outbox, or something along those lines. My anxieties are quelled; he issues me my press pass.

I finally head back to the elevator up to press box; this whole process has taken over an hour, and it’s less time than that now until kick-off. I need to get in front of my computer. I wander awkwardly into the press box, trying to pretend like I belong amongst the actual journalists and recognizing some familiar faces.

And then I see the view:

Not Worth It has suffered a calamitous red card, and Worth It have run in a deluge of late goals. It’s 17-11.

Check back in tomorrow, where I’ll talk through the events of the match and the aftermath.

good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of fitzie’s gaming corner. This is your opportunity to talk about whatever analogue or virtual or digital games you might be playing.

The only game I’ve got on my phone is Archero 2. Basically you’re some character with a little bow and arrow or a spear or some fighting gloves, and you defeat these beasts. There is a guild function, some player-versus-player drama and the like.

Here’s what one of the characters looks like - and a beast behind it!

I’ve been playing it for a few months now and am sitting on the precipice of 3M power. I think that’s just okay enough to challenge in some of the higher arenas, but well below what a fair amount of others have going on. It’s fine, I’m not going to be spending big bucks on this to level up.

I’ve done a little bit of lurking on the Archero 2 subreddit and there’s this whole discussion of the “meta”. Sounds boring. Basically there are a couple good characters you want to level up, some specific runes and gear to help boost that little guy, and maybe some additional add-ons.

I’m not about that. I want to have a good time. So I’ve got this Loki character (based on the character Loki). He’s pretty fun. He’s green and looks like he’s got a bit of a spark to him. I recently upgraded him to six stars, which means I can attach two additional characters’ effects on him - wonderful news.

Most others don’t select this Loki guy because his special effects aren’t as special as others. So what, I say!

You know what else I’m not doing? That typical main weapon/meteor/elemental build that everyone’s been banging on about. I’m running these circles, which are pretty fun. Basically my Loki is surrounded by these different coloured circles that follow the opponents and do damage. It makes for a fun looking screen. Who doesn’t like purple and red circles?

I’m going to keep building up this character as I see fit and have a good time doing it. There’s no way I’ll be remotely close to the best, so why not pick the things that make me enjoy playing the game?

Anyways - that is what fitzie is up to. Share your game-playing experiences here.

Fitzie’s track of the day: The Sun is Quietly Sleeping, by Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives

And now for your links:

The Independent: “Gianni Infantino summons senior Fifa officials to crisis meeting as allies dwindle”

The Telegraph: West Ham ownership battle erupts over move to block Staveley deal

ESPN: “Pochettino will now face a different pressure as USMNT boss”

OK, in all seriousness, this is a typical Daily Mail transfer article — there’s no actual bid here, not even reports of formal contact between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea over Nicolas Jackson. It’s an entire article based on the idea that Tottenham now have “the 25-year-old Senegalese under consideration.”

So why am I writing this up? Well, it’s a slow morning. But also we know that Tottenham are looking for attacking reinforcements, particularly at the forward and winger positions. Hey, guess who plays as a forward, is unwanted by his current club, and has a proven goal scoring record? That doesn’t make this rumor true — not much would make this a particularly GOOD rumor based on the aforementioned “it’s the Mail” revelation. But Nico Jackson, despite being a Chelsea player, could make Tottenham a better football club so it’s worth talking about.

Jackson spent the last season on loan at Bayern Munich where he scored 8 goals and 1 assist in just over 1000 minutes of action, a fact that somehow completely escaped me all of last season until I looked him up just now. That doesn’t sound like a lot, and it isn’t, but it’s worth noting that Jackson spent the season firmly behind one Harold Kane. You remember him? The guy who used to play for Spurs who scored 36 goals this season at Bayern and who is the presumptive favorite for the Ballon d’Or? Yeah, that guy. So it’s no wonder Jackson didn’t set the world on fire in Munich last season, but he’s still a good player. He actually improved almost all of his per-90 metrics from 2024/25 at Chelsea, which is maybe to be expected since the quality of the Bundesliga isn’t as strong as the Premier League once you get past the top 3-4 teams, but it’s still pretty impressive.

I’ve had my eye on Jackson as a potential Tottenham target for most of the summer and was wondering why he wasn’t at least getting a look from Spurs’ recruitment nerds. Well, now maybe he is? It doesn’t mean, of course, that Spurs are actively going after him as a signing (it’s the Mail, etc.), but for the reported £65m, a figure that probably includes the Premier League inflationary tax, I think Jackson is a pretty solid option. He obviously knows where the goal is and thrives on service. He’s a good finisher, and there’s a decent chance he’d cook under a system like Roberto De Zerbi’s.

This isn’t really a rumor (yet), but it’s plausible and also I’d like it to happen, so it’s definitely worth talking about. He’s no Eli Junior Kroupi, but Nico Jackson is 25, and importantly has all of his limbs (currently) in working order. We should be taking a long look at him, and probably ahead of Cody Gakpo.

Cartilage Free Captain wrote recently on West Ham United’s interest in Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon; it now appears they are not they only club interested in signing the forward as further suitors have emerged:

Kat Lucas, previously of The Times and now working for The i Paper, has the exclusive, in which she affirmed West Ham’s interest but also highlighted a new suitor for Solomon’s services: newly promoted Hull City.

The Tigers were perhaps the surprise side to win promotion from last season’s Championship, qualifying via the playoff rounds amidst some drama after Southampton’s push ended in disqualification due to charges of spying on their opponents. They’d be a good landing spot for Spurs’ Israeli winger, in need of reinforcements in the hopes of prolonging their Premier League stint.

Say it with me: bidding war! Add to that rumored interest from one of Solomon’s loan destinations last season in the form of Fiorentina, and we got a stew going.

According to Lucas’ piece, Spurs value Solomon at around £20 million, which does feel a bit high, but with both West Ham and Hull vying for his signature she indicates an opening bid could be somewhere above £10 million - a significant profit on top of the £5 million that Spurs offered Shakhtar Donetsk as recompense when Solomon departed following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

As to the veracity of this report: Lucas did previously write for The Times, and what digging around I’ve done seems to indicate that her pieces are well-sourced. I have also heard on good authority (that’s right: a Cartilage Free Captain source!) that Roberto De Zerbi has told Solomon that the winger is not in his plans and to find a move, despite his minutes in preseason, with those appearances largely due to lack of options in the wide areas.

Solomon does have a level of technical ability but has never quite made things work in a Spurs shirt. He has been constantly hampered by injury, including on his loan spells, and though his 0.90 G+A/90 for Spurs in the Premier League looks impressive, it ignores context; that context being the sole contributions were two assists from 199 total minutes in a 5-2 drubbing of Burnley (who were relegated that season), with Solomon being dropped from the starting lineup not long after before succumbing to another injury.

This could be a move that makes sense for all parties; here’s hoping it’s done soon (and Spurs maybe buy some wingers of their own).