NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 486
Submitted by Norman Giller
A slightly cocky, very confident James Maddison is what Tottenham need as they progress into a season that has already had more ups and downs than Anthony Joshua.
Madders is one of those players who thrives on being cock 'o the walk, and he had a lot of the bounce knocked out of him by injury and then Gareth Southgate snubbing him for the Euros.
Against lively Brentford on Saturday, he showed his old swagger and style and played a key part in a victory that - at least temporarily - shut up the keyboard warriors, who had shown immaturity and impatience by turning on Ange Postecoglou.
The affable Aussie (who just like Maddison goes to work on an ego) was dismissive of his critics and suggested they try some yoga to get rid of their tensions. Great, mate!
Our Spurs Odyssey guru Paul H. Smith gives his reading of the victory over Brentford HERE, spotlighting the part Madders played in restoring stability after that shock early sting from the Bees.
The final 3-1 scoreline might easily have been 7-4 to Tottenham. We can't claim we're not being entertained,
Madders revealed he was in trouble with his mother for getting booked when whipping off his shirt in understandable celebration of his points-clinching goal. 'Mum had me in her fantasy football league team and the booking cost her a point,' he explained in the after-match chatter.
I'm putting my shirt on Madders to return to his dominating best alongside the elegant Bentancur and supporting the re-charged Brengun Johnson as Spurs take their first steps back into Europe.
They kick off Euro duties against Azerbaijan league leaders Qarabag at the Tottenham Stadium on Thursday, followed by a challenging visit to Old Trafford on Sunday.
Time perhaps to adopt the Lotus position.
I almost managed to complete my blog without mentioning the 'Sir Bill' biography I have written on the legendary Bill Nicholson in harness with the master, Steve 'Skip' Perryman. Thanks for all those of you who have asked for details. I can tell you it will be published next month by distinguished, official Tottenham Hotspur publishers VSP, and their esteemed director Toby Trotman is already making noises about it being one of the most important Tottenham books for many a year. "It is a book that belongs on the shelves of all Tottenham fans who wish to know the history of their great club," he says. I could not have put it better myself.
COYS!
Week six of our eleventh season of the Spurs Odyssey Quiz League, and the question is:
Who has won 65 caps, wears the No 30 Tottenham shirt and from which club did he join Spurs?
Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 6. Deadline: midnight this Friday. I will do my best to respond to all who take part. The rules are the same as in the previous ten seasons. I ask a two-pronged question with three points at stake - two for identifying the player and one for the supplementary ques-tion. In the closing weeks of the competition I break the logjam of all-knowing Spurs-history experts with a real stinker of a tie-breaking poser that is based on opinion rather than fact.
This year's main prize will be a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion 2025, plus three signed books to be revealed at a later date.
Last week's question: Which striker with an Italian-sounding first name scored 21 goals in 51 international appearances, and from which club did he join Spurs in 2008?
Answer: Roman Pavlyuchenko, Moscow Spartak.
See you back here on Monday. COYS!
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