Cartilage Free Captain

Who’s got two thumbs and forgot to write the Hoddle last night?

THIS GUY.

And because I’ve got stuff to do this morning, here’s a couple of paragraphs of lorum ipsum to fill things out, so y’all can go straight to the comments.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent elementum rutrum tortor, pretium ultricies elit sodales sit amet. Nulla ut bibendum justo. Sed nulla nibh, posuere ac cursus nec, pellentesque a metus. Morbi congue, odio id sodales ornare, dui elit varius magna, sed gravida metus leo vel elit. Etiam feugiat ipsum sit amet tortor fringilla, ut varius est feugiat. Suspendisse potenti. Nunc odio lectus, dignissim eget sapien eu, semper malesuada dui.

Vestibulum sed tincidunt metus. Aliquam imperdiet, neque vitae scelerisque suscipit, erat justo pulvinar eros, eu fringilla ex purus in leo. Morbi egestas nunc nisi, a posuere purus condimentum eget. Aliquam erat volutpat. Fusce sit amet mattis nisl. Pellentesque volutpat libero nisi, et imperdiet mi molestie ac. Cras a tortor risus. Nulla facilisi. Phasellus blandit metus neque, ac ullamcorper quam semper nec. Pellentesque non lacinia ligula. Quisque auctor elit odio, eu laoreet augue iaculis a.

This is on me, not Fitzie. I’ll do better tomorrow.

With no real football (no, international football doesn’t count) to talk about, what’s left but injury reports and transfer rumors? I have one of the latter for you — according to Julian Plettenberg in Germany, Tottenham “can see themselves” triggering Joao Palhinha’s €30m purchase clause this summer when his season long loan expires.

Is this a rumor or just connecting the dots? I dunno, could be either. Probably both. It’s not a difficult line to draw, that’s for sure. While I and others can publicly wonder about the makeup of Spurs’ midfield with a 31-year-old Palhinha and a 29-year-old Rodrigo Bentancur central to Thomas Frank’s plan (Where’s the passer, String? Where the f**k’s the passer?) there’s no doubt that a) Palhinha is extremely good at the things he’s good at and b) Thomas Frank seems to love the guy. Put him in a midfield that allows him to just tackle dudes and score the occasional banger and he’s 100% a plus add.

Now, Plettenberg is a Bayern guy so he’s obviously getting his info from the Bayern side of the equation. It’s no secret that Palhinha doesn’t fit in at Bayern and they’re looking to offload him, so this deal does make a ton of sense. Honestly, I can see it happening. I can even get behind it! Doing it, along with extending Bentancur, does meaningfully narrow the paths to actually signing a midfielder who can pass, though — it would require letting Yves Bissouma leave next summer on a free transfer when his contract expires and/or selling Pape Sarr.

Or maybe none of those things happen and we just continue to abandon central midfield and pump crosses into the box from now until eternity. That’s a choice and a thing that could happen! I think it would make me pretty irritated and not especially fond of Thomas Frank’s tactical choices, but hey, that’s why I’m a blogger and not the head coach of one of the ten richest clubs in world football.

Regardless, barring a catastrophic injury to Palhinha sometime this season I think this happens. It just makes way too much sense.

Yves Bissouma just can’t catch a break. In his first match action since returning from a knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the start of the new season, Bissouma appeared to injure his ankle while on international duty with Mali. According to a report in Football.London, Biss was stretchered off the pitch in obvious discomfort just moments after coming on as a substitute for Mali in a World Cup Qualifying match against Madagascar.

Bissouma had a rocky start to life under Thomas Frank after being left out of the Super Cup squad for repeatedly being late to team meetings. But the main reason he hasn’t seen the pitch was due to a knee injury he picked up in training. He had just recovered but now could be due another spell on the sidelines.

It should be noted that beyond the description of the injury we really don’t have any more information and will need to wait for a report from the club (or Malian medical officials) before making any sort of determination. But honestly, I was kind of looking forward to having Bissouma available again; if nothing else he added another cog to the midfield machine and we know he can at least make a forward pass.

Good morning and welcome to fitzie’s film and tv reviews, where hoddle headquarters reviews some of the things seen on screens big and small.

With the international break in full force, this weekend provided a perfect opportunity to catch up on some films. Let’s get to two of them:

The Naked Gun (2025): I was really looking forward to this remake, and it largely held up. Liam Neeson was strong as the straight-laced goofball cop Frank Drebin Jr, and Pamela Anderson was very funny starring his love interest.

There was a lot of fun physical comedy throughout, and I enjoyed the running coffee mug gig. The narration was also hilarious. It’s hard to live up to the original series, and this one doesn’t. It’s not as chaotic or off-the-wall ridiculous as the Leslie Nielsen series. Still a fun watch overall.

Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now: This one was difficult to watch. The documentary follows the Osbourne family in the years leading up to the Black Sabbath frontman’s final gig at Aston Villa, and his death just a few days later.

There are times when it’s really upsetting to sit through, especially that April 2025 interview where it seemed Ozzy was barely hanging in there. It was striking to see him like that compared to how funny he is - and was - during the documentary, even through all of the pain he suffered from his Parkinson’s and debilitating back pain.

Sharon Osbourne was also a revelation in this, and it could be argued Ozzy was the supporting actor to his wife in this documentary. It’s largely told through her perspective, but you can see how she held the fort down for years, organised the Rock Hall of Fame induction and Ozzy’s final concert.

It was also wonderful to see all the rock stars who were inspired by Ozzy give so much love to him - notable ones for me included Chad Smith, Andrew Watt, Tommy Iommi and Jack Black.

Fitzie’s track of the day: No More Tears, by Ozzy Osbourne

The Athletic ($$): “Tottenham’s £100m equity injection: What does it mean? Why now? More to come?”

Alasdair Gold: “Ndombele setback, Son and how the 17 players who left Tottenham in the past 18 months are doing”

PA via ESPN: “Kean scores again as Italy beat Estonia to keep World Cup hopes alive”

I hate international football.

Seriously, this is the SECOND break so far this season. And it’s only October! Thankfully, we have multiple more plus AFCON to look forward to this season. Hurray!

What is nice though is when members of the Tottenham Hotspur squad get called up to represent their country and step onto the pitch in national colors for the first time. In that respect, the break began successfully for a couple of Spurs’ international players: Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall made their first starts for England and Sweden, respectively. There was on field success for Djed as well, keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 win over club teammates Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson’s Wales. Djed Spence, as is his wont, took to social media to gloat in a post that is… well, you should just see it for yourself (scroll to the last pic) if you haven’t already.

Unfortunately, that success was not replicated for Lucas Bergvall, as he missed an open goal in a two-goal defeat to Switzerland. That was, however, the sole loss amongst Spurs’ international cadre. Kevin Danso starred in an especially one-sided affair, collecting an assist in a 10-0 win over San Marino, while Pedro Porro also kept a clean sheet in a strong performance for Spain as they took down Georgia 2-0. Continuing the theme of minnows vs. giants, Netherlands breezed past Malta 4-0, with Micky van de Ven playing the majority and Xavi Simons making a late appearance off the bench.

In fact, it was the bench to which several of Spurs’ representatives were kept, with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Joao Palhinha not playing a minute, an outcome that was likely pleasing to Thomas Frank. Richarlison was also a substitute for Brazil in their five-goal demolition of ex-Spurs captain Son Heung-min’s South Korea, with Richy only seeing the pitch in the dying minutes with the match already won.

The remaining representatives though saw big minutes for their nations. Cristian Romero played 90 minutes and kept an important clean sheet as Argentina defeated Venezuela by a solitary goal, while Pape Matar Sarr and Mohammed Kudus both found themselves on the winning side via the same impressive margin: 5-0. Kudus collected an assist in an 82-minute performance against Central African Republic, while Pape Matar Sarr went the distance as Senegal dispatched South Sudan.

All in all, a pretty successful break thus far for Spurs (as I touch a wooden surface, cross myself, and throw salt over my shoulder) - and that’s without even talking about the age-grade reps (which I don’t usually include, as ain’t nobody got time for that), where Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert both scored for France U21’s, a moment for Tel which I’m sure we all hope will be a confidence booster as he looks to build on his appearance against Leeds before the break.

I still hate international football.

Spurs International Appearances:

Djed Spence (90 mins, yellow card): England 3-0 Wales - Friendly

Ben Davies (64 mins) & Brennan Johnson (76 mins): England 3-0 Wales - Friendly

Lucas Bergvall (85 mins): Sweden 0-2 Switzerland - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Kevin Danso (90 mins, assist, clean sheet): Austria 10-0 San Marino - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Pedro Porro (75 mins, clean sheet, yellow card): Spain 2-0 Georgia - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Micky van de Ven (84 mins, clean sheet) & Xavi Simons (6 mins, sub): Malta 0-4 Netherlands - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Guglielmo Vicario (unused sub) & Destiny Udogie (unused sub): Estonia 1-3 Italy - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Joao Palhinha (unused sub): Portugal 1-0 Ireland - UEFA World Cup Qualification

Richarlison (11 mins, sub): South Korea 0-5 Brazil - Friendly

Cristian Romero (90 mins, clean sheet): Argentina 1-0 Venezuela - Friendly

Pape Matar Sarr (90 mins): South Sudan 0-5 Senegal - CAF World Cup Qualification

Mohammed Kudus (82 mins, assist): Central African Republic 0-5 Ghana - CAF World Cup Qualification

Tottenham Hotspur Women are flourishing under new manager Martin Ho. Spurs are up to third in the table with their only blemish thus far a heavy loss to league title contenders Manchester City. Today’s challenge will be just as robust — a trip to Kingsmeadow to face six time defending champions Chelsea. Yes, you read that right — the Blues have won the WSL each of the last six seasons, and nine times in the last 11 years.

Don’t think this will be easy.

But stranger things have happened, and Spurs are flying thanks to two new signings — striker Cathinka Tandberg and defender Toko Koga. Under Ho Spurs are pressing high, getting the ball into dangerous areas, defending well, and SCORING. Will wonders never cease! It might not be enough to take down heavy favorites Chelsea, but then again… maybe it will? It’s nice to think about good things happening.

Watch the match with us and have a chat about it here! Abbie will be along in due course with the match report.

Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur Women

Kingsmeadow, London, United Kingdom

TV: not televised (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

Stream: ESPN Select (USA)

We’ve seen a little bit here and there from James Maddison since he tore his ACL in August. Emotional doesn’t begin to describe it. Madders’ injury took place in Spurs’ preseason match against Newcastle in Seoul in what ended up being Son Heung-Min’s last appearance at the club before his departure for LAFC, and the Tottenham Hotspur vice captain is set to miss the majority of the 2025-26 season after having surgery.

At the time, Madders called the injury “bad” and “a brutal moment.” He’s 28 years old, in his footballing prime, and an injury like this not only removes one of the teams’ best players from the squad but also could have long tail effects in what is left of Maddison’s career.

This evening, Maddison posted a new video on his personal YouTube channel, an hour long look at his recovery, starting three days after his injury and proceeding through surgery and his rehabilitation to his three week checkup with his orthopedic surgeon in early September. While there are some looks at his incisions it’s not at all graphic [stares intently at Dejan Kulusevski] but is honest and unflinching in detailing what it’s like to recover from an injury like what he sustained. And it’s a fascinating watch.

I didn’t think I was going to watch the entire video in one sitting, but if I’m honest, it was an incredibly compelling video. Here are some of my takeaways from viewing.

It’s clear WHY Maddison is doing this video and he says as much a few minutes in — he’s filming his recovery to help inform people who have had or who are going through a similar injury recovery, as well as for any Spurs fans who are interested in what it’s like to rehab from a major knee injury.

James is very comfortable in front of the camera. He’s clear, direct, and honest in his delivery. Honestly, watching this video makes me think he could be an EXCELLENT pundit when he finally hangs up his boots.

Madders wears his heart on his sleeve and you can see the emotion pouring off of him in the initial meeting with the orthopedic surgeon. He states the longest period he’s been out in his career up to that point was three months; this is obviously a much longer recovery at at points he looks like he’s going to break down.

The surgeon gave a timeline of recovery of eight months, but with a minimum recovery time of six months. That means with an average recovery we’re looking at Madders returning by April, in time for Spurs’ run-in. If he’s a quick healer, it could be as soon as February. (And this is the part where I remind people that “return” doesn’t mean “back to 100%”, and that it’s probably pretty likely that we won’t see the best of Madders until next season.)

James thanked Rodrigo Bentancur and Cuti Romero who sat with him at the stadium in Korea after the injury in what must have been a hugely emotional time for him. I always love to see those kind of human behind the scenes moments, and it makes it clear how close this particular group of players is. Lolo also said that Maddison’s recovery should be shorter than his, since Maddison didn’t tear his meniscus, only the ligaments. Best part of that scene: Cuti clearly wasn’t wearing pants.

Brennan Johnson is a goofball. If this video is anything to go by, he and Archie Gray are good buds and are also the court jesters of the squad.

James’ family is simply adorable, and his wife is clearly a saint. As someone who has gone through three surgeries in 18 months, I can’t express how incredible a gift it is to have a supportive partner when you’re recovering from surgery.

We got a good, close up look at Radu Dragusin’s surgical scars, and they’re gnarly (but in a good way?).

On balance, Madders’ recovery looks to be well on track. There didn’t seem to be any concerns about a longer recovery, and in fact everything on the video looked very, very good. I won’t extrapolate anything — these things don’t always take a straight line — but it was a really fascinating look into James’ physical and emotional well being. Honestly, I don’t know why the club itself doesn’t do stuff like this more often.

Seriously, can we get a Brennan - Archie buddy comedy?

Hey did you know that Tottenham Hotspur played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford today? Me either! Rude of Tottenham not to let us know about this friendly that was clearly about fitness and that they did not want any fans or press at.

But anyway, there’s good news out of that revelation — according to the club on social media, Randal Kolo Muani played half of that match, ostensibly his first non-training minutes since recovering from a severe dead leg earlier in the season.

That is, as the kids say nowadays, bussin’. Kolo Muani has played exactly 14 minutes since joining the club on loan from PSG at the end of the window, and those minutes came at the end of the Champions League match vs. Villarreal almost a month ago. The dead leg apparently took place in training and involved Pape Matar Sarr (who was jokingly sold out in a press conference by Thomas Frank), and while we don’t have any details about what actually happened, the injury was apparently severe with a lot of internal bleeding.

I’m not a doctor, but… ow.

Anyway, having Randal back would be neat. Not only is he a good player that we really haven’t seen yet, but his inclusion in the squad opens up a few intriguing tactical tweaks that were heretofore unavailable to Frank in his lineups. RKM can play up top as a No. 9 which could mean putting Richarlison as a left sided wide support winger, or the other way around with RKM playing wide and hopefully actually giving Richy some service. Regardless, Kolo Muani is a talented attacker, and we could use one or two additional heathy examples of them right now.

It’s also fantastic that he got 45 good match minutes in so early in the international break, because he can then focus on getting his fitness back up before Spurs’ next match against Aston Villa on October 19. Or maybe we’ll see him in the Champions League at Monaco the following Wednesday. Either way, I hope we see him, and soon.

We’ve finally made it to the end of the week, which normally means Tottenham football is right around the corner. ‘Cept this is the international break, and we have to settle for a weekend without Spurs. What’ll we do?

The great news is this is the time of year when we have so many different sporting options to choose from, unless you watch the rugby.

But if you follow some other sports - those coming from the US - there’s plenty to follow.

MLB

We’re in the most exciting time of the season - the playoffs. The LA Angels (America’s sweethearts) might be out of it, and probably were as back as May, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be watching. Who doesn’t want to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s Toronto Blue Jays romp to the American League Championship Series?

Of course, on the other side of the bracket we have the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other team from Southern California but north of San Diego. No, I don’t want to talk about Shohei Ohtani.

NHL

The season’s finally begun! And this is a new year full of hope. Will the San Jose Sharks eclipse the bottom-of-the-table mediocrity they suffered last year? Probably not. But, as of this writing, they’re tied 1-1 versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Meanwhile, Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers could be the team to beat this year, while the Florida Panthers are chasing the three-peat.

NBA

Still two weeks away - but we’re excited. Not really, if you’re a Suns fan.

NFL

That Vikings-Browns game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sure was fun (and it gave us a COYS reference in today’s hoddle). Spurs host another NFL game this weekend when the Denver Broncos take on the New York Jets.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Oxford Comma, by Vampire Weekend

And now for your links:

BBC: “How Frank is tweaking Tottenham”

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham owners pledge ‘more money to deliver success’ after £100m injection”

Sky Sports: “Thomas Tuchel calls England fans ‘silent’ in Wales win and wants ‘energy’ from Three Lions support”

The Mercury News: “Kurtenbach: Three things I’m watching for at the start of this crucial Sharks season”

But when Tottenham Hotspur take the opportunity afforded by the international break to announce a financial windfall for the club, I hate it significantly less:

In an official press release, the club confirmed that ENIC, the majority owner, has invested £100 million of additional capital into the club. It’s something unheard of in recent times, with ENIC typically unwilling to invest their own funds to support club operations; a stance that is not necessarily a negative, albeit a frustrating one at times. There was a £150 million investment back in 2022, but it does seem like the structure of that investment was more of a gradual, drawdown arrangement, though don’t take my word for that: I am not a Finance Bro™.

What’s a bit depressing though is in today’s market, £100 million barely gets you an Adam Wharton, and it sure doesn’t get you an Alexander Isak; so the “windfall” comment earlier in the piece is written with tongue very much firmly in cheek. It also doesn’t magically mean Spurs will get any better at targeting or signing players, and it’s possible the money isn’t even earmarked for the purpose of transfers. Chairman Peter Charrington (boy, does it feel weird not to write Daniel Levy there) is reasonably evasive in his comments on the injection of cash:

…our focus is on stability and empowering the management team to deliver on the Club’s ambitions. I know the Lewis family are also ambitious for the future. Today’s capital commitment reflects that ambition and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that Vinai and his team are supported in the best way possible to take this Club forward.

So… is it for staffing? A new medical team (again)? Some new hamstrings for Micky van de Ven? It’s hard to say, but even with my cynicism, this is undoubtedly a good thing. The ownership want the club to succeed, and this is a small but significant step towards that end.