Cartilage Free Captain

There’s no point in denying it any longer — Ange Postecoglou is in some serious trouble at Tottenham Hotspur. While Spurs have been standing by their man for much of the season due to the incredible string of misfortune and injury that saw them forced to play literal teenagers repeatedly during the Christmas fixture season and start of 2025, several outlets, including David Ornstein, have reported that the sense is that Postecoglou is no longer getting the best out of the players at his disposal.

The club is almost certainly putting out feelers for a new manager this summer, and one of the names most strongly linked to a move to north London is Bournemouth’s 42-year old gaffer Andoni Iraola, who has impressed over the past two seasons. But a new article in the Telegraph is casting doubt on whether he’d want to leave the Cherries at all.

Mike McGrath writes that Iraola is “moving towards committing his immediate future at Bournemouth” despite the Tottenham interest and the sense is that he could even sign a contract extension, taking him off the board entirely. Bournemouth are currently eighth in the table behind the strong performances of players like defender Dean Huijsen, Antoine Semenyo, and Milos Kerkez and are in contention for a European place this season, which would be attractive.

Now, a couple things here. First, this report names Spurs as a “possible destination” for Iraola along with Fulham’s Marco Silva and Brentford’s Thomas Frank, but while the source of that info could be club briefs it’s still a pretty thin foundation for these kinds of rumors. It’s also important to note that while it would make a ton of sense for Spurs to be reaching out and contacting Iraola about a hypothetically available managerial position at Tottenham Hotspur, we don’t actually know that’s the case. Ange Postecoglou still has a job, after all, and it certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented for links to managerial candidates to “fall apart” in the media only to find out later that Spurs never contacted them at all.

Or to put it another way, here’s noted Spurs historical author Gareth Dace:

So yeah, we should be extremely careful about these kinds of rumors, especially those about a job that isn’t even open yet. That said, if Spurs were to move on from Ange Postecoglou, I would absolutely want the club to have their ducks lined up and a successor to be named in short order, if only to avoid the chaotic and depressing “process” post-Jose Mourinho that led to the appointment of seventh-choice manager Nuno Espirito Santo (his tenure at Nottingham Forest notwithstanding). When Spurs fired Conte, it didn’t take them long to settle on Postecoglou. I would hope for a similar, pre-considered process this time around as well.

Yesterday was a rough day for Tottenham. We all have our coping mechanisms for dealing with Premier League disappointment.

My coping mechanism: Pretend that Tottenham doesn’t even exist as a football club.

That helps with today’s hoddle, where we are going to check out a couple fun pictures from this weekend’s action:

Marc Cucurella puts kit over his face after draw vs Ipswich

Can you imagine not beating Ipswich Town at home? Let alone allowing them to score twice? That’s pretty embarrassing.

If anything, Ipswich should be the disappointed ones after being up 2-0 in the first half. Relegation is a near certainty for the Tractor Boys, but at least they took a couple points from Chelsea.

Doucoure with the winner for Everton

What a great picture this one is.

Abdoulaye Doucoure hit the back of the net in 90+4 to secure the 1-0 victory for Everton against Nottingham Forest.

Yoane Wissa scores vs Arsenal

We love seeing Chelsea drop points. We also love to see Arsenal drop points.

Here is Brentford’s Yoane Wissa celebrating after drawing Brentford level versus Arsenal away.

With this result, Arsenal are nearly mathematically guaranteed to not win the Premier League title. And we can all get behind that.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Back In Our Minds, by Funkadelic

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$): “Wolves 4 Tottenham 2 – Vicario shaky as Spurs suffer yet more away day woe”

The Telegraph: “Error-strewn Tottenham beaten again to edge Ange Postecoglou towards sack”

Dan KP: “Embarrassing Tottenham display was insulting to fans and ultimate blame lies with Ange Postecoglou”

Tottenham Hotspur is not exactly a football club acquainted with success of late; but that will be just another obstacle to overcome as they attempt to push for their first trophy in over 15 years in what has been a season to forget.

That’s right, it’s the Europa League, and Spurs host Eintracht Frankfurt in their search for European glory. Frankfurt are no pushovers, and this instance of Spurs will be pushed to their limit. Ange Postecoglou (and the players) likely know this is potentially the last chance for the Australian to retain his job next season as well, which adds both extra context and challenge to an already tough fixture.

It’s time to stand up. Who will answer the call?

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Time: 3:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. UK

TV: Not televised in USA, TNT Sports 3 (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Paramount+

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!

Sunday’s win over Southampton was the latest excursion for Tottenham Hotspur that felt relatively meaningless, a distinction that has sadly become the club’s reality in the Premier League since the calendar hit 2025. The importance of the Europa League could not be any more different, with the season hanging on Spurs’ performance in this competition and Ange Postecoglou’s job attached to it as well.

It took a second-leg comeback — and surviving a second-half scare — against AZ Alkmaar to enter into the quarterfinals, and the level of competition ratchets up significantly from here on out. Still, no one left in the bracket is unbeatable, including Thursday’s opponent, Eintracht Frankfurt. However, the margin for error is razor thin, especially with next week’s fixture being played at the Waldstadion.

Quarterfinals (1st Leg): Tottenham Hotspur (0) vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (0)

Date: Thursday, April 10

Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UK

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

TV: Paramount+ (USA), TNT Sports 3 (UK)

Frankfurt finished fifth in the League Phase, just one place (and one place) behind Tottenham. A 6-2 aggregate victory over Ajax last round sets up this rematch from the 2022-23 Champions League Group Stage, which saw teams end 0-0 in Germany before Spurs won 3-2 at home thanks to a Harry Kane goal and a brace from Heung-Min Son. Speaking of the Champions League, Frankfurt is currently in the top four of the Bundesliga table, but has far from guaranteed qualification next season.

The big thing to highlight with this opponent is scoring. Third in Germany at 1.96 goals per match, Frankfurt has kept this pace up in the Europa League, tallying an even 20 goals in its 10 fixtures this campaign. The defense is closer to average, but is in decent form recently, allowing just seven goals (on 6.6 xGA) over its last six matches across both competitions.

Put up or shut up

Manager and fans alike have lamented the unavailability of the first-choice defense all season long, but finally that is not the problem. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero should be good to go Thursday, and any combination of Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro, and Djed Spence will work just fine around them. At the most crucial point of the season, Postecoglou actually has the needed resources at the back (including Guglielmo Vicario), meaning there are no excuses.

Of course, we know that this center back pairing does not ensure a clean sheet by any means. Frankfurt’s attack is going to cause some scares, even with Omar Marmoush now residing in Manchester. French striker Hugo Ekitike is the name to watch, but really any of the attackers will be more than happy to pounce on Tottenham mistakes. If Spurs’ best defenders get beat too many times, this will likely be the final nail.

Come and take it

While the defense seems sorted, it definitely is not clear who will — or should — start for Postecoglou ahead of them. It feels like Son and Dominic Solanke are locked in up front (though perhaps that should be debated), but how long they stay on the pitch is up in the air. That leaves right wing open, with two spots in midfield next to James Maddison as well. How the manager chooses to fill out these positions may determine the tie.

It is not solely up to making the selection, though. Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, and Lucas Bergvall have all shown stretches of promise, but have not fully seized a starting spot. With the lineup in flux and the pressure boiling, the chance is there for someone to lunge ahead and stake their claim. Tottenham cannot head into Frankfurt down in the tie (and really will want to bring some sort of lead on the road), and it gets the benefit of facing a backup keeper. That means goals are a necessity Thursday, but predicting where they would come from feels impossible.

Great news, everyone. European football is back. After two days of watching the boring Champions League, the world finally gets what it deserves in the Europa League.

And guess what? Spurs play today! Against Frankfurt! What luck.

To celebrate the Europa League, let’s take a brief look at a few leagues across Europe.

Bundesliga:

This is Bayern’s title to lose, being six points clear of Bayer Leverkusen. And Harry Kane is top of the league with 23 goals scored. Could this be a first domestic title for our hometown hero? Let’s hope so!

Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio:

I know nothing about the San Marino football league, but I do know Virtus are in first with 72 points. Looking for Tre Fiori? They’re in third at 52 points.

Belgian Super League:

We’re in the second phase now, and Genk are top of the table at 40 points. It isn’t as exciting as the San Marino League. And how could it be when Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Vincent Jannsen aren’t competing for the title?

The rest:

What else is there to say? Inter are top in Serie A, Barca are top in La Liga and Copenhagen are first in the Danish Superliga.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Storms, by Fleetwood Mac

And now for your links:

Jay Harris ($$): “How Lucas Bergvall went from the bench to Tottenham’s trusted ‘lump’ in just a few months”

Alasdair Gold: “Every word Ange Postecoglou said about his Tottenham future plus Tel and Johnson penalty moment”

There’s an article making the rounds on social media today from FourFourTwo that makes a pretty big claim — Tottenham have “begun talks” with Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner in the event that the club decides to cut ties with Ange Postecoglou at some point, whether that be after dropping out of the Europa League playoff or at the end of the season.

That’s interesting! We’ve seen Spurs linked with managers such as Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva, Brentford’s Thomas Frank, and even Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna. But Glasner? That’s a new, and intriguing, addition to the list of possibilities.

But is it really? If you’ve read this blog for any length of time or followed our coverage of past transfer windows, you’ll know that one of my big soap boxes is insisting that Carty Free readers be critical thinkers and consumers of transfer rumors and discourse. That starts with not running with every half-baked rumor that emerges from the worst of the rumor aggregators on X, but also to be discerning with media sources.

So let’s look at that FourFourTwo article. Scroll alllllllllll the way to near the bottom, and you get this sentence:

German outlet SportBild report via Sport Witness that Oliver Glasner is wanted the North Londoners, amid interest in the Crystal Palace boss from RB Leipzig.

Oh, so this isn’t a FourFourTwo exclusive after all! Dig a little bit and you’ll find the SportWitness piece, which is itself a summary and partial translation of a SportBILD article that’s locked behind a paywall.

And this is important — the BILD article (which you can’t read without a subscription) isn’t really about Tottenham Hotspur at all! It’s mostly about RB Leipzig’s managerial search, and how Glasner is potentially an option along with Danny Röhl for the Leipzig job. Tottenham, however, is briefly mentioned by BILD. Again, from the SportWitness piece:

This week’s edition of SportBild‘s magazine says Glasner remains a candidate and then states Tottenham ‘can offer a higher salary’ and therefore beat RB Leipzig to the Crystal Palace manager. The German media may want to dismiss Tottenham being more attractive as being solely down to money, but that probably isn’t the case given the previous reports from Austria.

Interesting. So representatives Tottenham may or may not have made contact with Glasner, and the feeling out of Germany is that if they’re serious about him, they’d be able to offer a better wage that Leipzig. But there’s a lot of heavy lifting in that excerpt, right? And what about those “previous reports from Austria?” No mention of what those are either. But that’s a whole separate dig.

Let’s set aside for now whether we think Glasner would be a good fit for Tottenham after Ange, which isn’t really the point here. None of this is to say that Tottenham Hotspur aren’t putting out feelers for new managers. I think they absolutely are and would be smart to do so. Glasner might even be on their list of potential Postecoglou replacements; that wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. And at some level the fact that we’re being linked with managers and they aren’t running in terror at the idea of managing Tottenham Hotspur feels pretty good!

What we end up with is FourFourTwo aggregating a SportWitness translation of a paywalled BILD article that is really about RB Leipzig and not about Spurs at all. This is extremely thin gruel with which to end up with a headline that reads “Tottenham begin talks with Oliver Glasner.”

I want to be clear here — this article is not intended to call out any of the sources listed above. I don’t have an axe to grind against FourFourTwo, SportWitness (which provides a valuable service in translating foreign language and paywalled sports reports), or BILD (which is basically the German Daily Mail). The game, as Avon Barksdale said, is the game. Hell, I’m an aggregator myself and I’ve 100% spread rumors that turned out to be complete bullshit, merely because I determined that the rumor, while perhaps untrue, could at least be plausible, only to find out I was dead wrong. It happens!

And this is definitely me being tautological in my own discourse, but it’s important — my goal is to make Carty Free readers the most intelligent and discerning Spurs fans on the internet. The truth, or at least the nugget of an idea that percolates through Bat Country, is frequently buried beneath layers of aggregation and linked sources. So don’t believe everything you read! Dig for original sources! Dive deep down the rabbit hole and examine everything you see closely — is it true? Is it plausible? Should you embrace a rumor because you want to believe it, or should you wait for more info?

Transfer rumors are fun. I love them! They’re our bread and butter here. But as we careen to another silly season that could be impacted by [waves hands vaguely] EVENTS, it becomes more and more important to be discerning in what we read, and what we believe.

The most compelling storyline in the English football pyramid might just be in its third tier.

With only five games remaining in the season, only three points separate second-place Wrexham (81 points) from Wycombe (78). The two clubs have been fighting for the second automatic promotion all season, but Wycombe’s 0-1 loss to Reading over the weekend pushed them back into third.

This is all exciting news for Wrexham fans, whose club is now on the precipice of ascending to the second tier after Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took it over just a few years ago.

Now, they’re aiming for a back-to-back-to-back promotion.

Wrexham’s goalscoring is a bit more even this season compared to their previous campaigns, with Steven Fletcher on eight. Three others are on seven, while Paul Mullin (who had surgery in June) is on two.

Meanwhile, Wycombe’s Richard Kone is the joint-top scorer in the league at 18 goals.

So where do we go from here? Well, let’s look at their remaining fixtures:

Wycombe: Stevenage, Bolton, Charlton, Leyton Orient, Stockport

Wrexham: Wigan, Bristol Rovers, Blackpool, Charlton, Lincoln

You have to think that Wrexham have got the easier of the two run-ins, with Wycombe facing two promotion candidates in Leyton Orient (9th) and Stockport (4th) in the final two matches of the season.

But who knows, this is League One football where all dreams are possible and all dreams simultaneously go to die.

So circle 3 May on your calendar and get ready for an eventful final day of the season.

Fitzie’s track of the day: It Never Entered My Mind, by Miles Davis

And now for your links:

ESPN: “Premier League to have five teams in 2025-26 Champions League”

BBC: Birmingham seal promotion back to Championship

Telegraph: “Bend it like Declan! Rice eclipses Real Madrid with heaven-sent rockets”

If there’s a silver lining to the incredible injury crisis that Tottenham Hotspur endured in the middle part of the season, it’s that Spurs’ cadre of young potential superstars got a lot more minutes than initially projected. Players like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Mikey Moore weren’t expected to play a ton for Spurs’ first team but were thrust into roles that they maybe weren’t ready for because there was no one else available to play.

Here’s the thing though — those young players got better, or at least more experienced, and that will pay dividends down the road. I’d say the main beneficiary of those minutes this season is Bergvall, who has gone from playing in the Swedish league to starting for a Premier League team in nine months. I remember watching his early appearances for Spurs and thinking that he has a lot of talent but looks a little lost at this level. Now, he’s settled in and has become not just comfortable playing in the Premier League, but one of Spurs’ best central midfielders.

And if Swedish outlet fotbol direkt is correct, he’s about to be rewarded with an improved contract for his efforts. FD is reporting that Spurs are now in negotiations with Bergvall and his representatives for an improved contract that will take effect this summer.

Bergvall’s initial deal, according to the article, runs through 2029 and earns him 22m Swedish kronor per year. Do the math and that works out to £33k/wk in wages — certainly nowhere near the top of the wage scale at Spurs, but pretty dang good for a kid who just turned 19 and was playing in a third tier league last season. The article doesn’t specify the terms of any potential new contract (duh, they’re in talks) but one can surmise it would likely add a year or so on to the end of the deal and also give him a very healthy wage rise.

Spurs have gotten a lot of stick lately for its wage to turnover ratio, as dumping Harry Kane’s wages have given the club a lot of leeway on the wage scale. So yes, Spurs can absolutely afford to give players like Bergvall who are deserving of a new deal a substantial raise without hurting their bottom line.

And frankly, Lucas deserves it. He’s already looking like a young player you can build a team around, and the key to making sure he stays at Tottenham is to keep him happy with new deals and wage bumps. I suspect that, assuming this manifests, this is just the start of new contracts for the younger players — Bergvall is likely just the first one we’ve heard about.

Devastating news in the music world on Monday: Clem Burke, the rapturous heart beat to new wave band Blondie, has died after a prive battle with cancer.

He was so much more than the drummer behind One Way or Another. He played with Eurythmics, the Ramones, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, LAMF, Joan Jett, The Romantics, Nancy Sinatra and many more incredible artists.

Blondie members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein paid tribute to their beloved bandmate on facebook:

“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable. Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

“His influence and contributions have spanned decades and genres, leaving an indelible mark on every project he was a part of.”

I was lucky enough to catch Blondie the last time they toured in the US. While the crowd surrounded the iconic Debbie Harry, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the man on the kit. The Great Clem Burke.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Atomic, by Blondie

Here’s an excerpt I wrote for that hoddle back in August 2022:

“In the many shows I have attended - whether that be rock, blues, jazz, punk, disco, pop - I have never seen anyone drum like Burke. Nor have I seen anyone carry a band for an entire two hours the way he did.

“Braving the general admission pit at The Anthem. I was transfixed on him during Fade Away and Radiate, the only member of the ensemble to ditch his bright-coloured suit jacket. Just to watch his hands at work was a sight to behold.

“Then, in that final drum fill, he completely shifted gears from the reggae beat into The Tide is High, Blondie’s famous latin-flavoured cover of a song by Jamaican band The Paragons. It was the best 13 minutes of drumming I think I have ever heard.

“And then the man did it again to close out the first set, when Blondie closed out with Heart of Glass. Only this time he sort of went into reverse, speeding up from the disco beat into the Sex Pistols’ punk-rock God Save The Queen.”

Fitzie’s track of the day: Heart of Glass, by Blondie

Burke and Blondie came onto the scene during a boon in the New York punk world. They cut their teeth at the CBGB with contemporaries the Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, the New York Dolls and Patti Smith.

But one of the most exciting sounds to come from that scene was whatever Burke was playing. His style was unparalleled.

Clem Burke was the greatest drummer I’ve ever seen in my life.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part three: Dreaming, by Blondie

And now for your links:

Rolling Stone: “Clem Burke’s Beat Helped Blondie Conquer the World”

The Athletic ($$): “Even positives for Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou now seem to come with caveats”

OK, this is late. Sorry, was a busy week at Ye Olde Day Jobbe™ and I had some personal stuff going on too. I’m not sure anyone wants to go back and have to re-litigate what happened last Thursday at Stamford Bridge (honestly, it was pretty much what happens EVERY time we go to Stamford Bridge) but for the sake of completeness I wanna bash out this player ratings quick so we can all collectively forget about it and move on to the next match to complain about.

So here’s a quick and dirty theme just so we can all move on — player ratings for Tottenham’s loss to Chelsea to the theme of color swatches randomly generated by a hex color website.

No Tottenham players in this category.

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 3.0): Quite honestly, Lucas was Tottenham’s best player on the day. Had plenty of verve and looks to have settled into a comfort zone at this level. Postecoglou was booed when he was subbed off, but has since clarified that Lucas was looking “leggy.”

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 3.0): Got boos for replacing Bergvall and then played nearly as well, scoring what would’ve been an equalizer except for the whole “kicking the guy studs up in the knee beforehand” thing. Also should’ve earned a penalty after he got clipped in the box. Decent match!

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 3.5): A little shaky at first, but settled in and had a number of quality stops including a spectacular one-handed save.

Djed Spence (Community — 3.0): Did ok on the whole but had a couple of defensive miscues that led to Chelsea chances.

Wilson Odobert (Community — 2.5): I thought Wilson looked like a decent outlet especially in the first half, but wasn’t getting service and faded badly.

Son Heung-MIn (Community — 2.5): Nearly, NEARLY got the equalizer late but wasn’t able to direct his sliding shot past Chelsea’s keeper. Otherwise fairly quiet on the ball.

Cuti Romero (Community — 2.5): Weirdly defensively frail in this one, with Nico Jackson kind of having his way with him at times. Got some bottle back in him after some fisticuffs with the Chelsea squad.

Micky van de Ven (Community — 2.5): Welcome back, Micky. Sorry it was a crappy game. Nearly scored an own goal in the opening minute and got drawn out of position for Chelsea’s first goal. A match to forget, and hopefully he does.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 2.0): Had a couple of solid defensive moments, but got lost at the back post for a goal and looked extremely suspect going forward. Honestly at this point I’d rather see Djed play at LB than Destiny, and I hate saying it.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 2.0): Effectively stranded on an island with no service, though he worked ferociously, as usual, in the press.

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 2.0): Another extremely blah match. A midfield sieve and didn’t do much to progress the ball.

James Maddison (Community — 2.0): Very little creativity on the ball in a match where it was desperately needed.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 2.0): Might have been, ironically, a better choice to play against Chelsea than Wilson. Had a few good deliveries (including the one to Son) but wasn’t able to impact the match much.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as the randomly-generated color “pearl black berry.”

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating: