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Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs lost in the fog at City Ground

Spurs drop another winnable match and continue their slide down the table.

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It was a foggy, dreary day in Nottingham where Tottenham Hotspur were set to take on the surprising Nottingham Forest today. There was a mist on the pitch and a mist in the minds of the Spurs players who worked hard but couldn’t find a way past Matz Sels and a stout Forest defense. Anthony Elanga scored the only goal of the match in the first half, slipping past Destiny Udogie on a counter-attack and slotting past Fraser Forster. Spurs huffed and puffed but couldn’t find an equalizer, and fell further down the table with a 1-0 loss.

Tottenham did some mild rotation (which is about all Ange Postecoglou can do these days) for the starting lineup. Rodrigo Bentancur returned from his seven match suspension to start in midfield alongside Pape Sarr. Destiny Udogie, who had been rested after picking up a knock a couple of games ago, rejoined the starting lineup, with Djed Spence giving Pedro Porro a much needed break on the right. James Maddison was also rested with Brennan Johnson returning to the lineup.

A frustrating result. Here are my match reactions.

Match Reactions:

Yeah, this was one of those games. You know the ones. I’ve said before one of the stories of this match is the fact that Spurs have failed to win ANY of their 50/50 matches this season. This was another one. I’d almost say Spurs were comfortably the better side, and they still came away with a 1-0 loss. How do you explain that?

This match was reminiscent of Spurs early in the season — a lot of possession, plenty of box entries, but very little shot production to show for it.

And of course with all that possession it makes total sense that Forest would score the only goal of the match via a classic counterattacking goal following a stupid midfield giveaway.

Final xG: NFO 1.21 — 1.28 TOT, Spurs had 71% possession and outshot Forest 13-10.

Spurs really really missed any sort of creativity in the first half, and the subs of Bergvall and Maddison did make a difference. Bergvall I thought especially provided a spark, he played well, snapping into tackles and making progressive passes.

The mist on the pitch was really obvious on TV, it made me wonder whether it impacted the players on the pitch as much.

Really disappointing matches from the entire front line today. Son, Solanke, and especially Brennan Johnson all were sub-par, and you’re not going to win many games when that happens.

Gonna go out on a limb and suggest finishing a match with Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma as your two central defenders is a little less than ideal. Thankfully, Ben Davies could be back for Wolves?

Spence picking up a cheap second yellow and a suspension for the next match was just the cherry on this stupid crappy sundae.

Forest are a good side and Nuno is making them proud, but this still feels like a match that Spurs let slip away. A point would’ve been fair. A win was not out of the question here. Grr.

Ah, the festive period. Flush with football fixtures, fun for all, with fights against fatiguing foes flourishing. Feliz Navidad!

It’s Nottingham Forest who are Tottenham Hotspur’s opponents for the customary Boxing Day fixture, with the Nuno Espirito Santo-coached side perhaps the surprise package of the 24/25 instance of the Premier League. The East Midlands club would have been picked by many to be potentially involved in the relegation battle but are instead fighting at the opposite end of the table, sitting in fourth thanks largely to Chris Wood’s 10 goals. It’s their defense though that has them sitting pretty, with Nuno making Forest fans proud with the side holding the second-best defensive record in the league.

It’s a record many Spurs fans may be envious of, but one that is probably slightly unrealistic with the resources available to Ange Postecoglou. Spurs haven’t had much in the way of positive news on the injury front, but one bonus will be the availability of Rodrigo Bentancur after serving his suspension.

This will be a tough match, and Spurs’ tired squad are going to have to somehow find an extra reserve to take anything from it. Let’s hope they can!

COYS!

Lineups

Live Blog

How to Watch

Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham Hotspur

The City Ground, Nottingham, UK

Thursday, December 26, 2024

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

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

Streaming: Peacock, Amazon Prime (UK)

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!

Christmas has passed, and Tottenham Hotspur finds itself in the bottom half of the Premier League table. While three matches in the next 10 days present an opportunity for quick movement — especially with just six points separating fifth and 13th — it feels like Spurs’ chances to salvage this domestic campaign are reaching the danger zone. Boxing Day’s visit to a top-four Nottingham Forest side is just one match in isolation, but given the current state of affairs, every single fixture feels massive.

Forest has enjoyed a remarkable start to the season, though analytics and betting markets are slow to believe. Spurs are still given comparable odds to secure a top-four finish, despite the current eight-point gap. These projections may be valid once key absentees are back to full health, but for now these sides look nothing alike. A win on Thursday could fuel optimism for a resurgence, but a loss would validate Tottenham’s place in the table.

Nottingham Forest (4th, 31pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-11th, 23pts)

Date: Thursday, December 26

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

Location: The City Ground, Nottingham

TV: Peacock (US), Amazon Prime Video (UK)

How does a team ranked 13th in goals scored sit in fourth place? The answer lies in Forest’s stingy defense, which has conceded just 19 goals in 17 matches. Despite a nearly even goal difference, Forest has mastered the art of efficient scoring — winners of four of its last five, three came by a single goal. It has been quite the season for Nuno Espirito Santo after just barely escaping relegation following his appointment last winter.

Tottenham played a pivotal role in that managerial shake-up, defeating Steve Cooper’s side 2-0 at the City Ground, a result that ultimately led to Nuno’s appointment. Spurs completed the league double with a 3-1 victory at the new Lane, thanks to goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro. Since Forest’s promotion in 2022/23, Spurs have taken all 12 points, though Forest did manage a win in the League Cup that season.

All or Nothing

While Forest has thrived on narrow victories, Tottenham has been the opposite: the last five league wins have all been by at least three goals. Spurs’ attack has been inconsistent this season, but they have scored 16 goals in their past five matches across all competitions. Unfortunately, defensive frailties have been equally prominent, making Tottenham one of the league’s most high-event teams. This clash of styles — Forest’s defensive discipline against Spurs’ attacking firepower — sets the stage for an interesting affair.

Despite Forest’s defensive solidity, Tottenham’s red-hot attack gives it reasons for optimism. Newcastle, Arsenal, and City each put three past Forest in (somewhat) recent victories, exposing its potential vulnerabilities. Ange Postecoglou’s side has shown its attacking prowess lately, as the key injuries at the club are more detrimental to the defense. If Spurs are to leave the City Ground with three points, they will need to rely on their attackers to compensate for a shaky back line yet again.

The strongest wills

Postecoglou remains steadfast in his philosophy and approach. Critics frustrated with his commitment to an attacking style that leaves the defense exposed will not find solace anytime soon. However, a loss to the league’s best team does not really teach us anything new. Even a more conservative style would not suddenly make this group of defenders world-class, and any such shift would inevitably come at the expense of the team’s attacking prowess.

I agree with Postecoglou’s belief that the only viable path is to press forward, regardless of who is available. While this may lead to continued frustrations, it is essential to view this as a long-term project rather than a quick fix. Watching teams like Forest climb the table on the back of strong defending can be disheartening, but that is not the direction this club has chosen. A win Thursday would go a long way to justify this path that has been established.

good morning and happy Boxing Day!

Oh if there’s a day that’s better than Christmas Day, it’s Boxing Day.

We’re talking about a day packed with football. Blackburn Rovers-Sunderland, Bristol City-Luton Town, Boro-Wednesday, Bournemouth-Palace, Brighton-Brentford. And of course Forest-Spurs.

But this isn’t the match thread - it’s the hoddle!

And your hoddler-in-chief is currently soliciting music recommendations. I will be driving down to the record store in a couple of days and am thinking of picking up a good variety of different genres.

So if you’ve listened to any good music lately that you feel is worth listening to on vinyl, shout it out! And if you’ve discovered a hidden gem, or rediscovered a record you love, share that also!

Few things are more fun that record shopping. [Watching Tottenham Hotspur beat Forest 5-0 today would be one of those things].

Fitzie’s track of the day: Glorietta, by Tennis

And now for your links:

The Independent: Spurs’ ‘sliding doors moment’ which saw them embrace chaos

How Boxing Day became a PL tradition

Tottenham Hotspur don’t have any transfer targets wrapped and under their Christmas tree this season (understandable since the transfer window doesn’t open until New Year’s Day) but we are starting to get a few half-baked but still somewhat plausible rumors that are beginning to emerge.

Take this one, from Florian Plettenberg. According to good ol’ Plettigoal, Tottenham are one of a few teams “interested” in potentially bringing in 26-year old PSG wide forward Randal Kolo Muani next month.

It’s an interesting rumor. Kolo Muani came through at Nantes but broke through in his one full season at Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022-23, where he scored 15 goals and had 11 assists. That earned him a transfer to PSG, where he has mostly stagnated and disappointed. He had 6g+5a in 1200 minutes last season for the French giants, and this year has 2g+1a in just 358 minutes. PSG are ready to offload him, potentially on loan next month, though Plettenburg notes that they’re likely to demand a purchase obligation.

His stats are also interesting — looking at the wide forward profile his goals are down, but his npxG is high, and he does like to take on his defenders. He’s also a creative player who racks up plenty of assists. Seems like with a little time he could be a good fit for Ange-Ball.

Tottenham are very much in the “these other clubs are also interested” part of the rumor, so the actual links to him are pretty thin. That said, he’d be an interesting signing. He plays a very similar role to Richarlison in that he’s equally comfortable up top and in a left sided wide forward role. Ability-wise he’s probably a push with a healthy Richy, but the main issue is just that — Richy just can’t stay healthy and very likely isn’t going to be at the club much longer. Richarlison aside, I’d also argue that Kolo Muani would be a pretty decent upgrade to Timo Werner, if the club wants to cut ties next month.

At 26, Kolo Muani needs a fresh start away from Paris, and the Premier League seems like a good place for him to do that. The links are tenuous (all transfer links are tenuous in the Age of Lange). He wouldn’t be a long-term replacement, his wages are high (£200k/wk), and it’s not clear how much purchase obligation would be, if it’s even included. But Spurs do need help in that part of the pitch, as well as someone who can capably rotate with Son Heung-Min along with Mikey Moore and (eventually) Wilson Odobert. Consider me intrigued, at least until I get more information.

good morning and Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to all those who celebrate!

We’ve just got a short hoddle for you all today. To celebrate the special day I think it might be fun to look back at a couple Christmas videos Spurs have put up in recent years.

Here’s the first one, titled “Who am I?” with Sonny, Jan Vertonghen, Harry Winks and Paulo Gazzaniga.

This whole exercise for me is mostly an excuse to watch old Jan Vertonghen clips.

Want another one? Here ya go, featuring Vertonghem, Ben Davies and Kyle Walker-Peters:

Anyways, that’s about it for your hoddle today.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday. And I understand the holidays can also be a stressful and lonely time! But you are welcome here :)

Feel free to stop by the hoddle today and say hello or comment on the latest American football or NBA game going on, or chat about anything you want really. It is the hoddle after all!

Fitzie’s track of the day: Don’t Shoot Me Santa, by The Killers

And now for your links:

An oldie: The 100 best male footballers in the world 2024

Results in recent weeks have driven increased scrutiny of Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer activity over the summer. With a lack of depth made painfully obvious by the current injury crisis, the recruitment done through the summer could largely be seen as a (short-term) failure, with many of Spurs’ targets poised for bigger things but potentially not ready to make an immediate impact.

Some recent appointments, however, give a little context to that window. It turns out that Tottenham’s data and analytics team hadn’t been fully built yet, with two key appointments being confirmed only in the last month. Back in May, Spurs advertised for three roles reporting to the newly appointed Head of Football Insights and Strategy, Frederik Leth (pictured), as Johan Lange worked to modernize Spurs’ scouting and recruitment to give the club a much-needed leg-up in the transfer market.

We now have information on two of those, with Tottenham appointing Pawel Kapuscinski to the Lead Data Engineer role, and Sasha Satikova as Lead Data Scientist. The third vacancy, Lead Scouting Insights Analyst, also appears to now be filled with a private LinkedIn profile carrying the title (which unfortunately prevents us from garnering any insight as to the third appointee).

On the face of it, both Kapuscinski and Satikova appear excellent hires. Advanced analytics is really still somewhat in its infancy in the football world, but both have extensive experience working in sporting endeavors and football specifically: Kapuscinksi worked for Zelus Analytics over the last few years, an organization focused on building sports analytics platforms, and held prior roles at Polish clubs Rakow Czestochowa and Warta Poznan, as well as Burnley; and Satikova has been at City Football Group as their Senior Data Scientist for the last three years.

Many of you may not know, but I work in this area for my day job (not football specifically, unfortunately), so have probably a bit more than cursory understanding of the breakdown of these roles - though how the three operate can vary depending on the organization. Of the three, the Data Engineer moves the needle the least for me - as typically it’s a very technically focused role, with understanding of football more a bonus than a core component. To put it in simple terms, the engineer pulls data from different sources, cleans it up, mashes it together, then stores it in a way that enables the data scientists and analysts to perform extensive analysis.

The Data Scientist and Insights Analyst on the other hand tend to have a strong need for understanding of their chosen fields. The scientist role focuses on longitudinal, exploratory analysis with a goal of producing statistical measures and models to help identify key metrics and performers. Remember xG? That’s a product of data science. The analyst can then utilize these models and measures and present them in a way that other people in the organization can then act on - the charts you see on fbref would be one such output, and that person might then present some key targets based on those data. Both of these roles work really closely with the engineer, as HOW the data engineer goes about moving the data around is driven largely from requirements and logic identified by the other two roles.

These are genuinely quite exciting hires. Because the football analytics world is largely lacking maturity, securing personnel who are not just excellent at working with data but with specific, first-hand footballing knowledge immediately allows the club to get started on the front foot. It’s likely there will be scope as well for research and innovation, potentially generating new metrics to try and identify future targets and get ahead of the curve (and rival clubs) in building the squad.

Tottenham was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that. The register of its burial was signed by the kitman, the staff, the Liverpool fans, and the chief mourners. Levy signed it. And Levy’s name was good upon ‘Change for anything he chose to put his hand to.

Tottenham Hotspur was dead as a doornail.

Or are they? Sure, losing 3-6 to Liverpool at home stung quite a bit, but Tottenham at least did it the Ange way, not giving up, continuing to play despite missing ten players and going up against an in-form team at the top of the table. I honestly felt better about getting hammered by Liverpool on Sunday than I have drawing Leicester, or losing to Ipswich.

Going into this article I have no idea what the player ratings would look like. Sure, they got smashed, but was the performance BAD? ...I mean besides the obvious. Guess you’re going to find out by (not) reading this article, right?

I have long said that the closest American analogue to the hyper-local and just plain hyper fandom of English football is college American football. And another uniquely American analogue to the derby is the college football bowl. If you’re British you’ve probably heard of the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl. But there’s a whole slate of minor, lesser bowls available to any college team that finishes .500 in their season. Most of them are sponsored by #brands. And they are GLORIOUS.

So as bowl season kicks into high gear here in the Colonies, I thought we’d take a look at some of the minor bowls that are set to kick off. Here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings for the loss to Liverpool to the theme of minor American college football bowls.

Iowa State (10-3) vs. Miami (10-2)

Some bowls take things super seriously. Then there’s the Pop-Tarts Bowl. It debuted last season and featured the debut of a giant, instantly meme-worthy googly-eyed strawberry Pop-Tart mascot that rose up out of a giant toaster like phoenix... or like a fiend from the pit. And the best part is the winner of the game literally gets to eat the giant mascot as it slides, piping hot, onto the field for the team to devour. It’s ridiculous. It’s incredible. I’m definitely gonna watch it.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as good as the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Miami of Ohio (8-5) vs. Colorado State (8-4)

Yes, you read that correctly — the Arizona Bowl is sponsored by your favorite aging stoner rapper and T-Mobile spokesman. I have no idea how this bowl game will celebrate Snoop, but you know it will be awesome and very likely off the freakin’ chain. Fo shizzle.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 3.5): Almost certainly Spurs’ best player on the day. Looked dynamic and exciting, and took his goal well.

Minnesota (7-5) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)

I don’t have much to say about the Duke’s Mayo Bowl except to point out that instead of getting doused with Gatorade, the winning coach gets a giant tub of mayonnaise dumped on his head. America!

James Maddison (Community — 3.0): Cut a frustrated figure in the second half and had his head in his hands after being subbed off, but I’m adding a half star for his curling goal.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 3.5): Hardly got any service but he again worked hard in the press and nabbed a smart rebound goal to give Spurs a little hope.

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 3.0): Had the advantage of coming in at a point where effort and industry could make a difference. Lovely ball to set up Spurs’ third goal and you can see things are starting to click a little bit for him at this level. More minutes will help, and I hope we’ll see him take the leap either this spring or next season.

Djed Spence (Community — 3.5): Not a lot of Christmas Cheer in that back line, but if there’s anyone who came out of that match with a little credit, it was Djed. Is he a better Ange fullback than Destiny Udogie right now MY COLUMN

South Carolina (9-3) vs. Illinois (9-3)

When I think of citrus I don’t think of baked cheese crackers, but you gotta admit they’re delicious and meme-worthy. A quick google tells me that the fan experiences are mostly bog-standard, including a pep rally and some “Cheez-It inspired fan makeovers.” Feels like a real missed opportunity for like a giant Cheez-It parachuting from a plane or something, IDK.

Pape Sarr (Community — 2.5): One of the few bright(ish) spots in this match. I appreciated his work rate and ability to cover every inch of grass, even if his stuff mostly didn’t come off.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 2.5): Call me crazy but I really think Johnson would’ve been good starting this match, as it seemed like a good situation for his “do nothing but crash the box and tap in goals” play style. Got an assist and nearly scored himself.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 2.5): Whaddya do with Ange in this one? I’m giving him three stars for basically giving all the “aNgE mUsT pLaY MoRe pRagMaTicAlLy” people the middle finger. Are we not entertained? Well the neutrals sure were.

East Carolina (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6)

If there’s one thing college bowl sponsors love, it’s Giving Credit To Our Troops™, whether that’s this bowl, or the IS4S Salute to Our Veterans Bowl or the (seriously) Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl. There’s a bowl for all your patriotic holiday needs, I guess.

Archie Gray (Community — 3.0): I feel a little bad putting Archie this low and he was definitely not the worst defender in that back line, but it’s hard to overlook giving up six goals, even if he was covering for Dragusin most of the match.

Yves Bissouma (Community — 2.0): Kinda grading on a curve here because I yelled at Yves a lot during this match, but Biss had his moments in midfield and things could’ve gotten even uglier if he had played more poorly than he did.

Son Heung-Min (Community — 2.0): Still looks hesitant to shoot in the buildup around the box. Worked hard, but ended up with very little to show for it.

Memphis (10-2) vs. West Virginia (6-6)

TIL there’s a “Scooter’s Coffee” which apparently sells enough drive-through coffee in Nebraska to sponsor a real actual bowl game.

Fraser Forster (Community — 2.0): I know. I KNOW. He’s been a good shot stopper lately, but that doesn’t excuse another hospital pass out of the back inside ten minutes that led to a big chance, getting caught in no-man’s land while rushing out for a counter, and being completely at sea for most of Spurs’ goals. Shocking match. Put Googly Elmo in a bacta tank, please.

Radu Dragusin (Community — 1.5): When you’re indirectly responsible for five of Spurs’ six allowed goals and your playing partner, an 18-year old kid playing out of position, is having to reguarly cover for you, it’s a bad game. I can’t think of many defensive performances not involving Davinson Sanchez that were much worse.

Pedro Porro (Community — 2.0): Not one of Pedro’s better matches as he was regularly torched by an in-form Diaz, but the guy needs to sleep for like a week and there’s not a whole lot of respite coming until the new year. I’m not mad, just a little sad for him.

Rutgers (7-5) vs. Kansas State (8-4)

Sometimes sponsorships are fun (see above) and sometimes they’re just confusing and don’t do much to add anything to a college football game. I had to google the Rate Bowl, because the name doesn’t tell you anything about it. (It’s the old Copper Bowl in Arizona). Rate Bowl is just boring, which probably fits for a game between Rutgers and Kansas State.

No Tottenham Hotspur players were as bad as the Rate Bowl.

A Christmas Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

There is only one day until Christmas, and there is not a single Tottenham Hotspur jumper in sight.

I’m going through the Spurs online store now and there are surprisingly few Christmas items. You have a Spurs gingerbread ornament ($11), a gift bag ($6!!), children socks ($11), a cockerel globe ($27) that actually looks pretty cool. But no jumper.

It isn’t as if I were going to buy one, but it does change my hoddling plans today. Guess I’ll have to write about no Spurs jumpers instead.

They did have a couple incredible options last year:

I’m not really a fan of those gnome characters, but that is a good looking jumper. The vest also looks not terrible too, but I don’t think the cockerel is big enough.

There were a couple really solid ones a couple years ago too featuring Hugo Lloris, Harry Winks, Jan Vertonghen and Heung-min Son.

Now, if you’re looking for a good Christmas jumper, I recommend heading to Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys have more than FIVE offerings to choose from. Here’s my personal favourite:

Now that is a solid Christmas jumper. Beautiful sleeves. Club crest front and centre. Plus a wonderful snapped cracker sash. Who here doesn’t love a sash?

This is the gold standard for Christmas jumpers.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Merry Christmas Baby, by Otis Redding

And now for your links:

ESPN with comprehensive coverage of football sweaters (apparently there is or was a Spurs one?)

You might have noticed that the transfer rumor stories here at Carty Free Towers has dried up significantly. There’s a reason for that. New sporting director Johan Lange has shut the door on virtually all leaks from the club, so the rumors that show up tend to be sourced from agents trying to get a deal for their client and those tend to show up via... let’s call them “lower tier” rumor websites.

So if you’re wondering why I’m writing an article on a rumor from Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, keep that context in mind, because we’re not getting the pipeline of juicy gossip from club sources like we were used to under Fabio Paratici in past seasons. Anyway, the rumor is that Spurs are looking at their defensive options in the January transfer window and have made an inquiry to Atalanta for a potential loan for English central defender Ben Godfrey.

Godfrey is a former Everton player who moved to Italy this summer, and he’s barely played — two appearances for a grand total of 19 minutes. He is positionally flexible and an Atalanta report from this summer suggests he’s strong in the air, but he’s also pretty mid with very few indications from his statics that he’s especially fast or particularly good on the ball, both things that are pretty important in an Ange-Ball high defensive line. Everton supporters didn’t seem too broken up by his departure and seemed plenty happy to let him go for £12m.

With all respect to good ol’ Sports Peeto, I can certainly understand Spurs having the impulse to look at all their options going forward. It’s not a great thing, as we saw last night, to be without three of your four central defense options during the busiest part of the season. But Godfrey would be the literal definition of a warm body in reserve. I don’t hate the idea of a loan signing but Godfrey on a short term deal doesn’t help with the Europa squad list, and it’s not clear how much he’d play anyway considering Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven are expected back in the new year. Is Ben Godfrey a better option than Archie Gray out of position or Alfie Dorrington? Maybe, especially if it allows Archie to transition to central midfield. Is it worth it? I am really unsure.

It’s a weird rumor and a bad source, and we’re surely scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to transfer rumors right now. It’s fair to say we have really no idea what Lange and Company have planned for the squad next month. I guess it’s worth wondering whether kicking the can down the road for half a season is better than identifying and potentially overspending for a priority defensive target now. I’m leaning towards not.