Cartilage Free Captain

Everyone’s least favorite derby approaches with a stormcloud of negativity. In one corner sits Tottenham Hotspur, winless in four straight and six of the last seven, recently knocked out of the FA Cup and with a manager seemingly fighting for his job. In the other sits West Ham United, a side in serious threat of relegation despite the attempts of Nuno Espirito Santo.

For Spurs, this match probably offers way more negatives than upside. Dropped points continues a worrying trend that will at some point be too much to overcome, especially if this form carries into the Champions League. Meanwhile, a win over 18th place really does not mean much, regardless of how pesky West Ham may be. However, we still hold out hope for some sort of turnaround, which feels pretty impossible if this one ends up short of a victory.

Match Details

Date: Saturday, January 17

Time: 10:00 am ET, 3:00 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Peacock (US)

Table: Spurs (14th, 27 pts), West Ham (18th, 14 pts)

The first meeting between these sides was scoreless at halftime, but the following 20 minutes were quite eventful. First, Pape Sarr opened the scoring off a corner, then Tomas Soucek got himself sent off with a studs-up tackle on Joao Palhinha. The visitors cruised from there, with Lucas Bergvall adding the second on a nice header and prolific scorer Micky van de Ven making it 3-0 for Tottenham at the London Stadium.

Two Things to Watch

Low-hanging fruit

Nothing has come easily for Thomas Frank, especially at the bottom of the table. In four matches against the bottom four, Spurs have taken just seven points, with the aforementioned win over West Ham and the opening day victory at Burnley being the two successes. What stands out more are the failures: a terrible draw at home against Wolves and the embarrassment at Forest last month.

Stylistically, it is valid to worry about a match against this sort of club in North London. Tottenham’s dreadful home form has been well documented, and though the Hammers are pretty awful everywhere, they are versed in conceding possession and buckling down defensively while on the road. Nuno has also opted for a 4-3-2-1 formation against bigger sides (which Spurs may or not be?), which is something to look for on Saturday.

Speaking of Nuno, while Spurs avoided him — and Ange Postecoglou — at the City Ground last month, this will be the second consecutive league fixture for the manager against a previous employer. There is not a ton of emotion positively or negatively towards him at this point given his comically brief stint at Tottenham, though any result he can earn will surely drum up the narratives.

Availability roulette

Richarlison, Mohammad Kudus, and Rodrigo Bentancur (and Brennan Johnson - technically, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison) will not be available for Saturday, but Dominic Solanke and Conor Gallagher will. This theoretically gives Frank enough options to populate the six spots ahead of the back four, though the decisions are reaching the point where they nearly make themselves.

Though goals never seem to come easily, this really has to be a match where Tottenham scores. West Ham has allowed the most goals in the league and has the second-worst xGA, surrendering 14 goals in the past six league contests and averaging 2.1 xGA in the past three. The Spurs’ attack is never a given, but there is not much more that could be asked for in an opposing defense.

I am really curious to see what Gallagher could potentially bring to the side. He may not be a creative talent, but he should show more willingness and ability to drive forward than the alternatives in central midfield and at the very least offers a fresh face. The Hammers’ average the fifth-lowest possession in the league so Tottenham will enjoy plenty of time on the ball. Someone will have to show an interest in doing something with it, and the new signing seems as likely as anyone to do so.

Good morning, dear hoddlers. Today is the last day of the Weir-a-thon, a weeklong celebration of Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir, who passed away last weekend.

This whole week we’ve been celebrating the music of Weir throughout the decades, and I’d like to thank you all for being patient with me as I clog the Track of the Day with Weir songs. Today will be the final Grateful Dead song for a while (so we can throw some others into the rotation). I have a few more things to say about Weir.

But first, I’d like to share a bonus track of the day. This one is in honour of the last song I heard Bob Weir play live. It was at The Sphere on May 9, 2025. I’m very grateful to have seen him the few times I did, and never took it for granted. I left that night at The Sphere wholly satisfied, if a little bemused I heard Scarlet->Fire for the third time (what, no The Other One?). But he, John Mayer and the rest of the group finished the night with a roaring version of Casey Jones. They brought the house down.

And I think it’s pertinent to include a song that’s heavily featured by Jerry Garcia. Because where would Weir be without Jerry? And where would Jerry be without Bobby?

Fitzie’s bonus track of the day: Casey Jones, by the Grateful Dead

It took me a long time to understand why people mourn musicians when they die. I had a hard time understanding why people cried when John Lennon died. It isn’t as if they knew him.

It wasn’t until Tom Petty died nearly a decade ago when I understood. His music is the soundtrack to my life, and with him gone, the world feels a bit quieter.

With Bobby Weir, his presence felt like an anchor. Garcia died when I was extraordinarily young, and so I have no consciousness of him. But as I grew into adulthood I gravitated more and more towards the Grateful Dead. It was always Bob Weir’s songs I wanted to listen to though.

It’s quite possible no one in the western world played as many concerts as he did. A world without Weir on stage feels like a world that no longer knows how to spin. And yet, like those crazy spinners that lined the dance halls in the 70s, the world keeps a’spinning after Weir’s death.

Bob Weir - like the entirety of the Grateful Dead - was a man of the underdog. The music he played was unconventional, unfit for radio. The people he played music to were seen as oddballs and outcasts, driven underground. Some of the people who he played with were seen as marginalised at one point or another.

So it feels like a victory when we see Weir celebrated to such a degree, or see Dead iconography entrench mainstream Americana. After all, is it truly possible to understand Americana without the Dead’s place in it?

Their music came at a unique point in the country, where many people sought to retreat inward into their collective consciences. It was this blend of a return home through the prism of bluegrass, folk and jazz that helped propel the Dead to achieve such a cult following.

And then, of course, we have the quasi-mythological stories of Neal Cassady driving the bus, of Ken Kesey, Janis Joplin, Hamza Al Din and more pour colour onto the magical tapestry that the Dead created.

It’s quite difficult for me to dictate my appreciation for the Dead in a technical sense. Of course their songwriting is lush, their musicianship unquestionable, their vocals rough at times but quite unique. But their stretched-out instrumentation and improvisation, I feel, is the closest form to the human experience as music can get. We never know quite where it’s going to end up, and that makes it so exciting.

So as I type here tonight, I struggle to find a way to close out this hoddle. I don’t know how to lead it into the track of the day (I still don’t know what I’m going to choose as I’m writing this now - so it’ll be as much a surprise to you as it is to me).

Perhaps Bill Walton said it best: It’s all one song.

Fitzie’s track of the day: The Music Never Stopped, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Do Tottenham Hotspur have a discipline problem?”

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Thomas Frank said on signing a forward, Conor Gallagher transfer and mixed injury news”

NY Times: “Bob Weir Is Gone, but the Dead’s Music Plays On”

GQ: “A Look Back at the Laid-Back Style of Bob Weir”

Earlier this month Tottenham Hotspur academy grad Damola Ajayi was recalled from his loan at League One side Doncaster Rovers over a lack of playing time and production. The idea was that he would be sent out to another club on loan that would be able to utilize him better. It turns out that new club is down a division. Tottenham announced on socials that Ajayi will be heading to Bromley in League Two for the second half of the season.

Ajayi was not a regular starter for Doncaster, which is currently second from the bottom in League One and in a real relegation scrap. Ajayi scored a nice goal in preseason for Doncaster and another in August in an EFL Cup win over Middlesbrough and nothing since. Most of his minutes came from the bench with three starts from 15 appearances and less than 500 total minutes of playing time. Not great!

So on the one hand it is kind of disappointing to see Ajayi heading down a league on loan, but this could be viewed as either an opportunity to establish himself in a slightly lower level of competition before hopefully establishing himself up the table next season (laudatory), or it’s a sign that maybe his level is more League Two professional player (derogatory). I don’t know which one it is, but I think we’re about to find out. Bromley are flying in League Two and are top of the table; he’s heading to a good third division team and if he can get minutes there it speaks to his ability to compete at League One level, at least, with the right team.

We all want our youth players to succeed, and the flip side of that is that as fans of Tottenham Hotspur we all (myself included) tend to want to overrate our youth prospects. Ajayi is 20 years old — a young guy — and there’s still plenty of time to improve and become a cromulent professional. I’m not sure, however, that it will be at the Premier League level. Let’s hope I’m wrong and he crushes it this spring.

“I’m very aware of how this football world works, no doubt about that. I know that we haven’t got enough of the result we want. I know, I can just see the small step we’re constantly doing. I still refer to the last six games with more positive, consistent performances. Not perfect, but there’s some good signs of a team where we are talking about sometimes not being able to deal with enough setbacks and resilience.

“The two second halves against Bournemouth and Villa where it is so easy to fall apart. They actually step in together, they add more. I think that’s talking about a culture that’s getting a little bit stronger, a little bit more, come on, let’s do everything we can to turn this little momentum.

“In football, sometimes momentum changes like that. I can see the small signs of the culture, the training, how the boys have been training here, especially Tuesday, Thursday, very intense, focused, working very hard on the offensive part of the game, because we know the defensive in many ways looks quite good, not through the roof, but quite good. Big improvements, set pieces are there.

“It’s the offensive we need to do better. That’s what we’re working hard on. I think all the small steps we’re doing, with everything from signing Conor, signing John Heitinga as assistant coach, excellent signing, Rafi as football operation officer, I think it’s the correct title, but just a key member in the direction, how we want to do things. Everything is going forward. We just need to add a top performance and a win on Saturday.”

“I think it’s a top signing. Can’t praise Fabio, Johan and Vinai enough, the ownership, for doing it and get it done, get it over the line. We went quick.

“I think what he brings in terms of abilities, first and foremost, he’s a very good player, great experience in the Premier League, also in La Liga, captain of two teams. So that character, that leadership, that experience, and still young, 25, with plenty of development to reach, but coming in on a good level, bringing his pressing abilities, his directness, scoring goals, but also being able to find good positions on the pitch, is exactly what we need.

“I think it’s a great nickname. I think it shows Conor has a lot of good offensive abilities. His ability to arrive in the box scoring goals, his way of finishing. I think he’s a clever finisher as well. I think his skill set around the last third is good in terms of arriving in the right positions.

“I told him about the project and the plan with him, and the club and what we are aiming for and all that suited him very well. I think he suited us and I think we suited him.”

It’s not just New Executive Day at Tottenham Hotspur, it’s also New Assistant Coach Day as well. Today Spurs announced the appointment of former Everton central defender and Ajax head coach John Heitinga as Assistant Coach. He joins the club to fill the spot vacated by Matt Wells, who is now manager at Colorado Rapids.

If you watched Premier League footy in the 2010s you probably recognize Heitinga’s name. The Dutchman is primarily known as a central defender at Everton where he made 115 league appearances, scoring two goals. Since hanging up his boots in 2016 he turned to coaching and was most recently head coach at Ajax, his second appointment there after a caretaker stint in 2023. Unfortunately for Heitinga (and maybe for us?) he was sacked five months into his tenure this season. He was also an assistant coach for Liverpool under Arne Slot in 2024.

Now, all football managers get sacked and it’s not at all surprising for a former head coach to join another club as an assistant. The analogy here would be a NFL head coach getting fired and joining another team as defensive coordinator. The reporting is that Heitinga was interviewed by Thomas Frank personally and that his appointment was driven by the Dane. To be sure, Spurs needed another coach; according to Alasdair Gold, Heitinga’s responsibilities at Spurs will be to manage the defense, which, duh.

He had a good reputation going into the Ajax appointment. A piece on a Liverpool blog describes him as a “direct and honest coach” with whom players relate to well, and that he “puts a lot of time into making players better individually.” That same piece talked about how he tried to fix Ajax’s defense by improving defensive security with “more players behind the ball”.

That said, if you take a look at any Ajax message boards it won’t take much dead cat swinging to find some uh…. quite uncharitable takes about Heitinga’s coaching ability. I don’t know how much stock to put into that, but I do know going into the second half of the Premier League campaign short handed in the coaching department probably isn’t wise. So… OK?

Welcome to Tottenham, Johnny. Please make us better.

It’s a DONE DEAL — as reported by the Athletic a couple of weeks ago, Tottenham have formally appointed Rafi Moerson, late of City Football Group, to the newly-created executive position titled Director of Football Operations. There was no future start date listed on Tottenham’s release about the appointment, so presumably he has already started his duties, or is starting today.

So what will Moersen actually DO? [officespace.gif] Well, thoughtfully, Tottenham gave a little paragraph that outlines his basic responsibilities.

Well THAT’S interesting. So more of a middle manager role on the men’s side, but he’s overseeing the whole of Tottenham Women’s operations. As I understand it Spurs Women have been managed by Andy Rogers, but there has been reporting that there has been constant contact with Spurs CEO Vinai Venkatesham. Presumably Moersen takes that oversight role away from Vinai allowing him more time to… uh, communicate to supporters? The club did mention, in the wake of Fabio Paratici’s departure in February, that the football structure is “flexible and adaptable” so it’s also possible that Moersen will slot in with the ubiquitous “other duties as assigned.” Perhaps that also includes picking out a through ball? One can hope.

If you’re an optimist, this is evidence that Tottenham are continuing to evolve from the Levy Top method of club oversight to a more flexible, modern football club operation. If you’re a pessimist, you’ll see this as just one more executive to insulate the Tottenham owners from its mistakes and any accountability for their oversight. I kind of fall in the middle — Spurs have needed to modernize its operations for a long time and they finally seem to be doing that, though I still have deep reservations about specific people in specific roles and what they are and are not doing.

Still waiting for that Spurs org chart. Anyway — welcome to our new Director of Football Operations! I hope you don’t suck!

good morning everyone - we’ll get to your hoddle shortly but first a quick note on today’s Track of the Day: We’re on day four of honouring Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir. Today’s TOTD features one of my favourite songs to drive to. A couple years ago I read “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac because I wanted to understand what drew Weir and Jerry Garcia to him. I also wanted to understand Neal Cassady, a man to whom Weir dedicated two songs. So it was a bit of serendipity I had constructed when I rolled along Iceland listening to “The Other One”, “Estimated Prophet”, “Fire on the Mountain” and other Dead standards.

There was a huge upset in Spanish football on Wednesday when Real Madrid fell to Albacete in the Copa del Rey. Here are some of the scenes:

For those keeping track at home, this means Real Madrid are 0-1 since parting ways with Xabi Alonso.

For Real Madrid it was a disaster. But then you have Albacete, which is a remarkable story.

They’re currently 17th place in the Segunda Division. And there’s not a whole lot out there on this squad. Heck I’ve never heard of them before. But I love it when a minnow beats a giant (except when it happens to Spurs).

Even better, Albacete beat Real Madrid at home! What a showing for those home fans.

It’s not a transfer news story but it kind of feels like one. After numerous rumors and reporting over the past month, Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed that its co-sporting director Fabio Paratici is leaving the club in February to become the new Director of Football at Fiorentina.

I dunno y’all, I feel like I’ve said everything I want to say about Don Fabio. He got us some good players while he was here, he was involved in some crimes at Juventus, he got banned from football, and somehow Spurs decided to offer him a job again when he was able to work in the industry, despite keeping him on as a “consultant” during his ban. I think it’s weird that he’s leaving the club for a club that could be relegated to Serie B, just four after being appointed to a weirder Sporting Director job-share alongside Johan Lange. It makes me look back at that (retroactively) awkward post-transfer window video with him sitting on a couch with Lange talking about how great everything was with intense skepticism.

The official reason for Paratici leaving is “personal reasons.” That very well could be the case, and at some level I’m happy that Fabio gets to return to his home country to spend more quality time with his crimes. The bigger concern for me is where the club goes from here. Spurs CEO Vinai Venkatesham made the following short statement on Tottenham’s website about Paratici’s departure:

“We have agreed that Fabio will return to Italy following the conclusion of the January transfer window, in line with his wish to move back home. We thank Fabio for his contribution to the Club and wish him well for the future.

“Our management structure is designed to be resilient to personnel changes, and it will be business as usual moving forward.”

Oh really? Mind if we see an organizational chart of the management structure, Vinai? Because I’m incredibly confused as to what this means going forward. Is Johan Lange now our new (single) Sporting Director? Is our new Director of Football Operations Rafi Moersen now involved? Is Venkatesham now planning on actually hiring a Director of Football? We don’t know! It’s all unclear!

In the end I’m pretty neutral on this move and what it means, because I’m not actually sure it changes much. It probably SHOULD change a lot, but I doubt we’ll see anything until at minimum after the close of the window, with which Paratici is still apparently very involved. That also strikes me as weird. But whatever!

Paratici has been at the club in a very strange period of its history and sad to say I’m not sure he leaves it in better condition than when he arrived. But thanks for Bentancur and Kulusevski, Fabio. Good luck aiming your transfer scattergun in Florence, I hear it’s a lovely city. And get off your damn phone.

At one point, Tottenham Hotspur thought Alejo Veliz was a hidden jewel of a striker in South America, to the extent that the club spent a whopping £13m to sign the then-19-year-old striker from Rosario Central in Argentina in the summer of 2023.

It did not go well. Veliz played a total of just 50 minutes for Tottenham, scoring one goal as a late sub against Brighton. He was loaned out that spring to Sevilla, where he barely played, and then had a more serviceable loan at Villarreal last season where he scored one goal in just over 1100 minutes. Veliz was loaned back to the club Spurs bought him from, Rosario Central, this past summer where he has 5 goals and 1 assist in 1200 minutes.

While he has not done enough to convince anyone that he has a future with Tottenham Hotspur, he’s done enough to get a permanent transfer. Cesar Luis Melo is now reporting that Campeonato Brasileiro side Bahía are now in negotiations to sign Veliz on a permanent transfer. Tottenham will shortly terminate Veliz’s loan in order to facilitate the move.

Some might think that Veliz was a “lottery ticket” when he was signed by Spurs, but you don’t spend £13m for a teenager from Argentina if you’re playing the lotto. This was just a bad transfer, full stop. I don’t have anything against Veliz, but it’s hard to justify the amount of money that Spurs paid for him. Melo doesn’t mention what the transfer fee to Bahia would be — the article says it is “quite high” but that’s very contextual considering we’re talking about a Brazilian football club and not, say, Fulham. I would be shocked if it’s anywhere close to the £13m Spurs paid for him.

Bad transfers happen. I hope Veliz goes on to have a fantastic football career and proves everyone, including me, wrong. But this was a bad deal from the very beginning and it’s probably a good thing for everyone involved, including Alejo, that Spurs get out from under it.

Great news everyone: Your hoddler-in-chief has wifi.

Here’s the not-so-good news: I spent the entire evening unpacking boxes and moving things around the new place. This means it’s another short hoddle today.

Please have patience with me as I soon to be up and running again quite soon. But in the meantime it looks like you’re hoddling just fine all on your own - my goodness, look at the number of comments lately!

I finally had a chance to sit down tonight and I’ve turned on the latest version of US Traitors. What a climb down from the UK’s celebrity version, whose cast is far more likeable than these reality TV contestants. Apparently there’s going to be a US version soon that features regular joes. That I’m looking forward to more.

In the meantime we’re also continuing our weeklong celebration of departed Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir. It’s getting more and more difficult to choose which songs to feature but, after yesterday’s tear-jerker, I thought perhaps we could do something a bit lighter.

Here’s to hoping for more positive transfer news today.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Me and My Uncle / Big River, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Fabio Paratici’s second spell at Spurs is already almost over – why didn’t it work out?”

The Ringer: “Bob Weir’s One Last Saturday Night”